None of the above?
With great reluctance, she'd say Rilee, since that's the incarnation that has become lost to her.
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Also, I'm going to be continually weirded out by Shally's substantially different life because she was a significant character in a different campaign I played. And she wasn't so... scaly. But she was beautiful! ... and she got better.
You don't remember? It was after the giants, and we wanted to rebuild Sandpoint, so we paid the pirate lord a whole bunch of money for all the supplies, but he swindled us? Then the other crimelords basically used us to go after him. Which we did, pretty effectively? Ah, good times. Good times.
After 24 hours pass, Rilee's new incarnation does not appear in the Wrath wing. As time passes, no one shows up or attempts to bypass the golem.
Glad you're back, gyr! And sorry to hear about the pest problem. The site's been having that issue for over a week now. Sometimes it's really bad. Paizo has said it's been doing some overhauling of its website. I'm currently lurking on Roll20
I'm hopeful it's just the recent site issues.
The Great Wheel turns inexorably throughout the myriad planes of existence. Each realm possesses its own version of the Wheel, spun off from the Great Wheel like a swirling eddy of a mighty river but always connected. The Wheel rider spins wildly in a tiny wheel created from a small but ancient demiplane. Riding a tumult of swirling emotions, the rider senses the exit to the Great Wheel and reaches for it, to escape the eddy and cast itself into the full river. The vestiges of a storm, small but still tempestuous, rages alongside the rider. It feeds the rider's ragged emotions, pain and anger and regret and loss. Yet the Great Wheel was emotionless, spinning endlessly with no thought to reward or punishment. Life itself was without those concepts, it's only meaning being ascribed to it by the living. The rider sought to flee the storm, to throw itself into the unfeeling Wheel and lose the storm in its infinite span. Yet the rider knew that it could never find the same eddy again once it has left. But the storm is too great, filled with too much pain. The rider chose to flee. Yet in that timeless space, the rider pauses. The storm begins to be drawn into the Great Wheel, pulling the rider along with it. But the rider senses something else that should not be. Another spark of life spinning in the tiny eddy of the demiplane. Something akin to recognition crosses the rider's mind. The rider tears itself away from the storm and reaches for that tiny fragment, protecting it, coaxing it to remain intact before it fades into the ether of the Wheel. Remaining in the tiny wheel of the demiplane, the rider is thrown back. The realm offers little with which to make a body, and everything is tainted by the magic of the place. It pulls together flesh from dead giants and outsiders, perfumed air and ancient silks, carved stone and wrought metal. The Wheel-rider draws in a breath, takes in its surroundings, and moans.
Rilee issues a cry of the deepest anguish from the depths of her being. She had reacted instantly, calling forth the power of the blazing sun to end the profaned existence of her dear friend -- her granddaughter of another life. But she was unable to extend that mercy, because whatever foul necromantic magics had been used to corrupt her existence began immediately unraveling before her eyes. As Setsuna was unmade, the solar energy channeled within Rilee burned white-hot within her. Her wrath blazed with the intensity of the sun as she focuses it on Azaven. She didn't care that her wards had expired and more undead lurked about. Her desire for vengeance was all-consuming. There was an exchange of energies -- her brilliant white against his sickly green -- and suddenly with a touch and word from Eugeni they were elsewhere within the Runeforge. Rilee's scream for her denied revenge echoes through the new chamber. She turns to rail at Eugeni for pulling her away from her enemy when she stops abruptly. She reaches down to her stomach in wonderment and brings up a handful of dust. Her fury is gone in an instant as she stares at Eugeni and Zoli with a look of concern. "We shouldn't... have... come--" Rilee Stormborn falls to the ground and fades to dust, her gear lying half-buried on the floor of the chamber. The small statuette of Olympus ends up resting on top of the pile, frozen in a mournful pose over his mistress's remains.
Yay!! CDL is back! ... But Setsu isn't... Aww. Okay, so... I guess we don't get any upgrades. Eugeni 'ports us out, Jeevica shows up, and we go back in to kick undead ass. Damn, I wanted to be a centaur.
Well, we're in quite a bind, then. From what we know, once we leave, there's no going back. That means we have to clear out a series of dungeons that have been kicking our asses when we're at full strength. If we survive Azaven (not liking our odds there, either), then our broken and grieving party must somehow go through two more wings (sloth and greed, I think?) before we get reinforcements. Hmm. There's that summoning circle in the Wrath wing. Maybe something from there?
I can heal, but it's very inefficient. My spells are best used as wards and for summoning allies. Plus, things like restoration and greater restoration are beyond me (and it's needed for Olympus, who got drained, and me, if I get reincarnated again). A dedicated cleric/oracle would be preferable. If we do the cohorts, I'm interested in finding and bringing back Shalelu. Regarding us continuing in the Runeforge, I wonder why exactly we would keep going through the rest of the wings. We found the items to make the diametrically opposed weapons against Karzoug, and given our losses and defeats elsewhere, it just seems like we'd do the ritual and get out. Unless I'm missing something? And there's still the current situation of our actions against this Azaven guy. Our wards are expired, he's probably at full power, and we're a party member down. We're probably toast if we fight this guy, though I can't see us doing anything else. It's fully his fault Setsu is gone (in our eyes). What are your thoughts about how we're getting out of this one?
Really sorry to see you go, Setsu. I wish there was some way to get you to change your mind. ================ Regarding where we go from here: Jumping ahead in levels would be temporary at best. Thron can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this AP is supposed to go to 20. So it'll be good for us until the AP catches up, then we'll be in trouble again. Here's a couple ideas I thought of, since I foresee that continuing with only three of us, the reduced activations each round will likely be our downfall. So to make that up and avoid saddling Thron with a DMPC that is probably a heal bot/dispeller (to replace Setsu's role), I suggest: Give us a mythic tier or two. Keeping us capped at tier two or three will keep most of the brokenness of the mythic rules from getting out of hand while giving us some more resiliency and a spare action or two to make up for the fewer activations. Give us each an intelligent item, that can cast spells or create effects independent of us. Maybe the runewell is supposed to do that anyway, but either way, it's an opportunity to give us some extra side spellcasting that can enhance the game. Imagine if Baern's Breath could suddenly talk-- what would it say? Give us each some extra power boost outside of levels -- maybe we each gain a template or something similar. When bouncing ideas off CDL to keep Vampire Setsu, I suggested killing Rilee and having her come back with an addled mind so she won't have the trauma of seeing Setsu that way. I rolled on the table for funsies and got a centaur. That'd be cool, and the change in forms would be a boost for Riley/Rilee regarding her physical stats. Zoli's got the Wrath thing going which could be boosted, and maybe Eugeni could unlock some Eldritch abomination powers within his form. (I'm not crazy about this idea, but I'll suggest it anyway.) Give us a bonus Leadership feat and let us each bring in a cohort.
"Oh, Setsu," Rilee says with a tear falling down her cheek. "I'm so sorry."
Deeply regretting coming here. "I am Rilee, Stormborn. Our time here is short. Restore the elf-blood's soul, and we will depart forthwith."
Wait... you sleep? I thought you had a kid.
The sunlight fades from her aura as Rilee reaches over and touches Olympus, reducing him into a small statue. She picks him up and follows Eugeni and Zoli after the undead.
"Not yet," Rilee says as sunlight plays along her fingers. She runs over to stand near Olympus. She yells to the mummy, "Your master didn't answer me. I am not going to allow your master to stall until our wards expire. You send every single one of these creatures back into the wall and forbid their return or I start blasting away with the power of the sun!"
"Your master sure has a strange way of seeking peaceful negotiations! You strip our friend's soul from her body, and then say it'll take time to restore her? How much time!" Rilee demands, the light of the sun leaking from the corners of her eyes.
Rilee scowls, barely restraining the brimming power of the sun within her. "Restore her quickly, as a show of good faith. And we will not cave to outrageous demands of the kind that Delvahine required. Did she come here to fetch Xyoddin? Because his alliance with her cost him his existence. And it did not help her, either."
Surrounded by undead, Rilee shouts to her summoned elemental to open the door, then to get out of her way. When it sinks into the floor, she rushes past the ghostly apparitions and into the revealed hallway. She then turns, and casts a spell conjuring forth a beam of pure sunlight down the hallway, engulfing three of the creatures in its yellow-white light.
Leaving the energy room alone for the moment, Rilee begins summoning a large earth elemental to engage the undead in the southern corridor that Setsu found earlier. Bringing it in just before Setsuna grants it blessing of fervor, she instructs it in Terran, "Go ahead through that corridor. The unliving are beyond; destroy them."
A fresh bloom of fire erupts in Rilee's hand as she has Olympus move into the next room. While Setsuna listens intently at the next door, Rilee also listens for anything that might lurk in the next chamber, using her echolocation if necessary.
Rilee hisses, "They're not dead yet." She keeps Olympus attacking.
If the undead in front of Olympus expires, Rilee throws her flame at the surviving creature. If not, she reaches down to apply her flame to one in Olympus's talons.
Rilee instructs Olympus to drop the undead in its talons, allowing her animal companion to tear into it once more and giving her a chance to torch it with the fire in her hand.
Rilee cautiously casts a spell and touches the undead creature with the bloom of fire in her hand, then directs Olympus to full attack it.
Now that Olympus is mobile, Rilee climbs into his saddle.
"Ugh, the one ward I neglect to bring up is the one that would have come in useful," Rilee mutters to herself while reaching behind her and placing freedom of movement on Olympus.
Rilee, seeing the others prepare themselves, places death ward on herself and Olympus. Then she makes sure echolocation is running on them as well.
Rilee clutches at her chest as she enters this place. She casts her usual protections on Olympus and herself. She also casts barkskin on Zoli with the halfling's pearl of power. "This place is unpleasant. I have several castings of death ward and sunbeam available, but their durations are short. Let's see about scouting ahead whenever possible. The warding against death effects lasts only a quarter of an hour, so once cast, we should try to deal with as much as this place holds within that time.
"Back so we can rest once more," she adds.
Rilee's dark look lingers a bit after Zoli's giggle. "Well, that's resolved. We're going to try the gluttony wing next, right?" She surveys the destruction of the wing that the fighting had wrought. "Let's go."
Rilee hears the defeat in the man, and cannot help but offer what assistance she can. "If you wish, I can invite your soul to ride the Wheel and you can experience this new world in another life. Perhaps one free of the scars Delvahine left on you."
Rilee nods sagely. "Dead, and her corpse burned. She is no more, and cannot influence you any more."
"We'll leave, but you'll be trapped in this place forever if you don't accept help from us.
Rilee steps back and lets the charismatic Oracle talk to the man.
Rilee makes a disgusted sound and focuses her eyes elsewhere. "You are free from Delvahine. Do you understand us?" she asks in Thassilonian.
Rilee waves her hands and chants, and suddenly the stone releases the weapons. It flows into a large round sphere resting just next to the runic circle.
Lurking for a short while.
"That makes a fair amount of sense," Rilee says. "My only suggestion would be to go back to the area of lust, because I think we might have left a person alive back there who was chained up. He would have been a liability to us had we freed him while Delvahine lived, but now we can see if there is anything we can do for him. He may be too far gone, but leaving him trapped in this ageless place would be too cruel."
Rilee nods in relief when she examines the magic gear on Delvahine's corpse. "I don't think she has the resources to outfit a decoy with this amount of wealth. This is her, and thankfully, she is dead." Rilee opens her pack and pulls out a small case. Taking out a vial from the lacquered box, she administers a drop of liquid on Delvahine. The body slowly turns into wood. Then with a sneer, she causes her hand to erupt into fire and sets in alight.
Rilee swiftly shifts back to her aasimar form and hops on Olympus' back. With a quick whistle, she has him help her cover the distance between her and Zoli. Then she leans over and wards the halfling from any harmful undead effects.
Yes, sorry; it was the greater variety. Since we're all bunched up, I suppose.
It's only a -10 penalty. But regardless, did I dispel the confusion?
Plus, I had echolocation up. No perception check? Being in dire bat form, I probably would be hanging from the ceiling anyway.
Except we know she has that spell. It's like bunching up when you know your enemy has a frag grenade. That's not smart either.
Rilee dispels the magic and sends Olympus after Delvahine.
No. Just, no. There's no way we'd be all bunched up in fireball formation.
For me: Wisdom-based caster and high Fort and Will saves. Note that my Reflex isn't all that great. Iron Will may not be a bad investment at Level 15.
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