Nowzai al'Nazari |
"My friends, can you find the third fiend?" Nowzai asks hurriedly.
Before things truly settle down, the hound archons will thoroughly scan the room with detect evil and try to triangulate the location of the third hag, should she still be here. Augment with scent-based Perception rolls (Take 20+10=30).
EDIT: Probably don't have time for Take 20. If not:
Hound 1 Perception: 1d20 + 10 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 10 + 6 = 34
Hound 2 Aid Other: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
Hound 3 Aid Other: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16
Hound 4 Aid Other: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28
Epik |
Epik shakes off the effects of the confusion spell and heads to the north door, "As much as I would like to head home, that is not where we will find Alek Tercival. Let's go north."
DM Fflash |
Throne Room
Sam and Nemoris quickly search the room, looting 2 matching magical rings off the dead hags.
Lair
Four scrawny six-armed skeletons turn to face you as you approach. Each stands roughly 5-feet tall and has a vaguely birdlike skull, with large gaping holes for eyes. Its elongated neck gives it even more of a bird-like appearance. Each skeleton clutches an iridescent 6-inch-diameter disk which shifts through the spectrum. Other than face you, they take no other action.
Three large beds sit in this room. Along the north wall hang a set of five golden baboon masks. A spot for a sixth one lies empty. The smooth stone walls and the floor are covered by colorful and bizarre tapestries and carpets. An elaborate weaver's loom occupies the southwest corner. Various skeins of wool of many different colors are piles near the loom, next to a basket of sewing tools. A wooden chest sits in the southeast corner.
The chest is not locked and contains a sack with 740g, silverware worth 450g,a golden armband worth 240gp, a wizard scroll (CL14) of sequester, greater dispel magic, and prying eyes, 2 potions of cure serious wounds, 4 potions of cure moderate wounds, a +1 light mace, and a magical necklace composed of 3 largish pearl like spheres on it.
Starry Mirror
The ceiling in this room forms a four-sided dome. The apex of the dome is 30 feet off the ground. An odd, 10-foot-wide pentagonal mirror hangs on the west wall, from where it casts a dark reflection of the room. This reflection is distorted in an unsettling way, and dotted with shimmering, star-like pinpoints of white light. A single chair of white stone with triple armrests sits in the middle of the room, facing the mirror. A colorful hexagonal diagram is engraved in the floor surrounding the mirror.
As you enter the room, you spy the nerra leaping into the mirror and disappearing.
Image of room added to your Journal
Actions? please use tags
Epik |
Lair
Epik detects evil on the skeletons. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
Starry Mirror
Epik cautiously enters the room, "The mirror appears to be a gateway of some sort. Could this be the path we are meant to travel?"
Dalamus Othreleth |
Lair
How many of their arms are wrapped on the disks, all six? Dalamus will wait until Epik is done speaking then examine the baboon masks closely. How are they secured to the wall?
Starry Mirror
"I am not sure about this, perhaps we should check the rest of this place before we make such a desperate decision. We could be running into a trap, or worse no way to return!"
DM Fflash |
The Lair
The skeletons do not respond to Epik, nor do they respond to Dalamus looking at them. They appear to be holding the disk in one of their hands only. It's about the size of a salad plate.
Dalamus finds that the baboon masks are merely hanging on hooks and as he gets close to him, he notices they are similar if not identical to the one Tygot had in his shop earlier.
As he hunts around them, however, he finds a hidden switch that he triggers. A long hidden drawer slides out from the wall, a white light bursting out of it ... the light hits the skeletons and they immediately disintegrate into nothingness. It bathes the party with a feeling of sanctity. Inside is a white iron-shod quarterstaff that bursts almost visibly with magic. The white light dies down after a moment, but the staff remains.
The Starry Mirror
Jenya replies to Dalamus, "I don't think there's anywhere left in this dungeon for us to explore. We've seen it all, I believe."
Nowzai moves in closer to inspect the mirror getting overwhelming conjuration magic from the reflective device. He watches as his reflection and that of the room behind him ripples and distorts, before another image slowly becomes apparent. There are five pentagonal windows floating under its dark surface. Four of them show nothing but dull white light. The fifth shows an indistinct image of Alek Tercival sitting next to a large metal door in a stone wall, his expression filled with despair, his sword laying at his feet.
DMFflash |
The Lair
Nowzai is able to determine that the item is an artifact and cannot distinguish any details without a more powerful spell. He is about to turn away when suddenly ....
You have the presence of goodness. It has been a long time. You are a warrior or a wizard?
Starry Mirror
Nowzai knows the mirror is a powerful artifact that allows transportation, but how or to where, he can't discern.
Epik |
The Lair
Epik shrugs and places a mask in his backpack. "Grab the staff and let's go."
Starry Mirror
"If you seek Alek in the mirror, then that is the way we must go."
He cautiously touches the mirror surface with his sword tip.
DMFflash |
I am Alakast, crafted by Surobar Spellmason to aid in the elimination of demonkind from the region. I have been awaiting one of purpose and righteousness to wield me again in that cause. I am attuned for a wizard now, but should one of your suitable warriors, that I note you have a couple with you, wish to wield me, I can attune myself to them within a day, taking the shape and form of what they favor most
I sense no immediate evil in the area, have you cleansed this place of the hags and demon-monkeys who brought me here?
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Nemoris |
I'll carefully search and scan each area (not expecting to find much/anything beyond what the group has found)
The Lair
Do the disks look at all familiar? I think the Hegemonic Plate may have come from this area. If the masks have been checked, I'll grab one as well just in case. Any magic in these that Nowzai or Sam can sense?
Survival: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (15) + 16 = 31
Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 13 = 26
The Starry Mirror
I'm suspicious of the mirror, "Nowzai, do you think this mirror will transport us, or is it just showing us images? Are they of the past, or present?"
Survival: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (4) + 16 = 20
Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23
Nowzai al'Nazari |
The Lair
Nowzai hands the disc back to Dalamus. "They are the tools of creatures known as spellweavers, and can be dangerous to those who have not attuned them. I would put them away, and perhaps we can sell them in Cauldron."
Nowzai picks up the staff carefully, attention focused entirely on it.
Two of the hags are destroyed, and the charau-ka dispersed. A third hag escaped, presumably through the mirror portal. Do you know anything of it?
*
Mirror
Nowzai nods, "As near as I can determine, the mirror is a transportation portal. It may bring us to where Alek is held, if that is actually him I see in the mirror. It could very well be a fiendish trap. The hags have already tried to deceive us with illusory trickery." He says the last with a sneer of disdain.
DM Fflash |
The Demon's Prison
Standing admidst the smoking corpses of the demons, the party looks about stunned by Alakast's revelation.
Alek lies on the ground nearby with his throat torn out. Suddenly, his arms raise up into the air, motioning for all to draw near. With eyes wild and blood frothing at his lips he grabs at whomever stands nearest, looking deep into your eyes. He suddenly grows calm, and a terrible aura of DOOM! settles over you as a voice, not his own, issues from his gaping jaw. You recognize the voice as that of Nidrama, the deva who visited you earlier in the week in the jungle.
"There is naught left for you in Cauldron, heroes! To return is to enter your own graves and to bring doom upon all you love! Seek the sign of the Smoking Eye if you wish to save them all!"
His body jerks, and with a last gasp of air, he goes still.
The glabrezu wears a magic ring and amulet.
Jenya Urikas *NPC* |
Sam ... masterwork equipment and a cloak of resistance +1. Note he sword belongs to the church, not his personally. As Nowzai can attest, the Tercival family was financially ruined.
Post below didn't take yesterday
Jenya watches Alek in agonizing anguish and when he collapses, she screams aloud and rushes forward to grab him and cradle his mangled form.
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Nowzai al'Nazari |
Nowzai frowns at Sama'el and takes over Alek's body, arranging his remains in a restful position. "Show respect. His crusade came to an abrupt end, and leaves meaningless our main purpose for coming here. We should take him with us and see that he receives proper honors. He was the last of his family, and I would not see him left in such a place." He invites Jenya to help prepare Alek for transport in the 'body bag of holding'.
After, he holds the staff and ponders. "All is not for naught. We have recovered Alakast..."
Sama'el Val'varen |
ok got it, sorry I was not understanding what you were saying
"I am not saying let strip him and leave him here, but I also think that if anything he was carrying could help us return him home, that we should consider using those items to do so. I believe that Epik would be a worthy successor to use the Tercival sword until such a time that we can return it to the church."
I will find a large stick to help shove Alex into the bag of holding like a canon ball being readied to fire...I kid, I kid
Jenya Urikas *NPC* |
Before you grab Alek's body, Jenya spends a few moments praying over him and conducting Iomedean last rites, completing with a small blessing.
She looks up, face glistening, at something you can't see. She nods and slowly removes the paladin's breastplate.
Following that she nods to you to continue with your efforts.
She puts the breastplate on, strapping it around her much smaller frame over her chainmail, but finding it fits perfectly ... and then she straps on greaves... and gauntlets ... and boots ... and a closed helm. None of them were she or Alek wearing earlier, but each piece is marked with the flaming sword of Iomedae. The entire suit has changed from the gray-blue of steel to the silvery white of mithral.
DM Fflash |
You have some time here as you split out loot and I assume you're going to rest ... I'll start the next event, but feel free to change spells memorized etc up unto the point you leave this place. Those of you with negative levels will lose them after a night's rest. No chance of them becoming permanent
The Herald of the Smoking Eye
As you rest and take stock of your situation, discussing with Alakast the enormity of how screwed you are, and realizing that Jenya has a means out of here via planar magic, but no way to tune the shift, you begin to look around.
Your scouting forays quickly show that in every direction is desert, with blowing wind and no sign of local flora, fauna nor tracks of any sort. Just this one little ruined building in the middle of nowhere. Nemoris ranges out comfortably about 5 miles, but beyond that feels that the wind will destroy his return markers and doesn't gamble his life on heading further into the desert.
After a couple days ... (BTW, how much food and water did each of you bring from Cauldron ... you've been gone for 5 days now) ... the group is sitting in the ruined building sheltering from a particularly nasty sandstorm (having removed the demon's bodies earlier) when Magma spots something in the storm and calls your attention to it.
It's the silouette of a cloaked figure trudging through the sand towards you.
A largish humanoid with a deep-cowled cloak and massive five-fingered hands with chipped uncut finger nails clutching a gnarled wooden walking cane topped with a fiery gem. He wears a green cassock emblazoned at the bottom with a round circle. Half the circle is empty and the other half is the left side of a skull, smoke pouring from its eye socket.
He? is obviously coming your way, slowly and deliberately climbing the rocks below your ruin.
Image of Smoking Eye added to your Journal
Nowzai al'Nazari |
Jenya can create food and water, so I think we're okay on that front.
I meant to ask when Nidrama mentioned it, does Alakast have any idea what 'Smoking Eye' is?