Fellowship of the Dice

Merica keeps her gun trained on the spot where the smoke was even after it fades, and listens to the others conversing. Once certain of the threat's removal, she faces their new allies.

"We've already faced apparitions of Gustavus and Nikaea Hekate, and dealt with them similarly, but there may still be others, or even duplicates of these. They seem to have been involved in a cult that originated from their corrupt pursuits of forbidden knowledge and power. A bitter sentiment scrawled on a wall in the basement suggests that they had a falling out and turned on each other."

"I was starting to wonder why nothing and no one has sought us out since we charged in," she continues with Haxtes and Damien. "So far, we've faced repurposed servitors, ghosts, and self-confined prisoners."

"We continue." Haxtes says, looking for an exit.

Aesgir slings his rifle back over his shoulder and signals his cyber mastiff to follow. "Yes, we should move on."

Renik winces as Mercia speaks the names of the apparitions, mouthing a silent prayer to his own ancestors and one to the Emperor himself.

He holsters his pistol and shrugs, "Yeah, onward I guess."

You have explored all there is in the tower, and the other areas of the Cathedral, at least as much as you seem willing to at this point. You have collected what clues you can and some pieces of a cog-key, but not all. So you return down to the main area in the Nave. As you arrive you at once see a new arrival, for seated on the front pew is the rotten corpse of Koronath Hekate! He is seated right next to where the other corpses of the Hekate members were. Yet he's dressed a bit differently than he was as a ghost, there is a naval air to his attire. Clutched in his bony hand is the last piece of the Cog Key.

Without a word, Haxtes reaches out with his mechadendrite and gets the cog piece.

As the Tech Priest collects the final piece from the corpse of the body, a body that was not there the last time any of you were in the chamber, it collapses and falls into dust. Haxtes can feel the pieces humming as they draw near one another and the device is near to complete.

Damien breathes a sigh of relief that the final cog piece was retrieved so easily. No zombies attempting to feast on them, no murderous servitors. Sometimes the Emperor is merciful. "Onwards to the heart of this mystery then. Haxtes, I assume you can handle this part?"

Haxtes just nods. He puts the pieces back together again and then leads the way to the large clock with its hidden compartment.

Merica squints at the bodies and rubs the frame on the trigger of her weapon ponderously, but not for long. The nervous twitching ceases as she leaves the dead where they lie, and she watches passively as the entire key (!) comes together by the mysterious power of Mars technology.

"It appears that you two have caught up with us at the tail end of this, if the Throne wills it so." Even as she says this, she walks with her weapon raised as they return to the clock mechanism.