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Ra looked at his companions and shook his head sadly.
"You my friends are way, waaaaaay overthinking this." He stated flatly.
He gestured to the bodies scattered about the ambush site.
"Actions speak louder than words. She led off." He said, shouldering his flail with a clink.
"It is OUR turn to reply."
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Turel rubs his forehead in thought. "I think we also forget the will of the priests of Pharasma. Remember the divinations showing they wanted US to explore the Sanctum. Why? Why us?" He flexes his hands in nervous frustration. "The only explanation I have is the Priests and their goddess Pharasma trusts us and does not trust the Scorched Hand...to follow The Three Rules of the Necropolis. As Kito says, they seek to plunder, not preserve." He finishes quietly.
On hearing Ra-Khefer threatening words, he sighs heavily knowing that violence was coming but hating that fact. "You know I will defend you all with my life...but I shall grant quarter to those who ask it." He says resolutely.
Looking back and forth as the others talk before adding her option. So are we going to try and talk to them first, even though they did not offer us that consideration? And if they refuse to be reasonable violence will happen, right? They are refusing the will of the Gods with their actions.
Harmose watches as they dump all their gear in front of him. Maybe we can sell some of it. Then a thought occurs to him. You never know when you might need some backup muscle or a distraction.
"That'll do," he says, coolly. "Under two conditions. One... You owe us a favor to be cashed in on some future date. Two... if I ever hear of you lot assaulting innocents or mugging people again, we will come after you. This crime wave stops. NOW."
"What are your street handles? Where can we send word?" After he gets their contact information, Harmose turns to Polux and grins. "Polux , අපි ඔබේ පෙම්වතිය පට්ට සුපිරි කමක් ද?"
** spoiler omitted **
"এখন সেখানে একটি চিন্তার যে একবারের বেশি আমাকে ঘটেছে যেহেতু আমি তার সাথে দেখা হয়" - Polux chuckles.
"Now there is a thought that has occurred to me more than once since I met her"
"My first instinct would be to beat them up first, and ask questions later" - Polux shrugs - "But so far you guys have proved things do not always have to go that way" - he ponders - "And I am curious to hear her side to be honest. Though I don't feel like letting them out of there with anything they might have found inside - that is for us to claim"
"I'm not sure talking is going to do any good. Especially with her! If one of you want to try to talk to the others in her group, that's fine. She's not going to listen to anything we can say though," Qari notes.
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Polux reminisces about Velriana. The critical success, together with the fact that he has a pre-existing relationship with the woman, gives out all the remaining data that there is about Velriana. Much has been already quoted in previous spoilers, but following is the stuff that has not been previously cited:
Velriana’s least favorite is Azaz, though there is nothing particularly personal about her feelings toward him. To Velriana, Azaz is simply “Khelru’s boyfriend.” Rather than fight against Azaz’s participation, Velriana has turned it to her advantage. Azaz is an inferior wizard, but competent enough to unleash a few potent spells. Since he keeps Khelru happy and manageable, Velriana has no qualms about Azaz sharing in the risks. However, Velriana does consider the evoker the most expendable member of the team.
Despite their difference in station and vocation, Velriana feels the most loyalty to Idorii. She protects Idorii first and foremost and expects the same in return from the warrior. From Velriana’s perspective, their relationship is transactional. She has bought and paid for Idorii’s loyalty, so it only makes sense for her to protect that investment.
Velriana eschews court gowns in favor of a Taldan dandy’s idea of an adventurer’s outfit. Of average height, Velriana is the fairest member of the Scorched Hand, but even her skin is burnished a light bronze by the Osirian sun. She tucks her long, light brown hair under a flamboyant floppy hat, complete with a long feather. Velriana favors the dagger and light crossbow, but her true weapon of choice is her bonded wand of scorching ray, carved and painted to resemble the head of a cobra.
"Yeah" - Polux nods - "She's a hard one that's for sure"
Then goes on to share some of his thoughts on Velriana, pointing out that IF a fight breaks out, that wand of hers should be one of their main concerns.
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You get whatever information you want out of the surviving thugs and resume your journey toward the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye. You share thoughts on the Scorched Hand as the ancient temple draws closer, and finally you find yourselves before a vast building that seems, like much of the Necropolis, to have been forgotten by time.
This is one of those movie climax moments when the eight of you walk side by side toward the camera in slow motion with dramatic music playing and the Necropolis sand blowing around you.
Then, you're there.
I have uploaded a map of the Sanctum to Google Drive. A large dome over the apse tops the roof at the north end of the temple. The Sanctum is windowless, and the temple’s exterior walls are carved with likenesses of celestial figures. Unless otherwise noted, ceilings within the Sanctum are 15 feet high and all of its rooms are dark.
D1. Hall of Illumination
The ceiling in this entryway is 15 feet high. There is ambient light from outside in this room, but it is otherwise dark.
The wind has deposited a layer of dust and sand on the floor in this room.
Turel stares in awe at the building. "This structure is in a well-kept state, for its age. Perhaps those images of Nethys have something to do with that?"
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Polux looks around for any clues of those that may have arrived them before they did, but finds nothing of relevance.
Seeing Polux search around for tracks, Kito will do her best to help.
"Looks like there were four people who passed this way!" she says, pointing to where she sees some tracks.
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Ra looked over the structure with a critical eye, then sharply looked at the other buildings around the area.
"That is a very well preserved building. Especially when the other structures around it are falling down. I think someone, or some thing, has been paying attention to it." He ruminated aloud.
He looked around at his companions.
"Um, could I be healed please? We really should be in peak condition before we meet this woman again." He said, embarrassed.
"Oh, sorry!" Kito replies, embarrassed by her oversight.
"Boo Boo Be Gone!"
"Boo Boo Be Gone!"
"Boo Boo Be Gone!"
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Standing still and taking in the view of this dead place. It really is quite beautiful, in a I'm filled with bugs that want to eat faces kind of way. Not bothering to take her eyes off the building when the others start talking, I really hope I can manage to be a little more help this time.
Grinning when she hears the embarrassed tone in Ra-Khefer's voice, You should have said something. You have an unbreakable title to keep after all.
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Other defenses indeed manifest themselves soon enough. You might call them "natural" defenses...or even "unnatural". In each of the three exits from the entrance chamber, you see glowing beads of red light emerge from the darkness. As they step into the light, it becomes obvious that these are jackals...dead jackals, mortally wounded and reanimated by some fell magic. Two at each entrance, surrounding you from all three directions.
No surprise round. Roll initiative.
Those who beat jackal initiative may post actions.
Init.
Harmose has never seen these undead Jackals before. He readies an action for when a cluster of them approach within 15 feet.
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"I KNEW IT!" Shouted Ra as he prepared to charge.
He checked himself, misliking how exposed his softer party members would be to the pack of dead jackals.
Instead he planted his feet and started swinging his ball and chain around in an ominous manner. He waived at the Jackals to come to him.
for a possible adamantine bludgeoning damage.
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27 Harmose - ready color spray
27 Aleris - longbow hit orange
18 Ra-Khefer - ready hit
14 Jackals
13 Qari
11 Turel
09 Deseri
09 Kito
05 Polux
I have color coded the jackals on the map for ease of reference. All downed jackals will be marked in red. Red is dead.
Aleris' arrow hits orange, but it turns out that the arrow mostly just swishes through its undead body that has very little flesh left dripping off a mostly skeletal frame.
Harmose casts color spray against purple and black.
Purple and black jackals are stunned for rounds. Ra-Khefer strikes black (stunned AC is lower than normal) and it clatters to a pile of bones and flesh on the ground. (Black is now marked red. Red is dead.)
Orange and blue move in from the left. Orange takes a charge action, blue just moves in and bites. Polux may take an AoO versus orange in addition to his normal action.
Finally, green and yellow charge from straight ahead.
Everyone's turn.
Kito casts Misfortune on Blue and steps back.
In the heat of the battle Turel thinks he recalls something about these jackals but the recollection eludes him. Electing to hold the line here he ignore the one who takes a savage bite from his flesh and concentrates on the one whose defenses have been left open, lashing out with a series of hard punches to it.
Forgoing her crossbow that she seems to be horrible with and grabbing her rarely used morning-star. Arrows wont work!
"Use maces, clubs or fists" - Polux adds - "Puncturing or slashing them will not be as effective, nor cold based attacks" - he adds to Deseri's advice, dropping the longspear, moving forward and swinging his silver plated morningstar instead.
Qari uses her Slick Wild Talent to act as a Grease spell catching the square behind green and green as well, making it very difficult for the skeleton to balance. The floor takes a glassy sheen as the ice spreads quickly over all of it.
DC 15 Reflex to avoid Grease spell.
Turel steps over the body of the jackal and across from Aleris, seeking to finish off the last of the temple guardians.
Kito moves up and uses her small blessing on Ra-Khefer, granting him a small amount of luck.
Click. Whirr.
Harmose knows the last poor jackal is doomed, and stays alert and watchful for new threats.
Seeing the dark hallways, Kito casts a spell that creates four glowing balls of light.
Peering around, she asks "Any idea which way they went?"
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Turel hoists his spear over his shoulder as he peers around him. "I think it likely they were placed here by the Scorched Hand to delay us further." He responds to Aleris. "As for where to proceed, I know not. Since they have had time to prepare for our arrival perhaps taking one of the side passages will allow us to catch them off guard."