Barker is nearly mesmerized by the song "Have you heard that composition ... whahaaa" he yells overcomming the song
Then he tries to play to inspire his allies
He inspires other, but when he tries to throw a piece of rock he fails to concentrate
Rhys is inured to the howling. He blazes across Wolf 1:
As he slashes at the wolf it crumbles to sand, ignoring the howling wind.
Zephrena's scond strike collapses the pile of sand; it blows away in an ethereal wind!
Iksha slowly repositions herself, continuing her tale-spinning for Rhys. Holly and Eleanor power through the howling. Holly's tendril slams into Wolf 2, connecting once.
Barker continues to inspire after faltering a moment, but he can;t concentrate enough the cast his spell.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Sand Dog 2
➤ Rhys
➤ Iksha
➤ Zephrena
➤ Barker
➤ Eleanor
⠀⠀➤ Holly
Barker keeps inspiring and then throws an agry look with growl at the hound.
Then he moves closer
Round 6
Zephrena keeps her shield raised as she moves closer to the sand wolf. Her feet shuffle and her hips sway to the rhythm of the bard’s inspiration. In time with the music her flickmace flies out from behind her shield.
* Raise Shield
* Move
* Attack
Attack
Flickmace
The champion will continue to use her reaction to try and protect her comrades, especially elderly Eleanor.
Iksha blinks as the wolf falls apart in front of her. Turning her attention to the second wolf she moves into position to attack (although she stays close to Holly in case an emergency elixir is required later). "Together the heroes have defeated one of the wolves! Lightning courses through the body of the last survivor, forcing it to realize that it too will soon perish."
Barker inspires but doesn;t frigthen the wolf. Rhys manages to blast his target twice, turning sand into glass with superheated plasma.
Zephrina struggles while Iksha spins her tale. Does the wolf realize it will soo perish?
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Sand Dog 2
Rhys
Iksha
Zephrena
Barker
➤ Eleanor
⠀⠀➤ Holly
Eleanor coughs the sand out of her mouth. "One of those wolves are down. Hope there is a broom around here."
HP 13/56
AC 17
Hero Points 1/3
Battle Medicine ()
Focus Points 2/3
Spells 1st 2/2 | 2nd 1/2
Holly
HP 13/56
AC 20 (21 w/ Reinforce Eidolon)
The wolf chomps at Holly:
The champion reacts, protecting Holly's last precious life force.
The enfeebled hound spins into a whirling through the area, hitting everyoine but Eleanor…
Success The target takes half damage.
Failure The target takes full damage and is sickened 1.
Critical Failure As failure, but the effect is increased to sickened 3.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Sand Dog 2
➤ Rhys
➤ Iksha
➤ Zephrena
➤ Barker
➤ Eleanor
⠀⠀➤ Holly
Barker dodges the worst of the attack. He keeps on playing to inspire the others
Barker is able to play, and he plays his heart out, to inspire his allies and to send a piece of debris at the dog
Iksha chokes on sand as the wolf passes through her. She wants to throw up but there's no time. Holly is not looking good next to her.
Hoping that her elixir work on plants she grabs a vial and adds a few drops of a pinkish-red liquid. She gives it a quick shake and (for lack of any better ideas since Holly doesn't have a mouth) pours it over the plant. It won't be much but maybe it'll be enough to keep her conscious.
The wolf takes the blast to the face.
Barker inspires, but the projectile misses by a gain's width.
Iksha plans to heal holly.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Sand Dog 2
Rhys
Iksha
➤ Zephrena
Barker
➤ Eleanor
⠀⠀➤ Holly
Holly stays upright, though barely. Seeing this Eleanor reaches into her pouch and tosses a small seedling to the ground. As it hits the roots quickly dig into the ground and a tree forms within seconds. Its thin branches reach out protectively to those around it.
HP 7/56
AC 17
Hero Points 1/3
Battle Medicine ()
Focus Points 2/3
Spells 1st 2/2 | 2nd 1/2
Holly
HP 7/56
AC 20 (21 w/ Reinforce Eidolon)
Reflex Save
Round ?
The gnome sputters and sucks in more sand from the damnable wolf. Still not learning her lesson she opens her lips and grits her teeth. Feeling more than a little sick she keeps her shield up, then sway left and right, striking out with her flickmace on both sides.
* Shield
* Attack
* Attack
Melee attack
Flickmace
Melee attack
Fickmace
The Champion will use her reaction to protect a comrade if she can. O
Zephrina clobbers the wolf, which is left pulverized.
It fights to the death but you easily dispatch its one remaining hit point.
The dust settles… the courtyard is silent.
Eleanor grabs a berry from Holly and pops it in her mouth. Using the juices she rubs them on her wound. "Nasty little beasts."
HP 21/56
AC 17
Hero Points 1/3
Battle Medicine ()
Focus Points 2/3
Spells 1st 2/2 | 2nd 1/2
Holly
HP 21/56
AC 20 (21 w/ Reinforce Eidolon)
Zephrena praises Sheylin for a hard fought victory. Then she begins Laying on Hands. To regain her focus and power, the gnome asks Barker for a tune. She goes into a slow speed meditative dance. Stamping a foot and shaking her hip, she moves about for a bit. Then she brings another round of healing.
"That is .... was grutal" says clearly stupiefied bard
He slumps on the sand and tries to compose a tune about the fight that just happened
There is no treasure up here.
After healing you head down the stairs. Below levels, it's cool and comfortable; this is a small but comfortable home.
This hallway leads to the last two locations in the home: a kitchen and a bedroom.
Is there any evidence of what happened to Valls? We search through the rooms.
All is quiet.
A red curtain fringed with gold covers a doorway to the kitchen and dining area of the house. Inside, the walls are painted a bright red. A fireplace is carved into a niche in the southern wall. Shelves that contain a variety of ingredients and cooking utensils stand to the east above a table cut into the earth. The northern part of the room has a low table and several cushions.
Iksha can tell that whoever lived here left in a hurry, as a pot in the burned out fireplace contains the charred remains of meat and grains.
Barker, Whys, and Eleanor locate a crushed metallic device under a cushion in the kitchen. The item is shaped like a cone that has been bent, scuffed, and nearly flattened.
Iksha spends a few minutes coughing and gagging before calming down enough to investigate. As she does the mystery quickly distracts her from the difficult battle they just fought. "Someone left in a hurry and never came back." She shoos away a particularly determined mouse as she crouches down next to the pot. "They've been gone long enough for pests to get at the food. I wish I'd thought to ask Tahar how long it's been since he last saw Valls."
At the sight of the metal cone she tilts her head to the side. "That would have fit into our mechanical head, before it was destroyed. Which lends credence to Tahar's belief that Valls was working on it. Was it originally stolen from here? If the Usij cultists caught Valls off-guard, perhaps while he was making dinner..." She trails off and shakes her head. "Let's check the other room."
Eleanor flicks some of the bugs away. "Not very tidy." She pulls her sleeve over her mouth to diffuse the stench of rotten food. "So you think they already got to Valls hen?" Eleanors voice cracks with a bit of concern.
"There should be some poetry around, music, lyrics? Anything really"
Says Barker going through the things with little success.
With little else to do here you move on to the bedroom.
Beyond a fringed red curtain is a short hallway that opens into a cave-like bedroom carved from the earth and painted a dark red. Cut into the wall is a bed covered with a simple sleeping pallet and a light woolen blanket. The other half of the room features a table cut into the wall, a small stool, and shelves lined with books. Papers lie scattered about the entire area.
There was clearly a struggle in here, but there is no blood.
On the shelves are valuable books of poetry worth 40 GP.
Searching the desk, you find letters. They appear to be correspondences between three members of the arts community in Lamasara, but none of the writers use their names or sign the letters; they only refer to one another with the single letters “V,” “D,” and “S.” They discuss a collaborative work that all three are undertaking, and each expresses a great deal of excitement about how important this work will be to Thuvia as a whole.
You also find a key tucked under the pillow on the bed. It has a strange shape Iksha, Eleanor, Rhys, and Zephrina recognize this as a type used in clockworks.
Barker begins packing the books of poetry into his bag
"I once heard of a Witch from Otari who was tricked by some weird creature into giving them the mighty book of occult spells. The creature threw the book into its endless bag of holding and that was the last time that the book was ever seen. We need to protect this poetry from similar fate."
Barker looks at the letters
"Look! If youcan compare the writing samples to drafts of poems Valls has left for us here, we can confirm that he’s one of the three correspondents, and that he seems to be responsible for writing an epic poem that will be used in something called an 'anbarit.'"
"Seems you are right." Eleanor grabs the key from the pillow. "This was used in a Clockwork."
Holding the key out Eleanor looks around to the group. "Any of you manage to grab that clockwork head. Let's try this key." She holds it out ready to insert the key to see what it does.
The gnome is clearly excited about these discoveries. She pulls the clockwork head from her pack. Lets try the key, does it fit? She holds it out for Eleanor to try.
Zephrena also pulls out her crafting tools. She takes a closer look at the battered key. She tries to straighten it out and fix it.
Crafting By the sweaty sack of rovagug, this is hard! Clearly frustrated she sets her tools down…
Rapid clicking suddenly emanates from the mechanical head. The mouth opens. A metallic voice, unlike the one you heard before, rings out:
The eyes whirl around, and stare at each of you in turn. OH!
Inside my brain your clockwork key's unlocked
the broken language-door that's hidden there.
Cams and cogs can cogitate, and might concoct
new thoughts, or mimicry of thoughts, to share.
The eyes spin backwards in their sockets, then forward again. In a completely different voice—the voice of a mellifluous male performer with perfect diction, it begins reciting more of the same poem you heard before:
He knew your language and you knew his heart—
As his close confidant you learnt the art
Of pushing jealousies deep underground,
And for these exploits was Thuvia five-crowned.
But talk of five implies plurality –
When five has gone there will be Unity.
(This is the oneness of diversity,
Not oneness locked in singularity);
This time, the words are less jumbled. They key is helping the clockwork head to function better… and perhaps something more. At least for a moment. The key winds down. Dead eyes stare at nothing.
While everyone is thinking. The gnome reaches a hand forward. She winds the key back up. When the head comes alive she asks the questions.
Hello, I'm Zephrena. You are a beautiful piece of clockwork. How were you damaged? Did someone rip you from a body? I'm sorry that happened...
Hello Zephrina. I am a servant made of gears,
Uncertain who I've served throughout the years.
My name's Unknown, a puzzle yet to solve—
Could you bestow a name, and help resolve?
Damaged cogs whir and grind as it tries— but fails—to access its memory:
A damaged brain from body tore
Can only access partial segments of its core.
A dreadful fate has severed head from spine,
Yet who or what eludes this brain of mine.
Inside me lie more secrets, stored but sealed—
For now, like wonders behind a door, unrevealed.
But letters, words from my creator might ignite,
And fill this puzzled void with sudden light.
Barker scratches his fur "So we need to find more keys to wake you up? Do you know what happened to your maker?"
Then he thinks for a moment "Can we for now call you Xavier, until we learn your real name?"
Eleanor lays a soothing hand on the metallic head, though she is away this shell contains no emotions or feelings. "We will help where we can. Do you know how many keys there were?"
Barker, Whys, and Eleanor locate a crushed metallic device under a cushion in the kitchen. The item is shaped like a cone that has been bent, scuffed, and nearly flattened.
Zephrena holds up the damaged cone. She looks to the others in the party who have crafting skill, Iksha and Rhys Do you think we can fix this? I tried earlier but I'm having trouble figuring it out. Maybe one of you has a better tool for this...
Xavier—a name that carries weight and grace,
A title fitting to fill the empty space.
My makers face and fate, a mystery
As are the keys that unlock my history.
Iksha surmises that you can put the horn to an appendage in the ear to record your voice.
Barker tries to recall what he could know about this.
"I am glad that you like your temporary name here Xavier"
Barker thinks that reading the letters of Valls might trigger a memory. Perhaps there is a cadence to the words that will create a mnemonic harmony inside the strange head…
Indeed, it is so. Barker read the words of the letter.
The mechanical head reacts to the words in the letter quite dramatically. Its eyelids flutter open and it it snarls in an a woman’s furious voice:
“Fine then. If those fools at Ilhiin’s temple can’t handle a simple poet, I’ll step in myself. And why is this construct here?!”
A metallic shriek howls from from the construct's open mouth.
Then the recording abruptly stops.
Critical success:
"I think that Ilhiin is a small, relatively unknown village about two days northwest of Lamasara."
Barker looks at Xavier with interest "Do you remember who was that woman who was speaking?"
"So this clockwork happened to just be in the room." Looks looks at the ripped head. "Seems that is when it was killed. We should head to Ilhiin then and see if anyone recognizes this Clockwork, the womans voice or Valls."
Whose voice I heard, or face I did once see—
Unknown: she who decapitated me.
Lets not forget about the Water Lord Almeth. He doesnt live far from here. He was interested in Valls and might have some information.
"We can visit on the way though it sounds like he sent these young idiots to deliver a gift and took it upon themselves to be hoodlums." Eleanor shifts her small pack, ready to visit the Waterlord.