The southern portion of the island is not so barren as the rest, it seems. Here are several torture cages, a steel table, and hooks hanging from the far away ceiling. Most of the cages are empty, but three are home to bodies. The smell of old blood and rancid flesh slowly permeates your very being. This chamber, along with the dark water and horror lab, holds a deep sense of dread for your mortal soul!
Images flash through you mind, but from another consciousness.
A tall man sits on a golden throne. His fur-lined cloak spread out behind him as his subjects stare up at him, enraptured by love and fear. The room spins as blood runs off the walls in sheets and the king and his subjects start to scream. Their flesh melts away and you can see their souls struggling to escape their bodies. In his rage and in an attempt to protect them, the king slays his wife and newborn son. Even as he does, their souls fuse to his as eternal tormentors for this heinous act. Trying to escape the ghosts of his vengeful family, the king's own soul fled into his brooch where it was trapped by his wife and son.
A terrible, sorrowful, raging scream rips through your minds and the vision shifts.
Hosts of undead glide across the land. At their head is a robed man. His flesh hangs from his bones and his eyes forever bleed. He smiles a sickly, sociopathic smile as his foul army steals away the life from land and people. Suddenly, a flash of golden light and a woman in shining armor riding a brilliant, white Pegasus charges mightily into the forsaken horde. She renders the army to dust and blood.
Next moment.
A robed, yellowed skeleton stands on a lonely island deep underground. His trance has not broken for a generation. High above, he exerts his will over the unwilling armies of a nation whose queen has given them over fully to the abomination's machinations. His glee claws at your minds. But something is different...
The eyeless sockets shift and look to see an elvish ninja and a human ranger peering into its sanctum.
"I am supremely glad to see so many eager servants. If you'll just for an orderly line, I will make this as painless as possible."
Virgil is shaken but guards his master's retreat, while Raleigh tucks tail and runs on his master's heel.
The creature speaks to Brom.
"Please Brom, talk sens to your friends. Tell them there is nothing to fear. I will give you purpose."
Brom speaks.
"Comrades, this creature seems to be doing a noble work. Service free of the burden of choice? Free of the pain of will? I think we should take his offer."
Check : With a successful Climb check, you can advance up, down, or across a slope, wall, or other steep incline (or even across a ceiling, provided it has handholds) at one-quarter your normal speed. A slope is considered to be any incline at an angle measuring less than 60 degrees; a wall is any incline at an angle measuring 60 degrees or more.
A Climb check that fails by 4 or less means that you make no progress, and one that fails by 5 or more means that you fall from whatever height you have already attained.
The DC of the check depends on the conditions of the climb. Compare the task with those on the following table to determine an appropriate DC.
Climb DC Example Surface or Activity
0 A slope too steep to walk up, or a knotted rope with a wall to brace against.
5 A rope with a wall to brace against, or a knotted rope, or a rope affected by the rope trick spell.
10 A surface with ledges to hold on to and stand on, such as a very rough wall or a ship's rigging.
15 Any surface with adequate handholds and footholds (natural or artificial), such as a very rough natural rock surface or a tree, or an unknotted rope, or pulling yourself up when dangling by your hands.
20 An uneven surface with narrow handholds and footholds, such as a typical wall in a dungeon.
25 A rough surface, such as a natural rock wall or a brick wall.
30 An overhang or ceiling with handholds only.
— A perfectly smooth, flat vertical (or inverted) surface cannot be climbed.
Climb DC Modifier* Example Surface or Activity
–10 Climbing a chimney (artificial or natural) or other location where you can brace against two opposite walls.
–5 Climbing a corner where you can brace against perpendicular walls.
+5 Surface is slippery.
* These modifiers are cumulative; use all that apply.
You need both hands free to climb, but you may cling to a wall with one hand while you cast a spell or take some other action that requires only one hand. While climbing, you can't move to avoid a blow, so you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). You also can't use a shield while climbing. Anytime you take damage while climbing, make a Climb check against the DC of the slope or wall. Failure means you fall from your current height and sustain the appropriate falling damage.
Accelerated Climbing : You try to climb more quickly than normal. By accepting a –5 penalty, you can move half your speed (instead of one-quarter your speed).
Make Your Own Handholds and Footholds : You can make your own handholds and footholds by pounding pitons into a wall. Doing so takes 1 minute per piton, and one piton is needed per 5 feet of distance. As with any surface that offers handholds and footholds, a wall with pitons in it has a DC of 15. In the same way, a climber with a handaxe or similar implement can cut handholds in an ice wall.
Catch Yourself When Falling : It's practically impossible to catch yourself on a wall while falling, yet if you wish to attempt such a difficult task, you can make a Climb check (DC = wall's DC + 20) to do so. It's much easier to catch yourself on a slope (DC = slope's DC + 10).
Catch a Falling Character While Climbing : If someone climbing above you or adjacent to you falls, you can attempt to catch the falling character if he or she is within your reach. Doing so requires a successful melee touch attack against the falling character (though he or she can voluntarily forego any Dexterity bonus to AC if desired). If you hit, you must immediately attempt a Climb check (DC = wall's DC + 10). Success indicates that you catch the falling character, but his total weight, including equipment, cannot exceed your heavy load limit or you automatically fall. If you fail your Climb check by 4 or less, you fail to stop the character's fall but don't lose your grip on the wall. If you fail by 5 or more, you fail to stop the character's fall and begin falling as well.
Action : Climbing is part of movement, so it's generally part of a move action (and may be combined with other types of movement in a move action). Each move action that includes any climbing requires a separate Climb check. Catching yourself or another falling character doesn't take an action.
Special : You can use a rope to haul a character upward (or lower a character) through sheer strength. You can lift double your maximum load in this manner.
A creature with a climb speed has a +8 racial bonus on all Climb checks. The creature must make a Climb check to climb any wall or slope with a DC higher than 0, but it can always choose to take 10, even if rushed or threatened while climbing. If a creature with a climb speed chooses an accelerated climb (see above), it moves at double its climb speed (or at its land speed, whichever is slower) and makes a single Climb check at a –5 penalty. Such a creature retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while climbing, and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it. It cannot, however, use the run action while climbing.
Edit: The relevant part didn't copy the first time. I corrected.
[ooc]10 rounds. We're doomed.[ooc]
Shinami, seeing that half his friends have fled the cavern sees Brom across the island attempting to fill the Chalice.
Crap.... I can't reach him. The lich is between us. There's no way I can stop Brom... I'll just have to focus my efforts on the lich. I don't know much about lich spells, but maybe if I can keep him from talking, he can't cast spells...
Shinami dashes toward the lich and attempts to silence him, a forearm across his mouth, someway to keep him silent.
If successful, maintain Grapple also plus sneak attack for maintaining. If not successful, then normal grapple, no sneak attack
His first attempt fails to proce a binding effect, but on the second try, Shinami is able to wrap the lich up.
[ooc]Note, this will not silence a skeleton. A choke hold while grapling will eventually hinder someone from casting, but a skelton does not need to breath and therefore is not suceptible. The Dirty Trick Maneuver would work to silence for one round durations.
Brynn grits her teeth while wildly slashing at the lich. Seemingly in rhythm with her two swings, she yells to the prisoners, "NO ONE...LISTEN TO IT!" He then shifts his weight to his side, eyeing Master Genbu for the sake of flanking tactics.
Diplomacy for the prisoners?
Full-attack:
Atk: for Dmg:
Atk: for Dmg:
Five foot step to I7.
Kayla moves up towards the lich, stopping 5 feet in front of it and casts Consecrate.
School evocation [good]; Level cleric 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a vial of holy water and 25 gp worth of silver dust), DF
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area 20-ft.-radius emanation
Duration 2 hours/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
This spell blesses an area with positive energy. The DC to resist positive channeled energy within this area gains a +3 sacred bonus. Every undead creature entering a consecrated area suffers minor disruption, suffering a –1 penalty on attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves. Undead cannot be created within or summoned into a consecrated area. If the consecrated area contains an altar, shrine, or other permanent fixture dedicated to your deity, pantheon, or aligned higher power, the modifiers given above are doubled (+6 sacred bonus to positive channeled energy DCs, –2 penalties for undead in the area).
You cannot consecrate an area with a similar fixture of a deity other than your own patron. Instead, the consecrate spell curses the area, cutting off its connection with the associated deity or power. This secondary function, if used, does not also grant the bonuses and penalties relating to undead, as given above.
Consecrate counters and dispels desecrate.
Brynn swings her mighty sword and reduces the creature to powder! A second later, a swell of warm, radiant energy springs forth from Kayla's hands: blessing a portion of the island.
Those inside the cavern feel the dread lift, but before you can trust it, it crushes down harder than before!
"Impressive my future minions. You will make powerful guardians!"
You look to see one of the bodies emerging from one of the cages in the torture area. It waves a pallid, fleshless hand and suddenly it is arraigned in flowing robes and binding chains of magical energy.
"I am the Grand Necromancer! Dread Litch Aringaro Mesatiz.
At that moment, an arc of aggressive magic energy is unleashed from the litch's body. It flies and strikes at Brynn, Virgil, and Kayla for damage.
[ooc]The three effected, please make reflex saves (DC 20) for half damage.
"I give you one chance. Join me willingly."
______________
Those cowering in fear in the chamber over suddenly feel as though a fire has wrapped around their hearts. At first it hurts, then, slowly, the pain turns to courage as fear melts away!