Session 67 - The Plan Runs Like Clockwork
24th March 2023
In-game timeline: Start of session: 1489DR Alturiak 30. End of session: 1490DR Ches 2
Our Heroes, surprisingly, stick with their plan to head for the Driscol Salt Flats in the search for Azkael's Tower. They re-hire Thumb for the next 6 days and head out north-east.
The journey to the edge of the salt flats is uneventful. After a couple of days they reach the plains of dried salt. The area is barren, windy and somewhat unnerving. As they head onto the flats themselves, this sense of foreboding intensifies, and the group feel very uncomfortable. This is exacerbated when they spot a variety of bones buried quite deep in the salt beneath their feet. Jaxii and Iwee recall stories of an ancient salt-lake in the north that was drained many centuries before by the Dwarves, and they wonder if they are walking on the remains of creatures that dwelt in that lake.
They send Owl Pacino up to scout for a tower. Her returns some hours later with the news that he had spotted a tower and gives them a rough bearing towards it. After a while they do spot some faint wheel tracks in the salt and follow those in the direction of the tower.
When the tracks seem to diverge away from the direction the tower is supposed to be in, they have a decision to make - follow the tracks or head for the tower. Using Pacino again they find out that the tracks seems to head towards a camp of some sort. After some discussion, and some voting, they decide to ignore the tracks for now, and head for the tower.
Upon arrival that the tower, they see a clocktower that seems to radiate light from each of its large clock faces halfway up the tower. Each face tells the same time, but it is wrong. The tower is also floating 20 feet in the air.
With dusk having arrived, and the party feeling more uncomfortable on these desolate plains, they try their best to get up to the door, hovering above the ground. Derrick uses his (stolen?) magic boots to leap onto the stone steps outside the door, and then throws a rope down for the others to use to climb up. Other than a slip from Jaxii, they manage to get to the floating tower and knock on the door.
The door is answered by a clockwork humanoid creature by the name of Jeep. It turns out that he is the 'butler' for Azkael, but that Azkael disappeared into the top of the tower some… 300 years ago and hasn't been seen since. Jeep and various other clockwork creatures have been keeping the tower in good order ever since.
As Jeep fetches some refreshments, they look around the reception room. They are unnerved when they spot some crystals, which they recognise as chintz crystals, and Iwee translates a TO DO list on a board that seems to imply the tower disappears into the Nine Planes of Hell for 9 days out of every 10! Jeep confirms this, but does say that they have until about midnight before the tower will disappear.
Asking why the clock is stopped, Jeep explains that a clockwork creature named Jarvis was created by Azkael some… 300 years ago, but he used a different coloured chintz crystal, which turned out to be somewhat corrupting. Jarvis wrecked havoc which culminated in him removing a key cog from the clock system in order to repair himself. Ever since then the clock has not worked. Jeep also mentioned that Jarvis had created a companion, named Tock. The friendly clockwork creatures managed to barricade Jarvis in the upper levels of the tower and things have remained that way for some… 300 years now.
Finding out that Azkael's 'room' is in the top level of the tower, and this is likely to be the place containing any components such as Siren's Bones, our "Heroes" decide to face Jarvis and Tock in order to reach the upper levels.
They head up to the second floor, and Jeep and others remove the barricade by the door, replacing it behind them after they have entered the room.
As they creep up the stairs, they hear a whirring and clicking noise, and then Derrick, who is in the lead, spots a large clockwork creature rushing towards him!
The creature fires slippery oil all over the top of the stairs, and then lights it, enveloping the top "Heroes" in flame. Luckily most of the party are resistant to fire, as the damaged caused by this initial attack is significant. Derrick rushes to engage the creature, and Jaxii runs in to take on the clockwork hound that is running towards them.
Karoshi manages to bless the group and Iwee decides to recite a poem. Luckily the poem is magical, and hearing The Poem of Moonfall inspires the group. Derrick and Jaxii do what they do best. Hit things. They are in turn hit back, but their resistance to fire really helps. Jaxii makes short work of Tock, who doesn't really get a chance to get into his stride. Jarvis is a tougher opponent, and Derrick takes some hard hits from a blowtorch arm and a rotating saw arm. Iwee manages to slow Jarvis down which really hampers his usual multiattack. Feeling emboldened by her usefulness, and wanting to contribute more, the little bard notches a bolt into her crossbow and fires it at the clockwork monstrosity. It flies straight into Derrick's backside, causing the fighter to shout in pain and feel a little aggrieved at now having to watch his back from his "friends" as well as the actual enemies in front of him. Mumbling about the fact that it would all have been different if he had become King of the Werewolves, he continues to strike the brass creature. It takes time, but between them the fighters, joined by Karoshi, manage to smash the clockwork machine into pieces.
Relieved that the creatures didn't have a more impactful form of damage, the group is aware of time progressing, and the threat of ending up in the Nine Planes of Hell hovers over them. While they call Jeep and wait for him and his friends to clear the barricade away so they can fetch the cog from the remains of Jarvis to restart the clock, Iwee - surprisingly seeing the figure of Azkael high up in the rafters - calls up to him but there is no response. She heads up the ladder to reach the higher levels. And promptly stops.
Iwee is frozen in time. How to free her? Will she be able to be freed at all? Will she be affected? Questions for another session…