Katria agrees, realizing that finding this last Immaculate Circle member immediately is even a bigger priority than bringing back the princess.
"I think we need to take Panivar with us; I'd hate for him to somehow be rescued while we search elsewhere. I have no way to do that easily. I'm afraid Amelia may need to carry him."
Amelia weighs the choices of her two companions.
"No."
She shakes her head, "With what we know, I think we need to remove Panivar now." Drawing her blade she looks toward Katria and Liam, "There is far too much of a risk carrying him around and we do not know if he has any sorts of contingencies in place."
Giving a deep breath she closes her eyes and just nods, "I think your plan with the antimagic field is best. As much as I don't want to admit it, we need to be efficient. We are dealing with dangerous things." She steps forward, "I have plenty of blood on my hands already."
Liam casts Antimagic Field.
"I don't know if this will work. But if it does, the blood is as much on my hands as yours.
Still, it is long past time for Pharasma to claim his soul."
Liam creates a field of antimagic, causing the bindings to loosen around Panivar. Amelia raises her blade high before bringing it down on the unconscious wizard's neck, separating his head from his body. This seems to have done the trick, as a check of the wizard's remains confirms that he is, at long last, very much dead. After centuries, the manipulative wizard's soul has finally been released to face whatever punishment awaits him in the afterlife...
Katria looks like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. "We're not done yet, but I think that was the beginning of the end," she says.
Liam dismisses the Antimagic Field and watches for a minute to see if Panivar heals.
When he does not, Liam simply says, "It is done. Now let us go find the last member of the Circle, this Barenby Ghoom."
You return to the level above to finish clearing out the complex and search for Count Barenby Ghoom. The winding hall eventually leads to a series of bedchambers. Inside one of them, you find Ghoom practicing archery, apparently oblivious to everything else that's been happening in the complex. Ghoom resembles a human man with curling ram's horns and glowing green eyes.
He startles when he notices your presence, manifesting a crystalline longsword in his hand. "Halt! How did you get past the guards and alarms?" he demands.
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"The Masked Marquis turned on the Circle. That is how we bypassed guards and alarms."
Liam holds up his empty hands.
"Panivar is dead, as are Nenareen Adella and Earl Travarak Denzarni.
Now... the rumor we heard about you is that you gained immortality by eating the heart of a powerful fey creature. I suppose that makes you a creature of the First World now?
I have some sympathy for those who seek immortality through that realm. It is a place where death is not permanent, where its denizens are reborn eternally.
My maternal grandparents entered the service of the Eldest known as Shyka the Many, becoming Feysworn of the Lord of Time so that they might not be parted by the differing lifetimes of humans and elves. I tell you this so that you might see that I understand you, at least in part.
I do not know your story. But I cannot fathom what further interest Taldan politics would have for a hunter of the First World. If you would accept banishment from Taldor, we could avoid pointless bloodshed.
Duel the Jabberwock. Walk the roads with Ng the Hooded. Take your chances in the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom of Baba Yaga. Barter at the Witchmarket. Step through the Manifold Door in the Palace of Seasons and see where it takes you.
But swear an oath that you will not return to Taldor, that you will not meddle in the affairs of Taldor, and that you will not harm my kin who serve Shyka."
Amelia stands quiet, unaware of the secret that Liam had been holding.
Or perhaps we never had the chance to truly talk.
She had determined that if they were to survive this whole ordeal, she would want to know more... There would be time after all.
Barenby grimaces as Liam gives his spiel. "I am a creature of the First World now, yes, though I was freed from my initial servitude following my transformation. Still, I have no desire to anger the Many, nor any of the other First. I was recruited by the Inner Circle for my practical skills, but as you said, Taldan politics do not interest me. If Lotheed and the others are truly dead, then I will gladly swear your oath and leave this place behind, to spare my own life."
The man kneels before Liam and places his hand to his chest as he swears the oath.
Katria nods, but her brain is working. She'd traveled so long with Liam and never knew this. How had he come to follow Milani himself? Were his parents still alive, still wandering and serving Shyka?
Liam gives a slight bow to Barenby.
"Magdh knows your fate. May it be an interesting one."
To his companions, he says, "Many half-elves are born of tragedy. If not their parents, then their grandparents as in my case, or ancestors before. The tragedy of loving someone so deeply, but knowing that you will remain young while they grow old and die... outliving your great-great-grandchildren... it is particularly in such relationships that elves are especially aloof. They hold themselves distant so as to not feel as much pain. And so the children do not feel as loved as they should.
My grandfather chose to love my grandmother and their daughter with all his heart, and chose a different path.
Should we move on? We must find this Soul Crucible."
Once you are confident no more threats remain in the complex, you return to the room that Katria glimpsed previously that contained the strange device of white, shining stone. It matches the description of the Soul Crucible.
A bizarre device of shining, white stone is the sole focus of this room. A deep vessel, large enough for an adult human to sit within, balances atop three stone pillars fitted with lenses and alien instruments. A tub below ripples with a milky, opalescent fluid whose earthy, sweet scent fills the room.
The rest of this almost temple-like chamber consists of shelves lining the walls, though they are largely devoid of books. Instead, only a single journal rests among the empty, stained jars and flasks.
The journal sitting alone on the shelf details Panivar Lotheed’s weeks of careful grafting, surgery, and examination as he carefully nursed Carrius’s shredded soul into a stable state using legends stolen from the Astral Plane—a grisly and painful subject to even read about. Later entries detail his frustrations with how quickly the legends seem to be growing to overwhelm Carrius himself. The final entry reads:
I have crafted a ring with which I can enter the boy’s mind and take these delinquent emperors to task with my own hand. They are arrogant automatons—more like clever and willful pets than the emperors I had hoped for, but they’ve done their work. Now I need only prune them back hard, but not so much that my discipline destroys them; there is precious little holding the lad together save their ghostly egos. Another session or two and they should be permanently cowed, but if not, the ring will allow me to re-enter and establish dominance whenever I care to.
As you approach the device, the necklace containing Eutropia’s soul begins to get warm. A flickering emanation of the princess appears above the vessel. The closer the magic jar necklace gets to the vessel, the stronger and clearer her image becomes...
Katria rises up on her toes as she watches Liam get closer, and Eutropia's image appears. With the Immaculate Circle defeated and the Grand Princess restored to life, would this all be over? Would they have to go after Thassritoum still, or would that be a challenge for another day?
"I believe we should try to use the Soul Crucible where it is. I worry that in moving it we might cause some damage or get something important out of alignment."
Liam glances at the notes. That must be what the ring is for. Entering Carrius's soul to deal with the legends. That may be a matter we still need to deal with, although the boy seems well enough.
Liam approaches the Soul Crucible, holding forth Eutropia's necklace.
"Your Highness? Can you hear us?"
Amelia approaches slowly, not quite sure what the crucible holds.
"I think whatever happens, we should be wary of some kind of treachery."
She takes a quick look around the area, making sure that the site was secure for whatever ritual happens.
Amelia doesn't spot any threats lurking nearby.
The image of Eutropia gestures to the crucible, seemingly intent on your placing the necklace inside of it.
When the necklace is so placed, the stones below the crucible flare white-hot, and ghostly steam issues from the vessel. The winch must then be turned, tipping the vessel over and “pouring out” the soul essence into the arcane fluid below.
Images pour forth from the crucible, a flickering parade of childhood memories. Princess Eutropia’s memories spill over the vessel’s lip, each heartbreak and victory, each friendship and loss that shaped the princess’s spirit into the woman you know. You catch glimpses of young Eutropia and her brother playing at knights and dragons, reading together in the Imperial Palace, and other such innocent memories. You also see the grief and resolve on Eutropia’s face as she stands next to her brother’s body at his funeral, a memory that defines her so strongly it glows with a light that overshadows all other facets of her soul.
When the Soul Crucible finishes its work, the vessel slowly rights itself. The collected soul-energy of Eutropia coalesces into the form of the princess, pale and exhausted, clad in a simple gray shroud. Eutropia wraps her arms around her shoulders to stop the shivering, musters a smile, and says with a beaming grin, ”You’ve restored me, exactly as I knew you could! That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”
"It was our duty, and our pleasure," Katria replies. She collects the gem. "This has a small piece of your soul. Anyone holding it can use it to bring you back again if you die. I suggest Liam holds onto it, though if you would prefer to trust someone else with it, I certainly understand."
"Praise Milani! It worked.
Your Majesty, we have defeated the Immaculate Circle. Panivar Lotheed is dead, as are Nenareen Adella and Earl Travarak Denzarni. Barenby Ghoom has accepted exile.
The one they hired to kill you, the Masked Marquis, is still alive. He surrendered. Well, my magic may have had something to do with that. But when it wore off, he chose to side with us.
I reasoned that he was skilled at his job, and the Lion Blades may have use for such a talent. Even in a better Taldor, there may be a need for his particular set of skills from time to time. He did give us valuable information on the Immaculate Circle.
There are also a few captives that we rescued. They are within a Magnificent Mansion, created by a scroll your brother found for us.
Let us get you back to the Palace of Birdsong."
Giving a kneel, Amelia looks at the princess.
"I can't believe it."
She gets up, "We can escort you out of here Princess, there's more to learn outside of this den of whispers. Please allow me to shield you."
"I believe my soul fragment will be in good hands," Eutropia says with a smile towards Liam. "I appreciate all you have accomplished here. Let us retrieve those you have liberated and return to the palace."
When you emerge from the building, however, you find a falcon waiting for you with a scroll:
Something is gravely wrong with Carrius. His demeanor has changed radically, from kind boy to power-obsessed tyrant. He’s seizing the throne, arranging a quickly approaching coronation, and has blamed YOU LOT for Eutropia’s assassination. You’re possibly the most wanted figures in all of Taldor. He’s like a man possessed, with magic greater than anything even my brother or father could wield, and skill with a sword that would rival Gennaris himself!
I’m sheltering in the Grandbridge Vagabond Camp, on Barrier Island just outside Oppara. The crowds and running water seem to help block the most reliable of Carrius’s divinations. But the city crawls with investigators and paid informants, not to mention an angry citizenry eager to rally behind their “grieving” prince.
For now, Carrius seems untouchable. The Ulfen Guard have welcomed the heir into the Imperial Palace, and so he now commands an army of Ulfen warriors and the royal guard, along with the building’s unmatched magical protections. Much of my support network has been wiped out, and even now he targets your own supporters. You must be swift if you hope to act, or else flee Taldor and do not look back! If you return to the city, do so with utmost caution, or else do what you can to operate from a distance. I will try to arrange whatever I can on your behalf; you have only but to ask.
Yours in spirit and blade,
Martella
"Archmage-level magic? Unrivaled skill with the sword? It sounds like these Astral Legends have taken control of Prince Carrius.
With the Ring of the Recalled Soul, I think we should be able to enter his mind and confront the legends. That is what it seems Panivar Lotheed was doing.
Maybe we can get the legends to return to their rightful place on the Astral Plane.
I can take us back to Sayashto if we want to equip ourselves further for the effort."
Katria looks alarmed. "I hope it's just the astral legends ... and not some last scheme of Panivar's," she says. "I think Sayashto makes sense. We can keep you safe there, your highness."
Eutropia nods. Liam casts his spell, shifting you through the planar divide and into the city of Sayashto on Axis. There, you spend time equipping yourselves and preparing for the final challenges that lay ahead. You feel stronger from your recent experiences...
***
Once you feel you are adequately prepared, you return to the Material Plane. Slipping into the outskirts of Oppara, you head to the Grandbridge Vagabond Camp just outside Oppara's city walls. You make your way to a large, shabby tent in the center of the camp. Martella stands next to a table covered with parchments and letters, studying a map of Imperial Square. Her makeup gone and her hair tied up in a plain headscarf, she could be one of a thousand commoners in the city. A few guards from the Palace of Birdsong are also here.
Martella looks up when you enter, her face drawn and eyes worried. Her expression lightens at the sight of you, and she says, "Thank the gods. I knew you'd make it through." When she sees Eutropia, her eyes widen and she tears up as she rushes to embrace her best friend. "I thought I'd lost you for good! Don't scare me like that ever again!" she chastises the princess.
"I'm sorry I had to keep you in the dark about my plan. It won't happen again," Eutropia promises. She quickly explains everything that occurred within the Immaculate Circle's stronghold. Once that's done, it's Martella's turn.
"It was only a few hours after you left that Carrius was named the heir. In one swoop, Eutropia's murder was laid at your feet and the advisors unanimously declared Carrius the true heir. The nobles are scrambling, I know, but it's hard to argue the fact when all the divinations and tests are showing Carrius to be who he says he is.
"The thing is..." Martella frowns, thinking hard as she speaks. "The way it happened, so quickly and precisely, Carrius himself must have set it up. He waited for you to be out of the way, then declared you criminals and set himself in position for the crown. Even I believed him.... It's as if there was a shadow hiding behind him the whole time, letting the child play a role on its behalf and quietly making these preparations. I never thought he could betray us like this."
"It's not his fault. The Circle did this to him. We have to undo the damage they've caused," Eutropia says resolutely. "Liam believes that they can go into the mindscape Panivar Lotheed created and confront the spirits that inhabit him. That would free Carrius from their influence and put Taldor back under our control. But..." She turns to you with a grave expression. "If such a task is impossible, at least lay my brother to rest. He doesn't deserve this tormented half-life."
Katria nods. This was something she had never envisions -- never even knew was possible -- but it doesn't seem like they have any choice. They have to do this to set their kingdom back on the path it should be on. Who knows what Carrius -- and the ancestral legends -- would do if they were allowed?
The time soon comes to determine how best to infiltrate the Imperial Palace and get close enough to Carrius to use the ring of the recalled soul. The Imperial Palace is a huge complex, covering nearly one million square feet, with 3,000 rooms, and standing up to four stories tall in the main palace. In addition to serving as the primary residence for the royal family, the palace hosts several vital government offices, a wing of the Taldan Phalanx, the Ulfen Guard, stables, extensive ballrooms, archives of all relevant government documents, libraries, chapels, gardens, multiple dining rooms and kitchens, servants’ quarters, art galleries, and a private opera house nearly as large as any available in the city. Like the nearby senate building, the palace has been rebuilt, renovated, and added to continuously for millennia, creating a hive of underlevels and sealed rooms unseen by any living soul for centuries.
The Imperial Palace is surrounded by 30-foot-high stone walls that are reinforced with magic and lined with continual flame spells every 60 feet to provide the palace grounds with at least dim illumination at all times. Each of the five gates bears both an iron door and an iron portcullis, which are kept open by day but sealed every night. Most of the palace interior doors are strong wood with superior locks, while exterior doors are iron with superior locks.
Imperial Palace sentries patrol the grounds in pairs every 15 minutes, and two sentries stand at attention at each of the complex’s gates. The entirety of the palace grounds are blanketed with a permanent dimensional lock effect, preventing the use of teleportation or summoning magic; specific individuals (often members of the royal family, or special guardians) can be attuned to the effect, allowing them to teleport or summon normally. Thin lead sheeting in the walls shields most of the palace interior from divination effects.
Almost all doors and gates are protected with audible alarm spells, maintained by a small army of on-duty magi who respond to assist sentries. All five gates are likewise warded with a unique effect that causes anyone affected by an illusion spell to glow bright blue when passing through the gates and for several minutes after—a seldom-discussed feature that has embarrassed countless nobles who arrive for social functions while benefiting from “mild” illusory beauty treatments. Many doors—especially those leading to servants’ areas or guard rooms—are concealed behind illusory walls, while secure areas are sealed with arcane lock in addition to their mundane locks. Many areas are also warded with symbol of sleep or symbol of stunning spells.
All in all, infiltration is going to be a difficult prospect. But Martella has a contact within the First Imperial Arcanist's Guild, which helps maintain the palace's magical defenses. For a bribe of 5,000 gp, they would be willing to attune you to the dimensional lock so that you could bypass it and teleport into and out of the palace.
Once you are ready, you put your plan into motion. You invisibly slip over the walls of the palace and sneak through its vaulted halls, getting close to Carrius's private sanctum. Fortunately, your stealth skills prove superior to the palace guards' senses, and your foreknowledge of the various traps and wards allow you to get close without being spotted. Katria sends her mind's eye ahead to scout, confirming that Carrius is located within the private room behind the throne room. With his location pinpointed, you activate the ring of the recalled soul.
A thin line of light appears in the air in front of you and twists into a doorway. As you step through the doorway, the physical world fades away into a white mist. When the mist clears, the view has changed. Instead of a landscape of marble and plush velvet carpet, six doors lead out from this crack-riven circular chamber. In the center of the room, a human-sized rag doll sits on a wooden throne, his body and clothes stitched together from several sources and bound together with six distinct chains.
Each of the six unlocked doors is slightly different:
Fire Door: This red marble door glows from within and is warm to the touch. On its surface is engraved a vista of leaping flames. Tormented faces hidden within the flames stare out from the door with despairing eyes.
Sword Door: This iron door is dull and marked with countless slices and nicks. A curved scimitar embedded in the door drips a constant stream of red blood.
Harbor Door: This narrow, rectangular door is cut from blue variegated marble. The top of the door is very pale, almost white, darkening to deep azure blue near the floor. Engraved into the door is an image of a three-masted ship
Whisper Door: This white marble door is covered with a shifting silver film of mist. Engraved into the marble is the image of a hooded figure, its hand covering its face as it whispers into the ear of another man.
Crown Door: This polished steel door is inset with an inverted golden crown. A single, teardrop-shaped ruby sits embedded in the crown, like a drop of blood
Lion Door: This arched door seems worked from solid gold. In the center of the door, the image of a lion rears on its hind legs, its mouth open in a silent roar.
As you get your bearings, the mindscape door that you entered through suddenly slams shut and vanishes! It would seem that exiting Carrius's mindscape will not be easy...
Beladm I: Born Ersazus Beldam, Grand Prince Beldam I came from humble roots as a mere earl and rose to the throne with the assistance of the Ballingar Accord, the same patriotic circle of nobles who exposed the treacherous Qadiran agents who poisoned the troubled Red Prince Cydonus III. In the aftermath of the extreme deficit left by Cydonus’s unorthodox building projects, the Ballingar Accord and the senate selected Beldam I for the throne because of his reputation for fiscal responsibility, and his thriftiness left him much beloved by the people, who were happy to contribute more in support of their new emperor and their suffering empire.
During his reign, Grand Prince Beldam I contributed greatly toward stabilizing Taldor even as its cherished colonies rebelled, and surely without his oversight, the Even-Tongued Rebellion would have continued until all of Taldor was torn apart. Beldam I’s evenhanded and diplomatic approach eased much of the transition, ensuring that the newborn states of Cheliax and Isger did not fall into anarchy in their early years.
Grand Prince Beldam I spent most of his life deeply concerned that Qadiran agents would poison him, just as they did his predecessor, and so he employed more food tasters than any other emperor in Taldor’s history. Despite this worry and his reputation as a coin counter, Grand Prince Beldam I is also fondly remembered by some for his delightful if esoteric sense of humor. He appointed a horse, Katalon, as a senator in what most historians agree was a quiet critique, implying the governing body of the time lacked “horse sense.” On other occasions, he would hide in the palace curtains and leap out to surprise guests.
Grand Prince Beldam I’s sense of humor was not shared by his young wife, Grand Prince Cydonus III’s granddaughter Wynalia, and the emperor died when his startled wife struck him with a marble bust bearing the emperor’s own likeness.
Cyricas: Born on the 29th day of Calistril—a day that comes but once every 8 years—the Leaping Lion was predestined for a greatness born of exceptionalism. As a child, the noble-born Cyricas suffered from a debilitating illness that mystified even the most skilled healers of the land, each summoned by his mother, a prominent senator, who used her influence to gain their services. Cyricas spent much of his childhood in bed, reading about the great rulers of Taldor and dreaming about one day joining their ranks. On his eighth birthday, Cyricas leapt from his sickbed, proclaimed himself well, and embarked on a life of adventure—as all Taldans are told on their own eighth birthdays.
Cyricas spent much of his young adulthood traveling, taking special interest in the natural world. His love of hunting in particular eventually led him to the heavy jungle interior of Garund. There, his guides had chained a mighty gorilla, offering it as a trophy. Cyricas was horrified, releasing the beast and chastising his well-meaning hosts for debasing a free creature. Though Cyricas left the ape behind, it followed him for 8 days and nights, until the great adventurer accepted his new companion and named him Mardu.
Back in Taldor and approaching middle age, Cyricas held court with all manner of Taldans, from senators to commoners. He spoke to thousands in a series of popular public lectures, regaling them with tales of adventure and calling on all Taldans to overcome their circumstances and achieve greatness.
Upon the death of his father (may his corrupt and vile name remain ever struck from the record), Cyricas won approval for corronation over his elder brother, his will and abundant allies making him a stronger candidate to lead Taldor into a new era. The Leaping Lion could not be contained, however, and no sooner was he crowned—on the same day of the year as Taldaris himself—than he made plans to join the Sixth Army of Exploration in northern Garund. Countless often-contradictory tales tell of Cyricas’s many great deeds in the 2 short years that followed, but the accounts agree that at the end, the mighty Leaping Lion fell in glorious battle with the vicious Gorilla King, fighting alongside his people.
Daronlyr XII: Much has has rightfully been made over the command and presence of many a grand prince, but few compare to the legendary usurper and savior Grand Prince Daronlyr XII. Like many of Taldor’s greatest leaders, Daronlyr was not born to greatness, but instead seized it. Gifted with legendary command—command over others, command over the blade, command over magic, and, perhaps most importantly, command over himself—Daronlyr was born the only son of Grand Prince Parmain III’s younger brother, Isidoron. When the throne passed to his indolent cousin, Parmain IV— cursed be his name—Daronlyr led Taldor in his own way as a loyal senator and prominent civic leader who labored tirelessly to ease the worst excesses and foreign appeasements of Parmain IV’s rule. When, in a private audience with the grand prince, Daronlyr learned his cousin was plotting to undermine imperial unity by ceding Taldan land in Isger to Kellid rebels, he found he could stomach no more and drew his blade.
The dutiful Ulfen Guard leaped to the defense of their emperor, but Daronlyr’s skill and focus turned their blows aside, and his blade found succor in Parmain IV’s heart. He seized the Primogen Crown and declared himself emperor, and the Ulfen Guard ceased their attack and bowed before him. Many repeat this parable as a demonstration of the Ulfen Guard’s loyalty to the position of emperor, rather than to any individual who holds that title, but surely all historians of merit can agree that such a feat would never have transpired for a less gifted orator than Daronlyr.
Following his swift coronation, Grand Prince Daronlyr XII proceeded to secure Taldor’s borders and renew the empire’s efforts to pacify the upstart Kellids to the west. Perhaps the best-remembered part of his legacy, however, was the founding of several longstanding arcane organizations throughout Taldor, including the First Imperial Arcanists’ Guild in 3571 AR and Oppara’s famed Kitharodian Academy in 3578 AR.
Grand Prince Daronlyr XII fell not to conspiracy or violence but to an outbreak of the Blanching Sickness that gripped western Taldor in late 3587 AR, proving that despite Daronlyr’s mastery of so many skills, Pharasma herself knows no mercy or admiration for even the best among the living.
Gennaris III: Surging refrains of victory are bittersweet when accompanied by tears over a hero taken from Taldor much too soon. Grand Prince Gennaris III was a shining light dimmed before his time, the fire of his valor quenched by Qadiran treachery.
During Gennaris’s day, Qadiran forces had occupied Taldan soil for 2 centuries. At the head of the Taldan Phalanx, High Strategos Gennaris looked southward with his steady gaze and said, “No longer.” Gennaris led his troops to victory after victory, pushing Qadiran forces farther south and reclaiming Taldan lands from the invaders. Soon known as the Conqueror to his soldiers and enemies alike, Gennaris fought to the Jalrune River.
Meanwhile, tragedy struck in the north. Gennaris’s two older brothers died suddenly. Gennaris left his campaign on the southern border and returned to Oppara to wear the Primogen Crown, but courtly living did not suit him. Within 2 years, Gennaris returned to the front lines, once again defending Taldan lands against aggressors. Gennaris’s field musicians composed the rousing “Hail Our Conqueror King” to celebrate his return to the front, and the song rightfully remains a staple for military marches today.
With Taldor’s heart as well as its arms at his command, Gennaris planned the daring Heaven’s Step Offensive to invade Qadira itself. In a series of brilliantly planned maneuvers on the Plains of Paresh, Grand Prince Gennaris outwitted six Qadiran generals. He faced all six in personal combat, defeating each and taking their swords as trophies of his cunning and prowess.
The Qadiran forces broke, opening up vast swaths of Qadiran land to Taldan control. Gracious in victory, Gennaris refused to allow his troops to overrun and slaughter their fleeing foes. This benevolence was his undoing, for the delay allowed the Empire of Kelesh to reinforce the flagging Qadiran forces. Knowing the Qadirans held little chance against the fabled Conqueror in battle, Keleshite emissaries counseled the Qadirans to ambush the emperor. Grand Prince Gennaris was slain on a predawn ride to assess his troops, leaving Taldor poorer by one champion but richer one martyr.
Stavian I: Grand Prince Stavian I, Firstborn of Micheaux, First of His Name, was born during the harvest season, and for many years he was called the Bounty Prince by citizens of Taldor, who understandably took great joy in the birth of Micheaux the Magnificent’s son and heir. Stavian inherited his father’s intense eyes, and between his comely features and his life of vigorous exercise, he is remembered as a handsome young man who was very popular in Opparan social circles.
Following Micheaux the Magnificent’s sudden death in 4526, Stavian I and his five younger brothers fell into bitter squabbling. A Sarenite soothsayer had declared one of the six brothers a bastard, not descended of imperial blood—a bold claim given Grand Prince Micheaux’s own adoption into the line of succession rather than blood descent. After a summer of unprecedented violence, Stavian calmed his brothers, demonstrating the nobility and leadership that mandated his princely blood, and ascended to the throne at the end of Rova, once again demonstrating his bountiful relationship with Taldor’s fortunes and harvests.
Grand Prince Stavian I revitalized the Grand Campaign. Recognizing the soothsayer who instigated his family’s infighting for the traitor he was, he declared all who proselytize on behalf of Sarenrae to be enemies of the state, invested only in lies and sedition. The Great Burning of Witches—now known as the Great Purge— saw treasonous foreign agents driven from Taldor’s borders; despite its sobriquet, the Purge involved few pyres, ultimately burning fewer than 100 Sarenites.
Despite his marriage to the Countess Sutepa Mavrosenus in 4528, Grand Prince Stavian I remained a popular fixture in noble circles, and maintained 18 concubines of various genders to appease the sudden shifts of humor to which he grew prone in later years. He fathered a total of 12 children, and he was succeeded by his oft-overlooked third son, Dominus II, after the death of his eldest son, Gosse, and exile of his second son, Manderval.
Taldaris: Much ado has been made over the life and accomplishments of our founder, the glorious First Emperor Taldaris of Oppara, who bound together frightened city-states into an indomitable empire. Legends, parables, and rumors of his heroic feats abound, and as Grand Prince Taldaris was an honorable man, we can only assume they are all true. Taldor would not exist without the courage, integrity, and tactical genius of this extraordinary man, and so the least debt historians can reasonably owe him is benefit of the doubt on those stories surrounding and supporting his glory.
Taldaris’s parentage remains unknown, but it is almost certainly divine. As a foundling raised by lions, Taldaris grew up to be a strong and savage survivor. Accounts suggest he beheaded a cockatrice that threatened his pride while he was still in swaddling clothes; this astonishing feat set the stage for a life of great deeds. When soldiers from the citystate of Oppara found the wild boy, they adopted him into their unit and taught him of politics and metalwork. Such was his ferocity and insight that he had risen to the rank of commander by the time the soldiers returned to Oppara.
Taldaris completed 12 great challenges on behalf of his adopted city—including hunting the deadly Sun Lion, the grogrisant—and was crowned Grand Prince of Oppara. From this seat of power, he united the Azlanti citystates lining the eastern shores of the Inner Sea to form the Principalities of Taldaris. In the process he claimed seven wives and four husbands, from whom he sired the first noble lines of Taldor, including— naturally—the resplendent Stavian line, which traces its ancestry directly back to our singular founder.
Grand Prince Taldaris lived to a venerable age, in an era long before the grand princes of Taldor routinely extended their lives by means of the wondrous sun orchid elixir, further pointing toward a potentially divine heritage. He passed away only after saving the people of Golsifar from the terrible dragon Verksaris the Kingeater, from whose gullet he pulled the gold used to forge the Primogen Crown, finally succumbing to the beast’s legendary venom after 3 days.
Katria looks around the doors, pondering for what feels like hours on each legend, and whether they may offer any hints to what they might face. But perhaps it's the doors themselves that might offer a clue -- even that seems unlikely.
"I'm loathe to face Cyricus or Taldaris before we absolutely must," she says, "but I think any of the others should do to start."
"I agree with you. I don't wish for this to come to blows but I worry that it might." She thinks out loud, "Katria, which of these legends is least likely to fight? Perhaps we can talk our way out of this first and figure out more of the puzzles here if we avoid conflict for now."
"I don't wish to face one who wants to fight without being prepared for it. I am not certain how much warning I will have, or how long the discussions and negotiations will take with those who are more reasonable."
"Some of my spells last a very long time."
Liam will cast these long-duration spells:
Mass Minor Reversion from scroll (24 hours) - we all get a 1d8+11 immediate-action heal if damaged below half
Eaglesoul from scroll (11 hours)
Life Bubble from scroll (6 hours each)
Magic Vestment on armor with Anointing Oil (making it +5 for 20 hours)
Greater Magic Weapon on morningstar with Anointing Oil (+5 for 20 hours)
Miracle for Contingency done a day ahead ("When I begin Inspire Heroics then Divine Power on myself.")
"My own guesses as to the doors...
Katria nods in agreement. [b]"If we are worried about fighting, perhaps we should deal with those we think are most likely to offer us that sort of challenge. I think that is likely Gennaris (if only because of Amelia; sorry, Amelia), Daronlyr and perhaps Stavian, though none of us are Sarenites. Beladm too may see us as part of his conspiracies...[/ooc]
"I'm not worried about fighting a legend." She gives that smirk that she's known for, "I am fine to speak with Taldaris first. He is more known than the others as we've met his petitioner."
After a bit more debate, you settle on going through the Sword Door first. You make your preparations before stepping through the door. Screams and cries of pain echo across the miserable battlefield that you suddenly find yourselves standing on. Buzzing flies and the stench of rotting flesh choke the air. Bodies lie piled in heaps on the blood-soaked ground, some of them still reaching out to beg for care or a swift death. Hands twitch and eyes blink in the charnel piles. Against the sky, an armored figure stands tall among the dead, surrounded by six gore-covered scimitars driven into the soil—Gennaris III.
Gennaris points to you and declares, ”Taldor is a nation that stands or falls by the strength of her blade. Such was true for Taldaris, and your hands are far from clean. But death’s greatest failing is that it can stop but a single soldier. Never an army.” As he speaks, the bodies of the dead and dying writhe towards him, gathering together into a misshapen, serpentine form that merges with Gennaris.
The six scimitars erupt from the soil, much larger than they should be. They begin to swirl around Gennaris, surrounding him with a protective energy field.
HP 168/168 (inc. +32 from transmutation focus; base 120)
AC 29, touch 18, flat-footed 22, CMD 29
Fort +20, Ref +14, Will +15
Speed: 30 feet
Inspiration (Knowledge/Linguistics/Spellcraft checks): 1/8
Mental Focus: 27; Abjuration [6/6]; Divination [4/4]; Enchantment [4/4]; Evocation [1/1]; Illusion [2/2]; Necromancy [4/4]; Transmutation [6/6] (refocusing rod)
Resonant powers (+3 saves; +2 Perception, low-light vision; +2 Charisma checks; +4 Con; 10% miss chance
Cape of the mountebank 0/1; quicken rod 0/3; Dignity's Barb Crit No.: xx
Spells/day: 1st [][][][][]; 2nd [][][][][][]; 3rd [][][][][]; 4th [][][][][]; 5th [][][][][]; 6th [][][][]
Wands: lightning bolt 0/19; magic missile (CL 5) 0/29; magic missile (CL 9) 0/50; scorching ray (CL 11) 1/50
Effects:
Katria blanches for a moment, before steeling herself. Whatever she had expected from Gennaris, it wasn't this!
"He looks like some sort of warsworn -- undead that can't be easily hurt except by magic bludgeoning weapons," she says . "Be careful, they drain the life force of those they strike. They can also animate weapons to attack for them--these weapons can be damaged by positive energy as if they were undead!"
Knowing Dignity's Barb won't be as useful, even if she empowers it, Katria pulls her most powerful wand and unleashes three scorching rays.
If we are going for a fight first, then Liam will prepare accordingly.
Spells before going through the door:
Invoke Deity on self for 190 minutes (Shield, Shield of Faith, Resist Fire).
Barkskin on self for 190 minutes.
Untold Wonder on self for 190 minutes.
Extended Good Hope on party for 38 minutes.
Frightful Aspect on self for 19 minutes.
----
Liam watches it seems the battlefield comes alive to attack. Thanks to the grace of Milani, Liam is immune to fear, so he doesn't have to save against Frightful Presence.
He looks to Katria. "Undead, you say?"
Liam casts Disrupting Weapon on his morningstar.
He also begins Inspire Courage +4 as a swift action.
He stands in front of Katria, holding his ground and waiting for the warsworn to approach.
Stepping through the door, Amelia takes a deep breath and steels herself for whatever form the legend takes.
What she sees though, isn't at all what she expected.
"Holy..."
Her irrepressible will manages to avoid the frightful presence.
"Bludgeoning?" The dandy hates that word, it usually means she can't flourish her weapon and fight as she wants. Thankfully she is fairly adept at fighting in other ways.
Drawing her bow, she takes a blunt arrow arrow from her quiver, and takes a pinpoint shot
The arrow flies with horrifying accuracy and she maintains her position near her allies.
Katria's fiery rays pass through the energy field surrounding Gennaris, burning the legend. Amelia fires an arrow that strikes him, but the energy field absorbs nearly all of the damage from the strike, though it does slightly injure the man. It seems you'll need to destroy some of the swords if you want to make Gennaris more susceptible to physical damage!
Gennaris slithers up to Liam, the bodies forming his tail trailing in his wake. He swings a heavy fist at the cleric, but Liam's defenses hold.
The six swords fly over to Katria and Amelia, three each slicing at them!
The towering Liam hammers away at Gennaris with his morningstar (weapon is +5 due only to GMW, so the only DR it bypasses are bludgeoning, piercing, and magic - but I am hoping for an unlucky roll by Gennaris on Disrupting Weapon).
HP 133/168 (inc. +32 from transmutation focus; base 120)
AC 29, touch 18, flat-footed 22, CMD 29
Fort +20, Ref +14, Will +15
Speed: 30 feet
Inspiration (Knowledge/Linguistics/Spellcraft checks): 3/8
Mental Focus: 27; Abjuration [6/6]; Divination [4/4]; Enchantment [4/4]; Evocation [1/1]; Illusion [2/2]; Necromancy [4/4]; Transmutation [6/6] (refocusing rod)
Resonant powers (+3 saves; +2 Perception, low-light vision; +2 Charisma checks; +4 Con; 10% miss chance
Cape of the mountebank 0/1; quicken rod 0/3; Dignity's Barb Crit No.: xx
Spells/day: 1st [][][][][]; 2nd [][][][][][]; 3rd [][][][][]; 4th [][][][][]; 5th [][][][][]; 6th [][][][]
Wands: lightning bolt 0/19; magic missile (CL 5) 0/29; magic missile (CL 9) 0/50; scorching ray (CL 11) 1/50
Effects: Studied Combatant (Gennaris), inspired courage (+4/+4)
Katria hisses in pain as the swords hit her, her mind racing through options. Try to destroy a sword? Protect herself? No, the fastest way out of this was to destroy Gennaris himself. That should end the scimitars' threat, she thinks.
She studies her foe for a minute and then activates the wand again.
As the corpse-creature slithers forwards, the massive champion of Milani catches it with a blow from his morningstar.
Amelia takes a series of slashes across he body and reels back. "I'll try to take the swords down, keep him tied up."
Taking a quick reposition backward she focuses her shots on the scimitars, and pulls from a special stock of Adamantine Arrows.
Amelia fires adamantine arrows at the flying swords. In short order, two of them shatter into fragments and fall to the ground. The energy field around Gennaris weakens!
Liam lands several powerful blows on Gennaris, badly damaging the emperor's legend, but Gennaris resists the disruption effect on the cleric's weapon.
Gennaris cries out in fury and attacks Liam numerous times, but the cleric's defenses hold. The four remaining swords slash at Amelia and Katria. One lands a lucky critical hit on Katria!
HP 91/168 (inc. +32 from transmutation focus; base 120)
AC 29, touch 18, flat-footed 22, CMD 29
Fort +20, Ref +14, Will +15
Speed: 30 feet
Inspiration (Knowledge/Linguistics/Spellcraft checks): 3/8
Mental Focus: 27; Abjuration [6/6]; Divination [4/4]; Enchantment [4/4]; Evocation [1/1]; Illusion [2/2]; Necromancy [4/4]; Transmutation [6/6] (refocusing rod)
Resonant powers (+3 saves; +2 Perception, low-light vision; +2 Charisma checks; +4 Con; 10% miss chance
Cape of the mountebank 0/1; quicken rod 0/3; Dignity's Barb Crit No.: xx
Spells/day: 1st [][][][][]; 2nd [][][][][][]; 3rd [][][][][]; 4th [][][][][]; 5th [][][][][]; 6th [][][][]
Wands: lightning bolt 0/19; magic missile (CL 5) 0/29; magic missile (CL 9) 0/50; scorching ray (CL 11) 2/50
Effects: Studied Combatant (Gennaris), inspired courage (+4/+4), good hope (+2/+2)
Still standing despite her wounds, Katria continues to focus on Gennaris, blasting again with her wand.
Emboldened by watching the adamantine arrows shatter the scimitars, Amelia continues launching arrows at a dizzying rate.
Liam pummels his undead foe with his morningstar.