Aughdeighe

Aughdeighe

The aughdeighe is a creature of Northern legend, appearing as a tall white stallion with crystalline hooves to lost travelers in blizzards. When warm skin touches its icicle-encrusted mane, the unfortunate traveler sticks fast, and it carries them deeper into the storm. When the weather clears, it reveals frozen statues that once were victims. Survivors describe beasts with coats the stark white and dingy gray of ice. Asked how they freed themselves, they say frostbite, and hold up hands missing several digits.

Essence: 3; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 6 dice
Personal Motes: 30
Health Levels: −0x2/−1x3/−2x3/−4x2/Incap.
Speed Bonus: +4
Actions: Deception: 6 dice; Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Senses: 5 dice; Stealth: 3 dice (6 in a blizzard); Traversing Frigid Terrain: 10 dice
Resolve 1, Guile 1

COMBAT
Attack (Kick): 8 dice (Damage 14)
Attack (Touch): 6 dice
Combat Movement: 12 dice (see Swift-Hooved)
Evasion 3, Parry 1
Soak/Hardness: 6/4

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Secure in the Saddle (Latent): For one Willpower, the aughdeighe reflexively makes its rider immune to unhorsing for the scene, mildly freezing her in place without damage.

MERITS
Icy Hide: The aughdeighe is an environmental hazard to anyone touching it, with Damage 1B/ round and difficulty 3. Anyone who dies from its touch turns completely to solid ice. An aughdeighe’s master may train it not to freeze her as a latent ability.
Swift-Hooved: Double 9s on rolls to disengage or withdraw. The aughdeighe can be trained to apply this to rush rolls also, as a latent ability.

MOBILITY CHARMS
Frozen Trail (1m, 1wp; Reflexive; One day; Eclipse; Essence 2): The aughdeighe’s icy hooves instantly freeze water and other liquids within close range, al-lowing it to create a frozen path for itself as it runs.

OFFENSIVE CHARMS
Hold Fast (10m, 2i; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 3): One victim in physical contact with the aughdeighe becomes stuck. It can make a touch attack to initiate contact, but this Charm can also affect riders, those making unarmed attacks against it, and others who touch it for any reason. Those not already astride can perform a difficulty 3 gambit to climb onto its back; otherwise, it drags them along, reducing their Initia-tive by one per turn and forcing them to move with it. Victims can pry themselves free as a difficulty 3 gambit; if successful, they take (1 + number of rounds stuck) lethal damage that ignores Hardness.

Storyteller Tactics
Folktales say aughdeighes exist only within a snow-storm, though brave riders who have tamed the beasts prove this false — perhaps taming them tethers them to the earth. In the wild, they act docile, giving frightened travelers hope that this placid animal will bring them to safety and shelter. By the time victims realize their folly, they’re already caught.
A wild aughdeighe in a fight prefers brushing up against foes and dragging them into the storm’s heart to freeze them to death, rather than attacking outright, unless it’s desperate. Since aughdeighes only appear during bliz-zards in the wild, the severe cold environmental haz-ard (Exalted, p. 232) often accompanies an encounter. Aughdeighes flee combat when they take damage to their −2 health levels.
Those willing to risk a few fingers can tame the aughdeighe as a mount (Exalted, p. 554).