TEXT: THE 
   THIRTEENTH GATE
  STEPHEN RADNEY-MACFARLAND
  
  MODIFIED ATECH BULWARK
  TIER 7
  Large destroyer
  Speed 6; Maneuverability average (turn 2); Drift 2
  AC 22; TL 20 
  HP 170; DT —; CT 34 
  Shields medium 90 (forward 24, port 22, starboard 22, aft 22) 
  Attack (Forward) heavy laser cannon (4d8), particle beam (8d6) 
  Attack (Aft) coilgun (4d4)
  Attack (Turret) high explosive missile launcher (4d8)
  Power Core Arcus Maximum (200 PCU); Drift Engine Signal Booster; Systems basic long-range sensors, crew 
  quarters (common), mk 1 tetranode computer, mk 5 defenses, mk 6 armor; Expansion Bays cargo holds (4) 
  Modifiers +1 to any 4 checks per round, +2 Computers, +1 Piloting; Complement 6 (minimum 6, maximum 20)
  CREW 
  Captain gunnery +13, Intimidate +13 (7 ranks), Piloting +13 (7 ranks) 
  Engineer Engineering +18 (7 ranks) 
  Gunners (2) gunnery +13 
  Pilot Piloting +13 (7 ranks) 
  Science Officer Computers +13 (7 ranks)
  AbadarCorp subsidiary ATech is the industry leader in crafting sturdy and dependable military vehicles for the Pact Worlds’ 
  fighting forces—for the right price! Variations on the standard Bulwark destroyer model can be found within the fleets of 
  the Knights of Golarion, the Skyfire Legion, and the Stewards, each crewed with a well-disciplined unit of 10 to 20 soldiers.
  Due to its many weapon mounts and adequate number of expansion bays, the Bulwark can be used for a variety of 
  purposes. Unfortunately, this versatility makes the Bulwark a target for space pirates and other raiders, particularly the 
  Cult of the Devourer, which has stolen a few Bulwarks over the years. The cultists have modified this stolen Bulwark so 
  much that the original frame is barely recognizable. They painted the exterior red and black and added wicked spikes, 
  skull-shaped graffiti, and obscene trophies of their previous kills. Similar vile souvenirs are hung in the ship’s interior 
  corridors. Maintenance is the last priority for a Devourer crew, so after only a few weeks of operation, the power core has 
  begun to buzz maddeningly, occasionally flooding the crew and cargo decks with radiation. The cultists somehow keep 
  the ship in working order, though, especially when it comes to the weapons, allowing them to rain death and destruction 
  upon the innocents of the galaxy.
  
  On the Cover
  Paizo Inc.
  7120 185th Ave NE, Ste 120
  Redmond, WA 98052-0577
  paizo.com
  THE THIRTEENTH GATE
  PART 5 OF 6
  The Thirteenth Gate 
  2
  by Stephen Radney-MacFarland
  Relics of the Kishalee 
  38
  by Stephen Radney-MacFarland
  Alien Worlds and Cultures 
  42
  by Mikko Kallio, Jason Keeley, Lyz Liddell, Ron Lundeen, and Mark Moreland
  Alien Archives 
  54
  by Mikko Kallio, Jason Keeley, Lyz Liddell, Ron Lundeen, Mark Moreland, and 
  Stephen Radney-MacFarland
  Codex of Worlds: Urrakar 
  62
  by Owen K.C. Stephens
  Starship: Modified Atech Bulwark 
  Inside Covers
  by Stephen Radney-MacFarland
  This book refers to several other Starfinder products, yet these additional supplements are not 
  required to make use of this book. Readers interested in references to Starfinder hardcovers can find 
  the complete rules of these books available online for free at paizo.com/sfrd.
  This product is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with Starfinder or the Pathfinder 
  Roleplaying Game.
  Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, 
  Section 1(e), and are not Open Game Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper nouns (characters, deities, locations, etc., 
  as well as all adjectives, names, titles, and descriptive terms derived from proper nouns), artworks, characters, dialogue, locations, 
  plots, storylines, trade dress, the historical period called the Gap, the terms kishalee, sivv, and skyfire, and the Drift (the official 
  Open Game Content term for which is “hyperspace”). (Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game Content, or 
  are exclusively derived from previous Open Game Content, or that are in the public domain are not included in this declaration.)
  Open Game Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this Paizo game 
  product are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(d). No portion of this work other 
  than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission.
  Starfinder Adventure Path #5: The Thirteenth Gate © 2018, Paizo Inc. All Rights Reserved. Paizo, Paizo Inc., the Paizo golem 
  logo, Pathfinder, the Pathfinder logo, Pathfinder Society, Starfinder, and the Starfinder logo are registered trademarks of Paizo 
  Inc.; Dead Suns, Pathfinder Accessories, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Pathfinder Adventure Path, Pathfinder Adventures, 
  Pathfinder Battles, Pathfinder Campaign Setting, Pathfinder Cards, Pathfinder Combat Pad, Pathfinder Flip-Mat, Pathfinder 
  Legends, Pathfinder Map Pack, Pathfinder Module, Pathfinder Pawns, Pathfinder Player Companion, Pathfinder Roleplaying 
  Game, Pathfinder Tales, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Combat Pad, Starfinder Flip-Mat, Starfinder Pawns, and Starfinder 
  Society are trademarks of Paizo Inc.
  Printed in China.
  Artist David Alvarez gives us a glimpse of Null-9, the 
  crazed android in charge of the Devourer cult that 
  edges closer to gaining control of a deadly ancient 
  alien superweapon.
  Development Leads • Jason Keeley and Owen K.C. Stephens
  Authors • Stephen Radney-MacFarland, with Mikko Kallio, 
  Jason Keeley, Lyz Liddell, Ron Lundeen, Mark Moreland, 
  and Owen K.C. Stephens
  Cover Artist • David Alvarez
  Interior Artists • Taylor Fischer, Victor Manuel Leza Moreno, 
  David Melvin, Mark Molnar, and Ainur Salimova
  Cartographer • Damien Mammoliti
  Creative Directors • James Jacobs, Robert G. McCreary, 
  and Sarah E. Robinson
  Director of Game Design • Jason Bulmahn
  Managing Developer • Adam Daigle
  Development Coordinator • Amanda Hamon Kunz
  Organized Play Lead Developer • John Compton
  Developers • Crystal Frasier, Jason Keeley, Ron Lundeen, 
  Joe Pasini, Chris Sims, and Linda Zayas-Palmer
  Starfinder Design Lead • Owen K.C. Stephens
  Starfinder Society Developer • Thurston Hillman
  Senior Designer • Stephen Radney-MacFarland 
  Designers • Logan Bonner and Mark Seifter
  Managing Editor • Judy Bauer
  Senior Editor • Christopher Carey
  Editors • James Case, Lyz Liddell, Adrian Ng, and 
  Lacy Pellazar
  Art Director • Sonja Morris
  Senior Graphic Designers • Emily Crowell and Adam Vick
  Franchise Manager • Mark Moreland
  Project Manager • Gabriel Waluconis
  Publisher • Erik Mona
  Paizo CEO • Lisa Stevens
  Chief Operations Officer • Jeffrey Alvarez
  Chief Financial Officer • John Parrish
  Chief Technical Officer • Vic Wertz
  Director of Sales • Pierce Watters
  Sales Associate • Cosmo Eisele
  Vice President of Marketing & Licensing • Jim Butler
  Marketing Manager • Dan Tharp
  Licensing Manager • Glenn Elliott
  Organized Play Manager • Tonya Woldridge
  Accountant • Christopher Caldwell
  Data Entry Clerk • B. Scott Keim
  Director of Technology • Dean Ludwig
  Web Production Manager • Chris Lambertz
  Senior Software Developer • Gary Teter
  Webstore Coordinator • Rick Kunz 
  Customer Service Team • Sharaya Copas, Katina Davis, 
  Sara Marie, and Diego Valdez
  Warehouse Team • Laura Wilkes Carey, Will Chase, 
  Mika Hawkins, Heather Payne, Jeff Strand, and 
  Kevin Underwood
  Website Team • Brian Bauman, Robert Brandenburg, 
  Lissa Guillet, and Erik Keith
  
  2
  THE THIRTEENTH GATE
  PART 1: STATIC SUNS,  
  CLOCKWORK PLANETS  
  3
  As the heroes near the alien megastructure known as the Gate of Twelve Suns, they 
  must deal with a squad of Cult of the Devourer starships that want to see them dead.
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN TO OBLIVION  
  10
  The heroes must explore one of the gate’s controller moons, fend off attacks 
  from more Devourer cultists, and resolve a dispute between two ancient artificial 
  intelligences while learning the awesome power of the Stellar Degenerator.
  PART 3: LAST GASPS  
  27
  The android leader of this sect of the Cult of the Devourer searches a second 
  controller moon for a way to open the Gate of Twelve Suns. The heroes must 
  put an end to her plans before the devotees of the Star-Eater gain control over a 
  deadly superweapon!
  ADVANCEMENT TRACK
   
  The PCs begin this adventure at 
  9th level.
    
  The PCs should reach 10th level 
  before facing off against Malice.
   
  The PCs should be 11th level by 
  the end of the adventure.
  “The Thirteenth Gate” is designed for 
  four characters.
  9
  10
  11
  
  3
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  Millions of years ago, two advanced civilizations—the kishalee 
  and the sivvs—clashed in an interstellar war that lasted for 
  centuries. In a desperate bid to bring the conflict to a quick 
  end, the sivv government funneled much of its wealth into 
  the creation of a massive superweapon. Known as the Stellar 
  Degenerator, the device was designed to vastly accelerate the 
  rate of nuclear fusion in a star, quickly turning it into a cold, 
  lightless, black dwarf star. Before the Stellar Degenerator 
  could be tested, kishalee spies learned of its existence, 
  providing enough intel for the kishalee military to launch a 
  surprise attack on the sivvs and seize control of the weapon. 
  Demoralized by the loss, and their economy in shambles with 
  nothing to show for it, the sivvs were swiftly defeated and 
  their territories annexed by the kishalee.
  The kishalee took possession of the Stellar Degenerator, 
  and though they fought many of other societies over the 
  following centuries, they never felt endangered enough to 
  use it... until they came into contact with a powerful and 
  aggressive race that threatened to strike at the heart of 
  kishalee civilization and destroy it utterly. After much 
  deliberation, kishalee leaders authorized the use of the 
  superweapon against the star of their enemy’s home system. 
  As the system cooled and darkened, the dead sun’s 
  weakened gravitational pull was no longer able to hold the 
  planets, which went flying off into space. While the resulting 
  destruction and loss of life won the war for the kishalee, 
  they were, as a society, horrified about what they had done. 
  They concluded that the Stellar Degenerator should never 
  be used again, but when many in the military raised the 
  specter of another unwinnable war, the government decided 
  to hide the superweapon instead of destroying it.
  Using the immense amount of energy siphoned off during 
  the Stellar Degenerator’s one and only firing, the kishalee 
  were able to create a pocket demiplane in which to store the 
  superweapon and wrangle a dozen nearby stars to demarcate 
  its location while maintaining its stability. Dubbed the Gate 
  of Twelve Suns, this megastructure was a feat of magic 
  and engineering that took decades to build. Once it was 
  completed, kishalee military and scientific staff were placed 
  in bases on each of the “controller moons” orbiting the 
  twelve suns to monitor the demiplane and prevent anyone 
  else from opening it. Though these personnel were swapped 
  out regularly, the kishalee government foresaw the eventual 
  need for automation should their civilization ever fall.
  More decades passed as kishalee scientists worked to 
  perfect a true artificial intelligence that could function 
  indefinitely while managing the gravitational forces created 
  by having a dozen stars in such proximity. They were 
  unsuccessful until a pair of researchers named Eltreth and 
  Osteth discovered a way to upload a consciousness into a 
  mystically charged mainframe to create an immortal AI. 
  However, they didn’t want to ask anyone else to make such 
  a sacrifice, so much to their colleagues’ surprise, the two 
  friends made a pact to go into this eternity together.
  Their plan worked, and for uncountable ages, the two 
  AIs dutifully defended the Gate of Twelve Suns against 
  the ravages of entropy, even after the fall of their former 
  civilization. But nothing in the universe can resist entropy’s 
  pull forever, and sometimes entropy fights back. 
  It started with digital whispers from the void, hovering on 
  the edge of Eltreth’s programming like a figment just barely 
  perceived. Each time the AI hunted for the source of the 
  discordance, he found nothing. Over a period of years and 
  then decades, the voice persisted. It spoke to the nagging 
  doubts in Eltreth’s soul—fears that he was trapped within a 
  virtual cage from which oblivion was the only escape. From 
  there, it corrupted the AI’s logic, making him believe that all 
  beings were similarly trapped and that only he had the keys to 
  their metaphysical jail: the Stellar Degenerator. By releasing 
  the superweapon from its demiplane, the end of everything 
  could begin; it would be a paean to the Devourer, the source 
  of the voice polluting the AI’s mind.
  Eltreth’s increasingly erratic behavior was not unnoticed 
  by Osteth. She shunted his programming into a hardware 
  prison, and there he stayed for over 2 centuries. Osteth 
  continued her custodianship of the gate while searching for 
  a method of purging Eltreth’s corruption, but the Devourer’s 
  stain defied removal. Osteth had resigned herself to the 
  possibility that her companion might have to be confined 
  indefinitely, until the balance of power changed when a sect 
  of the Cult of the Devourer called the Desperate Hunger 
  arrived at the Gate of Twelve Suns. This dreaded band of 
  murderous nihilists and their leader, a ruthless android 
  named Null-9, were able to free Eltreth and place Osteth 
  in his former jail, all in preparation to secure the Stellar 
  Degenerator and achieve the Star-Eater’s ultimate goal: the 
  eradication of everything, everywhere.
  PART 1: STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK PLANETS
  By the conclusion of “The Ruined Clouds,” the PCs have 
  learned about the existence and location of the Gate of 
  Twelve Suns, the hiding place of the Stellar Degenerator, from 
  the floating city of Istamak, a former kishalee colony. More 
  importantly, they should have discovered they weren’t the 
  only ones to gain this intelligence: the Cult of the Devourer 
  is one step ahead of the PCs. If the PCs have any chance 
  ADVENTURE 
  BACKGROUND
  
  4
  of stopping the Devourer cultists from retrieving 
  the Stellar Degenerator, they must speed from 
  the Nejeor system to the gate’s coordinates 
  elsewhere in the Vast. This journey takes 5d6 
  days of Drift travel. If the PCs want to return 
  to Absalom Station to resupply or purchase 
  new equipment, this luckily adds only 1d6 
  additional days to the trip. The PCs aren’t on 
  a ticking clock, but if it seems like they 
  want to dawdle, you should impress 
  upon them that time is of the essence.
  EVENT 1: INEVITABLE 
  CORRUPTION (CR 10)
  The trip through the Drift to the Gate of Twelve 
  Suns is not without peril. Strange storms of 
  quantum foam and clusters of planar 
  debris litter the nearby space during 
  the journey, though these are easily 
  avoidable and pose no threat to the 
  PCs. However, when their starship 
  approaches the end of the trip and 
  passes through a nearly invisible 
  cloud of dust, the vessel is 
  boarded by a hostile intelligence! 
  Creature: Few 
  creatures 
  of 
  the multiverse are more determined than inevitables, living 
  machines forged in the planar city of Axis and imparted with 
  unshakable purpose. Anhamuts are inevitables fashioned 
  from millions of nanites and programmed to protect those 
  who explore and chart the chaotic cosmos, though a few of 
  them—known as Edgeseekers—move from planet to planet 
  making their own surveys. The Edgeseeker named Quillius 
  arrived at the Gate of Twelve Suns years ago by chance. 
  Curious about the strange alignment of suns, Quillius has 
  been examining the area for some time, and they were taken 
  by surprise when a group of vessels—those belonging to the 
  Desperate Hunger—appeared from the Drift a few days ago.
  Edgeseeker Quillius approached and boarded the vessels 
  in their discorporated nanite form to offer assistance to the 
  travelers, not realizing the extent of the sect’s evil. As the 
  inevitable regained their solid form, the cultists attacked 
  without a second thought, thinking Quillius some kind of 
  avenging angel. Quillius made a fighting retreat back out 
  into space, but before they could use their interplanetary 
  teleport spell-like ability to reach safety, a terrible 
  coincidence occurred: the inevitable was pulled into the 
  Drift when someone somewhere fired up a Drift engine. The 
  traumatic event fractured Quillius’s mind, but in another 
  phenomenal coincidence, the inevitable arrived very close 
  to the PCs’ starship.
  The cloud of dust the PCs’ starship passes through 
  contains Quillius in their discorporated form. Their nanites 
  are able to slip through microscopic cracks in the vessel’s hull 
  and interface with the starship’s computer. Quillius 
  attempts to learn more about the PCs by hacking 
  into their files. Quillius has a total bonus of +24 
  to their Computers checks. At this level, the base 
  DC to hack the PCs’ starship computer is most 
  likely DC 29, unless the PCs have upgraded 
  their systems. With a successful check, Quillius 
  accesses the most basic information about 
  the PCs’ vessel. A PC who succeeds at 
  a DC 28 Perception check or DC 22 
  Computers check notices that the 
  ship’s computers are being hacked into. 
  If the PC’s result exceeds the DC by 5 or 
  more, the PC can tell that the hacking is coming 
  from within the computer itself!
  After 1 round, Quillius regains their solid form 
  on the starship’s bridge and pronounces 
  a stuttering judgment against the PCs. 
  Read or paraphrase the following.
  “In-in-in-interlopers! You will cease 
  your transgressions and r-r-r-return 
  to your place of origin or be d-d-d-
  destroyed!” 
  A PC who succeeds at a DC 
  35 Mysticism check identifies Edgeseeker Quillius as an 
  anhamut inevitable, an outsider tasked with protecting 
  explorers of the galaxy. This fact alone should tip off the 
  PCs that this creature is acting strangely—possibly from 
  madness or another affliction—but if the PC’s result exceeds 
  the above DC by 5 or more or a PC succeeds at a DC 25 
  Sense Motive check, the characters realize this is certainly 
  the case. However, this doesn’t prevent Quillius from striking 
  out at the PCs immediately after this speech.
  The PCs can simply destroy the inevitable to stop the 
  assault, or the heroes can attempt to parley with them in 
  a number of ways. A successful casting of charm monster 
  will calm Quillius down enough for the PCs to explain their 
  position. If a PC casts remove affliction and successfully 
  touches Quillius (by targeting their EAC with a melee attack) 
  and succeeds at a DC 18 caster level check, the inevitable’s 
  mind is repaired and they will speak freely. In addition, a 
  PC can attempt to change Quillius’s attitude from hostile to 
  unfriendly with a successful DC 44 Diplomacy check. It takes 
  5 rounds of combat to attempt this check, and worshipers 
  of Triune gain a +1 circumstance bonus to this check. Once 
  unfriendly, Quillius will stop attacking long enough to have 
  a longer conversation. See Development for more results of 
  such a conversation.
  QUILLIUS 
  CR 10
  XP 9,600
  Anhamut inevitable (Starfinder Alien Archive 66)
  QUILLIUS
  
  5
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  LN Medium outsider (inevitable, lawful)
  Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; 
  Perception +19
  DEFENSE  
  HP 180
  EAC 23; KAC 24
  Fort +11; Ref +9; Will +13
  Defensive Abilities regeneration 5 (chaotic); Immunities 
  electricity; swarm immunities in discorporated form; 
  DR 10/chaotic; SR 21
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (Su, perfect, discorporated form only)
  Melee nanite blade +21 (2d8+12 S; critical nanite burst 
  [DC 19])
  Ranged electric discharge +19 (3d4+10 E)
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th)
  1/day—interplanetary teleport (self plus 50 bulk 
  of objects)
  TACTICS
  During Combat Quillius strikes out against whomever 
  attacked them last (and did the most damage), as long as 
  they can reach that target with their nanite blade, making 
  full attacks using their inevitable onslaught ability unless 
  they routinely miss due to the penalties. If prevented 
  from using their blade, Quillius uses their electric 
  discharge ability. 
  Morale Unless the PCs attempt to speak with Quillius (see 
  above), their assault is unrelenting. In their addled state, 
  they confuse the PCs for the Devourer cultists that 
  attacked them.
  STATISTICS
  Str +2; Dex +3; Con +2; Int +5; Wis +2; Cha +8
  Skills Computers +24, Culture +19, Diplomacy +24, 
  Engineering +24, Sense Motive +19
  Languages truespeech
  Other Abilities constructed, discorporation
  Treasure: If the PCs agree to take Quillius’s aid (see 
  Development below), the inevitable can impart a nanite 
  weapon fusion (Starfinder Alien Archive 67) to up to four 
  melee weapons. With a touch, part of the inevitable’s nanites 
  surge onto each weapon. The armaments glow briefly for a 
  moment and then return to their normal appearance.
  Development: Edgeseeker Quillius is not normally a 
  murderous creature, but their mind is broken. If the PCs can 
  get them to talk, they can refocus their thoughts and return 
  to a state of normalcy. Though they are unfamiliar with 
  the name “Gate of Twelve Suns,” if provided a description, 
  they will admit to the PCs that they recently came across 
  the kishalee megastructure as part of their exploration of 
  the galaxy. They had only a short time to study the area, 
  and will impart to the PCs what they have discovered 
  (see  The  Gate System below). This information will help 
  the PCs navigate the area and prepare for the dangers that 
  lie ahead. In addition, Quillius makes the PCs aware of the 
  gravitational forces at play within the system that make it 
  difficult to navigate, and, if the PCs agree, the inevitable 
  programs a set of compensation equations into the heroes’ 
  vessel’s navigational computers (see Navigating the Gates 
  on page 10). Finally, they warn the PCs that these forces 
  make it impossible to successfully activate a Drift drive 
  within the system.
  Quillius also mentions their altercation with a fearsome 
  group entering the system in an unsafe-looking fleet of 
  vessels. They note that they attempted to speak peacefully 
  with the group but were attacked for their trouble, and 
  though they escaped, they were summarily shunted into the 
  Drift by coincidence (or perhaps Triune’s divine will). If asked, 
  the inevitable describes this hostile group as “very angry, but 
  somehow delighting in that anger. They wore spiked armor 
  decorated with a red-and-black circle.” A PC who succeeds at 
  a DC 22 Culture check or DC 18 Mysticism check recognizes 
  this account as portraying cultists of the Devourer. From what 
  Quillius can remember, they encountered the cultists only a 
  few days ago.
  If the PCs tell Quillius all that they know about the Cult 
  of the Devourer and the Gate of Twelve Suns, the inevitable 
  becomes quite serious. Read or paraphrase the following.
  “This is very disturbing. If what you say about the Gate of 
  Twelve Suns and the Stellar Degenerator is indeed true, the 
  Cult of the Devourer must not succeed. The entire universe 
  is at stake! You must continue with haste to stop them. 
  While I am technically programmed not to interfere in the 
  discovery of this megastructure, such destructive power 
  cannot be loosed on the galaxy. I can offer you a modicum of 
  aid if you so desire. But you must not fail!”
  After giving assistance to the PCs (see Treasure above), 
  Quillius asks to be returned to the Material Plane on the PCs’ 
  vessel, after which they are able to teleport away.
  Story Award: If the PCs manage to talk Quillius out of 
  fighting, grant them XP as if they had defeated the inevitable 
  in combat. 
  THE GATE SYSTEM
  When the PCs emerge from the Drift, they are still nearly a 
  day’s travel from the Gate of Twelve Suns. As they approach, 
  it’s obvious even from a cursory scan that the system is 
  not a natural phenomenon. A perfect circle of a dozen stars 
  appears stationary with respect to one another, maintaining a 
  perfect gravitational balance. This stability is maintained with 
  technomagical equipment thousands of years old, and it can 
  be redirected and focused to tear a hole in the fabric of the 
  universe—specifically, to open the gateway to the demiplane 
  that holds the Stellar Degenerator.
  Using their vessel’s scanners and succeeding at a 
  Computers check, the PCs can gain a few more details. The 
  amount of information they receive is determined by the 
  
  6
  result of the check, as detailed below. Gaining Quillius’s aid 
  (see page 4) grants a +5 bonus to this check. 
  15+: Scans reveal that a single planet orbits each star at 
  exactly the same distance. The planets have roughly the same 
  diameter, mass, and rotational period. Even stranger, each 
  planet’s orbit is synchronized with all the other planets in the 
  system so that every so often they all face the center of the 
  circle of stars at the same time.
  20+: The gravitational forces exerted by the twelve 
  stars is in a delicate balance, achievable only with exacting 
  measurements and more than a little magic. These forces 
  make navigating through the system very difficult and using 
  a Drift engine within the system impossible. The safest time to 
  attempt to reach one of the planets is when its orbit reaches 
  the point farthest from the center of the system, though it is 
  by no means simple (see Navigating the Gates on page 10). 
  In addition, eleven of the planets are lifeless hunks of rock 
  with no atmosphere; only one can sustain life—it is, in fact, 
  teeming with it. A single intact structure can be detected on 
  that planet’s surface.
  25+: The occasional burst of gravitational energy emanates 
  from each planet as it reaches the point in its orbit where 
  it is closest to the center of the system. The energy comes 
  from a hole in each planet’s crust at the equator that seems to 
  reach straight down to the planet’s core. A PC who succeeds 
  at a DC 20 Physical Science check deduces that the release 
  of this energy likely keeps the system stable. A PC who 
  then succeeds at a DC 20 Mysticism check surmises that, 
  if focused properly, the energy can be used to open a large 
  portal to another plane.
  30+: Deep scans of the system’s planets reveal small 
  cosmic strings—one-dimensional “defects” in the fabric 
  of space that produce gravitational waves—mystically 
  contained within each planet’s core. These cosmic strings 
  are maintained by massive technomagic devices kept in 
  working condition by armies of maintenance bots. 
  Further 
  information 
  about 
  the 
  planet’s 
  internal 
  mechanisms can be found on the kishalee computer 
  systems in the control complexes located on any of the 
  planets. See page 15 for details on how the PCs can access 
  these systems. 
  EVENT 2: BATTLE ON THE EDGE OF TWELVE 
  SUNS (CR 10)
  After the PCs complete their scan of the system, read or 
  paraphrase the following.
  From the vicinity of the nearest planet, a trio of ships 
  approaches: one large ship and a pair of escorts speeding 
  alongside. All sensors indicate that they are on an intercept 
  course! The comm channels screech to life, and a gaunt man 
  leers toward the camera lens. His skin is dark but is made 
  nearly iridescent by a swirl of glowing nanites. Long, silver 
  dreadlocks and an unkempt charcoal-colored beard frame 
  1 inch = 440 feet
  GATE OF  
  TWELVE SUNS
  1
  Gate 1
  B
  C
  a
  LandinG Pad
  ControLLer 
  Moon
  CONTROL CENTER 
  APPROACH
  12
  11
  10
  9
  8
  7
  6
  5
  4
  3
  2
  
  7
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  his face. The distortion of the lens puts a shade of menace to 
  the man’s movements and appearance. 
  “Are you ready for the end?” The question hisses out from 
  a mouth of brown crooked teeth; a yellowish, soapy spittle 
  flies forth with every syllable uttered. “I am the agent of 
  oblivion! I am the fang of the Devourer! I am the herald of 
  annihilation. I will sing when your bodies—then only shells—
  drift and twirl through the void, charred amid the tangled 
  wreckage of your ship, and your journey to nothingness is 
  nearly complete!”
  The speaker is the Jangly Man, second in charge of the 
  Desperate Hunger sect (see page 11). For decades, he was a 
  renowned pirate captain, but then he heard the call of the 
  Devourer from the void, driving him mad. He joined with 
  Null-9 and the two of them orchestrated a massive raid on an 
  ATech shipyard several years ago, securing new vessels in the 
  process. The Jangly Man serves as the captain of one of the 
  larger starships—now named the Singularity—when Null-9 is 
  busy with other matters.
  The lurching and rambling madman goes on with his 
  strange taunting and morbid celebration of the Devourer’s 
  will as his ships move to engage the PCs’ vessel. He answers 
  questions with biting and insane mockery as well as more 
  exultation of the Star-Eater. His babbling rises to a frantic 
  crescendo of hate and nihilism just before the starship 
  combat begins.
  Shadows flit behind the Jangly Man as he babbles 
  verbosely, and a PC who succeeds at a DC 30 Perception 
  or DC 25 Sense Motive check realizes his gibbering seems 
  to contain coded orders to his crew of the Singularity and 
  those flying the fighter escort. The code is tricky and hard to 
  decipher, as the Jangly Man and his crew are practiced in its 
  use. The PCs have 4 rounds’ worth of communication with 
  the Jangly Man before starship combat begins to attempt 
  to interpret the cultists’ code and negate the tactical 
  advantages it gives them. During this time, each PC who 
  can hear the Jangly Man speak can attempt a Sense Motive 
  check to perform the discern secret message task, which is 
  opposed by a single Bluff check the Jangly Man rolls each 
  round; he has a total skill bonus of +21, and his coded rant 
  ability means the PCs must roll twice on their Sense Motive 
  checks and take the lower results. The PCs must succeed 
  at three or more of these opposed checks to invalidate 
  the cultists’ advantage (see Starship Combat below), but a 
  PC who fails the opposed check by 5 or more drastically 
  misinterprets some aspect of the code, increasing the total 
  number of successes needed by 1.
  If the Jangly Man determines that the PCs have discovered 
  he is using a code to give orders, he terminates the 
  transmission with the PCs’ ship. 
  Starship Combat: As the Singularity and its fighter escorts 
  lunge toward the PCs’ ship, a starship combat encounter 
  begins. The rules for starship combat are detailed starting 
  on page 316 of the Starfinder Core Rulebook. The Singularity 
  is positioned 18 hexes away from the PCs’ vessel, and the 
  two ships should be facing one another. The Fang Fighters 
  start adjacent to the Singularity at its port and starboard 
  sides. If the PCs didn’t succeed at breaking the Jangly Man’s 
  code, the Cult of the Devourer ships gain a +2 bonus to 
  gunnery checks and Piloting checks for the first 2 rounds of 
  the encounter. All enemy vessels fight until they have been 
  reduced to 0 Hull Points.
  In addition, when the science officer succeeds at a 
  Computers check to perform the scan action against the 
  Singularity, that PC notices the vessel is using an outdated 
  and heavily modified communications array. This system 
  is extremely prone to being hacked, and by doing so, the 
  PCs have the opportunity to listen to communications 
  coming into and leaving the Singularity. Hacking the system 
  requires an additional successful scan action against the 
  Singularity (which also reveals any information about the 
  starship it would normally reveal). Maintaining this open 
  channel requires no further actions.
  Once the communications array is hacked, the science 
  officer discovers the Singularity is in constant contact with 
  the two Fang Fighters. These transmissions are not coded, 
  and in them, the Jangly Man gives orders to his fighter escorts, 
  as well as shares any information the Singularity’s science 
  officer learns about the PCs’ vessel. The first transmission 
  includes the following statement. 
  “We must destroy them. The boss says none can be allowed to 
  interfere with the plan.”
  As long as the PCs maintain the open channel, they 
  gain a +1 bonus to gunnery checks when shooting at the 
  Devourer ships and to the Piloting check to perform the 
  evasive maneuvers stunt. Each round after the PCs hack the 
  Singularity’s communications array, the Singularity’s science 
  officer can attempt a DC 22 Computers check at the end of 
  the helm phase (this doesn’t take an action). A successful 
  check means that the Devourer science officer realizes the 
  communication array has been hacked and scrambles any 
  further signals for the remainder of the starship combat.
  SINGULARITY 
  TIER 7
  Modified ATech Bulwark (see inside front cover)
  HP 170
  FANG FIGHTERS (2) 
  TIER 4
  Tiny fighter
  Speed 10; Maneuverability good (turn 1); Drift 2 
  AC 20; TL 20 
  HP 40; DT —; CT 8 
  Shields light 80 (forward 20, port 20, starboard 20, aft 20) 
  Attack (Forward) high explosive missile launcher (4d8), twin 
  laser (5d8) 
  
  8
  Attack (Aft) coilgun (4d4)
  Attack (Turret) high explosive missile launcher (4d8) 
  Power Core Pulse Green (150 PCU); Drift Engine Signal Booster; 
  Systems basic mid-range sensors, mk 3 duonode computer, 
  mk 4 armor, mk 4 defenses; Expansion Bays none 
  Modifiers +3 to any two checks per round, +2 Computers, 
  +1 Piloting; Complement 2 
  CREW 
  Gunner gunnery +7 
  Pilot Piloting +11 (4 ranks)
  Development: If the PCs’ starship 
  is reduced to 0 Hull  Points,  the   
  Jangly Man has the opportunity  
  to board it and participate in the heroes’ 
  slaughter firsthand. Proceed to Shadowy 
  Menace below, but the combat occurs 
  on the PCs’ starship instead of on 
  the Singularity. 
  If the PCs reduce all of the Devourer 
  starships to 0 Hull Points, they might 
  think it wise to blow the Devourer 
  cultists out of the sky. However, 
  if the PCs hacked into the 
  Singularity’s communications array, 
  they hear a broadband transmission 
  from 
  the 
  ship, 
  regardless 
  of 
  whether 
  the 
  Devourer 
  science 
  officer scrambled the signal. If 
  they didn’t eavesdrop on the 
  previous 
  communications, 
  the 
  PCs can intercept this one with a 
  successful DC 22 Computers check. The 
  intended destination of the message 
  is unclear, thanks to the system’s 
  gravitational anomalies. 
  “Our ship’s been pushed through the Blood 
  Door, boss. The interlopers are tougher than 
  I thought—may the Devourer consume them! 
  I’m sending out a long-distance transmission 
  for more choirs to come, slit their throats, 
  and feast on their remains!”
  A PC who succeeds at a DC 20 
  Mysticism check knows that “pushed 
  through the Blood Door” is a Devourer 
  idiom for being killed. The PCs can’t 
  stop the transmission from their own 
  vessel, but a PC who succeeds at a DC 
  18 Computers check realizes that if the 
  PCs board the Singularity 
  and gain control of 
  its communications, 
  they can fake an “all clear” signal, which should hopefully 
  prevent more cultists of the Devourer from arriving.
  Story Award: If the PCs successful defeat the Singularity 
  and its escorts in starship combat, award them 9,600 XP for 
  the encounter.
  EVENT 3: SHADOWY MENACE (CR 11)
  In order to stop the Singularity’s call for aid or to defend their 
  own starship (depending on how they fared in the starship 
  combat), the PCs will need to face off against the Jangly Man 
  and a handful of oblivion shade spawn. 
  The PCs can easily pilot their vessel alongside an 
  incapacitated Singularity and override its cargo bay airlock 
  locks with a successful DC 20 Computers check. Use the 
  interior map of the Singularity on the inside back 
  cover to determine the best place for this 
  encounter. Some suggestions are the 
  destroyer’s main corridor or within the 
  galley or crew quarters.
  Alternatively, if the battle takes place 
  aboard the PCs’ starship, you can use the 
  map of the Sunrise Maiden on the inside 
  back cover of Starfinder Adventure Path 
  #1: Incident at Absalom Station, 
  allowing the players to choose 
  from where they wish to repel the 
  boarders. Of course, if the PCs have 
  upgraded their ship (or even acquired a 
  different one), you might require a map of 
  your own devising.
  Creatures: By the time the PCs board 
  the Singularity, the Jangly Man has slain 
  his living crew as punishment for their 
  failure in the starship battle. However, 
  four oblivion shade spawn (created by 
  the oblivion shade mystic Malice) lurk 
  aboard the vessel, ready to repel any 
  intruders. The oblivion spawn hide within 
  the bulkheads of the ship and attempt to 
  surround the PCs. They strike out just as the 
  PCs come across the Jangly Man.
  Alternatively, if the Jangly Man is boarding 
  the PCs’ starship, he brings along the four 
  oblivion shade spawn to flit through the PCs’ 
  starship’s hull and surprise the heroes as he 
  makes his presence known.
  THE JANGLY MAN 
  CR 8
  XP 4,800
  Male human envoy
  CE Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +8; 
  Perception 
  +16
  THE JANGLY MAN
  
  9
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  DEFENSE  
  HP 115 RP 4
  EAC 20; KAC 21
  Fort +7; Ref +9; Will +11
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee tactical spear +15 (1d6+10 P)
  Ranged liquidator disintegrator pistol +17 (1d10+8 A)
  TACTICS
  During Combat The Jangly Man tries to keep his distance, 
  supporting any allies with his clever attack and 
  occasionally drawing fire onto himself. 
  Morale In truth a coward, the Jangly Man might attempt to 
  bargain for his life using his treasure trove of credits (see 
  Treasure below) as leverage, but he will only do so if it 
  seems he has no other choice. He begs for a chance to flee 
  the system, worried about Null-9 learning of his timidity. 
  STATISTICS
  Str +2; Dex +4; Con +1; Int +2; Wis +0; Cha +6
  Skills Acrobatics +16, Athletics +16, Bluff +21, Intimidate +21, 
  Sense Motive +21, Stealth +16
  Feats Dive for Cover
  Languages Common
  Other Abilities coded rant, envoy improvisations (clever 
  attack, improved get ’em)
  Gear kasatha microcord III (haste circuit and infrared 
  sensors), liquidator disintegrator pistol (Starfinder 
  Adventure Path #2: Temple of the Twelve 52) 
  with 2 batteries (20 charges each), tactical spear; 
  Augmentations disquieting nanites (see the sidebar). 
  SPECIAL ABILITIES 
  Coded Rant (Ex) The Jangly Man is an expert at passing 
  secret messages through his ravings. Whenever a creature 
  attempts a Sense Motive check to discern a secret 
  message he is passing, that creature must roll twice and 
  take the worse of the two results. 
  OBLIVION SHADE SPAWN (4) 
  CR 5
  XP 1,600 each
  NE Medium undead (incorporeal)
  Init +5; Senses blindsight (life) 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; 
  Perception +16
  DEFENSE  
  HP 65 EACH
  EAC 17; KAC 18
  Fort +4; Ref +4; Will +10
  Defensive Abilities incorporeal; Immunities undead 
  immunities
  OFFENSE
  Speed fly 40 ft. (Su, perfect)
  Melee incorporeal touch +12 (1d4+4 A; critical corrode 1d4)
  TACTICS
  During Combat Each oblivion shade spawn focuses on a 
  different target, hoping to quickly drain the entire party.
  Morale The oblivion shade spawn continue to fight until 
  they are destroyed.
  STATISTICS
  Str —; Dex +5; Con —; Int +3; Wis +2; Cha +2
  Skills Acrobatics +16, Intimidate +16, Stealth +16
  Languages Common
  Other Abilities unliving, void leap
  SPECIAL ABILITIES 
  Void Leap (Su) See page 58.
  Treasure: If the PCs have defeated the Jangly Man and his 
  oblivion shade spawn allies on board the Singularity, they 
  basically have the run of the vessel. Within the captain’s 
  quarters, tucked partially under the bed, is a dented steel 
  box that holds half a dozen credsticks loaded with 25,000 
  credits in total. The Singularity’s crew quarters contains a 
  battered but functioning suit of spider harness powered 
  armor and a total of five shock grenades III and eight 
  screamer grenades II scattered throughout the former 
  crew’s possessions. 
  Development: If the PCs are trying to end the Singularity’s 
  call for aid, they can quickly reach the vessel’s bridge after 
  the battle. With a successful DC 25 Computers check, a PC 
  can essentially send an “all clear” signal that piggybacks 
  DISQUIETING NANITES
  The Jangly Man uses a cybernetic augmentation that 
  was originally stolen during the Desperate Hunger’s 
  raid on a remote tech factory and that he modified to 
  intimidate his foes. 
  DISQUIETING NANITES (CYBERNETIC) 
  SYSTEM
  Skin and Throat
  PRICE 10,000 
  LEVEL 8
  This augmentation infuses your skin with a host of 
  iridescent nanites that swirl in hypnotic patterns. 
  Internally, some of the nanites cluster around your voice 
  box, slightly modifying your voice to create a kind of 
  rhythmic reverberation. As a standard action, you can 
  activate the nanites. After the first round, you must 
  use a swift action each round to maintain the effect. A 
  creature that can see or hear you when the nanites are 
  activated must succeed at a Will saving throw (DC = 14 + 
  your key ability score modifier) or be shaken for as long 
  it can see or hear you and you continue the effect. If the 
  creature succeeds at the saving throw, it is immune to 
  the effect of the nanites for 24 hours. You can choose 
  for the nanites to not affect allies. If the creature can 
  both see and hear you, it takes a –2 penalty to the saving 
  throw. This is a mind-affecting, sense-dependent effect. 
  You can use the augmentation for 8 rounds per day, 
  though these rounds need not be consecutive.
  
  10
  onto the other transmission, ensuring that no other cultists 
  of the Devourer receive the Gate of Twelve Suns’ coordinates. 
  Quickly exploring the Singularity, the PCs can easily see 
  that the vessel’s power core is essentially damaged beyond 
  repair, rendering the starship useless (except for as scrap, 
  effectively reduced to the Build Points the PCs receive the 
  next time they upgrade their vessel). In addition, the PCs 
  discover the following message from Null-9 in the ship’s 
  logs. The woman’s voice on it is authoritarian with a hint of 
  an electronic rattle.
  “If we can get the last console online, the weapon will be 
  within our grasp, and soon the end of all things will follow. 
  Unfortunately, the control board is shot. Zaz has no idea how 
  to repair it, but Eltreth has told us where to find spares. Take 
  the Singularity and patrol the system in case that inevitable 
  managed to send for help. Bring some of Malice’s children. I 
  will contact you again to return to the control center when we 
  have the control board.”
  A PC who succeeds at a DC 20 Culture check can surmise 
  the voice is most likely that of an android.
  If the PCs defeat the Jangly Man on board their own ship, 
  the remaining crew on the Singularity succumbs to cowardice 
  and flees the system. Either way, the PCs can move into orbit 
  around Gate 1 (see Navigating the Gates below) and continue 
  to the rest of the adventure.
  PART 2: COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  Once the PCs have defeated the Jangly Man and his crew, 
  they have gained nearly unfettered access to the system of 
  the Gate of Twelve Suns, as long as they navigate the area’s 
  strange gravitational forces carefully. 
  NAVIGATING THE GATES
  As the Singularity approached from the vicinity of the nearest 
  planetoid (and since that world is the only one showing 
  major signs of life), the PCs will probably want to start their 
  explorations there. From the site of the starship battle, it 
  takes 1d2 hours to enter orbit around that planetoid, which 
  is made difficult by the gravitational fluctuations throughout 
  the system. At the end of each hour of flight, a PC must 
  succeed at a DC 25 Piloting check or the PCs’ starship takes 
  4d8 damage to its hull, ignoring shields. Quillius’s equations 
  grant a +4 bonus to this check. A vessel in orbit is safe from 
  these energies. 
  The PCs can discover these equations in other ways. 
  If the result of the PCs’ Computers check to first scan the 
  system (see page 6) was at least 20, a PC can attempt a 
  
  11
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  DC 20 Physical Science check after an hour of calculations. 
  If successful, the PCs can program their ship’s navigational 
  computers to gain the above bonus.
  When the PCs travel from the planetoid housing the 
  control center to the one housing the core facility in Part 3 
  (and back again), they will have to attempt similar checks. If 
  the PCs search the control center’s computers (such as the 
  ones in area C8) for information about these gravitational 
  irregularities and succeed at a DC 20 Computers check, they 
  can download similar equations onto their datapads (and 
  eventually their ship’s navigational computers) to gain the +4 
  bonus to the Piloting check.
  GATE 1
  The sun referred to as Gate 1 by the kishalee (and noted as 
  such on the map) is the focal point of the Gate of Twelve 
  Suns. Not only does the sole habitable planet in the entire 
  system orbit Gate 1, but the star is also home to the control 
  center for the dimensional portal. This facility housed the 
  rotating staff that kept the megastructure functioning for a 
  few hundred years after it was built, and it was also where 
  the kishalee scientists Eltreth and Osteth enacted their bold 
  plan to digitize their consciousnesses into true artificial 
  intelligences (see Adventure Background on page 3).
  When constructing the Gate of Twelve Suns, the kishalee 
  endeavored to make the unnamed planetoid orbiting Gate 
  1 a place that would be hospitable to life, giving it an 
  atmosphere and seeding it with flora and fauna. While 
  the PCs are in orbit around the planetoid, they can do 
  further scans on the celestial body, revealing the following 
  information if a PC succeeds at a DC 15 Computers check. 
  The planetoid has an oxygen-rich atmosphere and dynamic 
  weather patterns. It supports one large ocean and a few 
  small continents, whose biomes range from temperate 
  plains to steaming jungles to polar ice caps; signs of life can 
  be found all across the world. All of this normalcy seems 
  to be maintained by technomagical ley lines emanating 
  from tall antennae that encircle most of the planetoid,  
  as the world’s strange interior and the huge bore that  
  runs through the center would most likely render the 
  surface unlivable.
  The PCs’ ship’s scanners also reveal a number of ruins 
  scattered across the planetoid’s surface and a single intact 
  structure on the equator. A PC who succeeds at a DC 20 
  Physical Science check can tell that these buildings are 
  thousands of years old. The intact structure stands in the 
  middle of a dense jungle; the only safe place to land a 
  starship is on a landing pad—no more than a deteriorating 
  slab of an ancient concrete-like material—in a clearing half 
  a mile away. It takes 1d2 hours for the PCs to land their 
  starship on this pad, and this flying does not subject their 
  ship to the dangers of fluctuating gravity. See A Wild and 
  Alien World on page 12 for more information about the 
  surrounding jungle area.
  THE DESPERATE HUNGER
  The Desperate Hunger is a powerful wall breaker choir 
  (for more information about Devourer cult terminology, 
  see pages 46–49 of Starfinder Adventure Path #2: Temple 
  of the Twelve) of Devourer cultists who have been tasked 
  with taking control of the Stellar Degenerator in order to 
  hasten the eventual end of all things. The men and women 
  of the Desperate Hunger are more akin to a tribe than 
  a company of soldiers. Instead of practicing drills, they 
  indulge in murderous and obscene rituals. Status among the 
  group increases only when an individual’s body count rises, 
  and its current roster boasts some of the most depraved 
  psychopaths in the known universe. From Deldreg the 
  Butcher to Sisyrus Coldblood, there is not an ounce of pity 
  or compassion in the lot. 
  The villains of the Desperate Hunger fear very little—as 
  those striving for the inevitable true death of the multiverse 
  do not scare easily—but they all fear their leader, the heartless 
  android Null-9. They fear her cold and calculating mind, and 
  the way her words seem to bite into one’s soul. This fear has 
  been twisted into a kind of fierce loyalty, even though Null-9 
  makes it clear that she considers those under her to be simply 
  fangs biting and breaking at her command. The android sees 
  herself as a true chosen of the Devourer and is certain she 
  will have a large part to play in bringing about the universe’s 
  last gasp.
  The Jangly Man (whom the PCs have met and dealt with 
  by now) was Null-9’s second-in-command. She entrusted him 
  with many of the sect’s more delicate matters, as the human 
  was the most charismatic of the bunch. While he preferred 
  to use tactics of confusion and intimidation against those he 
  faced, he had the capacity to be charming toward those he 
  was courting for initiation into the cult.
  The oblivion shade mystic Malice, a driven and quiet force 
  that lingers on the edges of the choir, supports the other 
  members of the Desperate Hunger whether they like it or 
  not. While the cultists don’t exactly fear her, they give her 
  a wide berth, as the undead mystic can kill with a touch, 
  pulling from her victim one of her spawn—creatures similar 
  to her who are unquestionably devoted to her. The cultists 
  have seen members of their company face such a fate, and 
  in the chilling aftermath could find very little of their former 
  companion’s personality evident. Most of the other cultists 
  agree that this is probably a fate worse than death, and so 
  they are quick to follow Malice’s twisted commands even 
  when they run contrary to Null-9’s wishes (though this 
  rarely happens). 
  The oddballs of the group are the twin ysoki mechanics 
  (otherwise known as degenerators) brought into the choir by 
  Null-9 when she discovered them among the wrecked starship 
  hulls of Akiton almost a year ago. Though the new recruits are 
  often the subject of harsh practical jokes and derision, Xix 
  and Zaz can give as good as they get. The brother-and-sister 
  tinkerers craft elaborate mechanical devices to prank those 
  
  12
  who have humiliated them, sometimes leading to broken 
  bones and lost fingers. Thanks to their killings during recent 
  raids, the two ysoki are slowly gaining respect among the 
  other cultists.
  The cultists of the Desperate Hunger were the ones who 
  attacked Istamak to find the location of the Gate of Twelve 
  Suns before the PCs arrived in that city in the adventure 
  “The Ruined Clouds.” They sped off from the Nejeor system, 
  information in hand, on their quest to find the Stellar 
  Degenerator. Upon arriving at the system, they landed on 
  the planet orbiting Gate 1. With ruthless efficiency, Null-9’s 
  forces burned their way through the jungle to the control 
  complex and breached its meager defenses. The android 
  then set Xix and Zaz to the task of discovering the building’s 
  secrets. The ysoki pair soon came into contact with Eltreth, 
  the imprisoned artificial intelligence. He proved to be a 
  surprising ally, as it became obvious that the alien AI had 
  received revelations from the Devourer. Truly, Null-9 and 
  the Desperate Hunger thought, their mission was blessed 
  by the Devourer. 
  Though Osteth, the sane artificial intelligence, put up 
  a fight, the ruthless band of cultists freed their new friend 
  Eltreth and helped him place Osteth in his old virtual prison. 
  However, Osteth was able to perform a few acts of defiance 
  before she was sequestered away: she granted many of the 
  megastructure’s maintenance robots a degree of autonomy 
  (a plan she had actually been working on for centuries), and 
  she overloaded the circuitry of the control center’s main 
  computer, preventing access to the demiplane containing the 
  Stellar Degenerator. By the time the PCs approach the gate 
  system, the Desperate Hunger cultists have almost completed 
  repairing the computer. They lack only a replacement control 
  board, a bit of ancient kishalee technology. Eltreth has 
  informed Null-9 that such a board can be located on one of the 
  other controller moons. The android has taken some of her 
  crew in a shuttle to the planetoid orbiting Gate 2 to retrieve 
  the backup board, leaving Malice in charge of the control 
  complex and sending the Jangly Man out to patrol the area 
  in the Singularity.
  A WILD AND ALIEN WORLD
  When the control center was staffed with living kishalee, 
  the planetoid orbiting Gate 1 was seeded with all manner of 
  flora and fauna. This helped keep the world habitable and 
  gave the kishalee scientists monitoring the megastructure 
  a way to stave off boredom and homesickness during their 
  tours. Some constructed homes and farms miles away from 
  the control center, living bucolic lives away from their place 
  of work, while others would take extended vacations to 
  explore the farthest reaches of the planetoid. The weather 
  patterns and wildlife were tightly controlled with a series of 
  technomagical antennae that projected a series of beams of 
  energy encircling the entire world. With the fall of kishalee 
  civilization, the artificial intelligences in charge of the Gate 
  of Twelve Suns could not spare resources to maintain these 
  systems, and while they are automated enough to keep the 
  oxygen levels and temperatures at optimal levels, they could 
  not regulate natural evolution. After thousands of years, the 
  plants and animals have experienced unchecked growth and 
  natural selection.
  Much of the planet’s flora is poisonous, and some are 
  downright predatory. They hide among the denser sections 
  of foliage to lie in wait for a passing meal and then lash out 
  with thorny vines that carry a paralyzing toxin. In addition, 
  the descendants of docile herd animals have evolved into 
  terrifying monsters. Some rampage through their territory, 
  toppling trees and crushing smaller beasts with their 
  powerful hooves, while others skulk silently through the 
  brush, perfectly camouflaged until they leap at their prey, 
  teeth and claws flashing.
  As the PCs breach the cloud cover and make their 
  landing approach, they catch glimpses of the planetoid’s 
  surface. They spot a stampede of wild, horned quadrupeds 
  kicking up dust across a grassy plain. They skirt the edge 
  of a mountain range and watch as an avalanche swallows 
  a copse of tall trees. They pass over the canopy of a jungle, 
  spooking a flock of brightly colored, double-billed birds. 
  As they approach the landing pad identified in their scans, 
  they can see a crude trail burned in the brush leading in the 
  direction of the control center. 
  Landing on the pad takes no unusual effort, and no 
  resistance meets the PCs on the ground. As they step 
  out of their vessel, the PCs can easily spot the very wide 
  path through the jungle. A PC who succeeds at a DC 25 
  Perception check or DC 20 Knowledge (nature) or Survival 
  check notices that the densest parts of the foliage were 
  recently cleared with fire, explosives, and sharp instruments. 
  Walking the half mile to the control center looks like it will 
  be smooth sailing.
  As the PCs move through the jungle (use the map on 
  page  6), they can hear screams and howls in the distance 
  from the local fauna. Occasionally, carnivorous plants make 
  half-hearted attempts to grab at the PCs with a green tendril, 
  but this danger is easily avoided. A PC who succeeds at a 
  DC 20 Knowledge (nature) or Survival check while examining 
  the nearby plants can tell that many of them are poisonous. 
  After about 5 minutes of walking, the PCs step into a swampy 
  clearing where a major threat presents itself: a large and 
  vicious beast bounds out of the jungle.
  A. JUBSNUTH ATTACK (CR 9)
  As the PCs make the trek toward the control center, read or 
  paraphrase the following. 
  The nearby trees sway as something very large barrels its way 
  out of the jungle. Branches snap and foliage is scattered about 
  as a large, bulbous beast with two mouths, each one dripping 
  with slimy green saliva, bursts into the clearing. The creature 
  
  13
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  walks on a handful of small legs, and two massive clawed 
  arms jut from its torso. Its thick tail flails violently about, 
  and both its mouths each let loose deafening roars as it 
  charges forth.
  Several inches of rainfall have collected in this natural 
  depression within the jungle, making the ground damp and 
  squishy. Bits of broken pavement jut from the mud at odd 
  angles, remnants of the service road that once connected the 
  landing pad to the control center.
  Creature: Jubsnuths are the descendants of docile herd 
  animals raised by the kishalee as food stock. Centuries 
  of unchecked evolution have altered these creatures into 
  murderous beats. More about jubsnuths can be found on 
  page 57. While jubsnuths are typically deeply territorial and 
  vicious, this particular specimen has been driven to an utter 
  frenzy by the loss of its young. 
  JUBSNUTH 
  CR 9
  XP 6,400
  HP 145 (see page 57)
  TACTICS
  During Combat Not a subtle combatant, the jubsnuth 
  bites, swallows, and tramples until it is the only 
  creature left alive. 
  Morale In this type of rage, the jubsnuth continues its 
  attack until it is killed or somehow restrained. 
  B. THE WATCHER WITHOUT EYES (CR 10)
  Before the PCs reach the control center, they have a chance to 
  realize that something is watching them from above.
  Creature: The Desperate Hunger is close to realizing its 
  goal of claiming the Stellar Degenerator, and this has caught 
  the attention of an atrocite, a native outsider that serves 
  the Devourer. It has used its plane shift and interplanetary 
  teleport spell-like abilities to reach the Gate of Twelve Suns, 
  drawn to the cultists like a bee is drawn to a bloom. It has yet 
  to reveal itself to the cultists and sees the PCs as nuisances 
  it can take care of before doing so. The atrocite lands quietly 
  behind the PCs and announces its presence with a telepathic 
  shout of “Die!”
  This atrocite appears as an androgynous human with a 
  shaved head covered in scars. It has only hollow holes where 
  its eyes should be, and a pair of fanged mouths open on its 
  palms. A grayish haze tinged with crackling red lightning 
  floats above it.
  ATROCITE 
  CR 10
  XP 9,600
  Starfinder Adventure Path #4: The Ruined Clouds 56
  CE Medium outsider (chaotic, evil, native)
  Init +2; Senses blindsense (life) 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; 
  Perception +19
  DEFENSE  
  HP 147
  EAC 23; KAC 22
  1 square = 5 feet
  C. CONTROL CENTER
  C4
  C1
  C2
  C8
  C7
  C6
  C5
  C3
  
  14
  Fort +9; Ref +9; Will +15
  Immunities poison, vacuum
  OFFENSE
  Speed 40 ft., fly 40 ft. (Su, average)
  Melee slam +17 (2d8+15 B)
  Ranged void bolt +19 (3d4+10 force; critical severe wound 
  [DC 19])
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; melee +18, ranged +19)
  1/week—interplanetary teleport (self only), plane shift
  1/day—cosmic eddy (DC 22), enervation
  3/day—arcing surge (DC 21), bestow curse (DC 21), 
  displacement, synaptic pulse (DC 21)
  At will—mirror image, see invisibility
  Offensive Abilities words of destruction
  TACTICS
  During Combat The atrocite casts cosmic eddy centered 
  on the PCs in the first round of combat to hinder their 
  movement. It then uses its ability to fly to try to stay out 
  of the PCs’ reach, blasting them with void bolts. If a PC 
  scores a critical hit against the atrocite, it flies into a fury 
  and descends upon that PC, making full attacks with its 
  slam attacks.
  Morale Not believing it can be defeated, the atrocite fights 
  until it is destroyed. 
  STATISTICS 
  Str +5; Dex +2; Con +2; Int +0; Wis +3; Cha +8
  Skills Intimidate +24, Mysticism +24, Sense Motive +19
  Languages Abyssal, Common; telepathy (100 ft.)
  Other Abilities no breath
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Words of Destruction (Su) Once per day as a swift action, 
  the many mouths of an atrocite can speak words of 
  total devastation. For the next 3 rounds, any chaotic 
  evil worshiper of the Devourer within 60 feet adds the 
  wound critical hit effect to all its attacks (in addition to 
  any existing critical hit effect); if an attack already has the 
  wound critical hit effect, it gains the severe wound critical 
  hit effect instead. If the atrocite takes damage at any 
  point during this 3-round period, the effects of its words 
  of destruction end immediately.
  C. CONTROL CENTER
  Eventually, the path through the harsh jungle turns into 
  the remains of a battered road leading to a large structure. 
  As the PCs approach, they can easily see the front 
  doors of the building have been blown inward by some 
  explosive force. This building is the control center for the 
  entire megastructure.
  The control center is a bunker-like building constructed 
  of a kishalee alloy that resists deterioration and the scourge 
  of the elements. Even so, the jungle plants festoon nearly 
  every exterior surface, and the occasional 
  curious jubsnuth  and other alien creatures 
  have gnawed on the building’s corners. Most 
  of the building is still functional, though the 
  thuggish and destructive Desperate Hunger cultists 
  did some damage as they commandeered the place. 
  Unless otherwise stated, all of the locations within the 
  complex have the following traits.
  Doors: The doors within the control center are unlocked 
  unless otherwise noted. They are opened by applying 
  pressure to a triangular central panel at the center of 
  each door. When opened, a door slides to one side. A door 
  then stays open for 1 minute before closing automatically. 
  Jamming a door open or closed requires a successful DC 17 
  Engineering check, or this can be done via hacking (see 
  Computers on page 15). The doors are constructed 
  DESPERATE HUNGER  
  CULTIST
  
  15
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  of a reinforced variety of plastic and are about 2 inches thick 
  (hardness 8, HP 50, break DC 20). 
  Lighting: Ceiling lights illuminate most places within the 
  control center. The light is tinted green and is rather low, 
  though not so much that it is considered dim light. 
  Computers: The first time the PCs try to hack any of 
  the computers in the building, they find the programming 
  language strange and unintuitive. Unless the PC attempting 
  to hack a computer speaks Kishaleen (the language of the 
  kishalee), the DCs of Computers checks to hack the computers 
  in the control center are increased by 10. Once a PC succeeds 
  at three Computers checks to hack the kishalee computers, 
  she has figured out the unusual and strict logic of kishalee 
  programming and can ignore the increase to the DCs no 
  matter what languages she knows. 
  If the PCs gain root access to the control center’s computer 
  system, they can alter the level of lighting in each room, 
  remotely open and close doors, and access ancient information 
  about former control center personnel. Incredibly important 
  functions, such as control of the demiplane, are restricted to 
  one of the two AIs. See area C4 for more information about 
  joining the struggle between the two AI personalities.
  Use the map on page 13 for the following areas.
  C1. Shattered entranCe
  More of the jungle has been scorched here, most likely the 
  result of a large explosion that has blasted a hole through the 
  wall of a one-story building. Sounds of cruel laughter can be 
  heard from inside.
  When the Desperate Hunger cultists reached the control 
  center, they found the front doors locked. The sect’s 
  degenerators, Xix and Zaz, had trouble hacking into the 
  doors’ opening mechanism, so they resorted to explosives. 
  The resulting blast was so powerful that the entrance to the 
  place is now a charred mangle of metal and melted plastic. 
  C2. WreCked Lobby (Cr 10)
  The remains of a large double door lies broken on the floor, 
  while a couple of bizarre-looking chairs or couches sit mangled 
  against the north wall. Two short sets of steps lead up to a 
  raised section of the room, from which a double door exits 
  to the north. A smaller door stands in the southeast corner.
  This room served as a lobby and security checkpoint when 
  living kishalee still used this facility. Once the AIs Eltreth and 
  Osteth took over, this area sat unused for thousands of years, 
  and a thick layer of dust covers much of the floor, disturbed 
  only by the Devourer cultists’ passing.
  Creatures: Three of the Desperate Hunger cultists 
  captured a velsasha—a furry, three-legged beast the size of 
  a small dog with a spherical head on a skinny neck—that 
  wandered curiously up to the hole in the control center. 
  They are now in the process of teasing and torturing their 
  captive on the far side of the room. They laugh and shout 
  cruelly as they batter the creature, and they are so focused 
  on their morbid entertainment they don’t notice the PCs’ 
  approach until the PCs make a great deal of noise or when 
  they step more than 10 feet into the room. At that point, 
  the cultists leap into action, grabbing either grenades or 
  disintegrator pistols and drawing their blades. The velsasha 
  attempts to flee the building, but may just cower in the 
  corner to avoid explosions.
  DESPERATE HUNGER CULTISTS (3) 
  CR 7
  XP 3,200 each
  Human soldier
  CE Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +6; Perception +14
  DEFENSE 
  HP 105 EACH
  EAC 19; KAC 21
  Fort +9; Ref +7; Will +8
  OFFENSE
  Speed 35 ft.
  Melee sintered longsword +17 (2d8+14 S) or 
  weapon spikes +17 (2d4+15 S)
  Ranged liquidator disintegrator pistol +14 (1d10+7 A) or 
  incendiary grenade II +14 (explode [10 ft., 2d6 F plus 1d6 
  burn, DC 15])
  Offensive Abilities charge attack, fighting styles (blitz), gear 
  boosts (powerful explosive)
  TACTICS
  During Combat One cultists throws a grenade in the first 
  round while the others start with shots from their 
  disintegrator pistols before they charge up and enter 
  into melee. 
  Morale Sadistic zealots who yearn for the end, these 
  deviants typically fight to the death. 
  STATISTICS
  Str +5; Dex +2; Con +4; Int +0; Wis +2; Cha +1
  Skills Acrobatics +14, Athletics +19, Intimidate +14, 
  Survival +14
  Feats Step Up
  Languages Common
  Gear golemforged plating III (grim trophies, weapon spikes 
  [tactical knife] [Starfinder Adventure Path #2: Temple of 
  the Twelve 53]), liquidator disintegrator pistol (Starfinder 
  Adventure Path #2: Temple of the Twelve 52) with 2 
  batteries (20 charges each), incendiary grenades II (2), 
  sintered longsword
  Treasure: Three ancient kishalee hoverbikes, once used 
  by the ancients scientists to get from dwellings long since 
  crumbled to ruins, lean against the wall in one corner of 
  the room. Two of them are still operational, but the third 
  was critically damaged by the explosion that allowed the 
  
  16
  cultists access to the control center. Within the closet 
  on the southeast side of the room is a stand with 
  four space suits constructed for kishalee 
  anatomy. A secret compartment behind 
  the stand (Perception DC 25) holds three 
  temporal disruption grenades and a minor 
  disruption pistol. With the exception 
  of the space suits (which function as 
  normal space suits), all of these kishalee 
  relics are detailed starting on page 38.
   Development: The Desperate Hunger 
  cultists quickly grow bored, and 
  they often break things, blow 
  things up, and scuffle with 
  one another to pass the 
  time. As such, the sounds 
  of battle here do not rouse 
  the cultists deeper inside 
  the building. 
  If the PCs capture one of 
  the cultists, they get very 
  little information without 
  the help of mind-reading magic. A PC who aggressively 
  interrogates a cultist and succeeds at a DC 24 Intimidate 
  check to bully is rewarded only with rambling discourses on 
  the destruction they’ve wrought here and elsewhere. If asked 
  about their leader, the cultist says, “Don’t cross Null-9. She’ll 
  feed you to that shadow. She says it’s a blessing, but I’m not 
  sure. Those made into her image seem lost in a place between 
  here and oblivion.” A cultist gives the same information 
  if under the effect of charm person or similar spell but will 
  obstinately refuse to answer questions when under the 
  effects of a zone of truth spell. 
  If the velsasha remained within the room, it is wounded 
  and scared. A PC can calm down the creature with a 
  successful DC 12 Survival check to handle an animal (or lure 
  it back to the door if it fled). From there, the PCs can use 
  healing magic on the animal or use the treat deadly wounds 
  task of the Medicine skill. A healed velsasha scampers back 
  into the jungle with a happy trill. At your discretion, a PC with 
  a connection to the natural world (or who wants a weird pet) 
  might find the velsasha following him back to his starship 
  later in the adventure.
  C3. Long Corridor
  This corridor is the spine of the control center, connecting the 
  various chambers in the building. Except for a few smears 
  of grease and tracks in the dust, it is relatively free from the 
  predations of the Desperate Hunger cultists.
  C4. Computer Lab
  This large chamber is lit only by the bluish glow of a single 
  monitor across from the southern door. The other computer 
  consoles that line the walls are dark. A circular platform of 
  some unknown technology is affixed to the floor in the 
  center of the room. The view outside a window in 
  the western wall is completely obscured by thick 
  jungle foliage.
  When Osteth noticed Eltreth’s programming 
  was becoming corrupted, she used the 
  computers in this room—the very chamber 
  in which they were both transformed into 
  artificial intelligences—to create a prison 
  for his virtual consciousness. 
  Unfortunately, she was unable 
  to 
  stop 
  the 
  Desperate 
  Hunger 
  cultists 
  from 
  releasing Eltreth back into 
  the systems and forcing her 
  into this electronic jail.
  The PCs can use the 
  functioning computer panel 
  on the far side of the room to 
  begin accessing the control 
  center’s systems, though doing so is a challenge. The kishalee 
  programming is unintuitive to those not steeped in kishalee 
  culture (see the information on the control center’s computers 
  on page 15). If the PCs are familiar with the systems or can 
  speak Kishaleen (see page 8 of Starfinder Adventure Path 
  #4: The Ruined Clouds for more on Kishaleen), the base DC to 
  access this tier 4 computer is 29. 
  Before they can get any information from the computer, 
  the PCs must first hack into the system to gain access. 
  Doing so triggers an alarm countermeasure, which sounds a 
  harsh klaxon throughout the structure. A PC who succeeds 
  at a Computers check to disable the countermeasure within 
  1 round of the alarm sounding manages to silence it before the 
  cultists think to investigate. Otherwise, the cultists from area 
  C6 come to investigate 1 minute later (destroying the door to 
  the chamber with a grenade if the PCs have jammed it shut). 
  In either case, Eltreth is definitely aware the PCs have begun 
  snooping into the computer system and attempts to find a 
  way to further aid the Devourer cultists (see area C5). 
  Once the PCs have gained access to this terminal, they can 
  power up the lights and the other computers in this room, 
  which also allows Osteth to speak with them. When that 
  occurs, read or paraphrase the following. 
  The platform near the center of the room flickers to life 
  as a luminescent holographic projection manifests above 
  it. Within seconds the light coalesces into a tall, regal 
  humanoid form that resembles the images of the ancient 
  kishalee found on Istamak. The figure is dressed in garb that 
  appears to be a mixture of military and scientific outfits that 
  seems to disappear into the glow of the circular dais at the 
  figure’s feet. 
  OSTETH
  
  17
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  The holographic figure stretches out an arm and starts 
  speaking strange, spidery syllables with the rapidity of 
  purpose, though her expression remains fixed and stoic. If 
  the PCs speak Kishaleen (or even Vulgar Kishaleen), they 
  recognize that the figure is greeting them, though with some 
  urgency. Returning the greeting in the same language means 
  that the remainder of the conversation can then continue 
  in Osteth’s native language. If the PCs show any signs of 
  consternation that they can’t understand her, Osteth quickly 
  probes their minds (this manifests as a slight tingling behind 
  the eyes) and scans any visible pieces of technology on 
  their persons to determine their preferred language. After 
  a moment, an audio filter kicks in, and Osteth continues 
  in Common. 
  “He has gone mad. His programming had degenerated and 
  he kept raving about something called the Star-Eater. I 
  confined him due to these critical errors, but now he is out, 
  and I am in here! He and those who helped him must be 
  stopped.” There is a brief pause. “From your attire, I assumed 
  you weren’t allied with those cruel marauders. Please tell me 
  you aren’t with them.”
  The figure is the artificial intelligence Osteth, appearing 
  as she did in life. The PCs can speak with her (in either her 
  language or their own) to learn more about what is currently 
  happening on the planetoid. Unfortunately, her programming 
  has been sequestered to this chamber, and she can’t aid them 
  outside of it until Eltreth has been “captured” once again. 
  Below are some common questions the PCs might ask and 
  her responses.
  Who are you? “My name is Osteth. I was once one of the 
  many kishalee scientists who monitored this entire system, 
  protecting its secret. Long ago, I had a physical form, but 
  in order to maintain these computers past our civilization’s 
  fall, another engineer and I created digital versions of our 
  consciousnesses to serve as custodians for eternity.
  Who is the other custodian? “His name is Eltreth. We have 
  operated here for millennia, keeping this place functional 
  and its terrible secret hidden, until a couple of centuries ago. 
  Without warning, he began to display signs of instability and 
  critical errors. He became convinced that he was the tool of 
  some being called the Devourer. I believed it to be just some 
  sort of manifestation of degradation in his core programming, 
  and I sequestered him to these servers before he could cause 
  any damage. I had hoped he could be repaired, but recent 
  events have changed my mind.”
  What is this terrible secret you mentioned? “Millennia 
  ago, my people were locked in a war with a race called the 
  sivvs. After decades of fighting, the sivvs fashioned a device 
  of cosmic destruction known as the Stellar Degenerator 
  and sought to use it to bring the kishalee to extinction. We 
  captured the weapon before it could be activated and won 
  the war. We then studied our spoils, learning much from its 
  dreaded power. We fired the Stellar Degenerator once... in 
  self-defense, mind you! But the result was an atrocity could 
  barely live with. We created the Gate of Twelve Suns—the star 
  system in which you find yourself—to house and protect the 
  weapon so that none might use it ever again.” The PCs likely 
  know much of this information, but you can use Osteth to fill 
  them in on any part of the Adventure Path’s backstory they 
  might need to know.
  What is going on now? “Several days ago we were 
  invaded by a group of raiders. Some of them looked much 
  like yourselves, but others were like figments, strange dark 
  apparitions with no true form. The raiders call themselves the 
  Desperate Hunger and are led by an android woman named 
  Null-9—I discovered this as they blasted their way into this 
  facility spouting paeans to this Devourer and caught me off-
  guard. Before I knew it, they had freed Eltreth and forced me 
  into his prison. Luckily, I was able to place some roadblocks in 
  their path to slow them down, but they cannot be allowed to 
  access the Stellar Degenerator.”
  What did you do? “The many maintenance robots that 
  perform the physical tasks of this system have always been 
  semiautonomous, but ever since I locked Eltreth away, I have 
  been striving to uplift the robots to full sentience so that they 
  might continue should something happen to me. When it 
  looked as though Eltreth would be freed, I uploaded as much 
  independent programming as I could to their processors. 
  It will take Eltreth some time to regain full control over 
  those robots. In addition, I generated a pulse of electricity 
  throughout the terminals in the operations room, making sure 
  the demiplane containing the Stellar Degenerator could not 
  be easily accessed.”
  How do we stop Eltreth and the Desperate Hunger? 
  “Truthfully, I fear the Desperate Hunger will be stopped by 
  nothing short of death. Then, though it pains me to say so, 
  I must trap Eltreth again and destroy his programming for 
  good. What I thought was a mere degradation was but utter 
  corruption borne from powers I do not understand. If you 
  know of any other way, please tell me.” 
  How do we free you? “You cannot do it from here. You 
  must access the sequestering subprogram from the main 
  operations room.” At this point, Osteth brings up a map of 
  control center and points out area C8. “This should initiate 
  an exchange of my core programming and Eltreth’s. Beware, 
  though. Eltreth has probably installed countermeasures.”
  What are on the other planets? “They hold small edifices 
  deep within for monitoring the gravitational pulses that 
  emanate from each planetoid’s core. When my people were 
  still alive, some of the scientists constructed personal 
  laboratories in these facilities, but I haven’t had need for 
  them, so they have remained dormant for millennia.” Osteth 
  pauses for a second. “It is possible the marauders might be 
  able to find replacement parts for the terminals I damaged 
  on one of those bases. Once I have full access to the gate’s 
  systems, I should know more.”
  
  18
  Osteth can’t offer much more help to the PCs until she 
  is restored to full functionality. She remembers the rough 
  complement of the cultists (more than a dozen main members, 
  an unknown number of shadow creatures, an android, and 
  a couple of ysoki), but she has no means of knowing their 
  current locations. She speaks freely about her role as the 
  system’s custodian, though she is clearly frustrated by how 
  easily she was trapped in the prison of her own making. She 
  muses that she may have done her job too well and wonders 
  if similar feelings have compounded Eltreth’s corruption. If 
  the PCs spend too long speaking with her, she urges them to 
  continue deeper into the control center and stop the cultists 
  of the Desperate Hunger.
  Except for the minor amount of information Osteth tells 
  them, the PCs can learn nothing more about the Gate of Twelve 
  Suns and its operation from the terminals in this room. These 
  interfaces are purposefully isolated from the other computers 
  of the control center and so have very little  functionality. 
  However, a PC who succeeds at a Computers check to 
  manipulate a secure data module can discover detailed 
  reports about Eltreth and Osteth’s experiments on creating 
  artificial consciousness. Though the equipment still remaining 
  in this chamber is insufficient to upload another soul into 
  the mainframe, the information within grants the PCs a 
  +4  circumstance bonus to Computers checks to defeat 
  Eltreth’s countermeasures when attempting to restore 
  Osteth (see area C8).
  C5. robot Command terminaLS (Cr 9)
  This rectangular chamber has various illuminated panels 
  and monitors along its walls. Some show what looks like 
  the schematics of the entire structure, while others seem to 
  show the interior of the planet. In the latter images, squads 
  of robots skitter along the technology-studded walls of a 
  massive tunnel. A circular platform stands in the center of 
  the room, projecting a hologram of a tall figure clad in white 
  robes. The figure gestures at the various screens, seemingly 
  attempting to direct the robots in their tasks. 
  The hologram is the projection of Eltreth, the kishalee AI 
  working with the Cult of the Devourer. The PCs have walked 
  in on him trying to reprogram some of the maintenance 
  robots working in the interior of the planet to leave their 
  posts and aid the Desperate Hunger cultists, but it is a 
  nearly impossible task. As a failsafe after confining Eltreth’s 
  consciousness, Osteth reinforced the semiautonomous 
  programming of the robots. It would take the Devourer-
  corrupted AI weeks—if not months—to reestablish full 
  control of these robots. 
  If the PCs explored area C4 and triggered the alarm 
  countermeasure, Eltreth is aware there are intruders and 
  realizes there is a chance they have already spoken to 
  Osteth. Even if the alarm wasn’t triggered, he guesses that 
  the PCs might be some force sent here to stop the Desperate 
  Hunger cultist’s plan and knows he must slow them down, if 
  not stop them. In the efforts to gain information about these 
  strangers so he can relay it to Malice in area C8, he greets 
  the newcomers as friends and potential saviors. He says the 
  following in Common (having already learned the language 
  from the cultists). 
  “Oh, thank the First Cause! I thought I was going to 
  be stuck with these lunatics forever. You are here to 
  help, yes?” 
  Eltreth isn’t very good at bluffing; he has a 
  total bonus of +8 to his Bluff skill checks. 
  A PC who succeeds at an opposed Sense 
  Motive check realizes the hologram 
  is lying, as his tone is too sickeningly 
  sweet and insincere. Still, he continues 
  SISYRUS 
  COLDBLOOD
  
  19
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  to plead, trying to get as many PCs into this chamber before 
  setting off a vicious physical countermeasure (see Trap 
  below). When he does so, he disappears from this platform, 
  escaping to the holographic dais in area C8.
  Trap: The ceilings, floors, and walls here are lined 
  with conduits that act similarly to a shock grid computer 
  countermeasure. Eltreth, in his position as an AI, can trip 
  this trap with a thought, filling the room with deadly arcs of 
  electricity. This has the side effect of destroying this room’s 
  electronics. The PCs might not have a chance to notice or 
  disable the trap before it is triggered unless they keep Eltreth 
  talking long enough for a PC to get a look around the room 
  and attempt to hack the countermeasure remotely.
  ELECTRIC CONDUITS TRAP 
  CR 9
  XP 6,400 
  Type technological; Perception DC 33; Disable Computers 
  DC 28 (defeat countermeasure)
  Trigger special (see above); Reset none
  Effect arcs of electricity (8d12 E); Reflex DC 18 half; multiple 
  targets (all targets in area C5) 
  Treasure: A long-forgotten but still functioning sovereign 
  helm and three kishalee batteries are stashed in a hidden 
  compartment among the panels of this chamber. The 
  compartment (which is shielded from the arcs of electricity) can 
  be spotted with a successful DC 25 Perception check (which is 
  reduced to DC 20 if Eltreth was able to set off his trap). More 
  about these kishalee relics can be found on pages 38–41. 
  Development: The computers in this room have only 
  holographic interfaces, not physical ones, and can be accessed 
  only by someone who can do so remotely and wirelessly. 
  If the PCs are familiar with the systems or can speak 
  Kishaleen, the base DC to use the Computers skill on these 
  tier 4 computers is 29 (see the information on the control 
  center’s computers on page 15). Once the PCs have access, 
  they can see that Eltreth was attempting to reestablish direct 
  control over many of the gate’s maintenance robots, and that 
  Osteth’s counterprogramming would take a long time to undo. 
  However, if a PC succeeds at a second Computers check to 
  manipulate a control module within the system, she can see 
  that several robots have gone “off the grid” both here in the 
  control center and on the planetoid orbiting Gate 2. That PC 
  can surmise that another hacker must have discovered a back 
  door in the programming, allowing a partial (and probably 
  temporary) rewrite of their directives. The computers in 
  this room don’t connect to the gate’s main controls or the 
  sequestering subprogram mentioned by Osteth.
  C6. duSty QuarterS (Cr 11)
  A single, oddly shaped desk is all that remains of the furniture 
  in this room. Piles of dust have collected in the corners, and 
  pieces of random detritus are scattered across the floor.
  Millennia ago, when small shifts of kishalee kept watch 
  over the control center, this chamber served as a barracks. 
  Once Eltreth and Osteth took over, this room went unused, 
  gathering dust for thousands of years. 
  Creatures: While Null-9 and her crew are on the controller 
  moon orbiting Gate 2 looking for a new control board and 
  Malice is learning more about the Gate of Twelve Suns’ 
  operation from Eltreth, a few rank-and-file cultists wait 
  in these quarters. They are very bored and restless but 
  while under the stern gaze of Sisyrus Coldblood have yet 
  to devolve into tearing down the walls. The half-orc woman 
  acts as Null-9’s quartermaster and, with harsh words and 
  the occasional corporal punishment, keeps the other cultists 
  from mutinying.
  If the alarm from area C4 is activated, the cultists here 
  spring into action. They gather their weapons and move to 
  investigate area C4 within 1 minute, with Sisyrus egging them 
  on. Otherwise, the PCs find the cultists in an inattentive state, 
  throwing pieces of sharp metal at the far wall. They scramble 
  for their weapons when they notice the PCs, chuckling with 
  sadistic glee at the chance to fight.
  DESPERATE HUNGER CULTISTS (3) 
  CR 7
  XP 3,200 each
  HP 105 each (see page 15)
  TACTICS
  During Combat The cultists, eager for battle, close to melee 
  range, waving their swords. 
  Morale None of these fanatics fear their own demise. They 
  fight to the death.
  SISYRUS COLDBLOOD 
  CR 8
  XP 4,800
  Female half-orc operative
  CE Medium humanoid (human, orc)
  Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +22
  DEFENSE 
  HP 115
  EAC 20; KAC 21
  Fort +7; Ref +10; Will +11
  Defensive Abilities evasion, orc ferocity, uncanny agility
  OFFENSE
  Speed 40 ft., fly 30 ft. (jump jets, average)
  Melee tactical knife +15 (2d8+12 S)
  Ranged advanced shirren-eye rifle +17 (2d10+8 P) or
  red star plasma pistol +17 (1d8+8 E & F; critical burn 1d8)
  Offense Abilities debilitating trick, trick attack +4d8, 
  triple attack
  TACTICS
  During Combat Sisyrus stays in the back attempting to pick 
  off enemies with her sniper rifle but will enter melee 
  combat when needed.
  Morale Sisyrus has never backed down from a fight, and 
  she sure isn’t going to start now. She fights until her 
  last breath. 
  
  20
  STATISTICS
  Str +4; Dex +5; Con +3; Int +1; Wis +2; Cha +2
  Skills Acrobatics +17, Athletics +17, Culture +22, Intimidate +22, 
  Stealth +22, Survival +22
  Languages Common, Orc
  Gear advanced lashunta tempweave (haste circuit, jump jets, 
  targeting computer), advanced shirren-eye rifle with 8 
  sniper rounds, red star plasma pistol with 1 battery (20 
  charges), tactical knife, credstick (2,500 credits) 
  Treasure: Though the last living kishalee in the building 
  cleared out most of the items in the room, a few items were 
  accidentally left behind in the closets. A pair of dimensional 
  comm units and two kishalee batteries lie on the table (see 
  page 40). The cultists have not figured out their secrets and 
  see them as interesting but useless junk. 
  Development: Any attempt to interrogate a captured 
  cultist here has the same results as interrogating one in 
  area C2. 
  C7. anCient WorkShop (Cr 10)
  This area is a cluster of workstations, crates filled with cast-
  offs of kishalee technology, and piles of tools, most alien but a 
  few similar to designs used by Pact Worlds engineers. A pair 
  of unusual robots lie lifelessly on the main worktable near 
  the center of the room. A double door leads out to the south.
  When the control center was more active, this chamber 
  served as a workshop for the repair of malfunctioning 
  maintenance robots and other equipment. In the intervening 
  millennia, Eltreth and Osteth would usually direct the robots 
  to repair each other on the job, occasionally sending robots 
  too broken to be efficiently fixed to this room to power 
  down permanently. The semiautonomous programming 
  Osteth installed in the robots has them continuing this 
  particular cycle.
  Creatures: When Zaz left with Null-9 to find a new 
  control board, Malice ordered the ysoki’s sister, Xix, to try 
  to repair the control board. In truth, Malice just wanted Xix 
  out of her sight. The void shadow finds the twitchy ysoki 
  irritating, and Xix is frankly scared to death of the mystic, 
  so such an exile was perfectly fine with the mechanic. 
  Since Xix has learned enough about kishalee technology 
  to know that the control board is fried and beyond repair, 
  she has instead spent her time fiddling with the alien 
  technology in this room. In addition to her drone, Xix has 
  a pair of modified maintenance bots protecting her. She 
  is responsible for hacking into a few of the 
  robots’ programming, enabling them to 
  be temporarily controlled by either 
  her or her brother. He took most of 
  them with him and Null-9 to the planetoid 
  orbiting Gate 2 for both defense and to aid in 
  searching for a working control board. Xix knows 
  that this control will be overwritten by the robots’ 
  normal programming in a matter of days, and hopes that 
  her brother returns with them before that, as she is a bit 
  savvier with computers than him.
  Of the two ysoki degenerators, Xix is the more chaotic, her 
  mind flitting from idea to idea with the speed of a hummingbird. 
  In the past, Zaz has always had to bring her back to reality 
  when she lost focus on the task at hand. However, when the 
  two joined the Desperate Hunger and became full devotees of 
  the Devourer, a new purpose took root in Xix’s brain. She can see 
  how her every action contributes to the eventual deterioration 
  of the universe, and she delights in each explosion and gunshot. 
  Now surrounded by the remnants of a civilization long since 
  extinct, Xix pursues chaos with additional fervor. Underneath it 
  all, though, the ysoki is still afraid to die, meaning there is a 
  chance to encourage her to surrender if the battle isn’t 
  going in her favor.
  When the PCs enter the room, Xix immediately 
  sets the robots and her drone on the PCs, talking 
  XIX
  
  21
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  all the while. She peppers them with questions about who 
  they are and why they are here as much as she peppers 
  them with gunfire. Though she seems interested in the 
  PCs’ responses, she generally responds with assurances 
  that what they want doesn’t matter, as everything they love 
  will eventually die or turn to dust and the universe will be 
  consumed by entropy. She says these terrible things in a 
  casual, upbeat way, as if she were pleasantly discussing the 
  local weather.
  As noted in her stat block, when Xix is reduced to fewer 
  than half her Hit Points, she becomes open to a cease-fire. 
  While she doesn’t propose such an option herself, a PC who 
  succeeds at a DC 24 Sense Motive check notices that Xix 
  is speaking less and grimly concentrating on the fight, as 
  if she suddenly realized she might lose. At this point, a PC 
  can perform the combat banter action and attempt a DC 28 
  Diplomacy check to suggest to Xix that she surrender. If 
  the PC succeeds at the check and promises not to kill her, 
  Xix capitulates. The PCs can attempt this check a second 
  time on a failure, though the second proposal must include 
  a reassurance of transport off the planet (or some other 
  equally enticing offer), in addition to a promise of mercy for 
  Xix before she will consider it. After a second failure, Xix 
  becomes resolved to fight to the death. See Development 
  on page 22 for ways Xix might be able to help the PCs if 
  she surrenders.
  MODIFIED MAINTENANCE BOTS (2) 
  CR 6
  XP 2,400 each
  N Small construct (technological)
  Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; 
  Perception +13
  DEFENSE 
  HP 80 EACH
  EAC 18; KAC 19
  Fort +3; Ref +3; Will +7
  Defensive Abilities nanite repair; Immunities construct 
  immunities
  Weaknesses vulnerable to critical hits, vulnerable 
  to electricity
  OFFENSE
  Speed 15 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 20 ft. (Ex, average)
  Melee slam +15 (1d6+11 B) 
  Ranged focused-beam laser +13 (1d6+6 F)
  TACTICS
  During Combat The maintenance bots attack all creatures 
  other than Xix and her drone, using their mobility to get 
  above and around the PCs.
  Morale Unless they are called off by Xix, the robots fight 
  until they are destroyed.
  STATISTICS
  Str +5; Dex +2; Con —; Int +3; Wis +0; Cha +0
  Skills Acrobatics +18, Athletics +13, Computers +18, 
  Engineering +18
  Languages Kishaleen
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Nanite Repair (Ex) A maintenance bot’s nanites can heal 
  it, restoring 6 Hit Points per hour. Once per day as 
  a full action, a maintenance bot can restore 3d8 Hit 
  Points to itself or any touched construct with the 
  technological subtype.
  XIX 
  CR 8
  XP 4,800
  Female ysoki mechanic
  CE Small humanoid (ysoki)
  Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +21
  DEFENSE 
  HP 115
  EAC 20; KAC 21
  Fort +9; Ref +9; Will +9
  Resistances electricity 5, sonic 5
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee tactical knife +15 (2d4+9 S) 
  Ranged advanced semi-auto pistol +17 (2d6 P)
  Offensive Abilities overload (DC 18)
  TACTICS
  During Combat Xix starts combat by attacking the intruders 
  with her pistol, while directing her drone Q-O to close with 
  the PCs. She instructs Q-O to make melee attacks against 
  the PCs, spending the extra action required to have the 
  A CAPTIVE XIX
  The PCs might not think leaving Xix alone on their 
  starship while they explore the core facility on Gate 2’s 
  controller moon is a good idea. If they do, feel free to 
  have the ysoki tinker with their vessel’s systems. How 
  much this mucking about damages the starship is up to 
  you; it could be as benign as altering the functions of 
  the buttons in the lavatories or as serious as a critical 
  damage effect that isn’t discovered until the PCs engage 
  in starship combat (or if a PC succeeds at a DC 28 
  Engineering check the next time she boards the vessel).
  On the other hand, if Xix is with the PCs when they 
  fight Zaz, the reunion could go poorly for the PCs. At 
  first, it might seem as though Xix is unconcerned with 
  her brother’s welfare. However, if the PCs reduce Zaz 
  to fewer than 25 Hit Points, Xix goes berserk, attacking 
  the character who damaged Zaz the most with an 
  unrelenting fury. In this instance, Xix fights to the death 
  and the sight of his sister in battle causes Zaz to hold 
  his ground in area D7 (instead of fleeing to Null-9’s side). 
  Don’t award the PCs XP for defeating Xix a second time 
  if this happens.
  
  22
  drone perform full attacks when it seems like Q-O is 
  hitting the PCs with regularity.
  Morale If Xix is reduced to fewer than half her Hit Points, 
  her mood turns grim (see page 21). If the PCs talk her into 
  surrendering, she calls off Q-O and the maintenance bots.
  STATISTICS
  Str +1; Dex +4; Con +2; Int +6; Wis +1; Cha +1
  Skills Acrobatics +16, Computers +21, Engineering +21, 
  Physical Science +16, Sleight of Hand +21, Stealth +21, 
  Survival +16
  Languages Common, Ysoki
  Other Abilities artificial intelligence (drone named Q-O), 
  cheek pouches, expert rig (hacking kit), mechanic tricks 
  (ghost intrusion and repair drone), miracle worker 1/day, 
  moxie, remote hack (DC 18)
  Gear estex suit III (mk 1 electrostatic field, sonic dampener), 
  advanced semi-auto pistol with 24 small arm rounds, 
  tactical knife, custom rig, hacking kit, credstick 
  (2,500 credits)
  Q-O 
  CR —
  N Medium construct (technological)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +13
  DEFENSE 
  HP 90
  EAC 18; KAC 20
  Fort +6; Ref +6; Will +3
  DR 1/—; Immunities construct immunities
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee tactical swoop hammer +17 (1d10+11 B; critical 
  knockdown) 
  STATISTICS
  Str +5; Dex +3; Con —; Int +2; Wis +0; Cha +0
  Skills Athletics +18
  Languages Common
  Other Abilities reduced actions (Starfinder Alien Archive 
  138), unliving
  Treasure: Two high-capacity kishalee batteries (see 
  page  40) can be found in the triangular closet in the 
  southwestern corner of the room.
  Development: If Xix surrenders, she is actually open to 
  answering questions. Some common queries and the ysoki’s 
  answers are below. 
  Who are you? “Name’s Xix. They call me and my brother 
  ‘degenerators,’ cuz we fix things. Well, fix ’em long enough 
  that they can be used to break more things.” She smiles widely 
  and becomes momentarily lost in thought, remembering 
  things she has smashed.
  Your brother? “Zaz.” She seems to be saying a name. “We 
  used to live on Akiton before the pink-haired android found 
  us and took us into space. He taught me everything I know 
  about breaking things until I learned some stuff he don’t 
  know.” She chews on her lip for a moment. “If you run into my 
  brother, he probably won’t be as interested in talking as I am. 
  He’s always been stubborn. You might have to kill him.” This 
  doesn’t appear to upset her.
  Pink-haired android? Is that Null-9? “Yeah, Null-9! Silly 
  name. She’s the one in charge of this whole operation. I don’t 
  know about her; she doesn’t let me break all the stuff I want. 
  Like, take this place. A dozen exploding suns would look so cool. 
  But she says we gotta use ’em to get some kind of big weapon...
  from another dimension? Don’t really know, don’t really care.”
  Where are your brother and Null-9 now? “They took a 
  shuttle off this planet to look for some kind of replacement 
  part for one of the computers here. The glowing man told ’em 
  should be able to find one inside one of the other moon’s core 
  facility or something. If they bring it back here, we can fix 
  the computer, and then get that weapon Null-9’s been talking 
  about forever.” The glowing man she is referring to is Eltreth, 
  the kishalee AI.  
  How many cultists are in this complex? Xix asks who 
  they’ve encountered by now, frowning at the mention of 
  the half-orc Sisyrus Coldblood, calling her “no fun.” She tells 
  them who else is left in the control center, mentioning how 
  many times she has tried to get the oblivion shade mystic 
  Malice to teach her how to float through walls only to be 
  stopped by her brother. She also lets the PCs know how 
  many of the cultists left on the shuttle (which includes 
  Null-9, Zaz, a dwarf named Deldreg the Butcher, six other 
  cultists, three of Malice’s spawn, and a handful of modified 
  maintenance bots). 
  Can you give us any help? Xix laughs directly in their 
  faces. “You’re supposed to help me by not killing me!” A PC 
  who succeeds at a DC 29 Diplomacy check can convince 
  her otherwise. “The computers here are weird, but I noticed 
  that the code uses a bunch of shortcuts that aren’t really 
  necessary, making it kind of easy to find loopholes.” She 
  teaches the PCs a couple of tricks to bypassing kishalee 
  programming, granting them a +2 bonus to Computers skill 
  checks to oust Eltreth. She otherwise refuses to fight her 
  former comrades or do anything that will directly interfere 
  with their mission.
  Once the PCs are done asking Xix questions, they have to 
  decide what to do with her. If allowed, she takes 10 minutes 
  to repair Q-O (if the drone was damaged), replenishing 
  10% of its total Hit Points. She agrees to stay put in this 
  room while the PCs face Eltreth and Malice. The kishalee 
  technology distracts Xix again the moment the PCs leave; 
  she draws her pistol on them the next time they enter the 
  room before she remembers who they are. If the PCs drag 
  her along with them, she stands sullenly behind them during 
  battles, mumbling to herself.
  Unless the PCs specifically promised to help Xix off the 
  planet, she doesn’t realize that she will be stranded here 
  when the PCs leave. However, when they return in Part 3, 
  Osteth is adamant they take Xix somewhere else, as the ysoki 
  has been threatening to dismantle many of the computer 
  
  23
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  terminals within the control center. Bringing Xix with them 
  to the controller moon orbiting Gate 2 might have negative 
  consequences, as outlined in the sidebar on page 21. Xix’s 
  exact role in the next adventure (if she survives that long) 
  is up to you.
  Story Award: If the PCs get Xix to surrender, award them 
  XP as if they had defeated her and the bots in combat. 
  C8. CentraL operationS (Cr 12 and Cr 10)
  The northern door of this chamber opens onto a raised 
  platform that overlooks various panels alight and abuzz with 
  digital activity. Screens flicker with schematics of the many 
  pieces of technology that control the kishalee megastructure, 
  while others show views of legions of small robots repairing 
  and maintaining massive mechanisms. The shadows here 
  move strangely, seemingly having a life of their own. A 
  circular dais occupies a second raised platform in the eastern 
  end of the room.
  This chamber holds the central control panels for the Gate 
  of Twelve Suns. It was once staffed by a rotating contingent 
  of kishalee technicians, though most of the systems were 
  self-regulating. For millennia after, the AIs Eltreth and Osteth 
  kept things running smoothly, usually only tweaking the 
  gravitational output of one of the controller moons to keep 
  the gate from tearing itself apart. In theory, the Gate of 
  Twelve Suns could operate for eternity.
  The lower half of this chamber holds the terminals that 
  regulate the main functions of the megastructure, including 
  the sequestering subroutine mentioned by Osteth. The upper 
  section contains a holographic display dais similar to those 
  in areas C4 and C5 and the controls that open the demiplane 
  where the Stellar Degenerator is stored. If the PCs are familiar 
  with the systems or can speak Kishaleen, the base DC to use 
  the Computers skill on these tier 4 computers is 29 (see the 
  information on the control center’s computers on page 15). 
  If the PCs have yet to meet Osteth, they can notice the 
  existence of the sequestering subroutine with a successful 
  DC 20 Computers check after they gain access. The PCs must 
  succeed at three Computers checks to manipulate the module 
  containing the sequestering subroutine in order to imprison 
  Eltreth and free Osteth. However, the PCs will have to deal 
  with the mystic Malice and her minions before they can even 
  think about accessing these computers (see Creatures below 
  and Traps on page 24).
  Creatures: Malice, a number of her spawn, and a couple of 
  Desperate Hunger cultists are holed up in the main part of this 
  room after attempting and failing to take control of the Gate 
  of Twelve Suns. Most likely, they will be aware of the PCs’ 
  insurgence into the building—warned either by the sounds of 
  battle, the cultists in C6, or by Eltreth’s encounter with the PCs. 
  Even if the PCs can sneak up on the group, they will find them 
  ready for a fight. Every creature in this room is willing to battle 
  to the end in their desire to achieve the Devourer’s ultimate 
  goal. While the cultists are the first line of defense, the oblivion 
  shade spawn quickly join them, while Malice stays back, using 
  her spells and abilities to slow the PCs’ approach.
  OBLIVION SHADE SPAWN (3) 
  CR 5
  XP 1,600 each
  HP 65 each (see page 9)
  TACTICS
  During Combat Unhindered by the terrain in this area, the 
  oblivion shade spawn rush to flank the PCs to aid the 
  cultists in defense of the chamber. 
  Morale Entirely the thralls of Malice’s will, the oblivion shade 
  spawn fight until destroyed. 
  DESPERATE HUNGER CULTISTS (2) 
  CR 7
  XP 3,200 each
  HP 105 each (see page 15)
  TACTICS
  During Combat The cultists open with a volley of 
  disintegration fire before engaging in melee combat. Their 
  main goal is to stop the PCs from progressing farther into 
  the chamber. 
  Morale These soldiers know what is at stake and will gladly 
  sacrifice themselves for the cause. They give nor expect 
  any quarter.
  MALICE 
  CR 9
  XP 6,400
  Female oblivion shade mystic (see page 58)
  CE Medium undead (incorporeal)
  Init +4; Senses blindsight (life) 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; 
  Perception +22
  DEFENSES 
  HP 120 RP 4
  EAC 21; KAC 22
  Fort +8; Ref +8; Will +14
  Defensive Abilities incorporeal, share pain (DC 18); 
  Immunities undead immunities
  OFFENSE
  Speed fly 40 ft. (Su, perfect)
  Melee incorporeal touch +17 (3d4+9 A; critical corrode 1d6) 
  Offensive backlash (9 damage), create spawn, mental 
  anguish (DC 18), sow doubt (4 rounds, DC 18)
  Mystic Spell-Like Abilities (CL 9th)
  At will—mindlink
  Mystic Spells Known (CL 5th; ranged +17)
  3rd (3/day)—mind thrust (DC 20), ray of exhaustion 
  (DC 20)
  2nd (6/day)—hold person (DC 19), hurl forcedisk, inflict pain 
  (DC 20), mystic cure
  1st (at will)—detect thoughts, lesser confusion (DC 18)
  Connection mindbreaker
  TACTICS
  Before Combat If warned of the PCs’ approach, Malice 
  
  24
  readies an action to cast ray of exhaustion at the first PC 
  through the door.
  During Combat Malice begins combat by casting mind thrust 
  and ray of exhaustion at the strongest-looking PCs. She 
  continues to cast spells and use her mystic connection 
  abilities to harry opponents until she is forced to engage 
  the PCs in melee combat. If a cultist is wounded, she casts 
  mystic cure on him to keep him in the fight.
  Morale A true devotee to the cause of the Devourer, Malice 
  continues her assault for as long as she exists. Even if she 
  can’t win the battle, she does all she can to weaken the 
  enemies of the Star-Eater. 
  STATISTICS
  Str —; Dex +4; Con —; Int +3; Wis +6; Cha +2
  Skills Bluff +17, Intimidate +17, Mysticism +22 
  Languages Common
  Other Abilities unliving, void leap
  Traps: Eltreth’s image manifests on the holographic 
  dais as the PCs battle Malice and her forces. He frets and 
  reminds the cultists of their duty to the Devourer, but does 
  nothing until the PCs attempt to access the terminals in 
  the lower half of the room, which is most likely after the 
  fight is over. Realizing that the PCs are likely to activate the 
  sequestering program and put him back in his virtual prison, 
  Eltreth becomes desperate. As the PCs attempt to use the 
  Computers skill to hack the terminals and gain access, the 
  AI establishes three countermeasures within the system 
  that have the possibility of physically harming the PCs and 
  making their task to free Osteth more difficult. Once the PCs 
  have access to the computer system, a PC who succeeds 
  at a DC 25 Computers check or DC 30 Perception check 
  notices that some of the code is being rewritten on the fly 
  from within—the result of Eltreth attempting to keep them 
  from sequestering him.
  If the PCs attempt to manipulate the module containing 
  the sequestering subroutine without first disabling the 
  first of the three countermeasures, Eltreth activates it, 
  causing the terminal by the stairs that lead out of the room 
  (marked with an X on the map on page 13) to explode in a 
  shower of deadly sparks. Eltreth doesn’t ready the second 
  countermeasure trap until after the PCs succeed at the first 
  Computers check to use the sequestering subroutine, so it 
  can’t be spotted or disabled until then. If the PCs attempt 
  the second Computers check to use the subroutine before 
  disabling the second trap, Eltreth activates that one, causing 
  a terminal in the southeastern corner of the room (marked 
  with an X on the map on page 13) to explode as well. The AI 
  repeats this process one final time, destroying the console 
  near the steps leading up to the holographic dais (marked 
  with an X on the map on page 13). Since there are multiple 
  terminals throughout the room, one PC can be attempting to 
  activate the sequestering subroutine while another tries to 
  find and disable the traps.
  
  25
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  In addition to dealing electricity damage (see below), each 
  countermeasure trap Eltreth successfully activates imposes 
  a cumulative –2 penalty to Computers checks to manipulate 
  modules or disable other countermeasure traps. Finally, if all 
  three countermeasure traps are set off, the room goes dark 
  and the sequestering subroutine can’t be fully activated until 
  a PC succeeds at a DC 30 Engineering check to repair much of 
  the fried electronics (which takes 1d3 hours).
  If the heroes manage to gain root access to these computer 
  systems, they can stop Eltreth from activating any of the 
  countermeasure traps.
  ELECTRIC COUNTERMEASURE TRAPS (3) 
  CR 7
  XP 3,200 each
  Type technological; Perception DC 30; Disable Computers 
  DC 25 (disable countermeasure)
  Trigger special (see above); Reset none
  Effect shocking arc (4d12+4 E); Reflex DC 17 half; multiple 
  targets (all targets within 20-ft. radius) 
  Development: Once Malice, her spawn, and the Desperate 
  Hunger cultists are defeated and Eltreth has been imprisoned 
  again, a sense of calm settles over the room. If the PCs have 
  dealt with the other Devourer cultists in the facility, Osteth 
  manifests her holographic form on the dais and beckons them 
  to her. Continue with Osteth Restored below, as she informs 
  the PCs that their work is not yet finished. 
  Story Award: If the PCs sequester Eltreth again and free 
  Osteth, award them 6,400 XP.
  OSTETH RESTORED
  When the entire control center has been secured, 
  Osteth gives the PCs her gratitude. Read or paraphrase 
  the following.
  “Thank you, travelers. With Eltreth returned to his 
  containment, the Gate of Twelve Suns is one step closer 
  to being safe from the predations of those marauders. 
  Now that I have access to the gate’s full sensor suite, I can 
  detect that some of them are still within the system. They 
  are within the core facility of Gate 2’s controller moon, an 
  underground facility where my colleagues could adjust 
  the gravitational pulses emanating from the planetoid’s 
  center when necessary. Since my inception as an artificial 
  intelligence, physical presences have been unnecessary in 
  those facilities, with the exception of standard maintenance 
  bots, of course.” 
  Osteth’s form flickers for a moment. “It seems as though 
  the marauders have briefly commandeered some of those 
  robots to help them in their quest. I am completely locked out 
  of those bots’ programming, and it is only a matter of time 
  before our enemies retrieve an intact control board required 
  to repair the controls that open the Stellar Degenerator’s 
  demiplane. You must stop them!”
  Osteth answers any questions she can that the PCs ask 
  about the Gate of Twelve Suns, the Stellar Degenerator, 
  and the core facility on Gate 2’s controller moon. She is 
  able to provide them with a map of the core facility (see 
  page 26) and informs them that, in addition to its standard 
  function, the underground structure was occasionally 
  used by kishalee scientists to examine the effects the 
  megastructure’s gravitational pulses had on living creatures, 
  sometimes experimenting on test subjects transported from 
  this controller moon’s various biomes. In addition, Osteth 
  informs the PCs that she registers nine organic life forms in 
  the facility as well as a few anomalous energy signals that 
  she finds confusing. If asked whether she believes they are 
  more creatures like Malice the oblivion shade and her spawn, 
  Osteth quietly agrees but doesn’t sound very convinced.
  Before the PCs leave for Gate 2, Osteth has one final thing 
  to say to them.
  “My new friends, with much time over the past few days 
  in my confinement to think, I have come to a difficult 
  conclusion. The Stellar Degenerator must be destroyed. Even 
  if this Cult of the Devourer were defeated this day, there is 
  no guarantee the location of the Gate of Twelve Suns will 
  stay hidden. The sivv superweapon cannot be trusted with 
  any people, no matter how peaceful and well intentioned 
  they might be.” She grows somber for a moment. “Though 
  the events happened before I was born, I heard tales of 
  when the kishalee used the Degenerator to ‘pacify’ a terrible 
  enemy that threatened us with obliteration, and the results 
  convinced my people to hide the weapon away.” 
  Osteth’s image disappears, and the entire room is filled 
  with a holographic display of an unknown solar system. Her 
  WAITING THEM OUT
  The players might wait for Null-9 to retrieve the control 
  board and ambush her on her return. This means the PCs 
  would have to fight Null-9, Zaz, Deldreg the Butcher, and 
  all the rest simultaneously, which would be very difficult. 
  Alternatively, the PCs might think to attack her shuttle 
  as it leaves orbit from Gate 2’s controller moon. In either 
  case, you should prompt the PCs to be more proactive, 
  using Osteth as your mouthpiece. If they are still reluctant 
  to head to Gate 2’s core facility, have Osteth contact the 
  PCs with dire news: the marauders of the Desperate 
  Hunger have discovered a way to open the demiplane 
  from their current location. If the heroes don’t rush to 
  Gate 2 to stop them, the Devourer cultists will soon have 
  access to the Stellar Degenerator! You can then run the 
  encounters of area D largely as written.
  
  26
  1 square = 10 feet
  D. CORE FACILITY
  d5
  d1
  d8
  d10
  d11
  d3
  d1
  d7
  d9
  d6
  d4
  d3
  d4
  d3
  d2
  
  27
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  voice continues. “Some were killed instantly, caught in the 
  energy transference beam when the Stellar Degenerator 
  turned their sun into a black dwarf.” The hologram shows 
  a ray of light streaking in from outside of the system and 
  hitting the sun. This tether pulses with energy, tearing apart 
  starships and even moons in its general vicinity. “Those 
  were the lucky ones. Within a week, temperatures across 
  the system dropped to below freezing, and with no sun to 
  sustain it, plant life began to die shortly thereafter.” The 
  sun at the center of system shrinks and grows dark. Digital 
  displays appear near each of the system’s ten planets, 
  showing the decrease in temperature and light levels. 
  “Hundreds of millions eventually starved to death or were 
  killed in skirmishes over food.” Another numerical display 
  shows a rising death count. “The mass of the black dwarf 
  wasn’t enough to keep its planets in orbit, and eventually, 
  they started to drift outward, spinning erratically into the 
  inky depths.” In the hologram, the orbits of the system’s 
  frozen planets wobble, and the farthest world disappears 
  off the map. “A terrible way for a people to go extinct.”
  The lights in the chamber return to normal as Osteth 
  reappears on her dais. “So you can see why the Stellar 
  Degenerator must be destroyed. But to do so, we must first 
  open the gate.”
  Osteth reiterates that the remainder of the Devourer 
  cultists must be stopped, but she also says that the PCs 
  should retrieve the control board those cultists are seeking. 
  With the missing piece of equipment, Osteth can activate the 
  Gate of Twelve Suns and release the Stellar Degenerator so 
  that it can be destroyed once and for all.
  PART 3:  
  LAST GASPS
  The PCs’ trip back to their starship is uneventful: the 
  surrounding jungle seems to have gone quiet, as if the 
  planet were holding its breath in anticipation. Entering 
  orbit takes 1d2 hours, and traveling from the controller 
  moon orbiting Gate 1 to the controller moon orbiting 
  Gate 2 takes 1d8 hours. This is far less time than it would 
  normally take to travel between two planets in the same 
  system due to the constructed nature of the system  
  and the gravitational anomalies that result from its  
  strange composition. 
  Remember that at the end of each hour of travel between 
  the gates, a PC must succeed at a DC 25 Piloting check or the 
  PCs’ starship takes 4d8 damage to its hull, ignoring shields. 
  See Navigating the Gates on page 10 for more information 
  about these checks. Once in orbit around Gate 2’s controller 
  moon, the PCs can scan that planetoid’s surface.
  GATE 2
  While Gate 1’s controller moon was designed to support many 
  forms of life, the other controller moons were left as stark 
  and utilitarian hunks of rock with no atmospheres. Like the 
  other controller moons, the one orbiting Gate 2 is essentially 
  a container for a cosmic string that produces the gravitational 
  waves that make navigating the system so tricky (but also 
  keeps the system from tearing itself apart).
  The PCs can make detailed scans of the planetoid as they 
  orbit it, revealing the following information if a PC succeeds 
  at a DC 15 Computers check. The planetoid has no atmosphere 
  and shows no signs of life. There are no obvious kishalee-made 
  buildings like those on Gate 1’s controller moon, but there is 
  a metal hatch—large enough for a Medium or smaller starship 
  to fly through—in the planet’s surface near the equator, similar 
  to where the control center on Gate 1’s controller moon was 
  located. Further scans reveal an underground complex (with 
  a breathable atmosphere and full gravity) located deep within 
  the planet.
  The hatch begins to open as soon as the PCs fly their vessel 
  toward it, revealing a tunnel illuminated by strips of lights. It 
  takes 1d2 hours to fly into the hatch and through the tunnel 
  to a spot where it branches off into three sets of hangar bay 
  doors. A red light glows above the center door, while green 
  lights shine above the other two doors. As the PCs can bring 
  their vessel near either the eastern or western set of doors, 
  they open to reveal an empty hangar. The central doors 
  remain closed if approached, the red light above flashing if 
  the PCs’ starship gets too close.
  This middle hangar is occupied by the Desperate Hunger’s 
  shuttle, piloted here by Null-9 and the rest of her crew in their 
  search to find a working control board. The safety precautions 
  of the core facility don’t allow the doors of an occupied hangar 
  bay to open automatically, for obvious reasons. 
  If the PCs have a Large or larger starship, they will be 
  unable to fly it into the tunnel leading to the hangar bays. 
  However, they can land a Large starship on the planetoid’s 
  surface and move through the tunnel on foot. PCs with 
  larger starships will have to think of their own way to get to 
  the planetoid’s surface. The controller moon has low gravity 
  (except for within the core facility) and it takes 2d4+4 hours 
  to reach the hangar bays (unless the PCs have a faster way 
  of moving than their normal land speeds, such as a magical 
  flight speed of 60 feet or more). The PCs can open either of 
  the two empty hangar bays from the outside as described 
  in area D1.
  OTHER GATES
  It is conceivable that an unbroken control board can be found 
  in any of the core facilities found on the other controller 
  moons. Exploring these areas is beyond the scope of this 
  adventure, but you can use the map of area D on page 26 
  as the map for the any of these facilities. The PCs will have 
  to activate the facility’s gravity, lighting, and oxygen for 
  
  28
  themselves, and they might have to fight off malfunctioning 
  robots or unquiet dead at your discretion. If the PCs retrieve 
  a control board from another facility, they will likely have 
  to face off against the entirety of Null-9’s remaining cultists 
  in one large confrontation in the control center or during 
  another starship combat and boarding encounter.
  D. CORE FACILITY
  The core facility on Gate 2’s controller moon is far under 
  the planetoid’s surface and allowed the kishalee custodians 
  access to part of the bore that runs through the world. A pair 
  of kishalee would travel to each core facility once a month 
  to physically check over the computer systems. Of course, 
  any emergencies would require additional visits. During the 
  final years of the Gate of Twelve Suns being staffed by living 
  beings, a few kishalee scientists used this core facility to 
  conduct some of their own research, especially on how the 
  system’s gravity affects living things. Though the structure 
  has no quarters for sleeping, these dedicated researchers 
  would sometimes nap within the laboratory or a hangar bay.
  The gravity, lighting, and oxygen were usually shut off in 
  a core facility when not in use. Since the kishalee artificial 
  intelligences were established millennia ago, no one had 
  set foot in the core facilities until Null-9 and the Desperate 
  Hunger arrived. The degenerator Zaz was able to get all of 
  the systems online in short order and began working on 
  establishing control of the local maintenance bots. When the 
  PCs land their starship in one of the unoccupied hangars, Null-
  9 is very close to achieving her goal, with a few robots sent 
  into the bore to retrieve a control board not being used by the 
  technomagical machinery that keeps the cosmic string in the 
  center of the planetoid contained.
  By now, Null-9 has received the Jangly Man’s final 
  transmission and is aware that she could face the PCs at any 
  moment. She has ordered a number of her cultists to defend 
  the hallway between the core access (area D11) and her 
  shuttle, hoping that when she finally gets her hands on the 
  control board, she can make a quick exit.
  Unless stated otherwise, the areas of the Gate 2 core 
  facility have the following traits. 
  Computers: The computers in the core facility run on 
  the same programming as those found in the control 
  center. By now, the PCs should have cracked the alien 
  logic behind the kishalee coding (see page 15), but if they 
  haven’t (or don’t understand Kishaleen), the DCs to hack any 
  computers in this facility are increased by 10. 
  Doors: The doors within the control center are unlocked. 
  They are opened by applying pressure to a triangular central 
  panel at the center of the door. When opened, the doors slide 
  to one side. They then stay open for 1 minute before closing 
  automatically. Jamming the doors open or closed requires a 
  successful DC 17 Engineering check, or this can be done via 
  hacking (see Computers below). The doors are constructed of 
  a reinforced variety of plastic and are about 2 inches thick 
  (hardness 8, HP 50, break DC 20).
  Lighting: Banks of harsh lighting attached to the ceiling 
  illuminate most areas. The light here is white and brighter 
  than that in Gate 1’s control center. 
  If the PCs gain root access to the core facility’s computer 
  systems, they can alter the level of lighting in each room, 
  remotely open and close doors, and access ancient information 
  about the genetic experiments being performed here.
  Use the map on page 26 for the following areas.
  d1. empty hangar bayS
  The two areas marked D1 on the map are functionally identical.
  A few particles of dust swirl within this cavernous hangar 
  bay. Its walls are made of a smooth, unknown metal without 
  a trace of rivets or seams. A set of ship-sized doors stands 
  opposite a smaller pair of convex doors.
  While area D2 currently houses the cultists’ shuttle, both 
  of these hangars are unused. The large hangar bay doors do 
  not close until a starship makes a full landing on the floor. At 
  that point, the bay repressurizes and fills with a breathable 
  atmosphere, which takes approximately 15 minutes. The 
  hangar bay doors open again only once the vessel inside takes 
  off and internal sensors are sure no living creatures remain 
  within the bay. 
  A smaller airlock built within the hangar bay doors can 
  fit four Medium creatures or one Large creature. The airlock 
  can be opened by anyone with the correct security clearance 
  badge, but since those have been lost alongside kishalee 
  civilization, a PC must succeed at a DC 28 Engineering check 
  to access the airlock from either side. Once the PC is inside, 
  the airlock can be cycled without a check.
  When the PCs enter one of the two hangar bays (either in a 
  starship or by foot), the facility’s computers alert the Devourer 
  cultists. They prepare for the PCs’ arrival (see areas D4 and D5).
  DISRUPTION 
  GRENADE
  
  29
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  d2. ShuttLe hangar (Cr 9)
  The hanger bay where the Desperate Hunger’s shuttle is 
  docked is identical to the other two hangar bays. A small 
  ramp leading into the vessel’s interior was left lowered in case 
  Null-9 and the rest of her crew want to leave in a hurry. 
  Creatures: A pair of oblivion shade spawn and two 
  maintenance bots modified by the degenerators have been 
  left here to guard over the ship. The two bots flank the ship’s 
  ramp, while the oblivion shade spawn stay hidden within the 
  shuttle until a fight starts.  
  OBLIVION SHADE SPAWN (2) 
  CR 5
  XP 1,600 each
  HP 65 each (see page 58)
  TACTICS
  During Combat The oblivion shade spawn attempt to stay 
  hidden within the hull of the shuttle until the bots 
  commence with their attack, at which point they attempt 
  to flank the PCs, focusing their attacks on spellcasters 
  if possible. 
  Morale If at least one bot has been destroyed and the 
  oblivion shade spawn have both been wounded, one of 
  the spawn attempts to flee the hangar by flying down the 
  lift shaft, warning any other cultists it finds on its way to 
  Null-9 in area D11. The other spawn stays behind to stop 
  the PCs from giving chase and fights to the death.
  MODIFIED MAINTENANCE BOTS (2) 
  CR 6
  XP 2,400 each
  HP 80 each (see page 21)
  TACTICS
  During Combat The bots have been programmed to attack 
  any creature that is not a member of the Desperate 
  Hunger sect.  
  Morale With no contingencies for self-preservation, the bots 
  fight until destroyed.
  Development: If statistics for the shuttle are needed, use 
  those for a Ringworks Wanderer (Starfinder Core Rulebook 310). 
  However, Zaz has installed several security measures on the 
  vessel to prevent anyone from flying off with it. Only Xix, Zaz, 
  and Null-9 can access the ship’s systems, thanks to a series of 
  biometric locks. Due to several anti-hacking systems and some 
  of the ysoki’s own personal touches, the DC of the Computers 
  check to bypass these locks is 35. In addition, anyone who 
  fails a Computers check to bypass these locks activates a 
  countermeasure that electrocutes her, dealing 8d6 electricity 
  damage (Reflex DC 20 half). If activated, the countermeasure 
  also fries part of the internal circuitry, imposing a –4 penalty 
  on further Computers checks to hack into the systems; if the 
  ship takes off in this state, its sensors start with the glitching 
  critical damage condition. This critical damage condition can be 
  repaired as normal (with 10 minutes of work and a successful 
  DC 15 Engineering check).
  d3. hover LiftS
  Approaching the convex doors at one end of a hangar bay 
  causes them to open automatically, revealing a 30-foot-
  diameter elevator car. Each of these hover lifts has simple 
  controls on the inside: two blue lighted buttons aligned 
  vertically. Pressing the lower button while on the hangar bay 
  level causes the lift to glide downward about 200 feet; at 
  the bottom of the shaft, the doors open to the corresponding 
  area (either D4 or D5). Pressing the upper button while on 
  the hangar bay level causes the lift doors to open. While on 
  the lower level, pressing the upper button sends the lift up to 
  the hangar bay level and pressing the lower button opens the 
  doors. It takes 90 seconds for the lift to ascend or descend 
  from one level to the other. 
  After someone uses the lift, the car stays in its current 
  position until a Small or larger creature approaches the 
  doors on either level. If the PCs approach a doorway that is 
  not at the lift’s current level, the lift must climb or descend 
  to that level before the doors will open, taking the usual 
  amount of time to do so. 
  d4. WeLComing party (Cr 9)
  Although there are two areas marked D4 on the map, the 
  encounter with the Desperate Hunger cultists occurs only on 
  the same side of the facility where the PCs have docked their 
  starship. The two areas marked D4 are identical mirrors of 
  one another.
  Smooth, gray walls and bright lighting accentuate the lack 
  of corners in this entryway with a thirty-foot-high ceiling. 
  The chamber opens onto a larger area just opposite a set of 
  convex elevator doors. 
  This chamber, like all of those of the core facility level, was 
  carved into the solid rock of the planet and reinforced with 
  sheets of a nearly indestructible kishalee alloy. As the facility 
  hasn’t been occupied in millennia, the lack of atmosphere has 
  helped preserve the paint on the walls and the integrity of the 
  lighting. It gives the impression that the facility was built only 
  a few decades ago instead of thousands of years. The only tip-
  off to the facility’s age is the stale taste of the air.
  Creatures: Two Desperate Hunger cultists stand their 
  ground against the PCs as the oblivion shade spawn warns 
  the rear guard in area D5 of intruders. 
  OBLIVION SHADE SPAWN 
  CR 5
  XP 1,600
  HP 65 (see page 9)
  TACTICS
  During Combat The spawn slips away to warn the cultists in 
  area D5, joining the fight there. 
  Morale If the spawn is reduced to fewer than 20 Hit Points 
  during the battle in area D5, it attempts to flee to warn 
  Null-9 in area D11.  
  
  30
  DESPERATE HUNGER CULTISTS (2) 
  CR 7
  XP 3,200 each
  HP 105 each (see page 15)
  TACTICS
  Before Combat The cultists ready actions to shoot the PCs as 
  soon as the elevator doors open.
  During Combat The cultists attack the PCs with an 
  unstoppable fervor.  
  Morale The cultists fight to the death.
  d5. rear guard (Cr 10)
  The ceiling arches up to about fifty feet here, and at its apex 
  hangs a glowing crystalline pyramid that sheds bright light 
  on the room below. An array of upended tables and sturdy 
  crates forms a makeshift barricade, blocking off much of the 
  northern portion of the area, including a pair of shiny convex 
  doors. Wide passages lead east and west, and a wide set of 
  stairs leads down to the south. A declining ramp is separated 
  from the stairs by a low metal partition.
  This area has the same smooth, gray walls as those in areas 
  D4, and the dramatic lighting fixture gives the impression 
  that this is meant to be a grand entryway.
  Creatures: Two berserkers (cultists of the Devourer who 
  specialize in murder and mayhem, even more so than a 
  standard member of the faithful) from the Desperate Hunger 
  sect are stationed here to protect the entrance to the hangar 
  bay containing their shuttle. They have looted kishalee 
  grenades from the armory here and are eager to try them 
  out. Unlike the cultists the PCs have encountered earlier, the 
  berserkers’ proximity to Deldreg the Butcher motivates them 
  to a higher sense of discipline. They use the barricade for 
  partial cover and remain in their relatively secure positions 
  until the situation changes, even when the sounds of combat 
  from area D4 ring out.
  DESPERATE HUNGER BERSERKERS (2) 
  CR 8
  XP 4,800 each
  Human operative
  CE Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +8; Perception +17
  DEFENSE 
  HP 115 EACH
  EAC 20; KAC 21
  Fort +7; Ref +10; Will +11
  Defensive Abilities evasion, uncanny agility
  OFFENSE
  Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
  Melee tactical knife +17 (2d4+12 S) 
  Ranged liquidator disintegrator pistol +17 (1d10+8 A) or
  disruption grenade +17 (explode [20 ft., 2d10 So plus 
  staggered, DC 18])
  Offensive Abilities debilitating trick, trick attack +4d8, 
  triple attack
  TACTICS
  During Combat In the first round, the berserkers throw their 
  newly found disruption grenades. While their barricade 
  remains, they keep behind cover and attempt a trick 
  attack every round with their pistols. Once the PCs breach 
  the barrier, the berserkers start moving in and around 
  the heroes, relying on the Mobility feat and the uncanny 
  shooter operative exploit to avoid attacks of opportunity. 
  They call over to Deldreg to be ready for a possible assault 
  if the invaders seem to be winning.
  Morale If one of the berserkers falls, the other attempts to 
  make a break for area D6 to support Deldreg’s position.
  STATISTICS
  Str +4; Dex +6; Con +2; Int +0; Wis +1; Cha +0
  Skills Acrobatics +22, Athletics +22, Intimidate +22, 
  Piloting +17, Stealth +17, Survival +17
  Feats Mobility
  Languages Common
  Other Abilities operative exploits (uncanny shooter), 
  specialization (daredevil)
  Gear advanced lashunta tempweave (black force field 
  [10 HP]), disruption grenade (see page 39), liquidator 
  disintegrator pistol (Starfinder Adventure Path #2: Temple 
  of the Twelve 52) with 2 batteries (20 charges each), 
  tactical knife
  d6. JunCtion (Cr 9)
  This is a wide junction at the bottom of the stairs descending 
  from the north. Hallways lead off to the east and west, while a 
  large gray double door leads to the south. Sections of the floor 
  have long gouges in them.
  Shortly after arriving, the members of the Desperate 
  Hunger used their weapons to damage the floor here out of 
  boredom. When she saw this, Null-9 quickly gave them tasks 
  to keep them occupied.
  Creature: A berserker without equal, Deldreg the Butcher 
  commands the awe and respect of many of the other cultists. 
  Even outside of his ever-present suit of powered armor, the 
  dwarf is as tough as nails and incredibly ruthless. He kills 
  with a grim determination, drinks with gusto, and never backs 
  down from a fight. However, he isn’t stupid or tempestuous. 
  He was given orders by Null-9 to hold this position, and 
  does so even if he hears sounds of a fight in adjacent areas 
  (especially area D5).
  When the PCs first catch sight of Deldreg (likely when they 
  are coming down the stairs), read or paraphrase the following.
  Encased within a suit of battered powered armor, a scarred 
  and gnarled dwarf stands in the center of the junction. He 
  grinds his teeth on a frayed cigar, and bits of tobacco roll 
  down his unkempt beard. An advanced X-gen gun is mounted 
  on his shoulder, ready to unload a spray of death.
  
  31
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  “You ready to dance?” The dwarf’s voice grumbles, a hint 
  of dark humor dripping from the question. “Ain’t seen nothing 
  but hunks of metal, weird plants, and people made of light 
  since we came to this system, and I’ve been just aching for 
  a dance.”
  No matter how the PCs answer him, Deldreg blasts away 
  with his shoulder-mounted heavy weapon.
  DELDREG THE BUTCHER 
  CR 9
  XP 6,400
  Male dwarf soldier
  CE Medium humanoid (dwarf)
  Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +17
  DEFENSE 
  HP 145
  EAC 22; KAC 25
  Fort +11; Ref +9; Will +10; + 2 vs. poison, spells, and 
  spell-like abilities
  Defensive Abilities slow but steady; Resistances cold 5
  OFFENSE
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee unarmed strike +21 (2d8+20 B) 
  Ranged advanced X-gen gun +18 (2d12+9 P)
  Offensive Abilities fighting styles (armor storm, blitz), 
  traditional enemies
  TACTICS
  During Combat The dwarf takes full advantage of his 
  powered armor, typically clearing a path with automatic 
  fire from his X-gen gun before entering into melee, 
  throwing powerful punches at any target he can reach.
  Morale If reduced to 40 or fewer Hit Points, he retreats 
  to Null-9’s side in area D11 and aids her in escaping to 
  the shuttle if needed. 
  STATISTICS
  Str +6; Dex +1; Con +4; Int +1; Wis +3; Cha –1
  Skills Acrobatics +17, Athletics +22, Intimidate +17
  Languages Common, Dwarven
  Other Abilities stonecunning
  Gear battle harness (mk 1 thermal capacitor), 
  advanced X-gen gun with 100 heavy rounds, 
  credstick (4,000 credits). 
  d7. robot Storage (Cr 11)
  This spacious chamber contains three tall racks holding 
  various powered-down robots. Located in a central position, 
  a freestanding control panel blinks serenely. A wide corridor 
  leads out to the east.
  The kishalee custodians would use the 
  central control panel to activate replacement 
  maintenance bots stored here. The maintenance 
  bots rarely got damaged beyond repair, so these 
  substitutes weren’t used very often. This room saw 
  even less use when the artificial intelligences Osteth and 
  Eltreth took control of the megastructure. 
  Creatures: When the ysoki degenerator Zaz saw this room, 
  his eyes lit up. Null-9 has been unable to budge him from this 
  spot since then, and she left a pair of cultists to watch over 
  him while she continued the search for the control board.
  Zaz has spent his time here attempting to activate the 
  replacement robots in the hope that their programming won’t 
  contain the autonomy-granting subroutines Osteth put in 
  place in the other robots. Though he and his sister (mostly 
  his sister) have been successful in modifying a handful of 
  these bots, Zaz wants to create a larger army in case the 
  uncorrupted AI regains control. The ysoki knows his fiddling 
  is ultimately unnecessary: when Null-9 retrieves the needed 
  control board, they will return to Gate 1’s control center to 
  release the ultimate doomsday weapon and wreak havoc 
  upon the galaxy. Until that time, though, Zaz is happy to 
  tinker away.
  When Zaz and the cultists hear the sounds of battle 
  from area D6, they do not rush to aid the dwarf Deldreg. 
  DELDREG  
  THE BUTCHER
  
  32
  Zaz continues to tap away at the console, even though he has 
  no chance of succeeding, and the cultists take up positions 
  flanking the entryway, looking to ambush any PCs who enter 
  the room.
  DESPERATE HUNGER CULTISTS (2) 
  CR 7
  XP 3,200 each
  HP 105 each (see page 15)
  TACTICS
  During Combat The cultists engage the PCs in melee combat 
  to protect their degenerator. Unless ordered otherwise, 
  they stay by Zaz’s side.
  Morale The cultists fight to the death.
  ZAZ 
  CR 9
  XP 4,800
  Male ysoki mechanic
  CE Small humanoid (ysoki)
  Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +17
  DEFENSE 
  HP 135
  EAC 22; KAC 23
  Fort +10; Ref +10; Will +10
  Resistances fire 5
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (jetpack, average)
  Melee incapacitator +17 (3d4+11 B; critical staggered [DC 18])
  Ranged minor disruption pistol +19 (2d6+9 So; critical 
  staggered [DC 18])
  Offensive Abilities overload (DC 18), target tracking, 
  twin tracking
  TACTICS
  During Combat While Zaz would prefer to avoid combat, he 
  does not hesitate to fire his pistol at any creatures who 
  threaten him. He avoids melee combat whenever possible.
  Morale If reduced to fewer than 50 Hit Points, Zaz attempts 
  to flee to Null-9 in area D11, ordering the cultists to cover 
  his escape. If cornered or captured, he promises to take 
  the PCs to his leader, but turns on the PCs as soon as he is 
  in Null-9’s company.
  STATISTICS
  Str +2; Dex +4; Con +2; Int +6; Wis +1; Cha +3
  Skills Acrobatics +17, Computers +17, Engineering +22, 
  Intimidate +22, Sense Motive +17, Sleight of Hand +22, 
  Stealth +22, Survival +17
  Languages Common, Ysoki
  Other Abilities artificial intelligence (exocortex), cheek pouches, 
  expert rig (datapad), mechanic tricks (energy shield [15 HP, 
  9 minutes], resistant energy), miracle worker 1/day, moxie, 
  remote hack (DC 18), wireless hack
  Gear d-suit III (filtered rebreather, jetpack), minor disruption 
  pistol with 2 kishalee batteries (see page 40; 20 charges 
  each), incapacitator with 1 battery (20 charges), datapad, 
  credstick (5,000 credits)
  d8. unfortunate priSon (Cr 12)
  Although it has the same triangular touch pad as other 
  doors, the door to this chamber doesn’t open when the pad is 
  touched. In fact, it blinks red instead. A PC who succeeds at 
  a DC 25 Engineering check can remove the touch pad’s cover 
  and rewire it to get the door to open.
  This circular chamber has stark white walls that are occasionally 
  broken up by rectangular outlines near the floor and a few feet 
  off the ground. The overhead lighting buzzes incessantly.
   This chamber served as a single-person lavatory for the 
  kishalee custodians who worked here, with the sink, toilet, 
  and other sanitary devices emerging from the walls at a 
  touch. The door can be opened from the outside only when 
  the lavatory is unoccupied. The Desperate Hunger cultists 
  didn’t bother with this room when they couldn’t immediately 
  open the door.
  Creature: When the living kishalee left the Gate of 
  Twelve Suns, an unfortunate custodian named Abneth 
  got locked inside the lavatory. His cries for help went 
  unheard even by the artificial intelligences due to a blind 
  spot in the facility’s security apparatuses. Abneth died 
  alone and terrified; soon after he rose as a marooned one, 
  a particularly forlorn type of undead creature. 
  ZAZ
  
  33
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  The undead Abneth slipped into a kind of torpor over the 
  past millennia, still unable to free himself from his prison. 
  If the PCs make any amount of noise at the lavatory door 
  (such as by opening the touch pad), Abneth rouses from his 
  slumber and begins banging on the door.
  When the PCs open up the lavatory, Abneth lunges out and 
  attacks the first living creature in his way. Abneth appears 
  as a gaunt, desiccated kishalee wearing a clean set of white 
  robes that have faded to gray with time.
  ABNETH 
  CR 12
  XP 25,600
  Male kishalee marooned one (Starfinder Alien Archive 76)
  NE Medium undead
  Init +5; Senses blindsight (life) 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; 
  Perception +27
  DEFENSE 
  HP 185
  EAC 26; KAC 27
  Fort +17; Ref +11; Will +17
  Immunities undead immunities
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee ultrathin dagger +23 (4d4+20 S) 
  Offensive Abilities strangle (DC 21, 2d12+20 B, 1d4 
  Con damage)
  TACTICS
  During Combat Abneth is a straightforward combatant. 
  He attempts to strangle those he can successfully 
  grapple, falling back on his dagger if he can’t pull off the 
  combat maneuver. 
  Morale After being locked up for thousands of years, the 
  only thing Abneth desires is to kill until he is destroyed 
  or freed.
  STATISTICS
  Str +8; Dex +5; Con —; Int +4; Wis +0; Cha +0
  Skills Computers +27, Engineering +27, Life Science +22, 
  Medicine +22, Physical Science +27, Stealth +27
  Languages Kishaleen
  Other Abilities sabotage life support, unliving
  Gear kishalee holoarmor II (functions as squad hardlight 
  series), ultrathin dagger 
  d9. Strange menagerie (Cr 12)
  Looking in on this room from the hallway, the PCs can see that 
  it is dark except for a small red light blinking on a standby 
  control panel on the far wall. As soon as a PC crosses the 
  threshold of the doorway, a motion sensor in the ceiling 
  activates the lights.
  Two clear surfaces covered in alien writing hang on the walls 
  near the only door leading out of this chamber. A computer 
  terminal stands on the opposite end of the room. The main 
  features of the room are two opaque cylindrical fields of 
  energy near the walls, each about ten feet in diameter.
  When the Gate of Twelve Suns was staffed with living 
  beings, a handful of kishalee custodians took on their own 
  projects during their tours in the megastructure. Laboratories 
  like this one exist on many of the controller moons; this 
  one was dedicated to examining the effects of the system’s 
  gravitational anomalies on other creatures. 
  A PC who examines the terminal and succeeds at a DC 20 
  Computers check determines that the cylinders of energy 
  are acting as stasis fields for two living creatures. If the 
  result exceeds the DC by 5 or more, the PC can also detect 
  that the creatures are Large monstrous humanoids with 
  bladelike arms. A PC who can understand Kishaleen can 
  read the writing on the glass-like surfaces near the exit; they 
  are filled with notes and formulae. A PC who succeeds at a 
  DC 25 Life Science or Physical Science check can tell that the 
  writing references both gravitational equations and biological 
  processes. The notes are unfinished, though.
  Creatures: The scientists’ last experiments were on a pair 
  of creatures transported from the mountainous regions of 
  Gate 1’s controller moon. Known as psitheers, these insectile 
  humanoids have a hive-mind intelligence that aid them as 
  they stalk their prey. Their arms end in vicious bladelike 
  appendages that can cause terrible bleeding. The kishalee 
  scientists wished to know the effects of high gravity on 
  their exoskeletons but never completed their work, and, 
  unthinking, left the two creatures in permanent stasis when 
  they abandoned the system. Since the energy fields draw 
  very little power, Osteth and Eltreth saw no need to shut 
  them down.
  During the Desperate Hunger’s sweep of the facility, Zaz 
  couldn’t resist tampering with the stasis fields. He quickly 
  reprogrammed the terminal so that the next person to 
  access it causes the stasis fields to immediately shut down. 
  Once released, the psitheers attack all creatures in the 
  room, confused and disoriented as to where they are and 
  still in pain from the kishalee experiments performed on 
  them long ago. 
  PSITHEERS (2) 
  CR 10
  XP 9,600 each
  Variant Swarm thresher lord (Starfinder Alien Archive 110)
  CE Large monstrous humanoid
  Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., blindsense (vibration) 
  30 ft.; Perception +19
  DEFENSE 
  HP 165 EACH
  EAC 23; KAC 25
  Fort +14; Ref +14; Will +11
  Defensive Abilities hive-mind intelligence; Immunities acid, 
  fear effects
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 20 ft. (Ex, average)
  Melee arm blade +23 (2d10+18 S; critical bleed 1d8)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Offensive Abilities blade storm
  
  34
  TACTICS
  During Combat A psitheer slashes at the PCs nearest to it, 
  using its blade storm ability to make three attacks as a 
  full attack action whenever it can. It continues to fight in 
  this way even if the attacks don’t land with any regularity. 
  Morale The crazed creatures fight until they are destroyed. 
  STATISTICS
  Str +8; Dex +5; Con +3; Int –5; Wis +1; Cha –3
  Skills Acrobatics +19, Athletics +19 (+27 to climb), 
  Stealth +24
  Languages none
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Hive-Mind Intelligence (Ex) Psitheers are bound 
  together into a singular hive mind by a blend of exuded 
  pheromones, imperceptible movements of antennae and 
  limbs, electrostatic fields, and telepathic communication. 
  All psitheers within 30 feet of each other are in constant 
  communication; if one is aware of a threat, all are. (Such 
  awareness can spread along a “chain” of psitheers under 
  appropriate circumstances, potentially alerting distant 
  psitheers.) In addition, once per round when within 
  30 feet of another psitheer, a psitheer can roll twice 
  and take the better result on a saving throw against a 
  mind-affecting effect.
  Treasure: Within a hidden compartment beneath the 
  computer terminal (Perception DC 28) there is a minor 
  disruption rifle (see page 39) and a high-capacity kishalee 
  battery (see page 40). 
  d10. anCient armory
  The eastern and western walls of this long room are lined 
  with empty weapon racks, while the outlines of suits of 
  armor can been seen inside of broken display cases along 
  the northern and southern walls. The drawers of the two 
  workbenches in the center of the chamber have been pulled 
  out and their contents—empty cans of oil, tiny screws, and 
  other bits of rusty metal—are scattered across the floor. A 
  small compartment in the eastern wall hangs open, and a 
  door exits to the west.
  Despite the fact that the kishalee weren’t at war with 
  anyone when they built the Gate of Twelve Suns, they still 
  kept the facilities stocked with armor and weapons just in 
  case the megastructure was ever invaded by hostile forces. 
  The kishalee custodians cleared out most of the armaments 
  stored in this armory and weapons workshop when they 
  left. The Desperate Hunger cultists plundered this room 
  when they discovered it, finding a few weapons forgotten 
  by the kishalee.
  Treasure: Though the cultists discovered one of the room’s 
  hidden compartments, there are five others spaced around the 
  room. Each compartment can be discovered with a successful 
  DC 32 Perception check. The first compartment contains five 
  high-capacity kishalee batteries. The second holds a cluster 
  of three temporal disruption grenades. The third contains five 
  disruption grenades, the fourth contains a minor disruption 
  pistol, and the fifth contains a major disruption pistol. These 
  items are described on pages 38–41. 
  d11. Core aCCeSS (Cr 12+)
  This room buzzes with activity. Three control panels stand at 
  the far end of the room opposite a double door to the north. 
  The panels flash with multicolored lights and occasionally 
  beep. The southern wall contains a large window, with some 
  KISHALEE CONTROL BOARD
  At first glance, a kishalee control board seems nothing 
  more than a sheet of dull gray metal and ceramic about 
  3 feet long and 1 foot wide. A closer examination of the 
  board reveals that it is traced with unusual circuitry that 
  forms various triangular patterns. When a control board 
  is inserted into the proper machinery of one of the Gate 
  of Twelve Suns’ many controller moons, the firmware 
  in its circuitry works in concert with the firmware 
  in other control boards to regulate the gravitational 
  pulses produced by the structure’s twelve cosmic 
  strings. Though a control board must be wired to exact 
  specifications in order to function, any control board can 
  be used in any one of the twelve gates’ facilities, and a 
  single facility can still operate if a couple control boards 
  are missing. The exception is the main control center, 
  which must have a complete set of functioning control 
  boards installed to open the demiplane that contains 
  the Stellar Degenerator. A PC with a hacking kit and 
  computer of tier 4 or higher can access the firmware 
  of a control board with a successful DC 30 Computers 
  check. Most of what the PC finds are esoteric command 
  processes and technomagical subroutines that might 
  confuse even the most experienced of computer 
  engineers. A PC could reprogram a control board with 
  a successful DC 35 Computers check, perhaps hiding a 
  virus in it that will infect the next computer that tries to 
  access it!
  
  35
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  kind of shimmering containment field in place of glass. 
  The vast bore that pierces the heart of the planetoid can 
  be seen through the window. The walls of that massive 
  cylinder are veined with strange conduits and studded 
  with peculiar technology; countless maintenance robots, 
  many so far away as to seem like mere insects, crawl over 
  the various sections of the machinery, occasionally lit by a 
  random spark of electricity. Monitors line the walls inside 
  the room, showing close-ups of the robots working within 
  the bore. One video stream tracks the progress of four such 
  constructs, one of which is carrying a grayish rectangular 
  object; these robots seem to be flying at all possible speed 
  toward some point. 
  The gate’s kishalee custodians used this area to monitor 
  the progress of the continual maintenance of the machinery 
  that holds this planetoid’s cosmic string in place. A view of 
  any of the hundreds of maintenance robots can quickly be 
  brought up on one of the monitors with a few keystrokes. The 
  containment field in the southern window keeps the oxygen 
  from rushing into the vacuum of the planetoid’s bore, but 
  the maintenance bots (and other creatures) can easily pass 
  through it.
  Creatures: The android Null-9 paces between the control 
  panels and the containment field. Though her eyes are cold 
  and her movements regimented, she is almost trembling with 
  anticipation. When the PCs enter the room, she addresses 
  them with a flat voice that has a hint of metallic rattling.
  “You are too late, meddlers. The end is nigh. I will prevail. I 
  am the chosen of the Devourer, and you are just insects—
  insignificantly scrambling about ignorant of utter certainty.” 
  With that, she lowers her weapon and fires.
  Depending on how the encounters in other areas of the 
  facility played out, Null-9 might be accompanied by Zaz, 
  Deldreg, or both. Those two aid their leader as best they can, 
  with Zaz taking cover behind one of the control panels and 
  Deldreg rushing forward to punch PCs with his armored fist.
  It takes 3 rounds from the start of combat for the four 
  maintenance bots to reach this room, appearing just outside 
  the containment field. On the fourth round on its initiative 
  count, the maintenance bot with the control board moves 
  to Null-9 and hands her the item. Once the android has the 
  control board, her tactics change. 
  MODIFIED MAINTENANCE BOTS (4) 
  CR 6
  XP 2,400 each
  HP 80 each (see page 21)
  TACTICS
  During Combat After handing the retrieved control board 
  to Null-9, the bots begin firing their lasers at the PCs, 
  attempting to clear a path for Null-9.
  Morale The bots fight until they are destroyed.
  NULL-9 
  CR 10
  XP 9,600
  Female android envoy/soldier 
  CE Medium humanoid (android)
  Init +12; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; 
  Perception +19
  DEFENSE 
  HP 165
  EAC 23; KAC 26
  Fort +12; Ref +10; Will +11; + 2 vs. disease, mind-affecting 
  effects, poison, and sleep
  OFFENSE
  Speed 20 ft., fly 30 ft. (jetpack, average)
  Melee weapon spikes +19 (2d4+15 S) 
  Ranged minor disruption rifle +22 (3d8+10 So; critical 
  staggered [DC 17]) or
  temporal disruption grenade +22 (explode [20 ft., stunned 
  1 round, DC 17])
  Offensive Abilities fighting styles (sharpshoot), focus fire, 
  sniper’s aim
  TACTICS
  Before Combat Null-9 activates her armor’s force field.
  During Combat Null-9 takes cover near the containment field 
  and exchanges fire with the PCs until the maintenance 
  robots show up with the control board. She avoids melee 
  combat if she can, preferring to leave that to any allies in 
  the room. Once the bots show up, Null-9 orders them to 
  engage the PCs and throws a temporal disruption grenade 
  at the heroes, hoping to slow them down as she makes 
  her escape. 
  Morale If Null-9 gains the control board, is reduced to 40 or 
  fewer Hit Points, or thinks her mission is in danger, she 
  makes a strategic retreat to the shuttle. If it doesn’t seem 
  possible to make her way through the facility, Null-9 leaps 
  through the containment field and uses her jetpack to fly 
  to the planetoid’s surface, but if she is surrounded, the 
  android fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str +5; Dex +2; Con +2; Int +1; Wis +3; Cha +8
  Skills Acrobatics +19, Intimidate +24, Piloting +19, 
  Sense Motive +19
  Feats Quick Draw
  Languages Akitonian, Common
  Other Abilities constructed, envoy improvisations (not in the 
  face [DC 17], quick dispiriting taunt), flat affect, upgrade 
  slot (jetpack)
  Gear specialist defiance series (weapon spikes [tactical 
  knife; Starfinder Adventure Path #2: Temple of the 
  Twelve 53], white force field [15 HP]), minor disruption 
  rifle with kishalee battery (20 charges; see page 40), 
  temporal disruption grenades (3; see page 39), credstick 
  (10,000 credits)
  Development: If Null-9 makes her escape, this encounter 
  could become a running firefight through the corridors of the 
  
  36
  core facility (or perhaps up through the bore and onto the 
  planetoid’s surface).
  If the android makes it back to her shuttle, she rushes 
  inside and begins priming its thrusters, which takes 1 minute. 
  If Zaz is with her, she orders him to sabotage the lift, hopefully 
  buying them enough time to be able to take off and head back 
  to Gate 1’s control center. A PC can fix the elevator with a 
  successful DC 30 Engineering check that takes 1 minute 
  to attempt.
  It takes an additional 3 rounds for the hangar bay doors 
  to completely open, but only if there are no living creatures 
  inside of the hangar bay (and not in the shuttle). Zaz can 
  override this safety protocol, but if Null-9 is alone, she 
  turns the shuttle’s laser cannon on the doors; she must 
  shoot them three times over the course of 3 rounds to 
  blast them fully open. When either process starts, the 
  atmosphere starts to rush out of the hangar bay. Any 
  creature still in the hangar bay must succeed at a DC 35 
  Acrobatics or Athletics check saving throw each round 
  or get pulled 10d10 feet toward the opening doors. If a 
  living creature is forced out of the hangar bay doors, it 
  immediately takes 3d6 bludgeoning damage (no saving 
  throw) as it is buffeted against the walls and doors while 
  being sucked out; unless it has protections against being 
  in a vacuum, it then begins to suffocate and takes 1d6 
  bludgeoning damage each successive round (no saving 
  throw). Unprotected living creature still in the hangar bay 
  when the doors are completely open are also subject to this 
  suffocation (but not the damage from buffeting).
  If Null-9 escapes from the core facility, she flies her way 
  back to Gate 1’s control center. This could lead to another 
  starship combat; use the statistics for a Ringworks Wanderer 
  (Starfinder Core Rulebook 310) for the shuttle. Though the 
  PCs’ vessel likely outclasses the Desperate Hunger’s shuttle, 
  Null-9’s goal is to reach Gate 1’s controller moon, not to 
  destroy the PCs. That doesn’t mean she won’t take a couple of 
  potshots at the PCs if given the chance. She is much bolder in 
  her flying if she has at least one ally still with her. 
  After all this, there is a slim chance Null-9 reaches the 
  gate’s control center. She is surprised to learn that Osteth has 
  supplanted Eltreth and begins destroying computer terminals 
  with unbridled ferocity. If the PCs confront her at this point, 
  she blames them for her failure and fights to the death.
  OPENING THE GATE 
  Hopefully, the PCs have stopped Null-9 in one way or another 
  and retrieved a working control board for Osteth. If the 
  one control board is somehow broken or destroyed during 
  the fight with Null-9, the PCs can have the maintenance 
  bots fetch a new one from the core mechanisms of Gate 2’s 
  controller moon. This takes about an hour.
  Returning to Gate 1’s controller moon takes 1d8 hours. 
  Since the system’s gravitational forces are constantly in flux, 
  at the end of each hour, a PC must still succeed at a DC 25 
  Piloting check or the PCs’ starship takes 4d8 damage to its 
  hull, ignoring shields. See Navigating the Gates on page 10 
  for more information about these checks. However, landing 
  (which takes 1d2 additional hours but is not subject to the 
  dangers of the fluctuating gravity) and traveling back to the 
  control complex is uneventful.
  Osteth is pleased to see the PCs again and inquires as to 
  whether or not they were able to stop the Devourer cultists 
  and bring back an unbroken control board. By inserting 
  the control board into a slot she indicates under one of 
  the central operation’s terminals in area C8, the PCs have 
  repaired the computers that can open the way to the Stellar 
  Degenerator. Osteth repeats her insistence that destroying 
  the superweapon is necessary, but she doesn’t initiate the 
  process to access its demiplane until the PCs are ready and 
  the controller moons reach the innermost points of their 
  orbits (which happens once a day). The characters can take as 
  long as they want to rest up, heal, repair their starship, craft 
  items, or even explore the other gates’ controller moons as 
  they see fit, though the kishalee AI starts to grow impatient 
  after a few days.
  If the PCs talk to Osteth about how they might be able 
  to destroy the Stellar Degenerator, the AI admits that it will 
  take an act of devastating power. The Stellar Degenerator 
  was built as a weapon of war, after all, and can withstand 
  a lot of punishment. It will likely take more firepower than 
  the PCs’ starship can bring to bear. Osteth has an idea that 
  the Stellar Degenerator could be piloted into one of the 
  gate’s twelve suns, but someone would need to board the 
  superweapon (which likely has ancient security measures 
  still in place) and she is unsure how such an event would 
  affect the rest of the system. She is fairly certain though 
  that it will probably end in the death of whoever is at the 
  Stellar Degenerator’s helm. Osteth is open to hear the PCs’ 
  thoughts on the matter, but regardless of what the PCs 
  come up with, any plan starts with accessing the demiplane 
  in which the weapon is stored.
  When the PCs give her permission to do so, a look of concern 
  crosses Osteth’s face. Read or paraphrase the following.
  “My friends, something is terribly wrong. Thanks to the 
  gate’s advanced age, several microprocessors across the 
  controller moons’ core facilities are failing. Unfortunately, I 
  have already initiated the subroutine to open the demiplane. 
  My calculations predict that unless something is done in 
  the next few minutes, a catastrophic chain reaction will 
  destabilize the system’s twelve cosmic strings and cause 
  each and every one of the suns to be pulled into the center 
  of the system. Such a collision would result in a massive 
  supernova... and the Stellar Degenerator would remain 
  safe within its demiplane!” The consoles around the room 
  begin running a series of simulations at rapid speed, all of 
  which end with flashing red screens—except for one. “Yes. I 
  think I have it. If I split my consciousness across the twelve 
  
  37
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  controller moons, my own programming could provide the 
  necessary corrections for our plan to proceed. But I will not 
  be able to pull myself back together. It will be the end of me. 
  Permanently.” Osteth nods. “This is the only choice. The rest 
  will be up to you. You must promise to destroy the Stellar 
  Degenerator, no matter what happens!”
  After her speech, Osteth doesn’t leave much time for 
  goodbyes. Her holographic form dissolves into lines of 
  code and the consoles surrounding the PCs begin to glow 
  blue. Several monitors begin showing views of the interior 
  bores of the other controller moons. Traces of the same 
  blue light limn the circuitry along the walls and the army of 
  maintenance bots. A moment later, the building shakes and 
  all the monitors switch to perspectives from the planetoid’s 
  surfaces pointing toward the skies. In each, different angles 
  of a colossal tear in space forming can be spotted in the 
  distance. The fiery red of the planar gate contrasts with the 
  inky blackness of space in a display that is both beautiful 
  and awe-inspiring. This all happens within the span of 
  20 minutes.
  Looking at the consoles, the PCs can see readings about the 
  phenomena. The circular opening to the Stellar Degenerator’s 
  demiplane has a diameter of half a million miles and is 
  currently stable. The massive vessel within has a conical 
  shape and is mostly built from a material the PCs have never 
  encountered or heard of (though parts of it are encased in 
  rock, as if it were built into an asteroid). The superweapon is 
  over 100,000 feet long and has a mass of over 50,000 tons. 
  It gives off a faint energy signature, not much more than a 
  docked starship, and it has a small amount of its own gravity. 
  This is the Stellar Degenerator.
  CONCLUDING THE 
  ADVENTURE
  The PCs won’t have much breathing room after Osteth 
  sacrifices herself to open the Gate of Twelve Suns, as 
  warning lights begin blinking frantically across the central 
  operations room. The automated defense systems have 
  detected a fleet of starships entering the area! A glance at 
  the readouts confirms the worst: an armada of Eoxian-style 
  vessels ranging from speedy fighters to lumbering capital 
  ships are only a few hours away. The Corpse Fleet has 
  tracked the PCs to this location and are ready to claim the 
  Stellar Degenerator for themselves!
  How the PCs can contend with the armaments of Corpse 
  Fleet’s flagship and its escorts, as well as destroy the 
  superweapon so that it doesn’t fall into the hands of the 
  enemy, are detailed in the final installment of the Dead Suns 
  Adventure Path, “Empire of Bones.”
  
  38
  A
  t its height, kishalee civilization was broad, 
  prosperous, and powerful. While some kishalee 
  dabbled with magic, their greatest advances 
  were technological in nature and often discovered and 
  disseminated by those kishalee who monitored the array 
  later known as the Gate of Twelve Stars. Once the scientific 
  discoveries were made and the knowledge was shared, craft 
  guilds vied for manufacturing rights. In order for the guilds to 
  keep their patents, they left the details of such manufacturing 
  secret and often only in physical writing. 
  Some of the greatest kishalee advancements involved 
  technologies that allowed faster-than-light communication 
  and travel without using the Drift, often through demiplane 
  manipulations. A large communication cloud array allowed 
  them to speak in synchronistic relative time with companions 
  on remote worlds. They developed projectiles that could 
  capture a creature within a tiny demiplane, hospitable to life 
  or otherwise, and quantum computers that could calculate 
  seemingly impossible algorithms almost instantaneously. 
  The long war the kishalee civilization waged with the sivvs 
  was the grim mother of cunning technology and devastating 
  weaponry. Toward the end of the war, kishalee researchers 
  discovered the secret of dimensional disruption weapons, 
  which rely on gravitational waves to disrupt or even sequester 
  their foes, and which they used widely in an effort to bring 
  the conflict to an end.
  Kishalee demiplane technology does have its limitations, 
  however. Often such devices either do not function or 
  function with reduced potency when used anyplace other 
  than the Material Plane (including not functioning well within 
  the Drift). Many items become dangerously unpredictable 
  when used on other planes of existence. 
  While remnants of kishalee technology are often found 
  scattered through the territories of their fallen civilization 
  and beyond, the specialized knowledge required to craft 
  such items has slowly eroded through the centuries. 
  RELICS OF THE KISHALEE
  
  39
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  Technomancers who have raided old quantum drives 
  marvel that these data troves are conspicuously devoid of 
  information related to the engineering and manufacturing 
  of kishalee relics. Scattered information hints that such 
  knowledge was the domain of the kishalee guilds that 
  jealously guarded their techniques, but little information 
  about the treasures and their processes of manufacturing 
  survives to the modern day, since all paper documents have 
  disintegrated hundreds of years ago. Further still, without 
  key insights, kishalee objects are difficult, if not impossible, 
  to reverse-engineer.
  Because of this, all of the kishalee items presented below 
  are relics, a new category of items in Starfinder, featuring the 
  following rules. Unlike normal weapons, relic weapons do not 
  come fully loaded with ammunition unless they say so.
  Relic: These rare items are bits of lost technology or unique 
  items less powerful than artifacts. A relic has an item level 
  but can be sold for 100% of the item’s price (like trade goods). 
  A relic cannot be crafted without the means of a specific 
  formula, which is almost always long lost, and often requires 
  specific materials. A relic that became understood well 
  enough to be reproduced, standardized, and mass-marketed 
  might lose its relic status.
  WEAPONS OF THE KISHALEE
  Descriptions for the weapons on the tables at the bottom 
  of this page appear below. Like all the gear in this article, 
  kishalee weapons are relics. The dimensional disruption 
  weapons of the kishalee can be powered by the normal 
  batteries of the Pact Worlds and beyond, but at double 
  the usage (though the capacity of such weapons stays the 
  same). Kishalee batteries (see page  41) can power these 
  weapons at the values listed in the table below. 
  DIMENSIONAL DISRUPTION WEAPONS
  Dimensional disruption weapons were available in various 
  forms and strengths, but those left within the Gate of Twelve 
  Suns are pistols (small arms), rifles (longarms), and a few 
  grenades. A dimensional disruption weapon creates a stream-
  like gravitational wave function that disrupts subatomic fields 
  in an effect similar to a sonic attack, but it can stagger a target 
  rather than deafen it, as the wave function momentarily 
  disrupts the fabric of space around the target.
  Disruption pistols and rifles expend twice the usage and 
  have half the range when used on any plane other than the 
  Material Plane. If used in the Drift, they deal damage to the 
  user rather than the target on any attack roll of a natural 1.
  Disruption grenades work in a way similar to the rifles and 
  pistols. Temporal disruption grenades, on the other hand, slow 
  down the rate of subatomic movement, halting those affected 
  by it for a short period of time but not otherwise damaging 
  those within the blast. 
  The radius of a disruption grenade’s explosion is reduced to 
  10 feet if it used on any plane other than the Material Plane. 
  If used in the Drift, those caught in the blast radius can roll 
  their saving throws twice and take the better result when 
  attempting to halve the amount of damage taken or negate 
  any secondary effects.
  WEAPON FUSIONS
  Weapon fusion prices are based on weapons’ item levels; see 
  the Table 7—13 on page 192 of the Starfinder Core Rulebook. 
  Both of the weapon fusions below are technological fusions, 
  and neither works well with non-kishalee relics. 
  DIMENSIONAL DISRUPTION  
  LEVEL 6
  This fusion infuses the disruption of kishalee 
  weapons into the weapon’s output. Half 
  of the weapon’s  damage 
  GRENADES
  GRENADES
  LEVEL
  PRICE
  RANGE
  CAPACITY
  BULK
  SPECIAL
  Disruption grenade
  8
  1,600
  20 ft.
  Drawn
  L
  Explode (2d10 So, staggered, 20 ft.)
  Temporal disruption grenade
  10
  2,900
  20 ft.
  Drawn
  L
  Explode (stunned 1 round [Fortitude negates], 20 ft.)
  SMALL ARMS
  ONE-HANDED WEAPONS
  LEVEL
  PRICE
  DAMAGE
  RANGE
  CRITICAL
  CAPACITY
  USAGE BULK SPECIAL
  DIMENSIONAL DISRUPTION
  Disruption pistol, minor
  7
  7,500
  2d6 So
  40 ft.
  Staggered
  20 charges
  2
  L
  Boost 1d6
  Distruption pistol, major
  12
  40,000
  3d6 So
  40 ft.
  Staggered
  40 charges
  4
  L
  Boost 2d6
  LONGARMS
  TWO-HANDED WEAPONS
  LEVEL
  PRICE
  DAMAGE
  RANGE
  CRITICAL
  CAPACITY
  USAGE BULK SPECIAL
  DIMENSIONAL DISRUPTION
  Disruption rifle, minor
  9
  15,000
  3d8 So
  50 ft.
  Staggered
  40 charges
  5
  2
  Boost 1d8
  Disruption rifle, major
  14
  80,000
  6d8 So
  40 ft.
  Staggered
  40 charges
  5
  2
  Boost 2d8
  
  40
  type is replaced with sonic damage, and it gains the staggered 
  critical hit effect. You can activate or deactivate the 
  dimensional disruption fusion as a swift action. If the weapon 
  already deals two types of damage, replace one of them with 
  sonic (you decide which damage type is replaced each time 
  you activate the dimensional disruption fusion). If the weapon 
  already has a critical effect, when you score a critical hit, you 
  can apply either the weapon’s normal critical hit effect or the 
  staggered effect, though you can apply the staggered effect 
  only if the target takes sonic damage from this fusion. This 
  fusion can never cause a weapon that normally targets KAC 
  to target EAC. 
  TEMPORAL DISRUPTION  
  LEVEL 8
  With this fusion, a weapon’s energy damage can slow down 
  the rate of subatomic movement in the target. The weapon 
  gains the stunned critical hit effect. If the weapon already 
  has a critical hit effect, when you score a critical hit, you can 
  apply either the weapon’s normal critical hit effect or the 
  stunned effect. Only weapons that deal sonic damage can 
  benefit from the temporal disruption fusion. If your weapon 
  deals more than one type of energy damage, you can apply 
  the stunned critical effect only if one of those damage types 
  is sonic. 
  OTHER KISHALEE RELICS
  The following relics can be found in select ruins, and some of 
  them have been abandoned amid the various gates of the Gate 
  of Twelve Suns. All of these relics are technological items. 
  ITEM
  LEVEL
  PRICE
  HANDS
  BULK
  Kishalee battery
  2
  400
  —
  —
  Holdall raiment
  4
  2,000
  —
  L
  Acclimation torc
  5
  2,700
  —
  L
  Dimensional comm unit
  6
  4,500
  1
  —
  Kishalee battery, high-
  capacity
  6
  3,000
  —
  —
  Horizon shield
  7
  6,500
  1
  1
  Kishalee battery, super-
  capacity
  7
  5,000
  —
  —
  Kishalee battery,  
  ultra-capacity
  8
  8,400
  —
  —
  Kishalee hoverbike
  8
  20,000
  —
  —
  Sovereign helm
  9
  14,975
  —
  L
  ACCLIMATION TORC
  This simple metal band attaches to the collar area of your 
  space suit, suit of armor, or other set of clothes. When 
  activated as a standard action, an acclimation torc places 
  your respiratory system and your digestive system in a form 
  of temporal stasis, while still keeping you alive. Essentially, 
  your need to eat, drink, and breathe is temporarily “paused” 
  while the acclimation torc continues to hold a charge. You 
  can breathe normally in vacuums, clouds of smoke, water, 
  and thick, thin, and toxic atmospheres, though you aren’t 
  protected against the damage of a corrosive atmosphere. In 
  addition, you don’t need to worry about starvation or thirst 
  while your acclimation torc is active. Unlike the normal 
  protections provided by most suits of armor, an acclimation 
  torc doesn’t grant you protection against low levels of 
  radiation or conditions of cold and heat. An acclimation 
  torc holds 50 charges and uses 1 charge per hour. You can 
  replenish these charges the same way you recharge the 
  duration of a suit of armor’s environmental protections 
  (Starfinder Core Rulebook 198).
  DIMENSIONAL COMM UNIT
  These devices are handheld and circular in shape and have a 
  very high-resolution screen and simple controls. Dimensional 
  comm units are a kishalee version of the comm units commonly 
  found in the Pact Worlds, but they function using the 
  remnants of the vast demiplane network utilized by the now 
  extinct kishalee civilization. The advantage of dimensional 
  comm units is that their text and verbal communications 
  are instantaneous, whether in the same system or through 
  interstellar space, but because of the degraded state of the 
  kishalee dimensional network, they work only sporadically. 
  Prior to use, a dimensional comm unit must be linked with at 
  least one other unit—a process that takes only a minute when 
  all units to be linked are on the same planet. Dimensional 
  comm units nearly always work when used on the same 
  planet to reach other linked devices. Over greater distances, 
  each time a dimensional comm is used, there is a 50% chance 
  that it will function properly if used in the same system or 
  a 25% chance if the communication is interstellar (this is 
  rolled in secret by the GM), but only with linked dimensional 
  comm units. If two linked dimensional comm units make a 
  connection, they retain that connection for 24 hours. If the 
  dimensional comm units don’t manage to connect, the users 
  can try again after 24 hours. Dimensional comm units do not 
  function within the Drift or on other planes.
  HOLDALL RAIMENT
  Though this ivory-white frock is tailored for kishalee 
  physiology, most humanoids can wear it with little to no 
  discomfort. A holdall raiment features a dozen pockets, 
  each of which can access a series of linked extradimensional 
  pockets. Each pocket can hold a single item that weighs up 
  to 1 bulk, though any item stored within the raiment can be 
  retrieved from any pocket as a move action, but only by the 
  wearer of the raiment. The stored items cannot be detected 
  by anyone searching or frisking you.
  HORIZON SHIELD
  A horizon shield slips over one hand much like a set of brass 
  knuckles with a touch-sensitive control pad resting in your 
  palm. Activating or deactivating a horizon shield is a move 
  action. When activated, a horizon shield forms a nearly 
  invisible barrier that warps space around you, making you 
  
  41
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  more difficult to hit with ranged attacks. 
  Any ranged attack targeting you treats 
  you as if are 60 feet farther away than you 
  actually are. This might impart a range increment 
  penalty to the attack roll or even make the attack 
  impossible altogether. You must be aware of the 
  attacker and can’t be holding anything else in 
  the hand equipped with the horizon shield. This 
  effect doesn’t stack with effects from other 
  horizon shields. A horizon shield has a 
  capacity of 20 and uses 1 charge per round 
  that it is active.
  KISHALEE BATTERY
  Roughly the same size as standard batteries, kishalee 
  batteries are translucent cylindrical objects bound by a 
  transparent aluminum alloy. By a strange quirk of fate and 
  parallel engineering, kishalee batteries can be interchanged 
  with the standard batteries used among the Pact Worlds 
  and beyond, but these rare batteries allow a creature to 
  use and kishalee artifacts with greater efficiency. If placed 
  in non-kishalee items, a kishalee battery functions like a 
  standard battery. The technology for rapid recharging of a 
  kishalee battery has been lost, but such batteries recharge 
  themselves automatically over the course of 24 hours 
  of disuse. 
  These batteries come in four different varieties: normal, 
  high-capacity, super-capacity, and ultra-capacity. Each variety 
  has a maximum number of charges as the normal batteries 
  of the same type (Starfinder Core Rulebook 179). When these 
  batteries are found, they are almost always fully charged. 
  KISHALEE HOVERBIKE
  Kishalee hoverbikes are sleek, skinny vehicles that float on 
  cushions of antigrav energy. The driver sits on the front one 
  of two seats and uses a triangular yoke to steer, while the 
  passenger holds on to his own safety bar.
  Kishalee hoverbikes move by warping the space around 
  themselves, shortening the space directly in front of them 
  and stretching out the space behind them. As a result, they 
  deal very little damage if they ram a target, and jumping off 
  one causes no damage beyond falling damage, because the 
  hoverbike has no effective momentum.
  KISHALEE HOVERBIKE  
  LEVEL 8
  PRICE 20,000
  Large land and air vehicle (5 ft. wide, 10 ft. long, 2 ft. high)
  Speed 30 ft., full 550 ft., 65 mph (hover and fly)
  EAC 18; KAC 22; Cover none
  HP 90 (45); Hardness 5
  Attack (Collision) 5d8 B (DC 18)
  Modifiers +4 Piloting, –2 attack (–4 at full speed)
  Systems autocontrol, kishalee dimensional comm unit; 
  Passengers 1
  SOVEREIGN HELM
  This strange silvery helm features a glowing 
  band of greenish energy. Four metal clasps 
  attached to long, sharp appendages 
  poke out from the crown of the helm. 
  When the apparatus is held over the 
  head of a Small or Medium living 
  creature for 1 minute, the band of 
  energy pulsates wildly, and at the 
  end of that time, the clasps slap 
  down and start to painlessly burrow 
  into the creature’s cranium. After 
  another full minute, the appendages 
  become fully embedded, and the 
  sovereign helm begins the 24-
  hour process of rewriting the neural 
  pathways of the subject’s brain. If the helm is removed at 
  any time during this period and then placed back onto the 
  same subject, the 24 hours begin anew. Once this process 
  is complete, the sovereign helm grants the wearer some 
  control over constructs with the technological subtype. 
  While a sovereign helm has a different method of 
  installation than most augmentations, it acts as a brain system 
  augmentation in all other ways. You can’t wear and make use 
  of a sovereign helm if you have preexisting brain system 
  implantation, nor can you install a brain system implantation 
  while a sovereign helm’s apparatuses are burrowed into 
  your cranium. 
  Once the sovereign helm has fully rewritten your neural 
  pathways, it allows you to spend a standard action in an 
  attempt to assert some amount of control over a single 
  construct with the technological subtype that you can see 
  within 60 feet of you. A targeted construct must attempt a 
  Will saving throw (DC = 10 + half your level + your key ability 
  score modifier); on a failure, it must stop what is doing and 
  can do only what you command (using only the following 
  commands) until the end of your next turn. If the construct 
  succeeds at its saving throw, it is immune to your sovereign 
  helm’s control for 24 hours.
  Full Stop: The construct cannot do anything until the end 
  of your next turn. 
  Move: On the construct’s next turn, you can decide how it 
  spends its move action. 
  Attack: On the construct’s next turn, you can decide how 
  it attacks. 
  After the first round a construct has failed its save, you 
  can attempt to maintain your control over it with a move 
  action each round, but the construct can attempt another 
  saving throw. If the construct succeeds, you lose control and 
  the construct is immune to your sovereign helm’s effects for 
  24 hours. If the construct fails, your control over it continues 
  until the end of your next turn, and you can choose the same 
  or a different command from the list. A sovereign helm allows 
  you to control only one construct at a time. 
  
  42
  ALIEN WORLDS AND CULTURES
  For the best opportunities, you have to get out of the Pact 
  Worlds and explore systems farther out. Sure, you have 
  to first spend a few weeks floating through the drift 
  and staring at your navel, but when you find something 
  of value, Absalom Station is always a short hop back. And 
  you never know what’s out there waiting to be discovered! 
  There are shimmering worlds made of gemstones, cultures 
  that worship redundancy and make a religion of caution, 
  and planets no one has set foot upon for centuries. And 
  every last one of them will have something to trade.
  —Captain Demera Onajaal,  
  in the ship’s log of the free merchant vessel Talavet’s Sigil
  
  43
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  T
  here are countless star systems outside of the Pact 
  Worlds, many of them inhabited by alien cultures 
  both strange and familiar. Those looking to establish 
  diplomatic connections (such as groups like the Starfinder 
  Society) need only point their starships toward the farthest 
  stars and engage their Drift engines. But be warned that not 
  all new planets are ready to embrace strangers with open 
  arms, and some environments or native species can be hostile 
  to certain kinds of life, whether they have dark intentions 
  or not. Pioneers should take the strictest precautions when 
  venturing into these uncharted territories.
  The following pages present information on the dominant 
  indigenous races, cultures, and points of interest on five 
  worlds beyond the Pact Worlds. In addition, the Alien 
  Archives beginning on page 54 include five of the races 
  native to these worlds: ghibranis, ilthisarians, scyphozoans, 
  selamids, and seprevois. A GM can use these as background 
  information for NPCs or as locations for the PCs’ side 
  adventures, and players can make characters from any of 
  these worlds if the GM chooses to allow these races.
  The following hybrid items are each tied to one of the 
  worlds and cultures presented in the following pages, 
  often created by those aliens to overcome a particular 
  hardship of their planet or through inspiration gleaned from 
  their surroundings.
  DUST GOGGLES  
  LEVEL 1
  HYBRID ITEM (WORN) 
  PRICE 120 
  BULK —
  These goggles of smoked glass are used by membrane 
  ghibranis of Elytrio to protect their eyes during the frequent 
  dust storms in the wastes of their ravaged planet. When you 
  wear a pair of dust goggles, the penalty to Perception checks 
  from storms is removed and your visibility range isn’t reduced 
  (see Weather on page 398 of the Starfinder Core Rulebook). 
  In addition, you reduce your miss chance due to concealment 
  from smoke and fog (including that produced by a smoke 
  grenade or an effect such as fog cloud) by 10% (to a minimum 
  of 0%); this reduction doesn’t stack with any other ability that 
  reduces miss chance due to concealment.
  Dust goggles can also be installed in armor (or an android’s 
  armor upgrade slot) as an armor upgrade. This has no effect 
  on weight or cost, but when installed in this way, they do not 
  count toward a character’s limit of two worn magic or hybrid 
  items at once. 
  GRAVITIC MODULATOR  
  LEVEL 4
  HYBRID ITEM (WORN) 
  PRICE 2,200 
  BULK 1
  Gravitic-modulator technology was developed on Silselrik, 
  derived from the selamids’ innate ability to withstand the 
  stresses of changing gravity. Originally designed by the 
  selamids for their own use when venturing away from the 
  safety of their megadoplexes, these devices see common use 
  among offworlders visiting Silselrik for commerce, research, 
  or work in the diamond mines. While a selamid simply 
  absorbs the device into its protoplasm, most humanoids 
  wear the gravitic modulator as a backpack due to its size 
  and weight.
  While wearing a gravitic modulator, you are shielded from 
  some of the effects of rapidly changing gravity. You gain a 
  +2 enhancement bonus to saving throws to resist gravity-
  based effects, such as a control gravity spell or a solarian’s 
  black hole revelation. In addition, whenever you would 
  take damage from extreme gravity, you take 5 less damage 
  (minimum 0 damage).
  PLANT SHIELD AMULET  
  LEVEL 1
  HYBRID ITEM (WORN) 
  PRICE 300 
  BULK —
  A plant shield amulet creates an energy field around you, 
  resonating with magic frequencies that repel plants. You 
  can move through undergrowth that acts as difficult terrain 
  (such as bushes, fungal blooms, roots, and vines) at your 
  normal speed and without taking damage from thorns or 
  similar elements of the plant life. Plant creatures’ attacks 
  and abilities, as well as spells and other magical effects such 
  as the xenodruid’s grasping vines mystic connection power, 
  affect you normally.
  REDUNDANCY BELT  
  LEVEL 3
  HYBRID ITEM (WORN) 
  PRICE 1,200 
  BULK L
  These devices were originally created by ilthisarian travelers 
  early in their exploration of worlds beyond their native 
  Arshalin. Most are wide mesh belts with entwined serpentine 
  patterns, though redundancy belts made beyond Arshalin 
  have a wider variety of appearances. After being worn for at 
  least 24 hours, the belt creates duplicates of your existing 
  vital organs that last as long as you wear the belt, magically 
  and temporarily rearranging your internal anatomy to create 
  space for them. You gain a +4 resistance bonus to Fortitude 
  saving throws against poison, to withstand the harmful 
  effects of thick and thin atmospheres, and to avoid choking 
  when breathing in heavy smoke. You can hold your breath 
  for a number of rounds equal to four times your Constitution 
  score, and you always take minimum damage from falls (as 
  though rolling a 1 for each die of damage). 
  REMOTE SURVEYOR 
  LEVEL 10
  HYBRID ITEM (WORN) 
  PRICE 18,000 
  BULK L
  Forbidden from venturing to the Sepres VI’s surface due 
  both to the cultural taboo against doing so and the very 
  real risks associated with it, seprevois—especially members 
  and sympathizers of the Returners—created these handheld 
  devices to remotely explore their planet’s surface. The 
  surveyor features a small dish that transmits and receives a 
  signal to the target, as well as a view screen and speaker that 
  relay the device’s findings to you. The device allows you to 
  employ both the audio and visual versions of clairaudience/
  clairvoyance simultaneously at a planetary range once per 
  day, for a maximum duration of 10 minutes.
  
  44
  Marsh World of Poisonous Clouds
  Diameter: ×2/3; Mass: ×4/9
  Gravity: ×1
  Location: The Vast
  Atmosphere: Thick
  Day: 30 hours; Year: 244 days
  A planet of marshes beneath dense and sometimes poisonous 
  clouds, Arshalin was badly damaged in a planetary calamity 
  thousands of years ago. Some immense space station or 
  megastructure made of ultra-dense steel fractured into massive 
  fragments and crashed into the planet. Now, plates of steel 
  miles high and hundreds of miles long—although rarely more 
  than 1,000 feet or so thick—protrude from the planet’s surface. 
  From the upper atmosphere, Arshalin’s surface resembles 
  the aftermath of a devastating explosion: these enormous 
  jagged sheets of metal jut from the planet, creating long, thin 
  barricades scattered apparently at random to form misshapen 
  lakes, odd valleys, and segmented coastlines. 
  Rising higher than mountain ranges, the impregnable metal 
  sheets, called worldshards, distort the planet’s weather and 
  ecology. Over the last several eons, native species separated 
  by the worldshards have diverged along separate evolutionary 
  paths, creating staggering biological diversity. Only far-ranging 
  races, such as the intelligent, multiheaded ilthisarians, their 
  brutish mammalian servitors called ethesks, and the planet’s 
  powerful saurian birds, journey around the worldshards with 
  regularity. After many generations, the ilthisarians have 
  accepted the worldshards as part of their planet, treating them 
  as natural landmarks, with Sheltering Hand, Steel Ridge, and 
  Tall Watcher among the most prominent.
  The primary intelligent creatures on Arshalin are the 
  ilthisarians, sizable serpentine humanoids with powerful 
  bifurcated tails and a cluster of ophidian heads on long necks. 
  Having built stone and metal cities in their great marshes 
  before their civilizations were shattered by the fall of the 
  worldshards, the patient and tradition-bound ilthisarians 
  slowly recovered and now have a spacefaring society with a 
  cultural sophistication and mastery of science and magic that 
  rivals those of the Pact Worlds. Their long tradition of avoiding 
  exploration has begun to fade only in recent years, so the 
  ilthisarians have in fact spent more time traveling to other 
  worlds than exploring the remote regions of their own.
  Most visitors to Arshalin complain of its boggy marshes, 
  where dense fog in low-lying areas concentrates into 
  poisonous sumps, but the world’s diverse ecology produces 
  useful plants and animals unknown on any other planet. As a 
  result, offworlder biologists, climatologists, and Xenowardens 
  are common in ilthisarian cities. 
  NOTABLE LOCATIONS
  The following are a few notable locations on Arshalin.
  CLOUD SPIKE STATION
  The tallest worldshard is Cloud Spike, which extends 60 miles 
  above the planet’s surface—well into the lower reaches of space 
  for the small world. Three rail-propulsion cars carry personnel 
  and crew to the top, where a sprawling space station extends 
  over the sides of Cloud Spike like a coin on the head of a pin. 
  Authorization for landing at Cloud Spike Station is rarely 
  granted for large ships. Ilthisarian scientists use Cloud Spike 
  Station primarily for scientific experiments to perfect starship 
  technology, but rumors persist they are also using the station 
  to develop weather-controlling superweapons. 
  EMPTY WALL
  One of the longest worldshards cuts across Arshalin’s 
  equator, extending over 200 miles. On the less damaged 
  side is a cathedral-like building made of the same unusually 
  durable steel as the worldshard, sheltering an access port to 
  its interior. This worldshard is predominantly hollow, hence 
  its name, with internal supports made of the same metal. 
  Bands of cockroach-like humanoids called clarkaskas hunt 
  in the expansive, dark interior of Empty Wall, preying upon 
  peculiar six-winged bats and psychically sensitive oozes. 
  Debates rage as to whether these unusual creatures fell with 
  the worldshard or tunneled up from caverns deep below the 
  planet’s surface. 
  THE GOLDEN TOMBS
  Near Arshalin’s southern pole, cut off from easy access by 
  interposing worldshards, is a relatively dry valley filled 
  with monolithic structures of stone covered in gold leaf. 
  These structures predate the worldshards and are made of 
  components crafted to fit together on a microscopic scale. The 
  xenoanthropologists who discovered the site a few decades 
  ago explored a handful of the buildings, identifying them as 
  tombs built on a human scale, but tribes of vicious ethesks 
  in the valley slaughtered the scientists before they could 
  escape. Since then, armed ilthisarians diligently guard the 
  principal routes to the valley, turning away archaeologists and 
  treasure seekers alike.
  KALSARSA
  Kalsarsa is the largest settlement on Arshalin. Although 
  ilthisarians aren’t usually religious, most respect Kalsarsa as a 
  holy city and endeavor to visit it at least once in their lives. 
  Built in the shadow of a worldshard known as Sheltering Hand, 
  arshalin
  
  45
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  the city enjoys calm weather and is illuminated by many-hued 
  streetlights. Every 80 days, the Kalsarsans engineer a 
  phenomenal light display, varying the colors and intensities 
  of city lights. Part festival and part holy day, the Time of 
  Brightness and Dimness draws visitors from across the planet. 
  Kalsarsa is the hub of Arshalin’s offworld commerce. 
  Competing merchant houses each sponsor spaceports that 
  vie with each other to host visitors from the Pact Worlds 
  and beyond. Although first-time visitors are often flattered 
  by rivalries for their favor, they soon learn that ilthisarians 
  are keen traders and aren’t above threatening to impound a 
  “guest’s” ship to encourage preferential deals. 
  KALSARSA
  LN city
  Population 416,640 (46% ilthisarian, 45% ethesk, 
  6% human, 3% other)  
  Government oligarchy
  Qualities cultured, devout, financial center, 
  technologically average
  Maximum Item Level 16th
  ILTHISARIAN CULTURE
  In terms of culture, ilthisarians have an extreme preference for 
  intelligent redundancy and avoiding unnecessary risk. Just as 
  they biologically have several heads, twin tails, and duplicates 
  of key internal organs, ilthisarians are uncomfortable without 
  having multiple back-up plans and fail-safes in their daily 
  lives, particularly in new endeavors. Ilthisarians are 
  slow to accept innovations, as novel ideas seem 
  dangerously untested. While ilthisarians have 
  been aware of the science behind spaceflight for 
  centuries, most haven’t left their planet. Regions 
  of their world with dangerous reputations and 
  no known resources of value are intentionally 
  ignored, as there is no obvious benefit to the 
  risks associated with exploring them. This 
  cultural trait isn’t pathological—ilthisarians 
  take risks when they believe the potential 
  benefit outweighs the level of risk—but it does 
  make them a much more cautious culture than 
  most spacefaring races.
  This cultural predilection for risk aversion 
  and redundancy has led to a society that 
  is remarkably stable, with many long-held 
  traditions. Ilthisarians appreciate the mastery 
  that comes with thorough research of science, 
  magic, and other socially useful fields, and they 
  have constructed their society accordingly. 
  For example, ilthisarian jurisprudence is 
  well developed and encourages reasonable 
  solutions with the greatest benefit to society, 
  while ilthisarian genetic engineers have 
  produced ethesk servitors displaying incredible 
  durability and loyalty. Ilthisarians attribute their survival 
  in the wake of the cataclysmic fall of worldshards to their 
  society’s many well-maintained food vaults and fortified 
  bunkers, and they diligently maintain them today.
  Despite their deep appreciation for tradition, ilthisarians 
  are not a generally religious people. This doesn’t seem to have 
  always been the case, however: crumbling temples to ophidian 
  gods stand deep in the trackless marshes of their world, almost 
  always with graven depictions of mass blood sacrifices. Modern 
  ilthisarians express disdain for such barbaric rituals, although 
  rumors persist that cults deep in the marshes keep these 
  ancient practices alive and well, sacrificing unlucky travelers to 
  gods of carnage. Civilized ilthisarians who practice a formalized 
  religion nearly always follow Abadar, revering him as the god of 
  commerce and community.
  Ilthisarian language is extraordinarily nuanced and difficult 
  for outsiders to replicate, spoken with several voices at 
  once in an overlapping harmony of sounds. The language is 
  duplicative without being merely repetitive, providing deep 
  meaning with several shades of subtle nuance. Worlds that 
  establish long-term diplomats on Arshalin usually employ 
  squadrons of well-trained linguists who speak together, as a 
  choir, to mimic ilthisarian language.
  
  46
  Divided Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland
  Diameter: ×1; Mass: ×1
  Gravity: ×1
  Location: The Vast
  Atmosphere: Normal
  Day: 21 hours; Year: 1-1/2 years
  Elytrio is the fourth planet orbiting an unnamed sun. Though 
  it used to have a thriving ecosystem, with biomes ranging 
  from rain forest to arctic tundra, as well as functioning 
  nation-states producing advanced technology, the planet was 
  devastated when its residents initiated a global thermonuclear 
  war just after the end of the Gap. 
  Elytrio is the home world of the ghibranis, beetle-like 
  humanoids who achieved much in the field of robotics and fully 
  automated many of their major cities. They once worshiped 
  an aspect of Damoritosh, which shaped the race into a strong 
  coalition of militarized states in which religious servants of 
  the Conqueror filled key advisory positions. About 300 years 
  ago, while the world’s leaders were still addled by the effects 
  of the Gap, the existing tensions bubbled over into a war that 
  engulfed the planet. Most of the ghibrani race was destroyed in 
  this conflagration, and only a small population survived in a city 
  named Arkeost, protected by a dome of force.
  Only a decade later, Arkeost’s leaders realized the city 
  couldn’t sustain the population within, and so they concocted 
  a dishonest plan to trick a percentage of the residents into 
  leaving of their own volition. They invented a deity named 
  Mother Touloo, who promised salvation to those ghibranis 
  who gave up the luxuries of civilization. More than half of 
  the surviving ghibranis emigrated to the nearby wastelands 
  to court this false god’s favor. The following centuries, as well 
  as healthy doses of lingering radiation, caused a physical 
  division to occur between the two factions of ghibranis. 
  The ghibranis in the wastes lost the use of their wings and 
  developed hardier exoskeletons; they became known as 
  “husks.” Those who lived within the surviving city kept their 
  wings but became thinner and more fragile; they are now 
  called “membranes.” 
  Today, the husks continue to believe in the fictional Mother 
  Touloo, while the membranes have all but forgotten their 
  true past. The husks remain focused on survival in the harsh 
  wastelands surrounding the city, competing against vicious 
  fauna for survival. They view the membranes as keepers of 
  the vast “metal graveyard” of the old city. Meanwhile, the 
  membranes lead a relatively privileged lifestyle, as some 
  of the ancient technology has persisted, but centuries of 
  indolence have made them unaware of the treacherous deeds 
  perpetrated by their ancestors.
  Two barren moons—referred to as the Companions—circle 
  Elytrio in opposing orbits. Though ghibranis never attained 
  full spaceflight, they were able to construct automated 
  research facilities on both moons; after hundreds of years of 
  disuse, only a couple of these stations are still functional, and 
  those only barely.
  NOTABLE LOCATIONS
  The following are the most notable locations on Elytrio.
  ARKEOST
  Once the capital of the ghibrani nation-state of Kolleo, Arkeost 
  is the only remaining functional ghibrani city on the planet. 
  A pinkish dome of force surrounds the city out to a half-mile 
  outside the city limits. Though the membrane ghibranis who 
  live in the city can open temporary portals in the dome, they 
  rarely explore the surrounding wastelands, as Arkeost supplies 
  them with everything they need.
  Arkeost is ruled by a council of membrane ghibranis 
  known as the Most Elevated, though their decisions are 
  mostly ceremonial, as the day-to-day operations of the city 
  are carried out by servitor robots controlled by a central 
  mainframe programmed before the war. However, as the 
  automated repair drones run low on materials, the gleaming 
  towers are beginning to fall into disrepair.
  ARKEOST
  N metropolis
  Population 18,430 (100% membrane ghibrani)
  Government oligarchy (Most Elevated)
  Qualities automated, cultured, technologically average
  Maximum Item Level 10th
  QUALITIES
  Automated The majority of the city’s civic functions 
  (construction, maintenance, and so on) are performed 
  by robots.
  MIASMA SEA
  The original name of this now-poisonous body of water has been 
  lost to history, and the husk ghibranis who live close to its shores 
  refer to it as the Miasma Sea. The life within it, having taken 
  on the sea’s toxicity, presents a constant threat to those on the 
  land. Twice a year, when one of the Companions looms large in 
  the sky, the creatures of the sea are whipped into a frenzy, and 
  many husk ghibrani lives are lost in the ensuing attacks. 
  RUINS OF EGORET BASE
  The paranoid leaders of the nation-state of Bhyrri were the first 
  to launch missile strikes against their neighbors. Most of these 
  Elytrio
  
  47
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  weapons came from this now-destroyed military base. Many 
  unused weapons, most of which are capable of leveling entire 
  cities, are still stored in Egoret Base’s underground vaults. 
  SHELTER
  The largest concentration of husk ghibranis exists only a few 
  miles outside of Arkeost, living in a handful of caves carved 
  into the side of a cliff. Shelter is overseen by a married pair of 
  priests—currently Brother Coseemo and Sister Alomir (N male 
  and female husk ghibrani envoys)—who uphold the traditions 
  of fictional deity Mother Touloo. The ghibranis here live a 
  difficult life, scraping together whatever meats and plants are 
  edible, but they derive a great deal of happiness from their 
  close-knit community. 
  SOARNETTLE CANYON
  One of the few types of flora to thrive in Elytrio’s post-war 
  ecosystem are soarnettles, weeds with razor-sharp thorns that 
  are carried on the winds. A large ravine in what was once the 
  nation-state of Omathu is choked with thousands of soarnettle 
  patches, making traveling nearby hazardous, especially during 
  the windy season. Local husk ghibranis whisper of a great, 
  glowing treasure hidden deep within the canyon, and every so 
  often a foolish youth ventures in, only to return with hundreds 
  of shallow cuts all over her body.
  GHIBRANI CULTURE
  The two subspecies of ghibranis have very 
  different cultures; one focuses on survival, while 
  the other enjoys more relaxed lives.
  Husk ghibranis battle with Elytrio’s harsh 
  landscapes on a daily basis, hunting twisted 
  beasts for food, collecting water from the 
  tough-skinned zikla plants, and enduring 
  the abrasive dust storms that occasionally 
  roll across the scrublands. They fight using 
  analog slug throwers they inherited from their 
  ancestors and scavenge ammunition from the 
  ruins of the planet’s cities. Husk ghibranis 
  know the value of teamwork, as it is a skill 
  necessary for their continued existence.
  Since they left Arkeost, these ghibranis have 
  split into numerous clans, some the size of a 
  small village while others are just small bands 
  of nomads. These clans rarely clash and often 
  merge, intermarry, and split into new clans. 
  As such, traditions are very similar across 
  different clans.
  All husk ghibranis worship Mother Touloo, 
  the imaginary deity created by their Arkeost 
  ancestors. Mother Touloo’s faith espouses 
  community, hard work, and a shunning of life’s 
  creature comforts. Over the decades, a plethora 
  of rituals has grown up around this religion. 
  The  most popular ceremony is the Welcoming, which husk 
  ghibranis perform when a hunting party returns safely from a 
  dangerous expedition or when two clans meet under friendly 
  circumstances. The Welcoming consists of a community-wide 
  dance with arms held wide, symbolizing the joy the groups 
  feels to receive one another. The ghibranis often follow this 
  ritual with a raucous feast when supplies are plentiful.
  Membrane ghibranis tend to lead more sedentary lives, as 
  the robots of Arkeost provide them with everything they need. 
  These drones clean clothes, perform necessary maintenance, 
  and prepare meals. As the robots have been operating for 
  hundreds of years, the membrane ghibranis have settled into 
  a daily routine. Pleasant chimes ring across the city to signal 
  meals and both the beginning and end of the day. This offers 
  the membrane ghibranis plenty of leisure time, which they use 
  to create art, study science, and keep themselves fit.
  However, in the past century, membrane ghibranis have 
  focused less on innovation and simply wile away the hours in 
  idle entertainment, no longer reflecting upon their past. Though 
  this has led to a surfeit of paintings, poems, and sculptures, 
  it means that no living membrane ghibrani understands the 
  technological city they live in. If the computer that controls 
  Arkeost were to malfunction, the membrane ghibranis would 
  have no way to sustain themselves or restore their lifestyle.
  
  48
  Planet of Evolved Invertebrates
  Diameter: ×1; Mass: ×1
  Gravity: ×1
  Location: The Vast
  Atmosphere: Normal
  Day: 17 hours; Year: 200 days
  Vertebrates never evolved on Primoria; instead, beings that 
  are often considered less advanced life-forms—such as fungi, 
  invertebrates, and plants—greatly diversified and evolved to 
  form complex food chains and fill ecological niches usually 
  occupied by vertebrates. Primoria’s two moons, the blood-red 
  Acryllae and steel-gray Mandarth, cause regular significant 
  tidal changes in sea level, and because of this, a relatively high 
  proportion of the species on the planet are amphibious or at 
  least capable of surviving both on land and in water.
  Primoria has three major climate zones. The cold regions 
  near the planet’s poles are unforgiving wastelands, where 
  frost worms tunnel through the ice and most organisms live 
  under the snow cover or in warm subterranean caves. In the 
  temperate zone, giant mobile fungi graze on wide plains of 
  moss, and cockroaches the size of bears feed on carcasses 
  and plants alike. In the tropical zone, flesh-eating giant 
  worms snake their way through fern-filled rainforests, and 
  surprisingly agile trilobites hunt like tigers.
  The biggest landmass on Primoria is the supercontinent 
  Eukarya, which makes up 78 percent of Primoria’s land 
  surface and spans all climate zones. Three large island 
  continents named Cyrontia, Laurentia, and Velluria are the 
  only other significant landmasses on the planet. 
  Two sentient, sapient species have evolved on Primoria: 
  the invertebrate scyphozoans (who evolved from the seas 
  and moved into coastal areas early in their development), 
  and the fungal mycelars (vaguely bipedal masses of stringy 
  fungal growths who originate from the planet’s vast fern and 
  moss forests). The two species fought great wars against 
  one another for centuries, but roughly a hundred years ago, 
  they signed a great truce and started exchanging technology, 
  resources, and information. This has lead to significant, rapid 
  advances in science and biotechnology for both groups.
  NOTABLE LOCATIONS
  The following are some of Primoria’s most notable settlements 
  and geographic features.
  BISPORIA
  Located deep in Arbaath, Bisporia is the largest mycelar 
  settlement on Primoria. A notable scyphozoan population lives 
  in the Metazoa District, where mycelars conduct most of their 
  trade with outsiders. Despite a century of peace, there are still 
  mycelar groups within the settlement who want to drive the 
  scyphozoans back into the ocean, and attacks on scyphozoans 
  and other outsiders are among the most common crimes.
  CAVES OF SILURI
  Entire ecosystems live completely isolated from the rest 
  of the world in this extensive, air-filled cave system at the 
  bottom of the Ordocan Ocean. According to local myth, the 
  air in the Caves of Siluri is kept breathable by the life support 
  system of a crash-landed alien starship that sank in the ocean 
  millennia ago.
  CYRONTIA
  This island continent lies some 1,200 miles south of Eukarya’s 
  southern tip. Primoria’s south pole is located near the southern 
  edge of the island, which is also the coldest place on the 
  planet, reaching temperatures as low as –130° F. A scyphozoan 
  research station was established on Cyrontia 75 years ago, 
  but it now lies abandoned. Popular rumors insists the station’s 
  living technology awakened into a malicious sentience.
  HEART OF ARBAATH
  At the center of Arbaath stands an ancient stone ziggurat, the 
  origin of which is unknown. A group of scyphozoan explorers 
  entered the ziggurat 50 years ago, but whatever they found 
  there caused the Council States of Primoria to seal off all 
  entrances to the structure.
  LAURENTIA
  The island continent Laurentia lies some 1,500 miles off 
  Eukarya’s west coast. The huge tropical island is home to 
  numerous endemic animal species, such as giant carnivorous 
  butterflies, flying scorpions, and armored insects reminiscent 
  of crocodiles. A hidden valley within the island’s mountainous 
  interior is said to be a paradise that holds the secret of life 
  itself, while others claim that the place contains only terrible 
  secrets that could end all life on the world. Most dismiss 
  these stories as ramblings of explorers who encountered 
  hallucinogenic plants on the island.
  TARINTH
  The most populous and prosperous city on the planet, Tarinth 
  is often called the capital of Primoria despite lacking any 
  formal planetary authority. It is a thriving center of learning 
  and science and remains the only settlement on Primoria 
  where the fungal mycelars and intelligent species from other 
  systems live among scyphozoans in large numbers. Tarinth 
  is situated in the temperate zone on Eukarya’s west coast in 
  Primoria
  
  49
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  the northern hemisphere. The city extends from land to sea, 
  and there are buildings even in the transitional zone, which is 
  above or beneath the waves depending on the tides.
  TARINTH
  N city-state
  Population 233,482 (74% scyphozoan, 23% mycelar, 3% other)
  Government council
  Qualities academic, biotech-focused, technologically average
  Maximum Item Level 15th
  QUALITIES
  Biotech-Focused The settlement relies less on devices 
  that can be hacked or short-circuited, but it is more 
  susceptible to diseases and toxins.
  VELLURIA
  This temperate island 1,200 miles off Eukarya’s east coast is 
  known for the Glass Plains, a 1,000-mile-long stretch of black 
  sand and jagged volcanic-glass formations. Only the hardiest 
  plants and animals—such as black liverworts and legless ash 
  scorpions—survive here. Rare mineral deposits have enticed 
  people from other star systems to explore the Glass Plains, 
  but strange radiation in the area distorts communication and 
  sensor signals, rendering most navigation systems useless. 
  The area’s lava geysers, lightning storms, 
  voracious predators, and sudden downpours of 
  glass needles make short work of most visitors.
  SCYPHOZOAN 
  CULTURE
  Many scyphozoan cultures and ethnic groups 
  coexist on Primoria, varying from nomadic 
  tribes of plankton herders to advanced 
  city-states obsessed with science and progress. 
  The most advanced and powerful economic and 
  military force on Primoria is the Council States, 
  a commercial and defensive confederation 
  of city-states and tribes. The Council States 
  trade extensively with mycelars and were 
  the motivating force behind the peace treaty 
  between mycelar and scyphozoan nations. The 
  Council States have also gone to great lengths 
  to document the causes that began those 
  great wars, and they have concluded that in 
  most cases, the mycelars were responding to 
  scyphozoan encroachment upon lands long 
  held by generations of mycelars. The history of 
  the wars is never so simple of course, but the 
  Council States believe accepting their part in 
  beginning the generational hostilities is crucial 
  to maintaining the peace that currently helps 
  all the species of Primoria.
  Scyphozoans and mycelars have developed 
  “living technology,” genetically manipulated 
  organisms that perform functions similar to mechanical and 
  electronic devices. For example, they send electromagnetic 
  signals through contiguous growths of mycelium for long-
  distance communication, in the same way other species use 
  cable, and instead of local radio broadcasts, they manipulate 
  pollen to carry messages. Tall, bioluminescent mushrooms 
  act as streetlights, and scyphozoans grow their computers 
  and infospheres from genetically engineered nerve and 
  brain tissue. Less than a century ago, scyphozoans made 
  their first successful interplanetary spaceflight in a living 
  starship. Today, scyphozoans have a few dozen Nautiloid-
  class ships equipped with Drift engines, and they have made 
  contact with sentient species from the Pact Worlds while 
  exploring new planets. 
  Most scyphozoan settlements and cities are situated near 
  Eukarya’s west coast, some on land and the rest on the seabed. 
  Houses are often bell shaped and grown rather than built, and 
  many are living creatures in symbiotic relationships with those 
  who dwell within them. Similarly, many scyphozoan vehicles 
  and devices are living organisms, engineered and trained for 
  specific functions. Some of the scyphozoans’ favorite pastimes 
  include raising smooth-haired worms and other domesticated 
  creatures as pets, cultivating algae or mushroom gardens as an 
  art form, and several different types of fast-paced amphibious 
  sports that require both agility and quick thinking.
  
  50
  Abandoned but Fertile Plague Planet
  Diameter: ×1; Mass: ×1
  Gravity: ×1
  Atmosphere: Normal (see below)
  Day: 32 hours; Year: 3-3/4 years
  The sixth planet from the binary star system Sepres is a lush, 
  thriving world with an ancient history, and it is the only planet 
  in the 16-planet system to sustain life. Yet, its proud and 
  superstitious sentient inhabitants, the seprevois, lost both their 
  home world and their culture during or prior to the Gap. As a 
  result, the entire species has lived in orbit of their planet for 
  as long as anyone can remember, estranged from an inviting 
  but forbidden home in view but forever out of reach. The true 
  reason for the seprevois’ exile has been lost to time, but the 
  people’s legends tell that they were punished for poisoning the 
  world and could not safely return even if they wanted to.
  Millennia have elapsed since the seprevois last held 
  dominion over Sepres VI, and the world has since succumbed 
  to natural forces. The planet’s surface is 60 percent land, 
  most of which is tropical rainforests, temperate plains, and 
  expansive subtropical woodlands. Even the planet’s scarce 
  deserts and mountains teem with life, with only the desolate 
  poles devoid of complex ecosystems. The planet’s seas 
  support a stunning variety of life of all sizes, from incredibly 
  fast-growing colonies of psychic bacteria to highly social, 
  mercury-blooded cetaceans. The planet’s atmosphere is free 
  of contaminants and contagions save for one, a deadly virus 
  engineered thousands of years ago to target only seprevois. 
  It was this biological weapon, called derendenol, that 
  precipitated the seprevois’ exodus into space and proved 
  their most deep-seated superstitions about returning to the 
  planet correct.
  At its height, seprevoi society covered the entire planet, 
  and the ancient remnants of this civilization remain even after 
  the passage of countless centuries. Nature has worn away the 
  massive works of engineering that supported the thriving 
  population in its heyday, and it is a testament to seprevoi 
  ingenuity that so many of them have withstood the ravages of 
  time as well as they have. Entire cities remain frozen in time, 
  their inhabitants hurriedly rushed to ark ships or long dead 
  and gone, with statuaries, streets, and structures still intact. 
  Other settlements or manufactured works, however, have 
  not fared so well. What may at first appear to be an oddly 
  shaped mountain range is in fact the crumbling ruins of once-
  sprawling towers, long ago collapsed in upon themselves 
  and overrun by wildlife and unhampered flora; a swamp 
  or river may have been a harbor or canal; a verdant wood 
  may have been a well-tended botanical garden or isolated 
  nature preserve. In rare instances, destruction is caused by 
  creations of the seprevois that have run amok over the ages; 
  military and scientific facilities have given way to strange 
  corruptions of the natural order, including foul aberrations, 
  mutant flora and fauna, and magical research gone awry.
  NOTABLE LOCATIONS
  The following locations are points of particular interest on 
  Sepres VI or (more often) in orbit around it.
  FORT NEIROX
  The epicenter of biological-weapons research during the 
  conflict that necessitated the evacuation of the planet 
  millennia ago, Fort Neirox is a sprawling complex of festering 
  diseases and choking chemicals that have kept much of the 
  encroaching natural reclamation at bay. In place of overgrown 
  trees and untamed wildlife, mutated strains of flesh-eating 
  microbes, virulent plagues, and other biological terrors 
  now permeate the miles-wide facility at the center of the 
  planet’s southernmost continent. Vast stockpiles of archaic 
  weaponry fill the base, and some of the automated defenses—
  rudimentary as they are—have somehow withstood the ages.
  THE SANCTILORIUM
  Seprevois were never particularly attuned to magic, and it 
  played next to no role in their society until after the planetary 
  evacuation, when the desperate exiles tried every available 
  avenue to establish a new, permanent life for themselves 
  orbiting their abandoned home. Among the new methods 
  attempted was magical research. Members of the Sanctilorium, 
  a small space station and the world’s only sanctioned magical 
  institution, have spent millennia exploring the mysteries of 
  magic, but under the suspicious eye of the zealously cultish 
  Exilytes, they were forbidden from pursuing any avenue that 
  might lead to a return to the planet’s surface. As other races 
  began interacting with the seprevois, the exiles soon discovered 
  just how much they had yet to learn in the ways of magic.
  SEPRES PRIME
  Of the hundreds of ark ships, space stations, and cobbled-
  together megastructures orbiting Sepres VI, the largest 
  and most important is Sepres Prime. Originally the ark ship 
  launched from the planet’s most powerful nation, Neirox 
  (which, incidentally, was responsible for the release of 
  derendenol), what was then called Neirox Prime quickly grew 
  into the center of surviving seprevoi culture as similar craft 
  from myriad societies joined up with it to form a massive 
  conglomeration of vessels. Here the Seprevoi Council rules 
  the consolidated global government, its representatives 
  Sepres VI
  
  51
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  commanding all seprevoi vessels orbiting the  planet. 
  Traders and representatives from other systems near and 
  far are expected to deal primarily with council diplomats 
  and administrators here, rather than with other vessels or 
  stations, though the more travelers from beyond the Sepres 
  system arrive, the harder this guideline is to enforce.
  SEPRES PRIME
  LN space station
  Population 521,237 (98% seprevoi, 2% other)
  Government council (Seprevois Council)
  Qualities bureaucratic, devout, insular, 
  technologically underdeveloped
  Maximum Item Level 8th
  THEILOS
  This orbital space station was originally a scientific-research 
  facility launched as a joint effort between Neirox and its then 
  allies as a sign of peace and global unity. In the millennia 
  since the planetary evacuation, the orbital facilities were 
  repurposed to manufacture replacement parts for the aging 
  fleet and to research new technologies. In the wake of first 
  contact with explorers from other systems, 
  Theilos again adapted to a new purpose: 
  understanding and adapting new technology 
  to better the seprevois’ quality of life.
  SEPREVOIS CULTURE
  Barely capable of sustained extra-atmospheric 
  survival at the time of their planetary 
  evacuation, seprevois only recently made 
  contact with other sapient, spacefaring 
  creatures due to the advent of Drift 
  technology. Without access to the resources on 
  the planet’s surface and lacking the ability to 
  travel farther than neighboring planets in their 
  own system, seprevois did not experience the 
  same rate of technological advancement as did 
  other races, and instead they have built their 
  society around the resources and technology 
  at hand. As such, the Seprevoi Council enforces 
  strict rationing of food, industrial materials, 
  life support resources, and even living space. 
  Advanced technology and expanded resources 
  from trade have lessened the necessity for 
  such restrictions, so the ruling elites were 
  replaced by a growing oligarchy, as members 
  of the council scramble to claim ownership 
  of 
  burgeoning 
  industries 
  and 
  growth 
  opportunities to ensure their continued 
  relevance and political influence.
  The exponential advances in seprevoi 
  technology have caused a schism within the 
  traditional society, as a growing population 
  embraces change and rebukes the religious taboos regarding 
  the planet below. These so-called Returners believe that new 
  environmental controls, reconnaissance techniques, and 
  transportation technologies give them the ability to return 
  safely to the planet’s surface, and they scoff at claims that no 
  seprevoi can survive on the planet regardless of what magic or 
  technology is employed to protect them. What the Returners 
  have in idealism and drive they lack in actual knowledge of the 
  world they hope to restore. Aware of this large blind spot, the 
  movement’s leader, Hestereth (CN female seprevoi envoy), has 
  been urging anyone she can to travel to the planet or explore it 
  remotely via magic or technology to build knowledge of what 
  existed before her people left their world.
  Those who cling to ancient traditions believe that nothing, 
  no matter how advanced, can protect them from the wrath 
  of the gods, preaching that seprevois must pay eternal 
  penance for some long-forgotten crime committed by the 
  entire species. The Exilytes, the cultlike organization that 
  permeates every level of seprevoi society, maintain a heavy 
  influence in the Seprevoi Council and have used their sway to 
  hold back the magical, social, and technological development 
  of the species. 
  
  52
  Planet Plagued by Severe Gravity Storms
  Diameter: ×3/4; Mass: ×1-1/4
  Gravity: Variable from low to high, with localized storms 
  ranging from zero-g to extreme gravity
  Location: Near Space
  Atmosphere: Thick
  Day: 18 hours; Year: 3/4 year
  Silselrik is a study in uncommon phenomena combining in 
  uncommon ways. As a world in an elliptical orbit around a 
  binary star system, it would be unusual enough even with no 
  other abnormalities. But its composition makes it stranger still: 
  an irregular core of extremely heavy metals, suspended in liquid 
  form due to incredible heat and pressure, that nevertheless 
  bears pockets of low-density gases. As the planet’s orbit 
  exposes it to the equidistant heat of both stars twice a year, 
  parts of the mantle also liquefy and intermingle with the denser 
  metals at the core, only to cool and harden again as Silselrik 
  moves toward the more extreme edge of its orbit.
  Thought the mechanisms for this interaction have yet to 
  be discovered (and may involve extraplanar links, massive 
  chthonic ooze creatures, magic, or other hidden factors), the 
  result is a sloshing, unstable interior beneath a relatively sturdy 
  outer crust, which combines with the varying pull of the two 
  suns to cause highly variable gravity patterns across the planet. 
  The gravity in a given area might be anywhere from a standard 
  low-gravity environment to high gravity, but these patterns are 
  highly unpredictable, and when areas of differing gravity come 
  into contact, they form wild gravity storms that can cause 
  areas of sudden zero-g, crushingly severe gravity, and rapid 
  alternations between these extremes. These forces of gravity 
  combined with the suns’ heat have drawn the atmosphere 
  close, creating an atmosphere denser than on most worlds, but 
  still nominally breathable to many oxygen-dependent species. 
  The intense fluctuations of the planet’s gravity wreak havoc 
  on its geology and geography, driving up new mountain ranges 
  and subsuming others over the course of a few short years. 
  While some bodies of water exist on the planet, they are in a 
  near-constant state of flux, functioning more as ever-wandering 
  rivers than the oceans and seas found on a typical world. 
  Despite 
  the 
  inhospitable 
  environment, 
  Silselrik 
  nevertheless has spawned life in the form of a diverse array of 
  oozes that diverge from the typical mindless entities. Notable 
  among these are the enormous megadolorids, flat oozes 
  reaching over a half-mile across in size that draw sustenance 
  from external kinetic energy. The creatures evolved feeding 
  on the energy generated by the planet’s gravity storms, and 
  over time they have developed a peculiar form of symbiosis 
  with the planet’s other primary species. Now the gentle 
  leviathans roam the surface of the world with massive cities 
  called megadoplexes built upon their backs by the intelligent 
  oozes known as selamids, feeding upon the kinetic energy of 
  the civilizations they carry and carefully avoiding the more 
  severe gravity storms, to the benefit of their symbiotic kin.
  NOTABLE LOCATIONS
  The following are some of Silselrik’s more notable locations.
  CORE RESEARCH STATION
  The various phenomena that create Silselrik’s anomalous 
  gravity attract scholars from many fields: astrophysicists, 
  geologists, and even planar theorists. This latter group posits 
  that the gas pockets within the planet’s core are possible 
  only due to breaches to the Plane of Air. The researchers 
  thoroughly understand that disturbing the planet’s already 
  complex mechanisms would be disastrous to its inhabitants, 
  but a few continue to push the boundaries of safety in their 
  experiments and observations.
  DIAMOND MINES
  The fluctuating gravity on Silselrik has some benefits, the 
  most prominent of which is an abundance of easily accessible, 
  high-quality diamonds valued for both artistic and industrial 
  purposes. The best sources for these stones, however, lie in 
  the more tumultuous regions where geological stresses force 
  new veins to the surface beneath the largest gravity storms, 
  making the mining industry a dangerous one. 
  GRAVITIC HALLS
  While most solarian temples focus equally on the photon and 
  graviton aspects of the Cycle, the Gravitic Halls specialize 
  in teaching the graviton aspect, using the planet’s abnormal 
  gravity as a teaching tool. Instructors emphasize their 
  teaching as only half of the larger Cycle. A few graduates, 
  however, specialize solely on the graviton aspect, viewing it 
  as purity rather than an imbalance. 
  MIDIOS
  The largest of the megadoplexes, Midios (named for the 
  creature upon which it is built) favors wide, flat plains—a 
  preference that led its residents to construct the planet’s only 
  spaceport. The landing pads are set on heavily reinforced 
  platforms to protect the host creature from the heat of 
  starship engines, but the megadolorid Midios adores the 
  immense energy it can absorb from a launch, its frilled edges 
  rippling in pleasure each time a starship departs. Offworld 
  trade opportunities have led to Midios bearing the densest 
  population of any settlement on Silselrik.
  Silselrik
  
  53
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  MIDIOS
  NG megadoplex
  Population 21,389 (98% selamid, 2% other)
  Government council 
  Qualities mobile, technologically underdeveloped
  Maximum Item Level 11th
  QUALITIES
  Mobile The settlement is not fixed at a single geographic 
  location; it is difficult to map, and teleportation to the 
  settlement is not possible without line of sight.
  ORBITAL DOCK
  This space station provides a location where a starship pilot 
  can dock in relative safety from the planet’s fluctuating 
  gravity. A team of pilots specially trained in navigating the 
  planet’s dangerous conditions resides on the station, available 
  for hire to pilot a starship to the Midios spaceport at very 
  reasonable rates. Very few independent pilots risk unaided 
  journeys to the planet’s surface, though a few insist on trying 
  anyway, often resulting in deadly collisions with the planet’s 
  rocky crust. 
  SELAMID CULTURE
  Almost the entirety of the selamid species lives in the 
  megadoplexes roaming the more gravitationally stable 
  regions of Silselrik, with only a few iconoclastic groups eking 
  out their living as wandering tribes. The 
  remainder of the race has progressed 
  from these migratory roots, building 
  cities and increasingly stable societies. 
  These 
  more 
  advanced 
  selamid 
  settlements retain a central element of 
  communalism, extrapolated from the 
  fundamental need to live in harmony 
  with their megadolorid symbiotes. Each 
  megadoplex is a tight-knit community 
  with a strong relationship with its 
  host, making it rare for selamids to 
  move between megadoplexes. The 
  well-being of these behemoths is the 
  selamids’ primary concern, and so every 
  aspect of society revolves around the 
  megadolorid’s needs. In order to provide 
  these hosts a constant flow of kinetic 
  energy, selamid society operates around 
  the clock, resulting in a highly productive, 
  but often low-tech, economy. 
  The construction and repair of city 
  structures is a common group undertaking; 
  most selamids excrete a calcifying slime 
  that hardens into an iridescent, translucent 
  material they use to construct nautiliform 
  structures. The material is relatively fragile, 
  however, and so any given megadoplex sees 
  a constant cycle of building and rebuilding—much to the 
  megadolorid’s delight. As more offworld interests have 
  taken an interest in the world’s rich diamond deposits, a 
  thriving diamond-processing industry has also arisen in most 
  settlements. The crushing, grinding, and other physical forces 
  involved in the industry further feed the megadolorid hosts 
  while providing a valuable trading commodity.
  The need to provide constant movement for their hosts 
  also encourages selamids to emphasize athleticism in a way 
  that surprises most offworlders. Gymnasiums see activity at 
  all hours, and most selamids have active pastimes. The oozes’ 
  anatomy is appropriate for sports that members of other 
  species often find bizarre and have no hope of participating 
  in, such as compression mazes, competitions wherein a team 
  of oozes seeks to collectively envelop members of the other 
  team, and a peculiar throwing game called boshich, in which 
  selamids hurl objects as far as possible by forcibly expelling 
  them from within their protoplasm.
  Selamids are relative newcomers to the larger intergalactic 
  community, having been “discovered” by a team of Starfinders. 
  The oozes have largely welcomed the opportunity to trade and 
  learn from other species, though offworlders are still rare on the 
  planet. Some settlements are more welcoming to visitors than 
  others, but only Midios, as the primary spaceport, maintains a 
  small community of offworld residents and visitors.
  
  54
  ALIEN ARCHIVES
  The first thing we noted upon stepping off the shuttle was 
  the humidity. It enveloped us like an invisible blanket, and I 
  could immediately feel a trickle of perspiration run down 
  the small of my back. All that was immediately forgotten, 
  however, at the sight of the colossal metal mountain that 
  loomed over the city—a worldshard, as our serpentine 
  ambassador called it. Her many snakelike heads speaking at 
  once and drawing out each sibilant syllable, She explained 
  that her home planet once had an incredible space station 
  orbiting it, but an unknown accident caused it to plummet 
  from the sky. Unfortunately, records of that event have long 
  since vanished in the mists of time. But that’s why we’re here.
  —From the field report of Starfinder Manula Pemm
  
  55
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  XP 
  800
  CR 
  3
  GHIBRANI
  Membrane ghibrani mystic
  N Medium humanoid (ghibrani)
  Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +13
  DEFENSE 
  HP 32
  EAC 13; KAC 14
  Fort +2; Ref +2; Will +6 
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft., fly 20 ft. (Ex, average)
  Melee battle staff +5 (1d4+3 B; critical knockdown)
  Ranged static arc pistol +7 (1d6+3 E; critical arc 2)
  Offensive Abilities distracting buzz (DC 15)
  Mystic Spells Known (CL 3rd)
  1st (3/day)—detect thoughts (DC 16), mind thrust (DC 16)
  0 (at will)—daze (DC 15), telepathic message
  Connection empath
  STATISTICS
  Str +0; Dex +2; 
  Con +0; Int +0; 
  Wis +4; Cha +1
  Skills Culture +8, 
  Diplomacy +13, 
  Mysticism +13, 
  Sense Motive +13
  Languages Ghibran
  Other Abilities empathy, 
  greater mindlink
  Gear casual stationwear, battle staff, 
  static arc pistol with 2 batteries 
  (20 charges each)
  ECOLOGY
  Environment any (Elytrio)
  Organization solitary, pair, or 
  coterie (3–6)
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Distracting Buzz (Ex) As a standard 
  action, a membrane ghibrani can 
  vibrate her wings fast enough to 
  produce an almost imperceptible 
  hum. All creatures within 15 feet 
  of the membrane ghibrani that hear 
  this buzz must attempt a Will saving 
  throw (DC = 10 + half the ghibrani’s 
  character level or CR + her Wisdom 
  modifier) or gain the off-target condition 
  for 1 round. This is a mind-affecting, 
  sense-dependent ability. The membrane 
  ghibrani can’t use her wings to fly in the 
  same round in which she uses this ability.
  Ghibranis are beetle-like humanoids 
  native to the planet Elytrio 
  RACIAL TRAITS
  Ability Adjustments: See Subspecies below.
  Hit Points: 4
  Size and Type: Ghibranis are Medium humanoids with 
  the ghibrani subtype.
  Affable: Ghibranis receive a +2 racial bonus to 
  Diplomacy skill checks.
  Ghibrani Movement: All ghibranis have a land speed 
  of 30 feet. Husk ghibranis have a climb speed of 20 
  feet, while membranes have an extraordinary fly 
  speed of 20 feet with average maneuverability.
  Distracting Buzz: See the stat block.
  Low-Light Vision: Ghibranis can see twice 
  as far as humans in conditions of 
  dim light.
  Sturdy: Husk ghibranis receive a 
  +2 racial bonus to KAC against 
  attempts to bull rush or 
  reposition them. 
  Subspecies: Ghibranis belong 
  to one of two subspecies: 
  husk or membrane. All 
  ghibranis start with +2 
  Wisdom at character creation. 
  Husk ghibranis are more hardy 
  (+2 
  Constitution) 
  but 
  less 
  imaginative 
  (–2 
  Intelligence). 
  Membrane ghibranis are more 
  nimble (+2 Dexterity) but weaker 
  (–2 Strength). 
  (see page  46). After the 
  ghibranis devastated their 
  world with nuclear war, 
  some of the survivors fended 
  for themselves in the wastes, while 
  the rest lived comfortably in 
  a city protected by a bubble 
  of force. The lingering 
  radiation (even within the 
  city) caused a rapid change 
  in their biology, leading to two subspecies: husks, who 
  have lost the use of their wings, and membranes, who 
  have 
  grown 
  idle 
  in  their luxury.
  
  56
  LN Large monstrous humanoid (ilthisarian)
  Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +10
  DEFENSE 
  HP 45
  EAC 16; KAC 17
  Fort +5; Ref +5; Will +7
  Defensive Abilities redundant vitals, unflankable; 
  Immunities poison
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft., swim 20 ft.
  Melee bite +11 (1d6+7 P)
  Ranged static arc pistol +9 (1d6+4 E; critical arc 2)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  STATISTICS
  Str +5; Dex +0; Con +1; Int +3; Wis +0; Cha +0
  Skills Athletics +15 (+23 to swim), Engineering +15, 
  Intimidate +10, Physical Science +10, Survival +15
  Languages Ilthisarian
  Gear casual stationwear, static arc pistol with battery 
  (20 charges)
  ECOLOGY
  Environment any swamp (Arshalin) 
  Organization solitary, pair, or nest (3–8)
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Deadly Grasp (Ex)  When an ilthisarian succeeds at a 
  combat maneuver to maintain a grapple, it can make a 
  melee attack with its bite as a move action. 
  Redundant Vitals (Ex) Ilthisarian receive a +4 racial bonus to 
  saving throws against effects that target specific organs, 
  such as the wound and severe wound critical hit effects.
  Ilthisarians are multiheaded, serpentlike humanoids with 
  forked tails instead of legs. Though they are most comfortable in 
  the marshy environments of the planet Arshalin (see page 44), 
  ilthisarians can remain active in a wide range of climates.
  XP 
  1,200
  CR 
  4
  ILTHISARIAN
  RACIAL TRAITS
  Ability Adjustments: +2 Str, +2 Int, –2 Cha
  Hit Points: 6
  Size and Type: Ilthisarians are Large monstrous 
  humanoids with the ilthisarian subtype and space 
  and reach of 10 feet.
  Darkvision: Ilthisarians have darkvision with a range 
  of 60 feet. 
  Natural Weapons: Ilthisarians are always considered 
  armed. They can deal 1d3 lethal piercing damage 
  with unarmed strikes, and those attacks don’t count 
  as archaic. Ilthisarians gain a version of Weapon 
  Specialization with their natural weapons at 3rd 
  level, allowing them to add 1-1/2 × their character 
  level to damage rolls for their natural weapons 
  (instead of just adding their character level).
  Redundant Vitals: See the stat block.
  Swim: Ilthasarians have a swim speed of 
  20 feet.
  Venom-Inured: Ilthisarians receive a 
  +2 racial bonus to saving throws against 
  poison effects.
  
  57
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  CN Huge animal
  Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +17
  DEFENSE 
  HP 145
  EAC 20; KAC 22
  Fort +13; Ref +13; Will +8
  OFFENSE
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee bite +21 (2d10+15 P plus swallow whole) 
  Offensive Abilities double bite, swallow whole (2d10+15 A, 
  EAC 22, KAC 20, 36 HP), trample (2d10+15 B, DC 16)
  STATISTICS
  Str +6; Dex +3; Con +4; Int –5; Wis +3; Cha +0
  Skills Acrobatics +17, Athletics +22, Survival +17
  ECOLOGY
  Environment any temperate (former kishalee worlds)
  Organization solitary, pair, or herd (3–8)
  SPECIAL ABILITIES 
  Double Bite (Ex) If a jubsnuth misses with its bite attack, 
  it can make another bite attack with its other mouth 
  as a move action, though it takes a –4 penalty to this 
  attack roll. 
  During the height of their influence, the kishalee colonized 
  many worlds, bringing with them a versatile stock animal: 
  the docile jubsnuth. When the kishalee civilization fell, these 
  once-domesticated creatures were eventually left to fend for 
  themselves on a variety of worlds and environments. For 
  many herds, this was tantamount to a death sentence, 
  but others survived long enough to evolve into 
  ravaging predators. Though many evolved 
  varieties of jubsnuth now exist on 
  various worlds out in the Vast, they 
  share surprisingly similar traits. 
  Jubsnuths are extremely brutal, 
  carnivorous, 
  dim 
  witted, 
  and territorial.
  A jubsnuth is a large, 
  bulbous creature with a 
  pair of mouths, one at 
  the top of its mass and 
  another lower on the 
  body. It moves about on 
  two muscular legs, and 
  a hefty tail serves as a 
  counterbalance 
  for 
  its 
  weight. It uses a mass of 
  jointed appendages lining its 
  underbelly to gather up food. 
  A jubsnuth’s coloration depends 
  on the nature of the world on 
  which it evolved. Many are 
  shades of green to aid in camouflage on planets with foliage 
  of such coloration, though the creature’s size generally 
  makes attempts at stealth useless.
  JUBSNUTH VARIANTS
  Thanks to the breadth of worlds on which the kishalee settled 
  and the vagaries of evolution, several variants of the jubsnuth 
  have yet to be discovered by Pact Worlds explorers. Except 
  for the changes listed, these variants use the same statistics 
  as the jubsnuth presented above, but they can be used to 
  create a jubsnuth of any CR. Even more jubsnuth variants 
  may yet exist on uncharted planets.
  Ambush Jubsnuth: These Large jubsnuths lack the swallow 
  whole and trample abilities, and they gain the see in darkness 
  and tracking (scent) special abilities and have Stealth as a 
  master skill.
  Aquatic Jubsnuth: The legs of these creatures are longer 
  and end in large fins. They have the amphibious and water 
  breathing special abilities, and while their land speeds drop to 
  10 feet, they gain a 40-foot swim speed. 
  Flying Jubsnuth: These Large jubsnuths have leathery 
  wings instead of legs, giving them an extraordinary fly speed 
  of 30 feet with average maneuverability but reducing their 
  land speed to 10 feet. 
  XP 
  6,400
  CR 
  9
  JUBSNUTH 
  
  58
  XP 
  4,800
  CR 
  8
  OBLIVION SHADE
  STATISTICS
  Str —; Dex +6; Con —; Int +4; Wis +2; Cha +2
  Skills Acrobatics +21, Intimidate +21, Stealth +21
  Languages Common
  Other Abilities unliving, void leap
  ECOLOGY
  Environment any
  Organization solitary or cabal (1–2 with 4–20 oblivion 
  shade spawn)
  SPECIAL ABILITIES 
  Create Spawn (Su) A living humanoid creature killed by 
  an oblivion shade’s incorporeal touch must attempt a 
  DC 18 Will saving throw just before it is killed. If it fails, 
  it becomes an oblivion shade spawn under the control 
  of the original oblivion shade in 1d4 rounds. An oblivion 
  shade spawn usually has a CR that is 3 lower than that 
  of the original oblivion shade.
  Void Leap (Su) An oblivion shade can pass incorporeally 
  through the center of a solid object whose space is larger 
  than its own, but not an object whose space is larger 
  than the distance an oblivion shade can move with a 
  single move action (40 feet for most oblivion shades).
  A kind of incorporeal undead, an oblivion shade comes into 
  existence when an evil being dies in the throes of utter 
  nihilism. With that negativity burning in its heart, the 
  miserable soul rises again as an oblivion shade.
  Oblivion shades are animate expressions of entropy, able 
  to disintegrate matter with a touch. Though their bodies melt 
  away to nearly nothing, victims killed by oblivion shades 
  often find their souls twisted, becoming oblivion shade spawn 
  under the thrall of the original undead.
  Most oblivion shades embrace devotion to the Devourer. 
  Some function as soldiers of the Star-Eater’s cults, while 
  others act as revered mystics and sages of the most 
  faithful choirs. A few create their own sects by slaughtering 
  innocents to create spawn. These “invisible choirs” are looked 
  upon with fear and awe even by other cultists of 
  the Devourer.
  OBLIVION SHADE 
  TEMPLATE GRAFT (CR 3+)
  Oblivion shades are incorporeal undead that 
  appear as flickers at the edge of light. This template 
  can be used to create oblivion shade spawn by simply omitting 
  the create spawn ability.
  Required Creature Type: Undead.
  Required Subtype: Incorporeal.
  Traits: Blindsight (life) 60 ft.; create spawn (see above); set 
  Strength modifier to —; void leap (see above).
  Suggested Ability Score Modifiers: Dex, Int.
  NE Medium undead (incorporeal)
  Init +5; Senses blindsight (life) 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; 
  Perception +21
  DEFENSE 
  HP 115
  EAC 20; KAC 21
  Fort +7; Ref +7; Will +13
  Defensive Abilities incorporeal; Immunities undead 
  immunities
  OFFENSE
  Speed fly 40 ft. (Su, perfect)
  Melee incorporeal touch +17 (1d12+8 A; critical corrode 1d6) 
  Offensive Abilities create spawn (DC 18)
  
  59
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  Scyphozoan mechanic
  N Medium aberration
  Init +2; Senses blindsense (vibration) 30 ft.; Perception +8
  DEFENSE 
  HP 42
  EAC 14; KAC 15
  Fort +5; Ref +5; Will +5
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
  Melee tentacle +7 (1d4+3 A & B)
  Ranged tactical arc emitter +9 (1d4+3 E)
  Offensive Abilities overload, target tracking
  STATISTICS
  Str +0; Dex +2; Con +1; Int +4; Wis +0; Cha +0
  Skills Computers +13, Engineering +13, Life Science +8, 
  Medicine +13, Physical Science +8
  Languages Common, Scyphozoan
  Other Abilities amphibious, artificial 
  intelligence (exocortex), 
  custom rig, mechanic tricks 
  (energy shield [7 HP, 
  3 minutes])
  Gear scyphozoan bio-weave 
  XP 
  800
  CR 
  3
  SCYPHOZOAN
  RACIAL TRAITS
  Ability Adjustments: +2 Con, +2 Int, –2 Cha
  Hit Points: 4
  Size and Type: Scyphozoans are Medium aberrations.
  Acidic Tentacles: See the stat block.
  Amphibious: Scyphozoans are able to breathe both 
  water and air normally.
  Scyphozoan Senses: Scyphozoans have blindsense 
  (vibration) with a range of 30 feet.
  Sea-Born: A scyphozoan has a land speed of 30 feet 
  and a swim speed of 30 feet.
  Translucent: Scyphozoans receive a +2 
  racial bonus to Stealth skill checks.
  (functions as 
  graphite carbon skin), 
  tactical arc emitter with 1 battery 
  (20 charges)
  ECOLOGY 
  Environment temperate aquatic or 
  urban (Primoria)
  Organization solitary, pair, or 
  bloom (3–18)
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Acidic Tentacles (Ex) As a swift action, 
  a scyphozoan can make one of her 
  prehensile tentacles secrete acid; her 
  unarmed strikes with that tentacle 
  count as having the corrosive weapon 
  fusion, except the ability is not 
  magical. While the effect is activated, 
  the scyphozoan is considered armed, 
  and the attack doesn’t 
  count as archaic, but the 
  scyphozoan cannot 
  hold an item in 
  that tentacle. 
  Starting at 3rd level, a scyphozoan 
  adds 1-1/2 × her character level 
  to the damage while the effect 
  is activated. A scyphozoan can 
  deactivate the effect as a swift action.
  Scyphozoans evolved from a species 
  of large amphibious sea jellies, 
  which hunted on land 
  and in water along 
  the 
  coastlines 
  of 
  Primoria’s 
  temperate zones 
  (see page 48). A 
  scyphozoan 
  has 
  a soft and translucent body, with 
  several ambulatory tentacles as well as two 
  prehensile tentacles. In water, a scyphozoan 
  swims by expanding and contracting its 
  bell, which propels the creature forward. 
  The bell and tentacles are sensitive to 
  vibrations in the air or water, allowing the 
  scyphozoan to sense nearby creatures 
  even if she can’t see them. A scyphozoan 
  is approximately 7 feet tall and weighs 
  up to 200 pounds. Other species find 
  it difficult to tell male and female 
  scyphozoans apart because the 
  two sexes exhibit few 
  differing characteristics. 
  FPO
  
  60
  NG Medium ooze (selamid)
  Init +3; Senses blindsight (vibration) 60 ft., sightless; 
  Perception +18
  DEFENSE 
  HP 80 
  EAC 18; KAC 19
  Fort +7; Ref +3; Will +7; +2 vs. gravity effects
  Defensive Abilities amorphous, gravity adaptation
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 10 ft.
  Melee pseudopod +12 (1d6+8 B plus grab)
  Ranged advanced semi-auto pistol +14 (2d6+6 P)
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with pseudopod)
  STATISTICS
  Str +2; Dex +3; Con +5; Int +0; Wis +1; Cha +0 
  Skills Athletics +18, Culture +18, Sense Motive +13, Survival +13 
  Languages Common, Selamidian
  Other Abilities advanced ooze biology, compression, 
  malleable
  Gear advanced semi-auto pistol with 12 rounds
  XP 
  2,400
  CR 
  6
  SELAMID
  ECOLOGY 
  Environment any (Silselrik) 
  Organization solitary, pair, work crew (3–12), or 
  community (50+ plus 50% noncombatants) 
  SPECIAL ABILITIES 
  Advanced Ooze Biology (Ex) Selamids are not 
  immune to critical hits, are not mindless, and 
  can gain and use skills normally. For effects 
  targeting creatures by type, selamids count as 
  both humanoids and oozes (whichever type 
  allows an ability to affect them for abilities 
  that affect only one type, and whichever 
  is worse for abilities that affect both 
  creature types).
  Gravity Adaptation (Ex) Selamids can always 
  take 10 on Athletics checks in zero gravity. 
  Malleable (Ex) A selamid can manipulate and 
  wear equipment as a creature with two arms, 
  and equipment and armor of the appropriate 
  size never needs to be adjusted to allow the 
  selamid to use it. It gains a +8 racial bonus to 
  Acrobatics checks to escape.
  Adapted to survive in fluctuating gravity, 
  selamids are creatures of complex, flexible 
  protoplasm. Though selamids can eat nearly 
  any organic matter, their diets usually consist 
  of material sloughed from other oozes on 
  their home world (see page 52). At the end 
  of its 40-year life span, a selamid divides 
  to “birth” new selamids. 
  RACIAL TRAITS
  Ability Adjustments:  +2 Dex, +2 Con, –2 Cha
  Hit Points: 6
  Size and Type: Selamids are Medium oozes with the 
  selamid subtype, but they do not gain the normal 
  ooze immunities.
  Advanced Ooze Biology: See the stat block.
  Blindsight: Selamids have blindsight (vibration) with a 
  range of 60 feet.
  Gravity Adaptation: See the stat block.
  Malleable: See the stat block.
  Sightless: A selamid cannot see and is never subject 
  to any effect that requires it to see a target or effect.
  
  61
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  THE 
  THIRTEENTH 
  GATE
  LN Medium monstrous humanoid (seprevoi)
  Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +13
  DEFENSE 
  HP 35
  EAC 14; KAC 15
  Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +6; +2 vs. radiation, –2 vs. disease
  Defensive Abilities multi-legged, orbital adaptation
  Weaknesses vulnerable to disease
  OFFENSE
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee tactical dueling sword +9 (1d6+4 S)
  Ranged autotarget rifle +11 (1d6+3 P)
  Offensive Abilities analog attunement
  STATISTICS
  Str +1; Dex +4; Con +0; Int –1; Wis +0; Cha +2
  Skills Acrobatics +13, Culture +8, Diplomacy +8, 
  Sense Motive +13
  Languages Seprevoi
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Analog Attunement (Ex) A seprevoi using a weapon with 
  the analog or archaic weapon property receives a 
  +1 racial bonus on attack rolls, due to 
  the centuries of rationing 
  that restricted the race’s 
  access to and familiarity 
  with powered or otherwise 
  advanced technology.
  Multi-Legged (Ex) Seprevois have four legs, which 
  makes them particularly stable in areas of normal or 
  higher gravity. A seprevois gains a +2 bonus to its KAC 
  against combat maneuvers to trip or move it from its 
  position.
  Orbital Adaptation (Ex) Most seprevois live their whole 
  lives in zero-g environments in the spacecraft orbiting 
  their home world. While a seprevoi must still attempt 
  all required skill checks to move in zero-g, failure at 
  any such checks never imparts the off-kilter condition 
  to the creature. Additionally, seprevois have a natural 
  resistance to radiation. A seprevoi gains a +2 bonus 
  to saving throws to resist radiation and radiation 
  sickness (Starfinder Core Rulebook 404). Finally, 
  seprevois have weakened immune systems, such 
  that they take a –2 penalty to saving throws against 
  diseases (except radiation sickness).
  Seprevois evolved from the simian creatures of their home 
  world (see page 50). They are covered in fine, short hair 
  ranging in color from dark brown to pale blond, except for 
  the black skin of their faces and hands. Seprevois have 
  six elongated fingers on each hand, each featuring an 
  additional joint compared to a human’s hand. 
  Seprevois’ four feet have three unjointed toes each.
  XP 
  800
  CR 
  3
  SEPREVOI
  RACIAL TRAITS
  Ability Adjustments: +2 Dex, +2 Cha, –2 Int
  Hit Points: 6
  Size and Type: Seprevois are Medium monstrous 
  humanoids with the seprevoi subtype.
  Analog Attunement: See the stat block.
  Fast: Seprevois have a land speed of 40 feet.
  Multi-Legged: See the stat block.
  Orbital Adaptation: See the stat block.
  
  CODEX OF WORLDS
  URRAKAR
  Cold World of Shadows and Black Emeralds
  Diameter: ×2/3; Mass: ×1/2
  Gravity: ×1
  Location: The Vast 
  Atmosphere: Thick
  Day: 12 hours; Year: 412 years
  Urrakar is the lone planet of the Urran system, which is 
  composed mostly of asteroid belts and dense cloud rings. 
  The location of the Urran system appeared on numerous 
  Pact Worlds and Veskarium planetary infospheres almost 
  simultaneously, shortly after devotees of Triune visited 
  it as they were spreading Drift beacons throughout the 
  galaxy. No one has stepped forward to claim responsibility 
  for disseminating the information, and even those priests 
  who first encountered the area claim to have had no 
  hand in this strange occurrence. Despite the mystery 
  surrounding Urrakar, many groups in the Pact Worlds have 
  begun exploring the planet’s surface and exploiting its 
  natural resources.
  Urrakar is even farther from its star than Aucturn is 
  from the Pact Worlds’ sun, which places the planet well 
  outside what would normally be the system’s habitable 
  zone (where water can exist in a liquid state on a planet’s 
  surface). However, Urrakar’s extremely dense composition 
  helps keep the planet’s core molten. This, combined with 
  tidal heating and the radioactive decay of 
  its heaviest elements, allows Urrakar to 
  maintain a surface temperature just above 
  water’s freezing point. The planet also has 
  a strong magnetic field, which protects it 
  from cosmic rays despite its great range 
  from the solar winds of its star.
  The constant churning of molten metals 
  within Urrakar’s core makes the planet very 
  active volcanically, with gases constantly 
  spewing from hot springs, massive cinder 
  cones, and vents. As such, the planet has 
  a dense atmosphere with a strong metallic 
  odor. The air is sometimes thick with ash, 
  and while the trace chemicals found in 
  the atmosphere aren’t in high enough 
  concentrations to qualify as toxic, long-
  term exposure without protection is likely 
  to damage the lungs of most non-native air-
  breathing creatures.
  Urrakar is a dark, cold world. Even at 
  noon, its sun is nothing more than a point in 
  the sky, dimmer than a full moon and safe to look at with the 
  naked eye. Otherwise, it’s lit only by the glow of lava below 
  jagged mountains from strong tectonic activity, the planet is 
  veiled in huge, dense shadows. The darkest of these areas 
  have weak connections to the Shadow Plane, through which 
  creatures from that plane can sometimes pass. Urrakar has 
  no native fauna, but umbral versions of many creatures from 
  throughout the galaxy can be found across the world, often 
  hunting smaller shadowy creatures and anything else they 
  can track and potentially consume.
  The combination of energy from the Shadow Plane and 
  heavy metals also causes Urrakar to be the only known 
  source of black emeralds—gemstones infused with innate 
  magic potential. Black emeralds are valuable resources for the 
  manufacture of spell gems that hold necromantic magic and 
  some forms of solarian weapon crystals. Several companies, 
  most notably Arabani Arms, Ltd. and Ulrikka Clanholdings, 
  have small mining operations on the planet that focus on 
  extracting black emeralds. Usually consisting of a single 
  heated and pressurized prefab building, these mining facilities 
  are generally separated by hundreds of miles with little but 
  empty plains between them. Direct competition for resources 
  between these enterprises is currently rare, as the stripping 
  of Urrakar’s gem fields has only just begun. However, a few 
  conglomerates (such as Astral Extractions) have begun to 
  engage in underhanded tactics and corporate sabotage to 
  gain the upper hand.
  62
  
  TEMPLE  
  OF THE 
  TWELVE
  PART 1: 
  STATIC SUNS, 
  CLOCKWORK 
  PLANETS
  PART 2: 
  COUNTDOWN  
  TO OBLIVION
  PART 3: 
  LAST GASPS
  RELICS OF THE 
  KISHALEE
  ALIEN WORLDS 
  AND  
  CULTURES
  ALIEN 
  ARCHIVES
  CODEX OF
  WORLDS
  EMPIRE OF BONES
  By Owen K.C. Stephens
  The undead Corpse Fleet has appeared within the strange star 
  system known as the Gate of Twelve Suns, intent on seizing 
  the ancient alien superweapon called the Stellar Degenerator. 
  The heroes are massively outgunned, and their only hope lies 
  in infiltrating the fleet’s flagship and seizing control of the 
  vessel’s bridge. Only then can they set the ship to self-destruct 
  and pilot it on a collision course with the superweapon. If they 
  succeed, the heroes can obliterate the Stellar Degenerator 
  and render the galaxy safe once again, but they’ll need to 
  escape the destruction to live to tell the tale!
  CONTINUING THE CAMPAIGN
  By John Compton
  The heroes have destroyed the Stellar Degenerator, but 
  their adventures don’t have to end there! From dealing with 
  a powerful extraplanar entity summoned upon opening the 
  superweapon’s demiplane to battling more servants of the 
  Devourer, this article is chock full of plot hooks and ideas for 
  any Dead Suns campaign to continue on.
  SHIPS OF THE LINE
  By Owen K.C. Stephens
  Sometimes battleships and dreadnoughts just aren’t big 
  enough! This article presents new rules for starships of 
  extraordinary size and power capable of acting as mobile 
  bases for entire fleets.
  SHIPS OF THE CORPSE FLEET
  By Jason Keeley
  The exiled undead navy known as the Corpse Fleet shows no 
  signs of ceasing its activities. Discover new starship options 
  for expansion bays and weapons, and witness the might of 
  several new Corpse Fleet vessels of various tiers!
  SUBSCRIBE TO STARFINDER 
  ADVENTURE PATH
  The Dead Suns Adventure Path concludes! Don’t miss out on 
  a single exciting volume—head over to paizo.com/starfinder 
  and subscribe today to have Starfinder Roleplaying Game, 
  Starfinder Adventure Path, and Starfinder Accessories 
  products delivered to your door!
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  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
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  System Reference Document © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors: 
  Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax 
  and Dave Arneson.
  Starfinder Core Rulebook © 2017, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Logan Bonner, Jason 
  Bulmahn, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Jason Keeley, Robert G. McCreary, Stephen 
  Radney-MacFarland, Mark Seifter, Owen K.C. Stephens, and James L. Sutter, 
  with Alexander Augunas, Judy Bauer, John Compton, Adam Daigle, Crystal 
  Frasier, Lissa Guillet, Thurston Hillman, Erik Mona, Mark Moreland, Jessica Price, 
  F. Wesley Schneider, Amber E. Scott, and Josh Vogt.
  Starfinder Adventure Path #5: The Thirteenth Gate © 2018, Paizo Inc.; Authors: 
  Stephen Radney-MacFarland, with Mikko Kallio, Jason Keeley, Lyz Liddell, Ron 
  Lundeen, Mark Moreland, and Owen K.C. Stephens.
  NEXT MONTH
  63
  
  Experience the wonders of the Pact Worlds in this definitive, 216-page hardcover campaign 
  setting for the Starfinder Roleplaying Game! The book contains detailed gazetteers for all worlds 
  of the Absalom Pact, as well as new character themes for each Pact World. Travel the galaxy with 
  the starships of Aballon, Verces, the Hellknights, the Iomedaeans, and the Xenowardens, or play 
  as a member of one of six new alien races: shapechanging astrazoans, rolling bantrids, undead 
  borais, plantlike khizars, robotic SROs, or winged strix. With tons of new archetypes, feats, spells, 
  equipment, and NPC stat blocks, Starfinder Pact Worlds reveals the secrets and mysteries of the solar 
  system and its inhabitants in all their science fantasy glory!
  Paizo, Paizo Inc., the Paizo golem logo, Starfinder, and the Starfinder logo are registered trademarks of Paizo Inc.; 
  Starfinder Roleplaying Game is a trademark of Paizo Inc. © 2018, Paizo Inc.
  AVAILABLE NOW!
  BRAVE 
  NEW 
  WORLDS!
  PACT WORLDS
  paizo.com
  
  10
  a
  b
  2
  11
  12
  2
  13
  1
  a
  b
  c
  2
  3
  4
  5
  7
  8
  9
  6
  TURRET DECK
  MAIN DECK
  CARGO DECK
  1 square = 10  feet
  FORWARD
  MAP KEY
  1. Main bridge
  a. Captain’s chair
  b. Pilot’s station
  c. Engineering station
  2. Hover lift
  3. Washroom
  4. Crew airlock
  5. Galley
  6. Crew quarters
  7. War room
  8. Captain’s quarters
  9. Power core
  10. Lower bridge
  a. Gunnery station
  b. Science officer’s station
  11. Cargo airlock
  12. Cargo bay
  13. Turret station
  MODIFIED ATECH BULWARK
  
  A PLACE IN THE SUNS
  The heroes journey deeper into the Vast to find the Gate of Twelve 
  Suns, an alien megastructure consisting of a dozen stars arranged 
  in a perfect circle. However, members of the Cult of the Devourer 
  precede them, and the heroes must contend with the cultists for 
  control of the alien technology found on the single planet orbiting 
  each sun. Only by defeating these foul marauders can the heroes 
  keep the superweapon hidden here out of the 
  wrong hands—though the destructive zealots are 
  far from the only threats found in the system.
  This volume of Starfinder Adventure Path continues 
  the Dead Suns Adventure Path and includes:
  • “The Thirteenth Gate,” a Starfinder adventure for 9th-level
  characters, by Stephen Radney-MacFarland.
  • A collection of technological relics left scattered across the galaxy
  by the kishalee, members of an ancient advanced alien civilization,
  by Stephen Radney-MacFarland.
  • Detailed descriptions of the worlds and cultures of five never-
  before-encountered alien species, by Mikko Kallio, Jason Keeley,
  Lyz Liddell, Ron Lundeen, and Mark Moreland.
  • An archive of new creatures, from the main inhabitants of the
  five new alien worlds to an undead manifestation of entropy,
  by Mikko  Kallio, Jason Keeley, Lyz Liddell, Ron Lundeen,
  Mark Moreland, and Stephen Radney-MacFarland.
  • Statistics and deck plans for a heavily modified starship crewed by
  Devourer cultists, by Stephen Radney-MacFarland, plus a glimpse
  of a barren planet cloaked in shadow in the Codex of Worlds, by
  Owen K.C. Stephens.
  paizo.com/starfinder
  Printed in China. PZO7205
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Starfinder [multi]/Adventure Paths/SF 1-06 Dead Suns/Dead Suns - 5 - The Thirteenth Gate.pdf