Dervak ends Monstrous Physique and resumes his normal form.
"Impressive magic, Cerise."
He also goes to check on his well-dressed friend.
"All part of the plan, right Theophilus?"
Theophilus looks absolutely dazed and confused!
Now I know what a banana feels like at an ice cream shop!
Theo sighs.
Anyone know a good dry cleaners?
Zann points with his bow at the Star Stelae.
School abjuration; Level 4
Casting Time 40 minutes
Components V, S, SC (up to 4)
Skill Checks Knowledge (arcana) DC 28, 2 successes;
Knowledge (dungeoneering) DC 28, 1 success; Spellcraft
DC 28, 1 success
Range touch
Target one Star Stela
Duration 1 day/character level of the primary caster
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
Backlash All casters take 3d6 points of damage and
are exhausted.
EFFECT
In what is essentially the reverse of the beckon the stars
occult ritual, this ritual seeks to unravel the connection
between Carcosa and Thrushmoor. This ritual must be cast
within 30 feet of the designated Star Stela, and the primary
caster must remain within that range throughout the ritual.
Theophilus begins tapping tapping tapping his wand against his head.
Feeling a bit better, the Mad Hatter tosses the empty wand. He straightens his grand Hat and begins the ritual!
The White Rabbit nervously looks at the group.
This s!%%'s gonna have nuts in it!
He picks up the almost empty wand.
Ci Ci steps forward to assist Theo with the ritual. She almost makes a small, but dangerous error as she helps scribe the necessary magical runes on the ground near the Stelae, catching herself at the last moment.
Mara also helped with the ritual, using her knowledge of the bizarre creatures of the Dark Tapestry.
Slowly but surely you gather the necessary energy through chanting, and the arcane imagery. As you go through the steps in reverse you start to feel as though you're being watched. Darting your gaze over your shoulder reveals nothing but the feel never abates.
The Star Stela begins to hum in a low vibration that builds and builds as the ritual goes on, until it peaks to a high-pitched whine at the ritual's completion. The Stela explodes in a wash of negative energy as you finally sever its connection to Golarion.
The strain of the ritual is exhausting.
Dervak would probably not be a secondary caster, since he doesn't have the requisite skills. So I imagine he is not damaged or exhausted, but we probably want to rest anyway.
Also @Theo, CiCi: CL15 grants you a +4 on skill checks for occult rituals. This one had relatively low DCs, but some are much higher, so that CL bonus is important to remember.
"Your skills and knowledge are remarkable, all of you. But it looks like that was very straining. Should we rest? I can take first watch."
Ci Ci calls upon her power and unleashes a burst of positive energy over the group.
Mara recited a prayer, creating a circle of toadstools that served as the entrance to a pleasant extra-dimensional space that resembled a twilight meadow. Near-invisible animal servants sere on hand to supply fresh fruits and nuts to whoever was hungry.
Theophilus and the White Rabbit enjoy their time napping amongst the fey flowers.
"Oh, right, a watch will not be needed. Thank you, Mara."
Dervak eats some fruit and nuts.
He looks up at the 'sky'. Are there stars visible in the Fairy Ring Retreat? You can usually see a few at twilight. The stars of the First World? If so, he wonders if those stars are distant suns or fairy beings of some sort .
He falls asleep pondering the stars and enjoys a peaceful night.
"We're wading deeper and deeper into the weird," Ci Ci says. "I feel as if my power is growing in two different directions. The light is becoming stronger, more intense, but now there is also a patch of darkness within it, one that is growing and becoming darker as the light consolidates."
Passing from Aevan-Vhor to Bohlvarai highlights the strangeness of Carcosa. As you cross from one nexus to another you feel as though you're suddenly transported to a high mountain pass, but you did not change elevation at all as you walked. The air becomes thin and frigidly cold.
Altitude sickness represents long-term oxygen deprivation, and affects mental and physical ability scores. After each 6-hour period a character spends at an altitude of over 15,000 feet, he must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1 point of damage to all ability scores.
A wide path winds through what appears to be mist shrouded mountaintops jutting from the earth. Ahead to the north, wisps of snow, blown about by gusts and eddies of wind, partially obscure a monumental tunnel that cuts right through the mountainside. The tunnel appears artificial, as gigantic support columns brace the sides and roof every twenty to forty feet.
A solid statue of an unusual creature, carved from oddly colored stone, stands on a raised dais ahead of you. The statue is approximately twenty-five feet tall, and its head has fallen off and now lies shattered at its base. The figure itself is a monstrosity, with a barrel-shaped body, leathery wings, and five tentacles at its base. The head resembles the broken remains of a starfish with bulbous eyes talks on the end of five tentacles.
Even farther ahead you spy a waddle of giant albino penguins.
Dervak is not comfortable in the cold and the thin air, but he can withstand it for now. We shouldn't tarry too long here.
"Now this is interesting. The tunnel was not made by magic, nor by tools. But the structure suggests it was deliberately made in some way."
He ponders but cannot arrive at any firmer conclusions.
"This broken statue of the tentacle-thing, it was deliberately damaged. Not the work of an earthquake.
Whoever didn't like the figure in the statue defaced it. And whoever put up the statue was either unaware of the damage or unwilling or unable to repair it."
Theophilus takes out his wand tapping everyone for the trip up the mountain.
White Rabbit is a scout leader on the weekends.
Theophilus wakes up in the morning. He preforms his daily preparations. He sticks his finger in his mouth, holds it in the air and nods.
He taps everyone.
"Thank you, Theo. That's much better," Ci Ci replies, as the magic of the wand pushes the cold out of her. "Since fire no longer harms me, I guess, in a pinch, I could just set myself on fire, and let the rest of you roast the carcass of one of these birds over me."
Erich shivers until Theo taps the mute musician with his wand. His breath becomes labored.
He writes in his notebook in German and then points to the statue, ”Elder things. They settled on my home world billions of years ago but degenerated before man’s advent. They were an educated race but also capable of great hubris. Carcosa must have captured one of their arctic cities. We should be careful their children may still lurk here.”
Theophilus looks out at the great city of ice. The Mad Hatter tightens his scarf. The White Rabbit is seen wear a snowmobiles suit.
This reminds me of that insane trip for ice cream. White Rabbit had a hankering for some delicious blue moon. The only place that sold it was an underground ice cream speakeasy inside a meat freezer.
The White Rabbit smiles.
Dem pest ov azers be not lik'n ice cream.
The path forward terminates in a cave-in where the giant albino penguins linger. You will need to either clear the cave in or find a way through it.
"Can anyone tell if my disintegrating a path through this will bring the whole roof down on us? That would be bad."
1st (7): Cure Light Wounds, Endure Elements, Protection from Evil, Remove Fear, Unbreakable Heart x3. Color Spray (spirit)
2nd (7): Barkskin x2, Calm Emotions, Delay Poison, Resist Energy, Open Slot x2, Hypnotic Pattern (spirit)
3rd (6): Heroism x3, Sleet Storm, Open Slot x2, Daylight (spirit)
4th (6): Blessing of Fervor, Fear, Slowing Mud, Spiritual Ally x2, Open slot, Rainbow Pattern (spirit)
5th (6): Ancestral Memory, Baleful Polymorth, Breath of Life x2, Open slot x2, Overland Flight (spirit)
6th (5): Greater Dispel Magic, Mass Cure Moderate Wounds, Wall of Stone, Open Slot x2, Chain Lightning (spirit)
7th (4): Fairy Ring Retreat, Heal x2, Open Slot, , Prismatic Spray (spirit).
8th (3): Firestorm, Stormbolts, Open slot, Sunburst (spirit)
Mara offered, "Theo, I've memorized one spell to protect someone from the elements for a fay and a half, so you can save a charge on your wand."
When they reached the cave-in, Mara tried to remember what she knew about the giant albino penguins.
Dervak looks at the cave-in and gives his best assessment of the situation.
"Other options might include using magic to scout (like Arcane Eye) and then Teleporting, or going through gaps in the rock with Gaseous Form or Wind Walk.
I can't really do any of those things. I can move rubble out of the way, but I imagine it would take quite a while."
Theophilus walks directly toward the cave-in. The Mad Hatter proceeds to rummage through his pack.
The White Rabbit is seen wearing a miner's outfit.
The White Rabbit seems to notice the idiot with his hat and head inside the bag. He kicks him!
Ouch! What?
The White Rabbit crosses his arms and taps his foot.
Theo smiles.
The Witch summons an Earth Elemental (small) , ordering it to go scout ahead and come back to report.
The Witch then winks at everyone.
Mara conferred with Erich, "I can speak briefly in your language. Can we bypass the blockage by flying around it? I can enable us all to turn into wispy vapors, and fly through the air."
A sense of foreboding crawls across your skin as you examine your surroundings for a way through the blockage. Just as you begin to reach for your weapons or call upon words of power, a shrill voice echoes through the cavern, ”O!M!G! Dervak! Theophilus! Mara! Is that you?!” You’re unsure at first where the voice is coming from but you become certain it’s coming from the penguins. They all stare at you with lifeless eyes and the voice continues, ”OmgImsosorry! I almost ate you guys. How are you!? Brellin would just not shut up about you after the waltz.” The penguins disappear and are replaced with an immense, bloated, purple spider with seven legs, a leng spider.
Theophilus stares behind him at the monstrous leng spider.
Well hello my good friend! How fortuitous you just being here. Why the illusions? And why penguins?
Dervak is speechless for a moment.
"Uh... yeah.
How is the Viscount?
Cerise, we met this individual and their beloved, the Viscount Brellin, in the Dreamlands."
"That was quite the party, wasn't it? Have you spoken to Lady Splinterbone lately? Does she like her new attire?"
"I'm sorry, I don't believe I ever got your name. Do you reside here? May we pass? We are on a heroic quest of the utmost importance. We can tell you all about it at the next soiree. It will make for an epic tale."
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," Ci Ci says to the spider, giving a respectful nod of her head.
The strange gigantic spider skitters over and nervously laughs, ”Hi Cerise! I’m sorry we were never formally introduced. Brellin was going to introduce me after the waltz but you all left, I’m, the leng spider makes a horrendous sound like bone being grinded against rough stone. She continues to explain, ”Brellin and I are taking a break. And well I couldn’t go back to mom’s place, she would just gobble me up. So I thought to myself,” she makes the noise that is her name again, ”Go to Carcosa, if you can make it there you can make it anywhere.”
Sensing that you’re in a hurry she says, ”Oh of course, of course. We can catch up later.” One of the walls of the cavern disappears, another illusion, allowing you to travel forward. In the distance you hear the muffled cry of something, ”Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!”
The leng spider calls to you with nervous tension in her voice, ”You know what?! I’m going to get some groceries for when you get back. You like elf meat right? Ok! Byeee!”
Mara lamented, "And they made such a lovely couple. I get the sense that the breakup wasn't amicable; probably best not to ask too much about it."
She noted the pouch made of plastered webbing on the wall above the ground. Despite the hint of gold within, she wasn't inclined to investigate it.
"Eh, I'm not really into eating the flesh of intelligent creatures."
Theophilus slowly inches forward while the emotionally confused leng spider was distracted.
The White Rabbit is seen wearing his ninja outfit.
Mopping his forehead with a clean handkerchief, the Witch just keeps on keeping on....
Old Blue eyes does have a pleasant tone.
"I already ate! But thank you!"
The thought of eating elf is repellent to Dervak, though he doesn't want to offend the giant spider.
The nervousness in the creature's voice does surprise him. What could make such a creature afraid?
Dervak sees the pouch, but makes no move to get it.
Upon exiting the mountain tunnel, the path quickly becomes a makeshift road through a metropolis of ice-encrusted stone. Buildings fabricated by some ancient race litter the landscape. Each structure runs counter to human architecture and design. Other sections are complete rubble. Some buildings are smashed with no discernible cause or evidence of a natural geological event. There are no stairs anywhere, only ramps. The number five strongly influences many designs, from building shapes to door frames, as if four walls ran contrary to the most basic building designs.
Architecture notwithstanding, the scope of the city suggests a once-thriving community. Immense hive-like arcologies, stadiums, universities, and marketplace plazas as far as the eye can see stand empty. The city is haunted by a whistling wind that sometimes carries strange cries. No bodies are evident anywhere, not even skeletons. Mixed with the stark loneliness is a palpable sensation of being watched, though the only suggestions of life are huge and sinister shapes frozen in sheets of ice where bridges once traversed flowing rivers—rivers that were never possible in this climate.
"Do we have any clue as to where to start looking?" Ci Ci asks the others. "If not, I guess I could fly back and forth, low and slow, and see what magical emanations I can sense. The Stelae is likely so powerful I won't be able to mistake it for anything else."
"Did Lowls need to find this Stelae? Maybe we can track him?"
Dervak looks for any signs of recent passage.
He turns to Erich Zann.
Do you have any ideas how we might find the Star Stelae in this place? Have you seen this city before, in life or in dreams?"
He waits to see if the musician writes anything down.
Erich shakes his head mournfully.
Erich's breath becomes labored as you wander through the abandoned streets of the alien city. You eventually come across something that might help you find the stelae.
A five-sided spire stands as a monument on a ten-foot-high base that is accessible via a ramp that spirals up the base’s side. The stone is approximately twenty feet in diameter and forty feet tall, and is marked by countless small runes, glyphs, and sigils. Five smaller triangular stone markers, all of which point to the center spire, surround the monument.
Mara consulted her ancestral memories to help decipher the writing. Then she began to chant and called on the Heavens spirits to grant her good fortune.
After an hour's study she announced, "I think we need to search for more information in the "City Archive", wherever that is."
Theophilus stares long and hard at the various runes and such.
Theo and the White Rabbit look at Mara after a few minutes.
Perhaps, we try finding the city's archive building?
Dervak nods.
"Uh, can anyone help Erich? He doesn't look well."
Ci Ci, now noticing Erich’s distress, approaches him and enfolds him in an embrace. ”Take hold of the flame,” she whispers, unleashing some of her power into him.
Mara recited a Prayer to help Erich cope with the harsh conditions. "Hopefully this will help."
The White Rabbit is seen wearing a surgeon outfit. He has a scalpel in hand, as he approaching the coughing and gasping poet.
Theo smiles.
He is a professional.
"So how do we go about finding this city archive building? I have no idea how the creatures that built this city would design an archive."
Outside the City Archive
At the end of a long plaza stands a modestly sized, five-sided pyramid. The pyramid was constructed or possibly carved from sandstone by some titanic force, sections of it bear rings and multicolored ripples of color on the surface. The pyramid is a little more than ninety feet in diameter. A ten-foot-wide doorway is visible on the southern face, and window-like openings are set into the sides approximately two-thirds the way to the top.
As you begin to move towards the archive behind you hear an inhuman cry of "Tekeli-lil! Tekeli-li!" Daring to glance back you see what appears to be a glistening black mound of protoplasm about 15ft in diameter. The monster sprouts all manner of eyes, mouths, and appendages while half-crawling and half-rolling towards you.