Machinery

PLAY-BY-POST THE LOST CROWN OF TESH-NAGA (Part 7)

The owl returns from its flight, relaying the following information on the east path:

• The next room is very large, inlaid with a ceramic tile plating on the floor, ceiling, and walls. Stout column rise up to a dizzyingly high ceiling (about 30 ft. tall). Clouds of black smoke accumulate and drift at the highest parts of the ceiling.
• Through the thick smoke, Bert can see an elaborate pulley system of shining platinum chains. Attached to the rat's nest of chains is a huge, sharp, steel claw with three prongs, each prong the height of a man.
• Every so often, the claw descends down, moving with no obvious source of power or direction, to grab a few scraps of rusted iron lying in the north wets corner (OOC: north is up). There is just a smattering of iron bits, not even enough to fill the inside of a helmet. The iron bits then get dropped onto ...
• An elaborate maze of moving conveyors dominates the room. Steel gears turn flat, flexible silvery bands in endless loops. The iron bits are propelled through to the end. Along the way, several small, black cauldrons of boiling magma drip onto the raw material, increasing size and distorting its shape with every blast.
• The iron bits, after being doused with fiery hot liquid metal, are send to a final, gigantic cauldron at the end of the conveyor run. There, a man-shaped machine (at square O-29) directs floating hammers, anvils, and sparks of lightning to mold and shape raw material into expertly crafted tools and weapons. Once finished, the tools are dropped to the side in an enormous pile. There are three such piles of master worked implements (OOC: implements as a general term, not as the mechanic for spellcasters).
• Standing in the room with a dominating presence is an enormous iron construct towering 15 ft. tall. On one massive hand a hammer, on the other a giant blade. It's body is crafted from multiple smooth interlocking steel plates, edged in gold. The construction is flawless, seamless, and not a single rivet to be found. It's thick head surveys the room, sweeping its gaze back and forth. The bulk of the whole machine heaves as it stands watch, steam billowing out from the gaps between its metal plates like warm breath in cold winter's air.

The owl returns from its flight next, relaying the following information on the west path:

• The chamber is tiered, with two lower plateau at 10 ft. below where you are standing and 10 ft. below that. The ceiling remains flat, creating a space that yawns opens as you look north.
• Rubble and rocky debris lies scattered throughout this area.
• A mass grave has been haphazardly made here. Dozens of rotting bodies lie strewn about on the floor. You can clearly see sharp rubble and rocks scattered about them. All of the bodies have portions which have been crushed and pulverized. The bodies are all badly decomposed, making any kind of identification impossible on just a cursory glance, However, the body at square D-8 is clearly a much larger creature than the others.
• Near the bodies (at square K-7, not shown on map) is a wooden table. The table's four legs are cracked and pulling at the slapshot nails bolted into them. On top of the table is a book; closed, bound in a snakeskin blue leather, and with a clay inkpot and quill next to it.
• A scaffolded contraption has been built in the far west passage. It consists of rusted steel supports, a wooden platform, a level, gears, pulleys, ropes and chains.

Please ignore the image watermarks!