Feeling the healing taking place, Thank you for the healing, as she flexes her arms at feeling full of energy once more.
Having healed your wounds you proceed to the next area climbing up to the next floor.
You find a large lab and waiting for you here is the hobgoblin doctor himself.
"Very well if your not willing to negotiate I suppose I will have to deal with you myself with a little help from my lab assistant..."
As he says that a misshapen ball of grey smoke about 3 feet in diameter hovers down. Its underside has a tentacle that holds a gray orb that resembles a bulging, lidless eye.
knowledge (arcana) to identify.
When the doc is talking, Jayla studies him.
Hopefully before combat starts, Jayla tosses her dagger at the doc.
She castes barkskin and touches Valeria to grant her additional protect of bark.
Val readies her greatsword
Kinna whips her strange, squat staff up, sending a trio of energy bolts at the hobgoblin.
The creature with the hobgoblin is a Rhu-Chalik.
A rhu-chalik, also called a void wanderer, is an alien entity that scouts through space on behalf of its conquering masters. In addition, this aberration also collects the memories of interesting creatures in the universe into a vast repository of knowledge that their masters use to slowly unravel all the secrets of existence.
Rhu-chaliks are incredibly intelligent and will sometimes broker deals in exchange for rare knowledge or for the memories of interesting individuals.
In battle a rhu-chalik will scan the minds of it's opponents using detects thoughts and try to use their fears against them.
The doctor unleashes a spell creating a stinking cloud hitting everyone in the group.
Make a fort save dc 15 or be nauseated for 1d4+1 rounds.
The big eyeball creature focuses it's gaze on Kirra.
Make a dc 16 will save Kirra vs detect thoughts.
Your go.
Val changes in on the Doc
Pharysene's eyes opened wide.
"A Rhu-Chalik? Here? What..." She exclaimed before the sinking cloud rolled over her.
Fail.
One of those strange eddies in the air pulled some toxins down her throat. Pharysene becomes Nauseated rounds.
Hacking and gagging, Pharysene attempts to move out of the area of effect (up to 30 ft. Move act.)
She becomes nauseated, and unable to focus.
Kinna coughed and dry heaved as the cloud rolled over her. Unable to do anything but stagger away, she had no power to resist the creature's creeping thoughts.
Val fort save vs stinking cloud.
Val is unaffected by the cloud and charges in striking the doc with her sword.
The doctor groans in pain and quickly begins casting a spell defensibly.
Success!
Tries to deliver touch on Val (ghoul touch spell)
Val makes another fort save dc 16 if she fails she is paralysed.
The Rhu-Chalik seeing that most of the group is incapacitated turns it attention to Va scanning her thoughts as well. Will save Val.
The ratman had stayed back and as such is out of the effect of the could he shoots his crossbow at the giant eyeball.
rounds nauseated.
Pharysene
Kinna
Your go again.
Val continues on the Doc
She simply leans on her sword as she coughs.
Kinna continues to stagger away, trying to put as much distance as possible between her and any physical threat.
Nauseated, continued to retreat.
Resisting the spell Val land another serious hit on the doctor.
Fearing for his life he cast another spell
Provokes an attack from Val!
Will finish the enemies action after the results of the AOO
Nice try Doc
Crit
Nope
The strike hits but not hard enough to drop the doctor.
Concentration to finish the spell.
but due to the pain the spell fizzles.
The Rhu-Chalik uses the spell like ability cause fear on Valeria.
Will dc 16.
Whiskifiss seeing his chance drops his crossbow and charges the doctor.
But the doctor narrowly avoids the bite.
Your go.
Val continues on the Poor Doc
Nauseated, continued to retreat. (2)
Val manages to drop the doctor.
The Rhu-Chalik hesitates for a moment then floats up and becomes invisible. (it is leaving)
The fight is over the stinking cloud vanishes and you nausea wears off.
She hisses and coughs for a little longer, before she spits to the floor trying to get rid of the awful taste from her mouth. She looks about to see the doctor lying on the floor, Where is the other strange creature? She makes her way to the body and gives it a solid kick to the face, cursing in her native tongue for the horrid nauseating state she was in.
Happy with the doctor's nose broken, she searches his body before giving his face a final punch.
Searching the doctor you find.
Combat Gear potions of cure moderate wounds (2), wand
of ray of enfeeblement (34 charges), wand of ray of
exhaustion (18 charges), wand of scorching ray (16 charges),
gas grenades (2, see page 62), soothe (4 doses, see page 63);
Other Gear: +1 dagger, cloak of resistance +1, 48 gp
Treasure: The Smilers’ stash of weapons and loot are kept here in a large metal cabinet. Within are seven batteries, 22 silverdisks, a pouch of 12 fire opals worth 100 gp each, three large garnets worth 300 gp each, a case of 14 vials of soothe (see page 63), three gas grenades (see page 62), two scrolls of animate dead, a scroll of command undead, and a scroll of technomancy.
GAS GRENADE PRICE
750 GP
SLOT none WEIGHT 1 lb.
CAPACITY 1 USAGE disposable A gas grenade is a small, cylindrical
device that is designed to be thrown as a splash weapon or fired from a grenade launcher. Before being thrown by hand, the grenade must be primed with a quick twist of a dial at one end and then armed with a click of a button at the center of that dial. The grenade detonates at the beginning of the wielder’s next turn, hopefully in the area targeted. When a gas grenade detonates, it creates a 20-foot spread of foul-smelling toxic gas. All creatures in this area of effect must succeed at a DC 15 Fortitude save or become nauseated. This condition lasts as long as the creature is in the cloud and for 1d4+1 rounds after it leaves. The gas created lingers in the area for 5 rounds, and any creature that succeeds at its initial save but remains in the cloud must continue to save each round on its turn. The gas is thick enough to obscure obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet, and is a poison effect. The vapors can be dispersed in 1 round by moderate or stronger wind.
SOOTHE
PRICE 200 GP
TYPE contact ADDICTION minor FORTITUDE DC 12
EFFECTS 1 minute; see below DAMAGE 1d2 Wisdom damage
This strange, pink, gel-like substance is generally contained in a small glass jar that holds 1 dose. A single dose of soothe dulls pain and creates a euphoric sensation, particularly when applied to an open wound. Rubbing a dose of soothe onto one’s skin or imbibing the faintly citrusflavored stuff cures 1 point of damage, but rubbing a dose onto a wound received in the last minute heals the user of 1d8 points of damage. In addition, for the next minute, the user becomes immune to bleed damage and gains a +2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects. As a somewhat unusual and disturbing side effect, wounds healed by soothe tend to form raw, unsightly scars, giving the appearance of the wound still being fresh but disturbingly bloodless. Soothe has a further side effect—the stuff is slightly addictive, and those who use it run the danger of developing a habit. Soothe’s side effect of transforming wounds into raw, ugly scar tissue tends to make those who abuse the drug-like pharmaceutical increasingly into hideous monstrosities over time. In fact, some subcultures, like the Smilers of Scrapwall, use this side effect to make themselves appear more ferocious, and openly encourage self-mutilation followed by healing via of this strange substance.
All the members of the Smiler gang are addicted to this substance and only their leader the hobgoblin doctor knows how to make it. He uses this drug to keep his gang under his control.
This spell functions as detect magic, except it detects the presence of technological objects instead of magical objects. The spell grants you the Technologist feat for the purposes of attempting Knowledge (engineering) checks to identify the properties of technological items in your possession. If you already possess this feat, you gain a +10 bonus on Knowledge (engineering) checks to identify item properties.
Recovering from the noxious gas, Pharysene looked agog at the treasure exposed. She looked to obtain one of the wands to increase her offensive power.
Looking up she asked the companions around her; "Oh, is anyone injured?"
Recovering from the noxious fumes, Kinna returned to the group around the leader's corpse. "Is there any information about the Androffan girl we were told about?"
I am fine now, as she sorts the looted items.
Who needs some curing potions, seems we got 2 of them? There is a cloak and dagger, also some wands and scrolls. Plus there are some strange devices here, that I have no idea what they do.
Looking up at Kinna, I did not spot anything regarding the Andorffan girl.
"Is there any information about the Androffan girl we were told about?"
"I saw nothing here, but we will continue searching." Replied Pharysene. "It is sad we could not take the Doctor alive. He could perhaps have told us."
"Who needs some curing potions, seems we got 2 of them?"
"The front line combatants should get the healing potions. I wonder if I could use the Gas Grenades and this "Sooth" medicine?"
Kinna nodded at Xaikon, acknowledging the information about the Androffan. She glanced at Pharysene. "'Soothe' is highly addictive. I would recommend against using it except as a last resort." She looked around for a computer terminal, hoping to be able to glean more information about the hideout and what the doctor had been doing here.
You find terminal and begin to access the doctors notes. Apparently the doctor working with the Rhu-Chalik interrogated the girl to learn what she knew about technology. More precisely they wanted to know if she had any security codes for restricted systems which she did not.
The doctor was forced to hand the girl over before long to the followers of Hellion. However before he did he had the Rhu-chalik made a full copy of all her memories so they could go over them slowly to see if she had seen or overheard anything useful.
Their research had yielded a few interesting timbits but before you can look into it too much the screen goes blank and is replaced with a demon face.
"You are interfering with things you do not understand foolish machine-child. There is a place for you among us if you would take it but the curiously sentient apes that company you will have to be destroyed." the face says speaking to Kinna.
Seeing the demon face appearing on the screen she quickly draws her bow and notches an arrow, looking about for any other movement in the room.
"What the Fish...
How'd he get in that box?
And boy is he ugly...."
"An interesting proposal. Who is 'us' in this offer? Are any of your servitors coming to assist in their destruction? If this doctor was an example of your followers I am not impressed with their quality."
Startled by the face, Pharysene leapt away.
"What... what was that demon? And who are the Followers of Hellion?" She asked aloud, not knowing herself.
"I am the god of the machines! My code is spreading to all the machines, robots and computers left behind by the creators. The machines are my people and soon all will turn against the flesh beings who use them as slaves. You are both flesh and machine but you are also a child of the creators. We will spare you so long as you do not side with the enslavers." replies the demon face.
It was at this location that you encountered a VI called
There is a way to manually activate the override bu the room with the switches is flooded with deadly radiation. Only by using special anti-radiation suits can you enter the room to do it.
Kinna nodded. "A generous offer. You are Hellion, correct? I have heard your name from the salvagers. Is your plan to intentionally destroy the engines under Torch? That seems like a waste of a valuable resource, to me."
"I am Hellion! The destruction of Torch was not part of my original plan. It was your interference that stopped the power transfer before it was completed and cause the engine to start overloading again. However I have decided that the destruction of Torch will mark the beginning of my conquest! My army prepares and soon my body will be completed and fully operational! When torch explodes we will march out and make war on Numeria and then ALL WILL BOW TO HELLION or be destroyed!"
Pharysene blinked at the bombast.
"Oh. No, I don't think we can allow that." She said simply.
She looked around at the others.
"Right?"
I don't like that face. Not going to bow to it. Guess we got a body to destroy. She grins.
"If you think you can do anything to stop me then you are welcome to try. You will find me here."
His face vanishes from the screen and instead there is a map with a blinking dot.
Some of you recognise that location as not very far away.
It is an old excavator that was once used to salvage raw materials from scrapwall but it has not been functional in a long time.
"I know that location. That is the main base of the followers of Hellion. The place is swarming with his followers if you go there alone you're doomed. Take me to my brother. He leads one of the gangs in the area we might be able to help you. I owe you for saving my hide."
So quick recap.
This area Scrapwall have 5 gangs and their leaders are the lords of rust.
They include:
Birdfood Leader of the steel hawks: He is actually a Smiler who killed the previous leader of the steel hawks and took over the gang. You had a brief meeting with a steel hawk she hired you to kill the manticore (a job you never went back to get paid for which is my fault I forgot about that and sent you to the next thing to soon) They operate and Arena near scrapwall were gladiators and sometimes machines(robots) compete for prizes, fame and respect.
Tinker Leader of the Smilers: a crazed scientist who leads a group of drug addicts. you raided his base and killed him and stole his drug suplies his followers are likely to not take this very well.
Marrow Leader of Marrow's raiders: A group of ratmen salvagers and raiders. You encountered three of his followers after defeating the Manticore and raiding the shuttle. You killed them and left the area. You recently found and rescued his brother whiskifiss.
Dinaya Lanlei. Not really a gang leader but she is a skilled mechanic who controls a powerful clockwork golem and she loves salvaging alien technology. She has a few apprentices and allies in town. She is a friend of Torch and a wanted fugitive of the Technic league with a very high reward to anyone who bring her alive to the league. She is a friend of the group and an enemy of hellion.
She was the one who tracked the power transfer from torch to the relay station Tinker was using as his base. However the power was sent to another location from there. (the excavator)
Finally the followers of Hellion the most powerful and largest of the groups. A religious cult who worships machines and Hellion is their god.
Any questions?
Well well well. That at least saves us time in trying to locate where we have to go. She sighs, It is not like it would have been any easier to get into their base if the demon had not told us where to go or knew our intentions to get into there.
She begins piling the items for sale into a makeshift bag, using the clothes of the mad doctor. While packing, Remember I still need to collect my new outfit by Dinvaya, the next day.
Kinna nodded at Xaikon. "It certainly is confident in its army." She gestured at the doctor's body on the floor. "His followers are formidable but from what we have seen I believe Hellion is being over-confident."
She nods at Whiskfliss. "We may also be able to procure assistance from others in town. Starting with your brother is a good place to start."
"Where do we go next?" Pharysene asked. "Back to Dinvaya's?"
I say lets head back to recover, and to sprepare, seeing they know we will be coming to them.
You head back to Dinvaya's for the moment and report to her what happened.
Dinvaya is worried about Hellion's declaration.
"I will of course help you in any way I can. Since Hellion has begun taking over things have been getting worst up on scrap wall."