Totally cribbing from Sherbet's excellent idea, I am building my new Rimworld run, starting with my fellow Gazette staff. This game will vary from Sherbet's in a couple critical ways. Firstly, I will be using the Ideology, Biotech and Anomaly DLC. Secondly, I have a similar but different mix of mods (only 63, opposed to his 100+)
This run will also be starting with a specific Anomaly scenario: Three researchers and a mindless ghoul. Specifically the staff of the CYS Gazette, those devout Cystians, received a mysterious signal from deep space. While the signal held data, it seemed random gibberish, obvious collected from lost and forgotten storygames from such long-forgotten wastelands as AO3, COG, and dozens of even less well known sites, as was well as snippets taken from the jewels of Cystia itself. Anthraxus, RKrallanor, Fresh_out_the_oven and the Fleshbot Larimar as well as numerous others whose names and significance are as transient as the various nameless bots and noobs that litter the online listings, quickly outfit a research vessel and plied the spacelanes to determine the source of this strange signal.
After months of travel with only a review contest to keep them busy, they finally arrived as a distant and unsettled world, known only by a code from the stellar index. Initial scans showed this rimworld world was little populated with an interesting mix of primitive tribes, space pirate clans, and small enclaves of relatively modern society. Some significant civilization had called this place home once. Th ruined cities still dotted the surface. The signal pulsed strongly from the below, and Anthraxus, RKallanor and Fresh heard suddenly could hear its call in the minds. It was no longer random story fragments, but their own names being called.
With a sudden flare of devastating energy, a blast from the planet's surface lanced through the research vessel. Bathed in strange and unknown energies, the nameless adn insignificant crew's flesh began to ripple and move of its own accord. Our four valiant and foolhardy researchers leapt for the escape pods, Anthraxus shoving Larimar into one. As the doors closed over them, all three could see that for Larimar it was too late. The bot's flesh casing began to twist and move as the escape pods launched.
Minutes later they emerged from their escape pods in a foggy forest bowl set high in the mountains. The soft trickling of a creek or something similar echoed nearby. Even from their landing site they could see ancient hulking war machines and ruined structures mouldering in the overgrowth. Anthraxus, RK and Fresh emerged from their escape pods and quickly assessed their situation. With horror and disgust they saw what had happened to their friend and assistance, Larimar. The fleshbot had been corrupted, it's flesh become grey and loose on it's frame and both arms replaced by stranch fleshy tentacles. It was quickly apparent that Larimar's mind had also been befouled. While he seemed to pose no immediate threat, it was obvious that he would be of little use for anything but dealing with whatever threats may await them.
As the little band surveyed their surroundings, they found the scattered supplies that had come down with their pods and more interestingly a great monolith with two human corpses laying at its base. The monolith was broken and shortened, but covered in dark, unreadable markings and runes that seemed to twist and move the longer one looked at it. The signal that had drawn them here clearly emanated from here. The three researchers, now colonists, shared a foreboding look. There was nothing to do but the doing, and their shared faith in the power of the written word and science told them that only hard work and diligent research would allow them to learn what the whispered song of the monolith could mean.
