Read the following when the heroes meet Lutheria:
There are many ways that the encounter with Lutheria can play out, depending upon the actions of the heroes.
The Bacchanal#
The garden is filled with Lutheria’s servants, all of whom are engaged in debauchery and drunken revelry. The participants include two Lamias, two Satyr Minstrels, and seven Goatlings (appendix B, The Great Labors). All but Lutheria are drunk (they have the Poisoned condition).
Lutheria’s servants urge the heroes to join in the revelry, forcing drinks into their hands and trying to entice them with sensual words. But joining the revelry is, in effect, a death sentence by poisoning.
Heroes who drink the wine must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or else they become Poisoned and abandon their senses. While participating in the revelry, they take 1d6 Psychic damage each round. In order to regain control of themselves, the heroes must make a successful DC 15 Wisdom saving throw.
Refusing to join in has no immediate consequences. Lutheria turns a withering gaze upon each person in the heroes’ party, then tosses back her drink and ignores them. Your players should feel uneasy about their refusal to join—it’s not wise to spoil Lutheria’s fun. Attacking Lutheria will cause all her servants to abandon their revelry and rush to her defense, even though they are drunk and effectively poisoned.
Lutheria’s Jokes#
- Lutheria (appendix A) is unwilling to discuss anything until she’s had a chance to test the heroes.
Lutheria deadpans the following jokes. With each joke, the entire entourage bursts into a chorus of laughter. Lutheria does not laugh. She watches the heroes intently, gauging their reaction.
What is the most disgusting thing imaginable?
A bag full of dead mortal children.
And what is more disgusting than that?
One at the bottom is still wriggling.
What’s the difference between an onion and an
innocent mortal child? I cry when I chop up an onion.
It should be clear to your players that they are actually expected to laugh out loud at these jokes. If anyone refuses to laugh, Lutheria becomes irate. She points at each hero who failed to laugh and berates them.
On the other hand, if the heroes humor Lutheria by laughing at her jokes, then she applauds their sense of humor. This puts her in a better mood to bargain.
Dealing with Lutheria#
At this point the encounter will play out differently if the Doomed One or Haunted One are present. Refer to Epic Backgrounds: The Doomed One or Epic Backgrounds: The Haunted One later in this section.
If neither are present, then the heroes can proceed in one of three ways.
1: They can challenge Lutheria to a Game of Twenty Squares (appendix C). Refer to The Royal Game below.
2: They can ask to renew the Oath of Peace. Refer to Renewing the Oath below.
3: They can attack Lutheria. Refer to Fighting Lutheria below.
The Royal Game#
The heroes may challenge Lutheria to the Game of Twenty Squares (appendix C). Lutheria loves the game, but she rarely gets to play it, because she has a habit of killing anyone who beats her at it.
Before the game begins, three winged forms set down on the deck to watch the game. These are the Furies (Erinyes) from the Room of Far Sight (area S33). They have come to enforce the rules of the game and prevent anyone
from backing out prematurely. This annoys Lutheria, but she has no choice but to accept it. If the players become hostile or uncooperative, the Furies summon seven
- Erinyes for backup and banish the heroes to the Island of the Oathbreakers (area N5).
Playing the Game#
Refer to the Game of Twenty Squares entry in appendix C for details about the rules of the game. Lutheria uses an ancient rule that has been forgotten by mortals: since the heroes challenged her to the game, she has the right to determine the wager. The Furies agree to this.
Lutheria’s Strategy#
Lutheria loves the game almost as much as she hates losing. Over the centuries, she has devised a way of cheating without detection. When she fails one of the opposed skill rolls, she may spend one of her uses of Legendary Resistance to automatically win the roll instead. All of Lutheria’s rolls should be hidden behind the GM screen. Heroes with high passive Perception scores may notice her cheating, but the Furies are incapable of detecting it. Lutheria is unsportsmanlike during the game. She gloats when she wins a round and sulks when she loses. She becomes increasingly agitated when she’s losing. She may go so far as to expend all three uses of Legendary Resistance in order to ensure her own victory.
Lutheria Loses#
If the heroes win the match, then Lutheria loses her temper. She slaughters all seven of the Goatlings (appendix B, The Great Labors) that served as her pieces. The goddess is now in a terrible mood and attacks the heroes unprovoked. Her rage makes her incautious and she has Disadvantage on her attacks and saving throws for the first round of combat.
Lutheria Wins#
If the heroes lose the match, then Lutheria is absolutely delighted. She slaughters all seven of the Ultros’ crew that served as their pieces. The Furies ensure that the wager is honored before departing. The goddess is now in an excellent mood and is willing to grant each of the heroes a Blessing if they are willing to renew the Oath of Peace (see below). She allows each hero to choose from two Blessings.
Renewing the Oath#
If the heroes ask Lutheria to renew her commitment to the Oath of Peace, then she will agree to do so under one condition: the entire party must swear an indefinite Oath of Service to her. The heroes would be required to do essentially anything she asks for the rest of their lives, as if under the effects of an unbreakable Geas spell.
Terms of the Oath#
- Lutheria (appendix A) agrees not to harm any of the mortal cities of Thylea. Her temples would remain standing, and she would still require sacrifices, but things would continue much as they have been. Lutheria has no interest in her husband’s schemes. The
heroes would still be free to assail Praxys and battle Sydon or negotiate with him separately. She will not interfere with these tasks. She agrees not to demand anything of the players until after they have dealt with her husband (after the Battle of Mytros).
If the heroes don’t agree to her terms, then she attacks. Refer to Fighting Lutheria below.
- Lutheria (appendix A) spends the first round in combat laughing uncontrollably at the lifetime of misfortune that she inflicted on them.
- Lutheria (appendix A) concentrates all her efforts on killing the Haunted One. The Haunted One needs to destroy Lutheria’s scythe to release the souls of their lost family.
Fighting Lutheria#
If neither the Doomed One or the Haunted One are present, then if the heroes provoke a battle with Lutheria, whether by attacking her or by annoying her too much, read the following:
The heroes are immediately attacked by all of the creatures participating in the bacchanal. Lutheria (appendix A) joins the battle after one round, gleefully inflicting as much damage as she can with her scythe. She loudly orders her minions to torture and crucify the heroes.
This battle should be very difficult, and it should force the heroes to expend all of their resources. You might need to bring in reinforcements from elsewhere on the Hypnos in order to increase the challenge. You may also choose to have Lutheria summon undead servants, such as Wights and Ghosts, to assist in the battle.
Estor Arkelander#
If Estor has the Xiphos of Slaughter (appendix C), he waits until the heroes are attacked by Lutheria to make his move. He will join the fight at Initiative count 1. Read the following:
This attack deals 50 Hit Points of damage to Lutheria. Use Estor’s improved statistic block on the next page for the remainder of the fight.
Estor cannot fight the Titan alone, so if the heroes renew the Oath of Peace, he will be furious. He will unleash this fury on the heroes once they have left the Hypnos.
Defeating Lutheria#
If the heroes fight and defeat Lutheria read the following: