Here is my second entry in the A Stop Along the Way series. In this one we examine the home/workshop of a lost mechanical person.
A glittering light in the distance draws your attention. Climbing the hill a short way to the side of the path you see below a strange, cobbled together structure. A low wall made of rubble surrounds one of the many lonesome, bifurcated stone obelisks that dot this area. Deep furloughs crisscross the area around the obelisk, seemingly from someone dragging many large pieces of metal detritus to create a small hut at its base. At the top of the obelisk, gently spinning in the wind, is a large windmill made from more scraps of metal, which blinks at you every few moments as the rays of the suns reflect off it.
This hut serves as the home for an ancient, mechanical, automaton. They created this out of the way home so that they would not be bothered by the needs and inquiry’s of ‘the non-mechanicals’ so that they can pursue they’re own mysterious goals in peace. The interior of the hut is pretty spartan, most of it is filled with a large spinning machine, filled with sparks, which appears to be attached to the windmill above via a looped chain. Most of the rest of the space is dedicated to a makeshift workshop, filled with tools of all description and baskets brimming over with scavenged parts from the wastelands. A door on the far side of the hut leads to an attached shed containing some sort of half completed mechanical apparatus.
While this hut serves the needs of its creator well, it is not suited for biological habitation. The heavy metal walls do a fair job of protecting the interior from the harmful energy of the suns, but the amount of dust and the presence of several yellow, caustic, puddles on the floor indicate that the structure is far from airtight or waterproof. However, the party may still be interested in staying here for a short time to take advantage of its crafting facilities, assuming they can convince the huts owner to let them stay.
The below table can be used to determine the hermit’s initial disposition and actions towards the party when they arrive in their home.
| D6 | Description |
| 1 | Fearful: the hermit hides themself behind a rack of spare parts when they hear the party approaching. They remain hidden unless the party appears to damage the partially constructed machine in the shed, at which point they wail at the party to stop. |
| 2 | Hurt: a mechanical arm lies in the center of the floor, leaking oil. A trail of similar oil drips leads out the back and into the wilderness. |
| 3 | Angry: as the party starts to examine the room, the automaton jumps into they’re midst, swinging away with an improvised weapon. |
| 4 | Missing: the hut is empty. A notebook on a workbench is filled with many undecipherable equations and diagrams, but the final entry mentions some ruins about three days away which may have some part the hermit seeks. |
| 5 | Curious: The automaton buts down some contraption they were working on as the party enters and stares at them for a while, making whirring noises. They ask in a buzzing voice, “I have not seen non-mechanicals in some time, what brings you this way?” |
| 6 | Peaceful: the automaton sits on the floor next to the large machine, a silver wire leading from they’re chest to the apparatus; They appear to be asleep or in some form of trance. |
That is all for now, I’m hoping to write a review of a Kickstarter product I recently read next.
A Robot Hermit's Journal 