Iron Gods: Fires of Creation IC Thread

[Callos_DeTerran]

The town of Torch has enjoyed a singular claim to prosperity - the violet flame that burns atop Black Hill in the heart of town. This flame burns incredibly hot, and while it is usually the size of a bonfire, several times a year the fires spew into the sky in brilliant beam of purple violence. These surges are presaged by an hour's worth of soft rumbling, giving smiths a chance to retreat before the fires consume them. At all other times the flames allow for the easy smelting of all manner of skymetals, Torch is one of the only locations besides Starfall where skymetals can be worked with relative ease, and its entire economy is based around these purple flames, with smiths coming from all across Avistan to pay for the opportunity to work with it. Of course Torch needs all of the money that it can get for while the town's distance from Starfall makes it unfeasible for the Technic League to maintain a permanent presence here, the taxes and tariffs that they charge the Numerian town on a monthly basis are significant. The town prospers but the bulk of its income does not belong to it.

Which is why, when the flames atop Black Hill suddenly goes out, the town is in such trouble. It has been eight days since the problem has begun and the entire town is on the verge of panic as each day passes and the League's tithes draw ever closer. Khonnir Baine's discovery of caves beneath Black Hill promised a possible solution to the problem but when every party sent into them failed to return, people only grew more concerned. Khonnir Baine himself lead an expedition beneath the Hill and returned with a deactivated robot of some kind but the councilman has yet to return from his second expedition to re-ignite the violet torch...

-----------------------

Before the Flame Went Out

The Foundry, so named for the large foundry located next to the tavern that is rented out to aspiring smiths, is one of the most popular locations in Torch once the workday has ended. A soft rumbling from the ground called for an early day's end for the smiths and their assorted apprentices and helpers which lead to a small trickle of disgruntled men and women entering the various taverns around the town to sulk into mugs of strong drink. Numerous bits and pieces of strange technological debris hang on the walls from the smashed in head of a robot to a collection of silverdisks arranged on a piece of rope like the coin belts Varisian performers sometimes wear. A number of wooden tables are set out with accompanying chairs for regulars and newcomers alike. Numerous lanterns are bolted onto the support beams of the stone building, out of the readily available reach of drunk patrons, and Val is busy going about to refill them with oil before more customers come in for a quick drink.

The young woman dresses like someone who grew up in the comforts of civilization and it's only the opposing streaks tattooed on her cheeks that give away her Kellid ancestry since she bears none of the gruff attitude that so many of her kind often bare towards strangers. It is also apparent that the fair-haired and quite comely young woman isn't a blood relation to the much older, dark-haired Khonnir who works behind the bar at a brisk pace. He seems quite content with the simple job of being a bartender but there is no hiding the unmistakeable curiosity in his eyes whenever someone brings in a piece of salvage for him to identify. The councilman doesn't dress ostentatiously like many would expect, but rather for practicality and comfort considering that he spends almost as much time in the foundry next door as the smiths do, having built up a lean musculature that comes from bending skymetal to one's will.

On this otherwise ordinary day, a group of individuals comes together for the first time...

[Bhaakon]

Enos-- Before the Flame Went Out

"Success!" Enos strides into the Foundry wearing a stupid grin on his sooty face. His right hand is waving around a braided band of turquoise crystal. "A noqual torc, fine as you'll find in this town. Ought to be worth twice what I paid for the ingot, and there's still enough left over to make it a matching pair once the torch has calmed itself." He brags to no one in particular.

"You were right, Khonnir, third time is the charm. This calls for a round!" The smelter might have closed early, but it was still early enough in the day that a round wouldn't empty Enos's purse. Just to be sure, he glances about, straining the edges of his dimmed vision to make sure there wasn't a battalion of dwarves hiding in the nooks and crannies of the common room. It looked pretty sparse, but some jokers might think it funny to order an exotic liquor or a bottle of Khonnir's finest Chelaxian red.

"A round of ale, that is, and bring me a pitcher." Enos clarifies as he settles into chair at a table near the bar. It was going to be a good night. Hopefully he'd remember it in the morning.

[Ilorin Lorati]

Verocia, unlike Khonnir and her sister Val, never really seemed content to tend the bar for long periods even after she was old enough to handle herself against the sometimes unpleasant customers - invariably, the young woman's mind wandered and led her feet back out into Torch and the surrounding wilderness.

Tonight, however, was not one of the nights that would see her anywhere but home; walking down from the upstairs with her shadow of a raven flying not far behind, she would give the pair that she shared a home with, and the handful of regulars that she knew personally outside of the tavern, hugs and went about filling the loud man's request for a pitcher of ale while the other two filled cups in his name.

"Sounds like you've had a good day over the torch. Today a torc, maybe tomorrow all your armor will shine like skymetal?" She set down the pitcher, and continued while motioning towards the torc in his hand. "Word of advice, though - you'll miss her if you sell her; see it happen all the time."

[Bhaakon]

Enos

"It would make a fine good luck charm," Enos considers the torc, rolling it over in the finger of his right hand while he pours himself a mug with his left. "I mean, it must be lucky, since a novice like me made it so perfect! Me, a novice with noqual, shaping something fit for the first vault. Maybe I should find a game of towers, eh?" He laughs it off, but his hand does tighten on the torc...and he looks about to see if anyone has started up a card game.

Not spotting one, he turns back to the slight young woman who brought his pitcher. "Still, I was sort of counting on the profits to fund my next work. If I'm going to keep it, I'll need another break. Maybe a fresh find, or a team of delvers looking for a strong back and sword-arm. It would be awfully nice if I could get skymetal from the source instead of lining the pockets of some middle-man. I don't suppose you've heard any rumors around the Foundry?"

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil controls his sense of disappointment at the early stop to work. He'd been hoping to either find work or buy materials and start forging something for sale. But, as it is, now he has the opportunity to see what is happening in the community.

Leaving Quercal planted right outside the door, Meilanthil goes on into the Foundry and sees Enos. Hearing the last bit of conversation, the tall elf joins him and pitches in with a soft cheerful voice: "I have just arrived, so no. But an opportunity worth the risk? Rare, no?"

[Ilorin Lorati]

The young woman grins and shrugs knowingly, "There's always rumors going around, but I try to not pay much attention to them; the good ones won't get passed out like your coin at the bartop." She points her thumb behind her, where the small crowd was finishing getting their round of ale at Enos's expense. "My father may have heard something worth sharing, though; you may want to ask him before the rest of the forging crowd arrives."

Looking over at the newcomer she nods at his comment; "Opportunity by itself isn't quite so rare though; it's the motive and means to go with it that cause the most problems."

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil sits and thinks a few moments, then replies "Agreed. Risk is relative to means." Assuming Enos will want to talk to Khonnir, he pauses a moment and continues his thread of conversation with Verocia: "Do you think then that people here would keep things as they are rather than risk?"

[Ilorin Lorati]

Verocia replies almost immediately, without seeming to need to give it much thought; "I think that applies to people in general, yes. If someone have no reason to take an opportunity that has risk, it doesn't make sense for them to risk it." Looking back at Val and Khonnir, then towards the small crowd gathered around the bar, the young woman turns and looks back at the two sitting nearby. "There's nothing wrong with that. I don't think my father is any worse for being here running the Foundry and letting others bring him artifacts, rather than going out and getting them himself. He has a life here, and doesn't have the motive to take on the opportunities that he very likely sees. In fact, he had motive to give it up when he settled here with Val."

[Bhaakon]

Enos shrugs at the elf's little piece of philosophy. "Nothing it stays the way it is, not forever." He takes a long pull from hus mug, nearly emptying it. "See, this mug of ale was sitting here, minding its own business, and now it's all full of air." He reaches for the pitcher and slowly refills his drink. "You've always got to be pouring more in to keep it the same level. Same with life. Sit still to long and you'll find you've run dry."

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil replies dryly "If only from taxes."

After a pause, he continues in his more usual voice:

"Take the forest though. A tree, hundreds of years in one place. Growing. Living. One might sit and watch it a decade. One year it grows here. Another, a branch there. Both tree and elf, more full, not empty. Or take Verocia's father. Verocia, has anyone brought him any interesting artifacts I might hear about?"

[Ilorin Lorati]

"You din't need to take risks to fill your cup, for some people it's just the best way to." Verocia's grin from moments before widened at Meilanthil's question; "What day is it?"

[raspberrybadger]

"Fireday?"

[Ilorin Lorati]

Looking up at the ceiling through the curls of hair that rested on her forehead, the young woman took a moment to count something on her fingers quickly before replying, "Oh, good. I was afraid for a moment that I may have to tell you no, but thankfully that's not the case. I can almost guarantee that someone will come in with something tonight, if they haven't already."

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil watches the woman count, then watches some more as he considers his response, hoping she will add more. After a time, he replies "That is good news. I can ask him when it comes in."

Switching topics, he turns to Enos, saying "How fares the smithing community?"

[Bhaakon]

Enos shrugs, "Same as always, complaining about too much work or not enough. I've been so busy the last few days, I haven't really been paying attention to specifics. With the torch threatening to erupt, I'm sure there will be plenty of them around to whine about it."

[gearHead]

While the Foundry slowly began to fill with smiths and less industrious folk alike, a shadow slunk along its outside walls unnoticed, digging through the discarded scrap and debris that tended to accumulate in alleyways. The people of Torch always seemed to throw away the most interesting things, and Tinker was not hesitant to take advantage of their waste. Holding up a particularly puzzling coil of twisted multicolored wire, the small android allowed his artificial vision to focus in on the details normally indistinguishable to the untrained (and fleshy) eye. A valuable find indeed; 'modern' crafted wire was rarely insulated this well.

Tinker paused, realizing that he'd allowed his vision to narrow too much; he was exposed, standing in front of a wide Foundry window. Ducking with inhuman reflexes, he pulled his cloak tighter about himself, but the tone of conversation inside didn't seem to change; he hadn't been spotted, apparently. However, the content of that conversation caught his interest; curiosity overrode caution, and he peeked over the windowsill to listen in, a pair of glowing silver circles visible under a darkened hood. Interesting artifacts. Initial report logged. More data required. Awaiting further input.

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil replies "So the torch has been cooperative these last few days?"

[Ilorin Lorati]

As the two customers sit down and discuss the torch and forging, Verocia goes back to helping other customers as they trickle in from various forges. Tonight seemed like it was going to be strangely busy.

[Bhaakon]

"Cooperative enough, at least until is started rumbling this afternoon." Enos replies to the elf. "The locals say that means it's going to flare up something fierce soon, so we all cleared out early. It's supposed to be quite a show when it goes off. Hopefully I'll still be awake to see it."

"Why, you want to try your hand at the forge?"

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sometime Later... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNOv1vgpAuY)

A terrible event has occurred that spells doom for the town of Torch if it doesn't find resolution soon, the very torch for which the town took it's name has inexplicably gone out to leave Black Hill dark at all hours and it shows no signs of re-igniting on its own. At first the absence was merely unsettling but when it became increasingly obvious that somebody would have to do something if the town is to survive, a week passing while a few different groups of adventurers tried their luck exploring a system of caves that Khonnir Baine discovered beneath the Hill. The Technic League's monthly tithe is quickly approaching and many townsfolk are worried about how the League might respond if they aren't given their dues, but more importantly the torch was the primary source of business in the town! Now merchants and smiths alike were slowly trickling back to where they had come from, depriving the town of crucial business and bringing an edge of panic to those who had lived in Torch for their entire lives.

Khonnir's discovery of the caves had temporarily eased the tensions, but as group after group disappeared beneath the Black Hill to never return, the residents of Torch had only grown more uneasy! Finally things had come to a head when Khonnir had lead his own group beneath the hill, being the first to return and bearing a disabled robot with it that currently resides in his workshop at his house behind the Foundry. What's more is that the people of Torch have begun suffering from headaches since the torch was extinguished and people have begun talking about 'metal demons' beneath the hill that are the cause of the town's problems. Finally, as if to confirm the ill omens, Khonnir himself ventured beneath the Hill once more but this time he has not returned. The councilor was much liked by the residents of Torch and word has spread that Councilwoman Dolga Freddert is offering a reward to those who manage to find Baine and, additionally, to those capable of turning the Torch back on. Rumor has it that Val, one of the wizard's adopted children, is offering room and board to those trying to help the town out since tough times have come for many.

A group of people who had met not that long ago decided to take matters into their own hands, but first they needed to decide on how they wanted to pursue their investigation into Khonnir's disappearance and the torch's sudden cessation. Should they talk to Dolga or Val? Or maybe there's another option that should be inquired about...

"A pair of dwarves got drunk at the Foundry a few nights ago and went up to Black Hill in order to drink some of the sludge up there on a dare. One of them got a lot stronger for a few minutes after drinking the stuff, but the other nearly died after the stuff nearly burned a hole through his gut!"

"Ratfolk bandits have been becoming more and more of a problem on the roads to the east! Someone has to do something about them!"

"Garritt the Junkmaster found something a few weeks ago that lit up his shack like a second torch. He's been real quiet lately...wonder what he's hiding up there?"

"You didn't hear it from me, but Garmen Ulreth's Ropefist thugs have something to do with these problems. How do I know? Well...Ulreth's got his finger in pretty much everything bad in town already, so why not our most recent troubles?"

[Ilorin Lorati]

Verocia was incredibly anxious over the first few days after the Torch went out; the increasingly strained demeanor of the town was quickly getting to the young woman, and coupled with that was the fact that Khonnir had made her promise not to go down into the newly discovered caverns on her own, and had also refused to take her with him on his first expedition - and later the one that he had disappeared on.

As such, when word came that the Council was making an official offer of reward for finding Khonnir and relighting the torch, the mage jumped into action - if it had gotten that bad, then she couldn't follow her father's instructions anymore. As such, she'd find the first group of seemingly exploration-capable people she knew (Enos, Meilanthil, and Tinker in this case) and bring them to the Foundry - by dragging them if she must even though her lack of strength made it unlikely that would work.

"So, what should we do to find my father," she'd ask, without a bit of hesitation on whether or not they'd actually be willing to help or not; of course they would. Why wouldn't they? Rewards for them AND the livelihood of the town was at stake.

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil has had plenty of time to make up his mind to go, and he's already been thinking about how. He's even been expecting Verocia to lead the way. So when she speaks, he knows what to say: "We may need to go down there, but first we need to know the way. Rumour has it that Garmen Ulreth and his Ropefist thugs can and would do this. They might have done it. They might have information we lack. They are the best starting point I know."

[Bhaakon]

For Enos, Verocia's summons had been a blessing in disguise. The quenching of the torch had been every bit as disastrous for his personal fortunes as the town's, and while he wouldn't consider himself a citizen of Torch, it's not like the Technic League would give two bent coppers about details like length of residency when they came to collect their tithe. Everyone knew how they operated. Their collectors would squeeze everyone unfortunate enough to be caught in town. Local, traveler, vagrant, or mogul, it didn't matter to them. They'd take their due in gold for their coffers, tech for their workbenches, or flesh for their ungodly experiments, as each man could afford.

So, of course, Enos had taken his small stash of coin and put it to work in whatever game he could find: cards, dice, back-alley races involving various trained vermin. He'd have laid money down on a goblin-tossing competition if he could find one. He was down to his last handful of coin when Verocia pestered him into returning to the Foundry.

"I liked...er...LIKE Khonnir well enough, but, um..." Enos rubs his temples, trying to clear his head of the persistent hangover he'd been stuck with for the last few days. It was strange, he hadn't even been drinking much. He tries his best to think up a better plan, but the dull thud in his noggin and general lack of alternatives make it pretty hard. "Well, actually, that's pretty much the sum of it. It's just that a lot of people have marched into that hole and never come out, you know? If we're going to head in there, we'll need some sort of edge. I hear that Garritt the Junkmaster dug up something interesting a couple weeks back, and he's been locked up in his shack with it ever since. Maybe it could be of use, if we can pry it out of his hands."

[Ilorin Lorati]

"A lot of people have marched into a lot of holes never came back out; that doesn't mean the same will apply to us as long as we're careful - So right, we need to get as much going for us as we can. No prying, but we can ask nicely. Personally, I've heard something about the sludge up on black hill and how it made a dwarf stronger - but it also tore the hole out of another's stomach." The first part of the prior sentence was excited, but quickly lost momentum as she moved towards the end. "...I think we should avoid that one."

The young woman paced around the table she had made everyone sit down at, stopping and holding up a finger before continuing: "Since we're here though, I think we should try talking to Val first. Father may have told her something that I wasn't, so we may get something from her."

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil listens carefully and seriously, before saying "Agreed on asking Val. Whatever Khonnir knew it was not enough, but it may help. We may need to visit the Junkmaster as well."

[gearHead]

Tinker was unsure why Verocia had called on him to join her expedition - after all, it was stealing from her father that had landed him stuck in the forges for weeks in the first place. Perhaps she'd been unable to find anyone else willing to enter the caves at this point, or thought a someone with his skills - or his nature - could be of use in such a place. Then again, in that time Khonnir had taken a shining to the diminutive android for reasons Tinker couldn't comprehend either; his only guess was scientific curiosity, but like most of his kind he often had trouble discerning the motives of the fleshy races. He supposed it was possible the man's interest had rubbed off on his daughter as well.

He was certainly not about to turn her offer down. He'd been planning on exploring the caves as soon as he'd found the chance to slip away, and at the very least hide out there once the League made an appearance.

His eyes lit up (quite literally) at mention of Garrit's mysterious prize, and the torch-sludge. "I recommend we split up," he offered, speaking for the first time since they'd convened. "Time is of the essence, yes? I do not know Val well regardless; I will seek out and verify these other rumors." The android paused, his head tilting. "Despite the other troubles plaguing Torch, I have overheard citizens finding time to complain about a rise in ratfolk bandit activity on the eastern roads. I cannot imagine how it may be relevant, but it may be worth looking into as well. It is rarely wise to write off coincidence."

[Ilorin Lorati]

The young mage looked at Tinker for a moment as he suggested splitting up, but let him finish before she said anything. "Are you sure? Yes. Right. Bandits are nothing new, they may not be worth the time - something we don't have much of. Splitting up though? Maybe - what do you two think?" Her gaze turned to Enos and Meilanthil as she asked the question."

[raspberrybadger]

"Down below, unwise. Here, saves time."

[Bhaakon]

"Split up, eh? All right. But let's talk to Val first, since we're already here. Then I suppose I could take Tinker up to see old Garritt. I'll handle the talking while he has a look at whatever the Junkmaster got his hands on. Honestly, I don't know much about that salvaged junk beyond stripping out the sky metal." Enos suggests. "The rest of you can go have a look at that sludge."

Without waiting for the others to vote, Enos waves his arm, trying to get the attention of Khonnir's other adopted daughter.

[Callos_DeTerran]

The four quickly come to a decision to talk to Val about what she might know before splitting up to investigate the other rumors that they've heard around town and since they were already on the way towards the Foundry it seems like the best choice at the moment. Something seems a little odd as they approach though, the door and shutters are still closed and none of the lights within have been lit which has always been the first thing that Val does, a quick check of the door knob confirming that it was still locked and empty inside.

Enos checks the actual foundry next to the inn but, as expected, finds the forge cool and nobody inside. There's a brief moment of confusion between the newly grouped together people before they hear something coming from Khonnir, Val, and Verocia's home.

"Ahhhhhh~! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw-WJkJK210)" comes a sharp shriek from inside of the house, along with the noise of splintering wood and crashing metal. They ran towards the house just as the side door fell off it's hinges to let a strange, metallic creature stumble into the light of day. A round sphere balances on three metal legs that send it scurrying around back and forth as if dizzy and in disarray before it fixes its bright red eye on the fallen door. An appendage ending in a pincer reaches out and begins to pull the boards of the door apart from one another, tossing them aside and moving on to the hinges but there's no sign of Val...

Smoke trickles from the metal creature's body, with an occasional bright spark leaping out harmlessly as the creature turns it's attention to the stones of the house, doing it's best to pull them out of the walls!

Might have gone with the wrong course of action, but this is what I got the general impression of what you guys wanted to do. A DC 13 Knowledge Engineering check reveals that...the creature is a repair drone but it is badly damaged and malfunctioning. However this is still a vast improvement over 'completely deactivated' like its supposed to be!

[Ilorin Lorati]

Kn: Engineering: [roll0]

By the way, the link is broken; it has an extraneous 'http' at the beginning. I'm also assuming that it was in the house normally but was nonfunctional.




Verocia jumps in alarm at the shriek coming from inside of her home, running towards it with an urgent shout of "Val!", but stopping short as she sees the thing burst out of the house. "-Something's wrong, that repair done was way too damaged to be moving right now. Why's it... wait - we need to get inside! It may have hurt Val!"

If the machine is in a position to prevent Verocia from getting through the door, she'll wait for the rest of the party. Otherwise, Verocia runs into the building; a few bricks are nothing compared to making sure her sister is safe.

[Bhaakon]

"Go in and grab Val, if you can get past the thing. We'll try to keep it from pulling the house down around your head." Enos grabs his lucerne hammer in both hands and hoists it high, waiting for an gap in the robot's casing to to pry open with the curved spike on the weapon's head.

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil has a flash of insight - Whatever went wrong here - not an accident. Connected if not to flame, to disappearance. So he rushes into the building, saying "We must learn what happened here." If he wants that thing taken down with as little damage as possible, that leaves out a wrecking by treant. Hopefully a spear thrust won't cause too many problems. Perhaps it will not attack? Perhaps it speaks?Meilanthil speaks up again, not sure how to address the thing: "What are you here for?"

Move action into the house, standard action to ready an action to attack the thing if it comes at him.

If it does, to hit [roll0]
To damage, [roll1] x2

[Callos_DeTerran]

The drone pays no mind to the four people that have approached it, sticking to the meticulous work of removing the stones of the house piece by piece without a care in the world...at least until Verocia goes to rush by it! Steel whirrs as its 'head' swivels about to follow the young woman and as she approaches the door, it rushes towards her in a flurry of metal legs until Verocia can smell the smoke and ozone coming off of the damage robot.

One of the very same arms that had been removing masonry just moments ago lashes out to club the girl on the head, but it's a clumsy blow that is easily avoided but positions the machine close enough to the door that it seems prepared to try and attack those that go through the side door...

[raspberrybadger]

Come to think of it, Val is a more important source of information than this... whatever it is. And it is trying to hurt Verocia. Time to clear the way. Meilanthil whistles for Quercal, gives the hand sign to attack, and then charges the machine.

Attack with a spear [roll0]. That's assuming charging bonus. If the terrain doesn't allow a charge, he'll flank with Quercal or Verocia for the same bonus if possible.
Damage [roll1]

Handle animal DC 10 [roll2]

Treant attack, assuming it's getting flanking bonuses with Verocia [roll3]
Damage [roll4] No idea if that gets the x2 vs objects or not.

[Bhaakon]

Enos doesn't need a second hint after the damaged automaton tires to take off Verocia's head. His polearm arcs down like a sledgehammer, aiming to knock the thing to pieces instead of just disable it apart. Clearly this wasn't a time for subtlety, not that the smith had an overly large supply in the first place.

Charge, if possible. If not, subtract 2 from the attack roll

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Ilorin Lorati]

Verocia just barely manages to step back as the drone takes a swing at her, nearly losing balance - "Son of a---" before recovering " ... Servo. You three, take care of this thing; I'm going in the front!" Withdrawing, Verocia circles around towards the other door, either giving the robot a large berth or rounding the corner.

Initiative: [roll0]

Withdraw action (60' total).

I don't see much point in wasting one of my spells on this thing; sadly, Daze only works on Humanoids.

[Callos_DeTerran]

As Verocia backs up away from the robot, the repair drone makes a few menacing whirrs before it returns to the act of 'repairing' Khonnir's home. Still, the opening is all that Meilanthil needs to charge forward and bury his spear into the junction of the metal creature's head and body, causing sparks to violently fly from the new wound. The electrical charge makes the elf's spear thrum pleasantly in his hands but it proves to be the only successful assault.

Enos' hammer, despite his careful timing, rebounds off the robot's plating leaving nothing more than a cosmetic dent while the small treant's attack did nothing more than earn the robot's temporary attention. Temporary indeed because it quickly lashes out with one pincered 'arm' to slam against Meilanthil's body and knocking the elf back far enough the spear is pull free from it's innards!

Meilanthil leaves a good sized hole in the robot's body and it returns the favor with 5 points of damage.

---

Verocia circles around her home quickly to come in through the front door to find that the low, stone home looks to have been ransacked by its metallic inhabitant but moments before. The wooden furniture is either smashed or tossed around the common living area that the three shared while anything metallic looks to have been cut and 'opened' as if to be applied as a bizarre sort of bandage that was inevitably discarded for some unknown reason as being unsuitable. Despite the fact there's no sign of Val, Verocia knows there's still two rooms to search. The room the two 'sisters' share and Khonnir's work room where he experiments on salvaged technology and new projects to help the town.

It's loud inside of the house due to the tussle outside and it's difficult to hear anything, but Verocia could almost swear that she heard a voice coming from one of the two rooms!

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil's breath whooshes out, but his determination is steady. He's not sure he can take another hit like that and stay standing, but he's also guessing Quercal can just tear this thing apart now. Besides, that smith may well have a way to kill it too. So he silently makes sure of his position and just uses the basics of his spear form, just as if this were a practice target. That's all it is, really.

If necessary, he and or Quercal can make 5' steps to assure flanking.

Attack with a spear (1d20+5).
Damage (1d8+4)

Treant full attack to hit: (1d20+6)
(1d20+6)
Damage: (1d6+4)
Damage: (1d6+4)
No idea if that gets the x2 vs objects or not.

[Bhaakon]

"Gorum's bollucks!" Enos curses as his hammer rings off the robot with little more effect than a dull 'bong' and a superficial dent. The haft of the weapon reverberates with the impact, and he tightens his grip in a vain attempt to quiet the bees buzzing in the joints of his fingers.

"Be a good machine and collapse into a pile of slag, you wretched little tripod!" He shifts his strategy and sweeps his weapons wide, trying to land a blow on one of the thing's legs. Maybe the armor would be less daunting on the articulated appendages.

Attack again:
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Ilorin Lorati]

Verocia stops for a moment to survey the damage done to her home; just how long had this thing been ransacking the place before Val had seen it, and it had gone outside? No matter, there was more important things to deal with. She knew she could hear something, but couldn't pinpoint where is was; maybe if she concentrated she could get a better idea as to its whereabouts?


Perception: [roll0]

...2. Wow.




Not being able to tell which way it was, she would pick one of the two rooms; going with the one to the right of the other (or further down the hall) first.

[Callos_DeTerran]

The three people outside of the low-slung home move quickly to finish dispatching the robot, Enos hooking his hammer around one leg to pull it out to the side and out from underneath of the machine. While it briefly sprawls on the ground and flounders to try and get back up to its feet, Meilanthil springs into action to drive his spear down into the robot and pin it down against the ground as his treat companion moves into position with a rustle of wooden limbs. It brings both of his wooden fists up and clasps them together before bringing them down with a resounding crash that caves in the domed 'torso' of the robot and sends pieces of machinery go flying around the three fighters.

The sudden, brutal execution of the machine leaves the three with an awkward moment of silence without the background noise of whirring, clacking, sparking, and wrenching metal that the repair drone had been providing before its abrupt and violent forced shut-down.

---

Inside the house, Verocia heads towards the right-hand door and enters into Khonnir's workshop which has taken the brunt of the repair drone's attempts to fix the house. The tools and minor pieces of scavenged tech are cast all about the room and the remains of half-finished projects have been ripped to pieces by the inadvertent fumbling about of the supposed-deactivated robot. There's no sign of Val at first before a large crate placed in front of the work table is pushed aside and a tentative Val pokes her head out. A young woman with dusty blonde hair and a smattering of freckles across her cheeks wearing a practical brown dress and leather apron, she cautiously peers about the workshop with big, pale blue eyes.

"...Is it gone?" she asks cautiously before she catches sight of Verocia and a bright smile bursts out across her face. In a flash the young Kellid woman has dashed across the room to pull her adoptive sister into a tight hug, squeezing her tight. "Verocia! Thank goodness you're alright, you didn't happen to see that damned robot on your way in, did you? Are you hurt?"

Despite the robot's abrupt attack, Val looks unharmed! ...Covered in dust and soot from the dirty floor of Khonnir's workshop, but otherwise fine!

[raspberrybadger]

That beating looks sufficient to Meilanthil. He pauses to cure himself, but his real focus is on the machine. He looks at the wreckage of both room and drone to find out if there is any remaining evidence of why this thing came to life, as it were.

Cure light wounds for [roll0]

Does he need a perception check, knowledge checks, or anything?

[Ilorin Lorati]

The young mage was paying more attention to the room having been tossed by the house-dismantling robot than the moving box, so though she did notice Val it was somewhat of a surprise to see her dash across the room - giving no opportunity for Verocia to do anything but squeak a few times and return the hug to her sister until Val realized such.

When Val finally released her, Verocia would answer her questions: "Yes, I saw it taking the bricks out of the side of the house. Enos, Meilanthil, and Tinker are all outside dismantling it - it didn't hit me, no. What happened? Did it hurt you? Did you see what started it up?"

[Bhaakon]

Once it becomes clear that the thing has lost whatever motive force it possessed, Enos uses his hammer to crush its limbs. You could never be too sure with such things, he's heard. Robots were nothing if not patient, laying dormant for centuries before whirring to life at the behest of whatever alien motives drove them, often to the misfortune of anyone nearby. He wouldn't put it past one to play possum, and it's not like such constructs had a pulse to check.

Once he's sure that the drone isn't getting back up, Enos puffs out a winded sigh and makes for the door, leaving Meilinthil and Tinker to examine the wreckage. He follows the voices until he finds Khonnir's adopted daughters. "Ah, you're alright, then. I'd suggest a round to calm all our nerves, but I think the both of you should come out and look over the damage. That things looked like it was dismantling your house brick by brick."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Meilanthil bends over to examine the repair drone to see if there's some reason for why the robot had abruptly reactivated but there's no sign of why the machine did so in the smoking mess that is its innards. Of course the problem gets worse when Enoch sets about dismantling the repair drone so it can't pull another mysterious revivification. With no clues outside, the two head inside to check on Val and Verocia just in time to catch the two sisters' conversation.

"Huh? No, it didn't hurt me or anything. I was just in here cleaning up before opening the Foundry and heard it stirring behind me. I hadn't even been doing anything around it but I was close to the workbench so when I saw it start taking apart some of Pa's salvage I ducked underneath of the table," Val says in a remarkably cheerful tone of voice considering all that has already happened. "I'm fairly certain that it even saw me under there but I didn't do anything so it just...caused this great big mess you see here. Brigh's gears, I'm going to be cleaning up this mess for quite a while...Hrm, I think I'll close down the Foundry until Pa gets back and focus on getting everything back in order. You all think we should adjourn there for the time being? Less messy and better drinks, I'll almost guarantee!"

Sadly, to do a lot of skill checks and such that involve technology, you need the actual Technologist feat which I do not believe Meilanthil actually has though I could be wrong!

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil nods his agreement. The others will decide more rationally if drinking together rather than standing at a battle scene. Moreover, this is a great opportunity to let Quercal see a drinking establishment rather than being left outside.

[Bhaakon]

"Drinks, then? Sounds like a plan to me." The rest of their little self-appointed quest could wait, at least for a pint. He follows her into the Foundry and waits for the drinks to be distributed before getting to the real point of their visit. "You should thank your sister for having us show up when we did. And a good thing, too, since it gave us a fight even outnumbered. Verocia had gathered us up to go after Khonnir, but we're a bit hesitant to leap into that hole in the ground without some preparation. We were hoping that maybe he'd told you what he found on his first expedition--other than that mad tripod we smashed. Maybe he left some notes or a map?"

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Meanwhile, Andrezi arrives at the fight scene, and is greeted by the sight of a damaged building and a very broken robot. "My, my, what happened here?" A cursory inspection of the surrounding area reveals the sound of voices coming from within the Foundry, which seems as good a place as any to start looking for more information.

He pushes open the door of the Foundry and steps inside, clearing his throat as he does so. "Excuse me, I hate to interrupt, but would any of you happen to know what happened outside a minute or two ago? I heard the sound of a ruckus and came to investigate, only to be greeted by the sight of a destroyed robot and damaged door frame."

[Ilorin Lorati]

"Going to need to thorougly clean the ash off your dress." Verocia looks over at the new entry from where she was standing in the middle of the room doting on the taller of the two siblings. "Oh, hello Andrezi. One of our father's experiments went out of control and decided it was time to deconstruct the house. Did you see Tinker - ah, the android - outside anywhere? He was just with us."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Val is quick to open up the Foundry and fetch a pitcher of water when she lets Verocia, Enos, and Meilanthil inside for a place to talk and discuss just what might have happened to Khonnir in the caves below the Hill. The tavern seems far more subdued without customers inside of it, but a number of bedrolls have been laid out by the fireplace and it looks as if the Foundry has been prepared to house guests, which it has! Once Khonnir had gone missing, Val had closed the tavern to the general public but had made it well known that anyone investigating her adopted father's disappearance could stay in the Foundry and take free meals there as long as they were investigating the matter.

She's still in the process of bringing water and starting a meal to feed her rescuers when Andrezi comes in, nodding at Verocia's accounting of the events that had transpired.

"Father didn't talk about what he had found down below that much with me, he was too busy reporting to the rest of the council and preparing for the next expedition, but I do know a few things," Val calls over. "Pa mentioned that they had found monstrously sized vermin in the caves but said they weren't as bad compared to the strange people capable of blending into the walls or the nest of gremlins. Remember that Verocia? He said that it might represent a connection to the Darklands but he didn't figure it for the reason behind the torch going out. That he figured had something to do with a solid metal wall where he found that thrice-cursed automaton. Sadly, if he had a map of the caves then he took it with him when he went back down."

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Andrezi shakes his heads as he steps the rest of the way into the Foundry. "I didn't see any androids, no, but I wasn't looking very hard." He crosses the room over to the table, though he doesn't sit just yet. "What's this talk of caves, maps, and monsters about?"

[Ilorin Lorati]

Verocia listens to her sister's thought on what's below, then turns and beams at Andrezi as he asks his question. "We're going down to hunt dad. Since Tinker disappeared on us, I guess it's a good thing you've decided to come instead!" Of course, Andrezi had yet to do any such thing, but this was simply par for the course with her.

After a moment she turned her attention back over to Val, commenting: "I remember you all talking about gremlins... vaguely? The wall-blending ones were more interesting - I wanna see that in action."

She doesn't have Knowledge: Nature trained, so sadly any information about fey in on one of her ears and out the other normally. I'll try an untrained one though. P8
[roll0]

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Andrezi appears slightly jarred by Verocia's spontaneous inclusion of him in their plans, but he doesn't complain. "Down into the catacombs? Excellent! I've been preparing and gearing up for an expedition down there for a few days now. When do we leave?" He seems eager to get started.

[raspberrybadger]

This is a little crazier than Meilanthil was hoping for. Still, this will go better if he lets Val or Verocia sort it out. In the mean time, he'll listen.

[Bhaakon]

"Wall blending? Like they're hiding really well, or like they're merging with the wall?" Enos inquires, taking a long pull off his tankard before continuing. "Normally I'd assume the former, but it's best not to take anything for granted when it comes to this star-stuff."

Also, just to be clear, did Khonnir say that all these things were aggressive? I think there will be enough to worry about down there without angering things content to let us be.

[Ilorin Lorati]

Verocia lets Enos get out his question, but as soon as he finished she continues with "Carts and horses. Val, did dad tell you where the entrance to this place was?"

[Callos_DeTerran]

"Pa didn't say if it was just blending in really well or actual magic," Val admits with a bit of a shrug as she refills everyone's drinks and brings over the pot of stew that she had been making. The meaty dinner is poured into thin metal bowls and given spoons before Val looks briefly distracted. "Hmm, well he said that those people did attack him and his group so I would go out on a limb and say that they are hostile. Didn't have that much trouble with them either but he is an accomplished wizard as well so I don't know if that is a good standard to go by."

"Well you know the Black Hill, right? If you go down the eastern slope you find the Weeping Pond, the one that smells like sulfur and other foul things. Well, Pa was exploring down there to see if he couldn't find some way into the Hill and that is exactly what he found. Granted, it was actually under the Pond and he had to swim through the dark, but apparently that's how you can get inside the Hill," Val shudders a bit at the mention of the tunnel though. "I can't even imagine swimming through a tunnel like that, but Pa said he apparently wasn't the first one to find that tunnel either. There looked like a lot of traffic down there and I'll tell you right now it's not for the fishing!"

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil considers Val's words carefully as she speaks, then says "Swimming to gain access will be straightforward enough, I hope. I can swim ahead with a rope if need be. The water might make tracking a little easier, at least right after the underwater tunnel.

It is what comes after that is uncertain. We have an unknown destination and could be attacked at any time. With care, creatures and gremlins can be warded off. Human opponents may be much more dangerous.

What can you tell us about the others who have used this entrance, Val?"

[Bhaakon]

Enos nearly spits out his ale at the mention of diving blind into weeping pond. He could almost smell that vile pit of sulfurous sludge from the Foundry, and they'd be carrying all their gear and armor, and Enos hadn't done much swimming at all since he was a child. "Maybe people keep going missing because they dissolve in that cesspit." He mutters under his breath. "We should probably see about protecting ourselves from whatever is in that pool. If nothing else, grab some oilskin sacks for spare clothes and other equipment."

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Andrezi nods at Enos' statements. "If we're going to have to swim to gain entry, it might be best to let me go in first and carry our gear. My astral suit," he gestures at the slightly-translucent, azure-colored suit of chainmail that adorns his form, "can be reconfigured to let me breathe underwater, which will make it easiest for me to go back and forth. Is there anything else we should know about?"

[Callos_DeTerran]

The young woman listens quietly while the others talk about the Weeping Pond but places a comforting hand on Enos' shoulder when he seems distraught about the prospect about diving blind in order to reach the caves beneath Black Hill.

"If you're worried about diving blind, I know that Joram was helping...I think it was the second group to go investigating with getting down to the caves. He helped them out with some sort of water-breathing magic I think," she tries to comfort before looking up towards the ceiling of the Foundry. "I don't really know anything else about the tracks to be honest, I'm not a tracker or anything and Da made me promise to keep everything in order so I haven't really had time to go down and check for myself."

[Ilorin Lorati]

"Joram?" Verocia nods thinking a moment before continuing, "I suppose if it comes down to it, we could ask him for services, but I'm not really worried about the getting down there - it's the other traffic that you're saying Dad saw, but that won't be something we can really take steps to prepare to handle above and beyond making sure we're fully stocked in case we take a while."

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Andrezi turns to Verocia. "We should probably plan around being down there for at least three days. There's no telling how far these caves run. So we'll need enough food, water, and light to make that work."

[Bhaakon]

"Three days worth of torches would be quite a haul. I hope one of you knows a trick to summon light magically." Enos observes as he finishes off his tankard. "But, before we go shopping, perhaps we should finish what we were going to do before that whole mess that the mad robot. I believe I was going to track down Garritt the Junkmaster and see what had him locked up in his hovel, then there was that matter with the dwarves. Now that I think about it, I wonder if that pond is polluted with whatever those two fools were drinking."

[Ilorin Lorati]

Verocia interrupts Enos with a quiet command word, light appearing above his head and illuminating the surroundings. "Still take a few in case something happens to me. I think we should check all these leads out - I don't like the sound of that sludge, though. And if we have the information on how to get down there now, can we please avoid those thugs?"

A moment later, the light goes out, returning the room to normal. "I also need some way of transporting Khonnir down there; my magic doesn't work without him nearby." The young woman's pet raven hops out of the hood of her robe, resting up on her shoulder and looking around expectantly. "I was talking about you, not to you."

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil notes that the other people going down there are still quite vague, thinking Are we talking secretive treasure hunters? Or Technic League with some knowledge and some plan? but keeps his peace about it, as Val can't or won't speak to the matter, and there is no other evidence.

When Verocia speaks, Meilanthil speaks up in support: "I agree. Down there, answers. Up here, spies and rumours." He then speaks a similar word and causes his own hand to glow with soft light.

[Bhaakon]

His milky eyes hardly registering the glow of Verocia's spell, Enos has little trouble ignoring the glowing nimbus about his noggin. "Well, you can always stuff him in a waterproof sack. That's how I plan on keeping my clothes dry, unless Joram has another solution." He shrugs, not having much more to offer on the subject. It likely wouldn't be a pleasant experience for any of them, so he didn't feel particularly sorry for the bird.

"Let's go seek Joram out, then. We can grab a few torches and whatever else we might think of on the way."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Deciding that is best to have a well-laid course of action than rushing off without considering what dangers may lay in wait, Andrezi, Enos, Meilanthil, and Verocia spend the rest of that evening discussing their plans for the morning, the gear they might need, and any additional preparations that might need to be made before risking the underwater passage beneath Weeping Pond. Once those plans are laid, Val brings out the bedrolls that she had promised for those who wish to stay the sleep at the Foundry for the night.

Need a DC 12 Fortitude save from each character or they wake up with a nagging headache that causes a -1 penalty on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma skill checks.

---

The next morning the four quickly set out to gather the supplies talked about the previous evening before meeting up at the well-known temple of Brigh, easily found by the sound of the brass wind chimes around the domed portico. Joram Kyte is an older man with a balding head of white hair that seems remarkably at ease in his heavy duty leather apron and gloves over-top of his chainmail, wearing a feminine mask of brass and bronze around his neck. When asked about the possibility of getting aid in getting under Black Hill, he seems enthusiastic about providing help so long as they are looking for Khonnir. Since Andrezi seems to be able to handle breathing under water on his own, the priest informs Enos, Meilanthil, and Verocia that they have eight hours that they won't have to worry about drowning before casting the spell over them.

Deciding to make the best of it, the group quickly heads to the scar-shaped embankment around the Weeping Pond and descend it to the rank pool of water that lays at the bottom. No vegetation grows on the banks of the pond and the smell of sulfur and other chemicals that burn at the nostrils. There is a moment of understandable unease before diving into the poisoned water but there is no helping it and Verocia summons the lights she had the previous night before diving into the pond. Between Enos' infravision and Verocia's light, there is not much trouble in finding the tear in the ground that signifies the cave opening that all four make their way towards with all due haste! The tunnel turns norther after a short dip in before running forty feet north before the tunnel opens up to a cave and a place for the group to pull themselves out of the water and on to a short beach of loose dirt and gravel. Several cat-sized beetles lay belly up on the ground with numerous burn marks on the ground all around them, but it doesn't seem as if there are more of the beetles around and the four are given a chance to get over the effects of their swim...

Need another Fortitude save (DC 12) at a -4 penalty or be nauseated for a full on minute after getting out of the water. ...And possibly may need new clothes unless you want clothes that smell this bad all the time. Also, just a short list of what was bought supply-wise.

[Ilorin Lorati]

Verocia does a minute amount of shopping as they prepare for the trip ahead, collecting up another few days worth of rations more than what she already had (don't ask), a change of clothes, and a waterproof bag to store Khonnir and the aforementioned change of clothes in - as well as the rations she carried with her.

Putting on the brave face, Verocia was the first into the water. If she couldn't go in, how could she expect the people that she basically dragged into service to her to do so? "Oh, this isn't bad. It'll scrub the dead **** right off of your skin, that's for sure." Incredibly unconvincing, but it didn't matter. She dove.

The start of the swim itself wasn't too uncomfortable - she kept her mouth shut and there's not much smelling things when you can't breathe water, but it started to sting at her eyes and sicken her just from that halfway through. The bank couldn't come quick enough, and she sputtered and coughed as she breached the surface on the other side, clawing her way in and trying desperately not to relieve herself of the breakfast that she and Val had made together that morning.

Now, the others just needed to come through...


This puts her just above her weight limit; so for the sake of not retroactively adding any sort of complexity to the situation, someone else will have carried it through.

Rations, 2 days: 2 SP
Peasant's Outfit: 1 SP
Waterproof Bag: 5 SP
Peace of Mind (and not stinking): Priceless.
Some things, money can't buy.
For everything else, there's MasterGold.

Fort: [roll0]
Fort 2: [roll1]

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil also does a little shopping, picking up a waterproof bag, a waterskin, and another ration. He considers just swimming unclothed, but then decides that the protection against who knows what in the water might be worth the expenditure. He too picks up a peasant's outfit.

Meilanthil spends most of the swim making sure Quercal is all right. Once he's through, his first thought is for security. What does the immediate area look like? Is there anyone else here? Are there any tracks besides their own coming out of the filthy water?

Fort save [roll0]
The second fort save [roll1]

I take it we need the Technologist feat to be able to use the Heal skill or whatever to figure out the reasons for the fort saves.

Perception is at +8.

Survival check for the tracking: [roll2]

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Andrezi, for his part, adjourns early that evening, citing the fact that he needs some time to modify his suit for the coming expedition. By the time he is done with the suit's modifications, it looks drastically different. The hood now includes a mask that fits over his mouth and nose, filtering water and allowing him to breathe in it as easily as air, as well as a pair of goggles that fit over his eyes, enabling him to see in conditions of even total darkness.

The next morning, he does relatively little shopping. As he said before, he has been gearing up for just such an expedition for a few days now, and so has nearly everything he needs. He adds a set of disposable clothing and a waterproof bag to his collection.
Purchasing a peasant's outfit and waterproof bag, like the others (6 SP total), and modifying the suit to have the Darkvision and Underwater Breathing customizations instead of Augmented Weapon.

At the shore, he follows quickly on Verocia's heels, not seeing any good reason to hesitate. Once on the other side, he quickly sheds his astral suit and changes out of the disposable clothes he wore for the swim. Once he is dry and dressed, he reforms the suit around himself, and looks around the area.
I believe you needed Fort saves, as well:
DC12: [roll0]
DC12 with penalty: [roll1]

[Bhaakon]

Enos wakes up to a pounding headache. Not an unfamiliar conditions, but usually the result of a late-night bender run well into the morning. For the life of him, Enos was sure he only had three flagons the night before. Or was it four? Regardless, not enough to incite the phalanx of iron-shod Taldan legionaries parade-marching across his brain-pan in time with his heartbeat.

He follows the others on their shopping, stuffing the oilskin sack he already owned with a spare set of clothing, a bedroll, some more food, a pair of new drinking skins (filled with water rather than the wine he'd planned to bring before developing this stubborn hangover), and a few other odds and ends that seem useful. Just before they quartet reaches the temple of Brig, he recalls Val's tale of the disappearing men and adds a few pouches full of crushed chalk to his kit.

Traveler's outfit, 2x waterskins, 3x trail rations, bedroll, 4x charcoal sticks. 6.65 gp total

What he neglected to buy--an oversight he regrets immediately upon exiting the pool of murky water--is some kind of strongly flavored liquor, or even just a handful of mint sprigs. By the hells, even some of that disgusting black liquorice candy that gnomes couldn't get enough of. Anything to clear his mouth of whatever oily nastiness polluted the pond. "Curse that Joram" He gasps between heaving wretches on the gravelly shore of the cavern. "I'd have rather held my breath than fill my lungs with that...well, whatever that was. I'll not call it water. If those metal creatures require a sewer, we've likely just swam through it."

Once he stomach's rebellion has quieted, Enos draws a mouthful of water from one of his skins, sloshing it around and spitting it out. It doesn't help much. Neither does stripping out of his ruined clothing and into his new duds. The scum-soaked outfit he simply lays out on the beach--he'll decide whether they're salvageable when they come back this way. He wishes he could do the same with his armor, but he couldn't find a bag large enough to accommodate his breastplate. He scrubs off what he can with the sleeve of his discarded shirt and straps the armor on.

Thus attired, Enos finally has a detailed look at their surroundings. The distinct lack of dead dead explorers was probably a good sign, and it looked like once of their predecessors had been kind enough to deal with the cave denizens that made their home on the edge of the pool. He pokes one of the crispy beetles with the long haft of his hammer, flipping it over to get a better look at its wounds. "You think this is Khonnir's handiwork, Verocia? I've no idea what spells he favored."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Once out of the nauseating water and given a chance to recover from the effects of it, the four adventurers are given a moment to appraise their surroundings beyond the readily apparent. There only seems to be two ways to proceed deeper into the caves, the first being a continuing along the water as it winds its way further under Black Hill while the second is a low-hanging cave up a small ridge of stone. Electing for the latter route after the experience with the water from the Weeping Pond, the four quickly climb the embankment and find themselves in an ominous looking chamber. A collection of stalactites and stalagmites choke this low-hanging cavern and make the going slow and slightly precarious as they need to squeeze between them. matching stalactites close in from the five foot high ceiling to give the impression of a fang-filled maw closing in. A dead half-orc lays by the exit on the eastern side of the cave which Andrezi, Meilanthil, and Verocia recognize almost right away. Parda Garr had been a popular brawler in town that many people had considered a friend, so when she had fallen in with the thugs of the second expedition most people predicted that it would end in trouble for her. Quick examination of the body though reveals that she had died from a number of shallow stab wounds, the sort inflicted by a short-bladed weapon.

Past the Parda Garr's body the low-hanging cave opens up to a large, dark chamber with numerous stalactites hanging down from the ceiling. A rocky shore overlooks a placid pool and stream, fed by a trickle of water from a narrow fissure to the north. A small garden of toadstools and dark mold grows along the banks. The various colored molds and fungus grow particularly thick around a trio of waist high mounds of foul-smelling mold on the bank, but nothing more can be determined by the entrance to this cave, aside from the fact that the only other tunnel is to the right of the entrance to the stalagmite forest and leads back to the south-west though at a slight downward angle...

[Ilorin Lorati]

Verocia takes a few moments to free her bird and her fresh clothes from the waterproof bag they had been in, finding a dark corner to hide in and change while Khonnir took off and scouted the area. "I was no worse than a time I had to actually hide in a sewer, but I'll be loathe coming back around then." Stepping back out in her much more plain robes, she stretches out the disgusting set of fabric she had been wearing moments before next to the one Enos did. "What are you -- oh." Walking over to the beetle, she rubs her forehead; what had been eating at her today? It was going on even before they had dove, but whatever it was it was distracting.

"Possibly? Dad's a pretty typical wizard as far as they go, so he keeps a fairly wide range of spells prepared. Except for his bombs." Khonnir comes back and lands on her shoulder at this point, hopping around and directing her towards the nearby body. It takes her a moment to recognize it in the darkness of the cave, but when she finally casts light be becomes immediately apparent what it was. She didn't remember Parda as being particularly nice, but all the same she was a local and it was apparent that the sight was upsetting to the teenager despite her turning around and putting on a brave face as she called the others over.

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil changes into his normal clothing - many creatures use scent, and it is unwise to smell like that water. He makes sure Quercal is well, and not disoriented by the strange environment. Pointing to the body, he says "Does this mean we will need to fight the group that did this?"

[Bhaakon]

"If they're still alive." Enos responds to Meilanthil's question. "I wonder if she killed as she was entering these tunnels, or trying to flee back out." He wonders aloud as he bends over to rummage through the half-orc's belongings. "I'm not much for reading wounds, but I know that a beetle or automaton probably wouldn't lift her coin purse. If she's been stripped of valuables, then there might be something down here with more than half a brain."

He's quite for a moment as he picks through pouches and pockets, then adds, "Or her companions were heartless enough to loot her corpse and leave it to rot, in which case we should probably keep an eye out for them, too."

Perception, I guess, to search the body? [roll0]

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Andrezi follows the rest of the group over to the corpse. "There are bound to be a lot of nasties down in these tunnels. We should be wary; if she was killed entering, then whatever it was that killed her is most likely nearby, but I rather doubt that's the case. The only other corpses we've seen were those fire beetles back at the shore, remember?" He gestures over his shoulder in the general direction they came from. "More likely, she was killed while fleeing something. That would explain the lack of other bodies in this are. The question is, what was she running from?" He scans the area ahead of them, looking for some sign of what may lie ahead.

[Ilorin Lorati]

Verocia blanches slightly, "Or they just dragged her down here to get rid of her - but I think something else happened that caused this." The young woman goes about looking around, and instructs Khonnir to do the same. She has a feeling that something is wrong here, she just couldn't see what it was at a glance.



Perception: [roll0]
Perception (Khonnir): [roll1]

Edit: Not that it'll help, but Add 3 to Khonnir's roll; I forgot to add the Skill focus bonus that Raven gets.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Enos drops to one knee to search the half-orc young woman's body for any sign of valuables but finds her without anything of the sort, nor is he so keen to violate the sanctity of her body to determine the answer to a question that wasn't that vital. Meanwhile, Andrezi, Meilanthil, and Verocia take the opportunity to peer into the cavern they found themselves face with and quickly begin scoping it out for potential threats. Despite their efforts, all they are able to discover is a faint glow of dim light coming from within the water.

Khonnir the bird though is able to get the proper angle to look into the water and transmits a feeling of unease back to Verocia that she passes on to her companions as the water begins to churn and the light grows brighter. A squat, amphibious looking humaniod climbs out of the water and pulls itself up on the short beach with a pained noise. Its eyes appear to be milky white but it is difficult to tell with the almost blinding white light that emits from them as it peers around along the same path that Khonnir had been flying towards the three clustered at the entrance to the rocky forest. With a loud, angry sounding croak it moves forward as if to attack!

Thanks to some scouting ahead by Khonnir, neither group is taken by surprise when the albino frog-man climbed out of the fetid water to attack! I will need initiative and actions for the first round of combat!

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil shifts from figuring out what to do next to the immediate necessity of combat, signalling Quercal to attack and driving into melee himself on the opposite side, seeking to end this quickly. As he engages, he says much the same thing in a quiet calm voice: "Take him quickly."

Handle animal DC 10 if necessary to attack, [roll0]

Quercal's flanking attack, [roll1]
Quercal's damage [roll2]
Meilanthil's attack [roll3]
Meilanthil's damage [roll4]

[Ilorin Lorati]

Verocia catches sight of the Frog-man as it climbs out of the pool, immediately unloading the first of her spells off onto it. "In Zu," she chants, reaching into her reagent pouch and tossing a bit of dust in the direction of the creature as she does so.



Init: [roll0]

Casting Sleep.
Spell DC: Will 16

[Bhaakon]

Enos swears loudly as realizes what's happening. Using his long hammer's haft to haul himself out of his crouch and hustles away from the poor half-orc's corpse to defend his three companions. Whatever that creature is, it's either mad enough to take us on outnumbered or it has friends nearby

Move action and draw weapon and join the others. I'm not sure about the distances, so I don't know exactly how the action breaks down, but I assume that Enos is far enough away to preclude an immediate attack.

Also, question: Is the frog-man armed with weapons that might match the wounds on the dead body?

[roll0]

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Andrezi drops into a ready stance, drawing his sword and advancing on the creature with his companions. This bodes ill for what lies ahead. I've never even seen a creature like this before.
Initiative: [roll0]

[Callos_DeTerran]

Even as the companions readied themselves to set upon the albino frog creature, it nimbly leaps into action and charges towards them with a wet hissing noise. As it gets closer though, a brilliant and searing light begins to emit from its eyes that light up the cave and forces the adventurers who's eyes had adjusted to the dim glow from the globes of lights to cover their eyes! Of them, Verocia cries out at the pain of the light and finds that her vision does not return to her while the others are merely left blinking rapidly and shaking off the dizziness that the sudden brightness had caused.

The frog creature impacted against Quercal hard enough to make the small treant's leaves and branches rustle, sinking its teeth into the treant's bark in a light bite that doesn't do much more then irritate the plant while the other three moved closer to attack the creature. It doesn't seem to bear weapons of any sort, favoring its jaws and claws to kill prey after blinding them with its gaze. Quercal retaliates in kind by battering the amphibian while Meilanthil moves into a flanking position but finds his target nimbly darting out of the way as Andrexi and Enos close in on it...

Verocia failed the Fort. save against the blindness effect (the only one who did) and will find her sight returning to her in an hour's time. The blindheim attacks the mini-treant and deals two points of damage to it and takes 10 in turn. Andrezi and Enos move into flanking position themselves and close to melee.

Since Verocia didn't get a chance to cast sleep, Ilorin, you can post her modified actions for the last round and then her actions this one.

[Bhaakon]

"For once, the cataracts pay off." He mumbles to himself as the others flinch and gasp in pain at the frogman's blinding gaze. For him, the burning light was little more than a modest lightening of the gray fog constantly obscuring his vision. If anything, it made the monster's form even easier to spot than it would have been. All he had to do was aim for the brightest spot and swing.

[roll0] Includes flanking bonus
[roll1]

[Ilorin Lorati]

Verocia covers her eyes - but not in time to stave off the blindness. Her spells need the ability to see or touch the enemy to get off - leaving the young woman basically helpless against the creature unless she wishes to risk her allies getting caught in the AoE.

So she draws her dagger and waits for something to come near.



Delaying Actions. Not really sure what to do atm.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Andrezi swears at the sudden increase in light, blocking his eyes with one arm and squinting. He blinks rapidly as the light dies down, and brings his sword to bear against the creature, swinging the heavy blade in an arc toward the beast's exposed flank.

Attacking the thing with my greatsword:
To hit: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Callos_DeTerran]

Despite the handicap of being unable to look too closely at the blindheim, Enos and Andrezi are able to quickly dispatch the beast with little effort as it claws and bites at Quercal. Andrezi briefly catches sight of a brand burned into the creature's flank before dispatching the frogman but there isn't much time to examine the marking before the three mounds of mold heave and topple outward. Three piles of noxious looking goo crawl out of the mounds and wetly slap across the ground towards the bold intruders to their nest and quickly set to trying to turn them into new sources of food!

One of the orange-yellow blobs reaches out with a tendril to snare around Enos' calf, squeezing it with surprising strength as cloth, armor, and skin bubble from the powerful acids being secreted on his leg. Another slaps ineffectively against Quercal's bark while the third savages Andrezi.

The oozelings go on the attack. One misses Quercal, one crits Enos (4 regular damage/4 acid), while the third does 4 damage total against Andrezi (3 physical and 1 acid)

[Bhaakon]

"Well, that's that, I suppose." Enos mutters as he yanks his hammer free from the shattered wreckage of the frog-man's skull. Whatever that thing was, he somehow doubted it was responsible for the disappearance of so many people. The parlor trick with its eyes aside, it hadn't really given the quartet much trouble, and Khonnir was at least as competent as anyone in the group (and maybe even all of them together).

The smith is about to bend down for a closer look when his leg snags on something. "What's that? I..oh...OWWW!!!" He yells, yanking his leg free of the caustic vice-grip of the little pile of sludge that managed to sneak up on him. He yanks his leg free, leaving a chemical film that continues to smoke and pop as it slowly digests boot, armor, and flesh.

"You sneaky little pile of goblin vomit! I'm going to spatter you on the walls!" He shrieks at the thing, backing up a step to clear room for a swing of his long-hafted weapon.

Enos takes a 5' step back and attacks the one that hurt him

[roll0]
[roll1]

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil covers his eyes against the light - and finds that the fight is over. Then there are things attacking Quercal, and he doesn't have time to think. He charges into the fight.

Full attack by Quercal against his attacker.

[roll]Hit [roll0]
Damage [roll1]
Hit [roll2]
Damage [roll3]

Meilanthil attacking, at +2 more if there is room to charge.

Hit [roll4]
Damage [roll5]

[Ilorin Lorati]

The threat was continuing, but Verocia was still blind so she couldn't very well bring her force to bear against the enemies. Instead, she sought a slightly more roundabout way of doing it; though she had never used this particular spell before, she sought to call a dog to her side from some far off realm. At the very least, it would provide distraction for a few seconds; that may be all her allies need.



Casting: Summon Monster I

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Andrezi barely has a moment to catch his breath before the new creatures are upon him and the others. With a shout of rage, he whirls on the creature attacking him, seeking to bring his greatsword to bear once again.

Second verse, same as the first. Attacking with my sword, to put them in a hearse.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Callos_DeTerran]

The new threat proves itself to be quite dangerous rather quickly from the reactions that Enos has to the miniature oozes that crawled forth from the mold piles to assault the adventurers. He tries to bring down his hammer atop the creature but when he lifts it back up finds the creature to be relatively unharmed by the attack and backs up quickly before its retaliatory swipe can latch a hold of him.

Andrezi and Meilanthil have better luck in ending the danger posed by the slimes, stabbing and cutting them respectively until they cease to move around any more. Meanwhile Verocia finds herself in the thrall of her spellcasting, calling help from beyond the materal...

Lucky round for the heroes but unlucky for the sole remaining slime who misses Enos entirely. However, if Enos, Andrezi, and Meilanthil could all give me Perception checks to spot something in the mold piles...?

[Bhaakon]

Enos growls in frustration as the vicious little ball of snot scoots out from beneath his hammer, seemingly none the worse for wear. "Well if I can't splatter you, then I'll pick you apart." He mutters, spinning his polearm about to bring the beaked side of the lucerne hammer to bear.

[roll0]
[roll1]

and perception: [roll2]

[ToySoldierCPlus]

As the slime that had been attacking him falls, Andrezi whirls on the last one and attacks again.

Attacking the last slime:
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Perception: [roll2]

[Ilorin Lorati]

The dog summon finishes, and Verocia calls it into place next to her. Her first and only command to the short lived celestial creature is to help the other people fight off whatever it was attacking them.

Thus, the dog charges in next to Enos and Andrezi, attacking the Ooze soon after them.



Dog Charge Action;

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil isn't even sure what is going on with this fight - he tries to think, but there's no time for anything except stabbing. At least now they can gang up on this whatever it is.

Assuming Meilanthil can get into a flanking position:

Spear hit: [roll0]
damage [roll1]

Quercal 1st hit, not flanking: [roll2]
damage [roll3]

Quercal 2nd hit, which only happens if he starts off 5' or closer:
[roll4]
damage [roll5]

[Callos_DeTerran]

As the four regroup in the face of the sudden rush from the bizarre slime creatures, they quickly gather around to begin hacking and stabbing at the last one to continue assaulting one of their number. Despite the destruction of the other slimes, this one continues its assault unabated even as the celestial dog bites a chunk out of it just to begin hacking and coughing from the ill-advised course of action. It is actually Meilanthil's spear stabbing through the heart of it that makes the puddle of oddly colored gunk go still and cease moving though, considering the painful looking acid burns it had left on Enos, they continue to watch it warily for a few moments before turning their attention away from it.

It was Andrezi that first noticed the distinct sight of an arm clawing it's way out of one of the cracked open mold piles and goes over to investigate. Using his sword to push aside bits of clumpy mold that are in the way, avoiding the risk of direct contact on his skin and covering his mouth with one hand, he discovers the mold-riddled body of a halfling hidden inside of the mound. Quick examination of the other two reveal much of the same in that two more halfling bodies hidden inside of the mounds and even seem to be what the mold has grown around. It is difficult to tell if they have any valuables, how they might have died, or even who they were without taking a more...hands on approach to examining the bodies. Given a moment of calm though, the only other exit out of this cavern is to the south west and it begins a gentle slope downwards...

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Andrezi turns away from the halfling's body and faces his companions. "So, toxic water, glowing frog monsters, acidic lime creatures, and now bodies decomposing in the mush. This is starting off well. Shall we continue on ahead, or does one of you want to take a closer look at these bodies?"

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil replies "There is some risk, but we need information about who has been down here. I will examine them."

He then sets to using his hands to get access to the bodies and search them.

[Ilorin Lorati]

"Thank you," Verocia says to the dog then dismisses it; any damage that had been done to the creature was bound to be reversed back on its home plane, so she didn't feel too bad about telling it to bite the slime. More important to her was the fact that she still couldn't see; "The lizard's eyes caught mine, I've lost them for now."

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil continues his search, but says "Then we wait, see if it fades, before moving.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Meilanthil sets about the grisly task of reaching into the piles of fungi to discover just what secrets the bodies might reveal but sadly they have decomposed far too much to reveal anything about how they might have perished. He is able to discover that the three bodies are all halflings and seem to have all been thoroughly scavenged of any valuables before the elf had gotten to them. Despite that he finds an agate hidden in the hole-ridden vest of the central body, a keen eye would likely be able to determine the value of the gem but such is a task for another most likely though there is plenty of time for examination while waiting for Verocia's blindness to (hopefully) dissipate.

Thankfully it does in an hours times as the young woman finds hazy images returning to view and they only continue to clear as another few minutes pass by until her vision has returned fully. Once it has the four continue down the only other path that is available to a small cavern. A collection of crates, boxes, rubble, and scavenged metal lies heaped in the northwest section of this damp cave. Several strange chalk drawings of twisted, spiny plants, a strange three-legged creature, and emaciated four armed humanoids mark the walls. It is a simple task to discover that the three-legged creature is likely a repair drone, like the one fought at the Foundry but the four-armed figures are more obscure...

Taking it slow for the time being in case of anymore unexpected surprises, as well as to look for possible clues to Khonnir's whereabouts, they pick through some of the crates to discover strange tangles of wires and crafted bits of metal that confirm the presence of the ancient technology that Numeria is so well known for. Those tiny bits of evidence and seven silverdisks are all the proof most would need that the caves bear further examination...

Need perception checks from everyone once more.

A knowledge (local) 20 check will tell you that the four armed figures are an alien an unknown race.

Silverdisks are, basically, CDs but are used as a form of currency by people across Numeria at a value of ten gold for one silverdisk.

[raspberrybadger]

Meilanthil pockets the agate, saying "No evidence. Perhaps this will sell."

Looking at the drawings, Meilanthil points to the drone figures and says "These, and the straight tunnel, say this is the correct track. The plants imply the drawings are old."

Meilanthil perception [roll0]
Quercal perception [roll1]

[Ilorin Lorati]

It's a rather painful hour or so for Verocia as she has to rely on Khonnir and the rest of the party to get around; since she's not exactly experienced ad being blind it must be a rather sad sight. Her excitement, then, when her vision comes back could hardly be contained, only barely able to control herself because of them being in rather hostile territory.

"Definitely technology, don't know if I recognize the make, though..." Verocia pokes over the stuff, "Hey, Silverdisks. These'll be nice to take back to the surface."


Perception
Verocia: [roll0]
Khonnir: [roll1]

(I'm calculating Khonnir's as 1 Rank + 3 Class + 2 Wis + 3 Skill Focus)

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Andrezi picks through the crates, extracting and examining various objects and bits contained within. "This whole place is odd. Fascinating, but odd." He fiddles some more with a couple of tangles of wire and some hinged objects. "I kind of want to bring some of this stuff back to the surface with us. Perhaps after we find Khonnir, we can do a proper survey of these ruins."

Perception check, as requested: [roll0]
Also, as Andrezi is trained in Knowledge (Engineering), would there be any value to making a check to se if he can figure out what any of the parts in the crates are/were for?