Iron Gods Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master Daniel Penfold 351

As he was bid, Poshment eyes the creature closely while he responds to Zimdoz's strange words.
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Sense Motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
If Poshment can't discern something more specific, he will still let Zimdoz know, but won't push the issue any further.

Poshment, it appears that the creature is telling you all he knows

Grezzag watches warily. He nods in agreement if the part about not liking mechanical creatures is translated and becomes more inclined to trust these creatures.

Alldur flicks his wrist and focuses on the hammer with a few words.

Casting detect magic and trying to learn anything I can about the hammer. If the creatures reacts negatively Alldur will stop, but other wise he'll explore his curiosity.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15

Zimdoz nods at Vrilledt, then turns to the party, and in common, he says, "I think Vrilledt was either made here or born here - possibly by the masters of these machines, or machines themselves. Vrilledt likely can't tell us much, though. The fact that he hasn't attacked us immediately is a good sign. I am willing to lead them to safety if you all are."

Alldur, you think that the hammer is a +1 light hammer

"This is fine with me as well! A quick escort and we can get back to the business of exploring the rest of this area!" Poshment proudly steps aside to make sure everyone can pass him. The more people who see me positively, the better!

Vivianne stands upright and glances over at Zimdoz, smiling and shrugging lightly. "Always willing to help an innocent soul out. Besides, it doesn't seem like it's that difficult of a task. I'd lead the way but... I'm still not entirely sure about finding my way in this place."

Zimdoz nods at Vivienne, ”Agreed, we should help all creatures great and small. I think we passed through the caves Vrilledt wants to go to on the way in; so his destination shouldn’t be hard to find. Not more than 5 minute walk..”[b] Zimdoz will nod at Vrilledt.

You lead Vrilledt and two of his minions to the Black Hill Caves from which they head down a smaller tunnel which they say will eventually go down to the Underdark. As payment Vrilledt gives you hi +1 light hammer.

Returning to where you met him there is nothing else of interest in this room.

Where next?

C12 was where Khonnig was, so C9 I suppose.

Well that worked out as well as anything else! "Sounds as good a place as any Grezzag, lead the way!"
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Which areas have we yet to explore? Have y'all entered the area where the bloody drag marks go to (Eastern most doors on map).

C9 works, Zimdoz will be a standard scout.

Zimdoz thanks Vrilledt and returns to where they came from. ”Remember, we’re trying to figure out why Torch has been extinguished. So keep your metaphorical eyes out for clues, yes yes yes.” Zimdoz rubs his paws together in a very rattish way.

I’ll mark what’s explored when I get home.

'Press on. I'll keep scanning the rooms to see if the cause is magical or mechanical.'

Ok C9 it is

This unlit circular room is empty save for a panel of controls on the wall to the northwest. A coil of tubes dangling from the left side of the panel periodically flashes with sparks, while a single square window on the panel blinks with several lines of strange writing.

Alldur, nothing detects as magical in this room

Zimdoz checks everything in the room, especially the sparking tube, to make sure nothing is dangerous.

Take 10 to check for traps or anything of note in C9.

"Ahh, we forgot one of the rooms behind us, we can check that one next. It looks like it has a mold on the door of some type, maybe the same as we saw before."

If Zim sees nothing in C9, he'll suggest checking the door to c7 for traps and going in.

Zimdoz, you notice that while the floor seems quite solid, the ceiling appears to be hollow. It looks like some of the tubes could easily be repaired by using a forge to replace the broken/sparking part. There is nothing else of note.

[I]You do not find any traps. The air in this room is unusually warm and moist, with a thin, pale vapour of mist clinging to the ceiling, causing the lighted panels to diffuse and become muted. Condensation runs down the walls along with a riot of unusual brown and dull green vegetation. The moist, thick-stemmed plants and vines grow out of long earth-filled troughs along the wall, while a tall column of plant matter extends like a tree trunk from a circular planter in the middle of the room to spread like a network of vines across the mist-shrouded ceiling. A low humming sound fills the air.

Grezzag peers at the panel and controls. "Anyone understand what language this is? " he asks, poking at a random button away from the sparks.

---

C7

" Looks like this must be where all the plants came from. What's making that noise though?" He hunts about, trying to pinpoint the source of the humming.

Perception : 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12

"I've never seen anything quite like it before. If we are really keen on learning what it says, I can pray to Milani for a spell tomorrow morning," Poshment offers while Zimdoz clears the next room.

Following Grezzag into the room, his nose wrinkles a little. "What an odd smell, like laundry you've left a week or two too long in a damp basement..."
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Perception (Aid) vs Grezzag: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23 Success!
Thanks for marking the map with explored locations! :D

You do not find anything else of interest in this room

Vivianne glanced around nervously as they went, keeping one hand on the hilt of her sword as she went. "I was expecting more trouble... Is the lack of it worrying anyone else?"

You’re welcome! I memorized comprehend languages, so I’ll pop that and we can see what it says. Should cover even weird languages like this.

Zimdoz rummages in his bandolier and draws out a clear vial with a number of odd glowing letters floating within, and quaffs it.

”We’ve had some trouble, earlier. Maybe we beat all of the villains?” Zimdoz attempts to read any of the writing he comes across, using his newfound language ability.

By using comprehend languages Zimdoz recognises the writing as being written in an unknown language called Androffan. The words translate as follows:

The warning line is flashing in red, deck 3 is lit in a bright blue light.

"It is a little unsettling, to me at least," Poshment agrees. "Though a lack of trouble certainly makes it easier!" he points out. "Let's try another door in that circular chamber." At least that smell isn't in the rest of the compound.
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C10 then C5 then C3?

"Elevator and decks? What do you reckon that means? Like on a boat?" Grezzag puzzles.

”For that matter - engineering? Science? The magic seems to translate those words but the meaning seems fuzzy to me. ‘Engineering’ seems to mean, in Taldan, ‘the method by which scientific principles are applied to practical purposes.’ ‘Science’ means, ‘the process of hypothesis, observation, and confirmation that is used to describe the order of the natural world.’” Zimdoz scratches his head. ”I don’t think Golarion is particularly versed in either of these - the closest approximations would be alchemy, mathematics, and natural philosophy, but the words are not really analogous to anything commonly used in Taldan. It’s very strange.” Zimdoz makes a start as if remembering something.

”I had made a supposition earlier, before we met you Vivienne and Poshment, that much of the stuff in this cave came from a group of people that were more advanced than those in Astavan, maybe from across the sea. Much, much more advanced. Perhaps this is evidence that this is the case! Perhaps my supposition can be seen as a ‘hypothesis’. Now I’m observing the world to collect data, and at the end of the process, I will come up with a confirmation of the hypothesis. Goodness, this is very exciting! We are doing what these strange, advanced creatures did - perhaps that will give us insight as to their behavior and motivation. I... I don’t know. Alldur, does this make sense?”

When Grezzag mentions a ship, Zimdoz says ”I don’t know, I’ve never been on a ship or boat, I’ve only seen pictures in books. We’re underground and not near any water, so either this is not a ship or it is a ship that got moved from the water to here, maybe by magic?” Zimdoz cocks his head and shrugs.

We’ll explore in Poshment’s proposed order, I’ll check every door for traps, take 10, for 22. So C10 first.

You do not find any traps.

Four narrow stalls take up the south portion of this room, their doors and partitions not quite reaching the tiled floor or ceiling above. A fifth door stands to the west, while a strange metal basin protrudes from the wall immediately to the east of the entrance

Alldur pipes up after a moment. 'My understanding of 'engineering' in a case like this leans more towards the creation and maintaining of mechanical devices. I've heard tell of some interesting feats of engineering down in a city known as Alkenstar, but more importantly, it's used as sort of a buzzword for those of us that study the strange sky-metal devices that keep popping up here in Numeria. I'd very much like to explore this Engineering section.'

"Frankly, none of anything you all just said makes sense to me. I only even recognize a handful of the words you used!" Poshment admits. I'm no scholar, that's for sure, but if these guys know what they're talking about, I'll leave that sort of thing to them.

In the room of stalls, the Gnome gently opens one up and peers inside. "What do you suppose these are for? Are they chairs of some sort?"

"If it's to do with mechanical stuff, could be that place has something to do with the Torch going out. Can't hurt to check it out if we can." Grezzag muses.

----

Grezzag looks through each door and boggles at the indoor outhouses. "They've stuck the pots to the floor? How are you s'posed to empty them? This place must've stunk when people were using it!"

He will poke randomly at any buttons that he notices.

As Grezzag idly pushes one of the buttons there is a strange suction noise and the pan fills with water before slowly draining away again.

Vivianne stares at the pan fills with water, looking between Grezzag and the pan a couple times before moving to another stall. She randomly pushes buttons until she can get find the one to cause the reaction, and then proceeds to do it several times, adding some dirt on occasion while watching the water come and go. "This is... interesting."

Where next?

Zimdoz grins, ”Well, it looks like we figured out what they’re for. If only every inn had one of these. Though I wonder where the waste ends up... and for that matter, where the water comes from. It doesn’t seem magical.” Zimdoz muses, then says ”Alkenstar, you say? That’s where firearms were invented, I know that much. Supposedly there’s no magic there. Maybe the people who lived here were under similar conditions? Magic seems to work now though. It’s odder and odder.” He shakes his head.

C5! Checking for traps.

You do not find any traps. Two circular metal tables and several chairs fill the bulk of this room. Metal cabinets sit against the walls, while to the north stands a large machine with glowing panels on its surface. The air in this room feels unusually warm.

You find in one of the cabinets 120 goo tubes

"What in the world are these? There are a lot of them!" Poshment asks, holding up a handful of the goo tubes. Why does every one of these rooms feel different?

The goo tubes smell vaguely like meat

"Blech, Alldur, can you make sense of this panel? It seems to be functioning."

While his companions investigate the panel, the lack of any real danger in the area slightly emboldens Poshment. What sort of meat is this? Hesitantly, he brings it up to his mouth and tries to get something out of the tube.

Survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Grezzag sniffs at the tube, and also pokes his finger in and tastes it unless Survival says not to

Vivianne makes a face and shakes her head as she watches Poshment and Grezzag. "Do you two know how old that stuff has to be?"

Alldur steers himself around the goo tubes, eyeing them warily. As he nears the paneled machine, he whips his head around to focus on figuring out it's use. 'Let's see.'

Know: Engi: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21

1d100 ⇒ 39

1d100 ⇒ 57

Poshment, the tube you try tastes really bad, you think that it has spoiled. Grezzag, the tube you try has a strange taste but it seems OK.

Alldur, you think the panel is some kind of control panel, it looks as if the room is some kind of mechanical chamber than can move between different levels. You think if power is attached to it, you may be able to move between levels.

Gagging, Poshment tosses his tube to the floor. "Whatever it is supposed to be, I hope it isn't that!" he complains desperately wishing for the taste to leave his mouth. "How was yours Grezzag? It didn't smell bad," he responds to Vivianne. "Yet the taste made it quite clear that they are past their prime. Let me know when you think I'm about to do something foolish, eh? But, you know, before I do it," he says with a wink. "Not everyone has their own personal Paladin of Iomedae to advise them!"

Grezzag masticates thoughtfully. "This one's ok. Bit odd, but doesn't seem bad. 'Cause, you might just be used to fancy stuff." He offers Poshment his tube to try.

Alldur begins searching for a way to power the panel. 'If we can power this panel we can reach the other areas of this structure... I think'

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Zimdoz chuckles as the party tries eating the various goo tubes. He cracks his knuckles and searches as well, his rat eyes looking for a device to fix.

"Let's look everyone, we need some of this strange metal rope, maybe, to connect to the control panel. It seems to have the ability move electricity, or at least some does. We learned that when we were all almost shocked to death a few days ago and we didn't treat it carefully enough."

Perception take 10, for 22.

Sighing and shaking her head at the antics, Vivianne laughed slightly. "I'll make sure to do that from now on." She walks over to the panel and gives a few pokes, trying to figure it out while Zimdoz and Alldur go looking for the 'metal rope'.

You manage to find enough small bits of tubing dotted about to fix the connections