Flint

Fhel 25, 2425 - Chapter 2 - Session 15 - Out of the Frying Pan and into the Iron Heart of Fire

Ismaren is ablaze. Steam fills the street and oil covers the cobblestone. The Grinding of dying machines can be heard throughout the city. Syndicate banner still fly as troops route and regather their numbers. Shouting can be heard spouting orders among the chaos. The Syndicate run into the street to block our way to the city center.

2 mobs of Syndicate troops in our way Bruin ran up and just started mauling one group while Z'ed summoned a damn Fire Azer blazing ahead and throwing a goddamn Warhammer at them. I finally hit something with my bombs and set their arses on fire causing absolute mayhem. Amani summoned the druids we had helped to come and scared the crap out of the Syndicate peons. The groups were in such disarray that one group took themselves out between the fire and fear and chaos. But as soon as that group went down like a Syndicate hydra 2 more were headed to our location. Bruin pulled out the Storm Cannon Crystal we got from the mountain and just unleashed a torrent of storm energy upon those poor bastards. As lightning coursed through them their screams could be heard from all over the city. I administered an elixir of life to Bruin to make sure we all stayed in tip top condition for the fighting ahead. Amani summoned some of her creepy ass thralls. Z'ed's Azer kept the remaining group busy while Odra advanced on them cockily with a swing and a miss. Klackers came in swinging taking down some of their number. The Azer kept burning the hell out of anything that came close. Bruin somehow tumbled through the group like a circus bear summersaulting into a fury of claw strikes. I was able to finish them off with a well placed vile of pure burning pain.

As we cleared the last of the immediate groups Thelara found us and told us to advance while they held the area.

We enter a vast stone chamber filled with hooks and giant gears grinding and a huge hanging crucible in the center of the ceiling above a main boiler. The Iron Heart of Ismaren. In the center of the room Althred Vosskar, a cocky wizard looking bastard of the Syndicate. As he boasts of his power taunting us he summoned 2 giant towering constructs which emerged from the thick steam.

Bruin doing Bruin didn't even hesitate and just ran up to the first one and stared striking at the metal body with claws and teeth. Althred took one step towards us and vanished appearing half the distance closer in a blink of an eye. He unleashed a fire ball at our group causing some serious burns. The construct struck back at Bruin not taking the strikes from him lying down. Odra moved up closing the gap with the other construct giving Bruin the chance to strike again at the one in front of him. Klackers kept close behind Bruin for support. Amani moved closer and tried to shoot the boiler with some needle darts but to no avail. Z'ed came up behind Bruin throwing lightning javelins at the construct striking true. I being a little scared at the strikes i just saw pulled out a drakeheart mutagen and downed that in a hurry. Then I threw a bottled lightning at the Construct attacking Odra. Tired of our antics Althred cast a towering wall of fire across the room engulfing Bruin, Klackers and Odra in its flames. Odra stepped out of the fire without even a single singed hair and struck the construct I hit with my bottled lightning. Klackers sidestepped the wall of fire and went to assist Odra healing some of her wounds and then bonked the construct a little with his bowstaff. Amani summoned a thrall next to the same construct and lashed out slamming into it. Z'ed threw another javelin at the construct engaging Bruin destroying it completely. The other one struck Klackers with a mighty punch. Klacker countered and pushed it into the fire finishing it off. More Syndicate troops filed in from behind us closing off our only escape. Bruin ran towards Althred and freed some captives he found near the center of the room. Klackers ran up alongside Bruin and administered some battle medicine healing him from some of the scuffing he had taken thus far. One of the guys that followed in behind us attacked Z'ed from behind and she in return cursed him with a blood vendetta. She frightened him with the sheer blood loss. Another one from behind us came up and struck me while my attention was turned. I stepped away as soon as I could and replied back with some go ol' alchemist fire to his face. Meanwhile Bruin advanced closer and closer to Althred climbing the metal pipes and rails up to him. Althred lifted his spear in the air as flames engulfed the blade and he slashed at Bruin cutting deep into his furry hide. Odra came back towards me and Z'ed. Klackers made his way to the end of the room and spotted a rune circle matching the runes we could see on Althred's armor. Amani instilled fear in the troops that were funneling into the room behind us. One of the feared soldiers just ran off from the fight haha. I rained down fiery hell upon 2 that were grouped together. Bruin got up to Althred and engaged him in melee combat and tried to grab him. He responded by stabbing Bruin again. By this point he was looking pretty roughed up. Odra ran towards Bruin hoping to assist. Klacker came up to Althred and used some more battle medicine on Bruin bringing her away from deaths door which she sorely needed at that moment. He then slapped Althred with his staff giving him a quick strike. Z'ed pulled out her grappling hook and scaled the side wall up to the second platform level. As one of the solider went down in combat we heard a spectral scream and I saw the soul of the guy emit a terrifying howl. It was as if the very souls of the Syndicate personnel were somehow being bound and used by this place. I took my cue and started booking it towards the rest of the group around Althred. He must have had the same idea as next thing I knew he was right up on me vanishing and appearing right next to me. Luckily Odra was close and came to my help knocking him off guard. Klackers tended to more of Bruins wounds as best he could. Amani approached the rune circle and tried to disrupt the magic. He was successful but the backlash caused him to become frightened and stunned. As the circle faded the armor with the runes on Althred fell to the ground no longer granting him its bonuses. Z'ed freed another captive that was on the level she was on. Our freed comrade, Boromir Thalven, at the back of the room was trying his best to hold his own against the soldiers behind us. I side stepped and threw an inflammation flask at Althred making his skin swell with irritants and sensitive making him more vulnerable to fire, acid and slashing attacks for a bit. Bruin dropped down and ran over to Althred but missed on swipe of his claws. Klackers decided now was a good time and place to bust out in some interpretative dancing for the haunting souls in there with us. Amani summoned a thrall that struck Althred but as it hit the armor left on him flared up as the building started shaking and he started fusing with the machinery around him. Z'ed unleashed a thunderstrike against him and now that he was fusing with metal which is a natural conductor of electricity he became clumsy. I threw a very well placed Alchemist fire at Althred lighting his ass up like a funeral pyre. Bruin while on the ground was able to trip Althred and bring him to his knees. He yells out in pain that if he was going to burn we were going to burn with him. He erupted in a fiery super nova. The blast shook the building to its very foundation. the chains and pipes started falling all around us from above. We were now on a run for our lives trying to book it out of there asap. It was a mad scrabble for our lives as we all looked for anything that could be considered an exit. Odra summoned our dragon friend to a broken out window on the second floor and I ran like hell to climb aboard. Odra yeeted herself out of the 3rd story window hitting the ground with a deafening thud. Amani went back to help some of our fallen comrades. Bruin and Z'ed and Amani all made it our the front entrance just in time. They were even able to grab Boromir on their way out. How the hell did we all make it out safe? The Gods are surely looking upon us favorably this day.