Winter is Coming

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Summary

Adventure: Winter is Coming
GM: Keith Smith
Session: Autumn 816
Night: Tuesdays
Location The house of Smith
Level: High to Medium
Rules: By the Book (although will consider Opposition Rolling.

Mission

Something is very wrong in Palaeolithica. An unnatural cold wind has come from the north, bringing with it, ice and snow as well as strange, unnatural, and extremely dangerous creatures called 'White Walkers'. Walls are rapidly being constructed to keep the settlers in the more northern reaches safe. Contact with Khoras has been cut off. Is this something coming from Frigidia or is something else going on? All the omens say is "Winter is Coming and the Ice Queen comes with it".

The Party

• Rowan - Female elven Binder - Helen.
• Flamis - Female human Firemage and current holder of the Star of Alusia - Jacqui.
• Sooty - Ash (Fire sub-branch) Mage - Elf - Male - Bernard
• Grendel - Mind / Water Mage - Human - Male - Simon White
• Valentine - Warrior / Fire / Water Mage - Human - Male - Jim Arona

Scribe Notes

Chapter 1: Problems on Paleolithica

It was a few days after the Guild meeting (4th Fruit) when we were summoned to one of the meeting rooms. There was an employer named Jon representing the Order of The Wandering Warrior from Pasifika (although he originated from Khoras). There were problems on Paleolithica. Winter was coming early. The colony was under attack by creatures they called white walkers – that broke mundane weapons, and were accompanied by undead.
For payment they offered guild rates plus salvage plus 5000sp up front to spend on healing potions and such.
Next morning, Grendel created a warp tunnel and we whooshed through to Pasifika. Only, we almost didn’t. Something seemed to be trying to pull us off course. Could have been a horror, but I didn’t see it. We arrived near the portals. There was now a big wall around the portals, with a gap and a bunch of ballistae pointing at the gap. The guard challenged the party… He didn’t recognise us, and went for his sergeant – who did identify us as the Guild party they had sent for.
We cast our weapon spells and went through. There was a grey sky above and snow on the ground, except in a circle around the portal. It was darker to the north. We flew south to the logging camp, which was now heavily fortified. We landed safely out of bowshot, and were challenged, then instructed to run in the gates as fast as possible. I caught a glimpse of something cold out there.
These people knew more. Brother Phaeton had been here and had returned to Pasifika. These white walkers were cold, but not themselves undead, although they were often accompanied by cold undead (generally zombies or sometimes wights). They were long-lived sentients, with the GTN White Walker, and their plane of origin was Cocytus Golarion (a plane which has been visited once by a Guild party, who visited one city for eight hours - which was not very helpful). They used swords which create wounds that don’t heal well, and sometimes bits break off and head for the victim’s heart. Nasty.
Valentine insisted on summoning an efreet, but had difficulty. Meanwhile I summoned a fire elemental with ease. But it was getting dark, so we decided to stay the night, and head out in the morning. I spent some time warming up all the buildings in the village, figuring the people would benefit from a comfortable night.

Chapter 2: Into the white yonder

6 Fruit
The night passed uneventfully. Over breakfast, much time was spent in discussing what to do next.
There was a sudden cold, and it started snowing. The people were talking about evacuating through the portal to the south, which leads to Girvan. Not a great option, but better than getting killed. Grendel, as navigator, had an overwhelming impression that winter was imminent. We got ready to fly… aiming to check out the portals. Beginning with the portal to Khoras. This was protected by a barricade and a squad of knights of Barinor (the God of Honour, Chivalry and Virtue). Snow was piling up around the barricade. We landed at two bow-shots, shouted hello, and started forward. Because he was still flying, Valentine was surrounded by spectral butterflies. A small pixie knight on a large bat flew towards us. She called, “Who goes there?” Sooty replied that we were from Seagate, and they let us in. It was warmer in there. We asked them what they knew. The pixie introduced herself as Lucy.
She told us what they had found out about the white walkers. They were denizens of the lower planes. They seemed to have the ability to raise the fallen as undead. Holy weapons hurt them. They don’t know which portal they had come from. The weather was unnatural. Next we flew to the Garweeze portal which was nearly buried in snow. We landed nearby, and melted our way through. From its aura, this portal had not been used for several years.
We crossed the river, heading north, looking for an unchecked portal marked on the map. The river was frozen, and the snow became heavier and heavier. It became too dense to continue flying. We landed on the far side… except Valentine who had the ill luck to find a crevasse, and had to fly up and try again. We cast wildfires and started running. We ran past rocks, and then spotted a humanoid form… a white walker. It was indeed a humanlike thing, pale and wan, with eyes of icy blue. I have no idea who was most surprised. Valentine was temporarily affected by the aura of fear that emanated from the thing. As we prepared to fight, a group of undead sprang up from the snow, surrounding us. But after Grendel killed the white walker they de-animated and fell back into the snow. It was all over very quickly.
It fell to me to divinate the body, using my brazier. I learned that it was called a white walker, a demon thing from a frozen plane of hell. It had been summoned to a plane called Golarion, and then commanded to pass through a portal to Paleolithica. It had an amulet that allowed its summoner to continue to command it and even see and hear what was going on around it. It originated on Golarion. This I was asked to put in my pack, since it would then no longer work.
Meanwhile, the bodies were collected up and shoved into my giant bag of holding to be returned to their people at the logging camp. We carried on fire-running, and checked the Frigidia portal. Apart from being surrounded by a lot of snow it was perfectly normal. Then, as it was getting late, Grendel did the warp tunnel thing and we whooshed back to camp. Where we proceeded to divinate the amulet, and decided that it should be safely buried in a box full of table linen. Sooty did a ritual that would make the weather improve somewhat.
7 Fruit
We went flying out to the next portal marked on the map. This was buried deep under a layer of mostly translucent ice. Rowan disintegrated the ice, so that we could check the portal. It led to somewhere called “Realms” and had not been used for some considerable time. Then Grendel whooshed us back to camp. We took the amulet out of its box, and learned from its aura that it had been activated, three hours ago for half an hour, and that its master was on Paleolithica. That was worrying.
8 Fruit
We flew on to the next portal which was proved to be up a small canyon and surrounded by a herd of bison, who were obviously enjoying the relative warmth around the portal. Sooty overflew it to read its aura. It led to a plane called “Tekumel” and also hadn’t been used recently. Then Grendel whooshed us back to camp.
9 Fruit
Another fruitless mission to a portal that wasn’t Golarion.
10 Fruit
We were just preparing to leave when the alarm went off. “The walkers are coming,” the call went out across the camp.

Chapter 3: A Cold Wind Blows

As we headed out to face the enemy, an icy wind blew across the battlefield. In the distance we could make out white walkers… and then a host of undead rose from the frozen ground in front of us. We cast weapon of radiance and began taking them down. The white walkers approached and started loosing spells… ice projectiles, rays of cold, and the like. More undead arose from the snow. I retaliated with fireballs, as the party and Rowan’s golems continued destroying the undead. Sooty dropped in a wall of cinders which was clearly some kind of multiple effect by the large area it covered. And it hurt them when they tried to knock it down. As we began hurting the white walkers it became evident that they were healing themselves by taking energy from their undead minions – an ability generally known as banding. And they were regenerating as well. With sheer persistence the walkers and their minions knocked a hole in Sooty’s wall. Then two more. Between the damage we were dealing out, and the banding, all the minions were soon gone, and we were facing seven white walkers. Sooty was first to take one down finishing off a spell damaged one. Then Valentine succumbed – but the walker that he was fighting fell down from a fireball. Sooty went to rescue him, while Rowan and I finally took down the two that had been casting ice bolts at us.
Finally there were four, one being grappled by a golem, another being attacked by the bear golem, and those two that had been spell-casting. Rowan dropped a smoking magma under those two, and I followed up with a double effect fire ball that took out both casters and the one on the bear golem. After that, it didn’t take much to finish off the last one.
Then, a note materialised in front of me… It proved a message from the Ice Queen who was behind this. It threatened more ice on more worlds if we didn’t perform some task for her.
The Pasifikans suggested that we go and find out what she wants.

Chapter 4: We’re off to see the Witch Queen…

On the edge of the forest, we could see a smallish white walker, standing and watching. After confirming that it understood common, I told it that we would be leaving on the following morning. We spent the rest of that day repairing ourselves and the golems.

11 Fruit
We set off, following the little walker. The wind had dropped and visibility was much improved. It was quite scenic; very much the winter wonderland. We felt ourselves begin to move faster, and we were no longer sinking. After about two hours we came upon a big tree with an unusually large icicle hanging from one of its branches. Its aura told us that it was a portal, with destination elsewhere on Paleolithica, in the direction we were heading. One by one we were transported to an icy plain, under an iron blue sky. Our guide carried on walking down into a crevasse. The ceiling closed over and we were in a deep blue tunnel of ice. It opened out into a cavern, and there was a great stone trilithon, which was the interplanar portal to Golarion. We went through, and came out on the shores of a large lake near a city. The architecture was somewhat Ruskan in style, though some buildings were apparently made of bound ice. It was still winter, but not nearly as cold as it had been, although the surface of the lake was frozen. A reindeer-drawn carriage was waiting for us. We climbed in, and were driven into the city. There were shaggy-haired humans Ice trolls, white wolves, ice dwarves, gnomes and goblins. Once we spotted an ice giant working at a smithy. What was disturbing was the skulls embedded in the road to the palace…
We were led into the ice palace, and into the reception hall. On a throne was a tall female wearing a crown. She introduced herself as Elvanna, Seventeenth Queen of Irrisen. Her aura told us that she was a long-sentient, Human(Jadwiga), and that her secondary college was necromancy. The year here was 4713 and it was nearly time for her to next step down, and for the next one of her sisters to take her place. Her mother was the first witch, whose name was Baba Yaga. She is looking for an item to use as a bargaining chip… The Torc of Koshchtchie --- it contains the soul of a greater demon, and allows you power over it. It has power over ice. Her sister the Ninth Queen, Tashanna, once attempted to rebel against her mother, and was sealed into a place called the Vale of Frozen Tears along with this Torc. She wants the Torc… The deal is that we get to keep any other treasure, and a magic item of our choice. Others are looking for this torc; some sent by said greater demon, who is now aware of its presence since some of the wards have been broken.
We obtained some chambers and I spoke to my other selves, who confirmed that the Torc was in the Vale of Frozen Tears. We also spoke to the librarian. We decided that we should attempt this mission, but by now it was late afternoon. Dinner was brought and we spent the night in the palace.
12 Fruit
In the morning, after preparations, we are teleported to the mouth of the valley. Some distance away, perhaps five or six miles, there was a large encampment with twenty or so entities, with a dozen frost giants… They were between us and the icy waterfall, which must be the way in. We decided that the best way would be to strafe them with magic. After applying fog of war to the battlefield.
The valley filled with impenetrable fog. We could hear them casting in there… we could see the winter winds. They were also forming up behind their barricade. Grendel attempted to dominate the leader, as I started up on the fireballs. The giants fired arrows into the fog, but didn’t hit anything. Grendel made the leader fall down, as I tossed more fireballs, and Sooty added some cinder walls. Some of the giants, mounted on rhinos, charged; but Valentine charged back on his efreet, and knocked them down. Grendel advanced. Rowan made a mind counterspell, so Grendel could safely set loose a telekinetic rage.
And then Rowan made stone golems…. And we waited. And Grendel cast the TK rage. And levelled the camp, tossing giants, rhinos, barricade and everything at the bound ice wall behind. Much death ensued. And that was that.

Chapter 5: Into the Frozen Falls

We could see a cave entrance… Beside it was what appeared to be a volcanic vent. Only it was colder than the surrounding ice. Nearby were three vaguely humanoid lumps of ice. Magical lumps of ice. Frozen humanoid corpses encased in ice… warriors… And something was vibrating. Then the cryogeyser erupted. Catching Valentine who was running up the stairs, though it did not hurt him. I read the aura of the cryogeyser. The magic was temperature enhancement, but I could not determine when it would next erupt. Grendel turned the ice encasing the warrior to talc, and then blew the talc off with a TK rage, unfortunately tossing Valentine further up the stairs. The corpses fell over. Then Rowan animated their armours. 3 x scale mail (one silvery), a dagger, 2 x battle-axes, a hand & a half sword and a ring. We used fire-arc to get onto the steps just as the cryogeyser went off again, and headed up the staircase, soon catching up with Valentine.

Eventually we arrived at a mezzanine covered with bones… and icicles hanging from the ceiling. And an ancient white dragon hiding among them. I tried flattery which only served to anger it… and the dragonfear transfixed me, though not for long as Sooty rallied me. It commenced breathing gouts of super-heated steam on us, as Grendel went in on the attack, followed by Valentine. Sooty did something to reduce the damage it was doing. And then Grendel killed it. This was getting tedious.

The aura showed was something odd about its blood, so we declined to imbibe. We wondered where its hoard was, and we spotted coins embedded in the ice. It also had a wand and a ring. Grendel turned the ice to butter and we melted it, revealing 21000sp of coins and gems. We found a secret door, and behind that was a spiral staircase. Going down. To a grotto, filled with mist. There would be ice worms hereabouts, judging by the round tunnel openings. At one side there was a shaft heading up.

And then two-ice worms came out of the wall. One for Grendel, and one for Valentine. Grendel hit his so hard that it shot back into the wall.

Chapter 6: Up your shaft!

The shaft led to a fissure which snaked 160ft straight up the face of the waterfall. It was studded with manacles, some of them with the remains of human limbs stuck in them. As Valentine and Grendel flew up they were attacked by disembodied hands that drained when they touched. Grendel’s sword could hit the wretched things, predictably, but they kept coming back. Looking, I could see that there was a ledge up there, so I cast fire-arc and the things only got one more swipe at us as we flew to the top. Grendel continued to fend off the hands as we looked around. Ahead, the way was blocked by a palisade of ice. Beyond that, something dark writhed inside a column of ice in a large circular room. The column had containment magic on it, and required a command word to deactivate. The palisade was made of bound ice, and it also had a command word buried in its aura. So, I whispered the word, and the bars rose, then slowly started to come down again.

We stepped through into the room, and incorporeal creatures stepped in from the sides. They were called hoar spirits. The thing in the middle lashed out with a tentacle, but missed. Sooty identified it as a negative energy elemental. It lashed out at Sooty, but didn’t do anything effective. I blasted two of the undead creatures with dragonflames as they approached. Valentine kept them off me. Then the thing in the middle flared outwards, filling the room with a burst of negative energy. Thankfully, Sooty had loaned us amulets so that we could resist the draining. We had the golems up front, but they tried to get pass them. Not that that did them any good, as one by one they succumbed to our blades and magic, dissipating and streaming into the negative energy elemental. I tossed a dragonsmite at the thing in the centre, and it seemed to absorb it to little or no effect. It flared again… healing its minions. Then Grendel killed another one with a single blow.

It was all over fairly quickly after that. We wore down the minions with swords and spells, then went to work on the thing in the pillar. Grendel and Sooty kept swatting its tentacles as I pumped destructive magic into it. Finally it imploded in a tremendous burst of negative energy, and again we were grateful for those amulets. Exhausted from the battle, we looked around the room. The dominant feature was a throne to which five cold iron manacles were attached – one foot-manacle was conspicuous by its absence. The throne was surrounded by some kind of anti-magic which defeated our attempts at divination.

Chapter 7: The very Devil…

There was an exit to the east, leading to a large square room, which looked like it might have been used as a guardroom. On the far wall was a row of five doors. But that wasn’t the problem. The problem was the illusion on the ceiling and the devil which poked its head through it and cast necrosis at us. And the five incorporeal undead that walked through the doors on the far wall… through the doors. The devil cast necrosis at all of us, and the undead shot us with bolts of black starfire. Ow, that hurt… We prepared (and took healing potions) as they moved in around us. Grendel thwacked one with his sword of light. Sooty determined that the undead were dread wraiths. Soon, all the wraiths were engaged by party members and golems, while I stood in the middle casting dragonflames. Then the devil poked its head out and cast agony. Which wasn’t nearly as effective as it expected. And the room went dark, and the undead cast blackfire. The darkness didn’t last though, because I triggered my fragment of the sun, and bright sunlight flooded the room. Sooty loosed something akin to hellfire, which the devil got a face full of. One of the wraiths charged at me, but didn’t do much. Valentine was covered in eldritch green flames (which Sooty said would cure the agony). The one in form of me took a dose of dragonflames, and then my trident, and then Sooty slapped it and it went away. The golems and Grendel whittled away at the remaining wraiths, taking them down quickly.
Rowan got rid of the illusion on the ceiling. There was a wall of bones in one corner and we assumed the devil was hiding behind there. I scorched the wall then Grendel walked up and hoed into it. The wall came down… And there was the devil, glaring at us. I cast at it, and Grendel hit it… It seemed remarkably ineffective at hitting him back. So he finished it off. The room up there was full of bones – and underneath a pile of bones was the loot. There was a set of magical drums that were identified as drums of panic and a magical bottle that proved to be a decanter of endless water.

Quotes:

Some wag on hearing there was a party going out with three fire mages: “The Guild is having a fire sale…”

Flamis: “Muggle lives matter!”

Flamis: “No, I’m not Mt Doom, but I am unpredictable.”

Flash to Flamis: “…. Which is why she’s such a bird brain.”

Sooty: “We should go frolicking in the woods.”

Valentine: “You guys should get out more, looking in crystal screens all the time… “

Valentine to Sooty: “You’re an elf. You always sense danger.”

Valentine: “You can’t borrow a paladin…”
Flamis: “No, they’re always on a mission.”

Flamis: “Continuing attacks like this will whittle us down, literally in the case of the golems.”

Frost giant: Must be the bitch queen…
Flamis: Bitch maybe… but hardly a queen.

Grendel (of an ancient white dragon): “Fight it… It’s loot looking to be turned into handbags”.

Flamis: One way or another it hurts… (Of different ways to deal with agony).

Sooty: I’m making elvish noises.

Sooty: Don’t charge the Grendel!

Important safety tip: Mind cloak lets you decline Mind speech.

What’s hot: Negating agony. Sunlight.

What’s not: Necrosis. Darkness.

Important safety tip: Mind cloak lets you decline Mind speech.

Mil Sci

Travel Order

When in tight confines

When inside or in towns.

When outdoors in open country
War Golems, Valentine?
Grendel, Flamis?
Sooty, Rowan?
Bear?

Travel Magic

• Phoenix Wings. 42 miles/hr, 250 miles effective range (500 enhanced, 360/day)
• Wild Fires. Does not expire when the target stops running. 48 miles/hr, 330 miles effective range (660 enhanced, 405/day).
• Mage Current.
• Warp Gate.
• Instill fight. 44 mph for 6.5 hrs, 260 miles range, an object of less than 65lbs will lift 750lbs. (party can have one each)

Watch Order

Track 1: Valentine (5), Grendel (5)
Track 2: Rowan (3), Sooty (4), Flamis (3)

Daily Pattern

Travel/Activity Time: 9 hours.
Meal Time: 3 hours.
Ritual Time: 2 hours.
Sleep Time: 10 hours.

Buffs

Buffs listed in the table don't need to be detailed, other buffs not on the table must be mentioned at the time they are cast.
Y means always on, N/- means never on, 'Sit.' means when the party has time for buffs before a fight.
Weapon Spells which weapon/s it is going on normally should be noted also.

Normal Buffs; Long Duration

Enhance Enchant Rank 15 on duration is available on pulse cast spells shared with the party. Recipients pay own Ft cost with this.

Magic	Rk	Effects	Dur	Ro	Fl	So	Va	Gr	Go
Circle magic (Rowan)	-	Ritual to cast buffs on all at once.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Ithans Armour (Rowan)	8	90 pts Ablative, before MR or Armour	9 (*17) hrs 2 Ft	-	-	-	-	-	-
Thermal Control (Sooty)	11	+/-4 Gauge. Immune to normal fire/smoke/hypothermia/hyperthermia.	13 (*25) Hours; 1 Ft	Y	-	Tal	-	Y	Y
Ash Shroud (Sooty)	10	6 En armour (No stacking).	5.5 (*10.5) Hours; 2 Ft	y	-	Y	-	-	Y
Force Shield (Grendel)	-	+15% Def, +10 Phsy Abl/pulse	-	y	Y	Y	-	Y	Y
Mind shield (Grendel)	-	-	-	y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N
Water breathing (Grendel?/Valentine?)	-	-	- 1 Ft	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N
Waterproofing (Grendel?/Valentine?)	-	-	- 1 Ft	y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N
Elemental Armour (Sooty)	20	125 Pts Elemental Ablative	21 (*41) Hours	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
- (Caster)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Normal Buffs; Short Duration

Magic	Rk	Effects	Dur	Ro	Fl	So	Va	Gr	Go
Weapon of Flames (Flamis)	15	+16% s.c. +8DM, +15 DM vs dark/undead	20 Mins.	-	-	Spear/Knife	-	-	Cestus/Axe
Enhance Enchant (Sooty)	15	+15 ranks to damage, range or BC	17 pulses.	-	-	-	-	-	-
- (Caster)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
- (Caster)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
- (Caster)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Loot

White Walkers

• Scrying Amulets * 8?

Giant Camp & Steps

• Irrisen Plate set (24, 150sp each)?
• 15,000sp assorted arms, armour & supplies.
• 2* Magical Scale.
• 1* Silver Dragon Armour
• 1* Magical Dagger [+15SC +3D]
• 2* Magical Axe {+10SC +2D]
• Holy Cold Iron Hand & 1/2 [+20SC +4D v Demons/Devils/Fey, +10SC +2D v anything else]
• 1* Ring [+20MR]

Steam Dragon

• Wand
• Ring
• 21,000sp of coin & gems

Negative Elemental & Demon

• ?

Calendar

Autumn
	Moonday		Duesday		W'ansday		Th'rsday		Frysday		Reapsday		Sunday
	Lugnasad
Fruit (4)
			1	Guild Meeting	2		3		4	Meet Employer.	5	Travel to Pasifika.	6	Scouting trips to portals.
	7		8		9		10	Lumber Post attacked by White Walkers.	11	To Golarian/Irrisen.	12	Into the Vale.	13
	14		15		16		17		18		19		20
	21	Full Moon	22		23		24		25		26		27
	28		29		30
Harvest (5)
							1		2		3		4
	5		6		7		8		9		10		11
	12		13		14		15	Equinox	16		17	Seagate Autumn Fair	18	Seagate Autumn Fair
	19	Harvest Moon	20		21		22		23		24		25
	26		27		28		29	Michaelmas	30
Vintage(6)
											1		2
	3		4		5		6		7		8		9
	10		11		12		13		14		15		16
	17	Blood Moon	18		19		20		21		22		23
	24		25		26		27		28		29		30	Beerfest