Poludnitsa

Poludnitsa

The Midday Maiden; Poludnica

These creatures come from the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Radiance. Poludnitsas [poll-ud-NIT-sah] look like very tall (twice as large as a goliath) blonde humanoid women in a blindingly white dress (though they can change its colours on a whim). Unlike virtually all other denizens of Radiance, they don’t consider their own plane a pinnacle of beauty. In fact, they are more interested in other planes, particularly the Prime and Outer Planes.

For most creatures that are not native to the Radiance or Positive Energy Plane, an encounter with Poludnitsa is started with an array of questions about them, their equipment and their homeworld. Poludnitsas are interested in everything, but most of all in colourful items like clothing. They can be somewhat helpful, as a body can convince them to “trade” questions and get some information should they need some. However, be wary, for if you can’t answer the poludnitsa’s question to her satisfaction, she may take offence and attack (and as it turns out, adventurers are rarely well-informed in the matters of weaving and sewing).

In combat, poludnitsas fight using “weapons” (often things like scythes and frying pans) created from light, which they can manifest them in a matter of seconds. They inflict radiant damage and force a basher to make a saving throw against spell. On a failed save an enemy is weakened and disoriented, as rays of light suddenly heat their blood, causing a sunstroke.

Poludnitsas are able to teleport to any brightly lit place they can see directly. so long as they stays in the bright light themselves. As vortices to Radiance are found in some stars of the Prime Material, poludnitsas use these powers to hop to inhabited planets and back again. It also means they can a nightmare (or a daymare) to fight, unless you can lure one in the shadows.

Stats: Pathfinder [PF1e] Adventure Path #72: The Witch Queen’s Revenge pg. 88 (as poludnica)

Sources: Margarita and Jon Winter-Holt. This is a homebrew addition to the lore. Margarita notes: While this adaptation is heavily based on Slavic folklore and beliefs, I must warn you. The amount of actual information we have on pre-Christian Slavic deities is so minuscule that building any kind of lore out of it is impossible. However, there’s a lot of folk beliefs about things these deities are thought to represent.