Mortimer easily evades the jelly's neediness, while Solrisa slashes, and Eidi and Ascaria burn to quivering mass to the best of their abilities.
Fortitude Save v DC 24:1d20 + 19 ⇒ (18) + 19 = 37
The gigantic green gob seems to shake off most of the half-elf's powerful disintegration magics, while reasonably acquiescing to several of Solrisa's cleaves, though the more powerful strokes seem as powerful as the lessers. Immune to crits, oozes be
It seems to remember pain, and proximity. It sends an arm at Solrisa, with bad intent.
With part of its body feeling out the space between it and Solrisa, it's only a matter of time...
Round 5 Mortimer- 17
Solrisa- 17
Eidi- 17-
Fire Giant R- 16
Fire Giant B- 15
Fire Giant G- 13
Bugbear Unit 2- 10
Bugbear Unit 1- 8
Bugbear Unit 3- 6
Ascaria- 3
Gazzilfek- 1
GLP-1 Antagonist- 1-(-21hp, -119hp)
The Outcasts are up!!
Party Buffs Haste (7 rounds)
Heroes' Feast (+1 att & will saves, +4 vs poison & fear (morale); 9 temp hp)
Particulate Form-(8 rounds)(fast healing 3, Immune: bleed, crits, precision damage, and more)
Protection from Energy Communal (30 minutes or 120hp of Fire damage, whichever comes first)
The very large jelly cube fails to gain another mass of Mortimer flesh, while suffering indignities on two separate fronts. Solrisa savages it with might, while Eidi savages it with magic.
And yet it still stands, quivering, mayhaps shuddering in anticipation.
Gazzilfek remains right where he stands, especially after watching the Giant of the Outcasts put some feet between the mort and the mass.
Real-time errata- that Gelly is Gargantuan, so occupies 20x20 feet, not the initial 15' depiction. Now adjusted on the Roll20 map.
GM Rolls:
1d20 ⇒ 6
Mortimer and Solrisa dispatch the sergeants to another state of existence, while Eidi lies in wait with a greasy solution to fire giant advances that never come.
Ascaria decides to test the nature of the gooey new obstacle, but fails to find purchase against a creature that already seems blind to its surrounds, nor evil in nature, simply something that exists for a single purpose- consumption.
Gazzilfek groans, as the green wall forbids all to pass, tucking his bow away, and backing up towards the stairs that brought you to this floor in the first place. "There's things floating around inside that thing. That's unnatural, and I'll have none of it."
The thing seems to respond to Gazzilfek's verbal hostility, but it might just be a delayed reaction to a bugbear getting foisted into its cubical side.
It moves in your direction, engulfing almost all of the downed Citadel residents before you, as well as attempting to engulf Mortimer.
Mortimer, feel free to make an Attack of Opportunity as the Cube looms. If you do, please be advised that you forfeit your right to the Reflex Save DC 31 you're forced to make as it attempts to put you in its belly. Success, and you're pushed back against the wall alongside Ascaria. Failure, and you join the ranks of the dead and dissolved, necessitating the next Fortitude Save DC 31 to avoid becoming Paralyzed for 3d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 4) = 13 rounds. You'll still be Pinned, of course, and at risk of Suffocating...
Round 4 Mortimer- 17
Solrisa- 17
Eidi- 17-
Fire Giant R- 16 Fire Giant B- 15
Fire Giant G- 13
Bugbear Unit 2- 10
Bugbear Unit 1- 8
Bugbear Unit 3- 6
Ascaria- 3
Gazzilfek- 1
GLP-1 Antagonist- 1-
The Outcasts are up!!
Party Buffs Haste (8 rounds)
Heroes' Feast (+1 att & will saves, +4 vs poison & fear (morale); 9 temp hp)
Particulate Form-(9 rounds)(fast healing 3, Immune: bleed, crits, precision damage, and more)
Protection from Energy Communal (30 minutes or 120hp of Fire damage, whichever comes first)
One deadly barrage might not be enough to down a Citadel Sergeant, but two? Well, that's more than enough to see Blue felled by the fists of the very large man.
So much so, it leaves a couple of extra attacks which might be directed at the remaining bugbear, should Mortimer decide to do so...
Meanwhile, Solrisa takes but a single swipe at Red, and Red joins Blue on the floor, bleeding out.
This seems to be the turning of the tide, as Green considers what needs must happen, now that two of his comrades lie dead at your hands. He turns his attention to something on his right, his arm and hand rising behind the wall. Moments later, something in the ceiling slides loudly, an opening revealed. The mere moments after that, a very, very large green cube drops down, occupying most of the hallway between you and the remaining Sergeant.
Given its immense size, you lose sight of Green immediately.
Knowledge(Dungeoneering) DC 27:
You're staring down the barrel of an advanced kind of Gelatinous Cube! A neutral Ooze. It seems angry.
Ah, gnome magic ain't a blanket lol- Bugbear Null is still up and completely thriving. Roll20 map updated, and redirecting Gazzilfek's attack against it instead of the fire giant.
Mortimer, Solrisa, and Eidi unite to bring down the fire giant wall before you, while Ascaria bricks up the Outcasts from behind, and outright slays the two bugbears.
Reflex Save v DC 28, Nuclear:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14 Reflex Save v DC 28, Null:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Gazzilfek produces a light crossbow while moving forward, and takes a single shot at Blue.
Round 3 Mortimer- 17
Solrisa- 17
Eidi- 17-
Fire Giant R- 16 (-181hp)
Fire Giant B- 15 (-153hp)
Fire Giant G- 13
Bugbear Unit 2- 10
Bugbear Unit 1- 8
Bugbear Unit 3- 6
Ascaria- 3
Gazzilfek- 1
Eidi, Mortimer, and Solrisa are up!!
Roll20 Map has been updated.
Party Buffs Haste (9 rounds)
Heroes' Feast (+1 att & will saves, +4 vs poison & fear (morale); 9 temp hp)
Particulate Form-(10 rounds)(fast healing 3, Immune: bleed, crits, precision damage, and more)
Protection from Energy Communal (30 minutes or 120hp of Fire damage, whichever comes first)
Red withstands both Mortimer's and Eidi's unleashed attacks, while Blue survives Solrisa's wave of slashes. This leaves the remaining resistance to respond.
Red doesn't have a blade in hand, so steps back and quickly produces his own longbow, firing once at Mortimer.
Eidi creates a little breathing room, though the smell is a new one to the nostrils of the Outcasts. Mortimer slaps a giant wrist hard enough to dislodge a greatsword. Solrisa feels only a little whelm, while she gnome-heals. Ascaria imbibes some liquid courage.
Gazzilfek stands quietly at the rear, his eyes staring forward, but not really seeing the goings on ahead. Granted, the big ones standing in the breach are enough to obscure the front fire giants a little, but still. He also wrings his hands, his head cocked to the side.
Round 2 Eidi- 20
Mortimer- 17
Solrisa- 17 (-12hp)
Fire Giant R- 16
Fire Giant B- 15
Fire Giant G- 13
Bugbear Unit 2- 10
Bugbear Unit 1- 8
Bugbear Unit 3- 6
Ascaria- 3
Gazzilfek- 1
Eidi, Mortimer, and Solrisa are up!!
Roll20 Map has been updated.
Party Buffs Haste (10 rounds)
Heroes' Feast (+1 att & will saves, +4 vs poison & fear (morale); 9 temp hp)
Particulate Form-(11 rounds)(fast healing 3, Immune: bleed, crits, precision damage, and more)
Protection from Energy Communal (30 minutes or 120hp of Fire damage, whichever comes first)
Red and Blue collect themselves, looking down upon the Singed. Red steps into formation with Blue, only to lose his greatsword to the Giant of the Outcasts' disarming attack! Mortimer can decide whether or not he picks up said giant-sized greatsword...
This forces Red to demonstrate his own bludgeoning fists, lashing out at the sword-stealer, impotently.
Red Slam v Mort:1d20 + 28 ⇒ (7) + 28 = 35for 1d8 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17bludgeoning damage
Red Slam v Mort:1d20 + 28 ⇒ (9) + 28 = 37for 1d8 + 12 ⇒ (8) + 12 = 20bludgeoning damage
Blue closes the distance, and takes a single swing at the Maiden, and proves as potent as Red.
Green at the rear Delays just long enough to usher forward the remaining two bugbears, which seem to understand that their lives, however short-lived they're likely to be, will be longer by marching forward, especially when they arrive just shy of the combat with two fire giants blocking the way.
Green produces a large composite longbow, and begins firing at Solrisa.
There is a visual persistence for every Outcast who bears witness to Eidi's spellcasting. For the briefest of moments, you can see multiple bugbear skeletons glow like a firefly, each separated by several milliseconds as the lightning finds the next living conducting rod.
There is an olfactory persistance, as the smell of charred bugbear hair and flesh reaches your nostrils, as well, acrid, sharp and intense...
The front guard giants take the hit, though they are hearty things, able to withstand such powerful magics, even if they take the full brunt of it.
Reflex Save, Red v DC 24:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15 Reflex Save, Blue v DC 24:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17
The field cleared, Mortimer and Solrisa are left to consider where to apply their martial might.
No need to reroll, looks like the nice first/only attack rolls will be applied, based on your repositioning. I'll let Mortimer and Solrisa decide exactly where in the hallway they'd like to end up before updating further.
The landing of the Fourth Floor stairs appears to be devoid of secret ways forward. Just the single very large door before you.
Gazzilfek looks up at Mortimer, shaking his head. "Never got this far. If you ask me, I don't think the Citadel would ever expect dragonbreach, they got so many platforms out there..."
Ascaria, presumably, opens the door for Solrisa to survey what lies on the other side.
It appears to be a gaggle of bugbears, as well as several fire giants lording over them. The rearguard turns to regard you, as they maintain their position at the Tower Door.
The bugbears regard the Outcasts, some splattered in giant blood, and their readiness falters...
Round 1 Eidi- 20
Mortimer- 17
Solrisa- 17
Fire Giant R- 16
Fire Giant B- 15
Fire Giant G- 13
Bugbear Unit 2- 10
Bugbear Unit 1- 8
Bugbear Unit 3- 6
Ascaria- 3
Eidi, Mortimer, and Solrisa are up!!
Roll20 Map has been updated.
Party Buffs Haste (11 rounds)
Heroes' Feast (+1 att & will saves, +4 vs poison & fear (morale); 9 temp hp)
Particulate Form-(12 rounds)(fast healing 3, Immune: bleed, crits, precision damage, and more)
Protection from Energy Communal (30 minutes or 120hp of Fire damage, whichever comes first)
Solrisa finds a sorry version of cookie jar- a partial black dragon skull, single horn still attached and used as a handle to lift the skull cap as a lid. Sadly, the contents are very large, dry biscuits. There is a largish bowl of cow's blood they probably use to dunk and soften them.
Taking to the stairs connecting the Third Floor of the Citadel to the Fourth, you also remember that the very first time you set foot within its walls, you came down the South Tower's ladder, which also arrived on the Third Floor, the other side of the Dining Room.
Once you arrive on the Fourth Floor, you find yourselves in a smallish room, with a southern door, still closed. With the keen perceptives in the group, you surmise easily enough it's because there's a decent collective of grunts and growls detectable on the other side of the door, waiting...
Roll20 Map has been updated. Three more rounds have been deducted from your running mojo. Two rounds to enter, examine, and exit the kitchen, one round to ascend.
The Third Floor of the Citadel does indeed grow quiet, if only for a fleeting moment. Eidi is able to lay eyes directly on the sleeping quarters of the Citadel's servants, directly across from the kitchen.
This (relatively) low-ceilinged chamber holds only flimsy bunks and a few sticks of rude furniture. Two unlit lanterns hang from the beams of the ten-foot ceiling. Not a servant to be seen...
The northernmost room in the vicinity, once the doors are opened, gifts you quite the aroma. Latrines. Granted, the view of the canyon is breathtaking, but so is the shite-smear around the two large holes in the floor, which drop ten feet through stone, before the mists below provide adequate obscuration of defecation. Oh, and there are massive iron bars preventing unwanted dragonsign. This might provide you suitable entrance and exit from the Citadel, if you have no pride.
The kitchen from whence Bram issued is suitably large. A large fireplace dominates this space. A spit large enough to cook an ox stands within, and barrels of cheap wine and rancid foodstuffs fit only for the uncouth palate of a giant are stacked in the back of the chamber.
Taking to the stairs, the wizened half-elf cautions the Outcasts, as he can hear distant sounds of giants in armor...
Roll20 Map has been updated. Stairs F lead upwards, towards the Fourth Floor of the Citadel, while Stairs C lead back downwards, towards the Vault, many floors below.
Reflex Save v DC 21, Bram:1d20 + 13 ⇒ (11) + 13 = 24 Reflex Save v DC 21, Kagro:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (9) + 20 = 29
The giants prove to be veterans of dragon battle, and suffer less than the gnome would will them to, though they do appear Dazzled, and definitely damaged for their evil nature.
The maiden bloodies Bram greatly, though her strikes don't seem to dig as deeply as they might DR. Meanwhile, Mortimer tumbles past Bram, and attempts to disarm the fire giant of one of his two very nice flaming battleaxes... and can't overcome Bram's massive hand strength...
Apologies, Ascaria! You are also up in Initiative, I failed to clarify, after the last Sergeant went down...
Solrisa brings divine retribution to Green, and helps her companion's efforts. Mortimer injures Blue and the floor below him completely. Ascaria salves the Outcast giant to full health, while remaining quite out of sight. Eidi methodically metes out a weakening of the Commander, overcoming the heavily-armored giant with a spectral touch.
As Mortimer succumbs to Kagro's Kiss, Bram looks like the fox just entered the henhouse. "That poison, Kagro. Gets 'em every time... Let's start the bath..."
Acrobatics v DC 10:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21
Able to back his words with action across the Grease, Bram takes his place above helpless Mortimer, and brings a singular flaming blade across the martial man's neck...
Coup de Grace, part I:2d6 + 24 + 1d6 ⇒ (6, 2) + 24 + (1) = 33magical slashing damage, including Fire Coup de Grace, part II:4d6 + 48 ⇒ (4, 4, 2, 5) + 48 = 63magical slashing damage, including Fire
You can imagine the giants' surprise when Mortimer fails to fall dead by the duo's combination attack. Countless dragons have, why not the little man?
That would have been a... Fortitude DC 106, Save or Die... Now it’s just another measly Fortitude DC 24, Mortimer…
Kagro takes pains to avoid Gazzilfek's grease, arcing around and taking a single swing at Mortimer. "You desecrate the Citadel. What you do here will allow the dragons to vanquish the Tiamikal Nul-Shada. I curse the day your shadows passed through my halls."
The Citadel of Weeping Dragons has witnessed many acts of destruction, against both giant and dragon, over centuries. Its stone now bears witness to a new one, as Mortimer looms over Blue, and breaks every bone and organ within the fire giant's hide...
Where once sergeants might have acted against your uprising, now there are none. Both Bram and Kagro stand before you, seething.
Solrisa downs Green with her second-to-last swing. Her last swing doesn't need to connect with Green, and manages to connect on prone Blue, due to his extenuating circumstance.
The Commander of the Tiamikal Nul-Shada resists the elder half-elf's attempt to shackle him in the midst of battle. "You dare..?" His demeanor once stoic, Kagro's expression darkens. The fire giant studies the field, but his eyes are now honed on Eidi...
Meanwhile, Bram navigates the Grease beneath his feet.
Acrobatics v DC 10:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Stepping in front of Kagro, the lieutenant tries to cut Mortimer down before the gnome can ruin the good bleed. Oh, and what looked like one battleaxe now appears to be two, one in each hand, and both are on fire now...
Very Nice Flaming Battleaxe:1d20 + 27 ⇒ (9) + 27 = 36for2d6 + 24 + 1d6 ⇒ (5, 6) + 24 + (5) = 40magical slashing damage, including Fire
Very Nice Flaming Battleaxe:1d20 + 22 ⇒ (14) + 22 = 36for2d6 + 24 + 1d6 ⇒ (5, 6) + 24 + (4) = 39magical slashing damage, including Fire
Very Nice Flaming Battleaxe:1d20 + 17 ⇒ (13) + 17 = 30for2d6 + 24 + 1d6 ⇒ (4, 5) + 24 + (3) = 36magical slashing damage, including Fire
Very Nice Flaming Battleaxe:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13for2d6 + 24 + 1d6 ⇒ (1, 3) + 24 + (3) = 31magical slashing damage, including Fire
Very Nice Flaming Battleaxe:1d20 + 27 ⇒ (8) + 27 = 35for2d6 + 24 + 1d6 ⇒ (2, 5) + 24 + (3) = 34magical slashing damage, including Fire
Not a single blade passes through Mortimer's skin.
Solrisa engages Green grievously. Mortimer thumps Red dead. Ascaria quasi-dissolves his companions, and heals their giant a little. Eidi dares to attempt restraint, showing the Citadel that mighty magics have made their way into the heart of their defenses.
Mortimer, please make a Fortitude Save DC 24. Failure, and you become Paralyzed.
Gazzilfek takes advantage of Mortimer's honey, gathering so many bees, so the spriggan splashes the floor with magical grease, hoping to make it more difficult for the giants to amble about.
Bram Reflex v DC 16:1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19 Blue Sergeant v DC 16:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
Blue hits the floor, uncomfortably close to downed Red, while Bram manages well enough to remain on his feet.
The maiden works Green over, bloodying him greatly. The giant throws one massive blow after another.
Fortitude Save v DC 22:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (19) + 20 = 39
When the sergeant's wobbles throw Mort's flurry off in the last several throws, the giant corrects his aim, and allows the licorice root to assist his attack. His last thump slumps Red to the floor.
Blue and Green realize too late that they might have more to fear than dragons outside.
"This one first." Blue steps into flank with Green, and both swing away.
Solrisa produces the Sword of Aqaa, calls upon her Apsu to touch her with draconic luck, and readies for a giant skirmish. Mortimer tests his fist against giant hide, thumping a Sergeant mightily. Ascaria remedies all of the Outcasts' giant's grand maul, leaving not a single gash from several greatsword swings. Gazzilfek finds the gnome, and disappears him from subsequent spear attacks. Eidi hastens his companions, and bids Bram obey him. But will he?
Eidi:
As you speak the first part of your command, you feel no resistance. You get the sense that Bram is prone to turning a deaf ear to his Commander when it suits him. The second part of your command is different, as it calls the Second-in-Command to forcibly escort Kagro from the room, and it gives the giant's rocky brain a chance to rebel.
Will Save v DC 23 :1d20 + 14 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 14 + 2 = 32
Eidi feels his control slip away, Bram becoming aware of his own befuddlement. "Aw, no, no way am I gonna lay hands on Kagro." The sound of metal plate hitting the stone floor reaches you, even in the din of battle.
From the kitchen comes Bram, battleaxe in hand. He steps up behind his fellow Fires, and looks for a good wood among you on which to start whittling...
Witnessing the gnome's gift for healing, Kagro targets Ascaria for neutralization, producing a fine-looking javelin, and launching it. His enthusiasm gets the better of his aim.
Ribs break beneath Red's full plate armor, but the fire giant sergeant manages to hold his weapon through the immense pain. Red and Blue close on Mortimer, while Green advances on Solrisa.
"You have already done regrettable things." Kagro looks across the hall and into the kitchen, before returning his gaze to the Outcasts. He watches the maiden drawing, but not dropping, her sword, and the gnome beginning to cast a spell. It seems to kill any chance the half-elf has in further diplomatic efforts.
"I'm done answering questions. You failed to comply." Kagro turns to his men. "Kill them. Discard their bodies in the canyon."
Mortimer and Solrisa are up! The giants were ready to jump, so Solrisa can take the actions she's posted as her First Round action, or take another, now that Initiative has formally come about. The Sergeants are going to have their say before the gnome can Burst...
Party Buffs Heroes' Feast (+1 att & will saves, +4 vs poison & fear (morale); 9 temp hp)
Your trek back to speak with Kagro again takes you up the staircase, leveling up to the Third Floor of the Citadel without incident. You seem to have more than your fair share of incident when you reach the Third Floor, barely exiting the stairwell.
"Stay where you are, and drop your weapons." Kagro has positioned himself in the rear, while three Tiamikal Nul-Shada Sergeants meet you where you stand. Their weapons are drawn, their stances martial.
Kagro "You will depart my Citadel, with nothing but your lives, however short-lived they will be in Kongen Thulnir."
Ooooo, eggshells... Roll20 Map has also been updated.
The Outcasts manage to assuage the frost giant's growing irritability, while the elder half-elf turns his attention to the fire giant responsible for delivering a message to Commander Kagro.
Eidi:
Eidi wrote:
"Oh, yes, introduce us to Vercinabex. Then, you can go report while we complete our studies."
Your senses immediately detect... roast chicken. Your smell, your taste, that's definitely very salty, very cooked chicken. Your hearing takes in the sounds of cutlery against plate, and the occasional gut belch. Bram is certainly enjoying a meal, the only place you can imagine is the dining hall, where once sat Kagro at the table. Bram's senses are very... singular at the moment.
The last location you have of Kagro is the Dining Hall on the Third Floor of the Citadel.
You are currently located on the First Floor of the Dungeon Levels of the same Citadel.
Something lightens about the features of old Vercinabex. He looks across the wall in front of him, the finger recently touching his warmace now tracing a pattern in the air.
"I will tell you this..." His finger curls back into the frost giant's fist, which joins ranks to knuckle the table.
"Kagro once bid me try to open the Vault Doors, with a single Vault Key. When it was clear the Doors would not yield, he demonstrated that his own Key performed similarly. Then we tried together."
"The Doors did not open, but... something... eldritch... reached out to my mind, seeking something... something it thought I would know or understand. And it found nothing." The fist raises up and slams down on the table, hard.
"I blame myself. It was the only time Kagro ever let us attempt such a thing, and I had not had time to research back then. Perhaps my eyes have seen something now, even if I fail to grasp its significance, and the Doors will judge my time spent here worthy of another attempt."
"I won't stop you, if you seek out Kagro and take his Vault Key from him. Only know this- if you find it easy enough to deceive or slay the fire giant, you will meet your death should you try your hand against me. I do not say that as a threat. It will simply be your fate."
"We have only just met, and you feel bold enough in your numbers to patronize me. You arrogant little thing. Kagro is wise enough to have lived as long as he has, wise enough to let me be. Are you as wise as you are brash? No, otherwise you would have spoken plain and true."
The frost giant remains seated, but his hand reaches towards his warmace, where a single finger taps its butt.
"You want it as badly as I do. What are you prepared to do? Slay Kagro, then slay me, then sit down at my own desk, and begin to study for ages for this Ritual, and pray for revelation? I admit, you have entertained me with your visit. I fear I'm growing tired of it."
No Initiative yet. Where does this engagement go from here?
Your keen clinical mind searches Vercinabex's bodily condition. He is old, but he's wiry. He's not underfed, appears fully hydrated, though his eyes are mildly bloodshot. He probably strains them from the reading.
Your keen clinical mind also searches the frost giant's behavior, which strikes you as more concerning. He's wired. Possibly from lack of sleep, possibly from obsession, the way he said 'mine'...
Difficult to say how someone like this would react to being the target of magical healing, but your diagnosing skills determine he'll gain nothing from them.
Eidi wrote:
"You said you know the keys. We have learned only of the one held by the giant king. But what about the second, do you know where it lies?"
Vercinabex reaches into his tunic, and pulls a leather cord from underneath, revealing a stone key with veins of precious metal.
"You call Kagro a King? Fools, he is merely Commander of the Tiamikal Nul-Shada. Until I learn of this Ritual, I allow him to hold onto the second key. It stops his complaints." Vercinabex tucks the key back into his clothing.
"Now, what do you know of this Ritual of Opening? Careful now, it is the only thing you might have that keeps you alive, sneaking about the halls of the Citadel of Weeping Dragons. Speak to me, reveal to me, and I might allow you your one thing. If it fails to interest me. Because it will be mine."
The only thing in this room that registers your interest is Vercinabex himself. Aside from some sleeping furs in the corner, the frost giant wears bracers, a decent-looking cloak, and on the other side of the desk rests a rather menacing warmace, sized of course for a giant.
None of the runes/markings make any sense, and you suspect they also don't make any sense to Eidi, either.
"What do you mean, he needs some fresh air? Did you do that? Do we take him outside?"
Gazzilfek looks up at Mortimer, his face demonstrating supreme patience. "You know when someone pours over so many pages, they start to addle? Poor air circulation, damp quarters, dark corners. They spend too much time with books, and too little time stretching their legs." The spriggan looks back at Vercinabex, but still addresses Mortimer. "You ever read a book?"
Mortimer wrote:
"So, does this mean you don't have any answers?"
Vercinabex continues reading. "If your questions are simple enough, I may very well have a simple answer."
Eidi wrote:
]"...Scholar to scholar. Will you help us?"
Vercinabex takes a piece of dried skin, and tucks it into the tome he's currently studying, and closes it.
"You've seen it for yourselves, yes? You know it shimmers, that it has two keyholes, eh?" The frost giant looks down on you, confirming what he deducts, based on your open admissions.
"Two keyholes, two keys. And something called a 'Ritual of Opening'. I know of the keys, I know nothing of the Ritual. It is what I seek. Because... a Vault of that size, and that age... oooohhh, the wonders it must contain. Wonders I must have, wonders I deserve..." The frost giant spits into a spittoon at the side of his desk. It is brown, suggesting something tucked between his cheek and gums, likely a stimulant.
"You say it is vital, that the world must see the doors open. Why? Whatever is inside is mine."
Eidi knows the phylactery, most any phylactery, will respond to brute force. It will certainly have Hardness, and likely many forms of Resistance, as all good soul receptacles should have.
...
Words of Domination spoken to the once volatile, now subdued fire giant lieutenant, Bram nods his understanding, and departs the First Level of the Citadel Dungeon, only after he's opened the door to Vercinabex Tor's chamber, and grunted something about guests to the figure seated at his desk.
This large chamber seems to be a combination of bedroom and study. Against the far wall lie numerous furs and cushions heaped in a haphazard nest. The walls are covered with strange runes and markings, and a large stack of oversized books lies on the cluttered desk to the north.
This giant is of the frost ilk. Braided beard, pale skin, furs upon furs, the only movement about his person is the flow of air through his nostrils, causing his mustache and upper beard to shudder with each exhale. Eventually, he licks his finger, and turns the page, thinned from repeated turns.
When the collective voices of the Outcasts join with the gnome's nice roll, its place is here something authoritative and entreating reaches Vercinabex's ear. The shuddering stops, and the massive pale head turns to you, eyes unseeing for several moments before you can each tell he's made eye contact with all those at his doorway.
"You have questions. You think HA... I... HA HAAAH... have answers. HAH!! HAA HA HAH!!" The frost giant reaches across the desk, and pulls a piece of jerky of questionable origins from a pouch, and begins mastication to quiet his chortle.
"You mock me. Mock what I do here. I will show you, and you will beg my forgiveness."
Vercinabex swallows, then bows his head over his current read, and begins his contemplative shudders once more...
Gazzilfek pipes up from the rear. "He needs some fresh air."
Almost as if on cue, a light breeze does seem to reach you from under the northern door of this largish chamber. It makes the spriggan jump.
The flaxen-haired gnome speaks words golden enough to mirror the gold shimmer of the Vault Doors, and the golden-haired maiden reinforces the instructions, golden stream or no, but it is not until the elder half-elf repeats the same words that Bram begins to obey.
Eidi's Domination lends him the final word as to exactly what his orders will be...
The Antechamber of the Vault Doors fills with quiet whispers. Whether the huge guardians, Bram, or Gazzilfek can parse out the asks and answers is vague at best. The Doors don't appear to appreciate the private poetry of the maiden, as they remain steadfastly closed.
The vibe turns to Vercinabex. His chambers wait for you on the floor above this one. Returning to the First Floor of the Citadel's Dungeon, you are greeted once again with a closed door to the north, and a closed door to the east, and mildly north. Bram and Gazzilfek remain at the rear, unless bid to do something more forward.
The Outcasts move forward, the golden shimmer of the Vault doors beckoning you. The two huge grey forms loom above you... but do not stir.
Knowledge(Local) DC 32:
These two almost-statues are also Giants known as Raam, though much larger ones, so truly Neutral Evil ones. Also, Undead. The Raam are all that remains of an ancient race of giants whose culture died out from attrition and an inability to sustain a viable birth rate.
As their culture fell into melancholy and malaise, the remaining giants constructed monolithic granite cairns for themselves in deep canyons and beneath domelike hills, and in the end the last survivors descended into their self-made tombs and interred themselves alive. The despair and anger they felt at their fate cursed them to live on after death as undead relics, forever preserving their lost society. Raams typically wear funerary garb of a somber hue and ancient design. These two are no different. Those able to speak about encounters with Raam have only encountered the male of the species.
Bram remains where he stands, hearing but not answering Eidi as he is praised for his service.
The Vault Doors lend what they can to your growing understanding of the daunting task at hand. Ascaria does indeed get the sense that the doors will likely only react to the presence of two keys, as the artifacts of the Whispering Cairn fail to illicit a response...
Depicted in the scene on the left-hand door are hundreds of stone giants locked in mortal combat with horrific worm-covered undead of all shapes and sizes. The giants appear to be taking the worst of it. Overshadowing all is a massive monolith upon which stands a huge figure of grotesque proportions with writhing worms all over its body— Kyuss himself. A circle of a dozen small figures stands before the monolith enacting some ritual.
The right-hand door focuses in on the ritual of the small human figures, members of the Order of the Storm, most likely. They have gathered in a circle on a ledge overlooking a cliff, obviously protecting something in their midst. Crawling and clambering up over this ledge are dozens of skeletal undead, and rearing up in the background is an immense bony worm-like creature. Between these undead and the druids stand a group of brave heroes, single-handedly holding off the advancing undead. The four individuals have a very familiar look about them...
As you continue to study the door at length, you are witness to another curiosity, as the apparition of a short, humanoid figure shimmers and rises up out of it to hover before you. The ghost has a strange look on his face, a combination of fear and excitement. His head lolls on a broken neck, and his fingers end in long tendrils of ectoplasm that
look almost like claws.
He speaks, and this time his voice seems to have matured. In the months between your last meeting, Alastor Land has lost his willful childish personality.
"Who's that?" Alastor raises a claw to point at Bram. Almost at the same time, Gazzilfek backs up the stairs a goodly amount of steps, though he does seem interested in the goings on to not completely retreat.
Alastor looks to each of you, nodding to himself once he's done counting heads. "Well met, friends. Long have our journeys been since our last meeting. You have come far in your search, and I have been down long roads in other worlds learning who and what I am. At this juncture, our paths cross again." Alastor takes on a more mannerly, professorial tone, as if he's been preparing for this moment.
"As you have doubtless learned, the Vaati fought a great battle against the forces of Chaos not far from here, ages ago. Miska the Wolf-Spider was imprisoned, the Queen of Chaos banished, and the Rod of Law was broken into the Rod of Seven Parts, cast across the cosmos. Tombs were built to inter their honored dead, but the Vaati did not abandon the field of battle entirely. Certain guardians were left behind to watch and wait for the reemergence of Chaos. One of these guardians was an order of mortal druids. The Vaati taught these druids their secrets, and when they left for other realms, this order grew powerful. They became the Order of the Storm, and they defeated Kyuss nearly fifteen centuries ago."
"Over the years, the secret watchers joined with the cultures around them. These guardians forgot their cause, and traditions were abandoned. My family, the Lands, were among the last of these watchers. Our name rises from the sacred attachment we had to the hallowed grounds of the Vaati. Though the blood of the Vaati ran thin in my veins, it still called to me and allowed me access to the tomb of Icosiol. Likewise, your coming to the Whispering Cairn was no accident. I can smell the mark of the Vaati within you, brave ones. You may be the last of a long line, the only surviving heirs to the Vaati legacy. As such, I have come to advise you one more time."
"Kyuss’ strength lies in his prison. When he became a god, he became trapped in the focus of his divine apotheosis—a massive monolith of stone affixed to the peak of the Spire of Long Shadows. Dragotha stole this monolith long ago and brought it to his lair in the Rift Canyon. Over the centuries, the presence of Kyuss’ monolith transformed this portion of the canyon into what is known today as the Wormcrawl Fissure. After Dragotha was murdered and returned to unlife by the Wormgod, Kyuss managed to escape his prison. With Dragotha as the general of his undead armies, the Worm-god rose from the Rift and attempted to begin the Age of Worms, but the Order of the Storm was ready. You know of this battle. And now you know that in the room beyond lies Dragotha’s phylactery. Yet to reach it, you must look into your memories, your souls. Find the Ritual of Opening, and use the Vault Keys."
"Yet know also that once these doors open, the vault will be open to all. Dragotha and his minions will smell his phylactery and they shall come to claim it. You must be quick. If you destroy the phylactery, Dragotha can be truly slain. As his life force escapes, he may be able to reclaim some of it from the beyond. Destroying the phylactery may make him more dangerous, but there is little choice here."
Alastor turns away from you, as if listening to something beyond the Veil calling to him. "I must now go. You shall not see me again, I think, until you join me on the other side. Good luck, my friends, and farewell…”
As the ghost of the young man grows dimmer, you see the shimmer of the Vault Doors more clearly through his vanishing form.
The stairs descend into an oddly-shaped room with a ceiling vaulting forty feet overhead. Great stone double doors exit to the northeast. These are covered in a detailed bas-relief depicting a human form trapped in a trapezohedral shape. All around this form writhe dozens of carved worms. A strange pale golden shimmering seems to dance over these doors, and set into the center of each door is a single small keyhole.
Knowledge(Religion) DC 30:
The ancient depiction on the doors is obviously Kyuss, trapped within the Black Monolith.
Bram stands at the base of the stairs, allowing you your look-sees.
So do two rather huge grey-skinned giants. They seem carved from granite, so still are they, their eyes unseeing, not unlike your gnome's.
The shimmering on the doors makes it difficult to study it closely from where you stand.
The descent continues to the First Level of the Citadel Dungeon. You emerge into a rectangular hall. To the north, a closed door. To the northeast, another set of stairs, presumably connecting to another lower level. To the east, and a little north, another closed door.
Eidi wrote:
"Tell me, Bram, has it always been like this? The Vault silent, untouched, unquestioned? Or have there ever been... giants wondering what, exactly, they have been guarding all these centuries?"
Bram pauses in his continued path towards the next set of stairs, and points at the east and a little north door. "Vercinabex Tor. Talk about obsessed. He took that room so he wouldn't be too far from the Vault. Just keeps reading. Never fights the dragons. Worthless."
Eidi wrote:
"And you, my lad, have you ever thought of seeing more of the world? A giant warrior like you could carve his name across any horizon he wished. There must be someplace you have dreamt of testing yourself. A mountain peak, a battlefield worthy of your axes...?"
Bram frowns, taking Mortimer's hastily scribbled note, then looks back to Eidi. "Hasn't been endless dragons until recent, but it was told, and the tellers were right, and now we fight." The fire giant lets the napkin fall from his hand.
"When I'm bored, I think of smashing mountains like an anteater, except it ain't ants, it's dwarves." Bram brings up his left hand, forefinger to thumb. "You ever heard the sound of a dwarf skull popping? Really calms me down."
From the back, Gazzilfek makes a small wretching noise, displeased with the imagery.
Bram looks back on the Outcasts. "One more floor, and you'll see your Vault. Ready?"
Kagro motions to Bram, taking his seat at the dining table. "Go with them. Then escort them out." Bram looks non-plussed, before meeting Eidi's eyes. He turns back to Kagro and nods reluctantly.
Sense Motive DC 27:
Bluff:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
Something in Kagro's demeanor suggests that he's registering something about Bram that is different, but seems to be poker-facing like any good leader-diplomat.
Eidi wrote:
"So you say, we cannot walk those halls, but what about giants. Are giants allowed to walk into the Vault?"
Kagro looks over the table, regarding the half-elf. "No one's ever set foot in the Vault, Giant or other. Not in my lifetime." The commander speaks these words defiantly.
Bram departs, slowly. He doesn't look back to assure himself that you're following.
First, exiting through the north door of the Dining Hall, you find yourselves in a decently-sized hall, a set of doors to the left, a door to the north, and a set of stairs immediately to your right. Bram is already descending them. Stairs marked 'C' on map.
Second, you continue down the set of stairs from third floor to second, then first floor. Were it not for the sizing of the stairs for ease of passage of giant humanoids, it would feel claustrophobic here. No windows, no sound within this stone. Stairs marked 'D' on map.
Third, you exit this staircase for a largish floor just below the first floor. Leaving Stairs marked 'E' on map.
I'll leave the current Roll20 map up so you can piece together your descent, before I update the map to show your new digs on lower floors.
There is time before you leave the staircase to converse with Bram. Do you follow the big lug in silence, or do you engage him?
Your sense of what might be called a geas feels much more akin to the powerful magics of the Order of the Storm, than Dragotha's disconnected will.
It feels like the last defense against revelation, when the druids sought to conceal such knowledge as their island, and the exact location of an undead dragon's phylactery...
Ascaria Hotember wrote:
"Good morning! As we have made clear, we need to destroy the phylactery, the very same thing that is causing all these dragons to attack you. We believe that the phylactery is in the vault - for where else would it be kept? You have a key to the vault. We’ve asked you what it would take, and you suggested we obtain some dragon heads to show our loyalty, or whatever. As you can see, we’ve done so, and gladly for the dragons are unabashedly evil. So we’re back, and you sent your lackey to kick us out. We do persist. What’s it going to take? Do you even know of what we seek? Or are you just jerking us around?”
Kagro Thundersmiter looks down on the gnome huff. "I haven't ordered your capture or killing, because you show dragon heads."
"They did say they wanted in the Vault, so I figured..." Bram speaks up, then shuts up.
Kagro nods. "See, I've vowed to see no one enters the Vault. I'll tolerate your presence in the Citadel. Hells, I'll even let you see the doors, but you'll never see beyond them. Not while I still walk these halls."
Bram becomes the Hound of Eidi, leading the Outcasts obediently into the belly of the Citadel.
The First Floor of the Citadel beyond the front doors reveals a straight hallway leading to another set of double doors. They remain closed to you, as Bram pushes against the southern wall. It reveals a secret passage, which he continues through and into another hallway.
The next hallway curls into a set of stairs which takes you to the Second Floor of the Citadel. Stairs A on First Floor connects to Stairs A on Second Floor. (So far so good?) This part of the Second Floor is basically a stairwell with access to the ballista platform protecting the front doors. The door is currently closed, likely concealing two still confused fire giants manning said ballista.
Another set of stairs, and you find yourselves ascending to the Third Floor of the Citadel. Stairs B Another hallway, and Bram enters a large door on the left wall, which leads to... the Dining Hall, a place near and dear to your hearts. There is no Noggins to greet you this time, only three sergeants and Kagro Thundersmiter himself. Only Kagro eats presently, though he does look surprised when Bram reintroduces you.
"I thought I was clear, Bram."
Bram frowns, averting his eyes from the commander to look at you. "You were, but so were they."
Kagro sets down a dagger stabbed through meat, and stands to address you all. "You are a persistent lot." He doesn't speak further, his eyes demonstrating where his ears are listening.
You've experienced an alien presence about Kongen Thulnir before, when attempting to cast your spells, and feeling the Weave held tight from you, denying even your powerful abilities to bend reality to your own will. You've felt this before when you visited Tilagos Island, kept from the collective consciousness of almost everyone on Golarion.
This time, you see something, and in seeing it, you understand something more profound about this ancient city.
Kongen Thulnir is actively bending the will of Bram, and you just competed with something eldritch to command him yourself. You also feel Kongen Thulnir's command- to protect It from all intruders, especially dragons. The command is insidious, and you wonder what would become of your own will, should you remain a denizen of these cliffs for months to years.
For the briefest of moments, you almost forget that you are actively dominating Bram. You are competing to maintain your dominance, though you are unsure exactly how much attention you just earned for this casting...
Will Save v DC 23:1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22
Bram lowers his weapons, and does as sensible Eidi commands. "Do as he says. I might have been a bit hasty. They say that about me."
The other giants, both couples, look at each other with deeper frowns upon their faces, but they do as Bram bids them. For now, there is an awkward moment of non-battle at the front doors of the Citadel.
Bram listens to Eloquent Eidi and Accompanying Ascaria, while looking over Manifesting Mortimer and Serene Solrisa, then nods as he adds it all up.
"Oh, you want to set eyes on the Vault, eh? I get it." Bram holds up a finger, in a hold-on-a-moment gesture, and enters the Citadel through the giant double doors just behind him.
As soon as the doors close, they open, and Bram emerges, still nodding, though he has managed to arm himself with a pair of wicked-looking battleaxes.
"Spoke to Kagro himself, I did. He told me to get rid of you dung beetles, one way or another."
Sense Motive DC 15:
Bluff:1d20 - 2 ⇒ (17) - 2 = 15
Unless Kagro were directly behind the front doors, listening to your exchange, you suspect that Bram is lying to you about consulting with the Commander...
Bram raises one of his axes, and the four other fire giants all appear to gird themselves for battle.
Bram quite obviously prepares an attack, should someone be foolish enough to step within striking distance of those blades of his. This leaves Eidi the Arbitrator just enough time to demonstrate the Outcasts' intentions, before the giants above take their next actions...
Eidi is up!
Roll20 Map has been updated. The Ballista Crew is 20' above you, with Cover from the crenelations...
The Dialogue of the Outcasts is enough to keep Vermirox from whoosh-thudding, as he listens patiently enough to your polite rebuff. "Ah I see now. You talking with the giants is much like me talking with you. You will serve me well enough when you finish talking with the giants."
Whoosh...
...
When you return to the front gates of the Citadel, you are met by a familiar fire giant face. Bram the Kitchen Raider emerges behind the two posted Tiamikal Nul-Shada on ground level. There are now two fire giants looking down on you from the ballista platform above.
"Oye. You again." He looks over Mort's haul, nodding. "They said you brought us tribute, now I see they were right." This time he looks you over, and waves you over.
"Now, if I remember enough, Kagro tasked you with dragon rout. Looks like you've been busy at that. Which means I won't just pop your heads off here, and drink your blood, dreaming of dwarves. What you gonna ask from Kagro? I'll run your ask to him, and come back and tell you what his answer is. I promise."
"You're grave robbers, are you not? Here to rob tombs while the conflict occupies the greater agents? I must be seen to engage with the defenders of Kongen Thulnir. I can do so, with numbers. Perhaps while you're trying to steal the phylactery?"
Whoosh... Thud.
"If you're trying to talk with the giants, you're slower than I thought. Slaughter will get you what you want. It does for me. If you want a greater chance to slaughter them from within the Citadel, I can level an attack from above, drawing their forces to the battlements... Yes?"
The Outcasts return to the Canyon Mists below the Citadel, and the privacy it affords against the keenest of dragons' eyes. Perhaps surprisingly, perhaps not, the base of the mighty stone pillar upon which the Citadel rests is quite wide, and devoid of the deadly stone spikes which litter the rest of the Canyon below Kongen Thulnir.
Waiting for you as promised is the Voice of Vermirox. As you set foot on the floor of the Canyon, the Mists swirl about you as the old blue continually repositions himself. He keeps his voice low, and his tongue slips into Common, for the benefit of all.
"Good. You're all here. I can smell you." His welcome issued, he repositions again, a whoosh of air, then a thud once he touches down again. He's not circling you, but he seems to be keeping his distance.
"Do you know who I am? Unless you have been living under a rock, you do. You understand that these mountains are mine. You beg for your continued existence from me. You slaughter herds in fear of me, watching helplessly as the meat rots and I still burn your villages." It sounds like he might spend all morning educating you, but a distant roar stops his speech for a moment, and when his voice returns, it has become more focused. More on topic.
Whoosh... Thud.
"I despise Brazzemal. Who is he to lead Dragotha's army. He leads the young to the slaughter, and the giants blindly defend this rock as if their lives depended on it. I tire of the risks. They seem to have plenty of harpoons and loads, and what do I stand to gain here? The approval of the undead? There is no glory in that. I do like the killing... but this siege has brought others to my land, and the longer they remain, the likelier they set their sights on what is mine."
Whoosh... Thud.
"You didn't run when you faced Brazzemal. That shows your strength. You should focus on killing him for me."
Whoosh... Thud.
"Or... your old one mentioned a phylactery. That would defeat Dragotha's efforts here, and put a price on Brazzemal's head... that would work just as well." A pause, as the dragon considers.
"We hear you, ancient one. And I, for one, am listening. We know about how you dragons are being controlled by this ancient power. If you think we can break you free somehow, we can talk. We would not play a role on freeing the phylactery to you though"
Eidi:
Dragons are renown for their stoic facial expressions, but when you mention 'phylactery', you can tell that it creates something of a surprised brow ridge raise on Vermirox's face.
"Ahhhh. Of course. Dragotha thinks his phylactery is here, in Kongen Thulnir. You also. This is interesting. No, I have no interest in possessing it, if that concerns you. I have every interest in its destruction now. You might cripple him more than I first thought..."
Mortimer wrote:
"Do you care to speak in common, or are you too old to know common? Why do you still conceal yourself?”
Vermirox answers Mortimer's Common with his own Draconic, even now.
"You are too young to understand or respect Draconic, but more importantly, you are slow to grasp that you speak to a dragon in front of giants, who themselves have failed to grasp my ancient tongue. The guards are nothing. Their commanders sometimes surprise me when it becomes evident they understand my language. And I conceal myself to avoid alarming them."
Ascaria wrote:
"Well, we're not going to start killing giants if we don't have to, but we would be willing to speak with you. Where do you want to meet?"
"Brazzemal believes himself to be above the fray. We can descend to the depths of the canyon, and speak plainly, without too much risk. You have already been there, I gather. I can make it easy for you- the base of this pillar, underneath the noses of Kagro himself. I will wait for you there..."
Within seconds, Eidi can confirm that Vermirox languidly peels himself from the bridge, wings still collapsed at his sides, until his entire form slips below the Canyon Mists. You can barely hear his wings snap open, as the huge beast plummets.
Ascaria wrote:
<Giant>"You guys sort it out. We've got to go for a moment. We'll be right back. Don't leave your posts."
Meanwhile, the Citadel has yet to reveal a way forward, though it could be mere moments the front doors open to welcome you inside.
It feels as if time screeches to a halt, as the Citadel yields little while you wait with the two fire giant guards. Though they look down on you, quite literally, they also allow their gaze to pass over your trophy haul, before returning to measure each of you, and what role each of you might have played in securing it.
It's at this moment something very large though unseen rises from the mists, and lands on the bridge, mere yards from your rearguard, Eidi.
Eidi:
You can see him, as he's Invisible, presently.
Knowledge(Arcana) to ID Dragons:1d20 + 28 ⇒ (13) + 28 = 41
This one has a Name, too.
Vermirox: Vermirox is a loud and obnoxious old blue dragon that has dwelt in the Rift Canyon for nearly 500 years. Rumor holds that his lair is an immense cavern below a little known city Wraithkeep at the eastern edge of the canyon.
A quiet rumble of the draconic language reaches your ears, and possibly the ears of the fire giants, though it's not immediately clear to you.
Draconic:
"I've witnessed your prowess. I see Dragotha's Demise in you. I can help you. The giants are just an obstruction. Kill them, and we can speak freely."
Gazzilfek can't help but turn his back to the fire giants, as he hears something coming from the bridge. "Whaaaat's he saying?"
We aren't exactly in Initiative, but please humor me, and post Single Round actions only. I believe Eidi is the only one privileged to the token placement on the updated Roll20 map.
