the group decides after that fight it is about time to take a rest. They settle in to this room as it is large and defensible, if a little creepy with the half-finished blood ritual and aging pit.
They are just making their camp when the Warden appears again, in her old woman guise.
"well then. It seems your intentions were indeed upright. You have slain the leader of these interlopers, and saved us from the great evil they tried to uncover.
I apologize for the roundabout conversations we have had. I am bound by certain oaths that kept me from offering more direct aid or something much worse could have happened.
But no matter. You have cleansed the heart of this fortress, and I believe I have something you need!
She pulls off a necklace, and hanging from it is a golden nugget. she presents it towards Letitia.
Letitia correctly surmises that the archon was affected by confusion when it entered the pit. The group is a bit taken aback by how badly things went for the summoned creature, but Llewellyn remembers a specific item the group found previously.
Samuel digs the mummified hand out of his bag and tinkers with it a bit until it activates. a ghostly hand appears and Samuel finds that it responds to his wishes like an extension of his own hand. he grabs the scale and slowly brings it up past the lip of the pit until the ghostly hand hovers directly in front of the gunslinger, gripping a blue dragon scale.
Sorry for the long delay everyone. Shortly after i posted last time I got the news that my role was in fact one of the ones being laid off, and I have not been able to focus on anythign but that for the last 2 weeks. I appologize for not being able to get on here, but thank you for continuing to post and discuss the next steps.
Still in a weird place right now with no job for the first time in a very long time and staring down a veyr hard job market, but I am getting into the groove of a new routine and should be able ot resume regular posting now.
The group examines the bodies. The svathurim has nothing of real use to the group, everything is sized for a large or huge creature and is all non-magical masterwork weaponry and armor
The centaur has some more interesting items. I've delayed you all enough, I'm going to assume you're able to identify these items so this time I'll just write them out
2 potions of cure serious wounds
mwk breastplate,
frost-thunder hammer (+2 warhammer nethys link),
belt of mighty constitution +2,
periapt of health,
key
The room itself has the giant pit, with stairs descending into darkness. at the top of the steps, two giants have been killed, it looks like they have been ritually sacrificed.
Samuel and Llewellyn spot a chest that has been tucked out of the way on their level. it is locked with a very sturdy lock.
Lazlo flies over the pit and is able to spot something of interest. through their connection he relays to Letitia that there is something blue and shiny on the floor of the pit.
There is some debate about hwo to go about getting into the pit. Letitia holds firm that the best option would be to send a summoned outsider in. she brings in a Hound Archon and instructs it to retrieve the blue item that her companion spotted.
The archon nods once, silently and begins down the stairs.
fort save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24 fort save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7 will save:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12 fort save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21 randomize:1d100 ⇒ 98 fort save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17 randomize:1d100 ⇒ 64 fort save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17 randomize:1d100 ⇒ 18 fort save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22 randomize:1d100 ⇒ 26 fort save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17 randomize:1d100 ⇒ 21 fort save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8 randomize:1d100 ⇒ 90
It starts down the stairs but before it gets 2/3rds of the way down you can see noticeable changes in the archon as it looks older. It is hard ot tell on an extra-planar being but the signs are there. something changes in its demeanor and it starts back up the stairs as if to attack your group.
It catches itself and heads back down. but when it is standing right near the blue item it starts stabbing at its own feet, injuring itself.
The longer it is down there the older it gets. somewhat feebly it picks up something off the ground and starts back towards the stairs. As it climbs the first third of the steps it stops, babbling in a forgotten language to itself.
Then it falls, crumbling to dust before vanishing back to whatever plane it came from.
You can all now see that there is a glint of a white or blue dragon's scale now resting on one of the lower steps.
Ashling peppers the centaur a few more times. Llewellyn gets some more mirror images up, and Letitia puts a poison cloud on the enemy.
Callix uses one of her spells to get Samuel back in the fight.
The gunslinger quickly sizes up the remaining centaur and fires one more shot. it hits squarely in the humanoid chest of the centaur, dropping him like a sack.
suddenly the room is quiet. after a few moments the ice storm subsides.
End of combat
so sorry for the delay just to post an end of combat post... real life has been a _____ this week. layoffs and other fun stuff. my appologies.
previous round stuff first
Callix moves in, taking an attack from the spear on her way
AoO:1d20 + 22 ⇒ (7) + 22 = 29 damage:2d6 + 9 ⇒ (1, 6) + 9 = 16
She then slashes with her axe but fails to hit
Letitia hexes the Svathurim, making it sluggish and easier to hit
will save:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21
It shrugs off the longer lasting effects but it could very well be enough
Llewellyn hits the frost giant centaur twice, doing a good bit of damage.
Callix, now in better position uses her flaming axe to do a huge amount of damage. she cuts deep into the chest fo the monster and it drops with a giant thud to the ground.
Ashling moves slightly to get a better angle and shoots her volley of arrows at the centaur warpriest instead.
She hits him twice from the safety of her storm.
The centaur priest charges Callix, injured but with a crazed look in his eyes that says he won't be backing down.
warhammer:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (3) + 20 = 23 damage:1d8 + 18 ⇒ (3) + 18 = 21
It hits hard, but Callix can take some punishment.
OK, I think people are in places that make sense from your posts now. I moved the axe to be more where the centaur was previously.
Letitia moves to the edge of the storm and unleashes a damaging spell
reflex Svathurim:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15 reflex Vselevod:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
both of the centaur-things fail to get out of the way and lightning fries skin and fur.
Ashling continues to pepper the bigger target, hitting twice.
Llewellyn zips forward on a ribbon of colors, sliding past the threatening lance and lands a good hit on the flank of the frost giant centaur.
Samuel stabilizes, but is still down.
Callix takes a moment, sizing up her options go ahead and make 2 rounds worth of actions in your next post
Both foes are looking very injured but are fighting through the pain with an almost crazed look in their eyes.
The mirror images luckily take the brunt of the hits, all shattering. Llewellyn himself takes one lance hit and one hoof hit, bringing him dangerously low on health.
the centaur moves back and drinks a potion, letting the larger ally take your attention for a moment.
healing:3d8 + 6 ⇒ (5, 5, 7) + 6 = 23
Samuel moves up and hits twice, doing significant damage.
Llewellyn switches to casting buff spells
Letitia moves back to where she can see and tries to confuse her foes.
will Svathurim:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30 will Caster:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (7) + 15 = 22
Unfortunately this time their minds hold strong.
Callix throws her axe, silencing an area. not really sure where the axe was thrown or where to measure the silence off of. I put a marker on the board, you can move it to show where you were trying to toss it.
Ashling does something! go ahead and do two actions next round
The Svathurim finally has a visible target. it charges Samuel
lance:1d20 + 22 ⇒ (8) + 22 = 30 damage:4d6 + 26 ⇒ (6, 1, 5, 3) + 26 = 41
It is a massive hit with the body of a giant behind it, Samuel is stabbed deep and falls to the ground.
The centaur moves up and casts another spell on Letitia as they continue a magic duel while the others fight with more mundane methods.
Will Letitia:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
So far neither one will bend their will to the other.
Letitia drops down into the sleet storm and uses dispel magic. she still can't see much because of the sleet but her eyes clear up, and it's better than seeing darkness.
Samuel and Llewellyn move up and ready for action.
Ashling peppers the Svathurim with shots, but her aim is just off this time and none of her arrows strike true.
Callix can take 2 rounds of actions
the smaller centaur moves where he can see the party through the sleet. Samuel takes his shot, hitting the centaur. It then casts another spell
Greasy darkness rises from the ground tugging ad Samuel and Llewellyn.
Will Llewellyn:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14 Will Samuel:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18 damage:4d8 ⇒ (8, 5, 8, 2) = 23 duration:1d4 ⇒ 4
They are both hurt and sickened by the darkness.
the svathurim moves back to where it can see the party.
While moving it pulls out a large bow and shoots it at Samuel
longbow:1d20 + 16 ⇒ (15) + 16 = 31 damage:2d6 + 9 ⇒ (6, 4) + 9 = 19
Ashling is able to hit with one arrow, and it deals some damage to the Svathurim. The rest of the group prepares for something to charge into the fog, but at least for now nothing comes in.
Samuel tries a long shot but misses
Letitia flies up, getting a vantage above the storm. the room is massive, with ceilings at about 40 feet up.
The centaur moves to the west a bit and casts a spell at Letitia as she pokes up over the storm cloud.
Fortitude Letitia:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Letitia immediately loses her sight! blindess cast on Letitia. again...
The svathurim can't really make its way into the cloud because it can't tell exactly where the arrows were coming from. it moves to the opposite side of the storm from where it was.
The sleet storm is effectively keeping the centaurs from attacking you, but they are not sticking around in it to be attacked by the party either.
Letitia:
you know the creature you saw was a Svathurim, a monsterous humanoid said to share a common creation myth with the Frost Giants. They are known to be strong fighters that use their size and speed ot their advantage, trampling over smaller foes or skewring them with a lance or spear.
Like frost giants they are not bothered by cold, and are weak to fire.
Llewellyn buffs the party, and Samuel moves up to the doorway watching for the return of an enemy. None come though.
You hear the centaur cast another spell.
The party may act ashling can do 2 rounds of actions, I just wanted to move along since we're not quite in open combat yet with no one able to see each other.
the squares here are 10 foot. I added a circle for the sleet storm at the right size that covers as much as possible up to the door
Samuel shoots the giant centaur thing quickly, doing a good chunk of damage, before Ashling covers the area in a raging sleet storm. the monster is out of sight now.
After some more very convincing bluffs from the party, you hear someone approach the door. it sounds like very heavy hoofbeats.
the bar is pulled off, and the door swings open violently.
Standing just 10 feet from Callix and Llewellyn is a gigantic beast. it looks like a centaur but with too many legs. and much larger. the humanoid torso is a frost giant, and the full creature is 15 feet long.
Behind it you see that the chamber is massive. there is a ring of standing stones where a male centaur is cutting into the flesh of a frost giant hanging from one of the stones.
Spiraling runes etched in white chalk cover the faces of the standing stones, which are painted with fresh blood. The bodies of two frost giants lie on the floor outside the ring. A border of countless skulls, both human and animal, surrounds the pit. A break in the border forms an entrance leading to the edge of the pit. There, a flight of stone steps carved into the perimeter descends into the abyss. The air above the pit seems to waver and ripple as if from heat, though there is no discernible change in temperature.
"What do they want?" the centaur calls out in giant
"They trick us! They have killed the guards!" the giant centaur monster calls back.
Llewellyn and Callix push forward, slicing into the frightened giant.
Samuel reloads and fixes his jammed gun.
Letitia tries another hex
will save:1d20 + 6 - 4 ⇒ (14) + 6 - 4 = 16
This time it works, the giant turns into a very large and still slightly blue-hued pig. its hands turn to hooves and the large axe falls to the ground. his cries of warning come out with an occasional squeel
Ashling piles on, telling it to fall prone.
will save:1d20 + 6 - 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 - 6 = 2
It complies, laying on the ground
The giant is cornered, humiliated and cowed. but it has nowhere left to flee and fights back rather than give up. it swings at Callix who is hitting it with fire.
slam, prone, frightened:1d20 + 18 - 4 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 18 - 4 - 2 = 18 slam, prone, frightened:1d20 + 18 - 4 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 18 - 4 - 2 = 23 damage:1d8 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
Callix finds that even in such a state the giant is very dangerous and she takes a big punch.
Letitia lets out some frustration as she curses the giant fighting Ashling
will save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23 utterly ridiculous... but at least it is hexed for a couple rounds!
Llewellyn adds on by yelling out some pointed threats about how they will kill the giant.
will save (hexed):1d20 + 6 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 6 - 4 = 14
You can see the fear in its eyes as the magically-enhanced words take hold.
Ashling tries to add on a command spell, but is not able to foc us on the spell while getting hammered by a large axe
Facing the red giant, Samuel fires off two shots, risking severe damage to his gun but managing to hit twice, blasting some serious wounds into the big guy.
Callix follows up with a hit from her axe, slicing deep. the giant falls, just barely injured enough to take it out of the fight.
The hexed giant sees its companion fall, and pulls back. It bangs on the door with the haft of its axe
For Llewellyn, I am fine with you redoing a feat. Sometimes that just happens, you don't read a feat all the way and end up with a stinker that doesn't synergize right.
As for the spells, yeah it has been a really weird string for you Letitia. Enough that I have definitely noticed it! I will say, to Samuel's comment I am not scaling these encounters at all, this AP has enough challenging fights in it that I don't see a need to pump them for a 5-player party.
Save-or-suck is just the world the witch class lives in, and some days it works and others (sadly a lot of them in a row) it just doesn't work as well as you hope.
Luckily this combat turned quite suddenly with the frightened giant, so it'll probably work out ok
Samuel shoots at the giant again, but his gun jams! must have been some bad powder!
Callix and Llewellyn get in close and mix it up with the red giant, both getting some good hits in
Ashling slices at the giant that came up to her, hitting once.
Then Letitia tries to use a hex, frustrated that her magic has not been strong in this fortress so far.
will save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Once again, the creature just shrugs off the magic.
The giants attack the smaller folk running around their ankles
Blue v Ashling:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (18) + 18 = 36 damage:3d6 + 13 ⇒ (3, 1, 1) + 13 = 18 iterative:1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18
Ashling is taking a lot of damage but is still going, the others both get hit. the war of attrition is definitely in favor of the hulking giants right now
prior to kicking the fight off, Ashling gains magical armor, and Callix receives the blessing of her Drunken God.
Samuel shoots the legs out from under one of the giants, tripping it. That giant quickly gets to its feet and moves up to Samuel, axe at the ready but can't swing now.
the other one advances on Ashling, swinging its axe
greataxe:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (5) + 18 = 23not sure if your new AC value is shown on your header. if it is, this barely hits. damage:3d6 + 13 ⇒ (2, 5, 5) + 13 = 25
yeas she could cast something before going down the steps, assume it would take 2 rounds of actions to move into the room after casting if you did it far enough away to not be heard
The group moves in, Letitia and Samuel stealthing ahead to get a drop on the enemies before they could react.
Letitia tries to charm the left (red) Giant first
will save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
It shakes its head like it is trying to clear the last of a weird dream from its mind, then turns to the doorway.
Samuel is able to get off one action before the giants react.
the conversation you can hear is not particularly long or interesting. you do pick out comments like "How much longer do you think he'll be?" ... "How should I know? Do I look like a priest?".... "What do you think he needed Durg and Kellor for?" with periods of silence between comments back and forth. they sound like they have been waiting for a while and are getting bored.
GM rolls:
1d20 ⇒ 12 1d20 ⇒ 5
Samuel eases down the stairs. He can see into the next room, which is about 50 ft by 50 ft.
Samuel:
The remains of a giant wooden statue, carved to resemble a stooped and ancient beldame, lie broken and scattered across the floor of this chamber. A set of massive iron double doors stands in the south wall, their faces engraved with a procession of humanoid figures. At the top of the doors, the figures are young women in the bloom of youth, but as the parade continues down the doors, the figures age, turning into pregnant matrons, stooped crones, and finally, at the bottom of the doors, into capering skeletons that vanish into a gaping tomb.
Samuel is able ot unlock the door after clearing it for traps.
Llewellyn listens at the door, but doesn't hear anything.
The rest of the group discusses the specifics of the difference between the life stages of a woman and how they might be interpreted in different cultures.
The door swings open and you see that there is indeed stairs going downward.
Assuming Samuel scouts ahead slightly, he finds that the door at the bottom of the stairs is smashed to pieces and falling off of its hinges. He can hear two creatures talking to each other in Giant.
The group feels refreshed after making such a big step forward. it's been a while since a level up, so as a reminder I run leveling up to give you back full HP and spell slots as if you had just taken a night's rest. also please be sure to update any modifier increases as well as your HP in the party tracker, as I will not be auditing all of those. it's up to you to make sure I'm using the right values when rolling saves for the party!
The coven should be significantly weakened even if the others still are around to cause toruble. The party decides it probably makes the most sense to deal with the giants next to keep them from causing trouble with a Demon Lord.
Llewellyn thinks back to tales he has heard of frost giant leadership and society.
Llewellyn:
Frost giants are among the most feared giants, as their wanton destruction, battle lust, and fearless demeanor push them to ever-increasing displays of brutality.
Frost giants survive on hunting and raiding alone, as they live in desolate, frigid environments. Frost giant groups are split almost evenly between those that live in makeshift settlements or abandoned castles and those that roam the frozen north as nomads in search of spoils and provisions.
Frost giants are brutal, superstitious warriors among whom only might makes right. The title of jarl inevitably falls to the strongest and most worthy warrior of the tribe, who leads her people to glory through intimidation and violence. At any time, a jarl may be challenged in combat by one of her peers. The winner of such fatal duels is deemed the rightful ruler of the tribe—at least until the next challenger approaches.
The influence of a particularly charismatic jarl can often extend to clans outside her own tribe. In such cases, the leaders of the lesser tribes are typically known simply as chieftains or warlords. These allied tribes often meet to trade goods and arrange marriages, and especially organized collaborations have been known to form massive war bands for devastating campaigns that can span entire mountain ranges before disbanding.
A few frost giants have magical powers and can use runes, sorcery, or foul rituals to cast divinations or bring ruin to their enemies from afar. Such individuals serve their tribes as shamans, earning great standing among their peers second only to the jarl herself. Frost giants take a serious view of their heritage, and in addition to their more oracular duties, shamans are responsible for teaching the tribe’s children about their ancestry and the tribe’s oral history.
Given their generally warlike nature, frost giants show unusual reverence for their dead. Warriors are buried beneath icy cairns on the battlefield where they met their end, and are placed in their grave alongside their favored weapons. Particularly favored chieftains and jarls are taken back to the Frost giants’ encampment or base, where a small ceremony is performed before the deceased is buried next to grave offerings such as gold and even live slaves, tributes meant to ensure she is given proper station in the afterlife. In contrast, those who challenge their current jarl in combat and lose the duel are treated as little better than traitors, their bodies desecrated and some part of their skeleton mounted on the jarl’s throne or the hilt of her weapon.
Frost giants possess a particular fondness for slavery, and whenever possible take captives from their destructive raids. Bands of frost giants usually keep at least one or two humanoid slaves shackled to a slave handler—a feared and respected position of authority within frost giant society. Slave handlers are responsible for making sure slaves don’t escape, as well as arranging slave trades between other tribes and warlike cultures or divvying out slaves for meals in lean times.
In addition to humanoid thralls, frost giants are quite fond of monstrous pets, including winter wolves and young white dragons, though virtually any creature native to their preferred domain are prone to capture and crude domestication. Mammoths, yetis, and even remorhazes and linnorms can sometimes be found battling alongside frost giant barbarians, as well as guarding frost giant encampments when their masters are out pillaging.
Letitia examines the items from the trunk. the potion is potion of protection from arrows, the scroll is Flame Strike.
Letitia recalls the path that was taken previosuly to get to the Crone, and can lead the group back to the passage that took them there the first time.
Someone has indeed reset the items that made up the puzzle to this passage, but it is easy enough to recreate the solution and continue on.
you find yourselves back in a room with 4 doors and very little else. this is where you spoke with the old woman Warden and found the scroll of age resistance.
the door that you came in from is marked with an arrow pointing in. the last time you came through here you went out the door marked with an arrow out.
@My Red Sun. I can't remember which sources are available for this campaign, are skill unlocks available? What about the Hurtful feat?
We are not using Skill Unlocks for this campaign. Feats can be taken from any first party paizo publication for 1E, so I don't see any reason Hurtful wouldn't work. I also don't have the Monster Codex, so I don't know for sure, is it a feat meant to only be used by monsters? the Nethys page you linked doesn't say anything about having to be a monstrous race to use it as a prereq, but if there was some sort of limitation like that for the whole book then you wouldn't be able to take it.
That said it doesn't look like a broken feat to me so I'm fine with you taking it
Letitia examines the magical symbol, and decides it is a phylactery of negative channeling
Samuel looks around the room, and finds a few trunks. He opens them, finding:
various feminine clothing, some Large size
a black star sapphire worth 3000 gp
800 gp in coins
a scroll
a potion
a small wooden box of what appears to be a collection of small scalps... gross
There is some debate on where to go next. Try to find the other hags? Deal with the Giants? report back to some of the (more) friendly people they have found so far?
however you decide to proceed you feel that you have made a big step forward by killing this hag and weakening the coven's schemes for the fortress.
The hag tries to flee, but the party has her cornered and without the fog there is just nothing to protect her. she is cut down in a flurry of attacks before she can even take a step.
Samuel steps back and shoots a nice hit with his musket.
will save:1d20 + 14 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 14 - 2 = 31
Letitia's hex fails to affect the hag. though some might argue that pig-like features would be an overall improvement!
Callix and her force weapon hit, causing a good bit of damage.
Llewellyn fails to connect with his attacks even though the enemy is visible now.
Ashling hits once in her volley of attacks, plus does some cold aura damage.
The hag attempts to cast a spell, but loses concentration with all the attacks coming her way.
concentration:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10
She attempts to run, likely getting cut down as she moves.
I will also be posting when i can, it will be a little bit sparse with the holidays though.
For spells, I usually play it as any spell that needs a hit roll would need to follow any applicable modifiers to attacks like cover, miss chance, etc. if it is a save or suck kind of spell, it would not need to roll to hit or a miss chance and the target would just take their save.
The hag does indeed have the ability to see through the fog, which is why they started the combat with it.
Of course now it should be pretty straight-forward with the party surrounding her and no more fog to protect her!
the group finds that the woman is no longer quite where she was, and the party's attacks swing through the concealing mist.
Llewellyn sees a large shape moving in the mists towards him! the woman has been replaced with a large hag, which tries to bite him as it moves right up to him
bite:1d20 + 16 ⇒ (13) + 16 = 29 damage:1d6 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
The party may actAshling can take 2 rounds of actions, just moving us forward
Callix hits the woman with a spiritual weapon
spell resistance caster level check:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
Ashling tries a spell on the woman as well
spell resistance caster level check:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23 will save:1d20 + 14 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 14 - 4 = 17
both spells get through the woman's spell resistance, but she is unaffected by the command.
A thick cloud of billowing fog fills the room around 'Anna'
Fog Cloud details:
The fog obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature within 5 feet has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker can’t use sight to locate the target).
Letitia tries to hex the woman, but again her mind is too strong to be easily bent.
will save:1d20 + 14 - 4 ⇒ (17) + 14 - 4 = 27
The woman looks at you with surprise when you say that name, and looks like she is about to argue with you, but with the way that all of the party speaks to her, her eyes quickly harden.
"I see. Been talking to some of the others around here, have you? Be cautious, everyone in this place lies. schemes and lies and plans, all circling around each other in this place.
She eyes Samuel and the musket poitned her way
"it seems you are not really here to simply ask questions are you? Looks like your minds are made up."
Samuel and Llewellyn:
She definitely reacted strongly to hearing her real name. She looks ready to fight, but intimidated by the idea of taking on the whole party. You think she is stalling for time while she comes up with a new plan now that her identity is revealed.
The group stages in the room that once held the light gem and the lurkers in light.
Letitia leads the way, ready to start things off by hexing Anna.
They head back into the living quarters room. curtains are strung between the poles to make three separate rooms, but they don't do much to block sounds. You can tell that Anna is still in the room, waiting for you like she said she would be.
I have replaced the map with the bedrooms. Everyone is in the doorway now, please move your pawns to where you want to be when Letitia kicks things off!
The group discusses the possibility that Anna is in fact one of the hags.
Letitia and Llewellyn put their heads together and can explain some details about the three types of hags to the rest of the group:
Annis Hag:
Also known as black hags or iron hags, annis hags are the largest and most physically intimidating of their foul brood. Known for their iron-hard, wart-covered skin that varies from shades of deep blue to black and their claws like rusty blades, annis hags forgo much of the cunning and deceptiveness of their kind to revel in the more visceral evils of torture and slaughter. The typical annis hag stands just over 8 feet tall and weighs upward of 300 pounds.
Dwelling in dark caves, tangled hollows, and cursed ruins deep within frozen swamps or icy moors, annis hags stalk forth by night to sow fear and hunt the unwary. Although possessed of cunning minds, annis prove more decadent than most other hags, frequently indulging in their taste for living flesh and the music of pleading screams. Unlike green hags, they use their ability to assume humanoid form via alter self not to infiltrate societies but to lure victims into a false sense of security before attacking—often posing as travelers in need of aid or pilgrims seeking to share a camp.
They tend to have fewer spell-like abilities and focus more on physical strength, enhanced by magic
Green Hag:
Terrifying crones known to haunt foul swamps and tangled forests, green hags harbor an intense hatred for all beauty and purity. Making use of their varied deceptive abilities, these crones delight in murdering innocents, unhinging noble minds, and debasing the pure of heart. They are particularly fond of using disguise self to assume the forms of alluring young maidens and then seducing young men away from their lovers or families. In this form, they can infect such noble and upstanding citizens with all manner of debauchery and scandal. Some green hags prefer to reveal their true natures to their lovers at a moment precisely engineered to drive the man mad with horror and shame. Others drag out their dalliances and do what they can to utterly ruin the lives of the men they seduce before showing the broken shell that remains the truth. In the end, the luckiest of these unfortunate lovers end up being eaten by their green hag companions—for the unlucky, their final doom can be much worse, for the cruel imagination of the green hag is vast.
A typical green hag stands between 5 and 6 feet tall and weighs just under 160 pounds.
Their magic can draind the strength of their victims and many of their spells focus on deception and misdirection.
Witchfire:
When an exceptionally vile hag or witch dies with some malicious plot left incomplete, or proves too horridly tenacious to succumb to the call of death, the foul energies of these wicked old crones sometimes spawn incorporeal undead known as witchfires. These ghostly creatures appear much as they did in life, although the grotesque undead energy that births them makes them appear young and attractive and wreathes their insubstantial bodies in a powerful aura of sickly green flame, a ghostly fire referred to as “witchflame” in local legends.
Strings of will-o’-wisps are often found in the immediate vicinity of witchfires and are typically led by the undead, leading scholars to speculate that the creatures feed off of a witchfire’s flames and fury.
they are incorporeal udnead that have immunity to fire, and can engulf a foe in magical fire that weakens that person's defenses against flame.
The group debates whether they should attack Anna immediately or try to speak with her first. It seems that the group agrees with LEtitia that they should go in aggressively and not give Anna the chance to muddle things any further.
Letitia knows the way back, and leads the group back through the Crone and into the Maiden where they had found the light gem.
The hag listens to your conversation for a moment, but interjects when Letitia comments about Jadrenka
"Oh no, Jadrenka is no hag. that's what caused the whole mess, you see. Her mother Caigreal is a powerful annis hag. Jadrenka is a changeling you see. Her mother wants her to turn to a hag and join Caigreal, giving the mother power in these towers. But Jadrenka has no desire to be a hag, and has served Baba Yaga dutifully as warden. if she breaks her oath as warden then her mother will gain power over her as the Great Witch's protection will fall.
Caigreal assembled a coven with two of Artrosa’s other hags, Grishelmuk and Silyzil, to ensure Jadrenka’s failure as warden. They fought. Silyzil was slain, though she returned as a witchfire. the three have stopped fighting as openly, but still are looking for ways to disrupt Jadrenka's authority.
The coven is three hags, an Annis, a Green and a witchfire. does that answer your question, half-orc?"
"Indeed, it sounds like Elvanna has done something that has called Baba Yaga away to deal with it. I do not know what such a mere human woman could do to be a threat to the Great Witch, but she certainly seemed worried.
Llewellyn:
Llewellyn tries to think about those named places. He has no idea what the Eon pit could be. the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom sounds familiar from a fairy tale he heard told sometime in his recent travels. As a children's fairy tale it was light on details. In the thrice tenth kingdom beyond the thrice nine lands flourishes a vivid world full of talking wolves, shimmering firebirds, immortal soldiers, and capricious fairies. It is said to be the home of Baba Yaga, or a land created to mirror whatever her true home might be.
The woman continues
"The eon pit is here, in this fortress. it is the womb of the Crone, a place that is used for the rituals of coming into the full power of the witch. decending the stairs of the eon pit will cause your life to pass before your eyes as the pit itself ages you through the span of your years. It is dangerous to go through unprepared.
I believe it is also what the Giants are here for. There are rumors that it was involved in sealing away an ancient foe of Baba Yaga's, built as a seal to a prison for a demon Lord. It will be dangerous to approach.
I cannot come with you, or I would be putting myself in grave danger. I am trying to stay out of the infighting that is going on with the Coven. that's why i was hidden here, waiting for a sign that the Riders had returned. Jadrenka's mother is making a power play, and trying to take control of the place for herself and for her Coven. If you want Jadrenka's help, and if you want me to be free to aid you, you will need to deal with the upstart hags."
"Do not worry, priest the woman says to Callix "I do not need ot test you. the Rider's mantle is not easily counterfeited.
to Samuel she says "when last the Great Witch came to this place, she was in a hurry. She told me that she had forseen that she was going to face a betrayal. She didn't give many details, but she said she needed to go to the source of Irrisen's magic to make preparations. she then gave me a messgae to give to her riders if they came here to regroup with her."
She then pulls out a clear, seemingly empty bottle. she carefully opens the stopper and you hear a clear voice ring out
“If you hear these words, my own blood has betrayed me. Jadrenka has one key; the other lies in the Eon Pit. Follow my trail and meet me in the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom!”
Slain? well that is indeed dire news. It is not an easy task to defeat Baba Yaga's champions. She told me you would come here, following her.
With that, the creature drops her invisibility spell, standing before you. Samuel pinpoints where she is moments before she appears, but now everyone can see her clearly. You see a gray-skinned female humanoid with horns growing from her brow.
"My name is Nostafa, and I am one of those in this place that serves the Great Witch willingly. She told me to watch for her riders and to pass them a message."
Llewellyn:
You do not feel like this woman is lying to you, she seems quite relieved to see you here. She does not hold any weapon and does not seem like she is preparing to harm you.
The group moves into the new room, examining the menhirs for clues and talking about their goal of finding the keys.
examinign the runes and symbols carved into the stones, you determine this is dedicated to the worship of birth, the gifts of new life, and the passage from motherhood into the time when one’s children depart from home to make their own way in the world. This leads you to believe you have gone back to the Mother.
As you search you hear a female voice coming from somewhere to the west
"outsiders! you seek the keys to grandmother's cauldron? I see one rider, what tragedy has befallen the others?"
There are two doors to the south.
random door. 1:right, 2: left:1d2 ⇒ 1
The southern door appears clear, and Samuel quickly bypasses a pretty simple lock.
Letitia tells the others about the scroll she found, and hangs on to it for later
the door opens to a long passageway leading upwards. As you continue along the path the darkness effect is left behind and the passage grows lighter.
eventually the passage opens into a new chamber
The ceiling of this broad natural cavern arcs upward, forming a narrow crown high above the cavern floor. In the center of the cave stands a ring of worn, moss-covered menhirs, their inward faces carved with mystic symbols.
With the woman gone, the group discusses the riddles they have received so far. Letitia has a theory now on the locations of the two keys the group needs to follow Baba Yaga.
Meanwhile Samuel checks out the pallet and trunk.
The trunk is unlocked. inside Samuel finds several changes of women's clothing, and one scroll.
read magic or Spellcraft Dc 27:
The scroll is a scroll of Age Resistance
Aside from the door you entered through, there are 3 closed doors in this room. One to the North, 2 to the south. the door you entered from is to the west
