Starfinder Society Scenario # 2-11: "Descent Into Verdant Shadow" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Descent Into Verdant Shadow is a meaty scenario that should really test some PCs (and the GM!).  The setting is interesting and original, and the encounters involve an excellent mix of role-playing, skills, and combat.  It's not a scenario for when the group is in a rush or the GM hasn't had time to prepare, and the final encounter especially takes up a lot of the GM's mental bandwidth.  But I still enjoyed running it, and would recommend playing it, especially for PCs with an ecological bent.  I ran it at subtier 5-6 via play-by-post using the four-player adjustment.

SPOILERS!

The planet Aballon is known for its sprawling cities that cover most of the planet, teeming with countless anacites.  But there are a few pockets of wilderness remaining, most notably the Ice Wells--deep chasms caused by ancient meteor strikes that contain half-frozen primordial jungles.  The Ice Wells are under the protection of the Xenowardens, and the Starfinder Society has always been refused permission to send an expedition team to explore them.  Until now--because a strange sickness has started affecting the flora and fauna in one of the Ice Wells called the Gullet.  But this is a closely held secret, and as far as the SFS knows, they've simply been offered a guided tour of the Gullet so the Xenowardens can evaluate their ability to navigate the delicate ecoystem without causing damage.  

In a briefing with the unimpressed Venture-Captain Naiaj (she thinks the Xenowardens are "glorified eco-terrorists"), the PCs are introduced to their guide: a khizar (mobile plant creature) named Hemlock.  Hemlock talks like a half-stoned surfer dude, and I had the best time role-playing them!  For the first part of the scenario, they act as a guide and evaluate the PCs (using a positive/negative tally system that affects scenario success conditions).  But in the second half of the scenario, they become righteously angry and start flame-throwing stuff! (at least, that's how I played them)  I would love to see Hemlock again in a future scenario.

Descending into the Gullet, even with cables and harnesses, isn't easy, as the walls are icy and pretty soon it becomes completely dark.  The four PCs in my game were all surprisingly good at Athletics, but a PC who neglected that skill would get banged up pretty good.  On a couple of occasions during the descent, Hemlock points out some rare plant specimens and encourages the PCs to take some samples.  However, Hemlock is secretly testing to see whether the PCs can harvest them properly and whether the PCs know enough to only take a few and not strip the cliffside bare.  It's a clever way to test both the PCs' skill and their restraint.  Further down the descent (which take a few days in total), the PCs are attacked by a sharpwing (a predatory bird with eyes on its wings) that seems to be suffering from some sort of sickness.  The scenario rewards the PCs if they can avoid killing the creature outright, but I think it overlooks the fact that (for some reason) sharpwings are immune to nonlethal damage--which makes taking it alive a difficult thing to achieve.

After examining the sharpwing and some plantlife in a nearby cavern, the Hemlock and the PCs will swiftly realize that a mystical disease ("monochromatic sickness") is spreading through the ecosystem and threatening its viability.  Enraged that the Gullet is in danger, Hemlock flips a switch and turns from a peaceful hippy guide to a dedicated ecowarrior, demanding the PCs help discover the cause of the disease.  Moving further into the cavern, the PCs will have to get past some tenebrous worms, a carnivorous plant called a vracinea, and some gremlins who have captured a ravai (a sort of humanoid-grasshopper fey that are embodiments of the sun and healing) named Radiance.  Assuming Radiance is rescued alive, they'll be able to explain the cause of the disease: the planar walls between the Material Plane and the Shadow Plane are thin in this area of the Gullet, and a svaltalfar fey from the Shadow Plane named Iziphis (awesome pic!) has slipped through.  Iziphis is constructing a machine to power a permanent portal between the two dimensions, and this monochromatic sickness is a side effect.

The final battle has a *lot* of moving pieces for the GM to deal with.  In addition to Iziphis and her gloomwing mount (flying rules!), there are two full-fledged NPC allies to run (Hemlock and Radiance), the changing round-by-round hazardous environmental effects of the machine, and complex/confusing terrain to adjudicate.  PCs who can't fly may also find it a bit of a slog to even get into the battle.  I think in my run-through, Radiance ended up doing most of the damage to Iziphis.  Even with my usual prep, I found it a challenging encounter to run, and I certainly wouldn't recommend trying to improv it.

All in all though, Descent Into Verdant Shadow was an interesting and memorable scenario that makes great use of the setting and challenges both the players and the GM.  I'd highly recommend it for experienced gamers.