Alas, we got a new abyssal prison!
For those who remenber, in the last 10 years we got another one: the Divided ire. If I remenber something from the Divided Ire prison of Demogorgon was its pityful level of sicurity (there was just a glabrezu barbarian with some backup and a flow of nabassus outside, right?)
Clever and pious pcs could easily free dozens of good outsiders, gaining immense tactical advantage.
Now, this new prison is actually bigger and prettier that the Divided Ire, but does not seem more secure. It says there are "just" 120 demodands in the labyrinth, but they have not telepathy, teleport capacity of their own and way to detect illusion except detect magic.
Also, no other sentinels or scrying sensors!
The security can be easily fooled by a smart group, and the risk of an attack "en masse" against Pcs is minimal. Sure, there are other denizers that can endanger them, but the standard patrol does not seem a menace for level 15/16 mithic characters.
Since many players may well think, at this point, to look around the place and "Hey, let's find some other angel and free them!", I invite you all to post here suggestion of interesting prisoners or roleplay opportunity for the pcs to find here outside the four plot related ones that the book already give us. I'll do daily for a week starting tomorrow.
Just remenber 4 things:
1) Baphomet have no sympathy for the devil - He keeps many devils here. Probably 40% of the captive should be such.
2) Baphomet is horny - he probably keeps the pretty ladies somewhere else, like in the labyrinth near is throne room.
3) Baphomet is ingenious - many of his prisoners are being warped to something else, or made insane, or even worse (half fiend, broken soul, lycantropic, vampire - you pick).
4) The freed prisoners should to directly help the Pcs in their quest. They may be too weak/deprived or have lost may of their powers from a curse or such. So, no solar unless said solar is not inside some kind of mystic ruby that breaks only when baphomet is defeated, or such.
Got it?
Mighty Paizo Community, unleash your immagination!
The REAL queen Galfrey...
So good suggestion.
Only, let's find her as and old hag (she's 100, after all), or me horribly changed into a medusa, snake like beast!Pcs must also help her regain confidence over despair!
Here my first guest
The pcs found a big cell inhabited by what seems to be a chimaera, but his heads are those of a ram, a bull and an horned lion. the creature is bounded by many chains. when and if pcs interact with the beast, it start singing and old taldorian song. if the demodand of the branch are questioned, they reveal it's a plaything of the horned lord.
the sad truth it that this chimera is composed by three person, the menbers of a company of adventurer called the brothers of talembir.
the were a barbarian, a sorcerer and a bard. their crime against baphomet way interfering with his cult infiltration in the region, slaying many of his beasts. They where abducted by a glabrezu and taken to baphomet, who personally warped the three in the beast they are know, merging their personality and thought.
In game terms, the brothers are now an advanced 15 hd chimera with no breath weapon, but that can, decided at random at the start of the round, use either rage powers like a 12 level barbarian, or bardin exibition (singing) like a 12 level bard or sorcerer spell like a 12 level sorcerer (destined bloodline). Only a miracle can restore them as they were before, and only after baphomet's death.
The brothers are insane by now, but if this condiction is removed throught magic, the identity they formed becames helpfull to them. Since they are a favoured plaything to baphomet himself, they may actually know something relevant for the plot.
The REAL queen Galfrey...
Brilliant! It will more convincing that Iomadae choose her new herald, if PCs refuse. After all, she endured so much, and she should keep a some dignity and innocence.
The REAL queen Galfrey...
Honestly, that would take a lot of explaining to do.
*How come she hasn't done more to undermine the war effort?
*How come she can still use all of her paladin abilities?
*How come divination spells don't work on her?
*How come Iomedae doesn't say, "Uhhh, by the way...Galfrey? That's totally not her."
*How come she wants to prove the party's innocence in Sword of Valor instead of having them executed for supposedly destroying the Wardstone?
Easy. The REAL queen Galfrey is in fact evil and was working against the kingdom. A certain Goddess glommed to that fact and replaced her with one of her divine agents who now looks like Galfrey. They even purchased that potion of youth to help "explain away" her youthfulness when it's because she's a Solar or the like.
Or the "real Galfrey" in the prison is simply another trap.
New Day, new prisoner
While the Pcs travel around the prison a tiny. desperate voice reaches them calling them by name. If Pcs follow this lead, they find a cell complex guarded not by demodand, but by an iron bull golem. The only prisoner of this section is a poor Imp, scarred and deformed.
it is clearly in distress, maybe trapped inside a jar full of acid or bounded at the wall with horrible things costantly happening to him. He begs to be freed, saying that he was not as he looks now, but a powerful Efreet prince so transfigureb by baphomet because he dared use his wish against him. He says that he hear news of the Pcs victories and before they removed them, he granted some wish to the demodands, becaming able to see through their eyes, so he knows pcs are here. Then offers a deal to Pcs: if they agree to free him, he will not only tell them some information, but also give them a powerfull defence against the abyss. They simply have to wish it ...
In truth, this pityful creature is non other than Minagho, the lilitu. After her faliures/or his daughter demise, baphomet has decided to punish her by forcibly binding her into a lesser demonic form and to put her there for few centuries. She's now polymorphed into a tiny body, but with all her abilities no more weakened by baphomet displeasure. Beaten but not without resoucers, Minagho has endured the torture, knowing that, after the herald abduction, someone would probably be sent to retrive/discover his location. Having faced many times the pcs, she's able to sense their coming and mount the act.
She has not interest to attack them, not now. She wants freedom and revenge, and helping them will surely grant them both. If freed before the wishes, she does do nothing, escaping at the first opportunity.
This is for me an interesting meeting because:
1) give pcs a chance to overcome a difficult, but not impossible bluff check. She sounds male, but some pcs may, with few question, understand the truth.
2) Allow them, if they discover the truth,to show their colours against a defenceless enemy (will kill her, let her suffer, help her for something?)
3) It give a bold pc the chance to purpousely accept the wish he wants (like - i want to know the name and location of any important prisoner/denizer of this labyrinth) and then allow to be corrupted by it. It may sound strange, but being CE in this enviroment is really helpful. Suddenly a cl 27 blasphemy is not a problem anymore!
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The REAL queen Galfrey...Honestly, that would take a lot of explaining to do.
*How come she hasn't done more to undermine the war effort?
*How come she can still use all of her paladin abilities?
*How come divination spells don't work on her?
*How come Iomedae doesn't say, "Uhhh, by the way...Galfrey? That's totally not her."
*How come she wants to prove the party's innocence in Sword of Valor instead of having them executed for supposedly destroying the Wardstone?
How about fake queen is actually, Demon Minagho herself!
I dont like her status, and fate in book 5 either. (she is in prison for purnishment from her Lord)How about change her mythic Trickter about 6. and she has mythic ability proof from divination any sort. and she impersonate paladin's ability.
and God is not Omniscient. and her mythic ability prevent it. so Iomedae doesnt know this.
Maybe replacing Queen is very recent event, about book 4 period, resulting Minagho's desperate attempt from her continuing failure.
Now Queen Galfey is Minagho's husk, and PCs finds this in prison.
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So what you're basically trying to say, is that Queen Galfrey got Yaniel'ed.
New day, new prisoner
Our new guest is a Huge 18 HD half-celestial Androsphinx named Timodrej the Wise. Timodrej is currently being kept inside an horrible cellblock, bounded by a collar that costantly hurts him and weak him with abyssal poison. His wings have been chop off, and his mind was severely weakened. By uttering a certain abyssal word, the collar around is neck generate an insanity effect that keeps Timodrej in a feral state.
Timodrej has no greater purpose in the adventure. If the PCs free him, they have to broke the collar (DC 40 to break) and reverse the poison and insanity on him. If regains his senses, Timodrej is gratefull to them, and though he will not actively take part in the fights of the herald, he will gladly assist in gladly devouring any demodand they encounter.
(Note. Instead of summon monster IX and holy word, Timodrej can roar with the effect of an Holy Word 3 times a day)
One more day, another destiny in cage!
Pcs have found the Herald! It's inside one big cell, guarded only by few demodands! Kill them and he's free ...
Too easy? Yes, it is. The angel they found is none other than Miranda Trey, infamious cheliaxian priestess of Asmodeus from the house fo Thrune, under a particular effect of Screen that eludes the demodand perceptions.
(LE Aasimar(angel-blood) Cleric 15).
Miranda is a middle age woman, with red hair and blue eyes.
She's a recent captive, brought there only 1 month before the PCs arrive. Her captor was none other than the the drow hierophant Svendack, which kidnapper her and destroyed her temple (located in a far colony)
as a gift of some sort for her master. Fortunately for Miranda, Baphomet has been busy recently and had no time to "consume" this new gift ... Another fortune is that, since this prison was once part of hell, she was able to call for divine help even without is holy symbol.
She tried to plane shift, but the nature of the prison was an obstacle she was not able to overcome. Throught divination, illusion and other tricks she was able so overcome the dayly demondand's torture without loosing her mind. Her most recent communion with hell have revealed of the herald abduction and the pcs coming. If Pcs frees her she drops immediatly the masquarade and present herself, explaing the ruse and persuading them to look for Svendack. She's sure that she must have some think of object that allows her to freely plane shift and wishes the Pcs to recover it in order to gain an easier escape. She offers to assist against the drow priestess, thought admits her illusions have been not so useful, nor her spell to overcome her SR. If able to return home, Miranda is grateful and tries to help pcs in many way (hoping to regain prestige and popularity after her period of indignation)
She may:
1) organize diplomatic encounters between queen Galfrey and the asmodean clergy, or with queen abrogail herself.
2) grant Pcs audience with the infernal nobility for further assist in the crusade (for all those asmodean followers).
3) summon a devil with greater planay ally to assist them in their quest
Her fist choice is a contract devil, in other to further align them to hell cause (those contracts are purposely fair, like "kill that balor, get free wish", but it's part of a greater scheme to corrupt the good heroes of the crusade). Otherwise, she pulls of the big guns (a certain immolation devil Pcs may or may not have met).
All those things are thought as roleplay encounters for all the evil, asmodean pcs that this campaign guests and have not been given (by my estimation) an hook to hang on.
New captive today, and mythic too!
Pcs find one cell that guest 1 brass Wyrmling. This being is kept in a pityful shape, without any appendices except his head and body. Yet the creature seems strangely calm, like taken in trance. when pcs talks to him he speaks saying their names and present himself: he's the Fifth Child, a mythic dragon descendant from Apsu himself. He's been kidnapped by deskari even before the invasion started in order to keep most of good dragons away from the worldwound be threathing them to give the child to Dahak and start some kind of apocalyptic prophecy the dragons fears. This is why very few dragons actively fight against the demons of Sarkoris. The Fifth child has since then been used by baphomet in order to siphon away his divine power, but with no avail. His came keeps him young, but he already have the mental and the spells of a Old Brass dragon with MR 6. If pcs are able to free and return the child in golarion,in the next AP the forces of queen galfrey are suddenly backed up by any army from the church of Apsu (90 silver, gold, brass, bronze and copper dragons from adult in old to age). Those creature spreads along all the front, reinforcing positions and giving great hope to the crusaders!
This AP NEEDS DESPERATELY more dragons!
As for dragons no good ones perhaps but my test party defeated an adult fiendish umbral wyrm (random encounter) while trying to find lodging in book 3.
On topic perhaps some beings are already loose . . .
** spoiler omitted **
It seems a bit of topic for me. Then why not 3 abyssal giga fightint against - -a weakened Elisian titan escaping?
It says there are "just" 120 demodands in the labyrinth, but they have not telepathy, teleport capacity of their own and way to detect illusion except detect magic.
Also, no other sentinels or scrying sensors!
The security can be easily fooled by a smart group, and the risk of an attack "en masse" against Pcs is minimal. Sure, there are other denizers that can endanger them, but the standard patrol does not seem a menace for level 15/16 mithic characters.
2 Things:
Baphomet being in his realm gets Discern Location at will.
He also gets 1/day Miracle to physically alter his realm.
He could easily adjust the place like a Rubik's cube to land all available minions within the same room as the PCs.
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I think it should be interesting if in some cells the PCs find inevitables.
I second the mention of Inevitables being stuck in the prison cells.
Would also be hilarious if some kind of chaos warp landed a protean there.
I got another interesting idea
I think could be fun if PCS found on one of those cells an enemy from and old AP. It could be some homebrew Npc, or someone with close ties with the abyss. As the latter, here's an example ...
Spoilers: NPC from shattered star book 5
In that Ap Pcs my become allies of a drow noble cleric 15 OF demon lady zura from house Rasivrein. she need to slice her throat with an artifact in order to become a vampire. after the ritual, she may have become a mythic vampire! After escaping from that adventurers group, she tried to start a total vampire campaign in the underworld, but dared to soon to face the priestess of baphomet, that, by a miracle of the Horned Lord, locked her inside a cell of the labyrinth. The origanl plan was to strip her of the mythic power and/or create a stock of vampiric half-fiend minotaurs, but Baphomet got very busy and left such powerful prisoner inside an antimagic cell surronded by a ball of holy water. However, the demon lord ignored that such mythic creature could still use some of her abilities, and was able to dominate few of the demodands.
So she's another potential ally for the pcs that can give them informations about the other priestess and, by using her demodands thralls, explore fast section of the prison. However, such ally open for pcs not only the classic temptation of become powerful undead (since pcs are so powerful, is natural for them to think they can overcome even the condition throught miracles), but ask for a price. She's more than capable, if freed from the antimagic, to escape by herself, but wishes pcs help in order to defeat baphomet hierophant. Obviusly, if pcs agreed, after the battle the priestess of Zura plans to betray them and make them become her newest, mythic slaves
Kinda like in Stardust, eh? :p
It would be funny if the PCs found a historical character from Earth in the prison, like Aleister Crowley.
JB Cooper
In my campaign so far I have hinted to the Riftwarden Orphan that his parents were captured by Xanthir Vang and that his mother is possibly still alive.
She is going to be in the prison.
Good. which kind of horrible abominations she'll been turned to?
Have her having been experimented on with demonic grafts. She struggles to retain her sense of self (and is going nutters). And begs her child to end her torment. (Just to twist the knife in further.)