Charlie stops in mid-munch. He then puts the sandwich back in his pocket and moves "casually" over to the loot tray and quickly swaps out the rod for the lantern. He suddenly becomes wrapped in the finest silks and finery. The sandwich starts to make a greasy, irregular circle.
"If it's all the same to you all, I'd like to carry this one around for a bit."
Barael stares at Charlie attempting to be sneaky about concealing the lantern away, and fails to understand both the action and the man.
Turning back to Fondo and him twirling the Rod, Barael smiles. "Suits you, Brov, just like the Scarab suits miss Dandi, but Charlie has a glow about him, wasn't there before he took your rod."
"There's a Chain Chamber awaiting, shall we?" Barael uses his Haversack to some avail with the coins, until everyone is ready to head back down the stairs.
Briar follows the Rat after lunch.
"I'm surprised that the sword isn't amongst that trove, Rat," Briar quips, keeping his eyes out for straggling undead, hags, and dread wraiths.
Turning back to Fondo and him twirling the Rod, Barael smiles. "Suits you, Brov, just like the Scarab suits miss Dandi, but Charlie has a glow about him, wasn't there before he took your rod."
"There's a Chain Chamber awaiting, shall we?" Barael uses his Haversack to some avail with the coins, until everyone is ready to head back down the stairs.
Dandi preens a little, "Oh do you think so? It *is* lovely..." She fingers the scarab lovingly before looking up with bright eyes. "If no one else would like it, I'll be sure to give it a good home."
Fondo gets a confused look at Barael's words, and then turns back to Charlie. "Pray you don't become another Pelts, Kako. The people need leaders like themselves, not kings."
"I'm surprised that the sword isn't amongst that trove, Rat."
"Well, now that you mention 'dragon' and all, I'm surprised too. But if that chain bogey was the boss around here, it makes sense that he'd keep it close by himself."
Barael proceeds to the chamber, once only partially seen through his gloves, and checks the doors for traps. Just to be sure.
If everything appears to be clear, Barael will open the doors, and pass over to the other side.
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Fondo happily joins Barael, chuckling to himself about Charlie.
Dandi flies behind the others, humming to herself and practicing her hover skills.
Charlie keeps up with the party softly singing a song about Lidia, oh Lidia.
Barael finds no traps on the door, which is closed. He opens the door, and looks in the chamber.
Thick wooden columns, their sides caked with dust, support the ceiling above this large hall. Between them, in the center of the room, sits a large fire pit, its ashes long cold. Many old stains mar the floor, some surely of spilled food and ale, though several darker ones appear more grisly in origin.
At the western end of the hall, a wide dais rises where the lord’s table could be set to oversee affairs in the hall. In the center of the dais is a great chair carved of oak and studded with iron rivets. Down one step and to the left of it is a smaller chair of oak, less elaborate.
There is a ghostly figure hovering above the fire pit. The figure is that of a confused looking human male in early adulthood. He wears finely cut, if long-out-of-style clothing and is clearly a nobleman of some sort - or rather was. His ghostly flesh strips away, revealing raw muscle and bone below as if he were being flayed by invisible knives. However, after being reduced in such a horrible fashion, his skin reappears a moment later only to start the process all over again. To his credit, the ghost seems to hardly notice his continuing mutilation, with only the occasional flinch as a particularly tender bit of skin is tugged away.
As the party looks on, his form slowly turns and faces you, pointing. He seems to register your presence and speaks, speeding up near the end as his form flickers and fades...
“You! You have done a great thing today. You have accomplished the conclusion of legend. What has festered here in Scarwall is no more, and in saving us all, you have returned honor to Tamrivena after these long years of shame - a shame I created, and a shame I was unable to lift."
"I sent Kazavon into Belkzen, so many ages ago. Eventually, when even my coward’s soul could no longer bear to hear tell of his cruelties, I came here to Scarwall to attempt to undo what I had done in asking for the Midnight Lord’s aid in defending Tamrivena. Yet again I failed - my general, Kazavon, had me skinned alive and ate the strips raw before my dying gaze. And when I did die, my soul remained, trapped here as surely as any prisoner."
“There came a time soon thereafter when Kazavon was finally slain, laid low, as with many of his cruel minions, by a powerful blade borne by a hero named Mandraivus. His blade Serithtial brought an end to Kazavon’s rule, yet could not quench his spirit, for Kazavon was one of the Midnight Lord’s chosen. Mandraivus wisely ordered the dragon’s relics taken away, and remained behind to watch over the castle."
"The presence of his faith, his strength of will, and most of all, his blade Serithtial kept the spirits of the dead quiet, yet these did nothing to protect him from a baser threat. The orcs came down and murdered him. As he fell, his soul became trapped in these cursed walls. Without his presence, the light of Serithtial went dark, and the spirits of Kazavon’s legacy took hold. This is the blasphemy you have righted today, and now, Scarwall will be left to crumble to dust as the ages march on."
“Yet I sense in you that your quest is only partially done. I have dwelt in Kazavon’s echo for too long not to feel his strength, his influence, take seed in your queen, so far away. Strange names that I do not know are in my head. Korvosa. Ileosa. Your own."
"Kazavon quickens in your home, and you must recover Serithtial if you are to cast him down as surely as you have cast down his presence here. Yet the agents of the Midnight Lord know of the threat Serithtial poses to his child. While they cannot destroy the sacred blade, nor even take it far from this place without invoking the wrath of Iomedae... they can hide it."
“I can still feel a presence in this place, a power linked to the Midnight Lord. It remains in the Star Tower, once Kazavon’s inner sanctum. I see that here, in the deepest heart of Scarwall, your goal lies hidden. A fragment of Scarwall’s curse lingers there, lodged and stubborn. When the curse held sway, this way was blocked to you. Now, seek it out, and it shall lead you to your goal. And now, with my time here at an end, your time shall at last begin....”
The ghost fades away completely the last strips of his flesh gone. You find nothing of value in the chamber.
Fondo nods and turns to his well-chosen family. "Let us find entry into the tower. Tis time to arm ourselves for war." He walks out down and out into the courtyard, examining the Star Tower for windows or other points of entry.
Briar follows Fondo, certain that the Varisian is on the right path.
Around the star tower, Briar will cast Detect Magic and slowly help Fondo's search.
If he finds a weak point or access, he has a pair of Stone Shapes that might help in the entry.
Barael watches and listens to the ghost, nodding his dawning understanding of the bigger picture. Our voices, all the way up here... resonating in a tortured ghost wandering a cursed castle... This is what our lives have come to amount to... they'd never believe me...
"I'm not entering the church again. No offense, Laori. Well, as little offense as can be managed. I'll be able to pass through those walls sure enough, but the trouble I see is ending up on the other side unaccompanied. Briar, your stone shaping should prove to be the key." Barael nods, confident that their breaching will go effortlessly, now that all the shadows have left the building.
Barael follows close behind the others, enjoying the light humming that fills the air.
The party investigates the star tower. Fondo sees nothing from the ground. I presume, at some point, Briar and Laori will search around the top and outside walls (air walking). They'll find a pill-box type structure on the roof, but no means of entry is visible.
The party has done take-10 searches (32 best perception I think) of the entire structure.
To gain access to the interior you'll need to do the ceremony at the altar again with Laori's aid (which at least Barael is resisting). You have not done that as yet, but you have, previously, done take-10 searches of those walls as well.
As you look closely at the star tower, and now that it's easier to see (fewer shadows), it's clear that the structure is much different from the rest of the keep - and much older. The rest of the structure was built around the star tower.
- - -
OH, missed it. Briar's detect magic does reveal magics on the tower of the conjuration, transmutation, divination and abjuration schools though what they do eludes him.
- - -
All those studying the star tower may make Knowledge, Religion checks on the ancient structure.
She learns nothing new.
"Mayhap the stone shall bend at your command, Brother Rose." Does his gift with stone come from some Drow cousins, stolen from their dwarvish foes? Twould explain much.
I found a better description of the top of the tower...
A single stone building with no obvious entrance sits atop this towering star shaped foundation. The marble of both the building and the surrounding tower show no seams and are polished to a sheen, almost as if the entire structure were carved from a single immense shaft of stone.
Only on the southeastern wall of the small stone building atop this tower is the smooth polish marred - here, a carving of a ten-foot-wide skull with spiked chains dangling from its eyesockets looks out over the castle below.
Barael looks at the surface of the wall, and shakes his head. "That won't do to climb. Nothing to grab onto. Wait here a second." Barael backs up a little, closes his eyes for a second, breathes, and picks himself up to a light jog, right at the wall.
Barael bounces into the Forbiddance surrounding the entire donjon (including the star tower) and bounces off the magics blooding his nose. You cannot pierce the forbiddance without going through the blood sacrifice at the altar with Laori's aid.
You do not know if you can pierce the wall with your ability. You never got that far.
"Mayhap the ward does not continue unto the top." Now bereft of flight, Fondo looks to his moth-haired 'sister.'
Briar tries not to laugh, but fails terribly at Barael's attempt to get in. He lets out a few heavy guffaws, several more happy chuckles, a few more gleeful titters, and finally ends with a smile.
Oh Nethys, yet another of your miracles! Is there nothing you can't do?
Briar goes over to help the Rat up and check on his injuries.
"Rat, if you had given me a moment, I might have been able to tell you that the warding effect was still in place. I fear this is old magic, very old magic, and strange too...let me look further before you try anything like that again."
Religion
*IF* Briar deems it wise and can do so carefully, he will try to stone shape a hole in the stone, careful to avoid being Barael'd.
SR
Briar approaches the wall, hoping to do with magic what Barael was unable to accomplish with skill.
He summons the power of Nethys, the strength of his sorcery bending the will of the very stone itself. He pulls and twists the clay in his hands willing the stone to follow suit and make a doorway in the structure.
He strains as he feels the stone begin to form... but it slips away and the stone remains untouched by his spell. To add insult to injury, he learns nothing further about the structure, having slept through that lecture.
Oh, and Fondo, I think you are on your second Heroism after the party spent time looting, but your current casting has much time as I expect you'd have begun it while staring down the Star Tower and not during the actual looting process. So it's maybe 5 minutes down.
Laori too knows nothing about the Tower.
"Ooourrcchh." Barael blinks the tears from his eyes, but doesn't reach for his nose immediately. If I have to give some more blood here, it'll be from my nostrils.
"Can't get through. The same thing that bounced me in the church is here, too."
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--Serithtial! Hello?!
Why are you shouting in my head?
--I'm calling out to my fellow sword. Yes. I need a name like that. Mysterious. Not so obvious. He really should hear me it seems, us both being swords and all. Serithial!!!
Nikolay twitches not unlike the flayed spirit as his sword continues to scream.
Give it up will you!
"Brother Rose, pray walk to the top and see if it offers entry." Fondo looks with anticipation up at the tower.
"I wonder what might happen if we take the chain spirit up to the roof? It seems like the way we need to enter. Does he have a key or something?"
Seeing no other obvious entrances around the base, Briar will carry Barael to the top of the star tower.
"I got nothing so far, Rat. Maybe your keen rat senses will see something that I missed up here," Briar says.
Briar will re-examine the 'pill-box' type structure on the roof, taking 20 this time for anything he missed.
If Briar fails to find anything, he will just sit atop the tower for a bit and look off into the distance.
Nikolay's sword fails to successfully reach out to Serithtial.
Charlie remembers something about 'stitches in the world', but can't remember the context.
Briar perceives nothing new, but he does find an additional magical layer on the face. Conjuration magics. In fact, he's fairly sure it's a Phase Door spell in effect though how many more uses it has are unknown. He does not think it is permanent.
Note, Briar does see the forbiddance effect here as well.
Barael scampers up to the Skull Face and noses all around it for signs of locks, or traps.
If he finds anything penetrable, Barael sets to work.
"This is Zon Kuthon, in'nt? Shouldn't Laori be paying attention here, too? She was responsible for getting us through the church doors. She's a worshipper. She's not forbidden here."
"This is Zon Kuthon, in'nt? Shouldn't Laori be paying attention here, too? She was responsible for getting us through the church doors. She's a worshipper. She's not forbidden here."
I presume, at some point, Briar and Laori will search around the top and outside walls (air walking). They'll find a pill-box type structure on the roof, but no means of entry is visible.
"She was here, Rat. She, like me, found nothing," Briar replies, his feet dangling over the edge as he gazes out over orclandia.
Briar kicks his feet, his boots rebounding against the solid rock of the tower.
"We are missing something, Rat. And I don't know what it is."
Briar seems content to sit for a bit, thinking.
Barael finds the face interesting, but no amount of pulling on the nose, pushing the eyes, or twisting the ears seems to do any good.
The chains from the chained spirit (all that's left) don't fit in any way (just to suss out Charlie's theroy).
Laori is on the roof with Barael and Briar. She likes the carving, and confirms it is a likeness of Zon Kuthon - and a very old one, in a style she's never seen before though it is reminiscent of some Thasselonian era stuff she's seen. This is older still.
Briar watches the sun blazing in this valley as it has not blazed in hundreds of years.
Briar ponders more as he sits, chatting with Barael over his shoulder.
"There is a different magic up here, one that should allow entry, but I don't know how to activate...yet."
Briar debates whether to mention the next thing, but does.
"The bouncing effect, the one that you have discovered twice before, is in effect up here as well...so be careful."
Barael wipes the blood from his nose, and smears it across the skull's forehead. He stands there, waiting for something to happen. If nothing does, he turns to Laori. "This isn't our place, right? Can we dispel the magics here to allow entrance?" Barael thinks some more.
"You should touch it. Find out if it'll repel you too."
Fondo shouts up. "Mind carrying me up there?"
"Mind carrying me up there?"
Yep.
Ignore Varisian Skill
Can't hear a thing up here...but the wind and birds. It's quiet and nice.
"I'll take you, brother." drinking a second extract to help her carry Fondo, Dandi will fly him to the top with the others.
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Fondo happily falls / rises into the arms of Dandi, laughing as they rise into the new Scarwall sun. "Thank you, flutterfly. Now let's see here..."
"You should touch it. Find out if it'll repel you too."
Laori looks at Barael and walks to the visage in the marble. She reaches out... and hesitates. "If I go through, how will you follow? The only way for you to pass the Forbiddance effect is to undergo the ritual in the entry below - and you need to do that within a few moments of my entry."
She backs away from the face. "No. I don't think I want to face whatever's in there, alone."
Barael tenses at the thought of another round of bleeding to Zon. His disgust is lessened as he watches Laori hesitate, possibly aware of her own mortality in this game, and doubting her place here. White Square, or Black, I wonder? Or do you wonder, I wonder.
Barael crosses his arms, and waits impatiently for the magic wielders to put 2 and 2 together, allowing them to move forward.
Is Charlie the only one still on the ground?
"I only have one fly spell. Should we try the ritual and see if we can all go through that way? If that doesn't work, we'll all be topside and can think of another plan."
Fondo thinks a moment. "We'll need to do the ritual and then rush out. If Niko flies and carries me, Brother Rose carries Brov here, and Charlie flies..." He looks to the fliers for help descending.
"Laori, be ready. We are soon to return." Barael leaps off the rooftop, allowing his Ring to take him gently to the ground below.
Barael returns to the bleeding pool, ready to do what needs be done, and waits for the others to take their positions for a quick return.
"So we have a plan? I'm happy to assist with the flying, but I'm afraid the way to gain entrance has befuddled me. "
Briar clicks his heels against the wall as he sits and enjoys the view, waiting for inspiration to strike.
"Tis like this: Down we fly to prick our fingers read. Up we fly to enter unto the tower of dread." Fondo takes out some rope and secures its grappling hook to the best available option, and rappels down the side of the tower.
Inspriation.
Briar looks back at the Phase Door effect, and the not-quite permanency layer, and ponders more.
"10, Rat," Briar says. "10 times, unlikely to be more."
Briar looks over his shoulder, taking away his gaze from the beauty before him to the Ratsass behind him.
"I figure I can open that door 10 times, nothing more. Which means that two of us will need to stay here."
Briar downcasts, but knows the risks.
"The problem, Rat, is that we don't know if we can use our dimensional travel magics to exit if we all go. In theory, dimensional travel should work now that we've fixed Scarwall...maybe. I guess we should ask Fondo to try his boots inside."
Briar considers more. "Better yet, have him try his boots inside the lich-chamber, because that might be more closely linked to what we feel forbidding us to enter. It's all hope though...these place has been unwelcoming since the start, there is no reason to believe now is it's going to be easy."
Briar continues his free thought, unlocked by the wonder and beauty of the view.
"Maybe you should do the ritual and then try to walk again through the stone. That could tell us much."
"What are you doing 10 times?"
Fondo calls up from the courtyard, "What makes you say '10,' Brother Rose?"
Barael's beady eyes glaze blacker as the Elf ruminates.
"You've been wrong before, regarding the seals on this place. I got burnt twice 'cause of you, so you understand if I'm hesitant to bloody my nose twice today." Barael considers the plans being bandied about.
"I'll try and pass through the wall past the church entrance if you gain further insight from it, as long as Brov takes his boots to task in the lab experiments to come." [i]Lab Rat, it's to be.[/b]