Eberron PbP Story Hour – Chapter 10: Mission Accomplished
“Someone want to figure out a proper watch then? Rathan and I can take first unless it works out better a different way,” Lealani asked as they made preparations to rest.
After a few minutes of arguing, watch order was decided and the night passed quickly. In the morning, Jebber healed everyone.
“Thank the Host, I feel much better today. Is everyone else ready to press on?” Kolthak took another look at the journal to see if it gave any info about the forge and the rods. It, of course, was still blank. Taking a chance, he assumed the order of the rod was triangle, square, pentagon.
As soon as the pentagon slid into place, he heard a loud *click* from behind the forge. He looked and saw that there was a small opening in the wall. Within the opening, they found a sack containing 100 silver pieces, a sack containing 100 gold pieces, four gold ingots, three blue potions, one red potion, an old map, and an adamantine plate shaped into a seven-pointed star. It was slightly more than six inches long from point to point, and was covered with strange engraved patterns.
Lealani picked up the star and look it over, “Is this some sort of key I wonder?” Her face lit up a few seconds later. “Ah, this is what the lady is searching for! Success! I wonder what kind of special metal these bars must be. Can anyone identify them?”
Jebber took the potions and stare at them for a few minutes. Eventually, he was able to determine that the blue potions were potions of cure moderate wounds and the red potion was a potion of mage armor. He then studied the coins. They were old, of that there was no doubt. If they found the right person to sell them to, they could get more than face value for them.
Kolthak took the map to study it. The old map showed a number of cryptic symbols spread throughout what appeared to be ancient depictions of the territory that were now divided between the Mournland and Darguun.
He then hefted the seven-pointed star. “I think we’ve explored this whole area, so are we ready to return this to Lady d’Cannith?”
Lealani answered. “I guess there is no reason to stay here further, we’ve found what we need, right? Maybe we could make a copy of this map though, in case of trouble. Is anyone good at that?”
“Or perhaps we can keep the map, as I don’t think she asked about it,” said Kolthak.
Rathan said, “Before we leave, if no one objects, I’d like to switch into that suit of chain mail. It will give me better armor than this studded leather.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea, Rathan,” said Kolthak.
“We’re all patched up & ready to go? Let’s go see what kind of welcoming committee that last flying orb brought back,” said Jebber.
Rathan opened the door leading out. “Hopefully there are no more surprises.”
As they emerged from the foundry, a flaming crossbow bolt streaked from the rubble surrounding the large stone column. “Weakflesh!” a powerful voice called out from that direction. “Now you face Saber, greatest of the devoted followers of the Lord of Blades. Throw down the schema and walk away. This day does not have to end with your blood on my hands.” They could see a warforged in the shadows, its crossbow loaded with another bolt.
“Hah, my real allies have finally shown themselves! Good riddance to all these poor soft fleshies and their porous exoskeletons. They would never suspect that I, this poor damaged warforged, was in reality the Lord of Blades! Mwahahaha!” Shrapnel yelled, standing towards the back applying generous vials of repair light wounds salve even as the crossbow bolt goes flying by.
“I seriously hope it’s your malfunction making you seem as if you would stab us in the back, warforged” Lealani said in a fiery tone. “As while you have fought with us your words show us no honor or loyalty.”
“After all this trouble you send after us do you honestly think we’d just leave it to you? It must be of much value. No, you’re going to have to take it from us and it won’t be easy you Nadorhuan,” she then yelled at the warforged in the shadows.
Shrapnel began to make strange hand gestures and a shrug followed by, “What is she talking about this time? I didn’t say anything! Wait! She must be reading my mind… or my circuits… or whatever! She’s a witch! A WITCH!”
The warforged in the shadow yelled at Shrapnel, “You rust covered bucket of bolts! Anyone who helps the fleshies like you have will die by my hand!”
It then turned its attention to Lealani. “How dare you talk about my master that way, you elven witch! You are nothing compared to Him and the great quest he longs to fulfill!”
“Another damned warforged! I’ve got nothing against this Lord of Blades, but he is seriously starting to piss me off,” cursed Rathan.
“You speak in the tongue of one that is truly useless, fleshbag. If you are to speak to me, speak to me clearly and concisely,” answered the warforged.
Kolthak whispered softly, “Well lad, I guess that answers the question of what that winged globe would conjure up.”
Then he spoke to the warforged. “You misbegotten rustbucket! Your behavior shows you’re just like your so-called fleshies; you’re little more than a cowardly, thieving cultist!”
Lealani laughed. “I called you a cowardly dog which seems just about correct. I’ll make sure to hold onto that star extra tightly then in case you decide to be a hero.”
With the enemy’s attention focused on Lealani, Kolthak makes a move to flank the warforged. The warforged is keen to this and lets loose a flaming bolt which pierces Kolthak’s leg!
Lealani moves up and casts color spray! She covers the warforged in a rainbow of color. He looks directly at her and says, “Is that all you have, fleshbag? You’ll have to do better than that.”
Rathan moved up to protect Lealani.
Jebber moves around a large pile of rubble, trying to stay under cover and fire off a shard at the warforged. He misses. Ilyra follows him and lets loose a ray of enfeeblement, which hits him and saps his strength.
Kolthak stepped up and used a potion of cure moderate wounds.
The warforged stepped up to Lealani. “Let me show you how a real warrior does things,” he said as he swung his longsword. Apparently, he wasn’t a real warrior because he missed horribly.
Lealani laughed at his miss and stepped back to cast color spray again. The warforged screeched and dropped his sword. His hands flew to his eyes. “You’ve blinded me, you bitch! I’ll kill you!”
“You’ll have to find me first,” she said coolly.
Rathan stepped up and hit the warforged hard with his longsword. “Take that you iron bastard!”
“So he doesn’t believe I am who I am? What a fool! I guess I’ll have to punish him for his amazing credulousness.” Shrapnel moved up and slammed the stunned warforged upside the head.
Jebber moved and missed with his crossbow. Ilyra let loose a magic missile, hitting the enemy squarely.
Kolthak cast swift expeditious retreat and circled around behind the enemy, setting up a flank with Sharpnel. “Take this ya tin-plated bastard!” he said as he connected with his axe. The warforged’s head flew off. Immediately thereafter, a small orb detached itself from the forged, sprouted wings, and headed off down a tunnel.
Kolthak let out a yell and kicked the head to see how far he can get it. “Rust in parts ya bastard!”
“Good shot, Kolthak. Why do warforged have it out for us?” Rathan turned to Shrapnel. “Can we trust you or not, mister Lord of the Blades?”
“He’s a witch too! What do I do? What do I do? AHHHHH! I’ve got to stay calm. I have to think calm thoughts! NO – WAIT! THEY’RE STILL READING MY MIND! Even in my own head I’m not safe? What should I do? Run? Play dead? Fight for my life? Oh, I know… I’ll sprout one of those stupid wingy things that keep popping out of the other ‘forged. That will fix this! Now… how do I do that?”
“Wait… maybe if I can convince myself that I’m not really the lord of blades, then they’ll believe me. I mean, I don’t have any blades… or even sharp pointy things… well… besides my head…”
“Yes… it’s working! I almost don’t think I believe myself! Why I almost don’t think I thought that
thought at all… I thunk.”
Rathan looked up at Shrapnel, “You are truly a broken warforged. If you betray us, I will personally cut your head from your body.” Rathan then turned toward Kolthak. “Is that longsword anything special?”
“It’s working! I’m almost not thunk I’m thinking at all!” Shrapnel said to no one in particular.
Lealani shook her head. “May my ancestors grant me the patience to make it to the surface in the company of this one. We might have to force him to get fixed when we return there!”
“It appears to be magical, but not strongly so. A nice enough weapon..for a sword.” Kolthak looked at the rest of the group. “Would anyone be interested in this crossbow? And shall we head back to the surface?”
“A magical sword could be a good thing. If no one minds, I can make use of it,” queries Rathan.
“I think you are the only one who wields a sword, so you should have it,” said Lealani. “I do not need the crossbow Ai’atar, I don’t know how to use it. We have the other items we found also, we should not forget.”
Jebber piped up, “Let us leave this place. I would stand beneath the sky again.”
The group quietly made their way back to the surface world, unsure of what would happen once they were up there.
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