Akoril fails to knock out the shining child; Chim misses it. But the battle is soon over as the enemies are out of resources. You can dispatch the unconscious creature back to its home plane.
DC 36 Occultism, Arcana, DC 33 Religion:
Residual energies and ley lines denote that something happened here with deific energies that opened a rift to the astral plane and then closed once again, trapping the creatures here. Further, the ghosts in the room over seem to be far more powerful than they are, preventing them from even leaving the roonm as they would attack on sight.
In the room is a bracers of armor type II, a golden lions wondrous figurine, a 6th-level wand of vital beacon made of gold and inscribed with celestial symbols, and 784 gp and 801 sp in old Mzali coins.
Party Conditions: Inspired Terrain: Wall of force (6) Battlemap
────────── BEFORE YOUR TURN: ────────── Wisps: Dc 33 vs 46 fire Chimwemwe: Dc 33 vs 46 fire Akoril: Dc 33 vs 46 fire Kiri: Dc 33 vs 46 fire ────────── BOLD IS UP!: ──────────
Wisps (121/140 HP)
Shining Child 3 (-0 HP) │ Slow 1 1 min ➤ Chimwemwe(130/164 HP) ➤ Akoril(142/164 HP)
Shining child 2 (-81 HP) │ nonlethal dmg
Kiri (100/138 HP)
Shining child 1 (-124 HP) │ clumsy 1, -10 speed, stup 1
You form an invisible wall of pure magical force up to 50 feet long and up to 20 feet high. The wall has no discernible thickness. You must create the wall in an unbroken open space so its edges don't pass through any creatures or objects, or the spell is lost. The wall has AC 10, Hardness 30, and 60 Hit Points, and it's immune to critical hits and precision damage. The wall blocks physical effects from passing through it, and because it's made of force, it blocks incorporeal and ethereal creatures as well. Teleportation effects can pass through the barrier, as can visual effects (since the wall is invisible). Wall of force is immune to effects of its rank or lower that attempt to counteract it. The wall is automatically destroyed by a disintegrate spell of any rank.
You form an invisible wall of pure magical force up to 50 feet long and up to 20 feet high. The wall has no discernible thickness. You must create the wall in an unbroken open space so its edges don't pass through any creatures or objects, or the spell is lost. The wall has AC 10, Hardness 30, and 60 Hit Points, and it's immune to critical hits and precision damage. The wall blocks physical effects from passing through it, and because it's made of force, it blocks incorporeal and ethereal creatures as well. Teleportation effects can pass through the barrier, as can visual effects (since the wall is invisible). Wall of force is immune to effects of its rank or lower that attempt to counteract it. The wall is automatically destroyed by a disintegrate spell of any rank.
You form an invisible wall of pure magical force up to 50 feet long and up to 20 feet high. The wall has no discernible thickness. You must create the wall in an unbroken open space so its edges don't pass through any creatures or objects, or the spell is lost. The wall has AC 10, Hardness 30, and 60 Hit Points, and it's immune to critical hits and precision damage. The wall blocks physical effects from passing through it, and because it's made of force, it blocks incorporeal and ethereal creatures as well. Teleportation effects can pass through the barrier, as can visual effects (since the wall is invisible). Wall of force is immune to effects of its rank or lower that attempt to counteract it. The wall is automatically destroyed by a disintegrate spell of any rank.
the other astral creature conjures up a wall of force. TRAP AND KILL.
Wall o' force:
You form an invisible wall of pure magical force up to 50 feet long and up to 20 feet high. The wall has no discernible thickness. You must create the wall in an unbroken open space so its edges don't pass through any creatures or objects, or the spell is lost. The wall has AC 10, Hardness 30, and 60 Hit Points, and it's immune to critical hits and precision damage. The wall blocks physical effects from passing through it, and because it's made of force, it blocks incorporeal and ethereal creatures as well. Teleportation effects can pass through the barrier, as can visual effects (since the wall is invisible).
Wall of force is immune to effects of its rank or lower that attempt to counteract it. The wall is automatically destroyed by a disintegrate spell of any rank.
☀☀☀ The Sunlit Dormitory Round 2
Party Conditions: Inspired Terrain: Wall of force (6) Battlemap
────────── BEFORE YOUR TURN: ────────── Wisps: DC 33 vs 42 fire Shining child 2: DC 33 vs 38 fire, DC 33 vs 42 fire ────────── BOLD IS UP!: ────────── ➤ Wisps(107/140 HP)
Shining Child 3 (-0 HP) │ Slow 1 1 min
Chimwemwe (130/164 HP)
Akoril (142/164 HP)
Shining child 2 (-81 HP) │ nonlethal dmg
Kiri (138/138 HP) │ Shield
Shining child 1 (-24 HP)
────────── BEFORE YOUR TURN: ────────── Wisps: DC 33 vs 42 fire Chimwemwe: DC 33 vs 38 fire, DC 33 vs 42 fire Shining child 2: DC 33 vs 38 fire, DC 33 vs 42 fire ────────── BOLD IS UP!: ──────────
Wisps (107/140 HP)
Shining Child 3 (-0 HP) │ Slow 1 1 min ➤ Chimwemwe(150/164 HP) ➤ Akoril(142/164 HP)
Shining child 2 (-46 HP) │ nonlethal dmg
Kiri (138/138 HP)
Shining child 1 (-0 HP)
────────── BEFORE YOUR TURN: ────────── Wisps: DC 32 ref vs 44 fire, DC 33 vs 38 fire Chimwemwe: DC 33 vs 38 fire Shining child 2: DC 33 vs 38 fire ────────── BOLD IS UP!: ────────── ➤ Wisps(140/140 HP)
Shining Child 3 (-0 HP) │ Slow 1 1 min
Chimwemwe (150/164 HP)
Akoril (142/164 HP)
Shining child 2 (-46 HP) │ nonlethal dmg
Kiri (138/138 HP)
Shining child 1 (-0 HP)
────────── BEFORE YOUR TURN: ────────── Wisps: DC 32 ref vs 44 fire, DC 33 vs 38 fire Chimwemwe: DC 33 vs 38 fire Shining child 2: DC 33 vs 38 fire Kiri: DC 32 ref vs 44 fire, DC 33 vs 38 fire ────────── BOLD IS UP!: ──────────
Wisps (140/140 HP)
Shining Child 3 (-0 HP) │ Slow 1 1 min
Chimwemwe (150/164 HP)
Akoril (142/164 HP)
Shining child 2 (-14 HP) │ Slow 1 1 rnd, nonlethal dmg ➤ Kiri(138/138 HP)
Shining child 1 (-0 HP) │ Slow 1 1 rnd
Shining child 3 is slow and frightened; it drops a burst of pure suinlight right onto itself — and you!
DC 33-1 ref:8d10 ⇒ (4, 1, 8, 4, 10, 9, 7, 1) = 44
Save recults:
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature takes half damage.
Failure The creature takes full damage.
Critical Failure The creature takes full damage and becomes blinded permanently. If the globe overlaps with an area of magical darkness, sunburst attempts to counteract the darkness effect.
────────── BEFORE YOUR TURN: ────────── Wisps: DC 32 ref vs 44 fire Chimwemwe: DC 32 ref vs 44 fire Akoril: DC 32 ref vs 44 fire Kiri: DC 32 ref vs 44 fire ────────── BOLD IS UP!: ──────────
Wisps (140/140 HP)
Shining Child 3 (-0 HP) │ Slow 1 1 min ➤ Chimwemwe(164/164 HP) ➤ Akoril(164/164 HP)
Shining child 2 (-0 HP) │ Slow 1 1 rnd
Kiri (138/138 HP)
Shining child 1 (-0 HP) │ Slow 1 1 rnd
Your calls for rational action seem to only trigger the strange creatures more. They move to attack — to get out or die trying. Kiri yowls, frightening their nearest target.
You open the door; blinding light dazzles you and voices scream in your minds: LET US OUT SO LONG TRAPPED SO LONG THE GHOSTS WON'T LET US OUT NO MORE THINGS TO LEARN HERE HUNGRY FOR LEARNING SO HUNGRY TRAPPED SO LONG CAN THEY TEACH US WHATS UNDER THEIR SKIN AND SKULLS THESE ARE NO GHOSTS CAN THEY BE HURT RIPPED APART BURNT WE CAN LEARN WE CAN MAKE THEM LET US OUT LET US OUT LET US OUT LET US OUT
dc 29 fort save (arcane, aura, incapacitation [counts:
, light)]If you fail, blinded for 1 minute, and if you critically fails, it's permanently blinded. A creature that succeeds at its save is temporarily immune to this effect for 24 hours.
If you make the save:
You see three gaunt creatures shining with brilliant light, speaking telepathically at you. With their abnormally gaunt frames, long white hair, and unnerving, four-fingered hands, these creatures are both strangely familiar and otherworldly in appearance, though they are barely visible within the shroud of blinding light they continually emit. Their faces are truly horrible, however, as their overlarge eyes and distended, gaping mouths reveal their heads to be voids filled with unnatural light.
If you make the save, Recall Knowledge - Astral (Occultism): DC 30:
These are shining children, enigmatic creatures that roam remote planes and untraveled corners of the universe in search of esoteric lore. Shining children use this light as a weapon, weaving illusions and focusing beams of fiery brilliance.
You have a but beat in time before the mad creatures attack, unless you can somehow reason with them.
This large room contains several rotted bed frames and footlockers. The room is in disarray, with many of the bed frames turned over and footlockers strewn about. The walls feature an elaborate engraved night sky motif.
You find two greater potions of fire resistance, goggles of night, and old Mzali coins worth about 2000 gp.
On the floor is an elegant hooded lantern is made from onyx-black metal. Flecks of white metal speckled within the lantern’s housing resemble stars in a night sky. There is enough oil left in the lantern for a few hours.
DC 32 ID Magic:
This is a Greater Twilight lantern, when lit any light generated is magical moonlight.
Activate [one-action] envision; Effect You concentrate on the lantern’s light and reduce or increase its radius. The light can have a minimum radius of 5 feet and a maximum radius equal to triple the light’s standard radius. I guess this is the standard radius of a lantern
Activate [two-actions] envision, Interact; Frequency once per day; Effect You raise the lantern and unleash a beam of powerful moonlight, targeting a darkness effect within 60 feet. The lantern attempts to counteract the effect with a counteract modifier of +21.
You move through carefully, Wisps makes the wrong gestures but Chim's medallion distracts the ghosts enough for you to pass on. The ghosts pray and eat, anxiously whispering about Dajermube and hoping they stay hidden long enough that the Council won't find them — they whisper rumors that the Council is here in the area…
To the right are broken sun- and moon-keyed doors, to your left are locked sun- and moon-keyed doors, and head is a hallway.
Make a deception/disguise check and a religion check, etc. let's codify this with some rolls, perhaps one check from each PC, you choose the skill and how to do it.
Kiri blinks out of view, almost stumbling on a serving tray loaded with dishes, but then remembering it's incorporeal. They glide smoothly though it. Hero point used, confirmed via PM
While you are unable to identify exactly what kind of creatures these are, they exhibit traits similar to like troops of incorporeal spirits.
Perhaps there is a way to calm them, or to slip through among as one of them, without fighting them. They seem to have forgotten Kiri was even there, and are enjoying their feast at the moment, reliving a far more pleasant communal memory than their brutal slaughter at the hands of the Old Council.
Kiri pads forward, they see a dining hall laid lout with ghostly foodstuff — the spirits of the temple's faithful are gathered around a table, ready to relive a moment in time when they gathered over a communal meal of cooked vegetables. Most of them look like peasants or normal working folk, albeit marked with religious symbology.
Half of the spirits feature tattoos that glimmer with silvery moonlight, casting a silvery pall upon the ectoplasmic repast. The other half have markings that glow with the light of the sun, flickering like flames across the ancient stone benches.
A sun-marked priest intones a blessing over the meal: "Soon, the sun will eclipse. This moment will be the dawn of the Daughter of Chohar, and the eclipse of the Council of Mwanyisa.
A moon-marked priestess continues: Peace and blessings be upon us. We gather for Her bounty, and pray for her Strength, exalting in Dajermube's upcoming moment of apotheosis.
Together the two finish the incantation: "The sun and the moon do not eclipse for death or life. They they are two signs amongst the signs of Her apotheosis. A darkness in which meditate, to gather power… and the blinding flames that burn the wicked. In this very hour, She ascends to free the people of Mzali-Jimbuani from Tyranny of the Council. A new ——"
It's suddenly dead quiet. Then, in the temple above someone screams… the echoes of a terrible slaughter from the past ring through the old temple: iron footsteps pounding down the stairs, a mad councilman laughing as temple goers scream in fear and pain. Clashing weapons. BOOM! BOOM! The feet of the iron golems step closer… down the stairs…
The ghosts look up in fear, seeing Kiri… unable to distinguish their eternal past from a present they do not undersatand. Failed stealth check
My friends, weeps the sun-lit priest. The council's found us. They're here. He points at Kiri.
We may delay them long enough, even with our bare hands… our bodies… says the silver-glowing priestess. She stands and stares balefully at Kiri.
Be brave, for Dajermube, they say together as dozens of spirits rise up and rush forward.
You head down the stairs to the lower level, This area of the temple seems less finished, rough stone appears in places on the walls, and the sun-keyed and moon-keyed double door frame ahead is unfinished. Map slide updated
A squat stone oven is built into the northern wall of this spacious but malodorous kitchen. Several stone shelves line the wall to the south and a hefty stone preparation table stands in the center of the room. A pair of doors in the western wall lead into this room, and an open archway connects with a smaller room to the east — a pantry that might have once held dried meat, spices, and fruit that long since rotted away.
Detecting magic, you note that the oven is magical, and would give no smoke were it to be lighted again. Whoever used this temple was trying to stay hidden.
Left on a hook here is a magical cloak.
DC 31 identify magic:
Greater cloak of elvenkind
In the pantry is a misplaced healer's kit, which contains two greater healer's gels.
Produce flame makes the light brighter, but it's keyed to sunlight, not firelight!
You know from your studies that temples such as this may contain keys or artifacts that can be used as keys by their faithful. There are open stairs going down in the first room beore the the room where you fought the iron golems, and you might also be able to open up the other, closer, sun-keyed doors with refraction.
Binji is happy Akoril is proud of her, but then a little sad because she doesn't have any mirrors.
She sets her Immovable Broom of Wonder against the door as you continue on in the morning.
Down the hallway, past the golems and the collapsed room with the undead Council of Mwanyisa members, you shoot a beam of weak sunlight at the last door. It opens into a long hallway with another dun-keyed door at the end, but this one doesn't respond to the light, which is weakened and diffused.
You head back and rest for the night without incident.
Binji has the room much cleaner than before and has been using her magic to clean the old sheets. Her Akoril, Wisps, Chimwemwe, and Alrinkiri dolls are neatly propped on a pillow; the satchel of potions “borrowed” from Koride’s office sits on the floor. The water is fresh and clean; the food from the magical cabinets is fresh.
As you heal you inspect the powerful corpses. They wear ancient symbols of office of the Council of Mwanyisa; these creatures were once some of the region's most powerful individuals after the group took thousands of years ago, before the Walkena's return.
Whatever was happening in this secret shrine threatened the Council's very rule — something potent enough for them to deal with it personally and with powerful forces like iron golems.
--
Ahead is a sun-keyed door, but the light from Chimweme's prisms is growing weak from distance and refractions, and opening more than one more door in this direction might be impossible without the assistance of a spell or magical item that produces more direct sunlight.
1 door forward, or go back to the other doors, or down the stairs
Kiri's furious assault leaves gouts of undead flesh sizzling on the floor, but Akoril taps deep into his reserves to finally drop the awful burning thing. It howls as its inner fire is snuffed out, and the room is quiet.
Kiri slashes the creature twice, shredding a little less than they normally do against the thousands-of-year-old undead hide. Akoril's arrow sinks into the creature's shoulder.
Failing to escape, through watery eyes Chim feels the dead Councilperson's claws slip from his arm… the creature grins, chanting evil words in ancient Mzunu… growing brighter and brigher with the light of the sun…
────────── BEFORE YOUR TURN: ────────── Chimwemwe: DC 34 basic fort vs 56 fire Kiri: DC 34 basic fort vs 56 fire Akoril: DC 34 basic fort vs 56 fire ────────── BOLD IS UP!: ────────── ➤ Chimwemwe(104/164 HP) ➤ Kiri(71/138 HP)
Shining Corpse 1 (-98 HP) ➤ Akoril(57/164 HP) │ Wounded 1 ➤ Wisps(89/140 HP)
The dead councilmember creature takes some damage from the positive energy that washes over it, but it resists some of it and, to boot, doesn't see weak.
Chim, flanking, misses. When he tries to grab it the light dazzles his eyes and the creature grapples him back! crit miss
────────── BEFORE YOUR TURN: ────────── Chimwemwe: DC 34 fort vs 51 fire Kiri: DC 34 fort vs 51 fire Wisps: DC 34 fort vs 51 fire ────────── BOLD IS UP!: ──────────
Akoril (21/164 HP) ➤ Chimwemwe(164/164 HP) ➤ Kiri(96/138 HP)
Shining Corpse 1 (-34 HP)
Wisps (140/140 HP)
Shining Corpse 2 (-149 HP)
────────── BEFORE YOUR TURN: ────────── Akoril: DC 24 vs 13 B, 10 fire, then DC 34 fort vs 51 fire Chimwemwe: DC 34 fort vs 51 fire Kiri: DC 34 fort vs 51 fire Wisps: DC 34 fort vs 51 fire ────────── BOLD IS UP!: ────────── ➤ Akoril(95/164 HP) │ Grabbed ➤ Chimwemwe(164/164 HP) ➤ Kiri(96/138 HP)
Shining Corpse 1 (-34 HP)
Wisps (140/140 HP)
Shining Corpse 2 (-149 HP)
After Akoril buffs the group and lances an arrow into the corpse Kiri strikes, ignoring the creatures' natural concealment. Chim sends his gear into overdrive before clobbering the corpse as well!
#1 rushes in and attacks the gnoll, who's buffing and dishing out lots of damage.
Claw:1d20 + 29 ⇒ (13) + 29 = 42 S:3d6 + 13 ⇒ (2, 4, 5) + 13 = 24 Fire:2d8 ⇒ (4, 8) = 12Ignoring the rider since True strike is active
Grab:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (9) + 23 = 32
Grabbing ahold of the gnoll, it then squeezes hi neck.
DC 34 fort:2d6 + 6 ⇒ (5, 2) + 6 = 13 and fire:2d8 ⇒ (7, 3) = 10
────────── BEFORE YOUR TURN: ────────── Akoril: DC 24 vs 13 B, 10 fire ────────── BOLD IS UP!: ──────────
Akoril (95/164 HP) │ Grabbed
Chimwemwe (164/164 HP)
Kiri (96/138 HP)
Shining Corpse 1 (-18 HP) ➤ Wisps(140/140 HP)
Shining Corpse 2 (-133 HP)
Wisps' arrow strikes home, sinking into the thick flesh.
Warlords and heroes alike often fell their enemies and leave the corpses behind, exposed to elements or strange energies. Undead tend to rise in the dark of night and shun the cleansing rays of the sun, but this isn’t the rule for all undead. The corpse of a particularly evil individual left exposed to the constant beating of the sun or deific powers of the sun might arise as a Sunburst Corpse.
These undead radiate light and wield sunlight as a weapon. Sunburst corpses initially seek revenge for their deaths but thereafter wander with undirected rage.
They are called "Sunburst" because they can unleash a burning blast of energy. 20' emanation fire damage, basic ref
These creatures are also fast. The other undead rushes straight at your group.
Alphabetical order:1d3 ⇒ 1
It claws at Akoril:
Claw:1d20 + 29 ⇒ (7) + 29 = 36 S:3d6 + 13 ⇒ (5, 6, 1) + 13 = 25 Fire:2d8 ⇒ (7, 1) = 8 Grab:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (2) + 23 = 25
And a DC 34 fort save, if you fail you are dazzled.
The claws slash the gnoll's hide. Rumbling dark curses in a Mwangi dialect that is thousands of years old the creature tries to claw again…
Chim's mase of lenses and mirrors takes a while to set up, but once he does he proves his throet correct; aiming the beam at the sun-marked door, it slides open. Exposed is a long hallway straight ahead, and the beam hits that too and opens it.
You move into a collapsed chamber. Countless bones litter the floor.
Two bloated corpses, orifices exploding with radiant light, rise up and rush at you. The light is blinding. Kiri tries to intimidate them one of them, but they are too caught off-guard by the sensory assault to do much more than gasp in surprise. Intimidation fail
2 60' auras. whole map. All please make a 2 DC 31 fort saves. (aura, evocation, incapacitation, light, occult, visual)
Spoiler:
success=immune for 24 hours, fail = blinded for 1 minute, cf = ??
────────── BEFORE YOUR TURN: ────────── Akoril: 2 DC 31 fort Chimwemwe: 2 DC 31 fort Kiri: 2 DC 31 fort Wisps: 2 DC 31 fort ────────── BOLD IS UP!: ────────── ➤ Akoril(164/164 HP) ➤ Chimwemwe(164/164 HP) ➤ Kiri(138/138 HP)
Shining Corpse 1 (-0 HP)
Wisps (140/140 HP)
You are unable to confirm with your learnings how to open the doors. [ooc]the ap pits a high dc on this but you may be able to try different theories or trick them open. There may also be keys elsewhere.[/opc]
The doors look similar to the ones up top, where the sun doors were open and the moon doors were closed. reminder: “ The entrance to the temple is a large, open archway that leads into a small room. The ceiling is glass, letting sunlight cascade in.”
While you may have theories Chim can’t confirm any particular way they function, however.
The last automaton fights on, but is soon bested. <30hp left.
You investigate the oom with the statues.
The statues are all broken; the Old Sun Gods channeled power through the statues but the old stone could no longer handle the energy; these foci are now broken.
The doors in this chamber, marked with a sun and moon., have no handles. Kiri finds they are not pickable. These doors are made of magically reinforced stone (Hardness > 40) and have no discernible handle or way to open them. Each side of the double doors are marked with a moon and one with a sun.
In the chamber you came here in, 2 stairwells head further down. I forgot to mention these, you can see them on the battle map. :)
The golem resists some of the spell, but it's enough to finally melt its joints into slag, disabling the thing for good.
The statue then cracks in half.
Kiri glances around. The statues of the gods are all shattered. They cannot channel the energies of the divine any longer. Each of the old gods has intervened as best they could… the rest is up to you.
Either you are pushed back or make a DC 37 fort save each time, you will take damage as if by the fist unless you crit succeed. Given this, I will assume Chim allows himself to be shoved, but if you would like to attempt a save, please do so
