"And what have you found out so far?"
Stam spouts off what Grergof told them about the way.
"They want to be liches, they want to release the Whispering Tyrant. There has to be more to it than just that." Stam says
"That would be horrible. And what is your role in that?" Chalest inquires.
"Our role in the Whispering way? To stop them, we are on the trail of someone, we Stopped a Necromancer named Vroom, intercepted 2 messengers in Illenmarsh, encountered beings from the Dark Tapestry. Now we are here, seeking hep from the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye, I feel like Master Modd will not help us, unless he is just a sour old grape to everyone he first meets." Stam says
"He might help, but he is a busy man you know." Chalest offers as an excuse. "What exactly do you seek help with? I mean, you have the great knowledge here at your disposal."
Remember they have a goal both to release the Whispering Tyrant, but also to become Liches themselves. We have a recipe to make a Specific someone a Lich. Is there any way to tell who that recipe is targeted for?
We also need to know more about the key and what it opens.
"This thing is a key? Would you show me?" Chalest asks.
After looking at it for a while he states "I've seen that already somewhere.", looking around the room, trying to remember where.
Stam pulls out the Key showing it to the man.
"You have seen it in this room?"
Such lovely mold colonies...
"Probably..." Chalest replies. "Where else would I see such a strange thing. Hopefully not around the neck of a person."
After a while of racking his brain he adds "Must have been on a statue! Where could that be?"
Stam looks around the room at all the sttatues.
Well lets check the statues...
Once it is clear that you're searching for something rather large, it becomes easier. Grergof finds it first. Half-covered by a fallen tapestry, a hideous stone gargoyle crouches upon a solid block of rough-hewn black granite. Its wings lie folded over its back, their sharp spurs reaching almost to the 10-foot-high ceiling overhead. The statue’s claws, teeth, and strangely protruding ribs all appear crafted from iron. A carved necklace with a skull-shaped medallion bearing curious runes along its outer edge hangs upon the gargoyle’s chest.
Betcha this is going to attack us
"Lets hope not, this is a tight place, Your bombs and my magic will be pressed hard." Stam says detecting magic on the Gargoyle
Stam concentrates on the statue, "There is magic here, abjuration and illusion. give me a minute."
Stam pulls out the key, moving towards the gargoyle, taking a deep breath Stam places the key into the slot on the neck
On closer inspection Stam notices that this is no place to put the key in. It is a depiction resembling the key. Which is almost identical.
Grergof draws his Adamantine flail and clears a space next to Stam.
Setting up to be ready to defend his companions in case the thing comes alive.
Careful Friend, Illusions can hide many things.
'It doesn't fit but it is an almost identical likeness. Can you tell me where this statue is from?" Stam asks their host.
"I don't know that. It's here for a long time though." Chalest tells.
"Is it from this city? or somewhere else do you know?" Stam asks looking for some logs on the items that are in this room.
Anyone need an extract?
1.Shield,CLW,Shield,Targeted Bomb,True Strike,Enlarge Person,Empty
2.Invisibility,Cure Moderate Wounds,Lesser Restore,Barkskin,Vomit Swarm.
3.Haste,Heroism,Cure Serious Wounds,CSW,empty
4.Restoration,Stoneskin,empty
"Probably it's from a place or from an old building or something, but I believe it's from Caliphas. Almost all big stuff is from here." Chalest offers as an explanation.
Does the likeness of the key on the statue turn? I'm wondering if this is another key that contains a message.
The key on the statue is chiseled out of the solid stone.
Stam tries moving the settings on the real key, hoping for it to do something.
"So we find the building this Statue is from, maybe the key goes there. We have a few clues to follow up with now." Stam says continuing to play with the key
Might as well
While playing around Stam manages by accident to dial in the runes combination in the Moribund Key that is displayed on the gargoyle.
An Illusion appears in the room that depicts an aerial representation of ancient Caliphas with a single building highlighted by an unearthly green glow.
Abraun Chalest immediately recognizes the site. "These are the Quarterfaux Archives in Caliphas."
Also translucent images of four liches appear at the cardinal points surrounding the projection of the city, demanding the fifth catechism of the Whispering Way in harsh whispers.
form, undying opportunity.
Oh, look at this mark here.
What is the Quaterfax Archive?
"The Quarterfaux Archives - The hundreds of thousands of relics, rarities, curiosities and documents that make up the royal collection of Ustalav reside in the cold vaults, libraries, and exhibits collectively known as the Quarterfaux Archives. While only a fraction of the collection is kept on display, scholars and students from among the country’s most elite families come here to study under some of the greatest—if most conservative—minds in the nation..." Abraun gives a lecture about this interesting building, while the time to deactivate the ward of the golem by answering the question for the fifth catechism runs out.
The image of the city disappears and the translucent liches are replaced by real skeletons.
Two of the creatures immediately disappear again.
"Maybe because we didn't say the right words? These are guardians?" stam says backing up, "We have to keep the collateral damage to a minimum in here and Protect Abraun." Stam steps in front of the man unleashing magical force darts at the closest skeleton.
HP 82/82
AC 17/12/15 (21/14/17 with mutagen)
Saves F11/R11/W7 9 Fear Poison Immune
Weapon in hand:Mace+1
Special effects: Mutagen
Bombs:16/18
Spugnoir pales and then chucks two holy bombs at one of the nasties, making sure that Stam and their new acquaintance are not harmed
Stam shoots one of the devils with his unerring magic missiles and Spugnoir adds quire some damage to the same devil with his bombs.
You notice from the corner of your eye, the the passage that leads out of this room grows shut with a wall of ice. A green ray springs from the fingertip of one of the devils and hits Stam.
Then remaining bony creatures disappear from sight too.
Are those magic using Skeletons?
I need some help locating them!
Grergof backs up next to Stam and Abraun and readies his flail to hit at any foe if one of the "skeletons" makes it's presence known near him.
"I don't know where they went either." Stam says looking for magic traces of them.
"These are bone Devil. Care they are highly resistant to most things." STam shouts.
Darius is out of ideas too .
Next to Grergof a bony devil appears, clawing at him, but it misses closely . Grergof swings his flail at the devil, but doesn't manage to damage it.
AC 17/12/15 (21/14/17 with mutagen)
Saves F11/R11/W7 9 Fear Poison Immune
Weapon in hand:Mace+1
Special effects: Mutagen
Bombs:14/18
Spugnoir holy bombs the one attacking Varsk
Stam pulls out a scroll from inside of a tube in his robes, invoking the arcane language on the scroll mist pours forth from the scroll filling a 20' square around Stam.
"That will give us some protection." Stam says.
HP 71/71
Reservoir Points 13/13
Arcanist Spells Prepared (CL 11th; concentration +17)
5th (3/3)— teleport
4th (5/5)— black tentacles , summon monster IV
3rd (4/5)— fireball (DC 18), haste, lightning bolt (DC 18)
2nd (5/5)— acid arrow , glitterdust (DC 17), Gust of Wind , web (DC 17)
1st (5/6)— ear-piercing scream UM (DC 16), mage armor , magic missile , protection from evil , thunder stomp
0 (at will)— acid splash , arcane mark , detect magic , disrupt undead , light, mage hand , mending, prestidigitation, read magic
Counterspell (Su) Use 1 reservoir as an imm action, counter with spell 1 level higher or same spell at +5 bonus.
Dimensional Slide (100 feet) (Su) Use 1 reservoir as part of move/withdraw, move to spot in sight for
only 5 ft movement & no AoO.
Metamixing (Su) Use 1 reservoir while casting a spell, apply a known MM to spell without affect on
casting time.
Piercing Spell Affected spell treats creatures with SR as having an SR of 5 lower
Quick Study (Ex) Use 1 reservoir as a full rd action, consult spellbook to switch out mem spell (provokes AoO).
Sickening Spell You can cast a spell that sickens those injured by it (duration = spell's level in rounds,
Fort negates).
Scroll of Bull's Strength (5th)
Scroll Comprehend language x3
Scroll of Dark Vision x3
Scroll of Enlarge Person (3rd)
Scroll of False Life (4th)
Scroll of Knock
Scroll of Obscuring mist
Scroll of Shield (2nd)
Scroll of Summon Monster 1
Wand of Grease 5/14
Wand of Spider climb 40/15
Pearl of power 1/1
Lesser silent metamagic rod 3/3
Liquid Ice 2/2
Smoke pellet 4/4
Smoke stick 1/2
Spell Latice vanish 1/1
I can't see to launch my bombs!
Spugnoir's bombs miss the devil next to Grergof.
Now you stand in the middle of the fog.
Careful, They are playing with us! It's not really there, just a magic vision!
Within the cover of the fog Grergof starts focusing to detect evil.
That is an illusion!
"So what is real?"
Stam will detect magic to see where the source is coming from.
Grergof finds that illusions are not evil. Beyond that he can assess nothing so quickly and wiht the fog, the information will not be worth much anyway.
Stam detects magic everywhere. There are so many magical items in this collection that he is surrounded by magic. But the illusion stands out in the magical sight.