Breeches of the Pale Rider

**Descriptors:** Cold, Summoning

**Class:** Daevic, Eclipse, Guru, Nexus, Stormbound, Volur

**Slot:** Feet, Belt

**Saving Throw:** Reflex (see text)

*Freezing akasha shapes itself around you, forming a matching set of tight-fitting boots, breeches and belt formed of pale-grey akashic leather.*

Shaping this veil grants you a +2 insight bonus to Ride checks and the ability to summon a pale steed that functions as a horse animal companion as a druid of your veilweaver level as a standard action. This horse cannot be given an animal companion archetype. The pale steed appears emaciated and thin with pale skin and hair, and when summoned comes already wearing a set of reins and a saddle. When invested with essence, frost begins to coat the pale steed and a frigid mist begins to billow outwards from its hoofsteps. This does not affect the pale steed in any way, but grants onlookers a +5 circumstance bonus on Knowledge (arcana) checks to identify it as an akashic effect. If the pale steed is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, it cannot be summoned again until you reshape your veils for the day (though you still retain the veils bonus to Ride checks).

Unlike a normal horse animal companion, the pale steed cannot make attack rolls and does not have any natural attacks. It also has immunity to cold damage, and can briefly freeze water upon which it walks, allowing it to walk upon water as if it were solid ground. It can also ignore difficult terrain imposed by ice and snow, and doesn’t need to make acrobatics checks to walk on slippery or uneven terrain caused by ice or snow.

**Essence:** For each point of essence invested in this veil, the insight bonus to Ride checks increases by 1 and the pale steed’s base movement speed increases by 5 feet.

**Chakra Bind (Feet): [D2, E6, G5, N4, St2, Vo2]** Binding this veil to your feet chakra causes the ground and water walked upon by your pale steed to remain frozen after it steps off of it. Whenever the pale steed moves into or out of a space on the ground or while walking on water, that space freezes over until the beginning of your next turn. For every 2 points of essence invested in this veil, the duration of this effect increases by 1 round.

Creatures other than the pale steed must move at half speed while attempting to move into or out of these spaces by attempting a Reflex saving throw. Failure means their movement ends and they don’t leave their current space. Failure by 5 or more means their movement ends and they fall prone. Creatures who have a magical ability that allows them to climb or walk normally on slick or icy surfaces can ignore these restrictions, as do creatures who are flying over these spaces. Creatures can 5-foot step into or out of these spaces as normal.

**Chakra Bind (Belt): [D13, E18, G17, N16, S14, Vo17]** Binding this veil to your Belt chakra allows your pale steed to freeze the air itself with its hoofsteps. The pale steed can tread on air as if it were solid ground, moving upwards or downwards as if they were walking up or down a hill. The maximum upward or downward angle possible is 45 degrees, at a rate equal to half the pale steed’s normal speed.

Additionally, when walking on the air the pale steed can begin to travel at incredible speeds. After spending a minute travelling in a straight line while walking on the air, its base land speed increases by 50 feet + 50 feet per point of essence invested in this veil. The pale steed must move up to its full speed at least once each round during this minute to trigger this ability. If the steed fails to move up to its speed in any round, it loses the bonuses provided by this ability at the beginning of its next turn.

While moving at such extreme speeds, turning, ascending, and descending become more difficult. The pale steed can only turn at a maximum of 45 degrees with each square it moves while moving at these incredible speeds. When turning, the squares of movement required for those movements are quadrupled. When descending or ascending, the squares of movement required for those movements are doubled. For example, if the steed wants to turn 180 degrees, it would need to move 20 feet and spend 80 feet of movement. If the steed wishes to ascend or descend 10 feet, it would cost them 40 feet of movement.