Lydia of Sothis's page

"Sorry Lydia. We need to find some way to stop the Pactstone from falling into the wrong hands.

"And I love you for that. But how? It must be a thousand tons. I can't secret it away in my pocket like I had hoped."

Hal can tell she is not arguing the point - her mind is not made up. She's simply asking the question.

We also need to stop the Demon. Until we accomplish those goals, we cannot leave. As for finding treasure, I leave that up to my comrades to worry about".

"I know this is very un-Pathfinder of me, but recent events have caused me to view my life as my treasure."

". . . and we've only got enough potions for one more trip."

The Scarab suppresses another shudder, realizing she may never see the sands above again. She follows into step behind Karek and the Dune Squad as they depart.

De halfling's a survivor, Hal. Karek says as he slows to a stop. I dink we'll see 'im again.

-

The Scarab shudders as the sensation of fire upon her skin suddenly ratchets up in intensity. She looks to Halstadt, trusting the dwarf knows what he's doing.
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OOC: Everyone else felt that as well. Well, maybe not Bunky.

"Ahnnnn!" the Scarab cries, doing her best to muffle her distress.

"I can feel the fire! I think we're still tethered to Xaven in some way."

Peering from behind, still out in the hall:

"Stone shoes? A shoe room? Here? Why?"

The Scarab is confused as to what exactly is happening. She hits the deck in case the spells and bombs start flying.

Initiative for the Mithral Scarab: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

I guess the next question is North or East?"

-

"Maybe the question we should be asking now is: 'how do we get out of here'?"

"I'm not detecting any magic on the archway at all, if that helps."

"But the magic in this place has proven to be so powerful, I wouldn't be surprised if the builders could mask their magic beyond my detection."

"Or maybe the magic on the stone is so strong, it simply overwhelms all other auras."

. . . We will value your stated expertise and gladly have you lead the way in investigating these side passages. Should you prove useful and honorable hence forth, and we are lucky enough to survive this thrice cursed pyramid, you might even gain profit beyond the retention of your hide. Such is my opinion. Others may differ and I will gladly hear their statements regarding what to do with you."

-

"Let me see here," says the half-elf as she kneels over the corpse to confer with Moonpate. "Isn't that glyph on the underside of those bracers an arcanic astral signature?"

"And that headband, it looks like it's trying to shift into the shape of another item, a hat or a scarf, maybe? I can only think of a handfull of known magics that can do that - are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
-----
The Mithral Scarab attempts to Aid Moonpate, DC 10: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11 (success)

That increases Moonpate's total to 25.

This also implies Lydia has left the firefly room and is now once again near the center of the Pactstone. Based on recent history, I am assuming this means Breach follows her like glue.

Also her protective aura has elapsed.

Lydia shudders visibly as Hurgah takes care of the dirty work.

On seeing Hurgah roar like dragon:

"Uh, did anybody else know he could do that?"

"Okay, just to be clear, that one," he points to Hrokon with his axe, "isn't part of us, is he?" He raises a questioning eyebrow awaiting confirmation, ignorant of how all this magic seems to be working.

-

"But is he our ally?"

"Watch out!" Lydia cries as she hits the deck in the wake of the explosion underneath Xaven. The blast radius just misses her (and Breach and Donkor) by just a few feet. "It's some kind of moving glyph of warding!"

Then she scrambles to her feet.

Mithral Scarab goes on delay, presumably so she can continue to remain lock-step behind Breach, but perhaps to do something else, should it be needed.

It's Gandel next, then Breach, then Karek!

Lydia comes off delay and casts protective ward. This abjuration class ability confers a +1 AC bonus to anyone within 10 feet of her, currently Breach and Donkor, as well as herself. She then moves to try to keep up with Breach, falling 10 feet behind him.

"Careful everyone!"

I'm not sure this will matter, but as Breach Lydia and Donkor were much closer to the commotion than Karek and Gandel (who raced off to look at the north arch), technically Breach will be ahead of them as opposed to following.

The Mithral Scarab delays so that she can move in tandem with Breach. She doesn't want to get isolated with a teleporting fiend about.

"What's going on?" the Scarab asks as she fights to make sense of everything happening at once. "Are we under attack? Who is shooting at Hurgah?"

"Hal!" she calls ahead, "Watch your back - There's something hidden on the floor sliding your way."

"Gandel!" the Scarab whispers to the exhuberant halfling. "This isn't just history anymore. This is our present. If Khymrasa gets a hold of the Pactstone, she'll follow through on her plan to join in the pact. A Fifth Pharoah will be born! And with it the end of modern Osirion as we know it."

"We can't let that happen. But we can't exactly just pocket the stone and hide it in the Kothi anymore, can we."

"What is this place?" the Scarab asks to no one in particular. She squints in the darkness at Gandel's lights as they fly and flicker about the edges of the gigantic room. "This strange flooring makes me somehow feel like I am standing in the center of a stage or an arena. I just hope we're not part of the show."

". . . Penchant for wands," mutters the Scarab, "Who are we talking about here?"

Lydia lends her thoughts in support of Halstadt:

"If this man is who I think it is, " she says referring to Xaven, "then I also agree he's a maverick who can't be trusted - but he's not a murderer."

"According to our journal reports, he's one of the very best delvers around and has looted some of the most notorious ruins on record. But he explores for adrenaline and cares nothing for the preservation of lore."

"Hopefully one that has the Pactstone so we can get out of here!"

A reluctant explorer to begin with, the Scarab has clearly had enough.

"Ahhk! Karek! What just happened? Are you alright!?"

"Lydia, let's get you down the shaft next. Please allow my great friend Ilma-aello to transport you in comfort."

The Scarab nods in asset. While nervous, she is clearly motivated to be away from the chamber in which she was imprisoned.

The purplish-colored sphere zips over to the edge of the shaft and forms a flattened disc on its top. Ilma-aello is anxious to move quickly. She cautions the Potentate she will be forced to leave him soon.

Gritting her teeth, Lydia scrambles aboard on all fours. She does her best not to look down.

There's a loud thunder crack and Ilma-aello descends like a bullet train.

Quickly snapping his attention to the sound of the voice, his heart beginning to race as his hopes begin to rise. "Lass?" Breach moves to the bottom of the tube. "LYDIA LASS?! IS THAT YOU?! HA-HA! THANK TORAG! BY THE...? HOW DID YOU...? WHAT DID...? OHHHH I'LL TALK TO YA MORE WHEN YA GET DOWN HERE! ONE O' YOU LUG HEADS GET HER DOWN HERE NOW! My voice is startin' ta crack." Looking to Gandel, Breach glares at him a moment before a large grin forms. "She's alive, Trapspringer! Alive!" He moves over and grabs the halfling in a massive dwarven hug. Eventually letting him go and allowing him to breathe again, Breach moves back to the tube, awaiting Lydia's arrival.

-

Following Halstadt's voice, the Mithral Scarab makes her way to the edge of the deep shaft near the center of the mosaic-covered chamber, but stops when she sees there is no obvious way down. Looking over the side she can see Gandel encircled by his dancing lights far below.

A familiar voice echos down the shaft in answer.

"I'm here Breach! I'm here! Are you OK?"

The Mithral Scarab detaches herself from Hurgah and stands ready, collecting herself.

She takes advantage of Moonpate's sudden distraction by the sudden purple cloud abduction to avoid answering his question.

"Wha? What is that?"

OOC: And that ends the round.

Hurgah’s questioning seems to help the shaken Scarab refocus.

“I think, I think it’s some kind of throne room – four chairs for four pharaohs, I think. The chairs surround some kind of pool in the floor back there.”

“The terrain’s fake. An illusion. See how it doesn’t feel cold? Well not see, feel, I mean. It changes very fre—“

As she speaks the frozen landscape beyond the double-doors disappears, replaced by a vast tepid swamp.

“That horrid creature, Suekahn, has moved into this room and sorta lives here now, I think. My sense is he’s trapped in this place, the pyramid I mean. I don’t know how it works, but from what I overheard he needs to kill to gain his freedom."

“I’m pretty sure I was bait—I think I still am. The first thing I remember was he was smearing blood on me with his talons when I woke up. I was in this room. He told me if I tried to leave he would kill me and I should wait for my friends to come.”

That’s probably an awful lot of speech for 1 round. . .

Satisfied - at least for the moment - that no immedieate threats are present, Hurgah lowers his axe and releases his rage. His enormous figure seems to shrink a little as he motions for Lydia to come through the doors.

In here. We are all here, and the clerics can heal your injuries. We seem to have driven off that devil for now.

-

Lydia needs no further coaxing. She bolts out of the artic wasteland, through the giant doors. She wraps herself around one of Hurgah's monstrous thighs in relief and buries her head to hide her tears.

Clearly these are trying times when one rushes to enlarged draconic half-orcs for refuge.

OOC: Although she is trying to be courageous, she is clearly not cut out for adventuring of this level of intensity.

P.S. Hurgah's got a few rounds of fatigue following the end of that rage.

"Hurgah!?"

"Is it really you? Or is this just another part of the illusion?"

Now that he thinks on it, Hurgah's not certain he's ever seen anyone quite so happy to see him before.

Warning - if he doesn't position his axe carefully, there's a 50% chance he could wind up the recipient of a hug.

Next up is the Scarab.

The Mithral Scarab attempts a (really important) DC 15 Fortitude save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8 (not good!)
-----

There’s a terrible cracking sound as Lydia’s body suddenly solidifies. First her feet are transfixed to the floor as her flesh spontaneously transforms into dark orange-tinted rock. Then the effect ripples up her body, encasing her limbs and then finally her head. A moment later, the young half-elf is a statue.

Just before the transformation is complete, the Scarab spins her upper body around in desperation. She looks to Hal, her sworn protector, for help, but it’s already too late.*

She then ends her life as a twisted statue transfixed in a silent scream.
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*Don’t let the GM get you down – he’s always waiting to pounce with a fictitious guilt trip. Just because she only came inside this death trap because Hal insisted and promised to look after her is no reason to feel any responsibility. If it helps, I note Breach made her a similar oath to protect her. Those crazy dwarves and their oaths. . .

"Or a ten-headed hydra..." Gandel comments distractedly, stowing his whip and alchemist's fire.

-

With both her hands on his shoulders, the Scarab tries to get the slave to look her in the eyes and ignore the clash of combat deeper down the shaft.

The Scarab maintains her readied action to grab the slave if he tries to bolt or otherwise do anything untoward.

The slave takes no action of any kind.

The Scarab positions herself behind the terrified slave and, tries to calm him. She'll ready an action to grab him if he tries to bolt.
-----

Hurgah is next - unless he is delaying, in which case we're down to the aforementioned slave and then Breach and Karek.

"Here now, what's this? A tiny rune hidden within the larger hieroglyphs - a composite containing all four of the personal runes of the Four Pharaohs. Interesting... if you take the character hiding the rune and read right to left, the hidden rune repeats eleven symbols later, and then again, and so on... Looks like a hidden message. Let's see: 'He' - although in Ancient Osiriani that's more of a universal pronoun. The grammatical positions of the preceding and following letters infer the pronoun 'Who', with the next word being 'Cannot' - or possibly 'does not' or 'will not', there's been too few samples with sufficient context for scholars to be sure - and then 'Follow', but with a broader meaning like 'adhere' or 'be responsible for' or possibly 'commit to'..."

-

"But follow where?"

"Uh, maybe the mummified snake is an acid snake? Is there such a thing?"

Hal listens to Moonpate's suggestion and nods in approval. For a second he considers it then turns to Lydia, "Lydia, you do possess such a spell correct?

-

"I do," she nods.

Can you use it to scout ahead of us as we go? It may prove useful to get an idea of what is coming besides this giant snake.

-

"Sort of - I won't see what the servant sees. But if it were to trigger something like a pit or a deadfall, that we would see."

"What Mr. Potentate is proposing is to use the spell to mimic a person, possibly to lure this serpent out of hiding. For that, I would need his help or maybe Gandel's. It's a bit beyond my abilities."

Hydra's, giant snakes - we have not made great friends with the reptile community during this adventure. I wonder though what a giant snake trapped in a tomb for thousands upon thousands of years fed on to stay alive?"

-

Then she adds, "But just because such an undead creature would not need food to survive, doesn't mean it won't eat us."

The Scarab gives her appreciation to Breach for his vow. Her eyes then turn forward, straining at the darkness that fills the shaft beyond the limits of Gandel's magical lights.

"I'm not sure we'll be able to," she says softly, looking down at the corpse, "but after this is over, if we can, I'd sure like to get that slave buried back at his river."

"I know I'd sleep better. . ."

A hypotehtical if I were to take the liberty of having Karek voice his last comment aloud:

Also, only three? Haven't, like, 14 been sent in already?

-

"Yeah," says the Scarab from behind him, her voice weak as she tries to find her courage. "There were at least a dozen slaves that were sent in over the past two days - in two separate waves."

She too notes this is only three.

Moonpate will relay this finding to the others in Dwarven and Draconic. . .

-

"But if it wasn't you," she says to the wizard, "then who cast the illusion?!"

"Xerissa's right - two other groups of slaves went in through the same opening. There was no such magical entrance collapse."

Now officially scared out of her mind, Lydia stays close to Halstadt, scrambling after him up the ramp. When she looks back she sees Donkor, Karek (and soon Breach) being cut off by the guards.

"Noooo-ooo," she mouths, uncertain what to do.

Upon seeing the mystic pyramid so close up, the Scarab is really struggling to keep her composure. She is quite terrified. She is not sure which will be worse: being captured by the Exemplar's legion or actually being sent inside that lightless square opening.

Fortunately her visible shakes do not betray her disguise -- they more likely enhance it.

Lydia hangs back a bit, letting the others choose their potions first.

-

"I think I've seen one of these before," she says. . .

A potion of extended non-detection.

Lydia hangs back a bit, letting the others choose their potions first.

She is a bit troubled. The Exemplar might well know there were only six slaves chosen to enter the pyramid. They are nine. Her best solution is that Xerissa use her spell to instead disguise three of you as guards. Perhaps those three can pretend to be ushering the slaves and slip in the pyramid behind them at the last moment. Or is the better idea to go with nine slaves, and hope no one notices the discrepancy? Or should three remain behind, perhaps slipping out of the tent or hiding under the table?

"You did it!" exclaims Lydia in a whisper. Excited, she reaches down and gives Gandel a big hug and then shakes the Okaro's (Xerissa's) hand. "Nice work everyone."

"Now would somebody unroll the big guy before he suffocates?"

Roooarrgh ur roo!!!

Hurgah looks mighty sceptical at the notion of being hauled around like a rug, but eventually complies.

-

"Alright boys," she says as she points to the huge lumpy roll, "Hoist him up. Everybody ready?"