"Lady Exousia, your rationale for refusing the use of the armor makes sense and shows that you are truly above the failings of mortals. However, you have negotiated, have you not, to aid us to the best of your ability? We are not giving you the armor or the bracers - we are loaning them to you while you continue to aid us in this endeavor. At the end of that time, we will decide what to do with them."
"Bub is right, Exousia. We will be with you for as long as you aid us in our cause and we will not allow you to be corrupted or fall from grace. Perhaps, the breastplate impedes your combat ability or would be uncomfortable due to your wings. However, the bracers worn on your forearms would serve no impediment and only enhance your combat ability against Kyuss and his minions for this brief period of time you are on the Prime. Please reconsider and take the bracers. As Sarenrae's warrior, you need to be in the optimum condition for the battle against evil. Pride in the form of not admitting when we need help is also a sin."
Once ready, Valgrim and Exousia will approach the doors, each with a key in hand, and try to stick them in door and turn key simultaneously. Valgrim also activates Boots of Flying.
Following the dwarf's lead...
She approaches doors and turns key with dwarf.
As you approach the stone doors you can see that they depict Kyuss' imprisonment in the wormcrawl fissure. Upon closer inspection, more details become apparent . Depicted in the scene on the left-hand door are hundreds of stone giants locked in mortal combat with horrific worm-covered undead of all shapes and sizes. The giants appear to be taking the worst of it. Overshadowing all is a massive monolith upon which stands a huge figure of grotesque proportions with writhing worms all over its body - Kyuss himself. A circle of a dozen small figures stands before the monolith enacting some ritual. The right-hand door focuses in on the ritual of the small human figures, members of the Order of the Storm. They have gathered in a circle on a ledge overlooking a cliff, obviously protecting something in their midst. Crawling and clambering up over this ledge are dozens of skeletal undead, and rearing up in the background is an immense bony worm-like creature. Between the undead and the druids stand a group of brave heroes, single-handedly holding off the advancing undead.
As you are preparing to place the keys into the locks and ensuring there are no traps, two ghostly forms step forth from the stony representations in the door. One is a short, humanoid figure whose head lolls on a broken neck, and his fingers end in long tendrils of ectoplasm that look almost like claws. The other figure is made up of dozens of shards of ghostly ice that slowly swirl about in a loose representation of a humanoid body but the handsome, undamaged head you immediately recognize as Vulcan! Both figures shimmer and rise up to float in the air above you and the broken necked ghost has a strange look of combined fear and excitement on his face. Wait...you recognize this ghost...it's Alastor Land. He begins to speak in a voice that seems to have matured in the months since you met him last time. "Well met, friends. Long have our journeys been since our last meeting. You have come far in your quest to stop the abomination that rises even as we speak, and I have been down long roads in other worlds learning who and what I am. And now, here at this juncture, our paths cross again and I am joined by one of your number." Sadness crosses his face as he says this last part and glances in Vulcan's direction. "As you have doubtless learned, an age ago the Vaati fought a great battle against the forces of Chaos not far from here. The Rod of Law was broken into the Rod of Seven Parts and cast across the cosmos. Tombs were built to inter their homored dead, but the Vaati did not abandon the field of battle entirely. Certain guardians were left behind to watch and wait for the reemergence of Chaos. One of these guardians was an order of mortal druids. The Vaati taught these druids their secrets, and when they left for other realms, this order grew powerful. They became the Order of the Storm, and they defeated Kyuss nearly fifteen centuries ago. Kyuss was banished, locked away in a stony prison, but now he threatens once again.
Over long years, the secret watchers joined with the cultures around them. These guardians forgot their cause, and traditions were abandoned. My family, the Land family, named for their sacred attachment to the hallowed grounds of the Vaati fallen, were among the last of these watchers. Though the blood of the Vaati ran thin in my veins, it still called to me and allowed access to the tomb of Icosiol until my destiny was fulfilled and I fell to a trap. Likewise your coming to the Whispering Cairn was no accident. I can smell the mark of the Vaati within you, heroes. You may be the last of a long line, the only surviving heirs to the Vaati legacy. As such, I have come to advise you one more time.
Kyuss' strength lies in his prison. When he became a god, he became trapped in the focus of his divine apotheosis - a massive monolith of stone affixed to the peak of the Spire of Long Shadows. Dragotha stole this monolith long ago and brought it to his lair in the Rift Canyon. Over the centuries, the presence of Kyuss' monolith transformed this portion of the canyon into what is today known as the Wormcrawl Fissure. Once, after Dragotha was murdered by the Chromatic Dragon and returned to life unlife by the Wormgod, Kyuss managed to escape his prison. With Dragotha as the general of his undead armies, the Wormgod rose from the Rift and attempted to begin the Age of Worms, but the Order of the Storm was ready.
You know of this battle and now you know that in the room beyond lies Dragotha's phylactery. Yet to reach it, you must look into your memories, your souls. Find the ritual of opening, and use the vault keys. Yet know also, that like the library, once these doors are opened the phylactery vault will no longer be protected by the powerful magics of the Order of the Storm and will be open to all. Dragotha and his minions will smell his phylactery and shall come to claim it. You must be quick. If you destroy the phylactery, Dragotha can be truly slain, but as his lifeforce escapes, he may be able to reclaim some of it from the beyond - destroying the phylactery may make him more dangerous than ever before. Yet I see little choice.
We must now go. If we stay on this plane our very souls are in danger of being devoured by Dragotha. We cannot resist much longer and it will be impossible once the phylactery is destroyed. You shall not see us again, I think, until you join us on the other side. Good luck, my friends, and farewell..."
Vulcan meets your gazes, "Whenever you feel the breeze at your backs, know that I am there with you..." He smiles enigmatically and winks, "...and sometimes when it is in your face as well."
With that the two spirits fade and depart this realm forever...
Valgrim tears up a little at seeing the sorcerer. "Rest well my friend. We shall always remember you. I am sorry I could not protect you better."
Alastor's tale jogs some latent memories that you have acquired from the Fountain of Dreams and now understand that what was once gibberish is in fact a complex druidic chant required to open the doors.
Sadly, "Farewell, Vulcan." The bard does indeed cast haste as instructed.
Friar winces a little as he remembers the fight with the legions of undead where he "died" protecting the Order of the Storm. He says a prayer to Sarenrae for the souls of both ghosts. He turns to the party, "Guess we were chosen by destiny to stop Kyuss. Let's not prove them wrong. Let us sing the chant and open the doors quickly, as Dragotha's forces will be upon us soon. Let us fight bravely friends!!" We sing the chant. Exousia goes invisible as soon as the doors open.
Bublaka intones the druidic chant as the keys are placed in the locks and turned. The pale golden shimmering that dances over the doors fades and disappears as the stone edifice silently swings inward to reveal the chamber beyond. The ceiling of this vaulted chamber is lost in shadow above. Flanking stairs rise ten feet to a platform across the room. Atop it stands the full sized statue of a gargantuan rampant dragon, wings spread, foreclaws extended, and mouth agape. Its chest is open, revealing its rib cage, wherein floats a ruby-red box, its faces carved with leering dragons. Dark striations of rock travel vertically through the walls, creating the illusion of pulsing blood veins in the light given off by the glowing red box. A susurrus echos through the chamber like dark secrets long hidden. As the doors swing wide, the flickering light pulses once, and then fades. The last time you saw this box it was being carried off by druids as you fought off the undead hordes on a cliff bluff.
Friar, under the effects of Fly, yells out, "We have to make sure the phylactery does not fall in Dragotha's forces' hands! Do not cross the colors!" Hasted, he flies right up to the phylactery without touching it, and casts Prismatic Sphere around himself and the object.
Exousia flanks the right wall, flying high near the ceiling, with the lantern archons.
Bublaka studies the room intently before proceeding.
Valgrim flies in as well, choosing the left side of the room. When he sees the sphere come up, he hopes the cleric knows what he is doing.
+2AC and dodge as well.
An integral part of becoming a lich is the creation of the phylactery in which the lich stores his soul. The only way to get rid of a lich for sure is to destroy its phylactery. Unless its phylactery is located and destroyed, a lich can rejuvenate after it is killed.
The most common form of phylactery is a sealed metal box containing strips of parchment on which magical phrases have been transcribed. The box is Tiny and has 40 hit points, hardness 20, and a break DC of 40.
Other forms of phylacteries can exist, such as rings, amulets, or similar items.
Assuming you use your lore ability on Dragotha's phylactery you alsoknow the following. Far from being any standard lich's phylactery, Dragotha's is nigh invulnerable excepting those with Vaati blood, whose attacks can damage it. Even then the thing is incredibly tough to destroy with a hardness of 30, immune to fire, but only resistant to every other energy forms at 30 resistance. Spell Resistance is 32 and has a break DC of 40.
You no sooner reach your guard positions in the chamber when the wall next to Valgrim begins to glow bright red like coals in a bonfire. The glow within seconds increaes to a white hot irridesence before sagging and melting away before the fiery hellish inferno that is being unleashed upon it from the outside of the spire. As the globs of molten lava fall away and disappear into the depths of the Rift like burning comets trailing streams of smoke, your attention is arrested by the truly majestic horrifying form of the ancient red worm Brazzemal hovering with great wing beats just outside the spire. Sunlight glints off his gem-encrusted hide in a scintilating mockery of Ferez's sphere....
Round 1:
Valgrim rages and spring attacks the dragon gripping his falchion in hand!
Exousia commands the lantern archons to fly down to ground level and within 30' and fire upon the dragon!
Exousia, invisible, then flies at the dragon, greatsword in hand.
The angel is the quickest to react and mamages to avoid the powerful jaws as she swings her greatsword and leaves a gash across the dragons shoulder. As soon as she strikes something unusual happens and the flames on her sword snuff out and the radiant aura that surrounds her completely disappears. She tries to say something to you all but it only comes out as a strange lilting musical language that only Ferez understands. At the same time Valgrim and Exousia notice something else, a large twenty foot area around where the angel's blade just struck the dragon loses it's stoneskin greyness, the blue flame shield that surround the rest of the dragon, and doesn't shift around anymore from the apparent displacement that is in effect. Its some kind of strange hole where magic doesn't seem to be working at all!
All three of the lantern archons rays strike and leave marks on the dragon's hide.
Valgrim gives the antimagic area a wide berth before striking a telling blow of his own and then springing away from the dragon.
With a quick snap of the mighty jaws a lantern archon's light is extinguished. While a second follows suit under a barrage of magic missiles. The remainder of the dragon's fury is spent on the angel hovering defiantly in front of the crimson serpent.
Bublaka begins singing a ballad of defeating a mighty foe, weaving magical energy into the song as he goes.
The half-orc moves as necessary to avoid being within melee range.
Valgrim yells out, "Friar, we need you out here to hurt this dragon! And aim at its tail!"
Valgrim flies in the air 30' up and marks the dragon as his quarry.
Bublaka manages to make the aura of flames wreathing the dragon disappear but the heat still coming off the serpent is incredible!
Upon hearing the dwarf's words, Friar walks out from behind the safety of the Prismatic Sphere. He marvels at the size of the dragon up close, grips his rod, and moves within 30' of the creature and casts defensively. "Feel the might of Sarenrae, foul agent of Dragotha!"
Exousia waits to see if dragon miraculously fails any of the saves and is stunned.
Brazzemal turns his attention from the angel, as she is unable to penetrate the serpents thick hide, to the priest who just unleashed his fury of divine power at it. The huge intake of air warns you what is coming next. The dragon's jaws open and release a hurricane of fire upon Ferez, Valgrim, and the last lantern archon. The force of the blast stops just short of Bublaka for which he is silently thankful. The final lantern archon never stands a chance and is vaporised.
The dragon casts a quickened dispel magic...
He channels energy, healing himself and Valgrim if needed. The field blocks the energy from reaching the angel.
He then casts Grace as a swift action and takes his butt back inside the sphere.
Reflex save:
Fails, takes 41 damage, same as Friar, but heals 28, so -13.
GM, nice strategy with the boots. Is our Communal Air Walk still on? We spent only like 5-6 minutes identifying and buffing. I activated boots for more speed (90) instead of 60 walking.
Exousia attacks:
Exousia's feels like she is trying to hack through solid adamantine.