Well now that the party has unfettered access to the Soul Pillars, and the evoker and bard are willing to bend their morals a bit to ask lots of questions, the lawful good cleric of St. Cuthbert has decided (rightly so) that the Soul Pillars are an abomination.
He wants to destroy them.
So, I would consider them a major artifact chock full of all sorts of necromantic and divination magic, how would a party go about destroying them?
the lawful good cleric of St. Cuthbert has decided (rightly so) that the Soul Pillars are an abomination. He wants to destroy them. So, I would consider them a major artifact chock full of all sorts of necromantic and divination magic, how would a party go about destroying them?
I started by looking at the Player's Handbook for spells and the only thing I could come up with for a cleric would be Miracle to access Disintegrate. Things got really weird when I considered the scale of the operation:
2 60 foot pillars
5 85 foot pillars (maximum)
Each pillar is around 8 feet in diameter.
This will require 27 Disintegrates, assuming you don't allow the artifact spell resistance or a saving throw. Of course, you could have a single Miracle be required for each pillar (with the 5000 xp cost for each) to request the pillars be removed. This means 35000 xp to have the pillars gone. A Sphere of Annihilation comes to mind too.
Burying the pillars is only putting the problem off for a future time. I would almost consider having a quest to the diety's home plane to request intervention and get guardians to make sure no one can access them ever again. Otherwise there will be followers of Vecna and the like that will most definitely move in if they ever find out about them.
Of course, the party may come up with solutions of their own. Whatever they are, unless at least 45000gp is spent on it, they probably won't be entirely effective (approximated from the cost of the disintegrate spells).
Let me know what they do. I'm interested to see how things work out.
Breaking a soul pillar is not hard. But cracking one open releases a mob of dread wraiths.
Breaking a soul pillar is not hard. But cracking one open releases a mob of dread wraiths.
Ouch, using the "Mob" rule that is not funny at any level.
Now maybe if you said a "swarm" of shadows.
I'd run with a "how come the good guys don't get cool rituals" theme.
"Seven of faith, bound by good, must touch pure life to foul undeath while Boccob's blessing destroys the spirits' harrowed home."
Seven clerics, all of different faiths (but non-evil), must successfully turn undead simultaneously vs. a 20HD creature (the Soul Pillars) while Mordenkainen's Disjunction is cast. This must be done in the presence of an active portal to the Positive Energy Plane.
The disjunction destroys the material form of the Pillars and the necromantic magic that binds the undead spirits. The turnings, bolstered by the presence of the portal, combine to banish or destroy all the bound spirits.
If the disjunction succeeds but any one of the turnings fail, then a Mob (or many Swarms) of Dread Wraiths burst forth from the shattered Pillars and descend on the gathered luminaries and perhaps escape Karran Kurral.
If the turnings succeed but the disjunction fails, the channeled energy rebounds off the intact Pillars, causing a backlash. The portal to the Positive Energy Plane implodes, causing a massive explosion in Karran Kurral. More disturbingly, the shockwaves on the Positive Energy Plane are so severe that the plane’s function in the multiverse is disrupted. All clerics on the Prime Material Plane lose the ability to turn undead for seven score (140) years (unless some heroes can fix it). Command and Rebuke attempts for clerics so aligned gain a +4 planar bonus for the same time period. Furthermore, all Necromancy spells are cast at +1 caster level by any and all casters for a similar amount of time. All Conjuration (healing) spells are cast at -1 caster level.
Of course, there would be forces marshaled to prevent the ritual (if certain factions wanted access to the Soul Pillars) and other forces might work to disrupt the ritual in progress because of negative consequences. Even some good guys might not think it’s worth the risk.
Why, the heroes might even have to form a cabal, working in secret to gather the required arcane and divine might without alerting potential enemies to their true intentions.
Wow, I love how you think. Of course, it's going to take some research for my cleric to even figure this all out.
Of course, it's going to take some research for my cleric to even figure this all out.
He might have to ask the Soul Pillars a few questions. :-)
Hmm, interesting ritual idea.
Perhaps, as an alternative, the destruction of the Soul Pillars could be related to some bizarre Spellweaver technology. Perhaps a little side quest involving some ancient Spellweaver secrets could result in the destruction of the facility.
Just a thought. Though I like the ritual idea better.