After failing to squeeze through, Braelex tries to lift the broken portcullis, but it proves too heavy for her fragile frame.
Need more leverage...
She looks about for ideas, then moves back to the shore and grabs the pole from the boat. She returns to the gate and tries to lever it up enough to sneak through.
The party, with Oriana's aid moves back down through the teleporters. She informs you that you're moving from the head to the chest to the waist of the statue/lighthouse as you teleport, which accounts for the smell and humidity changes.
Arriving back at the room with the Runelords, you start back down the stairs and realize that Quennelle Page and all the Maidens you left behind are gone.
Moving forward, she travels down the columned hallway, noting the missing marble heads that lay destroyed on the ground in the next hall and dodging by the pit traps.
She finds herself opening the door in the Chamber of the Gray Flame and heading back to the statue of Sorshen. She eyes the unopened door to the west as she progresses
Nalar looks around for the warrior women. "Sorsh- I mean Ashamintallu must have come through here and ordered your command to follow her." He says to Oriana,a touch of frustration in his tone. "The sooner we free them the better."
Likely good insight on your part Nalar. Do you recommend pursuit Oriana? Suspect the maidens will fight us if we confront them.
Vuloo shrugs, "Or maybe they just had enough of the Lady's Light."
He searches through the side rooms bordering the Chamber of Corrections for any clues concerning the maiden's whereabouts.
He then moves down to the Opulent Chamber. "Let's see if we can find a way out of here."
Oriana looks at Nalar, the body of her Maiden still draped over her shoulder "We MUST free them ... it was your promise. And the only way we are going to do it is to kill that enchantress."
Vuloo searches the nearby chambers and finds nothing of interest before gathering the party and heading toward the Grand Hall.
You search around and find no tracks other than your party's from earlier. The statue and poem are as you left them, right before you kissed the stone foot.
"We shall, don't worry about that." Nalar says, walking along side the Oracle. "I'm not in the habit of breaking promises."
Still holding the body of Braelex Relan nods. We have our own desire for vengeance. he assures Oriana.
The party heads out into the Grand Hall discussing what to do with the Maidens and suddenly find themselves facing their issue literally.
Arrayed in the center of the Hall is phalanx of Maidens, several are injured from fire or wounds, and have been bandaged up, but all are fully armored carrying swords and shields. The ones in the back have crossbows trained on you as you enter.
Leading the phalanx, you see Quennelle and Halima along with the bare-chested, chalk complexioned dhampir, Gnaeus Gnaru, who carries nothing but a Maiden's longsword, although his body shimmers with magic.
In the rear of the room lies a dead Maiden, her throat slashed and blood still spreading on the ground and the vile enchantress who has thrown aside all pretense of charm and screams at the Maidens, spittle flying from her mouth and her eyes glowing an unholy red "KILL THEM!"
You check the door for traps and find nothing. Pushing through you enter another portion of the dungeon. Atotal of ten wooden and iron doors line the walls of this long hall—five doors to a side. Each door bears an identical inscription on its face, as does the blank wall at the western end. Only the easternmost door to the north seems to have a different inscription on it—this door is also caked with a sheen of frost.
The inscription on the doors read in Thassilonian: “Thou wouldst enter? Then thou must touch!”
The inscription on the easternmost door is different and reads in Thassilonian: “Thou wouldst enter to enjoy the company of the Runelord of Lust herself? Then thou must touch!”
Running low on magic and facing a small army of warriors, Nalar starts thinking at a rapid pace, the rush of adrenaline from the shard of lust kicking his thoughts into a higher gear.
They're charmed, and I have no way of dispelling them or dealing with such a large group. He thinks, running over the particulars of charm magic. Charms aren't compulsions, they're perceiving her orders in the most favorable light but they won't follow suicidal or obviously harmful orders or act against their nature. Ashamintallu can force them to act against their character but if I can convince them to stand down enough of them might resist her will. He thinks before stepping forward slightly, trusting in his deductions.
"Maidens! The one you know as Sorshen in an impostor demon known by her true name as Ashamintallu, think about what you are doing! Drawing weapons upon your commanding officer, do you not see the body of your sister in her arms? That is your fate if you cannot resist the magic that is controlling you! For the sake of your sisters stand down!"
Relan suports Nalar saying Most of you have surrendered to us and agreed not to attack us. We have spared you once. Is your word worth so little?
Vuloo will assist Nalar. "Sorshen is an imposter! Help us destroy this foul demon!"
Andel will also assist.
Nalar reacts first standing in front of the awesome sight of a full cohort of armored Maidens. His voice carries strong and powerful and an unlikely assist from the mild-mannered bard helps his point get across with just a hint of theatre.
The Maidens looks are impossible to gauge with their visors down, but when Oriana drops the body of the hurt Maiden and says with great emotion, "I will not allow any more of you to die," several of the women pause and shake visibly, a couple raising their gauntlets to their helmets. Several of them turn and attack their comrades using the flats of their blades.
More noticeably, the enchantress shrieks in rage when Nalar mentions her name and visibly loses control, taking a step back, mouth agape. She stammers for a moment and her eyes roll back in her head and then with a vicious tearing sound, red-blue wings sprout from her back, horns rip from her head and her hair turns a deep azure. Her clothes melt away into a black leather baldric and her skin becomes a bright alabaster. Her eyes blaze crimson and her mouth sprouts jagged teeth as tail twitches out from under her skirt.
As Braelex reaches out to touch the frost-lined door, she spies the merest hint of the edge of a rune, and realizes that the door is trapped by ancient magic.
Scanning the feild of battle, Nalar raises a hand and fires a pair of rays at the feind.
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Do you see what you are protecting? Its some sort of demon! Fight with us. Help your sisters break from its control. Relan double moves towards the enemy. He watches to see who is fighting whom and specifically tries to determine if the closest maiden is his enemy.
Nalar sees Quennelle beginning to Order Maidens to disarm and to use flats of the blades against the others. He then fires a ray at Ashamintallu , still staggered from her transformation and while poorly aimed catches her flat-footed and smashes her once causing her to stumble
Relan moves forward and identifies the near Maiden as fighting against her former cohorts, trying not to harm them.
Ashamintallu, still struggling with her transformation takes to the air, her wings beating the ground as she raises up in the air to about 15 feet.
The magus smiles grimly and casts a spell with his off hand, disappearing from view.
Quennelle steps away from the now invisible magus and swings her blade hard at the nearby Maiden shattering her sword and stunning the woman for a moment.
Oriana moves up next to her as a double move, passing a grim nod to her lieutenant.
; HIT!;
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Vuloo will hit Ashamintallu with a burst of radiance.
DC 17 reflex save or be blinded for rounds, otherwise she is dazzled.
Andel will attempt to identify what sort of demon Ashamintallu is.
If successful, he starts reciting her weakness for the group .
Just noting the Ray damage is nonlethal
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You touch the word and the wall in front of you melts away. (Western wall of that hallway)
This opulent marble chamber is dominated by an enormous bed that sits on a raised dais. The walls bear frescos of a woodland scene, with leering satyrs chasing nubile nymphs.
A domed ceiling inlaid with mother-of-pearl rises twenty feet above the opulent bedchamber.
Vuloo blasts radiance in the air searing the demon, but she shoes behind her wings avoiding the blinding portion.
Andel is able to identify her weaknesses and shouts them out, "Cold iron or good imbued weapons, don't forget she's immune to electricity and poison and resistant to fire and acid."
The Maidens engage each other in a mass melee, slashing and partying.
Vuloo will again cast burst of radiance on the demon.
Andel moves to gain line of sight and fires on Ashamintallu.
I will send a map, but no you haven't been here. This entire area is new. As soon as you went west out of the chamber of grey flame instead of going to the statue and teleporting to the next level, this is all untrodden ground.
Braelex finds nothing of interest in the room. There is a door to.the north
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"Thyrl, get Bralex's crossbow." Nalar asks, his familiar leaping off his shoulders and flying through the air.
"Do you even know how to use one of these?" The outsider says around a couple of bolts in its mouth as it drops the weapon in his hands.
"Can't be that hard," The wizard replies as he fumbles with the weapon.
As the weapon fires suddenly, the bolt soaring off on a random trajectory Nalar and his familiar look at each other.
"You should stick to magic, master."
Relan, frustrated that the enemy has flown up out of his reach, moved up and tries to trip the short haired woman.
He also tries to determine if the next nearest maiden is friendly or not.
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You teleport to the boat platform (same map as everyone else now). There is one boat remaining (although there are 3 on the map ... 2 are embedded in the map image, can't remove them)
Nalar's shot flies wide as Relan moves up and trips one of the Maidens, slashing down at her violently and cutting the woman to the ground in a spray of blood.
The warrior's attack elicits a cry from Oriana, "NOOO! You promised! They know not what they do ... focus on the demon or knock them out if you must, but do not kill them!
She moves to bandaged the bleeding Maiden.
Ashamintallu, still reeling from her transformation fires a series of magic missiles at Vuloo. force damage.
Quennelle kicks back at the now unarmed maiden, sending her sprawling and stands guard over Oriana.
You row out the path, spying easily some humanoid creatures peering just out of the water, their eyes tracking you, but they make no move towards you as you go past. Their skin has a mottled purple appearance and appears bloated and rotting.
Moving past them and down the gauntlet, you turn the boat north and enter the Lake of Longing and much like your last visit you hear sultry whispering calling to you.
Vuloo will cast ill omen on Ashamintallu.
Andel will double move to Relan.
; fail
Vuloo scorches and blinds the demon.
Andel fires and misses as the Gray Maidens continue to whittle at each other, one of the southern Maidens collapsing to a cutting wound, blood spraying.
As the maiden goes down Thyrl leaps once again off Nalar's shoulders. As it flies closer to the fight it casts stabilize on the fallen woman. "Focus on the demon!" It shouts.
Nalar slots the last bolt retrieved from Bralex's corpse into the weapon, his obviously untrained hands holding it all wrong as he fires at Ash, the bolt missing by a wide merge.
"Oh come on," He mutters to himself, taking a step towards the corpse.
Yes, should've been +7.
Braelex stands in the boat and begins to pull off her dress, but the strangeness of wearing a dress hits her again and she shakes off the compulsion. She resumes rowing, a little faster to get clear of the lake as quickly as possible.
Relax states flatly These maidens have surrendered to us and break their word now by attacking us. Do you claim they are dominated somehow?
Rolan trips the maiden caddy corner to him. If successful he follows up with an attack, but hits with the flat of his blade.
"That is what we have been saying!" Nalar shouts at Relan over the din of battle. "Literally enthralled!"