Reign of Winter This page is about the mythic Reign of Winter campaign being run by Epametheus on Sundays, beginning back on December 15, 2013, and running through present day. Reign of Winter DM(s) Epametheus System Pathfinder In the year 4713, winter came early to Avistan. About 6 months early. And if the dread Queen Elvanna, daughter of Baba Yaga, is not stopped, winter shall never end. A group of intrepid heroes has seized control of the Dancing Hut and now journeys across the land and the stars, seeking the whereabouts of the Old Crone herself - for only Baba Yaga can undo what her daughter has wrought. Contents 1 Detailed Plot Summary 2 Setting 3 PCs 4 Major NPCs 4.1 Allies 4.2 Villains 5 Session Data 6 Other Information 6.1 House Rules of Note 6.2 The Ascended 6.2.1 Ascension Evolution 6.2.2 Ascended racial traits Detailed Plot Summary Stuff stuff stuff. Setting Of note so far: Heldren, Taldor; Waldsby, Irrisen; Whitethrone, Irrisen; the Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga; The Hoofwood and Atrosia in Iobaria; the fortress of Spurhorn on Triaxis; the palace of Ivoryglass on Triaxus; Akuvskya Village and Monastery in Siberia, Russia; various demiplanes inside of the Dancing Hut. PCs Svetlana Demetri (Tundra) - Lawful Good Female Ascended Oracle Devana Verammani (Shandroa) - Neutral Female Kitsune Witch Saeralia (Valeria) - Chaotic Good Female Half-elf Ranger Malyk Kaspeale Euphram (Rysor) - Chaotic Neutral Male Aasimar (Angelkin) Bard (Arcane Duelist) Dahrehn Adir Barathus (Cerberus7) Chaotic Good Male Human (Garundi) Inquisitor (Preacher) of Cayden Cailean Major NPCs Allies Nadya Petska - Neutral Good Female Human (Ulfen) Ranger Hatch - Neutral Good Domovoi (Devana's familiar) Ringeirr Malenkov - Neutral Good Male Human (Ulfen) Ranger (Urban Ranger)/Rogue Greta - Neutral Winter Wolf Fighter (Tactician) Marislova - Chaotic Neutral Female Half-elf Magus/Ranger Jadrenka, Warden of Artrosia - Lawful Neutral Female Ascended (formerly Changeling) Witch Zorka, kikimori (house spirit) of the Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga Commander Pharamol, Lawful Neutral Winterborn Triaxian Ranger, Master of Spurhorn Cesseer of Ning, Triaxian Battleflower - Lawful Neutral Female Triaxian Monk (Qinggong Weaponmaster)/Champion Cherisa Elethel - Female Human (Chelish) Summoner (Svetlana's cohort) Nevra - Neutral Good Female Blue Dragonkin Ninja, formerly Seneschal Spurhorn, now bonded with Devana (Devana's Cohort) Princess Anastasia Romanov Viktor Malislav, creator of the World Engine The Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga Lightbringer, Infernal Duke Baba Yaga (currently imprisoned) Villains Radosek Pavril - Male Human (Taldan) Witch, apprentice to Baroness Nazhena (Deceased) Baroness Nazhena Vasilliovna, Female Human (Jadwiga) Winter Witch, Winter Witch of Irrisen, Great-Granddaughter of Elvanna (Deceased) Baroness Ranita Obdira, Female Human (Jadwiga) Winter Witch, Kitsune Rancher Marquis Rastlevas Elvanna, Male Human (Jadwiga) Cleric of Lamashtu, Son of Queen Elvanna, Father of Svetlana Vsevolod, Male Centaur Warpriest, Herald of Kotschtchie (Deceased) General Malesinder, Female Silver Dragonkin, Leader of Yrax's Vanguard (Deceased) Yrax, Very Old White Dragon, Lord of the Howling Storm (Deceased) Grigori Rasputin, the Mad Monk, Bringer of the Apocalypse Queen Elvanna of Irrisen, Female Human (Jadwiga) Winter Witch, Daughter of Baba Yaga, Bringer of the Final Winter Session Data So far, the party has completed the Snows of Summer, The Shackled Hut, Maiden, Mother, Crone, and The Frozen Stars. They have now started Rasputin Must Die! 9/28/14 - The party confronts Yrax, Lord of the Howling Storm, and after a very fierce battle casts him down. In doing so they end the dragon warlord's threat to the Skyfire Mandate and secure the next key to Baba Yaga's Hut. The party returns to allied fortress of Spurhorn to celebrate their victory, confirm new alliances, and make preparations for the next leg of their strange, strange journey. 10/5/14 - The party makes their preparations for departing from Triaxus, and Devana bonds with the blue dragonkin Nevra. After an exceptionally ominous series of readings from Devana's Harrow Deck, the party activates the Dancing Hut's cauldron and shifts to a new and quite unpleasant configuration. The party so far has explored the Domovoi Gulag, the Gingerbread House, and the Abandoned House in the Woods. 10/12/14 - The party completes their exploration of the Dancing Hut, bribing Little Otik with a juicy tigers, accidentally roasting Vasilisa's Doll, partially thwarting the Candle of Living Shadows, and treating with the Coffin Man. The party ventures forth from the Hut into a ruined village during a cold winter day in Siberia and get their first taste of "modern" warfare, backed with supernatural horror - mindcontrolled Russian soldiers under the commands of horrid Fext officers. The party wins, putting down the unkillable Fexts and capturing many soldiers. After processing their POWs into the Hut, the party realizes that a certain man is wathcing them, from next to the pyre of burning villagers. 10/19/14 - The party has their first confrontation with Rasputin, appearing by projected image, and battles the now-animate pile of burning villagers. The Hut then begins running off through the woods to the northeast; the party catches up to the Hut and rides it into a battle with a special capture squad - a group of Kostchtchien-aligned demons, led by a powerful interplanar slaver, hired by both Irrisen and Lamashtu to capture the Hut and certain party members. After the fierce battle the party emerged victorious (though probably mentally scarred) and the Hut made it's way to the Akuvskya Monastery, where Rasputin is calling down the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom from the First World. 10/26/14 - The party is in the middle of their initial foray into the Akuvskya Prison Camp, where they have captured a number of dominated soldiers, investigated a World Anchor, recovered the body of Viktor Malislov, the inventor of the World Engine, rescued other soldiers who were being used as vampire food, fought off of a counter-attack by Rasputin's headless cossacks. 11/16/14 - The party finisher their initial foray into the Akuvskya Prison Camp, capturing over a hundred soldiers and smashing many of the defenses. The party has pulled back to recover and make their second foray. 11/30/14 - The party finishes recovering from their initial foray. One of their new allies, Cherisa Elethel, takes up the Black Rider's Mantle. The party emerges from the Hut to find a counter-attack by Rasputin waiting for them, which they soundly dispatch. Scouting the prison camp reveals that Rasputin has brought in otherworldly reinforcements and re-arranged his remaining forces. The party prepared for launching their next attack. 12/7/14 - The party launches another lightning raid on Akuvskya Prison Camp, putting down the headless cossacks, freeing the soul of Viktor Malislov, destroying the corrupted camp surgeon, slaying the three-headed dragon Radimir, and rescuing Anastasia Romanov. The party exhausted their spellcasting saving the surgeon's victims, and after bringing Viktor back from the dead retreated to recover. 12/14/14 - The party returns to the monastery, freeing the ghost of Tsarina Alexandra and claiming Viktor's notebooks and blueprints for the World Engine. The party is now calibrating the World Anchors to call the Akuvskya Monastery back to the Prime Material Plane to force battle with Rasputin. 12/21/14 - The party calibrates the World Anchors and brings Akuvskya Monastery back to the Prime Material. Inside the Monastery, the party does battle with the Mad Monk as he attempts to attain godhood. The party shuts down the World Engine, slays the self-resurrecting Rasputin, and obtains the Matroyska Doll that acts as Baba Yaga's prison. Baba Yaga guides the party to the Dancing Hut's "backstage area" - where they will begin their final mission to stop Elvanna. 1/4/15 - The party enters Grandmother's Cauldron, where they finally meet Devana's patron, the primal norn Vigliv. With Viglivs' guidance, the party opens the first layer Matroyska Doll of and then makes their way to the Ruins of Vashliq, a demiplane where Baba Yaga imprisoned the lost queen Bremagyr. The party must seek out the undead queen and recover a fragment of Baba Yaga's power. 1/11/15 - The party tracks down and confronts Bremagyr, laying her to rest and recovering Baba Yaga's power. The party returns to Grandmother's Cauldron and opens the second layer of the Doll. The party then travels to a new demiplane, picking up Baba Yaga's mortar and pestle along the way, and makes their way to the Lost Golden City of Buyan in search of Baba Yaga's Death. 1/18/15 - The party recovers Baba Yaga's death, and then descends into the depths of the sea to hunt the evil fey who have declared war on the maftets of Buyan. The party vanquishes the nuckelavee, and destroys the Star Spawn who were brought into the demiplane by Elvanna. After celebrating their victory, the party returns to Grandmother's Cauldron and opens the third layer. 1/25/15 - After a great deal of bookkeeping, the party begins the trip to where Baba Yaga's life is hidden, but first deals with a demonic strike force placed in their path by Elvanna and Lamashtu. 2/1/15 - The Party explores the Cabin in the Woods, deals with a hostile stove, meets Gaj the Gentleman Jotun, and descends into the depths below the Cabin, where they learn that Elvanna has managed to insert an sizable expedition force. The party begins their pursuit, meeting elements of the expedition that had remained behind to inventory and explore the caverns. 3/1/15 - After a long hiatus caused by illnesses and inclement weather, the party makes their way through the cavern underneath the Cabin, routing a mixed Irrisenni/Kostchtchien force and slaying Duchess Weneschia Elvanna (Witch 3/Cleric 5/Mystic Theurge 10/Heirophant 5). 3/8/15 - The party meets the deposed Queens of Irrisen, Baba Yaga's daughters, and recover Dear Grandmother's life. The party returns to Grandmother's Cauldron and makes their final preparations for confronting Queen Elvanna. Other Information House Rules of Note I'm using the craft point rules from 3.X's Unearthed Arcana Book. I have also modified this campaign to use the rules from Mythic Adventures. The Ascended After having explained by a night hag in Artrosia that changelings are the larval form of hags, Svetlana set out to figure out an alternative. And so she did. Ascension Evolution School transmutation (polymorph); Level alchemist 6, cleric 7, druid 7, sorcerer/wizard 7, witch 7 CASTING Casting Time 1 hour Components V, S, M/DF (oils and rare unguents worth 6,000 gp spread over the target) EFFECT Range: touch Target: 1 willing Changeling whose tie to the mother hag has been severed. Duration: instantaneous Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no DESCRIPTION You transform the target changeling into an ascended. The target loses all of its changeling racial traits and gains the ascended racial traits. Ascended racial traits Fey - ascended are of the fey creature type. Low-light vision (Ex) - it's low light vision. Racial Modifiers - The ascended are both clever and appealing - +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma. Damage reduction (Ex) - the ascended gains damage reduction 5/cold iron. Silver-tongued (Ex) - The ascended gain a +2 bonus on Diplomacy and Bluff checks. In addition, when they use Diplomacy to shift a creature's attitude, they can do so up to three steps up rather than just two. Luminescent (Ex) - the ascended have a literal inner glow. The ascended are immune to light-based blind and dazzle effects. The ascended gain +1 caster level with light descriptor spells and abilities. The ascended shed light at all times, as the light spell. Blinding burst (Su) - Once a day an ascended that emit a bright pulse of that blinds creatures in a 30 ft radius for 1d4 rounds. Affected creatures may make a will save to resist; the save DC is 10 + 1/2 level + Con modifier. Creatures that pass the saving throw are dazzled for one round. Light sensitive creatures that fail the save are blinded for 2d4 rounds, and that pass the save are blinded for 1 round. Echo Past Form (Su) - The ascended can assume a fixed humanoid form - herself as a member of her father's race. She gains a +10 racial bonus on Disguise checks made to appear as the member of the race whose appearance she assumes. Changing her shape is a standard action. This trait otherwise functions as alter self, save that the ascended does not adjust its ability scores. When Echo Past Form is active, the ascended loses Luminesent and low light vision, and gains senses as appropriate to the past form. Inspirational Gift (Su) - An ascended may give another creature a token of her regard, granting that creature a +2 insight bonus to will saves and a +2 insight bonus to two skill checks of the ascended's choice. These skills are determined when a changeling becomes an ascended, and cannot be changed. The token can be an actual physical object (such as a lock of hair), or can be metaphysically bestowed through an act that adequately expresses the ascended's regard. Only one creature may have the benefit of the ascended's inspirational gift at a time. The death of the ascended ends an active inspirational gift.