Guardians of the Highest Citadel: Sartoom & Abraxas

Inviolate and unimpeachable is the Highest Citadel, the redoubt of the dead and splintered gods of the Age of Dusk. Within its impenetrable walls are said to exist riches unimaginable, the artifice of deities and the secret to immortality itself. Over the long aeons, many have tried breaching the Citadel, and none have succeeded. In the centre of the island Nol-Atun, where the men turn into crystal statues at night begins the long and tortuous Helical Path up the mountain Abarrat. Nine guardians must be faced before one may enter the Citadel, each more formidable then the previous one. These are the 5th and 7th.

The Fifth Guardian.
Sartoom is a perfect sphere of featureless black material 4 metres in diameter. It inhabits a perfectly cubical marble room with a chessboard pattern. Grotesque cubic sculptures of men, statues of squares, crucifixes, square pillars and cubes and other angular constructions are dotted throughout its lair. No object in its lair has curves of any kind(do not immediately tell this to the players, simply describe the objects) Any object or creature with any visible form of curves that sets foot in its lair is subject to desintegration rays(one per player round save vs spell or desintegration). Sartoom has 360 degree vision but it cannot perceive angles and straight lines. Thus, any object without obvious curves(like a square or a cube or a brick) is invisible to it. It is deaf, can detect invisible objects and thick as a brick but it never sleeps. Good luck players.

Stats: Doesn’t need them. Assume its basically invulnerable.

The 7th Guardian.
Abraxas is a chimera composed of the body of a giant schorpion and five male upper bodies, hairless and handsome as the sun. Its eyes are glowing pools of saphire light. When any prospective adventurers enter its lair on their way up the mountain Abarrat it will block their progress. Abraxas will explain that it will answer one question from each of the players truthfully with a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’ and ask a question in return. After one question per person has been asked it will attack and fight to the death(it does not mention this). Escape is blocked by a barrier of emrald flame. The only question it asks the players is ‘Do you have a means to slay me?’ It can detect truth from falsehood unerringly so lying will not dissuade it from attacking. Abraxas knows all the abilities of the swords in the room and will answer all questions truthfully. Abraxas will not attack if the players attempt to remove the swords, but it will defend itself if attacked. Players will find that if they attempt to carry the swords out of Abraxas’s lair they become increasingly heavy until they carrying them becomes impossible.

Within the room, embedded within the marble floor, are 6 two handed swords of dull iron, each taller then a man and seemingly forged for giants. A name is inscribed upon each in Old Sybarran. Each sword is cursed so that only one may be removed by each player and they may not be given to others.

Life – A single hit from Life will slay Abraxas instantaneously.
Doom – A single hit from Doom on Abraxas will kill the wielder and shatter Doom.
Hope – Once a player has drawn hope he feels assured that Hope can slay Abraxas with a single blow. He is wrong, though Hope can inflict damage upon it(1d12+3 per hit).
Hero’s Death – Hero’s death will slay Abraxas with one hit but will kill the wielder also. Hero’s death will shatter upon contact.
Answer – Answer does nothing but allows each Player to ask 1 more question before Abraxas attacks, provided he may ask a question in return(he always asks the same question).
Last Wish – The wielder gets to make a wish and is made aware of this immediately, though the wish may not be by him to flee the room or escape in any other way. The wielder may wish his companions past Abraxas or anywhere on the planet(except for the Highest Citadel, which may only be entered through this route). If Abraxas is slain by another blade, the wielder has escaped death and may consider himself lucky as shit. Wishing for the solution of the puzzle is kind of a smart move and is totally okay. Abraxas will attack immediately after the wish has been made, and will target the wielder.

Upon Abraxas’s death, all intact swords may be removed from his lair. They give +3 to hit and inflict d12+3 points of damage and count as a Deiophage for the purpose of harming divine creatures and piercing invulnerability.

Abraxas.
HD: 12
Speed: as plate
AC: As chain.
N. attacks: 6
Damage: 1d12 x 5 (bite attacks). 2d20 Sting. All attacks require a save vs poison to avoid melting into a pool of black superheated goop.
Special:
-100% magic resistant. Invulnerable to all but quest blades, Deiophages or similar artifact weapons.
-Abraxas is sluggish and will always strike last in the first round of combat.
Int: 20+