Karn once again enhances Argust's strength.
The clockwork in the pit begins to climb out!
The other swings at Argust again!
It then promptly slides down into the pit!
Argust takes a 5' step and will attack the one coming out of the pit.
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Brelar watches the clockworks in amusement, readying his crossbow to fire should anything come through the closed doors.
Bert shoots at one of the clockworks. "Hit me, will you?"
Before the first clockwork can climb out of the pit, Argust knocks it to pieces!
Brelar readies his crossbow in case the clockwork emerges and Bert readies his pistol against the soldier.
Karn heals Argust!
The clockwork is not able to climb out of the pit!
Can't you control these like ya did the other one, Bert? Argust nods to Kern for the healing.
"Nope! I had the key for that one. Hey, Karn, as long as you're handing out healing, those things carved me up pretty good, too."
Bert listens at the doors.
Bert hears nothing at the doors and leads the way into a large room with a staircase in the corner and several overstuffed armchairs facing each other on a large and ornate rug. Along the walls stand various cases or hangers displaying an assortment of strange trophies, such as a spear with a glass reservoir at the end, a small mannequin elaborately carved from bone or ivory, a marble lion head, and a number of framed schematic drawings.
So, is anyone home? Argust then sees all of the trophies. What are all these things, Brelar? He must be a powerful wizard or something.
"Or a rich collector. Hey, that looks like a taotieh head!" The archaeologist murmurs a cantrip under his breath and looks around further.
Bert notices that the spear is magical. [ooc]And is indeed a +1 injection spear
The party also looks about and finds several schematics left lying about. One set regards the construction of a dangerous, fire-bellied guardian called a tophet. Another contains partial instructions for building an Alkenstar firearm. Each schematic is worth 2000 gp to the right buyer. Furthermore, the carpet the chairs are sitting on is from the Empire of Kelesh and is worth 1000 gp (although it weighs 30 lbs and is quite cumbersome to carry).
"Much as I'd like to grab some of this stuff, we're not here to steal. We're here to rescue a troll (and boy, does that sound weird to the rest of you, or what?). Let's check the south door, then west, then the rest of these rooms."
Bert checks the room to the south. The ceiling and two outer walls of this room are made entirely of panes of glass. The light coming through the windows seems amplified, and the room is as bright as noonday. Several tables and racks stand covered with green, leafy plants in pots, as well as four identical marble busts of the same young, clean-shaven man. A plain wooden chair sits in the center of the room, facing a small desk with a mechanical arm protruding from the top. Part of the wood is scarred and stained.
The western doors reveal a small privy and a larger storage room packed with crates and bins filled with bolts, cogs, chains, tubes, bricks of clay, and other supplies seemingly suited for an artist or mechanic. On a table in the middle of the room lies a pile of three round, eyeball-shaped constructs with spindly arms, all of them broken and battered.
The central room is lined with bookshelves, each packed to bursting with tomes, folios, and scroll tubes. A stuffed chair upholstered with a bear pelt sits in the corner, the bear's head rising from the top of the high back and holding a glowing glass orb in its jaws.
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Karn begins to peruse the room. "It looks as if some people have lost their fingers on this desk." Karn says, then turns his attention to the storeroom and bookshelves. "Ah! Quite the cache of things here. An adamantine dagger, a mithril chain shirt, some expensive looking parts, universal solvent....Heh! Look at these Argust! Naughty books!" Grabbing the clay golem manual, he hands it to Brelar. "You might be able to make use of this, no?"
In the south room, Bert first looks concerned as he realizes the desk's function, then gets a mischievous grin and pulls the toolcase from his boot. "Hold on just a second, here...."
Through the next few rooms, the halfling points out items of interest , but continues to leave everything where it is. "I guess being a judge is a sweet gig; they've got a lot of very neat stuff here."
ETA: "Karn, leave them be. We're really not here to steal, just rescue. Now, if they try to stop us and we have to kill them, that's another matter entirely."
Bert grins. "Force of habit. After all this time going through dungeons and ancient labyrinths, it just feels wrong to, to leave things where we found them. Especially really useful and valuable things." He looks longingly back at the workroom, then shakes his head.
"Heh! Look at these Argust! Naughty books!"
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Checking the last two rooms on the top floor, the party finds a dining room with fifteen-feet-high ceilings and and a single enormous picture window taking up most of one wall. A long, elegant wooden dining table and eight high-backed chairs stand in the center of the room. The only decorations are two life-sized clay statues of soldiers in exotic armor, one standing at attention to either side of the doors leading in from the garden. Nothing else of interest is in this room, so the party goes to check out the last room.
Inside the last room, the party finds a kitchen that appears partially automated, with several spindly mechanical arms extruding from counters and holding rolling pins or chef's knives. To the northwest, a window looks out over a scrap heap and the edge of the balcony. By far the largest feature in the room is a potbellied iron stove along the western wall, its several extruded arms holding pots and skillets.
Karn notices that the stove is rigged to blow if anyone were to approach too closely.
Naughty books? Argust peers to look at the treasure that the oracle has found. Well I'll be... I would not have thought to find these in a bookcase so low to the ground! After Bert reminds the party that they were not here to steal from the home, Argust says, Well, doesn't matter. I, um, never liked poetry much!
"I don't think there's anyplace big enough to hide a troll left up here. Let's go downstairs. But let me check the stairs first, OK?"
Bert finds no traps on the stairs and the party heads up. A wide masonry catwalk with railings on either side slopes upward from an open archway in the manor's southern tower to a balcony and a closed door in the smaller northern tower. Above, open windows in the northwestern tower flicker with flashes of colored light.
Flying 20' above the catwalk is a strange sight; a harpy wearing a mismatch of clothes beneath her leather armor-a patchwork gown made of several torn evening gowns that were likely quite beautiful on their own, mismatched stockings, and a large exotic feathered hat. Her bow is ready for the intruders climbing the staircase.
The harpy lets out a shriek that turns into quite a beautiful song.
Bert keeps control of himself, then calls on his luck & grit, advances, and fires at the harpy.
Will save:
Double move to derp-a-derp.
Brelar, what are you doing?
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Bert just barely finds a weak spot in the harpy's armor and puts a bullet in her side.
Karn's trident then deals a well-placed blow from behind.
Brelar gets caught up in the harpy's song and moves out beneath it.
Argust pulls out his bow and puts an arrow into the harpy!
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Herifax stops singing and lets a flurry of arrows out at Karn!
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At the same time, the eastern door opens to reveal a catfolk hiding from behind. She raises her shortbow and fires at Brelar!
Argust will drop his bow, drawing his greatsword as he charges the catfolk!
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Brelar hums a little tune to himself, seemingly unaware of the arrow wound which is quickly healed by Karn.
Argust moves in and deals the catfolk woman a devastating blow!
Karn channels while his trident bites into the harpy!
Brelar stands reminiscing on the beautiful harpy song.
The archaeologist stows his pistol and draws out his longbow.
Seeing that the harpy isn't coming down soon, Bert pulls out his bow.
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The harpy continues to pelt Karn, hoping to take down the party healer!
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The catfolk draws a blade and tries to stab the dwarf before her!
Oh no! Someone help Karn!
Argust tries to take out the catfolk!
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Bert scoots back to Karn and tags him with a cure spell.
Argust quickly kills the catfolk while Bert runs over to stabilize his Kellid friend.