Eyes of Randtamra around the room and body.
Also
What does Randtam see now?
What does Randtam see now?
AKA-invisible, magic, etc?
What does Randtam see now?AKA-invisible, magic, etc?
Sorry, Did not understand the question, thought all 3 at the same time.
Invisibility first, arcane sight second.
Randtam senses strong protection spells on all three doors (he thinks glyphs of warning); the Western door has an additional much more powerful spell cast on it but he can't determine what it is. He does know that it is QUITE powerful.
Balator studies the Western door. Is it a trap?
Balator determines that all of the doors have warding glyphs that if triggered will release punishing energies. In addition, the Western door has a symbol written in Necril that appears to be a death sigil. Triggering that would release a deadly magic in the area that might kill anyone nearby.
All of the glyphs seem complex and difficult to disarm; the death sigil even more so.
"Three glyphs of warding and a death sigil, I'd bet whatever we're looking for is behind the death sigil. Why don't the rest of you clear out of here while I try to disarm it, I'll call you back in if I succeed."
Have Uuranx or Randtam cast message on me before they leave the room.
After they leave:
Balator disables the glyph of warding. It is difficult but he prevails. As the runes of the first glyph fade in power from his discerning vision, the Necril runes of the death ward that were traced underneath become more menacing and dominant.
Another disable roll please, if you are determined in your course of action.
From the far room, Balator, are you sure this is a wise course? I could try and dispel the runes before you attempt to disarm them. Also, there are other parts of this area that we have not explored yet.
Maybe we will find another way to reach that room...Necril death runes aren't good for your health, I hear.
A tendril of negative energy lances out from the markings on the door striking Balator full in the chest.
Take 150 HP of negative energy damage.
Through message. Good skill and luck Balator. May your religious deity protect you.
second chance to avoid death by negative energy
Balator feels a deathly chill permeate his body and for a second his heart stops before his will to live pushes through and he shakes it off.
He pushes aside the massive stone door, a strong scent of pine and cedar wafts out from the chamber beyond, emanating from three upright wooden coffins. In each corner of the room stands an ornate three-foot-tall clay urn decorated with carvings of gilded leaves and forest animals.
After sensing a mighty magical emanation Randtam tenses, uses his wizard knowledge and senses...did he survive? Do I understand more?
In a very hushed whispher, Balator, are you there? Are you still with us?
Randtam also is very nervous about that room. He will send in a summoned creature to see if the trap is still active.
Summon I. A creature in flight enters the room. Any repurcussions?
"I triggered the trap, but managed to survive. Some traps can trigger more than once, be careful if you come in. A strong scent of pine and cedar comes from the chamber beyond, emanating from three upright wooden coffins. In each corner of the room there are ornate three-foot-tall clay urns decorated with carvings of gilded leaves and forest animals."
Enter the room.
. This is between the light and the dark
Randtam strides forward as long as it is safe and...
Observes the coffins
Eyes of Randtamra
Then...
Good bad and the ugly, Wow we went the wrong way too fast.
Will use the silver tongue if necessary. Have Balator open a coffin.
The room seems relatively safe; as safe as a room in an underground empire of vampires could be anyways. The coffins radiate no magic and are not trapped. In one of the coffins is the sleeping form of a beautiful red-headed elf maiden.
The other two contain various treasures consisting of: 4,000 GP worth of various finely woodworked art pieces gilded with precious metals and inlaid with valuable gemstones; 500 PP; a small pouch filled with diamond dust worth 3,000 GP; a fine ruby worth 2,500 GP.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/rings/ring-of-energy-resistance fire 20
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/a-b/body- wrap-of-mighty-strikes
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/rings/ring-of-protection +4
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/a-b/boots -of-speed
Randtam takes nothing. His mind is racing.
I will never be clean for the undead. Yet maybe they work for me. So be it
Who wakes up the Elven Maiden
BTW. I oops looked on the ground. There are three wooden stakes.
We may be in very big trouble as I look with my Eyes.
. Oh my she is pretty. Farm raised. I will give the Elven most beautiful woman in the world a kiss
BTW. I oops looked on the ground. There are three wooden stakes.
We may be in very big trouble as I look with my Eyes.
. Oh my she is pretty. Farm raised. I will give the Elven most beautiful woman in the world a kiss
Of course I am not doing anything. We are supposed to be asking for help not stealing from them right?
Have Uuranx and Alamin entered the room yet?
Does the elf exhibit any attributes of a vampire?
Alamin looks at the elf woman and shivers, That thing is as evil as they come. She pulls back the lips exposing razor sharp canines-Who's ready to make one less vampire?
She looks around at the coffins, Ready made stakes and my blade is sharp and my holy water wet...
"Aren't we here to seek an alliance with the vampires against the Way?"
Alamin muses-True, but the ones we have met so far have been less than hospitable. Plus, I don't think we are here for an alliance as much as we are to try and find out where the Way has gotten to. Also, we need to help Quinely per our agreement with him.
She sighs and steps back a bit from the coffin-Maybe we can try and talk to this one, but I don't understand why it hasn't woken yet to our presence. The spawn seemed quite alert and active and obedient to someone. I wonder if this is that someone? Randtam do you have any thoughts on this? You know the most about vampires and their lore.
"Maybe Quinley knows something."
"What say you Quinley?"
QuinIley looks thoughtful-If she isn't waking that should mean that she was recently driven to her coffin and her body is healing. My guess is that she is the guardian you fought above and drained me of some blood. There is no way to be sure. Regardless, we can leave her here and push on into the sewer until we find passage to the Court.
Well this is an issue. On one hand I leave evil that wants to kill me. Or I hope they do not care I invaded their sanctum and all vampires here decide to help me. What the f&$@ are we doing here again? What help will they give us? I do not trust Quinley
Quinley, if we push on and find the Court, will these vampires still come after us? Maybe we should take Alamin's counsel and end this here and now. What say all of you?
Randtam looks irritated and actually if looked at closely showing anger. He glances at everyone with a questioning look.
What am I doing here? I despise this place and the situation I am in.
Quinley-To be honest I'm not entirely sure, but my guess is that if these are the guardians of this entrance the most they would do is pass word on that it has been breached; that could actually help us as patrols would not be surprised and more likely to parlay. I'm sure the punishment for abandoning their post and potentially letting even MORE intruders in is worse than letting us pass through without chase.
"It is funny, if this is the creature from above, that I did my best to kill her minutes ago but now I am hesitant to strike her down even though I have no doubt she is evil. But if it might give us an advantage against the Way if we let her live then does that make it right? I wonder Alamin and Uuranx, does being a paladin make such questions easier to answer?"
If anything I think it makes it harder. Every fiber of my being screams out to righteously destroy this filth. Yet I know if we make a wrong move and alienate the Court we may not get the help we need to stop the Way.
We study intensively is it right to allow a small evil to prevent a larger one. One of the case studies involves killing the warrior goblins in a warren-what do you do with the surviving female and child goblins? They are relatively innocent and harmless, but if you let them live they will only breed more warriors that will likely cause future evil.
The answer lies in each of our hearts. I feel that Sarenrae accepts my actions and understands my difficult choices. To be right now but wrong on everything else will not benefit the most possible souls.
Just give me some orc necks to slice; it's so much easier! No offense, Uranx.
I think that there are necks to be sliced in each race....maybe a few more in the orcish case, I agree. But I am proof that race alone does not make evil...I agree Alamin, we must take each case to our hearts seperately.
"So we move on?"
Which way do we think leads deeper into the vampires' den?
A quick review of the immediately surrounding sewer area suggests that it is just that-sewer.
Your best guess is that there must be some type of passage behind one of the other warded doors that leads somewhere.
My best guess or understanding of true noble vampires is simple. They will help us if it helps them. But there are also those who remember and are true to their origins. I hope we meet elders who understand the Way. Or we may end in this sewer.
If you told me to stake them I would have.
Paladins, you are in the most danger now. Are you sure you wish to push on? You may meet your deity, Balator will meet his too. What happens to me is what happens. It sounds from everyone we move forward and leave these undead behind. Am I correct?
In hushed tonesI am about ready to bust out the Brass Plachette.
We went through door to the West, there are two other doors warded with glyphs of warning, is that correct?
"Anyone have a preference as to which of the 2 doors I should try to open next? Quinley do you have an idea as to which one might lead where we need to go?
Does everyone want to leave the room again while I try to disarm the glyphs?"
Quinley-I'm not sure. The sewers run for miles down here and no one has fully explored them, for obvious reasons. Once I get to a familiar place I'll be able to guide us much more surely.
The rest of the party leaves the room although Alamin does offer to cast dispel magic in lieu of Balator disarming the traps.
"Save your spells Alamin, we'll probably need them."
Balator easily disarms both doors, one of which was a false door entirely.
The second opens to a short hallway with alcoves every 5' or so in which lie stone sarcophogi. There are 6 coffins in all. At the far end of the hallway lies another stone door which is untrapped and unlocked. It is, however, enormously heavy and it takes the combined strength of Alamin, Uuranx, and Baltor to push it open.
Beyond lies a long inky black hallway that appears to descend further into the depths of the undercity.
Long inky black hallway here we come.
After an hour or so of traversing the dank expanse of the underground the party runs into a group of 8 men, from their appearance and behavior they are clearly vampires.
After a moment of quick conversation amongst themselves, the largest of the group, a massive brute of a man, steps forward and addresses the party-Give me one good reason we shouldn't turn you into tonight's fun. The masters do not permit warmbloods to walk below unattended or uninvited.
Clearly he is full of bluster and quite nervous. He knows that if you have made it this far without an escort you are quite dangerous and should be handled carefully. He can't quite seem to determine whether it is better for him to parlay or attack.
"If any fun were to be had, I think it would be ours my big friend. But we don't seek confrontation, we come here to speak with your masters, please guide us to them."
The massive creature exhales a threatening hiss as his fellows urge him to take action, but clearly is weighing Balator's words and wondering what the outcome of a fight would be.
Quinley steps to the fore-I am known to you master and seek an audience with Lord Luvick Siervage. I have served him before, as well as other amongst the nobility, and it will go poorly for you if you harm us without his leave. Take us to him and if my words are false or he is unhappy to see us I will give myself to you freely. Plus if we have made it through the greenhouse and to this point do you think that you will truly be enough to stop us? Certainty of continued undeath is better than the alternative.
The ogre sized man continues to think and as he does, the cacophony of the group behind grows louder. Finally the monstrous thing bellows out, silencing the pack. You words make sense to me, although I don't fear you or your friends. Even if you defeat us, you'll not find our coffins and we'd get to you or those you love eventually. However, pissing Siervage off is about as smart as going sunbathing and I haven't survived this long by being stupid. Follow me and I will take you to his chambers.
He dismisses the pack behind him to continue the patrol and leads you further into the darkness.
After another few hours a grand promenade opens into a wide audience hall, decorated with elaborate tapestries and art befitting a royal of Ustalav’s ancient bloodlines. An immense throne dominates the far wall, while two antechambers stand to either side of the promenade to the east and west.
Seated on the throne is the figure of a man that must be Luvick Siervage himself. He appears to be holding court with four other vampire nobles, dressed in archaic finery beftting ancient Ustalavic nobles. There is also a small host of servants-they look to be mostly vampire spawn, but you think a few live souls may actually be in the mass; food or friend you can't tell.
The nobles eye you hungrily, their servants even more so, but the large vampire from the sewer makes clear why you are here and when Luvick sees Quinley he ushers you forward-As in the days of old, those of mortal flesh stand before me. Yet you do not cower like most who look upon my undying face. My servants tell me you came of your own free will, even with the knowledge that many here would feast upon the blood surging in your veins. But is it bravery you possess, or foolishness? I respect your boldness... for now. Why have you come here, mortals?
"Lord Luvick, I am Balator, my companions are Alamin, Randtam, Uuranx and Quinley. To answer your first question, it has been my experience that they are brave rather than foolish. To answer your second, we are here for two reasons, first we seek news of the Whispering Way as we oppose them in any way that we are able and our leads have brought us to Caliphas and Quinley has brought us here to you. The other reason we are here is that vampires, including Quinley's mother have been killed and we have agreed to help him find and bring the killer to justice."
[dice=Alamin diplomacy]1d20+20
"Lord Luvick, I am Balator, my companions are Alamin, Randtam, Uuranx and Quinley. To answer your first question, it has been my experience that they are brave rather than foolish. To answer your second, we are here for two reasons, first we seek news of the Whispering Way as we oppose them in any way that we are able and our leads have brought us to Caliphas and Quinley has brought us here to you. The other reason we are here is that vampires, including Quinley's mother have been killed and we have agreed to help him find and bring the killer to justice."
The ancient face crinkles with anger-I am no friend of the Whispering Way, and I would prefer to see the Whispering Tyrant remain confined in Gallowspire, as he has been these last fourscore decades. If you find me the killer of Quinley's mother, I will tell you what I know of this cult, and where they might have gone. His mother was not the only of my folk to have been slain and I would see an end put to this senseless slaughter.