Gozran 2, 4712
Returning from the Emerald Spire, Omok reports to Roscoe that he met the Mistress of Thorns. He explains to him what "deal" he made with her. Roscoe philosophically ponders whether he should suffer death, then be resurrected, and whether by doing so the Mistress would be able to claim his soul. He questions Omok as a priest, and Omok replies that his god would not allow Roscoe's soul to be claimed.
Roscoe decides to seek a second opinion. He reflects on what he learned as a paladin and he clearly remembers missing that specific lesson in paladin school due to a heavy bout of drinking the night before.
Seeking answers to his questions, Roscoe and the Cooper sisters visits Abernard Royst. There he finds the old wizard hard at work with Gerald. He questions Abernard on devil lore and how one can remove a tether from one's soul to the devil. Abernard reports that there are several options, including contact an infernal lawyer friend of his in Daggermark to find a loop hole in the contract that binds the soul. Another option is to invoke the little known right to annul the contract by single combat.
Roscoe then asks Abernard about creating a phylactery and placing his soul in it. Abernard informs him that in theory one should be able to do so and avoid a devil's claim. However, he says, there is a risk that the ritual required to effect this change could go wrong, causing the individual to transform into a lich. Roscoe is intrigued, but decides not to pursue this possibility at this time. Daryle reveals to Roscoe the history of the Shadowborn and the family curse as well as the fact that demon blood runs in their veins.
Faced with Omok's treachery and the tense situation in Fort Inevitable, the Coopers decide to head back to the Emerald Spire. Along the way Daryle tells them that if they come to doors with runes, they should prop them to keep them open. The Coopers enter the tunnel leading to the third level, then use the Spire transport token to travel down to the twelfth. They ride the elevator from the automaton factory and come out in a small room on the thirteenth level. Daryle spots a symbol of a skull head with a crown on a set of doors inscribed with runes in Azlant. She takes her spikes out of her bag. Omok translates the runes to a warning that an enemy of the Azlants has been sealed behind this door.
There are two armored statues in this room, and after careful examination Darelle notices their eyes are shifting and following their actions. The Coopers tie their legs and remove their weapons. They then place them on the dais by the elevator. Darelle looks for traps but finds none. Daryle then opens the doors. The statues do not move from their pedestals, and there isn't a monster right behind the doors. Daryle spikes the doors open.
The room beyond is a large cavern filled with exotic and strange plants. Darelle has never seen any of these. She begins picking up samples. Daryle finds tracks of creatures through the ground cover. Omok decides to explore the building to the south of the cavern. He opens the doors and steps into a theater. An imp appears, and soon a demonic orchestra begins to play. The music is absolutely terrifying, but because Omok's hearing is bad, he doesn't mind. Darelle follows the music, and closes the door, then returns to tell Roscoe and Daryle about the music room.
The group breaks up and begin to explore on their own. Roscoe goes to the bathhouse across a bridge over a swift flowing current. He finds two beautiful women, one nude in a bathtub filled with steam and bubbles, while the other washes her hair. There are two other tubs in this room. One is filled with mud, while the other one is empty and appears dirty. They begin to talk to Roscoe. He resists their charms and he manages to leave the bathhouse.
Darelle grabs more plant samples. Omok tires of the concert when nothing but bad music occurs, and he rejoins the party in the cavern. Stepping into a section of the cave from two different angles, both Daryle and Omok transform into a stone. Realizing this, Darelle and Roscoe manage to pull her out by using a rope. Looking for help, Darelle goes to the bathhouse. Two beautiful men are busy oiling their finely toned muscles. Darelle asks them for help, and after many tergiversations they finally agree to help the ranger.
Roscoe chisels the Orb of Command out of Omok's statue, and uses it. The Orb indicates that placing a stone statue in one of the tubs will transform it back. Roscoe relays the information to his sister and they manhandle Daryle's statue into the sweet scented tub and the statue begins to sink in the bubbles. Darelle and Roscoe make increasingly painful small talk with the men/women, while waiting for Daryle to return to life. They decide to speed up the process and they go retrieve Omok from the room. They place him in the empty tub for now, and they notice that he begins turning back to flesh. Confused, Darelle grabs Daryle by the legs and pulls her out of the tub. Unfortunately she only manages to get the legs out. Everything else has disappeared in the bath of acid!
Using the wand of resurrection's last charge, Roscoe brings Daryle back, and with Omok regaining consciousness they attack the succubus. They slay one of them, but the other one manages to escape. Since Omok got out early, however, he retains a certain amount of stone on his body, which increases his protection but slows him down.
Roscoe enters the cave where Omok and Daryle were turned to stone, and he spots an eye totem an instant before he's turned to stone. The sisters retrieve him, place him in the empty tub, and eventually Roscoe returns to flesh. Everyone returns to the room, and, carefully avoiding gazing at the eye totem, they destroy it. Darelle harvests a piece of the rainbow star flower, and feels an immediate connection with her deity. For once, she feels at peace in the world...
Friday, January 27, 2017
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Are the Coopers responding to chaos, or are they the cause?
Pharast 30, 4712
It's been twelve days since the Coopers have returned to Fort Inevitable following their confrontation with the automatons. They spend time replenishing their equipment, selling gems and other trinkets, and preparing a return to the Emerald Spire. Unfortunately, events conspire to prevent them from heading back today.
Roscoe is bruskly awakened by Maralictor Wirt early in the morning. She reports that the entire night guard at the Juliver Gate has been slaughtered between the 4th and 5th hour of the watch. No sound was heard, though there seems to have been several attempts at raising the alarm. As Roscoe rushes to dress, the Hellknight's Chancellor intercepts him and tells him that the treasury is empty. It will not be possible to meet the Hellknight payroll in two days' time. Finally, a representative of the civilian town council catches the Hellknight commander as he exits the Citadel and notifies him that all of the town water wells have either run dry overnight or have been contaminated by a strange waxy substance, making the water unfit for drinking purposes. Finally, as Roscoe meets his siblings along the way to the Juliver Gate, he notices that there are many newcomers in town who appear to not be doing very much. The arrival of over 2,000 workers to rebuild Fort Inevitable following a devastating fire has caused the population to swell, but now that most of the housing stock has been rebuilt, these newcomers seem to have become a nuisance.
Roscoe questions Thorne on the number of workers should stay and how many should go. Thorne answers that he's discovered a plot. His network of people reports that the laborers, who are not the most skilled, are actually part of a force looking to spread chaos throughout Fort Inevitable. They were sent here by enemies from Daggermark. He proposes mandatory conscription to attack the hill giants. Roscoe says that this is a genius move, but what would prevent the workers from just walking away or turning on the Hellknights? Thorne replies that if they acted switfly, this problem would disappear.
Daryle contacts the Hellknight Spymaster and requests information on this plot. The spymaster advises her that Thorne was responsible for hiring and paying the workers, and he selected the dredges of Daggermark. The spymaster has no proof, but he believes that Thorne was hoping to overthrow the Hellknights. Daryle informs Roscoe of her findings. Thorne points out that Roscoe and the Coopers were often gone in the last few months, yet the workers did not strike. Those must be rumors planned by enemies of Fort Inevitable.
Roscoe asks about the fighting value of these men. Hellknight officers report that all of them are of fighting age and seem to have some experience. Against the full contingent of Hellknights these men would not stand a chance, but if allied with another group, like an army of giants, a victory would not be assured.
While this conversation is taking place, Darelle obtains a leather armor +3 from the Hellknight armory but it will identify her as a Hellknight. She paints it to hide the colors but the symbols are still visible to the perceptive eye. Gerald, meanwhile, requests that a helmet be made to make his new horn appear to be part of this helmet and not his head. He shines it and sharpens it so it can be used as a weapon.
Tired of the discussion taking place in the Citadel, Omok storms off and decides to investigate the murders at the gate. The guards were clearly slaughtered with a piercing weapon and in order, one tower then the next. They appeared to have defended themselves, but neighbors and members of the night watch confirmed they heard nothing. Omok returns to the Citadel and reports this new information to Roscoe. The Hellknight and his entourage head back to Juliver Gate and investigate. Darelle does not find any new information on the town side of the gate, but on the outside Daryle finds a set of tracks that belong to an individual about 140 pounds. The cuts and trusts from the dead bodies indicate that the person who attacked the dead Hellknights was about 5'9'. Darelle uses her ranger abilities and speaks with the towers' resident pigeons. They confirm that the attacker was one humanoid, came from inside the town, slaughtered everyone on that side before jumping the wall and attacking the sentries outside. The person then climbed the wall. The birds also tell her that the person was very agile, almost like a cat.
Roscoe questions Maralictor Wirt as to whom inside the wall would have the skills necessary for accomplishing such a feat. Wirt replies that she doesn't know of anyone agile enough to successfully drop from the wall and then climb it back up again without the aid of magic, but as far as the manner of killing, Karlyle the Butcher certainly would be able to pull this off if he were so inclined. Roscoe decides to confront Karlyle, so the Coopers head to his shop. Even this early in the morning, the doors are opened and Karlyle stands inside, processing cuts of beef from this morning's slaughter. Roscoe and Omok stroll in and begin questioning the butcher. Omok successfully intimidates the man, who backs off towards a corner of the shop.
Just as Roscoe accuses Karlyle of killing the Hellknights at the Juliver Gate, a volley of arrows slam against all three inside the butcher's shop. Surprised, the other Coopers draw their weapons. The assault is coming from the roof of the third story building across the street from the butcher. Currently in construction, scaffolding surrounds the building on two sides. Roscoe throws himself against Karlyle to protect him. Gerald becomes invisible and flies upwards. Daryle fires off a volley of her own. Rowen uses his sleep spell and manages to incapacitate one of the attackers. More arrows fly down to the Coopers. Omok uses his ring of ram and collapses the building, while Gerald incinerates the ruins with a fireball. The surrounding buildings catch on fire but Darelle is able to put the fire out with a wall of wind. Roscoe uses his paladin's abilities to heal everyone in the group.
In the rubble of the building the Coopers find one of the attackers. The other two are missing. Roscoe interrogates the survivor, and quickly discovers that it is a demon. He decides to cart it off to the temple. Unfortunately, High Mother Sarise Dremagne informs the Hellknight Commander that she can't guarantee that the demon won't escape. Roscoe decides to keep custody of the demon in the prison of the Citadel under triple guard.
Darelle tells Dr. Mordel about what has happened around town in the last ten hours. He does not seem surprised. He tells her that the tensions are high in town with the foreign workers, and could boil over at any time.
The search for the missing two demons continue, but is fruitless.
Back at the Citadel, Thorne proposes a bold scheme for getting rid of the foreign worker problem. The Coopers will plant a fake map indicating that there is gold in the hills north of the Emerald Spire. Rowen will be sent in the hills, and return to Fort Inevitable the next day with a bag full of gold and the map. With a change in personality, Rowen will not remember that this is a set up and will be able to sell this idea to the ruffians. Ideally, all of them will depart Fort Inevitable. They may encounter the giants that are mustering in the hills, or at least act as a buffer between the two sides.
Roscoe approves the plan, and the wheels begin to turn.
Pharast 31, 4712
It's the end of the quarter, and several of the Coopers have set up businesses or work for other people. These are their statements for tax purposes:
All tax payments are made today, and there is enough money in the coffers to meet Hellknight payroll. Somehow Thorne has come through and located enough money to pay the troops. How did he do it? He returned to the Emerald Spire the day before and met with the Mistress of Thorns. In exchange for the gold he needed to replenish the Hellknights's coffers, he traded her the magical name of each level of the Spire. Then, he swore fealty to her and declared that henceforth he would become her agent within Fort Inevitable in exchange for a cloak of invisibility. He also promised her the souls of the Daggermark workers he so cleverly attracted to a deserted location.
Thorne's network also spreads the rumor among the guards and the public that Thorne was responsible for the rebuilding of the city. There wasn't enough money to pay wages, but somehow Thorne intervened and secured enough funds. He hopes this will buy him some goodwill in the city.
Omok departs Fort Inevitable for the Emerald Spire.
Gozran 1, 4712
In the morning, Thorne, disguised as a ruffian, rides into Fort Inevitable with another report that more gold was found. The remaining ruffians depart, along with several citizens. With the foreign threat now gone, Roscoe orders that all patrols be doubled. Orders are sent out to bring in as much food from surrounding areas while collecting as much water as possible. In two days' time Fort Inevitable's gates will be closed. The Hellknights are also now required to keep a record of who comes and goes, and only taxpayers are allowed to enter Fort Inevitable.
Omok enters the Emerald Spire and meets with the Mistress of Thorns. In exchange for information on the assassin he will perform a service for her. Omok reveals to him that the individual behind the attack is Nagal Imban, someone of considerable means since he or she was able to take control of three demons and order them. The Mistress of Thorns reveals that she knows of Nagal Imban but has nothing to add at this time. In exchange for this, she requires that Omok assassinate Roscoe within the next two weeks. Omok agrees to commit the dastardly deed.
It's been twelve days since the Coopers have returned to Fort Inevitable following their confrontation with the automatons. They spend time replenishing their equipment, selling gems and other trinkets, and preparing a return to the Emerald Spire. Unfortunately, events conspire to prevent them from heading back today.
Roscoe is bruskly awakened by Maralictor Wirt early in the morning. She reports that the entire night guard at the Juliver Gate has been slaughtered between the 4th and 5th hour of the watch. No sound was heard, though there seems to have been several attempts at raising the alarm. As Roscoe rushes to dress, the Hellknight's Chancellor intercepts him and tells him that the treasury is empty. It will not be possible to meet the Hellknight payroll in two days' time. Finally, a representative of the civilian town council catches the Hellknight commander as he exits the Citadel and notifies him that all of the town water wells have either run dry overnight or have been contaminated by a strange waxy substance, making the water unfit for drinking purposes. Finally, as Roscoe meets his siblings along the way to the Juliver Gate, he notices that there are many newcomers in town who appear to not be doing very much. The arrival of over 2,000 workers to rebuild Fort Inevitable following a devastating fire has caused the population to swell, but now that most of the housing stock has been rebuilt, these newcomers seem to have become a nuisance.
Roscoe questions Thorne on the number of workers should stay and how many should go. Thorne answers that he's discovered a plot. His network of people reports that the laborers, who are not the most skilled, are actually part of a force looking to spread chaos throughout Fort Inevitable. They were sent here by enemies from Daggermark. He proposes mandatory conscription to attack the hill giants. Roscoe says that this is a genius move, but what would prevent the workers from just walking away or turning on the Hellknights? Thorne replies that if they acted switfly, this problem would disappear.
Daryle contacts the Hellknight Spymaster and requests information on this plot. The spymaster advises her that Thorne was responsible for hiring and paying the workers, and he selected the dredges of Daggermark. The spymaster has no proof, but he believes that Thorne was hoping to overthrow the Hellknights. Daryle informs Roscoe of her findings. Thorne points out that Roscoe and the Coopers were often gone in the last few months, yet the workers did not strike. Those must be rumors planned by enemies of Fort Inevitable.
Roscoe asks about the fighting value of these men. Hellknight officers report that all of them are of fighting age and seem to have some experience. Against the full contingent of Hellknights these men would not stand a chance, but if allied with another group, like an army of giants, a victory would not be assured.
While this conversation is taking place, Darelle obtains a leather armor +3 from the Hellknight armory but it will identify her as a Hellknight. She paints it to hide the colors but the symbols are still visible to the perceptive eye. Gerald, meanwhile, requests that a helmet be made to make his new horn appear to be part of this helmet and not his head. He shines it and sharpens it so it can be used as a weapon.
Tired of the discussion taking place in the Citadel, Omok storms off and decides to investigate the murders at the gate. The guards were clearly slaughtered with a piercing weapon and in order, one tower then the next. They appeared to have defended themselves, but neighbors and members of the night watch confirmed they heard nothing. Omok returns to the Citadel and reports this new information to Roscoe. The Hellknight and his entourage head back to Juliver Gate and investigate. Darelle does not find any new information on the town side of the gate, but on the outside Daryle finds a set of tracks that belong to an individual about 140 pounds. The cuts and trusts from the dead bodies indicate that the person who attacked the dead Hellknights was about 5'9'. Darelle uses her ranger abilities and speaks with the towers' resident pigeons. They confirm that the attacker was one humanoid, came from inside the town, slaughtered everyone on that side before jumping the wall and attacking the sentries outside. The person then climbed the wall. The birds also tell her that the person was very agile, almost like a cat.
Roscoe questions Maralictor Wirt as to whom inside the wall would have the skills necessary for accomplishing such a feat. Wirt replies that she doesn't know of anyone agile enough to successfully drop from the wall and then climb it back up again without the aid of magic, but as far as the manner of killing, Karlyle the Butcher certainly would be able to pull this off if he were so inclined. Roscoe decides to confront Karlyle, so the Coopers head to his shop. Even this early in the morning, the doors are opened and Karlyle stands inside, processing cuts of beef from this morning's slaughter. Roscoe and Omok stroll in and begin questioning the butcher. Omok successfully intimidates the man, who backs off towards a corner of the shop.
Just as Roscoe accuses Karlyle of killing the Hellknights at the Juliver Gate, a volley of arrows slam against all three inside the butcher's shop. Surprised, the other Coopers draw their weapons. The assault is coming from the roof of the third story building across the street from the butcher. Currently in construction, scaffolding surrounds the building on two sides. Roscoe throws himself against Karlyle to protect him. Gerald becomes invisible and flies upwards. Daryle fires off a volley of her own. Rowen uses his sleep spell and manages to incapacitate one of the attackers. More arrows fly down to the Coopers. Omok uses his ring of ram and collapses the building, while Gerald incinerates the ruins with a fireball. The surrounding buildings catch on fire but Darelle is able to put the fire out with a wall of wind. Roscoe uses his paladin's abilities to heal everyone in the group.
In the rubble of the building the Coopers find one of the attackers. The other two are missing. Roscoe interrogates the survivor, and quickly discovers that it is a demon. He decides to cart it off to the temple. Unfortunately, High Mother Sarise Dremagne informs the Hellknight Commander that she can't guarantee that the demon won't escape. Roscoe decides to keep custody of the demon in the prison of the Citadel under triple guard.
Darelle tells Dr. Mordel about what has happened around town in the last ten hours. He does not seem surprised. He tells her that the tensions are high in town with the foreign workers, and could boil over at any time.
The search for the missing two demons continue, but is fruitless.
Back at the Citadel, Thorne proposes a bold scheme for getting rid of the foreign worker problem. The Coopers will plant a fake map indicating that there is gold in the hills north of the Emerald Spire. Rowen will be sent in the hills, and return to Fort Inevitable the next day with a bag full of gold and the map. With a change in personality, Rowen will not remember that this is a set up and will be able to sell this idea to the ruffians. Ideally, all of them will depart Fort Inevitable. They may encounter the giants that are mustering in the hills, or at least act as a buffer between the two sides.
Roscoe approves the plan, and the wheels begin to turn.
Pharast 31, 4712
It's the end of the quarter, and several of the Coopers have set up businesses or work for other people. These are their statements for tax purposes:
- Gerald's message delivery business and his Hellknight wages earned him 62 crowns after expenses.
- Daryle's hunting has earned her 43 crowns after expenses.
- Darelle's employment with Dr. Mordel and Mother Holworth, as well as her herb business earned her 51 crowns after expenses.
- Thorne's general store earned him 139 crowns after expenses.
- Roscoe earned 1,200 crowns as Hellknight Commander.
All tax payments are made today, and there is enough money in the coffers to meet Hellknight payroll. Somehow Thorne has come through and located enough money to pay the troops. How did he do it? He returned to the Emerald Spire the day before and met with the Mistress of Thorns. In exchange for the gold he needed to replenish the Hellknights's coffers, he traded her the magical name of each level of the Spire. Then, he swore fealty to her and declared that henceforth he would become her agent within Fort Inevitable in exchange for a cloak of invisibility. He also promised her the souls of the Daggermark workers he so cleverly attracted to a deserted location.
Thorne's network also spreads the rumor among the guards and the public that Thorne was responsible for the rebuilding of the city. There wasn't enough money to pay wages, but somehow Thorne intervened and secured enough funds. He hopes this will buy him some goodwill in the city.
Omok departs Fort Inevitable for the Emerald Spire.
Gozran 1, 4712
In the morning, Thorne, disguised as a ruffian, rides into Fort Inevitable with another report that more gold was found. The remaining ruffians depart, along with several citizens. With the foreign threat now gone, Roscoe orders that all patrols be doubled. Orders are sent out to bring in as much food from surrounding areas while collecting as much water as possible. In two days' time Fort Inevitable's gates will be closed. The Hellknights are also now required to keep a record of who comes and goes, and only taxpayers are allowed to enter Fort Inevitable.
Omok enters the Emerald Spire and meets with the Mistress of Thorns. In exchange for information on the assassin he will perform a service for her. Omok reveals to him that the individual behind the attack is Nagal Imban, someone of considerable means since he or she was able to take control of three demons and order them. The Mistress of Thorns reveals that she knows of Nagal Imban but has nothing to add at this time. In exchange for this, she requires that Omok assassinate Roscoe within the next two weeks. Omok agrees to commit the dastardly deed.
Friday, January 6, 2017
And Gerald Dies Again, and Again
Pharast 18, 4712, continued
With six automatons activated, the Coopers' combat in the armory continues. Daryle lets a few arrows fly, while Roscoe miss his two attempts. The automatons strike back, but one misses Omok, while two others fail miserably at their attacks. Thorne, who happens to have a small paint vial, throws it against one of the automatons and successfully covers its eyes. Darelle engages a new opponent, and it's general mayhem in the automaton armory. Automatons are slowly being destroyed, but the Coopers all suffer wounds.
As Gerald delivers the killing blow to the automatons standing in front of him, it explodes, embedding a large shard of shrapnel in his skull. Gerald now looks like a shiny unicorn. A giant automaton activates and joins the combat. Thorne uses his wand of webbing and attempts to stop it. Unfortunately it barely stops. The giant automaton heads straight for Gerald. Omok, meanwhile, is engaged in a brutal combat of his own, so he summons a land shark to help him. Darelle, who's fighting another automaton next to him accidentally steps near the shark and gets bitten. Rowen maneuvers himself behind the automaton fighting Darelle and joins that battle.
It eventually takes all of Roscoe, Gerald, Thorne, and Daryle's efforts to slay the large giant. It explodes in a shower of sparks. Most of the party manages to step out of the way but Gerald suffers another wound.
With the battle wrapped up, the Coopers explore the rest of the armory. In the southwest corner they find a curtain of lightning that stretches from wall to wall and from the floor to the ceiling. Rowen comes up with a clever way to walk through the curtain. He will build a circuit that will conduct the current using pieces of the destroyed automatons. Thorne looks at the curtain and attempts to discern a way to disrupt it, but he cannot find one. Gerald steps forward and also looks at it. Omok casts a spell and travels through stone and emerges on the other side. Thorne, sensing a great prank, shoves Gerald through the curtain. The sorcerer makes it across but not before suffering significant damage.
Mad and ticked off at his brother, Gerald drags Omok through the doors and Gerald closes the doors and arcane locks them. Gerald takes the steward's head from his backpack, which survived the lightning curtain. At the back of the room is a large console bearing rows of gems, placed in front of the Emerald Spire. The gems pulse and seem to randomly light. On each side of the room is a large sarcophagus-like structure standing, with a smaller one in the north wall. The air positively shimmers with electricity. Omok takes a step forward, but as soon as he reaches the middle of both large structures on either side, doors slide inward, revealing a brand new automaton. The automatons emerge from their coffins and attack Omok and Gerald. The sorcerer makes a run for the console with the steward's head firmly in his hands, but he is tackled by one of the automatons. At the same time, the smaller structure also opens, and another swarm of reclaimers comes out and joins the fray. Gerald and the head soon disappear under the swarm. Omok manages to flee by merging with the stone wall again and coming out on the other side.
Unaware of the drama taking place next door, Rowen comes up with the clever idea of creating a circuit to discharge the lightning curtain. He will employ bits and pieces of the destroyed automatons, and create an arch that should discharge enough electricity out of the lightning curtain to render it inoffensive.
When Omok emerges from the stone he reports to the Coopers what has happened next door. Roscoe, determined to rescue his brother, braves the lightning curtain, taking some damage. Omok joins him and casts dispel magic to counteract Gerald's arcane lock. Inside he finds that the room is as the hobgoblin described it, minus the automatons and the reclaimers. In the middle of the room is a bleached skull with a piece of metal sticking out, the last remnants of the sorcerers. The reclaimers devoured everything else. Rowen meanwhile successfully shorts the lightning curtain, and the remaining Coopers enter the heart of this level. A lively discussion ensues as to whether Gerald should be resurrected for the second time, and eventually Roscoe decides that it would benefit the expedition to do so.
Gerald is thus brought back from the dead a second time, and he begins his third life. Confused, Gerald only remembers being attacked by the reclaimers. He doesn't know what happened to the steward. He then notices that his gear is missing. Naked, without spell, and without any equipment save for that piece of metal sticking out of his skull, Gerald enters into a rage and he rushes the console. The automatons and the reclaimer swarm emerge from their resting place and Gerald is soon engulfed again, much to the horror of his friends and family.
Fully engaged in combat, the Coopers have no time to question what just happened. Rowen uses a fly spell to cross the space above the battle and he reaches the console. Omok consults the orb of command and asks which button Rowen should push. The orb tells him to push the 57th button from the top, but because Omok did not think to ask for the proper sequence and not just the first button, Rowen is unable to shut the factory down. With combat going poorly, Thorne spikes the doors to the coffin closed, hoping that more automatons will not come out. The swarm and the automatons already in the room pursue the battle, while Rowen pushes random buttons. More automatons in the hall behind them activate and try to enter the room, but Darelle disactivates the circuit that shorted the lightning circuit and the automatons are effectively locked on the other side.
Noticing that Rowen was not attacked, Darelle realizes that by flying over the enemy she will avoid combat. She summons her blue pegasus and crosses over to the console, then sends the pegasus back to fetch each member of the party. With the automatons defeated, the Coopers find themselves on the safest side of the room. Rowen continues to push buttons, and he eventually discovers the proper sequence to turn the level's defense mechanisms off.
Once again Roscoe resurrects Gerald. The sorcerer has now been reborn three times, and he suffers from a permanent piece of automaton sticking out of his skull. Nude and without gear, hurt, and badly needing supplies and healing, the Coopers decide to return to Fort Inevitable.
With six automatons activated, the Coopers' combat in the armory continues. Daryle lets a few arrows fly, while Roscoe miss his two attempts. The automatons strike back, but one misses Omok, while two others fail miserably at their attacks. Thorne, who happens to have a small paint vial, throws it against one of the automatons and successfully covers its eyes. Darelle engages a new opponent, and it's general mayhem in the automaton armory. Automatons are slowly being destroyed, but the Coopers all suffer wounds.
As Gerald delivers the killing blow to the automatons standing in front of him, it explodes, embedding a large shard of shrapnel in his skull. Gerald now looks like a shiny unicorn. A giant automaton activates and joins the combat. Thorne uses his wand of webbing and attempts to stop it. Unfortunately it barely stops. The giant automaton heads straight for Gerald. Omok, meanwhile, is engaged in a brutal combat of his own, so he summons a land shark to help him. Darelle, who's fighting another automaton next to him accidentally steps near the shark and gets bitten. Rowen maneuvers himself behind the automaton fighting Darelle and joins that battle.
It eventually takes all of Roscoe, Gerald, Thorne, and Daryle's efforts to slay the large giant. It explodes in a shower of sparks. Most of the party manages to step out of the way but Gerald suffers another wound.
With the battle wrapped up, the Coopers explore the rest of the armory. In the southwest corner they find a curtain of lightning that stretches from wall to wall and from the floor to the ceiling. Rowen comes up with a clever way to walk through the curtain. He will build a circuit that will conduct the current using pieces of the destroyed automatons. Thorne looks at the curtain and attempts to discern a way to disrupt it, but he cannot find one. Gerald steps forward and also looks at it. Omok casts a spell and travels through stone and emerges on the other side. Thorne, sensing a great prank, shoves Gerald through the curtain. The sorcerer makes it across but not before suffering significant damage.
Mad and ticked off at his brother, Gerald drags Omok through the doors and Gerald closes the doors and arcane locks them. Gerald takes the steward's head from his backpack, which survived the lightning curtain. At the back of the room is a large console bearing rows of gems, placed in front of the Emerald Spire. The gems pulse and seem to randomly light. On each side of the room is a large sarcophagus-like structure standing, with a smaller one in the north wall. The air positively shimmers with electricity. Omok takes a step forward, but as soon as he reaches the middle of both large structures on either side, doors slide inward, revealing a brand new automaton. The automatons emerge from their coffins and attack Omok and Gerald. The sorcerer makes a run for the console with the steward's head firmly in his hands, but he is tackled by one of the automatons. At the same time, the smaller structure also opens, and another swarm of reclaimers comes out and joins the fray. Gerald and the head soon disappear under the swarm. Omok manages to flee by merging with the stone wall again and coming out on the other side.
Unaware of the drama taking place next door, Rowen comes up with the clever idea of creating a circuit to discharge the lightning curtain. He will employ bits and pieces of the destroyed automatons, and create an arch that should discharge enough electricity out of the lightning curtain to render it inoffensive.
When Omok emerges from the stone he reports to the Coopers what has happened next door. Roscoe, determined to rescue his brother, braves the lightning curtain, taking some damage. Omok joins him and casts dispel magic to counteract Gerald's arcane lock. Inside he finds that the room is as the hobgoblin described it, minus the automatons and the reclaimers. In the middle of the room is a bleached skull with a piece of metal sticking out, the last remnants of the sorcerers. The reclaimers devoured everything else. Rowen meanwhile successfully shorts the lightning curtain, and the remaining Coopers enter the heart of this level. A lively discussion ensues as to whether Gerald should be resurrected for the second time, and eventually Roscoe decides that it would benefit the expedition to do so.
Gerald is thus brought back from the dead a second time, and he begins his third life. Confused, Gerald only remembers being attacked by the reclaimers. He doesn't know what happened to the steward. He then notices that his gear is missing. Naked, without spell, and without any equipment save for that piece of metal sticking out of his skull, Gerald enters into a rage and he rushes the console. The automatons and the reclaimer swarm emerge from their resting place and Gerald is soon engulfed again, much to the horror of his friends and family.
Fully engaged in combat, the Coopers have no time to question what just happened. Rowen uses a fly spell to cross the space above the battle and he reaches the console. Omok consults the orb of command and asks which button Rowen should push. The orb tells him to push the 57th button from the top, but because Omok did not think to ask for the proper sequence and not just the first button, Rowen is unable to shut the factory down. With combat going poorly, Thorne spikes the doors to the coffin closed, hoping that more automatons will not come out. The swarm and the automatons already in the room pursue the battle, while Rowen pushes random buttons. More automatons in the hall behind them activate and try to enter the room, but Darelle disactivates the circuit that shorted the lightning circuit and the automatons are effectively locked on the other side.
Noticing that Rowen was not attacked, Darelle realizes that by flying over the enemy she will avoid combat. She summons her blue pegasus and crosses over to the console, then sends the pegasus back to fetch each member of the party. With the automatons defeated, the Coopers find themselves on the safest side of the room. Rowen continues to push buttons, and he eventually discovers the proper sequence to turn the level's defense mechanisms off.
Once again Roscoe resurrects Gerald. The sorcerer has now been reborn three times, and he suffers from a permanent piece of automaton sticking out of his skull. Nude and without gear, hurt, and badly needing supplies and healing, the Coopers decide to return to Fort Inevitable.
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