Epik nods, "We must not destroy him if there is any doubt."
He ties up Vhalantru. "Let's take him and the dead back to the Temple of Iomedae."
The party gathers up their loot and keeps Vhalantru bound for now. The nobleman looks confused and continues to whine and plead for release.
The five remaining halfling servants approach Sam in the ballroom, heads bowed and demured, several scorched or bruised from being caught in the cross fire. The one dead halfling is blue with asphyxiation. The tell tale sign of bulging eyes and greenish tinge to the inner parts of his nose and mouth indicate he got caught in the cloudkill cloud with a weak constitution.
The first halfing speaks with a heavy Chelaxian accent, "Master, what would you have use do, now>"
Nowzai drops to a knee to address the halflings. "You are free. Your former masters are dead. If you have family, you should return to them." He takes out some coins from his haversack, stacks of 50 platinum for each halfing. "Go... Get away of Cauldron by any means. You are free." He takes out another 100 coins and hands it to the lead servant. "Please give this to the family of the fallen, with our sincerest remorse."
Epik points at the secret door. "We should probably clear that space before we leave. Let's take a look."
He leads the way in.
Ma'Puande
She also cast Protection from Evil (Communal) and then Bless on everyone.
Current HPs = 53
Spells left: 1 - 6
6/6/1/1/0/0
Channel: 5
Heading to the secret door, the party pushes into what appears to be a small study. This room contains a large desk carved with fancy scrollwork and cluttered with papers and scrolls, a tall-backed chair, and six small cages resting atop small tables or hanging from the ceiling by steel chains. In each of these cages is a different animal wearing a small chain from which hangs 2 discs: A small silver disc etched with a caged bird on one side and a adamantine disk etched with a white skull within a cage -- the skull has a smoking eye. On the other side is a name. The different animals are a bat, lizard, monkey, rat, toad, and raven. The monkey gestures at you immediately when you walk in pointing excitedly at the raven's cage.
Gathering up the papers and scroll on the desk, the party discovers a treasure trove of notes about the Cagewrights and various plans Thirifane has been implementing, all written in Draconic. She also appeared to be keeping tabs on others in the conspiracy. With time and research, you may be able to connect some dots.
The notes also include designs of unique magic items and illusions to include the bathtub and icebox found in other parts of the mansion.
Apparently the spirits are very noisy in this area, this evening, and Ma'paude doesn't "see/hear/sense" Shit!
Also, she has no ranks in Knowledge (Arcana)
...SoooOOOo, she just wanders around staying out of the way.
"Look closely," Nowzai says, pointing at the discs. "Names are etched on each side. We know some of these." He reads off the names.
He looks over the collected notes, briefly cataloging the contents. "I will need some time to delve into these further. Certainly this is a trove of information about the enemies of Cauldron! With Irori's guidance, perhaps we can divine our next course of action."
His frown deepens as he discovers the notes about the simulacrum skin. "This confirms my suspicions -- that thing is a simulacrum, and Vhalantru is indeed in league with the Cagewrights." He turns to Epik, "Terminate it, immediately."
Epik says a prayer to Iomedae as he draws his great sword. "If you can communicate with the real Vhalantru, tell him we are coming for him next."
He then decapitates the simulacrum with a single fluid motion.
Epik's sword slips through Vhalantrus neck and out the other side with barely a noise and with very little fan fare. For a moment it appears as nothing happened, but then the Lord's hair turns white and his face loses color as his head falls forward off a bloodless neck.
Then the rest of his body, clothes included lose all their color and definition. A slit appears in the front of chest and parts both ways like a zipper. A wriggling tentacle sprouts from his neck, a single eyeball attached to the end of it pointing directly at Epik Several others can be seen struggling at the base to also push out.
The slit continues to expand and the body, now looking more like a colorless cloth body suit, falls to the side first revealing a massive eye and then a growing maw, dripping with green ichor. The orb expands impossibly into the beholder you encountered earlier. It opens with a tremendous groan of relief.
"You can talk to me right now, fool boy. I guess, as they say, the gig is up!"
The central eye stares straight at Epik and the others, the anti magic washing over you all.
Epik full up attacks the beholder. "I always knew you were a monster Vhalantru! This time you die!"
;
;
;
;
On her turn, Ma'puande will attempt to move to the opposite side of the eyeball from Epik. Hugging the wall if she can.
She will then cast her paltry spells at the thing.
Cast Apes
Current HPs = 53
Spells left: 1 - 6
6/6/1/0/0/0
Channel: 5
Vhalantru casts a spell, conjuring rolling clouds of greenish smoke into the area where he is and spilling out into the room beyond to the south. It cuts off immediately where it hits the antimagic cone.
He fires a green ray into the roof above, pulverizing a huge chunk of the ceiling and opening a 10 foot wide hole exposing the roof above.
Epik striked out hitting once and gouging the beast slightly as the blade barely penetrates the thick hide. It chuckles, "Tickles ... heh"
Tlanextic is harmed by the toxic cloud. He retreats through the rooms to the south, warning the others of the beholder and his actions. It seems to be withdrawing to the roof.
Nowzai, awash in the anti-magic and cornered in the secret room, pulls out a feather token and waits.
Ma'puande's morningstar strikes are ineffectual, unable to land a solid hit on the massively thick armored creature. Fellian and Faro fire bows and throw starknives to equal effectivity as the oracle.
Nowzai and Sam step through folded space and appear on the other side. Nowzai gives the feather token to Sam.
Tlanextic flees. Nemoris, Magma and Jenya spy the couatl but fail to react this round.
Sam uses the Fan Token to push the cloud kill spell back up the stairs and over the Beholder.
Knowing that the Anti Magic eye will dispel it before it hits the party or that the thing will have to close it's eye and allow the party time to destroy it
Nemoris will move up and get into position to fire at the thing next round.
Jenya is dead
Sam uses the fan token and not only does he push the gas back into the beholder and disperses it out through the windows and other opening, rendering it completely ineffectual.
Nemoris moves up just as the creature spins to focus his eye on Sam and Nowzai. EPik and Ma'puande feel their magic rush back into them as the beholder turns.
It fires another green ray into the ceiling disintegrating the ceiling some more and then 3 rays striking both Epik and Ma'punade.
; HIT!
; HIT!; ]
; HIT!;
It then spits at Nemoris, causing him to stiffen up in paralysis, but then shake it off.
; HIT!
; success
Epik smites the beholder, steps forward and then power attacks.
;
;
Now truly in the anti-magic, Nowzai simply retreats into the next room and waits.
Tlanextic finds a way outside and flies up to where the beholder is cutting a hole in the roof.
Epik's attacks bounce harmlessly off the thick hide. The paladin realizes aim for the weak points will be more important than brute fore to get through the beholder's hide.
Tlanextic and Nowzai reposition strategically.
So, shes dead now too
Current HPs = 53
Spells left: 1 - 6
6/6/1/0/0/0
Channel: 5
Nemoris will attack aiming for the eye? You said aim for weak spots, not sure what that means
To Hit - Damage -
To Hit - Damage -
To Hit - Damage -
To Hit - Damage -
To Hit - Damage -
Sam moves 5' out of the AM and cats DDoor to be outside the tower at the window.
His Fly should still be going
Nemoris gets a couple arrows lodged into the creature and it whines with a loud, "Owwwwww!"
Sam casts ddoor and moves to the outside as Ma'puande collapses to the floor, dead for the second time in 15 minutes.
The beholder fires again at the ceiling this time disintegrating the roof beyond it and he rises up, staring at the hole he created as he does so with his central eye. It lifts about 40 feet up above the roof, shouting, "See ya, suckers!"
Epik drops his sword, draws his bow and fires once on the beholder.
; smite evil
Nowzai moves to collect the dead.
Epiks arrow bounces off the beholder. Nowzai checks on Mapuande.
Ma'Puande twitches...
Sam will cast invisibility and wait to see if we wants to follow the beholder. Moving up to get a slightly better view of what direction it flies
Sam casts a spell as the beholder flies off and begins to follow it. As he gets close enough to see where the creature is going, several of the eyes talks swirl to point directly at him but dont fire.
The beholder heads out high above Caukdron to Hous Vhalantru and then descends down and blasts a hole in the roof. It enters.
Sam will fly back and assist with the gathering of the dead
He will also tell everyone what he saw
Nowzai will gather up the notes, discs and valuables into his haversack, or make sure Sama'el or Epik do so. He'll carefully see Jenya, Dalamus and Ma'puande into the bag of holding (dead PCs). Probably Shensen too. He'll check with Nemoris, Magma, Fario, Felian and the other surviving leaders, telling them to keep things steady until we get back. Oh, and burn the bodies of the enemy leaders. To ash. Then disintegrate that ash pile.
Then he'll use his scroll and teleport himself, Epik and Sama'el to Kaer Maga. Or anywhere else.
Katapesh is fine. Nowzai apprenticed in Nex, so he'd know the place, for what its worth.
Epik stops Nowzai before he casts the scroll, "We need to finish Vhalantru off, or die trying."
Nowzai frowns, "We have no chance of defeating that thing in our current state. You cannot damage it, my spells are spent and frankly useless in its anti-magic. The same could be said for Sama'el. We need to retreat, revive our allies and recover."
Size: Metropolis (conventional); Alignment: Neutral
GP Limit: 100,000 GP; Assets: 1,000,000,000 GP
Population: 212,300
Type: mixed (80% human, 6% dwarf, 5% half-elf, 2% half-orc, 3% Halfling, 3% gnome, 1% other race. 70% of the populace is free, 25% permanent slaves and 5% temporary criminal sentenced slaves.
second in size only to Absalom, consists of closely packed
stone tenements interspersed with wide stone plazas.
These plazas provide space for the city’s ever-changing
temporary bazaars and fairs, as well as more permanent
markets like the Peculiar Emporium and the infamous
Nightstalls. Anywhere else in the world, such a place as the Nightstalls would be an underground black market, forever
at risk of discovery and closure. In Katapesh, however, the
Nightstalls can display its wares openly and proudly. While
commonplace contraband like information, drugs, poisons,
and smuggled relics can be found in the Nightstalls, most
of its patrons come seeking more exotic and vile wares:
diseases, diabolic contracts, cursed and corrupt magics,
and even such rare magical components as the tears of a new
moon, a madman’s dreams, or the screams of a thrice-slain
virgin. Near the city’s center, clusters of twisting marble
minarets capped with shining, onion-shaped iridium
domes tower high—these are the homes of the mysterious
Pactmasters themselves, the entrances guarded night and
day by faithful and vigilant aluums. The most influential
temple in Katapesh is the Immaculate Repository, where
the clergy of Abadar—under the leadership of Master of
the Vault Jalal Abdul-Abadar—offer banking, storage, and
surety services to the city’s merchants
Sam says "I should be able to decipher the scroll and raise Ma'puande"
UMD -
Sam is able to raise Mapuande who is at 13 HP with 2 permanent negative levels.
In that case, skip the teleport and we can hole up at our vault for a couple days to recover.
We may need to teleport to that city anyway, I am not sure that we are going to be able to find the diamonds we need to cast the raise dead spells needed here.
Once he is able to rest for the night, Sam will start trying to track down the needed supplies in town.
He will first check in with the people we know and if no one can help start looking for high end merchants who may have what we need.