Dez listens carefully to Tryva and then watches with wondering eyes as the raven magnificently dissolves into the pool.
He then turns to examine the amulet.
”The rune here says "Artrosa". It sounds like a name.”
Dez rolls his head back and rolls the word on his tongue…
”Artosa… Artosa… of course! Artrosa is a place in Iobaria where there are a trio of giant carved statues… known as "The Three Who Watch". Are we meant to go there?”
"That seems to be Tryva's instruction, aparently admonishing us that the moon must be waxing or we will not have access to the Maiden." "Fascinating."
"And what did he mean, that we did the challenge out of order? We went where he told us to!" Yrja huffs, clearly frustrated.
"Then I suppose we need to ask the hut to take us to Iobaria. Have any of you ever been? I don't know much about the place, to be honest."
What does Dez know about Iobaria?
Iobaria is a land destroyed by plague. It was settled by Ulfens coming down from the Crown of the World, but necromancers and evil drakes continued to rain disease upon the land until it was essentially abandoned. It's sparsely populated by humans and is largely the realm of fey, centaurs, and giants. As with other places of legend in Golarion, the cyclopes once had strongholds here, but they were abandoned long ago. You recall that Artrosa is in the Dvezda Marches, named for the Dvezda tribe of centaurs. They also were diminished by plague, but other centaurs have no doubt claimed those lands.
Orik frowns, when reminded of Iobaria, ”mmmm. Not a good place to go. They say the land is cursed.”
"Of course it is," Yrja sighs. "What about the other doors here? Should we check them out?" She glances at the pool where the raven disappeared. "I suppose they have other challenges, perhaps we will get more clues about what we are supposed to do. Right now we only have a location."
"I am happy to follow whatever decision the group makes, but I fear continuing to explore the hut will just lead to more dangers and confusion. My impression from the raven was that we could just proceed to Iobaria. But, again, I am willing to follow the decision of the group."
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"I think... we may already be there. So we could try to exit the Hut and see what happens," offers Yrja.
You find yourselves in front of the Twilight Door once more. A symbol carved upon the door to this chamber resembles an inverted half-circle with a horizontal line across the top and several lines exiting the circle. A single extended arrow points downward in the center. This is the symbol for Twilight, in a style favored by Iobarian
witches.
Dez checks for traps or locks; there are none, and he opens the door for you all. A slight chill wafts through this room, carrying the stale scent of carrion and peat. Beyond, a dark and dead forest seems to have devoured the entire chamber. Unlike the vibrant, thorny green of the fey-invaded Market Square, this vegetation is a tangled knot of black, leafless trees, and fine flakes of rusted iron cover the floor, softly crumbling to dust.
Some paces through the forest--it's passible, just barely--you can see a pale light emanating from a fist-sized orb that rests within a nest of black iron branches. Shadows radiate from the branches, turning most everything near it bleached bone on the "sunny" side, and ebon blackness on the shadowed side.
As you step into the forest--er, the room--another raven flaps down to land upon the orb, casting the shadow of an enormous, roc-sized raven above it.
Dez immediately sees that this raven has an iron amulet, wrapped upon its leg.
At the same time, Yrja remembers some lore about these ravens.
You recall Mahb telling you about the three ravens who serve as Baba Yaga's seers--of far distant places, and of times yet to come. Because of their riddles and unwillingness to give truths easily, they are sometimes known as the "Liar Seers", but it's an unfair appellation. Beware, though, the person who tries to harm them or steal from them--curses fall from the heavens to affect any would-be thieves.
Sighing inwardly, Yrja nods at the raven.
"Greetings. We are in service of Baba Yaga. We have completed Tryva's challenge. Do you have another challenge for us?"
The raven bobs its head in what must be a yes motion.
"I am Moc. To receive my knowledge, my challenge is a simple one."
Born twins, they live not,
Yet they grow until death.
Their fates are of’n tied.
Ever-crescent, as the moon,
Symbols of the warrior’s pride.
“The answer to this question lies in the chamber beyond. Bring me the answer, and I shall give you what you seek.”
You notice a narrow, thorny passage to his left.
"Oooh, that's a tricky one! I can't think of the answer right now, but let's see what we find in the next room."
Yrja's braincogs are already turning, the tielfing muttering to herself as she tries out and discards possible answers. "Ears? Some kind of weapon? The moon is not 'ever-crescent', though..."
Dez listens closely, but his too literal brain is no good with riddles, which is not something he's thrilled to admit. Instead, of engaging with the others to figure it out, he peers down the passage to the raven's left...
... but his embarrassment apparently clouds his vision.
Elbrynn smiled, thinking of Ketephys.
The hunt was on!
"I have a guess of what the bird is looking for, though I will not share it unless I am certain. Onward."
The room before you appears to be a desolate plain dotted with megaliths and dead trees. You stand before a completely destroyed ring of stones, shattered down to a mere outline of what once stood here, save for the outer ring, which is about the height of a dwarf at your end, and rising up to half-giant height on the western side of the ring. A large, gnarled and leafless tree dominates the center of the site. If it drew life by cracking these stones in the past, it does so no longer--the cruel talons of its branches all appear to be desiccated and devoid of any remaining vitality.
"Now this is different. Anyone have any idea what to make of this?"
"I wonder if the tree has shattered the stones. Everything feels dead here." Yrja begins to search for traces of magic.
Dez isn't sure what is going on in this space, save that it's another pocket dimension, like many of Grandmother's rooms.
Yrja can tell that the room has a sour taste, magically speaking, like it has been inhabited by something that brushed against the Chasm of Shadow--dark, and fiendish.
As soon as she senses this, you can all smell it...like fermented black mud, and sweat, and a nauseating gluey smell like a pack of dead dogs left out in the rain.
Snuffling and stamping, an enormous boar comes out behind the rocks, its small eyes blazing an unholy red. Flies buzz around its bristly crest and its reek continues to assault your noses as it stares at you in sheer animal rage.
A name comes to Yrja, whispered once by Mahb...a creature that brought death and destruction to many villages in a far-off place called Gelglast. This is the Beast of Gelglast, plucked out of time and space by Baba Yaga.
Boared to Death Round 1
Dez
Orik
Anyanka
Yrja
The Beast
Elbrynn
Dez sniffs the air and is startled to see the boar appear, but he quickly prepares for the fight that is sure to come. Seeing the size of the beast, he quaffs a long arm extract, and he studies the boar for weaknesses (studied combat). He waits for the beast to approach, rapier in hand.
"Oh no... The Beast of Gelglast. The stories did not do justice to the stench."
Making a disgusted face, Yrja's fingers quickly weave a sign in the air as the witch takes a step back to try and escape the reek.
”I don’t know what it is, but I know something to hunt when I see it” Orik doesn’t mind the range, and grabs two of his reusable arrows, letting them loose against the presumed enemy.
Anya intently studies the boar, drawing her scimitar while attempting to identify it.
Action: Studied Target, draw
One arrow from Orik's bow sprouts from the Beast's neck, but it hardly notices. Anyanka fails to discern anything meaningful from this giant boar.
It rushes out from the rubble, snorting and squealing, stopping dangerously close to the group, save for Yrja, who hovers in the twilight sky above.
The Beast smells much worse up close, and you can see that it isn't very dainty when it comes to bathing.
Elbrynn is up, then on to Round 2!
"Star, fly ahead, attack its face."
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Star flies toward the beast, doing its best..
It misses with its claw, but it manages to distract the Beast!
Boared to Death Round 2
Dez
Orik
Anyanka
Yrja
The Beast, shaken
Elbrynn
Orik keeps up the pressure on the boar.
Dez watches the beast closely, and decides to let it come to him. When the beast gets within 10 feet, he will strike with his rapier, using the advantage of his magically lengthened arms. He will also take a step diagonally back to the right as part of the readied action. Then if the beast continues to approach he will take an attack of opportunity, again using reach.
Due to sapping offensive, the beast, as my studied target, cannot take AoOs for one round (against anyone).
Yrja hexes the boar, attempting to soften it up against future debilitating effects.
Anyanka will be patient and ready a strike, should the beast walk right into the reach of her scimitar.
Orik pelts the Beast with arrows, and Dez slashes at it with his aberrant reach.
Yrja's Hex lands like a cold mist onto the Beast, causing it to shake its head and snort loudly.
The Beast stamps and rushes at its last tormentor, the tiefling, triggering Dez' slash.
The Beast manages to tap Dez with a tusk--and drops dead.
Combat is over!
Even the Beast's blood is stinky.
Yrja wraps a scarf around the lower half of her face as she dispels her flying magic and approaches the dead boar.
"Exceptionally well-done, everyone. This creature has brought so much death to others, but now its menace is ended."
She points at the fearsome tusks. "I believe this is the answer to the riddle."
Anyanka removes the Beast's tusks without effort. "I would've imagined that it would give us a better fight."
You return the tusks, cleaned as best as you are able, to Rozum.
He removes his iron amulet deftly and hands it to Anyanka as she exchanges the tusks for his boon, and cocks his head at you all, affixing you with one beady eye.
"You have seen Tryva already and have her trinket. There is one room left for you. You know already of the Three-In-One, the Maiden-Mother-Crone. This amulet reveals the first ingredient for Baba Yaga's kettle. Look for the key where time catches up to us all."
Rozum flaps up on to the glowing orb that casts the long shadows through the twisted forest of its realm. As it lands, the orb rapidly fades to darkness.
"Look for the Mother when the Moon is full!" caws the raven.
You are plunged into complete darkness and you hear no further sounds from Rozum.
Rozum disappears. The orb looks different now, older and pitted...
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Yrja approaches the orb cautiously, seeking for traces of magic. Was this something they could take with them, something they might use?
"More riddles," the witch sighs. "I will guide you out, those who cannot see in the darkness." She moves to Orik and Anyanka, gently taking their arm and steering them towards the exit.
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The orb, frustratingly, is just a non-magical sphere of rusted iron now, aged as if having been there for far longer than a few moments.
However, the amulet has an Iobarian rune that looks regal in some odd way.
It's the rune for "dragon".
You exit the now darkened Chamber of Twilight, with a chamber of Night yet to go.
Dez wipes his rapier on the beast's hide. Those who have traveled with him for some time, Yrja and Orik, detect a hint of pride at a strategy well executed. He says, flailing his long arms about, "As I suspected, I could rely on the beast to continue its charge right into my trap."
He watches studiously as Anyanka deftly de-tusks the boar.
"I'm glad you can make sense of these riddles, Yrja."
Looking at the amulet, "This rune is for 'dragon.'"
"'Dragon'? That is curious. Are there dragons in Iobaria?" Yrja looks to Dez, fully expecting him to know the answer - he knew so much!
"Well, one more to go. Let's not waste time." She strides down the corridor towards the third and last door.
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Dez swings open the door with elongated ulna and radius and you step into threshold of Darkest Midnight's domain.
It is muffled with quiet in here--Yrja and Anyanka sense magic at work.
The darkness of this place is also magical, but so immense and unending that you can barely grasp the power of it.
Thick stone columns with pale moonflower blossoms stretch into a gloom that seems infinite, stretching towards murk that does not even resemble a starless sky, but something more like a heavy fog of nothingness. A shorter column with something like a broken viol resting atop it stands in a 'clearing' of columns some paces in front of you.
Something does pierce the shrouds of Night above you, though. A faintly glowing blood-red orb hangs in the 'sky' ten, or fifty, or a thousand feet above you...you really can't tell. It looks like a mockery of a dying sun.
A little black spot appears on the 'sun' and slowly grows in size over the course of seconds or minutes...finally resolving into the darkest raven you have ever seen. It lands on the broken viol, shakes its feathers, and turns into a pale white bird with glowing red eyes. It cocks an eye at you and gazes at the amulets you have obtained.
"I see you have visited my kin. I am Rozum. Are you prepared for a third challenge?" The bird speaks like the creak of the doorway to a mausoleum, like the grinding of bones and rocks deep beneath the earth.
Orik retrieves the alchemically treated arrows from the beast, sniffs them, and then puts them away.
”alright - ready to go.” When they get to the new room, Orik seems impressed for some reason, but says nothing.
Rozum bobs his head. "Very well," it says in a sepulchral voice.
"You must convince me of your wit. Bring me the answer to this riddle:"
"I mark night’s coming,
I will mark your end.
I run not in fear,
I have not a friend."
"The answer to the riddle lies within the chamber of night. To find the path to what you seek, drink from the silver chalice within the grotto. Go now and do not return to me unless you can prove your worth.”
Rozum ruffles his pallid feathers and settles upon the viol as if about to hatch an egg.
"They keep saying they want to test our wit, and we keep having to fight things," complains Yrja as she reaches out for the chalice.
"What could the answer be? Darkness? Does darkness run? The moon? But the moon doesn't always mark the night's coming, not if it's a new moon..."
The witch keeps trying to puzzle out the answer as she takes a sip.