Melaphi grabs some of the debris from the first collapse, then climbs the stairs to try and knock the remaining rooms down by prodding it from the safety of the stairs.
Garroth falls on his first attempt, but is able to climb back up and start anew. His additional attempts are far more graceful, and he is able to retrieve the articles he seeks.
"There we go." Garroth said triumphantly, depositing the retrieved items in a heap on the ground floor. "Half an intact tower aint bad id say." He added with a smirk.
Looking the things over he held them up towards the more knowledgeable members. "So nothin' on the sword for now, but you got anythin' on these then?"
"Well, let's see if my mind is just befuddled today, or maybe I can be of use here."
Melaphi identifies the scythe, finding it strikes truer than a mundane weapon and to greater effect.
With all of the gold and items collected, the party packs up and begins the long trip back to town. Although the journey takes them late into the night, talk of the spoils make the time pass quickly, with the total value easily outweighing a year of common wages. Feth and Payet find much to discuss when reading through the chronicles of the mercenaries, learning of their deeds, their victories, their losses, and clues as to what may have left their tower abandoned all these years. Garroth and Patry discuss the practical division of the goods with Melaphi, both of them having found weapons of a familiar kind among the ruins. Before long, the adventurers have made the City walls and are admitted without issue, going their separate ways to their individual residences. Some sleeping in was in order, and after another week of toiling at comparatively boring though far safer professions, they agreed to meet again and find another challenge to conquer. Perhaps some mysterious ruin far from the City and long forgotten, or perhaps the Finders' Keep itself.
As the heroes return to their homes and places of work, they can't help but notice some new tax collectors are in town, large constructs with monotone voices ordering residents to turn over sums for "the king's needs". The taxes seem quite high, and there's much talk in the streets of a new king in the Finders' Keep, and some rumors of a small band of adventurers that may or may not have disappeared into the Keep just a few days ago. Some even say they've seen folks with crowns strutting around the City proclaiming rulership and greatness.
"Self-proclaimed kings running around? This does not sound good. I'm going to ask around a bit. Anyone want to join me?"
"Kinda defeats the whole idea of a king if they all run around sharin' it." Garroth grumbled, stroking his chin thoughtfully with a scowl. "I wonder if people have just gone along with these "taxes"? Surely people dont just roll over and do as they are told, just cause some new people went into the keep and decided they were in charge? I mean we have city guardmens, surely someone in power would object to this?"
"I suspect most of the populous isn't willing to find out just what those constructs can do should they refuse to pay their taxes. That might be something else to find out though, has anyone tried to refuse the taxes? What happened if they did?"
"I wonder what these constructs are. Maybe they have a weakness or they could be persuaded to serve different masters. I'd like to go see one up close...even if I lose a little coin in the process" Fethryth grins. "Why, I'm just doing my duty as a civilian if I find a construct to give my taxes to. Any knowledge I gain about how to, say, blow them up is entirely coincidental."
"If you want someone to put an axe through one you know who to ask,"
Feth remembers quite a bit about constructs in general, though these specific constructs are a bit more of a historic matter.
Patry helps Melaphi gather information by asking elsewhere, increasing the chances of getting a good bit of information about these constructs, their taxes, and the new royalty...
Payet recalls tales of constructs issuing forth from the Keep's gate, but none have been seen since the death of the last king of the City centuries ago. He mostly remembers that they were said to be tall and strong, and one could never slay them all. He believes they were called "sentinels".
Feth analyzes a construct and notices a couple of key features. Firstly, they appear to be made of solid metals, apparently iron and bronze, and so are likely to resist damage from normal weapons. Secondly, their construction seems simple, like a form of inferior golem, meaning they are likely weaker than golems but more easily repaired.
Garroth knows that the chiefest law in the City, though inapplicable for centuries, is that whoever sits the throne of the Finders' Keep dictates the law, but if the throne should change hands or its previous occupant perish, the law reverts to the founding laws of the City, enforced by the equally traditional and questionable dwarven guard. He also heard that some figures wearing crowns have been preaching about the "One God", and that they appear to be two of the same folks allegedly responsible for saving the City from a cultist invasion.
Melaphi is able to gather the whereabouts of the crown-wearing figures, as it certainly isn't a well-kept secret.
Patricie hears that the main gate of the Keep, closed for centuries, opened this morning to release a stream of constructs, who immediately set about demanding taxes in their hollow, metallic voices.
Payet tells the others of what he knows of the constructs and asks them what they're up to.
Fethryth also shares what she learned about the constructs with her fellow adventurers.
Not sure if "try to give it the slip" qualifies as interacting, but thats what Garroth wants to do.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Not ready to take a stand against the new and overly burdensome tax just yet, Melaphi does not seek out the new 'kings'.
Whispering to his two companions, Patry and Feth, as they move along ahead of Crystal and her bodyguard, "If they cause trouble cripple the warrior, I'll handle the woman."
Patry nods at Melaphi's game-plan.
I would like to meet with you to discuss future plans between our two groups, for the mutual benefit of both. Meet me at ? Tavern Wednesday a couple of hours after dusk, and we can talk.
Hope to see you there,
Crystal (the blonde)
Melaphi spends the next several hours tracking down Payet, asking Patry to accompany him in doing so.
Upon finding him he gives a friendly wave and begins to exuberantly discuss the days events, "Payet, you missed all the excitement. Have you seen Garroth? Err, sorry, I'm stumbling over my words here."
"Let's go somewhere we can talk in private for a bit."
Melaphi begins, hardly giving Patry a chance to get a word in edge wise.
"You know all those sentinels roaming about? Someone smashed one of them. I think it might have been Garroth, but I haven't seen him. Anyway, remember those folks we got into a scuffle with a few weeks back we told you about? We had a run in with them, seems they are the new royalty in town - or at least parading about like that is the case."
"A couple of them are still itching to work the anger out of their system. Seems their wizard died of old age, but forget to keel over. The old geezer is still walking around. Popped out of thin air and tried to scare of myself and Feth off while demanding Patry here be arrested."
"You should have seen Trilby taking to gnawing on the old bones. Wasn't long before the poor devil fled the scene."
"His friends tried to kill poor Miss Feth though. It was a bit dicey there for a moment, and I really should track her down and see how she is doing." Melaphi adds as an after thought. "She is a survivor though, I'm sure she got away just fine."
"Anyway, my guess is that crew broke into the keep, and by right of the laws here are claiming lordship over these lands. Now I'm all for the lawful conduct of members of a society, I'm not terribly thrilled with being lorded over by someone with so much angst. So, at least to my point. How you feel about going for a change in leadership?"
At a knock on the door Melaphi gets up to see who is interrupting the private conversation. Taking the note from the messenger he opens it, and smiles broadly as he reads it. He hands it over for both Patry and Payet to read. "Well, unless you'd rather go to a party first?" he asks with a laugh, then adding, "Might be a good chance to go get arrested again, or it could just be an invitation to a candle light dinner, who knows." he shrugs.
"Well, how about I write up a response and let her know I shall make every effort to meet her, then we can track down Garroth and Feth and see if they are in the mood for storming the castle. If not we can make other plans."
My Dearest Crystal,
Thank you for taking the time to write me. I should be delighted to meet for a glass of wine and perhaps a candle light dinner. Nothing to quite set the mood for a romantic evening then a warrior in full plate standing over to make sure I treat you like a proper lady.
Please let him know that I hold you to dear to treat you any other way, and that you will be perfectly safe with me. For I could not bear it if I let something befall you to mar your beauty.
P.S. I should be perfectly content if both our friends might find other things to occupy the evening, and we might spend a night on the town together. Though I have a feeling they may not be comfortable with that.
Make a note of the surrounding streets and alleyways - where others might hide and where the streets might be to narrow for the robominions to give chase.
Make a note of how crowded the place is in the evening hours. Packed? A slight trickle of customers? Or somewhere in between?
Does the place offer private dining rooms? If so how many can such a private room hold?
Paet leaves the woman he was wooing at the site of his, we'll paying, friends.
He listens to the story still not sure in know what's going on with the dinner, but I'll still give you four to one odds it's a trap, any way I can join ya?
"Almost certainly a trap, that's part of the fun." Melaphi smirks. "I'd most certainly welcome your company."
Having escaped his pursuers in the crowded streets, Garroth made his way to the usual tavern he stayed at, a run down but servicable play on the seedier side of town. The clientele were people like him, most of them decent people behind the often brutal occupations they survived on. As much as his memories of the monestary were fond, this was the place he really felt at home most of the time. "You remember Mel right? I reckon he might come lookin' for me soon enough. Just tell him to come to my room if he shows up ok?" He said to the barkeep, ordering a pint and making his way to his room. Sitting down heavily on his bed, he realized how beat up he was. Downing the pint in one long draw, he sloppily removed his breastplate, before falling on his pillow and instantly sinking into a deep sleep.
Finding Garroth asleep in his room, Melaphi wakes the half-orc and heals his wounds, then relates his own encounter with the sentinels. "I thought that might have been you that destroyed that other one. It's a shame I wasn't there to heal your wounds. We might have destroyed a a half dozen or so."
"Our friends would like to meet in a couple of days." Melaphi shares the missive received from Crystal, "Most likely a trap, but I'd like to go check it out anyway. Your thoughts?"
"i could get a temp job at the place, they haven't met me I wouldn't stand out."
"Now that I could go for" nods Melaphi enthuisiastically. "Perhaps as a server to one of the private rooms?"