As the room darkens, Carmelia's vision shifts from full color to black and white. She feels the magic more than she sees it in that instant, threatening to lull her towards sleep. She glares at the ghost. "Not even going to talk now? Damn you!"
Dantes' jaw still looked slack. Carmelia knows that he could see in the dark, but the kuru and the shark? Doubtful.
Carmelia's spiritual weapon swivels and swings twice with its forceful work. Through its silent ethereal cutting, the witch begins chanting. It was simple but necessary. She'd do more soon, but her captain and crew had to see to be able to fight. With a touch, her shield begins to glow.
"Just stand behind me, Dantes," she says, hoping he could still understand her. "Gotta be a strong female, I guess."
At 1st level, a Sczarni executioner’s studied target bonuses and the DCs of his slayer abilities increase by 1 against humanoid opponents, but decrease by 1 against non-humanoid targets. This ability alters studied target.
Chumtooth continues his assault on the spirit, hoping to banish it to the afterlife for good.
plus ,
Zul (Trident): human bane, power attack, vital strike
[spoiler=Transmuting Strike]As an immediate action after a successful melee attack with the trident, Zul’s wielder can transmute the substance of the target creature into rigid coral. This attack deals 1d4 points of Dexterity damage and slows the target (as the spell) for 1 round as its flesh calcifies. A DC 16 Fortitude save negates the slow effect but not the ability damage. A target reduced to 0 Dexterity is permanently petrified, transformed into inert, mindless coral. Break enchantment or restoration reverses all of the effects of this calcification. This ability can be used up to 7 times per day.
Fort save
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The ghost weathers the assault on its person and looks irritated. Faengrim, you notice that Zul is having no calcifying effect. Carmelia's shield lights the area, but the tiny black particles stubbornly cling to everything in the room. The ghost reaches out to brush Carmelia with incorporeal fingers, its hand passing right through her armor. Carmelia is wracked with pain! Carmelia, you can make a DC 20 Fort save for half damage (26 points) and I need a Will save (DC 20).
STATUS
Dantes: Feebleminded
Ghost: -57 hp
Chumtooth: Fatigued
(Fort DC 20 halves)
Faengrim plunges Zul into the intangible ghostly form.
Zul (Trident): human bane, power attack, vital strike
Confirm Crit:
Breathing heavily, Chumtooth continues to press his attack on the angry spirit.
, plus ,
Carmelia shrieks at the assault, feeling like her body and soul are being wrenched from each other. A litany of curses erupts from her as she steps back out of the way.
Huffing and puffing, Carmelia opens a conduit to the positive energy plane and pumps healing energy into herself.
"You sonofab~*$&," she seethes. "I'm gonna kill you a second time."
It's a threat, but it's also--in its own way--an offer. Ghosts were stuck with unfinished business. All she had to go was figure out what that was and finish it. But the dumb dead person was too stubborn to talk, so threats it was.
,
Sure, Faengrim takes a swipe.
Zul (Trident): human bane, power attack, vital strike
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The ghost is clearly weakening, but it fights on. "Where is it?" it asks. "Do you have it?. Angrily, it grabs for Chumtooth this time. The captain feels the icy chill of death creep up his spine.
STATUS
Dantes: Feebleminded
Ghost: -95 hp
Chumtooth: Fatigued
(DC Fort save for half)
Nearly to the point of growling, Carmelia snaps her fingers to beckon her spiritual weapon to keep pace with the ghost while she backs up to stay just of its reach. But then it looks like it tries the same trick on Chumtooth that it did on her.
"Where is what? Do we have what? If you stopped trying to @#$%ing kill my friends, you'd find us willing to talk!"
Carmelia balls up her fist and her eyes flash different colors. She extends one long nail and draws a series of swift geometric shapes in the air. As she completes the shapes, she opens her palm, showing a rivulet of blood from a puncture on her hand, thrusting it and the collected spiritual energy out towards the possessed Chumtooth.
"Leave!" she commands, casting dispel magic.
The spectral sawtooth sabre hacks viciously into the ejected ghost.
---
Under normal circumstances, the witch would have let out an ecstatic cry of victory, but as it stands she feels drained. Carmelia had used some of her most powerful spells just to survive so far, and her wizard friend was clearly worse for the wear. They were all beat to hell. So she slumps against a wall.
"Dumb ghost," she reiterates in frustration. She looks at the others and shrugs. "It's probably not gone for good either. Ghosts usually aren't."
She rises up and walks over to Dantes, going into medical mode. "But Dantes..." She snaps her fingers around both ears and does a rapid, nonverbal cognitive test. Given his reactions , she sighs. "His reflexes are intact but he's not all there. I think he'll follow us, though."
Carmelia frowns. "Dumb ghost made our wizard dumb. And just when I think he was starting to take a shine to me, too. But don't worry, Dantes, we'll fix you up."
With a shrug, Carmelia defers to the captain. "I've got some ideas about how to help out our quartermaster, but we should probably get out of her first. Your orders, Captain?"
"I agree, Captain. A break in the explorations now would be good."
Chumtooth nods. "Dantes is not well. If there is magic that will heal his mind, then we should use it. We all could use rest after these battles, as well."
"All right. Back to safety, perhaps. The ship?"
Before they leave the room, Carmelia rifles around in her bag and pulls out a scrap of parchment. On this she scribbles a note in a fluid hand.
To the Unknown Stupid Ghost,
If you're reading this, it means you're back. Congratulations. But if you attack us again, I won't rest until I tear the fabric of your existence into millions of painful pieces. Let's try talking next time, savvy?
~The Witch that Destroyed You
She smiles, satisfied with herself, and stabs the note into some cracked mortar with a dagger lifted from the supplies upstairs.
"C'mon, Dantes. We've got a mind to fix."
---
Once back aboard the Kiss, Carmelia sequesters herself in her quarters with Hap and begins meditating with the spirits. There were so many on this island: friendly and unfriendly, useful, bloodthirsty, wary, skeptical, helpful...
The witch lights some incense in her room, letting that be the only glow in the darkness. (Hap also holds some sticks of incense in his tentacles, waving them this way and that.) Carmelia speaks an incantation in a tongue she does not understand, but has only memorized, full of hisses and harsh whispers. She pours out a small offering of gold coins into a dish, next to which she lays a vial of perfume and a ceremonial blade. After ten minutes of chanting, the offered items disappear into the ether and Carmelia knows that her gift has been accepted she can ask a question.
"What is the name of a mercane willing to sell a scroll of Heal to some pirates in need?"
She hears the name whispered in the back of her mind and smiles. A true name was a valuable thing indeed.
Chief Postal Inspector Omaln of Sayashto in Axis
United Scales Party leader Goambu of Yulgamot
Bertrus, a mercane managing the front of Emporium Isitalba in the Hellish city of Dis
The Tradecross Peddler, who roams Molthune alone
Ahrli, who manages the shop in Kintargo's Temple of Asmodeus
Zilvazaraat, trapped inside a ruby by a human wizard
"Honest" Jawb, seeking to buy souls in the Ethereal Plane's Veiled Bazaar
Big Blue, captain of the Curio
---
With the identity of a loyal mercane in mind, Carmelia blows out the incense and returns to her crew leaders. "Okay, we need some gold. Maybe some magic items we're not planning to use. Like the crap that the body was wearing. Mercanes are interplanar merchants--big blue fellows. We'll need an initial offering to ensure that the mercane sees us as willing to negotiate in good faith, and then we can haggle from there."
When the appropriate offerings are gathered, Carmelia begins another ritual, thus one on the deck of the ship, a much more ululating chant punctuated regularly with the name of the chosen mercane.
After dancing around for another ten minutes, invoking the spirits of commerce, Carmelia throws herself to the deck of the ship, kneeling down prostrate. "Answer me please, traveling merchant, that we may trade. I call you in the name of The Pirate Queen. I call you in the name of He Who Walks in Blood. I call you in the name of She Who Guides the Wind and the Waves. Come and be known to us, ᛗᛖᚱᚲᚺᚨᚾᛏ!"
Before leaving, Faengrim has a look around the room.
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Faengrim will find a number of items in the room, including a suit of elven chain mail that looks to be masterwork, a leather bag, a pair of leather gloves, a pot helm that looks to be masterwork, two vials of liquid, two scroll cases, a ruby-studded scepter, a silver tea set, a leather pouch containing a gold ring, two diamonds, three sapphires, eight fire opals, and 12 aquamarines, and a leather sack holding a large amount of mixed coinage. The body also wore a silk cloak with embedded threads of silver, a silver diadem, a small journal, and a hefty tome.
You have already determined that the silver diadem and the silk cloak are magical (the cloak bears abjuration magic). Subsequent examination reveals that the elven chain, leather bag, leather gloves, pot helm, vials of liquid, and scrolls are also magical.
Almost as soon as Carmelia finishes her spell, there is a crack of thunder and a great ship appears alongside the Kiss of Vengeance. According to the name on the bow, this is the Curio. Along her forecastle are a number of glaring faces, all well-armed and armored. A boarding plank is quickly extended and the captain of the ship, a ten-foot tall humanoid with multiple eyes and three-fingered hands steps across the gangway onto the deck of the Kiss, followed by two large red-skinned, horned humanoids armed with falchions.
"I am Big Blue," he says in a booming voice."You have called me to trade?"
An entire ship! Well, this was a surprise. She tries to think of whether she knew more about this particular mercane and the Curio. She stands and looks up at the mercane, confident but respectful.
"I have, Big Blue. Thank you for answering the call. Our quartermaster wizard has been feebleminded. The magic to Heal his mind is currently beyond my ken, and so I seek a scroll of the spell. We have gold. We have gems. We have magical items. If you have or can acquire such a scroll, then we would like to purchase it from you."
A more permanent trading relationship would also be desired, especially if they were weeks out at any given time from a port of call with reasonable stores, but that sort of thing could be hammered out after the initial deal.
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Before summoning Big Blue, you are able to determine that the cloak is a +2 cloak of resistance, the chain is elven chain +1, the helm is a helm of comprehend languages and read magic, the vials are an oil of magic weapon and a potion of lesser restoration and the scrolls are control water and displacement. You are unable to identify the leather bag or the gloves.
You expect that the scepter would bring 400 gp on the open market, the silver tea set 75 gp, and the gold ring (which is not magical) 50 gp. The diamonds are worth 500 gp each, the sapphires are 250 gp each, the fire opals are worth 100 gp each, the aquamarines are worth 50 gp each, and a count of the coinage yields 1,754 gp, 2,319 sp, and 6,438 cp.
You have heard that Big Blue, in particular, is a shrewd but fair trader and true to his word. He cares little for gems or coinage but is very interested in collecting magical items that can enhance his vessel.
Bug Blue considers for a moment, then strokes his chin. "Yes, I believe that I have such a scroll in my possession. I would be willing to trade it for something of equal value."
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Blue takes the objects and looks each over with a careful eye. "This bag is enchanted to hold a fair amount of weight, yet remain as though nearly empty (). These gloves will aid one in swimming and climbing (). The journal is written in a language that I do not recognize, though based on the Cyclops tongue." He peruses the larger tome thoughtfully for a moment.
"This is a spellbook," he says at last. Taking up the diadem, he considers it carefully. "Ah, a true treasure. This little gem will enhance the intellect and personality of those who wear it (). No charge for the journal or the spellbook." He returns the items to the party.
Chumtooth accepts the items from Blue and nods to Dantes, as ship's treasurer, to pay him the agreed upon price.
"A fair trade," he says, nodding to the otherworldly being. He then turns to the rest of the crew and asks, "Does anyone else have any other business before Blue goes on his way?"
Carmelia grins as the wheeling and dealing continues. As things appear to be moving to a close, she steps forward once more. Assassins were often apt negotiators, and the Red Mantis had trained her to always seek good deals.
"Thank you, Big Blue, for your wares and knowledge both. With your help, we'll surely be able to get our wizard back in casting shape." She genuflects and then comes back up. Always butter them up first.
"I would never dream of asking for anything foolish like exclusivity, but I wonder if we might have permission to contact you going forward if we find another cache of useful items to trade. The ritual I used it not inexpensive. So if I have your dispensation to contact you directly, say through a Sending spell, to coordinate future transactions, that would be greatly appreciated. I have a feeling that we're going to find...near-incalculable treasures in our work."
"A fair trade," he says, nodding to the otherworldly being. He then turns to the rest of the crew and asks, "Does anyone else have any other business before Blue goes on his way?"
In response to his leader's question, Dantes takes the shiny rock he's been examining and clutches it close to his chest, not wanting to give it up. He does lift a hand to wipe a bit of drool away from his beard.
To have any chance of activating a scroll spell, the scroll user must meet the following requirements.
If the user meets all the requirements noted above, and her caster level is at least equal to the spell's caster level, she can automatically activate the spell without a check. If she meets all three requirements but her own caster level is lower than the scroll spell's caster level, then she has to make a caster level check (DC = scroll's caster level + 1) ) to cast the spell successfully. If she fails, she must make a DC 5 Wisdom check to avoid a mishap (see Scroll Mishaps). A natural roll of 1 always fails, whatever the modifiers. Activating a scroll is a standard action (or the spell's casting time, whichever is longer) and it provokes attacks of opportunity exactly as casting a spell does.
"I look forward to a productive business relationship," the sea witch says. She unfurls the scroll and looks it over, invoking her magic reading orison to give her rapid understanding. "If you don't mind, I'll use this now. Our resident wizard might have some questions."
With little aplomb, Carmelia lets the magic contained within the scroll serve. She wasn't used to this sort of stuff, but she didn't have to read off several feet of velum like an auctioneer at market. There were just a few choice phrases and motions to activate what someone else had already done, and...
A pulse of positive energy arcs from the scroll, singeing a nearby sail and threatening to slice the crow's nest off of the Kiss altogether. Carmelia's eyes widen and she clears her throat. "One moment..."
Never let them see you sweat.
The changeling's hand glows with her own bundle of positive energy and she reaches up gently to wrench the wayward beam from spilling out ineffectually.
There are altogether too many eyes watching her after her initial failure. She checks the scroll again, making sure that she has the pronunciation and hand motions correct.
Oh. That was what she had done wrong. With a shake of her head, Carmelia reiterates the spell, subtly changing her inflection. Her hand blossoms with golden light, which she immediately places on Dantes' chest.
Heal...It immediately ends any and all of the following adverse conditions affecting the target: ability damage, blinded, confused, dazed, dazzled, deafened, diseased, exhausted, fatigued, feebleminded, insanity, nauseated, poisoned, sickened, and stunned. It also cures 10 hit points of damage per level of the caster, to a maximum of 150 points at 15th level.
Carmelia's lungs loosen for the first time in a couple of hours and she sighs out through a clenched jaw. "Well, quartermaster: how do you feel?"
Watching Carmelia cast the mind-healing spell on Dantes, Chumtooth realizes that he had grown so accustomed to having the wizard handle all the financial transactions for the crew, that he defaulted to that habit, despite the fact that the entire reason Carmelia summoned Blue in the first place was to purchase magic to heal Dantes' mind.
The Kuru didn't really have a notion of realizing one's own stupid statement after the fact. If you said something stupid, and no one called you on it, it was not a stupid statement. If someone did call you on it, depending on the level of insult used, it could result in a fight to the death. Thus, it was more commonly the stronger calling out the weaker, and only rarely the opposite.
Nevertheless, Chumtooth had spent enough of his life among the outsiders to develop a rudimentary sense of introspection. If his dark complexion could have revealed the blush generated by his own obliviousness, he would have resembled a freshly boiled lobster.
Dantes jerks upright when the spell restores him.
"By the gods! That was the worst torture I could imagine! To be addled like that... Trapped in that veil of witlessness." He clasps Carmelia's hands. "Thank you! Thank you a thousand times!"
"Carmelia's magic proved stronger than that of the spirit. Her mind was not clouded by it," Chumtooth says, giving the Shaman a nod of respect. "While she was able to resist it. The rest of us will need to strengthen our minds, or it may happen again."
Carmelia lavishes in the praise, too proud to pretend to be humble. She's also keenly aware that the Captain is all too correct. They'd need to take precautions to avoid something like that happening again. Carmelia was strong, and so were the others, but this wasn't a ship race or the infiltration of an assassination ring.
And based on Dantes' reaction, she certainly didn't want to go through something like that herself.
"We will," she says. "But I think a bit of rest will be a good idea before we head back into the fort. I've used most of my best spells. And I think we have a better sense of what we're dealing with now to prepare for what's next."
---
Chumtooth stands patiently as Carmelia and Dantes work their incantations and rituals upon him, Faengrim and themselves.
When it appears they have finished, he asks, "What will your magic do against the spirit?"
Carmelia grins as Chumtooth asks his question. "Well," she begins, her voice gleaming with an air of self-importance, "First we should probably ask Dantes what he knows about those sorts of things, since his mind was fractured before he could tell us. Specters are not my particular area of expertise so much as extraplanar types." She shrugs before drawing attention back to herself. "But you remember that mantis I summoned yesterday? I can do a whole lot more of that to tear things apart. Whether it has a body or not, everything is susceptible to pure spiritual force. But as for you lot..."
Carmelia clicks her long, sharp fingernails together. "I'll try to protect everyone's minds from their wicked tricks, but it's much more fun to help you cut into them. There are a few tricks that try to stop spirits, but they don't always work. No, my captain: I have a tremendous spell today that harnesses raw emotion and weaves it into a shroud of hardened ectoplasm around a weapon. It will allow you to strike a spirit as if they were as flesh and blood as you or I. For you and Faengrim, I think...yes, I could infuse raw fear into your weapons so that you can menace our foes even more effectively. Give the ghosts something to fear." She pauses and swivels her wrist around. "It's versatile, though. Anger, despair, hatred, jealousy, zeal...almost any strong emotion can be cultivated from the ether."
Shaman Spells Prepared
4th (4): spirit-bound blade (2), spiritual ally, wall of ice/spiritual ally
3rd (5): bestow curse, dispel magic, stone shape, call lightning, water breathing/create food and water
2nd (5): spiritual weapon (2), suppress charms and compulsions, visualization of the mind, slipstream/shield other
1st (7): bless, protection from evil (2), remove fear, tears to wine, unbreakable heart, hydraulic push/bless
0th (4): detect magic, guidance, light, read magic
Chumtooth, Dantes, & Faengrim
Chumtooth
Carmelia
Knowledge (religion)
"Spectre, eh? That makes sense."
He shakes his head. "My thoughts are still a bit hazy."
"Well I kept asking him what he wanted and he plum refused to talk. How're we supposed to figure him out if he won't talk?"
Carmelia looks terrifically frustrated by Dantes' revelations.
"Yes." Faengrim's sharky teeth all show. "I'd like to give them something to fear."
"Let us do what we can to destroy the spirit, or drive it away," Chumtooth says. "I am ready to fight it, if the rest of you are."
With her senses fully attuned, Carmelia leads the way forward to where they had encountered the ghost the day before. There was no guarantee that they would face it again today, but they might as well try.
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The party treks back to the dungeon where they found the body and the ghost. The body remains, but there is no sign of the ghost. The door on the far side opens into a short corridor that twists to the west, ending at a dead end. After a quick search, the expected secret door is found and opened. Collapsed rubble fills this dusty cellar, spilling from the east and northwest walls. Dozens of pale quartz crystals lie scattered among the rocks, and several more decorate the perimeter of the room. A single carved column supports the twenty-foot-high ceiling overhead. A stairwell goes up on the south wall. To the east is a passage blocked by rubble. It looks as though it would take some time to clear. Dantes can plainly tell that excavation risks further collapse and that it would take a trained engineer to oversee the removal of the debris.
As you enter the room, the ghost materializes from the central pillar and says,m "Do you have it?"
”Do we have what, Spirit?” Chumtooth replies, steel in his voice.
Carmelia begins clicking her claws together as Chumtooth asks the same question that she has on her mind. "What he said," Carmelia reiterates, leaning against a different pillar. "Let's not have a repeat of yesterday's debacle."