The Storm Observatory

Discovery, Scientific

Discovered originally in the events of "Pioneer into the Unknown", the path to this observatory is found amidst a manufactured storm which blows all creature that try to bypass it's walls away, and for all creatures that attempt to pass through, are struck with lightning thus leaving a single path open between walls of storm.   Within the center of this storm, there is a manufactured mountain, at the heart of which exists a massive jadetech construction, one which the explorers would soon plumb the depths of.

When entering any jadetech facility, one would first needs to become acquainted with a persistent dampness, and such was the case for these adventurers who heard first - the running of water, before witnesses cavern walls covered in sheets of damp green moss, with moisture hanging in the air like a blanket.   The cave structures in which the observatery had been built appeared to still maintain the longterm function of the jadetech that had been placed there, though leaks within the structure had created large pools of stagnant water which had become ideal breeding grounds for oozes and verduous creatures.   These alone were problemtaic and threatening, but the threats were compounded in addition to the remains of jadetech automata who would awaken at the passage of sentient creatures, and corrupted as they were - would attempt to slay them in a desperate act.   The third issue to compound all of this, was the presence of the various defenses that had been placed around the site - eyes that could emit light that could burn someone alive, or keep them from traversing. Or even, emit a darkness that devoured those who tried to pass through it.   Great bellows of wind that would launch victims high up into the air and crash them against the ceiling before knocking them back down again, and more were a pervasive issue, that would trouble a great many parties - if it were not for the presence of Suzy along with them whose adept knowledge allowed them to disable the remnant defenses.   Of note as well - at least for the doctor Ali, was the existance of a pair of small, pyramid like structures. Appearing to be mausoleoms of some sort, whatever creature had been buried there had long decayed, yet the walls had strange brick-lick proportions, which when pulled would reveal that they were obsidian shard protecting an artifical jade-like interior, which Suzy identified to be some method of information storage.   Recovering a number of these "bricks" the portal would later determine to decrypt them, but moved on, before they would encounter a particularly dangerous room. Not for any latent traps, but rather for a strange water elemental whose longevity and exposure to the magics of the observatory had turned it into a creature of extreme intelligence and ability.   Though Gallow's commands would prove excellent in ensuring the safety of his party, there was the concerning ability of the elemental to directly influence luck, such that it could force a serendipitious outcome even when the odds were against it.   No amount of luck however, could prepare one for a barrage of traps, and as Suzy laid a particularly devious one, it would be trapped amidst a time lock for minutes at end, and upon it's release welcome the light of a dozen loud explosions that harshly damaged it, leaving it vulnerable to the Dashing attacks of Griselda and Alexsander.   As consequence to the explosions rocking the environment though, the mountain had shaken quite terribly, and all became aware of a strange hiss, as if air were leaking and a strange creaking of metal as something slowly threatened to tear apart within the belly of the structure.   Hurried by this knowledge, the party was mildly distressed upon their encounter of a blockade formed by a serios of Jadetech scriers, unable to easily bypass it, it came to Alex - who in realizing that the room they were trapped in was an area especially pivotal towards processing the water used in the plant, so - taking advantage of his reduced form which had come as part of a god's curse, he slipped between churning turbines, and found himself face to face with a broken lever.   Creatively, the man would rely on his nature as a craftsman and repair the device, applying an abrupt brake to the remainder of the jadetech defenses, which would allow them to enter deeper, and find the heart of the observatory. Inside this observatory, the party would encounter the true wonders of it's construction - large statues with glowing green bodies that as much as were artistic marvels could store great amounts of energy, allowing the machinery to persist in running the critical systems for weeks on end.   Yet, there was one remaining obstacle before the party could enter into the control room itself, and investigate the matters further -and what prevents tehir eggress was a apir of jadetech tanks, though originally purposed for mining and digging, such machinery had turned corrupt and activated itself for the sole purpose of killing.   Yet, such incredible machinery would rue the day it had been so carefully constructed, for Griselda's eyes would gleam in mischevious joy, and she would gayly and merrily set herself upon these devices, her fists and bodies raining down upon them like a storm as she unleashed numerous attacks in mere moments. A childish radience of her heart expressed in a single thought of "I want to pilot" one of these, quickly rendered the rampant systems inert, and finally removed the last threat standing between them and their goal.   But the concerns weren't over, the controls - having been written in the language of the Eläin were nonsensicle to an outsider, for what measure could they possible attempt to interact with such machinery?   Yet, it was Suzy's love of the technology, and the creation of her mother's nanotechnology swarm that she sent to interface with the machinery. The small jade-like bots wriggling into the device as a whole, manipulated and controlled by Suzy's entire focus as she entered into a meditative trance, and breathed becoming one with the device before her.   Occurring where the device attempted to balance and control pressure; the leak caused by her earlier explosions had resulted in an atmospheric imbalance, where air was being pushed out, and resulting in a vacuum elsewhere in the system. One that would shortly - if left untreated compress the heart of the mountain, and destabilize it to result in it's complete collapse.   inhabiting her machinery, Suzy was able to find however the source of her problem, and excavatate into the cracks and open up some space, before sending a charge into the metallic shell, resulting in the material quickly healing on it's own and sealing up the crack. A short process that showed the creative prowss of the inventor, whose usage of living metals, and similar materials and care in shaping them had allowed this site to remain functional for hundreds of years.   Yet, before she could withdraw - Suzy felt something strange, a pulse of energy, like a remnant snarl rage against her like a storm, something trying to rip control of her jadetech from her, and turn it into the same hostile creations that she had felt before. Like a riptide, it washed around her, and even as she tried to pull her nanobots back to her, they were getting pulled away - damaging themselves and eachother.   With a force of willpower, she however began to assert herself. Tugging them against the tide, until abruptly the source of the raging feeling stopped. Leaving Suzy feeling confused... and conflicted. Feeling as if the Dragon's jade itself was still alive, and burning hatred. She gathered her nanotechnology to herself, and resolved to further research into the events of the area. Knowing that the energy released had gone somewhere and something must have woken up, but not knowing where or what.