The group once again visit Magnik's Lab, this time to force him to come along
Score: 381 | 10/13/18 |
21st Strassa, 1517
Sean Shamshara, Vyktor Wyvernjack, Valteri Tomser, and Boris Hillmens make their way back to the Hall of Elders, discussing who they should be investigating, ultimately deciding that they wanted to speak more with Elder Meshra. Updating Sheyloon, they ask Elder Meshra how she is doing. She expresses her regret that she had spent the last day in shock over what was happening and wanted to step up and lead like she should have been doing. She also asks the group who they primarily suspect in causing these events. They all agree that Magnik is at the top of their list. Sheyloon insisted that they bring him to them for interrogation.
As they walked to Magnik's Lab, the group began to question whether or not Sheyloon could be trusted, wondering if she perhaps was orchestrating things to increase the power of the Stalwart Stones in light of the general peace the Kaer had enjoyed.
In order to convince Magnik to come along, they decide on the "honey" approach, telling him that Sheyloon and Elder Meshra needed his help, but that they wouldn't tell the group what specifically they needed him for. Failing to convince Magnik with that appeal, Boris tries instead to bribe him by offering him first services as a day-laborer and then some silver. Magnik sighs, agrees finally to come along but goes into his back room to get something. As he does so, he presses a bronze disc on his chest.
Three small boxes unfold into man-shaped contraptions of crystal and brass. Their torsos are a mazework of pipes interconnected by pieces of blue crystal. Their limbs are brass tubes, arms ending in flat, wide blades. And the head is a flat piece of hammered brass with two glowing crystals. These automatons move with a jittery motion like a wind-up toy as they plod towards the heroes.
Boris immediately slams his axe into one while Valteri attempts to give chase. Sean jumps on a table and lets loose an arrow. Vyktor fumbles his Mage Armor spell and manages to knock it out of the matrix, losing access to it for the fight. The automatons go after the team, failing to do any real harm. The one against Boris falls over, damaging itself. Meanwhile, Valteri jams his sword into another, managing to do enough damage to the inner-workings that it overheats and collapses, no longer functioning. One previously went after Sean, but turned its attentions on Vyktor, who manages to unleash a powerful Flame Flash and melting it into slag. Not to be outdone, Boris slices the final one in two and collects a broken piece of crystal as a trophy to hang onto his axe.
The group search the back rooms for Magnik, but he's no where to be found. With the windows too small for him to climb out, Sean uses Tracking and finds that Magnik's tracks disappear into the wall. Calling up his innate ability to find things and the general Awareness of a Scout, he manages to uncover the secret door, find the stone to open it, and determine that the dresser in the room had something odd about it. Deciding that Magnik could not go anywhere, Vyktor and Valteri attempt to find out what that "something" is as Boris looks on. Boris points out that there is a false bottom in the bottom drawer, and that it is trapped.
Sean fails to disarm the trap, but he ultimately tries to open it anyway, causing a poisoned dart to fire out. It sticks in his armor without penetrating for any damage. Inside the drawer is a dark black, leather-bound notebook.
Sean and Vyktor both skim the book, unable to fully understand all the languages written in various hands. They both, however, have the Name Benkariim come to mind, and they are possessed of a sense of purpose and the belief that this notebook can help them achieve their plans. With Vyktor's knowledge of Horror lore and Sean's studying of Scourge history, the Name Benkariim reminded them of something they had learned. Benkariim was a Horror known for cursing rather innocuous objects, such as dinnerware, books, and other simple items. These objects would provide a compulsion to people, ultimately driving them to the destruction of their communities.
While the last three-quarters of the notebook was empty, the last three pages with writing were the most interesting, as they seemed to all be written by Magnik. The last held sketches of the very Brass and Crystal Falsemen the group had just finished destroying. The page before that had sketches of a small cylindrical device with a drill on one end and a small socket on the other. Mention of a control crystal as well. Also on that page was a drawing of the Ungada Liferock with an arrow pointing to the base. The prior page was a potion recipe describing lizard parts and Obsidiman blood, but the blood was crossed out with "Liferock???" written next to it.
Following the tracks into the secret passageway, they find that it crosses over the stream that circulates through the whole Kaer. This stream provides water to everyone and is thought to be purified by the Liferock. The passageway opens into the Temple district, and the tracks lead off to the Liferock. The group flag down a guard, which turns out to be Veran. They send him off to tell Sheyloon that she is needed at the Liferock with something relating to Magnik. He rushes off while the Stalwart Stones head into the tunnel.
They emerge into the Liferock room to find four of the Falsemen and Magnik holding an unconscious guard in one hand and an knife in the other. He looks at the group.
"You, YOU! This isn't how it's supposed to be! You ruined it! We should all be leaving the Kaer, not huddled in our homes in fear! If Meshra won't get these rockmen to let us out, I'll break the enchantment. The book; the book showed me what to do! He promised I wouldn't have to live here anymore! This is all your fault!" Magnik then quickly drags his knife across the guard's throat, spraying blood on the Liferock. "My creations! Buy me time! Protect me!" He then begins to paint glyphs on the side of the liferock in blood while chanting in a harsh, guttural language.
Legend Points Awards:
- Automaton Removal Service - 150
- Investigating the book - 100
- Tracking Magnik - 100
- Total: 350