Dom is still not done worrying, but at least Hadda seemed to have figured something out. "Hm, I guess is there anything on the mountain that might meet us on our way back?"
Ingrit watches on, both amazed and intrigued at the monumental magic involved in such a thing.
Before Hadda can speak again, a new voice cuts through the area from the north passageway. It is a woman's voice and when people look they see
It appears to be a night hag. NE outsider. This is their reputation: Terrifying murderesses and greedy soul brokers, night hags prey upon mortals while they’re most vulnerable. Preferring to kill their prey slowly, haunting their dreams night after night, these hags trap the tormented souls of their victims within dark gems so they might be sold in the infernal markets of the outer planes. Night hags vary widely in appearance, standing between 5-1/2 and 7 feet tall, and weighing from 150 to 300 pounds. This one is about 6 feet tall and appears strong and nimble despite signs of aging on her face and skin.
"What I want to know is what the Three Riders look like and what is their fate?" She sounds stern and threatening and her stance suggests she is hostile.
"No, I don't see any--"
Hearing something back in her own body--or at least she thinks she did--Hadda tries to return.
She feels stuck for a moment. But it's almost a willing stuck-ness, like a measure of comfort being in this state. But she needs to return.
Hadda's features return to normal and she sways slightly as she takes in...
...a night hag? This one hadn't been mentioned by Jadrenka as a part of the coven. Was she a free agent? Friend or foe?
Hadda reaches to her left sleeve and pulls it up to display the sigil of the White Rider's Mantle. "I cannot describe the Black Rider, but I met Bright Morning before he died." She describes the White Rider in extensive detail, down to the wounds that he had suffered by the time she found him. "I last saw Red Sun after he was executed by the traitorous Queen Elvanna, impaled on a fence outside of the then-chained Hut of Baba Yaga." She similarly describes the Red, for what she could see through the mess of execution. Then she gestures towards Rurik, Ingrit, and Dom. "The three of them accepted a quest from Black Midnight to rescue the Dancing Hut, where we met them. They can provide his description, along with a description the hut's keys that they received from him."
"Why do you care what their fate is?" Crasius asks as he wonders where this new hag came from.
Dom knew nothing about night hags, so he to Vala--searching for signs of whether Vala kew this hag and saw her as a threat.
Studying the fiendish looking old woman as Hadda relates her meeting of the White Rider and discovery of the Red, she nods at the mention of the BLack Rider, chiming in with his description and relating the passing of the mantle, that she and Domitian had experienced firsthand.
Heartstone (Su) All night hags carry a heartstone—a special gemstone worth at least 1,800 gp that is worn as a periapt. A heartstone’s magic is fueled by the hag’s spirit and proximity—once separated from its owner (or upon the hag’s death), a heartstone retains its magic for only 24 hours before becoming a nonmagical gem again. The heartstone instantly cures any disease contracted by the holder. In addition, a heartstone provides a +2 resistance bonus on all saving throws. A night hag that loses this charm can no longer use etherealness or soul bind until it finds a replacement gemstone.
Immune charm, cold, fear, fire, sleep
Resistances none but does have Spell Resistance.
...a night hag? This one hadn't been mentioned by Jadrenka as a part of the coven. Was she a free agent? Friend or foe?
Hadda reaches to her left sleeve and pulls it up to display the sigil of the White Rider's Mantle. "I cannot describe the Black Rider, but I met Bright Morning before he died." She describes the White Rider in extensive detail, down to the wounds that he had suffered by the time she found him. "I last saw Red Sun after he was executed by the traitorous Queen Elvanna, impaled on a fence outside of the then-chained Hut of Baba Yaga." She similarly describes the Red, for what she could see through the mess of execution. Then she gestures towards Rurik, Ingrit, and Dom. "The three of them accepted a quest from Black Midnight to rescue the Dancing Hut, where we met them. They can provide his description, along with a description the hut's keys that they received from him."
Diplomacy, try to improve the hag's attitude 28
The hag's eyes brighten upon hearing Hadda's descriptions and she waits to hear what the others describe.
"I have something that the Queen gave me to give to you. But before I give it to you, rid this place of that traitor Grishelmuk!" She points at Vala, who blanches and instantly changes form from the pregnant young woman to a Green Hag, hunchbacked, with sickly green skin, with a tangle of dark grey hair.
Night Hag (Nostafa):
Crasius:
Domitian:
Hadda:
Ingrit:
Rurik:
Seke:
Round 1
Ingrit
Wapiti
Dom
Night Hag (delay)
Crasius
Seke (GM will 'bot)
Hadda
Rurik
Grishelmuk
There is no smile on Hadda's face as the night hag confirms what she had suspected about Vala-Grishelmuk. But there is satisfaction.
"You freely admit what you have done, Grishelmuk," she says. "And as promised, you'll die for your crimes."
In spite of any wooziness she might feel from having gone from a woman to mountain and back to a woman again in the span of a couple of minutes, Hadda has her faculties about her. She pulls out her trust stick of licorice root (a good thing she liked the taste well enough) and chews a bite to paste on her tongue as her fingers begin weaving a rune in the air. As she gets into position, she and her allies feel time dilate.
As the hag reveals herself as the monster they'd come to slay, Ingrit takes a step back, leaving a clear past for Dom, while immediately firing a barrage of arrows at the murdering witch.
The moment Ingrit goes into action, Wapiti attacks the transforming hag, lashing out with his antlers and hooves, the monster's erratic twitching transformation making her more difficult to hit.
Ingrit's first two arrows pierce the sickly green skin of the hag, but the third arrow fails to fully penetrate her thick hide.
Wapiti's antlers have the same difficulty penetrating Grishelmuk's skin, but her first hoof strikes her in the chest and does some internal damage.
Round 1
Dom
Night Hag (delay)
Crasius
Seke (GM will 'bot)
Hadda (casts haste)
Rurik (haste)
Grishelmuk (25 lethal)
Round 2
Ingrit (haste)
Wapiti (haste)
Crasius starts speaking, "Could it be true...might the woman have tried to lure the party to it's death.."
Dom will delay momentarily until after Crasius, then begin striking at Grishelmuk!
;
;
;
Rurik throws down the salutory opening prayer spell to give the team an edge.
Dom's falcata cuts across the hag's throat, causing her blood to spurt as she collapsed and died.
The night hag seemed satisfied by the demonstration of power and ruthlessness in defeating Grishelmuk.
"My name is Nostafa. Unlike Caigreal and her coven, I am loyal to the Queen of Witches. She foresaw that she might suffer a great betrayal and need help from her riders. She left this with me to give to any rider or any bearing the mantle of the riders."
Nostafa hands Hadda a bottle with a cork securing its contents.
Nostafa says, "Deep within the womb of the Crone stands a ring of sacred stones dedicated to night, winter, aging, and the inevitable arrival of death. These menhirs function like the standing stones in this room and another like it in the Maiden. Do not enter the pit unless you are ready to pass over to the Boneyard. Once you retrieve the key Baba Yaga left for you, find Jadrenka and she will give you the other key."
Nostafa directs the group through the door at the end of the passage leading north. Following the passage on the other side of the door will take the group into the Crone, to a room with four doors. Take the rightmost door after entering the room. That leads to a room that leads into the room with the Eon Pit.
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Hadda tilts her head to the side as Dom makes quick work of the hag, lowering her spellcasting hand in the midst of her spell. For the first time since they began traveling together, she reappraises the man even more favorably than before.
He was a good man. She had known that already. He carried himself with the zeal of someone who thought of--cared deeply for--other people. When he saw someone in need, even if she was actively deceiving him, he was ready to protect her with everything in his power. But when presented with undeniable controverting evidence, he didn't hesitate. She appreciated that. A strong hand such as his was one to keep on her side, especially when those who stood in their way could do the same and worse if they had their druthers.
Rescinding the arcane energy back within her, Hadda's hand trembles as she gathers herself into a gentle bow towards Nostafa. "Hadda Sogard, daughter of Mirnbay," she says. "Thank you for confirming that we were with a traitor. We had been looking for her these last couple of days." Rising, she retrieves the bottle and uncorks it.
---
Her own blood: well, that was Elvanna, yes? So at least Baba Yaga was aware, and able to actually send messages. That was good. Hadda didn't suspect that such a powerful geas would be so easily imprinted if the originator of the magic was entirely indisposed. But this brought a measure of comfort. She had so far been proceeding under the assumption that this was a task that could actually be completed instead of a hopeless cause. Otherwise, it would have been more tempting to find a way out of this enterprise. So, then: good.
She was not eager to die. Not yet. She wanted to traverse the planes and experience new worlds under her own auspices, thank you very much.
And Baba Yaga could lead her that way. So the way was clear.
"To the Eon Pit, then."
Rurik halts before he releases his spell, as the sudden and incredible violence solves problems before they can become bigger problems.
"I wonder how many evil extraplanar entities we'll be putting into the ground as we continue to follow this thread. I suspect many."
"Enough, I warrant. Especially since one of Baba Yaga's chief enemies, and the one whose servants are responsible for a lot of this mess, is a demon lord," Hadda muses.
"For every one that we do, countless others will not suffer at their hands in the future. Fine by me." Ingrit replies.
"It has not been long since we rested, but are we ready to enter the Boneyard? It might be prudent to rest again and for those of you who change spells to focus on what we will likely find in such a place." Crasius says.
"No one's ready to enter the Boneyard," Hadda quips. "But if we delay, we give our enemies even more of a chance to prepare. We must continue."
For a moment, Dom looks to make sure that there was no baby still within the womb of this creature. "Oh, and I had trusted that woman--nay, hag. Such foolishness. I know Jadrenka said we should try to spare the life of this hag--but I was not ready for half measures against a dangerous foe!"
He wipes his sword clean, then readies it once more. "To the Eon Pit. Let us find this key, and earn Jadrenka's trust."
Passing through the door north of the room where the hag was slain, the rooms and passages are dark and cold, with a motif of winter, darkness, and death throughout. All the room are under the effect of a permanent darkness spell and are kept unnaturally cold with permanent cantrips that keep the temperature just above the freezing point.
The passageway takes the group uphill with a few minor changes in direction for 150 feet, ending in a locked door. The door is decorated with a wreath of goat skulls woven together with catgut and cornhusks and then hardened and stuck to the door with lime and shellac.
A bent and aged crone stands in the center the cornfield, leaning heavily on a staff.
Hadda confers with her allies on their needs for comfort and safety, selecting the appropriate spell for the situation. All the while, she comfortably admires some of the decorations and motifs. The skulls are a bit much, but she had never especially been a fan of using them as decoration. They just crossed the bridge from macabre to be on-the-nose for her, like the decorator was insisting that they were to be feared.
As she considers these things, she retrieves her picks, waits for her allies to indicate that they were ready, and picks the lock.
Or at least, she tries to. Hopefully this wouldn't be a repetition of the menhir circle, where the others stood awkwardly around for a while waiting for her to demonstrate that she knew what she was doing.
Oh! The lock was reversed from the usual way that she was accustomed to encountering when on this side of the door. An interesting design, but not one that she couldn't handle. With a click, Hadda smiles and backs out of the way to resume her place in the marching order.
Dom watches the skulls and shadows warily--one never knew when they might come alive. "Thanks for the light, Hadda. Whoever lives here sure likes it dark and grim." He waits close to Hadda as she works on the tricky lock.
Hadda opens the lock on her second attempt.
A withered cornfield extends in all directions beneath a waning moon in a starry night sky. Dozens of dead ravens lie strewn on the ground among the shriveled stalks.
A bent and aged crone stands in the center the cornfield, leaning heavily on a staff. She stands about 30 feet from the door.
Seeing you, she shuffles slowly forward and to her left, beckoning you toward her as if she's annoyed at the interruption.
Adelia disappears into the cornstalks and appears again climbing up the old woman's staff and onto her shoulder, where she appears to be whispering into the old woman's ear.
When the group gets close enough, she speaks, her voice husky with age, “The cancer grows in the womb of the Crone. To face the Curse of Eons, you must have time on your side.”
She takes a key from a necklace with many keys. This has a golden red patina and an emblem Hadda recognizes as an Iobarian symbol of light and warmth.
She answers no questions and reaches out and a door appears, similar to the door through which the group entered the area. It leads to an ten foot wide passage that descends and turns right after 30 feet. The passage is again cold and dark. There is a door around the corner.
The door hangs open on bent hinges and bears huge gashes on its splintered surface.
Beyond is a room fifty feet left to right and fifty feet deep, although it narrows to 30 feet wide for the last 20 feet
The remains of a giant wooden statue, carved to resemble a stooped and ancient beldame, lie broken and scattered across the floor of this chamber. A set of massive iron double doors stands in the south wall, their faces engraved with a procession of humanoid figures. At the top of the doors, the figures are young women in the bloom of youth, but as the parade continues down the doors, the figures age, turning into pregnant matrons, stooped crones, and finally, at the bottom of the doors, into capering skeletons that vanish into a gaping tomb. The room is lit by a pair of torches in sconces all the corners of the room.
A pair of frost giants stand guard beside these doors holding greataxes at the ready. They see you as soon as you see them.
Hadda briefly considers telling Jadrenka--at least she assumes this is Jadrenka, perhaps in a form cohering with the portion of Artrosa they were in--about what they had done. But as Adelia leaves their company and clambers up to her mistress, she guesses that the familiar is providing the report. She holds her breath, hoping that it will be a positive report. And then--based on the response--she assumes that it is.
She has plenty of questions. Why did witches insist on speaking in riddles? But it's clear that Jadrenka intends for them to complete this final task on their own. Hadda makes sure that her bow and buckler are ready and descends down the gyn-stairs in her place.
When at the bottom she sees the frost giants, she smiles. Finally, more enemies that she knew how to deal with.
Fill them with arrows.
.
Dom has his sword, his armor, and some fine wine--enough to face giants with the allies at his side.
Ingrit is silent throughout the progression through the grim chambers, except to aid her companions in properly bundling and dealing with the deepening cold. Born and raised in snow and ice, she herself is unaffected by the cold, her natural tolerance bolstered by clothing and gear, both natural and magical.
ASs the Frost Giants come into sight, she gives a grim smile, reaching for her quiver with grim focus.
Domitian:
Hadda:
Ingrit:
Rurik:
Seke:
Frost Giant 2
DC 17
FG1:
FG2:
Initiative Order
Hadda
Seke
Rurik (haste)
Ingrit (haste)
Wapiti (haste)
Dom (haste)
Crasius (haste)
Frost Giant 2 (blind)
Frost Giant 1 (blind)
In another encounter with the warden of Atrosa, Jadrenka, as a crone, she speaks, her voice husky with age, “The cancer grows in the womb of the Crone. To face the Curse of Eons, you must have time on your side.”
She takes a key from a necklace with many keys. This has a golden red patina and an emblem Hadda recognizes as an Iobarian symbol of light and warmth.
She answers no questions and reaches out and a door appears, similar to the door through which the group entered the area. It leads to an ten foot wide passage that descends and turns right after 30 feet. The passage is again cold and dark. There is a door around the corner.
The door hangs open on bent hinges and bears huge gashes on its splintered surface.
Beyond is a room fifty feet left to right (east to west) and fifty feet deep, although it narrows to 30 feet wide for the last 20 feet to the south. Map will be available soon.
The remains of a giant wooden statue, carved to resemble a stooped and ancient beldame, lie broken and scattered across the floor of this chamber. A set of massive iron double doors stands in the south wall, their faces engraved with a procession of humanoid figures. At the top of the doors, the figures are young women in the bloom of youth, but as the parade continues down the doors, the figures age, turning into pregnant matrons, stooped crones, and finally, at the bottom of the doors, into capering skeletons that vanish into a gaping tomb. The room is lit by a pair of torches in sconces all the corners of the room. Normal light level here.
A pair of frost giants stand guard beside these doors holding greataxes at the ready. They see you as soon as you see them.
Hadda reacts first, from the back of the group. She sprinkles a pinch of mica in the air, utters an arcane word, and points at the giants. Golden mote of light flies into the room and explodes into a spray of glittery gold particles that stick to the giants and the ground and walls around them.
Caught by surprise, the giants hold their axes at the ready but their eyes, coated in gold particles don't see what's in front of them.
Seke does something similar from the back of the group, casting a spell. Everyone feels a moment of slight vertigo as times seems to slow down, a feeling that always precedes the spell that hastens everyone's speed and agility.
Dom has no spells for this battle, but plenty of rage! Hastened by his ally, he charges at the nearest giant.
.
Regrettably, he stumbles, unable to control its fury to good purpose, his falcata swinging wide of the mark!
He stands ready to deflect any blow directed at him.
Rurik opens with a bless spell, as usual.
"Two giants loom ahead, trying to impede the path we must tread.." Crasius begins his chant as he moves forward with his bow ready.
Ingrit is a terrifying blur of motion, unleashing a devastatingly accurate barrage of arrows at the other of the blinded Frost giants, commanding Wapity to dispatch the other.
Thundering across the distance after Dom, Wapiti takes advantage of the Ulfen warrior's miss, lowering his antlers and plowing into the giant at full tilt.
FG1:
FG2:
FG1: Target:
AC 30
Miss
Target:
Miss
FG2:
AC 22
miss
miss
Seke:
As Rurik blesses the battlefield and Crassius begins to motivate everyone to be extra heroic, Ingrit and Wapiti assault the blinded giants. All of Ingrit's arrows stick in the south giant's torso, including one in his neck, while Wapiti impaled the other with his impressive rack of antlers.
The giants shake their heads, trying to regain their sight, but they fail. Still they strike out at their unseen assailants.
The giant on the right swings twice at Wapiti but cannot hit the nimble beast. The other steps closer to where he can hear the battle and swings at Dom. One of the attacks is coming right for him, but his accelerated reflexes allow him to lean back and avoid the hit.
Hadda says an another arcane word and when she shouts, "Virtue blesses all with hope!" everyone indeed feels more confident of success.
Seke advances to the door and sends a lightning bolt at the left giant, causing a loud boom of thunder. The bolt hits and arcs of electricity range up and down his body for a few seconds, leaving him burned.
Rurik (haste, bless, IC, Good Hope)
Ingrit (haste, bless, IC, Good Hope)
Wapiti (haste, bless, IC, Good Hope)
Dom (haste, bless, IC, Good Hope)
Crasius (haste, bless, IC, Good Hope)
Frost Giant 2 (blind, 114/133 lethal)
Frost Giant 1 (blind, 114/133 lethal)
Round 3
Hadda (haste, bless, IC)
Seke (haste, bless, IC, Good Hope)
"Though the massive creatures cannot see us, still they pose a massive risk..." Crasius considers his chant as he sends a barrage at the closer giant.
Wapiti continues to savagely attack the frost giant in front of him, driving his antlers deep into the giant's belly to pick it up and slam it down again, following with powerful blows from his hooves.