A single door remains unexplored. Fyn opens it, quite nonchalantly, revealing a sparse sleeping chambers. Thankfully, there doesn’t seem to be any additional Vraxeris clones stacked in here.
However, that’s not to say there aren’t clones.
Six scantily-clad copies of Delvahine shriek out and attack, startling Fyn. He blasts a quick Chain Lightning spell in their direction, which is entirely ineffective. As a pit drops in his stomach, he retreats behind the melee fighters.
A single doorway can’t hinder these Delvahines. Some of the clones teleport into the charred room, mingling with the party. On top of that, they are quite…convincing.
Richard lashes out at his master, charmed by an enemy spell. Even after Fobias is out of range, the wolf continues to ‘rebel’. Fyn becomes the target of aggression, even getting tripped up on multiple occassions.
The Delvahines are succubi, meaning that they are masters of control and enticement. Numerous times throughout the combat, they showcase their vampiric touch ability. At one point, Krask becomes afflicted with a Dominate Person spell, and he releases multiple arrows in Fobias’ direction. Trace grapples the kobold in an attempt to control his errant actions.
If not for Trace’s Smite Evil to bypass the damage reduction, this may read more like an obituary than a succinct summary. Luckily for the party, and for you the reader, the combination of Barnaby’s sword, Krask’s arrows, and Fobias’ ranseur is more than enough to take care of these foes.
Fyn used some magic missiles and haste, but he always gets the limelight in these sorts of things.
Revisiting Lust
With nothing else to see here, the party decides to return to Lust and inform Delvahine of the bad news. Their original story that they had already talked to Vraxeris seems less plausible now that he’s dead, but they believe it could still hold water.
Before they go, the party makes sure to pack away some of the mirrored shards that Vraxeris may have gazed into. According to their documentation, these are another component to make runeforged weapons.
Zuvuzeg is still standing guard at the Runeforge and it appears he is holding up on his end of the bargain.
Back in Lust, the four harpies greet the party with great fanfare. Their mood dampens when they see the body of Vraxeris; this is entirely unexpected for them.
They usher the party back through the undulating veils to Delvahine’s chambers. Delvahine forgoes an exchange of the usual ‘pleasantries’ when she lays eyes on Vraxeris’ dead body. Deeply troubled, she thanks the party for giving her this closure.
While this is happening, Fyn is scanning the area for the suggestive weapon components mentioned in Jordimandus’ journal. Several pings of magic lie just beyond, in the southern room.
Delvahine’s grief turns to affection, as she tells the party that it’s time for their reward. She’s particularly enthralled with Trace, who apparently looks quite a bit like Vraxeris. At least, once you remove the scruff and the Renaissance cap.
What gift will she grant the party? Have we seen the last of the Runeforge’s inhabitants? Why wouldn’t Trace just retire and live lavishly for the rest of his days?