Coral lands two strikes against the statue, the stone resisting some of her attack. She deals significant damage to one of the creatures, but it still remains animated until Kendren delivers the killing blow and sends pieces of rock tumbling to the ground at their feet. Red is down.
Lola/Feena:
Feena knows that Graven Guardians, crafted and painted to resemble Arazani's favored servants. Graven guardians are inexorably tied to a specific deity’s faith. While unintelligent and thus lacking any real personality, a graven guardian has the ability to recognize fellow worshipers or minions of its deity and does not treat them as enemies unless they first attack. This recognition does not extend so far as to allow these worshipers (or those cunningly disguised as worshipers) to give a graven guardian new orders. As with all constructs, a graven guardian follows only the orders of its creator.
Weakness: Faith Bound (if possessing a symbol of Arazni)
Tanngrisnir, Valda and Catamoch deliver the final blows the large dragon, sending it crashing to the ground before them, dropping the Primordial Flame.
Among the remaining treasure are the following objects of value that the party can claim for themselves: a merciful charm, potion of flying, dragonbone arrowhead, a Book of Lingering Blaze, and 150 gp worth of coins, art objects, and gemstones.
After the defeat of Ashen Swale and Venexus, the Sutaki people are finally free. Within days, Venexus’s glacial palace melts, flooding Lyuba and opening Lost Mammoth Valley’s exit. Those Sutaki who don’t join the party’s following return to the hinterlands of Lost Mammoth Valley or head eastward to avoid the encroaching Burning Mammoth horde.
The party leads their following out of Lost Mammoth Valley and to Hillcross, a nearby settlement where Metuak sought aid after fleeing Lost Mammoth Valley. As the scouts leave Lost Mammoth Valley, Veshka (possessing the pendant) has one final vision....
She stumbles away from the valley, head throbbing, mind on fire, vision filled with shadows. Everything hurts! Or does it? She's lost something
important, and she can’t stand being without it. She feels cold and hollow, burnt empty by a flame that’s no longer there. Everything hurts! She need help and there’s only one place she can think to find it: Hillcross.
The party makes their way back to the surface to catch some much needed rest and recovery.
Everyone go ahead and level to three!
---
The following morning, Mira knocks on everyone's door and rounds the group up, explaining that there has been a development and they are needed once more. As they walk back to the garrison, she explains that Father Zantus and Sherrif Hemlock were studying Tsuto's journal together while they were below the Glassworks and here is what they put together.
"The sketches in the journal show a map of Thistletop's location, a coastal area just north of town and a demon woman. It also mentions Burning her father's remain's at Thistletop Shrine."
"Nualia Tobyn supposedly died in the fire with her Father Ezekiel Tobyn. Perhaps ... she didn't die in the fire, but was horribly scarred?"
Arriving at the garrison, she leads you into a room with the sheriff, Belor Hemlock who picks up where Mira left off.
"Alright. Mira filled me in on your work below the Glassworks. We do think this needs to be looked into further, but we consider this imminent threat with the goblins and Thistletop to be a greater importance."
"We think she stole her adoptive father's remains for some dark ritual? She's leading the goblins and planning a massive raid on Sandpoint that is going to be much worse than the last attempt. According to that journal, she's based at Thistletop with Chief Ripnugget and the goblin tribes. The festival attack was just a test run - the real assault is coming... and need you to do what you can to stop it while we get the town ready here for the assault."
Hakata, Tanngrisnir, and Kadosh all fail to land their attacks, the exhaustion of the day and brutality of the fight against the dragon wearing on them. Veshka delivers some of her medicine battle medicine during the fight. Kadosh impossibly stays on his feet, taking blows that should have sent him to his death.
Strong jaw makes the dragon slightly ill just before Valda lands her blow, nearly delivering a critical strike to the dragon. As she hits her foe, more icy cold blood splatters onto her. Damage C:2d6 ⇒ (5, 4) = 9+ slowed 1]
Catamoch does deliver a major blow to Venexus, his tusks piercing deep into the frozen foe's body! His blow causes the dragon to groan loudly in pain, the accumulated damage showing as for the first time a look of concern washes over her.
Venexus turns her full attention to Catamoch, intent to make him pay for what he just did and take him out of this fight. She rakes her claws across him and snaps her jaws on him once.
As Ziel examines the pool and the surrounding runes, recognition strikes him. This is ancient Thassilonian magic, specifically a runewell. These constructs were designed to transform wrathful, violent energy into physical manifestations - the sinspawn. Something in Sandpoint has been feeding this thing, charging it up. It will eventually deplete its energy naturally and stop spawning creatures, but that could take weeks or months. Alternatively, consecrating or desecrating the site with powerful divine magic could shut it down immediately.
Snag is confused by the magical energies here that are overwhelming. You're certain it's magical and evil, but the swirling patterns and ancient runes make your head spin. He thinks... maybe it's some kind of permanent gate to the Abyss? Or a demon summoning circle? The truth eludes him in the chaos of energies.
She criticall strikes the creature, nearly taking it down!
Botting Ziel ...
The investigator moves into the room and towards the only remaining foe, flanking with MIra. He ascends the stairs and buries his rapier into the demon, finishing it off!
What the ... Two nat 20's?! Three if you count the weasel. That's how it is done against hard baddies!
With the demon down, the party uncovers a cold iron returning dagger, tiara worth 50 gp, black silk gown worth 25 gp, obsidian unholy symbol worth 10 gp.
Now that Ashen Vale has fallen, the party turns its full attention to the creature that holds the artifact that they have been searching for.
Valda fights through the mist and scores a hit again the creature, once more it's ice-cold blood splashing onto her after she does so. Freezing Blood C:2d6 ⇒ (3, 6) = 9+Plus slowed 1 for 1 round.
Kadosh moves up, getting within range while Hakata and Catamoch both attempt to strike the dragon, but can't quite find purchase.
@SJ - Is he a flying goat? The dragon is hovering above the edge of the cliff. Flanking will be a challenge otherwise! He still hits without the flank though.
The goat shoves the dragon backwards just before the goblin blasts it with some electricity which it partially resists.
Venexus is not happy with being shoved, so it glides backwards another five feet to get a better angle, now completely hovering over the edge. She takes a large breath in and then bellows forth a tremendous cloud of frost that blows through the entire party! Kadosh rings his bell, but the sounds is lost in the flurry of ice.
One after another, all of Snag's missiles slam into the demonic creature, continuining to wrack up the wounds on it.
The poor weasel flops about helplessly in the water, unable to help anyone including itself. So, Anthony does it all by himself. Waiting until the most opportune moment, he finds an opening and delivers a critical strike that finishes off the creature in the fountain.
Valda swings at Venexus, but can't seem to land her strike on the large creature.
Venexus is visibly shaken by the boar-god!
Veska lands her spell on the dragon, even though it seems to partially resist her.
Strongjaw dutifully plays medic and keeps his allies on their feet with multiple applications of healing.
The dragon raises its head and roars loudly before slamming it down and clamping its jaws around Valda! She shakes free only to be bit again by the sharp teeth! As it swings its tail her though, she ducks it and avoids the strike.
V: 29 F2
1d20 + 21 ⇒ (5) + 21 = 26
1/10 the first time each round that the target takes at least 10 piercing or slashing damage from a single Strike, it takes 2d6 additional damage of the same type.
Mangrove moves further into the room, raising his shield as inspires everyone to push through this encounter.
The wrathspawn in front of Mira snarls, twirling its ranseur toward her, but fortunately for her it slipps in waters of the fountain, missing. Overconfident, she lowers her shield slightly, allowing the sinspawn to bury it's second attack into her chest. It swings again, but misses.
Mira Damage P:1d10 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Ziel, Snag, Anthony and Mira are up!
Order - Round 1
Anthony
Mira 25/34
Demon Critter -5 hp; grabbed
Mangrove
Wrathspawn -8 hp
Ziel
Snag
Kadosh's determination and combat prowess shines as he delivers his own series of critical strikes against the god-caller. Ashen Vale drops the frozen terrain, crimson spilling out over the ground at the half-orcs feet.
Valda lands her first strike on Venexus, but then gets lost in the mist with her second. The wound that Valda delivers spurts out some of the dragon's ice-cold blood onto her!
Valda Cold Damage:2d6 ⇒ (3, 5) = 8+Slowed 1 for 1 round.
@Catamoch - Good use of a HP reroll! Miss -> Hit.
Kadosh and Catamoch continue to pound on Ashen Vale who finally is beginning to look roughed up. Coughing up blood and moving all of his weight to one foot, he tries to stay on his feet to retaliate.
Hakata fires two shots at the dragon, but it's difficult to pinpoint her exact location and both arrows miss.
Remember Venexus is concealed while in the missed.
Strongjaw casts his spell on the wintery dragon, but she's much more resillient than she looks and she easily shrugs off his spell. His antics with flipping her the bird get through however, and she growls in frustration.
@SJ - Just got the demoralize in with the HP reroll!
Ashen Vale feels Hakata cast a healing spell and reaches his left arm out, attempting to intercept and siphon a portion of his spell. Unfortunately for him, Hakata is just a little too far and his efforts fail. Frustrated, he screams loudly and puts all of his weight into a thrust of his spear into Kadosh and buries it deep into the half-orcs chest. Kadosh rings his bell and it does seem to distract the attack slightly, but the point still burst into his body regardless.
Kadosh Crit Damage:2d6 + 8 - 1 ⇒ (4, 1) + 8 - 1 = 12That is his second straight crit on you. Oof! He does NOT like you.
Realizing the end is near, he yanks the spear free of Kadosh and tries to pierce him twice more. The first attack is close, but misses, as does his third.
Venexus roars loudly and furiously attacks Valda, but only manages to land one attack with her jaws in the process.
Valda P+C Damage:2d10 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (3, 6) + 10 + (5) = 24
Party up! AV is almost out and may drop from one set of attacks.
The temple’s cool red-marble threshold gives way to a timeworn terrace washed in briny air. Veins of ashen gray run through the stone underfoot; condensation beads along the edges and patters down to the dark lake beyond. Four clay statues of a crimson-robed warrior-Arazni as the Red Crusader-stand like sentinels along the balustrade. Two other plinths are nothing but collapsed heaps of clay; on one, you can still see the cruel, fresh gouges of tools.
Below, a ruined plaza sprawls between tiered sanctuaries; to the south, a narrow crystalline bridge arcs across the black water toward a needlelike tower. Faint, perpetual flames glow in distant sconces, spilling steady light over peeling paint and rose-gold inlays on the statues’ armor.
As Kendren steps to the head of the stairs down to the plaza, the terrace seems to hold its breath.
Hairline cracks race across the nearest statue’s face. Gemset eyes kindle. Clay flexes like muscle. One after another, four guardians shiver free of their stillness, drawing thin rapiers. A quick, shimmering magical surge washes over each and you notice enhanced speed in their limbs.
They pivot in unison, regarding you with implacable purpose. I don't believe anyone is openly displaying a holy symbol of Arazni. If you ARE let me know as they won't attack you.
Beyond, the lake laps softly at stone. Your attention is closer however, as the keen points of four rapiers level as the red queen guardians advance.
The monkeys are not as succesful this round, and are warded off without stealing anything. Venexus dodges Valda's strikes while Kadosh and Hakata continue to whittle down Ashen Vale. While Venexus avoids being slowed by Catamoch, she does lose her ability to react quickly for a round (She has no reactions this round.)
Ashen Vale jams his spear into Kadosh's side! Kadosh Crit Damage:2d6 + 8 ⇒ (4, 2) + 8 = 14 He jabs again and misses before throwing his shoulder into him, attempting to push him off the cliff. He stumbles as he steps forward though, barely making contact with the half-orc.
Up close, Valda can feel the warmth coming off the Primordial Flame that Venexus carries. The heat mixes with her innate cold body, producing a constant veil of fog around her. Creature within 10 feet are concealed. Even though Valda is concealed, it seems as Venexus's eyes pierce this mist as she stares directly at her.
She lunges forward and clamps her jaws shut on Valda, her sharp teeth piercing the Radiant's skin. Valda Damage:2d10 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (4, 6) + 10 + (4) = 24 She follows up with a claw and tail strike, but luckily both miss!
Coral places the talisman in the bazier and a moment later smoke briefly forms an image of a warrior woman donning armor. The smoke image proudly nodes once before dissipating, spreading outward into the room.
This vision grants all creatures in the room at the time of the offering a +1 sacred bonus to AC until you leave this zone.
This seems to expend the last of the lingering magic in the brazier.
Catamoch opens the fight with a critical tusk into Idovik's chest, following up with a second attack that also hits, leaving his opponent gravely wounded after his attacks.
Stronjaw's monkeys successfully dislodge Ashen Swale's wand of healing!
Valda follows in Idovik's footsteps and delivers a critical strike and a regular strike, nearly finishing off the tusked creature
Kadosh has trouble getting his bearing to try and recall information he can exploit about Idovik, still fuzzy from his tumble.
Ashen Swale manages to avoid the bulk of Hakata's Wrath, but Idovik is not so lucky and is consumed by wrath.
Swale looks behind him and shouts, "VENEXUS! IT IS TIME!" as he casts a spell arching electricity between Valda and Catamoch.
Damage E DC25R:5d4 ⇒ (3, 4, 4, 1, 3) = 15
A large winged creature can be heard flapping its wings over the ledge moments before a female young white dragon crests the top with a roar. A thin veil of fog surrounds her body as she moves, making it difficult to see her at times. Hanging from her arm is a cradle holding a ball of burning flame. Recognition is instant, this must be the Primordial Flame!
Only moments after appearing a torrent of frost explodes over the party as she sprays icy cold shards all over you. Damage C DC28R:10d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 2, 3, 4, 3, 5, 2, 3, 1) = 32
Party up! Boss time! Everyone but Hakata gets sprayed by the breath weapon.
Damian, Lola and Isabet all confer the stories and mosaics featured around the room. They agree that these are telling the story of the Battle of Three Sorrows, which ended in Arazni's death and therby crushed the moral of the Kinights of Ozen. Damian further elaborates that the gold brazier tha was once used to burn offerings here hasn't been used in centuries, but was used for a rite of protection. When checked for magic, you find it radiates a faint aura of abjuration. If you burn items worth at least 500 gp in this brazier, some beneficial boon will be bestowed upon you.
The gold brazier is merely plated with gold, but with a great deal of scraping, you could recover 300 gp in gold flakes. Scraping away the gold will expend the last of the brazier’s magic (if it has not already been expended).
After searching thoroughly, Coral feels confident there are no immiedate traps in this area. There is a corridor that heads east briefly, but becomes evident it collapsed long ago and is blocked.
To the south, two opening leads out into a terrace above a plaza, with a lake and crystalline bridge visible in the distance.
The last knight is overcome and quickly taken down without sustaining any further injuries.
A quick search of the fallen foes finds much of the same: potion of barkski, +1 full plate, +1 light steel shield, +1 longsword, javelins (4), lesser talisman of arrow protection, lesser talisman of danger sense, silver unholy symbol in the shape of a skull, wooden holy symbol in the shape of an upright rapier on a red field: x3
When you aready to descend ...
You are surprised about the length of the stairwell you are descending. You estimate that travel somewhere between eight to ten normal flights of stairs down before the stairs finally come to an end.
This room is adorned with thousands of tiles covering the walls, floor, and ceiling. The tiles form mosaics depicting the story of a warrior woman garbed in crimson robes fighting a host of undead. A dented gold brazier with a lotus petal motif rests at the chamber’s center. Steep stairs ascend to the north, and two archways to the south open into a large cavern. A hall to the east ends in a pile of rubble from some long-ago collapse
I'll take history or religion checks to identify some things in this room as well as some perception checks.
Leaving the fleeing wyrmlings behind them, the party moves back to the bridges and pushes onward in search of their ultimate goal, Venexus.
Located at the pinnacle of the glacial palace is a massive ice cavern closed in on three sides. To the north, a slick balcony looks out over Lost Mammoth Valley, providing a commanding view of Venexus’s domain—and a deadly free fall for those who can’t fly. Inside, once finely sculpted ice walls melt in the heat of the sun, leaving pools of water along the floor. A hall in the chamber’s southwest corner opens into a large room piled with riches—Venexus’s illgotten hoard.
In the center of the lair are two figures: a gaunt, pale man with tattooed skin and a monstrous bloodstained rhino with bone spurs and tremendous horn jutting from his head—Ashen Swale and his god‑beast Idovik. As his god stamps the ground and lowers its head to charge, Ashen Swale spits, "“You’re the cause of this? When I’m done with you, I’ll use your corpses to punish every last traitor! The valley will run red with blood!”
Ashe Vale hastens his god and shouts "Destroy, Idovik!" before turning to Hakata and casting a spell on him, attempting to break his bones! Hakata Damage (Fort DC 25):3d8 ⇒ (7, 6, 6) = 19
Hakata:
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target takes half damage. If you cast the 3-action version, you can move the target up to 5 feet; it can choose to fall prone to avoid moving.
Failure The target takes full damage and is enfeebled 1. If you cast the 3-action version, you can move the target up to 15 feet; it can fall prone to avoid moving.
Critical Failure The target takes double damage and is enfeebled 2. If you cast the 3-action version, you can move the target up to 25 feet, then knock the target prone; if you attempt to move the target to a hazardous location, such as into a pool of acid or off a cliff, it can fall prone to avoid moving.
The god ramapages forward and charges Kadosh , using his momentum to power his attack. He slams into Kadosh with such tremendous force that he might be knocked from his feet.
Kadosh Crit Damage:2d10 + 8 + 2d10 + 8 ⇒ (8, 5) + 8 + (8, 3) + 8 = 40+ DC25 Reflex or get knocked prone.
Note: Ashen Vale and Idovik are god caller/god, but are unusual in the sense that do not share the normal restrictions of the pair.
Kadosh delivers two massive strikes against the wyrmling, one of them critically injuring the creature! Some of the wyrmling’s blood splatters onto him, dealing 1d4 ⇒ 1 cold damage and slowing him down. Slowed 1 for a round.
Valda hits only once, but she also delivers a critical strike against her foe! Some of the wyrmling’s blood splatters onto her, dealing 1d4 ⇒ 4 cold damage and slowing him down. Slowed 1 for a round.
Feeling the groove, Hakata also critically injures the dragon Kadosh is fighting, nearly taking it down.
Catamoch's squeal is particularly effective in scaring a baby dragon!
Strongjaw's fear spell is quite effective. While the creature fighting Kadosh shrugs off most of the effects, the other two flanking the bridget are completely overwhelmed by fear and bolt out of the room, flying away as fast as possible until they are no longer in sight.
Valda's dragon retaliates against her with two claw slashes and whipping its tail at her. Both a claw and a tail manage to get through her defenses.
Valda Damage:2d6 + 5 ⇒ (3, 3) + 5 = 11 Valda Damage:2d8 + 5 ⇒ (2, 3) + 5 = 10
On the end of the bridge, Kadosh's wyrmling also manages to land a single strike with its claw, but not after being slightly distracted by his bell.
Kadosh Damage:2d6 + 5 ⇒ (4, 5) + 5 = 14
Two flew away, two remaing. Kadoshs's is very injured.
Damian successfully brings down the wounded knight with his first shot.
Lola moves quickly around the edges of the room, settling in behind Coral and tries to stab the knight adjacent to Coral, but misses.
Coral misses with her first two attempts, but she gangs up with Kendren and Lola to land her third on the green-cloaked knight.
Kendren, now faced with a single foe, connects with his two strikes because Coral bewildered him and drops him to the ground.
Feena targets the last remaining foe, landing both of her scorching rays on him.
The sole knight retaliates against Kendren, his blade shining with an unholy light about it as it cuts through the paladin's defense, nearly critically injuring him. Kendren Damage:1d8 + 22 + 2d6 - 1 ⇒ (5) + 22 + (5, 1) - 1 = 32
While Kadosh dashes forward down the bridge, Valda leaps over the chasm and lands adjacent to a wyrmling. She swings too soon, not collecting her footing and allowing her swike to slice too high.
Hakata takes his time and lands a beautiful shot on Valda's enemy.
Two of the four dragons take flight and move to the flank the bridge, about thirty feet away, while Valda's stays to fight her where she is.
Kadosh knows these frozen creatures are weak to fire (Nearly a crit!). He glares at the one approaching him and frightens it for a moment before it swoops in to engage him directly. It rakes its claws at him, scoring a critical hit! Kadosh Crit Damage S:4d6 + 10 ⇒ (6, 2, 6, 4) + 10 = 28.
All three attacks Valda miss.
The occupants on the bridge are not so lucky. From both sides an explosion of ice pummels them!
A good opening round for the party as the they lead an onslaught to the antipaladins. First, a fireball engulfs the room as Feena explode the area around the knights. This is followed by a flurry of strikes that all draw blood from Coral, Kendren and Damian.
All of their efforts focused on one target nearly bring him down, the knight struggling to keep his footing. His right hand glows with a fiendish flame and he reaches out and lays it on Kendren as he gasps "I curse you!". Words gurgle in his mouth as he nearly chokes on them as he tries to say them.
Kendren Damage:4d6 + 8 ⇒ (1, 5, 1, 1) + 8 = 16
The two other knights longswords beging to glow ominously as they march south closer to Coral and Kendren.
Party across the bridge, the scrape of claws across ice and a cruel, hissing laughter mark the appearance of four small white dragons, one on
each raised ice shelf and each no bigger than a pony. The dragons are discolored—ruddy beige and cream rather than true white, with curving horns and stunted frills.
One of the dragons cackles, splaying its frills with interest. "People! And not the one we’re forbidden from eating! It’s a gift!"
A second dragon licks its snout. "Good! I’m starving! Mother’s been away too long."
"You always say that," a third one counters. "And you’re always hungry. We’re sharing these ones!"
"No!" a fourth whines. "Don’t eat them! Not yet! I want to play with them first!"
"Deal," the dragons chime in unison, stalking forward with hungry eyes.
The wide path winds up hundreds of feet through Venexus’s glacial palace. The ice walls are shaped in images, some clearly depicting Venexus, Lost Mammoth Valley, and her subjects, and others are more abstract and stylized, with entire walls shaped like crashing waves, rippling water, roaring flames, flower petals, spirals, and other patterns reflecting the natural world. A recurring theme among the ice art is a simple bone and hide lamp containing a flickering flame.
5d20 ⇒ (4, 19, 11, 20, 2) = 56
Veshka:
As you travel these ice tunnels, Veshka notices the Primordial Flame’s continual presence, which they spot in nearly every image. This serves as a sign of Venexus’s obsession, or is it something else?
After ten minutes of climing, the wide ice tunnel levels out, then narrows, transitioning into a long ice bridge only five feet wide and over seventy feet long. It spans a wide chasm at least sixty feet deep. In the corners of the chamber, each positioned slightly higher in elevation than the ice bridge, are four raised ledges.
This slick ice bridge crosses a chasm 60 feet deep. A character can attempt a DC 25 Athletics check to Climb one of these ice walls.
The second mammoth gives way to the relentless onslaught from the scouts as they cover Valda's retreat. The second mammoth hits the ground with a loud thud, sending another tremor through the ground.
Out of combat.
The offering bowl contains 100 gp worth of offerings given to Venexus by Sutaki supplicants. Hidden beneath a loose hunk of ice in the corner is a pair of greater bracers of missile deflection.
The scouts put up an impressive offensive performance, taking advantage of the slashing weakness of these huge creatures. Valda and Kadosh work together to deliver multiple critical hits, hacking enough of the creature apart that it topples to the ground with a tremendous cavern-shaking thud.
Catamoch slashes the remaining mammoth which Veshka, Hakata and Strongjaw do what they can to keep everyone on their feet as they flood the room with healing.
The mammoth continues to viciously swing its tusks at Catamoch and Veska. He hits Veshka twice and Catamoch, each strike landing with tremendous force!
Party up! One left. Not sure if Veshka's HP is accurate, if so she's down. She got hit with a crit but that didn't take her down, just the regular hit did.
A makeshift barracks fills a surprisingly clean room lit with two flickering torches. The scent of incense is strong, covering the foul sewer stink. Three hammocks are anchored to the northern wall, and a table with three chairs stand in this room’s southern end. A stairwell
descends along the eastern wall, near several barrels and crates.
As the door opens and you move in, you see the three sealbreaker knights towards the north-eastern side of the room. They are chatting with their back turns as you enter and quickly spin to face you, confused.
As they process Kendren's words, they grow angry and draw their weapons. It does not appear surrender is imminent...[/ooc]
As Kadosh finds out, it's not that difficult to land a hit on these huge creatures. His flash of insight reminds him that these beasts benefit from negative healing, and are immune to death effects, disease, mental, paralyzed, poison, unconscious. They are weak to positive 10, slashing 10.
Catamoch rips into the hulking mammoth, tearing exposing a section of its abdomen.
Valda finds her feet after being trampled and still manages to damage the mammoth! (You are going to have a hard time missing these things.
Strongjaw heals his companions, lessening the damage from the trampling.
Hakata's channels divinity against the mammoths, catching both of them unready and sickening both of them.
These huge undead creatures continue to dish out a beating to the party, reinforcing that this battle is going to be quite difficult.
Both the mammoths employ similiar attack tactics. They swing their powerful necks towards their targets who are next to each other. Each swing allows their tucks to independently strike a different target in the attack! The northern mammoth attacks Kadosh and Valda, with the souther attacks Catamoch and Veshka.
Both Valda and Kadosh are struck twice in the three attacks, despite Kadosh's attempt at using the bell to distract it. One of he tusks pierces Kadoshs's chest, critically wounding him.
On the southern side, Veska and Catamoch are each only hit once, but both are critically impaled as well.
The paty collapses on the two remaining monks, demoralzing, frightening, piercing, smashing, eletrifying, slashing and shoving them around the icy battlefield. In short order, the battle is over and none of the dragonkin are left standing. One of Venexus’s chosen wears a ring of sustenance.
Everyone take a hero point!
Once ready, you push forward into a massive, diamond‑shaped that hall has an offering bowl at its center, set before a forty‑foot‑tall ice sculpture of Venexus. The oval antechamber to the west leads back to Lyuba, while two other icy hallways, one to the north and one to the south, lead deeper into the glacial palace. Each of these two exits is blocked by a massive mammoth, clearly dead and rotting, that stands completely immobile.
As you close the distance, they engage, acting first.
The huge northern mammoth rushes forward, the ground shaking beneath your feat as it charges forward into Valda, Kadosh, Catamoch and Veshka, trampling them. Before they can recoverm the mammoth blocking the southern passage charges over them trampling them again!
Those four need to make 2 DC30 basic Reflex saves.
Kadosh critically injures red and provides some cover to Valda against the flanking monks, denying them their advantage. Valda lands a strike and instills some fear into her foe, who is already not feeling well.
The hacking, cackling witch shocks both of her targets, with the redish-skinned one taking the brunt of the attack as the other one seems to evade her as the talking boar brings a quiver to the blueish dragonkin's knees.
Hakata lands his first strike nearly finishing the creature and finding the weak spot, delivers a deadly blow with his second shot, taking red down.
The monks begin rapidly lashing their tails out at the party, but one one strike hits Valda. Valda Damage:1d10 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15. After hitting her, it tries to wrap its tail around her leg and knock her down, but fails.
Using the any-tool as MW thieves tools is fine as taking ten here.
It's clear whatever pressurized liquid that was going to come out of the statues mouth was going to be quite unpleasant, whatever it was. Once she sets to it, Coral easily deactivates the pressure plate linking to the carving of Arazni. Once it's safe, Kendren moves up to peek to the other side.
On the other side at the end of the corridor, he spots the same group of Knights that Isabet saw. He can see a heavy iron bar blocking the gate from opening. While he can't get an easy angle on the bar, it's possibble someone could rig up a way to remove the bar. The book calls for a disable device, which is available to you, but I'll take another adequately place skill here in its place.
Valda and Kadosh avoid traversing the slippery ground by taking small, measured jumps. Once in place, both try to strike their enemy. As both of them swing their weapons, the guardians seem poised and ready, anticipating their attack. Before they can land their hits, the dragonkin lash out their tails to interrupt their attack. Two of the tails smack into Valda and one into Kadosh!
The blows to Valda throw off her attack so much that her swing ends up going wide and missing, but Kadosh's still lands.
Both Veshka and Hakata channel divinity around the foes, exposing all the guardians to their wrath!
Strongjaw places healing on the two frontline warriors, knowing that they are like about to be wounded...
The three guardians all step up to Kadosh and Valda, one at a time. Each of Venexus's chosen steps up and moves into flanking, lashing our their tails in rapid succession. Two strikes are targeted at Valda, and one at Kadosh.
From all tail strikes, only one lands on Valda, all the others missing.
Kendren studies the worn stonework and the grim bust of Arazni above the doorway, but whatever secrets its sculptor may have etched into the details are lost on him. The work is ancient, yes, but the scale is too distorted, the face too exaggerated to give him clarity. The door itself proves more fruitful. A heavy slab of iron, reinforced at the edges and tightly fitted into the frame. It’s well-maintained, someone down here cares enough to keep it sealed. He notes something else too: a narrow, handsized gap between door and frame, just enough space that a tool or hand might be worked inside to the other side.
Lola peers at the ominous bust as her mask-covered face tilts with thoughtful suspicion. A faint scent of old rust and worse things clings to the mouth of the statue, and the groove worn into the stone beneath it only adds to her unease. Her instincts prove valid, but it's Coral who picks up on the true danger.
The halfling’s eyes sweep the floor as she finishes her prayer to Iomedae. Her gaze lingers just a second longer where others might not have looked, and then she spots it. A pressure plate, cleverly disguised in the slime-slicked floor just ahead of the door. The craftsmanship is subtle, but unmistakable to a trained eye. The plate is no doubt the trigger for a trap of some kind.
Meanwhile, Isabet presses her hand to the cold metal, muttering a prayer under her breath. After a minute, her vision slips through the iron barrier to the other side of the door where she sees a flicker of flame-two torches casting light on stone walls. A heavy iron bar rests across the inner side of the door, confirming it would not open from their side. Standing in the chamber beyond are three Seal-Breaker knights in their full blackened armor, milling near the top of a stairwell that descends deeper into the undercity. They appear to be unaware the party right now.
Kadosh passes along the information he knwos about these creatures to his team. Sensing that the enemy is about to act, he decides against moving up to be the only one within their range and delays until his team can move with him.
Rather than give up their advantage on the terrain, the three dragonkin try to intimidate Kadosh, Valda and Catamoch before unleashing a blast of frigid magic.
With a flash of teleportation magic and a few tense heartbeats, the entire party avoids the hungry maw of Old Leatherback. The dire crocodile bellows in frustration as it thrashes in the cistern’s center, sending foul water sloshing up the stone walls, but the ancient beast does not pursue. It settles slowly back beneath the muck with a sullen hiss.
The air remains thick with the reek of sewage and mildew as you push forward. Following the route mapped by Grimetongue, you navigate a winding corridor of grime covered brick until it opens onto a narrow landing before a massive iron door.
Set into the sewer wall like a forgotten wound in stone, the black iron portal stands nearly ten feet tall and seems untouched by rust, its edges reinforced with thick rivets. Above it, lit faintly by spelllight and dancing reflections from the waters behind, looms a carved bust-Arazni, in her days as Aroden’s herald. The likeness is idealized and strange: proud, radiant, but twisted subtly out of proportion, her mouth stretched too wide, like a frozen scream or a terrible warning.
As Damian and Isabet converse, a massive ripple disturbs the black, fetid water.
Then another.
And then the surface EXPLODES upward.
A towering, ridged back breaches the water like a ship’s hull rising from the deep. Sludge and gore cascade off thick, moss-slathered scales as Old Leatherback erupts from the cistern’s heart. He is enormous, easily the length of a wagon train and twice as heavy. His crocodilian form grotesquely overgrown, with barnacle-like lumps trailing his tail and algae clinging to the folds around his gnarled limbs.
With a grinding, thunderous ROAR, the beast throws open his jaws, wide enough to snap multiple grown men in half, thrashes toward the walkway. The old creature blinks once, slowly, one milky yellow eye rising above the waters surface and fixing on you.
He’s not hunting.
He’s waiting.
He’s hungry and he doesn't appear to have a lot of patience.
The otyughs care not if you take planks from nearby. Gathering some pieces for supplies, you bid Grimetongue farewell and continue on down the passage.
A shorwhile later, the tunnel opens up as the flow of waste cascades from four different directions into this partially filled circular cistern. A walkway forms a quarter arc, connecting the west passage to another that runs north. Opposite this passage, a separate walkway joins the east and south passages. Heaps of discarded wood lie upon both walkways, piling up against the sewer walls. From all of the planks disassembled on both sides of the walkway and from what Grimetongue told you, you surmise that the connection between the northwest and southeast platforms must be the missing connector bridge that the Seal Breakers disassemble after use.
The path that Grimetongue outlines requires you to get to the other side somehow. It's 35'/40' across the water to the other side.
The roar of falling fluids echoes loudly throughout the cistern and you need to raise your voices to talk overtop of the water.
Kadosh surmises that these creatures are Venxus's Chosen, a group of dragonkin monks. They have a fire weakness (5) and are resistant to cold damage (5).
Forgot to mention that these halls are greater difficult terrain and uneven ground (Balance DC25). Any creature knocked prone in these halls slides 10 feet downhill (away from enemy) and another 10 feet for each round it remains prone.
As the battle at Hearth reaches its climax, Strongjaw unleashes a jolt of lightning that rips through the smoke and strikes Azi squarely in the chest, drawing a startled scream from the necromancer.
Valda, undeterred by the razor-edged bone shards slicing into her, channels her radiance into a flowing spirit strike that flashes with divine power and drives deep into Azi’s heart, felling the final lieutenant of Ashen Swale!
Cheers erupt from the gathered villagers and rebels as Azi crumples at the gates of Venexus’s domain. Soulsinger Kotasi rushes forward through the carnage with others in tow, mending the Broken Tusks wounds. There is no turning back," he urges. "Go. Now-into the ice!"
Throwing open the gate, you climb a stair of glistening stone and frost. The earth gives way to frozen stairs that lead into the maw of Venexus’s palace. Walls of translucent blue ice catch the dawn light and scatter it into prismatic colors, painting the tunnel with spectral hues. Intricate carvings once depicting Sutaki legends now weep slowly, distorted and melting.
At the far end of the antechamber, the path widens into an oval-shaped hall where three draconic figures stand guard-Venexus’s chosen. Their bodies ripple with cold-dragon blood: pale white scales, slit-pupiled eyes, and long muscular tails twitch in anticipation. Each bears a fighter’s stance and a fanatic’s fury.
In unison, they speak:"Surrender yourself to Venexus’s mercy. Pray that she forgives you... as you die."
Catamoch keeps up the pressure, goring into Azi once again with savage tusks while Veshka calls down another crackling bolt of electricity. The necromancer twists away mid-spell, avoiding the worst of the blast but still taking a scorching hit.
Strongjaw continues to channel healing through the group while Tanngrisnir charges in to flank the giant alongside Kadosh.
Seizing the opportunity, Kadosh brings his axe down in a pair of brutal strikes. Bone cracks and splinters under the assault, and the undead giant finally collapses in a heap at his feet.
Hakata draws and releases in a fluid motion, his arrow slicing through the chaos and striking Azi squarely after conjuring a veil of protective spirits around his allies.
Valda closes in and delivers a punishing critical blow, her spirit-charged blade carving deep into Azi’s side. The necromancer staggers, barely holding herself together-her dark magic has stolen enough life to keep her standing, but even that won’t last much longer.
Reeling from the onslaught, Azi stumbles backward until her spine hits the gate behind her. Snarling, she slams her staff into the ground and roars, "YOU... CANNOT... PASS!" With a pulse of foul magic, a deadly spray of jagged bone shards erupts outward, lashing toward Catamoch and Valda. Reflex DC27:2d10 ⇒ (1, 4) = 5 + 1 persistent bleed..
As the necromancer casts its spells on Catamoch, the boar retaliates and injures her in the process.
Catamoch tries to shred Azi with his tusks again, but this time she is ready and dodges them. As Veshka tries to steal back some of the life force, she protects herself from the spell and manages to avoid the summoner's attack. Crit success.
Valda continues to rip the giant apart with her flowing strikes and Hakata brings it to the ground with his spell and damages both of the other two creatures, landing his first shot on Azi.
Strong jaw lashes out at the lieutenant with another bolt of lightning, but once more she is prepared and dodges this attack as well. Crit success. She's on a roll!
Kadosh finds his rhymtm and lands both of his strikes on the remaining giant.
Switching to its glaive, the giant tries to cut Kadosh down, but the thaumaturge is too elusive and manages to dodge all three strikes. Man these giants are pathetic!
Azi has had enough of Veshka and reaches her hand out towards her as she growls, clasping it shut as if grabbing her. Pain wracks Veshka's body as if Azi was grabbing her spine itself. Damage Veshak B DC27F:3d8 ⇒ (7, 8, 4) = 19 Worse yet, she feels her body begin to move towards the frozen waters adjacent to her against her will, as if she's being forced to move into them!
She's using Boneshaker to move and drown her in the frigid waters north of her. DC27F and consult the spoiler below for outcomes!
Boneshaker DC27F:
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target takes half damage. If you cast the 3-action version, you can move the target up to 5 feet; it can choose to fall prone to avoid moving.
Failure The target takes full damage and is enfeebled 1. If you cast the 3-action version, you can move the target up to 15 feet; it can fall prone to avoid moving.
Critical Failure The target takes double damage and is enfeebled 2. If you cast the 3-action version, you can move the target up to 25 feet, then knock the target prone; if you attempt to move the target to a hazardous location, such as into a pool of acid or off a cliff, it can fall prone to avoid moving.
Forced Movement:
When an effect forces you to move, or if you start falling, the distance you move is defined by the effect that moved you, not by your Speed. Forced movement doesn't trigger reactions that are triggered by movement. Some common causes of forced movement include the Reposition and Shove actions of Athletics. In the rare cases where it's unclear whether your movement is voluntary or forced, the GM makes the determination.
If forced movement would move you into a space you can't occupy—because objects are in the way or because you lack the movement type needed to reach it, for example—you stop moving in the last space you can occupy.
Usually the creature or effect forcing the movement chooses the path the victim takes. If you're pushed or pulled, you can usually be moved through hazardous terrain, pushed off a ledge, or the like. Abilities that reposition you in some other way can't put you in such dangerous places unless they specify otherwise. In all cases, the GM makes the final call if there's doubt on where forced movement can move a creature.
Some abilities allow a creature to move while carrying another along with it. This is forced movement for the carried creature. Unless noted otherwise, they both move on the same path while this happens—the carrying creature can't drag its victim through dangers while avoiding them itself, for example.
Valda hits the giant next to her both times, dealing significant damage to it even though it's resistant to her attack. Luckily her flowing spirit strike makes the most of the situation.
Hakata lines up a two shots on the necromancer, missing the first but landing the second!
StronJaw's lightning burst out of the cloudy sky and catches Azi completely unaware (Crit fail)!
KAdosh recalls some useful facts about the giant and delivers a blow that doesn't seem to be resisted.
Catamoch rushes forward and buries his tusks into Azi, gouging her but unable to grab a hold of her.
The giant near Valda and Hakata takes two broad swipe with its glaive, swinging at them both, but missing both times. It takes a third, ineffective swing and misses as well.
Kadosh's giant tries to gouge him with its horsn, but misses all three attempts.
On the far side of the battlefield in front of the gate, Azi closes her hand and pulls life away from Catamoch into herself. Void Damage DC28 F:3d4 ⇒ (3, 3, 3) = 9. Some of her wounds close in the process of stealing his life, equal to whatever the outcome of damage he takes is.
What happens next is even worse though as the boar's blood spills out of him into her body, she laughs maniacally as her wounds heal and she grows stronger once again. Void Damage DC28 F:6d6 ⇒ (4, 3, 4, 3, 3, 6) = 23. Some of her wounds close in the process of stealing his life, equal to whatever the outcome of damage he takes is.
A pale sun rises over the drowned village of Lyuba and the morning air hangs heavy with frost and anticipation. You are gathered outsided Ashen Swale's compound, surrounded by Blood Owls, villagers, and Sutaki rebels. A makeshift army ready to find freedom.
A dozen beheaded are impaled on 10-foot-tall spikes in a haphazard grid that fills the Lyuba village square seemingly embolden the troops. Kezaku and Epaku move between the ranks, slapping backs and grabbing shoulders to bolster morale. Standing before you is Ashen Swale’s
compound, which is surrounded by a 20-foot-tall log fence.
The assault begins.
As the rebels surge into Howling Square, chants and war cries pierce the damp air. Bone warriors clash with villagers in the streets as the you push forward, driving through the chaos to the gates of Ashen Swale’s compound. There, monstrous carrion golems await, grotesque parodies of the gods the Sutaki once revered. Their hideous forms charge forward: a ferret with too many legs, a moose blooming with rotting flowers, a twin-headed vulture bear. Behind them, the towering gates stand closed, guarding the path to the dragon’s frozen stronghold.
Bit by bit, the gates are cleared until the final golem falls in ruin, and the way forward lies open.
Through the shattered threshold of Ashen Swale’s compound, battle still rages. Sutaki rebels flood the yard, freeing prisoners and driving back cultists. But standing defiantly between the uprising and the path to Venexus’s icy palace is Lieutenant Azi, bone staff raised high, her face a cold mask of zealotry. Beside her, two massive skeletal giants close ranks, glaives gleaming in the sickly light.
"You’ve made it far," Azi calls, her voice sharp as splintered bone. "But here, at the feet of the divine, your journey ends."
She slams her staff into the earth and the last stand begins.
The two large giants rush forward on opposite sides of the spikes in a furious charge, slamming their horns into the front line of the scouts. Kadosh manages to dodge his attack, but the other gets a hold of Valda Damage P:1d10 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Both swing their glaives at their targets, but miss those subsequent attacks.
The necromancer starts an encantation that causes whispers of the void to swirl around the party! The words take form, beginning to weaken the party. Everyone but Hakata needs a DC28 Fort save.
Fort DC28:
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature takes 2d8 persistent void damage.
Failure The creature takes 4d8 persistent void damage and becomes drained 1.
Critical Failure The creature takes 4d8 persistent void damage and becomes drained 2 and doomed 1.
The Hearth roars to life from the cries of victory. As Lieutenant Desiak falls to his knees, battered by Catamoch's tusks and Kadosh's axe, Valda’s sword flashed through the air in a final radiant arc. Desiak lets out a guttural snarl, staggered, and crumples to the floor alongside the necrohusk, dead at last!!! A stunned silence filled the Hearth before erupting into cheers as Blood Owl sympathizers stand from their seats, weapons raised high.
The scouts stood triumphant, battered but unbroken. Tonight, the tyrant’s grip on Lyuba had been shattered!
At dawn, the uprising will begin.
The Blood Owls, villagers, and the Broken Tusks will gather in the mists and march to Ashen Swale’s compound. Before the march, Kezaku and Epaku bestow gifts upon you, expressing their thanks.
Kezaku and Epaku gift the party one moderate quickmelt slick each, one moderate winterstep elixir each, one moderate mud bomb, and one moderate pernicious spore bomb.
I think this is a good opportunity to try and make up for the loot deficit. Let's say that they also give each of you an item of your choice level 7 or below.
When all others knelt in fear, the Broken Tusks stood tall. They earned loyalty not through conquest, but through compassion and strength, stitching broken lives back together in the darkness. They mended broken spirits, fed the starving, and earned the trust of a people too long oppressed. Beneath the endless stars of the Blood Owls' hidden refuge, they forged new alliances and plotted the first sparks of rebellion.
Their blades struck down the corrupted and their words lit a fire of rebellion among the Sutaki. Through mud-choked streets and smoke-filled taverns, the Broken Tusk scouts carved a path of hope through Lyuba’s despair. With Desiak’s blood still fresh on their blades and the fire of revolution burning in their hearts, they now rise stronger, sharper, and more determined than ever — ready to cast down the tyrants of this dying valley and seize the future that waits beyond the glacial walls.
Healing warmth floods the battlefield, closing many of the parties numerous wounds (and burns)!
Desiak completely dodges
Catamoch can see the husk is close to being taken down and slams his tusk into the undead monstrosity, taking it down and out of the fight.
Hakata continues to struggle to find purchase with his arrows, both shots flying high.
Valda lands her single strike on Desiak after a bit of healing.
Desiak had been waiting for Kadosh to take his feet once he saw the healing wash over his enemies. As the half-orc rises, Desiak thrusts his bonespur to finish the creature once and for all. As Kadosh moves, his bell rings out distractedly and the bone spur only scrapes the warrior's shoulder as he ducks under the attack. Once on his feet, Kadosh swings but barely misses.
Frustrated with his miss on Kadosh, Desiak growls and quickly whirl toward the radiant one, surprising her as he rakes her with his claws and buries his bonespur deep into her chest, the second strike critically wounding her.
