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Thanks to Spider Climb, Jean-Pierre and Archibald have no trouble with the shaft; without that spell, they realise that they would have had a *lot* of trouble climbing - the surface is practically smooth!
This area seems to have once been a small complex of rooms, but their original use is anyone’s guess today, for some ancient catastrophe seems to have melted the walls in places, leaving behind a half-demolished complex. In the few places where the walls are still intact, however, the delicate carvings indicate that whoever once built these rooms was a skilled artisan. Far to the southwest, a partially melted stone archway opens into a larger room.
Lounging against one dilapidated wall is another frogman, oblivious to Jean-Pierre presence.
Jean-Pierre quietly designates the frog-man as his Prey, and then tries to take him down before he has a chance to react!
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Only one of Jean-Pierre's arrows manages to find purchase!
The frog-man croaks out in alarm, provoking activity from the chamber behind him...
A nasty-looking ape-man, wielding a hatchet in one hand, and with a spike gauntlet made from bone and dragon scales on the other, hurries in from the next room.
Malarunk (-)
Jean-Pierre (-)
Archibald (-)
CW (-, -)
BW (-, -)
Jean-Pierre grits his teeth, then order Archibald forwards, determined to finish-off the injured frog-man, before turning his attention to the ape-man.
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Smaller ape-men hustle forward, whooping excitedly!
They are closely followed by another frog-man, who gets close enough to take a swing at Archibald...
...causing a glancing blow.
The bigger ape-man looks affronted by Jean-Pierre's attacks, and raises a holy symbol high, channeling crackling black energy, which lances out to hit Jean-Pierre!
Malarunk (-12)
Jean-Pierre (-)
Archibald (-5)
CW (-, -)
BW (-, -)
Looking decidedly ill, Jean-Pierre does his best to annihilate the ape-man!
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Jean-Pierre's arrows miss, but his force missiles hit.
The ape-men swarm around Archibald...
...as does the frog-man!
Luckily, all of their attacks are laughably ineffective.
Their leader, growing annoyed, channels negative energy again...
Malarunk (-25)
Jean-Pierre (-20)
Archibald (-5)
CW (-, -)
BW (-)
Nearly swooning, Jean-Pierre continues to focus on the leader...
Cursing loudly, Jean-Pierre does his best to finish-off the leader!
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One of Jean-Pierre's arrows finally manages to hit, and his reliable force missile volley continues to do a number upon the leader, who grimaces in pain.
The minions keep trying to drop Archibald...
...gradually chipping away at his vitality...
...whilst the leader heals himself.
Malarunk (-45)
Jean-Pierre (-92)
Archibald (-42)
CW (-, -)
BW (-)
Growing increasingly frustrated, Jean-Pierre keeps up the pressure upon the leader!
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
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Jean-Pierre's first arrow strikes true!
Both the leader and the frog-men are then slightly electrocuted.
The minions continue to rip into Archibald...
...slowly but surely chipping away at him, with numerous tiny cuts...
Whilst the leader, incandescent with rage, charges forward, and tries to rend Jean-Pierre limb from limb!
Malarunk (-61)
Jean-Pierre (-103)
Archibald (-52)
CW (-, -)
BW (-6)
Growing more than a little concerned, Jean Pierre keeps up the steady stream of arrows!
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
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Jean-Pierre's arrows continue to miss, but his electrical blast continues to do a good job of frying his opponents, dropping the leader, and badly injuring the frog-man!
Spurred into a frenzy, the remaining cultists tear into Archibald, badly wounding him.
Jean-Pierre (-103)
Archibald (-78)
CW (-, -)
BW (-12)
Nearly swooning from the pain, Jean-Pierre shifts his focus to one of the other ape-men, then tries to finish-off the frog-man.
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
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It takes two shots, but Jean-Pierre manages to drop the frog-man.
His electrical arc then manages to catch both ape-men off-guard.
The first one has no luck taking out Archibald, but the second manages to drop him, before moving up to engage Jean-Pierre!
Jean-Pierre (-103)
Archibald (-80, Unconscious, Dying 1)
CW (-6, -6)
Swallowing hard, JEan-Pierre tries to finish-off the lesser ape-men!
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Jean-Pierre hurriedly moves over, and tends to Archibald.
With the immediate threat passed, Jean-Pierre climbs back up top, hammers in a piton, ties off a rope, and comes back down again.
He then rests.
Nearly three hours later, he feels well enough to continue.
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The walls and domed ceiling of this large circular chamber are elegantly carved in spiraling designs. To the north, a double door stands in the side of a squared-off column protruding from the wall, while to the south an open archway leads to a stairwell leading up that’s been blocked by rubble. In the center of the room stand six statues of elves, all facing outward and arrayed around a dry fountain. Empty benches sit in four alcoves to the east and west, nestled between six stone archways built into the wall. Each of these archways bears a different type of decor, but with the exception of the northeastern archway (which is partially collapsed and opens into a ruined chamber beyond), each archway leads nowhere—they are filled with plain, featureless walls of polished stone.
The opening to the south leads to a 5-foot-wide stairwell leading up to the west that’s been choked off by rubble. The remains of an ape-man cultist lie crushed under some of the rubble, a victim of an ill-advised and poorly executed attempt to dig out the rubble while it was still unstable. It’ll take tools, time, and expertise to properly and safely clear these stairs...
Jean-Pierre can't recognise the first statue, but the others represent deities - specifically, Yuelral (goddess of crystals and magic), Findeladlara (goddess of architecture and art), Ketephys (god of hunting and the moon), Calistria, and Desna.
After a bit of thinking, Jean-Pierre realises that the six archways these statues face are incredibly ancient aiudara, or 'elf-gates'. To activate an aiudara, one need only touch that portal’s key to the stone within its arch—doing so will cause the archway to turn to swirling mist and allow passage to the far side of the magical gateway...
The first Gate is destroyed.
This aiudara is decorated with images of crystals, and its upper arch bears designs like those of stalactites. Icons sacred to Yuelral adorn the aiudara.
Decorated with images of sunsets and beautiful architecture in what appears to be a desert or savannah, this aiudara is devoted to Findeladlara.
Images of hawks and moons, interspersed with jungle vegetation and trees, decorate this aiudara, along with icons sacred to Ketephys.
Touching the Hunter’s Arrowhead to this portal, the stone within the arch shimmers and wavers for a moment, but then flashes with fiery radiance before it returns to solid stone.
Jean-Pierre realises that the portal is malfunctioning—but that it could be repaired...
This aiudara is adorned with images of wasps, whips, and the waves of the open sea, along with icons sacred to Calistria.
Butterflies, stars, and images sacred to Desna adorn this final aiudara.
One of the doors suddenly morphs into a wooden humanoid figure, which intones:
“The custodian of Alseta’s Ring dwells beyond. Only those who carry her blessed sign may pass.”
Hurriedly digging through his pack, Jean-Pierre pulls out the Silver Religious Symbol of Alseta that he found earlier.
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The construct stands aside.
This plain rectangular room contains several empty chests, old wooden tables, and mostly barren shelves. It may have once been used as a vault or records room, but today, only a few scraps of paper remain.
There is, however, a scroll-tube upon the floor...
...looking inside, you find the official deed to the Citadel above!
Jean-Pierre realises that possession of this deed grants legal rights and ownership of the citadel to the deed’s possessor, by local, national, and Hellknight law!
"Interesting..."
Jean-Pierre carefully packs away the deed, then heads back upstairs, tenderly retrieving Alak's body.
He then returns to the Mwangi woman.
"The cult members below have been defeated, but the gateway you were after is damaged; it will take some effort to fix it. In the meantime, you are welcome to come back to town with me. I need to bury Alak, resupply, and work out what to do next..."
The journey back to town is a somber affair. Jean-Pierre stops off in the crypts on the way, putting Alak to rest in one of the empty stone crypts, where the necromantic runes were.
"I know that you were not a full Hellknight, but you were as true as any 'real' one. In death, you deserve to rest with your spiritual kin. I hope that you find peace in the afterlife."
With a heavy heart, he then heads back to town.
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A feeling of peace descends upon the crypt as Alak is put to rest...
CONCENTRATE DOWNTIME LINGUISTIC MENTAL
You spend a day in Breachill recruiting workers to aid in
a repair or an upgrade at Citadel Altaerein. Attempt a DC
13 Deception, Diplomacy, or Intimidation check to Organize
Labor to organize workers, or a DC 18 check for specialists.
72
If you use Deception or Intimidation for this check, you
gain a +2 circumstance bonus, but failure comes with extra
risks, as detailed below. Using Diplomacy grants no bonus
to the check, but comes without added risk. When you
Organize Labor, you must specify one repair or upgrade
activity to be undertaken; once you successfully Organize
Labor, you must begin that activity within a week.
A force of organized workers costs 1 gp per day, while a
force of organized specialists costs 5 gp per day.
Critical Success You organize labor for the full duration of
the repair or upgrade activity, and the cost to pay the
workers is halved for the duration.
Success You organize labor for the full duration of a repair
or upgrade activity.
Failure You organize labor for a single day of a repair or
upgrade activity. Unless you used Diplomacy, word of
your deceptive or intimidating nature spreads, and
you take a –1 circumstance penalty to all future checks
to organize labor. This penalty increases with each
subsequent failure, to a maximum penalty of –4.
Critical Failure You completely fail to organize labor.
If you used Deception or Intimidation, word of your
untrustworthiness or cruelty spreads, and you can no
longer use that skill to Organize Labor.
DOWNTIME MANIPULATE
You spend the day cleaning—hauling out broken furniture,
disposing of detritus, and making rooms clear enough to
begin repairs. Citadel Altaerein requires 8 days of cleaning
before any other basic repair activities can begin. Cleaning
does not require a Crafting check, nor does it cost gold.
CLEAR COURTYARD
DOWNTIME MANIPULATE
Requirements Crafting (trained) or hired stonemason;
organized workers
You work to repair the collapsed northern wall, drain and
fill in the flooded sunken area, and clear out weeds. This
activity requires 6 days of work and a DC 15 Crafting check.
MAKE GENERAL REPAIRS
DOWNTIME MANIPULATE
Requirements Crafting (trained), Specialty Crafting
(woodworking), or hired woodworker; organized workers
You make general repairs to the citadel furnishings,
replacing or fixing furniture, replacing rotted floorboards,
and rehanging doors throughout the structure. This task
takes 14 days of work and a DC 15 Crafting check.
REBUILD BATTLEMENTS
DOWNTIME MANIPULATE
Requirements Crafting (expert), Specialty Crafting
(stonemasonry), or hired stonemason; organized workers
You rebuild and restore the collapsed battlements along
the northern section of the central tower. This task takes
28 days of work and a DC 20 Crafting check.
REBUILD COLLAPSED STAIRS
DOWNTIME MANIPULATE
Requirements Crafting (expert), Specialty Crafting
(stonemasonry), or hired stonemason; organized workers
You work to clear rubble and rebuild the stairs connecting
citadel floors, requiring a DC 20 Crafting check. Repairing
the stairs from the courtyard to the battlement (connecting
areas A12 and A22) takes 4 days. Repairing the stairs from
the courtyard to the vault (connecting areas A12 and B1)
takes 4 days. Digging out the long flight of stairs down to
Alseta’s Ring (connecting areas B1 and D7) takes 8 days.
REPAIR CRUMBLED WALLS
DOWNTIME MANIPULATE
Requirements Crafting (expert), Specialty Crafting
(stonemasonry), or hired stonemason; organized workers
You work to repair a collapsed wall in either the training
hall (area A8), the Court of the Nail (area A13), or the
records room (area A17). Each room’s repair takes 8 days of
work and a DC 20 Crafting check.
DOWNTIME MANIPULATE
Requirements Crafting (master), Medicine
(master), or hired medic; organized
specialists
Choose a single room in Citadel Altaerein
to serve as a dedicated infirmary. Once
complete, the infirmary fulfills the healer’s
tools requirement for Medicine skill
actions and grants a +2 circumstance
bonus to Medicine checks made on
site. This upgrade requires 20 days
of work and a DC 25 Crafting or
Medicine check.
BUILD LIBRARY
DOWNTIME MANIPULATE
Requirements Crafting (master), any
Lore (master), or hired bookmaker;
organized specialists
Pick a single room in Citadel Altaerein
to serve as a library. Once complete,
the library grants a +2 circumstance
bonus to skill checks made to Borrow
an Arcane Spell, Create Forgery,
Decipher Writing, Identify Alchemy,
Identify Magic, Learn a Spell, or
Recall Knowledge as long as the PC
performing the action is on site.
This upgrade takes 20 days of work
and a DC 25 Crafting or Lore check.
BUILD TRAINING FACILITY
DOWNTIME MANIPULATE
Requirements expert in the skill listed below or hired
trainer; organized specialists
Pick a room in Citadel Altaerein to serve as a training
area for a single character class (you can have multiple
training facilities, with each one devoted to a different
class). Once complete, the training facility fills the role of
a teacher when using the Retrain downtime activity for
the chosen class, and reduces the time required to retrain
a feat or skill increase by 2 days and the time required to
retrain a class feature by 1 week. This upgrade takes 40
days of work.
Building the facility requires a DC 25 skill check using a
skill depending on the class in question, as listed below. If a
class lists multiple skills, the PC can choose whichever one
they like (but they must be an expert in the chosen skill, as
noted in the Requirements entry above).
Alchemist Crafting
Barbarian Athletics
Bard Occultism or Performance
Champion Religion
Cleric Religion
Druid Nature
Fighter Acrobatics or Athletics
Monk Acrobatics or Athletics
Ranger Athletics, Nature, or Survival
Rogue Acrobatics or Thievery
Sorcerer Arcana, Nature, Occultism,
or Religion
Wizard Arcana
BUILD WORKSHOP (CRAFTING)
DOWNTIME MANIPULATE
Requirements Crafting (master),
Specialty Crafting (any), or any
hired specialist; organized
specialists
Pick a room in Citadel Altaerein to
serve as a crafting area for a specific
Crafting skill chosen from one of the
crafting specialties listed under the
Specialty Crafting feat (Pathfinder Core
Rulebook 267). You can have multiple
workshops, each devoted to its own
skill. Use of a workshop grants a
+1 circumstance bonus to Crafting
checks, or a +3 circumstance
bonus to Crafting skill checks
associated with that workshop’s
specialty. This upgrade takes 20
days of work to complete and a
DC 25 Crafting check.
UPGRADE DEFENSES
DOWNTIME MANIPULATE
Requirements Crafting (master), Specialty Crafting
(stonemasonry), or hired stonemason; organized
specialists
You bolster Citadel Altaerein’s walls with metal braces,
skillful engineering, and other supports. This upgrade
takes 40 days of work and a DC 25 Crafting check.
Day 1-8: Clean the Citadel.
Day 9: Hire Workers - Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16.
Day 10 to 28 - Stonemason hired to supervise repairs to the battlements in A8 ( [19/28 days completed, 2.5gp per day = 47.5gp).
Day 10: Hire Workers - Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13.
Day 11 to 18 - Stonemason hired to supervise repairs to the wall in A8 (2.5gp per day = 20gp).
Day 11: Hire Workers - Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24.
Day 12 to 25 - Woodworker hired to supervise general repairs (2gp per day = 28gp).
Day 18: Hire Workers - Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20.
Day 19 to 26 - Stonemason hired to supervise repairs to the wall in A13 (2.5gp per day = 20gp).
Day 26: Hire Workers - Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18.
Day 27 to 28 - Stonemason hired to supervise repairs to the wall in A17 ( [2/8 days completed, 2.5gp per day = 5gp).
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At the end of a very productive month, in which Jean-Pierre has orchestrated significant repairs to the Citadel, he is approached by the Town Council.
They remain worried that more Cinderclaws might come through Huntergate at any moment, and they push you to investigate the portal and make sure that whatever cultists still remain on the far side of the portal have no plans to continue their invasion through Alseta’s Ring.
Jean-Pierre is more than happy to do so, especially since he remembers that he promised Renali to try and get her home...
Jean-Pierre takes a crack at manipulating the faulty gateway...
Gritting his teeth, bow at the ready, Jean-Pierre steps through, gesturing for Archibald to follow him.
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The mists of the magical portal fade, revealing a twenty foot wide passageway stretching off to the distance. The walls of the tunnel seem to be made of hardened lava, long ago scorched and melted. Tiny cracks and fissures line the walls, within which an orange glow flickers, giving the tunnel a soft, fiery illumination. The wall of gold-and-silver mist from the portal glows from behind, while a similar faint glow beckons about a hundred feet ahead. The air is almost uncomfortably warm and smells of smoke.
As you take stock of your surroundings, there is a mighty roar, which comes from everywhere, and yet nowhere, as a dragon made of pure flame bursts into reality directly in front of you!
Jean-Pierre thinks that this is, technically, some kind of trap...
Jean-Pierre (-)
Archibald (-)
Jean-Pierre raises an eyebrow.
"That... is *not* what I expected to find in here!"
He then cracks his knuckles, and takes a shot at disabling it...
Both Jean-Pierre and Archibald get singed.
His clothes smoking, Jean-Pierre keeps trying to shut the trap down.
Looking in disbelief at the molten chunks of metal at his feet, Jean-Pierre pulls out another set of picks, and tries again!
Both Jean-Pierre and Archibald get singed (although the latter avoids the worst of it).
His clothes smoking, Jean-Pierre keeps trying to shut the trap down.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Jean-Pierre pats Archibald comfortingly.
"Come on - let's see what is on the other side..."
He then heads for the exit-gate.
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Cloying heat and humidity hangs heavy in the atmosphere of this open-air temple, its surrounding stone arches smeared black with soot. Charred branches and clumps of roots mark the shape of the garden that once stood here, but the plants and flowers have been ripped up and burned. In the middle of the ring of stone arches, in the center of a cold pit of charcoal, a half-complete wooden pillar once capped with a dragon’s visage stands near a pile of carved rocks and a small sack of cloth. Only one section of the ring of stone arches is solid—a section of wall that bears an exact duplicate of Huntergate as it appeared in the wall below Citadel Altaerein. Beyond the open archways elsewhere sprawls a verdant expanse of a tropical jungle.
Of more immediate concern, however, are the score of dark-skinned Elven warriors surrounding the portal, bows at the ready...
Jean-Pierre easily recognises these elves as Ekujae, jungle-dwelling elves who keep to themselves and dislike trespassers on their territory.
Jean-Pierre puts his bow back across his back, and raises his hands peacefully.
"I mean you no harm!"
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The Elves do not appear to be able to understand Common, but they recognise a peaceful gesture when they see one, and relax... slightly.
This gives Jean-Pierre a chance to take-in his surroundings.
Jean-Pierre realises that the broken pillar was originally intended to be crowned with a wooden carving of a dragon’s head that has been bleached white, and that that is a depiction of Dahak, the Dragon-God of Destruction.
The cloth sack at the pillar's base contains a thin gold bar, but Jean-Pierre notices that the gold has a strange, slightly green sheen to it .
Jean-Pierre has no idea what the pillar might be for, although it clearly had some mystical/magical import.
Eventually, one of the elves, a man set apart from the others by his gold jewelry and bracers, steps forward into the ruined temple, holding his palms open at his sides to show he is unarmed. The rest of the elves relax the draw of their bowstrings and put their weapons at rest, though their arrows remained nocked, ready to fire quickly.
The elf in gold jewelry stops a respectful distance away and gives a very slight bow. “I am Jahsi, of the Leopard Clan,” he says, speaking in accented Taldane. “My mother is of the River Clan.”
Jean-Pierre bows politely.
"I am Jean-Pierre, lately of Breachill. My mother was of the de Suis line."
He then looks thoughtful.
"I was expecting to face more frog-men and ape-men when I came through the gate; not find myself among Elves. What is the situation here?"
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The smiles, pleased by Jean-Pierre's response.
"You are in Ekujae lands, some distance east of the Lirgeni coast."
“We always guard the temple here, to keep Huntergate from opening. We failed; we were attacked. Charaukas and boggards—the Cinderclaws—but they were so much stronger, with claws and scales and breath of fire... but that is no excuse.” Jahsi holds his arms stiffly to the side, his muscles straining. “I ordered us to run. We returned and fought them off, but not before they opened Huntergate and sent some of their kin through. We expected them to come back, and planned to deal with them when they did; we would have fed them to the jungle.”