Vekka re-draws his katana and eyes the dark blade, considering the question.
It would be great if we can control over some of the fear being dispensed in this place. Yes, thank you.
He presents it to Sigurd flatly, held up by both palms.
Before being attacked by the trees, just leaving the Bridge Shrine, the party finds that the six "dippers" have mysteriously filled with water from the river overnight. What more, are overcome with the benevolent urge to use them to fill six delicate clay vials; doing so causes each of the six vials to become a moderate ghost charge!
A quarter's day travel still lies ahead before reaching the Garden Shrine. Slowly, the path begins to wind upward in elevation but doesn’t quite enter truly mountainous terrain. The surrounding forest grows more and more overgrown.
Afternoon begins to fade into evening as the party travels the path.
Ahead, the sound of a woman sobbing coming from a large hollow at the base of a dead tree at the edge of the road ahead. The mournful sounds are interrupted by hiccupping sobs and cries of “Big sister! Where are you? Big sister, help me!”
Vekka is dubious of things he can hear but not see.
Who's in there? Are you okay?
He cautiously approaches the hollow but keeps his eyes trained on it, katana drawn but at his side.
Lan is Scouting.
Lan will approach with friendliness!
"We are here to help! How can we help you?"
Sigurd elects to take a total of 40 minutes. He asks Lan and Kazuki to affix the fear gems to Sigurd's short sword and Vekka's katana.
Sigurd must transfer these runes some day. Soon...
Meanwhile, he repairs his shield. Thanks to >Quick Repair<, he is done in 2 minutes.
With his new shield ready, he keeps his shield at the ready.
The woman's sobs catch his attention.
He takes a religious approach to things: is this an apparition? A haunt?
As the party travels along the old, lonely trail, Kazuki sticks close to the tree line trying to avoid notice.
"What wuzzat!?" Kazuki crouches, then sneaks to a nearby tree closer to the person calling out.
Kazuki slips through the shadows of the trees, moving closer to see if he can catch a glimpse of the woman calling out.
Kazuki sneaks up, Sigurd prays, and Auntie Wu and Vekka observe from a distance.
But Lan talks!
The stranger by the tree is a plain-looking human woman dressed in filthy clothes and clutching a string of beads tightly...
... you catch a glimpse of a faint scar that curls all the way around her neck...
Nothing spooky, not a Haunt, Ghost, etc.
"We are here to help! How can we help you?"
Who's in there? Are you okay?
She stirs - looks over the crowd, lingering longer on Auntie Wu "You are not her..." she seems uncertain "Please, please - Please take me to the Monastery with you - my name is Yeri" indeed, it is common knowledge that anyone on the Pilgrim's Path headed the same direction you are all heading is headed there as their destination "I had terrible dreams, and I am worried for my sister, Yuni"
❦❦❦ ❦❦❦ ❦❦❦
(low-light vision)
(Shining Dawn)
❦❦❦ ❦❦❦ ❦❦❦
You believe her - she seems genuinely concerned about her sister, and you believe she believes her to be where she claims...
...you also recognize her as someone who went missing from Willowshore 10 years ago!
You believe her - she seems genuinely concerned about her sister, and you believe she believes her to be where she claims
You believe her - she seems genuinely concerned about her sister, and you believe she believes her to be where she claims...
...you also recognize her as someone who went missing from Willowshore 10 years ago!
You believe her - she seems genuinely concerned about her sister, and you believe she believes her to be where she claims
You believe her - she seems genuinely concerned about her sister, and you believe she believes her to be where she claims...
...you also recognize her as someone who went missing from Willowshore 10 years ago!
❦❦❦ ❦❦❦ ❦❦❦
She approaches closer, slowly, cautious, and awaits her invitation to be accepted or denied.
Yeri
◆) Stride
Yami remains hidden in the bushes...
Lan believes her, and invites her to join the party on the way to the monastery.
Kazuki steps out from the shadow of the tree he was hiding behind.
"Greetings, Yeri" he says with a bow and friendly grin.
"I am Kazuki, a skilled hunter. Perhaps my friends and I can help you find your sister. When did you last see her and what does she look like?"
While he waits for her response, Kazuki tries to remember if he knows this woman or her sister from Willowshore.
You do not recognize her sister's name.
"I am Kazuki, a skilled hunter. Perhaps my friends and I can help you find your sister. When did you last see her and what does she look like?"
"Last I saw her, we were headed to the Monastery together. She is my older sister" By this second comment, you infer she means that her sister would look like an older version of her.
"So, Hunter - you will take me to her?" The crest of hopefulness brightens her face - she clutches her beads even tighter!
"Yeri? The same Yeri who went missing from Willowshore 10 years ago??"
"Heyyyy, Yeri..." Kazuki rubs his chin in thought. Then suddenly remembers...
"You disappeared from Willowshore about ten years ago. I would see you at the market every so often. Then, 'poof!' never saw you again. I considered asking you out on a date, but I never saw you since. Have you been here all this time? I don't remember ever hearing about your parents or any townsfolk being concerned about your disappearance. I just figured you left town for some reason. Maybe go to school in the big city or something.”
Kazuki glances at the beads that she clutches every so often.
Vekka winces. He figures her time may not have passed as normal.
I don't suspect she'll appreciate the news that 10 years have passed.
Yes, we can bring you along with us.
"Come with us. We won't leave you behind." Sigurd relaxes his pose a bit. "Willowshore has seen a lot over the last few months. A Wall of Ghosts prevented us from leaving until recently. Something tells me the Pilgrim's Path will reveal all. But it will be dangerous. Seek shelter if we are under attack."
"Tell me more of your sister Yuni." Nothing seems amiss, but he knows danger isn't far away...
|
While the guys talk with Yeri, Auntie Wu stares at the scar going around her neck. After several moments, she gently takes the woman's hand and asks softly: "What do you remember after leaving Willowshore?" She suspects there will be no memory of what caused that scar, as it seems time has twisted here. Are we out of the dreamscape, or simply in another version of it?
”Wall of Ghosts?”
"Hmm, you have not been to Willowshore since the Summer festival." Sigurd ponders. "How long have you been looking for Yuni?"
Lan mentions 10 years and Sigurd's concern grows. I wonder where we truly are. She couldn't have spent 10 years on Pilgrim's Path.
"Perhaps your sister has already made it to the monestary. You can definitely travel with us. The more the merrier, amiright?"
”Wall of Ghosts?”
Kazuki cringes when she says the forbidden word.
"Yeah. It's this strange, eerie wall of mist that surrounds the town. Filled with strange spirits. We had to perform a ritual, well, they did," he gestures to his friends, "Then we went through and entered a strange dream world of some evil deity. I forgot his name. Koogapee or somthin',anyway, we had to get the heart back from the spirit of a warrior who had fought the evil deity long ago and place it back in her body and I had to 'walk up' a spire that seemed to never end to place it in her chest. And now we're here, on our way to the monestary. Don't ask me to climb any walls anytime soon."
Kazuki rubs his chin in thought again.
"Saayyy, does your sister dabble in the Arts of Magic at all? Does she have long hair and nasty claws, can summon lightning bolts, and carries a pair of spell drums?"
"Yeri? The same Yeri who went missing from Willowshore 10 years ago??"
"Hmm, you have not been to Willowshore since the Summer festival." Sigurd ponders. "How long have you been looking for Yuni?"
"You disappeared from Willowshore about ten years ago. I would see you at the market every so often. Then, 'poof!' never saw you again. I considered asking you out on a date, but I never saw you since. Have you been here all this time? I don't remember ever hearing about your parents or any townsfolk being concerned about your disappearance. I just figured you left town for some reason. Maybe go to school in the big city or something.”
Her eyes widen - then she suppresses the thought - looks around paranoid - and avoids answering - but then mutters "That is not possible..."
You get the sense that she has either lost track of time, or that time has lost track of her (so to speak). Either way, her sense of it seems distorted.
"Tell me more of your sister Yuni." Nothing seems amiss, but he knows danger isn't far away...
"Saayyy, does your sister dabble in the Arts of Magic at all? Does she have long hair and nasty claws, can summon lightning bolts, and carries a pair of spell drums?"
She gives a description of her older sister, depicting a woman who seems human and of similar appearance and age. She also explains that her sister was not particularly inclined towards magic. Just that they undertook the Pilgrim's Path together "She convinced me to come with a Dare - we had always played Dare together ever since we were little..."
While the guys talk with Yeri, Auntie Wu stares at the scar going around her neck. After several moments, she gently takes the woman's hand and asks softly: "What do you remember after leaving Willowshore?"
She does not to seem to notice Auntie Wu noticing her neck scar "We were attacked, but I got away, and lost my sister. She is strong and stubborn though - she might have made it to the Tan Sugi Monastery - Please please - you must take me there!"
Yes, we can bring you along with us.
This sentiment seems to calm her - she follows closely behind...
Yami siddles over next to Lan and whispers:
"I don't like her smell..."
And hisses at her!
Lan nods at Yami, and then whispers the warning to the others when Yeri isn't looking.
"Yeri, do you know what the date is today?"
-----------------
Lan nods at Yami, and then whispers the warning to the others when Yeri isn't looking.
As the group travels along the road, Kazuki weaves in and out of the trees, scouting ahead before looping back to watch their rear—an instinctive rhythm he’s long mastered. As he circles behind the group, he catches a whiff of Yeri's scent on the breeze. It’s subtle, but pleasant—especially when he compares it to his own, giving a quick sniff under his arm.
"Hmm. She doesn't smell bad to me," he mutters to himself with a half-smirk.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Yeri, Yuni, Yami... That's weird. The names are quite similar."
"Meh. Whatevs..."
"Look! A red squirrel!" Kazuki shouts excitedly as he leaps from the shadows of the trees and points into the boughs above.
Yeri seems attentive enough, but it's clear her experience on the Pilgrim's Path has been warped. Then again, can Sigurd tell if he's awake? The answers lie at the monastery.
"Who attacked you? If they are still here, we may be able to prepare against them." Or is she one of the attackers, pretending to be Yeri? The more information he can get without upsetting her, the better. He still remembers frightening that chemist. Never suspecting Yami's interference.
As she begins scanning for the red squirrel, Lan pulls Sigurd aside and passes on Yami's warning. Sigurd decides to keep his shield ready and Defend, and stay at Yeri's side. If asked, he wants to make sure she is protected at all times. But if she is nefarious, he wants to protect the team from her wrath.
(low-light vision)
Against a Deception DC of the Monster that Yeri is: DC 24
(low-light vision)
Against the Sense Motive DC of the Necromancer Cat, Yami: DC 20
❦❦❦ ❦❦❦ ❦❦❦
"Yeri, do you know what the date is today?"
Yeri (or "Yeri"!?!?) looks around nervously, and is evasive "What importance is the day when my sister is still in danger, and may not live to see another?" a glint of anger or resentment in her voice "If you won't take me, I will take myself" it is unclear if she means to, or is hoping to fully elicit the party's sympathies.
"Who attacked you? If they are still here, we may be able to prepare against them."
She squirms at the continued, persistent interview - and pays lip service with another vague answer "I..." and "I was attacked by the Beasts of the Forest. Had I known this Dare might cost me my eldest sis..."
Kneeling down as if reeling from a blow, Yeri begins to weep...
❦❦❦ ❦❦❦ ❦❦❦
vs Yeri (the sister):
You believe she is telling the truth, which is, that she doesn't know, neither what day it is, nor who / what attacked her. Perhaps the trauma of the attack, the magic of the Wall of Ghosts surrounding the Pilgrim's Path, or some other foul play, has blocked her memory...
vs Yami (the cat):
You believe Yami to be acting in good conscience, and honestly reporting to you that she "doesn't smell right"...
❦❦❦ ❦❦❦ ❦❦❦
vs Yeri (the sister):
You believe she is telling the truth, which is, that she doesn't know, neither what day it is, nor who / what attacked her. Perhaps the trauma of the attack, the magic of the Wall of Ghosts surrounding the Pilgrim's Path, or some other foul play, has blocked her memory...
vs Yami (the cat):
You believe Yami to be acting in good conscience, and honestly reporting to you that she "doesn't smell right"...
❦❦❦ ❦❦❦ ❦❦❦
vs Yeri (the sister):
You believe she is telling the truth, which is, that she doesn't know, neither what day it is, nor who / what attacked her. Perhaps the trauma of the attack, the magic of the Wall of Ghosts surrounding the Pilgrim's Path, or some other foul play, has blocked her memory...
vs Yami (the cat):
You believe Yami to be acting in good conscience, and honestly reporting to you that she "doesn't smell right"...
❦❦❦ ❦❦❦ ❦❦❦
vs Yeri (the sister):
You believe she is telling the truth, which is, that she doesn't know, neither what day it is, nor who / what attacked her. Perhaps the trauma of the attack, the magic of the Wall of Ghosts surrounding the Pilgrim's Path, or some other foul play, has blocked her memory...
vs Yami (the cat):
You are unable to get a reliable read on the necromancer kitty. Perhaps he is lying, perhaps telling the truth...
❦❦❦ ❦❦❦ ❦❦❦
vs Yeri (the sister):
You believe Yeri is lying, using vague answers to conceal a dangerous truth. Maybe, or maybe not, working with Yami, whom you find difficult to read (see below). Either way,
vs Yami (the cat):
You are unable to get a reliable read on the necromancer kitty. Perhaps he is lying, perhaps telling the truth...
|
|
Keeping her voice warm and soothing, Auntie Wu pats Yeri's arm and assures her: "Yeri, we are taking you to the Tan Sugi Monastery. Have no fear. The Pilgrim's Path is not a straight line, so please believe that we are not leading you astray. The questions we are asking aren't meant to show disrespect. We just want to make sure we can protect you and help you find your sister as best we can. Anything you remember can be helpful."
There is definitely something fishy about all this. As little as Auntie Wu likes Yami, she can't help but feel a cold, sinking sensation in her gut at the cat's distrust of Yeri. But how to get to the bottom of this? "Hmmm... The way you say 'Dare' sounds like you're thinking of it with a capital 'D'. That's new to me. Can you please explain it? Are there specific rules or rituals beyond ordinary kids' dares?"
Sigurd nods in agreement. "My apologies Yeri. This must be a lot to deal with. Do not worry, we will proceed to the Monastery. Hopefully your sister has found shelter there. And you can find peace."
Peace. Sigurd suspects Yeri died 10 years ago, and finding her sister will give the closure to move on.
Vekka looks nervously at Auntie Wu and Sigurd. He walks up behind them and whispers to them.
I believe Yeri is lying. Or rather she is not giving complete answers to misdirect us. I'm not at all sure about the cat... he gestures vaguely at Yami.
At one point during their journey along the lonely road, Kazuki sidles up to Lan during his scouting routine. He looks around to make sure Yeri and the cat aren't within earshot. He whispers to Lan, "Don't you find it odd that all three names start with Y and end with an I? Yeri, Yuni, Yami? And she doesn't know what day it is nor what attacked her. I find it totally sus, yo. Jus' sayin'."
"Alright. Back to my scouting duties. Think about it, bro." He gives Lan a serious look and a nudge on the shoulder before slipping back into the shadows of the trees.
Keeping her voice warm and soothing, Auntie Wu pats Yeri's arm and assures her: "Yeri, we are taking you to the Tan Sugi Monastery. Have no fear. The Pilgrim's Path is not a straight line, so please believe that we are not leading you astray. The questions we are asking aren't meant to show disrespect. We just want to make sure we can protect you and help you find your sister as best we can. Anything you remember can be helpful."
"My apologies Yeri. This must be a lot to deal with. Do not worry, we will proceed to the Monastery. Hopefully your sister has found shelter there. And you can find peace."
"I am glad you will take me. I hope she made it and that we can be together again" she brightens somewhat "Just don't take her Dares if you don't want to" she advises.
"Hmmm... The way you say 'Dare' sounds like you're thinking of it with a capital 'D'. That's new to me. Can you please explain it? Are there specific rules or rituals beyond ordinary kids' dares?"
"My sister Yuni was always very pushy. I guess a Dare was just her way of getting me to come along with whatever idea she thought of doing. I didn't take every Dare, even if I wanted to, but I also didn't want to be a stick in the mud, you know?" Sounds kind of like "ordinary kid stuff" but who knows...
Vekka gets more persistent about his nudging of Auntie Wu and Sigurd. He definitely gets out of earshot of Yeri for this part, continuing to whisper to them.
She was leaving something out, I'm pretty sure. We are not safe. Maybe we can let her go on her own, perhaps ahead of us?
He hesitates.
Maybe... but I think she can handily finesse us into danger. I'd rather at least know she was not sending us ahead to walk into specific dangers or traps.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Lan recalls something that Sensei Rumsfeld once told him, that there are known unknowns and unknown unknowns, and agrees with Auntie Wu to keep Yeri close.
The party agrees - warily - to bring Yeri along. Yami flicks her tail back and forth, and walks opposite the party, keeping a fair distance between himself and the strange woman clutching her necklace. For her part, she examines the trees along the forested path, as if looking for signs of her sister, while the company makes travel.
Arriving just as the sun is setting, the persistent light rain delivers everyone moist into the forested path, which reaches a break here, next to an ash strewn clearing astride the path. A partially-burned wooden cottage sits near the path, while a five-foot-wide rock walkway winds around the ruins to a ruined garden beyond. Here, the scorched remnants of a burned oak tree loom tall, while at the far end of the charred clearing sits a small stone shrine. The rock pathway leads up to it, with this last stretch flanked by three pairs of unlit stone lanterns.
Sigurd moves up to the charred cottage. His shield is ready. He prepares to enter the building. What happened?
"I'll check the building for dangers." he informs the group.
Kazuki sneaks up to the southwestern corner of the cottage and peers in through a crack.
Lan recognizes the garden around this Garden Shrine:
The floral beauty and the delicious taste of the fruits and root vegetables made an excellent spot for a shrine, where pilgrims could enjoy a simple meal and contemplate the values of enjoyable repasts at the end of a day of travel while also ensuring that they did not overindulge in food or drink.
❦❦❦ ❦❦❦ ❦❦❦
The 5-foot-wide stone path leads around the cottage to a small garden in the backyard . The stone path offers solid footing, but anyone who steps off the path finds that the ash-caked mud is difficult terrain. The six stone lanterns that flank the path are meant to burn cone-shaped incense, and offer enough protection to allow such burning even in a rainstorm.
You also notice that he place appears to have burned relatively recently. The cottage is badly burned, but enough of the roof remains intact to offer at least some shelter from the rainstorm. The garden shrine itself is located in the stone building in the back , the contents of which survived the fire intact. In addition to a modest shrine, additional supplies for upkeep and repair were stored here. A character can use these supplies to patch up the roof and walls in the main cottage...
It's take an hour or so's work
Kazuki sneaks around the side totally unseen while Sigurd enters the cottage shield up and the rest of the party...
|
|
"Stay back, Yeri. We'll make sure it's safe first." Auntie Wu notes Yami's distance from Yeri, but she gives up paying close attention to their locations as she approaches the burned cottage, checking for signs of magic. She keeps her shield at the ready, just in case she needs to snap it up at a moment's notice.
"Hmm. Ok. I'll be sure to let the others know."
He nods as he peers into the interior and up at the dilapidated roof.
Vekka tries to quietly pad forward, also checking the place out as Auntie Wu states.
Somehow he gets the feeling that his recently acquired ghost charge could be useful. All the same, he has his trusty katana in hand for now.
He gets just inside with Sigurd and looks around.
I wonder if this place might just collapse from the fire damage.
"Stay close by," Lan says to Yeri, pointing at the foot of the path.
"We can repair the cottage roof within an hour." Sigurd inspects the ceiling. "If there is nothing threatening us, I will begin repairs."
Kazuki speaks through a large crack in the wall to those inside,
"We should probably get some sleep first before repairing this place. I can't remember the last time I got some good sleep. Plus, it's raining pretty good out here. I'd hate for one of us to slip off the roof while doing repairs. At least there's still some roof intact to keep us covered from the rain."
"I'm gonna come around and meet you all inside."