Of Men and Machines Session 16
General Summary
Tell Me What You Know
The cultist finally came around after being knocked out for a few minutes. His wrists rubbed painfully against the rope that Tim the Not-so-Tiny had bound him with. Tim and Keck began questioning the prisoner. He proved reluctant to reveal too much information, but he informed them that they had been working a warforged named Reckoner, also known as The Black Rook. They had been delivering crates - dozens of them with contents unknown - to some kind of trading organization outside the cave who would take them all over the kingdom. He described them as being an unruly bunch with yellow and blue flash on their clothing. The party instantly knew who he was talking about. The party asked if Reckoner was located there and the cultist confirmed that he was. Tim asked how to get into the next room and the cultist revealed that he had a key in his pocket. The fighter reached into the cultist's pocket and pulled out a small bronze key. Eshshann the Pocket suggested that they kill him, but Tim refused and instead opted to knock him out. With the key in hand, the party headed over the door. Keck and Tim dragged the two unconcious guards out of the way, ensuring that they didn't wake up. Fel'Shu rejoined the party from his guard duties. Malark gave the door an thorough inspection and was able to find a wire leading from their side of the door through a small hole to the other side. He pulled out his thieves tools and passed them to Keck. The half-orc took the wire and cut it carefully while holding onto the wire so as not to set off the alarm on the other end. Success! They pried open the makeshift wooden door and peered inside. They were cautious, and rightfully so.The Next Room
Keck snuck in and took a look around. He observed a cultist with a two-headed dog on the far end of the room, but they didn't see him. He dashed ahead and took cover behind a rocky outcropping and beckoned the rest of the party towards him. Tim, Malark, and Eshshann headed through the shadows and joined up with Keck. They peeked around the corner to try to discern what they could about the cultist and the dog. For a moment it seemed as if the dog might have detected them as it stopped listening to its master to step out toward the door; the cultist called it back and it complied, albeit somewhat unwillingly. Keck crept forward carefully until the small mechanical horror edged into view. It hadn't appeared to notice him yet, but from Keck's perspective it appeared to be similar in nature to the mechanical monstrosity they mutilated earlier, except this one had four spindly legs and two arms with buzz saws on them. Keck got close enough and Malark loosed an arrow. That was enough to get its attention. What passed for an eye lit up a bright red as the saws spun to life. It blasted a bolt of lightning at Keck; it arced across his body in a dance of blood, gore, and burnt flesh. Tim charged in and slashed at the mechanical beast. Eshshann lashed out with arcane fury at the mechanoid, inflicting grave damage as his spell knocked off an arm. An arrow from Malark would be enough to end the assault. The party looked around in the chamber, content in their victory. The small room at the corner of the massive cavern held at least 20 large crates, slightly taller than Tim and Keck where they stood guard over the room. Clearly the mechanical creature - and the cultists - were guarding these boxes, which must have been what the cultist was talking about. Malark tossed a crowbar over to Tim who used it to pry open the nearest box. As the lid yielded its contents, a pair of bright red eyes lit up from behind the hay. A strong, metallic arm shot out from the container and grabbed Tim by the throat. A tinny voice called out to the party. The being stepped out, revealing himself to be a Warforged, just like the killer. Tim tried to negotiate with him, but the warforged demanded an answer. A meter-long blade extended slowly from his arm; he was ready to fight. In an instant, the warforged slashed at the party, dealing damage to Tim and Keck. The fighting intensified with several missed shots from Malark. Even Eshshann drew his dagger and stabbed at the assailant. Eventually, their combined might proved to be too much for the machine."This is not Arrowport. Who are you?" - Unknown Warforge
He's The Best Boi
Meanwhile, Fel'Shu crept into the light towards the dog and its master. Eventually the two-headed caught wind (unclear which head) and charged at the monk. Thinking quickly, he pulled out out an apple and held up his other hand. Somehow that would be enough to stop the beast in its tracks. The head on the left looked on with curiosity and sniffed at Fel'Shu's hand. It cautiously snatched the apple out of the other. The right head, however, wasn't having it. It snapped at the nicer left head and tried to cow it into submission, but the left head held firm. The cultist yelled out at the dog and commanded him to attack, but the two-headed creature stood there. Furious, the cultist lunged at Fel'Shu, but the monk was able to dodge the incoming attack effortlessly. Fel'Shu struck the cultist in the groin with his staff and knocked him to the ground. At the same time, he did his best to calm his new friend, or at least half of him.Tell Me What You Know (Part Deux)
The rest of the party rushed to Fel'Shu's aid, but apparently he didn't need it. He gently guided the two-headed beast back to his training area where he found what appeared to the creature's bed. He bade him lay down, while the rest of the party interrogated the cultist. Keck drew his dagger and held it to the cultist's throat and demanded answers. Where were the crates going? Who were they giving them to? What is their goal? Each time, the cultist lauged in Keck's face. He told him that the crates had been shipped out to every major city and town across the kingdom. It was too late for the party to stop them. With that, the cultist - in a final act of defiance - threw his neck into the blade, killing him instantly."You're too late! We are everywhere!" - Now deceased cultistThe party still needed answers. They went and inspected the dead warforged. They noticed that part of his arm appeared to be made of flesh. Examining the body further, they noticed a gentle blue-white glow deep inside his body after they managed to pry open some of his casing. The light seemed to be fading, fading until it was no more. This kind of engineering or magic was beyond anything any of them had seen before.
The Beetles are Beetling...
While Fel'Shu escorted the dog outside, the rest of the party continued deeper into the caverns. The air temperature continued to grow hotter and hotter, while the rumbling in the ground persistet beneath their feet. The next chamber held a group of large glowing beetles. They appeared to just be meandering in the cavern, scratching at the dirt. None of the party members had encountered these creatures before, so they didn't know what to expect. Malark cast a spell of invisibility on Keck, who then snuck through the area to perform some reconnaissance. He walked past the initial group of beetles and kept going, finding another grouping of two. The beetles seemed to pay him no mind, and just kept about their business. Keck ended up at the mouth of a large chamber, lava on either side. He realized this location must be significant. He returned back to the party and informed them of what he found. They knew they must be close, but they needed to heal and recover some spell slots first. They popped back over to an area they had already cleared and took a short rest...Rewards Granted
- 1 Inspiration Point for Tim the Not-so-Tiny
- 85xp per party member for fighting the Warforged
- 90xp per party member for fighting the Clockwork Horror
- 50xp for Fel'Shu for the WTF moment with the dog
- 50xp for Tim for excellent roleplay
- 125xp per player for learning about the Cult's activities
Report Date
27 Oct 2023
Primary Location
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