Session Notes: 11/19/2017 Castle Korvosa: Second Floor

ADVENTURE PATH PART 6 Curse of the Crimson Throne Crown of Fangs

Session Notes: 11/19/2017

Castle Korvosa: Second Floor

This level of the castle is where the monarchy lives and receives official visits. It is characterized by spacious and luminous interiors decorated with magnificent tapestries and other furnishings, although the only chair used on the floor is the Crimson Throne itself. The floors and pillars are made of polished marble and fine ceramics, the wooden furniture is made of oak and mahogany, and the ironware is made of silver and brass.

A45. Main Entrance Landing. This landing is where the stairway to the main entrance of the castle keep turns to lead up to the main entrance itself. This balcony is empty and uninhabited at least, it is as the PCs approach. The Gray Maidens in area A54 Gray Maidens (5), Tactics During Combat the Gray Maidens take turns firing arrows through the arrow slits at the PCs below, taking 5-foot steps to let the others have shots as necessary.

Jul Lak'Tal transformed into a medium earth elemental and attacked the group. He the cast a wall of stone blocking off A54. Ohni, Leon, Fayrin, Jim Stern "Grumpy ol' Jim", and Ryuka, starting the guards attacking and killing Gray Maidens (5). These two moved to room A46. Entrance Hall. One was killed and three moved to room A51. Antechamber.

A46. Entrance Hall (EL 10). This entrance hall is furnished with several side tables on which stand marble busts of previous seneschals, kings, and queens of Korvosa. To a one, each has been defaced with magic to make them appear hideous and foolish oversized noses, gaping snaggle-toothed grins, and bulging eyes being common insults. Queen Ileosa used a wand of stone shape to alter these busts not long after she ordered the castle closed to the public. Creatures: Two Gray Maidens guard this chamber always, standing at attention before the southern doors. They give a cry to the alarm if they see anyone entering this room, possibly bringing additional aid from the Gray Maidens in area A54. They do their best to hold up the PCs in this area if possible to give the castle more time to react to the alarm. Gray Maidens (2). One from room 45 moved here and all three took damage. All three are also deafen. On their turn moved to room 52. And got healed and deafen removed.

A47. Cloakroom. This room is furnished with fine wooden wardrobes, which contain an assortment of cloaks, hats, and galoshes.

A48. Second Floor Midden. This midden is like area A41, but the interior is tiled with fine ceramic and furnished to a higher standard.

A49. Art Gallery. The walls and ceiling of this room are plastered with a fine mortar and decorated with stucco works and frescoes. Portraits of kings and queens hang on the walls as well. All the works of art have been defaced with magic to be rendered hideous in some way or another a particularly well-painted portrait of King Eodred II has even been slashed to ribbons. Once a harem, King Eodred II repurposed this room into an art gallery once he married Ileosa. Of course, Ileosa herself has been at work here defacing and ruining the works of art as well; the shredded portrait of Eodred II was Trina’s work and bears the girl’s signature in the lower right corner.

A50. Chair Storage. This storeroom seems primarily used to store chairs at least two dozen of them, from plain stools to comfortable armchairs some piled one atop the other and others draped with linen. The chairs have been removed from most rooms of this floor on purpose, and testify to the humiliating discipline Ileosa likes to foist on her subjects the Crimson Throne is the only chair used on this floor of the castle.

A51. Antechamber. The imps fled. This room contains several memorabilia of the Arabasti family, such as the battle standard of the five kings and a set of jousting lances on a rack. Creatures: Two invisible cleaning imps always perch on the lances here; if they see any intruders, they quickly flap into area A52 to warn the false queen before hiding from the battle to come. Imps CR 2.


A52. Throne Room. This magnificent room is lavishly decorated with frescoes, mosaics, and hanging tapestries of gilt crimson silk. Three colorful stained-glass panes on the windows present scenes of past kings and queens. A huge fireplace stands in the east corner, its mantle shaped like an enormous stone tree that has spread its branches up to the ceiling. Against the southwest wall, on a low dais of granite, sits the Crimson Throne itself, an iron throne draped with deep red silks and velvety crimson cushions.

Creatures: Although Ileosa herself is not present in the castle, only a few in the castle know that she is elsewhere, for taking her role while she is gone is a cunning simulacrum created from the queen’s own blood and the potent magic hidden in the Sunken Queen. The false Ileosa spends much of her time alone in the royal suite (areas A57–A59). The simulacrum has, so far, done an excellent job masquerading as the real Ileosa, primarily by avoiding much-extended contact with the Red Mantises, Togomor, or the Gray Maidens, claiming variously to be working on her memoirs, entertaining “special” guests, or finishing her grand plan for Korvosa. In truth, the simulacrum is not impeded by actual emotions or a sense of restlessness and is content to spend much of its time simply sitting in the royal bedroom, venturing out only periodically to speak with guests or to receive the increasingly few callers.

When the castle alarm goes off, she swiftly relocates to this chamber, taking her seat upon the Crimson Throne and patiently awaiting the arrival of the intruders. Three Gray Maidens and three black-furred flame-tongued hounds the size of small horses (Nessian war hounds) always stand guard in this chamber, despite the presence or lack thereof of the false queen. When the PCs enter the room, the false Ileosa smiles and greets them as if they were long-lost friends, thanking them for finally seeking her out. She claims to have been observing their progress over the past few months, and thanks them for the assistance they have provided the people of Korvosa before her demeanor turns cold. She informs the PCs that their services are no longer required and that if they leave Korvosa immediately and never return, she will not seek their execution as traitors to the crown. If the PCs allow the false Ileosa this long to speak, she weaves a bardic suggestion into her oration, targeting the party’s strongest fighter with a suggestion to drop his weapons and leave Korvosa.


A52. Throne Room.

False Ileosa Female human aristocrat /bard NE Medium humanoid simulacrum TACTICS During Combat The false Ileosa starts combat by using inspire courage and weaving the bardic oration with a displacement spell via her Harmonic Spell feat. In each following round, she attempts a bardic suggestion (combining each with a spell, like confusion or slow) on one PC, suggesting he abandon his weapons and leave Korvosa. She relies on her six guardians to prevent anyone from engaging her in melee, but if this tactic fails, she draws her dagger and
fights back as best she can. Morale The false Ileosa fights until destroyed. Once reduced to 0 hit points, she suddenly becomes rigid and motionless. A moment later, her features run red as she melts swiftly into a pool of blood. Redirection (Su) If this simulacrum lives, any divination spell that attempts to locate or otherwise target the real Queen Ileosa is instead redirected to target this simulacrum. The caster of the divination spell has a small chance to notice the redirection with a DC 40 Spellcraft check as the divination spell is cast, but even if the redirection is noted, it remains impossible to tell where the effect was redirected from. This effect also affects long-distance spells like dream, nightmare, sending, and demand.

Gray Maidens (2). One from room 45 moved here and all three took damage. All three are also deafening. On their turn moved to room 52. And got healed and deafen removed.

Gray Maidens (10). TACTICS During Combat These Gray Maidens do not leave their positions just before the Crimson Throne and do their best to prevent anyone from entering melee with the false Ileosa.

Nessian War hounds (3) TACTICS During Combat Called by Togomor to serve as guardians with planar binding spells, these three advanced hell hounds move forward to engage any intruders immediately upon the false Ileosa’s command. They’re smart enough to aim their breath weapons to not catch the simulacrum or any Gray Maidens when they breathe. Morale The war hounds fight to the death.

Yzahnum CR 15 Male efreeti rogue /fighter LE Large outsider (extraplanar. Is hiding in the room invisible on the ceiling.

The tapestries in this room are magnificent works of art there are six in all, each worth 1,000gold pieces. The Crimson Throne is itself a work of art worth 10,000gold pieces, but finding a buyer willing to risk the wrath of a line of monarchs should prove difficult. Those willing to pay for the throne likely do not have Korvosa’s best interests at heart, and certain heroes who seek to loot the throne would be looked upon almost as traitors by the citizens and nobles of Korvosa, despite the cruelty and evil of the current queen.

A53. Royal Reception Room. The walls of this room are covered with tapestries and the ceiling is embellished with florid fretwork. A long table, perhaps a dining table, stands in the room, yet there are no chairs to be seen. This table was used as a meeting room when the seneschal or other notables needed to meet; the lack of chairs ensured meetings here were swift and to the point. The stairs here lead up to area A64.

A54. Gatehouse Lower Gallery the Gray Maidens in the area A54 Gray Maidens (5), Tactics During Combat the Gray Maidens take turns firing arrows through the arrow slits at the PCs below, taking 5-foot steps to let the others have shots as necessary. This gallery contains a missile weapons rack and several baskets full of ammunition. Four trapdoors in the floor cover murder holes that overlook area A26. Near each murder, the hole is ceramic urns, everyone filled with a colony of green slime.

The first round, Jul Lak'Tal transformed into a medium earth elemental and wall of stone to the room. No more getting out. Beauregard "Gard" Von Stryfe, and his solar angel moved into this area to cast spells: sinking cloud and prismatic spray.

A55. Stage Hall. The ceiling of this hall is open to reveal the balustrade of a balcony thirty feet above and the interior of a lantern dome some sixty feet above. A colonnade along the room’s perimeter supports the balcony and casts a deep shadow on the walls. Along the southwest side of the room is a theatrical stage built on a wooden platform. This hall is used to host small, private shows in the keep for standing guests or seated monarchs to enjoy.
The stage was also used as a place for musicians to perform, their music welling up into the grand salon above (area A72). A cleverly hidden peephole from the royal bedchamber (area A59) looks out over the stage; the hole can be
discovered with a DC 30 Search check.

A56. Deco Storage. This storeroom is used to store dozens of curtains, props, elaborate hangings, costumes, stage dressing, and other material for the stage hall. There is nothing of any real value stored here.