Gadren studies the note for some time. "This Bondslave Thrall can control the construct known as the beast but it does not detail how to activate it or where it is. Its a sentient creature, us of such an item would be reprehensible... but this place is dangerous, we should rest for now."
Is anyone in need of healing or restoration before we rest? I still have some spells available today if need be.
Jack takes a nonchalant look at the notes through narrowed eyes. How does he make that garbage out?! It's practically chicken scratch. He then, being completely cool and calm, leaves the notes. "Yeah that's pretty much what I got to," he claims as if it were true, arrogantly grinning leaving one to wonder: 'Is he for real or is he kidding?' "Good job, ol' bean," he says, giving the wizard a pop on the shoulder. "I could've handled that one but I figure there's no sense in me doing everything, right?" he says, chuckling like he's funny or something.
He then turns to Cedric, "No sir, I am good. Not a scratch on these sharp and practically perfect chiseled features," he states, giving a look one might call a 'smolder'. After a moment or two he pops out of it. "Which is a good thing too because I hate it when they go for the face. Man that is THE worst. Anyhow, I'm good for a rest. Been a long day for ol' Jack and his merry gang of misfits let me tell you," he tells him, pointing and giving a wink before preparing to settle in for the night.
Once your rest is completed, without interruption you return to the site of your battle. You see the way ahead a trapdoor in the ceiling, one that you soon see it extremely valuable.
Treasure:
The trapdoor is a solid block of adamantine worth 3,000 gp. The block serves as a ward against the golems in the tower, which instinctively avoid touching the metal.
L2. The Empty Prison
This circular room is choked with webs. A stone staircase curves along the wall to another trapdoor in the ceiling.
Perception checks and actions please.
Maria gets out her smithing tools and works on the door. "Given that this place is a wretched hive of scum and villainy apparently abandoned by its owner, this is legitimate salvage." Once she gets the hinges removed, she straps the door to her pack.
In the room full of webs, she takes a look around and states "This will be full of spiders." Then she draws her falchion.
"Well we're in not too much of a rush and I'd rather not get entangled... lets see if anything responds to this as well." Gadren picks up a small chunk of their fallen foe with mage hand and starts using it to clear away a few of the webs.
"If that adamantine could be reworked into a weapon or some armour it could be put to better use. Not enough for full plate but the lions share of it at least!"
Channels: 16/16
0th level: Purify food and drink, create water, Guidance, Detect Magic, enhanced diplomacy
1st level: 5/day
Protection from evil-1/1
Sanctuary-1/1
Hedging Weapons-1/1
Magic weapon-1/1
Open- 1/1
2nd level spells: 5/day
Remove Paralysis 1/1
Spiritual weapon-1/1
Summon monster II-1/1
protection from evil communal- 1/1
Shatter 1/1
3rd level spells: 3/day
Searing Light-1/1
Resist Energy(communal)-1/1
Prayer-1/1
Open-1/1
4th level spells:
Blessing of Fervor- 1/1
Summon Monster IV- 1/1
Freedom of Movement- 1/1
Before the rest, Cedric will spend 15 minutes asking the light for aid.
A bright, warm light glows around the room, before coalescing into a wonderful feast of food and drink for all. There is grilled corn, Potato mash, an assortment of steams and grilled vegetables. For meat, there is a various assortment of seafood and red meats.
While they eat, Cedric spends time to pray to the goodly deities that will listen.
Lazar awaits patiently while Maria unattaches the door. He nods to Gadren's words about forging an item with it, and once the job is done he waits for Jack to check the staircase and trapdoor.
Maria digs into the feast with relish, eating more than two men. She grins between bites. "Now this is some cleric magic I can enjoy."
Jack finds himself grabbing a little bit of everything. Just as he's about to dig in, he finds himself in absolute horror at the way Maria engulfs enough food that would easily last him a week. You know, that food never stood a chance, he thinks to himself as he begins to eat.
Jack peers up the staircase before carefully heading up it to where the trapdoor resides. He then checks it for traps.
Jack as Gadren clears away the webs, which are much like those of the Web spell and should be avoided, you make out faint chalk markings on the wall.
Someone used the walls to make some type of diagram, but wiped it clear, though they did so hurriedly, leaving a little to decipher.
A crude chalk diagram depicts the iron spire atop of the tower, and two strange apparatuses at its pinnacle. An arrow points to the larger of the two devices, next to the words “The Storm Caller must be activated to energize the Bondslave Thrall.”
Lazar whispers a prayer for divine help before half-closing his eyes, focusing on the pseudo erased diagram.
"Thats an arrow Jack!" Gadren helps the eagle eyed scoundrel.
As you examine the faint notes and diagrams on the walls a tiny winged humanoid appears in front of Gadran and frantically begins gesturing to you.
It is a Homunculus. Commonly created by wizards as servents and familiars.
You stare in complete confusion at his gestures and becoming even more desperate it flies to the wall and begins scribbling in a tiny, cramped hand.
Caromarc imprisoned in iron doll above you by Whispering way. Guarded by huge construct. Too strong to fight! Call the beast with the bondslave thrall to fight it for you.
Any questions?
Maria looks skeptically at the tiny winged humanoid, her falchion at the ready. These matters were far outside her area of expertise but help fighting another massive living machine would be nice... She certainly learned that from the first experience... Just in case, she detects for evil in the area, especially on the tiny creature.
"It's a homunculus, created by wizards as servants and familiars. Caromarc could easily accomplish such a feat. Many in the Whispering Way could as well but I don't see why they'd forewarn us."
Gadren turns to the others. "That said I will not force him to rescue his creator but I get the impression from this entity that we can as he said call him. I have little doubt he will likely wish to help save his 'Father'. But surely with our aid he stands a better chance. The Whispering Way clearly still have plans for him so I say we foil them."
"The construct could be a gollem, which will hamper my arcane support somewhat. As a construct Cedric should be able to heal us as a group with positive energy without helping it. I can cast heroism on Lazar and Maria, I believe they will be the most effective against it without knowing more. I can give us great celerity with the spell haste. Telekinetic charge might let me get Maria into the fray quicker if she is willing."
"Grease or create pit might allow me to hamper it in the fight depending on it's size. If we do have to withdraw come to me and I came teleport several of us a few hundred feet like before... but not all. So that needs some consideration."
Maria grins. "I've learned how useful your spells can be, Gadren. I won't say no to any help." She gestures to the newcomer with her sword. "If the two of us can get on either side of it, it'll go down fast enough."
Nodding at Maria, "Sounds good to me. If we can surround it before it pounds me into the ground, I think we've got a heck of a shot at bringing it down," he surmises, giving a wink. "Oh, and one other thing. In regards to the message that little servant fellow left us, according to that diagram - you know, this one here that we just managed to make some type of sense out of - we're going to have to activate something called 'The Storm Caller' which apparently will 'energize' this Bondslave Thrall character," he explains, shrugging. "And this so-called 'Storm Caller' is apparently a contraption that sits at the very top of a spire that sits atop the tower. I don't know about you all but that sounds fairly high up to me."
Lazar listens to the whole story. When Jack's finished, he points out "And how are we going to activate something that's past the thing we would like the aid to f... oh wait! I think I can do that with Invisibility. I could actually help you do it, Jack, if you prefer, or we could both go."
"Which one of you is better with getting mystical equipment to work?"
Jack looks around at the others a moment before he realizes Gadren's actually talking to him. "Oh! You talking to me? Yeah, well, I know a lot about a lot of things but I don't know a thing about anything mystical. Is that going to be an issue? Maybe there's a switch or something we can just turn on you think?"
If we are planning to fight this thing, before we are discovered I could summon some aid if you would like. It won't be much, but may be enough to swing the tide. That aside, forcing the beast to come here seems wrong in itself. Even if it would make our fight easier. Cedric whispers to the group.
Maria gets out her rope but lacks a grappling hook. "Anyone have a grappling hook? If not, I suppose Mr. Monkey will have to climb up and tie it onto something."
"I haven't studied this device but it might be a bit more technical mystically speaking.... or it might be a lever or operate telepathically."
"Consider if your father was captured and someone used a spell to compel you to come so they could ask you to help rescuing him. Though not clear cut and dubious in some ways it would still have some merit Cedric. This creature does sound potent. If you have any idea where our former defendant might be I'd gladly ask it. Though that does give me an idea."
Gadren turns towards the tiny construct. "Do you know where the Beast is? Also does he have an actual name, we know who you are talking about but at this stage I feel bad calling him the Beast."
Lazar is a bit confused about the moral implications of calling the construct for help. "Well, on one hand... but... what if he... ah, dammit. It was way easier when I just had to tell between dead people and living people." He thinks climbing outside could be a nice idea, if the not-so-good climbers receive some help. "Or one of us could go invisible, carrying the rope, and tie it and hang it down from up there, right? Unless the creature can see invisibles, that is..."
Maria gets out her rope but lacks a grappling hook. "Anyone have a grappling hook? If not, I suppose Mr. Monkey will have to climb up and tie it onto something."
"Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on! Now, I have to confess, I'm not the best climber. I'm good, of course, quite good, but I'm not the best. There just might've been a little bit of luck in that last climb of mine. I mean, there was a great deal of fantastic skill involved don't get me wrong, BUT, I'm not one to go around testing the fates on a regular basis, m'kay. And the last thing I want to do is climb up the side of a tower and the next thing I know the ground and me are meeting at a rapid pace. You follow me? Yeah no thanks. I'm in it to win it, folks, not in it to get splattered. Just saying," he finishes. A thought then occurs to him and he looks at Maria through narrowed eyes. "Wait a minute! Who the heck are you calling 'Mr.'?!" he asks. And if one looked hard enough, one might see that a slight grin can just barely be made out.
He then turns to Lazar, "Okay, Lazar, let's get to climbing that crazy tower and get this Stormcaller thingamawhatsit rolling because time's a wasting! Bring it on! This is what living's all about!" he exclaims, smiling that million dollar smile. Well, until it kills you anyway, he thinks practically, still smiling.
Maria smiles wickedly back at Jack as he goes on his lengthy tirade. "No problem there. You'll climb with the rope around your waist and I'll hold the other end here, feeding it out to you. That way, you can only fall a little bit and bonk your little head." She pulls out a long strand of hempen rope for just this purpose.
"I can just teleport myself and one or two others up there... Lazar you might feel more comfortable raining down arrows from that vantage point?"
"If I have the proper line of vision, yes, that would be safer for me." They've been running around the idea, exchanging different theories, for a while. Lazar is willing to apply whichever has more support, as long as it doesn't take forever.
L4. Tower Roof
The tower opens onto a flat platform high above the raging waters. A spire of twisted iron rises from the tower’s roof in a series of three triangular iron platforms. Perched at the very top stands a huge lightning conductor and numerous lightning rods.
The tower roof is 350 feet above the river below and has no guardrails. The triangular iron structure rises a further 30 feet above the tower, each of its three levels connected by an iron ladder (DC 5 Climb check to climb because of the strong winds). The center of the roof is blocked by iron shutters (hardness 10, hp 50, Break DC 28), which can only be opened with the lever in area L3.
L5. The Bondslave Thrall
A peculiar brass device, studded with dials and protrusions and filled with a strange purple liquid, stands high atop the tower, attached to a huge silvery conductor by thick, rubbercoated cables.
The Bondslave Thrall is a large brass apparatus that weighs almost 250 pounds. It is attached to the Storm Caller by four inch-thick, rubber-coated copper cables (hardness 10, hp 20, Break DC 26).
If any of the cables are severed, or if the Bondslave Thrall is otherwise detached from the Storm Caller (even if the whole device is removed), it ceases to function, and any control over the Beast ends immediately.
To use the Bondslave Thrall, the PCs must first power it using the Storm Caller. Activating the Storm Caller is relatively simple—a DC 20 Knowledge (arcana) check or DC 25 Use Magic Device to blindly activate the device is all that is required to turn it on. One round later, the Storm Caller emits a deep hum and begins sending out myriad sparks and bolts of electricity that act as a call lightning spell.
What are you doing now?
"I know Cedric has his reservations, as do I but rather than force it to fight for us I will try to merely use the device to summon him and then request his aid in rescuing it's 'Father'."
Once they are up there any everyone is ready Gadren sets about making use of the Storm Caller.
Just before Gadren starts using levers, buttons or switches, Lazar murmurs a prayer to the Lady, asking for aid.
Maria nods and climbs the rope once it is secure so she will be in position to help should the danger arise too early.
If we must, however once this is done, we should destroy this device. Cedric whispers.
Once the Storm Caller has been turned on, the Bondslave Thrall can be activated. This requires a DC 25 Use Magic Device check to activate blindly (PCs who deciphered the notes in both areas L1 and L2 get a +2 circumstance bonus on the check).
Who is doing this? You can aid another for the check.
Before saying his prayers, Lazar helps Gadren push some buttons.
Once activated, the Bondslave Thrall adds its own high-pitched whine to the deep hum of the Storm Caller, and the purple alchemical liquid inside it begins rapidly boiling.
At this point, anyone touching the Bondslave Thrall becomes aware of the Beast of Lepidstadt, and can even feel some of its pain and misery. They also become aware that they can call the Beast to them and control its actions.
Once the Bondslave Thrall is activated, the humming machinery attracts the attention of the golem in area L3 below. It immediately attempts to reach the roof, breaking through the shutters that close off the roof
if necessary. You need need to call the Beast of Lepidstadt to you to help fight the Aberrant Promethean. At this point, the Beast of Lepidstadt is 2d4 rounds away.
The shutters to the room below nearly break as two massive blows stike them, they won't last another round.
What are you doing now?
Gadren loads his crossbow. "Once it breaks through I'll try to hamper it but we need to do our best. If things go badly come to me for an evacuation."
When the whine begins, Maria casts some spells and enchants her weapon to prepare for the fight. Then she stands by the shutters, ready for trouble.