Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 7301974" data-attributes="member: 20323">It's from the "Sphinx Ambassador" Magic card by Jim Murray. I looked up the card, which gives you the ability to take control of a creature in your opponent's deck so long as they don't guess which one you've taken. Maybe that could serve as inspiration...Hmm, well one thing that stands out is the prophecy could reference "servant of the northern sea breeze" or something to that effect... which could allude to either the cleric PC or holy slayer PC (both of whom revere the sea goddess Hakiyah the Honest), or to the half-orc fighter PC who serves the cleric (who stands in for "sea breeze" as an earthly representative of her god), or to the water genasi PC, or to the wandering dervish PC who water-walked an ocean, or even to the sha'ir PC (whose genie patron is Mistress of the Northern Gale). And more generally "northern" fits because many of the PCs come from cities/lands north of where the Valley of Mist adventure takes place in on the world map. So "servant of the northern sea breeze" could conceivably refer to any or all of the PCs!And it's something the sphinx could easily misinterpret herself, perhaps seeing the LG cleric and her LG half-orc servant as most likely to fulfill the prophecy, due to her bias in favor of Lawful characters of faith.My first pass at a prophecy...still need to work it out...A harrowing flame shall come to the Valley, = Brotherhood of True FlameAnd it shall not be beaten back or driven outUntil the heart of its ruler lies in ashes, = reference to heart of mummy lord ex-Bey & current Bey's vulnerability to fireTurning brother against brother. = Brotherhood is fractiousWhereupon the servant of the northern sea breeze = a single PC? all PCs? a summoned djinn or marid?Takes up the blade of the master, = take current Bey's sword literally OR take over his control of palace atop elven ruinsEnding the flame by fire and faith. = again referencing Bey's vulnerability to fire AND maybe a use for Channel Divinity with the mythal?You mean a mock combat to test their mettle? They're a pretty potent party. The CR 11 gynosphinx would need to have great creativity or great luck to pose much of a challenge to them. As a point-of-reference, the party handily trounced a CR 13 pyrohydra that ambushed them.Also...a gynosphinx seem less about testing valor and more about testing wits (i.e. "Gynosphinxes are virtual libraries of knowledge and lore. They ask riddles and present puzzles to test the wit of supplicants that come to learn their secrets. Some are willing to bargain with such supplicants for treasure or service.")So maybe we could work out a 3-round "combat" which is actually a series of puzzles using her Lair Actions? Initially, she tests whether the PCs realize when a conflict is best surmounted with wits rather than strength-of-arms/magic. Each round could test some aspect of their wits / ability to think outside the box of "normal combat."For example... not sure what these would test yet, but...Round 1) Planeshift party to hostile environment, and possibly banish two of them to a different plane, then abandon them there...Round 2) Take PCs back/forward in time 10 years to some confrontation with Brotherhood...Round 3) De-age PCs into childhood...the trick being they need to fail their saves (ideally, voluntarily...which would be foreshadowed in previous rounds)...though not sure why yet...I'm a bit stuck for ideas. My initial idea was "liberate the palace built on top of the elven ruins and I'll aid you", but that's the main dungeon of the adventure...so after that there wouldn't be much for the sphinx to do (since she won't leave her lair and go adventuring with them). Or I guess it could be a more long-term view of "aid", with legend lores, advice, and such. Or maybe, taking inspiration from the Magic card where the art comes from, she requests they redeem a Brotherhood NPC from evil?Hmm. The sha'ir PC is a warlock, and certainly the gynosphinx might be able to offer some kind of boon...maybe bestowing its Inscrutable trait to the sha'ir PC if they agree to protect the Valley of Mist for the rest of their life?</blockquote>

Verification