Flux and Fallout: The Camborne Crisis | Jan Teschner

Camborne’s Rest – After their spectral skirmish aboard a ghost ship, the crew of the Stolen Property pushed forward on their northern voyage toward Camborne’s Rest - an island that looked less like a sanctuary and more like a lawless frontier, weathered and suspicious as can be. Circling its eroded cliffs, they discovered a small settlement hunkered against the northern coast: city walls, watchtowers, tents flapping nervously in the sea breeze… and absolutely no welcoming committee to uphold any sense of hospitality or due process.

Unprovoked Ambush
Merlin, Selah, and Tiyana disembarked to investigate. The streets were empty, but signs of life lingered - fresh footprints, a warm sandwich (ham and disappointment), and an uncanny hush that screamed "ambush." Sensing they’d just missed the locals, Merlin, employing his classic blend of diplomacy and pure derangement, shouted that he came in peace - just a humble, small-business owner here to sell some peanuts.

A blowdart immediately disproved the effectiveness of this peaceful negotiation. Shot from a tower slit and laced with sedatives, it nailed Merlin in the hoop. He made an admirable, high-stakes dash back to the ship before collapsing on the dock like a tranquilized stag in a hunting accident. Selah, ever alert and defending her right to survival, caught a dart midair and - without missing a beat - whipped it back at her attacker, who crumpled to the ground. Unfortunately, reinforcements flooded the streets: guards armed with projectile weaponry and mages hurling arcane sleeping spells like heavy artillery. Tiyana and Selah, despite their best efforts to hold the line, were taken down in moments.

Welcome to the Lab of Totalitarian Intent
The three awoke in an underground lab straight out of a villain’s manual for high-security tyranny. Massive pink-glowing flasks, cave walls lined with bookcases, and guards everywhere patrolling like a heavy-handed regime. A scientist in a lab coat stepped forward, disdain oozing from his eyes. “What are humans doing this far north?” he sneered. Merlin, still half-loopy and clinging to his rugged individualism, fished a crumpled pack of sweets from his pocket and declared himself a premier candy entrepreneur. The scientist accepted the candy, then immediately discarded it when Merlin mentioned that it was a product of human ingenuity and free enterprise.

He introduced himself as Tapu’o, a proud Nalua - a race wronged by humans 300 years prior and, judging by his attitude, holding that grudge with iron-clad discipline. Tapu’o explained that the Nalua had built a Flux crystal processing lab here to convert crystals into Liquid Flux, which they exported to other secret Nalua outposts, including Manamea - the very outpost the party had liberated from existence just a few short days prior, although he didn’t seem aware of this tactical shift just yet.

Their entire operation had stalled due to a massive Flux golem rampaging through the nearby mine like an unstoppable force of nature. And since Nalua biology reacts unpredictably to high concentrations of Flux (think accidental immortality or hyper-speed aging), fighting the golem themselves was out of the question. Tapu’o offered the party a classic, high-stakes deal: kill the monster, and he might grant them their freedom. Refuse, and they could join Matt, Aines, and the rest of the shackled crew in the shipyard outside. Tiyana, reading the room (and Tapu’o’s massive ego), cleverly used magic to suggest she was not a mere human but a majestic, high-status Dragonborn merchant, with Merlin and Selah as her lowly, hardworking assistants. Tapu’o, clearly susceptible to a little well-placed flattery, softened instantly. Still, he wasn’t letting anyone go without some results.

Into the Mines of Madness
The crew entered the mines with a 24-hour death timer hanging over their heads like a heavy tax. The mine was unstable, riddled with tremors and shifting walls that threatened to collapse on their liberty at any moment. Following a map found in an old hut, they tried all three track routes leading toward the mine’s Flux-heavy center. The middle path was blocked by rubble. The side tracks were tight, but Tiyana and Selah squeezed through, and Merlin followed after expanding the hole with some good old-fashioned manual labor.

At the center, the Flux golem awaited - a crystalline juggernaut radiating pure distortion, shifting in and out of time as if it couldn't decide which era it wanted to occupy. The crew formed a plan: lure it into destroying the lab by leading it out the way they came. Problem: the tunnel was too tight for the juggernaut. Solution: provoke it into smashing through the blocked central tunnel like a demolition crew.

Selah, nimble as ever, taunted the golem from behind the rubble. Tiyana launched Magic Missiles at stalactites above, landing one in the golem’s shoulder with precision accuracy. Undeterred, the creature barreled forward - right into the wall. It jammed itself halfway through, stuck like a stalled engine. Merlin charged, summoned what can only be described as pure, unadulterated dad-strength, and shoved the crystalline beast through the blockage.

Now loose on the tracks, the golem went full berserk. Merlin played bait, darting ahead as the golem pursued with relentless momentum. Selah and Tiyana flanked it, sprinting in circles around cave walls like they were in a high-octane action sequence. Time continued to warp around the monster - it lagged one moment, blinked ahead the next. When it slowed, Selah and Tiyana seized the opportunity, leapt into a nearby minecart, and let Merlin push them toward the lab at breakneck speeds. Behind them, the Flux golem thundered after, just seconds away from an all-out collision.

– TO BE CONTINUED... if they survive the high-speed minecart extraction.–