Kostchtchie

Pathfinder_-_Kostchtchie

Kostchtchie ckosh-tik-ti-kaq, also known as the deathless Frost, is an immortal warlord turned demon, a deformed Giant coldly burning with a long-awaiting revenge. Transformed by baba yaga into the very thing he hated most After delivering an ultimatum to the queen of witches, he now Rallies giants to his banner and plans for the day he can defeat His witch archnemesis and reclaim the hidden fragment of his Soul. He is a brutal tyrant, consumed by hate against witches And burning with vengeance against all who wrong him.

INTRODUCTION

Born to Ulfen parents in Old Iobaria, Kostchtchie was raised in a household where the men ruled and women were little more than slaves. As a disease called the Choking Plague decimated the country, Kostchtchie's fther fund solace in drinking, and when the drunkard's wife accidentally spilled his last keg, he flew into a stumbling rage. Too drunk to sate his anger, the man ordered Kostchtchie to murder his mother in punishment fr the mishap, and then his sisters when they tried to stop him. After carrying out his grim deed, Kostchtchie felt nothing but contempt at his fther fr being too drunk and weak to do his own killing, so he murdered him as well, gathered what few valuables he could carry, and left to make his own way in life. Strong and cunning fr his age, he joined a group ofbandits and eventually came to lead them. Adulthood brought him handsomeness and power, and he used his strength and charismatic good looks to gather many warriors under him. When he survived incredible wounds in single combat against the leader ofan enemybarbarian tribe, his tribe dubbed him "the Deathless." Kostchtchie's tribe controlled a large territory in the aftermath of the Choking Plague, warring with other tribes, raiding cities, and battling giants, Kostchtchie's most hated fes, whenever they dared leave their mountain homes.

As he grew older, Kostchtchie the Deathless began to fear infrmity, disease, and death. Hearing rumors of a powerfl witch called Baba Yaga living in a nearby frest, he hand-picked a small army ofhis best men and sought her out. When he fund her, he issued her an ultimatum: grant him immortality, or he would destroy her with his army. The witch agreed to his terms, but since Baba Yaga almost always puts her own twist on requests, she granted his wish at a great price. She made him immortal, but transfrmed him into a defrmed giant-meeting his price by giving him the frm he hated most. As Kostchtchie twitched and spasmed with the pain of the transfrmation, she plucked out a fagment of his soul, placed it in a tore, and hid the tore away. She commanded his army to drag their misshapen leader fom her sight and never return. Kostchtchie fled his people as soon as he could stand again, loathing his new frm and ashamed that his people would see him brought so low. Shunning all humankind, he fund a portal to the Abyss. After wandering fr decades, he reached the fozen realm of Jhuvumirak and defeated its master, the demon lord Sithhud, claiming the realm fr himself As word of the immortal demon-giant spread throughout the planes and the mortal realm, many fost giant priests turned to worship the aggressive Kostchtchie the Deathless Frost instead oftheir often-slumbering god, Thremyr.

Pathfinder_-Kostchtchie avatar

Kostchtchie is unusual fr a demon lord in that he was neither a qlippoth nor a dead soul that advanced fom sin-bloated larva to greater demon to demon lord. He never died a mortal death, and the immortality granted to him by Baba Yaga allowed him to bypass the normal process through which evil souls become demons. Over years of living in the Abyss and absorbing the essences of that plane and his slain fes, Kostchtchie slowly transfrmed into a demon, and the defat of Sithhud transfrmed him into a demon lord able to grant spells to his fllowers. As a demon lord, he is effectively immortal and ageless; he can only be destroyed by violence. Kostchtchie is very young fr a demon lord, having spent less than 2 millennia in that role, and less than a century as a mortal. He is thus very cautious in dealing with other demon lords, suspicious of their greater experience and strange plans that may predate his own existence.

At the same time, he considers himself superior to them, fr he was once a human and ascended to such power without dying. Kostchtchie is driven by two things: desire and revenge. He desperately wants the tore containing the missing piece of his soul, fearing that whoever holds it may be the key to his undoing, and hoping that he could use it to remove his defrmities. He rightflly blames Baba Yaga fr his defrmities, and believes that perhaps only she can reverse the transfrmation-and if she refses, killing her may reverse the spell anyway. As a human, he believed women were good only fr breeding. As a demon, he has no need to reproduce, and has stoked his ages-old contempt into a burning hatred of women-with Baba Yaga as the tinder that fed that ember into a flame.

With his worshipers, Kostchtchie is brusque but fir. Whether worshipers are true spellcasters or creatures granted power through the Demonic Obedience fat (see Obedience and Boons), he gives themmuch leeway in using his magic, knowing he can make demands fr specifc tasks ifnecessary under threat ofwithholding that power. If a worshiper dies in his service, its soul becomes a larva in his realm and he may make frther use ofit. The only restriction he places upon his worshipers is the order to fllow his commandments (see Commandments). Though he originated on Golarion, he has worshipers on other worlds, and therefre his priests rarely gain his undivided attention. Prayers to him are usually answered by demonic proxies (see Planar Allies), though if a tribal chieftain becomes a priest Kostchtchie makes an effort to speak directly to him fom time to time as a sign ofhis fvor.

As the demon lord of revenge, Kostchtchie expects his fllowers to avenge any slights against them. Since he is unable to strike directly against Baba Yaga, he commands his worshipers to hurt her by proxy, attacking her minions, children, and lackeys, especially in the land oflrrisen. Most ofhis fllowers are more at home in the cold than the heat, and he teaches that the dark powers granted by obedience to him will eventually blanket the world in fost, allowing his fithfl even more territory to conquer and pillage. He despises any intelligent creature smaller than a human, including dwarves, gnomes, and halflings, calling them "rat-flth" and deeming them unworthy ofevenbeing slaves.

Kostchtchie appears as an immense, defrmed fost giant with twisted legs, tiny white eyes, and a thick matted beard into which are woven dozens ofskulls. These skulls are trophies he took fom people he killed, especially mortal kings and priests ofrival fiths. He always carries his adamantine warhammer, a weapon too huge fr even the strongest fost giant to lift without difculty, but he wields it with ease. In art, he is shown as an immense giant with skulls in his beard and carrying a warhammer; some depictions show only his head and beard, tangled with skulls, accompanied by an image ofhis hammer.

When Kostchtchie is pleased, weapons deal additional cold damage (as if temporarily becoming frost or ic burst weapons), enemies slip on ice or their weapons break, and pet dogs and wolves give birth to snow-white pups that grow up to be winter wolves. When Kostchtchie is angry, even minor wounds bleed feely, beards become tangled, and frstborn sons are aficted with fts and warped bones.

Kostchtchie is chaotic evil, and his portflio is cold, giants, and revenge. His weapon is the warhammer, and his symbol is an ice-caked, rune-carved warhammer. His domains are Chaos, Evil, Strength, and War. His fith is common in the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, the Crown of the World, and Iobaria, primarily among monstrous creatures, though some scattered barbarian tribes praise him as their battle-god. His priests are adepts, clerics, or rangers. Many worshipers of Kostchtchie are fost giants, but ettins, hill giants, ice trolls, ogres, and human barbarians in cold lands pay him service (as does the occasional white dragon). They are ruthless and violent, and use their power to oppress females in the tribe (even trolls, who are normally matriarchal, tend to fllowthis fmily structure).

Prone to violent outbursts and revenge plots in response to even the smallest insults and slights, they listen much and say little fr fear ofgiving a rival an excuse to attack.

The deathless frost gathers power in the Fortress-realm of jhuvumirak, waiting for The day he invokes vengeance upon the Witch baba yaga. -the tale of the deathless trost

Services to the Deathless Frost usually involve sacrifcing a victim, either as part of an obedience (see Obedience and Boons) or simply by piercing or crushing the sacrifce's chest with ice, either slowly or quickly depending on the temperament of the priest and whether or not the victim is a witch. In giant tribes, the sacrifce is usually eaten afterward, though this practice is rare in humanoid cults.

Episodes fom Kostchtchie's tale are sung during the ritual, and music accompanies it in the frm ofpercussion (usually banging on a shield), a panpipe, or a simple harp (with strings made fom the gut of an earlier sacrifce).

Given the demon lord's brutality and ruthlessness, his fllowers have little interest in love and affection. Instead, they create blood-oaths between allied males, such as actual siblings, a fther and son or nephew, or comradesin-arms. This is a promise sworn in Kostchtchie's name to pursue vengeance ifone oath-brother is killed or shamed and unable to do it himself

TEMPLES AND SHRINES

Few tribes have the interest or resources to create a separate building just fr worship. In most cases, the common hall or cave has an alcove that fnctions as the center of worship; a dedicated temple fllows this arrangement. A shrine may be as plain as a simple runestone, or may have elaborate carvings and sculptures (either in ice or stone) and be surrounded by carved wooden, bone, gemstone, or ivory offerings. The need to make blood sacrifce on snowcovered ground means most tribes have an altar outside, typically an upright stone or pole to which a victim can be tied. In tribes that have changed fom worshiping Thremyr (the original fost giant god) to Kostchtchie, converting the altar area is a simple matter of adorning the carvings with skulls and carving a hammer, as both entities are depicted as bearded giants.

A PRIEST'S ROLE

Pathfinder_- Kostchtchie pretre

A priest's main task is to convert others to the worship of Kostchtchie, either through threats or rewards. He must fllow the god's three commandments (see below) but fr the most part is lef to his own discretion as to how to frther the god's agenda of vengeance and the advancement of giant-kind. A priest may seek leadership in a tribe, or be more comfrtable advising the chieffom a position ofsecurity. The priest's involvement is critical in the tribe's plans, even ifthose plans only involve when and where to make raids. Rather than emphasizing healing and defense, a priest primarily uses his magic to augment his power and that ofkey members ofthe tribe. Dominant priests usually have ranks in Intimidate; manipulative ones usually have ranks in Bluff Daily tasks fr a priest are usually no different than fr any other male in the tribe, except on days when a sacrifce occurs, which requires the priest's special skills. The hierarchy within the cult may vary fom tribe to tribe, with some only having one priest and others having several cooperating or vying fr power.

There is no frmal dress fr priests, though most grow their hair long and adorn it with the skulls of witches, priests ofother religions, and enemy leaders. =HOLIDAYS=

Worshipers of Kostchtchie honor the winter solstice, the shortest day ofthe year. On this day, they make elaborate battle plans and schemes fr vengeance to be enacted during the coming year. Traditionally, they sacrifce one or more witches on this day, or the lowest-ranking fmale ofthe tribe ifno witches are available.

COMMANDMENTS

As Kostchtchie's fllowers are ordinary people pushed into extraordinary circumstances, many ofthe fith's common phrases are used to inspire determination.

Avenge Yourself Times Three: If someone harms you, harming him back in the same way is merely fir; true vengeance harms the offender more than he harmed you. An appropriate response is to harm the offender three times as much as he harmed you. Ifsomeone puts out your eye, put out both his eyes and the eye ofhis fiend so your enemies see you are ruthless. If an enemy cuts off your hand, cut offboth his hands and his tongue so he may not strike or speak ill ofyou again. Ifa man kills your son, kill three ofhis descendants so that your very name becomes a demon in their memory. If it takes time to complete your vengeance, so be it-an enemy maimed twice-fld lives in fear ofyour third strike.

Bow to No Woman: Women serve no purpose but to pleasure men and give birth to warriors. Accepting a woman as a superior means you place yourselfin a position ofweakness. Cry out in rage or laughter, but never painscreaming in pain is something women and children may do, but a man bears his wounds with dignity and honor. Even a fail man is more worthy ofrespect than a strong woman.

Kill All Witches: Men live by strength, whether in thew, prayer, or blood. Witchcraf is women's magic, a vile thing taught in secret by hags and harridans. If you have the opportunity to kill a witch, do so befre her magic saps your manhood. If you are outmatched by a witch and cannot attack, gather allies and strike when you can kill.

HOLY TEXT

The ofcial book of the demon's cult is The Tale of the Deathless Frost, which is usually carved in runic frm on a round or oblong stone with the words spiraling around a symbol of Kostchtchie's hammer. It tells the tale of his rise as a warlord, how he bargained with Baba Yaga fr immortality and conquered a part ofthe Abyss to become a demon lord, and includes his three commandments to his worshipers. The portion about Baba Yaga states that she betrayed him, rather than the truth about his ultimatum to her and the unexpected price fr his hubris. The tale is short enough that it can be memorized and recited orally, which is frtunate as the runestones bearing the tale usually weigh hundreds ofpounds and are too heavy to easily carry, even fr giants. If a runestone is ever destroyed, its pieces must be sunk in a fozen lake, with the fagment bearing the hammer symbol carried by a priest until a new runestone is carved, at which time the hammer fagment is buried under the new runestone. =RELATIONS WITH OTHER RELIGIONS=

As a mere demon lord, Kostchtchie is beneath the notice of most of the powerfl gods, though Iomedae longs to smite him as a demon, murderer, and torturer of women. Most ofhis rivalries are with other demon lords. He hates Mestama, patron ofhags and witches, and takes great glee in sacrifcing her minions and worshipers. He likewise hates Dagon, lord of defrmity, seeing in that creature the worst of his own physical corruption. He lusts fr Nocticula as a conquest rather than a partner, and would take her as his concubine and make her realm subordinate to his. He avoids Lamashtu and her rival Pazuzu, wary of their power and not wanting their conflict to distract him fom his plans against Baba Yaga. In theory he opposes the old fost giant god, Thremyr, but that creature's indifference to worship and lack ofconcern about losing fllowers to Kostchtchie means the two powers are content to ignore each other.

NEW SPELL

Antipaladins, clerics, and rangers of FROSTHAMMER Kostchtchie may prepare hex ward (Pathfnder RPG Ultimate Ma.ic) as a ist-level spell and chill metal as a 2nd-level spell. His clerics and rangers may prepare litany even.eance(Ultimate Combat) as a 4th-level spell. His priests also have access to the fllowing spell.

School evocation [cold]; Level antipaladin 3, cleric 3, inquisitor 3, ranger 3 (Kostchtchie) Casting Time 1 standard action

Components V, S, OF

Range Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)

Target one creature

Duration instantaneous

Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes

You create a warhammer of magically hardened ice and send it hurling toward the target. You must succeed at a ranged touch attack to strike the target. If hit, the target takes 1d8 points of damage per 2 caster levels you possess (maximum Sd8); half this damage is bludgeoning damage, half is cold damage. The frosthommer counts as having a + 1 enhancement bonus for the purpose of bypassing OR. If the target takes any bludgeoning damage from the hammer, you may attempt a trip combat maneuver check against that target, except you may use your caster level instead of your BAB and your spellcasting ability modifier (Wisdom for clerics, and so on) instead of your Strength modifier.

SERVITOR DEMONS

Kostchtchie hates being reminded that he is the size of a giant, and he has transfrmed many of his servitors into larger, defrmed versions of their normal selves, often resembling giants more than demons, granting them the giant creature simple template (but otherwise not affecting their game statistics, despite any apparent defrmities); even demons who are already Large or Huge usually have these alterations. For example, a glabrezu of Kostchtchie may have warped arms and legs, malfrmed pincers that resemble defrmed humanoid hands, and a humanoid head instead ofa wolflike one.

Given his hatred of women, he has very few female demons in his service, and most of them are similarly defrmed and altered. For example, a succubus of Kostchtchie may be a ft, bandy-legged crone in her true frm, and a marilith's upper half may be more apelike than humanoid.

A worshiper of Kostchtchie can use conjuring spells to call these defrmed demons as if the creature had 2 additional Hit Dice, or summon them by using a summon monster spell of1 level higher than normal. For example, a cleric could use planar all to call a defrmed, Large babau with the giant creature simple template as ifit were a 9 HD creature, or use summon monster VI to summon one.

PLANAR ALLIES

In addition to his enlarged and defrmed servitor demons, Kostchtchie has several proxies with magical power who transmit spells on his behalf

Chernog Chort: This nalfshnee was hand-crafed by Kostchtchie fom the soul ofone ofhis mortal lieutenants. When Kostchtchie wandered in the Abyss, Chernog Chort took over the tribe and used it to gather a great hoard ofgold and jewels fr himself His greed in life and willingness to kill fr it made his larval soul prone to becoming a nalfshnee, and the demon lord elevated his new creation to the steward of his treasures. Hobbled by a shortened, defrmed lef leg, he rarely leaves Jhuvumirak except to pick over tribute and plunder. In addition to his demonic powers, he has the spellcasting ability ofan 8th-level cleric.

Stoxtorn: This treachery demon was once a fmous mortal witch-hunter, a soul-slaved inquisitor-priest ofKostchtchie, and is responsible fr the deaths ofhundreds ofwitches and accused witches. Stoxtorn fbricated evidence and testimony (especially against women) to stir up public hatred against witchcraft, and the blood of many innocents is directly and indirectly on his hands. After Stoxtorn's mortal death, Kostchtchie transfrmed his soul into a glabrezu and placed him in charge ofthe demon lord's spies and witch-hunters.

His humanlike arms are reversed lef to right and bend the wrong way. In addition to his demonic powers, he has the spellcasting ability ofa 7th-level inquisitor. =OBEDIENCE AND BOONS=

Unlike normal gods, demon lords require physical and painfl proof of devotion fom their worshipers. Such acts are called obediences. A creature who takes the Demonic Obedience feat and perfrms the obedience required by its demon lord once per day gains a magical ability related to the demon lord's divine portflio. Such worshipers gain additional abilities (called boons) once they reach 12th, 16th, or 20th level or have at least 12, 16, or 20 Hit Dice.

Kostchtchie's obedience is spilling the blood ofa living creature onto snow-covered ground. The creature must remain alive during the entire obedience, and it must die within a minute ofthe obedience's end. Completing the obedience gives the worshiper a +4 bonus on all saving throws against cold. Kostchtchie's boons are as fllows.

Frozen Wrath (Sp): At 12th level, you gain chill touch 3/day, bull's stren_th 2/day, or sleet storm 1/day.

Cold's Caress (Ex): At 16th level, you gain cold resistance 30. Ifyou are immune to cold, you may instead gain fre resistance 30. You may likewise change this boon's beneft to fre resistance ifyou gain immunity to cold after gaining this boon.

Wrath ofProst {Sp): At 20th level, you can cast _iant form I once per day. Three times during this ability's duration, you can cast an empowered cone of cold as a spell-like ability. This ability is the equivalent ofa 9th-level spell.

More infrmation on obediences, the Demonic Obedience feat, and demonic boons can be fund in Patlnder Campai_n Settin_: Lords of Chaos, Book of the Damned, Vol. 2

CUSTOMIZED SUMMON LIST

Kostchtchie’ priests can use summon monster spells to summon the following creatures in addition to the normal creatures listed in the spell descriptions (see also the section on Servitor Demons).

Summon Monster III

Fiendish ice elemental (Small) (Bestiary 2)

Summon Monster V

Fiendish ice elemental (Medium)

Half-fiend yeti

Summon Monster VI

Fiendish ice elemental (Large)

Summon Monster VII

Fiendish ice elemental (Huge)

Summon Monster VIII

Fiendish ice elemental (greater)

Summon Monster IX

Fiendish ice elemental (elder)

Références

• Wikipedia:Koschei (real-world fictional character)
• Wikipedia:Kostchtchie (Dungeons & Dragons character)