"Yes, let's take a look."
James looks down, and it appears there is a need to climb in, he starts tying a rope to the heaviest of the robot parts that looks like it might hold his weight, and works his way down.
Looking though the hole and at the wreckage of the robot you get the idea that the giants were as misguided and ignorant as you would expect. Clearly they thought they could use something from the robot as a weapon, maybe its own sonic cannons, but everything is integrated. Nothing, beyond what I listed, is of value in the runes.
A thin trail of smoke can be seen above the trees, most likely the choking tower. Off though the trees you can see another small clearing but it appears to be empty. The fooling with the giants and the robot battle of taken most of the day. There are maybe two hours of daylight left before the trees block out the sun.
What are you doing now?
"I think we should leave the area, and try to find a place to camp. AWAY from the giants." She looks to the others to find a place to camp.
"I guess that worked well, however I'm a little disappointed at the content of the hole, I had hoped there was something useful, but I guess the only way to make some coin on this would be to sell it to the League, and I don't want to get to close to those lunatics." Xandar says despelling the illusion now that the giants are scared off.
"I'd say that camp might make as good a place to sleep as any other, and perhaps a little safer than remaining here."
|
"Hmmm, I doubt the giants would have fled too far away?"He says stroking his beard."here would be bad as I am sure they would try again tonight. As I doubt they would or could wait.I say we try and find somewhere else to shelter" Augar says still stroking his beard, which was still nice and tight, though he doubted it would stay that long at this pace.
”Let’s get to it then. Daylight’s Birmingham”
"Xander, you take first watch. Wake me for the midnight shift, and I'll wake Augar for the next. Vedia can follow up in the morning."
With that, James finds a spot in the open and lays down, hat over his face.
"That'll work for me, I've got a few spells left to help me keep watch." Xandar answers finding a good spot to be on lookout.
Needing a place to rest as night is fallen the party heads to a glade that can just be glimpsed between the trees. The trees and grass of this peaceful glade glow with a faint luminescence. At the north end of the glade is a wide, flat rock covered with colorful lichen. What you could not see until closer is that under the rock is a cave opening only 3 feet tall but 15 feet wide. There are no tracks or signs of life around the cave.
As you are a looking a shadow passes overhead and a huge (mechanically) monarch butterfly glides to a hover over the clearing.
Vedia quickly puts things together and realizes that this cave is the home of a strange visitor from the depths of space, a female Star Monarch. Generally speaking these are good creatures that can community telepathically through touch or during dreams.
The star monarch hovers there looking down at you.
"Hello there. You are beautiful, and unusual for this world. Did you wish to speak with us?" Vedia asks the Monarch.
The star monarch flies lower, circling before landing lightly in front of Vedia. One long furry antenna extends slowly, giving Vedia time to move, before touching her forehead.
Her vision blurs and her perspective changes looking as though she is soaring though space. Mentally Vedia knows that the trip takes many many years of mostly peaceful flight. A planet approaches and she zooms down towards the planet circling, circling and landing here and there. More flying and and looking keeping mostly hidden. It senses the presence of the goddess Desna and feels content.
More flying and looking before she sees a smoking tower. She circles before landing in a clearing, the very clearing you are standing in. You feel her concern for the tower. The fact that no other creature seems to dream within the Tower further arouses Longdreamer’s curiosity—she does not suspect the tower is empty of life, but a tower almost empty of those who dream...? Curious indeed!
She will offer safety, a place to sleep undisturbed, if the party will explore the tower and satisfy her curiosity. Clearly benevolent she is happy to communicate and keep you safe.
"Interesting creature. Exploring a tower to satisfy curiosity is right up my alley, so I am in."
Vedia lets the party know what the star monarch shares with her. She repsonds to the Monarch, "Yes we will investigate the tower. Those who don't dream, but have life. That's very interesting. We will take you up on that offer of rest. Desna's blessing upon you."
"That's astonishing, I've never seen anything quite like this. She is a beauty beyond compare. Of course we would help it exploring this tower, I like a chance to look around a place where Desna's influence doesn't allow the sleepers to dream."
Ivar is a bit leery of the creature. "I'm no' in the habit o' takin' jobs from giant fey bugs, but someone has to keep the rest o' you lot safe." He shrugs, and grumbles something to his companion, then turns to follow the others.
As you bed down for the night the star monarch, whom you know is called Longdreamer lets you know that it will be guarding and guiding your dreams to some degree. After a meal it gets dark, you chat around the fire and Longdreamer scouts a bit before you all settle down for the night. Sone of you take longer than others to sleep but it comes in not too much time, fighting is tiring work to say the least.
As you dream you have more images of space and in the back of your mind know that this is Longdreamer’s travels. One planet of note reveals a world inhabited by large lizards it is clear they are just coming into intellect and their society is far behind that of Golarian. Another world you find is populated by man sized insects that walk erect, they have weapons but appear to mostly act in concert with each other, maybe a hive mind is Longdreamer’s thought.
There is more travel and clearly she is showing off before an image of the smoking tower comes to view. You circle it many times and see where the opening is. In fact she shows you that one of the items the giants had and left will allow you to open the door. They broke it off and were using it to cook on.
As the night moves on you sleep as normal and dream these things intermittently. It is towards the end of the last dream, the one of the door, that something snaps. You mind skips a beat and the image almost fragments before disappearing. Another mind intrudes and you know it is a dragon, ancient and powerful. An image of dragon twists and whips with near untraceable speed. Its horns, crests along its neck, and wings emit a glow like starlight.
You all wake at the same time with a gasp and the Longdreamer is that. It reaches out and touches whoever is closest and communicates it sorrow for what happened and its confusion. A mind, more powerful than hers, clearly has interest though, she is sure, is not anywhere near.
Rested and prepared you eventually move to the tower. This towering stone structure rises high above the tops of the surrounding trees. The towers walls are made of metal and stone and stained black with greasy soot, and its roof is a metal cone crowded by a forest of pipes and chimneys belching smoke into the sky. The tower’s few windows are narrow and slatted with thick metal grills, and its only door is a metal rectangle with rounded corners, twelve feet high and nine feet wide. The door bears no knob or handle—only a two-inch-wide hole in the center, the edges of which are cracked and bent as if a tremendous force wrenched something free. A large number of immense humanoid footprints mar the ground surrounding the tower.
"Well, clearly from the dream I had, those giants broke off the lever that will open this door. I don't know if we need to go find them... maybe we can fashion a replacement?"
James checks over the situation, hoping to avoid a long giant hund for a cooking tool.
Fortunately James is indeed very good at things and can get the door open with little no no challenge and he even works out that it is not trapped or anything.
The door opens onto a grand hall. his grand hall is ten feet wide and twenty-five feet long. A large metal door stands at the west end of this entry, while three other metal doors stand in the walls at the opposite end. The middle door is slightly smaller than the others, and a metal wheel is mounted in the center of each door.
"Very odd. I assume those wheels open the doors, but it is an odd design. Shall we try the smaller one?"
James moves to check it out and opens it if no one complains.
Let me take a look at them first. "It's a very interesting hallway. I just love mechanical things. Did you all dream about the dragon last night? I wonder if it's coming for us? I hope not."
"Sounds like most of us had the same dream, do you perhaps think our new friend showed us those images as to tell us what it has seen on it's travels? Xandar says as the enter the hallway. "Which door do you think we should investigate first? he asks looking over the doors along with James and Vedia.
It is clear to Xandar that the door is released by turning the wheel. It is less of a lock to keep people out, more to keep the door closed.
You have three doors and only the one on the end has the locking wheel.
"Stand back, and get ready. I will open this one and hope that a plague of monsters or a vat of acid doesn't come rushing out..."
Ivar readies his dorn-dergar, and his elemental companion likewise prepares for combat.
Vedia casts Iron Skin on herself and nods that she's ready.
+3 traps
At the last second, before the door is open, Augar gets the idea that something is off. The sound of moving liquid comes form behind the smaller door and the door is ever so slightly warm. Opening it may get you all a very hot bath.
Instead James opens the door to the north. Schematics of incredible complexity, each mounted in an elaborate wooden frame, decorate the stone walls of this curving hallway. The schematics feature images of metal monsters, strange vehicles, and technological wonders. The hall curves north at the eastern end, rising to the upper floor in a staircase.
As you look at the schematics (one can be found in the maps page] a ghostly billowing figure pours our of the wall. It look at the group and speaks in a wispy voice. "Intruders in my tower!"
Bold may act
[u] Round 1 [/u]
James, Augar, Vedia, Xandar, Ivar
GHOST
[u] Chapter: 3 [/u]
The Choking Tower[u] Stat Tracker [/u]
Global Condition: None |James HP: 63/63 - AC: 18/14/14 Status:
Vedia HP: 51/51 - AC: 14 (17 Iron Skin)/14/11 Status:
Ivar HP: 93/93 - AC: 25/12/21 Status: AC+1 vs Robits | DR/3 |
Xander HP: 56/56 - AC: 15/12/13 Status:
Augar HP: 71/71 - AC: 23/11/22 Status:
-------------------GHOST:
Vedia studies the ghost.
"Interuders? Nay, we are humble visitors. Were you not expecting us?"
James is really just babbling while he tries to think of what to do next.
Xandar pales a little bit as the ghost emerges from the wall. "Oh I really can't do anything against ghosts. He says as he goes through his head trying to think of something he can do to help. "Well I guess we technically are intruding on your tower, but we are just looking into rumors about this tower. These schematics are fascinating are you the architect behind them?" Xandar replies to the ghost trying to see if he can talk with it.
Everyone but Vedia (High DC on this one) knows that this is a ghost, probably of the wizard who inhabited this tower in life. The sane who had explored the spaceship in Iadenvigh prior to your arrival.
While you don't know much specific about this ghost you do know about ghosts in general. General undead traits, incorporeal, resistant to channels and darkvision.
Xandar you attempt at diplomacy is ineffective. Most of you still have actions.
James shrugs and starts examining his options. Pulling out a bang grenade and a stun gun, he hopes something might work.
The voice of the ghost is again more air then voice. "Pass on? Fool, I am here to continue my work not pass on."
"We can't move on. If you won't let us pass we have no choice." She fires an acid arrow at the creature.
Seeing as the first shot is shot Xandar starts his performance to hopefully allow those who can hit the chist to dispatch it quickly.
James tries the stun gun to see if it has any effect.
Augar interposes his hammer between him and the ghost, ready to strike while Xandar begins a song.
Vedia's arrow connects but does very little damage while James's shot goes wide of the target but just a fraction.
Bold may act
[u] Round 1 [/u]
Vedia, Xander, James, Ivar, Augar
Red, Green, Blue
[u] Chapter: 3 [/u]
Smokewood[u] Stat Tracker [/u]
Global Condition: None |James HP: 63/63 - AC: 18/14/14 Status: PRONE - NAUSIATED 2/3
Vedia HP: 40/51 - AC: 14 (17 Iron Skin)/14/11 Status:
Ivar HP: 85/93 - AC: 25/12/21 Status: AC+1 vs Robits | DR/3 | PRONE - Nausiated 1/2
Xander HP: 38/56 - AC: 15/12/13 Status:
Augar HP: 71/71 - AC: 23/11/22 Status: PRONE - 1/2
-------------------Furkas Xoud HP: 129/132 AC: 28/16/26