As a swift action, Shaeda will add +1, Vicious, and Holy to her whip.
She will then commence to full attack the creature...
Shock, Vicious, Holy; Vicious
Shock, Vicious, Holy; Vicious
Shock, Vicious, Holy; Vicious
Shock, Vicious, Holy; Vicious
Shaeda lands two hits.
Searok is up.
Searok will continue to assault the devil.
+
+
+
+
Looks like all those hit.
Searok finishes off the last devil.
"Well done! Ok, Ziranu, have a look around."
Ziranu moves closer to the remains of the devils scattered about the room, to ensure their deaths on this plane are final. The Ranger then searches the chamber for matters of interest, before approaching its other door, on the east wall, to search it specifically for threats or anomalies...
, +2 more if dealing with undead or dragons; +4 more if dealing with evil outsiders; +6 more if dealing with humans; and +7 more if trapfinding is applicable.
, +2 more if dealing with undead or dragons; +4 more if dealing with evil outsiders; +6 more if dealing with humans; and +7 more if trapfinding is applicable.
Ziranu hears, quite clearly, a curious sound on the other side of the door, somewhat to the north of where he stands; it's someone singing a Chellish-style opera solo in a rumbling but pleasant baritone. Or at least the singing style is operatic, the lyrics make this sound more like a folk song. And it's accompanied by a banjo.
"The Inner Sea grew wild
As Kortos did ascend
And took its place of glory
Before the god of men
And in a shining temple
Did wily Aroden
Ensconce the stone that grants you
A life that will not end"
"Second chorus!"
A pox on the Pallid One's undeath
And devilish balderdash
I've tried your Thuvian potions
They just gave me a rash
And reincarnation - beneath my high station!
To that I won't descend
In Kortos he lay
The only true way
To a life that will...not...END!
"...Or is it? Hmmm, what have you found, my queen?"
Shaeda shudders at the sounds of Ziranu's voice recounting the song.
"In we go," she suggests? "Is that door unlocked?"
Ye think the Queen is behind tha door? Searok asks clearly spoiling for a fight.
”It sure seems unlikely, but we’re gonna find out! Open it when you’re ready!”
Disgusted himself at the recounting of the idiot song, however pleasant the singer's baritone might have been, Ziranu shakes his head in the negative at the thought of 'the' Queen of Korvosa beyond the door; not in this area of the castle, in all likelihood. The Ranger positions himself in the northern area of the room in readiness, behind the waist-high meat-shield of Shaeda's partial cover, with two arrows nocked to his longbow and a hopefully commanding field of fire into whatever lies beyond...
When all are ready Searok will kick the door in - hoping beyond hope to meet Queen whatever-her-name-is.
Searok does not care for politics and who rules what. He just knows that the Queen is his enemy and she needs to be beheaded or something like that.
This room contains a canopied bed, a desk, a trunk, and a large cupboard. Colorful woolen tapestries hang from the walls, while exotic carpets decorate the floor. To the northeast, three narrow barred windows have been covered with additional tapestries. A standing lamp in a corner looks like a strange swamp plant with wrought-iron leaves and a single, oversized fruit of amber-colored glass. The stink of discarded food— bread crusts, chunks of moldy cheese, and bones with tattered remnants of meat—competes with the stale smell of body odor and sweat that fills this room.
Lying on the bed is a very fat man. A VERY fat man, it's a wonder he's even able to sit upright. But he is, with a goblet of wine in one hand, a turkey leg in the other, and is using the leg like a conductor's baton as he sings. A imp lounges in a fruit bowl near the window, plucking a banjo.
You actually recognize this figure from one of the visions you received previously, this is Togomor,currently Queen Ileosa's number two. He does not look particularly surprised to see you.
"Ah, hello. Had a feeling I wasn't alone, heard the ruckus in the other room and thought it sounded destructive even for the Yallops at mealtime. Spot of bother out in the city too, wondered if it was a feint of sorts. Now, before you do anything rash, I invite you to consider that I am a wizard who is not surprised to see you. And do you know what a wizard who is not surprised to see you is? Prepared. You may examine the room for magical auras if you want evidence. And we can have a nice civil chat while we work out what to make of one another. Some wine? It's good."
Tronar will indeed take the opportunity to detect magic to see what auras might be present, but he will also use his Silent Spell ability so as to not alert the fat man to the presence of a caster.
Once he has seen 4 different spells in the effect area, Tronar will attempt to silently Greater Dispel Magic with a Caster Level bump.
vs DC 11 + caster level
Shaeda will take him at his word, for now, and she will scan the room for auras, after casting detect magic
Searok looks at his companions as if to say, "shall I kill him or do you want to talk first?"
Tronar and Shaeda spot the following spells in effect, in descending order of spell level:
Project Image (area spell)
True Seeing (on Togomor)
Overland Flight (on Togomor)
Greater Invisibility (on Togomor)
Extended False Life (on Togomor)
Mirror Image (on Togomor)
Bear's Endurance (on Togomor)
Mage Armor (on Togomor)
(He casts Mage Armor, extended False Life, and Overland flight on himself every day, and was able to do the rest when he heard the fighting with the devils and Ziranu was searching for traps)
Tronar realizes that the man on the bed is an illusion, the real culprit is hiding somewhere invisible as he is, and as he attempts to Dispel the illusion the man reacts with surprising speed for someone so (apparently) corpulent. Tronar spies the casting of a Telekinetic Sphere spell that would have struck him and those near him, but is quick enough to redirect his Dispel and negate it.
Togomor's projection speaks. "Impressive. You quickly turn your attack into a defense. Shows your priorities, a useful thing to know. But you also got me to expend a more valuable spell than you just did, which perhaps illustrates traits of mine such as rashness, impulsiveness, and paranoia, so just maybe you came off ahead on the exchange. I've lived in this head for a while, and I still learn new things about it. But now there are things I wish to learn from you, and I'm certain there are things you'd like to learn from me. Shall we see what we can teach one another?"
Shaeda interjects, "very well, if it is conversation or a truce, than I am your girl. It may be that you are not our enemy, nor our target, so treat with me if you will. Let the first question be mine. What do you mean by having lived in this head for a while?"
When it turns to talking, Searok looks thoroughly disappointed!
Tronar appears to be caught off guard by the offer to parlay. And also finds it intriguing that the target is free with compliments.
"After you answer the lady's question, I am intrigued to learn what you think you want to learn from us and who your allegiance ultimately lays with?"
"I can answer both questions at once. The flesh you see before you is not my own, poor Togomor just happens to have me as a passenger, and has for many years. He's far from happy about it, but I can assure you as I have him that it's the best he can hope for; one does not become the vessel of a devil without a lifetime of bad decisions. Without me he would have found his way to hell ages ago, and if he thinks this is worse than that, he's sorely lacking in imagination. At least I allow him some periods of independence, to take care of the day-to-day stuff that mortals must endure. And that answers the question of my allegiance as well. You can rest assured, it isn't to the queen, not ultimately. She, like Togomor, is means to an end."
"Now I feel I am owed an answer from you. I fancy myself something of an expert puppeteer as you can see, but the strings Ileosa dances on are not my own. Every now and again I see something else looking out through her eyes. She is herself, far more independent than my host, and I can sense no magic controlling her, or even another mind in there as such. But I suspect something has grafted itself onto her, magnifying what traits the two of them share. You who oppose her, you must have some knowledge of this. Pray, tell me. If my suspicions are correct, my goals might align more with you than her."
Shaeda takes note of this information. "And you are her second in command, so it is interesting that you are willing to openly discuss changing sides, but I will take that as it is, for now." Shaeda considers the truthfulness of her next answer. "Yes, indeed, we have more than a suspicion. She has been imbued with the power and essence of the long dead dragon Kazavon. The melding of the dragon's lust for pride, greed, arrogance, and cruelty with her own has made her more powerful and loathsome than she would have been on her own." Now she ponders her own question back to the devli. "Tell me now then, what could motivate you to turn against Ileosa, and support our cause?"
"How can you aid us in defeating Ileosa?"
"How can we free poor Togomor of your control?"
[ as Shaeda asks her questions about freeing from a devil possession, Tronar also will fact check the answer
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"My, aren't we eager? Such a loaded and contradictory pack of questions. First you tell me that Ileosa is inhabited by the essence of one of the Midnight Lord's own heralds, a being that far dwarfs me in power. Then you ask for my aid in fighting such a being, which would almost certainly mean my destruction; I had a healthy fear of Ileosa's rage when I thought her to merely be the vessel for some demon or qlippoth. And then you throw in an implied threat by innocently inquiring about how best to banish me from my host. If I were feeling nasty, I could say the answer to all three questions is "Sod off"."
"But I can see that would be counterproductive. You have information I want, after all. So I will answer your three questions after a fashion."
"What could motivate me to turn against Ileosa? Technically nothing, she and I have an Infernal Contract, to violate it would be truly impossible for me. But I owe no such loyalty to the being inhabiting her, and I suspect that it does not intend to honor the spirit of our agreement. The queen plots something, and I am only the devil on ONE of her shoulders. I cannot raise a hand to her, but might be willing to help you thwart any of her plans that aren't specified in our agreement."
"How can I aid you? With what information I have, and with a means that might get you more. There are secrets in this castle, I cannot unearth them, but I know how YOU could. In fact, if you took the route here that I suspect you did, you may already have found the key."
"How can you free "poor" Togomor? You can't, but I can. And it's entirely possible that I must. A pity, he's been a fine vessel." He, or at least his projection, takes a moment to look out the window. "Columns of smoke, getting closer. Your infiltration of this fortress might not matter as much as you think. I mean that as both good news and bad news for you. Good news because I suspect your revolution is gaining steam out there. If the Gray Maidens can't stop them, this place won't be safe for me soon. Perhaps best to hide out on the ethereal plane until it's safe to emerge. I'd have to release Togomor for that. But I warn you, he's quite mad by this point. You may have the fun of fighting him after all, Friend Dwarf." He heaves a sigh. "And I was enjoying his singing voice so much, my own isn't nearly as pleasant. Anyway, the bad news. Perhaps an hour or two from now you will have softened Castle Korvosa's defenses from within, your rebels will arrive from without, and it'll all be over but the crying. But I must reiterate: Ileosa is plotting something. Something she keeps even from me. I get the creeping suspicion she doesn't care who wins, and that unnerves me."
"Now, I am entitled to three questions too. Answer them and I will do three things for you. I will tell you a story. I will give you a hint. And I will leave. Agreed?"
"Question one: Has Sabina betrayed us? With her organizing the rebels I can't see them failing to breach the castle, Ileosa put far too much faith in her infatuation, and told her too much. My best escape route will depend on whether or not I can expect her to have told the rebels the layout."
"Question two: Does Neolandus live? I was appointed the role of royal seneschal upon reports of his death. If he survived it may provide me with an out; I cannot be accused of failing to fulfill my duties if my post is illegitimate."
"Question three, and this is a bit of an open ended one. What do you suspect of the queen's plans? I find mortals often have the best perspective on other mortals' behavior."
Ziranu uses this time spent in dialog with the accursed possessing devil to further study his surroundings, and possibly discern any details, vulnerabilities or weaknesses, that may have not been thus far revealed. He also listens to the infernal creature itself, to understand its motives and its larger "truth" for engaging with them...
, +2 more if dealing with undead or dragons; +4 more if dealing with evil outsiders; +6 more if dealing with humans; and +7 more if trapfinding is applicable.
, +4 more if dealing with evil outsiders; +6 more if dealing with humans (at least one seems to apply here).
Whether its the vessel or the thing in the vessel, Searok doesn't care-he just wants to fight someone or something!
Ziranu figures the fiend is likely telling the truth, he does seem interested in making a getaway and most of the information he requests will aid with that. He likely has his own agenda, but dying isn't going to help him achieve it, so saving his own skin is likely paramount.
Caring little to nothing for the fate of “poor Togomor”, who mad or not, clearly signed an infernal contract with a devil, Ziranu waits no longer in answering the fiend’s questions, to force either its departure or its engagement in combat to end its accursed existence on the mortal plane…
”I do not speak wizh zhe sentiment of zhe priestess nor zhe curiosity of zhe wizard; I simply want bozh you and zhe usurper queen gone from my city. To your questions, devil: 1)Yes, Sabina has betrayed you and joined us, for zhe sake of zhis city; 2)Yes, Neolandus lives, rescued by our very hands; and 3) I suspect zhat zhe “queen” is no longer herself, and Sabina has said as much, and zhat whatever her plans once were, zhey have long-since also become zhose of Kazavon, zhe beast in true control of her zhinking…”
”Speak, if you honor your agreement – zhe story, zhe hint, and zhe end of your presence in my city…”
"Togomor" nods. "Very succinct. Alright, the story first."
"I am, as you might well assume, immortal, barring incidents. You are not, brief things that provide amusement for a time before going out like candle flames. Those of you lucky enough to be consigned to hell will find yourselves recycled for greater purpose, though you rarely appreciate that. Instead, many of you have devoted your lives to trying to extend them. The results are more often ironic than impressive."
"I've known a few to succeed though, and not merely through cheating like becoming undead (which is not true life) or reincarnating (which is not the SAME life), but actually transcending mortality. Aroden of course achieved the most famous way of doing this, via his claiming of the Starstone, which grants godhood, but was smart enough to hide it away in such a way that even the most powerful beings can't get to it without passing his mysterious tests."
"I have known one other person who found out how to live forever. And she was beautiful, and clever, and a queen of these lands, and my employer...and not Ileosa. Strange bit of irony, that, one could easily doubt it's a coincidence."
"No, I speak of the Runelord Sorshen of Thassilon, who reigned thousands of years before even Kazavon stalked Golarion, before even Earthfall. The Runelord of Lust they called her, but do not mistake her some mere demonic succubus, she was brilliant, and fierce, and wielded passion and fervor like a surgeon with a knife. Lust did not command her, she had command of it. And she was the ONLY Runelord of Lust, throughout all of Thassilon's history. A period of over 1200 years. They say all the Runelords had ways of escaping death, there was even an incident with Karzoug just last year so I'm told, but they mostly did so via trickery, Sorshen's immortality was so complete that I strongly suspect she's still around to this day."
"I was a minor member of her court, summoned for my skills at gathering history and lore. It was a cordial association, I knew she was too powerful a wizard for me to best, and too smart to give me any leeway, so I never attempted to doublecross her. She aged in those days, albeit so slowly that it would take an immortal like me to even notice, but it happened. So I was content to wait out my contract, gather the various poems and myths she asked of me, convinced that in due time age would take her and then I might have better luck manipulating the next Runelord of Lust. In the meantime I was able to observe her mind-manipulating magicks up close, which I eventually developed into my current skill with possession. But I suspect what she got from me was even more valuable."
"That song you heard me singing? It's not the original, but a bastardized cover version, updated over the centuries to reflect the times, the original pre-dates Aroden and his rock. It was in another tongue as well, one I could never interpret even with magical aid. But I gathered the scraps of it from tablets and pottery ancient even in those days, and brought them to Sorshen, who would have her courtiers sing it to her as best they could while she pondered its meaning. I've been singing it to myself in the hopes of gleaning some residual knowledge, even though I can't even recall how the original went. I know it was about life. I know it was about blood. I know it was about sacrifice. I know that Sorshen kept a number of vampires among her court and consulted with them often, though she never joined their number. I know she had some secret project that she was working on that was inspired by her interpretation of the lyrics, and that she called it "The Sunken Queen", possibly a self-deprecating joke about her aging."
"And I know she succeeded. One day the years I had seen accumulate on her face, however slowly, were gone. She never again aged a day. I desperately wished to discover her secret, immortality is perhaps the one thing above all else mortals will sell their soul for, they think they're clever and will never have to pay up by living forever, and don't read the fine print. But alas, I could get nothing from Sorshen, and feared her too much to push. As Earthfall approached she dismissed all but a few of her servants, including me, and I returned to hell defeated. When the dust had literally settled I returned, and have been skulking around this region for centuries, hoping to find some scrap of my former mistress's discovery. There was nothing."
Until Ileosa. Who, despite having the entire Plane of Air between her ears, somehow took an interest in and tracked down some of Sorshen's...intimate memoirs, and somehow took meaning from them that was entirely unrelated to the usual mortal pursuit of attempting to preserve one's bloodline via vigorous exchange of genetic material". He rolls his eyes. "She would encode it that way, she frigging WOULD. And naturally the last place any being who doesn't reproduce via copulation would bother to look. That ancient, cunning hussy."
As 'Togomor' drones on, Searok starts getting sleepy-eyed!
"Zhere is no coincidence here, devil, and zhat story confirms my response to your zhird question. We have seen zhe very moment Ileosa received zhat book - from Sabina's searches - zhrough Ileosa's own eyes. We spent a night zhese last monzhs in Kazavon's Castle Scarwall to gain zhe weapon zhat my companion wields. Zhat night, we all had zhe same haunted dreams - zhe first as zhough we were Kazavon, and zhe second as zhough we were Ileosa. Know zhis - even as she received zhe book from Sabina, zhe crown of Kazavon was upon her head, where she had already taken to sleeping wizh it. Even zhen, her mind was no longer her own..."
"So, do we think that somehow, some way, Ileosa's current situation is actually Sorshen's immortality again? Like Sorshen has inhabited her?"
"Having worked worked closely with both women, I can tell you that there's no comparison beyond the superficial. I see no signs that Ileosa is smarter or more wanton than before. Indeed, the traits she has acquired; a cold, calculating nature in particular, and a temperament more befitting Wrath or Pride than Lust, could not be further from the Runelord I knew. But they make perfect sense if she contains the soul of a dragon. Besides, if Sorshen is dead, I'll eat my familiar. I'd certainly have heard about it if she'd ended up in Hell at any point."
"No, I think that what remains of Kazavon's spirit is not content with its current half-existence. I think its desire to live again is driving her to seek immortality of her own. Somehow it found some knowledge in her mind that it was able to make use of to send her on her current quest. Gods know what that could have been, I've investigated the queen's personal habits as much as possible from before she acquired the Fangs that adorn her crown, and I doubt she acquired knowledge of Sorshen's secrets by reading Chellish fashion magazines and preening in front of every reflective surface she passed."
"No, I can find only one fact about her life Pre-Kazavon that demands further investigation: her boredom. She always found Korvosa to be a dull backwater, and took to wandering the castle and the vaults beneath it to pass the time. She seems to have had something of a knack for getting into places and puzzling out secrets; in another life she would have made a fine thief or Pathfinder. It's on one of these expeditions that she found the Fangs. I can only assume that on another she learned something related to Sorshen, though I doubt she recognized its significance at the time. Which brings me to the second thing I promised: a hint."
"As a possessing spirit, I naturally exist on the ethereal plane as much as this one. As such I can sense and interact with other such disembodied beings. One "lives" in this castle, though he always flees at my approach. So it took me a while to figure out who he is, or at least was in life. The king's dirty secret, the queen's patsy and first victim, the reason the scullery maids still travel in pairs and glance furtively around corners. And you know why? Because HE used to wander the depths of the castle too. I shouldn't wonder if he has some insight into what Ileosa knows and how she discovered it."
"Pity he won't tell me. Perhaps he'll tell you. You'll find him haunting the attic. But if you want to guarantee he'll talk, try reuniting him with his remains."
Shaeda scoffs at the mention of Pathfinders, "meddlers and murder-hobos, the lot of them," she observes. "What have you all to say," she asks of her companions.
Ziranu consider's 'Togomor's' words and Shaeda's question...
"I'd have to say zhat I zhink zhe devil speaks zhe truzh on zhis matter, Shaeda; zhe remains behind zhat poorly bricked-up burial vault in zhe basement were zhose of zhe king's deformed, half-fiend brozher, by zhe note of confession wizh zhe body. He admitted to helping Ileosa kill his 'brozher Eodred' wizh poisoned cards, but zhen called her zhe greater monster. We can easily backtrack and recover zhe remains to bring wizh us as we rise wizhin zhe castle, if zhat gains us intelligence on what zhe usurper queen knows.."
"So we need to get those remains bagged up, and then what? Haul them around until we find his ghost? What other aid is there t be had here, and what of the poor creature you inhabit? How are we ensured you will free him?"
Togomor spreads his hands magnanimously. "As I've said, you'll find him in the attic. Please don't exacerbate my already dim view of mortal mental capacity by making me explain that means you should go "Up". And he senses my presence and flees at my approach, so there is little help I can render beyond that."
"As for the "poor creature", I'll abandon him right now if you insist. There's an angry mob approaching and I'd rather not be living in his head if it's to be struck from its neck. The fact that Neolandus lives gives me enough of a loophole to fly the coop, hopefully without fear of reprisals below. Seneschal is an appointment for life, if he has his then he still has his title as well, and I do not. So I haven't broken my deal with Ileosa by departing. Is that your wish?"
“If you are so eager to abandon your host, Togomor, then let’s not waste time. We will retrieve the remains, and you can prove your worth by aiding us in any way you can—both in locating that ghost and in revealing what you know about Ileosa's plans. If you wish to escape, then do so after we’ve gained the knowledge we seek. I would rather have you with us than working against us.”
She turns to her companions, "Shall we then?"
Searok is snapped out of his mundane thoughts at the mention of an angry mob approaching. Angry at you or us? he says in anticipation.