Search Posts
After dealing with the dead as best you can, you make your way to the storage room you passed over earlier. A large number of weapons are stored along the walls of this well-equipped armory. Loot: Adamantine battleaxe, 50 mw arrows, an arrow of human slaying (sans enhancement bonus), a mw breastplate, a keen gladius, a masterwork composite longbow (Str +2), a masterwork flail, a mithral heavy shield, and a suit of mithral chain
You approach the oddly shaped structure, the shape of a lumpy potato cut in half and laid cut side down, but 200 feet long. The surface is covered with mirrors that reflect the light of the Outlands at strange angles. Rounding the side you spy a figure, knees to the ground in repose facing the structure. He is humanoid but his face resembles a dog or a wolf, and is covered in well groomed gray fur. He wears only breeches and is adorned with simple gold jewelry, necklaces and rings. A golden sword lays across his lap. He turns his head in your direction and opens his eyes. A voice rings in your head, its purity calming to your souls, ”The doors in front of me are barred, would you happen to know a way within?”
Between Radiance, Cecily’s sucker punches, and Ahmose’s firebomb the Sarkorian dies. The adamantine greatsword falls to the ground sending out a pure ringing tone before falling silent.
Loot:
Potion of Barskin CL 12, potion of cure serious wounds, adamantine greatsword, mw hide armor, 385 gp
Dozens of beds fill this wide room, jammed together with little space between them. A dozen decapitated human bodies lie in a heap to the west, while a dozen human heads sit to the east. The battlements leading outside are empty.
Ahmose does his thing and burning clumps of kobold glue stick to the Sarkorian’s flesh and fur armor, adding to the extant ham aroma. Responding in kind Cecily slams into the woman with a claw swipe that gouges flesh as well as bone. Dorek jumps off of Tandyn’s shield and flips over her, landing gracefully behind her. Unfortunately for Dorek she’s ready for his gladius, cutting only a superficial wound.
Defending his friend Tandyn draws blood in two quick slashes. The woman seems to pay no mind to parrying or dodging the attacks but uncannily only has one wound to show for his efforts. The woman, careless to the discussion about the origins of her rage, takes offense to Dorek misidentifying her, she howls, ”Balemoon?! I strangled a Balemoon when I was 7 winters. And your clan will end with you.” Dorek manages to roll with the brutally oversized sword and avoids being cut in half. Round 2
Behind the ham flavored door Tandyn finds an extremely angry Sarkorian woman who wields an extremely large sword manufactured from some dark metal. Fur armor covers her body, decorated with large horns or tusks, but her boots are steel. She yells in a near blind rage, ”You killed them! They died by my blade, but you killed them! Lord Staunton will stay his hand if I give him your heads.” Stepping up to Tandyn the woman swings her massive sword striking him center mass, without finesse or fancy skill. The blow punches through his heavy armor as if it wasn’t there. Luckily for Tandyn his body is made of sterner stuff. Round 1
The landing for the Unclimbable Mountain is very small and made of creaking wooden stairs. A human sized basher has to watch their footing approaching the door. The door itself isn’t a door at all, but an open archway. The Unclimbable Mountain The opening leads to an arch that stands in the middle of nowhere, as though it was once within a structure but the entire structure disappeared around it. Canny bloods note that the ground is flattened as though trod upon by many feet. Here and there the unusually flat land is dotted with piles of salt. Tracking 20:
There are tracks here and they move in odd patterns. Then it dawns on you, they are tracks you would see if people were moving around buildings that are no longer here. In the distance you see the mountain, the Spire of the Outlands jutting into the sky, closer than you’ve ever seen it before. It looks as if the land decided to suddenly turn upwards and form a cylindrical spire. Craning your necks upwards you see a torus floating atop the Spire, supposedly Sigil, but no one, god or mortal, has ever climbed the Spire to verify the claim, perhaps the Lady of Pain knows, but no one, god or mortal, would ask her. The knowledgeable of the party can explain that things get Neutralized as they get closer to the Spire. Magic simply stops functioning, bub and other poisons fail to affect people, even the Power’s power is negated the closer you get. As you orient yourself, Xibalba finds herself forcibly expelled from her lamp and perhaps more distressingly, completely solid. X-302 and Nik’s undead, take one step onto the Outlands and simply collapse, rendered inert. Rinika’s dead spot, perhaps less distressingly, disappears as well as any power she drew from it. Through some testing, you find that you’re able to find enough energy to manifest very minor kinds of magic.
A single oddly shaped building is nearby, its surface gleams like a mirror, reflecting light into your eyes.
Ahmose finds no traps.
Irabeth nods solemnly at the praise, ”The least we could do, sir.” Then she leans in and whispers, ”We’re going to need to get a pint or twelve after all this, you’re buying.” The grin on her face indicates she’s only half joking. When the party approaches the doors to the west garrison (the interior doors), they find that they are locked. Perception DC 15: You hear the heavy sound of boot steps pacing behind the door.
Tandyn detects evil (on Nurah)! You gather the advisors in the camp, remembering that half of them are scouring the ruins of Drezen for supplies. Irabeth asks, "Should I send soldiers out to recall them? They were sent out in teams, but are unaware of the threat."
Surprisingly the camp is well in order and nothing needs your immediate attention. Anevia waves and smiles as you return. She nods as you explain Nurah needed a break and promises, "I'll keep an eye on her for you."
A ruinous field of debris covers the southeast corner of this large courtroom. Columns support the thirty-foot ceiling overhead. Three half-fiend minotaurs guard the western set of double doors of this chamber while the escaped Brimoraks mill about, gleefully trying to melt a stone by bleeding on it.
After a boring time with the boring books, except Xibalba she has a fun romp you don't find anything else hidden. Taking the oracle home he delivers "In a vast, open plain near a very tall and narrow mountain, there is a library filled with mirrors. Within the library is a book which tells of a cure for the disease that you've seen threaten so much." "Beyond the swirling mists of matter and energy lies a temple with only one priest. This priest holds the secret to curing the ills of not only his own plane, but that which threaten them all, eventually." "In a jingling, rain swept city, a ruler, no ruler, broods in his citadel of chain. He rejoices in the death of invention, and strives to find the library and the temple to seize the knowledge you seek." The last your recognize as Jangling Hiter and the citadel of chain you invaded, the ruler must be the kyton Quimath, considering you know that he is investigating something and had material related to the Iron Shadow. Wisdom 10 and trivial planes check:
The tall and narrow mountain could be the Spire at the center of the Outlands where even the god's powers are neutralized. You also know that the Rilmani are more likely to appear the closer you get to the Spire, and you've met one above Blurophil very recently. Trivial planes:
Swirling mists could refer to the Ethereal plane, but matter and energy could mean where the Paraelemental plane of Steam meets the Positive Energy plane. There is surely a layer of the Abyss that meets the criteria, or it could mean the chaotic ever-changing plane of Limbo. Reminder of doors yet to explore: The Queen's Domain
The Ridged Land The Swirling Realm The Silver War The Unclimbable Mountain
After a careful search of the library Xibalba finds a forgotten book that seems to not have a hard cover. Inside are not lines of words on pages but detailed illustrations of scenes and characters with white bubble containing the character's speech. There's a description on the back, The whole town is whispering about how Catherine Benson lost her virtue, though they can never agree on the details. Was it in the public garden? Or a moving carriage? Only a truly desperate man would want her now―and that’s exactly what Andrew Davener is. His family’s estate is in disrepair, but Catherine’s sizeable dowry could set it to rights. After the two wed, Catherine finds herself inexplicably drawn to Andrew. But could falling in love with her husband tear her marriage apart? In this richly detailed romance, duty and passion collide in a slow-burn tale of intertwined fates. How this strange book found its way into the murderer's collection is anyone's guess.
With another devastating punch and a practiced sword thrust the remaining demons are quickly dispatched before they can make their retreat. The feelings brought to the surface slowly fade back to the background.
Dorek and Tandyn seem to be out of synch, their normally complementary styles of combat now working at odds rather than assisting. Dorek finds it hard to find an opening to strike at the demon’s vitals as it curls up into a fetal position still laughing uncontrollably, but strike he does still, ending the disguised demon's existence. Cecily channels her annoyance at Dorek into a devastating punch against another demon soldier, its once lazy appearance shrinks back as she drives terror into it. Ahmose flashes his claws, unfortunately for our Caydenite, he only manages to taste foul flesh as he bites a weak spot, the claws unable find purchase through layers of metal. Nurah advances again, humoring another demon to no effect. Now with fear in their heart the demons hesitate when harming the charming young kobold, allowing him to live at least one more day. One speaks in a howling menace, Abyssal:
”I knew it would come to this. We should cut and run, man.” Round 2
Round 3
The books you find on the shelves aren’t terribly useful, almost to the last each are hand-written rants regarding the superiority of all things of Air, the need for cleansing of the plane of all things not native, and similar topics. It seems Myress’s feelings have been brewing for quite some time, and something finally pushed him over the edge. However you manage to find a lockbox hidden in a rafter, easily opened by Rinika and Nanci. Loot:
1372gp, 1695sp, a rather large turquoise gem worth 50gp, a ring with small diamonds worth 300gp, and a bracelet with inlaid rubies worth 5000gp, also a small pouch which Nik correctly identifies as Dust of Sneezing and Choking rather than a Dust of Appearance. Deidarth is released and is profusely thankful, ”Oh gods! Thank you! I’ve been up there for days. He took me as I was walking home from the Looking Glass, said I could stop him so he needed to keep me here. All he talked about was cleansing Air of filth like me, but he had to follow the Rule of Three to do it, the only reason I’m alive I think. Look I’m a little short on coin at the moment, but I could uh read your future if I can get home.”
Ahmose advances forward touching one of the soldiers and chilling them slightly. Dorek also enters the room taking advantage of their slow reflexes. Both Ahmose and Dorek are overcome with a feeling of contempt for the rest of the party, tiny insults seem to loom large in their minds, minor suspicions leap to the forefront. Anyone affected by the aura can make a planes DC 20:
You suspect these are Thoxel demons, another kind of demon with the ability to shapeshift. These demons are laziness and insubordination incarnate, and it is infectious. The two unamused soldiers, lazily swing their double swords at Ahmose, and the slow blade penetrates his shields. As the blades strike Ahmose he feels his contempt grow. If failure:
Ahmose must attack Tandyn to the best of his ability for , as if dominated. Round 1
Round 2
As the spell strikes Nik he eats it instead, saving the party and making Nik younger by 5 weeks.
One wall of this long arcade features several arrow-slits looking out over the northern part of Drezen. A trio of soldiers in shining breastplates and carrying well cared for two-bladed swords and composite longbows lounge lazily within the walls here. One of them makes noises that sounds awful. While grabbing for their weapons. Abyssal:
One drawls, ”Shiiiiit. Whelp lets get this over with.” Round 1
The party hesitates either unable or unwilling to follow the demon through the wall. The seconds drag on and you begin to relax as it becomes apparent it won’t reappear to attack you.
Loot: Frost rapier
The manacled swashbuckler easily ducks out of the way of Ahmose’s misplaced bomb, and it crashes into the wall behind them. Dorek’s flurry of quick strikes proves a match for the nimble succubus as he manages two deep slashes one in their torso and another between the ribs. They give Tandyn an winning smile to rival his own and winks at him before they fade from view like they were turning into mist that quickly evaporates. Spellcraft DC 22:
Ethereal Jaunt See invisible:
You see the disguised succubus walk directly through the wall to their back. Nurah continues to inspire you with her speech.
The chained succubus easily turns Tandyn’s sword strike aside by lunging forward under his swing and pushing his sword arm to the side causing Radiance to cut deep into a post.
The disguised succubus commands Tandyn with an assertion of will and finality that he finds hard to resist, "Kill the traitor Nurah. She’s going to betray you and is a loyal servant of Staunton. Best to take care of the problem now!"
Tandyn detects evil! Aroden detects magic! Nurah coughs and then says, ”Well yeah I knew them too, you know before and well after I guess. Probably should give them the weapon Tandyn, ya know after we get rid of that nasty enchantment afflicting them.” Aroden:
You remember the rest of your dream, this Meranse transformed from his current form to that of a white haired woman with bat wings. You realize this is a succubus in disguise! Tandyn or DC 30 sense motive:
Secret message from Nurah: ”They’re a demon in disguise. You should strike now.”
Surprise!
Bracing for demons behind the door you are surprised to see a man, manacled to one of many orderly military bunks arranged diagonally across the eastern wall. Dirt and grime does little to hide his soft features, piercing blue eyes, and golden locks which spill over his face. He is dressed in loose fitting dark clothes, with old blood stains playing across their surface. A rapier that appears to be made out of an ice shard is set frustratingly out of his reach. He cries out as you enter, ”Master Staunton will eat your flesh and use your skeletons as bodyguards!” And then he strains against his bonds. Aroden:
You recognize this man from a dream. Cecily:
You recognize this man, Maranse Delaskru, once early in your training with Terendelev, he asked a boon of the dragon after bringing her a single white tulip as an offering. She was taken by his daring and bestowed on him, Blue Bite, the rapier you see in this room. Local or history 25: You recognize this man, he’s a minor Kenabres hero Maranse Delaskru, who went missing two years ago on a self appointed mission into the Worldwound to rescue a lost pet.
The brimorak dies on the floor, laughing hysterically as it is sent back to the Abyss once again.
The brimorak bears its teeth at the archon as it blasts the demon with a light show. It burns the demon, surely a new sensation for it. Then its promptly knocked over by Tandyn.
Tandyn and Dorek both take action as the Brimoraks retreat from their grasps cutting into them and then three of the demons disappear from sight. The fourth seemingly does nothing after its comrades abandon it to your blades. Nurah begins to laugh maniacally as the sticky demon is abandoned.
House rule update! Is making an AoO an action? Yes, it is a free action that you can take when it is not your turn.
House rule update! Is making an AoO an action? Yes, it is a free action that you can take when it is not your turn. Below rule is updated from:
To:
Apparently I had two versions running around and I didn't need to change this in Planescape if you are playing there as well.
After being blessed by Thawm’s glowing ball, Cecily deftly charges right into the nearby Brimorak, landing a devastating kick right into its ugly caprine face. Meanwhile Dorek, with practiced lunges and thrusts, carves up another, easily defeating their parries. Each of the smoking demons step away from the party,
The window shatters, spraying glass into the interior, in its wake an arcane symbol flashes causing all nearby to become sleepy and fall over. Luckily not everyone is affected and the spell wears off after 15 minutes, give or take. Perhaps since you’ve already killed Myress, no one comes rushing over to defend the kip. Rinika or anyone about her size is able to squeeze into the confines of the murderer's lair. With nothing opposing you, you’re able to open the inner door, it is neither locked nor trapped. Within you find a poor sod strung up from the rafters, his balding pate red from hanging upside down for hours at least. A look of relief comes over him as you find the missing oracle.
Tandyn skewers the fire demon suddenly before him after his first stroke is parried, sending sparks, flames, smoke, and then scalding blood into the air. Ahmose’s bomb explodes on two brimoraks in a glancing blow against one, but they again prove to be completely unharmed by fiery explosives and only matted up some of their fur.
There is no apparent effect on Jek's show of will.
The party wisely steps back and spread out from the explosive demons while Cecily does her best impression of a carnifex. The demons likewise are wary of the party and Cecily coming right for them and strip her of her magical protections. Nurah follows behind Ahmose as he enters what looks like a destroyed clerical office. Chaplain's Office A nest of cushions and linens squeezes between this room’s rear wall and a battered desk covered in folded paper animals. Dried ancient blood stains the fabric and paper. A sculpted emblem of a warhammer overlooks the otherwise ransacked room.
Myress lives, not surprisingly, in the Twilight Wall district. His home is a small structure, with a steel door and a single dingy window. Through the window you see the walls are lined with bookcases stuffed full. A simple small bed with daily necessities stuffed underneath are the only other kinds of personal effects he keeps. Another door leads further into the home. When you try the door:
The door holds fast as if locked, but there is no apparent mechanism for this.
A cascade of rubble has fallen through from the upper parapets into this ruined armory, creating a rise of debris that allows access to the citadel’s northernmost parapet. A quartet of brimoraks stand guard here, smoke rising from their hooves while flames dance across their drawn blades. Round 1
Storerooms A large number of crates, containers, and barrels of food and water are kept in both of these chambers. Dining Hall This room contains several long tables and benches—it’s obviously a dining hall, although it seems underused.
The fear subsides at the sudden appearance of the ghostly child and everyone is able to return to the house if they so choose. The child nods still tracking her spot, "His name is Cleve, Notary Five, of the Harmonium. He's very adamant that you should turn in Eighttoes and throw yourself at the mercy of the Harmonium, and a number of other thing as well, he has quite the list. I don't know how you get there my vision didn't see your journey."
When the conversation turns to her brother, "The Strangler took him as he was leaving the Looking Glass. I can't move from this house otherwise I would have tried to help Deidarth, its been a several weeks since he was taken."
Tandyn and Cecily both strike each golem as they rush past to menace Aroden. Quick with explosives, Ahmose blasts off chunks of each, causing one to crumble to the ground unable to move with the gross amount of damage. Soon the magic powering it leaves it. Cecily rushes to help Aroden, punching it to the ground and it similarly stops moving. Dorek and Tandyn advance on the remaining golem and end its existence in two final strikes.
Ahmose’s bomb blows off chunks of stone and immediately catches them, holding the inert chunks fast to the statue. Thawm’s magic fails her, unable to harm this construct. The statue penned in by Cecily goes to move and strains against the glue holding it fast to the floor. But the other two rush past Tandyn and Cecily and aim their stone warhammers at Aroden. The first hammer blow strikes the reborn god in the gut, the graffiti marring it flashing a nauseating mauve as it does. Aroden is barely knocked out of the way of the second by the first blow. Round 2
Ahmose and Aroden come to the same conclusion at the same time, that the statues are constructs animated by Deskari’s will through his cult. Such constructs are blessed by their patron’s divine influence. Their weapons could cut deeper, or in this case bash with more strength against Deskari’s foes or shatter fragile objects without so much as touching it. Dorek manoeuvres forward, wary of attacks. Tandyn tosses radiance at one of them cracking its stone slightly. Cecily’s fist meets stone and as usual when that happens, the flesh breaks not the stone. She pulls her hand away thankfully she hasn’t broken her wrist.
Skee and Xibalba flee the house as well, leaving only the undead or mostly undead left in the house. The ghostly child’s empty eyes track Rinika’s dead spot as it flits about her body. Her eyebrows raise in shock, seemingly ignoring Rinika’s question. She finally speaks, but it's distant, as if spoken from another room, ”That’s just awful! I can’t release you, I’m sorry. Your spirit has been intertwined tightly to Rinika’s and you will only be released when she finally meets her maker on a ship of Chaos in the blasted Plain of Infinite Portals. And yes, I’ll ask, I have no other choice.” The child turns to Rinika and finally addresses her, ”It was mine and my brother’s house. But he was taken by the Strangler after drinking too much. I tried to warn Deidarth but I saw it and so couldn’t stop it. Will you find him?”
Nurah doesn’t abandon the unholy symbol of Deskari but begins to tell the story of how Sarenrae forged a coalition of myriad deities against the Rough Beast and how each used their own talents and proclivities to aid in the effort. Including how Torag and Gorum forged the Dead Vault which would serve as Rovagug’s prison within Golarion. She makes no move to provoke the statues directly. The slow moving constructs turn their heads towards the party as they enter the chapel. Round 1
|
