Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Voadam" data-source="post: 9271996" data-attributes="member: 2209"><a href="https://paizo.com/products/btq02ajj?Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-Abomination-Vaults" target="_blank">Pathfinder Adventure Path: Abomination Vaults</a>Pathfinder 2eBright Walker: Those who encounter calignis quickly learn that their deaths involve burning out instead of bleeding out. At times, this dramatic immolation is denied to a caligni, so they arise as a bright walker.Most calignis assume that bright walkers arise at the whims of their malign and capricious demigods, the Forsaken, but as the Forsaken are denied the souls of these undead, some other unknown force must be involved.Corpselight: A will-o’-wisp that starves to death might rise as a cold, blue, glowing sphere of spongy wetness—a corpselight. Shanrigol: Fleshwarpers, regardless of their origin or training, create a shocking amount of waste. When the discarded remnants of aberrant flesh are heaped together with an accidental mixture of alchemical compounds or odious energy, the mass can quicken and regain life. Without the guidance of a fleshwarper, these aberrant body parts form into a shanrigol, a mess of bone, muscle, and sinew.Shanrigol Heap: The most basic and common type of shanrigol is called, based on its general shape, a shanrigol heap. These amalgamations of warped flesh and shattered bone establish hunting grounds by accident rather than design, remaining where prey has been plentiful in the past so they can grow larger and larger as they add to their jumbled forms. Only rare fleshwarpers create these abominations willingly, as they ignore all commands and containment to seek out prey.After the death of hundreds of monsters and gladiators, the arena is imbued with the essence of death. When Jafaki first dumped scraps from failed creations here, the decaying flesh spontaneously arose as shanrigols.Shanrigol Behemoth: Shanrigols that grow with the additions of many living victims can become truly enormous in size and pose a greater danger in their expanding hunting territories.Curious about how large these aberrations could grow, Jafaki assembled a giant pile of flesh and assigned a seugathi to document the resulting shanrigol’s composition and growth.The creature has grown into a massive shanrigol behemoth from incorporating scraps of driders, urdefhans, and other creatures.Bright Walker, Strange Occupant, Rare Undead Caligni: ?Corpselight, Cold Blue Glowing Sphere of Spongy Wetness, Eerie Creature: ?Particularly Powerful Corpselight: ?Shanrigol, Undead Abberration: ?Shanrigol Heap, Most Basic Common Type of Shanrigol, Amalgamation of Warped Flesh and Shattered Bone, Strange Creature, Nearly Mindless Amalgamation of Undead and Twisting Life: ?Shanrigol Behemoth, Beast: ?Shanrigol Behemoth, Gargantuan Shanrigol Behemoth, Massive Shanrigol Behemoth, Monstrosity: ?Lady's Whisper, Proctor, Agent of Nihmbaloth, Patient Silent Servitor of Nihmbaloth, Skeleton, Shrouded Skeleton, Unique Undead Creature, Skeletal Creature, Enigmatic Undead: ?Undead, Undead Creature: Gauntlight magic item.Undead Gnome, Undead Deep Gnome, Listless Undead Gnome, Undead Gnome Minion: ?Bloodsiphon: One of Volluk’s last creations remains here, a horrific undead guardian created from a giant leech.Bloodsiphon, Horrific Undead Guardian, Giant Log of Desiccated Flesh: ?Majordomo, Shadow-Like Undead: Her soul is bound by her loyalty to Belcorra and Gauntlight’s necromantic energies.Dangerous Undead Creature: ?Incorporeal Undead, Incorporeal Undead Creature: ?Common Undead: ?Non-Skeletal Corporeal Undead Creature: ?Mistress Belcorra Haruvex, The Lady of the Light, Ghost Sorcerer, Primary Villain, Powerful Ghost, Ghost Queen, Spiteful Ghost, Ghostly Devotee, Patron, Spiteful Sorcerer: The Empty Vault drew Belcorra’s soul after the Roseguard killed her, and her ghost reappeared here 500 years after the most traumatic event in her life—not her death, but her family’s exile from Absalom.Belcorra’s spirit didn’t rest peacefully. Consumed by rage and empowered by Nhimbaloth, she arose as a powerful ghost 500 years after her family’s exile from Absalom, the event that so dramatically altered her life.Otari Ilvashti, Ghost Adventurer, Shadowy Ghost, Fallen Hero, Tormented Ghost: The skeleton on the island was once Otari Ilvashti. He survived the battle with Belcorra and a desperate flight through the upper levels of the Abomination Vaults only to become trapped here by the immense otyugh waiting in area D17. Already weakened from his ordeal before contracting filth fever from the fight with the otyugh, Otari lingered on the tiny islet only two days before he perished.Today, his spirit lingers on, both in the form of the strange warnings on the walls throughout the Abomination Vaults and also as a ghost consumed by two linked desires—vengeance on Belcorra and fear that Gauntlight might yet be used to harm his hometown of Absalom.When Otari Ilvashti became trapped in the Abomination Vaults, he did his best to find an escape route. Unfortunately, at that time, many of Belcorra’s dangerous minions still guarded much of this level. He made it to this room only to collapse from his wounds. Fortunately, Belcorra’s death had thrown the dungeon into chaos, and he wasn’t discovered. When Otari woke some time later, no longer on the edge of death from his ordeal, he crept out of the room and made his way west through area B31 and eventually to B20, only to be confronted by an angry and oversized chuul. He discovered the secret door in area B32 and fled deeper instead.When Otari finally died in area D18, his soul remained as a ghost, and the three locations where he hid during his final days became infused with desperate echoes of his spirit.Haunt Stonescale Spirits, Ghostly Kobolds, Spectral Phenomenon, Kobold Ghosts, Spirits: ?Big Ghost: ?Ghost: Some property of the Abomination Vaults increases the manifestation of ghosts, spectral undead, and haunts within their domain. Otari initially believed this was a side effect from Gauntlight but has now come to suspect a link to a much more ancient and ominous source deep below this level. He knows nothing of Nhimbaloth, but if the heroes tell him of the Outer God, he suspects her influence is the source.Pharasma opposes Nhimbaloth for multiple reasons. Those who perish in lands haunted by the latter’s presence tend to rise as ghosts.Those who study from The Whispering Reeds for too long are often cursed to rise as ghosts after death—though their existence never lasts for long, as they are inevitably consumed by Nhimbaloth.Jarelle Kaldrian, Human Ghost Librarian: The ghost of the librarian Jarelle Kaldrian still haunts this workroom. Jarelle couldn’t escape the other scholars’ increasingly gruesome schemes, so she retreated into this room, locked the door, and drank a jar of arsenic (used to work with book bindings) rather than be eaten alive. She died quickly and in agony, only to rise soon thereafter as a ghost.Chandriu Invisar, Drow Ghost Administrator: The skeletal remains to the south were once a drow woman named Chandriu Invisar, director of the scriptorium. Chandriu harbored a poorly hidden adoration for Belcorra’s apprentice, Volluk, and in the days after Belcorra’s death, Chandriu tried to convince him to flee with her to start a new life together somewhere far from the Abomination Vaults. Volluk spurned Chandriu, insisting that “Belcorra needs me now in death even more than in life; you should consider the same!” Chandriu returned here in despair, only to be murdered by her disgruntled scribes eager to get out from under her bullying, and she grasped for Volluk’s portrait as she died.As with so many others who had the misfortune to perish in the Abomination Vaults, Chandriu arose as a ghost.Enslaved Ghost, Silently Shrieking Ghost, Trapped Ghost: ?Chaotic Evil Ghost: If you activate The Whispering Reeds and are not a worshipper of Nhimbaloth, you become stupefied 2 for 24 hours as your thoughts fill with paranoia that something is watching you from the other side of death. If you die while affected by the Empty Death, you immediately become a chaotic evil ghost.Ghost Mage, Hostile Creature: ?Unquiet Soul: ?Vengeful Ghost: ?Ghoul: The Cult of the Canker is the most widespread faction active in the library. Originally a collection of librarians, caretakers, and scribes, this loyal staff stubbornly kept working after Belcorra died, focusing their research on finding a way to restore their leader to life. When food stores ran low, rather than risk alerting the Roseguard by making potentially public forays to the surface, the researchers turned to cannibalism. There were plenty of other servants to eat, after all, in the conveniently nearby servants’ quarters. The onset of ghoul fever tore quickly through their ranks, but the researchers were so obsessed that they barely noticed. The scholars’ research now has a distinctly ghoulish bent: they work to gather enough “cankerous flesh” to fuel Belcorra’s full resurrection.Belcorra’s scribes once used this room to pen new works. The Cult of the Canker now use it as a place to store victims of ghoul fever until they die and arise as ghouls.Ghoul Fever disease.Ghoul, Scholarly Sinister Ghoul, Heretic Ghoul: ?Augrael, Morlock Ghoul Exile, Unique Undead Creature: ?Canker Cultist, Ghoul Zealot, Scholarly Sinister Ghoul, Heretic Ghoul, Ghoul Cultist: ?Aller Rosk, Ghoul Tattoo Artist, Twisted Ghoul: ?Nhakazarin, Ghoul Cult Leader, High Priestess, Servant, Leader of the Cult of the Canker: ?Elite Ghast: ?Caliddo Haruvex, Graveknight, Graveknight Guardian, Intelligent Occupant, Warrior in Archaic Armor: This is Caliddo Haruvex, a skilled mercenary who came to serve Belcorra when he heard how powerful his distant relative had become. Belcorra accepted Caliddo’s offer of aid and promptly killed him, raising him as a graveknight eternally bound to serve her.Grim Reaper: ?Lesser Death: ?Demilich: Gorsalthith, one of the oldest Children of Belcorra, plans to become a demilich. The other Children don’t know where he got this idea; none of them have even seen a demilich, although they’ve all heard stories of the gem-studded undead skulls with phenomenal spellcasting power. But Gorsalthith was adamant that he knew the method: he placed gemstones in his eyes, replaced his teeth with smaller gems, and drilled holes into his head to lodge a crown of crystals there. He then locked himself in this room to lay in repose, patiently waiting for his body to turn to dust and his transformation to take its final form. He has been here for nearly a century with no change in his mummified form.Gorsalthith is determined in his unrealistic goal. When the heroes enter, he becomes convinced he must defeat them to advance his evolution.Demilich, Gem-Studded Undead Skull With Phenomenal Spellcasting Power: ?Poltergeist: A hero who succeeds at a DC 20 Perception check while perusing this collection turns up a slender volume called Ineffable Hauntings tucked inside of a larger book about ghosts. This volume contains the formula for the create undead ritual to create poltergeists.The spirit of the servant who accidentally died here has returned as a poltergeist wracked with indignation.Squabbling Poltergeist: When Belcorra died, two of her guests—squabbling aristocrat siblings—let their fear of being trapped in the Abomination Vaults overwhelm them. They murdered each other in a panicked rage and arose again as poltergeists, who continue their fight to this day.Standard Shadow: ?Siora Fallowglade, Greater Shadow: At Belcorra’s death, a surge of negative energy swept through this area, tethering Siora’s soul to this area as a shadow.Minion: ?Skeleton Guard: Gauntlight artifact.Skeletal Giant: ?Skeletal Giant, Minotaur Skeleton: ?Bone Gladiator, Variant Skeletal Hulk: The scattered bones of gladiators, slaughtered here shortly after Belcorra’s fall, still hold on to the grim memory of death and combat. When a living creature approaches, they rattle and slide across the room, forming a massive gladiator made from the assorted bones of several humanoids.Bone Gladiator, Variant Skeletal Hulk, Massive Gladiator: ?Skeletal Hulk: ?Cairn Wight: ?Dread Wraith: ?Zombie Shambler: Gauntlight artifact.Elite Crawling Hand: ?Elite Crawling Hand, Severed Hand, Undead Guardian: ?Specter: The last time Jafaki came here, he abandoned a morlock whose arms and legs he had amputated (and disposed of). The creature died in agony and its spirit arose as a specter.Witchfire Warden: After the error with the gogiteth, Belcorra appointed a hag to oversee this room, knowing that her magical expertise would prove invaluable in maintaining the stasis chambers, but she didn’t intend the hag to do this job in life. Belcorra trapped the hag in this pillar, burned her to death, and bound her spirit as a witchfire.Chafkhem, Mummy Ritualist, Vainglorious Mummy, Evil Mummy: In the chaos following Belcorra’s fall, someone locked the arena administrator, Chafkhem, in his room. As Chafkhem had previously warded his room against interdimensional travel, he was effectively imprisoned. Before he succumbed to starvation, the erudite wizard cobbled together reagents to mummify himself with parchment paper, hoping to one day escape his bounds and inflict revenge on Jafaki, whom Chafkhem believed ordered him to be imprisoned in his room.Child of Belcorra, Bog Mummy: Believing that Belcorra (or, perhaps, some other Haruvex) would return, the Children chose to become undead to combat their dwindling numbers and increasing age. They immured each other in the muddy shores to rise again as bog mummies or undertook difficult transformations into other, more powerful, undead.Child of Belcorra, Bog Mummy, Undead Child, More Powerful Undead, Listless Mummy: ?Elder Child of Belcorra, Variant Bog Mummy: Believing that Belcorra (or, perhaps, some other Haruvex) would return, the Children chose to become undead to combat their dwindling numbers and increasing age. They immured each other in the muddy shores to rise again as bog mummies or undertook difficult transformations into other, more powerful, undead.Elder Child of Belcorra, Variant Bog Mummy, Undead Child: ?Goralith, Variant Bog Mummy, Elder Child of Belcorra, Undead Child: ?Empty Death Bodak, Variant Bodak: Three Children of Belcorra became far too interested in the lore of Nhimbaloth and were blasted with a powerful glimpse of the Outer God, transforming them into bodaks.Beluthus, Devourer, Undead Gnome: ?Eerie Haunting: ?Haunt Stonescale Spirits: Not all the haunts plaguing Gauntlight are direct echoes of Belcorra’s legacy. This room served as the communal hall for the Stonescale kobolds before a violent coup tore the group apart. The kobold spirits linger here to this day.Haunt Blood of Belcorra: ?Haunt Watching Wall: The final victim of this room, a spy from Absalom whose intelligence had already brought Belcorra’s activities to the attention of the Roseguard, met his end here. When he put up a fight and Belcorra tried to subdue him, she accidentally killed him instead. The spirit of the paranoid spy lingers on.Haunt Vengeful Furnace: In the aftermath of Belcorra’s death, a squabble between two scholars concluded in this room when they attempted to burn each other alive. The machine malfunctioned and burned both scholars to ashes. Today, echoes of their souls haunt the room.Haunt: Haunts, the spectral phenomena remaining in a site of death or powerful emotions, are related to but distinct from ghosts.Haunt, Spectral Phenomena: ?GAUNTLIGHT ITEM 20Unique Artifact Magical NecromancyGauntlight is much more than a 115-foot-tall lighthouse rising from the heart of an old ruin in Fogfen—its pale stone walls extend far below the ruins, passing through eight different dungeon levels and finally terminating at the ninth level below the surface, where its deep foundation centers on an ominous chamber where, long ago, Nhimbaloth herself once physically brushed against this world. Once she finished its physical construction, the sorcerer Belcorra Haruvex used this spot as a source of power to infuse the walls, floors, and ceilings of each of Gauntlight’s levels with eldritch power. The lens at the apex of the lighthouse would have, in time, been able to focus this lingering eldritch energy into a powerful beam, but Belcorra’s plans were cut short before she could replace the mundane lenses with dangerous magical ones.As an artifact, Gauntlight can’t be damaged by normal means. Its walls are impenetrable and impervious to any attempt to breach them by anybody except for followers of Nhimbaloth. They block effects that allow temporary passage, such as passwall, and also create a barrier against dimensional travel. The walls attempt to counteract teleportation effects and planar travel into or out of areas within Gauntlight and efforts to summon creatures into the area (using a +37 counteract modifier); this effect does not stop a summoned creature from departing when the summoning ends. Note that this effect only applies to the areas that are within Gauntlight and its footprint (areas A11, A25, B35, C15, and so on), and not to the entirety of the Abomination Vaults!In Gauntlight’s current state of diminished functionality, it can be activated only in the two ways below. By swapping in a series of four magical lighthouse lenses called fulcrum lenses that focus Nhimbaloth’s baleful gaze—lenses so powerful that even Belcorra takes special care with them— the artifact gains significantly greater power, including the ability to reach all the way to Absalom and to activate its effects every minute.To activate Gauntlight, a creature must be in the deepest portion of the artifact, the Empty Vault on the Temple level (area J20). From anywhere within the Empty Vault, a creature can observe the world outside remotely through Gauntlight’s lens in its cuploa, including any area Gauntlight’s beam can reach.Activate [three-actions] Interact; Frequency once per month; Effect A pale blue beam shines from Gauntlight’s lens and illuminates a 30-foot-radius burst centered on any point within 1 mile. The light saturates the region, causing any corpses in the area or within 10 feet of the surface of the illuminated area to animate as level –1 undead (typically as skeleton guards or zombie shamblers). Once animated, the undead remain active until slain. Until then, they remain uncontrolled and are driven only by the desire to slaughter the living. If Gauntlight is fully restored, the undead instead animate as any Common undead of 15th level or less, as the user wishes.Activate [three-actions] Interact; Frequency once per month; Effect A pale blue beam shines from Gauntlight’s lens and illuminates a 30-foot-radius burst centered on any point within 1 mile. The user chooses one creature of 4th level or less that is physically located within Gauntlight; this creature is then is teleported to any point within this illumination radius. If Gauntlight is fully restored, any number of creatures within Gauntlight of 15th level or lower can be transported. This is a teleportation effect.Destruction If Belcorra’s ghost is permanently destroyed, Gauntlight loses all of its magical properties and collapses in on itself all the way down to its base, leaving an incredibly deep pit in the Fogfen.Ghoul Fever (disease) Saving Throw DC 20 Fortitude; Stage 1 carrier with no ill effects (1 day); Stage 2 2d6 negative damage and regains half as many Hit Points from all healing (1 day); Stage 3 as stage 2 (1 day); Stage 4 2d6 negative damage and gains no benefit from healing (1 day); Stage 5 as stage 4 (1 day); Stage 6 dead, and rises as a ghoul the next midnight.</blockquote>

Verification