You hear Mal's reply in your head. Kolyaruts are Inevitables. Inevitables are creations of the Axiomite, from the planes of law, but they serve justice everywhere. The plane they represent is called Axis.
"First an abyssal army and then the Underdark? You certainly had it rough sister." Says Delyliath with no particular empathy for the other succubus.
"Which means you basically never experienced life as it should be for one of us. Let me tell you. You have not truly lived until you get on a nice beach on the inner sea and relax getting an all-over tan while you have a couple dozen of thralls available, indulging your every desire."
She slowly articulates the last words as if she was seducing Ayiyasha with those words.
"Don't get me wrong, is kinda nice with drows. Not having to hide what you are. But instead of hand-feeding you with ripe grapes in the middle of the day in a luscious garden they can feed you mushrooms and mold in a damp cave."
"An impressive piece of work, all in all," the Succubus muses, clearly taken aback by the fine workmanship of the spellstitching. "If it were a bit warmer, I would want one of thesse as well. Did you craft it yourself?"
"Oh no, not at all. I acquired it recently, as payment for one of those jobs. The other trinkets they offered were fine I guess, but this was more unique.
It also just barely follows my lead. Like a real cat would. I like them without a short leash."Delyliath smiles briefly, from simply amusement her smile turns truly mischievous.
"So.. I was thinking. Since I will probably stay for a little while.
Why don't we hang out sometimes?
A couple of succubi, away from the abyss and their damned politics. Me, just passing by to never come back here again.
It could be really nice for two of us when we are not burdened with ulterior motives. You could show me the local attractions while I show you what I learned in my time on Golarion.
I promise the only thing you will regret will be the day I'll have to leave."
The cat seemed to manifest a small marble and began patting at it. It knocked it off the table and began chasing it about the floor.
Mmm... Drat, nothing in there that works for what I was aiming for. Want me to improvise, or you got this handled?
Feel free to improvise. Perhaps the skull is in fact disguised as something else.
"Ah, my good lady, we have significant divination at our disposal and do not believe ourselves to be misguided. Even if we are, perhaps a closer inspection of where we believe the object to be might reveal the source of the misdirection, and in turn, the object of our contract. It is also possible that the gemstones have been removed, which, while regrettable, does not tarnish its sentimental value." These last two moments of emphasis were stated with a glance at Mal.
Finishing her preliminary explanation she bowed slightly as she made her request more directly.
"In more direct terms, allow us to tour your dungeons, Lady Mencara. We would gladly leave our bargaining chip in your care as a deposit, and by no means would attempt to convince you from having a chaperone with us."
The Guardhouse
With the diplomacy check on top of the Charm effect, that’s enough (according to the Diplomacy rules) to move Captain Ayiyasha’s attitude all the way to Helpful.
In summary, the other succubus seems quite receptive to Delyliath’s suggestions, and will probably do whatever she can to help out her new friend, as long as it doesn’t jeopardize her safety or core principles. (with further details implied).
Nobody notices Anaxian’s orb.
The Palace
Lady Mencara consults, again, with the same guard, and comes to a decision. ”The wonders of this city,” she says, ”Are many, and ancient, and buried deep. Perhaps the thing you seek is hidden somewhere on the lowest level of the palace vaults; in which case, I will allow you to search for it.”
She continues, ”It is true, your party and mission intrigues me. If you find the object you search for, I would like to see it on your return. If you cannot find it, there are many lost things in our city vaults; if you find something else that catches your eye, you may keep it instead, although the guards I send with you will be the judge of what constitutes ‘appropriate value.’”
”The lowest levels of the vault, however, can be dangerous. The treasures kept down there are mostly those not safe enough for regular use. Untamed vermin roam some of the darker halls, and many rooms and chambers have been sealed off over the years after deadly things began growing on their walls. If you wish to go down there, I will allow you to bring whomever you wish.”
She points at Drisquar. ”This one will wear a Prisoner’s Ring. Sergeant Droshi here will guide you to the lowest level and there be your escort, along with four other of my finest guards.”
And then she signals that the audience is tomorrow. ”Return tomorrow, and you may enter the dungeons.”
I'm thinking we can play this straight. The skull that kills everyone who touches it is almost certainly in the bottom level. And no way is a prisoners ring going to have any luck preventing Drisquar from escaping.
"Thank you, Lady Mecara. Of course, this one shall be given temporarily into your care and your choice of garments, once we begin our tour."
Uuuuuh.... I hope that's ok.. I kinda just kept talking.. We're cool, right, Drisquar, right?
"We shall gather our resources and leave no metaphorical stone unturned. Will we need to take precautions to ensure your Sergeant's safety if he* accompanies us to the lowest level, or is he* more than capable of protecting himself*?"
Oh, she's female, like most Drow officers (The Drow, being a villainous race from the 1970s, practice a lot of straw feminism).
They're also offering to let Drisquar stay with you to explore the lower level, if he prefers (unless he wants to be locked up, to cause ruckus in that fashion).
"My guards should be able to protect themselves. They will also be instructed to stay several paces behind you at all times."
While the Succubi are fawning over each other Anaxian slips the orb into one of their new pet guard captain's pouches.
The actual lineup of who heads down into the dungeon can be flexible; I assumed it could be the whole party, but if anybody wants to stay behind and keep interacting with guards, or exploring the higher levels, let me know and we can split the party. I just dragged all the icons on there just in case.
The Lavosha Dungeons
The next morning, anyone who wishes to is guided into the dungeons beneath Lavosha. Your guide is Sergeant Droshi, a female drow magus, accompanied by three silent guards. (Shimsil can attempt to take control of any of these, if that's his wish). She leads you through the first three levels of the dungeon
The dungeons are built as various descending levels, as all proper dungeons ought to be. The first level below the palace is rather tame; guards stand watch, minor weapon stores are kept in locked rooms, and you pass a few threadbare low-security cells, of the sort that might hold harmless prisoners.
Your guide leads you on a straight path through to the second floor. Here are the proper torture chambers, the spike-walled pits holding creatures that mewl and howl, the blood-stained flagstones, and a few heavy-looking doors with impassive guards and signs that read things like "High-Energy Item Storage." It's unkempt, and as you wind through the second floor, you note that the stones in the floor appear hewn from a different sort of rock than the ones in the walls and ceiling.
The third floor splits and winds. This, you are relatively certain, appears to be part of a different, older construction on which the fortress above you was built. The hallways are wider, 7-15 feet in most places. It's hard to see what's actually kept on the third floor, as most side corridors are dimly lit, if at all.
There are three strange, intelligent creatures at the edge of your detection range as you pass through the third floor. It's hard to get a read on them of any sort.
At the end of the third floor, there is a heavy stone door, criss-crossed with chains, locks, and a single dull rune. Your guide, Sergeant Droshi, snickers a bit as she unlocks them. "After you," she says, "And mind your steps in the deeper dungeons. There's a reason nobody goes down here any more."
You've got a spell that can supposedly locate the skull you seek, and it does indeed point down towards the fourth level.
The stairway down to the fourth level is long, and winding, cut through the stone in a way that makes you think it's not properly a flat floor like the others. By the time you get to the hallway at the bottom, you estimate you've traveled over a hundred feet below the fortress.
The Fourth Basement
The stone here is different; this floor is carved into the rock, not constructed, although there do appear to be stones set into the walls and floors in a tiled fashion. The hallways are approximately ten feet wide, and the ceilings about fifteen feet high.
The construction here does not appear to be Drow; but it does appear very old. This is likely an older construction on top of which Lavosha's fortress was built, possibly in multiple stages.
The construction here does not appear to be Drow; but it does appear very old. This is likely an older construction on top of which Lavosha's fortress was built, possibly in multiple stages.
This level appears to be an ancient Serpentfolk construction, built before the Drow arrived in the Darklands. The Serpentfolk, an ancient race responsible for many of the Darklands' oldest settlements, have been in decline for many years, and the weathering of the walls suggests they are no longer here to maintain this building.
An aura of abjuration pervades this level, while the spells present on higher levels appear not to reach down here. It is a strange spell, one that you cannot identify, faint but pervasive.
The first room you enter is a hallway, with a tiled floor that may have once borne a painted pattern. To the east, a there is an alcove leading to a closed door (marked in red), and a room of some sort marked off by a tattered velvet curtain (room 14). To the southwest, a door hangs slightly ajar, giving a glimpse into a large chamber (room 2).
The guards shift around uneasily, as the party just sort of stands there for several minutes, eyeing the dungeon suspiciously. One of them seems to have a thought, as though out of nowhere, and whispers in the ear of Sergeant Droshi (the leader of your chaperone guards).
The Sergeant nods, and steps forward. "Excuse me, Mister... Elf," she says, trying to be polite without showing too much contempt. "Can I take a look at your sword? It seems rather... dangerous, somehow and I don't want you to accidentally get hurt down here... that bow of yours seems like a safer, more proper... Elven... weapon."
After Drisquar presumably hands Shimsil over, he finds almost no resistance in her mind.
I'm going to say, mechanistically, that the party's got enough Detect Thoughts and Telepathy between them—as well as a mental bond of some sort between Shim and Drisquar—that he can still talk to them telepathically, as long as the Sergeant stays close by.
You glean bits and pieces of information from the Sergeant's mind, surface thoughts you compel her to share willingly, without effort.
There are creatures in the lowest level of the dungeons—and with a lack of maintenance over the centuries, more creatures than treasure.
A central hallway loops west and east in fits, heading south for a little over a hundred feet. It is the safest route through this level. Rooms to the west and east edge back the stone in either direction, some connecting up again with the main path, most never more than one or two rooms away from the main hallway. Over the last century, creatures have made their nests in the corners or walls of some of these rooms, hoarding much of the shinier treasure into neat nest piles and setting off/disabling most of the security traps in the process.
Most of these creatures fear light, and will only become aggressive if threatened.
But this is only part of the lower basements. At the end of this path, it opens up into a stone walkway, across a chasm. You have never stepped onto that walkway, and you are not supposed to. You have heard of guards crossing it—mostly in barroom stories—and few of them returned. Supposedly, Tian Elyia, your superior officer, is the only one who visits the southern half of the lowest basement, and you do not know what spells or tricks she may use to survive whatever danger lurks there.
And that's just barely convincing enough. The other guards give each other concerned looks, but they don't want to go up against what's clearly a sincere direct order today, so they agree to stay back in the entrance room.
...and this will SIGNIFICANTLY affect how easy it is for you guys to loot the entire floor, should you so choose. Wow, I didn't see that one coming
"Let us proceed."
Mal walks up to the door to room 2 and will open it if no one stops him.
Illia does instead stop him, well, not so much stop him as skitter along beside and slightly in front of him to explain herself before dashing up to the door before him.
"Going first is my job. I'm pretty hard to hurt and have good eyes, so I should be able to survive an ambush or trap or *shiver* whateverelsemightbedownhere." Her voice got a little panicked at the end, so she took a calming breath before opening the door.*
With one hand occupied opening the door, she chose to have her shield at the ready rather than her sword.
*If the guards are still in earshot, this will all be telepathic.
Illia does instead stop him, well, not so much stop him as skitter along beside and slightly in front of him to explain herself before dashing up to the door before him.
"Going first is my job. I'm pretty hard to hurt and have good eyes, so I should be able to survive an ambush or trap or *shiver* whateverelsemightbedownhere." Her voice got a little panicked at the end, so she took a calming breath before opening the door.*
With one hand occupied opening the door, she chose to have her shield at the ready rather than her sword.
*If the guards are still in earshot, this will all be telepathic.
Mal steps to the side and makes an "after you" gesture.
The cat walked on ahead with a swish of its tail.
The room you enter is dimly lit by several standing torches its middle that burn green, without heat. Something glitters on the edge of your vision, and, as you move closer, you realize it is shields. Sixty-three shields, all of masterful quality (though most battered and weathered), each displaying a different coat of arms, some cracked and faded, arranged across the walls.
[spoiler =Knowledge (history) DC 15]
These are old shields here, pertaining to different Drow houses, some of them perhaps enemies captured in battle. Many are from houses now extinct.
[/spoiler]
These are old shields here, pertaining to different Drow houses, some of them perhaps enemies captured in battle. Many are from houses now extinct for centuries, and you suspect a few of them must bear some preservative magic to last this long.
Half the shields do not exist. There's no obvious traps in their place; it just seems as if someone, long ago, threw up an illusion so they could feel like they had a lot of shields.
There are twelve bucklers, ten light wooden shields, thirteen light steel shields, ten heavy steel shields, eight heavy steel shields, three tower shields, four shields of more exotic shapes and varieties, and one extremely large shield, with a wall to itself, that appears to have been carved into the shell of a twelve-foot turtle.
Thirty of the shields bear minor illusion magic. Ten appear to be very minorly magical. A few have stronger enchantments.
You identify two +2 light wooden shields, one +2 heavy steel shield, two Caster's Shields, one Burglar's Buckler, one Dragonslayer's Shield.
In addition to the spoiler above, you are able to identify a +2 Animated Tower Shield, a +3 Mithral Buckler of Arrow Deflection, a +2 Darkwood Light Shield of Hosteling, a +2 Light Steel Shield bearing a +1 Dueling Shield Spike, and a +4 Heavy steel shield.
There are still two shields you cannot identify, and one of them is the very big shield.
Oh, yes, you see it all. In addition to the shields above, one appears to be an extremely rare Absorbing Shield, bearing the crest of some strange long-dead Demon Lord and separated far away from others as it hangs on the wall.
And the large shield: that's something special. It appears to be the ritually-treated shell of a young Dragon Turtle, and has some sort of spell on it allowing it to resize while held (and only while held). It's still quite heavy, though, even if it has been carved impossibly thin and reinforced with hard-to-see slats of Mithral that jut from the edges. Treat this as a +2 Heavy Wooden Shield, with an extra -2 Armor Check penalty, grants Fire Resistance 10, and be used to cast, at will, Dragon Turtle Shell (CR 10).
GM note: This is far, far outside of your WBL, and I'm fine with that. Of course, you *are* looking through the wealth of a Drow nation, and it's quite hard to steal that much with guards watching, right?
Cute Anaxian intoned mentally.
Some of the shields began to glow faint green around the edges. These are illusions.
Others glowed in red. These we are taking with us. Someone collect them please.
Bring them down to me. I can carry most of them.
After we've finished looting, Illia will open door number blue.
If necessary, she will cast one of her at will illusions to aid in the theft.
Through the blue door:
This room may have once been a torture chamber. Several metal pointy things are scattered across the floor, rusted to the point of being unrecognizable, with the western wall lined in what might have once been cages. Doors to the West and Southare open, but you can't see much into them, as both are unlit, and a thick grey spiderweb hangs across the far half of the room, obscuring your view.
The webs appear to extend into the open doors, as a sort of larger web network. Whatever built them doesn't seem to be in this room right now, or if it is, it's staying completely still.
Those webs don't look right--the pattern, the color, are all off, somehow. This was created by no natural spider, but possibly some sort of twisted imitation of a spider. From the way the webs glisten, you suspect it's still very much alive and active.
Those webs don't look right--the pattern, the color, are all off, somehow. This was created by no natural spider, but possibly some sort of twisted imitation of a spider. From the way the webs glisten, you suspect it's still very much alive and active.
Your best guess is that this was created by a Bebilith--horrible, demonic spiders native to the Abyss that have evolved to hunt and devour humanoid outsiders. It's something you may want to avoid.
Dris, not overly interested in all the shields, stays quiet while his allies gather them up. Since he's still trying to fake being a slave, this helps that image.
Walking into the new room, he peers about
::"There is some sort of unnatural spider present, or at least nearby that created these webs. Knowing the Drow, it would be bad to kill it. Suggestions?":: The Bralani sends to his companions telepathically.
Perception
Planes
Stop Anaxian says, halting the group as he looks closer at the webs. This is not the lair of any terrestrial spider. This was made by a bebilith, a demon. They are bred to hunt the enemies of the abyss. If we do not deal with it, and it catches the scent of Illia or Driquar, it will attempt to ambush them.
Remember, this isn't the menagerie. We're allowed to kill any monster we find. And, I've fought a Bebelith before, it really shouldn't be a match for all of us. I predict we could take it down in a few moments. I suggest we set the webs on fire, draw it out, and kill it before it ambushes us while we're fighting something else."
These demons Plane Shift at whim. They are ambush hunters. If they seem outclassed, they will simply retreat to the abyss and return later. They are no mindless vermin either. If we are to draw it out, it would be better to use its nature against it. Using Drisquar as bait while the rest of us hide would bring it more effectively than fire. Then when it attacks. Drisquar can use his wind form to escape the webs as the rest of us reverse the ambush.
If it plane shifts away, then it's never getting back here. It'll only miss by 5 to 500 miles.
It still leaves it alive. I prefer plans which leave usable corpses.
I'll be the bait. Illia drops the Kolyarut form, and goes ahead and expands her black wings to make herself easier to see. Would you like an illusion to hide behind, or have you guys got it covered?
Once the party has sufficiently hid themselves, Illia will wander into the webs, get her feet entangled, and thrash around a bit to draw the Bebelith's attention.
Then, ready action to Defensive Vital Strike whatever limb it attempts to attack her with.
I'm presuming that attack doesn't hit, but that the perception check is sufficient, so Illia isn't flatfooted and has AC 43 (36+3 for defensive+6 for Osyluth Guile-2 for entangled). But this is all assuming the Bebelith falls for it.
An illusion would be quite useful. Also, few moments please before you alert the thing. Bebilith are quite perceptive. We will need to take more extensive measures to ready ourselves for this ambush.
Anaxian's cat suit peels itself free, rolls itself up and disappears somewhere beneath the little dragon's wings. He then prepares a few magical augmentations and plucks a rune-carved scale from his chest.
When finished he flies up to the ceiling and grips the stone with his claws finding a nook to tuck himself into, practically vanishing from view.
As the party sits and worries, a telepathic message enters everyone's mind. It is not a voice you know.
Hold, one second! There are two of the wretched spiders, hiding in the darkness. Their minds are poorly shielded, and I can tell you the second they prepare to attack.
Once Anaxian (and anyone else) has readied preparations, Illia- does an excellent job of thrashing about in the webs, and sure enough, smelling outsider, one of the Bebiliths moves through its webs. You have no info on the movement of the other.
Even if it rolls a natural 20 on stealth, it can't beat Illia-'s perception, so it's not catching you guys flat-footed.
Assuming Zhu Da can warn the party (because 100' is quite a lot of telepathy), I'll treat that as a +5 circumstance bonus to initiative.
The entire party gets to act before the creature catches up with Illia-. Well, this is going to be fun.
Combat rules reminder: I give everyone at least a day per round to act, longer if I've got a busy work schedule, and am okay with actions being described in advance or slightly retroactively.
The spider creature, spiked and horrid, larger than anything the party has ever fought, squeezes into the room, moving silently; you can barely get a glimpse of it through the twenty or so feet of webs.
[b][i]A horrible, telepathic scream echoes through your mind, the creature's hunting cry, containing a few words of Abyssal mixed in-"Surrender," "Fear," "Devour"
GAAAH FORGOT HOW GROSS GIANT SPIDERS ARE! GET IT AWAY! Through the whole telepathic subtext the party(including squiddy) recieves, they would be able to comprehend Illia-'s intention to cast the spell Fear. They would have time to warn her to a different course of action if they so chose.
The scale in Anaxian's hand crumbles and a bolt of green crackling energy erupts from his mouth.