Seemingly thunderstruck by the noise and destruction upon entering the room, Keldor stands awkwardly back glaring at the machine.
However in reality, Keldor is trying to determine the creature's nature and any weaknesses it may have!
Those technology minded in the group, are able to discern that this "thing" wasn't really designed for combat, the number of legs doesn't make sense and it isn't balanced right for fast paced movement. The fact that it is dismantling the storeroom lends to the line of thinking that its original purpose was something along the lines of destruction.
At Basil and Ember's inquiries, Val quickly shakes her head no.
"I was getting some supplies from the storeroom and the thing went crazy on me! Just started tearing the place apart!."
Hali marches up to the machine, knife in hand, and tries to grab and push it to the ground. However, the moment her hands touch its chasis, the malfunctioning machine turns its attentions on the young investigator.
EDIT: One of its hands reaches down and grabs Hali's arm and pulls hard as if trying to dismantle her! The force is strong and unexpected, but thankfully Halli' is able to wrench her arm out of the machine's grasp thanks to the shield module providing a small buffer layer between the impending grip and her body.
Hali does successful get a grip on the machine.
"We need to shut it down! FAST!"
Keldor immediate steps forward, unarmored and armed only with a dagger.
"WHISTHAWK...!"
...and Keldor nearly breaks his dagger on the construct's metal chassis!
Ember will run up to it and attempt to hit one of its legs with her hammer, hoping it will go off balance and fall.
"Wait a minute. Why scream your own name? That should be someone elses job."
Dodging flailing metal limbs, Keldor pants and tries to answer Ember's question...
"It's a family...warcry....sorry...supposed to put...fear into enemies..."
Basil steps up next to the robot, on the opposite side from Hali, grasping for one of the machines arms, saying, calmly:"Basil!" before looking at Keldor:"I believe this enemy may be fearless. Is there another reason for warcries?"
As the others attempt to chip unsuccessfully at the mechanical creature's exterior, Hali continues to impede its motion with her own limbs, steel-capped boot kicking hard into a joint in an attempt to kill what little mobility it retains.
"Gau i fyny, Basil." Given the grit teeth and strained words as she grapples the contraption, it might be more than a little obvious to some of their company that Hali has no interest hearing in the Android's asinine question. With a hearty grunt she jams her dagger into an exposed gap and punches a shielded fist into her assailant's inner chassis, openly cursing that she didn't have a crowbar or something more formidable to hand.
"Basil, we can have a name screaming discussion later."
Looking at Ember puzzled, Basil replies: "Oh, I am supposed to scream it?", then shuts up as Hali is seemingly not in the mood for talking.
Hoping to catch the construct with a telling blow, Keldor waits until the others are restraining the creature a bit in order to try and hit a weak spot on it with his now chipped dagger.
"Now!"
...and nearly loses his hand in the process.
Hali is able to wrestle the machine to the ground despite the weight difference, but as before the machine strikes out at the conveniently close target.
This time it seems to break through the buffering effects and latch on a firm grip onto Hali, squeezing until it feels like the arm might snap!
Val does take the initiative and scramble away and then onto her feet, so she's standing near the door.
Silently, Basil uses her other hand to retrieve rope from her pack, holding it out to Hali even as the mechanical creature lashes out at her.
Basils other hand remain a firm grip on the mechanical arm she grabbed earlier, limiting the way the robot could twist and turn to weasel away from Hali.
Rasellia, stunned by the appearance of the mechanical beast, was not sure how to respond. At first she is worried about damaging the creature. I know that it is dangerous she thinks but I still wouldn't want to damage a priceless artifact!
Then when it becomes clear that the rest of her party does not seem to be worried about hurting it, she worries further. She certainly trusts her party, especially Hali, who had always seemed very smart in her letters. However she worries about using her powers, she understands that the plane of negative energy is not usually considered a good thing to be connected to. She has never understood why people think this, but she understands that they do.
Then when the mechanical monster batters it's powerful metal limb into Hali, the crushing noise of the impact galvanises Rasellia into action. She steps forward to within range of the construct she calls on her powers. The powers of the void rush through her veins and with a thrust forward of her hands a concussive wave of gravity bursts toward the enemy.
"Terribly sorry!" she yells as her blast of force smashes part of the stone wall to pieces, missing the construct entirely.
Ember tries to batter away at the "arm" that is holding onto Hali.
Woefully ignorant of the filthy purple colour her arm is quickly becoming beneath its sleeve, Hali bites down her teeth—disinterested in giving this blasted machine the satisfaction of a scream—and drops her dagger in favour of Basil's rope to restrain the construct.
With the monstrosity duly restrained, Hali staggers backwards, falling to the floor as her bad leg gives away with a painful scratch of bent gears.
Still, disheveled and all, Hali manages to give the now-standing Val a proper wave of greeting from the floor—with immediate regret as her muscles begin to roar bloody murder for the trouble.
Basil remains vigilant over the tied up Drone. If it still struggles, she will attempt to pinpoint a power source - a battery pack or reactor of sorts, and visually assess if removal is an option.
She also remains silent, looking at her senior with a look of deliberation, before settling on a thumbs-up sign.
Through the attempts of all the party members, the malfunctioning machine is rendered helpless, its body tied up with rope. Regardless, it keeps exerting itself, repeatedly trying to break out of its bonds.
Basil looks for some kind of switch or mechanism that might turn it off, but the mess of wires and the amount of sparking that's occurring in its exposed circuitry doesn't look promising.
Val looks relieved that it has been restrained, but is still worried as it methodically jerks every two seconds to break its restraints.
"I don't think we can turn it off, so can one of you just make it stop?" Val asks.
As a full-round action, you can use a melee weapon to deliver a coup de grace (pronounced "coo day grahs") to a helpless opponent. You can also use a bow or crossbow, provided you are adjacent to the target.
You automatically hit and score a critical hit. If the defender survives the damage, he must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or die. A rogue also gets her extra sneak attack damage against a helpless opponent when delivering a coup de grace.
Delivering a coup de grace provokes attacks of opportunity from threatening opponents.
You can't deliver a coup de grace against a creature that is immune to critical hits. You can deliver a coup de grace against a creature with total concealment, but doing this requires two consecutive full-round actions (one to "find" the creature once you've determined what square it's in, and one to deliver the coup de grace).
When she sees the machine still struggle, Basil swiftly lines up her Blunderbuss with what is likely the creatures energy unit, ready to fire if it manages to break the restraints, and looks at Hali and Ember questioningly.
Still wincing at her arm, Hali reaches again into her coat to retrieve a small, almost arachnid shaped construction, and without much hesitation pulls back her sleeve to reveal the red and mauve markings left by the robot's intense grip. A quick flick of power into the gadget has it latch onto the wound, emanating a small buzz as a tiny vial at the centre of the mechanism quickly empties into the skin. The solution does at least reduce the swelling somewhat, but not quite enough to stop the pain.
Glancing up to see Basil and her gun trained at a weak point, and Val not much interested in having it keep moving, she gives the Android a nod. "Blast it then. We'll tell Khonnir I owe him a construct."
Seeing the nod from Hali, Basil pulls the trigger, and with a cacophonous bang the blunderbuss goes off, propelling the bullet it was loaded with right through the helpless construct.
Keldor leans in closely to examine the work-machine/construct.
"Fascinating! Look here...the cogs fit so tightly here...is that even measurable?"
Looking up suddenly at Basil, Keldor asks again without thinking.
"Is he some sort of cousin for you Basil? I mean, there are obvious differences and your construction/biology is so much different really, but I'd be amiss if I did not compare! I've always been taught there were only two major types of constructs: Golems and simple constructs. This and Basil are technically whole classes until themselves...but are also technically based on similar technological assumptions and rules...
Realizing he's getting some odd stares by the others, Keldor stops spouting semi-rude nonsense and sums up his curiosity quickly while he puts way his chipped dagger. He then points at the non-moving juggernaut with a shrug as if it was some sort of explanation for his behavior.
"Its just fascinating!"
Silvester watches the construct closely, poking it carefully with his rapier. "Is it-" he begins, before realizing that 'dead' isn't the best adjective in this situation, and finishing, "no longer a threat?"
Basil does not seem to have taken any offense at Keldor's implications: "This thing is mechanical. With an limited energy source, constructed for a task, ...it can run out of power, and when you break it, it can be repaired. I am, to the best of my knowledge, a bio-organic free-willed life-form that self-sustains itself. Your comparison, then, seems off. I suspect we have about as much in common as you and a undead turtle. Different power source, different reaction to having limbs taken from you, different purpose for existance, but there are similarities. Does that answer your question?"
Spending a moment to reload her weapon with powder and a bullet, Basil nods towards Silvester:"It seems to be inert, yes. But with constructs, that's not a guarantee for their continued inactivity. It would probably be best if Hali or Ember take a look at it and see if any parts can be salvaged. Partial or complete disassembly seems to work pretty well for permanently shutting them down."
Looking back at Keldor, she adds:"Matter of fact, complete disassembly shuts most things down, a similarity shared with your and my kind."
Rasellia runs up to her friend Hali first.
"Oh are you alright Hali?" she asks and the breaks into a sudden rush of speech, like a dam has been burst. I'm terribly sorry that you have been hurt. Oh if only I had been more certain of my attack perhaps I could have spared you this. Not that I am not happy that you managed to restrain the thing without destroying it. Um, good job on that by the way. I thought it was particularly impressive how you disabled it, you must know ever so much about machines. I don't suppose you could teach me one day? But not today of course, with the arm and all, and, stuff... She lapses into silence and steps back blushing.
She breaths a soft sigh of relief as Hali applies some sort of curative device to her arm, and her interest in this contraption quickly outweighs her previous regret. Her pencil makes rapid notes on the page as she walks over to the defeated construct.
Rasellia drops her notebook and pencil in shock as Basil delivers a killing blow with her blunderbuss. She drops to her knees without a thought to retrieve them. This is not very ladylike a voice in her head says as she scrabbles around on all fours. Her embarrassment only makes the process take even longer as with on hand she tries to hold her skirts in place, finally she stands, but her hair has fallen out of it's bun and covered her face. Eyes down, she puts it back up as she watches the construct and listens to Keldor talk.
For an instant she is worried, but is pleased when Basil does not seem to react to Keldors comments. I have probably already offended the poor lady terribly she thinks, I am glad that she seems not to be taking issue. As Basil makes her final, somewhat macabre comment, she steps closer to Silvester, glad for the sharp foil he holds.
"Um, yes quite." she says, turning to Val "I am Rasellia Serapaelis, a pleasure to meet you. Did you cause this construct to go berserk?" She realises immediately her mistake "I mean do you know what caused it? Sorry..."
Ember nods at Basil. "Disassembling is always the surest way ti end attacks. It would be both interesting and fun to get to take apart this thing and figure out how it was originally put together. Maybe we could even figure out what its original purpose was. Though of course we shouldn't do that here in the house. You never know what could explode. We should haul it out to a workshop, much safer that way for everyone."
"Speaking of safety. HEY VAL! Are you ok?"
Eager look on his face, Keldor looks at Ember.
"Really? We could dissect it? That would would be wonderful!"
"Well, I would usually use the word dissect for biologicals and disassemble for mechanicals. But yeah, sure. Unless of course Val objects to us taking it anywhere since it is in her fathers house."
Hali would wince at the sudden blast, but there's too much humour in Keldor's questions and seeing Rasellia so obviously out of her comfort zone, so the investigator can't help but laugh. "Don't worry yerself lass! Gearalts ain't much for injuries; strong as glaucite, we are!" She tries an exaggerated flex for proof, but the sharp sound she lets loose is hardly convincing. "...Though maybe we best start w' notes."
And with that thought, Hali manages to reach her good arm across the floor to retrieve the retreating noblewoman's abandoned possessions. Now a better person might've just handed over Rasellia's notes without much thought...but Hali is not that person, and within a few seconds has thumbed her way through half the notebook with remarkable speed.
She offers a light sound of acknowledgment to Ember's suggestion, but otherwise seems set on amusing herself with the contents of Rasellia's observations, whatever they may be.
With the erratic machine finally motionless, Val gives Ember an appreciative hug, lifting her up and holding her close. You can feel from the sweat on her body and the slight tremor in her arms that she was terrified of what could have happened.
She quickly invites you all to the tavern, The Foundry, and seats you at a table. She returns quickly with a large keg freshly tapped and insists that each of you partake in the tavern's finest alcohol. There's a rich fruit aroma wafting from the mugs, and the sparkling alcohol seems cold and fresh.
"By the Gods, I thought I was a goner." Val confesses as she sets mugs down in front of each of you. "But what are you all doing out here?"
Keldor speaks as the others take sips of their drinks.
"We're a bit restless with all that is going on...we want to DO something, not just sit around as things go from bad to worse. Well, that's at least how I feel: To come all this way, and Khonnir is missing! Torch is slowly dying now that the flame is gone?"
Keldor shakes his head in frustration.
"I was taught to be proactive. Keep moving. Get the job done right the first time. But we don't even really know what's going on!"
At that point, Keldor realizes he's talked too much again, and buries himself in his drink, although the look of exasperation and frustration remains on his face.
"Basically, we were sight-seeing. Showing these visitors, Friends of Hali Gearalt and Ember Firesong, around. With an emphasis on locales perceived as 'Attractions' or of importance, in or around Torch. The intent being, I believe, to show them what they will risk their lifes for if they decide to join an attempt to return our respective foster fathers from wherever their ill-fated expeditions stranded them.", Basil explains somewhat monotonously, seeming to enjoy the smell of the drink even more than the taste, keeping the Mug very close to her face.
"We did not really have a chance to discuss details of such an retrieval attempt with them, though. Maybe we could do that, now?"
Val seems overjoyed to hear you all are attempting to find her father.
"Please, anything you need to find those that've gone missing, I'll do all I can. You can even use the Foundry as a base of operations, I can't run it on my own anyway."
She suddenly gets an idea and runs out the door. She returns in a bit with several bedrolls.
"Now you don't have to pay for the inn if you don't mind sleeping in these. But please don't mess with the machine at the house. Khonnir was really looking forward to trying to repair it, and I think he'll notice the stab marks."
She looks at all of you hopefully.
With a smile growing on his face, Keldor quickly grabs a bedroll.
"Really? You trust us to find Khonnir? After that...melee?"
He runs his hand though his hair in a gesture that shows he's thinking.
"OK. I can't speak for the others, but I want to help Khonnir and find the all of those that are missing too. Hopefully we can even get the Torch lit again!"
Rasellia looks over the bedrolls. They are charmingly rustic part of her thinks, but the rest was not certain how good sleeping on the floor would feel. Still she thinks, I came out here to Numeria to get life experience, I suppose this is exactly what I was looking for.
However she cannot rouse the same excitement as Keldor seems to be able to. He seems like the kind of boy -and she cannot help but think of him as a boy, despite their apparently similar ages- that gets exited when a gang on bandits rob the town. She has always preferred reading to fighting, and really doesn't mind if people don't think of her as a hero.
"I am only a scholar but..." she begins. Despite her reservations, torch certainly seems to need someone to help. She was not experienced in fighting, but perhaps these powers of hers could finally be useful for something. "But I will also help find Khonir, and I too would like to see the Torch restored, I think it would be wonderful to see."
She presses her fingers together nervously before also taking one of the bedrolls. She hopes that she will be of help, she would so hate to be a burden.
"That there w' the plan," Hali mutters in dry agreement to Basil's rather stoic explanation, sipping a little from the mug and returning to her current task of lightly hammering out a dent in her brace. Having borrowed a second chair to leverage her leg, the investigator has so far peeled off the front plate and presently goes about willing the metal back into shape with a bit of good old fashioned elbow grease. Her spot at the table is littered with small tools, gears, an open formulae book, and the burnt-out remains of her Cure and Shield gadgets...but it's clear her arm isn't letting her have much success so far.
She does, at least, pay some proper attention to the conversation, and at the sound of Val's offer looks up from her tinkering with a somewhat difficult look. Hali's never been the biggest fan of charity, but with Drovan gone (and ergo most of her trading obligations) the thought of lingering in her own gear-filled hovel doesn't hold much traction. Hidden among the proverbial mountain of metal at her seat, the large brass key to the Gearalt's family store offers her even less.
"Looks like yer stuck with us!" She shrugs, polished teeth beaming in the widest grin her face allows. "An' don't worry t' much about that damned thing. Am sure the Councillor'll understand havin' t' repair a machine." Hali knocks her knee-cap, an array of iron pegs protruding from small holes her trousers. "Believe me, kiddo: fixin' daughters? Not quite as easy."
"Now I'll need t' collect a couple things first. Ain't no way in all the Hells I'm goin' down there without a few more bits an' pieces..." she says, trying to one-handedly fix her brace to its pins. "Say, yer old man didn't happen t' mention what it were like down there, did 'e Val? Can't say I'm lookin' forward to swimming that bog either..."
Val smiles at Keldor.
"To be honest, I'm just happy that someone is still planning on looking. We've had several group go to search, but haven't returned."
Her hair is still a mess. Between thanking you with fine alcohol and being attacked by a malfunctioning repair droid, she hasn't given much thought to her appearance. To Ember, this is old Hat. Val was never one to care for such frivolous things. Not when she could be elbow deep into whatever her Father was working on.
She also perks up at Rasellia's mention of restoring the Torch.
"My thoughts exactly! Finding Dad is the first priority, but if the town disperses because the Torch is out, then it might just break his heart. I've been up a couple times trying to dig around, but so far no one has really discovered anything of use."
She glances at Hali.
"I mean, finding everyone that's gone missing." she quickly adds, suddenly remembering that Hali also has kin that has gone missing.
"I know that since he made a trip earlier, he reported to the town council. They have a vested interest in finding my father so I think they have a bit more information than I would. But...."
She ponders, leaning against the table Hali is working on.
"I know you'll be going underwater for a time. And I think my dad mentioned something about weird door at the end of an underground tunnel."
Eagerness etched on his face, Keldor jumps up.
"Let me retrieve my effects from my room, and I will return shortly! Finally! A true adventure awaits!"
"Val, do you know if your father left behind any maps or notes of the area he last headed for? And we might need to pick up a few things before heading out, especially if we may be underwater for a bit. Enough rope to tie us together, perhaps so some sunrods since torches would go out, waterproof sacks for our rations...." Ember trails off as she tries to think of anything else that might be needed.
"A word, my lady?" Without waiting for a response, Silvester takes Rasellia gently by the arm and leads her to a corner, where he speaks in a hushed tone. "Are you sure about this course of action? We don't know what we'll be facing if we go after these parties, and while I'll fight men and undead for you, who knows if I can protect you from whatever we may find? Your parents would have my head on a pike if I let anything happen to you!"
Looking back at the others, especially Hali, before turning back to his ward, he continues, "I understand you want to help here, particularly your friend. But think of your own safety, I implore you. I am sworn to follow wherever you see fit, but that doesn't mean you need to follow every fool's errand."
Val shakes her head, a look of disappointment on her face.
"Dad thought if he carelessly left his adventuring materials around the house, I might get it into my head to go off on my own."
"Though he's probably right..." she mutters.
At Silvester's sudden aside with Rasellia, Val gives Ember and Hallie an odd look, that local connection showing.
"Friends of yours?"
"Yeah. They seem to be good folks, just not too aware of how life works around here. They should be capable enough to help us track down your wayward father. I hope you plan to send him to bed without his supper when we drag him back here. I'm still betting he is just entranced with some huge piece of tech he is unwilling to leave until he can figure out how to get it back here on his own."
Hali nods along with Ember, still smiling—though it's obvious to everyone that it's more than a little forced as she begins rambling off in an ever-thickening accent.
"Too right! Pulura's tights, knowin' my lot they'll be off playin' arm-deep in some vaguely feminine shaped scrapheap without so much as a care. One track mind, those two; always 'ave been. Y' old man's done us good, Val—more than I'll ever do t' be sure—but the only thing my hobblin' slag-spit excuses for Kellid bloodkin are gettin' involves barrels, tindertwigs, and enough blackpowder t' get them mistaken fer flyin' debris!" The engineer underlines the point with a hefty smack of her hammer to her knee-plate, locking the brace down in its entirety with a satisfying array of clicks, breathing more than a little heavily in the wake of her outburst.
Given a moment to swallow air, the only present Gearalt of Torch puts down her tools, the faint wisps of a tremor lingering in her hands as she poorly attempts to laugh it off. "Family, eh? Feckin' bloody nuisance." Sidestepping her own embarrassment, Hali quickly changes topic. "Oh, but—Ras 'ere? She's a scholarly type. Ustalav, southerners, you know how it is. Bit of a...You saw the blastin', aye? Unique's a word for it. Canny head on 'er though. Plenty o' theory but none o' the practice; an' if she's willin' t' give us a hand with this then...well, I sure as steel won't stop 'er."
At Silvester, Hali outright shrugs, a coy smirk to her lips as she adds: "Not sure 'bout the toyboy yet."
"Well, um" Rasellia twirls her fingers in her hair as Silvester talks to her. "I do see what you mean, and I suppose it might certainly be a little dangerous, but..." She takes a deep breath and says rapidly. "But they do so need our help, I mean this whole situation is just ever so terrible for the people of Torch and no one else seems to be being very successful. I mean I cannot be sure that we are going to be more successful but you are very skilled with that rapier and these powers of mine have got to come in useful for something you know, I have had them for quite a few years and have not really used them. I am sure you can keep me safe and we can't just abandon out new friends can we? Besides I am certain nothing will happen to me, I am very hardy and I do so want to help! Mother and Father would not be angry as long as you tried your best. So can we please stay? I mean, we are staying, and that's final! If that's okay with you?"
With this said she turns from Silvester blushing. Oh he probably was not pleased by that. I probably should have been less forceful, or more so she bunches her hands in her skirts in frustration Oh I do not know at all! She tries to clear her head, and tries to focus on the rest of the conversation. She noticed both Val and Ember speaking as she was talking to Silverster, but did not catch what they were saying. She turns back just in time to catch the very end of Hali's speech.
"Oh um, yes" she chimes in, trying somewhat awkwardly to step back into the conversation. "Mainly history, my scholarly focus, and yes, unfortunately I have not had much of a chance to practice anything that I have read about. Um, I am hoping that I will have a chance to do so here in Torch, if that is possible." For a moment she considers addressing her powers, since Hali clearly noticed them. Maybe if I do not mention them everyone will forget she hopes fervently. Upon realizing what Hali's last few words were she quickly remarks "Oh no Silverster and I are just old friends, um, yes. She blushes.
Ember gets the giggles at the "toyboy" remark.
"He did report to the town council. He may have attempted to protect Val by not leaving information at home, but it would seem reasonable to assume that he left word of anything he learned for potential future expedititions with those organizing these. We should see about learning more, there.", Basil interjects, when Val mentions not knowing anything.
When Ember and Hali explain about their nature of connection to Rasellia, Keldor, and Silvester, Basil listens. The social networking part of so-called friendship, or kinship for that matter, was fascinating. She knew about the nanite swarm that was her kindred's substitution of blood. She knew of ants, bees...wolf packs or flocks of bird. But the complicated social structures of humans, with diverse levels of closeness, super- and inferiority, respect or the lack thereoff, in general: all of that, that was fascinating. As such, learning about new kinds of interconnections was intriguing. Looking at Silvester, she asks:"Silvester Roland, what is a toyboy? That is, how would you define your relation with the woman you accompany?"
And now the giggles have turned into outright laughter.
At this point Keldor comes rushing back, now armed and armored, his arms full of traveling gear and other 'equipment.'
"I'm back..."
Finding everyone quiet except Ember rolling on the floor laughing, causes Keldor to stutter step and nearly fall. A look of utter confusion and embarrassment shadows his face.
"Did I miss something?"
Before anyone can dare to point blame at her choice of word, Hali holds up her hands in defense, sniggering alongside Ember and more than thankful for the distraction as Keldor bursts through the door.
"And wouldn't y' know it, that there's my cue!" she laughs, refusing to answer anyone as she moves to pull on her coat and mimic the half-elf's intentions with a short trip of her own. That it gives her an excuse to perhaps escape before Silvester decides to point that oversized needle in her direction is entirely unrelated. Probably. Maybe.