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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Ivarsa, Leader of the Burning Mammoths

Ivarsa grew up among the Burning Mammoth, enriched by the tales of her ancestors. As a child, she knew the story of the traitorous Broken Tusk who stole the following's sacred artifact, the Primordial Flame, while the true Burning Mammoth marched bravely east to fight the demons of the Worldwound. She particularly enjoyed the epic tale of Metuak the Hero, who dared to take a demon inside his body on a doomed quest to seek the Primordial Flame. These stories of betrayal and moral compromise forged Ivarsa's personality from her earliest years.

Ivarsa's capacity for shrewd and calculated violence drew the attention of generals leading the Fifth Mendevian Crusades. A recruiter saw in the young warrior's eyes not only the promise of a future demon slayer, but also an undeveloped talent for powerful magic. The Mendevians offered her a position among the War Wizards of Kenabres, an elite unit of battle mages. Other Mammoth Lords might have rejected the offer, but Ivarsa saw in the southern magic an echo of Metuak's bargain with Xeleria the shadow demon, and she accepted. If she could deal more death by learning magic, then magic she would learn. She left her following and trained in Kenabres, learning to meld traditional Kellid fighting techniques with arcane magic. After growing up with a tradition of ceaseless travel over long distances, Ivarsa was drawn to the magic of teleportation, which she perceived as integral to winning campaigns against plane-hopping demons.

Ivarsa's prowess as a soldier grew until victory was finally achieved and the Worldwound sealed. The end of the war created new problems, though, as Mendevian forces and others who had long occupied themselves with battles against demons were now without purpose. Many native Kellids returned to the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, only to discover their home was nearly unrecognizable. In the six generations since the Great Quake first opened the Worldwound, the followings that remained in the realm had claimed many of the land's resources for themselves. Hunting territories were fractured, and time-honored alliances were abandoned or forgotten. Veterans of the war—many bearing physical and psychological scars of warfare against evil incarnate— roamed the land, hungry and desperate.

Ivarsa didn't celebrate the end of the Mendevian Crusades, as she'd come to know herself in the war. She felt alive only when surrounded by slaughter. Violence and death, the wailing of grieving families, and the stench of a funeral pyre—these things nourished her now, not old legends or ancient customs. When she returned to the Burning Mammoth, she found them devastated by demons; all her close kin were dead, and those who once counted themselves her friends barely recognized her.

She placed the blame for her people's misfortune on a single source: the Broken Tusk, the splinter faction of the Burning Mammoth following that fled the fight against the demons and absconded with the Primordial Flame. If Burning Mammoths had wielded the flame, Ivarsa proclaimed, and if their numbers hadn't been weakened, their following would've used the artifact to seal the Worldwound long ago. The weary and humiliated Burning Mammoths welcomed this version of history and rallied around her.

Under Ivarsa's leadership, Burning Mammoths went west in search of their ancient rivals. Along the way, she recruited or enslaved hundreds of aimless veterans, disenfranchised nomads, and others left without purpose. She brokered an alliance with Hegremon, leader of the Graylok clan of frost giants, and raided Hillcross for information on Metuak and the Primordial Flame. In this raid, Ivarsa captured one of the Hillcross Witches, Jesseri the Hailstorm, who provided her the location of Metuak's prison: Castle Grimgorge. Ivarsa led the Burning Mammoth north and west of the Broken Tusk, forcing the smaller following to flee eastward and lead Ivarsa to the Primordial Flame. That Broken Tusk scouts seized the Primordial Flame before she could was no matter; she knew they would soon have to enter the Tamarnian Tar Forest to defeat Metuak and break the artifact's curse. It was here, on the parapet of a Mendevian castle that very much reminded Ivarsa of her golden years, that the magus decided she would at last reclaim her people's glorious birthright.

Campaign Role

Ivarsa and her war party have dogged the Broken Tusk for nearly a year. In “Burning Tundra,” the party can finally confront the dread magus, who awaits them at Castle Grimgorge alongside the characters' traitorous old rival Pakano, reincarnated as Ivarsa's pet frost worm.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 40
Unspecific Lore: DC 38
Specific Lore: DC 35

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

IvarsaCreature 12

Legacy Content

Unique CE Medium Human Humanoid 
Source Pathfinder #177: Burning Tundra pg. 88
Female human magus
Perception +9
Languages Abyssal, Common, Hallit
Skills Arcana +13, Athletics +13, Intimidation +11, Nature +9, Survival +9, Warfare Lore +13
Str +5, Dex +2, Con +4, Int +5, Wis +1, Cha +3
Items +2 fire resistant resilient hide, greater healing potion, +2 greater striking greataxe
AC 21; Fort +12, Ref +10, Will +7
HP 212; Resistances fire 10
Attack of Opportunity [reaction] Capture Magic [reaction] Trigger Ivarsa succeeds at a save against a foe's harmful spell, or a foe fails a spell attack roll against her with a harmful spell; Effect Ivarsa enters her Arcane Cascade. If she's already in Arcane Cascade, she gains a +2 status bonus to damage from Arcane Cascade until the end of her next turn.
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] greataxe +13 [+8/+3] (magical, reach 10 feet, sweep), Damage 3d12+13 slashingPrepared Arcane Spells DC 20, attack +12; 6th collective transposition, unexpected transposition (Pathfinder Secrets of Magic 138); 5th blink charge, weapon storm; 4th dimension door, dimensional anchor; 3rd earthbind, haste; 2nd true strike (2); Cantrips (6th) mage hand, produce flame, protect companion, ray of frost, shield
Magus Focus Spell; 6th thunderous strike
Arcane Cascade [one-action] (concentrate, stance) Requirements Ivarsa can enter this stance only if her most recent action was to Cast a Spell or make a Spellstrike, but she can remain in the stance even if she no longer meets the requirements; Effect When she enters this stance and at the beginning of each of her turns while she's in it, Ivarsa gains 6 temporary Hit Points. While in this stance, Ivarsa's melee Strikes gain the arcane trait, deal 2 extra fire damage, and deal 4 splash fire damage to foes adjacent to her target.Companion Bond When Ivarsa uses a teleportation effect while she's riding a mount, the mount teleports with her.Spellstrike [two-actions] Ivarsa channels a spell into a punch or axe swing to deliver a magically charged attack. She casts produce flame or ray of frost. The effects of the spell don't occur immediately but are imbued into her attack instead. She makes a melee Strike with a weapon or unarmed attack, which gains the arcane trait. Her spell is coupled with the attack, using her attack roll to determine the effects of both the Strike and the spell. This counts as two attacks for her multiple attack penalty, but the penalty isn't applied until after she has completed the Spellstrike. After she uses Spellstrike, Ivarsa can't do so again until she recharges this ability as a single action, which has the concentrate trait. She also recharges her Spellstrike when she casts thunderous strike.