Guide's page

Out of Nowhere.

"Early rise, yes? I have some things for trade" he pulls a blanket from his cart, revealing quite a stash of choice adventuring equipment "Standard price, of course. I see you found some excellent trinkets along the way"

And winks.

Access to Common Level 6 items with which to update your Equipment for Level 6

Shinzo waxes vague - or rather, totally evades - the multiple questions fielded to him ”I am no expert on Dreams. But, I’m sure you can handle yourselves. You’ve gotten quite far” he smiles here, and casually conducts business with Auntie Wu, giving her exact change in shiny coins!

Shinzo happily conducts business with Vekka and Sigurd, pulling out any common scrolls for their fair price, and making the exchange.

”Yes, I came through the Wall, much as you did. And yes, we are inside of a dream. You are free to attempt to contact the dreamer…” he lets that hang before asking ”So, what else have you learned about where we are?” it almost feels like “small talk” the way he addresses the subject!

Gracefully, a figure steps through another "Tunnel of Ghosts" which disappears as quickly as it appeared, stalled only a moment as he pulls a wagon full of neatly-wrapped scrolls through.

Shinzo!

He hastens right to the point "I imagine you will have questions for me. I will answer what I can." placing tremendous emphasis on this last word, his knowing smile broadens, such that, there is an air of serenity around him, the type that only a person of honest integrity could exude continuously. You feel at ease around him, even as his presence here might puzzle your mind.

And pivots to "Just in case some last-minute magical preparations were in order, I brought these" each common scroll is meticulously labeled with it's price and his collections spans the traditions up to 3rd rank "Let me know if anything catches your eye"

He waits patiently, his coin purse strapped securely to his waist with different denominations to make change, open and ready for business.

...and just then, right when it gets weird...

...the mysterious merchant Shinzo reappears!

"Well then. I understand you have made a discovery..." he leaves the implied question hanging in the air, and produces wares sufficient to outfit 5th level characters for a full level up.

Go ahead and apply your 5th Level equipment "soft rebuild" now (itemized or lump sum; plus whatever Downtime you have used to Earn Income ((see campaign header)); plus any discounts earned from NPC relationships ((also in campaign header now)))

Shinzo looks at Lan.

”Little discernment is all you need. Tell you what. This one’s on me. Good will. I meddle not but to balance each side” he pulls his hands over his mouth, as if he has said too much, and blushes. Remaining silent, but with a big smile.

Anyone donning the Cape?

And later in the week, the mysterious merchant Shinzo appears again - this time with a cart full of supplies.

He examines the party's armor, and stands back, as if making a further evaluation.

"Armor Runes. I believe you are ready for them. Help against the Ghosts and the Walls, no?" he laughs "I'll bring them on my next trip here, which will be when it will be..." vague on the date.

And "Anything else that might help you in your quest?"

Shinzo grants access to Level 5 items of any kind, but you won't be able to get them until you Level Up.

"I see you still have my cloth - would you like to trade it in for the other one?"

If trained, you may each retry the check to Identify the "red and silver cape" (one check) as you are higher level now than you were then!

The party hurries back to Willowshore, following the smoke. And their mysterious guide re-appears!

"So! You've seen it now! Well, what do you think?" he pulls out some wares and sets them on the ground beside you "I know you are in a hurry, but, where you are going, you will need these!"

To Do:
1) Anyone who answers his Question is in the running for a final Book One Hero Point!
2) Anyone lacking a Striking Rune or a Minor Reinforcement Rune or a 1st Rank Wand may choose one now (just add it to your equipment)

Due to Lan and Sigurd's Success / Critical to Make an Impression

"For an old friend..." the strange merchant searches Lan's eyes for a lingering moment - then seems to arrive at a decision "...Yes" handing over the (unidentified!) Cape as well as the Noppera-Bo Hood. To his second question, he just winks at Lan.

Who is wearing which?

To Sigurd "You will need more than just luck this time..." somehow, the conversations appear to tickle the strange merchant, for his smile grows with each exchange "If you haven't anything to trade, I will be on my way"

Gunna give 24 hours to make Equipment Swaps

"What do you need?"

You can take this opportunity to swap out any Items up to your Level of Common rarity!

"Perhaps it would"

Doesn't seem like he is saying much more than he wants to!

The middle aged man bows to Kazuki as the latter tentatively makes greeting "And to you, Kazuki Sato"

He smiles as Auntie Wu uses magic to glimmer their properties - even holds his hands higher as if to tilt them towards her magical sensors.

"Oh me? Just lucky I guess" he answers Vekka without pausing "I have more goods for trade, if you are interested..."

To Vekka's second question, he retorts "Perhaps I could" and refrains from saying a word more, apparently taking liberal interpretation of the word "could"...

"Better" the middle aged man replies "I have the goods" beaming with excitement to Lan.

Producing two very different vestments from his backpack, he holds out in his right hand a gorgeously woven red cape with silver runes, and in his left hand a unpleasantly skin-colored sack-leather hooded cloak.

"I can part with only one of these gifts, as is my donation charitable but not ruinous" he blinks with anticipation, awaiting to see which "hand" the party will choose!

While the party discusses their plan in their "rendezvous grove", a human middle-aged man in comfortable attire toting a large backpack of dangling goods approaches suddenly!

And asks "How do you intend to approach these enemies who invade your town and take your people? Do you intend to bring furious ruin to them in battle, or do you think you can fool them into believing that you are one of them to effect a rescue without resorting to violence?”

His smile is gentle, knowing, and... something else...

You may spoiler a secret roll to Sense Motive at your option!
Alternatively, you may attempt to Make an Impression (rolled openly)!
(Yes you may do both)

Heading further East, the party comes upon a Stone Market.

"Vendors to the Goku markets are available through these gates - if you need to resupply for your journey" Ingdani informs.

Common items up to 12th level available to any number of PCs at the action cost of one Hexploration Action (□)... any takers speak now!

No creature tracks are visible, and the party decides where to head next.

Random Encounter (20%): 1d100 ⇒ 47

...

Heading east, the party continues to hug the forest ridge, where deeper in the wood, a stone tower juts out, perhaps 100 feet or so into the air, narrowly exposed from the tree cover.

"Transport Towers" Ingdani clarifies "One of Five I think"

Random Encounter (20%): 1d100 ⇒ 66

Analyzing the patterns of footprints, Cirri finds no recent activity of larger jungle creatures in the nearby vicinity.

...

"Well fought!"

Ingdani appears to congratulate the PCs after the Ahmozi sisters dismiss themselves.

"Where will you go next?"

Breaking from their northeastern path somewhat, the party heads northwest straight for Mount Haminabu, whose summit comes fully into view as they comb the coastline that hugs the lush ridge into which a small archipelago is also nestled. They continue to push through the island with great speed, seemingly unconcerned with exploring anything but perhaps a final destination.

Random Encounter (20%): 1d100 ⇒ 11
Event or Encounter: 1d2 ⇒ 1

But the island, in a turnabout, seems curious about them! For another Rival Team - two Vudran humans - and Cirri's Corsairs seem to be on a collision course, and from a respectable distance, the sisters, one of whom also sports a phoenix necklace with 2d4 ⇒ (1, 3) = 4 feathers, bow and hail them!

...

Cirri's enthusiasm invigorates her teammates - pressing along the northeastern forest ridge, more of the mighty Mount Haminabu becomes visible through the light cloud cover at the shifting of perspective - as well as three bodies water to the northwest, north, and northeast - two lakes and one sea-connected cove!

Fully half of Bonmu topography now known to the party as they continue to travel quickly over it's tropical landscape!

...

Random Encounter (20%): 1d100 ⇒ 25

Doing their best to steer clear of the Mantis's Hunting Ground (G3), the group veers northeast, as part of the forested area unfolds under the partial cloud cover, revealing yet more of the center of the island. Further north and just slightly west, a great mountain is lost among the clouds - looking to be the highest and tallest natural formation upon the island - Mount Haminabu!

Ingdani pipes up "It is imperative to reach that peak by sunset (before "Late") of the third day - and be rewarded with it's incredible view!" she stares off blissfully in the direction indicated, as if recalling a panorama...

...

Random Encounter (20%): 1d100 ⇒ 65

Cirri leads the team East, as their guide, Ingdani Budisuma, follows dutifully.

Though the day is not as sunny as yesterday, even the partial clouds leave plenty of room to gain a better perspective of the island.
Visibility today: 2 Hexes

Cirri is able to identify the gargantuan tracks as those belonging to some species of deadly mantis - perhaps their lair is nearby?
Cirri may Recall w/ Nature vs DC 28 to ask one question.

Random Encounter (Invert Flat DC 20): 1d100 ⇒ 53
No REs

As the PCs nod to the Enforcers, they bow and move along their patrol. The night passes and morning comes.

Ingdani is doing morning yoga, and if anyone approaches her, she asks "So - where are you headed first today?

Was she waiting there the whole time?

Rising from lotus with a gentle levitation, Ingdani Budisuma unfolds her feet to touch the ground "I suppose a single haunted room in an otherwise cleared out ancient monastery isn't so bad!" she points in the direction of room A12 (see Temple map) "And, safe to say that you have completed your objective. The day is young! Ordinarily, I might prescribe rest, but the sun is yet high. And so..."

Entering a stance in which her heels lift from the ground slightly, leaving her bare toes touching, she swings her arms in a wide arc, whirling fingers tracing different paths, and, elevating a knee to balance on a single toe, challenges [redacted]* by flexing her wrist backward with a "get over here!" hand gesture!

If any PC is interested in Retraining, then it is You* whom she is indicating to accept the implied challenge and make a sparring martial advance!

"Greetings, newcomers" Ingdani presents herself as the party tends their wounded "I am Ingdani Budisuma. You are just in time it seems? The temple is nearly clear: I suspect you will finish with a lot of time remaining. That should give you an advantage against the other 31 Teams for the First Day of the Tournament tomorrow!"

She stands at a distance away, sufficient to converse, while allowing herself not to directly interfere with their efforts.

"I am permitted to participate as a sparring partner after you complete your task here - and am interested too to see what I may learn from you!"

...

"The day is still young - where to next for you all?"

...creeping up from the background, Ingdani asks the furtherst-back PC in a low whisper "What do you think she wants?"

Suddenly, there is a creeping sound, and Ingdani looks back "Oh, I thought you had gotten rid of them!" and she quickly ducks into a corner to let the party deal with the threat looming over the walls!

Ingdani returns here.

"We have learned that a little persistence pays off?" her question is rhetorical "So Corsairs, you are making excellent time if I don't say so myself - perhaps if we finish early today, if you are still feeling up to it, I can share with you a little of what I know?"

"Letting a little setback detract you from your main course?"

Rising from her lotus position as the party wanders into this room, Ingdani eyes the newcomer "You don't suspect me of foul play, do you?" she winks at the Doc.

"The first day of the Qualifying Round starts tomorrow!"

Ingdani, after a few minutes, makes her entrance known "That said, I'd say locating the Necklace by Noon on 'Day Zero' is a pretty good start - but as you remember - there is still much to do!"

Also Tracked in Campaign Tabs!

Adding "If you are quick, there may yet me time to begin to explore the island outside of the temple - but first things first"

"What is next for you, Corsairs?"

"The first day of the Qualifying Round starts tomorrow!"

Ingdani, after a few minutes, makes her entrance known "That said, I'd say locating the Necklace by Noon on 'Day Zero' is a pretty good start - but as you remember - there is still much to do!"

Also Tracked in Campaign Tabs!

Adding "If you are quick, there may yet me time to begin to explore the island outside of the temple - but first things first"

"Back already? Have you cleared out your Home Base yet?" from a meditating position, Ingdani doesn't bother to uncross her legs, nor open her eyes, as if somehow sensing the party's presence.

"Well, I bet you are warm now!" Ingdani steps out from the bushes, her invisibility spell broken to reveal herself "As you can see, ever since the Tsunami, the Island's wildlife and ecosystem has never been the same!"

"Cirri, you look... different I think. I like it!" this with a wink.

Finally, she points to Yagon Suel's strange-looking wand "Is that your hiking stick?"

PCs have Reconnoitered the Home Hex

Billy positively beams when Ingdani suggests they are lucky. As if he's personally receiving a compliment. "Thank you for noticing! It's in my halfling nature." He smiles and steps a little more lively the rest of the way to the temple.

Building on that "And to supplement your skill and strength, it might just take a little luck to make it past the Qualifier - I will do my best to support you in showing your best face"

"It is good to see you again Ingdani. I see you have kept your training regimen up these past 10 years. This time the tournament will end differently for me."

"And so I imagine will it begin different - for my part, I can't hide a little envy I feel to participate at such the grand scale that you are blessed to undertake" she smiles at the dhampir.

Slick is quite impressed to learn Ingdani's rank and dips his head in a short bow. "I for one am honored to meet a Master of Winter, and am doubly pleased that you are our new friend and not one of our opponents. Perhaps when we have some free time you can show me some of your advanced moves; I think you'll find me an eager student."

"It would be rigorous training, and would command your full attention, but, if you can make time, and are an able and eager student, I am willing to teach you all I know, to the extent that your body serves as an appropriate vessel, and to the extent that your mind is disciplined, and to the extent that your soul is expansive" she smiles here, having elevated her own craft.

Aoibhean considers the cost of the portals to Goka, doing a bit of mental math and arriving at a staggering number. "All that, to enable shopping trips for the pre-qualifiers," she says, astounded. "We already knew this, but Hao Jin is amazing."

"It is said that the wealth contained within the Vault of Hao Jin would be sufficient to purchase an entire continent!" before conceding "...if the stories are to be believed, or at least, the extent to which they are an exaggeration. In either case, I imagine the cost to the great sorcerous to be proportionally small"

"Wow..." Cirri writes things down. "So, if we had to buy something from Goka- or we just wanted to window shop- we could use those portals, right? That wouldn't disqualify us for technically leaving the island?"

"And to that effect, for those vendors participating, any attempt to take advantage of the situation by, say, price-gouging, risk being dismissed from the concord surrounding this Tournament" Ingdani elaborates "Suffice it to say you can still expect a fair price"

"You are a "lucky" team indeed" Ingdani says "For only a quarter mile away lies the Temple of Irori (A1): Your designated Home Base" something about the way she said "lucky" signifies that her intended meaning may have a second or nuanced connotation... either way, leaving the Docks, in a few short minutes, she points out the site: a single story, nestled just inside this lightly forested Home Base Hex.

"There are three other points of interest however, observe:" pointing in two opposite directions, as well as indicating beyond the Temple itself.

(C)
A Ruins looks to be repurposed as an arena - Ingdani explains that if you wanted to Initiate or Accept any Challenges before (or after) securing the Temple, this would be the closest suitable location. It is within the same hex as the Temple, not a quarter mile apart.

(E)
A Stonehenge of stacked rock - Ingdani explains that there are Enforcers on site that guard these One-Way Portals which can be used by Competitors to access the Marketplaces all the back on Goka! It is within the same hex as the Temple and Ruins, as if marking the three vertices of a scalene triangle.

(D1)
A Tower also made of ornate stonework that juts into the sky - Ingdani gives a short history lesson explaining that the native Taumatan inhabitants of the island - before The Great Tsunami - made an attempt to connect multiple islands of the archipelago, but their magic fell short, and instead the four other "Transport Towers" instead constitute a still-functioning network within the single island of Bonmu. This particular Tower is one hex NE from here.

Having shared these points of interest, she turns to you "So. Let me know if you have any questions, otherwise, I will follow you to the Temple!"

"Alright Cirri's Corsairs: What is your first move?"

Like a lighthouse, Slick turns his beaming countenance toward Ingdani. This was the opening he'd been looking for. "How kind of you to notice. Isn't it quite fetching? I'm hoping to make it a symbol of dread for the other teams. As my friend Billy here might say, When you see the tricorne loom, best prepare to meet your doom! Snappy rhyme, no?" His demeanor then changes almost imperceptibly and he gives her a slightly more sultry look. "Sooo, will you be joining our little piratical party for the tournament? I'm sure we could make room for someone of your obvious talents."

Ingdani politely corrects Slick's phrasing with the gentlest rebuff "I will be chaperoning your little piratical party for the tournament" unbroken in her stride, she seizes the opportunity to put a little glory on her own name as well "My rank is "Master of Winter" in my martial art - and though I am forbidden from lending my hand to your run, I am not forbidden from defending myself" she makes sure to turn her head towards the confident gladiator in enunciating that last line, so as to drive the point, which seems sufficiently vague in communicating whether it was a tease, a promise, or a threat - or perhaps all three...

"Oh! Hi! I'm Cirri Merryweather. Good to meet you Ingdani Budisuma. I didn't think up the name, but I guess I paid for the entry fee." She giggles. "This is my first time participating in this tournament, and I'm honored to make it this far."

"But now comes the hard part: the qualifying round. I think we need... 10 silver feathers to qualify. So we'll have to find other teams, challenge them and claim their feathers as our own, I guess."

"That is correct - not only a test of survival and exploration" her pace undampened by talking this time "not only a test of your mettle as a warrior" continuing "but also a test on your ability to negotiate and wager with your competition" arriving at the gates.

"And here we are!"

"We are honored by your service," Aoibhean says, bowing slightly to Ingdani. "I've competed in the tournament before as well, though I was a mere child at the time. Other than Hao Jin gracing us with her presence, do you know of any major changes to the tournament proceedings since then?" She follows the question with her very best smile.

"This is the first year that there will be a qualifying round" she begins "Over 100 years ago there was a tsunami that struck the western coast of Arcadia, pulling much of the ocean away, and creating temporary land bridges across which Kaiju and other large land creatures migrated to this island. My family was among those that fled back then. To this day, the ecosystem here remains changed. Concordantly, I believe Hao Jin herself chose these modifications to the Tournament based on this unique opportunity to set her champions against the Megafauna of Bonmu!"

"♫ Golden piercings ... most divine! The pleasure, madam, is all mine.

Let the tourney now begin. We cannot wait to meet Hao Jin!
I'm her biggest fan you see. And her wondrous tapestry.
So lead the way! Let them stare. The team to beat: Cirri's Corsairs. ♫"

"Oh My!" a big smile crests over her face "You'll be popular indeed if you make The Cut" she listens to the lyrics "Cirri's Corsairs, that must be your team name. I will make sure it is recorded as such" she turns to Slick "And don't you look the part!"

Ingdani seems to realize how much time has passed when her transition is sudden and abrupt "Oh my! We must get going. Come!" and resumes the brisk pace walking towards the gates - which are now opening! - some of the greatest warriors on the planet beginning to slowly file inside!

"Oh my!" she looks positively embarrassed "In all my haste, I have forgotten to introduce myself" the brisk pace suddenly stops, and she breathes in to enjoy the moment and give to you her full attention, composing herself with excellent posture "My name is Ingdani Budisuma, and I will be your Tournament Escort as selected by the honorable Emissary Nuo himself. After the ceremony, I will escort you to your residence location at an abandoned temple of Irori. We do have a couple of minutes I suppose..."

There is a brief opportunity here for anyone to Make an Impression!

"Ah, there you all are - I had anticipated your arrival sooner"

A human woman of Tian-Sing decent smiles at the party as they disembark from the Second Wind - she is dressed in high ceremonial garb of contrasting cherry red and sky blue robes, but underneath, she wears a monk's handwraps that cover most of her long limbs in the color of ivory white. Her face is firm and thin, but not severe, and adorned with 2d6 ⇒ (3, 5) = 8 golden piercings that bring out her hair. She walks with simple purpose and intention, stopping just before the plank, and continues "It would be a show of dishonor to be late to Sifu Xho Nuo's Opening Ceremony. I trust you have your effects. Come!"

And before you even have a moment to lose your sea legs, you all find yourself keeping astride with this total stranger - she talks as she walks "So. Tell me. What do you know of Hao Jin and the Ruby Phoenix Tournament?"

Players, please place your Tokens on the Docks Map!