No sorcerer on Golarion can boast more fame than Hao Jin, the Ruby Phoenix. Renowned for her interplanar travels and phoenix-like powers of self-resurrection—the source of her sobriquet—perhaps the only thing that can rival Hao Jin’s fame is her vast collection of relics and artifacts. She accumulated these treasures over centuries in honor of her deity Abadar’s reliquary of wonders, the First Vault. Her ultimate goal in seeking such treasures was to achieve true immortality, but this destiny ever eludes her.
When Hao Jin finally resigned herself to the fact that she would someday die, she set about devising contingencies to prevent her priceless relics from disappearing into the annals of history upon her death. She left the Gokan Temple of Abadar detailed instructions for how to handle her estate in the event of her disappearance. Such a contingency came to pass in 6891 IC (Imperial Calendar; 4391 AR), when Hao Jin failed to appear at the temple as she had said she would. The Abadarans could only presume her dead and, in keeping with Hao Jin’s wishes, organized the first Ruby Phoenix Tournament—a grand fighting spectacle that would draw athletes from around the world. Every 10 years, the winner of this glorious competition gets to claim one item from Hao Jin’s magnificent vault as their prize. In this way, many of her relics were released back into the world, one by one, for over 300 years.
This year’s Ruby Phoenix Tournament promises to be unlike any before it—because the Ruby Phoenix herself will be there! In 4719 AR, as the church of Abadar continued their usual preparations for the 32nd Ruby Phoenix Tournament, the unexpected occurred: Hao Jin returned to Goka. The church scrambled to determine its next steps as the contract with the sorcerer assumed her death, which was obviously not the case. Hao Jin recognized the importance of the tournament and was content with continuing the tradition, so long as she had her share of input into the process. The church agreed, and Hao Jin immediately began making changes to the tournament’s format.
Rather than permit several dozens or even hundreds of entrants, Hao Jin hand-selected and approved just 32 teams of fighters. The teams included competitors from other major tournaments around Golarion, famous and up-and-coming martial artists, and even notable adventuring groups. Hao Jin chose these contestants with consideration not only for their martial prowess, but also for their anticipated entertainment value.
After picking the teams, Hao Jin made one more significant change to the tournament process: rather than simply setting the teams against each other in a tournament bracket, the Ruby Phoenix created a large preliminary qualifying round. In this round, all teams will compete against each other in a multi-day freefor-all that tests their survival skills, teamwork, and mental fortitude. Only the top eight teams from this preliminary round will qualify to enter the Ruby Phoenix Tournament’s main event. So, Hao Jin’s 32 teams have traveled to the remote island of Bonmu, where they will compete against one another for three grueling days until the pool is whittled down to just eight finalists.
It took many days to journey across the waves from the city of Goka, but at long last, the island of Bonmu is in sight...
Several millennia after the Taumatan empire’s destruction, a large number of Tian-Sings discovered Bonmu and took residence among the abandoned structures. They made the island a center of religious worship, repurposing many of the temples to forgotten Taumatan gods into temples of Tian-Sing deities like Gozreh, Hei Feng, and Irori. The new Bonmuans enjoyed peace and prosperity for decades.
This peace met an abrupt end in 4606 AR. A massive tsunami struck the western Arcadian coast and pulled much of the ocean away, creating temporary land bridges between Minata’s islands that lasted for days. Terrifying creatures from the nearby Valashmai Jungle—including Mogaru, a massive saurian kaiju—used these new bridges to make their way to the Minatan isles, including Bonmu. The Bonmuans watched in horror as Mogaru rampaged across neighboring islands and smaller monstrosities overran their home. They ultimately fled to avoid obliteration and never looked back, believing the again-abandoned island to be cursed. Since that time, Bonmu has had an ill reputation, though most pragmatists—including Hao Jin and her fellow tournament organizers—disregard these rumors as nothing more than superstition.
Wu Xin stands in the ship's prow, holding on to one of the taut lines, feeling the salt spray in his face as his hair whips free of the ivory pin he uses to hold it back. He thinks back to ten years before and his naive assumptions about his abilities and those of his team.
Hardened by a decade of relentless training, surrounded by the best warriors he knows, he feels certain that this time will be different.
He eyes the mysterious island with an appraising gaze. But as he regards its dark green leaves and shadowed interior, it is the distant plains of Shokaru that fill his mind. The chaos of men dying under his command, the ignominy of flight before the pursuing enemy. For all he has focused on this moment of possibility, that moment of defeat is still with him like a weight upon his soul. He shoves it aside from his thoughts and looks at the fast-approaching beach.
One team would leave this island victorious, and he is determined that it will this team. His team.
On deck is the rapid pitter-patter of little feet. The jingle-jangle of tiny bells. The hey-listen voice of a little lady who craves attention.
Attention is how you don’t get stepped on by the big people.
She doesn’t have to walk, of course, but she does. Easier to get used to the boat rocking this way. But it’s impossible to see what Wu Xin’s gawking at.
So…
Hotcha’s wings glitter. A tingle shoots up her spine and swirls within her shoulder blades. Her wings glitter. They flutter. They zip her through the wind with ease! She makes a J-turn past Wu Xin’s head… then slows to a hover a few feet from his face.
“Whatchya doin’? Ya look ponderous. Thinking about stuff?” She talks fast. She’s excited! The feeling of flying this easily is still new. She sits on tone of the taut lines, mere inches from where it is gripped by a hand as big as her body. “If it’s serious stuff that ya don’t wanna talk about, I get it.”
She turns her head to look at the island herself. Just for a moment, then she looks up at Wu Xin—a human who thought a fairy worthy of his team.
Xin turns to regard his tiny friend and smiles. How lightly she sits as if not bothered at all by the breeze filling the sails. He has gotten used to the sprite's mere nodding acquaintance with the laws of physics. Hotcha's banter lifted his spirits as it often did.
"Yes, Hotcha. Weighty and serious and utterly pointless. I wallow in the past. You remind me to be where I am, my friend. I am ready for this. -We- are ready for this. Are you excited to see our opponents?"
I sigh contentedly as the breeze takes the smoke from my pipe away. Xin and the sprite, Hotcha, were up front, the latter hopefully bringing the former out of his grim mood. I brush a hand over my pendent and send a quick prayer to Tsukiyo to ease the grim warriors thoughts.
My feelings however, were more akin to the sprite’s, though I lacked her boundless energy. It would be fun to fight again, it’d been so long since I’d really had to deal with a proper warrior instead of random banditry or some monster. More importantly though, I’d get to see the sorceress again, and hopefully repay her for the kindness she had issued me all those years ago. My hand grips the handle of my sword, and this time my prayers go to Shizuru.
“Kinda.” She shrugs, then admits to Wu Xin, “I’m a little nervous. The Cayden monks treat life as one big keg party—and I’m, uhhh, sworn to secrecy about Nuns’ Nite.” With a mischievous look she blurts, “Not like a vow, though, so I’ll tell ya—I won a DANCE-OFF against a Shelynite! Ha-ha-ha!
“Oh, but my point is that everyone was nice. Good sports, pulling punches, you lose a fight—as I often did—walk it off, bow, share a drink.”
It seems Hotcha’s head is in the past. Hers is a happy one. But her face becomes serious as she gets her head in the now.
“This free-for-all’s the kinda place where heartless predators will thrive.” She pulls a tiny silver cup from her hip scarf. It fills with a kind of hot nectar that’s popular among melixies. She raises her cup and says, “But we ain’t prey! We’re not gonna lose our lives or our souls!” Huh, my toast seems to be missing… OH!! “Orrrrr the tourney!”
She doesn’t drink yet. If any of her teammates raise their mugs, she’ll fill ’em! (Such is the duty of a nun of Cayden.)
Xin smiles at the story of the dance-off, trying and failing to imagine Hotcha in a nunnery. He digs around in gear stowed on the deck and retrieves the goblet the fairy had given him. His mother had warned him never to accept food or drink from a fairy, but he hadn't listened. Besides, he'd fought back to back with Hotcha, Esh and Yog'Moi dozens of times. He trusted each implicitly. He hoisted the goblet to be filled.
"The difference here is that we will fight as a team. -We- are the predators, Hotcha. Besides, do you really think there is an opponent on that island more frightening than a tiny sprite who can put a full-grown man on the ground?"
"Esh, Yog'Moi! Come join us. A toast to the future. We have defeated our selves of yesterday. All that is to come is but the outward reflection of that victory already won!"
Hotcha’s hand caress the brim of Wu Xin’s goblet, causing it to fill up with a pretty pink sake that smells of freshly fallen cherry blossoms. It is served at 92 degrees, soothing with a hint of cherry.
Should Esh join with goblet raised, fairy fingers will fill his goblet with a frothy ale that tastes great, yet is less filling than the typical ale. It looks manly, yet leaves your breath smelling literally sweet as a rose… drowned in beer.
Yog’Moi, being a cook, gets fire wine—cinnamon and citrus, potent, served hot.
She is very impressed by the toast. She hopes Wu Xin sees this in her expression because she won’t spoil the moment by blurting a compliment aloud.
The drink disappears into Yog'Moi's gullet in one enormous swoop. The corpulent hobgoblin then lazily raises his forearm up to his chin and wipes it clean. "Ha! I'm here to bring honor to Hei Feng, but look at this: abandoned islands, reclaimed by rampant nature, harboring sacred places to the Gods! Maybe the Storm Crow sent me here to bring honor to his name in a place where he feels only shame."
The few drops of fire wine that moments earlier missed his mouth and instead crashed down onto his mountain of a belly are a (scant) offering to the hobgoblin's god, Hei Feng, and he rubs them over the religious tattoos adorning his gut. "Don't worry, Storm Crow, we won't let you down."
Yog'Moi might come across as irreverent at times, but those who have been around him know that he often 'pushes' his God to spur him on further. Lazy and ill-disciplined, Yog'Moi performs best when driven forth by divine anger.
At last, the ship reaches the island. As you disembark on the docks, you can see all of the entrants to this year's Ruby Phoenix Tournament lining up, stretching, practicing their techniques, and sparring with each other. The air buzzes with anticipation.
After a few minutes, a cloister of red-and-gold-outfitted monks arrives at the docks and calls the assembly to order. One monk meets with each team and introduces themself as the team’s attendant and guide for the duration of their time on Bonmu. Eventually, an old man wearing brilliant robes arrives by boat at the docks. All the monks bow to the man before he begins his speech.
A hush falls over the crowd as the wizened man steps onto one of the docks and clears his throat. Even the ocean’s waves seem to cease their crashing for a dramatic moment, and then the man speaks in a loud and clear voice.
“I am Sifu Xho Nuo—Emissary of the Ruby Phoenix Tournament and guardian of the legacy of Hao Jin, the immortal sorcerer in whose name you are gathered here. Know that in simply receiving an invitation to qualify for the tournament, you have already earned a place among the greatest fighters Golarion has ever known. However, only eight teams may continue on to the tournament proper, and that is why you are here today. Welcome to the island of Bonmu, or, as dubbed by Lady Hao Jin, ‘Danger Island.’ This will be your home for the next few days, and it is here where you will earn the right to enter the tournament.
“Bonmu is vast. It is a place of ancient ruins and sites left untouched by the centuries. Lady Hao Jin has reclaimed this place and picked out a suitable location for each team to reside during their stay. Of course, nothing is given freely at the Ruby Phoenix Tournament. Each team has been assigned a specific location somewhere on this island, but many of these sites are filled with dangerous creatures or worse. It falls to you to make your site safe. Within your residence you will find the phoenix necklace and three silver feathers. Your mission here is to acquire and keep seven more such silver feathers.
“Without further delay, I leave you to the whims of Bonmu. The pre-qualifier begins at sunrise tomorrow. May the worthiest win!” At that, the teams burst into excited conversations with their escorts and rush toward their residences. Danger Island awaits!
Your escort turns towards you again. "I am Ingdani," she says as she bows. "As your team's escort, I will accompany you during your stay on the island and answer any questions you have. Your residence will be at a temple to Irori roughly a third of a mile away from the docks. When you are ready, I will take you there. In the meantime, there are several ground rules to follow during this round of the tournament. They are provided for you here, along with a map of the island.” The monk hands you a scroll.
• The commands of the emissary and his agents are to be obeyed at all times, and the emissary’s word is final. None shall take violent action against the emissary or his agents.
• The emissary employs a number of enforcers to maintain order on the island. The enforcers are agents of the emissary and so have the authority to declare unique challenges and matches.
• To qualify for the Ruby Phoenix Tournament, a team must collect a total of 10 silver feathers. A team can attempt to earn feathers by challenging another team to a match and wagering feathers.
• All teams must be able to readily present their phoenix necklace and at least 1 silver feather to the emissary or his enforcers. Failure to do so will result in immediate disqualification.
• No contestant may leave Bonmu, for any reason, until the conclusion of the qualifying round, unless they are disqualified or lose all of their silver feathers.
• The qualifying round lasts a total of 3 days. On the third day, any team with a complete set of silver feathers can visit Mount Haminabu to confirm their entry into the tournament by presenting their necklace and 10 feathers. Once eight teams have qualified for the tournament, the qualifying round is over, and all remaining teams are immediately disqualified.
Contests
To earn silver feathers, teams must engage other teams in official fighting matches. Teams can challenge one another to a match at any time once the qualifying round begins except for designated safe hours (every night from midnight to sunrise). A team must challenge another team in the presence of an enforcer. A challenged team must accept the challenge or be disqualified.
Once a match has been declared, the challengers must wager between one and three feathers. The defenders must then match the wager; if a defending team can’t match the wager, they must wager their remaining feathers. Once the wagers are placed, the feathers are handed to the enforcer, who takes both teams to the nearest designated fighting site. Teams can also agree to fight one another without making a wager, in which case they are free to fight anywhere on the island, and the defending team isn’t required to accept the challenge.
Once at the fighting area, the challenge begins. Only the two teams are allowed to participate in the challenge. Neither team can accept aid from anyone not participating in the challenge. The challenge is a free-for-all between both teams. The last team standing is the winner. A team can choose to yield and forfeit at any time during the challenge. Failing to honor the forfeit results in a disqualification. The slaying of an entrant during a challenge is entirely possible and permitted, but if an agent of the emissary catches any team attempting to lethally harm an entrant outside of a challenge, that team is disqualified.
Once one side has fallen or forfeited, the enforcer declares a winner and provides the winning team all of the wagered feathers. If the transfer of feathers would grant a team more than 10 total feathers, any excess feathers go to the enforcers and are taken out of play from the qualifying round. There are no ties in challenges and in the rare case where a winner is not immediately obvious, the enforcer has final say on declaring the winner. In addition to earning the feathers, the winning team also earns a bonus of 500 gp for winning a challenge. The enforcers are free to add to the winnings as they see fit in cases of particularly spectacular or memorable matches. Looting of defeated teams is permissible only if all members of the losing team have been killed.
After a match, the winning team can’t challenge the losing team again for the duration of the event. The losing team doesn’t have this restriction, however, and can challenge a team that has beaten them to rematches until the losing team either runs out of feathers or wins. Finally, any team with 10 or more feathers is prohibited from issuing challenges to other teams, though other teams are still allowed to challenge them.
Enforcers
Rather than send in their own priests, the church of Abadar has recruited capable fighters to help maintain order on Bonmu and act as judges. These enforcers have the power to oversee challenges and directly interfere when any team breaks the rules.
In addition to acting as referees, the enforcers are a type of rival team themselves. An enforcer or group of enforcers can challenge any contending team on the island to a match. The enforcers are not required to wager any feather tokens, though they may require the defending team to wager up to 3 feathers. This process is intended to thin the pool of available feathers and make it more difficult for some of the teams to acquire the 10 feathers they need to qualify. If a challenged team defeats the enforcers, the winners earn 500 gp instead of silver feathers. Of course, no lethal action may be taken against the enforcers.
The enforcers also have the power to declare unique challenges that don’t involve a fighting match. These challenges are designed to encourage the teams to travel the island and overcome the environment. To entice teams to participate in these challenges, the enforcers possess a number of additional silver feathers that they can give out as rewards to the challenge winners.
Though the emissary is ultimately in charge of all the tournament agents on the island, including the enforcers, he has delegated command of the enforcers to an onidoshi named Koto Zekora. Koto Zekora is considered the final arbiter of any enforcer decisions, and her authority is second only to that of the emissary.
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"Esh, Yog'Moi! Come join us. A toast to the future. We have defeated our selves of yesterday. All that is to come is but the outward reflection of that victory already won!"
I hop down from the forecastle, joining the others at the bow and drinking the flowery ale that Hotcha gifts me with. Xin's toast is well thought, and he is a good leader, it pleases me to be working with him again.
I sigh at the hobgoblin's pronouncement. It was, and honestly still is at times, a trial to see past his species and nature in general. Hobgoblins and elves did not historically get along, and Hei Feng was not a deity I had been raised to... emulate. Though, he is definitely nothing like the stereotype of a hobgoblin, and to his credit, he has never behaved particularly differently towards me than he has anyone else. He had never (well, rarely) been anything other than a reliable and competent comrade. No matter it's phase, the moon is whole. All under Heaven's gaze is beauty. I do my best to be as worthy as my other companions are.
"I am Ingdani," she says as she bows. "As your team's escort, I will accompany you during your stay on the island and answer any questions you have. Your residence will be at a temple to Irori roughly a third of a mile away from the docks. When you are ready, I will take you there. In the meantime, there are several ground rules to follow during this round of the tournament. They are provided for you here, along with a map of the island.”
"A pleasure ma'am," I duck my head back at her. I'm glad that our residence is an old temple, and to the Master of Masters at that. Hopefully an auspicious place to start.
Hotcha energizes her wings and flies to eye-level. In a seemingly-effortless hover, she bows to Ingdani. “Good to meet ya! I’m Hotcha ‘Pom-Pom’ Pomegranate Twinkletoes, practitioner of the Phoenix fighting style. These toes twinkle with fire!” she says of her toes.
(Presently, they twinkle with glitterdust nail polish.)
Once someone who can actually hold the scroll unfurls it, she hovers down, down, down on one side to read without getting in the way of others. Her luminous skin glows a soft amber for easy reading.
“……mm-hmm…………uh-huh… no killing on purpose, yay… red plus gold equals boss… ooh! Non-fighting challenge! Bet the big people will be surprised if they gimme an athletic challenge. Unless it’s weightlifting. Then they’ll be unsurprised………”
As he listens to the introduction, Wu Xin scans the crowd for any intelligence on his opponents. He is looking for fighters he may know from the last tournament or by reputation, or anything that just looks odd.
Later, he examined the three feathers. These could be stolen he thinks. He's no thief, but he does know how easy it would be. He gives one each to Yog'Moi and Esh, keeping one himself. "For safekeeping", he says.
When they meet Ingdani, Xin bows formally. "An honor. Lead on!"
As they walk he asks the escort "Is there a roster of teams? I would like a look at the names on it."
Ingdani rattles off several names of some of the teams that will be competing here on Bonmu.
The Ahmoza Twins
Arms of Balance
Winter's Roar
Biting Roses
Cloud Jesters
Fallen Moon
Glowing Embers
Golarion's Finest
Hana's Hundreds
The Last Breath
Lightkeepers
Lightning Callers
Nightmares
Speakers to the Winds
Steps of the Sun
Tino's Toughest
Trembling Meteors
Under the Pale Sun
"Before we go, let me show you a few sites of interest nearby. The nearest fighting site to the temple of Irori is to the south, in the forest over there. You are free to accept challenges at the temple, once you have claimed the residence, but you can also move any challenges to that arena if you wish.
"North of that is the Stone Market." The monk points to a set of small stone shacks to the southeast of the docks. "Each of these buildings is magically connected to a tournament-operated stall in the Neverending Market in Goka, allowing competitors to purchase any common goods and equipment during their time on Bonmu.
"Finally, there is a transport tower over there." She notes a stone tower looming over the treetops half a mile north of the temple of Irori. "The tower is one of five located around Bonmu. These towers are all connected by teleportation magic and allow for quick transport around the island. The towers are considered safe sites; any attempts to fight or declare a match within them results in instant disqualification.
"Any other questions before we proceed?"
As the names come up, Hotcha has an oh-please expression at the way Winter’s Roar attempts to instill fear. But Biting Roses sounds genuinely frightening! By the time Ingdani gets to the T-section, Hotcha feels good about the name she pretty-pleased Wu Xin into going along with, if only because no alternative came up.
“See, Wu Xin? Three Men and a Fairy is the best name on the list, with the possible exception of the first if it’s four siblings that are two sets of twins. But half these teams advertise their fighting style, favored magical element, and/or certain aspects the aforementioned heartless predators are sure to exploit.
“When people see us step into the arena, they’ll be like, yup… there’s three men and a fairy, but I knew that when I came in here.”
Her wings flutter giddily and her glow pinkens, then greens its way to cyan. Hotcha settles on that color because it also has a silly name.
“Question. Yes,” she says. “When we are issued a challenge… will you be a spectator?”
The little gears in Hotcha’s fairy brain are surely grinding with some sotra convoluted plan.
”I will be observing, but I would not exactly call it spectating,” Ingdani says with a shrug.
"Indeed, Hotcha. None of the others share your...flair... for naming conventions."
Wu Xin asks Ingdani. "As I understand the rules, no ambushes are allowed. All fights are to be preceded by a challenge and then a removal to a designated field of battle. Is that correct?" Whatever the answer, he remains on guard. The island is famously populated by dangerous beasts after all. And, allegedly, a kaiju!
"Are you permitted to tell us anything about the temple of the Master? I assume from the introduction that it is occupied or otherwise dangerous. What can you say about it?"
”Yes, you are correct,” Ingdani tells Xin. ”The fight will only count if the proper rules are followed.
”I do not know what lies within the temple, but even if I did, I would not be at liberty to divulge those details. You will have to discover and defeat whatever lies within.”
The hobgoblin barks out a harsh laugh when Hotcha seriously suggests that name. There are, however, more important things to discuss such as the rules of the tournament and the temple they've to (re)claim. "I guess what she's saying is that we ought to move our collective behinds to this temple right now and get to winning this darn thing instead of discussing it."
Esh recalls that this temple is one of the few structures built during the island’s brief Tian-Sing occupation. The Tian-Sings built the temple to serve as a monastery for monks of Irori. There's no way to know what might be lurking there now, though.
As soon as you start your trip toward the temple of Irori (but before you make it very far), another team runs up and hails you. They seem a motley bunch at first glance--a middle-aged Tian-Shu man with a fashionable tattoo of Irori's Master's Rebus on his chest, a coy and aloof kitsune woman in black garb, a scarred tengu in armor and with matching fan-shaped swords at their belt, and a nagaji in robes with a curling tattoo of a dragon over his face.
"Greetings to you," the Tian man says, bowing. "I am Tino Tung, and these are my teammates Ji-yook, Takatorra, and Yabin the Just." He indicates the kitsune, tengu, and nagaji in order. "Together, we are Tino's Toughest! I overheard that you are headed to the temple of Irori. We are going to be staying in the library of Gruhastha, half a mile from the temple, and we are all eager to meet our island neighbors!"
Hotcha eagerly flutters, her dance scarves jingling, jangling, as she twirls in the air—to a branch or high rock, if conveniently available, or simply the ground, if not—and she lands in a curtsy.
“I’m Hotcha, the fairy of Three Men and a Fairy! This is Wu Xin, Esh and Yog’Moi. It’s an honor to meet you all. If you don’t mind my asking, is there a story behind the name Yabin the Just?”
Ugh. Nagas, while certainly capable of being perfectly pleasant people, are often... disconcerting, and nagajis equally so. I am very curious about Yabin's appellation as well though. I return Tung's bow, and smile at Hotcha's aerobatics. I wonder what kind of warriors they might be, giving them a quick look. We may end up fighting them after all.
”Greetings, little fairy,” Yabin rumbles, bowing to Hotcha. ”I am called ‘the Just’ because I live my life by a credo of honor and righteousness.”
“And because he likes to insert himself in the middle of arguments that have nothing to do with them, trying to play the mediator,” Ji-yook adds. She winks playfully at the nagaji, who gives her a long-suffering look.
Esh can see that Tino wears handwraps and a gi, likely meaning he is a monk. Ji-yook’s garb is that of a ninja, with many darts concealed on her person. Takkatorra’s blades are typical of a tengu swordmaster, while Jabin’s staff and spell components mark him as a wizard or sorcerer. He hasn’t heard of their group before, though.
Wu Xin bows to Tino and nods to each of the fighters introduced. He ponders what he knows of famous Tien gladiators.
"We would welcome you to the Temple of the Master," he says, "But we have only just arrived and have not yet cleared it of whatever dangers lie within. Have you come to challenge us? We will meet you when the qualifier begins if that is your desire."
Elephant in the room addressed!
Hotcha will let the leaders work that out.
She replies to Yabin with genuine enthusiasm, “Hey, I think it’s great that you use your martial prowess to do some good. Hearing some of the team names, Lightkeepers off the toppa my head… and maybe Golarian’s Finest are like… police-warriors?
“It’s what I aspire to do! Protect the innocent!” The fairy’s big grin makes it apparent she enjoys the banter when the kitsune pipes in. She giggles… then, playing off her boss, she says, “I guess ya gotta clear that library, though, just like we gotta clear that temple.
“Ya be careful when ya do, okay? I mean that—even if we do end up being opponents, I know we won’t be enemies. I like you guys!”
Hm hm hmmmm. Very interesting. They seem to be a suspiciously close mirror to our group. I would likely match up with the tengu, Takatorra, Xin would match up with Tung, Hotcha with Ji-Yook, and Yog with Yabin. So how to change things up? Hm hm hm.
Best bet would be to ignore the kitsune. Most likely a ranged skirmisher, will run around and hit us while our backs are turned. Dangerous, but not a huge threat without her teammates. Tung would likely be more mobile, so Xin and I should draw him away from Takatorra, and deal with him quickly while Hotcha and Yog took out Yabin. Then Hotcha could distract Ji-yook while Xin and I would tag-team Takatorra, who seemed likely to be the most dangerous warrior, while Yog split his attention between supporting the two groups.
On the other hand, I could possibly blitz Yabin and remove their magical support quickly, leaving them pretty vulnerable from the start. If I could pull it off that would be a much better scenario, but I’m not as young as I used to be, and it’s entirely possibly they’ll be just as quick if not more so than me.
Ah well, I’m sure we’ll discuss it tonight once we’ve dealt with securing the temple. I hear the banter between the kitsune and nagaji, over the sound of my own thoughts, and smile to myself. A close mirror indeed.
”Mediation is a just cause indeed, and close to Tsukiyo’s heart. I commend you,” I say, pulling slightly at my pendent.
“Ya be careful when ya do, okay? I mean that—even if we do end up being opponents, I know we won’t be enemies. I like you guys!”
”I agree. While victory of course is the objective, it does no good to make enemies, and it does a great deal of good to gain worthy opponents.”
"Yes, of course," Tino says. "We had hoped you might be interested in a friendly sparring match before things got underway, but I suppose it would be best to secure our lodgings and wait for the pre-qualifier to actually begin."
Xin hasn't heard of this group in the gladiatorial circuit of Tian Xia. If asked about it, Tino smiles. "We aren't professional gladiators, but rather adventurers! We have been together for a long time. We’ve met a lot of people on our adventures, but there’s always more to learn. When we got word we were invited to take part in the Ruby Phoenix Tournament, we leapt at the chance to travel to a new place and test our strength against worthy opponents. It would be quite a thing to earn one of Hao Jin’s great treasures... but as long as we’re having fun and making memories, I don’t think any of us would regret losing the tournament!
"Well, we'd best be off. Feel free to find us any time you want a friendly match. Oh, but before you go, take these." He gifts you two ghost touch weapon runes, saying with a wink, "I’ve heard this island is covered in undead. I’d hate for ghosts to get the better of you before we have a chance to fight in the tournament. See you around!" His teammates wave as they depart.
Hotcha returns the wave. When they leave, she says, “They’re really very nice! Just like the kinda people I trained with!
“Yeah, I do wanna friendly match. It’s not like we’re here to kill anyone… except undead, I guess. But they’re dead already, so it kinda doesn’t count.”
The hobgoblin is genuinely surprised by the generosity and openness displayed by Tino and his companions. "You're too kind. I'll spill a drink in your name to Hei Feng later today so that the Storm Crow won't get jealous at the fact his most devoted priest is getting all the presents, and he's getting nothing. Ha!"
Hopefully, Yog'Moi won't forget to make the sacrifice. It wouldn't be the first time he forgets something important.
Without further adieu, you make your way to the temple of Irori. The path to the temple begins at the bottom of a hill, several hundred feet from the door. Thin stone pillars carved with representations of the Master’s Rebus line the path on both sides. A small metal brazier rests atop each pillar. The braziers are currently unlit and empty.
A simple dirt path leads up to a large pair of wooden doors bearing numerous intricate carvings. Two statues, each of an androgynous human, stand to either side of the doors, though the southern statue has been knocked over and now lies in pieces in the grass. Large webs cover the temple door and the exterior walls to the northwest and southwest. Something massive writhes in the thick webs that cover the northwest wall.
A small footpath leads around the north side of the temple, where a smaller side door offers an alternate (web-free) means of ingress.
Wu Xin gratefully accepts the runes. "Hopefully we will be able to offer you something in the future,".
"Esh and Hotcha. You two should take the runes. Affix them now before we go in."
__________________________________________________________________
Seeing the large webs, Wu studies the area. "There is no point in avoiding the danger we are here to cleanse. Let us make ready, then draw out these evidently quite large spiders and kill them or drive them off."
He moves to stand before the doors, weapons in hand, and waits for his teammates to signal that they are ready.
Esh notices gaps in the webbing cocoon. He can see the scaly hide of a massive, three-horned reptilian beast ensconced within--a triceratops!
He also spots two massive arachnids crouched atop the temple's roof. They appear to be asleep, but will no doubt awaken when you get closer.
"There is no point in avoiding the danger we are here to cleanse. Let us make ready, then draw out these evidently quite large spiders and kill them or drive them off."
"They're on the roof, possibly asleep. Looks like a triceratops trapped in their webbing." I murmur to Xin, drawing my own blade.
You prepare for battle, then advance on the temple. The enormous spiders stir, sluggishly turning towards you as they prepare to attack!
Xin and Yog'moi let out battle cries, demoralizing the spiders!
The hobgoblin's eyes sparkle with electricity; his companions know from experience that this means he is calling upon Heng Fei's condemnation to smite a foe. He struggles with invisible forces which cause his arms to shake and tremble as he attempts to raise them and then, with a sudden violent motion, he releases the energy that has built up between his two meaty mittens.
The spiders notice us, and slowly turn. I eye the building. I could easily jump up and engage them directly, but that webbing would make footing treacherous, and definitively give the spiders the advantage. Range would be my best bet for now. I breathe deeply and focus, pulling the flames that constantly dance in my vision into the real world, my fingers flying through the seals. The fire arcs out towards the spiders. I pull more fire, the flames filling my vision, and wrap them around my sword, settling into Chūdan.
Esh scorches one of the spiders with a ray of flame, then Yog’moi blasts it with negative energy. Though it resists some of the power, the force still knocks it down!
The wounded spider gets back to its feet and unsteadily clambers down towards you. The other one leaps down nimbly, sinking its fangs into Esh!
One hobgoblin hand gives life as the other hand attempts to take it away.
Hotcha energizes her wings, sinks into her Rain of Embers stance, and… dances???
Hotcha’s jingles and jangles provide a herky-jerky rhythm. She sings lyrics about herself!
Hot Cha, where are you?
Everybody's eyes are closed
I can't see why I miss you so
So Hot Cha, where are you?
If that honey would come back
We would throw such a party
Drink and cook the prodigal son
Fondue forks for everybody
Seeing no likelihood that the spiders will be baffled by his verbal jabs, Wu Xin tries to inspire his troops with some of the words of the Master, but as the spider comes on too fast, he must cut that short, spin to the right and stab out as the creature's bristling foreclaw slashes by him.
The other spider rushes me and bites before I can make it out through the flames that fill my vision. It only stings mildly, and doesn't affect my movements. I quickly chain a hidari and migi kessa giri, then dash to the side to avoid the spider's follow-up.
+4 STR +2 Weapon Specialization +8 fire
The spiders seem flummoxed by Hotcha’s song and dance, their feet inadvertently tapping along to the rhythm. Wu Xin successfully feints one of the spiders, driving his blade deep into its eye! Yog’Moi heals Esh before blasting both spiders with lightning, catching them in vulnerable spots! Esh misses with his attacks before moving around it.
The spider tracks the elf’s movements and lunges again, scoring a critical hit! The second spider attacks Xin, and while he manages to nimbly dodge for a bit, it succeeds in sinking its fangs into him.
Hotcha changes tunes—less about hersel, more about what she’s gonna do!
All my enemies gonna get rocked
Like the way I rock the party 'till the doors are locked!
My fists rise up, make you hurt a bunch!
When I hit you in the face, with the One-Inch Punch!!
"Here! This fire wine will counteract its poison for sure!" Through the aid of Hei Feng, a splash of fine wine, and some righteous electric anger, Yog'Moi assists both his companion and smites their foes.