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Barham winces as the second planar tether is broken.
I'm sorry, friends, he mourns, knowing he is calling these creatures to swift and certain banishment, but there are more lives at stake in this dire darkness.
He steps forward again, now flanking Liadain as she works on the sunrod contraption. With a desperate breath, the summoner evokes another animal in the path of their hidden foe.
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+3 Dex, +1 natural, +2 size)
hp 3 (1d8–1)
Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +1
SR 5
Celestial - Resist cold 5, acid 5, electricity 5
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
Melee bite +5 (1d2–2 plus poison)
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks smite evil/good
STATISTICS
Str 4, Dex 17, Con 8 [12], Int 1, Wis 13, Cha 2
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 8 (can't be tripped)
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Climb +11, Perception +9, Stealth +15, Swim +11; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Stealth
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Smite evil/good 1/day as a swift action (adds CHA bonus (+0) to attack rolls and damage bonus equal to HD (+1) against evil foes; smite persists until target is dead or the celestial creature rests).
Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 9; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Con damage; cure 1 save.
Brak is hit again, and despite Marla's best efforts, he shouts in anger, then leaving silence from him. You can hear his axe clatter to the floor.
Liadain slips another rod into place leaving only the efflugence sphere.
Skeldon shudders and then resume moaning in pain after receiving the wand's healing. Bazresh feels eyes glaring with hatred at him within the darkness.
"You won't save him!" the voice shouts.
After dispatching the snake, it rushes across the darkness towards Bazresh.
Suddenly the machine thrums to life and painfully blinding light fills the chamber.
The light effortlessly burns the darkness away revealing a tall humanoid with pale skin and soulless eyes. The rest of its face is wrapped in a scarf. It wears dingy leather armor and wields a pair of long knives.
It shrieks in pain as the light renders it blind.
”NoooOOOO!”
Dungeoneering.
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"Aaaaargh!" Barham shrieks in pain as the searing flash overwhelms him. He drops the extra sunrod steps back, fumbling blindly for one of his weapons. As he pulls his crossbow from his pack, he issues what he hopes to be the final call for aid from his contacted planes.
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size)
hp 5 (1d8+1)
Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +2
SR 5
Celestial - Resist cold 5, acid 5, electricity 5
Fiendish - Resist cold 5, fire 5
OFFENSE
Speed 10ft., fly 80 ft. (average)
Melee 2 talons +3 (1d4), bite +3 (1d4)
Special Attacks smite evil/good
STATISTICS
Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 7
Base Atk +0; CMB -1; CMD 11 [13]
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Fly +8, Perception +10; Racial Modifiers +8 Perception
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Smite evil 1/day as a swift action (adds CHA bonus (+0) to attack rolls and damage bonus equal to HD (+1) against evil foes; smite persists until target is dead or the celestial creature rests).
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Marla shields her eyes before the machine activates, saving her from being blinded. When her vision returns, she points over the creature's head and Barham's Eagle is joined by one of her own, a golden-headed, brown-winged specimen, which attacks the enemy from a flank with the first bird, while Marla moves to find a good position to attack from.
Unable to defend himself, the pale figure can only flail helpless as he's torn to bits by the pair of heavenly raptors.
The glass vials are essentially syringes injecting acid into his body.
There’s no real good way to remove them but they have to be removed or he will die.
Bazresh is able to remove the shunts without causing any more harm to the tortured Venture Captain and he eventually drifts off into a peaceful slumber. He will be scarred and he may live with pain for the rest of his days but Skeldon will survive.
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With the man (however evil he was) saved from a tortuous death, Lia breathes a sigh of relief. But she's quickly back to business.
"Yes. We need to dig up some information on Skeldon - what he's squandered his money on and what he's involved in." She shifts her eyes towards the deceased shadow creature, "... although I suppose we can guess that it has something to do with that thing."
"The aureolyte too. We can't forget that."
Lia searches the body of the creature.
"We should probably contact the Society to see that the Pathfinders killed here are given proper burial and so forth as well. Those three out the back in the barrels, and the one down here in the basement strangled to death."
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Lia will make sure to collect his journal and any notes about the machines she can find, as well as taking a sample of aureolyte if possible. She'll also write a couple of notes herself to the Society about the particular order of the sunrods and so forth on a blank page of Skeldon's journal.
If there's anything interesting on the creature's body, she takes it.
Before they leave, Lia insists on doing a search of the mansion for any other notes and evidence that might be useful that they left behind.
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Fidgeting nervously throughout their egress, Barham does not allow himself to relax until the group is back on the ground floor of the lodge. There, he frantically incants the ritual to call his companion, fumbling the verse several times. On the fourth attempt, Scrumpy pops back into view, concerned by his master's sudden distress. Barham slumps into the nearest chair.
"Quite the help you were," he mutters. The beast snorts. "Wow, you should have seen this eagle, though. Tore him to bits! We're going to work on getting you some wings."
In the weeks to come, as Miregold begins the slow road to recovery, he tries numerous times to contact the party. He seems eternally grateful for their help and offers them unfettered access to his lodge and his work.
Unfortunately, the sign of good will means little as, in light of Skeldon's shady dealings and ineptitude, the Decemvirate assumes possession of the Karcau Lodge and transfers him to a more remote lodge elsewhere on Golarion, where he is less of a liability to the organization. The Society’s masked leaders turn control of the Karcau Lodge over to Basia Kalistoff, who makes good on her promise and rewards the party handsomely for their assistance.