The remains of the robot lies in a long room, littered with pieces of metal and dust. The lights here are bright and unyielding, hurting your eyes somewhat. On the wall, scraped in, is the letter K, with an arrow pointing to the other door here. This door, like the others, comes with a card insert as before.
The robot is on fire, though it is a small, smoldering fire. Checking it over shows that it is indeed dead, and that nothing seems salvageable from it. An object of fear reduced to scrap.
There is little else here
Criek lets out a giggle in a combination of delight at the chainsword's effect on the robot and relief that he's no longer in its crosshairs. That was amazing! This place truly is filled with wonders...er, when they're not being used in attempts to kill us? Hmmm.
And, look--Khonnir's mark! He's made it this far at least ahead of us, and apparently through those doors!
"Now tell me about this very bad thing that is supposed to happen."
Oh dear! I completely forgot! Anody raises his hands in shock as the past events comes rushing back in memory.
Something called the 'main reactor' is in a bad way. Bad enough that in less than two days it will cause a 'reactor overload'. I am not certain what exactly that is.. but I'm very certain that it will be very bad not just for us but for everyone in Torch.
I wish I could have gotten more information from the exterminator on where this 'main reactor' is and how to fix it but I fear I became a little bit too ambitious in my instructions to it. Oh and it contacted something called 'divinity central'. I do not know what that is but it is safe to say that it is now aware of us
Anody fiddles with his glasses uncertainly.
I believe that's the extent of the bad news. For now
"A Re-actor?" Valia gestures towards the row-bought.
"You think it will Re-Act like this? I am thinking it is the captain of this places guards. He cleans the blade and sheathes it.
"We should destroy this Re-Actor. If it is Over-Burdened, then perhaps we will have the advantage."
"We should not miss this opportunity." He looks each of you in the eye.
"This Reactor, might be the thing that control's Torch's Flame.
So that could be very bad."
Yes I think it is what provides the energy that runs this place and possibly the Torch itself. We need to get to it as soon as we can. I think it is something that needs to be fixed not fought though we will find out more when we get to it..
With the robot inert and harmless on the floor, Sharae reaches down to touch it...with a curious reverence, she strokes her hands across it's carapace...
...you have travelled farther and longer than a mortal can expect to do...what did you see? what did you experience? did your soul, if you have one, fill with the wonder of the stars?
Ignoring Valia's motivational speech, the Desnan walks over to Anody and, with more warmth than she has shown anyone since Ardash died, puts her butterfly medallion into his hands. A wave of wamth flows through him as Sharae calls on the healing power of the Song of Spheres...
"This is a place of wonder Professor, there is much that you would learn...but it appears we have so very little time now... Let us find Khonnir and pray that Desna guides our journey towards your 'reactor'"
Imbuing her starknife with light again, she asks out loud, "Who has the card? We have no time to stand and talk..."
Using the card reveals a short corridor leading to another door.
Looking down the corridor, Sharae wonders whether this is yet another 'decontamination chamber' and whether the door at the end requires the use of a card.
I have the card. Anody waves it around and moves towards the card reader. Once everyone is positioned as they wish he will go ahead and swipe it.
This is not a decontamination chamber. As you enter into the short corridor, the far door opens. It reveals a large room. A large metal desk with blinking lights and strange glowing panels sits atop a raised area on the east side of this room near a circular table. Behind the desk you can see a burned humanoid figure slumped over it. Two couches covered with black material sit to the south a pair of black metal pillars. Splatters of dried blood stain the floor and walls near a pair of doors to the north, while here and there patches of rust-red mold and fungus cling to the southern wall. The room itself is brightly lit by glowing panels on the ceiling.
Writing, in large letters is on the wall.
"Forgive me Criek, I had not realised your wounds were so bad", Sharae reaches out and touches the ratperson with warm healing energy...
...and then, raising her butterfly symbol aloft, calls down further healing for everyone.
Criek looks around, wide-eyed. 'Science deck'? Anody, this is truly a wonder, but--
His eyes fixing on the figure slumped over the desk that...person? is a robot. And look how her hand twitches--she?...it?...seems only recently dead--destroyed? deactivated? Oh, Sharae, you shall have to explain to me the nature of these things' spirits! I barely know how to speak in this place!
"I think this robot is damaged so it is not working completely, since the hand is still moving and the eyes still have their light.
I bet my sisters would have a field day working on her."
This blood.. dried. Oh dear whose could it be but Khonnair's? Everything else in this place is a robot or those horrible Kalashtas that probably were not able to get in here.
Anody examines the mold. What kind of mold is this?
Then he turns his attention to the robot
Still moving... maybe I can communicate?
Anody waves his magic black card towards the robot as he gets closer to it.
”I barely understand it myself Criek… are these things soulless like the intricate clockwork of Alkenstar or are they something more?”, Sharae flashes a look of anger at Ayla. ”Tearing something to pieces is not always the best way to gain understanding… would you have subjected Ardash to the same indignity?” The Desnan cries out in frustration, ”I’m sorry… I just don’t know… Everything about this place just seems so desperately sad”
Sharae takes a position next to Anody, ”Tell it…tell her…we mean no harm to her”
It... she.. is damaged, but not destroyed. Perhaps we might even be able to repair her. She says she was damaged by armed intruders though. I am trying to find out more
Some unintelligible mutter. There are at least four voices, maybe more
Out of the way, you animal female voice. There is the sound of a heavy blow, and someone crashing to the floor. Sound of groaning.
apologies mistress, Mal is a slow learner
Make him learn, or he goes to the smilers.
Loud sound. Like a black powder pistol, by with a burning sound. This is followed by crash, explosion, then a burning smell.
stupid thing. Rest for a moment, all of you. We head north in five. And in future keep yourselves in line. This is not scrapwall, but you are the lords of rust. Act like it.
Yes mistress. in hellions holy name (group of voices)
His glory to come. Go now.
A short silence then.
Meyanda, a word
Yes Felix?
We will have to shut down the vent system to start the power transfer
I know
That will eventually cause the reactor to blow. It will wipe the town from the map. It may cause the progenitor to notice.
It matters not. This town is not important to our plans, and by the time the progenitor is aware of this, it will be too late. Our lord's victory will be assured.
very well. As long as we are not here. Should be quite a blast.
Yes. A sign of our lord's power. Praise be his name
Praise him
That reminds me. Krell, I want you to go back to Garmen, and ready the power relay. Once I access the reactor it needs to be ready. Tell him that the torch will go out once we begin. The town will investigate. He is to warn us when they start sending groups.
Yes holy one
Quietly, as if to herself.
"Sounds like we know a bit more about the group that caused Torch's torch to go out."
You remember the name of the casino owner was named garmen
Sharae looks quizzically at Anody whilst the first part of the recording plays out. Some of the language, whilst unintelligible to her, sounds familiar but the Androften, spoken by those fluent in the tongue, is a truly alien noise. She relaxes slightly as the recording starts to playback speech that she can understand...
...and then tenses up again when she realises the implications of what she has just heard, "Someone has intentionally done this... someone extinguished the flame... knowing... knowing that they are setting Torch on a course to destruction. Who would... Who could do such a thing? All those people up there..."
The Desnan's voice becomes steely cold, "Professor? Is there any way to get anymore information about who they were? She mentioned Garmen... he might be involved in this? If it is the same Garmen, he knows we are coming here... Whoever is down here will be expecting us"
"We need to keep moving...it pains me to say this, but we should follow the blood trails..."
Bending down, she whispers something in Anody's ear.
There was a group that made it past this point ahead of us -- and a well-organized one, from the sound of it? They seem to have known much more of this place than we, even having some form of identification to offer? If not the correct identification... And they were asking for weapons -- beyond whatever they used to cause this damage? Criek pauses, gnawing at his lip anxiously. ...How many more hostile factions can be waiting for us down here?!
Stepping up next to Anody to address the damaged robot,
Her face grimaces in what would be a charming smile, if it wasn't party burned away.
The robots tones are of a woman, but the effect is a bit eerie, with half her face burned off and a slight atonal lilt to the voice.
It seems to have very good hearing.
Anody smiles. The robot is fine. Her head is undamaged which is the most important part it seems like. In fact we can take her with us.
Anody's expression turns serious again.
We have indeed found out quite a lot that we did not know before.
One. There are other actors in this scene. Scrapwall. Lords of Rust. And they are working for.. Hellion? Led by a Myenda with some others named Felix and Krell. I am guessing that they wish to steal the power that runs the Torch and it is obvious that Garmen is in on it. And most probably that they know we are coming.
Scrapwall is a settlement about a hundred miles away. It called that because it is a huge pile of scrap metal
You think you have heard of the lords of rust, a bandit gang of some sort.
The robot says
So a bandit gang by the name of the Lords of Rust following some sort of Hellion cult from Scrapwall seems to be willing to destroy Torch in order to transfer power. And they know we're coming as one of the most powerful men in Torch is in league with them.
Anody summarises.
And the robot wishes to come with us, her head at least. I dare say she would be an excellent guide through this place.
"I'll carry the Head and the body back, If my sisters repair her, they would have some new ideas for things they can make later."
"Ummmm... I'd rather that Anody stayed as custodian for the head... And when we find Khonnir, it shall be passed to him...", the tone of Sharae's voice makes it abundantly clear that she isn't willing to debate this point...
...this being didn't stand watch over this dead place for centuries only to be smashed as garbage by these 'Lords of Rust' and then subjected to the indignity of experimentation by Ayla and her sisters...
Ahah. I'm sure any one of us would be fine with her. We'll see where this maintenance room is after we deal with these Lords of Rust. Criek and I could take turns with the head and Ayla can take the body. Genni doesn't seem very sentimental about her lower parts.
Criek nods, It seems we've much to do, if we're to stop these saboteurs and prevent the 'reactor meltdown'! We can bring Genni along with us while we do that, and then figure out how best to aid, uh, her?
Pausing -- though, as she understands more Common and listens to us talk... -- he switches languages in a quiet aside to Anody,
Genni's eye light up at creik's tones.
Disconnecting Genni is not difficult as she can talk you through the process. notice a closet near by that the party has not checked. /and there are the exits from the room.
Actions? Also who is carrying Genni?
Ayla will carry Genni.
Ahah. Look. It's like a torch that works without fire or magic. Anody says demonstrating the switch that turns it on and off. Read about them so many times that it is a pleasure to actually use one.
Anody tries the black card on the white bin.
Sharae, for the briefest of moments is distracted by the torch, ”I suppose the more of us have access to light, the better… what a fascinating tool… it seems so very bright – I wonder what manner of clockwork powers it”
…and then her sense of purpose and urgency returns, ”Come, we need to keep moving… Professor, is there anything that Genni can tell us about where Khonnir went? I suppose we should follow the blood stains…”
Hrm. Criek could you ask Genni about Khonnair? I'm afraid I never met him so would not be able to describe him
Sharae smiles at the Professor as she shows him the Starknife glowing with divine light, "Desna shows me the path in darkness Professor - maybe someone else would like this clockwork wonder?"
Creik describes Khonnir to Genni and asks if she has seen him.
She replies that another group came through somewhat later, and what sounded like a fight happened. She thinks the new group was defeated. She could see as her head could not move and was facing the other way.
Map is updated above
Anody tries the black card on the bin. A disagreeable"blart" noise occurs and the card reader pulses red.
Genni says
"Professor, what did it say? If you cannot access that container... Then I guess we should move on?"
Moving into the corridor to the north, Sharae gasps as she sees the aftermath of whatever happened here, "Let us hope that it was the 'Lords of Rust' who bled here..."
The mounds of metal appear to be destroyed robots.
From the amount of blood, several people died here. There are two double doors, each sealed by a card lock.