Hmm's PF2 #1-07 Flooded King's Court and Other Tales (Inactive)

Game Master Hmm

Dorobu grabs at Sandstone. "Oh crap. I am hearing the trees. What's happened to me? I'm a wizard, not a druid!" He looks pleadingly at Sandstone. "Aren't I?"

Sandstone smiles again. "Well," he replies, "it's clear you have a deep connection with nature. A jade relic called to you; you animated the snowmen; your roots are deep in the Forest of Spirits. What you do with that connection, though, is up to you."

He pauses, breathing deeply, listening to the wind in the trees, feeling the gentle hum of spring, watching Dorobu struggle with conflicting emotions.

"I can't tell you what to choose," Sandstone says after a long while. "The best advice I can give is: Be true to yourself, and care about others."

"Oh," he says, as a new thought strikes him, "and when someone tells you that you must choose between two things, consider that another answer might be neither -- or both."

He winks, and perhaps due to the lingering influence of the kami, it's the best wink he's ever done.

The village kids enjoy their tracking lessons. Dorobu nods at Sandstone's comments, and then rustles in his pockets and pulls out other pilfered relics. "It's probably best if you take them all back," he says. "Oh, and this too!" He presents Sandstone with a katana. "I'm not that great with swords. Maybe you or one of the others will be?" After a while, Dorubu waves and takes off.

Eventually, you make it back to Sakabe, and Venture Captain Li is delighted to see you all. "You brought then back! Did you experience trouble along the way?"

For the entire duration of the return trip Loola begs Sandstone to see the "cat sword" (katana). "Please, please, please? Bloo be good!"

"Hi Captain Amara!" Loola is overjoyed to see the beautiful Tien woman again. "So much happened! Was very exciting! Me saw snow!... " and the small goblin enthusiastically reports every detail of their mission to Amara Li, hardly pausing to take a breath throughout the telling.

Sandstone bows deeply to Dorobu, honored by his kind gift.

Later, after some clandestine and rather unsuccessful sword practice, he casually mentions to the rest of the party, "Would anyone find this sword usefu -- Bloo I don't think that's a good idea --"

Amara listens keenly to the tales of your exploits in the Forest of Spirits. "And to think that the relic housed a Kami all this time, and neither I nor my benefactor had any idea." She pauses. "Just think of the harm that would have been caused if this had continued. You all deserve a break! But first dinner? Kiniro Kyomai Teahouse? My treat!"

The End

"Did someone say cake? I heard cake." Scratch lets his stomach lead the way.