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Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury raises a banner, calling out to the expedition’s medics. “Pathfinders, the brave heroes leading the charge need your help. They cannot be allowed to fall before the Whispering Tyrant’s servants! Come with me, and let us tend to their wounds so they may fight on!”
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A white-haired gnome in a pith helmet wanders though the gathering of heroes. "Now how did I find myself here?" He takes a generous swig from a flask disguised as a wayfinder before channeling a bit of holy energy.
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After some telepathic coordination and numerous buffs, the team squeezes through the portals and enters the room.
The chamber appears empty. But then the sharp eyes of Peter, Bristor, and Julian spot a flagstone that isn't quite flush with the rest of the floor.
Hidden under the loose flagstone is a small locked offer of unadorned steel. After some careful study, Julian recognizes the extraordinary lock was designed by some unknown master craftsman with amazing skill.
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Peter confirms the coffer has no magical auras, and Julian doesn't detect any traps, so he focuses on opening it. The amazing lock is no match for the inspiring skill of the team's investigator.
Within the coffer is a 6-inch-tall statue of a halfling holding a shortsword with three notches cut into the blade.
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That should bring us good luck! Peter is happy with them recovering a relic that is a representation of his god from the whispering Tyrant.
Peter suggests they explore the rest of their surroundings, Perhaps we should try these doors geasturing to the two in the room, Then maybe try the west and the south.
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Chaldira Zuzaristan is constantly underestimated, much to her foe's detriment. I am probably one of the most tactical of her faithful. Most simply wander into combat and rely upon good luck to see them through, which was her tactic as well. I'd hazard a guess that the relic somehow survived thanks to a similar twist of good fate.
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Sir Hendric blanks on the image until Bristor and Peter explain.
"Oh yes. And she is a goddess of trickery? While I myself tend to rely on a straightforward approach, there can be value in clever stratagems to deceive the enemy. Feints and misdirections and so forth."
Sir Hendric sound rather ambivalent about this, not entirely sure of the extent to which he can actively endorse trickery as a follower of Iomedae and a Knight of the Order of the Sword.
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Trickery, strategy... two sides of the same coin. I just try to make sure I have enough magic, and with the training I recieved at the acadamae, I find a useful summon usually can turn the tide. Anyways, we shouldn't reminese too long. I want to find the threats and put them out with 'trickery' before they can kill more of ours!
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Peter recognizes the tiny stone bobble-head immediately. It's a representation of Chaldira Zuzaristan, the halfling god of battle, luck, and mischief - and the deity he worships.
How it came to be in the Whispering Tyrant’s possession in the first place is lost to the mists of time. While it will take further study to uncover the artifact’s full potential, its recovery provides an immediate boon from the goddess with the curly-hair and freckled face.
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Chaldira would laugh at such preparations. She tends to wander into the deep end and come out the other end unscathed. Desnans would say Desna rescues her, but the truth is as a diety, she has such leeway. I have no problem going up against the odds, but I learned as a theurge it is best to use magic to prepare myself at least. Peter muses telepathically as they explore the area for dangers.
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Satisfied that there's nothing more to discover in the reliquary, the team makes its way south exploring more of the Black Cavern.
Our heroes discover a number of narrow steps leading into a vast prison complex. Numerous small cells line the hallways here, accessible only through narrow windows cut into the otherwise bare walls.
Tar-Baphon didn’t see much need to take prisoners out of their cells. Instead of relying upon cell doors, he simply shaped the walls to trap his victims.
Bristor, taking point, leads the way inside.
As turns the corner, looking down a narrow corridor toward the southeast corner of the prison, he sees an immense worm, 60 feet long and weighing 10,000 pounds, covered with plates of dead-black, chitinous armor. Its centipede-like body ripples, numerous glowing eyes peer through the darkness, and its toothy maw yawns like a cave.
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Bristor recognizes the monster for what it is, a nightcrawler, a gargantuan undead creature with the extraplanar and nightshade subtypes.
In addition to telling everybody what he's seen, the inquisitor adds, "It's an undead creature with all those sorts of traits. Silver weapons with good alignment are most effective against the nightcrawler. Cold energy might not very effective - if it works at all - and it's highly resistant to spells and spell-like abilities."
"Its special attacks include the ability to channel negative energy, energy drain, and swallow whole."
Bristor swears the gargantuan vermin's numerous glowing eyes are staring back at him, watching him with a highly intelligent, calculating inhuman mind. Not your average big, dumb bug at all.
A sinister, alien voice interrupts your telepathic conversation, chittering inside your minds. "A custodial servant's work is never done. Cleansing the deep caverns of life is how I toil, century after century, and never a word of thanks from anyone, not least of all Tar-Baphon."
Ahead, down the dark corridor, Bristor observes the nightcrawler's numerous glowing eyes blinking in syncopation with its telepathic speech.
"Enough of this daydreaming, plotting how best to carry out my own private stages of the overall nightshade plan to expunge life from all worlds. Shall we dance?"
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Sure, lets dance Peter thinks silently, hoping his wards have rendered him safer.
Peter casts a spell on his allies, particulate form, telling them telepathically Try to stay in one piece while being digested by the nightcrawler .
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As soon as Bristor identifies the centipede-like nightshade, everyone racks their brain, trying to recall the nightcrawler's extensive bag of tricks.
Peter casts a spell, particulate form, on the party, Sir Hendric uses a scroll, and Julian drinks an elixir.
After a moment to prepare themselves, the team accepts the nightcrawler's lethal invitation to the dance of the dead.
(+4 if ceasing Heighted Awareness from wand)
(+4 if ceasing Heightened Awareness)
Julian
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Nightcrawler
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Sir Hendric
Peter
Wynnreyell
Bristor
Archaememnon
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A gargantuan undead creature with the extraplanar and nightshade subtypes. For every 5 you exceed the DC, you may ask one question from this list.
In preparation for the imminent battle, Archaememnon casts communal stoneskin on everyone, including on Sir Hendric's trusty steed, retrieves his lesser metamagic rod of quicken with a snap of his fingers, swiftly casts battlemind link on Julian, and then she flies out over the chasm.
Julian tosses back an extract, and his arms grow in length, increasing his reach by several feet.
Julian
Archaememnon
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Nightcrawler
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Sir Hendric
Peter
Wynnreyell
Bristor
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Reacting to the presence of a gargantuan extraplanar undead, Bristor moves back into the larger cavern, using air walk to stand in the air over the lip of the gorge. He calls on Cayden to activate another set of judgments, drawing on justice, purity and smiting, before casting freedom of movement on himself.
Stoneskin = 150/150
Judgments: 1/6 activations
Boots of Speed: 7/10 rounds
Greater Bane: 13/16 rounds
Dimensional Hop: 32/32 5ft increments a day
Spells: 1st 6/7 ; 2nd 4/6; 3rd 2/6; 4th 1/5; 5th 2/4; 6th 1/1
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Gaining the insight of the savvy investigator, Archaememnon takes a moment to make more preparations. She casts Shield and quickens a Transformation
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Archaememnon creates an invisible shield of force that hovers in front of herself, and swiftly transforms into a fighting machine – stronger, tougher, faster, and more skilled in combat. Her mindset changes - not so much - so that the dragon disciple relishes combat (though she can no cast spells, even from spell activation or spell completion magic items).
Telepathically, you hear the gargantuan undead worm curse its frustration at having summoned its six greater shadows earlier to defeat Shevar Besnik and Ollysta Zadrian. *Why didn't I save that once per day spell-like ability for these impudent mortals?!*
You hear the sounds of chitinous armor scraping against the stone walls, floor and ceiling of the prison complex as the nightcrawler uncoils and slithers toward you. Suddenly, the sounds cease...
Julian
Archaememnon
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Nightcrawler
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Sir Hendric
Peter
Wynnreyell
Bristor
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Peter recognizes that this is the first time he'll see the dragon in action, having cast transformation and given up on spellcasting for the time being. He thinks of casting death ward on Julian, which the nightcrawler might regard as a tasty morsel on Arch's back, but realizes that without freedom of movement that dragon herself is at the most risk from the worm's attacks. He casts death ward on Arch and flies slightly away, hoping that his invisibility, stealthy flying combined with greater hide from undead may offer him some protection from the undead. He takes some cover in the room they found the relic in.
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Bristor casts resounding blow on his falchion, and tightens his grip, waiting for the creature to appear.
Stoneskin = 150/150
Judgments: 1/6 activations
Boots of Speed: 7/10 rounds
Greater Bane: 13/16 rounds
Dimensional Hop: 32/32 5ft increments a day
Spells: 1st 6/7 ; 2nd 4/6; 3rd 2/6; 4th 1/5; 5th 1/4; 6th 1/1
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While Bristor buffs the shine on his falchion, Peter recalls what he knows about nightcrawlers. "A nightcrawler can burrow, but I think the stone here is too hard for that. Maybe that's why it's waiting for us to come to it."
"They do have a number of nightshade special abilities, including a desecrating aura and darksense. Their darkvision is twice as powerful as usual, and they have tremorsense, too."
"Nightcrawlers have several spell-like abilities, including... "
Constant—air walk, detect magic, magic fang
At will—contagion, deeper darkness, greater dispel magic, invisibility, unholy blight
3/day—quickened cone of cold, confusion, haste, hold monster
1/day—finger of death, mass hold monster, plane shift, summon
Julian
Archaememnon
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Nightcrawler
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Sir Hendric
Peter
Wynnreyell
Bristor
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Archaememnon elects to wait, to observe the nightcrawler's actions and to consider her own options.
The only sounds in the vast dark cavern are those of your own making, punctuated occasionally by a distant splash in the river of blood or a stone falling from the ceiling of the cavern.
Then the chittering voice with an alien intelligence penetrates your minds once more, interrupting your thoughts. "Oh please, visitors, let us not play this interminable game of patience. I will outlast you all!"
"Centuries have I waited here, performing my duties on behalf of the Whispering Tyrant. If it must be my fate to wait centuries more, then so be it."
Julian
Archaememnon
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Nightcrawler
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Sir Hendric
Peter
Wynnreyell
Bristor
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Reentering the prison complex, Peter the Brave goes where none of his more cautious companions dare to go. He peers around the corner of the wall and spies the nightcrawler stretched along the north-south corridor.
Outside the prison, Sir Hendric and Bristor continue buffing.
Julian
Archaememnon
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Nightcrawler
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Sir Hendric
Peter
Wynnreyell
Bristor