If your target (or the part of your target you’re aiming at, if it’s a big target) is at least 10 feet away from the nearest friendly character, you can avoid the –4 penalty, even if the creature you’re aiming at is engaged in melee with a friendly character.
Even as Vordakai staggered back from Ricter's flail, Malthir's javelin flew true and pierced his ruined chest! Vordakai roared in pain from the combined two wounds but nevertheless remained standing.
Round 14-
Ordered Initiative-
Vordakai- 15
Fenna- 14
Casimir- 12
Kalev-
Kip- 6
Ricter- 5
Malthir- 5
Active Effects-
Mirror Image (Casimir)- 1 images remain
Magic Circle against Evil (Kip, 10 feet)
Longstrider on Kalev
Smite Evil (Malthir)
Paralysis (Kalev)
Conjured 30 foot deep pit- F,G/18,19
Conjured 30 foot deep pit- F,G/15,16
Haste on- Kip, Fenna, Casimir, Kalev, Malthir, Ricter
Enlarge on- Ricter
Fly on- Kip, Kalev, Malthir, Ricter (denoted with red dot)
Fatigued- All Guardians but Fenna, Kip and Kalev
Map-
Narrative-
His body ravaged by blows and strikes, Vordakai began to fight cautiously and paid greater heed to his defences as he sought a moment to lay a claw upon Ricter. As the Hellknight raised his weapon for another heavy strike, Vordakai lunged suddenly and landed a touch on Ricter's platemail, viciously channelling negative energy through the Hellknight's armour. Hideous pain wracked Ricter's fatigued body although he found it in himself to remain standing, albeit barely. Whether he could still move his standing form, however, was another matter...
Ricter grits his teeth against the negative energy coursing through him...
...but grit and conviction can't stand up to such potent magical power
With Ricter frozen to the stop like a giant, armoured statue and unable to stop him, Vordakai retreated back towards the bottleneck, his battered body moving awkwardly from the multitude of injuries he had incurred.
Map- Link
Snatching a tanglefoot bag from his adventurer's sash, Casimir takes a step towards the retreating lich and hurls the bag of sticky goo.
Normally, it would take extraordinary accuracy to throw such a distance, but the bag flies far and true, guided by Casimir's magic.
That ought to slow him down! Get him, Malthir! Strike him down and avenge all the innocent souls of Varnhold who perished in this horrid place.
Just leave me a clear path to him, he won't escape our justice.
I am coming for you Vordakai... nothing is going to stop me this time...
Kip spell finishes and Malthir grows to almost twice his size....he then charges Vordakai, using all of the magic at his disposal to try and finish the undead monstrosity that has caused so much pain and suffering!
He screams as the last of his powers are expended, This is for VARNHOLD AND KARDAS!!!!!!, knowing if he doesn't finish him with this strike, it could mean the end for everyone he loves...
Realizing everyone's lives, and not just those present, rests on the success of Malthir's next attacks, Kip surges forward with his Baron to keep him within the range of the aura of protection against evil.
As he flies, just off of Malthir's shoulder, Kip retrieves a scroll from his trusty pack.
Soaring over the pool of water and the bloody flagstones of Vordakai's inner sanctum, the impassioned Duke's longsword blazed with righteous fury and shone with a pure white light as Malthir' infused his raised weapon with a portion of his divinely-granted energy. Moving with unnatural, arcane-granted speed for such a large armoured form, the Duke's sword was too swift for Vordakai to ward off and struck true in a swift lunge; piercing the cyclops neck and potent magical and supernatural defences with ease.
For a moment, it seemed that even this final blow would not be enough to fell the ancient Lich. Vordakai's ruby red eye blazed brightly with fury and hatred and for a moment, a bony claw began to reach out to clutch and paralyze the Duke once more, the onstrous visage scowling in pain and hatred as it reached out to end the troublesome armoured foe. But with a mighty proclamation of fury and his screamed battle cry, Malthir ended the violent skirmish, wrenching his blade clear through the Lich's neck and severing its head with a great heaving motion. Ancient muscle and sinew, already beaten and battered from dozens of blows and cuts, could not resist Malthir's shining sword. The fleshy mass of the Lich's head fell to the floor, the bright red-ruby eye dulling as the seconds passed and unlife left the ancient being's corporeal form. The body stood for a few seconds more before eventually toppling over.
Both Vordakai's severed head and body began to crumble into dust...
Just over the enlarged Malthir's shoulder, the tiny form of Kip flies up to see the mighty blow delivered up close. He glides to a stop, hovering, the scroll clutched tightly in his grip. He stares at Vordakai's remains as they disintegrate before him. After a moment, he blinks, and then blinks again, as if not fully believing what has just happened.
As realization dawns upon him, he sinks slowly to the floor, and then to his knees. The weight of the battle begins to press down upon him. His mouth opens but no words escape his lips. His eyes begin to well up as he sharply exhales, as though he had been holding his breath for far too long.
Finally, as his gaze leaves the pile of dust, and he looks up to Malthir and says softly, I thought we were done for...
Moving to join Malthir and Kip, Casimir allows himself to feel the fatigue that runs through every fiber of his body.
So did I, Kip. But all our years in the Stolen lands have taught me never to count a battle lost until it’s over. We truly have a talent for overcoming unbeatable odds. Mind you, we’re not home yet. Gods know how many more terrors lurk in this dread place. But no matter what, we have rid this world of a powerful evil.
His eye turns to the ruby eye in Vordakai’s crumbled remains. Certain that it holds some ancient evil magic, he studies it carefully.
Malthir turns to his compatriots, looking like a viper coiled to strike, You all did well. We were finished except for all of your brave actions. Are you sure it is over though?
Somehow he survived for hundreds of years hidden here. Was he sleeping, regenerating for grievous wounds like these?
It's not over until we know how he killed all of these people and raised an undead army and survived this long!
We must find this magic or the weapon he used on our friends.
I am sorry my friends, this isn't over quite yet.
Do we have any scrolls to detect hidden things like secret doors or true seeing? We should heal as well as we can then begin our search...
Casimir turns to face his liege lord.
I agree, we’re far from done here. But we must rest and recover our strengt first. And we must find a way to free Kalev, Richter and anyone else paralyzed by Vordakai’s touch. Let us search and secure this room, then move on once we have a few hours of respite. If any foes remain, hopefully they do not venture lightly into their Master’s private chambers.
After examining the ruby eye, Casimir searches the treasure pile where he found the flail, looking specifically for ways to undo the paralysis.
Who said it was over? Kip says as he wearily gets to his feet. Like Cas says, we need rest and to free Ricter and Kalev before we go starting any more fights. This leap before we look attitude has gotten us into some real messes. I second that we secure ourselves here as best we can and once we have regained some measure of strength we can cleanse this place thoroughly.
Seeing as I need very little sleep I can keep watch while the rest of you do. I can create an illusion of Vordakai, and keep it going all night if need be, to discourage interruption.
Seeing Casimir examining the ruby Kip offers, Here let me help.
Vordakai's remains continued to fade to dust, leaving behind the following items, all of which Casimir and Kip confirmed to be magical in nature-
1. A sphere of crystal that seemed to have been Vordakai's eye; the red began to fade from it the moment Vordakai was defeated but a pinprick of red seemed to linger at the otherwise clear crystal's centre.
2. Vordakai's black leather cloak.
3. Vordakai's headband, made of solid gold and emblazoned with sinister looking imagery of apocalyptic slaughter.
4. Vordakai's ring, a simple silver band.
5. A 1 foot tall glass jar, sealed with a thick, black wax plug. A roiling cloud of glowing white smoke seems to be moving around inside it.
Malthir seems to start to relax, at least a little, You are right of course, we can't go wondering around with part of the council paralyzed.
If we can rest, I can remove any fatigue anyone may have anyways. At least we have this victory, for now.
What do we know about Vordakai that we maybe couldn't have shared during the battle?
Malthir will sweep the edges of the room and items with detect evil.
Kip is unable to clearly determine the school,s of magic involved in the strange oculus that Vordakai seemed to have used as his eye. He is also unable to determine the auras from the cloak and headband; nor ken their exact magical properties.
Kip does however, recognise that the ring bears an aura of abjuration and he determined that it was a moderately powerful Ring of Protection . Straining his knowledge and spell-craft, Kip does just barely recall enough lore to identify the strange glass jar as a Soul Jar, and it bore an aura of strong Conjuration.
A soul jar appears as a 1-foot-tall glass jar, often with a thick, black, wax plug. While a soul jar has no ability to capture souls, it can function as the material component for a Trap the Soul spell (but not as a focus for soul bind). If a soul jar is used with trap the soul as a trigger object, the spell can be cast on the soul jar without inscribing the target’s name. This allows the soul jar to capture the soul of the next person to touch it, allowing the jar to be used as a devious trap. The creator of the soul jar and nonliving creatures can manipulate such a soul jar without fear. This variant method does allow the victim a DC 22 Will save to resist the effect.
When a creature is trapped in a soul jar, its body and soul appear as a roiling cloud of glowing white smoke that provides dim light in a 20-foot radius. A creature that touches an occupied soul jar can communicate telepathically with its occupant. Opening a soul jar or smashing it on the ground releases the stored soul and returns it to life — although victims who have spent hundreds of years in a soul jar may well have gone mad. In any event, once a soul jar is used to capture a soul, it can never again be used for this purpose.
Most soul jars are worth 5,000 gp and can thus trap a soul of up to 5 HD. Soul jars can be built to capture more powerful souls, at an increase of 1,000 gp per additional HD.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, trap the soul; Cost 2,500 gp
Malthir detects the slowly fading presence of Vordakai's evil, which even as the lich's remains collapsed into dust, looked likely to last for several minutes. However, he was taken aback by the sheer strength of evil and hate emanating from the fallen lich's eye-sphere; malevolence and malice oozed into his mind, ending his attempt to detect evil and causing him to reel back in mental agony.
Casimir is able to search the room while the other three Guardians examined Vordakai's possessions. Vordakai kept his treasures neatly organised, labelled and categorised by type. Casimir finds-
Money-
1,440 platinum pieces, 19,000 gold pieces and 150,000 silver pieces, thoughtfully labelled in separate sacks.
Magical items-
A Ring of Friend Shield (Identical to the one found in Varnhold)
A Ring of Protection +2
A Cloak of Resistance +2
Gloves of Swimming and Climbing
A pouch holding three packets of Dust of Dryness
However, while carefully searching the room, Casimir became aware that Vordakai's throne had a hidden lever set into the side of it. After much scrutiny, he is pretty certain that pulling the lever would expose another room somewhere near the chair itself.
What do you think, rest here while I pray to Iomedae to be able to remove paralysis and we can all get our abilities back? I can then free our friends then we can finish searching out this complex?.
We will move Rictor and Kalev into a defensible corner and start to rest...if everyone agrees.
He relays his findings to the others as he identifies some of the items, and fails on others.
As Kip examines the items, the jar catches his attention. By the gods! This is a soul jar! He shudders at the implication. Doubly so, seeing as how Vordakai had seemed to display more contempt for him over the others. He peers into the glass, fully expecting it to be empty.
He lets out a low whistle at the neat stacks of coins.
Agreed. We tuck everyone out of sight as best we can. You guys get some rest while I watch the door from behind the throne. I'll keep an illusion of Vordakai going to discourage visitors. I can catch a quick rest after you all have had a chance to recover and we help Ricter and Kalev.
Kip found that the glass jar was actually full of a smoky, gaseous form. He understood that he would be able to communicate with the soul by touching the jar; or release the entity's body and soul by unstopping the flask.
Surprised the jar is already occupied, Kip takes hold of the glass cylinder that is nearly a third as tall as himself. He can't help but mentally brace himself as he wonders who, or what, might be imprisoned within.
Surely someone important to be kept on Vordakai's personage.
Casimir joins Kip in the study of the various items.
As Kip prepares to touch the soul jar, Casimir cautions him.
Careful now, Kip. This place has more traps and dangers than an Owlbear has fleas. Fenna, you may want to keep that scroll of Break Enchantment handy.
Kip looks at Cas. And my track record with this sort of thing is spotty at best, but I just can't help myself. Wish me luck! he says as he grabs hold of the jar.
So is that where Vordakai keeps his soul, is that what it is for?
Kip answers Malthir without taking his concentration from the jar. No, that is not its function. I will explain fully in a moment. Though you do raise a valid concern...
Casimir was able to determine two of the overwhelming auras upon the Oculus; Divination and Necromancy. In addition, he was able to identify the headband as a Headband of Mental Prowess .
Kip looks at Cas. And my track record with this sort of thing is spotty at best, but I just can't help myself. Wish me luck! he says as he grabs hold of the jar.
Kip is confident that the soul jar would not be a suitable receptacle for a phylactery.
You hear a voice in your mind.
"H... Hello? Can you help me!? What is happening! Where am I? Where is my body? Why can't I feel anything?!
The rest pattern was an uneasy one and those of the Guardians who remained paralysed obviously got no succor from being frozen in motion, unable to even close their eyes or relax their rigid bodies. Malthir, Fenna, Kip and Casimir however, were able to get a good night's rest. Vordakai's lair was silent throughout the night and Kip's illusion of the sinister ancient being loomed at the room's edge for most of the night, the Halfling concentrating on the illusion to ward off any minions the cyclops might still have nearby.
Malthir will definitely switch out his two normal 2nd level spells for remove paralysis. He will then cast it on Kalev and Ricter to get them up and active.
So Kip, what is this "Soul Gem" and what does it contain, now that you have touched it?
Next morning.
Malthir rises the next morning, having prayed to Iomedae, with fresh resolve...though he is a little stiff.
He walks over to Ricter and Kalev, intoning a prayer and a spell to release them from Vordakai's magic.
Be free my friends. He helps them up. He then touches each one again, healing any wounds as well as removing any fatigue they may feel.
As Kip grabs hold of the jar, you see his head cock slightly to one side. It then bobs a little, as if he was having a conversation with himself...
Soul Jar Malthir, and I am finding out who is trapped within it right now.
Malthir's head immediately jerks towards kip at his answer of "who".
He immediately begins to concentrate his ability to detect evil at the soul jar.
Thanks, my Liege, Kalev says, when he is finally free of the spell that held him frozen.
That was a hard fight, and though I do not fear death, I do not yet look for it. May it be a long time before we look it in the eye like this again...
Kalev sits down and breaks out some food and drink, as if he hadn't eaten in a long time. Then he starts examining his own gear, making sure it is all accounted for, before examining the huge room they are in.
As Kip grabs hold of the jar, you see his head cock slightly to one side. It then bobs a little, as if he was having a conversation with himself...
** spoiler omitted **
You do not detect evil from the Soul Jar.
Searching the room thoroughly, Kalev found the same switch upon the throne that Casimir had.
Fenna spent most of the evening in silence, keeping her distance from the other Guardians, and only broke her peace briefly to approach the rigid form of Ricter and utter a prayer for succor.
Rising in the morning to see Malthir free their companions, she approaches the Duke quietly.
"I apologise," she speaks softly, though with an unfamiliar tightness at the edge of her voice, "I was of little assistance after you slew that vile creature. I thought..."
She is silent again for a moment, as though considering whether to continue, then looks down at her feet.
"I'm just sorry."
Casimir rises from an uneasy rest. Despite his utter exhaustion, the horrors that surround them chill his bones, and he stirs several times, grasping at the hilt of Brightclaw and every fiber ready for another fight.
None the less, his fitful sleep has granted him enough respite to clear his head and replenish his magical energy. As he feels the familiar sense of his full arcane power at his disposal once more, he breathes a bit easier. His mind also feels clearer, since some of the mental damage he took during their fights has also healed.
Don't worry yourself, Fenna. There is still plenty of opportunity to be useful. Beside your healing arts, there are several magic items here, which both Kip and I are hard pressed to identify. Perhaps you can help? he says when he hears Fenna apologize.
As soon as Malthir's touch frees him Ricter hastily pulls at the straps of his helmet and gauntlets, throwing the armour pieces down with none of the respect he usually shows to his hard-won plate mail. He then rubs his eyes like he's trying to screw them back in for nearly a full minute, cursing under his breath the entire time. When he finally regains his composure:
"Thank-you Baron. And thank-you Fenna. That was the worst night of my life, but had it not been for your healing yesterday evening it would have been even worse"
He shifts and fidgets, seeking to relieve the aches and bruises caused by the weight of his armour in the long hours of paralysis.
"The one piece of luck in that ordeal was I was well placed to see your killing blow. Spectacular work"
He stamps over to the crumbled remains of Vordakai and becomes still, bowing his head in prayer:
"May Pharasma send your soul swiftly to hell. May your soul be trapped in rotten flesh that writhes with pain as you mind clutches hopelessly at the fading scraps of your memories. Many nothing remain save what is needed to suffer"