As the MechaGnome rises destructively from its silo, the party watches its Achilles’ open doorways slowly go by. Goldbricking Zanna remains behind while the rest of the party jumps aboard the MechaGnome’s ankles.
Symmetrical elevators intuitively lift them up through the legs into the reunifying steam-filled groinal area which throbs deafeningly with the slap of pistons, no doubt providing the MechaGnome’s macro motivation. The disorienting gait threatens to topple the subdextrous.
Snory, admiring the wall of brass piping, looks for any mechanical vulnerabilities or emergency power off switches that might halt the MechaGnome. Moth and Scram listen at a couple of doors whose primary purpose seems to be attenuation of the extremely deafening cacophony of steamworks beyond. Nala examines a closed, dorsal elevator that troubles Ssatschia’s sense of architectural analogy.
Ssatschia and Scram poke into one of the side pump rooms, verifying a level of noise so high that Ssatschia might actually experience symptoms. Scram looks around for something that might be vulnerable to a radical change in tolerance by way of enlarge/reduce but instead settles on a nice, toasty firebolt shot into a fuse box. Primary systems rerout to bypass the smoldering fuses, and a team of rollies dispense out of the brass works.
Nala cleaves right through the nearest rolly which death bursts hot oil and shrapnel into the party. The remaining rollies are dispatched with some moderate bursting. With Ssatschia on the verge of a noise-induced migraine, the party summons the elevator and selects the next level up.
The ride quality and noise are slightly improved at this higher level, but not the environment one might expect to find Warbis Sparkcoil enduring. As mucking up the mechanicals would only bring more bursting rollies, the party elects to skip to the topmost selectable level: four.
The elevator opens on a level four lounge where several inebriated gnome scientists are redistributing wealth via three dragon ante. Snory flexes his charisma to engage the wizards in gregarious banter, but fortunately they are too intoxicated to take exception. Moth regards a large, enticingly red button on the wall but resists its allure. The party slips up a circular staircase along the back of what seems to be the mouth level room while Snory lingers to distract the disinterested card players.
The next level up, five, is the eyes and ears observation deck which provides a terrific view of the passing island forest.
Ssatschia sneaks up toward the next level and overhears a bit of conversation. Gnome mage Rustreach is bossing a couple of scientists to produce some data, pronto, on the cause of the junction failure and automated rolly deployment down on level one. Scram sidles up next to Ssatschia and inquires, compressed entirely into the mimicked sound of a crackling fire of course, whether this might be an opportune time to deploy a spell of mizzium apparatus facilitated burning hands across the clearly sober gnome team even now diligently attempting to discover the party’s presence? Ssatschia, hearing only the unstealthy crackling fire, shushes Scram. Scram, unable to extract a no from the shush, burning hands across level six, immolating the two scientists instantly. Rustreach survives the burning, but Scram’s somatic twin birds are emotionally devastating.
Incensed, incinerated, insulted Rustreach commands Scram to Go Downstairs. Scram abides, passes Nala going up, meets Snory on level five, regards his command as fulfilled, and dashes back up. Curious Snory follows. Moth laments the unprovoked and wanton destruction of the smoldering scientists and opens wide a side door where Warbis Sparkcoil had prepared a couple of flying pipes to hit Moth in the gob. Sparkcoil misty steps up a level leaving Moth to defend himself with his short sword and sort out his moral compass.
Rustreach, covering her boss’s retreat, fireballs the room. Nala goes for Rustreach and, channeled by Ssatschia’s divinity, slays the mage. Scram evokes more burning hands across Joe and Randy, the flying pipes. Moth lays each pipe out with his short sword.
The party pursues misty stepping Sparkcoil to level six. Nala figures out that Sparkcoil is hoisting himself up the hat shaft on a wooden lift, hand-operated by a rope loop. She throws her weight on the up-running side of the loop to slow him down. Scram longingly identifies the numerous flammable vulnerabilities in Sparkcoil’s escape and pops a warning firebolt harmlessly into the wall just over Ssatschia’s head. Snory and Ssatschia lend their weight to arresting Sparkcoil’s ponderous ascent. Scram bombs the lift with a vitriolic sphere that drops Warbis Sparkcoil 30’ to the floor in a heap of acid-singed flesh and bubbling blood. Moth punches him out.
Sparkcoil is extradited to Quietreach into the custody of Ferin Blackleaf.
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