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As you leave the second floor, Svartokshe greets you at the base of the stairs. "I've found something. Tracks lead from here to the mouth of this cavern. However, when Hevn investigated he was nearly knocked from the sky by shadowy arms. Hevn tried a few different angles and approaches, but whenever he was close to that lip the arms appeared. The tracks led there and seemed to have descended. I figure something was worth risking those specters to get somewhere below us."
Vincent's spear pokes three holes into the leathery corpse of the hoar spirit, but it does not go down.
Both Diana and Kabr's attacks down a spirit, leaving four total remaining.
Diana's weapon tears into a hoar spirit, which gives out a wheeze as it collapses, the tentacles holding it falling away. The hoar spirits that remain also remain entangled.
s'all good
Similar, there were casualties on the way up the Veil's interior, your leader, the winter witch Ilvorr Karanasi, had left you two for dead. However, you managed to climb up the outside of the Veil up to this point, but as the shadowy claws attacked you your grip was lost and the last thing you remember is falling and a sudden flapping of great black leathery wings. You awoke in here what seems like moments ago but has been in fact weeks. You are not starving, but you are very confused. However, this new group has a known winter witch with him - Hylota - and your allegiance is to Queen Elvanna ultimately. Besides, they are fighting the denizens of this place and seem like your best chance of surviving.
Alright, so I think you two are survivors of the latest expedition sent by Queen Elvanna and are imprisoned in the current chamber. As Szasa suddenly disappears, the chains and bars holding you here vanish and you are freed.
The clock is not blocking your path out of the chamber back downstairs, and there is nothing else up here. Regardless, you have now paused the statues for an additional two minutes.
Yo Justin and Grinning, report to the discussion thread with your WWL aliases so I can sort out how you are introduced please and thank you!
Gonna decide tomorrow evening. Thanks for the submissions, guys. Please wrap any last details up before then.
Having acquired the clue, you all move out of the way of the grim statues before they reawaken. You all hear them shriek in frustration, but as you know their trigger you avoid them moving to strike. Regrouping, you hear Svartokshe call from below. "Everyone alright up there? I'm starting to hear a lot of noises out here and I'm a little concerned because I'm not seeing the sources."
Bumping for re-recruitment. Looking for two more players.
We lost our swashbuckler. The Witchwar Legacy party now consists of a changeling witch, an elf bard, and a human sorcerer. The Reign of Winter party now has a half-orc brawler, a tiefling ranger, and a human barbarian.
So, we lost a player during our Witchwar Legacy chapter. I'm reopening recruitment till the 19th midnight EST. Feel free to read up on what has transpired to our current point. Please read the initial character creation post with the addendum of 1d10+7 instead of 1d10+6 for rolling stats for both the WWL and RoW characters. You will need to submit the required two characters to be considered. Looking forward to what is brought forth!
Fair thee well, it was fun whilst thou was here. Everyone else, shall I reopen recruitment for a fourth player?
Despite his skills and experience, Gramaton is unable to permanently disable this strange statues, but is able to halt them for minutes by jamming daggers into the tracks and fiddling around where the base interlocks with the tracks. This action causes the statues to seemingly exhale and "relax", as if they fell asleep. This will give your party enough time to take a closer look at the face of the clock. The "9" symbol is in fact made up of tiny Skaldic runes forming a passage or poem of sorts, but it is difficult to make out. Perception DC 40:
A stitch in time saves nine,
But what loop will the witch queen heed? In pointless slaughter The Old Crone’s daughter A hapless mob did lead. Now she sits in tomb that’s frozen, The traitors’ blood all spilled Upon the path that she had chosen, Enthroned with collar gild. Ringed in steel, three loops times nine Prized from the luckless seat, Supplicants kneel, of porcelain fine, The banished queen to meet. It matters not who’s dared to come The demon’s soul to claim, The weak shall die, the strongest live And forever more remain. Linguistics 25:
A stitch in time saves nine,
But what loop will the witch queen heed? In pointless slaughter The Old Crone’s daughter A hapless mob did lead. Now she sits in tomb that’s frozen, The traitors’ blood all spilled Upon the path that she had chosen, Enthroned with collar gild. Ringed in steel, three loops times nine Prized from the luckless seat, Supplicants kneel, of porcelain fine, The banished queen to meet. It matters not who’s dared to come The demon’s soul to claim, The weak shall die, the strongest live And forever more remain. As you retrieve any info, the statues begin to "awaken", but you'd have enough time to move out of the danger zone.
Together Vincent and Szasa down another hoar spirit leaving five attempting to claw through Tazwell's barrier. The negative energy elemental groans in frustration as a second spirit collapses and struggles against the cold bars holding it in place. The other hoar spirits are still locked in place by the tentacles, but they are not in melee range of the barrier.
Happy New Year to all! Who's glad 2018 is over?
Happy New Year to all! Who's glad 2018 is over?
As Gramaton approaches the first ring of statues, the two on that ring make a cracking sound and slide quite swiftly on their tracks towards him, swinging their scythes.
The two then retreat through the doors on the other end of the ring, and the tolling of a dozen small bells sounds as two more take their place a round later. Gramaton learns proximity of five feet radius of the tracks triggers this effect.
Vincent stabs an undead in the head, poking a large hole into the skull, but the creature still stands. As the hoar spirits are slowly crushed, you see the crackling energy in the cage suddenly shift into a humanoid shape and it points out towards the remaining hoar spirits, and a wave of the energy washes over them, deflected by Tazwell's barrier. GM Screen:
The hoar spirits' damage is repaired as the energy reaches them, the hole poked into the one's skull restored.
Moving up the stairs, you come to the second floor. It is bare save for a grandiose cuckoo clock as big as a cottage. Several tracks lead from side doors around in four rings around the face of the clock, on which several white statues of crones wielding scythes stand. The only sounds to be heard is the tick-tock of this strange clock. Perception 12:
Scrawled into the ceiling is a phrase in Skald saying "A Stitch in Time". The face of the clock has four hands - one long, one short, one forked, and one wavy. All but the wavy one move at different speeds, the wavy one stuck at the "9" spot. The "9" symbol is in a unique font from the others, but you must approach to see it more clearly.
The remaining hoar spirits become entangled in the tentacles, all of them now taking damage from the arcane appendages.
I know, right? I like to think that the Linnorm Kings have their own cultural pantheon based on the Norse gods like Osirion has the Egyptian gods. The other one is the goddess Hecate, fyi.
Merry Christmas my frozen friends!
Merry Christmas my frozen friends!
The hoar spirits are divided, the three still entangled remain so, the tentacles crushing into their frozen corpses but they remain upright. GM Screen:
The one Szasa struck before took swings at her with her claws, but neither land blows, deflected by both the swashbuckler's parry and the barrier of sound. The female hoar spirit falls to Szasa's blade, repelled by the audible barrier a couple feet away. The others are similarly thwarted by the elf's defense.
Svartokshe sends his hawk off again before taking a defensive stance at the entrance. "I will keep a look out here. I will alert you if anything else is discovered out here." Entering the church, you see pews of solid ice facing an array of iconography of what could only be a dozen or so religions, but none are known to the Inner Sea region. Perhaps they originate from Baba Yaga's homeworld? One depicts an emancipated man wearing a crown of thorns hanging from a cross - this icon is turned upside down. Another is a three-faced woman standing at a crossroads with two dogs at her side, a crescent moon above her head, and various witchcraft tools in her hands. A third shows a muscular man with the head of an ibis in profile. A fourth is a tall, bearded man with an eyepatch carrying a spear and accompanied by two ravens and a wolf. Such images and symbols go on. Knowledge (religion) 25:
The ibis-headed god is Thoth of Osirion cultic worship. Know (religion) 30:
While these are unknown religions, the icons hold divine power. However, they are alien to any on Golarion. Just beyond the altar a stout staircase leads to the second floor, from which a faint tick-tock sound could be heard.
Gramaton avoids the brunt of the freezing cold due to his skill, and shakes off the excess water as he throws the rope to Svartokshe, who pulls them in as Gramaton searches the dead weight. There is no coin on the giant, but his breastplate is magical and his battleaxe (a greataxe to your size) flickers with burning arcane power. Appropriate checks/spells can identify these items. As for Celestia, she sees pews and various iconography in the shadows of the church within, but from here cannot make them out.
As three of the hoar spirits are wrapped by the oily black tentacles of Hylota's spell, the other four manage to elude their grasp and cry like the northern wind in rage. They shamble forward, the first coming into range of Szasa's blade. It is carved deeply but does not fall to her blade. Due to Tazwell's barrier, the hoar spirits are unable to strike at the party.
GM Screen:
Gramaton slides from the giant's arms and despite the freezing cold of the water slices deep into the giant's torso. Celestia's giant and malicious magic tear into the submerged giant as well, and after several stabs from the flying Tetro the giant's crimson blood discolors the previously crystal waters of the fountain and his body bobs limply.
As the barrier rises, the hoar spirits notice but since the party has not entered the chamber they only watch with baleful glares. Initiative:
Tazwell is able to identify these undead as hoar spirits, vengeful undead found in the arctic regions like Irrisen and the Crown of the World, and are made by their horrific and brutal deaths in such environs. They are drawn towards heat and wield the paralyzing cold of the dead of winter in their claws.
Svartokshe darts underneath Aghi to flank with Gramaton and strikes at the feral giant. GM Screen:
Taking the strikes against him Hingarl roars and bull rushes into Gramaton and attempts to grapple him. GM Screen:
Succeeding, he picks up Gramaton's slight form and barrels into the fountain's water. As they enter the water, the giant opens his mouth and attempts to bite his prey's shoulder. GM Screen:
However, Gramaton is able to wriggle out of the way of the insane giant's mouth.
Passing through the Door you can now see through the doorway into a grim spectacle. The domed ceiling of this large, round room rises thirty feet overhead. Bars of ice block alcoves flanking a door to the north, as well as passages to the east and west. An elaborate
Wandering amongst the rime-covered but well-used and bloodied torture instruments and icy prison cells are seven frost-bitten and clearly undead humanoids either missing a random limb or bearing similar, broken manacles to the ones accompanied by those shadowy claws. They do not react to you until you cross the threshold into this chamber.
Svartokshe nods and sends out Hevn to take an aerial view while he keeps his eyes on the mausoleum-like houses around you. The fountain itself is magical, a transmutation aura coming off it. As you approach this fountain, a roar erupts from the church and another gnarled giant rushes forth from the front doors. His expression is one of desperate hunger and madness, and he screams one phrase over and over as he charges: "SO HUNGRY!" Initiative Order:
Approaching, you hear the faint tinkling of water towards the center of the village. As you wander in, Chill and Gramaton find a set of slight footprints of a medium-sized humanoid that leads towards the temple with the clock. They also find a set of larger footprints, large-sized and misshapen but still humanoid, wandering amongst the tomb-like cottages. At the village square you find a fountain with miraculously unfrozen water flowing. It is shaped like three women writhing together and the water pouring from their outstretched hands into a deep pool.
Collecting the dolls, you pass on through the passage towards the far passage. Rising up even higher into the Veil you come out to an open cavern in the face of the glacier filled with a curious sight. A village in ancient Irriseni fashion, cottages stacked up in multiple levels with steep garbled roofs made of snow and ice, true ice and blued metal. At the center of this village a temple with a clock face in its steeple rises above the roofs. The hands on the clock move, despite the eerie stillness of the rest of the village. The opening of the cavern leads out into a wall of thick mist, concealing it from the outside, which is why you did not notice it before. Svartokshe mutters a curse in Giant before looking to you. "A mockery of life. I'd guess we need what's in the village."
Have fun, Taz! Eat the great food down there and enjoy the opportunity! |
