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[ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.
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<blockquote data-quote="gideonpepys" data-source="post: 7102294" data-attributes="member: 79141"><p><strong>Session 11 (134) - Part Three: "Welcome to My Volcano Lair."</strong></p><p></p><p>Elsewhere, Uru had discovered a quicker way down. He set off a pit trap near the mine entrance that gave way onto a conveyer belt leading to a grinder. Once he disabled the mechanism, Conquo was able to pull it apart. Beyond was a chamber that lay directly beneath the hatch in the pump room. A large mining cart stood expectantly on tracks that led through closed double blast doors. A disembodied duplicant head lay in the cart, but when it saw them it turned into Tinker and said: </p><p></p><p>“I wondered when I’d see you again. Please, please, get in the cart. It will be a pleasant ride, and my subterranean domicile is far, far too large for you to have to walk all the way. So, so vast. You could get lost in it. Certainly your mind could. I have an inkling you’re going to get quite violent toward me, and our previous interactions were much, much too brief. So please, please: into the cart.”</p><p></p><p> Lya and her team obeyed instantly and the blast doors slid open, but before they could set off alone, Conquo grabbed hold of the cart and held them there while the others decided what to do next. They checked the magical eyestalk and discovered that suspicious gnolls were already approaching from Karch. Glaucia and Kenna said they would hold them off in order that their allies could complete their mission. Korrigan thanked them and Rumdoom summoned his magical carriage. Once the rest of the unit were inside, Conquo clambered into the mining cart to sit like a hippo in a bath tub, squeezing Lya, Rush and Merton into the far end. The cart set off, followed by the mechanical carriage. “This is ridiculous,” said Lya Jierre whose modus operandi was usually distinguished by greater élan.</p><p></p><p>As they trundled along the rail line, Tinker continued to converse with them through the duplicant head. Alcoves to either side of the line contained posed duplicants that took up his side of the conversation and broadcast it to both carts. “You’re here about Borne, yes? I’d love to tell you all about him. His design, his structural flaws, and his personality. Such a nice boy. Smartest one of the lot. Not like you. You, if you’ll pardon me, are fools. You’ve walked into a trap. “Not that I wanted to trap you. It’s odd to be affected by a type of mind control you built. Built when no one else could, I’d remind you. I can tell someone else is in charge, but I don’t mind so much. Much better than to be mind controlled and not remember. Remember what I said about not wanting to trap you? You upset my employer, and as long as I’m still in this—I remind you—quite masterful invention, I won’t be agreeing to any of your overtures, short or brief or long or huge. You should meet my boss. Gnomes and dragons are natural allies. We gnomes love to speak to burrowing animals, burrowing animals love caves, and who loves caves more than dragons?! Well . . . dwarves, I suppose. And they do have more hair. And they are smaller. I wish I had a pet dwarf.”</p><p></p><p>A new voice butted in: the memorable, rich tones of Risuri industrialist Benedict Pemberton. The duplicant’s head transformed to match his face. Alright there. That’s quite enough of that, son. Time to let the people with functional minds have a conversation. Greetings, interlopers! Some people used to call me the Steel Lord Gradiax, but these days I do prefer Benedict Pemberton. Welcome to my volcano lair. Now if you don’t mind, kindly either leave the premises or put your weapons away so we can talk in peace.” Negotiations with both Tinker and Pemberton were stymied by the presence of the Ob. Pemberton tried to persuade the unit to withdraw, even to help him against the Berans in return for access to Tinker. He said he was hoping things wouldn’t come to this, which is why he let Tinker tell them a lot of what he thought they might want to know back in the Bruse’s palace. “I have no quarrel with the Risuri, just want to claim what’s mine.” When Korrigan accused him of breaking his vow, he said that Isla Dolas Focas was never part of Ber, that the gnolls remained independent, and that the attacks on Seobriga, Reo Pedrosco and Renza had been conducted by Khaled Valchek, albeit with resources purchased from Pemberton in his capacity as an international vendor of mechanised armaments and munitions. These paper-thin rationalisations fell on deaf ears, as did Pemberton’s attempts to persuade them to turn against their Beran allies and help him to fight them off, in return for his help defeating the Ob. If they helped him to keep his island free, he would let them take Tinker away, he said.</p><p></p><p>By now the atmosphere had become very dry and very, very hot. Suddenly the cart picked up speed and entered a huge, brightly lit cavern, filled with sound and steam. End of the line! Conquo put out an arm, grabbed a stone pillar and yanked himself and Merton out of the cart. (He liked Merton, he had decided.) Lya and Rush leapt out too, and not a moment too soon: the buffers collapsed, pitching the cart over the edge of the platform and down into a cauldron of lava. The rest of the unit piled out of the magical carriage and Rumdoom stowed it. </p><p></p><p>On a much higher platform, accessed by steps, they saw an enormous steam suit occupied by Tinker Oddcog. It was brightly lit by a terrible beam of magical energy that fired constantly down into the lava pit from a high gantry. (“Explains the lava,” thought Xambria.) Alongside Tinker stood Benedict Pemberton, whose voice was magically broadcast throughout the noisy cavern.</p><p></p><p>“It doesn’t look like they’re listening to reason, son. You’d best seal the exit and kill ‘em all.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gideonpepys, post: 7102294, member: 79141"] [b]Session 11 (134) - Part Three: "Welcome to My Volcano Lair."[/b] Elsewhere, Uru had discovered a quicker way down. He set off a pit trap near the mine entrance that gave way onto a conveyer belt leading to a grinder. Once he disabled the mechanism, Conquo was able to pull it apart. Beyond was a chamber that lay directly beneath the hatch in the pump room. A large mining cart stood expectantly on tracks that led through closed double blast doors. A disembodied duplicant head lay in the cart, but when it saw them it turned into Tinker and said: “I wondered when I’d see you again. Please, please, get in the cart. It will be a pleasant ride, and my subterranean domicile is far, far too large for you to have to walk all the way. So, so vast. You could get lost in it. Certainly your mind could. I have an inkling you’re going to get quite violent toward me, and our previous interactions were much, much too brief. So please, please: into the cart.” Lya and her team obeyed instantly and the blast doors slid open, but before they could set off alone, Conquo grabbed hold of the cart and held them there while the others decided what to do next. They checked the magical eyestalk and discovered that suspicious gnolls were already approaching from Karch. Glaucia and Kenna said they would hold them off in order that their allies could complete their mission. Korrigan thanked them and Rumdoom summoned his magical carriage. Once the rest of the unit were inside, Conquo clambered into the mining cart to sit like a hippo in a bath tub, squeezing Lya, Rush and Merton into the far end. The cart set off, followed by the mechanical carriage. “This is ridiculous,” said Lya Jierre whose modus operandi was usually distinguished by greater élan. As they trundled along the rail line, Tinker continued to converse with them through the duplicant head. Alcoves to either side of the line contained posed duplicants that took up his side of the conversation and broadcast it to both carts. “You’re here about Borne, yes? I’d love to tell you all about him. His design, his structural flaws, and his personality. Such a nice boy. Smartest one of the lot. Not like you. You, if you’ll pardon me, are fools. You’ve walked into a trap. “Not that I wanted to trap you. It’s odd to be affected by a type of mind control you built. Built when no one else could, I’d remind you. I can tell someone else is in charge, but I don’t mind so much. Much better than to be mind controlled and not remember. Remember what I said about not wanting to trap you? You upset my employer, and as long as I’m still in this—I remind you—quite masterful invention, I won’t be agreeing to any of your overtures, short or brief or long or huge. You should meet my boss. Gnomes and dragons are natural allies. We gnomes love to speak to burrowing animals, burrowing animals love caves, and who loves caves more than dragons?! Well . . . dwarves, I suppose. And they do have more hair. And they are smaller. I wish I had a pet dwarf.” A new voice butted in: the memorable, rich tones of Risuri industrialist Benedict Pemberton. The duplicant’s head transformed to match his face. Alright there. That’s quite enough of that, son. Time to let the people with functional minds have a conversation. Greetings, interlopers! Some people used to call me the Steel Lord Gradiax, but these days I do prefer Benedict Pemberton. Welcome to my volcano lair. Now if you don’t mind, kindly either leave the premises or put your weapons away so we can talk in peace.” Negotiations with both Tinker and Pemberton were stymied by the presence of the Ob. Pemberton tried to persuade the unit to withdraw, even to help him against the Berans in return for access to Tinker. He said he was hoping things wouldn’t come to this, which is why he let Tinker tell them a lot of what he thought they might want to know back in the Bruse’s palace. “I have no quarrel with the Risuri, just want to claim what’s mine.” When Korrigan accused him of breaking his vow, he said that Isla Dolas Focas was never part of Ber, that the gnolls remained independent, and that the attacks on Seobriga, Reo Pedrosco and Renza had been conducted by Khaled Valchek, albeit with resources purchased from Pemberton in his capacity as an international vendor of mechanised armaments and munitions. These paper-thin rationalisations fell on deaf ears, as did Pemberton’s attempts to persuade them to turn against their Beran allies and help him to fight them off, in return for his help defeating the Ob. If they helped him to keep his island free, he would let them take Tinker away, he said. By now the atmosphere had become very dry and very, very hot. Suddenly the cart picked up speed and entered a huge, brightly lit cavern, filled with sound and steam. End of the line! Conquo put out an arm, grabbed a stone pillar and yanked himself and Merton out of the cart. (He liked Merton, he had decided.) Lya and Rush leapt out too, and not a moment too soon: the buffers collapsed, pitching the cart over the edge of the platform and down into a cauldron of lava. The rest of the unit piled out of the magical carriage and Rumdoom stowed it. On a much higher platform, accessed by steps, they saw an enormous steam suit occupied by Tinker Oddcog. It was brightly lit by a terrible beam of magical energy that fired constantly down into the lava pit from a high gantry. (“Explains the lava,” thought Xambria.) Alongside Tinker stood Benedict Pemberton, whose voice was magically broadcast throughout the noisy cavern. “It doesn’t look like they’re listening to reason, son. You’d best seal the exit and kill ‘em all.” [/QUOTE]
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