Somewhat genuine question, as I have utterly forgotten how much we got from Torch at the start.
Barnaby frowns as Radek confirms he's infected. There's the sages too. he adds grimly to Radek's count. If you think Tahonikepsu's clear, great. And Sinuhotep's dead, and Dhiara's probably good too. But Amenopheus and Torch might be hit with this too. That might be 7 right there.
"I would not worry about the other Sages and I," says Tahonikepsu. "I am free of this disease, as I am sure the other sages are. I feel that is due to the presence of Tahari's spirit in our sage jewels, unfortunate as it is. Her spirit may ward us from her disease's infection, if only to allow us to eventually fall completely under her sway later, should we fail at the ritual."
Barnaby would definitively prioritize creating a cure for each of the infected first, which'll take some time anyway. Not a Herbalist or much skill in Alchemy, so he'd use Knowledge Nature to try an whip cures up.
Barnaby begins to work at the laboratory tables, doing his best to perform the alchemical manipulations required to manufacture the cures for Fading Light. His first batch is a little rough initially, as the detective almost accidentally overheats the concoction during the distilling process. It appears to turn out alright, and his confidence grows with each additional batch. After about 25 minutes, Barnaby has made 5 successful doses of medicine, an azure coruscating liquid that has a mixed flavor of banana and dates. Should an individual diseased with Fading Light consume the cure, the effect is felt several moments later; resulting in a invigorating sensation, as if an invisible weight is lifted off one's shoulders.
Bolstered by his success, he attempts to perform the even more complex task of creating a dose of Blood of Nethys. He actually finds this process rather intuitive, with a rather significant amount of luck and inspiration guiding him. The process is extremely volatile, generating large flashes of white light during the admixture stage. After about 15 minutes, Barnaby is rewarded with a vial of swirling white and black fluid, which occasionally crystalizes and solidifies into a humanoid face before dissolving back into liquid. Each face formed is unique, as if it is a reflection of a person whose magical potential was drained to make the crystal aether long ago. This liquid has a variable nostalgic scent and taste, the sensation unique to a fond memory of the individual who smells/tastes the concoction.
• If consumed, any spells affecting the imbiber are treated
as 5 levels higher for the purpose of being dispelled,
and such spells function even while in an antimagic
field or area with the dead magic planar trait; this
effect lasts for 1 minute.
• If poured on the ground as a standard action, the
fluid covers a 5-foot-radius area and suppresses any
antimagic field in that area for 1d4+1 rounds.
• The flask can be thrown as a splash weapon against the
caster of an antimagic field, and on a direct hit, the
fluid suppresses the antimagic field for 1d4+1 rounds.
• A spellcaster can use blood of Nethys as an additional
spell component to increase the caster level of that
spell by 2.
• During this adventure, consuming blood of Nethys also grants
immunity to the disease Fading Light for 24 hours and
cures that disease if the imbiber already has it.
"It appears that we have about a little longer than a half-hour left," Tahonikepsu reminds everyone after Barnaby finishes making the 5 cures and 1 dose of Blood of Nethys.
"I think another Blood of Nethys and an extra dose of cure. By my reckoning that will give us about 10 minutes to hustle back and set up the ritual."
And so Barnaby makes an additional dose of each without a problem. Tahonikepsu focuses on her sage jewel while he finishes up, sending a message to the other sages to converge on this part of the complex. The group moves quickly back to the hidden study in the Incubation Chambers (moving not quickly across the bridge, of course). The study remains much as the group left it before, with vast collection of books lining warded shelves and what appears to be a large brass orrery resting in a central area amidst a multitude of incredibly complex arcane diagrams. Other objects of note are a rather large monster head (used as a bookend), a war banner of somekind, a page of text framed in glass, and other odd mementos from Tahari's life. A leather journal rests on the ground next to orrery as well.
The other Sages arrive shortly afterwards, most of them showing signs of also having encountered traps and difficulties in their search. "Remarkable," says Sinuhotep when he strides in and gazes at the objects. "Some of these do take me back to...another time," he remarks while gazing at the framed text. Torch, who comes in next, grumbles in annoyance. "Yeah, they're remarkable alright. Until one of 'em blows up in your face, that is." Dhiara and Amenophus arrive together, the old wizard leaning on the lithe elf's arm for support tiredly. "Now I remember why I leave all the adventuring to the agents," Amenophus wheezes as Dhiara (who appears fresh as a daisy) gives him a sympathetic look. Tahonikepsu adopts a business-like attitude, gathering them all to discuss their findings; giving the Pathfinders a couple moments to look around the study before the Sages start setting up for the ritual.
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Radek takes another look around the chamber as the sages set up for their ritual. The dwarf is looking for traps that they might have missed earlier, as well as for secret doors or anything else that seems... off.
(+2 for stonework)
The dwarf seems a bit distracted though, interested in Amenopheus' answer to Barnaby about the ritual and what's expected to happen.
Radek takes another look around the chamber as the sages set up for their ritual. The dwarf is looking for traps that they might have missed earlier, as well as for secret doors or anything else that seems... off.
The detective move towards the somewhat exhausted Amenopheus. Offering him a sip from his waterskin, he looks around. Here, drink up. So, this ritual. Exactly what's it going to entail.
Amenophus pulls a long draught from Barnaby's waterskin, sighing with relief afterwards. "My thanks. Anyways, the ritual. As I mentioned before we left Merab, it draws heavily from the more metaphysical aspects of emotional resona-" His rambling is cut off by Tahonikepsu clearing her throat rather loudly from the ritual area. "-Errr, yes. To summarize, the other Sages and I will be providing much of the 'magical muscle' involved in performing this effort. It will take us sometime to complete, about an hour or so of complete concentration. Even the slightest distraction would be catastrophic, to say the least." He looks towards Barnaby and the other agents appreciatively. "Any assistance you all can provide will certainly make our job easier." Amenophus goes on to list several tasks that the group can provide regarding the upcoming effort:
-Ritual Preparation:
1) Clear the ritual area of extraneous debris and inspect for any damage to ritual equipment that needs repaired
2) Provide assistance with the more technical components of the ritual; such as properly aligning magical components, correcting diagrams, etc.
-Tasks During Ritual:
1) Maintain the rite's proper cadence for chanting/verbal components
2) Monitor ritual progress and provide support when needed
Amenophus finishes describing the various tasks and adopts a more serious mien. "There is also one more thing. This ritual is incredibly sensitive to magical energies, the flow in the area must be kept perfectly in alignment for our effort to be successful," he says as he looks each spellcaster in the group directly in the eye. "I must caution you not to cast any kind of spell or similar ability, nor to use any kind of magical item or draught, at any point going forward until we are finished. It is likely that since Tahari is able to possess our sage jewels that she is equally as likely to hijack a magical item or process as her bonds loosen." The sage leans back, his demeanor shifting more towards tiredness than anything else.
"So if you have anything you wish to prepare for, please do so now and outside of the study itself before we begin setting up the ritual space. I must begin my own preparations to lead this ritu-" Amenophus is cut off once again as Tahonikepsu breaks from the ritual area and interrupts. "Amenophus, I thought we discussed this already. I will be leading the ritual. I understand that most of this was developed by you, but you simply do not have enough strength as I do given my-" The two break from their conversation with the group to bicker for the next several minutes about ritual leadership.
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"Hmph. Am I a Pathfinder or trash collector?" Radek grumps as he moves around the ritual area, clearing the area of debris and the like before going over the equipment to see if anything needs to be fixed or replaced.
to clear ritual area
to inspect ritual instruments
At the warning of using magic, the dwarf grunts. "What about the ioun stone floatin' roun' me head? Will that be a problem? I can't remove it, save fer a spell - cursed it is. But a double-edged curse an' a reminder I'd rather not part with."
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Here then, Barnaby says before they begin, calling Radek over away from the ritual space for a moment. He lays a hand on the dwarf. Even if the plague's dormant for now, any other nice 'surprises' with magic come up you're the one least likely to notice. Hopefully this'll help you out if the worst happens.
Moving back towards the ritual space, the half-elf listens as Amenopheus describes the process. Makes sense. Here, I'll be another set of eyes on the script then.
At the warning of using magic, the dwarf grunts. "What about the ioun stone floatin' roun' me head? Will that be a problem? I can't remove it, save fer a spell - cursed it is. But a double-edged curse an' a reminder I'd rather not part with."
Quick question: is using a magic weapon going to be bad?
"-don't care if you ARE centuries older than me, it is the experience that matters!" Amenophus breaks from his argument briefly to address further questions. "If you have items that generate constant effects we can account for those vibrations in our calculations. No, items that are activated or introduce unexpected energies are a concern. Do not worry about things such as your weapons or..." his gaze drifts towards Radek's ioun stone, evaluating it appreciatively. "I DO say, that is a most interesting stone. The enchantments, while incredibly ethically unsound, are quite-" he gets cut off for the third time as Tahonikepsu lifts an eyebrow and, in her human form, lets off a draconian roar that literally causes the entire study to vibrate with its force. Amenophus winces, rubbing his ears in an attempt to return his hearing. "Alright, alright! You can lead the ritual, you stubborn dragon," the Sage concedes. "Being a time dragon probably would have its benefit in a situation like this. Now, if you are going to lead, you must be aware that pronunciation is key when it comes to-" he hobbles off towards the ritual area as Tahonikepsu follows with a smug draconic grin on her face.
"Hmph. Am I a Pathfinder or trash collector?" Radek grumps as he moves around the ritual area, clearing the area of debris and the like before going over the equipment to see if anything needs to be fixed or replaced.
"Heh, is that a rhetorical question?" Torch calls over from the other side of the ritual area. Dhiara rolls her eyes as she lifts some heavy debris effortlessly, while the joke seems completely lost on Sinuhotep as he focuses intently on a complex sigil on the ground with chalk.
Cassandra will move to J14 while asking if the bursts of positive energy from her healing abilities would cause any problems.
"Why that is a most excellent question. Does divine energy truly overlap and influence magical flow? There are some incredibly interesting theo-" Amenophus says as he turns to address Cassandra.
"AAAAMMMEENNNOOPPHHUSSSS!!!!" roars Tahonikepsu.
"-Err...Ow. My ears. I would recommend waiting until we are done, just to be safe."
The ritual preparation begins in earnest. The sages appear to have quite the font of magical and technical know-how from the gathered Pathfinders, leaving Radek and Tiny to do much of the heavy lifting of various detritus from the area. Shortly thereafter, the Sages finish up their own preparations and gather around in a circle in the ritual area. Tahonikepsu's form blurs as she shifts into her dragon form, one more comfortable to her for these types of works.
"Now, let us begin!" Tahonikepsu says in her deep draconic voice, unable to keep the nervous excitement out of her tone. The Sages present their gems, each floating directly in front of their respective bearer as they radiate their colored light. Several sages also pull out additional sage jewels beyond their own; Amenophus sets the Spinel next to him which begins to float several feet off the ground as a ghostly, dark-skinned Garundi woman with braided hair manifests beside it. Dhiara places the Onyx next, it too floating as the ghostly Padrym the dwarf appears next to his gem. The elf also places the shards of the Ruby sage jewel next to Padrym, they float as well though a spirit does not manifest with them.
Finally, Tahonikepsu produces a silver pendant in one of her claws, inset with a dark obsidian crystal. She carefully places the gem on a diagram inscribed at the base of the orrery and steps back. All of the Sages begin chanting in unison, weaving their hands/claws in arcane gestures. Torch and Dhiara, whom had taken some advice from Mr. Madison prior to starting, stumble over some of the beginning portions; causing a slight rocky start to the ritual. It smooths out eventually and over the next half-hour, the gathered sage jewels begin to gradually increase the intensity of light they are producing; until each one is a veritable column of colored energy that almost reaches the ceiling twenty feet above. Cassandra, who was using her knowledge of ghosts to assist the Onyx and Spinel sages, becomes momentarily distracted and the light from their respective jewels falter slightly before restabilizing.
Shadows begin to gather around the focus over the next fifteen minutes, until a whirlwind of darkness struggles against the containment formed by the circled pillars of light. Abruptly, with a deep cracking sound, the pillars of light get violently discharged; causing bolts of chaotic magical energy to lance painfully through the bodies of all gathered in the study itself.
The pillars of light vanish completely, and each sage suddenly becomes completely still and unseeing. Their sage jewels floating in front of them become surrounded by a rather familiar looking wavering scintillation in the air, and faint cries for help can be heard emanating from the gems. The storm of darkness, now unbound, surges in strength and a frail-looking dark-haired woman of middle years wearing a silver pendant emerges from it triumphantly to land beside Barnaby. A ring of colored lights orbits her head, each light mirroring the color of each sage jewel. She looks around the room, as a child would inspect an anthill, and an eerie murmur echoes throughout the room.
"So much time has passed...I have much catching up to do..." says Aryana Tahari as an emaciated figure wearing tarnished golden scaled armor appears near Amenophus in a gout of flame and brimstone. She gazes upon the Pathfinders with an evil smile curling on her lips.
Aryana Tahari Manifest Image Link
Additionally, you note that Aryana Tahari has manifested as a ghost. Ghosts can inflict a corrupting touch that can cause incredible withering of a living creature's flesh or possibly drain attribute points. They are incorporeal (e.g. non-magical weapons cannot harm them, magical weapons and energy effects deal half-damage), variably can have channel resistance, and can attempt to possess living creatures. They typically rejuvenate several days after being destroyed, unless very specific conditions are met, usually unique conditions dependent on the individual's life/death.
Initiative:
Mr. Madison
Something Ominous
Barnaby
Radek
Cassandra
Jing
Something Potentially Ominous
Something Rather Ominous
Psycho
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"Yar! Come an' face me, ugly beast!" The dwarf shouts at the figure in golden scaled armor. Focusing the divine power he has been gifted with by Torag upon the evil being, he shields his nearby allies and smashes his foe with shield!
vs AC (golden scaled creature)
bludgeoning damage
Includes -3 to attack roll, +6 to damage for Power Attack and +2 to attack rolls for Heroism
Allies within 10' take half damage from this foe
Free Bull Rush attack, Attack roll vs CMD of target
throws up an emergency force shield over himself and Torch. Moments later he falls over dead (ish). He moves his life force into one of the Sage Jewels, using it as the focus of a Magic Jar.
Meanwhile, Tahari's form flickers and she appears struggling to solidify herself completely; perhaps the ritual itself did have some slight effect upon her. Her eyes flash with rage as Sinuhotep's amethyst sage jewel suddenly flares with purple light. Without speaking or making any motions, she causes a 20-foot radius roiling cloud of thick purple mist to spring into existence five feet northeast of her. The frozen sages seem unaffected, while Barnaby (not needing to really breathe due to his necklace of adaptation) seems completely fine. Jing coughs slightly, but appears to be fighting off the cloud's effects for now. She calls out to the emaciated figure on the north side of the orrery in an odd language.
Initiative:
Barnaby (-32 HP)
Radek (J13, Pending attack against armored figure, -32 HP)
Cassandra (-32 HP)
Jing and Tiny (both -32 HP, Tiny pending attack vs Tahari, Jing Q16)
Something Potentially Ominous
Something Rather Ominous
Psycho (-32 HP)
Mr. Madison (-32 HP, magic jar, in Torch's mindscape)
Aryana Tahari (Cast a spell, staggered until beginning next turn)
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%^$&% Barnaby curses as the ritual goes sideways even faster than he feared. The detective sizes up the ghost next to him as he calls out through the fog It's a cloudkill! Cass, move: it's rolling out your way! He then slams out at the ghost, Tahari, hoping to at least throw off its concentration.
for
for
It's a cloudkill! Cass, move: it's rolling out your way! He then slams out at the ghost, Tahari, hoping to at least throw off its concentration.
Barnaby strikes out, managed to strike Tahari with only his first attack. It cleaves out a swath of her incorporeal substance, which she reforms almost instantly with an evil laugh.
Focusing the divine power he has been gifted with by Torag upon the evil being, he shields his nearby allies and smashes his foe with shield!
Radek lunges towards the creature with shield, appearing to be striking true. But the roiling cloud that rapidly approaching conceals the enemy slightly, causing his attack to miss.
"Behold my radiance! Cassandra calls as she steps forward and unleashes her waves of positive energy.
As Cassandra channels positive energy, she feels a resistance to her ability that she struggles to overcome. However, through her focused concentration, she is able to complete the uses of her ability. The graveknight appears to save for reduced damage. Tahari initially appears to take the full effect from the channel, but she somehow resists part of the effect as the floating Spinel and Sapphire sage jewels flare with light briefly.
Jing Kwan points at Aryana Tahari and says..."Tiny, kill the spell caster quick!" "Yes Master! It will be done.
As Jing retreats away from the deadly cloud, Tiny bravely charges into the mists to attack Tahari. He coughs heavily as he does so, as if succumbing to whatever effects it causes. Nevertheless, he marches up and swings mightily; though to no avail as the ghost dodges adeptly to the side.
Abruptly, Tahonikepsu's diamond sage jewel flares rapidly for several seconds. The dragon, with her eyes still blank and lifeless, suddenly rears her head back, and lets a gout of electricity with a massive breath. It catches Cassandra and Radek, who both dodge a significant portion of the damage with almost supernatural awareness , while the graveknight seems completely unaffected. The ghost of the Spinel and Padrym ignore the breath, while Dhiara stands unmoving and takes damage from the breath. Psycho and Jing, while having exceptional cover bonuses from the emergency force sphere, still were completely surprised by this turn of events and take full damage.
The emaciated figure orients on Cassandra, his eyes burning sockets of dark flame. Despite this, his face shows extreme torment and is twisted in grief. "Please, end my misery!" the creature wails in a heavily Osiriani-accented Common. "As a fellow bearer of the light, I beg of you...stop me!" The dark flame in his eyes flare, as if he triggered some kind of effect towards Cassandra. It then unleashes two mighty strikes at her with a light flail, both attacks connecting and seeming to do massive damage...at least until Radek's protective ward reduces the damage dealt to her. The graveknight then touches his armor with a swift gesture, his figure briefly enveloped in dark flame as his wounds heal completely.
Initiative:
Psycho (-42 HP)
------End Round 1-------
Mr. Madison (-32 HP, magic jar/force sphere, in Torch's mindscape)
Aryana Tahari (Cast a spell, staggered until beginning next turn)
Barnaby (-7 HP)
Radek (-24 HP)
Cassandra (-55 HP)
Jing and Tiny (Jing -42, Tiny -7 HP)
Tahonikepsu, Controlled
Ermias the Fallen
We didn't get AofO's when she cast? Also, is the listed damage current totals?
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"Aye, anythin' I can do te help ye pass from this unnatural life, hellspawn!" The dwarf growls in response to the graveknight's plea. Radek narrows his focus on this foe, and attacks again with shield and axe, leaving his foe momentarily open to attack from an ally. "Back out o' the cloud, Cass - get behind me." He advises the oracle.
vs AC (graveknight)
bludgeoning damage
vs AC (graveknight)
slashing damage
vs AC (graveknight) + free Bull Rush
bludgeoning damage
Includes -3/+6 to attack/damage (Power Attack), +4 to attack/damage (Ranger's Focus), +2 to attack (Heroism) and -2 to attack (axe only, TWF)
Allies within 10' take half damage from this foe
Free Bull Rush attack with last shield bash, attack roll vs CMD of target - trying to knock it 5' or more SW directly away, to get it further away from Cassandra.
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"We can't afford to have the sages against us. Does anyone have ideas for how to free them?"
Magic around 'em's just like that mindscape! Barnaby yells back. I think she's got the sages trapped in their own heads. We find a way to get in there, maybe we can snap them out of it!
The detective curses and mutters quieter as he sees his swings' minimal effect on Thari. Told the dragon: exorcism.
Psycho casts 4 magic missiles at Aryana.
"Take that you $$%$&%#&%$"
The four bolts of magical energy bounce off an almost imperceptible field of force surrounding Tahari, striking the walls and ceiling instead. She lets off an evil laugh. "Quaint," she remarks dryly as her voice echoes throughout the room eerily.
Initiative:
------End Round 1-------
Mr. Madison (-32 HP, magic jar/force sphere, in Torch's mindscape)
Aryana Tahari (Cast a spell, staggered until beginning next turn)
Barnaby (-7 HP)
Radek (-24 HP)
Cassandra (-55 HP)
Jing and Tiny (Jing -42, Tiny -7 HP)
Tahonikepsu, Controlled
Ermias the Fallen
Psycho (-42 HP)
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Turning to the specter Mr. Madison seems to grow preternaturally, his eyes almost on fire Be gone thing of foul magic, haunt our memories no more. .
Turning once more to look at Torch, this time sternly,
This will be our day, this will be the day for which Torch is remembered! We move out!
Tahonikepsu's diamond sage jewel flares and abruptly Tahari seems revitalized while her form finally stops flickering. With a flare from the amethyst gem being the only signal, she causes a blast of shimmering dust to spring into existence around her with not a word nor gesture as a swift action; catching herself, Barnaby, and Tiny in its effect. The quickness of the spell seem to catch the two off guard, resulting in Barnaby and Tiny to become blinded by the dust in their eyes. The Spinel and Sapphire gems flare again once more as Tahari seems only to be coated in the dust and not blinded. As the pair try to blearily wipe the dust from their eyes, she slips into the floor beneath her feet and vanishes from sight. Meanwhile, the purple cloud moves 10 feet away from her last position, enveloping both Radek and Cassandra. While mildly unpleasant smelling, they both seem to resist its effects for now.
Initiative:
Barnaby (-7 HP, covered in shiny dust and possibly blind)
Radek (-24 HP)
Cassandra (-55 HP)
Jing and Tiny (Jing -42, Tiny -7 HP and covered in shiny dust and possibly blind)
Tahonikepsu, Controlled
Ermias the Fallen
Psycho (-42 HP)
------End Round 2-------
Mr. Madison (-32 HP, magic jar/force sphere, in Torch's mindscape)
Aryana Tahari (Cast a quickened spell, vanished into the floor)