When one of the magical wardstones that helps hedge the demons into their savage realm is sabotaged, the crusader city of Kenabres is attacked by the demonic hordes.
A small band of heroes destined for mythic greatness survive falling into the depths of the earth; beating surprising enemies and making unexpected friends, they emerge into the devastated city.
Aura Strong (varries); CL 19th
Slot none; Minor Artifact Weight --
Description:
Each of Terendelev's scales grants a different power to the person who carries them. The powers granted do not function at all if more than one scale is carried. The powers of the six scales are listed below-any nonevil creature that handles a scale immediately understands its use.
Cloudwalking: Three times per day as a standard action, a scale can be used to cast levita te. A pillar of roiling clouds rises below the levitating object or creature, growing and shrinking with the target's altitude. This pillar is 5 feet in diameter (regardless of the target's size) and provides concealment (20% miss chance) to any creature or object wholly contained within.
Disguise: Three times per day as a standard action, a scale can be used to cast alter self. While disguised, the target gains a +4 bonus on all Bluff checks made against evil creatures.
Resistance: Three times per day as a standard action, a scale can be used to cast resist elements-but only against electricity or cold.
Sacred Weaponry: Three times per day as a standard action, a scale can be used to cast align weapon, but only to make a weapon lawful or good. Unlike a normal align weapon spell, this effect can be cast on an unarmed strike or natural weapon.
Glittering: Three times per day as a standard action, a scale can be used to cast Glitterdust, however creatures that fail their save are not blinded, but suffer a 20% miss chance on all attacks for 19 rounds.
Sparking: Three times per day as a standard action, a scale can be used to cast Deadeye's Arrow, the arrow may be used as an attack dealing 1d6+5 electricity damage or as a beacon (see spell text)
Destruction
The Storm King Khorramzadeh can destroy each of Terendelev's scales merely by eating it.
Radiance was once a powerful weapon, yet since Yaniel’s death the blade has become inert. When handled by a paladin, however, the blade suddenly glows with golden light and functions as a +1 cold iron longsword that radiates light as a torch on command.
The weapon shifts and changes its form to match the paladin’s deity’s favored weapon (in the hands of a paladin who doesn’t worship a deity, the weapon remains a +1 longsword).
In addition, Radiance is a legendary item (Pathfinder RPG Mythic Adventures 169) that bonds with a mythic paladin as soon as it is wielded in combat.
Radiance has two daily uses of legendary power that recharge each day, but does not currently possess any legendary attributes, for it has yet to be wielded by a mythic paladin.
As Radiance has its own ability to grow in power, it cannot be given the upgradable legendary item ability.
DESTRUCTION
A paladin must knowingly slay an angel with the blade, at which point the sword can be destroyed normally with damage.
History of Radiance; Knowledge:Arcana DC20:
In 4692 ar, soon after the start of the Fourth Crusade, a paladin of Iomedae and renowned demon slayer named Yaniel spoke out against the Mendevian crusaders, accusing them of negligence and sloth, and claiming these faults were what allowed Khorramzadeh to invade Kenabres and damage the wardstone.
Her accusations cut too close to the truth, and in a moment of weakness her superiors threatened to excommunicate her. Instead, she
said she would enter the Worldwound and fight the Fourth Crusade on her own, with only her magic sword Radiance for company.
The church was happy to see Yaniel go, and in the 2 years that followed, she was thought to have been slain.
Yet when she returned to Kenabres in 4694 ar, leading a small army of crusaders she’d rescued, both Yaniel and her superiors had changed.
For her part, Yaniel had shed her pride and insubordination, and had gained a new appreciation for the difficult decisions leaders are forced to make. And the church leaders had learned that sometimes the truth is exactly what you need to hear. Alas, Yaniel was assassinated before the year was out, slain by the lilitu demon Minagho only a week into her second personal crusade. Her followers managed to return to Kenabres with Radiance, but Yaniel’s body had
been taken.
The sword had gone dark after Yaniel’s death, its magical powers apparently lost, and so the crusaders elected to place it in the Gray Garrison on display.
Yet several months ago it was stolen by the Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth, who plan to soon send the sword north to Drezen for corruption into a weapon of evil.
WARDSTONE SHARD MINOR ARTIFACT:
SLOT none CL 20th WEIGHT 1/2 lb.
AURA Strong abjuration
When the final fragment of the Kenabres wardstone shatters, a few tiny shards of the stone remain behind. The magic remaining in these fragments is fleeting, usable only once before the shard becomes an inert sliver of stone.
As a standard action, a wardstone shard may be rubbed along a weapon or a suit of armor to transfer the shard’s magic to the weapon or armor for 1 day.
Weapon: A weapon enhanced by a wardstone shard gains the evil outsider bane quality, and is treated as being made of cold iron and as a good weapon for the purposes of overcoming a demon’s damage reduction. The shard cannot be used to enhance ammunition in this manner, but can be used to enhance a weapon that fires ammunition; doing so causes the weapon to impart these qualities to the ammunition as it is fired.
Armor: A suit of armor enhanced by a wardstone shard gains the spell resistance (13) armor special ability, but only against evil outsiders. Against demons, this spell resistance increases to 17. A nonmagical suit of armor also gains a +1 enhancement bonus as well.
DESTRUCTION
A wardstone shard may be destroyed simply by crushing it—a
shard has hardness 16 and 12 hit points.
=============================
EVIDENCE
Found on the body of a Crusader in the Underdark:
Clutched in the stiff hand of one of the dead men was a small symbol of a brass bull's head with tiny red gemstone eyes (worth 50 gp).
Document found in enemy Mongrelmen Headquarters:
Hosilla,
You will remain, for the time being, in Kenabres, but know this: the city's days are numbered.
Seek a place of saftey-the underground den of your mongrel lackeys should suffice to keep you safe from the devastation to come.
I shall assume command of Drezen shortly, and once Vorlesh has finished with the Wardstone and Kenabres is no longer of interest to us, you are to return to my side.
Excellent news regarding the salvage of Yaniel's sword from the museum as well-bring it with you, for I believe this weapon could be quite useful once we corrupt it. Before you leave for Drezen stop by the three safe houses (Nyserian Manor, Topaz Solutions, and the Tower of Estrod- the pass phrase remains: "I've new material for the archives," for now) to ensure no evidence remains behind.
May Lord Deskari and Lord Baphomet watch over you!
S.V.
Letter from Minagho to Faxon:
Faxon,
You did well to report your superior’s mishandling
of funds, and I trust that you will continue to serve as
loyally in the weeks to come. You need not command
the Kenabres Templars for long, for the city is about
to die—I only wish I could be there to take part in its
murder, for I have fond memories of my Red Morning
Massacre. No matter, I suppose, for your mortal kin
will all fall soon enough—as I said, Kenabres’s days are
short. Vorlesh has already left to meet with our Lord’s
daughter in the Abyss to secure a Nahyndrian crystal
of the proper purity, and once she has what she needs,
she’ ll arrive in Kenabres to finish the job and turn the
wardstones fully to our use.
You will know when she succeeds, I suspect!
Praise Lord Baphomet!
Minagho
Quednys Orlun Intelligence lecture:
Quednys spoke in a quavering voice.
“When the wardstone was destroyed by the Storm King, it exploded and destroyed the Kite citadel. The network along the border, here;” He pointed along a line on one of the maps pinned to the wall in the office.
”Failed, but did not fade completely.
“I believe this is because a significant portion of our wardstone STILL exists, and that the cultists have taken it to the old garrison in Old Kenabres,”
He pointed to another place on a crudely drawn city map, marked by the red X.
MAP of KENABRES CURRENTLY
”Here.
"From what we’ve learned, they’re hoping to engineer a way to somehow reverse the field generated by the wardstones—essentially, to use our own greatest defense as a devastating weapon.
“The attack on Kenabres had a predictable result: causing the crusade to gather at the border to defend it. Some wonder why the demons haven’t attacked in stronger numbers.
“I believe that Areelu was counting on us massing along the border, and that if she can corrupt the wardstone field, she can strike a devastating blow against us all by detonating them all!
"In effect, we’ve lined up for the slaughter.
“Vorlesh is surely seeking some object of great Abyssal power, likely the Nahyndrian crystal mentioned in the missive you recovered, and with it she intends to turn the source of our hope into an unimaginable nightmare.”
Quednys shook his head and sat down.
Irabeth spoke again.
”We cannot hope to evacuate everyone from the border—I doubt they would give up the defensive line even if they knew what the enemy planned.
"But we can still stop this from happening—we just need to have SOMEONE infiltrate the Gray Garrison, locate the wardstone fragment, and destroy it.”
"It has been suggested that we should recapture the wardstone instead of destroying it." Quednys said, glancing at Irabeth.
Quednys sadly shook his head.
"The fragment is useless at this point to the crusade, and as long as it exists it will continue to be a threat to us. It must be destroyed."
He leaned forward.
"And not by just any method either. It is made of adamant perdurable, and filled with the celestial majesty of generations of priests, angels and Empyreal Lords. It is not going to be easy to turn or destroy; the enemy would not need to wait for the arrival of Vorlesh if it were not.
"Fortunately, we do possess the means to do so."
Turning to the corner, he pulls his staff out, unscrews the top and reached in to pull out a heavy looking five foot long metallic rod with a chisel tip. It is a matte black, and its very presence seems to drink the color from the room.
"With this, a Rod of Cancellation." He said quietly.
The room seems to chill.
"With this, you should be able to drain the last vestige of power from the fragment; in so doing, it will completely sever the wardstone’s connection remaining connection to the field.
"Doing so will rob Vorlesh of a crucial chink in the wardstone field’s armor and prevent her from using it against the crusaders; unless the demons can manage to destroy another wardstone— Something I don’t think is possible in the short term, for the Kenabres stone has suffered numerous attacks over the past several years that made this final destruction possible. Almost,” he adds wryly, “as if the demons have been planning for this day from the start.”
To Generate Hit points; roll for hitpoints, but reroll if you get less than halfhitdie+1.
You are supposed to roll (and reroll) until you get something (half hitdie)+1 or better.
