Return of the Pharaohs
Chapter 11a – Assault on Nidal
Details
Background
After the disastrous invasion attempt of Jol three hundred years ago, Nidal has been picking at the scabs of its wounds and plotting. The fanatical followers of Zon-Kuthon have traditionally had a difficult time getting organized, but about 10 years ago, a powerful Nightshade Nightwalker named General Azuubar Raxas began recruiting small disconnected sects of Zon-Kuthon followers and feeding them propaganda regarding a prophesy that Zon-Kuthon will soon appear in person to guide them to the conquest of a neighboring nation, thus spreading darkness further into an already fearful world. The General started gathering legions of these forces in an ancient ruin in northern Nidal called The Twilight Vault. Unbeknownst to the willing legions of followers, the Nightshade is doing more than inspiring an army; he is actively converting the living into his own powerful force of undead and shadow demons. As more and more of his new recruits started to show up, a spy for Estrid barely escaped alive to fill her in on this nefarious plan. The spy knows that the Twilight Vault contains a great evil leader, but does not know the extent of the defenses other than the presence of patrols of undead and shadow-based creatures. Estrid has decided that it would be best to decapitate the evil leader before his plans can come to fruition.
Bringing the Darkness
When his lord Zon-Kuthon recruited the dread Nightshade Azuubar Raxas to restore order to the forces of northern Nidal, the Midnight Lord purposefully weakened the border between the material and shadow planes at a specific location to serve as his new champion’s stronghold. The Nightshade was able to import all manner of strange and horrible creatures from their native realm in Shadow. The center of greatest influence is called the Twilight Vault. Although these old ruins have been long abandoned on the material plane, the Twilight Vault is a bastion of power on the Shadow Plane. For the party to fully defeat the Nightshade, they will need to enter into the Shadow Plane and challenge Raxas in the very seat of his stronghold.
On the desolate plains surrounding the Shadow-plane Vault, a massive army comprised mostly of recently created undead and a few powerful mortals is staged for a grand assault. Raxas has also recruited five powerful lieutenants who together will lead the attack on unsuspecting Varisia. Raxas knows that the invasion must be kept a secret until the very moment to strike. He has worked with the wizards and priests of the Zon-Kuthon cult to create a magical device for each of his lieutenants that will open a one time portal to the Material plane at the appointed time. This device also gives the lieutenants access to their private wing of the Shadow Vault, but also acts as a potent deterrent to keep them from attacking each other.
Outline
- Group has initial briefing with Estrid
- Group is contacted by Estrid’s rep to have battleplan meeting at Palace the following morning
- Group meets leaders of battlemages, warpriests and warriors
- Intelligence briefing, then battle plans drawn up, ask input from group
- 2 days until two ships are ready to depart for 12 day journey to Nidal coastline and dropoff point
- After dropoff, group travels across countryside to Vault on foot (16 mi/day) – daylight gets dimmer as they travel farther inland
- 2 hours into journey, group meets first patrol, unless measures are taken to avoid patrols, they have 20% chance of encountering another patrol every 4 hours.
- Check what they are using as light source
- Encounters and conditions get harder as they get closer
- One major encounter 2 days into journey
- Arrival at the Vault
- Upper (material plane) ruins are guarded by a large numbers of Greater Shadows and Wraiths as well as a powerful Nightwing
Nidal near-Shadow properties
| Zone | Distance Inland | Effects |
| 1 | 0-2 miles | -2 Sight Per rolls (except darkvision or low-light) Unsettling feeling, no other ill effects |
| 2 | 2-10 miles | -4 Sight Per rolls Bleeding of Shadow Plane causes 20% miss chance if attacker is corporeal, normal 50% reduced damage vs. incorporeal |
| 3 | 10+ miles | -6 Sight Per rolls Bleeding of Shadow Plane causes 20% miss chance if corporeal Must make a DC24 Will save or be Shaken while in this zone. Can be countered with Remove Fear or similar, wears off after 24 hours |
| Vault | Within Twilight Vault | On material plane: -6 Sight Per rolls Bleeding of Shadow Plane causes 20% miss chance if corporeal |
Incorporeal (Ex) An incorporeal creature has no physical body. It can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities. It is immune to all nonmagical attack forms. Even when hit by spells or magic weapons, it takes only half damage from a corporeal source (except for channel energy). Although it is not a magical attack, holy water can affect incorporeal undead. Corporeal spells and effects that do not cause damage only have a 50% chance of affecting an incorporeal creature. Force spells and effects, such as from a magic missile, affect an incorporeal creature normally.
An incorporeal creature has no natural armor bonus but has a deflection bonus equal to its Charisma bonus (always at least +1, even if the creature’s Charisma score does not normally provide a bonus).
An incorporeal creature can enter or pass through solid objects, but must remain adjacent to the object’s exterior, and so cannot pass entirely through an object whose space is larger than its own. It can sense the presence of creatures or objects within a square adjacent to its current location, but enemies have total concealment (50% miss chance) from an incorporeal creature that is inside an object. In order to see beyond the object it is in and attack normally, the incorporeal creature must emerge. An incorporeal creature inside an object has total cover, but when it attacks a creature outside the object it only has cover, so a creature outside with a readied action could strike at it as it attacks. An incorporeal creature cannot pass through a force effect.
An incorporeal creature’s attacks pass through (ignore) natural armor, armor, and shields, although deflection bonuses and force effects (such as mage armor) work normally against it. Incorporeal creatures pass through and operate in water as easily as they do in air. Incorporeal creatures cannot fall or take falling damage. Incorporeal creatures cannot make trip or grapple attacks, nor can they be tripped or grappled. In fact, they cannot take any physical action that would move or manipulate an opponent or its equipment, nor are they subject to such actions. Incorporeal creatures have no weight and do not set off traps that are triggered by weight.
An incorporeal creature moves silently and cannot be heard with Perception checks if it doesn’t wish to be. It has no Strength score, so its Dexterity modifier applies to its melee attacks, ranged attacks, and CMB. Nonvisual senses, such as scent and blindsight, are either ineffective or only partly effective with regard to incorporeal creatures. Incorporeal creatures have an innate sense of direction and can move at full speed even when they cannot see.
Making the Battleplans
That same afternoon of their meeting with White Estrid, the group will receive word from an official messenger that Estrid and her raiding commanders would like the party to meet the following morning at the Palace. When the group shows up, the following people are present:
- Horus Gellerson (H/F10) – leader of the Howlers, a group of 40 wild warriors (F6) 240
- Keegan Ashbane (H/C11) – leader of Gorum’s Hammer, a band of 8 seasoned Warpriests (C7) 56
- Torin Brighteye (H/W11) – leader of the Hidden Eyes, a cadre of 4 Battlemages (F1/W7) 32
A large piece of blank parchment is unrolled on the table in the middle of everyone and a well-scarred young woman (Thelwyn) with a lock of red hair covering a recently healed scar over her left eye is preparing to review her reconnaissance of Nidal. She will sketch out the following items:
- Coastline with a couple towns, cliffs and possible landing sites
- Ranches and approximate borders of properties
- Small towns that she used to infiltrate area
- Mountains and hills on eastern side
- Location of Vault at nexus of mountains and low hills
- Her route out of the area (to Rodoran)
She will describe the general effect of the shadowy conditions and that it took her a while to shake a feeling of fear. The group can make whatever plans they want, but the scout and the raiding leaders will suggest that they somewhat follow her route but from a new landing point and avoid any towns. They would prefer that since the party seems more than capable, they can take the lead and use the raiders as backup support, but the warriors are more than willing to serve as scouts.
If the group lands at the suggested point just south of the cliffs north of Canterfall, the beaches will be empty of inhabitants and the only tracks they can find are a few old horse tracks from about 2 weeks prior. The total trek will take about 2 ½ days to the Vault (40 miles at speed 20 – 16 mi/day 2mi/hr)
Once the group begins heading inland, if they do not take precautions to be stealthy (scouting ahead, no light sources, etc.) they have a 20% chance every 4 hours of a random encounter. After 2 hours, they will have their first patrol encounter (roll randomly). Each patrol has an intelligent leader that can determine whether the strangers are seeking to join forces or are enemies. If the patrol has a chance, it will send a low-level member back to the Vault to warn them.
| Random Patrols | Total CR | |
| 1 | 1 Shadow Demon (leader) 3 Greater Shadows 8 Shadows | 55 |
| 2 | 6 Bodaks | 48 |
| 3 | Wraith (leader) 2 Wraiths 6 Shadow Mastiffs | 45 |
| 4 | Pack of 20 Shadows | 60 |
| Shadow | CR3 |
| Greater Shadow | CR8 |
| D’ziriak | CR3 |
| Shadow Mastiff | CR5 |
| Nightshade – Nightwalker (leader) | CR16 |
| Nightshade – Nightwing | CR14 |
| Bodak | CR8 |
| Wraith | CR5 |
| Shadow Demon | CR7 |
Guaranteed encounter – three hours after entering zone 3, the party will run into an organized scout party consisting of 3 Greater Shadows, 4 Shadow Mastiffs and 2 Shadow Demons (one is the leader). The Demons will each conjure 10 Shadows to harass the main body of the raiding party while the rest concentrate on the party. 58
Tactics:
- The enemy group is 300 feet away when they are spotted, which will allow them to close in 3 rounds. The mastiffs will bound ahead and will bay at 100 feet (1 round away). Then as the rest of their group catches up, they will attack.
- The mass of the troops behind are 5 rounds away (200 feet) so the party can opt to take on the enemies themselves and get help within 5 rounds, retreat back to the support group or close with the enemies.
- When within 1 round away, the Shadow Demons will sprint to flank the group
Once the party reaches the foothills of the north Atteran Ranches, they may notice (DC20 Know Nature or Survival) that there are a lot less animal noises in the area. Eventually, the party will see a low hill on the horizon with the remains of a round keep or tower at its peak. The hill is mostly flat and the remains of walls surrounding the tower can also be seen scattered about the hilltop.
When the party ascends the hill and enters the ruins area, each party member can make a DC24 Per roll to hear the sound of something flying high overhead out of their sight (NIghtwing). If anyone flies up to try to discover what it is, they can roll another Per roll (DC20) to see a large bat-shaped creature in the far distance (2000’ above ground).
If anyone flies to follow the sound, they may be attacked by the powerful Nightwing.