Conditions:
Boxes: DC 10 climb check to enter, difficult terrain, give higher ground;
Yanda - dmg; mutagen (00:40);
Courage - dmg;
Altovin - dmg; 1 DEX dmg; life link (Ylosani);
Ylosani - dmg; 0 non-lethal, 4 CON dmg;
Romulus - 1 dmg;
Dasus - dmg;
With the unconscious prisoners tied up, the group has little difficulty operating the lever to open the gate. Passing through it, you see that the Emerald Spire protrudes from the western wall of this room. Stairs lead up from the central portion of the room to an iron gate to the south (the same that you've just passed through) and a reinforced wooden door to the north. Four arrow slits to the north look out over the room. Next to the east wall, narrow stone steps descend deeper into the dungeon.
The Emerald Spire is marked by a mystic sigil different from those on the previous two levels.
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"oooh. I love sigils. That one seems to be... uh... different!"
Yanda squints her eyes at the arrow slits, bully expecting to see arrow heads pointed menacingly at her.
"These guys seem to beleive in the defensive rings philosophy. Crack one defense and they fall back to another. While we try to break down the door they will be peppering us with arrow fire. Do we have any smoke sticks or anything to cover our advance?"
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"The last floor had a lot of secret doors and what if this one is similar...I just hope they aren't coming around behind us now..." Altorin says quietly looking back over their shoulders.
He thinks about what to do to distract them and only could always summon one.
"I don't have any tricks like that but our other paladin ended up breaking down their last door while we got shot at..." he remembers...mostly how ineffective he was against it.
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Yanda grimaces at that, looking at the arrow slits and imagining how many shots they would get at anyone foolish enough to try top break down the door.
"I'll bet that hurt. Hmmmm. We could start another fire and make smoke, though I'd really like to avoid that. Of course, I'd like to avoid getting shot at even more, though dying of smoke inhalation is hardly a better alternative. Say, maybe there was a table or two or something in one of the other rooms we could use as a shield!"
Looking around, the pathfinders find materials back in the guard room that could be used as makeshift shields.
Conditions:
Boxes: DC 10 climb check to enter, difficult terrain, give higher ground;
Yanda - dmg; mutagen (00:40);
Courage - dmg;
Altovin - dmg; 1 DEX dmg; life link (Ylosani);
Ylosani - dmg; 0 non-lethal, 4 CON dmg;
Romulus - 1 dmg;
Dasus - dmg;
The pathfinders take a moment to move a table to help provide themselves some cover but discover that the guards have apparently taken flight. No one fires at them through the arrow slits and, to their surprise, the pathfinders find that the door is not locked or barred. When they push it open they find the room beyond seemingly abandoned.
The fittings of the room are much like those found in the other guard room previously visited. There are various boxes and crates and supplies, and also another statue of a woman with a water urn, seemingly identical to the one you've already seen, stands in the middle of the long room. At the other end of the room, two doors can be seen, a single door to the south, and a double door to the north.
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Yanda lowers her end of the table in relief.
"Well, that was not what I expected. I'm sure there will be other suprised to make up for it though."
After peeking her head cautiously through the doorway and looking around, she enters and approaches the statue.
"They do seem to have a thing for this goddess. If it is a goddess. Anyone know? It might help if we knew who they worshipped."
Conditions:
Boxes: DC 10 climb check to enter, difficult terrain, give higher ground;
Yanda - dmg; mutagen (00:40);
Courage - dmg;
Altovin - dmg; 1 DEX dmg; life link (Ylosani);
Ylosani - dmg; 0 non-lethal, 4 CON dmg;
Romulus - 1 dmg;
Dasus - dmg;
Dasus feels confident that the statue of the woman with the urn of water seems purely decorative. However, from some of the newer murals painted on the various walls throughout the complex he thinks it likely that this is a group that worships Norgorber, the Taldan deity of thievery and assassination.
When Ylosani looks into the door of the next room, he sees that the double bunks and footlockers in the alcoves of this large room suggest it serves as a barracks. The walls are decorated with simple paintings and murals, which include sketches of building, temple, and ruin layouts with notations suggesting how to get past obstacles and traps. Two small privy chambers stand against the southern wall, and doors exit to the southeast and the northwest. No one is present, but from the disarray it looks like anyone who was here previously may have left in a hurry.
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"Probably a declaration from whoever built this tower. The rest of the decorations, though, look like they worship Norgorber, a god of thieves and assassins. More evidence we can't trust them to be honourable."
Nodding in agreement with Yanda, he says, "We'll have to search it later anyway, it's what we've been sent to do. But for now, let's deal with the enemy." He takes up a position beside the samurai, ready to open the door when the others get into position.
Conditions:
Boxes: DC 10 climb check to enter, difficult terrain, give higher ground;
Yanda - dmg; mutagen (00:40);
Courage - dmg;
Altovin - dmg; 1 DEX dmg; life link (Ylosani);
Ylosani - dmg; 0 non-lethal, 4 CON dmg;
Romulus - 1 dmg;
Dasus - dmg;
The others move up to join the group before Ylosani opens the other set of doors.
This large natural cave has been widened by excavation. Masonry walls enclose structures within the cave, including what looks like a temple to the north and a crypt to the west. In the eastern end, a low stone wall encloses a large pool of water. A low tunnel exits the northern end of the excavated cavern, heading off into darkness. A cool breeze faintly stirs in its entrance.
C19 saves: Ylosani, Dasus and Yanda all failed - synesthesia at 00:19 (round 1); Romulus and Courage failed - synethesia at 00:19 (round 2). Altovin passed.
C4 saves: note to self: Ylosani and Yanda both made their saves; Altovin (3 doses) and Romulus (4 doses) synesthesia at 00:11 (round 1); Courage (3 doses) synesthesia at 00:11 (round 5)
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Yanda wets her right index finger, still bizzarely elongated by the mutagen, and holds it out.
"A cave! Interesting. I wonder if it leads to another entrance to the spire, if the breeze is any indication. Those goblins up top may not be the only ones using this place as a base of operations. Definitely worth exploring."
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Thought he way he looks at the pool to the east suggests that Ylosani is curious about it, going all the way there and doubling back is not the most efficient way to clear out their enemies.
Instead, he goes to the closed door in the northwest and awaits his companions to join him. Though he listens at the door, he looks down the passageway, cautious about something coming out of the depths at him.
Conditions:
Boxes: DC 10 climb check to enter, difficult terrain, give higher ground;
Yanda - dmg; mutagen (00:40);
Courage - dmg;
Altovin - dmg; 1 DEX dmg; life link (Ylosani);
Ylosani - dmg; 0 non-lethal, 4 CON dmg;
Romulus - 1 dmg;
Dasus - dmg;
Yanda and Dasus speculate about where the tunnel to the north might lead, while Ylosani opens the western door, an ancient stone door, which opens into a dusty old crypt. Five stone sepulchers sit in the chamber’s northern and center portions. Each is carved with an effigy of a masked man or woman. To the south, one large sepulcher lies, its lid secured with iron bands.
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"I'm a bit double minded about that. On the one hand, I do not like disturbing the dead. If I had family buried, I would not want a bunch of curious explorers tearing my loved one's tomb apart looking for items of interest. On the other hand, they are probably all dead anyway and we are Pathfinders. It's our JOB to poke our noses into things like this. So... yes. Let's see what's in those things. Just... be prepared."
Yanda opens one of the sepulchers and finds a corpse, seemingly long dead. From various indications the tomb appears to hold a master thief of old.
These are actually the crypts of the Tynals, a corrupt noble family. Someone has modified them to make them appear like the tombs of an old and honored thieves' guild.
Yanda finds that the contents of the next sepulcher are much the same.
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Dasus frowns, at the revelation. "Why would they disguise their crypts like this?" He looks to the remaining sepulchre, and says, "I prefer to let the dead rest, but we should check this last one. It looks like it was bound to keep something inside. If there is an undead creature inside, we need to put it to rest."
The tombs say nothing, silently mocking the brave adventurers.
Conditions:
Boxes: DC 10 climb check to enter, difficult terrain, give higher ground; Tombs: difficult terrain, give higher ground;
Altovin - dmg; 1 DEX dmg; 1 WIS dmg; life link (Ylosani);
Courage - dmg;
Dasus - dmg;
Yanda - dmg; mutagen (00:40);
Lord Tynal (Grey) - dmg;
Ylosani - dmg; 0 non-lethal, 4 CON dmg;
Romulus - 1 dmg;
Yanda moves forward and uses her anytool to pry open the southernmost of the tombs, while Ylosani and Dasus look on from a protective distance.
It takes a minute of work, but the iron bands each snap open, ringing ominously against the stone. When the last of the bands is snapped, the lid to the tomb is immediately thrown back and a fearsome creature bursts forth, standing atop the pedestal. The flesh of this walking corpse is rotting and putrid, its body skeletal in places and its eye sockets glowing with red light. "At last, mortals, if only you knew how hungry I am, you would run to your mamas!" it shouts in archaic Common. "I am Lord Kalast Tynal and I shall savor every morsel of your flesh!"
Wights are humanoids who rise as undead due to necromancy, a violent death, or an extremely malevolent personality. In some cases, a wight arises when an evil undead spirit permanently bonds with a corpse, often the corpse of a slain warrior. They are barely recognizable to those who knew them in life; their flesh is twisted by evil and undeath, the eyes burn with hatred, and the teeth become beast-like.
You begin to see spectacular colors and hear astonishing sounds, while your nose detects strange and almost nauseating smells. The effect is both fascinating and sickening.
The Voice of Courage, Dasus, and Yanda may all act. Yanda, note that both your hands would have been occupied with using the anytool.
Conditions:
Boxes: DC 10 climb check to enter, difficult terrain, give higher ground; Tombs: difficult terrain, give higher ground;
Altovin - dmg; 1 DEX dmg; 1 WIS dmg; life link (Ylosani);
Courage - dmg;
Dasus - dmg;
Yanda - dmg; mutagen (00:40);
Lord Tynal (Grey) - dmg;
Ylosani - dmg; 0 non-lethal, 4 CON dmg;
Romulus - 1 dmg;
With a single well placed axe blow, the Paladin Dasus separates the dead Lord Kalast Tynal's head from his body and the creature is finally summoned to its meeting with Pharasma that has eluded it for so long.
With the battle over almost as quickly as it began, you quickly note that something is not right with Altovin, who is staring blankly out into space.
Everyone (but Altovin) may act.
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Altovin wavers and even his clouded eyes dart about in the direction of the enemy while Courage pecks at him for a moment.
"Altovin, courage! Move!" he hops impatiently providing him with Guidance.
Also if it is illusion I get a racial +2.
I suppose it doesn't matter too much now, lol.
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Yanda bolts upright when the wight veritably ERUPTS from the tomb. She was expecting something more along the lines of a zombie if anything. It is against nature that an undead should move so fast. Then again, many say that the undead are against nature... but their very nature!
Before she can say "oh ..." it is vaporized by a well placed holy missile. After a stunned pause, she rmarks, "Dang. Just dang. Dasus, that was... amazing."
She does not notice Altovin's condition for a moment or two, her attention glued to the crypt, so she puts her anytool away and prepares to explore the empty tomb.
Conditions:
Boxes: DC 10 climb check to enter, difficult terrain, give higher ground; Tombs: difficult terrain, give higher ground;
Altovin - dmg; 1 DEX dmg; 1 WIS dmg; life link (Ylosani); Guidance;
Courage - dmg;
Dasus - dmg;
Yanda - dmg; mutagen (00:40);
Ylosani - dmg; 0 non-lethal, 4 CON dmg;
Romulus - 1 dmg;
Yanda looks around, not yet noticing Altovin's condition, and sees that Lord Tynal wears a golden pectoral worth 500 gp.
Ylosani and Romulus may act!