Senn walks over and tries to take a peek in the crack of the stone.
You cannot see anything of interest down the well, however as you look around you see that there is movement from the tents and 3 seeded creatures emerge.
"What... I mean..." Penith stood opened mouthed unable to vocalize how gross that looks. There is no question it needs to be attacked, just takes her mind waaay too long to make her body move.
Penith's rock flies through the air, striking the nearest creature, dealing it a mighty blow.
On its turn some of the creatures wounds heal up and the creatures readies for when something comes near.
Trevor moves to the entrance and readies an attack if any approach.
Then Bitey attacks again.
------------------------------------------------------
Confirmation rolls for the bites.
Burst of radiance (DC 20 Ref) on the creature on the right.
Domeric starts his song!
Bitey bounds over to the creature on the left and with several blows tears it to pieces. As it dies it explodes into a cloud of spores
(Can Bitey make a Fort 21 save or take 2 charisma damage)
Senn's spell flies towards the creature on the right, burning it terribly. It is still there but only just.
The archer fires three arrows at the enemy.
Attack with IC
Damage plus
sonic
Attack with IC
Damage plus
sonic
Attack with IC
Damage plus
sonic
Atajay fires at the creature on the right felling it with his three arrows. As it dies it releases a cloud of spores but it does not affect anyone.
The creature in the middle casts a spell at the doorway (Confusion - 15 ft radius - Will 19)
"Oh, good thing we are not close. I think that would not be good to breathe that in."
Penith's mind starts to grow muddled, but she still manages to fling her rock.
Penith's rock flies through the air and strikes the remaining creature.
Will +1 vs charms and compulsions.
The archer fires three arrows at the remaining enemy.
Attack with IC
Damage plus
sonic
Attack with IC
Damage plus
sonic
Attack with IC
Damage plus
sonic
FNORD!
"Would you just fall already. I've had just about enough."
Senn will cast Suppress Charms and Compulsions on everyone which should suppress the confusion on everyone for 13 rounds.
Then Bitey attacks trying to finally kill this thing.
------------------------------------------------
With Atajay's three arrows the remaining creature falls.
Loot: potion of eagle's splendour
+2 full plate
spined shield
+2 light flail
cloak of resistance +2
gloves of swimming and climbing
rope of climbing
hammer
miner's pick
5 pitons
100ft silk rope
188gp
2 scrolls of flame strike
scroll of slay living
+1 breastplate
+2 spear
398gp
+2 chain shirt
2 +1 short sowrds
580gp
So is there any more to this tower?
Looking around you can also see rations and water that would sustain a group for several weeks, together with 500 feet of hemp rope and several books and journals including the Necromicon.
"Well this is what we came here for. But let's read the journal first."
Senn begins to read the journals.
That is the nasty books those angels want? That is a good thing I suppose. Keep it away from power hungry people.
"Yes and maybe it will give an idea of what Lowls wanted. I'm interested in his true motivations and where he has gone."
Haven't we learned anything? 'Don't read the books!' We keep going insane when we do that.
The journals reveal Lowls evolving intentions for coming to Neruzavin. The entries after departing Thrushmoor grow increasingly frenetic and the handwriting is more exaggerated. He records with excitement his acquisition of the Necronomicon, abandonment o Miacknian Mun and initial discoveries while setting forth for the Parchlands.
Each morning he records his dreams, expressing waning interest in scholarly discoveries and greater obsession with a being called Xhamen-Dor. According to Lowls, the eldritch terror known as Xhamen-Dor dwells within an accursed city within the Parchlands, where it gathers the strength and converts it needs to awaken and consume the world. Rather than express dismay, the count conveys his fanatic delight, writing of his desire to call to the black star and "make our two worlds one under the Yellow Sign."
From the journals you can also discover:
Lowls is obsessed with one or more eldritch masters, whom he seeks to serve by completing a number of occult rituals. He has planned to take Xhamen-Dor into his body and journey to Carcosa to offer himself to Hastur so that the King in Yellow can gain enough power to become an Outer God.
Much like Thrushmoor, the accursed city of Neruzavin holds three star stelae that the count has awakened in order to perform a ritual he learned from the Necronomicon: the path to the black star occult ritual.
Upon completing the ritual, Lowls planned to travel to the unholy domain of the King in Yellow, where he hoped to attune its Star Stelae and offer Golarion to his new master.
”Welp, that guy sounds completely bonkers,” Ataja says after getting a summary of the book.
He took two scoops from the crazy bin!
"Ergh, what a nutcase..."
Among the journals you also find a piece of paper that appears to have been written by one of the mercenaries you recently killed. It reads as follows:
Day 20: Lowls has once again left to document the ruins. It amazes me that he can wander this 'city' without running afoul of of the monsters here. We have now suffered three different attacks in his absence, and the infernal whistling grows stronger every day. Why did he hire bodyguards if we were only going to sit around and sweat? Morale is low, and some are starting to desert. Jalhab left as soon as the Count did. Good luck escaping without enough provisions.
Day 25: Screaming. We found Jalhab bound in bruise-coloured fibres, and he kept screaming about the seeds within us all. He eventually passed out and refused food or water. It looks like deprivation and sunstroke.
Day 26: While Peera was checking Jalhab, he grabbed her by the throat and began strangling her. When we pulled them apart, part of Jalhab's hands were still attached to her neck. There weren't fingers, just bruise coloured fungus. Jalhab couldn't stop laughing, even though he didn't have hands anymore. When we confronted him, he threw himself from the tower and broke his body on the streets below. The corpse was gone less than an hour later, but nobody spotted any scavengers.
Day 30: The whistling's different. It's soothing somehow. Maybe, that's just how death seems a welcome end when suffering grows too terrible. We've lost another three: Iavos, Renal, and Peera. We burned Renal's body, but the smoke just made the others sick. Everyone has a haunted look, but at least two have told me I've the same expression. That's madness. Clearly they're the ones going mad. I can almost see their sickness as it stirs inside them. So thirsty. Just waiting to hatch.
Kaklatath explains that the King in Yellow is an immensely powerful demigod served by aberrant beasts and Xhamen-Dor was his most powerful weapon: a foul fungus entity that consumed entire worlds. The yithians have fought the Yellow King's servants throughout time and space and believed Xhamen Dor destroyed and its remains obliterated. If its name is know here it is likely the Great Old One may lie here dormant, yet still dangerous.
The Great Race of Yith won a victory eons ago, destroying most of the King in Yellow's servants. A few such as Kaklatath remained behind, slumbering in wait should Golarion come under attack again. The fact that I an unable to return to my body suggests something has destroyed the slumbering yithians.
From Lowls' notes you discover the sites of the three star stelae in Neruzavin. From the notes you discover the only way to stop Thrushmoor from being forcibly drawn into Carcosa is to activate the three star stelae in Carcosa and defeat whoever is in control of the reflection of Thrushmoor forming in Carcosa already.
So we need to travel to this Cacacosa? Where is it?
"If I am reading correctly, and I may not be I learned to read as 25, we need to follow the ritual in the evil death book called the path to the black star occult ritual. I'm going to start preparing plane shift to get us back in an emergancy."
"And we avoid whistling... right?" Penith isn't much help with rituals but she follows Senn about and helps if anything heavy needs to be lifted up.
[bI guess we do the ritual. How do we do it?[/b]
"I guess so."
GM is there a roll on the ritual?
Know. Arcana
Senn takes her time with the ritual, trying not to screw it up.
Trevor just knows how to be a doctor so he is at a loss
Senn, you know that the ritual described has many component parts. Firstly you need the Necromomicon, then you need to attune the star stelae in the city of Neruzavin. Finally the primary and any secondary caster need to make several successes on Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (dunegoneering) checks.
"We are going to need to get this book out of here, and get to the Star Stelae."
”Now how do we go about attuning this Star stelae? I doubt it’s simple, that’s for sure.”
Some big magic ritual no doubt. This is going to be like in those stories where the heroes get attacked when they try something like this.
"Blood magic. We will need a human sacrifice."
Er....Well. Umm..