Difference between revisions of "Road to Kebnegard, Chapter Seventeen"

Revision as of 22:01, 4 August 2006

Baba Iaga
Saturday, March 3rd, 988 AD

After resting for twelve hours, we head into the hut and immediately notice that the hut is much bigger inside than it was outside. like, much bigger. And not only that, the rooms seem to fold onto themselves. As in, two rooms will occupy the same space at the same time, which made mapping very, very difficult. Reynaldo cursed a lot. On top of all that, cardinal directions don't actually make any sense are pretty useless inside.

The first room we walk into is full of colored columns and tapestries, and doors and staircases going down. Edward is afraid that the colored columns might have different properties that will affect us, like the colored hallways did in the Tarot Dungeon. But the fear was misplaced, as they do nothing but glow strangely. We head into another room where we see a throne flanked by two large skeletons (and this is where we first notice that the rooms overlap). We quickly dispatch the skeletons and continue exloring. The next room is very large and has many columns as well as a very big throne with Baba Iaga's name spelled out in gems, but nothing else. The next room is actually the same room with colored columns, which begins our headache with cardinal directions. Reynaldo curses a lot more.

We take one of the staircases going down and enter a room very much like the one above it minus the columns and tapestries. There is also a large green bird sweeping the room of dust.

Green Bird: Oh! New guests! How can I help you?
Reynaldo: We're looking for Baba--
Ivan: Shh!
Reynaldo: Oh for fuck's sake!
Green Bird: Yes, the Grandmother. She's... around. Let me take you to her!

We follow the bird in ante chanmber that looks like a pantry. We hear cooking sounds from the next room (which we assume is a kitchen). The bird tells us to just go right in and we'll find the Grandmother. We stop short and go back to the other room. The green bird follows us.

Green Bird: Wait, what are you doing? The Grandmother's over there.
Edward: No, over there is the kitchen. Tell me, do you belong to the Grandmother.
Green Bird: What, of course I do. Everything in her home does.
Edward: Well, now I know that you're definitely lying.

We subdue the bird and tie him up.

Green Bird: What are you doing!? The Grandmother is going to be very angry!
Edward: So, where is she again.
Green Bird: Over there where I was pointing to earlier.
Edward: Then you won't mind going in there first.
Green Bird: ...uhh... no.
Edward: That's what I thought. So, now we're going to take you with us, to make sure you're telling the truth.
Green Bird: But I have to sweep!
Edward: We'll let you get back to that later. Where's the Grandmother?
Green Bird: Fine.

He tells us to go past the pantry into another pantry, and then down a staircase in there. We do so, taking the bird with us. We traverse three other rooms, the last of which contains many bones on the floor. When we go through another door, we find ourselves in a cross shaped room with a very large pit in the middle. We skirt around the pit and see doors in each cardinal direction. The bird tells us to go through the door opposite the pit to us. We do and find ourselves in another hexagonal room. There is a woman in there.

Woman: What are you doing here, bird? Why aren't you sweeping?
Green Bird: It wasn't my fault! They forced me to come!
Woman: Let him go. He has duties to attend to.

We let the bird go.

Reynaldo: Are you Baba Iaga?
Woman (laughs): No, silly creature. Of course I'm not. You are not worthy to see her.
Ivan: Okay, thanks, we'll go now.
Reynaldo: Wait a second. Just like that? We go through all this trouble and you just wave us away?
Woman: Thanks for coming.

We leave the hexagonal room and go back into the pit room. As we're walking around the pit, three flying old ladies come out of one of the doors and try to throw us into the pit. They throw Ivan and Edward in, and Jean-Claude and Reynaldo had to jump in and give them rope while they flew out. There was a lot of aerial battle and more throwing of people into the pit. After awhile, we kill the old ladies and the woman comes out again.

Woman: Hmm, impressive. Okay, the Grandmother will see you now.

We follow her back into the hexagonal room, only it's not the hexagonal room anymore; it's Baba Iaga's throne room (the columned room from before with the large throne that bore her name.

Baba Iaga: So, what do you want?
Ivan: We're really, really sorry for bothering you--
Baba Iaga: Yeah, yeah. What do you want?
Anna: Grandmother, the dwarf and myself need to be cured.
Baba Iaga: Of what?
Anna: He's crazy and I'm an eight year old child.
Baba Iaga (looking at Anna very closely): I'm very old and my eyesight's pretty bad, but there's no way you're an eight year old child.
Anna: Well, no, not at this moment, but--
Baba Iaga: Then you're cured. What do you need me for?
Anna: We're only temporarily cured. We need to be permanently cured. The Duchess Anna Ivanovna said you were very powerful.
Baba Iaga: I'm incredibly powerful, and what are you to the Duchess?
Reynaldo: Just passing acquaintances.
Baba Iaga: Good. We don't get along very well. But anyway, your cure will come at a price.

She pulls out a ring and puts it on Ivan's finger.

Baba Iaga: There, you're both cured. But this ring carries a gaes that you'll have to perform. You or whoever you pass this gaes onto will have to travel far and wide to find the Staff of the King of Cats. And then bring it to me.
Ivan: Umm, what's the time limit on this?
Baba Iaga: You have a year. Now, anything else?
Edward: We have this evil Black Sword that we're trying to get rid of. You seem to have a bottomless pit beyond that door--
Baba Iaga: No, not beyond that door anymore.
Edward: Uh, okay then. Down a couple of staircases. Can we throw the Sword into it?
Baba Iaga: Sure, it's no skin off my back.
Reynaldo: So that won't cost us anything, then?
Baba Iaga: No. Anything else?
Reynaldo: We've heard that you were frineds with Ikkulu way back when. What can you tell us about her?
Baba Iaga: Ikkulu... that's someone I haven't thought of in a long time. Have the octopuses come back? Nevermind, I don't really care. We differed in our choices, she and I. When the octopuses came last, she was busy running around everywhere trying to stop them with the boy king. She traded a lot for that abilty. She was searching the three continents for things that she needed. These things may not have been availble then, but they're probably available now. In fact, they may even be commonplace and right under your noses. This may be why she failed in her quest. She lacked an element to insure her success.
Reynaldo: What about her daughters?
Baba Iaga: In order to find her daughter, you need to seek her son.
Reynaldo: Wait, son? Who's her son?
Baba Iaga: I've grown tired of this. I've tolerated our discussion, but I'm done now. Good day.

The other woman whisks us out of the throne room back into the room with the colored columns. We go back into the pit room and throw the Black Sword and the last part of the melted down flail into it. We leave the hut and go back to the fishing village. There, Jean-Claude decides that he is better suited to find the Staff of the King of Cats. He takes the ring from Ivan and is about to leave, when Reynaldo stops him. He wants to rest so that he can memorize spells from Jean-Claude's book before he leaves. So we rest.

Separation Sunday, March 4th, 988 AD

Reynaldo memorizes as many spells as he can from Jean-Claude's book. Then Jean-Claude leaves. Reynaldo decides to stay behind in the fishing village so that he can copy these spells from memory, keeping Conrad with him. He says that he'll catch up with the rest of the party later, using Phantom Steeds, a spell he will copy down later. The rest of the party continues on to Kebnegard.

End Chapter Seventeen