At the sight of the ghost in the strange armors the Paladin stepped forward to put himself between it and the others but something about the spectre gave him pause. Perhaps it was the set of its eyes, or the lines in its face.
It... bears resemblance to miss Ameiko, especially in the eyes.
He whispered slowly doing his best to make no more moves... at all really.
Try speaking to it, tell it why we are here with its kin ill.
He added hopefully.
"Haru, I think that's your field unless you have a way for us to spontaneously learn a new language."
Normally, Valeria would have been trying to hide a degree of smugness - if this ghost was of who she though it was, it lined up with her earlier predictions (true; the kami had come out of nowhere but most of her deductions had been close enough). Fortunately for her, it's a little hard to feel smug when facing a ghost.
"That's a song I've yet to master."
Hary steps out from behind Friday and addresses the spirit.
"名誉戦士、あなたが万が一六郎甲斐の実印がありますか？"
Wary as haru steps forth Friday makes sure to stay right by her incase the ghost turns violent.
"名誉戦士、あなたが万が一六郎甲斐の実印がありますか？"
The spirit's eyes widen slightly, and its grip on its katana wavers.
"...I...know...that...name..." His voice is like a last breath in someone's throat. His eyes twitch.
The ethereal katana falls from his grip and lands on the stone floor without a sound. The ghostly man falls to his knees with his head in his hands. A *scream* of anguish bursts from his convulsing form with the fury of a man trapped beyond death.
His hands drop to his sides, and he looks back up at the party. Tears of blood are running in rivulets from his eyes. "Who are you, living ones? And how is it you know my name, when I alone could not remember?"
Friday calms somewhat, but doesn't bother to speak up past Haru.
"私たちはあなたの孫娘、 Ameiko の友人です。彼女はこの城に隠された大きな秘密があるを教えてくれる神が持つ睡眠の状態、です。私たちはあなたの宝物と Ameiko に Brinewall についてのメッセージを配信しても死の後忠実なあなたの忠実なしもべ、Tsutamu、でここに来るのコース上に設定しました。私は怖い、ひどくこのことを言っ ていますが、いずれにしても、我々は Ameiko の遺産を発見し、彼女が合法的に彼女の物であるものの回復を助けるためにここにあります。うまくいけば、我々はあなたにも平和を見つけるのを助けることができま す"
The spirit listens to Haru's speech, his face gradually softening as she explains why they're here.
"...you seek the Seal, then." He replies in slightly accented Common. From the sound of his voice, it seems a great deal of pain has been lifted from his soul. "Our legacy, that the forces of darkness sought to tear from us."
Friday nods without thinking.
"Kikonu? Or others? Who took it? And what legacy, exactly? Ameiko will want to know all the details... perhaps if we can get the kami to release her, she can come here and meet you. Wouldn't that be something to soothe your soul, seeing your brilliant and successful granddaughter?"
"Kikonu? Or others? Who took it? And what legacy, exactly?"
"It was not taken--only hidden. Hidden from the oni's sight." The spirit rises to his feet. "Ours is a legacy of nobility--once, we were the family Amatatsu. We were a royal family of Minkai, our line blessed by Empress Shizuru with a divine right to the Jade Throne."
"Ameiko will want to know all the details... perhaps if we can get the kami to release her, she can come here and meet you. Wouldn't that be something to soothe your soul, seeing your brilliant and successful granddaughter?"
The spirit's expression turns pained. "...I did not know I even had a granddaughter, for the longest time. And I cannot bear to let her see me like this. For far too long, I lay at rest here, my body broken by oni blades and my spirit tormented. I had nothing left, not even a name--until you spoke it again."
"But, I still have one last duty to fulfill."
"Are you sure? She wouldn't care about you being a ghost, I'm certain. A chance to say one last thing to your descendant, to have her think well of you even after you pass on to the boneyard -- would you truly pass that up?"
"Are you sure? She wouldn't care about you being a ghost, I'm certain. A chance to say one last thing to your descendant, to have her think well of you even after you pass on to the boneyard -- would you truly pass that up?"
The spirit hesitates, his fists clenching tightly.
"...not anymore."
"So I've convinced you? Now, where is the seal? We need to take it to Ameiko so that the Kami that is inhabiting her body can release her."
The spirit looks at the eastern wall. "Beyond there. A pair of secret doors will lead you to it, if you have the right keys."
"We retrieved them. Who's got them?" Haru says, looking at her companions.
With a slight head incline the aasimar pulled the two discs from his belt pouch. He reached over and handed them to miss Haru
A quick search of the eastern wall reveals a disc-shaped slot with an image of the sun carved above it. The disc depicting Brinewall by day slides into the slot with ease.
In response, the wall starts to open, the ancient mechanisms *GRINDING* together as the wall comes down to reveal another chamber. This one is a small room carved from stone--barely enough for one person to fit inside. The eastern wall of the new chamber has a disc-shaped slot with an image of the full moon carved above it.
Inserting the disc depicting Brinewall by night causes the eastern wall of the new chamber to lower, this one more slowly than the last. Dust and gravel cascade down from the opening in the wall.
The chamber beyond appears to be only half-excavated—the eastern portion of the room remains a rough cavern wall. Three identical darkwood chests bound with bronze sit against the base of this rough wall.
The spirit looks upon the chests with resignation & weariness. "The Seal you seek is within those chests. Take them to her, if you will."
Friday will inspect the outside of the chests for traps before attempting to open them in search for the seal.
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The chests have no traps on them. It appears that secrecy was the only defence these chests had against discovery.
The first darkwood chest contains two items--and strangely enough, they seem to be tailor-made for Friday & Kavell. A polished, masterfully-carved longspear sits in the chest, its shaft carved from the wood of a peach tree. Sitting beneath the spear is a suit of well-oiled blue leather armour, with the symbol of Shelyn neatly stitched upon the right breast.
The second darkwood chest contains some more items--these ones are of a more arcane bent. A quiver with an image of a fox's head carries a complement of 50 yellow-tipped arrows, and next to it sits a 12-inch iron bar lined with small plates and spikes. Separate from the arrows and bar sits a pile of several scrolls, bundled up in a fine red cloak lined with mink fur.
--1 scroll of fireball
--1 scroll of glitterdust
--1 scroll of haste
--1 scroll of see invisibility
--1 scroll of hypnotic pattern
The third chest is proving to be a bit more difficult to open...
Though letting his eyes longer on the spear longer than he would have liked Friday keeps to his task of trying, unsuccessfully, to open the third chest.
"... I think it's locked."
With a bit more work, Friday is able to force the third chest open.
The contents of the third chest are oddly barren--the only thing in the chest is a small box, measuring 10 by 10 by 10 inches. An image of a serpentine dragon with remarkably long whiskers encircles the box.
A green glow can be seen under the box's lid.
Cautiously Friday picks up the small box, looking it over for a moment before attempting to open it as well.
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When Friday opens the box, nothing happens for a couple of seconds. A jade statuette of a crouching dragon sitting upon a jade base is in the box; the base of the statuette is engraved with strange letters in Tien: "神性。 名誉。 義務。"
Then, a pulse of green magic *FLARES* throughout the room, and washes over the party. The force of magic crashing into their bodies is enough to lift them off their feet, and send them into unconsciousness...
---------------------
Visions flood into you where your consciousness once was. Visions of far-off lands where spirits walk with men and honour is stronger than steel. It is pristine, beautiful... and being overrun by abominations in human and more eldritch forms. A storm of blood rages in the skies, and demons stampede from the forests, trampling countless innocents underneath their heels. Their weapons and armour are strange, exotic, and wielded with deadly efficiency.
The vision blurs together before coalescing into a new one... a young man dressed in royal robes stands over a simple well, his yojimbo vigilantly watching. A psychotic grin breaks out on the yojimbo's face, and he grows three times in size. His armour stretches and shifts before your eyes, transforming into an o-yoroi crafted of the finest jade. It menaces with spikes of steel and rage. The demon draws a mighty katana and drives it through the young man's back. Betrayal.
The vision ends as a new one begins, this one of a young Tian man holding a sheathed katana out before him. A proud ancestral weapon, being sold to a richly dressed Ulfen for a bag of gold. A pittance, some would say. But it's enough to buy their escape.
The vision shifts into a new one... this one of Ameiko. No longer asleep, possessed and shivering in a humble Varisian caravan, but hale and hearty. She rises from her sleep... dressed in finery worthy of an empress, and sitting upon a most magnificent jade throne.
---------------------
Rokuro's eyes are wide as the party wakes up and wearily gets back to their feet.
"The Seal accepted you as its scions..."
He had just finished his marveling at the amazing armor there his hands running over the leathers when the pulse of the green light took him from himself...
Wha.
He started clutching his temple for just a moment
What.. just happened? Scions? the seal?
He asked cautiously
"What.. just happened? Scions? The seal?"
"Yes, the Amatatsu Seal." Rokuro's spirit nods. "It saw something in you all... and in Ameiko, as well. Hers is the blood of Minkaian royalty, and your devotion to her is unmistakeable."
"The last relic of the Amatatsu line has appointed you as her guardians, so to speak."
"A fact I'll be more appreciative of once my eyes work again, I swear this always happens with divine light, gonna be seeing spots for another few minutes. Guess I should be glad this doesn't happen when it could kill me."
With the sass worked out of her system, Valeria thought over the images the seal had shown them. "So, Ameiko's ancestors were forced out of Minkai by some kind of demons?"
Haru reads the Tien characters just before the Seal overwhelms them. The sudden shock causes her to lose control of her shapeshifting and revert to her natural, fox hybrid form.
As she awakens, she decides the fox is out of the bag, and remains furry. "Wait, so Ameiko is a princess?"
"So, Ameiko's ancestors were forced out of Minkai by some kind of demons?"
"Indeed. Though it wasn't just our line that was attacked--almost all of Minkai's royal families were put to the sword over the course of several generations." Rokuro's spirit hangs his head. "I do not know why, but I know that if they're left unchecked, countless more innocents will suffer."
"Wait, so Ameiko is a princess?"
"Of a sort. Ameiko is the sole remaining heir to the Jade Throne of Minkai."
Rokuro doesn't seem surprised to see Haru in her natural, fox-hybrid form. It may be that he is long past caring.
Once the party has a chance to gather up their rewards--including the warding box containing the Amatatsu Seal--it's time to return to the caravan. Rokuro floats after the party, wincing as sunlight strikes his incorporeal form. He refuses to be deterred however, and he dutifully follows the party as they march along the old roads of Brinewall.
By the time the party returns to the caravan, they can hear the energetic murmurs of conversation. Ameiko is sitting on the steps of Koya's wagon, her face pale and her expression one of shock and bewilderment. The entire caravan appears to be gathered around her--Shalelu & Sandru are sitting next to her, Koya looks on from her wagon's door, Ishgha is fiddling with his longsword while trying not to look too interested, and Zaiobe & Spivey are looking on from the caravan's edges.
The young bardess looks up as the party approaches, and for a moment she's speechless.
"...there you guys are. We need to have a talk. Real quick."
He wasnt sure why but the moment miss Ameiko approached he dropped to one knee.
As you command your majesty
He began nervously it was clear he had not really dealt with any sort of royalty before.
Ameiko looks incredulously at Kavell before moving to help him back to his feet.
"Please don't. Not now." Ameiko's face is starting to turn pink. The mention of the word 'majesty' has sent a murmur through the gathered caravaneers.
Ameiko opens her mouth to say something else, but stops dead when she sees the spirit following the party.
"...Grandfather?"
"Kavell, she's still our friend, not our queen or anything. We should just treat her the same," Haru says to the paladin.
"This is... well... I guess you recognize him."
Haru steps away, allowing the two to speak.
Friday had remained silent ever since the images, and the emptions accompanying them, had played through his and the others' minds.
So he was betrayed by that man, that monster... his bodyguard? He trusted him, he trusted a monster, and the monster betrayed him...
The thoughts ran rampant through the painter's mind, distracting him. Otherwise he too would have dropped to his knees alongside Kavell once they were back in Ameiko's presence.
Though happy to see her awake he couldn't smile as the imagery still pulled at him. Quietly he stepped over to the side alongside Haru.
"Miss Haru, what all do you know about Ustalav?" he finally asked without thinking, though his usual voice was quiet enough to not disturb the granddaughter and grandfather talking.
As Ameiko wanders over to the spirit of her grandfather, Shalelu walks over to Haru & Friday as they start talking. "So, would you two mind telling me what the hell went on in there? Ameiko just suddenly came to, saying something about 'duty being complete', or something like that. Now, she said she's had some sort of weird dream involving people getting murdered by demons and herself waking up on a throne."
Haru shakes her head at Friday. "Not much. It's the country on the other side of the Hold of Belkzen, and there's stories about all sorts of things, vampires, werewolves -- I don't know how much is legend and how much is truth."
She turns to Shalelu when she comes up and asks her questions. "Well, we ran into a few ugly things, but we took care of them. We found the ghost of Ameiko's grandfather, and I hope that meeting his granddaughter and passing on his legacy to her will let him pass on himself. And, well, we found this seal thing that apparently means that Ameiko's the last heir of the empire of Minkai. So, how was your morning?" She smiles lopsidedly at the elf.
"Oh, that's easy. All of them are true. The wolves. The vampires. Their servants. Their protectors..." Friday starts but stops himself as Shalelu approaches and begins to talk with Haru.
Without thinking he takes a few steps back so as not to bother their conversation.
"Well, nothing so exciting as that, really." Shalelu slides an arm around Haru's shoulders. "Just hunting for enough supplies for the trip home."
Once the Ranger slides around the Kitsune, Friday decides it would be best to be somewhere else.
Slipping away he'll head over to Zaiobe and Spivey. "How are you two? Have they been treating you well?"
The young bardess tentatively steps toward the ghost of her grandfather, clearly at once intrigued and anxious. "...so, um... what, exactly, am I supposed to say now?" She glances over at Valeria, biting her lip.
"Nothing, 桜の花. Being able to see you with my own eyes is all I need." Rokuro smiles. It looks quite out-of-place on his face. "You do not know how pleased I am to see that my line has not died with me."
"How are you two? Have they been treating you well?"
Zaiobe nods with a small half-smile on her face. Spivey bobs up and down in the air.
"Yep yep yep! I was kinda surprised the old lady also revered my Lady--but anyway, what are we gonna do now?" The lyrakien flits over to your shoulder. "...didn't you say something about drawing me at some point?"
Friday just smiles at the Azata's enthusiasm. "Ameiko needs to talk with her Grandfather for right now, but afterwards?"
He stops himself and shakes his head. "Yes, Miss Spivey, I would love to draw you... provided you can stay still long enough."
Turning to Zaiobe he simply asks "Would you be interested in getting drawn as well?"
"Just talk like you would if he was still alive. I know what a lot of stories say about ghosts, but Rokuro's all there." Valeria said to Ameiko,
In truth, Valeria was still processing everything the seal had shown them along with the implications. In the meantime, she figured it would be a good idea to know what magical properties the seal had - if they were purely protective or cosmetic, all well and good, but if it had anything stronger to it it would be good to know now before they needed it.
However, you discover that the box has a strong abjuration aura around it, and the seal... well, its aura is a blend of every arcane magic school you've read about--divination, necromancy, conjuration, illusion, evocation, transmutation, & enchantment. You surmise that both the box and the seal are artifacts of some sort.
"...right." Ameiko turns back to the ghost of her grandfather. "Think we could go for a walk?"
Rokuro silently turns and begins walking away, Ameiko following him. "I'll be back in a bit. Don't worry." The heiress says before walking off.
"Should've grabbed that book on Tianese arcane traditions," Valeria mumbled to herself. Whatever the seal itself was capable of, if it even had effects that they could use, she wasn't going to be figuring it out anytime soon.
The abjuration effect on the box, however, was something she could work with. The school's nature of defence and magical suppression meant that there were relatively few effects that would be on the box... well, few that made sense to put on such a box, at least.
It hadn't been particularly difficult to open so that wasn't an option. The box could have a certain degree of physical protection to avoid being damaged or being broken open (though why that last effect would be there when there was nothing to keep someone from opening it normally...).
She had some books on abjuration and made a note to do some more thorough study of that effect; she had to assume it was there for a reason beyond physical protection. If the seal was as important as she suspected, then there is no way it would be stored in a box just to prevent it being damaged if someone dropped it.
With madam Ameiko predisposed with her ghostly grandfather the aasimar stood there for a moment confused. He was sure they would find him if they needed him, so he made his way first to Madam Koya. He certainly wanted to ... perhaps get to know Kelda better, but just the thought of that drew a slight blush to his cheeks.
How is your big adventure so far Grandmother Koya?
He asked after finder her. He didnt think her plans for a grand adventure counted dark forgotten castles hidden away... but then again perhaps it might.
It should be safe enough now... did you want to look at the castle itself? There is some artwork inside i want to rescue from becoming forgotten. Do you know anything about the lands of the Linnorm kings... or its customs?
He began kind of hoping she did... though he knew it would be a long shot.
"How is your big adventure so far Grandmother Koya?"
The old priestess blinks and shuffles her deck of cards. "Well, it's been more exciting than I thought it'd be. First a bunch of goblins plotting to attack a town, then Ameiko getting possessed by a spirit, and now this?" She shrugs. "I ain't complainin'."
"It should be safe enough now... did you want to look at the castle itself? There is some artwork inside I want to rescue from becoming forgotten. Do you know anything about the lands of the Linnorm kings... or its customs?"
Koya smirks. It's a smirk you've seen a couple of times before: that "oh, he's got it bad" smirk.
"Well, I don't claim to know everything about those lands. But I know enough to get by. They're quite cold & harsh, and their people grow to match it. One of their state religions happens to be Desna."
"As to rescuing artwork, I don't see the harm in helpin' ya with that." Koya steps out of the wagon and onto the damp earth.