REMIXING KEEP ON THE SHADOWFELL PART 6: KALAREL'S RITUAL AND THE DRAGON BURIAL SITE A4. THE DRAGON BURIAL SITE This encounter will largely play out in the same way, but we're going to change the nature of the artifact (to have it tie directly into Kalarel's ritual) and expand the information Douven Stahl has to impart. THE ARTIFACT: The artifact they’ve dug up is a small stone idol of Orcus. It can recognized on a successful Religion check (DC 15). DOUVEN STAHL: Douven Stahl can tell them everything on pg. 210 of the Monster Manual regarding the cults of Orcus. Then he will continue with a description of local cult activity:
If asked, Stahl can also tell them about the ritual:
THE KEEP - AREA 18 CRUCIFIED ANGEL: Hanging above the altar in this area is an angel of protection (Monster Manual, pg. 14). It has been pinioned to the wall with multiple adamantine spears. A wall of arcane magic surrounds the angel and can only be penetrated if the ritual in Area 19 is disrupted. ANGEL'S BLOOD: Blood flows from the angel's wounds, over the Orcus-pledged altar, through the wall of arcane magic, and down into the pit below. Corrupted by the mystic energies of the altar, it is serving as a crucial material component for Kalarel's Ritual.
THE KEEP - AREA 19 THE FANE OF ORCUS: The pit in the center of this room is, in fact, 60 feet deep. Standing in this pit is a 60' tall statue of Orcus the Demon Prince. This is the Fane of Orcus. Through the fane, Orcus is able to manifest some portion of his will upon this world. It is an important part of Kalarel's Ritual. THE IDOLS OF ORCUS: The four grates depicted on the map are, instead, sunken depressions in the floor. In two of them, the Idols of Orcus have been placed. (If the PCs failed to disrupt the activities at the Dragon Burial Site, three of them will be occupied.) Blood flows up out of the pit and towards these depressions. (See Kalarel's Ritual.)
KALAREL'S RITUAL Level:
25 Category:
Travel Time:
120 days Duration:
Permanent Component
Cost: Special Market
Price: n/a Key
Skill: Religion Kalarel’s ritual will open a permanent connection between this
world and the Shadowfell. Once the ritual is one-quarter completed, the
Thing in the Portal manifests (see module). Special: Kalarel is able
to perform a ritual so far above his normal level because this specific
ritual is bound to the Fane of Orcus. The smaller Idols of Orcus are also being used to help focus the
ritual, reducing the amount of time necessary. Each idol added to the
ritual reduces the remaining time of the ritual by half. TIMELINE When the PCs first arrive in the valley, 30 days have passed since
Kalarel started his ritual. Kalarel had also already recovered two of
the Idols of Orcus, reducing the remaining time for the ritual to be
completed to 45 days. If the PCs don’t interfere with Kalarel retrieving the Idol of Orcus from the Dragon Burial Site, it will be installed and whatever time remains will be further reduced by half.
REVERSING THE RITUAL Kalarel is working from a reconstructed and partially translated text known as the Scrolls of Hamasatra. This text is located atop the altar in Area 19 of the keep. The skill challenge for reversing the ritual is based, in part, on an article available at WotC's website. Level: 6th Complexity: 3 (8 successes
before 4 failures) Primary Skills: Arcana (DC 22): As a
standard action, you can call upon your knowledge of magical effects and
rituals to study the ritual book and determine the next step in
unbinding the ritual. The first successful Arcana check also allows the
character to figure out how a Heal check can contribute to undoing the
ritual. A failed check indicates that the energy of the ritual attacks
you: +10 vs. Will; 1d6 + 4 necrotic damage. Endurance (DC 18): As an
opportunity action, triggered when an adjacent ally has just failed an
Arcana or Religion check to reverse the ritual, you can allow the
necrotic energy flowing through the ritual to damage you instead of your
ally. Success at this skill use aids the party, but does not count as a
success toward completion of the challenge. Heal (DC 18): As a standard
action, you can make a Heal check and spend a healing surge to send
positive life energy into the necrotic ritual in order to help disrupt
it. In doing so, you automatically expose yourself to the energy of the
ritual, which attacks you: +10 vs. Will; 1d6 + 4 necrotic damage. This
approach to undoing the ritual can be determined on any successful
Arcana, Religion, or Insight check. Insight (DC 18): A
character succeeding at an Insight check as a free action, triggered by
observing the ritual, can figure out how a Heal check can contribute to
undoing the ritual. Success at this skill use aids the party, but does
not count as a success toward completion of the challenge. Religion (DC 22): As per
the Arcana check. Success: The ritual is
undone. The angel in area 18 is freed, but collapses into
unconsciousness. (However, nothing stops Kalarel from starting the
ritual afresh. If the Scrolls of
Hamasatra are destroyed or the angel escapes or Kalarel is killed,
however, the threat has passed. In that case, reward the adventurers a
major quest reward of 750 XP.) Failure: If the skill
challenge is failed, the magical energy of the Shadow Rift stabilizes.
Necrotic energy surges through the ritual book and the altar, striking
all of the characters attempting this skill challenge. Each of these
characters loses a healing surge and is attacked by the necrotic energy:
+10 vs. Will; 1d6 + 4 necrotic energy. The ritual isn’t complete, but the partially opened rift remains as
such until either Kalarel is killed or the ritual is completed. | | Link | |||
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