Salvin sucks in some air as the magic does its work. He listens to Odol offer his thoughts about the healing spells.
"I appreciate your efforts. This will keep me alive. And I think you're right, don't waste healing on the wound that's left."
Smiling back at Obadiah Vhailor keeps splunking through the mud.
"We should hurry up if we want to take a look at... I mean sleep the night in the domey thing."
Salvin looks at Vhailor and smiles.
"I'm looking forward to sleeping through the night."
Gregory nods.
"Indeed, we should husband our resources carefully. Zombies aside, we were warned that strange machines do inhabit the wreckage in the wasteland; there is not telling what we will encounter..."
...and hopefully, be able to salvage... he adds to himself, quietly...
Gregory sees that Vhailor's face takes a strange turn at his statement. After a few more moments trudging through the field, Vhailor sidles up and whispers innocently "Why do you want to marry our food?"
Gregory's face is suffused with incomprehension for a few seconds, before the penny drops, and he grins.
"I have no intention of marrying our rations, Master Falk; the word comes from a Old Azlanti word, Husmana, which is used today in the Common tongue to both refer to the male member of a married couple, and to refer to managing goods with thrift and prudence. I can see where your confusion came from."
"Oh, I get it now." realisation dawning across his uninhibited features "It's just, I'd understand if you did want to.... I had an uncle that married a teapot once."
Gregory raises an eyebrow, and then smirks fondly at Vhailor.
"Well, I certainly would not like to cast aspersions upon your Uncle; I think he made the right choice, though - a teapot would certainly last a lot longer than bread, cheese, and dried meats!"
"If'n you fellows are done measuring lace doilies for each other might be wise to keep a weather eye for gearheads."
Grumbling slightly under his breath, Vhailor waits for Damrang to look away before poking his tongue out at him. He then casts a cantrip and amuses himself by changing the colour of Damrang's hair to green to blue to red, cycling through the colours for a while.
Salvin grimaces as he walks across countryside with the others, not wanting to waste any energy joining in the banter. He's mostly looking ahead, feeling ever more tired.
Then he sees Damrang's hair start to change color and tries to keep from snickering, clutching at his side to keep from laughing.
Obadiah trudges methodically alongside his battle brethern, when he see's Vhailor changing Damrang's hair he taps him atop the head with his bow;
"We've no time for childish games little Master. Per'haps once t'infernal foes we face are vanquished, once t'fell cogs stop turning... then we may play eh? Til then 'ave a mind for t' children of Iadenveigh that no longer can... "
He turns away and stoically continues the march towards the dome...
Vhailor looks as though he is about to start complaining before thinking better and resigning himself to his dreary fate. Left foot follows right as he trudges. Occasionally an exaggerated sigh is heard.
Heeding his own advice, Damrang looks about for anything unusual or that might signal another zombie attack.
You trudge across the flat muddy land, grey sky overhead, towards the distant jagged line of wreckage. It's a spirit-sapping trek but, just before you reach the edge of the wreckage, the clouds clear slightly and the red evening sun shines over the wasteland. The rain-slicked mud reflects the light as if it were a still ocean, bathing you and the twisted metal ahead in crimson radiance.
The sunset picks out the upper levels of twisted silver spires and steep, smooth slopes as you make your way towards the dome you can see looming some five hundred meters ahead. The floor is littered with smashed mechanisms and vine-like cables. In many placed stagnant water has pooled, creating rusty swamps that must be skirted.
Eventually, you reach the dome. It looks like a sphere has slammed into the muddy earth and embedded itself up to it's equator. As promised, there is an opening in it's side about one meter above ground level. It's circular and is framed by torn metal and trailing cabled. It almost looks like some kind of metal tunnel was once connected to it, but that has long since been torn away.
As twilight turns to night-time, you can see faint blue light the colour of a summer sky radiating from the tunnel enterance. What's more, if you stand right in front of the enterance you can feel comfortably warm air blowing gently out of it - a welcome respite from the chill of your still-wet clothes.
Looking through the enterance, you can see the sphere is hollow - the floor slopes down into a bowl shape and roof follows the curve of the dome. It's inner wall is formed of the same silvery metal as much of the wreckage, but is totally covered with a lattice of thick rubbery cables. A blue-glowing column about a foot wide runs vertically up the center. It looks to be made of glass or crystal of some kind.
"Fair warning fellows, there are some things moving about this wreck. Twisted abominations of *spit* science they look."
If we're lucky they'll leave us be for now. Better to destroy them after the necromancer.
Mouth slightly agape as he regards the edifice, Vhailor is uncharacteristically silent and his face shows unadultered awe at the sight. He walks to the outside of the sphere and runs his hand over it to feel the metal under his hands. Racking his brain he tries to remember if anything like this showed up during his studies at Brastlewark...
Knowledge (Engineering):
Knowledge (Arcana):
Knowledge (Planes):
Gregory smiles sympathetically at Vhailor, but scowls when he considers Damrang.
Blasted Dwarf! How can he bury his head in the sand like? How can he not be moved by the idea of the wonders that are hidden-away here?
When Damrang mentions the 'constructs' in the wreckage, Gregory feigns nonchalance, but inwardly, becomes quite excited.
I wonder what they are? I doubt that I will be able to do anything constructive whilst Damrang and Obadiah are awake, but perhaps tonight, whilst on watch, I will be able to do some... research...
Moving into the dome, Gregory is pleasantly surprised by the warmth, but is immediately fascinated by the pillar...
...He quickly moves inside for a better look at the contents of the dome...
When he hears Damrang's warning, Salvin quickly looks around to see if any of the automatons are nearby.
"Let's hope these mechanisms will leave us alone if we leave them alone. We can't fight an unknown number of machines in our sleep."
His eyes quickly return to the unnatural blue light coming from the dome. As he stands in the entryway, he briefly closes his eyes to enjoy the warmth after hours of marching and rain.
Salvin takes a closer look, trying to see if there are any dangers in the sphere and if there's anything he's ever heard someone mention before.
As he digests what he's seen, Salvin speaks to the group.
"Is there some way we can bar the entrance? Some of us need a full night's rest to recover spells and overcome today's exertions. I'm not sure there will be enough of us to keep a full watch."
Have a couple of ideas here - one game mechanic based, which then affects a roleplaying one.
Ideally I'd like to not have Obadiah want to sleep in this place, and to answer Salvin's suggestion - he will bar the door. My Heart of the Fields racial ability will negate sleep/exaustion incurred by keeping a full nights watch, (would also solve our numbers problem and fit with Obadiah's view on t' infernal mechinisations? Thoughts?
Obadiah also stands near the entrance way, frowning as he turns a baleful gaze over the structure, but not setting foot in it despite the wind and rain at his back...
This machine is far beyond the prinicples of Glorian engineering. However, you do note that the sphere is the ideal structure from either protecting or containing something, and that the fact that enterance is perfectly circular with no sign of a flat side for a floor indicates it was not designed for pedestrians.
You also notice that there are small patches of dust accumilated in some parts of the chamber but not others, and that there appears to be a small cluster of lights at the base of the glowing column that could provide information or control. You have to enter the chamber to inspect them.
The lights consist of a large faintly green-glowing square flanked by six glowing buttons. There are utterly meaningless symbols covering the square that flicker irregularly - you suspect this is due to the crack that runs across the face of the glassy surface. However, you do note that on one side of the square is a bar divided into two hundred or so sections. The bottom fifty of these sections are lit, and as you look another one flickers on. No others light up after a full minute of watching.
There are several large plates of sky metal lying around the immediate area. If you were to lean one against the sphere to cover the enterence you could use cables to tie it to the solid-looking lattice within. This would create a rough but surprisingly effective 'drawbridge'.
Gregory climbs into the enterence and down the curved face of the chamber towards the base of the column. He then inspects a small clustes of lights mounted below it that none of the rest of the party had spotted.
An alarming thought suddenly occurs to Gregory!
I had better not let the two from the village see this, or they will probably try to destroy it...
He then arranges his bedroll to cover the display.
Once he is satisfied, he will cast Mending, to try and repair the display...
Over the course of an hour, Gregory repairs a total of 17hp worth of damage. I can keep going, if necessary, moving on to other machinery as required ;-)
Gregory can do this without attracting too much attention, as Mending has a range of 10', so he could be quite innocently taking a 'nap', whilst repairing the machine under his bedroll...
Once the party settles-in, Gregory becomes quite business-like.
"This sphere looks quite defensible, so I dare say we could rest here quite securely. I am all for making sure we get plenty of rest, but still set-up adequate watches; after all, we do not know when we will next find such a good location... it could be quite some time before we next get a good night's sleep."
Vhailor peers forbiddingly at the 1m high gap he has to breach in order to enter the sphere proper. "Mr Obadiah sir, any chance you could give me a leg up so I can scurry inside?" he asks innocently, apparently unaware of the Erastite's reluctance to be near the skymetal object.
"These mechanical creatures seem safe enough now, but will they remain so if we try to go into this sphere? We don't know what these things value or what they usually do."
He looks around at the rest of the party.
"Maybe we should start work on a barricade first using some of these pieces of metal and cables to make a fortified position of the sphere and then see what happens when someone goes inside. Does that make sense or am I being too paranoid because of daily attempts on our lives?"
If the party agrees to work on a crude "drawbridge" structure, Salvin starts to look around for a good piece of metal and some torn but still stout cables to make a crude "drawbridge" to their home for the night.
Damrang approaches the skymetal sphere warily.
"I don't like this place one bit. But we've little choice."
After hearing the watch schedule plan.
"Sounds good, I'd not be able to sleep at all weren't going on two days straight now."
I can do this, I can do this.
"I'll be helping Salvin. Show me your need."
Obadiah looks brow-beaten... but nods at Damrang's words. He pats the grizzled dwarf on the shoulder;
"T' Parables tell us: Never fear to tread in t' dark places, for it makes you appreciate t' dawn all t' more. 'ave faith brother, we'll be clear of this chapel of mecromancy soon enough."
He then sets his jaw and helps Vhailor inside before he himself reluctantly enters...
Salvin's words of warning fall on deaf ears. Luckily, the stealthy constructs in the wreckage around you show no signs of agitation as you make your way into the interior of the sphere. Even the Iadenveigh natives can't help but relax as the plesant warmth of the chamber washes over them. Rain-soaked clothes swiftly begin to dry.
Salvin and Damrang stay outside for a few minutes, hauling a broken metal plate into position. Two more minutes tying cables - finding those of a suitable length and thickness isn't hard - and the drawbridge is ready.
As it is hauled into position and tied into place the only light that remains is the ethereal blue radience of the column. Salvin, as you were finding suitable cables you found that they could be cut as easily as a thick rope.
There aren't any more devices in the chamber that are visably broken
Vhailor scrabbles into seated position in the middle of the chamber. Eyes roving the scenery as he rocks back and forth on his heels.
Obadiah steps cautiously into the belly of the beast, finds a spot near to the door as possible and hunkers down...
Foul place of metal and wires... no better or worse than cogs in t' dead. Sooner we be gone t' better.
Damrang will bed down near Obadiah, not going farther into the sphere than necessary.
"What manner of foul place is this?"
Salvin quickly finds a place to rest so he can recover from the day's exertions. He arranges he bedroll quickly and neatly, placing his armor and weapon within easy reach before eating the last of his rations for the day. He can feel the he warmth of the room and the long day making him even more drowsy.
"I'm exhausted, everyone, so I hope you don't mind if I turn in early. Goodnight."
With that, Salvin quickly climbs into the comfort of his bedroll and goes to sleep.
Answering his fellow Iadenveighlor as he checks over his combat gear, Obadiah's discomfort is evident in his bitter tone;
"Is a place not for t'likes of us brother Flintforge. It reeks of mechanisations and fell deeds. O for 'undred strong backs of your kin, and a 'undred more barrels of oil and I'd wreck and burn this nest of evil..."
He spits at the floor contemptuously and goes about his business...
One by one the expedition members turn in and begin to recover their strength. Soon, only Gregory and Vhilor are left awake to take the first watch. It's going to be a long four hours.
"What do you think? I cannot read the symbols, but that bar is slowly approaching maximum... It took 10 minutes for the bar to go from 50 to 53 'lights', so I predict that in just over 8 hours, it will be 'full'... Should we tell the others, or let whatever happens be a surprise?"
He shrugs, before continuing.
"After all, the Halfling would hardly have suggested that we camp here, if it was dangerous... would he?"
Pausing a moment to reflect on Gregory's questions "I'm not sure who else we might tell.... Grumpypants (Damrang) and Mr Obadiah don't seem too en-raptured with this place, and the pious one (Salvin) is a bit tired" Before beaming a huge smile "But I do want to be awake when it does count down!"
When you cast comprehend magic it feels very, very strange. Normally when you cast the spell a vague sense of homesinkness for some unknown distant land comes with it. This time, that longing for home hits you like a physical force. The entire world and even your comrades seem alien and horrifying. The sensation slowly fades, however, and the symbols that cover the control pannel begin to mean something to you. Even with magical assistance making sense of them is hard, but your linguistics training serves you well:
Prow Conduits: ERROR
Stern Conduits: ERROR
Thaumion Shielding: ERROR
Kan'Lux generators: ERROR
Security agents: ERROR
Command uplink: ERROR
Maintainance Options
Initiate Core Shutdown
Run Subsystem Scan
*Warning: Uncontrolled Accumilation. Preparing Potential Dump*
Vhailor says flatly "Oh dear... it seems as though a 'dump' is to happen... maybe we should press one of the buttons? - maybe try the scanny thingo first?"
"I think that would be an excellent idea. I would prefer to not get the others involved; I daresay that Damrang and Obadiah would just try to smash everything in sight, and that could cause more harm than good..."
Under Vhailor's guidance, Gregory attempts to initiate a subsystem scan.
Gregory presses the button labelled subsystem scan. Instantly, the series of error messages is replaced by the following text:
*Subsystem Scan In Progress*
*No New Subsystemes Found*
*Power Allocation Unchanged*
*Warning: Mission-Critical Subsystems Absent*
"Hmmm... I wonder what 'mission-critical' subsystems are missing? I guess some things became detached during the crash. The fact that it seems 'new subsystems' can be linked into it suggests that it might be possible to harness it as an energy source, though... This could be useful, if we work-out how to stabilize it..."
Gregory then pushes the button labeled 'Maintenance Options'.
He pauses briefly before continuing.
"I also do not want to rouse our companions and get them to move out, as they would be rather suspicious of us afterward... Obadiah and Damrang are really not the trusting sort when it comes to those who know about SkyTech. We need to sort this out quietly, before they awaken."
You press the button marked Maintainance Options. The display changes completely. Six new options, one for each button, are displayed:
Full Shut Down
Partial Potential Dump
Initiate Self-Maintainance Routine
Initiate Full-Maintainance Routine
Reselect Potential Resevoir
Exit Maintainance Options
"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzz"
*SNORE!*
Sleeping paladins are not divine.
"zzzzzzzz... death to all machines.....zzzzzzzz.... and those who covet them.....zzzzzzzzzz"