Reign of Winter #41: The boy is actually a what?? Another building another daemon, undead giving a tongue lashing to a ghost in conference room A, headless riders, yeti, MelaDaemons and other strange stuff.

Diary of Zaaz Bloodfortune:

Blocked by my friends from visiting the wonderous music, I do my best to hex them and put them to sleep. Still, their wills are strong and Dalomar tackles me and pushes my face to the ground. Such rude behavior.

Tauvum speaks to the lady of the well. Her concern seems to be if we are to bring harm to the children, which we do not mean. As he goes closer he sees all the bodies floating in her well and asks if her can have them as he is lonely.

Sadobras warns the lady of the well that he will kill Anastasia if she doesn’t stop her singing. She stops and so we begin headed back into the house. Tauvum, a bit drunk and upset, decides to seal the well, but his spell is insufficient. Angered by this, the singing starts again and again I am drawn to it. Sadobras takes no changes with me and tackles me quickly to the floor, again quite rudely. The siren also summons a large elemental while the boy, Alexi, turns into some kind of three headed dragon.

Somehow Tauvum manages to negotiate again with the siren and she leaves us alone. Not ready to fight a three headed dragon the party decides to gather and leave. With a final cloud-kill cast over the nearby soldiers for a bit of spite, we teleport back to the hut and rest.

Where to go next is a difficult decision. In the end, we decide that our best course is to investigate the body of Victor and see if we can learn more about what is going on. Appearing in the long building, we are quickly attacked by several Baycock Zombies while a MelaDaemon is beginning to consume what’s left of Victor’s body. In moments I’m once again shot by the strange weapons of this world, though I manage to use my Evil Eye on the Demon. Tauvum and the MelaDaemon disappear and we fear for the worst. When he comes back we manage to escape. We learn that Tauvum had taken the Demon to a plane of good and threatened to leave it there unless it gave him the body. Not willing to stay in such a place, the Demon quickly made the deal.

Tauvum casts speak with dead and we learn some more from Victors corpse, yet not all we would like as his soul is not in the body. Still, we do learn that the world engine is based on Tesla’s design. It is a trap from Baba Yaga and for Rasputin to rule. Rasputin killed Victor to keep secret how to stop the world engine. We learn that destroying the towers won’t stop it, only knowing how to work the control panel will. The chapel comes in and out because it is often between worlds.

Needing to find Victor’s soul we decide to go to Rasputin’s house again. This time though, we quickly encountered Rasputin himself. This is our first time to see the mad monk in person and there is a definite strangeness to him. Sitting there stroking a doll, he looks at us as if we are amusing playthings, fare beneath him. He tells us, “Too late. Her thrice tenth kingdom is almost mine. Look up on the hill, even her hut is saddened.”

With that he laughed at us, broke the doll, and released several animate dreams at us. Strong they were and some of us had to retreat for a time to one of the towers, but eventually Tauvum’s word of Chaos dealt with them. Back in the house, we found books on demonology, alchemy, magic, and more. Dalomar also found a strange room where 8 withered corpses with parchment like skin surround a woman floating above the table in their center, holder her in place with their long surreal tongues. This we decide better to leave for later. In another room, seemingly a bedroom, Victors notes on Tesla’s machine and the world engine awaited us.

Where else could Baba Yaga await? This question still drives us. Giving up for now on Rasputin’s house, we teleport to the graveyard so Tauvum can talk with the spirit there. A weird fey spirit it was, a tombstone fairy that seems like a little girl. A little girl she may look like, but a powerful one with the ability to call back evil ones from the dead. Tauvum made friends with the creature, so hopefully she will be of use. I imagine when we finally find Victor’s soul, she can help.

The Garage was our next stop. Filled with strange and broken vehicles, but not much else there.

Next, we journeyed to a building with a tree growing out of the center.

At first, we were filled with joy at seeing the piles of treasure waiting by the tree. However, soon we found that the tree was a lightning bolt throwing Treant. As we fought it, Alexi made an appearance in his dragon form. Still, we managed to take the treasure and chase him off. As we were readying to leave with our loot, once again Rasputin made an appearance, bringing us some of his friends. Yetis, fearsome, but we held our own. Held our own till Rasputin came back. Seeing our success against his minions he called forth a spell of blasphemy to aid them. Many of us were paralyzed and I was weak beyond measure. One of the Yeti’s managed to knock Sadobras down, another missed his target due to misfortune I called upon him. Frantic with desperation, I split my next hex and managed to put two of them to slumber.

In time we finished off the remaining Yeti and retreat once again to the hut. With him, Tauvum has brought one of the Yeti which he asks the Fey to raise. After we interrogate the Yeti and lay a geus upon him, we use the epidemic spell to try to even the odds in the compound a bit. Sending the Yeti back we hope it will disable some of its friends.

When all is in doubt, sometimes it is right to call upon a higher power. After rest, I cast the bones in hope of divining some guidance. Asking, “If we go to the camp to look for Victor’s soul, where should we look?” I am told to look where the headless horsemen are. Thinking the soul must be with the head Dulahan, we set an ambush in the woods for him the next time he rode out. Fearsome he and his companions were. He rode upon a Nightmare and was covered in fire. His companions blistered us with cold. Chain lightning cast by me was enough to take out many of their mounts and damage most of them. They responded with Deaths Calling, which managed to stagger some of us. Their leader did also shoot Yoska in the arm, forcing him to drop his weapon. Yet in moments, Dalomar used a spring attack to critically wound the lead Dullahan. Tauvum channeled positive energy at them. Yoska then picked up his weapon again and imbuing it with holy power sent the leader to his final rest. Once the rest are finished, we searched, but find no evidence of Victors soul, just some strange dimensional grenades.

Thinking this meant the Soul was back at the camp, we teleported into a partially collapsed Yurt near the remaining headless Kazaks. Gold, treasure, more grenades and a picture of Alexi and Anastasia we did find, yet no soul of victor. Dalomar searched the surrounding buildings but no luck. All we find besides the headless warriors is a strange undead Lantern Goat.

Moving on to one of the other remaining buildings, we find what seems to be a place of healing that has gone horribly wrong. Inside the place is an Interlocutor Kyton. A creature of nightmare and horror stands in a room surrounded by bodies of soldiers in pain and dismemberment. Though alive, their organs and flesh had been twisted and hung from the walls. Massive and fearsome with claws and otherworldly gaze, I felt my flesh crawl. In one attack it almost killed Tauvum, but luckily Snori manages to wound it heavily as well. Still, Snori had moved into danger and if not for his forthought and preparation, would be dead. The Interlocutor quickly rips him to shreads and destroys his astral body. As all seems desperate, Yoska lunges forward, grasping the creature and sending a massive blast of shock through it, killing it instantly. The remaining soldiers are beyond sanity and repair so we light the building on fire and retreat once again to the hut for rest.

The next day, we decided to change tactics. The plight of the prisoners has been weighing on our mind and especially as it has taken days to do what we have, we decided the time was ripe to free them. Teleporting in to where they had been tied to the beds, we find that there are unfortunately only about 20 prisoners left. Freeing all of them and taking them to the hut, we begin to help them recover.

As there are less prisoners than expected, we decide to also investigate the snipers tower by the church. Within we expect to once again use the tactic of mass suggestion of neutralize the soldiers. However, we find that this tower is different than the others. Within are undead snipers that attack us with not only weapons, but fear and madness. Yoska is so struck with fear he attempts to flee the tower, but luckily is unable to escape. Snori is struck by one rifle three times. Tauvum bursts positive energy towards the undead, damaging them. Dalomar moves up and with a mighty blow kills one. Tauvum removes Yoska’s fear allowing him to move up to the attack. Little Snori manages to kill one as well. Yoska is sore wounded and his lifeblood splatters out onto the floor. Calling upon my most powerful spell of healing, he is quickly brought back to full strength. In moments the battle is over and once again we control one of the towers.

Reign of Winter #40: New frozen lands... Russia!! Rasputin! Tanks and guns!! WTF!!!!

Diary of Zaaz Bloodfortune:

I feel our journey has entered its third and final stage. As any witch knows, maiden, mother, crone, so go the stages of life. Now, we enter what must surely be the final stage of our quest. My power and that of my companions has grown again, but so have the challenges. Looking back, I am amazed in how much we have progressed since we first came to Heldren, as simple travelers, so very long ago.

Once we finish with the corpse and lair of the dragon, divide up the loot. Divination Sticks, a Scepter of Suzain, gold, gems, scrolls, etc., all in all, it is wealth a few months earlier I would have felt beyond measure. We take the Warrior of Ning back to her home and do a bit of trading for items of import to each of us, then go back to the Skyfire Mandate and Spurhorn to meet with the General and receive what was promised.

News of our victory throws Spurhorn into a great celebration and we spend a few days drinking, carousing, and partaking of the earthly pleasures. Still, even with every door and celebration open to us, I and my companions know more is to come, so we temper to celebrations with training. Were it by my wishes, we would have stayed long in that place, but the curse of that black rider still is upon us. After a day, it was a restlessness. After four I found myself constantly drawn to look to the road.

Taking the two headed eagle we head back to the hut, new companion joining us. For the days we stayed in Spurhorn, Sadobras and Nevrah talked long of her going with us, and so she had. Her might will be greatly appreciated I feel in the days ahead. Once at the hut we used the keys obtained to journey again to where the hut would take us.

Little Otik room

Vasilisa Doll room

After a few moments, the room transformed and we found ourselves in a room surrounded by golden bird cages. Within were not birds, but Demovoi, some live and some dead, most muttering incoherently. Tauvum cleaned and cured one, I passed it a bit of dried meat and we bade it to tell us its story. These house spirits had evidently heard of Baba Yaga and come to work for her. She agreed yet something they did must have annoyed the great witch for soon they were in cages. Her disappearance left none to feed them and so they have been starving since. Dalomar and Yoska noticed that their muttering seemed to be the same thing, over and over, and cast Tongues to understand them.

From distant world to distant world, at last we come home. many huts for many worlds, but all start here. Vasilisa and her little doll. Hungry children in a house of gingerbread. Little Otik, the forsaken son come to claim his birthright. Grandmothers breadcrumbs, all snatched up. What little birds pecked them up.

None of us is sure what if any meaning their words hold, but I try to remember them should their meaning come clearer. We convince the one we are talking to once again to work in the hut and ask it to free his brethren once we let it out. We also noticed that three of the cages were not merely painted gold but are gold in truth. That should help pay for things we need.

Looking outside from a window, I can see a bone fence in disrepair and overgrown gardens. An old metal wagon rusts away. Tall trees of an ancient forest are in the distance and it appears to be spring.

Spreading out we explore the hut. As before, it is filled with traps and tests. Snori finds a room made of candy and cake and eats some before he sees through the illusion. The garbage and rot he consume put him to sleep. Sadobras notices that the back of the fireplace seems strangely deep and discovers that portals of magic are cunningly hidden to take us different places within the hut.

In the room with the candy and cake, we fight three Boogiemen, battling creatures of fear. Tauvum keeps two of their bodies to turn into fearsome zombies. Dalomar finds a room filled with skulls, their jawbones clacking and repeating Vasalisa over and over. On a table in the room is a small doll held by four rusty nails. I try to examine it and learn the hard way that it is trapped. After Yoska put me out, we find a soul focus ruby where the doll had been. Another room contains a single candle and when we enter our shadows come to life attacking us. A room filled with vines and overgrown ivy hides assassin vines and a Mandragora, calling for its mama. We feed the Mandragora and move to the strangest room of all.

Yeah, you blew her up.

Within the room seems to be a derelict cottage with a single window. When we look out, we see a strange spider like creature approaching. As Tauvum looks out, we see he is spirited out into the icy landscape and stands naked and unmoving. The window seems to be seething with the magic of abjuration. As we try to figure out what magic this is, swarms of wasps come streaming from within. Recognizing this as Creeping Doom, I call forth a cone of cold and kill the swarms. Without warning the window breaks and out steps the giant spider like creature. Tauvum returns, but is no longer wearing his clothes and gear. The creature is tremendously resistant to magic and its strong will fights against my hexes. Tavum summons a Djin to fight with us and Yoska casts haste. It helps, but we our attacks are failing to hurt it. Finally, a hex of agony manages to take effect and in its nauseated condition we manage to finish it off.

The Coffin Man

After more exploration, we find that one of the rooms contains wine barrels that conceal another portal within. In the room there is a black shadowy creature with a crooked scythe sitting in front of a door. Spread throughout the room are coffins. He gestures to us and bids us forward. Expecting battle, we are wary, but in the end manage to converse with the being. He tells us that he is the coffin man, cousin to Baba Yaga, and he is surprised we have made it so far. Still, he warns us against the world outside.

The world is a world decimated by war. Brother and Sister, separated by the vastness of the stars have lured Baba Yaga. One is the mad monk and her son, thought murdered long ago. The other is Baba’s daughter, Queen Elvana. This world, the world beyond this door, is a strange one with odd magics.

Still we tell him, the curse upon us gives us no choice and we must go on. He stands to let us through, but Dalomar notices the coffin he sits upon is filled with powerful magics. We urge him to give us what assistance he can, but he will not give us what lies within. Finally, Tauvum manages to convince him to trade for his new Scepter. Within the coffin we find many powerful items. A sword of flame-tongue, sword of the planes, elixir of hiding, a scroll of chain lightning, a scroll of mages sword, a scroll of hold person, a scroll of reincarnate, a scroll of wall of stone, plus gold.

Once Tauvum graciously allows us some of the items which he has bought, we debate if we should go out now or wait till we can be back at full strength, having used some of our spells earlier. Frustrated with the talk, Yoska opens the door and it is not the spring we expected. A cold morning greets us with the smell of cinders and burning. The hut is perched upon a hill overlooking the remains of a burned out village set within a forest. Little remains of the buildings, but a few walls here and there. Beyond there is a wide, ice chocked river.

Dalomar and Yoska go out to explore the village, while Tauvum and I head up to the roof of the hut to watch. As Dalomar advances, he is invisible, but from above we can see his progress in the snow. After a few steps down the hill, there is a massive explosion that he just manages to avoid taking great damage from. More explosions begin and we can see puffs of smoke coming from the village. The enemy are using some kind of strange ranged weapons and are firing them towards us. Hard to say for sure, but they seem similar to gnomish pistols, yet they fire quite quickly. Wanting to be of assistance to our friends who have taken shelter behind some kind of wagon, I grab ahold of Tauvum and use Dimension Door to take us to a spot behind those using the weapons. I had thought we would be out of view of what we soon saw to be soldiers, but alas we were not. Shifting long tubes on the ground, men drop things into them. The tubes spit the strange eggs out and soon I’m struck by two of them. Groups of the men turn their strange long pistols towards me and I am struck by four different groups, killing me instantly.

I was dead. Floating within the void and staring at the light of the next life. As I floated closer to the light, I heard mother once again. “Wait, Zaaz. Have faith in your companions. They will need your help. As we give, we also receive,” she told me. It seemed to be for quite a long time, yet soon I heard Tauvum’s voice calling to me. “Will you return to us, Zaaz?” he asked. When I agreed, I heard him call again, “Then behold the power of the shadows. And next time, ASK before you touch me with those filthy human hands.”

Light filled me and I woke once again to the pain of life. Resting I heal and prepare to fight again.

Once night has fallen, Yoska goes out to scout again with Dalomar. When he returns, he brings one of the soldiers and we learn a bit of what is beyond the huts door. The soldier has been dominated and says he gets orders from Gregory Rasputin. Not far from where we are is an encampment at a prison in a strange land called Russia. Within they are working on something called a World Anchor. At times the World Anchor shines a heavenly light and all can see the church there as it once stood. He describes the camp as being in the center of a vast cleared area, with towers and guards, plus armored wagons called Tanks. We also learn more about the rifle weapons the soldiers wield.

We think to rest a bit more, but suddenly the hut begins to run towards the encampment. It stops in the woods near it after a time. Dalomar, thinking to scout more, flys over the encampment while invisible, but quickly learns that their searchlights seem able to unmask his invisibility. Still, he is able to get a good look and sees it has large 30’ towers, barbed wire, a 15’ fence, and more. During his scouting he also uses the mirror I gave him so that I can also see the camp and towers. From time to time horses go out, which we learn latter are actually Dulahans, led by Commander Poklvic Levente. He is also a Dulahan, but one covered with flames. He also spots a goat, pegged in front of one of the buildings.

After discussing the matter, we decide on a plan and wait till late in the night. We ready ourselves and teleport into one of the towers. Immediately we put the four guards under suggestion. Two are ordered to go to sleep, one to continue moving the search light as expected, and the last to have a friendly conversation with us. Within the tower we see a more powerful version of the rifle that had killed me. Also, some control panel of the World Anchor device. Interrogating the guard we learn that the house near the graveyard is the house of Rasputin. Another large building there is a prisoner barracks. Giving another suggestion to the guard, we sneak down into the prison barracks and interrogate one of the prisoners. We find they are emaciated and strapped to their beds. The one we speak to tells us that some come by each night and drink the blood of the prisoners.

Using Dimension door we transport ourselves into Rasputin’s house next door and find ourselves in the kitchen with a young man and little girl. Talking with them, we learn that the girl is Anastasia and the boy is Alexi. They seem also dominated and somewhat befuddled, but believe they were saved by Rasputin when they were to be executed. It was then that I made another mistake. One that hopefully won’t be as great as the one that led to my death the day before, but still serious. Frustrated with the pace of events, though my companions were talking in a friendly manner with the boy and girl, I decided it was safer for us to simply put them to sleep. Warriors they did not appear to be and in their already somewhat befuddled state I assumed they would quickly go to sleep. Casting a sleep hex upon them, the girl quickly succumbed, but the boy did not. I tried a second time, yet again he was able to resist. At a yell from him, we suddenly heard a powerful singing coming from the well next to the house. As Alexi and I struggled to go to visit the source to the magnificent singing, my companions mostly tried to stop us. Sadobras tossed a pit under the boy and an iron door before me.

Still, I knew I could not let that stop me and I struggle to reach the source of that music….