GM_DBH's Shattered Star

Game Master DBH

I take you are moving on after the Shard and not loot hunting?

Elena, Elathras is going soft, you need to harden him up!

C16. NAMING POOL
A raised, circular pool like a well ready to overflow stands in the
center of this room, the blue liquid inside too vibrantly colored to be water. The rest of the room is blank and empty, and the whole place hums with a barely heard vibration.

Before the coming ofthe Shard of Gluttony, this chamber was the heart and focus of the Black Keep, as old and unknowable as the Dark Rider himself The standing font in the room's center is the Naming Pool, the mysterious mechanism by which the Dark Rider gets the names of those he specifically searches out on his hunts each year, for reasons known only to the long-gone original architects of the Dark Forest.

What are you doing now?

Ninja'd by GM_DBH, will edit, or apparently I didn't see his posts?
Sorry missed Elena's post

Nodding in agreement with the decision, Elathras regrips his polearm and heads for the doors the 'rider' had come through C16. Keeping a keen eye out as he goes up the steps and through the doors.

taking 10(25) on perception moving into the C16
-------------------
Moving into the room, he gestures north and south, "There are hidden doors both to the north and south."

Elena, Elathras is going soft, you need to harden him up!

I will assume this is not a juvenile adult joke :) But if it isn't, is this the GM telling us he finds our murderhobo energy lacking!?

The (relatively) pacifist cleric strides forward and surveys the room, nodding at the hellknight's findings. "Well, if it's the shard hidden behind either of those, we can expect traps. Let's get to it, Bharak." She says, putting on her magical glasses for some hardcore percepting.

perception, good hope, heightened awareness: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (12) + 25 = 37

Axton knows that these secret doors must hide the machinery that Maligast knows about even though he did not know their purpose. He waits behind those opening the door, anxious to see if he can divine their purpose with is own eyes. Or perhaps one of his companions can.

Nodding in agreement with Elena, Elathras cautiously moves towards the southern hidden door. Holding his polearm at the ready, he carefully investigates the door for any traps or locks.

Taking 20(35) on perception for the southern hidden door.

The doors aren't trapped or locked.

C17. ENGINES
The rooms hidden behind the concealed doors are cramped, claustrophobic affairs. An obvious humming emanates from inside these narrow stone closets: enormous machines formed from mazes of curving pipes and sealed orbs and cylinders, their metal disappearing seamlessly into the stone floor.

These mysterious, arcane engines are of a type totally unfamiliar to even Maligast, and are part of whatever mechanism gives the Black Keep its strange malleability and ability to create and conjure creatures into its halls-perhaps even maintaining the Dark Forest itself Though whirrings and tickings can be heard from inside the vessels, the machine is sealed, and any damage to the mechanisms causes them to weep black ichor before regenerating almost instantly.

in C17b Axton knows and opens a small loose stone in the wall behind one of the pipes. Hidden in the hollow behind it is Maligast's emergency kit: a box of blackened, rune-carved stone from Eox containing two scrolls of plane shift-one divine and one arcane. Maligast secured them here in case he or a messenger ever need to flee or report to Karzoug.

Only the Shard chamber to go, the door to C18 is locked and needs to be picked. DC30. What are you doing now?

Testing the door for the shard chamber, Elathras shakes his head. Turning towards Bharak, "This one's going to need a little attention."

Axton holds up the two scrolls triumphantly and hands the divine version to Elena.

We'll have to update the loot sheet soon.

"Thanks. Always good to have another way out," Elena says, adding it to her growing collection of scrolls kept safe in her enchanted pouch. "So... this is probably it then. The fourth shard. What do you think is guarding it behind this door?" She wonders as she senses for magic, then inspects the room while presumably Bharak goes about dismanteling the lock.

perception, just in case to check for traps again: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (11) + 25 = 36

I'll have Elena detect magic on the room here just in case. And yeah, @Axton, there definitely is a lot of bookkeeping that has to be done concerning the loot of book 3. None of the items we found in the Tower dungeon or this mansion have been added yet, nor the reward we got for recovering the bodies/saving the adventurers. I know we also sold a few redundant items to buy Elathras a Swarmbane clasp at the start of the previous dungeon.

Aid another check for traps: 1d20 + 21 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 21 + 1 + 2 = 28

Disable Device: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (8) + 17 = 25
Disable Device: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (10) + 17 = 27
Disable Device: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (13) + 17 = 30

”Aye, no rush.” The dwarf said as he methodically checked the door. ”Well made lock it is. Stand back, aye? I’ll get it open right quick.”

It takes some time as the lock is tough, but finally Bharak hears the satisfying 'click' of an opened lock.

The door swings open to reveal horror:

C18. SHARD CHAMBER
This long chamber is completely sealed, its walls of bare stone.
At the far end, the domed ceiling rises above a twentyfoot-tall pillar that is part organic, part horribly mechanical.

Half-emerging from the marble of the pillar, set back to back with each other, are the kneeling, desiccated corpses of three angelic beings, their wings spread and mouths open in silent screams.

From their eye sockets run articulated metal shafts that curve up to the top of the pillar, where their pointed ends emit a soft glow. Floating in the air above the pillar, seemingly suspended in the radiance, is a triangular shard of metal.

Pillar

What are you doing now?

Know. Planes: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (6) + 15 = 21

"Oh."

"I had no idea. Maligast has no idea.

"I had no idea."

Maligast really didn't have any idea. Karzoug didn't trust anyone with the shards resting place. Maligast examined it elsewhere, and only under Karzoug's close supervision.

Planes, GH +2?, HA +2: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (10) + 23 = 33

I am unsure if good hope is still active now. It was cast before the fight with the shadow hounds. We then went straight to the Rider, then the harp, then here. But there have also been like 4 disable device checks in between so it is probably ended? For this check it doesn't matter though.

The true extent of horror doesn't quite register to the cleric at first, who reflexively hides behind Elathras when the mountain of flesh, bone and twisted metal is revealed to them. Is it only when nothing immediately happens and she peeks around that she recognizes the trapped figrues.

"T-those are astral deva! Incredibly powerful angels with far greater divine magic than my own. For them to be trapped here... oh goddess. This torture... we can't leave them like this," She whispers, moving around to get a better look. "And... that metal thing on top, is that the shard?"

Does it match any description or vision we might have had of it?

"We... should probably be ready... if creatures so powerful are needed by this... *thing*," She continues, trying to find her strength. "Something is bound to go wrong if we meddle with it - or better, destroy it." She nods, though in truth she very much doubted this thing was within their capacity to do so. The best they could probably do was attempt to remove the shard and angels from it?

Heal, can the Deva be examined for their status/health?: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (4) + 23 = 27

Arcana? Can I gleam anything of how this... device? works?: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (18) + 17 = 35

That is the shard of Gluttony.

The Devas are dead.

The Shard is just floating there. Fly up and take it, summon something to get it for you. Use Mage hand and so on.

Nodding as Bharak opens the door, Elathras steps into the room prepared to 'clear a space' as is his habit. As his eyes sweep the room, they fall on the abomination that is the tower before him. Taking the image in, he hears Axton repeat himself. Whatever Axton had become, it hadn't seemed to be a liar, apparently even the ancient Maligast had no idea about this.

As Elena softly explains what the creatures are and her concern about the dangers of the tower, Elathras shakes his head. When Elathras had joined the pathfinders he fanaticized about visiting other realms, but this was too strange. As someone who wanted to protect people from monsters dealing with the trolls in Kaer Maga had been odd enough, but this?

Turning to Elana he asks her to confirm what seemed obvious, "Tell me the celestial beings are dead and beyond saving. If so we gather the shard and leave."

Looking towards Axton he asks "Can we use the scrolls you found to return to the library or do we need to go back the way we came."

"It's been thousands of years, Elathras. Of this treatment. Surely, they're dead."

"And yes, a scroll of plane shift will take us back to Golarion, but it is unlikely to take us back to Kaer Maga. If we can leave this castle without further encounter, I expect the only obstacle we have to face is the rot grubs surrounding the menhir.

"So... fireball," Axton smirks.

When everyone is comfortable with him doing so, Axton uses mage hand to try to bring the Shard down.

Hesitantly approaching the angels, Elena kneels in front of one of them, the metal cables from their eyes and silent screams shaking her to the core. "He's... Axton's right, Elathras. Even their very aura is missing. These are but husks now, i think... I can't even tell what this machine needs their remains for. Or if Kharzoug just had them chained here by their eyes to torture them just for the sake of it. Tortured to death and for what?"

A tear falls across her cheek as the thought of the intense suffering these beings of pure good must have gone through - and maybe still were despite their deaths. "I'd like to offer them a prayer before we set them free. It... is a Shelynite burial song, to set lost souls on a path to Nirvana. I think they deserve a better sendoff than us burning this machine right away."

She begins to sign a solemn prayer for the departed:

"She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

And on that cheek, and over that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent,
A heart whose love is innocent..."

When us removing the shard inevitably causes this thing to blow up or the bodies to animate and attack us, i will claim this song counts as Elena having started inspire courage :)

Bharak shifted uncomfortably. It wasn't the first time that he got the impression that there were powers at play which they really shouldn't be messing with, and seeing the desiccated husks of angels just reaffirmed that. Once they had the shard he breathed a sigh of relief. Waiting for Elena to finish her prayer, he muttered "We should get out of here." He almost added before we end up like them but felt that it wouldn't be appropriate.

As Axton uses mage hand to reach towards the shard, Elathras listens to Elena's song. Hearing the emotion in her voice, momentarily taking his eyes off the horrid pillar, he glances at Elena seeing the single tear. Quickly shifting the grip on his polearm, he pretends not to notice.

Breathing a sigh, he wonders how she does it, seeing what she's seen and still being able to care enough to shed a tear. Realizing there might be something deeply wrong with how his family, order and country approached things, he nods his head in agreement with Bharak. "Yes, once Axton has secured the stone, let us head for the 'portal'."

The Shard simply floats there and is easily moved by Axton's Mage hand spell.

When it does move though three things immediately happen!

First, the three angels at the pillar's base suddenly shriek in mortal pain. Their bodies convulse and thrash, their faces rip from the metal fixtures in their eyes, and then they slump to the ground and swiftly decay away into mounds of foul-smelling corruption.

Once again, not alive. This is their response to being freed from being used to supply the energy needed to maintain everything. Even though dead their bodies were being used as batteries.

Second, the entire Dark Forest shakes and thunders, as if struck by a minor earthquake. The air quality grows strangely stale, and the glowing
twilight outside dims as the demiplane's wards against the caulborn fail.

Finally, all living things in area C18 suddenly feel a wave of coldness pass through them as a pulse of potent necromantic energies momentarily wash out through the room.

Each living creature in the chamber must succeed at a DC20
Fortitude save or gain the curse of living death.

Awaiting the results of your Fortitude saves.

A wave of necromantic energy so powerful it affects the entire plane, you say. Uhhhh... oops? :)

save with 1×/day lucky horseshoe: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (1) + 14 = 15

daily d20/save reroll with 1×/day luck domain power, lucky horseshoe: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (18) + 14 = 32

Elena flinches as the wave washes over her, and for a moment it appears as though her flesh is warping - but then something intervenes and protects her form - divine intervention? The last bit of protection the dead angels could offer? "B-brace yourself! Don't let it corrupt you!" She calls out.

Elena can grant one save reroll to someone with her level 1 bard spell, saving finale, by ending her inspire courage and hoping there isn't a fight right after this. So the first time one of the others fails this save, they can reroll it. After that though, I'm afraid i can't help anyone. Also, I assume good hope has ended so no bonus there.

Fort: 1d20 + 16 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 16 + 4 = 35

Bharak shuddered as the wave of death rolled over him. Luckily the effects likewise did not stick. Rather it felt more like a cold wind than anything else. He raised an eyebrow though, at the call to not be corrupted. While it was certainly ominous, he hadn’t felt anything especially curse worthy, despite the shuddering of the fortress. He trusted her enough, though, to not question her. If she thought something was wrong then he took it seriously. ”Aye? Then let’s get the fook out of here.”

Fortitude: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

As the Shard of Gluttony comes to rest in Axton's hand, the arcanist's first indication that something is wrong is the sound of Maligast's sigh of satisfaction that echoes in his head a split section before the wave of coldness brought on by the curse of living death. In a panic, bolstered by Elena's call, Axton brings all his will to resist the curse, but it's almost like something inside embraces the wave of coldness. He staggers at the realization of what's happened, and then cries out in alarm as he sees the change to his body.

Fort: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21

As the wave washes over them all, Vhane starts to feel something a little strange before it vanishes. Moving his eyes left to right, he catches sight of Axton. "Lad... you don't look so well. Lookin' kinda pale. You might wanna get that looked at."

DC20 Fortitude: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26

As the the three angels at the pillar's base suddenly shriek in mortal pain Elathras shifts his Guisarme to a 'readied' position, his eyes widening as they slump to the ground and swiftly decay away into mounds of foul-smelling corruption. Feeling the earth shake and the cold wave of necromancy, he turns towards the others, "Bharak's right, let's get the 'fook' out of here."

Hearing Vhane's observation, he looks at Axton, asking his old friend, "Vendian, you going to make it?"

At first, Axton gives no indication that he hears Vhane or Elathras, but after a moment, his wide-eyed stare at his hands is replaced by a determined gaze.

"Too much has happened this excursion for me not to make it. I'm ready to go."

Axton pockets the Shard and follows the others back towards the menhir.

If you wish to try a reroll you can.

The party decides it would be wise to leave, especially as whatever was holding this pocket plane together seems to have been broken.

I'll be nice since you decided not to go murderhobo on the other rooms and say that the inhabitants were destroyed by the wave of energy that tried to curse you. And so you can have the loot, minor stuff but someone might want something.

Loot:
A Jet black longsword - Longsword +1 (Undead bane),
A helm with rams horns - Acts as a Hat of disguise.
+1 undead bane disruption club bearing a permanent magic aura that masks its actual magic aura.

As you leave the dining hall and reach the landing there is an unpleasant surprise awaiting job. Standing in the entranceway are the Caulborn and their Chrestomath.

One of the Caulborn greets you telepathically, "Greetings again, humanoids. You've accomplished great deeds in opening the Dark Forest to our explorations, and should be very proud. Unfortunately, we cannot allow such a powerful artifact as the Runelord's shard to remain in the
hands of younger races-it must be studied by those best suited to the task. We regret the fact that you cannot be allowed to remember your triumph, but rest assured that we will remember it for you. Your praises will be sung in the Quivering Palace until the end of days."

They really didn't expect you to succeed. Hoping you'd weaken the wards and give them a better chance of getting in. When the wards dropped completely and they realized you had the Shard they had to quickly come up with a plan. Which of course was a sudden but inevitable betrayal.

The Party may now act!

Use the Black keep map for this fight. I should call it the rewards for hubris really, these guys are so full of themselves!

Rage Hit Yellow: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (7) + 19 = 26
Damage: 1d8 + 20 ⇒ (7) + 20 = 27
Acid: 1d6 ⇒ 5
Fire: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Betrayal. It sickened him. Weapon held up high, Bharak rushed straight at their foes.

Bharak hits Yellow hard!

Next!

Frowning at the betrayal, Elthras moves forwards, issuing his final challenge for the day, "Have at thee foul betrayer!" Chopping at the odd yellow creature with his guisarme

20 ft move, Challenge, (AC 26 (24)/14/25) attack: + 1 keen guisarme, WT, PA,FF
attack: 1d20 + 16 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 16 + 1 + 2 = 32 damage: 2d4 + 9 + 1 + 2 + 9 + 10 ⇒ (1, 4) + 9 + 1 + 2 + 9 + 10 = 36

"Perhaps we should have seen this coming," Axton deadpans before he casts black tentacles over the caulborn and their giant grub-thing.

Combat maneuver: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (19) + 15 = 34

Potential damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10 <-- Any targets with a CMD less than the above maneuver roll; they'd also be grappled, of course.

Vhane moves to his right and fires at one of the traitors.

Move 10'; Attack Red

Deadly Aim
+2 Repeating heavy crossbow: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (11) + 15 = 26
Damage: 1d10 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16

AC 24; Hp's 119/119

Elathras adds to Yellows pain, then Axton's obscene tentacles finish him off.

Red & Lilac are bound in the squirming black things.

Vhane wounds Red.

Elena to act?

"Unfortunately, we cannot allow such a powerful artifact as the Runelord's shard to remain in the

hands of younger races-it must be studied by those best suited to the task."

"Well, forgive me for saying so, but for a 'longer lived race', you're rather unintelligent and a stranger to 'honor' both. Maybe your people should study 'risk assessment' first," Elena dryly says.

She moves up behind Elathras and casts Freedom of Movement on him.

Move, cast FoM. Should allow him to just walk into the tendrils to finish off the grappled caulborn.

Ok, that ends the fight. Elathras & Vhane slaughter the idiots as they struggle against the tentacle. Seriously the Caulborn are CR7, the Chrestomath is CR6.

They never had a chance against you. Maybe if they had ambushed you?, But no! They marched up and told a group that had just fought their way through a dungeon and were on a hair-trigger what they were going to do. You can see why I said they were suffering from extreme hubris.

Just to let you know, the grubs are gone. They were part of the wards.

The Librarians paid you 7000gp. 6000gp for returning the live adventurers. 1000gp for the dead Naga. They are very happy to buy any books or tomes you bought back as well.

The librarians of the Therassic Spire are thrilled at even a brief chance to study the Shard of Gluttony, but they do not press you to grant them this luxury.

They immediately set about sealing the secret door, this time walling it up permanently and setting magical wards over it-news of the caulborn betrayal disturbs the librarians greatly as they realize they may need to take steps to protect themselves from possible caulborn aggression in the future.

While happy to fill in you in on any points of ancient history they can, as well as to purchase any rare texts you may have found over the course ofthe adventure, the reclusive scholars quickly begin to revert to their normal reserved state, and once their chance to study the shard ends, they politely but firmly let you know that it's time to move along.

Also remember you get 6000gp from Morgamer Pug in Magnimar for the scrap from the constructs you defeated in Berkanin Ardoc's manor. Plus 10 vials of Purple worm poison for placing the severed hand in the market for everyone to see. :)

Last question, who is taking the Shard of gulttony?

Relieved to finally be done with the 'Librarians' Elathras offers as they leave. "I am willing to hold on to the 'Shard of Gluttony' I believe that even if I begin to eat more, I will be able to 'burn it off' easily."

Drawing out the vial of water from the River of Memory he adds, "We should see Augustille before we leave town."

"All right. If only to get more distance between us and that portal. I hope they keep their word and no one ever opens it again," Elena says, throwing one last look backwards toward the tower. "...On second thought, Augustille can wait a bit. Axton, are you feeling all right? Forgive me, but you seem to be limping... and with your skin like that, I imagine that's the least pressing issue." The priestess looks at the ex-sorceror with evident concern.

Elena will use whatever magic is necessary to remove Axton's curse and remaining str damage over the next few days. I'll wait a bit on posting more actions until I know how long the group has to stay in the city before we can get transportation back to Magnimar. And I guess for crafting it would help to know how much downtime there is in total until presumably Sheila sends us to the next mission.