Sindran will direct some minions to take the nun to sacrifice-holding cell C on the third floor.
He then leads Alagnir to an abandoned room with plenty of space for him to think.
Morvius has his hands full (alas, literally) and as the light fades, he frowns. "Dusk already, where did the day go...? Dusk - DUSK! The Ritual!"
Wiping the worst of the blood and gore from his hands, he storms up to the Sanctum. If no one is there performing the Ritual already, he does so. I'm sure it's not my turn to have to do this...
Oret - you find the Goblins gorging on a fey. (They even offer you a giblet). You find no more intruders.
Is this the fey that Oret knocked out and we then forgot about, or is he still around somewhere?
I'm not sure that I want to know what happens if we miss the ritual! Dusk, midnight, dawn, isn't it? Oret, looks like that rules out a dawn assault...
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Is this the fey that Oret knocked out?
nah, this is another one.
The one you (and me, but I'm not going to admit that) forgot about is probably resting uncomfortably on Oret's shoulder until Oret disposes of him somewhere, say, one of the cells that DOES work near the Nun.[...]I want to know what happens if we miss the ritual!
No. Nooo, you don't.
Then again, now (at the start) it's not too bad. But imagine being 600 prayers in and having to face the consequences AND then start over, because you still need to get the Tears of Achlys from Vetra Kali Eats the Eyes...
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Once things are calming down, the prisoners are comfortable ans safe in their cells, the wounds patched up, etc, Talon will find Cala and approach her. He says nothing, but places a burnt feather in her hand with a deadpan gaze.
Morvius ensures that the assigned persons are on hand to perform the midnight and dawn rituals, before retiring back to his laboratory to continue his work. He gives a great deal of thought to the encounter with the celestial and prepares his infusions, mutagen and bombs accordingly.
Before dawn, he rises and seeks out the others to plan a strategy. In order to do that, he needs information about the celestial: despite being part-fiend himself, he is lamentably unacquainted with the other planes. He will have to rely on those who have studied such things, like the resident wizard.
Morvius is acutely aware that his last proper conversation with Cala ended with her storming out of the room without her dress; and that they haven't spoken much since. He therefore addresses her politely: "My lady, can you tell us anything of this ... lillend? Powers, vulnerabilities? What are we up against?"
Taking the feather in her hand, Caladwhen eyes it passively a moment and simply nods. While saying nothing, her wide eyes appear as close to remorseful as ever they have. Rolling her fingers around the feather into a clenched fist, a simple nod acknowledges a simple message it won't happen again.
As Morvius breaks the wordless conversation, Caladwhen slowly brings herself to the task at hand. With a raised eyebrow, she begins to recall the Lillendi "Celestials, powerful in their use of enchantment; this one tried to deceive me itself actually."
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...conversation with Cala ended with her storming out of the room without her dress
Good to hear you're coming up with strategies; let's hope the next invasion of your fortress (there will be more...) goes a little more smoothly thanks to these excellent efforts.
This week's organisation events:
Sorry, nothing happens.
Venorik Rah sincerely enjoys working for Caladwhen.
Satisfied with the response, Talon returns the nod and leaves.
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panting theatrically, Lars reaches the Horn and wipes his brow with a wing. He waits until he has at least some folks' attention before complaining loudly:
"Oh dear me, I'm too old for this Lemure-turd* homing pigeon duty."
He takes a deap breath.
"AHHH it's good to be home. Oh! By the way, master Sindran; your buffoons managed to kill the dwarven smithy, before they bothered to listen to my notification. But, I am told, they will make it up to you."
--Having perfected Complacency, Lars just struts off.
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Fortunately, the rest of the 2nd week in the Horn is uneventful. In fact - so is the entire third week.
During this period, the 7th knot reports nothing.
Venorik Rah however, reports just two very minor events
1. The sisters in the Monsaster of Saint Cynthia-Celeste have posted a 500gp reward for information about Sister Martha's whereabouts.
2. A port prostitute was abducted and, for lack of a better word, dissected. The town that's usually so quiet is quite shaken about this horrid event.
Oh Well, you know how Cala's friends are; always eager to please their mistress... They're probably just looking for something - anything - to report, to make themselves look useful.
You could all use the downtime for crafting or setting up defenses or whatever you feel like.
Sindran - if you want to... influence Sister Martha, the captured nun, feel free to elaborate on that. If your story is any good, as I expect it will be, then you'll get a big bonus on your diplomacy rolls to ...acquire information from her.
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"D'oh! Master Sindran. I was told you give bag!"
"'ere!"
*beams with pride - he re-mem-ber-ed-enized!*ooh big word!
These are the scales from the mithral cobras in the Cardinal's cellars. He dismantled them and thought it wise to have Grumblejack give them to you.
Talon will suggest somebody impersonating Sister Martha to briefly visit the town with some elaborate ruse on why she has to leave.
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Talon smiles at the appearance of GrumbleJack. Dumb, loyal, and strong. Exactly how I like my minions. He peeks inside, then gives a true smile and tosses the bag to Morvius. "I think we can put that to use."
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Morvius breaks into a grin as he catches and opens the bag:
"Mithral! Just what was needed for the golem! Now we just need a smith - an alive one, preferably" Morvius stares thoughtfully at Lars "Such a shame you didn't have the stamina to deliver the message in time. Oh well. These things happen. It's probably just the way you were brought up - you can't help it. I certainly won't hold it against you."
Morvius dismisses the matter - and the luckless familiar - with a shake of his head.
"Well, until a smith turns up, how does anyone feel about a game? I plan to call it hunt-the-celestial. I thought about calling it find-out-from-a-traitor-where-the-celestial-lives-and-kill-it-in-its-lair, which has the advantage of being more accurate; but it's rather more wordy."
"Does anyone want to play?"
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So I can count you in then...?
Venorik Rah sincerely enjoys working for Caladwhen.
Sindran waves goodbye to the bird when he flaps away. "Thank you, Lars," he says idly.
Sindran grins when he discovers what Grumblejack handed to him. "Excellent. Thank you, Grumblejack."
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Collector Name: Sindran Eithe (901)
Detainee Name: Sister Martha (H1)
Number of Times Interrogated: 0
Interrogation Objectives: Build rapport, establish conditions of control, identify source's primary motions, values, traditions, and characteristics and use them to gain source's willing cooperation.
Health concerns: Possible concussion
Interrogation site: Cell C3-10 of HORN. Basic furnishings, treat as detained guest. Monitor with guard outside, minimum contact.
Approach Strategies
Initial Approach: Establish Your Identity
Rationale: Insisting source is an identified evil individual will have them make effort to establish own identity. Create inference that we are Against Evil (i.e. Good) and collect leads for further development.
Additional Approach: Direct
Rationale: Convince source of collector's sincerity. Check memory and mental faculties.
Additional Approach: Emotional Hate/Love
Rationale: Strong feelings for Good/Evil, convince source that we are Good/against Evil to use as incentive to provide information.
Notes: Source may detect alignment and may be able to cast some spells without holy focus or materials. Source's allies killed; decide whether to pretend detainment of her allies or show honesty once source's likely response mapped.
The Victor's Seal in the Horn is weakening (causing the lightshow and glowing). Our group holed up in the Horn to reinforce the seal and to prevent any evils from getting in and weakening the seal further (thereby releasing Vetra Kali).
While in the Horn, we tried to figure out how to reinforce the seal but kept getting distracted by constant attacks of evil creatures and men.
We thought that Sister Martha's party was another group of evil individuals due to their timing, when we were being attacked by another group. (That is to say, the Celestial and elves.)
Note: Depending on Sister Martha's likely response, tell her she was spared because of her apparent allegiance to Sarenrae. We thought she might have been mind controlled or forced against her will to guide the others to the Horn, but wasn't sure.
Note: If goblins come up, portray goblins as Neutral-Good aligned creatures dedicated to defending the Horn on the Victor's orders.
Note: If Sister Martha is able to detect us as Evil, explain that the aura of great evil of the Horn has seeped into our own auras, preventing us from seeking help.
When Sindran mentions the holy symbol Talon stands. "Consider it done." And he makes his way down to the cells.
He enters, walking up to the cell and clearing his throat to get Sister Martha's attention. Failing that, he bangs on the bars with a mailed fist. "Holy symbol, hand it over."
Also - somewhere during week 3, one of the Bane Wog comes up into the Horn. He finds Sindran and proudly reports:
"Master! Bane-Wog Strong! We arresse...arrste...ares... take pri-so-nars! Two Humongs, snooping in bushes!"
On the way down, Sindrans asks the goblin accompanying him for a more detailed description of where exactly they arrested the prisoners.
When they arrive at the site, Sindran approaches the humans, taking care not to get too close. He recognizes the Heitr member almost immediately.
"Well," Sindran says, folding his arms, "what do we have here? Would one of you care to explain?"
...At the stroke of midnight on that day he will emerge into the Sanctum and the Seal shall shatter.
Blessed day! Be ready, my brothers. His eyes have been stolen from him. Return them and the Prince will honor ye with one task for each.
For the Eye of Vigilance ask only for his mercy upon us mortals and plead that he do ye and yours no harm. For his wroth will be great.
For the Eye of Hatred ask for his greatest gift -- The Tears of Achlys so that once more every corner of the world may know his mercy.
For the Eye of Withering ask what ye will for in his gratitude he must answer your charge.
And then behold, the Prince restored. All shall know his blessings of pestilence and despair.
When the jewel is steeped in the blood of a sentient creature, it reveals its true nature. The Eye of Vigilance was the magical focus used to create the Horn of Abaddon in the first place and so it is connected to every square inch of the structure. The bearer of this jewel may scry the Horn of Abaddon just as if he possessed a crystal ball.
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Ezra has indeed not been seen for several weeks.
Hexor and Vexor have continued their chess game. Every now and then, they both leave the room and roam the Horn; they actively hunt for intruders. It's safe to assume that you've all met them a few times on one of their trips. Afterwards, they continue their game.
yes, you do. Go ahead and take actions for week 3 AND 4.
Talon is moving some of the traps back into place when he starts thinking on Ezra. After a moment he frowns, then flies back up to the Horn. "Ezra's probably just trying to tick us off. Perhaps we should show her how it is to anger us."
If Ezra is hiding, Morvius will check out the treasure room and see what is there... Apart from the money, obviously
Talon finishes the talk with the others then leaves abruptly, not even giving one of his dismissive nods or grunts. He grabs two of the goblins on his way out and makes his way to the library.
After nearly a week of nobody hearing from Talon, a goblin makes his way to Cala's room. He nervously holds out a piece of paper, and on it is written Ran out of ink, send more with goblin. After retrieving the ink (or failing to) the creature heads back down to the library.
Talon chews a chunk of meat, trying to get the hard meat soft enough to go down into his knotted stomach. He looks at the meat, the dead flesh on the plate, and the unease builds and builds until he spits out the meat and flings the dish across the room, making it shatter against the far wall. He takes a gulp of the water, then sends one of the goblins to get something strong for him to drink.
With a proper drink in hand Talon sits in a fetal position, heavily drinking from the bottle while staring at the enigmatic sword he left lying on the table. Once his head starts to swim Talon spits out at the sword "What the bloody f+#+ are you." Without waiting for a response he stands, slamming the bottle against the wall, dousing his arm with alcohol and shredding his hand with glass shards. Ignoring the pain he crosses to the sword, standing above it with hands on the table. "I used to not take orders from anybody. I was my own person, answering to nobody in a search for power and to even out the blood amongst my kind and the humans." He begins laughing, turning and raising his arms as if fed up with the world. "Then one f*%!ing bad move got me in debt to Thorn and Asmodeus! Asmodeus!" He roars, grabbing the table he brought in and flinging the entire heavy set across the room.
Talon rears back around, pointing an accusing hand at Rygat. "And then you come along and deem to tell me how I should act! Telling me who to kill and trying to manipulate me!" With another roar he turns and with a clawed hand summons forth a chaotic burst of electricity that begins cracking the stones on the walls, rending bookcases in half, and setting the wood on fire.
After one of the goblins runs Talon's evening meal into the library, he comes back up quickly and grabs a bottle of strong rum, bringing it back down. A few minutes later the silence that the library has been under shatters to what sounds like broken glass. A minute later it sounds like a large wooden object was flung across the room, and then after that there is the sound of thunder and the cracking of rocks. Smoke begins billowing out of the library and the goblins flee the area.
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Morvius, I assumed you'd want to take 20 on appraising and identifying those items so we can skip the obvious bit. It is quite a bit of luggage, though; which items do you take out of the treasury?
Also, where are you headed with this psychosis? What's the goal? I'm only asking so I can help you get there.
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"Well, what do we have here? Would one of you care to explain?"
Your minion is happy to see you - he wasn't too sure if his pleas succesfully motivated the goblins to actually go and look for you.
"Master Heithe - Bloody hellfire it's good to see you here. Please sir, tell them to cut us loose. I have news to report."He starts reporting, wether you cut him loose or not. Good man, that - clearly he knows that your time is worth more than his comfort.
"The black pigeon caught us too late, sir. We'd just gutted the rogue dwarf just outside town when the bird emerged from the forest and told us he should be kept alive."
He swallows, but quickly continues; confident in the fact that the failure lies with the messenger, not Heithr.
"We promised to make it up to you - and we did. Allow me to introduce to you master Tubal Cain; the best smith in all of Northern Andoran, if not the entire country. He's more than happy to work for someone who appreciates the quality of his work."
He nods towards the Bane-Wog.
"I personally came to introduce him to you, but these green rats jumped us. I knew you kept a litter of these pets, so I didn't want to hurt them. Still, it's good that you came; I was about ready to kill them all and look for you myself."
He is absolutely sincere about that.
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One of the tasks you set your minions out to do, is locate an heir to the Victor in Farholde.
As it happens, the acting commander of castle Hamorhall is quite proud of his ancestry, and thus this task is completed quite quickly. Sir Valin Darian commands the garrison in the castle, since the army's commander has gone off to war against the Bugbears.
Sindran motions for the Bane-Wog to release the men, listening to his minion's explanation and sincerity but also measuring up their newfound smith from his peripheral vision.
"I appreciate your restraint," Sindran finally says, stepping up to his minion. He chants, bringing forth a flame in his hand and, ignoring any signs of fear, thrusts it into the minion. Almost immediately, he begins to heal--though not without some pain. The half-orc steps away, ignoring any signs of distress or thanks. "I am very pleased with Heitr. You can go, and tell the organization to think of a reasonable request as a reward and I'll see if I can grant it."
Turning away from his minion in a clear sign of dismissal, he speaks to their new guest.
"A pleasure to meet you, master Tubal Cain. I apologize for your rough welcome. We can't be too careful, I'm sure you understand. If you please, I can heal any damage you may have incurred, similar to what you have just seen me do to my associate. Please, come inside, we have much to discuss."
Aware that he is not best equipped to deal with ghosts and incorporeals, Morvius quickly sorts through the magic items - the gold they are already aware of, and have appropriated accordingly. He takes the Ring of Mind Shielding (intending to give to Sindran asap), the Lens of Detection (toss-up between Cala and Oret, as they have the best perception ). The Belt of Giant Strength will go to Oret.
He grins as he finds the Iron Plates carved in Abyssal "I think I know what these might be!" He gives the Rod of Elemental Metamagic an experimental swish; it's no use to him unfortunately, although he rather fancies the idea of having a cane. He's fairly sure that Talon would appreciate an alternative form of energy for his Shocking Grasp spells - or at least that he will once he has calmed down a bit. "Hm, best to wait on this one, perhaps." He takes the Rod with him, nevertheless; but will wait a while before presenting it to the Strix.
He also appropriates the box of Cure Moderate Wounds potions and the Eye of Hatred. He therefore leaves the treasure room loaded down with the magical items, but not with any of the gold.
Seeking out Cala, Morvius works with her on seeing how the iron plates and the Eye of Hatred actually work:
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The iron plates:
The plates remind you of a mural you saw in 2-9.
The mural shows two strange looking horned and clawed bear-like creatures being summoned from the nether planes and bound using plates of iron. These creatures are of course the Greater Ceustodaemons you know as Hexor and Vexor - but the plates of iron you hold in your hands are inscribed with the daemons' true names: Hexoraticus and Vexorandian.
The iron plates are actually the fragmented amulets they wear about their necks. Possess the other half of their amulets, and they will have no choice but to serve you.
Eye of Hatred:
As with the others, only if the jewel is steeped in the blood of a sentient creature does it reveal its true nature.
The Eye of Hatred was the magical focus used to dedicate the Horn of Abaddon to the Four Horsemen. It is thus sensitive to any outside interference. The Eye of Hatred pulses whenever any divine magic of Good origin is used within the Horn of Abaddon. The Eye is of course also a critical component of the ritual to destroy the Silver Seal and return Vetra-Kali to the prime material plane.
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Relax, the Bane-Wogs are the coolest Goblins within hundreds of miles. Look! There! more goblins from nearby dens are at the caves, kneeling before Zikomo-Hears-the-Father and begging to join the Bane-Wog tribe.
Goblin come, goblin go... Morvius is philosophical - until he realises with dismay that the number of goblins around the place is actually increasing. "Argh! I need some more experiments that require sentient blood; maybe the iron plates - or those thrones..."
He grins at Sindran "I know, you disapprove; but I've done some useful research!" He brandishes the Eye of Hatred and briefly explains what it does. "I think you should have it - if it flashes a warning, you'll be able to use the other Eye to spy on any intruders; not that there should be any intruders of course, if we're doing our jobs correctly..."
Morvius is a little concerned by Sindran's lackadaisical approach "Not to question your experience at dealing with people in any way, but at what stage would you consider interfering? I mean, if his apparent unconcern that the room he's in is on fire doesn't prompt an intervention, what will? I ask only out of curiosity, you understand..."
Morvius would never admit it, but he likes Talon: after over a century of involvement with the Infernal Hierarchy, where trickery and evasion are everything, there's something refreshing about the Strix's unconcealed hostility towards him. He'll never be in any doubt about where he stands with Talon (out of immediate weapon range). He knows that his own relationship with Asmodeus and his lack of people skills make him exactly the wrong person to talk with the magus right now, so he will try and use Sindran as a proxy. He hopes that the mention of fire will get Sindran to at least go and admire the flames!
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He hopes that the mention of fire will get Sindran to at least go and admire the flames!
I lolled.
it would help to do a little recon
Said recon includes Oret and probably a few capable minions, so Sindran is sure to not lose any Goblins.
The lair is indeed in the area of higher ground described by Alagnir, and it looks somewhat like this guy's pretty darn awesome aquarium, except for the water obviously.
There's a cute little cascading stream that feeds fresh water from the north-western mountains, and a lush outcropping that offers a good (tactical) view of the forest below.