Despite the roar that could topple buildings, Jing manages to stay calm and collected.
Kamo barely resists the fright that quickens in his chest.
"Sakura, take this!" He hands the heart off to his sister and attempts to calm the spirit.
"By Daikitsu, quiet yourself, spirit. We're trying to help."
Sakura considers herself one of the most steeled warriors of the town and this VERY UNHAPPY warrior marches towards the corpse with a single-minded determination. The weight of the situation presses down on her, not just in the physical disgust of her current state, bathed in the remnants of the vulture's recent meals, but in the profound responsibility she feels to rectify this wrong.
"Of all the... Why does it always have to be so disgusting? Ugh." she grumbles under her breath, her voice a mix of determination and distaste as she quickly makes her way back towards the body.
The angry spirit is somewhat thwarted by Kamo's prayers. Another frightful roar shakes the trees!
Trying to hold firm in the face of the howling, Kamo, with a shaking voice, chastises the spirit again.
"Quiet now, it's not your heart. Tsukiyo bring you some peace."
He casts a nervous look at the trees and puts his staff in a defensive position.
Sakura kicks it into high gear and begins to run as fast as she can. Well, as fast as one can carrying a human heart while being surrounded trees that want to eat you.
Kamo's prayers distract the haunt as Sakura continues to hustle! Jing-De and Pagma take steps to defend themselves as the angry spirit infuses the trees with malevolent life, causing clawlike branches to lash out at you!
Weathering the attack, Sakura reaches the woman's corpse and places the heart within her chest. Doing so causes the hauntto howl in pain and frustration, then to sound as if the unseen giant were fleeing into the distance. The woman's body sinks into the stone, and then an immense sugi tree grows up out of the ground, consuming the stone and harmlessly pushing Sakura aside. As the tree grows to a height of nearly a hundred feet, its branches unfurl and drive away the fog...
...and then reality fades. You find yourselves back on the Pilgrim’s Path northwest of Willowshore near the Wall of Ghosts. Now, the foggy tunnel through the wall can be traversed with ease. The way to the Tan Sugi Monastery lies ahead...
"What just happened?" Pagma feels like she missed a lot in the shuffle and chaos, distracted by something.
"Some effect of the fog, perhaps? An invisible giant was chasing us through the forest, and Sakura was playing with a bloody heart!" Kamo shakes his head. "I would hope that nothing strange awaits us at the monastery, but that seems a pretty foolish hope."
"Nothing strange?" Pagma says with disbelief as she gets out her waterskin and rag. Then approaches the vomit-covered Sakura, holding them ready in both hands to help clean, but hesitates. "I don't even know where to begin." she says with dismay couples with a Hint of amusement.
Jing hugs himself and fights off the urge to shiver. Whatever they just saw and experienced is most definitely categorized as 'strange', and there is no indication that the situation at the monastery will be any better. It might very well be worse. "This place has escaped the rules imposed by the divine order. Prepare for the worst, for the monastery and its surroundings have slipped into the realm of chaos."
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Pagma's words stir a thought in Sakura's mind. She turns to her friend with a mischievous glint that lights up her eyes as she winks and says "Hold that thought."
She whips her head to Kamo and calls out "KaaaaMO!" and grinds her teeth as she strides toward her brother in what initially looks like an upcoming sibling shoulder punch that she's fond of delivering.
Before Kamo can retreat or even register the impending doom, Sakura envelops him in a bear hug, her strong arms locking him in an unbreakable embrace. The squelch of the vomit as it transfers from her to him punctuates the moment, a tangible reminder of the ordeal they've just endured. "You know, brother," she begins, her voice dripping with both affection and a hint of wicked satisfaction, "I really, really love you."
She releases him and uses the back of her hand to wipe a clean place on his cheek, where she affectionately places a kiss. Turning to Pagma, she says "Pagma-chan, I am ready now."
"Ugh! Why didn't this stay in the spirit world?" Kamo rubs the front of his vomit-bespecked robe. "I just washed this last week!"
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The wild cackle that erupts from Pagma is pure delight, so much so she barely manages to pour the water over Sakura's head (having decided as the siblings embraced so warmly that a dunking was the only possible way to make a dent in the disgusting mess).
"I think if we keep at this whole 'hero' thing, we'll need a pack full of changes of clothing." she teases, before pointing out to Kamo "Hygine is important, so you are next, though I only have one more waterskin, so both of you try to move out of the way of the next vomiting vulture we kill."
The monastery is located in a secluded valley many miles to the west, surrounded by steep mountains. The only safe path to and from the site is the Pilgrim’s Path. While the last stretch of the trip to the monastery from Willowshore along the Pilgrim’s Path is only a 13-mile hike, traditionally those who would seek knowledge made the trek slowly, pausing to spend the night three times at three shrines along the way. These shrines—one on a floating platform in a lake, one near an ancient dead tree, and one on a secluded, rocky perch overlooking the path below—represented the traveler’s past lives, their future lives, and their current life. By turning the short hike into a multiday meditative trip, the seeker of knowledge and enlightenment adopts a mindset better suited to receiving the teachings of the monks of the Tan Sugi monastery.
Once you are ready, you begin your trek along the Pilgrim's Path. It doesn't take long to realize that the area is even more restricted here than in the hinterlands around Willowshore. Anybody trying to leave the Pilgrim's Path and travel into the surrounding wooded mountains finds themselves returning to the Pilgrim’s Path not long after losing sight of the trail, having been turned around without noticing the change in direction. As long as you stay on the Pilgrim's Path, though, you can travel unimpeded in either direction.
With his knowledge of occultism, Kamo comes to the conclusion that the Pilgrim’s Path is a more constrained version of the same curse that contains Willowshore and its hinterlands. What’s happening on the Path could indicate that a deeper revelation about the nature of the curse does await discovery at the Tan Sugi monastery.
***
On the first day of travel, as you make your way toward the Bridge Shrine, the weather along the Pilgrim’s Path is crisp and cloudy. While you know that the physical distance from the Wall of Ghosts and the Bridge Shrine is about 5 miles, this leg of the journey along the Pilgrim’s Path was intended to be taken slowly, so that the traveler arrived at the shrine at sunset. The first part of the path winds through dense forest. One thing you note immediately as you travel further down the Pilgrim’s Path is how strangely preserved it appears. The road was once well-traveled, but in the 46 years since the monastery was abandoned, the road became overgrown and increasingly indistinguishable from the surrounding woodland. Not so now, however.
About 30 minutes after you have begun your trek, you round a corner to find a lone kappa trudging at a snail’s pace down the path in the same direction that you are heading. Upon spotting you, the kappa drops down on his hands and knees. "My apologies! I did not mean to get in your way! Please, I beg you, have mercy on me!" He crawls pitifully to the side of the path to let you pass, avoiding eye contact. You notice that the bowl in his head is empty of water.
They have seen so much pain and suffering, that they need to be wary of everything, but Pagma has never liked bullies, and suddenly she feels like one.
She bows quickly, "Please, wise Kappa, we did not mean to startle. There is plenty of pathway for all of us." she rises and smiles "You could walk with us if you wish, towards... enlightment." she hoped that is what is at the monastery "There are dangers around. Strange and deadly."
"Oh!" the kappa says, blinking. "You are not agents of the storm mother, then? She has been tormenting me! First, she tricked me into spilling the water in my head bowl when she told me to beg for my life. Then she picked me up and flew into the air with me in her clutches, cackling with cruel delight and dropping me off at the edge of the world, far from any water! All I want to is to get back home to Mirror Lake."
A slight breeze wafts by, and the kappa cries out in fear, waving his arms. "Do you hear it? The storm mother's voice! She taunts me! Please, will you help me reach my home safely?"
Sakura kneels down to the kappa's level, offering a reassuring smile that bridges the gap between their worlds—her warrior's visage softening in a moment of genuine empathy. "Of course, we'll help you return home safely," she assures him. "The storm mother won't bother you with us by your side. And, who knows, maybe along the way, you can teach my brother here a thing or two about courage and kindness."
Rising back to her full height, Sakura looks at her companions, "We protect those in need on our path, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it strengthens us in ways fighting alone never could." she adds, her voice carrying the weight of her conviction.
"Besides, the lake sounds wonderful. My brother is in desperate need of a bath."
"Oh, thank you!" the kappa says, beaming. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" He continues to thank you over and over to the point of near absurdity. He is only able to slowly trudge along without any water in his head bowl, but filling it with water of any sort restores his mobility and earns another near-endless litany of thanks.
As you walk, the kappa gives his name as Enko. Now and then, more whispered taunts reach Enko's ears, causing him to cry out in fear. The kappa warns you that the storm mother is a terrible and frightening monster who can hurl lightning and blasts of wind that can strip flesh from bone. Enko isn’t sure why she took to tormenting him recently, but he does tell you that she’s got a particular and strange distaste for the scent of burning incense—a weakness that Enko warns is tough to take advantage of, given her mastery over wind.
It is the middle of the afternoon when the path emerges from the dense forest and curves around the eastern edge of Mirror Lake. Enko is ecstatic to see the water again. However, as you draw near the lakeshore, danger strikes!
Everybody but Kamo spots the creatures hiding before they can attack. Two vipers of remarkable size lie in wait on either side of the path, each one bearing two heads--one on each end of its body. One serpent is hidden among the detritus of the forest floor and another in the shallow water at the lake’s edge. As you pass between them, they prepare to lunge!
Sakura, with her katana drawn and eyes locked on the target, dashes towards one of the double-headed vipers. As she closes the distance, she unleashes two quick strikes, aiming to cut one (or both) of those heads off the viper!
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Pagme was chatting about the kappas she had met in the bath, trying to avoid the embarrassing parts of that story, her in the bath while her friends stood around.
When the snakes attack, she assumes they are after their new travelling companions. ""Enko, get behind me" Pagma steps between him and the nearest snake, and quickly throws two bottles of lightning at it.
Jing adds a barrage of searing light to the mix of magic and steel thrown at the double-headed snakes.
Sakura charges towards one of the snakes, scoring a critical hit and following up with a normal slice! Jing-De finishes the creature off with a beam of searing light.
Pagma misses the other snake, though she does splash it with electrically charged fluid. That snake hisses angrily through both heads, slithering toward the alchemist and snapping at her!
Pagma yells out in pain as teeth dig into her. Poison her mind tells her, she might be poisoned, but there is no time for that. Her hand fumbles around the hilt of her dagger, swinging it wildly to keep the snake away from her and the kappa.
Kamo snaps out of his daze--he was just looking forward to a dip--and tries to come to Pagma's aid.
He can't see any good way to attack, so he strides up and stands next to her and takes a defensive pose.
Pagma's cry of pain snaps Sakura's head around towards the snake attacking her.
Damn!" Sakura curses to herself, frustrated that the other creature was able to get to her friend. She charges towards the creature and swipes her katana at it, hoping to lop off more heads.
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Jing calls upon the void that separates the Divine Lovers and channels it into a blast of frost.
Pagma slices the two-headed snake twice. Jing-De blasts it with an icy ray while Sakura moves in to attack as well, scoring one hit. Kamo circles around in an attempt to flank, but he finds it impossible to flank something that can see in two directions at once! The investigator does recognize these creatures as amphisbaenas. Aside from their venomous bites, they can also spit blinding venom into their victims' eyes.
The creature lashes out with both of its heads. Sakura avoids its fangs, but Pagma is bitten again!
Jing continues to channel frost from the place between the stars.
Another bite, the agony blossomed where it hits, but she manages not to scream. Her friends are around her, but she is still the one in front of the Kappa. She thinks at least, hopefully he moved, she just can't spare a glance.
The snake may be able to see him, but Kamo gives it a good whack between the eyes of one of its heads.
for and
for
Pagma stabs the amphisbaena again, then Kamo delivers a brutal strike to each of the creature's heads, bashing in both of its skulls. It goes limp, putting an end to the danger.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Enko cries gratefully. "I would have never made it back home in one piece without your help." The kappa splashes into the lake and sighs in relief. "Wait right there for a few minutes."
He swims underwater, then returns about five minutes later with treasures he found in a sunken boat nearby. He gives these to you as thanks for your kindness before retreating back into the lake's depths. The treasures are a +1 striking silver shortsword and a wand of endure elements carried on a minor sturdy shield.
While the kappa is underwater, Kamo rushes up to his friend: "Pagma are you okay? Those things have a nasty venom!"
He steers Pagma to a tree stump and starts patching her up. "You really got some attacks in there!"
The kappa's gratitude leaves Jing feeling overwhelmed. He eyes the shield, the sword, and the wand and wonders who they belonged to, and if the names of their former owner has perhaps been lost to time. "Your generosity knows no bounds, Enko."
While Kamo treats Pagma's wounds, Jing kneels and inspects Enko's cache of gratitude. Valuable items, every one of them. "Such an exquisite sword. Kamo, would you use it?"
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As Kamo comes to care for her, being pulled over to a stump, she whispers weakly "did you see me, I was like Sakura, all Wee and Woo." she makes a slow swipe and back with her bloodied knife.
After being bandaged and told she wasn't going to die from poison, she manages a firmer smile "Thank you, Kamo. I feel much better now."
After Pagma is feeling better, you continue on along the Pilgrim's Path. Just as the sun begins to set that evening, you reach the Bridge Shrine.
The path leads up to a river’s edge, where a twenty-foot-wide rope bridge hangs a half-dozen feet over the slowly flowing river surface below. A hexagonal wooden shrine stands in the center of the river, its roof providing shelter from the elements while also offering a viewing portal in the center to allow those in the shrine to contemplate the flow of water below. Several long-handled dippers for bringing up draughts of river water for drinking lean against the central hole’s railing, along with a half-dozen delicate-looking clay vials. A total of six wicker mats lie around this central hole, affording places to sleep above the river.
As a former follower of Sangpotshi, Jing-De knows that Zhi Hui felt that time spent along the shore of Mirror Lake provided an opportunity for self-observation and reflection. She hoped that pilgrims, when stripped of the distractions of others and the mundane problems of daily life, might see in their reflections a true vision of who they are when unburdened. To aid in this, each pilgrim would chant a repetitive prayer meant to invoke the cycle of reincarnation, then retire to sleep above the gently flowing waters.
Strangely, the Bridge Shrine washed away a decade ago during a flood, yet here it stands, looking well-cared for yet still abandoned...
Sakura gazes at the shrine, feeling a deep sense of peace and curious apprehension about its inexplicable restoration. Once Jing-De fully explains the purpose, Sakura asks "Jing-De, should you lead us in prayer and allow us the opportunity to see these reflections? Perhaps it is a sign that it is here, now, waiting for us to fulfil it's purpose?"
Pagma has been to this shine before, when she was just a tiny thing, while her mothers were still about, but she knew it was gone now. Just like them. This made no sense "But what about this does" she whispers, retorically.
As Sakura looks at her in question, Pagma brushes off her worry and wonder, t hen smiles. "A wise suggestion." she tells her friend. "Um, do you think we need to perform the entire ritual, taking several days to travel?" she looks to the mats.
Sakura must not have been paying that close attention to when the ritual was explained. "Oh. Days. I must have missed that part. Hmmm."
She runs her fingers through her hair as she considers the possibilities. "It seems important that it's here, now, and not a coincidence. Does anyone else think that? If true, should we not take the time to do the ritual?"
"Something strange is clearly happening, since this bridge fell in the river, last I heard," Kamo pushes on one of the support beams of the shrine.
"Let's rest here and see what happens. We assume that the answer to our mystery is at the monastery, but maybe this path will hold clues along the way."
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No sooner have you all stepped into the shrine than the surface of the river below starts rippling violently. What at first appears to be water bubbling up to the surface quickly resolves into a nightmarish vision of hundreds of ghostly arms scrambling up out of the water from the lake’s depths! These hands reach up on either side to grab onto the bridge’s planks, but also rise through the hole at the center of the shrine or up over its outer railings, the better to snatch at you.
At the same time, a plume of water sprays up through the central hole in the shrine, tossing two swarms of wriggling leeches up into the shrine! As the leeches seethe onto the floors, they form the word "Kugaptee" over and over as they swarm about!
The terrifying sight catches Jing by surprise and rattles him. He mutters a prayer under his breath and casts a protection spell on Sakura. "Jade Prince protect us! See these souls to Pharasma!"
Pagma is not proud of the fact she screamed. But as the hands grasp and reach, and the leeches writhe toward them, who wouldn't. "No... no w-wonder, people stopped c-coming here." a weak attempt at banishing her own fear.
"It is Kugaptee again, disrupting the holy traditions of this place." Kamo frowns at the grasping hands. "Be gone, spirits. Go to your rest!"
for
Kamo succesfully disrupts the haunt, causing the hands to sink back below the water before they have a chance to drag you down with them. However, the leeches remain. He lands a solid blow, squishing a few of the leeches, but the remaining creatures swarm all over you, their suckered maws leaving myriad bleeding wounds behind!
Jing fights against the tide of fear with tooth and nail and his magical blood. As he taps into that rich source of otherworldly power, he involuntarily dons the mask of a long-forgotten psychopomp. It steels him against the awful reality they find themselves in, and punishes those who dare to attack him and his friends.
Pagma barely has time to even thing Good Job to Kamo, much less say it, as the leeches start climbing up her.
Her stomach heaves but refuses to settle.
She pulls her dagger out and starts to cut one of the fat tongue-like creatures off of her as it eats and eats.
Kamo's head swims with the leech venom. He staggers out of the swarm and calls down a rain of pebbles on the blood-sucking vermin.
Sakura struggles mightily with the poison, but does her best to put up an inspiring stance and strike twice.
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Jing-De's and Kamo's spells wreak havoc on the leeches, slaying them by the dozens. Pagma slashes at the leeches on her, though their rubbery bodies prove resilient to the bladed weapon. Sakura doesn't seem to care about their resistance as she scores a critical hit, cleaving a swath through the wriggling carpet of worms. One swarm is defeated, and the other one is barely intact, but it continues to drain your blood!