Nalverren looks very closely at the hand scanner, checking for traps, live wires or contact poisons. He traced wires and conduits to their sources and made his best attempt at bypassing this function.
That is, unless there happened to be a scientist with an ID badge matching Targryn's name with the correct hand still attached...
Nalverren removes a small panel and shuffles some connections. he then places his hand on the reader. "Welcome, professor," reads the screen. "Status update follows." The screen then fills with readouts from various sub-systems in the mechanism.
"One hundred and thirty-four, one hundred and thirty-three..."
Nalverren looks for a way to safely disengage the system, or at least turn off whatever it is counting down for. The idea is to avert doomsday long enough to safely free the dragon, and hopefully just shut off the system (or rig it to self-destruct without the dragon after we get far away).
What the actual impact of doing so might be weren't clear, as the actual requirement to create and maintain such a necrotic field were usually considered technologically impossible. As such, it remains an obscure and largely irrelevant part of the curriculum, and ambitious necromancers move on to more fruitful pursuits. However, the actual part of the negative energy spectrum relevant to this theory is very similar to that which is about to blasted out of the mechanism. It appears the monolith holds the key to this - something about this ancient menhir is focusing and maintaining the field.
Tal grunts as the dragon grabs him with little ceremony or warning. He pulls two arms in, keeping the blades from cutting himself or the dragon, and the other two arms, shield and sword each, hook over the claw as he rides along. "A bit of warning, ancient one, might be of use next time." He comments over the wind, his eyes watching for enemies.
Otto blinks in surprise. "Well, according the Church doctrine, the Silver Flame is the force which binds the demon lords within Khyber. So countering it would... release them?"
"One hundred and nine, one hundred and eight..."
...
Turning back toward the tower, Otto follows Wultram's suit and casts detect magic. Then he starts moving toward the tower and hut.[dice= Otto, Perception] 1d20+8 = 19
[dice= Otto, know religion] 1d20+8 = 14
[dice= Otto, Spellcraft] 1d20+9 = 17
...
Otto shrugs helplessly. "The physical manifestation? That's in Flamekeep."
"What's going on in there?" shouts the dragon. "Have you got in to the system yet?"
"Ninety-two, ninety-one..."
Nalverren does his best to navigate through the menus of the system to find a way to shut down the whole device; if that cannot be found, he seeks a way to "vent" the energies in a way that minimizes destruction and loss of life.
"By Aureon's shiny blue backside!" shrieks the dragon, "It's the anchoring stone! That's the key! It's collecting and focussing the necrotic energy. Shut down the connection from that to the tower and the device won't work. The power should then simply dissipate over time! Boldrei's t!ts, get your act together in there!"
"Eighty, seventy-nine..."
"Where is this stone?" Cole rumbles, looking around, "What does it look like?"
"Well, you know, that giant f*~+ing stone by my head, here!" snaps the dragon at Cole, indicating the eight foot monolith enclosed by the tower. It notices Wultram studying the stone and tower assembly. "At last, a simian with a brain! Look, there should be Ardian connectors or something from the tower to the stone. You could try and just knock them out, but that might get you killed. You might be able to power down some of the connections from the control panel, reroute the necrotic flow along the other existing connectors, repeat until there's just one left. All the flow will be in that one, but at least you only get to risk killing yourselves - and probably me - once."
Cole has about as much reaction to the insults as a stone would. He moves around the monolith, looking for anything which might be the indicated connector pieces.
The thing in the crater seems almost like a rising planet, so vast is its bulk. It lashes out with a tentacle, catching the dragon Orzaxes had despatched as it tried to flee as if it were swatting a fly, the broken body falling into a cavernous mouth and disappearing into the dark. Orzaxes swoops lower, dropping like a stooping hawk. The experience is both exhilarating and terrifying.
Orzaxes and plunge withing range of the creature's waving arms, almost in freefall. The dragon nudges their trajectory with wings and tail, dodging limbs thicker the tree trunks. One of its vast mouths booms and roars and the sound buffets like a physical force. When it seems as if they will simply smack at high speed into the creature's spherical body, Orzaxes spreads his wings wide and opens his jaws. Orange flames score a long furrow along the beast's hide as the dragon dodges between the forest of tentacles. He barks words of power and an orb of utter blackness appears and hovers for a moment before burrowing into the creature's flesh, annihilating flesh in a greenish haze as it goes. The thing's body ripples like an ocean and it gives another of its elemental moans.
"I realize that, Ancient one. Warning before being lifted ensures I don't accidentally wound you with a sword as you grasp me. I would prefer to avoid losing healing that you will need sorely." He holds tight grimly, already knowing he will not survive the upcoming battle, and that his only job is to keep the dragon alive long enough to delay the creature.
As the dragon drops through the tentacles, Tal times it to cast both Bless and Divine Favor on the dragon as they come down, ending as the wings boom open and the fire breath slices into the creature.
While others closer to the stone seek to work on their end of the problem, Nalverren sees to his. He seeks to disable the connection between the stone and the device.
"Looks like you two have it in hand here. I will go help Cole in case we need to destroy the connection."
Rehil leaves the hut and moves quickly inside the tower.
+1 more on traps
With Nalverren directing him from the booth, Rehil finds the connectors - four contraptions made of metal and green dragonshards underneath the monolith. Cables from these run in a bundle to the hut.
"Seventy-eight, seventy-seven..."
Cole follows Rehil around, noting the four connectors as the team works frantically to get them out down.
He puts a hand on Rehil's shoulder, his voice low. "If nothing else works, I can try to smash the last few while the rest of you find cover." He cocks his head, "Though I certainly don't look forward to it."
Nalverren knocks Wultram hand away as the necromancer's about to depress the wrong button. He turns a knob and calls out to Rehil that one of the connectors is powered down.
Vaard notices a brightly-coloured butterfly flutter across the plaza. "Hey, pay attention," snaps the dragon.
"Cole, is it that one?"
Rehil looks and sees the connectors. Three are glowing brightly, but one has grown dull.
Nalverren isolates two more connectors, and Rehil pulls them out. The voice murmurs inside the hut, "Warning. Disconnecting final Ardian connector without isolating power source could result in catastrophic cascade event. Final connector burn-out expected in approximately three hours." Just one more connector remains, which glows brightly as it takes all of the arcane energy flowing from the tower into the stone.
From its vantage point above the monolith, the dragon mutters, "Don't foul this last bit up, Pointy-Ears, or we're all necrotic toast."
"Thirty-four, thirty-three..."
"Nalverren, I might need some help here. Cole, stay close. If I foul this, try to smash it."
Rehil studies the connector intently before reaching for it.....
Otto draws close, muttering prayers to Dol Arrah.
Seeing Rehil has done pretty well on the second connector, Nalverren works on the third.
As Rehil pulls out the last connector, the screen lights up with error messages. "Connection lost. Countdown terminated," murmurs the voice. The hum of the machine abruptly stops.
"Haha!" cries the dragon, "You did it! I thought we were all doomed! Hey, maybe someone could try and get me out of this thing?"
As it speaks, there is a rumble in the ground. The machine suddenly starts up again. "What? What's going on?" wails the dragon.
A new voice growls from the mechanism - masculine and gravelly. "I am not so easily defeated. Master override protocol initiated. Emergency detonation in ten, nine, eight..."
"By the Host!" screams the dragon. "No! No! No! This can't be happening! The pod, get in, save yourselves! There's nothing you can do!"
Above the tumult of the battle, the couatl ritual approaches it climax. Silver light ripples across the sky, throwing sharp shadows. The creature gives an incoherent moan as the light grows brighter and brighter. "You are defeated, fiend!" howls Orzaxes in triumph.
But the moment of distraction costs him dearly. A blubbery arm sweeps out and thuds into the dragon. Tal can hear the audible snap of the wing breaking and dragon and kasatha plummet downwards. Orzaxes smashes into the creature at high speed and Tal is thrown clear. The impact makes the demon's body shiver and dragon's body flops brokenly as it then slides and falls into the abyss of the crater. Tal instead rolls over and over on the beast's spongy flesh before coming to a halt, sprawled on his back and barely conscious. Gazing up uncomprehendingly as he slips into darkness, he sees nothing in the crater but flames. Silver flames.
Tal uses his healing judiciously, taking the damage for the dragon, his own skin boiling, then using lay on hands on himself repeatedly to compensate.
Upon the final climax, he calls a warning to the Dragon, but it is too late, and the duo bounce off the creature. As the silver flames take him, Tal sighs and nods, knowing they have succeeded, and his family, what is left of it, is safe.
Cole's silvery eyes scan the arcane machine, looking for anything else that might power the device.