Lolito nods to Kragg smiling "That is quite of a stenchy ring, hehe"
If the others agree to, he will guide through the jungle to the next point.
"Let keep pushing on."
Derym nods, "Certainly not one that helps you win friends, in any case."
The group leaves the cave system and heads in the direction of the next known location on their map which had been labelled "The Wheels of Heaven"
The trip there is short and uneventful. the forest is dense, but not heavily populated.
A 20-foot-tall building has been built into the slope near the summit of the island’s tallest hill. The interior of the building appears to be a machine consisting of thousands upon thousands of gears. A giant tube similar to a spyglass rises from the center of the contraption.
"By all gods, what kind of thing is that?" Lolito looks clued as the others "Do you think this is Azlanti or something else?"
The bald man explores the area trying to find out any tracks, then observes to see if there is any dangers entering the structure.
Derym whistles, "I don't know, but it's interesting for certain... Maybe some sort of reflector of light? Or magic?"
"Trick fly up and take a look. Stay small and keek a little distance if there is a way you can be shot."
Trick will fly up and look for dangers not visible from the ground.
Lara nods at Lolito. "Probably Azlanti, yeah," she says. "If I had to guess, I'd say it's an orrery. But we'll not know for sure unless we go inside."
"Another orrery?" Lolito smiles, inspired by the Pathfinder archaeologist "It seems these Azlanti really enjoyed looking at the stars. So bad they did fail to see the Earthfall coming over them..."
Given the group finds some door to access the structure, Lolito will try to force it open.
Or missing that, climb to some window or similar access.
Trick Lolito and Derym move up to examine the structure. they see no sign of anything else moving around or in the structure. there is no door, but there is an entryway with a short flight of stairs leading inside the building. it seems to be one large device.
from inside the device looks exceptionally complicated. there are thousands of moving pieces and gears (or at least they look like they could move, nothing is moving currently), and dozens of levers and dials. The mechanism also has an odd panel comprising thousands of metal pins mounted in a frame that allows them to slide up and down.
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Thame would have loved looking at this place. I would say that the pins are used to control the device, but I would be more likely to break something than activate it correctly by moving them. Perhaps once we clear this island we can have Thame come and research this place. I can look it over though quickly to see if anything reveals itself to me.
detect magic
prof engineer
know engineering w/ guidance
"An exceptional work indeed. I wonder what it serves to. Getting Thame inspect it would be an exceptional idea..." Lolito observes the gears and other parts impressed.
Then looks around carefully while Kast inspects it more closely.
with a bit of examination, Kragg realizes that the pins are not inputs, but outputs. whatever the machine does it uses the pins to form an image or words or something similar when the machine does whatever it is that it does.
Unfortunately without actually using the machine it is hard to determine what exactly it does with so many small moving pieces. it does appear ot be some sort of observatory, and has a large lense aparatus pointed at the heavens. unfortunately the lenses are missing.
the machine does not appear to be operable in its current state. there is debris stuck in several gears and a few pieces that have fallen out of their housings. Kragg feels confident that he could probably fix it given a couple hours.
Lolito looks around a bit. He also finds the debris in the gears that Kragg sees.
He also finds one housing that holds a unique-looking ioun stone. it looks like it is probably important for whatever the machine does, as a lot of gears seem to lead from the stone's housing. It is probably also pretty valuable.
"Look, I found these gears below the debris. Do you think you can fix this machine Kragg? It would be interesting to now more about its purpose..." Lolito gives the gears to Kragg for fixing the machine.
For the rest, the man tries to help Kragg fix the device, cleaning the debris, and looking for wood in the nearby forest to craft replaceable parts.
Finding the unique looking ioun stone, Lolito observes the housing to see if it can be safely removed "Do any of you understand what this ioun stone works for?"
or 2 higher if it is spellcraft to know what the Ioun stone would be for or which shape goes in there. They have pretty distinct geometries I think.
Derym tries to identify the ioun stone. it is different than a standard ioun stone and is not something he is familiar with. Alyn, however has heard of these devices before. it is an ioun memory node. these small stones are used to grant limited sentience to clockwork devices, a feat that has rarely been accomplished my more modern attempts at recreating the memory node.
Lolito starts to fit pieces back together and fashions some crude replacement pieces for a few missing pins and a gear or two.
Putting their heads together, Alyn's knowledge of the ioun stone, Lolito's keen eye and carpentry skills, and Kragg's engineering knowledge, the group thinks they could restore some function to the device given an hour or so.
with what you know so far, the group realizes that this device was used to take measurements and recordings using the large telescope, and record them in the memory stone. the device could be used to display recorded information using the panel of pins to form letters or symbols.
Lara looks over the contraption, standing off to the side as the others busy themselves. “Wonder what it’d tell us if we input that thing. Should we find out?”
It was quite impressive how they were all able to come together to figure out the contraption. Yes Lara I think we spend the time to learn what it may have to tell us. If there is nothing worthwhile in the stone then we at least can give it to our friends for their offspring.
Derym nods, "There may be some useful secret knowledge... Though, generally, knowledge is its own reward, even if some tend to argue there's only value in action."
We argue that because it's true...
You'd think something as old as you are would possess a greater wisdom..
"Let's rest here today and work on returning functionality to this place" proposes Lolito and turning to Alyn and Derym "Do you think we can check what is there recorded in that memory stone?"
Basically proposing to take those hours and fix this device.
"That seems like a plan tell me where I can assist and I will do my best."
"Hm," Lara says, stepping up to the contraption. "If this is what I think it is, then this goes here...."
The Taldan sets about trying to render the device operable again.
the group continues to spend some time fixing the contraption using their pooled knowledge to figure out the ancient technology. the lenses are still missing form the telescope which would make using it as an observatory hard, but the device will be able to function.
Lara provides the missing piece of figuring out how to reconnect the memory stone and activate the device. it whirs to life, performing some sort of complex calculation. it appears to be using whatever the last inputs into the system had been. numbers and azlanti runes appear on the terminal as the pins rearrange themselves to make symbols.
Seeing the device in action you can surmise its use in more detail. A user can feed data into the clockwork mechanism by pointing the telescope at any celestial object. With just two data entries, it is possible to calculate a linear trajectory and the object’s speed, and by adding more data, the machine can calculate curved and elliptical paths while refining its initial calculations to be more accurate. Once a trajectory has been calculated, the user can set a dial to indicate any point in time in the past or future, and the mechanism calculates the object’s location at that moment, automatically rotating the telescope to point in that direction if the user so desires.
The telescope rotates in a new direction as the old coordinates and time data are re-run through the machine.
You hear a high-pitched sound like something screaming through the sky accompanied by a bright flash and a faint rumbling in the ground.
activating the device has triggered a haunt of some sort!
"So this works to check how the starts move... interesting... a Stargazer! Or... Telegazer!" Lolito states observing fascinated the piece of ancient work and eager to discover where the old coordinates are pointing to.
Raising suddenly his eyes, he reacts quickly activating his ki defensively which protects him somehow "Attention! Do you hear the scream and rumbling? Spirits around! The place is haunted!"
Lolito tries to use his ki to expel the spirits as he has no way to channel energy.
Lara looks up, then around. “I think we’re witnessing a glimpse of the past. Perhaps Earthfall?”
As the last of the pieces are put in place, cleaned, or manipulated Kragg stands back to watch the machine work. Spending the night here seems like a valid plan. We can learn what we can in a place of relative secu...
perception
Watch out everyone. Abadar protect us!
Kragg quickly casts Protection from evil communal on everyone as he is alerted to the presence of the haunt!
When the haunt manifests, the roof of the observatory is blown away, revealing two meteors in the sky approaching at a high speed.
At the same time, a ghostly image of an Azlanti woman wearing a priest’s vestment appears hovering in the air, screaming a drawn out “No!”
Kragg is struck by a falling chunk of one of the meteors. two impacts hit the observatory, flinging flaming debris among the party
Trick avoids some of the damage and Lolito takes cover quickly avoiding the debris entirely. The others are hurt by flames that quickly die out. when you look up, the smoke has cleared and the ghostly woman is nowhere to be seen. the roof of the observatory is intact and there is no sign (other than your injuries) that anything happened.
What do you do?
Global Condition: |Derym HP: 21/47 - AC: 22/14/18 Status:
Lara: HP: 21/47 - AC: 17/12/15 Status:
Kragg HP:18/53 - AC: 20/10/20 Status:
Lolito HP: 55/60 - AC: 24/19/21 Status:
Alyn HP 31/58 - AC: 22/11/19 Status:
Trick HP 28/41 - AC 18/11/15 Status:NPCS:
Lara examines herself and dusts herself off, flummoxed by the injuries on her as well as the lack of destruction around her. “Well, pretty sure that was Earthfall. I wonder….”
The archaeologist attempts to redirect the device to show a period some time after the events they just witnessed.
Kragg starts channeling energy to heal everyone’s wounds as he looms up at the ceiling. I thought Earthfall was the result of a single meteor. That seemed like it was 2 meteors or did that woman stop one of the my but the second still hit?
Channel 2 rounds
Did it appear that the channel affected the haunt?
Lara shrugs at Kraft as she works. “Could’ve been fragments from the main meteor. I guess it could have been another meteor strike than Earthfall, too.”
Did it appear that the channel affected the haunt?
Lolito raises his head from his quick hiding "Was that Earthfall? Well, if I ever wanted to witness what happened, I think I saw all and enough for a lifetime."
"Did you see the woman? Who do you think she was?" and hearing Kragg about the two meteors "Hmmm... where is the observation device pointing now? Maybe we should go and check where that meteor landed. There might be further clues there."
Also, Lolito tries to understand if the haunt ended and how it can be appeased.
Derym whistles, "Well, that was.... interesting. A most painful history lesson." He smiles as the healing warmth washes over him, "Thanks, I needed that."
The observatory is quiet now. it appears that the haunt is a fragment of the memory of the person who died here, potentially during Earthfall.
Kragg heals some of the injury taken by the spectral meteors.
Lolito asks about the telescope. it is pointed out towards the sky, slightly north.
Lara starts looking for ways to change the settings on the device.
She finds that she is able to enter in new parameters for objects to track and move through time to project their location relative to another specified object at that time.
She also finds that one of the objects being used as a reference is here on the island. when selected, the azlanti word for "pillars" appears on the pin-display, along with a rough 3d map of seven pillars of different heights.
Moving the timeline forward, Lara sees the telescope rotate to point in a new direction in the sky. This is where the Earthfall meteor would be at some point after that event had this planet not gotten in the way.
Lolito thinks about what he knows about haunts. he knows enough to know this one is dormant now, but not gone. it likely will manifest again at some point in the future unless it can be appeased. there is unfortunately nothing here to indicate what might appease a spirit that was killed in Earthfall.
"Aye, friends, I have to confess I am clueless about how to appease a spirit that was killed in Earthfall, but if I have seen enough of haunts, I know it is going to come back if we do not" Lolito explains with a honest laugh.
"It would seem we are clueless about this telescope and place as well" he scratches the back of his head and looks in the direction it is pointing out "We can check those Seven Pillars at some point, it might be the place where that reference object fell?"
"So, what if we have a rest here, then we keep searching the southern banks of the island tomorrow?" the man points towards the south of the island "The wyrwood told us about the Ulat-kini there"
Derym wonders, "Maybe this is a person who first found the stone in the heavens? Maybe his propehcies of doom were ignored?"
After relaying her findings, Lara looks to the timeline-forward location and muses aloud, "I wonder at what point in time this indicates...?"
Lara would know that the point int time she chose was several thousand years after Earthfall but still way in the past (somewhere in the middle of the Ae of Anguish)
"That sounds like a good plan Lolito. Derym interesting thought. Maybe we have to pass the prophecy along in a way she could not in life."
Lara shrugs. "I don't think we'll find out anything else here, at the least. May as well continue on in the morning."
If the haunt is not banished then what assurances do we have that it will not activate again while we are sleeping come morning? I would prefer to find a different location if possible or at least stay away from the inner workings of the machine if we do stay here.
"We are getting a bit tired, it is a bit of late" Lolito looks at the faces around "But we can perhaps camp outside the observatory, would that be better Kragg?"
"If you are right, then maybe making the prophecy known might sooth the spirit. Do we have some means to talk with her?"
Moving forward, Lolito will look for a safe place to camp outside, some food and fresh water and he will pass most of the night doing the watch for the others, as he only needs to sleep 2 hours.
The plan is to keep exploring south the next day.
out of concern for a repeat of the haunt, the party decides to camp outside of the structure. Lolito finds a good location and keeps watch. the island is full of the sounds of nature, but nothing comes to bother the party while they sleep.
The next morning the party sets out to the south.
While traveling through the area you spot slimy excretions on the ground and on the leaves of trees and shrubs, and moist drag marks on the grass in wide patterns, as if the ground had been intentionally flattened.
Derym nods, "Haunts do tend to be limited to specific places, so that should work. "
“Hm,” Lara says as they walk the following day. “Seems like this area has been intentionally flattened. A lot of slime marks here, too. Best keep our guard up. Who knows what sort of aberrations are on this island?”
"Trick up."
The bat flies high in the air.
"With this flattening, it should not be too hard to see something coming useless it is camouflaged or underground."
"What do you mean flattened? Does that mean the space object fell here and flattened the surface?" Lolito inquiries what Lara means, not seeing it himself.
Nevertheless, he readies himself enduring his skin by focusing his ki. Then, he keeps moving forward on alert.
Prior to resting Kragg channels one last time to heal everyone.
Excellent camp spot Lolito. Thank you for finding a spot outside of the area of the haunt.
In the morning as they find the flattened path Kragg looks at the slime trying to identify the creature that may have created it. He also touches it to determine if there is any caustic nature.