"The only one would be the place he was sent to." Imperia replies. "I agree with you about Iomedae. The Reclamation preaches righteousness and justice but then does not help those who show these qualities! It is hypocrisy in the extreme - the commanders care only for their own power, not their followers." She leans in closer. "I heard about the Lictor offered you. I think you should take it - Iomedae doesn't deserve your loyalty and if it can help you get your son back." She shrugs. "Isn't that the right thing to do?"
Jelena's eyes widen. "How do you know about that? Who told you?" she demands in a harsh whisper.
"The Lictor." Imperia replies. "Don't worry, I am not here to judge you. I was sent to remove the Reclamation from this citadel. It belongs to the Order of the Godclaw by right, treaty and tradition - the Reclamation had no right to claim it. The Lictor said that he could help you were willing to help him. I can take you to him if you want. If you want to see Jesper again."
Jelena bites her lip. You can sense her wavering as she struggles to make a life-altering decision. "Part of the Lictor's deal involves me giving up information about the Reclamation's defenses. If I do this, I will be branded a traitor and a heretic. There will be no going back..."
"Do you want to go back to them?" Imperia asks. "The commanders who let your son be captured? The commanders who care so little about his death that they will do nothing to restore him? Leaders are loyal to their knights as well, and Phrand is not loyal to you. You owe him nothing."
"You're right. It's the only way. If I want to free Jesper's soul, then I will freely offer mine in exchange. Tell Ountor we have a deal."
Jelena provides the information she promised as preliminary payment to ensure she can't back out of the bargain.
Lictor Ountor is pleased to hear of your success with Jelena. The Hellknight lictor informs the PCs that the next step is to secure an infernal contract to officially swap Jelena’s soul upon her death for the immediate release of her son from the ranks of the damned—the simplest way to achieve this goal is via a greater planar ally or greater planar binding spell cast to conjure a contract devil.
The lictor points out that scrolls of these spells exist in the conjuration library of the secret wing of the dungeon. The summoning chapel in the same wing is the best place to perform the ritual, and with luck, Paravicar Dominita still lives and will be able to cast the spells.
"Unfortunately the chamber is locked by some sort of clockwork locking mechanism." Imperia tells him. "Pieces are missing and we cannot enter without them. Do you know where I might look, or if there is a bypass of some sort?"
Ountor doesn't know, but asking Jelena, she tells you that the pieces are being held in the citadel's chapel , watched over by a dwarven inquisitor named Kazakador.
Inquisitor Kazakador’s faith in Iomedae is strong, yet focused primarily on her aspects as a goddess of justice and rulership, and less so on her aspects as a patron of honor and valor. His short temper and penchant for excessive violence have always kept him from becoming a full-fledged member of the Glorious Reclamation, but his talents are too considerable to let such “personality quirks” prevent him from contributing to the cause. His continued appointment here is in part to keep him from the front lines where his attitude might erode the call for goodness, but also because Knight Commander Phand is one of the few high-ranking members of the order who can tolerate Kazakador’s gruff attitude for extended periods of time.
Imperia scowls, having bad memories of the last time she faced a dwarven inquisitor.
"I will see if I can talk him into giving up the pieces." She says with a sigh. "He will be a difficult foe if we must fight..."
Making for the chapel with an invisible Jordanna in tow she leaves her fellow changeling just outside the doorway under a spell of silence, enters and salutes.
"Good day sir. The Knight Commander wishes to see you upstairs. An urgent matter he said!"
As you head into the chapel entrance, you see that the walls of this circular chamber are newly whitewashed and depict a series of fresh paintings that portray the goddess Iomedae performing her famous eleven miraculous acts. Two knights inheritor stand guard here, throwing you a salute as you brush past them.
The faint odor of recent paint wafts through the austere chapel. Wooden scaffolding surrounds stark, white walls with golden starbursts that contrast the somber artwork found elsewhere within Citadel Dinyar. Several rows of pews run the length of this chamber and end near a recessed apse that is decorated with religious iconography.
Inquisitor Kazakador looks up from his prayers as you approach.
"Very well. Hmm..." He peers at you closely. "I've not seen you in the citadel before. Are you a new transfer?"
"Knight Bannaret Lasida Kaesal." Imperia replies. "I've been transferred to act as the Commander's aide de'camp. Can we leave sir? He was impatient!"
You spot a small bag of what appears to be gears and springs and levers that sits near the altar. Knowing that this must be what you are looking for, you peel away from Kazakador, snatch the bag, and quickly make your way down to the dungeons before the inquisitor can realize he's been duped.
With the missing parts, Jordanna is able to repair the clockwork circle, which you then manipulate to open the secret door. A bank of magical fog indicates that the halls beyond are protected by a private sanctum spell.
Six small rooms line the entry hall. Each room contains a well-stocked cupboard that holds a variety of scented oils, sticks of incense, wax candles, and other components for casting conjuration spells, for a total of 1,500 gp worth of supplies per room. In addition, one of the chambers contains a small darkwood coffer (worth 400 gp) that holds two blocks of incense of meditation.
The summoning chapel lies beyond. Magical symbols cover every square inch of available wall space here, while a raised balcony looms over a giant pentagram etched into the room’s stone floor. A series of four ornate doors stand ajar and provide access to smaller antechambers.
An examination of the central summoning chamber confirms that someone relatively recently used this circle to cast greater planar binding. However, you note that the casting was rushed and some of the components were faulty—the creature conjured most recently in this room likely arrived uncontrolled as a result.
Within the two brass braziers rest 10,000 gp worth of anathematic substances harvested from magical weapons. Inside the eastern brazier rests 5,000 gp worth of anarchic metal shavings, and contained within the western brazier is 5,000 gp worth of holy metal ground into a silvery dust.
The doors to the final room are barricaded from the far side. Jordanna is able to shove them open. Several towering bookcases carved from rosewood sit against the walls of this room, each of which bear images depicting imps frolicking and performing mischievous pranks upon one another. Interspersed among these devilish carvings are numerous tomes and scrolls. A heavy desk crafted from a single slab of yew squats at the room’s distant end.
A human woman dressed in the regalia of a Hellknight paravicar sits behind the desk, apparently studying several opened books and unfurled scrolls. She looks up, her initial expression of surprise turning to joy. "At last! Aid comes for me. I am Paravicar Dominita Clara."
Imperia's eyes narrow sharply. There is no way that a Paravicar, who fled here under attack by the Glorious Reclamation, reacts that positively to a Reclamation soldier, even one accompanied by someone as... unique as Jordanna.
"Stop lying!" She commands sharply. "Who are you really?"
The woman huffs in frustration. Her form changes as she drops the disguise. Twin tentacles stretch from the crown of this feminine fiend’s head, while her lower body blooms in a gown of writhing tendrils. She is a gylou--a handmaiden devil.
"Fine! My name is Lilanna. The real paravicar conjured me but didn't cast her spell correctly. I slaughtered her in a rage before I realized the magic had trapped me in these chambers! All I want is to return to Hell. Help release me from the botched magic and I will agree to lend you aid for a short time."
"And what exactly will your help entail?" Imperia asks, an old hand at these negotiations by now. "I need someone to create and witness an infernal contract. And some assistance in combat would be useful too."
"Yes, yes. I can do all of those things," Lilanna says impatiently. "All I need is a total of four creatures native to the Material Plane to stand in the chapel's circle and perform the ritual for 10 minutes. Then I will honor my pledge to aid you before I return to Hell."
Luckily Imperia has a dominated elf available so it's simply a matter of bringing Zara up as quietly as possible to perform the ritual. Imperia trusts the devil about as far as she could throw her, but an agreement has been, more or less, made so it should be safe enough.
Besides, they have an easy sacrifice if needed...
The ritual proceeds as expected, and Lilanna sighs as the binding magic releases her. True to her word, the fiend helps you create an infernal contract to secure Jelena's soul in exchange for her son's. Once signed, the fallen paladin falls to her knees and weeps, emotionally drained.
With all of your tasks around the citadel complete, Lictor Ountor leads his Hellknights of the Godclaw into battle against the Glorious Reclamation's forces! Aided by the handmaiden devil, the Hellknights prove to be quite capable combatants. You use the chaos of the melee to slip through the fortress via secret tunnels and track down Knight Commander Graxus Phand in the fortified chapel-keep called Ardent's Fist.
The towering vaulted ceiling of this cathedral-like space rises just over a hundred feet in height. Numerous stone pillars support a gallery with iron railings above, but the bulk of the chamber’s floor is open, giving a sense of overwhelming vastness to the space. To the south, a few steps rise up to a pulpit on which sits an altar of gray marble flecked with bits of gold. At the opposite end of the hall, a desk, several chairs, and some cupboards have been installed. Several of the walls are decorated with immense tapestries adorned with the insignia and heraldry of the Glorious Reclamation.
Phand is here, along with three knights inheritor. They have yet to notice you!
Imperia, according to a plan worked out with Jordanna beforehand, opens with a spell of Confusion! She targets Phand with her gaze in the hope of afflicting him alongside his knights.
Your spell confuses the whole lot of Iomedaeans! Jordanna pounces upon one of the lesser knights, slaughtering him before he can react!
The alchemist stabs another one twice, then kills him with an opportunity attack as he tries to close with the giant changeling.
Both Phand and the last knight manage to act normally. The knight casts protection from evil on himself while Phand casts dispel evil, removing the confusion on himself! "Foul villains! I will not let this fortress fall to evil again!"
Imperia resists the urge to quip back and simply forces Phand to express the amusement that she feels.
As Phand falls over laughing, Jordanna slays the last paladin. She ten turns her spear on the commander, making quick work of the warpriest before he can recover!
"That went well." The invisible Imperia says. "Let us track down the dragon while my spell still works!"
A great terrace surrounds Citadel Dinyar’s bell tower, just beneath the chamber holding the citadel’s famous chapel bells. Numerous bits of rubble and debris litter the terrace from a breach in the tower’s eastern wall.
The gold dragon Parnoneryx is perched here for the moment, watching the battle below and waiting for another opportunity to swoop down and lend aid to the Glorious Reclamation's forces. You get within 60 feet of him before his keen senses alert him to your presence. "What? Who dares try to sneak up on me?" he declares.
Jordanna pounces on the huge dragon, but only manages to score one hit. He roars indignantly and takes a step back before protecting himself with mirror images.
Imperia goes straight for her most powerful incapacitating magic.
Your spell incapacitates the dragon with grief. Jordanna attacks, destroying a mirror image.
Imperia pulls out a scroll and attempts to dispel the images.
Your dispel attempt fails, but Jordanna destroys two more mirror images as the dragon continues to sob.
Imperia fires off a ray of frost, mostly in an attempt to deal with an image.
Your ray of frost actually hits Parnoneryx, wounding the dragon! Jordanna destroys another image, leaving just one image left.
Amused by her success Imperia draws on her infernal boon and fires a crossbow bolt at the dragon.
You miss Parnoneryx, but Jordanna destroys the last image and finally lands a good hit on the wyrm!
Imperia aims and fires again, enjoying the fiendish power coursing through her. Possibly a bit too much as she misses wildly.
Jordanna lands another hit as the dragon continues to sob. He won't last much longer at this rate...
Imperia continues to fire crossbow bolts into a pretty pattern on the dragons armoured flank.
A few seconds pass with the dragon just sobbing and swatting away your attacks.
This is getting tiring, so Imperia goes back to the big guns.
Realising a moment later that that would be stupid Imperia takes more care over her aim this time.
A few more seconds pass with the same results...
Imperia finally lands a decent shot!
With your shot and two stabs from Jordanna's spear, the mighty dragon is at last slain!
"Let's not tell anyone how long it took us to kill a nearly defenseless dragon..." Imperia says quietly. "Now we need his head..."
She lets Jordanna deal with that while she checks to see if the beast has been stashing treasures anywhere as his kind is wont to do.
Parnoneryx keeps his hoard at hand in the sheltered area along the still-standing western wall of what was once the mustering hall. The treasure consists of the following, split among chests, ceramic pots, and looses piles of coins: 783 pp, 8,200 gp, 17,700 sp, 94,330 cp, an engraved platinum gauntlet worth 700 gp, a gold bejeweled orb worth 7,000 gp, a platinum bowl with infernal engravings worth 800 gp; a masterwork darkwood lute worth 300 gp, a belt of incredible dexterity +6, a +3 heavy steel shield with a gauntleted fist emblazoned on its surface, a +2 merciful distance composite longbow (+5 Str), a +4 sling that sheds light to 60 feet when loaded, a staff of swarming insects, and a bejeweled scroll tube worth 4,500 gp that contains a scroll of vision, a scroll of commune, and a scroll of delayed blast fireball.
Going back to loot Commander Phand, you claim his lesser extend metamagic rod, wand of cure serious wounds (9 charges), +1 full plate, +1 fire resistance heavy steel shield, +1 speed longsword, amulet of natural armor +1, and cloak of resistance +2.
Lictor Ountor and the Hellknights managed to overcome the inquisitor Kazakador while you were fighting the dragon. With no strong leadership remaining, the Order of the Godclaw reclaims Citadel Dinyar! Enough of the Order of the Godclaw survives that Lictor Ountor can look to rebuilding his resources. The order can call in favors, recalling field agents and supplies cached throughout the Inner Sea region to resurrect most of those they lost in battle, in time. Lictor Ountor is grateful for Thrune’s aid, but does not want to rely upon the Chelish government to bail him out of this tough situation.
Jordanna hauls Parnoneryx's severed head as you bid farewell to the Hellknights. You have secured the first ingredient of the tathlum. Now you must complete the ritual to prepare it's use as a weapon...
Blood of Innocence: The second component requires a hundred drops of blood drawn from the body of 100 separate “innocents” (good-aligned humanoids, in this case). These drops must all be drawn from innocents who knew each other or lived in close proximity, and must all be drawn within a minute of the innocent’s death. All 100 drops must be harvested before the next sunrise after the first drop is gathered. Queen Abrogail has selected the small village of Barleybridge in southern Cheliax as the best place to harvest the blood of innocence.
Ashes of History: The final component is perhaps the most dangerous to gather, but its location was the easiest for the queen to select. A library known as the Archive of Redacted Histories lies hidden on distant Warlock Island off Cheliax’s western coast, where copies of previous revised and redacted official histories of Cheliax and other dangerous texts are kept, securely stored should they ever be needed in the future. The symbolic act of destroying all of this rare information by burning the archive’s holdings and then rubbing the ashes on the dragon’s severed head is the last step required to prepare the grisly relic for transformation into a tathlum.
Tathlum Construction Ritual: Once the three steps above are completed, the tathlum is ready for final construction. At this point, the PCs are to return to Egorian, where Queen Abrogail has prepared a pool of quicklime for this final ritual.
Thankfully for Imperia, Greenleaf the wizard is able to use her bonded item to regain her spell of teleportation and whisk the group to Egorian once again. There Imperia promptly hands her over to the Queen's mercy and makes her report.
"And so, with the dragon dead and their commander slain, the Reclamation was routed and the Order of the Godclaw have reclaimed their citadel." She finishes, looking the Queen in the eye with studious professionalism. "I have returned with a captive who awaits your majesties will. What task does it please Your Highness that I should begin next?"
She makes no mention of resting, dallying in service to the throne is not a good policy after all, but she prepares herself to speak none-the-less if the Queen suggests anything too dangerous.
Queen Abrogail is pleased with your success. "Well done. I'll reward you properly when all of the tasks are complete." She outlines the steps to creating the tathlum. "I would suggest you tackle them in the order I have outlined. Take time to rest and recover. When you are ready, I will teleport you to St. Ilnea's Fountain."
"Your majesty is most gracious and wise." Imperia replies, the courtly flattery little more than a courtesy. She does shoot the queen a rather more private wink however as she curtsies.
Returning to the Lawgivers Rest she shares a smile with the Archcountess and then falls into bed almost at once and sleeps like a log for ten hours. This means awaking in the early morning, but thankfully Lavasvia has given orders that Imperia is to be attended and fed whenever she awakes so food is no trouble.
Egorian's more esoteric quarters rarely sleep so even past midnight Imperia is able to arrange for the profits from the citadel to be turned into ready cash immediately. She is even able to track down another rare book, the famed "Tales of Robyn, Hooded Hero." Although the tales are somewhat lurid, there is much to be learned from Robyn's leadership skills, especially when the book's magic remains intact. The only downside is that there is no time enjoy the book as it deserves. Still she spends a few hours with coffee and her book until Jordanna wakes.
Both women are present bright and early at the queens pleasure to be transported to St Ilnea's fountain.
Before she sends you on your way, Abrogail invites you back to her quarters. ”I enjoyed your latest gift so much, I had her preserved for posterity,” she says with a smirk. Indeed, the elven wizard Caraniel Glintleaf has been petrified, transformed into a marble statue, and put on display in a position of prominence. The elf was stripped nude and held a lascivious pose before she was transformed into stone, her blank eyes capturing a look of eternal lust.
”I think she has far more value like this, don’t you?” the queen quips.
"You did a wonderful job with the pose." Imperia replies, taking advantage of her great height to place her chin on Abrogail's shoulder for a moment. "I've actually got another one. The knight who was sent to stop the sacrifice. She's on her way to being my own little work of art." She smiles and then whispers hotly in Abrogail's ear.
"Hopefully by the time I'm done I'll be able to pose her just like this, and then get her down on her knees to do whatever we desire." She pulls away and smiles. "I know everyone does exactly what you tell them but it's a little more of a novelty for the rest of us mere mortals."
”Well, my dear Imperia, I look forward to playing with your pet once she is fully housebroken,” Abrogail says, leaning back against you. ”Now, enough dallying. Off with you!”
She speaks words of power, and you find yourself far from the imperial palace. A torrent of water cascades from the side of a mountain cliff, plummeting twenty feet down to a large, crystal-clear pool. Ripples and waves churn against the pool’s shores, yet despite the volume of water constantly pouring into the pool, its level remains mysteriously constant, never overflowing its sandy banks.
Imperia puts her hand on Jordanna's shoulder. "When the time comes, you are going to destroy the guardian of this shrine." She says firmly.
"So, water elementals are going to be a certainty." She says. "Hit them very hard and often. I will be limited in what I can do."
She gestures for Jordanna and Zara to lead the way.
Your instincts are spot on, as a few moments after you arrive, a huge celestial water elemental rises from the pool to attack!