Neverwinter Knight
First Post
Ahh, I didn't think of that! 
JollyDoc's Shackled City
Joachim
First Post
THE TEST OF JUDGMENT
The Bright Axes advanced cautiously down the stairs into the depths of the Abyss. Tilly and Rusty took the lead, with Grimm immediately behind them. If trouble broke out, the halfling and dwarf knew that Grimm could easily reach over their head to provide support. The others followed shortly behind this diverse vanguard.
Something unusual caught Rusty’s attention as they proceeded into the subterranean vault beneath the cathedral. Jabbing Tilly with his elbow, the dwarf pointed at a joint in the wall and muttered, “Look ‘ere. The architecture’s changed. Whoever crafted the cathedral definitely didn’t build this passageway. You can tell by the condition of the rock on each side of the joint that…”
The dwarf continued on discussing the age of the structure and the differing qualities of the construction. Tilly sighed. Dwarves inherently recognized and understood such things better than most of the other humanoid races, and they were very proud of this fact. At this point, however, Rusty was just showing off. Tilly tuned the dwarf out, nodding and smiling when appropriate.
The stairwell led down to a large landing about fifty feet under the ground surface. The landing peered over the northern edge of an open masonry chamber about forty feet by forty feet. A barred iron door was placed in both the east and west wall. The door on the east wall bore runes from the Infernal alphabet and was etched with an intricate spider web pattern. Likewise, the door on the west wall bore runes from the Celestial alphabet, and was adorned with an elegant pattern resembling a veneer of feathers.
However, it was not these details that immediately caught the attention of Tilly, Rusty, and Grimm. Sitting at a small oaken desk a desiccated corpse, obviously animate and regaled in golden full plate armor, turned and addressed the newcomers. Its gaze passed over the Bright Axes, and each of the mortals meeting the gaze felt terribly uneasy by it. The mummy’s hands extended toward the group in a sign of peace.
“Greetings, noble adventurers. Adimarchus welcomes you to the first trial for the Test of the Smoking Eye. This is the Test of Judgment.” Pointing to the eastern door, the mummy continued, “Behind this door waits Thathnak, the Bebilith, and behind the other rests Halalaa, the Avoral Guardinal. Select a path, enter the portal, and defeat the beast on the other side. Complete this task and you will be granted passage to the second trial.”
Caine stepped to the front of the group, and looked at both of the doors. He recognized the writing on the eastern door to be in Abyssal, naming its inhabitant. The words on the door on the west were scripted in Celestial, likewise naming the being trapped on the other side. Grimm spoke first, “I have no desire to fight a Guardinal celestial. Bebiliths are powerful demonic arachnids. We should prepare for such a fight.”
The Bright Axes began preparing for the fight to come. Caine, Rusty, Wathros, and Kauraphon each took their turn imbuing the group with various magicks. Grimm pulled out three vials of oil, and smeared the contents of one of the vials onto his chain. He gave the other two vials to Tilly and Rusty, stating that it would infuse their weapons with the power of Good, and may penetrate the creature’s ability to absorb physical damage. Gladly, the dwarf and halfling covered their weapons in the viscous substance.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thathnak waited. He always waited. For days, months, years, centuries…he had waited. Before Adimarchus had captured him and entombed him in this vault, Thathnak had prowled the Abyss, hunting lesser demons and ingesting their essence. Like other Bebilith, he had made a sport of such endeavors. But now, all he did was wait. Once, every several decades, his door opened and a group would enter and try to kill him. The ending was always the same, with new shriveled husks adorning the floor of Thathnak’s chamber.
Thathnak heard the sound of metal grinding, and realized that the iron door was opening. His waiting was over. Thathnak would taste fresh blood once again!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Invisible and flying thanks to two of Caine’s spells, Tilly rushed into the chamber. The room was massive about fifty feet wide and three times that long. The chamber was deep, and Tilly noticed that the floor was covered with large iron spikes. Corpses littered the floor. Suspended about thirty feet above the spikes, the halfling observed an intricate series of interconnected platforms. The platforms were suspended from the ceiling by thick metal cabling. On the far side of the room, Tilly noted the presence of another iron door.
Moving nimbly from platform to platform was the largest arachnid that Tilly had ever seen. The creature had eight legs, but only used six of them to support its massive weight. The front two legs ended in wickedly barbed claws. The bebilith’s mouth was fanged and was freely dripping a thick liquid. The halfling guessed the liquid to be a poison of some sort.
Tilly could tell that the creature had not been alerted to his presence, and he maneuvered in behind the spider. Deftly, the halfling thrust his blade into the bebilith’s abdomen. Thick ichor splattered out of the wound, and Tilly grinned that the wound didn’t instantly close like it had done with virtually every other creature he had encountered in Occipitus. Grimm’s oil of Bless Weapon must have worked.
Wathros the rhino-elf lumbered into the room. Considering his incredible weight, the druid decided that testing the tensile strength of the cables supporting the platform was too risky a proposition. Instead, the rhino began its rhythmic snorting and stomping. Upon completion of his spell, the demon-spider was surrounded by another of Wathros’ columns of divine fire.
Grimm and Rusty flew into the room, likewise aided by a spell of flight. Grimm maneuvered close to the bebilith, and spun his chain. It connected with the beast in the carapace, and more of the spiders ichor splashed on the ground. The dwarf tossed a handful of diamond dust into the air, and began casting a spell. A spray of diamond shards washed over and through Grimm, Tilly, and the bebilith. The diamond slivers washed around the half-ogre and the halfling, causing no harm, but tore into the arachnid, badly wounding and nearly blinding it. Rusty smiled with the knowledge that his spell only damaged those who hearts were evil.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thathnak fumed. Never before had a group attacked him in such a concerted effort. Never before had a group been so successful in hurting him. His hyper-acute senses were aware of the small being, possibly a halfling or gnome, on his flank, and he saw the half-ogre, dwarf, and (impossibly!) spellcasting rhino. Thinking quickly, he recognized the half-ogre to be his most immediate threat. That menace had to be neutralized first.
The bebilith curled its abdomen under its body, and spinnerets at the tip began to ooze. With a wet slurping sound, a large glob of sticky webbing spurted forth from the arachnid’s tail. The bebilith rejoiced as he watched the glob strike the half-ogre in the chest, and within the blink of an eye the warrior was covered from head to toe in the sticky substance. “That takes care of that,” Thathnak mused.
Cruel irony responded to Thathnak’s inner monologue. The webbing fell off of the half-ogre, almost as quickly as it had covered him. Horror came over the bebilith as he saw the warrior’s spiked chain begin to spin.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The rhino’s tail wagged happily. As luck would have had it, the freedom of movement spell he had placed on Grimm had been a superb idea.
Grimm’s spiked chain spun quickly. An expert with his weapon, Grimm knew how to use both ends of the chain to get more strikes in a shorter period of time than someone simply proficient in its use. Making matter worse for the bebilith, Grimm had been aided by a spell of haste cast by Kauraphon. The half-ogre’s hands became a veritable blur as the chain struck forward in a flurry. Two quick strikes neatly severed both of the bebilith’s foreclaws. Before the arachnid could shriek in agony, two more of Grimm’s swings caved in what would have been the creature’s face.
Thathnak slumped to the ground, and lay motionless.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The victorious Bright Axes opened the other door and moved into the adjacent room. This chamber, approximately thirty feet by thirty feet in dimension, was covered in frescoes depicting a raven-winged angel fighting a seemingly insurmountable host of demonic creatures. All around the room in common script was written the phrase, “Know who made you.” This detail was noted by the adventurers, but discarded as a riddle whose answer would undoubtedly become apparent at some point in the near future.
Standing in the middle of the room was the golden plate clad mummy, carrying a silver lantern in his hands. Purposefully, the undead creature strode forward and gave the lantern to Caine. “Congratulations,” it intoned, “you have passed the Test of Judgment. This lantern will shine the way to the second trial, the Test of Resolve. Remember to always attend to the wisdom of Adimarchus.”
With a flash, the undead creature disappeared.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Grimm looked to Caine, “Where do we go now?” The ascetic pondered. “First,” Caine replied, “we shall go and free the Avoral, Halalaa.” The half-ogre nodded. That seemed to be the right thing to do.
The Bright Axes returned to the antechamber outside of Thathnak’s cell. The half-ogre lifted the heavy bar and opened the door to Halalaa’s prison. The chamber ahead of them was of similar size to the Bebilith’s, but instead of the suspension platforms, the room was adorned with hundreds of tin bird cages. In the center of the room, standing within an intricate circle of silvery powder, was an abject-looking creature of obvious celestial nature. Once beautiful, the roughly humanoid creature was powerfully muscled but had long feathered wings where its arms should have been and talons where its feet should have been. Standing fully seven feet tall, the creature’s hair resembled a feathery cowl. It looked at the group with its golden eyes, still solemn and proud, awaiting the coup de grace that would end its misery.
Caine stepped ahead of the group. “Greetings, Halalaa, Lord of the Avians. I am Caine, and my companions and myself are of good heart. Do not fear us, for it is our intent to free you from this prison.”
The avian celestial’s heart rose for a moment. The hope that blossomed within her chest was the first positive feeling she had felt in what felt like an eon. She might have questioned the intentions of the group, but there was something different about this raggedly-dressed human. He was surrounded by an almost otherwordly glow. Halalaa recognized the aura surrounding Caine as a symbol of his exemplary goodness. The avoral also knew that this nimbus of light was something that was impossible to counterfeit.
In a distinctly feminine voice, the avoral spoke, “I am trapped in this location by the magical circle of power that surrounds me. Break the circle, and it will free me.” Caine strode forward and kicked the dust. The intricate pattern broken, Halalaa took her first step in over three centuries. She was surprised that he muscles had remembered how to do that. “Thank you, noble human. Know that you have earned the gratitude of Halalaa. Is there any aid that I can offer in return.”
The ascetic mused. “No, nothing really. Unless you can tell me more about this place or more about the Test of the Smoking Eye.”
Halalaa shook her head. “Sadly, no I cannot help you there. I have been trapped here for many years, and all that I knew was that I was here to die when the time came. I wish that I knew more, but Adimarchus did not share anything such information with me.”
Rusty stepped forward. “Would ye like to go home, lass? I can send ye there if you be so choosin’.” Excitedly, the avoral nodded. She had long since given up hope of seeing her home again. Rusty cast a spell, and touched Halalaa on the arm. The avoral guardinal disappeared, and returned to her home on the Elysian Fields.
The Bright Axes advanced cautiously down the stairs into the depths of the Abyss. Tilly and Rusty took the lead, with Grimm immediately behind them. If trouble broke out, the halfling and dwarf knew that Grimm could easily reach over their head to provide support. The others followed shortly behind this diverse vanguard.
Something unusual caught Rusty’s attention as they proceeded into the subterranean vault beneath the cathedral. Jabbing Tilly with his elbow, the dwarf pointed at a joint in the wall and muttered, “Look ‘ere. The architecture’s changed. Whoever crafted the cathedral definitely didn’t build this passageway. You can tell by the condition of the rock on each side of the joint that…”
The dwarf continued on discussing the age of the structure and the differing qualities of the construction. Tilly sighed. Dwarves inherently recognized and understood such things better than most of the other humanoid races, and they were very proud of this fact. At this point, however, Rusty was just showing off. Tilly tuned the dwarf out, nodding and smiling when appropriate.
The stairwell led down to a large landing about fifty feet under the ground surface. The landing peered over the northern edge of an open masonry chamber about forty feet by forty feet. A barred iron door was placed in both the east and west wall. The door on the east wall bore runes from the Infernal alphabet and was etched with an intricate spider web pattern. Likewise, the door on the west wall bore runes from the Celestial alphabet, and was adorned with an elegant pattern resembling a veneer of feathers.
However, it was not these details that immediately caught the attention of Tilly, Rusty, and Grimm. Sitting at a small oaken desk a desiccated corpse, obviously animate and regaled in golden full plate armor, turned and addressed the newcomers. Its gaze passed over the Bright Axes, and each of the mortals meeting the gaze felt terribly uneasy by it. The mummy’s hands extended toward the group in a sign of peace.
“Greetings, noble adventurers. Adimarchus welcomes you to the first trial for the Test of the Smoking Eye. This is the Test of Judgment.” Pointing to the eastern door, the mummy continued, “Behind this door waits Thathnak, the Bebilith, and behind the other rests Halalaa, the Avoral Guardinal. Select a path, enter the portal, and defeat the beast on the other side. Complete this task and you will be granted passage to the second trial.”
Caine stepped to the front of the group, and looked at both of the doors. He recognized the writing on the eastern door to be in Abyssal, naming its inhabitant. The words on the door on the west were scripted in Celestial, likewise naming the being trapped on the other side. Grimm spoke first, “I have no desire to fight a Guardinal celestial. Bebiliths are powerful demonic arachnids. We should prepare for such a fight.”
The Bright Axes began preparing for the fight to come. Caine, Rusty, Wathros, and Kauraphon each took their turn imbuing the group with various magicks. Grimm pulled out three vials of oil, and smeared the contents of one of the vials onto his chain. He gave the other two vials to Tilly and Rusty, stating that it would infuse their weapons with the power of Good, and may penetrate the creature’s ability to absorb physical damage. Gladly, the dwarf and halfling covered their weapons in the viscous substance.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thathnak waited. He always waited. For days, months, years, centuries…he had waited. Before Adimarchus had captured him and entombed him in this vault, Thathnak had prowled the Abyss, hunting lesser demons and ingesting their essence. Like other Bebilith, he had made a sport of such endeavors. But now, all he did was wait. Once, every several decades, his door opened and a group would enter and try to kill him. The ending was always the same, with new shriveled husks adorning the floor of Thathnak’s chamber.
Thathnak heard the sound of metal grinding, and realized that the iron door was opening. His waiting was over. Thathnak would taste fresh blood once again!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Invisible and flying thanks to two of Caine’s spells, Tilly rushed into the chamber. The room was massive about fifty feet wide and three times that long. The chamber was deep, and Tilly noticed that the floor was covered with large iron spikes. Corpses littered the floor. Suspended about thirty feet above the spikes, the halfling observed an intricate series of interconnected platforms. The platforms were suspended from the ceiling by thick metal cabling. On the far side of the room, Tilly noted the presence of another iron door.
Moving nimbly from platform to platform was the largest arachnid that Tilly had ever seen. The creature had eight legs, but only used six of them to support its massive weight. The front two legs ended in wickedly barbed claws. The bebilith’s mouth was fanged and was freely dripping a thick liquid. The halfling guessed the liquid to be a poison of some sort.
Tilly could tell that the creature had not been alerted to his presence, and he maneuvered in behind the spider. Deftly, the halfling thrust his blade into the bebilith’s abdomen. Thick ichor splattered out of the wound, and Tilly grinned that the wound didn’t instantly close like it had done with virtually every other creature he had encountered in Occipitus. Grimm’s oil of Bless Weapon must have worked.
Wathros the rhino-elf lumbered into the room. Considering his incredible weight, the druid decided that testing the tensile strength of the cables supporting the platform was too risky a proposition. Instead, the rhino began its rhythmic snorting and stomping. Upon completion of his spell, the demon-spider was surrounded by another of Wathros’ columns of divine fire.
Grimm and Rusty flew into the room, likewise aided by a spell of flight. Grimm maneuvered close to the bebilith, and spun his chain. It connected with the beast in the carapace, and more of the spiders ichor splashed on the ground. The dwarf tossed a handful of diamond dust into the air, and began casting a spell. A spray of diamond shards washed over and through Grimm, Tilly, and the bebilith. The diamond slivers washed around the half-ogre and the halfling, causing no harm, but tore into the arachnid, badly wounding and nearly blinding it. Rusty smiled with the knowledge that his spell only damaged those who hearts were evil.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thathnak fumed. Never before had a group attacked him in such a concerted effort. Never before had a group been so successful in hurting him. His hyper-acute senses were aware of the small being, possibly a halfling or gnome, on his flank, and he saw the half-ogre, dwarf, and (impossibly!) spellcasting rhino. Thinking quickly, he recognized the half-ogre to be his most immediate threat. That menace had to be neutralized first.
The bebilith curled its abdomen under its body, and spinnerets at the tip began to ooze. With a wet slurping sound, a large glob of sticky webbing spurted forth from the arachnid’s tail. The bebilith rejoiced as he watched the glob strike the half-ogre in the chest, and within the blink of an eye the warrior was covered from head to toe in the sticky substance. “That takes care of that,” Thathnak mused.
Cruel irony responded to Thathnak’s inner monologue. The webbing fell off of the half-ogre, almost as quickly as it had covered him. Horror came over the bebilith as he saw the warrior’s spiked chain begin to spin.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The rhino’s tail wagged happily. As luck would have had it, the freedom of movement spell he had placed on Grimm had been a superb idea.
Grimm’s spiked chain spun quickly. An expert with his weapon, Grimm knew how to use both ends of the chain to get more strikes in a shorter period of time than someone simply proficient in its use. Making matter worse for the bebilith, Grimm had been aided by a spell of haste cast by Kauraphon. The half-ogre’s hands became a veritable blur as the chain struck forward in a flurry. Two quick strikes neatly severed both of the bebilith’s foreclaws. Before the arachnid could shriek in agony, two more of Grimm’s swings caved in what would have been the creature’s face.
Thathnak slumped to the ground, and lay motionless.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The victorious Bright Axes opened the other door and moved into the adjacent room. This chamber, approximately thirty feet by thirty feet in dimension, was covered in frescoes depicting a raven-winged angel fighting a seemingly insurmountable host of demonic creatures. All around the room in common script was written the phrase, “Know who made you.” This detail was noted by the adventurers, but discarded as a riddle whose answer would undoubtedly become apparent at some point in the near future.
Standing in the middle of the room was the golden plate clad mummy, carrying a silver lantern in his hands. Purposefully, the undead creature strode forward and gave the lantern to Caine. “Congratulations,” it intoned, “you have passed the Test of Judgment. This lantern will shine the way to the second trial, the Test of Resolve. Remember to always attend to the wisdom of Adimarchus.”
With a flash, the undead creature disappeared.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Grimm looked to Caine, “Where do we go now?” The ascetic pondered. “First,” Caine replied, “we shall go and free the Avoral, Halalaa.” The half-ogre nodded. That seemed to be the right thing to do.
The Bright Axes returned to the antechamber outside of Thathnak’s cell. The half-ogre lifted the heavy bar and opened the door to Halalaa’s prison. The chamber ahead of them was of similar size to the Bebilith’s, but instead of the suspension platforms, the room was adorned with hundreds of tin bird cages. In the center of the room, standing within an intricate circle of silvery powder, was an abject-looking creature of obvious celestial nature. Once beautiful, the roughly humanoid creature was powerfully muscled but had long feathered wings where its arms should have been and talons where its feet should have been. Standing fully seven feet tall, the creature’s hair resembled a feathery cowl. It looked at the group with its golden eyes, still solemn and proud, awaiting the coup de grace that would end its misery.
Caine stepped ahead of the group. “Greetings, Halalaa, Lord of the Avians. I am Caine, and my companions and myself are of good heart. Do not fear us, for it is our intent to free you from this prison.”
The avian celestial’s heart rose for a moment. The hope that blossomed within her chest was the first positive feeling she had felt in what felt like an eon. She might have questioned the intentions of the group, but there was something different about this raggedly-dressed human. He was surrounded by an almost otherwordly glow. Halalaa recognized the aura surrounding Caine as a symbol of his exemplary goodness. The avoral also knew that this nimbus of light was something that was impossible to counterfeit.
In a distinctly feminine voice, the avoral spoke, “I am trapped in this location by the magical circle of power that surrounds me. Break the circle, and it will free me.” Caine strode forward and kicked the dust. The intricate pattern broken, Halalaa took her first step in over three centuries. She was surprised that he muscles had remembered how to do that. “Thank you, noble human. Know that you have earned the gratitude of Halalaa. Is there any aid that I can offer in return.”
The ascetic mused. “No, nothing really. Unless you can tell me more about this place or more about the Test of the Smoking Eye.”
Halalaa shook her head. “Sadly, no I cannot help you there. I have been trapped here for many years, and all that I knew was that I was here to die when the time came. I wish that I knew more, but Adimarchus did not share anything such information with me.”
Rusty stepped forward. “Would ye like to go home, lass? I can send ye there if you be so choosin’.” Excitedly, the avoral nodded. She had long since given up hope of seeing her home again. Rusty cast a spell, and touched Halalaa on the arm. The avoral guardinal disappeared, and returned to her home on the Elysian Fields.
JollyDoc
Explorer
Another excellent job Rich. Great attention to detail. Just a small editor's note for the readers. The final words of the mummy for the Test of Judgement were as follows..."Heed the words of Adimarchus. You have passed the Test of Judgement. Attend to the wisdom of Adimarchus! Always deal with rivals first and enemies second..."
In this case, Adimarchus' "rival" would have been the bebilith, since they shared a similar alignment. Adimarchus wanted future rulers of Occipitus to know that just because a creature shares your alignment doesn't make it your ally.
In this case, Adimarchus' "rival" would have been the bebilith, since they shared a similar alignment. Adimarchus wanted future rulers of Occipitus to know that just because a creature shares your alignment doesn't make it your ally.
I agree, but let me toss in a few cents as well.JollyDoc said:
The Guardinal tried to detect evil on everyone and came up with negative on everybody though he could not detect Caine's alignment because of his mind shield.
Anyway, the Guradinal and Caine began talking and they hit it off well at first. However, the Celestial became pissed off when Caine told him that they were planning on completing all of the Tests of Adimarchus and restoring Occipitus.
The Avoral though it was a foolish idea and that we would become corrupted just as Adimarchus was.
EDIT: BTW, did those guys shred the Bebilith or what? Hot diggidity we were ready for that fight.
Last edited:
Joachim
First Post
JollyDoc said:
Sorry about the omittal there...I got it as close as I could remember it (I feel like its been about 4 or 5 weeks since that encounter). I have one or two more updates to do before I turn it back over to CEO Jollydoc for a few. I will get to work on them this week:
Update 5: Return of the Hezrou and Random Encounter Road
Update 6: The Plain of Cysts
PugioilAudacio
First Post
After following this story for some time, I have finally decided to post here. First, great job guys! I love it!
I'm wondering though, how much of the dialouge in the stories is actually said? In other words, how good is the role-playing and how is it done?
I am also playing the Shackled City adventures and my group doesn't really role-play very well. On the flip side, we seem to be able to take down every challenge with amazing ease. We just fought the glabrezu and the babau. The glabrezu was down in 3-4 rounds with only Alec dead. As for the babau - the DM put in 8 of them and we still mowed through them.
However, I would gladly trade in our combat ability for the role-playing ability of your group.
I'm wondering though, how much of the dialouge in the stories is actually said? In other words, how good is the role-playing and how is it done?
I am also playing the Shackled City adventures and my group doesn't really role-play very well. On the flip side, we seem to be able to take down every challenge with amazing ease. We just fought the glabrezu and the babau. The glabrezu was down in 3-4 rounds with only Alec dead. As for the babau - the DM put in 8 of them and we still mowed through them.
However, I would gladly trade in our combat ability for the role-playing ability of your group.
Umm . . . okay. We finished the module tonight and several interesting things happened.
1) We reached the last test and passed it . . . sort of . . .
2) One more PC died (we didn't have time to raise the other 2)
3) One more PC went down to negative hp
4) Caine has . . . ummmmmmmmmmmm . . . changed (see below)
Relevant changes to Caine are in bold and underlined. I have kept some of it deliberately ambiguous so as not to completely spoil the surprise. Please note that I have not revealed his alignment or if he has lost his exalted status. I just posted everything for the sake of ambiguity.
Caine (Sorcerer 9/Apostle of Peace 2) + UNKNOWN TEMPLATE
-------------------------------------------------------
Medium Humanoid
Hit Dice: 11d4+33 (62 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 27 (+2 Dex, +9 armor [exalted], +3 natural, +3 deflection), touch 15, flat-footed 25
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+4
Attack: Quarterstaff +3 melee (1d6+1) [subudal only]
Full Attack: Quarterstaff +3 melee (1d6+1) [subudal only]
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spells, pacifying touch
Special Qualities: Exalted benefits (Vow of Poverty/Nonviolence), calming aura, weapon immunity, endure elements, exalted strike, sustenance, mind shielding, DR 5/magic, Sign of the Eversmoking Eye traits, imbued with evil, lie in state, morphic potential
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +14
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 20
Skills: Concentration +15, Spellcraft +13, Diplomacy +27, Speak Languages +6 [Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Giant, Infernal, Undercommon], Knowledge (Arcana) +9, Knowledge (Religion) +7
Feats: Celestial Familiar [Exlated], Heighten Spell, Holy Radiance [Exalted], Nimbus of Light [Exalted], Nymph's Kiss [Exalted], Sacred Vow [Exalted], Vow of Nonviolence [Exalted], Vow of Peace [Exalted], Vow of Poverty [Exalted], Vow of Purity [Exalted]
Environment: Vilhon Reach
Organization: Solitary (with Lantern Archon Familiar)
Challenge Rating: ???
Treasure: Goods
Alignment: ???
Dressed in simple robes and leaning on a well-used quarterstaff this man is a jumble of contradictions. One one hand, his left eye appears to be on fire as it gives off wisps of bitter smoke that smell like brimstone. On the other hand, he is suffused in a golden aura that marks him as a friend to the Upper Planes.
Caine was a former War Wizard in service to Cormyr when the drow invaded the forest nation. His subsequent capture and torture by the dark elves for years was finally ended when the forces of Queen Alusair prevailed.
However, the mage's psyche had been irrevocably changed. He finally recoginzed the cycle of pain and suffering wrought by violence. To escape this he took the vows of an ascetic and left Cormyr. Over the next several months he travelled down the Dragon Coast, finally making his way to Vilhon Reach and the small town of Cauldron.
Here, he hopes to quietly convert people to his philosophy while providing them with any aid he can.
Caine sacrificed himself during the Test of the Eversmoking Eye, a trial made by the fallen Solar Adimarchus to grant lordship over the Abyssal plane Occipitus. Though Caine gave his own life willingly, he was forever scarred by the experience.
Combat
Having taken vows of nonviolence and peace, Caine will never inflict lethal damage, ability damage, or energy drain on any living creature. However, he has numerous special abilities that often make violence unecessary or cause already militant foes to lose their resolve to fight.
Exalted Benefits (Vow of Poverty): Caine has taken an oath never to own more than the bare necessities of life, including his quarterstaff, clothes, and spell component pouch. Although others may cast magic on him and he may use temporary magic items (potions), he may never don or use any magic items, even temporarily. In exchange for this severe penance, Caine has been gifted with numerous special abilities:
a) Exalted AC bonus +7
b) Six bonus exalted feats
c) Endure Elements (Ex): Caine is immune to the effects of being in a hot or cold environment. He can exist comfortably in conditions between -50 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit without having to make Fortitude saves.
d) Exalted Strike (Su): Any weapon that Caine wields is considered a +2 magic weapon and is considered good-aligned, so that it can bypass the damage reduction of some evil outsiders.
e) Sustenance (Ex): Caine does not need to eat or drink.
f) Deflection AC bonus +1
g) Resistance bonus to saves +1
h) Ability score enhancement +4 (Charisma), +2 (Wisdom)
i) Natural Armor AC bonus +1
j) Mind Shielding (Ex): Caine is immune to detect thoughts, discern lies, and any attempt to discern his alignment.
k) DR 5/magic
Exalted Benefits (Vow of Nonviolence): The saving throw DC for spells or other special abilites Caine uses against humanoids or monstrous humanoids is increased by +4 if the spell does not deal damage, bestow negative levels, or cause death. The bonus granted by this feat does not stack with the bonus granted by the Spell Focus feat.
Exalted Benefits (Vow of Peace): Caine has taken severe penances and will never willingly harm a living creature, regardless of alignment or disposition. In exchange, he gains numerous special abilities:
a) Calming Aura (Su): A 20 foot aura constantly surrounds Caine and all within it must make a Will save (DC 20) or be affected by a calm emotions spell. Creatures who leave the aura and reenter it receive new saving throws. A creature that makes a sucessful saving throw and remains in the aura is unaffected until it leaves the aura and reenters. The aura is a mind-affecting supernatural compulsion. The save is Charsima based.
b) Weapon Immunity (Su): If a creature strikes Caine with a manufactured weapon, the weapon must immediately make a successful Fortitude save (DC 18) or shatter against his skin, leaving him unharmed. The save is Constitution based.
c) +2 bonus to Exalted AC , Deflection AC, and Natural Armor AC (stacks with Vow of Poverty)
d) Pacifying Touch (Su): Caine has gained the ability to pacify hostile or angry creatures by touch. The effect is similar to a calm emotions spell. Caine can affect only a single target with each use of the ability and must touch the target. A touched creature receives no saving throw and spell resistance does not apply. The pacifying touch does not suppress postivie emotions, just anger, rage, and hostility. Caine can make a level check as if casting dispel magic, using his character level (12) as his caster level, to dispel certain mind-affecting spells affecting the target. The pacifying touch can only dispel spells that incite violent emotions in the target such as fear or rage.
e) Sign of the Eversmoking Eye traits: Caine gains a +1 insight bonus on all attacks as the power of Occipitus subtly guides his blows. He also gains a +1 insight bonus on all saving throws -- it's almost as if the layer of Occipitus is looking out for him. Caine's effective caster level is increased by 1, as the power of Occipitus makes his spells last slightly longer, reach slightly further, and deal slightly more damage.
f) Imbued with Evil: ???
g) Lie in State: ???
h) Morphic Potential: A creature with the Sign of the Eversmoking Eye has the potential to change the landscape of Occipitus through conscious effort . . .
Spells: Caine's caster levels are as follows: Sorcerer 9, Apostle of Peace 7. Note that spells cast by Caine that do not deal lethal damage, bestow negative levels, or cause death have their DCs increased by 4 against humanoids or monstrous humanoids.
Sorcerer Spells known (6/8/7/7/5; DC 15 + spell level): 0--detect poison, detect magic, read magic, mage hand, open/close, prestidigitation, arcane mark, ghost sound; 1st--eyes of the avoral, shield, enlarge person, charm person, grease; 2nd--invisibility, yoke of mercy, false life, rope trick; 3rd--fly, haste, slow; 4th--otiluke's resilent sphere, greater invisibility
Typical Apostle of Peace Spells memorized (5/4/1; DC 12 + spell level): 0--create water (x2), purify food and drink, mending (x2); 1st--ray of hope (x2), divine inspiration (x2); 2nd--luminous armor
1) We reached the last test and passed it . . . sort of . . .
2) One more PC died (we didn't have time to raise the other 2)
3) One more PC went down to negative hp
4) Caine has . . . ummmmmmmmmmmm . . . changed (see below)
Relevant changes to Caine are in bold and underlined. I have kept some of it deliberately ambiguous so as not to completely spoil the surprise.
Please note that I have not revealed his alignment or if he has lost his exalted status. I just posted everything for the sake of ambiguity.Caine (Sorcerer 9/Apostle of Peace 2) + UNKNOWN TEMPLATE
-------------------------------------------------------
Medium Humanoid
Hit Dice: 11d4+33 (62 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 27 (+2 Dex, +9 armor [exalted], +3 natural, +3 deflection), touch 15, flat-footed 25
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+4
Attack: Quarterstaff +3 melee (1d6+1) [subudal only]
Full Attack: Quarterstaff +3 melee (1d6+1) [subudal only]
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spells, pacifying touch
Special Qualities: Exalted benefits (Vow of Poverty/Nonviolence), calming aura, weapon immunity, endure elements, exalted strike, sustenance, mind shielding, DR 5/magic, Sign of the Eversmoking Eye traits, imbued with evil, lie in state, morphic potential
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +14
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 20
Skills: Concentration +15, Spellcraft +13, Diplomacy +27, Speak Languages +6 [Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Giant, Infernal, Undercommon], Knowledge (Arcana) +9, Knowledge (Religion) +7
Feats: Celestial Familiar [Exlated], Heighten Spell, Holy Radiance [Exalted], Nimbus of Light [Exalted], Nymph's Kiss [Exalted], Sacred Vow [Exalted], Vow of Nonviolence [Exalted], Vow of Peace [Exalted], Vow of Poverty [Exalted], Vow of Purity [Exalted]
Environment: Vilhon Reach
Organization: Solitary (with Lantern Archon Familiar)
Challenge Rating: ???
Treasure: Goods
Alignment: ???
Dressed in simple robes and leaning on a well-used quarterstaff this man is a jumble of contradictions. One one hand, his left eye appears to be on fire as it gives off wisps of bitter smoke that smell like brimstone. On the other hand, he is suffused in a golden aura that marks him as a friend to the Upper Planes.
Caine was a former War Wizard in service to Cormyr when the drow invaded the forest nation. His subsequent capture and torture by the dark elves for years was finally ended when the forces of Queen Alusair prevailed.
However, the mage's psyche had been irrevocably changed. He finally recoginzed the cycle of pain and suffering wrought by violence. To escape this he took the vows of an ascetic and left Cormyr. Over the next several months he travelled down the Dragon Coast, finally making his way to Vilhon Reach and the small town of Cauldron.
Here, he hopes to quietly convert people to his philosophy while providing them with any aid he can.
Caine sacrificed himself during the Test of the Eversmoking Eye, a trial made by the fallen Solar Adimarchus to grant lordship over the Abyssal plane Occipitus. Though Caine gave his own life willingly, he was forever scarred by the experience.
Combat
Having taken vows of nonviolence and peace, Caine will never inflict lethal damage, ability damage, or energy drain on any living creature. However, he has numerous special abilities that often make violence unecessary or cause already militant foes to lose their resolve to fight.
Exalted Benefits (Vow of Poverty): Caine has taken an oath never to own more than the bare necessities of life, including his quarterstaff, clothes, and spell component pouch. Although others may cast magic on him and he may use temporary magic items (potions), he may never don or use any magic items, even temporarily. In exchange for this severe penance, Caine has been gifted with numerous special abilities:
a) Exalted AC bonus +7
b) Six bonus exalted feats
c) Endure Elements (Ex): Caine is immune to the effects of being in a hot or cold environment. He can exist comfortably in conditions between -50 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit without having to make Fortitude saves.
d) Exalted Strike (Su): Any weapon that Caine wields is considered a +2 magic weapon and is considered good-aligned, so that it can bypass the damage reduction of some evil outsiders.
e) Sustenance (Ex): Caine does not need to eat or drink.
f) Deflection AC bonus +1
g) Resistance bonus to saves +1
h) Ability score enhancement +4 (Charisma), +2 (Wisdom)
i) Natural Armor AC bonus +1
j) Mind Shielding (Ex): Caine is immune to detect thoughts, discern lies, and any attempt to discern his alignment.
k) DR 5/magic
Exalted Benefits (Vow of Nonviolence): The saving throw DC for spells or other special abilites Caine uses against humanoids or monstrous humanoids is increased by +4 if the spell does not deal damage, bestow negative levels, or cause death. The bonus granted by this feat does not stack with the bonus granted by the Spell Focus feat.
Exalted Benefits (Vow of Peace): Caine has taken severe penances and will never willingly harm a living creature, regardless of alignment or disposition. In exchange, he gains numerous special abilities:
a) Calming Aura (Su): A 20 foot aura constantly surrounds Caine and all within it must make a Will save (DC 20) or be affected by a calm emotions spell. Creatures who leave the aura and reenter it receive new saving throws. A creature that makes a sucessful saving throw and remains in the aura is unaffected until it leaves the aura and reenters. The aura is a mind-affecting supernatural compulsion. The save is Charsima based.
b) Weapon Immunity (Su): If a creature strikes Caine with a manufactured weapon, the weapon must immediately make a successful Fortitude save (DC 18) or shatter against his skin, leaving him unharmed. The save is Constitution based.
c) +2 bonus to Exalted AC , Deflection AC, and Natural Armor AC (stacks with Vow of Poverty)
d) Pacifying Touch (Su): Caine has gained the ability to pacify hostile or angry creatures by touch. The effect is similar to a calm emotions spell. Caine can affect only a single target with each use of the ability and must touch the target. A touched creature receives no saving throw and spell resistance does not apply. The pacifying touch does not suppress postivie emotions, just anger, rage, and hostility. Caine can make a level check as if casting dispel magic, using his character level (12) as his caster level, to dispel certain mind-affecting spells affecting the target. The pacifying touch can only dispel spells that incite violent emotions in the target such as fear or rage.
e) Sign of the Eversmoking Eye traits: Caine gains a +1 insight bonus on all attacks as the power of Occipitus subtly guides his blows. He also gains a +1 insight bonus on all saving throws -- it's almost as if the layer of Occipitus is looking out for him. Caine's effective caster level is increased by 1, as the power of Occipitus makes his spells last slightly longer, reach slightly further, and deal slightly more damage.
f) Imbued with Evil: ???
g) Lie in State: ???
h) Morphic Potential: A creature with the Sign of the Eversmoking Eye has the potential to change the landscape of Occipitus through conscious effort . . .
Spells: Caine's caster levels are as follows: Sorcerer 9, Apostle of Peace 7. Note that spells cast by Caine that do not deal lethal damage, bestow negative levels, or cause death have their DCs increased by 4 against humanoids or monstrous humanoids.
Sorcerer Spells known (6/8/7/7/5; DC 15 + spell level): 0--detect poison, detect magic, read magic, mage hand, open/close, prestidigitation, arcane mark, ghost sound; 1st--eyes of the avoral, shield, enlarge person, charm person, grease; 2nd--invisibility, yoke of mercy, false life, rope trick; 3rd--fly, haste, slow; 4th--otiluke's resilent sphere, greater invisibility
Typical Apostle of Peace Spells memorized (5/4/1; DC 12 + spell level): 0--create water (x2), purify food and drink, mending (x2); 1st--ray of hope (x2), divine inspiration (x2); 2nd--luminous armor
Last edited:
The dialouge is as good or better than what is posted here. Generally, the role-playing lasts much longer but we distill it here for the readers. Also, it's easy to remember when, where and who critted the bad guy, but it is not quite so easy when someone says a pithy quote.PugioilAudacio said:
There is some superb role-playing coming up, BTW.
Similar Threads
