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Taika is relieved at the words of her colleagues that save the day. "Thank you for your words, Artoria... and Elise as well. My own notions were misguided, but you carried the day. "Tanbaru, how are you feeling now? Do you still wish to travel with me, or resume your duties at the temple? You know that my commitment to you is to help you restore your noble nature?" Taika's priority is the spiritual welfare of her scary disembodied mask friend.
"Noble Jikaru, you are in danger of becoming the very thing you spoke of with Tanbaru: a corruption of your role as a guardian," Taika calls even though the earth trembles and lava appears between the rocks. "Tanbaru seeks redemption, but if you give in to despair and forsake your duties, then you too will become twisted into an oni!"
Taika stares wide-eyed when the statue suddenly speaks, any comforting words she had for Tanbaru stricken from her by the sudden events. She nods gratefully to Elise at the other woman's graceful words, and holds up a hand to indicate that she would like to answer the question about Tanbaru, her familiar. Though Taika is a scholar more than a silver tongue, she is too personally invested in Tanbaru's story to argue philosophy-- instead she tells the truth, plainly and earnestly. "Guardian, this oni that you was once also a guardian-- a kami of the path that led to this very temple. He was taken away by a force beyond his control-- taken to another plane entirely, where centuries without his sacred charge drew him and in the presence of wicked creatures drew him towards evil. But he is redeeming himself even now: he has sworn himself to my service, and we came to this temple to see if we might help him remind him of himself... as well as to learn, as my companion said. "If you can detect the presence of evil, guardian, you will see that already Tanbaru's spirit has made strides away from the darkness."
Taika tries to soothe Tanbaru with a little pat to the mask.
Taika tries to take it on herself to try and talk to the nagaji, but the woman's zealotry may make this difficult to get anything more from her beyond the things brought up. "We didn't intend to intrude, but others held this mountain and worshipped here before you; your right of possession is subject to overthrow by violence if you will enforce it by violence... A peaceful openness to the presence of others would have meant no need for violence between any of us; your colleagues would still be alive..."
(Taika suffers from a certain optimism regarding the basic reasonableness of most living creatures.) When the eggs are pointed out, she is a little glad for the respite from trying to speak with the nagaji. "Interesting! The eggs of a large serpent. If raised from hatching, they could become a faithful companion for someone interested in such a thing. We should take them back with us. Tanbaru, how are you holding up? We are nearly finished exploring, I think."
Seeing that Artoria and Hagrym seem to have the red-clad warrior in hand, Taika circles back into the other room. Gazing at the blue-clad nagaji, Taika sighs. "This is a pointless waste of lives. Violence for no reason. Do you speak the common tongue?" She repeats her words in Tien, and makes a mental note to study the nagaji tongue later. But for now, she also .... spits... some sticky ice? Or something. Frost exhales from her mouth towards the blue-robed enemy, tendrils locking around the nagaji's form.
Taika casts the words of another spell, feeling her throat riming with ice. Using her magical speed, she darts out into the courtyard, trying to cut off the fleeing enemies.
"Nagaji warriors! We accept your surrender if you wish to give it. We do not even know why you've attacked us." Taika then repeats the previous words in Tien.
"I agree, elementals and a kami... it appears these efreeti lured this enormous creature into some sort of trap. We should be wary. Especially if, as Hagrym says, these pillows have seen recent use. Thank you for your protections, Elise."
Taika also agrees that the library seems the logical next place, and, being a lawful sort of person, will of course sign the guestbook. She does speak Tien...
...and looks with interest over the records of comings and goings. "This is quite interesting. Up until about 1200 years ago, the shrine saw regular visitation, corresponding with the seasons, then the visits dropped off. For the last three centuries, the visitors seem all to have had Nagaji as their native tongue-- the most recent recorded visitors arrived three months ago, Xuyan, Muita, and Ngon Le by name."
"Ah, and what have we here-- useful scrolls! These two will make our feet able to retreat quicker, and this one is the same as the climbing magic I placed on Hagrym... ah, these last two are curative, that seems to be the domain of others." The book 'Whispers in the Wood,' Taika takes for further study, as she does not yet speak the Dtang tongue. Yet. "Shall we press on?"
"Those were not merely serpents," Taika muses aloud. "Some taint of evil on them, as I said. We must be aware that other things may also be corrupted. I am fine with the meditation room if all else are. Shall we?-- oh, wait!"
Taika retrieves a small purple ioun stone from her pack, and then murmurs words of a spell over it. The stone pulses with an inner light when she is done. "This might help someone on our front lines. I forgot it until just now-- I was concerned over Tanbaru. Artoria, or Hagrym, or Narvik? I have channeled a spell of shielding into this, that will last for seven minutes, if one of you prefers to release it into orbit around your head and to say the command word of 'snowstorm.' "
"Hagrym, do you wish me to restore to your normal size? That might be awkward for you depending on the size of the doorways and the ceilings within. I can leave it until we know if you'll be able to fit, if you prefer."
Taika approaches the battle somewhat circumspectly. "You look to be suffering, Narvik, I am sorry I can do little about it just now..." The elf suddenly goes stiff and rigid, and her blue eyes darken to pits of starry void. In a deeper voice than her usual speaking, she calls out: "I perceive one of the snakes has an old scar that pains it on its side. Strike there. That one." Taika points, while Tanbaru hovers protectively in front of his mistress, like a strange face-shaped shield.
"Narvik! Can you step back next to Hagrym-- I don't want to accidentally catch you in my spell!" Taika calls.
Tanbaru shifts helplessly in mid-air. "Mistress, they did not succumb to sleep. What do you wish me to do?" "Just fly back to me for now, avoid the snakes," Taika says. "It isn't your fault."
"...a species with deadly venom," Taika says with a frown, staring upwards. "--and these in particular are tainted with some sort of evil! They need blessed steel to truly hit. This is more serious than mere snakes. Elise, take my hand, I will bring us to our comrades. Tanbaru, is there a safe space to bring us in?" The oni, flying at the level of the battle, reports that the west is clear of snakes. Taika reaches out to Elise and closes the distance in seconds.
Tanbaru then tries to lull the beast with a cursed rest, his eyes crackling with energy. "Leave my sacred mountain..."
"A... balloon? Oh, yes, I have heard of these. Are they dwarven, then?" Taika asks politely. "Tanbaru, are you willing to scout quietly for us while I prepare Hagrym, or does the sight of your former ward fill you with too much pain?" GM:
Regardless of Tanbaru's answer, Taika reads a scroll of spider climb over Hagrym. The spell will give him the climbing skills of, well, a spider, for thirty minutes. "I was considering you might carry someone one up, Hagrym, in case there is trouble. You might be able to carry several of us, really. If there is something above, a Pathfinder should not face it alone."
Taika surveys the cliff while trying to calm Tanbaru. "Oh, Tanbaru, have courage, I am sure we will be able to find a way to restore your honor as a guardian... "Those steps are the result of erosion but also tools. I think some of those tool marks are fairly recent, the last year or so. It's possible someone has tried to reach the old temple.... other pilgrims, perhaps? "Now, as for this climb ahead... My own footing is not the surest. Hagrym, you seem strong-- what if I cast a few spells upon you to make you stronger and larger, and to aid your climbing, that you might help us all to the top?"
"You're well studied, Hagrym," Taika says approvingly, while spending a great deal of her time trying to make sure Tanbaru is okay-- she worries for the oni's nature, as she has spent some time trying to set his feet.... er... lack of feet... back onto the path of righteousness, but knows that he might backslide at any time. "I am no cook, but the rice you are making is smelling wonderful. Let me see here..." Taika rummages through her spell component pouch and after a few minutes comes up with some dried carrot, some shaved licorice root, rolled cabbage leaves, and even some tentacles of a squid, wrapped in wax paper. "We might add some of these for seasoning, perhaps!" she says with some amusement, while Tanbaru chuckles as well.
"Those rocks won't be very stable if one tries to walk across," Taika murmurs. As the burly warriors set to clearing the rocks carefully, Taika thinks about what she knows about the land.
Taika apparently really has studied this part of the world. "I think I know something of the paths in this mountain range... Tanbaru can perhaps confirm for me... is there a route around such as I think there is, Tanbaru? By the cleft oak?"
Taika speaks Tien, and easily reads aloud the full instructions. "So-- be of utmost courtesy to all we meet, even the land itself, for we are now on sacred ground. It would be wise of us all to head the warnings. Tanbaru, normally I would have you scout ahead for us, but in this land where your own history seems fraught, I would rather have you stay with us-- both for your sake, and for ours," Taika says to the spirit oni. "Here, fly just at my shoulder, yes? "Who among us wishes to lead? My skills lie more in knowledge and magics then in being a bulwark. Does anyone wish to be first upon the path?"
Taika is clearly much too involved in thinking about the trip to come to pick up on the unease that Hagrym observes. She blinks, and looks to her familiar with a curious brow. "Does Master Hagrym speak true, Tanbaru? Is something troubling you? You know that since you have been traveling with me, we have left evil behind us, dear Tanbaru. Slowly we return unto the light-- to your true state as a kani. Perhaps by a return to the temple where you once served, you will restore yourself even more fully-- please do not be afraid, dear one."
Her thoughts on the region, she willingly shares: "I have studied this part of the world to an extent. The Kullan Dei is a very long mountain range; the mountains we can see near us are merely its northernmost tip. A hike of a few hours should get us to the summit of the nearest peak, but the temple itself may be further away... "The mountains are a volcanic range, and geology is still a force in flux there. We should be prepared for landslides, at the very least. "Birds and snakes are the most common fauna... but one might also see dragons, ogres, and, of course, kani." This last, Taika says with a little pat to the blue mask, and a fond smile. "But one should be wary that seeming natural animals may not be only that-- and therefore, we should be polite even to the beasts, until we know they are only just beasts."
Taika's pale gaze lingers a moment on Elise. "You appear to have some of the ancestry of one of the higher orders in you, Lady Elise," she says politely after a few long, thoughtful seconds. "But a touch of either heaven... or hell... does not make one immortal. Your mortal blood will consign you to age and die in time-- perhaps centuries later than a human, but a long life is also not immortality. If you trust to your master, Asmodeus, to stop time from happening, you may find yourself disappointed." The mask chuckles darkly, and Taika returns to stringing gemstone beads on a wire of copper. "Few enough of us will truly live forever," she adds on softly. "Especially in our line of work, so often dangerous. One must consider the legacy one wishes to leave behind, whether it is something as simple as a small piece of beauty to adorn the a wrist or a finger... or in the behaviors of others that we have changed and impacted." Tanbaru makes no response to this. Taika looks back up to Narvik, and finds a small smile. "Yes, unfortunately. And what skills do you bring, Lord Narvik?"
Taika looks around blinking as she realizes Jal is not present after all, and that she must have hallucinated him. She shakes herself slightly and reorients to the present, and to the others. She looks at the Chelish woman with a slightly cocked head. "Are you not a mortal then? 'Deliverer of fire' is a mouthful. Do you have a name? As for my skills: I am more ice than fire, I confess. I am a scholar, as I said. I prefer to study than to fight. But when there is no option but violence, I am capable of calling creatures from other planes, or otherwise impeding those who would do violence.... with pits, or the like." Taika seems to find the prospect of this violence distasteful. The mask on her map grins savagely, though. "Just punishment meted out to those who transgresssss," it? he? hisses. Taika gives the wooden mask an admonishing rap with her knuckles. "Remember the emphasis on 'just,' Tanbaru." "Yes, mistress." On witnessing the rambunctiousness of the bird Archimedes, Taika smiles slightly. "I see I am not the only one with a.... friend, who travels with me. Well met, Lady Artoria. And 'Archimedes' as well." Taika nods graciously to Narvik too. "Well met to you as well, sir. Pharasma is a most interesting goddess. I am sure your skills are not at rusty as you may fear, or if they are, the road shall renew them in short order."
During the journey from Absalom to Dtang Ma, Taika is able to make the acquaintance of the other Pathfinders. She is a pale-skinned and pale-haired elven woman dressed in blues and whites, who has a number of small pouches and bandoliers on her person. Her demeanor is polite, but often somewhat distant. She has little interest in small talk or boisterous cameraderie during the voyage, but instead busies herself crimping wire into delicate necklace chains, or sorting through tiny diamonds to fit them into rings, seeming to have no trouble working with the fine jewelry-making work even when carriages bounce or jounce. She has a companion, as well. Jal may remember Taika once had a pet rabbit, but there is no sign of the glossy white-furred beast; instead, a carved and painted wooden mask of a howling face rests often in her lap. At some point in the journey, the mask's eyes open! And it greets you in a guttural tone. "WELL MET, MORTALS." "This is Tanbaru," Taika says calmly. "And I am Taika, a scholar. Hello again, Jal Vaduva."
Hey gang, sorry for the delay! Here I am. Player Name: Dien
I have indeed played Tapestry's Toil with this character, and I did indeed take Tanbaru as a familiar. :) Taika's level 7; I'll get her updated sheet posted soon.
In the aftermath of the battle, Taika draws herself up, smoothing out her robes (lightly singed from the one scorching ray she had caught) and opening her satchel to check that Kani is comfortable and safe within. She offers a small smile around at her colleagues. "It has been an... interesting experience. Hopefully my next mission for the society will reward my research abilities more than the spells I've learned for self-defense... but in the necessary spots of violence, you were all most capable. I am sure I will see some of you again." Taika collects one of the rose petals blowing across the stage, and lifts it thoughtfully before tucking it into her spell component pouch. "I do not care for your ales and meads, but... I might raise a glass of wine with you, if you wish."
Taika moves closer, then gazes at the monk who represents their final challenge, her pale blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she registers the effect by which her companions seem to strike only to realize they are hitting empty air...
Taika's eyes darken to the blue-black at the heart of the glacier as she observes the monk that throws fire and dodges so easily. Taika's hands then begin to fly in a complex pattern, as if a tapestry was hung in the air before her and she was unraveling its woven strands.... undoing the whole, forcing things back to a simpler pattern.
Quietly, Taika whispers: "It may be possible to cut this challenge short. I can make someone unseen so that they may approach the gong without incident... assuming the judge here has no precautions against it, which he well may. Caduceus or Auric might be our best hands at ringing the gong, perhaps?"
Waiting to hear back from her colleagues if one of them wishes to try this, Taika still is not completely idle. She assesses the judge critically, considering his person in this changed form, and whether there are still clues as to his true nature... and vulnerabilities... like this.
"I'm curious... one moment." Taika tries to open the lowered coffin that her colleagues have discarded, checking it for magic first and then testing the lid, wanting to see what- if anything at all- was inside the coffin in this macabre little play. If there is nothing of note inside, she willing follows the others, refreshing a charge of mage armor on herself.
Taika frowns slightly as the mock-fight is called before she can rid her mouth of the disgusting taste of sort of sticky ice. She shrugs to herself and winds up sending a stream of it at the falling curtain , using the moment of time it buys to bow to the audience, before moving offstage after her colleagues. "Oh, I don't know it was so bad. Didn't you all enjoy waving around sticks?"
Taika considers the battlefield and turns back once more to the "audience", her hands and cane raised dramatically. "Let the storm blind my enemies," she intones. This is a very cheesy line, surely, but audiences like cheese? Perhaps? In answer to her shouting and hand-waving, a burst of twinkling crystals explode midair above half the stage, shimmering blue-white-gold in the stagelights briefly before settling down over two of the other team.
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