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The Wrap Up

DM Carl
Wednesday February 20th, 2019 4:53:08 PM
Pressi moves to start gathering Ix's ashes. She has comments on the family's failure to communicate.

Shan recovers and stands. Anur starts to respond, but Shan shushes him. "Now now, dear. Our familial squabbles have given these adventurers enough trouble." She turns to Pressi. Her smile is warm, but her skin is gray and her eyes hard, both showing her to be in no small amount of pain. "Still, you're not quite right on that. Ix and I both begged this lummox not to perform this little test run. This failure is teacher enough, though. No need for me to gloat or rub it in."

Zaragosa is glad Shan is back among the living, but can't figure out her intentions. Perhaps a sense motive check could lend some understanding?

Kezzem wonders what's next and Bliss is still ready to pounce.

Murphy details for Shan some parts of all this she may not have been aware of, and lays down the terms of surrender for the pair. Shan flashes a brief smile when he mentions Ix's belief that Shan caused all this, but she hides it quickly behind her hand.

It's Anur who speaks first. "Ix was...brilliant, and charming. He was also lazy, hedonistic, and arrogant. I cannot forgive his bringing ruin to our designs, but I will still miss him." Shan stands behind him, making a face that hints she may not share this final sentiment. "I've already surrendered to your justice. I accept your terms."

"Me too," chimes in Shan. She watches as Anur walks to pick up the heavy pewter symbol of Scald he dropped earlier. He looks intently at it for a moment, face a mask of concentration. After a few seconds, he exhales and drops the thing. The paladins in the party are intimately familiar with what's just happened. Arcane power is taken. Divine power is only borrowed, and it appears Anur's has been rescinded. Maybe they feel a little bad for him? Probably not...

Succotash apologizes for striking first during a parlay. Shan regards him quite coolly. "I'd almost forgotten. You'll receive no absolution from me. I accept your surrender. You can keep your apology."

Talia feels this is almost at an end. She begins to gather Ix's ashes, placing them in an empty scroll tube with Pressi's assistance. Anur accepts it with no outward emotion. Shan doesn't seem moved either way.

Hobie makes sure Shan knows he'll put her down without hesitation. "Come now. We may let different philosophies guide our actions, but surely I've shown myself to be a woman of my word? Still, if scowling at me makes you feel better..." She lets the thought drift off and conclude itself.

***

Shan joins her husband, takes the scroll containing his son, and places it in her pack. "Time to go home, love." Anur nods and wordlessly descends the ladder out of the control room. Shan moves to Pressi and gives her a quick hug. "If you ever get bored or find yourself tired of these boys you keep company with, come find me. I wish we could have met under better circumstances." She smiles and turns to follow Anur.

With that, the threat to Humble's Ford has been nullified. I am awarding 40,000 XP to everyone for saving your town, 1 hero point for successfully completing the adventure, plus 1 additional hero point for showing mercy and not resorting to violence in the climax.

That should put each of you at 12th level. If you find yourself short, please let me know.

That said, there are still loose ends here before we call it a day. There's the matter of the Encompassing Mind to deal with. Plus, there are three dwarves stuck out on the shoulder. Hopefully they held on when Anur made the Giant take a knee!

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 68/68) (spells left by lvl 5/5, 3/5, 0/3)(performance 2 d20+1=6 ;
Wednesday February 20th, 2019 7:07:39 PM
Zaragosa tries to get a sense of Shan's motive, but he was never very good at that sort of thing (Sense Motive 6). Instead, he waits and sees the others surrender. He has no reason to doubt them at this point. He breathes a sigh of relief and is glad this was all over.

Murphy (Kim) Halfling AC27 CMB16 CMD35 HP116. +4WIS. DR10/Adm d8=8 ; d8=1 ; d8=1 ; d8=3 ; d8=4 ; d8=6 ;
Wednesday February 20th, 2019 8:21:04 PM

Before they leave, Murphy senses some slight changes within. Just as the couple is about to head down the stairs, the druid calls out. "Wait. One last thing." He comes out of wild shape, into his own halfing form. "If you will allow me - may I cast a cure critical wounds spell upon you, Shan Shalutch?" If she so allows, he does so, presumably easing the bulk of her pains. 33 hp damage healed. Unless she says anything else requiring a response, he says nothing more to them as they depart.

[More later, must head to evening class.]

Bliss (Cayzle) HP80, AC25
Wednesday February 20th, 2019 11:34:03 PM
Bliss changes back to a halfling, glad that the situation with these morally ambiguous foes seems to be resolved. And we get a giant robot to play with!

"I wonder how much these go for in the Catacombs," he ponders.

Bliss walks over to the pilot's seat and puts on the helmet.

Murphy (Kim) Halfling AC27 CMB16 CMD35 HP116. +4WIS. DR10/Adm
Thursday February 21st, 2019 4:08:11 AM

"Ride 'im, Bliss Boy!" Murphy says as Bliss takes the pilot's seat. He wonders, with EM off, how much understanding Bliss is likely to obtain at this point. Well, the fellow will find out.

Once the sound of the retreating steps can no longer be heard, Murphy says to all. "We may squabble, and quibble. But you are good friends. True. Brave. Heroes. We stopped the Iron Giant. Proud of you." He looks around at each one of his friends, then switches his glance to the floor for a moment.

"There's more to do." He takes a step toward here, and asks, "Pressi, what do you think of the following? Talia has the gems to restart the Encompassing Mind. Once we're sure that Anur and Shan have left the heel, shall we have her start her up again? Might be good for us to be there when she awakens.

"Who'd like to see how Kade and his two friends are doing?" He asks, "Has anyone found the things that dropped from Ix's body? He had a device he used to control the constructs. They were left blocking the passage to the three dwarfs. Perhaps the Mind can give us guidance on how to communicate with them. The machines, not the dwarfs.

"And there are bodies to bury. Shall we ask the three remaining dwarfs about that? I'm not too worried about Kade, but would like to gauge where the other two dwarfs stand. The bellower spoke of taking us on after dealing with Ix.

"Also, the people need to be notified at some point.

"What else? And what order shall we do things in?"

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 27 Touch 19 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Thursday February 21st, 2019 5:21:53 AM
While Bliss is trying to pilot the system, Hobie will take his time, gathering up the bodies of all the fallen, preparing them for a funeral pyre or mass grave. While he is doing it, he will collect any loot or gear that he found on any of the bodies (including anything Anur or Ix left behind) and make a detailed list on a piece of parchment as he is going along.

He will also make sure to stop by that replenishing cabinet of scrolls and ink so that he can stock up on supplies for writing future scrolls.

Succotash (Jeremy) AC 27/13/25 CMD 28 HP 113/113 Miss Piggy AC 27/11/26 CMD 23 HP 87/87 d20+10=20 ;
Thursday February 21st, 2019 5:24:52 AM
"First things first", Succotash begins. "We promised Madam Gem we would start her up ASAP, so I believe that should be our first objective, and maybe Bliss or I can physically move the construct out of the way and let Kade and company in". Succotash will then head down a level, and try to push the construct out of the way strength of 27, strength check 20

Succotash (Jeremy) AC 27/13/25 CMD 28 HP 113/113 Miss Piggy AC 27/11/26 CMD 23 HP 87/87
Thursday February 21st, 2019 5:27:26 AM
If he successfully moves the construct out of the way, Succotash will open the door for the dwarfs.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 84/94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes
Thursday February 21st, 2019 4:24:02 PM
Pressi smiled at Shan's proposal. "I was about to propose the same to you. Clearly the solution is for both of us to dump our boys and start afresh, but I've still got some things here."

More seriously. "I do wish things had gone better. Perhaps our paths will cross again and things will. In the meantime, I do hope you find what you are looking for. You did, after all, have more of an impact on me than you can ever know. Take care."

--------------

Pressi asks Talia what she had in mind regarding Ix, discussing certain possibilities.

If Talia had nothing in mind, Pressi will take Ix for now. The next day, she will strap him to materials from the giant in the middle of the woods, cast "Reincarnation" and leave him.

"I can't say, even at this stage, whether this is the right thing to do," she says to anyone who figures out what she is up to and asks. "But I have given it some thought and I cannot allow for the summary execution of a living being that surrendered. Besides, at the end of the day he would have come through for us and who am I to deny anyone a second chance.

"And I have decided that the way to do that is to regrow him in some random fashion and leave him in the middle of the woods stark naked without supplies besides a note. I may be a bleeding heart past-monk who navel gazes at ethics, but I'm still a witch and he was still a jerk. To anyone who might protest, as always I don't care and won't change my mind. Bye, Ix. If you decide on revenge, I'm looking forward to the surprise."

That was the last word on the matter. She left, knowing he would be fully grown within the hour.

------------------

The first thing Pressi does is to reach the top of the giant and start casting metrics. Before long, her mark of the justicars begins to shine through the sky, a signal to any diviner who may want to perform cleanup and a symbol of their victory.

The next thing she does is to help Succotash and Murphy in cleanup. Getting Kade off the shoulders. Getting the machine restarted as promised. Searching Ix and the control areas for ways to control the constructs.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1, touch AC 18+1; HP 87/119, CMD 24; Gears
Thursday February 21st, 2019 6:23:36 PM
"That's nice of you, Pres," says Kezzem. "Heck, even I was starting to like the guy. After meeting his folks...well, that explained a lot!"

"To go out like that? That just isn't right."

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 27, HP 94/94, CMD 24
Thursday February 21st, 2019 8:13:50 PM
Talia wonders about the Encompassing Mind and turning her back on.

Talia Status:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Overlight flight | 623 of 660 minutes left
Mage Armor | 6563 of 6600 minutes left
Stoneskin | 73 of 110 minutes left

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Spells Used:
L1: 1 /6+2
L2: 1 /6+2
L3: 0 /6+1
L4: 2+ /6+1
L5: 3 /4+1

Bliss (Cayzle) HP80, AC25
Thursday February 21st, 2019 10:03:12 PM
Oh, before Bliss tried to activate the giant, he makes sure that the three dwarves are safe and nobody is outside. He does not want anybody to get hurt.

DM Carl d100=37 ;
Thursday February 21st, 2019 10:23:40 PM
Shan's motives remain a mystery to Zaragosa, but he's glad this is all over.

Murphy heals some of Shan's wounds. She smiles and returns the touch (since cure wounds are touch spells). "I'd say take care of that one," she starts, motioning to Pressi, "but she doesn't need you too. Don't forget that."

Bliss can't wait and puts the helmet on, but nothing happens. He recalls the Encompassing Mind said something about initializing new pilots.

Hobie is ready to start gathering bodies, but that will no doubt take some time. He returns to the scroll room to find the guardian and writing constructs all lifeless. It's likely the first time they've stopped in centuries. The cabinet still works to provide an endless supply of ink and paper. No doubt our heroes will find some way to abuse this.

OOC: I'll prepare a list of loot tomorrow and email it to the group.

Pressi makes a friend. She also decides to use some small portion of Ix's ashes to reincarnate him. A tricky task, seeing as he was killed by a destruction spell. Still, since reincarnation creates a whole new body, it stands to reason it just might work. Since it seems Pressi is not keen on sticking around anyway, I guess we'll have to wait to find out if it does.

Kezzem agrees with Pressi's decision.

Talia is keen to restart the Encompassing Mind. Should be easy as replacing the two gemstones that were taken to turn it off, so she replaces them.

For a moment, nothing happens. Then, the surface of the giant pink gem in the heart of the Giant ripples. Writing appears on the surface, and though it's not in a language any of you can recognize, you can instinctively read it without issue.

Encompassing Mind initialization commencing. Estimated time to completion: 32 years, 4 months, 3 days, 19 hours, 8 minutes, 34 seconds. 33 seconds. 32 seconds...and so on. A disappointing turn of events to be sure.

***

Meanwhile, Succotash turns to rescuing Kade, Basalt, and Gorn. Investigation shows the constructs have completely powered down. The whip-fingers that held the door shut are easily removed, and the door opened. Gorn immediately charges in. "TIME TO DIE IX!" he shouts before realizing it's you. "Oh." He looks around. "Where's Ix? Kade says you're good people, so I'm sorry about sayin' I was gonna murder you all before."

"Ignore him," says Basalt as he saunters in. "This mess is over, right? I signed up to fight against Fhorge, not stomp on innocent villagers. Good on you folks for stopping Anur." He looks around a bit. "So, can I leave? I'd love to go home and live a nice, boring life from here on out."

Assuming no one stops him, Basalt is happy to exit the story quickly. Gorn follows once he realizes he's too late to kill Ix himself.

Kade is not so quick to call it a day. "After all this I'm not keen on heading back to The Scab. Those two may want to go home, but the war between Fhorge and the rest of the Old Ones continues, and Scald is going to throw a fit when it learns what happened here. I know I was part of the folks who were going to crush your village, but if you'll have me, I'd really like to stay. Before all this, I was a pretty great mushroom farmer. Even found a way to cultivate truffles deep underground."

The basics done, Pressi makes her way to the top of the Giant. She leaves her mark, and if she looks reaaalll closely, she can see that mass of people a few miles away stop moving and turn around. The citizens of Humble's Ford are coming home.

Murphy (Kim) Halfling AC27 CMB16 CMD35 HP116. +4WIS. DR10/Adm
Friday February 22nd, 2019 1:23:49 AM

[Sorry - super-long post, but there's a lot going on here. Feel free to just skim for headlines, read for more details if of interest]

Reincarnation
A note on the post prior to DM's: Pressi took a small amount - a handful? of the ashy remains of Ix. The rest of Ix's ashes were placed into Talia's scroll tube, and "Shan joins her husband, takes the scroll containing his son, and places it in her pack." So Talia does not have Ix's remains. Shan does. With the handful of Ixie-dust that Pressi took, the witch may still cast reincarnation, subject to DM call. Before any posting about Pressi's plan, Murphy intended to discuss the possibility of reincarnation with Pressi. So, don't figure Pressi will exclude him from the decision. He's more likely to stick around, and encourage whom Ix becomes to think over carefully the outcome of his machinations. This can be a fresh start. He will not follow the witchy approach to the situation. Alignment changes following reincarnation are not unheard of, and he is willing to attempt a nudge in the right direction. Besides, if Press gets in trouble with Gargul for the reincarnation, Murphy is going to share the responsibility.
=========

Shan & Murphy
"Do we always know what we need, or whom we need, Shan?" Murphy replies to her counsel. "I will take care of mine, if she'll be mine, and choose me to be hers. I don't doubt you'll take care of yours."

Iron Giant, Encompassing Mind, and Accoutrements
"Well, looks like we may have an appointment here in about 32 years, 3 months," Murphy says after observing the early stages of the restoration of the Encompassing Mind.

He leans the side of his face against the large pink gem. "Encompassing Mind, surely you knew what you were offering when you revealed the two hidden gems for us halflings to remove. Time may be less of a concern to you. Thank you for helping us save our town, and home of our people. Should I live so long, and you not be vandalized beyond all recognition, I hope to see you here in about 32 years. Maybe I'll stop by and check on you, and give the iron giant a good sweeping every so often until then."

He turns his head, kisses the gem, then starts to walks away to help with the various tasks that remain. Especially helping to collect and inventory usable items. However...

Saying hello again, goodbye as a group to the Encompassing Mind - EVERYBODY INCLUDED
Murphy asks all of Humble's Sword this. "Before we leave the Iron Giant, is it all right if we gather around the Encompassing Mind for a moment? Let's offer gratitude - to each other, to the Mind, to the gods and powers who lend us aid and inspiration. Someone can offer prayers. Not prayers to the Mind - I'm not suggesting worshipping her at all. Perhaps Jack, or who will, might offer a song."

If folks are not of a mind to do so right now, then Murphy suggests they schedule such a time for later today, or perhaps tomorrow.

Three Dwarfs
Murphy bids Gorn and Basalt farewell and a good journey. "You may catch up to Anur and Shan fairly soon, if you've a mind to, assuming you're heading to the same direction back to the Scab."

With Kade, when he learns of his desire, he remarks, "Mushroom farmer, eh? We own a bit of property not too far from here that we're in the process of getting set up. I dare say we could find a place for you to cultivate a fungus farm, Kade. And I love to delve underground - even deep. I've been developing a system of tunnels lately. Mind if we show you around town?" he asks, as he nods toward Succotash and Kezzem, including them in as potential town guides (and anyone else who wishes to be included). He then adds, "And who doesn't love truffles!?"

Gathering Scrolls
He is glad that Hobie has taken an interest in the scroll room. The druid wants to spend at least 20 minutes speed-reading over the recent scrolls, and gathering up those from farther back for further purusal. "This is history here. If we're going to understand this, the scrolls may be key. We don't want these lost to curious memento seekers. Let us find some scribes and bookbinders to help organize, and render copies for - libraries? We'll need get a decent feel for what's there, first, then figure that out."

"A thought. I suddenly find I have one more wild shape I can effect today. If someone can lend me one or two bags of holding once we're back to town, I can transform into an air elemental, fly back here, then ferry all the scrolls back to our place before a bunch of halfling kids decide to ransack the place. About which, let's ask the Mayor to authorize a guard for a few days to preclude such from happening.

Guardians for the Giant
"Hobie, maybe your cousin Roscoe can figure out who would be up to that task. Are you all right with checking with him?

"Perhaps we can schedule a time for key people to tour the giant - then let the town leadership figure out whether to open it up to anyone else. Squabbling over this thing apparently led to battles for control in the not too distant past."

Power Gems, Gears
"You know these gems began losing their power after EM was shut down? One thought is to find a good spot to store them, and look to getting them back here around the time the giant is close to returning to service. We're unlikely to get bonus spells from carrying them about." He considers. "Is there any one among us who might want to study the matter further? If there is a way to power them apart from EM, that would be most handy." He looks to Talia to see if she has any inclination to take up this notion.

He turns to the gears. "These may work away from the giant, and from EM. We'll just have to try them on the outside to discern that."

Constructs
"Let's take at least one of these constructs home with us. Would be nice to have - maybe Hugo and Primula PipeLeaf look it over. Map it. Disassemble, reassemble. They're clever folks, especially with metal, armor, and such. Perhaps two we should bring - the scavenger / reassembler, and the guardian machines." He says, "I can carry them over tomorrow, I suppose."

Documentation
"Jack, you're a bard. Do you think you're willing to write up a description of all that happened here with the Iron Giant, and to turn in a copy of such a report to the WLA - the Woldian League of Adventurers? I'm sure most of us would be willing to lend you a hand in remembering the details, and telling the story. But, what would you say about being the primary author?" Murphy asks J.T.T. Zaragosa.

Mapping
Murphy mentally catalogues each of the openings from inside to outside found along the surface of the giant. He plans to use that information for quick forays into and out over the next few days as needed. He draws up maps with greater accuracy and more detail than the rough sketch Ix provided them.

Succotash (Jeremy) AC 27/13/25 CMD 28 HP 113/113 Miss Piggy AC 27/11/26 CMD 23 HP 87/87
Friday February 22nd, 2019 5:37:45 AM
Succotash is sad that Madam Gem didn't turn back on right away, he really liked her, and was looking forward to talking to her again. He is glad to learn that Kade is planning on joining them, and is looking forward to fresh truffles, and figuring out ways to sneak some to Miss Piggy. He says farewell to Gorn and Basalt, and offers to lead the prayer session that Murphy suggested.

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 68/68) (spells left by lvl 5/5, 3/5, 0/3)(performance 2
Friday February 22nd, 2019 7:54:57 AM
Zaragosa gave Murphy a polite bow. "To write about such great, prestigious adventurers would truly be an honour. Perhaps my place is to be the witness of such grand warriors! However, I will need to interview most of you, since I am still rather lost at the motives or our opponents here."

Succotash (Jeremy) AC 27/13/25 CMD 28 HP 113/113 Miss Piggy AC 27/11/26 CMD 23 HP 87/87
Friday February 22nd, 2019 10:14:20 AM
OCC.. Of course the DM can do as he pleases, however, the destruction spells says only true resurrection, wish spell followed by resurrection, or miracle can bring someone back.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 84/94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes
Friday February 22nd, 2019 1:17:39 PM
(Ooc: yeah, but reincarnation is kind of weird since it�s not actually a resurrection. Anyway, the plot hook for a sequel is there if there if they ever want it, and I think what Carl and I want most is that question mark, not a rules debate.

Raw wise, a malfunctioning soul gem doesn�t change monks into witches, either. But here we are.)

DM Edit: I never want a rules debate.

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 27, HP 94/94, CMD 24
Friday February 22nd, 2019 6:49:13 PM
Talia asks, "Anyone the viability of these Gears away from the Giant?" Mister Murphy, I will stay and say a few words prior to our departure and I hope I will be able to study these gears!

Anyone know if I could use an open/close spell to close off the Entry points to the giant?

Talia Status:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Overlight flight | 623 of 660 minutes left
Mage Armor | 6563 of 6600 minutes left
Stoneskin | 73 of 110 minutes left

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Spells Used:
L1: 1 /6+2
L2: 1 /6+2
L3: 0 /6+1
L4: 2+ /6+1
L5: 3 /4+1

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 27 Touch 19 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6 d20+24=30 ; d3=2 ; d20+24=31 ; d20+24=29 ; d20+24=39 ; d20+24=31 ; d20+18=38 ; d20+18=33 ; d20+18=31 ; d3=1 ; d20+18=38 ; d20+18=23 ;
Friday February 22nd, 2019 8:03:05 PM
After collecting and logging any loot, Hobie will be pleased to spend some time studying the magic in the giant, figuring out what might work with or without the mind, or what works outside the giant.

He will also examine the replenishing scroll cabinet and think about whether it might be possible to relocate this to their offices at the HQ.

Here's a bunch of Spellcraft and Knowledge Arcana checks
Spellcraft -- 30, 31, 29, 39, 31
Knowledge Arcana-- 38, 33, 31, 38, 23

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 84/94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes
Friday February 22nd, 2019 9:35:02 PM
Pressi can�t help but snicker at the long countdown. �Well, it�s our grandkids problem now.�

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 84/94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes
Friday February 22nd, 2019 10:07:29 PM
Aside from that, there�s not much more to do. And it�s not long before Pressi packs up and returns home.

Succotash (Jeremy) AC 27/13/25 CMD 29 HP 141/141 Miss Piggy AC 30/12/28 CMD 25 HP 96/96
Saturday February 23rd, 2019 6:35:05 AM
updating header for level increase

Succotash (Jeremy) AC 27/13/25 CMD 29 HP 141/141 Miss Piggy AC 30/12/28 CMD 25 HP 96/96
Saturday February 23rd, 2019 6:53:50 AM
whoops

DM Carl
Saturday February 23rd, 2019 12:27:59 PM
There's a lot going on here, but lets hit the highlights, shall we?

Kade breathes a sigh of relief when he's allowed to stay. "Thanks, Murphy. You have my world I'll pull my own weight."

There are literally thousands of scrolls to go through, but 99% of them just say "darkness" over and over again. It will take months to go through all of them, even with professional scribes.

There's talk of taking home a construct, but they weight about a ton each. That's not to say it can't be done, but our heroes will need to explain how they intend to get one home.

Experimentation shows the gears and power crystals continue working at full power, right up until the second they're outside the Giant. Once back inside the Giant, they power back up. They don't seem to be affected by the lack of the Encompassing Mind. Walking outside seems to drain the power crystals. Regardless of whether they were charged or not when they left, they need time to charge when they re-enter.

Succotash is disappointed about the Encompassing Mind. That's understandable, it was pretty great. Kade is excited about the prospect of having an intelligent pig around. "Takes time to train a truffle hog. Miss Piggy here seems real bright though. With your permission, I bet I can have her sniffing them out in no time."

Hobie checks out the scroll cabinet and begins study on the Giant. He finds the scroll cabinet is not a free-standing piece of furniture. It's built into the Giant's walls. His studies also indicate it's powered by the Heart of the Giant, meaning even if it's cut out, it still won't function outside the Giant.

One wonders where the ink and paper come from, though. Are there quasi-elemental planes of paper out there? It's a strange universe. It wouldn't be the strangest thing ever seen.

Hobie's investigation into the Giant show it to be equal parts magical and mechanical wonder. Many constructs are simple machines that use magic to do the heavy lifting. Not so with the Giant. Magic provides the raw power necessary to move the enormous collections of gears and machines that make up the Giant, but it's still a mechanically sound piece of equipment. If one could find a mundane source of power to provide the raw force needed to move the Giant, it could (theoretically) be possible to pilot it without magical assistance.

Of course, it would take the Wold's most talented engineer lifetimes to work out that problem and implement a solution. It's a good bet that the Encompassing Mind will be back up and running before that happens, and it probably wouldn't be thrilled with any changes that had been made.

If there's on thing Hobie takes away from his investigations, it's this: A team of scientists, engineers, wizards, and priests could dedicate several lifetimes to delving its secrets.

***

As Humble's Sword wraps up and gets ready to leave, they hit a snag that Anur and his crew did as well: there is no way to lock and secure the Giant. A talented enough metal worker with time and materials may be able to rig something up, but it's unlikely Humble's Sword has that at their disposal. The Giant's metal skin absorbs all magic, so any solution needs to be mundane.

***

I haven't forgotten your loot. Just low on time.

Bliss (Cayzle) HP80, AC25
Saturday February 23rd, 2019 1:58:51 PM

Bliss looks around as the group gets ready to depart.

"Why do we need to bring the thing to town?" he asks. "Besides, town is right over there, see?"

"Seems to me that a classy heroic adventuring group does not necessarily WANT a castle in the middle of town. When the enemy dragon and demon army comes to fight the heroes, it's better for the everyday folk if the battle is a short walk outside town anyway, right?"

"All we need is to put some locks on this thing, and we have our new magic castle! What's not to like?"

"In the future, we can recruit some hefty guards and load them up with all the gears and power gems and the teleport cloak and that's our major domo slash guardian. Maybe a djinni or a nice plant creature or something."

Succotash (Jeremy) AC 27/13/25 CMD 29 HP 129/129 Miss Piggy AC 30/12/28 CMD 25 HP 96/96
Saturday February 23rd, 2019 6:42:21 PM
I like the idea of using the Iron Giant as a Castle, but what about �The Sanctuary?�Succotash says with his usual smile, �I thought that was our stronghold�. He then adds, �I�m going to miss the strength these gears gave me, but can�t spend the rest of my days living inside a Giant Humanoid�.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25, touch AC 18; HP 87/125, CMD 24; Rumpus - AC 25, touch 14; HP 62/62, CMD 24 d8+3=6 ;
Saturday February 23rd, 2019 10:13:22 PM
"Ah man, I was starting to like those gears," says Kezzem. "They made my thoughts all not fuzzy."

OOC: Talking a level of rogue, mainly for some extra Skill points. Plus it gives Kezzem back some of his old pre-resurrection flavor.

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 68/68) (spells left by lvl 5/5, 3/5, 0/3)(performance 2
Saturday February 23rd, 2019 10:21:56 PM
Zaragosa also snickers at this idea of this being the Humble Ford's fortress. "It truly seems to fit your teams over-the-top style"

Bliss (Cayzle) HP80, AC25
Saturday February 23rd, 2019 11:02:12 PM

"Jack!" cries Bliss in outrage. "Your team! YOUR team! I got news for you my friend! This is OUR team, and you are on it!"

Murphy (Kim) Halfling Druid(12) AC27 CMB16 CMD35 HP116
Sunday February 24th, 2019 4:24:02 AM

Murphy concurs with Succotash. "Yes, I would prefer a faster startup. Maybe an hour or so wouldn't be so bad - looks like that's about how long it takes to shut down, but... three decades? What was The Forger thinking, anyhow??" After a pause, he adds, "Though to build such a thing - he was smarter than the lot of us, no doubt. I wonder if an assemblage of geniuses - of high moral character - might be able to significantly shorten the time needed? Or, a few wish spells to accomplish the same thing."

At Pressi's comment, he says with a (barely) straight face, "Oh, so grandchildren may be in the picture?"

Murphy gives Zaragosa a warm smile. "Sure, feel free to interview us, Jack. Thanks for agreeing to go for it!" [OOC: If you can take the time to re-read the board, I think it's all there, and makes for some good reading!]

"I don't know, Tali, how the open/close cantrip might help here," Murphy responds. "I think there's some sort of anti-magic protections built in. You can certainly give it a try, though!"

'ROUND THE GEM - A Moment of Gratitude and Reflection
Before you pack everything up, Pressi, can you join us around the Encompassing Mind?" Murphy asks. As people gather, he lets Succotash lead the moment.

When it comes to his turn, this is what the druid has to say:

"I am grateful to Eberyon, who supports me through granting of spells, and whose purposes I support. And to his wife, the Lady Maab, whom Bliss adores. To the just Pantheon, served by Succotash, as well as to Lady Justice, from whom Pressi gains counsel. To Gargul, to whom I personally owe gratitude, and who is served by Kezzem. And to Alemi, for health and well being, to Domi, for courage, to Flower, benefactress of Humble's Ford and matron of deep love and of families, to Ffloy - recently magnified within our community and supporter of responsible labor and earned prosperity. Perhaps Wardd, too, has assisted us in his own random ways.

"And most of all - I'm grateful for this mis-matched group of people who make up Humble's Sword. When our group started, almost all of us had been born and raised in or around Humble's Ford. Now - we are still a group of halflings, some from here, some from afar - yet joined together as an ever-sharper Humble's Sword. Though we overcame great opposition - we also made a friend or two along the way." He nods towards Kade, whom he invited to join in.

Scrolls & Hobie
"Want to work together to get these scrolls over to our place?" Mister Leafwin Pipewood asks Mister Browncloak. "There's a room in our new place that would be a good spot to sort through all this." He asks if any others want to help pack up the multitude of scrolls to take with.

Use of the Kneeling Iron Giant
When Bliss proposes turning the Iron Giant into the group's 'castle' - Murphy laughs with delight and appreciation for his friend's enthusiasm. "Think of the possibilities! Look, let's think this over, and think it through. Talk it over the next week or two. Succotash is right - we do already have a 'castle' of sorts - Sanctuary - well begun. And it's NOT right in the middle of town - takes about a 15- to 20-minute walk to get to it.

"Might not be a bad idea to use both sites. At a minimum, I'd like us to check back in on it once a year and see how goes the countdown. Maybe the bootup will be faster than the initial reports.

"We have a lot to learn. I like what Bliss is doing. Seeing how we can take advantage of the kneeling giant now and into the future - and determine a way to protect it over time."

Then, as Jack remarks on the fortress in a way that implies his own outsider status, and Bliss jumps on that notion, Murphy concurs. "What Bliss said is true, Jack. You've helped us on several points. You are a member of Humble's Ford. You can be over-the-top WITH us!" he finishes with a stern look, which slowly shifts to a smile, and a wink.

"Yep, Kezzem. Not only are they stylish, but the gears really give one a boost where needed!"

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 27, HP 94/94, CMD 24
Sunday February 24th, 2019 7:49:56 AM
Talia being as aloof as she was when she first arrived, says, "Am I officially part of the Humble Sword, Mister Murphy? What are we to do with the magic gear (no pun intended) that do not function outside of the Giant Construct? Shouldn't we hold on to them so as to not fall into the wrong hands? We can always bring them back for a recharge! I do not feel it is a mature move to leave them behind...since we can't secure the Giant, and we don't know who will want to loot or play inside the giant! We should take all precautions necessary to avoid any possible negative outcome. My two (2) cents!"

Talia continues to offer suggestions to the group, "also, for loot and the ilk, I believe we should get it "Home" and then sort it out...no reason to bring unwanted attention to the issue."

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 27 Touch 19 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Sunday February 24th, 2019 12:09:12 PM
"Thats definitely a good idea Murph, I think there's a lot we could learn from these scrolls, but I think we could probably get a couple hirelings from town to do the work of transporting them for us, we just saved their lives, they can help us carry some boxes."

"As for me, I've just finished going around and making an inventory of all the gear that's been left behind, and its quite the haul. Here's the list (GM emailed it to us), y'all feel free to take anything you like, and I'll go ahead and do the grunt work of selling the rest over at the Catacombs, I think I might have them do some work on my bow while they process the transaction, so I'll be waiting around there anyway."

ooc: For newbies (and correct me if I'm wrong oldbies) the way we handle loot is that we take everything back to the Catacombs and then split the profits between us. If you want a specific article from the loot for story reasons (like Anur's Armor for example) just mention in your post that your character is taking that piece, and then your character will spend the full price gold as if you were buying a new one, but lorewise it will still be the original. That way everybody gets an even split of the loot.

I'll do the work of tallying up everything's value tonight and then make the catacombs post. Anything leftover beyond our characters' WBL, we'll spend on party stuff.

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