Richard leaps out the door and tries to use the card key to close and lock it behind him!
"Whew! Good thing they are slow." Richard spins the card key in his fingers before pocketing it. "So, I think that worked. We should take on Hellion as soon as possible. The hologram map lists a lot of life forms, but I think we can avoid most of them and head toward the biggest one."
"Affirmative. Lead the way."
"Whew, glad you saved us some trouble there, Richard!"
Kharax follows in the rear, anxious for the next threat to come up as they look to bring the fight to Hellion.
Richard heads east and sets a rope at the balcony to climb down into the caverns.
"How. About you drop down first Lewdon. I'll cover you from up here."
Kharax spies along with Richard, ready to cast a spell of ranged electricity if need be.
|
As large as this cavern is, the cave’s proportions are dwarfed by the immense buried structure that looms over its western half. This metal leviathan presents a filthy facade of sharp angles, doors stained and pitted with rust allowing entry into its interior, and a wide balcony overlooking the rocky floor fifteen feet below. A massive mound of furs, rags, and refuse—a nest of some sort— sprawls in a sizable alcove to the southeast, while to the north, a 10-foot-wide tunnel curves to the northwest. Three areas of straight metal ridges protrude from the ground, marking paths from the building. Evidence of recent excavation work is apparent. An immense latticework of thick gray metal beams extends from the front of the buried structure, creating a wall of girders and struts that bisects the cave’s northern reach. These beams have been painted with images of demonic faces and spiked mechanical claws, and are further adorned with strips of sinew on which countless humanoid bones have been hung like wind chimes.
Lewdon swings over the edge and grabs ahold of the wall, slowly making his way down to the cavern floor below.
A search of nest reveals a number of uncomfortably large ticks and f leas—nothing big enough to endanger the you, but certainly big enough to disturb them. Among the bloated vermin, the PCs can find a leather bag containing 390 silverdisks and 11 batteries, along with a pair of timeworn magboots.
Richard descends and gathers the treasure into his haversack, then points north toward a gap in the caves.
Whispering, "There was something on the hologram in that area. Let's approach with care."
Autograpnel in hand, he slips ahead and peers around the corner.
Alpha follows Richard's descent. He nods at his suggestion.
|
|
This long, narrow cavern has a twenty-five-foot-high ceiling adorned with hundreds of stalactites. The cave floor slopes downward to the east. Patches of strange fungi and lichen cling to the walls and floor—between these patches on the cave walls, strange words have been scratched into the stone. On the south wall, portions of a buried metal structure protrude from the stone, particularly in the middle where a wide metal ledge rises fifteen feet off the ground to support a nest made of bones woven together by pale strips of supple leather and cords of braided hair. Two panels of glass, both smashed to fragments, once hung from the lower walls of the metal balcony.
Both monitors hanging on the wall are smashed in and destroyed as small shards of glass cling to the floor as if they were freshly damaged.
As you approach a raspy and hissing voice sounds from within the shadows. "Hellion said you would come. I hold you an offer. Lift this curse on me and I shall help you however you wish." Seeing the group's eyes trail to the monitor the voice continues. "NO need to worry. He cannot hear or see us here." Out of the shadows steps a flame red humanoid that looks to be a strange mix of insect and reptile, with four arms and twitching, fanged mandibles.
"What type of creature are you? What are you called?"
"Tell us your story. We will listen." Autograpnel still at the ready, Richard waits for the creature to reply.
|
|
"My name is Zagmaander. I have dwelled in these caverns for hundreds of years. I may very well be Scrapewall's oldest living denizen. Yet I don't remain here by choice. I originally came to Numeria to hunt among the Ghost Wolves, a tribe of barbarians who claim a large portion of the Sellen Hills as their territory. I preyed upon them for decades, building myself a reputation as the “Blood Ghost” until I was finally confronted by a powerful Kellid oracle who cursed me." She sneers a mouthful of razor sharp teeth as she strides closer, leaning on the wall as she still clings to the many shadows within the room. "The Kellid bound my body to this realm and wracked me with pain. I am no longer able to retreat to my home on the Ethereal Plane, finding myself stranded in a world I detest."
"I retreated into hiding in Scrapwall, and in time my presence here was noted by a tribe of dark folk. my attempts to prey upon them failed, for the disintegration of their bodies when they died left my young nothing to feed upon, but when the terrified dark folk took to worshiping me and bringing me offerings of suitable incubators for my young, I finally began the long process of learning to cope with her cursed existence. I joined with Hellion's group in an effort to find release. Meyanda offered to release me but she has yet to return from her mission in Torch which leads me to you." She pleads nervously as her many arms fidget about.
"What type of creature are you? What are you called?"
"I am what is known as a Xill to your kind."
"I don't have the ability to remove curses..." Richard glances at Kharax. "How about you?"
"Sorta; Torracha hasn't been imbued with that kinda magic yet, but if we can find a scroll, I could give it a go.", Kharax replies. Looking back at Zagmaander, he then whispers to Richard, "But should we?"
"I don't believe we have the power to lift your curse." Richard says, then quickly adds, "But I think we know someone who can. However, it would require taking you to her, for she is unwilling to leave her... temple. If you help us now, we promise we will get your curse removed." Richard looks to his companions to back up his promise.
|
|
The Xill snarls for a moment as Richard reveals not being able to remove her curse but overall seems to become content as she thinks for a moment.
"I can travel as long as it means removing this curse. Though I hold you to your promise. If you betray me I will feed your flesh to my young." She sneers wondering if the milk is worth the squeeze.
Nodding her head to the east behind her. "Hellion is just through the chamber beyond. He is the one that let me know of your arrival."
"What can you tell us about Hellion? Does it have a body? Are there any other guards between us?"
"So we gotta take out the robots first it sounds like? Do that and we can help silence him."
"More robots?" Richard digs out the grenade launcher from his haversack and loads it with the plasma grenade found with the orcs in the central chamber. Grinning at his companions, he says, "Don't rush in until I've given them this first."
Richard then moves on, trying to quietly get the drop on the guards ahead.
|
|
Richard moves down the tunnel, sticking to the shadows and moving very slowly, heel to toe, so as not to make a sound.
Inside he finds a trio of Observer robots, skittering about. These small robots are reminiscent of a beetle with a pair of pincers extending from the front of their body. Though this trio looks to have a bit better reinforced shells.
A red light shines on one of the robots as it spins and chitters in Richard's direction. The actuators and gears begins to turn as the trio dart across the floor in his direction.
Kharax
Richard
Lewdon
-----------------------------
Observer Robots
-----------------------------
Alpha
Cr@p!!!
Richard aims his grenade launcher and fires into the group.
The grenade explodes with much more force then he expected. Turning, he runs back toward his companions.
"Incoming!"
|
|
Richard heaves the grenade launcher off hhis shoulder and launches a grenade into the pile of robots. Thunk!
The plasma grenade clatters against the ground where it turns red hot and small sparks of electricity begins to arc and spit from the canister.
The trio of observer robots hover off of the ground as they fly all around Richard, blocking the android in the cavern. An extended arm reaches forth from it's beetle-like shell as a focused beam cuts into Richard's synthetic skin.
The grenade explodes, sending pieces of shrapnel and robot flying in all directions as the white hot plasma melts all in its path, destroying two of the robots.
Kharax
Richard (27/51)
Lewdon
-----------------------------
Observer Robots
-----------------------------
Alpha
"That was effective. " Alpha nods as he goes to work destroying the cameras.
"Tell me ya got another one of those, Dick!", Kharax thoroughly impressed with Richard's carnage.
"Sadly, no." Richard replies to Kharax. "Had I known it was going to explode like that I might have saved it for later."
Taking the lead again, Richard follows the caves deeper. "Stay close, but not too close."
|
|
This ten-foot-diameter tunnel is a tangle of metal beams that crisscross to form a lattice. Each beam has been decorated with strange writings and images of clawed hands, while on the walls are scrawled depictions of what appears to be a looming mountain adorned with strange spikes. In all of these illustrations, an immense demonic form is shown smashing the spiky mountain to rubble—within the mountain, an even greater demonic shape bears the brunt of the devastation.
"That looks like the Silver Mount." Richard notes upon viewing the illustrations. "Hellion on the outside. His enemy, Unity, on the inside."
Once he has described his insights Richard moves on, autograpnel at the ready.
"Yeah, regardless of anything else... we gotta stop that bastard Hellion." Kharax tries to follow Richard's lead...
Alpha will not even bother with stealth and will just follow Richard.
|
|
Richard sneaks forward through the crisscrossing metal beams and fails to notice several traps as he moves through. It seems that a few of the writings and images were magical glyphs etched into the metal to ward off intruders.
Three of the Glyphs send out an extremely loud, pulsing screech that emanates throughout the chamber.
On the southern wall of this sprawling cavern, a massive wheel of metal buckets lined with sharp edges is embedded, partially buried, in the wall. The latticework of metal girders connects to the wheel. The whole of the device comprises a long mechanical arm ending in a metal wheel far larger than any mill’s waterwheel.
Near the waterwheel is what can only be described as Hellion himself as a massive spider-like robot skitters down from the wall. The arachnid robot bears two thick metal claws and a very operable plasma beam on top of it's back end.
"You dream of defeating a god?" A voice echoes forth from the chassis. "My creations will see to it that you crumble in this cavern." The Plasma beam on top begins to spark and glow as the arc becomes operational.
One of Hellion's claws reaches out and touches the robot. A small red glowing rune appears on it's back. A red hue emanates that seems to only bolster the surrounding robots.
---------------------------------
Hellion (Inhibitor facet)
---------------------------------
Lewdon
Kharax (48/62)
Alpha (46/51)
Richard (41/51)
---------------------------------
Scrapyard Robots
Hellion (Inhibitor facet)
---------------------------------
"You are not a god." Alpha moves up and casts a spell.
Richard avoids the worst of the glyph. Grabbing a scroll from his haversack he steps behind Alpha and casts a spell to increase his strength.