Dervak once again fails to grasp Theophilus's complicated metaphors, but nevertheless tries to contribute.
"Yes, the man with whom we have business... he came through here some time ago. Do you understand what he was trying to do?
We seek to stop it. And stopping it will benefit you.
So please let us continue our work."
Mara asked the strange women, ”What does this tithe entail? As my friends say, we are on an urgent mission.”
One of the Naga’s tastes the air with her tongue while another speaks, ”The mad count performed the same ritual you are attempting, connecting yourselves to a distant and forbidden star. For our trouble he gave us a prized spyglass. You may offer silver, mithral, or sapphires as is customary. Their connection to the heavens is clear. Magic that aids in divination is also acceptable.”
After some unconventional negotiations the nagas are willing to let you use "their" stelae for an hour with a donation of 1000 silver.
Dervak thinks.
Do we have what they ask? We have the sapphires and silver I just found, but they would recognize their own belongings.
He takes out his Silversheen (found way back in Briarstone Asylum and never used) and his masterwork silver dagger. "Will these do?"
Theophilus holds up a finger. He reaches into a pocket to take out his purse.
The White Rabbit chuckles.
Theo frowns at him.
The White Rabbit giggles even more.
Theo glares at him.
The White Rabbit begins pointing at the Witch's purse; laughing aloud!
Theo smiles weakly at everyone.
He then reaches into it, counting....
He holds out a pile of gold pieces.
You got change fer hundred?
The trio of nagas accept the gifts of silversheens and silver dagger, leaving you to conduct the third preparatory ritual. The third steers your mind towards thoughts of dancing, feasting, debauchery, and the past. Theo finally makes good on a promise.
The stelae glows softly as you link your lives and souls to the ancient inhuman artifact.
With the preparations complete you can now finally open the path to the Black Star.
School conjuration (teleportation); Level 6
Casting Time 60 minutes
Components V, S, F (the Necronomicon and three attuned
Star Stelae), SC (up to 4)
Skill Checks Knowledge (arcana) DC 40, 3 successes; (dungeoneering) DC 40, 2 successes; Knowledge (nobility) DC 40, 1 success
Range touch
Target primary caster, secondary casters, and up to one creature per character level of the primary caster
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will negates; SR no
EFFECT
The casters draw and stand within a ritual circle, tracing eldritch symbols within the air to attune their current location to Carcosa’s cosmic coordinates. Upon this ritual’s completion, the carved runes on each of the focus stelae glow with eldritch power and shine beams of energy toward the primary caster. These beams cast a circle of sickly yellow light in a 100-foot radius around the caster and teleport all of the targets to a random destination on the distant world that holds Carcosa. Performing this ritual in the same place always transports the targets to the same region of Carcosa.
If a creature used this ritual to travel to Carcosa, performing it again always transports the target back to its original point of departure.
"So... do we take the leap? Attempt the Path to the Black Star? Travel to Carcosa and end the threat that Lowls's meddling poses to our world?"
Mara stood in the circle and communed with her ancestors. She reached out with her mind to help Theo complete the mystic path to Carcosa.
Theo is seen vigorously consulting the darker chapters of the Necronomicon to assist in performing these rituals
Theo has never felt better!
The words of the dark Book worm its way into Theo’s thoughts, tilling his mind for future growth but also loosening it to be eroded away. The building yellow light of the Star Stelae that surrounds each of them grows into a blinding flash.
When your sight returns: The dark stone structures of Neruzavin press in tightly or you are stretched out to giantish proportions. The city is shrunken (or you have grown) and pressed together to form claustrophobic streets among the buildings. Cold, dry wind whistles through the grooves and haphazard openings in the rock.
It’s then you notice that it is no longer daylight and high above, the moon shines with a pale, sickly light through a break in the clouds, and ethereal towers rise behind it. Simply to glimpse this sight is to know, beyond all reason but with utmost certainty, that you are in Carcosa.
The White Rabbit is seen frowning, cursing; as he puts away his water wings, small pail and shovel, and he begins washing off the sunscreen from his little nose.
Theophilus is seen holding in a fit of laughter.
I said it was a vacation; not a beach vacation!
As you acclimate to your new surroundings you begin to feel the oppressive nature of the place, it saps at your will and forces you to realize that the only truth is oblivion, for existence is meaningless.
The only way forward...
The artificial canyon walls narrow to the north of this clearing, and numerous crevices lead away in other directions. Drifts of sand accumulate along the passages. The wind moans as it reverberates along the rock wall. A trumpeting cacophony occasionally blasts from the fluted towers high above, trailing off into silence a few moments later.
To the southeast standing and waiting is a woman; she would be a woman were it not that she appears to be a life-sized porcelain doll. Her skin is a lustrous alabaster but a fine lattice of cracks and runs like a spiderweb across her face and body. Black and gold etchings run the length of her arms in rows of symbols and runes. Here and there on her cheeks and the backs of her hands, bits of porcelain have fallen away to reveal that she is hallow. Her face ins disturbingly expressionless. Her eyelids hide nothing except a yellow light. She wears an exquisite gown of white, gold, and purple. Her long blond hair floats about her face as if she were underwater.
When she speaks she sounds far away and it echos as if she were in an empty room, "I mean you no harm. I sensed your arrival, tell me, have you sworn fealty to the King in Yellow or do you stand apart?"
Mara looked around the strange landscape, trying to figure out the nature of this place.
When she saw the woman waiting for them, she studied the figure before responding.
No one in the party knows anything about the porcelain woman. They could speculate but it would be mere guess work. They have encountered and opposed the servants of the King in Yellow, in the past when they stopped them from abducting and sacrificing the townsfolk of Thrushmoor.
Nothing betrays her intention other than the hollow words she has spoken, "I mean you no harm..."
Getting no read on the porcelain woman, Mara fell back on her parents' teachings to tell the truth (perhaps whatever the woman was could detect a lie anyway), "I have not sworn fealty to the King in Yellow; I don't know if that means I stand apart."
Theophilus approaches the Porcelain woman. The Gentleman bows.
We represent the Lollipop Guild.
The White Rabbit kicks him!
Theo looks down at the White Rabbit.
What? I really wanted to use that line! Excuse me!
Theo then returns his attention to the Lady.
Excuse my companion. He has absolutely zero sense of humor. I am Theophilus Carter--and friends--here to end the threat that would be ruinous to all! We happen to know that the King in Yellow views Xhamen-Dor as an ally, but if the cults of both deities are active on the same planet, the King in Yellow's followers often try to send Xhamen-Dor back to Carcosa and prevent it from triggering a premature apocalypse. We are here to end the latter.
He looks at her pointedly.
Who do you serve, again? That may make this conversation a bit less awkward...
The White Rabbit shakes his head.
”To put a fine point on it, we serve the self-interest of every living being in our world who does not wish to see their existence prematurely ended,” Ci Ci adds.
Dervak nods to the porcelain woman.
He tries to figure out what is making her hair move like that...
"Greetings. My name is Dervak. And I mean you no harm. My comrades and I have been plagued by the King in Yellow and his servants. I stand apart from the King in Yellow. As my friends say, we wish to save our world. A servant of the King in Yellow seeks to draw our world into Carcosa."
"May I ask your name?"
While not quite as polished as Theophilus, Dervak has been learning good manners over the past few months and can make a decent impression.
The doll-like woman's face does not change expression nor does her voice provide any inflection, "I am Cassilda, once queen of Yhtill. I am a rebel against the King in Yellow. My daughter Camilla resisted all attempts to be name heir, for fear of a prophecy that the Yellow Sign would be found by a successor to my dynasty. Once found, the Yellow sign would then be "sent for" by the King in Yellow."
She continues her story, "A stranger offered a method by which I could safely name Camilla as my successor and still have the deed go unnoticed by the King in Yellow. Unfortunately it was a ruse and the stranger revealed himself to be the Pallid Mask, the King in Yellow's herald. At the masquerade commemorating the event, the Pallid Mask tricked my entire court into looking upon the Yellow Sign. When he revealed himself I managed to look away but waves of madness swept through the city and so Yhtill was cannibalized into Carcosa."
After explaining her stance she asks, "I will assist you in whatever way I can. I cannot directly oppose His servants. Carcosa is like a vampire that feeds on civilization itself and its fangs are myriad. Carcosa will eventually reach a critical mass in its growth and The King in Yellow will ascend to become and Outer God, and when that occurs it will spell doom for all life in Carcosa and beyond. Do you know how your world has drawn His eye?"
Mara spoke to Cassilda, "I admit that I do not fully understand the nature of the King in Yellow. As my friend says, a human from our world, one Haserton Lowls IV, seems have delved too deeply into dark lore and has become a servant of the King in Yellow; we are trying to stop his terrible plan from coming to fruition. We need to know more to effectively oppose the King in Yellow, yet I understand that too much knowledge can be dangerous in itself. Yet we must take the risk to save our world.
"I do not know how our world has drawn His eye. I do know that Lowls studied a dangerous book called the Necronomicon. Some knowledge of the Innermost Blot has reached our world, so perhaps that might be a factor."
Dervak racks his brain to try to piece together the various facts. Even thinking about these matters makes him feel corrupted.
"Lowls had first learned of the Star Stelae from the dreams of Ulver Zandalus. A man in a place called Briarstone Asylum. He maybe already knew about the one in Thrushmoor, but learned of the one in Neruzavin, a forgotten city of ancient creatures." Here.
"Lowls then sought to use the Star Stelae to mark Golarion so that it can be brought into Carcosa." Here.
"The King in Yellow is He Who Shall Not Be Named? Weiralai was or is a servant of his, and it seems that he is the true mastermind behind the plan to draw Golarion into Carcosa. Lowls and even the Inmost Blot were just tools in this plan." Here.
"The plan was for Lowls to take Xhamen-Dor into his body and then travel to Carcosa, giving the King in Yellow the power to become an Outer God as you say." Here.
"But he did not bring Xhamen-Dor with him. It remained on Golarion, and we defeated it, though at great cost. I suppose that if we had not defeated it, then it would have been brought to Carcosa along with Golarion. So we may have stopped the ascension of the King in Yellow, though we have not yet saved Golarion."
The White Rabbit is seen wearing a scribe's outfit, inking the very words coming from Dervak.
"The King in Yellow, Him Who Shall Not Be Named, The Unspeakable One..." Cassilda pauses a moment, "The Star Stelae, they transmit psychic energy through even the void of space, linking your world to Carcosa. If you are able to sever the connections here..."
It then occurs to you that you know how. The Beckon the Stars ritual can be reversed.
Emotionlessly she continues, "...with the associated Stelae in Carcosa you can save your world at least for a time. I can divine the location of the Stelae but the conditions are not right. I shall accompany you for now."
"When will the conditions be right? What should we do until then?"
Dervak looks around at the dismal world and the sickly yellow moon.
We should do nothing. Why do anything?
But the thought of battle slightly stirs him from his despair.
"That wind? That trumpeting sound? Are the creatures from Neruzavin here?"
He draws Teralindar's Honor.
When Dervak mentions just waiting around; the White Rabbit is seen setting up a small poker parlor.
Theophilus smiles as he shuffles.
"We need a place, thing, or person of special significance to Carcosa. Flying polyps lurk nearby, we should move quickly. Do not let the oppression of this nexus take root in your heart."
Mara asked the porcelain woman, "Where do you suggest we go from here? We know very little about this region."
She points north, "Whenever you're ready."
Theophilus looks a bit disappointed, placing his cards away.
The White Rabbit is seen wearing a nun outfit, carrying a yard ruler.
"Ready," says Dervak.
He casts See Invisibility.
Mara said a few prayers, then reported, "I'm ready!"
”Let’s get moving, then. The sooner we can get out of this nightmare, the better.”
Theophilus looks at Dervak and Mara casting spells.
Are we expecting trouble in the next 150 minutes?
Mara tries to bolster herself with heroism but the effects of the spell are distant and faded; she can barely feel it.
As you round a corner you observe a solitary figure who stands in the moonlight waiting. The humanoid appears to wear a white mask and dressed in what might be pale-yellow priestly robes. He sees you and beckons you to come closer.
Cassilda whispers, "It is the Pallid Mask, the King's emissary. It is he who brought damnation down upon all of my people, including my daughter. There are unwritten rules that govern us both. I dare not oppose him directly, for the King will punish that affront. Yet the Stranger has learned his horrid master does nothing when I defend only myself. So we are at a stalemate. I may discover something of the stelae you seek, though, while he is distracted with you. So play his game. Just be wary."
Mara wondered what the man knew about them already. There was no time to discuss things further with Cassilda however; she approached the masked figure and said, "Greetings, how can I help you?"
Dervak follows along somewhat behind Mara.
This Pallid Mask is a powerful servant of the King in Yellow. Cassilda told us to 'play his game', so I will attempt that.
He lowers Teralindar's Honor but keeps his grip on the blade. Does the intelligent sword have any thoughts about the Pallid Mask? He 'listens' for the voice Upianshe and tries to mentally communicate with her.
Is this one of your sworn foes?
Upiandshe speaks to Dervak, ”I may not be able to slay this creature but together we can make it bleed.”
The Pallid Mask stands with both confidence and contempt, a feat considering the expressionless mask from which only blue eyes peer from. He calls out to you, “I would parley. The King in Carcosa knows you travelers and thus so do I. You are delivered into the hands of the Unspeakable One, but you already belong to Him. Carcosa is his child, and He is Carcosa. You were marked long ago and you have played your part in this grand play. Gaze upon the Yellow Sign of your own free will and He will grant you crowns of gold and make you lords in the new reality that waits.”
The White Rabbit smacks the s+!% out of Theophilus; who seemed to be smiling and rubbing his hands together like a junky who just got promised a big score!
I see that I may not be the best to initiate this particular conversation.
He smiles weakly.
"How, exactly, has your King already marked us?" Ci Ci asks.
"I seek no crown. I have no wish to be a lord.
I wish to keep my world as it is, and not have it become part of Carcosa.
If you know us, you know that we are dangerous. You know that we defeated Xhamen-Dor.
So this is my offer: leave Golarion alone, and we will leave you alone. Put an end to Lowls's attempt to claim our world for Carcosa. Reverse the ritual on the Stelae and give us Lowls, and we will depart.
I do not know what our one world, out of all the worlds among the stars, would have to offer the King in Yellow. Find other prey."
The Pallid Mask’s posture shifts slightly while pointing at Cerise, ”Cerise, you destroyed the Star Seed’s form on Golarion and then assisted Mr. Carter in strengthening the bond between Golarion and Carcosa. Your actions have allowed the Star Seed to fully take root within a certain Count Haserton Lowls by releasing it’s form and then guiding it towards its new host.”
He makes a sweeping gesture to the rest while speaking louder and louder, ”Mara, Dervak, and Mr. Carter, you took his coin, supped at his table, and drank from his cup. The service you gave Lowls was in service to the King, to Carcosa. Accept your fate, your role in this play is either to serve as his Aristocrats or to serve as his Rebels, but it is to serve Him regardless.” The last line spoken by the Pallid Mask is like a thundercrack, ”You will not avoid it even in death.”
The Pallid Mask pulls back a fold in his robes revealing the Yellow Sign.
Mara averted her eyes from the abberant symbol, concentrating to speed up the flow of time for her allies.
Theophilus turns his blue eyes down to the White Rabbit.
Well, that went as well as expected. Time for you to hop your white ass out of here!
The White Rabbit seems to be wearing a Charlie Chapman outfit, as he exits stage left....
Theophilus then turns his watering blue eyes to meet that of THE YELLOW SIGN!
Theo seems a bit stunned that he isn't a melted pile of gibbering goo. The Witch then attempts to return service!
He Cackles.
"Compedes Lucis!" Ci Ci intones, pointing at the Pallid Mask.
Ci Ci's eyes fly open. She yells to the others, "It's using magic to project an semi-real image of itself! We won't be able to harm it, but it will be able to cast spells at us!"