There's a look of horror on Eldon's face as he watches and listens to Lena.
She's trying to steal my role!
"Yes, yes, of course," he says as he quickly recovers. "I'd just figured as much. Well done, Lena. It's clear you've made incredible progress with me as your mentor."
"Let us all go upstairs and try to power the device while fighting whatever it is we'll find there."
With what Lena has gleaned, and a further series of questions targeted to the homunculus, Wren manages to explicitly lay out the following:
1. Count Caromarc was imprisoned tightly on the next floor by the Whispering Way.
2. An incredibly dangerous golem is upstairs with the count and is likely hostile.
3. Above and beyond the golem is a device called the Bondslave Thrall, which, according to Caromarc's notes, can summon, control, and empower The Beast. Someone who can use magic devices should be able to figure it out.
4. Somewhere, likely beside or above the Bondslave Thrall, is a device called the Storm Caller. It uses lightning in some way to power the Bondslave Thrall.
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There's a look of horror on Eldon's face as he watches and listens to Lena.
She's trying to steal my role!
"Yes, yes, of course," he says as he quickly recovers. "I'd just figured as much. Well done, Lena. It's clear you've made incredible progress with me as your mentor."
"Let us all go upstairs and try to power the device while fighting whatever it is we'll find there."
"I have seen the device up on the roof. It is rather large and complicated looking." Kawrock adds. "It is a shame all of you can not fly, then we could just fly up and use the bondslave thrall to help us free the count." Kawrock then sheds a small tear of pity for the little homunculus. Which he allows to fall on the tiny creatures broken leg.
Arval shivers when the robot mimes the lightning.
"I've got the feeling that I am a living lightning conductor with this on."
He says pointing to his suit of armor.
"But if I take it off and is as strong as the previous one..."
He tries not to think on it any longer and moves to the stairs.
"Well nothing I can imagine could still help us right now."
Whiskeyjack looks on in confusion at first, then with dawning comprehension. He reached for the ever-present flask and, finding it empty, muttered a quick orison to fill it back up before taking a huge swig.
"Well, if up we must go t' pu' this matter to rest, then up we go. I fer one, ain't happy abou' a machine tha' can make a creature as powerful and good as Brodur, Bigguns, wha'ever 'is name is, do bad things. I' needs t' be destroyed t' free him o' th' potential tha' i' ge's used again."
"Well said, Whiskeyjack. Bigguns is a free person and deserves better than to be controlled by others."
Eldon puts a hand on his chin. "Hmm... Kawrock, would it be possible for you to carry us to the roof when you fly?"
He turns to Wren. "I saw you use the fly spell a couple of times before. Would you be able to assist Kawrock in getting all of us to the roof?"
"If we can all get to the roof, then we can get Bigguns to join us before we face the big foe. It should, however, be the last thing that's ever done with this horrible device."
"Oh, I can get myself to the roof, I can," Wren says,patting her feathered armor as if to demonstrate that it's not just for show, but functional feathers as well. "Whatever you think is best. I, for one, wouldn't want to see Feathers, uh, I mean Brodur, hurt in a fight. Creatures like him are notoriously hard to hurt...but they are also very hard to heal. They don't fix themselves the way we do...by going to and complaining to the local clergy. They need special magics to fix their wounds."
Wren prattles on, but it will eventually fall upon others to make a plan as Wren sees too many possibilities to focus on just one.
The homonculus watches you all excitedly, hopping a little on its good leg while you hash out your plan.
"I can get most of you up there." Kawrock says before looking at Whiskey Jack and Arval. "The heavier ones might be a challenge."
The homonculus watches you all excitedly, hopping a little on its good leg while you hash out your plan.
Wren watches as well, hopping on her two legs like a bird flitting on a railing.
"I have a rope with me. If you could bring everyone of light weight up first, Kawrock, then we can tie the rope to something and the other end to the heavy people. Those on top of the building can then help you get them up by pulling the rope while you try to fly them up."
Eldon shrugs. "They could also just climb the rope, but I imagine their heavy armor limits their ability to climb properly. So it'd be best if we'd help them a bit."
He puts a finger up in the air. "Also, flying's a lot more epic than just climbing the rope! Even if you're still tied to a rope and partially being pulled up!"
"If you want to put any of your stuff in my sack, there is plenty of room."
Wren offers her haversack around to those who need to have heavier stuff carried up.
Wren will climb up on the knotted rope, taking 10 = 10 Climb.
With the homunculus silently cheering everyone on, a plan is finally formed. Gathering at the bottom of the tower, Kawrock changes form until he is the largest bat anyone has ever seen. With Eldon on his back, Bat-Kawrock snatches Eldon in his claws, and starts arduously flapping towards the top of the tower. The dizzying drop, a full three hundred and fifty feet below to the foaming waters makes for a terrifying, but exhilerating flight. Rain begins to pick up as the strange trio fly higher in a wide circle until the two halflings are finally deposited by a very tired dire bat at the top of the tower.
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. In the floor is a massive, circular shutter, closing off the floor below.
The elaborate iron platforms are a perfect hook for the rope, and Eldon and Lena very firmly attach the rope to the platforms. Wren stores Arval and Whiskeyjack's armour in her haversack, and the three begin the terrifying ascent upwards. Although the drop thirty feet below is scary, one misstep could lead to a fall into the waters and instant death.
Thankfully, with everyone taking their time and bracing against the tower wall, the climb is an easy one. Soon, you are all atop the tower, staring upwards at the iron platform, and Arval and Whiskeyjack can get their armour back on.
As it is apparent there is no threat from below thanks to the closed shutter, you have the luxury of examining the apparatuses.
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, rubber-coated cables.
Arval stands next to Lena and also inspects the device.
"What happens when I push this button?"
He asks as he points, nearly pushes, the biggest button on the machine.
Whiskeyjack struggled back into his armor and muttered about how wasn't natural for a dwarf to fly. Standing, he banged a fist at various joints to help settle the armor, then looked around at the machine without much enthusiasm.
"Where's th' Count? He be locked up below, righ'? 'Ow does this monstrosity help us t' help him? An' why d' we need Brodur here?"
Kawrock shifts back to his regular self. "Perhaps Brodur asked us here because he knew his master was in trouble? Also it would be good to have a golem fighting in our corner."
Wren waits to see what Lena causes with her prodding. She spends her time casting Detect Magic and examining any auras around the machine or nearby.
Spellcraft
What is obviously the Bondslave Thrall lies at the top of the iron platforms set up on the tower roof. The group carefully makes their way to the top. The skies overhead are cloudy and a light rain patters down. This far up it is extremely cold and windy, and the fall to the waters below is horrifying.
Lena and Wren are surprised to not see any magical auras with the devices. Some poking at the brass device results in nothing; it is powered down. However, Lena moves over to the silvery conductor, and finds a crank on it. She begins spinning it wildly, turning the conductor ever so slightly, and then a loud hum begins to sound; the entire platform vibrating just a bit. Soon, sparks and bolts begin flying from it, a couple jumping to party members although to no great effect.
Wren recognizes a call lightning spell when she sees it, even one which has been recreated through mechanics and alchemy. The results are obvious. Also, she sees that the Bondslave Thrall is set up to protect the user somewhat - anyone touching it can evade the lightning.
Lightning lashes the area, with a bolt flying straight down towards Lena! Other bolts repeatedly strike the tower, and the dials on the Bondslave Thrall light up!
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Focused on the crank, the bolt lights lena up.
Ow, ow, ow, ow! lena dances around the roof, in (um) shock. then she stops and looks at the party as they stare at her.
She reaches up, and with two fingers, pinches out a piece of smoldering hair. She points at the party with the other hand.
No laughing!
Ahem. Well. It seems to be charged. Let's move onto the next part of the plan.
She looks at her somewhat burnt cloths.
um, anyone got some healing?
"Now how do we summon Brodur?"
Arval says after he knowns Lena is okay.
Whiskeyjack looked askance at Lena as she asked for healing, not wanting to get his metal-encased body too close to that lightning caller. Still, he had obligations that drove him far beyond personal comfort, and he moved in to lay a hand on the halfling.
Wren steps back from Lena as she electrocutes herself, seeing no need to stop the halfling as long as she is only hurting herself and not good birds like Wren.
"Now you think we go down, do we? Okay..." Wren says, waiting for others to go down first. "Now...how do we get down...?" Wren looks for a way down.
The lightning bolts make Kawrock a bit nervous. Causing him to let out a few nervous "kaaaaaws" as he ruffles his feathers. "Let us get this foul machine working and put an end to this golemn. Lena do you think you can get it to work?
"Now, to activate the devilish device and get Bigguns here."
Eldon moves up to the panel, but refrains from touching it. He turns to Lena and says something that could be interpreted as a compliment of sorts, "Lena, you've proven yourself to be a valuable assistant. To you the honor to activate the Bondslave Thrall. I'll aid you to ensure there's a zero percent chance of failure, so don't worry about a thing."
Wren watches Lena, ready to help as needed.
Lena and Eldon work in concert, with Lena fiddling with knobs and getting different kind of grunts and whines from the machine. She starts to see the puzzle in it, and Eldon finally points out the finalc ombination necessary.
A high-pitched whine starts to sound from the Bondslave Thrall, and electricity jumps to Lena once again while Eldon ably dodges it. Despite the vicious shock, Lena and Eldon's minds suddenly open up.
The Beast is currently outside of Schloss Caromarc, staring at the destroyed gatehouse and troll bodies with confusion. Confusion and pain races through his mind, you feel his affection for all of you, his very mixed feelings about the master who created him, and the fear at seeing the destruction to the Schloss.
Arval - Grant the use of 1 feat to the Beast per round
Lena/Wren - Grant deflection bonus +6 to the Beast
Eldon - Grant +3 to attack to the Beast
Kawrock - Grant 1d6 fire damage to the Beast's attacks
Whiskeyjack - Grant fast healing 6 to the Beast
"What's going on Lena? Is it working?" Kawrock asks, a bit worried as the platform is repeatedly struck by lightning.
Lena-friend?! What happen? It's all broken! I will come right now.
The despair and confusion in the Beast's thoughts becomes a single-minded focus. In the distance, through the rain, you see him burst through the gatehouse, making tremendous leaps as he clears the dangerous bridges and races towards the tower.
Wren the Feathermage watches Lena and Eldon work. When the lightning starts crashing into them, she starts to inch away.
"Oh dearie," Wren chitters, looking at Arval. "Did you want to go down now? If you wish to wait a bit, I can prepare you better for the upcoming fight."
Lena sees through the eyes of the Beast, and watches him crash through the mansion, and climb straight up the sides of the tower before landing on the bridge. Everyone can now see him rushing towards the tower before he charges in and makes for the top floor.
Eldon yelps, diving out of the way as lightning strikes once more.
Arval readies his weapon and shield and nods to the others.
"I will go down there. We can't let him fight alone."
"Then lets open these doors and join the fight." Kawrock says as he bursts into his firebug form.
Whiskeyjack moved up to heal Lena once more, worried that the halfling would succumb to all of the electricity running about the place.
Lena sees Brodur bound up the tower, and finally reach the top floor! Lena sees the top floor through Brodur's eyes.
Meanwhile, Kawrock and Eldon charge to the floor and find a large crank, which they start opening. The shutter spirals open. Everyone sees the following:
This tower room, clearly once a laboratory, is choked with huge webs. Two curious objects—a large iron idol and a glass bell jar of the same size—stand against the eastern wall. The jar is filled with fluid and contains a human woman, while the idol has only two openings for eyeholes, through which blink a pair of terrified human eyes.
Lurking in the webs above is a towering abomination, a monstrosity stitched together by at least a half-dozen creatures.
Beneath the webs stands Brodur, looking at the iron idol in horror.
"MASTER!!! FRIENDS, I WILL HELP!"
However, by entering the room, Brodur finds himself trapped by the webs!
The tower shakes with the tremendous roar of the golem! It spots The Beast below, and then the party up above on the tower. Roaring, it lunges at the Beast.
Horrible tentacles fly at the Beast, but Lena calls out from above, and a shield appears in front of the Beast, deflecting the tentacles!
Wren looks down to survey the creature, trying to ascertain more about it.
Know (Arcana) -
Wren examines the big golem. This is not a typical golem, and appears to be an incredibly powerful, mad creation. All flesh golems have a chance to go berserk, and that appears to have happened with this one. It is incredibly powerful and completely out of control. As for weaknesses, none obvious. It is a flesh golem so likely has the immunity to magic and damage resistance.