A1 stares at Erin who just stabbed at it.
But it misses.
A2 steps towards the one who just bombed its comrade.
Tsusoku steps forward and easily knocks the guardian to the ground, though it is still moving.
And Ezrek's bomb renders A1 inert!!
Both Erin and Markus move for the attack and both their blades hit their mark.
The remaining guardian focuses its attacks on Erin.
Only one slam connects but it does so to Erin's shoulder.
And between Markus' knives, Ezrek's bomb, and Erin's blades the last guardian is rendered inert.
Looking over the two malfunctioning guardians, Erin notices a small placard on nape of each angel’s neck in the shape of the Golemworks’s insignia. Each bears the angels’ creation year (the current year) and has a space for a maker’s mark. In both cases, no maker’s mark was left to identify the creatures’ creator.
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"Well I do not know much about this stuff, but the crafter mark appears to be missing off both of these guardians. There is definite foul play here."
She informs the party, as she begins throwing pieces of the statues into a nearby bag. While collecting various parts, she makes sure to grab the two where the identifiers are supposed to be.
As you are healing up/gathering construct bits, Sheila Heidmarch enters the greenhouse. "I heard the explosions. What happened? What did you do to my guardians?"
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"More like what did your guardians do to us... I waved your wayfinder in front of them and they attacked me. I guess in a way you owe me one." She says with a wry grin while unceremoniously dumping the parts back onto the floor. "If you look here, these guardians are missing their crafter's mark. They really could have come from anywhere."
"What?" Shelia looks around and sees the evidence to back your claim. "I see. Well obviously someone sabotaged these constructs. And since you're already here, you have the task of finding out who. You should head to the Golemworks factory and meet my contact there, a man named Reemis, with whom I placed her original order for the angelic guardians. Just remember that the Decemvirate wants to stay on good terms with the Golemworks, so please exercise some discretion. Find out who made the angelic guardians and what the artificer’s true motivations were in sabotaging them."
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Ezrek listens quietly, contemplating. I suppose the list is fairly long of people who might want to do you harm? He absently takes the wand from Erin and taps her multiple times with it, before handing it back to her.
The alchemist then removes a similar wand from a sheath on his arm and heals himself with it.
Ezrek nods at Markus. Aye, let's go. Now I'll get to see the place.
"Such a lack of discipline these days.." She mutters to herself.
You have little trouble locating the Golemworks’ sprawling complex, and Sheila’s contact, Reemis, therein. A pudgy, balding Chelish man in his mid-fifties, he greets you warmly. "Welcome pathfinders, it is good to see you. How does Sheila like her latest delivery?"
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"I get the feeling she did not receive the delivery you sent. We got similar models that attacked us when we tried to activate them. Take a look at these, do you know where they came from?"
She asks, getting straight and to the point with the man while handing him the two pieces missing the creator's mark.
When hearing of the alleged sabotage, Reemis' eyes widen in shock, and drops of sweat appear on his brow, as if conjured by magic. "On behalf of the Golemworks, I am so very sorry. The Heidmarchs will get a full refund." He looks over the two pieces, leaves you momentarily to search his records for the artificer who was assigned the Heidmarchs’ order.
He returns scratching his chin, holding a piece of paper in a leather folder—Sheila’s original order. The document clearly states the quantity purchased, delivery instructions, and orders to be programmed into each guardian. At the bottom of the receipt is a scrawled signature from the artificer who marked the job as complete: Chrysalis Black.
"This is very odd. Black isn’t the sort to leave his maker’s mark off one of his pieces. The artificer is among the most promising members of the Golemworks’ faculty, and he holds his reputation in the highest importance."
Reemis leads you all through the maze of workshops, warehouses, and foundries that make up the Golemworks to a small wooden building he identifies as Black’s workshop.
"Black is out getting some spell components and will likely be back soon, I'll let you into his office so you can wait for the him to return."
Two exotic rugs cover the oak floor of this well-furnished “L”- shaped office. Several tables and chairs offer spots to relax after a day’s work, and a sturdy bar of cherrywood displays all manner of exotic drinks. A golem crafted from mahogany and other fine woods stands in the corner.
Erin notices that some of the chairs in this room have thick leather restraints on them as if they came from an asylum. In what seems to be another room next to this one, she also finds hundreds of papers containing strange diagrams and scrawled mathematical symbols litter its surface. Resting near the diagrams is a half eaten lunch and a perfectly folded note detailing a “to do” list and signed “Your Loving Mother”. The list details ordinary tasks such as picking up groceries and taking a pair of shoes to the cobbler to be resoled.
Markus notices that the floorboards under the rug are rather loose and when he lifts it up, he finds that they just just covering what seems to be fresh dirt.
You detect certain similarities in the script, suggesting that the same author penned the two documents.
Erin also finds a wand of (CL5 10 charges) among the papers.
Jander examines the lunch. It is the remnants of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an apple core. Almost 90 minutes pass by before anyone else shows up. A man enters the office, he has a surprised look on his face as he sees you already here.
"Oh, hello there. What are you all doing here? Sorry, where are my manners, that was rude. My mother would be furious at me for not being cordial. My name is Chrysalis Black. Who are all of you?"
"I apologize for the mess. My mother is always on me about picking up after myself. The pressures of being on such a tight schedule has me scatterbrained sometimes. What is this about the Heidmarch order?"
"What problems do you mean?" Black looks around at all of you until he notices Tsusoku. "Why, that beard is marvelous. It flows like the rivers in Jalmeray."
You notice nothing wrong, he seems to be a nice normal fellow.
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"My beard? Flowing?" The old tien man seems genuinely confused. "I suppose it could be seen as magnificent, though 'flowing' is an odd term for it. It is styled after Sarenrae's, after all. I was once there, in Jalmeray. I assaulted an impossible kingdom there..."
She shakes his head. "Though, that is not my task at hand. The construct, he did not relent when I offered him redemption." Jander's expression flashes one of understanding. "Oh, one moment, please." He lifts his helmet, presenting a small lidded bowl that has been affixed his his head via twine. He twists off the lid and a crab exits, making his way towards the sandwich. Jander looks to the sandwich, then to Black. "Will you be finishing that? I, on behalf of the Silver Crusade, offer to clean your luncheon area."
"No, of course you may." Black responds as he stares in awe at the beard.
"Well you can't blame me for that, in fact you can't even prove I made them! There was no maker's mark even."