The big shoanti can't help but laugh at the Abadaran's continuing optimism. "Well done Appario. Three more to go."
Maddok leads the way west.
Derek puts a hand on Maddosk shoulder, leaning in and whispering softly so only he can hear.
"Big brother, I think Appario might be wrong about this, by shutting down these contraptions, we may give Liebdaga a chance to break free.
When we are ready to shut down the last of the four, we should rest before doing so, making sure we are at full strength for what may be next..."
The way west consists of another narrow hallway curving westwards and upwards in an apparent continuation of the hallway you originally entered into.
About midway through the section of hallway, Appario notes a hidden doorway in the north wall, which upon opening is revealed to lead into another set of tiefling tunnels. Judging by the tiefling's stick drawing, these tunnels should lead back to the prison cells, as well as to the place the tiefling noted as containing "BIG Power Crystals".
There's also an iron door just across from the hidden doorway, unmarked by the tiefling, who may have simply forgotten it.
At the hallway's end is an iron door like the ones attached to the cooling chamber you just passed through .
***
Appario will check the door (to Chamber 1) like last time (take 10=32 vs traps), and, if it's safe will open the door.
"One does just walk through iron door."
"Appario…" Yahirma begins delicately as the Abadaran tinkers with the controls and keyrod. "I'm concerned about the ramifications of shutting off all of these vents. Each one seems to draw off power from Liebdaga, which keeps him weak, so each one you shut off will leave him more energy with which to cause harm. On the other hand, each one you shut down makes the whole device less likely to explode in fire like the flames we saw above. both fates are bad, but they also seem to counteract each other."
She taps a finger to her lips in thought for a moment, considering how else to explain her theory. Think of it like a…money pouch. Yes, a coin pouch! If you try to stuff more coins into the pouch, eventually it will tear at the seams and spill all of your wealth onto the ground. Were you to spend some of the coins, you would keep the pouch from bursting. That's like our steam. If we 'spend' some of the steam by shutting it off like you have, we keep the pouch—that's Westcrown—from bursting," she explains with growing pride in her analogy.
"However, what would happen if you spent all of the money in the pouch? You would be broke, and that would also be catastrophic—just like releasing Liebdaga." Doubt begins to creep into Yahirma's theorizing as she realizes her analogy is breaking apart. To avoid an awkward pause, she speeds toward the conclusion. "So therefore, it's important that we only shut off a few of the steam vents. It will be enough to keep Westcrown safe for a few more hours, but the big device will continue to keep Liebdaga weak enough that we can find some means of dealing with him."
Maddok follows along with Yahirma's rather pointed analogy as best he can.
"But can one cooling chamber maintain this structure? If we leave one running, don't we put Westcrown in even more danger?"
"So we shut down just enough of these to keep Westcrown from going up in flames? As far as dealing with him, we can send him back to the Pit the old fashioned way."
Appario interrupts Yahirma's analogy.
"So why not buy a new purse?" Appario asks at one point.
"...but surely you could afford a bigger purse then, if you have so much money?" Appario asks at another point, fixated on the gold.
"Maybe one of them magic purses that holds a lot would work better...you should have enough money with that kind of income coming in. Any thought about diversifying your assets so not all your money is going into one purse? I mean..." Appario heads off into some investing advice and keeps working on the chamber shut off.
***
This chamber is exactly like the previous one, including the cloud of steam billowing out as the door is opened, except Appario spots a hidden doorway in its western wall. Once opened, Livia recognizes the tunnel behind it as the southern path from the tormented Jezeletrix's chamber.
The chamber's iron exit door leads north, presumably towards the two "Power Crystal" rooms marked by the tiefling.
***
While Appario works in the hellish cacophony of mechanical sounds, a sharp, icy cold claw suddenly rips into Derek's back where he stands contemplating benefits and consequences.
The claw gouges the bard's flesh, dealing 37 damage .
***
Current Initiative order:
27 - Livia
15 - Yahirma
14 - Appario and <enemy>
11 - Derek and Xerath
6 - Maddok and Derek
***
Reacting fastest to the sudden apperance of the obviously undead creature retracting a grisly claw from Derek's back, Livia yelps, flutters her wings, then attempts one of the spells taught her by Xerath. Fine, golden dust particles settle on the creature and the hallway behind it.
The undead creature, skin rotting, eyes hanging from empty sockets and foul entrails from gutted stomach, wearing nothing but an amulet around its neck, a ring on one finger, and tattered robes on its back, has no problems withstanding Livia's magic.
***
The icy cold spreading through Derek staggers him for one round.
***
This creature is a Lich Shade, an undead creature usually formed during a spellcaster's failed attempt to transform into a lich, but which can also be created by other types of magical backlash. This particular lich shade seems stronger than the books describe, judging by the damage Derek suffered.
A lich shade is resistant to channeling, cold, electricity, and spells, and suffers full damage only by weapons both magical and bludgeoning.
Undead traits are also revealed.
As above, plus: Lich shades see well in darkness, despite their lack of functioning eyes.
They can sense spellcasters, and are thus able to pinpoint the location of any spellcaster within 100 ft who cast a spell during the previous round. In addition, they automatically identify all spells cast and all existing spell effects as by greater arcane sight.
A lich shade deals cold damage with its claw attacks, potentially staggering its victim.
As above, plus: A lich shade explodes into a burst of necromantic dust when it's destroyed, sickening all those within 10 ft, and also threatening to nauseate them and deal CON damage.
In addition, if a spellcaster casts a spell within 50 ft of the lich shade, the caster must succeed on a Will save or lose the spell. The lost spell's energy is transferred to the lich shade, and it can then release that energy either through casting the spell itself, or releasing it in pure eldritch form as a magical blast, or absorb it to heal damage (gaining temporary hit points for any excess energy). It can only store the energy of one spell at a time.
***
Appario has 1 2nd-level spell remaining (plus pearl of power), 3 1st-level spells remaining, 5 uses of lay on hands remaining, and 4 uses of smite evil remaining.
Derek has 1 3rd-level spell remaining, 5 2nd-level spells remaining, 4 1st-level spells remaining, and all rounds of bardic performance remaining.
Maddok has 2 4th-level spells remaining, 2 3rd-level spells remaining, 1 2nd-level spell remaining, 3 1st-level spells remaining, 4 uses of summon monster remaining, and (unknown) rounds of rage remaining.
Xerath has 4 5th-level spells remaining, 1 4th-level spell remaining, 1 3rd-level spell remaining, 5 2nd-level spells remaining, 1 1st-level spell remaining, and all uses of heavenly fire remaining.
Yahirma has 2 5th-level spells remaining, 3 4th-level spells remaining, 5 3rd-level spells remaining, 3 2nd-level spells remaining, 6 1st-level spells remaining, all uses of undead servitude remaining, all uses of reminder of death remaining, 1 use of natural divination remaining, all uses of dread gaze remaining, all uses of path of the snake remaining, all uses of fortune remaining, and can use misfortune on everyone except herself.
***
As Livia casts her spell, she suddenly seems pained. The magical energy, about to be formed into golden particles, instead surges towards the undead creature and appear to be absorbed into its body.
Round 1, Init 14-
"...so, yeah, Derek, ever get the feeling you're being watched? A cold sensation?"
Appario springs to to his feet, draws Extortion, and moves to J8. As he gets closer, he ganders at the thing.
Yahirma points at the undead and babbles in Infernal before trying to cut off the creature's escape (read: it's option to fight us in the hallway one at a time). The hag spirit appears right behind it.
"Derek, what did Yahirma say? Was it about the coin purse?"
Momentarily sensing some kind of force trying to wrest the forming spell out of her mind, Yahirma's fortune-aided willpower allows her to push through the sensation, and the hag spirit springs into existence behind the undead creature. The hag's dagger misses once, but hits on the second attempt.
***
The undead continues savaging the unfortunate bard.
The creature's claws rip into Derek's flesh twice more, dealing another 59 damage. The bard drops into a heap, unconscious as a result of the three savage strikes landed upon him during the past few seconds.
***
"Nooooo!!" Maddok roars as he sees his little brother fall.
The big shoanti rushes to the bard's side, rubbing his new ring along the way and gripping his hammer tightly.
Xerath summons up his arcane energy and throws 10 missiles of force at the undead creature.
Round 2, Init 14-
Appario smites the thing, uncertainly sure it will work.
Appario spring attacks the thing, returning to K7.
to hit; (heroism, smite, sneak)
damage. (holy, smite, sneak)
"Yes, so we should...guh!"
Oh hey, it's my old friend! Mister floor, hi mister floor, say hi to my face...
***
While nearly strong enough, Xerath's mind is unable to maintain control of his first spell, and the energies from the five force missiles are instead absorbed into the undead creature exulting in downing its first victim.
However, after a brief moment of mental pain just as Xerath begins forming the second batch of missiles, the force that wrested control of his first spell away seemingly acquiesces to the second without further struggle. The five force missiles fly into the undead, beginning the task of ending its existence.
***
Appario's smiteful strike easily hits the creature, dishing out profound amounts of injury to its already far-from-pristine body.
***
Using her lesser reach metamagic rod, Yahirma channels healing energy into Derek's limp body and then speaks a brief command.
Message: You might want to play dead for a moment, Derek.
Yahirma easily withstands the mental force seeking to interfere with her spellcasting, and the healing energies awaken Derek from his slumber.
The hag spirit misses with both attacks.
***
"Ugh...how...how long?"
Seeing through the haze in front of his eyes, Derek atempts to rise to his feet, not fully aware of the danger in doing so, but knowing he needs to move out of the way or die.
Yahirma is jarred by the quasi-lich's resistance to magic—so powerful that it impedes spellcasting nearby and not just incantations directly against it. She shoots a incredulous, "did you see that" sort of look to Xerath after she heals Derek.
Seeing Xerath's force missiles dealing damage to the undead, Livia elects to try a set of her own.
Her pained anguish reveals the influence of the malignant mind as she begins to cast, but it allows the spell through. Livia's two force missiles strike out against the undead, but vanish just as they're about to hit.
As she glares in frustration, she suddenly exclaims "But.. But.. That's my master!" She flutters out above the boiling waters, continuing to stare at the failed lich.
***
The undead grins viciously, looking down at Derek lying in front of it while replying to Yahirma's message in a deathly voice.
"You seek to protect him? Protect yourselves instead, and leave my domain!"
It then seeks to skewer Maddok with a pair of claw-swipes.
Both claws grate against Maddok's magically-hardened skin, however, neither strike drawing blood.
Hissing, the undead draws strands of magical energies from its body with one claw, swiftly flinging a set of force missiles at the Shoanti warrior.
Maddok suffers 16 damage as the five missiles hit.
***
"That's your master?"
Xerath attempts to cast a spell giving him one of the powers of a webslinging man-spider.
He also moves next to Maddok.
Round 3, Init 14-
Appario spring attacks the thing, returning to J8.
to hit; (heroism, smite, sneak)
damage. (holy, smite, sneak)
Maddok grunts in surprise when the skeletal figure's volley of missiles slam into him. "He's not your master, not anymore. You're your own master Livia!"
The big shoanti grips his hammer tightly and joins Appario in the creature's destruction.
Yahirma shakes a fistful of talismans at the undead assailant and commands it to be still.
Come on...move you worthless piece of spiritual flotsam! Just give me one opening to get out from under your claws, you've had MORE than enough of me already.
***
The alien mind wrests the half-formed spell from Xerath's mind, and a few of the undead's wounds close as the magical energies are drawn into its body. Wounds that are immediately reopened by another gloriously vicious strike from Appario.
Maddok, on the other hand, misses with both strikes of his hammer, and Yahirma's command has no more success than the Shoanti's attacks.
Livia hesitates, not so much because the undead is her former master as because her efforts against it have so far been wholly ineffective. "Well, yes," she begins as answer to Xerath's question, "but he didn't look like that before!" Wracking her brain for a meaningful way to contribute now that she's seen the spells even of her mentors fail, she settles on flying over to Derek and picking a potion from his belt, planning on pouring it into his mouth on her following turn.
***
The former Mayor and current abomination continues grinning, despite the injuries Appario's righteousness has imposed upon it. Although its previous attempts against Maddok failed, it tries again, this time electing to put less force into the attacks in favor of greater accuracy.
Both claws gouge deeply into Maddok's flesh, dealing a total of 49 damage . While he's able to fight off parts of the icy numbness seeping into his body, the initial burst of freezing cold staggers the Shoanti warrior.
***
Livia struggles to uncork the huge potion, then heaves it up towards Derek with a mighty effort. Pouring (most of) it into his mouth, she then drops the empty flask into the boiling waters below.
A few more of Derek's wounds close, and the bard regains 9 hit points.
***
Despite his wounds and the unnatural chill making his great muscles sluggish, Maddok rears back for another blow with his hammer.
This time the hammer strikes true, dealing a massive blow to the creature's chest to rival Appario's extortive swordplay.
Yahirma influences what she can without casting spells that might empower her foe. She tries to deflect one of the lich's claws as it speeds toward Maddok.
Seeing that work out well, she risks another spell to slow down the villain's attacks.
Round 4, Init 14-
Appario spring attacks the thing, returning to J8.
to hit; (heroism, smite, sneak)
damage. (holy, smite, sneak)
Pot crit:
to hit; (heroism, smite, sneak)
more damage. (smite)
Xerath will fly next to Derek, grabbing the bard's shoulder and attempt to cast a spell.
***
The lich shade's sudden misfortune lessens the injuries to the Shoanti warrior currently being the target of its wrath , while Appario doles out another crippling strike to the unholy creature before him and the hag spirit gets a pair of hits as well. The undead is beginning to look rather worse for wear.
Both Yahirma's and Xerath's magical efforts meet with success, as their force of will surpass that of the lich-that-wasn't. The undead abomination is clouded in a black miasma of bad luck, while Xerath and Derek jump into the hallway behind the hag spirit.
***
"Nnngh, much better. He took me by surprise, he surely did...
Many thanks friend Xerath."
Derek gets to his feet and draws Dawnhunter, unsure of what to do at the moment, but feeling much more confident from being armed at the very least.
"Friend? Me? I guess everyone is Derek's friend provided they don't try to kill him."
"That will be the story we tell everyone anyway."