You leave through the entrance after collecting the cultist’s gear and binding them, a number of empty potion bottles among them.
Sally Port
A portcullis of rune-carved iron bisects this entry hall. Arrow slits mark the passageway’s walls near the ceiling twenty feet above. A seven-foot-high section near the floor of the west wall has collapsed and fallen away, allowing access to another room beyond. The portcullis is in the locked position but from this side of it you are able to lift it.
Entrance Ramp
Eight weathered statues of horned demons crouch on platforms that overlook the rise of this massive rampway, which leads up to the north to an atrium.
Gatehouse
Solid iron portals allow passage through this square, mostly intact gatehouse. A damaged portcullis hangs raised just five feet above the floor. The locking mechanisms on the doors here are broken and there are a number of tiefling corpses littered about the siege weapons, killed when you assaulted the citadel with your armies.
From the corner of Nik's eye he sees movement within the room, a woman dressed in white. But when he focuses his vision, he sees no one within. The oracle is supposed to be a man, so he's left wondering who it could be, if anyone, or his imagination.
Ahmose switches back to his normal explosives, having had enough of getting his claws dirty and tasting blood. The cultist burns, but is stubbornly flame retardant. 21 damage after resistance, when you work with fire demons you make assurances.
Aroden trips the brimorak just like he predicted.
Thawm’s missiles fly directly at the vrock only to disperse harmlessly, not even ruffling its feathers. SR not beat.
Cecily grazes one of the illusions with her first strike, her second strike, but the third time finds the real Konnie, felling her in a giant whuff of feathers and spores.
Tandyn and Dorek both team up on the remaining brimorak, killing it as well.
The cultists drop their weapons, shouting, ”We surrender!”
Cecily continues to grow demonic vines from her skin, making her look oddly furry and green. 20 damage over the next 8 turns unless stopped.
Within the perpetually darkened slum of the Twilight Wall lies the Oracle of Forgotten Night. Rinika heard that the Oracle lies in the darkest umbra of the wall's shadow but that turns out to be screed.
To a newcomer, all that's visible is a simple stone structure, starkly contrasted against metal towers. Unmarked and unlit, this structure appears abandoned. There is no answer to polite knocking, through a window you can see a home with a blue iron rod set on a tripod and topped with a red gem.
Ahmose uncharacteristically claws out one of the cultist’s eyes! Causing them to fall to the ground and eventually bleed to death. Red dead, no redemption. Ahmose tries the same thing to the neighboring cultist but they side step the rabid kobold.
Tandyn, with luck on his side, thrusts Radiance into a tattered vulture wing. 2nd attack hit and 15 damage
Dorek easily carves out the demon’s stomach, and spleen, leaving dead on the ground in an instant. First two attacks hit and full damage.
After dispelling one image, Cecily headbutts the vrock right in its face with bone cracking success, she follows up with a gut punch which strikes nothing but phantasm. Two images down and crit hits but doesn’t confirm for 10 damage. Vrock is already shaken by the Doom song but neither effect stack.
Thawm burns the burns away as the room explodes into gentle healing fire.
Nurah dashes behind the remaining brimorak and it slashes its flaming sword too high. Nurah is easily able to duck under it, she gives it a toothy reptilian smile.
The vrock gives the cultists a withering look and their expression turns pained. It seems to be waiting for something. A volley of arrows strikes Tandyn’s illusory images leaving him with 4 images left. The cultist holding a falchion begins to remove Ahmose’s goo.
The nearby brimorak ignores the lucky halfling-cum-kobold, and slices into another of Tandyn’s doubles and kicks a hoof into a second, Tandyn is now left with only 2 images.
The vrock bears down on Tandyn. It leaps up into the air, raking two talons against an illusory Tandyns. Next the demonic bird clamps down its wickedly viscous beak onto Tandyn’s left shoulder, the strain of groaning metal fills the room as it pierces his armor. The vrock does not stop its assault on the Iomadaean, with one claw sinking into Tandyn’s flank, punching through his armor once again.
Tandyn is hit with the bite for 7 damage and one claw for 15 damage. He has 1 image left by my count.
Ahmose throws another bomb at the cultists and is mildly successful, the accumulated mass of burning ick seems to have slowed one of them down as severe burns begin to develop. The remaining three cultists are again unaffected. Ahmose hit and did 10 damage plus entangle to the red cultist.
Cecily delivers a pounding to the nearest brimorak in a one-two that crushes in its skull. Hit twice and did 45 damage, no cold damage was enough to beat resistance. She quickly shifts her footing and quickly punches an illusion which disappears.
Aroden advances and thrusts his sword at a brimorak; the demon’s boiling blood splashes him. Aroden hit and did full damage, boiling blood did 1 damage but I believe Aroden is resistant currently.
Tandyn advances, interposing himself between the Vrock and Nurah. I’m not seeing any AoO with the Brimorak dead and the Vrock blind.
Dorek tumbles past the nearby goat demon and in a graceful move decapitates it. Hit and 46 damage, lol.
Thawm doesn’t waste time, knowing that her allies' lives depend on her, she sprays them with warm healing energies.
Nurah looses her bullet at the brimorak but the shot goes wide. She nimbly dodges out from underneath the vrock’s retaliation, closing on the Brimorak as she does. In a flash her short sword is in her hand threatening the demon, she winks at Dorek, and continues her mocking tirade.
With one swipe of its mighty claws Konnie rips the entangling strands asunder, freeing it. It then looms over Tandyn, and swipes its far too sharp claws into his flank, both drawing blood and fracturing one of Tandyn’s ribs. Tandyn deflects a mighty claw with his shield and parries low one of its wicked taloned feet. But it's all the paladin can do to fend off the onslaught as the vulture demon rends his ankles with its other claws. Tandyn hit for 21.
Then the spore cloud around the vrock grows thick, easily finding entry through cracks in Tandyn’s armor and past Cecily’s defenses as well. The pair feels pressure on their skin as it grows pregnant with putrid demonic vines. Each take 1 damage now and 2 damage on their turn, if they aren’t treated with a bless spell or holy water before.
Ahmose again takes an arrow, this time to his other knee, as the front two cultists drop their bows in favor of menacing falchions. Ahmose is hit again for 10 damage
The remaining brimoraks line up their shots and spout a torrent of their boiling blood onto Nurah, Thawm, and Tandyn. DC 17 reflex for half, 14 fire to Thawm, 17 to Tandyn
The vrock blind, gooey, and afraid does what one does in this situation, duplicate themselves by budding. Six identical illusory images of the vrock appears.
The four cultists carrying heavy looking bows advance on Ahmose, he tosses a bomb at one but it strikes their flank, burning them slightly, but not hampering their movement in any way. Ahmose hit and did 13 damage after DR, splash damage did nothing.
The archers with trained practiced precision volley fire into the blue kobold, he feels pain and alive for the first time in a long time. Ahmose is hit once and takes 9 damage.
The room then explodes in successive blasts of fire and brimstone. Dorek, Cecily, Nurah, and Tandyn catch the worst of the blasts, with Ahmose catching a stray from the blinded brimorak. Dorek, Cecily, and Tandyn owe me 3 DC 15 reflex saves with half damage on success. Fire damage: 16, 29, and 26. Ahmose owes me 1 DC 15 reflex with half damage on success; fire damage 20.
Nurah coughs out a puff of smoke and yells, ”Is that the best you got? Fire demons my scaly cloaca .” She advances into the midst of the demons and draws her sling and loads it.
It looks like things were put up, but haphazardly as if no care or effort was put into the endeavor. Some chairs left down, others fallen from improper placement. A single quarter full glass sits on the bar. A cleaning rag dropped on the floor.
The party makes their way back to The Looking Glass, but finds it empty, bereft of customers and bartender. It looks abandoned like many if the festival dressings around town.
Thawm tosses the magical spear at the demon, piercing one of its wings and then flashing brightly blinding it. Ahmose advances closest to the vrock tossing his tangle bomb, gluing the unsuspecting demon to the floor. Dorek’s arrow flies true, striking the nearly immobile vulture in an easy shot.
Thawm is super effective. Ahmose hit and did 7 damage plus entangle. Dorek hit and did 12 damage
The blind, stuck, and wounded demon cries out in a deafening caw, which rumbles throughout the citadel. Any element of surprise you had is gone at this moment. While the sound seems to shake you to your core, you do not suffer any deleterious effects from it.
Four smoking brimorak demons appear suddenly in the chamber, teleporting from some other location within the citadel. Footsteps rush from the far sally port chamber.
Jaspan looks between Nik and Skee and shakes her head, ”Sod off. How should I know what was going through that barmy’s brain-box? Just said it wasn’t time to kill me yet, probably just wanted to scrag me now and put me in the dead book later.”
Nik remembers that Ghuntomas mentioned the Gasping Strangler killed on a schedule. If Jaspan was killed today, they would be early.
Jaspan looks at Jek like he’s barmy, ”What are you blabbering about? And no the strangler wasn’t trying to put me in the dead book. He said it was too early or something. Sure didn’t feel like it though. Look, I’m grateful you let me give him the laugh but I’m gonna tell you to pike it on the bub, I’m not into whatever you are.” Jaspan starts to walk off rubbing her neck and coughing occasionally.
Nurah comments on his disguise, ”I should prooobably go with Dorek to do the talking if we’re going with his plan. Me, in my true form, next to a demon would sell it pretty well I’d think. Sorry Dorek your stutter is coming through still even though you almost got a handle on it, and it ruins the whole effect.” She recasts cat’s grace and alter self.
Templars’ Court
This once-beautiful court now lies in disarray. The walls are decorated with murals of angels and templars engaged in all manner of foul acts with beasts and demons. Collapsed stone completely bars the way north, as only five decorative columns still support the thirty-foot ceiling overhead.
A gigantic large sized vulture with dark humanoid arms peaking out from under the wings stands watch over this room. Its feathers are black but brown around the edges and its head is almost completely bald revealing grossly wrinkled skin. It possesses beady red eyes that glare at you as you enter. Some sort of vapor or light cloud surrounds the creature. Dorek’s disguise gives it a momentary pause, giving the party precious seconds to act!
Planes DC 24:
This is a vrock, a true demon formed from the wrathful parts of mortal souls. The clouds you see are spores it emits, which can infest the flesh, causing vines to grow rapidly. The damaging vines’ growth can be halted by a bless spell or holy water. Vrocks are highly resistant to magic and resistant, if not immune to many elemental attacks. Electricity as usual, 10 to everything except sonic.
Nurah cries out, ”Oh hi Konnie! Stuck on guard duty I see, maybe if you hadn’t hit Jorah last week.”
With a flurry of strikes Cecily saves Tandyn from the clutches of sticky doom. Combat over! 2 encounters since entering.
Nurah shrugs as she seems to be fresh out of alcoholic beverages to free Tandyn, she looks pointedly at Ahmose. She says, ”Yeah it being here would be too obvious. I don’t have a clue where they’re keeping it.”
If Ahmose fails to produce alcohol:
The tentacle falls off Tandyn’s head after a half a minute.
Fort that doesn't matter:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29
Myress disintegrates into a quickly dissipates into a puff of ash, further polluting the plane he professed to protect. As you observe his gear it goes from drifting lazily in the wind to falling, as if gravity suddenly asserted itself.
Nik escapes the clutches of his companions by running away for a minute after which they return to normal or awaken, he remembers that dimension door will not work here.
Loot:
Violet thorny and dusty rose prism ioun stone (the source of them is unclear since they were not orbiting Myress' head), ring of freedom of movement, ring of counterspells (possession currently), pressure suit, robe of components, an exquisitely carved ivory statue of a naked man with bat-like wings, diamond pin worth 100gp, a bottle of perfume, a rose frozen in time (it does not wilt or die, a single petal has been plucked) Oriam will buy this curiosity for his collection for 500gp, 5 vial filled with nothing but air, a small crystal sphere, a bag filled with dried peas, scrolls: contingency, delectable flesh, cloak of dreams, ether step, suffocation, echolocation, unflappable mein, ablative barrier, ashen path, extreme flexibility, windy escape, see alignment, summon monster I, secluded grimoire, obscuring mist
You've saved Jaspan who now breathes softly in a fitful sleep. What do our confused heroes do now? You've saved the city from the gasping strangler. You could possibly investigate his residence or that of the oracles.
A blob of acid splashes one of the mimics and all it does is clean some of the dust that has stuck to it. Thawm hit, barely, no damage The rolling ball of fire does not light, Thawm’s healing flames are warm, not burning.
Cecily tightens her grip on the mimic, grasping its tentacle with an arm and holding it down to the floor, she leverages her weight to keep its wide maw from doing any arm either, though its not terribly threatening with its wide goofy grin. Pin success!
Ahmose throws an alchemist fire, direct hit, the fire burns away the dust Thawm missed. Hit and no damage.
With two quick sword strokes the pinned mimic goes limp, though still stuck to Cecily to it. Tandyn turns to the banner mimic. First two hit and full damage. Redirecting 3rd attack and hit.
Dorek maneuvers to a more beneficial position, striking the banner on the reverse side. Hit and 18 damage after unbeaten DR.
Nurah walks up casually, takes out another bottle of some dark brown liquid and pours it on Cecily, ”I’m getting a premonition of your bachelorette party.”
The remaining mimic slams into Tandyn's unprotected head, holding the Iomedaen fast as it begins to crush him to death. Hit and 27 damage
PCs go! You've defeated one mimic and done 18 damage to the remaining one, Tandyn is grappled and unable to escape without a stiff drink!
Myress surveys the alley, he drops Rinika to the ground giving the catfolk a nasty bruise and waking her up. Rinika feels the urge to pounce on Nik, tearing open his belly and devouring him.
Myress pulls out an apparently empty vial, unstoppers it and loudly breathes the contents in will giving Skee an icy glare. The chirurgeon's breath begins to leave him, violently.
Radiance flashes brightly but some shoddy footwork from Tandyn ensures that his slash misses. Tandyn looks like a fool who has no business wielding such a powerful weapon.
Ahmose throws bomb after bomb at the mimic holding Dorek, scorching it, and in a twist of fate gluing the mimic to the floor. Its companion nearby seems completely unaffected. Hit three times and did 35 damage.
Dorek hacks at the mimic, deftly trying to avoid the worst of the adhesive coating on the tentacle, but with his arms constrained as they are his sword sticks fast after the second slash. He still manages to hold onto his second weapon but its strike was too weak to harm the mimic. Using the convenient reflex saves for avoiding losing your weapon, hit twice and did 10 damage after DR. Dorek no longer has one of his weapons, anyone can attempt a DC 19 str check to free the weapon as a standard action.
Cecily advances and grabs ahold of the offending mimic fast, making a tangle of mimic and tiefling.
Nurah saunters up behind Tandyn and asks with a bottle of some brownish liquid in hand, says, ”You’d think the Caydenite would have alcohol on hand.” She tosses the liquid at Dorek and it shatters on his head. But the liquid quickly dissolves its adhesive coating, freeing Dorek and giving him a headache. His sword clatters to the floor, freed as well.
The mimic that was was adhered to Dorek, hesitates, unable to close on Tandyn, at least it doesn’t squeeze the life from the rogue.
In a moment that seems to stretch out forever, the altar and the banner begin to undulate and each grows glistening wet tentacles and improbably wide maws open, filled with thick teeth.
The banner-mimic swings its tentacle at Tandyn’s head and glances off his helmet, fortunately only his helmet is ripped off violently as it sticks fast to the tentacle.
Aroden’s vision comes to pass as the altar-mimic slams into the unawares rogue, and Dorek is grasped violently in the shapechanger’s bone-crushing grip. Dorek quickly finds out that the glistening is not water but some sort of glue, which Aroden’s magic cannot counter. Dorek hit for 26 damage and is grappled.
Dungeoneering 21:
In addition to viscerally verifying the potency of the mimic adhesive you know that no kind of acid will harm. These also seem to have been corrupted by the Worldwound’s influence and may share some resistances that demons possess.
You have a vision of Dorek grasped in a long glistening tentacle and you know that this one possible future in mere seconds. The former god can't discern exactly where the threat is coming from.
I'm fairly confident that no one can hit the DC 42 perception to spot the enemy and not be surprised here.
Nurah points to a crack in the wall which has separated and you can pull the wall out like a door. She says, ”You already found it.”
Tandyn swung his sword at the wall striking the exact pressure plate needed to open the secret vault, simultaneously opening it and ruining the mechanism. It seems you will need to renovate anyway if you are victorious here.
Secret Vault
A metal rod on which hangs a magnificent banner depicting a sword before a sunburst is raised up in the hands of a statue of an armored woman to the north. Just south of the statue sits a gleaming alabaster altar. Another four statues flank the room, each wearing a real suit of metal armor, while to the south hangs a tattered red and gold tapestry.
With a little effort Tandyn manages to locate the sconce that doubles as a lever to open the false vault. Knowing that there was a secret door was immensely helpful. +20 circumstance bonus thanks to saving Aron from his addiction.
Two statues stand midway into this room. They each depict an armored woman with her sword raised. Numerous smashed and empty chests sit on the floor. Again the party finds no loot, if Aron is to be believed there is another secret door nearby.
With a flash, an illusory copy of Tandyn appears next to the demon, distracting her while Dorek strikes. The rogue, with two sword strokes, cuts down the succubus where she stands, ending the threat and the mind control suffered by the men and women in the chapel.
The two conscious crusaders stare at the fallen succubus as she morphs from common depictions of the Inheritor to a darkly beautiful woman with large batlike wings. They don’t speak, clearly traumatized by the sudden change in their perceptions and the psychological torture they endured.
Yeah you can cast black tentacles on the side of the building to grab him. This would potentially grab Jek and Xibalba too (a feature not a bug).
Nik greases up Rinika, which looks awful, but at least it makes her even more slippery. Skee tosses a homemade explosive at the spellslinger. Hitting the genasi square in the torso, thankfully the shaped charge does not light Rinika on fire. Hit and full damage.
Myress fights through the pain of burning flesh and his grip tightens on Rinika’s neck, beads of magical grease bulging through the cracks in his fingers. With his other hand he makes an arcane gesture at Skee and curved lines of force begin to snap around the chirurgeon.
Rinka takes 12 damage and needs to give me a Will DC 24 or fall asleep, she is still grappled but not pinned. Skee needs to give me a reflex DC 22 or be trapped in a giant magic invisible hamsterball.
After Thawm releases the crusaders from the Iomadae’s spell a dawning look of horror overcomes each of them. ”Dear gods,” one of them whispers, the other drops to their knees, eyes fixed on the flaming corpses nearby.
Tandyn is no longer threatened and rushes the faux goddess, drawing blood from her again. Hit and full damage.
The succubus’s anger is palpable as her playthings are knocked unconscious, killed, or released from her control. A writhing crackle of malignant energy wreaths the demon’s hand, which she thrusts at Tandyn. Fortunately for him the succubus pays a moment's notice to Nurah’s taunting, foiling her attack.
Nurah lists off the depravities committed by the succubus and mocks her for it. Continuing Dirge of Doom.
Spellcraft DC 16:
Vampiric Touch
Dorek is up in round 2 and the rest of the party can act in round 3. You've done 52 damage total.
Tandyn tosses his sword at Iomadae, confident that if he’s mistaken no harm will be done, Radiance flashes as it strikes, drawing thick red blood from his goddess. Hit and 12 damage.
Thawm throws a spear composed of pure fire, it strikes Iomadae and the spear disappears as soon as it contacts her. Hit and no effect.
Ahmose throws a sticky bomb at the Inheritor and she becomes entangled with glue all over her very nice vestment. She is unharmed. Hit but no damage.
The woman calls out, ”Your goddess commands you to defend me!”
Tandyn needs to give me a will saving throw DC 23, because of the nature of the command he can make 2nd save with +2 bonus if he fails.
Skee has to guess the number and position of their tracheae when performing his tracheotomy, since the woman is unresponsive. Lucky for Jaspan, Skee guesses correctly and bypasses her crushed airway. After briefly fluttering her eyes open she passes out again, a victim of Myress' pheromones.
Myress' grits his teeth as Rinika tears up his insides by briefly commanding his skeleton. The nubimancer fights though it uncharacteristically well. 16 damage
Nik's curse appears to passes through Myress like a stone trying to hurt a strong breeze.
Myress lifts off from the alley dust flying picking up as the wind carries them aloft. Flying over to Rinika he seizes her by the throat. He says through gritted teeth, "I will choke the life from you and all of your kind until Air is pure again."Provoke from Skee, Rinika is grappled (unless immune) and DC 24 will, compulsion, mind-affecting, to Rinika and Xibalba or they fall asleep (unless immune).
PCs are up! Except those who are asleep. You've done 16 damage so far.
Jaspan vs Sleep:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 Fortitude vs Bones:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28 Will vs Curse:1d20 + 14 ⇒ (11) + 14 = 25 Grapple vs Rinika, one hand:1d20 + 22 - 4 ⇒ (13) + 22 - 4 = 31
Round 1 Cecily <-------------
Aroden <-------------
Ahmose <-------------
Tandyn(Tandyn only has a standard action after detect evil and stare.) Thawm <-------------
Evil Iomadae Dorek Nurah Crusaders
Just a quick note, the woman directly in front of you on slide 2 appears to be flesh and blood, sorry for any confusion! As well as the crusaders in the pews.
The party strangely finds no opposition from this breach and is able to venture fairly deep into the citadel heading towards the Iomadae's chapel. The door is locked but Dorek easily opens it, Nearly all the doors are locked but Dorek can take 10 to open most of them.
Inheritor's Chapel
Two rows of stone benches occupy face a raised dais to the north, on which stands a twelve-foot-tall statue of an armored woman with a sword and shield. Faded tapestries hang in tatters to either side, and a larger one on the south wall depicts the armored woman on bended knee before a man wearing green robes. Three smaller, human-sized statues of armored knights stand within small alcoves to the west, each holding a longsword pointing downward.
Within you find a vision of the inheritor, resplendent and glorious. She does not wear her normal gleaming full plate but does possess a polished longsword hanging from her hip. Six crusaders sit in the pews in rapt attention to the woman.
As you enter the chapel, Iomadae, turns and smiles at you warmly. "Faithful, I have come to bless you in your efforts to take the citadel."
She gestures to Tandyn, "My son, please approach to receive my blessing."
PCs want something to happen at night:1d100 ⇒ 25 Will:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
The night passes eerily without incident, though the darkness seems especially thick.
Western Breach
The interior of Citadel Drezen follows the stark practicality of dwarven design. The ceiling is ten feet high and the corridors wide enough to accommodate the shield walls favored by dwarven warriors. The condition is a strange mix of disrepair and cleanliness.
Nurah is with you if you let her, also what equipment do you give her?
