GL's Shattered Star. (Inactive)

Game Master Grandlounge

Von-Dai casts a spell at the lock on the portcullis to try further melt the lock so they can open it.

Acid splash on the lock. Do I need to make the attack roll, or can we just do damage?

Zeltyieli asks, "Should I stabilize him? I don't like the idea of the guardian just dying for doing its job."

After a minute or so of acid splash and a few attempts at lifting the gate opens.

"Yeah, he might know something we need. "

Once the guard is stable and the gate is open, Von-Dai casts detect magic and studies him for any magical auras.

Zeltyieli nods and tends to the the guardian's wounds.

Von you find a number of buffing and defensive spells that are fading then you catch a charm monster spell on the man.

On his body you find:

Loot:
Wand of detect secret doors (11 charges)
Silverfang
masterwork composite longbow with 20 arrows
cloak of resistance +1
spell component pouch
spellbook,
1 week of iron rations

Silverfang

Aura moderate necromancy; CL 8th
Slot none; Weight 2 lbs.; Price 9,320 gp
DESCRIPTION
Silverfang is a +1 undead bane mithral rapier originally forged by
a cabal of vampire hunters in Ustalav as a weapon against their
hated foes. Ironically, the rapier was claimed by a powerful
Nidalese vampire named Volsazni Dezarr as a trophy after
he single-handedly slew the entire cabal during their foolish
attempt to destroy him. Since then, Volsazni has bequeathed
the weapon as a token of his favor to no fewer than a dozen
vampiric thralls and five of his dhampir children—Gnaeus
being the latest of these recipients.
As long as Silverfang is carried, the user gains a +2 resistance
bonus on all saving throws against negative energy and level
drain, and whenever he makes a Fortitude save to recover from
a negative level, he may roll the save twice, taking the better of
the two results as the actual result. Once per day, Silverfang can
target an undead creature it just successfully critically hit with a
halt undead effect (Will DC 14 negates) as a swift action.
CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, death ward, halt
undead; Cost 8,250 gp

"He may not have been fully in control of his actions. Does anyone know what school of magic Sorshen favoured?"

"Lust is the magic of Enchantment. He's also under the effects of a charm monster spell. I suspect someone bent his will to theirs and placed him here as a guard. Once the spell is removed, he should be much more friendly. It will wear off on its own eventually, but it may take several days."

Zeltyieli sighs, "I could cast a protection form evil, it helps ward against spells that affect the mind and will."

"A good idea, assuming the one who cast the spell was evil. Sorshen was, I believe, renowned for her cruelty, so if it was her, that would make sense."

The half-elf shrugs, "I think the protection against enchantment is less concerned about the source of the magic... However, if he's not going to wake anytime soon, my spell would likely expire before it would help."

So what is the plan? Wake him and cast protection from evil or move on and leave him here?

Zeltyeili suggests, "Can we bind him, wake him and try the spell? He might have useful information and an axe to grind against those that enchanted him.... And if not, at least he's easily dealt with."

"I think that the best plan - anything he can tell us about this place would be helpful."

"Sounds like a good idea."

Marcus will take out some rope to bind the man.

Will: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

"What, who are you all? What happened?"

"Hello. My name is Von-Dai Cress. You were under an effect designed to control your mind. Can you tell me what you remember of how you came to be here?"

"I was hired by a group of Gray Maidens led by a woman named Oriana now serves the Lady of the Light, whom I thought was Sorshen, but since you overpowered her magic I no longer believe that to be true. With my mind clear, I remember catching a glimpse of her true form, that of a beautiful but frightening demonic woman with bat wings and horns."

Knowledge (planes): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23

"What can you tell us about these Gray Maidens?"

Zeltyieli blinks a moment, then asks, "Did you assume she was Sorshen, or is she claiming it? That's an interesting development either way."

Knowledge (Planes) - Aid: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

You are confident that it is an evil chaotic demon but with such scant details, a half dozen or more come to mind.

"What can you tell us about this level and why did you come here?"

"I was not allowed any further. They compelled me to help them a locked me here."

"Sounds like a raw deal there. "

Von-Dai nods. "Very well, then. How did you and the Grey Maidens get past the troglodytes into here?"

"They gave them weapons to allow them to win against the frogs."

"And the caryatid columns? Did you just run past them, or try and fight them?"

"Nothing attacked us to this point. Maybe the illusion helped."

Zeltyieli blinks, "Illusion? Which illusion is that?"

"The one that made the women look like Sorshen."

"When did you first meet the woman who looked like Sorshen?"

"I'm a sell sword I was hired several months ago in Karvosa."

Zeltyieli nods, "I guess, then, all we need to know now is who's in the group that you were with. Numbers, abilities, that sort of thing."

"Eight. Most are sword and shield warrior types don't know much about them otherwise."

"Were they from Korvosa?"

"Don't know. It is bad form to ask too many questions as a sellsword."

You think at this point you have gotten as much information as this sad soul has and with that, the spell fade and control over his mind returns.

Are we ready to move forward?

Might as well, he's a dry well of info at this point. Somehow I bet we were supposed to kill him, not interrogate him.

I think we're ready to move forward.

Agreed.

Agreed

"Sevrus, check that door if you don't mind and then we'll move on. "

1d20 ⇒ 7

Severus finds the door untrap free and with a bit of work get the lock undone.

As you move forward you see a row of marble pillars, each carved to resemble a beautiful woman, supports the ceiling of this long curving hallway, although the pillar closest to the western door seems to be missing its head.

perception: 1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 10 + 4 = 25

Using Ruin Raider if appropriate

Von-Dai also studies the statues, the memory of the caryatid columns fresh in his mind.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21 +4 from Ruin Raider, if appropriate

Sevrus and Von you can tell the statures are actually constructs but they are not activated. They seem to be in some kind of suspended sleep.

Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24

Trying to determine the kind of construct and what might wake them from suspended sleep.

Von with a close examination you believe that there a magical link to an activation device. You deduce that it must be a trap or alarm.