With each of you now holding a key-light, you approach the Hall of Wards ready for the REAL test. Placing the key-light on the eastern entrance to the hall causes the door to creak ominously open, revealing roiling darkness....
Darkness takes you, suppressing all light. You fall through blackness for what seems like only a moment, and when your senses are restored, you find yourself in a small room, with little indication of where you truly are.... This stone room is nearly empty, save a sourceless, orange ambient light and a small table full of empty, stoppered crystal vials with peeling, faded labels. The outline of a door can be faintly seen in the north wall, though the wall is solid and seamless. A heavy iron door to the south looms ominously; a man’s horribly mutilated body lies in a patch of dried blood on the ground before this exit. The tall ceilings and stonework are reminiscent of the Hall of Summoning, but different in subtle, almost imperceptible ways.
Strongly Law-Aligned and Strongly Evil-Aligned: Creatures of neither lawful nor evil alignments take a –4 circumstance penalty on all Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based checks. A creature with either any lawful or any evil alignment takes only a –2 penalty, while lawful evil creatures take no penalty at all.
Flowing Time: Time passes much more slowly on Belzeragna than it does on the Material Plane. For every hour that passes on the Material Plane, 24 hours pass on Belzeragna.
Altered Magic: Magic also functions differently here than on the Material Plane: spells and spell-like abilities with the lawful or evil descriptors function as if their caster levels were 2 higher than normal. Conversely, spells and spell-like abilities with the chaotic or good descriptors require a concentration check (DC 20 + the level of the spell) to be cast. If the check fails, the spell does not function but is still lost as a prepared spell or spell slot. If the check succeeds, the spell functions normally.
Map is up to date.
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Huh. I see that I am to walk my fathers path along this new road. . . he says more to himself than the others, though it soon dawns on him the others may not understand, he adds We are, . . . this is not the mortal realm. We have come to Hell. I think perhaps the lore of the contest now makes more sense. But fear not. We shall fly from this place and strike a blow the pit shall not forget!
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Roakar looks downtrodden at the boring room and lack of living competition.
"Ahhh Hell.....this is going to be" he begins to say in a down voice that begins to peaks towards more excitement following Igi's explanation. "....AWESOME!."
Roakar anticipation is noticeable as he shifts his large hammer back and forth between his hands.
The mangled body on the ground is the broken, bloody corpse of Maganrad—he made it only a few steps into this room A search of Maganrad’s body reveals that while his body is mangled, the damage to his corpse seems to have been inflicted after death, and that the actual cause of death is unclear...
Hugo finds a secret pocket in his jacket. Inside is a scroll of Break Enchantment, but it's the other item that's of interest. It's a non-magical piece of writing, but it's archaic in the extreme.
It's a contract in Infernal (but even still hard to read). The contract is between Maganrad and a devil named Nagxiv. In return for bolstering his magical abilities (mostly in the school of enchantment), a soul chosen by Maganrad at the time of the contract’s signing was forfeit to Nagxiv for 101 years—although the wording of the scroll cunningly makes Maganrad’s own soul the object of the contract.
The postmortem damage is so extensive, Ignatious can't figure it out.
Will update with the table once at school.
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Roakar checks the vials. They're all empty, sealed with a lead stopper. Underneath each is a piece of parchment with a name on it. There's one for every competitor in this year's Breaching, and that includes each of you...
After looking at the vials, it appears there's nothing else in this room.
Hugo declares the door safe from trap or magic. Beyond is a simple hallway, devoid of anything interesting... The only sound is that of Roos.
It does, in fact, seem devoid of threats or things of interest.
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Roakar starts reconning adjacent rooms starting with the room next to the one he is in. Placing his hand against the wall and activating his gloves of recon for a round.
If nothing is overtly threatening in that room he moves into the hallway and recons the room directly across the way, using another round of his gloves.
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As the group prepares for their next challenge, especially in light of their recent discovery of an opponent, Roos decides to lighten the mood..."So a large and unruly Shoanti is out adventuring to escape his fat and mean wife. He travels far and wide and comes across an old bottle. Thinking he can sell it he begins to polish it and out pops one of them wish granting genies. The Genie tells this Shoanti barbarian 'I will grant you three wishes... but bear in mind whatever you wish for your wife gets double...' the the Shoanti thinks for a bit and says 'for my first wish I want a ton of gold pieces' the genie says 'fine- but your wife gets two tons of gold pieces', the Shoanti nods...'for my second wish I want a four tower castle'...the genie nods and says 'ok but your wife will get an eight tower castle'...the Shoanti nods and thinks some more...'what is your last wish' the genie prods...the Shoanti says 'for my last wish I want you to beat me half to death...' ...get it Roak... half to death!"
Roakar finds on bottle for each competitor in the Breaching; the party, Fatmire (who quit), Illia, Knurr, and Maganrad.
Roos's well played joke lightens the mood while the Shoanti reconnoiters.
This room resembles an academic’s office, albeit the office of a very messy professor. Tattered books and broken furniture lie strewn across the floor. Some long-congealed dark liquid pools on the floor beneath a solid cascade of the same substance along the south wall, and what appear to be bone spurs protrude from the dark wooden wall surrounding an iron door on the opposite end of the small chamber. Bones from dozens of creatures rest in neat piles on the bookshelves, with the skull from each sitting atop its stack, staring into the room with vacant, hollow eyes.
Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves cover the walls of this dimly lit library, with shorter stacks creating small dividers in the room’s interior. A reading table sits empty and unused in the library’s center. The shelves are a mass of fluttering pages, and books rearrange themselves and fly across the room constantly. This room contains a man of Chelish blood, pacing constantly. He seems to be muttering to himself.
This room is dark, moist, and rank with the smell of sweat, mildew, and iron. Desks sit in even, tiered rows facing the southern end of the room, where thick metal chains hang from the slate-covered wall. Attached to the chains is the Cerulean Rogue, Illia! She seems to be sleeping or unconscious.
The overpowering stench of potent alchemical and arcane reagents fills this room, the cluttered surfaces of which are piled with half-full beakers, alembics, and retorts, each holding what appears to be a different bodily fluid. In the center of the room calmly stands a strange looking woman. She looks right at you as you use your gloves. "Enter mortal and explain why I should let you live."
A voice enters everyone's head, "Come, talk with me.."
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The voice enters each of your minds, "No one need die today Roakar. We have.... compatible goals. Come inside. Let us scheme."
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Hugo waits for a response. He moves up closer to Roakar regarding the barbarians comments.
"Roakar. As a matter of self preservation and good will for the team, do you have any protection against mind control? If not, I would ask put a minor protection upon you."
He will ask the rest of the team once they move up.
"My understanding of the rules of engagement on this contest, we just need to exit. We do not need to interact with other contestants or occupants unless needed to complete the primary objective?
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"Fair enough. That suffices. And did you spot any enemies in the prior rooms or was this one the first with an occupant?
Actually, Hugo plans a little experiment and will try to dimensional hop 5' to see if it works in this place.
He muses to himself on the outcome.
"Well, better to know now rather than in the heat of an exchange
Hugo does, in fact, successfully slide across the dimension a bit.
"Mortals, I grow bored..."
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Roakar relays all the info he has seen to the rest of the party.
Roakar sighs.
"Hugo...I just told you everything a few minutes ago....listen up." "Most importantly the little thief woman is caught and chained to a wall int eh lecture hall. However, lets go do what's needed with the primadonna squid women. Then we can free our competition."
"Good plan?"
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"Mortals,. . ."
Sighing as he hears the voice within his head, he steps foot, (or rather wing) within to see jut who it is that misunderstands him so much, but, at the same time, not wanting to come off as rude himself, he enters, forgiving the simple mistake. What can one expect from those trapped within Hell, or, if Roos was not mistaken, a realm modelled after Hell at least.
"It is true. No one needs to die. What is it you had in mind?"
"I am bound to the master of this place. He is immensely powerful. I understand that we would have a battle of blood and death I may not win. If we can leave in peace, I can give you a hint at how to defeat him."
"I need only your word that you will spare me from the destruction you bring to this place. Make no mistake, you cannot leave this place without defeating him."
"Ahhh You amuse me, so I will indulge you. Those vials are for your souls. The master of this realm delights in agreements. That in your hand is a contract. Apparently one of your friends was already under contract for 101 years, so it'll be a while before his soul is collected. I too am his handmaiden by contract. I wish that contract...ended. His name is Chyvvom. I'll leave you be, but I cannot help you more. To speak more plainly is against the terms of my agreement. Hopefully you understand..."
"I cannot divulge that, I am forbidden. You must find him on your own. But remember, his strength is his contract."