A cold wind blows as you gather on the deck of the Winter's Morn. The distant shape of Skolderang's shores loom in the far off fog. Sailors lumber around the ship while the eight of you gaze on. Now, the question as to how the groups would set off had come into question... it seemed appropriate to make two teams of four. There had been some time to get to know each other during the trip over but now it was decision time. The ship would land in a few hours.
Prelude
The wooden crate has an envelope attached to it. The crate is a little over 4 feet long, and two and a half feet in each other dimension. It's rather heavy.
From : Reville Golem Werks
To : Winter Morn Expedition
Greetings, and thank you for your purchase from RGW. Inside is a newly crafted Wood Golem. The Golem has a magically charged Amethyst crystal (packed separately in the crate). This Amethyst should be placed in the chest cavity of the golem when you have reached your destination. This will activate the golem, and the golem will follow the orders of the person placing the crystal in the chest. It cannot speak, but it understands Common, Dwarven, Draconic, Elven, and Orc. The activator can order it to obey orders of others, although if there is a conflict, the person who activates it is always obeyed first.
Your golem is immune to cold, although it can be frozen solid in ice, if it's left alone in one spot too long. If this happens, simply melt the ice without burning the golem, and it should resume working. It is not very smart, but it can stand watch, and has minimal weaponry for defense. Additionally, this particular model has been modified for cold environments, it can deploy skates from it's feet. Finally, it is equipped with small tools for repairing clockworks, or bypassing mechanical dangers.
Please enjoy your golem, and the small gift we included with it, a fully kitted spell component pouch with our logo embroidered on it.
The crate has been sitting in the hold the entire trip, but now that the boat is close to shore, it has been brought up on deck by two swearing deck hands who drop it with a loud thump on the icy deck.
Banny pulls the hood of her heavy fur cloak up over her head as she stares at the white line of their destination, over the dark water between here and there. It's cold as a dead forge, and she can feel the chill radiating from the metal of her armor into her body even through the layers of warm clothing.
She turns around to lean back against the railing and cross her arms. (The chain around her right forearm clinks gently.) She surveys the others... they're a weird lot. The fellow with all those damned blue tattoos, and the chipper, excited kid who says he can fix anything... a bloody big crate....
"Gods' frozen balls... We expected to haul that box to shore ourselves?" she asks anyone who cares to answer, waving a gloved hand at the crate. She wanders closer, opens the envelope with a shrug, and reads the note.
"Huh. Guess it can move on its own, if you wake it up."
Curden has spent the last few days either leaning over the front railing or napping with his hat pulled down over his face and snoring loudly. The entire trip he has refused to pull the hood up on his cloak, instead pinning a scarf on the inside of his hat so it protects his ears from the cold. As land is spotted and called out he gets up, yawning and scratching at his beard. His version of good morning is grunting to each person as he passes.
Curden holds out his hand for the note, reading it and glancing at the box. "Well let's git it movin'." He opens the box open, examining the golem before inserting the crystal into the chest cavity.
|
Trelck has found the cold air refreshing and the close quarters frustrating at best. Seeing the others fiddling with the box and turning on the wood golem the dwarf gets closer out of curiosity.
As Curden moves to turn on the golem the dwarf snorts, Why a wood one? Stone would be more resilient? Maybe this one its faster? If you like such a thing...
The dwarf pats around his vest for a pipe, finds it in his breast pocket, and moves to light it and watch the proceedings.
The amethyst glows blue, and sinks into the wood, firmly and permanently implanted now. For a few moments, nothing happens. Then there is a sound from the box.
"Tik'Klik"
The golem sits up, it's motion rapid but smooth. It's head turns 360 degrees on it's body until it returns to the front position. Then the golem grips the sides of the crate, and pushes itself up. It's shoulders rotate 180 degrees, and it's doing a handstand on the crate.
"Tik'Klik"
The head again does a 360 rotation, and before the feet come down on the icy deck, the feet split open and heavy steel blades slide out before the wooden feet close again.
"Tik'Klik"
The hips rotate 90 degrees in a motion that would break the spine of a human, and give a halfling a major muscle strain. The two blades land with a thunk on the deck, and the body straightens.
"Tik'Klik"
The golem looks at his left arm, which rotates 360 degrees on all it's joints, something that looks unnatural to a biological lifeform. Then it's arm splits open in various places, exposing the enterior which seems empty. No gears, no nothing. The arm splits open and the splitting moves toward the hand, the wood opening and closing along invisible seems. Then finally the hand and fingers completely fold up and are sucked into the arm. Looking into the crate, the golem reaches the stump in, and pulls it out with a small morningstar attached, the shaft sliding up into it's forearm.
"Tik'Klik"
The wooden hand bits snick out and surround the morningstar head, which sinks into the arm. Then the golem moves all it's fingers in both directions. Apparently satisfied, it turns it's head to the left, and the left arm does the same thing. When it is done however, rather than the hand retracting completely, the fingers open and wires, probes and other metal tools snick out of the fingers.
"Tik'Klik"
Leaning over to look into the crate, it pulls out a packed backpack. The golem's chest splits open, revealing an interior studded with glowing crystals that have blue lightning racing between them on mithral inlay. The pack is turned around and placed into the chest cavity. The chest closes with a snick, then opens again and the golem digs into the pack, ensuring itself that things are stored within. Then the chest closes again.
"Tik'Klik"
Finally, it hesitates, but reaches into the crate one last time, pulling out a belt pouch with a logo embroidered on it. It studies the belt for several moments.
"Tik'Klik"
It attaches the belt to it's waist, and the wood snicks and snicks as it splits and surrounds the belt, absorbing it into it's structure.
"Tik'Klik"
A small door flips down on the waist of the golem, and it pulls out a small quartz crystal, studying it. The crystal goes back in the little drawer, and another opens, and a vial of red liquid is taken out, the golem studying it for a moment before sliding it back into the little drawer.
"Tik'Klik"
"Tik'Klik"
The golem then looks around at the boat, the people on it, the ice crystals, the water, the land, a cold looking cat that huffs against the cold near the door to the below decks storage area.
"Tik'Klik"
"Eh, 's prolly cheaper than stone--" Banny answers Trelck, then cuts herself off in order to... stare.
Banny's reaction is much less sanguine than her fellow dwarf's.
She steps back at the first motion from the crate, and then her eyes widen, and widen again, and her hands instinctively go to her weapons, though she does not draw them.
"Bloody hells," she mutters as the thing steps out of the box and proceeds to... do... those things it's doing. Banny stays somewhere been fascinated and creeped-as-hell-out by its twisting, shifting, reforming body.
When it's done, she shuts her agape jaw with a click.
"--that's a flipping wood golem?! 'S like a damned twistin' wooden puzzle box!"
The golem directs it's onyx eyes at first Treick, and then Banny.
"Tik'Klik!"
"Tick click to you too, you rattlin' toothpick box," Banny says warily.
"--hey, wait a second, that note said it can't talk."
She frowns. Okay, she can't really call what it's doing 'talking', but... the way those shiny black eyes focus on her... gyeh. A chill runs up her spine that has nothing to do with the cold.
The golem stands there, balancing on a pair of steel skate blades as the ship rocks, it's knees flexing to adjust the blades so it remains almost motionless from the waist up. It continues to look around it, as if memorizing it's environment. It returns it's onyx gaze to Trelck and Banny whenever they say something. Occassionally tilting it's head as it looks at them, as if seeking a new perspective.
Banny sidesteps warily to the crate again, grabs the note, and does a far more thorough read-through, her lips pursed.
"...well, Craw," she says at last, "looks like you got yourself a packhorse. It's gonna do what you tell it, according to this."
Her brows knit with her thoughtful scowl. "Sez here it ain't that smart, but... not-that-smart does mean, some smart."
She purses her lips, her breath puffing out cold and frozen in the air as she regards the creature, and the claims of the note.
"Ai! Ticky! Can you understand me? Nod if yes."
The golem looks at Banny as she yells at it. It starts to move it's head, and the crystal on it's chest pulses blue. The golem stops, bends it's neck at a near impossible angle to look down at the amythyst, and then points a finger at it.
"Tik'Klik"
A fat spark of electricity shoots out of the golem's finger, hitting the amythyst dead center, sending sparks over it and making it pulse angrily.
"Tik'Klik"
A second fat spark of electricity shoots out of the golem's finger, and the gem flares bright blue for a second, and then dims and stops glowing.
The golem looks at Banny again, tilts it's head sideways for a second, and then nods.
"Tik'Klik"
Banny likes this display about as much as she's liked the other stuff. She takes another step back, and rests her hand on her axe's haft to reassure herself it's there.
"...did it just... break its powery crystal doodad?" she mutters.
She clears her throat, still keeping a wary eye on the wooden... critter. Whatever word you want to use. It nodded, so...
"Guess that's a start, huh. So..." she waggles the note a bit, "you been sent with us to help go--" she points towards the shore, "there, and help us explore it, eh? Lot of ice. Guess that's why you got them blades in your feet. So... we'll... reach the shore in... a few hours and..."
Banny trails off, shaking her head. "...forge an' fire, I'm talkin' to a damned walkin' talkin' tree branch," she mutters.
The golem looks at it's feet, and lifts one up, knee bending the wrong way. It balances wobbly on the other leg as it looks at it's blades. Then it puts the foot back down, and skates up and down the deck in smooth motions. Stopping in front of Banny again at the end.
"Tik'Klik."
It goes back to watching like a curious cat everything around it.
"Fascinating, another constructed being," Dorian says, approaching to examine Tik'Klik. "Its design is entirely different from my own. It is unfortunate that it does not speak. I would love to learn what it knows about itself. If it knows anything, that is." Dorian moves around the wooden golem in his smooth precise manner, examining it from all angles. He then retrieves the note from the crate and reads it in detail. When he gets to the part about being frozen solid he thinks, That appears to be the only similarity between us. It is doubtful that this construct was made by the same people that made me.
Turning back to the others he says, "It would likely be prudent to make myself and this other construct the nucleus of each expedition team. Our ability to go without sleep, and resistance to the effects of the environment would provide each team with a permanent lookout. Beyond that particular ability, I am also programmed to be function as a hunter, tracker, and alchemist. Furthermore, I am designed for ranged combat using explosives as well as conventional weapons. I have databanks pertaining to natural as well as magical phenomenon. I would prefer to be paired with a melee combatant and a divine spell caster, with little preference for my fourth companion."
Will wakes up late under a large layer of blankets, to hear a bunch of clicking sounds and a commotion on the ship. He realizes that he was supposed to get up forever ago and hurriedly dresses in his winter gear, not forgetting to grab his sword and crossbow on the way. As he stands up his steadiness triggers causing him to sway.
God's I hate this trip he mutters to himself in the hall. He opens the door to the deck and says
Hey everybody, sorry I slept- HOLY HECK WHAT IS THAT!
"Tik'Klik"
The golem follows the new arrival with some interest, it skates over to Dorian, and it's head moves with clocklike precision as it skates around and around him, after a moment or two it becomes apparent that it is not Dorian, but his tattoo's that seem to have drawn the interest of the golem. The golem follows around and around for a minute, then skates back to it's previous position. It's body makes small snick sounds as the entire structure breaks down into one inch squares that flip inside out, and when it's done, it's entire body is covered with small mithral strands that look eerily like the tattoo's on Dorian, all interspersed with small glowing crystals.
"Tik'Klik"
"Tik'Klik"
Then the process reverses itself.
"Tik'Klik"
"Tik'Klik"
That second pair of Tik'Klik's may have sounded just the tinyest bit smug?
When Will steps on the deck and yell's at the top of his lungs, the golem's left arm opens at the wrist, and electricity flashes in the opening where his hand was a second ago. The golem points it's arm at William and lets loose with a veritable avalanche of 'Tik'Klik's. After a few seconds however, the golem finally seems to relax. It points it's arm out to sea, and an arc of electricity puffs up a small cloud of steam as the electricity discharges. It's hand clicks back in place with a series of snicks.
"Tik'Klik!"
There was something strongly disapproving in that noise...
Holds out hands in a soothing manner.
Nice animated log thing that shoots lightning. Nobody wants to turn you into firewood. We can all be friends."
Whispers to nearest dwarf
what's the deal with this thing?
what note?
As the contraption starts moving Curden stands with his hands on his hips, looking at it with curious. But as soon as it begins turning rapidly and flipping around he draws his pistol and stands sideways, his off hand facing away as he waits for it to calm down. Seeing it's not doing any harm he stows his pistol just as quickly.
Curden takes to examining the construct as it interacts with everybody. It takes him a moment, but he starts to understand what it's trying to say. Curden looks at William and chuckles. "He don't like you much. Prolly shouldn't call him a log." Curden walks up in front of the construct. "You're just a big baby aren't you? Trying to understand the world." There's nothing condescending in his voice, he's trying to make sense of the construct. "Well I got two things to make this simple. First, you need a name. You seem fond of that sound, so let's call you that. Second, according to this paper you're supposed to listen to me." Curden holds up the instructions. "But you're smarter than that aren't you? I have one order for you, only one. Act with some common sense for the rest of your existence."
Gustav has been spending the trip making best use of his artificing capabilities for needs on the ship, mending sails and ropes and trying to be useful while doing his best to stay warm. He spends some time conversing with each other expeditionary member during the travel, gravitating toward Dorian's company to learn more about the fabrication of the android ("Such a magnificent design, and to be imbued with such intelligence! I would be very interested to learn more about your creators.").
He breaks bread with the dwarves, finding their surly rowdiness to be an exaggerated version of the militia back home ("Clearly you want to be more respected than liked - I can respect that!")
He finds Curden's pistol to be infinitely entertaining to study, but utterly baffling in composition ("I've never seen something more cobbled together! It's a wonder it doesn't explode upon use - or could it?")
Will is clearly more akin to how Gustav would have considered himself, had he grown up in a larger city ("I can only imagine setting out to right wrongs on my own without backup. You must have seen quite a lot in that line of work!"), but, after trading a few more stories, has trouble reconciling the inquisitor's disregard for proper order.
He finds himself staring at Mogwag more than talking to him. Gustav had met but two other elves in his life, and especially finds this one an even greater curiosity ("Imagine the secrets he must have seen over the decades! I can't imagine living that long.").
Hearing the commotion up on deck, Gustav jots down a final design note in his journal, grabs his goggles, and runs up on deck with a spiked gauntlet on one hand and a wooden gear hanging on his neck. "Wow, another construct! Clearly a cruder design than Dorian, limited vocalization. What amazing luck, to have two such creations to observe!" He watches Curden's interaction with it, and nods at then naming, but cocks a curious head at the 'one instruction' before shrugging and moving to read at the note for himself.
~Earlier in the trip~
While Curden is rolling the hot lead into balls he has his pistol set on the table so it's not close to the heat. When Gustav comes in and starts showing interest he turns and buries a dagger less than an inch from his hand. Then he slides the pistol farther away on the table. "Don't touch that. It's jury rigged to hell, thing's as temperamental as an old lady. If you want to learn more 'bout em I suggest waiting for me to fix it proper."
~Earlier in the trip~
While Curden is rolling the hot lead into balls he has his pistol set on the table so it's not close to the heat. When Gustav comes in and starts showing interest he turns and buries a dagger less than an inch from his hand. Then he slides the pistol farther away on the table. "Don't touch that. It's jury rigged to hell, thing's as temperamental as an old lady. If you want to learn more 'bout em I suggest waiting for me to fix it proper."
Gustav raises his hands slowly and backs up to lean against a bulkhead. "Fair enough, I can see it fine from here." He crosses his arms and watches the lead rolling process quietly for a bit before leaving.
~Back to the present~
So I believe our employers told us to split up to cover more ground right? Who's getting the angry Bush over there?
"Well I put the piece in, plus I prolly know more than most of you 'bout the workings in it."
Makes sense. You should probably take the skinny dwarf for some muscle and a guide and the elf for some healing and magical support. I'll take the Brawnier Dwarf along with the Tinkerer over there because I am NOT healing everyone. Oh, and Tattoos, you sound like you know stuff so you can tag along.
The golem listens to all of this, occassionally tilting it's head. Then it apparently becomes bored, for it begins to explore the ship, skating around the deck, examining everything. When it is done with this (about 15 minutes later), it moves to the door that leads below decks. It's feet split and absorb the blades, and then it walks down out of sight, making small tik and klik noises.
When Curdan comes down later, he finds the golem in his room, with his gunsmithing kit out. It has the amethyst from it's chest on his work table, using his gunsmithing tools and the burglary tools combined, along with some electrical discharges to probe the crystal. The disturbing part is his right hand has absorbed Curdan's tools, so instead of holding them, the tools are moving on their own within his segmented fingers.
I'll continue talking with the party then realized the Golem is going below decks
Where in the Nine Bells is he going?
Follows Tik'klik
Tik'Klik explores the ship, the hold, touching and looking at all the crates. It goes into the kitchen, get's a pot thrown at it, and chirps with indignation. Then it begins to check the cabins one at a time. On the second one, it stops, and then chirps and enters.
Looking in, it's in Curdan's room, and it's using his gunsmithing kit to do some weird things to the crystal that used to be in his chest.
Ummmm, GUYS GET DOWN HERE, YOUR TOY IS DOING SOMETHING IN CURDEN'S ROOM!
Curden hopes the railing, bursting through the door to find Tik'Klik messing with his things. For the second time today Curden draws his pistol, approaching it to see what it's doing with his tools. "You ought to tell us what you're doing. Can't just bust into other people's rooms." He lowers the gun, leaning over. "What are you trying to do there?"
Whispers to Curden while drawing crossbow, keeping it behind the doorframe
Do you know what this thing can do and is there any threat of it blowing up the ship with the powder you put into your wand?
"Not the whole ship. He don't seem interested in the powder anyways, just the tools."
"Tik'Klik"
The golem looks at Curdan's gun as he points it at it, then looks to the parts on the table. Then back to the gun. The golem then sticks a tool into the gun's flintlock gear.
"Tik'Klik!"
"Tik'Klik!"
The tool is released from the finger, leaving it stuck in the gears that allow the flint lock to fire. The golem then returns to the crystal, klik'ing and tik'ing to itself as it uses the the tools to carve into the back of the crystal, leaving precise little grooves in the blue crystal.
Apparently satisfied with the grooves, it pushes it's hand toward the little tool box Curdan's tools were in, and the fingers fold this way and that as they disgorge the tools, leaving each in the same place it was before. Except for the little probe that's in Curdan's gun now.
Now the golem picks up the little lead smelting device, and lights it, letting it heat up.
"Tik'Klik"
Should we do something?
Curden chuckles, prying the tool free and placing it back in the box. After a moment he takes out a scrap of paper and scribbles something on it, handing it to the construct. "Think he's just doing maintenance on himself. Don't see no harm in it."
Can you read and write? Tell me what you're trying to do.
The golem looks at the sheet of paper, picking it up and holding it at various angles. Reading it upside down, sideways, right side up. It flips it over and looks at the other side. Then it drops the paper on the table.
"Tik'Klik"
The golem reaches down to it's waist, and a pulls open a drawer. It's fingers come up with a copper piece. It picks up the pliars from Curden's tools, and begins twisting on the copper piece until it's bent and stretched wildly out of shape. By the time it's done, the copper piece looks like the looser at a taffy pull. It drops the mutilated copper piece into the little smelter, and begins operating the bellows on it rapidly. The fire flares, and the smelter get's hotter than it normally needs to. Eventually, the very thin copper begins to melt and pool at the bottom of the smelter cup.
"Tik'Klik"
"Tik'Klik"
"Tik'Klik"
Finally, with great care, the smelter cup is raised up, and a needle held at the pouring tip. The copper slowly flows out of the smelter cup, flowing down the needle, and into the tiny grooves. When the golem is done, the back of the crystal is etched with copper that looks eerily similar to the tattoo's on Dorian.
"Tik'Klik"
"Tik'Klik"
"Tik'Klik"
The little bellows are used to cool the metal down, and after a few minutes, the crystal is picked up and re-inserted into Tik'Klik's chest opening. The crystal begins to glow again, like it did earlier.
"Tik'Klik"
"Tik'Klik"
Seeming satisfied, the golem begins cleaning up the small mess it made.
Guess not. Curden watches him clean up, looking at the crystal before shrugging. "Let's get topside. We're gonna hit land soon."
I guess he is harmless. Let's go, hey Stumpy, Ya want to come with?
"Tik'Klik!"
But the golem finishes cleaning up the tools and smelter before following them up on deck.
Makes sense. You should probably take the skinny dwarf for some muscle and a guide and the elf for some healing and magical support. I'll take the Brawnier Dwarf along with the Tinkerer over there because I am NOT healing everyone. Oh, and Tattoos, you sound like you know stuff so you can tag along.
"Your suggestion for our team's makeup is acceptable. If the others are agreeable, we should begin our egress immediately. There is much to be done in the days ahead."
Curious when Tik'klik goes downstairs, Dorian follows and watches as he works on himself. He comments, "Perhaps not repairs so much as upgrades. I don't think it will harm anyone other than in self defense. It doesn't seem like this unit was designed for war, which would be the only logical reason for it to attack another person." Once the repairs are finished he returns to the deck with the other and asks Trelk and Gustav, "Well, are you two amenable to forming a team with Mr. Scotts and myself?"
Banny looks somewhat amused at being referred to as the 'skinnier' dwarf but doesn't argue. In her ideal world, she'd travel with Trelck-- she tolerates humans and other races alright, but ain't nothin' like marching with a fellow stone-son to know what you're getting and know you've got someone solid you can rely on, in her book.
....though... she's aware she hasn't been trustworthy herself, to her fellow dwarves, in the past. Maybe it's better after all they go their separate ways.
She leans back against the railing, watching Craw disappear belowdecks after the Tree. Gods and gears, this is gonna be... somethin'. She squints at Dorian, wondering which would be more annoying to her long-term... that smooth, measured, wordy voice, or the constant tick-clicking. Hnh.
Eh, good enough to get on with it. Banny makes sure all her gear is ready to go, giving the others on deck a brief nod before she heads downstairs to keep an eye on the Tree and the Human. ....and the elf, they're gonna have the elf. Heh.
Could be worse... could be a gnome.
She sticks her head in on Craw and what she is likely to keep mentally referring to as 'the tree' for a while. "Your gear ready to go when we land?" she asks, in lieu of any other greeting.
I'm ready to go, how's everyone else?