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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Broccli_Head" data-source="post: 1192210" data-attributes="member: 105">earlier than expected!Inside the Colossus, near Deadsnows, Early Fall, 1378, Year of the Cauldron Through wind and the trees had come whispers of the metal monstrosity terrorizing the countryside near Deadsnows. When the word had reached Ariod the Everchanging, a member of the Great Druid Circle of Turlang’s Wood, he had asked Treeroot permission to combat the menace that threatened the town of his birth. Running to the edge of a cliff, the human form of Ariod leaped into the air and then changed in a matter of heartbeats to the eagle. Hours later an eagle banked as it neared the Colossus, surprised at its enormity.  It flew around the massive head of the giant golem, and then darted quickly down as he felt the eyes of the creature stare at him. Around the hip area he saw several arrow slits and decided to change to a form more suitable for entry. He became incorporeal…a ghost. As he shifted to the ethereal, something caught his attention. Looking above he saw an amorphous mass of flesh descending towards him. The phantasm was horrifying, but Ariod steeled his will and the thing vanished. There were mages about, he surmised, and slipped into the crack.“We go up,” replied Aris stating the obvious.The prisoners were useless and even though Benito had healed one, he was not forthcoming with any new information.  Ellysidell made sure that they would be out for hours with a couple of sturdy taps to the head, and the party decided to continue through a set of brass doors. Grim, after assuring himself that the doors were not trapped, unlocked the door and surveyed the room. To his left a translucent figure floated at the end of a large table. Ghost! he mentally screamed to Benito and tumbled towards it. Uncharacteristically, the halfling misjudged the chairs, slowing down his maneuver. And while he ended up next to the ghost, he could not drive Cruelty's Nemesis into the foul beast before it floated through the table towards a set of stair leading up.  Benito stood forward and called upon Ilmater, sending a beam of searing light at the ghost. It passed through the incorporeal creature and turned the iron wall behind it red hot. Ivan and Kyros were next to attack, but before they could cleave the ghost with scimitar or greatsword, Aris called out.“Hail and well met, shapeshifter.”Benito looked at him, puzzled at the genasi’s insight. Aris smiled and tapped Tymora’s Eyepatch of Truth that covered his right eye. The ghost turned to face the heroes and extended his arms, palms upward. Then he morphed into an angel.  It was not as impressive as the mighty deva, Suldolphin, but still inspired the party enough towards restraint instead of slicing and dicing the newcomer. Benito introduced himself and in short order the Heroes of the Vilhon Reach and Stormwolf Legion had learned of Ariod, the follower of one of their latest allies, the Mighty Turlang of the High Forest.  The pleasantries were interrupted by a yelp of surprise and pain. They turned to the source and saw Ellysidell slide down a ramp that had formerly been a set of stairs and into a fiery pit. He “ooched” and “ouched” for a few heartbeats, but then found a ladder out of the furnace. Grim gave him a stern look.Can you just wait the next time? You know that I go first and find the traps!After the stairs reset, Grim climbed up, found the trap and marked it for his friends. Benito reluctantly healed the impatient wild elf and the heroes continued with their new companion Ariod. **Grim listened at the door as the rest of the group stood in what looked like a hastily emptied mess hall. A ladder at the far end of the room, opposite the stairs they had entered, led further up, but much to the chagrin of the more blade-happy members of the party, the halfling had heard a noise that he wanted to investigate.  A grinding and humming sound greeted the rogue as he pressed his ear against the listening cup from his handy toolkit.  He stealthily opened the door and saw three gnomes covered in grime and sweat attempting to repair a leak amidst a room full of pipes and gears and boilers. He took two quick strides and smacked one across the face with his kama sending the poor engineer crumpling to the ground. A female gnome squealed and crawled away behind some gears while another cowered in fear just as the rest of the party crashed into the room. Ivan, feeling ornery from lack of exciting combat, threatened to kill the poor gnome. Benito stepped in as the gnome, in between cowering and groveling before the Heroes, gesticulated excitedly at the steaming pipes. “We’re all gonna die!” he cried. “The pipes are breached! It’s gonna blow!” he continued frantically. Benito using his soothing fatherly voice, calmed the gnome, but then the whole Colossus buckled sending Aris into the machinery, and the gnome went back to panicking.  Then the cleric of Ilmater, not shy about getting dirty jumped in with the gnome and Ellysidell to fix the damage. Kyros and Ivan pulled Aris from between the sliding gears seconds before he was crushed. Shortly, the steam subsided and the three workers were wiping their brow. “Well,” said the gnome, “He won’t be walkin’ any time soon, but at least nothin’ else will happen. I’ll go and let Glym and Xentarich know that the damage caused by the intruders has been controlled. I hope they’ve been neutralized….”Then the gnome looked around. “Wait a sec, you’re not Darkblades or Nighthawks or…,” His voice trailed off as the realization set in and he began screaming again. Ivan glowered and reached a leather-gloved hand towards the engineer….</blockquote>

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