GM supervillan's 8-14 To Seal the Shadow (Outpost III) (Inactive)

Game Master supervillan

Dale, Dana and Mishka coordinate the shadow-play: the shadow-puppets of heroes and monsters swallow up the Beast as it desperately and hopelessly claws at the phantoms...

...the ground opens up beneath the Beast as Vlazis' infernal ire vexes it; as it falls, another arrow from Hayden pierces it through the middle...

...and finally, as you complete the retelling of the victory of the Inahiyi wayangs and their Minatan allies, the Shadow-Beast is struck down by rays of moonlight, causing it to burn in monochrome fire. The moon is briefly swallowed by an immense shadow, and when it returns, colour has also returned to the landscape and everything is calm.

Eynemb quickly dismisses his shadow-serpent and raises his hands in a placatory gesture. Harjandi returns and thanks you profusely: "You did it! You finished the ritual and banished the shadow!"

You feel the presence of the Minatan heroes depart from you, their work done once more. And yet, they do not depart completely, for each of you is subtly changed by the experience of channeling those heroes.

Mayor Farzhan runs up to the pavilion and offers you all hearty handshakes that quickly turn into effusive hugs. "Great joy! The Heroes are victorious again!" He gives you another gift - an ornate box containing a set of tattooing needles.

Eynemb sinks to his knees. "I was so certain that the rituals were just a superstitious tradition, holding our people back. I thought that we could be much more than guardians of a mountain that no longer exists, but I was wrong. So wrong. Inahiyi must persist, and henceforth I shall do all that I can to strengthen our bulwark against the Shadow, if I am permitted."

The mayor has Eynemb taken into custody by returning wayang warriors, and you are escorted back to the town to take a well-earned rest before the Spider's Silk returns in the morning to take you back to Ramparassad to report to Old Pak.

Congratulations Pathfinders, you have successfully Sealed the Shadow! I'll proceed to debrief with Old Pak after you've had time to bask in your glory awhile :)

Dana smiles which is a rare view.

She looks at the other Pathfinders and is relieved.

"I was called a hero already a couple of times but this time it really feels different. I very much hope that I will not forget what we did here ... " she says with some concern.

"So what do you think? We did good, right?"

"Well done, team."

Krieger looks around. "Harjandi, you want these masks back?"

Vlazis smiles warmly, allowing a note of fatigue to show across his face to underscore the exertions of him and his colleagues.

"We could never have done so without you and the strength of your people, Harjandi. I hope this will serve as the beginning of a new partnership between Inahiyi and the Society. Clearly there is much more for us to learn here..."

Just as well we haven't burned any bridges; clearly the Archive will want to pay careful attention to such a locus between worlds...

"Dana, Dale, Mishka. Good work! That creature could have destroyed us all."

He turns to Eynemb. "The rituals of our past hold meaning and power, even if not all of them hold back dangerous creatures. We do need to honor them even if we may disagree with them. There are times they can hold us back, true. But especially if we suggest change, we must understand the rituals enough to see what we could lose."

Tenibri revels in the victory, proudly showing off the new golden mask tattoo that frames his face now. While the golden color is unusual for a wayang's pointalist tattoo, the locals have already learned that Tenibri is an atypical wayang; they seem to embrace the difference.

"Yes, please, friend" Harjandi replies to Krieger. "We will need the Heroes of Minata again."

The next morning, the wayangs of Inahiyi offer a cheery farewell. The four gladiators press food and drink upon you "for your journey". Somewhere in the crowd, an adventurous wayang female grins to herself as she watches her 'giant' lover depart....

After an uneventful return trip to sweltering Ramparassad you find yourselves back at Old Pak's tobacco shop. "Well, what happened?" says the old pathfinder in between puffs of sweet-smelling grey smoke. "Tell me all about the ritual! I see many of you have new tattoos - I can get rid of those for you if you like though actually I think they suit you."

Dale sets his puppetting cut outs down and grins to his teammates "Yes, we've seemed to have done it." He then throws a scowl towards Eynemb "You're lucky to still be alive. If many of us weren't busy with the show you'd have quickly fallen to our superior skills and numbers."

Regardless, Dale quickly takes out his journal and makes a quick outline to fill in later when he's got more time of the events.

"I've got to get myself a nice tattoo, a remembrance! It'll be a nice contrast to the one I received in the Mwangii." You have noticed, mostly covered by hair, a facial tattoo on Dale that mostly sticks to the edge of a normal person's hairline.

As I mentioned earlier, a back tattoo of an erupting volcano with a half moon above.

Throughout the tattoo and party after Dale gets slightly 'lit', both to help with the discomfort of the process, but of course to celebrate. He may be very smart, but he'll also do almost anything on a dare. "Don't worry, I've got the physics all worked out on this napkin, what could go wrong!"

----------

Back with Pak Dale is starting to come around from his overindulgence and lack of sleep. Luckily his memory is top notch and he did go through the trouble of outlining the series of events, not wanting to mix up the chronology. "Ahh, now is as good a time as any to get these all fleshed out." He drags out his journal and starts to tell the tale and fill in any gaps with the help of the team. "Yes Dana, these things happened. Just over the last couple of days. Have you seen a doctor about your memory?"

Back in Ol' Pak's shop, Mishka reaches up and rubs the small tattoo of the Night Monarch below his right eye. "No thank you, I plan to keep the tattoo. And the earring."

He thumbs through his notes, organizing them for the report he'll be writing for submission to the Chronicles.

He checks out Dale's volcanic tramp stamp. "Dale, em, have you actually seen that tattoo? I'm afraid your moon's below the volcanic eruption."

"Sobriety is the secret to a good tattoo."

"Hey now.. say what?" Dale looks over his shoulder from as many angles as possible but its impossible. "I'll have to find a mirror. Regardless, I've even convinced an individual to try out the Dark Archives... He should be a valuable member of our faction!"

Tenibri shares his account of events with Pak, but seems mostly reserved, adjusting to his new internal view of life as a wayang now that he's visited his people's historic homeland on this plane.

Tenibri spends his downtime in Ramparassad handing out leaflets encouraging a healthy subversive culture to provide a check on the authority of the Cinnamon Throne. "I know they're not doing anything bad now, but you want to have your subversive networks in place before the tyranny begins. You never know!"

Dana listens to her companions and smiles.

"I hope I will not forget ... and I will keep the Tattoo. It will not vanish." she says and stands up in her heavy armor to leave.

"Yes Dana, these things happened. Just over the last couple of days. Have you seen a doctor about your memory?"

Dana blushes when Dale mentions her name.

”I ... I think it is a condition that you Dale cannot cure with a doctor. But your writing and stories might. Repetition is sometimes the key. Thank you for thinking about me.”

Sir Hayden touches his linked earrings and multiple piercings. The Wayang-stylized symbol of the Dawnflower was not what he would have designed, but it had a certain charm and bore a reminder to the experience. He would keep it, though he doubted Old Pak could reverse a piercing. "The Dawnflower shows me many things in the world and I would not wipe the memory away. Light and Shadow are linked, should they ever require my aid again."

"I would expect that we are about to see a renaissance of sorts from the Inahiyi. If we go back within a year, I suspect that all sorts of secrets of the past will have been uncovered, rather than allow them to remain shrouded in myth. Hopefully they'll be willing to share."

Dana nods.

“I hope you are right Vlazis!“

Old Pak receives your reports with enthusiasm. "Excellent! So there really is a Shadow monster imprisoned in the old volcano? I admit I had my doubts! And you seem to have done a fine job of fostering good relations with Inahiyi. Enjoy a well-earned rest, Pathinders! Old Pak and Venture-Captain Amari Li will no doubt call upon you again before too long!"

The aged Pathfinder puffs on his pipe and sighs contentedly...