"This will be gruesome. Morgrym, bring your hammer, please. Don't look at his eyes."
She will position the stake over the monster's chest and hold it steady with both hands so Morgrym can drive it down into its heart.
When that deed is done, she will take her scimitar and remove the vampire's head. "What's the easiest way to get the body to the sunlight? That's going to be the simplest way to assure it doesn't come back."
With a blast of force the stone cracks and moves aside revealing the vampire situated in his coffin. He glares at you with hate in his eyes but unable to move to defend himself.
At the doorway Maelchar casts a spell moving aside the stone revealing a short 5ft wide passage that turns south after 5 feet leading to a room where So'rien and the stone coffin are located.
Nasira, wooden stake in hand from a piece of furniture upstairs, waits to deliver Sarenrae's holy power to the waiting vampire.
Sorry last time I updated the sheet it messed up my feats. I should have varisian tattoo evocation on there
Fixed it sorry about that.
"Not sure we'll find any true sunlight in this horrible place... even outdoors... but we can try... or maybe burning the body and head in separate fires will suffice?"
"Running water - very scarce here - and exposure to sunlight are the most reliable. Staking the heart is temporary unless you removing the head and anoint it with holy water, which I have none of. There is probably some back at the camp. The stake must remain in the body until then."
An idea comes to her. "Maelchar, could you shape the body into the wall in such a way that it holds the stake in position? That would make it hard for anyone trying to return it to undeath to do - especially if they cannot find it. Or we could take it back to the camp with us to be destroyed once and for all."
"I could conceal and hold it in stone, but anyone with this spell could release it at some time in the future... total destruction would be better... "
Pakak frowns, and looks up, "I wonder if there's a way to array some mirrors to cast light down here, or shape the stone to create a direct path for it..."
After driving the stake deep within the vampire's cold dead heart, Morgrym listens to the options given by the others. "The lass has it right - we take the <blankety blank> out into the sun and watch him burn. Simple enough; no fuss no muss. Heck, if ya want, I'll take the thing outside now. Only thing is... I'm not sure what time o' the day it is. Seems like we've been in this place forever as far as I can tell," he grumbles.
Well, we had best take the creature out of this place once we finish up down here. But until then, Garith will put a bag over the creature's head and slice it off to keep tabs on it, we can properly dispose of it when we've dealt with the shadow demon and whatever else is down here.
Nodding, "Sounds like a plan ta me."
With the stake in the heart and the head chopped off the vampire's body is actually pretty easy to carry without any risk of it turning on you. Morgrym takes the body while the head is carried by someone else. Great care is given to make sure that while carrying the head the vampires teeth do not Pierce your flesh. You are not sure what would happen but don't want to try and find out. Once the body is brought outside into the 1:00 PM sun the body burns away leaving the vampires gear behind.
Magical items:
Dagger
Studded leather
Wand
"Garith, do these items have any latent malevolence?"
She casts detect magic and studies the ring, dagger, armor, and wand.
"hmmph, I detest vampires, perhaps even more than many demons."Pakak mutters even as he helps appraise, "After this, we should return to that forge. The power off of it was immense."
"I'm for the forge as well when we're done clearin' this place out. Or heck, as soon as we can get there as far as I'm concerned. I've got ta do somethin' about me hammer," he says with annoyance, shaking his head.
"Before we head off to the next epic foe, how is your health? Any lingering effects?" She looks at each ally in turn, making it clear that the question is for each.
"I don't know about the others, but I could use a bit of healing... I'm sure Morgrym was hurt worse than I though."
Ring of protection +2
Wand of death knell (evil spell pings garith's radar)
+2 studded leather armor light fortification shadowed (yes that is right +3 item with +5 to stealth, no this was not design for Zeriax but actually there. I just upped it to +2 instead of +1)
+2 visions dagger that he never got a chance to use
Once done with the vampire it is easy to return to the forge area. There are rooms off to the side of the main chamber and the lift will carry you across to the ledge on the other side if you wish to proceed that way.
"I could use a bit more, lass. But you saved me life again with that fantastic bit of healin' of yours, let me tell ya. I'm much grateful for it," he tells her, nodding in thanks.
Remembering the vials of healing he possesses, "Oh wait, I've got this I could use to fix up some of me wounds." He takes out a vial and downs it, as several more of his wounds heal up nicely. "There, that helped a bit."
She calls on Sarenrae to grant her healing to the party.
Pakak relates what is known about the items, at least what he susses out, trusting his co-experts to do the same
Morgrym nods, "Let's check 'em."
The books in the crypt where the vampire was located are worth 3000gp but used as a reference material they grant a +4 circumstance bonus to any knowledge checks regarding the outer planes.
"Side doors, huh? Looks like we got one on each side of us at the end of a couple of tunnels. And we got these two doors here behind us. Which one ya want first, Garith?" he asks, looking at the doors as he does.
So'rien looks a little winded from all the spellcasting he has done and says I am good to go on a bit but soon I may not have the mental fortitude and focus to continue my casting.
"Sounds good ta me." Morgrym gets a firm grip on his hammer as he heads toward said door.
The 2 rooms to the west of the main forge area open up to reveal what appears to be the quarters for the salamanders. The rooms are sparsely furnished with materials that are fire resistant. As such the beds are made of stone and look very uncomfortable.
Nasira thoughtfully claims the dagger if no one else wants it. "Horrid weapon on one hand, but a literal sacrifice for the wielder. I will have to pray on this. I'm unsure as to whether my lady would approve or not..."
"If ya do use it, lass... well... just be careful is all," he tells her, a bit of worry in his voice.
Returning his focus to the task at hand, "Well nothing in those rooms. Let's check out the northwest door down that long hallway, and then will move to the southeast one. Hopefully there's nothin' in either and we can see what's behind those doors there," he nods in the direction of the double doors. "By Torag I hope we're near clearin' this place out. There's only so many times a dwarf can near die in one day," he mumbles as he makes his way toward the northwest door.
"If ya do use it, lass... well... just be careful is all," he tells her, a bit of worry in his voice.
Returning his focus to the task at hand, "Well nothing in those rooms. Let's check out the northwest door down that long hallway, and then will move to the southeast one. Hopefully there's nothin' in either and we can see what's behind those doors there," he nods in the direction of the double doors. "By Torag I hope we're near clearin' this place out. There's only so many times a dwarf can near die in one day," he mumbles as he makes his way toward the northwest door.
"Kolberg Scarmug, bearer of the shield of many testings, holds the record," Pakak shares a bit of racial trivia as he follows....
"... but you're gaining."
Morgrym looks over at Pakak with a glare; but not a moment later a wry grin forms. "Scarmug, huh? Well we'll just see about that. The day is still young," he says with a confident nod and a wink.
This wide chamber connects with two small vaults to the east and
west. All three chambers hold a variety of weapons and gear of
varying quality, but many weapon racks lie empty, as well.
The weapons and armor of are mundane quality but the volume of such goods grants the party 21 units of Goods for future use in development should they choose to use them as such.
btw while opening doors and searching this area everyone will still be taking fire damage from the heat in 1 minute increments.
Making their way back out of the "oven", Morgrym wipes the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. "Blast it's hot in there. But at least we found ourselves some more weapons for the army. Let's check out the southern door." Morgrym then leads the way to the southern tunnel.
Pakak seems to be only slightly singed...
Nasira is aware of the warmth, but doesn't appear to be discomfited by it.
Moving south through the forge area you approach the last door on the bottom level. Opening it up you find a warehouse of sorts. Implements and tools for crafting and shaping weapons and armor lie strewn about the tables in this hexagon-shaped chamber. These tools grant a +2 circumstance bonus to using the forge to create weapons and armor.
"Nice. Ya can't beat a fine set of tools. Alright, looks like the double doors are last. Shall we?" he asks, making his way to the southwestern double doors. He looks to see if they may be trapped.
"I'd love a chance to work at that forge... but I fear we wouldn't have time." Maelchar says wistfully as he follows Morgrym to the next doors.
"Allow me master Ironfist" - Zeriax suggests, examining the double doors for possible traps and locks, but also for sounds from the other side.
For simplicity sake I am assuming that you are using the lift to get up to the top of the ledge where the doors are located for those that don't have levitate activated. Moving up close to the doors Zeriax begins to search for any traps or sound coming from behind the doors. He hears the sounds of chanting coming from the other side and belated also realizes that the first 5ft area on the ledge had an alarm spell triggered to alert any who crossed the forge area.
"I hear chanting, and I believe they are prepared for us as we have inadvertently already tripped a magical alarm" - Zeriax informs his companions.
"I'd love a chance to work at that forge... but I fear we wouldn't have time." Maelchar says wistfully as he follows Morgrym to the next doors.
"As would I. I have not had a chance to work with metal for some time. With these, I'm sure we could make your hammer powerful, indeed."
"I hear chanting, and I believe they are prepared for us as we have inadvertently already tripped a magical alarm" - Zeriax informs his companions.
"Well, lad, I'd say that's par for the course. C'mon, let's see if I can give ol' 'Unkillable' Kolberg a run for his money. Never met a challenge I didn't like," he looks over at Pakak and winks. He then looks to them all, "Are we ready? Since they know we're here they've probably got defenses up. So unless you magical lot got anything ya want ta cast, best do it now before we break down the door and start smashin' some heads," he says with probably a bit too much anticipation.
"Sounds like a fair assessment of the situation. Let us proceed with a goddess's wind at our backs." She begins a familiar prayer.
Blessing of Fervor while we've got everyone close together for once.