Kiri whispers to the kids as the Grodairs head for the swamp "next time we visit them I'll teach you how to sneak up on them!"
Later that month, you head out to check on the Anadis, who have recruited Faradrik and Fire-Pot to assist with a project to keep Naantambu green. Namely, they are looking for efficient ways to take care of trash dumping in the city's back alleyways.
As you approach you hear screaming and wailing rising from the hidden back alleyways. What happened to my clothesline!? My grandmother's antique shawl was drying there! and My new fence — burnt to ashes! and Why is there scorch mark where my wagon used to be!?
The students, red-faced, huddle in a corner arguing amongst themselves.
Who will go to capture our creation!? moans Goss.
Can't you think of any solutions than FIRE!? whines Fardrik.
Fire-Pot has smoke coming out of his ears. You thought HELLFIRE would be efficient too, Fardrik! Anyway, you INCINERATE trash all I did was make it MOBILE and AUTOMATIC — they finally notice you.
Goss scuttles up a wall, suddenly shy. Savana and Mazta fade into the shadows. Fardrik kicks a rock and turns his most charming smile upon his teachers. Hi lore-speakers! Uhhh, we're experiencing some technical difficulty, maybe you could come back tomorrow —
He's cut off by a distant shout: My anvil! Melted! Who did this?!
"If I heard Fardrik correctly, I think you might need our assistance [i]now[i]," Chimwemwe says. He looks in the direction of the most recent shout and raises a worried eyebrow. "Did you make a clockwork automaton that produces flames hot enough to melt an anvil?"
Fire-pot nods proudly. ”Yes our Continuously Hovering Autonomous Transitory Garbage Pile Torcher turns almost anything it touches to ash, including scap metal!
Codename CHAT GPT for short, says Fardrik helpfully. We thought it would be a friendly name for our creation. As in "Look the ball of fire coming down the alleyway, it's "chat gpt" here to incinerate our trash. Goss even designed a smiley face for it, hoping it would help early adopters feel more comfortable around it!
We're going to change the world… With Fire-Pot can’t help but shout the last word and his eyes look a little crazed.
Anywway, our motto of "move fast and burn things" was taken a little too literally as it's not running amok, somewhere in that maze of back alleys. Probably too much fire?
Is there such a thing!? asks Fire-pot.
Fardrik looks at the ground. Maybe? Honestly, right now I'm just hoping it doesn't burn the world down.
Akoril nods "Yes... yes, there is such a thing. Where is its off switch?' asks Akoril, hoping for perhaps a simple solution to a fiery problem.
"Perhaps you could quickly tell us a bit about its construction? Is it magically or alchemically powered? What is it made of? What generates the fire?"
Fire-pot just stares. Off… switch?
Goss whispers; you suddenly notice he's hanging above you on a thread.
We were theorizing on the possibility of an artificial creature that consumes refuse. The Chat-Gpt is not alive, but nor is it quite a construct. Somewhere along the line, something went wrong and it is voracious and more powerful than we anticipated.
Fire-Pot mutters. More like something went RIGHT…
Goss continues. Oh also somehow it the ability to not only cast fire spells at will but also force effects to prevent others from interfering with its mission, to ruthlessly eradicate litter.
Based on this conversation Chim thinks this creature is not a mindless construct, but has many construct-like immunities in addition to immunity to fire. It's proabbly also unstable. Just how that manifests… hard to tell. None of the rest of you can glean any other information.
Goss says: It must be destroyed! But please, take this crystal vial to preserve a piece of the chatgpt as you dispatch it.
"Did you use any conjuration theories in your design if the intelligence? I wonder if it is inhabited by an aeon or other spirit," he muses.
Kiri takes the vial from Goss. "We will do what we can to preserve a sample of your work."
Nothing for it. You head into the alleyways. You soon come across piles of ash. more and more… what was once a cart is now toasty cinders. Flowerbeds? Embers. Luckily the destruction is somewhat contained.
You can only hope to end this menace before it ruins more of the city!
You see a glowing flicker coming from the West… There is just enough time to get ready!
Akoril casts spider climb incase more climbing needs to be done in a hurry and positions themselves between some rooftop peeks.
Kiri casts a spell and vanishes as they dart across to the the far side, hoping to sneak up behind the things it comes into the area. They hold the flask in one hand, ready to grab a sample.
The light is accompanied by the echoes of cracking timber. In a moment, a roiling storm of burning ashes flies into the alleyway…
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Wisps
➤ Akoril
CHAT
Kiri
Chimwemwe
Soomdevi
⠀⠀Blinks
Wisps moves and Takes Cover beside the building.
"Fear not, friends! This chatgpt is no match for our problem-solving and creative thought!"
Akoril shouts down "This looks more like a flaming tumbleweed, are we sure it's the robot?"
That said, Akoril shoots a slowing arrow at it, figuring a giant flaming ball is not good for the city.
Akoril feels relativly secure up here while his mask flutters and recharges.
"No," Chimwemwe answers his magus peer.
The arrow misses but the slow puts the flames to a near standstill.
The mass of flame flies up to Akorl.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Wisps
➤ Akoril
CHAT
➤ Kiri
➤ Chimwemwe
➤ Soomdevi
⠀⠀➤ Blinks
Now that Chimwemwe can see the automaton--or possibly an aeon or elemental contained within a clockwork apparatus--first hand, he tries to make his best guess as to its vulnerabilities. He then traces his invisible tattoos on his arm, which flare to life with blue-white inner illumination.
With the chatgpt on the roof with Akoril, he begins to try to climb up onto the roof.
Worried about the building and seeing no need to stand next to the slowed fireball Akoril puts his bow away and scampers down and away.
Kiri slowly sneaks forward, vial in hand, until the creature is in reach. Waiting a moment for it to be distracted, they lash out to try and capture a sample of the strange construction before darting up the alley.
Chim cannot identify the creature, but he can confirm it's no construct.
Soomdevi take as tactical position hoping the flying creature comes to ground.
Alrinkiri climbs adjacent to the creature, staying invisible and perhaps undetected.
Akoril repositions.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Wisps
Akoril
CHAT
Kiri
Chimwemwe
Soomdevi
⠀⠀Blinks
"We've got this!"
The creature seems immune to Wisp's mental effects.
It spins in place before firing a bolt at the gnoll who slowed it.
The bolt blows Akoril's fancy hat right off his head and into the canal!
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Wisps
➤ Akoril
CHAT
➤ Kiri
➤ Chimwemwe
➤ Soomdevi
⠀⠀➤ Blinks
Kiri silently draws the vial, then tries to scoop out a sample of the creature.
Akoril grimaces in pain as his fancy hat falls into the canal and begins to float away.
Having hoped the slow would do it Akoril backs up even further in hopes he mgiht be able to recover his hat later if he keeps half an eye on it.
With more immediate problems though he magically gathers up and debris he can and sends it flying with a magical arrow
Alrinkiri misses!
The spell strike hits, knocking away some of the flame.
"This truly is a unique amalgam of sorcery and alchemy," Chimwemwe says as he trudges across the roof. "I cannot make any sense of its composition. But let's see how kinetic force works."
The CHAT lashes a tendril out at Chim!
But it misses.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Wisps
➤ Akoril
CHAT
➤ Kiri
➤ Chimwemwe
➤ Soomdevi
⠀⠀➤ Blinks
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Akoril's mask flaps and sends a pair of ephemeral bolts at the rolling ball of fire.
As the ephemeral bolts dissipate, Akoril follows up with anther arrow swirled with debris.
It's just a hat thinks Akoril to himself, somewhat distracted as his hat sadly floats away down the canal.
"See? Nothing to it!"
Wisps keeps her friends inspired and fires two more arrows.
Alrinkiri stows the vial containing the sample, the reappears into view as they slash at the roiling ball of destructive cleaning twice!
Chimwemwe frowns in concentration as he engages with the strange hybrid creation. His shield drifts down as he links several runes on his armor with his fingers. Something goes exceedingly well as the sequence is timed perfectly, and his armor releases a crackling burst of stored bioelectrical charge.
He shoves his shield into the flaming sphere as the lightning fades.
Akoril sends another powerful arrow into the creature, along as a force fang, as he watches his hat swirl away. Wisps likewise plunks one arrow into the Chatgpt. Alrinkiri, sadly, misses both attacks. The Chatgpt avoids all of the electrical zaps Chim can blast out but
Soomdevi flips a shingle into the creature's center, which interrupts its spinning. It slows down and you all move back as the energy is released in a small explosion, leading scorch marks on the rooftop.
As you recover from your wounds, neighbors come outside.
You destroyed that menace? Who will weave me new clothes, since mine that were burnt off my clothesline?
Another: Who'll carry a new anvil to my home?
And another… Who'll plant me a new garden?
And another… Who'll sweep up all this ash?
Goss, Fire-Pot, and Fardrik come sunnoing from the opposite direction. The wheel to a stop when they see the angry neighbord, but it's too late.
Someone with a small pitchfork points it at the students. There they are! He turns to you. You are their teachers, correct! Punish them! Fardrik looks angry. Smoke starts pouring out of Fire-pot's ears.
"They made a mistake but a costly one," Chimwemwe says to the others. "They need to make restitution and understand that choices have consequences."
"It is important that they learn to take responsibility for their actions and make things right for those they have harmed. Perhaps we can help them to see that it is not punishment, but their duty."
"Yes, yes. That is what I mean: responsibility," he nods. "I must have read a story that makes that point in my Uzunjati classes." He rubs his hand across his scalp as he thinks.
"And not only their duty, but a part of the cycle of learning. Sometimes you try something new and it does not go well. Assessing and cleaning up after the outcome of your experiment is valuable feedback on the experiment itself, and helps you to know how to do better next time."
"Restorative justice, I believe is the term" Notes Akoril.
"Cleaning up after one's mess is not a punishment, but a natural consequence of making a mess."
The townsfolk nod. I liek the sound of that. The students, however, seem less enthusiastic.
"And as teachers we are responsible for our student's actions, so we should assist--," he pauses to turn and look toward the students. "--yet not perform all of their cleaning--them."
"Agreed. Assisting them will be a good opportunity to debrief them on the experience."
Wisps addresses the students.
"This isn't going to be fun, I understand. But it is an important part of your education. In the course of our duties, we often end up inadvertently causing harm to others. We must do our best to make amends, even if we didn't mean for it to happen."
Akoril talks about the history of the city, and how it's important that the University maintains good relations with the city, and how they aren't the first to cause trouble, but that it's always been cleaned up.
The students sigh and get to work. However with your assistance, the day goes smoothly, and soon the property is restored.
Soomdevi and Blinks don't seem that into helping, but at least go through the motions… except that he and Fardrik can be seen taking long-ish breaks.
Fire-pot only tries to take a "shortcut" with fireball two times, but Alrinkiri and Chim stop him.
Goss and the Andis help re-weave clotheslines. Mazta — ever the tracker — disappears for a while. he comes back with Akoril's hat!
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Walking back to campus with the students, Alrinkiri holds up the sample they took. "I know things didn't go perfectly today, but I think you had the germ of a good idea here. Why don't we schedule a time to brainstorm ways to improve upon your design while incorporating some safeguards."