2023/06/14

Last time in the Iron Kingdoms: Into the depths of horror.

The party returned to the village to share what they had found in the hills. And while some news concerning the situation was good, the fact that there was a full hive in the area was concerning to say the least. As the hive and its cave system was enemy territory, it was clear that the time had come for overwhelming force. Oriel, departed from the party saying that he had some messages to relay to high command and with any luck a detachment of the Winter Guard would be arriving shortly. Prokhor instead led the party back to their cabin and told them to rest while things were arranged. Night ended up passing with no issue, as the Khadoran soldiers diligently stood watch so nothing could infiltrate the village. Late the next morning, a train arrived, carrying a full regiment of Khadoran soldiers, as well as a squadron of warjacks, clad in the heavy crimson armor of Khador. Khador seemed to be taking the promises of safety for the decathlon participants seriously and nobody did overwhelming force better than Khador.

With the party guiding the army, they reached the caves around mid afternoon. With preparations beginning as soon as they were in the vicinity. Charlotte heard the grumbling of enlisted men, wondering as to why they weren't just blasting the caves and being done with it. Charlotte agreed with the sentiment though rationally knew that this was a rescue mission first and foremost and thermobaric explosives tend not to leave survivors. So there was little left to do but prepare to clear the cave by hand. While things were being set up, Khadoran scouts had found other doors in the walls of the cave, so the troops would be split up. The party was assigned to the first door that they had found, and given instructions to rescue all who could be and to leave no enemy survivors.

As the party opened the door in the cave, they were greeted with a startlingly clean hallway, lit with bright florescent lights. As the party proceeded they took a left at the first intersection, which led them to some sort of staging area for the Cephalax. Lockers and other storage options lined the walls of the room. As the party poked around a little bit in the area, they found out that the Cephalax weren't just leaving themselves undefended as a psionic trap attempted to cause Charlotte to attack her comrades. Fortunately for the rest of the party, Charlotte was used to the urge to shoot those who displease her and squashed the compulsion down flat.

With a warning the party continued onward, before stopping at the sounds of screams coming from a room. The party braced themselves for combat and opened the door. The room was some sort of operating room where the Cephalax performed horrible surgeries upon their victims. The screams were coming from one of their victims who looked to be being fitted with some sort of helmet. The party wasn't going to let this continue, and their appearance was noticed by the Cephalax surgeons, so with a battle cry the party lept to stop this atrocity. The fight with the surgeons was fairly short, though the Cehpalax were masters of the mind and used that prowess to attack the party from areas that they weren't used to defending. Despite the novel angle of attack, the party killed the Cephalax and freed their victim. The bunker wasn't safe just yet, so the party backtracked to drop off the noncombatants with the rear guard, on the way back further cries of help from the other direction in the hallway led the party to more victims who were being kept until their turn at surgery. All of the liberated were dropped off with the Khadoran military, before the party delved once again into the bunker.

As the party continued on, they came across a crematorium for disposing of those who didn't survive the Cephalax's cruel experiments. The Cephalax while cruel and monotonous, weren't going to let useful objects that their victims had go to waste however, and some of those items were left to the side for the party to appropriate. The next room that the party searched was a mess hall of sorts, and was staffed by people wearing those helmets that the party saw in the operating room. The drudges wearing them were oddly quiet and didn't acknowledge the party as they entered. The party assumed that the helmets were some sort of tool for the Cephalax to subjugate their victims, turning them into some sort of meat jack servitor. The party pondered on how to remove the helmet, and while they thought it was possible, they figured it would take too much time to safely do in an active combat zone. As these were victims too, the party led them back to safety, though did tell the Khadoran military to keep a close eye on these ones.

There was one last room for this particular bunker of the cave, and the party was led to it by dirty footprints that were in stark contrast to the cleanliness of the bunker. As the party followed the footprints they led to a small room where they seemingly disappeared. As the party entered the room, the door that they entered through sealed shut and some sort of gas began dispersing from the ceiling. Fearing another trap, Charlotte ordered the party to get one of the doors open 5 minutes ago, which which the party had no complaints following. As the door they entered was closer, Abe, Dmitriv, and Xavier began attacking the door, eventually breaking it open for the party to stumble into safety.

Now that they had a chance to breathe, Xavier was able to identify the gas as a form of antiseptic, which was odd for a gas chamber, though in the moment there was no time to waste. The far door in the room was sealed shut as well, and a red light was flashing in the room. Though the second door wasn't any more challenge than the first, and the party broke it down in short order. Inside was a Cephalax in some sort of battle suit, flanked by three test subjects that had been enhanced by drugs and surgeries. As there was nothing to discuss the party and their enemies began fighting for the fate of the bunker. The party was victorious, with Dmitriv landing crippling blows with his fists on the armored Cephalax. The Monstrosities proved to be the match for the hard steel of warjacks, disabling Kitten and fighting through wounds that would have killed lesser creatures. As the situation calmed the party began finding those who could be saved and looting anything that wasn't bolted down from the bunker.

As the party came out to meet back with the Khadorans, the thing that was on Dmitriv's mind was the location of Petr. Petr was nowhere to be found in the party's bunker, so there was nothing to be done but hope that some of the Winter Guard had rescued him. These hopes were answered as Petr was with the unconverted, though definitely was suffering from the traumas that he had witnessed at the hands and appendages of the Cephalax. Dmitriv comforted his friend for a bit, then began asking the party about Five Fingers, if it was a good place to live and such. The party answered as best as they could, while some of the Khadoran soldiers began taking careful attention of Dmitriv. Eventually Dmitriv asked if he would be able to bring a village from Khador to Five Fingers, and while the answer wasn't no those brought weren't likely to receive any support from the government. With that Dmitriv said that he would give the idea some thought, and maybe he would see the party again in Five Fingers.