Category Archives: Jade Regent

The Jade Regent adventure path.

Character: Kali

Kali’s Journal, Sarenith 23, 4713

Sarenith 23, 4713 (early morning, Imperial Shrine)

Amatatsu Onoko is here. Why she wasn’t here yesterday when we needed more timely information about what we are getting into is anyone’s guess. Maybe Shigure’s temper tantrum scared her away. I don’t know if she had children in life, but if I was a mother and was granted immortality as an archon, the last thing I’d want is a front seat to the Terrible Two’s for basically all of eternity. Your reward in heaven for a devoted, pious life is not supposed to double as punishment.

Ameiko spent some time communing with her in private and then opened up the conversation to the rest of us. I took the opportunity to ask her my new favorite question. “Why is there something called ‘The Well of Demons’ in the Imperial Shrine?”

Her answer was as unsatisfying as it was uninformative. “It doesn’t have a name. That’s just what Shigure calls it.” Which is not what I was asking. I don’t care about the name; I want to know why it’s here. But bickering with an archon didn’t seem like a healthy plan so I let it drop. And, to be fair, she did shed some light on what is down there, and what we have to do.

“The handmaiden devil Amatatsu Meimei and her handmaiden have infested this place. I can’t bestow my blessing until she is dealt with.” One guess as to what she means by “dealt with”. Also, apparently the Well of Demons contains devils. Note to self: Correct Shigure on his terminology.

Who was emperor Amatatsu Meimei? It’s a given that she was not a very good person if she was a petitioner to Hell, and if given form as a greater devil it’s a fair bet that she was especially vile. Suishen confirmed as much, giving us a fairly pointed review of her tenure as emperor. “She was unnecessarily cruel and selfish, seeking her own power over what was best for the empire and its people.” And she’s had plenty of time to refine her personality since then.

Who is Meimei’s handmaiden? No clue. Though I appreciate the recursion. Whoever she is, she has to go, too.

And, of course, we have to do this one thing in order for Ameiko to get Onoko’s blessing. On top of the other thing that we have to do for Shigure. Maybe its a blessing of it’s own that the spirits from the other families are blocked from communing in the Shrine until this business with the Well is resolved. I don’t think I can handle each of them asking us to do yet another “just this one thing”, too.

(still early morning, still the Imperial Shrine)

Our first descent into the Well of Demons went poorly. This is the problem of not knowing what you are getting into and not knowing what to expect when you arrive: you can’t plan for everything. You can only be so flexible, and if you get caught reacting instead of acting then odds are good you aren’t going to recover.

This is particularly dangerous when dealing with beings that can teleport at will. The force that contains the demons and devils within the Well almost certainly saved our lives as there is generally no such thing as running away from something that can instantaneously appear at your side across any distance at any time. When you start this kind of fight, it needs to be one that you are sure you can finish unless you have similar powers of your own.

It’s been less than 10 minutes and Amatatsu Onoko has already gotten on my list. We went to stop the water from dumping into the Well because it was so loud we could barely hear ourselves think much less communicate, and she appeared and blasted us with her trumpet. Just in case it wasn’t clear what kind of archon she was. Branding is important.

I had what many might consider to be a reasonable question: “What the shit, lady?!”

This was probably not the most respectful way of addressing a herald of Shizuru, but the whole thing caught us by surprise. Also, I was feeling kind of cranky.

“Why would you halt the flow of water into the well? The lake sends the cleansing water that contains the evil within!”

Uh…how about because, no one fucking told us? Like, when we were asking about it? What is it with celestial beings treating information like caviar? Is there some divine rule that crucial knowledge pertaining to saving the world can only be fed in small bites? If it’s not a game of twenty questions, it’s riddles and metaphor. No one can be direct about anything until it’s smiting time, and then it’s all, “How dare you disobey this rule I’m just now telling you about!” This is no way to run an organization.

“Because it’s so loud down there we can’t hear ourselves think. And because we just got our asses handed to us. And also because we didn’t know! How would we know?!”

Gods, I am just not in the mood.

But at least now we know what we’re up against, and what we can (and can’t) do about it.

Character: Olmas

The Annals of the Order of the Dragon

as told by the cavalier Olmas Lurecia himself.

Starday, 22 Sarenith

Well, the greeting for the bridge was not very pleasant. The bridge itself was kind of beautiful, being of some sort of translucent material. But the sign …. the sign said

Only those close to death may visit the spirits of the past emperors.

So what – we had to be on death’s door? We had to know Death? We had to be a relative of Death? Really good friend?

Not that it mattered, really, because we WERE going …

With extraordinary caution, alert for traps and wards, Suishen ablaze, we gingerly crossed the bridge.

Before us stood a gazebo populated by four instruments carefully placed into poses they might assume during intermission: a drum, a flute, a mandolin, and a samisen. All appeared to be of fine, perhaps masterwork quality. We stared for a moment, perhaps waiting for them to magically reform into some sort of monster that would attack us.

But they just sat there.

Dasi remarked these instruments might make a fine orchestra for a dirge.

Kali cautiously approached them and inspected them. Finally, she stood. “With the right command word, yes, these will provide appropriately somber music. Unseen servants will take them up and play them.” She turned back to them, mumbled something, and sure enough – the instruments were picked up by invisible hands and began to provide soft but sad music.

Off to the north, there was a building that looked like it might be a crematorium, and several other small building were both north and south of us. Zos and Dasi entered the apparent crematorium. In response, a large humanoid figure with a fiery abdomen stood up and approached them. Zos quietly but quickly exited the room but Dasi upped the ante by casting displacement and starting a hearty song of courage. And retreating some.

The rest of us started running towards the commotion, just in time for Radella and Dasi to get hit by a bolt – a wall? a line? – of fire emitted by the creature. Dasi and Radella tried to withdraw, but Radella didn’t go far enough and it grabbed her and tried to stuff her in the furnace that was its abdomen. I challenged it, and struck it a solid blow, but it was not easy to kill. Eventually, it took a cluster of arrows from Ivan to dispatch it.

We had a brief discussion about the wisdom of splitting the group, with many solemn nods.

Some of the smaller buildings were either shrines or, in a couple of cases, small vaults. We found one that seemed to house the body of Empress Amatatsu Onoko. Ameiko entered and briefly offered a prayer, with no apparent reaction.

But it was when we entered the main mausoleum that things got interesting. This appeared to have five chambers, one for each of the five royal families. It didn’t take long to encounter the cantankerous soul of Emperor Shigure. His body, he claims, was thrown down a well which he now labels “The Well of Demons”. He demands its retrieval and a proper burial before he’ll offer a blessing to Ameiko (or anyone, for that matter).

No news what the well was named, or IF it was named, before it was befouled by dead bodies and evil demons. It has been a long day, even though it is but 4pm. Tonight we will strategize, and we will rest, and tomorrow we will take on demons. Supposedly.

Character: Kali

Kali’s Journal, Sarenith 22-23, 4713

Sarenith 22nd, 4713 (evening, Imperial Shrine)

We met Emperor Shigure today. What remains of him, that is, which is mostly an angry, impotent spirit raging at the living world. Thrust into a role he never expected to take, manipulated by the woman he thought he loved, then betrayed and murdered by his childhood friend. His reign was short and tragic, exactly as engineered by Anamurumon, and this half-mad ghost was the result.

He was barely rational when he appeared before us, verbally abusing everyone and accusing us of various crimes. Conspiring with his killers. Usurping the throne. Taking what was rightfully his. And on and on. I tuned it out because I just couldn’t even. His portrait was painted in fury and self-pity. We let Dasi do most of the talking since he’s good at that sort of thing, and because we were dealing with a petulant child.

“I will not give my blessing while my body remains dishonored!” he bellowed, acknowledging Ameiko’s status as heir but denying her the means to act on it. He demanded that we descend into the Well of Demons and bring it back, cremate it, and lay it to rest. Are you for real? This is what’s important right now? Yes, his anger was justified. But he was willing to sink the entire empire out of spite. Such a small, petty man.

Still, we agreed because—wait for it—we have no choice. Because nothing is ever simple or easy.

It’s not really his fault at any rate. Takahiro’s crime corrupted this place utterly and thoroughly: as Shigure’s body rots, so does the Shrine. This is almost certainly why the entire island is trying to kill us, but that is the smaller of our concerns. Until the Shrine is cleansed, the conduit between here and the spirits of the past is closed. No spirits; no blessing. Which means Ameiko’s path to the throne is blocked until we sort it out.

Why in the name of the gods is there something called The Well of Demons in the Imperial Shrine? I thought it was a pretty good question, so I asked Shigure during one of his moments of lucidity, but what I got for an answer was a nigh-incomprehensible tirade that boiled down to “some name I made up”. Whatever purpose the well originally served is a mystery, but it clearly wasn’t intended to be a dumping ground for the decaying bodies of former emperors, murdered in cold blood. Hence, the current state of affairs.

Shigure says he can feel the influence of whatever is down there, and more importantly, he can feel it spreading. It’s only a matter of time before it reaches the material world and infests Minkai.

That fool Takahiro has no idea what he’s done.

Sarenith 23rd, 4713 (small hours, Imperial Shrine)

When I left Magnimar over a year ago I never imagined I’d be spending my nights studying the finer points of childbirth and prenatal care. The turns my life has taken since then have been so bizarre that they seem to defy logic much less prediction. When I see my reflection I wonder who it is that’s looking back at me. I want to know what she’s like. Where she calls home. Where our lives diverged. What became of her dreams.

Meida’s pregnancy is both an opportunity and a complication.

The complication, of course, is that she’s pregnant. Taking the Jade Throne from Takahiro and Anamurumon is almost certainly going to mean taking it by force, and using lethal force against a pregnant woman is just not a thing that’s going to happen. That is a hard stop. I will not take part in any such plan. And that immediately puts us at a disadvantage, because they certainly won’t be holding back.

Since we don’t have a good solution to that problem at the moment, I am instead choosing to focus on the opportunity. The Emerald Branch says she is secretly looking for a midwife, so why not give her one?

This is not as ridiculous as it sounds. When you study the arcane you end up learning a little about everything, and humanoid physiology kind of comes with the territory. As you continue your studies you end up gravitating to things that interest you, and…well…there’s a reason why seeing Sefa again, and holding her baby, had the effect on me that it did. (You also can’t spend any amount of time around an acolyte of Pharasma without learning a thing or two about obstetrics. Even when that acolyte was Qatana.) To the others this seemed like it came from out of the blue, but in reality? I just never talked about it. I mean, it’s not like the subject ever came up before now. When, exactly, would it have been relevant conversation?

I am being realistic about this gambit. I don’t even think I’ll get invited into the palace much less hired by Meida, but I am pretty sure I can get an interview with the handmaiden that was tasked with the search and that’s good enough. To date, we know almost nothing about Meida and even less about the inner workings of the palace. A conversation with her handmaiden is the closest thing we’ll get to insider information, and it could prove fruitful. I just need to be credible enough to not raise any suspicions (and I’m also not above a little cheating, if necessary.)

All of that is moot, though, if we don’t succeed here at the Shrine first.

We descend into the Well tomorrow. We have no idea what we’ll find there, what we’re up against, how extensive this growing corruption is, or even what the nature of it is, and that makes it hard to prepare. Normally one would assume that something called a “Well of Demons” contains, well, demons, but given that this is just some name Shigure made up? Gods only know. I took some time yesterday to extend magical sight down to the bottom, but what I saw wasn’t particularly helpful: a dark hole in the ground, filled with water. Pretty much what you would expect from a well, only larger in scale.

Obviously there’s more to it than that, but there’s only so much divination magic can do in one sitting. If we did this again tomorrow I’d be cutting into spells we might actually need, and with no guarantee of getting better answers at that. And, really, at some point we’re just going to have to go in, anyway. So, as Ivan would say, save the spell.

Gods, it’s going to be a long day.

Character: Olmas

The Annals of the Order of the Dragon

as told by the cavalier Olmas Lurecia himself.

Starday, 22 Sarenith

Musician he, collected blood,
And spent some time inspecting
“Inquisitor!” he shouted out
Truly, what we were expecting.

The wizard, then invoked her spell
And made the dead one speak
All raptly watched and listened close
to hear the oni freak.

“Okay!” she said, rubbing her hands
The sea of watchers parted.
“We only have the questions four
and ought not stop once started.”

“The first,” she said and stared it down
“is where are nobles kept?”
The dead one squirmed and wriggled
I swear, his eyes – they wept.

“The place, you know, the quiet place
The place of meditation.”
His face contorted in a snarl
A common affectation.

The second question, hard and fast
With little pomp or show.
“That place of meditation …
Among you – who would know?”

The face again, that ugly face
Squinted, leered and cried.
“Commanders all would know that place
Until such day they died.”

With pity none, the wiz went on.
“When captured, prisoners new,
They’re taken where?  End up where?
The place now! Tell me, true!”

The oni would have struck the wiz
And tried to spit right at us.
“The new ones – AARGH – the place they go
Depends upon their status.”

Both looked exhausted now but yet
One question still remained.
“Hey Minion – now? You must reveal
Your true commander’s name!”

If looks could kill then all would die
But that’s not how this works.
“SOKA” it gasped, its face contorted –
Then silent.  At last, a perk.

Four questions asked and answered,
In one exhausting session.
Beware the day she says to you
“Got time for a quick question?”

I guess I’d never really watched a speak with dead that closely.  Or maybe this oni was particularly reluctant.  But I’d never noticed the (pointless, in the end) resistance that the subject still puts up.  Even if it cannot win, the victim still clearly resists answering the questions.  It kind of made me look at Kali in a new light … it seemed every bit as much a battle as any I’ve fought.

Dasi’s blood bio didn’t surprise us, but we were a little surprised by the answers from the dead oni.  They were surprisingly helpful, despite its obvious reluctance.

We talked a bit away from Ameiko.  Who should go to the island?  Ameiko, obviously.  And we theorized that if Ameiko went, Shalelu would too.  But what about Koya?  She might prove a valuable healer …   but she was also relatively frail and vulnerable.  She could easily swing from healer to victim should anything attack us.

And let’s face it – if the visit to the island was required to take the throne, then the Jade Regent would know that too.  If would be foolish NOT to assume there would be obstacles awaiting us.

Koya offered to do a commune spell which would allow us to learn more about the Jade Regent’s world.  Kali wanted to know more of the lineage of the Jade Regent and hoped these questions would provide her that – nut we were limited to yes/no questions this time.

Is Meida pregnant?  (Yes)
Is it the JR’s child? (Yes)
Is she keeping this a secret (Yes)
Is the JR’s mother still alive (No)
Did Anamurumon have her killed? (Yes)
Is the JR’s father still alive? (No)
Did Anamurumon have him killed? (Yes)
Is the JR a descendant of Anamurumon? (Yes)
Does JR know this (No)

So if I understand correctly, this has several implications.  The JR does not know his heritage, and there are some who find that to their advantage.  We know this because Meida is pregnant with the JR’s child, yet she is keeping this secret.  Why would this not be a joyous moment for the proud parents?  Because the physical appearance of the child may reveal more to the JR (or the court) of his true heritage.  That is, the child likely will not be human.

Kali believes that this information will be invaluable in the hands of the Emerald Branch and will lay the groundwork for a more legitimate heir.  Should one appear, for example.

She will see if she and the Branch can stir the pot.

Meanwhile, we also learned more about the island.  It allegedly is surrounded by five gates, which must be traversed in a particular order – both Suishen and Dasi suggest clockwise – while presenting the orb.  So much for secrecy – presenting the orb is the equivalent of blowing a horn for the Five Storms and painting a target on our back.  But I guess we’re pretty much at that point, aren’t we?

There were discussions about who would be captain, and what kind or size of boat to get, and what prep (spells) we should have in effect as we approach the island.

And finally, around noon, we left.

We arrived and passed through the gates with little problem, circling the island and reappearing at the nondescript pier we first saw.  However, now there appeared to be an outbuilding just beyond the dock, and a path from the dock.

We disembarked without incident, but upon entering the building discovered shrines to Pharasma and Takeo.  Further within we discovered two sisters who has been sent to deter us.  These lovely ladies, it turns out, had 20′ long necks and a poison bite … not exactly a perfect date.  They apparently could produce an aura of silence and darkness easily, but Suishen cast Daylight, which at least negated the darkness.

From the conversation we overheard as we quietly approached, it seems they were here precisely to prevent the quest we are on.  Unfortunately for them, they failed.

A blood bio on their bodies didn’t reveal anything we hadn’t already figured out in combat.

We did a pile of “treasure” but an inspection left us feeling this was either grave-robbing or altar-robbing, and we made a note to keep an eye open for plundered gravesites.  Ameiko felt it might be okay for us to borrow items that were not consumable and did not leave the island. To that end …

[751] light steel shield +3
[752] magic feather (treefeather token)
[753] strand of prayer beads (lesser)

We passed through another gate (did not seem to require the seal) and entered a graveyard.  There was a kiosk at the entrance with various incense.  Dasi took some, suggesting as well that those carrying ancestral weapons may wish to also take some.  Olmas and Kali did.

But we hadn’t gotten too far into the graveyard before we found ourselves surrounded by 9 shadows.   Literally surrounded – this did not seem to be a chance encounter.  Kali came up with a brilliant idea to protect us all from deadly strength drains.  She created an anti-magic field around her, which extended to protect our party.  As an artifact, Suishen was unaffected by the anti-magic field, which meant he could attack any shadows within the field.  Not being particularly smart, they did enter the field … and that meant that their draining effect had no effect.  Although other magic such as belts and cloaks were also disabled, that proved to be little impediment.  The shadows, eventually, were dispatched.

Shadows aren’t known for carrying a bunch of belongings around with them, so no treasure.  Doubtful that they have many victims on this island, either.  I suppose it is possible these are shades of the dead here, but it seems more likely to be another Jade Regent laid trap.

It occurred to me, as well, that perhaps without the seal being out we were really triggering defenses of the tomb.  I thought if we ran into another obstacle, perhaps we should identify ourselves.

I had a chance to test that theory just scant seconds later.  As we approached the end of the graveyard and a small bridge over a creek, some of the gravestones and debris around them all gathered together, taking a monstrous vaguely bipedal form which blocked our paths.  I took a couple of respectful steps back and announced “Please make way for the rightful heir to throne, the Amatatsu heir.  We come only to honor those rulers who came before us.”

And then it attacked. Sigh.

But before I could close with it again, Ivan shot it full of arrows, Kali zapped it with a disintegration ray and Zos had some sort of controlled panic reaction which looked like five or six bombs went off all at once.  It died.

We healed the group, and looked ahead to the bridge.  What else was awaiting us?  It has been a busy day.

Character: Kali

Kali’s Journal, Sarenith 22, 4713

Sarenith 22, 4713 (morning, Kasai)

Communing with a deity is like being cured of cataracts. All the haze and uncertainty and guesswork is replaced with this abject clarity, a change that is so stark that it is practically painful.

“Is Renshii Meida pregnant?”

YES.

“Is it Takahiro’s child?”

YES.

“Is she keeping this a secret?”

YES.

Again and again the answers came, each one a lightning strike of divine truth.

“Is Takahiro’s mother still alive?”

NO.

“Did Anamurumon have her killed?”

YES.

Koya was straining against her contact with Desna, or whichever servitor had answered in her place.

“Is Takahiro’s father still alive?”

NO.

“Did Anamurumon have him killed?”

YES.

I was practically shaking, feeling the weight of what we were learning. Answers from a deity come with a permanency and surety that makes them more real, more absolute than anything you know or have experienced. Like, you could come to question everything about your life, your place in the world, even who you are, but these truths would endure.

“Is Takahiro a descendant of Anamurumon?”

YES.

Does Takahiro know this?

NO.

After her spell ended, we sat in stunned silence.

When we first met with the Emerald Branch here in the city, we gave them a list of questions around Takahiro, Anamurumon, and Meida. Mostly, they were shots in the dark.

From the journals, we knew Anamurumon was obsessed with fathering an offspring that could pass as human. A half-fiend would likely be bound by the same divine laws as an oni, but a half-fiend that appeared human could mate with a human, and produce a child of their own. That would result in a tiefling, and being of mostly human blood the child could, in theory, fall outside the divine restrictions. If Anamurumon stayed close to this child, exerted influence over them, he could essentially take the throne by proxy.

Soto Takahiro refers to Anamurumon as his “grandfather”. In Minkai, this can be a term of affection just  like “aunt” and “uncle” back in Varisia, but…could they actually be related? We didn’t know. But, according to the Emerald Branch, Takahiro didn’t know, either. “Takahiro has made inquiries in the past about his parentage, but we do not know what, if anything, he discovered. This at least suggests that his grandfather also did not know, or was not forthcoming to young Takahiro with that information.”

Another question for them was how faithful Takahiro and Meida were to one another. They told us Takahiro is something of a philanderer, which we were more or less expecting to hear. Meida is significantly more faithful, though there was still a big surprise to be had: “One of our contacts is a samurai whose daughter is employed as one of Meida’s handmaidens. She recently asked her father about the possibility of quietly securing the services of a midwife who could be trusted for her loyalty to Minkai and willingness to be discreet.” You do not “quietly” hire a midwife who can be trusted to be “discreet” unless you are trying to hide a pregnancy.

Before this morning, all we had were these suspicions, but now? Now we have some idea of just how fragile the Jade Regent’s grip on power really is. How much does he really know about Anamurumon? Obviously, not very much, because his “grandfather” has been keeping a lot of secrets from him. Some very significant secrets, which include the murder of his parents. To say that is huge would be a ridiculous understatement. This is the sort of thing that makes enemies out of friends, lovers, family. And how much does he know about his lover? Again the answer seems to be, “Not as much as he should”.

As for Meida, herself, we don’t know what game she’s playing. Obviously, you can’t hide a pregnancy forever, but trying to hide one at all suggests a lack of trust between her and, well, everyone. Whatever her angle is, it depends on that staying a secret for as long as possible.

We met with the Emerald Branch again this morning and asked them straight out if this was information they could work with. You might say that their response was an emphatic “Yes”.

Which is good, because we’re going to need their help again. We’re taking Ameiko to the Shrine today and we don’t know how long we’ll be gone, mostly because we don’t know how big of a trap we’ll be walking in to. That means the Emerald Branch will have to keep the rebellion and the Amatatsu heir visible both in name and in spirit while we’re away.

It also means that the situation with the kidnapped daughters, also known as the hostages, is going to have to wait. Though we are pretty sure we know where they are being held, thanks to the posthumous interrogation of a Typhoon Guard commander, it’s deep in the palace and that’s not a raid we can just pull off without significant planning. If we can pull it off at all; we may have to take the throne first, or at least commit ourselves to that path, which is something we can’t do until Ameiko receives her blessings from her ancestors. However that works.

I am resigned to the notion that there will probably be casualties among the hostages. While there are no executions scheduled for today that we know of—the one that was seems to have been cancelled because the two prisoners escaped over night—that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any last-minute changes. And if we aren’t back before tomorrow…

Well, I don’t really want to think about that.

(afternoon, Imperial Shrine)

We did find a trap waiting for us here, but like all things Five Storms it was so poorly organized and so obvious that they may as well have put up signs. I am not kidding: what gave it away was that we actually heard bickering. But I guess there’s not much else to do when you’re stuck on an island waiting in case, and I quote, “one of the other families shows up. How likely is that?”

How likely, indeed?

From the sounds of their adolescent squabbling, this was another one of Anamurumon’s famous “The Five Storms is known to keep their word” deals, where he promised to marry one of them or father their child or gods know what else and like idiots they believed him. They were even fighting over him in advance. Where does he find people this gullible?

Not that they were “people”. They were, in fact, what Dasi called rokurokubi, which is apparently Tien for “woman with a 20-foot-long neck”. It was creepy and disgusting, watching them stretch out and snake their heads around the room, like naga with a human torso. Anamurumon sure can pick them.

The rest of the shrine has been…disturbing. I don’t think it’s Anamurumon’s doing—not directly, anyway—but something here is definitely amiss, as we’ve been attacked by shadows and a giant construct made from gravestones. Somehow, I don’t think this is how visits to the Imperial Shrine are supposed to go. When the heir comes to receive blessings from their ancestors, I don’t think the island is supposed to try and kill them.

We were so desperate for information that we actually consulted Suishen. Yeah, I know. Don’t judge us. Not only did he not know anything about the Imperial Shrine, he literally had never even paid attention during the few times he was brought here. Why? Because there was “no fighting” and that made it “boring”. Ironically, this non-answer was an answer in itself, as it confirmed that none of this is supposed to be happening.

I hate shadows. We were walking through a cemetery for the advisors of past emperors and other notable figures when they emerged from the graves to attack. We were completely surrounded from the start, which gave us nowhere to go. When one of them descended on Koya, I knew I had to do something but there was a shadow on top of me as well which limited my options. So I choose a radical and dangerous tactic: I cast a spell that suppressed magic and supernatural phenomenon. At which point I promptly fell 30′ to the ground. But it put me close enough to Koya to protect her from their touch, so mission accomplished.

It’s a good thing I’ve learned a thing or two about how to fall without dying.

Character: Ivan

ivan’s journal

The Oni in this city are worse than an infestation of rats. It seems to Ivan that in Kasai the rats have taken over the city. These Rats have taken it upon themselves to weed out those that do not conform to their whims. They even had the nerve to try to make Hatsue their latest public execution. Regret shows on Ivan’s face as his thoughts go back to the woman at the city entrance when they first arrived in the city. He faces the fact that doing nothing likely resulted in her death and that he is partly to blame for not taking action.  Ivan is not really sure how long he was staring at the spot on the wall behind Ameiko but his view was suddenly blocked by someone.  Ivan’s eyes quickly adjust and refocus on the person standing before him.

“If we can’t get a boat until tomorrow I want to go shopping for new clothes.  It’s not safe for a woman like me to wander alone in Kasai so I will need an escort” says Koya excitedly

Before Ivan even has a chance to respond Koya continues with “I should be safe with you and Hatsue as my escorts.”

“Ah” replies Ivan

“I am trying to decide if Hatsue would look good in pink or not. What do you think about Hatsue in a pink outfit?” continues Koya in a cheerful voice

“Shouldn’t you make sure she likes pink first?” replies Ivan

Ivan is relieved when Isao quickly finds a boat and he learns that they will be departing later today. Maybe Koya will change her mind about buying Hatsue clothes by the time we get back from the island Ivan thinks to himself. Realizing that this is a battle that he cannot win Ivan decides to leave this in the hands of fate.

As they walk through the city to the docks Ivan wonders why the group so easily accepted allowing Hatsue to come with us to the island.  He is very surprised that no one voiced an objection. Ivan concludes that they must be thinking that he is just doing this to keep her close. Admittedly there judgement about him is correct but he decides to keep the other reason hidden for now.

“Fate is very strange. It seemed impossible to find a way to get Hatsue to the island and yet fate makes it all seem like it was preordained.” thinks Ivan to himself

Passing through each of the gates Ivan can’t help but notice that Amieko seems a little nervous and unsteady. Olmas is dutifully standing next to her and Ivan hopes that Olmas will notice if she starts to fall out of the boat. Ivan ponders on the question of who would be the first to save Olmas if he falls into the water and what would happen if he dropped sushen.

After passing through the final gate the island reveals its true nature. To Ivan’s surprise he can still since Isao back in the city. Ivan just observes the others as they step onto this mystical island. Everyone seems to be a little bit excited about the island of the kings but Ivan can clearly see the toll this is having on Ameiko. Ivan finds the whole heir situation very confusing as his instincts are to comfort her and tell her that we are all with her but he is pretty sure that is not appropriate anymore.

The Jade regent guardians apparently were lonely according to Olmas’s recount of what he overheard. Ivan could not help but notice that the guardians seemed to target the males with their curses. For a just a moment after hearing Olmas say that he is not worried about the supposed curse Ivan considers not interfering. Ameiko did not say a word but her eyes sent the clear message to Ivan that Olmas is acting like an idiot. Ivan removes the curse from Olmas and ponders whether this was a lust curse or as Kali suggests would turn them into one of them.

“At least I am not the only person that stupidly walked into a graveyard not expecting shadows. I should have at least protected Ameiko and Koya from undead but luckily the antimagic spell saved most of the group. I am really glad that the gods decided to give me deathward, Radella with deathward would be even more dangerous than Hatsue. I better just keep that part to myself. ” Ivan thinks to himself.

Character: Ivan

Ivan’s journal The granary

Ivan heads through the streets on his way to meet up with Hatsue. She has not moved for some time so he suspects that she has already arrived at the meeting location.

Ivan walks into the room and meets Hatsue’s gaze. After a few seconds her eyes soften as once again Ivan seems to have successfully passed the Hatsue judgement greeting. Ivan often wonders if he also has a strange look in his eyes when he first sees her. Maybe he is the problem and she is just reacting to him. Or maybe he thinks to himself that this is just her way of making sure he is ok.

Ivan sits down next to Hatsue. “First I should get you caught up on the plans” says Ivan. The two of them exchange the latest news whispering quietly to prevent their conversation from being overheard.

While Ivan had a good game it was not enough to overcome the skill of Hatsue. He must be getting better he thinks to himself as he notices Hatsue’s eyes light up as she moves in for the kill.

Ivan is still looking into her eyes has Hatsue looks up and says “What”

“Nothing. I am just enjoying being able to play the game of shogi with you” replies Ivan

“Well I would like to spend the day playing shogi with you but we both have things that we need to do. Maybe someday I will be able to watch you play a challenging game “ says Ivan

“That would be fun” replies Hatsue

“Ok now remember these will last for just over a day so we will need to meet up again tomorrow.  Don’t forget that a single minor injury is the signal to contact you and two minor injuries is that you need urgent help. “ says Ivan as he cast beacon on Hatsue and himself.

“Yes I do remember” replies Hatsue

“Ok that will do it” says Ivan as he finishes casting the last of the spells on Hatsue

“Good luck tonight” says Hatsue

“You be careful too” replies Ivan

The two part ways each heading to a different part of the city. Ivan makes his way through the city back to the hero’s.

The day progresses very slowly as Ivan can only just wait for the appointed time to arrive. This would be a great time for playing shogi Ivan thinks to himself but looking around the room he decides that it would be best if he didn’t start pestering the others about playing shogi. Someday maybe he can teach Abby how to play shogi.

Simple math seems to confuse this group as Ivan always assumed that when you are counting down to one that you go on 1. Apparently you go on two and not one. Hero’s make their own rules.

The sounds of battle fade as Kali, Hatsue, Ivan, and friend appear back at the granary. Ivan kneels down close to Hatsue placing his hand on her cheek while casting his spell to heal all in range that required healing.

As Hatsue opens her eyes Ivan see the momentary panic in her expression. This quickly changes to a look of relief as it is obvious to him that she recognizes that she is with friends. After a few seconds Hatsue appears to have regained her composure again and Ivan moves back to give her some space. After giving her a few moments to get her bearings Ivan offers out his hand and helps her off the ground.

Character: Olmas

Annals of the Order of the Dragon

as told by the cavalier Olmas Lurecia himself.

Wealday, 19 Sarenith

Upon Ameiko deciding that feeding the city was at the top of our todo list, and that the best way to do that was break into the city granary, we decided that first scouting the granary was of utmost importance.  After sunset, around 9pm, Ivan and Radella sneakily made their way to the granary and gave it a good once-over, noting what guards were where.  They watched for a while to see if things changed much and were a little surprised to find they did not.  There were guards scattered throughout the streets in a pattern similar to elsewhere in the city, but there were no apparent guards at the granary itself.  At least, until Ivan noticed that 4 impressive marble statues of large cats (like leopards or tigers) outside the granary radiated magic.  It seemed likely those were the guards. Kali commented they were a form of golem.

While they were discovering this, we were discussing with Isao how best to distribute a granary full of rice.  It was doubtful we’d be able to move all of it – we weren’t even sure if it were bagged or loose – but even moving a substantial part of it would require some significant support. Isao suggested ordinary utility wagons would adequately serve if only they could be protected from attack and/or retribution as they disappeared into the city.  That, we thought, might be where the Emerald Branch might be of some use.  Would it be possible to put all these pieces together?

Isao thought we could, although with the night already spent it could not happen until, at earliest, Oathsday night.  That would give us all Oathsday to spread the word, and he assured us that would be sufficient time.

And these marble guardians would prove troublesome.  Suishen is quite the formidable weapon against oni, but I had to break the news to him that against marble he’d be significantly less effective.   I would need adamantine to make substantial damage to marble.  Suishen was somewhat miffed when I told him I’d start with whatever adamantine blade we could purchase tomorrow, but seemed a bit soothed when I told him I’d pull him out as soon as I could.

Isao thought he could sell some of the family belongings to raise money for adamantine weapons for both Radella and I, and have them by Oathsday evening.

As if this all wasn’t enough, Dasi spent some time with the samisen to learn a bit more about the history here.  According to Dasi and Kali, there is a seer in the palace who predicted an heir to the Amatatsu line would possess the family seal.  That was enough to start drawing attention to Ameiko and the seal.  This seer, named Meida, descends from some other troublemakers in Minkai history.  Kali says that when you read the diary we got from the House of Withered Blossoms and start comparing dates, things start to connect and add up.

This will be a notable 24 hours, I think.

Oathday, 20 Sarineth

We’ve decided to do this in the darkest of the night, two hours after midnight.  Technically, that means 21 Sarineth will go down in history, not 20 Sarineth.  Shrug.

Isao was able to obtain two admamantium katanas, which matches nicely with my katana skill already in place for Suishen.  It will be mildly awkward for Radella, since she generally uses an elven blade, but it will do.  When it comes to the stone kitties, we will be the primary weapon.  Kali promises she’ll have other tricks up her sleeves too.

The Emerald Branch has agreed to assist, but only in the peripheral action, not the main attack on the granary.

In going over the plan, Kali raised the question of who (important) was in the palace, and we were mildly surprised to hear of the Raven Prince.  It sounded vaguely familiar, like I’d heard it before but forgotten it.  (When your primary task is to kill oni, names really fall down the list in importance.)  Apparently he is the Royal Assassin (why did he hire a surrogate then to come after us??).  Kali thinks we can make use of this.

Actually Kali has lately been full of ideas to get inside people’s heads, so much that I wonder about her.  I mean, I remember her showing off the encrypted notes she’d send to her parents but this is taking things to a whole new level.  She wants to send a note to the Raven Prince suggesting he join us, and she’s doing all this lineage work with the Amatatsus and Anamurumon, and Meida and she’s trying to get inside their heads, wanting to send them messages both overt and subtle.  It all sounds very complicated and unnecessary to me, but then my forte is battle strategy, not confusion and misdirection.

Hatsui has volunteered to manage the (eventual) wagon train.  Dasi will leave a little early to see if he can detect any thoughts from inside the granary (that is, are there more guards inside?)

Fireday, 21 Sarineth

Wow, that was exhilirating and scary and awesome all at once.  But that’s because we were (essentially) completely successful; there were several points where things could have turned ugly quickly.

First, Kali cast a spell called “greater magical weapon” on the admantium katana Radella and I had, and this made them powerful magical weapons for a relatively short period of time.  This was a big advantage because prior to that all they were were masterwork.  We gained dark vision, and haste, and blessing of fervor.  I asked Suishen for protection from cold.  Ivan Enlarged me to make me a bit more formidable against the stone kitties. And lastly, I drank a potion of displacement to make myself a bit harder to attack.

Dasi started singing.  Kal summoned an earth elemental.  Zos deployed his tengu constructs.  We’d done everything we could think of to improve our chances.

Myself? Walked up to a stone statue and hit it with my adamantine katana, taking a large chunk out of it.  it proceeded to pick up the enlarged me in its mouth and try to crush me.

A spell from Kali, and a flurry of arrows from Ivan, freed me.  Dropped to the ground by the dead construct, I picked myself up and moved towards another.

Radella destroyed a second, and out popped one of Zos’s tengus.  Apparently it had been engulfed when I wasn’t looking.  One moved towards me, giving me a free attack, but then bit me and held me in its mouth like my previous opponent.

Kali shot, I think a disintegration ray at the kitty mauling me and it disappeared into dust.  Although the displacement potion didn’t seem to be helping me as much as I thought it would, i was successfully occupying the kitty’s attentions to make them easy targets for others.  About this time I could have sworn I heard a voice say, “halt! you are out after curfew!”  Really?

A squad of guards/oni had shown up to order us back home.  Mindful of my promise to him, I pulled Suishen and went to work.  To Suishen’s delight (if it is possible for him to be delighted) every guard was an oni! Turns out there were a couple more inside.  Yawn.

Suddenly Ivan said something with alarm in his voice and Kali moved near him and they both disappeared.  What?

Perhaps 30 seconds later they returned with an injured Hatsue and some stranger.  Ivan did some healing on all of us, including them, and Zos (or was it Dasi?) fired off the fireworks which were our signal.

The wagons appeared and the rice flowed.  Ten minutes into the distribution there were flying magic mouths or something advising the population to return to their homes.  These were summarily ignored.

We collected the spoils of the battle.

[747] agate (+1 luckstone)
[748] naginata +2
[749] +3 do-maru
[750] 8 +2 steel lamilar

There was also a collection of 8 MW longbows, 8 MW katanas, and 8 MW wakashazi.

I don’t recall if the granary was emptied but it was at least noticeably diminished.  It had been a productive night.

Character: Kali

To the Honorable Ninja Known as The Raven Prince

(written in Tengu)

To: The Honorable Ninja Known as The Raven Prince

Honored Sir,

I hope this letter finds you in good health.

I write to you today out of professional courtesy. I and my companions—I will not insult your intelligence by assuming you do not know who we are—understand that you have allied yourself with the interim caretaker of Minkai, the man Soto Takahiro, who calls himself the Jade Regent, and with his advisor and ancestor Anamurumon, the wind yai oni that was once a human warlord, and who was defeated on the battlefield centuries ago in his first failed attempt to take that which he cannot have. I will also assume that you are not surprised to hear from us. You, no doubt, have a network of informants that is every bit as competent as ours.

Our first professional courtesy is to inform you personally of Kainbuninsho’s death. You should know that we found him a worthy opponent, one who was as professional in his work as he was skilled at it. I was fortunate enough to be able to speak with him privately on several occasions, even as he was hunting us, and was most impressed by his discipline, commitment and ingenuity. So great was his talent that one would never assume that the slim, unassuming Tien man with the short, fuzzy hair, was the legendary ninja and assassin that all of Minkai came to fear. Assuming they ever got to see his true appearance, as I did.

If you were the one who hired Kaibuninsho to assassinate us, then you deserve to hear this from us personally: his death, though regrettable, was necessary. Not because of who we are or what he had been tasked to do, but because he had allowed himself to come under the influence of dark magic that was beyond the reach of mortals; an artifact that turned him in on himself and away from the world, slowly isolating him from humanity, and occasionally eschewing the code which he was taught to uphold. It is a tragedy that this happened to one so talented, but there is good news: we have ensured this artifact which was claiming him can never again taint another soul.

If you were not the one who hired Kainbuninsho, then…you should be made aware that your employers went behind your back in doing so. I know that I would certainly wish to know if my trust were betrayed in such a manner, so I am extending that courtesy to you.

I can only assume that you know Anamurumon’s history. You are no doubt aware that his centuries of imprisonment in the House of Withered Blossoms refined his lust for a country that is not his to take. Since you are known to be a man of honor I must assume you still have respect for your country and to the ninja clans in which you trained. That suggests that your relationship to the Soto Takahiro and Anamurumon is purely professional, as they do not value either of those things and lust only for power and control. In short, they are your employer, and beyond your assignments you have no special obligations to one another.

We have, as you are no doubt aware, secured the support of one of the honorable ninja clans of Minkai, and secured the noninterference of the other two. These were offers that were never on the table for your patrons. And as I said at the beginning, I write to you out of professional courtesy.

I advise you to find yourself a new employer. We intend to obliterate each and every oni and oni loyalist in Minkai. We will reduce them all to something less than dust.

If you doubt that we have either the conviction or the ability to make good on that promise, then I point you to the last year of history, and the string of oni corpses we have left in our wake, from the ridiculous Kikonu who, as a yamabashi tengu, was an insult to your race (several pages of the play he was writing are enclosed; I apologize in advance for what you are about to read) to the three oni who recently met their end at Seinaru Heikiko, and whose names we did not even bother to learn because we no longer care to waste any time pretending they matter. Or if you prefer a more recent example, to the nameless, faceless Typhoon Guards that were found reduced to ash in this very city. Destroying them wasn’t even one of our objectives that night; they merely got in our way.

We have gotten so good at killing oni that it has become boring. But a gardner eradicates an ants nest not for the challenge or the thrill of the battle, but because it is a nuisance. One which is taking up space that is needed for something important.

When Anamurumon and his tiefling offspring are ground up beneath us, and their “organization” with the ridiculous name is shattered and broken, who is it that you will work for?

If I may be so bold, may I suggest the legitimate heir to the throne, Amatatsu Ameiko? She will be interested in your services once she has taken her place atop it. There will be numerous challenges for the new emperor to overcome. Minkai is infested with oni today, and they hide in plain sight in the form of real people, human and tengu, alike. When they go to ground, it will take tremendous skill to root them out and send them back to the spirit world. Some of them may even have inserted themselves into high places of society, where their unmasking and death will have significant social and political ramifications. Or, perhaps nations in Tian Xia will view the regime change in Minkai as an opportunity, and make the mistake of thinking it weakened and ripe for invasion. These seem like the sort of opportunities that are aligned to your skills. This would, of course, require you to re-examine your current arrangement. If I may be so bold.

But make no mistake: regardless of where you choose to stand, the oni in this city will burn. We will cut a path through them that leads to the throne, a path that is paved with their remains, and then we will finish what we have started. As a man of honor, you deserve to stand on the correct side of this conflict.

If you feel that there is something to discuss, I am confident your reply will be received.

Character: Kali

Kali’s Journal, Sarentih 20-22, 4713

Sarenith 20, 4713 (Kasai, early morning)

Ivan, Radella and Dasi scouted the granary last night so that we’d have a better idea about what we are getting in to. So far, it doesn’t look like anything we can’t handle; it’s what comes after that will present the real challenge.

The granary itself is this enormous, marble building sitting along one of the canals on the north end of town. The front of it has massive double doors that face an open lot the size of several city blocks. Dasi says that four large statues depicting some sort of tiger stand next to them, two on either side, and they radiate magic. We put our heads together, having seen enough magical constructs in the past year, and in keeping with the local culture we are pretty sure they are taotiehs: large stone golems that swallow victims whole and trap them in an extradimensional space. These were apparently recent additions to the neighborhood, appearing about the time the Jade Regent took a direct hand in the distribution of food inside the city. To the average person this is a significant threat, though to us it’s just a matter of applying the right tool to the job.

Alas, we don’t have the right tools. Mighty though Suishen is, which is not nearly as mighty as he would lead you to believe, he is not quite up to this task so we’ve sent Isao in search of adamantine weapons. We’re not being picky: we’ll accept an adamantine anything at this point, though blades would be preferred since that’s what Olmas and Radella are used to. At first, Suishen objected to the idea that Olmas might need to use some “substandard thing” for pulling off this raid, but we have long since had enough of his hissy fits and just pointedly asked, “How do you feel about hacking into magical stone?” And that shut him up.

We’ve learned to enjoy these moments of relative peace when they come, as they are so few.

But the constructs aren’t really the problem. With the right weapons and the right spells (there aren’t many that will work on them, but I have a few tricks) we can reduce them to rubble. No, the problem will be what comes after: a warehouse full of rice is not something we can just walk away with. It will have to be loaded and distributed, and that is not a small task nor is it one that can be effectively enhanced by magic. It will require manpower and time, two things we do not have a lot of.

Our best bet is to organize a wagon brigade. One that can send in a steady stream of wagons to be loaded with as much rice as rapidly as possible, with each wagon disappearing into the night as quickly as it comes. Each of them will have to escape detection both before and after the attack. It is not a trivial order, which means we’re turning to the Emerald Branch for help. After all, we’ve paid a heavy price to put them on retainer, and by the Gods we are going to make them earn every damned copper of it.

Our long term plans are a bit murkier. There is still the Shrine, of course, but I am thinking even beyond that. What will we be facing when we stroll into the palace?

According to Isao, this whole mess started because the Jade Regent employs a Diviner, and she foresaw a daughter of the Amatatsu clan taking possession of her family’s Seal. The one Seal that he does not, in fact, already have. With all five Seals they can force the Jade Throne to accept him as a ruler, presumably because that blocks any true heirs from claiming it themselves: no Seal, no claim.

So who is the Diviner? A woman by the name of Renshii Meida. Dasi used the samisen to find out a little about her, and she comes from a long line of troublemakers. The family goes back centuries, and at one point they were loyal allies of a human warload named—surpise!—Anamurumon. He attempted to take the throne in a failed coup a few hundred years ago, and when his forces were defeated, and he was killed, the Renshii family scattered like roaches in the light. A few of the survivors went on to become geisha, some of them notable, and Meida is one of their descendants.

I checked in the journals from the House of Withered Blossoms, and the dates line up. It’s not a perfect fit from the death of Anamurumon-the-Tian-warlord to the appearance of Anamurumon-the-oni in the House of Withered Blossoms, but it’s in sequence and that’s good enough for me.

So. This is not Anamurumon’s first dance.

(evening)

But wait! There’s more! Meida is the Jade Regent’s lover! Seriously, you cannot make this stuff up. I can’t help but think back to the journals and notes we recovered from the House of Withered Blossoms. From the day the Five Storms was first conceived, it has been plagued by infighting and backstabbing, all the way until the day they escaped. Because, of course it was, because they are oni. It’s in their nature to feud with one another and scheme and backstab. And, it took place on a grand scale, far beyond what you see even in the human lands. It was pervasive enough, and overt enough, and violent enough that it kept coming up. And this is what we cleaned from journals. What happened that was never recorded by their annalists?

Here’s the kicker, though: Anamurumon has always been their leader, which means he either doesn’t care what happens beneath him as long as it doesn’t affect him directly, chocks it up as a cost of doing business, or is simply unable to stop it.

I’d like to think that we can use this somehow; that we can take the pettiness and jealousy and self-centered nature of the Five Storms and get them to undermine each other. Though Meida is probably not an oni, she must know what she has gotten into and that means she is playing the same game and is cut from the same cloth. And whether or not Takahiro is aware of his heritage, he is still descended from one.

We asked Isao who else sits in the Jade Regent’s inner circle, and were surprised to learn of a fourth: the royal assassin, known as The Raven Prince. From the name, one can infer that he is a Tengu, but could he be an oni, too? Like Kikonu was, only, you know, less of a lunatic. I added it to my list of questions for the Emerald Branch, along with whether he works for any of the clans.

When we met with them, I didn’t even have to wait to get an answer.

“Oni? Oni… In the various tales of the Raven Prince I’ve never heard a hint of that. Tengu, yes, hence the name.”

“Is he affiliated with any of the clans? Does he have a code of honor?”

“He is known to all the clans, worked for most of them at one point or another, but never joined any. He’s been sought after for years by the highest and most powerful when debts or scores needed to be settled. I can’t speak for him directly, of course, or have personal knowledge of his state or honor, but I have no reason to doubt he holds to his sense of honor.”

“Can you get a message to him?”

“It would be easier if he was allied with us, but…there are still ways. What is your message? We will see to it and advise you of the answer. It just may take a little longer in his case.”

“I don’t have one yet,” I said. “I am just trying to understand what is possible.”

I have turned this information over in my head several times. Here’s what I’ve come to: of the four in this inner circle, he’s the odd one out. He must know who he’s dealing with, sure, but…what if this is just a job to him? What if he’s literally just hired help? That would mean he doesn’t have a personal commitment to the Five Storms. The Emerald Branch says he has a code of honor. Maybe he’s not beyond influence. Especially if he knows the honorable ninja clans of Minkai—the Oni’s Mask does not count—have either stepped aside or are actively backing us.

Isn’t that worth pursuing?

Sarenith 21, 4713 (Kasai, morning)

We go tonight. Isao has arranged the wagon brigade; the Emerald Branch will help run interference, both before and after. We’ll signal both using fireworks. The same fireworks we picked up in the Brinestump Marsh almost exactly a year ago. Like, nearly to the day. It’s strange how we’ve come full circle. Fireworks from Minkai are how this all started. Now they are the beginning of the end.

Sarenith 22, 4713 (Kasai, small hours)

Not only did we strike at the heart of the Jade Regent’s empire of fear and control, Ivan and I also managed to spoil an abduction attempt by pulling off a daring rescue mission. I wrote the other day that this sort of thing sounds like bad community theater, but believe you me, I am beginning to understand the appeal.

It took some effort, but we crushed the constructs. The others reduced three to rubble; I turned the fourth to dust. Beyond that there is no trace of its existence; it is simply gone.

We were also lucky enough to have a patrol of Typhoon Guard stumble on the scene because destroying constructs simply did not provide the same sense of satisfaction as killing oni. As soon as they stepped into the square, hilarity ensued: the commander actually asked us to halt because we were out past curfew. Where do they come up with this stuff?

It was towards the end of the fight, as the taotieh were gone and the Typhoon Guard patrol was being hammered into paste, that Ivan came towards me and called up, “Hatsue is injured!”

He’s been using a spell to track her location and physical state; the same one he and Dasi use to monitor all of us (I assume that’s with her permission as that would be creepy otherwise; this was not the time to ask). “Tell me where to!” I said, and descended to the ground next to him. I watched him cast a spell that made his skin harden like stone.

He gave me a direction and a distance—about a half-mile and change to the northwest, I forget the exact bearing—and I said, “We’re going, now!” And by the Gods, I teleported us in the blind, aiming just 10 feet shy and hoping we wouldn’t appear on the wrong side of some wall. (In retrospect, this should not have been possible at all, but it worked. Neither of us stopped to think it wouldn’t, or wonder how and why it did, until much later.)1

We popped into the middle of a street. In the midst of three Typhoon Guard who were watching a fourth load Hatsue’s limp body into a prison wagon of sorts where a second woman lay motionless. The three Typhoon Guard around us moved to engage, but Ivan got the first shot off, sinking an arrow into the driver. Two of the oni closed in to strike but my spells protected me. Between their swings, I saw the driver pull on the reins, and the horse took off pulling the cart behind it.

Not on my watch. I maneuvered away from the Typhoon Guards and threw a wall of ice in front of the retreating cart; the horse quickly came to a halt. The two oni advanced on me again, their strikes finding my mirror images instead of me. Then the driver turned and pointed a bow and arrow at Hatsue’s head. “Leave now, or they die!

So I left…by popping behind him where he couldn’t see me. The driver paused just for a moment, thinking he had won the upper hand with this stunt. Ivan, though, had other plans and sent five arrows into his chest before he could react. The oni collapsed over his seat, his nocked arrow releasing harmlessly into the ground.

“Reach in and grab one of their hands!” I called to Ivan as the remaining guards advanced on him. I popped into the cage with the prisoners; Ivan threw up a wall of stone to block the remaining guards off. Then I reached deep into myself and found the strength to cast a teleportation spell that I did not have prepared.2 We vanished and reappeared in the square in front of the granary that we had left only seconds before, Hatsue and the other liberated prisoner in tow.

Dead oni littered the ground. Zosimus had already set off the fireworks and the carts were on their way.

After all that had happened, I wanted to send a fairly pointed message to the Typhoon Guard. I looked at the remains in the street and suggested writing a message of defiance with their entrails. It’s more practical than you think because you can say a lot in Tien with just a couple of characters. Dasi, however, objected to the idea. Somewhat strenuously.

“No! We don’t want people thinking we are as bad as, or worse than, the oni.”

Worse than evil spirits manifested in flesh? What, this is something we’re actually worried about?

“It’s not like they’re real people. Slaughtering oni is something the city will understand.”

The others were not convinced. So instead we burned their bodies to ash and etched the Amatatsu family seal in the stone walls of the granary. Sure, it’s still a statement, but it just doesn’t deliver the same punch.


1This was totally a goof on everyone’s part, including the GM, as the spell was Teleport and not Greater Teleport. I offered to spend a Hero Point on it after-the-fact to make the impossible possible, but the GM graciously waved it aside. Which is good, because of #2.
2This is Kali spending a Hero Point.