The Defense Network
With the defense network active, the constructs are friendly and helpful to the party, but only one of them seems to speak.
It identifies itself as a Protection, Helpful Information, and Labor construct, but he asks that the party simply call him PHIL. PHIL will inform the part that the Defense Network is dreadfully underpowered.
In order for defenses to operate at peak performance when the attack arrives, they will need at least two hundred living entities present in the staging area and the rest can remain in the living quarters.
The essence of the living is how the Defense Network is powered, but with too few it will not work or will cause dreadful side effects to those that are present.
The band, incompetent as ever interpret this as 200 living entities must die.
So they spend many a reset trying various ways around this.
- Backwards through the traps, causing them to poison gas themselves
- Trying to and failing coax the Oozes towards the Defense Network
- Polymorphing the Oozes into turtles and putting them into the Defense Network, then cutting them up so they multiply - they could not get near the 200 needed.
- Finally persuading the mayor and the townsfolk into the bunker, but for them to bring with them a potted plant each, which they then loaded into the Defense Network, as well plants are living entities!
Nightfall
The townsfolk are gathered down in the bunker. As more and more people flood into the area, the lights that fill the room grow brighter and the flicks of green energy that pulse through the Anomaly become more and more frequent until its color changes entirely from black to powerful, shining emerald green.
Most of the citizens of Pawney remain uncertain and skeptical about what is going on - as they have nothing but the bands word to assure them that the attack is coming.
The Sacrifice
Once the full force of the town is assembled, PHIL approaches the band: “Now all we need is the sacrifice of a Catalyst.”
He gestures to the Anomaly with one rusted metallic arm. “The gift of foresight must be repaid in blood but the choice is ultimately yours.”
The band have a queit word so as not to panic the Townsfolk with the Mayor, hoping either he will be or can nominate the sacrafice.
The mayor then goes to the bunker and announces this to all the Townsfolk, much to the horror of the band.
Korin nods as if this message resonates with him deeply. “This entire time I have been trying to figure out what my role was in all of this. As much as I tried to help, I seemed to always make things worse, so this must be why I was brought along with the rest of you. This must be why I was saved from the mountains! I am the sacrifice!” He seems joyous as he says these last words.
The band do not try to dissuade Korin, even as Parket suggests it should be him as he is an old man that has lived a full life, but Korin is quite stubborn.
As Korin approaches the anomaly, rather than being shoved away by the ethereal barrier, the Anomaly absorbs Korin, ripping him into its mass with the speed of a flying arrow. In an instant, they are gone - without even the time to scream in fear or in pain. With this sacrifice completed, the Anomaly settles into a full emerald green glow and vibrates steadily. A soothing hum emits from the Anomaly that calms the townsfolk but still leaves the horror of what just happened with the band.
The Attack
Shortly after, the orcs descend upon the town.
Townsfolk fill the room, families clustered together holding hands as the lights start to dim through the area. It is eerily quiet until the sound of churning earth rips through the chamber in a deafening crash that wakes up any who had dozed off and causes all of the children to burst into tears.
Explosions boom up above and cause the room to tremble, bits of dirt and dust drifting down from above. The incredibly faint sound of screaming can be heard, but it is no louder than a whisper.
The lights in the room go out as the area is cast into darkness. Many of the townsfolk begin to panic as the rumbling increases.
One man cries out, “The whole roof is going to come down! We are going to die down here!” and makes for the doorway out. Others in the room are swept into this wave of hysteria and in the darkness people begin to shove and scramble.
A few torches flick on, but people are already trampling one another trying to get to the ladder back to the surface!
The band work together castings various spells that calm some of the townsfolk, and get them to help calm the others that are starting to lose it down in the bunker.
The rumbling continues on for just a few minutes longer before the lights come back on and the Anomaly is sitting in the center of the room with black swirling energy once again. All of the townsfolk are pale and feel lethargic and weakened, but no one is harmed. PHIL announces that the Defense Network has completed its task and it is safe to return to the surface. He then moves to one of the side areas of the room to shut down until he is needed again.
Return to the Surface
The citizens return to the surface alongside the party and find over one-hundred orcs dead scattered from the front gates to the town square. There are a few scorched buildings in the distance, but the damage is minimal. Some of the orcs are scorched while others are impaled with multiple arrows.
Some are blown into pieces and strewn across the area. It is certainly not a sight for children.
The Mayor waits as the townsfolk slowly exit through the central fountain ladder and pour into the town square.
Once they are all resurfaced, he gives a speech to thank everyone for trusting them in this time of great need; that - as always they survived as a town and that the mountain folk are not ones to die so easily!
He then turns to thank the band and Parket. He will mourn the loss of Korin (assuming he was the one to make the sacrifice) and announces that a statue will be erected in the center of the town to remember his sacrifice.
He then tells everyone to go home and get some rest, keep their kids safe, and they will begin to rebuild and clean in the morning!
Afterward, he invites the band back to his home and awards them with a sum of 2000 gold and the eternal thanks of the town as well as a +1 Axe that was stored behind one of the display cases in his home.
He insists the party stay in his home for the evening as it is much more inviting and comfortable than the Grumpy Groundhog. The band rest for the evening and wake up finding that the day has finally passed.
The band then head back to Eden.
A Cure is found
The band take all four of the ingredients, back to Theodora’s Alchemy shop. She is thrilled that the band was successful in their endeavors and immediately gets to work.
She invites the band to stick around and see the results of their efforts. She thinks she will have a test ready in just a few hours. Theo offers the party the payment of 250 gold that they are owed.
The band head to the Paradise Inn and wait.
After a few hours a woman bursts in through the front door of the tavern, a set of beautiful red curls cascading down her shoulders. She wears a gorgeous sundress and has a smile that matches the brightness of her outfit. After a moment, the band realize this is Theodora as she shouts, “It works!” Her skin, once ghostly pale, is now a warm cream color, her dark brown hair has turned a dazzling shade of red, and her eyes are a shining green where once they were grey. “Quick, someone get me something to drink! I want to see if I can taste!”
Theo runs over to the bar and Prudence slides her a drink. Theodora chugs it down with a refreshing “ahh”. Tears stream down her face as she feels such incredible joy having this sensation returned to her once again. She then turns to the band. “We did it! It actually worked! I can make us better!” Theo shares this moment of elation with the band, feeling joy that has been lost to her for a full century. She hugs each member of the band, something she refused to do before due to her condition.
The first hug she gives lingers on for a long while, holding them tightly and sobbing for it has been a hundred years since she has been able to feel the warmth and comfort of a hug. Theo invites the band to go with her as she administers the cure to the citizens of the town.
Word spreads quickly that a miracle is happening! Once the cure has been administered, their body returns to its original form over the next hour. It is painful but well worth it to have their lives restored. And even pain is a welcome sensation for the people of this town!
There is a celebration in the town on behalf of Theodora and her relentless hard work and refusal to accept their fate and the party is recognized as heroes of Eden for helping when so many others thought it was hopeless.
The band is given the deed to a home in the town of Eden near Lake Tranquility. They will be able to return whenever they’d like on their journeys and see how the town thrives now that the people have been restored to life once again!
Mayor Relnok will also offer the band a Wand of the War Mage, it has the word “Eden” etched into it to remind the band of its roots and the great deed they’ve accomplished.
Wand of the War Mage
Wand, varies (requires attunement by a Spellcaster)While holding this wand, you gain a +1 bonus to spell attack rolls. In addition, you ignore Half Cover when making a spell attack roll.
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