The usually stolid Yume collapses into Shizun's arms a bit more than she intends to, but she shakes her head.
"I'm battered and tired, but ok. Those skeletons seemed to think they were defending the Kaijutsu seal or legacy. Perhaps that means we've found what we were looking for. Let's take a look around."
"The samurai came from around the corner," Kenmei points out.
Around the corner, there is a chamber with a large jade and cherry wood chest sitting in its center.
While the others look around, Momo dispels the pools of grease, separates any useful gear from their fallen foes, and then cremates the remains.
The lead skeleton is wearing masterwork steel lamellar armor, and a bronze key on necklace around his neck. His wakazashi is of incredibly beautiful design. The sword is etched with images of seven shrikes perched on a coiling branch that runs the length of the blade. The blade’s tsuka (hilt) has not weathered the passage of time as well as the blade itself.
The lesser skeletons each have a masterwork longsword, and four-mirror armor.
"...The sword is magical, but I can't figure out what it does," Momo murmurs. So much for being the heiress of Kenjakana and Archmage Eugeni!
The kunoichi then takes a moment to inspect the chest for any... oddities.
The chest is locked, but appears otherwise unremarkable, aside from its fine construction.
Yume sees her sister approach the chest and says, "Here, I bet this key will help."
She looks over the blade and announces, "It's a fine blade, though it needs some repair. Nothing I shouldn't be able to fix though, with the grace of The Lady of Chrysanthemums and some supplies suitable to the blade's beauty."
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"May I see the blade please?" Kenmei asks, taking his turn to look over the wakazashi.
"Hmm, fascinating..."
"What's this then?" he asks, discovering a hidden compartment in the blade's hilt. Inside is a small rolled up piece of paper. He unrolls it and reads it aloud.
The next few days will ne the most important I have faced in many years. If our family's enemies have, as I hope, forgotten us, I shall reuinte with you and your wife, and you mother and I shall reveal the truth to you. But if they still seek the contents of the warding box, I fear that I may not speak to you again. The box holds our family's greatest treasure, so I have returned it to Kortun's care, and it shall remain hidden in the secret third vault under Brinewall Castle - obscured from our enemies, I hope and pray. I will not grant our fores the satisfaction of killing me themselves - if it comes to it, let my death by my own hand be my final act to protect you, so that our enemies believe our line ended.
I have instructed Tsutamu to keep this letter from you, delivering it to you only should I fail to return as I hope to. If I can, I will reveal all to you myself. If I cannot, this final missive from a father to a son must suffice as an apology in place of an explanation, and you must destroy this letter, flee to the south, and never return to Brinewall. If our enemies find what I have hidden, there will be nothing here for you. If they do not, they will lie in wait forever for your return.
I hope to see you again soon, my son. But my heart tells me I will not. I am sorry to have failed you. But I am proud of you, and I know you will survive this old man's shame. You are strong, and you must remain so. For if you are readin this and I am gone, know that our enemies will never stop searching for us, and that is why I cannot reveal the truth to you until I know there is no chance of them finding us again.
-Rokuro Kaijutsu
Sunday, 29 Desnus 4687
[spoiler=A DC 14 Knowledge (history) check]You recall that an unknown scourge destroyed the colony of Brinewall on the first day of Sarenith in 4687, just a few days after the date on the letter.
Yume's eyes widen at Kenmei's discovery. "Well done, brother!"
After reading the note, she says, "Alright, let me try this key out." and attempts to open the chest.
The key fits the lock. Once the chest is opened, it’s obvious that many objects have been removed from numerous slots in the chest’s velvet lined interior. However, the chest still holds five potions of cure light wounds, two potions of cure moderate wounds, three potions of lesser restoration, a ring, a wand, a masterwork chain shirt, a masterwork cold iron wakizashi, 11 Desnan candles, and four skyrockets, in addition to coins and various pieces of fine jewelry worth 1363 gp total.
Kenmei whistles over his sister's shoulder. "We're rich! I think...I'm still kind of confused on how much money is a lot. But that looks like a lot."
"Doesn't Ameiko Kaijutsu still live in Sandpoint?" asks Momo, recalling the innkeeper who helped the Varisian Rangers fight Runelord Karzoug. "Rokuro Kaijutsu was her grandfather. Going by the date of his letter, Rokuro was addressing Ameiko's father Lonjiku."
A thought occurs to Momo.
"Perhaps we can talk to Ameiko? While it might seem old, this letter was written only about twenty-six years ago. That's well within living memory. Some of the Sihedron Heroes would've been alive when Rokuro wrote this."
"Looks like our next destination is the ruins of Brinewall," remarks Momo as she studies the ring and the wand.
Yume nods. "I'm sure you're right, sis, but let's cart this stuff back to Sandpoint first, and go speak to Senpai Ameiko. Perhaps she--or Brightstaff--can help us learn how to find it, or otherwise shed light on what we've discovered here."
She starts to carefully pack up the chest and prepares to carry it back through the swamp.
"I'm pretty sure I know where Brinewall is. I remember seeing it on a map once. It's in north-western Varisia, near the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. I think talking to Ameiko is a good idea though."
"She is the proprietor of the Golden Dragon is she not?"
"Ok then, my family. Is there anything else for us to do here, before we go visit the Golden Dragon?"
This large wooden building is the first structure one encounters after crossing the southern bridge entrance into Sandpoint, marked by a sizeable gold-plated dragon that looms over travelers from the building's roof. The sculpture appears to be no more than a few years old, and lends the tavern its name. Patrons enter through the inn's common room, its largest area, with over a dozen tables, a large stage, a hearth, and—of course—a bar. This early in the morning, the common room is spattered with late rising travelers eating their breakfasts. The inn has become highly popular since the rise of the Sihedron Heroes. No one really looks twice at the cursed dragons when they walk in, it appears to be a seat yourself kind of environment.
Momo (who poaches the Ring of Climbing when no one is looking) is thankful that she and her siblings aren't attacked on the way back to Sandpoint. Once they arrive at the Golden Dragon, the kunoichi strides right up to the bartender and plops an arm on the counter. "Salutations! My siblings and I are the disciples of the Sihedron Hero Thrassk. May we speak with Ms. Kaijutsu please? We have some information that might interest her."
Yume feels herself relax, finally, as they step into the tavern. She sits down at a table and puts the chest she's been carrying at her feet.
OK, I can forget the burden of safeguarding my siblings, for now
She leaves the talking to her sister but cranes her draconic neck, wondering Where is the Kaijitsu heir? Is she here?
An aging halfling woman walks behind the bar and steps up onto a railing built into the far side, grimacing a bit at her aching joints. ”Now, don’t be botherin’ Miss Ameiko, ya hear? Whatcha be havin’?” she asks as she looks the group over curiously.
Shizun chimes in ”Please, ma’am? We don’t wish to bother her, but like my sister said, what we have may be of personal interest to her.”
The halfling woman snarls her nose at the group, and says ”Fine. I’ll go see if she’s willin’ to talk. But when I get back you lot had best have made yer minds up as to what ya want ta order!” before she steps down, grumbling a bit about aching knees and old age.
After about ten minutes, she comes back, with a young, lovely Tien woman a few feet behind her. The halfling clambers back up onto the step behind the bar and says ”So what you want?”
Ameiko, meanwhile, steps around the bar and takes a seat beside the group with her back to the bar top, using it as a seat back as she crosses her legs and looks you all over curiously. ”So...how can I help you folks? Bethana said you had something to tell me?”
Kenmei bows his head to Ameiko in the style of Minkai. "Greetings, Miss Ameiko. I am Kenmei Higashiyama. These are my siblings. We are the children of Thrassk and Titanicus." Kenmei pauses to let that sink in.
"Is there somewhere private we could talk? We recovered some artifacts from your family's past, and believe you would like to see what we found."
Ameiko quirks an eyebrow at the man’s claim. ”Who is Thrassk, and I thought Titanicus wasn’t even real?” She makes no effort to stand just yet, as she isn’t sure if she should trust these odd looking strangers.
Bowing, Yume says, "Pardon us, Lady Kaijitsu. Thrassk is a venture captain and associate of Argor Constantine, but we have recovered items we believe belonged to your grandfather, Rokuro Kaijutsu. We also have reason to believe that there are more relics of your ancestors in Brinewall...including the lost Kaijitsu Seal."
Her eyes widen with recognition, ”You mean...the Thrassk from the Chronicles? How...I didn’t realize he had children...”
She shakes her head and says ”Come on...let’s go in the back...”
She leads everyone to a private dining chamber in the back, and gestures for everyone to have a seat. She then joins them and says ”Okay...what is this about Brinewall and a Seal you are talking about?”
"Here, this can explain things better than we can." Kenmei hands the note to Ameiko.
She reads it over. Her eyes go wide, and she reads it over again. "Rokuro...grandfather. Tsutamo...that was the name of grandpa's bodyguard. He was loyal to the bone."
"Could it really be possible? After everything...I had given up on ever having any sort of connection to anyone or anything. First Father...then Xam...but now?" she pauses as her eyes dart back and forth over the letter, her mind racing.
"I...I have to go! I have to go see for myself!" she exclaims, but then a look of fear creeps into her eyes. She turns to the dragonborn and pleads "You have to come with me! You all found this in the first place, and you brought it to me! Destiny brought you here! And now it's calling me...calling us...to Brinewall!"
"It is to the north, is it not?" Kenmei asks, pleased that Ameiko seems to be caught up in the adventure.
With her so into this, we don't have to speculate about whether or not the Kaijitsus were Sakura Shiroi in front of Ameiko yet. Clearly Yume wasn't paying attention during our history lessons. What the hell is a Kaijitsu Seal? Ameiko doesn't seem to have noticed her slip up. If the Kaijitsu were the Shiroi protecting the Amatatsu Seal, the fewer who know about it for now, the better. Based on lady Kailani's divination, I can't think of anything else that would be hidden in the 'warding box' mentioned by the letter. Once we find the seal, we can use it to find the lost heir before the Oni murder Emperor Higashiyama!
"How should we get there? My sisters and I are new to Avistan. We aren't quite familiar with the best routes yet."
...And her surname is Kaijitsu, not Kaijutsu. Geez, is the infamous Kailani fumbletongue infectious or something? Momo wonders. Anyway, Ameiko is certainly eager to leave town. It must have been a rough two years for her...
"We could ask Master Lightstaff or Archmage Silva," proposes Momo. "They were happy to help us last time."
"We would be honored to travel together and protect you, Lady Kaijitsu. Furthermore," Yume opens the chest she's been carrying with her, "We found these relics from your family's history when searching fo...when we found the letter. If any are of meaningful to you, by rights they should be yours."
Shizun nods. "Yes. It is, in fact, why we are here."
Ameiko nods. "I will keep the letter of course. But the other objects...You can have them. It's the least I can do after you recovered all this for me at risk to yourselves."
Ameiko thinks for a moment. "As for help, I have just the people in mind. The elf ranger Shalelu Andosana, the Varisian caravan master Sandru Vhiski, and Koya Mvashti, a cleric of Desna. Vhiski's caravan will provide us with safety in numbers, and I'm fairly certain all three of them will be happy to help. Let Masters Silva and Lightstaff attend to more important matters than a little Kaijitsu family mystery," she suggests.
"Meanwhile, our father has often talked about how busy the other Shiedron Heroes are these days. Getting their help sounds... unlikely. For instance, Lady Kailani reportedly just gave birth to another daughter. Galatea I believe?" remarks Momo thoughtfully. "If Shalelu is available to help us, then that would be excellent. Traveling with a caravan and multiple clerics would be wise ideas; the trip to Brinewall sounds like it'll be a long and dangerous one."
Shizun claps excitedly and says "Excellent! Let's go!" as she turns and heads for the door, clearly not having any concept of how long it takes to organize a voyage such as this.
"Great! I will gather the others and explain the situation to them. We can meet back here in a couple of days so that you all can get to know Sandru, Koya and Shalelu. We'll probably need a few more days after that to get the caravan together, and then I'm guessing it will take a couple of weeks to get to Brinewall. You can have a room here at the Golden Dragon for free until we depart. If you need anything in the meantime, just let me know. If there's nothing else for now, I better get back to work..."
The dragons retire, spending their time in the Inn and around town until Ameiko calls them to meet the other leaders of the caravan. They meet in a private dining room at the Golden Dragon.
Koya Mvashti is a Varisian woman, dressed in the accoutrements of a Desnan. Koya’s in remarkably good shape, physically, for a woman well over 60 years in age. She waves in greeting. "Hi there!"
Sandru Vhiski is a handsom Varisian man, just shy of his middle years. He has an irreverent air about him as he says, "Sandru. Nice to meet you."
Finally, there is Shalelu Andosana a beautiful blonde elf, dressed like a ranger. She nods solemnly to the siblings.
Ameiko motions everyone to sit down. "Sandru here is going to be running the whole caravan. Koya will handle any spiritual needs, and make sure everyone is taken care of on the trail, our 'momma' as it were. Shalelu will be running security. Why don't you introduce yourselves?"
Shizun eagerly introduces herself to them one by one. When she comes to Shalelu, her eyes are one of total wonder as she looks her over. "Wow...I've...I've never seen an elf! I'm sorry...my name is Shizun...wow you're pretty..."
Shalelu quirks one eyebrow. "Uhm, hello. How is that possible? There are still plenty of our people left on Golarion."
”Ummmm,” Shizun stammers, blushing. ”Sorry...just got here yesterday...Everything is so new...so amazing...I just am a bit overwhelmed...”
Everyone looks a bit confused.
Ameiko says, "Wait, what are you talking about? Where are you guys from? I assumed Tian-Xia when you told me who your father was, but there are elves there too..."
Sandru looks intrigued, as he unabashedly undresses the sisters with his eyes. "Yes, my beauties, what exotic creatures are you?"
Kenmei clears his throat loudly. "Mhmm! We actually grew up in a remote monastery. Our family's enemies are many, and our father had to hide us to keep us safe. So, while we did grow up in Tian-Xia, we haven't really spent any time outside our home until a couple days ago. Please forgive our eccentricities."
Why didn't we get a cover story straight before we started interacting with people? I'm going to have to talk to them after this and make sure everyone remembers our past and the Shiroi are supposed to be secrets!
While Ameiko gathers her crew, Momo spends much of her time in town buying supplies. For this purpose, she consults The Gallant Garland's Guide to Wilderness Survival. While many of Garland's adventures were primarily set in the jungle, the wise hero had also written a section for cold weather climates such as The Lands of the Linnorm Kings in the odd event some nefarious villain teleport him there. Thankfully, it seems like Sandru Vhiski will be handling a lot of the larger logistics, so Momo only needs to worry about herself and her siblings.
If possible, the sorceress also spends some time getting to know Ameiko. She finds it a little... interesting that their hostess would be so readily willing to drop everything to explore some ruins with four strangers. As such, Momo at least wants to change "strangers" to "acquaintances/allies" instead.
"I'm Momo. It's a pleasure to meet you," the sorceress introduces herself when she finally meets Koya, Sandru, and Shalelu. "Kenmei speaks the truth. For example, until rather recently, I thought that Garland the Gallant was a real person! I guess that's what happens when you grow up in isolation."
Ameiko thinks for a moment and then shrugs. "Yeah, that makes sense."
Sandru says, "To isolate such beauty for so long...a crime! The pleasure is mine, Mistress Momo."
Koya laughs. "I know the feeling. Been living in my mother's shadow my whole long life. Don't worry, we'll get to see plenty of the world on this trip!"
Yume finds herself drawn to the gentle energy of the older cleric.
With a low bow, she says to Koya, "It is my great honor to meet you. You must have seen a great deal of the world yourself, yes? It would be a privilege to hear your tales."
Koya cackles some more. "In fact, that's why I'm here, Love. I have barely seen any of the world, and I can feel Pharasma's breath on my neck more and more every day. There was always some responsibility to keep me here...most recently caring for my mother. With her in the Boneyard now and me as wrinkled as a date, it's probably my last chance to roam before I join her."
Shizun continues trying to talk with the pretty elf. ”So...what are elves like, really? Like I said, you are the first one I’ve really ever met...”
Shalelu sighs. "We are all different, like any intelligent race. We live long lives, so that shapes many things for us, but in the end...We're just people like everyone else." She looks a bit stern at the naive dragon. "Don't rely on stereotypes. You can't judge a book by its cover, girl."
"Sandru, could you tell us a little bit about the route we'll be taking?" asks Momo. "I'm curious about what we should expect. For instance, are we likely to encounter giant leeches?"