The Pyramid of Shadows (Inactive)

Game Master 137ben

I do that then

If you are attacking the shadow, please roll for your attack.

It's a new page, so I am reposting the initiative order:
Krezen--14
Jan--13
Bat 2--9
Bat 1--8
Gemheart--4

Still Gemheart's turn.

ranged touch: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
dmg: 5d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 2, 4, 4) = 16

magical bludgeoning damage, DC 17 reflex halves: 8d6 ⇒ (2, 6, 3, 1, 3, 5, 6, 2) = 28

Jan tries to blind the second bat:
B2's reflex: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
the bat is blinded, and Jan makes it to the door.

Gemheart also makes it to the door, although his attack flies flat into the floor without touching the bat at all.

Krezen darts past both bats, eating an attack of opportunity from the one who can still see:
B1 AoO (Touch): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

The first bat follows and strikes at Jan again:
B1's touch attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

The second bat also tries to bite Jan, despite being blind:
B2's touch attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19
miss chance (51-100 is a miss): 1d100 ⇒ 31
strength damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3

The map has been updated. Unless you want to stay and try to destroy the shadows, you can all make it into the corridor, though B1 will get one AoO off.

"Let's get the hell outta here" - Krezen grumbles, and motions for the other to bail out.

If the map is correct, B1 could make an AoO at Gemheart, but not at Jan since Jan has cover from B1. Hopefully I can blind B1 before he gets the chance.

Jan flings another bolt of light at the Shadows again before falling back.

Another burst of radiance aimed at intersection between H19 & I18 which should get both shadows.

Burst of Radiance Damage (no save): 5d4 ⇒ (4, 1, 4, 1, 1) = 11 ... x 0.5 because incorporeal.
Reflex DC 15 or Blinded for this many rounds (dazzled otherwise): 1d4 ⇒ 2

Afterwards Jan moves three squares south.

If the map is correct, B1 could make an AoO at Gemheart, but not at Jan since Jan has cover from B1.

Thanks, you're right about that.

B1's reflex save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

The bat is blinded, and the three of you escape down the corridor!

Okay, the combat is over.

The dimly lit corridor streches for 50 feet to the south. The walls are carved with decorative abstract patterns, and closer inspection reveals that the walls are actually made of dark, brown diamonds. And the end, the corridor opens up into a small chamber.

To your right is a closed door. Ahead of you, in a chamber at the end of the corridor, dark blue curtain hangs from the ceiling. The image of a spired castle is woven into the cloth with silver thread. To the left of the curtained area stands a black stone surrounding by four pillars.

From the chamber, a voice echoes into your ears. The voice sounds somewhat like Karavakos, but the tiefling's cackles are replaced by hissing.

"So you have arrived in my home. I see that you have met my guards, who may have roughed you up a little bit, but let me make clear that I have no intentionsss of fighting you."

The Shadow's voice seems to be coming from every direction in the chamber, except the hall you just came through.

"You, like myself, stand opposed to the one whose form I take. Though I cannot strike him directly, I know sssecrets that Karavakos holds in his heart. Knowledge you can use against him."

The voice then goes silent, awaiting a reply.

"And what would you want in exchange for such knowledge - maybe we can have a civilized talk for a change in this pyramid?" - Krezen pipes in.

The Shadow materializes in the chamber above you. He stands 15 feet off the ground, looking down. The face of the Shadow resembles that of Karavakos, but he glimmers and twitches like a gray shadow. The Shadow is also smaller than Karavakos, standing barely three feet tall.

"I want your assurance that you will use any information I give you to destroy the original Karavakos, and that you will not empower him any further than you have already done."

"That is my aim. To destroy him. It was my understanding that we must defeat aspects of him, which empowers remaining aspects. It was a necessary evil, as far as I understood."

"Yes, indeed. You seek to reach Karavakos in the Sactuary of Light, by obtaining the three keys needed to open the door. But each time you destroy a Splinter to take its key, you empower Karavakos."

The shadow's eyes narrow,
"That is the course of action that Karavakos wishes for you to take. It is also, no doubt, what you have been encouraged to do by Karavakos' sister, whom you have unwittingly been carrying with you for your entire journey!"

Psst, players?

Since none of you speak out immediately, the Shadow continues

"I speak, of course, of Vyrellis Isigonin, the eladrin whose head you carry. She ought to have died centuries ago, but, due to the meddling of her brother, she remains here, in the Pyramid. Did you not find it suspicious that both Karavakos and his supposed enemy, Vyrellis, were encouraging you to destroy the Splinters? "

"Suspicious, perhaps, but we had little recourse other than to do so or resign ourselves to live out our existence in some pocket of the pyramid as the others have."

"There is another way,"

The shadow replies,

"While you or I cannot open the door to the Sanctuary of Light without obtaining the three keys, Karavakos himself can. He has the ability to leave his lair and move elsewhere in the Pyramid. If you can find a way to lure Karavakos to come to you, then you could fight him without destroying his remaining Splinter. As you have already destroyed two Splinters, Karavakos has regained a majority of his full power, but not all of it. The fact that he is close to full power may make him overconfident, and may allow you to more easily tempt him to leave is stronghold. Unfortunately, I do not know exactly what you could do to persuade Karavakos to leave the Sanctuary of Light while he is still weakened, but I know it is possible."

I am still on vacations ;)

"Suspicious, perhaps, but we had little recourse other than to do so or resign ourselves to live out our existence in some pocket of the pyramid as the others have."

"Vyrelis was Karavakos' sister?" Jan looks at the others. "That is a surprise. One is an Eladrin while the other is a Tiefling. Are they half-siblings then? And are they actually not enemies as they claim?"

"I do not know how to lure Karavakos out of his lair. He seems to have no need to leave. If he can leave, why does he not come here and destroy you himself?"

"Frankly, I am not sure we should trust you. You say that Vyrelis is lying. How do we know that it is not you that is lying? That destroying you would not free us?"

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Yup, I guess he's on the level! :)

"He makes a compelling point."

Jan is unable to detect any hint of dishonesty in The Shadow's voice.

As you speak, the Head of Vyrellis emits a piercing sob.

"Yes, he doth speak truth,"
Vyrellis struggles to speak between her tears.
"Karavakos is my younger brother. And to answer thy questions, young Jan, we were both adopted. And yes, he is my enemy, he killed me 300 years ago."

The Shadow's eyes widen, and then the voice of the shadow speaks:
"Ah, so there is a bit of truthfulness in Vyrellis yet. Now, to your own question, the spell used by the Pyramid's creator to split Karavakos' power into fragments prevents him from directly attacking any of his Splinters, or me. Likewise, it prevents me from attacking Karavakos."

Jan turns back to the others. "What do you guys think?" Jan asks quietly.

How about rolling sense motive, guys?

Krezen had been listening closely to the Shadow, trying to ascertain if there are perhaps ulterior motives to its behaviour.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

"I think it is at least worth a shot - worst comes to worse and we're double crossed somehow, we just take everyone down with us" - he snarls, then turning to the head at his side - "Any idea what could be of interest to your brother after all this time?" - he inquires.

"We have little choice, but I have been cursed with weakness by the inhabitants of the previous room. I will need that remedied."

Krezen can't tell any lies in the Shadow's words, but he can sense that the Shadow has some sort of ulterior motive. You can't tell what it is, though.

"I do not know exactly what would draw him out,"
the Head of Vyrellis answers Krezen.
"The last time he left the Sanctuary of Light, there was someone who, well, he tried to open a portal to the Abyss. Such a portal would not have allowed anyone to leave the Pyramid, but it would have let a horde of demons enter from the Abyss. Maybe Karavakos was afraid that too many strong demons would destabilize this demiplane. Or, mayhaps he simply hates fiends due to being trapped here by a pit fiend. Whatever his reason, he left the safety of the Sanctuary of Light and killed the man who sought to open the portal."

"But, I would caution thee not to try anything as foolish as letting demons into the Pyramid. It would probably hurt you far more than Karavakos. My brother may be easier to tempt out of his lair now than he was 100 years ago, for he is stronger now that you have destroyed two of the splinters."

Acknowledging Gemheart's weakened condition, the Shadow pulls out a scroll.
"I can restore your lost strength, and I can guarantee that my shadows will not harm you as you leave."
With an incantation, Gemheart's weakness fades.

Krezen ponders the options before them, while looking at the disembodied head - "Maybe we can somehow convince him that is our plan, even if we do not mean to follow through... Do you know who this man was?"

"What about a portal to the higher planes, surely he would not like angels any more?"

"If you are asking me... I dunno, might be worth a shot also - I'm just saying we could 'pretend' our plan is to open a portal, and in that case why not make it something we already know he doesn't like?" - Krezen shrugs.

"I don't disagree with your plan either. Just wondering."

"Is this a portal that is built into the pyramid? Or did this person intend to create one?"

"If it is an existing portal, we might be able to repurpose it for our own use. But I think actually creating one is beyond us."

"No, there is no existing portal to the Abyss, he aimed to create a new portal."
Vyrellis answers Jan.

"So we must add 'figuring out how to do that' to our list of things to do."

"Well then,"
The Shadow interrupts your discussion,
"Before you leave my chambers, is there anything else you seek from me?"

Guys, anything else?

Reminder: You originally came to see the Shadow because Harumon, the half-fire-elemental halfling, asked you to help restore him after his fire was sucked out of him by the shapeshifter Tala, and you needed to kill Tala to get it back. Harumon said that Tala has recently allied herself with The Shadow.

Thank you GM DMB ;)

"In fact there is" - Krezen nods - "We are looking for Tala - would you know her whereabouts?"

1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

"Yes, I know Tala,"
the Shadow responds.
"She has recently started calling herself my ally, but I know that she intends to betray me soon. You may find her by travelling back through my maze and heading east. "

"That seems to be her modus operandi" - Krezen grunts and adds - "Not for long though"

He looks at the others - "Are we ready to go then boys?"

"Yes."

You make your way north back through the maze. As the Shadow promised, the shadows do not attack you on the way. Before long you make it back to the door heading east. [ooc]AM7-AM10 on the map of the third floor.

The chamber before you is a well-appointed study, with two lit candle holders, a pair of finely crafted statues of elegantly clad tieflings, and a table piled high with books.

Right in front of the table in the southeast corner stands the Shadow of Karavakos, again!

"What are you foolsssss doing in my lair?"
The Shadow hisses.

cant make perception
sense motive: 1d20 ⇒ 5

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

Jan eyes the statues warily.

"Watch the statues," Jan whispers to the others. "Holes in the mouths."

He turns back to the room. "What? Another one? Will the real splinter of Karavakos please stand up!"

"Pffft, I am not a Splinter, I am The Shadow of Karavakos. The only splinter left is Kravik the necromancer, and he is on the west side of this floor. Now, I must ask you to leave my home, or I will destroy you."

"Pffft, I am not a Splinter, I am The Shadow of Karavakos. The only splinter left is Kravik the necromancer, and he is on the west side of this floor. Now, I must ask you to leave my home, or I will destroy you."

Jan frowns. "Shadow of Karavakos... what does that even mean? Is it a title? Oviously you aren't his real shadow. But wait... the splinter's name is Kravik? I thought they were just fragments of Karavakos. How can he be named Kravik? Wouldn't he also call himself Karavakos?"

"Do not play dumb with me. You know the Splinters have their own personas, for you already met at least one of them. He went by the name Arat Karavakos, did he not?"

The Shadow's voice seems to raise in irritation.

"Now, I will ask you one more time only: leave my lair or I shall destroy you!"

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

"We are looking for one named Tala - we have business to conduct with her, and an offer she cannot refuse, in atonement for the wrong doing she has carried out" - Reknar shrugs - "This may be her last chance..."

"You know the Splinters have their own personas,"

Actually I didn't realize that at all. Thought "Arat" was just Karavakos' first name.

Guys... do you want to fight this guy?.

The Head of Vyrellis whispers to you
"If you couldn't tell, this isn't The Shadow that you met a few minutes ago. This is a shapeshifter masquerading as The Shadow."

"The Shadow" scoffs at Krezen's remarks:
"HER last chance? No, I think it is YOUR last chance."
and prepares to attack.

Jan initiative: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
Krezen initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Gemheart initiative: 1d20 ⇒ 18

Shadow initiative: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Trap initiative: 1d20 ⇒ 17

If you are going to stay and fight, please specify where on the map you are standing.

We have realized he/she is not the Shadow of Karavakos, so I say this is the one we are looking for ;)

i will be at AO7

I'll take AO10.

GM: Do I still have shillelagh running?