Anna grins, returning the handshake with a bone-crushing grip of her own. She doesn't totally agree with Morgan's sentiment - she felt it was the sacred duty of the strong to protect the weak, as a mother bear protects her cubs - but it was still a sentiment she understood. A sentiment held by many a kellid.
"It is good to meet you, Orc-woman Morgan," Anna agrees. She beams. The spirits must have truly blessed this day.
"Now if you do not mind, I would like to make haste and find this Era you speak of, then meet with the leaders of this town," Anna says, her voice becoming serious. "I owe a life debt to the one called Khonnir, one I intend to repay."
"He was a man with many connections and to whom many were indebted. Very well then, let's go," she says, moving towards the exit. She grabs her pack from beside her chair and while striding away. Just as it seems she's forgotten her spear, she holds her hand out beside her and the spear flies from where it had been resting next to her chair directly into her hand. She then throws open the door and leads the group outdoors. "I believe we're most likely to find her at the Temple of Brigh, as she spends most of her time there."
She leads them towards the Temple, keeping an eye out for Era as they get close, just in case she was coming or going.
The Copper Coin
It soon becomes apparent that the newly formed group has become the center of attention in the tavern, their expressed intent to venture into the Black Hill caves overheard by those around them. This development seems to lighten the mood considerably, though a few of the stodgier pessimists (dwarves, mostly) pretend to be more interested in their drinks.
As everyone starts to take their leave,, Lawton chuckles. "I wish you all the best. Should you return, consider your next visit on the house! Though I suppose if Khonnir's place opens back up, I'll be losing some of these new customers..." His sister, still working the bar, shoots him a dirty look. "Okay, okay, back to the kitchen I go."
The ratfolk smiles and nods as the gnome approaches. Finally, someone of a more reasonable size. "Pleasure to meet you Croudh. Glad to have someone along to keep these big folks from bleeding out on us." He chuckles and offers a hand to the shaman.
Wrixx's ears notably perk up at the mention of Khonnir's connections. If the man was as well-liked and connected as the locals seemed to think, perhaps he was just the person he wanted to talk to. Surely such a man would have heard about a missing person. Perhaps he would give his assistance as reward for helping deal with the town's problems. "Very well, let's get on our way then." He does seem particularly phased by the display of power from the guide, though perhaps that's because he's too deep in thought to be paying much attention. "Who's this Era person anyway?" he asks curiously. "Aside from a friend of yours I suppose."
"Inspiration, more than parts... though any sprockets you may have could prove handy. I'm looking for very particular ratios, though, as keeping perfect time is part of the goal. I'm also looking for an unusual power source - something that could store energy like a spring, and release it over time... though I am uncertain that is something easily made, or made at all. There is much to determine in the design, yet, but I'm hopeful." Era shares, openly. Tally flutters over and glares daggers into the pale gnome. She had been told that she was not allowed to recolor this one, much to her chagrin.
After paying her tab, Anna follows Fal and the others out the door. Laying next to the doorway is an enormous, shaggy black wolf the size of a mastiff. As they pass, Anna beckons towards him. "Dewch, Dar'shyn."
"Come, Dar'shyn."
The wolf rises with a start and obediently trots after her. He pauses occasionally to sniff at the heels of their new companions.
"This is Dar'shyn," Anna explains, simply. After sniffing Fal's calves, Dar'shyn's ears flatten and he rumbles a low growl. "Shush, mae'r rhain yn ffrindiau newydd," she chides, pulling him away from her. "Sorry, he doesn't like most people."
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Junkyard
"Tally," Garritt says in his usual monotone, turning his blank, white stare at the owl. What follows a blurb of speech unintelligible to Era, but that the familiar would recognize as an apology.
"Intriguing," he remarks, looking back to Era. "Plenty of springs here. And sprockets. But nothing like that. Would have taken it apart by now." A corner of his mouth twitches, ever so slightly. He pulls open the door to his home which, out of consideration for taller folks, is tall enough for the wizard to step through without ducking her head.
Within the hut is a bed and a workbench. The rest is dominated by shelves which, much like those at the temple, are lined with boxes and buckets filled to the brim with mechanical parts. Unlike the workshop however, his system of organization is, in a word, chaotic. Garritt dumps the contents of his bag onto the workbench, and promptly starts sifting through it.
"Sprockets over there," he says, pointing to a nearby shelf. "Inspiration... somewhere else."
Tally hoots acceptance of the gnome's apology, glad to have someone to talk to who understood her. She flutters over to continue the chat while Era searches.
Era skips the sprockets for now - the winding mechanism was less important until she found a power supply. Something to store tension for later use. She needed something coiled, but compact, that would release force over time rather than immediately. An ordinary spring could work, but it would be difficult to build the right amount of tension and have it feed out uniformly... and so she begins to search through the collections, not moving anything, but instead simply meandering and looking.
Cruodh passes a hand through his hair while listening to the others.
"So, where exactly have these people disappeared, do we know anything about what we might be facing?"
"The people of this town revere a strange spirit that lives on top of the hill. It produces a violet flame that they use to forge with. But the flame went out," Anna explains her understanding of the events. "There are caves beneath the town, and a few days ago, Khonnir pulled out the corpse of a great metal beast. I believe perhaps there are more of these metal beasts down there that have angered the spirits. The townspeople seem to think similarly, that the reason the violet flame spirit has left them may be found beneath the town."
She runs her fingers down the handle of her axe while she continues, "Khonnir went down there a few days ago with a group of warriors. But they did not return."
"Then we will need to inspect that metal beast before going in search of them... it would be foolish to fight things we do not understand."
In search of Era, the group takes their leave of the Copper Coin and makes the trek across town. Several of the patrons in tavern follow them out, both to bid them good luck and to return to the daily grind, their lunch time having come to an end. They find the streets slightly harder to navigate than before, as they are likewise met with the foot traffic of hundreds of miners, smiths, artisans, and laborers all heading back to work. But seeing as there was little reason for anyone to climb Black Hill, the crowds soon dissipate, giving them clear passage to the Temple of Brigh.
There, the bored-looking acolyte manning the storefront snaps to attention, having clearly not expected any customers, let alone a band of adventurers. Recognizing Fal in the group, the mousy-haired man directs everyone to the junkyard, noting that as far as he knows, Era is still out searching for components. From there the way is straightforward, the road terminating at the northern region of town, dominated by towers of unwanted scrap metal.
Sitting near the entrance of the junkyard is a modest little house, the home of the town's resident Junkmaster.
"Mostly for all the detritus from failed experiments or broken mechanical things that have been found or produced here in Torch. It is a way to make all those things available to others who might attempt to put them to better use. Its presence is heavily sponsored by the church here." she says by way of explanation.
She'd been here more than a few times looking for Era, so it came as little surprise. The girl was always working on some design or another, after all. Moving up to the door, she knocks politely, calling through the door, "Garritt, I am looking for Era, is she here?"
Tally flutters over, leaving the answer to the question somewhat obvious. As she perches on Fal's shoulder, she asks the question, "Who?" The little bird's feather pattern made it look as though a small child had used a pastel set of legos to build her.
Era leans out of one of the bins, her hair a dull blue today, Fal would know that her hair changed colors almost daily. Her white lab coat was the same color that it always was, though - Tally didn't seem interested in changing that. Era rounds her way out, seeing the others following after Fal. "Oh. Is this about Khonnir? Hello again, Anna!" she nods pleasantly to the pair. "...And... Orc and Gnome." The latter two seem to be a stumbling block until she finally notices the ratfolk. "And Ysoki. Either this is about Khonnir, or I have some sort of debt that I am unaware of." she adds, with a nervous smile.
Wrixx looks momentarily surprised. "That's a term I haven't heard in a long time. You must be Era. It's a pleasure to meet you." Wrixx offers a hand to the young woman. "And yes, it seems it is. We've been... persuaded to take a trip into the hill and poke around a bit."
"Cruodh shaman of clan of the Obelisk." the short Kellid says, not only introducing himself but also correcting Era's assessment of his origins. The shaman holds out a hand while gazing deep into the woman's eyes.
"And this is Llinellau Haul." he adds pointing at the weasel who is busy licking his paw.
"Hopefully we will find this Khonnir down there." he then adds after Wrixx.
"Hello, Tally," Fal says, reaching up to pat the owl on the head. "The 'Ysoki' is Wrixx, and the Orc is Morgan, and it seems you have met Anna, I take it she's the one you mentioned the other day then. Cruodh seems to be her travelling companion. Anyway, Morgan was insistent upon finding some work, and given the situation with Khonnir's second trip, it seemed we had enough people to do something about it. I figured you would be interested as well, of course." She directs her answer half at the owl and half at Era, knowing Tally to be rather temperamental if not treated as an equal in the conversation.
Era shakes Wrixx's hand with her right hand, nodding to him. "I've also heard the terms Nezumi and Ratfolk... I found Ysoki to be the more cultured choice." she nods to the weasel before the gnome. "Forgive me, but my hallit is far from perfect... is your familiar named 'Rays of the Sun' or 'Tan Lines'? And... why is it covered in green and blue? To date, Tally has been the only animal that I have found that has taken to... self-coloring."
Tally ducks down, giving Fal some prime owl-scritching real estate, fluffing up her chest feathers at the attention.
"Of course I'm interested. Though... I've no real experience with fighting. Only planning and following through on that plan. If I know what each of you is capable of, I can try to fill that niche... I'm a quick study with my spellbook. Do... any of you have waterproof bags for any spoilable belongings?
If not, you can feel free to leave them in my home."
"You can call me whatever you want. I'm just surprised. My people don't even call themselves Ysoki very often. I only know the term from my mother's bedtime stories." Wrixx smiles as the arcanist introduces herself. It would be nice to have someone with different talents long. Watching other spell casters at work could be fun. As long as they weren't casting at him, of course. "I'm not carrying much with me. But thanks for the offer."
"Hear that Llinellau Haul, tan line... hehe." Cruoch chuckles, the weasel bites his ear, Curodh's half-smile does not falter."I named him Rays of the Sun because of the lines of light on his skin. But they're not of his own making. Llinellau told me that he did not always have them. He was once a normal weasel with normal weasel instincts, but the stone obelisk dotting the land seem to have changed him. Tally... self coloring?" the curiosity in the gnome's eyes appears to flare up."Has she told you how she gained such an ability?"
"Thank you for the offer, but my belongings should be fine."
"I... cannot speak with animals. Era admits, slowly, earning a disdainful hoot from Tally, who goes back to being fluffy for Fal without hesitation. "Though she certainly understands speech, from what I can tell. So, while she may have secrets, she has not shared them. If we're going down below, we should meet with the Council, first... and perhaps check in with Val. I'm certain the others will continue to look after her, but she is running low on guardians." Era suggests to the others.
Anna stood in the rear for this conversation, arms crossed as everyone gets their introductions out of the way. When Era greets her, she simply nods her greeting back. Like Morgan, she was uncertain of how useful Era would be on this expedition - while she thought the girl had a good heart, she had a rather low opinion of those who tried to learn magic through books and "cleverness". If the gods willed a person to have such power, it would be so, otherwise one should be content with their own natural talents. But sometimes the spirits worked in unusual ways. Perhaps she would prove her worth.
"The day is short and there is much more to do. If you are ready, Era, we should leave now."
"Yes, let's continue on then. Best if we get everything in order right away," Fal says. She turns and heads towards the door, spear in hand.
Having never bothered to answer the door himself, Garritt continues to sort through components, seemingly oblivious to conversation taking place on his doorstep.
"A lot of people with animal friends," Wrixx comments blithely. "Well, at least I don't have to worry about people here having problems with rats." He chuckles to himself. "Unless you have further business, I suppose I'm ready to go too."
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Now numbering six (animal friends notwithstanding), the group backtracks through town, passing the temple of Brigh again before reaching the large square where the town hall is. On happier days the plaza would be the site of all sorts of celebrations, festivals, and dances, but today the space is just another dumping ground for scattered refuse. Its sorry state is in stark contrast to the town hall, easily one of the grandest buildings in Torch.
The wide, columned building is not just the seat of local government, but a secondary garrison as well. Attached to the northern end of the building is a large stone lookout tower, manned by some of the town's guards. Two guards stand at the entrance of the hall, but they raise no objections to your group's entry - the building was, for the most part, open to the public. The front doors lead right into the hall's main chamber. Well over a hundred chairs fill the room, neatly arranged into rows. At the front of the room is a large wooden table, from which the town council could face the audience. On Oathdays the council would hold their meetings here, with any number of people from the public in attendance. Here citizens could stand trial, share their concerns, or voice their grievances... of which there have been plenty, as of late.
But for all the chairs in the chamber, only one is currently occupied. At the council's table sits an elderly dwarven woman, embroiled in the process of tackling a formidable stack of paperwork. Her pen scrawls across the documents furiously, her expression suggesting that she would very much like to be anywhere but here. As you get closer you realize that she is muttering angrily, a few dwarven curses reaching audibility every now and then. Eventually, she realizes that she has an audience. Councillor Dolga Freddert looks up and then tosses down her pen, looking very thankful for the interruption.
"Now what do we have here?" she asks, her eyes darting from person to person. "I see some familiar faces. Is it too much to hope that you aren't here to file a complaint? I have enough of those in my stack as is - I have half a mind to use them to fuel my forge."
As Era moves through the town, she seems to take virtually no interest in the garbage, at each turn, her hands move through several motions, like the somatic components of a spell. Once they arrive at the town hall, she moves into the room, and rather than simply standing and waiting, she takes a seat. She pulls out her spellbook and begins rapidly going over the page in silence.
Once Dolga pays them heed, she speaks up, almost immediately, looking up from her book, but not quite at the older woman. "Please don't. Paper, while useful as a fuel, is far more useful for holding information." she pauses, "Fal has found several outsiders as well as their familiar and wolf who are willing to go underground in search of Khonnir. And whatever has plagued the city." she adds as an afterthought. "We should also like to visit with Val and see if we can learn anything about the automaton before we go below, in the hopes of knowing how to deal with them should there be more."
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If Cruodh hadn't been raised by Kellis, he would have entered the building whistling in appreciation and staring with wide opened eyes at everything, a true tourist. But the shaman knew better and kept his eyes on their goal, barely letting them dart to the many details that caught his attention.
Familiar? Cruodh thinks, exchanging a look with Llinellau who was still on his shoulder. He shrugs and steps forward to come at Era's side.
"Cruodh, Shaman of the Clan of the Obelisk." the gnome says introducing himself. "Some of us have a debt to pay to this Khonnir and will go into these dangerous tunnels to do so. But, we need the be prepared for what lies beneath, not for these metallic creatures, but for any other dangers. As a shaman, I also plan to intervene with the spirit of the purple flame and, if possible, return it to your hill. To do this though, I would also need to know the legends, taboos, and offerings that have been given to it in the past. So, is there any information that you could give us that would help in our exploration?"
Anna stands in the back, towering over the other members of the group in silence. She is content to allow Cruodh to speak for her. He seemed to be better at it anyway.
This time, she brought Dar'shyn in with her. He sits obediently at her side, while she taps her foot impatiently, arms folded over her chest.
Dolga beams with relief when Era and Cruodh voice the group's intentions.
"Excellent. I knew you that you wanted to go after Khonnir, Era, but I didn't expect you to get a crew together so quickly," she remarks with an approving nod. "Yes, most excellent indeed. I am sure that Val will be pleased as well. Definitely pay her a visit, if you find the time."
She gives Cruodh and the weasel on his shoulder a curious look.
"Unless you count the thousands of pounds of garbage we have dumped into it since then as offerings, then there is not much I can tell you," Dolga replies with a tired smile. Her expression turns more serious as she continues. "I know nothing of spirits and rituals, Mr. Cruodh, but I can tell you that the torch is no work of magic, spiritual or otherwise. Until eight days ago, the flame was burning as brightly as it was the day I first laid eyes on it, over a century ago.
"That said, while reigniting the torch would solve a great many of our town's problems, it is not our top priority. Our main concern right now is finding out what happened to Khonnir, and getting him home safe and sound. To that end, I will answer your questions to the best of my ability. Khonnir briefed us on what he found during his first foray in the caverns, so you won't have to go in completely blind."
"I did not." Era corrects, quickly. "Fal found the people." but then doesn't have much more to add, instead looking to the others to see what sorts of questions they might have.
"All things have a spirit. Whether that spirit can act upon the world and appreciates offerings is a different thing... if you are lucky this is one spirit that does not care for offerings... otherwise these years of garbage disposal would probably be the cause of the disappearance of the flame. As for questions..." Cruodh tilts his head and looks toward the ceiling as he searches for questions. "What kind of dangers did Khonnir find the first time? Natural dangers like cave-ins or pitfalls? Or living creatures? ... and, why is Torch no using them, caves have many uses, why ignore them?"
"If I hadn't, I am sure you would have shortly, Era," she responds. "Hopefully we will be able to find Khonnir." Truthfully she was as curious about what lay within the mound of the Torch as she was worried for Khonnir. She found it unlikely that he wouldn't be able to take care of himself.
"A briefing would be good. Afterwards we can follow up with Val and then head in to find Khonnir. If we are efficient, we should be able to make our way in today."
"To be honest, I am surprised that you did not go in with those Brigh worshipers from out of town," Dolga admits to Era, glancing at Fal with a smile. "But things seem to have worked out for you regardless."
Getting back to the matter at hand, she acknowledges Cruodh's questions with a nod.
"I should answer your last question first - might as well start from the beginning.
"The caves are connected to Weeping Pond by an underwater passage. The water there has always been toxic, so it is a small wonder that no one ever bothered to go diving in it. Only, someone apparently did. The day the torch went out, Khonnir went down to the pond to take some water samples. It was then that he found a large number of footprints on the shore. A sizable group of people had gone underwater, and hadn't returned. He suspected that those people might have had something to do with the torch going out, so we got the word out and started to send people in.
"As I'm sure you can imagine, the caves were not exactly safe. They were inhabited by several enormous vermin and other scavengers, along with some strange humanoids who had the ability to blend into the shadows of the cave walls, as well as a nest of gremlins. Khonnir believed that this indicated a deeper connection in the caves to the Darklands, but he was far more interested in the solid metal wall he found. He said that it was an entire structure made of skymetal... and that it had doors. It was near one of those doors that Khonnir found the broken automaton. He decided to bring it back to the surface, and did not proceed any further."
Skulks are generally willing to do anything they deem necessary for survival, be it thievery or casual murder.
Like most fey, they are resistant to magic, as well as weapons not forged out of cold iron.
"So a cave full of monsters and a strange underground building made of skymetal. That's definitely... different. I'm assuming that when he went back in, he was planning to look into the place. Given the automaton, I wouldn't be surprised if it had more automated defenses. I hope he didn't run afoul of them."
"Hmph. Llechwyr ac ellylls. Cowardly little cave-creatures." She taps a finger on her axe. "My axe is forged of haearn oer, blessed metal that can harm such creatures. Monsters from the spirit worlds. The elders say that a long time ago, before the days of my elders' elders, there were more of such creatures in the world. We had to learn to forge blades of haearn oer to fight them."
She directs a question to the councillor. "Honorable Dolga, where now is the corpse of the metal beast Khonnir found? I would like to look at it."
Cruodh listens intently, his eyes squinting from his focus on the information and alight with curiosity. He flashes a look to Llinellau when Dolga mentions a door to the skymetal.
"Thank you for this information. Hopefully, all these automatons are deactivated... but that, we will come to know in time." he says, looking toward Wrixx. "What we will need now, is a way to communicate with these people who are called skulks and gremlins. If we enter their territory, we need to be able to ask for permission to pass through and to ask what happened. We might even bring an offering... or gifts." Cruodh stops for a moment, trying to remember stories about gremlins.
"Do we think that the golems will be our foes in this venture? There was no combat between Khonnir and the golem, yes?" she asks, before drawing out one of her daggers at Anna's mention of the metal. "I have a bit of cold iron if someone is in need of it."
"I cannot say for certain. The machine that Khonnir brought back was not functional when he found it, and he did not find any others. Before he left for his second expedition, he had been studying it in his house. Val can probably show it to you," Dolga adds, nodding to Anna.
She frowns regretfully at Cruodh's suggestion.
"I would be careful about how you deal with the 'skulks.' When Khonnir's group entered, the creatures attacked without warning. He had little choice but to respond with a great deal of force. The survivors might not take kindly to there being more intruders. But if you can deal with them diplomatically, that would be much preferred."
"I see..." the glint in Cruodh's eyes seems to diminish a bit. "I will try still, but it is good to know this." the gnome passes a hand through his hair, momentarily preoccupied.
"Wrixx seems to think so, and so do I. Metal creatures act in unexpected ways, we must be prepared to fight such beasts... prudence first." Cruod responds to Era.
"Just make sure to watch for knives in the back while you do," Wrixx says. "But let's see just what kind of metal man we're dealing with here before we start panicking over possibly having to deal with more of them."
Anna nods. "You have been very helpful, venerable Drolga," she says. "If we are done here, we should be off to go see Val and this metal monster."
"Skulks... hopefully if they have been worn down they will be willing to talk. Otherwise we may need to resort to the same measures. Thank you for your time Dolga, we will let you know the moment we have anything to report," she says as she prepares to leave. "Shall we head to visit Val then? The sooner we inspect the machine, the sooner we can head to the cavern. Oh, one final thing Dolga. What did Khonnir do to bypass the water? Did they drain the entrance? Or did the water prove less toxic than expected?"
"Unfortunately, you'll have to do it the old-fashioned way," Dolga answers with a grimace. "Despite being toxic, the water isn't particularly dangerous. Not unless you drink it over long periods of time, like they did here in the old days. Don't worry too much if you're not a great swimmer, though. The current is not terribly strong, and Councilor Kyte has been keeping water breathing spells prepared for just this occasion. If he's not at the temple, chances are, he's still at Crowfeather Palace."
With that, she leans back in her chair and sighs heavily.
"I have no idea what you'll find down there, but for all our sakes, I hope it's good news. I wish you the best of luck."
"That's good to know, we will make use of his magic then. Thank you again, Dolga," Fal says before continuing out the door.
"Good to know. I swim about as well as you'd expect. Thank you kindly."