After a short message to Nellibet concerning Keznin, he replies through the chirping charm that he is establishing a refuge at the Grange Market, and to send him there. Keznin gratefully retreats, astounded at the excellent care he has already received. He wishes you an earnest "Good Luck" as he departs.
The droning chants have continued from the room to the east during all of this. Resolved to thorougly break up the worm's genocidal plot you prepare yourselves and Gregoth and Kaldren stand side by side and tear the doors open ready for a fight!
Inside is a large altar, with a blue fire burning in a small bowl atop it. Around the altar two women are chanting and gesturing. Each is wearing chainmail and a gray-brown cloak, and both are masked. One is tall and pale with untidy brown hair and a piercing gaze visible above her mask, and the other is a short dark-skinned woman with tight curls and a mask that only covers the top half of her face. Beneath it she wears a wide, false smile.
Both are caught off guard by the interruption!
Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Turrey
Kaldren
Gregoth
Félicité
Bellaluna
Tall Priestess
Short Priestess
Félicité will Devise a Strategem on the one with green sleeves ().
◆
◇
◆
plus plus
◆ Shield
plus
Turrey sings a song to raise his allies' spirits and to speed their hearts and hands.
Gregoth steps into the room, and the air around him swiftly darkens as if suddenly smothered by ghosts and memories and smoke and dust. Black eyes catch the taller woman’s gaze, grasp at her breath, pull her in to their lightless depths.
Both arms rise. One arm falls.
Turrey quickly springs into action, weaving his familiar magics to boost your speed and defences, and before he's even finished Gregoth has stepped forward to engage. His trademark deadly-gaze though elicits only slight apprehension in his target, and she dodges out of the way of his strike.
Félicité carefully plans her attack, then fires two expertly aimed arrows at the priestess she can see who screams in unexpected pain.
The green-sleeved priestess takes a step away from Gregoth, then casts a spell and grows to 10 feet tall. Her hair fades away and her skin takes on a wormy appearance.
The other pays her ritual partner little mind and instead attends to her own defence. She casts her own spell and a translucent priestess appears floating next to Kaldren, and it attempts to stab Kaldren with a dagger its wielding.
The pure-force dagger slices through Kaldren's armour and cuts deep.
Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Didactic Strike: Large-wormy-green-sleeved-priestess is flat-footed to everyone's next strike before Félicité's next turn, and it will deal 2d6 additional precision damage
Inspire Defence: Everyone has +1 status bonus to AC and saves, and resistance 4 to physical damage (until Turrey's turn on round 4)
...
Tall (Green Sleeves) Priestess
Short (Red Sleeves) Priestess
Kaldren
Bellaluna
Turrey
Gregoth
Félicité
...
Bellaluna looks at the magical displays from the priestesses and yawns. ”Is that all? I was expecting something different.”
She then aims at the massive worm, using Félicité‘s words as guidance.
She then reloads the shot she just took.
Kaldren grunts as the spectral dagger stabs him, he steps through the unsubstantial figure and calling on Pharasma's aid he brings his flail down in two strikes.
◆ Stide
◆ Smite Evil vs
◆
◆
Black tears begin to trickle down Gregoth’s face as he beholds the woman’s wormy form.
Wordlessly he raises the arm holding the shield, swings the arm holding the sword, jerks the arm back in a clumsy motion like a marionette controlled by an unskilled puppeteer.
Félicité moves ◆ to maintain her shot on Green.
◆
◆
plus plus
Turrey sings out a blast of pure sound to disrupt the huge priestess' very soul, and then follows it with two quick arrows.
Bellaluna's trademark swagger washes over the unimpressed priesteses , but the large worm-faced priestess certainly takes notice when she gets shot! The arrow sinks deep and its magical punch sends a shockwave through the worm-blubber, but the worm-priestess seems largely unphased.
Kaldren moves through his ghostly opponent and strikes at the evil priestess, knocking her to the ground, she looks astonished at the force of the blow.
Her shock doesn't last long though, and she rolls out of the way of his second strike on the floor.
Turrey unleashes a pure sonic-spirit-blast that rocks the worm-priestess, and it clearly injures her greatly.
His follow-up arrows bounce harmlessly off her hide though. Gregoth has no more luck with his intimidating glare, her communion with her wormy overlord apparently putting her in some sort of ecstastic fugue.
Distracted by her reverie and too reliant on her thick hide, she fails to avoid Gregoth's swing and the searing sword opens her up. The black ichor that seeps out bubbles and burns as flame spread from the wound.
His jerky follow-up nevertheless scores another strike on the startled woman and sprays more black blood around. She is badly wounded.
When Félicité adds her own piercing shot, she roars in pain and looks panicked for the first time.
The worm-priestess bites down at Gregoth in animalistic rage...
◆ Strike
But he interposes his shield and her teeth scrape down it. She then moves her wormy arm-like appendage and it begins to glow with necromatic energy. Gregoth wastes no time in slicing at it.
◆ Cast (somatic)
↺ Attack of Opportunity
Despite the wound, she manages to touch him with the hand.
Despite mostly shrugging off the damage, he finds that it opens a pathway into his mind and that her next word "FLEE!" is unusually compelling.
◆ Cast (verbal)
The human priestess jumps to her feet ◆, steps away from Kaldren ◆, and calls over her guardian to protect her ◆.
Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Didactic Strike: Large-wormy-green-sleeved-priestess is flat-footed to everyone's (except Gregoth) next strike before Félicité's next turn, and it will deal 2d6 additional precision damage
Inspire Defence: Everyone has +1 status bonus to AC and saves, and resistance 4 to physical damage (until Turrey's turn on round 4)
Bellaluna
Kaldren
Turrey
Gregoth
Félicité
Tall (Green Sleeves) Priestess
Short (Red Sleeves) Priestess
Gregoth shakes his head. Tears fall like rain, staining the stone beneath his feet with soot-black spots. The blade is his hand is relentless, its flames thirsty for more ichor to burn.
Kaldren Moves around the edge of the room away from the ghostly creature and takes two swift strikes at his foe. Finally he steps in beside Gregoth to lend him his aid.
◆ Stride
◆
◆
◆ Step
Bellaluna shrugs at her failed threat. ”Well, they can’t all be winners.” She then takes a single shot at the giant worm.
Bellaluna then reloads and fires at the spellcaster!
Félicité devises a strategem against Green.
There is no good shot.
plus
Turrey weaves new magic into his melody, hoping to drain the worm-priestess of her energy, and then turns to the red priestess to see if he'll have any better luck hindering her with his bow.
Bellaluna's first bolt is an inspired shot that seems almost to bend around the wall and slam deep into the worm-priestess. She shudders in pain but manages to stay upright.
Her next shots are just as well aimed, but the other priestess is much more nimble and dodges both bolts!
Kaldren follows the priestess and calls down Pharasma's judgement. Her sneering response to his piety distracts her and Kaldren slams his flail into her chest before stepping to aid Gregoth.
Gregoth sees an opening, and ducks under the huge worm to strike up at it. He cuts open a huge gash and the moves back before the innards spill out and the whole worm collapses, dead and still burning.
Turrey directs a slowing lullaby to the remaining priestess, and her movements start to become sluggish. He then fires two pinpoint arrows, the second of which explodes with thunder as it hits her.
Félicité moves in, and unable to find a shot spends some healing magic on Kaldren.
The remaining priestess has been eyeing Gregoth with hatred since he killed her partner, and despite her dire situation she directs her ire toward him. She casts a spell ◆◆, lacking the speed to maintain her guardian or get to safety, and concentrating on her hatred.
Gregoth slices into her as she does, igniting her wounds for good measure.
She holds onto her spell though, and Gregoth feels his spirit being wracked
↺ Glimpse of Redemption
Her look of heedless spite sours into disappointment when a combination of Gregoth's resilience and Kaldren's whispers of redemption ruin her spell.
Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Inspire Defence: Everyone has +1 status bonus to AC and saves, and resistance 4 to physical damage (until Gregoth's turn)
Bellaluna
Kaldren
Gregoth
Turrey
Félicité
Tall (Green Sleeves) Priestess
Short (Red Sleeves) Priestess
One down…
Bellaluna reloads both of her crossbows and fires at the remaining priestess.
She then reloads the crossbow she just shot.
With the giant worm slain, Kaldren steps back toward his original target and positions himself to take avantage of their divided attention to strike.
◆ Step
◆ Smite Evil
◆
◆
◆
◆
plus plus
◆
plus
Turrey switches to a more offensive song, and continues to send arrows singing through the air in time with his rousing melody.
Bellaluna's bolt explodes with force, and Turrey gets the killing with a pair of well placed strikes. The worm prophet's body is unable to slump to the ground as Bellaluna's bolt pins it to the adjacent desk.
In just a few seconds you have disrupted the ritual, which if what the banshee's spirit told you is true, is the last one of the adjunct rituals helping to speed along the Conqueror worm's genocidal ritual.
Félicité's hex heals Kaldren's wounds by the time the blue flame has gone out, and she can easily heal Gregoth's scratch as well. The only items of interest in the room are the rare salts used in the ritual which seem valuable, and two vials on the nearby desk, one labelled "Serene Mutagen", and the other "Black Lotus Extract"
Félicité and Turrey both notice something strange though. Although Black Lotus extract and the most potent Serene Mutagens are both black, black lotus extract is usually a shiny, viscous liquid. In these vials the mutagen is shiny and thick, and the extract thinner and runnier.
"Félicité, do these two look unusual to you? I'm not sure I trust the labels."
We did purchase an alchemist's tools. Félicité will take the time to identify them, and then refocus.
Félicité carefully examines the vials and performs some simple tests with her kit. She decides conclusively that the vial labelled "Serene Mutagen" is actually Black Lotus Extract, a rare and deadly poison. Her tests with the vial actually labelled "Black Lotus Extract" are less conclusive, and she can't be sure what it is. It is quite visually different though, so she has good reason to doubt the labelling.
After refocusing you decide to press on, the threat to the people of Galt being too urgent to risk any delay. Moving through the secret passage Gregoth opens a door into a large stone chamber with a surprisingly high ceiling. There are several grooves carved into the floor in wide spirals, giving a disorienting feeling of falling. The room's centre features a shallow depression from which a pillar of strange, purple stone rises. The pillar is five feet wide and ten feet high. Across the room on the other side of the pillar is a door leading back to the west, and to your left is a wide passage leading down.
As you move into the room, a flicker of movement in the shadows of the corner resolves into a huge, horrific shape. It's lower half is a nest of claws and limbs like the gnarled roots of an ancient tree, and a segmented tail like a centipede, tipped with a razor sharp bone. It's top half has three huge misshapen faces, seeming to scream in anger and terror. They are topped with crowns of jagged bones, and their skin ripples and undulates like some unnatural lake.
As you instinctively recoil, it holds up a monstrous claw, and its three mouths speak as one.
"Wait. I would speak with you"
Bellaluna sees the absolute monstrosity in front of her and immediately grabs both of her crossbows and points them at it. ”WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!?!”
The only things keeping her from pulling the trigger is her own terror at the sight before her, and the further terror that this thing apparently wants to talk!
"Speak your peace, but please hold your distance."
Turrey is caught off guard by the decidedly reasonable words, coming from that hideous creature.
Shelyn's beauty can take root in the strangest of soils, despite appearances–and the dubious place we encounter him–perhaps I'd best reserve judgement a moment.
"I am the Three-Faced-Regent. I serve the Conqueror worm to the east, and I am tasked both with protecting this approach from interlopers such as yourselves, and with unlocking the secrets of the Amaranthine Pillar here."
As the Three Faced Regent speaks, each head takes turns speaking, though the order and durations are unpredictable. While not speaking, the other heads contort in impossible ways and make expressions of pain and hatred.
"My two tasks are somewhat in opposition at the moment. You see, before the Gardeners arrived here this place was a temple to the Gods of Knowledge. The Amaranthine Pillar is a powerful artifact of insight and divination, but it has a tremendous antipathy toward my kind baked into its essence, so my efforts to use it have been fruitless."
It takes a brief pause to crack its various bones and stare unnervingly at you.
"I propose that you use the pillar on my behalf, and learn what you can of the Conquerer Worm and share that knowledge with me. If you do so, I will allow you to live and even answer any questions you may have truthfully. What say you?"
"
You're not sure where this feeling comes from, but you know deep in your bones that this creature will not allow you to live
This is a Kimenhul, one of the most powerful Sahkils. As you know most sahkils prey on fear and so are immune to it, a weak to good damage and can skip between to and from the ethereal plane easily. Kimenhuls are said to have such mastery of Fear that they can make people frightened for years
"That sounds good to me, as long as you answer our questions first so that we can learn everything we can when we use the pillar."
Gregoth’s hand tightens around the hilt clutched in his fingers. “Three heads, and none of them tell the truth,” he mutters darkly. “It will use us and kill us.”
Bellaluna hates this. She assumes this is another sahkil—it certain looks like a fiendish embodiment of fear—but she does not know for certain, and that terrifies her more. As this thing’s heads speak, she is inched closer and closer to pulling the trigger and firing at this thing. She barely listens to what it has to say, for she is far too distracted by its unholy mannerisms. She doesn’t detect any deception in it, and that frankly terrifies her more; she is unsure if it’s being truthful or if its nonverbal cues are so otherworldly that she has no hope of getting a proper read on it.
Gregoth’s hand tightens around the hilt clutched in his fingers. “Three heads, and none of them tell the truth,” he mutters darkly. “It will use us and kill us.”
She recognizes Gregoth’s voice, as she barely breaks eye contact with the creature. Frankly, some unseen thing could be imitating Gregoth’s voice and she would be none the wiser—nor would she care. She latches on to Gregoth’s words as the first thing that’s made sense in this entire exchange. She speaks almost immediately—perhaps too quickly.
”Good enough for me; KILL IT!” And she attacks the unholy beast.
The Three-Faced-Regent is in the process of holding up a root-like claw and making a strange tutting sound at Félicité's suggestion, when Bellaluna attacks!
Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Gregoth
Bellaluna
Three Faced Regent
Félicité
Turrey / Kaldren
Instinctively, Bellaluna moves forward then fires at the massive thing!
She then reloads one of her crossbows.
Félicité leans a little closer in, because she can't quite hear what it's saying.
"I apologize, I must have missed what yo-"
Suddenly, Bellaluna whips out her crossbows and starts plunking bolts into it.
"-oh well, I guess that's that."
Gregoth’s arms rise, putting the shield in front of his chest and the sword in front of his face. Wordlessly he points the blade at the abomination before him. The simple act of defiance seems laughable when compared to the evil looming above him, yet his unwillingness to yield fills his companions’ hearts with hope and fervor. Brilliant flames race down his arms and along the edge of the sword, then leap out in a blazing arc towards the undead monstrosity!
Gregoth inspires his allies and launches a blast of brilliant flames at the creature, but it simply exhales its own dark cloud that consumes the flames before they reach it
Distracted by the flames though, Bellaluna's bolts both pierce it's strange hide. All three faces make an expression of pain and steam rises from the wounds.
The Three-Faced Regent reacts immediately, bounding toward ◆ Bellaluna with surprising speed given its size. It moves a wide arc around her and Gregoth and stops by the east wall, before unleashing a flurry of punishing attacks.
◆◆ Frightening Flurry
◇ Improved Grab
While its attacking it takes on such a pure menace of horror that Bellaluna finds herself becoming more frightened of it with each hit that rends at her flesh and grabs her.
Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Heroic Presence: Everyone has a +2 status bonus to Will saves vs. Mental effects
...
Félicité
Turrey
Kaldren
Gregoth
Bellaluna
Three Faced Regent
Félicité moves forward and reaches a bandage onto Bellaluna with one swift motion ◆, then moves into the room ◆ and Recalls Knowledge ◆.
Turrey starts a familiar inspiring melody, with a particular word of encouragement for Bellaluna, and then takes aim with his bow.
Gregoth advances on the terrible beast, leaving shining droplets behind him that sizzle on the stone floor like little stars.
Kaldren calls out "It's a Kimenhul, one of the most powerful Sahkils.". He raises his flail and begins chanting a prayer for Pharasma's aid.
◆◆◆ Casting Blessing of Defiance: +4 Status bonus to Will Saving Throws and +15 Resistence to Mental damage for 1 round.
Bellaluna enters Mobile Shot Stance. She then makes an Elf Step
Bellaluna then runs as far away from the giant thing as she can! She then reloads one of her crossbows.
Félicité bandages Bellaluna around the corner and moves in to get a closer look at the creature.
Turrey immediately starts to weave magic around the group, boosting speed and attacks in his inimitable way
Kaldren immediately moves to protect his allies from the devastating fear he recalls the Kimenhul can produce.
[ooc]As Kaldren is now hasted, I'm going to assume he'd want to move in to permit Gregoth to flank
He then moves to attack, and the Kimenhul strikes out with a claw
↺ Attack of Opportunity
Gregoth then advances, taking advantage of its distraction to slip into a flanking position, however one of its heads continues to watch Kaldren while the other follows Gregoth.
Despite being watched Gregoth's first mighty swing stabs deep into the creature's side, though it blocks his second swing with a claw.
Bellaluna cautiously moves away from the now engaged creature.
The Kimenhul starts to move strangely. It's oily-bark skin seems to flow and undulate and its faces scream in impossible expressions of terror while you all feel an unprecendented psychic assault.
◆◆ Eternal Fear
Finally it lashes out at Kaldren who had the temerity to look unperturbed at its display.
◇ Improved Grab
It's claw grabs him round the waist, shredding his armour like paper.
Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Heroic Presence: Everyone has a +2 status bonus to Will saves vs. Mental effects
Inspire Courage: Everyone has +1 status bonus to attack and damage rolls, and to saves against fear effects (until Turrey's turn on round 4)
Haste: Everyone is quickened until Turrey's turn on round 11, and the extra action can be used for a Strike or a Stride only
...
Félicité
Turrey
Kaldren
Gregoth
Bellaluna
Three Faced Regent
Kaldren struggles to free himself from the creatures grasp.
◆
He call upon Pharasma's aid and attempts to strike the creature.
◆ Smite Evil
◆
◆
"This is a Kimenhul, one of the most powerful Sahkils. It has mastery of fear, and can perform a display that can give long-lasting fear. It can take attacks of opportunity, and it's especially dangerous against frightened opponents. It has an ability to cause fear that makes anyone who fails the save more susceptible to fear for a year."
---
"You!"
Félicité freezes. She had not seen the creature from her spot inside the tunnel earlier. Now that she comes face to face with it, a look crosses her face, not of terror, but of recognition.
And also terror.
The creature calls for Félicité, by name, to come back as she bolts.
An overwhelming wave of terror looms in Gregoth’s mind, falling down on top of him like the brick wall of his bakery, blotting out the searing heat and fire and light…
…and the wave crashes over him. In its wake, his eyes no longer burn with supernatural fire, but are as grey and unyielding as the steel shield still held resolutely aloft in his hand. But the other relinquishes its hold on the sword, lets the blade clatter to the ground, reaches instead for a skittering leg of bone and nightmare. He grabs ahold, and pulls!
His hand releases its grip again, reaches now for the blade of iron and inferno. He swings the sword, awkwardly trying to use its upward momentum.