[001] The Obelisk

[tombowings]

Aug 23, 2010 13:24:31 GMT -6 @picador said:

Aug 22, 2010 12:47:35 GMT -6 tombowings said:

Enmerkar begins to open the second of the six crates. Inside is a jale man in the same state The Delectable Shade of the Cosmic Tree. The only difference is that he that shows absolutely no sign of life and remnants dried blood running down her ear. There is no expression of pain upon her face--she wears no expression at all.

Nodu leans over beside Enmerkar to examine the lifeless jale man (woman?) for any signs of infection or mutation that may have caused death.

There are no immediate signs indicating the cause of death besides for the dried blood and she has no visible mutations. It is likely that she did not survive the storage process unlike the The Delectable Shade of the Cosmic Tree.

[murquhart72]

Emerald Blade of All Challenges (now packing heat) will follow where others lead.

[waysoftheearth]

Iszak looks right, then left, then right again.

"Zis way, zen," he says, picks up his bag and lantern and moves to the hatch on the left. He listens carefully for a moment, and if he hears nothing further will open the hatch (but does not enter)...

[tombowings]

Iszak bends down to the hatch, below the wheel and listens intently. There is a low pitched steady rumbling noise. The sound is of a ceaseless grinding utterance. At regular intervals--every 16 second--there is a clang of metal on metal.

[crusssdaddy]

P. Ecstasy carefully picks up a corpse and quietly sneaks up behind the intently listening Iszak. He taps the corpse's hand on Iszak's shoulder and says in a hoarse groan, "Doooooo - nooooot - enteeeeer...!"

[murquhart72]

Emerald Blade, filled with mirth, smirks at the display of brevity

[Mushgnome]

Feeling much relieved, the Delectable Shade of the Cosmic Tree reclaims her belongings and dons her leather armor.

[EdOWar]

Tas chuckles softly at the macabre practical joke.

[waysoftheearth]

Iszak gives a short start and reaches for his butcher's blade, but when he realises there is no true danger, he grimly thrusts the half drawn blade back into its holster.

"Zis is some kindt of amusement, yes?" he asks, puzzled, when he sees the others giggling.

[tombowings]

[1d6 roll]

[cadriel]

Enmerkar is not amused by the body prank and his crimson face shows it. He glowers at the door that Izsak has listened to.

"I wonder if there is some way we might surprise whatever guardian lies beyond that door. Perhaps we can move the metal spider thing in front of it, then conceal ourselves before opening it, whatever is on the other side will come to investigate and we can have the advantage."

[EdOWar]

"I suppose that's better than nothing," Tas says, "though anything on the other side of the door may hear us moving this metal monstrosity."

[Mushgnome]

Delectable prepares her weapons for battle and idly trims her overgrown fingernails with a razor-sharp obsidian knife. She has stowed her black cloak away and cuts quite the ferocious figure in her ornate leather armor.

[murquhart72]

I'm all for opening the door while expecting the worst. I'll level my new toy at whatever starts to attack and slime it!

[waysoftheearth]

"So be it," remarks Iszak, and opens the hatch. If there is any immediate danger he stands clear so that Emerald Blade has a clear line or fire.

[tombowings]

Iszak grips the wheel of the hatch. Readying his arms for a sturdy thrust, Iszak is surprised how easily the hatch moves compared to the others. Either Iszak has superhuman strength or this hatch has been in use far more recently than the others. No air hisses from the hatch, but the deep reverberation sounds through the now open portal.

Beyond the hatch is a steep, downward leading tunnel of smooth, plated steel. It appears that he shoot spirals downwards into the earth. The constant intervals of banging continue, much more prominent than before.

[murquhart72]

Emerald Blade: "Looks like some kind of disposal tube, maybe we should close it for now and try another route..?"

[waysoftheearth]

Iszak shrugs, closes the hatch, and then tries the other hatch.

[tombowings]

Iszak tries the second hatch. The wheel is once again light to the twist and no air hisses as the hatch opens. However, a bright light funnels through the door. Several small glowing orbs seem to be attached to the top of the tunnel at regular intervals and there is a blinding light shining from the end of the tunnel.

[murquhart72]

"Okay... Who's first?"

[EdOWar]

"Life is short." Tas steps forward, first to enter the passage.

[crusssdaddy]

P. Ecstasy twirls an axe and follows.

[murquhart72]

Emerald Blade will come in third, gob-launcher at the ready.

[Mushgnome]

Delectable lingers a moment to perform last rites on her fellow sleepers who did not survive. She hopes they did not suffer too much.

She will also keep an eye and ear out, guarding the party's back in case they must hastily retreat back to this room.

[tombowings]

Our brave adventurers stride through the hatch and into the lit hallway. The light is bright enough to see by without the use of torches of or lanterns. Walking down the riveted hallway, you begin to notice that it much longer than it originally appeared. After a fifty, feet a faint banging and and buzzing noises becomes audible and becomes louder as you approach the blinding light at the end of the hallway.

[1d6 roll]

As yours eyes adjust to the light, you can see that the hallway carries on for maybe another two hundred feet and opens up into a large chamber from which the light is shining. Inside the chamber you can see several steely contraptions each completing a different menial and repetitive task such as crushing or chopping. What exactly is going on isn't visual from such a distance.

[Mushgnome]

Delectable examines the first hatch, the tunnel leading down with the clanking noise. Is it possible to jam or lock the hatch so that we are not followed by any ascending menace? (Possibly using a severed robot limb to jam the wheel?) Delectable does not want to get trapped in a long, narrow tunnel...

[tombowings]

While his companions start down brightly lit tunnel, Delectable heaves the six crates in front of the hatch, with the hope that the hatch will not be able to open without at least the presence of intruders being acknowledged.

[Mushgnome]

Aug 25, 2010 12:59:34 GMT -6 tombowings said:

While his companions start down brightly lit tunnel, Delectable heaves the six crates in front of the hatch, with the hope that the hatch will not be able to open without at least the presence of intruders being acknowledged.

Satisfied with her temporary roadblock, Delectable creeps down the 2nd hallway towards the others.

[waysoftheearth]

Iszak presses on toward the machinery plant, with a care not to make overmuch noise. When he get near the entry he tries to discern what is going on within.

[tombowings]

Iszak continues to move at the head of the group. As he approaches the end of end of the tunnel, it becomes apparent that this is a creation facility for various types of mechanical beings. There are sider-like likes, man-like arms, huge treads, small metal bodies, serpentine coils, steely tentacles, and much more. Arms, legs, and bodies of various sorts appear to be the creations of this room, which are hulled into the leg wall was a large and slow moving conveyer-belt. Inside, the room, there three man-sided machines with box like appendages patrolling and loitering in the factory. [1d6 roll] It doesn't appear like they have spotted you.