With Dolga's blessing, the party departs from town hall and heads right back to where they first started. Just down the street from the Copper Coin is the trio of modest stone buildings that comprise Khonnir Baine's home.
The first two buildings - Khonnir's business prospects - are marked by signs that hang over their doors. The building on left is named The Foundry Tavern, while the larger building on the right is simply called The Foundry. Posted on the doors of both buildings are handwritten signs, each displaying the same message:
The Foundry itself is Khonnir's personal forge and workshop. He frequently rented it out to visiting smiths and metalworkers, as well as to close friends.
As you approach the Foundry you hear a startling noise - a distant crash and a shrill scream, coming from the stone small house behind the tavern.
Wrixx walks with the rest of the group toward the Foundry. He'd heard the place was actually rather interesting to visit, but he'd yet to actually do so. And with the proprietor missing, now really wasn't the time anyway. But as they arrive, he can hear the crash and cry and just sighs. "That's never good..." He hurries toward the back of the building to see what's going on, trying to keep out of sight around the corner.
"More likely that Val has gotten into trouble." Era says simply as she starts to hustle along with the two, "I think she probably needs an adult." She doesn't seem as interested as Wrixx in hiding, though she does tilt her head at him as he slows down. Her own pace slows, but she doesn't hide as she heads straight for the front door.
"Quickly then," Fal says, continuing past the others as they slow down. There was unlikely to be any reason for stealth here, and if Val was in trouble it was best to get to her immediately. As she approaches the door, she leans in and presses her hooded head against it, listening for a moment before opening the door.
Anna follows as quickly as she can, drawing her axe. Seeing Tally and Fal going for the doorknob, she positions herself so that she can charge through the doorway should there be an enemy on the other side.
"Perhaps the metal beast was not truly dead," Anna comments. "Those monsters are unpredictable, sometimes."
The party hurries toward front door of the house, with Era, Fal, and Anna taking the lead. As they get closer they can hear the sounds of heavy objects getting knocked over, and of splintering wood - but there are no more screams. Fal leans in at the door to take a closer listen, but it abruptly swings right open without anyone even touching it.
They need not look far for the source of the commotion. Right in the hallway is the automaton itself, a machine made of gray-white metal that stands at five feet tall. Its head and arms and torso are vaguely humanoid, but it stands on three spider-like legs. In the center of its head is a single, blazing white "eye", but the machine pays no mind to the people now observing it. It seems far more concerned with removing the house's wooden floorboards, effortlessly tearing them out of the ground with its large, four-fingered hands.
Bits and pieces of its chassis are missing, exposing the complicated network of wires within, and it makes loud and tortured noises as it moves. As it works, the automaton generateds garbled speech, distorted by static.
"......ದುರಸ್ತಿ......"
Val is nowhere in sight.
Anna growls, her fist clenching around the handle of her axe. "Angenfilod annaturiol! Dylech fod wedi rhedeg pan gawsoch chi'r cyfle!" She charges straight through the door, her blood boiling as the sight of the metallic fiend. Without another thought she charges through the door with her axe in hand, her enormous wolf following quickly behind.
Wrixx groans and smacks one hand against his forehead. "It's going to be like this every time we run into a monster, isn't it?" he asks the sky above him, already fairly certain of the answer. "Let's get this over with." He abandons trying to stay out of sight and hurries around the corner to be ready to support the two warriors. Though they don't really look like they need it at this point.
Fal quickly turns to look at Tally, checking to see if the bird was up to its usual tricks before turning back as Morgan and Anna go rushing through by her to kill the machine. She barely has time to react before they--joined by Anna's wolf Dar'shyn--have started to reduce the thing to rubble.
"Seeing that you both have substantially more hate for the automaton than I do, I'll just wait here until you've finished then," she says, raising one eyebrow beneath her mask. With the creature somewhat 'under control', she instead turns to locating Val. Hopefully she hadn't been around when it had returned to being active. she yells into the room beyond the two warriors.
"Probably so," she says in response to Wrixx's obviously rhetorical question. "At least they're on our side," she adds in something that somehow fails to feel like a joke.
The machine never has a chance to acknowledge its attackers' presence, let alone defend itself. It offers zero resistance as Morgan cracks it right over the head with her earthbreaker, putting out its glowing eye with the sound of crunching glass. By the time Anna comes charging in, the robot has already collapsed into a heap, but in her rage she attacks anyway. With so much of its armored plating gone, her swing hacks its arm right off. Dar'Shyn rips out a mouthful of wiring, just for good measure.
With the machine put out of commission, the inside of the house is completely still, until a door at the end of the hallway creaks open. A young Kellid girl with blonde hair peeks her head out, her pale blue eyes widening when she sees the robot and the ones responsible for destroying it.
"Anna?" she says with recognition, as she pushes the door open. She steps out cautiously, not too keen on getting closer to the robot.
"Are you alright, Val?" Fal says, stepping into the building and around the once-animate pile of scrap. "You know Anna, I take it?"
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"Stop.". Era says to the others as they charge in. ದುರಸ್ತಿ. she parrots back... Hoping to intervene before it is damaged beyond repair. But it was too late. Her face is emotionless as she immediately moves over to try to find if there is anything she can do for the automaton, though her rapid movements and breathing show that she is far from emotionless.
Anna gasps for breath, having spent way more effort than she should have in destroying that creature. But she felt justified. The last time she underestimated one of those monsters, she nearly died, after all.
At first, Anna doesn't even register Val's presence, nor does she hear or notice Era behind her. Instead, she's standing there, mumbling under her breath like a madwoman: "Coch coch melyn coch glas...Coch coch melyn coch glas..."
"Red Red Blue Red Yellow"
She shakes herself out of her reverie when she feels Dar'shyn nuzzling on the back of her hip. "...Oh. Helo, Val," she says, relieved. Her eyes are welling up with tears. "Rydw i felly, mor falch eich bod chi'n iawn."
"I'm so, so glad you're alright."
"Well, I guess that's taken care of. Let's see if there's enough left of it to get an idea what the hell it was." Wrixx nods to the kellid girl as she comes out of hiding. "You must be Val. A pleasure to meet you. Please call me Wrixx, a recent associate of Fal's. Pardon my shortness, but I'd like to take a look at the machine before it gets any more beat up."
Val is initially slow to approach, but any fear she has of the automaton quickly dissipates, as she suddenly runs over to throw her arms around Anna's waist.
"Wrth gwrs, rwyf. Rwy'n Kellid, wedi'r cyfan," she says with youthful bravado, but through a forced smile. She pulls away and looks to the robot, her expression now thoughtful rather than frightened. "It didn't hurt me or anything. It seemed a lot more interested in tearing the place apart."
"Oh, Fal! I thought I heard you in there," Val blurts, realizing that Anna wasn't alone. She smiles broadly at the new and familiar faces. "Nice to meet you too, Wrixx." She steps aside, having no qualms about letting him and Era inspect the broken machine. "As long as it doesn't start moving again, I'll be fine."
"You all have my thanks. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up when you did. Though, not to be rude, but what are you all doing here anyway?" she asks with a hopeful tone.
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Morgan chuckles, putting her hammer up onto her shoulder to admire her handiwork. "A foe easily crushed," she boasts. He thrusts a meaty hand out towards the young woman. "I'm Morgan," she says, "I'm understanding that you have some kind of metal monster problem underground?"
"I'm here to fix that."
Wrixx spends a few minutes pawing over the robot, but he can't seem to find much of use. "Well... it probably doesn't like electricity. And it's got some weak points, so that's always good. But I've never seen something quite like this before. Curious." He blinks and looks back at Val, having nearly missed what she was saying while he was working. "Oh, yes. Fal asked us to help out looking for this missing fellow, Khonnir. And to investigate the underground."
"Well, we had come to inspect that machine. It seems that the others will be inspecting its internal components along with the external ones now." Fal replies to the little Kellid. "Afterwards we intend to seek out your father beneath Torch."
Having been caught behind the whole crew when the door had flown open on its own, Cruodh slowly enters the house last once the path is clear and everything is calm. He cautiously eyes the automaton as he walks in a semicircle and approach it. He waves, uselessly, at Wrixx and Era to approach and probs the mechanical creature with his spear. Once he’s convinced that it is dead, he steps away to finally take in the scene.
”Well… we know how to destroy those things now.” he says to whoever might listen to his words, or at the very least Llinellau.
The gnome then walks toward the young girl, and after she is done hugging Anna, he introduces himself too.
”Hello Val, rydw i'n sarman Cruodh. ” he says.
"I know little of these beast, but isn't it strange that it would start to dig through a house?" Cruodh asks, carefully approaching Era and Wrixx.
Anna returns the hug with one arm, rubbing her shoulders before releasing. She then stands and watches while Wrixx and Fal look over the corpse. She doesn't sheathe her axe just yet. She doesn't trust that it won't simply get back up again.
"Perhaps it was trying to dig a burrow, to hide. But on second thought I do not think we can apply the laws of the Green to these creatures, so I do not know." She frowns when Wrixx mentions that it is weak to electricity. If Kanata were... No. She closes her eyes and turns so that she isn't facing the group. She stays there, lost in her own thoughts.
Era ignores the outwards situation until Anna speaks once more. She fusses with wires, connecting red to red and blue to blue, pressing sprockets into place, and widgets back from whence they'd come, likely following along in the same path that Val had to awaken the creature. When Anna says that it was seeking a burrow, she looks up, turning her head to the warrior, who had already turned her back. She isn't quite looking at her, all the same. "It was hurt, and it wanted to go home. Whether to repair its home or repair itself, I don't know. But it wanted to go home. It went to sleep and then it awoke where it wasn't. Would you have done the same were it a little girl?"
Val's smile somehow grows even wider when her suspicions are confirmed. Her eyes even start to tear up slightly, but she is very quick to wipe them off. "That's... that's great! I guess all that time spent bugging Councilor Olandir really paid off. Though I guess I could have just asked some of you myself."
She laughs a little at her own expense, but stops when she hears Era's comment. With a frown she kneels down beside the automaton.
"I have no idea what this thing was doing. It was practically in a heap when dad brought it home. Before he went back into the caves, he left it in the storeroom," she explains, gesturing at the room she had been hiding in. "I was just doing some dusting in there when it turned on all the sudden. It ran right out the door and started tearing things up."
"True enough." responds Cruodh, hammering in the points slightly more, he might not have been a girl, but he was little. "Not only that, but we luck might have played its part today, though Morgan and Anna showed great strength, we were able to take by surprise. It might have been a formidable foe if it had time to prepare. And so, we need to remain careful." Cruodh adds, trying to make sure that the two warriors would not become reckless from their victory.
"Val, while you were dusting did you touch it in any way? I have never seen these beast suddenly start to move, they usually need a... trigger of some sort. "
Era always did have a unique appreciation for the mechanical, Fal thinks to herself. If it wasn't for that and her apparent ties to her former self, life would have been significantly harder on her here in Torch. And despite the fact that she wasn't so certain the creature hadn't been dangerous, she was keenly aware that Era was among the few who truly treated someone like herself as equals to the natural races.
Seeing some of the merit from both sides of the argument, Fal remains quiet for a moment before resuming speaking with Val herself. "It's fortunate we arrived when we did then. Is there anything that can be gained from further examining the machine?" she asks, looking towards Wrixx and Era.
"In time, I think so. I think it could likely be pieced back together, or used for parts to make something new. We should attempt to discern its purpose, before we try to rebuild it, though." she says, looking not-quite-at-Morgan in the closest form of spoken agreement the changeling was likely to get.
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Anna growls at Era, her temper flaring up. "My senses are keen. I know which here was the monster, and which was the little girl. Do you?"
"There is no good that would come from trying to recreate this thing," she spits, crossing her arms. "The creature should be burned, perhaps when the violet flame spirit has returned to the hill. Even the Green rejects its corpse - these things will not go back to the soil, like all good, natural things do. Life becomes life, even in death. These things only become death. Their corpses leak out vile poisons into the earth, tainting the water, killing plants and animals, and addicting the weak-willed. That is the only good they, and all those other vile things from the Night of Falling Stars, are good for."
She huffs, tired of her own tirade. "But if there is nothing further to learn from this creature, we should leave." Softening, she turns to Val, her voice filled with concern.
"A oes lle diogel yma lle y gallwn ei gario, i'w gloi i ffwrdd, rhag ofn y bydd yn deffro eto? Nid wyf yn teimlo'n gyfforddus gan ei adael yma gyda chi."
"Is there a safe place here where I could carry it, to lock it away, in case it awakens again? I do not feel comfortable leaving it here with you."
"When we return, I will come help you fix the damage this creature has caused to your home, Val," Anna says.
"You could have taken care of it with a bit less vigor," Wrixx says as he absently wipes a little oil from his hands. "Even if it's just for learning how to kill them better, remains that aren't completely smashed are usually easier to examine. That being said, it doesn't show any signs of anything unusual other than the existing damage that I could see, so I suppose we are done here. Now, don't we have somewhere else to go before we go splunking? That other councilor or whoever they were?" He nods his head to the young kellid girl. "It was a pleasure to meet you Val. We'll do our best to find Khonnir, and try to keep you informed to anything interesting that happens."
"Let's head to get water breathing then. We can begin searching the cave right away," she says to the others, ignoring the continuing discussion on exactly how dead to make robots.
Wrixx probably rolls his eyes right back, but it's hard to tell with his pure black orbs. "I was under the impression that warriors of skill were capable of moderating their strength. Or have I been misinformed?" The ratfolk sighs and straightens his coat. "But I'm sure you'll have plenty of chances to smash things later."
”Wise words Anna. But just like every living being has a different nature, so do these metallic creatures. Still, keep your eyes open for trouble, or it will take you by surprise.” he ends, citing a Kellid proverb.
Cruodh gives one more look to the mangled automaton, the cautious fear that had veiled his eyes slowly giving way to his natural curiosity. The small Kellid shakes his head and walks away from the metal creature. He turns toward the door.
”Let’s see this councillor Kyte then.”
Era furrows her brow, tilting her head as she looks back to Anna. "You are being literal. I am suggesting that perhaps neither is the monster. Perhaps it is us." she says, not making eye contact.
"Do you also blame the axe for the blood it draws? The pen for its hurtful words? The machines do no harm other than what they are made for. They are given rules, and they follow those rules. They do not do the evil, and so they cannot be monsters. Tools cannot be monsters, only those that bear them." she says, finally rising from the creature's still form.
"I am sorry that you were frightened, Little Val." she says, as if noticing the child for the first time. Tally flutters out the open door with a low coo. Era then turns, and heads out the door, ready to go get the water-breathing spells as well. Perhaps she should have traveled with the followers of Brigh. They were likely wiser. But... they were not different. And each tool was absolutely vital to the whole. Six pulleys were a poor substitute for a needed spring.
"Peidiwch â phoeni amdanaf, Anna. Nid yw'r peth hwn yn fwy niweidiol nag echd dorri," she says to Anna reassuringly, without taking her eyes off her work. "Besides, I wanted to take a look at it all along! Now that it's in pieces, I have my excuse."
"I understand where you're coming from, Era, but broken axes and pens don't go on a rampage when they're broken," she continues as she inspects the robot's amputated arm. Taking it in both hands, she tries to pick it up, but is barely able to get it an inch off the ground. "And I don't think monsters have to be evil."
"Anyway, I didn't lay a finger on it. I don't know what might have set it off - it just started moving without warning. When dad looked at it, he said that its internal power source was broken, and that he'd look for a new one when he back in. Joked about reprogramming it to be the 'first robot bartender.'" She looks up from the robot with a wistful smile. "Bring him back, okay? And be careful."
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The party makes its way toward the strange, palatial structure of Crowfeather Palace. Numerous metal pipes wind through the exterior of the building, several of them running underground and others stretching out into the Seven Tears River. As it turns out however, they need not walk all the way up to the palace - walking down the road to Black Hill is a balding old man dressed in a heavy leather work apron. A large ivory-and-gold mask hangs down from around his neck, and he uses a long, thin hammer as a walking stick.
When Joram Kyte notices the group approaching, he gives everyone a very tired smile.
"Ah, Era, Fal, and some friends?" he starts, leaning on his hammer. "What can I do for you all?"
"Father." Era bows her head to the man. Fal would remember that when Era mysteriously appeared on the Black Hill, that he had taken her in as a ward of the church, just as Dolga had verified her story, so the term carried a little more nuance than her demeanor likely suggested.
"We are the latest group who intend to travel below the surface of the lake to investigate the metal structure that Khonnir found." she answers, looking directly at him. "And Counciller Freddert suggested that we ask your blessing."
Anna takes in the sight of Crowfeather Palace, and the aged man in strange attire. He seemed to be a priest of some sort, though of what gods or spirits she was unsure, but she was not one to begrudge anyone their ideas of worship. Perhaps he was a priest of the violet flame spirit. Given his attire, that would make the most sense.
When Era bows her head to him, Anna follows suit, respectfully bowing her head as well. She doesn't speak up, watching the interaction between the two carefully. She knew that in Taldane, the term Father had multiple meanings. But whether this man was the patriarch of her clan, or a religious leader, she did not want to offend him either way.
Unlike Era, and Anna, Cruodh does not bow. Instead he steps forward and brings his left hand, in a fist, to his right shoulder.
"Cwrdd â'r cynghorydd yn dda Kyte. I am shaman Cruoch of the clan of the Obelisk. It is good to meet one more member of the council of this town. As traditions dictate, and as Era mentioned, we are here to get your blessing to go down the tunnels of this town. Also, councilor Freddert said you could further bless our mission by calling on the spirits to allow us to breath underwater. We would be thankful if you would." Cruodh says in a solemn way.
Wrixx nods to the priest. Or the man he assumes is a priest at least. "Indeed. Ah, Wrixx, a pleasure to meet you." He offers a hand and a small smile to the older man.
"Well met, Cruodh, Wrixx," Father Kyte replies, bowing his head slightly to them. "And you must be Anna, yes? Khonnir spoke of you."
"I figured that you would want to go down there sooner or later, even before Khonnir disappeared," he says to Era with a sigh, his smile faltering. "I am loathe to send more people into what is clearly a dangerous situation. But we have little choice."
He looks down to Cruodh and nods. "I do indeed have a water breathing spell prepared. I can make the spell last for a total of 24 hours, but that time must be divided among the recipients of the spell evenly." The priest eyes Tally and Dar'Shyn, frowning slightly. "Hm. Your furred and feathered friends might complicate the math on that one. I suppose I could prepare an additional casting. Sorry, Tally."
"Hmm, how far is the water tunnel? Obviously the duration for entering isn't a problem, but not needing to wait for aid when we leave would be appreciated. Of course who knows how long we will be inside."
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With a toothy grin, Morgan shakes the hand of this priest-friend of her new friends. "I'm Morgan," she says. She wonders about what kind of man he is, as she contemplates his strange garb and the mask he bears. She recognizes it. There was an identical mask back in the "temple" they had visited (though it resembled a workshop more than a temple). She points to it with a clawed finger. "What's that?" she asks.
"Yes, Anna," Anna responds, short and to the point. She ponders the problem at hand. While a blessing from the gods could be useful, they might not need to crutch on it too heavily. "How deep underneath the surface is the water tunnel?"
Father Kyte's mention of Era, draws Cruodh's attention. It was the second person mentioning that he believed in her inevitable involvement in the matter. She was a truly strange woman to the shaman, a sentiment visible from the twinkle in his eyes. But, before his gaze becomes awkward to bear, Llinellau Haul nibbles at the kellids ear and emits a shrill noise.
"Ah, right. I think my friend here is complaining for being excluded from the blessing." he says with a poker face.
"As for the danger to come, please don't worry about us. I have never met a group so keen to meet it. It or our own will that we go. An so, our spirits will not haunt this place if we were to fall... but we won't."
Era fluffs up her feathers at being mentioned directly, and coos softly. Clearly it was nothing. When the ermine whines about being left out, the flap on Era's bag flips open, and there's another sound from inside. Era looks over, inside. "No, Tally, we can not put him in the bag with my spellbook." which receives another discontented hoot.
She raises her hand, showing the back of it to Morgan, not looking at her as she does. It also has the mask etched into it with a golden gear behind it. "It is the symbol of Brigh's faithful."
"Yes, as Era says, it is the mask of Brigh, goddess of invention," Father Kyte explains, lifting the symbol up slightly.
"The entrance is thirty feet beneath the surface, but the water is rather murky. We might never have realized it was there if Khonnir had not insisted on an investigation. According to him, the tunnel itself runs for about four dozen feet before opening up into the cave system."
"And as you might already know, the water is slightly toxic. There is sulfur, among other chemicals in it. It might have some unpleasant effects, but they should wear off fairly quickly."
"That's not too far of a swim. If it comes to it, we could do without." Anna uncrosses her arms. She was not terribly curious about his goddess - she was in too much of a hurry to go find Khonnir. She does wonder if Era was a priest, also. She would ask her once this was done.
She waits for him to finish preparing his spell and for him to cast it on the members of the group. "Thank you for your blessing, Priest Kyte," she says.
"I do not believe there is anything further for us to do here," she says to the others once he is finished. "We should leave for the entrance before this blessing wears off."
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"Well, I haven't cast the spell just yet," Father Kyte says with a chuckle, reaching into the tool pouch on the front of his apron. He withdraws a brass rod, about two feet long. Chased onto its surface is an elaborate pattern featuring many interlocking gears. "Come, I'll walk you to the shore. Mind the smell."
"Not far at all," Wrixx says, stroking his chin. "I just hope the smell washes out. Fur seems to hold the worst smells sometimes." He adjusts his coat and nods to the priest. "But lead the way. No reason to put this off."