It takes a few minutes for you to adjust to your own movements as you head from the shuttle and into the bored tunnel. The miniscule gravity causes even the subtlest motion to cause your bodies to react radically. Still, once you get your 'space-legs' you are able to move carefully down the sloping tunnel ahead. The sides of the space are fairly smooth, indicating the drills used by the Clanholding was a higher-end model. But as the tunnel ends about 500 yards down it is immediately clear why those same miners stopped digging.
A wide pit yawns before you, crossed by a steel gangway. On either side are control rooms connected to mechanical arms. The gangway in the center supports an immense, spherical device encircled by two hovering, instrument-laden rings and flanked by a large pair of clamps. One of these clamps holds a wide crucible tethered to the wall by chains. On the other side, the chains are broken and the corresponding crucible is gone. The gangway extends to the opposite side of the pit, at which sits a distant door of dark metal.
Below the pit descends for hundreds of feet before reaching a shimmering pool of molten rock crisscrossed by broad stretches of solid stone. The magma gives the whole cavernous space an ominous dim glow.
|
Freeman passes a grenade to The Specialist and two to Telirix.
"One more if anyone needs. If not i'll give it a toss later."
Checking out the contraption, Freeman tries to figure out what the darn thing is. He will then head towards the majority of the group.
"No tellin' what we'll be finding here. We should stick together."
Vaal and Telirix head along the catwalk to the right towards the first room. The steel door is electronically sealed, but the two are easily able to bypass the lock. Opening the door, you see what looks like a control or monitoring room of sorts, dominated by a large cylindrical battery in its center that glows softly with red light. Scores of thick wires run like arteries from the battery to computer workstations throughout the area. Facing the cavern's center is a broad and tinted window that looks out onto the sphere beyond. The ceiling is low, and the writing on signs long the walls and on the consoles is in Dwarven.
Cautiously striding forward towards the strange metal contraption, The Speciailist's eyes are peeled for danger, but he spies no immediate signs of life. Ahead of him sits a large sphere covered in shimmering hexagonal plates hanging over the deep pit below. While the gangway goes around the central sphere, a path also leads north-to-south through its interior. In that center is housed a large forge-shaped dynamo and network of conduits. A heat-singed hammer rests at the edge of the dynamo. Inscribed over the sphere’s entrances are images of a stone arch containing a flame.
Gazing on the sphere from a distance, Telirix realizes that its some kind of dynamo. the tech itself is definitely dwarven, but its not any dwarven craft he's ever seen before: this thing is hundreds of years old now but at the time was likely cutting-edge tech. It's general function seems to be designed to channel molten rock though the dynamo's conduits in order to power something else.
|
“Oops! It’s obviously duergar-sized! Could any of you slightly smaller folk investigate this control station? I’m afraid I might crush something important, and everything seems to be working perfectly, oddly enough!”
With the “duergar” factor making itself more obvious, Vaal Noor examines the place a bit more carefully from the outside, wondering if they left anything dangerous behind.
Apart from a danger to his neck and back, Vaal doesn’t spy any particular threat in the room. The izalguun does spy a concealed panel in the back wall though; opening it up reveals a pair of canisters pilled with a chemical fire-retardant. You suspect that in addition to their intended use, you could also jury-rig them for more grenade-like uses
The others poke about the control room itself with a lot more flexibility. The layout and basic instructions in Dwarven are intuitive enough. This space was used to control the large mechanical arm connected to it, as well as to raise and lower the chains attached to that side’s crucible – though the crucible attached to the chains on this end seems to be deep below beyond your sight.
The workstations around the room still have power, but trying to access them requires a series of authenticating passwords.
|
Drak will stay back with Bubba and the Specialist, not wanting to get in the way of those more technically minded. Noting the symbol, he gestures to it as he mentions to those near him "That there be an unholy symbol of Droskar. I can definitely see why the Sledgehammer crew turner 'round after seeing this."
|
"Looks like the controls are for getting the magma to the power unit. They probably move the bucket and manipulator arm. Is anybody good with computers? We could try to hack in."
Having done all that he logically can, Telirix steps back from the controls and looks over to Vaal and the canisters. "What have you got there?"
Freeman takes to the computers like - well like a dwarf to stone. As opposed to each other as duergar and dwarven cultures are, their programming languages and quirks prove surprisingly similar, and the dwarf is soon able to bypass the locked workstations (and deactivate a loud alarm connected to failed password attempts, and brings up the control room's database.
Accessing the system, the following sets of functions and programs present themselves to the dwarf:
<<GUIDE TO SOLARIAN STONE FUNCTION>>
<<DOCUMENTATION REGARDING STONE ORIGINS>>
<<DARK SMITH WARD STATUS>>
<<FLARE SUPPRESSION>>
<<ARM MANIPULATION>>
Across the way, Vaal and his drone seems a very similar station. Again a central battery is in place supplying power to a series of workstations. On a hunch, the izalguun checks and finds it even has the same type of concealed panel hiding a second set of flame retardants.
|
|
“Well, if the duergar - I mean, the DU-ER-GAR - thought they were important, we probably should bring those flame retardants with us. This station seems to be more of the same, not a single piece of decoration, no Droskar graffiti on the walls… what a bunch of dull-ergar. Huh? Right, Enereth-7?” he pokes the drone, almost expecting it to laugh.
Opening up the guide, the dim lighting in the room shifts abruptly as projectors in the ceiling cause a holographic animation to play out in the center of the space.
Displaying the central dynamo the crucibles on either side are lowered down below, descending until they submerge into the control room's floor. The soon after come back up until they are again next to the spherical device - only this time each crucible is filled with molten rock. The mechanical arms clamp the containers next to the sphere. Then a small dwarven figure walks forwards and enters the sphere. The hologram zooms into the dynamo to show the figure picking up a hammer within, then performing a repetitive ritualized prayer. Over the internal machinery. As he does so, the device around him slowly begins to activate.
The animation cuts off at this point, with an option on the screen to play it again. the process seems to be demonstrating an ignition sequence for this 'Solarian Stone'
Digging into the computer's files, Freeman finds himself confronting a wealth of text and image files. Unforunately, many key ones are irreparably scrambled or entirely blank. The damage or corruption doesn't appear to be from age or computer decay - this is the type of damage you've seen wrought on files that were created during the Gap.
More recent entries by the duergar timestamped after the Gap records begin on a confused note. The workers were uncertain and speculative of the Stone's origins and had forgotten what the duergar's original objectives on this asteroid were. These newer files also show records of hundreds of tests using the dynamo, which they referred to as the 'Solarian Stone'. These tests largely involved experiments of light, gravity, and particle physics, later evolving into more practical tests to direct these cosmic forces towards manufacturing weapons.
All told, the logs cover about 40 years of activity, ending in several agitated messages reporting damage to numerous parts of the facility following an unauthorized activation of the Solarian Stone. The sheer amount of material is too much to rigorously analyze here, but you can transfer the recovered data onto your own computer or datapad for later study.
|
|
"That be a lot of data. Downloading it for later. I be very interested and i'm sure the society and the Dwarves will be as well. OK, votes on if we should disable this ward or not? No telling if it be preventing access further in or preventing something else from exiting... It does appear that it be something the Duerger put in place though... I say disable it but be ready for calamity..."
|
|
“Yes, anyone familiar with duergar naming conventions? Does it ward a Dark Smith from showing up? Is “Dark Smith” just the name of the ward and it works on anyone? Are there Light Smiths? Are there different types of Smith Wards, dark being one of the color codes? Maybe there was a duergar named Ward, and Dark Smith was his job? Naming something can be a nightmarish job - give a piece a clever name that no one gets, and critics will mow you down!”
|
|
"Good points. Oh, and aye, I can play with these arms for sure!"
With that he looks over the arm controls and tries to use them to move as the initial training video showed.
While he is working on this, "As for their naming system, I think they just name things to make them sound very important and dangerous no matter what. Unless you are a slave. Then it be the opposite."
Freeman is able to with minimal trial-and-error manipulate the arm attached to the control room. While its range is limited, the dwarf think that he would be able to properly manipulate a crucible on the eastern side of the cavern.
He also notices controls for the chains connected to the crucible on this side. Unfortunately, while the machinery seems to still function, there is resistance preventing him from raising the missing container from down below.
Pressing the flare suppression button, you all hear a loud *click*. Examining further, you see connected to a device set to launch fire retardant containers down below, but none are currently loaded.
|
Freeman is able to with minimal trial-and-error manipulate the arm attached to the control room. While its range is limited, the dwarf think that he would be able to properly manipulate a crucible on the eastern side of the cavern.
He also notices controls for the chains connected to the crucible on this side. Unfortunately, while the machinery seems to still function, there is resistance preventing him from raising the missing container from down below.
Pressing the flare suppression button, you all hear a loud *click*. Examining further, you see connected to a device set to launch fire retardant containers down below, but none are currently loaded.
"I believe it prudent to load those flare suppression devies with the fire retardant containers we've found." says The Specialist.
You can load a canister into the device with ease. The launcher here only holds one at a time.
As Freeman prepares to disengage the ward the computer’s system is connected to, Telirix heads out to get a closer look at the device itself and the chains dangling down. The moving parts of the dynamo before him – the Solarian Stone as the Duergar called it – are old but in good repair. Up closer the lashunta also notices a few wires that seem to connect to the dark metal door at the cavern’s far end. Further, within the hollow of the central sphere sits a hammer that looks like an archaic blacksmith’s tool but with a strange blue tint, linked to a small anvil by a metal chain.
You also notice that while the mystical augmentations are Droskari in nature, a carefully look shows that they were placed to specifically override and control fading enchantments that were placed on the Stone before them: enchantments tied to the Dwarven god Torag, who vanished amidst the Gap.
Regarding the dangling chains to the east, Telirix peers down cautiously. The cavern drops hundreds of feet below, and though molten rock at the far floor provides faint illumination details are difficult to make out this high up. Examining the chains, Telirix realizes that one of the two chains has broken loose and can be raised, but the other is still connected to that side’s crucible. However, there is little give there: the crucible seems to be stuck in place down below by something.
Back in the booth, Freeman finishes his count and hits DISENGAGE on the ward controls. At the chamber’s far end, there is a momentary flickering of light on the distant dark metal door.
|
|
However, there is little give there: the crucible seems to be stuck in place down below by something.
Vaal Noor joins Telirix at the main catwalk. "We could try to yank the chain and loose the crucible, but we risk breaking both chains like that. Is there no maintenance prepared for such an occasion, I wonder. A repair drone would be perfect!"
At the chamber’s far end, there is a momentary flickering of light on the distant dark metal door.
"Well, we would have to go through there eventually. Now we know where the Dark Smith Ward is, or where the Dark Smith is warded from, or... well, I guess we don't know much yet!"
|
|
Vaal Noor joins Telirix at the main catwalk. "We could try to yank the chain and loose the crucible, but we risk breaking both chains like that. Is there no maintenance prepared for such an occasion, I wonder. A repair drone would be perfect!"
Telirix replies directly, then his speech wanders into rumination.
"A repair drone would make a lot of sense. Maybe we just don't know enough to access it. If we break the chain, we're no worse off than if we didn't. In fact, maybe we just try this from the other side. That one looks like it still works. Or maybe we wait until we leave to try it. We have a deadline and a lot of ground to cover."
"Well, we would have to go through there eventually. Now we know where the Dark Smith Ward is, or where the Dark Smith is warded from, or... well, I guess we don't know much yet!"
Telrix's eyes travel the length of the wiring to the door, then back to Vaal. "We're going to find out one way or another soon enough."
The lashunta steps forward so that he can examine the chains on the western crucible.