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The grubs burble as they crawl into KULIK's Hand. "We are the Eternal Hive! Given enough time, we will regrow inside the corpse of the Giant Beetle later, and reanimate it!" With a chirp, they begin to gently nibble at the skin of his flesh, obviously too weak to break the skin.
As the Magic folk inspect the Scythe, KULIK notices out of the corner of his eye some of the grubs from underneath the tongue of the Giant Beetle forming up into a small quivering swarm no larger than his fist. The clump of bugs seems to jump as KULIK's eyes stop on them as they jump a foot before a screeching high pitched voice wails "Please! Do not Harm us! I will do Anything! I can tell you about Koth'Vaul! I can take you to where he went! I will tell you about the Scythe! Pleeeeease don't shoot us or chop us or burn us again!"
Why are you Helping Koth'Vaul?:
The grubs whine before adding "Koth'Vaul helped us to slay several of Deskari's powerful demonic generals, and told us that we had a place in Koth'Vaul's new heirarchy! In exchange, all Koth'Vaul needed was for Us to slay any of his enemies! But he didn't tell us you were so strong!" What is with Riftcarver?:
The grubs glower toward the Scythe stabbed into the chitonous mound. "Koth'Vaul trapped the scythe, so that anyone not cautious would get a Nasty Shock from grabbing it. He told us it would be very harmful for that poor sap, before cackling and heading through the tear. I wouldn't worry about it anyway, the real Riftcarver is trapped with Deskari in the Rift!" What is Koth'Vaul up to?: The grubs squeak gleefully, "Koth'Vaul plans to be the new Lord of the Rasping Rifts of course! He headed to the Rift of Repose to devour Deskari's heart, and take the power for his own! We can take you to the place where he tore a hole to the Rift of Repose in exchange for letting us live..."
I will be Gently nudging you forward as soon as I get to work
Bellum: I learned from Magabeus.
Animating the beetle gets filed under 'Complicated' Technically, it is a Host Form the the Swarm of Worms, Bugs, Grubs and the Worm that Walks that makes up the Hivemind of the Eternal Swarm. Additionally, I certainly don't have a place where we can put a Beetle of Uncertain Size (Other than Really Really Big) onto a map.
As you collect the equipment that the Worm-that-Walks was wriggling around in, you can find a few key objects!
Having a look at the Scythe, Bellum can identify it as Riftcarver the Favored Weapon of Deskari, a medium +5 defending unholy wounding scythe. k(Planes) DC 32:
Riftcarver... should be much much larger. One could say, huge-er. Something seems amiss. Bellum: You notice the lingering presence of overwhelming necromancy and abjuration magic. You are not familiar with the spell in particular, but the magical threads that weave it together imply that the ritual was designed to both shield the caster from harm and also draw power from the remains of a dead demon lord.
k(Planes) DC 25:
Spoiler:
Your familiarity with Dead Gods reminds you that dead demon lords are bound to the Rift of Repose. If Koth'Vaul is looking to steal power from a Dead God, that's probably the place to go.
A few more swings take a few more chunks of the Wormy Wizard, although the worms continue to reform as you swing!
Fully half of Kulik's swarm of arrows are deflected into the dead beetle's gullet, but the two that connect strike hard.
Kurik's axe cuts deeply into the Squirming Writhing body, once again hacking out huge chunks! Unfortunately, the worms getting hacked away begin to wriggle back toward the swarm, eating pieces of the Carrier Beetle Corpse to regain their strength!
Frag's first swing connects, chopping out a big portion of the Wizard, but the rest bounce off of Armor made of force and the small circling shield.
Kulik's first shot into the Battle Beetle's throat strikes home, dropping the giant carrier to the ground with a . As the beast falls, a Chitonous growth in the back of its throat breaks through one of many membranes, stuck within is a Chitonous Scythe.
Kurik and Frag swing away, delivering nasty gashes inside the Carrier Beetle's mouth, carving out huge chunks of flesh.
The Battle Beetle takes a bite at Kurik, before tossing his head back to dump everyone down to the pit of acid!
EDIT: Made a few corrections!
The Pink retriever attempts to take a bite out of Bellum on his way out...
Frag's Flurry of swings quickly takes down the Green Retriever, cleaving Limbs and cutting the eyes free from the machine's head, before it falls to the ground with a crunch. Jin-Goro effortlessly floats into the beetle's mouth, before putting a Sickly red palm on the beast's forehead. Just as the other one, it dissipates from the mouth with a blast of heat!
The Writhing Wizard wavers for a moment, the memory of the Shadow Flame distracting him from any further casting. Just the presence of the Carrier Beetle causes more worms and grubs to creep back toward the dazed wizard, replacing their scorched brethren with Stronger healthier replacements
After taking the Nasty bolt from Dusty, the Skinipede lashes out angrily, stretching all of its limbs to scratch and claw and bite as many people as possible.
Hey Guys!
As Bellum flies past the Green Retriever, it reaches out to bite and hold Bellum back!
After the Shadow Fire fills the inside of the Battle Beetle's mouth, it roars, before Chomping down twice on Bellum!
The Pink retriever, protecting its Master, approaches to attempt to distract the Gnomish Assailant, while Green assails KULIK!
Green Retriever @ KULIK!:
Hey Guys!
Jin-Goro, you recognize them as RETRIEVERS an Abyssal construct that looks to be formed from Cast-Off Shells of this Giant Beetle's husk, looking like a mix between a Giant Locust and a Giant Spider. As constructs, they have the standard Construct Immunities (Nonlethal, Stunning, Fatigue, Immune to Fortitude unless it effects Objects ETC) and are generally more nimble than anything else.
Two of the Lightning balls are quickly dodged, the nimble retrievers skittering around the Shocking Spheres. The Worm that walks narrows its eye sockets, before glancing specifically at Nikolai. "You seem to be more trouble than I wish to deal with. BEGONE!" With a wave of his hand, Nikolai disappears from the mass of tentacles!
The Acidic mess at the back of the Beetle's mouth rapidly begins to dissolve KULIK as he reacts!
The Yellow Retriever takes a bite at Kurik...
Hey Guys!
Hey Guys!
...but is 40' up so I'm guessing the bite doesn't happen...
Woof, almost lost that post Twice. For the record, I was working on that since about noon yesterday, because Why not 5 Monsters, a Caster, and a GIANT TERRAIN HAZARD?! >:D
Right after KULIK speaks, the Over-sized Battle Beetle roars and reaches out, snapping his teeth around him!
An instant later, it swings its head upward, trying to toss KULIK further down his gullet! As if summoned by the Beetle's roar, Several more of the Giant Spiders burrow out of the ground around you, flurrying Claws and Bites and Eye Lasers! Pink Retriever! (At KULIK!):
Laser Order: Fire, Cold, Electric, Petrify If KULIK falls into the goo, I can full attack! Otherwise, I will move and make a bite!
Green Retriever! (@ Bellum):
Laser Order: Fire, Cold, Electric, Petrify Move and Bite! Blue Retriever! (@ Jin-Goro):
Laser Order: Fire, Cold, Electric, Petrify Move and Bite! Yellow Retriever! (@ Kurik):
Laser Order: Fire, Cold, Electric, Petrify Move and Bite! Purple Retriever! @ Frag:
Laser Order: Fire, Cold, Electric, Petrify Move and Bite!
As people begin to gain elevation, the swarms of Fighting insects in the sky begin to take notice of the additional prey! K(Arcana) DC 21:
That giant spider is a RETRIEVER, an abyssal construct used to 'Retrieve' those that leave the service of Demon Lords.
Being constructs, they have the Standard construct traits, and do not have any particular resistances to spells. If Bellum wants to fly up:
Getting a glance inside the Beetle's mouth, you can barely see an invisible figure standing behind that Giant Spider, just in front of a pit of Stomach Acid.
Looking closer, Jin-Goro can determine that this 'Man' is made up of Thousands of Wriggling grubs as something similar to a Worm-That-Walks. Being made up of Constituent parts, they are immune to any effect that targets a specific number of creatures. Additionally, having no discernible anatomy, they are not subject to critical hits or flanking.
As Nikolai begins with his standard One-Two combo, he feels his spells fail to take hold. Nikolai:
First I'm going to need a Will Save!
Will DC26 Spoiler: This does not appear to be the real Wizard... Although the spells did originate from that space. This could prove to be a Very dangerous foe, if you can't determine exactly where he is! The 'Man' laughs, murmuring "How Cute!" before beginning with a 1-2 combo of his own. A thin green ray, reaches out from his outstretched finger toward Nikolai. Immediately after, with a quick snap, Black Tentacles erupt from the ground around you!
Initiative!:
With a bit of sorting around through the Dead Insect shells on the ground, KULIK can find a very faint trail, next to a more prominent path. With a name like 'Lying Horns' You get a feeling the Path less traveled is the way to go. Over the next hour, you see the wreckage that remains of the Rasping Rifts. Scores of eviscerated demons lay off in the distance, as scores more fight for dominance. Clouds of locusts and other flying insects darken the skies, Biting and stinging each other, the casualties dropping to the Canyon below. Insects crunch beneath your feet like dead leaves, leaving footprints like a dark mockery of an Irriseni winter. Following the trail further leads to a deep canyon, cut into the ground as if a massive claw gouged the land beneath it. The canyon winds and twists, the constant thrum of beating wings and chittering mouth-parts as a constant undercurrent to your thoughts. After another thirty minutes of travel, the canyon twists suddenly, revealing an enormous beetle the size of a war galley rearing its insectile head. Massive, chitinous plates cover every inch of its mighty frame, save for its gaping, toothy maw, which opens into the fleshy and tunnellike stomach of the beast. Standing in the gaping maw, just behind gnashing teeth is a man with a gnarled staff pointing toward you!
Two arrows go zooming over the roof of the Mansion, before impacting with a soft hollow THUD on the other side.
Unfortunately, their strikes aren't powerful enough to even break the skin of Marcus, leaving a slight bruise on his ankle.
Breath of Life (If you choose to do so):
Bellum Rushes to the crusaders aid, Calling forth divine energy to revive the wounded warrior.
Where normally, this divine energy would cause the wounded to sputter and cough back to life, it seems as if the energy itself is sucked out of your spell before it can even reach the crusader's heart. Heal DC 34
Spoiler:
This crusader should have died Hours, no Days ago from these wounds! The blood has started to dry and congeal on the ground underneath him... That doesn't seem right. The way looks clear, other than Downward into the Rasping Rifts, a bewildering maze of rifts and chasms. Swarms of crawling insects writhe over the canyon walls, and much of the ground is covered with molted husks and dead insects. The ground itself seems to writhe beneath your feet, as if the undulating bodies of thousands of insects crunched and skittered beneath the dry husks. While a trail isn't readily evident, tracking him down should be the next plan of action.
Jin-Goro is confident that the crusader believes every bit of what he said, and can easily identify holy symbols of Vildeis, as well as scars covering the crusaders arms. The portal looks stable enough, but you would probably be doing Golarion a service by closing it after you stopped Koth'Vaul.
Just over a low ridge, a gaping chasm rends the ground, a blood-red glow emanating from its depths. The rocky walls of the chasm are blanketed with buzzing locusts, and the sickly sweet scent of rotted fruit fills the air. An armored figure lying in a pool of blood near the edge of chasm suddenly lets out a gasp and speaks in a pained, halting voice. “Help... you must stop the demon. I tried to slay him but was struck down. He is searching for Riftcarver... a legendary weapon. He wants to use it... to open portals... summon demons.”
With a hacking gasp, the Crusader stops breathing, before his eyes go glassy and blank.
The Fool's foil flattens the feeble foe, before his fiendish friend flings itself forward, to feast upon the Fool's Flank!
The fool's rapier doesn't pierce through the Skinipede's thick rubbery skin, but the pressure is more than enough to bruise the already wounded beast.
Dusty's bolt sinks into corded muscle under loose skin, before the Skin-o-pede glares back at Dusty, sharp teeth chomping in his direction.
The instructions on in the book are Rudimentary, but explain how to use One dose of holy water to imbue one item with the True Name Fragments of Koth'Vaul's followers. You can imbue Weapons and Armor at the cost of 1 Holy Water per item (So a sword, a Shield, and a set of armor would be 3 Holy Water.) Additionally, while inscribing a Single PC can make a Single Check to ensure that the runes work as intended. K(Religion) or K(Arcana) can be used but Only one PC can attempt the check (No aid another!), and you only get One chance. Choose wisely!
Jorsal shudders when the Pallid Princess is brought up, but continues. "I have arranged Transportation to the portal where Grythyk was scouting. From there, you can hopefully pick up Koth'Vaul's trail inside the abyss. A visiting venture captain was gracious enough to lend her services to get you there Quickly."
The rusted, badly bent iron gate to this walled estate is dirty and hangs ajar, creaking gently in the breeze. The lawn is overgrown, and a thick tangle of vines has crept up the walls of the opulent estate building. An abandoned stable occupies the southwest corner of the grounds, and to the east, more buildings lie partly hidden behind bushes and crooked trees. After a quick inspection by the assembled party, you can easily determine that the gate itself looks pretty safe. The creaking of the rusty gate is followed up by rustling in the overgrown bushes just inside! More of the Mites are accompanied by a beast that looks like a Centipede wrapped in skin with a demonic face.
K(Nature)DC 11:
A DROCHTAC is a fey beast often found in association with Demonic Rites and Ruins. Their bodies, while looking emaciated, are filled with muscles coiled like a spring, granting them a surprising reach! Initiative!:
Jorsal looks sternly at Grythyk, before adding, "While I know you have a vested interest in the matter, you have a few more crusades ahead of you before being sent into this degree of danger. I'll have you on overwatch, to ensure that if there are issues, that they can be... retrieved."
Jorsal looks back to the seekers, before adding "If there are any further preparations that you would like to make, I would request that you hurry. Taking more than a day could let Koth’Vaul proceed with his plans without giving us an Opportunity to stop him. Best of luck, and may the Light of the Dawflower be with you." With that, Jorsal pulls 5 pawns out of a small wooden box next to the map, and places them in Nerosyan before beginning a small chant. The wooden pawns snap into place, almost as if magnetized.
The stairs heading up Starrise Spire are relatively steep, leading toward a large wooden door with a small plaque with RESERVED engraved into it. Grythyk swings open the door, revealing an open window looking out at the tortured landscape of the Worldwound brooding in the distance. A tall Garundi man in shining fullplate turns from the window, before smiling at Grythyk. "Thank you for retrieving our honored guests. I believe that we are waiting for one more, If you wouldn't mind waiting for him Outside?" he adds, before watching Grythyk shut the door behind him. “Greetings Pathfinders, I am Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury, but I'm sure that I have met you in the past.” Turning from the window, he smiles before adding, “I hope you all are well. This mission promises to be challenging, even for agents of your caliber.” Gesturing to seats around a wooden table, Jorsal continues to pace while speaking. "As you have likely heard by now, The Fifth Mendevian Crusade is over, at long last. With support from countless crusaders, including considerable assistance from the Pathfinder Society, a group of heroes has managed to seal the Worldwound. As a part of their charge through the Worldwound and into the Abyss, they slew a host of demons, most notable among them the demon lord Deskari. With the imminent threat of invasion gone, many of the holy warriors who served here have returned home. Mendev is still dealing with a continuing effort to clear out the Worldwound’s remaining demons, which is plenty of work to keep our crusaders busy. Yet danger remains—some opportunistic demons seek to seize upon pieces of the power vacuum left in Deskari’s wake." “One such demon is the glabrezu Koth’Vaul, also known as Lying Horns. No doubt some of you are familiar with his vile history. I sent Grythyk specifically to retrieve you, as he has some Personal experience with Koth'Vaul. His machinations have plagued the Pathfinder Society for years, including organizing the siege of Absalom. It was his foul magic that granted unholy resurrection to the corrupted Venture-Captain Thurl, another great enemy of the Society. After you all so Graciously put Thurl back down, we have been trying to pick up Koth'Vaul's trail to finish the job." Jorsal traces a line inked in red on the map, before circling a conspicuously empty on the map.
"Do you have any questions for me before you begin? Or perhaps questions for Grythyk, as a member of the Scouting party?"
Hey everyone, I'm willing to step in and your 6th player. I have a 14.2 Magus-Blackblade that I'm willing to Hey Aaron! As long as you are cool with High Tier Hard Mode, it starts as soon as you make your Character Introduction ;D
Yes, I just renamed the Old Campaign. That way, everyone's already here! I can set you to Inactive if you like Aderyn?
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