Enko seemed to be happy swimming in the Lake (which this river drains into), but...
** spoiler omitted **
Kazuki keeps his eyes peeled and Sigurd keeps his guard up as Vekka and Lan and Auntie Wu all attempt to read the magical signatures of the possibly-illusory shrine from 30 feet away…
As the group moves closer to the shrine, they realize that it isn't illusory - but haunted!
There also seems to be another sound coming from the central opening…
Kazuki keeps his eyes peeled and Sigurd keeps his guard up as Vekka and Lan and Auntie Wu all attempt to read the magical signatures of the possibly-illusory shrine from 30 feet away…
The tengu gasps, seeing the ghostly hands begin to rise up.
He instinctively draws his katana.
Sigurd will sheathe his katana and take the +1 Striking Silver Short Sword. He stows the additional sturdy shield. Just in case. He sighs as he holds the short sword. I will transfer the runes when I get the chance...
But no time to think- disembodied hands rise up and begin grasping at him. He stows his shield away, feeling that he will need a hand free, soon...
He stows the additional sturdy shield. Just in case.
"Wait!" Kazuki shouts as he tosses his old shield upon the ground.
"I'll gladly take that nice, reinforced shield for the time being."
----------------------
"What the...?"
Kazuki is taken aback by the appearance of dozens of ghostly, water-logged hands reaching up to the bridge and shrine.
"Never a dull moment here!" Kaz exclaims as he tosses the water from his cupped hands, "That was a leech, not a leaf in my hand!" and quickly arms himself with his ghost-striking longbow.
"Don't fall in the water! It's infested with LEECHES!!!"
|
Kazuki keeps his eyes peeled and Sigurd keeps his guard up as Vekka and Lan and Auntie Wu all attempt to read the magical signatures of the possibly-illusory shrine from 30 feet away…
When they get to the bridge, her mind is still muddled, though in a sharper, more distracted way. If the shrine washed away... She edges forward to the beginning of the bridge and casts Detect Magic. Is there magic associated with the bridge?
Auntie Wu's eyes go wide as the disembodied hands rise from the river. There's...so many of them! She tosses a Guidance spell at Kazuki to guide his aim. We're going to need all the help we can get!
---
Lan wouldn't have been on the bridge, either, but if others are going to be on it, he wouldn't be left behind.
Lan will cast Glass Shield ◆.
A blast of river water sprays up inside the shrine, knocking everyone on the bridge over as it shakes - and with it, a legions of legless, sucker-and-teeth insects spill into the shrine area!
↺) Rising Waters
But Kazuki gets the jump on it!
"Smelling" the air, the legless, sucker-and-teeth insects start slithering towards the hostile occupants of the bridge...
A swarm of brood leeches!
Blood Draining Bites [one-action] Each enemy in the swarm's space takes 2d6 bleed damage and is exposed to brood leech swarm venom.Brood Leech
Swarm Venom (poison) Saving Throw DC 21 Fortitude; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage 1 clumsy 1, sickened 1, and –5-foot status penalty to Speed (1 round); Stage 2 clumsy 1, sickened 1, and –10-foot status penalty to Speed (1 round)
A swarm of brood leeches!
Immunities: precision, swarm mind
Resistances: bludgeoning 2, piercing 5, slashing 5
Weaknesses: area damage 5, salt 5, splash damage 5
Sigurd is knocked off his feet as the water surges.
◆ He stands up.
"Great. Swarms."
◆ He Swaps his Shortsword for his Shield.
◆ Then he Raises his Shield.
"I will stall for time. Take them down quickly!"
↺ Shield Block. Hardness 8.
Kazuki has seen his friends calm angry spirits before. He has learned quite a bit from them while adventuring and fighting along their side. Maybe he can appease these spirits and put them to rest.
He recites a prayer to the gods in an attempt to put the angry spirits to rest...
He turns and scrambles up the steep riverbank, then dashes to the edge of the bridge to help his friends. He dashes right next to Auntie who happens to be standing at the end of the bridge.
"Thank goodness you're not on that bridge, Auntie."
Sigurd braces, and Kazuki's prayers aren't answered...
...the Arms of the Drowned unleash!
No less than hands wrap each of Vekka's and Lan's ankles, leaving them unable to move - they begin trying to pull the two magic users into the depths below - while Sigurd manages to remain ungrasped.
◆) Ghostly Arms Grapple
◆) Ghostly Arms Grapple
◆) Ghostly Arms Grapple
Ever slowly, the masses writhe towards the trapped party, wet nasty mouths with hundreds of tiny teeth seeking fresh flesh...
Each Insect Swarms
◆◆◆) Triple Move
...and up and around Sigurd's legs!
☠☠☠ ☠☠☠ ☠☠☠
Insect Swarm ID: Nature DC 19
Water Terrain: Swimming in water is DC 20 (up due to recent disturbance)
Bridge / Shrine Terrain: The "beds" are Difficult Terrain
Haunt Stats: Recall Knowledge (◆) w/ Religion (DC 20) | Disable (◆◆) w/ Religion (DC 20) or Intimidation (DC 23)
Haunt Note: The "hand tokens" are just a visual - you can move through them (delete one if you need), and may target the haunt with physical attacks if you are adjacent to the bridge's edges or to a player grabbed by them.
Conditions: Grabbed
☠☠☠ ☠☠☠ ☠☠☠
Before your Turn: Vekka and Lan @ Reflex Save!
R1
Arms of the Drowned (AC ??, HP ??, #Successes: 0)
Insect Swarms (AC ??, HP ??)
Lan (initiative pending) @ Reflex vs Prone, Grabbed (DC 22)
Vekka @ Reflex vs Prone, Grabbed (DC 22)
Auntie Wu
R2
Kazuki
Sigurd
☠☠☠ ☠☠☠ ☠☠☠
Kazuki tries again to get rid of the evil spirits haunting the bridge. He raises a fist and yells to the heavens,
"HEY, GOD OF DEATH!!! YOU HAVE SOME DROWNED ONES HERE THAT YOU FORGOT ABOUT!!! AND YOU, GOD OF THE SEA, SAME THING! COME AND GET YOUR DROWNED ONES!!!"
He hustles to Auntie's side.
"Gotta help those guys. Looks like they're not doing too well."
Let go of me... he growls under his breath, struggling.
His legs powerfully step forward and break free of their grasp.
Vekka does not feel confident in taking the haunt on directly, but maybe he can help with this swarms.
I think my katana will just pass through their cloud!
So, he beats one of the spell drums at his back and flings a large glob of acid that immediately detonates with the nearby swarm, spraying the creatures inside.
"That was rather effective..." Sigurd glances over at Kazuki's... "prayer" and sees the water recede slightly.
One of the swarms crawls over him, but he maintains his resolve. "Shizuru, help the souls of this river in their time of need! Guide them towards eternal rest."
Shizuru isn't listening. No, she always listens. It must be this swarm that is slurring his speech.
Sigurd takes a careful Step so the swarm has to waste some time getting to him.
|
|
Eyes bugging out, Auntie Wu shouts out what she knows of these leeches. "Magic is best to kill them, especially if it doesn't have a single target! Anybody got any salt?" Pity a Fireball would burn the bridge with the guys still on it.
This haunt seems particularly serious; Auntie Wu desperately tries to recall what she knows about this sort of thing.
Seeing Lan in a tight spot, she casts Guidance on him to help him wriggle free.
Kazuki's "prayer" frightens whatever "god of death" and "god of sea" lurks from without, pulling back most of the hands which go limp and recede back into the depths...
Vekka manages to crawl away out of grasp , and hoses the swarm with acid!
Miraculously, all leaches manages to squirm away!
Sigurd's (actual) prayers go disappointingly unanswered - he makes space.
Auntie Wu searches her smoky mind for answers...
Arms of the Drowned
AC 19; Fort +6, Ref +12
HP 46 (BT 23); Immunities critical hits, object immunities,
precision damage; Weaknesses positive 5
And Lan, under Auntie Wu's Guidance...
vs DC 22
"Ahh. AHH! "
Lan screams like a little kid.
◆◆ Disable
vs DC 22
Lan shields himself with a ◆ Glass Shield, and prepares to fry the swarm if it gets any closer.
Pallid arms struggle to keep Lan in their grasp!
He remains grasped, but not enough to pull him under…
◆) Disabled
◆) Disabled
◆) Ghostly Arms Grapple
Purple swarm slithers closer...
Purple
◆◆◆) Triple Move
Green swarm engulfs Sigurd!
◆) Stride
◆◆) Blood Draining Bites
☠☠☠ ☠☠☠ ☠☠☠
Insect Swarm ID: Nature DC 19
Water Terrain: Swimming in water is DC 20 (up due to recent disturbance)
Bridge / Shrine Terrain: The "beds" are Difficult Terrain
Haunt Stats: Recall Knowledge (◆) w/ Religion (DC 20) | Disable (◆◆) w/ Religion (DC 20) or Intimidation (DC 23)
Haunt Note: The "hand tokens" are just a visual - you can move through them (delete one if you need), and may target the haunt with physical attacks if you are adjacent to the bridge's edges or to a player grabbed by them.
Conditions: Bleed, Grabbed
☠☠☠ ☠☠☠ ☠☠☠
Stage 1 clumsy 1, sickened 1, and –5-foot status penalty to Speed (1 round);
Stage 2 clumsy 1, sickened 1, and –10-foot status penalty to Speed (1 round)
☠☠☠ ☠☠☠ ☠☠☠
Before your Turn: 2x Fortitude vs Sigurd (see above)
R1
Arms of the Drowned (AC ??, HP ??, #Successes: 2/3)
Insect Swarms (AC ??, HP ??)
Lan @ Grabbed (DC 22)
Vekka @ Prone
Auntie Wu
R2
Kazuki
Sigurd @ 2x Fortitude, 2d6 bleed
☠☠☠ ☠☠☠ ☠☠☠
Kazuki raises his fist again and shouts to the heavens,
"HEY, GOD OF GRASPING HANDS!!! WOULD YOU MIND TAKING THEM AWAY, PLEASE!?!"
He then fires off a shot at some of the hands, hoping it might do some harm...
"Bashing them?" Sigurd frowns. "Do I have something that would help?"
But he's too slow, the leeches crawl all over him.
Even worse, the leech poison is working its way through his system.
Sigurd realizes he could release the intensity of the sun, burn all of them away. But Vekka and Lan are too close.
|
|
"If we hit those Arms of the Drowned enough, they won't be able to grab us as well! And they're frail, too!"
Kazuki's prayer seemed to work, so Auntie Wu tries her own: "O Pharasma! These arms should not be waking! Take their source of animation back to the Boneyard where it belongs!" Her voice isn't nearly as loud as Kazuki's and much more shrill, but is fervent nonetheless.
Finally, she swallows nervously. It's about time for her to get on that bridge and help her friends. She grabs her shield, trying to screw up her courage. They're just leeches. They have a natural place in the ecosystem. They're just leeches...
Vekka pops up off of the surface of the bridge...
Hmm, they were quick that time but that could have worked...
Vekka notices that the swarms are overlapping and thinks surely he'll catch some of the creatures by targeting that area.
The “gods of grasping hands” take away the final hands - Kazuki’s prayer is complete.
Vekka’s acid disperses many leeches.
Sigurd nods. "I'll keep slowing them down. Keep hitting them!"
Defense isn't going to help much- his shield won't help.
◆ He sighs and swaps to his shortsword.
◆ He swings at the Green leeches.
◆ Then he takes a Step back to keep them trained on him.
The bleeding begins. Already he sees his blood glows a bit brighter than usual.
His cuts quickly seal shut. Amazing...
Lan moves up next to Vekka ◆, and unleashes a cone of fire ◆◆, bathing Sigurd and the two swarms.
|
|
"Whew! Thank you, Kazuki! You deserve a medal!" Auntie Wu exclaims, desperately trying to figure out what she can do about those swarms of leeches. Well, we'll see if this works. She draws out the casting of an Electric Arc spell, causing it to travel farther than usual.
Sigurd's bleeding stops, and his slashes cut a few leeches down.
Then the party manages to take the rest of them down with acid, fire, and lightning!
Green swarm is consumed - Purple swarm disperses itself, slinking back into individual creatures, over the bridge, and into the water.
Staying the night in silent contemplation over your many past lives within the shrine above the now-peaceful river will permanently remove the haunt!
The party takes stock and decides what next to do.
Lan @ full
Vekka @ full
Auntie Wu @ full
Kazuki @ full
Sigurd @ full
The Wall of Ghosts block exit from the bridge on the other side - gathering flush with the end of the bridge.
Roll a Secret (spoilered) Perception check!
"We should rest here for the night and meditate. It will put the spirits to rest, finally." Kazuki suggests.
As the group does whatever they're doing, Kaz wanders around and checks out the wall of ghosts blocking the other end of the bridge.
"Well, this is unfortunate that it's blocking our path."
"Good job, everyone." Sigurd is relieved as the leeches crawl off of him.
He agrees with Kazuki. "A good night's rest will help the souls here as well as recharge our strength."
He looks at the other edge of the bridge. "If we're dreaming, why would the Wall of Ghosts be here?"
The party stays the night in the shrine. Overcome, are they all, by a spiritual urge to pray!
"It does seem like a great place to rest."
Lan will be curious about the Wall being right there.
---
In the morning, Lan feels a compulsion to meditate. It's not something he usually does, but his near-death experience of the day before has left him longing for some guidance.
He watches a hare eat a crescent-shaped dandelion leaf on the shore.
vs DC 15
Lan feels like he understands the story of Tsukiyo. Slain by his brother, Fumeiyoshi, Tsukiyo died. Raised back to life, Tsukiyo became the god of spirits while Fumeiyoshi was demoted to being the god of envy.
This is where envy leads, Lan realizes. He can end up like Tsukiyo, or he can end up like Fumeiyoshi.
The hare winks at him and vanishes into the forest.
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"Great Baekho, Lord of the Seasons, White Tiger of the West,
I bow before your fierce wisdom and tempered strength.
As autumn’s winds strip the leaves from the trees, so too do you reveal the truth beneath the veil.
Grant me your courage to face the storms of life,
Your clarity to see the path before me,
And your fierce protection to defend the sacred.
May I honor the balance of nature and stand with strength and grace,
As you stand eternal, guardian of the western winds.
In your name, I pledge my vigilance."
As Kazuki's prayer echoed across the sacred bridge, the wind stilled, and a crisp, autumn breeze swept over him. For a heartbeat, a mist rose from the forest below, shaping into the ghostly outline of a great white tiger. Its piercing eyes met his, and a surge of warmth flooded Kazuki's chest — a fierce, steady courage settling within him.
Then the mist faded, and the forest stirred once more. But Kazuki felt stronger, his spirit bolstered. Baekho had heard his prayer.
Vekka nods at Kazuki's suggestion.
Rest. Meditation. They sound like good ideas. I hope the spirits will let us be for a time.
He's not so sure their rest will be safe. Sitting down cross-legged, Vekka's thoughts turn to Nethys. He would hope that the dual nature of magic's god could apply some order to a strange place like this. Perhaps he will bestow the tengu with insight...
"Shizuru. I thank you for helping me and my siblings."
"Kolphanir told us of your generosity and willingness to invite us to Willowshore."
"Please, give these poor souls who drowned guidance to the afterlife."
"May they find peace and may they find a new community, a new home."
Perhaps Sigurd is too poetic for the gods to hear him. It must be the river, it's too loud for him to focus.
Tsukiyo's moonish light shines down on the redemptive sorcerer, blessing his destiny and his mind!
Tsukiyo’s simplest show of gratitude is a gift of clarity. Once, when you roll a failure on a saving throw against a mental effect, you get a critical success instead. Tsukiyo typically grants this boon against a particularly consequential mental effect.
The duo of Baekho and Nethys bless Kazuki and Vekka respectively, inuring them against the magicks of seasons gone perverse!
Shizuru leaves his own cleric in the proverbial dark - perhaps this is a Test of Faith that may be rewarded if done so without intervention?
Meanwhile, Auntie Wu decides whether or not to pray herself...
The mists prove too dense to see much past - but one thing is certain - passing through might prove spiritually dangerous...
On the second day of travel, the overcast clouds grow darker, and by noon, rain starts to fall. During the afternoon, the rain douses small flames, imparts a –1 circumstance penalty to Perception checks, and increasingly causes discomfort.
You swear you hear a cackling in the distance...
You swear you hear a cackling in the distance...
"This sure is a heavy downpour. I haven't seen it rain this hard back in Willowshore in a long time!”
As Kazuki trudges along, keeping his head covered from the rain, he misjudges the depth of a puddle and steps into a deep pothole, filling his boots with water.
"Dammit! Now I have to walk with soaking wet socks! I'm probably gonna get jungle rot."
|
|
Mind a-muddle, Auntie Wu meanders across the bridge to peer at the Wall of Ghosts. Her mind is full of a sense of questions, but no specific one manages to breech her consciousness.
Dissatisfied, but not surprised, she plunks down along the wall of the shrine. Breathing deeply, she tries to clear her mind before mumbling a quiet prayer. "Pharasma, I'm trying. We're all trying. We'll set things right--restore the natural cycle of life to death--or die trying. <sigh> The 'die trying' part seems more and more likely, though. Please help us see this through. ... Thank you."
1st: Chilling Spray, Flourishing Flora, Heal
2nd: Floating Flame, Heal, Splinter Volley
3rd: Aqueous Orb, Fireball
The next day, Auntie Wu hunkers down under her Mogu hat, but it's not quite big enough to keep her dry. It's a beret-sized mushroom cap, not as big as a sombrero.
"Oh, sorry Kazuki!" She gives the wet-socked ranger a sympathetic smile. "I'd offer you a dry pair, but mine are a wee bit small for you."
Pharasma watches over Auntie Wu from a distance - she feels her heart fill with preparation for whatever judgements await her.
Auntie Wu (☘️□□□☑☑☑☑☑)
Kazuki (☘️□☑☑☑☑☑☑)
Lan (☘️□□□☑☑☑☑☑)
Sigurd (☘️□□☑☑☑☑☑)
Vekka (☘️□☑☑☑☑☑☑)
Auntie Wu strains her eyes...
You spot the Witch - barely through the dense fog. Merely a glimpse.
Two days trek away. Closer to the Mountains, beyond the Forest.
Kazuki leads the party in preparations for heavy rain just before setting out.
Well-equipped to handle some rain, the party arrives unperturbed.
The first half of the day’s walk is along the shore of Mirror Lake and then along the northern bank of the West Sugi River. By the second half of the day, the path begins to wind upward in elevation but doesn’t quite enter truly mountainous terrain. The surrounding forest grows more and more overgrown. An uneventful trip leaves the party on the approach to the Garden Shrine!
A pair of twisted, broken burls of wood resting on the forest side of the path greets them - they come alive and attack!