Frack, having at last made his way to the action, raised his scimitar to impart justice on the kidnappers and their mechanized dragon... the one whose mouth opened unnaturally wide with a screeching of metal before it - Tears of the hammer! Is that thing going to- 

Before he could finish the thought, the goblin was engulfed in a sea of flame. He held his ground behind his trusty shield, then lowered it, advancing one more step before staggering, spinning around in a circle, and finally falling to the ground with a lifeless thud.

15:06, Today: Frack rolled 11 using 1d20+3.  DEX save vs. vomiting clockwork dragon. Puts me at exactly 0 hit points :(
This message was last edited by the player at 20:37, Sun 25 June 2023.

Pleased to have finally played a part in chasing off the firbolg, Vecaal continued racing toward the entrance in the hopes of inflicting more pain on the accursed pair of kidnappers.  But his claws scraped across the floor as soon as he realized what the clockwork dragon was doing and he dove to the side as fast as he could, trying to shield himself from the oversized brass flamethrower using the pipes and motors nearest to him.  Even with that effort he was significantly singed, his cloak steaming and trailing wisps of smoke from small pockets of orange embers across its surface as he resumed his charge toward the pair, now obscured through another wall of webs.

Labouring through the last stretch, he noticed many of his companions had not fared as well, perhaps most importantly Baern.  And there was little he would be able to do against the dragon and both kidnappers if he was the only one outside with them.  As much as it grated on him, it was smarter to let them go.

Coming to a halt far from the door, the Dragonborn stared menacingly through the sticky strands at the yuan-ti astride the dragon and snarled.  . Then he backed away slightly, assuming a defensive position while the others recovered from the onslaught, and kept watch until the dragon and its passengers leapt for the skies.

OOC:
Save vs dragon breath, take 8 dmg.  Currently 4/24 hits left.
20:28, Today: Vecaal Alifras rolled 24 using 1d20+5.  DEX Save (DC 14).

Move 30 ft closer to the door.  Hold attack action (crossbow) to fire at yuan-ti or firbolg should they take any aggressive action (as opposed to fleeing).
20:36, Today: Vecaal Alifras rolled 19 using 1d20+3.  Acrobatics.

Veracity launched a cruel jibe at the retreating yuan-ti, but as the wounded firbog scrambled up onto the back of their clockwork dragon, it was Vecaal that Syntus locked eyes with through the smoke and lingering flames. He extended a clawed finger toward the dragonborn as if preparing to cast something, then, seeing the crossbow bolt leveled at his own chest, thought better of it and ducked behind the brass head of his mount.

The dragon took a few running steps, beating its leathery wings as it accelerated, then lifted into the air. Jolting and bouncing, it lacked the grace of a bird, but it did not fall from the sky as it carried the foiled kidnappers away.

Their escape was bittersweet, but at least the woman they'd meant to kidnap, the strange half-orc mechanic who'd introduced herself as Gail, was still with them. She was unconscious on the floor, stabilized thanks to Kreo's timely intervention. All around her were littered the bodies of her saviors, many gasping for breath themselves. The engine room was in ruins, its many unfathomably complex machines melted or broken. Small flames still sputtered where pools of kerosene had formed.

"Hey!" a familiar voice called from the top of the stairs. "Everyone ok down there?"

Donna's bearded face leaned into view, scrunched with concern. "Oh my. I daresay we're out of work. No matter. It was a shitty job anyway. Never would have signed up for it if I knew what they had in store for us. Did you all really just chase off a dragon? Impressive stuff. Y'look a little worse for the wear, if I'm bein' honest, but I can help with that."

The dwarf descended the stairs, covering her face with her shirt as she picked her way carefully through smoldering debris. She stopped at the sight of Gail. "Of course. Should have figured she'd be behind this."

I think Frack is still mortally wounded (not yet stabilized) and Procz and Gail are down but stabilized? We don't need to worry about initiative or distance or movement any more. Now that you're not under attack you can move around as cautiously as needed to avoid tripping or burning.

OOC: will be stabilizing as many as I can as quick as I can with touch and ranged spare the dying

Holstering his weapon, Kreo continued to work the magics that would spare his comrades from death, so that when Donna appeared he gave a wave and a smile

"How many of you are out of work now? We should talk about what comes next, surely."

OOC: Persuasion 18, as Donna likely knows Kreo is interested in growing some help for improving labour in the city.

"If nothing else, I've some funds set aside with some people I know, if you can identify those who're in need?"

Floating on the edge of consciousness, Frack didn't fully recognize the agony caused by his own chainmail as it sizzled into his flesh, which was probably for the better. Still, the goblin was lucid enough to recognize his dire situation, and the likelihood that he was about to pass onto (hopefully) the Seven Heavens of Mount Celestia. He had skirted death several times in the past, and his final thoughts swirled around some of those events,  like when those three headless goons tried to rob me after selling some scrap to the Buyer. They kicked the crap out of me until Kjelga, that big hobgoblin lady, rescued me.

A breath.

He thought about Kjelga, with whom a brief romance budded after she nursed him back to health. Unfortunately, the relationship ended with a misunderstanding involving a stack of spacklecakes. This led to Kjelga nearly decapitating Frack with the same sword that only days before saved him. Such was the life of a young goblin surviving in the squalor that was the Slopes.

Another breath. Frack figured it would be his last.

Then there was the Rat King, the talking gorilla who threatened to pull my arms off, and the gnoll with the crazy eye. And that time that Rom pulled me from the river after I fell in reaching for a piece of silver. Rom Redshield. I wonder if I'll see him on Celestia. I sure hope so.


So this is it. I guess it's been a good life. I mean - it wasn't very long, but I think Tyr will be proud of me... I wonder why this is taking so long. I thought the trip would be pretty fast. And am I still breathing? It feels like I'm still breathing.

Veracity grinned at Baern as he dusted himself off after his near-incineration, "Sure thing, B.  I like having a guy on my side mad enough to charge a dragon by his lonesome!"  She talked cavalierly about this whole misadventure, but she'd been more worried than she let on.

As Baern loaded an unconscious Procz onto the adorable mechanical mount while the half-orc tinker lay stabilized nearby, Vera noticed Kreo working to rescue a toasted goblin from death, but hadn't yet returned him to consciousness.  She tipped the brim of her newsboy cap toward Vecaal on the way over to kneel by Frack, who she spoke to in gentle tones, "Frack, was it?  I heard you offer to cut my pal Vecaal from the webs, which was gallant of you.  Arise, little hero!"  A touch dramatic, sure, but she reckoned the little fellow would appreciate the sentiment.  Some power laced into Veracity's words revitalized the fallen goblin, restoring him to consciousness once again.  She patted the miniature knight on the shoulder and gestured down to the end of the engine room and said, "The constable and the tinkerer could use your help."

Just then the boisterous voice of Donna the dwarf forewoman called down the stairs.  Veracity doffed the newsboy cap to free her backward-curled horns and matching violet braid, and quickly scrubbed the cosmetics that aged her up into the role of Roxie the contract laborer.  The disguise was mostly off by the time she greeted Donna with a disarming smile, "Hey there, Donna, ma'am.  We most certainly did chase off a dragon in heroic fashion, and damn nearly were roasted alive in the effort.  How's the situation upstairs?"  She noticed Donna's less-than-favorable reaction to the still unconscious 'Gail' and asked, "Why do you say that?  I understand she's been bringing her faith into the workplace."

---

Cast a 1st level Healing Word on Frack, healing xxxxxxddd HP

• 12:23, Today: Veracity rolled 5 using 1d4+3.  Healing Word.

Deception to charm Donna and downplay the entirely inconsequential and not suspicious fact that Vera was in disguise earlier:

• 12:24, Today: Veracity rolled 25 using 1d20+7.  Deception.

Frack, still confused by what was evidently not going to be his death after all, gave Veracity a long, blank look. He liked this person, even if it wasn't clear who exactly she was. Maybe it was because she called him little hero (was that my imagination?) or maybe it was because she had a friendly smile. He adjusted his helmet as her suggestion finally sunk in. Procz had fallen! The constable needed his help. He spun into a half turn and raced to his friend's side, placing a hand upon the fallen kobold's arm and praying to Tyr for his help. Once finished there, he tended to the half-orc, as well.

OOC: Cast cure wounds on Procz then lay on hands for 3hp to Ilya.
 23:21, Today: Frack rolled 6 using 1d8+2.  Cure wounds (Procz).

Procz shifted into consciousness. There had been no dreams. No bright lights. No promise of an afterlife. Maybe there wasn't one, or Procz was destined for nothingness. He opened one eye, catching a blurry, upside-down and askew image of Frack.

Then the cough returned and Procz rolled off Zúm, retching up smoke and ash from his lungs (and the remainder of his breakfast from his stomach). "My...apologies..." He struggled to his feet, and looked for his cane, which he had dropped. Procz turned in a full circle; both from light-headedness and a need to take in his surroundings.

He spotted his cane and staggered towards it. "The assailants escaped..." The words came with another cough. "Their victim... left injured... but alive." The kobold limped back, cane in hand and put to good use. "I thank you again, my friend. It was foolish of me to ride ahead, Unfortunately, necessity outweighed wisdom."

He acknowledged the others with a nod, not knowing that at least one of them might have saved his life. Moving up to the half-orc, Procz spoke up as Frack healed her. "Ilya Gyula, I presume? My name is Procz. We need to talk."

Donna appeared touched by the satyr's offer. "There's forty four of us in the local. Two main crews of sixteen, graveyard crew is eight, and a few working swing as needed. Recognizing beggars can't be choosers, we'd prefer to keep the crews together.

The offer's much appreciated. Solidarity." She clapped Kreo earnestly on the shoulder. "You're with Crock, though, aren't you? That's not a no, to be clear, just need to know where money's coming from 'fore we accept it. We'd have to vote on it. But know that the offer's appreciated, regardless."


"Under control. Automaton-wise, anyway. We put them together, so we know how to take them apart. Whatever in hell happened down here, I expect the Resolve'll be 'round sooner rather'n later to investigate. Your friends here have made enemies of them already, so probably best you make yourselves scarce."

"You've answered your own question, hon. All this factory-coming-to-life nonsense is her doing. They brought her in to automate our replacements - them bastards upstairs. Then she got carried away. Best I can figure, anyway. Can't imagine ol' J.P. wanted a factory with a mind of its own, but hey, what do I know about what that rich prick wants?

So who are you, anyway?" she asked Veracity. "You're not the law, you're not the Resolve, and no offense, but you don't look like you work with your back, either."

"Hey, Mister Constable, your beef ain't with me. JP Cognelius himself built this place. Had us all working under duress. Ask any of them." The half-orc started to gesture to her co-workers but stopped when she saw the evil look Donna was giving her. "Err, maybe don't ask them. They had it worse than I did, I'll admit.

Oh, hey, I can talk now! Thanks for that. And, you know, for rescuing me from those goons. I'm not above talking to the law, but you've got to guarantee my safety. From the Descendants at least, if not from Cognelius. Speaking of Cognelius, you maybe don't want to ask too many questions. Might get some answers you don't want, know what I mean?"

"Well done, then, and thanks for the sensible advice.  Might be wise to decide what's coming immediately next for you and your people, because the Resolve may not be terribly pleased with the direction the strike went."  She raised an eyebrow to Kreo, curious what he had to offer that many displaced workers.


"I see.  For what it's worth, it seems this got out of her hands as well.  I'm more inclined to blame the one gave her the orders."  Vera put on a wry smirk and then said, "What J.P. wants is obvious, innit?  He wants workers that take no pay, never clock out, never make mistakes, and don't get together to demand silly things like basic rights and to not be worked to death.  I'd guess his only problem with this experiment is that the 'bots stopped doing what they were told."


Without missing a beat, Veracity said, "You can call me Veracity, miss Donna.  My friends and I are private investigators."  It was true enough, just that the 'investigation' was into valuables that might be lifted from the premises.  "We got word of strange malfeasance putting workers in danger, and so we came to look into it.  Turned out our sources understated the situation a tad."

Across the psychic link between herself, Vecaal, and Baern, Veracity psychically said, [We'd best get moving before the Resolve arrives, so let's rally up.  That big bloody hole seems a decent escape route.]

"I know. I don't have any beef with you." said Procz. He listened in on the conversation between Veracity and the others with one ear, while giving the half-orc his other. Maybe the sickly kobold wasn't good at fighting mechanical dragons, but he could remember every syllable uttered in his presence in the last month and repeat them verbatim.

"You're welcome." said Procz, about the fact that they saved her from being kidnapped. "Now, I presume the firbolg and the yuan-ti are Descendants?" He lowered his voice, as he continued. "What did they really want from you? Is it your information about... Luminescent Athenaeum? Tell me what you know. Please." Procz wanted to cough again, but focused in order not to flinch as he said those mysterious words.

Frack looked back and forth between Procz and Gail as they volleyed questions and answers between them. Each time he turned his head, his helmet stayed in place, covering one eye when he looked toward the constable and then covering the other when he looked at the mysterious half-orc. This happened until Procz uttered the words Luminescent Athenaeum, at which point Frack turned his head much more slowly toward Gail, allowing him to finally fix both eyes upon her in anticipation of the answer.

He had no idea what Luminescent Athenaeum was, but it sounded very important to the case.

Kreo heard Donna out and responded

"I'm with the union for Crock's workers. No one who fights for the worker is 'with' Crock. But your members might provide the groundswell we need to make the United Caldera Workers a reality. Not a condition of the help, please, by all means, take a vote."

Kreo tried to keep his face placid enough at the mention of forty people. Forty workers collected families' mouths to feed would stretch the finances some, but it was hard not to get excited
This message was last edited by the player at 02:52, Thu 29 June 2023.

[Yesss.  We're in no condition to laze about.]. Vecaal had taken a beating from the maniacal crane and then suffered from the dragon breath.  He knew the others two had been similarly abused in the course of this assignment.  Waiting around for the Resolve to recover their courage would just be stupid.

"Talk somewhere else, little constable," the big dragonborn said aloud, referring to Procz's interrogation of Gail, or whatever her name was.  "We must leave here, now."  . He took a few steps toward the opening the dragon had created, hoping his movement would encourage the rest to get moving.

"Isn't that what we all want?" Gail interjected herself into Veracity and Donna's conversation, prompting a dramatic rolling of the dwarf's eyes. "Let the machines do the work. Isn't that the dream? No shortages, no scarcity, and no work. Plenty of everything for everyone, and we can all eat good food and make beautiful things and spend our days lying in the sun with our loved ones."


The question shocked the opinionated half-orc into silence. "Who are you?" she managed in a low whisper, when her wits returned to her.

Vecaal's suggestion seemed to snap her out of whatever trance Procz's question had put her into. "I don't think it's going to be so easy to just walk out of here. Syntus and Crajeon took the dragon, so unless you were planning on swimming, there's one road out of here, and it's the one the Resolve will expect us to be on."

With that final pronoun, she asserted her belief that the good folks who had helped her escape once already would do so again.

Edit: Procz, could I get Insight and either Persuasion or Intimidation (depending on how you see Procz presenting himself to Ilga) rolls from you?
This message was last edited by the player at 17:10, Thu 29 June 2023.

"What about railcars?" Baern asked. "Is there any link to the trams running through the walls of the caldera?"

"Gail, my friend!"  Veracity turned the half-orcess a disarming smile.  The tiefling's presentation had changed from the disguise she'd worn when they'd last met, but the Cunning charm that made them fast friends remained very much in effect.  "Glad to see you well enough to share your dreams, but best we listen to Vec and save the pontification for after we're clear of this place."

It was interesting that Gail seemed familiar with the pair of failed kidnappers and they robot dragon, but that was another matter to be addressed later.  Veracity offered, "There's also the way we came in, the iron door out to the drainways.  If the Resolve are still out there I can get us past them."  She retraced steps back toward the way they'd entered, hoping that it hadn't been buried in wreckage or melted into slag by false dragonfire!

Procz' heart rate quickened when the half-orc reacted to his words. She did know. Still, she was very hard to read. And while his words seemed to affect her, he used a spell to augment his ability to get information from her. "I am an individual who care deeply about the ancient legacy and its meaning to our future. I am an ally. I happen to be a constable, but I'm not sure that's either a benefit or a detriment with regard to our circumstances."

He coughed, unable to keep from doing it any longer. Who knew, perhaps he'd score some sympathy points from showing the hell he went through to save her.

Insight failed miserably with a result of 6.
Persuasion was a glorious success with a result of 21 after a nat 20!
Casting Detect Thoughts to help extract more information.

Upset by Vecall's tone toward his friend, Frack stepped defiantly toward the dragonborn. "Who you calling little, you big... big... Only then did Frack realize just how large the scaly rogue actually was. Big enough to end Frack's sentence before he intended.

With golden eyes Vecaal peered down at Frack, standing only half the Dragonborn's height   His mouth curled around his sharp teeth in a draconic smile and a good-natured laugh hissed forth.  "I am talking to your little constable friend, little protector," he reinforced.

"The Resolve will not be cowed by the dragon's display for long, now that it has left.  Leave now, take her with us," he motioned with his crossbow at Iiga, "and talk somewhere safe."

Baern made his way to the gaping hole that had once been a door and peered outside. "Vecaal's right. Whatever we're doing we'd better do it soon, and if there's a way out that doesn't pass right under their noses I'd opt for that one."

Does Baern see any reinforcements marshalling from this vantage point? Is there anything left of the guards that were posted at the door?

"It's a detriment," the half-orc assured him. "But that's ok. I can hear the passion in your voice. And you've come to the right person - there's a lot to be passionate about! Dragons aren't just our past; they're our future. And the future is bright! Gearlord only knows how you heard about the Athenaeum, but there will be time to talk about all that later.

The fella with the big wrench is on to something. It doesn't link up to the other lines, but there is indeed a railway through the caldera wall. Unfortunately, there's no railcar. The overseer kept a little one here so she could flee in case of emergency, but, well, this was an emergency, and she fled."

Baern approached what remained and the door to find that the Steel Resolve who had been guarding it had met exactly the fate he had expected. The same fate, in fact, that he had nearly met himself, incinerated by the clockwork dragon's fiery breath. The Iron Maiden retained its basic shape but all its internal wires and gears were melted, rendering it a useless hunk of metal.

The Reservists' armor had protected the integrity of their bodies, but the heat had roasted them alive inside. One of their truncheons was largely intact, though it smoked and sparked when the gnome attempted to activate its electrification.

Baern practically cackled as he scooped up the baton and sparks leapt out of the end. "Your loss, mate," he said, giving the suit of armor that had once been a person a playful kick.

"Come on," he said, heading back in side and beckoning to the others. "We don't need no car anyway. We'll hoof it back."

"Where's the entrance?"

Veracity planted a boot on a fallen girder and rested an elbow on knee to peer out the melted opening to watch Baern searching outside.  As he plucked up his prized piece of weaponry, she looked with distaste at the suit of armor still steaming at the seams and smelling like barbecue.  On her gnomish comrade's return she remarked, "I've got little love to spare for Steel Resolve, but that's a rough way to go.  That sorry arsehole flirted with me on the way in."  Veracity had seen a lot of grimness in her relatively young life, but today's events had made an impact.


Turning back to Gail, Veracity asked, "Sounds a fine getaway route, but one small detail: where's that secret railway lead off to?  I'd rather not pop out in old JP's smoking parlor."  She looked back into the smoky depths of the engine room, beyond which lay the stairs back up to the factory floor and the main road, or the possible escape route up on the quite distant roof.  She nodded in agreement with Baern and said, "Still, the secret way out will be better odds than the main road, though I could make that work if there's no other choice.  Show us to the tunnel if you please, Gail, my very good friend."