"So many of these dark folk! Did Hellion make some alliance with them, do you think, or are they...more of an infestation on its work?"
Picking a direction semi-randomly, Criek suggests investigating the caves to the north, after checking the, er, remains of the dark folk for anything of note.
When the darkfolk disintegrate, they take their own equipment with them, however this time, amongst the ashes Criek finds two pairs of alien looking goggles the lenses of which are overlayed with a removable brown glass strips.
My word Anody says Veemod goggles, the brown lenses help protect against bright light flashes. Also lets light sensitive creatures see normally in lighted conditions. Quite fascinating
With that done the group travels north and enter a large cavern. The north wall of it bears a crude but still unsettling cave paiting of a strange, four-armed red fiedn rising up from a mass of what looks like dead bodes-whatever eerie pigment has been used for this painging glows faintly in the dark. A dozen real bodies of orcs, ratfolks, and humans, lie heaped against the base of the wall below the painting. The torso of each decaying caracass is split open, as it if exploded from within.
Oh my Anody gasps going quite pale. This is a... shrine... to a Xill!
Anody racks his brain for as much information as he can remember on Xills.
Xills are horrific planeswalking creatures, they lay eggs in their victims to breed more Xills which immediately escape to the Ethereal Plane. It is said they are formidable foes. I must say I would have been quite satisfied to never make practical use of this... knowledge
"'Immediately escape' -- so, you're fairly certain they're not lurking around here, then?" Criek asks, peering around anxiously.
"A shrine? So someone must have been worshipping this Xill? Why?" and then, taking in the grisly scene, "It didn't work out for them though... I pray they were already dead by the time that... happened"
...and then, turning her attention to the goggles that the professor has found, Sharae smiles, "This place is proving quite the treasure trove... there could be months... no years worth of research ahead once we are sure this place is safe again".
Well yes, the young escape. Anody says It's their mother that I'm concerned about. he goes on before turning Sharae But yes, this is a terribly fascinating site. I daresay it is not quite as rich as Torch however, even in this. [b]I believe most of the wonders of this place have been picked clean.
The macabre shrine has two small tunnels heading east that lead deeper still. They both lead into a long narrow cavern with a twenty-five foot high ceiling adorned with hundreds of stalactites. The cave floor slopes downward to the eas. Patches of strange fungi and lichen cling to the walls and floor; Between these patches on the cave walls, strange words have been scratched into the stone. On the south wall, portions of the buried excavation machine protrude from the stone, particularly in the middle where a wide metal ledge rises fifteen feet off the ground to support a nest made of bones woven together by pale strips of supple leather and cords of braided hair. Two panels of glass, both smashed to fragments, once hung from the lower walls of the meal balcony.
A monstrous creature. With the head of a particularly cruel looking red dragon stares down at the group from her nest. The red skin continues down to two powerful looking legs. She has four arms all of whom end in wicked looking dark claws. Two of them are holding serrated swords, while one is wielding a technological pistol. The last arm is free and flexes reflexively opening and closing as the lizard like face stares down at the group.
That is most definitely a Xill Anody mutters But they ambush people from the Ethereal Plane. What is happening?
The Xill finally speaks You are the ones who have forced the Metal Fool Hellion back on its heels? it rasps I have heard the screams. Few of them were yours.
"I...we...I'm...pretty sure I screamed?" Criek stammers, confronted by the alien thing. "Our fight was with Hellion, yes? ...Er, what is--was--your relation to the...uh...'Metal Fool"?"
As an aside to Anody, he whispers, "Is there any chance it doesn't want to kill us?"
Sharae's voice rings out in the high ceilinged cavern, "You are no ally of Hellion? Then our quarrel is not with you... it is with the 'Metal Fool' who claims dominion over this place and its people". The Desnan goes no further in her pronouncement, waiting to see the xill's response...
The Metal Fool made promises. Promises that the accursed curse that binds me to this plane of FILTH and DIRT would be lifted. The xill gestures at the smashed monitors that Hellion has used to spy on your But enough of its failures. If you lift that curse from me. Allow me to go home after so many millenia of captivity then I will aid you in ending the Fool's existence.
"Mill--millennia? What has Hellion been doing with you...to you...for all that time?
I think we'd be happy to help you be free, as it seems we are both enemies of the Fool, as you call it?"
It was not Hellion who did this to me. It was a filthy Kellid shamaaaan. The Xill hisses. Remove the curse and I will show you where it hides. I can sense its fear even now.
"Aid us and we shall release you from this curse", Sharae whispers to her friends, "I can beseech Desna for the power to do such a thing... but my prayers are faded now, I need time to rest. Should we retreat, regroup and return on the morrow? I can then lift the Xill's curse and send it from this plane..."
She turns back to the Xill, "We would both see Hellion defeated... what aid do you propose?"
I will show you where the fool hides and I will attack it alongside you. I pledge also to not attack any of you for freeing me. Only if I am close to death or Hellion is will I leave my service to you. The Xill proposes. I will wait here for you.
"That sounds...reasonable?" Criek squeaks, in some relief that he is not the target of an alien being -- for a change. "We need to prepare before we -- with Desna's aid -- can life the curse. We will return to you tomorrow, having made preparations? One more night will hopefully be tolerable?"
It will be intolerable! The Xill hisses But I will suffer it. Now come back only when you are ready. Do not betray me. You will suffer the consequences
Later when they find a place to rest Anody says Are you certain of this? Xills are evil scourges and letting it free to wreak havoc does not feel like the right thing to do!
"oh dear... have we been too single-minded in our pursuit of Hellion? Do you think it's a mistake to work with the Xill?"
The group makes itself as comfortable as it can in Hellion's 'sacred space' of monitors and dials and mysterious buttons. Pinki curls up next to Criek while Anody puts his head down on his backpack.
With the door to the control room firmly shut the group can imagine that they're still investigating the ruins under Torch rather than in the lair of monsters, some of whom they've killed, but two of whom are still lurking outside their door beyond the gore soaked corridor. Their dreams are unpleasant; suffused with the sounds of buzzing chain saws and the hissing screeches of Xills as they burst out of humanoid corpses.
Eventually they awaken, refreshed despite their distrubing dreams.
A thought comes to Sharae, "The enemy of my enemy... is my friend?"
...the thought of helping the Xill is unnerving - but the alternative seems to be fighting both it and Hellion.
The group makes its way back to the nest of the Xill. It stareas at the group balefully. Free me and I will lead you to your prey, then after it is dead, I will leave this accurssed place and NEVER return to Golarion again. This Zagmmander promises
Criek regards the Xill uncomfortably, thinking of the mutilated bodies in the next room. But a pledge to leave this world, and to strike a blow against Hellion -- we're doing more good than harm. Hopefully.
"That...that seems a fair deal. And after the pain you have suffered here, I imagine returning to this world must not hold any appeal anyways?"
There are enough places for me to hunt and birth my young The Xill agrees. Her yellow eyes shine with anticipation as Sharae calls on Desna to remove the ancient curse that has kept her bound to this plane and sapped of her physical strength.
She screeches with joy as she feels the bounds on her fall away and then she seems to disappear. A few moments later she re-appears and raises her arms in triumph. You have freed me! For this I will not harm you and aid you against the Metal Fool. I will uphold my end of the bargain! she hisses at you, incredibly pleased with how things have gone. Are you prepared to meet it? Or do you have more preparations to be made?
As the Xill leads them towards the confrontation, Criek will take extracts of shield and expeditious retreat, and offer Sharae the same.
Anody casts Heroism on both Criek and Sharae, he does make a point of avoiding the Xill though as does Pinki. The bronze dog strides forward uncaring as she leads you deeper into the caverns.
You enter a tunnel that seems to have been dug by the metal platform that you entered the cavern by. It is ten feet in diameter and is a tangle of metal beams that criss-cross to form a lattice. Each beam has been decorated with strange writing and images of claed hands, while on the walls are scrawled depticions of what appears to be a looming mountain adonred with strange spikes. In all of these illustrations an immense demonic form is shown smashing he spiky mountain to rubble. Within the mountain an even greater demonic shape bears the brunt of the devastation.
My word that does seem like an image of Silver Mount Anody murmurs and Criek agrees that it certainly looks like Numeria's most notable landmark. All the pictures seem to depict Hellion triumphing over whatever is shown under Silver Mount.
There are traps Zagmander hisses pointing out three glyphs of warding hidden amongst the prayers. They would have been very hard to spot without the Xill's help.
Anody starts pointing out things that might help disable the magical wards. All three of whom are placed such hat they cannot be avoided if they wish to get deeper in.
"Oh dear -- this certainly supports your theory that the Silver Mount hosts...is...another spacecraft, and hosts another 'AI'. But I suppose we have to deal with the one we're already entangled with before we can worry too much about what that one might want?"
Criek examines the glyphs and begins to work on them.
Seeing the difficulty of the wards placed by their foe, and calling upon Desna's aspects of fortune, Sharae touches Criek lightly on the shoulder...
Criek is able to disable the first two glyphs with aplomb but the last is by far the most cunningly set and even with Anody's and Sharae's assistance it explodes with a bone jarring shrieking noise. Criek is able to duck and cover to mostly avoid the damage but Anody is quite dazed by the noise.
Ohh dear... he says as the ringing in his head gives the little gnome quite a headache.
Now it knows we come, Incompetent fools Zagmander hisses.
Beyond the narrow tunnel is a sprawling cavern. A massive wheel of metal buckets lined with sharp edges is embedded, partially buried, in the wall. The latticework of metal girders connects to the wheel. The whole of the device comprises a long mechanical arm ending in a metal wheel far larger than any mill's waterwheel.
Perched on one of the girders, is a LARGE robot that looks like a crazy metal combination of a spider and scorpion. It's tail glows and waves at you menacingly while its front pincers snap at you with the loud booming sound of metal clashing on metal.
I... I have no idea what that is Anody squeaks It looks somewhat like an arachnid Robot, but the texts describe them as small, not titanic!
I AM HELLION. IF YOU DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ME AS YOUR MASTER THEN I WILL BE MASTER OF YOUR CORPSE.
It is a familiar voice. You've heard it plenty of times before from the loudspeakers scattered across Scrapwall and, then, from the monitors in the complex. Only this time it is coming from speakers embedded in the robot chassis. It is Hellion in the flesh! Figuratively speaking.
Fool. I am free of your plane. Zagmander hisses in a voice the carries to Hellion And I will extract vengeance for the insult of being associated with You before I leave it forever.
TRAITOR! Hellion booms back YOU WILL DIE WITH THEM!
"that is...not as inhibited as I'd hoped!" Criek gawks at the mechanical monster, trying to figure out what about it is the most threatening.
Reacting quickly, but with far less accuracy than is needed, Sharae lets off three blasts of frigid ice... maybe taken aback by what she sees before her - this thing that would call itself god - she sprays ice wildly...
"Spread out -- we don't know what it can do!" Criek moves further into the cave and off to one side to get a clearer shot around the latticework.
He tries to push the fear out of his mind and focus on what he know of constructs, taking aim at the thing's joints in an attempt to slow it down while the group takes its measure --
Anody touches Criek as the ratfolk speeds off, granting the ratfolk Protection from Technology
While Sharae might be shooting wildly, two of her shots land on the massive robot scorpion facing off against them, even at the increased distance she is firing from.
Unfortunately none of the blasts of cold seem to bother Hellion at all.
FOOLS. IS THIS ALL YOU CAN DO? Hellion mocks Sharae.
Criek's arrow shot lands as well, with much the same result in terms of damage, but the shot does slow Hellion's scuttering movement.
Oh dear, I fear the shell of the machine is quite... hard... Anody squeaks as he sees Hellion's carapace completely unharmed.
Zagmaaander screeches her fury at the robot clinging to the side of the building. If you cannot bring it down to the ground then I cannot attack the metal fool. she says. If you are incapable then I will shift to it, but that will take time!
Dinvaya's dog moves away 30 feet on Criek's command in a forward direction to get closer to the robot and away from the others. Pinki sticks close to Criek.
Slowed by Criek's attack to its joints and moving jerkily Hellion raises its tail and a massive bolts of plasma come spewing out of it. Six shots in total come out. Two each aimed at Zagmaander, Sharae, and Criek.
Five of the attacks miss pretty wildly. Hellion is obviously suffering from some sort of malady, but one blasts Criek full in the chest causing both fire and electricity damage.
[ooc]Criek takes 4 fire and 4 electricity damage. Don't think there's any specific vulnerability Criek has to either so just 8 damage total
I could use Grease to try and make it fall. Anody suggests in a strained voice. Should I try?
Anody 8 damage
Criek 12 damage
Looking at her pistol with a trace of disgust writ across her face, Sharae nods grimly at the professor, "We need to fight it on our terms... I must take my blade to it..."
"Yes, bring it down!" Criek agrees, trying to shake off the blast and lining up another shot to keep the machine's reflexes down for Anody.
Anody mutters a few words and spreads his arms out towards the area of the griders the spider like construct is clinging onto. The grease puddle spreads under the impaired robot. Hellion's legs scrabble at the unexpected loss of traction and the group sees the legs slowly come loose as the robot starts to topple over.... until with almost supernatural speed the Hellion robot reorietns itself and its legs clamp back onto the girders hard. It did get 5 feet closer to the ground though. Now it's 15 feet up and 60 feet away from Sharae.
FOOLS. YOUR TRICKS ARE NO USE IN THE FACE OF HELLION'S MIGHT Hellion shouts as it manages to cling on.
Zagmaander continues to fade away.
That... should have worked. Anody says in a strained tone of voice. It almost did!
Slipping her pistol into her corded belt, Sharae is already muttering a dedication to Desna - a brief prayer invoking the aspect of the Butterfly and the promise of flight... as her prayer reaches a quick conclusion, her feet start to leave the ground...
As the Xill nearly fades from sight Hellion spews out another stream of hot plasma. This time focusing on the flying Sharae and the already hurt Criek. Only one of its attacks land and Sharae feels the shot burn and shock her simultaneously. It is not a pleasant experience. If more of these shots were landing then the group would have been in deep deep trouble.
Hellion screams in frustration as it primary attack is proving to be not nearly as effective as he wants it to be. It spurts out a stream of mechanical screeching noises that assaults your ears.
I don't think it was talking to us there! Anody calls out helpfully.
With the construct within range for maximum accuracy, Criek begins pelting it with bombs, hoping to soften it up a bit before...whatever the Xill plans to do?
Hopeful that his strategy so far is keeping the thing from getting its bearings with the plasma blasts, he continues aiming for its joints with his own blasts.
"I can only keep it off-kilter for so long -- we've got to make something start working!"
Waiting until the bombs tossed by Criek go off, Sharae dart in at the mechanical thing, her rapier outstretched as she looks for weak spots in the armour...
Sharae, unused to fighting while flying has her rapier bounce off Hellion's thick metal shell.
Criek on the other hand lands both of his bombs on the absurdly large target that Hellion is. Hellion screeches as it gets damaged for the first time. Not only that but it jerks wildly as the shock bomb interferes with its visual modules and the frost bombs hinders its ability to act.
While this is going Zagmaander reappears right on top of Hellion. The Xill balances on top of the swaying robot and slashes down with one of its weapons. The laser torch. It burns bright as it slashes right through Hellion's carapace. It seems like the weapon was designed expressly to cut through metal hides and it burns right through causing Hellion to scream even louder. It sounds like sentient metal might if was being burned alive.
Anody whirls his hands once more to cast a spell and the combined assault is too much for Hellion to maintain its grip as another pool of grease appears on its surface, it cannot maintain its grip anymore and lands with a resounding booming crash on its back. Its legs and tail whirl madly on the air as it tries to right itself.
Unfortunately the metal dog is unable to get out of the way in time. As the dust from the crash settles you can see its front legs and mouth moving as it tries to extract its back half from the metal monstrosity that has pinned it completely.
It seems like you have the robot at your mercy as it struggles like an overturned turtle, but one of its claws shoots out to grab Zagmaander. Zagmaander is unable to get away and you can hear the Xill scream as Hellion lofts her high and squeezes.
As this is happening the results of Hellion's earlier digital noise becomes obvious. Three piles that the group thought was just junk suddenly rise up. They're robots and they stagger towards Criek. The ratfolk is completely surrounded! Pinki yowls in panic.
Seeing his bombs' do real damage to Hellion, Criek decides to press the attack--and his luck.
He steps back from two of the robots and lets down his guard against the third long enough to launch two more bombs at Hellion, then tries to hit the nearby constructs with a third.
"Pinki, get it!" he cries, gesturing to the robot still threatening him as he tries clumsily to avoid its attacks between throws.
In striking distance and flitting around the shrieking metal of Hellion, Sharae darts inwards and stabs harshly at the weak spots of the machine...
The dog tries to extricate itself from beneath the massive frame of Hellion but fails to do so.
Zagamaaander on the other hand wrenches herself free of Hellion's grasping claw with a screech of defiance.
Criek's two frost bombs pelt Hellion. The cold damage interfing with Hellion's ability to bring it's full power to bear. The final bomb from Criek does significant damage to the poorly built robots surrounding the ratfolk. Sparks fly from both machines as they receive extra damage from the electrical attacks. The robot next to Criek tries to take advantage of his ranged attacks to land an attack but its wicked looking rusty saw blade goes wide.
Pinki is unable to get through or trip the third robot and Sharae's rapier, though well aimed does not penetrate Hellion's thick hide.
The various robots begin their counterattack. The robot next to Criek swings at him but misses again. One of the other five foot steps up to get to him and swings but misses also. The third robot however doesn't move as sparks come out of its head, where the eye sensors are.
Hellion, slowed by Criek's frost bombs swings out with its claws against the two foes next to it. Both of its attacks go well wide!
Ah scrapyard robots Anody burbles as he moves towards Criek. Poorly made, not very good at attacking and moving, also quite vulnerable to electrical attacks actually...
Seeing Sharae's frustration as she's unable to pierce Hellion's armor, Criek cries, "Switch - you take the trash bots!", while making a mental note If there are more Hellions out there, we're going to need better ways to damage them!
Continuing to dance back from those bots, trying to keep just out of reach, he focuses his own fire on Hellion.
Cautious not to be caught by the arachnid robot's flailing limbs, Sharae drifts clear of the huge machine and sends a ray of absolute frigidity down towards one of the junk robots...
Pinki bites into one of the robots threatening Criek again but is unable to bring down the robot again.
The dog is unfortunately still pinned!
Hellion's claws snap at Sharae but completley miss the flying devotee of Desna.
Zagmaander gets her revenge for being grappled by slashing twice at her former ally with the laser torch. The smell of burning metal rises from Hellion. The areas of the large robot where Zagmaamder is slashing and Criek is bombing are starting to look pretty damaged.
Sharae's blast chips some armor off the blinded robot.
The blinded robot jerks to look around. Not seeing a target it doesn't move.
Another one of the robot also seems to be malfucntioning. It moves its saws in a spastic way that slices off a part of its own armor.
The last robot moves with Criek and attacks him after the ratfolk looses his bombs. It misses.
Finally Hellion tries to grab Zagmaander again while with its tail twists to fire a blast of plasma at Criek!
Zagmaander easily dodges Hellion's claw while Criek just manages to avoid the plasma blast!