It's all for one for the last ninja, and with Fianna pulling the hapless rogue to the ground, little more can save it from the combined might of Skarn and Grim.
All the ninja sister carry the same mark between their shoulder blades: a tree with knives for branches.
The mark is that of Clan Ishigo
The old man descends to greet the group, seemingly indifferent to the attack upon his life.Before anything, he hands the group a piece of paper, saying this is a single soul’s journey whose history puts your Pathfinder Chronicles to shame. ()
|
Skarn shakes his head silently, not recognizing the mark of foreign noble houses. He takes a moment to heal the wounded with their respective curative wands.
He bows respectfully to the old man, however, and inspects the piece of paper carefully before saying anything.
"It is an honor to meet you at last. I'm glad we were able to fend off these assassins."
"These achievements are truly impressive. However, I can't help but notice that one of the incarnations has no bearing upon it. Why is that?"
|
Mogall retrieves his wand and stands up after the last Ninja falls. Then using his other wand of infernal healing the Wayang taps himself once then again after a minute causing all his wounds to fast heal. "Thanks, Skarn for your timely healing. The Ninga's took quite a dislike to me."
The wayang shakes his head, "No clue as to what the mark means.
Mogall nods as he looks over the list of past lives, "Quite impressive, most of the lives are quite long lived 200 plus years. I can't help to notice the blank entry and the more interesting one after it where you died two years before you were born? How did that happen?" Also, you seem to favor the Zi Ha family."
|
The symbol on the ninjas has no meaning to Grim - he never studied these things other than his own chapter's markings. As for the paper, he merely shrugs and passes it along. The god-emperor had lived longer, and in the same body for the whole time. But he wasn't about to pick at the old man, who obviously thought so much of himself...
My veiled life; my only failing. For decades, I have communed with my own past lives, in preparation for my passage to the Great Beyond, for only a soul in perfect balance with karma may transcend. Yet this shadow incarnation is silent, and it vexes me. I wonder now, did these assassins know of some slight of which I, myself, am ignorant? Friends—indulge an old man’s curiosity. If you can travel to the loci of my lives
before and after, then two relics there may point toward the mystery and lift the veil. I am too frail to travel, but I have an item here that may allow you to show me
those relics from afar.
He holds out a candle With this, I can perceive general impressions of your surroundings as you carry it, provided that I bind myself through a ritual.
Only two lives of the greatest deeds. Just imagine the number of souls saves from the Oni hordes, or the lives extended after curing the plague.
I'm glad that you would help an old man. As I said, there ere two relics to investigate. One is the skull of an elven daimyo, Haraka Sorin. He died alongside Malash, he who was reborn as my veiled self. The skull now rests in the Haraka family shrine, in the Court of the Ancestral Sky in Ayajinbo. The other is a cradle that once held Malikeen, my most recent incarnation. It is on display in the village of Dallo, in western Wanshou.
You need not retrieve the items. Merely hold the candle close and call my name. If you have found the true relic, the flame will turn blue to show that I have examined it psychometrically.
|
Before anything, he hands the group a piece of paper, saying this is a single soul’s journey whose history puts your Pathfinder Chronicles to shame. ()
Zlata nods as the man describes a soul in perfect balance - her deity also valuing balance, albeit the rather less esoteric balance of nature.
"That seems to make sense," she agrees with Mogall, "and the later incarnation would seem more likely to know something than the earlier."
Wanshou is a cursed and superstitious land, although the influence of the nation’s kraken tyrant, Zhanagorr, is mercifully distant in this region. Haunted eyes peer out from the doorways of ramshackle bamboo huts. Dallo’s squalor is apparent, but as its denizens trickle out to gather in the grubby village square, another source of anguish starts to suggest itself in the wounds borne by numerous villagers. Many in the throng wear bandages across their chests, and some are missing hands or feet.
Once the adventurers enter the village of Dallo, they are approached by a crowd of villagers. As the group approaches, some flustered whispers can be heard.
The villagers refer to a man who calls himself Yuzana, who seems to be only villagers who speaks a degree of common.
The talons of envy. Yuzana explains in answer to Skarn's question Dark always. Hard to see. Horns and talons. Not of this world.
A second man steps up next to Yuzana, and says something in Minkaian. Some heated debate follow, during the two point to the pathfinders a lot.
Yuzana carries a tattoo of a basket and cradle, and many more villagers carry the same tattoo.
You help us? Please? Yuzana finally asks as the debate settles down.
|
|
"Wasn't that spindly man Malikeen of Wanshou on about a cradle, ask them where the cradle is so we can wave a candle at it and leave" Pitbull simply broadcasts at the talkers "Then we can smash these Talons and move on, these villagers seem to be complaining at each other or something" she points in the direction of the squabblers.
|
|
"As a show of good faith on our part, we should destroy the force that is terrorizing the villagers first. The cradle is obviously important to them...if we show them we are honorable and good they are more likely to let us examine it..." Grim answers.
With that he pulls the greatsword out of its case on his back and nods his head at Yuzana. "Show us."
Malikeen! Then you are angels Yuzana shouts out, visibly causing a huff in the man next to him.
Pff, angels, the other man says, Isn't it clear, Yazana, that these are but mercenaries, by the way they ask their questions.
The protesting man then turns to the pathfinders I am Arkar.
Yuzana quickly takes over and explains about the dark creatures: They come from the north road at midnight, from the mountains. Cross the dam, then village. They make you slow, then they make you still, then they take your parts. You feel their talons but you cannot scream.
|
|
"Mercenaries? If we was just mercenaries then we'd have kicked over your shoddy hut and left by now - you look like you have a hard time paying us two bowls of rice. My friends speak to you nice and you pull funny faces like you can be picking and choosing your friends right now. How about you smile, say 'thank you vey much friends' and point us toward your problem. They might make you slow and still and take your bits, but we will make them stop, die, and take off their heads" Pitbull is once again snarky about uppity people.
She looks towards the north and the sign of said dam.
|
|
Anaristiel covers her mouth briefly, as she cannot help but smirk at Pitbulls bluntness. She recovers quickly, however, and replies, "We will do all in our power to guard your village this night." To Arkar, she says, "You are right to say that we are not angels, though some of us might appreciate the comparison." A smile crosses her face, then fades somewhat. "However, I guarantee you that we are not traditional mercenaries. We will not cause any ill to befall this place; our price will be easy to pay."
|
|
Pitbull continues grumbling to Grim, but loud enough to ensure everyone knows she;s shirty "We walk eighty miles from New Oppara and when we get to the end of the road some village simpleton with nary a pot-to-piss-in starts trying to act like he is all in a position to be judgemental about our morals, meanwhile he's some sort of big cheese spokesman for a one horse town where the horse died and there isn't even a tavern where I can rest my tired feet and suck down an ale and eat half a cow while we map out smashing some marauding fiends like proper warbosses. Not saying they should spare us the food they don't have, lucky I got rations, but they need to work on hospitality"
Yunara shows the adventurers the dam. An earthen dam nearly 80 feet wide interrupts a river in its decline from the Zi Ha Mountains. A reservoir forms to the west. To the east, cliffs overlook the dam’s shallow runoff, which feeds a field of rice paddies before curving south. A clay dome, topped with a 20-foot spire, crowns the dam’s platform. Roads lead north into the mountains and south into the village of Dallo.
This is dam. In there he points at the dome is shrine to Malikeen. We honour angels, and we honour Malikeen. Demons come in the night. They always do. Protect us, angels.
The shrine features a humble altar bearing a clay statue of a child surrounded by candles, offerings, and relics. Faded murals cover the walls and ceiling.
|
|
Pitbull smiles her broken smile and waves the man off - when he's out of earshot she looks dubiously at her companions "Why would Demons come to an supposed to be good altar? What sort of temple we think this really is? Reckon the villagers are shady, they not real keen on us being here and yet complaining 'woe is us' about demons... I reckon this whole caper be as suspicious as a Halfling on a diet"
Pitbull goes and looks at the altar for incriminating evidence.
|
|
Demons come in the night. They always do.
Zlata is not familiar enough with the beliefs of these people to make much of the alter or murals, but suggests, "Perhaps the demons come to defile it, or because there is something here that they want. Though if something of the sort is their goal, they have apparently not yet been successful."
Nevertheless, she attempts to discern any lingering trace of evil in the place.
|
|
Skarn nods as his companions appear to agree on protecting those people.
"The poor sods. They are aware that the time of reckoning is upon them, and yet they still struggle with it, they refuse to accept the unescapable. But so be it, if it serves our quest, we shall battle these demons." he confides to his companions once the villagers are away.
Skarn will also go inside and inspect the shrine alongside Mogall.
Zlata detects for an evil presence, but finds quite the opposite: no trace of evil whatsoever.
The tranquil temple features a humble altar bearing a clay statue of a child surrounded by candles, offerings, and relics. Faded murals cover the walls and ceiling. Upon stepping in, Skarn feels a sense of serenity
The sense of serenity if actually a hallow spell that is present here.
|
|
"Right, we wait here until nightfall, make it look like we late getting back from prayers and put out some incense or something, and when these 'demons' turn up we smack in their faces. I half reckon we will find the 'demons' just be local raiders or even crazy villagers in masks and fancy dress - any real demons would have harvested the lot of them like a rice paddy" Pitbull still seems to be her usual self taking umbrage at the villagers for slights, real or imagined.
Zlata knows the effects of Hallow (link)
The group waits until nightfall, until the moon rises high up in the sky. In the light on the moonscar suddenly two monstrous creature appears on top of the damn
---
Pitbull
Zlata
Skarn
Grim
Anaristiel
Mogall
---
Daemon
Daemon
---
|
|
As Mogall begins to cast his spell, the water upstream of the dam starts to bubble and roll as two huge water elements rise up from the depths of the water the sounds of rushing water and strong currents can be heard as the two water elements move with violent intent to threaten the pair of monsters.