Month: November 2015

Session 84 November 25, 2015

After healing we have Deric rest so that he can do another round of healing. 

During our first watch, Edan decides to scout to the north and is surprised to see a flaming cart hurdling south. A monkey rides above the flames with something clutched between it’s legs. As it rushes by him, the monkey drops into the flames within the cart’s bucket. Upon striking our barricade, Belroar is close enough to reach into the cart but only fumbles futilely after the object the monkey had held in its legs. A roaring explosion occurs. Belroar and part of our barricade are damaged by the blast. 

Badly damaged, we do our best to patch up Belroar. Thorfus prepares for the next monkey incursion by changing the nearest track switch to send a cart away from our camp site. We also move our barricade further north lay a derailing pole across the tracks even further north. Edan continues to scout north as Chuq stands guard nearer the barricade. 

After Edan returns to report his findings, we use a heal potion on Belroar then wait for Deric to rest & memorize his spells. After healing up, we explore the first forge room to the north. A single gorilla autonotom is still in this room. He doesn’t respond to our explorations. After some debate we decide to leave him after we have stuffed material into the monkey bolt hole in the east wall. For good measure, we spike the connecting trapdoor to the west of this room. 

While we move our barricade north, we decide to secure a ladder bridge spanning an underground chasm to our north guarded by two monkeys. Chuq shadow steps with Edan and Thorfus behind the monkeys, attacking with surprise. When these two are defeated, a hidden pair of monkeys ascend the southern chasm wall then sever the bridge tie downs on that side. 

The three Boyz “stranded” to the north watch as Axel and Belroar confront those two. Edan and Thorfus try to help with several missiles with mixed success. Actually little success if one asks Axel the hedgehogs side of the story! Belroar repairs the ladders bridge’s southern connection after the second pair of monkeys are defeated. 

Shortly after, a third pair of monkeys enter stage right, pushing an empty mine cart along the tracks directly towards the Boyz south of the ladder bridge. A fight ensues, Sturloc is laid low by this third pair. A quick group shadow step outflanks them, allowing us to render aid soon enough to save his life. 

While we recover from the mayhem, Belroar and Edan successfully activate the mining cart’s drive motors and decide to go for a ride. They disappear to the east. When next we see them, their cart is hurtling westward along the cart tracks to our north. A short round to the north over a vast open space brings their ride to a halt at a terminus guarded by – you guessed it – another pair of Monkeys! Bathed in moon light from a short tunnel to the north, they duel blades versus fists. 

The mountain shakes, a rumble surrounds us, the floor shakes and dust rains from above. Something BIG is happening.

Valiantly, Thorfus pursues the Thugee cart at his best sprint speed. Running along the elevated cart tracks, he joins the melee as one of the monkeys scampers over the edge near the terminus. Thorfus scurries after the Monkey, descending down to a floor carpeted with various metal gears, cogs and machine parts. The other Boyz collect themselves and follow northward.

As both monkeys are slain, another deafening thunder shakes the mountain. A giant shape burst from the gear strewn floor, casting a lunar sized shadow over the gawking Thorfus. The shape rises, rises and rises. Through the dust we can all see from our different places a undulating giant mechanical tower swaying over the tiny Thorfus. The immense snake like machine is capped with three arms tipped with spinning giant spiked wheels. Behind the spinning rock crushing wheels, we can see what look like an ancient dwarf fused into the mechanic. An abomination similar to the Bioforge research chief engineer. We can see a control circlet on the head of the ancient dwarf! 

From the north and the east, the Boyz array themselves for the struggle to come. Thorfus does the same by pressing our favorite button. Cheers reverb about the chamber as we see twenty different versions of our leader slash or lunge or thrust the construct’s flailing head. A head that has flailed it’s last this day. 

As is our way, we swarm about the construct trying to divine its secrets. Belroar extricates the ancient dwarven fused into the machine. Curious, no one bothers to offer the corpse any last rights. The machine itself is made of the same special metal as the portal control chairs and library cube pedestals. We consider dismantling some pieces to sell to Marchmain but decide against it. We’d rather find a way to use the construct ourselves. Hoping to do so, Thorfus dons the control circlet the corpse had worn. He immediately faints!

He recovers quickly after we remove it from his brow. Belroar offers to give it a try. Variously, we remind Belroar that the dwarves have first, second and only access to ancient dwarven artifacts. Demurely, he acquiesces. 

Edan explores the moonlight to the north and discovers the cavern exits at the southern Colossi supporting the western Xen Khel stone bridge.

Session 82 

After having finished speaking with Lupa, the Starchy Boys (TM) decided to investigate the sounds reverberating through the halls and hopefully deal with the mechanical monkeys. 

Without much difficulty the team began to follow the sounds towards the west – towards the ancient dwarven workshops. Belroar confirms that tracks are leading that way. 

Edan volunteers to scout ahead wearing a recuperated Elven Cloak and his cat Boris. Following the sound, Edan eventually comes to an intersection where the sounds seem to be equal – Boris and Edan split up to investigate. However Boris quickly locates a mechanical monkey dragging a rather large piece of metal – making it rather easy for the team to follow. 

Following the mechanical monkey leads the team to a damaged corridor with a large hole in the floor, from which the hammering noise is coming from. There the mechanical monkey is joined by 2 others and together they seem to argue about where to place the piece of metal. The undamaged parts of the corridor are filled with piles of various metal parts and pieces organized into neat piles. 

While the team debated their next move, Edan continues to scout down the hole in the floor.

The hole is nearly perfectly round, and not of dwarven construction – Axel and Thorfus confirm that the tunnel is not ancient, likely only a decade or two old. The tunnel headed north-south underneath the Lower City’s main level.

While Edan scouts further into the tunnel, the monkeys notice the rest of the party as they approach and attack. The party makes short work of them and one trying to escape get cut down by Edan in the tunnel. 

The party follows the tunnel for a good long while until its end where the tunnel opens into another dwarven corridor, but this time the way is somewhat blocked by a vertical shaft directly below the opening and guarded by 3 mechanical monkeys. 2 of which attack Edan, while the 3d ran off.

After dispatching the monkeys, the team moves into a corridor – a dwarven corridor much like those they left below on the other side of the cricular tunnel.

Edan continued to scout ahead, eventually finding a partially collapsed tunnel leading to what looks like a mine – complete with cart tracks, but within well carved dwarven corridors.

When moving to the end of the corridor to take a peak, Edan is surprised by 2 mechanical monkeys and badly injured. The rest of the team comes to the rescue but Chuq triggers the trap Edan did not find or trigger while scouting – becoming partially buried.

After the battle the team regroups, heals and plans their next move. 

SESSION 83 – 17 Nov 2015

We press on into the ruins and encountered more monkeys, this time, two pushing a mine cart. We slew one and the other got away.

We checked out the other side of a door and found the first of three forge rooms, each with 5 monkeys and a gorilla bolted in place. The gorillas had huge hammers for arms. They were making and refurbishing, gears, springs, and metal plates.

Some monkeys fled. Of the ones we “killed” we stuffed in large sacks, and are up to 19 monkeys in 4 large sacks.

The monkeys ran away into the 2.5′ x 2.5 ‘ tunnels they have elsewhere in the city.

The tracks periodically have trap doors, that are more like hatches on a ship that drop down 5 feet into  more 2.5 x 2.5 tunnels.

Of the three rooms we cleared of monkeys, we plugged up the bolt holes and jammed the doors of two rooms.

We now have two mine carts and have pulled back to rest and let the spellcasters recover their spells, and heal up.

The carts are off the tracks with some metal plates to give us cover from the hallway to the north.

This is grim business, but at least it doesn’t seem to be full of damnable undead. 

How long until we find an overseer and can put a stop to these monkeys wreaking havoc?

Perhaps we can find a way to re-charge our batteries here?

We also think that the passages to the south might lead to the Hall of Pillars.

I hope mother is satisfied with my letter.