Tombs of Scoria: Episode 82

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==Synopsis==
Anton and Tyrael apprehend the assassin, Sophie, obtaining her Ring of Invisibility and other gear. Imrik learns Enlarge and finishes his 7th level spell research. briefs the Brothers on Crownhold Keep’s defenses in preparation for their assault, and they delve into the legend of Ifan’s creation.
==Recap==
=== Apprehending Sophie: 22nd Jan 1515 ===
Anton and Tyrael return to the training area and shops under the guise of , where they initially tracked the assassin’s mask to. Anton attempts to cast , but is spotted by a Wikkthronrarentan native who becomes suspicious of spellcasting. The passerby calls for guards, who quickly hear the nearby commotion. Tyrael drinks a Potion of Glibness, but the guards ignore Tyrael, so he trips the guards and begins to grapple with them. Anton's spells resolve and a chase ensues, and the two Brothers manage to evade the Drekissin guards. They return to the scene through , down into a series of shared cellars beneath the shops separated by locked iron gates. Tyrael discovers a magically trapped lock which Anton , that leads into what appears to be a small makeshift room.
Tyrael and Anton lie in wait until the dark of night, until the assassin is heard making her way through the cellar gates. 
Combat start: Anton & Tyrael vs The Assassin
As soon as the door is opened, Anton's spills flour on the assassin. Tyrael attempts to grapple the assassin but fails to do so. Anton attacks with the Spear of Rohanna, missing, and fails to stun his target. His next hit is successful.
Tyrael reattempts to grapple the assassin, but the rogue frees herself and drinks a potion of Fire Breathing, damaging Tyrael and engulfing the surrounding area in flames. Anton attacks again. Tyrael fails to grapple again. Anton does non-lethal damage and brings the assassin down.
Combat end. The assassin is unconscious. The room is on fire.
Between Frostbrand and Decanters of Endless Water, the Brothers extinguish the growing fires. Tyrael binds the assassin with his Rope of Binding.
=== 23rd Jan 1515 ===
Having successfully captured the assassin alive, Anton and Tyrael return to their warehouse through , and loot the assassin of her possessions, among which is the Ring of Invisiblity.
Imrik meets with Anton and Tyrael. Imrik casts . The assassin reveals her name is Sophie and that she recognizes the brothers. Wanting to hide their identities, the Brothers arrange with to have a guards arrest them in order to be surreptitiously brought back into the keep. Sophie's mask is a bit small for Anton's face, but he decides to don it to obfuscate his identity.
=== 24th-28th Jan 1515 ===
Imrik spends a final day learning , successfully learns after 2 days, and fails to learn after 2 days. Anton is ambivalent on whether to use healing spells, questioning his relationship with Velthara. Anton obtains a metal rod attuned to the Third Material Plane, and they brief on Crownhold's defenses.
=== Briefing on Crownhold's Defenses ===
Arc Sombar explains the situation in Crownhold.
Voltis Steros is a human man in his 60s from a far off land across the seas. He has only recently appeared in Arcadia, but quickly rose to the highest echelons of Scoria’s inner circle. He is considered a very powerful and capable spellcaster by Arc Sombar.
Nyar is a human woman in her 30s or 40s, also from another land, wielding the legendary dagger, Ifan. She was first spotted already wielding the Dagger when she arrived in Arcadia, which leads Arc Sombar to suspect her as an independent mercenary hire, pledged to Scoria only for the purposes of money. 
Further, Crownhold is protected by a network of devices from the Age of Might, procured by Scoria’s agents, that wards against teleportation and plane shifting. Crownhold has four gates, one of which has been closed. Each gate is protected by guards; a few capable fighters; archers; ballistae; spellcasters with scrolls; clerics; and a sheriff. 
Crownhold Keep has only one front gate. The walls are guarded by 30 elite bowmen.  The entrance to the Keep is guarded by four elite fighters equipped with full plate mail and halberds.  Within the Keep are 30 "sheriff quality or higher" fighters equipped with axes and shields; 6 mages of at least the 3rd circle; an archmage of at least the 4th or 5th circle; and a cleric of Terrasa who serves King Guilder.
=== The Legend of Ifan ===
Arc Sombar and the Brothers conclude that is absolutely being held as a trap, and that Crownhold surely has contingency plans in place for their arrival. Though they expect the battle to be fierce, they are most concerned with the warrior-assassin, Nyar, believing she is more than capable of killing them if not handled correctly. 
Arc Sombar explains that the Dimensional Blade enchantment of Ifan makes it infinitely sharp, passing through solid matter effortlessly. Arc Sombar expresses her belief that Ifan is capable of destroying their armor, magical items, and passing through , though Imrik states his belief that Stoneskin will deflect Ifan. Arc Sombar also expresses her concern that though the Brothers may survive the instant wound struck by the Dagger, Nyar loads Ifan with lethal poison that would induce an instantaneous save-or-die. Arc Sombar also fears that any attempt to prevent Nyar from closing distance, such as any of the spells, would be circumvented by the .
Brothers discuss climbing into the Queen's chambers trough the window, Sombar says it would be impossible since the bedroom has been moved ever since the 'Grimey incident' .
The Brothers think to ambush Nyar by casting on Ifan. Anton suggests casting Time Pool on Ifan's creation to visually identify it, but Arc Sombar replies that Ifan was not forged in a single moment. Arc Sombar produces a history book documenting legends from the Age of Heroes. One such tale is of the Wanderer, a warrior-rogue who traveled the lands righting wrongs, but never staying in one place for long, nor keeping any consistent traveling companions, whose journeys led to the creation of Ifan. 
In the early days, the lands in which the Wanderer lived were plagued by a dark knight who preyed upon the innocent and weak. The Wanderer prayed to Terrin, god of farming and agriculture, who granted her a dagger that could “cut through mithril like butter,” so long as she swore to act in defense of farmers and the vulnerable. The Wanderer took the Dagger and put a stop to the knight. 
In the next entry, the Wanderer was begged by a dwarf to save his people from the horrors beneath the ground. Sayor, god of crafting and patron of the dwarves, blessed the Wanderer’s blade to grant her sight in the dark, and the Wanderer swore an oath to Sayor to fight the evils within the earth. 
In another instance unrelated to Ifan, the Wanderer rescued an elven prince from orcs, and she was rewarded with a cloak and boots of elvenkind in return. 
Then, the book tells of the time the Wanderer faced off against the Five Warlords, in a different land overrun by monsters. Terarasa, goddess of fear, blessed the Dagger with fearsome poison, so that all but the bravest would not face her. One by one, the Wanderer cut her way through the chain of command of the Five Warlords, punishing the wicked for their ways. 
Eventually the Warlords themselves banded together to oppose the Wanderer. In turn, Voraci, goddess of death, finished the Dagger with a spell so that the Wanderer would always appear behind her enemies. The Wanderer defeated the Warlords, and thereafter, her dagger came to be known as Ifan. 
The tale of the Wanderer ends with her slaying a white dragon beneath the waves. 
=== 1-2 Weeks ===
The Brothers spend some time the events leading to Ifan’s creation, and are eventually able to get a positive visual identification of Ifan for the purposes of . 
===Loot===
Loot 	Location 	Effects
Bag of Holding 	Carried by assassin	
* Can hold 250 pounds.
Potion of Extra Healing 	Bag 	
* +1 to AC and saving throws
Potion of Fire Breath 	Bag 	
* A creature gains the ability to breathe fire out to a range of 30 feet up to three times. This effect lasts for 1 hour, or until all breaths are expended.
Potion of Gaseous Form 	Bag 	
* Transform the imbiber's body, along with all of their carried equipment, into a transparent and insubstantial sluggish cloud of gas. While in this form the imbiber could only be harmed by magical fire, lightning, or whirlwind attacks. The gaseous form can squeeze through anywhere that was not air tight.
Periapt of Wound Closure	Worn by assassin 	
* Closes all wounds; wearer takes no bleeding damage; default rate of healing is doubled.
Magic Dagger +3 	Wielded by assassin	
* +3 on Rolls to Hit and Damage.
Ring of Free Action 	Worn by assassin 	
* Wearer is immune to effects that would restrict their movement.
Ring of Invisibility 	Worn by assassin 	
Ability to become invisible at will, instanteniously. Exactly the same as spell. Each use is an action.
Elven Chainmail 	Worn by assassin 	
* +5 AC. Can be worn under clothing; does not interfere with Thief Abilities. Lightweight.
Category:Tombs of Scoria Episodes