Crummock frowns at Mr Whiskers.
"Very well, since you want me to be explicit, I have promised to craft a Greater Hat of Disguise for her, which will allow her to adopt human form at will."
The party goes up the stairways into the Hut, with Greta having to squeeze in through the door.
Bundles of dried herbs hang from the rafters of this comfortable-looking room, and along the walls are numerous shelves holding a bewildering variety of glass jars, bottles, and vials containing all manner of strange magical components and alchemical ingredients. A massive cauldron sits in the middle of the room. No fire burns under the pot, but the liquid within it bubbles and churns, and white fumes rise and lap over the brim. A large stove, writing desk, bookcase, and fireplace complete the room, along with a number of crates, barrels, and sacks. A short flight of steps leads up to a set of double doors in the north wall, and a small ladder climbs to a trap door in the ceiling in the northeast corner. Two windows flank a door to the south.
In the room there is a hunched, old crone with a long bird’s beak, donkey ears, horns, and stringy black hair. She wears a peasant’s dress with a red shawl tied tightly around her wizened head, but these articles do not disguise her clawed hands or the scaly bird talons that are her feet. "What are you doing in my house?" She hollers at the party, while raising her broomstick.
Mr Whiskers recognizes the crone as kikimora. They are mischievous busybody who sometimes serve as housekeepers of powerful witches. They are pranksters at heart, but expect the House Owners to treat them with respect. They are fond of shinny objects and jewels, and giving gifts to them is a good way to show respect. It is said that a House's secrets cannot hide from its kikimora.
DR 5/cold iron, SR 17.
Crummock bows to the creature.
"I rather be thinkin' it be Baba Yaga's house. Never mind. We were charged by Black Midnight to find her - Queen Elvanna means her serious harm, and we be needin' her to restore balance to Irrisen. The Black Rider told us that we needed the Hut to find her, so here we are."
He then offers her the ice-diamond necklace that the party found as a token of good faith.
Looking over to Crummock, Mr. Whiskers says "She does have some claim to it. She is the one who keeps everything tidy." He then makes an exaggerated show of craning his neck looking around. "Seems quite good at it too!"
He wipes his feet on the mat before entering and says "I am called Mr. Whiskers." and gives a short bow. "By what name should we call you?"
"You can call me Zorka. And yes, I'm the housekeeper." She nods approvingly at Mr Whiskers, then puffs her chest out proudly. After Crummock bestows the ice diamond necklace on her, she beams at him, "And a good turn deserves another." She hands Crummock cracked clay bowl and a brown hen's egg, and a key. "If you need anything within the house, just whistle. Watch out for Mr Boneman north of here. I haven't been able to clean the room ever since he decided to take residence. And the Cauldron hasn't been working right, either. If you need anything, just whistle, I'll be around."
"Feel free to help yourselves to anything in the hut. The ladder leads up to the loft." She opens up a secret pannel on the eastern side of the room, "That's the library. You'll want to take the book labelled the Tome of Knowledge, and to the centre and open it up against any wall." She waves vaguely at her surroundings, "If you ever wish to access the library.If you need anything, just whistle." She then seemingly dives into a meaningless scribble in the wall.
Mr Whiskers realizes that the party should put in the frost giant beard and the plague mask into the cauldron, except for one little problem. There seems a nasty black forcefield over the cauldron.
Looting the room yields the following items:
a bead of newt prevention, an elixir of love, a hexing doll, restorative ointment, seers tea, an unguent of timelessness and universal solvent.
Any spellcomponents that do not have a value to them can be found on the shelves of this room, of any quantity.
Tall bookcases stretch from floor to ceiling in this chamber, flanking a row of tables standing in the center aisle. Numerous books are strewn upon the tables, along with blotters, vials of ink, sheets of vellum, and abundant quills. A fire burns merrily in a fireplace built into the eastern wall.
There are a whole bunch of books down here, so so any character performing research here gains a +4 circumstances bonus on Knowledge checks within the library.
A pair of spectacles of understanding sits atop one of the reading table.
When Greta sees the collection, her jaws drop open. "Oh my god...I could stay here forever reading all these!" She exclaims, then tries to leap up to pull a book off the shelf.
The center portion of the floor of this loft is open, crossed by wooden rafters and overlooking the bubbling cauldron in the room below. Numerous barrels, boxes, and crates are arrayed around the room’s walls. The south wall holds a large window.
The containers in this room hold more mundane supplies: blankets, buckets, candles, cooking utensils, extra pots and pans, linens, rope, washtubs, and the like. The window in this room looks out through the Dancing Hut’s “beak,” and overlooks Whitethrone’s Market Square.
Five iron thrones are arranged around a circular map in the floor of this large room. Translucent, three-dimensional images of cities and villages hover a few inches above their locations on the map. A large pile of bones and skulls, roped together by sinew, sits atop the center throne. Behind this throne, columns set against the wall form a semicircular alcove filled with a swirling mass of white mist.
Oh dear. Both Einar and Mr Whiskers can't recognize what place the map denotes. As the party enters the room, the pile of bones on the centre throne animates into a bone golem and attacks.
Mr Whiskers recognizes the bone golem as a...Bone Golem. It has DR 5/adamantine.
Crummock frowns at Mr Whiskers.
"Very well, since you want me to be explicit, I have promised to craft a Greater Hat of Disguise for her, which will allow her to adopt human form at will."
He thinks a moment, then nods saying "Yes, that should do it. Somewhat expensive, but it would work."
Knowing that many golem's are immune to magic, Mr. Whiskers tries to grease the floor under it.
He then backs up out of the room. "Are we sure we want to deal with that thing right now?"
It slips unceremoniously down on the ground.
Hirah walks up to the Bone golem and stabs it with her greatsword.
The golem gets up, then pounds on Hirah.
Both times the attacks don't seem to be dealing their full damage.
Confident that Hirah and Einar will have the situation well in hand, Crummock simply moves into the room, positioning himself tactically so as to be better able to heal whomever becomes injured.
After Einar's downward slash, the bone golem looks about to fall apart.
Mr. Whiskers sees that everyone has the creature surrounded, so he comes forward.
Hirah 5 foots to the left slightly, activating Amplified Rage, before striking out with her greatsword.
Hirah gives the Bone Golem a good smackdown and it crumbles into bonebits. Mr Whiskers notices the door to the room fill with strange sigils that flare blue-white briefly the moment the party walks across the doorway.
Mr Whiskers stretches out his magical senses and determines it’s a glyph of warding, but since they have the black riders mantle, they are recognized as friends and thus spared from its effects.
Greta enters the room, ”You mean you don’t know what this is?” She points her nuzzle at the map.”It’s a map of Irrisen, you ninnies!” She teases the party good naturedly. Mr Whiskers, after being informed by Greta, examines the map and realizes that it functions as a Crystal Ball, but it only works for creatures within Irrisen.
Crummock takes out the key given by Zorka and opens the western door.
A flight of steps leads to a cool earthern chamber beneath the hut that by all rights should not exist. A grinding sound fills the air, emanating from a millstone in the center of the room that turns endlessly, powered by some unknown force. Several small bins sit along the north wall, next to a few bulging sacks in the north east corner. A small wooden box wrapped in chains sits in the southwest corner. The bins along the wall contain potatoes, turnips, onions and other vegetables. There are enough supplies for the party for 2 weeks.
Mr Whiskers recognizes the small wooden box in chains as a mirgus locker.
The party hears a rumbling sound, and the sound of horns, as if an army was approaching. Einar peeks out of one of the windows, and sees Bragda, the winterwolf they had helped earlier trying to prevent a huge army that stretches as far as the eye can see from entering the marketsquare. In the army, Einar sees ice trolls, winterwolves, Winter Guards, mirror men, many hooded figures in blue robes, a few huge golems made out of the same material as his longsword, a pack of huge humanoid figures with snake tails made from ice, a few gargantuan, bestial demons combining the worst aspects of a bear, a mantis, a wolf, and a reptilian humanoid.
One of the robed figures in blue robes, bearing a scimitar points its scimitar at Bradga. ”Stand aside, Winterwolf. We’re retaking the Market Square.”
”No! There must have been some terrible mistake! Give them some more time! They helped me out of the Market Square, they’re loyal to Queen Elvana!”Bragda protests vehemently, as she tries to plead with them.
”Then behold the price of insubordination.” The robed blue figure coldly answers and points a finger at Bragda, and a bolt of green light hits the surprised Bragda, turning her into a pile of ash. The Winter Wolves in the army shift uneasily, but take no actions. ”And now the way to the Dancing Hut is clear. For Queen Elvana!” The robed figure leads the army moving swiftly over the snow covered ground.
The party realizes they’ve definitely overstayed their welcome in White Throne. Rushing back to the cauldron room, Einar fumbles with his pack to retrieve the frost giant beard and the plague mask, before the monstrous army gets close, then swiftly dumps both items in. As both items are dumped in, the liquid in the cauldron shimmers an icy blue, and the party notices strange sigils appear on the side of the cauldron.
Mr Whiskers has only a moment of recognition, ”Symbol of…” He never gets to finish the words as a flash of blue-white light blasts out from those sigils, catching the entire party. The party feel a great wave of weariness washes over them and fall into a catatonic slumber even before their bodies hit the floor.
Explosive runes! Suffice to say the save DC was 24...
The party has no idea how much time has passed before they awaken, refreshed, somewhere else. It probably must have been some time, considering that Hirah finds the wounds inflicted by the Bone Golem have become barely visible scars. Everyone's thirsty and hungry, as if they haven't had a meal for a while. Mr Whiskers also finds he can’t remember any of his spells . Geist also seems to have grown bigger, and is now large size, flopping on some crates and barrels, making it rather squeezy in this much smaller room. A quick search by the party reveals all their equipment is intact.
So what the hell happened?" Greta growls as she looks around her new surroundings warily.
A sturdy black cauldron sits in the middle of a rustic room with timber floors, logwalls, and a high celling framed by long beams cut from whole trunks. A grand cobblestone hearth fills one corner, its dying embers feeding the room with a dull red glow. Various barrels, farm tools, crates and other miscellaneous items clutter the remainder of the space. In the corner opposite the fireplace, a rickety wooden staircase climbs to a small wooden landing. A shallow alcove off the landing holds two thick wooden doors.
"I am pretty sure we aren't in Irrisen anymore...now what was that Glyph?" Mr. Whiskers responds, trying to make some sense of what happened. Eew! I really need to clean up!
He rubs his eyes and looks around.
Heightened Symbol of Sleep
"Oh, you're finally awake." Zorka pops out of a squiggle in the wall calmly, as if she does this kind of thing everyday."I was wondering how much longer you guys were going to, you know, lie around?"
"Zorka!" Smiling, Mr. Whiskers says "Sorry about that, we really didn't know what to expect with the cauldron. Did we do it wrong? Seems there was a symbol of slumber we triggered."
Looking around, he then asks "Do you happen to know where we are?"
"Oh. That. Sometimes the Hut has a mind of its own. Usually putting in the keys will just bring you to a new location, but I think the Hut decided you needed a rest. Some of you were looking a little off colour." She looks pointedly at Hirah. "No, I do not know where we are. Each set of keys," she nods sagely, "Brings the Hut to a different location. And you'll probably need to go out of the Hut to find out."
Then she goes to ransack Greta's packsaddle. "Ah-ha. So that's where it went to." She shows the book labelled, "Tome of Knowledge" to the party."So I was going to tell you to take the Book, before you put in the keys, but the Winter Wolf beat me to it."
Greta gives a warning growl, " My name is Greta. I have a name, you know. And keep your claws off my stuff or you'll be missing a hand."
Zorka ignores Greta. "So basically if you need to use the library, you just need flip it to the center page, and put it against the wall, and Viola, instant library." She then demonstrates the function of the book to the party.
"So do you need any assistance with anything else? Else I'll be off."
"Thank you for the help, Zorka! I think that is good for now."
Looking over at the wolf, he says "I believe the tome is for all of us to use, Greta."
"Oh yes! I almost forgot. The Hut's layout changes everytime it goes to a new place.Rooms dissappear, new ones appear." Zorka gives a crptic statement. "Anything, as I said, just whistle."Zorka jumps back into a squiggle in the wall.
"Yes, if I hadn't taken it, it wouldn't be here now. Now that you talk about it, we should have taken the contents of the cellar as well. I'm hungry."Greta whines.
"Well, in my saddlebags there are some dumplings, and a pot and a waterskin.If you were to take all of those out, start a fire, we could steam them up. Good thing I came prepared."
"I'd do it myself, but I've got paws, not hands. Now you know why I've been trying to find a way to be able to shift to a human?"
Mr. Whiskers sighs and then starts preparing the meal. I hate to think how bossy she will be once she has a human form!
"No doubt your nose is better than mine. Anything you can tell me from the smells around here?" He supplements the dumplings with some of their own supplies. Camp cooking is alright, but at times it would be nice to get a real meal.
The dumplings are delicious. Greta happily gobbles upwolves down her share after she manages to bite through the strings and leaf wrappings. "Sorry. I usually eat stuff with a little more finesse, but this will have to do." Greta seems mollified now that her belly is full.
No doubt your nose is better than mine. Anything you can tell me from the smells around here?"
"Yeah. I smell a ratfolk, lemming, a tiger, a tiefling, a half orc and an aasimar in the room." She gives Mr Whiskers a quick grin.
"Right. On a more serious note..." She lifts her head and gives the air an experimental sniff. "Human. To the west. Not too fond of bathing.Also smells of metal and ice."She takes on a look of disapproval.
Smiling, Mr. Whiskers says "Right, you never met Nivean!" He gets Nivean out of his vest and sets her on his shoulder.
"Might want to make friends with her at some point. Her paws are small enough to turn pages in books, after all." Only right to encourage reading.
Mr. Whiskers responds to Greta's information. "A human to the west? Well, I guess we will wait for the others to awaken before seeing to that. I expect the smell of cooking will wake Einar soon!" I hope he doesn't get into any eating contests with Greta! The two of them would likely go through our rations in a single day!
"Hello, Nivean." She introduces herself, smiling at the rodent, without showing her teeth, her tail wagging. She also keeps a careful distance from her so as not to alarm her. "Don't worry, I don't eat fellow party members." She tries to reassure Nivean.
"If you could help me flip pages of books, I would be very grateful."
"Hello, Nivean." She introduces herself, smiling at the rodent, without showing her teeth, her tail wagging. She also keeps a careful distance from her so as not to alarm her. "Don't worry, I don't eat fellow party members." She tries to reassure Nivean.
Cautiously, Nivean sniffs at Greta. Then she turns to Mr. Whiskers and squeaks something. When Mr. Whiskers nods, she looks back at the wolf.
"If you could help me flip pages of books, I would be very grateful."
Nivean nods. Then she runs down Mr. Whisker's clothes and over to the Tome.
Sniffing it a few times, she then works to open the front cover. She squeaks something at Mr. Whiskers, impatiently.
With a small sigh, Mr. Whiskers gestures and uses Mage Hand to open the tome.
Looking to Greta, he ponders "Seems to me there are a few items that would allow you to do that. Not quite as good as a humanoid form, but much easier to come by."
”Yeah, heard about things like that, but there are still limitations. For example, the part about the weight, and getting the control over the whole thing. Besides, who wears a mummified elf hand on their necks, it’s gross and yucky.”Greta wrinkles her nose.
A long corridor stretches out to both sides, the aged lank floors seeming to continue forever. Solid logs form the passage walls, intricately carved with knotted designs and images of lances, and centaurs, ravens and female figures. Pale-winged moths and tiny fireflies flutter through the hallway, their flickering glows filling the corridor with dim light. The passage leads upwards.
Mr Whiskers realizes that the corridor simply doubles upon itself, forming a Celtic knot.
Einar finds a secret door that is carefully concealed as part of the wall. He finds the door locked and fiddles with it for a while before he manages to get it open.
This spacious room resembles the interior of a wooden cottage. Stairs to the right of the entrance climb to balcony atop which rests a wooden table. A wooden walkway continues around the room to a small landing and another set of stairs to the left of the entrance. A Third staircase leads down from the walkway to an alcove opposite the door. Crates, boxes, barrels and other mundane materials crowd the space. A cracked clay bowl sits atop the table on the balcony, with a brownish, speckled hen’s egg inside.
A man who smells like he hasn’t bathed in a while, in iceblue chainmail stands facing the door, his battle axe at the ready. As the party enters he turns around, looking confused and wary.” Ja sam Ratibor Bold. Osvajač centralne Iobaria. Ja sam dobio zadatak da čuva Hut vječno od prijetnji bez, ali ne i prijetnje u. Ko si ti, i kako ste došli do biti u ovom Hut?”
I am Ratibor the Bold. Conqueror of central Iobaria. I have been tasked to guard the Hut eternally from threats without, but not threats within. Who are you, and how do you come to be in this Hut?
Seeing the looks of incomprehension on the party’s faces, he repeats his words in another language.
” Ég Ratibor Bold. Conqueror Mið Iobaria. Ég hef verið falið að gæta Hut eilífu frá ógnum án, en ekki ógnir innan. Hver ert þú og hvernig þú kemur til að vera í þessu Hut?“
I am Ratibor the Bold. Conqueror of central Iobaria. I have been tasked to guard the Hut eternally from threats without, but not threats within. Who are you, and how do you come to be in this Hut?
Mr. Whiskers answers after the man repeats himself. "Sunt chemat dl Whiskers. Ni sa dat mantaua călărețului negru de Illarion Matevius, astfel încât am putea găsi Baba Yaga. Mă bucur să te cunosc."
To the others, he says "I don't know what the first language was, but he is speaking Draconic now. His name is Ratibor the Bold,"
We will have to see about giving him a break so he can bath! Eeew!
”Jæja mætt, hr whiskers.” He replies. ” Ætti Baba Yaga vera sem þér leitið, þá tala við hrafna hennar í yonder herbergjum.” He points to the way the party came from. ”Gaum viðvörun mína: Þú gætir yfirgefa þennan stað hvenær sem þú vilt, en þú ættir að komast aftur inn í kofann, mun ég neyðist til að drepa þig. Eiður minn krefst, að enginn getur inn í gegnum þessar dyr.” He gestures to the west.”Hver sem þú halda og þú ert.”He adds.
Well met, Mr Whiskers.
Should Baba Yaga be whom you seek, then speak to her ravens in yonder rooms.
Heed my warning: You may leave this place any time you wish, but should you re-enter the hut, I will be forced to slay you. My oath so demands, that none may enter through those doors.
Whoever you claim you are.
First Mr. Whiskers translates what Ratibor told him.
"If none mind, I will ask him about the doors and his oath. There must be some reason for it." He pauses a moment, then asks "Is there anything else I should ask?"
Turning back to Ratibor, he asks "V-ar deranja vorbind un pic? Îmi imaginez că nu este mult de făcut în timp ce paza."
"Ce a fost că prima limbă folosită? Nu cred că am auzit-o înainte."
"Ce se află în afara acestor uși de?"
"Este ceva mai mult v-ar fi dispus să ne spună despre jurământul tău?"
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.
A slght chill wafts through this room, carrying the stale scent of carrion and peat. Beyond, an impossible forest seems to have devoured the entire chamber. The walls are woven from tangled knots of black, leafless trees, and fine flakes of rusted iron cover the floor, softly crumbling to dust. A pale light emanates from a fist-sized orb that rests within a nest of black iron branches in the center of the room, turning all forms into ebon silhouettes. In the middle of the iron nest, perched on the glowing orb, 30 feet above the ground, a raven with yellow eyes stares at Einar, casting a huge, omnimous shadow.
Einar notices a small iron amulet hanging from a leather thong about the bird’s neck, and a narrow passageway lined with jutting, leafless branches, hidden behind a tangle of dead branches at the rear of the room.
Ratibor is fairly happy to answer Mr Whiskers questions, until the last one.
” Jú, það er ekki neitt annað að gera hvort eð er. Fyrsta tungumálið er notað er Iobarian. Það er það sem allir innfæddir eru að nota. Utan dyra er Hoofwood, Hluti af Iobaria.” He looks slightly pained when he says that.
Sure, there isn’t anything else to do anyway. The first language used is Iobarian. That’s what all the natives are using. Outside the doors is Hoofwood, Part of Iobaria
”Ég hef sagt þér allt sem þú þarft að vita um eið.” He snaps angrily at Mr Whiskers.
I've told you all you need to know about my oath.
He does not make any moves to attack the party, but does not say anything else to them, either.
Iobaria is east of the nation of Brevoy, north of the Castrovin Sea, and is considered part of the continent of Casmaron.