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Just going to copy-paste those last few posts here into the Evil-GM-notes-folder. Don't mind me.
^__________^
Talking Skull, the Black Sisters epitomize some of my best stat blocks for Pathfinder.
Just wait 'til you get a load of Sufestra and Adanthawhatshisface for my Shattered Star game. Mwhahhahahhahahhah!!! [/shamelessplug]
Orthos has a serious case of Awesomesauce being deployed for his KM campaign here. Any dribblings I incidentally contribute to making his/her campaign all the more dripping with awesomesauce I am excstatic to contribute. *Especially* after so relatively long since my own KM's conclusion!
** spoiler omitted **
Perhaps slightly tweaked but that is indeed the plan. >=)
Sessions Twenty-four and Twenty-five
Skeletal lizardfolk armed with ancient weapons and armor greeted the Lords of Iomrall as they plunged deeper into the tomb, and the ring of steel-on-steel echoed through the ancient halls. Alas, Armagk's chosen warriors did not survive long, as the overwhelming force brought by the intruders reduced their bones to dust and rubble with little difficulty. Takeshi and Lilith in the lead, the Lords cleaved their way through the undead ranks and journeyed further into the caverns, winding through the misty long-forgotten halls and making their way ever closer to their ultimate destination.
After passing more rooms filled with ancient troves and debris, they at last came to what could be nothing but an enormous shrine or temple, dominated by a gargantuan statue of an armored lizardman holding an enormous axe, which Elegy identified as the lizardfolk's personification of the Worldbreaker Juggernaut, Desson, Avatar of War and patron of Armagk. Standing at its side was a powerfully built, towering lizardfolk only dwarfed by the statue and the Behemoth of the things the Lords had faced thus far in the tomb; this figure introduced himself as Zorek, Shaman of the Lord of Swords, and claimed that to proceed the intruders must be tested before Desson himself.
The Lords of Iomrall bared their fury before the statue, impressing the shaman and apparently sating the war lord's desires, as the statue's glowing eyes subsided after their display. Zorek gave his approval to the intruders and stepped aside without hostility or comment, allowing them access to the chamber beyond.
There, standing over the bodies of slain lizardfolk companions and surrounded by yet more of the ancient-armored skeletons, stood the lizard king Armagk the Twice-Hatched, clutching the enormous greataxe Ovnirbaane, "Enemy of All Enemies, in his mighty claws. In a rage, he charged the group, nearly cleaving Takeshi in two if not for the protection of his magical equipment. Behind him the skeletal lizardfolk began to launch javelins and arrows at Elegy, Lilith, and Errol, who returned fire with arrows and spells of their own. Errol managed to strike many of the skeletons with a prismatic spray that banished a great deal of them from sight and destroyed many of the others; Lilith and Elegy eventually finished off the rest. Errol likewise used magic to cast Ovinrbaane from Armagk's grip, sending it skittering away across the chamber; after attempting with only meager success to continue fighting with his bare fangs and claws against Takeshi and his flashing blades, the warlord retreated to retrieve his blade, only for Errol to disarm him again, then cripple him by suspending him to the ceiling with reverse gravity. Pinned in place by the spell, there was little the mighty warlord could do before being picked apart by Errol and Lilith from range.
Elegy and Errol saw to the destruction of Armagk's body and the careful collection of Ovnirbaane - after its failed attempts to seize control of both of them, and discovering the legendary blade reshaped to the form most suiting its current wielder, not unlike another relic weapon the party sought - while Lilith, Jaekah, and Takeshi raided the remainder of the tomb, finding first the bones and equipment of Armagk the First, then a hidden shrine to Desson laden with ancient treasures. After gathering the wealth to be found, the group returned to speak with Zorek, asking what he planned to do now that Armagk's sword had been claimed; the ancient shaman replied that as soon as the sword departed the tomb he would be gathered to his ancestors, but requested that Elegy take some stone tablets he had carved over the eons, containing teachings of Desson's as well as some observations of his own, and convinced her and Lilith to see to the building of a temple to Desson in the near future. Lilith, with some cleverly-chosen words, also convinced Zorek to surrender his equipment to the group, that his weapons and armor might see battle once again despite his leaving this world.
The group departed the tomb, noted the devastated state of the lizardfolk forces that had been fighting outside, and returned to Merfyn. There they informed the Numestis, Rupert Dragomir, and Satinder Mourne of the situation and the results along with their promise to build Desson a temple in the city, then traveled to where Eranex was keeping the captured Talon Lord tribe members to inform her of the situation. Eranex revealed to the group that she would be escorting the lizardfolk south into the swamp shortly to find them a location to settle, as well as to establish her dominance over the remains of Ilthuliak's territory in the region, making agreements and compromises with groups she felt would be negotiable to her demands and needs, and cowing the less-cooperative forces, such as many of the Boggard tribes.
Their work in Drelev complete and the threat from the north extinguished, the Lords of Iomrall at long last returned to their homeland. But their time of rest would be short-lived, for come winter, yet another dire visitor would grace their doorstep.
Sessions Twenty-six and Twenty-seven
Following their return from Drelev, both Errol and Jaekah announced a suspension, at least temporarily, from their travels with the group; the former to focus his full attentions on expanding the duties of his position as well as his new fatherhood, the latter to attend to his labors also, in addition to spending further time with Eranex learning the ways of dragons and the Long Game. This, for the time being, left Elegy, Takeshi, and Lilith to fend for themselves in regards to travel and investigation of the newborn kingdom's troubles.
And troubles indeed there were. If their analysis of Elegy's divinations proved true, it would be a mere five months before the arrival of those who served the vampire Ibrahim. Knowing her time would be short, Lilith had made arrangements with the Puck and other messengers to call for a rare occurrence - the gathering of all the lords of the fey in a single location at the same time. Thus on a dark autumn eve Queen Titania, Queen Mab, and Cernunnos the Stag King arrived at the Talonquake to hear the petition of the Firstborn of the Black Wood.
Lilith revealed the nature of Elegy's discovery and the danger she believed Ibrahim posed with his theoretical intents toward her offspring. After a great while of discussion and debate, it was agreed by all three that the children of the leanai-dubh would spent a collective three months in the care of each of the fey lords, beginning with Cernunnos within the month, then transitioning to Mab shortly before winter (a little earlier than her usual solstice gathering), then to Titania during the spring, then returning home to Iomrall come summer, when the threat Ibrahim posed should be solved one way or another.
Following this, the group began making individual preparations for the coming assault, but the enemy was no less ready for their inevitable clash. During the harvest, it was discovered that the fields had been sown with cold iron dust, crippling many of their farms and causing immense irritation for the fey and feykin living in the kingdom. This no doubt had something to do with the sudden riling of public opinion against the fey about a month prior, likely connecting the two incidents to one possible source. Regardless, the kingdom was, while not crippled, certainly in uncomfortable straits by the time the solstice arrived.
When the expected day of the messengers' arrival came, Lilith stood ready at the Talonquake with her many eyes of the woods at hand, having already layered the surrounding areas with traps and triggers to alert her of the approach of any unwary travelers. Nevertheless, it was the alert from Perlivash and his companions that first roused her to the intrusion, as the little folk reported that the "man with sword hands" was back and was disarming Lilith's traps. She sent word to Elegy in the capital, who roused Takeshi and transported them to Lilith's demesne via magic, then stalked off in to the forest to confront the interloper.
She found the deadly dancer deeper within the forest, and while he could not divine her specific location he was able to notice her arrival, claiming "the others" had informed him of her presence, as they could "feel her life" without being able to actually see her. Lilith refused repeatedly to reveal herself, as did Takeshi and Elegy when they arrived some time later, instead conversing with the strange entity via messages and telepathy. After some time of discussion, however, the "others" divined that Elegy and Takeshi awaited above the canopy, suspended by flying magic, and from a sudden mighty summoning circle appeared a gargantuan, demonic-draconic beast that Elegy swore resembled the statuette of "Lord Sharptooth" owned by the demented kobold shaman Tartuk who they'd slain so long ago; astride this monstrosity, the blade-limbed being was carried into the sky where he could face the Countess and Warden, and at last his identity revealed - the deadly dancer was none other than the sadistic bandit Dovan from Haven, revived and reconstructed by "Father" Ibrahim and sent back to his slayers to invite them to the vampire's gathering. In agreement to an offer of compromise earlier presented, he revealed the "others" were in fact four ghostly undead hidden within his body - the twisted wraith of the twice-slain bandit Kressle, a tortured allip that was once the rabblerouser Grigori, a formless ghost who used to be the shaman Tartuk who even in death refused the shape of a kobold, and the burning witchfire of the blood hag Mazedouarva, henchwoman of the Cinderlander.
Dovan presented the situation clearly for them, when it became obvious the group had no intention of honoring Father Ibrahim's invitation: either they would come as requested, or "replacement guests" would be selected from areas nearby, certainly including Naltaskar but likely Olori territories nearby and perhaps as far as Varnhold, to attend in their place, and such guests would continue to be "invited" until they accepted the invitation and made their presence at Maure Castle known. With their reluctant acceptance, Dovan collected his spirit companions and, still astride the Eidolon of Lord Sharptooth, took wing back east toward the vampire's abode.
Within days, Elegy had sent to Countess Naltasi to alert her of the situation and seek advice. Rinne informed her that she was quite aware of the situation, and that her people and an ally's - soon revealed, when Elegy walked her and her spellcaster through setting up Rupert's two-way-scrying trick - to be none other than the current Empress of Anhur, a girtablilu psion and heroine of the battle against Tiamat by the name of Atifa Karim, much to Lilith's displeasure. After some discussion, Elegy used portal to whisk herself, Lilith, and Takeshi directly into Rannock, where they continued their conversation with the two rulers and their councilors in person.
Naltar officials revealed that Ibrahim and his "family" had been plaguing the countryside of Naltaskar for years, and while they'd been able to fight off some of the intrusions and destroy some of the lesser undead, the Unopenable Doors of Maure Castle prevented them from accessing the sorcerer's domain itself. Lilith and Elegy assured them that Ibrahim would open the doors for them, but would not allow others to accompany them inside. Though initially reluctant, Naltasi and her people were eventually convinced to allow the Iomrallans to handle the situation themselves.
Elegy, Lilith, and Takeshi made the trek to Maure Castle within a few days, and were greeted within the castle's misty courtyard by a spectral projection of Ibrahim himself, giving "kindly" greetings and welcomes to "Layla" his long-lost daughter, a claim and name Lilith was swift and adamant to reject. The three of them bantered with the vampire for some time on every subject from his "family" to his defiance of the natural order to his "cowardice" (in Takeshi's words) before at last he vanished and opened the Unopenable Doors, allowing the "guests" at last to set foot within the ancient halls of Maure Castle.
Sessions Twenty-eight and Twenty-nine
The halls of Maure Castle are grand and enormous, as if meant for creatures of greater size than their latest visitors. When the grand Unopenable Doors fell shut behind them, trapping my three guests within, they found themselves at the doorstep of a grand corridor, laden with ancient frescoes and tapestries depicting the histories and triumphs of the long-forgotten House Maure.
As always, Layla was ever cautious, considering every etching and decor with suspicion, expecting any contour or embellishment to conceal a trigger or trap of harm intent. Nevertheless I had left no such wards remaining, nor had any of my children, and the way through to the Grand Hall was clear, save the last great door, which opened before the might of the serpentine samurai.
Lacking direction, my guests inspected all possible paths before continuing into the Hall itself, drawn by the light of the glimmering chalice of many colors that stands at its center, on its isle amidst the glimmering pool. From there they continued north to the guests' chambers, examining them one by one, finding first the restored and elaborately equipped chambers then the ones that had been abandoned to little more than storage of refuse or emptied for the purposes of labor. At the last they found the secret passage in the eastmost chamber, which led them to the descending stairwell into the lower chambers of the castle.
Abandoning this pursuit for the time, they made their way southward across the Grand Hall once more, this time bound for the array of rooms that mirrored the guests' chambers on the opposite side of the Hall, just north of the tapestry divide. They examined each in turn, moving east to west, measuring their contents and taking of them as spoil. Child, what need have you to steal? You know I will give unto you anything you desire, if only you will return to the home you have so long forgotten.
Nevertheless, while I am eager to see my guests at last face to face, the many other denizens of my palace are less cordial toward visitors. The wraith Amphiptere that made its home in the stones of the Great Hall had been watching the three for some time, and while Layla and her highness Dragomir discussed the merits of one of my finest tapestries - a full and elaborate weaving of Evelynszira, lustful Lady of Countless Charms, in all her ungarbed glory - the draconic spirit swathed sir Takeshi in the embrace of its black flame. Their recovery was swift and decisive, however, and the creature was dissipated for the time being; in a matter of weeks it will reconstitute, but I believe by that time I shall have had my encounter with my dear wayward daughter and her accomplices and thus the need for further hostilities will have abated.
Continuing their traversing, the three visitors made their way past the barricade of tapestries into the arena that adorns the southern half of the Great Hall. There they examined the pillars left by the scions of House Maure and the great coliseum seats that stood to the east and west. On the dais at the center of the south wall, there stood my latest and perhaps greatest creation - the reconstructed and greatly improved revivification of none other than the Stag Lord, first and perhaps most memorable of Iomrall's thorns in the flesh.
Though only Lady Dragomir had actually encountered the infamous bandit prince, his nature and abilities were nevertheless familiar from secondhand account to both Layla and sir Takeshi, and thus they were prepared swiftly to deal with the elaborate abilities I had designed for this rematch with their famed rival. Alas, what I did not account for was the swift awakening of another intruder, who had been taken captive aforehand by another of my children and stored for later investigation and induction into my family in the chamber behind the Stag Lord's dais; during the battle he roused and emerged, lending his axe to the fray and strongly turning the tide against my most excellent construct and the array of necrotic ephemerals I had assigned to accompany him. Thus it came to be that the Stag Lord fell once more before the fury of steel, shot, and flame, once more defeated by the hand of these impeccable travelers.
The stranger and my guests were swift to ascertain one another's purposes and intents; the additional visitor, a kin of the shadows currently wearing the name Derrick of Wrath, informed them of his purpose to seek one of my treasures to buy his freedom from the chains that bound him to his past, and assured them of no intent to mar their own hunts but a willingness to add his arm to their efforts against me. Introductions, such as they were, were exchanged, and the hunt resumed.
I suppose this simplifies things; now they will travel together, coming into my presence, and I will welcome them all into my grand family as a whole.
Have you considered that perhaps the reason people have such a strong reaction to you is that you completely and utterly extend an extremely rude gesture to the natural cycle of the world, more oft than not against the will of those you wish to call family?
Most intriguing is that all who resist and claim their will differs, suddenly rescind their objections once they have joined our wondrous family. There is no reason you cannot or will not be the same.
...And if I said you reminded me of my own father?
I would say that superficial resemblances would be deceiving, my dear Countess. Your father was an ambitious but small-minded man who did not understand the great benefits a family can truly provide. He strove to break others down to build himself up. I raise the fallen to stand beside me, and thusly lift each of us upon one another's shoulders. Can he claim to have done the same?
Session Thirty
As the intruders continued their investigations deeper into my demesne, they found themselves presented with two distinct options - to ascend via stairways flanking the arena of their latest conflict, or to return to the residential chambers on the north end of the Great Hall and to descend via the hidden chamber into the catacombs below. After some debate they elected the latter, and after bypassing the wards and defenses placed to prevent intrusion they made their way into the deepest chamber of Maure, the Violet Hold.
Here they found themselves greeted by blackness; though all of their number could pierce the veil of shadow by natural sight alone, they nevertheless called upon the light when the denizens of such darkness roused to repel their delve. A giant of the shadows and a handful of its lesser kin were swift to greet them, but were themselves slain and dispatched with little difficulty. No, what truly scoured their arrival was mine own exaltation: quick to greet them upon investigating the halls of the Hold was a vast tapestry I had acquired, depicting myself and my mentor overlooking the vastness of Maure in its glory. Irked with me for my elegance, Layla tore the tapestry from the wall, revealing the three symbols of death Vordakai had placed behind as a punishment to any who would tamper with the decor. Unfortunately she was not long in the grasp of the grave, for the Countess was swift to return her to life; in the meantime the magic of the symbols was momentarily dispatched, allowing the group to return the tapestry - irritably reversed - to its place and negate the threat of further harm.
They chose to delve southward into the twisting halls of the Hold, and eventually came to a place where a great deal of water had leaked into the chamber floors; here the psychic clarion call of the thing which I held in stasis on this level reached out to the signs of unfamiliar minds. Two of their number, Layla and Derrick, saw an image of a strange violet stone atop a velvet-draped palanquin, and felt a mental tug leading them further south and east. Lured by its pull, they directed the rest of the group in that direction, winding through several rooms and halls to find the most adequate path to reach their new destination. Along the way they found themselves harassed by my defenders in the realm - bound creatures from the Astral, enspelled to do my bidding, and necromantic spirits of magic and steel to defend my treasures from would-be thieves or traitors. Alas, while they might have sufficed against more common interlopers, these four were, for the most part, beyond their ability, and the Iomrallan intruders carved a swathe of destruction through my underlings in their relentless pursuit of the treasure they had deemed their own.
It was then that the first of my true children found these intruders and began the labor of dealing with them. From within a hidden sanctuary, the former huntsman once known as The Cinderlander harassed my wayward daughter and her compatriots with bolts fired from hidden compartments along the walls leading further into the compound. After several encounters with these sneak attacks, and finding the bolts laced with mummy dust as well as designed to deal all the greater harm to his prey, the group resolved all the more furiously to find and deal with the man. Their investigation eventually led them to find - and with the Countess’s engineering mastery and magical talent, destroy - the tunnels and murder-holes he had been using to attack them unseen, but The Cinderlander had wisely been all the quicker to escape by means they found themselves unable to track.
With much reluctance from all but Derrick, who was unfamiliar with The Cinderlander’s prior insults and injuries to Layla and her companions’ objectives, pursuit of the bandit was abandoned to instead resume following the psychic impulses of the stone. A few more of my guardians - more ephemeral warriors and shadow creatures - assaulted them along the way, attempting to slow or halt their advance, to only minimal avail; likewise The Cinderlander, in his various methods of hiding, stalked them at a distance, awaiting the proper moment to strike.
Eventually the psychic call lured them to one of the more distant chambers of the Violet Hold, and after discerning that the chamber itself was not warded or trapped and thus was safe to open, they found themselves gazing at long last upon the Purple Stone. Which, in turn, greeted the first living creatures of the Material that it had perceived in many, many mortal years.
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'tis been a season since this was last updated. Did they all die in an apocalyptic fit of natural 1's?