Olivia, Countess of Pontylver's page

Continued from the previous post ....

Now the Countess of Pontylver peers down at her bag of holding, undraping the drawstring and opening the magical container to squint down into the shadowy extra-dimensional interior, and thrusting one hand within to fish around momentarily, before withdrawing it, now holding a delicately engraved silver headband. She thrusts it toward Orsino, sternly asserting: "This is strictly a temporary loan, Orsino. I expect its return in good condition--assuming you return from Saltmarsh alive, of course. Wear this circlet of persuasion--MY circlet of persuasion--during your visit to House Lassiter. It is one of several ways I shall now endeavor to amplify your already considerable persuasiveness."

The circlet of persuasion grants a +3 competence bonus to all Charisma-based checks made by the wearer ....

Next, she fishes a pair of leather scroll tubes out of the bag of holding, and also hands these over to Orsino, inquiring of the investigator-wizard: "Are you familiar with the first-order divination cultural adaptation? These scrolls bear the arcane version, but there is also a divine version. It is most useful to diplomats, spies, and intriguers of all shades, allowing the caster to seem as a native of a single designated culture. If the caster speaks the language of that culture, they will speak it with a perfect native accent under the spell's effect. It seems to make true natives of the designated culture somewhat more favorably inclined toward the caster. Here's one to use during your visit to House Lassiter, and another you can inscribe in your spellbook as a consolation prize .... for not getting to keep my circlet ...."

Orsino receives 2 scrolls of cultural adaptation scribed by Countess Olivia (CL 20th, duration 200 minutes); while active, the personal only divination imparts a +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy checks made to influence members of a designated culture (e.g., Keoish Suel nobility such as House Lassiter) .... Which of course stacks with the circlet's +3 competence bonus, bringing us to a +5 bonus on Orsino's Diplomacy checks to influence the Vecna cultists so far ....

Again fumbling in her magical extra-dimensional bag, Olivia next produces a cedar jewelry box or coffer and opens it, revealing six little glass potion vials, each filled with an effervescent and transparent amber liquid. She distributes the potions of eagle's splendor evenly among the Horned King's Men, 2 to each, explaining: "Potions of eagle's splendor, to enhance your inherent charm and guile .... Make them count."

Each PC receives 2 potions of eagle's splendor (CL 20th, 20-minute durations) that grant a +4 enhancement bonus to the imbiber's Charisma score ....

Countess Olivia next touches each of the three antiheroes, laying powerful mind-affecting enchantments upon them that compels them to greater heroism ....

Each PC is enchanted with greater heroism, granting a +4 morale bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks of every kind, for the next 20 minutes .... This should be an effective increase altogether of +11 to Orsino's usual Diplomacy bonus!

Finally, the Countess bids the Horned King's Men draw near and standby for a greater teleport .... A heartbeat later, they stand in the cobbled street just outside the wrought-iron gate and fence enclosing the stately Noble House of Lassiter in Saltmarsh ....

We now flash forward to the moment where we initially left off in House Lassiter, after Blaygus and Lord Egan have concluded delivering their expositions regarding Ely Cromlich, and Lord Egan's subsequent inquiry regarding whether or not Erlick and his companions would have visited for their own reason or reasons, even if Lord Egan hadn't recalled his son home ....

Having run some numbers and analyzed probabilities, I feel it only sporting to bolster the PCs with a little magical augmentation from Countess Olivia, immediately prior to her casting greater teleport to conjure the party along with her to the street outside House Lassiter in Saltmarsh. Otherwise, my closer analysis of the situation and actually doing the math as things stand strongly suggests only an abysmally slim chance of the party convincing Lord Egan Lassiter and/or Blaygus to support Erlick's retention--let alone attaching--of the Left Ear of Vecna (even if he and his companions DID risk life and limb to plunder it from the Fane beneath White Plume Mountain), since each of them is a Vecna cultist of more than twice his level .... Therefore, we briefly flash back to the moment immediately prior to Countess Olivia casting greater teleport to transport the party to the cobblestone street outside the wrought-iron gate and fence surrounding House Lassiter in Saltmarsh ....

Late afternoon (~5:55 PM) on Godsday 11th of Flocktime, in the map room of Castle Skullgard:

The Horned King's Men have concluded their business in and around Nulbish for the time being, and are now prepared to journey to Saltmarsh and pay a visit to Erlick's ancestral home--the Noble House of Lassiter--in answer to the cryptic summons of his father, Lord Egan. Gathered together in the privacy of the seldom-occupied map room of Castle Skullgard, they are presently joined by Countess Olivia, who carries one of several bags of holding she personally owns. After perfunctory greetings, she gets to the matter at hand.

First, she addresses Erlick of Lassiter: "You know your father far better than anyone else here, Erlick .... Blood or not, he is a high priest of VECNA .... I think you also know far better than the rest of us what exactly that means, yes? And this esteemed guest currently visiting your native home--this 'worthy pilgrim' that 'whispers odd tidings'.... None of us know them from Holy Al'Akbar! I can't help but fear that you and your companions might be bumbling in over your heads unawares ...."

Secondly, she fixes her keen blue eyes upon Orsino: "You've proven yourself to be as remarkably eloquent in diplomacy as you are diabolically clever in deception, Orsino .... You do your shrouded bloodline proud ...." She half whispers the latter declaration before continuing: "You three are about to undertake a diplomatic challenge far beyond duping simpleton town guards or dimwitted peasants. It will take your utmost cunning and guile to make high-ranking lieutenants in the cult of Vecna believe that a young upstart anti-paladin is worthier to attach the Left Ear of Vecna than they themselves are .... To convince those who are long practiced in seeking power only for themselves to relinquish it to one from whom they might easily snatch it instead."

Thirdly, she turns to Grimaldi: "And you--You've proven yourself to be surprisingly canny for a Fool and a Madcap--even brilliantly inspired, at times, Grimaldi. Your talents at traditional thievery might best be reserved for adventures other than this one, but the experience you've acquired in only a brief time as Guild Master of the Thieves' Court here in Nulbish, and as an unofficial magistrate of civil matters, might prove useful indeed in the coming trial. All I can say to you is this: watch the backs of your comrades, as you have always done, for your eyes are keener to lurking and hidden perils than theirs will ever be."

Continued in the following post ....

Continued from above ....

Among the allies gathered around Olvenking Hazendel of Sunndi, Horned King Malvolio of Medegia, and the Seer Selephotsiphem are several powerful adventurers and rulers of lesser fiefs. These include Countess Olivia of Pontylver, a mighty arcanist archmage and former adventuring companion to Malvolio and two of the others that were present (Lord-Protector Baron of Willip Monduel the gnome mesmerist, and Lord Bob Crossbowman).

Seeing that Wastri's trio of "Loyal Mages of Purity" were quickly dismantling Hazendel's prismatic wall, and would soon open the way for the rank-and-file bullywug minions and human cultists to swarm like a plague of locusts into Pitchfield, Countess Olivia stretched out the jeweled golden greater metamagic rod of delaying, ready to unleash arcane destruction upon Wastri and his trio of ugly, toadish magelings ....

In the Infernal Tongue of Baator, she issued a calm warning to her assembled allies: "When the violet layer vanishes, give me half a second before anyone charges out through the archway .... unless you like being incinerated, or you are impervious to fire ...."

Almost immediately after she spoke the warning in the language of devils, she was about to repeat it in Elven for the benefit of Olvenking Hazendel and Prince Melf Brightflame, when one of Wastri's homely mages -- the frumpy toad-lady -- cast a dispel magic spell, dispelling the final violet layer of Hazendel's prismatic wall, and without hesitating for so long as the blink of an eye, the Countess of Pontylver cast one of the mightiest spells in the arcane repertoire, freezing time itself all around her with a time stop. She then proceeded to cast a series of devastating evocations, delayed with her greater metamagic rod of delaying to detonate as soon as time resumed its normal flow again .... "Right .... about .... NOW!!", she announced to herself, as the meadow beyond the South Gate of Pitchfield, crowded with hundreds of bullywugs and perhaps three-score human cultists, not to mention Wastri himself, suddenly ignited into a blindingly bright maelstrom of delayed blast fireballs, a delayed wall of fire, and just to cool things off a bit after all that fire, a delayed polar ray, just for Wastri himself ....

The hideous cacophony of agonized croaks and shrieks that echoed off the city walls and across the scorched meadow was morbidly satisfying to the allied defenders' ears, but even more edifying was the sight of dozens of black-charred bullywug and cultist skeletons collapsing all around the shrieking, writhing, immolated form of Wastri (who was apparently susceptible to burning, albeit mighty enough to withstand even the great holocaust Olivia had invoked upon him) ....

Continued below ....