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[ThLunarian]

((Only thing Arcane Sight gives you is confirmation that there are some very strong Lawful Good enchantments pervasive throughout the building, designed to cleanse it of any lingering evil auras or desecration magicks. They have been in place for a few years now. There are also some standard magical weapon/armor auras coming from some of the items on display.

Detect Secret Doors is going to help out a lot, but I'm waiting for at least two more people to post before we get to the meat of this. Viss, that goes for you too - that was a good question to ask and I'm going to wait to address it ))

 

[Nezumi]

((The tension is killing me.))

 

[Mike M]

As the party penetrates deeper into the tomb, Fleshbane’s eyes flicker to life and cast a cone of radiance to illuminate his surroundings ((Using My Light so long as he can maintain focus)). “I would be surprised if our search were to yield fruit,” he says as the glare of his eyes sweeps across the moldering surroundings. “Even constrained by the limits of his repulsive gelatinous brain, Cecil would almost certainly have the foresight to secure the source of his power if it were derived from an outside source. The fact that he would be so cavalier about letting people tour this place would indicate that what we seek is not present here.”

((Not sure how much it will help, but he'll use Pierce the Veils while he's looking around.))

Perception: 1d20+13=32

Listening to the chatter between the curator and the other party members, Fleshbane seems to ignore them, staring off into the middle distance with his eyes flickering.

ThLunarian:

Spoiler

Firing up Augured Answer for “How do I separate Cecil from the source of his power?” 1d100=10 I can’t remember if I need to roll above or below the percentage…

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Mako looks over the displays, piecing together the story they tell, and perhaps catching hints of anything... hidden? Like perhaps a story being told that is just behind the scenes that most people might not catch on. Man I hope what I'm going for makes sense.

Knowledge History: (1d20+12=30)
((maybe another skill would be better for this? idk. if its a perception change that +12 to a 25, but that doesn't feel right either. almost wish i could swap to lore spirit for an extra bonus, but not worth doing right now.))

 

[KittenMaster]

Ozzang'ac allows the curator to leave, "We will return briefly." And begins to move with the others.

Caught by surprise by Ratbreath's words, he responds, "I always forget you were a seagull capable of speech. Strange, seagull, you must tell me about what it's like to fly above the ocean sometime."

He ponders any of Cecil's family history he might find... if he can even read the information presented that is.

Kn.: Nobility: 1D20+7 = [6]+7 = 13


He holds up a vase and inspects it. The symbols on it are gibberish to him. He sets it down and gives up knowing that others are better at investigating. He carefully ponders the curator's words to think over anything that isn't known to them, any information still missing.

Wisdom check: 1D20+3 = [5]+3 = 8


His mind turns to wondering about Ratbreath's life as a seagull.

 

[KittenMaster]

<BTW, will the curator answer Viss' question about Romarg's body? I feel that is kind of important info.>

 

[ThLunarian]

The great majority of the expansive tomb has nothing useful. Every obvious nook and cranny was picked clean and/or rendered inert long ago. There is a modest supply of rats available - rats which Ratbreath and Thanatos surely take turns feasting upon -, but apart from them, nothing significant stirs.

After a long while of wandering around, fortified with enchantments that have been frustratingly useless thus far, Menek's divination magicks finally bear fruit: He sees the magically-enhanced outline of a secret door, carved into the wall.

The means of opening the door aren't obvious, but it is not trapped, and between the diverse talents of the party it becomes trivial to bypass the obstacle.

The air in this small room is mustier, and a thicker layer of dust coats the floor. Tarnished candle holders as tall as a man are place symmetrically along the walls.

In the center of the back wall is a stone pedestal with an empty indentation. A message has been carved into the stone by a skilled stoneworker in the Celestial language.

Translated into Common, it reads (and loses in translation any semblance of rhyming or cadence):

The Power of Life and Death shall be commanded by he/she who wields my Tear
But only he/she who follows the Righteous Path shall know true Divinity.
-The Raven Queen

((Mako and Ozzan'gac manage to learn a lot about Cecil's immediate lineage and family. It just wouldn't have fit into the above narrative very well.

Pausing for a few reactions. When I get 3 or 4, I'll continue to the next big find.

The curator just says that the Lich's body was never found.))

Mike M

Spoiler

The answer you get back is: "You cannot. It lives and dies with him."

 

[KittenMaster]

<It is getting increasingly harder not to reveal my OOC reaction to all of this, lol>

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

Ciel's eyes keeps a sharp glance on the tomb, shaping out any and every point where traps could be found. With his mind set to important tasks, he pays no heed towards Thanatos devouring rats and bullying Ratbreath out of the lion's share. As his observations and Menek's magics catch the main hidden door, he assists the others in getting it open. He can barely stave off the most diabolical of smirks as he reads what's before him. "If what is here is accurate, then the most cruelest, most diabolical of gods support Cecil. Even my patron, the awe-inspiring Admodeus, is beyond putting his hands in this for manipulation's sake. Invoking our authority may stave them, but we should expect to kill the bastard, with prissy , bitchy dark gods having to wet their sheets in the process as they remain unable to scold us for their involvement."

Ciel is now more than ever committed to halting Cecil from advancing further.

 

[KittenMaster]

<how old is the pedestal?>

 

[ThLunarian]

((The pedestal looks very, very old. Centuries, maybe even millennia))

 

[KittenMaster]

"This Tear that is mentioned... Do you think Romarg may have used it? It would seem odd that a great sorcerer would have never noticed this artifact of before his time."

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

"A highly curious idea, but I doubt he was deemed a follower of the righteous path. Do you think Cecil intercepted it and turned it against him?"

"If so, do you suspect that Cecil has alerted some of his followers to this place? That way he could recoup if he was struck down but not utterly cleansed of this world."

 

[KittenMaster]

"It only mentions that the righteous path is necessary for divinity, which Cecil has fallen short of. It seems to grant power despite a man's moral compass."

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

Ciel speaks skeptically. "If Meneks's eyes were right, he had attained at least the bare echoes of divinity. The criteria for
The righteous path is dreadfully ambiguous, and it is reckless to insure Cecil short of it: If not through a certain queen's proclamation, than through his own will. We must prepare to kill him, and if not that, then to subdue him and to take him somewhere where he may cry out for his old god, until a time where he opts to answer Heironeous's pleas for repentance.

 

[Mike M]

"The more salient question is why have we been dispatched to this wretched backwater of a world?" Fleshbane asks. "Clearly Cecil is in possession of this Tear, are we to believe that the Raven Queen had no knowledge of this before sending us in blind? Is this scenario not playing out as she must have easily foreseen that it would? She has played us falsely for some reason that yet eludes us.

"Cecil must be slain, it is the only way to put a stop to this. Maybe then the Raven Queen will be more forthcoming."

 

[KittenMaster]

<I wish I was Menek so bad right now.>

"This holy relic seems to belong to the Queen in some capacity, so I think it's safe to say that it is in our best interests to recover it one way or another..."

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

"Ooh, fair point, Fleshbane" Ciel says with his mouth grinning as wide as his jaw. "Perhaps the Raven Queen and Heironeous are at a struggle here. The question on that is: which do we want to see squirm more? For me, the answer is obvious, but I will leave you to your own protocols on that one. And perhaps I am wrong and she foresaw this? Whatever you and the others choose, I shall support. This is pure gold, one way or another!" "As the message comes in to play, we have a simple question: kill or not kill."

After a minute of diabolical laughter, Ciel turns to the non-evil aligned members of the party. "Now we must speak of what we saw here. You now know who fucked up in backing Cecil. If not, <Ciel proceeds to translate the text, and demands on Sybil's honor that she give a good faith backup/enforcement of his translation.>. As I said, we must rest up and kill the wretch. Fleshbane and I are likeley casualties, but I am confident we can kill him as a group and drag him away from this plane on his demise, severing the spell between him and the divine. Thereby getting him away from the spell Queen Ray Ray gave him to fuck things up for us. Just remember, we beat the Balor readily, so someone a wee bit stronger is no big deal."

((That is assuming Cecil's relative power level was made public to the group. If not, Ciel will retain accordingly and recklessly.))

((EDIT: Sorry KM, I got drinky and fucked up. I hope this is clear. If not, I'll edit more until it is.))

 

[KittenMaster]

<I can't tell what part of that post is dialogue or what parts are OOC>

 

[Nezumi]

"What do you mean the body was never found? How did you know that Cecil actually slew the bastard? Did he just come out of the tomb, singing 'Ding Dong the Lich is dead' and everybody believed him? What about the people who went in there to fight with him? Any casualties or eye witness reports."

The discovery of the secret room and the pedestal do nothing to lessen her confusion.
"I gotta agree with Fleshbane on this one. Why send us here to investigate, when she should have known exactly what was going on. Why not just tell us that the guy is misusing some artefact."

She pauses a moment and shakes her head. "I don't like this. I can't shake the feeling that we are being played. I just have no idea by whom. The Raven Queen? Cecil? Maybe even Rohmarg?" She looks around the room carefully, expecting something horrible to jump them any moment.

When nothing happens she points at the pedestal. "Any way of finding out if this thing is genuine?"

 

[KittenMaster]

Ozzang'ac had figured that retrieving the Tear artifact for the Queen seemed like the clearest answer, if it is true that they were sent for an undisclosed reason.

It is then the elemental begins to ponder the purpose of the relic.. the power over life and death. He begins to imagine what it could do.. how it could possibly undo the destruction wrought on his city. Would it be right? Would it even be allowed? He cares not for divinity or respect, he cannot even become a god, he simply wants another chance to save his people. In some ways the consequences would be worth it in sacrifice.

She pauses a moment and shakes her head. "I don't like this. I can't shake the feeling that we are being played. I just have no idea by whom. The Raven Queen? Cecil? Maybe even Rohmarg?" She looks around the room carefully, expecting something horrible to jump them any moment.

Ozzang'ac jolts, coming back to his senses as he answers, "Oh, erm... I feel like we have overlooked a critical bit of info, but I do not know what."

 

[Nezumi]

"I wonder... If an evil being possesss a good being and acts through it, would its action be registered as good or as evil?"

 

[KittenMaster]

"Evil being...? Would you mean.. Romarg?"

 

[Nezumi]

"It's a possibility... No body found, remember?"

 

[KittenMaster]

"You may be onto something. The curator told me that they only ever found bodies of unidentified casualties. And the original heroes were unable to destroy Romarg properly as well."

 

[Nezumi]

"Well at first I thought that maybe Romarg had simply killed Cecil and was posing as him, but the abundance of good aligned magic in this place rules that out doesn't it? But what if Romarg is simply controlling Cecil. Using him as a puppet to claim the power of the tear...." She shakes her head. "I'm not sure. I still feel like there is a piece missing."

"The good news is, should I be right, it would mean that instead of having to kill Cecil we would "only" need to find a way to free him from Romarg's control. That might not be easier, but it would at least free some of us off the moral doubts they were having."
She glances at Sybil hoping that her last words might have brightened the gloomy paladin's mood a little bit.

 

[Azih]

The Tear... an ancient artefact of the Raven Queen...

Menek lets the speculations wash over him as he stands lost in thought for a bit.

So let us say that Romarg found this tear, and, not being righteous of course, 'merely' gained command over life and death as a lich and does not become divine. Cecil, on his crusade, wrests the Tear away from Romarg and, also, gains command over Life and Death... but in a very different way

Menek pauses It is obvious to conclude that the way the Tear reacted to Romarg is very different from what is happening now with Cecil.. I think... the way his magic works... positive necromancy. Cecil is certainly in many ways very 'righteous' I hesitate to speculate on whether he has reached the limits of his power with the Tear or if he will grow into godhood. But the Tear is of the Raven Queen as Fleshbane noted... should we not speak to her? Could she not withdraw her power from the Tear and be done with it?

Another Pause

Or does the Queen of Death have another agenda? Why create the Tear in the first instance and place it here?

Another Pause

Another thought... maybe some of Cecil's companions on his tomb raid would know what happened here? Would they even wish to speak of it?

 

[DeadPhoenix]

"I also question this whole 'Righteous Path' thing. The Raven Queen seems like a nice enough lady for a god of death, but I feel she isn't big on that sort of behavior. Of course, perhaps she was just a different person back then, but asking her about this does appear to be the most obvious course of action right now."

 

[KittenMaster]

Ozzang'ac pauses to think...

Normally he would disregard Fleshbane's words as alarmist, but the existence of the Tear brings turmoil over what they are really being used for.. Other gods have already toyed with them. In the end are they just running glorified errands? To allow himself to face punishment to save his people sounds tempting once more, though he begins to cower away from those thoughts that chase him.

Another thought... maybe some of Cecil's companions on his tomb raid would know what happened here? Would they even wish to speak of it?

"Cecil's friends are likely close to him and wouldn't allow us near. Perhaps we should just confront the Raven Queen for now." He mistakenly uses the word confront without realizing it, his judgement clouded at that moment.

 

[Nezumi]

Viss nods, in agreement. "Yeah, this is probably the safest and most obvious course of action for the moment." She smiles at Ozz' use of the word confront. "Let's see what she has to say about this."

 

[Azih]

Menek's delves his memory for their instructions from The Raven Queen. Our purpose was to figure out how Cecil had manged to stop death, and then get him to stop. Well we seem to have achieved the first part at least before we go back to her.

He rubs his forehead

Another thought. Is the Raven Queen we are working for even the same being as the one that created this tear eons ago?

((Is there a way for us to contact the Raven Queen from Faerun? Maybe from the ship))

 

[Nezumi]

Viss inclines her head at Menek's musings. "What exactly do you mean? Are you suggesting that " Raven Queen" is a mere title, or that the the person we are working for simply had a "troubled past"?"

 

[Mike M]

"The succession of gods by ascendant beings who then lay claim to the same name would not be unprecedented," Fleshbane muses. "If such is the case in this instance, then it would seem to indicate that the Raven Queen may not be as powerful as she presents herself to be. Presuming there was a predecessor of the same title, remaining ignorant that they created a relic with the ability to circumvent the entire purpose of her existence seems a greivous blind spot."

 

[Azih]

Menek's expression belays a certain inner struggle before he responds to Viss and Fleshbane.

I... think... one thing we have seen in spades is that the Gods are not... infallible and not omniscient. So all options are on the table as to why The Raven Queen did not tell us about the Tear. She might have concealed the information from us for her own ends, She might not remember it, She might never have known of it. Who knows what happened millenia ago? Why would she send us to Faerun to 'find out how Cecil has stopped the cycle of life and birth'; a quest that would lead us to an ancient artifact of her own creation?

 

[KittenMaster]

"Let us depart for the Phoenix Maelstrom then and disregard Cecil's invitation for our visit. This seems to be a more important matter and we need to check up on the ship anyhow; and no doubt Cecil wants to lay a trap for Fleshbane and Ciel."

 

[ThLunarian]

These questions and more hound the party as they proceed ever further into the tomb.

Finally they come to what appears to be the end of the line. A throne carved of onyx rests, elevated, against the back wall of an expansive room. Faded bloodstains are littered about the floors and wall; a tattered carpet leads up to the throne.

...Or that would be the end of the line, if Ciel's keen eye hadn't spotted an irregularity in the throne itself.

Further investigation reveals a tiny, hidden switch, beneath the left arm. Pushing the arm down registers a 'Click', and the throne - along with the wall behind it - rotates forward and into the floor, revealing another hidden room.

In this room is a mangled corpse, an old, black crown lying a few feet away from its head. Its robes are partially degraded from the passage of time, but they are the robes of one who sees himself as elevated above all the others.

Also on the floor nearby is a dull, white sphere. Menek's arcane sight tells him that, perhaps, the sphere was once a source of incredible power. Now, though, it is a lifeless husk, fully drained of whatever magicks that had been contained within.

 

[KittenMaster]

Initiative: 1D20+9 = [16]+9 = 25

 

[Nezumi]

((Would a 'restore flesh' spell do anything good to further determine the identity of that corpse?)

 

[ThLunarian]

((Nezumi: Nah, the flesh is already intact so the spell wouldn't do much of anything.

KM: The corpse is lying on the ground and not animated, so there is no need for initiative. Sorry for the confusion there))

 

[Azih]

Romarg? Any way... we could.. speak to him? Which domain might his soul have gone to? Did it even go anywhere?


Menek crouches and focuses on the orb and, taking out a ruby and a gold lens, ((WHICH HE TOTALLY BOUGHT ALONG WITH THE SCROLL GUYS)) casts Analyze Dweomer as Ratbreath hops on his shoulder. The ruby and lens vanish in a puff as they peer at the orb together. . Then they move to train their sight on the corpse.

((Menek would have told everybody what he knows about Cecil's power level Axe.))

 

[ThLunarian]

Menek receives unusual feedback when attempting to analyze the orb. After thinking on it, he deduces that the object used to be an artifact of divine origin, but that its power was drained from it. The artifact was likely not designed to work like that.

There are also some signs that the artifact had previously been used as a Lich's phylactery.

As for the body, it's completely lifeless. There are no enchantments placed upon it.

 

[Azih]

I believe it is safe to conclude that we have found Romarg... and the Tear. It would seem that the Tear was used by Romarg as the source of his lich powers but now it has had all of its power drained from it. Obvious culprit: Cecil Fairhaven, King Godling of Faerun. It does not seem like that is the way the Tear was meant to be used. We must show this to The Raven Queen

If he thinks it safe Menek will pick up the inert orb.

 

[ThLunarian]

The orb is sturdy and made of thick glass. It is completely inert.

 

[Mike M]

Fleshbane stands back so as to not crowd the others in the small chamber, the whirring of his internal mechanisms barely audible in the stillness of the chamber as he calculates the outcome of innumerable variables.

"We should break our engagement with Cecil," he says after a time. "He has internalized the power of the Tear, there are no means by which he may be separated from it save his destruction. I require more data to ensure his end, data that I am certain the Raven Queen possesses."

 

[ThLunarian]

((You guys have cleared the tomb level.

I'm giving you bonuses for completing this level, in consideration of the fact that you basically learned everything there was to know about Cecil between the public displays and the foray into the rest of the tomb.

-Viss and Ciel can count Cecil as a Favored Enemy (Viss, use the lowest bonus; Ciel, use the next step up from the bonus you already have vs Humans)
-Fleshbane, Menek, and Mako get a +2 bonus to overcome Cecil's spell resistance (spell resistance applies to Psionics, so this is still relevant for Fleshbane). If you already have the Spell Penetration feat, then this will stack with that.
-Sybil can use use her Smite ability against Cecil as though he were evil or chaotic (he is not either of those things though, just to be clear).
-Ozzan'gac's attacks will ignore Cecil's damage reduction.

I'm pretty sure that will give everyone an advantage if you guys do end up in battle versus Cecil, but if what I just gave you is redundant with something you already have, let me know.

It's late in the day in-game and it's going to get dark soon, so you guys are going to set up camp outside somewhere. I won't be able to return to this thread until tomorrow evening at the earliest (~30 hours from the time of this post), so you can either RP the camp scene or just wait for me to get back))

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((I'm not sure if the favored enemy bit is redundant, so I have a question. I'm assuming he's not counted as human, but would he have counted as a good-aligned outsider? If he would, Ciel would have had a low favored enemy bonus (+2 because it got none of the bump ups when levels give you a chance to boost up a particular enemy bonus).

EDIT: dat timing. That answers that then.))

 

[ThLunarian]

((I'm not sure if the favored enemy bit is redundant, so I have a question. I'm assuming he's not counted as human, but would he have counted as a good-aligned outsider? If he would, Ciel would have had a low favored enemy bonus (+2 because it got none of the bump ups when levels give you a chance to boost up a particular enemy bonus). ))

((I changed the edit a bit too late He could count as either Human or Good-Aligned Outsider, so take the higher of the two and then add an additional bump up to it from there))

 

[Azih]

((What's the fastest way to contact the Raven Queen?))

 

[ThLunarian]

((Even in character, you're not sure. Certain magic spells could let you do it, but there is no storyline-imposed mechanism in place for you to be able to call home base while you're out on a mission))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((well, for spells there is contact other plane and maybe commune. commune says your deity, so that may not work so well and also a costly material component. contact other plane should work, but has some obvious drawbacks, especially if you have low int. of course the only person who can cast it probably has the highest int, but may not have the spell...))