Salvagers in the Storm, Part 2

The Party: Arcturius-9, Corwen, Farrow, Khonshu

The adventurers readied themselves to move ahead. In the brief respite, Levander shared some bread with Farrow before gearing up. The group returned to the hall with two doors, only one operable by lever. Pushing ahead carefully, they discovered a branching intersection of corridors with another two closed doors. Another statue was to one side, with a second crystal disc that Farrows quickly snapped up.

Arcturius-9 tried to open a side sarcophagus, but it was too heavy even for the man machine. With two passages available, the second doorway and a winding hallway, Corwen’s keen half-elven hearing let him know one of the paths led to a larger space. They decided to clear the smaller room through the door first.

Backtracking down the other hall, a large high-ceilinged chapel-like area greeted them. Stacks of wooden coffins were along some back walls and a gang of growth-encrusted skeletons emerged from behind a large pillar. Arcturius-9, Khonshu, and Mule held the skeletons at bay, while Levander and Farrow backed them up. Corwen managed to find cover among the wooden boxes while he harassed their foes. As they fell to the weapons of the salvagers, Farrow found the next disc with a statue further in the room. She saw a group of four zombies engaged in some sort of feeding, not paying attention to her. This allowed her to run forward to a dais at the back of the chamber and spider climb up to another brazier. She sent her drone to Levander to borrow his lighting gem and striking rod, fetching them for her.

On the dais, the gnome saw a length of frayed rope and some broken stone and tile. Above, a hole opened in the ceiling, leading back to the surface. Along the back wall, a bas relief showed scenes of heroes and robed figures. One figure held a set of scales that were out of balance. A large golden key protruded from the wall here. Corwen rushed in and climbed up the stage to join Farrow. They lit the brazier, causing the zombies to notice them. The gnome climbed the wall and made noise to attract the creatures. The first zombie up the stairs to the dais triggered a spike trap that skewered it. Khonshu activated a grease-spewing device to make the stairs difficult for the creatures to traverse. The rest of the party joined the fight and destroyed the monsters.

Farrow climbed up the wall to inspect the hole in the ceiling. Khonshu and Corwen inspected what the zombies were feasting on, an unfortunate man in armor and clerical raiment. Arcturius-9 checked a sarcophagus but found it immovable. Levander gave his best guesses on the bas relief device, but Farrow could tell he was flustered as he called her “Little Gear” in endearment.

Figuring how to activate the key and scales in the wall, Levander and Khonshu tried their magic unsuccessfully to move the scales form a distance. They tried the key next, which turned easily, and also balanced the scales. This set off a series of mechanical noises, ending with a sound of far off stone sliding. A faint ticking noise also began. Thinking of the door that had no switch, the party ran back to the start of the fortress and found the door open now. Beyond, another open door, this one spiked at the sides to hold it. Broken spikes on the floor indicated the first door was harder to hold.

A set of dark stairs led downward. Most of the group could see in the dark, and they made backup plans. Arcturius-9 jammed in their own pitons to hold the first door. Returning Levander's gem and rod, Farrow used her mending staff to ensure all the spikes were all as strong as they could be, and she left her drone here in case they needed to activate its camera again.

Down the stairs, a dimly-lit small room with a narrow opening led to the next hallway. Corwen spotted broken crossbow bolts on the ground and the group thought of potential traps. With Farrow’s assistance, Corwen used his tools to find the pressure plates ahead and disable them. They crossed without issue to an intersection. To one side, a collapsed passage. To the other, an open door and stairs leading further down.

Going deeper into the fortress, the salvagers discovered another crystal disc at the foot of a statue. Slotting it in, Farrow heard the battery almost hum faintly; they only had one more slot to go. Beyond the next door, a gaping pit opened in the floor, filled with spikes. Arguing voices carried across the pit as the party stayed out of sight to strategize how to get over. Farrow stuck to the wall with her climbing gadgets to lead, the rest of the group tied off on a rope for safety. Levander cast a spell of flying on himself and took the anchor position. Only Corwen didn’t tie in; he snuck around the back edge of the pit at the same time but was heard by the people ahead.

Three figures revealed themselves, a dark elf in robes, a man in plate armour, and a hooded scout with bow. The dark elf conversed with Farrow and agreed to talk after they crossed the pit. The group moved in succession, catching Arcturius-9 after a near slip. Once on the other side, they cut their ties and negotiated with the trio of treasure hunters who were only looking for profit. Farrow provided one of their large rubies to seal the deal. They named themselves as Samulkin, Gromlik, and Cailayssa. The treasure hunters had been stuck at this warded door for some time. But it took the party only a minute to light the brazier nearby, causing the door to open into a low-ceilinged octagonal room. The trio spoke with Corwen and Khonshu to discuss treasure splitting.

There was a single ornate sarcophagus in the room, a fungal husk of a body lay near it. To the other side, there was a door with no levers. Arcturius-9 checked the body to find it mostly fungus, but he found a mouldy book it its grasp. Prying it away, he couldn’t make sense of the writing. Tucked in the book was a larger sheet of paper covered in runes that seemed to have resisted decay. The cyborg fighter tossed the book to Farrow as the rest of the people entered the room, collected the treasure, and examined the new door.

Farrow activated her drone to confirm that the first floor access door was still open and the scales were still ticking. Deciding it was time to leave, the parties began to retreat before hearing a knocking noise within the sarcophagus. Before they could exit, the lid exploded with a lightning blast, sending debris into Arcturius-9, who held his ground. Psychic whispers announced the emergence of a floating skull bathed in green flame. The party wasted no time in advancing on the new threat as it fired rays of fire. Levander replied with magic missiles that were blocked by the creature’s magic shielding. Arcturius-9 managed to grab ahold of the thing’s jaw and held tight. Khonshu and Mule provided melee assistance as Corwen and Farrow fired arrows and omnistaff beam blasts, respectively. The treasure hunters were of little help, staying on the defensive. While Gromlik defended, Samulkin created mirror images of himself for distraction as Cailayssa shot her bow.

Even with the returning storm on their minds, the door in the room still held too much curiosity, and Levander and Samulkin both used a knocking spell to blow the door open. A staircase leading upward gave the group an exit route, they could smell the rain outside. The treasure hunters dashed up ahead and made their way into the storm.

Farrow recalled her drone and they all began their escape. Half way up, they noticed Levander was not with them. Farrow ran back to find him activating a wall of force to block the exit. He told her they had to leave before they were buried. The gnome gadgeteer cried that they could all escape and to think of his master. To which Levander replied, he was with his master now. Through the invisible barrier, he told her to, “Shine on, Little Gear.” Farrow and the others watched as the man poured his gourd over the remains in the sarcophagus, the red liquid bathing the skull fragments. As he knelt, there was a rumble as a female figure covered in viscous red fluid stood from the coffin. Levander glanced over and told the group to run, which they did.

Reaching the surface, they had to orient themselves to walk back to the inn. The stairs behind were quickly covered in sand, as they held onto each other by the cut rope ties they used previously. The storm raged with wild magic, producing flocks of birds to scratch at them. Next, as they saw the towering shapes of two wrestling genies in the clouds, lightning flashed which paralyzed Arcturius-9 and Corwen. Their teammates dragged them forward. A river suddenly appeared before them before drying up just as fast. With a final pull, they emerged from the storm and regained their senses. The Black Inn where they lodged, now boarded up against the wind, was ahead.

Lanternwurm appeared on the horizon, and the welcome sight gave the party a breath of encouragement. After being picked up, they reported to Agent and provided the elemental battery along with the two glowing gems they had found. Agent congratulated them and told them to rest while she and her helpers checked these items.

Gathering again in the signal room, the battery was connected to the devices in the wall. Agent explained they believed it could work to store energy and guide them toward energy sources, but it would need to be charged by a captive elemental spirit. As it would happen, the two magic gems they brought could summon fire elementals. She offered the gems for the party to keep, but they agreed they would relinquish them for the good of the clan.

Agent split the difference and gave one gem to them to keep. A steel circle on the floor contained the elemental she summoned with the other gem, the flame was sucked into the machinery and the battery glowed warmly. Some crystal screens flickered to life and one of the assistants called Agent and the party over. They were receiving a sending, not anticipating any were directed to them. A scratchy sound recording delivered a message. It was Levander’s voice, and it was a message of thanks to the party and hope for their safe escape. He apologized for not revealing everything he knew, but told them, “My master will use the Enigma to give voice to the voiceless, and this fortress will rise with the dead. She calls it her Agony Engine.” With that ominous note, the message fizzled out.