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The Pathfinders easily hover over the sand trap, out of the ant lion's reach. They walk down a corridor, meeting a dead end one way. Doubling back the other direction, the team finds what looks much like a lair. This room is decorated to resemble the interior of a massive tent. Canvas hangs from the ceiling giving the illusion of a bivouac set up in the wilderness. The interior of this false tent is opulent in the extreme. Lush carpets and plump cushions cover the floor. Intricately carved chairs and divans are strewn about the place. The air smells of orange blossoms. A large brazier, its coals banked and glowing, stands at the back wall. A table stands next to it, an open map covering its surface. Silken garments hang on stools or peek out of chests and wardrobes. A pair of ornate scimitars hangs from the central post in the middle of the room. A covered doorway stands across from the entryway. For all the wealth displayed here, it seems odd that several massive hyenas are snarling and fighting at the foot of the central post, yipping and biting and hurling froths of drool around the room.
Upon noticing the living ones besmirching their sanctum, the hyenas turn their attention from the corpses they had been ripping apart, barely recognizable as those of Musin Ptomais and Agosa Agion, and attack, making to bite Shandra and Anfial. At the same time, the voice booms out: "Welcome, and farewell, mortals. Your bravery will be your undoing, particularly your friend's." Upon hearing the voice, Anfial experiences a gout of white-hot anger, quickly subsumed by reason but leaving extra power in his limbs.
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Quicker to react this time, Marra cast Good hope {link} on the party before drawing her small scimitar and shifting forward towards the blueish Hyena.
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Marra casts a spell to aid the party, while Karos begins to power up. Shandra smacks the bluish hyena with her shield, causing it to yelp in pain but it holds its ground against being pushed back. Something about the size of a human rushes between the hyenas and Shandra feels a massive bite in her shoulder, cauterized by intense heat!
She is, however, able to tell the approximate location of her assailant.
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Warned by Shandra that we are facing an invisible foe, Marra uses a boon given to her after her first adventure to cast See Invisibility {Link} on herself, then she start her dawnflower battle danced weaving her small scimitar ready to attack our unseen foe as she shift left 5ft.
S4-19 The Night March of Kalkamedes
Gift of the Ghaele: Sulianna the Luminescent, and Azata whom you rescued, owes you a debt and has granted you a fraction of her power. You may use one of the following as a spell-like ability once using your character level as your caster level. After using this boon, cross it off your chronicle sheet.
Subtier 1-2: You may cast aid, detect thoughts, lesser restoration, or see invisibility.
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Anfial cleaves the bluish hyena in half while Shandra ups her guard. Marra calls upon the gift of Sulianna the Luminescent, expanding her sight to that which is unseen, and is rewarded with a terrifying sight of the Immolated Mirza. Verdizaam is a ghoulish
creature of taut, decayed skin over bony limbs with an oversized lower jaw lined with rows of razor sharp teeth. Black claws tip his hands, and his legs end in donkey hooves rather than feet. It seems as if fires burns inside of his mouth, and the air around his hands shimmers with heat.
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Marra knows that Verdizaam is a great ghul, a powerful genie turned undead. For all effects related to race, such a creature is considered a genie, but still possesses the traits of the risen dead. Such a being can create spawn, turning slain humanoids into ghouls, slain janni into ghuls, and slain genies into great ghuls. It can also raise its body temperature to boiling levels to scald enemies with its strikes and when held by them. A great ghul's wickedly curved claws are cursed, hard as steel Finally, Verdizaam can touch his foes and instantly infect them with the terrible Night Plague, if they are compatible with the disease.
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"I admired you, mortals. For your courage, and the skill required to reach my sanctum. But that ends here. You are nothing before me, paper tigers before the storm that laid waste to the Jistka Imperium!" For those who can see him, the great ghul steps forward, between Cirri and Sandra, and begins to slice and bite away at Marra!
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"Blah, blah, blah. Where did he go, Marra?" Watching Marra take up a defensive position then suffer a bite wound tells her all she needs to know.
Cirri tries to concentrate.
With a quick dance, Cirri's staff is imbued with cold. She takes the chance to finish off the hyena.
And target is Fatigued
With a second sweep, she tries to trip the Ghul between her and Shandra, even if she can't see it.
"Oops!" Cirri's staff catches nothing but air.
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Bleeding, Marra invokes the power of her Bane Badric as she continues her battle dance before she cautiously attacks Verdizaam with with her small scimitar attempting to strike twice weakly.
free = maintain battle dance +4/+4
Swift = invoke bane(undead) vs Verdizaam +2 / 2d6+2
full attack = fight defensively -4 to hit / +3 AC w/Cautious Fighter +2 AC {adjusted AC 29}
1 immediate action: cast Gallant Inspiration
1st attack:
2nd attack:
After her turn, If allowed:
Marra uses her bardic magic as immediate action to instantly cast Gallant Inspiration {link} (effectively, using an immediate action before your turn is equivalent to using your swift action for the coming turn)
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Karos blasts Verdizaam with his pistol, causing the ghul to stagger back a bit. Marra slices away at him, coming close both times, but he barely manages to step out of the way. Shandra takes a tactical retreat, and V tosses ink all over where he thinks the undead genie to be. The air is doused with the sticky black liquid, and Verdizaam roars in fury. "You are no match for the Immolated Mirza, scum, and this slight is but your last laugh before death claims you!" The claws and teeth of the inky mass lash out at V for his trouble, knocking him to the ground in a bloody heap.
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"Eeep!" Cirri watches an ink-soaked monster lash away at V, burning and scarring him and leaving a bleeding heap on the floor.
Realizing she needs to protect herself, Cirri concentrates.
A magical shield of water currents appear before her.
Her staff bursts with magical energy as she swings.
Cirri prepares to parry and riposte the first attack that comes her way.
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Not sure about "immediate action in response to something you triggered" I haven't seen any rules to this. Examples I found for swashbuckler after a quick search was on the lines of swashbuckler attempts a trip attack, target take a AoO on swashbuckler and swashbuckler does a parry/repost (no one indicated this was not allowed).
The primary issues with the use of an immediate action was that Marra had already used her swift for that turn. The question was that since her turn was effectively over with the full attack action. Did that use of an immediate action still count as part of the turn. (which in retrospect I agree with your ruling.)
If Marra had not used the swift action, then I am pretty sure she could have used the immediate spell to help her attack retroactively.
Marra shift for the flank and attacks again still in her battle dance and bane enhanced weapon.
Bane(undead) still in effect 2 of 5 rounds.
free = maintain battle dance +4/+4
full attack = fight defensively -4 to hit / +3 AC w/Cautious Fighter +2 AC {adjusted AC 29}
Critical Threat:
2nd attack:
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Cirri smacks what appears to be Verdizaam's head with her staff, stunning him slightly with the jolt. He appears to hardly notice the actual impact of the staff, however. V, while still bleeding slightly, could be doing more so. Marra strikes a telling blow with her scimitar, aided greatly by her new baldric. The great ghul reels in pain but quickly recovers, snarling and cursing.
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"You fools! You may have inconvenienced me, but you are nowhere near my power! The legacy of Verdizaam Charad, the Immolated Mirza, shall never be ended! Now, I offer you one last chance at recompense. Bow before me now, and you shall be-"
Karos ends the legacy of Verdizaam Charad with a final shot of his pistol to the great ghul's head. The ink falls away and the invisibility drops to reveal his form to those who did not see it before, less intimidating with his soul safely in Pharasma's clutches. Among the many artifacts of ancient Jistka strewn throughout this chamber is a large clay tablet with a number of hinged pieces of metal affixed to its surface. It appears to be a puzzle of some sort, and the Pathfinders recognize it as the Jistkan puzzle-map that they seek. After recovering and searching the room, there is only one way forward. It is time to press on.
Descending steps lead to a large room, built entirely of silver-flecked black basalt. On each of the five walls is carved an immense, golden rune. A dais stands in the middle of the room, and reclining at its ease on the dais is a tawny sphinx. Her eyes miss nothing and glint with hidden mysteries. A simple prayer rug lies in front of the dais. "Please, step forward and kneel upon the rug, so we may see what may be seen. I am Hetepheres, Whisperer of Enigma, and I bid you welcome to my humble abode."
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The sphinx sighs. "Typical," she says. "Looking at life in but a single shade, or perhaps a few. I mean you no harm, the compulsion is merely to see who has succumbed, in case they attack. Now, 'what magnificent creature moves about in the morning on four legs, at midday uses two, and at evening stands on none. The more legs has she, the hungrier she be.' Answer correctly, I will help you and tell you what I know.”
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Marra fully heals her wounds and helps others heal theirs before moving on.
Activate CLW wands as needed.
Marra takes in the trick and restrain as the Sphinx ask it riddle, before she answers "It is similar to the common riddle of Humans, walk on all four when young, then two legs for the middle part of life, and in their twilight years use a cane making three, But the no legs a evening and more legs the more hungry changes the common answer." The halfling ponders on that.
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"I'm sorry, Agosa. I hope you are resting peacefully in the afterlife." Cirri finds no enjoyment as Mirza collapses. "Thank you, everyone." She pulls out her wand of Cure Light Wounds. "Normally I'd dance around and use this, but, can someone else use it on me?"
"Thanks!" Cirri stows the wand away.
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Later, the party enters the room. "Hetepheres, Whisperer of Enigma. Hi! I'm Cirri. I hope you're not as violent as that other guy."
Cirri shrugs and heads towards the dais when Karos calls out.
"Oh! A riddle!" Cirri stops, seemingly distracted. "Okay, okay. Like Marra said, the common answer is a human- I guess any humanoid could work. But what grows loses more legs throughout their lifespan? Like a caterpillar before it becomes a butterfly?"
Cirri squats and ponders on the riddle, flipping through her book of animals for answers.