Greetings! We find ourselves in need of a safe place to rest and some succor in our striving against the false "god" Hellion. Would we be able to impose on your hospitality? After defeating his champion in the Arena, he gave us the "opportunity" to join his worship and become part of the Lords of Rust. We refused and attacked his cleric and acolytes, but had to retreat after the second tough battle of the day.
Dinvaya shakes her head in wonder. "When you were asking about the Lords of Rust I certainly didn't think that you meant to challenge Hellion himself. Meyanda was his high priest, but you said that she was destroyed. I am not surprised he quickly found another to replace her. I am glad that you have returned, I have been wondering how you have fared in Scrapwall. Usually, I am happy enough to lose myself in my work and don't care what is happening elsewhere, but you left me quite curious, but let us get inside. I have no doubt Hellion is sending out his little spies if he feels that you are a threat."
The Hermit continues talking as you enter her tower. "Two tough battles, huh? So it appears." She notices how Kricker favors his left shoulder and Jeji's broken horn along with the other numerous bruises and scars. "Fortunately, Brigh is as able at mending living bodies as She is manufactured devices. Here let me help." If allowed, she directs her prayers to her Goddess and heals all the kobolds' numerous wounds. Whiskifiss watches the famous Hermit with a bit of awe.
Inside the lab, the kobolds notice that their hostess has been working on the scrap wyvern which looks quite formidable.
"We'd managed to kill Helskarg and her ogres in the arena, and then fought Nalakai. Kricker wounded him, so he ran away and left his acolytes to die."
"I'm sure the death of Helskarg made quite an impression. Nalakai is the new priest? Do not underestimate the Lords of Rust though. There is still Kulgara, Hellion's second."
"And Draigs the Executioner! Tk-Tk!" Whiskifiss squeaks.
"Yes, and Hellion himself. Did you learn anything else of Hellion's nature?"
Other than its strange vocal patterns, it seems to be some sort of shape shifter, appearing variously as a horned demon and as a dragon. I never saw it in person, always through some sort of viewing/scrying device. One of which was surprisingly lifelike in the tower behind the Arena. It definitely has the ability to cast spells and grant its priests spells though.
Dinvaya purses her lips and plays with a tool on her belt while she thinks. "I still cannot believe that Hellion is a real god, but perhaps the most powerful technology can make a mortal seem a god. I would advise fighting TEK with TEK. Have you found any other artifacts?"
"Your metal dragon is impressive. Will it...does it move? How have you constructed it, if I may ask?" Jeji asked as she looked the wyvern up and down.
"I have a little skill with reagents and chemicals, but this, I could not do this I think. Yes, most impressive. We have found some TEK. Not enough to finish the job yet, it would seem."
"We have found a few things we would be willing to trade. A magic tent that stands up by itself. A strange lantern, and some packaged nourishment."
"Do you have any GRENADES? We used a GRENADE LAUNCHER against Helskarg, and against the acolytes and Nalakai, but we do not have any left."
The elf recluse smiles widely at Jeji's compliments. "I am inspired by Brigh and the Whisperer in Bronze has gifted me the spells and the skill to bring my sculptures to life, so to speak. The Wyvern is almost ready. I just need something appropriate for its stinger."
"Ah, you bring more interesting items. Did you get these from the Smilers? This pink goo isn't food. It is a MED that the Smilers call Soothe. It stops bleeding and causes a numbing sensation. It can make one nearly fearless, but it doesn't repair the flesh and becomes addictive. I don't need any of that. The beacon doesn't interest me either, but this shelter..."
Dinvaya laughs at Perrik's rather intense request for GRENADES! "OK! I don't have much, but I will trade you what I have." The silver raven on her shoulder gives a distressed GRARK! and flies up to the high window again where it watches the transaction with mistrust. "Oh, not you, Hydargos. But, I have some grenades: two inferno grenades which explode in fire and two bang grenades which stun and deafen. And when I finish the Wyvern here, I will give her to you to use as you will. Final offer!" she finishes with a broad grin.
Jeji was nodding before the woman even finished the offer. "Deal" the little kobold squealed. In an instant, she had partially recovered her composure and again responded "deal" but this time with a little more bass and calmness in her voice.
She looked up at the woman with genuine admiration and appreciation. "We...I, I can't thank you enough for this. For your hospitality, for your aid. We will remember this, remember you."
I hate to impose, but you seem to be a powerful cleric, my own abilities are not yet up to curing this wasting disease I got from the engines under torch, but I was hoping your connection with your god is strong enough?
Dinvaya smiles at Jeji's enthusiasm. "And if you can think of anything suitable for the Wyvern's sting. Let me know."
Her smile turns to thoughtful frown as Kricker asks for her help. "I have of places where the ancient ruins themselves can sicken and kill any living thing that comes near. Thankfully, you seen to have only suffered a small dose. I will pray to Brigh and perhaps She will show me how to heal your disease."
The hermit leads the Cyberfangs to a room that serves as her bedroom and study. She says that she is used to sleeping in her workshop. There is little food in her pantry, but the food goo tubes are available. The night passes without event leaving the kobolds refreshed and wiser and more skilled for their trials.
After she prays, the priestess of Brigh inspects Kricker again and tries to cure the blight. Sadly, to no effect.
The cleric frowns thoughtfully, "I feel that this is the right approach. The effect upon you is not a living disease, but seems more like a poisoning. At least, having tried, I know more about it now and perhaps it will work next time. There is also MED that will treat this type of sickness.
"We have to finish what we started. If we don't take the fight back to Hellion and his followers, they will come for us. Do you know anything about his followers or their temple? If they're mostly pink-skins, we could attack at night. Maybe catch them off guard when we have the advantage?"
One arm rested on the other as she spoke, a clawed finger tapping her chin as she thought aloud about possible strategies.
"Do you know where we could find this MED?"
Whiskifiss shakes his head, "Few of the followers of Hellion are humans. Tk. There are orcs and a few ratfolk. Some small dark people that lurk in shadows and the ones with long arms the reach out and try to strangle enemies. And BOTS, too. Most of the place is dark except for the glowing screens where Hellion appears. Tk-Tk."
"So we can try to attack the screens, and that way take away places where it can appear. They will have to come out after us, then."
The oracle considers further. "Whiskifiss, do you know a place where we can set traps? We destroy screens, and then when Hellion's followers chase us we can lead them into the traps."
Tk-Tk. Many left Hellion when you killed Helskarg, but some remain within the temple. If we break the outside screens in the arena, Hellion cannot appear in them anymore, but I have never seen Him leave the temple otherwise. Tk. Maybe we can further deplete his Thralls if we lure them into traps as you say. There are many narrow gulches in the Scrapwall or even old lairs to trap them."
"Do you know where we could find this MED?"
Dinvaya shakes her head. "You are looking for Radose. I don't know of anyplace left unplundered in Scrapwall except maybe in the haunted ruins at the far end of the place."
I think when we go in fresh this time, we should do better. I think I have a better handle on the harpoon gun that the troll had. We should go in steady and use our spells well so that we don't exhaust ourselves on the first fight like we did against the troll.
Perrik considers guile while Kricker urges a more direct approach.
"We must do both. Sneak in as far as we can. Set traps along the way. When the battle starts, we take out the screens and retreat. Draw them into our traps. If we have some time, perhaps I can make a few surprises for them..."
"I think that you have some time." Dinvaya says. "Hydargos will keep a sharp eye out for Hellion's flying spies."
Whiskifiss nods. "Tk-Tk. We still have exploding clay and the control. We could use it to blow up the stage in the arena and take out the big screen. Do you think that we have all the TEK from the haunted valley? Tk-Tk. I don't really want to go back, but we need all the weapons we can get to use against the Lords of Rust."
"We are stronger now than we were. Let's go back to the haunted valley and see what we can find there."
Hmm, Ok. But let me ready myself to deal with the undead. We'll need some sort of protection from the fear and lots of positive energy.
"You may take as ling as you need," Dinvaya assures the kobolds. "I can clear some space in my workroom if you need it, Jeji."
Kricker communes with his god and pronounces himself as ready as he is going to be.
Jeji immediately set about the workshop, gathering supplies and piling things up, measuring different ingredients, weighing flasks and beakers and then doing it all again. She even began to hum as she worked, mostly tuned out to the world around her. In her mind, she was back in warren. The sights were similar and the smells the same, other than the earthen odor missing. Kobold dens were mostly packed mud and earth, even more so than Dinvaya's hideout.
Jeji scavenges what she needs and sets to work at a furious pace. It still takes all night while the other kobolds resign themselves to various diversions while they wait. She finally exits the workshop as a faint light appears in the the high windows of Tower of Brigh having produced four items. Dinvaya awakes and shares some simple food with the kobolds before wishing the kobolds good rest as she takes over the workshop.
The next night, the kobolds are ready and with Dinvaya's blessing they head out for the Haunted Valley with Whiskifiss once again serving as their guide.
Nothing interrupts the warband's journey back through Scrapwall and through the hidden tunnel in the wall itself. Finally, they emerge atop the wall and make their way past the twisted metal tower of the blasted receiver and pad down the wall into the creepy fog. The walls close in as they head down a narrow crevasse and finally see the strange craft stuck among the heaped debris. The door remains open as they left it...
Perrik, can you bless us before we enter? Fear seems to be a real issue in there.
With Perrik's bleesing, the kobolds are bolstered with courage to enter the ghoulish vessel once again. Nothing looks to have been disturbed since they left the place. Moving past the corpses held in the metal and glass tanks, they return to the doors that Kricker forced apart with his wrecking bar.
Ignoring the lingering stink of putrefying flesh, the kobolds cautiously peer through the jammed doors to again see the massive window at the far end of the room, spiderwebbed with hundreds of cracks and half-buried under rubble and twisted metal. The night mists seep through the cracks. Curved consoles of strange controls line the walls, with three chairs made of an unidentifiable off-white material facing them. The red vest and gunbelt rest half buried in the pile of dust that once formed the ship's pilot.
Perrik shivers and points ahead. "Something comes!"
It is the Haunt! Kricker quickly channels his god's power to try to banish the haunt.
There is a sob as the haunt reacts to Kricker's channeling, but the burst is not strong enough to destroy the spirit. Thick mists suddenly condense out of the cold air and in the fog the suggestion of maddening faces and forms!
A shadow arises from the dust of the long dead ancient and the hysterical shouts begin anew.
Jeji:
Perrik:
Kricker: ;
Drahlneep:
foe:
"Try that again, Kricker! You hurt it!"
This time Jeji was ready. She gritted her teeth at Perrik and Kricker's warnings and quietly muttered to herself "I will not flee. I will not flee."
She drew a bomb as she was often want to do but this one she held tightly, waiting for anything else that may show up in response to the ghostly alarm.
Jeji, throw at the Shadow!
Kricker calls out for protection from Goram! Protection from Evil on himself.
The fearful sights and sounds have no effect on the kobolds this time. The dragon-kin have now defeated mutant ogres, a berserk troll, and faced down Hellion. Whiskifiss' nerves fail him, however and he trembles in terror. Kricker calls down a bulwark against evil to defend himself.
Inspired by whatever entity grants him his gifts and insights, Perrik realizes that this phantom is born of a suicide. Some call this type of ghost an allip. Although it appears from its babbling that the human's death was in an attempt to defeat some powerful foe, the futility of the effort seems to have pushed the spirit into insanity. Being a spirit, it is immune to mundane attacks and can only be slightly affected by magic weapons and spells. Positive energy is harmful if it cannot resist the effects. Its touch does no physical damage, but its insanity clings to its victim until the poor soul loses all its reason and follows the allip into death and eternal raving.
Drahlneep heeds Perrik's warning and hisses. "You mean my hammer won't smash it? I don't have any magic to destroy it!" Whiskifiss nods, chattering as he backs away. The shade takes the form of the screaming skeleton that used to rest in the captain's chair. It babbles as it moves forward toward the kobolds...
The oracle takes a deep breath and calls on what would be healing magic before stepping up and trying to touch the allip.
Heeding Kricker's warning, Jeji fell back, following Whiskifiss's lead. Fear didn't drive her actions this time, or at least it wasn't magical fear. Instead she was driven by self preservation, by survival instinct. She retreated with Whiskifiss, covering his back and keeping her eyes on the wailing spirit.
Jeji retreats into the mist and bumps into the trembling Whiskifiss. Perrik calls upon his connection to the outer plane of life energy and reaches out to harm the mad spirit. The allip recoils dodging Perrik's claw, but then its insubstantial skeletal hand darts out to touch Perrik and share its madness! The sobbing, frantic voice continues with an urgency that makes all nearby want to stop and listen.
With the positive energy still held in his hand, Perrik tries again to touch the mad undead.
Kricker calls upon the favorite weapon of his god to smite the shade!
Spiritual Weapon
Jeji turned and looked over her shoulder. Seeing her kin fight on against the ghostly foe, she looked down at the bomb still in her hand. She prepared to toss the bomb but as she took aim at the allip, she caught bits and pieces of what it was muttering. She tried to focus on the words, trying to decipher them. As she stood there listening and thinking, her attention solely on the creature, her natural instincts faded away.
The ratling next to Jeji joins her in listening with rapt attention to the strange words spoken by the gibbering ghost. That leaves Kricker and Perrik to deal with the dangerous apparition. Kricker summons a spinning shard of divine force that resembles a great sword. It hacks at the shadowy thing, distracting it as Perrik lunges and delivers a blast of damaging energy to the undead shade. It cautiously slashes back and misses.
Strange visions fill Jeji and Whiskifiss' heads: They find that they are reliving the last moments of a human named Yurian Valako. They are flying the now ruined flying ship when it was still whole long ago. They are in the starry night sky, but no land is in sight only a mammoth machine that fills the sky. The tinny sound of screams comes from a speaker. The human's despair is overwhelming. Divinity is lost. Life support off-line. All is lost.
The ship arcs above the great machine and then suddenly accelerates toward it. The great mother craft grows larger and larger filling the uncracked windshield then all that is seen and felt is fire and heat and pain. Then the scene replays.
Perrik takes a quick step back. "Drahlneep! Come here and I will make it so your hammer can hurt this!"