Lort's sword is swinging with the same power that smashed the portals, and the fire elemental is certainly not providing any more resistance than the metal structures did. The blade cuts into the forces keeping the elemental alive, and it ceases to be.
The bolt launches from Faustus' crossbow, and the dark powers of his grim patron guide it straight through the mephit's small heart. The mephit falls down, dead before it even touches the ground. The bolt keeps it's momentum, barely slowed down by the memphit's small body. And just as the bolt is about to pass the gate, a huge gateway opens and the projectile disappears into the depths of the Plane of Fire. The Pathfinders stare in awe at the sight - a majestic volcano ready to erupt just a few feet away. Even those magically protected from fire can feel the immense heat blowing from the open gate. Farther away the adventurers can see the fabled City of Brass -the efreeti capital- lying amongst the flame and magma. Just as they can hear a very troubling rumbing from the volcano, Cyrus manages to punch in the shutdown sequence for the last portal. With the last of the lava flows cut off, the big gate starts to lose power and the soon the connection collapses. The danger seems to be avoided for now.
|
Cyrus stares at now gone portal to the plane of fire, his mouth slightly opened, completely frozen, his finger still on the button that cut the last of the power.
After an uncomfortably long time, the shock begins to wear off, and he slowly brings his gaze to the console.
Did I just do that? I did that... holy...
Now how do I make sure that can't power up again?
"Uh... I'm going to be honest. I am not entirely sure how I did that. But we definitely need to figure out how to make sure it can't happen again, especially if other pathfinders are going to be making their way down here to do more research. Lort, perhaps if you finish what you started, now that there is no chance of powering up the lava flow again. As far as we know anyways..."
"So the venture captain wanted us to secure the area and prevent further attacks, as well as cut off the power source. I would say we stopped the power for now, but like I said a moment ago, I can't be sure we have completely cut it off. Miro, Ibid, do you mind helping me take a look here to make sure we have truly cut this off? It is to bad that Tig-0 here is dead, I be he would have been pretty useful..."
|
"Cyrus, perhaps we need to find more of the 'power blocks' like the one I am carrying? Also, let's collect any of this tec-knowledge-y that we can find... just in case it has any academic value.
"Oh, and how are we going to collect this bounty? I've killed Jethzerai, so how do we collect the bounty. I suppose we could try and turn the portal back on, but I think that might be a bad idea." He puts his crossbow away, nodding at it appreciatively, and picks up The Final Arbitration, which although it is very warm, it is unharmed by the lava.
If the heat is not dissipating, Faustus will offer to give everyone endure elements from his wand. He then proceed to carefully search the entire room, taking as long as is necessary
|
As Lort begins smashing another portal, he asks, "Shouldn't we try to leave at least one of these intact? After all, studying things is kind of what our Society does."
Lort thinks for a moment, trying to remember the briefing, "We should also scout out the rest of the complex and make sure it's safe for others. You know, spring - or disable - traps and kill anything hostile. I could use some more fun." The big warrior priest grins broadly.
Once the gate is closed, the heat dissipates quickly, and the lava drains slowly through grates below the large gate. Soon, the temperature is back to comfortable levels.
Besides the portals, the obvious technological marvel in the room is the control console Cyrus was so successfully operating. While showing the ropes of the operation to Finarin, the elf notices a small rectangular object in the panel, which looks like it could be removed. The two show it to Ibid, who thinks the object is the console's backup memory drive. Together they study it's contents with the console, and learn it contains information on the portal technology in this room, a larger schematic of the Forge level, and detailed records of power usage in the Red Redoubt during the fatal days leading up to Karamoss’s attempted destruction of the portals. In other words, information that Captain Iorae would gladly have her hands on.
Faustus collects a wealth of technological gadgets from Jethzerai, who is indeed dead after the fall. Remembering the bounty on the salamander, the inquisitor cuts off the criminals head, hoping to find a way to preserve it until they can visit the City of Brass to collect the bounty.
Meanwhile Lort is trying out mending spell on Tig-0's remains, but it only results in a less battered pile of broken robot.
---
After a good while of searching the Pathfinders come to a conclusion they have found everything of interest, and start heading back. Returning to the Scrap Heap, they meet Marw and the other mutant chokers, who guide the group back to the lift and reluctantly thank the them for their efforts while also urging them to leave. Venture-Captain Shevala Iorae awaits the adventurers on the surface, too eager to hear their report to wait in the Grand Lodge. She is shocked to hear about Jethzerai’s plot and relieved that the group found no evidence of a growing robot army.
Once Faustus presents her the battery and Finarin the memory drive, Shevala laughs gleefully and claps her hands. This was exactly what she was hoping to find here.
After hearing the full mission report, Shevala shakes her head in disbelief and congratulates the adventurers.
”You have all outshone yourselves today. I shudder to think what would have happened if you hadn’t been there to stop the Forge from self-destructing. These discoveries are fascinating. We suspected that Karamoss had attempted to destroy the tower when the siege turned against him, but I never realized he was insane enough to try to unleash a volcano on another plane against Absalom! Your actions today saved not just an incredible trove of scientific and historical data, but possibly all of Absalom as well.”
|
|
"Well, saving the world is just one of the things we are amazingly good at." he says with a wink.
-Posted with Wayfinder
