The party advances on these new threats: a muscular, terrifying woman with her flaming ranseur and a glabrezu demon. Conversation doesn’t seem to be on the menu.
Fyn acts quickly, casting communal Stoneskin to give the party some extra protections. In addition, Trace gives himself Protection from Evil. If those two weren’t enough buffs, Trace also grants the ability to Smite Evil to the entire party.
Emboldened, Fobias and Richard charge into the fray. This enemy, Highlady Athroxis, has deftly quick movements and a small battalion of mirror images. Meanwhile, the demon begins summoning.
Krask sees the danger and shoots a perfect arrow at the demon. The hit is enough to disrupt the summoning sequence, which tilts the action economy in the party’s favor.
Even though Fyn doesn’t have many spells remaining, he casts Reverse Gravity. This sends the glabrezu demon straight into the fiery ceiling. If it weren’t for the demon’s energy resistance, this would have worked even better than it did. Effectively, the demon is out of the fight.
Oh, and did I mention that Fyn confuses the demon as well?
Highlady Athroxis yells and gets half the party in a cone of cold. She moves with ease while spellcasting, despite her heavy armor. Unfortunately for her, the group surrounds her in melee over the next round, limiting her casting ability.
Krask eventually lands the killing blow on Highlady Athroxis. As he does, the burning tattoo on her forehead gets transferred to his own. It’s a mark of Wrath; a permanent boon.
The demon gets out of his confusion, but by then it’s too late. Being the only remaining threat, the party dispatches of him quickly. As anticipated, Trace deals the finishing blow.
Wealth Beyond Measure
As the figurative smoke clears, Fyn investigates a noticeable pile of ashes as a result of one of Krask’s misfires. It exudes the same magical properties as the ethillion from the Halls of Envy. Could this be a component for the Runeforge?
Highlady Athroxis’ body is PACKED with good loot. Between the +3 adamantine flaming ranseur and the +4 mithral breastplate, there’s easily over 150K gold worth of equipment. Without belaboring the point, here are the other notable items:
- +1 adamantine flaming ranseur
- Wand of clairvoyance/clairaudience (32 charges)
- Wand of Lightning Bolt (CL 10th, 25 charges)
- Amulet of natural armor +2
- Belt of physical perfection +2
- Cloak of Resistance +3
- Headband of vast intelligence +2
- Ring of protection +2
Additionally, Fyn will have a grand time reading through the woman’s spellbook. Lots of goodies in there.
As the party loots, Fobias’ eyes are drawn to the gigantic Sihedron etched in silver on the floor. It seems to be humming with magical power.
What purpose does the Sihedron hold? Who was Highlady Athroxis in the wider scheme of things? You think anybody in the Runeforge will want to buy any of this sweet stuff?