Congratulations!
It took 4 years, 11 months, and 4 days to complete War for the Crown from the first post (link) to this one. We took a whole year on one book alone while you established yourselves as country nobles in Meratt County. Good times.
It’s been a pleasure GMing this AP for you. Thanks again for all the great feedback, and for your own generous creativity. I hope you had as much fun as I did.
Shortly thereafter, you ride to Oppara in your carriage, taking a few more days to actually arrive - and increasing the train of people following as you go. Nobles currying favor with the new to-be Queen ride along with a small force of troops to show their support. By the time you reach Oppara though, you’re at the head of an army! You can’t help but wonder if that was the point - and suspect Martella’s hand in this.
The Princess rides through town bedecked in a very fancy open carriage, waiving to the people on her way to the Senate. It’s been arranged that the coronation will go forward as planned, though with Princess Eutropia instead of Prince Carrius. It didn’t take much to push the Senate in the end as there are no further reasonable options. And of course you have the Mantle of Kings which will prove Eutropia’s right to rule. No Senator will rule against that.
The Princess is swept up by the palace guard, the very same you so skillfully avoided just a few days ago. Of course the Ulfen guard also puts their support behind the Princess and they too close ranks to protect her. You are, for the first time in a while, not required.
You have three days until the coronation, and in Oppara as guests of the Princess to boot! Gifts are being lavished on you by nobles currying favor with the Princess, and of course by the Princess herself - in thanks for all you’ve done. In the end, these gifts total some quarter of a million gold - each. Much of it is in rare art and magics, but some is just cold hard cash.
As things seem to be pretty well wrapped up for Her, you start to wonder what is next for each of you. Will you take up positions in the Queen’s new government? She’ll be glad to have you. Will you go back to Stachys as Viscounts and rule your country estate? Someone needs to. Or will you do something completely different? Perhaps become Senators yourselves.
Please feel free to post about your future plans, hopes, and dreams. A final statement, as dreams they must be, for this is the end of the campaign. So one more round for posterity.
"Thank you, Baron. I hope you enjoy your retirement and that we can do even more to assist the Princess from these positions."
”Oh, the Princess owes you. I wouldn’t be surprised if she gave you the Palace of Birdsong!” he chortles, though there’s some seriousness behind it.
Major Kort is sure the Okarra’s are sincere.
Mallë-o i Otos Elen wrote:
"Nice to meet you Baroness. Oh, Baron Okerra, it's too much! How can we ever thank you enough?"
He stops and thinks a moment, ”Rule wisely… but from what I’ve seen of Stachys, you will do just fine.”
He bows to you deeply, as does his wife, for you are now, or will be soon, higher ranked than he. He doesn’t lose his title, just his lands as he leaves the service.
"If you're stepping down, where are you stepping to?"
”We’ve bought a place near Cassomir. We’ll be close enough to the city to visit, but there’s said to be excellent hunting on the grounds.” his eyes sparkle at the thought. ”I think I’m going to breed horses there too. See if I can improve my stock and expand beyond my borders, as it were.”
The party appears in the Palace of Birdsong, rather startling a maid cleaning the Princesses bedroom in her absence.
The Princess is keen to return to Oppara, but at the head of a full retinue of courtiers and a strong military presence (for the show of it). It will take a few days to prepare the needed pomp and circumstance, in coordination with Martella already in Oppara of course.
You find yourselves with little to do for those days, though the Princess keeps you close - both for her own protection and to lavish praise upon you - though tempered by your failure to save her brother. Well, ‘failure’ is a strong term considering the state he was in, and you’ve done so much. She is grateful, and makes it plain.
While you’re waiting, Baron Nicolaus Okerra, your neighbor in Meratt County, comes to visit. You know he helped get Martella out of the region when things when bad with the Prince, so he could be wanting to talk to you about that. You’ve had good relations, though he’s remained relatively aloof and out of politics for the most part. Not his cup of tea.
He arrives timely, after formally requesting an audience, with a new Baroness on his arm. You spend a few moments with small talk, though there’s clearly something on his mind - something that nearly has him giggling with excitement. His wife more than once calms him and keep him from jumping in with both feet before the niceties are complete.
Eventually, he just can’t contain himself anymore, ”My friends, I have been given permission to bring you great news! I am stepping away from the Barony. All the latest politics has made me realize I have no will to be a lord over others. It’s just not my thing, you understand.”
”When I brought this up with the Princess, we became sidetracked with issues of state, this being just before Her assassination you understand. Anyway, we finally had our conversation, and She agreed to my terms.” He grins somewhat maniacally.
”I am stepping down, and the soon-to-be Queen is going to grant you my lands for your services.”
”…and a new title.” his wife quietly reminds him, grinning herself.
”Yes, and a new title! You are all to be Viscounts here-forth! Congratulations!” He leaps to his feet and comes around to shake you each by the hand. ”Princess Eutropia will make it official of course once coronated.”
The Princess shakes her head, ”We saw an Imperial Magus out there with them. They can see invisibility when so ordered, and with the death of a monarch-to-be, I expect it. He might not be looking our way - so it might work. But it’s risky.”
Still, if that’s the only option, the Princess will agree to it. If that’s the plan, you’ll need to make stealth checks - but you may have other options.
I'm pretty sure you did not use the second teleport scroll. I don't see it on the group sheet though - at what level was it crafted? Probably high enough to get the party so 4 people plus the caster. If standard, you can teleport 3 people, plus the caster. You can go all the way to the Palace of Birdsong if you wish - the Princess can be seen there so as to help allay suspicion. That would get most of you out safely. There would still be one, or two, left behind.
You also have scrolls of air walk, unused. It would take two to cover everyone, but you have four. Less risky to depart as gas, and a bit better (faster) than gaseous form.
You console the Princess, and eventually she pulls herself together. As she does however, you hear an alarm beyond the door. ”They’ve found Prince Ca…” she hesitates a moment before finding the strength to continue, ”Carrius’s body. We must make haste - they’ll call up the guard, and we might not make it out!”
You reverse your path, one which Major Kort did his best to memorize. Still, the Princess bypasses all traps, whispers safe words to all golems, and guides you through the mazes with speed. You reach the outermost secret door - the one in an otherwise nondescript wall. However, with the alarm, the wall is now guarded by well spaced Imperial Palace Sentries (image). Their backs are to you, but they won't help but be able to see you as you exit.
”Blast” the Princess closes the door again before you’re noticed. ”We can’t be seen here. We wouldn’t be the first in Taldor to commit regicide to get the throne. That thought can’t enter the public mind or Our rule will be over before it begins.”
She turns to the party for suggestions. Your disguises might suffice for a casual glance on the streets, but they won’t survive a substantial and extended inquiry. Further, you know from living here, the Imperial Palace Sentries re very good at what they do. As palace guards go, many agree they’re the best in the world.
Muri speaks up from the back. "We freed him, but he couldn't be saved."
The shock of the blunt truth is more than Princess Eutropia can handle. She had such high hopes! She collapses on the dusty floor, sobbing at the renewed loss of her brother, so recently returned to her.
Prince Carrius seems calmed by all your kind words and he nods to Edelmira. With considerable effort, he bows before you all with great respect - his final act. Then he sort of folds in on himself in a burst of white light and the whole room is lost to the brightness.
As your vision clears, you find yourselves back in the courtyard, where you entered the doorway created by Edelmira’s ring - which is now inert. Prince Carrius is dead - you’re certain of it - though the alarm is not yet raised. You see no more door, and you’re not sure how much time has passed, but the courtyard is still empty. The secret door, and your escape, lies on the other side.
You move swiftly and relatively quietly to the secret panel and open it to find Princess Eutropia waiting for you there. ”You’re back, already? It hasn’t been but a few minutes. You said not to wait, but…” She drifts off and re-examines you, ”Where’s Our brother? Where is Carrius?! Did you not succeed?” She demands to know what happened and refuses to budge until you do - though she does close the secret door to the courtyard behind you just as a very old man with a brush-broom moves in and begins peacefully sweeping.
Kamari opens up on the elemental with cold damage - to which he’s vulnerable! Thanks to being flat footed, she hits twice. Major Kort hits every time, and is frustrated the creature cannot be crit… Still, the most damage he’s ever done I suspect! Elen smacks the emperor and his sidekick, though the angel has high DR (10). Edelmira groans on the ground, her chest heaving trying to catch her breath and not let it slip away… But at least she’s stable. Murialso hits every time in part thanks to the booster from Elen - though DR applies to each shot. Except for smite!
Still, it’s enough. The angels cast their healings, but they’re healing a corpse - not even a 130hp heal brings Stavian I back to health…
They both spin into the light and fade from sight!
A peal of thunder rolls throughout the cavernous chamber, and though you’re inside, rain begins to pelt you, putting out the many fires within, including the remains of Stavian I.
The rain turns to a fine mist, and then a gray cloud, and finally a white one before you find yourself again in the great cathedral of Taldor’s throne room. You are dry and Edelmira is conscious with 1 hit point. (To save a little needless wanding while the Prince speaks.)
Prince Carrius is there, and looks almost human - no longer a rag doll - though also largely translucent at the same time. The boy looks at you with clear eyes. While his frame is fragile and his face lined with fatigue, Carrius’s expression is peaceful.
“They are gone,” he says with wonder, almost a whisper. “The only one inside is me now. I remember everything - my death, my passage on, and how the circle drew me back here. Thank you. All I ever wanted was the peace that was robbed from me. You have granted me that. A debt I cannot repay.”
As Carrius speaks, the mindscape begins to shudder and warp. Cracks appear in the floor and walls as motes of light crumble from the ceiling above. Obvious pain crosses his face. “You are free to leave now. Return to my sister. Tell her... tell her I’m sorry I have to go, and that I know she can be... the ruler Taldor needs. But I can’t be there for her. What’s left of me... it’s not enough.”
He sighs, ”My soul isn’t whole - that’s why the circle invited the spirits in. To control me. Now it’s time for me to return. It was nice to visit. I’m so sorry for the trouble I’ve caused.” He breaks off, growing wispy. Er, wispy-er.
Kamari fails to tumble, but does successfully hit, though DR 5 applies - first blood! Major Kort flies up and makes a divine preparation. Elen does in fact feint him, which means she hits - and hard (though DR 5 also applies). Edelmira hits three times, and even manages to demoralize her foe! Muri hits thrice, but does not fell this foe (also DR).
Stavian I continues to recite prayers to Aroden, and litanies against the Dawnflower. He calls out to Aroden by name, to come and save him from these heathens - and He, or something, responds! Two magnificent creatures appear slowly from a white mist. These tall, human-like creature have long, feathery wings and a gentle inner radiance that makes them difficult to look at directly.
Knowledge Planes DC 24:
They are Astral Devas! Strangely, NG Medium outsider (angel, extraplanar, good).
Astral devas are messengers of the gods of good. They watch over planar travelers and sponsor powerful mortals, pushing them to take on good causes. A typical astral deva looks human except for its wings, though some look like other humanoid races and a rare few have even more unusual forms. An astral deva is 7-1/2 feet tall and weighs 250 pounds.
- - -
The two creatures look lovingly upon Emperor Stavian I. Almost in unison, they cast spells upon him…
One casts Heal, and Stavian I is healed of 130hp of his damage. The other casts Aid, granting him temp hp:1d8 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16 and a small boost to his attacks.
Smiling, Stavian I presses his attacks on Edelmira for now, swiftly targeting her humanity (greater bane).
After four hits, Edelmira, the Night Swan, falls. She lies in a pool of her own blood, I believe at -33 and dead though not a crit (though hero points apply)...
He switches targets to Kamari, though no bane applies to this attack!
DP Longsword:1d20 + 34 + 4 - 1 + 5 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 34 + 4 - 1 + 5 - 2 + 1 = 46damage:2d6 + 21 + 5 - 1 ⇒ (1, 6) + 21 + 5 - 1 = 32
Kamari takes to the air, but hovers along the ground as she moves into position. Major Kort dispels the flight of the emperor, but he had no other spells going. Elen double moves into position. Edelmira struggles both to hit, and avoid being hit - though she does at least close. Muri casts prayer, to aid his allies, and stifle his enemy.
(His attacks overcome your stoneskin spell. So don’t apply the DR 10 on your injuries vs the emperor.)
Stavian I recites prayers to Aroden, and litanies against the Dawnflower (Sarenrae) as he fights - seemingly leaning into the words for their power. Though Aroden is long dead, he still seems to draw power from his praying. He casts Divine Power according to those of you with the skill to see it. He seems to brighten with religious fervor and grows in power.
Special attacks include d8 fire damage on attacks, exploit weakness (if he crits, no DR applies - and his fire goes through your resistance), Greater Bane (+2att / +4d6 dam to target of Bane, selected as a swift action), smiting (overcomes your stoneskin DR as his weapons are considered adamantine), two judgements (fast healing 5, justice +4 att). Oh, the list goes on…
He is vulnerable to cold… That’s his weakness.
- - -
The red glow of leaping flames and drifting embers illuminates the endless expanse of the large hall. Iron cages hang from the ceiling and posts, each one holding a burning, writhing skeleton that clutches the bars with blackened finger bones and working its jaw in silent agony.
Now and then, a thin scream - more like the hiss of a kettle than a human sound - pierces above the crackle of flames.
Stavian I is remembered as the emperor who forbade the worship of Sarenrae in Taldor, believing the faithful of Sarenrae aided the enemy Qadiran army. History describes Stavian I as a pious emperor who stamped out heresy for the good of the nation, though this goal was not accomplished without bloodshed.
The pogroms that ended Sarenrae’s worship in Taldor were violent affairs. Innocent worshipers were caught up alongside spies and traitors, and executed all the same. Stavian allowed the torture of suspected enemy agents to obtain military intelligence and burned entire communities to the ground to drive “Qadiran loyalists” from Taldan soil. Despite the harm done, the legend believes he was justified in his actions. He embodies the belief that a nation must be united philosophically and religiously in order to remain strong, and he sees the you as heretics who will divide the empire.
Stavian I’s legend appears as a handsome Taldan man, larger than life and sculpted from living flame. In a reasonable, resonant voice, he says, “All I have done, I did to protect Taldor. Can you not see how weak our nation was? The Cult of the Dawnflower would have broken us in two, with Qadira waiting to strike once we were brought low. What’s this? More heretics. You shall serve as an example to others.”
He wields a longsword, wears a mithral breastplate, and other odds and ends.
Knowledge Planes DC 32:
Stavian I is a unique male large fire elemental. LE Large outsider (elemental, extraplanar, fire).
This red marble door glows from within and is warm to the touch. On its surface is engraved a vista of leaping flames. Tormented faces hidden within the flames stare out from the door with despairing eyes.
This is the realm of Stavian I, first of his line and the emperor who declared a religious pogrom against the church of Sarenrae.
Elen attacks pink and red, shattering red and harming pink for the first time. Edelmira turns on the emperor, with one less blade. She hits twice, though no crit. Major Kort begins to whittle down blue, hitting thrice. Kamari fumbles, unable to take a chunk out of pink for the moment. Muri tires himself out hitting the emperor three more times… and finishing him!
The unholy undead thing he had become, writhes as it melts into the cracks and patterns of the floor - along with the other dead and dying. The two remaining blades shatter and fall to pieces on the floor below.
There’s that flicker of reality warping around you, and you find yourself back in the throne room, with only scraps left of the prince - and but one door remains.
Elen shatters the green scimitar, as the dominoes begin to fall. Edelmira finishes off the already damaged purple, leaving Major Kort to target Red (the only other damaged one). He does not finish it off however. Nor does Kamari though she hits the blade well (no crits on the blades). Muri, hoping that three shattered scimitars will give him some room, targets the emperor! Though he does nearly 200 points of damage (yes, the DR dropped considerably!), the emperor continues to press forward, trying to engage the Night Swan!
The emperor 5’ steps and hopes to harm Edelmira.
slam on Night Swan:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (20) + 23 = 43Damage:2d6 + 12 ⇒ (1, 5) + 12 = 18 and 1 level drain
critthreat slam on Night Swan:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (2) + 23 = 25Damage:2d6 + 12 ⇒ (3, 4) + 12 = 19 and 1 level drain
slam on Night Swan:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (17) + 23 = 40Damage:2d6 + 12 ⇒ (1, 1) + 12 = 14 and 1 level drain
slam on Night Swan:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (16) + 23 = 39Damage:2d6 + 12 ⇒ (4, 3) + 12 = 19 and 1 level drain
slam on Night Swan:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (8) + 23 = 31Damage:2d6 + 12 ⇒ (3, 4) + 12 = 19 and 1 level drain
The blades continue to dance around him, blocking all comers. In a very cheat-y way, they continue to attack as well though there’s only three left.
The red and pink shift 5’ and attack Kamari.
red scimitar on Kamari:1d20 + 21 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 21 + 1 = 32damage:2d6 + 13 ⇒ (1, 4) + 13 = 18 pink scimitar on Kamari:1d20 + 21 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 21 + 1 = 35damage:2d6 + 13 ⇒ (6, 5) + 13 = 24
Blue shifts and continues on Major Kort.
blue scimitar on Major Kort:1d20 + 21 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 21 + 1 = 31damage:2d6 + 13 ⇒ (3, 1) + 13 = 17
The Night Swan is hit twice! Though not a critical, she still loses a bit of damage after the stoneskin, and two levels... Major Kort is also hit, though not with level draining abilities.
Elen hits with her AoO, but only once more as Desna turns her face away for the moment. The attacks are not sufficient to destroy the blade as yet. Edelmira very nearly cracks the blade with her vigor, but it does not, quite, break - though surely it must be close! Major Kort, with his second shot, shatters the orange scimitar - though his follow up attacks on purple are both misses. Kamari keeps pressing the red one, though it’s far from breaking. Muri manages a trio of shots on purple, previously untouched.
The emperor 5’ steps and unloads on Edelmira - or tries to!
slam on Night Swan:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (2) + 23 = 25Damage:2d6 + 12 ⇒ (4, 1) + 12 = 17 and 1 level drain
slam on Night Swan:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (8) + 23 = 31Damage:2d6 + 12 ⇒ (5, 4) + 12 = 21 and 1 level drain
slam on Night Swan:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (10) + 23 = 33Damage:2d6 + 12 ⇒ (6, 3) + 12 = 21 and 1 level drain
slam on Night Swan:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (4) + 23 = 27Damage:2d6 + 12 ⇒ (2, 2) + 12 = 16 and 1 level drain
The blades continue to dance around him, blocking all comers. In a very cheat-y way, they continue to attack as well.
The red and pink shift 5’ and attack Kamari.
red scimitar on Kamari:1d20 + 21 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 21 + 1 = 42damage:2d6 + 13 ⇒ (5, 4) + 13 = 22 critthreat red scimitar on Kamari:1d20 + 21 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 21 + 1 = 35damage:2d6 + 13 ⇒ (4, 3) + 13 = 20
What is solid/cover on the map? The circular columns and braziers? Any raised sections?
Pretty much just the pillars. The flames are continual flames set in the floor. So you can stand on them, though it’s a little funky as it makes it look like you’re on fire, though you’re not. The stairs raise up to the throne, so the dark brown stones indicate the divider between the low and the high (15’ up) - though I doubt that’ll come into effect. Everything else are just patterns in the floor - done in marble, and bronze (gold being too soft for the floor).
Elen notches the green scimitar, her adamantine overcoming the hardness and she bluffs the emperor, though DR 30 applies and so he is uninjured. Edelmira notches the orange scimitar as well, though hardness 10 applies I think. Major Kort climbs and readies himself for battle. Kamari tumbles in and slashes a blade, also taking a rather substantial notch out of it. Muri tries for orange, as determination sets in - hitting four times, though hardness takes its toll.
The emperor moves up (no reach!) and swings on Edelmira up close!
slam on Night Swan:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (4) + 23 = 27Damage:2d6 + 12 ⇒ (5, 4) + 12 = 21 and 1 level drain
The blades continue to dance around him, blocking all comers. In a very cheat-y way, they are also able to attack!
The red scimitar attacks Kamari as does pink.
red scimitar on Kamari:1d20 + 21 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 21 + 1 = 36damage:2d6 + 13 ⇒ (5, 5) + 13 = 23 pink scimitar on Kamari:1d20 + 21 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 21 + 1 = 27damage:2d6 + 13 ⇒ (6, 2) + 13 = 21
Blue double moves up onto Major Kort.
Green attacks Elen, though she gets an AoO on it as it closes.
green scimitar on Elen:1d20 + 21 ⇒ (6) + 21 = 27damage:2d6 + 13 ⇒ (6, 3) + 13 = 22
Orange sticks with the Night Swan, though it does shift slightly.
orange scimitar on Night Swan:1d20 + 21 ⇒ (12) + 21 = 33damage:2d6 + 13 ⇒ (4, 2) + 13 = 19
Purple flies up on Muri and swings as well.
purple scimitar on Muri:1d20 + 21 ⇒ (13) + 21 = 34damage:2d6 + 13 ⇒ (5, 5) + 13 = 23
It is a stalemate so far as each side harms the other, though the party can be said to have the upper hand.
- Round 2 -
Elen - 9 (-8hp)
Edelmira - 8
Major Kort - 6
- Round 3 -
Kamari - 24
Muri - 21 (-23hp)
Emperor Gennaris III - 11 (-29hp)
Green scimitar - 11 (-22hp)
Orange scimitar - 11 (-65hp)
Red scimitar - 11 (-34hp)
As the emperor closes, you all (now that you're within 60') affected by his frightful presence. Will DC 26 or be shaken (-2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks) for the combat.
Kamari moves up a bit and starts to parley, though Muri is likely correct that this is war. Speaking of which, Muri encounters DR 30!! Still, thanks to his smite, some damage gets through.
The scimitars weave around the emperor, blocking the worst of the blows as they come! Damn Qadiran blades! Strong stuff.
The emperor vaults forward, his writhing form almost rolling down the steps as he approaches the party. He doesn’t make it all the way of course, but as he goes, he gathers a mass of broken arms and armor, rolls it into a scrap ball - and throws! It explodes in the party’s midst - if he throws it with any accuracy.
Currently? DR 30/-, no known weaknesses, but he does have a drain attack, and he can absorb a dying creature. Oh, and he can trample. :)
The blades are animated constructs, so hardness 10, but I don't think they are dispelable. Anti-magic shell might work though, or something on that order. I think the rod of cancellation would work, against one of them.
- - -
This iron door is dull and marked with countless slices and nicks. A curved scimitar embedded in the door drips a constant stream of red blood. Stepping over the growing stream of blood, you open the door.
Screams and cries of pain echo across a miserable battlefield, though you’re still in the great hall. Buzzing flies and the stench of rotting flesh choke the air. Bodies lie piled in heaps on the blood-soaked tile, some of them still reaching out to beg for care or a swift death. Hands twitch and eyes blink in the charnel piles. Against the tall arched ceiling, an armored figure stands tall among the dead, surrounded by six gore-covered scimitars floating above the floor.
This is the territory of Emperor Gennaris III, the Conqueror, remembered as one of Taldor’s greatest military leaders.
Gennaris made a name for himself as a general who fought on Qadiran soil for many years. The third in line for the throne, he never expected to become emperor, but the deaths of his older brothers saw him crowned late in life. Gennaris served as emperor for only a few years before returning to Qadira, determined to lead by example and inspire Taldans to fight. He was killed in a Qadiran ambush several months later and is remembered as a war hero and martyr.
“Taldor is a nation that stands or falls by the strength of her blade. Such was true for Taldaris, and your hands are far from clean. But death’s greatest failing is that it can stop but a single soldier. Never an army.”
As he speaks, the bodies of the dead and dying writhe toward him, gathering together into a misshapen, serpentine form that merges with Gennaris (image).
Knowledge Religion DC 31:
You face a variant warsworn (NE Gargantuan undead).
Warsworns are massive undead amalgams, their evershifting, chaotic bodies composed of countless slain soldiers and their armor and weapons. The shambling, serpentine form of a warsworn creates a grotesque, metallic cacophony as the weapons and armor of countless souls clash as though still in the throes of a never-ending battle. A warsworn forms by the will of a god or goddess of undeath or war, or spontaneously from the bloodlust and wrath of a battlefield of dead soldiers. Once created, a warsworn exists to spread the rage of war, ravage the land, and spread the carnage of battle.
- - -
Gennaris was famous for killing six Qadiran generals in single combat. He kept each one’s sword as a trophy of his prowess. Those six swords, far larger in the people’s memory than in life, now roam the battlefield on their own - surrounding Gennaris.
Knowledge Arcana DC 26:
You face unusual animated objects! N small constructs.
- - -
I’ve placed the swords on the map in their current positions. However, they weave in and out - having a life of their own in this dreamscape. They do take up space, count as cover, and more...
- Round 1 -
Kamari - 24
Muri - 21
Emperor Gennaris III - 11
Elen - 9
Edelmira - 8
Major Kort - 6
The whispering shadows in the enormous chamber grow less sinister and more defined, eventually transforming into nervous-looking men and women. They begin to move toward you, still somewhat insubstantial - yet partially real. From among the press of shadowy bodies, a woman in all red appears… a halfling, dressed as a queen.
In a panic, she grabs one of the marble busts ringing the chamber, and proceeds to beat Beldam I in the back of the head with it - even as the poison begins to wrack Elen’s body!
The press of bodies continues, and seems to overwhelm you. You find yourselves back in the Prince’s throne room, the brained Beldam I nowhere to be seen, though the poison continues…
Elen, please make six saves - however, make two in a row and you needn’t make another. You take damage only when you fail a save.
Fort DC 20 or con damage:1d3 ⇒ 2
Fort DC 20 or con damage:1d3 ⇒ 2
Fort DC 20 or con damage:1d3 ⇒ 1
Fort DC 20 or con damage:1d3 ⇒ 3
Fort DC 20 or con damage:1d3 ⇒ 3
Fort DC 20 or con damage:1d3 ⇒ 2
The Night Swan feels he’s legitimately confused as to where the poison is.
Major K'Aldrian Kort 1ATD, Ret. wrote:
"Oh, of course! You can't trust halflings! That makes perfect sense," Kort drolls stiffly. "And let alone one of those Jelansil clan. Do go on..."
”The poison cup does not have scales - it has hooves!”
Kamari wrote:
"What are these cups for? Are people coming here to drink from them or are you sending them somewhere? Which of these cups would you normally drink from? Which one would likely be safe?"
”Oh, I never poison the naga cup. Too obvious.”
Mallë-o i Otos Elen wrote:
”Yes, do go on. How has this advisor Lisanne Jelansil plotting against you and possibly more importantly – why? How could anyone even think of doing such a thing to Your Jovial Royalness?”
”By any chance, are there any entertainers in that family?”
”Oh! I cannot discuss such details with servants, but there were no entertainers I know of.”
”Come and drink!” Beldam waits to be handed a goblet, before raising it to the sky, ”To Taldor, long may she know peace!”
… and he drinks.
Which goblet do you give him, and from what do each of you drink yourselves?
"Yes, is there anything else you can gleam about it? What marking was on the cup? Something with wings? Or a historical nickname of something?" Kort presses.
Muri Daybreaker wrote:
"Say more. You're the only one who has the memory, even if it slipped away." The halfling barely contains his contempt for the cowardly poisoner.
”It’ll come to me in a moment. I think visually you see. I can almost see it! Historical nicknames wouldn’t do. No they won’t do at all.”
Kamari wrote:
"Who do the cups represent?"
”Oh, no one in particular. Just pretty cups I have collected as gifts. They are very pretty are they not?”
Mallë-o i Otos Elen wrote:
"There's no poison here, this Legend is a waste of time. What did they see in him to bring him to counsel for the late Prince? Is it some form of sadistic entertainment for them?"
”Oh,” the emperor seems taken aback, if briefly, ”There’s poison, that’s for sure! I know, I put it there myself!”
”Yes, yes. Scales. If the cup does not have scales, then it has hooves.” he adds muttering.
Mallë-o i Otos Elen wrote:
She changes tack. "Well, Emperor Beldam, maybe you can tell us who it is you are trying to poison? It's entirely possible that we've already killed them."
”Oh? This is for a halfling knee-biter by the name of Lisanne Jelansil. Quite a murderous villain I can assure you!” That much is clear to him. And no, the name does not ring any bells with the party - and though you’ve killed many, you don’t think Lisanne made the list.
The Night Swan tries reasonably to determine any symbology from the cups as does Major Kort. Though they are very beautiful each in their own way, they do not seem to sport any heraldic or other iconography they can tied to specific nobles of the era, or present.
Muri withdraws an early purchase in the hopes that it could easily overcome the issue. However, his magical bag of tricks falls short this time, as his pearl marks none of the cups as poisonous.
”No, no. Don’t move the cups. I’ve almost got it! If I can just remember. I learned one hard, bitter lesson in my time as emperor. Sometimes sacrifice is necessary for a kingdom to thrive. Sometimes, an act of violence can keep a nation at peace.”
Major K'Aldrian Kort 1ATD, Ret. wrote:
”Excuse me Emperor, do you have a sample of the poison still? The flask or paper it came in, perhaps? I might be able to help with this,” Kort offers his own words to the whispers.
”No, no. Really, I wouldn’t be very good at this if I left evidence lying around.”
Major Kort does recall that despite all his paranoia and precautions, Beldam ultimately died when he startled his equally nervous wife, who subsequently beat him to death with a marble bust.
Mallë-o i Otos Elen wrote:
”Hmm… well – consider the possibility that you are having a nightmare – or are in some hell or other. Why don’t you just try walking away from it all?”
”Hahaha! That’s a good one." he laughs uneasily. "Life is a nightmare my dear. There are enemies around every corner.” He glances around and tries to make out text among the whispers - and fails. ”The only way to stay ahead of it, is to do to them what they would do to you - and do it first!”
His gaze falls upon the six cups.
• A golden cup with a scallop carving, decorated with brilliant rubies
• A silver cup with a dragon carving, decorated with many emeralds
• A golden cup with a hippogriff carving, decorated with pink pearls
• A copper cup with an eagle carving and no gems
• A silver cup with a unicorn carving, decorated with pink diamonds
• A platinum cup with a naga carving, decorated with expensive jade
”I think…” he begins before falling into silence a moment. He returns, ”I think the poison cup is next to either a silver cup or a platinum cup. Yes, I think that’s right.” His brow furrows as he examines the cups.
This white marble door is covered with a shifting silver film of mist. Engraved into the marble is the image of a hooded figure, its hand covering its face as it whispers into the ear of a man. You open it.
A polished wooden table stands at the foot of the throne. Indistinct figures line the room’s edge, just beyond a ring of marble busts, shifting and whispering indistinctly.
Chairs ring the table, but only one is occupied. The man in the chair is heavy-set and pale, with thick, dark hair. He sits with his palms flat on the table, his brow furrowed with worry, as his eyes flick back and forth between six cups sitting on the table. This is the domain of Beldam I, successor to Cydonus III.
Cydonus III was assassinated by a conspiracy of nobles who felt the emperor badly mismanaged Taldor’s wealth. Beldam was seen as an honest and reliable successor, and his legacy is one of caution and prudence. In truth, Beldam lived under the constant gaze of those same noble conspirators, ever aware that he would meet the same fate as his predecessor should he not prove a pliable puppet.
While outwardly he was a scrupulous and jovial ruler (and did govern Taldor with severe austerity, at least initially), he was also deeply paranoid. He secured his position with blackmail to keep rebellious nobles in line, and poisoned those he could not control…
When you appear, you hear him pondering aloud, “Good wine rarely makes for good prudence, but I genuinely believed I’d found the exception. Oh bother. I’d really rather not poison his wife.” As you approach, Beldam looks up with a yelp, but quickly collects himself and addresses the “servants,” explaining that he decided to poison an advisor who has been plotting against him, but lost track of which cup he poisoned.
He is facing the row of cups (image). You continue to hear whispers from all around you - it’s quite unnerving.
Parmain V, whole and resurrected, clambers to his feet next to his slayer.
”Long live the king indeed.” says the largest of the Ulfen warriors as she nods to Elen as well.
The guard uniformly turn on Daronlyr and proceed to rip him to shreds. It doesn’t take long - and you can see they would have been formidable foes. Themselves bloody, they then they kneel before Parmain V.
The scene fades, and you’re back with the child, now half of what he once was. Three doors remain - The whispering door (fourth legend), sword door (fifth), or the fire door (sixth).
I didn’t think you’d be able to avoid combat in this one, but you did!
"Ah yes, the Ulfen warriors that love 'you' so much, is that correct? Not your coin? Have you no true Taldans who love you? Who guard you? Love bought with coin is not love at all. They love your treasury more than you," Kort retorts to the Invincible Emperor. "I would say that we have true Taldans who we call friends, based on our character and deed. Not what we pay them. In this regard, I'd say we have a lot more devotion than you."
”Not my coin, no. Taldor pays their wages, not me. They are true believers and protect me because I am the emperor!” he laughs roughly.
Muri Daybreaker wrote:
Once in position, Muri speaks to the shadow soul. "We spoke to Cyricas and Taldaris, and both understood they needed to release their grip on Carrius. You and your Ulfens, do you only respect violence? Do we have to slay your ghost guards to prove you need to listen to us, and let go?"
”They are fools to let go. Every emperor learns from the emperors before them, and so shall the child learn from me. I should thank you for your cleansing. But it ends here.”
Kamari wrote:
"You yourself tried to avoid bloodshed through the senate and only resorted to violence in the end. Help us end this without more harm to Taldans."
”Your flowery words are meaningless to me. You think they shall sway the force of will of an emperor? Guess again! The world is filled with violence.”
Mallë-o i Otos Elen wrote:
”Commanded – you mean 'you commanded',” Elen gently offers perspective. ”And our Queen does command that devotion – not just to her military – but to the people of Taldor – and us. That is why we are here. And she would continue to command such devotion were you not standing in Her Royal Highness’s way. ” Standing akimbo, she holds his gaze and tries to look as reproachful as possible.
”Your queen is weak if she allowed the Prince to take the throne, for he is nothing special I assure you. But I shall mold him into a true leader!”
Next round. Also, he does not seem to be in the least swayed by your thoughtful words. Perhaps the Ulfen warriors are more malleable?
Kamari eyes Carrius, and he definitely seems more insubstantial. Perhaps what is being lost is just this version of himself. Or perhaps all. You’re on strange ground here, so she can’t be sure.
This polished steel door is inset with an inverted golden crown. A single, teardrop-shaped ruby sits embedded in the crown, like a drop of blood.
No one responds to the brief knocks, so Elen opens the door.
A throne room appears beyond the door, identical to the throne room in the Imperial Palace which the PCs passed through not long ago, but much humbler in stature. The throne room is ornamented, but the mirrored walls are gone and the throne is a smaller, gold-plated chair rather than the magnificent piece it is today. Fur cloaks decorate the throne.
Knowledge History DC 30:
This style is reminiscent of the throne rooms roughly a thousand years ago. This is the realm of Emperor Daronlyr XII, called the Overthrower.
- - -
This mental recreation of the imperial throne room paints itself in longer shadows and deeper reds than the genuine article. Fur cloaks drape over a gilded throne in which a figure slumps, blood still pouring from a wound in his chest, forming a stream that flows through the rest of the room. A tall Taldan man stands beside him, turning to face the room as he places the crown atop his head. Bowing before him are more than a dozen strong Ulfen warriors (image).
Over a thousand years ago, Daronlyr became emperor when he slew his cousin, Parmain V, the reigning grand prince. Guided by equal parts national interest and vanity, Daronlyr had spent years steering the senate to circumvent or blunt his cousin’s inept rule before turning to conspiracy. Finally, Daronlyr visited the court and drew his blade.
The Ulfen Guard sprang to defend the emperor, but Daronlyr fought them off while reciting a litany of his cousin’s failings. When Daronlyr finally ran his blade through his cousin’s chest and took the Primogen Crown, the Ulfen Guard broke off their attack and bowed before him. Daronlyr claimed the crown, and the Ulfen Guard defended him loyally for decades until his eventual death of old age.
The Invincible Emperor, as he was called, smiles and wipes the blood from his blade. “To a learned man, blades are no more threatening than a poorly wielded hickory switch. I command a thousand men, ready to die at my whim. Can your would-be emperor command that devotion? Can you?”
He gestures to the Ulfen warriors arrayed in front of him, and they snap to attention. Though on the map, they wield a variety of weapons, in fact they all have greatswords.
We're not in initiative yet, but do keep it to one round worth of actions.
"CALL OFF YOUR APE! Your 'mind' is not wholly yours anymore! Sure, you used to be whole, but now there are other influences in there with you -- would you deny that? Consider this -- that your greatest aid to the boy at this point would be to let him go! Fighting will not accomplish anything. You have done all of the good that you can -- go now, and be at peace!"
”Hah! My mind is my own - and always has been! He shall learn from me, and grow wise and tall.” he desperately affirms.
Muri Daybreaker wrote:
"Cyricas the Kind. We respect you, all of what you did as Emperor. We don't want to fight. We will celebrate you. How you came to be a part of Prince Carrius, it was the plan of something called the Immaculate Circle. By remaining, you give them the power to corrupt Taldor. The greatest kindness here is sacrificing for others, restoring power to those with the most respect for the people of Taldor."
”The Immaculate Circle? Who is that? I've never heard of them...” he trails off.
Major K'Aldrian Kort 1ATD, Ret. wrote:
”I think I’ve pointed out that you’re being limited by being shackled to a child, unable to realize you’re being used by forces more powerful than yourself, and you’re too blind to see how they are doing it…” Kort will explains the soul-stitching operation.
”My eyes are open, and I see clearly enough. I am a part of him, and the other emperors. We keep him alive.”
Kamari struggles to get free… but fails.
Edelmira weighs in on the ape hitting thrice, definitely bloodying it - and more!
Emperor Cyricas shrugs as his companion is shredded, ”Perhaps... perhaps it’s not about what I want.”
Suddenly, your senses deceive you as the throne room shifts and twists into a child’s bedroom filled with books, flowers, and medical supplies. Then it snaps back, and the throne room re-emerges. There are now but four doors and four chains. You feel you’ve been lucky so far!
"And is this what you want? You are not the emperor. You are only a hump carrying the spiritual load. You will not make any choices about where this boy goes or what he does."
Mallë-o i Otos Elen wrote:
”Heed us and consider a modern path. We will destroy this nightmare if that is what it takes to free you from this outdated goal.”
The previous emperor laughs, ”Such hostility! It is true, I am no longer the emperor and, perhaps, an outdated shadow of my former self. But there are things I can teach the boy - wisdom I can impart!” he cries defensively.
Major K'Aldrian Kort 1ATD, Ret. wrote:
"Your mind is your weapon? Then I challenge you on mindful matters!" Kort responds to the Mwangi Emperor.
”None of your arguments holds water old man. My power derives from power not the words in musty books. Your knowledge is all duplicative and scholarly. Could the scholars heal my disease? No. No they could not. I did it with my own powerful brain and went on to become emperor of Taldor. What have you done?” he calls back against the wave of knowledge imparted by the Major.
Still, under the weight of your arguments, cracks begin to form…
The Night Swan wrote:
”You speak of travel, adventure, the comforts of home…why do you think you can find those here? If you chose to stay, you will be entering a civil war, and even if you finally win it, you will have to stay to cement your victory. Do you think these other emperors your soul is chained to will let you act with impunity? What adventures would they allow you, when most of your fellows lack your explorer’s spirit? This world is known now, and there are no more lands that are unmapped. But there are worlds other than this, worlds that only you in your death can see, worlds beyond anything you experienced here. Does that not excite you more than war and politics?”
”I am here out of something greater - duty. I could find what I desire elsewhere, perhaps even in the next world, but my duty is to Taldor!” However, his defense seems hollow in his voice, and he seems to be wavering.
Muri, sensing the way things are going, defends himself.
The ape closes with Kamari, leaping forward to grapple her to the ground!
Grapple:1d20 + 24 ⇒ (16) + 24 = 40
Emperor Cyricas charges forth to join the fight (double move), and says nothing further (though diplomacy is still an option!).
"...Noble... Cyricas. The people of Taldor remember you, and fondly. I know I will miss it, too, when I depart. When it's my time. I hope I can return to my family and my land, since I still have time. You do not, and you are being forced to remain here and guide someone else's hand in this life, not live it yourself. That feels cruel." Muri strokes Underfoot's nape, not quite grooming her, more of a self-soothing gesture.
"I've had enough adventure for a herd's lifetime. The memories will burn bright for awhile, but like all things, they'll cool like embers should. Passing on, to other planes, other ways of existence, sounds like a different kind of adventure. One that can be entirely your own. We're hoping that Prince Carrius can come back to us, and enjoy a full life of his own, with adventures that would make you proud."
”And who are you to make such claims at wisdom? My mind is my weapon, and with it I have overcome great odds from childhood sickness to the darkest depths of the Mwangi Expanse. I am an EMPEROR!”
Good start!
Emperor Cyricas gets up off the steps, still weaponless. He draws a potion and quaffs it. He steps off the dais and seems to speed up. His great ape, leaps forward, charging toward the party.
This narrow, rectangular door is cut from blue variegated marble. The top of the door is very pale, almost white, darkening to deep azure blue near the floor. Engraved into the door is an image of a three-masted ship.
You open the door.
As before, there’s a whiff of a foreign land. A dense jungle stretches out beyond the door. Trees loom overhead, draped with brilliant green, while stifling humidity and buzzing insects fill the air. The cries of tropical birds echo in the distance. The drone of insects form a constant backdrop, and bright-colored flowers peek through the foliage.
…and then the world snaps back into view and you find yourself back in the throne room, but in the domain of Cyricas, an explorer who led many expeditions to foreign nations and is renowned for his mind-over-matter dogma that he claims helped him conquer childhood illness and achieve greatness.
In his time, he conquered many of Taldor’s holdings in the Mwangi Expanse before he met his death at the hands of the Gorilla King. Though his body was never returned to Taldor, he was remembered as a bold explorer who brought wealth and natural resources to the nation.
Cyricas’s legend reflects his myth, that of a Taldan visitor swaggering among a new land with the grace and ease of any longtime resident. Despite his bravado, though, Cyricas is also remembered as one of Taldor’s kindest emperors.
Cyricas stands before the dais, crestfallen. A great Ape sits next to him almost, but not quite, grooming him. After a moment, he turns to face the group, and in a heavy tone says “I miss it dearly, you know - travel, adventure, the comforts of home. Life. And it’s simply not in my nature to give up on the things I want.” He turns back to look longingly at the throne once again, before turning his gaze more sternly on you.
In this encounter, you may make diplomacy checks as a standard action as before, but the dice count for more since you don’t have a connection with this spirit.
Oh, and no special knowledge check on the ape. He’s an animal companion, ape.
- Round 1 -
Muri - 20
Good Folks - 19
Edelmira - 16
Major Kort - 15
Kamari - 14
Elen - 9
"Will you remain if the cost is Taldor? Would you put yourself before the country?"
”I am the country!” Taldaris shouts, though he trails off a little at the end, in thought. He’s not beyond reason after all. When you met him he was quite reasonable, but this is his boisterous youthful self - a little harder to break through.
The Night Swan wrote:
”Oh please…”
Impressive clergyman stuff here!
”Go back to sleep and leave the living alone to mourn the freedom we lost to your vanity.”
”How dare you!” he grows positively purple with rage… which only proves your point in many ways. Which does give him pause, ”You do not understand what the world was like then. Enemies of Taldor all around, and little depth to call upon in her time of need! I had to do those things, or there would be no Taldor!”
Mallë-o i Otos Elen wrote:
Elen speaks, eyes closed, but desperately wanting to make eye contact. ”You have been used, Taldaris – or at least that little part of your soul that is this unholy facsimile before us representing Taldiaris – has been used. Think, Little Bit of Taldaris – do you honestly feel whole, or are there bits in here besides us that you don’t at all identify with? Most of the children you refer too are gone by our hand, and there is but one true heir left defined by a more complete Taldaris on Axis. You are being manipulated, but we can help aided by your spirit! Tell us how to free you so that you can become one with the rest of your soul! The true heir should be free to make their own choice!”
”The true heir should listen to his betters.” he says somewhat lamely… and he knows it. ”But perhaps I am not that.” he hesitates.
Major K'Aldrian Kort 1ATD, Ret. wrote:
Kort casts Communal Stone Skin and touches the party before moving back some, after explaining about the lion.
”That will not be necessary Major.” Taldaris holds up his hand and the grogrisant stands down (though you can still be blinded if you close…).
He sheathes his +4 flaming burst holy greatsword, and sits heavily on the stairs before the throne.
“Your words ring true to my ears. Taldor was a dream I strove toward, but perhaps that means I am still asleep. The world I knew is the one that needed me, and the world you hold now is one with very different needs. May the gods speed you on your way.”
He looks wearily to the rag-doll that is Carrius, ”The boy cannot survive without us to bolster him. Half a life is no life at all…” and he fades away.
Or is it you that fade away? For an eye blink later and you find yourselves in the main chamber once again - no Taldaris. No grogrisant. The Lion door you just stepped through is now a window once again, and there is one fewer chain on the doll - who seems somewhat more cognizant, but still not to the point of communication.
What door do you try next?
(Yes, the stoneskin is still active... Well done!)
DR 10/epic and piercing
Mythic Power - which I will not use or apply since I don't do mythic.
Immune disease, fire, light effects, poison; Resist acid 10, electricity 10
Also, aiding another does nothing in this context. I’m looking for reasoned arguments more than rolls. So if you want to try reasoning with the Taldan Emperor, please do. Otherwise, you still have a standard action. :)
Oh! And no known weaknesses, not even a nice evening by the fire in ones slippers, gnoshing on adventurers...
- - -
This arched door seems worked from solid gold. In the center of the door, the image of a lion rears on its hind legs, its mouth open in a silent roar.
You open the Lion door and you get a brief flash of the white mist again.
You briefly catch an image in your minds - golden fields of wheat, rippled by the wind into ocean-like waves, extend as far as the eye can see, until they meet majestic mountains at the horizon. Bone-white ruins jut haphazardly from the landscape. A heroic figure stands atop a broken column, stark against the endless sunset.
Then your vision clears and you see Taldaris standing in the great hall of the throne room, leaning over Carrius and whispering advice into his ear.
While the you have met the original Taldaris - a far older, wiser, and more humble man than ever ruled Taldor - the figure here is Taldaris as his empire remembers him: cunning, fearless, strong, and above all dedicated to Taldor’s dominion over the world.
As you appear in the room, he broods aloud, “In a single lifetime, I forged squabbling children into an empire of men. And this is what you’ve done with my legacy. Entitled, foppish, soft little children once again, squabbling and sniping.”
”Taldor needs me now even more than she did before her birth. And I intend to remain, no matter the cost.” As he finishes speaking, an elephant-sized lion stalks impossibly from behind the throne, its six eyes and golden mane glowing in the sunlight.
Knowledge Arcana DC 26 OR Knowledge History DC 31:
You face a Grogrisant. N Huge magical beast
Tales of Taldor’s earliest founding speak of a terrible beast - a gigantic six-eyed lion whose mane burned like the sun and whose footsteps shook the earth - that laid waste to the desperate city-states of the region, feeding on their livestock and plundering their wealth to line its den. Called the grogrisant, it terrorized the region for centuries until First Emperor Taldaris finally slew the terrible beast.
Sometimes called the Imperial Beast, the grogrisant has reappeared occasionally throughout Taldor’s history, always in times of great peril and always to eventually be slain by a hero of the people - but only after slaughtering many more who would lay claim to that title. No one is certain if the grogrisant is part of a rare race of mythical leonine beasts that hide within the World’s Edge Mountains or if it is simply a lone beast that refuses to die; mythic magic conceals its tracks and hides it from divinations, leaving its life and lair a mystery.
The grogrisant’s pelt amplifies sunlight, creating a deadly blaze of light that burns out the eyes of those nearby and renders the beast nothing but a barely perceptible shimmer to distant creatures. Taldan folklore insists the beast’s blood can cure any disease.
The grogrisant stands 18 feet tall at the shoulder and weighs 12,000 pounds.
- - -
Also...
Blazing Mane (Su) When in an area of normal or brighter light, the grogrisant’s golden mane blazes like the sun. Creatures more than 60 feet away treat the beast as having total concealment due to the dazzling brilliance, and any creature within 60 feet that looks at the grogrisant must succeed at a DC 20 Fortitude save or be permanently blinded. Creatures can avert their eyes as if this were a gaze attack.
NOTE: You may try to reason with Emperor Taldaris. However, it is a standard action to do so, and requires a diplomacy check to support the attempt - though I’ll be looking more at the words than the roll. Going this route will likely take several successes, but anyone can make the attempt if they have a good argument.
Muri and Elen examine the doors, and even manage to link the names from heraldry, through study and effort. It takes a little time however to piece the pieces together - perhaps a half hour.
Fire Door: This red marble door is engraved with leaping flames. It leads to the sixth legend, Stavian I.
Sword Door: This iron door is set with a curved scimitar, its blade wet and dripping with blood. It leads to the fifth legend, Emperor Gennaris III.
Harbor Door: This blue marble door is engraved with a three-masted ship in full sail. It leads to the second legend, Cyricas.
Whispering Door: This white marble door is engraved with a hooded figure whispering into another man’s ear. It leads to the fourth legend, Beldam I.
Crown Door: This steel door is set with an inverted ruby crown. It leads to the third legend, Emperor Daronlyr the Overthrower.
Lion Door: This golden door is engraved with a rampant lion. It leads to the first legend, the spirit of First Emperor Taldaris.
Major Kort walks up to the red door and gets close enough to touch it, though he refrains from doing so for now. The red marble door glows from within and is warm to the touch. On its surface is engraved a vista of leaping flames. Tormented faces hidden within the flames stare out from the door with despairing eyes.
Kamari knows you are in Prince Carrius’s soul. So it is hard to say what might happen if you start breaking things here, but you suspect it wouldn’t be good - unless it’s what you’re supposed to do of course. It really should have come with a manual. Not even Major Kort's keen intellect provides any additional clues.
Major Kort asks the Princess to depart. She hesitates, wanting to stay close, as if somehow she could help… But in the end she shrugs, and disappear back down the hall.
Edelmira takes out the ring, and nothing. Just as before. You’re not close enough.
So, you make your way crisply across the courtyard in staggered groups of one and two as Elen suggested. You meet up in a shady spot along the wall’s edge. No one cries out, or really seems to have noticed you at all - perhaps due to fewer guards available. After all, this courtyard seems unguarded. No direct access to the throne room, but still.
Edelmira takes out the ring again, and this time it thrums with power - sensing the nearby soul. She activates it, and a door forms on the wall. A door into the Prince’s very soul. As you enter the door, the physical world fades into a white mist.
When the mist clears, the view has changed.
Instead of a landscape of marble and sculpted topiary, you see a gorgeous replica of the throne room of Taldor. You appear in the great hall, nearer the throne than the stairs leading into this vast chamber. Continual flames set in the floor as well as ceiling provide light, as do the many windows - though you can see nothing through them but the white mist.
On the throne in the north end of the room, a human-sized rag doll sits on an extraordinary throne, his body and clothes stitched together from several sources and bound together with six distinct chains. He looks unnervingly frail, but perhaps the chains are merely binding him, and not holding him together. You’re not so sure.
There are also six doors near the throne and each are connected to the chains on Carrius.
From what the smarter folk can determine, this is indeed Prince Carrius’s soul. However, he’s so overwhelmed by forces beyond his control, he scarcely notices your appearance. He does sort of shift in his chair and, with milky white buttons, glance in your direction, unseeing. Then he twitches the other way and stares at the wall a time - as if listening to an unseen advisor.
The six doors are distinctive.
Fire Door
This red marble door is engraved with leaping flames.
Sword Door
This iron door is set with a curved scimitar, its blade wet and dripping with blood.
Harbor Door
This blue marble door is engraved with a three-masted ship in full sail.
Whispering Door
This white marble door is engraved with a hooded figure whispering into another man’s ear.
Crown Door
This steel door is set with an inverted ruby crown.
Lion Door
This golden door is engraved with a rampant lion.
New map up. Imagine the six smaller windows just around the throne are doors please.
We’re not in rounds, feel free to do as you wish - and let me know of any prep spells you might wish to cast at this time, if you haven’t already.
You return to Martella’s safe house, perhaps a little dejected, but even wealthier. She touches up your disguises a bit, and you are joined by the Princess. ”Ready?”
The Princess, carefully disguised with Her own sleeves of many garments, leads you into town and along a long nondescript wall near the Palace. In one corner, She hesitates - doing the equivalent of tying Her shoes - until the area clears of passers by. Then, quickly, She revolves a brick high on the wall which gives way revealing a dark passage.
You slip within.
There are a number of twists and turns, a few golems, and several nasty traps - all of which the Princess disarms with a password, a small trinket, or other trick known only to the ruling family - and now you. Eventually, you come to a normal, but quite ornate, door and the Princess hesitates.
”Beyond this door is a courtyard, deep in the heart of the Palace. From the far side of the courtyard, you’ll be just a few dozen feet from the Throne, and even closer to the antechambers behind it. If Our brother is anywhere, he’ll be there.”
She turns a somber face to you, ”Please free him from his travesty. If he can be saved, all the better - but do not let him continue like this.” She opens the door… and does not follow you.
How do you cross the courtyard, and what do you do on the other side? It’s a large garden courtyard, overlooked by a walkway on one side, and a few towers, some with high windows overlooking the tranquil place. So lots of possible eyeballs. However, the palace is swarming with nobles, so perhaps you won’t be seen as unusual - at least not right away.
It’s just after lunch by the time you get free of Martella’s ministrations - but you must admit, you do not look like each other, er, or yourselves. You still look well to do, your gear certainly sets you aside as nobles for sure, and Martella has played into that. But, with the coronation planned in just a few days, the city streets are thronging with Taldan nobles, all trying to get in to see the boy prince take the emperor's throne.
You head out to the high church of Abadar. The city streets are in fact full of people! There’s a celebratory mood in town as people are coming to grips with the idea there will be no civil war. They don’t know the new emperor, but surely he can’t be that bad. Not as bad as a war anyway. So the people, they are celebrating.
You enter the church and speak to some nominal functionary, who eventually takes you to someone more senior. They examine your key, and ask you to wait in one of their viewing rooms while they get the box - assuming it’s still ensconced within. The room isn’t really designed for so many people and a war dog, but you manage to cram in there.
The woman returns, carrying a vault box. Not as large as perhaps you’d hoped, it seems even smaller compared to the party eagerly anticipating its opening. She turns her key in the lock, motions for you to do the same, and then leaves you in privacy to open the box.
Though small, the locker is packed full of gems (17,855gp), platinum pieces (5,520pp), and a rod of splendor. Not too shabby.
You check the box carefully but other than the treasure hoard, there is nothing there.
Do you put anything into the vault? You can keep the key for a pittance and come back to get it later.
The party spends the rest of the day relaxing, making plans, and waiting while Martella and the few agents she has available to her do your shopping. You spend a pleasant night in the manor house where Martella has setup shop. There aren’t enough rooms for all of you, so you deal with a little friendly snoring, but it’s at least more comfortable than the field bivouacking you’ve been doing with all your travels.
In the morning, Lamashan 18, an Oathday, Martella goes out to collect your various items, and returns by midday. Princess Eutropia suggests the mid afternoon lull might be the best time. The Prince should be in the chambers behind the throne for tea - so he’ll be the closest to the courtyard where the Princess can get you.
You can, if you wish, try to claim the vault box at the church of Abadar before you leave for the Palace. You’ll want to be disguised going out into the city, but that will be no trouble between the magics you have (oh, the Princess returns Elen's sleeves of many garments once she has a chance to shop as well), and Martella’s skills.
Just let me know what’s next, and what you’re all buying. There really isn't time to improve items, but just about anything off the shelf is fine. Oppara is one of the wealthiest and largest cities in the world. All manner of strange things are available here.
Someone (presumably) explains to Martella that you need to resupply before heading in to confront the Prince. You draw up what is sure to be a monstrous list and hand over a fortune in magics to pay for it. She does the best she can, but likely it’ll take a couple days to get your items (depending on what people request of course).
The halfling and hound ready for departure. "Where to, Princess? Where should we leave you?"
”I’m coming with you - at least as far as the palace.”
Mallë-o i Otos Elen wrote:
She turns and curtsies to the pathetic, pitiful, prone Princess. ”Princess, did say you knew of secret passages that might get us close to the Prince? If we can disrupt the old souls and free him, maybe he can just end this nonsense."
”I think, with a little preparation, We can smuggle you in through the tunnels.” She explains there are some tunnels for the royal family to escape the palace in time of danger. They haven’t been used in generations for flight, but they have been used to sneak out from time to time. There are a myriad of traps and automatons, but the Princess can get you past all that kerfuffle.
However, Prince Carrius knows of the tunnels too - but whether that knowledge was shared with those currently in charge of his soul is another matter entirely. It’s risky, but better then slogging through the ulfen guards and palace sentries and whatever else the six-souls have concocted.
Kamari wrote:
"We should pick up a couple more scroll of restorations when we have the chance. I worry we might encounter more things for which a lesser restoration won't do the trick. Also, if we manage to save what remains of the Prince, then he will likely need one sooner than later."
Major K'Aldrian Kort 1ATD, Ret. wrote:
"Perhaps we should also make plans to equip ourselves again? More scrolls or the like? I'm not sure what our coffers are like, but I have a lot of wands left, but maybe we need more."
”Martella should be able to help you there. Oppara’s a big place, with lots of shops. We’re sure something can be arranged.”
She gratefully accepts the restoration, and some color returns to her cheeks. She’ll take the other one, though it can’t be used quite yet (Raise Dead, so one now, and one in a week).
”Let’s get going. You said you had a way to get us there quickly? We can rest at Martella’s safe house, and plan Our next steps.”
The wind walk scrolls are used up, and the party, plus the Princess, take on gaseous form once again. You take to the sky and streak faster than any horse through the air to the south. A few hours pass and the farming villages of Oppara begin to appear, then the nearby towns, then the graceful outer walls themselves!
You fly high over the city to elude any hope of detection, descending only when you reach the isle, and manor house, where Martella is in hiding. It’s a little tricky appearing in the garden, frightening the poor gardener half out of his wits, but Martella appears quickly enough and explanations are passed around.
She takes you inside, though there’s some time spent fawning over and hugging the now very much alive Princess! However, before too long, you get down to business. Martella asks if Her Highness has a plan, and Eutropia explains about the ring, and the hope, however slim, that destroying the soul shards will save Her brother from his current imprisonment in his own body - if in fact there’s anything left of him at all.
Please check the treasure sheet and see if there’s anything anyone wants to keep. There’s a lot that I haven’t assigned, and haven’t prepped to sell, but will once everyone has said they’ve got what they want. There are some stat books, which you don’t have time to use, but someone should claim for later, or sell.
There’s a hesitation, and then a reply, ”Kazuhn City? Excellent! I’ll send some ulfen warriors your way. Contact me again, and tell me what you need. I’ll send it straight away.” It was from Prince Carrius.
