"Oi you!" Lythril shouts as she picks up the broken toy "you went and dropped something!" She storms to the front door and slams it open with her shield. "HELLO! somebody in here lost this cheap piece of scrap?! I think maybe a half-orc put it together with snot and road kill!"

Her sneer is also tinged with a genuine smile. A direct confrontation is something she can understand, and can look forward to. If she can get the mucker mad enough, maybe she'll come out and play.

CHAPTER THREE - FIREBALL!
THE HALL OF EXEMPLARY INVENTIONS
OI YOU!

The Temple of Gond is open, (A little bit more open now, thanks to the shield bash LOL) and abuzz with activity. The main hall of the temple holds two dozen marble pedestals. Each one bears a prize-winning invention or a miniature model of some other extraordinary creation.

Among the displays are several that stand out: A 4-foot-tall working model of a clock tower rings at the top of every hour. It is made of wood, iron, bronze, and glass, with brass bells and delicate hands formed from solid gold. A wooden flying machine has wings that flap when it becomes airborne. A miniature model of a mechanical dragon turtle has a brass plate affixed to its pedestal that reads, “Big Belchy. Sank in Deepwater Harbor on the Day of Wonders in 1363 DR.” A functional “waking helmet” equipped with small, articulated metal arms and hands that gently slap the wearer if he or she falls asleep. A miniature model of a red submarine shaped like a manta ray has a brass plate affixed to its pedestal that reads, “The Scarlet Marpenoth. Lantanese submersible. Launched in 1489 DR.”

As you all enter, everyone stops a moment to look at you all, seeing as you made such an entrance. After a moment, a bronze dragonborn priest walks up to you all through the crowd.

"Hello. I am Valetta. Welcome to the Temple of Gond." She says gentle, "May I help you?"

Lythril hisses at the priest "My hammer needs to have a conversation with whoever tried to take my head with this toy..."

Intimidation 16

Leon told the others to go ahead and make way to the temple, going back inside the manor to put on his combat robes and bring his new crossbow and Bo with him (just in case).

After that he sprinted to where Lythril said the temple would be, catching up to them just before they headed inside. When he stepped into the building, his eyes were automatically drawn towards the gadets and gizmos that littered the place. He finally rejoined the group as Lythril was threatening the Dragonborn priest. 

What did I miss?

CHAPTER THREE - FIREBALL!
THE HALL OF EXEMPLARY INVENTIONS
PRIEST VALETTA

Valetta looks at the mechanical bird, and her demeanor saddens, and looks a bit surprised. "This is one of Nim's creations. Come. Let us go upstairs and talk to him." She offers.

As you head upstairs, Valetta explains, "Such strange behavior from Nim. He is a nimblewright, an automaton, that was gifted to the temple by a Lantanese wizard. Let us see if we can get an explanation of this behavior."

Pheral is enthralled by the majesty of the temple. The artistry of invention putting her in awe.

Astrid too is enthralled by the temple. She had always heard of Gond, being that she is herself a gnome, but was really never interested in religion. He grandmother (Gnomore Holmes, rest her soul) used to always blather on about gods and goddesses, but she always just saw them as feeble gnomish minds way of explaining that which they didn’t understand. Astrid always had a thirst for knowledge, to understand the truth behind things. But these mechanical automatons...WOW!  How did they work?!  What beauty!  What creativity!

She soon realized that she was standing there in the entryway, mouth agape, staring at all the wondrous things on display.  The rest of the group was already on their way up the stairs.  “Focus, Astrid!  Focus!” she chided herself, before folding her tongue back into her mouth and scurrying to catch up to the group. 

CHAPTER THREE - FIREBALL!
THE HALL OF EXEMPLARY INVENTIONS
PRIEST VALETTA

Valetta leads you upstairs above the temple into the attic to Nim's room, there is a door. It's locked. Valetta looks at the doorknob. "Hm." she says, confused. "How odd? This lock was not there before. I'm afraid I don't have the key. Nim?" she calls out to him from the door. "Please open. We have guests that would like a word with you. Nim?"

There is no reply.

Azrael tagged along, mostly silently. He wasn't really looking forward to going to the holy place of a worthless god. But he would grin and bear it. His temperament didn't change much. It's not like he disliked their worshipers, just their patron. And he knew they followed for their own reasons.

A sudden attack from above caught his attention, luckily Lythril managed to block it in time, only to charge in through the doors, causing quite the scene.. not that he wouldn't have done the same had it been him. He followed swiftly after her, and the group, Leon catching up around that time too. As soon as the Bronze female revealed herself though, Azrael couldn't help but look her over, not once but thrice. He was not subtle, nor was he obvious. He did not mind if she noticed.....

For now, Azrael kept quiet, but his interest in her was obvious. He knew they needed to deal with thier current situation first.. but he would make his pass at this Bronze Beauty before they left, if a proper opportunity did not present itself before then.

He would, however say Perhaps he is ashamed of his actions and seeks to hide from you? assuming he can feel that.. I admit I know little to nothing about mechanical things. his eyes were gently locked with hers as he spoke, and the faintest of smiles.

CHAPTER THREE - FIREBALL!
NIM'S ATTIC
ROLL TO FLIRT. OH, A 9.

It might be! Or mehbe not?

She looks at you as you speak. "I know he can hear me, I just don't understand why he locked the door. Nim! Please!" she begs, "Please open the door."

Good roll. Azrael.

Pheral give Nim a minute to come out on its own. If it doesn't Excuse me but may i try something? I promise i wont break the door down or anything. 

If allowed Pheral would like to do an Deception roll for Nim to react to either positively or negatively.   13 

Pheral bangs on the door Open up! this is the City watch, We have a few questions about your presence at an explosion near by resulting in several deaths and no less that 2 buildings burnt to the ground.

Danitriel walked through the temple maintaining the respectful silence she kept when she was inside the temples to other people's gods. There was a temple to the elven Seldarine in the city and while she felt more comfortable there, this place was not without it's own glory.

When they all walked up to the attic she pondered the situation. An automaton that could think? What would that be like, knowing that you were not a natural being, but a made thing? Surely that would be a lonely faux-life. It was not without some sympathy that she eyed the door.

Leon wasn’t too fond of the approach the others had thought of as he stood near by the priestess and watched Pheral bang on the door.

“Perhaps they... aren't in there?”  He casts the Dragonborn a worried look.

CHAPTER THREE - FIREBALL!
NIM'S ATTIC
AUTOMATON DOORKNOB

Slowly, the door opens. Between Pheral and Azrael, the construct submits and opens the door. Good job not breaking it down, by the way. What you see is an interesting entity - Nim literally looks like a mechanical slender knight in shining armor - made entirely of metal cogs, plates, and springs. He has a handsome face with a mustache, and looks sad. Imagine a medieval Michael Bay like humanoid transformer. He looks at you all for a moment, makes a gesture to come in, and sits down cross legged in the middle of the attic. He holds his head low, and makes absolutely no hostile movements. You almost feel bad for it.

Pheral was all ready to look sturn and give him the business. But she falters upon seeing his expression Look, just...just tell us what you know please.

Astrid begins to pace around the periphery of the room, inspecting Nim's possessions.  (Investigation: 20).

OOC: She's paying attention to the room and the items in it, and not Nim.  Do the items in the room look suspicious?  Do they look like he might be a terrorist of some sort?

CHAPTER THREE - FIREBALL!
NIM'S ATTIC
AUTOMATON COMMUNICATION

Nim looks at you all and makes no hostile movements. It raises both of it's hands and begins to sign language. Valetta translates and speaks what Nim is saying.

Sorry about bird. Not intentional. Please forgive. He points to himself. Gift for Temple. Temple good. Treat well. He gestures to himself, shaking his head sadly. Not hostile. Lonely. Created another. Like me. Ran away. Confused.

"You did what??" Valetta exclaims, surprised. "You made another nimblewright?" She touches something on her wrist, and a holy symbols appears. She holds her wrist up. "Joseph, can you and two others come up here please? We're taking Nim's tools away for a little bit. There's been an incident." A pause. "Right away, ma'am." Comes the answer.

Something happen. Nim innocent. Other nimblewright. Very sorry.

Nim stops signing and thinks for a moment. He gets up and before the other priests come up, he picks up a tool from his workbench and hands it to Pheral. Astrid, in the attic is nothing but the window to the outside, the door you came in from, and lots of random mechanical parts on his workbench. There are crates and boxes of unremarkable details stacked around the attic as well.  Nothing else, really.

Take this. Nimblewright detector. Find creation.

If you hold down the trigger, if you are within 500 feet of a nimblewright other than Nim, the umbrella will spin.

"I'm all very sorry about this." Valetta says. "If you find Nim's wayward creation and destroy it, I will reward you all 500gp and a choice of one of our mechanical creations in our storehouse."

QUEST: Find and destroy the warward nimblewright.

Thank you Nim, I know what its like to lonely. Pheral turns to the priestess, Does it have to be destroyed entirely ?

Unfortunately, yes. 

YOU ARE ALL NOW LEVEL 3.

And with level 3, you each receive your faction level 3 quests. REMEMBER: THOSE IN THE SAME FACTION CAN HELP EACH OTHER FOR ADVANTAGE. Remember to send me a PM with whoever is in the group with your rolls. Here they come:

HARPERS

MISSION:“Uza Solizeph is an old woman who sells books out of a narrow three-story building on Sorn Street in the Trades Ward. She claims to have trapped a monster in her shop and fears for the welfare of her books and her cat. The City Watch isn’t likely to lend a hand, given Uza’s propensity for tall tales, but the Harpers owe her a favor. You’ll find her sobbing at Felzoun’s Folly, a tavern on the corner of Sorn Street and Salabar Street. Make haste!”

SUCCESS CONDITIONS: Uza, a female human commoner, describes the threat as a “monstrous orb of many eyes” that chased her cat, Fillipa, into the shop. The monster is, in fact, a gazer. You've heard of this kinda of creature before. Uza lends them the keys to the front and back doors of her shop. You find the interior in shambles and hear a cat meowing on the third floor. The cat has so far eluded the nasty little predator. To save the cat and outwit the gazer, you'll need to pass a DC15 test in a skill of your choice. For example, to trick the gazer and grab the cat, you'd make a Performance roll. To dive, save the cat, and run out, an Acrobatics or Athletics check. You guys role-play it out, and decide which test to make. Beat a 15. 

ORDER OF THE GAUNTLET

MISSION: “A notorious thief called the Black Viper, long thought dead, has apparently returned to Waterdeep. She has already robbed at least a dozen noble estates. No one knows her identity because she wears a mask, but it was reported in The Waterdeep Wazoo that she’s a noble. Find out what else the broadsheet’s publisher knows about her and report back to me."

SUCCESS CONDITIONS: You are sent to meet with Gaxly Rudderbust, a male human and the publisher of The Waterdeep Wazoo, and either succeed on a DC 12 Charisma (Intimidation of Persuation) check or bribe him with at least 50 gp. (If someone helps you, only one person needs to pay 50g, not each.) If you do so, Gaxly shares his suspicions that the Black Viper is the secret, evil twin sister of Ammalia Cassalanter, and that she wears a mask to hide a disfigurement. Conducting a day-long investigation and succeeding on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that no such person exists. Both tasks must pass for success.