Satrapa's page

If there is village full of wounded people healing them wouldn't prevent them from being scared and wouldn't prevent danger. If something can wound lot of people it can also kill them ant its not so easy to "heal". So darkness thrives, people are grateful but not saved.
High rewards... because every village is rich and everyone holds sack of gold for adventurers to give it for minor healing...
Remember also that witch is not cleric. Healing witch don't do it the same way that cleric or druid do. The first association to witches are curses. So people should be afraid of them and often expect some drawback of this healing or be afraid of it.

Remember that helping pregnant women, minor healing, love elixirs and so on didn't prevent situations like. "I have bad luck its witch's fault! She cursed me! Burn her!" or "Our lord is fatally ill it have to be witch's doing! Burn her to cure our lord!" and so one.

BTW. I have to read it again and again to find out the real difference between summoner, witch and mage/sorcerer and difference in niches they should hold.

I might be wrong but I think that its witches nature to be able to use hexes on any number of creatures. It sounds powerful for healing common folk but for adventurers group it's not so powerful but gives great fluff advantage (helping commoners don't give direct power, but can be helpful).
Some unlimited powers also makes sense military-wise. Why should caster appear on the battlefield for 1-5 minutes, cast few spells and go home because he cannot do anything more?
If witch can use hex on 1 person at time and 1 time on 1 person per day its enough to balance it.

I hope that no one will have grudge against this kind of off topic.
Western Slavic (don't know if it also works in eastern tribes descendants) personification of winter (and death) is Marzanna (in Czech Morana, in Slovak Morena, I don't know Sorbian version).
There is tradition of burning or drowning in rivers straw effigy of Marzanna as a symbol of Winters end and welcoming Spring.

And remember that Irrisen existed as part of the Land of the Linnorm Kings before Baba Yaga arrived. Is Irrisen the name of that territory? The last Linnorm King to rule it? Who knows.

Good point. I have no more arguments against this names.

BTW. AFAIK Tolkien left notes for translators and suggested making hobbits as domestic as each translator can. Banazîr Galbasi, Bilba Labingi... :) I'll try to remember this forms :)

If Jadwiga means fight in Polish, find an English or Russian female name that means the same.

I suggest Ailith, english female name meaning battle aswell, sounds good for a group of witches, summons negative supernatural connotations with the -lith part.

In Polish it means nothing (like most of now used Polish names witch have origins in other languages - mainly Latin, Greek, Hebrew and German). I'll quote Wikipedia:

James Stutter: Lot of good points but I will tag along to one thing. I may be wrong because of having other language as my native language but...

And in fact, having names and words that sound realistic (perhaps because they HAVE been used in some culture)

Words sound realistic when used in similar environment. For me Irrisen, Whitethrone and jadwiga sounds like words from 3 different stories.

We have Whitethrone made from combining 2 words. Its understandable and have meaning without translation.
Another word jadwiga witch also mean to have a meaning that was necessary to explain (for me its not consequent).
Perhaps I cling but this 3 mentioned words just sounds just to different to be part of one language.

Nevertheless in fantasy important is mood and ideas... names... like you said everyone can invent their owns with minimum work.

PS. I wonder if anyone ever made fantasy world with such particulars like Tolkien did for Middle Earth. It isn't my favourite fantasy world but its AFAIK the best fantasy world ever made.

Just one thing worth mentioning: "baba" means "grandmother", so it's "Grandmother Yaga".

In polish "baba" is one of Synonyms of woman. In this form usually used with negative attitude toward defined person. Often used when speaking about old woman ("stara baba").

"Deda Mraz" means "Grandfather Frost". During the 20th century that became the Slav name for Santa Claus, but originally he was a bringer of winter.

It isn't used in all Slavic lands. In Poland "Grandfather Frost" ("Dziadek Mróz") is only perceived as Russian version of Santa Claus or person forced by communists to replace Santa Claus.

Hmm... About stuff related to Baba Yaga and rest I think I cling details.

Hey Satrapa,

I am a Polish Pathfinder player as well, and I brought this issue up in THIS THREAD

But hey, you can never have too many annoyed Polish customers ! Like certain US president was known to say "You forgot about Poland !" ;-)

Pozdrowienia !

I'm new to this Messageboards this blog entry was reason why I have entered. I looked for anything about this and found your topic only few minutes before reading your reply.

PS. I hope that I will not have to write this reply 3rd time.:/

I have just read blog entry about Cities of Golarion—Whitethrone Preview.
Since I'm Pole I decided to write about things based on my culture and regional (Slavic) folklore.
Maybe for western European and US people "jadwiga" sounds exotic but when polish-speaker reads it in this entry it sounds a bit silly. Why? Because Jadwiga is Polish feminine given name.
In Golarion it is term connected to Baba Yaga (we write her name Baba Jaga). "Jaga" is one of diminutive forms of name Jadwiga (I'd say one of more popular diminutive forms of this name).
I know that its nothing but I wanted to write it.

For those who likes learning origins of things: enjoy
For those who thinks I'm clinging details: maybe if it bothers you I'm sorry.

BTW. By the description Irrisen sounds like interesting place. Together with Cheliax it sounds like Golarion will be dark fantasy setting :)

BTW2. There are no white bears in Poland outside zoological gardens and it isn't impossible not to snow (or snow weary little) during winter especially in southern lowlands.