"Come here, you old fool."
Meyanda heals some of Ridic's more grevious wounds, but she is running low on spell power.
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Meyanda channels twice - healing anyone injured.
"Here, try this," Meyanda offers Oskar her laser rifle which is glowing with a temporary enchantment.
She then pulls out a small metal-plated hammer that glows with a white brilliance, stepping into the flank with Razorend. She swings into the wispy creature, ripping through it and causing it to howl in agony.
Con restored
lethal and nonlethal healing to everyone damage restored to one ability. "You weren't gone that long ... anything I can do to assist you in preparing for tomorrow? You have a way to find the traps. You have a way to hurt the ghost? Need the laser rifle?"
"Looks like that speed burst sucked the rest of the day's power. We're gonna have to wait for it to draw some more from the sun." Meyanda dismounts and looks around.
"I remember nothing before Hellion," the android states flatly. ------------
"Shall I continue to drive around and look for a better entrance or do you wish to enter from here?"
She takes a moment to respond, "I would want to know where I was ... born ... I think. Are you better for knowing? I think I would also want to know who my ... parent ... was. Would you?" She fumbles through the statement, obviously trying out unfamiliar language in application to herself.
"No trouble ... a few animals wandering about, but never saw anyone from the town. You found where this wizard went with Cassandalee, you say. A Smoking Tower .. it is on fire, then? Should be easy to find. Are we ready to head out?" She look at Razorend slightly askance as he completes his sentence, "Your creation? How do you know? Did you remember it?" She then looks at the town with a long stare ...
Meyanda agrees to hide the vehicle and indicates a copse of trees, "If anything discovers me, I will try to leave some indication that I had to leave in a hurry ... if I have the time." She sets to work covering the vehicle with brush.
Purchases, sales, and crafting complete, the party gets together with Meyanda who has been working on the buggy while you guys have been studying and crafting. "Look here, this battery was trashed, but I took the power relay you guys stole ... I mean ... acquired from me and converted it into a working battery. You can still travel on the solar cells, but the battery should provide enough power to travel when the sun is down or you could use it to power any battery operated device using the power cable you found in Kulgara's gear. I've also mounted my laser rifle in place of the junk Smiler crossbow. I can't recharge it, but its useable from its mounted position by whomever wishes to sit in the turret."
"I do recall now. He had me researching Cassandalee and where she might have gone, specifically to find her neurocam which he was convinced contained Unity's weaknesses. I had started that research and it appears Kulgara uncovered more, like this town of Iadenveigh, which I know nothing of." She looks at Razorend for a moment and then applies a pleading look, or at least what she thinks is one, and then asks, "But if they are anything like Hellion, they deserve to be destroyed! And if this Unity can make androids and then force them to do his bidding, as Hellion did, don't we have an obligation to free them from their slavery as you did yours and all of you helped me to escape mine?"
"I don't know, but I am completely free of his influence. Who knows what a divine intelligence can or can't do," Meyanda shrugs nonchalantly at the conundrum, considering it academic.
Meyanda smiles at Razorend, "Free!" she exclaims heartily.
Meyanda has some more healing as well, let me know who wants what. She has a 2d6 fervor plus can convert 1 more CMW and 3 CLW. No more channels available.
Razorend leaps across the room and cuts a slash through the monitor but it continues to operate albeit strangely. However, moments later a loud crack echoes through out the room and the monitor shatters. Standing in the hallway, smoke billowing from the end of the blunderbuss, Meyanda stares at the broken monitor and states flatly, "I remember."
"I have no idea. Gods have parents or creators, too? Up to the top one I guess, the god of gods, as it may be? But I digress, if they have creators, then it implies that they could have siblings as well, right? I don't recall anything more than that, specifically." For the first time, you notice Meyanda seem comfortable as if the discussion of theology is an enjoyable pasttime for her.
Meyanda beckons Razorend over to the southern hallway and the green locked door to the west. "This room was incredibly important to Hellion. The memories are still foggy, but I remember being in there and it made him ... nervous? Its likely defended, but oddly I remember something about looking for his sister. I'm not sure if that's why I was in this room." She smacks her fist into her hand awkwardly and the stares at it, perplexed "Why do humans hit themselves or other things when they encounter something that frustrates their ability to ... to ... move forward. It doesn't help."
Meyanda nods her approval and once Razorend and the others have destroyed all the monitors in the main room and the projector, she nods with approval and then starts as if she just remembered something. "I ... I ... am recalling things about this place. Let me ... look around and put the jumbles together." She starts moving methodically around the room, "He may send minions after us or sit back and wait, so if we are to rest here, I would set up guard."
Meyanda looks blankly at Oskar and then responds, "He is divine, so I never considered that he should need to rest. That seems somehow ... wrong isn't the word I want to use, but it's the one that comes to mind. He sees the world as being inherited by machines and constructs. Rest seems like it would be anti-dogma?" She shrugs, "But my memory and will were perverted by his influence, so I am not certain of anything any more."
Yawning to clear her ears from the three weapon retorts, the android looks at you all, "I'm pretty certain everyone knew we were here before this fight, right? No need to stay quiet ... although it's a bit late to ask you that."
"Kulgara by far, and you will want to.kill her, else she will hunt you down until the day she dies. She is the leader and she is malicious. The ettin, Draigs, follows her blindly, so you will likely have to out her down as well. As far as Hellion's faithful, they are fanatics. I know, I converted most of them. Be hard for them not to get in your way. I dont expect you to find a warm.welcome here." -Posted with Wayfinder
"I remember some things, like below, where are headed is the primary temple to Hellion. We will likely run into Nalakai, my second when I ran the temple. Kulgara wasn't very religious, but I am certain she is running the mundane parts of the gang, probably using Draigs as muscle to support her. I wonder which of them speaks to Hellion. I know that I did it, but when he cut me off, I dont seem to be able to remember how or even what the area beyond Kulgara's chambers looked like. I can't recall any specific conversations with Hellion, but I am certain I had them. I remember his voice ..." A soft chuckle from all around you accentuates her point, startling the former gang's leader. -Posted with Wayfinder
"Oh! I just remembered that Hellion can cast spells through the monitors. Literally, as that happened! Strange, why didn't I recall that before? It's as if some sort of curtain was lifted ..." Meyanda looks confused as she stares at Kovax and the shattered monitor.
Razorend finds Meyanda in the workshop tearing apart some sort of intricate machinery. She frowns as Razorend makes his request, "I owe you my existence, so of course I will come along," she glances forlornly at the tech in her hands, "I had hoped to discover more here, first, but I understand if you need me." She straightens herself and picks up a warhammer awkwardly and pulls on the scatterlight suit you gave her earlier. "Do you have a spare gun?"
Meyanda and Dinaya approach you one morning as you're finishing up your regular preparations. While both normally have impassive expressions, something in their demeanor puts you on edge. Dinaya speaks up first, "A group of Smilers entered the city covertly last night. They were accosted by Steel Hawks and one was killed, but the others fled to the Arena. They thought nothing of it really until we received this ... package ... this morning. Dinaya hands you a piece of parchment and a box. The parchment, written in a reddish brown ink and sloppy hand, reads We invite you to prove your true worth in the Arena against a suitable foe. Succeed and we will allow you admittance into our gang. Failure will show that only the strong are worth our attention. We send this gift to you as incentive. It is signed, Helskarg, Arenamaster and marked with the claw symbol of Hellion. Dinaya and Meyanda purposefully do not look at the box.
"It is Hellion who is a threat to Torch. As long as he is here, in command of the Lords of Rust, your city and your friends are at risk." "If you haven't caught his notice, yet ... you will, soon. People come by and talk to Dinaya and while the city is abuzz with the changes, the fear of the Lords of Rust is still alive. A bit more effort, and the last of his support from the city will wither away leaving only his most devoted servants. You had mentioned wanting to destroy the receiver array. Now that you've found those explosives, you may be able to put the knockout punch to the Lords of Rust that you were looking for."
"Well, the first one to come ... unconsciously"
Meyanda opens up to Razorend quickly, as if she had been wanting to share her discoveries. "She is teaching me much of Brigh, and I find it fascinating. The calmness in troubling out the simplest puzzle and the joy in creating the littlest things. I find the appeal of making things over destroying them and understanding that all of us are made with flaws. I am interested in seeing if I can find those flaws in myself or those like us and find a way to improve upon where our creators fell short."
"Yes, and the natural born ones have different reasons they gain that spark, most attributable to some God or another. But as I watch Dinvaya, I am curious why you and I supposedly have that spark, but these constructs she makes do not. I will explore this more thoroughly."
The party catches up with Meyanda and Dinvaya, finding the two have gotten along exceptionally well. Meyanda pulls Razorend aside that evening. "Thank you for bringing me here, I find Dinvaya to be much easier to understand than most natural-borns. I like that term ... better. It describes the difference between us and them, better. Dinvaya seems to think more like a machine than others and she may know more than I about constructs. Her dedication to her god of innovation allows her to create wondrous things! But it makes me curious about what makes things be alive. Are we alive? We were not born, we were created, so does that mean we don't live?"
"I've made my choice and I am leaving. If you wish me to come with you then it will be as your prisoner," Meyanda replies to Ridic, holding her arms out to be bound.
"I am not your prisoner, and you say this is my choice. Yet you do not return my weapons, armor or gear. You say you trust me, so this must be that you wish me to turn away from the life of violence against mankind. The only item I have left is a piece of my former life ... this symbol of Hellion," she indicates the spiked gauntlet before she takes it off and tosses it on the ground. "I understand. It is time for me to turn away from violence and Hellion. This is a test. Thank you for helping me see that. I will return to the paladins and focus on finding another more peaceful path."
"I am still your prisoner, Razorend. What do you wish me to do." -Posted with Wayfinder
"Here? At the entrance, with them? I'd prefer not. I think that things are worse than I thought here ... if you'd allow me to return to our last camp, I'd think that would be best."
"I remember this man ... he was a Smiler at the time. He gave us the information on your leader that allowed Kulgara to slaughter him in the arena. It makes sense that she would place him over your gang to keep you in check," Meyanda muses, not noticing that Sevroth's fists clench and veins pop on her neck as the android speaks.
Meyanda ponders for a moment, "I will accompany you to the gate. We can get a lay of the city there and then decide. The Steel Hawks run the gate and they are weak as a gang and have no love for the Lords of Rust. Kolgara was working to have a new leader installed there ... one more pliable. They are unlikely to do anything to you if they see me. " -Posted with Wayfinder
"Yes, I am trying to see this and do for you instead of for me. I want to help you but I think my presence will hinder you. Perhaps once you establish yourself in the town you can sneak me in to assist before you approach the Lords of Rust." She looks past Razorend at Scrapwall, and then asks, "Where can I find more information on Nethys?" -Posted with Wayfinder
"I would assume those in Scrapwall know me by sight. People I didn't know would step out of way, although I spent most of my time in Scrapmaster's Arena, the Lords of Rust led through fear and respect. They had to know who we are. A disguise would have to be more than a mere cloak if it would survive first contact with any knowledgeable citizens." She recovers after a moment, looking at Razorend and Kovax in turn, "I can no longer hear Hellion, he has left me ... I know not if he has left the city. I ... am limited ... I shall need to find a new directive. I thought the paladin would be an accessory for that purpose, but if you need me with you, then ... I shall be where the group needs me." She says the last bit with a slight question as if asking if her outfit is slimming.
Responding to Dalamus, "Not the city ... just with the paladins. They can imprison me if you prefer." Later after her collapse, she whispers "Hellion, I can no longer feel him ..." -Posted with Wayfinder
"You can walk in past the Steel Hawks guards or climb the walls, unless you can fly. Can you?" She cocks her head, asking seriously. "No one leads Scrapwall, but the Lords of Rust are the most feared and most powerful, so they hold the most sway. The Smiles respond to that. They've gained much by following the Lords' needs." "If you wish to be taken seriously, you need to be worthy of the scrap they live in. They respect strength, violence and fearlessness. You could attack the Smilers outright or you could find allies or even be so bold as to make a notable name for yourself. Slay the flying beast or brave the haunted mists. Find your own "scrapworth" and the other gangs will either leave you alone or offer something to gain your aid. Until then ... you're just fresh meat." She stops dead in her tracks, and looks at you all, "My presence here endangers you. They are hunting me, not you. You should not take me. Maybe you should ... ah ... leave me with the sun paladin. I could learns something from him about his God ..." At this last, her lines flash purple brightly once and then fade. She calls out once in pain and then falls to her knees, grasping the dirt, whispering "He is gone ..." -Posted with Wayfinder
"The walls are not vertical and can be scaled, but the rubble shifts dangerously at times. I've seen people on both sides slide and fall cut and bruised, miraculously surviving only to be buried in an avalanche of discarded gear and robots."
Meyanda listens to Razorend's request and then shows him the map on the tablet, "It's a 4-day hard trek from Scrapwall to here. We came down the Sellen river and then along the southside of the canyon you call the First Blade's path. We encountered some Kellid tribes, but didn't have much trouble with them. They were riding beasts that were unable to handle the flames of Hellion's wrath."
Meyanda stands over the man who attacked her staring down at him and occasionally looking at the Town Guardsman as his compatriots recover his corpse. Her expression is unreadable, but her purple nanites are racing up and down the sides of her neck.
Meyanda shrugs, "I had no intention of returning here, so exile is of no concern, but I think my continued existence would benefit from not having some strange thing implanted in me. I am also interested in seeing what you have to show me, so I'm inclined to prefer this alternative option." -Posted with Wayfinder
"This is likely true. Hellion will find me defective and have me destroyed."
"You have regard for the lives of the flesh-trapped, and you consider us to be people. I find this strange. I would know more about why you think that way. If your Council doesn't dismantle me, I will learn from you. You may represent me." Her purple lines tattoos flash in sequence ending with her eyes, "Hellion will not be pleased that I failed in my mission. He will be less pleased that I do not return."
The android priestess eyes you with an unreadable expression as you enter and speak, "Justice. You say I cannot understand what I was doing or that I was ignorant of my actions? Yet you wish to advocate for me so you can teach me the world? I do not understand why." She cocks her head to ponder you, "I know nothing of this town and its rules, so if you know how to navigate them and apparently don't wish to kill me. I don't know how you intend to explain more to me about Hellion when you profess not to know him, but maybe I can teach you something of him."
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