Diazepane's Hail Iomedae throw comes up short, the bomb shattering in the air near your opponent but not on him.
He is caught fully in the burst, however.
Svetlana begins to cast a spell.
Nadya hands a potion over to Kal'Ryon...
...who takes it and rises up in the air.
Daedin fights off the nightmarish killer by sheer force of will, though he still takes damage.
"Annoying wretch," the figure mumbles after each of Daedin's arrows hit, then gathers occult energy around itself and creates a sphere of darkness that is almost palpable.
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"You cannot hide your sins and heresies in the dark - we see everything"
Three Erinyes appear, surrounding the blasphemer.
Red
The first lashes him with her rope.
Attack vs Touch AC
Damage - Entangled
Orange
Attack vs Entangled AC
Damage
Attack vs Entangled AC
Damage
Yellow
Attack vs Entangled AC
Damage
Attack vs Entangled AC
Damage
Svetlana takes a knee dropping her blade and switching to her bow.
BOF +2 Attack
Attack vs Entangled AC
Damage
Nadya and Daedin's further assistance proves unnecessary as Svetlana's fury's bind and slice the oracle.
"No! No! Nooooo!" he shrieks as the devils take their due. His body falls to the ground with a bone crunching thud while you get a final glimpse of his spirit still encircled in the noose as the Erinyes return to their home.
The fallen human has quite a bit of valuable equipment - +2 scale mail, mwk sickle, cloak of resistance +2, headband of alluring charisma +4, ring of protection +2, medical bracelet (reads “#117”) - but no Sun Orchid Elixir.
Other than the other Pathfinder, Rotuzack and Farhaana even the flying fellows can see no other living (or undead) thing.
Once the thunderous roar of battle has become the shocking silence of peace for a few minutes Farhaana hesitantly approaches.
"This is why I stick to transportation," she says, as she looks at the devastation.
She puts a hand up as though feeling something invisible in the air.
"The barrier is so thin here, I feel like just a little magic and I could someone straight through to the other side."
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Assuming Farhaana can send us all, Diazepane will ask for a few minutes to brew up some more extracts. He'll make 6 alchemical allocation extracts and offer a 15th (!!) level stoneskin potion, giving everyone stoneskin for 150 minutes. He can also do up to 4 displacement extracts and 3 greater invisibility, but those are rounds/level, while stoneskin is min/level.
Diazepane takes some time to make up some magic while Farhaana studies the intriguing area further.
When all is ready, she nods.
"Everyone gather around," she says, then focuses, makes some arcane gestures and speaks some occult words.
Reality fades then catches then fades then reforms and you find yourself on another plane of existence. (Namely the Astral Plane)
After a few disconcerting moments of finding yourselves atop items floating over an endless void of nothingness, you grow accustomed to this new reality.
Scattered across the island are several bodies, most of them bearing Apsis badges or insignia. Most are dead with only a half-orc woman and human man still alive. Both are unconscious and will need some healing if you would like to question them.
The two survivors jerk away, looking around fearfully for those who almost killed them. They look hardly more relieved to find the oracle and his minions gone and a group of heavily armed people standing over them.
"I'm not telling you nothing!" the half-orc woman says, quickly hiding an Apsis badge from view.
The other man doesn't even tell them that. Nor does he bother hiding his insignia - a patch on his shoulder that features a pair of crossed axes underneath a skull.
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Intimidation
(+24 vs. lawful nongood creatures)
The Hellknight approaches, removing her helmet to ensure they can clearly see her facial expression - the face almost caring, but the eyes are of a shark that just caught the first sniff of blood in the water.
She turns to Kal, Diaz, and Daedin "We can't leave these bodies laying around, they need to be buried appropriately, do you think you could locate a cart to carry - one two three four.." she begins counting and pointing at each corpse as she does. As the count concludes she pauses momentarily, then adds one more to the count. "The Pharasmin priestess and I have some work to do, perhaps come back shortly"
She returns her gaze to the suspects "It is a funny coincidence that the Pharasmin asked you a question and you refuse to answer because everyone knows there is no hiding the truth from Pharasma the Boneyard" Svetlana settles down her well-worn copy of The Measure and the Chain next to her helmet on a nearby surface, and unpacks an equally well-worn tool roll - revealing a number of unpleasant implements. "It is also fair to say the Hellknight Orders are also unrivalled when it comes to getting to the truth"
"So now I suppose you have a few options, you can answer to Pharasma, or you can answer to me. Answering to me may save the Pharasmin from needing to provide ministry and me to set you off on a final journey you may find rather unpleasant"
"I am very reasonable and happy to share responsibilities if you'd like, perhaps one of you provides confession and the other can serve as a grim warning to others"
"You can either tell my companions what they need to know, right now, or in their frustration they will walk away to find that cart and leave you to me - your time to choose is rapidly dwindling"
The woman scowls back and glances around at the bodies. Her brows furrow. "But there aren't any car.." her eyes widen as understanding dawns on her and she gulps and looks down at the implements in plain sight.
"Look, I don't know much. I'm just a soldier, you know?" she says. "Kitio's the guy in charge around here. He's got a base of operations in Merab but he's been operating out of Aspenthar for the last couple months. And he must be doing something right, because he was able to mobilize considerable resources. I mean, you'd have to have the support of a high-ranking city official or something to pull off an operation like this."
The man watches with obvious disdain as his counterpart spills her guts to avoid having her guts spilled.
But he shakes his head with a sigh when she's done. "Look, I'm a professional lady. As far as I'm concerned this op is blown so there's no reason to suffer for failure. I never met her, but the person who hired us was called Loaralis. The orders to attack arrived only this morning out of Pashow, where we were stationed. We had plenty teleportation abilities, so if the elixir disappeared, my comrades likely escaped with it and have already delivered it to our employer. Don't ask me where, they weren't going to tell us until they knew we had the elixir.
"It's all in my orders," he says fishing a packet of papers out of an inner pocket.
Blood stains a corner, but that doesn't prevent you from confirming his story. Of particular note, though is that the orders have been notarized with the seal of a middle-rank priest of Abadar in Pashow.
"Now, can we get out of here before more of those things show up?" he asks after they've had a chance to review the orders.
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Mother Nadya reads the packet of papers.
”So, this Loaralis is not Aspis? This badge of yours, with the skull and axes, this is insignia of her mercenary company? But you worked together, yes? Tipped off by someone in Pashow?”
She pulls Svetlana aside. ”We should question this priest of Abadar—he is maybe part of this plot, yes? As for these two— I think maybe we take them to the Emir? He may wish to question them more.” she says in a quiet voice.
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Svetlana continues the conversation with Nadya on the quiet,
b]"It is right to hand them to the Emir, they may be witnesses to the prosecution of their masters. They have engaged in armed banditry and it appears their companions have absconded with items of significant wealth after the lot of them assaulted a number of innocent people"[/b]
"Similarly, letting them go - even if I was inclined to - at this point would be filly as they would either find or be found by their fellow agents and start telling them all about us"
"No, not her mercenary company. Just a mercenary company that she hired. I don't know who she normally works with. We were just briefed on the mission and told what to look for," the mercenary replies.
When you are ready, Farhaana takes you back to the Material Plane in a quick jaunt then teleports you straight back to the same room in the palace where you left.
You return to Pashow to find the city in a state of panic. The sounds of distant rioting is audible outside, even from within the walls of Emir Guldis’s palace—it’s clear the people have heard about the theft of the
sun orchid elixir!
Emir Guldis is a mix of angry and worried, sweating profusely as you meet him in his council chamber, again. He rushes towards you.
“Please tell me you secured the elixir! Please! I just received a report from the faith caravan that high priest Kaarim is missing, and their vial of the elixir is gone. I don’t know how, but the people seem to have heard the news just as I did! I’ve had to send Saabira into the streets to direct the remaining guards to quell outright revolution, and it’s not going well! So please, tell me you found the vial!”
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Intimidation
(+24 vs. lawful nongood creatures)
"If you have a need of a skilled force to help quell any revolutionary thoughts I would happily reach out to the broader Hellknight family, we have excellent results in quieting ringleaders promoting disorder" Svetlana offers bluntly.
"To your problem at hand, the vials have been taken. We have some captives, we have their orders, and we have an Aadaran to talk to about it. What do you know of Loaralis?"
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"Emir, the elixir was taken before we even got here. There was a large, coordinated attack on the Pathfinder caravan involving both Aspis agents and hired mercenaries. They knew when the elixir was leaving the alchemist's fortress, they knew which caravans had the actual elixirs, and they knew the routes those caravans were taking. They teleported in, slew nearly everyone, and teleported out. Someone in your organization is a traitor, working with or for the Aspis Consortium."
Nadya shows the contract obtained from the mercenary. "Being professional mercenaries, one of the captives had this contract. The conspiracy was notarized in your very own temple of Abadar. We wish to question this priest who officiated the deal, and search his temple. And as my Hellknight friend says, if you know anything of this 'Loaralis', it might help us track down the stolen goods. It seems Loaralis is the local agent, working for Kitio."
"Emir, you must not lose your focus. We are still here to help you. We can still recover the elixirs if we act quickly. Many Pathfinders died today in your service--we are as motivated as you are to catch the culprits."
Emir Guldis bears the stricken look of a man who hoped for the best in a bad situation and is sorely disappointed. He places his face in his hands and shakes his head for a few moments.
Then, with a visible intake of breath, he looks back up. "Loaralis?" he says with a bitter chuckle. "If you would have said that name a year ago, I would have thought you joking for I believed she was just a myth then. And perhaps she is, but someone who has been connected to several crimes lately, including an attempted break-in in the sealed vaults below the church of Abadar."
"It's strange," Farhaana comments, "but most of the vaults below the church were cleared and sealed following tremors that struck the region three decades ago, leaving most unguarded but presumed empty."
The Emir's frown deepens. "Between that, you're contract and the fact that Kaarim, the high priest suddenly disappeared, it seems impossible that this is a coincidence. With the vials of sun orchid elixir also missing, I would like you to investigate the vaults, ascertain if there is a traitor there and recover the vials, if possible.
"I recognize that this is a slight departure from the original contract, and I invite you to update your superiors."
A response comes back from Farabellus quickly.
“I have many questions. Where did the extraplanar invaders come from? Is Kitio still a threat? These issues could stand investigation, but tracking down Loaralis and the lost elixirs is more important. The mission has evolved, and it requires direct leadership in Pashow, not a voice from Kortos. You’re now in command of the operation and have authority to direct the remaining Pathfinder teams as you see fit—they will report to you shortly and can assist where you cannot go. Leadership is a privilege but also a burden. Remember the Wall of Names, Pathfinders.”
True to his word, the three remaining teams in Pashow, convene at the palace 10 minutes later, after being contacted by Farabellus. Before you depart to inspect the church of Abadar, you can meet with the three teams.
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Investigate the Aspis (Knowledge [geography or nobility]
"Kernaug Group, you are led by an investigator so that is what you will do - We need to know what Kitio is up to and you are just the right team to go find out. Mind the Aspis, stay clear of direct confrontation"
Quell Rioting (Knowledge [history or local].
"Axe Fixers, these riots won't quell themselves so perhaps having some of your abundant extra muscle around will help give the guards enough menace for the rioters to think twice, and during that thinking time for cooler heads to prevail. You will assist Emir Guldis and his guards to prevent these thefts and lawlessness running rife"
Researching the Invaders (Knowledge [arcana or planes]
"Scroll Seekers, you are the obvious specialists for things of a more mystical and magical nature - go to the ambush site, study the remains of the dimensional shamblers, and pursue any other possible leads before the planar phenomena subside"
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To the Scroll Seekers: "When you arrive at the ambush site, you must see to the remains of the fallen. If possible, bring the fallen Pathfinders back to Pashow, and I will see to their proper burial. But the fallen Aspis should also be buried, or at least cremated in some way. It gnaws at me that I was unable to attend to these solemn duties at the time, but delay was impossible."
All of the teams, even the Axe Fixers -who clearly aren't impressed by authority - listen with rapt attention to Svetlana's orders.
They pay just as close attention to Diazepane's advice, though his geographical knowledge is a bit dubious.
They take the money, some of them already making plans on what they will buy with it to aid them and take their leave.
There’s little information surrounding the vaults under the local fane of Abadar. The vaults were sealed after a prior liquidation of assets from Pashow prior to Emir Guldis’s ascent to power in the city-state. The then-ranking priest of Abadar ordered the vaults sealed, switching to the use of above-ground storage chambers in the primary church complex. With the majority of the Abadarian priesthood away with the Faithful Procession, Emir Guldis uses his power to grant the PCs access to the previously sealed vaults.
Pashow’s temple of Abadar is mostly abandoned because many of the priests have accompanied the faith procession convoy. Fewer than a dozen priests remain behind to maintain the temple. The rioting townsfolk have chosen to ignore the temple, instead venting their anger on government agencies and non-religious shops and other areas. You must push your way through angry mobs and urban unrest to reach the temple—little challenge for people of your experience and skill.
The priests on duty offer no resistance to you, as they have already been informed of your task via magic. A mid-ranking cleric escorts you to the sealed entrance of the lower vaults. The path is a 15-foot-wide staircase that descends into the earth.
Walls of pale sandstone stretch throughout this vast chamber. The ceiling arches twenty feet over the floor, both outlined with broad stripes of gold leaf. Large golden frescos cover large stretches of the walls, each with a large keyhole near its center. Freshly cleaned blue carpets fill several of the short hallways, and a stylized rendition of a vast golden key is carved into the floor at the chamber’s eastern end. The image points toward a grand, sealed golden door, ten feet in height.
You're sure you're not alone down here.