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Few things are surprising for the flesh-warping artists that are the kytons. Masters of a thousand tortures, there is nothing that they have not inflicted or witnessed. But when Eadie slices off both of his orange colleague's feet, causing him to fall, Pinhead cocks an eyebrow. When she runs him through vertically, a slight smile appears upon his face. And when she slices orange's head off at the mouth, there is an actual chuckle. A chuckle he maintains even through the crackling electric energy dancing across his body, or the back-spatter of Insidion's acid-breath.
"You mortals never cease to amaze." And with a step he finds himself above Oleander. "Time to join your pup."
Chains pierce through the elf's body, one punching through the armor into her lungs. She falls, unconscious. "All Hail" he states with a triumphant look on his face before looking towards the others. "The Midnight Lord."
Round 6-7
Eglantine Mirror Image - 1, Fly, Reduce Person, Bless
Takahiro Bless, Protection from Evil - 47 dmg
Insidion Mirror Image - 4, Bless, Shield
Xichikitte Bless, Shield, Reduce Person, Mage Armor, Gravity Bow - 16 dmg
Eadie , Bless
Red Kyton - Pinhead Haste - 60 dmg
Skug Haste 1/6, Bless - 17 dmg
Oleander + Wolfie Haste 1/6, Bless - Oleander - 52 dmg, bleeding out - Wolfie 17 dmg, stable
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“Thanks for saving Rocky, Takahiro. I promise I’ll take good care of him.”
“My hammer’s name is Smashy, although he refuses to answer to it.”
“Yes, well, weapons usually don't.”
“I hear what you’re saying, E.G. But I have met a Pathfinder with a talking sword named Gamin the Misforged … or Reforged or something.”
Eadie rubs the visor-jaw of her great helm. “Heck, it might even have been someone in our current group.”
It seems the young Pathfinder has given this matter some thought. “I mean, you could argue Pinhead is a living spiked chain.”
“He’s more of a tool.”
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The last Kyton's neck snaps to the side from the force of the second discus, before magical missiles pierce through his frame. He land on the ground, his head at such an angle that it looks directly at Insidion. "Well done, child of nightmares. I will be sure to pay my compliments... To your progenitor" he utters with a smile, before Xichikitte's rays reduce him to a pile of ash.
In the meantime, by the entrance, a terrified Telendrak has closed his eyes and is frantically rocking on his heels.
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“Is Oleander OK, Takahiro? Can I do anything to help?”
Eadie wipes her blade clean on Lord Maraven’s clothes, before moving to sit with Telendrak.
Covered in a sheen of grease, blood and Hell-bile, Eadie hesitates before comforting the poor man with a hug.
After all he’s been through, a filthy rescuer is probably the least of his concerns.
“Shhh … It’s over now, Great Khanate. We’re just gonna search these Onyx Alliance fools, liberate the other victims and find the Shadow Asterisk-thingy.”
“The artefact may help you recover but regardless, our boss Ser Canayven Heidmarch is going to be thrilled to meet you.”
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"Whew!" Eglantine says as she brushes herself off, and hurries after Takahiro to the unmoving forms of Oleander and her wolf. "Do they need a potion? Can you help them? I do have potions if necessary, I'm afraid I'm not much of a healer though..."
When Takahiro gets the elf conscious, EG just smiles at her. "Don't worry about it! At least you didn't embarrass yourself getting caught in chains. Feeling better? Let's be careful as we finish clearing this area out, who knows what nasty traps might have been left."
She shakes her head at the sight of Telendrak, and gives Eadie a thumbs-up for her attempting to comfort the fellow, though privately Eglantine thinks the man might need a long stay in a sanatorium. Or some expensive restorative magics. For herself, E.G. searches the so-called Lord Maravan.
"Let's see what all the damn fuss was about."
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The cairn becomes still and quiet, as the pathfinders make their way around checking for anything they had missed. In the one remaining unopened room lay bodies, heaped atop each other, stripped naked and twitching slightly.
The man had many valuables, coins and magical gear, but in his spellbook the pathfinders find extensive notes on the arcane nature of the Cairn. Nothing historical; the man seemed to disregard the writings of old as ancient superstition. The medallion, which he refers to as the shadow obelisk, provides the bearer with some measure of control over the conditions within the Cairn, as well as the ability to call upon kytons to defend the Cairn. There are some notes indicating that Lord Maravan received the shadow obelisk from another being referred to only as Kazartak, the original warden of the Obelisk. His price was freedom, souls and the torment eternal of two mortals.
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Eadie shudders in horror, when she realizes Maravan’s medallion was their goal all along.
Man, I seriously considered sundering that puppy …
“So did Lord Hoighty-Toighty became the new Herald of Zon-Kuthon when we killed Grandma, E.G? Or was it someone else?”
The young warrior reluctantly leaves Telendrak to help the others explore the remaining room. She respectfully removes as many bodies as possible for cremation outside the Cairn, as directed by Takahiro.
“Are we taking Telendrak back with us, team? The new Herald thing is still bugging me. Takahiro, maybe you should detect evil?”
She then searches the empty room for anything of interest.
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"I agree we should take Telendrak with us," E.G. says, stripping Maravan of his valuables with the long-practice of a Pathfinder agent. That done, she grimaces down at the man. "You were a very not-nice person but if I leave your body in here you're probably going to come back as a wight or something, aren't you."
Eglantine will stroke at her chin. "We were tasked to stop the Onyx Alliance from raiding this crypt... I assume Maravan was Onyx Alliance, what do you think? As for this Kazartak... I wonder if the eternal suffering is what's wrong with poor Telendrak here."
She shrugs at Eadie's question. "I'm not really certain. Telendrak, are you, uh... still Telendrak?" she asks gently, though she doubts she'll get through to the poor man.
"... we were also supposed to look for things about the original Nidalese, weren't we?" E.G. says absently. "The horse-lords. You know, this spell-book's weird. What sort of magician has a spellbook and nothing in it? Hrmf."
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Oleander nods to the others.
"He has been poorly used by this place and those who would gain power from it."
She looks at the spellbook at Eg mentioned. "Maybe they hid their spells with magic? That sounds like something my brother might do."
Then gesturing to the writhing bodies on the walls. "We should remove these and take them outside to give them final rest too."
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"My people. His people. Horse-Lords. Proud and free, following the Song of the Spheres. Oh how their ways were beautiful..." speaks Telendrak wistfully. It seems that the latest Telendrak was instructed in the ways of the Horse-Lords of old, perhaps so as to make his plight that much more believable.
Bringing bodies out, while unpleasant, is nowhere near as lethal as it could have been; and soon enough the pathfinders, accompanied by the Telendraks and a bewildered Gobrier Frosh are riding north, to the border with Varisia, and Korvosa.
"That... Sounds... Positively horrifying. And you say that this man was taught the ways of the ancient Horse-Lords? Well, lets see if we can bring his health back and then perhaps we can get some transcriptions of their ways. Hopefully. If Sheila can keep that sordid wench Draln... Well. If priority is given to the man's well being. As well as that of the other two" comments Venture Captain Heidmarch as he debriefs you back at the Inn where this all started. "Well done pathfinders! Just remember to submit your reports before you leave Magnimar. We'll be leaving for Heidmarch Manor in a couple hours."
...
The midnight sky is clear and moonless, and even the stars seem to shy away as the dark figure looks down from it's perch in the Mindspin mountains onto brightly lit Korvosa. It smiles cruelly, it's teeth a glint of metal in the darkness.
"All Hail... The Midnight Lord."