"Is it safe to go on now? Do we know where the clockworks are? Did we miss some place along the way up?"
The halfling nods.
Yes, I believe I've just made it safe. I think there's more I could do with the mechanism, but we need not explore that now.
Peaking into the hallway, Fenna and Malakar pick up on the fact that the crossbow bolts that were fired during their run through the hallway earlier are nowhere to be seen.
"The traps have gone back into their hidden compartments. I think it is safe." Malakar points above the doors.
The halfling looks to where Malakar points and has a sudden look of recognition.
Aha. Very good. He looks down at the key and tucks it into a pocket inside his cloak.
He moves towards the Western door to investigate what lies beyond, but stops to see if it holds further trouble.
If everything is clear, he motions for Brannart and Malakar to lead the way.
The halfling looks to where Malakar points and has a sudden look of recognition.
Aha. Very good. He looks down at the key and tucks it into a pocket inside his cloak.
He moves towards the Western door to investigate what lies beyond, but stops to see if it holds further trouble.
If everything is clear, he motions for Brannart and Malakar to lead the way.
Brannart will follow where Vexas indicates.
As Vexas gives the all clear, Brannart takes point and opens the door.
Fenna stays back a couple of steps behind Brannart with her spear ready in case what's behind the door is a big disappointment.
Malakar moves up to be of use if need be.
Opening the door reveals a small chamber which appears to be a workshop, as evidenced by a table along the western wall laden with tools and mechanical parts. There is also a door on the northern-facing wall, near the back of the chamber.
Sitting at the table, their backs to the door, are two mechanical-looking humanoids. They immediately stand to face you when the door opens and speak in Azlanti. Their voices mirror each other in metallic, grinding voices.
"They want us to leave. But see those keyholes? Vexas, think they turn off like the traps do?"
The big Skum had four keys; Brannart thinks that Vexas is the best able to quickly judge which keys to use at a glance.
Vexas squints, focusing on something he caught sight of on their backs before they turned around.
Yeah, I saw that too... and I think you're right.
Not quite getting what they're saying, he takes out the keys he possesses and holds them up for the automatons to see. He hopes they'll then recognize him as some sort of... helper? Maintenance crafter? His expression is very non-committal suggestiveness.
Fenna doesn't understand the language, but she's fairly sure the message is about the room being off limits. When she catches on to what Vexas has in mind with the keys, she thinks it's the best bet they have for fooling the constructs. Keeping a poker face, she points to the keys as well and says "we are newly assigned to this place."
She doesn't expect the two constructs will understand what she says, but it's what came to mind.
When Vexas holds up the keys, the mechanical humanoids immediately stop talking and gaze at the Halfling and the chiseled pieces of metal in his hand.
Vexas takes the other hand and makes a turn motion with his index finger pointed downward.
I reeeeally hope this works!
Malakar will trust the other to know what to do here. Although, he is visibly uncomfortable with more mechanical creatures.
Fenna stands still and lets Vexas do his thing, whatever it is.
The mechanical humanoids remain unmoved by Vexas's hand gesture. After several moments, they speak again in Azlanti while focusing on the keys.
Vexas frowns, and while his arm remains up with the key held forward he looks around at the group for ideas.
Brannart has picked up the language.
"They want to know if we have new orders for them."
The mechanical humanoids turn and look at Brannart when he addresses them. Then they turn their heads back to Vexas.
In Azlanti
"Only the Master of Keys can give commands. We must be programmed."
Fenna looks back and forth among the speakers as the talk. She picks up a word here and there, but not enough to follow what's happening.
"Ah, Vexas, it seems like you have to use the keys to 'program' them somehow. Sho and I can translate, but you have to give the commands."
He looks to the halfling.
"Want to give it a try, or come back here later?"
Oh! So, it worked! Hmm, can you ask them what some of the common commands are?
The halfling carefully approaches the mechanoids and prepares to insert the key into one of their backs.
Or maybe... ask them who gave them their last commands. Maybe we can extract some context out of them.
Brannart will relay Vexas's questions.
Who gave you your last commands?"
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The mechanical humanoids speak in unison and direct their words towards Vexas, ”Our main purpose is to perform repairs and upkeep for this facility. We were also recently programmed to defend the tower against intruders. Since you have the keys but are not the one who reactivated us, our programming is still interpreting if you are intruders.”
Vexas pauses nervously at this last translation. He stops just short of trying to insert the key into one of them.
So, then why don't I just reactivate you to fix that problem!
Let us see if they have the awareness to object to this logical bypass.
After necessary translation from Brannart and Sho ...
In Azlanti
"You have the keys; therefore, you can program us as you see fit."
Vexas finds the fitting key for each humanoid. Inserting the key, opens a panel and reveals multiple levels of gears and switches. Since he has some experience while tinkering with the spy they captured a few days ago, he recognizes how to wind them up and down fairly easily. Vexas also realizes that a complete reprogram will take some technical expertise, finesse, time, and study to get it right.
Vexas, while not trained in these crafts, is starting to become familiar with their configurations and workings.
Hey! So what do we want these two to do? Clearly not defend this place from us.
He starts by trying to figure out how to distinguish the target of their "defense" in their programming. If he can find it and figure it out, he "un-sets" the designation that applies to them, which perhaps means adding the party to the set of individuals who "belong" here. Perhaps that means enrolling the party as honorary Azlanti, or expanding these automatons' list of groups who belong.
Vexas, learning the art of trickery and arcana, realizes that both skills have been used to program the mechanical humanoids. He realizes that he can deprogram the humanoids by winding them down and reprogram them by winding them back up, but there is magic involved for the humanoids to interpret specific life forms that they may come in contact with. The magic for this function is currently beyond his expertise.
Meanwhile, Vexas's companions take some time to look around the room. On top of the table are two partially shattered crossbow bolts in the process of being repaired. Fenna and Sho notice a metallic chest of drawers underneath the table which contain countless gears, cogs, springs and other parts and pieces for various contraptions. Nestled among these parts is a single orange colored gemstone which looks very similar to the recording gemstone embedded in the clockwork spy captured what seems like almost two years ago.
Okay, I can wind these two down, but the magic to interpret specific individuals differently is currently beyond me.
He steps out from behind the automatons and looks around the room. Just then he notices Fenna and Sho shuffling through a drawer of gears, cogs, and other parts related to his new interest.
Perhaps this will become my clockwork workshop. I could bring any more clockwork spies we find here and in time I'll figure out how to work with these devices and perhaps set them to our purposes.
The halfling grimaces, realizes he still has a way to go in being useful at this though.
"Is that orange gemstone a tool to record sights and sounds, like the clockwork spy had?
Can you figure out a way to see and hear what is on it?"
"We have others like this" Fenna mentions in relation to the gem.
"There's also a woman's bust in here that has a depression in its forehead about the right size to seat them."
Vexas explains to the group that he intends to leave the automatons shut down for now, given a lack of ability to alter their recognition. From time to time he could spin them up and try more of their commands in short, safe stretches of time.
For now he spins them back up and asks them for more commands, or if they can play back any audio or visual stored in the orange gem.
Vexas winds up the clockworks and answer his questions the best they can. They explain to him that their programming entailed facility cleaning and maintenance and general defense. Since they were never programmed for anything else, they are unaware of their limitations or what other functions they could be programmed to perform. They also explain that while they are not able to project the gemstone recordings, there is a device on the second floor of this tower that could play the recordings.
Assuming you eventually make your way back upstairs to the bust . . .
When you insert the gemstone found in the gearbox into the bust, an audio recording offers two voices speaking in Azlanti.
“I want it on record,” begins the first voice, “that I, Albrust of Havenvine, stand opposed to this decision to send this facility’s golems—“
“We don’t have time for this, Albrust!” a second voice interrupts. “I know you’re committed to protocol, but they can’t even estimate the potential damage!” The speaker suddenly lowers his voice. “They don’t know if the bunkers are going to do a damn bit of good, my friend. We may be lucky to survive at all. That survival could depend on the golems being able to dig us back out. They need to be redeployed where they might do some good. Our scouts report the elves are… evacuating.”
After a moment, the first voice says quietly. “What about the spy? We still don’t know for sure.”
“And we’re never going to know, Albrust. He’s likely going to die like millions of others. The only difference is that he probably deserves it.”
Fenna listens to the gem's contents in stunned silence. After a few moments to process what she' heard, she says "Earthfall... They're talking about Earthfall not long before it happened. They knew it was coming, that the world was ending."
"By your translation it sounds like they didn't inform the public. I am not sure if that is a mercy or a crime.
Malakar furrows his brow, unsure of his feelings about this anchient civilization.
"I'd say a mercy, if there was truly nothing that could be done. But I don't really know.
What about these 'bunkers'? And plans for the golems to dig them out later?
If there wasn't magic, then whoever was in those bunkers would be long since dead. But the Azlanti were skilled in the ways of magic. So is it possible that some may still be alive, asleep, and waiting to be unearthed by their golems?"
Many of the other gems contain no recordings, but you do find a bluish gem with another recording in Azlanti.
This gem appears to be a personal, professional journal of an Azlanti man.
“This recording gem and the information it contains is for the organization’s internal use only and not for dissemination to the public, under penalty of law.”
Below is a synopsis of the recording:
The recording is long in length and discusses an organization called The Spindle Solution, a Division of the Ioun Imperative that served as the Azlanti Empire’s intelligence organization. The group was dedicated to improving humanity’s quality of life through the use of ioun stone technology.
The organization created and specialized in the spindle series of stones, while also performing humanitarian research. Spindlelock Tower, and the facility it was a part of, was intended to be a research station. This was the entirety of the organization as it was known to ordinary citizens.
Behind this facade, though, the Spindle Solution was also a front for classified military and intelligence research and development. The recording goes on to mention that the group recently captured a spy. Originally suspected to be an elf from Celwynvian disguised as a human, the spy proved to be tenacious, resourceful, and dangerous. Once captured, the spy was placed in temporal stasis, and since the organization’s leadership was unwilling to house the prisoner at The Compass, the Headquarters for the Spindle Solution, this facility was renovated in secret to contain the individual.
Most of the other researchers here were unaware this was going on. The recording continues, stating that the Spindle Solution leadership had recently determined that the Empire of Azlant had been manipulated by a hitherto unknown aquatic race. Some speculated that the spy might be related to these creatures, so a second series of renovations were performed on Spindlelock Tower to accommodate the spy’s release from stasis and eventual interrogation. The speaker ends the recording with a note that at the time of this recording, the general public is unaware of this aquatic threat.
"Most of that went over my head. I know what ioun stones are but didn't know they were made or can be manipulated. Celwynvian is also familiar to me. It is an anchient elf city to the south of my homeland."
After the automatons provide the very useful information, and since he has the keys that allowed them to interact, he decides to leave them be powered-up and conducting cleaning and maintenance in this place.
-------------------
Orange gemstone...
Vexas listens to the listens to the intense recording in silence. They were likely out of time. But... the existence of a bunker is interesting. I wonder if our automaton and clockwork friends could help us piece together its location. Azlanti sleeping this long? It seems like a longshot...
-------------------
Blue gemstone...
Wow, creators of ioun stones. I'd love to get a look at their designs, research, and... especially their spellbooks! I find it interesting though that an intelligence arm of an empire takes up humanitarian work. Who wouldn't have guessed this is a facade for something more... interesting.
Then at the end of the recording he becomes excited again.
Wait! The spy was left in stasis? Is this Spindlelock?! More things to try to extract context on from our automatons and clockwork creatures.
"So..." Fenna has to think a while before even knowing what to say about all the stuff they're hearing.
"Well, this is Spindlelock, it said so above the door as we came in. And this was where the spy was kept. If the spy was from some 'unknown aquatic race', I doubt they're meaning skum. If they were around back then, it's hard to believe they wouldn't have been known, and it's also hard to believe they would have been viewed as so impressive as the spy was. I mean, unless things have really gone downhill for skum since then."
"There's the water elemental, if that's what it really is, and it's been here for a very long time. Maybe it's not actually a water elemental? The recording's last statement on the subject makes it sound like the spy was no longer in stasis, but we don't know if this is the last recording made... I think we should check through the books we found again to see if they can tell us anything more. There's not enough on these recordings to figure anything out."