Varisia Campaign

Aura strong abjuration and conjuration; CL 11th Slot none; Price 22,301 gp;  Weight 1 lb. A sadist's lash is a long whip of thin strips of leather. Created originally by a special sect of wizards who served under Runelord Sorshen, sadist's lashes swiftly became quite popular throughout Thassilon. The lash acts as a +1 wounding whip , and also aids enchantment spells in two ways. First, it can deliver enchantment spells with a range of touch as if the wielder had touched the creature struck. Additionally, any creature that takes damage from a sadist's lash  takes a -5 penalty on Will saves against enchantment effects created by the wielder of the lash for 1 minute unless it succeeds at a DC 15 Will save. Construction Craft Magic Arms and Armor, dominate person ; Cost 11,301 gp

The succubus moved on to use  dominate person  and  confusion  against the heroes. When forced to fight in melee, she fought with dagger and  sadist's lash . The heroes finally killed the succubus, but not before she had charmed them to kill Bruthien and Tsela. The censer on the darkwood table was part of a trap to weaken the will of those who entered. The censer's fumes constantly emitted a mind fog effect (CL 15th) in a 60-foot-spread - this room and the boudoir were filled with the mist. Unlike normal mind fog , the mist produced by this censer did not affect outsiders. Any other creature that entered the area had to succeed at a DC 17 Will save or take a -10 competence penalty on Wisdom checks and Will saves as long as they remained in the mist and for 2d6 rounds thereafter. A moderate wind could disperse the mist, but the mist would refill the area immediately once the wind passed. The heroes revealed something hidden under the southernmost bed: a handy hav...

Empty Displays. These cages emanated strong evocation auras. The gold and silver cages were worth 1,000 gp each. Pavilion Entrance. Numerous thick rugs, cushions, and tasseled pillows covered the floor of this decadent chamber. Strange, exotic scents were in the air, likely coming from several smoldering braziers and censers balanced on elegant silver stands in the corners of the room. A group of stone giants stood guard here. The stone giants moved to block entrance into the room when the heroes entered, and bellowed out a warning to their "mistress". They then attacked. The giants fought to the death. The four incense burners were minor magical devices that never went out or ran out of fuel; they could be commanded to emit any number of pleasant and mildly narcotic scents. Each was worth 500 gp. Succubus' Chambers. The air in this room was unusually close - seeming almost to shimmer with pleasant-smelling mist. Pillows, cushions, and throw rugs covered the floor, and fo...

The heroes decided to continue their exploration of Runeforge and return to the Shimmering Veils after they gathered more information on what they were looking for. The bubbling, prismatic waters of the runeforge pool were alternately painfully hot and freezing cold to the touch, yet not enough to cause damage. Additionally, those who touched the waters received a tangled collage of visions of events yet to come. All five senses were assaulted by the magical potential of the pool. The heroes next entered the Iron Cages of Lust. Thurden felt unwanted and oppressed there. Cathedral of Seduction. This grand cathedral could be called nothing less than opulent. The floor was covered in polished red and white tiles. Thick pillars carved into the likeness of the same beautiful nude woman with long flowing hair circled the room and supported a ninety-foot-high domed ceiling, where a gargantuan mural depicted men and women engaged in all manner of carnal acts. Numerous plain ten-foot-by-ten-foo...

The heroes rested in the secret chambers of the Shimmering Veils, but their rest was interrupted by a group of warriors wearing uniforms identifying them from the Thassilonian kingdom of Bakrakhan, Runelord Alaznist's realm. The warriors of wrath gave themselves time to cast bull's strength , mirror image , haste , and displacement before engaging the heroes. They used spells like fireball to hit heroes who hang back from the melee. The warriors of wrath fought to the death. After completing their rest, the heroes used magic to determine that what they were looking for in this wing was in the Peacock Shrine.

The heroes located a secret door behind a section of mirrors in the far wall. Meditation Room. Bookcases full of tomes and scrolls lined this cozy chamber's walls and a reading table with several matching chairs sat atop a thick rug in its center. A peacock made of gold sat upon the table, holding a single stick of incense cleverly positioned in its tail feathers. A heavy wooden door exited the room through the wall to the northwest. A figure lay slumped in the chair in the far corner - the body of a man wearing rich robes and a cloak made of peacock feathers. An elegant mirror was clutched in his hand, and a book and quill sat on the table before him. This room was filled with religious essays on the subject of the Peacock Spirit, one of the more popular faiths during Thassilon's height. Unfortunately, the books were maddeningly vague and coy in revealing actual details about the Peacock Spirit, made all the worse by the large volume of material at hand. Very little could be o...

When the proper key from the Sihedron Circle outside was placed in the proper pillar's keyhole and then turned in two complete revolutions, the pillar began to hum and glow softly. Once the pillar was glowing, its key vanished. When all seven pillars were active (the order of activation did not matter), the central pillar began glowing and rippled with a vortex of light that combined all seven of the surrounding colors. At the pillar's base, the vortex whirled in on itself like a vertically aligned whirlpool, opening into a 7-foot-wide circular portal through which could be faintly seen a long tunnel. The heroes stepped through this portal into Runeforge. Runeforge The approach from the portal was along a 10-foot-wide stone tunnel. Runeforge Features Magically Treated Stonework: The walls, floors, and ceilings of Runeforge were made of stone that had been magically treated. Sustenance: Runeforge sustained those within its walls constantly, keeping them nourished and reviving th...