Journal

## Day 1: When the Torch goes out (That’s when the skullfucking starts)

Discovered Torch’s torch went out. Got water breathing from Brigh priest. Dove in the lake to discover what’s going on, killed rats that had weird tech and a mind-wreaking plant and its zombies. Ana got skull fucked by a vine monster and almost died

Got a tip from the Tech Priest of Brigh (name?) that Sanvil Trett knows about old artifacts. Went to market and asked Sanvil about mysterious artifacts we got from the rats: discovered that the artifact is a device that expels gas in a 15 foot cone. Battery is fused so it cannot be recharged. Returned to Foundry Tavern (owned by Weston’s friend Khonnir) to rest. Left Cave. Identified Fire Extinguisher. Fight Robot, was dead but came back to life

## Day 2: Enter the Sand Ship

Found skulks (Sef) said purple haired lady told them to "stop any new adventurers from passing". They wanted a special rope from some Gremlins in exchange for letting us in to a strange door

***9/3/2020***

* Gained Level 2

Entered metal door with keycards with brown stripes. Weston disabled panels - exacerbated problem, shoots out more electricity. Killed 2 maintenance robots fixing panels (blasts rope. Vulnerable to crits. Appeared to take normal damage from Jolt - possibly not vulnerable to electricity?) Robots mentioned authorization levels. Brown cards are not sufficient for any information or to gain access beyond the entryway.

***9/17/2020***

Jumped through the sparking panel. Found cages with alien bones inside. Telepathically told that we were trespassing by an undead alien and his skeleton buddies, promptly killed all of them. Resting w/ Weston on watch

***9/18/2020***

Killed a weird tentacle monster in a cave with some cave paintings. Found a weird spider in amber (magical artifact). Entered a room through broken glass. Found a strange language on the walls, images of pickaxes.

Jolliel read w/ comprehend languages: Shadow in the sand, poison in the plants, the final father, Xyphus the God of Accidental Death. Found a room with a lot of strange machines and control panels. Found a button labelled “restart”, pressed it, saw hologram of desert room we just passed through. Desert room now has a blue sky with 3 suns

Killed 3 orcs, 2 rats, tied one up

Going to interrogate the rat next session (currently in a chair with light shining on them)

***9/24/2020***

Interrogated rat: talked about science room, they came from another room where there seemed to be more Ratfolk (Engineering?), were trying to fix the elevator, Ratfolk were scared of the danger of this Science floor. Also there is blood next to a door we haven’t opened. Maybe the dangerous thing is in there? Ana exploded the rat (Damn straight I did) There were 4 Floors that connect to the elevator? (crew, science, engineering, docking) Found broken elevator, broken K-shaped elevator part, can be fixed with a blacksmith. Fought a soothing drone (Jolliel expected good drugs, found a crushing reality (Jolliel is REALLY into drugs)), found two blue canisters

Weston decided to sneakily explore and found a blood trail in a hallway, a dead plant room with some human corpses (He took a sample of a plant). He calls over Quetzli to look at the corpses with her SPECIAL eyes. She finds a plant that is alive but not alive… They leave the room and shut the door. Found a room with water and work table with algae growing on the water. Found another room that look decayed

Grouped up and decided to go back to town to sell loot (splitting gold evenly) and eventually rest. Went to the blacksmith Joram and we are having him make us the part. It cost us 10 gold (2 gold each). Went the Sanvil and had him ID 5 items at 10 g each (50 g total, 10 g from each of us) Look at loot area for the IDs. Got an invitation hand addressed to each of us to go to some sketchy casino. Included vouchers for 20g worth of gambling

Went back to sleep at Khonnir’s Inn

## Day 3: Discovery of Khonnir, Betrayal by Sanvil

Picked up the metal part from the blacksmith. Made our way back across the lake, into the dungeon, across the indoor desert, and into the “Science Floor”. Found some stuff

Decided to explore a room with broken stuff and got attacked by oozes. Everyone decided to flee but unfortunately Quetzli wasn’t able to make it out before the oozes surrounded her and took a big chunk out of her health. She was able to dance away and survive with a bit of wand healing! The rest of us were able to slowly trickle back in and start attacking and Quetzli was able to keep healing herself. Eventually we defeated all the oozes without any deaths.

Started to explore the northern hallway and then got dced by discord

***10/09/2020***

Came back into the bloody hallway. Opened the eastern door and found a weird alien that looked like a vagina full of teeth. Moved south east to the other doorway where the bloodtrail led. And of course there were enemies. One was a healing bot and the others were some type of robot that we had not yet encountered

Promptly shut the door and discussed our options. Decided to try throwing a smoke baton in the room and then grabbing Khonnir. That did not work out… We opened the door and a flying robot was there, the healing robot and other mysterious robot were also closer. Ana got grabbed. We attacked. Ana got dragged and thrown onto the bed and stabbed with needles. We kept attacking. Robots decided to attack others and leave ana on the bed. She stood and joined the fray. The group killed them all Khonnir was still on the bed. We investigated after healing up a bit and found him to be severely damaged (mentally and physically) We rested to get some of our health back and hopefully have him repair his mental damage. Then we decided to head back to town. Jolliel prepared some air bubbles so Khonnir can breathe under water

* Gained Level 3

Where’s the merchant Sanvil?! He’s not at the inn, Innkeep says he said his tab and left, Sanvil didn’t mention where he might be going, Innkeeper assumed next town on the route

***10/17/2020***

While resting at Khonnir’s inn, Weston was awakened by the sound of breaking glass in Khonnir’s room. When he opened the door, he found Sanvil with a vial of blood that he appeared to be extracting from Khonnir! Weston confronted him and asked what he was doing, he claimed to be trying to… cure him? Sus. He threw a fuckin Green Aide (grenade) at us and it blew up the walls of the house! “This is bigger than you!”, Sanvil said. Weston, Khonnir and Val died in a suicide bombing by Khonnir’s two sonic grenades :( But we rezzed Weston with the scroll

Found the following magically sealed letter (unsealed by the newly rezzed Weston) on Sanvil’s corpse:

### Sanvil’s Letter

> Khonnir has been eliminated. You can’t deny that I’ve earned an official position. I also have a prize to accelerate your decision: a sample of Khonnir’s nanite infused blood. This will be instrumental in understanding the techno-arcane interface. The black hill bunch have been turning out the caverns and have found no shortage of artifacts within. Give me governorship of this wasteland settlement and I’ll make it a real arm of the league.
>
>
> PS: Garmen is aiding that scrapwall gang and I’m sure they’re behind the torch mystery. It’s more than just a lost tax. That level of energy is either being stolen or putting this resource at risk.
>
>
>
> -CS262
>
>

Brought Joram (priest of Brigh) to the dead Khonnir and Val, he cast Gentle Repose on Khonnir to extend the time we need to rez him by 6 days. We buried Khonnir and Val in the graveyard behind the Temple of Brigh, did a short funeral for them with the party, but we hope to return and resurrect Khonnir. Bought scroll of restoration/had Joram cast it on Weston so he no longer has negative levels. Checked in to the Evercandle Inn for the night to rest

***10/23/2020***

Returned to Khonnir’s inn to start the forge and burn Sanvil’s body... Jolliel burned it while the rest of the group distracted a group of onlookers figuring out the burned out building

## Day 4: Return of Khonnir

* Remember to ask around Torch about:
	+ Garmen (owner of the silver disk inn)
	+ Scrapwall gang (behind the torch mystery???)
	+ Black hill bunch? Is that us? Are they just people to hang out on the hill? What was motivating them to find artifacts?

* Open questions:
	+ Why, when, how was Khonnir moved back to his house? Who did it?
	+ What was Sanvil so afraid of that he would take his own life to kill Khonnir rather than risk capture? Is failing the Technic League a fate worse than death? How would they decree governorship of Torch? Was Khonnir the only thing holding the League back from taking the town over?
	+ What is the techno-arcane interface? How is people’s blood infused with nanites? Is Ana’s blood infused with nanites? Could Ana use the interface? Where is the interface?
		- Khonnir tells us that Techno-arcane interface… interacts with arcane people (amazing surprise)
	+ Garmen and the scrapwall gang: what is the “lost tax”? Just Technic League taxing it’s members? What is the energy suspected to be stolen or “putting this resource at risk”? We can assume the resource is the ruins beneath Torch, or perhaps a specific artifact that was the source of Torch’s torch?
		- Garmen is the proprietor of the silver disc casino

In the morning, we received a message that we should head to town hall for an emergency council meeting. Khonnir… is there? Alive somehow? Tells us that the technic league is going to take over the town. Joram resurrected him somehow. We seem to be keeping all of his shit.

Returned to the dungeon beneath Torch, went to the Engineering floor in the elevator, tried to befriend dogs before orcs commanded them to kill us anyway. Killed orcs, ratfolk and the dogs. Fought a bunch more rats, orcs and robots. 2 rats aren’t quite dead, so perhaps we’ll interrogate them next time.

Left the dungeon, sold our junk, Jolliel paid off his plate armor debt and made off with 1000g for the minerals from Joram, 200g to everyone! Back to the inn, Jolliel brought the power of Desna to the people with free channel positive energy to everyone at the inn

## Day 5: Who's that lady? Purple haired lady

After taking a nights rest in town we went back to the cavern to investigate (basically where we came from before we rested) We again ended up in the elevator and debated if we should open the doors. Weston opened the door stealthily. Found bear traps.

Investigated southern room, Weston investigated stealthily, found some worker robots working on leather conveyor belts (some green) Decided to look in other doors. Jolliel decided to Leeroy Jenkins up north and open some doors. Found the middle room with torrents, ratboi, and gargoyle (chaotic evil but told us to leave for reasons). Closed door and debated. Door was locked by ??? (who was it. Was it ratboi???) Went around to the lightning room and Weston deactivated all the weird lightning panels. We walked back into the middle room. Fought and killed ratboi and gargoyle

* Questions left:
	+ Investigate boxes? - weird white outline?
	+ What is the claw statue?
	+ What are the worker robots doing with the green leather conveyor belts in the southern room?
	+ What’s going on with the other robot in the room with the incinerator and orc corpses that Weston saw?
	+ WHAT’S IN THE EASTERN ROOM!?!?!

***11/7/2020***

Quetzli sawed the gargoyle head off with her scythe. We entered the eastern room and discovered a massive glowing machine. The purple haired android, a robot, and three rats were there and we immediately hopped into battle. The android asked us if we had "Dealt with the sad gargoyle" to which Quetzli just showed the severed gargoyle head, which made the android laugh. We battled it out, slayed all the rats and robots when then the android surrendered.

She told us that her name is Meyanda, a harbinger of Helion (android god). Wants to harvest energy from the Torch ruins for Helion. Trying to do this in order to prevent the Technic League from taking it. Helion has an ongoing grudge with Unity. She offered to turn the Torch back on. We passed on that offer, instead Jolliel and Weston worked together to turn the Torch back on, with Jolliel reading the directions that Meyanda had brought and Weston "disabling the device". Looted the room and took her stuff. Meyanda's plan was to transfer the power via a relay that Garmen setup back in town. We tied her up and led her back out of the dungeon.

As we leave the dungeon, the Torch is burning brightly and the town is rejoicing! We take Meyanda to town hall. The council encourages us to go investigate the Scrapwall Gang ASAP.

* End of Book 1!

* Gained Level 4, Book End Bonus

***11/13/2020***
Talked to Meyanda, got information about the gangs of Scrapwall, purchased two horses and a carraige and left Torch.

## Day 6-7: On the road

We followed the Crusader's Road. Jolliel scrounged for food in the surrounding desert every day, avoiding the need for rations. Weston visited the android mystic lady between Scrapwall and Torch who chiseled mystical tattoos down Weston's back. Jolliel discussed revelations about technology and the machine spirits with the mystic.

## Day... 8: A Psychotic Surprise

We finished following the Crusader's Road up to the Crusader's Keep and found it to be on fire. They lured us in with cries for help and promptly dropped the porticullis gate on us to trap our carriage. Turns out they were scrappers who had taken over the keep. We killed 'em.

***11/21/2020***

Found the four remaining Keep residents tied up. They let the Smilers in and got wreked. We fed them, clothed them, gave them water, and healed them up. We've earned their good graces so we can stay at the keep whenever we need. Jolliel mended their camping equipment and the carriage with his new Iron Priest powers. They say that reinforcements should arrive at some point.

## Day 9: The Gullible Ghost and Bad Birdfood

We also found a cold church with a statue of serenrae last night. Asked the Keep residents about it and they told us that they don't go in there anymore. Rumor has it that it is haunted, so of course we have to investigate. We found a regretful ghost named Aldronard . Weston telepathically took some papers from the ghost and we found a letter from ??? telling Aldronard that his fiancee had died because he was away on a crusade. When asked about Aldronard, the Seren Crusaders we saved earlier told us that he committed suicide by jumping from the high point of the cathedral.

Zazid and Ana used silent image and ghost voice to animate the statue of Serenrae and did a terrible impression of the god telling Aldronard that the only thing he can do now for his fiancee now is for him to move on. Somehow, despite a very low roll, he believed us and considered himself forgiven. By doing this, we have earned the Blessings of Serenrae. We can use that blessing once (total).

From the Crusader's Keep, we walked to Scrapwall. It's an intimidating scrapyard of strange technological junk. We approached the only entrance on the SW side. Once there, we encountered Sevroth Slaid and the Iron Hawks. They have been dislocated from the Iron Hawk Roost by the Smilers (leader is Birdfood) and want to take it back. They request that we take it back for them before they'll ally with themselves with us.

We headed to the Iron Hawk Roost. Weston and Zazid used vanish to go invisible and then charged their way up to the Roost where they found that it is surrounded by a minefield. Weston psychic slight-of-handed a scary looking rifle off one of the guards and into the minefield and Zazid threw a euphoric cloud over them. We then proceeded to slowly get blown up by mines while trying to make it over to the entrance where two orcs came out to fight us. Zazid was close to death but managed to pull through via heroic healing from Quetzli and Jolliel. After a tense fight, we managed to take out the orcs and make our way to the entrance. Also, now we have the scary looking rifle. >:)

***12/5/2020***

We returned to Sevroth Slaid at the Iron Hawks. She was impressed with our taking down the Smilers. She agreed to provide us a merchant to sell to in the morning and to allow us to rest at the Nest. We returned to Nest to rest.

## Day 10: ???

Returned to the Iron Hawks, haggled with the merchants for a bit.

Learned of Smiler lieutenants, Marrow and Gunshy. We headed in the last known area of Divanya Lanalei who we were tasked with returning a symbol of Brigh to by Joram. While headed there, we spotted a silver raven flying to the West, and a terrifying flying beast to the East. We entered the cave where we saw the silver raven fly in, found a wall of gears which Zazid expertly discovered a gear to push that opened the wall. Inside, we found a temple of Brigh. Upon entering the main chamber, statues of Brigh began to animate. The party (Jolliel) pleaded that we were not seeking to harm Divanya but all she said to us was "I'm busy." She then shut the door on us. Jolliel, outraged at the flagrant violation of his rules of hospitality, stormed out.

Eventually, Divanya returned and deactivated the attacking golems. She sort of apologized by way of making a copy of the Logic of Design. We were finally able to deliver the message from Joram that it's safe to return to Torch. We then did some intel on Marrow and Gunshy, observed their movements and found a good ambush location. We started planning an ambush.

## Day... 2x: ???

Killed Marrow, a ratblob and a bunch of cyborg zombies.

## Day... 30?

Hellion attacked Torch as a scorpion, we wreked him. Found some books from his lackeys

Nalakai’s book: [Interwoven between his prayers and chants, Nalakai has written a mythos concerning his god. Hellion was the Prime until he and the Prime became two. Hellion served as a slave to Prime, directed toward slowly controlling this world. The Prime bestowed Hellion with an impressive body and sent Him to gather information on this world and eliminate the threat posed by the Second. Hellion, in his divine cunning, escaped the oppression of the Prime. Hellion found his godkiller weapon. In time, He will use it to strike a fatal blow against the seat of the Prime.]

Kulgara’s book: [Hellion plans on shedding this form and merging with the buried machine. Kulgara is doubtful that the machine could ever be fully charged at this rate. Hellion’s inherited memories point to a sort of sibling, a harbinger of unity. Her mind may contain unity's weakness. She escaped to southern Numeria to activate an army. Kulgara plans to invade Iandenveigh to track down this AI and capture the army she failed to access]

Asked Meanda, "Unity" is what the Prime calls itself. The Second came before Helion, failed at Prime's goal.

## Day 31

Sold stuff, headed out back to Torch in our carriage. Stopped at Aldernard's (Jolliel's lol) Rest and they indicated that bandit attacks from scrapwall were more frequent.

## Day 32

Headed to scrapwall in the morning, left our carriage of heavy stuff behind. Went to Helion's domain, found the arena, headed down and found an abandoned complex. There was a pit with a slime in it. Weston picked the lock on a room and we found a room full of computers. Found some screens with Helion and a bunch of other text in Androffan looping, as well as a six limbed spiky alien creature. Weston explored a cavernous area beneath the computing complex and found a depiction of a red 4-armed, two legged reptililan/insectoid creature with tons of bodies piled up at it's feet. Identified it as an Outsider that plants eggs in people that then explode when they hatch. Found a very similar creature in a cave further down from there, we identified it as a Zil. Which is typically Evil.