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Jelani's The Witchwar Legacy (Inactive)

Game Master Brian Minhinnick


Campaign Info
Gameplay
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Recruitment
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Characters

Encounter Map

Experience Points:279,166/315,000

You may take 10 on knowledge checks to know any of the following in-character:

Knowledge (Religion) DC 25 about Kostchtchie:
Kostchtchie was not always a demon: once he was an Ulfen man who hated women and giants and had a violent temper. His father raised him barbarically, forcing him to slaughter his own mother and sister, but in time, the savage Kostchtchie murdered his father as well. Much of the rest of his mortal life is lost in myth and fable. The next event of which scholars are certain, is the beginning of his unholy ascendency.

Kostchtchie sought immortality by forcing a bargain with the Witch Queen Baba Yaga. As is often the case with such arrangements, Kostchtchie's wish for immortality was twisted by the evil crone, and he found himself transformed into the demonic form of the thing that he hated most: a giant. Baba Yaga also hid an element of his mortal soul in a torc. Since that time, Kostchtchie has turned his hatred towards Baba Yaga and humanity itself. He wages constant war on the tribes of Iobaria, and seeks to conquer and destroy the nation of Irrisen, ruled by the many daughters of Baba Yaga herself. His interest in Irrisen is associated with the recovery of the torc that holds part of his soul as he considers the torc may cure his deformity while maintaining his immortality. While he sometimes campaigns by proxy, Kostchtchie prefers to enter combat in person. For example, according to the eponymous Record of Truan Iolavai, he took personal interest in Iolavai's investigation of Hask-Ultharan in the great pine forest of Iobaria.

Kostchtchie's main worshipers are frost giants who have turned from the worship of their traditional deities, particularly Thremyr, and instead embraced the demonic as being a more aggressive philosophy. Some claim that these frost giant worshipers of Kostchtchie are even more war-like and blood-thirsty than their already fearsome frost giant kin. Despite his general hatred of humans, Kostchtchie does have many human worshipers, particularly in the western reaches of the Realm of the Mammoth Lords. They pray for the day when he will finally bring destruction upon their most hated enemy, the realm of Irrisen. He also has worshippers in Iobaria and the Crown of the World.

Kostchtchie seems to have evoked the particular ire of the powerful goddess, Iomedae, for his hatred of women and just the fact he is a demon lord and murderer..

Knowledge (History) DC 15 or Religion DC 25 about Baba Yaga:
The Queen of Witches, Baba Yaga (pronounced BAH-ba YAH-guh) invaded Golarion from another world in 3313 AR, making war on the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. Within 23 days the Winter War was over and she had established her realm of Irrisen. 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.

Not every daughter of Baba Yaga has quietly acquiesced to her mother's demand to give up the throne of Irrisen, and a few have even openly rebelled against the Witch Queen. Although the first three queens of Irrisen (Jadwiga, Morgannan, and Urvalane) are said to have abdicated with little fighting, Urvalane's successor, Pjallarane, did not go quietly. She and her children (the Jadwiga Pjallarane) launched an open rebellion against their progenitor in 3713 AR, but were ruthlessly put down by Baba Yaga in a single day in a conflict known as the 24-Hour War. A century later, Queen Aelena abdicated without the slightest hesitation, most-likely remembering her sister's futile struggle against their mother.

These relatively quiet successions continued through the reigns of Queens Harcatha, Sascha, and Karina, but came to an end with the Witchwar of 4213 AR. During this conflict, Queen Tashanna used the power of the Torc of Kostchtchie to summon the demon lord Kostchtchie and force him to assist her in fending off the Witch Queen. Despite this assistance, Tashanna and her followers were quickly defeated by Baba Yaga. Tashanna and the first generation of her offspring were dragged off to a place beyond Golarion, while her former loyalists were executed, and their bodies hidden in the necropolis known as the Veil of Frozen Tears.

After this unpleasantness, the next queen of Irrisen, Velikas renounced her throne quietly in 4413 AR, but trouble was once again stirred up by her successor, Queen Kseniya. When Baba Yaga came in 4413 AR, Kseniya attempted to take her life. Many of her children tried to do the same, but were ultimately prevented by the Witch Queen, who took them all with her and installed Betyrina as the new monarch of Irrisen.
Since Velikas' futile gesture of resistance, the Queens of Irrisen have once again given up their thrones quietly. It remains to be seen which of her sisters' footsteps the current Queen Elvanna will follow in when Baba Yaga returns this year

Knowledge (Local, Geography) DC 15 about Irrisen:
Irrisen (pronounced IHR-ih-sehn) is a harsh, cold northern land covered in the snow and ice of a winter that has lasted centuries. The snow never melts, and almost as omnipresent as the snow and ice, is the feeling of dread that pervades the nation, for as harsh and unforgiving as the land is, it is nothing compared to those who rule it. The land is governed by the White Witches of Irrisen, the descendants of the terrible crone Baba Yaga. All the White Witches are obedient to their queen, who is a daughter of Baba Yaga herself.

Irrisen is, in some ways, run by quite a conventional monarchy. There is only one ruler whose word is absolute and whose power is unassailable. However, unlike almost every other monarchy on Golarion, Irrisen is not a hereditary monarchy. Instead, the monarch is chosen by the witch Baba Yaga who originally founded Irrisen over a thousand years ago. Every century, she returns from her endless wanderings amongst the planes to place a new daughter in charge of Irrisen; the old daughter leaves with Baba Yaga to view the infinite wonders of the multi-verse by her side. Baba Yaga also takes all of her daughter's children (Baba Yaga's grandchildren) with her; this means that every hundred years. there is a complete change of leadership and aristocracy of Irrisen. The grand children of the queen (the great grand children of Baba Yaga) are left behind and are one of the lasting legacies of any previous queen of Irrisen.

Irrisen is a land dominated by the cold. It sits at the northern most limits of Avistan and borders on the edge of the Crown of the World with its glacial sheets forming Irrisen's northern border. Its northern location is not the only reason for its cold climate. Ever since being conquered by Baba Yaga Irrisen has been locked in an eternal winter. This harsh eternal winter gives Irrisen a palpable sense of dread. The second biggest feature of Irrisen is Glacier Lake which takes up a large area within Irrisen's interior. Two of Irrisen's three largest settlements are built either on its shore or on on of the rivers connected to it. Irrisen's capital Whitethrone sits on its north eastern shore.

The people of Irrisen generally come trace their heritage to one of two sources. Either they are descended from the Ulfen that were enslaved by Baba Yaga or they are distantly descended from one of Irrisen's previous queens. Regardless of their heritage the people adore the White Witches though no one know whether this is genuine adoration or simply a result of Irrisen citizens fear of the terrifying witches. This adoration is put to the test when the changing of queens is imminent as before the arrival of Baba Yaga three knights; the white rider, the red rider and the black rider roam Irrisen assessing the loyalty of Baba Yaga's subjects. Those they find to be truly loyal are awarded with boons while cursing or completely destroying those they find to be disloyal. The people of Irrisen are generally quite isolated from the rest of Golarion as few traders ever visit Irrisen and just as few resident muster the courage to attempt to leave. They generally spend their days tending what few crops will grow in the harsh conditions.

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Language Key

Celestial - Tamil

Abyssal - Gujarati

Giant - Icelandic

Draconic - Traditional Chinese

Skald - Norwegian/Swedish/Danish (Linnorm Kings, Irrisen, Mammoth Lords)

Dwarven - Belorussian

Elven -

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Appearance Female Gnome Oracle (Heavens) 1

Sorry for your losses and to hear you've had so much on your plate, Vega. No need to apologize for any absence.

Very sorry to hear! I noticed that you had suddenly dropped off every game/alias and feared it was something like this. I'm glad to hear from you and totally understand you needing some more time before you join back in. Take good care of yourself!

As we weren't at a critical point, I didn't see the need to remove you. Vega is just having some kind of mental battle with himself at the moment or something. So he's going to chill out where he is until you're ready to play him again.

Sorry to hear about your losses Pirate. Take your time man.
Female Elf Wizard (Conjurer) 12 || Summoner (Synthesist) 12

Sorry for my silence in the last few days, but much like Pirate, I have suddenly found myself a bit busy in real life. I'm going to be gone from the forums until further noticed. Thanks for understanding.

Erk. That sucks :(

How do the rest of you want to handle this?

I really don't feel up to DMPCing Ophelia on a permanent basis, her character is very complex, and I've got enough on my plate with running things. However she's kind of the core of the party at this point, with her summoned creatures/companions making up a huge chunk of creatures here. Suggestions?

Oy, Ophelia/CDL sorry to hear things are complicated in your life too!

Jelani, I hate to lose momentum, but does it make sense to take a break until at least the first of Ophelia or Vega returns? Ophelia's post leaves her future uncertain, but Vega expects to be back in the not too distant future. Why don't we see if Ophelia has more to say about her future when Vega returns. If need be at that point, perhaps one of us can play her by proxy for a bit, until she returns?
Appearance Female Gnome Oracle (Heavens) 1

I'd like to stop the game.

Lets see what the others have to say. I'll admit to not being too keen on continuing with two of what were the biggest posters (besides you Gyrfalcon) missing.
Init +6, Perc +14, Darvision 90' Dark Sight 15' Low-light x2, Light Sensitive AC 32, T 20, FF 29; HP 84+72/84+72; Saves F13/R18/W15

I'm okay with a pause in the game as well.
Male Aasimar Druid [Menhir Savant]/Summoner [Synthesist] 12

Augh, man. I don't think we could continue without Ophelia at the very least. Like, her and Vega are essential to the party dynamic both mechanically and from an RP sensibility. I'm fine with pausing until it's safe to pick back up again, but that's a major bummer.
Cho'ankai Aju-Taash wrote:
Augh, man. I don't think we could continue without Ophelia at the very least. Like, her and Vega are essential to the party dynamic both mechanically and from an RP sensibility. I'm fine with pausing until it's safe to pick back up again, but that's a major bummer.

Agreed. Seems like the fates have ordained this game shall not be for now. I'll mark it as inactive, and if people come back at some point we might get it going again. We'll see.

Yikes! Yes, I really really hope we get to continue at some point. It's been awesome so far.
Female Elf Wizard (Conjurer) 12 || Summoner (Synthesist) 12

Yo. I should be able to start up again now. RL is still being a bit of a pain, but I have found the time and will to continue with (most of) my forum games. If I have to take a break, I will give you guys a heads up, but it shouldn't be as drastic. Still, I have to be honest and say that I am tiring of constant combat.

Cool Ophelia, thank for letting us know.

Well, this is a dungeon crawl in PBP. It's going to be (near) constant combat as long as you guys keep pressing forward. After clearing this misty chamber thing, there will certainly be a short interlude of RP while you guys decide where to go/what do next. But again, dungeon crawl.

Vega, how is it going with you buddy?

Where is everyone else at?

I'll be going back to school starting at the end of the month, so I actually might need to slow up on PBP around that time too. I'm not sure yet, since I'm only going part time. But it might affect my posting.
Female Elf Wizard (Conjurer) 12 || Summoner (Synthesist) 12

You might want to reactivate the thread so the others can see our newest messages in their little list of campaigns.

Good point :) Done.

Hey, I'm very happy to see this reactivated! Ophelia, sorry to hear that RL has been a pain. I hope things improve soon.

Vega, I hope you're doing well too. Losing people sucks.
Female Elf Wizard (Conjurer) 12 || Summoner (Synthesist) 12

I suppose that constant combat is to be expected with dungeon crawls, but given the grade of the current enemy (the worms), I would certainly not be opposed to hitting the fast forward button like we did during the battle against the giants. You know, saying that we search the room and just kill any worms that get in our way in the interest of saving time and getting to more fun battles like the one with the ancient white dragon.

I'll go for that if you're willing to say your rounds per level summons are expired. I will reveal the map and give XP for the amount of them you would have encountered. There are a large but not infinite number of worms.

Sounds good to me.
Female Elf Wizard (Conjurer) 12 || Summoner (Synthesist) 12

I'm quite alright with letting the summons expire. They only had like six rounds left anyway.
Init +6, Perc +14, Darvision 90' Dark Sight 15' Low-light x2, Light Sensitive AC 32, T 20, FF 29; HP 84+72/84+72; Saves F13/R18/W15

Still here!
Male Aasimar Druid [Menhir Savant]/Summoner [Synthesist] 12

Here!

I'd like to hear from everyone but Vega if I'm going to restart this.
Appearance Female Gnome Oracle (Heavens) 1

Sorry guys. I have to bow out graciously. I've been finding this high level of combat too much for me to handle. Waaaaay too many options. I think if I had played another version of Poppy previously and gotten her to a decently high level, then this would work. But, I've never played any version of Poppy before, or an Oracle, or a Summoner, or anything beyond level 9. I know the point of this PBP was to break the game, but it broke my brain. It was fun playing with you guys though!

Hey Poppy, really sorry to hear it, I've totally enjoyed playing with you. I'll agree that it's a pretty head-spinning challenge some times... Even for Gror who can go a long way just playing the big dumb fighter.

Anyway, all the best and I hope to okay with you somewhere else.

Jelani, where does that leave us?

Not having heard from Vega, and with me going back to college (after a 2+ year break) at the end of the month, I think I'm going to just go ahead and put a bullet in this one's brain.

I am glad that I tried the high level PBP thing, as I've seen it proposed so many times, made a character and then had the DM back out. But honestly, this game is a lot of work just because of the high numbers and all the abilities the PCs have going on. It's also a dungeon crawl.

I keep trying to run dungeon crawls in PBP, and EVERY time the posting rate starts out strong and then flops and dies after a short time. I don't know what it is, but something about PBP makes them not fun it seems. I'm only in one game where it works, and everyone basically posts one sentence posts from their phones, and the DM keeps it moving very rapidly. It's also low level. There is very little RP, so the fun of the game just comes from the fights. I'm also the de facto party leader in that one as the rogue, and I can post WAAAAY more than most other people in the boards. So I can constantly push it forward myself by saying "We go this way, I check this door, I open this door etc."

We've got one character definitely out (Poppy), one character practically (if not permanently) out (Vega), one character uncertain of time (Ophelia) and two people who haven't been able to keep up anywhere close to the 1/day posting commitment I asked for in recruitment (Dori and Cho). Then Gror, who has been the most enthusiastic about the game. That's not much fun for me. It takes me 1-3 hours to do a combat or summary post. Without people actively participating every day, it just feels like a chore.

I'm not angry, or trying to shame people or something. I don't care, it's only a game. I'm just being honest.

If school's not too crazy, I might recycle the all synthesist party idea into a lower level game. Talking with Poppy earlier IRL I had a thought about Council of Thieves. As it seems like a good game to have a party of "super heroes" in. I'd probably also go mythic instead of gestalt. But that's all "we'll see" at this point.
Female Elf Wizard (Conjurer) 12 || Summoner (Synthesist) 12

I'll keep in touch; you're one of the best DMs I've ever had, Jelani. :) I would love to use Ophelia in some form in another campaign of yours. I don't think it was the fact that this one was high level so much as it was a dungeon crawl with little chance to let such a strong cast shine. Those are difficult to pull off in PBP and typically work better in a live setting.

It was great playing with you all. This was the first PbP I've played in where people took the time to do really rich writing...with the tone set of course by Jelani. I've learned a ton, and stepped up my game quite a bit thanks to all y'all's inspiration.

Thanks to everyone for the energy and passion they put in! I'd be happy to get to game with any or all again...and Jelani, good luck getting back into things at school. I'll try not to salivate too much at the thought of your take on Council of Thieves. ;-)
Appearance Female Gnome Oracle (Heavens) 1

It's def easier to keep a game going with more down time for the characters so they can bond and all that. I would love to try Poppy again as a lower level character in a different setting. Typing her inner monologue is so much fun!! And thinking of how she would interact with other PCs who aren't so... whimsical.

Thanks for the kind words guys, I definitely hope to play with you all again at some point.
Init +6, Perc +14, Darvision 90' Dark Sight 15' Low-light x2, Light Sensitive AC 32, T 20, FF 29; HP 84+72/84+72; Saves F13/R18/W15

I had a lot of fun, and really enjoyed playing with everyone!

Until next time!
Male Human (Taldan/Tien) Gestalt Monk/Summoner 12 || HP: 75; THP: 72 || AC 56; Tch 31; FF 47; CMD 43: +2 vs Evil || DR 2/- || Fort +15; Reflex +21; Will +21/25: +2 vs Evil || Perception +40

Heya. First, I think I'll give you guys an update.

Sorting out real life has been rough. A few days after my last message, another person close to the family died. This one was rather unexpected as well.

On a personal level, I am doing much better now. Just the last 2 months have been... a trail, to say the least.

For while this game lasted, it was a lot of fun (at least, I had lots of fun with it when I was able to post regularly). While I m sad to see it do, I understand that sometimes you simply have to let go and move on in order to keep sane.

Best of gaming to all of you, and I hope to see some of you around in future games as well.

Well, I just opened a council of thieves recruitment on the same premise as this one. Hope you apply :)
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