Baba Yaga (F-05-10-18) is an Abnormality encountered during Canto II, acting as its final boss (though it is never fought directly). It is found in Branch J-03 where it had covered the entirety of the floor in thick layers of ice.
It is responsible for creating the various Neighbors and frozen Miner Slaves that are encountered throughout the final floor, of which there are 4 variants.
It can also be encountered in the Mirror Dungeon as a potential boss.
Baba Yaga has the appearance of a grand ice castle with a single frozen bird leg jutting out from its center. The interior of Baba Yaga appears to be purely made of ice. However, within the ice are organs and bodies.
It is implied that the bodies found within the ice are pulled from the memories of the intruders of the castle, but that may also be a special exception due to Rodion resonating with the Golden Bough.
The Freezing and Shivering Miner Slaves are casino slaves that have have been converted by Baba Yaga. Sharp icicles cover their body and their pickaxe has been replaced by a scythe made of ice. Most notably, their feet have been replaced by a single frozen bird leg similar to Baba Yaga's.
The Slumber-broken and Rearisen Neighbors lack the icy chunks that cover the miner slaves' bodies. And instead of an ice sycthe, they wield a hammer and axe respectively.
Combat
Baba Yaga is never fought directly. Instead, the Sinners start the fight inside of Baba Yaga fighting against its subordinates. Once the ice castle reveals itself to be alive, it relentlessly pursues the Sinners as they try to flee. In order to escape, the Sinners need to fight through 3 more waves of its subordinates within 4 turns each. If they do not escape in time, Baba Yaga crushes them all under the weight of its foot, killing them instantly.
Subordinates
Fighting Style
Each of the subordinates use similar skills. The Neighbors use Pride versions, while the Miner Slaves use Gloom. Each of them have a 3+5 single coin skill, a skill with a large range of of +10 or -9 on a single coin, and a much weaker 2 coin skill with a low max roll of 4 or 6. They also each have a passive called Shuddering Terror, where they gain 1 stack of Protection for every ally that died in their wave. Their third skill also inflicts a debuff on hit.
As the Abnormality cannot be fought directly, it doesn't have an observation log. Posted below is the observation log for its subordinates.
Log Writer: Rodion
Guess it's my turn now. Figured it'd come sooner or later~ I saw the other guys write stuff down from time to time, and Greg was making notes with a super grumpy face one time, too... Bah, would it hurt for our guide Mister Color and Faust over there to tell us anything... Well, a job is a job, I guess. Hmm... I dunno how to put this to words. It looks like that guy with the pickaxe outside... but with spikes of ice here and there. Nothing too weird so far. I've seen bigger icicles on someone who slept outside back in my hometown. The werid thing is... They've got legs that look like they belong to a chicken. What's...that supposed to mean?
The large pickaxe turned into a big icy scythe. Like the stuff Grim Reapers from fairy tales carry around… It was all massive and sharp. The way they wield it didn't really change, though: lift it up and swing it down. Only, they're mining our skulls instead of ore veins. And instead of gold or silver, we yield a red liquid… W-Whoa, just a sec. Kid's head blew up again! → To conclude in her stead, Sinclair was properly restored by the manager later. (Faust)
E.G.O
The Rime Shank E.G.O is extracted from Baba Yaga.
Rodion's E.G.O was added in the Season 1 Battle Pass and is obtainable through the Dispenser from Season 2 onward.
In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is a ferocious witch who lives in the woods who is known to either hinder or aid those within her domain. The Abnormality itself is based on the her hut, which is described as standing on chicken legs.
Baba Yaga has a close similarity to The Snow Queen, a HE-class Abnormality from Lobotomy Corporation. Both have a penchant for trapping people in ice, and The Snow Queen is mentioned to live inside a Snow Palace. Whether these Abnormalities have any relation to each other is currently unknown.
Baba Yaga is currently the only story Abnormality that does not get suppressed by the Sinners.
Initially, Baba Yaga was encounterable as a potential boss in the Mirror of the Beginning. However, it was later removed with the release of the Mirror of Mirrors due to its unpopularity for being a time consuming battle. It was then added back with the Mirror of the Wuthering.
