You head back to Torch to rest. It is midday.
I say we should get the rest of these items figured out and sell those we don't need. I don't know if we should keep these explosive cans unless one of us is good at throwing.
"Did I miss where we found one of those amadantine weapons? If so, I'll take it. Otherwise, that's just a bunch of technology stuff I don't understand, and I fear that which I do not understand.
I believe we didn't find one.
Astra will offer to take the technological items and study them more thoroughly before we do anything with them. She'll spend the afternoon experimenting with them and studying them. This will represent part of her level-up training, as she will be picking up yet another rank of Knowledge (engineering), as well as the Technologist feat. Given her increased skill, the feat, and another application of the Technomancy spell in the morning once she's rested, she should be able to identify the armor and gun better than in the dungeon.
Astra will also secretly set up a meeting between herself and Sanvil Trett for around midnight.
The armor is Neraplast Armor, a light bodysuit that has a AC of 2, and a max dex bonus of 8. Using light and pigment technology, it acts as a sort of simple chameleon suit, changing its colors to match the surrounding area (+3 Stealth) by using the interface and one charge of power. It retains this new coloration without expending further charges. The suit is currently uncharged.
The gun is a timeworn stun gun. It functions exactly as a regular stun gun (dealing nonlethal damage), however, being timeworn is prone to some malfunctions. It has five charges and cannot be recharged.
You hear a knock at your door and Sanvil Trett enters. He smiles and gives you a slight bow.
"Good evening, Miss Astra. It is rather late, but I am sure you have a perfectly good reason for such a clandestine meeting? I take it you have not told your party members about our business?"
Liz will use her time to go over some formulas for new spells that she was working on previously and scribes the spells into her spellbook before pulling out a phrasebook and practicing new languages and techniques on deciphering writings.
"You take correctly, Mister Trett", Astra says, pouring herself a cup of tea, and offering to pour him a drink of his choice as well. She does a little bit of small talk to start off, trying to get some further information on Trett himself, whether he has family, how long he's been living in Torch, whether he has any interesting connections, and so on.
After that, she will relate some carefully chosen bits about their venture underground. She specifically does *not* talk about the robots like the gearsman or the building integrated technology like viewscreens. She does however show him the looted grenades, armor and gun, although she indicates that she's likely to keep them herself unless he makes some excellent offers. But what she *does* reveal is the presence of Meyanda and her entourage -- the gargoyle, the half-orcs, and the ratfolk. "I believe that whatever she is doing down there is the reason behind the malfunctioning torch of our town. I am concerned that we will have to remove her in order to save Torch. I would prefer to avoid bloodshed."
"I have family in the Hajoth Hakados. I usually spend about a month in Torch between trips around Numeria, making sure I steer clear of Starfall. A man such as myself must be careful when dealing with the Technic League. They don't particularly like people who deal with technology they believe is theirs. Your group seems to be my best lead for finding something of value in this place."
He sips some tea and takes a very small bite of a crumpet.
"These people underneath Black Hill sound like one of the gangs of Scrapwall, likely exploring outside of their territory to gain more power. Rumor is there is a new power there, some being named Hellion, claiming that he is a god. I find it highly unlikely. Must be some pretender, or someone that's found some high tech and powerful artifact."
He slides a leather pouch across the table. It clinks very loudly.
"This is just a small payment for your information. My will want to hear all about this. How exactly is this android malfunctioning the torch?"
After her answer or lack of one, he says, "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"
"Scrapwall, hmm..." Astra muses, stroking her chin thoughtfully.
"I don't know the specifics of how Meyanda is causing the torch to malfunction. Not yet. But I assure you that I intend to find out. It would be in our town's best interest to get the torch restarted as soon as possible, if it can be. And if it can't...we need to know that as well", Astra says.
"I believe that's everything for now, Mister Trett... But I should have more information for you soon."
Scrapwall is somewhere north and east of Torch, a "large town" in Numeria. It is a few days away.
"I see. Well, thank you kindly for the information. There will be more should you offer more insight."
He leaves you alone.
After he leaves, you notice a folded scrap of paper on his chair. It mentions "Garmen Ulreth" and "Warehouse?"
The morning after leveling, when meeting up with the rest of the group, Astra will reveal what the armor and gun are, so that everyone can read the earlier "Astra's Engineering" spoiler. She will suggest that maybe Sneek would be interested in the neraplast armor as it grants a Stealth bonus. If no one seems particularly interested in the stun gun, Astra would volunteer to take it, in addition to the grenades she expressed an interest in earlier.
She will also request if anybody would like to do any digging (Diplomacy to gather information) on Sanvil Trett's contacts, before we head back underground. She doesn't volunteer any information about having some dealings with the man, although others may try Sense Motive to find out whether she's hiding anything. Astra will also try to gather information herself while we're in Torch, but help would be welcomed.
Chakos is not a particularly investigative guy, but if Astra and Liz need him to use his skills for anything, he will gladly assist. Beyond that, yep, he'll hang out, grab some chow and R&R when not on the trail.
None of those items seem amazingly useful to Chakos. I'm fine if folks take stuff and use it. Sneek is gonna need a battery for that armor right?
Chakos will likely stick with the standard non-tech weapons and armor and such, unless something amazing shows up that falls out as something he could use (an electric axe or something, or tech-plate mail, I'm making those things up, but you get the idea).
Not being very investigative, Liz merely gets her equipment ready for their next expedition.So we have that new level to explore. Hopefully Khonnir will be there.
Astra is ready to go as well.
You head back to the caves and find yourselves in the room with the desk of glowing images. There is a bloodstained pair of double doors to the north and a pair of doors to the west.
Right, here we go, GM said: "There are a pair of double doors to the East. A single door behind the desk and a single door to the West. There are also the double doors back to the North."
So, Astra would like to head through the east door.
You head east through double doors and find a short hallway with a pair of double doors to the EAST and a pair of double doors to the SOUTH.
South.
You reach a small hallway with a pair of double doors to the South and a single door to the East.
Astra moves over to listen at the bigger door (south).
Astra hears sticky, ripping noises, Small footsteps and soft laughter. As you listen, the entire hallway begins to shake violently for about a minute before it stops.
Astra jabs her thumb in the direction of the door, trying to communicate to the rest of the party that there's something in there. She points to Chakos, then the door, and steps out of the way, inviting him to take point.
Liz gets her crossbow ready.
Chakos hefts his axe and prepares for battle.
Astra draws her zapper wand and opens the door.
The stench of mold and decay fills this open, dark chamber, no doubt created by the thick blanket of fungal matter coating the floor. Several chairs sit before work tables containing unusual tools and equipment.
There are four corpses on the ground, each have a cavity exposing ribs where their chests are. A powerful smell assails your noses.
There are also four four small plant men, vegepygmies Astra recalls, and a strange blue plant sitting in between them. The vegepygmies have longspears made of bone in their hands. As soon as the door opens, one of them says in Undercommon.
1. Vegepygmies
2. Everyone
The vegepygmies wait for you to come closer.
Um...I don't understand that. Do any of you speak the common tongue?
"No, but I do owe you an apology apparently..." and his speech switches to Abyssal...
Charge and Power Attack one of the vegepygmys, but hopefully not going near the blue plant!
"..." Astra is momentarily taken aback by attacking creatures that did not attack first. "I'm not sure how I feel about this..." she says while moving into the room, approaching but staying out of melee range, especially in case the strange blue plant has a reach attack. She tries to identify the strange blue plant.
"Those corpses on the ground...they must have been the russet mold incubators that spawned these vegepygmies." Now the question is, are they Khonnir's party or the Brighites?
Astra chokes and gags as she enters the room, eyes watering and her feet stumbling a little as a massive wave of nausea overwhelms her.
Liz shouts at Chakos
Astra, what do you know about them?
"Bah! I'm not scared of plants!" Argug shouts as he charges into the fray, close to the plant and at one of the vegepygmies.
Sneek moves into the room but stays along the northern wall and fires a crossbow bolt.
Argug chops into the small plant man. He cuts the creature in half like chopping through a head of lettuce. Sneek's shot embeds itself into the plant man's face, but it keeps moving, showing little sign of injury.
HP 20/20
AC 11/11/10
Effects:
Hand of Apprentice:7/7
Liz shoots at the pygmie that Sneek shot
"The plant -- that is to say, the plant without hands and feet -- should not attack you unless you attack it first!" Astra calls out a warning between wheezes and gasps, then her breath catches in her throat and she drops to one knee and throws up, losing her morning tea and crumpets right there on top of one of the corpses, not that she's in much of a condition to notice.
Astra moves in and tries to hit one of the pygmies with her zapper wand.
Chakos looks at Liz, "I may not know as much as you and Astra, but four corpses, and four plant men? I can do that math! What's with the plant?"
Liz's bolt strikes the plant man in the face also. A small trickle of blood runs down his cheek. It yells at her.
Astra's zapper wand arcs over the vegepygmy's head. A trail of electricity follows after the sap.
The injured vegepygmy moves to Chakos (10 feet away) and tries to stab him with his longspear. The vegepygmy near Astra takes a step back and tries to shove its bone spear into her.
,
The plant moves on dozens of tiny root legs towards Astra (15 feet away) and swings a barbed tentacle at her. The barbs scratch against her leg.
,
I will step over and swing at the one that swung at me.
Power Attack
Chakos cleaves into the creature. A spray of loose fungus and green matter oozes from the wound as the vegepygmy collapses, dead.
HP 20/20
AC 11/11/10
Effects:
Hand of Apprentice:7/7
Liz reloads and shoots at the plant near Astra