Usawoti unleashes a massive blast of energy, severely damaging the mage. He vanishes as Torsten stalks forward, not realizing that the dwarf can still sense his vital essence....
...and as soon as Torsten grabs hold of him, death is swift to follow.
Potential Loot
Scroll - break enchantment
Scroll - greater teleport
Scroll - wall of force
handy haversack
necklace of adaptation
Ring of Keys
Spell Component Pouch
20gp
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"Well, at least it saved us from having to figure out how to get him out of the castle." Torsten remarked as he wiped the remains of the seneschal off of his hands. "Take the necklace." He said, tossing it to his friend. "Could come in handy."
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/m-p/necklace-of-adaptat ion/
This necklace is a heavy chain with a platinum medallion. The magic of the necklace wraps the wearer in a shell of fresh air, making him immune to all harmful vapors and gases (such as cloudkill and stinking cloud effects, as well as inhaled poisons) and allowing him to breathe, even underwater or in a vacuum.
Torsten uses Ascetic Control, which gives him this effect. Would be useful for both of us to be immune to effects from breathing. And maybe we can even figure out a way to weaponize it for ourselves[/ooc]
As you gather the valuables from the seneschal's corpse, Torsten hears a voice in his mind. "Ascend alone to the top of the main tower and open your mind to me."
There was no response as Torsten stopped dead in his tracks, a glazed look in his eyes. The dwarf’s face twisted into one of concentration as he tried to fight off the influence and failed. His tattoos flared to life as the arcane energy inside aided him, and at length he stumbled forward, catching himself by grabbing onto Usawoti’s arm.
”Fooker was in me head!” He exclaimed. ”Told me to ascend the main tower alone and open me mind up.”
”Different voice.” Torsten said after a moment’s thought. ”Bloody dangerous. Let’s push on, knowing we are being watched.” He didn’t sound enthusiastic, but he was determined to see their mission completed.
You dispatch two more Gray Maiden patrols before you finally make it to your destination: an unassuming storage room on the castle's first floor. Aided by Zellara's nudges, you find a well-hidden door in the southeast wall that leads to a secret staircase that descends into the dungeon.
You continue to follow Zellara's nudges through the dungeon to a brick wall. Torsten notices that the construction here is significantly newer than the rest of the stonework, and it only takes a few moments for him to punch through it. A thick stench of decay erupts from beyond. Looking inside, you see a partially-decomposed corpse, mouth agape in a painful death scream, lying slumped against the wall at the entrance of an otherwise empty room. The corpse, which is clad in a rich, dark purple outfit, is that of a thin, bearded humanoid with pointed ears and a pair of vestigial horns sprouting from his brow.
The dwarf nodded as he looked at the corpse. It didn’t feel good to know that he was getting numb to the sight. ”Aye. That we should.”
As soon as you reappear in the attic room with the body, the ghost reappears. This time, it can clearly be seen as an elderly tiefling man with a deck of harrow cards that periodically flies out of his hands to spiral around him before returning to his clutches. He regards you with kind but sorrowful eyes before speaking.
"Thank you for taking my bones out of that dreadful dark room below. It was Ileosa who walled me up there after the death of my half-brother - or rather, after we murdered him. I was always jealous of Eodred, and that jealousy made me weak. Ileosa promised that we'd be together if he was out of the picture. She gave me a liquid to put on my cards. Eodred and I played often, and he soon fell sick - sick to death. Ileosa had said she loved me, but then she called me a loose end. Now I'm trapped here by chains of guilt, unable to undo the events I helped set into motion."
Torsten stood behind his friend, watching and listening. Ghosts seemed to be more up Usawoti’s alley, he did not really know how to deal with them aside from punching them. And this one in particular was a traitor to his city and his brother. He really didn’t know what he could say to him, nor could he find himself to feel too bad about his fate. That is, it was horrible and all, but the dwarf couldn’t help but notice that the man had made and walked his own path.
"I don't know the specifics, but Ileosa plans on using potent magic to achieve eternal youth. The ritual requires the lifeblood of an army of unknowing sacrifices and is conducted at a place called the Sunken Queen. I'm not sure where this is, but I've often sensed Ileosa's presence in my mother's tower."
The ghost pauses in thought before speaking again. "I may be able to aid you in another way. Each time a Korvosan has died at Ileosa's hand or through her orchestration, a piece of their spirit is bound to me. If you allow it, I can bind them - and myself - into the cards you carry, possibly granting you insight and power. Not all of the spirits are kindly ones: many were insane or cruel in their own lives, and I have no way to exclude them, but I can moderate their influence by focusing them through the traditions and mysticism of the harrow. Even if you never use the cards, doing this should allow their souls to continue to their eternal rest."
The ghost's energy is fading, but he manages to answer your question before he fades away. "Fourth floor. Southwest tower. Touch my cards to the ceiling."
”Well.” Torsten remarked as the ghost faded. ”Seems like he has a last wish. And we can use all the help we can get. Might as well touch the cards and let him get some revenge.”
You make your way to the northwest tower. It's locked extremely well with magic, but Usawoti's eventually able to get it open. Inside is a small, empty room with a 20ft-high ceiling.
"Well, it certainly slows us down. Let's see if we can find anything to stack up so we can get up there. Or better yet, a ladder."
”I could throw ye up there.” Torsten replied. ”We just need to touch a card to the ceiling, aye?”
As soon as the card touches the ceiling, you're both teleported into a small room containing a large bookshelf filled with dozens of books and scrolls. A desk and chair stand nearby. Sitting on the desk is a single large book with a black leather cover. The walls of this study have been decorated - recently by the look - with dozens of spiky runes.
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”Black leather. Spiky runes. I bet that it is a tome of spells for children parties.” Torsten replied, as he studied the book…
The book is written in Infernal and titled Truths of the Sihedron. It smells faintly of brimstone and contains seven chapters - one for each runelord. Flipping through it, you find the chapter on Runelord Sorshen has been heavily notated by someone with impeccably fine penmanship. Most of the notes concern an ancient device called the Everdawn Pool that was apparently used to grant immortality. According to the notes, first blood samples must be gathered from thousands of 'supplicants' so that their lifeblood can later be drawn forth to infuse a single creature with eternal youth.
”What language is this?” Torsten asked. ”Me helm here reacts right negative to it. So whatever it is, is can’t be good.”
”The Queen offered a cure for a plague. A plague that she started.” Torsten said, his brow furrowed in anger as the full scale of the crime dawned. ”Thats how she got it. Thousands of her loyal subjects, who trusted her.”
Potential Loot
Scroll - banishment
Scroll - binding x2
Scroll - etherealness
Scroll - plane shift
Fool's Leprosy x3
You also find a written agreement between Ileosa and the Red Mantis assassins.
"We report back." Torsten said. "This here is proof that we need to bring support against the Queen." After a moment he added "If we fall here, then the damage we did today will be replaceable. But this evidence? This she won't be able to so readily recover from."
After one more encounter with a Gray Maiden patrol, you manage to leave Castle Korvosa the same way you came: through the secret entrance in the armory.
Once they were safely outside, Torsten looked to Usawoti. "This is where we split up. Take this book back to Blackjack, we need to ensure that it is safe and that it gets into the right hands. As for me, I have some work to do." He said, his face serious. "We can meet up at me shop in the morn' when ye are done, aye?"
----------------
The tattoo shop was empty, except for Torsten. He walked through the silent rooms, with only the sound of his footsteps accompanying him. He thought back to the time he had spent here, first by himself, and then with 'Ril. For so long that had seemed like the life he had wanted, with the city being his home. But now it felt foreign, as if though it had belonged to someone else. He was in an introspective mood, as he had found a letter waiting for Usawoti. It was from his parents, stating that the blade was ready. A letter, not for him...but for the hero. He left the letter as he paced back and forth, until he stopped in front of a mirror.
Standing alone, the weight of the violence that he had engaged in weighed heavily on him. He had always saw himself as an artisan, but it was becoming clearer and clearer that he was a warrior. How many lives had he ended? How many existences had he ended? He looked up and saw himself in a mirror. What he saw wasn't a dwarf. No, what he saw was a weapon. That was what he had made himself into, and that was what he was used for. And what he saw disgusted him. Because what he saw was weakness. Imperfection. It dawned on him why he would never earn the respect of his parents. Why he would never prove them wrong. Why he would never live up to his full potential, or to vindicate his decisions in the eyes of his God.
From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me. I craved the strength and certainty of steel. I aspired to the purity of the Blessed Weapon. Your kind cling to your flesh, as though it will not decay and fail you.
His eyes hardened. He knew what he had to do. He had dedicated his life to the pursuit of his goal, but he had been too weak to ever fully dedicate himself to it. It did not matter what he had accomplished, nor what foes he had overcome. His weakness and inability to go all the way had caused so much unnecessary loss and pain. He had even lost part of his soul when fighting a demiliche. He had lost it because he was *weak.* Filled with resolve, he went to the back rooms. He had planned this all out, so long ago. But he had never gone through with it, because he knew that there would be no going back. The chance of death was too high. The chance of losing himself was even higher.
Having gathered his tools he stripped off his clothes and stood before his mirror. He didn't look at himself, no, not anymore. Rather he looked at his tattoos. The runic inscriptions had all been placed with study and care, with the focus impossible for humans or elves to replicate. Already his skin was as harder than steel, and that had saved his life on numerous occasions. Already his fists could punch through solid stone and had ruined flesh and blood more times than he cared to count. But this was not enough. He had never *completed* the arrangement. He placed his helm behind him, so that through it he could sense all parts of his body. He would need to for what was to come.
"TORAG!" He bellowed, his voice breaking the stillness. Like all of his people his voice sounded like rocks grinding together, but his roar was more akin to an avalanche. "Lord of the forge! Father of creation! I, Torsten Runeforger, dedicate myself to you, body and soul." And with that, he went to work.
Hours passed, with Torsten in a mixture of complete concentration and religious ecstasy. The tattoos which covered his body were slowly but surely connected, and as he did so physical feeling left his body. What was once dwarven was slowly changed, irreversibly, permanently. That night, Torsten died. And Torsten was reborn. What awaited Usawoti waited, unmoving, in that tattoo shop, his mind filled with devout prayer of thanks to his God for allowing him to achieve what he felt unworthy of. Vindication.
Torsten waited. He was ready.
You've done extremely well in storming the castle, and the deaths of the seneschel and several powerful devils will make things much easier, the fact that you found an active contract between Queen Ileosa and the Red Mantis Assassins is an excellent linchpin for the burgeoning rebellion. Combine this with the defeat of the dragon and the defection of the Gray Maiden commander, and this is a prime moment for a coup. Of course, the fact that the queen isn't at the castle - and is, in fact, likely preparing a mass-murder ritual - means time is of the essence. All that's needed now is Ileosa's location. The rebellion will keep any city loyalists occupied while the two of you head to wherever the 'Sunken Queen' is. As the saying goes, once you sever the head of the serpent, the body quickly dies.
As the door opened, Usawoti saw a statue of Torsten waiting for him. As the man walked in, the statue turned and looked at him. "Be not afraid." Torsten said. He had spent much time thinking about what he was going to say to explain what had happened, but now that Usawoti was there he found the words stuck in his throat. At last, he said "It is still I. And this is for ye." He added, extending a hand with the letter from his parents. "I have completed my journey down Torag's path. And your blade is complete. Once we retrieve it, we will be ready."