Aoife's blade strikes true once more, opening an even wider gash than before. As before, however, the wound immediately starts to knit together, fresh new strands of flesh forming within the bloody opening. Jorvik strides boldly forwards, deliberate in his steps as always.
Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight tries to get used to his larger form, but cannot manage to get used to his longer limbs and misses the troll entirely.
Once there is enough companions between Kuragin and the danger, the witch moves closer. The creature looks ugly, and big it certainly is. "I'm afraid I do not know anything of this monster", he confesses, and is unsure what to do. While waiting for someone else to enlighten about the monster, Kuragin hexes it with misfortune.
Coramus, wary of the creature's talons, decides to take a more circuitous route, going around the nearby building and scuffling along to get a clear line of vision on the beast.
The troll nearly slips on a nearby ice patch as Kuragin finishes his spell. He unsteadily maintains his feet... but all can see how unlucky he was to have even been near sheer ice in all this snow.
Coramus, meanwhile, skirts around for a better view of the gigantic, hulking beast.
Jorvik stands agog as the hulking troll enters the clearing. He does manage to start his raging song and move a little closer .
The first would Aoife dealt the troll all but fully seals over and it grins at her dismay, "Ти збираєшся померти тут, дівчатко! Teb Knotten ще ніколи не програв бій ще. Хі хі."
"You gonna die here, girly! Teb Knotten's never lost a fight yet. Hee hee."
The troll, clearly this 'Teb Knotten' the companions heard about earlier, doesn't seem to care that Aoife is a child and lashes out with all he has, his enormous spear darting forwards with a speed that defies his large and ungainly form.
Teb grins cruelly as he deals the massive blow to Aoife's stomach.
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"Jorvik sing now! Me want get MAD!" yells the not so little goblin.
"Boss, quit running around and get some help!"
Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight looks very concerned for his little friend, who took a frightful blow.
He steps to his right, trying to maneuver into a better tactical position, and swings his morningstar with a two-handed blow.
He does manage to start his raging song (should you choose to accept it) and move a little closer (Lockwooded).
Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight lands a brilliant blow against the troll, snapping the thing's wrist bone. Before his very eyes, however, the bone twists and begins to reset.
The youth registers the mighty impact of the spear point digging deeply and a split-second later feels an overwhelming rush of pain like nothing she could have imagined. The brimming waves of ache cascade to every corner of her body and leave a sapped, almost numb feeling in their wake. One hand touches the wound as Aoife turns to her guardian, looking outward, fearful and panicked, with large, welling eyes glistening in the frigid air.
Ishy... she thinks, but says nothing aloud. ... I'm in trouble...
Will I ever see dad again... the seemingly hopeless question flickers through her mind as Aoife replaces her grip, never once thinking of retreat, and swings with what remaining strength she can muster and bestowed upon her by Jorvik's powerful, rallying cries.
Aoife catches a glimpse of her future if that spear ever lands on her. Luckily, the troll is out of luck today and he manages to spear Aoife's thick furs instead of the girl herself. She is, perhaps, thinner than he anticipated.
Aoife's blow strikes true across Teb's neck. He spurts blood and falls to the ground clutching the grave wound with his broken hand. For now, all is quiet.
Thanks I posted twice but could get it to go. Start rage rd 1 thanks
Rd 2 throw alch Fire
Move closer draw hammer need lockwood
Maintain song
targrted his south east square.
The child turns to look at her blue-skinned friend, much larger than she was used to seeing him, and staggers, sliding through a drift of snow after swinging. Aoife looks ready to collapse, but manages a haggard mutter. "Make it dead..." her voice is faint and distant as it calls through the layers protective and heavy wrappings. "... for Thora..."
Again her hands drifts down to feel the area of the creature's vicious spear strike. With a start Aoife's eyes spring wide-open with the realization that she is not on the verge of death. The numbness and sapping pain, she realizes in a rush of exhilaration, was due to the frigid cold and she was somehow saved and sheltered by her heavily wrapped clothing.
Her eyes again look toward the towering creature with a gaze that is somehow colder and more threatening than the surrounding temperature, her anger and zeal refreshed anew as Teb Knotten falls motionless.
And Coramus does just that, rushing forward as quickly as his skinny old wizard legs can manage to scurry. A quick incantation is cast, and a large glob of acid is dropped onto the troll corpse. "Hmmmph. Creatures of winter are the worst. Those terrible witches are unnatural, they are."
The man nods sagely, against stroking at his beard. He glances at all of his companions before his gaze rests on Kuragin. His eyes widen slightly, and he adds, "Present company excluded, of course."
Ishbaad catches his breath as the troll attempts to skewer Aoife. His heart stops as she doubles over, and he focuses on the troll, as if somehow by not acknowledging the grevious wound maybe it didn't happen. She was tougher than any human he had met, and not even to double digits in age, but doubt was creeping into his mind if she was ready for this... Then suddenly she springs forward, chopping the gargantuan beast down. It seems it did miss...
"Well done child. " he pauses for a moment, the opportunity to compliment her on her perfect footwork seemed out of place. Later perhaps.
He scans the area, looking for more threats before he can let his guard down.
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Coramus strides up and tries to end the troll's existence, but it still breaths. After the splash of fire, however, its wounds begin to quiver as though in fright and do not seal over.
Ishbaad struggles to hear over the sound of the wintry vortex nearby, but he believes he can hear some low muttering sounds approaching from the north .
"Just cut its throat... That should make the breathing difficult." Kuragin says, not wanting to go near the troll. Not aware of any new dangers, he readies to hex any newcomers.
A lumbering tangle of ice shards appears from beneath the ground and looks around, alarmed to see its boss flat on his back with a rather large goblin about to crack him over the skull. Kuragin releases his slumber hex before he knows what he faces. The ice elemental never required sleep before and isn't about to start now.
Three sprites, similar to the ones the companions faced on their way to the High Sentinel Lodge, fly in to the clearing. They shriek as one and immediately hold out their hands. Coruscating colors fly from their fingers at the nearest adventurers. From their height, each only manages to hit one of the companions.
Kurgain is stunned by the spray, then he loses his sight... then he loses consciousness and falls to the ground.
Ignoring the new threat, Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight viciously brings his morningstar down upon Teb Knotten's enormous head.
Ishbaad's attention is now split between the two gigantic foes that have the group pinched. Even though the Troll is down, he knows without some extra attention, it will just be getting back up soon. He shakes off the colorful spray that the sprites unleash, and pulls out his alchemist's fire from his bandolier. Deciding it is best to reserve his tactical movement for now, he instead takes a moment to fill himself with the divine wrath of his deity.
Jorvik smashes into the ice elemental, causing great chunks of ice to break off its icy form.
Ishbaad, meanwhile, repositions himself and fills his eyes with righteous fury.
The kicks a small shower of snow and ice onto the body of Teb Knotten then turns to see the new threats emerging behind her friends. After a time (perhaps too briefly) spent surveying the situation unfolding around them, Aoife rushes through the snow toward her fallen companion. Nearby and overhead, one of the creatures float, hovering against the freezing gale of snow. Once her feet have stopped moving, the child stands astride her unconscious ally, guarding him with a readied blade.
Coramus moves closer to the sprites, ignoring the troll for now. He sends another acidic dart flying towards one of the mischievous creatures.
Aoife makes ready to defend her fallen friend as he lies, blinded and unconscious, upon the snowy ground while Coramus doesn't even seem to be in the right battle, firing off an acidic arrow into the ether.
The ice elemental rushes into the igloo before smoothly emerging from the ice hut's south western wall and slamming into the northerner with all it has .
Aoife swings at the elemental as it closes to within her reach, but is unable to make much of a dent in its hard, frozen exterior.
A chill accompanies the mighty fists of the elemental, but the stout half-elf from Irrisen shrugs off the effects of the cold .
As one, each of the sprites draws a bow and begins firing off shots at the adventurers. They prioritize the seemingly inept wizard, signing madman who dealt such a massive blow to the fearsome ice-fiend and the the massive goblin who just staved their helpless boss's head in.
While Frosty's shot goes well wide of Jorvik, Chilly lands an arrow on Coramus, and Icy lands quite the shot on Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight.
The arrows, while fairly harmless when fired by the weak sprites, carry with them a numbing cold.
Coramus manages to keep himself warm, but Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight begins to shiver uncontrollably .
On the ground, Teb Knotten's skull very slowly begins to regain its shape.
"Somebody drop fire on that troll!" Ishbaad yells to his companions, reverting a bit to his seargent days as the town guard.
Stepping back slightly, he allows himself to fall into the inspiration of Jorvik's chanting, and finally unleashes his wrath on the ice elemental, lunging forward with sanctus custos.
for
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Stepping back 5 feet, Jorvik grimaces as the full weight of the elemental slams into him.
"No matter you overgrown snowball. Today will be written the saga of these brave adventures and your death will be but a footnote in our glory!"
Raising Frostreaver, it comes around much faster than the elemental would have thought, if it had thoughts, as Jorvik uses his boiling blood to add weight to the swing.
Aoife's head glances to and fro, scanning the area and surveying the alarming number of threats surrounding her companions. Before the crippling feeling of fear can take hold, she feels Jorvik's powerful words flood her with a rush of adrenalin and rage. She releases a terrifying scream as she swings, striking out at the creature made of living ice.
Ishbaad and Jorvik both miss their mark, despite the quite heroic effort. Aoife strides forwards and smashes the ice creature with her sword and shatters it completely. Shards of ice fall to the ground all about the battle and the elemental is no more.
Coramus turns his attention to Chilly, his northern blood fighting off the effects of the tiny projectile. "I shall dissolve your flesh and toss your bones into an abyss, sprite!" He again hurls an acidic projectile at the thing, hoping for more success.
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Despite missing with the projectile, Coramus (and perhaps the other heroes as well) seem to scare the sprites. With no "big 'uns" to help them, the trio of creatures look furtively at one another. With a final rude gesture from each, the sprites fly off as one towards the winter portal. At their speed and altitude, the companions cannot hope to catch them before they are through.
At the last possible moment, a powerful wind originating from within the portal blasts the sprites backwards from the portal. The companions, further back, are forced to shut their eyes as they are pelted by wind-propelled snow. Just as suddenly as they began, the winds subside and the adventurers open their eyes.
Before them is quite the scene. The sprites are all three fallen to the ground, a look of abject terror upon their faces. From within the palisade of icicles comes the trotting of hooves. As the snow settles, the silhouette of a knight on horseback can be seen.
booms the voice, understood by all in their native tongue (as the companions discover later),
"We are sorry!" the sprites cry in unison, "We didn't know! We are so, so sorry!"
From the outline of the rider, an orange glow forms - flame, by the look of it - and arcs forth to strike the sprites where they stand. A fiery inferno engulfs them. Within seconds, all that remains are the sprites' black ash-shadows upon the snow.
The hooves start pounding at the earth again, and the rider becomes clearer. He wears coal-black enamelled armor. Adorning his full-faced helm are stylized ram's horns. He is quite the imposing sight as his jet-black destrier carries him towards the companions. After a brief moment spent surveying the scene, the rider slumps in the saddle, suddenly seeming quite weak. It is then that the gathered heroes notice the enormous shard of unnaturally blue ice sticking from his back.
With a grunt, the rider falls to the ground and the horse dissipates into smoke. Slowly, he pulls his helm from his head, revealing a sagging and wrinkled face beneath - impossibly old.
"You have defeated a winter troll, a champion of Queen Elvanna," he begins, his voice still deep and otherworldly, but also now old and tired, "You have done well! I sense greatness in you and greatness is what is needed. Please, come closer. I have matters of great import to discuss with you."
Ishbaad quickly scans the immediate area for anymore threats, but sees that it is indeed, clear. His scan goes over his companions as well, making sure that all are ok. With the elemental destroyed, Aoife is down on the ground trying to slap Kurigan awake. He pulls the hood of the yeti cloak off to release the transformative magic.
The statue man strides over to offer any assistance to the newcomer.
"I apologize for my ignorance old man, but I am yet in the dark about this monarchy which seems to be assaulting our lands. I wish to know everything, please let us make you comfortable, and tell us your tale."
and what that stubborn man might have gotten himself into... he glances towards the girl briefly
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A look of sadness crosses Jorvik's face as he realizes that another has vanquished his foes. The battle lust subsides in him, leaving him wanting more. He hefts his hammer on his shoulder and scans the battle field, surveying his companions. It seems that they all live, a bit worse for wear.
Though sorely wounded, Jorvik makes his way to stand next to Ishbaad, waiting to hear what the old warrior says.
After Kuragin begins to stir, the child backs up and makes sure he is alright before turning toward the newcomer. Her limbs are shaking in the cold, likewise her teeth are set to chattering noisily beneath the sweat-soaked scarf wrapping her head. Aoife's limb feel sapped of their strength as the unbridled rage, previously coursing venomously through her veins, drains and slowly dissipates. After a few awkward step through the gathering drifts of snow and headlong into the icy gales surging relentlessly from the glowing portal wreathed in jagged, frozen shards, the child steps up to the fallen man. Standing beside her guardian and Jorvik, there is once more fear in her eyes.
"You are hurt," her voice is all but drowned out by the ragged gusts, her winter clothing sent billowing out, away from her body. Her eyes survey the brilliant-blue shard of ice protruding from the old man's back. "Can we heal him first?" her voice laden with concern.
Ishbaad indicates the ice shard, and gets ready to pull it from his back as he drinks the potion. He makes sure Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight is ready with the wand as well.
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As Ishbaad sets about helping the wounded old man, and Aoife waits eagerly and worriedly, hoping one of her companions will be able to save him, her eye grow wide while a heavy sigh escapes her lungs. The noise which comes from the child is not that of exasperation or impatience, but rather an exclamation of profound recognition.
It is as if Aoife has just glimpsed the inner workings of some previously unseen, cosmically vast puzzle, revealed by prophecy and guided by providence, and watched as one tiny piece fell into its proper, predestined place.
"He is... The Survivor..." the child says to no one, her eyes looking unblinkingly onward. Aoife's mind flashes back while her mouth begins to recite the prophetic words of Madame Enfer, as if the soothsayer was speaking directly into her ear at this very moment. "... You will meet someone who has encountered some form of terrible trial or ordeal... They perhaps will have had friends or companions... but no more..."
"... They are alone..."
The child had held a hope, beyond measure, that these words were meant for her father, but now, looking upon the injured man, alone and nearly helpless, that The Survivor was never meant for her father at all...
Fate is cruel... the thought flickers through her mind.
As Ishbaad approaches and suggests he gets comfortable, the old knight scoffs, "Hah. Comfort is something that I will only now find in the sweet release of death... and even then..." he looks north, his eyes seeming wistful, "But there are other matters at hand. I can feel death approaching me, and there is nothing any mortal can do to stop it. This weapon in my back is woven out of legend, and has severed my ties to this plane - and all others. It was thrust into me by servants of Queen Elvanna, but I managed to escape. My brothers were not so lucky. I live now only through force of will." As if to accentuate his point, the knight shifts painfully into a half-sitting position.
"Now, listen carefully. I am, or was, Black Midnight - Baba Yaga's Black Rider. I see some of you are of the so-called 'Jadwiga'. Perhaps, you are well read enough in history to remember who I am."
The knight adjusts himself so that he is now sitting upon the ground. The ice shard in his back looks absurdly as though it is supporting him. "Queen Elvanna has attempted to overthrow the system of government that has existed since Irrisen's founding. You see, every hundred years exactly, Baba Yaga returns to Golarion to install a new daughter upon the throne of Irrisen. Some have tried to resist, but always, Baba Yaga manages to find them, defeat them and drag them with her at the anointed time.
"This time, though, Queen Elvanna has managed what none before here have: Baba Yaga has not appeared as planned. Moreover, Elvanna intends to slay everyone loyal to her mother. She hunted down those of us who would herald Baba Yaga’s return and slew my associates. I am the last of the Three Riders and a threat to Elvanna’s plans. I believe she wishes to take Baba Yaga's place and claim all of Golarion as her own. To that end, she seeks to cover the entire world in ice and snow. Thus far, her plans go well. The portal in this wood is but one of many, and the winter is spreading." An agonized grimace covers the rider's face.
"This is a lot to take in, so think on it a while. Have you any questions thus far?"
Who knows what portal Tighearnán was researching, and what guardians he encountered.
"How many is... many?" Ishbaad asks as the knight pauses. He turns to the two northerners before asking, "And how do the Jadwiga play into this?"
Not thinking about the rudeness of his stream of conciousness, Ishbaad continues before the man can answer. "If you are one of three riders, who were the other two? And... What is sticking out of your back?"
He pauses for a second, and steps back. "I apologize, I have lost my manners and sense of decency. I am Ishbaad, an Oread from these southern lands. Life was once peaceful and calm, but it seems this encroaching winter has usurped that rest. This is Aoife, daughter of Tighearnan, warrior for the Pathfinder society. He was investigating one of these portals when he disappeared, and we are in search of him. These are our unlikely companions, Jorvik, Kurigan, Coramus, and Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight, our resident alchemist. They may speak to their own motivations, but our fates ever more appear to be intertwined."
The granite skinned man finally stops to allow the knight to respond.
"This card represents an encounter with great power outside of your control. To the right of the survivor this can only mean that you must ally yourself with this power, whatever it might be, if you are to succeed in your mission."
The continued words of the harrowing ring in Ishbaad's mind.
If this man is indeed the survivor, then it appears one question has an answer, even if many more are created. I know little of Baba Yaga and her devices, whether helping him is allying with an evil force, but I do know that the evil of an entire world covered in snow is worth standing up to. War has always made strange bedfellows...
After the knight has had his moment to speak, Ishbaad perks up again. "If all three of the queen's champions are vanquished, ending with you, then who will carry out your purpose? What is left to stand in queen Elvanna's way?"
"Do you know if Lady Nazhena Vasilliovna is allied with Baba Yaga, or Queen Elvanna? We destroyed one of her dolls not to long ago."
"Master Oread, you certainly have a healthy sense of curiosity. This is good, and will serve you well in the trials to come. I know not how many portals there are, good oread, but if her plans continue to go as they are, she will have at least one for every kingdom on this planet." The rider pauses to allow the gravity of that last statement to set in.
"The shard in my back was taken from the heart of a most powerful ice elemental on the plane of ice by Elvanna herself. It is the only thing that can slay a rider permanently. The other two fell to the other shards Elvanna retrieved. They were hunted down like dogs by her minions.
"The answer to your other question, Ishbaad," says the black rider softly, "Seems clear to me now. You six must take upon yourselves the mantle of the Riders. You heroes must stop Elvanna and ensure that Baba Yaga comes to Irrisen. I feel certain she is held prisoner... and you must be the ones to free her. The fate of Golarion may well lie in the balance."
The rider looks at Ishbaad again, "Nazhena Vasilliovna is most definitely allied with Queen Elvanna. It is she who controls the portal I came through, and it will be she who you must face if you wish to close this portal down - as you must."
"Where does the portal... lead?" the child asks, her voice shaky. She seems on the verge of tears while looking at the injured man, and turns away before continuing. "The other portals... the ones scattered across the world... Do they all lead to the same place?"
Oddly, Aoife unslings her backpack and allows it to drop to the snowy earth before the stranger can respond. A moment later her enormous gauntlet-clad hands are struggling with the ties and restraints, her darkening mood in all likelihood contributing to her growing frustration, and once the bag is open, she begins rummaging through its contents. With the amount of effort and scouring the child is undergoing to search the bag, it is obvious the item she seeks is quite small.
Coramus' eyes widen in fear as he hears the Rider speak. Elvanna spreading her winter portals all over the world, seeking to cover the world in ice? The wizard understands the implications this poses for Golarion, but his mind drifts back over the decades, to beautiful women, terrible chanting, and screams. Was Fate catching up to him at long last? Perhaps he had avoided the winter witches those decades ago, only now to be consumed by their lust for life and eternity.
"Baba Yaga imprisoned? How would Elvanna have managed this!?" He shakes his head, as if to deny the whole thing. Finally, he looks up, "I can not keep running and allow Elvanna to encapsulate Golarion in an icy vise. I shall help, Rider, though I feel woefully inept for such a task."
The black rider shakes his head apologetically at Aoife, perhaps sensing that this knowledge is important to her, "The other portals all lead to the various baronies in Irrisen, and I imagine a good many are located in Whitethrone itself. This is the only one I found, and the closest town is a village called 'Waldsby'.
"As for how Queen Elvanna managed to capture Baba Yaga," the rider turns to Coramus, "I cannot say. I am certain it has something to do with Baba Yaga's Dancing Hut. Without it, Baba Yaga cannot easily travel worlds - though I imagine even that loss will not be sufficient to stop her. Something else must be binding the Queen of Witches. In any case, Elvanna stole the hut and put it on display in Irrisen’s capital, Whitethrone, as a symbol of her power.
"If you are to succeed at stopping this global winter, you must go through the portal to Irrisen and find the Dancing Hut. Then, you must use Baba Yaga's Dancing Hut to find her. The hut is a powerful artifact that can cross great distances, even travel between worlds. If you can control the hut, it can take you to Baba Yaga.”
The absurdity of the last set of statements is not lost on those from Irrisen. The Dancing Hut is a thing of legend, and a powerful symbol of Baba Yaga herself. To not only enter it, but travel in it? That, is flat out ridiculous.