Loot:
The stirges and roaches are true insects but the big bug appears to be a clockwork effigy.
An acid sprayer can be easily salvaged from it as well as 3000gp worth of precious metals, clockwork parts and alchemical ingredients.
Acid Sprayer
Level: 9
Price: 4,200 gp
Magic Item (hand)
Damage: 2d6, burst 1, range 10
Property: once per encounter
"Mechanical insects? Strange geometries swirl, will the edges hold? What strange eye beams down from on high to trouble our hands? What strange god makes mechanical men to fight wars between titans?" Typhus seems to be lost in thought for a moment.
Rennik takes a close look at the mechanical bug. "Those dumb roaches sure didn't build this thing. It's quite an intricate design."
"What strange god makes mechanical men to fight wars between titans?" Typhus seems to be lost in thought for a moment.
"Cannith, mostly. So, who wants this thing?", he says holding up the acid sprayer.
"Bugs. I hate them. Doorway with lights I like. Acid sprayer I also like. Gems I like a lot as well. How close to death does everyone feel?"
Rennik takes a close look at the mechanical bug. "Those dumb roaches sure didn't build this thing. It's quite an intricate design."
1) Most research into clockwork effigies ended with the creation of the warforged because the warforged are much cheaper to produce and maintain in the field and also have true intelligence whereas clockwork effigies are only slightly smarter than magical constructs.
2) Three main priorities have been building into it; protect, gather and heard.3) The effigy is equipped with a sting that bores into its target and then would inject a small egg shaped object. There are 3 eggs remaining.
Rennik shares his knowledge with the group.
Is there a way to know what the egg capacity is on it, to get a sense of how many have been used?
"Rennick, you have any idea what those eggs might do? I've no mind to become a parent."
Malick's bruises take his mind of any fragmentary arcane or historical knowledge he might have had.
1d20+8 - arcana
"Rennick, you have any idea what those eggs might do? I've no mind to become a parent."
Malick's bruises take his mind of any fragmentary arcane or historical knowledge he might have had.
"Normally I'd say you'd be fine, but knowing this place I don't trust anything anymore. If you're that worried about it, I'm sure I can borrow one of Flint's daggers and dig it out."
1d20+15;1d20+12
You puzzle over the egg for a minute then a disturbing thought comes to mind, you go back over to one of the roaches and cut it open to examine it and find a small egg shaped object implanted in its thorax. The egg has spread tendrils throughout the roach’s body following its nerve centers taking control of the roach. The stirges also have the same egg implanted.
The big bug looks like it could hold about 6 eggs.
"Well... So, any of you get bit by this thing? I need to make sure none of you got implanted with one of these things."
"Well... So, any of you get bit by this thing? I need to make sure none of you got implanted with one of these things."
Having one the eggs implanted would be extremly painful and dibilitating. None of the group have bee implanted.
Malick raises an eyebrow. "That's one way to get someone's attention. Let's not try it at home."
Anymore questions? If not what is your plan?
A short way from the farm you find a good place to camp. Under the sleepless gaze of Mountain the party gets 6 hours rest with only a few strange howls and lights flashing in the distance that threatens to disturb you. Your dreams are filled with visions of death and unnatural gloom as if the Mournland is invading your sleep.
Mountain, Typhus and Malick need to give me an endurance DC check to see if the Mournland sickness progresses or abates.
Malick on the other hand brushes aside the disease more easily than he brushed aside the bugs that delivered it to him.
"Can't be spoiling my beauty with infection. Scars are one thing, pox marks are another."
Endurance:
"This place is messing with my head... More than usual. These arcane energies are distorting everything. I'm curious to see what's down that hole. You know, the one the bugs were trying to stash Ferdinand in. Anything we can learn about this new state of affairs seems worthwhile to me."
"Works for me. Let's just hope the horses don't get eaten while we're poking about."
"Works for me. Let's just hope the horses don't get eaten while we're poking about."
"Worse comes to worse, I can always conjure more, and phantom steeds might even be faster. Come on, let's get going."
Approaching the bunker the echoes of your footsteps bounce among the stone pillars creating an unnatural resonance the lasts longer than it should. The entrance is built into a hill side making it hard to see except for the light coming from the broken door (). As you near the entrance sounds of mechanical whirring and buzzing fills the space inside. Tentatively the group walks down a short flight of stairs and see what looks like a smaller version of the big beetle you fought outside. The beetles don’t react to your presence as you enter.
Map of what you see from the entrance, place yourselves please.
"Already seen one of those, inside and out. Nobody get injected with an egg, OK? We are not good parent material."
By Rennik please
Proceeding into structure the mechanical beetles continue to ignore you. To the left looks like an artificer workshop with a nook for sleeping. On one of the workbenches is a half assembled big Beetle like the one you faced outside. The other bench has an alchemy lab setup on it. To the right are 8 cells with occupied by warforged and a few elves. The warforged marking show them belonging to Ruing's raiders and the elves look to be Valenar.
Can I identify anything about the artificer based on his lab? Arcana
Edit: From where I'm standing, that is... I'm not charging off into the room by myself.
"What in Khyber's name? Hey! You all in the cells! What's been going on down here?"
Malick bites back his own honeyed words and waits to see what happens next.
"Strange architecture. Mechanical men held by mechanical vermin who want to take us into their lair. Perhaps these mechanical men and organic elves have already been converted?"
"That's a happy thought I'm really glad you decided to share with us. Reckon you're likely right as well."
Rennik: Not from where you’re standing. You would have to do a closer search the lab to get that info.
Malick: The warforged appear to be the river series, River, Brook, Stream, Creek, Channel and so on.
The Warforged do not respond at all to Ferdinand’s shout but the elf in the nearest cell painfully stagers to the bars of the cage.
"Help me..it's..It’s eating my mind. Th..the..The buzzing won’t s..s..sssttop, iit'z in..inside us.." the elf manages to croak.
Looking closer at the elf's exposed skin you can see thick tendrils moving underneath.
Malick looks revolted.
"And this, gentlemen, is why we don't play with the wildlife." Turning to the captive he adds,
"Ya know, I'm not going to join you in that cage, but I'll see what I can do from here."
Malick looks revolted.
"And this, gentlemen, is why we don't play with the wildlife." Turning to the captive he adds,
"Ya know, I'm not going to join you in that cage, but I'll see what I can do from here."
As it is not a standard wound you would have to get within touching distance to examine him and only after you examine him would you know if your healing skil would do any good.
Typhus sighs and begins to use his Eldritch Blast to kill the infested elves.
Typhus steps into firing position and blows away the elf that was speaking with an eldritch blast.
As soon as typhus kills the first elf the imprisoned warforged all stand to attention and in unison speak, "PROTECT THE QUEEN, THE HIVE HAS BEEN BREACHED, PROTECT THE QUEEN. ".
The beetles begin to scamper towards the lab and the remaining elves scream in agony.
Roll Initiative.
"That's one way of dealing with it. Do you ever think before you blast Typhus?"
Malick sighs and readies his halberd.
In a last ditch attempt to avert a total bloodbath and the forcible injection of egg pods into his handsome frame, he yells at the warforged.
"Stand down. That's an order, soldier."
"What must be done, must be done. Sanity only gets in the way."
Initiative:
Initiative
Edit: +2 for Malick's presence = 19.