GM Tektite's Iron Gods Campaign

Game Master Hawkwen Agricola

As everyone wakes, the apparition moves closer. Despite not remembering much, Richard is fairly sure it is a ghost. As it approaches, it pauses and turns in shock and peers in Lewdon's direction. "Eredian? Is that you? How did you come to be here?"

Is the ghost masculine or feminine?

Masculine. Richard thinks it is the ghost of Aldronard.

"Heh Lewdy, he thinks you're his would-be-pop-in-law. Mebbe you can convince him that he was ok; yaknow, not act like the jackass in Richard's tale."

"Uhhh I kin give er a shot but I never been da talk it out kind. Maybe yall kin feed me some words."

"First thing, say yes. Then apologize. Say a jealous suitor sent a false letter. Justinia loved him and longs to be reunited in the afterlife."

Bluff check as well, please.

Lewdon steps out...."Yes son. A jealous suitor sent me a letter but I am here ta let ya know that my beloved Justinia loved ya and she is waitin ta be reunited with ya in da hearafter."

bluff: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2

Im not sure it's possible to jump in, but Richard will try a little misdirection of his own.

"Uh... We know that you loved her Aldronard. She loved you too, but bad things happened and we lost her. All of us are grieving." Richard delves into his skill as a storyteller and produces something that very few androids are capable of... Tears. "Eredian here has suffered too, though he is too proud to show it. We came as soon as we could, we tried to reach you before the letter, but we failed. We heard you were in despair, but the gods teach us that there is always hope, don't they?"

Activate luck
Bluff: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 8 + 2 = 27
Knowledge Religion to find something meaningful that Aldronard might respond well to: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 6 + 2 = 15

The ghost looks perplexed as he gazes at Lewdon, but his obvious desire to be forgiven apparently overrides any suspicion as he begins nodding as Richard speaks.

Following to his kness, Aldronard begins weeping loudly. "Thank you Eredian! I loved Justinia more than anything. Your forgiveness will help me forgive myself....."

As he utters the last word, the ghost disappears and everyone feels a wave of positive energy wash over them.

Everyone gains the benefit of a heal spell and also gains the ability to use cure serious wounds one time as a SLA. (Caster Level = Character Level. Have this indefinitely until used.)

Once everyone has settled back down, you are able to rest and wake the following morning, ready to enter Scrapwall.......

"That was unusual." Alpha wakes the next morning and prepares his spells for the day and checks his shield.

"Heh, well, pops, let's get some rest like yer son just did.", Kharax smiling as he pats Lewdon on the back.

"Least we didna hav ta try en bash him. Thins like dat give meh da creeps."

Letting out the breath he was holding during the encounter with the ghost, Richard comments, "Well, if we accomplish nothing else here, at least we did something for him."

***

The next morning, as the party prepares their gear to travel, Richard suggests the following.

"I think we should try to find Joram Kyte's friend, the priestess Dinvaya. We could use an ally, as well as the reward Joram offered for finding her."

The following morning you rise and head out for Scrapwall. After a couple hours of walking, you crest a hill and look down into a valley where Scrapwall lays.

Scrapwall is an intimidating sight. Towers of rusted iron and hills of rubble and ruin, long ago divested of anything of remote value by tech-hungry scavengers, loom from the dusty surrounding plains. Immense lengths of chain, coils of jagged wire, giant clockwork gears, and old corrugated metal cargo containers riddled with gashes, bullet holes, and the telltale pockmarks of laser fire are piled high, forming a jagged and intimidating hill-like wall surrounding the interior.

You would estimate that Scrapwall is 3 miles across at its widest point, and the walls of junk enclosing its interior are an average of 30 feet high. These walls are not vertical and can be scaled, but you would think the rubble shifts dangerously at times.

To the northwest you spy what appears to be a gate of sorts.

Through the gate or scale the wall?

"Hmmm, not sure about this; good chance we'll get picked on for not being part of whatever gang stuff is going on, especially with them Lords o' Rust mucking things up."

Looking at the walls, Kharax continues. "Course, I think I'd stand out like a sore thumb if I managed to scale that wall."

Richard scans the wall of scrap and shakes his head. "We will draw more attention if we are seen scaling the wall, or causing a junk avalanche. I think we should use the gate. If asked, we should probably not use our true names. If we are recognized from Torch it could make things... difficult."

"Well I dona like da idea of skulkin over da wall so I say lets just use da gate."

"Right. The gate then." Stowing his high tech weapons and gear in his haversack, Richard runs a hand through his hair to make sure his android markings are concealed, then makes for the entrance to the town.

Approaching the gate you see a ramshackle pair of buildings with walls and roofs made of strips of leather and fur, timbers, metal plates, and other junk lashed and bolted together sits in a gap in the surrounding mounds of refuse. Between the two buildings runs a metal gate, closed to block passage into the open area beyond.

As you near the gate, a guard appears on the other side and hails you. "Who mights you be? And what business does ya have in Scrapwall?"

Don't think honesty will be the correct answer... anyone have good ideas for a cover story?

Richard speaks to the guard with a touch of boredom in his tone. "My name is Isen. I am a collector and trader, and these are my guards. We are on the road to Torch. We have little interest in Scrapwall, as I have little hope to find curiosities here worthy of my interest in this place, but I would hope to find a fresh meal and a bed more comfortable then the hard ground. Is there an Inn, or Tavern here?"

Bluff: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Hearing Richard's tale, Kharax tries to assist. "Yeah, boss, ma' feet are killing me. Need some grub an' a good pillow."

Bluff Aid: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

Or I should have led :P

"Affirmative. Recharging is required."

Bluff Aid: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (17) - 1 = 16

The man nods and calls into the guardhouse and motions for another guard to open the gate while he tells you. "Keep you weapons stowed as the gate opens."

Once the gate is opened, he motions for you to follow him into the guardhouse. Inside, the common room, a woman is seated. She looks up as you enter and the guard explains who you are. Motioning for the rest of the guards to leave, she begins asking you the same questions as the guard did previously. Nodding at your responses, she casts an appraising eye at the party.

"There are a few place where you might purchase lodging, though most don't stop here to sleep. I'm sure you know, there are a number of gangs within Scrapwall, you'd be better off not angering any, perhaps even making friendly with one."

She sits back and stares at you for a long moment, then says. "You look a little rough and tumble to be mere merchants." She shrugs, "As long as you don't start any trouble, we won't have any trouble, aye?"

She leans forward and continues. "You don't look like merchants at all to me, so let me be to the point. My gang, the Steel Hawks, used to run things around here until the Lord of Rust came in, killed my leader, and installed that lousy Smiler, Birdfood." She shakes her head and gives you a sideling glance. "Now, if somethign were to happen to Birdfood, you know, have a run in with a group of adventurers, and meet an untimely end? Well, then that'd make me the leader of the Steel Hawks, and I'd be very appreciative to whoever put him the mud? See my point?"

The woman looks at the party. "Well?"

"That is agreeable. Where is this Birdfood?"

"Any infermation bout those he keeps round him could be of help ifin we gonna try dis would help"

Richard is not quite to easily convinced to join in what seems to be a fine line between street justice and murder. "Hold up a minute. I don't like agreements open to broad interpretation. I'd like a few more details about this town and about this Birdfood person. And what do you mean by appreciative?"

The woman smiles and nods, giving directions to where Birdfood can usually be found.

When Richard speaks up, she frowns and rolls her eyes. "I mean you would fall under the aegis of the Steel Hawks."

Richard merely nods at the woman, accepting her offer by not refusing it. "I've heard of the gangs of Scrapwall. Didn't expect to get tangled up in your turf wars, but as they say in Cheliax when in Westcrown..." he shrugs, "Any last words of advice?"

The woman shrugs, then cracks a small smile. "Don't get yourself killed...."

"Welp, an enemy of my enemy as they say.", Kharax accepting the position the party is in. "Well, anything else 'bout Birdfood we should know about before, ahem, 'firing' him?"

"We will take the measure of this Birdfood thug." Richard says with a look like one swallowing a bad meal. "You said he was a smiler? We encountered some of them a day ago. One survived and may have returned here already. Could be that Birdfood will be more then happy to start trouble without provocation."

"Welp, an enemy of my enemy as they say.", Kharax accepting the position the party is in. "Well, anything else 'bout Birdfood we should know about before, ahem, 'firing' him?"

The woman shrugs Not much to know more to know about the s!+% smiler. He likes birds......You get rid of em for me an' I'll uphold my end of the deal and let you know what I can bout Scrapewall's Gangs, what regions the control, an' who the current shakers are so you don't walk into the wrong side o' town. She says with a smile.

Birdfood is just north of here in the Steelhawk Palace. She says nodding her head in the direction.

Current Scrap-Worth +1

Maps will be posted under my Alias name until I am able to post in the Campaign. When Tek returns I'll pass it all back to him :). As for the Map that is currently there the star is your current location within Scrapwall. It has no bearing on what you are to do, just neat to look at the big picture if you want.

Richard nods and heads out in the direction of the Steehawk Palace. Once away from the woman he turns to his companions.

"Let's take a descrete look at this Palace before starting trouble. I've got a few magical tricks that could help me sneak in if needed."

"Affirmative." Alpha says leading the way.

"I like da sound o dat." Lewdon says as they head off.

"Heh, as useful as he was, glad you're not the 'charge-straight-in' type, Lewdon.", Kharax referring to the party member left tending to things back in Torch.

GM Roll: 1d100 ⇒ 52
GM Roll 2: 1d4 ⇒ 3

Scrapwall is an intimidating sight. Towers of rusted iron and hills of rubble and ruin, long ago divested of anything of remote value by tech-hungry scavengers, loom from the dusty open areas within. Immense lengths of chain, coils of jagged wire, giant clockwork gears, and old corrugated metal cargo containers riddled with gashes, bullet holes and pockmarkes of laser fire are piled well overhead, forming jagged and hill-like walls averaging 30 feet high.

Heading towards the Steelhawk Palace the group quickly realizes that the inside of Scrapwall is a maze of streets and crevasses mixed with large open areas of relatively clear terrain. In some places jagged but shallow sinkholes seem to be filled with a strange smoking ooze that spews fumes into the sky, while in others makeshift streets of ripped up steel paneling have been laid down against the elements to prevent through fares from being reduced to toxic mud pits by the occasional rainstorm. Further inside the walls the temperature seems to have risen by a few degrees and the air carries with it a miasma of chemicals and rust and grit that marks everything within sight.

Descending into the city you quickly scan the horizon and notice a few things of interest.

• Far to northeast is a small ravine that seems to be shrouded in a thick white mist.

• Near the center of Scrapwall seems to be the highest pile of junk,standing nearly 50 feet in height.

• A large dish-shaped antenna rises above the ruins. The dish is nearly 40 feet in diameter but sits somewhat lopsided above the ridge and is streaked with rust. A large group of vultures wheel about in the sky above the array seeming to draw further attention to the location.

• A massive builing, easily the largest in all of Scrapwall stands near the large mound. Two enormous searchlight beams arc and twist into the skies above, making the building impossible to ignore.

As with the entrance to Scrapwall, the Steelhawks Headquarters is a ramshackle structure built out of wood, bits of scrap metal, and other items of refuse scavenged from the surrounding terrain. The only way into the building seems to be one main set of makeshift stairs leading up to a long walkway. Just around the corner is a small pair of double doors leading in with not a window in sight. Standing at the base of the stairs is a lone orc guard with a deadly looking falchion at it's side. Walking the length of he walkway are three similar orcs, overlooking the area for anyone trying to encroach on their territory.

Overall map updated and new map of the Palace posted. Obviously you all are further away from the palace than you are on the map as you are scouting it at the moment.

Lewdon lauhgs "Good recon dona change da want ta charge it jus tells meh where ta charge"

GM; Are there shops, houses, taverns, and the usual places found in towns here? I'm thinking we have Alpha and Lewdon case the Palace for an hour or two to see who comes and goes and what sort of procedure they have for gaining entrance. Then Kharax and Richard could do some diplomacy to gather information to see if we can learn anything useful - like does Birdfood ever leave the Palace, or does he have any interests, or vices, we could exploit to gain entrance?

Can we do the 'candygram for Mongo' bit? I want to invent the candygram :)

GM; Are there shops, houses, taverns, and the usual places found in towns here? I'm thinking we have Alpha and Lewdon case the Palace for an hour or two to see who comes and goes and what sort of procedure they have for gaining entrance. Then Kharax and Richard could do some diplomacy to gather information to see if we can learn anything useful - like does Birdfood ever leave the Palace, or does he have any interests, or vices, we could exploit to gain entrance?

There actually are not as this is not a settlement but rather a groups of raiders banded together. They don't obtain what they want through purchase but rather through just taking what they want. This is a very hostile 'town' Wandering about in unknown areas may invite a bit of trouble.

And people say Thornkeep is bad :P

"With all those guards and only one way in, we would attract a lot of attention if we took the Cobbler's Way." Richard says as he looks over the Palace. "I'm thinking we might walk up and ask to see Birdfood. Maybe I could use some magic to impersonate one of those Smilers from Aldorand's Grave and claim to be coming back with a report and new recruits? Anyone have another idea?"

"Negative."

"I aint gots any better ideas but II aint gonna make my face look like does smiling idiots either.

"I don't plan on Letting it get that far." Richard chuckles at Lewdon as he gets out a scroll. "This magic will only last about ten minutes. Hopefully that will be enough."

Reaching for his haversack, he opens the top and holds it out. "If my trick works they probably won't bother searching me, but they might try to disarm you. I would suggest putting a spare weapon in here just in case."

Richard then casts the spell from his scroll and assumes the appearance of one of the Smilers buried back at Aldorand's Grave.

Disguise + Disguise Self spell: 1d20 + 8 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 8 + 10 = 30

Anyone else approaching with Richard?