To finish off Book Five of Sorcerer-Kingmaker, this chapter will deal with the siege of the Tower of Thorns, the confrontation with Praetor Irovetus, and the reveal of Nyrissa's identity, leading into book Six: The Sound of a Thousand Screams.
The most recent chapter ended with the PCs going in pursuit of Praetor Irovetus and discovering something that he had taken instead- Briar, an ancient spear made from the spirit of a Pyreen. They also have a lead on his location, and can take their armies to the Tower of Thorns for a showdown. The Tower of Thorns is a jagged spur of stone amid the violent forest tangle known as Thousand Breaths, and reaching it with an army will be difficult. Examination can show that a sizeable force made its way through in the recent past (perhaps weeks, perhaps days- there won't be many trackers in Athas who will know the difference in a dense forest context). Finally, after following trails for miles and battling with venomous flora and fauna, the Tower of Thorns can be reached. The walls are overgrown with foot-thick vines and roots, but sentries stand guard, defending it from attack. There are hundreds of troops, clearly prepared, and yet another battle seems to be the only way to overcome its defences and come to grips with the traitorous Irovetus. As this part in the original book dealt with the PCs besieging King Irovetti's castle, I've had to rewrite this section substantially. The Tower of Thorns is itself more of a fortress complex, rather than a large castle, and the siege should have a valuable and narrative role in the campaign's story. Currently, the tower is defended by all of Irovetus' household guards and conscripted soldiers, as well as several half-giant and elven mercenaries and Mnoedon, his loyal Giant warrior and general. He has also prepare surprises for attackers, with several druids at his disposal. This means that the dense vegetation and roots will be yet another enemy for the PCs to overcome. His household guards, well-equipped soldiers, have prepared fortifications and siege weapons, and are able to hold them against superior attackers. Inside the Tower, Irovetus prepares himself, making offerings and bonding with Briar. As his warrant of service from Andropinis was revoked, he has instead sought service at Nyrissa's feet, and become a Warlock, replacing his Templar powers. Locations of the Tower of Thorns T1-4 cover the ground floor of the tower. T5 is the second floor upwards, T6-7 are the third floor, and T8-9 are the fourth floor. T10 covers the rooftop with the portal to Nyrissa's realm. T1. Grand Plaza: The plaza outside the Tower was once lined with shaped cobblestones, and a series of towering, hooked inhuman statues. A quartet of charmed Half-Giant Juggernauts guard the plaza against intrusion. T2. Guard rooms: A pair of Irovetus' elite Knights guard each of these guard rooms, clad in armour of braxat shell and bronze trimmings. Each fights with a carrikal with polished obsidian blades. T3. Great Hall: A trio of Spies hide behind the pillars of this room, trying to flank and eliminate any intruders. T4. Staircase Colonnade: If the Tower is breached, Irovetus' general and friend Mnoedon waits here with a pair of Gladiators at the top of the stairs. Mnoedon is a desert giant with jet-black skin and a helmet forged of bronze and steel. He carries a tremendous trikal and has no concern for any collateral damage he inflicts in battle. If he survived the War of Silt Princes, Villamor Koth, the veteran gladiator, joins the fight here to prevent intruders proceeding upwards. T5. First Floor: This floor is an open-plan floor, with a pair of Half-Giant Juggernauts standing guard with Datchi clubs, while a trio of Spies wait on landings heading further upwards, with javelins ready to take advantage of a lull in combat. T6. Second Floor: Alasen, leader of the Razorwing Marauders, waits here with her Spy lieutenants. She is an Assassin, who fights with Cahulaks and gives orders to focus attention on one intruder at once, trying to permanently eliminate them. T7. Second Floor Barracks: Another pair of Irovetus' knights stand guard here, and will rush to assist in combat in the next room, if they hear it. T8. Third Floor Observatory: This tower floor is open to the elements, enclosing a smaller room and heavily overgrown. A trio of Air Elementals have been conjured to defend against intruders, reinforced by a pair of Druids within the Greenhouse. T9. Greenhouse: Irovetus has coerced or persuaded a half-dozen druids into his service. At any point, two are kept here to guard him. T10. Portal to the First Realm: Irovetus awaits confrontation with his two pet Tembos and his last two Knights atop the Tower of Thorns, adorned with all his former trappings and wielding Briar against his foes. Despite all his entreaties, the portal has waned shut again, and Nyrissa's true emergence into Athas is delayed once more. His new allegiance is revealed by the bizarre life-shaped creation now obscuring half of his face, and the thorny spear in his right hand glows with magic. His fragile ego, torn asunder by Andropinis' casting him aside, has crossed the line into megalomania. He starts into a villainous speech, and then unleashes his Tembos and attacks. Former Praetor Irovetus, Warlock of the Pyreen Nyrissa Medium humanoid (human), Neutral Evil Armour Class 16 (drake leather armour) Hit Points 176 (27d8 + 54) Speed 30ft., fly 30ft. (hover) Str 14 (+2); Dex 18 (+4); Con 14 (+2); Int 17 (+3); Wis 13 (+1); Cha 21 (+5) Saving Throws Wisdom +7, Charisma +11 Skills Arcana +9, Deception +11, History +9, Nature +9, Perception +7, Persuasion +11, Religion +9 Condition Immunities Charmed, frightened Damage Resistance Poison damage Senses Darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 17 Languages Common, Elven, Sylvan Challenge 18 (20,000 XP) Beguiling Defenses. Irovetus is immune to being charmed, and when a creature tries to charm him, they take 10 (3d6) psychic damage instead. Legendary Resistance (1/day). If Irovetus fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead. Life-Shaped Mantle. Irovetus' life-shaped creations grant him darkvision with a range of 60ft., resistance to poison damage, and immunity to the poisoned condition, as well as several increases to his ability scores (already included in the statistics shown). Magic Resistance. Irovetus has advantage on saving throws against spells. Spellcasting. Irovetus is a 20th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 21, +11 to hit with spell attacks). Irovetus has 4 spell slots, which can be used to activate the following spells, all at slot level 5. Warlock spells: Blight (9d8 damage), Counterspell, Dominate person, Greater invisibility, Hellish rebuke (6d10 damage), Hold monster, Plant growth. Mystic Arcanum. Irovetus can cast each of the following spells once per day. 6th level: Conjure fey (one Shambling mound) 7th level: Finger of death 8th level: Power word stun 9th level: Power word kill Actions Multiattack. Irovetus makes one attack with Briar and two Quickblade attacks. Briar. Melee or ranged weapon attack: +8 melee or +10 ranged, range 5ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6+5) piercing damage or 9 (1d8+5) piercing damage if used two-handed, plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. Quickblade. Melee weapon attack: +10 to hit, range 5ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6+5) piercing damage. Eldritch Blast. Ranged spell attack: +12 to hit, ranged 300ft., four targets. Hit: 11 (1d10+6) force damage and the target is pushed 10 feet away. Legendary Actions Former Praetor Irovetus has 1 legendary action per turn, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature's turn. Irovetus regains a spent legendary action at the start of his turn. Briar root. Irovetus throws Briar, and after inflicting damage, it triggers Spike growth on the target, before returning to Irovetus' hand. Cast spell. Irovetus casts a spell from his warlock spells. Eldritch Blast. Irovetus fires an eldritch blast at 1 - 4 targets. Mystic arcanum. Irovetus casts one of his Mystic Arcanum spells. If Irovetus is defeated, the danger has passed- Briar finds a new master, the Tower of Thorns begins to phase away from the Material Plane again, and Nyrissa's scheme comes to naught, for now. The vegetation of Thousand Breaths eases its relentless growth and mutation. It seems like the Stolen Lands can find peace for the first time in many years. Get ready for the Sound of a Thousand Screams, starting next week and bringing an epic end to the Sorcerer-Kingmaker adventure path! Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 12 January 2021. Comments are closed.
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