The Drawbridge

Sar 7th Dravago

The Drawbridge

The group open the bulkhead and move forward to be faced with a pair of Blackscales, as they fight a pair of lizardfolk emerge from the water ahead and move to flanking positions. As the fight progresses several poison dusk rangers begin to launch arrows from platforms across the water.

The Crimson Fists having quickly, if painfully, defeated the Blackscales on their side of the bridge come under heavy fire from the poison dusk rangers on the other side of the waters. With a speed born of combat experience they gather around Anvil to take full protection from his enchanted shield. Ajax uses his sandals to give everyone water-walking and still in formation they charge across the water to engage the war-forged. (5)
Well in formation apart from Lorric who bounds off to engage the archers in the tower on their right. (4)

The main group charge straight into the war-forged tower shields and with mighty blows reduce one to kindling and begin attacking the war-forged behind.
Lorric quickly dispatches the two poison dusk rangers, somehow managing to knock one into the lever in the tower and activating it. He quickly moves through the corridors to engage the enemy his comrades are fighting. However just as Lorric charges into the rear of the Lizardmen the rest of the Crimson Fists are also attacked from behind. With a might roar a huge half-dragon bursts from the waters behind the rest of the group. It slashes Katerina with its claws in a fly-by attack and then pulls back and unleashes a stream of black acidic bile. This badly burns Ajax but also finishes off two of the half-dragon’s allies who are in the path of this
attack.
The creature hovers over the water assuming it can't be reached its therefore very surprised when the Crimson Fist bounce lightly on the water towards it and engage it in combat. It is swiftly slain

Katerina sees to the group's wounds and they begin to explore the rest of the complex. They quickly check the two defunct control rooms (6 and 7)

In the room that houses the bridge's controls (8) they encounter two more draconic lizard folk. As these two seem in no hurry to fight Ajax demands that if they wish to live they must say were the Caliginous Dyad is and, much to his surprise, they inform him that they are beyond the iron double doors .

This sudden honesty stops the groups in their tracks and there seems an unspoken feeling it would be unfair to attack the creatures now. Lorric breaks the impasse by demanding if the two lizard folk eat people. Their answer of "no" is such an obvious lie that Lorric launches himself at them. He quickly pays for his impulsiveness as he takes a blast of acid to the chest that nearly finishes him. 

Quickly the two creatures are dispatched before they can do any more harm. While Lorric is first curiously poked in his most burnt and tender area and then finally healed by Katerina, Anvil brings the bridge up so the group can make a quick escape.

1. Approach to the Bridge

Ahead you can see a chasm in the floor, some 20 feet down the sheer sides you can hear the gentle lapping of water. With great roars a huge lizardman on each side of you prepare to attack.

There are two Blackscales here, one barbarian and one adept. And hidden in the water are two lizardfolk fighters.

2. The Water

Twenty feet below your present position you can see that dark water laps gently at the walls of the tunnel. It is unfathomably deep and there is the occasional sign of movement in the periphery of your vision. The other side of this expanse of water is about 25 feet away.

3. The Bridge

Steps lead down five feet to a slightly rusted metal bridge that crosses this watery obstacle. A visible mechanism raises and lowers the bridge into a position whereupon you can use it to cross, or down into the dark waters where it is unusable. There are no signs of how to operate the bridge from your current location.

4. Guard Posts

Beyond the door a set of stairs lead steeply up 10 feet. The room that is at the top of the stairs is 10 feet above the water line.

There are 2 poison dusk rangers positioned each of these areas. The guards here will fire at any opportune target that comes into sight.

5. The Last Defence

Positioned here watching the drawbridge and ready to attack intruders should they try to cross are several guards including two Warforged Juggernauts each bearing a tower shield and two poison dusk rangers and finally there is a Blackscale Elite (Half-Dragon) that will erupt from the water once the combat ensues. The Warforged will provide cover for the rangers with their shields as they attempt to repel intruders, once the intruders are within range the warforged will drop their shields and attack. These living constructs are loyal to their “owners” and will fight to the death.

6. Defunct Control Room 1

A lifeless control panel sits along the northern wall of this room, the dials and gauges all sit at zero and the gentle hum that you have come to associate with this type of panel is not present.

A door leads off to the west.

7. Defunct Control Room 2

This room houses a lifeless control panel, devoid of the hum of energy that seems to infuse these when they are operational. Now the room is a rough dormitory. Several straw “beds” line the southern wall, although to the untrained eye they could easily pass for a single compost heap.

8. The Bridge Control Panel

The door to this room is firmly locked.

The control panel on the northern wall of this room gently hums with energy. Levers seem to be present to regulate steam and water flow to various valves. There seems to be some correlation with the mechanism that controls the movement of the bridge.

Although the bridge can not be controlled from here, it can be disabled and even broken. Two Black half-dragon Lizardfolk watch and monitor the status of these functions. It is their sole duty and they will not leave this room under any circumstance.

9. Control Room

This room has a control panel humming with power. Gauges and dials measure unknown quantities and levers and switches operate things beyond your understanding.

Further study of this panel may reveal that it is designed to measure and regulate water pressures in various pipes. There are temperature gauges that seem to indicate steam pressures and flow rates.

Beyond the far doors…

Huge double doors block your path, they are painted with the same claw marked motif as you found in the room where the Blackscale adepts were meditating.

The Water Station

Far 6th Dravago

As the group emerge from the closing corridor one by one they gather outside the door that stands at the end. Anvil, after his rudimentary checks as the doors safety, opens it with caution. Blocking the way ahead, five feet away he is faced with a formidable looking warfoged, his adamantine plating is embelished with large spikes and his unemotional face deamnds that they leave. A large blackscale can be seen in the room behind him. After a few moments of parley it becomes clear that the warforgesd wants them to leave or they will be attacked, the group prepare for combat and as they are becoming more irrate the blackscale leans over and pulls a lever causing a huge 2 foot thick steel door to silde closed, sealing the room. Anvil notices that there is a sliding switch on the outside of the room that he determines is a mechanism for opening the door.

After a few minutes of buffing and a quick scout ahead the party are ready to face the rooms occupants.

Ajax is designated to be the one to open the door and the rest of the party take their places to back him up. As the great steel door slides open Ajax is faced with a Warforged Juggernaut charging towards him at full steam, he is slammed back with great force, taking superficial damage from the spikes that cover his foe. the rest of the group move to attack. As the blackscale moves into action it casts a Heat Metal spell, targeting Ajax and Anvil, luckily Anvil shrugs off the effects but Ajax soon begins to feel his sword and chain shirt begin to heat up uncomforatbly. Lorric tumbles his way past the assailants and into the room where he begins to pummel the blackscale, its wounds make it clear that it won't be casting any more spells for a while.

*Anvil comments
Anvil feels unhappy to have to be fighting what he feels to be his kins men, but on the other hand he fully understands that both he and his enemy have they own duties to perform. Once the battle is over Anvil careful makes note of the Ghulra so that its passing can be remembered.

The combat is soon over as Ajax follows Lorric's lead and tumbles into the room, albeit with less grace, and brings the blackscale down leaving all attention to be focused on the warforged. It is Lorric's fists that land the final blows and the construct collapses to the floor.

Lorric feels the urge to begin pulling levers but is kept in check by Anvil's level head, although he threatens to break the padlock on the "System Flush" lever to see what it does. Meanwhile Ajax feels his chain shirt getting hotter and hotter so he decides to run to the slipway (area 3), where he leaps into the water to try and douse the burning. As the water sizzles and steams about him the burning subsides and he feels a little respite.

As Ajax is cooling off in the waters they begin to move and swirl around him, as the shifter slowly tries to back out of the slipway a huge creature composed entirely of the dark waters here rises to attack him.

*Ajax comments

Ajax KNEW bathing was bad for you.

*Anvil comments
Lorric's mood is one that often lightens the spirits of the party, however given the nature of the dangers they have faced so far in the way of traps, Anvil feels that Lorric antics are foolish and for once wishes the drunken master would be a touch more responible.

Taking serious wounds, Ajax calls for help and begins to run back towards the party. Katerina and Kapek head towards the sounds of anguish leaving Lorric and Anvil to continue their arguement about the sanity of pulling random levers. As Ajax heads towards Katerina she is shocked at the wounds he has sustained and immediately begins to cast healing magics upon him.

*Ajax comments

Indeed only the temporary vitality of his Shifted form is keeping Ajax on his feet.

*Anvil comments
Anvil is angry that he wasn't ready to fight and defend his friends sooner due to being delayed by Lorric.

By this time Anvil and Lorric have come to appreciate the severity of the situation and quickly they head out to help their comrades. As Kapek holds position to prevent the huge elemental from advancing, Lorric races past him to begin pummeling the creature, taking massive injuries in the process.

The battle with the elemental is a long and painful affair for all involved, before the thing is defeated Kapek is beaten to close the point of death and Katerina burns through all but one of her healing spells.

*Anvil comments
Anvil is pleased that he was able to help Kapek from taking a number of heavy blows by thrusting Guardian over the head of Kapek are deflecting the blow.

The group then decide to head back to the control room and figure out what things in there are for. The group soon determine, after Lorric decides to randomly pull a lever and the red crystals on the wall fizzle slightly, that the levers are there to open and close the huge steel bulkheads, and that the diagram is a basic plan of the area. They close the door to the slipway as Ajax has noticed many lizardmen tracks in the slick algae that has grown at the waterline. They think that the red crystals are the mechanism to the door that blocked their way earlier. The group press on, investigating the areas closest to them before heading north, up the stairs to the crossroads.

The group speak with the warforged down the western corridor, it seems that as long as they group do not attempt to pass, then they will not be attacked.

*Anvil comments
After careful talks with the warforged guards and the party, Anvil hopes that they will not have to go that way and that he will not have to defeat two more of his kin. He believes that they will also be true to their word and not fight unless the group heads their way. With that in mind the party leaves them alone and tries to check all other ways first.

They decide to press on north up the stairs where they can hear the sound of rushing water and the dim red light that infuses the area grows a little stronger.

The group enter the main source (area 9) with some trepidation. After a few moments taking in their surroundings they see a pair of blackscale lizardfolk and a pair of poison dusk rangers moving out of the shadows and into attack positions. The fight is quick, but not without injury as Kapek sustains a great deal of damage from one of the raging creatures huge greatclubs. Once the threat is eliminated they take a few minutes to search through the wet refuse pile at the eastern side of the room. Rummaging through wet branches, refuse, dirt and the like they find a suprising amount of wealth in the form of coins, jewels, potions and the occasional weapon.

*Anvil comments
The battle is hard fought, Anvil is glad to have Crafted a potent shield crystal to aid he and those close by once again Kapek in this case from any hails of arrow fire that the poison dusk lizards send his way.

Anvil recognises the glowing mist coming from high in the wall of the northern end of the room as an effect known as Slow-light.

*Anvil comments

Anvil makes note of the slow-light and hopes that he can try to bottle some up that could then be released in the future.

The group defeat two brass golems that guard the blue crystals on the platform above them by lassooing them and pulling them to the ground, after several humourous attempts and the unfortunate moment where one landed upon Ajax they are victorious and manage to depress the crystals thus lowering the wall of force that seperates the aqueduct from the platform.
The Warforged Juggernauts that stand guard outside the doors to the west are duped by means of Lorric eating several mushrooms (that were acquired from the Dhamoril Woods) that make him larger and the use of his hat of disguise. He takes the form of a Blackscale adept and orders them to take the place of the destroyed brass golems on the platform, thus allowing the party to investigate the rooms that they were guarding.

To the east they manage to subdue a Blackscale, killing his comrade as they are playing cards. Once subdued they tie him up and question him.

After searching the entirety of this area the group return to the power sources, whereupon Anvil repairs the broken one. The red lights on the door status panel become yellow and the door can now be opened.

The group rest in the control room for the night after securing all the bulkheads.

1. Control Room

 A lever by the entrance, both inside and outside the room, allows a steel bulkhead to slide into place.

Inside, levers and dials cover a control panel of some sort. There are gauges that seem to indicate some kind of fluid levels, dials that seem to measure pressure and levers that are linked to a series of glowing crystals

A panel on one wall, labeled “Door Status” has several glowing lights at various points.

There is also a rather important looking lever that is padlocked into place with a crystal at each of the lever’s two positions. Running along the slit that the lever moves down are the words “System Flush”, in cracked and chipped paint. A crystal lies at each position, both have a dim red glow.

2. Store Room

Mechanical components, oil, tools, faded (and now worthless) crystals etc…

A dismantled warforged hangs here from a series of chains attached to the ceiling. It looks as though he has been stripped down for parts, or for further study. Either way whatever was the spark that gave him life, it is now faded.

3. Slipway

Steps lead down 20 feet here and a slipway gradually slopes into still, dark waters.

4. The Panic Room

This room has a 100 foot ladder leading up to it. Once inside an occupant can close the steel bulkhead by way of a lever on one wall. A spiral staircase heads upwards over 100 feet.

The Crossroads

The great steel doors that stand to the west of the crossroads have a series of four crystals above them, the centre all are illuminated and the great steel doors stand open.

The corridor to the west has a pair of Warforged Juggernaut guards, one stands outside each door at the end of the corridor.

5. The Steam Pipes
As you enter this room you are immediately struck with a wave of heat. This room is filled with hot pipes and a thick veil of burning steam.

6. Observation Room 2
A railed-off area over-looks a deep cylindrical shaft. At regular intervals up the length of this tunnel are clearly defined measurement markers. In the darkness below, some 70 feet down, you can make out what looks like water.
Two Blackscales are playing cards in this room.

7. The Stairs to the Bilge Flush
A sturdy hatch set into the floor here dominates the room.
By cranking the huge wheel-like locking mechanism it can be opened to reveal a set of spiral stairs leading down some 150 feet. They end in a long tunnel, with a diameter of perhaps 25 feet, that heads off to the west and into utter darkness.
Directly to the east is a huge bulkhead from which flows a tiny rivulet of water that trickles down the large pipe. By the door are a series of four indentations that appear to have had objects forcibly removed from them.

The tunnel heads west for well over 1500 feet before it drops down to a grate, below can be seen boiling lava, a vertical shaft rises into darkness above.

8. Observation Room 1
A railed-off area over-looks a deep cylindrical shaft. At regular intervals up the length of this tunnel are clearly defined measurement markers. In the darkness below, some 50 feet down, you can make out what looks like water.

9. The Main Source

The thick steel double-doors open out into a large chamber. The sound of crashing water comes from somewhere above you and the red light that suffuses everything here is much brighter. Directly ahead is a single square-cut pillar that rises up some 100 feet, a ladder clings precariously to this pillar that meets a steel platform far above. A gentle blue glow can be seen from the ends of this platform that curve round to point just above the entrance.

A little further beyond this platform is a stone bridge-like construction, still roughly 100 feet up, it seems to be the source of the sound of water, and a little further beyond that seems to be the source of the red light. A thick red mist drifts down from the westerly side of the room carrying light, the mist seems to have the ability to drift through solid matter as though it were air.

Two Blackscale barbarians and two poison dusk Rangers in here attack on sight. The rangers attack from behind the great pillar in the centre of the room while the barbarians go into a rage and charge.
Beneath the eastern end of the bridge-like structure is quite a large pile of what looks like wet refuse.

10. Steel Access Platform
At each end of the platform is a glowing blue crystal, guarding each of these crystals is a Brass Golem.
From here a shimmering blue field can faintly be seen along the southern edge of the aqueduct.

11. The Aqueduct
Water rushes along this 15 foot wide channel at great speed, the force drives four water wheels at great speed, the shafts of these wheels protrude from just below four recesses on the far side of the aqueduct. To the east the water-course heads through a steel grate and continues into darkness, the sound of crashing water seems to be emanating from there.
The water here is 10 feet deep and appears to be quite murky and filled with pieces of waste and refuse.

The water rushes down from a tunnel at 45 degrees, at the top of the slope, some 50 feet or so from the aqueduct, a huge screw seems to be forcing water up from below.

12. The Power Sources
Four recesses are set in the far wall, each is five feet deep and ten feet wide. Each recess has a large box like item etched with runes, intricate pipelines and plugs cover the surface of the box and each emits a faint red glow and hums gently with a low drone.
The box in the far western recess has been moved from it’s mounting on the wall and a thick plume of glowing red mist gently pours gently from pipes that run into the wall. This box is silent.

Slow-Light

This substance is known as Slow-Light.  In small doses Slow-Light is not harmful. As it diffuses throughout an area it creates a “source less” form of lighting. It can occur in many and varied colours, some is a simple mist, other sources may produce tiny stars or myriad sparkles. It is a common by product of arcane experimentation, malfunctioning arcane power sources, or in milder manifestations, the cause of glowing magical items.