Session 32 - Gnome Mercy

General Summary

2 Erastus (July), 4725   Deep within the Cogsworth Labyrinth, the Ruinlords faced complex challenges as the labyrinth revealed its true nature. After a brief moment of calm, the Theyrium veins embedded in the walls came to life, transforming into serpentine tendrils that attacked the group. These 15-foot-long, crystalline constructs, pulsing with violet energy, tore free from the walls and lashed out, forcing the adventurers into a desperate battle for survival.   Once the party defeated the tendrils, they moved deeper into the labyrinth, arriving in a vast arena. There, a massive mechanical construct, the Crowd Pummeler 9-60, awaited them. The arena’s curved metallic walls were lined with glowing veins of Theyrium, casting an eerie violet light over the scene. The Pummeler activated upon their arrival, locking its targeting eyes onto the group as it prepared to attack. Despite the construct's overwhelming strength, the group managed to wear it down. As it weakened, the Pummeler rerouted its power, warning the party that defences around the Heart of the Labyrinth were increasing.   After surviving the battle in the arena, the party entered the Gnomish Recovery Matrix, a mechanical chamber designed for healing but fraught with risk. While offering the chance to recover from the Theyrium's effects, the strange devices in the room came with dangerous side effects. Here, Kaldir Stormrage, who had been lost to madness, began to regain his senses. The room's machinery filtered the Theyrium from his system, allowing him a brief reprieve from the madness that had consumed him. Kaldir revealed that he had been trapped in the labyrinth for an unknown period, corrupted by the Theyrium's influence and that he had come seeking the dragon Pyraxus, who he believed to be his blood relative.   Their final destination was the Workshop of Cogsworth, a twisted and chaotic room filled with the remains of broken machinery and pulsing veins of Theyrium. Here, the party confronted Trixwynn Cogsworth, the niece of Valeria Cogsworth, who had been believed to have been killed by the labyrinth hundreds of years ago. She was not dead, but the gnome had fused with a massive mechanical scorpion. Trixwynn, driven mad by the Theyrium, viewed herself as the ultimate manifestation of its power. She ranted about her abandonment and the potential of Theyrium to transform and destroy, vowing to make the party suffer.   As the party faced off against the mechanized gnome, the Heart of the Labyrinth throbbed with Theyrium energy. Cal was able to use the Command Rod to reset the Heart, but the chiding of Trixwynn told him that resetting the Heart would be catastrophic. The gnome fell as Cal managed to reroute the Theyrium, locking down the chamber and engulfing them in darkness. Beyond the heavy metal doors, a mighty shudder followed a rumble.   The Ruinlords stood in the dark, with an entire mountain between them and fresh air.

Rewards Granted

LEVEL SEVEN

Missions/Quests Completed

• Cogsworth Labyrinth was deactivated.
• Trixwynn Cogsworth was slain.

Character(s) interacted with

• Kaldir Stormrage: A half-elf, half-bronze dragon berserker barbarian previously driven mad by the Theyrium, but partially recovers his sanity in the Gnomish Recovery Matrix. He reveals crucial insights about the labyrinth and his suspected blood connection to Pyraxus.
• Trixwynn Cogsworth: The niece of Valeria Cogsworth, a gnome fused with a mechanical scorpion construct, determined to destroy the party and defend the Heart of the Labyrinth.