"WAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!!!" Yog'Moi rushes forward and invokes harm upon the monk with spell and sword.
Esh enters a rage and activates his incendiary aura. Xin issues orders as he moves forward to attack Abbot Tsujon, stabbing her and leaving her bleeding and weakened. Yog'Moi's harm spell hits the abbot full-force, casting her down. He then moves in to flank her, slicing her with his sword! Xin misses with his opportune attack. Hotcha shakes off her stun and wails on the abbot, scoring two hits!
Resisting the stunning attack, Abbot Tsujon gets to her feet. She shifts her stance, joining her palms together in the shape of a sal flower, evoking the truth that all things eventually decay. She quickly uses wholeness of body to tend to some of her wounds, then strikes out at Xin as she channels negative energy into her fists.
Leeyan enters the Falling Sal stance and attacks as well, but Xin avoids these attacks!
The world warps around my as I finish my spell, magic and steel crashing into the abbot, flames surrounding us.
Hotcha flurries—
—but seeing how easily the monks dodge, she sings a catchy tune…
▶️
If the monks start toe-tapping, Hotcha moves into flank position (sharing a square w/Yog, and is concealed).
If not, she attempts a strike from where she is (and misses again).
Esh slams into the abbot with a burst of force as he slices into her side, following up with a critical hit across her chest. Bloodied and badly wounded, the old woman holds up a hand to forestall further violence. "You are strong in both body and spirit, indeed. I yield."
Leeyan bows to Tsujon before dissolving into blue ripples that Tsujon inhales like a trail of smoke. Her skin becomes blue as well, revealing herself as a samsaran and not a human. "Leeyan was a manifestation of one of my past selves. I conjured him to observe you without being obtrusive. Come, sit with me."
Abbot Tsujon kneels on the straw mat and places her prayer staff beside her. "You have many questions about the Celestial Dragon, no dobut. I will answer them as best I can."
I pull my fire back into myself, trying to focus and control my breathing.
"We certainly have questions, but I think the first and foremost is, does the Celestial Dragon actually have the ability to send us into the... dimension?" I ask, gesturing off into the distance where the planar reflection is.
"Yes. If that is your wish, then the Celestial Dragon has the power to grant it. But the Dragon does not use their power lightly. You will have to do much, to give much of yourselves, in order to impress them."
"We have traveled through fire and cold and the wrath of monsters unknown to the world. We will not stop now. Show us the path and we will tread it," says Wu Xin.
"In order to call to the Celestial Dragon, you will need to be named intercessors." A disappointed look crosses Abbot Tsujon’s face. "Once, it was the sacred duty of the Rai Sho monastery to locate and confirm future celestial intercessors. There can be only one at a time, and the temple bell lets out a dragon’s roar when the previous holder has passed, indicating that the mantle is free for another. Though she died, the bell still has not rung. Somewhere, she must still hold the title.
"Jin-Hae loved battle more than her studies. While there is righteousness in striking down the forces of evil, I feel she loved it more than was healthy. She eventually lost her life at Kaifen Bay. Perhaps there, you may learn more.
“You will also need a branch of the boundary cypress. While indeed these trees are all but lost, one living specimen still remains in the Blasted Lands—that crater that roars and roils. Two kaiju have claimed it as their own—tread warily."
Abbot Tsujon smiles. "Those tasks still lie before you, but you will not leave here empty-handed." She notes that you have already been grounded in the basic steps of the Kagura of Invocation, the sacred dance to invoke the dragon, from the circular motions and rhythmic steadiness imparted by the chores you completed at the monastery. She leads you to the main plaza and teaches you the kagura more deliberately, showing you the steps. Learning the dance in full takes the rest of the day, after which you are welcome to rest at the monastery and use it as a base of operations before setting back out.
Abbot Tsujon also bequeaths you a number of objects associated with the intercessor that have been gathering dust in a shed under the main temple. These constitute a third eye, a possibility tome, two necklaces of fireballs (type VII) in the shape of prayer beads, a greater phylactery of faithfulness, and a single unwilting sal blossom fixed in time worth 10,000 gold.
Leeyan bows to Tsujon before dissolving into blue ripples that Tsujon inhales like a trail of smoke. Her skin becomes blue as well, revealing herself as a Samsaran and not a human. "Leeyan was a manifestation of one of my past selves. I conjured him to observe you without being obtrusive. Come, sit with me."
Yog'Moi blinks and stares at the scene slack-jawed. Meanwhile, the grey mess inside his thick skull attempts to make sense of what he just saw. It fails to do so, and it only gets worse from thereon. "What, eh, is an intercessor?"
Luckily for Yog'Moi, the conversation shifts from words he doesn't understand to "kaiju"!!! "Ha! We'll get that branch, don't you worry. If those kaiju are smart, they best point us toward the tree and let us get on with it."
"The intercessor is the spiritual component of the ritual. One must be ritualistically ordained in order to be able to perform the ritual and summon the Dragon," Tsujon explains patiently.
Yog'Moi immediately looks at Hotcha. If someone is going to be that, it must be her. Hrm, or Esh. No, maybe Xin. Whatever! Whoever will be the intercessor, it definitely won't be him!
"Eh, I see. Thank you. Normally with Hei Feng, these things just sort of, eh, you know, involve copious amounts of alcohol ... but I respect the ways of the Dragon, we all got our ways of doing things, right."
Hotcha asks, “So to be an intercessor… does that mean learning the dance?” Grinning sheepishly, she blurts, “I’m a dancer—a nun—a dancing nun…” She calms herself, minding who she’s speaking to. She bows politely to the abbot. “What I mean is… will the completion of these tasks grant me to opportunity to, ummm… prove worthy, or at least worthyish, of learning the dance?
“—of Rai Sho,” she quickly adds, not that she forgot the name or anything.
"Yes," Abbot Tsujon says to Hotcha. "I will teach you all the dance, but you should learn the steps most of all, if you desire to be the intercessor."
"Yes," agrees Xin. "Hotcha is clearly the right choice for intercessor."
"So," he addresses his companions. "Should we return to Kaifen Bay first, or go seek the cypress at the Blasted Lands first?"
"I vote for Kaifen Bay," I say after a bit of thought. Dealing with kaiju has a far greater chance of killing us, and if we're going to die I'd rather make it easier for whoever follows in our footsteps to complete the task ahead, which means dealing with what is sure to be some sort of undead or spirit that still bears the mantle first.
"That is my thought as well. Begin with the familiar."
The members of the Arms of Balance thank you again for assisting them. They promise to meet you atop Iron Mountain when the time comes to assist with summoning the Celestial Dragon. After resting overnight, you fly south in the Solar Jian II towards Kaifen Bay.
For most of its existence, Kaifen Bay—more commonly known as the Bay of Blades—was protected by a unique formation of naturally occurring basalt columns known as the Adamant Cousins. But when they were about to be destroyed in a massive earthquake, Hao Jin transported the columns into her tapestry for safekeeping. Though the exquisite natural formations remained safe, their disappearance left Kaifen Bay exposed, and the bay became a strategic landing point for invading armies. Numerous battles have been waged upon its shores and the rusted weapons buried throughout the sand now give the bay its current moniker.
Small white hermit crabs, wearing scrap metal instead of shells, scuttle in sharp contrast to the black sand of this shoreline, water welling up in the depressions left by their tracks. The air is quiet and the sound of gentle waves breaking and retreating fills the air. Bits of metal in varying states of degradation lie among the sand, adding to its glitter. Near the water’s edge, none other than the Biting Roses stand as if at a loss. The spiritualist Yarrika idly traces patterns in the sand with a single toe from her bare foot. Yarrika looks up and waves merrily as you disembark the airship.
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Hotcha is saddened to see evidence of the death and destruction caused by Hao Jin’s powerful sorcery.
Yarrika’s daring outfit puts a smile on the fairy’s face. And she’s in a good mood, it seems! Hotcha flies down as the Solar Jian II is settling into its docking space.
“You look so…” Appropriate compliment… “…relaxed! But your team looks puzzled. Should we maybe put our heads together?”
Hotcha recalls a Cayden monk suggesting two bald monks to put their heads together to make an ass out of themselves. But she believes Three Men, a Fairy and Four Biting Roses will make an excellent combination… despite her inability to come up with a clever metaphorical wordplay.
"That would likely be for the best," Yarrika says. "While we did not have the opportunity to directly clash in the tournament, we watched how you dominated every match. Your prowess would be welcome now."
She sweeps her arm in a broad gesture to encompass her other teammates--the wyrwood harrower Lantondo and the elven soul archer Artus. "The three of us were brought here by the whims of fate. We were in the right place at the right time to catch a boat from Goka as we left on our search for Hao Jin. We stayed onboard for a time until the captain discovered us and threw us overboard--we hadn't paid for passage, after all. Just then, a pod of whales came by, carrying us inland, before a rogue wave washed us all ashore. Right place, right time!"
Yarrika chuckles a bit, but as she looks out at the bay, her easygoing demeanor becomes uncharacteristically sober. Her phantom materializes behind her, an older man with the features of a praying mantis. “The Bay of Blades is legendary. So many souls have been lost here. It’s said that they still reverberate collectively along the boundary between this life and the next. I hoped that in coming here, I might be able to feel it for myself, and in doing so, answer some questions about the afterlife and the phantom that is bound to me. We’ve spent some time preparing the site so that we might be able to glimpse the boundary, but all that remains is to wait. Sunset should bring clarity.
"I would be happy to add you to the ritual circle that we have constructed here on the sand, but you must agree that both of our teams will equally share whatever we might find on the other side."
"Agreed, wholeheartedly," says Xin. "Save only that whatever is needed to summon the Celestial Dragon belongs to neither. We must have it to rescue Hao Jin."
"Now tell us what you need us to do."
"Reattuning the circle will only take a short time," Yarrika says with an enigmatic smile. "Then, we need merely wait until the sun sets."
Hotcha looks at the sun and says, “Still a few hours until then.”
Yarrika is ravishing, but… probably not Xin’s type. And he might not be hers either, but she *is* really impressed with our team, and that robe is open for business, so………
“Do you need us here for that? No? Cool beans! ‘Cause I got a spectacular idea! Like, my best idea ever! Esh, Yog, maybe you guys can comb the beach that way, and Yarrika, your two guys can go the other way. And I’ll do a flyover. We don’t engage threats, just kinda look around.
“And then, Xin and Yarrika, you two can talk team-leader stuff, and if you run outta things to talk about, there’s an ocean. Y’know. A rrrrealllllyyy specTACular idea that only works if everybody leaves but you two.”
Hotcha gives Xin and Yarrika a toothy grin. She is totally not trying to leave them alone together.
Xin shoots Hotcha an unmistakable glare. He is not the mood for matchmaking. He allowed himself to be distracted by his attraction for Hotcha. He won't make that mistake again. Also, though he would not admit it, the hurt is too recent. He cannot abide having the woman he wanted make matches for him.
A part of his mind rebelliously considers whether a wild fling on the beach would be just the thing to clear his mind and shock his friends, but he clamps down on that thought with a vehemence sharper than his sword.
"Hotcha thrives on losing focus," he says to Yarrika, outwardly calm. "It is part of what makes her charming."
Yarrika smiles. ”Indeed. Well, we have time to spend. There would be worse things than spending it together. We can just converse, if you wish. Or we can sit in silent meditation. The choice is yours.”
Hotcha’s grin widens awkwardly, along with her eyes.
But as soon as Xin turns to face Yarrika, Hotcha starts to fly. “Ya talking to me?” she calls down without stopping, “‘Cause I can’t hear you from way up here!”
She’s only 50 feet up, climbing slowly. Darn wind!
She lowers her voice to feign shouting from further away than she actually is. “I’m trying to focus on the flyover, so I should probably stop talking since soon I’ll brr tmm frr frr ymm tmm hrr mrr crrmrrklrr…”
She’s pretty sure talking with her mouth closed makes her sound more than 100 feet up. She looks back to see if everyone else is leaving (and which way Yog and Esh go).
Even if nothing comes of this particular coupling, he can’t get stuck on me. I told him no boy-sprites before I even knew he felt…
Sure! Let's meet the angry dead, those who were beaten in battle and left to linger in limbo! Yog'Moi needs a drink or two to wash away that thought. That, and he's thirsty, but when ain't he? He uncorks a jug full of sweet Shackles rum and wets his lips. It's only then that the ocean view gets to him and a yearning stirs within the hobgoblin. A need to travel, to see the world, and sample every drink there is.
"How about we just drink, Hotch? The sorry bastards we're about to meet will most likely be very angry about being stuck in limbo after, you know, being beaten in battle. And being stuck here, with this vista, probably did nothing to better their mood."
"Conversation would be fine," says Xin, finding a seat on the sand. "Tell me about this boundary you hope to discover."
"Is it a coincidence that brings you here? Or was that part of your purpose in entering the tournament?"
”You say coincidence. I call it fate,” Yarrika says as she sits beside Xin. ”We hail from a small town in the nation of Nalmeras in Arcadia. We entered the Ruby Phoenix Tournament hoping to acquire a fortune we can bring back to enrich the lives of our hometown’s impoverished citizens.hometown.
“Each of us, though, has an occult connection to spirits and souls we use to enhance our martial techniques. For me, that manifests a the strange bond with the phantom that fights alongside me.” The mantis-headed spirit appears again, beginning a well-practiced kata. Yarrika watches for a few moments before continuing. ”I do not know where the phantom came from. It just showed up one day. I believe it to be the soul of my grandfather, who was my original combat teacher, but whether or not this is true is unverifiable; the phantom never speaks. Perhaps, at long last, I may be able to learn the truth.”
"And this ritual will permit you to see the phantom as it truly is?" asks Xin.
Sure! Let's meet the angry dead, those who were beaten in battle and left to linger in limbo! Yog'Moi needs a drink or two to wash away that thought. That, and he's thirsty, but when ain't he? He uncorks a jug full of sweet Shackles rum and wets his lips. It's only then that the ocean view gets to him and a yearning stirs within the hobgoblin. A need to travel, to see the world, and sample every drink there is.
"How about we just drink, Hotch? The sorry bastards we're about to meet will most likely be very angry about being stuck in limbo after, you know, being beaten in battle. And being stuck here, with this vista, probably did nothing to better their mood."
Hotcha flutters back to Yog’Moi.
“Oooohhhh, all right.” She wills her silver cup to fill with fire nectar and drinks up.
"And this ritual will permit you to see the phantom as it truly is?" asks Xin.
"Yes, that is the hope," Yarrika says. "Do you have any questions about what waits beyond this life you wish answered?"
Images cross Xin's mind of his men lying dead on the field of Shokuro, their eyes accusing and vacant.
"I... I guess I'd like to know that people I knew are...what? Alright, I suppose. That they don't linger, unable to move on. I've met some spirits like that, that don't know or don't care that they're dead."
"I wonder whether we can ever wash away the blood we've spilled. And whether it matters why we spilled it."
"My old master used to say that one should never regret the things he's done. That one must always accept the world as it is, including oneself. Of course, he also thought that a warrior's only purpose in life was to fight, so..."
Xin trails off in thought.
"You fight for the future of your people. That is admirable. I fight only to balance a ledger." He looks off in the direction his friends have gone. "I thought there might be more, but there isn't."
Yarrika places a comforting hand over Xin’s. ”There is more. There must always be more, or else what is the point of going on living? You may not yet know what your new purpose will be, but it will reveal itself when you are ready for it. Of this, I am certain.”
Time passes, and eventually the sun begins to set. You gather together within the silvery circle on the beach. A strange ethereal fog surrounds the bay, thick and tinged with salt. It rolls in from the water, enveloping all of you. As if riding a beaching whale, the surface of the ocean comes crashing down. The beach reappears, but seemingly in a different time. The sand is covered in unburied swords, polearms, and countless other weapons, and the Biting Roses are nowhere to be seen. The sun barely touches the horizon; before it, the ocean waves are frozen in place. A lone figure sits on a rock outcropping, dipping her feet into the unmoving waves and watching the eternal sunset.
I look around, the smoke drifting from my pipe an odd counterpoint to the stillness of our surroundings.
"Jin-Hae...?' I ask softly of the figure sitting on the rock.
Yarrika places a comforting hand over Xin’s. ”There is more. There must always be more, or else what is the point of going on living? You may not yet know what your new purpose will be, but it will reveal itself when you are ready for it. Of this, I am certain.”
Xin nods, looking out to sea. "Perhaps. I suppose we've all got to get through this, first. Thank you."
Time passes, and eventually the sun begins to set. You gather together within the silvery circle on the beach. A strange ethereal fog surrounds the bay, thick and tinged with salt. It rolls in from the water, enveloping all of you. As if riding a beaching whale, the surface of the ocean comes crashing down. The beach reappears, but seemingly in a different time. The sand is covered in unburied swords, polearms, and countless other weapons, and the Biting Roses are nowhere to be seen. The sun barely touches the horizon; before it, the ocean waves are frozen in place. A lone figure sits on a rock outcropping, dipping her feet into the unmoving waves and watching the eternal sunset.
"Yarrika?!" Xin is shocked by his companion's disappearance.
The woman turns as Esh calls her name. She slowly gets to her feet and walks closer. "Yes. I am Jin-Hae. And who are you? Have you come to cross blades with me?" she asks eagerly.
"Yes. I am Jin-Hae. And who are you? Have you come to cross blades with me?"
I laugh at her eagerness and stow my pipe, stretching my arms out and loosening my ankles. I can see where this is going.
"I suspect we have, honored one. You hold the mantle of the intercessor for the Celestial Dragon still? If so, we have need of it."
The warrior woman inclines her head. ”Yes. Though I was named as intercessor by Abbot Tsujon decades ago, I reneged on my priestly duties to defend the coast from invaders, finding that I loved the song of blades and arms more than the ascetic life. I fell in battle, but I remained in this twilight realm rather than passing on to the afterlife, my soul yearning for one last chance to face a worthy opponent. Defeat me, and the mantle is yours.”
She smiles eagerly as she manifests a pair of matching hooked swords. A moment later, a massive kirin manifests beside her! ”Come, Cloudsplitter! Fight by my side, one last time...”
Jin-Hae is taken aback by Xin’s battle cry!
When Xin calls out to Yarrika, she asks, “Miss her al… rea… dy.
“huh.”
When Esh somehow knows the lady’s name, Hotcha listens then kinda catches on.
”Yes. Intercession. So will you teach me to dance…?
“Oh.”
Hotcha bows. And once she really has a grasp of what’s going on, she says, “It is my pleasure to honor you.”
* * *
In battle, Hotcha ▶️soars straight at Jin-Hei!
She strikes once—
—then ▶️flies straight up over fifty feet!
Yog'Moi opens his trap and shouts his companions forward. "C'mon! We won't be bested by the dead!"
Yog’Moi’s rallying cry gives the rest of you great speed! Xin enters his stance and moves to attack Jin-Hae, stabbing her twice! Hotcha flies in and lands a hit, allowing Xin to stab the warrior woman once more and land a critical hit!
Bleeding and weakened, Jin-Hae grimaces and holds out a hand. ”I call you! Kalikra, the Lancet!” One of the weapons strewn across the beach flies up and into the woman’s hand! This cruel-looking kama appears to be a fearsome weapon of war, but it was actually created by a doctor to cut disease and pain out of the body, passing harmlessly through flesh. Jin-Hae unseals its power, causing it to heal her wounds as it dissipates into mist.
She then slashes at Xin with her hook swords, narrowly missing!
Cloudsplitter uses his magic to heal the remainder of Jin-Hae’s wounds.
The kirin then rears up and kicks Xin in the face, a critical hit!
Weapon battle echoes function as +3 major striking weapons. When the characters leave the Shore Between Worlds, any battle echoes they might still be carrying return to their true state as hopelessly rusted and broken weapons with no value.
A character can unleash an echo’s full power by unsealing it. This involves spending a single action to Activate it (Interact), causing the item to release a unique effect and permanently dissipate into mist.
Hotcha becomes invisible ⏩ and drops straight down!
With a flurry of rapier and dagger, Wu Xin stabs at the ancient warrior's weak points. He supports his whole team by exuding confidence and verve. Finally, his keen tactical mind spots an opening for Esh and he calls it out, directing his friend to the attack!
Yog'Moi weaves healing and protection magics that wash over Xin. It wouldn't do if they lost their leader now when they need him the most!
Esh enters a battle rage as he moves in to flank Jin-Hae with Xin. He attacks twice, landing one hit!
Yog'Moi heals Xin and grants him some protection as the rogue calls for Esh to strike again!
The barbarian scores another hit with his burning blade. Xin then stabs Jin-Hae once. Hotcha flies in and punches Jin-Hae, giving Xin an opening to stab her again!
Resisting Hotcha's stunning blow, Jin-Hae slashes at Xin with her hooks swords.
"Cloudsplitter!" she calls, hopping on the kirin's back as he moves away from you. She lashes out at Xin as she passes.
With a good bit of distance between you now, Cloudsplitter uses his magic to heal Jin-Hae again.