Lazarus Argust moves up and deals a devastating blow to Sorshen.
Karnhousk's spiritual weapon misses!
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Sorshen will take a 5' step back and then fireball the room
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Brelar moves up and punches her! The Runelord of Lust goes flying back away from the wizard!
Karn's begins a summoning spell!
Argust will 5' step to his enemy and take three swings at his foe!
for
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for
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Karn's spiritual trident misses.
Bert reloads his gun.
Argust moves up but his swing misses.
Oriana follows Argust in pinning Sorshen against the wall.
Oriana's sword bites into flesh!
---
Sorshen tries to cast another spell but is unable to pull it off with a dwarf in her face!
Brelar cast another spell as four missiles of kinetic force fly across the room at Sorshen! "Give me the shard."
Damage:
Bert fires again, chuckling. "Another fireball wouldn't have helped, you know."
for
If I need new rolls just let me know but I'd hate to burn two potential crits.
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"The Shard? Never! Useless mortal! Pah!"
Brelar's magic missiles hit the woman in the chest as she answers him.
Bert puts another bullet into Sorshen!
Karn's eagle attacks but misses. His spiritual weapon and spear also miss.
With a mighty swing Argust takes her down!
As she falls over, her beautiful form begins to shimmer and fade. Her hair turns dark and horns sprout from her head. Her flesh becomes pale and her fingers grow into long claws. Leathery wings grow from her back.
On her person she has four potions of cure serious wounds, a wand of dimension door (14 charges), a +1 keen guisarme, boots of haste*, and a spell component pouch.
The armor scattered about the room is a dismantled suit of full plate armor that once belonged to the poor Gray Maiden that was just killed. Oriana looks at the woman. "We shouold bury her. Loria Peratti, one of my women."
You also find two fist-sized amber discs sitting atop the bed's headboard-each of them is worth 100 gp but, more importantly, seem as if they fit in the eyes of the serpent murals.
Argust looks at Oriana and seems to understand. Brelar, could we honor her request? We can take her body and the armor and do what's right, can't we? From what you can tell, the dwarf has gathered a bit of respect for the Grey Maidens and their abilities despite having mostly being enemies of the group's cause.
Argust looks interested in the boots once the party has determined what they can do. Sounds like somethin' I could use. I like goin' fast.
"Well, I like going fast, too, but I've already got a set of boots that's better for me. Use 'em in good health, Argust."
"Huh--she was a half-succubus. Probably the daughter of the Runelord's majordomo. This might not make that succubus any easier to deal with, if she's still lurking around the Light."
"Oriana, do you know how to get out of here? I think we'll be happy to help you bury your soldier." We won't talk about all of the ones we killed. Those were fair fights, though.
"Despite the circumstances, the Gray Maidens are true and fierce warriors. We should help Oriana, as she was willing to help us without hesitation." Brelar turns his attentions to the corpus of 'Sorshen.' He shakes his head.
Knowledge (planes):
Picking up the two amber disks, Brelar heads toward the mural. "I believe it's time to get what we came for."
Inserting one of the amber disks into the southern snake mosaic instantly teleports the party to a new smaller circular chamber. The walls of this room appear strangely molded, their surfaces like sweaty pink clay infused with bits of glittering crystal. The floor looks like dry, cracked mud dark red in color, and the ceiling arches only eight feet overhead. A disturbing sound fills the space, resembling the endless exhalation of some bizarre, hulking beast. A mosaic of a coiled snake sits on the floor in a small alcove to the side, while all along the walls of the strange room sit numerous interesting-looking objects: but none more intriguing than the triangular shard of red metal that sits alone on a shelf at eye level.
There are several spellbooks on a shelf in this room.
You also find a large pouch with a dozen tourmalines worth 100 gp each, six black pearls worth 500 gp each, and two blue sapphires worth 1000 gp each, as well as a bag of holding (type II) containing an orb of consumption, a pair of red leather boots of striding and springing, four spider silk drawstring pouches worth 50 gp each (two pouches each contain 1 dose of dust of appearance, 1 dose of dust of dryness, and 1 dose of dust of illusion, an immovable rod, a whispering coin, a pair of goggles of night, a ring of minor electricity resistance, and a +1 light fortification breastplate.
Of course, the most significant item is the Shard of Lust, which sits in a place of honor alone on a shelf in the northern wall. Remembering that Sheila Heidmarch has already given you the matching pink and green sphere ioun stone matching this shard, you are able to place the ioun stone in its slot to deactivate the curse associated with this shard.
Aura overwhelming enchantment CL 25th
Slot none; Price —; Weight 1 lb.
Description
The Shard of Lust is made of a deep red djezet alloy. As long as the Shard of Lust is carried, its owner can use suggestion as a spell-like ability once per day, gains a +2 insight bonus on saves versus enchantment spells, and gains a +4 insight bonus on Initiative checks.
Curse: The owner becomes narcissistic, and is sickened whenever he has not engaged in sexual relations with another creature within the past 12 hours. While the owner wears any sort of armor or magic item that occupies the body slot, he is staggered.
Argust looks at all of the stuff with interest, even though most of it is beyond his understanding. Look, more boots! And the gems! Armor! And the shard! We found the shard, Brelar!
The dwarf continues, Brelar, maybe we should keep lookin' around, there might be more of this stuff in here!
"Karn, I think you should get this one--even if the other powers aren't that useful, that ioun stone is a good one for you. Or me, but one extra channel energy a day is probably worth more than a round of luck for me."
Following the teleportation pads in reverse, the party is able to make it back to the room where the clockwork servant patiently awaits your return.
Heading back to the beach, the party follows the first grotto to find the cave flooded with water. Three bloated corpses, naked and facedown, float in the water. The bodies are all human women bearing scarred faces-undoubtedly former Gray Maidens who met a tragic end.
A short tunnel leads to another partially flooded grotto. Another watery tunnel leads to the east. A narrow beach lies to the south. A pair of bodies lie upon the small beach to the south. Each is manacled hand and foot and wearing only underclothes-both bodies have scarred faces and are recently dead.
Brelar, why are these women just left here like this? What happened to them?
Brelar examines the bodies in turn, but not being very skilled in these arts asks Karn his opinion on the dead woman. "Seems like someone else may have had some run-ins with the Gray Maidens besides us?"
Heal:
To Argust's questions "What did this to these women may yet be close at hand. Be ready, I will be close by but you will not see me."
Brelar cast vanish after Karn looks at the bodies (if he is so inclined).
"I'm surprised these bodies are here; we fought most of the Gray Maidens that were mentioned in the plans we took, and that was two or three weeks ago. Maybe they were held captive for a while...but why kill them now?"
ETA: "I think we're going to need to drag one of the boats over here. And we should take the bodies for Oriana when we leave, too."
Karn and Brelar are pretty sure the facial scarring was done before they were killed, as it had already started to heal and scar over.
Bert sends the clockwork servant back for a boat, unless it looks as though the watery tunnel is accessible some other way.
ETA: While he guides the clockwork servant, he notices and remembers the other passage that apparently leads into that area. "Hey, guys! Back here! Let's check this out before we try to take a boat in there."
Bert directs the party back out to the beach to follow the narrow tunnel into what seems to be the last section of the grotto.
Water fills the majority of the cavern, although an oval rock island protrudes form the middle of the water. A single stone post extends from the middle of the island, while watery tunnels lead east and west. A dry tunnel leads up to the northeast (where you just came from).
As you enter you come upon a grim scene. A woman with a scarred face and wearing nothing but her undergarments is bound to the post on the island by lengths of seaweed. Numerous fresh wounds bleed on her unconscious body, while looming over her, poking at her body with the butt of a spear, is a hunch-backed humanoid woman with wet green skin, dripping white hair, and bulging orange eyes. The green woman turns and shrieks, "Oh, oh! New playmate here for Daefu to toy with! Sorshen is good to Daefu! Sorshen loves Daefu and Daefu loves her! One? Two? Three? How many more playmates come to Daefu? More sweet, pink flesh to poke and prode, more mouths to sing songs of agony, all because Daefu is loved by Sorshen. She sent you to me, yes? Sorshen loves Daefu because Daefu is loyal and Daefu is cruel and Daefu does her will eagerly. Who starts this? Who wants the first kiss from Daefu? Be patient, new flesh, all will get a turn!"
Of all the horrors! And they say the dwarven women are bad!
Fort Save: *fail*
Bert shudders at the horrific sight, but rallies to call on his luck and fire at the strange creature. "Sea hag! Spells might not bite on her!"
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Bert draws his pistol and puts a bullet into the hag!
Karn enhances Argust's strength.
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The sea hag gives Argust a nasty look!
Bert reloads.
"Argust, come with me." Brelar reached out and touches Argust and the clockwork servant as he casts dimension door!
Oh, what's the use, Brelar? She's so ugly! I can't face it!
After being brought to the hag via spell, Argust feels a bit better about himself. The view is better from behind her!
for
At Bert's shouted command, the clockwork servant sends a massive fist pounding into the hag's body!
Bert reloads his pistol.
Brelar brings Argust and the clockwork servant out to the island.
Argust slices into the hag! She falls over bleeding!
+1 keen longspear, deathbalm talisman
In the next room over, the rough-hewn cavern contains the sea hag's living quarters and belongings, which are stored in a woven net of seaweed.
She has a large number of beautiful but otherwise worthless seashells, two potions of cure moderate wounds, and a sack with 36 gemstones worth a total of 900 gp. There are also two fire opals worth 1000 gp each and a pair of elemental gems (earth and air).
Bert dusts off his hands. "So all we have left is that door behind the bath, right?"
Bert dusts off his hands. "So all we have left is that door behind the bath, right?"
Ugh, I thought I'd feel better once she was dead. What she do ta me?
The party heads back to the first level to go through the doors that were left unexplored. A total of ten wooden and iron doors line the walls of this long hall-five doors to a side. Each door bears an identical inscription on its face, as does the blank wall at the western end (which Bert can easily notice holds a secret door-Bert also notices that it has a trap on it). Only the eastern most door to the north seems to have a different inscription on it-this door is also caked with a sheen of frost.
Each of the doors opens into a bedroom, apparently once used by students and apprentices. Floral scents linger in the air and the sheets are soft and warm.