Return of the Pharaohs
Chapter 14a – Mission in Hell
Details
Outline for Hell-adventure
- Party arrives in Caina via hellgate provided by Hutijin
- Hellgate opens on a wide causeway near pyramid prison
- As party approaches they will spot guards who will close when they are spotted
- Pyramid has three levels, one dedicated to a pact-keeper
- Hutijin has imprisoned the souls of the past pharaohs and torments them with their greatest fears (mainly that their own use of the pact goes horribly wrong)
- The first level was created when Harun made the original pact with Hutijin
- Harun used the pact to enforce his reign and charisma over the native Osiriani and to overthrow the Kelesh rule by allowing them to become citizens of the newly ruled country.
Consequences of an Infernal Pact
Line of Succession:
Harun of Abadar (Khemet I, Forthbringer) à Khemet II (corrupt and lazy) à Khemet III (Ruby Prince)
When Harun of Abadar ascended to the throne of Osirion and became the new pharaoh, Khemet I, he made agreements with several Elemental Lords to help him gain and maintain control over the lawless lands of Osirion. In addition, he unwittingly made a pact with a powerful Duke of Hell that would doom him and his heirs for 10,000 years. When Khemet I died, his soul did not return to its proper final resting place, but rather travelled to Caina where it formed itself into a prison to hold the 10,000 years of successors still to come. When Khemet I’s corrupt, lazy son, Khemet II died 30 years later, his soul also ended up in Caina and formed the second layer of the Khemet-prison. The moment Khemet III ascended the throne, the foundations for his own level in the prison began to form as well.
The prison that houses the Khemet line in Caina is a horrific mockery of Osiriani architecture in the shape of a grotesque pyramid made of bone and sinew. Located on a lonely platform, the pyramid sags to one side like a sad wizard’s conical hat and each new bound Khemet soul adds a new layer to the structure. The height of the pyramid is inconceivably tall and it would take more than a mortal’s lifetime to reach the top, or even go around it. There are only three levels within the pyramid at this time, one for each Khemet, and each one housing the bound soul of its respective pharaoh. Only by freeing each of the three souls can the pact be broken, but each level is populated by powerful, diligent guardians that the Duke has carefully recruited.
Arrival in Hell
Stepping through the portal, your minds reel as they try to make sense of the scope and scale of what you are seeing. You find yourselves standing upon a 60’ wide elevated causeway stretching far ahead and leading to a vast platform with a tall white pyramid in the center. Behind you, the causeway leads to another platform with the intersection of more bridges. Between these thoroughfares enormous cages and platforms, some miles wide, hang from chains that stretch into a black starless sky. In other places, stone and metal towers jut up through the empty spaces. With grim realization, you recognize a barely perceptible background noise as the far off cacophony of tortured souls in this seemingly infinite series of prisons. Welcome to hell.
The party’s destination is the white pyramid on the platform ahead. The scale of the structure defies logic, but once they realize that they are still about a mile away from it and they still cannot see the top, its size boggles their minds. They arrive about a mile from the platform which will take them about 20 minutes to cover. Although there are no encounters on the causeway (mainly due to Hutijin’s orders), there are several scuttling creatures around the base of the pyramid near a wide opening in structure.
When the party gets about 1000’ from the platform, they can make a DC30 Per check to notice a group of creatures moving around the base of the pyramid.
When the party gets to 500’ away give them a DC50 Per check to identify the creatures.
The Guardians of the Pyramid
As the party gets closer to the pyramid, they notice that it is much taller than it is wide and it bends slightly to the left like a well-worn wizard’s hat. Once they get close enough they will see that there are a group of 6 Warmonger Devil Fighters who will close with them as they approach.
6 Warmonger Devil Fighters 8 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 5) CR15
Armored like an infernal knight upon some monstrous steed, this fiend of iron and nails scuttles upon six bladed, beetle-like legs.
Fearsome giants of steel and blades, levalochs serve the armies of Hell as potent warriors and tenacious hunters. They stand just over 10 feet tall and weigh 1 ton.
LE Large outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)
Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see in darkness; Perception +24
DEFENSE
AC 35, touch 12, flat-footed 32 (+13 armor, +3 Dex, +10 natural, –1 size)
hp 224 (16d10+136)
Fort +19, Ref +14, Will +9 (+2 vs. fear)
Defensive Abilities: Construct form; DR 5/good; Immune fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10; SR 26
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft.
Melee +4 returning adamantine trident +28/+23/+18/+13 (2d6+13/19–20), claw +19 (1d6+3), 2 kicks +19 (1d8+3)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks merciless blow, trample (1d8+9, DC 24), weapon training (spears +1)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +15)
At will—greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects)
1/day—summon (level 4, 1d4 lemures or 1 bearded devil 40%)
TACTICS
During Combat The warmonger devils do their best to remain adjacent to each other so as to take advantage of their phalanx ability; note that these devils are not impeded by the floor’s nature. They enter melee with foes as soon as possible, but they use their reach to force smaller creatures to approach via the spiky floor. They don’t bother summoning lemurs or bearded devils against foes as powerful as the PCs.
Morale The warmonger devils fight to the death.
STATISTICS
Str 22, Dex 22, Con 24, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 17
Base Atk +16; CMB +23; CMD 39 (43 vs. bull rush, 43 vs. trip)
Feats Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Deadly Aim, Greater Weapon Focus (trident), Improved Critical (trident), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack, Staggering Critical, Toughness, Weapon Focus (trident), Weapon Specialization (trident)
Skills Acrobatics +14, Bluff +14, Climb +18, Craft (weapons) +6, Intimidate +14, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +8, Knowledge (engineering) +8, Knowledge (planes) +12, Perception +24,
Sense Motive +14, Stealth +12 (+20 among metal objects or debris)
Languages Celestial, Draconic, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.
SQ armor training 2, hellstrider, phalanx, stability
Gear +4 full plate, +4 returning adamantine trident
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Construct Form Despite being true devils, levalochs possess a number of immunities common to constructs, including immunity to ability damage, ability drain, death effects, death from massive damage, disease, energy drain, exhaustion, fatigue, necromancy effects, nonlethal damage, paralysis, sleep effects, and stunning. Upon being reduced to 0 hit points, they are immediately destroyed.
Hellstrider (Su) A levaloch is not impeded by difficult terrain, and can move or Charge Through such squares as normal. It can also cross areas covered with dangerous impediments (such as caltrops or thorns) without being damaged or hindered. The creature’s legs are immune to acid and cold, allowing it to cross even rivers of acid without being damaged or hindered as long as the hazard is fewer than 4 feet deep. This ability does not protect a levaloch against magical hindrances like black tentacles, web, or similar spells.
Merciless Blow (Su) Any trident attack a levaloch makes against entangled creatures deals an Extra 2d6 points of damage.
Phalanx (Ex) All devils adjacent to a levaloch gain a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and to AC.
Stability (Ex) A levaloch gains a +4 bonus to CMD against bull rush and trip.
The Pyramid Prison
The Pyramid prison is impossibly tall; it is an all-but-endless spire that could not exist on the Material Plane, but here in Hell it is but one of countless impossibilities. The outer walls offer many handholds and can be scaled with relative ease (Climb DC 10), but the distance one must cover to reach the apex is measured in thousands of miles. The walls are made of magically enforced bone (hardness 25, 1,800 hp, break DC 85). Breaking open a section of wall along the external edge exposes the chamber to the raw fury of the Space Between (see below). The chambers within are pitch black and with thirty-foot-high ceilings unless otherwise indicated.
Dimensional Travel: Within the pyramid, teleportation effects are significantly limited. Such spells function normally inside the Pyramid only if the destination point is within the same floor or is within a point outside of the Pyramid. None save Hutijin himself or those he grants special permission to (such as pit fiends sent to dispense his wrath) can teleport into the Pyramid or from one floor to another—the apex of the pyramid is included within this effect as well. Only the Pyramid’s portals allow access between the floors or to the apex. This effect does not impede the summoning or conjuration of creatures into the Pyramid.
Masked Chambers: The floors within the Pyramid are shielded from divination by outside sources. Divination spells used to view chambers or locations within the Pyramid fail unless they are used to view areas on the floor where the caster is located. Hutijin can lift this restriction if he wishes; for now, he wants the PCs to work for their prize and will do no such favor.
Space Between: Should the PCs breach one of the Pyramid’s “external walls,” they find themselves looking not out into Caina but into the pure hellfire of the inferno. This extradimensional space is known as the “Space Between.” Exposing it causes gouts of hellfire to spew into the chamber, dealing 6d6 points of hellfire damage (see Hellfire) per round to all squares adjacent to the breach. A character who steps out of the Pyramid into the space between takes 20d6 points of hellfire damage per round, and without a method of flight will drift forever (or until the hellfire damage kills him). For a character adrift here, hellfire damage is considered continual damage for the purposes of concentrating and spellcasting.
Wrath of an Archdevil: Hutijin will not attack the PCs should they anger him. Instead, the first time the PCs incur his wrath, he sends the pit fiends to kill them. If they are slain instead, Hutijin’s wrath eventually abates, but each subsequent time the PCs incur his wrath, he sends another pit fiend to kill them, increasing the total number of pit fiends by one each time his wrath is incurred.
The Pyramid that houses the souls of the Khemet line appears to be made of a fine white sandstone. It is actually finely crushed and powdered bone (DC30 Heal to identify). A 200’ long stairway gently ascends to an opening in the side of the structure 20’ wide and 30’ tall. When the party gets closer they will notice that the interior is obscured by a cloud of sand storming the entire entranceway.
- Sandstorm entrance – The 40’ long corridor is protected by a Scouring Winds effect that blocks all vision and causes 3d6 damage per round. It has a CL15 (+15) to overcome SR.
The souls of each of the pharaohs of the Khemet dynasty will reside in this prison as ‘guests’ of Hutijin for all of their 10,000 year pact. Only at that time will they be allowed to continue on their journey to their final resting place. But in the meantime, the Infernal Duke will enjoy tormenting his captives in new and insidious ways.
The Torment of Harun
The first prisoner and the pharaoh who originally agreed to the pact to help stabilize the chaos of Osirion was once known as Harun of Abadar, a powerful priest and an inspiration for the fanatical Cult of the Dawnflower who helped him oust the Kelesh satraps. Many of the Keleshites stayed behind to become part of the new Osiriani population.
Harun was lauded as a very successful leader and the uniter of a broken nation. He was wise and compassionate, but firm and fair. Thus, the Infernal Duke takes great pleasure in tormenting Harun with visions of failure and unrest in his newly founded country. Each day, a scenario plays out where Harun is not the booming success that he remembers, but rather, without the help of the pact he is an utter failure and leads to the destruction of his people.
When the party passes through the entrance, they will find themselves in a nightmare version of Sothis with the Palace far off in the distance. They will need to fight their way through the ‘failures’ of Harun until they can finally reach the Palace where his soul is bound in utter despair. If the party can make it to the Palace and convince Harun that he is not a failure (either by making things right for him, or convincing him of who they are and of Harun’s true legacy) he will allow the party to ascend to the next level where his son’s soul resides.
Trials of failure: Revenge of the Cult, The Black Sphynx Abominations, The Bloody Palace
- As the party makes their way out of the sandstorm entrance, they will see a desert landscape with a road leading off into the distance with a shimmering black dome about a mile away and a large building within it. A wide river crosses the landscape about 2/3 of the way to the dome and with a DC 20 Local Knowledge roll, they will recognize that they are in the vague features of the city of Sothis. The buildings and shops however are mere ruins of rubble, stone and smoke. A gangly thin man wanders out of the ruins and onto the road ahead of them.
When they catch up to him (he is not moving very fast), he appears to be very downtrodden and dejected. This is a manifestation of the soul of Khemet I, also known as Harun of Abadar. If they ask why he is here, he turns to them and says,
“I thought I could lead them, be an inspiration and direct their wild energy to form a great nation. But they have betrayed me and my people suffer.”
Just as he finishes, yells and whistles sound around the group and a mass of wild-eyed berserkers, sporting the blue and gold colors of Sarenrae and her holy symbol hanging from their necks attack the party. The manifestations are not what they seem, however, as they are actually Barbed Devils under shape-change spells.
The manifestation of Harun does not respond to the group until the final encounter of this level.
12 Advanced Barbed Devil CR 12
XP 19,200
Male advanced barbed devil (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 72, 288)
LE Medium outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see in darkness; Perception +23
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Defense
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AC 30, touch 18, flat-footed 22 (+8 Dex, +12 natural)
hp 162 (12d10+96)
Fort +16, Ref +16, Will +10
Defensive Abilities barbed defense; DR 10/good; Immune fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10; SR 22
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +20 (2d8+8/19-20 plus fear and grab)
Special Attacks fear, impale 3d8+12
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +18)
At will—greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), hold person (DC 19), major image (DC 19),
produce flame, pyrotechnics (DC 18), scorching ray (2 rays only)
1/day—order’s wrath (DC 20), summon (level 4, 1 barbed devil 35%), unholy blight (DC 20)
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Statistics
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Str 27, Dex 27, Con 26, Int 16, Wis 19, Cha 22
Base Atk +12; CMB +20 (+24 grapple); CMD 38
Feats Alertness, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Improved Critical (claw), Iron Will, Power Attack
Skills Acrobatics +17, Diplomacy +15, Intimidate +21, Knowledge (planes) +18, Perception +23, Sense Motive
+23, Spellcraft +14, Stealth +15, Survival +16
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.
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Special Abilities
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Barbed Defense (Su) Those striking devil with natural attack or non-reach melee weapon take 1d8+6 piercing damage.
Cleave If you hit a foe, attack an adjacent target at the same attack bonus but take -2 AC.
Combat Reflexes (9 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Damage Reduction (10/good) You have Damage Reduction against all except Good attacks.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Energy Resistance, Acid (10) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Acid attacks.
Energy Resistance, Cold (10) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks.
Fear (DC 22) (Su) A barbed devil’s fear attack affects any creature it damages with its claws. A DC 20 Will
save resists this effect, otherwise the victim becomes frightened for 1d4 rounds. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Grab: Claw (Medium) (Ex) You can start a grapple as a free action if you hit with the designated weapon.
Immunity to Fire You are immune to fire damage.
Immunity to Poison You are immune to poison.
Impale (3d8+12) (Ex) A barbed devil deals 3d8+12 points of piercing damage to a grabbed opponent with a successful grapple check.
Power Attack -4/+8 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
See in Darkness See perfectly in darkness of any kind, including magical darkness.
Spell Resistance (22) You have Spell Resistance.
Summon (level 4, 1 barbed devil 35%, 1/day) (Sp) Summon creatures as though with summon monster spell but with limited chance of success.
Telepathy (100 feet) (Su) Communicate telepathically if the target has a language.
Most barbed devils stand upward of 7 feet tall and weigh 300 pounds, though their leanly muscled bodies appear much larger due to the constantly growing and adjusting spines that protrude from their razor-sharp bodies.
When the battle is over, they will find no trace of Harun nearby, but a set of tracks leading towards the black dome.
- As the group approaches the River Sphinx, they will see a huge black head, nearly 50’ wide,
jutting up from the sands of the near bank. Surrounding the head is wooden scaffolding and it appears that the details of the head are being restored by a crew of laborers. The black stone has been carved into a hideous feral face with long sharp teeth, Just ahead of them, the same old man sits cross-legged on the road, his head in his hands.
“I wanted to restore the past glory of Osirion but I have made a disaster of it. The Black Sphinx is supposed to be a beautiful monument, but just look at it now! And to make matters worse, my workers have gone on strike.”
When the party approaches, the reclining workers will stop and stare at them until a foreman takes note and yells:
“Get back to work you worthless dung beetles!” The party will realize that he is yelling at them. The ‘workers’ laugh in response.
Once the ‘workers’ or the ‘foreman’ realizes that their charade is up (spell casting for example), they will rush to attack. Indeed, there are no real workers on the scaffolding but more illusory disguised infernal guards. The reach of the guardians is that of a large creature however, which will also become apparent if anyone closes to attack.
Tactics:
The Handmaiden will cast a Dispel Good as soon as she can
She will cast Black Tentacles on any spellcasters
She allows the Ice Devils to do the most melee, but if someone gets close enough, she will attack physically and attempt to grapple with Tentacle Cage.
2 Ice Devils will cast Ice Storm (20’ radius) to try to cover as much area around the party as possible, possibly overlapping them.
The remaining Ice Devils will fly down from the scaffolding to quickly close with the party in flanking positions.
If possible, they will catch a group of people in a Cone of Cold (13d6, DC22 Ref)
Advanced Handmaiden Devil (“Foreman”)
Handmaiden Devil CR 15
XP 51,200
Female advanced handmaiden devil (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 288, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 86)
LE Medium outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)
Init +13; Senses darkvision 60 ft., true seeing; Perception +25
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Defense
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AC 35 (39 vs good), touch 19 (23), flat-footed 26 (30) (+9 Dex, +16 natural)
hp 217 (15d10+135)
Fort +18, Ref +18, Will +12
DR 10/good; Immune fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10; SR 25
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Offense
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Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
Melee 2 claws +24 (2d8+9/19-20/×3), 2 tentacles +22 (1d6+4 plus grab)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with tentacle)
Special Attacks tentacle cage (4d8+13 bludgeoning damage, AC 18, 21 hp)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 14th; concentration +21)
Constant—spider climb, true seeing
At will—alter self, dispel good, enthrall (DC 19), greater teleport (self plus 1 entrapped creature and 50 lbs. of goods only), persistent image (DC 22)
3/day—black tentacles, charm monster (DC 21)
1/day—summon (level 5, 3 erinyes 65%)
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Statistics
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Str 28, Dex 29, Con 29, Int 26, Wis 25, Cha 24
Base Atk +15; CMB +24 (+28 grapple, +26 trip); CMD 43 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Acrobatic Steps, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Multiattack, Nimble Moves, Strike Back
Skills Acrobatics +27 (+31 to jump), Bluff +25, Diplomacy +25, Disguise +25, Escape Artist +24, Knowledge (arcana) +23, Knowledge (planes) +26, Perception +25, Perform (sing) +25, Sense Motive +25, Spellcraft +23, Stealth +27
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.
SQ agile grappler
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Special Abilities
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Agile Grappler (Ex) A gylou does not gain the grappled condition if she grapples a foe.
Combat Expertise +/-4 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Combat Reflexes (10 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Damage Reduction (10/good) You have Damage Reduction against all except Good attacks.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Energy Resistance, Acid (10) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Acid attacks.
Energy Resistance, Cold (10) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks.
Fly (60 feet, Average) You can fly!
Grab: Tentacle (Medium) (Ex) You can start a grapple as a free action if you hit with the designated weapon.
Immunity to Fire You are immune to fire damage.
Immunity to Poison You are immune to poison.
Improved Trip You don’t provoke attacks of opportunity when tripping.
Nimble Moves (20 ft/rd) Move through the listed amount of difficult terrain each rd as if it were normal terrain.
Spell Resistance (25) You have Spell Resistance.
Strike Back A readied melee attack can be used against a foe whose reach allows them to attack you, but whom you could not attack.
Summon (level 5, 3 erinyes 65%, 1/day) (Sp) Summon creatures as though with summon monster spell but with limited chance of success.
Telepathy (100 feet) (Su) Communicate telepathically if the target has a language.
Tentacle Cage (4d8+13 bludgeoning damage, AC 18, 21 HP) (Su) With successful grapple hold creature in cage of tentacles.
6 Advanced Ice Devils (Undead “Workers”)
Ice Devil CR 14
XP 38,400
Male advanced ice devil (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 77, 288)
LE Large outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)
Init +11; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see in darkness; Perception +29
Aura fear (10 ft., DC 24)
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Defense
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AC 36, touch 16, flat-footed 29 (+7 Dex, +20 natural, -1 size)
hp 189 (14d10+112); regeneration 5 (good weapons, good spells)
Fort +17, Ref +16, Will +14
DR 10/good; Immune cold, fire, poison; Resist acid 10; SR 24
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Offense
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Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (good)
Melee +1 frost spear +23/+18/+13 (2d6+13/×3 plus slow and 1d6 cold) or
bite +16 (2d6+4), tail slap +16 (3d6+4 plus slow)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 13th; concentration +20)
Constant—fly
At will—cone of cold (DC 22), greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of object only), ice storm, persistent image
(DC 22), wall of ice (DC 21)
1/day—summon (level 4, 2 bone devils, 50%)
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Statistics
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Str 27, Dex 25, Con 26, Int 29, Wis 26, Cha 24
Base Atk +14; CMB +23; CMD 40
Feats Alertness, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (spear)
Skills Acrobatics +24 (+28 to jump), Bluff +24, Diplomacy +24, Fly +16, Intimidate +21, Knowledge (Enter
Choice) +23, Knowledge (Enter Choice) +23, Knowledge (Enter Choice) +23, Knowledge (planes) +25,
Perception +29, Sense Motive +29, Spellcraft +23, Stealth +20, Survival +25
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.
Other Gear +1 frost spear
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Special Abilities
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Cleave If you hit a foe, attack an adjacent target at the same attack bonus but take -2 AC.
Combat Reflexes (8 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Damage Reduction (10/good) You have Damage Reduction against all except Good attacks.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Energy Resistance, Acid (10) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Acid attacks.
Fear Aura (10 feet, DC 24) Foes within radius are affected by the fear spell.
Fly (60 feet, Good) You can fly!
Immunity to Cold You are immune to cold damage.
Immunity to Fire You are immune to fire damage.
Immunity to Poison You are immune to poison.
Power Attack -4/+8 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Regeneration 5 (good weapons, good spells) Heal HP quickly and cannot die.
See in Darkness See perfectly in darkness of any kind, including magical darkness.
Spell Resistance (24) You have Spell Resistance.
Summon (level 4, 2 bone devils, 50%, 1/day) (Sp) Summon creatures as though with summon monster spell but with limited chance of success.
Telepathy (100 feet) (Su) Communicate telepathically if the target has a language.
As before, when the combat subsides, the old man is gone, leaving a trail of tracks towards the black dome in the distance.
- The Black Dome holds the shape of the gargantuan scarab shell, but here it has a translucent quality. Once entered, the party will see only one large structure; a grand palace that resembles the features of the Palace of the Forthbringer. Tall double doors that stand over 200’ high but 20’ wide are closed at the front of the structure. From the outside, the faint sounds of battle can be heard.
The Palace is not as detailed as the real one they are familiar with and it is much taller and distorted. The roof tops the structure at about 1000’ and the front wall is about 500’ wide. Narrow 4” wide and 12’ long frosted windows can be spied about every 100’ up the wall.
If the group takes more than 3 rounds to enter, they will see a thin flow of blood start to seep from under the doors.
The massive doors swing open surprisingly easy with very little noise, however the scene before you is horrific. A vast columned hall stretches into the distance with a raised platform at the far end. The ground between you and the platform, however, is a violently clashing mass of combat between what looks like priests and warriors of Sarenrae and helpless nobles, ragged peasants and farmers. Needless to say, the armored Dawnflower cultists are massacring the overmatched nobles and commoners.
This is the final torment of The Forthbringer. The scenes of carnage play out continually before Harun’s dazed and tortured soul. Instead of the ‘nearly bloodless coup’ of his real history, he must bear witness to a horrible slaughter of the previous rulers and commoners by his raging Cultists. In actuality, a host of Bearded devils are shape-changed into the Dawnflower Cultists and are gleefully torturing the souls of those who opposed the Forthbringer and plotted his assassination. There are small knots of combat consisting of 12 Bearded devils and an equal number of damned souls. If the party walks past them, the combatants will not pursue, but may sneer or laugh at their horrified expressions. If the party decides to fight (it is really hopeless since there are thousands of these devils in the hall), the souls will be pulled into another knot of combatants and the battle begins anew.
The real challenge here lies at the far end of the hall where a pair of Horned devils are perched on either side of Harun, who sits upon a blood-soaked throne of bones. The devils whisper Harun’s imagined failures and keep him in a state of despair. When the party closes, they will smile broadly. Each one carries a long chain which is wrapped around Harun’s arms. When the party gets within 100’ they will each cast a Summon spell (1 round cast) to bring in 6 Barbed Devils which will immediately attack.
Tactics: (roll int for each Hornie separately)
Pre-fight – Hornies cast Summon to bring in 3 Advanced Barbed devils each
Round 1 – Summoned Barbies close and attack with claws to take advantage of extra damage
Hornies cast Dispel Good and then fly up 50’
Round 2 – Barbies continue melee attacks
Hornies start lobbing fireballs down into party, ignoring immune Barbies
Round 3+ Barbies continue
Hornies close to melee if threatened by ranged casters
HORNED DEVIL (CORNUGON)CR 16
XP 76,800
LE Large outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see in darkness; Perception +24
Aura fear aura (5 ft., DC 23)
DEFENSE
AC 35, touch 17, flat-footed 27 (+8 Dex, +18 natural, –1 size)
hp 217 (15d10+135); regeneration 5 (good weapons, good spells)
Fort +18, Ref +17, Will +13
DR 10/good and silver; Immune fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10; SR 27
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., fly 50 ft. (average)
Melee +1 unholy spiked chain +26/+21/+16 (2d6+11 plus stun), bite +22 (2d8+5), tail +22 (2d6+5 plus infernal wound) or 2 claws +24 (2d6+10), bite +24 (2d8+10), tail +22 (2d6+5 plus infernal wound)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 16th)
At will—dispel chaos (DC 21), dispel good (DC 21), magic circle against good, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), persistent image (DC 21)
3/day—fireball (DC 19), lightning bolt (DC 19)
1/day—summon (level 6, 3 barbed devils, 35%)
STATISTICS
Str 31, Dex 27, Con 28, Int 14, Wis 22, Cha 23
Base Atk +15; CMB +26; CMD 44
Feats Improved Bull Rush, Improved Sunder, Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (spiked chain)
Skills Bluff +24, Diplomacy +21, Fly +15, Intimidate +24, Knowledge (planes) +20, Perception +24, Sense Motive +21, Spellcraft +20, Stealth +22
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.
ECOLOGY
Environment any (Hell)
Organization solitary, pair, or wing (3–10)
Treasure standard (+1 unholy spiked chain, other treasure)
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Infernal Wound (Su) The damage a horned devil deals with its tail causes persistent wounds that deal 2d6 points of bleed damage. Bleeding caused in this way is difficult to staunch—a DC 26 Heal check stops the damage, and any attempt to heal a creature suffering from an infernal wound must succeed on a DC 26 caster level check or the spell does not function. Success indicates the healing works normally and stops all bleed effects.
Stun (Su) Whenever a horned devil hits with a spiked chain attack, the opponent must succeed on a DC 27 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1d4 rounds. This ability is a function of the horned devil, not of the spiked chain. The save DC is Strength-based.
Among the deadliest of the archdevils’ warriors and able commanders of lesser fiends, horned devils spread the rule of Hell wherever they tread. These greater devils are trained, forged, and reforged to be among the most lethal, merciless, and obedient warriors in the multiverse. While rank-and-file horned devils are called cornugons, the greatest of their kind are known as malebranche.
A typical horned devil rises to a hulking 9 feet tall, bears 14-foot-wide wings, and weighs 700 pounds.
If the party successfully defeats Harun’s tormenters, his grimace of despair fades slowly and he focuses fully on the party.
“Wha…? Who…? Is this some kind of new trickery? Are you real?” He has been tormented for decades and his grasp on reality is somewhat tenuous. If the party is patient, he will eventually come around and realize that they are not a new scheme of Hutijin’s.
The party is interacting with an echo of Harun’s soul and mind, but he has no knowledge of the material plane after his death. He sometimes wanders off mentally, but will do his best to answer the party’s questions. If they explain what they are doing and that they need to continue, he will guide them to the back of his massive throne and show them a portal that appears at his touch. He leaves them with a warning:
“You should know that my son does not have the same ambitions that I do. He has some talent, but I fear they will be wasted in the harem and his more cruel pursuits.”
Sleeping in Hell
If the party decides that they need to spend some time recovering in hell, as long as they take careful precautions and do not just plop down on the ground, they will be allowed a night’s rest. Although Hutijin will be aware of this tactic and will impose a ‘penalty’ challenge on them for their blatant ‘cheating’. After the party has finished their rest, they will be confronted by an Ashmede (Judgement Devil) named Thupa who imparts the announcement of their ‘penalty’ which is mainly to rob the party of as many of the new spells and abilities that they may have recovered from their rest as possible.