SESSION 03: The Necromatons

General Summary

After resting up, the adventurers returned to the vault to finish what they started.

They immediately began with scouting the doors and trying to figure out how the interface locks and unlocks them. They discovered that the doors themselves had a crystal button that glowed a different color depending on whether or not they were locked. In the eternal, universal language of color-coding-for-your-convenience, 'green' was for unlocked, while 'red' meant they were locked.   Beyond that, all doors were engraved with a unique three digit number, which Forge could use in the main Interface to designate which door to unlock or lock. Unfortunatelly, the whole system could not currently be used, as the door registry was apparently stored in the memory shard they were looking for. And thus, they tried going through the doors that weren't locked in the first place, in the hopes of finding the the Memory Shard.   Which didn't take too long to find. After locating what appeared to be the office of whoever commanded the facility nearly two-thousand years ago (and fighting some more zombies, little worms, and ancient automatons) the group did come upon a crystaline mechana which they assumed was the vaunted Memory Shard.   True enough, they soon tested the crystal on the interface and verified its nature. The first thing Forge did was view the information on the facility. Though Vault 127 was built and used by Hoplon Industries, it was designed by Sentinel Serpents; another of the ancient Grand Guilds. It served to host a crucible meant to mass produce an automaton called a Bronze Scout.   Forge then perused the logs stored in the memory shard. About half of them where logged using a dating system none in the team were familiar with, but from the contents they deduced they were written during the Age of the Varn:

29 Hekatombaiōn, 2120 OR

Today we are inaugurating this installation.   Our automatons will be vital in the search for new underground magicant deposits.  

--Administrator Krassos

5 Thargēliōn, 2127 OR

***ERROR: DATA DEGRADED***

13 Boedromiōn, 2127 OR

***ERROR: DATA DEGRADED***

8 Skirophoriōn, 2129 OR

The world is changing. This war will change it.   Hoplon is siding with Khar. Good. We will finally be able to openly worship our deity!   We'll keep producing Scouts; this time not for seeking magicant sites, but for seeking entrenched enemies.  

--Administrator Krassos

18 Anthestēriōn, 2134 OR

This will be my last entry. Headquarters have been destroyed. Cause: Oblivion Bomb. All Remote-Jedgement Automatons have reverted to base functionality.   There are no supplies left in the Vault. We need to evacuate and hope for the best.  

--Administrator Krassos

The remaining five were dated using the current Erdosian Calendar and were apparently written about a month ago. However, they were written in Dwarvish, so Haggard had to translate them.

Second Draesday of Blossus, 1739 AV

Completed modifications to Crucible as per Supreme Intelligence’s instructions. Will produce new prototype tonight. If calculations are correct, it should require less resources than a bronze scout.

--Kybron

Second Mansday of Blossus 1739 AV

Production of Necranimator prototypes successful. Will test capabilities tomorrow.

--Kybron

Second Moonday of Blossus, 1739 AV

Constructs show 100% ability to animate humanoid corpses. Necromatons show remarkable potential and the necranimators that power them are far cheaper to mass produce than full-bodied automatons.

--Kybron

Third Skyday of Blossus, 1739 AV

I now understand the Supreme Intelligence’s insistence on using fabrication tech from the spiders. With enough magicant and some raw materials, necromatons can autonomously upgrade. I have two working slasher prototypes here.  

--Kybron

Third Godsday of Blossus 1739 AV

I have finished transcribing the template for the necranimator crucible. We’ll now be able to built more of them. I’ll leave the installation active and send the necromatons to acquire magicant.  

--Kybron

None of them had any idea who this Kybron person was, though the name and the language he used suggested he was a dwarf. They now however understood most of what had happened. This Kybron found Vault 127 and about a month ago finished modifications on the crucible (using instructions by a so-called Supreme Intelligence). The Crucible, which was originally designed to mass-produce clockwork bronze scouts was modified to build the wormlike automatons--the Necranimators. The corpses they animated were called Necromatons. Necromatons had ability to upgrade themselves over time. Though Kybron has left, he has transcribed the means to create more such crucibles.   The adventurers pushed onward, finding and fighting more of these necromatons. Among them they found the corpse of Dangrid Flintcloak and the Sending Stone she used to make contact with her brother. The adventurers decided to use the stone to contact her brother, but not before clearing the vault of all threats. However, the various automatons and necromatons that guarded the facility were tough foes, and though the group did emerge victorious thus far, the battles had taken a significant toll on all of them, and particularly Forge was seriously injured and had lost conciousness.   In order to regroup, the team made camp within the Interface's chamber, and used the interface to lock all doors. Their rest was uneventful, and the next day carried on, reaching the very chamber that held the Crucible itself. It was defended by two Necromaton Slashers (faster, deadlier zombies), and necranimators. They made short work on them and examined the crucible device. Moe explained that that the crucible was essentially taken apart and put back together in a different configuration. Additionally, unique new components had been added--which Haggard realized were of Duergar design (leading to the hypothesis that Kybron himself was a Duergar). All in all, the device itself as well as the modifications were beyond Moe's skill as an artificer. Whoever was behind this truly was a Supreme Intelligence.   The group debated on how to handle the Crucible. In the end, Moe sabotaged it extensively while Haggard used the Sending Stone to contact Ardrak Flintcloak and brief him on his sister and the whole situation. Though Ardrak was obviously shaken, he took the news with the stoicism dwarves are known for. Haggard also requested to talk to Darekov, as he wanted the latter to contact AURA and let them know about Vault 127 and what it contained, which Darekov complied with.   They then gathered what they could, as well as the corpses of the adventurers and workers that they found, and started making their way back to Cherry Song.