I am ready. Here Krenn, one more magic for you. This should keep you from being slowed down.
Cast Freedom of Movement on Krenn - 90 minute duration.
Just run up there and take it's head off. Llyra, Curnach, can you make sure the door isn't traped or locked before I cast my spell and open the door?
Jerin pulls out his scroll and readies to cast it once any other preparations are complete.
Yep - lets see what this door has.
Assist Curnach on checking the door - Take-10 total of 35 I believe.
You don't believe that you'd found any traps. As you search you hear a loud cry of pain and the groan of wood having pressure put on it followed by a feminine laugh.
Jerin casts Haste from the scroll and then opens up the door...
As you open the doors you see a large three-headed woman pulling on a leaver that is attached to a torture rack that a man is strapped to. It's pretty obvious from how he's strapped to it that the machine is meant to stretch a man my his wrists and ankles until his limbs snap off like twigs.
She notices you just as Vencarlo calls out
"Neolandus!" he clearly recognises that man dressed in fine, yet filthy, noble clothing to be the Senechal.
The woman has her weapons ready in her hands and smirks as she sees the group.
"Ahh, new playthings." she states as she gets ready to cut you down.
Neolandus is sobbing as it is obvious he's been tortured for days on end and being a noble he has no experience of experiencing intense pain, but he's brightened up at seeing Vencarlo here with obviously battle-hardened heroes.
Round 1
Group Initiative:
Curnach Daveck:
Jerinthian Kos:
Krenn Whetstone:
Llyra Bjorgan:
Vencarlo Orisini:
Senshiir, the beatific one:
Order:
Curnach Daveck
Llyra Bjorgan
Senshiir
Jerinthian Kos
Krenn Whetstone
Vencarlo Orisini
You will regret what you have done to this man Devil, I can only hope you are not summoned here and we can end you permanently!
Seeing the creature, I cast Bless - every bit helps super Krenn.
Krenn - don't forget all the spells you are under.
Haste, Freedom of Movement, Bless, and whatever else Jerin and Curnach have given you.
Curnach cursed as he realised he could not afford to blast the enemy with the seneschal so close. He waited to see what the foe would do.
She laughs and charges Jerin, striking him with her templesword and smirks as she looks down at him.
"Tough talk, for a little man" she laughs again, looking at the group, her six arms all moving in unison.
attack:
damage:
Order:
Llyra Bjorgan
Senshiir
Curnach Daveck
Jerinthian Kos
Krenn Whetstone
Vencarlo Orisini
ammendment: The otherworldly woman brings down her blade, but instead destroys a false image of the wizard instead of the real him.
As the three-faced woman charges toward the not-Jerin, I snap my whip at her..
AoO(10' threatened area with whip):
Damage:
--> Not sure whether I can use an AoO as an Assist Other, if so, I will assist Krenn on his attack. If not, then a regular attack, likely doing nothing as I am sure she has DR more than 3.
All of you, wait for me!
Jerins eyes glow as the green miasma flows from him and seeps into the Devil...there is no protection, no way to fight it...leaving the Devil feeling not as confident as before,
He then moves back to AD 37, drawing it's ire.
Curnach called upon the elemental plane of earth and conjured dozens of rocks above the head of the thing. The small boulders rained down upon her, the Seneschal and the room but most importantly, the ground quickly became strewn with them... An invisible force seemed to shelter the Seneschal from the painful rain and Curnach clutched his rod and focused- Krenn was similarly shield from harm.
jerin's ability certainly hampers the creature as does Curnach's spell, however the stones don't appear to bother her that much, However when Krenn's axe digs into her she screams as it appears to cause a lot more pain than anything so far. Both of the his blows slam hard and cause nasty wonuds.
Vencarlo, reluctant to wait behind decides to make it way through the group.
acrobatics:
Vencarlo doesn't manage to get past her and she lashes out with her temple sword.
attack:
damage:
Vencarlo makes his way to AC 39 with his rapier out and ready and thrusts his rapier at her and just manages to hit thanks to the magic given by Llyra.
attack:
damage:
Round 2
Order:
Llyra Bjorgan
Senshiir
Jerinthian Kos
Curnach Daveck
Krenn Whetstone
Vencarlo Orisini
Vencarlo, I thought we told you to stay in the back, we can handle this! We will be distracted by trying to keep you alive vs. killing this Devil. Get back here with me.
He says annoyed...
Vencarlo, I thought we told you to stay in the back, we can handle this! We will be distracted by trying to keep you alive vs. killing this Devil. Get back here with me.
He says annoyed...
"That's my friend up there and don't worry about me, I've faced great battles and I don't want to be let out of this one. it's very obvious he doesn't want to spend his time just watching whilst you all take this thing down.
Round 2
Llyra smiles: I have to agree Vencarlo, you have put yourself in a rather perilous position. Fortunately, my little friend's axe is VERY sharp.
I reach out and touch Krenn:
Bit of Luck - may reroll all d20s for the next round.
Senshiir, seeing the bigger threat goes all out on Krenn.
attack 1:
attack 2:
attack 3:
Spear:
damage:
Kukri:
Her wounds from Vencarlo's rapier appear to knit themselves back together, however the ones inflicted by Krenn remain.
If the creature is still up, Jerin slams 5 Magic Missles into it.
And with Curnach delaying Krenn takes her apart with the axe and she falls to the floor dead.
Neolandus is still tied to the rack after witnessing everything he tries to pull on his restraints and Vencarlo heads over to help get him loose.
"It's good to see you old friend." he smiles to the weary senechal, who sits up immediately. "Who are your friends?" he asks and Vencarlo explains the group have become famous heroes who got rid of the plague all those months back. At this Neolandus' eye widen. "Oh yes, we must leave Korvosa at once, we if want to stay alive and keep our heads. The queen is far more dangerous than you can imagine."
I walk up and look over the Senechal to see whether he has any wounds that need tending.
Heal: <-- Pretty sure Curnach has me rocked on this skill as well.
I, and I think my companions would agree, am here to save this city. How would you expect us to save it from the monster that calls herself queen if we flee?
"It's the crown." he points to his head to emphisis the point "I'll explain more when I get out of here, but that crown is evil and she has signed a contracts with devils. I've seen it myself." he explains, wanting to get out of here and tentively looking arond every corner, afraid that she might hear him or a assassin might reveal itself.
We're in no rush. You'll explain it now or not at all... I will not leave Korvosa on your word alone, Seneschal.
I step back and nod in agreement with Curnach's statement. Then cross my arms showing that I can wait all day for an answer.
Vencarlo remains at his side, he too eager to hear what he has to say concerning the queen and that being said he nods his head.
"Fine. But we leave right after." he sas as he tries to steady himself. "As I said, she had entered in a contract with devils. It allows her to be bound to the soul of a devil of her choosing, giving her boons, but on top of that she wears the Crown of Thorns."
He caughs a little as his body seems to be trying to repair itself after his torture.
"I don't know the full story, but I know that at the fortress known as Scarwall a man used to live there who killed Orcs for a Lord of Ustalav. Unknown to him, the man was a Dragon and a woreshipper of the dark lord of shadows, Zon-Kuthon." he looks to the group with obvious fear in his eyes "A army of paladins of Iomedae were said to have invaded the complex, killing every evil servant and evil they found in the place before cutting him down, but they found he could not be killed and had to seporate him into peices that were taken across the globe. I do not know what happened to the other peices, but the crown is crafted from his fangs and was left in the pyramid in one of the hidden vaults for centuries before Korvosa was built. The dragon is said to still be alive and to not only entice new owners, but lending his tecticle genius to them he makes them military geniuses over night. All I know about it's power, if that is can make your body healthier and improve the way in which you speak to others. It also has commands of magic spells and the wearer regenerates faster than a troll. As I said, I do not know much about it, not how to destroy such a item, but since the Shoanti were here first then our best bet would be to find a shaman or wise man to tell us, if such a man still lives."
Vencarlo gives a concerned look to the group.
"I have friends in Harse. That way we can keep under the radar and I'm sure you would like to meet up with Trinia, right?" he gives a wink in Curnach's direction when mentioning Trinia. "If you all can't be convinced, then I can't force you but think of your friends. This city is about to get a lot more dangerous."
His desperate requests to the government of Ustalav for reinforcements seemed mired in bureaucracy. Even his prayers to Desna seemed to fall upon deaf ears. And so it was with a desperation born of fear that he fell back upon his ancestors’ one-time patron—Zon-Kuthon, god of pain and darkness. And in short order, his prayers were answered in the form a powerful and gifted mercenary named Kazavon.
The charismatic general took control of Tamrivena’s army and whipped it into shape with his brutal discipline and knowledge of tactics and warfare, honing it into a military killing machine. When they marched into Belkzen, the undisciplined savages fell in waves. Tales of Kazavon himself riding in the vanguard and hewing his way through the orc lines while the arrows and blades of his foes bounced harmlessly off of him filled Count Andachi with relief. By the spring of 4043 ar, the orcs had been driven from their lands into the inhospitable foothills of the Kodar mountains, bloodied and defeated.
His task complete, Kazavon did not return to Ustalav. Instead, he set his forces to the construction of Castle Scarwall, from which he could remain vigilant over the surrounding lowlands. Yet in short time, Kazavon’s true goals became horrifically clear. Diplomats from southern Lastwall traveled to Scarwall, bearing gifts of triumph and promises of eternal friendship. Their overtures of peace were met with violence as General Kazavon captured the diplomats, flayed them alive and had their skins stretched over frames; he painted these skins with his new coat of arms, the fanged skull. The skinless dead were then animated and sent back south into Lastwall beneath these grisly banners with a counter offer. Fall under Kazavon’s heel or be butchered.
Some among Kazavon’s own troops found his actions repellent, but Kazavon’s army had grown over the years as his number of victories mounted. His ranks swelled with mercenaries half of his force bore no allegiance to anything but their general’s gold. Those soldiers who rose in rebellion were immediately quelled and executed, and those who attempted more diplomatic protest were tortured and fed to wild beasts.
Aghast at this turn of events, Count Andachi at last found his courage. He raised a new army, ragged and inexperienced, from the last remnants of his people and marched west to face his former general. In a bold offensive he laid siege to Castle Scarwall. Yet, with the next dawn, he was defeated by Kazavon’s forces. Hapless Andachi was captured, publicly tortured and degraded, and ultimately executed. These grisly deeds completed, Kazavon turned his attention east toward Ustalav.
For well over a decade, Kazavon ruled a nation of slaves, victims, and horror. Tales of fields of men impaled for the general’s amusement, of mass executions, of Shoanti tribesmen hunted like wild animals and then forced to slay their own women and children in carnivals of torture and terror spread throughout the neighboring regions. Whispers of cannibal feasts and vampiric orgies trickled out of Castle Scarwall. More than once, the forces of goodly nations marched on Scarwall, yet such was Kazavon’s strength that no army could face him for long. To a man, every warrior sent against Scarwall suffered the same fate as Count Andachi.
Yet where armies failed, a small and secret cabal of heroes did not. Led by a heroic soldier named Mandraivus, this group of Lastwall mercenaries, Shoanti mystics, and Ustalavi arcanists discovered that one among Kazavon’s minions was willing to betray the warlord. This was Kazavon’s chamberlain, a man named Kleestad. The chamberlain gave Mandraivus the information he needed to strike at Scarwall when its defenses were lowest (just before one of Kazavon’s monthly debauches in his great hall), and directed the cabal to a secret entrance to the castle that Kazavon’s guards didn’t know about. As the cabal tore through Scarwall, laying waste to the warlord’s minions and pursuing him to the castle heights, Kleestad returned swiftly to his room to gather his most valuable possessions and make ready his escape, but Mandraivus’s band moved faster than he anticipated. By the time he had his gear, the castle alarm had sounded and he was called to Kazavon’s side as the warlord prepared to defend his home.
Kleestad feared that Kazavon knew of his betrayal and had called him to his side to execute him, yet before Kazavon could do much more than break both of Kleestad’s ankles, Mandraivus arrived. The battle was furious, and in the end Kazavon fled to the Star Tower, giving Kleestad a chance to crawl into hiding.
When Mandraivus and his remaining companions cornered Kazavon in the Star Tower, they discovered his great secret. Kazavon was no mere man, but rather a powerful blue dragon that had taken human shape with the blessing of his dark god. Assuming his true form, Kazavon attacked the cabal, and a long and bloody battle ensued.
His scales deflected most of their attacks, just as the weapons of the orcs had bounced off of his armor during the initial campaign in Belkzen, and his claws and lightning breath made short work of many of their best and bravest. It was Mandraivus, wielding the sacred sword Serithtial, who was able to slip through the dragon’s guard and deliver the fatal blow. With Kazavon’s death, his forces abandoned the castle and the dragon’s dark empire crumbled.
Even in death, Kazavon’s corpse seethed with dark energy, beginning to knit back together toward life once again. Mandraivus left his sword impaled in the dragon’s skull while his companions disassembled the body and burned the remains. After the smoke cleared, seven fragments of the dragon’s skeleton proved impossible to destroy. They continued to rattle and shake of their own malignant will. Mandraivus ordered seven of his remaining followers to each take one of the relics and scatter to the corners of the world to keep the fragments forever separate. Mandraivus remained behind at Scarwall with only a few loyal retainers in order to watch over the castle itself and prevent it from being reclaimed by the minions of Zon-Kuthon.
This peice of history has been buried and forgotten by those who do not wish to anger the lord of pain and those who wish to forget that Scarwall still stands today. No one knows what happened to the Paladin Mandraivus, not to mention his men and the turn coat who allowed this group into the castle, Kleestad. The survivors who told this story never returned to find out what happened with the many Orc tribes running all over the land making the jurney impossible. Some stories from explorers who claim that they have been there mentioning the place is haunted and the dead rise from the ground, hungry for flesh of whoever is unfortunately enough to disturb them.
It might be that we will need to leave here in time so that the queen doesn't move against us in force.
I think first we should take stock of what we have and get a few things. I can appear as someone else and work through my agents in the city to buy and sell anything we might need in order to leave the city. As soon as we do this we can come and go from the city as we please as I will have access to transport magic and have already secured a hidden location for such a need. Once we have this set up I am fine leaving the city as we can come and go as we please.
I will also get access to magic to hide us from scrying so we can stay hidden as needed from prying eyes.
What do the rest of you think?