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Message: <blockquote data-quote="simmo" data-source="post: 1480952" data-attributes="member: 9744">chapter 2 The modron speaksBored with watching Caleb throw his hammer and Littleby studying his books, Serena clutched her locked and entered her Garden. As soon as she'd left Andrew muttered quietly: “Every time that she gets a free minute she goes off to talk to her dead father.”Suddenly there was a screeching sound from the cart that sounded like metal being torn asunder. The partially disassembled modron that had been lying dormant with its eyes closed under a blanket thrashed around. One of its arms was missing and its crumpled wings beat ineffectually. It looked like a wind-up bird that had been smashed as it was feebly trying to take flight again.“Searching. Searching.” It stated in a flat, metallic mono-tone voice that was just like all the other modron voices that they'd hear. It was speaking in modron and Littleby tried to translate it as best as he could for the others.“Parameters incomplete. Must find. Cannot understand, error error. Unloading arm.” Just as suddenly as it had leapt in to action the modron ceased all movement. It slowly opened its eyes again and gazed far away. The companions could hear gears rattling inside and other pieces of broken machinery trying to work.“Must locate item, several feet in length. Other dimensions unknown. Error, error. Abort.” For the first time since the companions had come across the bizarre creatures that originated from Mechanus, the plane of Ultimate Law, they had found a modron that actually sounded a little bit emotional. There was just the tiniest hint of longing in its voice and they stared at the broken creature in amazement.Caleb and Littleby decided to tinker with modron. The earth genasi pulled out some artisans tools from his belt pouches and laid them out on the floor. Littleby took out a small ancient tome with spidery writing inside and the two worked side-by-side to get the creature repaired.It was a strange experience for the both of them as it felt like it was somewhere between metal-working and surgery. Black oily fluids dripped out of the creature's wounds and some of the gears had become bent out of shape. There were so many tiny parts inside that they were not sure whether they should touch or not that it took them a long time to get the broken modron patched up. After several long hours of pain-staking work they had managed to keep the creature alive and repair some of the damage that the Tacharim researchers had inflicted upon it.Whilst Littleby was chanting softly from his tome and sowing up a puncture near one of the large creature's eyes. Caleb was busy hammering away at some other fine metal parts that he'd salvaged. After the dwarven scholar had finished closing the wound and wiping his hands to remove the greasy black fluid that stained his finger and nails – he saw that the earth genasi was crafting a new arm for the modron.“Unknown specified item, three feet in length.” The creature said suddenly, becoming aware again as it recovered from the surgery and repairs performed on it.“Data request. Uh...” Littleby tried to adjust his thinking to mimic that of the modron. Speaking in modron felt like his mind was being pushed through a sieve and gave him a dull head-ache at the back of his mind. Never the less he continued as he was aware that the creature contained valuable knowledge. ”Unspecified item. Explain. Data requested. End package.”“Ack. Ack. Syn-ack. Unspecified packet size.” The creature closed its eyes as it processed the request and considered how best to answer the question with what fragments it had recovered from its damaged mind. “Item requested several feet in length. Adorned with skull. Contains great, great power.”“Explain where abouts location of stated, end packet.” Littleby asked eagerly. The others laughed at Littleby's question when he translated it for them, but he ignored them – intent on what the modron had to say.“Packet received. Unknown specification of location of item. Searching, searching.” The modron's monocle slowly descended to cover its right eye, making it seem even bigger and disproportionate to the rest of its face. They boxy creature flexed each of the fingers on its remaining hands and then proceeded to flex each of its toes as well. ”Not recognised. Arcadia, negative. Mount Celestia, negative. Bytopia, gnome. Elysium, negative. Outlands traversal incomplete.”“Explain requirement and purpose for item.” Littleby tried to phrase the question as best as he could, but he was reaching the limit of his knowledge of the modron language and his head-ache was getting worse.“Packet received. Insufficient information. Orders, orders, cannot compute.” The monocle rose from the creature's eyes. It's five fingers and ten toes clicked in a complex pattern that sounded almost musical and a grin crept across the edge's of the creature's wide mouth.“End packet,” the dwarven scholar sighed and rubbed the back of his head.“Session terminated.” The modron's finger and towns stopped moving abruptly. It closed it eyes and lay perfectly still.“That was interesting,” the dwarven scholar stated in Common. He quickly recapped to the others what his conversation with the creature in the modron language had been about.</blockquote>

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