Four narrow stalls take up the south portion of this room, their doors and partitions not quite reaching the tiled floor or ceiling above. A fifth door stands to the west, while a strange metal basin protrudes from the wall immediately to the east of the entrance.
The sink, toilets, and shower in this room all function well, and while the water they produce is drinkable, the fixtures are unlikely to be of much use to the PCs beyond providing entertainment.
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Libri examines the stalls, moderately confused, and then tries the door to the shower.
"Perhaps these knobs on the wall do something...." After giving a brief examination for traps, Libri turns one of the knobs. "OH. MY GODS. IT'S HOT, IT'S HOT!" She emerges, drenched.
"Someone set up that area to pour scalding hot water on the person who turns the knob! What a terrible design."
"Hmph. Water is dangerous enough in a pool. Gods knows it doesn't need to fall from above necessarily." Taran grumbles unhappily.
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Jorac inspects the cubicles with great interest, seeking to determine their use.
"What strange things. Perhaps they're there to help people fill their basins and buckets more easily? Which reminds me, we'd better fill our own waterskins, mine is near-empty."
The wizard proceeds to do as he stated, though he remains half-wary, half-fascinated by the technological device.
A row of beds sits along the southern wall of this well-lit room. Glowing screens and metal desks sit on the opposite walls, and splatters of blood adorn the floor and several of the beds. To the east, a large metal device that is the size of a large bed hums softly. From the large metal device you hear muffled sounds of agonized screams and feeble thumping.
However, guarding the room are another needle-fingered medical drone and another flying mechanical creature with arms and hands ending in spindly, multi-joined fingers. Four circular rotors hold the creature aloft.
The flying robot swoops in and deploys a small gun-like device out of the bottom of its body, pointing it at Taran!
As Jorac begins his spell, the medical drone moves up to assault Libri and avenge his fallen brethren!
Libri's sword whooshes over the anesthesiologist!
Mefindio urges Trigger into the room, then fires at the flying robot.
Taran stumps up on his short legs.
"Ya think we're some sort of specimens eh? These specimens fight back!"
He calls upon the blessings of torag to grant him Crafter's Fury and moves up to strike the collector robot with a powerful attack!
Mefindio hits the flying collector robot but his bullet doesn't seem hard enough to do any damage to its tough composite exterior. Taran, however, is able to channel the power of Torag to deal a blow to the whirring collector drone! With a few bleeps and blorps the drone flies back a few feet and fires its stun gun at Taran!
CR: 13 dmg
Jorac's elemental pounds the medical drone, which then turns to it and bleeps and blorps a few more times before trying to syringe it!
CR: 13 dmg
MD: 13 dmg
Mefindio reloads his pistol, eyeing the flying robot.
Taran pursues after the annoying, stinging flying drone, but in his haste his swing goes wide.
CR: 13 dmg
MD: 13 dmg
Libri's hit nearly takes down the broken medical drone! The collector robot whizzes away from Taran and continues to try to stun the dwarf!
CR: 13 dmg
MD: 30 dmg
The elemental smashes into the medical drone and takes it down, leaving a pile of parts scattered across the floor!
CR: 13 dmg
Taran hounds the annoying little gadfly of a robot, his frustration visible - but it seems to little effect.
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Seeing Taran's frustration, Libri jumps up and forward onto the edge of the bed, bounces to gain some air, and swings mid-bounce at the flying robot.
After making contact with the robot, Libri looks taken aback for a moment, but then an enormous smile begins to spread across her face. "I have no idea where that came from...but that was SO invigorating!"
Libri leaps onto the bed and hits the flying robot! Unfortunately, the malfunctioning medical equipment near the bed seems to think she is a patient and begin to let off a frightening whirring and thrashing of metal.
CR: 23 dmg
Mef points his pistol and tries to take steady aim as he fires at the robot.
Mefindio's bullet takes down the collector!
A search of the desks against the north wall uncovers several interesting technological devices.
Small device with a screen:
TIMEWORN RADIATION DETECTOR
PRICE 2,000 GP
SLOT none WEIGHT 3 lbs.
CAPACITY 10 USAGE 1 charge/hour
This device measures radiation levels in a 120-foot-radius circle, as the detect radiation spell (see page 8). When activated, the device makes a soft clicking sound that changes in volume and frequency according to the radiation level encountered. A small screen on the top of the handheld device indicates the approximate source and strength of radiation in these areas, with red areas indicating severe radiation, yellow high radiation, green medium radiation, and blue low radiation. Areas with less radiation don’t register on the device’s screen.
Wand-like device
MEDLANCE
PRICE 500 GP
SLOT none WEIGHT —
CAPACITY 10 uses USAGE disposable
This wand-like device contains a reservoir at one end and a small pad at the other. A medlance can be filled with a single dose of liquid, such as a pharmaceutical, a potion, or a poison. It can then be used to administer the liquid to a creature—if the target does not wish to be injected with the medlance’s contents, the wielder must succeed at a touch attack to dispense it as a standard action. Otherwise, administering liquid via a medlance is a move action. A medlance doesn’t use charges, but after being used to administer 10 injections, its internal sterilization mechanisms are depleted and the device becomes useless.
Gun-like device:
BROWN NANITE HYPOGUN
Nanite hypoguns inject specialized nanites into a creature’s body to heal many sorts of physical and mental injuries. Injecting someone with a nanite hypogun requires a touch attack. Nine categories of nanite hypogun exist along the color code scale, as detailed below. All nanite hypoguns have two settings. On the primary setting, the hypogun heals an amount of hit point damage determined by its color. Each use of a hypogun on its primary setting consumes 1 charge. On the secondary setting, a dose from a nanite hypogun has a different effect determined by its color—these effects mimic specific restorative spells as indicated on the chart below. Each use of a hypogun on its secondary setting consumes 5 charges. Although they are not magical, nanite hypoguns have an effective caster level for the purposes of determining the potency of their effects as required by special circumstances (such as determining if a disease is cured, or if damage caused by a clay golem’s cursed wound ability can be healed). A nanite hypogun functions only on a living, corporeal creature. It has no effect on undead creatures whatsoever.
Brown 1,000 GP
Two canisters:
NANITE CANISTER (two of these)
PRICE 500 GP
SLOT none WEIGHT 1 lb.
CAPACITY — USAGE disposable
A nanite canister is used to power technological devices that use nanites—such items generally don’t require other sources of power, as the nanites themselves do the bulk of the work when the object is activated. The canister contains a small, independent power source and a supply of nanites. A single canister contains enough nanites to provide 10 charges for a nanotech item or weapon.
Two vials:
2 DOSES OF GRADE I HEMOCHEM
Hemochem stops bleeding and promotes healing. A single dose of hemochem grants fast healing for 1 minute. Multiple doses injected do not stack, but they do reset the duration of the fast healing back to 1 minute. Five grades of hemochem exist; the fast healing granted by a dose depends on the pharmaceutical’s grade, as detailed below.
There is also a pile of gear and of course the muffled screams for help coming from the pod on the side of the room.
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Delighted -though it is hard to say whether it is by the technological marvels they've found or the pleasure of a know-it-all about to divulge the secrets of the universe- Jorac starts explaining in layman's terms what their findings are.
"I'm not sure what the canisters are, but I think I've guessed the use of the other items."
"The first one is a "radiation detector", though it is quite unreliable. It allows to detect areas bathed in dangerous radiation - think something like a cloudkill spell, though I've heard it's more insidious than that."
"The second one is a "medlance", allowing to inject curative fluids in the body. It's good for ten uses, then it loses its sterilizing properties."
"That gun isn't an actual weapon. Much like the medlance, it allows to cure and heal ailment. I think it follows the same color coding as e-picks and key cards. This one is brown, so it heals minor bruises, I surmise."
"Finally, the two vials contain hemochem, a curative substance that regenerates tissues and stops bleeding. It is a thing of beauty, even though it is known that purer versions exist!"
"Ya got me as to what those canisters do. Heck, I barely know about the rest. I don't know where you find the time to read about all this stuff Jorac. I guess none of this stuff will help with this annoying skin rash"
Taran scratches his arm absentmindedly.
The thumping on the large container continues.
Jorac, after a few moments, is able to open the large container to find Khonnir Baine himself lying within, feebly moaning for help-a startling sight for those who know him well as a generally serious but cheerful and charitable man.
The poor man is half-mad with fright and pain from his oread. The robots have not only crippled his legs with surgical incisions, but you gather from his ramblings that they have injected him with a serum of nanites to map his brain and understand his magic. Unfortunately, this procedure seems to have done quite a bit of mental damage to the wizard. He sheds tears of recognition as he takes in who you are, noting the familiar faces in the party.
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Libri steps forward and places a hand on Khonnir's shoulder.
"It is a relief to have found you, sir. We have been on the search for some time. Your daughter has been of great help to us, and I presume it will be agreeable for you to know that she was in good health when we last left her. After healing, we must get you out of this place."
Khonnir nods slowly at news of his daughter but starts to drool a little bit, clearly not in his right state of mind.
"Eh, come on now. Lets get you out of here; the water might be a problem, but we'll figure something out.". Taran will carefully move him out of the container, and take time to cobble together a sledge-stretcher (perhaps from broken robot parts).
Taran calls upon the power of Torag, not fully trusting the tech-magic yet - and then turns to some old fashioned bandaging.
"Well, it sounds good in theory, but we've got a wounded man here. Khonnir, do ya' think anyone else made it?" He places his words carefully, hoping the wizard has enough wit about him to answer the question, as slim as a hope as it might be.
The wizard thinks for a moment but slowly shakes his head. Clearly his mental state is still damaged even though some of his wounds have been healed.
"What if two of us went out and brought the cleric of Brigh back here?" Mefindio asks.
Khonnir mumbles something about his daughter....
You are able to help Khonnir from the strange technological dungeon. Joram Kyte of the temple of Brigh is able to aid him with several castings of lesser restoration, which allows Khonnir to walk on his own and form intelligible words.
"It's a habitat module!" the wizard exclaims excitedly. "They-whoever they were-were raising alien creatures under observation! How fascinating!"
"It is a shame though," he notes as he face turns somber again, "that the fourth expedition met a cruel fate. Have you encountered them yet? The Brigh worshippers? They met a cruel fate; they have transformed into plant creatures. Vegepigmies, to be exact. There is little left of their former personalities and nothing within our power that we could do to help them."
Khonnir sighs and says, "My last expedition followed their trail and destroyed the mold hazards that likely caused the doom of the Brigh expedition-although one of my crew, Gerrol, became infected. Soon thereafter we were overwhelmed by several robots. It was an unfortunate event."
After returning Khonnir to his daughter, he decides to spend some time resting and recovering. She is grateful for your help and news spreads fast the Khonnir is alive and well. The councildwarf Dolga Freddert comes to see you and, as promised, awards you 4000 gp for rescuing Khonnir and lets you keep the town's scroll of resurrection for bringing him back alive. She reminds you that another 4000 gp awaits you if you can reignite the flame atop Black Hill.
News also spreads that you have uncovered several interesting technologies under the Hill. Several people in town are quite knowledgeable about such things, including Councilman and priest of Brigh Joram Kyte, but also Junkmaster Garritt Burrwaddle (and Khonnir Baine of course). One name that always comes to most locals' lips is Sanvil Trett. Not only is he establishes in town as a leading expert on the nature and function of Numerian technological artifacts, but he also knows how to read the strange language associated with these items.
In fact, Sancil makes contact with you shortly after you return. He sends you a note to tell you that if you need any help with the technology you find that his stall in the Market Square is always open to you and that he is always willing to help.
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With all the new information at hand, Libri turns to the group.
"I believe it would be beneficial for us to rest for a day. I do not think I am the only one who has sustained wounds from our recent encounters. Perhaps we can head back to the cave early tomorrow morning, before the sun. Until then, I recall that we never did learn what those canisters were that we discovered. I may be forgetting other items as well. It would be helpful to ask this Sanvil Trett about their use."