The Devil's Workshop

"The Devil's Workshop" is episode 57 of SuperQuest Saga. Echo, Persephone, and Sebastian explore the second level of The Bellerophon and find an unusual collection, fight a guard patrolling the hallways, and meet an interesting crafter.

Introduction

 * Will Stark shall be your demiurgic dungeon master for this evening.
 * Josh Freeland is playing Sebastian Crenshaw, half-orc paladin Oathbreaker/Hexblade.
 * Your Special Guest Jake is playing Persephone Goldpetal, the firbolg Galactic druid.
 * Brian is playing Codename: Echo who is a new elf from space that does rogue things. He’s a rogue and a wizard, a Bladesinging wizard.

Recap
A lot happened last time, the party got stopped from summoning their Private Sanctum by a mysterious voice. They ventured into the chamber of said voice and discovered it was actually three voices from three beings going by a single moniker, The Meijin. This entity claimed that it had been keeping the party undetected up until that point and that it wanted to make a deal with you. It agreed, for a price, to assist them in getting the Soul Eater. Persephone gave a secret, Sebastian gave a sweet memory, Echo gave a dark emotion. The Meijin revealed there are three entities on the ship, The Princess, The Child, and The Warriors Two, and the party needs to coax a piece of their souls into a soul gem. The party met The Princess, a humanoid integrated into a machine, she wasn’t very cognizant but she was able to say she was tricked and she misses her guardian song. The party made their way to the second level and turned the lights on, then off, and opened access to all the doors. Before they could head through one of the doors, they heard the sound of a large machine marching towards them from another direction behind.

We're Bright As Fuck
Echo, Persephone, and Sebastian hear something big, loud, and very machine-like coming. Persephone suggests they get out of here and Sebastian urges them through the door. They find themselves in a bizarre room, it appears to have no walls or ceiling and seems to be a floating platform amidst an open black void. Lining the border of the platform are five glass rectangles, each with a different figure standing inside of them. All of them appear to be horrific and fiendish in nature, standing stock still as if they were statues, like a museum display. Behind them, they hear the loud machine move into the hallway they just exited.

Echo checks out a door on the eastern wall, and it looks identical to the one they just entered. There are no computer consoles and no lighting in the room, yet the room still seems to be magically alight. Echo recognizes that this room seems to be some sort of pocket dimension with magic lighting. Sebastian approaches one of the glass cases and sees a fiendish creature in black plate armor with a horned helm; the face of this creature is actually fairly humanoid and appears to be a woman with pointed ears with horns and glowing red eyes. She appears to be perfectly preserved, but he notices that her eyes follow him as he moves around the case.

Persephone uses Detect Magic and notices that every single one of the devilish statues seems to have invisible threads going through all their joints, their skull, and their body from the top to bottom of the cases. She tells Echo and Sebastian that these creatures are magically confined in the cases. The party also hears the machine outside walk back towards the computer lab away from them.

Echo approaches the door on the eastern wall and it opens automatically, he thinks it is best to move on. Before they go, they take one last look at the prisoners and recognize a lot of them from their time on Kaebooros; one is a short, spiny, barbed devil, one is a large horned devil, one is an insectile type monster called an ice devil, one is a chain devil, and the woman is an erinyes.

Through the door is a long hallway and Echo moves forward to the next corner, gesturing for Persephone and Sebastian to follow. Echo sees a room at the end of the hallway and an adjoining hall partway down, he sneaks over to take a look around the next corner. He finds a plastic barrier quarantining off an area that is covered with blood, and he decides to skip that area. Persephone and Sebastian have worked with Echo long enough to know that he will report back once he is done checking things out.

I'm Gonna Nope Right out of There
Echo peeks into the door at the end of the hallway and finds a wider hallway lined with six more display cases of devils. He returns to Persephone and Sebastian, reporting that the side hallway is bad news and there are more fiendish ones in the room at the end. As they’re talking, Echo, Persephone, and Sebastian hear the mechanic stomping from behind them in the pocket dimension room. Sebastian suggests they move forward; Echo asks if they want to go towards the bloody hallway or the room with the displays, and they decide on the room.

They enter the room, which is more of a corridor, the six cases stretch all the way to the end. They also see a doorway heading to the west, the sounds of the mechanical stomping getting closer behind them. Echo plans to cast Grease just before the thing chasing them gets to the door with Sebastian acting as backup while Percy checks out the door.

Percy looks in the door and enters the room and sees three steel tables, two of which have sheeted bodies on them, the third is occluded by a dark figure hunched over it. From what she can see, it has gray skin and a dark mane of black hair. There are four long, lanky arms coming from its body and it appears to be furiously sewing with a needle and thread. Percy turns around and immediately leaves, calling for Echo. As the door closes the creature lifts its head and turns around, its head rotating around while its body remains facing forward, and it has six insect-like eyes and an enormous grin stitched on its face. It sees Percy as the door closes.

The machine stomping down the hall is about to reach the room and Echo casts Grease. The large machine has six legs like a spider’s, its body is covered in plated black metal, it has two clawed arms extended forward from the body like a scorpion, ten lenses serve as eyes on a face that hangs over the body on a curved neck. A glass orb that emanates light is encased in golden rings and embedded in its chest, surrounded with a black protective plating. The creature does not slip on the Grease and moves into the room.

Another Paralyzer
Echo Misty Steps out into the hall on the edge of the Grease and casts Lightning Lure, which is ineffective, then takes a shot at the machine but the bullet bounces off its armor. Sebastian moves up to the south side of the creature and hits it twice; one striking critically and imbued with extra power from a Divine Smite, cracking the black metal casing on the machine’s body. The machine’s two front claws stab at Sebastian, hitting once. Then one of its ten eyes begins to glow with bright yellow energy and it fires a beam at Persephone, paralyzing her. Persephone tries to break free from the paralysis but fails.

Echo casts Lightning Lure again, but the machine is unaffected, then fires a shot at it and misses. Sebastian swings twice with his sword, hitting once and invoking Divine Smite to deal extra damage, then stands his ground. The machine swipes at Sebastian twice with its claws, hitting once, and then paralyzes him with its eye beam. Persephone again tries and fails to free herself from the paralysis.

Echo casts Fire Bolt and bloodies the machine, and then shoots his gun which deals more fire damage before hiding around the corner. Sebastian tries to break free of the paralysis and fails. The machine tries to hit Sebastian twice with its spider legs but misses both times, then blasts him with a force beam from another of its eyes. Persephone tries to free herself but remains paralyzed.

Echo breaks around the corner, activating his Bladesong, and leaps over the Grease, kicking off a wall to attack the machine. He extends his hand and traces a sigil of warding in the air as he casts Blade Ward. Sebastian manages to break free from the paralysis. The creature turns to attack Echo with two claws, missing with both, before firing a beam at Sebastian that paralyzes him again. Persephone finally breaks free from her paralysis.

Echo hits the creature twice, once with his weapon attack and once with a Booming Blade, then disengages and moves as far away as he can. Sebastian breaks the paralysis. The machine attacks Sebastian twice with its claws; the first attack misses and the second would hit, but Sebastian casts Shield and a smoky gray energy bursts around him as a force field to deflect  the attack. It fires another paralyzer beam at Sebastian but it does not affect him. Persephone points at the creature and casts Frostbite, frozen crystals start to coalesce around the creature but nothing happens as it shakes off the effect. She grabs her staff and points to the right of Sebastian and summons a Healing Spirit in the form of the White Stag before she backs away from the machine.

Echo runs behind the creature to stab it in the butt twice, hitting with both attacks. Sebastian gets some healing from Percy’s Healing Spirit, then strikes the machine twice with his sword, killing it in the first hit. He stabs the glowing orb in his abdomen and an explosion of light pours out as the machine shuts down.

Moppets
Persephone’s Healing Spirit remains summoned for a minute so Sebastian basks in its healing energy and regains some health. Echo checks out the remains of the spider machine and discerns that it is not a fully technological construct; there is some sort of dark sorcery going on, specifically with the orb. Persephone asks what he found, and he shares his sneaking suspicion that it could stand once more. Persephone looks at the orb and notices a burnt out chunk of rock that cracked in half inside. Sebastian takes a look at the rock and can tell that it was once a very large and precisely cut gemstone that has been cracked in half. It reminds him of a much larger version of the soul gem they received from The Meijin.

Echo asks Persephone about the bad thing she saw behind the door. She explains there was a big, nasty bug thing doing some sewing in the next room. Echo wants to go check it out to make sure that whatever Percy saw will not reveal their presence on the ship and see if it has any information. Echo opens the door to the next room.

There are three tables, two have bodies covered in sheets and the third has an uncovered body where the creature is sewing voraciously. It has gray skin and a dark mane of black hair, four long, lanky arms that are furiously sewing. It notices the door open again and its head swivels around 180 degrees and the party can see six insect-like eyes and an enormous grin stitched onto its face. It stops what it is doing, turns towards Echo, Persephone, and Sebastian, and says “More moppets to sew?”

Echo is horrified, but maintains his composure and asks for clarification. The creature walks around the table and cocks its head, scanning the floor. “I don’t understand, no more moppets to stick?” Then he looks at Echo. “Should I stick you? Would you be my moppet?” Echo activates his arm cannon and points it at the creature. “I’m going to recommend you stay exactly where you are. You can keep doing what you’re doing, I just want to talk.” The creature keeps walking forward and Echo shoots him.

Echo's Not Feeling This Guy
Echo shoots once and misses, but then hits the creature with a Fire Bolt as he tells the creature to stand down. The creature screams and begins to hiss.

Echo runs up to the creature’s side and stabs it; the creature screams and chitters as it takes fire damage. Echo follows up with a Booming Blade for more fire damage before disengaging and running out of the room. The creature moves behind the body he was sewing up and pulls out needles in all four of his hands, sticks them into the body on the table, and pulls out four controlling threads to control the body of the bearded devil like a marionette. The bearded devil is moved by the threads out into the hallway and attacks the first person it sees. It smashes its barbed, beard face into Persephone twice and hits her once. Sebastian moves in to stab the bearded devil twice and successfully hits with both attacks, killing it. Persephone grabs her staff and casts Faerie Fire on top of the puppet master inside the morgue, but the creature avoids the effects of the spell. She moves out of line of sight.

Echo casts Vitriolic Sphere on the creature, it manages to avoid some damage but there is fire in the room now. The creature moves to the next table further into the room, again pulls out four needles and strings up a smaller, barbed devil. The barbed devil runs out and attacks the first person it sees, Sebastian. It strikes once with its tail and twice with its claws; missing with the tail and one claw, but striking critically with the other. The unnamed Needlemaster shrieks “I’m going to make all three of you my moppets! All three of you will serve me!” Sebastian slashes twice with his sword and hits the barbed devil both times. Persephone points her staff towards the room and drops a Flaming Sphere within range of The Needlemaster and moves back.

Echo flanks the barbed devil and hits it with his weapon, bringing the devil to half health. Echo disengages, moves into the room, and casts Fire Bolt, hitting The Needlemaster. The Needlemaster claps all four of its hands and two hands take control of the barbed devil. The two free hands pull out needles and he rushes at Echo; one needle pierces Echo. The barbed devil claws Sebastian twice, hitting once, then swings with its tail, but misses. Sebastian critically strikes the barbed devil with his sword and kills it. Then he moves in next to Echo and attacks The Needlemaster, hitting with his sword. Persephone moves towards the door and casts Frostbite at The Needlemaster, but it has no effect. She pushes her hand forward and moves the Flaming Sphere into him, causing The Needlemaster to crumple to the floor and scream “No more, no more! Please leave The Needlemaster alone!”

Bad Cop, Worse Cop
Echo casts Blade Ward on himself and moves in to stab The Needlemaster, stopping just short of his throat. Echo looks at Sebastian, nods and smiles, then gestures to himself and makes an angry face. He says “I’m not as nice as my big friend over here. You better start talking.” And Sebastian growls. The Needlemaster begs for his life and is willing to talk.

Echo asks how long The Needlemaster has been with Ryoka. Ryoka picked up The Needlemaster as an egg, he was born here. Echo asks if Ryoka is like his mom then, and The Needlemaster hesitantly agrees. Echo asks where she is. The Needlemaster does not know where she is, she dwells above and rarely comes down. Echo thinks The Needlemaster is being honest, it seems like he just wants them to leave. Echo asks when the last time The Needlemaster saw Ryoka. The Needlemaster reveals he hasn’t seen her in many months.

Persephone asks if The Needlemaster knows where they can find the Guardian Song, and The Needlemaster has no clue what they’re talking about, he just makes moppets. Echo asks about the Soul Eater, and The Needlemaster reveals it is up above with the mistress. Echo asks how The Needlemaster controls the bodies; The Needlemaster makes a magic string with his body that pierces the animus of the body. Echo thinks that’s gross. The Needlemaster thinks they’re gross, they came into his lab and ruined everything. Echo asks how many he has under his control and if they’re going to need to worry about him making more “moppets.” The Needlemaster explains he makes moppets at the mistress’s demands, there are eleven total in the trophy rooms. Echo asks when these moppets get used and The Needlemaster says they are not for use, they are for display of Ryoka’s power.

Persephone asks if they will have to worry about The Needlemaster telling people about the party when they leave him. He does not leave his lab, the Abomination guards the hallway and that’s not The Needlemaster’s job. Echo asks if the Abomination is the spider robot they killed and The Needlemaster confirms. He also reveals there is more than one, but he does not know how many. Sebastian asks about the bloody hallway around the corner, The Needlemaster calls it “the icky labs” and tells them he doesn’t go there. The Doctor works there with her little minions.

Persephone asks if The Needlemaster knows the way upstairs. He knows there is an elevator beyond the machine labs towards the back of the ship. Echo asks what The Needlemaster will give them if they let him live. He hesitantly offers a moppet. Echo asks what they’re supposed to do with that and the Needlemaster says that’s all he has, moppets, instruments, and needles. Echo thinks the Needlemaster should go with them, the Needlemaster asks if they will make him go. Echo brandishes his sword and yells at him, ordering the Needlemaster to put his best moppet out front while they go to the “icky labs.” The Needlemaster only has one moppet left, a spine devil.

Before they march to the “icky labs,” Persephone asks if The Needlemaster knows anything about The Child or The Warriors Two. The Needlemaster reveals that The Child is up north past the “Masked Ones” and the “icky lab.” Echo presses for more information about the Masked Ones but The Needlemaster does not know. The party plus The Needlemaster march up the corridor, past the trophy devils, down the hall, and now stand before the blood-soaked plastic of what The Needlemaster has dubbed the “icky labs.”

The Party

 * Sebastian Crenshaw: A half-orc paladin/warlock. Bad cop.
 * Persephone Goldpetal: A firbolg druid. She's so paralyzed.
 * Codename: Echo: An elf wizard/rogue. Worse cop.

NPCS

 * The Needlemaster: An insect-like creature who works for Ryoka. All he does is make moppets, that's what he's good at.

Music

 * SuperQuest Saga Theme - by Brian
 * Six Legged Machine - by Brian

Out of Character

 * Echo is being less communicative until he recovers from what happened with The Meijin. Persephone has clocked the change but is not going to force a conversation until he is ready.

Nat 20's (6 total)

 * Brian (Stealth)
 * Brian (Initiative)
 * Freeland (Sword Attack)
 * Will (Dexterity Save)
 * Will (Claw Attack as Barbed Devil)
 * Freeland (Sword Attack)

Nat 1's (6 total)

 * Brian (Ranged Attack)
 * Will (Spider Leg Attack as Abomination) - Rolled Double Nat 1 with advantage
 * Will (Spider Leg Attack as Abomination)
 * Will (Spider Leg Attack as Abomination)
 * Special Guest Jake (Initiative)
 * Will (Claw Attack as Barbed Devil)