The two Luisilas move in and touch Marta on either shoulder, instilling greater luck in her, as Qadathra plays a lovely joke on the ice devil.
The addition of the greasy layer to the ice covering everything takes the devil by surprise, and it drops into its back.
The hound at the bottom of the pit bays in frustration.
Vladek
Aegis {grappling Keel}
Myrdon {casting}
Marta
Fendahl / Kirrah {mounted}
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Keel [-17hp] {grappled}
Ice Devil [-24hp] {prone}
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Qadathra
Luisila
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Green Hound {pit 1/12} [-20hp]
Yellow Hound {unconscious/bleeding} [-136hp]
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Marta moves up next to the devil and takes advantage of the prone position to deliver a stunning blow to it.
Blessing of fervor: +2 bonus on attack rolls and a +2 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves.
Swift action to grant bane vs. devils
Expending a use of stunning fist to try and stun it
If a hit connects and Marta makes her intimidate check it will cause the opponent to be shaken for as many rounds as non-lethal damage, provided non-lethal damage works on it because of the Enforcer feat. A second hit will cause the opponent to be sickened due to the Cruel enchantment on her Amulet of Mighty Fists.
+22/5d6+22 Unarmed Strike [crit x2; b] (+9[BAB] +4[str] +2[GMW] +2[heroism] +2[bane] +3[divine favor] +1[prayer] +2[blessing of fervor] -3[pwa] / 1d6 +1d6[corrosive] +2d6[bane] +1d6[merciful] +8[str/drfer] +2[GMW] +3[divine favor] +1[prayer] +2[bane] +6[pwa])
- (DC 23 fort ST or stunned)
- (DC 23 fort ST or stunned)
- ; (non-lethal, last d6 is acid damage)
- (-2 if no Halo bonus)
- (-2 if no Halo bonus)
Note: Intimidate 34 = 29 +2[heroism] +2[halo] +1[prayer]
DC 10 + the target’s Hit Dice + the target’s Wisdom modifier
Marta carefully steps up on the ice, and delivers a haymaker to the prone devil. She sees the devil's eyes unfocus as the blow rattles its brains.
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After dropping the hound, Fendahl looks over to Keel then the prone devil.
”I am not sure which still has the potential for greater treachery.“
Seeing the devil seems mostly in check he urges Kirrah towards Keel (or is it Kell?)
”Hrrmm. It appears you may have chosen the wrong ally in this case. Yield and do not move lest we be required to use force. “
They will both ready to strike if he attacks or moves.
Fendahl
for
.
Kirrah stares at the man, waiting for him to move.
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Brought low by a legion of soap bubbles with tiny smiling faces, face-stomped by an Aaasimar, what further indignities could possibly await thi-
Oh, yes...that. How the mighty have fallen.
Vladek is not satisfied, though, as he compounds both insult and injury upon the devil with his hallmark Ourobouros Curse!
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Myrdon finally completes his spell and as he gestures into the room, elf-life humanoids appear in the room, wielding glowing scimitars. "Destroy the evil!" Mydron calls out quite dramatically, somewhat marred by him being invisible and hence missing the flourish that accompanied the call. They quickly close in on the fallen ice devil and start hacking away with their scimitars.
As for Mydron, seeing how well the team has been in taking down the opposition, decides to dismiss his invisibility for now. He flies into the room cautiously, focusing on Keel, or whoever he is. He points at him and simply says, "සිනාසෙන්න!"
A gate opens up and three azatas appear; without even needing to be told, they immediately begin hacking at the devil with their swords, one of them finding a gap in the gelugon's icy armor.
Moving in, Myrdon casts a spell at Keel; for a moment it seems that the man is unaffected, but he suddenly falls limp, rolling and laughing uncontrollably in Aegis' grip. The bird drops him to the ground and continues biting and clawing him, ending with the man once more firmly grasped.
Keel visibly attempts to gain control of himself, but fails to do so.
Surrounded by azatas and an aasimar, the devil teleports away.
With "Keel" unable to resist, you quickly subdue him and remove his weapons and gear; when you remove his magical headband, it becomes a tight-fitting cap and he changes form to become a somewhat shorter, much less well-dressed man.
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Blessing of fervor: extra attack
bane vs. devils
swift action to change judgment from protection to smiting so she can bypass DR
A hit will cause the opponent to be sickened due to the Cruel enchantment on her Amulet of Mighty Fists.
Target is prone for a -4 AC.
+20/5d6+22 Unarmed Strike [crit x2; b] (+9[BAB] +4[str] +2[GMW] +2[heroism] +2[bane] +3[divine favor] +1[prayer] -3[pwa] / 1d6 +1d6[corrosive] +2d6[bane] +1d6[merciful] +8/6/6/6[str/drfer] +2[GMW] +3[divine favor] +1[prayer] +2[bane] +6[pwa])
-
- ; (non-lethal, last d6 is acid damage)
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- ; (non-lethal, last d6 is acid damage)
-
- ; (non-lethal)
-
- ; (non-lethal, last d6 is acid damage)
-
- ; (non-lethal, last d6 is acid damage)
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Myrdon sighs in disappointement when the devil teleports away / is destroyed by Marta before his summons have the chance to attack further. He calls for Aegis to stop its attack while still holding the Keel-pretender in hand (talon?). At the same time, he directs the azatas to fly above the pit and rain arrows of death down upon the hound.
He then turns his attention to the magical items on the man.
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“Does Keel own a piano? I was going to drop one down the pit onto Fido before Myrdon’s bralani finish him off.”
Luisila gathers Marta and Aegis, takes their hand/wing and sinks to her knees to pray. “Beloved Calistria, witness our work in honor of Vengeance this day.”
“You already know I will destroy all items dedicated to the Prince of Lies before I leave this place, and free The Tyrant’s slaves.”
“Did you kill the devil, Marta? Good.”
She then ✨casts detect magic and guidance and attempts to aid Myrdon and Vladek’s spellcrafting.
“What’s the G-O with the ring on his hand? Is it a bonded item? Can we just cut off his finger to get it?”
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Myrdon assesses "Keel's" magic items. The ring that is stuck defies his examination, but he figures everything else out. Luisila tries to identify the other ring, but she can't figure it out either.
* +2 chain shirt
* +1 human bane dagger
* Amulet of natural armor +1
* Belt of incredible DEX +2
* Cloak of resistance +1
* Ring of protection +1
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“Not much very interesting loot-wise. Can you work out what the stuck ring is, Vladek? Could it be held on with sovereign glue?”
Luisila shakes her head once the Sylvan Sorcerer identifies the dagger. “So he stabbed Aegis with a human bane dagger? It certainly wasn’t his day.”
She studies the captive more closely, but doesn’t interrupt Fendahl’s interrogation, except to casually mention to the others, “We need to find the other half of the glyph, right? And I suppose we should search the rest of the house for clues, slaves and phat lewtz.”
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Myrdon sends Aegis to guard the main door to manor and to call out should anyone approach. He then turns back to the interrogation. "A human-bane dagger? You don't say." Myrdon takes the weapon over from Luisila."Are you sure? Maybe I should test it, just in case." He then turns to face the tied up human man with a innocent grin on his face.
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After pummelling the ice devil into submission and breaking off a bone fragment (they always seem to have sharp pointy bony protrusions), Marta approaches maybe-Keel.
"As I said, Perhaps you should be more afraid of us."
Marta takes the pointy bone fragment and scrapes it along keels throat menacingly.
"The Pathfinders Society has a VERY long reach, some say it extends even to hell, so there is no where for you to hide. I want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing BUT the truth, and I WILL know if you are lying. That is what I do."
Marta readies an action to fire up her DC 22 detect lies as soon it begins to talk.
"So, who are you, really, where is Keel, and what are you doing here."
Vladek examines the stuck ring, and recognizes it as a "Ring of the Binding Word", a powerful ring that bears an engraving in Infernal that serves as reminder to the wearer of a pact made with a devil. The ring may only be crafted in the presence of a devil while a mortal enters into a contract with it. During forging, the ring creates a telepathic bond between the devil and mortal as per the spell. Additionally, once per day, the wearer or the devil may activate the ring to utilize greater teleport with the restriction that the wearer teleport only to the devil’s side. If the terms of the contract are met or either the mortal or devil are killed, the ring reverts to a mundane piece of jewelry. The mortal may not remove a ring of the binding word while it remains enchanted.
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Once the man who had been masquerading as Keel finally stops laughing, he starts sobbing instead. "Please, don't kill me! I'll tell you everything. I'm a hired assassin, and like many people in Cheliax I made a deal with a devil to help me in my career. Xerazrix agreed to see to it that I became successful and notorious in exchange for a future favor."
"Three days ago, I was hired by a man named Hestram to assassinate this man Keel. After I did, Xerazrix came to me and forced me to impersonate Keel while he worked on usurping a rival's influence here in Corentyn. Once he was done, I would be freed of my binding. But now you've interrupted that, and I am stuck with my bargain still."
"If you have any way of getting me out of this, I'll be indebted to you! If not, then tomorrow Xerazrix will be able to summon me again."
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“First off where is Keel’s body, any treasure/traps in the house and are there anymore slaves apart from the Majordomo and the gardeners? We are also interested in a stone block displaying half a glyph.”
Luisila closes her eyes in revulsion at the man’s story – though subconsciously she is not really surprised. “Despite what you’ve done, I am not into seeing anyone damned.”
“I honestly don’t know if we can help you or not. The time frame is pretty tight.”
She thinks for a while before turning to Vladek. “Would you know if break enchantment might work?”
“Another possibility involves the exact wording of the contract. Are you really ‘successful and notorious?’ I don’t recognize you. Those words could be twisted fairly easily by a half-decent contract attorney I would have thought. Maybe you need to consult with one?”
“Another option involves the Ice Devil’s rival. Who is it? Is it possible you can undermine him anyway with Tall, Blue and Frosty banished to the Pit?”
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"Well, there is one sure way to stop that, isn't there?" Myrdon continues holding up the dagger. "I mean, a life for a life and all that." After pausing long enough for dramatic effect, he continues, "But let's see what other options we have, shouldn't we?"
Turning to the rest of the team, Myrdon continues, "We need to let Keel's ... employees be aware of the situation. And at the very least, let them know that they are now free."
“First off where is Keel’s body,
Soth turns a little pale at this question, and looks over to the fireplace, where you realize there are chunks of ice that may have various body parts and organ in them.
any treasure/traps in the house
"Not that I know of, I've just been living here pretending to be Keel."
and are there anymore slaves apart from the Majordomo and the gardeners?
"As far as I know, just those plus the kitchen staff."
We are also interested in a stone block displaying half a glyph.”
He shakes his head. "I have not seen such a thing."
“Another possibility involves the exact wording of the contract. Are you really ‘successful and notorious?’
"Oh, quite. I went overnight from a nobody to someone that gets contacted for major jobs. Xerazrix did exactly what he said he would."
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"So, when you say he needs to die, what exactly do you mean by that? I can obviously execute him right here and now, though he will probably just relocate to hell if I do that and I suspect that won't help you. And as you are an assassin, I'm not sure I want to. So that leaves you with a different choice. We can let you live to face justice with the hope that you can escape and renegotiate with 'Tall, Blue and Frosty'."
Marta chuckles at that and salutes Luisilla.
"Or we could just execute you now for assassinating Keel. Tough decision. Care to help me make the right one?"
Soth hangs his head and merely responds, "I am at your mercy."
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“Let’s bring Soth with us for the moment. Maybe there’s something in the house that can help him or VC Eliza might have an idea?”
Luisila drums her fingers against an expensive tabletop. “We should also return the Late Eddington Keel’s remains to her. But first let’s search the house for clues and loot together. The house slaves need to be told they are free, and informed we can take them to Galt if they want to go.”
“We also need that stone with the half-glyph of the open road on it, don’t we?”
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Fendahl will nod.
Hrrmm. Well, we have some closure. For his dishonorable behavior, he certainly deserves Final Blade. However, I will defer to the justice the rest of you deem fitting.
He will cast detect magic and scan the room for any other magic auras.
Thereafter, Fendahl gathers up his items (he will offer to stow anything of the items nobody else wants to carry, but otherwise does not equip them).
Kirrah, come!
Leaving the bound Soth, he will return to the hallway.
Marta, wisdom suggests working together for the time, unless some urgency demands separating into smaller teams.
Shall we check these two doors first?
in hall/doors.
PARLOR
This room appears to serve as both a parlor and as a dining room. The lavish decor features relics from across Golarion, including a mounted howler head, a display case of scrimshaw knife handles, and an antiquated, framed map of the now-lost kingdom of Lirgen in the modern-day Sodden Lands. Unlocked doors lead to the foyer, kitchen, and library.
LIBRARY
Ceiling-high bookshelves line the walls and several rows of lower shelves take up half of the center of the room. Lush couches provide a comfortable place for readers to lounge, while several reading tables stand empty but inviting for eager researchers. Lamps employ flameless torches, illuminating the room in bright, even light. A stylized portrait of a tall, dark-haired man with thick, slanted eyebrows and a slightly crooked nose hangs on the wall over an unlit fireplace. The portrait is most like of Keel, as it resembles the disguise Soth was using.
KITCHEN
This large kitchen looks as though it was built to feed an army amid an ongoing siege. Several closets and a well-stocked larder adjoin the kitchen proper, but contain little of value aside from linens, scullery supplies, and other household miscellany. The larder also contains two halfling-sized cots with threadbare blankets and stained, limp pillows. Three halflings peel potatoes and scrub pots in scalding water, and one stands on her toes, stirring a pot on a stove clearly not designed for cooks of her height.
GUEST CHAMBERS
Two unlocked doors on the south side of the upper floor’s main hallway lead to the estate’s guest chambers. The rooms are essentially identical, each containing a bed, dresser, and a table with reading chairs. They appear to have been unused for several weeks.
MASTER BEDROOM
A sheet of ice covers the floor of the opulent bedchamber, various chunks of frozen debris litter the area, and the walls drip with layers of glittering rime. Soft, faint light through the frost-covered windows accentuates icicles dripping from a canopy bed. Your breath condenses before your eyes and hangs in the air momentarily before dissipating. An ornate fireplace occupies the east wall, and burns with cold, blue fire. On the opposite wall, you can barely discern the shape of floor–to-ceiling bookshelves under the thick frost that has transformed the room into an ice cave. A desk and several salon couches lay overturned in the middle of the floor.
Luisila discovers Keel's journal in a false-bottomed drawer of his desk. Several pages stand out, as does a note slipped in between several blank pages at the end.
Adril came to visit today, and quite unexpectedly. He seems to be using the Maze of the Open Road quite a bit these days. He inquired a lot about my defenses here, saying that he had heard rumblings of impending threats. I assured him that I am very safe here, and he seemed glad to know what protections I have implemented. I got a sense that he knew of my relationship with Kyalla, or at least of my portal to her camp in the Mwangi. He can be trusted with the information, I’m sure, but I nonetheless would have preferred he not know. I don’t think he knows either of us sits among the Ten, though. That, at least, is a relief.
My silent partner in this lucrative slaving operation has brought some harrowing news to my attention. It seems the Hellknight guards overseeing the Slave Quarter report that many of the slaves—slips especially—are moving ever closer to revolt. He indicated that they might be so near the verge of rioting that a simple word of encouragement from those blasted Eagle Knight meddlers would give them the confidence to throw off their chains. Hopefully none of those anarchic bird worshipers will hear of this, though, so morale among our property will return to its normal level of subservience.
We have been apart far too long, and I am sorry that I must maintain the illusion that I feel no love for you. Were anyone to uncover our secret affair, there would be dire consequences for both of us. Know, however, that we will one day find a solution to this problem and be together forever after.
Until that time, keep me ever close to your heart and pray for Shelyn’s blessings. I shall, of course, do the same. With a love longer lasting than the ruins of Ancient Azlant,
I am forever yours.
Kyalla
Additionally, Luisila discovers a secret chamber behind the bed containing a portrait of a fair-haired Taldan woman in a crushed velvet dress, a braid of her hair resting on the frame, and a gold ring with the name “Kyalla” inscribed along the inside hanging from the wall on a thin silver chain. Worked into the carving of the frame is a Glyph of the Open Road.
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"A member of the Decemvirate? I assume this Kyalla is too. I wonder if all the names on our lists are Decemvirates. One things for sure, Helstram does seem to have continued his rampage here too."
Marta stares at the portrait as if memorizing it and casts detect magic on it, the ring, the chain, and the frame.
"I wonder what slave quarter Keel's referring to. I'd love the opportunity to incite that revolt before we go to Mwangi. we can find that portal he mentioned."
The picture frame radiates a strong conjuration (teleportation) aura.
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Hrmm. That is a reasonable hypothesis. Since we have not apparently found the missing piece of the glyph, that is possible. Or there are two such glyphs.
He pauses as he scratches his chin as to ponder the implications of Marta's guesswork.
I wonder if Hestram knew about this other gate and used it to reach the Kyalla. And if she is complicit with the slave trade and Hestram had other motives than we thought? Neither side seems to be acting honorably is all I am certain.
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Marta sighs and responds,
"It does seem like we are caught up in the middle of something unsavory, doesn't it. should we revive the devil and question it? Unfortunately it will probably just use the opportunity to return to hell if we do and I don't have any way of stopping it. If not, I'm going to execute it before it wakes up."