Another shake of the heads, then a shrug. He got all interested in a black box thing down there...
As youall look about you discover a small stash of coin and a delicate ice sculpture of a beautiful maiden (worth 1,800 gp)
that bears a powerful curse. Anyone touching it must make a DC 40 Will save or be compelled to worship before the altar in area 6 (down the secret stairs) to the exclusion of all other activities (the target also gains a +10 bonus on the Perception check to find the secret door ). A new saving throw is allowed every 24 hours to break the curse, but if the statuette is touched again, the curse starts anew.
Alathos feels the figure assault his will, but his resolve stands strong.
Not exactly fond of Demon Lords and their minions, Eden orders her summoned cloud giant to finish off her remaining lesser kin. To help out, she takes the form of a huge gold dragon and unleashes a torrent of fire upon them.
While Alathos pokes the sculpture, Edens studies it with Detect Magic.
Eden, you divine the nature of the curse, and recognize its power. In fact, you can see that the normally untouchable Alathos just barely managed to avoid falling victim to it.
Eden shifts back to her Troll form.
"Alathos, get away from that statue! It bears a powerful curse!" exclaims Eden frantically.
When everyone presumably backs away, she further explains.
"Anyone without the strongest of wills be compelled to worship it and do nothing else for at least 24 hours."
With the statue's nature divined, you enter the secret passageway.
Perfectly transparent crystalline stairs without any visible means of support descend forty feet to the floor of this chamber. A narrow arrow slit in the south side of the turret allows a gust of cold wind to enter and stir the many hide and stick fetishes that have been arrayed around an altar of black stone on a short dais at the north end of the room. The altar stone is wholly unlike any stone found on Golarion; it is composed of black and charcoal-gray striations and radiates intense cold even in this already dangerously cold environment.
In this room you find a troll. He resembles a normal troll, but his hide is a mottled dark blue and gray, his limbs are twisted and misshapen, and he stands almost 20 feet tall.
Visitors? How nice! He says when you come into view. The others were always so boring.
|
"Ah, you must be the troll everyone is talking about. Nice to meet you. I am Alathos Nevben."
Alathos is charming and charismatic as usual, his guile flowing like wine. Only his closes friends notice, however, that this is not his patented 'charm and bed' smile, but something much more devious. His sword is drawn, but lowered and he takes a small step towards the troll with the most gentle of movements.
The troll is uncharacteristically magnanimous. Greetings Alathos. I am impressed a human found their way past the "ghost" that guards this place! You must be seeking the secrets of Baba Yaga as well then?
Salrann nods in agreement, and bows as well.
He motions to the altar. A powerful artifact of Baba Yaga. It contains puzzles and secrets, yes secrets to her domain and her power. You should remain and study it with me!
Alathos- you are hit by the visions spoilered above each time you look at the altar for more than a few seconds with any kind of vision, advanced or otherwise. The troll is sporting a few magical items.
"What have you learned thus far?" Eden asks as she takes a chance to study the artifact herself.
Eden - It seems to be some kind of altar. Even with all your prodigious skills that's about as far as you get due to the persistent visions that occur any time you do more than glance in the thing's general direction. The troll confirms this.
It is a place of divine worship, holding the key to a secret quality of Baba Yaga herself! Imagine what an Eldest must worship! I have been here for days hoping to divine what kind of being is worthy of her veneration, but nothing so far. Perhaps, now that you are here, things will progress!
This sounds nothing like a troll, especially a troll serving a Demon Lord. You realize that he must have come into contact with that statue upstairs and now suffers under it's curse. He is compelled to worship here, no matter the cost to himself.
Alathos' blade skips of the stone leaving nothing, not even a scratch.
What are you doing! The troll howls.
"We will do what we must. Please do not interfere." Salrann speaks for the first time to the troll.
Alathos hacks and chops. After a few hits pieces start to fly if the altar. The troll roars!
The troll flies into a magical rage and magical defences snap into place!
Eden activates her Ring of Invisibility and then takes to the air to get a better tactical position.
Salrann sighs, resolving to have to defeat the troll. She steps toward him and attempts to grab him and subdue him.
The troll is quickly vanquished once pinned and Alathos tops off the altar. Literally, he hacks it's top off.
The party continues up the stairs.
A massive double portal composed of two white stone doors dominates the north wall of this sixty-foot-high chamber. Its surface bears a scene of craggy, snow-clad peaks in relief beneath the cavorting forms of unidentifiable creatures. The lintel above the door bears an inscription in ancient runes. Bloodstains mar the floor of the chamber, and piles of garbage have been swept into the corners.
All that is secondary to the absolutely terrifying Giant in the room. And the frost giants, gnarled and otherwise, don't count. In the corner, standing at probably 50 feet tall, is an Abyss-armored hulk wielding an adamantine warhammer of staggering size. This ebon-skinned monstrosity has a gaping maw with boar-like tusks and a wide nose beneath a furrowed brow that lacks any sort of eyes or visible visual organs. Its corded muscles twist and writhe beneath its smooth, hairless jet hide, giving its frame a gnarled, unbalanced asymmetry. It moves with a loping gait, however, and wears its armor, composed of thick, welded plates, effortlessly.
With him are four gnarled frost giants and four winter wolves.
"Maybe?" Eden the Troll ponders in her deep, gruff troll voice as she activates her Ring of Invisibility and fades from sight.
Realizing that turning invisible is likely quite pointless, Eden instead opts to Stop Time.
She snaps her fingers and...
The world stops for thirty seconds.
For the first six seconds, Eden casts Mirror Image on herself and flies closer into the room so she can see where to place some summoned friends.
During the second six seconds, she casts Summon Monster VII to summon a Movanic Deva.
During the third six seconds, she casts Summon Monster VII to summon another Movanic Deva.
During the fourth six seconds, she uses her Arcane Focus ability to cast spontaneously Summon Monster IX for a Storm Giant.
During the fifth six seconds, she casts Haste on herself and all her allies and then retreats for cover.
Salrann casts a spell (shapechange), and turns into a huge dinosaur!
Allosaurus
Chu'ko up
F: 32
G1
G2 55
G3
G4 55
W1
W2
W3 55
W4 55
The storm Giant immediately becomes the demon's focus and the two frost giants nearest to him turn to flank. The storm giant is overwhelmed and cut down with brutal efficiency. The gigas looks directly at eden and spits out the chunk of the giant's neck that had been it's killing blow.
Just then Alathos calls down heavenly fire, but that just seems to make the giants angry. The wolves, however, look very much worse for the divine smiting.
The giants and wolves that aren't close enough to participate in the death of the Storm Giant gang up on the two angels who both take serious wounds.