Six days later, in the building of the Silverdisk Hall.

---

There has been quite some work to do to get the place fixed up for a new opening. The council made sure the Ropefist gang was not around to loot the place after word got out that Garmen had been killed. Khonnir had asked the group to meet up, and soon before sunset he knocks on the door and enters the building, a smile on his face. Joram Kyte, councilor and cleric of Brigh is with him. Joram nods to each of the heroes. "Hello, everyone."

"Oh, good you're all here. Listen, I have been looking over that power relay, and it was - as you said Nameless, being sent power which it forwarded far away. One-hundred and five miles north east of here. It is such a marvel! How this power can be drawn and sent in such a way, so far!" Khonnir looks at everyone as he gets worked up and excited, and then his gaze lands on Joram. The old cleric's smile is soft and friendly, and his eyes meet Khonnir, who seems to regain some composure. "...but it is troubling. We are glad to know more of the workings of our much important torch, but worried that someone would tamper with it and drain the energy. For what purpose? This Meyanda, you defeated her, but was she working alone - or was there a recipient of this power, that may want it again. Did she give you any such answers?"



OOC: Torch Marketplace has been updated with new items!

Ren looked at Nameless who just stared at her back. With a shrug she turned and addressed Khonnir.

"She didn't name anyone but I believe she wasn't working alone. My colleague, Nameless, is an android and she recognized that. At first she thought he was working for her and ordered him to attack us. That...didn't work out well for her but I suspect that would mean that she is working with other androids, enough of them that she wouldn't immediately recognize one and would think it was an ally instead of a foe."

Daken piped up quickly.

"But Nameless is one of us. Just shutting that down before anyone gets any thoughts. He nearly died in that fight and if it wasn't for him we would never have rescued you or re-ignited the Torch."

Joram smiles that understanding, heart-warming smile. "We are all very grateful for what you did for this city, and we have no reason to doubt either of you." Nameless sees Joram look straight at him, Joram's lips drawn out to the sides and slightly up in that expression that among most humans and several other races mean 'happiness'.

"Hrm... She was gathering energy for something, and she expected Nameless to be on her side? The council fears that there may still be a threat for our town. And this threat may then be technological in nature, as you say." Khonnir says with a grave face, and then with a look towards Nameless he adds "Myself I am among the most enthusiastic over the wealth of technology we have access to here, and I am not saying technology in itself is a threat." He begins pacing, holding his hands behind his back, and looking into the ground as if thinking deeply, as he speaks. "Meyanda's attack was well planned. There was no pillaging, and she recruited Garmen Ulreth without any of us noticing - unless she was already in contact with him before coming here. I discovered their tracks by the Weeping Pond on the day the torch was extinguished, and I am no master tracker, but I am certain they were not a week old. She had a goal in mind, and she accomplished it quickly. If the generator creating our torch is the most accessible one within such a wide radius, then it is still of interest to them. Whoever they are. And if they have forces, they will bring more next time."

Khonnir stops, and turns his gaze to the group. "You have proven to the council that you are a group that can accomplish great things. We have decided to offer you another contract, should you wish to accept it. Eight thousand gold pieces will be yours, if you ensure that this - whatever it is - no longer threatens Torch."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 19:20, Fri 27 July 2018.

Ren pauses to consider the offer. Part of her would leap at the opportunity to help out the town once again but she needed to consider those who followed her direction as well.


"I am guessing that would involve us trekking out into the wilderness to the location the energy was being transmitted to?"

Khonnir nods. “From what I have to go on, that seems like the best course of action. We could of course prepare to defend against an attack, but I would rather make the first move. Only, I am asking you to make that move. One-hundred and five miles miles northeast lies Scrapwall, a town of outcasts, and I have not been able to determine a more precise position than that. On the way there is a fort, Aldonard’s Grave. A haunted fort if there is truth in the rumors, but inhabited and watched over by followers of Sarenrae - you can rest there safely. This would not place you in the wilderness for long, one night before and after the fort on the way to Scrapwall.” After a moment's consideration, he adds ”The other route leads first south, the north, following Seven Tears river downstream then Sellen River the rest of the way. It might be safer than traveling over land, but much longer.”
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:28, Sat 28 July 2018.

Ren considered the options and then nodded.

”If there is a quicker route that still provides a bit of safety then we should probably take it. If there is a force arrayed against us I would rather deal with them sooner than later. With the energy transmitter offline they are bound to be curious about what could have happened to their forces here.

That being said, is there any sort of aid you could send with us? Perhaps some potions of healing? We don’t mind putting our lives on the line for the town but the last fight with Meyanda drained a lot of our resource.”

Ren didn’t enjoy pressing for aid like that but it was the truth. They had risked a lot to reignite the Torch and while the town had been generous, they couldn’t save the day if they ended up dead.

Joram's smile is annoyingly the same as ever, like frozen. Khonnir is easier to read though, as he nods and replies. "Good thinking. I will pass by Jhestine's sometime tomorrow and talk to her about it. If you visit her later in the week, she will have something for you."

Then Joram speaks. "Khonnir told me that he thought you would head out to Scrapwall, and so I wanted to come with and see you before that. You see, I have an old friend in Scrapwall. In Chesed, decades ago, we were both priests of Brigh, the Bronze Lady... We happened upon some trouble with the Technic League, and she was eventually forced to flee to save her life and mine. I have not seen her since, but my research indicates that she is indeed alive and in Scrapwall." He pauses briefly, his smile somewhat more strained now that he talks of this personal issue. "I wish that you would try to find out if that is false, and that she is no longer in this life, or that she does not reside there. If you were to find her, I would want that you tell her that the Technic League's interest in her has passed, and that there is a place for her in Torch if she wishes it." Before he finishes his request, he pulls up a thin bronze stick, a little bit shorter than a short sword, and holds up to show it. "For your help, once you return I will part with this tool of mine, so that you can make use of it. It is magically designed to increase the potency of the lesser spells I cast in such a way, that their power last for longer than what I could otherwise accomplish."

Daken snaps his fingers and nods.

"Of course we will help you out. In fact now would be a good time to check around and see if there is any other business we could do either in Scrapwall or Aldonard's Grave. Might as well if we're passing that way, right?"

"Good thinking."
Joram smiles and blinks, looking as appreciative and warm as before. "Thank you. Her name is Dinvaya Lanalei. She is a half-elf, aged like me, but her elven blood will keep her in this life for longer. I expect her devotion to the Bronze Lady will be as strong as ever, and she was always a great engineer." He bows his head forward to take off the necklace with his holy symbol. It is a bronze amulet in the shape of a mask with female features, and a rune on the forehead. On the back side, there are a few simple carvings seemingly bearing no special meaning. "If you find her, show her this so she knows that I sent you."

OOC: You may make knowledge: local rolls for both Aldonard's Grave and for Scrapwall, as the group begins planning their travels.

Nameless knew Scrapwall quite well. During his travels before reaching Torch he had stayed there for some time. He doubted any of the locals would remember him as he kept mostly to himself.

He was less familiar with Aldonard's Grave, however and hadn't traveled that way although he seemed to recall hearing a few stories about it.

OOC: 31 for Scrapwall, 16 for Aldonard's Grave


17:28, Today: Nameless rolled 25 using 2d20 with rolls of 20,5.  local rolls for scrapwall and the keep

Indeed, Nameless knows Scrapwall. But it has been a while since he was there. More importantly, he also has an acquaintance - a dwarf alchemist, who just came in to town traveling from Scrapwall. The two shared a small research interest for a few days years ago in Scrapwall, and Ramm, the dwarf, is a traveling man. Nameless could probably find him at one of the taverns in the evening, for more up-to-date information.

The city itself is just a vast sprawl of junk and refuse, long picked clean of most useful bits of salvage and now home to outcasts and exiles. The city is largely ruled by gangs, or was when Nameless lived there. The Steel Hawks was one of the most important ones, as the area they controlled was around the only gate leading into Scrapwall. Members of the gangs battle for control and for respect, and anyone not affiliated with a gang is at a larger risk - especially newcomers. This is because in Scrapwall, there is a system called scrap-worth. The higher one's scrap worth, the more respect one gets - and thus with a high scrap-worth, not only will you go free from harassment, but the gang members also make sure to get out of your way as that is what's best for them. Anything that creates talk about your bravery, ruthlessness or such around town will generally give a person scrap-worth, especially going up against important members of the gangs and winning. With scrap-worth comes the drawback of attention, though. Anyone who is talked about enough will come to the attention of the gang bosses, who will want to recruit you - or even fight you in the Scrapmaster's Arena.

Gangs and scrap-worth is not all what's found in Scrapwall though. There are several loners of significant power. Nameless in fact have heard of a reclusive worshiper of Brigh, a mutated manticore nesting somewhere in the city, and several undead spirits haunting the easternmost portions of Scrapwall. Most residents of the city are called Scrappers and are simply lowlifes: exiles and vagabonds of different sorts, paying to the gang in their region for protection - but without being part of the gang. Nameless was likely a scrapper himself.

Nameless does not have much to add when it comes to Aldronard's Grave, though. The fort is often but not always inhabited by Sarenites, people say that the ghost of Aldronard himself is very much alive and haunting the fort. It is not in the best of conditions. The walls are still standing as well as several buildings inside, but the keep and the chapel have both burned down or otherwise been ruined.

Ramm, Nameless' contact, is indeed able to provide further information. It seems that there has been power shifts since Nameless was last there, and the Steel Hawks are now the least powerful gang. After that, in ascending order of power, comes Reedtooth's Raiders, the Smilers, and the Lords of Rust who are at the top.

"There was another gang, Thralls of Hellion... But, there was a reason I left town... Things got messy. Apparently, the Thralls of Hellion somehow lost their leader on some sort of skirmish outside of town, and there was talk of what would happen to the rest of them. I did not want to stay and get caught in something while this gang would plummet from power, that sort of thing affects all of Scrapwall." Ramm scratches his beard, and adds thoughtfully. "Still, it's hard to put all the pieces together and I won't claim to know it all. You see, they say that the Lords of Rust themselves, who rule Scrapwall, are ruled by a Hellion. I've never seen him, and don't know of anyone that has, but he's some sort of megalomaniac freak. Claims to be a god, they say. Them Lords of Hellion, they have their headquarters in that Scrapmaster's Arena, and I hear that most of their camp is actually in tunnels beneath the ground, under the arena."