Hampton grazes the skelm with his first arrow, but Fasiel is fast enough to duck out of the way of the second. Unusk advances and cuts the genie-binder with her sword before harassing him with her other hand. "Curse you!"
Precious grows prodigiously and strikes his lance at one of the mirrors. His aim is a little bit off. The point strikes the mirror obliquely and sets the floating pane spinning . The image in that mirror changes to Fasiel standing triumphantly over the fallen body of whoever the mirror is facing as it spins.
Fasiel had seemed as though he was going to charge the poppet, but with the poppet's sudden change in size, his gaze seeks another opponent.
The Inner Sanctum! Round 1. Bold may act.
Unusk (77/77 hp)
Precious (108/108 hp)
Hampton (56/56 hp) (gravity weapon)
Ithuriel (32/32 hp)
Fasiel (oo) (-20 hp) (flat-footed within Unusk’s reach)
Olov (67/67 hp)
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Ithuriel descends the stairs and gets beside Precious. His life force seems to increase as much as his confidence with each step.
◆ Stride
◆◆ False Life (+10 Temp HP)
HP 44/44
AC 21 (+1 Mage Armor; +1 Shield)
Focus Point 0/1
Spells Used:
(1) Mage Armor
(2) False Life
(3) Magic Missile
Staff Charges: 3/3
Wand of Heal (1st) 1/1
Healer's Gloves 1/1
Cloak of Repute 1/1
Lantern of Empty Light (Living) 0/1 | Incorporeal Undead 1/1
Drain Bonded Item 0/1
Hero Point 3/3
"You misbegotten fools of a Society!" Fasiel rages barely coherently. "Bookworms in ancient libraries? No! Maggots in the scat on the bottom of my shoe is what you are! I'll stop you under my sole and scrape off the rest that survive with a stick!"
He then levels a powerful and wild swing with his staff at Unusk. The staff hits and feels like it may have cracked a rib or two under Unusk's armor as it flings stumbling back over a upholstered footstool . Fasiel spins around in a full circle, the swing bore so much uncontrolled force.
A little surprised by how effective that was, he scrambles over the furniture to reposition himself away from the giant toy's lance. "Consider that a warning! The next blow will strike twice as hard!"
The Inner Sanctum! Round 1. Bold may act.
Unusk (39/77 hp)
Precious (10+108/108 hp) (rage)
Hampton (56/56 hp) (gravity weapon)
Ithuriel (10+32/32 hp)
Fasiel (oo) (-20 hp) (flat-footed)
Olov (67/67 hp)
Fasiel tears a long, jagged wound in the flesh of Olov's shoulder with his antlers as the orc passes . This throws Olov's aim off target, and the skelm is able to parry the blow with his staff .
The Inner Sanctum! Round 2. Bold may act.
Unusk (39/77 hp) (Will DC 25 vs. Frightened 2 (3 on CF) and -2 damage vs. Faisal)
Precious (10+108/108 hp) (rage) (Will DC 25 vs. Frightened 2 (3 on CF) and -2 damage vs. Faisal)
Hampton (56/56 hp) (gravity weapon)
Ithuriel (10+32/32 hp) (Will DC 25 vs. Frightened 2 (3 on CF) and -2 damage vs. Faisal)
Fasiel (o) (-20 hp) (reaction used)
Olov (44/67 hp)
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Ithuriel raises his staff. "That will be enough of your idle threats." A trio of scorching rays bursts forth from the head of the staff, two striking mirrors as the thrid strikes at Fasiel.
HP 44/44
AC 21 (+1 Mage Armor; +1 Shield)
Focus Point 0/1
Spells Used:
(1) Mage Armor
(2) False Life, Scorching Ray
(3) Magic Missile
Staff Charges: 3/3
Wand of Heal (1st) 1/1
Healer's Gloves 1/1
Cloak of Repute 1/1
Lantern of Empty Light (Living) 0/1 | Incorporeal Undead 1/1
Drain Bonded Item 0/1
Hero Point 3/3
Ithuriel strikes Fasiel and one of the mirrors with rays of fire. The mirror's surface warps under the heat. The third ray bounces off of the other mirror and strikes a throw pillow, incinerating it.
Unusk patches her wound and then moves in to cut the skelm.
Fasiel parries Precious' first strike, but he is too slow to avoid the next. The giant poppet stabs him in the shoulder.
Hampton heroically lands his first shot, sending an arrow through the skelm's thigh.
Fasiel breaks away from the flanking pair--opening himself up to Unusk--and makes his way toward Ithuriel. "You and your false, dead god that nobody has seen in forever, played by fools desperately trying to perpetuate the con!" he shouts as he thrusts his staff into the Razmiran's chest and drives him back and back with the force of the blow. He follows along and strikes at the priest again. However, he overcommit to the first strike and gets his staff tangled under a chair.
The Inner Sanctum! Round 2/3. Bold may act.
Fasiel (-78 hp) (flat-footed)
>Mirror 4 (-11 hp)
Olov (44/67 hp)
Unusk (59/77 hp)
Precious (10+108/108 hp) (rage)
Hampton (56/56 hp) (gravity weapon)
Ithuriel (26/32 hp)
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|
"You do not need to see a God to know he is real. Behold his power is absolute." Raising a hand out he steps around the table and sends a lightning bolt through Fasiel.
◆ Step
◆◆ Lightning Bolt
HP 38/44
AC 21 (+1 Mage Armor; +1 Shield)
Focus Point 0/1
Spells Used:
(1) Mage Armor
(2) False Life, Scorching Ray
(3) Magic Missile, Lightning Bolt
Staff Charges: 3/3
Wand of Heal (1st) 1/1
Healer's Gloves 1/1
Cloak of Repute 1/1
Lantern of Empty Light (Living) 0/1 | Incorporeal Undead 1/1
Drain Bonded Item 0/1
Hero Point 3/3
Precious stabs Fasiel in the thigh. Olov strikes the skelm with Sarenrae's burning justice. The skelm certainly looks battered.
As Ithuriel begins to summon his purportedly divine magic, the skelm tries to gore him with his antlers and just barely misses . Despite the point blank range, Fasiel manages to dodge the full force of the lightning bolt.
The Inner Sanctum! Round 3. Bold may act.
Fasiel (-136 hp) (flat-footed)
>Mirror 4 (-11 hp)
Olov (44/67 hp)
Unusk (59/77 hp)
Precious (10+108/108 hp) (rage)
Hampton (56/56 hp) (gravity weapon)
Ithuriel (26/32 hp)
As Hampton aims the perfect shot at Fasiel's heart and releases his fingers from the string, one of the mirrors teleports across the room and into the path of the arrow. The arrow shatters the mirror and out pops a surprisingly colorful demon.
"About time you started paying what you promised!" Fasiel shouts into the air.
Hampton tries to recover his aim, but the next two arrows are poorly aimed.
The Inner Sanctum! Round 3. Bold may act.
Fiend
Fasiel (-136 hp) (flat-footed)
> Mirror 3 (shattered)
>Mirror 4 (-11 hp)
Olov (44/67 hp)
Unusk (59/77 hp)
Precious (10+108/108 hp) (rage)
Hampton (56/56 hp) (gravity weapon)
Ithuriel (26/32 hp)
The fiend in front of you is a rakshasa called a dandasuka. They have insatiable appetites and are known informally as “biters.” They resist physical attacks except piercing weapons (resist 5).
Unusk strikes Fasiel with a deep cut and harries him with her free hand. The off-balance skelm makes an easy target for her following swing.
Fasiel swings his staff with as much hatred as he can muster. The blow strikes Unusk on the head and leaves her skull ringing . "Now do something useful!" he barks at the fiend as he steps away from the Burning Sun orc.
The colorful fiend dances between Unusk and Precious. The orc warrior cuts a line across the fiend's arm as it leaves. Making its way to Ithuriel, it leaps and bites his neck, riding him down to the ground as the Razmiran passes out. Blood flows out of the wound on his neck.
The bloody mawed fiend turns toward Olov and scratches streaks across his leg with a clawed hand. "Nom nom nom!"
The Inner Sanctum! Round 3-4. Bold may act.
Fiend (-4 hp) (oo)
Fasiel (-156 hp) (flat-footed)
> Mirror 3 (shattered)
>Mirror 4 (-11 hp)
Olov (44/67 hp)
Unusk (31/77 hp)
Precious (10+108/108 hp) (rage)
Hampton (56/56 hp) (gravity weapon)
Ithuriel (0/32 hp) (dying 2, prone, bleed 1d6)
The fiend in front of you is a rakshasa called a dandasuka. They have insatiable appetites and are known informally as “biters.” They resist physical attacks except piercing weapons (resist 5).
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Hampton shakes his head at the arrival of the fiend. We'll release you from whatever servitude to which you've been bound, he says pleasantly. And then you can take his soul with you when you depart.
Moving for a better angle, he continues to fire arrows at Faisel.
His aim has abandoned him for the moment. Stand still! he admonishes the skelm.
While Hampton has difficulty striking the skelm, Precious does not. Fasiel is sweating and gasping as he fights, clearly driven by senseless rage as any sane mortal would surrender at this point.
The Inner Sanctum! Round 3-4. Bold may act.
Fiend (-4 hp) (oo)
Fasiel (-172 hp; <10%) (flat-footed)
> Mirror 3 (shattered)
>Mirror 4 (-11 hp)
Olov (44/67 hp)
Unusk (31/77 hp)
Precious (10+108/108 hp) (rage)
Hampton (56/56 hp) (gravity weapon)
Ithuriel (18/32 hp) (wounded 1, prone, bleed 1d6)
The fiend in front of you is a rakshasa called a dandasuka. They have insatiable appetites and are known informally as “biters.” They resist physical attacks except piercing weapons (resist 5).
|
|
Ithuriel rises to his feet. "Was all a ploy I am afraid. It will take more than that to keep a Prophet of Razmir down."
He reaches down to grab ahold of his staff as he rises to his full non-threatening, height as he grabs a bruised rib.
HP 37/44
AC 21 (+1 Mage Armor; +1 Shield)
Focus Point 0/1
Spells Used:
(1) Mage Armor
(2) False Life, Scorching Ray
(3) Magic Missile, Lightning Bolt
Staff Charges: 3/3
Wand of Heal (1st) 1/1
Healer's Gloves 1/1
Cloak of Repute 1/1
Lantern of Empty Light (Living) 0/1 | Incorporeal Undead 1/1
Drain Bonded Item 0/1
Hero Point 3/3
Ithuriel stands up, still bleeding albeit from smaller bite wounds on his neck.
Unusk takes down Fasiel with prejudice. The demon remains and is eager to play. It does not seem swayed by Hampton's overture or Fasiel's fall. Finding the Razmiran the weakest target--and already with a taste for his flesh--the fiend savages the priest again.
However, with the remainder of your party well armed and equipped, it takes only a few seconds to dispatch the creature back to where it came.
"Thank you, my friends," Safa says once the dust settles. She snaps her fingers and stabilizes the skelm. "Let us bring him to the authorities so that he may stand trial for his many crimes."
After tending to your wounds, you gather the unconscious Fasiel and haul him downstairs. Chaliz salutes you and hands over the surviving guards into your custody before disappearing into a portal that looks like a series of crystals folding in on themselves. The captives also rush to your side, eager to be quit of this place.
Safa disappears into their haath phool as you escort your prisoners to the authorities in Sedeq. Gisi, Zadfar, and Billfric's testimony are sufficient for the authorities to take the skelm into custody. Safa does not make themselves seen.
I will give my testimony at a later time, Olov hears them say in his head. For now, this must be a mortal victory. There are still old prejudices.
As you return to the lodge, Safa appears again and floats along beside you, keeping a light banter going. Venture-Captain Esmayl ibn Qaradi greets you upon your return. "I trust your endeavors were successful."
"Indeed, your agents were excellent today," Safa says. "I hope to work with the Pathfinders in the future. Hopefully, soon. I found my time with your agents entertaining and fulfilling in a way my recent travels through the multiverse have not." They giggle before manifesting a more solemn expression and turning to face you.
"Thank you for helping me to stop an evil would-be genie-binder from continuing to bring misery to genie and mortal alike," they say with a formal bow to you.
Suddenly, an envelope appears in the air in the middle of the room and flutters to the ground. The envelope is addressed to, My Esteemed Foes.
My esteemed foes,
It pleases me to see the Pathfinder Society has equaled its reputation in dealing with Fasiel ibn Sazadin. With the resources I provided him, a small band of Pathfinders should have been a simple task to manage. Your quick thinking, skill at arms, and capacity for gathering allies should be applauded. My respect for your capabilities is only surpassed by my desire for your utter annihilation. Trust that the former shall ensure my good judgment in the execution of the latter. Consider it an honor you have proven yourselves worthy of my direct attentions.
This city shall be mine and your destruction the final thread in the tapestry of that endeavor. Until then, savor this small triumph.
Sincerely,
Your Nemesis