Nyssa finds a table playing blackjack. Sitting at the table are three other players, all dressed differently of different backgrounds. She knows the game well, so instead of focusing on learning rules, Nyssa watches the other players. She plays at a moderate pace, betting more when she gets a feeling in her gut about the cards.
After amassing a stack of silverdisks, she notices that the dealer seems to get a 21 or 20 whenever she bets a good size of disks. Worse yet, the other players continue to win only when she folds her hands.
Something about this doesn't feel right, she thinks to herself.
Excusing herself, she leaves the table and searches for something to fill her stomach and wet her throat.
Nyssa wins 23 silverdisks.
Aurusk smiles at the man, Of course, I'm a little tired anyway.
Aurusk begins going back to his place, where he stores his things and goes to sleep.
Taking his winnings, Valt decides to retire and goes to his room to meditate about the intense day, and to take some rest.
Iophiel takes care of the wounded leg of Valt. (Heal, takes 10 for 14)
Alexis moves around the room, noting for future reference exits and bouncers. She has a drink, and then decides to retire for the evening, back to the foundry. If val is awake she asks her about the casinos proprietor. Then she goes to sleep.
Nyssa leaves with Alexis. The Foundry Tavern seems like the best place to spend the night. Nyssa plans on getting up early to have a look at Khonnor's forge. She doesn't expect to have any time to work, but it won't hurt to look the equipment over, before going back under the lake.
As they walk Nyssa makes conversation. "Numeria is a country ripe with opportunity, for a smith. So much star-metal.
The Torch, once we get it running again. If I wasn't already from here, I probably would want to move here."
Gavin explores the Silverdisk Hall but clutches his disks protectively. He watches without actually gambling, instead trying to figure out how the Light Disk works. After some time, he leaves the Hall with all his initial chips and heads to the Foundry Tavern.
The next day...
Val sets up a breakfast for everyone who stays at the Foundry Tavern. She takes out a few different breads, meats and vegetables, along with small pitchers of juices and a light ale.
"I don't know much about Garmen Ulreth," Val says. [b]"Dad tells me to stay away from that place, 'cause I'm not old enough to gamble. It doesn't really interest me much. Silverdisks aren't very useful either, I'd rather have a working battery."
Nyssa takes a look at the Foundry. Though its only been a few days, there is a lot of dust that has gathered inside. She sees all the things necessary for working with metal, as well as skymetal, forges and anvils and even skymetal tools.
"It wasn't that interesting. Many other things I'd rather have been doing. We unfortunately didn't discover a lot about your dads fate. A lovely gray woman seems to think he was eaten by ghosts."
"Oh, no! Do you think there are ghosts down there? My dad's pretty strong, but I don't think he can do anything about ghosts."
Val bites her lip. She looks at Kraig with big blue eyes. She seems to want to say, please find him quickly, but can't manage to say the words.
"I don't think I can wait anymore. Please...Please take me with you."
Nyssa steps over and gives Val's shoulders a squeeze. "You should probably stay and mind your family's affairs. We'll bring your dad back. It'll be OK."
"O-okay." Val lowers her eyes to the floor and sighs. The young kellid girl wipes away a single tear that slides along her cheek.
"Please do your best."
Valt nods to Nyssa words, and with an inacurate Taldane, he adds:
We will be do our best, don't worry too much.
Kraig ruffles the little girls hair. There aren't any ghosts down there, silly superstitious nonsense. We'll find him today."
Aurusk meets the others at the Foundry Tavern first thing in the morning, I have something I would like to buy before we go back in there. Meet in one hour at the Weeping Pond?
Once they've agreed on a meeting place, Aurusk goes into town to find a new glaive.
That done, he returns to the Weeping Pond to meet the others.
Being a Torch native, Aurusk heads to the Torch Guildhouse instead of the Town Market in search of weaponry. He knows that while a bit more eccentric in design, the smiths at the Guildhouse provide exceptional goods. He finds a glaive with light blue circuits that run along the hilt, though they likely have no function, and a blackened blade.
Hey, Aurusk, I'll go with you, I need to buy something too. Says Valt to the half-orc.
"Yeah, me too. You know all the good stores, right, Aurusk?"
Aurusk shakes his head, not used to being accompanied. Oh . . . Of course. This way. He starts out leading as if he were a guide, but soon realizes these people are actually accompanying him.
Alexis goes along, to see if she can see anything interesting.
You head to the Torch Guildhouse, a place where metallurgists, artisans and craftsmen practice their crafts. They also sell some of their well-made and extravagant weapons. You find out it is sponspored by the Otterbies, a wealthy smithing family.
Most of it seems out of your price range, including a bright silver sword that freezes water and a dark skymetal greataxe that is much heavier than a normal one. You also see adamantine bolts, an adamantine dagger, some other magical weapons and armor, as well as masterwork weapons and armor of all types.
A young elf woman welcomes you as you approach. She is dressed in slightly dirty blacksmith clothes. "You've reached the Guildhouse, made possible by Bazlundi Otterbie's generous patronage."
"Thank you young lady. What kind of equipment do you offer as far as ghost fighting goes?"
The elf laughs, then noticing her outburst, covers her face with a hand.
”I’m afraid not, sir. If there were such things as ghosts, I doubt that any weapon could harm them. No, the fine weapons and armors that are sold here by our artisans are crafted to deal with things beneath the Numerian ruins.”
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"I wasn't serious, no such thing as ghosts. I plan on buying any potential ghosts with alcohol anyways. Killing the dead is such unpleasant business." Kraig isn't really interested in new weapons. His fists have always served him fine. He mutters irritatedly to the elf woman. "Although my companions seem happy to slaughter everything they see. They'll probably buy every instrument of death you have here."
After spending a little time at the Torch Guildhouse, you go back to the caves after getting water breathing applied by Priest Joram Kyte.
"Good luck," he says, running a circle along the edge of his holy symbol, a white, female mask.
You manage to get back to your last place with little difficulty. Swimming the area is easy after you've done it once, and the sickness, whether you catch it or not, goes away much sooner.
You return to the metal door at the Skulks' cave, and stare at the circular door five feet above its dark gray metal.
Nyssa is glad for the magic that allows her to breathe under water. Her new armor of interlocking steel bands is much heavier than her old armor. A lot more protective though. At the cost of mobility. Nyssa hopes it will not be too costly a trade-off.
Nyssa plods up on the underground beach like a sodden Juggernaut, then makes her way to the ledge.
"We keep coming and going this way, we should bring a ladder or tools to chop moki steps."
The climb is much more challenging in the new armor.
The walls, floor and ceiling of this slightly curved hallway are made of smooth dark gray metal. Panels of lighter material run along the ceiling eight feet above. To the north and south the tunnel is blocked by walls of metal junk and rubble, while open doorways yawn to the east and west.
The room to the East is nearly black, though every few seconds you can see a tiny blinking red light about eye level.
Valt climbs with caution, and casts a light spell into a couple pebbles. If any of his partners says otherwise, he will throw one of the pebbles ahead, so they can see what is coming.
Alexis will as noted above have light on her blade, which is drawn. She also has cast prestidigitation.
Another robot. Let us take care
Aurusk climbs , and looks around. He comes closer to the robot, tentatively inspecting it.
The robot does not seem to move. It seems to be "sleeping." Its eye flashes red every few seconds, staring into the room you entered in.
A small jolt of electricity runs along its body every few seconds as well.
Nyssa readies her bow, in case the machine comes to life while Aurusk examines it.
"This thing's got lights in its head! We should kill it before it wakes!"
Beyond the sleeping drone, there is a closed door. The robot does not seem to move no matter how long you stare at it.
Aurusk stands them moves to the closed door and opens it.
Nyssa follows behind Aurusk, but she keeps an eye on the robot, just in case it becomes a threat.
Valt looks curiously the automat, but does not get near, at least, not more than the necessary to follow Nyssa and Aurusk, although he will wait for Kraig.
When you enter the next room you see...
The northern wall of this otherwise empty metal room is a tangle of what look to have once been strange cages of some sort. Tangled amid the metal ribs of these cages are ribs of a more organic nature-the ancient bones of some sort of alien creature. Smaller mounds of rubble lie against the opposite wall.
Alexis looks at the creature to see if she can identify it.
I wonder what this was?
The creature's skeleton is alien. It resembles an armadillo with places on its back that could have sprouted plates, except that it has three eyes and three legs on both sides of its body.
That's...weird. I have never heard of anything like this. Has anyone else?
She gets up from examining the skeleton, turning to the others.
Something like this may be valuable. Should we pick it up on the way out?
"I was about to suggest the same thing."
Alexis touches the remains of the alien armadillo creature and it disintegrated into a fine dust. The powder coats her fingers white.
Kraig looks through the rubble, tossing aside rocks and metal.
A red light appears on Kraig's back and a robotic voice shouts at him.
The repair drone clambers into the room, its metal arms begin swinging and its red eye focuses on Kraig.
1. Everyone except Aurusk
2. Repair Drone
3. Aurusk
Valt gets surprised by the awareness of the automat, but instructs Iophiel to go to the offensive and try to avoid that Kraig gets attacked by it, while he casts guidance on the next one that decides to engage the machine.
Iophiel shimmers as her angelic form approaches the metal being. Her sword busts through the "shell" of the thing, spraying circuits and wires to the ground.
Nyssa had been expecting the drone to come to life. She had hoped it would not, but really had expected that it would.
Pivoting, she draws and looses a sharp-tipped shaft at the robot.
Nyssa's arrow stabs through wires in one of the drone's arms. Electricity surges along the affected limb. It speaks in a robotic voice emanating from its core.
"Wait! Don't attack it!"
Kraig drops his shield and approaches the robot.
What the hells am I doing?
The repair drone stops its menacing arm waving and stands still. A less hostile but still robotic voice comes out of the core unit.
The repair drone points an arm at Kraig. A compartment slides open, revealing a yellow mesh net. Suddenly, the construct fires the net at Kraig.
Even though Kraig is standing still, the robot misses its shot.
Kraig ducks into the path of the net.
"Just...Just play along."