HP 110/120 (inc. +26 from transmutation focus; base 87)
AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 21, CMD 24
Fort +13, Ref +10, Will +12
Speed: 30 feet
Inspiration (Knowledge/Linguistics/Spellcraft checks): 0/7
Mental Focus: 23; Abjuration [4/4]; Divination [5/5]; Illusion [4/4]; Enchantment [4/4]; Transmutation [6/6] (refocusing rod)
Resonant powers (+2 saves; +1 Perception, low-light vision; +2 Charisma checks; +4 Con; 20% miss chance)
Cape of the mountebank 1/1; gloves of arrow snaring 0/2; Dignity's Barb Crit No.: 6
Spells/day: 1st [][][][][]; 2nd [][][][][][]; 3rd [][][][][]; 4th [x][][][]
Wands: Scorching ray 0/20; lightning bolt 0/20; magic missile (CL 5) 0/47; magic missile (CL 5) 1/34
Effects: rotting wealth curse, Liam bonuses (+5/+4)
Katria gasps as the creature appears and claws her, and she can feel her soul resisting being drawn away. She steps back, activating her cape, and reappearing on the far side of the room, ready to bring her wand to bear again.
"I can stave them off, try not to let them grab you!"
Liam and Amelia destroy the wounded soul eater, while Seth moves in to distract the newcomer while Katria makes her escape! The soul eater claws at Seth, but his shield spell keeps him safe!
Liam strikes at the remaining Soul Eater with the Scion's Dagger. The weapon feels as if it could cut through anything; Liam, who has largely remained in the background during battles, finds himself a reasonably competent combatant using the weapon.
HP 110/120 (inc. +26 from transmutation focus; base 87)
AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 21, CMD 24
Fort +13, Ref +10, Will +12
Speed: 30 feet
Inspiration (Knowledge/Linguistics/Spellcraft checks): 0/7
Mental Focus: 23; Abjuration [4/4]; Divination [5/5]; Illusion [4/4]; Enchantment [4/4]; Transmutation [6/6] (refocusing rod)
Resonant powers (+2 saves; +1 Perception, low-light vision; +2 Charisma checks; +4 Con; 20% miss chance)
Cape of the mountebank 1/1; gloves of arrow snaring 0/2; Dignity's Barb Crit No.: 6
Spells/day: 1st [][][][][]; 2nd [][][][][][]; 3rd [][][][][]; 4th [x][][][]
Wands: Scorching ray 0/20; lightning bolt 0/20; magic missile (CL 5) 0/47; magic missile (CL 5) 1/34
Effects: rotting wealth curse, Liam bonuses (+5/+4)
Not at a safe distance from danger, Katria again invokes her wand, firing a blast of missiles at the soul eater Liam is attacking.
"Back to wherever you came!"
With another trio of magic missiles and several powerful strikes from Liam and Amelia, the final soul eater is destroyed!
Much of the tableware is broken, but the surviving gold-embossed porcelain dishes are worth 300 gp all together.
"Good job," Katria says, shivering slightly at the close call. "I wonder what those things were doing here. If we are on Axis, I wouldn't think they would tolerate them."
She collects the dishes just in case they might be of some interest in her later studies. Once everyone is ready, she gestures to the next door, listening to see if there's anything inside before opening it.
The remaining rooms on the first floor consist of a small kitchen, water closet, and bedroom. There doesn't seem to be anything of interest in them.
Liam will channel to heal the party. It feels a little strange to call upon the power of Milani in this place, but Liam recalls that the Everbloom still preserves a small portion of Aroden's realm known as the Refuge of the Red Rose, from which she seeks to do what she can to fight injustice in Axis.
This is a place of law, but law and justice are not one and the same. Still, with cleverness, one can work within the system to make it so, or help those who need to escape the system.
"My guess is that there is some clause in the laws of Axis by which entities from other planes can enter for specific tasks or reasons, such as if they are summoned. I don't know for certain.
Katria, can you send your Mind Eye to the second floor? I would rather be prepared if there is to be more trouble."
"Oh, yes, of course. I should have thought of that, but was distracted by ..." she gestures around, to encompass the entire situation.
HP 110/120 (inc. +26 from transmutation focus; base 87)
AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 21, CMD 24
Fort +13, Ref +10, Will +12
Speed: 30 feet
Inspiration (Knowledge/Linguistics/Spellcraft checks): 0/7
Mental Focus: 23; Abjuration [4/4]; Divination [3/5]; Illusion [4/4]; Enchantment [4/4]; Transmutation [6/6] (refocusing rod)
Resonant powers (+2 saves; +1 Perception, low-light vision; +2 Charisma checks; +4 Con; 20% miss chance)
Cape of the mountebank 1/1; gloves of arrow snaring 0/2; Dignity's Barb Crit No.: 6
Spells/day: 1st [][][][][]; 2nd [][][][][][]; 3rd [][][][][]; 4th [x][][][]
Wands: Scorching ray 0/20; lightning bolt 0/20; magic missile (CL 5) 0/47; magic missile (CL 5) 2/34
Effects: rotting wealth curse, Liam bonuses (+5/+4)
The mind's eye floats up the stairs. Integrated shelves line most of this room, filled with books of all kinds. Tall windows open to the north, providing a stunning view of a distant city district of orderly lines and tall buildings.
A small creature lurks here. Though vaguely humanoid in shape, its body seems composed of nothing more than a swarm of thousands of wriggling bookworms! The creature is engrossed in reading several books open around it and doesn't notice the scrying sensor.
"Katria, do you know what that thing is?"
Liam takes the Band of the Crusader's Alliance and carefully rotates the diamond to align with the eye of Aroden.
He uses his Pearls of Power to recall Shield and Barkskin, and casts them on himself.
"It's reading a book at least, so it's not pure evil," Katria says as she ponders the question.
HP 120/120 (inc. +26 from transmutation focus; base 87)
AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 21, CMD 24
Fort +13, Ref +10, Will +12
Speed: 30 feet
Inspiration (Knowledge/Linguistics/Spellcraft checks): 4/7
Mental Focus: 23; Abjuration [4/4]; Divination [3/5]; Illusion [4/4]; Enchantment [4/4]; Transmutation [6/6] (refocusing rod)
Resonant powers (+2 saves; +1 Perception, low-light vision; +2 Charisma checks; +4 Con; 20% miss chance)
Cape of the mountebank 1/1; gloves of arrow snaring 0/2; Dignity's Barb Crit No.: 6
Spells/day: 1st [][][][][]; 2nd [][][][][][]; 3rd [][][][][]; 4th [x][][][]
Wands: Scorching ray 0/20; lightning bolt 0/20; magic missile (CL 5) 0/47; magic missile (CL 5) 2/34
Effects: rotting wealth curse, Liam bonuses (+5/+4)
With a surge of inspiration, Katria realizes that the creature is a worm that walks! When a powerful spellcaster with a strong personality, a lust for life, and a remorselessly evil soul dies and is buried in a graveyard infused with eldritch magic, a strange phenomenon sometimes occurs. The flesh of the decaying body fats and instructs the very worms that gnaw, and these graveworms quicken not only on corruption but upon the spellcaster’s memories and magical power. The spellcaster’s very soul is consumed in this vile process, only to be split apart to inhabit each of the individual chewing worms in so many fragments. The result is a hideous hive mind of slithering life known as a worm that walks—a mass of worms that clings to the vague shape of the body that granted it this new existence, and can wield the powers and magic the spellcaster had in life. A worm that walks retains memories of its life as a spellcaster before its death, but is not undead—it is a hideous new form of undulant life.
"Oh, no, wait, they're not good at all," Katria says in alarm. "It might be willing to talk to us, but ..." Katria explains everything she knows about it. "It won't be easy to kill."
Seth holds his blade at the ready, magic gleaming as he prepares to defend his allies, "Such foul creatures, the undead," he adds, "If you seek peace with it, I will abide, though I would sooner wipe it from this plane and send it to the Lady."
A worm that walks retains memories of its life as a spellcaster before its death, but is not undead—it is a hideous new form of undulant life.
"It is not an undead, Seth. If it were, I'd have several good options for dealing with it. I think our best course of action is to Teleport in there with the Standard and hit it quickly. We know such things only form from remorselessly evil souls."
"Although the monstrosity's corporeal form may not strike the technicalities of undeath, Sir Kozen, its soul is the same perversion of the natural order which others of its unnatural ilk make of themselves."
"As I do not think it is aware of us yet, let us seize the moment."
Liam will cast Moment of Greatness on the party, as well as Communal Spell Immunity (Fire) and Particulate Form. When everybody is ready he will use the Standard of Conquest to teleport the party into the room with the Worm that Walks - unless anybody has a better plan.
Katria nods, preparing herself. She wishes she could think of more details about the creature, but with so much going on, she's drawing a blank . She pulls out and loads Dignity's Barb, imbuing it with aberration bane.
HP 120/120 (inc. +26 from transmutation focus; base 87)
AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 21, CMD 24
Fort +13, Ref +10, Will +12
Speed: 30 feet
Inspiration (Knowledge/Linguistics/Spellcraft checks): 4/7
Mental Focus: 23; Abjuration [4/4]; Divination [3/5]; Illusion [4/4]; Enchantment [4/4]; Transmutation [5/6] (refocusing rod)
Resonant powers (+2 saves; +1 Perception, low-light vision; +2 Charisma checks; +4 Con; 20% miss chance)
Cape of the mountebank 1/1; gloves of arrow snaring 0/2; Dignity's Barb Crit No.: 6
Spells/day: 1st [][][][][]; 2nd [][][][][][]; 3rd [][][][][]; 4th [x][][][]
Wands: Scorching ray 0/20; lightning bolt 0/20; magic missile (CL 5) 0/47; magic missile (CL 5) 2/34
Effects: rotting wealth curse, Liam bonuses (+5/+4)
"How powerful is this thing?" Amelia doesn't know what to expect from it, but knows that she is capable of hurting it if she has to. "I am ready. Liam, whenever you want us to engage we will engage. I am happy to lead the charge as I have the most resistance to most magic."
She still has no idea why that is true, but Amelia knows that she has something special about her.
With a flash of light, you suddenly appear in the room beside the worm that walks! The creature is short, only about the size of a gnome. "Yow! Where'd you come from?" it shouts in a sibilant, feminine voice.
Seth rushes forward, magic propelling him into the attack as he strikes at the abomination.
A little disoriented by the teleportation, Amelia tries to land a couple of attacks with Koriana's Blade on the undead fiend.
"Yield."
Seth dashes up to the worm that walks and slices at her several times, but his blade doesn't seem to do much harm, as the bookworms that make up her body wriggle and flow around it. Amelia has better luck with her heavy, powerful strike, but even then, the worms immediately begin to grow back in front of her eyes!
"Gah! You'll regret coming here!" the short creature promises. She casts a spell defensively, conjuring a enormous amount of biting and stinging insects that flood the room!
Liam moves out of the swarm and casts Greater Dispel Magic on the Creeping Doom spell.
Then he rallies his comrades, beginning INSPIRE COURAGE +3 as a swift action.
"We will not falter, grave-worm!"
The insects vanish as quickly as they appeared as Liam dispels them!
Amelia feels the vermin and worms and it reminds her of some time she had spent on the streets, almost a lifetime ago. Biting into an apple... It made her sick.
HP 105/120 (inc. +26 from transmutation focus; base 87)
AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 21, CMD 24
Fort +13, Ref +10, Will +12
Speed: 30 feet
Inspiration (Knowledge/Linguistics/Spellcraft checks): 4/7
Mental Focus: 23; Abjuration [4/4]; Divination [3/5]; Illusion [4/4]; Enchantment [4/4]; Transmutation [5/6] (refocusing rod)
Resonant powers (+2 saves; +1 Perception, low-light vision; +2 Charisma checks; +4 Con; 20% miss chance)
Cape of the mountebank 1/1; gloves of arrow snaring 0/2; Dignity's Barb Crit No.: 6
Spells/day: 1st [][][][][]; 2nd [][][][][][]; 3rd [][][][][]; 4th [x][][][]
Wands: Scorching ray 0/20; lightning bolt 0/20; magic missile (CL 5) 0/47; magic missile (CL 5) 2/34
Effects: rotting wealth curse, Liam bonuses (+5/+4)
Katria nearly vomits as the insects crawl over her, only Liam's quick thinking saving her dignity. "Thanks," she manages to get out as she fires a bolt at the worm wizard.
As quickly as the swarms came, they were vanquished by Milani's blessings.
"Wretched creature."
Despite the boldness of her words the thought of the crawling worms was still holding her back.
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Seth channels his magic through his blade, glowing with a menacing red light as it drinks in the abomination's cursed life.
Katria shoots the writhing worm-woman, and Seth and Amelia land several powerful hits, but the thing remains standing. As its worms continue to grow back, it casts another spell defensively, attempting to take Amelia out of the fight by transforming her into a rat!
Liam readies to cast Admonishing Ray the next time the creature casts a spell.
"Not today."
HP 105/120 (inc. +26 from transmutation focus; base 87)
AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 21, CMD 24
Fort +13, Ref +10, Will +12
Speed: 30 feet
Inspiration (Knowledge/Linguistics/Spellcraft checks): 4/7
Mental Focus: 23; Abjuration [4/4]; Divination [3/5]; Illusion [4/4]; Enchantment [4/4]; Transmutation [5/6] (refocusing rod)
Resonant powers (+2 saves; +1 Perception, low-light vision; +2 Charisma checks; +4 Con; 20% miss chance)
Cape of the mountebank 1/1; gloves of arrow snaring 0/2; Dignity's Barb Crit No.: 6
Spells/day: 1st [][][][][]; 2nd [][][][][][]; 3rd [][][][][]; 4th [x][][][]
Wands: Scorching ray 0/20; lightning bolt 0/20; magic missile (CL 5) 0/47; magic missile (CL 5) 2/34
Effects: rotting wealth curse, Liam bonuses (+5/+4)
Katria continues firing her crossbow, hoping it's having an effect on the horror in front of them.
You land several more hits on the woman of worms, and even though she is resilient against the weapon damage, her body is starting to lose coherence as numerous worms are sliced and pierced. The woman curses and makes a break for it, running to the window.
Despite taking even more hits, she manages to stay alive as she leaps through the window, falling towards the ground below. As she hits the ground, she burrows down into the dirt, briefly creating a tunnel that collapses behind her! It seems she has escaped for now.
After taking a moment to catch your breath, you can search through the books. Most of the books here are old biographies of rulers from at least four different planes and 27 different planets, including Golarion. Many are heavily annotated with very precise handwriting, noting likely signs of the authors’ bias or important moral lessons to remember. One volume is a tome of leadership and influence +2, again with copious notes in the columns. Finally, there are five notebooks that record Taldaris’s exhaustive research as a petitioner to decipher the secrets written on his body—the great test most petitioners must over come before becoming inevitables or axiomites.
Liam curses quietly as the foe escapes.
He tries to think what sort of magic could defeat a foe like that in the future.
"This is clearly the home of Taldaris. He was a petitioner here on Axis, and was at least part of the way towards becoming an inevitable or axiomite. That could explain his machine-like appearance."
"So what has become of the First Emperor? Has he been imprisoned? If entities from other planes are meddling on Axis (and not just us), I may have a way to find out."
Liam will take 15 minutes to prepare Commune with Plane into his open 7th-level slot (even though it is a 5th-level spell).
He will then take 10 minutes to cast the spell, seeking the following three facts about the 13-mile radius around him:
areas with different planar traits
the layout and topography of local terrain
local divine influences
planar phenomena
portals between planes
presence of creatures native to the plane
presence of powerful nonnative creatures
the general state of the plane
valuable planar substances
Liam's spell reveals that there are no areas with different planar traits within the radius. There are numerous powerful nonnative creatures, however, too many to properly convey. Perhaps this region of Axis sees a lot of inter planar trade.
Just after the spell is complete, you hear a knock on the front door downstairs. "This is Lieutenant Fanalyx of the Sayashto Police Department. We've detected the occult signature of a powerful ritual in this vicinity, and the neighbors have complained about strange the sound of breaking glass. Open up, or I will enter your residence on my own terms."
Looking out the windows, you can see a flawless, perfect elven woman. When she moves, parts of her body dissolve into golden, crystalline dust, swirling without wind, condensing into winding, artistic coils of symbols and equations before reforming into flesh a moment later.
Fanned out around the house are two creatures resembling mechanical centaurs. Golden, clockwork wings sprout from their backs, and their arms end in barbed chains.
"If he has truly transition and become an outsider, it's possible I could summon him," Katria says. "That could make things a lot easier."
Katria is unsure about the centaurs, but the woman appears to be an axiomite, the stewards of Axis. Axiomites are formed from souls much like celestials or fiends, with spirits drawn across the planes to one of the axiomites’ humming crystal monoliths, emerging later as purified creatures of law and theory. Each axiomite is actually an immortal personification of living, intelligent mathematics approximating a humanoid shape.
"Given where we are, I suggest we open the door and speak the truth to this Lieutenant Fanalyx. Perhaps they can help us."
If there are no immediate objections, Liam will open the door.
Katria nods, letting Dignity's Barb hang again from its strap so she doesn't look like she's trying to be threatening.
"I thought Taldaris might be imprisoned here, but maybe not," she whispers as they move downstairs.
When you open the door, Fanalyx regards you with narrowed eyes. "This is the home of Taldaris, a respected citizen of Sayashto. You are trespassing on private property. Explain yourselves."
"My name is Liam. I am a servant of Milani, the Everbloom.
Taldor, on Golarion, has need of the advice of its First Emperor, Taldaris. My companions and I performed the Imperial Augury ritual using the Mantle of Kings. This should have channeled the spirit of Taldaris to converse with us.
Instead, the ritual brought us here. We received a vision that may indicate some harm has befallen Taldaris."
Liam pauses to let anyone else chime in.
"Yes, we are trying to find him, to make sure he's OK," Katria adds.