The five of you meet together at the southern entrance to the town of Torch. Originally, you volunteered to search for the answer to the disappearance of the town's signature violet flame that once burned atop Black Hill. However, you are not the first to do so. In fact, none of the teams who went searching ever returned. Among the lost was a man by the name of Khonnir Baine, town councilman, wizard, and scholar in the mysterious artifacts scattered across Numeria. So worry some is his loss that the town council has pulled together a cash reward for anyone who can bring him back safely.
It is said that he made some discoveries about Black Hill prior to his disappearance and that the town council knows about of the things he encountered.
He also has a young daughter who helps him run his tavern. It's closed now, but she keeps an open offer out that anyone searching for her father can use it as a resting place.
And then, there is Black Hill, itself. Named for the charred landscape that covers the hilltop, Black Hill is where Torch's magnificent violet flame once stood. It was hot enough to smelt even the mysterious Starmetal, yet the heat was strangely concentrated so that a person standing next to it wouldn't be incinerated by the heat, save for the fires mysterious flare ups. However, these flare ups were always preceded by a kind of pulsing light on the fire's part and served as a notice for anyone using the flame to clear out, so there was little loss of life from the flames.
Without Torch's torch, the town is in trouble. It was the center of the town's economic structure. No longer will they be able to lure smiths from far away lands. Without the tourism, they won't be able to pay the Technic League's outrageous taxes. Even waste disposal was run through the flames to be completely incinerated, and now the bags of garbage cover the streets.
Harrash looks at his companions. Though he is disappointed to see an android among them, he asks as congenially as possible, "So you're all here to investigate Khonnir's disappearance too?"
"Well, to be honest I was interested in exploring the caverns beneath Torch before all of this had happened. It's why I came here in the first place," Adrien said, one hand holding his heavy walking stick. He looks pitifully frail compared to the others, his arms thin and spindly while the rest of his body firmly resembles a stick. "However, once I'd arrived I heard about this... incident, I suppose you could say. I figured if I could be of service, I might as well do my best to help while I went exploring." Adrien sighs and rests a hand on the massive automaton behind him. "It's been a long journey, I must say. Oh, and I'd forgotten my manners. My name is Adrien, and this is Ozymandias." Adrien gives the eidolon a nudge with his elbow, rubbing it gently after it collides with the metal. "Go on. Introduce yourself."
The massive automaton behind Adrien shudders to life, cocking its head to one side when Adrien speaks to him. It rears up to its full height and lets its one good arm dangle idly at its side. "Hello," the robot says, the blue light on its head blinking as it spoke. "My designation is OZ-M1; Adrien has named me Ozymandias. It's a p-p-p-pleasure to meet you all," he says, his voice skipping toward the end of the sentence. A few seconds of static follow his statement, and when it stops he speaks again.
"What are your names?"
"I am Arrenopos. Khonnir is my friend and I must find him. Val, his daughter, is also worried and I promised her I would do whatever it takes to try and bring him back."
Arrenopos is a tall, apparently human man with dark eyes and light brownish hair. A network of faded, fine and intricate tattoos cover his face and neck. His speech is somewhat hesitant, as if he is unsure how to express himself. He is lightly armored and appears to be a warrior of some sort. The sword at his side is of unusual make.
"What are your names?"
The dusty little rat man looks up at the Eidolon in admiration.
"Oh my, oh my, what sort of machine is this?" He darts underneath the creature's legs, his eyes darting back and forth, never resting on the same spot for more than a moment.
"Heh heh. Wonderful articulation. Are you steam driven? I'd really love to have a look at your motor." The rat man pulls a small wrench out of his mouth. "I'm Skivven, by the way," he says to the machine. "Is there some sort of an access hatch here? How do I get in?"
He pokes his head out from between OZ-M1's legs, and addresses the others.
"Oh, and yes, I'm happy to help figure out the torch thing, and find this Khonnir. I came to this land to search for flying ships of metal, but I'm just about out of money and I could use more funds to continue my quest. I can probably get into places you awkwardly large people can't."
He looks back up at the machine, and starts pulling more tools out his mouth; each time examining it, and then rejecting it for some reason and putting it back in his mouth. "No, not that one... *pthoo!* not that one either, *pthoo!* hmm, no."
Startled by the speaking robot, Harrash takes a step backwards and pauses a moment before answering its question. "My name is Harrash," he answers, after Skivven finishes speaking, thinking nothing of giving an introduction to the bear looming by his side. He looks expectantly at his other companions, waiting for them to introduce themselves.
Valeria runs her hand through her wavy brown hair, amused by the ratman's antics "My name's Valeria and I was just passing through Torch when it's "eternal" flame went out. That alone was enough to pique my curiosity but the council's offer of a reward was the icing on the cake."
"Well, to be honest I was interested in exploring the caverns beneath Torch before all of this had happened. ..." Adrien said,
"So..." Skivven says, still looking up at the strange machine. "How do we find these caverns?"
"I'm not certain, but I believe they're below Black Hill. Perhaps we could ask Khonnir's daughter? She might know more than we do."
"Stream driven? I am not... I do not think I have a motor," Ozymandias says, widening his legs to look down at the ratfolk below him. "That is not an access hat-t-t-t-t-t-ch, please do not attempt to open it," he continues, trying to step away from the smaller humanoid. "You cannot open it, I am magically bound--" Ozymandias's voice cuts out, replaced by a dull whine that escapes from wherever his voice comes from. "Do not attempt to open me, it will not be successful." He looks up at Adrien with whatever passes for a look of defeat. "Adrien, please make Skivven stop."
"Sorry, I'm the only one who can work on him. I don't mean that like you're not allowed, but I'm... actually the only one. I found him some years ago, and he's magically bound to me. I'm not actually sure how it works, to be honest."
"You would have thought they would tell us where to go," Harrash notes with a bit of annoyance. "Do you any of you know where Khonnir's daughter, or someone else with information, might be?"
The town council, of whom Khonnir was a part, can be found in Town Hall. His daughter is can be found at his home and tavern, The Foundry.
"Perhaps we should go to the town council first and let them know we are interested in exploring the caverns. That way they can't gyp us out of any reward. Then we can talk to this man's daughter to see if she can give us any insight as to anything he might have said before he disappeared."
"Sorry, I'm the only one who can work on him...."
For a moment, Skivven stares blankly at Adrien, a pair of pliers in one hand, a hand drill in the other, and other tools sticking out of his mouth. His shoulders slump, and his cheeks bulge as he puts the tools back in his mouth.
"Some kind of security feature? Prob'ly a good idea. Next time you open him up though i'd love to peek over your shoulder."
"But back to this job... yes, let's talk to those councilmen. Are there any ratfolk on the council?."
"After the council, I can show you where the tavern is. Val will be anxious to gain help."
"I don't think there are any ratfolk on the council, no... but I don't know much of them. Either way, we ought to go talk with them before we start exploring. Shall we?" Adrien waves the others after him when he heads off to the Town Hall. "We can talk with Val after we speak with them about the others who ventured into the caves."
Harrash follows Adrien to the town hall, his bear close behind.
The town hall isn't hard to find. It stands proud and elegant among Torch's small houses and well traveled taverns. It alone seems to be uncrowded by the garbage that lines the streets, setting a good, but unfollwed example for the surrounding buildings. You are let in through a set of pine double doors and told to wait in the center lobby for councilwoman Freddert to see you.
The lobby is sparsely, yet comfortably, furnished. A few oak benches sit against the walls and a fireplace sits in the room's rear. Surprisingly, you are waved into the council chamber rather swiftly.
The council room consists of violet curtains and carpet over a hardwood floor. A wellmade oak table and chair set are in the middle of the room. Only a single chair is occupied. An elderly dwarven woman looks up from her papers and gives you a beaming smile. "Hello, my name is Dolga, oldest citizen in Torch. You must be the newest band of adventurers.
"That's right," Harrash confirms. "We're here to investigate Khonnir's absence, but we weren't sure where we were supposed to go. Could you tell us where to find the caves we were supposed to investigate?"
After taking a moment to digest his surroundings, he continues to ask, "And where is the rest of the council? I would have thought it would be in session at this time of day."
"In truth, we only meet once a week. Usually on Thursdays. We all have duties outside of the council to attend to. Since we don't collect taxes from the town for our own wages, we all must make our own way in other matters.
I collect small duties and tithes as the main paperwork filer of the town council.
Our other members are currently solving the garbage situation or in bed with strange headaches."
"The caves you seek are a well hidden feature of Torch. The entrance lies beneath the waters of Crowfeather Lake. Joram Kyte, one of my peers and prieat of the clockwork goddess Brigh, is willing to cast a spell to allow you to enter and leave at will."
"Strange headaches? Is there a sickness going around town now?"
Those of you with knowledge of the town know that the headaches started shortly after the fire went out. They have been plaguing people at random, though some people have been getting them more than others.
"Joram. I've met Joram. Good teeth."
Skivven turns restlessly towards the door, then turns back.
"Anything else we need to know before we set out?"
Dolga thinks for a moment, then says, "Khonnir made a few discoveries before he disappeared that it may help you to know about. The first was the reason for the discovery of the caves. As he was obtaining a water sample to measure the toxicity of Crowfeather Lake, he noticed a large group of footprints headed into the lake. Just into. There were no footprints coming out of the lake. He found the entrance to the caves as he was investigating below the surface."
"The second was during his first foray into the caves. It turns out that the caves are home to several kinds of creatures normally found in the Darklands, even though the caves are far closer to the surface than the tunnels of the Darklands."
"Last, the reason for his second trip into the Black Hill Caves is a door. This particular door is made of a metal that resembles the skymetal that is often mined in Numeria. He couldn't open it in his first trip. Perhaps he succeeded in his second attempt."
"What kinds of creatures can be found in the caves?" Harrash asks. "It's probably a good idea to know before we get stuck down there..."
"Khonnir spoke of humanoids that could blend in with the shadows and of evil fey. What else lies below, I do not know.
"So, exactly how many teams have gone into these tunnels before us? Valeria asks with a hint of cynicism "And how many of these have returned?"
Four teams have gone in to the caves. Khonnir's group went in twice. They haven't come back from their second trip.
"Where can we find these others? Perhaps they can shed some more light on what can be found in these tunnels'
[b]Khonnir's group was the only group to return from the caves and they went back below. If anyone has returned from the caves since, I don't know about them.
"Perhaps Val will have notes from Khonnir's first excursion. I was away so I have no information myself."
"No one came back? That's... a little troubling, but I suppose that's why you're offering a reward. It seems maybe we should go speak with Khonnir's daughter before we head out, just to see if there's anything she can tell us about his first trip into the caves. Then we can see this Father Kyte and make our way underground." Adrien seems pretty pleased with himself, almost heading to the door before he catches himself. "Sorry, does that plan sound alright to the rest of you? I don't mean to overstep my bounds, I just... well, to be honest, I really just want to take a crack at the caves."
"Unless Dolga or Val has anything to suggest about further preparation, I see no reason to stay above-ground after meeting them."
"No one came back?..."
"Obviously they neglected to include any ratfolk in their expedition." Skivven chuckles. "Perhaps they are still down there and can be rescued."
Skivven scratches himself in a few places that might be considered impolite among humans.
"But yes, let us see this Val. Shall we be off?"
"So let me see if I've got this straight. You want us to enter caverns that four other groups have gone into and not returned, correct? For whatever reward your offering, which would be how much exactly?" she idly brushes her hair back from her eyes as she thinks "What can you do to "sweeten the pot" so to speak."
The standing reward is 5,000gp. I can also give you vouchers for 20% off any purchases in our local stores. Joram Kyte is willing to cast the waterbreathing spell for free of course. I'm afraid that I can't do more than that.
"I'm assuming that is if we find Khonnir alive and well. What if we find him...less so?" Valeria sputters as everyone looks at her "What? I'm only asking what everyone here is thinking. Besides you never know what you can get unless you ask."
The reward is the same whether Khonnir is brought back alive or dead.
"Good, I'm glad we got that unpleasantness out of the way. Now we can go talk to Khonnir's daughter and find out what she may know about her father's disappearance."
"I'm ready to go to Val whenever you are."
"Follow me, I'll show you the way."
With that, Arrenopos turns and leaves, headed for the tavern.
"All right, let's go then."
The little ratfolk sets out into the street.
The foundry is really a set of three stone buildings. The first is the tavern itself. Two stories tall, it is a popular hangout for the locals and travelers alike. Though now, it sits dark and vacant. Just next to it is Khonnir's foundry and workshop. Here, the wizard can often be found working alone with one of his projects or chatting with wandering smiths. But today, the always present smoke from the chimney is absent.
Khonnir actually resides in the last building. Smaller than the others, it serves as little more than a pair of bedrooms and private study for him and Val, his adopted daughter.
As you approach the buildings, you hear a loud crash, followed by a girls' scream. Both sounds come from Khonnir's private house in the rear of the property.
"I don't like the sound of that!"
Skivven draws his crossbow and then runs toward the sound.
His sword in hand, Harrash follows the noise and tries to make out whatever had happened in Khonnir's house.
Arrenopos charges towards the back of the house drawing his sword as he moves.
"Val!?"
You run towards the back end of the property where Khonnir's private dwelling resides and to where you think you heard the noises coming from. As you're about to reach the house, a creature clumsily breaks through the door from inside.
Standing just over 5ft tall, it stumbles around on three pointed legs. Two four fingered arms swing about wildly as it emits noises that sound like clicking and grinding. Occasionally, it makes a popping noise before a puff of smoke comes out of one of it's joints.
Adrien, Harrash, and Valeria are up.
It's 30ft to the house. The creature is just outside the doorway so the entrance to the house is adjacent to it.