JZ's Reign of Winter (The Frozen Stars) (Inactive)

Game Master JamZilla

Knew I'd forget something!

Misfortune reroll: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28 Still a hit

<insert soft, snide chuckling here>

It only has 5 hp left

Corum thrusts with his new-found spear. The tip finds some purchase in the spiritual form of the ghost-warrior and it bellows as though stabbed in life.

It collapses backward and as it falls simply dissipates like smoke on the breeze.

Combat Over

damn spirits. Is everyone ok? They are gone for now, their essence dissipated but they will return in time. They are bound to this place and cannot easily be destroyed. he says sombrely as he moves toward the group.
if we pass this way again we may encounter them once more he says at least we will know what to expect, come we should press on whilst we can. We have spent too much time in Artrosa already

j what other exits are there from this room?

Grayston takes short deep breaths. "That wasn't good." He pulls back his armor and shirt to see his chest bruised blank and blue. "I couldn't do anything again, thanks for the support there Lucrezzia. Can we get out of this room now." He shudders clipping his armor back together.

Still fiddling with his shirt and armor. "But I suppose we should search the place first, I'm starting to get low on potions whatever they might have hear could help us."

Thanks for the thought Lucrezzia :)

Sapphire shudders as the thing demateralises.

Disgusting...

She glances around at the statues and scowls.

I've about had it up to here with this place... and I'm getting deja vu from having said that before...

She sighs

After Greyston's had a rifle around, where to then?

Marislova loops her axes back into her belt.

Well if that passageway leads to the Maiden. she points. And the one in the 'church' leads to the Crone. Then there's only one other way to go from there.

There is a passageway in the 'church' you haven't been through so I will take you that route shortly.

Greyston gingerly opens the mausoleum with the cracked seal. Inside are a pair of mummified bodies lying posed on the ground with blades held close to their breast. Even in their state of decay you can see they appear to bear a resemblance to the spirits you just fought.

They lie before a kind of sarcophagus that is still sealed.

Despite their age, the blades show no sign of decay but do have a kind of grey sheen.

These are a pair of +1 ghost-touch longswords

He hesitates for a moment as he spots the mummies expecting them to spring to life, but as a moment passes he ignores them and just pulls at the swords. "Elleros check these out I'd bet their magic since they show no sign of decay." He hands over the swords to his old friend. "We head back to the church then."

From the church, the group heads off down the sole remaining passageway. It leads off only a short distance before opening to a larger chamber;

he ceiling of this broad natural cavern arcs upward, forming a narrow crown high above the cavern floor. In the center of the cave stands a ring of worn, moss-covered menhirs, their inward faces carved with mystic symbols.

The stone menhirs stand 10 to 15 feet tall in a wide circle nearly 50 feet in diameter.

Limping slightly as he makes his way over to Greyston Elleross reaches for one of the swords.

they are indeed magic, the blades have a strong aura about them he says as he turns the blade over in his hands, examining it closely.
now What have we here he says tilting the blade toward the light ah...yes, of course that is what you are. he says almost to himself these blades are commonly called ghost touch weapons. They will strike a spirit as easily as a normal sword would hit you or I. Corum, Sapphire. You should each carry one of these
He says handing the blade back to Greyston
a good find Greyston, these blades will prove to be very useful.

....................

Following the others into the large chamber Elleross peers at the symbols upon the stones, hoping to discern some meaning from them.

knowledge???: 1d20 ⇒ 20

what knowledge check is it j

Knowledge arcana

This sacred ring of standing stones is dedicated to the worship of birth, the gifts of new life, and the passage om motherhood into the time when one's children depart from home to make their own way in the world. The standing stones, for those who know how to activate them, would allow a user to project their consciousness into the giant statue of the Mother itself, seeing through it's eyes and able to hear through it's ears.

After Elleross explains the nature of the stones, Del offers, "Do you think they might help us find Nostafa?"

And why would you want to find me? a voice suddenly says from out of nowhere. It is heavily accented and floats on the air like candle smoke. Speak quickly now, you may know my name but you perhaps do not know my lack of patience. the voice says again, this time from somewhere else among the stones.

we are seeking a way to counter the curse of aging, so we can enter the eon pit and destroy those that have taken up residence there Elleross says in response
then we will be one step closer to finding Baba Yaga

Lucrezzia gives a slight flinch at the disembodied voice. "Aye 'tis true, we be on the way ta freein' your mistress and keepin' her daughter from destroying this world."

As Elleross suggests taking one of the magical swords, Sapphire glares at the black blade in her hand.

Yes I know... yes you did... just think of it as a backup in case you get too lippy...

She turns back to the group

Sorry...

As Nostafa's words suddenly hang in the air, she freezes, something about the voice put her hackles up, it was almost familiar. She decided to keep quiet and let the others handle it.

Greyston jump slightly as the voice speaks up, scanning the room for ever it could be coming from. "We don't mean you any harm."

Greyston jump slightly as the voice speaks up, scanning the room for ever it could be coming from. "We don't mean you any harm."

Well isn't that delightful? she says, as if it were never in doubt. You don't look like Baba Yaga's Riders to me. she adds, once again her voice coming from somewhere else in the room.

"Ah. The Riders. I'm afraid we bear poor news if you were ever close to them. One of the Old Crone's daughters, Elvanna, the one we're trying to stop, has seen them all slain. These brave individuals before you were bidden by Black Midnight's dying words to see Baba Yaga returned to Golarion. And so here we are, brought here by the Hut to see that task done." He gestures to his companions as he describes the passing of Black Midnight's power, though he takes care to exclude Marislova and Lucrezzia lest it be construed as a lie. "We really are here to help."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (16) + 18 = 34

Corum accepts the magical blade and tears the balance. The blade is well made and almost has no weight in his powerful grip. He smiles and sheaths it at his hip. In doing so he removes the cold iron sword he has carried for so long and ties it to his pack.

Then the voice breaks the silence and he drops
Into a ready crouch with the spear held menacingly in front of him. He listens as the voice challenges their claim to be working for Baba Yaga and snarls.

"Riders we ain't, but we're bound to Baba Yaga in the same way. We've got her hit and we're using it to free her from her b&#$+ daughter."

So it's true then. the voice says, once again from another area of the chamber.

Slowly, the figure who has been talking beings to materialise. The air shimmers among the menhirs, like heat waves rising from scorched earth.

And then the creature is standing before you. Grisly fetishes and the rags of once fine clothes hang off the corpse-thin frame of this horrifying, sharp-fanged crone.

Baba Yaga is truly missing then? And her daughter, she is the one responsible?

"I'm afraid so, Nostafa." Del's voice is conciliatory and soft as he nods his head in affirmation of her question.

I had wondered how Artrosa had come to be invaded, and why Jadrenka had allowed it to happen. she adds

She must be distracted by her mistresses' disappearance.

Marisolva looks away, shame-faced.

Why have you come to me? The hag asks

"Artrosa's invaders now infest something called the Eon Pit. Jadrenka hinted, rather obtusely, that we'll need some kind of protections if we're to venture within to challenge the despoilers. We were hoping you might help us with that as, well, we frankly haven't the faintest clue what an Eon Pit is or what we'd need to enter it."

The hag smiles at the man's frankness.

The Eon Pit represents the passage from life into death, it is the heart of this place and there is ancient power in the standing stones there. But it is protected by one of Baba Yaga's most powerful curses. she warns.

As one descends the steps into the Pit, one ages very rapidly, following that path of old age into death. That in turn, is to the terrible detriment of their sanity.

If what you say is true and the interlopers are in there, trying to twist this place to their own ends, then they are more canny than I. For I can provide you with great resistance against those ageing effects, but I cannot guarantee to prevent them.

Unable to help herself, Sapphire blurts out

And is there a cost for this aid?..

She stares at the hag, cautious and untrusting.

The hag looks at the woman slyly, eyes narrowed and not fully trusting but says;

Without Baba Yaga, there is nothing to keep her unruly daughters in check. This power play isn't the first attempt by one of her children, but she has always returned and put an end to it quickly. Like her or loathe her, she keeps the brats on a tight leash.

But if Elvanna has captured or killed her mother... who knows what Hell she will bring.

So no, there is no charge, save the one you'll pay to root out whoever is in the Pit.

She can cast Greater Age Resistance on you. It will provide a +6 bonus on saves against the ageing curse effect

Sapphire nods slowly, processing the hag's words but then finally finding she agrees with the logic.

After pondering a moment, then turns to the others.

Well I volunteer to go in the pit... I can fly so move quickly, I have sword and spell to defend myself, and I'm half-elven so a longer life-span than some of you, so if the worst happens I may still survive if only some years are taken from me.

She glances around

I can't see any other choice that makes sense, so I beg you not to argue for argument's sake, nor to be chivalrous when you know my choice makes sense. Let me make this sacrifice without fanfare.

Grayston moves next to Sapphire taking up her hand in his. "You know us.. we'll argue till the end of times." He looks over to Corum before turning back to look her in the eyes. "There will be no grand solo sacrifice here, we're all cursed together we all go together. You have no idea what they have down there, I don't relish any of this but I know I'd rather go down there with all of us than us splitting off now." He smiles at the strong warrior woman, holding the group together in her own way. "Now let's not argue about that, I know everyone else here will agree with me. You would have to fight us all to stop us."

Corum laughs and shakes his head at Sapphire. "You know better than that! No way I missing a fight. I say we both go. Ellri, I think you need to stay. No offence but the years are heavy on you. Sapphire and I have more in reserve. As for the rest of you, your choice."

Turning to the witch he asks "How does this curse hit you? Is it mainly aging your body?"

Trying to find out if this is a fort save. Would anyone in our group know what save i we will need?

Fort save every round. If you fail you go to the next stage of aging and need to make a will save against the mental trauma if that (effectively an insanity spell effect). If you reach the natural maximum age for your race (which for most of you will be three fails) you die

Its pretty deadly

Oh wow, that's actually pretty harsh! I was assuming it was an 'age 10 years for a failed save' sort of deal... should have known BY would have designed nastier than that :p

Sapphire stares at Grayston, her hand relaxed in his

That's... noble of you all, and I don't fancy my odds defeating you to go it alone...

She purses her lips

OK, we're assuming this pit opens up in to a grand cavern where something nasty sits and has to be defeated... so if that's true then ok I'll accept your plan

She smiles at Corum and Grayston, then wags her finger

If however, it's more of a well that someone just needs to pop down and collect an item, then my plan stands, for all the reasons I already gave...

She shrugs

If you don't agree I'll sulk... really badly...

You know that Vesvolod is "in the Pit" from separate conversations. So you can assume that is a pit only in name and that if you go in there it's reasonable to expect resistance

"Don't be foolish, we all have to go. But maybe we need to be better prepared... can we do more to increase our chance of keeping our youth? "

Del smiles softly at Greyston and Sapphire, then turns back to Nostafa. "Well. We accept your gracious offer of aid. How long will your ward last? And, ah, is there any chance you might direct us to the most direct path to the Pit from here? These passages are quite dizzying, I do admit." He chuckles at this last with a crooked half-grin.

I can't provide any more protection beyond that which I've offered, though Baba Yagag herself presented me with this, telling me to give it to he Riders should they ever come looking for her. I suppose you count as the next best thing.

She reaches into her robe and presents a crystal bottle of extremely delicate glass.

It is a Bottle of Messages

Elleross listens quietly as Nostafa reveals the true twisted horror of the Eon pit.
In a place where time seemingly stands still, as it does in the hut. The nature of the curse in that place is quite horrific.

I am not quite as old as I look Corum, but you have a point. I am not the strongest of men, never have been. Even in my youth.
I do not know if any of us could widthstand the power of the pit for very long, you may last a few moments longer than me Corum but that is all it would be.
Moments.
The rapid aging could killl you within a minute.
There must be more we can do to protect ourselves! How is Vesvolod able to survive in there? he asks Nostafa after she declares she can help no more but offers the message bottle instead.
Reaching for the magical vial Elleross pulls the cork from it
let us see what Baba Yaga has to say shall we

Elleros pops the cork from the delicate bottle and a tiny wisp of white smoke flows forth. Carried on it is a voice; it's cadence is slow and it's accent very strange. The voice is that of a woman but one who sounds so ancient in her croaking that it would be impossible to guess an age.

My daughter has betrayed me! There is a key in the Eon Pit, use it to move the Hut where more breadcrumbs will be revealed. Her agents may be trying to locate them too so they must be protected. But I have no fear that my brave Riders will overcome any obstacle. Follow the trail and find me!

As I said, if this Vesvelod has insulated himself entirely from the Pit then he is cleverer than I. Nostafa says with a shrug, seemingly fairly aloof to the whole situation.

There are other items I can give you that may help, but not against the curse.

She removes her necklace which glows with a deep orange hue and hands it to you. Similarly, she reaches into her robe and withdraws a small leather-bound book which she offers as well.

Paltry items really, but you might find some use for them against this Vesvelod.

The items are a necklace of fireballs (type 2) but the books is far more interesting.

Elleros flips through the book and immediately sees that it contains hand-written notes in half a dozen languages, arcane incantations and musings the like of which he has never seen and even what seems to be a recipe for rabbit stew.

The book is a Cookbook of Arcane Augmentation

And by the way you've already been at the door for the Eon Pit back in the Crone, it was locked and you didn't pursue it - just as well really!

Sapphire sighs

Very well, I give up in the face of your relentless insistence on all dying together. Still, it'll be nice to have company in whichever afterlife we end up in, always a silver lining eh?!

She grins, then slowly gulps as Elleross uncorks the bottle and Baba Yaga's words tumble forth.

Thank you Nostafa, you've been more helpful than we could have hoped for...

She glances away from here, back towards the door to the pit.

If Nostafa has finished with her protective enchantment over us, we should depart quickly, whilst it is still active...

Grayston smiles, happy to change Sapphires mind for once. "We're in it together."

"Thank you Nostafa, for the ward, items and message for Baba Yaga. We will be off to the pit then."

He looks over the old elfs shoulder. "Will that book help us down in the pit Elleross?"

The duration of the spell is 24 hours. It prevents you from taking any physical penalties for growing older such as a reduction in strength, dexterity or constitution but will not prevent you from ultimately dying

The aging elf shakes his head and shows the book to Greyston.
not with what matters Greyston. It will not protect us from the ravages of time, but it could be used to enhance some of my spells he says sadly but I fear I will not be around to cast any of them in any case.
I am already knocking on the door to old age, if I am not strong enough to resist the curse.... I fear that entering the eon pit will like walking into certain death. It is almost suicide.
I need to think on this....there must be a way he says absently, almost talking to himself as his eyes take on a far away look as he enters his memory palace searching for an answer.
Nostafa , is it possible to teleport into and out of Artrosa? he asks suddenly, his eyes snapping back into focus.

Corum nods. Now he has a target and a means to assault it he is keen to do battle. "Yes! We have red work to do and my blade yearns for it."

He and Sapphire lead the others from the chamber toward the Pit. As they walk through the caverns he readied his gear, drinks the last of his potions and and begins to stoke his anger.

Cmw 2d8 + 2 ⇒ (3, 7) + 2 = 12

hp:108/112

Outwards, but not back in. she replies. The wards would prevent it. Those who come to Artrosa have a tendency to stay. she shrugs.

Who's to say that the effect is still in place? Marislova offers. If we cannot think of a way to protect ourselves from it perhaps they have thought of a way to turn it off altogether.

Ok let's get this moving. First off I think Elleros wants to rest to recover spells. If that's the case then Nostafa will cast her protection spell afterward, giving you 24 hours of resistance to the ageing effects of the Pit.

You can find your way back to the locked door easily enough and a take 20 from Greyston will open it. After that, I just need to know whether you are all going down there.

The point of this is that the key you need to move the Hut to the next location to find Baba Yaga is supposedly in the Pit

I'll post again when I get home from work, in about 9 hours, and will just assume you are all going down there unless I hear otherwise

"Ok." He nods at Elleross thinking over the plan himself. "We could talk about this for days, but we waste time by not doing it. We know what will happen the longer we wait the curse of the rider will kill us anyway. I don't favour any of this, it's all getting too much." His stomach starts to knot up. "So I just want this over with, this place is hell it's just insane. So I'm going I don't want to see any of you die but I don't want to be left alone we're stronger together."

He moves over to Elleross. "Old man." He smiles. "I championed for us all to go, but maybe you're right. You are the smartest of us, I don't want to see you fall first because of your age.

Jz that all makes sense

Sounds like a plan JZ

Well we should maybe rest up then before we go to the pit, if time allows. Ha...

her smile is mirthless.