Relan takes his extra attack from the Blessing of Fervor and full attacks.
Relan strikes multiple times, slashing and stabbing and whirling. Every touch of his blade burns black smoke as it cuts through the daemon with ease. The creature howls in pain and puts its hands up ineffectually as the experienced warrior cuts the outsider down. With a final attack he stabs at the second daemon in the river bed, but the pole arm slips in his grip and he misses wide.
Braelex fires at the elemental doing noticeable harm to the water-based creature although some of the damage from the bolt is mitigated by its liquid nature.
The elemental responds by flowing toward the naga and continuing to attack her, but obviously trying to get to Braelex losing some steam as it leaves the water.
;
;
The daemon steps back from Relan chortling and holding up a talon and then the entire cavern plunges into darkness.
As the creature steps back to cast his darkness the agile warrior follows him and attacks.
Relan strikes the creature while it casts causing the darkness to last for only a second before the dim light of the cavern washes back in.
; fail
Not so fast daemon! Relan calls as he disrupts the spell.
Andel will move into the room and will cast heroism on Relan.
Vuloo commands the lantern archon to attack the hydrodaemon.
; ranged touch
; ranged touch
Vuloo holds and readies an action to cast dispel magic if the second daemon casts darkness.
Nalar will move up behind Andle to keep Relan inside the Magic Circle, casting a shield spell on himself.
5
Teleport
4
Emergency Force Sphere
Dimension Door
Emergency Force Sphere
3
Resist Energy Communal
Hold Person
2
Hideous Laughter
Glitter Dust
Glitter Dust
Mirror Image
Create Pit
1
Charm Person
Shield
Shield*
Braelex continues to fire at the elemental.
; plus
; plus
She moves back a step towards the entrance.
Nalar moves in and casts shield. Braelex fires twice more at the elemental cutting at its arcane connection to this world, but still having some edge shaved off by the liquid.
Relan cuts down the second daemon and with the loss of its master, the elemental disappears in a splash of water.
The grodair chortles happily and raises the river back up, causing it to slosh across Relan, and with nary a goodbye it slips into the river and quickly disappears.
Silasni looks at you all and with a grudging sniff says, "Perhaps you're better suited for this than I thought."
Relan gets a bizarre sense of memory disorientation for just a moment, couple with the some slight nausea, but having become accustomed to strange happenings down here is able to force it down and focus on the present.
Exploring ahead, the party finds an interesting sight.
This small natural cavern has a wide opening on the side leading to the bridge, and a much smaller passage opposite it. The only feature of note is an eight-foot-high square pillar of black stone, each of its clearly ancient sides etched with thin lines depicting a dense forest beneath an eclipsed sun.
Three creatures wait patiently next to the pillar and make no move to approach as you enter. Two are emaciated humanoids wrapped in flowing robes, with f lat patches of skin where their eyes should be, large crests of bone sweeping back from their skulls, grotesquely overlong fingers, and two mouths each. The third floats in the air between these two—a bloated sack of what appear to be numerous brains, its flesh curdled and whorled like brain matter.
You hear words sent directly into your minds as you enter the cavern, from one of the humanoids apparently, its voice like the drone of a million insects.
We sense that you fear us. Do not. We know you are not all of the original agents from the City Above, yet your politics do not concern the Quivering Palace. Our offer still stands. If you would recover the Sihedron fragment from the Black Keep in the heart of the Dark Forest, we will send you to it, for this goal aligns with our needs as well.
Andel studies the creatures a moment and then identifies them for the group. "The humanoids are caulborn, A race of telepathic prophets and historians, the strange creatures known as the caulborn wander the planes in search of new ideas, memories, and concepts to add to their collective memories. The floating brain sack is a chrestomath, the embodiment of memory of the caulborn race. These are the living libraries of the caulborn and the subject of vast speculation amongst scholars who wish to know more."
Vuloo will step forward and will voice his response to the telepathic offer. "Yes, we would appreciate the assistance in finding the sihedron fragment. But, how can we trust that you are not sending us into a trap? Why have you not recovered the fragment yourselves? What awaits us in this Dark Forest?"
Unsure of the creatures Relan relies on Vuloo's expertise and waits on their response.
Near simultaneously to Vuloo, Silasni moves forward and speaks as well, "Yes, well I am from the original contingent and am more than willing to go retrieve the Runelord's Shard. Send me now. You can converse with the rest of these fools as you wish."
One of the caulborn touches the stone and begins to hum, changing the stone to a bluish hue. It apparently communicates something to the naga, but the rest of you don't hear it but she moves forward and whips her tail at the menhir and then instantly disappears.
The rest of you hear the response to Vuloo's questions, apparently from the other caulborn.
We wish to investigate the Dark Forest themselves, but an ancient warding effect placed by Karzoug prevents us from even entering the demiplane as long as the Shard of Gluttony remains within
We have been communing with the librarians for quite some time. If you wish not to do this, then turn around. Perhaps the naga will succeed on her own ... we doubt it. We will leave the portal open. You may return any number of times if you wish to rest or flee something.
The Dark Forest is the domain of the Dark Rider. A smallish demiplane built within a closed sphere, so say our records, perhaps 3 miles in diameter, with the Rider's Black Keep at the central part of the lowest depression within the Forest itself. His rule is absolute and his motivations a complete mystery. He rules over undead and other creatures that could be found amongst the dead or within a cemetary. We believe there are villages of khaei there as well, a strange and mysterious race that we know very little about. I believe the Rider terrorizes them as much as he does your world whenever he comes across]
I understand. Let us be off then. Best not to give our naga friend too much of a head's start. And since she and we quest for the same object, I fear at some point there will be conflict between us.
Vuloo nods and follows Relan. "I believe you are correct - we must be wary of Silasni."
Andel follows through the gate also.
Listening ... or rather thinking on ... the caulborn's mental explanation, the party takes a collective gulp and walks forward to touch the menhir.
And with no sense of distortion or transportation, you suddenly find yourelves on a sharply sloping hillside covered with grass so dark it’s almost black, standing near a menhir almost identical to the one you just touched, but far more weathered and leaning precariously to one side.
The world has changed. While the nearby presence of the similar black stone menhir provides a sense of familiarity, everything else about this place is different from the dungeon rooms. This world appears like nothing so much as a roughly spherical bubble of stone measuring miles across. Above, the vault of the ceiling glows softly, casting the whole realm into an eerie kind of twilight. The lower hemisphere is an enormous bowl-shaped basin, its sides wooded with green fir trees and gnarled, naked snags. Thick fog blankets the realm, and the entire place seems leeched of color, tending toward grays and blacks. Closer at hand looms a strange structure. This towering black keep rises up into the air, each new wing resting upon nothingness and creating a strange, stepped structure of towers and domed roofs that carries within its facade an almost palpable sense of menace.
After a couple moments, the menhir begins to glow with a nauseating yellow shimmer.
Vuloo backs away from the glowing Menhir. "We better get away from this thing. Let's get to the keep."
He runs on the path towards the keep.
Andel runs after Vuloo.
Using the Shard of Greed Relan will haste the group before moving away from the menhir. This should help get us away quickly. he says.
"Yup, let's go!" Braelex says as she runs off to find cover behind the shrubs to the north.
Nalar will take off at a run for the keep.
5
Teleport
4
Emergency Force Sphere
Dimension Door
Emergency Force Sphere
3
Resist Energy Communal
Hold Person
2
Hideous Laughter
Glitter Dust
Glitter Dust
Mirror Image
Create Pit
1
Charm Person
Shield
After pausing to give the group Haste Relan follows at his hasted speed.
The party rushes ahead down the path to the doors of the Black Keep, 10-foot tall arched double doors made of slabs of black iron. Looking back at the pulsing menhir, they see wriggling forms like massive maggots the size of apples erupt out of the menhir and fall to the ground coalescing into two massive swarming piles that slowly migrate around looking for ... something. They don't appear to move toward the party.
Thyrl looks back at the menhir, it's hackels raising. "Those are rot grubs, they feed on carrion and lust for living flesh. These foul creatures use corpses as nest to breed and swell their numbers. We should be wary of any corpses we encounter in this place."
Nalar looks at the massive irons doors, scanning it for magic before touching it.
Andel will look for any sign of traps. If the doors look safe and Nalar doesn't detect magic he will pull the doors open.
Relan looks at the massive doors and pulls his adamantine dagger. I have what might be a can opener. It would not be quick. If we cannot coerce the lock perhaps we knock?
"Gross," Braelex recoils at the rot grubs. "Perhaps we should find a place to camp before we delve into this place? Besides, Relan might be carving for a few hours."
Relan eyes the maggot swarm. I would not camp in the open. he says.
Nalar finds no magic on it and as Braelex makes mention of resting, Andel checks the doors and they swing open with ease.
This enormous, rectangular hall has a thirty-foot-high ceiling. Taking up the entirety of the long northern and southern walls are identical bas-relief sculptures of a headless knight riding a horse whose eyes and nostrils trail gouts of flame. In alcoves at each of the room’s four corners stand imposing suits of black armor. Both the northern and southern walls hold doors, and the room’s eastern end is taken up by a sweeping marble staircase leading up to an open landing a story above.
Of more immediate interest is what's going on in the middle of the room. A bat winged creature with the body of a woman seems to be feeding on the inert form of the naga, Silasni. The woman is nude from the waist up, and her entrails hang looses from her waist ... she has no legs!
Above her, circling around are two clouds of greenish gas, but with shadowy, ghost-like flitting shapes.
Relan is unaware of the nature of the half woman but recognizes here as a threat. He does recognize the Hungry Fogs and tells the party of them. Perhaps he knows how to hurt them with his roll?
Relan is aware that wind and magic weapons are helpful. Fogs are immune or resistant to ma y types of energy damage.
I am not sure what the woman is, but she is obviously dangerous. The fogs are gaseous oozes that are immune to most energy attacks but magic weapons can harm them.
Still hasted Relan will move up and attack the woman. Unless someone advises him about the creature he uses his main weapon.
Andel studies both the woman and fog, but he doesn't know anymore than Relan. "Yeah, she sure doesn't look friendly!"
Vuloo squints as he studies the bat woman. "I think it's safe to say that bat winged women trailing entrails are probably bad. Dispose of her Relan!"
As the party enters the room Thyrl takes one look at the legless woman and flattens it's ears back "Careful Pathfinders that's a manananggl, and undead abomination."
As Relan moves in, the woman flies to meet him as the fogs continue to suck at Silasni.
Vuloo will cast burst of radiance on the Manananggal. (DC 19 Reflex)
Andel will step in and will cast heroism on Relan.
Nalar grits his teeth, his repertoire of magic useless in this fight, wishing he'd had the foresight to buy a wand of magic missile.
Braelex draws and fires on the undead thing. She activates her boots for haste and quickly reloads and fires again.
; and
; and
; and