Ursus continues to tear into the ninja.
__________
__________
Tallak grits his teeth and shouts, "For blood! For family! For honor!" before thrusting his spear at the ogre demon.
__________
While Ursus' savagery manages to overpower Omoyani - with the ninja warrior faltering and falling under the bear's onslaught - Tallak is unable to penetrate Kimandatsu's thick armor penetration, despite his ancestors' guidance.
Calder moves over to Kimandatsu and attacks, trying to keep her away from the others.
HP: 40/48
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15, CMD 16
Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +5/+8 (+1 vs. charm/compulsion)
Tricks: 3/6
Touch treatment: 0/6
Panache: 1/1
Spells: 1st 5/5; 2nd 2/4
Effects: mirror image (2)
Vashta turns her attention to the ogre mage who seems to have started all this, first focusing her painful stare on her and then casting another spell, coating the ogre mage's weapon in grease.
As she moves further into the room, she shakes her head, which is starting to ache with the strain of using all her psychic energy, and pulls out her hand crossbow.
Calder rushes over to add his axe to the onslaught as well, though he is similarly unable to penetrate the oni's thick armor.
Vashta uses some of her dwindling psychic energy to coat Kimandatsu's weapon in grease, causing it to slip from her grasp.
Clara steps five feet back, then pulls out an unusually viscous fizzy drink and swishes it around in her mouth.
___________
While Clara drinks her latest extract, Sandru dashes into combat against the last foe, scimitar in hand.
Kimandatsu grumbles and curses with frustration about the many obstacles between her and total elimination of her foes. Still, she steps back from them, winds up a fist, and throws it forward. It stops short of hitting anybody, but a huge burst of freezing hold air, hail, and mist blast from her outstretched fist.
The evocation envelops Calder, Tallak, Sandru, Clara, Ursus, and Shalelu. The edge of the ability whooshes right by Vashta, who is just barely out of range.
Calder manages to throw up a cloaked arm and crouch low, while Clara can find a little crevice between two of the floor tiles - they manage to avoid the worst of the blast of cold. The rest of the group is not so fortunate, incurring terrible frostbite and cuts from sharp-edged hail.
Shalelu drops her short sword and pulls out her bow again, snapping off a shot at the oni.
Kimandatsu slaps the arrow right out of the air, smirking. "I'm not sure why my men were so helpless against you. You are not as good as I thought you would be."
Tallak grits his teeth, and seeing how RP his allies are while she remains comparatively unharmed, he clenches his fist and sends out a wave of healing.
__________
Ursus runs forward and attacks with a claw.
Calder settles his feet and swings at Kimandatsu as if she were a tree.
"Talk is easy Nidingr." He snarls in her face.
HP: 40/48
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15, CMD 16
Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +5/+8 (+1 vs. charm/compulsion)
Tricks: 3/6
Touch treatment: 0/6
Panache: 1/1
Spells: 1st 5/5; 2nd 2/4
Effects: mirror image (2)
Realizing the others are in trouble, Vashta drops her crossbow and moves behind the ogre mage, trying to slam it with her cestus-clad fist.
"Leave them alone, you troll," Vashta taunts.
Tallak raises his fist in the air and emanates a burst of positive healing energy - the few paltry burns on Kimandatsu had long since regenerated, and she finished off all of her allies with her cone of cold which means that he only heals his friends with it.
Vashta dashes around the giant oni but finds them faster and more equipped to intercept her than she had anticipated. Although she attempts to dodge out of the way, Kimandatsu strikes her along the shoulder with a swift fist-blow. Vashta then gets her own punch in, amplifying the damage psychically.
Meanwhile, Calder steps up to the plate and cleaves Kimandatsu in the back, using the mesmerist's distraction to set up an accurate and powerful blow.
Mouth still full of gooey soda, Clara sees the ogre distracted by Shalelu's arrow and tries her luck with a bomb, hoping the ogre can't knock it and the arrow away at the same time.
"Lethh thhee ith you can dodgthe this ath well!" she says with her mouth full.
_________
Clara's bomb explodes right on Kimandatsu's face, searing her with bubbling and boiling-hot soda, As the steam clears, you can see a look of utter rage on her face, and you can see the regeneration of her wounds slow down and stop.
Sandru steps in, wounded as he is, to deliver a sword-stroke.
He fumbles and nearly drops his sword, recovering at the last moment with a dashing grin and a self-deprecating chuckle.
Kimandatsu roars and slams at Calder twice with her meaty, heavy fists. Deprived of her weapon, she is much less dangerous... but that doesn't mean she is no threat at all.
One of her fists makes contact with Calder's face, raising a bruise.
Shalelu then fires another three arrows at her, hoping to pincushion her.
HP: 37/48
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15, CMD 16
Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +5/+8 (+1 vs. charm/compulsion)
Tricks: 3/6
Touch treatment: 0/6
Panache: 1/1
Spells: 1st 5/5; 2nd 2/4
Effects: mirror image (2)
Vashta, finding herself falling back into an old rhythm of combat that she rarely used, slams her cestus into the creature's lower back again.
Again, she prepares herself to dodge should it attack her.
Calder ignores the blow he had just received and carries on hacking at the creature. Though he smiles when she takes a faceful of fire.
One blow, two blows, and Kimandatsu falls to her knees, groaning with pain. Her face is a rictus of rage.
Tallak steps back, almost growling through clenched teeth, "This, is for Drakon! Ursus!" The bear roars at her before lashing out in full force at the demon ogre. Meanwhile, Tallak prepares a spell, just in case this witch thing managed to survive and try to escape using it's dark magic.
__________
With a roar and a mighty effort, Ursus finally fells Kimandatsu, the mastermind behind the caravan's difficulties in Kalsgard. Still burning from Clara's bomb, the ogre mage's regeneration fails to save her and she falls to the ground, shredded and beaten. With her death, the Rimerunners Guild has lost its figurehead and its guiding motivation, which means that the threat to the caravan and the group is over.
Ravenscraeg Castle is empty as well, with only a few dusty and cold secret dungeon passages and some oozes placed at the back entrance for security. That leaves your group the opportunity to loot it at will, at whichever pace you want to take.
Kimandatsu carried a wand of flame arrow with nine charges, she wore a suit of Large-sized tatami-do armor, she carried Oathtaker, a magical tetsubo, a Large-sized masterwork composite longbow (+7 Str), and a pair of lesser bracers of archery.
Omoyani carried a dose of black lotus extract, a dose of deathblade poison, two earthfire shuriken, and a dagger called deadly kiss, which is a +1 dagger which you can apply poison to as a swift action, as it teleports onto the weapon. She also wore a shozoku of the night wind.
Kimandatsu's room, which is adjacent to the bonsai garden that she fought her final battle in, contains a few items of valuable treasure as well. An ornate box on a bedside table contains a greater slaying arrow keyed to magical beasts, and a scroll of planar binding lays on a table nearby.
There is also a vault in her room, which Sandru can open after a few minutes of fiddling. The vault contains trade bars of copper and silver, weighing a total of 1,200 pounds and valued at a total of 1,500 gold.
In addition to all of this, there is Suishen, a beautifully-preserved and ornate katana in an equally beautiful sheath. Who will be the first person to take it up?
Vashta takes a deep breath as the ogre mage falls, her eyes traveling to Sandru to make sure he's OK. Reassured, she looks around, her adrenaline racing as she expects something else to still jump out at them.
Eventually, though, her nerves subside and she joins the others in making sure there's nothing else here to threaten them.
Once the castle's fully searched, she prepares to return to the city, and begin (for her) the journey across the Crown of the World.
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Tallak steps forward to watch as Ursus savages the body. He calls the bear off so he doesn't damage the creatures items, by then plunges his spear into her skull for good measure. He kneels down beside Ursus and runs his fingers through the bear's fur, trying to soothe the worn out and weakened beast that had fought beside him so faithfully.
When the group begins to make their way back to the caravan, he stops and signals to Shalelu. "Let the others there is something I must do," he says as he gives the fur on the bears neck an affectionate tug. "Make sure they get back safe. I might be a day, maybe longer, but I will be fine. Would you care to see Ursus' armor back to my tent?" He turns to walk away with the bear. After a few paces he stops and turns back. "And Elf-maiden," he says over his shoulder, "Thank you. All those years ago, for not leaving me to die. So many others would have. You are a good, honorable woman."
He then follows the bear off into the wilds.
__________
Hours later, the pair find themselves in a peaceful glade. He kneels down in front of the bear and tugs playfully at his ears. "You've been a good friend, Ursus. Ever since you were a cub. But Ravenscraeg...it was too close for you."
The bear nuzzles him and grunts at the shaman. "I have already lost one son. My heart cannot stand to lose another."
Using his ability to commune with animals, he says a few more private words with the bear, before letting him turn and walk off into the Northern Wilds to live out the rest of his days.
__________
Tallak had spent the whole day communing with the spirits of his ancestors, the wilds, and the elements. He prayed to them, letting them know of his need for a new champion animal to join him on his quest to redeem his honor.
As the sun began to set, a deep, low growl emanated from the trees behind him. Tallak stood and turned, staring down the largest predator he had ever seen. The beast circled him, and Tallak circled opposite. He again called upon the magic of the world to let him speak to the beast.
Easy, noble hunter. I am not prey, but I am not a threat. I seek to form a pack with you.
And why should I yield to you, man? I am the king of these woods.
Tallak knew then that either his ancestors had either answered his cause and would aid him...or they had decided his honor was unable to be reclaimed...
Calder gathers up all the weapons and magic items. Picking up Suishen to return to Ameiko. It's her family sword.
He shakes his head sadly when he comes to the body of Omoyani. "Such a waste." He sighs, closing her eyes gently.
Once told what they are he hands the Lesser Bracers of archery to Shalelu. "Your skill with the bow has kept us alive more than once." He says sincerely.
As soon as Calder lays his hand on Suishen, he hears a voice open up in his mind. "At last!" it says. "I am out of the hands of that deplorable Five Storms thug. Whose hand have I found my way into? I sense the mark of the Amatatsu Seal on you. Have you pledged your loyalty to the one true imperial family?"
Meanwhile, Shalelu accepts the bracers of archery and Tallak's praise with gratitude and a rare smile. "I appreciate this, from both of you. The thoughts and the affection. They are returned."
Calder.
To Suishen. Calder's brows rise sharply when the Katana speaks in his head. "Calder Brandson at your service." He responds. "I am in the service of the Lady Ameiko and you will be taken to her as soon as we can."
To Shalelu. Getting a smile from the quiet, stoic Elf was a notable event. 'She's beautiful.' Calder thought in some surprise. While Shalelu was very attractive, until now it had been in a remote way. The smile suddenly made her seem warm and alive.
Luckily Calder could blame the efforts of battle for the flush on his cheeks as he nodded politely back to Shalelu.
"Calder Brandson! You are a warrior, I can sense it. Is the Lady Ameiko a scion of the Amatatsu family? Tell me about her, describe her. I am eager to know all that has happened to the family in the sixty years since I was parted from Rokuro Amatatsu."
With Ravenscraeg taken care of, the group is free to leave it behind, lugging their significant treasure down the mountainside and hiking back to Kalsgard, where they find the caravan waiting for them, all geared up and ready to flee at a moment's notice. The news that the threat has abated causes everyone to cheer, and hugs go around.
Ameiko especially has Tallak to thank, who doesn't even really know her. Unfortunately, he's not there to receive her initial gratitude, being out communing with the spirits.
As the caravan prepares for the next leg of its journey, past Kalsgard and into the forbidding extremes of the Crown of the World, even the cold winds whipping about cannot dampen the enthusiasm of the travelers. A major foe has been vanquished, a powerful relic of Ameiko's family recovered, and the local town freed from the terrors of the shadowed past.
And yet...
Tallak is gone, communing with nature, and the remainder of the team are ever-alert. Too many surprises have already befallen them.
Somehow, from behind a lone, snow-dusted tree near the caravan, a slight woman steps out. Her footsteps make almost no noise and she is, like the shadow-warriors of the castle, garbed head-to-toe in a black bodysuit with a hood. The keen-eyed and veteran warriors can spot the slight ribbing of the bodysuit that shows some kind of very fine mesh armor beneath it. As she steps out she lets a heavy, stuffed pack slide from her arm and to the ground at her silent feet. The deep scarlet sash about her waist holds an ornate wakizashi and on her other hip is a lacquered arrow case. She stands at a ready pose, barely over five feet tall, but the group now knows that the size of a tiny woman is no measure of her danger.
"Kaijitsu Ameiko," she says in a smooth, clear voice.
After some time communing with his new companion, Tallak eventually makes the trip back to the caravan. The crowds in the streets part for his advance, as he and the horse sized white tiger make their way through the streets of the city. The feline eyes the humans it is passing warily, but the look in its eye betrays the fact that it knows it could tear any of them to shreds in a moment, should it wish or Tallak command it.
Once back to the caravan, Tallak goes straight Koya's tent to check and make sure she is alright before going to his own tent and making some preparations...the tiger lies down directly in front of the tent flap and glares at anyone who approaches or walks by, snarling should they get too close.
At the appearance of Hattori Aiko, Ameiko stands up. The group had been busy discussing the acquisition and storage of how much food they would need in order to cross the Crown, as well as talking about what to do with the massive pile of money that they have.
Ameiko strides confidently to the outside of the circle of caravan wagons, her new sword Suishen strapped to her waist. She places a hand on the ancestral blade and calls back, "Who's asking?"
"Did someone leave a sign out, dears? First Tallak brings in his new dire cat and now another ninja, and not one who wants to kill us?"
The Varisian woman edges back from the newcomer, fixing her with her hypnotic stare ... just in case.
"Well at least this one is polite enough to announce herself first." Calder sighs. Getting to his feet and moving so he's beside Ameiko, ready to step in if needed.
The kunoichi takes two cautious steps forward, hands spread, leaving no tracks in the snow. She says, "I have crossed half the known world to find you, and I will cross the rest to follow you." It's hard to tell if that's a threat or a promise.
She raises a hand to her face and pulls away the mask to reveal a short-haired Tien woman, then suddenly she goes to one knee. She pulls the wakizashi, still in its scabbard, out from her sash and plants the end of the scabbard into the snow and says, "As my father before me, my sword and my life are yours."
Ameiko stops, her mouth slightly open. "Aiko?" she says, slightly incredulously. "What are you talking about, 'your father before you'? And how did you find us here in Kalsgard? We've been gone for weeks!"
Aiko says, still kneeling, "My father was sworn to protect your family, and my grandfather before him, ever since our families left Minkai together. While my father had no love for yours, he had duty, and he taught me so that I could fulfill that duty. He loved watching us grow up together and he taught me some of his skills before he was lost to us both. Rope-climbing, acrobatics, sneaking, knife-throwing... all those 'carnival tricks' I used to entertain at the restaurant? Those were part of my training."
"After I finished that errand on which you sent me, I came back to Sandpoint to discover that you'd left! But Bethana told me all about it - about the chest from the cave, about you taking the caravan north to Brinewall. I crossed north to Brinewall and followed tracks north until I reached Kalsgard."
"Do you remember the day you left Sandpoint the first time? Your first adventure? My father was very upset that you left like that, and that is when he made me swear that after he was gone, I would take on his duty to protect the Kaijitsu family - to protect you."
"So here I am, to fulfill that duty. Even if it takes me across the world."
Ameiko purses her lips and crosses the distance between her and Aiko in a few steps. She thrusts one of her hands down towards the younger ninja. "What are you talking about? You don't have to pledge your loyalty to me. I'm not an empress. Not yet."
She rolls her eyes and murmurs, "Shut up, Suishen. I'm not!"
She looks back down at Aiko. "Take my hand and stand up. You're my friend - you can come with me if you want to. We'll be going on an awfully dangerous journey, but I can't stop you from coming. If you're coming, though, it's as a friend, not as a servant."
Aiko takes Ameiko's hand and stands. She says, "Friend and protector, then. Besides, what is the alternative? Go back to Sandpoint and wait tables? No; where you go, I follow." She glances over at the rest of the caravan. "I hope you have some room, so that I don't have to hang onto the underside of one of the wagons."
Vashta smiles at the newcomer, doing her best to size the woman up.
"Welcome, dear, I'm sure you'll fit right in here," the colorful Varisian woman says.
"Well," laughs Ameiko, looking back at the caravan. "We have a couple of people mounted, and we're still figuring it out, but a few of us might have to walk some of the time. We'll see."
"Come on, Eglin was just talking about the crazy storefront owner where he found this shark's meat for the stew we're having for dinner. Are you hungry?" She beckons Aiko over towards the campfire where there are a dozen travelers sitting.
@Vashta: Seems like a ninja. But on your side.
"Shark!" says Aiko, and the mask of the Stoic kunoichi gives way to a happy young woman. "You know I love shark! Especially if you are cooking." She moves to follow Ameiko - still eerily leaving no tracks in the snow and not sinking into it at all - and as she comes near each party member she bows her head gracefully.
Vashta shrugs and returns to her own activities, trying to figure out the caravan's needs to get across the Crown of the World.
A deep, low growl is the first sound that lets the group know someone else has approached. Tallak has left his tent and made his way to the group's campfire, his monstrous tiger padding quietly alongside him. He nods to the others and has a seat as the big cat circles the entire group before settling in and laying down behind the shaman. Even laying, it manages to loom over the seated Ulfen.
"This is Nightfang. I sent Ursus off to live his life as nature wills. The ancestors have sent me a new champion to accompany us," he says as he calmly strokes the fur behind the tiger's ear, though the big fat does not flinch. "I'm going to need some time to adjust some barding for him, as well as a few other things. But we should," he pauses as he notices the ominously dressed newcomer. "Who are you?"
Calder looks up from admiring the Tiger. He answers Tallak, oddly doing so in the Skald tongue.
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Tallak scoffs.
Aiko pauses and holds her right hand up close to the center of her chest, fingers straight, palm facing out to the left, and makes an inclined bow to Tallak. "Aiko. I am an... old friend of Ameiko's."
She turns to Ameiko and says,
Calder shrugs, looking unruffled.
To Tallak.
To Aiko.
He says this with a perfectly straight face.
With a similarly straight face, Aiko says, "You remind me of a customer."
Tallak nods.
"Credeți că își dau seama dacă tocmai vorbeau limba comună" ar fi mai ușor pentru toată lumea să se înțeleagă reciproc?" Vashta asks Sandru.
"Do you think they realize if they all just spoke the common tongue it would be much easier for everyone to understand each other?"
"Yes."
Calder is still trying to work out the 'Customer' reference. He shrugs.
"This does raise a question though. Where we're traveling, how many people there speak the Common tongue? Is it going to create problems if half of us do not speak theirs?"