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"Let's consider the clues again," says Sir Terramor.
"One: ' A broken sword is reborn in knight-saving blood so that Absalom might withstand evil'. This refers to to the sixth, ninth and seventh Acts. Thus the code is 6-9-7-blank."
"Two: 'Inspired by her courage by fight of the righteous, the Black Prince was judged in the Halls of Aroden'. These seem to be the fourth and eighth Acts. So maybe blank-4-8-blank or 4-8-blank-blank?"
"Third: 'By escaping the wound, her royal servants helped her slay the King of the Barrowood, ascending her to godhood'. I think the first part refers to the wound of Nakorshor’mond. This would mean that the clues refer to the first, third and eleventh Acts, for a code of 1 -3-11."
"Fourth: 'Because of The Battle of Three Sorrows, the cities of Eleder and Kantaria prospered with freedom and wealth'. These refer to the fifth, second and tenth Acts, producing 5-2-10."
"With your permission," says the knight, stepping to the door and entering the codes 6-9-7-blank, 4-8-blank-blank, 1-3-1-1 and 5-2-1-0.
He places his hand on the lever. "I suggest you all back up," he says. When they have done so, he flips the switch.
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Both Oswin and Cairo identify the prism on the wall.
Ghalcor’s weapon is powerless without a reliable source of holy energy, so the ingenious cleric designed a rudimentary battery capable of storing the essence of good for later use. A sacred prisms that’s fully charged contains 8 charges, though most contain fewer. A PC can learn the following by examining a sacred prism with a successful DC 20 Craft (alchemy, planes, or religion) or Spellcraft check.
In addition to its use as a battery, a PC can use a sacred prism to augment spells he casts with the good descriptor, expending 2 charges to increase the spell’s caster level by 1, 4 charges to increase the caster level by 2, or 8 charges to increase the caster level by 3. A PC can also throw a prism as a splash weapon that destroys the prism and replicates a holy smite spell (Will DC 16) with a caster level equal to the number of remaining charges.
A PC can recharge a prism in several ways. The prism absorbs spells with the good descriptor cast directly at it, regaining a number of charges equal to the spell’s level. When affected by a channel energy effect augmented by the Alignment Channel feat to harm evil outsiders or heal good outsiders, a prism regains a number of charges equal to the number of dice the PC would roll for the effect. Finally, a good-aligned creature can grasp a prism and concentrate as a full-round action to restore 1d4 charges, though doing so also gives the PC 1 temporary negative level for 24 hours. Prisms cannot hold more than 8 charges.
The prism on the wall currently contains 4 charges, the on in the previous room has 2 charges.
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Once Cairo and Oswin remove the two prisms from their sockets in the wall, the door in front of Faraz opens.
Two long countertops and a workbench occupy this workshop. The work surfaces are covered with religious symbols, quills, broken glass, and small metal components as well as with dusty alchemical supplies that have not seen use in years. A niche in the southeast wall holds a gold-capped prism that glows with blue-white light. Doors lead to the north, south, and east, and a heavier iron door stands in the room’s northwest corner.
The prism on the other side of the room looks to have about 4 charges in it.
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"Another fair point, Brother Faraz. We could well find ourselves with only moments to act. I bow to the wisdom of Irori, as would be appropriate."
Oswin concentrates for a moment, holding a prism in one hand and his holy symbol in the other.
"Mighty Iomedae, send they wrath to destroy the wicked and unrepentant!"
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"Cairo, if you hand me your prism I'll top it off for you. I can take this next one and you can grab any others we find. Hopefully three will be enough. I'd prefer it if one of us kept a hand free for spell casting. As for the northern door, it sounds as good as any other to me."
Assuming Cario agrees, Oswin casts align weapon (2nd level spell) while holding the crystal. He then hands it back to Cairo and follows behind Faraz at a safe distance.
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Five cots line the west wall of this barracks. A dusty table, counters, and a hearth share the east side of the room. The space remains fairly well organized, save for the layer of dust covering everything. Given the solid layer of dust, it doesn't appear as if anyone has been in this room for a while. There certainly isn't anyone in here now.
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Faraz spots a journal hidden between a mattress and the bed frame.
Everything! I’ve tried everything, and still my creation defies me! I would pull all the sacred prisms from their sockets to deactivate the defenses if I could, but even now those same defenses I insisted on creating prevent me from reaching the only things that could allow me to stop the defenses, which would allow me to reach them were it not for the defenses, which keep me from reaching them!
Am I even making sense anymore?
I have resolved to charge the remaining prisms. Perhaps their energy will enable me to override the system. Ideally I could remove the prisms and actually open all of the doors properly.
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"Yes, a great shame indeed. Perhaps the man overcomplicated his design. Hopefully enough remains for us to make use of. I suppose we had better press on, the weapon can't be far away now."
Oswin moves back into the room with the scattered junk.
"Why don't we take a look in that room to the south next?"
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The forge seems mostly empty, with scattered ammunition littering the ground. It looks like most of it was taken in haste, leaving some arrows, bolts and bullets scattered along the ground. Grimnir's searching is able to find a bunch of arcane runes etched into the ground. Time has worn them almost completely away, but a close inspection reveals the arcane circle.
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Oswin takes his time looking through the scattered debris in the rooms. After finding the journal, he is eager to see if any other hidden clues can be found, but not in so much of a hurry that he can't look thoroughly.
If nothing new is found, Oswin will say:
"Well, only one more door left unopened. I'll take the third prism if no one objects. If Faraz will continue to lead the way, we can try to complete Ghalcor's work!"
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A long coat rack laden with baggy leather suits and a wooden wardrobe comprise the only furnishings in this room. A desiccated body lies slumped against the north wall, cradling a glowing prism in its limp arms. A second prism lies at the body’s side. Iron doors lead to the north and west.
Also inside the room, you see an incorporeal creature floating around, talking out loud to itself. You can hear its conversation, but are unable to make sense of it. It seems to notice you and turns to attack, but there is no break in its conversation.
"Obviously to make it work we would need to work with the Faith Arranging Module, otherwise we can't siphon enough power to the Energy Convertor to make it run without over-eviling. But then, if we're going to need to reroute the Energy Convertor to up the alignment of the Random Access Glass, otherwise the Very Fine Doppleganger won't be able to dopplegang properly..."
Initiative
Order
Incorporeal Creature
Everyone else
The incorporeal creature takes one look at the party, and then all of the sudden the words he's saying spill out of his mouth and form solid in mid-air as they rush towards your heads, trying to push their way in.
Fail and you're confused as per the spell confusion, except if you get the babble incoherently result, your babbling is technobabble. (No mechanical difference)
You also theorize that this allip probably used to be some sort of divine caster, but his divine connection has been tampered with somehow and been redirected. Given the tampering, it seems more likely that he's an oracle than a cleric. You may ask one question about his oracleness or really anything else about him.
Fail both saves and you are fascinated by it for 2d4 rounds.
(The reason for the both is that he immediately attempts to fascinate thanks to the babbling, then he breaks the fascinate by attacking, but if you didn't make your save the first time then you need to save again since you're not immune to his babbling.
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"It's an allip! Born from the soul of a mad person..."
Oswin grips his holy symbol and calls upon the favor of Iomedade:
"Holy Lomedae, grant me an ally in the fight to save the tower!"
Casting spiritual ally.
Spiritual Ally
School evocation [force]; Level cleric 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, DF
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Effect spiritual ally of force
Duration 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes
An ally made of pure force appears in a single 5-foot square within range. The ally takes the form of a servant of your god. The spiritual ally occupies its space, though you and your allies can move through it, since it is your ally. The spiritual ally carries a single weapon, one favored by your deity (as for spiritual weapon), which has the same threat range and critical modifiers as a real weapon of its form. Each round on your turn, starting with the turn that you cast this spell, your spiritual ally can make an attack against a foe within its reach that you designate. The spiritual ally threatens adjacent squares and can flank and make attacks of opportunity as if it were a normal creature. The spiritual ally uses your base attack bonus (gaining extra attacks if your base attack bonus is high enough) plus your Wisdom bonus when it makes a melee attack. When the spiritual ally hits, it deals 1d10 points of force damage + 1 point of damage per 3 caster levels (maximum +5 at 15th level). It strikes as a spell, not a weapon, so it bypasses DR and can affect incorporeal creatures.
Each round after the first, you can move the spiritual ally as a swift action. It has a speed of 30 feet, and a fly speed of 30 feet (perfect maneuverability). Being a construct of force, the spiritual ally cannot be harmed by any physical attacks, but dispel magic, disintegrate, a sphere of annihilation, or a rod of cancellation affects it. A spiritual ally's AC against touch attacks is 10.
If an attacked creature has spell resistance, you make a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against that spell resistance the first time the spiritual ally strikes it. If the ally is successfully resisted, the spell is dispelled. If not, the weapon has its normal full effect on that creature for the duration of the spell.
Oswin takes a 5' step back and a being of shimmering blue force appears directly behind the enemy.
The spiritual creature swings its sword at the allip!