Part 2: Odiem
Ottavia addressed the constables from atop the tower. Irony realized they had been deceived when she noticed her Vengeful Gaze of the Goddess power had refocused to Ottavia instead of Luc. Ottavia had lured them to the island using an illusion while Luc and Bree remained behind on the train. The oracle claimed to be working for a just cause that would help save the world from itself and shelter the weak. She urged the constables to abandon their pursuit of the conspiracy.
GM: | Irony’s player specifically put her mark on the illusion of Luc. I didn’t think an illusion would make a valid target for that ability, but the game mechanics didn’t really specify this situation. I decided to have the mark jump to the originator of the illusion (Ottavia). That seemed the most practical to me, and it allowed for the dramatic confrontation on Odiem. | |
When the constables refused to back down, Ottavia started a magically compelling sermon to captivate them until the sun set. Ottavia’s plan succeeded and the group was trapped on the island as the night heralded the rise of the cursed dead of Odiem. Once the party shook off her magical sermon, Ottavia resorted to bombarding them with searing blasts of light. Kirk and Doran quickly clambered up the walls of the lighthouse and gained entry to the bottom floor through the missing roof. They unbarred the front doors for the others. Irony and Rai moved into the building while Bellicose lagged behind trading shots with Ottavia. Once Bellicose was inside, they closed and barred the doors to deter the approaching horde of undead.
The constables scrambled up the broken lighthouse tower while Ottavia continued her assault. Ottavia was defiant to the last, but the fight ended quickly once the constables finally reached her. The constables decided to try and Take Ottavia alive after knocking her unconscious. To get her down from the top of the ruined lighthouse, the party had to lash the unconscious priestess to a ladder with some of their rope and lower her down to each floor using additional rope.
GM: | Is there anything you can’t prepare for with enough extra-dimensional storage space? | |
Upon reaching the ground floor, the constables realized it would only be a matter of time before the undead began to clamber atop each other and fall through the lighthouse ceiling. A strange disembodied voice urged the constables to enter lighthouse basement and the ancient vault below. The voice promised safety and a means of escaping the island.
Unsure how to proceed, Irony decided to contact Calaphax and see if he could offer a way off of the island. While the constables’ connection with the fiend allowed them to communicate over long distance, it didn’t provide a way for him to reach them instantly. Calaphax told Irony that he wouldn’t be able to reach the island until dawn. He also warned the constables that there was nothing for them within the vaults of Odiem. However, the constables were unwilling to risk losing their only lead on the conspiracy. In fact, Cal’s warning had the opposite effect. The group decided the vaults might be worth investigating if Calaphax didn’t want them to enter.
The constables found a defaced prayer chamber in the lighthouse basement along with a door. The ancient door had once been warded against entry, but the wards had long ago been destroyed or faded. Just inside the door, they found a metal bar formed from three swords melted together: a memento of past visitors to the island. They decided to bar the door using the melted swords and continued deeper.
It was quickly apparent that the ancient vault had not weathered the centuries well. Partially collapsed hallways, flooding, and smashed doors greeted them at every turn. The vault had once contained many things deemed by the Clergy hierarchs to be dangerous or heretical including fiends and monsters. However, the contents of the vault had apparently been plundered or released long ago. The only thing the constables were able to recover were two badly damaged partial texts from the vault’s ruined library.
The two texts were entitled “Malleus Maleficarum” and “Magnus Haeresis”. Both texts were written in Supernal: an ancient language supposedly spoken by Angels and used by the Clergy as an official language of the religion. The constables were curious about the damaged books and were in no hurry to meet the source of the strange voice, so Irony took the time to use the Comprehend Language ritual to decipher the tomes.
The first tome was translated to be “Hammer of Witches”: a manual meant to be used by inquisitors and god-hands of the Clergy for identifying dangerous cults and witchcraft. The tome was kept in a sealed archive because the descriptions in the book could aid in contacting fiends as well as hunting down their worshipers. What was left of the tome contained descriptions of several powerful demons and devils including an entry on Calaphax himself. The book condemned Cal as a corruptor of innocence and enemy to the church. It also divulged a handful of Calaphax’s titles including Soulcrafter, Father to the Damned, and Duke of Malbolge. The tome further warned inquisitors that, while the Soulcrafter has few followers, his champions are incredibly dangerous.
The second tome translated as “The Grand Heresy”. The text was apparently a piece of rejected scripture from a lesser sect of the Clergy that was condemned by the Orthodoxy. This text was in much worse condition than the first book, and Irony could only glean some information from it. The tome apparently claimed that the gods had abandoned Lanjyr in response to some crime perpetrated by men. With most of the book missing or ruined, there was little else Irony could learn. The book did contain an illuminated illustration that survived. The picture covered two adjoining pages and depicted 10 archangels along with their names and titles. Unfortunately, the ruined book no longer provided context for what the angels signified.
GM: | I used the library in the vault to introduce some more breadcrumbs on the history of Calaphax and the world prior to 10,000 years ago. The “Hammer of Witches” is the name of a real world book that was used to identify “witches”. The real world book was complete nonsense, but I thought it would be appropriate for a world with actual sorcery to have an analog that was actually informative. The second book I made up myself, and I’m sure I used incorrect Latin grammar. Thankfully no one in my group has taken any Latin classes, so I should be safe there.
In case anyone is interested, I’ll list the figures mentioned in both books starting with the fiends from the Malleus Maleficarum.
Archdevils: Lord Bel, Archduke Dispater, Viscount Mammon, Archduke Belial, Prince Levistus, Lady Glasya, Archduke Baalzebul, Lord Mephistopheles, Overlord Asmodeus
Devils: Calaphax the Soulcrafter, Loghrif the Deceiver, Dhanus the Betrayer, Fandaniel the Aegis of Order, Karka the Night Star, Tula the Arbiter, Kanya the Bloody Angel
Demon Lords: Demogorgon, Graz’zt, Baphomet, Yeenoghu, Juiblex, Pazuzu, Dagon, Zuggtmoy, Kostchtchie
Demons: Lahabrae the Abyssal Celebrant, Deudalephon the Wrathful, Nabriales the Corruptor, Kumbha the Dark Flood, Mitron the Chastiser
Archangels: Ketreal the Light of Creation, Binahrius the Contemplative, Chokreal the Wise, Chesreal the Compassionate, Gevurius the Judge, Tifereal the Beatific, Netzarius the Victorious, Hodreal the Glorious, Yesorius the Pillar, Malkreal the Decisive
I’m not the best at coming up with impressive sounding names, so I cobbled together names from various holy texts and video games. I think they came out fairly well. | |
After exploring the vaults, the constables came upon the final chamber. This chamber contained the only intact door in the entire complex. The door was quite impressive in size and possessed no visible handles or hinges. The only feature on the door was a hand shaped imprint ringed with runes. Rai and Irony determined that the door was enchanted to allow access to the central vault. Rather than risk building a hole in the vaults wards to allow entry, the Clergy priests had instead enchanted the door to create a temporary opening in the vaults wards by drawing on the life force of anyone attempting to enter. As the most robust officer, Rai volunteered to power the doors enchantment.
Once inside the vault, a deranged monk turned demonologist attacked the constables. The battle was frenetic but swift. The constables were left with little option but to continue into the heart of the central vault. At the back of the vault, the constables found a set of stairs leading downward with words inscribed into the marble floor before the stairs. The inscription appeared to be some kind of invocation or ward. Thankfully, Irony’s comprehend language ritual allowed her to read the inscription.”
For crimes against the heavens we seal thee Lady of the Forked Tongue
By our faith we abjure thee Last of the High Fiends
By our will be bound Seneschal of the Demonocracy
By the grace of Heaven do we spare thee Keeper of the Secret which mustn’t be Lost
To remain in darkness for all time we condemn thee Ashima-Shimtu
The team hesitated only momentarily before proceeding down the steps. Within the final vault they discovered a demon chained above an enormous font of holy water. The demon identified itself as Ashima-Shimtu and seemed to know something about the death of Srassama. The demon offered to transport them to any destination they desired but declined to answer any questions. They decided to take the fiend’s offer to travel to Vendricce ahead of the train. They also took advantage of the offer to transport the unconscious Ottavia to Flint with a instructions for any passerby to bring her to RHC headquarters.
GM: | Well that was a wall of text, but like they said in the Great Muppet Caper, “it’s plot exposition darling; it has to go somewhere.”
One of my players actually toyed with the idea of having Ashima send them to the Ob’s headquarters. I had to point out that, even if she knew where that was, they would arrive there without any idea of where they were or how to contact their allies.
I decided to place that engraving before Ashima’s prison because I liked her various titles and thought it would be a neat way to slip them in.
This also marks the second person they’ve tied up and teleported to the RHC’s doorstep. I’m sure Delft will greet them with mountains of paperwork when they get back home. | |