The marhsal takes another swing
and the machine finally goes down.
The marshal goes to check on the woman and confirms that she is alive and seems unharmed. She is just unconscious.
"I thank you for your help with this, I may not have been able to take this machine down myself. Any help I can give you with your task is yours." he says
Raskir addresses the young woman. "Are you all right? What did that thing want from you?"
"She is still unconscious, it seems the machine did something to her. She doesn't appear to be injured however so she should be alright. I'm going to bring her to a healer. Feel free to visit her a little later."
"I can help her a little, but your healer may do more."
Raskir chants over her and lends what healing the spirits can provide.
Jyla looks if anything is salvageable from the construct.
The woman remains unconscious but the marshal thanks you anyway and he picks her up and leaves to go to the temple.
The construct's weapon seems interesting and is still intact although it looks old and rusted. There are several buttons along the shaft. It seems capable of carrying an electric current and also appears to be able to extend and retract a bit.
Xaikon prods the construct with her sword once it has fallen to the ground, looking for any clues.
"Who is the woman who got attacked?"
Alvoise nods at the sheriff. ”It’s usually good to be owed a favor,” he says with a smile. He starts to ask members of the crowd what started the incident, where the metal construct came from. He also will inspect the machine to see the skill and craftsmanship used in creating it. ”It’s so heavy, we’re lucky it didn’t break the floorboards.” He taps a floor board with the toe of his boot.
”While we wait for the girl to recover, do you think we should try investigating the Bloodhands or the metal construct? Both? My choice is the Bloodhands.”
"Anyone know what that thing was?"
"Whatever it is, its weapon looks interesting."
You ask around and find out that the woman is the owner of the tavern as well as the daughter of the missing councilor.
Raskir reverts to human form, rubbing his jaw. I'm not sure I should have bitten that thing.
"A curious creature, does it have a spirit or is it just a machine?" Raskir looks over Alvoise's shoulder wondering how it works, but it is beyond his comprehension.
"Is anyone else hurt?"
Jayla had seemingly succeeded in getting the item loose from the construct. She was turning and observing it closely.
"This could be a striking weapon.", she somehow pressed some release switch as it extended.
"Interesting, a staff as well. I suggest we keep this with us."
Seeing Raskir rubbing his jaw, "Did you hurt yourself trying to chew that metal?"
Xaikon laughs, "Just point that thing is the direction as the construct used it. Really don't need one of us getting zapped unconscious."
"No need for concern. I'll keep it with me then."
Jayla straps it on her back.
Alvoise looks skeptically at the new weapon. It’s too complicated, he thinks, hand coming to rest on his rapier’s hilt as he continues pondering the situation. The missing councilor’s daughter. Seems to be connected.
Alvoise asks the patrons and locals if they have seen a construct like that before. He also will search the area to understand where the construct came from. Plus getting a better understanding of this place may help finding the Bloodhands.
Raskir replies to Xaikon, "Sometimes I get caught up in the battle fury. But teeth and claws were meant to fight natural creatures, not these constructed beings."
Seeing Alvoise looking for a trail, Raskir begins looking for clues as well.
"And you did not chip a tooth, when you bit it."
The construct was recovered by the councilor on his first expedition to relight the torch. He brought it here for storage but it was inactive at the time.
"If this thing was here in storage, what made it animate? Is someone controlling it?" Raskir muses out loud.
"Potentially whatever powers the weapon i just took, powers that piece of junk."
Jayla looks for anything indicating a hatch or power source with the construct.
"I'm with Raskir, what caused it to animate?"
There is a latch that opens and there is a small removable cylinder inside.
"Ah, i've found something.", Jayla carefully removed a cylinder from a latch she pried open.
She holds it up, turning it while observing carefully.
"A mere cylinder powered this contraption?"
”Is that strange? Alvoise asks. When given a chance, he peers into their fallen adversary. ”I’ve never opened up any type of construct before. They could all be like this. Maybe that cylinder is a well of concentrated magic.” He shrugs, suggesting he doubts his own ideas. He runs his hands along the arm of the construct then raps his knuckles on its chest. ”Is this normal steel?” he asks.
Giving way to let another person inspect it, he turns his attentions to the inn’s owner. ”Somebody want to help me carry her to a bed so she can rest?”
"It is repairing itself. I am not sure what can restrain it but without its weapon perhaps it won't be so dangerous. Still, someone should keep a watch on it." Raskir will report this to the marshal.
Xaikon speaks out loudly in Strix, to those nearby, it is clearly from tone of her voice it is an indication of surprise, dread and anger as she looks directly at the construct.
She holds up her long sword towards the construct. Seeing Raskir leaving to inform the marshal, she shouts "Better bring some help back to deal with this thing."
"Then we wreck its insides some more. If someone has a blunt weapon to strike its internal works a bit even more...."
You damage the construct some more as a precaution at the current rate it will be days before it can function again.
...."That will delay it's recovery, though i suggest we destroy its core when we have time.
With 2 options for attendance, splitting up for inquiring and reconvening at a set location and time, we can weigh off our options better."
"Given our limited time to finish some tasks, I have to agree that we should split up to cover as many as possible.
But we should assign who does what based on what they can do and how well."
"Diplomacy never has been my strongest point, so the council is less suited for me."
My interactions mostly covered getting instructions and putting knives in backs.
"Well I not good at diplomatic issues, so I rather go see the woman to find out more about the construct."
”Well, I can go talk to the council. I can’t guarantee any results, but I’ll be on my best behavior. One of them might know some rumors about the Bloodhands too.”
"I will go with Xaikon to check on the girl. I hope the healer was able to help her."
"I'll talk to the council, as I got a knack for talking to people."
You go to see the council and met with councilor Dolga Freddert and old dwarven woman who still carries a runed and most likely enchanted Adamantine warhammer on her belt.
She can confirm that the lost councilor entered the black hill caves to the north in order to enter the ancient facility under the town so he could try to relight the torch. She also confirms that there is a 4000 gold reward for the return of the councilor and she will even give you the towns only scroll of resurrection if he is still alive. She also mentions there is a separate 4000 gold reward if you can relight the torch because the town's economy is doomed without it.
She tells you that during the first expedition the councilor encountered some large vermin, and some scavengers in the caves. He was able to fight past then thanks to his escort and eventually found a metal wall with a door made of glaucite. It was near this door that he found the automaton and he brought it back. None of the other expeditions have returned so they have no more intel than that.
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At the local temple of Abadar you find the sherif and the girl at the tavern seems to have been awoken. They can confirm that the machine was able to knock her unconscious without doing her any harm using it's staff.
She introduces herself as Val Blaine, Daughter of councilor Khonnir Blaine. She unfortunately knows nothing of the machine or anything else that can be of much use but offers to let you stay at the Tavern as long as your in town. It doesn't have any spare bedrooms but you can sleep in the dining room in some spare bedrolls and she will happily give you free meals and drinks.
Raskir thanks Val for the hospitality. He confers with the others to decide on a course of action. "The rewards for visiting the torch are great, but we must delay that until we rescue the girl. What if we rent a small craft and pose as merchants sailing along the river? Hopefully we can lure the pirates into attacking us."
Xaikon smiles at the offer by the tavern owner Val Blaine, "Do you have a secured you where we can store our stuff while we investigate the various cases we working on?"
Hearing what others had to say from visiting the councillors, "Well the cave to the torch is north of here. The missing girl was taken north from here. Seems all is in the same direction we be travelling. Maybe we should just see what happens as we travel."
Alvoise nods, ”That’s highly generous of you. We’ll need to discuss any plans with our other companions. These black hills...are they near the river? Could they be a possible hiding place for the blood hands?”
"Well my father did mention having to fight some armed thugs. He called them scavengers but they could have been pirates. There is a section of the black hills were they could be hiding but one would need to be able to travel underwater for a long time to reach it." says Val
”Underwater? These aren’t just your average pirates and smugglers then, if they are based there,” Alvoise takes a puff from his cigarette. ”Do you need assistance returning to your inn?” He smiles and gives a half bow. Then he looks at the companions with him. ”Any other questions? I’d like to get back to the inn, go over our supplies, and prepare for the journey.”
"The bloodhands are more smugglers than pirates really but they have engaged in both activities and more." says the marshal.
Thinking aloud, "Missing girl smuggled by bloodhands. Bloodhands are definitely smugglers that operate from a cave in black hills. Missing councillor encountered the bloodhands while at the black hills caves that goes to facility related to the torch." She lets outs a smile, "I guess our destination will be the black hills caves, where we find all: the missing girl, the missing councillor, where the construct came from, and reason for the torch going out. The question is, which cave do we go in?"
"I have some skill in tracking. If we can find the area, I may be able to lead us to them. Plus you (Xaikon) and our birds can scout from the air."
”That makes sense Xaikon and Raskir. Sounds like we have the beginning of a plan. Should we go back to the inn and wait for the others to return from the council chamber?”
"I have no hassle to scout from above. Well lets return to the tavern and see what the others discovered, and plan our next action, most likely to the black hills."