This cold subterranean records hall is dim and quiet. In front of a heavy wooden door stands Venture-Captain Shevala Iorae, one of the Society’s premier experts on the ruined siege towers near Absalom. She waves and begins speaking eagerly as she approaches, the flame of her candle struggling against her pace.
“Hello! I’m sorry to summon you to such a bleak meeting space, but I’m gathering intelligence that I can really get only here. Come, you’ll have to see for yourselves.” Venture-Captain Iorae gestures toward the wooden door behind her, saying, “Before we go in, tell me—do you know much about the Red Redoubt of Karamoss?”
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This figure is skeletally thin underneath his maroon duster. Under the jacket, he wears a tight black suit covered in straps. He moves with an unsettling grace.
His voice has a filtered, mechanical quality from behind his mask, and his breathing is constantly audible. Underneath the yellowed lenses of his mask, the area around his eyes is darkened, accentuating his sharp brow and fierce gaze.
"My....code name...is Psycho. Psycho Mantis. My mental powers are unmatched. I am here...to find secrets...."
He moves his hands around in a smooth, hypnotic pattern.
"Don't worry...I won't read your mind unless I need to...so many filthy thoughts in your animal skulls. Disgusting...."
He brings his hands up to his head as the Venture-Captain describes the Redoubt.
"I know some of this place...the Red Redoubt. I have seen the mind of someone that went on an extraction mission there...."
"It is entirely made of djezsteel...the underground levels are almost entirely unexplored. Interesting...."
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Know. Arcana
Tesserae was off of her normal routine. Nothing she enjoyed more than sitting in the far corner of the briefing session, sipping tea and doing some knitting while she took in the finer details of the assignment. There's nowhere to sit, no tea to drink...I don't like this..
Tess stood, uncomfortably shifting her weight from her left foot to her right foot. She was a slender elf of indiscriminate age. She didn't sully herself with armor, or flashy weapons. If closely examined, her loose robe sleeves had a bit of motion seemingly on their own. After even close exam, a tiny monkey can be seen poking its head out of her sleeve.
When she spoke in response to a question, her voice sounded much older than one would expect seeing her outward appearance. "Karamoss, the Machine Mage. He spent decades building constructs and automatons in the Silver Mount. And that djezsteel material, it greatly enhances magic. It will be interesting to see exactly how ..."
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Turning the corner in these dark, damp cramped archive halls comes a bright light, like the sunrise cascading over a dark countryside so too does a man dressed in bright yellow's and oranges that shimmer in the light bouncing off his chest from his wayfinder.
"What a dark and deary place to meet! Whyever would we be called down here." Seeing the rest of the party and the Venture Captain takes one large leap to join the rest of the group eager to introduce himself "How do ya do, I'm Harmonious, sing it don't say it. Seems like we have a mission to take care."
After hearing the run down of the mission Harmonious after scratches his chin for a bit, clearly in thought but after a few short moments he shrugs. "Can't say I know too much, but it sounds like I've been paired up with some competent pathfinders! Really I must say you make for some interesting companions! Psycho Mantis, what a cool name. Is that like a stage name and Tessara what a fun monkey does it do any tricks?"
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Psycho Mantis holds up a clenched fist, his whole body trembling with rage at the bard.
"STAGE...NAME."
He reaches out towards Harmonius, his holding his hand like a claw.
"No knowledge is beyond my reach. I walk the hidden corridors of your mind. I have keened my thoughts to a sharpness...that will gut a man's soul."
He pulls his arms to his sides, fists clenched once more. He begins floating just barely off the ground, an aura of intense red spiritual energy flashing around him.
"I DO NOT...HAVE A STAGE NAME."
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The monkey again pokes his head out of Tess's robes, smiling at the bard. "Little Zeriah is capable of quite a few things," Tess smiled as she scratched his head.
"Apparently our compatriot is quite serious, Harmonius. Best to leave him to his own devices, until he warms up to everyone just a bit.". Tess moves slightly, putting even more distance between herself and the masked man.
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Admiring Psycho Mantis' as he radiates, Harmonious will give him a wink and thumbs up saying, "Ay caramba! That's a pretty nifty trick! I can't wait to see what you're like in a fight."
Kneeling down to admire Zeriah and scratch his head too "A few years ago I once knew this Gorilla that could use a greatsword, craziest damn thing I ever saw. I heard the Decemvirate thought that was silly and took its greatsword away."
Standing up and beginning to stretch Harmonious does a small flip and begins walking on his hands around this small foyer.
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This cold subterranean records hall is dim and quiet.
The quiet dissipates as an overweight Kitsune in mechanic's overalls slowly makes his way down the hall. He appears to be kicking his feet off to the side and shuffling as he sings some diddy about rescuing maidens and "finding the path".
As he comes into view you see two holsters straddled haphazardly under his corpulent middle, and his shoes appear to not only be untied, but missing shoestrings all together. He smells of ale and... dogfood?
His tail is wagging as excessively as a Golden Retriever's.
"Heh-heh-heya everybody!" he says with an over exaggerated wave and a beaming, toothy smile. "What are a bunch of cool cats such as yourselves doing in a dank place like this?"
“Hello! I’m sorry to summon you to such a bleak meeting space, but I’m gathering intelligence that I can really get only here. Come, you’ll have to see for yourselves.” Venture-Captain Iorae gestures toward the wooden door behind her, saying, “Before we go in, tell me—do you know much about the Red Redoubt of Karamoss?”
"Boy! Do I ever! Why, there was an entire section of my monastery dedicated to the..."
"...Red Redoubt. Plus, I explored the upper levels myself! It's believed to supply power to the entire tower, possibly for creating an army of constructs, and would have required an immense amount of energy. The tower was likely equipped with a powerful energy source, possibly a massive Numerian power generator or some kind of magical reactor."
"An army of constructs... each made to exacting specifications... almost as if they were Clones... made for War..."
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"Fool! You require biology...to be a clone! You would need to map the genome of...someone and reproduce it...to make a clone army."
Psycho Mantis waves his hands about hypnotically as he mulls over something in his mind.
"Find the greatest soldier to have ever lived and then make this...this...'genome army'...not a bad idea."
He moves his hands about in the air as if shuffling something into a file.
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Harmonious is still walking around on his hands as he watches the new addition to our adventuring group.
"Yeah, good Ol' Psycho Mantis, I am not sure who he'll kill first, us or the enemy! I kid though, I'm sure he's quite lovable under that mask."
Harmonious jumps back to his feet and dusts himself off and straightens his clothes a bit. "You seem to know quite a bit about this place, oh and by the way I'm Harmonious, the half-elf with a monkey is Tessara and you've already met Psycho Mantis! So who might you be?"
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Tess considered speaking up and reminding Harmonius that she was an actual elf, not a half elf. Eh, doesn't have any effect on the mission, no reason to bother. Young ones tend to miss the small details. He'll learn in time.
Tess smiles as she greets the newcomer. "You know quite a bit about the Red Redoubt. Your knowledge will come in handy in our trip, I'd wager."
"Yes, you know quite a lot about the Red Redoubt already. I see I have chosen the right, er, um...," Shevala looks over to Bartholomäus before continuing, "men...for this mission."
She then opens the heavy wooden door into a cramped records room, eliciting a painful cry from inside, followed by curses in a strange language. The room is even darker than the hall outside, lit only by a few small candles. A sturdy wooden chair stands in the center of the room, on which writhes a curious creature. Long, rubbery arms spill over the sides of the chair and brush the floor, connecting to a torso covered in dirty green scales. Huge black eyes protrude over a drooping, sharp-toothed mouth that appears to close on only one side.
The creature squints against the light from the torchlit hallway, shouting,
"Pathfinders," Shevala says with exasperation, "may I present Marw."
"Marw is a guest of the Society as part of a deal agents made to secure safe passage through the Scrap Heap toward a yet more dangerous level—the Forge," Shevala explains.
Covering his eyes, Mawr chimes in with, "The Scrap Heap is no stranger to scavengers, but over the past few years, raiding parties from the Forge have launched a number of purposeful attacks against it, sometimes dragging entire robot skeletons back with them. When the Pathfinder Society agents arrived, I agreed to provide information on the redoubt in return for a promise that the Society would investigate and end the incursions from the Forge. You will now hold up your end of the bargain."
Shevala sighs, "I worry that the activity in the Forge might mean some ancient production line deep within the redoubt has reactivated—if the machines that built Karamoss’s original robot army have suddenly resumed functioning, another robotic siege on Absalom could be imminent! I need you to find out what’s going on within the Forge; if something is providing power to Karamoss’s robot foundries, it’s imperative that you deactivate that power source to prevent history from repeating itself. Of course, Marw here would also like us to ensure that whatever is scavenging in the Scrap Heap and endangering his people ceases to do so. Finally, please keep an eye out for anything of academic significance. The entire tower is a trove of historical data from one of the most fascinating periods in Absalom’s history! Bring me anything interesting that you can carry, and secure everything else so that future expeditions can study the artifacts in relative safety."
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"Mmm yes, this Maaaaahr does seem to be a bit abnormal for sure. Harmonious merely observes the creature, pondering what the mutations could mean. Odd to find such mutations here, in Absalom. . . Wait what am I thinking nothing is weird in Absalom. Harmonious simply shakes his head and scoffs aloud as if having a conversation with himself.
"Maaaaaahr, what can you tell us about these other scavengers? Also you said you are looking to protect the rest of your . . . Tribe? Will they threaten us, I'm not too much into being Choked if ya ask me!"
"Thank you, pretty elf." Mawr bows to Tess, his long rubbery arms dangling awkwardly. He then turns to Harmonious. "I will accompany you to the Scrap Heap. I assure you, my choker kin will not only refrain from attacking, but we will escort you safely through the junkyard ourselves."
Mawr seems sincere to Dimble.
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Psycho Mantis senses the presence of thoughts in the small dark room.
"Please, Psycho Mantis, Mawr is our guest and has agreed to help us. This is not how the Society treats our allies." Shevala scolds.
"I really must protest this," continues the Venture Captain.
The light pains me. Why have they not closed the door yet? I must work with them to save my people. The intruders were too well-equipped for us to deal with on our own, and they seemed to be collecting parts from the Scrap Heap; these Pathfinders are our best hope.
"Do not endanger this mission, Psycho Mantis." Shevala glares at him.
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Psycho relaxes and gives a dismissive wave.
"Bah...drivel about 'save my people' and...'hope'...nothing useful...."
He bows to the Venture-Captain.
"My...apologies, Venture-Captain. When you have traveled through...as many minds as me...you become rather distrusting of what people say. I made sure to be...gentle."
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Watching the interchange between our mystical mind delver and the rubbery Choker.
"His mind is free of treachery? That is good, I didn't much trust him either!" Turning to the Captain and listening to her voice concern about Psycho Mantis' actions, " No worries good captain, my friend here has a way with minds, I'm not sure what way that is but he knows things. I think."
"Very well, Harmonious," she replies. "Just make sure he does not cause any undue problems for the Society.
"Do you have any more questions regarding your mission?"
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Harmonious shrugs and looks to his fellow teammates "I don't really have any questions, are there any hazards? Wouldn't want to walk into a trap haphazardly!"
After making his joke Harmonious will look to each person present to see if it elicited a reaction before continuing "I have some amateur trap-disabling talents if it comes up, don't bet the whammy on me though"
Shevala answers Harmonius, "All we have are guesses. The level is referred to in other documents as the Forge. Assuming a literal interpretation, forges are hot, so prepare to deal with high temperatures. Beyond that, I’d be ready to confront some newly minted mechanical soldiers if those foundries are indeed active. I'm not too sure about traps, though."
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Psycho Mantis shakes his head.
"I require no more information...I trust in my--our--talents...."
He holds his hands out to either side in a meditative stance.
"When we have discovered more...I may find more information for us...in my own way."
Though his mouth is not visible behind his mask, the movement of the muscles of his face suggest he is smiling.
Shevala concludes the meeting with, "This is an important mission for the safety of Absalom; please take the rest of the evening to prepare and equip yourselves with whatever you think you may need. You’ll leave for the Red Redoubt in the morning. Meet back here when you are ready." She then exits the records room and closes the large wooden door behind her.
"I'm afraid I don't know very much about robots. Feel free to do your own research in the library of the Grand Lodge." With that, Shevala takes her leave.
The next morning, Mawr greets you grumpily, "Close the door! The lights are so bright."
You travel with him outside the city of Absalom to the Red Redoubt of Karamoss, where he leads you through the ruins to a large metallic door. Pressing his large palm to a box on the wall next to the door , the door opens with a swoosh. (SFX)
You enter a small circular room with a large button just inside the door. Mawr follows you into the room and presses the button (SFX). The door swooshes (SFX) shut, and the room hums (SFX). You feel somewhat dizzy and you have the sensation that the room is descending.
Finally, the door opens again (SFX), but you are now in a completely new location. Standing in the room before you are almost a dozen other chokers. Mawr steps out and greets them in Undercommon. Given the approving nods of his kinsfolk, you suspect that he has explained that you are here to help.
Mawr leads you—followed by a throng of curious chokers—through the level of the Red Redoubt known as the Scrap Heap, and you can see why it earns its name. The going is difficult through the mounds of technological junk that cover this level.
Mawr stops at another large metallic door. "The Forge is down there. This is as far as we go." He presses his hand to the box on the wall, and the door opens (SFX) into another circular room, identical to the last one, complete with button just inside the door. He then gestures for you to step inside.
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While at the library, Barth recounts his stories of growing up in Numeria.
"...and the Halflings were able to scavenge together enough bits to form a nearly intact Robot. They named it "Dink". Then again, they named everything "Dink". I was fascinated by it! Until it came to life one day. Fortunately it was just spare parts..."
As the group approaches the next day, Barth loads both barrels of his double barrelled pistol with Adamantine Paper Cartridges.
He then loads his +1 Pistol with a Mithral Bullet.
When Barth skips through the level touching all the junk in the Scrap Heap, Mawr scowls at the kitsune. "Stop touching stuff! That is our stuff; not for you to touch!"
Harmonius presses his palm to the pad and causes the door to close with a swoosh, seemingly by magic.
Barth is able to recognize that this is not magic—it is technological. He knows that the circular room is an elevator.
Mawr leads the party through the Scrap Heap, the group passes through several doors that are similarly opened with palm pads. All of these close behind the group automatically, 5 or 10 seconds later. There are a few other doors that seem to be inoperative. These have been wedged open with various bits of junk.
Tessara and Dimble take in the sights of the dimly lit Scrap Heap. Even though all of the technology on this level is battered and broken, seeing it is fascinating nonetheless.
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Barth steps into the elevator and slightly hops up and down, testing his girth against the floor. Satisfied, he addresses the group.
"Think of these as Levitaters, but without any magic. This platform will take us to the lower level."
Barth examines the button pad for a second.
Turning to the choker, "Any souvenirs you want us to grab while we're down there?"
"You may keep anything you find down there. We just want the incursions into our home to stop."
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"Alright, alright, Lord Mahr, would you consider starting to sell remnants of this junk? I am sure I could find a potential buyer for it, you have a unique product and its far easier to gather it here than I think Numeria. People would just loooove to do tours of this place, it'd be so fun and exotic! If you are interested, maybe we can talk more about this unique business opportunity after we've stopped this invasion."
"No selling! This is ours!" Mawr hisses at Harmonius. "You agreed to help. Mawr helped. Now you help."
The entire Red Redoubt is built of a ruddy metal.
The levitator door closes behind you. Swoosh. (SFX) The room descends (SFX).
The door opens (SFX).
This trapezoidal chamber displays signs of recent vandalism. Battered red panels hang from single bolts, revealing exposed wires and structural supports (SFX). Glowing tubes flicker (SFX) behind smashed translucent panes on the upper walls that intermittently emit showers of sparks (SFX). Opposite the elevator to the north, a set of thick double doors stands in the room’s shortest side.
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Know. Dungeoneering
Tess's head was spinning. A levitator, flashing buttons and strange sounds? She wasn't sure which way was up. She was normally observant and in control. Today, she was the opposite. "I'm sorry. This Redoubt is too much," she said with a groan, her face turning red from shame. She missed any fine details of the room, as she tried to control her breathing.