Whoa, I can too, with this armor. That's crazy. I'll try it for the first time if we end up going over there. Better to have someone else along to teach me how not to crash.
Zamanda follows Bash down to the lowest floor.
The group decides to go down and explore the lowest level of the tower. You do descend the stairs, the darkness slowly surrounding you as you go deeper, forcing you to bring your light sources.
As you step into the silent area of the tower, you witness a tangle of rooted furniture and supplies.
A tangle of collapsed bunks fills this room, and the dank smell of rot lies heavy in the air.
After Mandraivus attacked, and over time, the bunks in this room simply fell apart. Moving through this room counts as difficult terrain.
Searching this room reveals an adamantine dagger and a +2 buckler, the only two personal items left behind in this room that haven’t rusted or decayed away.
The silence is broken by a bark. The bark is followed by another bark then a roar. Afterwards the noise coming from the western door becomes a wild kennel of noises.
The door is closed and locked.
Walking through the room slowly and carefully, so she doesn't trip over something, Zamanda notices a dagger that looks like it is made of adamantine, as well as a sturdy looking buckler miraculously impervious to the ravages of time. She gathers them up as they pass.
When they get to the locked door, Zamanda sets about getting it open. She doesn't feel as skillful as usual, but luckily it pops open anyway and she doesn't have to try again.
After unlocking the door, she picks up her bow and backs off, not wanting to be the first person through it and not be able to shoot with dogs (or whatever) all over her.
With a nod to Zamanda, Bashiel takes up his position at the front, ready to pull the door open. "There's no chance these are just normal dogs. Expect some serious trouble." He makes sure everyone is situated in place and then opens the way deeper in.
Zamanda opens the lock with some effort and Bashiel opens the way into the next room.
The walls of this room bear scorch marks and smudges of smoke, while several mounds of ash lie strewn about the floor. Whatever furnished this chamber burned long ago.
Two powerfully built wolfs the size of a large draft horse, with ebony fur and burning, fiery red eyes, receive you with barks and flames.
The group is ready though, and manages to attack before the hounds can do anything aggressive.
Zamanda starts to sing, to improve everyone's morale, and moves closer.
The room reverberates with power as Zamanda goes in and sings.
"They're dead." Kalem replied, as he used his wings to push himself forward into the room. The blade of the scythe swirled with red and blue flames, which burnt and froze respectively. The bloodrager didn't waste any more time in brining the weapon down onto the first horse-sized wolf.
"Something cruel and evil, if they're lingering here." Bashiel strides in while the burning wolves are still a little off-balance. He closes with the red one and starts a rapid series of stabs with his rapier.
One of the hounds starts whining and moving its tail happily towards Ilsa.
The flames in Kalem's scythe seem to do nothing, but the frost really injuries one of the dogs.
Bashiel stabs once on the red hound leaving a nasty wound behind.
Laori comes in and emits a horrible destructive shout "Relent Hounds of Hell!!!!"
The hound's ears bleed after the shock.
Sial casts shield.
Blue steps back, then both bath the room with their breaths of flames, taking Kalem, Bashiel, Laori and Zamanda in their area.
"Auuuu!" Laori howls in pain as the flames take her completely unprepared.
Bashiel swiftly shields himself from the first wave of flame but the second catches him off guard and he seriously burns! Before the flames have even cleared, he invokes Osiris' name for healing and then turns to focus his stabs on the red hound.
The flames washed over Kalem and through them came the unharmed bloodrager. A mixture of his reflexes, natural resistances and magic had protected him when a less fortunate warrior would have been reduced to ashes. His sctyhe continue it's motion, cutting through the air, the flames and then flesh.
(fail)
(fail)
Zamanda is almost burned to a crisp, and she ducks down behind the door, crying from the pain a little, but still discernibly singing. Adding to that song, Zamanda interweaves a Song of Healing, targeting Bashiel, Kalem, and Laori, knowing they are all still in there and may have been burned as well.
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Ilsa casts a spell to disrupt one of the creature's minds. Moving forward, she touches it with her finger.
Target living creature touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Fortitude partial (see text); Spell Resistance yes
DESCRIPTION
You cause the target’s mind to unleash a vast overflowing torrent of information throughout the target’s body, causing the target’s synapses to violently trigger. The target takes 1d6 points of electrical damage per caster level (maximum 15d6) and is staggered for 1 minute. A successful Fortitude saving throw doesn’t reduce the damage, but it negates the staggered effect.
The flames cause havoc, only Kalem emerging particularly unscathed, as if he was born of flames himself. Bashiel's faith rapidly recovers him, while Zamanda has to retreat to safety.
But that is about everything else the hounds can do. Kalem cuts his hound in two large chunks with his cold flames scythe. Bashiel manages a critical hit in his and leaves it barely unconscious with another normal one, hurt enough for Ilsa to join forces with great determination and destroy what is left of the hell dog with a witty spell!
As the unlikely kennel rests in silence once more, the two dogs still smoking, a figure emerges from the southern door. She is barely the revolting withered corpse of a woman dressed in revealing clothes, her voice a rasping tired one "What is going on in here?"
She looks down at the fallen dogs "I see. So this is why the curse is gone now." she then looks at you "What do you want from me? I had enough, I have no intention of leaving Scarwall like the others"
You notice she is not looking at you, but at the open burn still spilling fresh blood at Bashiel's neck.
Kalem had no idea what the creature was, nor did he trust it. But he figured that the talking undead were Bashiel's purview. He waited to see if the paladin wanted to smite the creature before he did anything.
Even though the sounds of combat have ended, Zamanda hears a new voice and does not stop singing, just in case. She also stays hidden, knowing she is close to death and not wanting to tempt fate further.
Immediately recognizing the undead creature for what she is, Bashiel invokes his angelic bond to shield both himself and his friends from her ability to dominate their minds. He announces "You'll take no blood from me or anyone else here. In fact, you'll soon be taking nothing at all." He raises his rapier, ready to strike first if Ilsa's spell fails to hold the sayona back.
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Although no one has asked she says "My name is Risibeth. I was long dead before the curse fell over Scarwall. In fact I was away and when I knew about what Mandraivus made, I looked to stir the orcs of Belkzen against the fortress. Little I would know their shamans would made me their slave. When the orcs killed Mandraivus and the curse befell. I almost felt free again..."
There is a twitch in the eyes of the undead woman while Ilsa stares at her. She stops her explanations "I remember this feeling. I am a slave again"
Things sound calmed down, so Zamanda stops singing, slumping to the floor to lie still, hurting everywhere.
When you come back out of the room, you can see that Zamanda is still alive, but looks a little bit like a charcoal briquette.
"Thanks Zamanda." Bashiel grins back at the bard, though when he sees how badly injured she is, he winces and steps toward her "Ilsa, what are you going to do now with her? Maybe she knows about how to get into the Star tower?" As he makes his suggestion, he takes out his old wand of cure light wounds to help heal Zamanda back to full strength.
Zamanda thanks Bash for the healing.
Thank you Bash. ...Burns are really painful.
Now that she can think again without being distracted by the pain, she sees that Ilsa has a new pet, and is surprised that Bash is okay with it, but she says nothing, just standing back up and using prestidigitation to remove the burnt residue and restore herself to her Aasimar default of looking perfect, clean, and pristine, whether or not she actually was.
Zamanda's Song of Kyonin finishes restoring her closest companions.
Bashiel spends a couple of minutes to restore the aasimar while the group decides what to do about the undead and the Star Tower.
"Wow, those flames did nothing to you Kalem!!!" Laori thanks Zamanda, then completes healing herself meanwhile "They were very dangerous but you came out unscathed!"
Sial arches an eyebrow observing the undead "You are in fact a powerful individual. How did you learn to exert such power over the undead, Ilsa?"
With this menace conjured, the group can explore the remaining two rooms of the War Tower.
A single bunk, its mattress sagging and decayed, slumps against the southwest wall of this bedroom. A desk covered with old scrolls sits to the north.
A closer inspection to the scrolls show they are just outdated daily reports from the war commander Risibeth.
Wooden weapon racks and armor stands slump in varying stages of ruin in this nearly empty armory, although three weapons—a shortspear, a sword, and a spiked chain—can be spied among the rubble.
Most of the weapons that were once stored here are long missing, but three that were left behind became suffused with Scarwall’s curse. Fortunately, these cursed weapons become nonmagical once Scarwall’s curse was lifted.
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Ilsa is a little surprised that worked herself, though she tries not to show it.
"I am a vessel of fear," the mesmerist replies to Sial. "I am able to infiltrate the minds of others, including the minds of those that are dead."
Knowing the concerns her allies had about her powers, she replies to the creature "Don't worry--we will set you free soon. Perhaps not in the way you supposed, but your rest will be more complete. But you will serve me for a while first. Tell me, Risibeth--how do we get into the star tower?"
"Zev Ravenka was fond of his secrets, but as War Commander I made sure to find many of them" the undead comments without showing any feeling towards Ilsa's declarations "He had a well concealed secret door in his private chapel and there is also a magical passage wall in the roof concealed behind Zon-Kuthon's symbol"
Sial nods towards the undead satisfied, then turns to Ilsa "You know, someone of your talent could achieve great things in Nidal. You could attain a position worth of your power and skill"
Bashiel looks a bit like he bit a lemon, getting this valuable intelligence from an undead creature. He stands to the side with his arms crossed. Once she's done explaining, he comments "I think we should take another look at the chapel then. We have easier access to that than the enormous symbol. And since we're going down, that's probably the quicker path too."
He fingers the hilt of his rapier, considering whether to simply finish off the sayona now to release her back into her reincarnations. He glances at Ilsa and raises an eyebrow.
Unaware of Bash's intentions, Zamanda responds to his words.
Okay, that sounds like a good plan.
She starts towards the chapel.
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Ilsa smirks at Sial's comments about Nidal. "I have my hometown to save, and a niece I care for waiting for me when I get back, but I'll keep that dark invitation in mind," she says.
Yeah, whatever.
When Bashiel looks about to dispatch her new thrall, she raises a hand.
"Easy, there. You can have your chance when I'm finished, and Pharasma will have what she wants, but this one's going to help me first. She has a lot of useful intelligence and may yet help us in battle for a while. But I'll let you know when I'm done."
Bashiel shakes his head, lips pressed in a line "We don't know what we'll find down there, so I understand your strategy... but if there's any sign she's escaping your control Ilsa, I'll release her."
He follows the group from behind as everyone heads back to the chapel, now with seemingly far too many potential threats to keep an eye on.
Sial raises an eyebrow at Bashiel's gestures then nods at Ilsa "Just remember, your talents would not be judged or looked with fear at Nidal. We value and care people like you. Of course your niece will be well received too, and have a safer life than at the chaotic streets of Korvosa."
Cinnabar frowns after hearing Ilsa's words about the undead, but says nothing.
With the fortress cleansed, walking back to the donjon and from there to the private chapel is a cake walk. Risibeth follows you silently.
In there you search consciously for a secret door. It takes a long time, but finally, with the help of everyone you manage to find a well concealed latch behind the statue. It takes a great effort, but Zamanda finally manages to activate it, opening a secret passage into the Star Tower.
This room seems abandoned for many years. The only remarkable contents are a couple of cell doors, one to the east and one to the south. Whereas the one to the east is unlocked, the one to the south is locked and there is no trace of a key.
Apparently, there is nothing inside those two cells.
You find a secret door in the northern wall.
You find a secret door in the western wall.
Zamanda is able to unlock the door to the south.
She also finds a secret door in the northern wall.
Surprised, she also finds a secret door in the western wall.
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I am worried my powers will be frowned upon in Korvosa, as sometimes they are even with my friends--
Ilsa shakes Sial's invitation from her mind but nods at him.
She turns to Risibeth.
"I would like you to go first," she says. "We will follow after you. Defend me from anything that attacks me. Also, what will we encounter in this tower?" she asks.
Bashiel frowns at the cells and then the secret doors "Secrets behind secrets? Why? The only thing I can think of is that the Kuthites here were pushing their own agenda and keeping things secret from their... liege?" He glances at the two kuthites accompanying the group to see if they're reacting to these discoveries. "Anyway, we might as well start with the north door."
He nods to Ilsa's questions, interested to hear the answer despite his reservations about the sayona.
Risibeth responds "It is actually a mind-bogglingly old structure that was ancient beyond reckoning even during the birth of Thassilon. The structure is in fact an immense megalith much like a massive nail driven deep into Golarion, its deepest point reaching far into the Darklands below. Other Star Towers exist elsewhere on Golarion, although most of them are completely buried now. Only happenstance and ancient volcanic activity saw this one exposed to the surface world. These mysterious structures are remnants of an ancient war between Rovagug, the Rough Beast, and the gods of Golarion."
Sial nods "While Sarenrae and Asmodeus are the two deities most directly associated with Rovagug’s imprisonment, other gods played parts in the war as well. Zon-Kuthon’s role was to reinforce the “stitching shut of the world” with several Star Towers along key nexus points above Rovagug’s deep oubliette." the aristocratic man points towards the structure surrounding you "These towers were intended to block the faithful of the Rough Beast from being able to contact their deity, but time has not treated the structures well. Most have been destroyed over the millennia, either by tectonic forces or the unknowing acts of Darklands miners or monsters, to the extent that Rovagug’s faith has become potent in the world once again. Fortunately, his prison still holds him fast."
Risibeth's raspy voice picks up where Sial left it to conclude "Yet little of this ancient history mattered to Kazavon. He just knew that the site was sacred to the Midnight Lord, and that it would thus make a suitable place for his castle."
The group starts exploring the northern room.
The stairs in this room ascend to the Star Tower’s roof
entrance.
Then check the western side.
This chamber was obviously once somebody’s quarters. It is sparsely furnished with a small table holding a wooden bowl and cup and a pile of bedding lying in the center of the floor where someone appears to have been brutally murdered, judging from old bloodstains that cover a good portion of it.
When you reach this chamber, Risibeth explains "A strange hermit known only as “the Curate” made this chamber his home during Kazavon’s time. A prophet of Zon-Kuthon, he relied on his divine spellcasting abilities to provide food and water for himself as he kept watch over the Star Tower." the sayona makes a pause and looks at Sial and Laori "Kazavon had little patience for the eccentric prophet, and soon after the construction of Scarwall was completed, he murdered him and ate the remains."
"Oh dear! We need to end Kazavon's menace one and for all!!!" exclaims Laori.
"Just another proof of how wicked and dangerous Kazavon is" says Sial frowning while he looks at Laori.
A stairwell descends into the depths of the tower from this unadorned chamber.
Zamanda starts down the stairs.
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Visions of battling gods and ancient worlds cross Ilsa's mind as Risibeth discusses the history of this star tower.
"It is no wonder it seemed out of place--that is strange there are many of them across the world. I'd never heard of them."
Ilsa commands Risibeth to go down the stairs in front of Zamanda.
"What will we find in the next area?" she asks.
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Kalem smiled at the Laori's remark. "With enough magic, the right bloodline, and a little bit of luck."
---
As he listened to the history of the castle, Kalem asked "When we are done here, what will become of this castle? It sounds like, even with the curse removed, the area is still important to keeping Rovagug locked away. If it sits abandoned, and it becomes the home of orcs, or worse, wouldn't that be worse for the world at large?"
Bashiel grimaces at the story of the Curate, finding himself nodding along with Sial and even Laori's assessment. He tries to sense if there are any lingering evil auras in the room and gives it a quick search in case there's more to the Curate's story than what was just told.
Assuming he doesn't come across anything, he joins the rest of the group in heading down the stairwell deeper into the tower.
He shakes his head and murmurs "A seal on Rovagug's prison? Lets hope that doesn't become relevant, suddenly." as he walks.
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"We will soon know" answers Risibeth before disappearing down into the stairs, obedient to Ilsa's commands.
The group moves down a chamber that occupies the whole base of the Star Tower.
The walls and floor of this chamber have a strange organic texture, appearing almost like black mummified flesh streaked with glistening swaths of ancient blood. Four pillars carved to look like coils of entwined arteries and spinal cords support the ceiling, with nails and surgical tools embedded in these pillars at key and painful-looking positions. At the base of the stairs is a ten-foot-diameter open shaft, entirely filled with thick bluish mist.
As soon as you put feet in this chamber, a telepathic voice booms in all your heads Welcome to the Star Tower travelers. It has been hundreds of years waiting here for someone to arrive.
After a short pause in which you can present yourself, the telepathic voice resumes I am Ildervok, Curate of the Star Tower. You must be the heroes that have freed the fortress from its curse.
At the east of the well, you spot an invisible enormous, bat-like creature shaped from utter darkness, its eyes tiny red stars in the blackest night.
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When the voice sounds in her head, Zamanda asks
Are you all hearing this?,
hoping that she wasn't imagining things again.
if people indicate that they are hearing it too
she says
Glad to be here!
Then, when the voice comes again, she says
Yep, that's us. Anything we can do for you? Honestly haven't talked to a sentient tower before, so I'm not familiar with the protocol.
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Bashiel grimaces at the appearance of the grisly room and glances around intently for danger as the group advances, which for once allows him to spot something his allies miss. He quickly looks away from the enormous bat-creature, but recalls almost immediately what it is.
Knowing that the Nightshade can use telepathy, he quickly realizes that the voice in his head must be its doing. He lets Zamanda keep the creature busy by responding to it, and instead focuses inward. He invokes Osiris' name to summon a blazing halo around his head . If he has some more time he also draws upon his armor to cast fly.
If he gets to this point, he points his rapier at the invisible Nightshade and calls out "Next to the well! It's invisible!"
Bashiel's, already active halo, intensifies as he points to an empty area of the chamber.
The telepathic voice then idly asks Which of you wishes to take on the honor and glory of becoming the Star Tower’s new curate?
"What, the next curate? Explain yourself." Kalem responded, talking out loud. "Why would anyone here need to do that?"
Remembering what Risabeth had recently told them, Zamanda says
Curate, curate... you are a prophet of Zon-Kuthon, are you not? A new one should be affiliated with Zon-Kuthon as well. How about Sial? He seems to be very devoted, and worthy of the honor.
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Ildervok is brief to answer Kalem's question, and somewhat metaphorical "The curate is the living soul of this Star Tower. The curate watches over the Star Tower and lives until the End Times—or until violence necessitates a replacement. The curate is the Star Tower. It is an honor even to be considered for the role, and to be selected and reject it is to spit in the Midnight Lord’s eye."
Sial arches an eyebrow at Zamanda's proposal "Me?! I have many important tasks to perform. I cannot just stay here"
Laori is very fast to support Zamanda's idea, you can sense a taint of scorn in her voice "C'mon Sial, imagine the possibilities of an eternal life!!!"
The white haired aristocrat turns heavily bothered towards the priestess "Your constant easiness has placed you in a dangerous path Laori Vanus. Do not think I have not seen what you have been doing since we entered this fortress" Sial points to her in an accusatory way "You have drifted from the faith. You have come too far. Agreeing to the role of curate is the only way to atone for straying from the Midnight Lord’s side."
Laori startles back a second, her face pale, but then she frowns and steps forward "You are the one who has been constantly obstructing our goal of seeing the fangs of Kazavon returned to Nidal!!!"
"What?! You have been only flirting with them since we found them..." Sial points in your direction "...instead of focusing in our task! Atone yourself, accept the curate position"
"Accept it yourself!"
"You accept it!"
They step forward front to front.
"You!"
"You!"
Things tense very fast as Sial brings his hands to his casting pouch, Laori raises her spiked chains and Asyra does same stepping by Sial and raising her own chains.
The Nightshade just stays in the corner and observes with interest the developments. He does nothing to stop the argument.
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As the hands came up to cast a spell, so too did Kalem’s scythe. At the ready, he glared at Sial, the sparks of his bloodrage already starting to form. ”Utter one word that could hurt her and I will kill you.” He said this simply and firmly, giving every indication that he meant every word.
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And obviously if we get involved, we're backing Kalem and Laori, Sial. So, you have a choice. Eternal life in the service of your God, or you can choose to start a fight with us, and end up with death. Note that neither choice gets you back to your "important tasks" which you seem to have left behind to hang out with us anyway.
I don't personally care which you choose, but I think eternal life sounds better than death. Why not volunteer rather than threatening Laori? That's only going to get you killed... the fight would be pretty one-sided.