Dalamus tries touching his head to see if he can feel anything
"We should at least walk with Nowzai to the Blue Crater, even if we are not welcomed in. These are dangerous times, and there are lots of agents about, watching for us."
Dalamus grabs his things and gets ready to depart.
Ma'puande will cast Protection from Evil (Communal) on both, 6mins each. Is there any change to the birthmark? Also, she'll mention quietly to Epik the information about Meerthan's appearance, just in case.
Ma'puande looks nervously around 'Please allow me to accompany you all, I'm uneasy in this city, evil seems to be every where.'
Ma'puande looks nervously around 'Please allow me to accompany you all, I'm uneasy in this city, evil seems to be every where.'
Nowzai smiles at Ma'puande. "You are more than welcome to join us. You fully understand the threats arrayed against us, and we can certainly use your magic and divine insight."
Epik will join Nowzai also, if possible.
The party all gathers together at the Bluecrater Academy the following day. The administrative clerks are reluctant to let you in but a belligerant Vortimax Weer stops all arguments.
"Shoulda brought him to fight the beholder," Jenya whispers to Dalamus.
Once gathered in the spell test chamber which was created by the Academy specifically for dangerous or unknown spell castings, Nowzai casts the anti magic shell and then Epik tosses it inside the radius.
In a flash, as soon as the painting crosses the threshold, it disappears and a staggering blonde woman stumbles forward collapsing to the ground, wearing nothing.
Nowzai cancels the spell and Jenya rushes forward to heal her quickly. The woman opens her eyes and they shine with an intense blazing light. You recognize her features as the noblewoman, Celeste, but the aura about her is something else.
Dalamus just stares at her in awe. Starts talking, most likely to himself "Those eyes. Is she ok?"
Ma'puande's eyes bulge 'Oh, Oh My! Exalted One!, please take this!'
She fumbles with her pack, and hands the outsider a blanket.
'You are safe, are you well?'
Nowzai politely averts his eyes until Celeste regains her modesty, then approaches and greets her. "Celeste. It has been some time, but do you remember us?"
Once Jenya brings her around, Celeste regains her composure quickly and with one hand waves away the blanket and with the other waves it over herself and she turns back into the woman you met at the Cusp of Sunrise with the perfect hair, dress and poise.
The weariness is still heavy in her voice, "Yes, I remember you ... how long has it been?"
Epik bows his head in respect. "It has been some time. Much has happened since we last met. I fear that Cauldron needs you now more than ever."
Nowzai explains how they found her trapped in the painting. "Can you tell us what happened?"
Celeste gives you a tired look, "While you were investigating Zenith, I started investigating on my own hoping for a solid lead on who the conspirators were. I found a few discrepancies in Dhavod's story and then completely lost track of the old dwarf. It appeared he went to the Rhiavadi estate, but I never saw him again. I went to confront Thifirane at her home, but she had a beholder with her! It beguiled me and I was in a haze for several days. Eventually the creature with help from a scroll from Thifirane put me in that horrible painting, and now I am here."
"That confirms much of what we have discovered since. We encountered this Lord Orbius just the other day, when we found your painting prison. We plan to infiltrate the Rhiavadi place next. Who is Thifirane?"
"Lady Rhiavadi "
"Lady Rhivadi is this Thifirane? Are you meaning to say, that the person that we think is Lady Rhiavaldi is actually an impostor, or she also goes by that name?"
"Thirifane Rhiavadi has been the head of House since her husband died some twenty years ago. I am surprised you dont know this. While reclusive, her house and her wealth are well known."
Nowzai nods, "Of course. I suggest we prepare and directly assault the Rhiavadi estate. The time for stealth is well past, and we have no question that they are allied with evil."
To Celeste, he adds, "Will you join us?"
Epik nods, "Yes, let's investigate the Rivaldi estate at once."
Dalamus shakes his head as it is swimming with all these twists and turns "Ok, so are we all in agreement that Lady Rhivaldi is allied with evil, or is there yet more to this story? If we are in agreement, then let's prepare for our assault. Celeste, do you know any other ways into her estate, that are perhaps.....less obvious?"
"I don't know of anything other than the front entrance which I went through. And as much as I wish I could help you now, I have a duty to report to my patron first. I will send you a reward for my rescue and once my mission is complete, I promise to return to aid you."
"We have a map of the Rhiavadi compound, we'll pull it up for you."
"After sneaking around and being cautious for so long, I think it is time for a direct approach. I doubt they would expect it from us."
Epik nods, "Yes, the time for stealth has passed. Let's smash down the front doors. Unless the doors are iron bound or otherwise very strong, in which case let's smash through the front windows. If the windows are too high, we should smash through a side door. Either way, we should make a smashing entrance, followed by the vigorous smiting of evil. That is my plan."
"Well before we get all macho and stuff, we do need to figure out how we are going to handle that beholder thing. It seems all powerful, so we need a plan to address that. Is there any sort of magic that can blind it, but then it was able to stop magic last time..."
Maybe we use magic on the outside of the house. We could do something like a fireball or just set it on fire and maybe force the occupants outside.
"I think it's too hard to control a fire in a town this close together, remember what that fire elemental did" Sam looks around at the collected group, "Any suggestions on how to handle the rays of an undead beholder?"
"Fire may be hard to control, but this thing is completely out of control. I would not dismiss this option. Do we have anything that can stop magic, like what it did to us? How about teleporting it to another plane?"
"I have no plan to deal with the beholder," Nowzai sighs. "We need Nemoris and his ranged prowess. At least we will not be trapped in its lair, to our severe disadvantage."
"Fario and Fellian, are either of you good at ranged attacks?"
Is we don't come up with something, then I think Epik should be first in, followed by Sam. After that, the order probably won't matter much, but if we get hit once we enter, we need the big guy to take the hit.
Dalamus will cast invisibility on himself prior to entering.
Fario and Fellian will come with you, are you inviting anyone else? Again, any assault plans or just Dalamus goes invisible and Epik kicks down the front door? Pretty quiet here.
So, we should probably try to surprise them if possible. Dalamus do you want to see if you can find a back or window entrance for us to sneak into? Does someone want to become gaseous and scout before we move in? Possibly we could then teleport in?
If no one else chimes in
"Yes, I am all for scouting ahead. I can go invisible, and if I think it is ripe for an assault, I can signal the rest of you from the window. I can shoot a small bolt of electricity as the signal from the window on the second floor. The one that looks to be in the stairwell."
Dalamus will head down ahead of the rest of them, and he will observe to see if the door or any windows are open. Once he visually finds a spot, he will cast invisibility and possibly spider climb if the window is high. Then he will sneak in.
Perception
Stealth
Climb (if the window is on the first or second floor, otherwise use spider climb)
Nowzai frowns but remains silent. As they near the estate, he casts his standard array of defensive spells.
The party gathers down the street away from the Rhiavadi compound, joined by the Striders (Fario, Fellian, Shensen & Nemoris), Magma, Jenya and Tlanextic.
Once out of the way, Dalamus takes off invisible and silent, scampering up the outside of the Rhiavadi complex. The walls of the building are like many in Cauldron, made of gray and black volcanic rock. The building is two stories with 4 squat towers, and Dalamus shimmies up the seam between the northeastern tower and the eastern wall.
The party watches the main entrance, a large portico supported by four marble pillars. Each pillar is carved to resembles a different chromatic dragon. Most of the windows have locked wooden shutters covering them but Dalamus finds one that is swinging open, exposing the frosted glass set in an expensive heavy copper frame.
He moves slowly, circling to find the window and then picks his way carefully up the building.
Meanwhile, as the party watches a sole rider on a horse comes galloping up Obsidian Avenue from the opposite direction. You recognize the blue-haired rider as he dismounts effortlessly in front of the portico, the horse still coming to a stop as he tosses the reins to an innocuous halfling servant standing nearby. Zarn Kyass, the Blue Duke, the mercenary captain not seen since the boarding house fire, removes his blue leather riding gloves and strides purposefully through the front doors.
Back up top, Dalamus makes his way quietly through the open window and finds himself in a carpeted room dominated by a large mahogany and ivory harpsichord. A glass cabinet to the north contains a large collection of flutes, violins, and horns.
He hears a door open and close to the west and the sound of hard boots striking a wooden floor through the door to the southwest. From the nearby room, he also hears the scuff of something sliding across the floor and a woman's voice cuts clearly through the walls.
"Now that we are all gathered here, shall we begin?"
Shensen stretches and casts a couple of spells on herself, "Lead me in when we're ready"
She bends forward reaching for the ground and when her hands touch, she's transformed into a gleaming black panther. Helcine, her companion moves out of the shadows to join her.
Current:
HP: 79; Spells: 8/7/6/7/5/4 (this reflects the spells she used at the inn)
Ma'puande casts True Seeing (12 minutes), then she shakes out her Morningstar and checks her shield.
She speaks softly, 'I am ready'
Nowzai squints at the blue-garbed rider, but then shankes his head, sure he missed some key detail. "I expect his timely return is significant, but I cannot tell you why."
He stands and waits impatiently for Dalamus's signal.
"We give him five minutes, then we go in through the front."
Dalamus will approach the door that the sounds are cutting through and peer through the key hole. (Is the door open or closed?)
Stealth
Perception
Like a ghost, Dalamus drifts across the floor and glances through a fairly large key hole into the room. The angle affords him a most perfect view of the goings ons.
The floor of this grand ballroom has black, lavender, and ivory tiles that spiral in toward the center of the room. Directly above the spiral’s core hangs a dazzling crystal chandelier lit by magic flames. A tapestry hanging on the north wall has a dark symbol stitched into it. The symbol resembles an eye impaled on an upward-pointing arrow. Beneath the tapestry stands a narrow table covered with a magnificent arrangement of crystal wine goblets, each one filled with some sweet vintage. A semicircle of seven black chairs faces the tapestry and the table of goblets. A halfling servant stands petrified in the southeastern corner of the room.
Seated in the chairs from left to right are
- The one-eyed snowy haired dwarf, Adrick Garthun, 2 armored dwarves stand behind his chair
- A handsome and charming looking mid-20s man with short-black hair and yellow eyes dresssed in spiked full plate and bearing a shield with a skeletal fly on it
- A gaunt, white-haired half-elf wearing black robes,
- An alabaster-white woman with long black black hair with a single streak of white and burning crimson eyes; she wears a tattered black gown and a cape that appears to be made of shadow,
- A corpulent man with deep bloodshot eyes sunk into the folds of his fatty face and protruding stumpy 4-inch tusks; 2 demonic gaunt skeletal creatures with a singular spike protruding from their skulls stand behind him;
- A dour young woman, barely 5 feet tall with a slender build and short, curly red hair who shoots glances of hatred at the final guest
- Zarn Kyass, The Blue Duke.
At the front of the room, near the table is a late 30s woman of fine breeding. She wears an elegant, yet elaborate gown decorated with arcane glyphs stiched on silver thread. A bizarre headpiece holds up her golden-brown hair up above her neckline and around her neck hangs a pendant shaped like a tiny silver cage; most disturbing isa third eye in the middle of her forehead, 4 times larger than a normal one. Near her stands a perfectly crafted metal statue.
The woman lets the wine goblet that she is holding drift from her hand. It floats next to her, suspended in the air as if held by some unseen servant. A golden weasel with beady black eyes slinks across the floor toward her, and she scoops it up and begins stroking it affectionately. Her voice fills the hall as she welcomes her honored guests and shares her chilling vision of the future.
“More than three centuries ago, the demodands sent a few of their kind to our reality,” she says. “Disguised as humans, they mated with humans and other denizens of this plane. Most of their spawn were stillborn, but a few survived. They in turn mated and produced the next generation with demodand blood. As the generations passed, all obvious traces of their demodand ancestry faded away. Today, we recognize this sacred lineage by an invisible birthmark: the sign of Carceri!”
At this point, the woman gestures to the symbol on the tapestry behind her, which begins to writhe. “We call these honored descendants ‘the Shackleborn,’ and their sacrifice is the key to unlocking a portal to Othrys, the first realm of Carceri. Here, demodands and countless other fiends have languished for near-eternity. In Cauldron, we have found more Shackleborn than anywhere else in the realm, and in Cauldron, we have the perfect conditions for the ritual of planar junction.”
The tapestry’s writhing rune suddenly grows, becoming a twisted black tree with metal cages dangling from its iron branches. “For the past several years, the Cagewrights have labored in secret to build thirteen soulcages to drain the life energy from the Shackleborn. These soulcages hang from an artifact called the Tree of Shackled Souls - the device that gathers the life energy needed to unlock the prison doors of Carceri. All of the preparations are now complete. The Shackleborn are safely in our hands and ready to give their lives to change the world forever. All that remains is the ritual itself, and it is already underway.”
The black tree bursts into flames and melts into nothingness. “Once the ritual is complete, Cauldron won’t be the same quiet little burg it is today. It will be the font from which the darkness gushes forth, a roiling pit filled with doom and despair for our enemies. Almost immediately, fiendish armies will sweep across the land and lay waste to surrounding territories, enslaving the weak and carving out new dominions. Naturally, we expect resistance on all sides, and that’s where you come in.”
As her revels draw to an end, the fat humanoid with boarlike tusks speaks up. “That's right, Thirifrane. All eyes will be on Cauldron,” he chuckles. “We’ll have their worst fears to toy with.”
“Precisely,” replies Thifirane. “As kings raise armies to confront the legions of Carceri, your slavers, merchants, mercenaries, spies, and assassins will methodically search for weaknesses from within, soften their resolve, and convince them that their only true choices are to yield or die.”
“And there is one group in particular that has been nipping at my masters’ heels for far too long. Your organizations have tangled with them before. . .you know whom I speak of. I trust that, as your first services to the Cagewrights, you can see to these meddling gnats with all possible haste.”
Dalamus rubs his forehead thinking about the mark that Tlanextic talked about
Handsome Man
knowledege local
knowledge religion
A gaunt, white-haired half-elf wearing black robes
knowledege local
alabaster-white woman
knowledge religion
corpulent man
knowledege planes
Dalamus will go back to the window and cast jolt towards the tree that the group is hiding behind. Once he has made them aware, he will go back to the door and quietly open it.
Stealth
He will sneak downstairs moving in behind the woman with three eyes
"Dalamus's signal. Let's do this," Nowzai says. He moves up with the group, ready to teleport those who can't fly up to the window.
Everyone gets one round of action before Dalamus opens the door. Assume you are within one move action of the base of the wall.
Also, Tlanextic has telepathy. Assume he can communicate what Dalamus saw near immediately to everyone as long as they are within line of sight.
Just like the tapestry you saw and she described it