You hurry back to the central vault, only to find the cage that Flakfatter had been is empty! The Sleepless Suns are staring at it in shock. ”Something just pulled him through the floor!” one says. ”He sank into the stone and was screaming like he didn’t want to go. I don’t think he was expecting that to happen!”
Before you can investigate further, two more of the mages burst into the room!
Dani curses repeatedly, staring at the hole in the floor. She says "Let's deal with these two quickly!"
She sets up her performance to last several rounds.
Jack pounces on the nearest mage, getting in his face to make casting harder!
"He can't have vanished just like that!" Dora yells, racking her brains for any teleportation magic that can be used on a seemingly unwilling creature but her mind comes up blank with the two new mages they now are facing.
Dora casts a mask over Jack that changes his visage for the mages.
When any creature attempts a hostile action against the target, the creature must attempt a Will save. It is then temporarily immune until the end of its next turn.
Success The creature is unaffected.
Failure The creature becomes frightened 2 before using its action.
Critical Failure The creature becomes frightened 2, and its action fails and is wasted.
"In Cayden's name!" Devon declares, moving to smite the new foes!
Devon scores two critical hits on the first mage, then Dora finishes him off with a lightning bolt. Jack stabs the second one twice.
Unable to back away from Devon, the mage accepts the opportunistic attack as he casts a spell. He reaches for Jack, but winces in fear from the mask Dora has placed on the rogue. He tries to sting the rogue with a poisoned barb, but Devon's intervention protects the dhampir from harm.
Before you can act again, blinding light suddenly pours into the room from the open doorway. Floating through the air behind the mage, you can barely make out a humanoid figure with an abnormally gaunt frame, long white hair, and unnerving, four-fingered hands. Its face is truly horrible, however, as its overlarge eyes and distended, gaping mouth reveals its head to be a void filled with unnatural light!
"Deal with that Devon!" Jack commands. "I have this!"
He sets to work proving himself correct by finishing off the mage.
THe bright light dazzles Dora and she yells out in terror as she throws her arms around trying to tell what is going on around her. "I can't see! Dani, where are you! I can't see!"
"I've got your back," Devon says to Jack, helping to take down the mage. He then moves up to engage the shining creature in melee!
Temporarily blinded as well, Dani casts haste on Devon to speed the champion up!
The strange being swings its fist at the champion. It lands two hits, one of which is a critical strike. Its burning touch ignites the positive energy within Devon's body, setting him ablaze!
Clenching his teeth, Devon tries (and fails) to smite the being!
Unable to do much for the spellcasters Jack moves to join Devon in destroying the thing.
"We are engaged!" He calls, "Supportive magic if you have it!"
Dora, panicking at not being able to see, lashes out with what she knows best, calling down a crackling bolt of electricity where the being stands.
Dora calls down lightning that terribly scorches the thing as it critically fails to avoid it—its protective ward fails to reflect the magic. Dani hastens Jack, who hits the creature with three strikes.
Shrieking in fury the creature punches Jack, landing two critical hits ameliorated somewhat by Devon’s intervention.
Devon gives it his all, landing two critical hits and setting Jack up to finish the monster off!
Jack lands two hits of his own!
Dora, not being able to see the state of everything in front of her hear's Jacks grunts of pain but knows she cannot heal him without hurting him further.
"Jack! What is going on?" She yells out frantically.
With several more blows, the strange creature's body detonates with a silent explosion. The blinding light vanishes, and the only remains it leaves behind is an afterimage burned into the wall.
Searching the lodge, you find the incinerated remains of the fourth mage that had invaded the place--it seems the monster got to him first.
You dispatch one of the Sleepless Suns into city to purchase a scroll of restore senses (12 gp). He returns after an hour, during which you spend time healing up your wounds. The scroll works to return Dora's eyesight.
You notice the wall that had been blocking the stairs to the basement is now gone. You can descend the stairs when you are ready to try to find out what happened to Flakfatter!
Dani is very irritate that Flakfatter has gotten away. She's kicking garbage around the room and muttering curses under her breath. Once Dora can see again, she points down the stairs and says "Let's go. He's not getting away that easily."
You head down the stairs and into the basement. This small, square room has exits in the center of the east and west walls. Although made of stone, the south wall ripples gently like the surface of a pool. Pillars in the northwest and northeast corners bear strange runes.
You can’t replicate the precise arcane formula to raise the ward without weeks of experimentation, but you think you can create similar runes to reinforce the entrances to the lodge above.
"This might have been useful before to reinforce the lodge entrances." Dora says regretfully, still rubbing at her eyes to get them to focus every now and then. "Useless now though." She shrugs and glances warily at Dani, knowing it will probably just frustrate her further.
Dora search for any further clues as to his disappearance.
There don't appear to be any clues to help you here. Perhaps the rooms beyond either the west or east doors will help you find Flakfatter?
You follow Dani’s suggestion and head east. Dark wood bookshelves line the walls of this stone chamber from floor to ceiling. Three doors on the eastern side of the room stand ajar, revealing small reading rooms. A stone pedestal at the room’s center contains a single, massive tome made of red leather.
A bizarre aberration guards this room. This three-armed, three-legged monster has no discernible eyes, nose, ears, or mouth or no visible means of ingesting food. Its limbs are distributed so evenly across its body that it is all but impossible to tell which way the creature is oriented at any given time.
The monster turns towards you and then suddenly assaults your minds with a barrage of emotional effects!
Jack throws off the despair that the creature exudes, but the sheer magnitude of its abilities chills him to the core.
None-the-less he pushes forward to strike at the creature!
Dora manages to keep strong as horrific thoughts of her personal failures begin to barrage her mind but cannot stay strong enough as she begins to sob uncontrollably.
Attempting to skewer the creature in place, Dora summons a jagged spike below its body.
Critical Success The target dodges the spike and is unaffected.
Success The target is struck by the spike and takes half damage.
Failure The target is impaled through a leg or another non-vital body part. The creature takes full damage and, if it's standing on solid ground, becomes immobilized. It can attempt to Escape (the DC is your spell DC). While it remains impaled, it takes damage from any weakness to cold iron it has at the end of each of its turns.
Critical Failure As failure, but the creature is impaled through a vital organ or its center of mass, taking double damage, and it is flat-footed as long as it's impaled.
Sobbing uncontrollably, Devon staggers up to the strange monster and attacks!
Dani is able to fight through the initial sadness, but it proves to be too much and she starts to sniffle as it overcomes her. Unable to spend the time required to harmonize her song because of her tears, she picks up a loose rock and throws it at the creature instead.
The creature fails to dodge Dora's spike, and it impales its leg, preventing it from moving. Devon moves in and slices it with his blade, while Jack moves in to stab it as well. Dani bashes it with a loose rock.
The wounded monster feeds on Devon's negative emotions, stunning the champion and healing its own wounds. It then slashes at Jack with its claws!
With the sadness behind her, Dani moves to start playing her violin, harmonizing inspiration in her team!
Now that the creature is immobilized, Dora calls down a bolt of lightning upon its head.
Jack takes advantage of the creature being unable to move and stabs, a lot!
Dora zaps the monster and Jack stabs it once. Devon resists its second attempt to feed on his negative emotions, so it slices him up instead!
Devon scoffs and smites the monster!
Dani continues to inspire courage and defense in her allies, keeping half an eye on Devon's wounds should Jack be unable to patch him up quickly enough.
Hoping to help Devon, Dora tries to speed the champion up.
"Your shield Devon!" She reminds him, hoping he will use the opportunity of speed to protect himself.
Jack lands a single strong blow, taking advantage of Devon distracting the creature.
"Thanks, Dora," Devon says between sobs. He raises his shield as the wounded monster attacks him again! It lands one critical hit, but the shield makes a difference as he fends off its other attacks.
Grimacing and weeping, Devon keeps his shield up and tries to strike back.
Dani switches performances, setting up a lingering performance of inspiration for her team while she starts to patch up some of Devon's wounds.
Jack also lends Devon a hand before going back to the stabbing. Badly.
Rrelieved that Devon is looking a little less precarious, Dora continues her assault.
Dora zaps the monster again, while Devon and Jack miss it. It seems to be flagging, though it still manages a lucky hit on Devon.
With Devon patched as good as she can get him for now and her song still lingering, she pick up the piece of rubble and flings it at her enemy again.
Devon swings and swings but can't seem to catch a break!
Dora continues her barrage.
Dani batters the monster with rubble, then Dora's magic missile barrage finishes it off! "Nice job, team! Of course, I could have handled it myself, given a few more moments," Devon says, still suffering the effects of delusional pride.
The central reading room to the east contains a tattered robe draped over a chair. One inner pocket of the robe contains a dose of oil of animation, and another contains a 6th-level spellstrike sling bullet.
"Oh, well thanks Devon, at least we know you could have handled it without us. Dora says with a roll of her eyes, sarcasm flowing through her voice.
Searching the room first, Dora then suggests they continue to move on a little further. "I'm growing tired but I think we can continue pushing on just a little further?"
"We have to find Flakbitter." Jack says grimly. "We must push on."
After taking a few minutes to heal up, you push on! Several tables around this room are scattered with an eclectic variety of macabre curiosities, such as twisted creatures in jars of pale fluid, skulls carved with runes, and rusted medical implements. An alcove to the southwest contains a fully articulated skeleton of a winged centaur, with small metal tags detailing each bone. An alcove to the northwest contains a single wooden door.
Two more strange, shining creatures like the one you fought upstairs float in the air here, standing guard. They do not immediately attack, though. Instead, one speaks to you telepathically. "You are not permitted down here. Leave this basement at once or risk our wrath, and the wrath of our bodiless master, Brigtir Gevrin."