Session 21 - Jandro's Mystery

General Summary

The five adventurers, having completed the four challenge rooms in Jandro's redoubt, progress to the next level down.   They enter a large room with a huge pile of parts- to their horror, out of this pile of parts rises a horrific amalgamation of churning gears, cables, armour pieces and blades- a Clockwork Abomination. The monstrous machine fights them with a snapping blade-filled maw, a gut of flaming prometheum and lunging bladed claws. They fight the machine desperately, taking grievous damage, but Flint manages to plunge his Rustbringer into the monstrosity, using his divine power to kill it.   Having killed the beast, they find their way out (also finding some Adamantium) and make it into Jandro's room. There they find many magic items- a Library Automaton, Goggles of Macro, the blueprint for Automated Armour and heaps of gold pieces, among other things. Panser lets Elxis keep his Pistol, indicating a new level of trust.   But most importantly, they reach the Unbinder, first reading Jandro's final message- which refers to some strange ethereal beast that haunted him unto his death. Ila uses the Unbinder to destroy her cursed gauntlet, having a brief vision of the sigil of the aforementioned beast (as written on Jandro's message) and a vision of an epic battle atop a mountain.   The message reads:   If you're reading this, I'm already dead.   I have spent my days and nights building this Unbinder. I have been cursed by some entity, and it torments me mercilessly. I want to be free of it. I would rather die than live by it's curse. If you are reading this, just know that my Unbinder has destroyed my curse, but has killed me in doing so. I am at rest. Just know, that this is it's symbol:   [Symbol of the Entity]   If you made it here, you are worthy of using the Unbinder.   -Jandro Slateborn.   After the visions fade and Ila's gauntlet is destroyed, the exhausted adventurers stay a couple nights in the rooms before making their way home, taking a peaceful six-day journey back to Akuma City, on the way picking up the modest treasure that the rescued prisoners told them about. Panser also uses a spell one night to briefly speak with The Firbolg- he is alive and well, though he misses the group. This saddens Panser.   At the city, they re-buy their accommodations and sit down for drinks and food at the Fox and the Wolf Tavern that they are staying at. After that, Ila gets black-out drunk and passes out, Elxis goes to sell her Adamantium and Shortsword at the market (and then buys a pair of deerhorn knives), and Panser sells a couple of his things. After the markets, Elxis goes home to study the magic items she has, and Panser joins Arkud Flintmane at the Sanctum to relax. Flint goes home to sleep.