Escape Pods

**Escape Pods** are ancient Nomai pods, three of which landed all around the Solar System. They originated from the larger Nomai Vessel lost within Dark Bramble.

## Features

Escape Pods share similar designs and interiors, a computer, a rear-facing entrance (where the ship was attached), and an emergency hatch in the front. There are also large blue cylinders within the glass walls inside (which may have been safe seating for the Nomai).

Each escape pod broadcasts a distress beacon which can be detected with the signalscope, however, at least one escape pod must be found before the frequency can be selected.

* The distress beacon
* The interior of the escape pods
* The Computers located in the rear of the escape pods in front of a large window

## Background

Escape Pods are attached to a larger Nomai Vessel, which a Nomai clan lives on and which they use to explore the universe. At some point, Escall's Vessel received a signal that was older than the universe itself. Afraid that the signal would disappear before they could reach it, Escall ordered their bridge officers Filix and Annona to warp to the approximate location of the signal immediately, without leaving a message for another clan. However, after warping, it turned out the Nomai did not arrive at the source of the signal, but instead got stuck in Dark Bramble. With the Vessel fused with the local environment and torn apart from the inside, the Nomai quickly rushed to abandon their Vessel on three of their five escape pods.

## Fates

### Escape Pod 1

Escape Pod 1 was the last escape pod to launch from the Vessel. It crashed on Brittle Hollow, which had pockets of breathable air and enough solar energy and was thus declared hospitable. None of the survivors were badly injured from the impact, although they were unable to make contact with the other escape pods. Due to the presence of Hollow's Lantern, the survivors sought shelter below the surface, where they built a temporary settlement. They later went on to build the Hanging City and the Gravity Cannon on Brittle Hollow, after which they reunited with the Nomai from Escape Pod 2.

* The front of Escape Pod 1
* The rear of Escape Pod 1

### Escape Pod 2

Escape Pod 2 was the second escape pod to launch from the Vessel. It crashed on Ember Twin, which was proclaimed inhospitable due to its high external temperature caused by its proximity to the Sun. All passengers survived, but they noticed that while they could hear the other escape pods' distress signals, they did not crash on the same planet. The escape pod's crash caused it to break into a cave system with much cooler air, where the Nomai decided to find shelter from the heat. They built the Sunless City in a large cavern, as well as the Quantum Moon Locator and a Gravity Cannon on Ember Twin's surface. They were able to reunite with the Nomai from Brittle Hollow some time after this.

* The front of Escape Pod 2
* The rear of Escape Pod 2

### Escape Pod 3

Escape Pod 3 was the first escape pod to launch from the Vessel. It experienced multiple collisions which changed its intended launch path and caused severe damage. Its navigation, life support, and propulsion systems were broken, causing the escape pod to become stuck in a region of Dark Bramble. With their communication capability destroyed and their oxygen running out, the survivors decided to return to the Vessel to repair the damage or await rescue. However, the Vessel's beacon came from two different locations, confusing the Nomai and forcing them to go to the beacon whose source was the closest to them. Upon arriving at the source, it turned out that the beacon was emitting from a small seed, which was too small for the Nomai to fit through. The Nomai from Escape Pod 3 passed away around this seed when their oxygen ran out, with their last hope being that the other escape pods were able to reach relative safety.

* The front of Escape Pod 3
* The rear of Escape Pod 3
* The fate of Escape Pod 3's passengers

## Texts and recordings

BEGIN FLIGHTLOG: Escape Pod 1. Vessel has been mortally injured. Emergency sequence activated. Awaiting departure from Vessel.
Launching Escape Pod 3... Launching Escape Pod 2... Now launching Escape Pod 1.
ALERT. Collision imminent. Preparing for impact.
Scanning external environment... Scan complete. Minor structural instabilities detected. Pockets of breathable air detected. Adequate solar energy detected.
Verdict: HOSPITABLE.
THATCH: Is everyone unharmed?
PLUME: No one was badly injured from the escape pod’s impact. We’re incredibly fortunate.
THATCH: This is good news, at least. Have we heard from Escape Pod 2 or Escape Pod 3?
FILIX: No, I... I’m unable to make contact. My equipment can hear the other two escape pods’ distress signals, however. If it’s any comfort, both pods must be structurally intact.
FILIX: I’ll continue calling for them.
THATCH: My gratitude. If we can —
PLUME: Thatch, the moon is approaching again!
THATCH: Everyone brace yourselves, swiftly! The volcanic moon has returned!
THATCH: Be cautious of falling ash and debris!
PLUME: ...I believe the moon has passed.
FILIX: This planet doesn’t appear eager to have guests. We are certainly unwelcome on its surface.
THATCH: We need to find shelter, and quickly. The volcanic moon won’t be gone for long.
PLUME: I observed several promising sites below the surface, but we’ll need to construct a way for everyone to climb safely down this cliff. Perhaps we could build platforms?

BEGIN FLIGHTLOG: Escape Pod 2. Vessel has been mortally injured. Emergency sequence activated. Awaiting departure from Vessel.
Launching Escape Pod 3... Now launching Escape Pod 2.
ALERT. Collision imminent. Preparing for impact.
Scanning external environment... Scan complete. External temperature is prohibitively high.

Verdict: INHOSPITABLE. Do not seek shelter on planet surface. |  | **Status report recording**
ANNONA: We need status reports for all systems, but initial things first: Is everyone unharmed?
RHUS: Our escape pod’s passengers are afraid, but physically well, Annona; everyone survived the crash.
ANNONA: This is a relief, at least. You have my gratitude. Bur, were you able to find the other escape pods’ distress signals?
 **Shelter discussion recording**
MELORAE: The heat from this star system’s sun is more bearable below the surface.
MELORAE: When our escape pod punctured this planet’s surface, it broke into what scans show is a cave system with much cooler air. I would recommend we seek a site down there to build a long-term shelter, Annona, but these passages are a maze!
ANNONA: Even with this danger, they are still our best chance for survival. We’ll form teams and descend into the caves to look for a shelter site. We can mark our findings on the walls to avoid becoming irreversibly lost.
ANNONA: Be cautious, everyone.

BEGIN FLIGHTLOG: Escape Pod 3. Vessel has been mortally injured. Emergency sequence activated. Awaiting departure from Vessel.
Now launching Escape Pod 3.
ALERT: Multiple collisions have altered pod’s trajectory. Significant damage to pod detected.
WARNING: Navigation error. Life support error. Propulsion error.
Scanning external environment... Scan complete. Gravity not detected. Breathable air not detected. Multiple lifeforms detected (potentially hostile). Verdict: DO NOT EXIT POD.
SECCA: Our escape pod crashed as we tried to flee this place, destroying our movement and communication capabilities in the process.
SECCA: We’ve held out as long as we could here, but this pod’s supply of breathable air is nearly depleted, and the anglerfish attack more and more frequently.
SECCA: Our best chance at survival is to return to the Vessel to either repair the damage or, more probably, await rescue.
 **Leaving the escape pod**
DIN: There is a new problem: Our equipment is detecting two distinct beacons from the Vessel.
SECCA: But it isn’t possible for the Vessel to be in two different locations at the same time.
DIN: I agree, but the beacons are exactly identical to each other. Perhaps if I had more time —
SECCA: We’re nearly out of time already, Din; the Vessel’s beacon is quickly fading. Soon, it will be gone, and we will be lost.
ESCALL: We will follow the beacon whose source is nearest to us.
DIN: But suppose that beacon is false!
ESCALL: We likely don’t have enough air to reach the farther of the two beacons, Din. The decision is made for us.
ESCALL: We’ll leave a trail of lights as we go. There’s still a chance someone could hear our escape pod’s distress signal.

## References

1. ↑ ILEX: Each Nomai clan explores the universe in its own Vessel. The Vessel is the heart of every clan.
2. ↑  FILIX: I’m recording now — I’ve never encountered anything like this! The signal the Vessel is receiving appears to be older than the universe itself!
3. ↑ ESCALL: This is our first contact with anything of this nature. Everyone, prepare to warp immediately! FILIX: Escall, wait, I need more time to send an outgoing message! Shouldn’t we tell another clan where we’re going? ESCALL: We can send the message upon our arrival. This extraordinary signal appeared suddenly; it may disappear just as quickly, and we can’t lose a discovery this incredible! Focus on preparing for the warp, instead.
4. ↑ FILIX: This is Escall’s Vessel; something went badly wrong during our warp, and our Vessel is mortally wounded. We need help as quickly as possible!
5. ↑ FILIX: We warped to follow that curious signal from the Eye of the universe. Where we arrived was wrong; it wasn’t where we tried to go.
6. ↑ FILIX: Our Vessel appears to have... has it fused with the local environment, somehow? There are vines that are now part of the Vessel! It’s been torn apart from inside itself!
7. ↑ FILIX: We... we are abandoning our Vessel. Any Nomai clans or spaceflight-capable species receiving this message, I implore you, we need your help!
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Escape Pod 1 Flightlog: Launching Escape Pod 3... Launching Escape Pod 2... Now launching Escape Pod 1.
9. ↑ Scanning external environment... Scan complete. Minor structural instabilities detected. Pockets of breathable air detected. Adequate solar energy detected. Verdict: HOSPITABLE.
10. ↑ PLUME: No one was badly injured from the escape pod’s impact. We’re incredibly fortunate. THATCH: This is good news, at least. Have we heard from Escape Pod 2 or Escape Pod 3? FILIX: No, I... I’m unable to make contact. My equipment can hear the other two escape pods’ distress signals, however. If it’s any comfort, both pods must be structurally intact.
11. ↑ THATCH: Everyone brace yourselves, swiftly! The volcanic moon has returned! THATCH: Be cautious of falling ash and debris! PLUME: ...I believe the moon has passed. FILIX: This planet doesn’t appear eager to have guests. We are certainly unwelcome on its surface.
THATCH: We need to find shelter, and quickly. The volcanic moon won’t be gone for long. PLUME: I observed several promising sites below the surface, but we’ll need to construct a way for everyone to climb safely down this cliff. Perhaps we could build platforms?
12. ↑ PLUME: Given concerns about our settlement’s stability, where should we construct a new, less temporary shelter? PLUME: I believe we should migrate to the northern glacier. FILIX: What if we use gravity crystals to craft a stable path? THATCH: Building beneath the crust again would shelter us from the volcanic moon’s eruptions.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 BELLS: We make this journey not only for ourselves, but also to honor the members of our clan who came before us: those who, after the crash that brought them to this star system, became stranded on Brittle Hollow and on Ember Twin, with no communication between these two groups of survivors. BELLS: After the two divided groups were able to reunite, it became our clan’s united goal to find and visit the Quantum Moon.
14. ↑ Scanning external environment... Scan complete. External temperature is prohibitively high. Verdict: INHOSPITABLE. Do not seek shelter on planet surface.
15. ↑ RHUS: Our escape pod’s passengers are afraid, but physically well, Annona; everyone survived the crash. ANNONA: This is a relief, at least. You have my gratitude. Bur, were you able to find the other escape pods’ distress signals? BUR: I can hear both signals somewhere in this star system, but I don’t believe either escape pod crashed on the same planet as us.
16. ↑ MELORAE: The heat from this star system’s sun is more bearable below the surface. MELORAE: When our escape pod punctured this planet’s surface, it broke into what scans show is a cave system with much cooler air. I would recommend we seek a site down there to build a long-term shelter, Annona, but these passages are a maze!
17. ↑ MELORAE: We have found an enormous cavern at the end of this passage that appears promising! I believe we could construct long-term shelter there.
18. ↑ COLEUS: Annona and those of us originally stranded on the Ember Twin built a Quantum Moon locator there, but the heat of the sun made its construction challenging. I wouldn’t recommend building on that planet.
19. ↑ ALERT: Multiple collisions have altered pod’s trajectory. Significant damage to pod detected.
20. ↑ WARNING: Navigation error. Life support error. Propulsion error.
21. ↑ SECCA: Our escape pod crashed as we tried to flee this place, destroying our movement and communication capabilities in the process. SECCA: We’ve held out as long as we could here, but this pod’s supply of breathable air is nearly depleted, and the anglerfish attack more and more frequently. SECCA: Our best chance at survival is to return to the Vessel to either repair the damage or, more probably, await rescue.
22. ↑ DIN: There is a new problem: Our equipment is detecting two distinct beacons from the Vessel. SECCA: But it isn’t possible for the Vessel to be in two different locations at the same time. DIN: I agree, but the beacons are exactly identical to each other. Perhaps if I had more time — SECCA: We’re nearly out of time already, Din; the Vessel’s beacon is quickly fading. Soon, it will be gone, and we will be lost. ESCALL: We will follow the beacon whose source is nearest to us.
23. ↑ SECCA: To any who come here searching for us: We followed one of the two beacons from the Vessel to this place, but now can go no further. SECCA: It’s almost too faint to hear now, but the Vessel’s beacon is still faintly emitting from within this thorny seed. Yet the opening is too small for even a single Nomai to fit through it, so our escape pod couldn’t have flown through here.
24. ↑ SECCA: My dearest hope is that the other escape pods were able to reach relative safety.