dyermaker001
Explorer
"How long will this ritual take? Do we need protection during the ritual? It may be worth it"
Legacy of Death Part VI: Like a Snake Eating its Own Tail...and it is Dead
Jin Abackis
Explorer
1 hour to cast. Protection would be good. But the ritual will only work if it’s been 12 hours since our last extended rest. The ritual’s main advantage is to save 5 hours from taking an extended rest. We could just risk taking an extended rest. Simorai has still not gotten used to the concept of democracy (assuming this is one) but he votes for the ritual.
Jin Abackis
Explorer
No objections (it seems) so we’ll go ahead with ritual. Simorai agrees with Nar’s suggestion for protection (Undead Ward, Magic Circle, etc., whatever he decides is fine). We set up near the entrance of the tunnel and away from the white alter. Simorai and Nar will be in the middle of the protection and the others on guard around them.
TerraDave
5ever, or until 2024
And so Joroth’s chaos gave way to Pathar’s guiding light.
Their rituals allow them to recuperate and avoid a horrific and demonic encounter. They all gather outside the room with the broad white altar. On its is an all too familiar skull with gems where eyes and teeth would normally be. Before entering, Simorai looks down and notices an otherwise almost imperceptible seam that runs around the room, between the floor and the wall. Nar mage hands the skull, triggering the collapsing floor that reveals a 90 foot pit around what is now a white column. No one is hurt. They continue to carefully study the situation. The ceiling collapses. No one is hurt. Nar pockets the gemmed skull.
They realize that the only way forward is through an opening in the pillar. Nar slams into a wall and Buckthorn falls about 30 feet, but with the ring of feather fall and rope, they are able to enter the pillar without too much trouble.
They follow a winding tunnel for almost 400 feet. This turns sharply down, dropping 40 feet into a chamber below. (And being the third major drop after finding the strange vault in the floor of the strange chapel).
Strewn with unusual rubble, and, Forge quickly realizes, at least 1 concealed pit, the great round chamber is also surrounded by 12 arches sealed with stone.
Its not long before the archwraith materializes, wielding a disturbing great sword. It declares the Moghadam is its name, that it was the architect of the various tombs of horror. “You have experienced my handiwork.”
It also declares they are not worthy. Simorai responds: “Acererak and all his minions must die”. The being is…intrigued.
They deliver massive damage, enough to kill several non-wraith tomb makers, but it survives and seems to become stronger. Even standing next to it is a source of pain, and while they try to use their powers to frustrate its attacks, its deadly sword and mind-wracking psychic assault take a toll. Dayereth drops first, then Simorai, then Forge. They are revived, and drop again. Forge falls three times.
It becomes clear that the archwraith has been imprisoned here by the demilich. It seems to take that anger out on the party. Or is there more to it?
At one point only Nar, now a being of fire about to be put out, and Buckthorn remain standing in the face of the mighty wraith. As they are bloodied, Dayereth rises, and with his albeit magic javelin, dispatches the being.
It dissipates, but leaves its mighty blade behind. Simorai takes up this Ruinblade and swears to destroy Acererak…and his minions. The blade is pleased.
They rest, then begin to inspect the arches. It turns out that behind the stones of each are books and scrolls—hundreds of them—on the demilich, the tomb, and all things related. In spite of the rotting condition of many of them, the trove contains much value.
Including a few more pages of the Tome of Shadows. With these, the Tome is complete. With Nar, it immediately launches into a powerful ritual…to which the others are not fully privy.
The others find a powerful Staff of the Storms and Guardians Cape, the extremely useful Ioun Stone of Perfect Language, and the odd Deadblast Bone. Along with 100,000 gp worth of residium and some large bags of holding (perfect for bringing in a library, or taking it out).
The Artificer goes to work, draining the staff and empowering the spear of the warlord and cloak of the ranger. The fighter takes the newly found cape. The Artificer retains Ruinblade and also manages to find the Manual of the Planes (or at least one of a very few copies). And, on top of all that, he seems to learn a great deal about the demilich and its plans…
Meanwhile, Nar continues with plans of his own (or his and the books), somehow nabbing the Ioun Stone in the meantime, which begins to circle his head. The Tome has opened, or almost opened, a door to the heart of the cosmos.
They discuss the area they are in, the Shadow Coast. Recall how before (without Simorai) they had come through Borivostok, had travelled north and encountered some hags just on the other side of the Aether that sold them some eldritch items. As this is recalled, perhaps do to all the strange lore they are reviewing, more than one of them says the name “Babba Yaga”
They begin the speculate on Acereraks plans. Simorai asks about the various other tombs they have been to…there is fey-aether and shadow-aether…but they have also been briefly to a third one, associated with death and cold. Could that be in…Hades, the plane most closely associated with death and the ultimate evil god Zorath? Why was Acererak doing all these things? Drawing power from dead billions of Gama World and from the other worlds? Spreading evil as well as building these elaborate tombs? To impress Zorath? To make himself into a god-like incarnate, at the same level as Asmodous, or Vecna, or Saint Cuthbert (or, though strangely it is not said, Melkar the Mostly Competent)?
Simorai leads the group in concluding that Acererak must have a third tomb in Hades where he his finishing his god-transforming plan!
Nar, somewhere in the midst of this, feels his ritual fail. A door is reached. And locked. And no power will open it. Just outside the Tomb, on the surface above, there is both an incredible rip in the firmament around Thraeya, a display of power that would allow a very large object to pass through from the Sea Beyond the Stars. And, from another part of the cosmos, a weakening of the already thin wall with the Aether, slowly filling the place with a dark fey-shadow infused “mist”.
They teleport out to the old ring of stones. Nar feels an alternate path may be at hand.
It is probably not with the flying ship covered with Githyanki and from which red dragons are starting to fly.
Like this, but with a lot of Githyanki
They step into the fey tinged shadow Aether.
Their rituals allow them to recuperate and avoid a horrific and demonic encounter. They all gather outside the room with the broad white altar. On its is an all too familiar skull with gems where eyes and teeth would normally be. Before entering, Simorai looks down and notices an otherwise almost imperceptible seam that runs around the room, between the floor and the wall. Nar mage hands the skull, triggering the collapsing floor that reveals a 90 foot pit around what is now a white column. No one is hurt. They continue to carefully study the situation. The ceiling collapses. No one is hurt. Nar pockets the gemmed skull.
They realize that the only way forward is through an opening in the pillar. Nar slams into a wall and Buckthorn falls about 30 feet, but with the ring of feather fall and rope, they are able to enter the pillar without too much trouble.
They follow a winding tunnel for almost 400 feet. This turns sharply down, dropping 40 feet into a chamber below. (And being the third major drop after finding the strange vault in the floor of the strange chapel).
Strewn with unusual rubble, and, Forge quickly realizes, at least 1 concealed pit, the great round chamber is also surrounded by 12 arches sealed with stone.
Its not long before the archwraith materializes, wielding a disturbing great sword. It declares the Moghadam is its name, that it was the architect of the various tombs of horror. “You have experienced my handiwork.”
It also declares they are not worthy. Simorai responds: “Acererak and all his minions must die”. The being is…intrigued.
They deliver massive damage, enough to kill several non-wraith tomb makers, but it survives and seems to become stronger. Even standing next to it is a source of pain, and while they try to use their powers to frustrate its attacks, its deadly sword and mind-wracking psychic assault take a toll. Dayereth drops first, then Simorai, then Forge. They are revived, and drop again. Forge falls three times.
It becomes clear that the archwraith has been imprisoned here by the demilich. It seems to take that anger out on the party. Or is there more to it?
At one point only Nar, now a being of fire about to be put out, and Buckthorn remain standing in the face of the mighty wraith. As they are bloodied, Dayereth rises, and with his albeit magic javelin, dispatches the being.
It dissipates, but leaves its mighty blade behind. Simorai takes up this Ruinblade and swears to destroy Acererak…and his minions. The blade is pleased.
They rest, then begin to inspect the arches. It turns out that behind the stones of each are books and scrolls—hundreds of them—on the demilich, the tomb, and all things related. In spite of the rotting condition of many of them, the trove contains much value.
Including a few more pages of the Tome of Shadows. With these, the Tome is complete. With Nar, it immediately launches into a powerful ritual…to which the others are not fully privy.
The others find a powerful Staff of the Storms and Guardians Cape, the extremely useful Ioun Stone of Perfect Language, and the odd Deadblast Bone. Along with 100,000 gp worth of residium and some large bags of holding (perfect for bringing in a library, or taking it out).
The Artificer goes to work, draining the staff and empowering the spear of the warlord and cloak of the ranger. The fighter takes the newly found cape. The Artificer retains Ruinblade and also manages to find the Manual of the Planes (or at least one of a very few copies). And, on top of all that, he seems to learn a great deal about the demilich and its plans…
Meanwhile, Nar continues with plans of his own (or his and the books), somehow nabbing the Ioun Stone in the meantime, which begins to circle his head. The Tome has opened, or almost opened, a door to the heart of the cosmos.
They discuss the area they are in, the Shadow Coast. Recall how before (without Simorai) they had come through Borivostok, had travelled north and encountered some hags just on the other side of the Aether that sold them some eldritch items. As this is recalled, perhaps do to all the strange lore they are reviewing, more than one of them says the name “Babba Yaga”
They begin the speculate on Acereraks plans. Simorai asks about the various other tombs they have been to…there is fey-aether and shadow-aether…but they have also been briefly to a third one, associated with death and cold. Could that be in…Hades, the plane most closely associated with death and the ultimate evil god Zorath? Why was Acererak doing all these things? Drawing power from dead billions of Gama World and from the other worlds? Spreading evil as well as building these elaborate tombs? To impress Zorath? To make himself into a god-like incarnate, at the same level as Asmodous, or Vecna, or Saint Cuthbert (or, though strangely it is not said, Melkar the Mostly Competent)?
Simorai leads the group in concluding that Acererak must have a third tomb in Hades where he his finishing his god-transforming plan!
Nar, somewhere in the midst of this, feels his ritual fail. A door is reached. And locked. And no power will open it. Just outside the Tomb, on the surface above, there is both an incredible rip in the firmament around Thraeya, a display of power that would allow a very large object to pass through from the Sea Beyond the Stars. And, from another part of the cosmos, a weakening of the already thin wall with the Aether, slowly filling the place with a dark fey-shadow infused “mist”.
They teleport out to the old ring of stones. Nar feels an alternate path may be at hand.
It is probably not with the flying ship covered with Githyanki and from which red dragons are starting to fly.
Like this, but with a lot of Githyanki
They step into the fey tinged shadow Aether.
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