"We could move in there fast, knock her out, and put a bag over her head. And then talk. We can use the Dimension Door ability from the Standard of Conquest to do so. And I do have a scroll of Break Enchantment that I got and never used should one of us be unlucky."
Once the party decides on a plan, Liam will cast Moment of Greatness. At any time during the spell's 8-minute duration, a recipient can invoke the spell's power to double a morale bonus (like the Standard's +2 morale bonus on saves), at which point the spell ends for them.
He will also cast Good Hope - does not improve saves any further, but helps attacks and damage to end the fight sooner.
"Seems like a poor way to start a conversation," Maya muses. But on a more serious note, she says, "But that does also seem like the best plan. I'd rather us not try to 'talk' to her and find her uncooperative. She's already made enough people her victims it seems.
"I can provide us with Invisibility if we want it. Might make it easier for us to quickly overwhelm her, and ensure we get the jump on her."
Knowing how dangerous the creature is, Amelia looks for lucky signs in the scenery.
The superstitious lady counted the statues she noticed on her way in... 16.
"If anyone wants a small fortune bestowed upon them, I am learning that I can bend it slightly for you all." She is offering of course to cast Lucky Number, her signature spell on someone.
"I don't think I would talk if someone just attacked me," Katria says. "I think Maya's plan makes more sense. She'll know someone's here, but ... I think the benefit of a peaceful contact far outweighs just attacking. That's probably what the cavalry did, I would guess. And look at what happened to them."
She thinks for a moment.
"If we do have to fight, I can try to make her close her eyes or not look at us ... but I don't know if there's anything else I can do to help."
"I don't know that we really need to talk to the medusa. The cavalry are here, petrified, and I think we need to restore them to life. That's the mission, at least as I see it.
But if you think talking to the medusa will help accomplish that goal, feel free to try. Let me know if there are spells I can provide."
Amelia gives off an unladylike snort, "I doubt that she wants to talk. Lets remove this fiend and be done with it."
Doritan raises an eyebrow, "I may not have been fully clear as to the nature of her 'appreciation of the arts.' She has a bunch of statues- likely once people- arranged in a way that looks like a scene from a play, and I don't doubt for a second she's looking to complete it if she gets the chance. She needs to go down."
Katria looks a bit disappointed, but accedes to the others' wishes.
"We should probably try to stay away from her, and make sure we have mirrors," Katria says, patting her pockets.
She checks Dignity's Barb to make sure she can have the crossbow ready.
"I think sending Doritan in invisible probably is our best bet, though the rest of us should try to get close enough we can help him."
You can prepare for future contingencies without defining what those preparations are until they are relevant. As a part of this preparation, while in a settlement for at least 24 hours, you can take 8 hours and spend up to 50 gp per character level, which becomes your brilliant plan fund. While you have a brilliant plan pending, you are always treated as carrying 20 additional pounds of weight, even before you define your brilliant plan.
Once per day, you can take 10 minutes to enact a brilliant plan, withdrawing an item that would have been available in a settlement you visited or procuring a mundane service that your character planned ahead of time. Once you enact the plan, subtract the price of the item or service from this feat’s fund. Any item procured must weigh 10 pounds or less. Likewise, the GM must approve any nonmagical service you gain by using this feat as being appropriate for the location selected.
Once you have spent all the money in your brilliant plan fund or procured 20 pounds of objects with this feat, you cannot use the feat again until you replenish your brilliant plan fund.
Maya shrugs and acquiesces as well.
"I can provide Doritan with invisibility, though I could also do so for all of us, if we want it."
"If I can get in invisibly, I could probably do a lot of damage before she even knows I'm there. Katria, are you able to do that thing you did with the demon-things with my sword again?" he asks.
Katria nods. "of course," she says, "though remember it just lasts for a minute.
"Fortunately, I was ready for something like this," she adds, passing out mirrors to each of the group. "If you have to get close, use these. I don't think we all need to be invisible, since it's us looking at her that turns us to stone, not her looking at us."
"We should probably get to it, then.
How are we going to do this?
Doritan goes in invisibly, and we plan to follow along through the magic of the Standard if he does not shout something every few seconds? That is, if he has been petrified?"
Maya scratches her head at Liam's questions. "I think we should follow as soon as he's begun the attack. We have the mirrors. The sooner we've subdued the medusa, the sooner we're all out of danger. I would rather none of us be petrified if we can help it."
The bard finds herself somewhat shocked at her own words. When she had first met these people, she's certain she would have said nothing of the sort. And yet, somehow, their shared quests has made them almost seem like family to her. One didn't simply abandon family... did they?
"Okay. I can use the Standard of Conquest to bring the rest of us along. Doritan, can you pick a location for us to appear based on what you saw? Maya, if you start a performance before we go, you can cast Saving Finale if needed. And I think all of us being Invisible is a good idea."
Katria nods. "Being invisible won't help him if he has to shout every few seconds," she says. "Oh, I know! I could use a message spell. She could possibly hear him whisper back when he gets close enough, but I guess he could do one last whisper, then rush in, and if we don't hear anything a few seconds later we'll know ... well, it won't be bad."
Would he remain invisible if he's turned to stone? Would the spell just fade normally? she can't help wondering, mind racing.
Amelia nods and gets ready to fight, she wasn't sold entirely on Doritan going alone but this plan gave her more comfort. "Whenever you're ready then, I can be quiet as a mouse as well if you do not have the magic necessary."
Doritan nods, "Okay, if you can stay out of sight, Amelia." he tells her, "Ready when you all are."
Amelia nods, "I was born into these kinds of places, I know where to step, when to step and why I shouldn't step."
Maya nods. "Let's do this."
With everybody invisible, you sneak up on the medusa. She continues to work on her statues, blissfully unaware of the assault you are about to unleash on her.
Before anybody gets into melee with the medusa, Liam casts Admonishing Ray from a safe distance (40' away).
Good Hope and Moment of Greatness are active, Inspire Courage is not.
As Doritan creeps up behind the medusa, a spare glance from the monster behind her meets Doritan's eyes dead-on and before he can so much as think, there's another statue in the room.
HP 67/59 (inc. +8 from transmutation focus)
AC 22, touch 15, flat-footed 18, CMD 21
Fort +11, Ref +7, Will +10
Speed: 30 feet
Inspiration (Knowledge/Linguistics/Spellcraft checks): 0/5
Mental Focus: 15; Abjuration [4/4]; Divination [4/4]; Enchantment [3/3]; Transmutation [1/4]
Resonant powers (+1 saves; +2 Perception, low-light vision; +2 Charisma
checks; +2 Con)
Spells/day: 1st [][][][][]; 2nd [][][][][]; 3rd [][][]
Wands: Scorching ray 0/20; lightning bolt 0/20; magic missile (CL 5) 0/47; magic missile (CL 5) 0/35
Effects: Good hope (+2 morale bonus on saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls), moment of greatness (double that morale bonus on one roll or check, before making the roll), monstrous humanoid bane on Dignity's Barb 1/10
Katria, flying 60 feet up, fires Dignity's Barb at the creature, still disappointed that the others felt it was best to simply attack instead of trying to negotiate. Wasn't that was the Grand Prince had done in some way, after all?
But they had reached their agreement and her best arguments had gone for naught. She carefully sights the target and fires her crossbow moments after pouring her magic into it.
Keeping her distance, the dandy moves in with her bow drawn and attempts to go head on with the medusa. She knows full well it can only magically affect her from close up so she abuses that knowledge.
Maya had been about to unleash a spell on the medusa, when Doritan stumbled and his skin began to harden.
Not if I can help it...
With help from Maya's magic, even as his skin began to harden, Doritan managed to fight off the affliction and push forward, charging forward and trying to stab the medusa.
With Doritan out of the woods for now, Maya casts Blindness on the medusa.
Your assault on the medusa is swift and brutal. After saving Doritan from becoming a statue, Maya robs the medusa of her sight! Doritan stabs her and leaves her shaken, then Katria, Amelia, and Liam all land their hits, leaving the creature bloodied and battered.
"Ah! No, please! Have mercy on me!" the blinded medusa cries, falling to her knees.
"Stop!" Katria calls out.
If they have to execute the medusa, they can, but she still would rather talk.
Doritan stands back, holding his blade at the ready while still very carefully avoiding looking at the medusa in the slightest.
Liam empties out his backpack, takes a mirror, and walks towards the medusa.
Using the mirror, he approaches slowly, holds out the backpack, and places it in the blind medusa's hand.
"Put this over your head."
Maya nods at Katria's shout. She had hoped they would have a chance to question the medusa. It seemed they might just get the opportunity.
"Do as he says," Maya tells the medusa after Liam's command. "If you're honest with us, we might be able to work something out. What are you doing here? And why have you petrified all these people?"
The medusa complies, placing the bag over her head to protect you from her gaze. "My name is Aresphena," she says, her voice muffled by the bag. "When I came across this manor six months ago, I fell in love immediately. It's just like the one in The Broken House of Kriegmoor! It's my favorite novel. I simply had to recreate the best scene.
"Aren't the statues just perfect? There's a lot of characters, though, and it's been slow going. Not many people come out this way. But then a bunch of soldiers showed up to participate in my art, and I was simply overjoyed! Just a few more pieces left now until my masterpiece is complete!"
The dandy rolls her eyes. There is no redeeming this thing. She glares at the others with that silent look.
Katria's jaw drops. She struggles to find her voice.
"You can't just turn people into art! Can you restore them? If not, you've just admitted you're a murderer! Surely you have something better to say to defend yourself!" she cries out.
Perhaps she should just be put to death. She's more monstrous than a monster.
Maya shakes her head sadly. "I had hoped we would have the chance for a reasonable conversation, but reason seems to have nothing to do with what you did."
To her companions, Maya says, "It seems she is a murderer, but I also fear she is quite insane. If so, there will be no reasoning with her."
"No, no! They are not dead! They will live forever! They will never know pain, nor loss, nor sorrow. Why would they want to be restored? This is the greatest gift I can give to others." You can't see the medusa's expression because of the bag, but her voice is full of rapturous awe.
"If only we could give that gift to you, Aresphena," replies the cleric.
"Trapped forever in a stone shell. Unable to pass to the realm of their gods. But, true, they are not dead. I may be able to free some of them with the scroll we got to use on Baron Telus. And we could get another such scroll."
”Oh! Well, uh, I would much prefer to create my art than become a part of it,” Aresphena admits. ”Perhaps you could just let me off with a warning?”
"Do you let off your pieces with just a warning? Give them any chance to consent to your ... art?"
The medusa shakes her head but says nothing.
Katria shrugs helplessly at the other. It seems that she's completely unrepentant. They could turn her to stone, but wouldn't that just be needlessly cruel? Shouldn't they be better than their opponents. A quick death is probably what's called for; then they can find a way to restore the cavalry.
"Have you ever heard the tale of the scorpion and the frog?" The dandy shakes her head and looks at the others, still safely away. "It will always be in your nature." She says sadly under her breath.
Liam nods at Amelia's words.
He draws his morningstar and motions silently to Doritan and Amelia.
With silent determination and a firm look, Doritan swings his sword at the medusa's neck, the blade making not a sound as it moves with the inevitability of an executioner's strike.
Maya nods along with the others, her rapier out as well.