Urgeon backs away from the nearest creature and fires his wand of Magic Missiles.
Urgeon showers a third with magical darts and with a shriek of frustration the remaining creatures shrink back into the crack. You get the sense of being watched still but the aggressive posture has disappeared.
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Urgeon wipes the sweat from his brow as he warily watches the crack. "Let's destroy the array and get out of here."
He holds up the explosive charges to the others. "Normally these charges require an electric force from a detonator to remotely ignite them. We don't have a detonator, so we need another source of electric energy."
He then points up to the sky. "Ridic, during our battle with the manticore, you called down lightning from the sky. Can you do so again and direct it at the charges? If so, we may be able to remotely detonate the explosives and destroy the array."
Ridic nods "I will do my best, now set it get down and I will call upon the lightning."
Ridic will cast Call Lightning, once the area is clear.
Urgeon assesses the structure ...
.. and determines a weak point in the braces. At that point, he sets up a cylex charge, shaping the neon green clay-like substance around the braces ...
and then signals for everyone to depart.
Scrambling back down to the ground, the party gets back 100 feet or more, at the edge of Ridic's range. The druid lifts his arms to the sky, calling upon the elements and a single bolt of blue lighting arcs through the hot, clear sky striking the area where the braces are with multiple forks ...
... and nothing happens. The party looks at each other in consternation and Urgeon indicates to Ridic to try again, so the druid summons another bolt down ...
... and again nothing happens, although electrical flashes are visible running up and down the brace.
Urgeon mutters something about timeworn explosives and starts back as Ridic drops a third bolt ...
.. and with a loud crack the charge detonates in a blinding flash sending pieces of metal and flame everywhere, shuddering the entire complex ...
... it entirely shreds the base of the structure and the array supports collapse in on themselves. The dish falls straight down and the entire complex caves in, throwing a cloud of dirt and rubble up. The resulting explosion causes shifts in the piled metal walls and several of the nearby walls fall in upon the area, effectively burying the entire complex.
Ridic just stares and whistles in amazement...."What was that stuff??"
Razorend nods in appreciation, "Impressive, most impressive."
Urgeon raises his arms in the air and calls out over the rooftops. "Huzzah! Take that, Lords of Rust!"
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"I think we've made quite a name for ourselves in the few days we've been here. Hopefully enough to draw the locals to our side and weaken the Rust Lords. Is there aught else to do, or shall we saunter about?"
Urgeon shakes his fist defiantly. "Its time for us to strike the Lord's of Rust. Let's go back to our allies the Rat Folk and see if they have any ideas on how best to attack the compound."
Returning to the ratfolk, you find Redtooth hungry to act upon your new alliance, but short on intelligence, "We've just put the call out to bring back the ratfolk in the compound. It will take some time to get the word to them secretly and then a day or two for them to all extricate themselves from the place. At that point, I'll know more about the details of the compound. None of my current supporters have been inside the gang ... they don't like to let folks out of the fold."
Urgeon nods and thanks Redtooth. "We will use the time to prepare ourselves for the coming battle. We'll return in a couple of days."
He turns to the others. "I suggest we lay low in the meantime to avoid drawing attention to ourselves."
Razorend nods, "That would be good. Some time relaxing would do us well."
"Relaxing....what is that? Ha! We can try, but we better not get too comfortable, we are marked men here. Where do you propose we lay low? With Dinaya?"
"Aye, though it probably wouldn't hurt to be seen about the city... the market, or taverns? If the locals really do favor us over the Rust Lords, we should be welcomed."
Urgeon frowns, "We risk attack if we remain in the open. Surely the Lords of Rust will be hunting us now. I suggest we hole up with Dinaya until we are ready to strike."
Razorend glances sideways, "So, we spent the last few days deliberately making trouble and enhancing our profile with the locals, but now we're going to hide out? I thought the whole point was to destabilize the Rust Lords, take away their power base and make them do something stupid... like attack us in the open."
Urgeon sighs, "As you wish, but it will allow them to attack on their terms."
A grim smile comes to Razorend's face. "We don't have to walk around blindly. In fact, we could try and lure them into an attack on ground friendly to us." Razorend lays out a rough plan using friendly ratfolk as perimeter scouts to give early warning of any inbound trouble, and a counter-ambush plan with him striking from the shadows.
"I am with Razor on this one. We should not be hiding out, we need our presence to remain strong and visible. We may as well set up an ambush, like Razor said....if they come, we get the drop on them.....if not, we have some drinks and help grow our support base."
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"I agree that now is the time to be seen, while we wait, I would also like to figure out what has been following us unseen, Razorend, next time we feel like we are being watched, use your ability to see invisible, maybe the lords have put something on us that can watch us while invisible, I for one would like to not give them any help in knowing what we are planning"
Kovax will also check in with the Steel Hawks and make sure they are ready for our move and we should go check in on the paladins we left at the fort with our car
The party carves out some defenses and plans in the Warrens, reallocating the various scouts, rangers and warriors tonthe ratfolk and working primarily with Whiskifiss to shore up defenses and prepare ambushed. Redtooth gets the word out and the ratfolk slowly trickle in. Initial word back is many have left the Lord's of Rust. The chokers and Smilers never returned after their bases were annihilated and that the Lords cancelled Arena fights and exhibitions a couple days ago. There is a buzz that they have a big plan, but the ratfolk left before they could get more details.
Your passage around town in unobstructed except for the stray robot or animal scavenger and you travel back and forth with ease.
The Steel Hawks have the gate secured and are ready to support as required.
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Meyanda and Dinaya approach you one morning as you're finishing up your regular preparations. While both normally have impassive expressions, something in their demeanor puts you on edge.
Dinaya speaks up first, "A group of Smilers entered the city covertly last night. They were accosted by Steel Hawks and one was killed, but the others fled to the Arena. They thought nothing of it really until we received this ... package ... this morning.
Dinaya hands you a piece of parchment and a box.
The parchment, written in a reddish brown ink and sloppy hand, reads
We invite you to prove your true worth in the Arena against a suitable foe. Succeed and we will allow you admittance into our gang. Failure will show that only the strong are worth our attention. We send this gift to you as incentive.
It is signed, Helskarg, Arenamaster and marked with the claw symbol of Hellion.
Dinaya and Meyanda purposefully do not look at the box.
Urgeon detects magic and inspects the box for traps before opening it.
He turns to the others. "I am inclined to not play into their hand here. We have no desire to join their gang and who's to say they can be trusted not to ambush us."
"Agreed! We don't want entry in their gang, and as much as they want to make the power move here and show that they are still in charge.....Well, they are not...." Ridic words trailing off as he remembers the package, suddenly fearing something awful is contained within.
If it's not magical, let's open it.
Urgeon detects no magic so Ridic opens the box.
When he first opens it, there is a build up of dread as realization dawns slowly over him. He sees Val Bhaine's face staring back at him with a look of shock and horror ...
... it's attached to her severed head.
Kovax will look in the box before saying anything
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Ridic will slowly place the box on the floor, for all to see. He just stares at it, and says nothing...
Once Kovax sees what is in the box he is overcome with anger, and will smash and destroy things around him in impotent rage.
Then without waiting to speak to anyone he gathers up his weapons and goes out to look for minions to kill on his way to the arena to kill Helskarg and destroy the Lords of Rust
Urgeon looks on in disgust at the severed head. He then sighs as Kovax stomps out. "Well, I guess we better follow him."
He gathers his gear and hurries out the door.
Razorend eyes the contents of the box, swallowing to keep the bitter taste down. "How? Why her? What was she even doing here? Is it even her, or some kind of illusion?" he says, suspicious of a trick. He examines the grisly trophy, looking for signs.
Razorend deduces that it is her and that the head was cut off a few days ago.
Before he can pronounce his findings, Kovax rages around and storms out, Urgeon hot on his heels.
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Ridic will attempt to stop Kovax and grab him
"This is exactly what they wanted to happen! This is a trap, and if you run into it, there will be more heads in boxes! Let's calm down and figure out a strategy here."
Razorend shakes his head, sighing as he closes the box. "No trick, its her. What in the Hells was she doing here? Was she kidnapped from Torch after we left? Did Khonnir say anything about her coming? I just don't understand."
Kovax doesn't slow down for Ridic, he simple says, "I have a strategy. I am going to kill them all."
"She was my friend, and more so, she was an innocent bystander. She wasn't out causing problems for the Lords of Rust. They killed her to get to us, her crime was our friendship."
"I am going to burn their house down around them and dance on their graves"
As he walks he is reloading his different guns we have found, making sure they are all ready for what is about to come and within easy reach in his Haversack
Buckshot in the Blunderbus
Also we can't use any of the gunslinger pistols, they can only be used by the gunslinger who made it, so we can leave all of those behind as well.
The party hurries up and chases down Kovax checking weapons and the like as they do so.
The street is abuzz as you depart with a few folks cheering out to you with cries like, "Take them down!" and "There's a new boss in town!" It is obvious that the word about your invitation made it to the town before you.
You approach the entrance to the Arena and the half-orc guards spot you from a ways off. They immediately knock on the large doors which swing open widely beckoning you. The half-orcs themselves enter through the arch and disappear into the junk beyond.
Passing beyond the doors, an enormous battlefield sprawls here—a fighting arena that measures several hundred feet in diameter, ringed by mounds of junk and refuse stacked in tiers for seating. The ring has an arched opening in its westernmost end to allow access to the arena which you just entered through, while against the eastern side, a large metallic structure akin to a squat tower protrudes from the hard-packed earth. A wooden stairway wraps around the tower’s sides, and a twenty-foot-tall stage protrudes from its western facade, overlooking the arena below.
A loud voice booms out across the open space, growling with evil delight, "I see you got my invite! Little lords, prepare yourself for a spectacle of the highest degree. Yours truly will take the stage tonight against these upstarts. It's time once and for all to put the lie to their 'worth!"
Leaping down from the stage are a massive troll and two ogres. The ogres pull a chariot out from under the stage, The troll raises a weapon you recognize as a better kept version of the autograpnel that Kovax has and pumps her arms up and down before she mounts the chariot and whips the reins at the ogres ... who apparently act as her draft horses! From all around the Arena, ratfolk, Smilers, goblinoids and dirty men emerge from between the junk. Initially you think you're about to be mobbed, then you recognize a few from the streets. They're here to watch!
"Rushing in here was foolish," Razorend mutters, taking out a potion and gulping it down. He disappears from sight.
Urgeon will cast haste on the group.
1 - How close is she getting to us as she moves around the stadium?
2 - How would doing something like firing our autograpnel through the wheel and just letting it go so the cable and gun get wrapped up in the wheel hopefully disabling work?
3 - Does energy damage from the Infernal Pistol since it's fire mess up a trolls healing?
4 - Ridic what's the radius on your call lightning? I thinking dropping some C4 on her ass and letting the lighting light it up would be rad
Ridic will cast entangle to the area that the chariot is rolling towards and draw his weapon.