Quickblade notices pawprints in the tracks of snow that have a bipedal gait - that's probably your vulpine thief.
An hour later, you reach a clearing in the forest. One tree stands tall, rising out of the center of a pond. A variety of coins, jewels and trinkets lay about as a red furred humanoid throws them on a pile. When he hears you approach, he drops his handful of gems and scrambles back. "Oh no! No, witch! Please don't kill me!"
He peers at you and finally finds his katana. "The spirits warned me you'd come here. You'd come to retrieve the magical scarf, right? It has a kami inside..." He pauses and stands up. "Wait a second... ARE you the witch?"
You are able to find paw prints from an eight legged feline hopping from tree to tree.
An hour later, you reach a clearing in the forest. One tree stands tall, rising out of the center of a pond. An eight legged cat hangs off of the branches, lapping water with his head inches away from the surface. As soon as he realizes you are close, he loses his grip, and falls into the lake feet first.
In the blink of an eye he emerges in front of you, dripping wet. He stands tall and tries to act formal. "Hello there. I am known as Tishoki. This is my glade. Welcome, visitors."
"Oh yes, there's another kitsune in the area. He's trying to abuse a kami's power for his own benefit. Quite sad, yes?" Tishoki patrols back and forth. "So I stole an amulet from him and hid it. Oh, he's going to be so mad!"
|
"Tishoki, my name is Awakened Prime of Celestia. We are the Amulet's Guardians"
In the common tongue, perhaps our cosmic hero's tone might suggest a soon-to-follow "completion" of sorts to the above statement. But no. As different sentiences might hold different assumptions around language and communication, perhaps Apoc feels as the the second half of his short sentence is implied. He lets it hang in the air.
He pauses and glances at you. "Oh, you want the amulet? I hope you don't expect me to give it away." Tishoki stands alert. "I demand entertainment. Now."
Tishoki bobs his head to and fro as Dancing Sunbeam sings and dances about. In the meantime, he clumsily holds and bites on Geralt's cards. "Your opposable thumbs give an unfair advantage, I say. Still, this game is quite fascinating."
After losing his shirt at Gwent, Tishoki purrs. "That was delightful! I have a gift to offer - a low-grade cold iron katana. One moment." Tishoki enters the tree and emerges with a katana with an elaborate amulet wrapped around the hilt. "Here you go-"
Tishoki's ears twitch just as a fox-headed humanoid leaps from the forest. "Aha! There you are! Thought you could hide from Dorobu the Merciless?" His razor sharp claws flash against the sunlight. "Don't worry, you're not the first nor will you be the last." A leash of tiny foxes follow him. "Get them!"
Tishoki soon finds himself surrounded by foxes. "Oh my! Such fun!" He hops around and leads them on a merry chase away from the clearing, leaving you, the katana and Dorobu behind. "The amulet... good! Move aside, it's mine!"
Geralt
Sunbeam
Quickblade
Dorobu
Apoc
Geralt
Sunbeam
Quickblade
Dorobu
Apoc
Dancing Sunbeam burns Dorobu and the foxes with corrosive force. Then Quickblade takes a shot. His aim is critical, but maybe the gods decided to mock him. The bolt grazes his target near a vital organ. "How preposterous! Go, take them on!"
The black furred fox runs past Geralt (provoking an AoO) before it reaches Quickblade. (Assuming it survives...)
The yellow and blue foxes quickly converge on Dancing Sunbeam.
Dorobu licks his lips and heads for Geralt.
With a feint, he pushes Geralt's magical shield aside before tearing into him. Only the magical shield prevents him finding a critical weakpoint in the armor.
Dorobu (16 damage; Yellow 1; Black 1; Blue 1;)
Apoc
Geralt (Can AoO vs Black or Shield Block to reduce damage; 10 damage pending)
Sunbeam (5 damage)
Quickblade (4 damage if Geralt's doesn't AoO or misses)
Geralt cuts the Black-furred fox as it skips by him. Dorobu digs his claws into a wakpoint on Geralt's armor, but he retaliates and keeps Dorobu in place. "What- let go of me!"
|
|
With windblown speed, Awakened Prime of Celestia strides forth, the branches and roots around his body unraveling again, exposing the galaxy at his core, which, with a twinkling surge of antigravity, begin to swell and expand, a little bang, doubling in diameter and quadrupling in mass, as halcyon energy surges through the living parts of his body, the vines thickening into hefty brambles, the tiny starfish engorging into large pointed pentagons, toppling and turvying in the wind across the forest floor, until, coalescing on the other side of Dorobu, Apoc's body puts itself back together, his physical form massive, his severed limb equally proportionate in size, and menacing from a distance!
◆) Stride
◆◆) Enlarge
Dancing Sunbeam's katana bursts into flame and snuffs out the blue fox with a single strike.
Apoc draws upon the world he cherishes so much, and the world responds by enhancing him and his massive size.
Dorobu (37 damage; Yellow 1;)
Apoc
Geralt (24 damage)
Sunbeam (5 damage)
Quickblade
Quickblade doesn't miss, and nails Dorobu again, but not critically.
The fox with the Yellow coat continues to harass Dancing Sunbeam.
Dorobu shakes free of Geralt's hold and takes a Step to the side. "You're quick, but I'm better!" He swings with his left and right claws.
Geralt raises his magical shield and it absorbs some of the blow before shattering against Dorobu's claws.
Dorobu (37 damage; Yellow 1;)
Apoc
Geralt (24 damage)
Sunbeam (5 damage)
Quickblade
|
|
Absorbing the very forest into his branch, Apoc lifts the heavy implement high, and with a giant wind up, brings it to bear against the merciless kitsune with variable force, his chest opening to reveal the galaxy at the center of his being, creating a gravitational pull that attracts the greatclub towards the earth - where Dorobu stands! - doubling it's centrifugal arc of speed, but exponentiating it's arc of impulse - crashing down like a wooden tsunami against his foe!
◆) Step
◆◆) Spellstrike w/ Telekinetic Projectile
The weight of Dorobu's sins come crashing down upon him. Also, Apoc's large greatclub infused with a gravitational pull. "What... the..." He wimpers out.
Dancing Sunbeam hits the fox and sees it turn tail to flee from the forest.
A few minutes later, Tishoki returns, appearing next to the tree. "Ah, I see you caught the villain." He peers at Doboru's body. "Ah look, Dorobu had kept a piece of the amulet. One moment while I fix it." Tishoki lifts a small gem off of Dorobu's belt and drops it on the amulet. A gray light breaks free from the amulet and releases its prisoner: a small humanoid creature made of moss wearing a conical hat.
"I thank you for returning me to my homeplace." It takes a short bow. "I am a kami. Your types call creatures like me a kodama. You have cleansed my home of a terrible man. He was exiled from his clan for his brutality, and he wished to use my powers to get his revenge."
The creature checks the nearby glade. "Tishoki, thank you for managing my home. I have much more cleaning to do, but it will be done."
He turns to you. "You may keep the amulet; it will remain bright even on the darknest of nights. If you ever wish to stay in this glade, you are always welcome."
Following Dorobu's tracks you are able to find the rest of the goods he stole from the caravan.
|
|
Unraveling to his normal size, Apoc kneels before the fallen Dorobu - for even if a malicious one, a creature of the earth nonetheless - and gently closes his eyes with his leafy wooden fingers.
He says nothing as Kodama thanks Tishoki, and gifts the Amulet to the party. This is a nice glade - perhaps I will return some day. A pleasant thought he keeps to himself. And it is here that he once again opens his galaxial chest, and releases the forest spirits that had possessed him, returning them to the glade as well.
And makes ready to return the Amulet to Lin Po and Ti Lan.
Tishoki purrs. "Well, I'll clean up this mess. Good day to you all." Blades of grass engulf Dorobu's body as Tishoki returns to the nearest tree.
Lin Po and Li Tan continue to crack jokes and give survival lessons as you return. "Did you get the amulet? Good. Let us camp and return to Minkai in the morning."
---
What's Brewing is the latest tea house in Minkai. By the time you get there, Amara Li is already laughing alongside Lin Po and Ti Lan.
"Lin Po and Ti Lan told me much of your journey." She calls a server to get more tea ready. "And yet I should hear from you directly." She sits still and waits for your response.
"As always, another exciting venture from our Pathfinders." She takes a deep, relaxing sip of her tea. "I did not know of our secret occupant or its teammate, but I am glad another kami is home. All of you should stay here for some time, and take a vacation." She pauses to build tension. "The tea is quite sweet."
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
With the tea ceremony concluded, the story told, the amulet recovered, the pathfinders safe, it is with silent grace that the Awakened Prime of Celestia participates nominally (silently) seeing the need for his own vocal contribution as inimminent.
And so, as the time comes to depart, he finds himself perched on top of a hill, watching the sun go down over the western sea of Minkai, drawing upon it's waning light to sustain his celestial core, which itself seems to slowly dilate as the stars in the sky begin to shine through the transition of day into night, twinkling in response like some cosmic code of mathematical communication, establishing a rhythm of sorts as the sparkle becomes disorientating to the eye, each flash before the last growing in subtle intensity, now faster, and faster, and faster, until...
...with a final wink, Apoc disappears altogether with a bright flash of light, shooting back into the heavens like a rising star!