Post by Bandgoat on Jan 30, 2016 0:52:44 GMT -6
Lamashan 8, 4708 – Early Evening
Illya,
After so much hardship and so many trials we have conquered, the return of the runelord has given us yet another challenge to overcome. The Spires of Xin-Shalast stand but an arrow’s flight away, yet we cannot linger there. Another of Karzoug’s diabolical defenses keeps us at bay for the moment. Nonetheless, we will continue on this path...we must.
After recovering from our conflict with the blue dragon, we continued our ascent up Mhar Massif along the golden road. As we continued, the buildings became rarer, and when we glanced up the slope about half way to the summit, we saw that the buildings stopped, along with any remnants of scrub, brush, or trees. Lai’Ki informed us that above that line was a region of the mountain known as the “death zone,” where the air thins out so much that it can no longer support life. We knew we would eventually need to insulate ourselves against those extreme altitude effects.
As Lai’Ki continued to lead us up the trail, she came upon evidence that the road had been lightly traveled recently, though she could not tell what creature left the tracks. Thankfully, we encountered no other creatures that night, though the wind and weather became increasingly brisk. We continued through dawn and pushed ahead for a few more hours until we reached the next building: another old guard tower, long abandoned. After a short rest, we continued once again, passing the last building before entering the death zone. Soril and Tolgun were able to supply protection against the lack of air, though abandoning our attempt to acclimate to the high elevation. At this point, the pathway changed from the wide, golden-bricked road to which we had become accustomed, to more of a rocky, snow-covered trail. The weather continued to worsen as we made our ascent. We finished traveling well into the next day, seeing no signs of resistance to our incursion into enemy territory. Once we continued our trek, however, Lai’Ki noticed something like fresh tracks in the snow: a large number of round holes breaking the snowy surface, meandering over and across the road. We stopped briefly to investigate before Gorm took it upon himself to proceed up the trail. Late that afternoon, we rested for the evening, setting up camp some distance off the road and away from the tracks we had seen.
The next morning, we set out again. The near-constant snowfall apparently covered up most of the tracks we saw the previous day. After a few hours of travel, however, we started seeing the circular marks in the snow again. We soon came to a point where many more of the puzzling imprints appeared, fairly fresh by the look of things. After rounding the next switchback along the path, we suddenly heard a loud chittering sound, though somewhat ethereal and otherworldly. We stopped and a huge spider-like creature appeared before us. We then knew what had made the odd tracks in the snow, since each of the creatures eleven legs ended in rounded feet as large as small tree trunks. Blackthorn recognized this monster as belonging to the plane of Leng. The Leng spider regarded us for a moment and then began speaking, saying, “Flesh sacks, we require your assistance.” Ryll, having a strong feeling that this spider was evil, nonetheless deigned to converse with it by asking what it referred to as “we.” It responded that it and its brothers were in need of our help. We were curious, so upon inquiring what aid we could give, it answered, “You will discover what the denizens are doing here, what is their purpose, and report back to us.” At this point, Soril whispered to us that the term “denizens” likely referred to vaguely humanoid inhabitants of Leng and the hated enemies of Leng spiders. Apparently, the spiders had traveled to this realm in pursuit of these denizens who have put into effect some vile purpose. In exchange for not being eaten, we were to find these denizens within the “flesh-sack fortress” near the top of this mountain, the area we think is called the Spires of Xin-Shalast, which might be the center of power of Karzoug the Claimer. We tentatively agreed to investigate, thinking that we might get a counter-offer from the denizens. The Leng spiders said they would be monitoring our progress, but that they were unable to pass within what they called an occlusion field surrounding the Spires. I recalled something similar being described in the journal we found within the illusion wing of Runeforge: a boundary near the source of Karzoug’s power that prevented scrying attempts and planar travel. I then asked, “What makes you think we will be able to enter the occluding field?” which was answered with “We do not know, but we are willing to sacrifice you to find out,” from the beady-eyed bug. As an added incentive, they promised to vacate Golarion if we put the denizens’ plans to rest. Once we agreed, several other Leng spiders materialized, as if they had been invisible and ready to attack us if we declined their invitation.
After just a few more hours of travel, we rested as dusk approached, camping within the protection of a rocky windbreak. We continued the next morning, traveling the entire day up toward the narrowing pinnacle of Mhar Massif with nothing unusual in sight and very few words spoken amongst us. The Leng spider tracks continued for some time but gradually faded. Lai’Ki continued to guide us until evening approached, when we again found suitable shelter to make camp. We continued again the next morning, soon discovering that the Leng spider tracks climbed no farther. Not far from this point, we had our first encounter with this occlusion field. Tolgun, Lai’Ki, and I noticed something strange. We felt as if we were walking into a strong headwind – some force was pushing us backward, no matter what direction we traveled. As we continued, the force grew stronger and stronger, slowing our movement. As we rounded the final switchback of the mountain trail, a view of the Xin-Shalast Spires met our eyes, as did a great pulse of energy sweeping over the three of us. As the wave of power rushed over us, flashes of an alien world ripped through my mind, leaving madness and fear in their wake, but only briefly. Though startled by this attack, I insisted that we press on, finally being within sight of our objective.
Between us and Karzoug’s probable hiding place was a deep crevasse in the snow-covered rock spanned by a giant-sized bridge. Many formations of impossibly tall buildings stood before us on the other side of the chasm. Higher up in elevation were several long, narrow towers, a trio of tall domed buildings, and well above that was an absolutely enormous spire, soaring hundreds or even thousands of feet into the air. The smallest towers near the bridge appeared to be cut from alabaster stone, set on squat bases, and rose higher than the tallest tree I have ever seen, ending in short pyramidal tops. The entire complex of buildings was simply mammoth, covering many square leagues of terrain. As we looked on, another wave, emanating from the central spire, shimmered into existence and crashed into us at a lightning quick speed. This time, it physically hurt, as if it were able to punch the marrow of my very bones. Lai’Ki also looked pained, but was also unable to see anything afterwards until Ryll restored her to health. Tolgun also felt the wave, but none of the others did. We then realized that this powerful defensive effect, this occlusion field, was somehow nullified by the wearing of sihedron medallions or rings, so that Soril, Ryll, Nala, and Gorm were protected from the effect. We hoped to find more of the artifacts among the buildings before us. The alternative was to descend the mountain in the attempt to find more in the city below, but that would take weeks. Now feeling rather confident that Karzoug knew of our presence here, we decided to move forward.
We slowly and cautiously made our way across the bridge. The obelisks had ground entrances sized for creatures of gigantic size. We entered the first building. It was dark and cavernous inside. The ceiling loomed about one hundred feet above and there was a very large hole in the middle of it, allowing someone to fly to the upper floors if they had such an ability. Other than the sound of the ever-present wind, we heard nothing, though we noticed that the climate was noticeably much more temperate and inviting than the rarefied mountain air outside. Ryll, thanks to a spell from Soril, climbed up to the next floor and anchored a rope, which Gorm used to climb up after her. The two explored the entire structure, finding four more levels above the ground floor. The middle three levels of the obelisk seem to have at one time been painted in different colors – blue, yellow, and red – though the paint and plaster has since faded and chipped away. The top floor they found was unusual. The sloping walls of the pyramidal cap appeared transparent from the interior, a feature which allowed a commanding view of the approach to the Spires. However, they found nothing else of interest, so we prepared to leave and scout another nearby building. As Ryll and Gorm descended the obelisk, another wave of pain hit us, but we were able to resist its effects. It was at that point we noticed the occlusion field surges tended to arrive at regular intervals, probably about once every hour.
We next chose to go to the other building that stood guarding the foot of the cleft-spanning bridge. Upon investigating, we found it to be almost exactly the same as the first except that one of the walls at the top of the tower was not functioning properly and just appeared to be solid stone. The other three walls were still mostly translucent, shimmering with an unsteady magical aura. Again finding nothing of use, we traveled to another tower. On our way there, the occlusion field struck us again. Tolgun and I were able to shake off the effect, but Lai’Ki’s nerves looked pained by the attack. Yet, we continued, determined to find a remedy for this insidious magical defense. The third building we entered was very similar to the others, but this one’s climate-altering effect was nonfunctional. I cast a spell on Gorm so he could investigate the building alone, but he was unable to find anything out of the ordinary.
The fourth obelisk we entered did have something unusual in it. In the middle of the ground floor was the skeletal remains of a dragon. Tolgun surmised that it had fallen from a great height head-first. Around its broken neck we found a magical necklace that would allow its wearer to breathe normally regardless of surroundings. As we made our way to the fifth and final tower guarding the entrance to the Spires, I was wracked with frightening visions again from the energy wave, though the images did not linger long. The last obelisk was also empty, save for a various bits of stone rubble in the center of the floor. On all of the towers we found the same color scheme indicating the various levels, but we could not figure out their significance.
Finding no guardians or cast-aside sihedron jewelry in the watch towers, we decided to press our luck and try the closest of the three large spires toward the west. The trio of domed buildings climbed even higher than the guard towers. Around the bottom of the nearest one, we found an opening large enough for an elephant to pass through. The ground floor was empty and open, nothing for hundreds of feet except a huge spiraling staircase; however, the atmosphere was quite comfortable, similar to most of the previous towers. We climbed the stairs onto a level with a very high ceiling. It was apparent that the floor had once been an opulent reception area fit for foreign dignitaries and ambassadors. We found the deteriorated remains of couches, pillows, lounges, etc., able to accommodate a wide variety of creatures: large, small, bipeds, and quadrupeds alike. We found nothing intact, as if even this posh living space had long been abandoned. The stairs continued up, so we followed, gruelingly climbing nearly the full length of the tower before finding another floor. At the very top of that spire were three levels, each divided into several sections. Each section could lodge different sizes of creatures. We found living spaces on the lowest floor, bed chambers on the second, and work spaces on the highest level. Disappointingly, we found nothing of much interest and no cure for our occlusion field situation.
Since it was nearing the end of the day, we decided to head back down the spire and across the bridge, retreating outside the reach of the energy waves to make camp. On our way through the spitting snow, more tidal waves of force hit us, dropping me to my knees in mind-spinning pain. I seethed with anger at having come so far only to be beaten back. I wanted to scream into Karzoug’s face and tell him he could not defeat us. I felt a pang of anguish, thinking of all I had sacrificed...all we had sacrificed for this cause, knowing I cannot allow them to be in vain. After what seemed like days of torment, Tolgun was able to restore my sanity, though both he and Lai’Ki had been affected, but to a lesser degree. We eventually made it out of the danger and resolved to be better prepared for our next sortie into the Spires. Now, sitting in camp resting, I have the sense that something is amiss with what we have discovered this day. It was disconcerting to find nothing up here so far. I am beginning to doubt that we will even find Karzoug in this place. From what the Leng spiders said, this could all be some ruse perpetrated by the denizens of Leng. Yet, our previous encounters with Karzoug – in Jorgenfist and again in Runeforge – suggests he is here and is expecting us. He may have concentrated his forces into the large central spire...or worse: he may have already begun his invasion of Varisia and we are too late.
- E
[OoC]
The following day, we returned to the Spires armed with many restoration spells. Throughout the day, we were bombarded by many energy waves, but were able to either shrug off the effect or heal any damage it caused. We investigated the structures on the east end of the ledge across the bridge. The series of buildings turned out to be a vast prison with nothing of interest to be found there.
We then entered the second of the three large buildings on the western end of the Spires. This turned out to be an expansive dormitory with many floors filled with small living quarters. We moved on to the third building which was also filled with living quarters, though they were larger and more opulent. In some of the rooms, we found evidence of recent rummaging, but found nothing else of interest.
We then made the last climb to the large central spire. Inside we followed a large spiraling ramp leading up to a set of double doors guarded by some giants. We’ll probably have to fight them.
[/OoC]
Illya,
After so much hardship and so many trials we have conquered, the return of the runelord has given us yet another challenge to overcome. The Spires of Xin-Shalast stand but an arrow’s flight away, yet we cannot linger there. Another of Karzoug’s diabolical defenses keeps us at bay for the moment. Nonetheless, we will continue on this path...we must.
After recovering from our conflict with the blue dragon, we continued our ascent up Mhar Massif along the golden road. As we continued, the buildings became rarer, and when we glanced up the slope about half way to the summit, we saw that the buildings stopped, along with any remnants of scrub, brush, or trees. Lai’Ki informed us that above that line was a region of the mountain known as the “death zone,” where the air thins out so much that it can no longer support life. We knew we would eventually need to insulate ourselves against those extreme altitude effects.
As Lai’Ki continued to lead us up the trail, she came upon evidence that the road had been lightly traveled recently, though she could not tell what creature left the tracks. Thankfully, we encountered no other creatures that night, though the wind and weather became increasingly brisk. We continued through dawn and pushed ahead for a few more hours until we reached the next building: another old guard tower, long abandoned. After a short rest, we continued once again, passing the last building before entering the death zone. Soril and Tolgun were able to supply protection against the lack of air, though abandoning our attempt to acclimate to the high elevation. At this point, the pathway changed from the wide, golden-bricked road to which we had become accustomed, to more of a rocky, snow-covered trail. The weather continued to worsen as we made our ascent. We finished traveling well into the next day, seeing no signs of resistance to our incursion into enemy territory. Once we continued our trek, however, Lai’Ki noticed something like fresh tracks in the snow: a large number of round holes breaking the snowy surface, meandering over and across the road. We stopped briefly to investigate before Gorm took it upon himself to proceed up the trail. Late that afternoon, we rested for the evening, setting up camp some distance off the road and away from the tracks we had seen.
The next morning, we set out again. The near-constant snowfall apparently covered up most of the tracks we saw the previous day. After a few hours of travel, however, we started seeing the circular marks in the snow again. We soon came to a point where many more of the puzzling imprints appeared, fairly fresh by the look of things. After rounding the next switchback along the path, we suddenly heard a loud chittering sound, though somewhat ethereal and otherworldly. We stopped and a huge spider-like creature appeared before us. We then knew what had made the odd tracks in the snow, since each of the creatures eleven legs ended in rounded feet as large as small tree trunks. Blackthorn recognized this monster as belonging to the plane of Leng. The Leng spider regarded us for a moment and then began speaking, saying, “Flesh sacks, we require your assistance.” Ryll, having a strong feeling that this spider was evil, nonetheless deigned to converse with it by asking what it referred to as “we.” It responded that it and its brothers were in need of our help. We were curious, so upon inquiring what aid we could give, it answered, “You will discover what the denizens are doing here, what is their purpose, and report back to us.” At this point, Soril whispered to us that the term “denizens” likely referred to vaguely humanoid inhabitants of Leng and the hated enemies of Leng spiders. Apparently, the spiders had traveled to this realm in pursuit of these denizens who have put into effect some vile purpose. In exchange for not being eaten, we were to find these denizens within the “flesh-sack fortress” near the top of this mountain, the area we think is called the Spires of Xin-Shalast, which might be the center of power of Karzoug the Claimer. We tentatively agreed to investigate, thinking that we might get a counter-offer from the denizens. The Leng spiders said they would be monitoring our progress, but that they were unable to pass within what they called an occlusion field surrounding the Spires. I recalled something similar being described in the journal we found within the illusion wing of Runeforge: a boundary near the source of Karzoug’s power that prevented scrying attempts and planar travel. I then asked, “What makes you think we will be able to enter the occluding field?” which was answered with “We do not know, but we are willing to sacrifice you to find out,” from the beady-eyed bug. As an added incentive, they promised to vacate Golarion if we put the denizens’ plans to rest. Once we agreed, several other Leng spiders materialized, as if they had been invisible and ready to attack us if we declined their invitation.
After just a few more hours of travel, we rested as dusk approached, camping within the protection of a rocky windbreak. We continued the next morning, traveling the entire day up toward the narrowing pinnacle of Mhar Massif with nothing unusual in sight and very few words spoken amongst us. The Leng spider tracks continued for some time but gradually faded. Lai’Ki continued to guide us until evening approached, when we again found suitable shelter to make camp. We continued again the next morning, soon discovering that the Leng spider tracks climbed no farther. Not far from this point, we had our first encounter with this occlusion field. Tolgun, Lai’Ki, and I noticed something strange. We felt as if we were walking into a strong headwind – some force was pushing us backward, no matter what direction we traveled. As we continued, the force grew stronger and stronger, slowing our movement. As we rounded the final switchback of the mountain trail, a view of the Xin-Shalast Spires met our eyes, as did a great pulse of energy sweeping over the three of us. As the wave of power rushed over us, flashes of an alien world ripped through my mind, leaving madness and fear in their wake, but only briefly. Though startled by this attack, I insisted that we press on, finally being within sight of our objective.
Between us and Karzoug’s probable hiding place was a deep crevasse in the snow-covered rock spanned by a giant-sized bridge. Many formations of impossibly tall buildings stood before us on the other side of the chasm. Higher up in elevation were several long, narrow towers, a trio of tall domed buildings, and well above that was an absolutely enormous spire, soaring hundreds or even thousands of feet into the air. The smallest towers near the bridge appeared to be cut from alabaster stone, set on squat bases, and rose higher than the tallest tree I have ever seen, ending in short pyramidal tops. The entire complex of buildings was simply mammoth, covering many square leagues of terrain. As we looked on, another wave, emanating from the central spire, shimmered into existence and crashed into us at a lightning quick speed. This time, it physically hurt, as if it were able to punch the marrow of my very bones. Lai’Ki also looked pained, but was also unable to see anything afterwards until Ryll restored her to health. Tolgun also felt the wave, but none of the others did. We then realized that this powerful defensive effect, this occlusion field, was somehow nullified by the wearing of sihedron medallions or rings, so that Soril, Ryll, Nala, and Gorm were protected from the effect. We hoped to find more of the artifacts among the buildings before us. The alternative was to descend the mountain in the attempt to find more in the city below, but that would take weeks. Now feeling rather confident that Karzoug knew of our presence here, we decided to move forward.
We slowly and cautiously made our way across the bridge. The obelisks had ground entrances sized for creatures of gigantic size. We entered the first building. It was dark and cavernous inside. The ceiling loomed about one hundred feet above and there was a very large hole in the middle of it, allowing someone to fly to the upper floors if they had such an ability. Other than the sound of the ever-present wind, we heard nothing, though we noticed that the climate was noticeably much more temperate and inviting than the rarefied mountain air outside. Ryll, thanks to a spell from Soril, climbed up to the next floor and anchored a rope, which Gorm used to climb up after her. The two explored the entire structure, finding four more levels above the ground floor. The middle three levels of the obelisk seem to have at one time been painted in different colors – blue, yellow, and red – though the paint and plaster has since faded and chipped away. The top floor they found was unusual. The sloping walls of the pyramidal cap appeared transparent from the interior, a feature which allowed a commanding view of the approach to the Spires. However, they found nothing else of interest, so we prepared to leave and scout another nearby building. As Ryll and Gorm descended the obelisk, another wave of pain hit us, but we were able to resist its effects. It was at that point we noticed the occlusion field surges tended to arrive at regular intervals, probably about once every hour.
We next chose to go to the other building that stood guarding the foot of the cleft-spanning bridge. Upon investigating, we found it to be almost exactly the same as the first except that one of the walls at the top of the tower was not functioning properly and just appeared to be solid stone. The other three walls were still mostly translucent, shimmering with an unsteady magical aura. Again finding nothing of use, we traveled to another tower. On our way there, the occlusion field struck us again. Tolgun and I were able to shake off the effect, but Lai’Ki’s nerves looked pained by the attack. Yet, we continued, determined to find a remedy for this insidious magical defense. The third building we entered was very similar to the others, but this one’s climate-altering effect was nonfunctional. I cast a spell on Gorm so he could investigate the building alone, but he was unable to find anything out of the ordinary.
The fourth obelisk we entered did have something unusual in it. In the middle of the ground floor was the skeletal remains of a dragon. Tolgun surmised that it had fallen from a great height head-first. Around its broken neck we found a magical necklace that would allow its wearer to breathe normally regardless of surroundings. As we made our way to the fifth and final tower guarding the entrance to the Spires, I was wracked with frightening visions again from the energy wave, though the images did not linger long. The last obelisk was also empty, save for a various bits of stone rubble in the center of the floor. On all of the towers we found the same color scheme indicating the various levels, but we could not figure out their significance.
Finding no guardians or cast-aside sihedron jewelry in the watch towers, we decided to press our luck and try the closest of the three large spires toward the west. The trio of domed buildings climbed even higher than the guard towers. Around the bottom of the nearest one, we found an opening large enough for an elephant to pass through. The ground floor was empty and open, nothing for hundreds of feet except a huge spiraling staircase; however, the atmosphere was quite comfortable, similar to most of the previous towers. We climbed the stairs onto a level with a very high ceiling. It was apparent that the floor had once been an opulent reception area fit for foreign dignitaries and ambassadors. We found the deteriorated remains of couches, pillows, lounges, etc., able to accommodate a wide variety of creatures: large, small, bipeds, and quadrupeds alike. We found nothing intact, as if even this posh living space had long been abandoned. The stairs continued up, so we followed, gruelingly climbing nearly the full length of the tower before finding another floor. At the very top of that spire were three levels, each divided into several sections. Each section could lodge different sizes of creatures. We found living spaces on the lowest floor, bed chambers on the second, and work spaces on the highest level. Disappointingly, we found nothing of much interest and no cure for our occlusion field situation.
Since it was nearing the end of the day, we decided to head back down the spire and across the bridge, retreating outside the reach of the energy waves to make camp. On our way through the spitting snow, more tidal waves of force hit us, dropping me to my knees in mind-spinning pain. I seethed with anger at having come so far only to be beaten back. I wanted to scream into Karzoug’s face and tell him he could not defeat us. I felt a pang of anguish, thinking of all I had sacrificed...all we had sacrificed for this cause, knowing I cannot allow them to be in vain. After what seemed like days of torment, Tolgun was able to restore my sanity, though both he and Lai’Ki had been affected, but to a lesser degree. We eventually made it out of the danger and resolved to be better prepared for our next sortie into the Spires. Now, sitting in camp resting, I have the sense that something is amiss with what we have discovered this day. It was disconcerting to find nothing up here so far. I am beginning to doubt that we will even find Karzoug in this place. From what the Leng spiders said, this could all be some ruse perpetrated by the denizens of Leng. Yet, our previous encounters with Karzoug – in Jorgenfist and again in Runeforge – suggests he is here and is expecting us. He may have concentrated his forces into the large central spire...or worse: he may have already begun his invasion of Varisia and we are too late.
- E
[OoC]
The following day, we returned to the Spires armed with many restoration spells. Throughout the day, we were bombarded by many energy waves, but were able to either shrug off the effect or heal any damage it caused. We investigated the structures on the east end of the ledge across the bridge. The series of buildings turned out to be a vast prison with nothing of interest to be found there.
We then entered the second of the three large buildings on the western end of the Spires. This turned out to be an expansive dormitory with many floors filled with small living quarters. We moved on to the third building which was also filled with living quarters, though they were larger and more opulent. In some of the rooms, we found evidence of recent rummaging, but found nothing else of interest.
We then made the last climb to the large central spire. Inside we followed a large spiraling ramp leading up to a set of double doors guarded by some giants. We’ll probably have to fight them.
[/OoC]