Corum thanks Greyston for the potion and drinks it. He alsi thsnks Elleross for his heali g the previous night. He examines his wounds and can see they have closed significsntly. He flexeshis sshoulder and smiles. "Thank you both. Without your skills I think we would have died before now. This isn't fully healed but it is a lot better."
Clw
As he chews his food he looks across the fire at Sapphire.
"You wield thar sword with some skill Sapphire. While we battled that troll I think it was you who cut it deeper. What power is it that makes your blows so deadly? You are strong but it cannot be just muscle and skill."
Nasrin takes most of the watches overnight, restless anyway. She finds a pickaxe and a shovel amongst the equipment at the campsite. Digging through the frozen crust she make a small pit between to oaks. She takes her dead brother's body from the field and lays it gently in the pit. She stays with him there for a long while. Whispering prayers to the spirits and seeking solace in the way things are. She is disturbed by a movement at the lip of Thorn's grave. She looks up and sees three very large fat hares staring down at her and the wolf. Standing over Thorn, the feral girl snatches the first one by the ears, it never struggles as she snaps its neck. Neither do the other two. Her tears have run their course and she knows Corum is right. Thorn has plenty of rabbits to chase now.
Afterwards, she rouses Sapphire for her turn at guard duty. Without a word nasrin collapses exhausted.
After a fitful night Elleross rises stiffly, he aches all over, the cold hard ground doing him no favours.
Every part of him seems tender and sore.
The constant struggle to battle through the snow is taking its roll on him.
Smoking quietly as he consults his spell book he glances up with interest as Corum asks Sapphire about her powers.
she Has the ability to infuse her weapons with her spells. A potent mixture, I wonder what else she is capable of? I have wondered at the source of her powers, the use of her tainted healing spells was worrying I am glad she has stopped using them. Sapphire is proving to be every bit as deadly as Corum I am glad she is with us, without her abilities we would be in bad shape .
I wonder if she has to cast the spells into her blade or can she deliver a spell in the traditional manner ? We have much to learn about each other that is obvious, but will we like what we find. I wonder about that also he thinks to himself as he finishes preparing his spells.
Casting his endure elements spell straight away he immediately feels the cold recede as his magic takes effect .
Moving across to Greyston he helps himself to some porridge and sits next tontye young alchemist .
I'm glad your hearing is back, we need to be prepared today. he says eating his breakfast
the potions we found Are feather step. Very useful out here, we should take one each. The snow is hampering our movement so much we aren't able to keep up with the others when we need to.
Use it in an emergency, they won't last very long he says between mouthfuls.
1st lev burning hands x 1 magic missile x1, endure elements x 0
Scrolls
Unseen servant
Magic weapon
Endure elements
Animate dead
Colour spray
Burning hands level 1
Items
1x tangle burn bag
2 x alchemist fire
0x clw potion
1xfeather step
Nasrin nods at the old wolf's sage words. "It'd help me, too. I can take one."
of course Nasrin, take the last one.
Are you ok ? I know the pain of losing someone close to you, If you need to talk to we are all here for you. he says to the girl, she looks tired and after the day she had he can't blame her he just wished he could have helped.
"You already helped. We lived. You did that." As if the matter were closed she turns to the cave's mouth. The snow rages outside and she finds herself hungry to get back to the hunt.
After they have all eaten their fill they break camp. Corum drags their gear behind him using the tent as a makeshift travois. They each steel themselves for the driving snow and stwp outof the cave into the cold. Corum leads the group off to the west.
As they walk he tries his best to keep watch of their surroundings in case any threats appear bit it is difficult in the conditions.
Perception
Sapphire considers Corum's question
You're right it's not just strength of muscle that causes the blade to cut deep and swing true, I'm able to somehow channel the arcane energy in my blood and let it flow through the blade, enchanting it for a time. Also, as some spells stay on the hand that casts them until they strike the enemy, I can use a weapon to store and deliver the spells I cast of that nature.
She looks a little sheepish when she realises everyone is listening to her.
It just seemed to be the easiest thing to do with the magic when first I felt it stir in my blood. If I had been raised a scribe instead of a soldier then perhaps things would have been different, but I learned blade long before blast, and that affects everything about the way I understand and use magic.
We should use the daylight if we can, it might not make much difference to the weather, but worse creatures prowl the night than the day, and it has to be warmer under the sun than the night sky!
She prepares to move out, taking her usual flanking position to the side of Corum.
Her heart heavy, Nasrin finally turns away from Thorn's grave, ready to replace her pain with hatred,
Corum leads the party West across the wintery plain, convinced it is the right direction and that in a brief break in the snow he saw a strange light there.
Visibility does not ease and it is just as much of a struggle as it was the previous day but you push on regardless.
Suddenly, out of the blinding whiteness you begin to discern something strange. A bank of quill-like icicles spear outward in a ring, seemingly grown from a heavy sheet of ice covering the ground. A second ring of giant icicle-shaped monoliths stands inside the outer ring. You notice that the air is still here, the snow nonexistent and then you see the reason why.
The inner ring surrounds a swirling cylindrical vortex easily ten feet in diameter. Icy winds and driving snow blast from the vortex, sending it swirling high into the sky only to fall in the clearing you just trudged through and the Border Wood beyond. Whatever this is, it is the source of the winter weather plaguing the land of Taldor.
Shielding her eyes from the stinging, driving snow Nasrin shouts over the wind, "By the Old Woods, what is that thing?"
The barbarian grips his axe and growls. "I don't like the look of that."
Saphire's breath is taken away by the raging vortex of cold energy churning in the centre of the clearing.
That's amazing...if that has been in existence for this length of time, at that strength...surely we're dealing with power on a massive scale. This is no parlor trick, but serious magic with ill-intent...
She crouches down, staring at the vortex and racking her scant book knowledge to see if she's read anything about such manifestations.
The sight before him fils him with equal measures if awe and fear .
The cylindrical storm of ice and snow is unlike anything he has ever seen in his lifetime.
The forces needed to create such a phenomenon let alone maintain it were truly frightening.
I cannot agree more Sapphire. The energy needed for something like this....it is....frightening. Whoever or whatever has created this, they wield a power far beyond any of us. We need to take a closer look, we have to find a way to stop it.
Greyston listens on to Sapphire as he read though his books, distracted by her words. We're all very interesting here, we've all grown together through this but we still don't know a lot about each other. He thinks to himself lost in thought he drifts in and out of listening to the others talk.
But in the night he makes sure to go see Nasrin and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry about Thorn, we will get whatever is making this snow he will not died in vain."
--
Stepping through the snow Greyston just stares at the cylindrical storm spewing snow into the air. He is stuck speechless for a moment not sure what to make of it but it knocked out of it by Ellerosses words."This is it... this is what we need to stop. Do you think the troll was the only guard?" Taking a step forward he looks around the clearing. "Let's not rush into this"
Despite the snow being blasted into the sky above your heads, the clearing is eerily quiet. The vortex itself makes almost no noise save for a low, churning hum.
Greyston, without getting too close, proposes that the vortex is in fact a portal and that the wintery weather is in some way being transposed here, from another location. The phenomenon radiates strong conjuration magic and neither Sapphire nor Elleros can determine a means to close it - from here at least.
The warrior scratches his head ss Greyston and the others examine the phenomena.
"So it's a magic door? Our foes must be on the other side. Come on then. Let's see where it goes."
He dislikes magic and secretly the portal makes him intensely uneasy but he has the heart of a warrior and refuses to be intimidated by something he does not understand. To his mind it is a door and it leads to where his enemies lie waiting to meet his axe so the answer is simple. Don not waste time trying to understand how a door works or why it is there, juat walk through and see what is on the other side.
He begins to walk toward the portal slowly.
"It must be a portal, i see no way of closing it from here we have to get closer." He looks on for a second his feet stand planted on the ground unmoving, then as he see's Corum he shouts out. "Wait, we can't just walk through it you might be killed we know nothing about it yet. Let's check around it see if there is anything or anyone here."
Corum wait! cries Sapphire
That portal has such powerful magic in it, blanketing this entire region, if it's bringing through the cold from there to here you'll likely freeze to ice in seconds if you step through!
her voice is full of concern.
"Usually right, but not this time. Wait for now." Nasrin keeps her words short in light of the howling winds.
As Corum takes his first tentative steps toward the swirling vortex, the others call out warnings against haste.
He turns back to acknowledge their words but he is a warrior proud and true and knows only one course of action. To go forward and through.
As he approaches, there is a sudden blast of gusting wind that sends a spray of stinging snow surging out in all directions through the clearing. You instinctively shield your eyes against the blast and wheny ou remove your hand you realise someone is standing in the wake of the vortex.
It is a massive black rider, standing at least ten feet tall astride an impossibly large horse that snorts and stamps the ground impatiently. He wears coal-black plate armor and a full face helm with wicked goat horns that sweep back over his head, his entire body steaming with cold vapor and black tendrils of energy.
The horse takes a single step forward, before the rider shudders and slumps forward in his saddle. After a second step the horse dissipates into black smoke before your every eyes, sending the rider pitching headlong onto the frozen ground where he lies still, face down in the snow. His entire body seems to shrink as he does so and after a moment he is no larger than any other man.
As he approaches the vortex something happens. Amid a blast of icy cold air and snow a massive black rider appears before him and pitches headlong into the snow.
Corum does not hesitate. Instinctively he raises his axe to protect himself and the others then lowrrs it when it is obvious the man poses no threat. He rushes forward and scipps the man up onto his shoulder as if he weighs nothing. He carries him back to the others and gently lays him on the ground. He stands up and readies his axe, looking around for signs of danger.
"What happened then? I swear he was huge. Mounted and armoured but now he looks no more than an ordinary man. Does he live?"
Perception
To Corums surprise the man weighs almost nothing even in his armor. The helm also seems to have dissipated, revealing the wizened face of an ancient-looking human man.
His eyes flicker and you see he is conscious despite a thick shard of ice that juts from a wound in his neck. He groans lightly in pain.
As the black rides steps out of the portal Greyston holds his breath, but is instantly relieved as he see's there is no treat.
"It must have been magic, but who is he where did he come from?"Greyston moves in to check over the man, but the clear sign of his injuries is the ice shard. "We need to heal him."
Save your magic. he coughs. My ride is run. his voice sounds like cracking ice.
Studying the portal intently Elleross is lost in thought as Corum strides toward the vortex .
It is only when he nears it's perimeter and the others cry out a warning ,that the old elf realises what the warrior Intends to do.
Hie is about to berate the warrior himself when the huge figure appears inside the vortex and he instinctively reaches for his component pouch ready to attack this new threat with whatever means he has.
he has crossed over from the other side of this portal, so it may be possible for us to do the same but I advise caution. it seems he was obviously fleeing from something. The ice shard in his neck attests to that fact. Does he still live Greyston? What did he say? he says as he rushes toward the others.
It was an illusion spell, probably disguise self
"Your ride? Is this your storm?!" Nasrin leans close, feeling like this man may have the answers she wants.
He smiles grimly. It is an Irrisien saying. My injuries are beyond your magic now and my passing is inevitable.
And no this is not my storm. But one I hoped... And failed... To curtail.
He looks up suddenly, a fresh trickle of blood seeping from his neck.
Where are we, what land is this? Are there fey nearby, this portal will have guardians!
Corum looms down at the wounded man. "The guardians are dead old man. Don't worry. How did you mean to stop this?"
Slaughtered at great cost. What you mean failed?
Greyston decides to cut straight to it. "Whats your name? Who are you? What is all this?!"
Greyston decides to cut straight to it. "Whats your name? Who are you? What is all this?!"
Once, I was called Illarion Matveius. Now I am known as Black Midnight. I am Baba Yaga's Black Rider, harbinger of the Witch Queen's return.
He coughs again, bloody spittle spattering onto his chest.
What you mean failed?
The servants of Queen Elvanna, ruler of Irrisen and betrayer of her own mother did this to me. They slew my brothers and left me for dead.
Something has happened to Baba Yaga. Every hundred years, she returns to Irrisen to place a new daughter on the throne. But Queen Elvanna has other plans, it seems. Baba Yaga has not appeared as planned, and 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.
"You haven't answered anything! How are you a threat to the White Queen?"
Foolish girl, do you not listen! Elvanna seeks to take her mother, Baba Yaga's, place and my brothers and I stood against her.
Elleross looks down at the man with a mixture of contempt and anger.
you herald The witches return? You serve that evil? Such filth should not be allowed to return. If one of her stinking Brood is standing up to her then I Hope They destroy each other. he says with venom the world would be better off
these witches have brought the chill of the north to Taldor, already theyvhave caused untold damage to the region . Tell us how we close this portal! There must be a way he says as he glares down at the man.
"Irrisien? You are far from that frozen place rider. You are hundreds of miles south. That thing has turned summer into a frozen waste. It is foul magic and we mean to stop it. The witches behind it are also behind the death of our feiend Thorn. They will die."
I'm sorry about your ffriend. he says to Corum. But many more will follow if you don't help me. Not all witches are equal, son. the Rider says to Elleros and despite the wizards age you somehow now this man is far more ancient. You shouldn't judge them equally.
You can find its source in the Pale Tower, on the other side, but this portal is but one of many. Through them, Elvanna will spread a new ice age across your world, consuming it for all eternity. Closing this portal might save your kingdom, but Golarion would still be doomed.
You must find Baba Yaga. Only Baba Yaga can defeat Elvanna. Only the Queen of Witches can undo what her daughter has done.
I am no son of yours servant ! Do not address me as such. ,he says defiantly I judge as I find horseman, I will do no witches bidding. Those hags and their evil patrons will be stopped. They think they can take anything they want! Do anything they want! It's time they learned they aren't untouchable he hisses.
the witches took everything from me! It's time I started taking from them! If there is a way to destroy Baba Yaga and her seed then I will find it !
Elleross, all of you, peace! urges Sapphire in a bold voice
There are no witches here to slay right now, only a beleaguered township about to fall victim to a political power play from someone they have never even seen. We must focus on removing the current threat and saving the village.
She kneels down next to the man and offers him some water
The story you tell is fantastical, but everything we've seen thus far seems to support it.
she hesitates, though noting the shard of ice in the man's neck, realises there is likely not much time for discussion
If Elvanna has slain you and your brothers, I don't understand what you think we could accomplish! We are but travellers in these parts, not mighty sorcerers and warriors of legend fit to battle an ice queen that commands the cold itself! How can we find Baba Yaga if her own riders could not?
she sighs
I think we should venture through the portal and at least try to close this one, we promised Heldren we would save it and we have fought so hard, lost so much, to turn back now. We can figure everything else out from there once we've dealt with this 'Pale Tower'. What say you all?
Greyston has kept quiet through most of the talking, just taking in everything thats being said. "Illarion Matveius as my friend said we are far from Irrisien, this portal that turns our lands white. You say thought it there is a pale tower the holds the key to stopping it? We promise nothing." He looks to everyone else. "But as you said you are dying we will see what happens after we have stop this portal spewing snow. If Baba Yaga can help us we have no other option, are all her allies dead? Do you know of any that live?
Greyston nods at Sapphire "It's the only thing we can do, we assult this Pale Tower and stop this snow. Stop the Assault... on us from this Elvanna."
Corum looks at Elleross as he vents his hatred of witches. The warrior says "The rider is right when he says not all witches are the same. I am from the north. Up there witches are often the healers and teachers of tribes. We had one such shaman in our village. Strange yes, but not evil. Elleross you are a clever man. Have you heard the saying the enemy of my enemyis my friend? It must be so now. The witch we need dead can only be stopped by another one - her mother. I say so be it."
He smiles grimly. "Besides, I am sure there'll be lots of other witches to kill along the way my friend. Plenty to slake your thirst for vengeance."
He squats down next to the man. "I have fought for worse paymasters before so I am in. If this is the only way to stop this then I"ll find your true queen. She had better pay well though!"
Nasrin growls. Hating that Sapphire and Corum have the right. "Taking this chance means we might stop Elvanna's mother, too." She begins pacing, her eyes never leaving the mortally wounded man.
Narowing his eyes on Elleross the hatred in his words. "Elleross, you can't be blinded by this now. I know your pain is real i don't wish to take away from that but we have a clear goal right now and thats to shut this portal down." He signs as he thinks of the massive responsibility thrust on them by this rider.
"As i told Illarion we can't promise anything, we were all thrown together for this and to find out this is all some plot to blanket Golarion in snow. It's a lot to take it so fast we must focus on one thing and thats this snow and that portal." He points at the swirling vortex.
"Elleross you are a clever man. Have you heard the saying the enemy of my enemyis my friend? It must be so now"
The old elf takes a deep cold breath and turns to Corum and smiles, pushing his anger aside he begins to think instead of just feel and he begins to see clearly now what he must do.
His demeanor changes instantly as he takes a hold of his emotions and it is almost as if he has slipped on a mask.I prefer another saying. "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer still " I will play along with these witches for now. But when the opportunity arises, I won't hesitate to take it. Revenge after all is a dish best served cold he thinks
of course you are correct. I let my emotions get the best of me.
We need to close these gateways as soon as possible. Tell me horseman, what lies beyond the gateway? We will need directions and we need to know if there were enemies close behind you? he says looking down on the dying man.
In your years of captivity, there were periods where arcane sigils and forumlae would be so indelibly burned into your mind that you just needed a break. It was in those times that you turned to fairy tales and fables. But when do fairy tales and history meet? Certainly in the case of the Witch Queen.
Baba Yaga is said to be an immortal witch of god-like power who came to Golarion in her Dancing Hut - an incredibly artifact that grants her the ability to travel the entire universe.
The winter of 3312 AR was terribly bitter, even by the incredibly harsh standards of northern Avistan: warriors who left their swords outside overnight would find that the cold had shattered them by the next morning. As if the cold wasn't strange enough, the northern lights were so bright and sustained that they were mistaken for daylight. These events would later be seen as omens of the terror that was to come.
The following year the witch-queen Baba Yaga invaded the Linnorm Kingdom of Raemerrund and the Djurstor Confederacy from over the Winterwall Glacier, bringing with her an army of ice trolls, cold fey, frost giant, white dragons, and other winter creatures. King Jarguut and the thanes of the Confederacy were too divided and weakened to offer any serious resistance, and the Winter War ended in the defeat of the Ulfen forces in only 23 days.
Once the Ulfen armies had been defeated, Baba Yaga installed her eldest daughter Jadwiga as queen of the new nation of Irrisen, and divided it into five provinces: Bleakmarch, Feyfrost, Hoarwood, Thronehold, and Wintercrux. After this was accomplished, however, the Witch Queen seemed to lose interest in Irrisen, and departed Golarion abruptly.
After founding Irrisen, Baba Yaga was not heard from for nearly a century. In 3412 AR, the Three Riders of Baba Yaga appeared in Irrisen. These strange, fey horsemen road about the countryside, punishing those who had been unfaithful to the Witch Queen, and (rarely) rewarding those who had stayed true to her, but offered little justification for any of their actions. The following year, Baba Yaga herself returned to Golarion and removed the Queen from the throne, placing her younger daughter Morgannan in charge. She left again shortly thereafter, taking along her eldest daughter Jadwiga along with the first generation of her descendants. This process was to reoccur every 100 years like clockwork, and continues to this day.
Years ago, when things were better, you remember your mother reading you stories at bedtime. One that sticks in your mind now, is that of Baba Yaga. You always assumed it was a fairytale.
Baba Yaga is said to be an immortal witch of god-like power who came to Golarion in her Dancing Hut - an incredibly artifact that grants her the ability to travel the entire universe.
The winter of 3312 AR was terribly bitter, even by the incredibly harsh standards of northern Avistan: warriors who left their swords outside overnight would find that the cold had shattered them by the next morning. As if the cold wasn't strange enough, the northern lights were so bright and sustained that they were mistaken for daylight. These events would later be seen as omens of the terror that was to come.
The following year the witch-queen Baba Yaga invaded the Linnorm Kingdom of Raemerrund and the Djurstor Confederacy from over the Winterwall Glacier, bringing with her an army of ice trolls, cold fey, frost giant, white dragons, and other winter creatures. King Jarguut and the thanes of the Confederacy were too divided and weakened to offer any serious resistance, and the Winter War ended in the defeat of the Ulfen forces in only 23 days.
Once the Ulfen armies had been defeated, Baba Yaga installed her eldest daughter Jadwiga as queen of the new nation of Irrisen, and divided it into five provinces: Bleakmarch, Feyfrost, Hoarwood, Thronehold, and Wintercrux. After this was accomplished, however, the Witch Queen seemed to lose interest in Irrisen, and departed Golarion abruptly.
After founding Irrisen, Baba Yaga was not heard from for nearly a century. In 3412 AR, the Three Riders of Baba Yaga appeared in Irrisen. These strange, fey horsemen road about the countryside, punishing those who had been unfaithful to the Witch Queen, and (rarely) rewarding those who had stayed true to her, but offered little justification for any of their actions. The following year, Baba Yaga herself returned to Golarion and removed the Queen from the throne, placing her younger daughter Morgannan in charge. She left again shortly thereafter, taking along her eldest daughter Jadwiga along with the first generation of her descendants. This process was to reoccur every 100 years like clockwork, and continues to this day.
The rider appears to be fading every moment.
No enemies.... managed to evade... capture. Elvanna's troops... everywhere though. Irrisen is beyond. Cold, ever-winter.
He coughs heavily again.
Waldsby is near... villagers there will tell of the White Tower. But you MUST find the Dancing Hut! The Tower is one thing... but the hut can travel.... great distances, even travel between worlds. If you... <ack!>... can control the hut, it can take you to Baba Yaga...