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Nikma manages to counteract the energies despite being nearly overwhelmed by the stench. Immediately, the smell dissipates and you can take the rubbing at your leisure.
Moving into the next room, you see more igns of another battle fought long ago are in abundance: scorch marks cover walls made of uneven stone, slashes from blades and arrows scar the walls further in, preserved in this collapsed extraplanar demesne. The fighting here seems to have been much more intense than in the earlier chamber.
|
Thevenin finds another torn page in the rubble.
"Ooh! This page comes from the same journal of Alystair Caskwater. Written weeks later, this fragment details the travails of the same group from the first fragment as they hunted the mage across Shadow Kortos, tracking them to the dark reflection of the Uromaz Citadel. The last entry indicates that they planned to trap her within by collapsing the citadel above into a massive pile of rubble, kill her, and return to the Universe."
Thevenin frowns.
"That's not very nice."
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Thevenin picks up the diary page and stores it away.
Following the corridor, you enter a much larger chamber, its north wall filed with an enormous carved stone mural, this time of a great battle against a draconic foe. Depicted within the mural, a great many faces stand behind a singular individual, weapons raised as a dragon attacks. The hands raising weapons behind the hero are skeletal in nature, and their faces skulls. Stairs descend to the west, a sturdy door made of a black metal of some sort stands to the south, and a slim corridor exits to the east.
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Corelion walks up to the door and kicks it in, revealing the chamber beyond.
The first feeling that this room gives is the promise of home and light. The second is a palpable wave of dread, as a wave of negative energy flows into the chamber, pouring into the open sarcophagus at its center. Excess energy flows around like a foul wind, smelling faintly of ozone. In the distance, screams echo, or perhaps laughter? It's impossible to make out. A tattered and rotted body quickly rises from the sarcophagus, garbed in rotted and torn fabrics that may have once been a sign of nobility.
"Finally, I can feel that I'm freed from that accursed lich, and I believe I have you to thank. Sadly, the only gratitude I can offer is death. I need your strength to become my strength, so I can repay those who betrayed me!"
From an adjoining room, you hear the scuff of feet and another fell creature enters the room.
Alystair moves up to the front of the group and swings his greatsword, targetting both Nikma and Thevenin.
for plus Grotesque Gift (DC 18)
The sword connects with Thevenin and showers him with rancid flesh and rotten seaweed.
------------------
COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1
Tactical Map
Before your Turn:
DC 18 Fortitude Save vs Grotesque Gift: Thevenin
------------------
Those with ** may go
Alystair
**Nikma Odria - AC 19, 20/28 (Resist Cold 1)
**Thorn Goldenoak - AC 20, 28/43
Blue
Corelion - AC 21, 36/50
Thevenin Serkat - AC 18, 6/26
--------------------------------
CONDITIONS AND EFFECTS REFERENCE
--------------------------------
You are spattered with rancid flesh and rotting seaweed.
CS/S: Unaffected
F: Sickened 1
CF: Sickened 2
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I don't think we can allow you. But... I expect this to be interesting.
Nikma lingers on the last word as he sizes up their foe.
He then winds up with his bastard sword and hacks at Alystair.
You swiftly assess your prey and apply what you know. As part of the action used to Hunt your Prey, you can attempt a check to Recall Knowledge about your prey. When you critically succeed at identifying your hunted prey with Recall Knowledge, you note a weakness in the creature’s defenses. You and allies you tell gain a +1 circumstance bonus to your next attack roll against that prey. You can give bonuses from Monster Hunter only once per day against a particular creature.
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Thevenin shrugs off the disgusting stuff that Alystair splattered him with...
Nikma marks Alystair as prey and swings at him. Unfortunately, both swings go over Alystair's head.
"You obviously wouldn't have passed warrior training had you been part of my company."
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1
Tactical Map
------------------
Those with ** may go
Alystair
Nikma Odria - AC 19, 20/28 (Resist Cold 1)
**Thorn Goldenoak - AC 20, 28/43
Blue
Corelion - AC 21, 36/50
Thevenin Serkat - AC 18, 6/26
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Thorn shoots Alystair in the shoulder but his round only grazes him.
"A feeble shot. I took more serious wounds in training" Alystair scoffs before getting shoved back 10'.
The creature from the other room shambles up to the party and takes a swipe at Thevenin and Thorn.
for
Fortunately, the slash goes over their heads.
------------------
COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1
Tactical Map
------------------
Those with ** may go
Alystair (-3)
Nikma Odria - AC 19, 20/28 (Resist Cold 1)
Thorn Goldenoak - AC 20, 28/43
Blue
**Corelion - AC 21, 36/50
**Thevenin Serkat - AC 18, 6/26
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Thevenin heals Thorn. Meanwhile Corelion slashes his halberd at Blue and easily decapitates it in one stroke. Before succumbing, however, it levies a curse on the Spellsinger.
Alystair steps forward and swings at Nikma.
for plus Grotesque Gift (DC 18)
for
Nikma takes one slash and gets showered with rotting flesh and rancid seaweed.
------------------
COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 2
Tactical Map
Before your Turn:
DC 15 Will Save vs Mariner's Curse: Corelion
DC 18 Fortitude Save vs Grotesque Gift: Nikma
------------------
Those with ** may go
Alystair (-3)
**Nikma Odria - AC 19, 3/28 (Resist Cold 1)
**Thorn Goldenoak - AC 20, 40/43
**Corelion - AC 21, 36/50
**Thevenin Serkat - AC 18, 6/26
--------------------------------
CONDITIONS AND EFFECTS REFERENCE
--------------------------------
You are spattered with rancid flesh and rotting seaweed.
CS/S: Unaffected
F: Sickened 1
CF: Sickened 2
CS: Unaffected
S: Sickened 1; The curse ends if the target leaves the Netherworld or after 1 week passes.
F: The target becomes sickened 1 and can't reduce its sickened condition below 1 while the curse remains. The curse can be lifted by remove curse or similar magic. Whenever the target is sickened and on the water at least a mile from shore, it is also slowed 1.
CF: As F, but Sickened 2
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Thevenin heals Nikma but forgets to unwrap the bandaid before trying to slap it on themselves.
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 2
Tactical Map
Before your Turn:
DC 15 Will Save vs Mariner's Curse: Corelion
DC 18 Fortitude Save vs Grotesque Gift: Nikma
------------------
Those with ** may go
Alystair (-3)
**Nikma Odria - AC 19, 17/28 (Resist Cold 1)
**Thorn Goldenoak - AC 20, 40/43
**Corelion - AC 21, 36/50
Thevenin Serkat - AC 18, 6/26
--------------------------------
CONDITIONS AND EFFECTS REFERENCE
--------------------------------
You are spattered with rancid flesh and rotting seaweed.
CS/S: Unaffected
F: Sickened 1
CF: Sickened 2
CS: Unaffected
S: Sickened 1; The curse ends if the target leaves the Netherworld or after 1 week passes.
F: The target becomes sickened 1 and can't reduce its sickened condition below 1 while the curse remains. The curse can be lifted by remove curse or similar magic. Whenever the target is sickened and on the water at least a mile from shore, it is also slowed 1.
CF: As F, but Sickened 2
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Alystair roars in pain as Corelion hits with a massive swipe from his halberd.
------------------
COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 2
Tactical Map
Before your Turn:
DC 18 Fortitude Save vs Grotesque Gift: Nikma
------------------
Those with ** may go
Alystair (-25)
**Nikma Odria - AC 19, 17/28 (Resist Cold 1)
**Thorn Goldenoak - AC 20, 40/43
Corelion - AC 21, 36/50 (Sickened 1)
Thevenin Serkat - AC 18, 6/26
--------------------------------
CONDITIONS AND EFFECTS REFERENCE
--------------------------------
You are spattered with rancid flesh and rotting seaweed.
CS/S: Unaffected
F: Sickened 1
CF: Sickened 2
|
|
------------------
COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 2
Tactical Map
------------------
Those with ** may go
Alystair (-25)
Nikma Odria - AC 19, 17/28 (Resist Cold 1)
**Thorn Goldenoak - AC 20, 40/43
Corelion - AC 21, 36/50 (Sickened 1)
Thevenin Serkat - AC 18, 6/26
|
|
Thorn blasts Alystair twice and hits with both shots.
Alystair steps close and takes a swipe at both Thorn and Nikma with his greatsword.
for
Fortunately for the pair, Alystair's swing is so exaggerated that he overbalances and ends up whacking the wall, causing a shower of sparks.
------------------
COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 3
Tactical Map
------------------
Those with ** may go
Alystair (-43)
**Nikma Odria - AC 19, 17/28 (Resist Cold 1)
**Thorn Goldenoak - AC 20, 40/43
**Corelion - AC 21, 36/50 (Sickened 1)
**Thevenin Serkat - AC 18, 6/26
|
|
Alystair recoils from the sudden cold but manages to resist the worst of the damage. Thevenin backs away and summons a mystical shield.
------------------
COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 3
Tactical Map
------------------
Those with ** may go
Alystair (-45)
**Nikma Odria - AC 19, 17/28 (Resist Cold 1)
**Thorn Goldenoak - AC 20, 40/43
**Corelion - AC 21, 36/50 (Sickened 1)
Thevenin Serkat - AC 18, 6/26 (AC 19)
|
|
Corelion's halberd takes on a weird shade of green and appears nauseous, almost like it's about to vomit. Nevertheless, it still does considerable damage and removes Alystair's head.
As Alystair falls, the field of negative energy emanating from the cursed chamber bursts with an audible pop. The horde pounding at the wards falls to the ground, silent again, and the unnatural pressure in the air dissipates. Searching Alystair's sarcophagus, you find the final pages of Alystair’s journal sitting within. They are frenzied writings mentioning a double cross, that it was all to complete her soul cage. That she was drowning them one-by-one in a pool of blood and offal. It goes on to state the soon-to-be lich had already turned several of his allies into her undead servants once the pool drained them entirely of vitality. Alystair laments that, in the end, he was the one trapped. There is no more following that entry. The completed journal seems to tell of a futile pursuit of the mage who would become the lich Hekoz.
You move on to the adjoining chamber and find that this room bears the signs of a burial chamber, the family crest of a dagger across a lush and growing field adorning each of the 6 plots. The caskets have been pulled from their slots in the walls and tossed haphazardly to the ground. You find nothing remarkable here.
In the final chamber, the north wall has entirely collapsed. Covered in dust, the room looks to have seen little use, unlike the rest of the citadel, however, the way back from the Netherworld is gleaming like a bright tear in space.
Touching the tear in space, you are deposited at the top step of the walk down into the ruins of the original citadel they were to explore, your mounts patiently grazing nearby.
Now that the ruins have been rendered permanently safe, you can return and document the murals the way Ambrus Valsin originally intended if you'd like. Otherwise you can return to the Grand Lodge.
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Thevenin gleefully runs back into the ruins and takes a rubbing of anything he can find.
You return to the Pathfinder Society with the rubbings and the tales of your encounter with Alystair Caskwater. Ambrus Valsin takes your report and looks upon them with pride. He is almost beside himself with joy when he sees the rubbings and the three journal fragments. He's clearly happy that you overcame your unexpected trial.
Thanks for playing!
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|
As you check into the Lodge in Absalom, you spot the following message on the board:
"I need some agents to travel with me to the Shackles on an important mission that will affect the future of the Society in western Garund. I need people who aren't well-known as being Pathfinders, so you'll do. Meet me at the Glorious Payoff as soon as you can.
It is signed "Capt. Calisro Benarry" and has note of which pier the ship is docked at."
You proceed to the dock and await Capt. Benarry. While waiting, go ahead and introduce yourselves.
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Norbwald is an armored purple haired gnome. They look a bit disheveled and down on their luck, frequently drinking from a container wrapped in a old canvas bag.
"Call me Norbwald, I used to run an orphanage for aspiring fighter children in absalom, but ever since the new weight restrictions on the flickmace, business just hasn't been the same. The change literally killed me." jokes Norbwald nervously.
He'll offer a sip of his hidden beverage to anybody that's polite enough to listen.
|
|
Hmm. Captain Benarry seems as irreverent as the accounts of her would claim.
Nikma is expecting to mostly meet his recently companions as he approaches the dock. He first sees someone new.
Well met Norbwald. I'm Nikma, a monster hunter by trade.
A quiet, generally reserved man with a thin, gaunt face approaches the gnome. He wears a black cloak with the hood pulled up over his head, but still his wiry long black hair falls out of the front in an unkempt mess. A hefty bastard sword is slung over his back along with a longbow.