Merry comes jogging up the stairs to rejoin you. "Unless he's got head regrowing magic that one isn't going to tell anyone what happened here."
When you let the Steel Hawks know that their base is now theirs again Sevroth Slaid grimaces at the amount of loot you took. Mainly due to how little there is. "Scum must have stripped the place and sent it to the Lords of rust." She grumbles.
While you were waiting for Sevroth and her gang to arrive you received an interesting visitor. A Silver Raven comes flying gracefully out of the sky and offers you a folded parchment letter.
Greetings. It has been some time since anyone of interest has visited this forsaken place. I have a small residence to your north. If you wish to meet me please come and visit. I can offer you a safe place to sleep, and information on the local inhabitants you might find useful.
It is signed Dinvaya Lanalei.
What are you doing now?
Raktar takes the letter from the bird, which then flies away again. He reads the neatly written handwriting before passing the letter around.
"Maybe this is from the priestess of Brigh we've been looking for? She seems keen to meet us, and sounds like she's got some local knowledge that might be helpful."
Dilana tries to feed the Silver Raven a bit of one of her rations. Unfortunately Lancelot is jealous and makes himself apparent to the bird by skittering out on her hand.
"A place to rest here might be good. Otherwise it would be back to the fort at night."
Aye. Never had too many friends. It seems a generous offer. I wonder what she wants...
Figgy looks the raven, over, then looks at Springy.
"It can fly, maybe I can do that with you?" Figgy waits his turn to read the letter. "We should head out soon, stay there tonight and then find the lords after that?"
You do recall that Joram Kyte asked you to find his old friend Dinvaya and inform her that she no longer needed to hide out from the Technic league.
You travel east then north, navigating through mounds of scrap metal and bizarre devices too ruined and rusted to be worth salvaging. As you travel you can feel eyes watching you, but there are none brave enough to attempt to attack. It seems news of your efficient and lethal responses to previous attacks has already spread through Scrapwall.
Turning west you traverse a narrow valley, eventually reaching the strange structure that sits at the end of its reach.
The tumultuous sound of metal grinding on metal issues forth from a constantly churning, grinding wall of gears that blocks off the western portion of this narrow valley.
Only two larger gears remain motionless, situated at ground level in the center of the wall where one might expect to see a pair of doors.
Olimpia, Figgy & Roga all notice a small lever concealed close to the entrance.
What are you doing now?
As they walk, Raktar approaches Dilana. "Do you still have that wand of curing? I'm still a bit, well, leaky," he says with a forced smile.
"Oh, of course how silly of me. I did not even think of that."
Waving the wand around Dilan gives a flurish with each use of the wand.
Healed 27 with 5 charges
Best let me check out that door before we all get too close. I think I already see a way to open it, but that does not mean its not trapped.
Olimpia moves closer to the door and the lever and checks carefully for traps.
Figgy moves over and pulls the lever down, "I wonder if this will stop the gears?"
Shocked that the gnome would totally ignore her, Olimpia retorts You fool! You could kill me for no reason than being impatient? There is a look in her eye that suggests she intends violence against the gnome, but it fades. If you do that again you and I shall have trouble. Do you understand?
Olimpia discovers a new emotion as Figgy pulls the lever as she is examining the two large gears on the grinding wall. One of anger as his actions cause the two gears to roll apart, she snatches her hand back and blisters Figgy's ears.
The gears opening permits you to enter what is clearly a shrine devoted to the Clockwork Goddess Brigh. Even more interesting is the large statue of Brigh, assembled from the local parts and metals. The statue moves as you look in and actually speaks to you!
"Greetings. This is a private area. Do you have an invitation?"
What are you doing now?
Olimpia marvels at the construct but manages to speak, hoping to avoid a conflict. We do have an invitation. I hope we are even expected.
Dilana's eyes go wide as the statue moves and she opens her mouth to speak but Olimpia is faster still she sputters out.
"Father Joram sent us."
Dilana's eyes go wide as the statue moves and she opens her mouth to speak but Olimpia is faster still she sputters out.
"Father Joram sent us."
Fully decked out in armor but with his sword sheathed away, Roga neared the witch and asked, "Didn't Joram give us something for her or is that just me imagining it?"
"We have this" Figgy hands over the letter from the Silver Raven.
The sound of someone working on metal at the back of the small shrine stops and a slender Half-elf women emerges from the back rooms, pushing her goggles up from her eyes and blinking at you curiously.
"Oh, right. The new people." She says as she works out why people are in her dwelling. "Not often we get visitors to lovely, scenic Scrapwall. What brings you here?"
Once you tell her your reasons, and especially when you mention Joram Kyte's name she warms to you immediately. "How marvelous! I have to confess I'm getting a little bored with Scrapwall, and the lack of any civilized conversation. The constant attempts to kill or rob me can get tedious after a while."
Once Dinvaya agrees to aid you, she offers her chapel as a safe place to rest. It's not particularly comfortable, but she won't charge you for her healing services once she learns you're here following up on the Lords of Rust.
Dinvaya's seen dozens of gangs come and go, but the Lords of Rust are the first she's been honestly concerned with, primarily because their faith in this faceless entity that calls itself Hellion reeks of blasphemy to her.
Safe place to rest, plus some healing and local knowledge. Any questions you want to ask her?
"From our experiences so far, Scrapwall does seem kind of lawless and uncivilised, I can see why you'd get fed up with it. What can you tell us about Hellion?" Raktar asks, glad to be in the reassuring surroundings of a temple of Brigh.
"You're the Priest of Brigh?" Figgy says with some disappointment in his voice, then perks up. "What are you working on? These people here are strange they just let go parts go to rust and miss use." Figgy move Springy up to the front with himself.
Oh, and what is your doorman/guardian? is it a golem? Olympia asks with curiosity. Then her face grows more serious. And tell me more about Brigh please. She is a goddess of crafting and crafted things, right? Well I am a crafted thing. Do you think she would want me?
On Hellion.
Dinvaya is primarily concerned with Hellion, his priests' ability to wield divine magic makes her worry that some greater force is at work. The idea that an actual god dwells within Scrapwall has occurred to her, but such a possibility seems so outlandish and frightening that she
fears to put it into words-if you moot such an idea out loud, she shushes them and warns them that if there is indeed a god dwelling in Scrapwall and ruling the Lords of Rust, it's probably best not to speak out loud about it.
On the Lords of rust.
This gang comprises a motley group of creatures, but the majority are ores, androids, and ratfolk. The bulk of these gang members dwell in the rubble and ruins throughout the Lords of Rust territories or in the
nooks and crannies of Scrapmaster's Arena-few actually live in the gang's headquarters, but as long as the Lords of Rust remain dominant and you don't threaten them, these low-ranking members will certainly rush to bolster the headquarters' defenses.In all, the Lords of Rust number several hundred strong.
Scrapmaster's Arena: Every few days, the Lords of Rust invite those who have caught their attention to audition for membership in the gang. Such auditions consist of fights in Scrapmaster's Arena, usually against groups of gang members or captured monsters, but sometimes against the troll Helskarg herself Those who survive these fights are granted membership in the gang, while those who don't are generally eaten. The arena fights are known to be unfair and cruel.
Draigs: The ettin Draigs wields two spiky chains with unnerving grace in combat. She's the thug and executioner for the leadership-the one Hellion calls upon to mete out punishment to those who sin against Hellion.
Helskarg: The troll Helskarg is a garrulous creature and something of the front face of the Lords. She guards the entrance to the gang's lair, but more importantly, she orchestrates the fights in the Scrapmaster's Arena.
Kulgara: After Meyanda's loss, Kulgara seized control of the gang as its commander, and now ranks just under Hellion. She increasingly sees the Lords of Rust as her own gang.
Meyanda: This android was once the high priestess of Hellion and the leader of the Lords of Rust, and her loss has thrown the gang into disarray-though none outside of the gang miss her cruelty. Her leadership duties have been split between Kulgara and Nalakai.
Nalakai: With the loss of Meyanda, Nalakai is the most powerful cleric of Hellion remaining in Scrapwall. Vexed by Kulgara's cocky attitude and growing hunger for power, Nalakai hopes to find proof that Kulgara intends to betray Hellion so that he can engineer her demise and replace her in the role of commander of the Lords of Rust.
Zagmaander: The most mysterious Lord of Rust is the crimson-skinned monster Zagmaander, who is something of a local bogeyman. Zagmaander serves Hellion as an enforcer and assassin, and even the other Lords of Rust leaders fear her.
Oh, and what is your doorman/guardian? is it a golem? Olympia asks with curiosity. Then her face grows more serious. And tell me more about Brigh please. She is a goddess of crafting and crafted things, right? Well I am a crafted thing. Do you think she would want me?
Dinvaya smiles happily, "Oh, my doorman. Yes it is a Golem. Sadly unintelligent, but he serves to keep the pests away. Most in Scrapwall are happy to have someone nearby who can cast healing spells, but there are always those too stupid, or arrogant who think I should be working under their thumbs."
She settles down and starts talking on a subject of much more interest to her, that of her Goddess Brigh.
Brigh. The whisper in the bronze.
Goddess of Clockwork, invention and time.
Alingment N.
Brigh is the goddess of invention, particularly over creations that seem to have a life of their own, such as clockwork constructs. It is not known whether the enigmatic deity was once a mortal who became a goddess, or if she was crafted into being and later gained a spark of
life and divinity.
She typically appears as either a slender woman made of bronze mechanisms who wears a metal skullcap or a beautiful woman wearing clockwork armor. Such manifestations do little to clear up the mystery of her origins.
Whatever she may have been before her apotheosis, she's now a living machine, capable of opening her chest and withdrawing perfectly fitting mechanical parts to bestow upon inventions and manufactured beings.
Though she is quiet and reserved in her behavior, she isn't without emotion, and treasures those creations that her followers craft in her name.
She sympathizes with intelligent constructs, especially those abused or treated like slaves by their creators. It's said that many of her divine servants were once mortal clockwork inventors recreated in a "perfect" mechanical form, whom she treats as her children.
The patron of inventors, tinkers, and engineers, Brigh inspires the work of many mortals. Most creative minds who throw themselves into this sort of work eschew magic and faith, and so she has only a small following. But those who do pray to Brigh view her as the personification of their art. Many of them are so devoted to their craft that they often forget to eat or rest for days at a time, with more practical folk saying these inventors are "married to the Whisper," evoking the obsession of new lovers that leads them to forget the world around them.
Dinvaya built the Golem at her door herself, and regards him as a promising step on the way to her goal of building an intelligent, free willed automation, which she speaks of much like a mother would her child.
While it's hardly luxury Dinvaya's small chapel can only be entered through the huge grinding gears at the front, and then the intruder must get passed the Golem. So you can rest safely.
Dinvaya points out that if you build up enough scrap-worth, it'll only be a matter of time before the Lords of Rust notice you and invite you to take part in a battle in the Scrapmaster's Arena. This may well be the easiest way to get close to the lords and give them a chance to attack one of them-the troll Helskarg.
She's heard that Hellion has found a powerful weapon of some sort, and that the device is buried under the arena. Infiltrating of the Lords of Rust compound there would no doubt reveal more information, but before the you dare such an audacious stunt, you would be well advised to do
what you can to disrupt the supremacy the Lords have over Scrapwall.
If you have built up enough scrap-worth, any blatant move they make against the Lords of Rust would likely trigger chaos in Scrapwall, forcing the lords to hunker down in their compound and removing their option to draw reinforcements from the gangs of the surrounding area.
Any more questions for her? If not where are you heading next?
"We were coming to you next then didn't really have any idea where else to go. So your golem you made yourself? Can you teach me? I wonder if I can just make Springy much bigger instead of having of having to start over." Figgy rambles on for a bit longer mostly to himself and Springy and mostly into a book of drawings and made calculations.
"That is a lot to take in, it is fortunate that you were put in our path. If, I guess when is more accurate... When we move directly against this Hellion will you be in danger? Should you leave for Torch before that happens?"
"The Lords of Rust sound like a much bigger problem than I think we'd realised," Raktar muses, a note of worry creeping into his voice. "We should whittle away at their supporters before we take them on, or we'll have the whole town after us."
His face becomes a picture of controlled anger. "We have to deal with the Smilers, I can't let them get away with what they did at the fort, I won't let that happen again."
Dilana nods. "I am all for weird stuff but I draw the line with what they did at the fort. Eating sentient flesh is a line that should not be crossed."
Agreed. We take out the smilers. But it would be foolish to do that work and not get paid for it or make new allies while doing so. Lets first at least try to go talk to the Redtooth raiders.
Having already sent some of those freaks to hell, Roga smiled at the prospect, "Smilers, they don't deserve to live anyway. That should get us better known in the area as well."
He added, "The fights in the arena sound interesting as well. Are these individual or group fights?"
"IF they have tech I am wherever you long legged folks would like to go, This whole place is rather interesting and I think these Lords of Rust are stiffing creativity so we should try to stop them and this Hellion guy sounds just mean to people. I would like to see this large dish though." Figgy gets distracted by a new device he has never seen and moves off to inspect it.
After a quiet nights rest you prepare yourselves and set off to see if you can negotiate with the Redtooth raiders, once a powerful gang in Scrapwall, but these days beset on all sides and on the decline.
It turns out that your reputation is already working, or perhaps you killed anyone who would make trouble with you the previous day? You make South and east and soon you hear ahead of you the sounds of conflict.
Up ahead a large group of Smilers are attacking four Ratfolk, several more of the Ratfolk already lie dead on the ground.
You have the advantage as none of the Smilers have seen you yet.
What are you doing?
Before they depart Dilana sits and communes with Lancelot working out what spells she will have prepared for the day. There seems to be some debate but as you can only make out one side all you can tell is Dilana insists on keeping a healing spell ready.
Once they here the noise she nods. "Smilers."
She bends her legs and leaps into the air to get above the battle, muttering a word or two, and holds her crossbow ready.
Figgy looks up at Dilana as she flies away, his mouth open wide.
"SPRINGY we need to figure that out." Figgy hands a vial to Roga, "This will make you much larger,
40/40
Bomb +7 3d6+4 (9/day, DC 16)
1st – Enlarge Person, Long Shot, Adhesive Spittle, Heightened Awareness
2nd – Bulls Strength, Invisibility, Spider Climb
Med lance 5/10 uses
Olimpia moves and prepares to fire her musket, hoping to catch a smiler off guard.
Looking at the growing Roga Dilana's eyes go wide.
I need to figure out how to do that. I want to be a flying giant!
"Bloody Smilers, throwing their weight about again," Raktar mutters angrily through gritted teeth. "Let's hit them hard, we'll show them they're not in charge here anymore."
Raktar's magic floods through his scars and out into his friends, fortifying them for the current fight.
Roga drank the offered potion with a thanks to Figgy.
Her immediately regretted it. The feeling of expanding was strange and he quickly wondered if his clothes and armor would expand with him. The thought of him being a naked giant briefly crossed his mind.
He sighed as his clothes, armor, and even his weapons adjusted to this new size.
His voice turned coarser as he mimicked a ogre, "Yes, let's smash some little peoples..."
Botting JJ, who moves to a firing position with cover. Since there is a lot of battle noise with the Smilers plugging away with their crap pistols they haven't noticed you yet. That means you may now have a round on them.
Raktar's scars burn with an inner light, like coals glowing in the heart of a forge, and the muscles of his arms become more defined as his magic reinforces them with new strength. He grips his hammer, his knuckles white against the haft, and he strides forward ready to take down the Smiler pack.
Roga pulled out his greatsword, his very greatsword. He took a couple of swings making sure he could wield such thing properly.
Satisfied, he charged into the fray, trying to cut down some freaks.
-----------
HP 58/58
AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 17
Conditions: large
Melee (+1 greatsword): +9 = +1 magic +5 (base) +3 (STR)
Melee Damage (+1 greatsword): 2d6+5, 19-20
-2 to hit, +6 damage for power attack
Ranged (MW double barreled pistol): +8 = +1 MW +5 (base) +2 (DEX)
Ranged damage (MW pistol): 1d8, x4, 20' (touch AC in 1st range)
Rage adds +2 to hit/damage
10/10 rage
Dilana begins to mumble a spell as she swoops down at the largest group of smilers.
"You like eating flesh, how about I cook yours!"
DC14 Reflex
Figgy runs up, Springy in tow. As he move Figgy creates the final components of a bomb but he is to far to throw it yet.
Roga moves out and destroys Yellow with one horrible blow, the Smiler not even having the time to scream.
Dilana flies over and burns Black to death as a fan of flame erupts form her hands. Red howls in pain and jumps away, though he's still smoking.
Olimpia jumps from hiding and attacks Blue using Combat Expertise to bolster her AC.