"if we had a dwarven smith, they could probably just lick it and tell us which way the wind blows, if you will."
Harg, you don't notice anything that gives you the sense of an attack coming. It seems desolate and empty. Keldor examines the machine, and finds that it is indeed active, but waiting for some kind condition to be met before coming online.
Harg looks back toward the group, and the machine on the floor.
"What are we to do about that?"
"It's waiting for something. It's functional. 'Powered' I could say, if not by what. A command word from the right person? Or a special situation. Like some golems? It only follows instructions...the RIGHT instructions or circumstances. Fascinating!"
"Well as long as it doesn't attack when we walk by... I guess that's okay."
"Why don't one of you folks with Mighty Thews open the door and let us pass this (I believe the Androffan term is) Robot and be on our way!"
Well, no use wasting time on this thing. We have a torch to relight, and a person to hopefully save. So unless one of you wants to poke it awake, shall we move on to the next room?
"The construct is on standby, but we do not know what it is waiting for, or how it would react to actions. Since we have not found Khonnir so far, he probably passed through here as well. I wonder what triggered the unit we already encountered...", Basil muses as she steps over into the next chamber, taking a look at the surroundings.
Harg follows Basil and gets a good look around the next room.
At the mention of Khonnir, Keldor immediately stands and moves to follow the others into the next room.
"Yes! Of course...Khonnir would know much more about this...robot...than anyone else. If he came this way and left it as it is, then it is best to continue in the same manner! My apologies for delaying us."
"Khonnir or Drovan. Either of them.", Basil instinctively adds to Keldors statement.
"Khonnir is the man I am actually here looking for. My lodge sent me to find him."
[b3]
The northern wall of this otherwise empty metal room is a tangle of what look to have once been strange cages of some sort. Tangled amid the metal ribs of these cages are ribs of a more organic nature—the ancient bones of some sort of alien creature. Smaller mounds of rubble lie against the opposite wall.
Keldor/Gauntlet will move to inspect the door in the East.
Basil will move in behind Keldor, stopping to take a look at the organic rips, trying to estimate the size and nature of the creature when it was still alive.
Seeing Keldor advance towards the East, Basil takes a closer look at the southern door/room.
Harg follows Keldor toward the East. Looking at the door
Dirissa is curious about the alien creatures in the cages, but moves to check the debris first. While the creatures may be interesting, danger may lurk in hidden places.
Apparently, the cages are VERY distracting.
Those examining the bones find they are creatures of some sort, however, they have six legs! You also find they crumble at the slightest touch, showing their age.
The door to the east is ajar, and you all look inside carefully.
[B5]
Two strange machines sit to the north and south against the
walls here, their faces appear similar to coils of metal tubes with
several nozzle-like protrusions pointing into the room itself.
Keldor steps into the next room to examine the machine to the South.
"Fascinating!"
Keldor, you find its some sort of non-military application. Given the proximity of the room and how its structured, you hazard it has some sort of "upkeep" process. There are nozzles for spraying some sort of cleaning agent.
Harg walks into the room with Keldor. Giving the room a once over, but watching Keldor analyze the machine on the wall.
"Excuse me.. How do you know what to look for in those? I know my way around a forge, and around weapons, but this.."Harg trails off and waves around the room"This goes right over my head"
Gets closer to the South maching with Keldor "So. Is it safe?
"Interesting machines these are." Kell will look around to see if he can find any Androffen to explain what it is they do.
Basil, undeterred by the findings in the room further down, still attempts to learn more about the chamber off to the south from the room with the bones.
Keldor shrigs.
"Its safe enough...I think. This room is some sort of 'cleansing room'. I was in communication with Khonnir for quite a while. Our correspondence includes schematics of similar technology. While I'm no expert, I can usually puzzle some basic things out if I get the chance to look them over."
Scanning about the new room, Dirissa asks, "Is that another door on the far side?" She seems reticent to enter this room. The nozzles make her nervous.
Noticing Dirissa's response, Kell will move to the machines and try to point the nozzles at the ground.
If the nozzles don't seem to "jump to life".
"Well, shall we check the door and continue in? I wonder if Khonnir cleared out to this point for us? It seems even more devoid of danger than I would have assumed..."
Seeing as how nobody else has been sprayed with fire or anything, Dirissa quickly scurries across the room and to the other door. "It may also be possible that someone set off any traps ahead of us, leaving us to not have to deal with them."
Keldor reaches through Gauntlet's helmeted head to scratch his actual head for a moment then cotinues.
"I would think they would be hidden better if they were traps. These are out in the open. Let's keep moving."
"Agreed!"
With one small glance toward the nossles. Harg moves to the door. Placing a hand on it for a brief second, before attempting to open the door.
"Better safe then sprayed with acid, I always say."
"Safety also demands to not leave ourselves exposed against attacks from the back.", Basil comments from the half-open door in the previous room she is working on.
If the door was not open, the previous expeditions might not have explored there.
And the previous expeditions had failed to return. Basil planned on not imitating them when it came to mistakes that could inperil their own incursion into this weird underground complex.
"Yes.. Getting flanked would not be good."
Pulls back from door. Then moves back to where Basil is.
"Might as well be thorough"
A gray metal door sits in one wall of this short stone tunnel that curves north before opening into a vast sand- fillled cavern.
And it is enormous...
Harg would like to take a step out into the sand filled chamber. Get a good look around.
Dirissa follows closely behind Harg, hookhammer in hand.
Keldor/Gauntlet will saunter down the tunnel to get a good look-see...
"Fascinating!"
Kell will fall in line behind the bruisers after making some quick notes in what appears to be a wizard's journal.
Touching the door, Basil jumps back as it suddenly slides closed with a metallic screeching, not moving any more:"I suppose that path is blocked...good as well-"
Looking at the others advancing further, she also makes her way to the sand-filled cavern.
Kell will wait for the front-liners to move in then take up a centralized location where he has good line of sight to most of the cavern.
Harg moves out into the massive room. Moving near the front of the others. Noticing some sort of bifurcation in the room he moves to its point.
Moving further in.
Basil advances with the others.
Spreading out could be disadvantageous, but so could be clumping up.
With no clues as to the preferrable method of handling the situation, she decides to follow half-way between Harg and Gauntlet.
"This cavern is enormous. It could take a while to thoroughly search." She continues to move with the bulk of the group, staying as wary as possible.
And it doesn't seem to be very possible.
Apparently, the strangeness of the place has her a bit out of sorts.
Keldor calls over to the rest of the group.
"With the size of this place, we should move together and do a pattern-grid type search. Like walking the right hand wall until we come to something else, then keep going right until we can't any more. Or something like that. I don't think splitting up would be a good idea down here."