As that attack probably failed to drop the creature, Benedict takes his turn after the creature hides.
With a sigh of frustration he drops his bow (free), draws his axe while moving (move), and uses Tactician to share Lastwall Phalanx (standard).
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Benedict tries to identify the creature.
Then he fires off three arrows at the creature.
William and Aerel usually make it look so easy...
Benedict will move up with William. Undercommon: "We have you outnumbered and we have killed all of the Gugs. Release the elf or die."
"Use the Spectral Shroud to escape!" Is Benedict close enough to hear the Undercommon?
Benedict hangs his axe at his belt and draws his bow.
"I guess we'll move on, then. If we don't need the Salve after we kill the medusa then we can restore you on our way out." Benedict puts away the Stone Salve and starts leading the party around to where we fought the Forgefiends.
"William, what do you think? Should we restore her to life, or put her ghost to rest, or just leave her here and move on?"
"We have the means to restore you."
Benedict might like to use Warrior Spirit to make his weapon Keen, Ghost Touch, and Undead-Bane. Is this action visible in any way? It's a (Su) ability. If he can do it while talking, he will. But if it's immediately visually obvious, it might not be a good idea.
"Her name is Navah. She lives in a tower near Longshadow. Having her make Stone Salve would be more expensive than having her make scrolls of Stone to Flesh or, better yet, coming here to cast the spell. Perhaps via a Teleport spell.
"We do have one jar of Stone Salve. We can use it to restore Bellechal Dergik if we don't need it to restore ourselves in the course of battling this medusa.
Would anybody be interested in join a Skull & Shackles game?
"Well met, Uryth Chaincoat. I am Benedict of Phaendar. Yes, we have come across Bellachal Dergik. She was petrified by a creature, we believe a medusa. If possible, we will bring her back on our return. She is not truly dead, I believe, and with the right resources she can be restored to life."
Benedict is ready to go back into the Reliquary.
"Thank you Karburtin. We have one use of Stone Salve, and if we make it through without being petrified, we may use it to restore the petrified dwarf in the Reliquary."
One more question for Karburtin.
I'll skip the Elixirs of Spirit Sight.
7,698 GP. Benedict will give Haela the Talisman of Freedom to wear with her new Talisman of Warrior's Courage. For the time being she will go without her Amulet of Natural Armor +2. Ready to go.
Tempting to use 8000gp to get another ioun stone to boost Constitution. I guess ioun stones stack with the belt or headband (enhancement plus competence), so I could boost my Wisdom or Dexterity, as well, but improved hit points after recent events is tempting. The stat-boosting Ioun Stones grant Enhancement bonus to stats, same as belts and headbands, so the Deep Red Sphere would not boost your Dex any further. The Con-boosting one is not a bad idea. Helps Fort saves as well as HP. I would recommend Weapon Blanch (Ghost Salt) for the archers. Cheap and effective. It's a terrible option for melee weapons, but a great one for arrows. Edit: Ah! We know from past experience that ghosts can possess people.
"William, do you have any ideas about how we should approach this problem with our unknown enemies?"
"So we're going to need to find out how many ghosts we are dealing with, and the means for putting each of them to rest. The ghosts seem able to appear as the petrified victims, though I don't think they really are the spirits of those. There might be some connection, though." Benedict will look to get a Talisman of Warrior's Courage for Haela, 450 gp.
Previous: 80
He also does his Deific Obedience in the morning.
We can also sell loot and buy gear while we are back in Kraggodan. The 3 diamonds here were not appraised, I think.
All the stuff besides those comes to 8,818 each. Benedict is not sure what he would want to buy, that depends on what Karburtin can tell us about ghosts and their abilities. He's got good gear and weapons now. An Elixir of Spirit Sight could be great, but the problem is that ghosts can just run away and wait for it to wear off. Maybe more utility scrolls. Maybe gear for Haela.
Benedict thinks about bringing the statue of Bellachal Dergik into Kraggodan, but has second thoughts. The spirit in the statue was either delusional or lying, and that concerns him.
Let's see...
Benedict will then seek to talk to Karburtin, and ask what the dwarven wizard (or others in the Synod) know of the typical abilities of ghosts. "We encountered a ghost with a terrifying wail that almost sent most of our group fleeing in panic. I know there are magic items that can protect against that, such as Talismans of Warrior's Courage. What other abilities of ghosts should we be aware of?"
Benedict drinks two Potions of CMW (marked off, party now has 11).
"Let's go back the way we came."
Benedict calls on the power of his warrior spirit to make his axe Glorious (+2 bonus, shines as Daylight) and Keen. "Daylight brought into an area of magical darkness (or vice versa) is temporarily negated, so that the otherwise prevailing light conditions exist in the overlapping areas of effect." - does this allow everyone with Darkvision to see again? He still has a move action left, but will wait to see how everyone else is doing. And Haela will wait to see who is need of help before acting (maybe full-round action for healing on Grum if he needs it, if not then on herself). Will we be taking ongoing damage from the slag?
Benedict slashes at the nearest foe.
Benedict will follow Aerel's tactics. After about 20 seconds, he will call out again, first in Terran and then in Undercommon, "We are here on behalf of the Evenhanded Synod of Kraggodan. Who are you?"
"I don't know..."
The Duergar on the Long Walk could see in the dark further than we could... the ones sneaking might be able to see us but we can't see them... "Aerel, can you get some Light further down, past that statue or whatever?"
Minatan: "That thing isn't moving, but further away, something is coming."
"It didn't move? Maybe it was just on guard and didn't see you. I would say that you sneak up and shoot it, then fall back and lure it to us, but there's at least a chance it is not hostile. So let's approach and try to talk." Benedict leads the party to where they can see the thing, but with some distance in case it is hostile. He calls out, first in Undercommon. "We are here on behalf of the Evenhanded Synod of Kraggodan. Who are you?"
Edit: but Haela can.
"A Forgefiend; try Terran," she says to Benedict, and he repeats his message in Terran.
"Well, I suppose we can do one more room. Aerel, would you, with the guidance of the Enthroned King, care to scout the next room? Your Majesty, this would be a stealth mission against the invaders."
Dwarven: "Your Majesty, we would welcome your aid. Might my comrade Aerel Truthseeker have the honor of bearing the vessel that carries you? He does not yet speak the tongue of the Dwarves, but your guidance to him would help us succeed in our quest. Do you speak the language of Taldor?"
"If not, or if you would rather travel with a dwarf, then we have a dwarf among us."
Dwarven: "Your Majesty, will you accompany us? Your knowledge of the Stone Road, the Onyx Key, the Onyx Citadel, and the Sardonyx Shard could be invaluable to us. With your advice, we may restore the Onyx Key to the realm of Kraggodan.
We could take this bottle along with us. We will not take you from your place of rest if you do not wish. But as my friend Grum says - yes, this mighty orc has proven himself not only an honorable warrior but even at times a font of wisdom - Magrim may accept you into death if you atone through action. And should we find a way to enable your spirit to pass on and join those of your ancestors, we will do so."
"What, so I don't get to kill General Azaersi myself?"
"I guess Grum's approach would be tactically sound if we could make it work."
Dwarven: "Your Majesty, we will retrieve the Onyx Key. Would you have us bring any word of you back to the dwarves of Kraggodan? And, uh, begging your pardon for my questions, but what do you know of that glass bottle with blue smoke? It is on one of the sarcophagi in this room."
"Perhaps that will be the case, Grum, but I have a feeling that we will need to be the ones to kill the hobgoblins. Which is fine with me." Benedict translates what the King says, then walks over to examine the small bottle.
Dwarven:
"Your Majesty, we will track down these thieves. We did find, in the Valley of Aloi, letters in a Hobgoblin command post indicating that the Ironfang Legion is using the Onyx Citadel as the base from which to launch its attacks. So if that is their base, would we would need the Sardonyx Shard to get there? Or the Onyx Key? Or both? Whatever the case, we will find these thieves - the same force as that behind the attack on my country - and make them pay." He translates what he said for the party (everyone feel free to read the spoilers). "William, what do you make of that bottle with the blue smoke?"
Are we still doing XP, or are we doing milestone leveling?
The gug ghost we didn't defeat, so I don't expect anything there.
"The Enthroned King says that a snake being spoke with him about the Onyx Key. My guess is that this was the Ironfangs' naga, Zanathura. The one whose journal we found."
"What we slew in the morlock caves, that crumbled into ice and snow, was described by the morlock shaman as 'a shadow of the real Zanathura'." As the shaman said here Dwarven:
"Your Majesty, we believe that snake being was a naga named Zanathura, who is one of the leaders of the army of hobgoblins and others that attacked my homeland. I believe her outward respect was a ploy to deceive you. I swear that we will destroy her for this treachery." "Is there anything else we should ask of this Enthroned King? He saw no theft, no medusa, and no other spirits."
Benedict will listen carefully to any replies, keeping his wits about him just in case the spirit is attempting to deceive him.
Dwarven:
"With your pardon, Your Majesty, I will translate your words into a language of humans so that my comrades may understand." He addresses the party. "The spirit is the Enthroned King. He ruled a long time ago, before the Synod. I will ask him about the theft of the Onyx Key, about ghosts, and about medusas. And offer our help if he needs it." Then back to addressing the disembodied Dwarven voice. Dwarven: "Your Majesty, my name is Benedict. These others are Grum, Aerel, William, and Haela. We are investigating the theft of the Onyx Key from this Reliquary.
May I humbly request your assistance with our investigation? I have three questions. First, did you witness the theft of the Onyx Key? Second, can you tell us of other spirits present in this place? We believe there may be one or more ghosts. Third, have you seen a medusa in this place? If there is a service that we can do for you, name it. If something prevents your spirit from resting, perhaps we can assist."
Benedict looks around the chamber and addresses the disembodied voice. Dwarven:
"Pardon our intrusion, noble elder of the realm of Kraggodan. We have been tasked by the Evenhanded Synod with investigating the theft of a great Dwarven relic, the Onyx Key, from this Reliquary. An army of hobgoblins now has the Onyx Key, and with it, control of the Stone Road. They have overrun our lands. It has been our great pleasure, during this course of this investigation, to cleanse the Reliquary of the Gugs that had infested it.
How may I address you, noble elder? I myself was not born to the Dwarven race, as you can see, though I learned the ways of war from this daughter of Kraggodan, Haela Sturm." He indicates the Drill Sergeant next to him.
If Take 10 not possible:
"Yeah, I think William might be right. More likely guardian golems than works of art. Haela, be ready to use that Sigil of Kraggodan if needed to be unseen by any golems." Benedict takes a look around the room. Is there any writing anywhere? Anything else of note?
Sorry to hear that, William! Best wishes for a complete recovery. Aerel - I would be happy to make up a couple of reasonable PFS 5th-level PCs over the next few days.
Benedict slams his fist against the Gug-statue in frustration. "As I said... I hate not knowing what we are up against. Maybe everyone who was turned to stone by the medusa is now present as a ghost? But then why would the dwarf's spirit lie to us? Was that spirit an illusion from a nearby spellcaster? And this Gug ghost too, with a fear spell? There's a lot I don't know about how magic works. And I don't know that much about ghosts and their abilities either. When we head back to Kraggodan, we can ask Karburtin what he makes of our foe based on the evidence we have. We can get equipment to battle ghosts, or use the Manual of War to train to fight them. We can also pick up equipment to battle medusas; whatever is making the ghosts appear, recall that Bellachal Dergik was petrified not that long ago, so the medusa is probably still here. But first let's see what is in this room." He waits for Aerel to finish with the door.
"What are we dealing with??"
"Let's stick together." The hall is wide enough for three abreast. If Aerel needs to be in front to search for traps, he can have Benedict and Grum right next to him, with Haela behind for Tactician and William behind for spells and archery.
"I wasn't looking to restore the human for his own sake, but rather for information, like Aerel suggested. Especially about what petrified him. Information is power and I don't like not knowing what we are up against. But if you want to press on, I will. At least we have some resources to protect ourselves." Benedict puts on the Lidless Charm Bracelet.
"Aerel, your keen eyes could work against you if there is a medusa, so I don't think having you scout ahead is best at this time. If we stick together, you can benefit from Haela's tactics."
Once whoever wants it takes the Amulet, Benedict opens the doors to the south.
"We do have one use of Stone Salve. It can restore someone who was petrified. I might want to save it to use on one of us... but then, maybe we can exit the Reliquary and come back in again supplied with more. Or with other items that protect against petrification." "We now can establish that the dwarf wasn't petrified centuries ago, and so the apparent spirit was lying to us. The human... I guess we could try putting his remains together to see if a spirit appears and says something. Even if we have good reason to suspect that the 'spirit' may lie, there could be value in hearing what they have to say." "Reassembling the human means retracing our steps, bringing the legs back to the upper torso. Maybe we do that, see if we conjure a spirit, restore him, and then exit the Reliquary to resupply? We can bring Bellachal Dirgek's statue on our way out and maybe the dwarves can restore her. It should weigh... what, three times what she weighed in life? Maybe two of us working together, then."
"I can't read the scroll, Grum. We need you to do it. Does that message sound good to you? I believe the spell has a strict word count so there's no time for small talk. But Karburtin knows you. I bet he'll answer." |