The Forge’s winding corridors are cramped and precisely machined; they’re illuminated with normal light by panels running along the tops of the walls. Except where noted, ceiling heights are a uniform 15 feet, and hallways are equally as wide.
As the agreement with Marw is for the Pathfinders to remove the threats no diplomacy is needed. The chokers, like Marw, suffer the effects of chronic exposure to strange technological fluids, sustained during his life in the Red Redoubt. These include dramatic mutations such as light blindness, scaly skin, and greatly enhanced mental faculties, which allowed Marw to parlay with the Pathfinders who came to his junkyard home in the redoubt, known as the Scrap Heap. The chokers lead the Pathfinders uneventfully through the Scrap Heap to a pair of heavy, 15-foot-tall doors labeled “Forge—Power Control Waste.”
When the party steps into the small room beyond the door. Mawr reaches a long arm from outside and presses a panel on the inside. As the door closes he says, "Good luck Pathfinders. We will be here when you are done." A moment later the door room shutters and the sensation of falling happens again.
And again.
And Again.
When it finally stops the door opens into a trapezoidal chamber displays signs of recent vandalism. Battered red panels hang from single bolts, revealing exposed wires and structural supports. Glowing tubes flicker behind smashed translucent panes on the upper walls that intermittently emit showers of sparks. Opposite the elevator to the north, a set of thick double doors stands in the room’s shortest side.
A black-paneled orb hangs from the ceiling by four spindly columns. A humanoid torso sprouts from its bottom. Buzzing mechanical tentacles churn and writhe above its bulk. The humanoid face turns to the door as it opens.
Circular room is the elevator.
Which conversations? No one had any questions which I assumed was everyone playing their 'worst intelligence in all of Absalom!' :)
One advantage to PbP over table top though is the ability to read. EDIT: ...read past posts.
Marw spits and hisses, "how the f...," but Shevala puts a hand up and interrupts his answer. "Marw doesn’t know what they are, exactly, only that they’re well armed. I suspect from his descriptions that automatons from below have reactivated and are coming up to salvage whatever important components they can find."
As far at the forge itself, Mawr screams "It's a forge, you f... but Shevala again steps in. "All we have are guesses. The level is referred to in other documents as the Forge. Assuming a literal interpretation, forges are hot, so prepare to deal with high temperatures. Beyond that, I’d be ready to confront some newly minted mechanical soldiers if those foundries are indeed active."
The chokers are friendly, the others are not friendly to them.
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Pinpi plays around a bit with her hat of disguise on the long way down, periodically taking an extract or potion from her pack and drinking it. Once at the bottom, they got to see a strange metal octopus with a humanoid face... she wasn't exactly sure about whether to attack it or not either. "Hello, my name is Pinpi!" She said cheerfully, stepping closer hoping for new friends... ignorant to what 'it' was.
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"Yespowercoreaccessdoorisbroken," the creature says misunderstanding Edward. To Pinpi it says "Hello," and then to everyone its asks, "Areyoudesignatedasmaintenanceunits? Maintenancerquest—pleaseassist. Openforgepowercoreaccessdoors."
Edward can tell from the loose lens dangling from wires, shortened tentacles not ending in pincers, and torn hoses that, it is indeed broken. Furthermore she knows the creature is called a director robot. A robot who directs other robots, but not much else.
The pathfinders examine the door and discover the failure to opens attend mostly from debris piled up. Though it is clear the debris was intentionally piled up.
The creature calmly walks across the ceiling and then down the wall to Pinpi and Ember. Stopping before it reaches the floor, with a cold and calm voice it says, boopbeep"“Requestpriority 1; overrideallpreviousdesignations. Newdesignation: returnwithdirectorunitTig-0toForgepowercontrolstation. Complication: mainaccessroutemalfunction—pleaseassist. Immediateobjective: clearaccessroute. Confirmnewdesignation?”beeboop
Hoses knit together and sparks cease popping from the loose wires where his third photo-receptor dangles. The creature whirs and spins the boops, saying in a calm voice. beeEEeep“ERROR: requestedmemoryfilecorrupted. Self-diagnosisroutineindicatesnegligibledamagetomemorydriveandsensor arrays. Myfunctioningcapacityiswithinacceptablevariation. It’spossibletoupdatemyrecordsattheForgepowercontrolstation."beep
Within a minute the monk and the brawler (faster if others help) have the door clear enough for the creature to squeeze through.
A series of long switchbacks descends ever downward. A hole seems to be born through the walls, creating a steep tunnel in the same direction.
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Over the course of the minute, Pinpi starts idly playing with a pink paint across the walls-- drawing the robot. As it comes closer she steps back for a moment before going back to painting, "It doesn't make much sense to me!... do you think it wants a new color?"
Pinpi of course ready to put off the painting (now and forever) when Rojer suggests moving forward.
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Ed scratches the back of her head sheepishly. "Un, yup! Sounds like Tigger wants help, alright! It wants us to heal its mind at the power core, I think." Edward pauses for a moment before addressing Tig-0. "Mr. T, uh, what was your original directive?
Turning back to the other pathfinders, she adds "See, most robots only follow orders, so even if it's not a bad robot, it still might suddenly PEW PEW BANG BANG!" Edward finishes by dramatically grabbing her chest in mock injury and falling to the floor, groaning theatrically.
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"I found this coffer among the debris, it appears to be made of some sort of sky metal. I'll look over it then open it, unless someone wants to do any detections on it first."
Roger looks over the coffer to make sure there are no traps before he attempts to open it.
"Oh and Ed, we will be on our guard if this robot attacks, but it seems like we should give it a chance for now."
"Mr. T, uh, what was your original directive?
“IamdirectorunitTig-0. MyprimarydesignationisoversightofForgepowercontrolsystemsinserviceofLordKar amoss,” the clipped voice responds. Now that the way is clear the large creature squeezes through the opening and begins walking down the switchbacks. Two tentacles do not reach the ground, but he seems none the slower for them. As he passes the hole melted through the steel he squeels in a burst of static. His body shivers but then his continues down the hall.
Tig-O is almost out of sight when he repeats his clipped command. bweep“Requestpriority1; overrideallpreviousdesignations.
Newdesignation: returnwithdirectorunitTig-0toForgepowercontrolstation. Confirmnewdesignation?"beepbopboop
After everyone has checked the coffer Steve opens it.
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That's a confirmation, buddy! Ed chirps. Ed will follow Tig-0, ambling along as if she is not in a giant alien siege tower.
She also peers into the loot pile to examine them:
, pointing out each item. "Les'see here, not sure, flashlight, not sure, and, wow, some boom! Ohh-ho-ho, Ed is happy!" she finishes with a grin.
Ed pulls down her goggles and casts Technomancy, and tries a little of the old divination!
"Aha! Edward has better mojo then old robos! A flashbang and force field have revealed themselves to her!"
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Hearing a whole lot of nothing from Ed that didn't ping in her mind, Pinpi did catch one thing-- "Oh, 'flash'bang? That sounds like fun! I like explosions. What does it do?" She asked, twitching now and then from the copious amounts of sugar in her extracts and mutagen starting to take effect.
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beepboop says Tig-O as he continues down the hallway. His speed is about the same as a human, the party may keep up with him if they wish.
At the bottom of the switchbacks, Tig-O enters another lift. In his clipped speach he urges the maintenance units to also enter.
The lift opens up to another section of switchbacks and yet another whole has been melted through the walls. Tig-O's reaction is calm and clipped, but by the number of 'r's rolling in his "Error" and the literal sparks behind his eyes when he says "Insufficientdata" that a human in his situation would be freaking out.