[AP] Iron Gods by GM Rutseg

Game Master Balacertar

Yambul slashes it a few more times to be sure it's hard to fix - if it can be fixed at all.

He nods with Zzvkgrogk's offer to Dinvaya, "Yes, please take what you want. And then we should get going." he suggests.

"In case they have another one." he grins, laughing weakly. "Great job everyone. One less victory for the dirty 'Leagers."

He'll take a little off the wand, just to top up.
CLW: 2d8 + 2 ⇒ (8, 8) + 2 = 18

”Bree-yark,” Rhoreen echoes Zzvkgrogk cheer as the robot falls. ”Maybe hit it again so that the Jerknic League can’t salvage anything off it. Last thing we want to leave is yet more material for them.” She suggests.

She will explore (and loot) the bodies of the dead, hoping for a bit of magic to supplement her own meager stores. She does take the spell books for later study, but will probably sell eventually.

”With these felled, maybe we should clean out the rest of Torch? Cleanse them completely before we go?” Rhoreen asks, flush with victory.

”With these felled, maybe we should clean out the rest of Torch? Cleanse them completely before we go?””

”No, Calliope! Let’s stick to the plan! ClockMother Dinvaya and Clockfather Joram have Torch covered now that this warren robot is out of the way. If we are done here – and I think we are – we should make our way to Iadenveigh with Val if she’s still coming -- sooner than later.”

Zzvkgrogk takes a quick once over to make sure all the best useful stuff of the smashed robot is hopelessly smashed. He pilfers any portable important or profitable bits and points Yambul to any that need further smashing. ”Hurry!”

knoweng: 1d20 + 14 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 14 + 2 = 35 Heightened Awareness
Appraise: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 13 = 26

Heightened Awareness , Mutagen Dex/Wis

"Oh, yes, it is done" Dinvaya approximates to the crashing robot while Yambul is breaking it into smaller pieces and holding her holy symbol she scans the remains with a hand and starts picking pieces here and there "A capacitor... mmm... a magnetron here... more cable cord... a transformer... an extra coil is always welcome..."

Val and Joram get out of their hiding and approach "That was a great battle. Those things are clearly too dangerous in the wrong hands."

The young girl nods, confirming she will indeed join with you.

"We can take care of the rabble that remains." adds Joram, answering Rhoreen and Zzvkgrogk "If they have not begun to run already, that is"

”... an extra coil is always welcome…”

A twinge of guilt tugs at Zzvkgrogk’s amygdala. ’Oh, uh - here –! “ he exclaims bouncing over to Dinvaya. ”Here’s a servo... It’s like a little bag of goodies.”

”Shall we head out then?”

He starts heading for Iadenveigh on bike when everyone is ready. ”Should we make some effort to hide our technology before we get too close? How?”

Heightened Awareness , Mutagen Dex/Wis

Yambul agrees - it's time to go.

He'll generally ride out in front, keeping an eye on the terrain for good places to rest, keeping them on the right track, etc.

He'll usually take-10 for a 20 to keep track of what's what. +3 when tracking. In case you want a few rolls...
Survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17
Survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13
Survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14

He starts heading for Iadenveigh on bike when everyone is ready. ”Should we make some effort to hide our technology before we get too close? How?”

”Good question. I can try to find a good place to hide the bikes a mile or so out. If it’s far enough off a trail, I doubt anyone will find ‘em. And if we take the batteries out, even fewer can use ‘em!”

Everyone please check the spreadsheet as we’re, hopefully, going to sell stuff soon. For planned purchases, after a couple more wands of curing, we should still see around 10kgp each. I’ll provide a final number once we can shop.

"We can take care of the rabble that remains." adds Joram, answering Rhoreen and Zzvkgrogk "If they have not begun to run already, that is"

Rhoreen nods, hoping that they are right in their bravado. She does agree with Yambul's plan and helps the plan along.

"Yes, well good luck and we'll see you again. I know it." She offers her goodbyes with hugs and tears.

"Should we make some effort to hide our technology before we get too close? How?”

Chaance looks herself over. "I bear only my bow, and these blades." The elf looks Zzzz and Roo over. "Your firearms? Tuck them into your backpacks? Like Yambul suggests, we should abandon our transportation a good distance from Iadenveigh sight lines."

Chaance's mind is already departing Torch, she just needs her body to catch up. She turns to Dinvaya. "Can you touch the Rhu-Chalik with another preservation? We may have better luck in Iadenveigh, getting this to Iadara."

The elf dawdles about the downed Warden.

Disable Device, Technological Trapsmith vs DC 27: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19

She curses to herself, abandoning whatever work she was up to for the duration of a little over a minute...

Dinvaya is open to help Chaance with the corpse, she and Joram give farewells to the group who descends Torch's cliffs and starts riding south, down the Seven Tears River.

Sleep deprived and perhaps a bit hungry, the motorbikes ride the rocky lands of the Numerian Plains. Even near the river the extreme pollution of the liquids from the techno-ruins maintain at bay most of the vegetation even near the river. But by breakfast time, you spot a farmed area, like some kind of oasis in the desert.

Those locals among you know this is a small farming community called Blackpipe.

Blackpipe is about the same latitude as Iadenveigh. If you turn West here and cross the Seven Tears River through Blackpipe's bridge, you can follow the edge of Numeria's southern border to reach Iadenveigh. Alternatively, you could continue following the river to reach Hajoth Hakados, a small trading city of about 7000 souls.

1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10 Know (Local)

"This might be Blackpipe, but I've never visited," Rhor offers, not knowing much. "Not sure it's big enough for us to sell and buy what we need. Might be we continue on to Iadenveigh."

Knowledge Local: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22 vs DC 15

"Oh, I remember this place. I was told that there's a guy called Gonton, village boss and follower of Erastil. He's made some alliances with the local barbarians trading food for protection. Might be we stop in and say hello, maybe get out of a barbarian raid as we head back out."

"There is a cool landmark here though too. It's an adamantine cylinder - a pipe of some kind - sticking up out of the ground. Unfortunately the metal is no good, it's all brittle when worked. Still, I might buy a few pieces - do some jewelry around it as a regional thing. Blackpipe necklaces or something."

"But let's check in, if we're going to stop, without our bikes. Might take a bit longer, but I don't want to risk it."

Yambul suggests we head into town, see the head person, then scoot west over the bridge (with the bikes of course) if the way is clear.

Blackpipe... a brittle adamantine pipe... brittle?

"I would like to at least pause and at least see this 'landmark'. Maybe take in some rest while we're at it."

Giving a stop to Blackpipe, you enter the small group of farms and quickly the people start to flock around you. Although not alien to the merchants and other travelers coming and going between Torch and Hajoth Hakados, the locals are not that user to see a group of well equipped adventurers.

After a few questions you are presented to Gonton, the local leader. A sharp man, the elder is still an affable man "We would be happy to share our table with you for lunch and exchange the latest news from Torch"

Later, you are also able to inspect the pipe that juts out of the fertile land. Zzvkgrogk thinks he could duck a bit to enter the pipe, but someone larger like Yambul or Rhoreen would need to squeeze the way through.

Earlier:
Rūha has no objections to the group leaving Torch as soon as possible, especially since Dinvaya and Joram seem to be confident they have things in order in town. She's a little concerned that the two Brigh-ites might be a little overconfident in that respect, so she feels the long term solution to the problem of the Technic League's overreach can't come soon enough. After the round of goodbyes to Dinvaya and Joram, she joins the rest of the group on bikes.
----

Now:
Rūha rummages through her belongings for her nametag and pins it to her cloak before folding her second pair of arms close to her chest. She keeps to the rear of the group as they walk through the little settlement. Upon reaching Gonton, she bows her head "The latest news from Torch? It seems like some of the Technic Leaguers disappeared recently. The town isn't doing all that well though. I would be careful for yourselves here. Does the League come down this way often?" She looks over at the pipe and adds "With a feature like that, maybe they have some interest in your town?"

Are we going all the way down to Hajoth to sell off stuff, or are we heading west from here. Or does Blackpipe have a big enough market?

Now:"The latest news from Torch? It seems like some of the Technic Leaguers disappeared recently. The town isn't doing all that well though. I would be careful for yourselves here. Does the League come down this way often?"

"Ayep," Rhoreen adds, adding little else but agreement. It was strange how all the evil a+*#*!*s were murdert, but that was probably justice and so she didn't feel the need to comment upon it too much.

Rhoreen will, indeed, share food and talk. She will tell what she knows of Torch and the paladins, leaving the events at Zzvkgrogk's home for her to explain if she wishes.

"...so yeah, we're just looking for a few things to buy and sell."

”Oh, hello Mr. Gonton sir. Yeah, like the others said, Torch is a bit messy just now, but it’ll rebound soon enough I wager. Still, those Technic Leaguers, ugh. Such evil, you know?”

”As Rhoreen says, we do have a few things to sell, if you have merchants in a buying mood, but mostly we thought we’d stop in and see how the roads ahead are. We’re headed to Iadenveigh, but might stop at Hajoth Hakados to shop first - though it’s a bit out of our way. Can you tell us of the roads to either place from here?”

”Oh, and we have of course heard of your adamantine pipe. I’m a jeweler by trade, and would love a chance to work with your so-called brittle adamantine in a few pieces.”

If asked, he'll show Gonton a few pieces he's working on, including one necklace based on a manticore feather that's nearly done.

Looking at the map, Hajoth Hakados is pretty far out of our way and I don’t think we need it to shop at this point, but could be wrong I suppose. Yambul wants to get to Iadenveigh heading west, but listens to what others think.

"Yeah, the League, they are such a trouble. Luckily they seldom reach this far south, and when they do, they have little interest for what we can offer" Gonton explains.

The Blackpipe leader will also give directions to the nearby landmarks and settlements.
I have added a mark sing in Current map, for where we are at the moment

"We are always open to trade, but we have little coin and nothing else to offer other than food. We are a humble settlement." the town can sell pieces of the adamantine pipe, at the usual cost per weight.

They can also buy around 500, perhaps even 1000 gp of your goods, but no more. It is a very small settlement.

"Might be we continue on to Iadenveigh," Rhoreen repeats when the party is ready to move on. She does not have any obvious needs for shopping in Blackpipe.

Since we won't be able to liquidate any tech treasure in Iadenveigh, we probably won't have much of a chance to sell and restock until later. However, if folks are OK with that, then on to Iadenveigh!

Rūha nods along with Gonton's explanation. "Indeed they are. We'll trade for some food if you're willing, but we'll have to continue tomorrow. Thank you for the hospitality."

Adamantine (link) isn’t priced per pound that I can see. But really what Yambul is after is a few small pieces he can create art around. So maybe about the size of an arrowhead (60gp each?). If that price is fair for what I’m after, he’ll take five pieces for 300gp.

Yambul thanks the man, though he notes he doesn’t speak of the barbarians. Maybe that’s a secret, he thinks to himself. He doesn’t sell much, not realizing just how small the town is.

Still, he picks up some interesting looking bits of adamantine from the pipe, and is ready to leave.

On the way out of town as the group walks back to the bikes he says, ”Sorry, thought the place was larger. Nice enough folk though.” He eyes one of the adamantine bits and wonders how to set it.

”So yeah, I thought we could sell tech at our destination, but apparently I’m on the stuff Rhoreen was smoking earlier. Let’s head south to sell, then west to our destination. I need to fix up my chainsaw so it’ll work against these tin-bastards we keep encountering.”

Rhoreen looks to see if Chaance or Zzvkgrogk have anything to add.

Zzvkgrogk sizes up Gonton.

Is he the kind that looks down upon Ratfolk – having made up his mind about the book without having bothered to crack its cover?

”We would be happy to share our table with you for lunch and exchange the latest news from Torch"

Nope, not at all. Relieved Zzvkgrogk blurts out, ”Why yes, thanks. That sounds nice.”

”We’re headed to Iadenveigh, but might stop at Hajoth Hakados to shop first - though it’s a bit out of our way. Can you tell us of the roads to either place from here?”

Why sure, Cookboy. Why not tell a complete stranger all of our future plans… wait – what?!

The Pipe
~~
Zzvkgrogk first pulls out the radiation detector and holds it out near the corroded pipe. Unless it’s immediately dangerous, he then sticks his head into the pipe to see what he can see. He even steps in a few feet – testing the brittleness first – to block glare if necessary. Darkvision

How far down does it go? Is it clear down into something it’s attached to – like a ship – , or does it end where the sand begins? What happened? Is it corroded through and through?

Know Eng: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (18) + 14 = 32

Rūha ties a rope around Zzvk when he starts taking a few cautious steps into the titular black pipe. "Just in case, of course." She nods reassuringly to Zzvk "If there's a ruin here too... well, we can expect the League to take interest eventually. Anything down there?"

Other than anything in the pipe, sounds like we're on to Hajoth then.

The settlement grants Yambul the pieces metals on exchange for some coins or valuables.

After three hours Zzvkgrogk emerges out of the pipe with a lot of wires, and scrap material components.

The group finally sets direction towards Hajoth Hakados. With the bikes it takes you merely a couple of hours to reach your destination.

Rising with majesty from the confluence of the Seven Tears and Sellen Rivers, you understand why the Crusaders call the grand, engraved stone walls that protect Hajoth Hakados "the velvet caress of the north."

You soon discover the local government keeps low taxes here, probably as the Technic League demands that travelers to Chesed arrive with a full purse. Just checking with a few merchants you notice citizens pride themselves on providing quality goods and services at a fair price.

You can easily sell all your mundane and magical equipment. As for technology, you are pointed out to a man named Cythrul, an alchemist, scholar, and skymetal expert who seems to be the local eminence on Androffan lore.

You can find any magical item of up to 13,000 gp, and the city can buy up to 37,500 gp. Also magical services up to 7th level are normally available.

Perhaps the most remarkable local feature is the arena where disagreements can be solved with blade, blood, tongue, and wit. Known as the Syntheriad, the former amphitheater now hosts gladiatorial combat, political discussion, displays of new magic and technology, musical and theatrical performances, and other entertainments on a near-daily schedule.

New Hajoth Hakados map is now available!

OK, I took a few things off the list to get below 37,500gp, but we are at least selling all our tech here. Just a few magic items to sell in Iadenveigh when we get there and we can do another divvy then for a little bit of cash (or give it all to poor Chaance who hasn't picked much up as yet).

Yambul seeks out this Cythrul to sell their tech, after the other items are sold and divvied. Just in case this guy turns out to be trouble. He’ll offer fair value on the timeworn, and other tech they’ve accumulated mostly in Scrapwall.

Party Divvy!
Each of us receives 9,431gp, and we gain two wands of CLW assuming they can be bought.

While with Cythrul, he pulls out his chainsaw. ”I need some help with this. I need a proper sheath, maybe you know someone? And I want to add an adamantine chain. Now I know we just traded for cash, so you know I’m flush, but for the chain, would you accept these swords in trade?”

The cost for adding an adamantine chain might be 3,000gp (let me know). We have a pair of adamantine swords worth 3,015gp. Yambul is happy claim them, then swap. If that will work. He’ll pay cash if not.

”Oh, thank you for looking out for me,” says Zzvkgrogk modestly when his four armed friend starts tying a rope around him.

”Anything down there?"

~~~

~~~
Hajoth Hakados

”Hey, this place is pretty cool! Should we stay the night here? We should check out THE Syntheriad sometime! I hear they have magic and tech fairs there! I’m going to go check out and see what’s playing now – I’ll meet you at Cythrul’s in a few minutes.” Zzvkgrogk starts heading for the entertainment.

Excellent rundown Rutseg. Good stuff.

Male Ox/Sweet Potato: thanks for doing the maths for the loot. It is appreciated.

"We should *definitely* spend the night here, <*sound*>" Rhoreen makes a sound like a ice drake choking on a doom bat. "We should see if we can learn anything about anything...rumors or goings on. After all, I heard some weird things happened in Scrapwall and in Torch, and I'd like to know what is being told here."

As the party goes about shopping and selling, she will cast about for rumors (per above).

1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17 Gather Information

Also, if anyone wants an extended heroism, now is a good time to buy that Pearl of Power 3 that would facilitate that.

Thanks for the loot log maintenance Yambul!

Rūha had passed through Hajoth Hakados the first time she'd been up into Numeria. At the time she'd been expecting a similar treatment to that she'd gotten further south - a mix of suspicious glares and outright hostility. However, Hajoth Hakados had been surprisingly welcoming. She quickly found it was due in no small part to the scholar Cythrul, who she'd met in the market the first day. Though the scholar had not been able to make any more sense of her particular predicament than she herself had, it had still been a comfort to see a fellow "immigrant" to Golarion.

Not long after the party arrives, she excuses herself and heads to find her acquaintance. She fills Cythrul in on her current theories, then asks for the name of something skilled enough in Androffan cybernetics to make a few adjustments to her own datajack to let it interface with Androffan skillchips.

She returns back to regroup with the party with her wallet far lighter and with a few new magic items. "I would not mind spending the night, and I would be happy to introduce you to Cythrul Zzvkgrogk. She is quite the guru in Androffan technology."

The group manages to seal a good trade for their found antiquities and magical artifacts, and even secures a couple wands from the local Pathfinder lodge.

Syntheriad
Zzvkgrogk founds at the local arena an ongoing technological demonstration. Apparently a ruin-crawler has emerged with a massive device that launches missiles she is targeting at big targets like a cart or a barrel of water to the great enjoyment of the general public.

Cythrul
Rūha introduces the party to Cythrul, who results to be a witchwyrd, one of the few aliens to live openly as such in Numeria, and she is something of a hero for outcasts "So have you found what you looked for Rūha?" she hears for your story attentively and when you conclude, she adds "There is someone I would like you to know. She should hear your story, and I think she might be able to help you with those Rhu-Chalik's of yours"

The alchemist and technologer accepts Yambul's project to forge an adamantine chain and accepts one of the swords as a payment and the other as source material "Just come back in three days"

Rumors
Meanwhile Rhoreen mingles with the locals and tries to find out what has been going on in the nearby lands. On a few hours she gathers a few highlights:
- That Torch has been seized by the Technic League after some adventurers recently returned the flames to the town.
- That Kenabres has fallen to some demonic attack.
- That the crusaders at Castle Urion have found some technological device they wanted to use against the hordes of demons but the Technic League is after them.
- That recently a caravan of Varisians left the city and were heading to Iavendeigh next.
- That giant mechanical spiders have been seen in a valley in the Felldales.

That Kenabres has fallen to some demonic attack.

- That the crusaders at Castle Urion have found some technological device they wanted to use against the hordes of demons but the Technic League is after them.

"Oof. That can't be good. I mentioned the wardstones before, and so this is just confirmation of what we've heard before. It's...it's not good," Rhoreen frets a bit, shaking her head.

1d20 + 13 ⇒ (11) + 13 = 24 Know (Geography) - Castle Urion? Where is that? How far away?

"If we still wanted to go to Iavendeigh, we might want to hitch up with the Varisians. I'm sure there will be safety in numbers."

* * * With Ruha

"Nice to meet you, Cythrul," Rhoreen says, again trying to overcome her fear of large 4-armed not-monsters like Ruha. "Yes, if you can help us find someone who can help with the Rhu-Chaliks, that would be kind."

Rūha shakes her head to Cythrul "I've not yet learned what I hope to. But at least I feel I'm getting closer at last. As un-scientific as it is, I can't help but feel that there's some meaning to ending up here. It can't just have been random." She closes her eyes for a moment "In any case, it should become more clear eventually."

Rūha is similarly curious to hear of this expert on Rhu-Chaliks.

The alchemist and technologer accepts Yambul's project to forge an adamantine chain and accepts one of the swords as a payment and the other as source material "Just come back in three days"

Yambul is excited, but he worries about the time. He turns to the party, ”You all willing to wait a few days? I really need that chain so I can use it against constructs and such.”

”Alternatively, we can leave, go to Iavendeigh, and come back this way so I can pick it up. I’d rather not do that, but if we’re in a hurry to catch up to that caravan, we’d better.”

- Earlier/Later -

”Thanks Rhoreen!” Yambul takes his small loan back. ”Say, uh, do you have a little extra cash this time? I could use it!”

9,431gp + 362gp already owned + 600gp Rhoreen paid back = 10,393gp
Yambul further takes a loan from Rhoreen for 1,000gp bringing his total up to 11,393gp

He looks to buy…
Pearl of Power (3) (9kgp)
Handy Haversack (2k)
Artisan Tools (jeweler), mw 55gp

Leaving him with 338gp and a 1kgp debt.

Rhoreen knows Castle Urion is a fortress maintained by the crusaders at the south-western edge of Numeria.

"Then come to the Lady's Palace tomorrow evening" Cythrul smiles before letting you go for the day.

You do secure a place for the night, as you already have to wait for Yambul's chain, and then you are free to pursue your own businesses.
Feel free to add any downtime activity you want to perform in Hajoth Hakados.

Next day you are received at the Palace by the current ruler of Hajoth Hakados: Lady Altouna. At her own private rooms and escorted by Cythrul, you are presented to the lady who listens attentively to your story. At some point she looks straight at Rūha and takes out her headband, revealing to you a couple antenna at her front "You know my secret now."

"Cythrul and myself have been organizing a small group in Golarion dedicated to find, free and protect people from other planets" Lady Altouna explains and Cythrul smiles as the mystery has been finally revealed "We are used to help others maintain a safe cover, but this business about the Dominion of the Black, and the proof you bring to us in the form of the Rhu-Chaliks is worrisome..."

"That's interesting. Castle Urion is on the far side of Numeria from the Worldwound. Almost across most of the county. If they are having demon problems there, when the problem is very serious indeed. Might be that we should abandon what we are doing and see if we can help with the demons. I can't imagine any greater threat to anyone on Golarion," Rhoreen worries as she grows increasingly worried about the demon threat.

Rhoreen is happy to spend the night in the town and meet at the Lady's Palace in morning.

"So...you knew about that the Rhu-Chaliks were here? Or is that a surprise? What can we do about them? Are they more dangerous than the demons on our doorstep?" Rhoreen asks of Lady Altouna.

* * *

New usual morning magical protections: False Life 1d10 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10 temp hp, extended Mage Armor (herself & Ruha, 14 hours), when we suspect trouble/dungeoneering extended Heroisms (herself & Yambul, 140 minutes).

"Wow." Yambul can't help but exclaim in his surprise. He recovers quickly, mumbling an apology.

"Yeah, I can't get worked up by something happening that far away. We have Technic League problems and don't expect them to come here to fix it. That's our problem."

"Maybe if we run out of problems sure, but I've never seen that ever happen."

"Can someone fill me in on these Rhu-Chaliks?" he looks around the collected faces simply. He knows its been discussed, and feels he should remember more.

Didn't Chaance talk about them? He remembers.

"According to the evidence Cythrul and myself have been gathering all these years from the different ruins we have delved in, the vessel that brought the ones like us here, the Divinity was attacked by these creatures. The Dominion of the Black" Lady Altouna explains with worried expression "They do not put just humanity and Golarion in danger like the demons of the Worldwound. If the Dominion of the Black has traced Divinity to this area, then our whole System, if not the Universe at a whole is at danger of being reduced to the void of blackness..."

"Was this Rhu-Chalik able to communicate with its master brain? We need to avoid them finding out about Divinity's location." she asks you trying to figure out more about your encounter.

Rhoreen looks to the others, uncertain.

"How would we know if the Rhu-Chalik could communicate with others? What might that have looked like?" Rhoreen asks, trying to remember what happened.

"A good question." Rūha crosses both pairs of arms "They are telepathic, correct? Maybe there's a maximum range to their telepathy? If not, then we interacted with them enough - and we saw them often enough around the Androffan ruins - that one or more could have slipped away to send the message on. In fact, if the concern is that the Rhu-Chaliks have communicated something back home, they've had ample time to do that even before we found them..."

She doesn't like the sound of the universe being reduced to a void, but as far as a hazard is concerned, its so big as to appear abstract, rather than immediate.

"Did they not also have observer robots?" Zzvkgrogk adds quietly.

"We still have one I think." Yambul comments on Zzvkgrogk's reminder.

"I think it's probably safe to know they know stuff. Exactly where it is I dunno, but maybe." Yambul adds.

"Sorry, I sometimes forget you don't have the same senses as we have" her antennas tingle at that moment, and she looks down at the preserved corpse "We can try to do some findings of our own" she looks back at Cythrul who nods in agreement "Meanwhile, if you find any more evidence of the Dominion of the Black in Golarion, please make sure to eradicate it before it can send news of this planet to their home, or take control of a whole civilization"

"If you find any alien people who needs help, please help them become free and send them to us" adds Cythrul "If you find alien forms or technology, we can also try to help you identify it in the future"

There is someone I would like you to know. She should hear your story, and I think she might be able to help you with those Rhu-Chalik's of yours"

Rhoreen listens, but was expecting more. "But what about the Rhu-Chaliks? Cythrul seemed to think you could help us with them. I mean, it's a nice offer to help with technology, but how about a weapon or training to deal with the Rhu-Chaliks? I mean, we were already likely to deal harshly with them," she frowns in confusion, wondering where the help is. She wonders if this was a waste of time...and she had such high hopes.

"Can you help us detect them? Or maybe have some weapons against them? Or can you tell us where they might be? Anything?"

At least I know where the demons are. One step into the Worldwound and you'll bump into a couple, probably. I'm not so sure that Rhus are the same level of danger yet.

Rūha appreciates the sentiment the two other aliens have, but she can't help but share some of Rhor's concerns "They seemed almost like ghosts when we first encountered them. We'll be hard pressed to suppress them if we can't even find them." She shakes her head "I know some of us were hoping that by raising the alarm, there would be more than just ourselves mobilized to deal with these creatures of the Dominion. Considering we found the ones we did, a more concerted sweep seems warranted. By experts. Or something along those lines."

The talk of the Dominion suddenly makes Rūha recall an infestation of those abominable leeches that had come in on one of the ships belonging to an influential family. The leeches had wreaked havoc with the classroom's systems for days before the exterminators arrived, and even afterward there were flare ups every few months thanks to the ones they missed. A nightmare.

Yambul nods along. It all sounds serious, but it also feels somewhat far away - like the demons. The Technic League seems a much greater threat. He shrugs. I'm probably not seeing something.

He smiles at the others and offers to help where it seems appropriate. When they ask about other agents as well, he pricks his ears. Maybe they can help with the League as well, he wonders.

He waits to see what their hosts have to say.

Diplomacy (request help): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
Cythrul seems to take Rhoreen's words badly and frowns, but Lady Altouna smiles diplomatically "I see you are worried by this, and that is a good thing. Regretfully, we are just so few, and our responsibilities anchor us here nowadays, so we mainly act upon third party agents, when the opportunity arises"

"We are happy to share with you what we know about the Dominion. We have gathered exotic volumes that talk about them and we can let you read them and share other knowledge if you wish to stay with us for a time" she completes her offer.

She taps Rhoreen's arm reassuring "It is good you brought news of them. We will shift our efforts on this rather than locating more aliens in stasis. And if you wish so, we will let you know if we find something meaningful"

Rhoreen shrugs.

"Well sure. I guess. Sure, show me the volumes and I'll see what I can dredge out while we wait for Yambul's armaments to be adamantinized. I guess I have time to spare," she notes. "Anyone else want to spend some time reading and discussing? You, Ruha? Chaance?"

Rhoreen intends to spend at least 4 hours over the next few days doing some research. It might come in handy later.

"We have the time. It can't hurt to be more prepared." Rūha nods "I expect we haven't seen the last of them."

I don't have any other special downtime activities to pursue, so researching the Dominion sounds quite good!

"But what about the Rhu-Chaliks? “

”Demons or space bugs Calliope? Is that the question? Well, if I recall correctly – this space bug was pretty susceptible to fire. -- And yea, not everyone can see the invisible, though. Then on the other hand -- I don’t think demons would be as flammable, and I can’t think of anything worse than the total oblivion of Golarion to space bugs.”

He walks over to the inert and gently reposing corpse and pulls out the magnifying glass. He uses it to focus in on the space bug’s enormous eye along the seam where it is attached to its 'face' before moving on to the center of the lens.

Does this come out easy? Is it transparent? Is the whole thing organic, or does it have robotic internals? He pokes at what passes for its thorax to see how soft the Rhu-Chaliks is.

The next day -

Zzvkgrogk joins the others after a wild shopping spree hitting just about every shop in the district. He sports a shiny new shirt, a new pair of sporty looking boots and a new bag. He is happy to see the alien diversity of the city. Wow… I should move here…

He casts comprened languages and with the others pours over tomes.

Later…

”Hey, Cooka - erm – Yambul –what do you think?” He holds up an aquamarine colored lens. ”When you are not busy modifying your chainsaw, can I pay you to make a nice metal setting for this so I can put it on a chain for use as a monocle? Maybe you could use the outside of this old magnifying glass for the metal or other parts?”

”Yeaa… tha’s right. I’m going retro for this trip. No one in Iavendeigh will ever suspect that I’m actually cyberpunk!”

Yambul, being something of a hick, will spend his free time wandering the city and taking in the sites. He spends his evenings at the pub, working with his jewelry - especially Zzvkgrogk's request of course. On the second and third days though he abandons his meanderings just to focus on the jewelry... it feels like it's really coming together.

He tries to do a good job for his companion!
Craft Jewelry: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29

He's very pleased with the results, and shows Zzvkgrogk the work.

Lady Altouna grants the group access to some of the most obscure tomes ever found in Golarion, which Rhoreen and Rūha pass exploring for the next three days. Most of them seem the product of madmen, and you would have not believed a word of it, not for the tangible existence of your recent encounters. The more serious of the works though, get very worrying, taking about strange creatures that collect brains and install their own control on the empty carcasses. It is hard to tell though to what point the things described are true or just the product of a mad brain.

Val expends her time visiting different stores and restaurants in the town, and enjoying the shows in the Syntheriad a couple times. She gets interested too in Zzvkgrogk's and Yambul crafting "I think that shall be very relaxing. Ever thought of opening your own store?"

By the end of the third day, Yambul checks out with Cythrul, and the alchemist has stayed to his word and been able to reforge the adamantine longsword into a chain for the mechanical saw.

Please, wrap up downtime activities, and let me know about any considerations you want to point out for your trip to Iadenveigh. We are getting into book 3 next! :)