Workshop of the Master Smith
The adventurers gather themselves and head out across the second bridge, warmed by their success and the lava below them. At the third balcony they find doors heading south and west. Scouting south they discover two rooms of sleeping quarters, one shared, one private. In the private quarters they find a locked chest containing 340gp and a note signed by someone called Paldemar. The note obviously came with the gold and is the final payment for "the last component."
Heading back to the balcony and carefully opening the western door, Happy Angel reveals a short corridor that opens onto what appears to be a workshop. A couple of Duergar guards stand either side of a work bench, while two spiny creature stand close to a roaring furnace. The hairs on the back of Warpriest Haagan's neck rise as he whispers, "Devils!" Alykacha fires a crossbow at one of the Spiny Devils but misses and one of the guards returns fire, charging down the corridor and narrowly clipping Happy Angel.
The party find their way blocked by the guard but Moonscale advances, lobbing a crackling orb of lightning that explodes on the work bench. The Master Smith is caught fully by its electric embrace while the devils are only singed. Pontuus charges the guard blocking the corridor, but in the cramped conditions his spear fails to strike home. The Master Smith, Urwol, takes advantage of the closely grouped targets and casts a strange spell. A cloud of shrapnel explodes into existence on the balcony, a whirlwind of nails and metal scraps batter Moonscale, Happy Angel and Pontuus. Only Rangrim manages to find room to duck out of the way.
The Duergar guard attempts to hold his position and trap them in the Iron Storm, while the Devils fire the very spines off their skin at Moonscale and Haagan. Alykacha manages to mortally wound the guard and Moonscale finishes him off with a blast of ice that sends their enemies sliding down the corridor. The adventurers take the opportunity and break out into the workshop, at last having room to maneuver.
The evil Smith has more powers at his disposal, seemingly able to summon the fires and fumes out of the forge, to cast at the party. The devils concentrate their attention on the Warpriest, causing the Paladin Rangrim to jump in front of an attack, saving Haagan from an otherwise critical wound. The Warpiest heals the Paladin with a divine prayer and smashes Urwol with his warhammer. His divine wrath, massively damaging his enemy. Sensing his weakness, Alykacha and Pontuus close in, bringing his down in a flurry of blows.
In the meantime Happy Angel and Moonscale have been concentrating on the devils, assuming they may be resistant to heat and so blasting them with ice. Eventually all the enemies are defeated and only the last devil remains, Moonscale bringing it down from afar with a trusty Magic Missile.
Treasure:
Potion of Stormshield 125gp 2xStone of Shielding
XP:
Urwol, Duergar Master Smith lvl 5 Controller xp 200
2 x Duergar Guard lvl 4 Soldier xp 175
2 x Spined Devils lvl 6 Skirmishers xp 250
Total: 1050
Once the fight is over and the party has licked their wounds, they examine their surroundings. A door to the west leads them to the squalid room where prisoners are being kept. Once released, they find members of the Rendil Halfmoon's extended family and other people kidnapped at the same time.
The workshop itself is dominated by a large work bench and a strange golden shield-like item the Smith had been working upon. Moonscale examines the thing using all his arcane knowledge, never having seen anything quite like it before. He determines that it is enchanted with some kind of fear spell, and that perhaps that was why the prisoners were still alive, that their fear was being used in its enchantment?
The party head through the southern doors, escorting the freed captives and dragging the strange item. They pass through the main gate house to the Duergar bastion and out onto one of Thunderspires many underground roads. They haven't gone more than a few steps when a small voice from the shadows asks if they are adventurers? With a little coaxing, the voice reveals itself to have come from a small mechanical dragon.
The size of a familiar or cat, the clock-work creature claims to be in thrall to a powerful magician called Paldemar, who sent it here to escort "the item" back to the magician's lair. It claims to have few memories of "before" but was once a human or humanoid and asks the adventurers to defeat the magician, who it cannot directly disobey.
Heading back to the balcony and carefully opening the western door, Happy Angel reveals a short corridor that opens onto what appears to be a workshop. A couple of Duergar guards stand either side of a work bench, while two spiny creature stand close to a roaring furnace. The hairs on the back of Warpriest Haagan's neck rise as he whispers, "Devils!" Alykacha fires a crossbow at one of the Spiny Devils but misses and one of the guards returns fire, charging down the corridor and narrowly clipping Happy Angel.
The party find their way blocked by the guard but Moonscale advances, lobbing a crackling orb of lightning that explodes on the work bench. The Master Smith is caught fully by its electric embrace while the devils are only singed. Pontuus charges the guard blocking the corridor, but in the cramped conditions his spear fails to strike home. The Master Smith, Urwol, takes advantage of the closely grouped targets and casts a strange spell. A cloud of shrapnel explodes into existence on the balcony, a whirlwind of nails and metal scraps batter Moonscale, Happy Angel and Pontuus. Only Rangrim manages to find room to duck out of the way.
The Duergar guard attempts to hold his position and trap them in the Iron Storm, while the Devils fire the very spines off their skin at Moonscale and Haagan. Alykacha manages to mortally wound the guard and Moonscale finishes him off with a blast of ice that sends their enemies sliding down the corridor. The adventurers take the opportunity and break out into the workshop, at last having room to maneuver.
The evil Smith has more powers at his disposal, seemingly able to summon the fires and fumes out of the forge, to cast at the party. The devils concentrate their attention on the Warpriest, causing the Paladin Rangrim to jump in front of an attack, saving Haagan from an otherwise critical wound. The Warpiest heals the Paladin with a divine prayer and smashes Urwol with his warhammer. His divine wrath, massively damaging his enemy. Sensing his weakness, Alykacha and Pontuus close in, bringing his down in a flurry of blows.
In the meantime Happy Angel and Moonscale have been concentrating on the devils, assuming they may be resistant to heat and so blasting them with ice. Eventually all the enemies are defeated and only the last devil remains, Moonscale bringing it down from afar with a trusty Magic Missile.
Treasure:
Potion of Stormshield 125gp 2xStone of Shielding
XP:
Urwol, Duergar Master Smith lvl 5 Controller xp 200
2 x Duergar Guard lvl 4 Soldier xp 175
2 x Spined Devils lvl 6 Skirmishers xp 250
Total: 1050
Once the fight is over and the party has licked their wounds, they examine their surroundings. A door to the west leads them to the squalid room where prisoners are being kept. Once released, they find members of the Rendil Halfmoon's extended family and other people kidnapped at the same time.
The workshop itself is dominated by a large work bench and a strange golden shield-like item the Smith had been working upon. Moonscale examines the thing using all his arcane knowledge, never having seen anything quite like it before. He determines that it is enchanted with some kind of fear spell, and that perhaps that was why the prisoners were still alive, that their fear was being used in its enchantment?
The party head through the southern doors, escorting the freed captives and dragging the strange item. They pass through the main gate house to the Duergar bastion and out onto one of Thunderspires many underground roads. They haven't gone more than a few steps when a small voice from the shadows asks if they are adventurers? With a little coaxing, the voice reveals itself to have come from a small mechanical dragon.
The size of a familiar or cat, the clock-work creature claims to be in thrall to a powerful magician called Paldemar, who sent it here to escort "the item" back to the magician's lair. It claims to have few memories of "before" but was once a human or humanoid and asks the adventurers to defeat the magician, who it cannot directly disobey.