GM Lithrac's Mythic Reign of Winter - A Trail of Breadcrumbs (Inactive)

Game Master Cyril Corbaz

Giri nods as the man asks his question. "Quite." he says in agreement towards their goal.

Taking a long draught, the man offers a few more words to ennlighten the half-orc. "I am Giri." he offers as he sets his mug down, a few rivulets of ale trickling down his slightly-furred chin.

"I came from a monastery in the Chenlun Mountains and was sent out into the world to serve the Mountain God, Yamatsumi. It was when I was travelling that I also found a rider of Baba Yaga and was imbued with a portion of her divine power." he explains.

"It seems that we are on the same path, but I honestly do not know what our next step is. Did your Red Rider tell you what you need to do?" he asks.

Thorgull: According to the legend, Baba Yaga has three riders: a black one, a red one, and a white one. The interesting piece of information here being that none of them have survived the Queen's purge. There is only you. *cue world-saving, Hans-Zimmer-composed music*

Thorgull sighs loudly and drinks a bit of ale as well.

"Thank you for sharing, Sir Maligoth."

He looks shyly at the big half-orc and decides to tell more about himself.

"My father, Kjalder, was a powerful summoner and he raised my twin brother Kriger and I alone. One day, my brother... ran away from the house. After years of training in the arcane arts, I wanted to find him. I found myself in a small taldan town when winter began in the middle of summer. I met three other adventurers, the late Virgil, the disappeared Stian and Zadok here. We went to see what happened in the very heart of the forest, as we were also asked to find an abducted taldan noblewoman. We found a portal guarded by an ice troll and defeated it."

He takes a few sips from his ale before resuming the story.

"After that, the Black Rider asked us to take on his legacy and to close portals to fight the reign of the latest daughter of Baba Yaga who doesn't want to surrender the power."

About black, white and red: is Baba Yaga a northern German? ;) Welcome to fun with flags!

Maligoth nods. "I was told the same tale. I was told to find a...dancing hut, as ridiculous as that sounds. It was to be in Whitethrone, and I was to use it to find Baba Yaga and aid in her return." He looks at the others, "Have you found such a hut in your quest?"

"Do not fret. We depart for Whitethrone in the morning, Maligoth." Giri reassures the man. "Though finding a dancing hut should either be nearly impossible or painfully obvious. It merely depends on if the hut is currently dancing, I would think." he says, stating the obvious.

"Our darker friend is a bit forlorn over the loss of our compatriot, Virgil, but he will rise out of his slump and can be counted on in a fight. His name is Zadok." he informs the half orc.

"Let's eat and get some sleep." he says as he requests a bowl of stew from Nadya. "We will all take one, madam. Then we shall depart from here in the morning."

Ready to depart!

Thorgull nods and pictures himself a dancing hut. No way, it can't be. Only in northern child stories.

Ready to go as well.

Back from my extended weekend! Hope you're feeling better, GM!

Baba Yaga is a popular figure in Russian folktales, actually. This whole AP has a lot of Russian influence, actually....

Zadok listens quietly as the stranger introduces himself. He allows Thorgull to tell to introduce the two of them and tell of their encounter with the Black Rider. "Indeed," he adds after all else has been said, "it seems that Baba Yaga's three riders have been chased from her own lands and have passed the powers given to them by Baba Yaga to each of us. Now that the entourage is complete, I think our way is clear. This town is too small and our presence is surely known now that we have defeated Radosek and destroyed his portal. We must get moving lest the Queen's minions seek us out."

Maligoth nods at Zadok. "I agree. The longer we can avoid unnecessary attentions, the better."

Ready to continue when you are.

Feeling much better now, thanks! Let's get this second part running, shall we. Time to remind you of your next goal, set by the Black Rider on his deathbed: reach Whitethrone, capital city of Irrisen, find Baba Yaga's famed Dancing Hut and activate it to find Baba Yaga or a way to free her. Remember that the Black Rider gave you two (metaphorical) keys - a lock of white hair from a frost giant’s beard and a plague doctor’s mask - that once reactivated should allow you to use the Dancing Hut.

Upon your return to Waldsby, you meet with Nadya Petska who welcomes Maligoth with great hospitality, given that the rest of you vouch for him. "I've made a decision. Since you're leaving for Whitethrone, I'm coming with you. First, you need a guide through Irrisen. It's a land fraught with danger, some of which I can help you avoid. Secondly, I'm not letting that b@%$% Nazhena off the hook for what she did to my daughter. She left for Whitethrone, and I fully intend to chase her down and kill her. Will you help me?" she asks, clearly very moved about it all.

Zadok is surprised by Nadya's generosity. "I think we would be fools to turn down such help in a foreign land fraught with dangers. But what of your other children? I would not want them to suffer in your absence. But if you are sure of their safety, then I will consider it my duty to keep you safe for their sake."

Giri nods to the woman. "Come, bring your furor to our cause." he says firmly.

"It looks like we are departing for Whitethrone." he says as he picks up his club and sheathes it in the leather straps on his back. "I will prepare some of Yamatsumi's blessings for us to ensure our warmth and survival."

Going around the group, he places his finger on each person's forehead and blesses them with a short invocation. "May the volcano's fire warm your soul."

When the blessing is complete, the person finds themselves quite warm despite the biting cold of the region.

Endure Elements on everyone.

Thorgull nods without a word after listening to Nadya. He seems a little taken aback by the harsh words, even if he understands.

The wizard then accepts Giri's spell and says "I'm ready."

"Of course, Zadok. I have a plan for them too. Orm and Mjoli shall come with us, but I only plan to take them as far as the village of Ellsprin, which we should reach after about a week, where I will ask some relatives to care for them until I return. I promise they won't be a burden.

"My late husband’s uncle Ringeirr is a fisherman in a small shantytown called the Fishcamps on the outskirts of Whitethrone. Ringeirr Malenkov has lived in the shadow of Whitethrone for decades, and I believe he could be a trusted ally who can help us infiltrate the city. I'm fully convinced that if anyone can help us find our way around Whitethrone, it’s Uncle Ringeirr—if he is still alive. Now let's pack and go."

The journey to Whitethrone is no small task, especially with two young children in tow. However, Nadya's expert reading of the land and its many dangers prevent you from succumbing to the bitter frost and treacherous terrain many times in the first days of your trip. After two days, you reach a rough wooden cabin that stands just inside a small wood. There is no sign of activity around the cabin, but smoke rises from the chimney. Nadya turns to you, wondering what you'll decide to do. "I don't know who lives there, but we sure could use a halt and a warm meal. I'm tired of dried beef jerky."

Zadok stands motions for a few moments, thinking. "A warm bed and meal would serve us well tonight, yes. But we must be cautious. Do not use your real names. Allow me to purify the food and drink first. And be cautious."

Zadok activates his cloak of darkness (+4 AC, +2 Stealth for 4 hours) and leads the way forward towards the house to see who is home.

Giri looks at the woman as they trek through the snows and recoils a bit in his mind as he yanks a bit of dried beef jerky free from the piece trapped by his teeth.

Then, he thinks about it a bit more and the thought of a warm stew begins to excite him. "Well, I think you may be on to something." he says as he tosses the remains of the slice of jerky behind him. The light, dehydrated meat stick landing on the icy snow.

His tetsubo's protections have bolstered his confidence as he feels both protected by the magical armor and strengthened by the extra fortitude.

Giri uses Mage Armor on cooldown after gaining his spells, which gives him protection all day (well, twelve hours). He also starts every day by casting False Life from the tetsubo.

False Life: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Zadok warns the group and Giri nods in agreement. "I shall take a generic name from the region." he says, trying to think of something appropriate for the area. "While we are here, call me "Steve"." he says with a firm resolve.

He walks with Zadok up to the house and loudly hammers his fist against the wooden door. "Hello!?" he calls out. "I am a wandering traveler named Steve! Could you offer me and my friends shelter for the night?" he calls out.

"Good thinking, Steve." Zadok says as he walks with Giri to the door.

"Yes, and I am Mark!" Zadok calls out, "Mark of the Thomson clan, an elven traveler and companion of Steve! We seek shelter!"

Maligoth chooses to remain silent, but stands protectively in front of Nadya, hands firmly clasping his ranseur.

Thorgull looks at the duo between the elf and the tian and blinks several times. "Steeve"? "Mark"? Is this real life?

He follows the other two and just nods at the plan.

We'll see. Maybe this plan doesn't serve any purpose. I already knew the elf was mad, but I have yet to discover about the others. I thought Giri was more reasonable...

As "Steve" and "Mark" knock and yell at the door, a strikingly beautiful, red-haired woman in a hooded coat comes out of the cabin. "Hail, travelers. My prayers have been answered - destiny sends you! My name is Sylgja, and I direly need your help. My husband Finngarth was taken by a moss troll that lairs in a nearby cave. Please, you must save him if you can! In exchange, I'll offer you a comfortable lodging for the night and a magical treasure that belongs to my husband. Will you help me?" begs the redhead with an imploring tone of voice.

Sylgja's picture uploaded to the Handouts document.

Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 6

"Where is this cave?" asks Maligoth, not sensing anything amiss.

SM: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Thorgull follows Maligoth into the hut and looks at the woman and blushes.

"I don't know if destiny sends us, M'lady. However, I believe that we can take care of moss trolls, isn't it?" he asks to his companions, unsure about his own capacities.

I wish Virgil was here. He was the one that was able to do the talking.

"Absolutely. Moss trolls? Quite nasty creatures. This seems like more than a fair trade. We will see what we can do."

"Our compatriot, Mark, seems to have the right of it." reasons the Tienese man. "We shall rescue your husband from the troll. Are the trolls particularly resistant to anything, madam?" he asks, trying to be kind to the beleaguered woman.

Giri and Zadok: I just wanted to let you know that GM Lithrac paid you a special tribute in our home game, last night. We found a story about two stranded chelaxian soldiers who became ghouls and were named "Mark" and "Steve". We both burst out laughing but had to explain it for the group. :D

Awesome! (A single favorite wasn't enough!)

Disclaimer! This doesn't mean that I have plans to "ghoulify" the original Mark and Steve, so you don't have to worry! ;)

The desperate housewife's eyes glimmer with hope after hearing your answers. "Steve, Mark, you have my eternal gratitude, your words give me hope. That small cave lies about half a mile from our cabin, and it is where I last saw the moss troll. I don't know much about them, save that they are especially vulnerable to fire - in fact they fear it with all their corrupt heart. Please make haste, heroes!"

Finding the cave with her directions isn't hard at all. Do you want to cast spells before moving in, or to set up a plan?

No preparations for Zadok, he already has his shadow armor going.

"We will be back shortly, don't worry!" Zadok calls as he takes off in the indicated direction.

If possible, Giri will bless himself with Cat's Grace.

"You can trust Mark and Steve, miss." says Giri with a bow as he moves alongside Zadok.

"I wonder what she will make us..." the oni whispers to 'Mark' as his stomach growls.

---

At the cave entrance, Giri blesses himself with the reflexes of a mountain lion, enhancing his durability in combat. "I am ready. Let us fight." he says with a nod.

"I'm ready as well, if you are." says the frail wizard.

No buffs to cast right now.

If we have a chance of sneaking up on the moss troll, Maligoth will cast shield, lasts 4 minutes. If there's no forewarning of an impending battle, he'll go without.

You can easily cast buffs with a duration of several minutes before you make the approach to the cave, so feel free to include those.

The cave doesn't appear to be very large. As you step inside, you instantly hear a groan coming from deeper within - which soon materializes with the appearance of a hulking creature covered in moss and fungi. In its savage eyes you clearly feel a murderous intent - it is out for blood!

The Moss Troll - round 1
1. Thorgull
2. Moss Troll
3. Zadok, Maligoth, Giri

We're going mapless for this one, assume you're at about 30 feet from it.

"It appears that we have found the moss troll." remarks Giri as the hulking creature appears and glares at him. "Yamatsumi, give me power to smite down this creature." he prays aloud as he brandishes the tetsubo.

Knowledge Local: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29
Knowledge Nature: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27

Thorgull concentrates himself and, as he begins to tap in his arcane power, he notices something.

"Don't kill it! Might be human controlled by fungus!" he suddenly shouts at Giri and Maligoth.

He instead brings the powers of the Void to wear down the creatures' defenses.

Reveal Weakness: -3 AC and saves for the next round.

Giri nods to the archmage as he responds. "Interesting, Thorgull!" he states with excitement in his voice. "I must stay away from odd mushrooms in the future in case this happens to me."

Killing the host would make the mold detach itself, but remain alive. The most efficient way would be to attack the mold itself. In game terms, when you attack you can either attack the mold or the host. However you do remember that it has an ability allowing it to retract so that the host is injured instead of it (it's an immediate action so it can do it only once per round). I'll assume you aimed the Reveal Weakness at the mold, of course.

The infested Finngarth charges Maligoth, who was standing at the front of the group. Shortly before he reaches the half-orc, you distinctively see a ball of spores the size of a bullet being shot by the moldy parts of the husband at Maligoth.
Spore Pod vs Touch AC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11 Wisdom damage, Fort DC 15 negates: 1d4 ⇒ 2

Battleaxe, Charge: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 271d8 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16

The Moss Troll - round 2
1. Zadok, Maligoth, Giri, Thorgull
2. Mindslaver Mold
3. Finngarth (infested, -2 AC charge)

Maligoth attempts to disarm the 'moss troll' as it approaches! Combat Reflexes + Ranseur + Retributive Reach places the AoO at a distance of 15'

AoO (Disarm, MW Ranseur): 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 10 + 2 = 28

Maligoth howls bestially; as he does, his arms lengthen grotesquely and he lashes out at the mold covering the enslaved woodsman!

Free action: Begin bloodrage (+4 Str/Con, -2 AC, +1 Will Saves, 15 rounds remaining)
Standard action: Attack mold
Attack (MW Cold Iron Cestus, Bloodrage, Power Attack/Furious Focus (Mythic)): 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 10 + 2 = 18
Damage (MW Cold Iron Cestus, Bloodrage, Power Attack (Mythic)): 1d4 + 5 + 2 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 5 + 2 + 6 = 15

"These are not your thoughts," Zadok tells the infected man. "Fight against them!"

Gift of Madness: DC 17 Will save or confused for 1 round.

Seeing that Maligoth is moving to take down the man's weapon first, Giri focuses on the mold itself, trying to free the poor, trapped individual from their fungus-induced prison. He moves forward to join Maligoth in the fray as he pulls out his tetsubo and takes a swing at the green fuzz covering the man. "Hiya!"

Tetsubo: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Bludgeoning Damage: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Yes, I target the mold

Maligoth: Your character is going to be a nightmare to run in PbP format with all these AoOs and immediate actions, I see that now... Not the greatest thing when I'm struggling every day to muster the movtivation to post.

I don't check for your AC and apply damage generally speaking (unless it has a bearing on what happens as a followup action, such as grab), so I roll for damage anyway and you apply what's relevant. That's simply how I run things on the boards.

Secondly, shield doesn't add to Touch AC. It doesn't have any bearing on whether the mold attack hits or misses, but since your sentence is unclear, I just want to clear things up.

Your AoO easily disarms Finngarth. However, the next AoO would target Finngarth, not the mold, since Finngarth provoked the AoO. You can't AoO a creature that didn't provoke. Let me know if you want to go through with the AoO.

Lastly, why add Furious Focus to the attack? A cestus is a one-handed weapon as far as I know, and Furious Focus only works if you wield a weapon with both hands.

Finngarth groans as his battleaxe falls to the ground, and punches Maligoth full in the face!
Unarmed damage: 1d3 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

The half-orc retaliates with a potent blow, but the mindslaver mold attempts to slither away before the cestus pierces the flesh...
Ref: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
... but doesn't manage to do it in time!

Will: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (8) - 2 = 6
Confused: 1d100 ⇒ 52
The poor Finngarth doesn't seem to have a firm grasp on reality, and attempts to slit his wrists with his fingernails. That doesn't seem to be too fruitful, though...

Giri smashes the mold, and how Finngarth survives it will remain a mystery for all eternity.

The Moss Troll - round 2
1. Zadok, Maligoth, Giri, Thorgull
2. Mindslaver Mold (-3 AC/saves, 28)
3. Finngarth (infested, -2 AC charge)

Sorry, I didn't see that I was still up

"Be careful! The mold can retract itself once." he shouts.

"Λε τεμπς εστ ωενυ δε φερμερ λες ιευ!" he says with arcane words.

Casting Glitterdust, Will DC 18

Will: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (7) - 2 = 5
Will: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Both Finngarth and the mold appear to be blinded by the shower of golden particles covering them. Giri and Maligoth then make short work of the creature, as it is only clinging to life by a thread.

Finngarth falls to the ground, half-unconscious, wounded and debilitated by the prolonged exposure to the parasite. He doesn't seem to be able to move on his own. His eyes are blank, reflecting how deeply his mind was wiped clean by the mold.

#1 - Fair point on the actions. I'm not sure how best to resolve it (reach + AoO's seem to go hand in hand, so to speak), but if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. Alternately, if you would like for me to rework the character to be more straightforward (remove the reach aspect, for example), I can do that.

#2 - For shield, I wasn't sure (touch AC rules confuse me at times), thanks for clearing that up.

#3 - I won't attack Finngarth - that seems counterproductive :-)

#4 - As far as Furious Focus, yeah - that was me misreading the mythic feat. You are correct.

Sighing, Maligoth picks up Finngarth, balancing the man across his shoulders. "I suppose there is a chance that he'll be okay in the end; we'll just have to hope."

@Maligoth: Also, you were flat-footed at the time of the attack, so only AC bonuses that apply while flat-footed and to touch apply, e.g. deflection or insight.

Giri looks down at the fallen man and shrugs as Maligoth lifts him over his shoulder. "Let's check out the rest of the cave and then deliver this man back to the woman. Perhaps she knows who it is." the holy man advises.

Giri will move further into the cave and try to see if there is anything of interest in the rock formation.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13

... or Size. I think that Maligoth has uncanny dodge though. Updating tonight.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Well, Mythic Furious Focus does allow you to apply the benefits of the feat to all your attacks for one round (including 1-handed ones) if you spend a Mythic Power. Did you? By the way I don't see a clear count of your expendable resources (namely Mythic Power or Bloodrage rounds) anywhere. Could you implement that into your header, for example, please?

Giri recognizes the man as Hylja's husband, from the description she made of him.

As for Uncanny Dodge, I'm not sure of what Bloodrager gets, but it's in his stat block, so yup. Just touch AC then! :D

About Furious Focus Mythic, wouldn't it still follow Furious Focus's restriction? It is just saying you don't apply the penalty to all attacks made that round, not circumventing the original restriction of it only being two-handed weapons, right?

Heal: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Giri looks the man's face over as the giant half-orc carries him over his shoulder. Deftly lifting up the man's head and then letting it drop and slam into the armor of Maligoth, Giri determines the cause. "He's dead." Giri says solemnly.

True, Maligoth has Uncanny Dodge, so is never flat-footed. As far as the mythic feat, I read that as a "you can spend a point in order to get the bonus to hit/damage, but you always get to avoid power attack penalties for attacks of opportunity". My problem with misreading was with the initial phrase "When you are using Furious Focus", which you are correct in that it can't be done with one-handed weapons.

Heal: 1d20 ⇒ 16

"He has taken significant wisdom damage; if we were restore him, he would likely become responsive."

Looking at the injured man, Thorgull scratches his head but he suddenly hears Maligoth.

"Oh? Wisdom? Maybe a lesser restoration could fix this... Zadok, do you have such a trick in your bag?" he asks, grinning.

"Wisdom... damage? How can you damage someone's wisdom? It is a thing that you gain with age but can also lose in delirium...." Zadok ponders Maligoth's strange choice of words.

Also confused by Thorgull's question, Zadok shakes his head. "I can not restore his mental awareness, not even to a 'lesser' extent as you say. I can heal diseases and sickness, but not whatever mental ill this man is suffering from."

;) Sorry, I just cringe whenever characters use gaming terms. It just seems weird to say He's got wisdom damage! or He's low on hit points! Kinda breaks the immersion.

Zadok looks at Giri and Maligoth and asks, "Well, do you think you could carry him? Maybe with a bit of rest he will recover in due time."