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Thovar grumbles his assent and lends his hands to the task. A short while later, the three gondolas pull up to a rocky shore. Directly next to the pylon to which the rope you have been pulling on is attached, is a large formidable stone door. Lightly hopping out, Marianna steps up to inspect the door.
The door isn't trapped, but it is locked. Tinkering for a moment, Marianna steps back with an odd look on her face. "I got the lock... I could hear through the door while I was working... someone is laughing inside... and someone else is screaming."
Though naturally formed, the walls and floors of this room are secured and reinforced with additional construction. It appears as though these newer structures were recently partially torn down. At the chamber’s heart lies a crude and massive machine-like device. It consists of a large stone and iron tank fitted on a crossbar to a disk plated with reflective metals. Strings and cables, threaded through the device in intricate cat’s cradles, secure delicate and precisely oriented refractive devices.
A man lies atop the device his body riddled with hundreds of sharp, crystal needle-width shunts all filled with acid. He cries out, voice strained with pain, "H...help ... me..."
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Shalla prowls into the room, peering around intently in an effort to locate the hidden creature moving unseen through the clutter. The feathers on the back of her neck ruffle in tension, and the red glow upo her forehead pulses in an increasingly rapid rhythm.
"Can you get the poor man off of that thing, Thovar?" she asks back to the cleric in a strained voice.
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Thovar looks grim, "I will try, at least" and steps forward.
Shalla looks around for the hidden creature, and finds him hidden inexpertly behind some barrels. He looks much like the man dressed in rags above, and his eyes widen as he realize that he has been spotted.
Marianna Initiative
Thovar Initiative
Shalla Initiative
Tambric Initiative
Levistus Initiative
Olo Initiative
- Thovar
- Enemy
- Shalla
- Levistus
- Marianna
- Tambric
- Olo
Thovar, unexpectedly swift, steps up to the contraption and attempts to release him from acid-filled shunts and straps holding him to the device.
He manages to ease the man off the device. The man, is not fit to fight, and collapses limply on the floor. Thovar bends to aid him.
A hissing sibilance comes from the corner where the man had been hidden, and suddenly the room plunges into darkness, obscuring even darkvision.
Marianna Perception
Thovar Perception
Shalla Perception
Tambric Perception
Levistus Perception
Olo Perception
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Shalla fails to hear the enemy, but hears a loud *thunk* and curses from Thovar as Levistus' bolt hits the device. The darkness is not lifted, but Thovar's voice booms out, "Ye pinned me beard to the contraption, ye daft fool!"
As the light goes out, Marianna fires a bolt off at the man's last known position, and stumbles forwards towards the device. Passing by Shalla, the Eidolon strikes out blindly, not knowing who approaches. Luckily her bite misses and Marianna ends her move by eventually tripping over Thovar and his charge.
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Thovar grumbles and curses and he fumbles for the bolt. You hear a *thock* as the bolt is pulled out, and a clatter as the bolt falls into the chamber of the device. Nothing happens.
"Nothin' happened. A right good plan ye had there." *snort*
A blade sinks deep into Shalla's side, who is unable to evade, blind as she is. She feels the sting of poison on the blade, even as she dissipates. Tambric can feel the connection break.
Marianna Perception
Thovar Perception
Tambric Perception
Levistus Perception
Olo Perception
The enemy's boot crunches on a stone, just as Shalla returns to the plane on which she resides.
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A blade sinks deep into Shalla's side, who is unable to evade, blind as she is. She feels the sting of poison on the blade, even as she dissipates. Tambric can feel the connection break.
Tambric let out a low sound of concentration as he struggles to maintain the link between himself and the divine servant of Milani, slumping slightly as he is left drained from the effort.
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Shalla lets out a shriek of pain as the blade pierces her flank, though thanks to Tambric's sacrifice, she manages to hold onto her physical manifestation long enough to lash out at her assailant.
After letting out a low growl of satisfaction as her talon sinks into the unseen foe, Shalla sighs a heavy breath.
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You hear clinking as Marianna tries to work with the device in the dark.
Suddenly, light blazes from the center of the room, the device overcoming the deeper darkness spell cast earlier. Marianna gives ou a cry of relief and your sight returns, apparently she did not overload the device this time. The man who had just struck Shalla flinches, as if the light hurts his eyes.
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The man shudders as Levistus' spell washes over him, but he shakes it off with a grunt.
With his vision returned, Olo brings his mighty axe down on the dark stalker's head, making a great rent in his armor. Blood begins to gush but the man still stands... barely.
Thovar leaning up against the machine, notices Shalla's predicament and moves up behind her, casting a spell.
Blinded by the light, the man drops his weapons and attempts to grapple his last attacker, Olo.
He misses, and leaves himself wide open for an attack by Olo.
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Shalla leaps into the man, tearing bloody rents in his already battered form. As the man writhes, dying on the ground, his skin begins to glow red-hot. His body stills, and silence reigns for only a moment, before fire explodes out from his body engulfing the room.
Turned as he was, most of the force of the explosion is expended upon the floor. After a brief stunned moment, Thovar stands and channels his god's energy, healing the wounds caused by the fire.
It seems that Thovar's ministrations, along with the channeled energy are enough to revive Miregold. He is stunned and weeping, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Collecting himself he continues. "Please, my home is yours... but let us leave this foul place."
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Shalla leaps into the man, tearing bloody rents in his already battered form. As the man writhes, dying on the ground, his skin begins to glow red-hot. His body stills, and silence reigns for only a moment, before fire explodes out from his body engulfing the room.
Olo exhales smoke and fingers his scortched beard. "Nice work bird..."
Olo shakes the blood off his axe...."Miregold, I would like to have a few words with you, once you've been healed..."
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Miregold, still pale from his ordeal, replies "Of course, but please let us leave here. We can talk up there." He indicates the mansion above.
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Levistus looks surprised at the sudden explosion and then double surprised that he is only mildly singed by the whole affair. Patting himself down to make sure nothing is still on fire, "What in the Hells do those things eat to make them do that?" He looks around the chamber and over Miregold carefully.
Beyond that he'll spend the rest of his time searching the lower rooms of the mansion: the lodge’s reliquary, the lab, and so on... he'll take 20's if he can (because he is not good at it and he knows it) but failing that...
oh, he mainly focuses on the reliquary and that body there.
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Miregold shrugs at Levistus' query, "It is just the darkfolk and the way that they die. It makes little sense to me as well."
As you make your way up, Miregold continues to express his eternal gratitude. As confidants and saviors, he asks you to deliver some reports to the Decemvirate for him, adding that he was supposed to deliver them months ago, but couldn’t find anyone reliable enough to perform the task.
You make your way outside, to meet with the man that Basia Kalistoff had waiting for you.
In time, despite Miregrold’s best efforts, the Decemvirate assumes possession of the Karcau Lodge and transfers him to a more remote lodge elsewhere on Golarion, where he is less of a liability to the organization. The Society’s masked leaders turn control of the Karcau Lodge over to Basia Kalistoff, who makes good on her promise and rewards the you all for your assistance.
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Shalla begins to cough from down a short dead-end passage leading off the chamber, emerging back to the group she shudders, "it stinks of dark energies back there," she complains, shaking her head in an attempt to rid herself of the sensation, "unless it is cleansed there is no telling what it might lead to."
With that, Tambric moves down the corridor and retrieves a scroll case, from within, he reads out a complex series of chants.
