Bavmorda puts a stone in her sling and shoots the stone towards metal man. But, it clatters useless against the shutters, ueslessly
Owen cut through the oil paper window with his huge sword and followed it through.
Bavmorda slung a stone at the metal man, but wounded only the house's wall. Chotka put his battering ram to work, but caught it on the side of the door. He hit the robot, but with not near enough force to do harm. Still, he wounded the building.
Taking advantage of the metal man's disorientation, Karek scooped up the screaming girl in her net and handed her out to Owen. She struggled inside the strands, but could barely move at all. "Help her get free!" he said.
Rikal rushed back outside and swung his morningstar at the metal man through the original broken window, but it regained its wits in time to dodge the blow. Like Bavmorda, Chotka, Karek, and Owen, Rikal added to the house's wounds.
Owen's sword doesn't have the reach to get to her on its own. Not safely, anyway. He could throw it, but then he might slash her open.
At Karek's action the stun expires, which kicks the AC back up in time to make Rikal miss. :(
Chotka shouldered his way in and switched to his greataxe, then let the storm within himself boil up and swung.
, +
If that doesn't stop it then Karek happily tears in to it again. .
Gwalhur, fetch the girl! Bavmorda calls out as she sends another stone from her sling to clatter against the wall.
The wolf gives Bavmorda a reproachful look and rushes over to the girl and crouches down for the girl to climb on.
Fear not, child, Gwalhur will not bite
Rikal again swings through the window, trying to ensure the creature is broken beyond fixing.
He slams his Morningstar into the metal torso, denting it and using the spikes to shred and tear holes in the metal.
Owen drops his greatsword and starts trying to pull the net off the girl.
His war cry echoing in the tiny room, Izzak dicks slightly as the weapon goes over his head, then brings the war scythe in a brutal arc
Izaak swung his scythe again, once more lodging its blade in the house. Pulling it free tore loose large splinters of wood.
The metal man, its wits regained, trained the tube projecting from its back on Karek. The end twisted open and black strands fired out again. They wrapped about the man in a flash, binding him.
The girl's screams slowed as Owen discarded his blade and set to freeing her. It was slow going, but the tendrils were not made of steel. He would tear them free in time.
Bavmorda assaulted the house's wall with her sling once more and dispatched her wolf "Gwalhur, fetch the girl!" The animal went, and Bavmorda called after it, "Fear not, child, Gwalhur will not bite." Gwalhur joined Owen in worrying at the net.
Ligntning crackled on Chotka's greataxe as he brought it down in a gleaming arc into the metal man's chest. He parted metal and exposed the iron veins within, which came to life with the lightning of his blade. The abomination spun and reeled again, then sparks shot from it in a great torrent, blue smoke rose, and a sickening smell filled the cramped room as it fell.
and that's a hit. Karek is entangled:
The character is ensnared. Being entangled impedes movement, but does not entirely prevent it unless the bonds are anchored to an immobile object or tethered by an opposing force. An entangled creature moves at half speed, cannot run or charge, and takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and a –4 penalty to Dexterity. An entangled character who attempts to cast a spell must make a concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) or lose the spell.
Well done, all Bavmorda nods to the warriors and Gwalhur pads over to her. Hurgr, go scout.. The raven caws and flutters over the rest of the town, peeking through windows to look for other metal men or victims.
Karek sets about ripping himself free. "Good strike!" He thanks Chokta with a nod.
Karek sets about ripping himself free. "Good strike!" He thanks Chokta with a nod.
With the strands hard to grasp and pull from within, it took more effort than Karek would have liked to tear free. But tear free he did.
Karek then goes and looks over the robot curiously. Looking at it's insides to see if there is anything he can use?
Karek then goes and looks over the robot curiously. Looking at it's insides to see if there is anything he can use?
Karek poked into the metal corpse. He found some round metal pieces that he knew often held useful fluids, but the sworn band's attacks pierced them all and the liquid had run freely. Not enough remained to be worth recovering.
Karek then goes and looks over the robot curiously. Looking at it's insides to see if there is anything he can use?[dice=10% chance]1d100
Karek poked into the metal corpse. He found some round metal pieces that he knew often held useful fluids, but the sworn band's attacks pierced them all and the liquid had run freely. Not enough remained to be worth recovering.
Those are cursed creatures, untouched by the Spirits. Those who explore and study the metal men are unmanned and lost. It is known.
"It's over, child," Owen says, smoothing her hair as he attempts to calm the girl.
"Live in blind ignorance if you choose." Is Karek's response to Bavmorda. "Save your tales for those who huddle around the fire in fear."
Owen got the girl clear of the net, by which time she'd calmed considerably. His soft words finished the job.
"Damned robot!" she said. "Should've known it would have a self-repair function. Not thinking straight. Stupid!"
'Self-repair? Like self healing. That would be useful.' Karek thinks with interest.
"Greetings. Are you the daughter of Khonnir Bhaine?" Karek asks the girl politely.
"We are a Sworn band come to find the source of the troubles of this town. We wish to speak with him, which means we must aid him first it seems."
Child, you speak as one who has wisdom of the metal-men. What do you know?
"Easy, now," Owen says, positioning himself as something of a shield for the girl. "Let the girl get settled and I'm sure she'll be happy to tell us what happened."
Owen spares a glance through the window to check on the wreckage of the robot, alarmed at the mention of a self-repair function.
Chotka rested on his axe inside, so as not to frighten the girl. When a gear whirred and clicked, he decided to make sure the job was done and chopped it a few more times for good measure.
"Easy, now," Owen says, positioning himself as something of a shield for the girl. "Let the girl get settled and I'm sure she'll be happy to tell us what happened."
"I'm fine. Ain't no princesses here," the girl said, brushing Owen off. "I'm Val Bhaine. He's my old man. He'll be back. He always comes back."
Rikal listens to the girl say something in the Taldane tongue, then sighs. I should really learn to speak their language. I may be spending more time around them than previously thought. Perhaps one of those who speaks it could teach me.
Looking through the window at Chotka and Izzak, he says, "Can we burn the metal creature? That might ensure it is permanently destroyed."
"We might be able to melt it down, but isn't that part of the problem here? Their great forge fire has gone out. What if we lock the pieces in separate boxes?" Chotka said, warily eyeing the remains of the robot.
To those outside, Chotka called, "Did the little girl say she knows something about Bhaine?"
Izzak looked at the creature before pulling out his Earthbreaker, "I suppose crushing it or hacking it to bits would work to keep it dead, if not then we may have a much harder time with it."
Izzak looked at the creature before pulling out his Earthbreaker, "I suppose crushing it or hacking it to bits would work to keep it dead, if not then we may have a much harder time with it."
Val noted the sworn band still eyeing the metal man.
"You killed the damn thing three times. You want to be sure? Toss it back in the water when you're done," she said. Then sighed. "Not common, no?" she said in halting Hallit. Give...man meat...from water."
Or something like that. It was hard to tell with her incredibly thick accent.
Bavmorda sighs, she really does not like it when her mouth is full of the Southern Tongue. The mouth of the City Dwellers is slippery and twisting. It coils around her throat, and fills her with lies. But, she has the ken for tongues, and though it pains her ears to fill them with the oiled slithers of the city dwellers, she speaks the words.
You are sure it is dead? The metal men are cursed things. They are far from the Spirits.
Bavmorda turns to Izzak and the others who do not speak Taldane. She says it's dead already, and will not return to life. She says to put it in the water...
Then, she turns back to the girl. Why should he put it in the water?
Then, she turns back to the girl. Why should he put it in the water?
"If there's any current left in the thing, that should short it good with it busted open like that.
Short? It... grows smaller?
"Ah! It has lightning for blood, water and lightning cancel each other!" Karek nods in understanding and starts gathering the pieces to dispose of them as she suggested.
Confused, Rikal looks between Bavmorda and Karek and asks, "Would that not foul the water and make it unusable for drinking? This seems a dangerous risk, to contaminate a water source. And how can a thing have lightning for --"
Rikal suddenly stops as the memory of a dream overtakes him, of a metal man and some strange rope connected to the wall. The words of the strange language above the creature read "Charging Station", their meaning burned into his brain. The creature seems to be in some sort of rest state, before it suddenly stands upright and pulls the rope out of the wall and walks off, leaving a strange looking hole where it was attached.
Shaking his head to dispel the memory, which lasted the briefest fraction of a moment, he says, "Never mind about the lightning for blood. Is water the best course of action?"
Karek shrugs and addresses Val in Taldane. "Do you drink from that water, Girl?"
Chotka shrugged and helped Karek gather the pieces. It is good that my companions have knowledge of our enemies. The best way to defeat them, is to know their weaknesses.
Short? It... grows smaller?
"The elec- the lightning inside it will go away in water."
Karek shrugs and addresses Val in Taldane. "Do you drink from that water, Girl?"
"Every day. Never had a problem. It's my old man that fixed up the purification. He was testing it when he found those footprints all about."
'They spoil their water, then clean it to drink from it! Karek thinks in disbelief. 'Why don't they just leave it pure?'
Shaking his head at the madness of the civilized Karek goes back to the main problem. "So your father was testing this 'purification'. Was it because people are falling ill from the water?"
Remembering something else they need to know. "And was that where he went missing?"
'They spoil their water, then clean it to drink from it! Karek thinks in disbelief. 'Why don't they just leave it pure?'
Shaking his head at the madness of the civilized Karek goes back to the main problem. "So your father was testing this 'purification'. Was it because people are falling ill from the water?"
Remembering something else they need to know. "And was that where he went missing?"
Val looked at Karek as though he were very simple, "Of course not. He was there confirming it was still fine -which it was- when he found footprints all around the water. So he took a swim and found the caves. He's missing there!"
Child, where are these caves?
Child, where are these caves?
"Under the water!" she said as if Bavmorda should already know. "Go to the Weeping Pond. But don't drink that water; it's not safe. Go down to the lake -it's safe- and follow it up to the source. That's Weeping Pond. Because the hill cries. Swim in that and you'll find the caves."
Having helped gather up the pieces and gingerly holding them in a bag away from his body, Rikal asks, "I believe there was a Joram we were supposed to see in order to have him prevent us fromdrowning as we swim through the caves. Shall we see him and then dispose of this creature's remains?"
A wise course, warrior. Lead on.
Karek dusts his hands off, stands up and nods to Val. "Where can we find this Joram then Val?"
"The girl seems safe now. Is it time to see Joram?" Chotka asked once he got outside. "Also, tell her sorry about the door..." he added sheepishly.
Karek gestures Chotka for quiet hurriedly "Don't say that!" He hisses in Hallit. "She'll be mad about the window next!'
Val provides directions, which lead the sworn band to Old Joram's temple. They find it a large building with a dome, decorated with numerous metal masks, wind chimes, and metal men which hold fast to one spot and make the same bowing motions over and over again as they click and whir.
They found an elderly human inside, speaking to a pair of younger men. In the place of vestments, he wore a leather workman's apron with many pockets where tools bulged.
"I am very sure that if Garrit had found an artifact which served as a second torch, we would all know of it by now. You must not take every rumor you hear seriously," the elder said.
"Told you," the one young man said the other. "You think the Technic League's spy wouldn't have made sure something happened by now if it was true?"
Karek sighs as no one else speaks. "Greetings. We are here to search for Khonnir Bhaine. We seek Joram for the magic that will let us breath water for this reason."