Intrigue in the Hebra IX Cluster

The Solagin is an archaic title of the Cosmic Prince, Sett Wallarmox.

When the Solagin was elevated to his current position of power, opposition and wishers of ill-will multiplied like the spawning Iggodasci of planet Juoq. The strongest voices of discontent however, have come from the bellicose Sneel, the most distasteful and unliked of all the races in the Hebra IX solar cluster. Of the eight planets, and their respective natives, only the Sneel refused to send ambassadors to Wallarmox's inaugural celebration.

The Solagin knows that in order to make his mark early and distinctly, he would have to visit the Sneel, placate their Autocrat, and usher in a new age of glasnost, or at the very least, see what the Sneel may be plotting 'in honor' of the Solagin's ascension.

However, the Solagin is also aware that the Sneel have innovated a new form of technology, a higher form than had previously been thought possible. The Sneel have always been thought of as the 'poorer cousins' of Hebra IX, among the other races, when it came to interstellar warp drive capability, robotics, and subatomic manipulation. The Sneel had always made due with their moderate level of technology, by excelling at being belligerent and fecund, always being the ones to throw monkey wrenches into the decisions, diplomacies, and edicts of the Council of Eight and Eight Thousand, the ruling body of the Hebra IX cluster.

Now, the Solagin has decided to visit the backwards planet, something his advisers have warned him against. Sett believes however that his own 'understanding nature', his superior oratorical and motivational skills, along with his unbridled charisma, will allow him to 'tow the Sneels into line'.

The Solagin has a hidden agenda as well. He wants to discover the truth behind the rumors of the Sneel's new, shiny technology, and determine what threat it may pose. His own high council, however, is filled with spies and sycophants, and therefore the Solagin refuses to divulge the real reason for his mission to his advisors. He doesn't trust any of them. Enter the PCs, whom the Solagin recruits to accompany him on his sojourn to Laprakka, the Sneel's hydrogen-misted planet. Along for the ride is the Solagin's sister, Dr. Rubella, as well 'Man Fred', the Solagin's personal bodyguard, Hebra IX's most technologically advanced android, and a killing machine of the highest order.

Possible Explanations:

1. After countless years of trial and error, the Sneel have discovered the secrets of sub-atomic manipulation. In a nutshell, they are now able to scramble the very cell structure of their bodies and take on the countenance of any other race or creature, appearing identical to the form they wish to emulate. Space doppelgangers, so to speak. The trip becomes an Abbot and Costello routine of who's who, after the Solagin's Starship touches down on Laprakka. The Sneel's plan? They want to kidnap the Solagin, and send a Sneel imposter back in his place. Their first step in achieving total domination of the Hebra IX cluster. Mighty Mazoon, the Autocrat of Laprakka and the Sneel, will of course welcome the Solagin with false sincerity and open arms, all four of them. Will the PCs foil the plot? Too many possible cases of mistaken identity.

2. The Sneel have created 'Dust Punch', a gigantic weapon of mass annihilation. Weighing in at close to four hundred tons, this monstrosity is positioned on a vast massif, several miles away from the Sneel capital, hidden from radar, and heavily guarded. The idea? They plan on firing it soon. While the Solagin shmoozes with Mighty Mazoon, the PCs must find the weapon's whereabouts, discover its nature, and cause its eventual deactivation or destruction, all without implicating the Solagin of course, and within four days, the duration of the planned visit. A race against time, Mission Impossible.

Another perverse possibility, is having the Sneels actually approaching the space-faring PCs, while they are still in service to the Solagin, during his diplomatic visit, and blowing them away with an offer of vasts sum of money and an actual interstellar starship of their own, a tempting bribe to be sure, having strategically admitted to the PCs that they indeed have an 'ultimate weapon', and were planning to use it on the Solagin's home planet. What will the PCs do? After all, they are merely passing through the Cluster, the PCs might not care if the unpleasant Sneel 'win out' against the wise, benevolent Solagin.

3. The Sneel haven't had an 'innovation' in a millennium, and they haven't got one now. This is all actually insidious rumormongering, emanating from the Klavians, Masters of Sound, normally a subservient race, inhabiting the Fourth Planet, Porjarpor. The Klavians have secretly decided that the current regime isn't to their liking, while at the same time, fawning at the feet of the unsuspecting Solagin, disguising their true intentions. The Klavians have even recruited Dr. Rubella against her own brother, with unknown promises, and she thus accompanies the Solagin to Laprakka to ensure her hidden masters' wishes. The Klavians want to start a war between the Sneel and the Solagin's Republic, while enacting their own schemes of domination in the ensuing chaos. Various factions take turns tugging at the PCs sleeves.

Tales of Adventure

are brief adventure plots or story elements, presented in a few paragraphs. What separates a Tale of Adventure from other plots is that it gives three different directions for the adventure to play out. They may be minor twists in how the original situation is presented, or they may turn the whole scenario upside down.