You leave the home and examine the next building, which turns out to be a workshop that is a mess of broken shelving and glassware. Magical light shines from three copper spheres mounted around the workshop, including one on an extendable metal arm, providing normal light. An exhaust hood hangs over an iron-capped workbench, though tangled vines clog it.
Most of the elixirs and reagents stored here are ruined, save those in a steel locker stowed in one corner. The locker contains an oil of weightlessness and a lesser mistform elixir. A formula book lies on the floor, partly burned; the surviving formulas include moderate juggernaut mutagen and lesser mistform elixir.
On the top shelf, four inert clockwork spies have survived in good condition. Three of these have intact recording gems, and the fourth's gem is empty. Playing back the recordingds reveal long, rambling dissertations in the Gnomish language. It will take several hours to listen to them all.
Gig examines the clockwork spies with delight. "What interesting devices! I wonder if their recordings could be used in a performance." Gig pokes at the fourth spy.
Uhe opens the locker to see that The locker contains an oil of weightlessness and a lesser mistform elixir. A formula book lies on the floor, partly burned; the surviving formulas include moderate juggernaut mutagen and lesser mistform elixir.
Be like Christmas!
"Do you think that plant did all this damage?" Brijetta muses, as usual not seeming to talk to anyone in particular.
"Y'all wanna bring the metal arm with? I don't reckon it'd look good on me, but someone's gotta want it, right?
"Oh, and does anyone speak whatever this's in? Sounds like... Sylvan?"
"Better not listen to that." Cricket points to the gems. "Rambling gnomes are a sure way to madness. At my age, I don't dabble with this kind of drugs."
You move on to the last intact building on the plateau, a reinforced annex that’s mostly tunneled directly from the cavern’s wall. The space seems to gave once served mostly as an assembly and storage area, but the room has partially caved in. A pair of shattered legs barely peek from the rubble.
Most of the devices here are clockworks, ranging from clocks and complex latches to unfinished gear creatures. A human-sized mannequin slumps against one wall, a gem set within a cavity on its chest. A few moments after you enter the room, however, the gem begins to gleam, and bands of ectoplasm snake out from around the cavity to encircle the mannequin as it lurches to life!
The doll speaks to you in Undercommon, its voice the same one on the clockwork spies' recording gems. "What is this? Who are you? What year is it?"
"Why, it's 4723! We're explorers from Highhelm. Who are you?" Gig responds to the clockwork with a question of his own.
Uhe adds 8n Undercommon.
We be delving dis place, searching for dangerous contraband. See any 'round?
Brijetta remains silent, not understanding the conversation, but hoping this won't be another fight.
"This place has seen enough violence," she murmurs.
"I am Thenur," the construct says. It is the same name that the dolls mentioned earlier. "I am... I was an inventor, here in Guldredge. But something happened. The town was attacked, and the roof fell on me and I... I died. The soul focus on this construct was so strong, though, that it absorbed my soul upon my death. I have been trapped here for years.
"Have you any means of freeing me from my imprisonment? Breaking the gem would just shatter my spirit. I long for the sweet release of death! Please, you must help me!"
"I can't think of anything, but you surely know more about soul focus gems than we do. Is there someplace we should start?" Gig tries to recall the ghost stories he knows. "Maybe we could take you to a cleric of Magrim? I think they do exorcisms."
The construct shakes its head violently. "No! No, you must help me now! I... I cannot wait any longer!" The bands of ectoplasm begin to thrum with energy as Thenur starts to get agitated...
"Err, err-" Come on Málmfríðr, there's gotta be something you can do? Oh why isn't a real shaman here, someone who didn't daydream her way through the half of the ghosty training she got! "- Look just settle down. We want to help!"
"Wait, calm down!" Gig entreats nervously. "Distract yourself. Tell us about your town. What did you used to do here? Who attacked you?"
Behind you, Krohan gasps as he looks more closely at the gem in the construct's chest. "That is the pommel gem from the dagger I found! We must not damage it!"
The ground begins to rumble ominously as Thenur's agitation grows. "I didn't want to have to do this, but it seems I have no choice. If I tear one of your souls free and trap it inside this gem, then my path to the afterlife will open up."
The construct steps forward menacingly. As it does, the rumbling intensifies, and then an enormous, phantasmal crimson worm suddenly appears outside the workshop! It bursts through a dried pond, thrashing about and breathing fire! Even from here, you can feel the heat from the ghostly flames...
Mal lifts her hands to her hair, yanking and pulling it down so it covers her face... then her arms, and her everything.
And then as a newly Brazen Baboon, yanks with all her borrowed might on the tethers of Thenur's soul gem!
Thenur cries out as Mal tugs on the doll's soul tethers, weakening her. She recovers from the stun and strikes back, grabbing the baboon!
Meanwhile, the worm's thrashing shakes the ground, threatening to make you lose your footing! The heat from its fiery roars washes over you. The roars almost sound like Dwarven words...
The fiery fur that covers her body barely seems to singe - Mal just hauls back on the ghostly tendrils till they reach the snapping point, then wriggles free and darts away!
"Hot, hot hot!" Gig breaths through the flames and attempts to remember that they aren't really real.
"Good work, Mal. Get that gem!" he encourages.
Next, he mutters a prayer to Magrim, who still seems to be the most appropriate god to call on in this strange situation.
Ihe just seems a bit flabbergasted by the talking construct, the fiery worm and the old Jerry he ate from earlier.
Uhe sweats but stays standing!
Anybody else hot?
Uhe begins some occult ritual that he read on a bathroom wall once while out of town. On business.
HP 41/46
AC 19
Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +8
Hero points: 2
Infused regents: 2
Effects:
"Oh no!" Brijetta cries as flames seems to lash around her, almost seeming to immolate her for a moment before bursting with the sound of forges and falling into the usual pattern of sparks swirling around her.
Though the worm is a threat, it seems like Thenur is worse, and she rushes to help Mal, pulling at the gem.
Uhe and Gig both struggle in vain to calm the angry haunt. Brijetta and Mal tug at the soulbound construct's gem, further weakening Thenur. As Mal scampers away, Thenur turns her wrath on Brijetta, grabbing the kineticist.
Another tremor shakes the cavern as the crimson worm continues its rampage. The worm's roars seem to form words: "Where? Taargick! My friend! You beasts!" The thrashing appears to crack the roof, dropping debris on Uhe!
"The worm can talk!? What is happening!?" Gig wonders, from the ground. He shakily regains his feet and does his best to encourage his teammates.
Brij!
Mal turns on a dime, sprinting back on all fours when the sudden rippling force of the worm shakes her from her paws!
Scrabbling back up she leaps back on the construct's back, tearing away at her tendrils in a hooting fury!
Rocks begins raining in his head!
Uhe continues to begin the Haunt!
HP 29/46
AC 19
Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +8
Hero points: 2
Infused regents: 2
Effects: grabbed
"Taargick was friends with a cave worm?" Brijetta says in shock before her attention is drawn back to her own perilous situation.
She pulls at a strand, twisting to try to free herself as she does.
Uhe fails to make progress on the haunt. Mal tugs at the gem some more, but Brijetta is unable to jostle it further. Once Thenur recovers, she eagerly grabs Brijetta with both hands and tries to tear her apart!
Meanwhile, the worm's thrashes and breathes fire again!
"Fire-breathing cave worms!" Gig huffs from unsteady feet. "Very dramatic, but this seems pretty dangerous!"
He continues to chant encouragements to his teammates and infuses Brijetta with some healing energy.
Mal shrieks in surprise as she's badly singed and dumped on her brightly colored behind. She yanks and tugs at the gem, but breaks off and hustles away again when it resists her grasp.
HP 29/46
AC 19
Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +8
Hero points: 2
Infused regents: 2
Effects:
Brijetta braces herself for more pain, but the strength of the metal she communes with at the forge fortifies her, and Thenur only manages to release her harmlessly. Breathing hard, she grabs again for the gem before retreating!
Brijetta tugs hard, wrenching the gem free of the construct! Thenur lets out a piercing scream that fades away as the ectoplasmic bands around the mannequin flicker and vanish. Without its power source, the construct slumps over, inert. The rampaging worm lets out one last fiery roar before it, too, fades away, the haunt quelled for the time being.
The pommel gem of Taargick's dagger glitters faintly in Brijetta's hands. Occasionally, you catch a glimpse of Thenur's face, as if the deep gnome's spirit is straining to break out.
The annex's broken treasures have little value. However, among the wreckage, you find a pair of functional alchemist goggles.
"Huh! Could it really be? The pommel gem of Taargick's clan dagger?! This could be the find of the century!" Despite his injuries, Gig can barely contain his excitement.
"Krohan, is this what you felt calling to you?"
Krohan nods. "This is part of it, yes. We must find a way to safely separate Thenur's spirit from the gem. I fear her presence may curse or corrupt its magic.
"The rest of the dagger is nearby. I can feel it in the lower part of this cavern, where the xulgaths camp. We should rest and prepare before confronting them."
"Surely someone in Highhelm will be able to perform such an exorcism." Gig responds with confidence. "Let's rest and plan for our attack. Do you know anything about the xulgath camp?"
Uhe stares hard at the gem.
How many pieces did you say there were?
The bruised dwarf rubs his shoulders.
May want a steel umbrella.
Mal points and screeches at the gem, holds up a finger in a 'please hold' gesture, then reaches up to the back of her neck and pulls herself back into dwarf shape!
"Well that's wonderful!" A cloud comes over her face. "Nobody's 'spectin' me to do the exorcisin', right?"
She pulls out some salves and gets to work. "'Cause I reckon I'll be busy with somethin'..."
After resting and recovering, you descend to the lower section of the settlement. The cavern features the flattened and partially melted remains of dozens of buildings. Now, only six appear to be intact. A large fire flickers in the center of a ring of leather tents and pavilions situated on low platforms of rubble across the way. You can spot dozens of xulgaths going about their business within the camp.
At the center of the cavern, a tall stalagmite, its upper third broken off, stands in a 30-foot-radius circle cleared of rubble, creating a small plaza. Several crumpled copper spheres about a foot in diameter are scattered around the perimeter; once magical streetlights, they now flicker fitfully as their enchantments fade, filling a 60-foot-radius area around the stalagmite with dim light.
Two stone loops emerging from the stalagmite act like shackles, pinning a xulgath prisoner to the stalagmite here, and several dozen empty and stained loops indicate that this isn’t the first prisoner condemned here.
"Should we question the prisoner? They might be able to tell us about the artifact. I don't have much hope that these xulgaths are friendly." Gig stage whispers.
"Yeah I reckon that makes sense. Say, err, do you speak Xulgath?"
"Maybe we can reason with them, though? I'd have to have to fight them," Brijetta whispers.
Uhe begins counting xulgaths....
...23, 24, 25...Perhaps, we approach a guard and ask to be taken to their leader?
"I reckon you and me could sneak on over an' see what the prisoner's got to say for themself"
You sneak over to the xulgath bound to the stalagmite. He warily lifts his head to regard you as you get near. "Dwarves," he says quietly in fluent Undercommon. "I would ask you for your aid. My name is Tsaal. I am being held here because I discovered the truth about the one who leads our clan. I can give you knowledge of this area and anything else you may need. But you must free me, quickly, before the scavengers come to devour me!"
"Oh no," Brijetta exclaims. "What scavengers! Quick, Uhe, get him out!"
Squeaking in dismay at whatever scavengers might be coming, Mal enlarges; though she grows no less hairy, she does grow much more able to shatter stone...
Uhe's blue eyes continously shift from the prisoner xulgath to the dozens of xulgaths.
Why are we freeing their prisoners? Seems to be the exact opposite of what we should be doing in this situation.