Chapter 7: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks - Quests from the Infinite Staircase

Chapter 7: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. Hidden within the rugged crags of the Barrier Peaks lies the last remnant of a futuristic society from a far-flung world: a crashed spaceship that once soared between the stars. Lost for centuries and its crew long dead, the technological marvel has fallen into disrepair. Dust and debris carpet its lusterless floors, malfunctioning robots roam its derelict chambers, and amphibious behemoths lurk in its feral gardens and radioactive swamps. Recently, an earthquake shook the mountain range and exposed the wrecked vessel. Bizarre and terrible creatures hitherto unknown to this world emerged and attacked settlements at the foot of the mountain, leaving no survivors. When these mysterious attacks were discovered, the call went out for brave souls to launch an expedition into the mountains to determine the source of the violence. "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks" is designed for four to six 11th-level characters. Aphelion 3000, an evil supercomputer, commands a fleet of cold-hearted robots on a crashed spaceship Background A door to the Barrier Peaks Hundreds of years ago, an advanced society of Humanoid peoples launched a mission to find a replacement for their distant, dying world in the wake of a cataclysm of their own making. A select few set out for the stars in search of a new home for their people. They departed in comfort and style aboard a massive, self-sustaining starship with all the technological trappings of their civilization, aided by an arsenal of robots that protected and catered to their every whim-for a time. The ship also served as an ark for creatures from its world of origin. During the voyage, the ship's built-in computer went haywire. Core systems of the spacecraft-doors, navigation, and life support-began to degrade, and the robots aboard the vessel began refusing orders from the crew. When a robot mutiny seemed imminent, an outbreak of killer mold of unknown origin killed many of the crew and passeng...