Seeing the party split in action, Armik steps forward to accept the brand.
"I've seen lots of things in this world, what's another? Let me see what Lissala holds in store for me."
Armik receives the tattoo which also writhes beneath his skin!
Only Armik :
1d20 ⇒ 4
Armik, you do not really know what this tattoo is and what it does.
As you know this scenario. :-) Here the details for you as a player as a reminder: A character marked with this arcane tattoo receives a +2 profane bonus on Fortitude saves. Once per day, the character may activate the tattoo to receive a number of temporary hit points equal to twice their character level. Displaying the arcane tattoo grants a +4 circumstance bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks against worshippers of Lissala.
Trokkus struggles a bit, but manages to turn down the symbol and the woman just nods as she does not want to piss off Trokkus.
When all return to the circle, the cultists again begin to chant and Indiria speaks above the din.
"Serving Lissala is not a simple task, and one must be willing to suffer and sacrifice to attain the benefits of rule. The fire in your heart must burn brighter than this furnace. In this place, metal is separated from dross and given new form. Who among you is ready to be remade in the image of the divine? To join us, to become one of the Feasters of the Heart, you must walk through the furnace. In that hellish chamber, your devotion will be your armor. So come and tell me: whom do you serve above all others? At whose command would you walk through flame?"
Indiria poses her last two questions to each initiate in turn.
Again, the three initiates who came with you walk up first. The man nervously, says "Lissala" and two women, much more firmly, answers the same.
After each speak it, Indiria says, "May it please the goddess." and ushers them individually into the burning and hot furnace. They seem unharmed by the fire when they enter and the door to the furnace is closed. When the door opens the respective initiate is gone.
Then Indiria turns and calls each of you up there, one at a time... she looks at Mun.
"So come and tell me: whom do you serve above all others? At whose command would you walk through flame?"
Mun looks around at his companions with a gulp, and doubt finally shows on his face. Accepting a brand is one thing... walking into a furnace another entirely! Ashava, protect me. He returns his gaze forward and--hoping to conceal his doubt--says, forcefully: "Lissala"
As you do not know what will happen to each of you when you enter I would like you all to imagine that you are asked the same question and enter. Please provide your answer and I will resolve this.
Indiria looks at Mun, "May it please the goddess." and ushers him into the burning and hot furnace. Mun seems unharmed by the fire when he enters and the door to the furnace is closed.
As you do not know what will happen to each of you when you enter I would like you all to imagine that you are asked the same question and enter. Please provide your answer and I will resolve this.
Male LG Half-Orc Paladin 11 (Oath Against Fiends) | HP 56/74 | AC 24 T 12 FF 24 | CMD 25 (26 vs disarm/sunder) | F: +12, R: +8, W: +12| Init: +0 | Perc: +7, SM: +14 | Speed 30ft |Shirt Reroll: 1/1, Pin: 1/1, +1 on a d20: 1/1, +2 on a Sense Motive: 1/1|Lay on Hands: 7/7, Divine Bond 1/2, Smite Evil 3/4| Spells: 1st 3/3, 2nd 2/2, 3rd 1/1 | *Active: Extra +1 holy (11 min)
Trokkus growls. "I told ya twice before, lady! The Dawnflower brought me back and gave me a second chance, and I ain't betrayin' her trust for no promises you're spoutin'!"
Aasimar Oracle of Shaelyn Lvl 10 AC:20, FF:10, Th:10, HP 63/63, F8/R7/W11, Perc +0, Init +0
Buffs:
Ant Haul - dur 10 hours
Heightened Awareness - dur 10 min
Let me know if these run out
Resist Energy Fire (20) - dur 30 min
Well, this may start things off, but Malaika aint walkin in there unprotected. He casts Communal Resist Energy, Fire (20 pts) on anyone who hasn't entered yet.
Shelyn has always protected my family. Casts a spell on himself and his allies, then walks in.[/b]
Kit has already stated that she is not going to do it. At this point she is just waiting for the ceremony to play out. Harris is hiding out in her pack right now by the way.
Yes, she is not getting the tattoo and that is no issue. Now all of Kitoro’s companions and the other initiates have gone into the furnace individually where every initiate is asked to enter after about 1 minute and when the door to the furnace opens ( the furnace is empty then so those that entered are not in there anymore). What does Kitoro do?
Indiria nods to those that called out Lissala and guides them to enter the furnace saying ”May it please the goddess.”
For those that did not call out Lissala she remains silent and points at the furnace.
She seals the furnace for you individually and turns it up full blast. All of those that answered "Lissala" do not feel the heat... and the others are totally protected by Maraika's spell helping to avoid the brunt of the heat.
After about 30 seconds, the flames die down, and a secret door pops open in the middle of the eastern wall and you and the initiates make your way through the door...
The furnace's secret exit opens to a twenty-foot-square room with two exits in the northeast corner. It is empty save for two large barrels in the southwest corner.
There is a single cultist there, also dressed in a black robe, hood pulled up and covering his face. As the last one of you enters the room, the secret door to the furnace shuts. The cultist then speaks and, by the voice, you're reasonably certain he's a male...
"You have shown yourselves to be worthy of what your are about to receive. You have been asked to wear the rune of the goddess on your flesh, and have put yourselves in mortal danger to obey the command of Lissala. The furnace has burned away your old life. Your fears, you weaknesses - those things are gone now. In the furnace, Lissala saw the strength of your dedication, and she was pleased. But now she must see the force of your will. You must decide among yourselves who is the most worthy of the goddess's honor, and who's the least. The most worthy will receive power beyond imagining. What happens to the weakest should be none of your concern. There are no rules save this: You have five minutes. In five minutes, you must present the greatest and the weakest among you, or you will all return to the furnace. And this time, it will not be so kind."
Kit is in full miff, tired of all this talk about power and absolutely no showing of pleasure.
"I'm with you Trokkus. All this talk about giving all the power to one person and sacrificing another does not give me cool fuzzies. Or is is warm fuzzies? I think in this case it is hot pricklies and cool fuzzies. In any case, I'm not about to go back into that furnace. Let's just swarm the arrogant b@$!d and throw him in and crank it up. Show him who's weak and who's not!"
Mun looks at the other initiates with exaggerated concern in his eyes as other many Kitoro and Trokkus start talking openly of their subterfuge. "It's clear that some of us are forgetting, ahh, what we're here for."
He waits a moment for that to sink in then, with great deference, turns to Malaika. "Obviously, Dimitrov is the strongest among us here; it could only be him."
Male LG Half-Orc Paladin 11 (Oath Against Fiends) | HP 56/74 | AC 24 T 12 FF 24 | CMD 25 (26 vs disarm/sunder) | F: +12, R: +8, W: +12| Init: +0 | Perc: +7, SM: +14 | Speed 30ft |Shirt Reroll: 1/1, Pin: 1/1, +1 on a d20: 1/1, +2 on a Sense Motive: 1/1|Lay on Hands: 7/7, Divine Bond 1/2, Smite Evil 3/4| Spells: 1st 3/3, 2nd 2/2, 3rd 1/1 | *Active: Extra +1 holy (11 min)
GM:
Trokkus is doing his best to play along, but he *is* a lawful good paladin. If it looks like the "weakest" initiate is going to be murdered or something, Trokkus will immediately intervene and start combat.
Aasimar Oracle of Shaelyn Lvl 10 AC:20, FF:10, Th:10, HP 63/63, F8/R7/W11, Perc +0, Init +0
I wouldn't really do it, but I was almost half tempted to suggest that the paladin should volunteer to be the weakest and martyr himself. ;)
While wandering over to look in the barrels, Malaika says in a bored tone, Yes, he probably is. Armik, be a dear and kick open that door for me.Whichever one the cultist left through.
It was an easy and obvious decision. Certainly, I am the strongest and that wretch over there is the weakest.
Male LG Half-Orc Paladin 11 (Oath Against Fiends) | HP 56/74 | AC 24 T 12 FF 24 | CMD 25 (26 vs disarm/sunder) | F: +12, R: +8, W: +12| Init: +0 | Perc: +7, SM: +14 | Speed 30ft |Shirt Reroll: 1/1, Pin: 1/1, +1 on a d20: 1/1, +2 on a Sense Motive: 1/1|Lay on Hands: 7/7, Divine Bond 1/2, Smite Evil 3/4| Spells: 1st 3/3, 2nd 2/2, 3rd 1/1 | *Active: Extra +1 holy (11 min)
Trokkus whispers to Malaika and Kitoro.
whisper whisper:
"We gotta act now before it's too late and we got deaths on our hands. I reckon once that cultist comes back for our 'decision', we knock him out cold and then move on to the rest. We'll get more info out of prisoners than corpses. Whaddaya say?"
"Oh, just don't." Mun blurts as he wheels on the woman. "This is not a contest you want. Our patron Dimitrov is clearly the strongest here. He's stronger than me, physically, and you have no clue as to the spiritual strength of him and--really--any of us. And I'm willing to prove that here and now. Stand down!"
The woman’s eyes light up in rage at the beginning of Mun’s words, but by the end she shrinks back in fear. ”Callistria...uh...uh...alright...as long as I’m not the weakest...”
-
The robed figure enters again.
"Your time is up! The strongest, followed by the weakest will step forth!"
Male LG Half-Orc Paladin 11 (Oath Against Fiends) | HP 56/74 | AC 24 T 12 FF 24 | CMD 25 (26 vs disarm/sunder) | F: +12, R: +8, W: +12| Init: +0 | Perc: +7, SM: +14 | Speed 30ft |Shirt Reroll: 1/1, Pin: 1/1, +1 on a d20: 1/1, +2 on a Sense Motive: 1/1|Lay on Hands: 7/7, Divine Bond 1/2, Smite Evil 3/4| Spells: 1st 3/3, 2nd 2/2, 3rd 1/1 | *Active: Extra +1 holy (11 min)
Trokkus nods his disguised associates and walks up to the cultist. "Sorry pal, ya ain't gonna like this now, but someday ya might just thank me for it." Trokkus snaps his gauntleted fist back and decks the robed figure hard in the jaw!
Nonlethal attack (w/trait so penalty is -2 instead of -4), power attack, smiting evil.
Kit, who was already nervously fiddling with her finger puppets almost magically produces them, albeit the one representing the cultist is missing fangs for now.
Male LG Half-Orc Paladin 11 (Oath Against Fiends) | HP 56/74 | AC 24 T 12 FF 24 | CMD 25 (26 vs disarm/sunder) | F: +12, R: +8, W: +12| Init: +0 | Perc: +7, SM: +14 | Speed 30ft |Shirt Reroll: 1/1, Pin: 1/1, +1 on a d20: 1/1, +2 on a Sense Motive: 1/1|Lay on Hands: 7/7, Divine Bond 1/2, Smite Evil 3/4| Spells: 1st 3/3, 2nd 2/2, 3rd 1/1 | *Active: Extra +1 holy (11 min)
Just realising this cultist probably isn't human! Failed my check below (blah!), but if his fangs and red eyes indicate he's some sort of evil outsider, the smite will do an extra twelve points of damage (includes +2 for favored enemy) and bypasses DR. (thanks for the reminder to keep track of uses).
A convention has grown on these boards where we only dole out useful info if the DC is exceeded by 5, but the rules state that you get 1 piece of useful info just for meeting the DC, earning another piece of info for each 5 by which you exceed the DC.
Mun would love to know about Special Attacks, if you don't mind.
Skills, Knowledge wrote:
You can use this skill to identify monsters and their special powers or vulnerabilities. In general, the DC of such a check equals 10 + the monster’s CR. For common monsters, such as goblins, the DC of this check equals 5 + the monster’s CR. For particularly rare monsters, such as the tarrasque, the DC of this check equals 15 + the monster’s CR, or more. A successful check allows you to remember a bit of useful information about that monster. For every 5 points by which your check result exceeds the DC, you recall another piece of useful information. Many of the Knowledge skills have specific uses as noted on the below table.
Mun fishes Selune's figurine from his pocket, placing it on the ground and speaking a command word to free her from her stasis; the small bear figurine grows into a full-sized--and very mean-looking--bear!
Edit
Mun points at the undead in front of them, and the light in Selune's eyes recognizes the command instantly!
Hi Trokkus, this is an undead so not subject to nonlethal damage. I do not have an issue with you changing your attack to lethal damage if you make a DC 10 perception check to see the face of the cultist before hitting him and thus to lethal damage.
Hi Mun, you can immediately give Selune a command as a free action and Selune can act on your initiative count so go ahead and take Selune's actions. With respect to the knowledge check I do not have any issue with that. Special attacks: blood drain, dominate, energy drain, sneak attack.
Male Tiefling Wizard 3/Cleric 3/Mystic Theurge 4 | AC: 15/11/14 (+bestow curse) | HP: 30/75 | Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +15 | CMB +6, CMD 17 | Initiative +1 | Perception +12 (darkvision) | Active conditions:
Guess our infiltration is at an end. Vordrek points at the undead cultist and mutters a spell. Five bolts of force shoot from his hand to strike unerringly at it.
Vampire spawn! Shelyn really dislikes undead. He holds forth his holy symbol and divine power smashes into the thing trying to slam it into the wall between Amrik and Trokus. Again the power smashes forth.
channel positive energy:6d6 ⇒ (2, 1, 1, 3, 2, 6) = 15improved force channel (pushed back 15'), will save DC=23 for half and no push
quick channel positive energy:6d6 ⇒ (3, 5, 3, 3, 2, 2) = 18improved force channel (pushed back 15'), will save DC=23 for half and no push
@Malaika: They have DR Silver/5, Special attacks: blood drain, dominate, energy drain, sneak attack, Defensive Abilities channel resistance +2, evasion; Weaknesses resurrection vulnerability, vampire weaknesses
Your action was not needed so save your resources. Any other action you would like to take?
The three initiates are with you in room H4. The singular cultist that you just killed entered through the northern door and nobody else was visible in that northern room. None of the cultists from behind the furnace went through so they are on the other side of the furnace.
