Off the Rail (Warframe CK2-ish Quest) (Spoilers!)

QM Note: This is a CK2-like quest. This entire arc is just the prologue.

---

Prologue: Derelict Dreams, Part I

---

Railjack Designation: 'SSV Don't Stop Me Now'
Asteroid Belt, Between Mars and Jupiter, Origin System


You are a Tenno. Masters of sword and gun, the resurrected warriors of a long-lost age meant to bring back peace between the warring powers of the Origin System. Sworn to uphold justice, truth, and compassion in times where there are none, it is a thankless task that you do not wish upon anyone.

But things have changed. The leaders of the Grineer have been felled by Tenno blades, despite the best efforts of the Twin Queens. The Corpus is split between two factions, locked in an ideological split to curb the rot that had settled in over millennia. The Infestation grows stronger, a new and worrying vector of transmission appearing around the orbit of Mars.

And the Sentients, your sworn enemy, have returned in greater strength, seeking to conquer the Origin System wholesale and topple everything that you and the rest of the Tenno have built.

Was it no wonder that you chose to take your railjack and sail out into the dark of space, to meditate upon these changing times?

"Void translation, complete. Initial scans indicate no trace of Grineer or Corpus presence in the area."

You raise your head in response to Cy's words, the Cephalon's voice ringing throughout the ship. With ease of movement formed from years upon years of war, you get up from your spot at the bridge of the railjack and take the reins. Sympathetic circuits flare as your Warframe's circuitry connects to the ship's own, and data begins to flow directly through your mind, only mediated by sheer force of will.

Weapons, online. Shields, online. Hull, intact. Sensor data… nothing more than mined out rocks, inert wreckage from previous cycles, and a… derelict.

A Tenno derelict. What was it doing out in the Belt? "Cy, are you seeing this?"

"Derelict Tenno Dojo. Odd. Records indicate that this was destroyed during the Old War."

Your hands twitch at the mention. Your mind goes back to synth-laced skies, of thousands of swarms ripping apart ships by their lonesome, of millions of zero-tech troopers floating dead in vacuum as the skies over the entire solar system burn in Sentient unlight–

–But then the memory is gone, soothed by your Warframe. You send a pulse of gratefulness towards them, but their flicker of consciousness was gone, rendered dormant once more. It was… it was definitely for the best.

"Any chances that we could tow it back to Tenno space?"

"Actions of such magnitude would attract Grineer and Corpus attention. Inadvisable."

No dice on the easy way out, then. And no doubt that the result would be the same if you gathered up some of the other Tenno and disassembled it for parts. Just like any other time in the Origin System's recent history when the Tenno came in force, it would be a complete and utter bloodbath. Mostly on the side that wanted a piece of the pie, but…

You can't do it. Not in these times, where the Sentients have returned in force, and were looking to split apart any sort of unity that the Origin System might have against them.

It's time to do something… unorthodox. "Cy, I want a deep scan of that dojo. See if it has a dry dock that the ship can dock to."

"Scanning." The ship vibrates, even as you slowly coast the railjack along a nice and slow intercept route towards the derelict. Still, you weren't stupid. You kept an eye out, keeping the shields primed and weapons hot. Nothing ever stays hidden for long under the eyes of both the Corpus and Grineer – it was just that they were too busy squabbling over one another or cracking down on internal conflicts to actually care about trying to squash you and your fellow Tenno.

The last time that had happened…

Vesper. Leonov. Kuiper. Strata I. Four Tenno Relays lost, four Orokin-era space stations gone in the blink of an eye, and the flash of a Balor Fomorian. Millions of lives lost.

You won't let that happen again. "Scan complete. Dry dock found. It is currently… inoperable. It would require extensive repairs."

Damn. That would mean that you have to visit again, and that means leaving a potential trail for others to follow. By the time you get back, there might be Grineer or Corpus scavengers trying to cordon off this space, and then… things would get ugly.

"Cy, mark this location in sensor logs. Be ready to scrub it from the databanks if someone succeeds in hacking through your mainframe." You call out, easing the railjack off the approach vector and pointing its nose towards a random direction. "In the meantime, prepare the reliquary drive, staggered and random jumps. I don't want anyone knowing about this place save for the two of us… at least, for now."

"Orders, acknowledged. Charging reliquary drive."

As the ship slips into the void and Cy takes over the controls, you cut off the sympathetic connection between the railjack and your Warframe, returning back to your meditation once more.

You would… you would have to make some calls. It's better for those in the know to be informed of this rather than ask unnecessary questions. But who to call…?

[Pick one.]

[] [CALL] New blood. New Tenno were… more pliable. More willing to do back-breaking work compared to other, more experienced Tenno. Not that you judged them for it, but having some new Tenno on call would make them less willing to blab about the derelict dojo's current location. (Gain 5 Tenno Recruits.)

[] [CALL] Some friends. They were an eclectic bunch, fellow Tenno that you met while on raids and missions. Weird, but effective. And you most certainly trust them enough to keep a secret of this magnitude. (Gain 2 Combat-Capable Tenno, and 1 Railjack-Capable Tenno.)

[] [CALL] Your mentor. A find of this magnitude could shift the balance of power in the Origin System. And while you could certainly make your own decisions, you're not one to make a decision of this magnitude without at least hearing a second opinion. See what they think. Then decie. (Gain 1 Veteran Tenno.)

No additional votes...

Welp, it's fine. Have thy new recruits, and time to proceed with the rest of char creation!

---

Prologue: Derelict Dreams, Part II

---

Simulation Chambers
Unknown Tenno Dojo, Beyond the Origin System's Heliopause


New blood. New Tenno. It was a relative term, what with the fact that all of you were in the frontlines of the Old War. They were simply referred to as such given the fact that they had just been recently awakened, their stasis pods recovered from Orokin derelicts scattered throughout the Origin System and reactivated by their fellow Tenno.

You had… training sims. A mental landscape that drip-fed information about the current state of the Origin System, so that they would emerge with all the knowledge and retrain their old skills. It was the Second Dream… yet not, at the same time. You're hesitant to call it the Third Dream. Dreams couldn't – shouldn't – be coated in the bloodshed of millions of simulated Corpus and Grineer.

Just because it wasn't real, doesn't mean that it was right. But it was necessary to drip-feed new Tenno the information, lest they were going to be entirely lost once they were thawed out. At least, that was the hope.

The soft footsteps of your Warframe halts at a console, and a wave of your hand brings up the display to life. Out of the seventy New Tenno that were still in stasis, five of them were more than ready to be brought out of the sims and be mentored. Normally, they'd be sequestered off to other, more experienced Tenno.

But you already cleared up some of the paperwork with your clan leader, along with a rough plan of action. If you found a derelict Tenno Dojo located smack dab in the middle of the Origin System, then you sure as hell would exploit it for all that it's worth. A staging ground for Tenno operations relatively far from any major planets, production centers, and Solar Rails.

No chances of civilian casualties as well, unlike the Relays.

To make sure that there were no trails to follow however, you would need New Tenno. Relatively unknown unlike some of the more… infamous… Tenno out there, and would leave relatively little trace. The fact that you have five New Tenno that could already be taken out of the sims is nothing short of fortuitous.

With a pulse of your will, you Transfer out of your Warframe, feeling the sudden cold of the metallic floor. The warmth of your Warframe was gone, and in its place was… you. A Tenno.

Your hand brings up the console's interface, and you quickly get to work on thawing those five New Tenno that you've seen. One at a time of course – you can't catch them all at once if they chose to do something stupid – and it also means that you get to pick and choose which one to wake first.

It takes you a few moments to decide. And when you do, you hit the button, and the Orokin-era lifepod begins to unfold, revealing another Tenno. A youthful face groggily awakens, their fingers brushing against metallic implants, and they hitch a breath. Their eyes open, minute movements trying to search for something…

… And then they turn towards you, with a single question on their lips. "Where's Ballas?"

It tells you all you need to know. The rage, the flash of sorrow – it was all too familiar with your own experiences after going through that event in the sims. But sympathy wasn't what they needed. So you bring out a tablet and toss it towards them, letting them come to their own conclusions instead. It takes them but a few moments to skim through all of the relevant details, and by the time they put the pad down, their hands were shaking.

"What do we do now?"

The question was asked with a trembling voice. Not that you can blame them, given some of the many, many particular events that happened in the last couple of years. But even if the question was meant to be rhetorical, you nonetheless answer their question with conviction.

"Survive. Help the helpless. Continue being a thorn in the side of the Grineer and Corpus. Cull the Infestation." You list off some of the more important objectives, shaking your head and letting out a sigh. "Just because the Lotus is gone doesn't mean we're paralyzed. We have to hire more agents to make up for the lost computing power offered by her, but otherwise? We keep on going as normal."

It wasn't as cut and dry as you told the other Tenno, however. No matter how many agents and bodies you recruited into the Tenno's ranks to stymie the loss in efficiency that came with the Lotus' disappearance, but you're still bleeding operational efficiency. None could delegate and crunch numbers as well as a Sentient can, even with the very best computers that credits can offer.

But you can't exactly just say it to the other Tenno's face. You were supposed to encourage them, not scare them off.

"The Sentients have returned."

"'Normal' is relative." You smoothly reply back, turning to the end of the Simulation Chambers, a large strip of glass allowing you to see into the deep void of space. Here, the Origin System is nothing more than a pinprick of light among other stars. So far, and yet… so close, all the same. "Variables change. What was once Corpus territory might be Grineer by a few shipboard hours."

"I've found something in the belt. A derelict Tenno dojo that could serve as a staging area to strike at the heart of the Origin System." You continue, watching as the other Tenno's reaction shifts from surprise, to grim determination. "This means that we need absolute secrecy until we can get it up and running."

"And that's why you chose to wake up… more of us, in the Third Dream." The other Tenno finishes, staggering towards you with pain written across their face, a hand all but clamping down on the railing as they join you on the spot in front of the console. "Nothing that could be traced… but our Orbiters still need the Solar Rails in order to function."

You smile. "Haven't gone through some of the other sims, I see. I'll give you a tour when the rest of you wake up."

"The rest of us?"

"Four more." You gesture towards the Simulation Room, and in particular, towards four of the Orokin-era lifepods that were now marked with a glyph. "All five of you will be woken up from the sims, then placed under my command for the duration of this mission. I'll teach you a few things along the way as well, if you'll allow me. You in?"

They blink. "What makes you think I'm going to say no?"

---

---

Railjack Designation: 'HMS Babysitter', formerly 'SSV Don't Stop Me Now'
Unknown Tenno Dojo, Beyond the Origin System's Heliopause


"I should've said no."

"Too late to back out now." You mutter back in response, leaning back and wincing as your head bangs against a crate. You and the rest of the New Tenno were currently using the cargo hold of your Railjack as a meeting place, and it was somewhat cramped as of the moment. "The next batch of New Tenno would still take around three more years before they can be woken up from the sims. You're all in this now, whether you like it or not."

Nonetheless, your thoughts were the same as the leader of Fireteam Ikkala. Why the hell did paperwork exist in the future?

You are Tenno. Soldiers. Operators. Meant to be right in the thick of action, not… lounging around and sorting through resumes of people that could best help the Tenno in their operations. Support staff, in essence. Unlike Cephalons however, these were flesh and blood. Lives that wanted to sign up to make the Origin System a better place.

Sadly, while they had the drive, they didn't have the skills that you were actually looking for.

Being a Tenno was a dangerous job. Being part of the Tenno's support staff was even more dangerous, mostly due to a number of different factors. Skills were one thing. Living under the two superpowers of the Origin System was another. And retaliation strikes against the common populace were… standard and enforced policy whenever the Tenno came knocking.

And sadly, desk jobs were hilariously in short supply for Tenno operations. After all, the Cephalons could sift through data and plan out operations faster than any organic mind could, all of it without pause. What could say… an Ostron apprentice do against that?

"Let's take it from the top." You pipe up, snapping your fingers to draw the attention of Fireteam Ikkala, "First things we need are engineers, both to help keep the Railjack in tip-top shape and to survey the damage. But who to recruit it from…"

You trail off, glancing down at the list of applicants once more, before nodding to yourself and settling on a solution.

"Let's recruit from–"

[] [AGENTS] "–rail agents." While they don't have most of the skills necessary to make for great Tenno agents, they could be trained for such purposes. What they are good at however, is discretion and speed, key in yourline of work. Harboring what's commonly seen as smugglers and criminals might pose some problems with the other factions in the Origin system however. (Gain 5 agents. -2 Relations to all factions.)

[] [AGENTS] "–whoever chooses to join." Idealistic perhaps. And riskier than what you would otherwise like. But there were many in the Origin System who needed help. And if you could shoulder the risk… Perhaps it might just be the first step out of many to make Sol a better place. (Gain 15 agents. +10 to Risk on all actions until remanded.)

[] [AGENTS] "–a Syndicate." Trained, and ready to do what is required of them, even if it might be suicidal. But their cause is beholden to another faction, and while they might be glad to sponsor you, their allies, rivals, and opponents might not see it in the same way. While Syndicate relationships are simple to figure out at first glance, actually dealing with their politics is another matter. (Gain 10 agents.)

- [] Recruit from the Arbiters of Hexis. While they believe that the Tenno are more than just soldiers, they still have an arm dedicated to supporting Tenno in more direct endeavors. Recruit them, and they would be more than happy to provide. (+2 Relations to Arbiters of Hexis, +1 Relations to Cephalon Suda, -1 Relations to Perrin Sequence. -2 Relations to Red Veil.)

- [] Recruit from Cephalon Suda. Whimsical in their thirst for knowledge, they are… off, even to the standards of most Cephalons. Perhaps it would be best to recruit from her ranks. After all, trying to fight a Cephalon would just be asking for trouble. (+2 Relations to Cephalon Suda, +1 Relations to Arbiters of Hexis, -1 Relations to Red Veil, -2 Relations to New Loka.)

- [] Recruit from Steel Meridian. Grineer deserters trying to protect the innocent and shelter them from the bloodshed all around the Origin System. While they didn't have your skills, your objectives certainly align with one another. (+2 Relations to Steel Meridia, +1 Relations to Red Veil, -1 Relations to New Loka, -2 Relations to Perrin Sequence.)

- [] Recruit from New Loka. Seeking to reseed the Origin System with life is one thing. Burning down the lives of those they find unworthy is another. While you don't like them, their skills is biotechnology could prove fruitful in future endeavors. (+2 Relations to New Loka, +1 Relations to Perrin Sequence, -1 Relations to Steel Meridian, -2 Relations to Cephalon Suda.)

- [] Recruit from Red Veil. Zealots and assassins are hard to work with, especially when you're fighting for peace and justice. Once, they were a noble force to safeguard the Origin System, but they had been twisted into what they are now. Perhaps you can use them, maybe even fix their faults. (+2 Relations to Red Veil, +1 Relations to Steel Meridian, -1 Relations to Cephalon Suda, -2 Relations to Arbiters of Hexis.)

- [] Recruit from Perrin Sequence. Not all Corpus are willing to drain their constituents of their credits and lives. Deserters from the Corpus prefer a more mercantile solution to the problems of the Origin System, preferring everyone to work together. Still, they were once Corpus, and it shows. (+2 Relations to Perrin Sequence, +1 Relations to New Loka, -1 Relations to Arbiters of Hexis, -2 Relations to Steel Meridian.)

---

Congratulations on your new position, Grandmaster. However, there is no time for pleasantries, given that we are currently in a delicate situation. The discovery of a derelict Tenno Dojo away from any Solar Rails and uniquely situated to strike at the heart of Grineer and Corpus power bases is a grave responsibility, and thus it is my duty to inform you of the possible things you need to keep track of in order to make this assignment more bountiful for the Tenno, and to pave the way for a peaceful Origin System.

---

Accessing data archives...
Progress: 100%...
Decrypting...
Unlocked.

Showing file 'Primer'...

Resources

Resources

With the utmost discretion required for this operation, resource gathering is limited to the limited amounts of materials that one can store in the cargo hold of Railjacks. Anything else, and the Grineer and Corpus might find you from emissions, thus rendering this entire operation moot.
Here are the resources that are currently in your possession, and those that you might need in the future:

• Materials: From exotics like Argon Crystals to the humble credit, materials are required to fabricate repairs to the Tenno Dojo, and to pay Tenno contractors and subsidiaries. People need to work in the Origin System, and the kind of work that you're looking to do doesn't come free.​
• Agents: Support staff, informants, and rail agents alike. Your main information-gatherers throughout the Origin System, and the main way to contact your help. If something comes up, you can be sure that at least some of them are in the immediate area.​
• Tenno: Soldiers from the Orokin Era, reawakened to bring peace to the war-torn Origin System. Chain of command for Tenno that you recruit falls under your purview due to your position as Clan Leader, and there are three further classifications to assess their capabilities:​
  • New Tenno: New blood, recently-reawakened from their slumber. They still have much to learn about the ongoing state of the Origin System, but they are more than capable of mowing through ranks of Corpus and Grineer with even third-hand weapons. Use them to gather materials for the dojo, or train them into greater warriors.​
  • Combat-Ready Tenno: Bloodied Tenno, more than capable of going into strongholds and clearing them of any threat that might remain. These Tenno are the most common in the Origin System, and are responsible for the planning and execution of all sorts of operations, from sabotage to assassinations.​
  • Railjack-Capable Tenno: While Tenno can hire third-party contractors to man a Railjack, it could never achieve the near-mythical status of the interceptor craft without an actual Tenno in command. Void command and combat is entirely different from fighting on the ground, and these Tenno are the best of the best.​
  • Veteran Tenno: Mythical, only heard of in hushed rumors or muttered curses by allies or enemies alike. These are the oldest, and most dangerous Tenno in the Origin System, said to clear out an entire base of Grineer in an hour with nothing but their bare hands. Any task is in their reach, no matter how difficult.
    
    You are one of these mythical few. Make sure that you do not disappoint.​

Relations

Relations

Tenno relations with the other factions in the Origin System start out bad, and can lead to worse. Careful politicking and management is essential so that the major factions in the system don't pool resources to crack down Tenno operations in the area. After all, no one wanted a repeat of the Fomorians. Not again.

• Major Factions: Consisting of the Corpus, Grineer, and the Infestation, these are factions that have significant hold over the Origin System, their territories spanning numerous systems, asteroids, and moons. Tread lightly around them, for they do not like you, and would happily take the opportunity to wipe you out should you prove to be enough of a nuisance.​
  • Grineer Empire: Once a slave caste during the days of the Orokin Era, these vat-cloned individuals rose up in rebellion in the latter years of Orokin collapse, seeking to free themselves of the tyrannical Empire of old. In a twist of irony, the Grineer Empire as it is now imposes its rule over the territories of the Origin System with an iron fist, all in the name of the Twin Queens – former Orokin.​
  • Corpus: Corporate cartels of different trades, all united under one single banner to oppose Grineer dominance in the Origin System. Amoral and always seeking to gain more credits through any means possible, they are now suffering an internal schism in their ranks due to the almost-miraculous return of their long-deceased founder.​
  • Cult of Parvos: Parvos Granum escaped the Void, and with it, condemned the current Corpus as a misguided attempt at preserving his legacy. Now, he has built an entire bloc around him, drawn to the promise of his tenets. Desire is a strong motivation for any common man to seek the heavens – pray that they do not turn their desire upon you.​
  • The Infestation: During the Old War, the Orokin released this bio-synthetic plague to combat the Sentients, an action that had severe consequences for the rest of the war. Ever since then, it seeks to spread its influence through the Origin System once more, consuming and converting all in its wake.​
• Minor Factions: While not as influential as the major factions, they still have substantial pull over the Origin System. Tread lightly around them, for their politics are difficult to navigate at best, and outright confusing at worst. Give them support, and they will repay you back in favors – but it will nonetheless earn you the ire of its opponents.​
  • Cephalon Simaris: The oldest Cephalon active. They have commandeered a titanic portion of the Cephalon Weave as a Sanctuary to all living things, able to live an immortal life in the digital landscape. The process of Synthesis, however, is… more than a little painful. And the Cephalon always demands more life to be added to its collection.​
  • The Syndicates: Various organizations in the Origin System have more than enough influence and manpower to maintain a constant presence among the Tenno Relays, the main areas of the Origin System full of civilian traffic. While at odds in one another, and outright enemies at times, the constant presence of the Tenno ensures an… uneasy peace.
    
    But it also means that the Tenno themselves are more often than not involved in the disputes between different Syndicates, and used as immortal pawns in their games. Perhaps it was time for that to change?
    
    (Additional information about the Syndicates can be found in additional Informational threadmarks.)​

Detection and Trackers

Detection and Trackers

Repairing a derelict Tenno Dojo and preparing it for further Tenno activity is a great undertaking, and one to be taken with utmost discretion. It requires careful maintenance of supplies and resources, alongside absolute secrecy between everyone involved. Being detected while doing such a task is surely grounds for the Grineer and Corpus to mobilize in force, and destroy the Tenno Dojo before you can turn it into an undeniable advantage for the rest of the Tenno and their efforts in the Origin System.

Taking actions that have the chance to be traced back to the derelict Dojo raises Detection. Unlucky events involving stray scout craft or probes from the major powers of the Origin System raises Detection. While Detection itself could be mitigated, halted, or even outright removed through specific actions, therein comes a time wherein the amount of activity in repairing the derelict Dojo would result in someone – or something – finding something odd. There is no stealth in space, after all.

Unless you cloak the entire damnable thing in the Void, which… also has its own issues. You aren't going to do that anytime soon.

Detection ticks up by 1 every Turn, on a Tracker from 1 to 10. Certain actions and events can add or subtract to the Detection Tracker, and having a Detection of 10 at the start of a Turn would call for differing, essential events that must be taken, depending on which major faction you have the most hostile relationship with.

These events have their own miniature trackers, ranging from 1 to 5. Once these event trackers reach 5, it's an instant game over. These events have a victory condition, and achieving it drops back the Detection Tracker down to 0.

QM Addendum: All the major factions hate you. The Grineer perceive you a threat to their power. The Corpus either desire your technology to sell for the black market, or think that you have committed an unforgivable sin against their founder. The Infested wants to absorb your biomass and add it to their hivemind.

Major faction relations will not change over the course of this quest.

Grineer: The Queens have tasked a Kuva Lich, one of their greatest Grineer soldiers, to hunt down a certain Tenno that is a part of your project to repair the derelict Dojo, with a specific task to hunt down the Tenno cells that supported them. Once their event ticker has reached 5, they will call down a Balor Fomorian and its attendant fleet to the derelict Dojo, and drown it in nuclear fire. There will be no survivors.​

​

Victory Condition: Eliminate the Kuva Lich.​

​

Corpus: Parvos' Sisterhood has found the location of the derelict Dojo, and will begin sending drones and craft to try and spy on the Dojo, unknown scanning sweeps going over the area. Once the event ticker has reached 5, the nearest Corpus capital ship to the Dojo will move in under impenetrable stealth, and disable the entire Dojo and its inhabitants with a specially-tuned frequency, netting the Corpus a large sum of Orokin-era technology.​

​

Victory Condition: Find the Sister in the local Sector, and eliminate them.​

​

Infested: By some manner or another, the Infested had managed to send a pod of spores through your Dojo's defensive measures, and begins to infest the Dojo. At an event ticker of 5, the Infestation has spread far enough that any attempts to recover it is deemed impossible, and the remaining, un-Infested Tenno use the last of their ability to detonate the power cores, and deny the Infestation another staging ground through the Origin System.​

​

Victory Condition: Quarantine and eliminate all traces of the Infestation in the derelict Dojo.​

Actions and Risks

Actions and Risks

Each Turn is composed of Actions, divided into three major categories: Operations, Upkeep, and Relations. Each are detailed down below.

• Operations: These are actions involving the planning and execution of missions done by Tenno. Gathering resources, sabotaging potentially troublesome ships, or assassinating opportune targets fall under this category.​
• Upkeep: Actions that involve the management and repair of the derelict Dojo. Recruiting New Tenno, arranging essential supplies and refineries to be brought in by Railjack, and setting up defensive countermeasures fall under this category.​
• Relations: Politicking and diplomancy, done in the usual Tenno manner. Take on all manner of requests from different factions, both minor and major. While the Grineer and Corpus were more than willing to shoot you in the back, they do give their word… so long as you pick a side.​

For each Action, there carries a modicum of Risk. Mixing and matching different types of Tenno to the task would allow you to mitigate said risks, but remember that only up to four (4) Tenno can be assigned to a single Action. The amount of Risk mitigated is outlined below.

• New Tenno mitigates 5 Risk.​
• Combat-Capable Tenno mitigates 20 Risk.​
• Railjack-Capable Tenno mitigates 20 Risk, increased to 60 if an Action taken has the Railjack modifier.​
• Veteran Tenno mitigates 60 Risk.​

You can only assign a maximum of four (4) Tenno to an Action.

Risks can be nullified, which results in an automatic success. Failing a Risk roll results in additional choices to mitigate the loss. Pick wisely, or else you might end up losing more than what you were supposed to, Tenno.

Kuva Lich Investigation

Kuva Lich Investigation

A Kuva Lich. The right hand of the Queens, those who partake in the Old Blood. It grants them strength, it grants them immortality... it makes them invulnerable to the myriad ways in order to kill them. And they have turned their attention towards you, and your little pet project.

At first, they will investigate. Send probes and scouting parties to find the location of your Dojo. Then when the location is clear, they will mount an assault on its defenses in order to try and capture it for the Queens. Once the risk is too high, they will call down a Balor Formorian and its attendant fleet to destroy your Dojo wholesale, and render it a smoking, sparking wreck that would now orbit the Origin System for all of eternity.

This does not have to happen. Mobilize your forces. Fortify your defenses. Weather the onslaught. And strike back. Kill the Lich, wipe all the knowledge they have of your Dojo, and you might hope to see another day. But a Kuva Lich is a tricky opponent to fight, especially since they can return from the dead. But there is always a way for death to find its way, even amongst the Grineer's finest.

Murmurs are scant, faint, frightful little echoes of doubt that cast the Kuva Lich as mortal. Something that could have its destiny end on the edge of a Tenno blade. Gather enough of these faint little rumors, and you might gain enough information to find out their weaknesses. Find their hiding spots. Find those tiny, little words that makes the Kuva within them quiver... and take them down for good.

But some Liches are better than others. Their reputation more solid... more intact. They stand at a higher Level than the rest of their already-immortal kin, and would require more Murmurs to cast them down into the darkness. Still, you would have to do it. For the good of the Origin System.

Murmurs required per Kuva Lich Level:

• Level 1: 12 Murmurs
• Level 2: 24 Murmurs
• Level 3: 36 Murmurs
• Level 4: 48 Murmurs
• Level 5: 60 Murmurs

Murmurs are reset to 0 after killing the Kuva Lich.

---

QM Addendum: These mechanics are subject to change in the future. Any and all changes will be marked in Informational.

QM Addendum: This would be updated every turn. While I will try my best to put a condensed version of this into each Turn post, it's nonetheless highly recommended that you get back to this sheet every time there's a new Turn post.

---

---

Resources:

• New Tenno: 11
• Combat-Capable Tenno: 1
• Railjack-Capable Tenno: 4
• Veteran Tenno: 2

---

Trackers:

---

Relations:

Major Factions:

Minor Factions:

---

Turn 1: Initial Surveys

---

Railjack Designation: 'HMS Babysitter', formerly 'SSV Don't Stop Me Now'
Derelict Tenno Dojo, Asteroid Belt, Origin System


"Void translation, successful. No issues whatsoever. Crew, look alive."

You release your hold on the pilot's controls, staring at the image of the derelict Tenno Dojo with hands clasped behind your back. Behind you lies Fireteam Ikkala in all of its entirety, five New Tenno staring out into the deep dark with expressions of awe behind the blank, Infested-hewn faceplates of their Warframes.

With a mental gesture, you connect your comms to the rest of the fireteam. "We're here to make sure that the Hexis engineers remain undisturbed while they take a survey of the dry dock. If they grab some attention, we check out who got a ping. If it's a civilian, we'll let them go free. If they're not…"

Eliminate them. Granted, you've already briefed the entire fireteam before you initiate the Void jump, but it never hurt to refresh their knowledge. "Rules of engagement?"

"Target the engines. Board them, extract all the data from their computers. Scuttle the ship after it's done." You smoothly reply back, turning towards them as the view of the bridge shifts to show a retrofitted civilian ship coasting along the lip of the dry dock, sensor masts pinging all sorts of signals across inert-looking hull.

"One more thing." You add, your voice turning grave. "Only fire when Cy tells you to fire. None of you are Railjack-capable, and I'd rather waste operational efficiency than accidentally turn a civilian shipto shrapnel. Are we clear?"

Agreements from the fireteam, with undertones of irritation. You can understand that it came off as not believing in their capabilities whatsoever… and it was entirely true. Many times have you had inexperienced Tenno join your Railjack and waste precious ammunition in the middle of facing down an entire Grineer or Corpus fleet, and many times had your patience grown thin.

You weren't going to have that here. Not when there's the potential for friendly fire.

With a nod, you turn back towards the bridge, requesting a status update from the Hexis engineers that you've recruited. They reply back that initial scans seem like the dry dock – and along with it, the rest of the Tenno Dojo – could be repaired and was in relatively good condition, but there were a lot of essential systems that were either deactivated, lost power, or were outright missing entirely.

They send you a file of their initial reports, with frequent updates as they continue to refine their scans. The sheer amount of resources involved… it would bankrupt the rest of whatever stockpiles you currently had. That was not to say that you've been keeping thousands of tons of raw materials in some secure location, for that would be ridiculous.

You've got a… map, so to speak, that leads to these caches. Perhaps it would be a good idea to send the New Tenno out to retrieve these resource caches, so that you could get started on repairing the dry dock. It was the main thing that kept your operational capacity down. Of course, there were other methods… but they were less discrete.

You'd like to be a little more established before you do something like that. Which is why you were here in the first place – to establish a plan.

---

Operations (1 Action)

Operations (1 Action):

[] [OPERATIONS] Smash and Grab: Send Tenno to raid nearby Grineer and Corpus caches, packing up the raw materials for Railjack pick-up. Highly dangerous and risky, but would most certainly get the materials that you need to get the repairs done on the Dry Dock. And quite probably some additional loot as well.

• 60 Risk.
• Gain 25 + 1d12 Materials.
• Raises Detection by 1.
• Requires at least one Tenno assigned to this task.
• Requires at least 5 Agents assigned to this task.
• Railjack.

[] [OPERATIONS] Treasure Hunt: Send Fireteam Ikkala out to collect the caches that you've stored all over the system. It might be slower, but at least it requires a little more discretion. The liberated materials from the caches would then be circled onto cargo ships, which would be 'mysteriously lost', dumped out into an empty area of space wherein a Railjack would pick them up.

• 40 Risk.
• Gain 10 Materials.
• Requires at least one Tenno assigned to this task.
• Requires at least 5 Agents assigned to this task.
• Railjack.

[] [OPERATIONS] Smokescreen: Tenno operations make a lot of noise. Noise that would be the perfect smokescreen for further operations. Send some Tenno out to raid an important-looking Grineer operation, and ensure that the repairs to the Tenno Dojo would proceed without further interference from the other major powers.

• 80 Risk.
• Gain 3d20 Materials.
• Negates Detection gain for Turn 2.
• Requires at least one Tenno assigned to this task.
• Requires at least 10 Agents assigned to this task.

Upkeep (1 Action)

Upkeep (1 Action):

[] [UPKEEP] Survey Defensive Emplacements: With the initial surveys on the Dry Dock ongoing, you could send your Railjack to do a detailed scan of any and all defensive emplacements that might be still around. Turrets, tremor mines, void shields -- you can take what you can get at this point, so long as the entire Dojo wouldn't be a sitting duck whenever it's found.

• 20 Risk.
• Gain information and possible salvage on the Tenno Dojo's defensive emplacements.
• Requires at least one Tenno assigned to this task.
• Requires at least five Agents assigned to this task.
• Railjack.

[] [UPKEEP] Sensor Scans: Keep your local space clear by doing sensor sweeps over the local sector. You could easily do such a thing with a Railjack, but the ability to keep hidden while doing sensor scans and determine potential enemy incursions can only be done by an experienced Tenno. Sweep the area with sensor scans, and hope that the major factions just so happen to be more concerned with other, more important things to be looking in your direction.

• 60 Risk.
• Negates Detection gain for Turn 2.
• Requires at least one Railjack-Capable Tenno assigned to this task.
• Railjack.

[] [UPKEEP] Recruit more Tenno: Send out a call using Tenno channels and comms, asking for assistance on this matter. While discretion is important for a project of this scale, you don't have enough Tenno or Agents to even begin determining the scope of the monumental task that you've been assigned to. Get more help -- there was nothing wrong with simply asking.

• 40 Risk.
• Gain 1d6 Tenno, with at one guaranteed to be Railjack-Capable.
• A d20 dice is rolled to determine their capabilities:
  • 1 to 15: New Tenno
  • 16 to 18: Combat-Capable Tenno
  • 19 to 20: Railjack-Capable Tenno

Relations (1 Action)

Relations (1 Action):

[] [RELATIONS] Liase: Send a representative to talk with the minor factions of the Origin System to try and get more favorable deals. Depending on the results, they might be able to send additional help in our direction to speed up this project... or hamper it by leaking plans to the major factions. Choose wisely, since politics between minor factions always intermix, and is often difficult to predict.

- [] [TRADE] Give surplus resources: Balance out the books and gain the favor of the other party by giving them much-needed resources.

• No risk.
• Gain +1 Relations with chosen minor faction.
• Lose 20% (rounded down) or d20 units of the highest stockpiled Resource, whichever is higher.
• Requires at least one Agent assigned to this task.

- [] [TRADE] Ask for a favor: Reaching out to the minor powers in times of desperation is always a devil's bargain. But you have no choice.

• No risk.
• Gain 40% or 2d12 units of the lowest stockpiled Resources, whichever is lower.
• Lose -2 Relations with chosen minor action.
• Requires at least one Agent assigned to this task.

[] [RELATIONS] Diplomatic Smokescreen: Rumors are quite the powerful and fickle thing. With a word to someone else and a waggle of the brows, you could weave entire stories without even lifting a finger, so long as you know to meld the truths and the lies. Good for hiding traces of your activities... but it might also catch the attention of higher authorities.

• 50 Risk.
• On a success, negates Detection gain until Turn 3.
• On a failure, raise Detection by 2.
• Requires at least five Agents assigned to this task.
• Cannot assign Tenno to lower the Risk.

[] [RELATIONS] Recruit Agents: There are many, many people in the Origin System. Some of them want to join your cause. A tiny portion of them have the necessary skills to do so. Contact them, and offer a job. You can afford to be picky -- discretion is key to this mission after all, and it would do no good to have this entire thing spoiled due to loose lips.

• 40 Risk.
• Gain 1d12 Agents.
• Requires at least one Tenno assigned to this task.
• Requires at least one Agent assigned to this task.

Holding up for other plans and voters, but... oh well. The Risk for Operation action is negated by assigning the Veteran Tenno onto it (ie you), so I'm only gonna roll for Upkeep and Relations.

Dice gods... Turn 1 Rolls is a crit. Why am I not surprised ( = 3 = )