Session Eighty-Nine (Graveyard of Empires Summary)

Session 89 December 30, 2015

18th of Faurilden, 4:00 pm

Thorfus and Edan are healed before we searched around for traps and other nasty surprises. Feeling safe, we pocket the plans and turn our attention to the closet in the south. Within the closet we find a series of shells connected by pulley and chains. We collect a trove of precious gems from the shelves.

Mixed with the gems, we find two peculiar backpacks and 60 small metallic slugs. Play with a backpack shows that one actually becomes a pair of wings. It also looks like it needs one of the batteries we have for the power armor. The other backpack has a tank connected to a wand a hose. The packs are made for dwarves but the straps look long enough for a human, elf or power armored dwarfs to wear. The packs are stowed with the party gear without any further experimentation.

The slugs spur us to examine the cylinder robot that hurt our leader and our health. The robot has as many levered doors as the number of slugs we found. Confident the robot is safe without the slugs loaded into it, Edan pockets both cylinder robot and slugs in his gear.

We move further down the corridor to the east. The last south facing door opens easily. In the room there are a bed, a drafting table, foot locker, an information pedestal and closet in the south. The table and bed are empty. The door leads to a water closet with running water.

The footlocker has a red light that turns green when Thorfus passes his platinum PAS key by it. Confidently, a robot monkey opens the foot locker’s lid causing the room to be bathed in darkness. At the same time, Boris falls away from the floor slamming into the ceiling above our heads. We hear the sound of breaking crumbling stone above us. Chuq brandishes his continually lighted Starchie Boyz badge. The darkness and the badge cancel each other, so that we can see by the light of our magic weapons and/or infravision.

From the floor, we see Boris, the monkey, the footlocker and a Gargoyle sitting on the footlocker on the ceiling. The Gargoyle is belligerent, but not for long. It’s head shatters as Edan slaps his pommel against it. At it’s demise, the objects above fall back to the floor.

The footlocker is locked again. We decide to play with it later and turn our attention to the information pedestal. The display above interactively tells us of the power connections from the Engineering sections with the other underground labs. It is implied by the schematic that the Engineering section is far below the others. We learn that “There is a power failure in the Bioforge Research area, maintenance needed”. The other labs have stable power. A blinking point on the display refuses to give details. We are stymied by this message : “Information on this area not available without special clearance, please contact Xen Khel administrative for required permission” Thorfus’ platinum PAS key fails to grant us permission.

Thorfus and Axel now take a few minutes to review the contents of the 13 different information cubes we have collected. Eventually they come upon a cube that reports on the occupants of the cells in the bioforge research lab. To our dismay, we learn that all the cells are empty and have been synchronized. Our failure to rescue them stings deep for some of us. We also learned the synchronization controls have failed, there is physical damage to the cells. Thorfus activates the reptile area pacification system several times, getting a kick from potentially shocking anonymous victims!

Thorfus uses his PAS key to change the footlocker display light to green but whenever we try to open the locker, the light turns red. Chuq suggests we find the last whereabouts of the Engineering Administrator deducing the necessary PAS Key would be on his person.

After speaking with some autonotoms, we search to the west and find the Chief Engineers office after meeting several patrolling autonotoms and seeing a large open space occupied by a immense multi limbed robot repairing other regular sized autonotoms including undying. The Chief Engineer’s corpse rest here, sitting next to a desk similar to the Bioforge Chief’s desk. The desk allows us to deactivate the ‘Swarm’, view personal recordings, control the shutters & the master power! Grasped in his cold hand is another platinum PAS key. True to form, Thorfus ensures the PAS key goes from the dead hand directly into his.

Searching the desk, we find a some loot. One item of note is a wooden box that gives Edan the willies when he handles it. Later we learn the box is enchanted to rattle when a lie is told. We also find a glowing dagger, a wrought gold head band and a pair of bracers. Later these items secrets are also learned. The head band negates mind reading and sending for the wearer and the ‘My Fortress’ bracers keep the wearer protected when the embossed golden runes are traced by a finger. Chuq pockets the bracers and Edan keeps the headband on his formerly bare head.

Thorfus uses the new platinum PAS key to access the chief engineers desk controls. We learn the ancient dwarven letters for the various Xen Khel research areas:

D – Bioforge Research Facility

C – Mechanical Research Facility

F – Engineering & Power Facility

G – Pathogen Research Facility

X – Special Research Facility

For each letter, we can cut off power completely, set the power to a percentage or cut off power completely from the desk.

He then reads the remaining recordings of Kalgun Thrust. The recordings tell the story of Kalgun’s last days during the rebellion. He ensured the rebels would not learn anything if engineering fell to them by deleting all but his last recordings from his desk and information reliquary. He set the counter measures that incinerated anyone that enters the facility. He expresses his surprise and disdain of the rebels (‘former slaves’) elementary use of Tran spatial energy. Realizing engineering was woefully isolated, he tooks steps to ensure power to the other facility wass maintained indefinitely to so that they can continue their work well after he and his staff pass away from hunger or more nefarious reasons.

Now we want to know where engineering is located in relationship with the other underground facilities. We extinguish all light sources and cover ourselves so that we may open the shutters and view our location without revealing ourselves. Our prep was for naught, the vista we see is totally unexpected. Instead of the giant mushroom forest cavern we see a hell-scape of magma lakes and erupting lava geysers. The base of the mountain is alive with molten rock (continental drift be damned). Realizing the engineering facility is a death trap for the unsuspecting Finkelworm, Chuq advises So Krates to alert his master to halt his downward tunneling. Obviously we are far below the Bioforge and what we suspect is the Pathogen facilities.

We debate the merits of severing the power to the last know location of the Dark King’s forces, the Bioforge facility. It is decided to do so, hoping that if anyone is forced to escape into the mushroom cavern, the trip would be very perilous to them. Thorfus does a quick strobe for shits and giggles and shuts the shutters. We lock the door as we leave with Chuq’s silver PAS key.

Returning to the trapped foot locker, it opens without incident after Thorfus uses our new platinum PAS key. Within are broaches, headbands, gems, jewelry, scroll case (summons an elemental) and a glowing long sword. Feeling the scroll case is not trapped, Edan determines the scroll within summons an elemental. Edan dons the new headband and Chuq can no longer read his mind. When Edan swops the new for his other band, his mind is legible to Chuq. Noticing the new long sword glows brighter than swords in his possession, Edan draws the new sword aversively. He feels the sword try to probe his mind. In ancient Dwarven it telepathically asks to his identity, asking for a Kalgun.

We discuss who among us can endure an intelligent sword and realize the only candidate is Edan. The sword switches different tongues until it begins speaking an archaic version of Elvish. The two begin to converse in earnest. Though insulting and condescending, Edan strokes the swords ego into sharing much about the ancient dwarves. We learn the soul is that of the Chief Engineer’s grandfather, also known as Kalgunn, the ancient empires greatest engineering mind (as he styles himself). Surprised to hear of Marchmain Sithis notoriety in this age, we learn Kalgunn regards him as a rival. He blames the fall of the Empire to hacks like Marchmain, his grandson and Merinthala.

Edan mentions that Dragons have not been seen in ages which prompts Kalgunn the Elder to hint that one can be found in area X, the special project area! Confirming what we already suspect, he also states we need all four administrator access stones to gain entry to area X where we might see ‘her’ (!the dragon emperor consort!).

Sheathing the sword, we discuss how best to use Kalgunn’s knowledge – realizing Edan can not compel him to cooperate. Edan adopts Kalgunn as his primary weapon (tacitly blessed by our malevolent Overlord). When asked, Kalgun says he is designed specifically to defeat magic and enchanted foes. Their second conversation drifts from early magic users (originally only the dwarves) to the fall of the Crystal Tower. We learn the rebels had “burned away” Xen Teler’s mind. Also, Xen’Khel was their first settlement and that all the dwarfs ultimately are from Xen Teler. We don’t comprehend his actual meaning since he is evasive on the subject. Kalgun is fascinated by the fact that some magic users claim to derive their powers from ‘deities’.

Kalgunn has answered many questions but mostly he taught us we know very little. We sit down to catalogue what else we want to ask him…