Should have listened to Ma and become a carpenter. ATGBblblblblblbbl!
Thanks to the helaing efforts of Helgash Cynehelm's eyes flutter open Mustering the last bit of energy within him he gets stiffly to his feet. Focusing as intently as possible with blood drying on his face Cynehelm summons forth a powerful fireball. Yrax sees the fire coming and tries to turn sharply away from it. Yrax managed to get his delicate wings out of the way but the effort exposed his chest. The arrows that Jetro previously shot weakened the mighty dragon while the blast of electricity from Baub seared off multiple scales. The result was an exposed patch of flesh. The fireball slammed into the flesh burning it deep until it sloughed off flesh and exposed the beating heart and expanding lungs beneath. The fire kept burning its way inside destroying all it touched until the lungs and heart were nothing more than charred misshapen lumps. The wings slowed... and eventually stopped. The dragon known as Yrax was no more. Yet even then the danger was not over s the dragon plummeted to the earth. Jetro quickly jumped out of the way as he had more time to react. Greta though, directly underneath he dragon, was not as quick and took the brunt of the carcass upon her form. The weight of the dragon drove her to the ground pinning her beneath the behemoth.
damage to Greta from Crushing
Even though she was pinned beneath the dragon she was not in mortal danger. With her inhuman strength she pulled herself free and stood next to the dead body. To the north Helgash and Cynehelm stood together with Cesseer there as well. The glass golems standing idly by now that their maker had been killed and there was no direction to their efforts.
It took a moment as the silence stretched out before it was eventually broken by Cesseer dropping a bottle tot eh ground. It was another healing potion that she took herself this time to stop the bleeding from the golems attacks. The sound broke the spell as the heroes looked at each other in triumph.
Still unseen, Duardlara speaks in quiet tones, ”Jetro, you are still bleeding. Have you any healing draughts?”
"Praise be to the gods and not our strength for it," says Cynehelm.
He holds up Sarenrae's golden symbol and floods the area with healing warmth (excluding Yrax, just in case!)
”Thank you, Cynehelm. Lady, I’ve forgotten your name in all this excitement, but your sense of honor is to be commended. Thank you for your aid. How can we repay your efforts?”
Greta grips Helgash in a bear-tight hug and kisses him passionately - "Never do that again" - she snarls - "Next time I will do the talking!"
Helgash kisses Greta back and smiles at her - "Deal" - then turns around to the others, placing a hand on Cynehelm's shoulder - "We have proven ourselves against insurmountable odds, and we have been victorious again. Well done my friends" - then to Cesseer - "And my words echo Lara's - thank you milady, for your aid"
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"So do you guys do this often? Baub asks returning to the room. "I'll need to study good ways to overcome the spell resistance of dragons and other magical beasts of so." He says musing over what had happened. "Good job all. I wish my spells had been more effective up front and fewer people had been injured but it worked out well. Cesseer, do you think you can show us to the dragon's treasures? We need the aforementioned bear rug and I highly doubt all of the denizens of the castle will be as accommodating as these glass golems here."
Cesseer looks stunned still as she stares at the dragon laying there dead. She knew she wanted to help a Helgash against the golems but she did not believe that they would actually be able to kill Yrax. What am I to do now? My employer is dead and if urn home will my people accept me again or view me as a failure?
As Cynehelm’s healing power washes over her she looks over you all, You all seem honorable people. Perhaps I could join you on your travels? I can show you the bearskin rug yes. Please come and follow me.
Cesseer then leads you west into he icy fortress until you reach Yrax’s personal lair and vault. Inside you see piles of coins and gems, magic items and art, weapons and armor. But of most importance is a large bear skin rug hanging on the northern wall. Looking at the amount of coins and treasure here you know that it will take you 3-4 days to count, inventory, and identify all of the items here.
A miniature toy dragon made of platinum. The dragon functions as a bronze griffon figurine of wondrous power, but it transforms into a Large dragon-shaped creature (use the normal stats for a griffon).
an amulet of blue dragon’s breath ( This amulet is crafted from a dragon scale hung on a thin wire of twisted mithral. There are 10 different types of amulet of dragon’s breath, each corresponding to one of the 10 dragon types. As a standard action, the wearer of an amulet of dragon’s breath can breathe out a blast of energy similar to a dragon’s breath weapon. This breath weapon deals 8d6 points of energy damage (Reflex DC 16 for half). The breath weapon’s shape and energy type depend on the type of dragon scale used to craft the amulet (see page 75 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook for a list of dragon types, energy types, and breath shapes). A new amulet of dragon’s breath can be used three times before the dragon scale cracks and the amulet becomes useless.)
a golden bowl engraved with images of dragons (worth 500 gp);
a jeweled egg containing the blood of an ancient dragon warlord (worth 4,500 gp);
an engraved mithral figurine of an ursikka (see page 88) worth 500 gp;
a platinum flute worth 1,000 gp;
and a strange gold idol in the shape of a pregnant, furred female humanoid with insect wings, a dragon’s head, and a single ruby eye, engraved with queer carvings (worth 1,500 gp).
A decanter of endless water
the ingredients needed to create a carrion golem, consisting of a scroll of contagion, two scrolls of false life, a scroll of gentle repose, a scroll of lesser geas, and special reagents worth 500 gp. The carrion golem is only half-completed, though someone with the Craft Construct feat could attempt to pick up the work where Yrax left off using the supplies in this room. Currently, 5 days have been spent on the golem’s creation; it requires 6 more days of work (and the expenditure of additional costs) to be completed.
four huge ruby-studded bracers (worth 2,000 gp each),
a gold serpentine draconic armband (worth 1,000 gp),
and two gold draconic torcs (worth 1,500 gp each).
a coffer near his sleeping nest contains ample healing supplies, consisting of a potion of cure serious wounds, two potions of lesser restoration, a potion of remove blindness/ deafness, and two applications of restorative ointment.
75,604 cp, 8,773 sp, 6,111 gp, and 165 pp in a variety of coins, bars, and ingots;
a black pearl worth 500 gp; two emeralds worth 1,000 gp each; a fire opal worth 650 gp; a sapphire worth 1,100 gp;
and exotic hides, furs, and pelts worth a total of 5,000 gp.
In addition to these mundane treasures, Yrax’s hoard also contains a gloom blade
a set of dragonbone divination sticks
a drinking horn of bottomless valor
a manual of war
an oil of magic vestment +4,
a potion of good hope
a ring of x-ray vision
a suzerain scepter
and a scroll of hallucinatory terrain.
A dull, pitted spherical rock 1-1/2 feet in diameter displayed on a sumptuous silk-covered stand is in fact a meteorite. It contains 15,000 gp worth of adamantine, but it weighs over 850 pounds.
An unadorned leather case holds a long metallic tube and several other delicate mechanical devices, including a powerful telescope, an astrolabe, a sextant, a cylinder of star charts, and other astrophysical instruments, each beautifully constructed and exceptionally accurate (worth 7,000 gp as a set).
In addition, a humanoid mannequin in one corner wears a simple white shawl; this is a neried’s shawl (you find her in the complex and she will join you as well if you give her the shawl.)
Duardlara scans the treasures in the room and is curious about a dull-looking rock that is apparently in a place of honor on a beautiful stand.
She examines it, finds it too heavy to move, then realizes what she's looking at. A meteorite... starmetal... adamantine! "My friends, this is adamantine. Thousands of gold pieces' worth of adamantine!"
Cynehelm briefly envisions swimming through the vast hoard as though it were water, spewing gold coins as though he were one of the ice fountains of Irrisen. He shakes off that ridiculous image and walks over to stand beside Duardlara and Helgash with a grin.
"You know," he says. "It's been awhile since I performed the sacrament, but a wedding can be arranged. I'm just saying."
Caught deep in thought, Duardlara looks at the cleric, genuinely confused, "Hmm, what? Who's getting married?"
"Well, that remains to be seen," he says, turning to look at Helgash with trouble-making grin.
Having defeated Yrax and looted his horde of treasures the party makes it back to the Hut in high spirits. From there Cesseer takes her leave of you as she heads off to find her way forward in life. She has some difficult choices ahead of her but perhaps not as difficult a path as you yourselves must travel. Entering the Hut Zorka greets you and leads you back to the cauldron. Placing the 2-headed eagle and the bearskin rug into the cauldron seems difficult given the size of the rug but like everything else with Baba Yaga the impossible is possible. The items disappear into the mix and the sense of vertigo comes upon you. You feel pulled and stretched as you travel in time and space with the Hut.
Eventually the feeling fades as you find yourself in another configuration of the Hut. Golden birdcages fill this chamber from floor to ceiling, hanging from every beam and resting on every shelf. While a few of the cages are empty, the majority of them hold the mummified remains of stunted, bearded men. A large cauldron bubbles and smokes in the center of the room.
Besides containing the cauldron and birdcages, this chamber appears to be a cluttered, one-room log hut, with a single door ofrough-hewn planks, a cold fireplace opposite, a simple window, and a rickety ladder leading to a trap door in the ceiling. The single window displays a curious sight: a bone fence fallen into disrepair and overgrown with thorny vines, and the carcass of a rusted metal wagon. Beyond stand the tall, dark trees of an ancient forest.
This room contains the remains of generations of house spirits called domovoi who came to the Dancing Hut to offer their services to Baba Yaga, only to find their meddling unwanted by the Great Crone, who imprisoned them here and left them to starve. Currently, only nine domovoi survive among hundreds. Surprisingly, even these few weak, emaciated survivors seem oddly resigned to their fate, sitting placidly and chewing slowly on tiny bird bones. Even if their cages are opened, they make no attempt to escape but mutter in a strange language.
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Upon entering the hut...
Baub says, "Whoa! This place is impressive." Then casting detect magic and seeing most everything glow he is further excited. "Woohoo! I could play around in this place for a year and probably never get bored. Have you guys explored all the rooms yet?
After it changes configuration...
"Does it do this every time you come in? Have we changed locations then? This is amazing." Then Baub goes to one of the domovoi and waves in front of its face to see if he can get it to respond. After interacting with the domovoi, Baub asks, "Any idea what you are supposed to do here? How does the hut tell you what it needs done?"
Decomposes
Cynehelm pokes Jetro with the toe of his boot. "You're not dead, Jetro. Though if you look around you, you may think you've died and gone to Heaven."
Jetro cracks open an eye. Nope. This is hades for sure. He closes it again until the scenary gets better.
Jetro when you open your eyes again you notice the scenery still hasn't changed. There is nothing to do about but hope to find an exit and improve your outlook on life.
What are you all doing?
Guess we go east. Jetro gears up and is ready to go.
"Does it do this every time you come in? Have we changed locations then? This is amazing."
"I cannot say for sure it happens every single time, but it does happen a lot my friend" - Helgash smiles.
Then Baub goes to one of the domovoi and waves in front of its face to see if he can get it to respond. After interacting with the domovoi, Baub asks, "Any idea what you are supposed to do here? How does the hut tell you what it needs done?"
"We almost never know, and usually we can only understand the path before us after stumbling through riddles and omens" - the paladin ponders - "It will surely be like thus again"
The domovoi continue to stare and babble in a strange language. It is hard to tell If they respond to you at all you since you can’t understand them.
Jetro you move through the door into the next room. Gingerbread and candy form the walls of this chamber. It features furniture of stick candy, a large ribbon candy cabinet, curtains of licorice, and a cupcake table, all illuminated by distorted amber light streaming in from windows of glazed sugar brittle. This entire room is constructed of cake and candy; its walls are decorated with licorice, gumdrops, and icing, the tables are dark chocolate slabs, and the chairs are made of candy sticks. Piles ofcooking utensils and baking crockery tower precariously, threatening to collapse at any moment.
Those in the original room and haven’t left yet see Jetro open the door and walk through. He stops suddenly as his head jerks in amazement at what he is seeing. You see him run over away from the door and start grabbing handfuls of chocolate and sweets shoving it into his mouth as he moans in rapture.
The elf deadpans, "I'm quite certain I've never heard him make that noise before. Is he in pain?"
AHAGHHBBLLARGGHHH!RALPHUPCHUCK!
You know that Jetro normally doesn’t act like a starving candy obsessed lunatic. Clearly he is not in control of his own faculties and may need some help from the enchantment he is under.
I'm going to feed your face to my parakeet!
Helgash rushes to his companion - "Jetro my friend, what are you doing? Eating like that will be the death of you"
OMNOMNOMNOM!
Helgash rushes over to see what Jetro is up and calls out to him.
Please give me a will save as you enter the room dc 23 enchantment (compulsion) [language-dependent, mind-affecting]; if you fail please give me a fort save dc 20 poison.
O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd His canon against self-slaughter! O God! God! How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, Seem to me all the uses of this world! Fie on't, ah fie, 'tis an unweeded garden, That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature Possess it merely. That it should come to this! But two months dead, nay not so much, not two, So excellent a king, that was, to this Hyperion to a satyr, so loving to my mother That he might not beteem the wings of heaven Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth, Must I remember? Why, she would hang on him, As if the increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on; and yet within a month - Let me think not on't; frailty, thy name is woman - A little month, or ere these shoes were old With which she followed my poor father's body Like Niobe, all tears, why she, even she - O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason Would have mourned longer - married with my uncle, My father's brother, but no more like my father Than I to Hercules. Within a month, Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears Had left the flushing in her gall'd eyes, She married. O, most wicked speed, to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! It is not, nor it cannot come to good. But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue.
He’s lost his mind.
Another story to sing to the cages at home!
Cynehelm rolls his eyes, casts protection from evil and touches Jetro between the eyes. "Snap out of it, man!"
I have a meat bicycle made for two!