After carefully following Big Eye down into the cellar and shooting Telric a "Thanks," Renata set up her pack on the ground to serve as a pillow and did her best to fall asleep...

Renata Medb rolled 9 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 4,4.  Let's just Rest for a bit... Forceful.

Renata Medb rolled 4 using 1d4+1 with rolls of 3.  Health Gain.

Back up to 11/11!

By the time everyone is rested up, night has fallen and the stars are out...

(Choose one:

1. Let's sneak to the tower under the cover of darkness!

OR

2. Are you nuts? Who knows what we might run into? Let's defend here until dawn!)

Beep Bop Boop, "I think we should go now and get this task done."

In reply to Xan (msg # 831):

"You do know predators mostly come out at night, right? Mostly." He pointed out. "We where lucky to find a place this safe at all."

Beep Bop Boop, <Purple>"Oh no I guess I never really thought about that."</Orange>

Sitting up and sliding over against her pack, Renata scratched the side of her head. "I know I want to get this done as fast as anyone, but Telric's right. Safety's hard to come by."

Still comfortable and resting Big Eye munches on some more food while the others try and decide if he needs to get up again, until then he remains in his default state of inaction.

Sometimes during the night the party hears noises, but always far-off, not close.

In the morning, the group is as rested at dawn as they're going to be. They set out for the tower.

It doesn't take that long... there's no signs of danger along the rest of the way... maybe the giant kept other bad things away.

Or maybe it's something about the tower itself.

The Tower has large metal doors in front, but they're both wide open. Someone has stuck rocks and splintered pieces of wood under them to keep them open.

From what you can see inside, there's a sort of open courtyard with worn-down cobblestones, and a spiral staircase leading up around the sides. Windows in the walls allow just enough of the morning light in that it doesn't qualify as dark inside.

That's all you can see from the front doors.

Going in?

Beep Bop Boop, "Wow, they are expecting us. The doors are open." Xan heads to look inside.  "Hello."

Big Eye hardly even slows down on the way into the building, just enough to ensure he doesn't bump into either door or the simple mechanism holding it open.

Knocking on one of the doors and peering inside, Renata joined Xan in calling out "Hello!"

"I just bet they are expecting us indeed. Keep your weapons ready." Telric says, never keen on not sneaking into a situation he did not know about in advance.

So far, there's no sign of anyone present.

Now that he's inside, though, Big Eye can look straight up... the tower, hollow inside, goes up a long way... almost all the way, though there might be a door at the top of the stairs...

There are also a few birds or something flapping around up there near in the dim light near the top... or are they bats? Or moths? Depth perception is not Big Eye's strong suit. All he's sure of is that nothing up there is as big as him, nor even as big as a normal human...

Either answering Telric's suggestion, or reacting to whatever he sees above, it is unclear but Big Eye frees his giant club again and begins to climb the stairs slowly and carefully.

Most of his attention stays upwards but he does at least occasionally refocus on the stairs immediately ahead of himself to check for obvious gaps in them that are easy to avoid.

Beep Bop Boop, "I guess we are all going up then. I didn't think towers looked like this before, Renata." Follows Big Eye.

But after Big Eye goes up just a few steps, a figure descends from above-- without using the stairs. It levitates down slowly, only about 5 feet per second, until it stands on the floor.

It's... huh. It's... a girl? Of about 11 or so?

But you can also just barely tell that it's also an automata... it's just been made-- very well-made-- to look even more like a human than Xan, the most human-like automata you've ever seen.

Her hair is black and dirty and messy, coming down to just past the shoulders. Her eyes are black, with no whites to them-- they might be onyx gemstones, maybe?

She wears ragged clothing that she's possibly been wearing ever since the world ended-- what's left of gray-brown woolen trousers and tunic. Her feet are bare.

"My name Isobel..." she says quietly. "This, the Tower of Steel."

Beep Bop Boop, "Hello Isobel, I am Xan. It is nice to meet you. We have been sent by one of the factions in the city."

In reply to The GM (msg # 844):

Telric hid his slingshot under his cloak. He also started looking around for an ambush. Granted this new construct might be so powerful it was the ambush, but it was distracting enough to let additional forces try and get the jump on them.

"Who has sent you...?"

No one else, not person nor beast nor robot, shows up so far, despite Telric keeping a watchful eye. Isobel seems to feel that she needs no assistance to parley with you.

(The new pic is rather BLUER than I wanted, but it also gives a human-yet-otherworldly/inhuman vibe that I do like, so I'm gonna roll with it for now.)

Beep Bop Boop, "I believe they are the inhabitants of a local vault. Could someone give me the package they sent us with ? We needed to barter with them for help with problems in another vault." Xan looks sad briefly and awaits someone handing her the package.

Renata shrugged, moving the rest of the way in alongside Xan. "Honestly, Xan, I don't think I've seen a tower 'cept in fairy tales before." It was truly a marvelous place, however it looked. Still, no, it was not like before.



Still shaking off something, she pulled out the magical speaking item cornucopia doohickey. The woman awkwardly presented the bronze horn, somewhat waving it back and forth in a hand as she turned to face the girl with the weird eyes before setting the horn-thing into Xan's hands. She wasn't quite sure if this Isobel was some sort of modified human girl or something else, but he was quite sure it was just an automata. She felt the 'just' was unnecessary. "A guy called 'The Commodore' wants to parlay with you and says this thingamabibble should let you two talk to each other from far away. He also wants us to stay to, ah, 'bear official witness to the parley if needed.' Oh, and, I'm Renata, by the way."

The magical item begins speaking, playing what sounds like a human voice, a low, rich, baritone, calm and reasonable.

"Hello. Greetings to Isobel of the Tower of Steel. I am The Commodore. I am the leader of a group of humans and automata here in Anchorest, headquartered out of the old naval base.

I have sent this delegation to you to deliver this message. Please allow them to return with your reply. I would like an alliance with you to help me-- to help us, together-- to return Anchorage to order and safety for its inhabitants such as it has not had since before the terrible day of the Curses. I hope that you will agree to stand together with me against those who wish to bring further disorder and unnecessary danger to Anchorest-- the various dangerous cults, The ogre known as The General, The Diamond Legion, the various gangs of raiders, the mindless ghouls, and various threats that may arise in the future. Whether you are interested in such an alliance or not, I hope that you may at least agree to a treaty of non-aggression between yourself and my followers.

I... would also be interested in speaking to you further... at a later time... about finding certain magical artifacts... a certain scroll that the files I have access to here at the naval base refer to as 'The Crucible Scroll.'

...But, again, we can speak of this at another time-- for now, let us begin by speaking of peace, if not for all of Anchorest, then at least between ourselves."

The voice stops.

Isobel smiles a smile that may or may not be meant to convey happiness. On her, it just looks disturbing. "I have heard of The Commodore, a bit, a bit. He has never bothered me. What do you think? What say you? What do you think of him? What do you think of his deal? Do you think I should agree? Is it a good deal for one like me? Like me?"

Someone knew that you couldn't trust anyone, that this supposedly reasonable man was a facade to be broken at the first sign of trouble or gain, but she didn't know that. Renata didn't believe that.

"The guy seems nice enough, and peace isn't a bad thing to strive for..." Renata noncommittally rolled onto her heels and then back forward, teetering as if uneasy at the face of the question. She may not be as distrustful as him and his doubts surely weren't seeping through and bleeding into her... but there was something she couldn't avoid. "But I don't think I'm the right person to answer that for you, Miss Isobel. My friend Xan mentioned problems in another Vault and, I've gotta say, that's my Vault. My home. We need something... and this Commodore says he can give us that thing we need. I can't in good conscience tell you what's a good deal for you, because this is too much of a good deal for me."

Having stepped back out of the way of the falling little creature as she came down it took Big Eye a few moments, and more than one look back and forth between Telric and the little girl to attempt to sort out what to do with her.  The question she asks seems to make perfect sense to him.

Holding his huge club out to gesture with, which is similar but not quite the same as threatening with it Big Eye offers his answer in all it's simple glory.  ”Deal, or Stick.”

"You do not know! You are honest!" As far as you can tell, Isobel seems pleased at your honesty.



Isobel nods. "Yes. You are simple. You see simple things. Deal, or fight. That is true, is true. Deal may mean fight too. Or it might not. No deal may mean fight. Or it might not. But no deal may mean fight more than deal may mean fight. I am not afraid of fighting. I am afraid of being bored. But sometimes fighting is boring for me, for me. And sometimes not fighting is boring. It is simple, but not simple..."

She turns to Xan and Telric. "What say you? Deal? Or no deal?"