Iwao is the first to speak. “The demon wants to control time. He has several machines to do so but may be limited by knowledge of how to operate them. Perhaps to understand or power some of the machines he needs to get into other holds?”
Ayako adds. “Or the captain’s quarters.”
“That perhaps could be the best place to look.” Drasta agrees.
Khzuro thinks, “That's what I figured. Still, unless he's already breached the defenses there, he's not going to be there."
Masako asks, “Then what is our plan?”
Khzuro gets frustrated, “Damnit, we can't wait around forever, they'll get the portal open. Doubt going to the abyss to fight him is feasible. I was expecting him to be here..." Pauses, thinking "If we break through Sithmore's defenses we're just weakening the defenses for the demon." Pauses, trying to recall what Clyde might have said about what he knew of the demon's whereabouts. Then he remembers that Clyde told them all that the demon makes many journeys, but he had no idea why. He says, “First, we saw a bunch of quasits, let’s find then and eliminate or interrogate them. Do any of you have domination magic?”
Katsu raises his hand. “We did not bring the enchantress, but I have a few spells.”
“Right, let’s find those quasits.”
They start down the narrow hall passing two doors. One door is covered by a mechanical drawing. The other door has an engraving of a ship on the water with many stars above. There are several lines from the ship to the stars which are all constellations that are easily recognize. There are metal numbers like a rudimentary keypad next to the door handle. Each line has a long number on it.
Khzuro looks around for where those quasits might be, trying to listen for them, but he doesn’t hear anything. About midway down they find two sets of steps leading up, and two small doors that are unmarked below them. The doors are closed.
Drasta stops at the keypad on the previous door to decipher which buttons were used most. There is a large pile of ash at the bottom of the door. All the keys seem to have been tried.
Khzuro shouts back, “Don’t hear the quasits. Think they got dusted while we were looking elsewhere?”
Samo replies, “I saw them fly up the steps.”
Khzuro answers, “Ok.” He goes to head up the steps where the quasits went. The group go up to midships. There are bunks all around. As they explore, they find there only seems to be a few larger rooms on this level. There is a kitchen, a front quarters which seems to be a special sleeping room for an elf. There is an idol of Sehanine there.
All the bunks and the kitchen are neat and tidy. In the main bunkroom they find more idols to Mulhorandi gods. The back room which must be very large has a bigger door that is closed. Khzuro looks over to the back room but keeps alert for any quasits that might be hiding. The ceiling is only 6ft here, so Samo has to take his helmet off and bend down a very small bit.
Khzuro listens closely but doesn’t hear anything. He notices another set of stairs going up. They attempt to search the room for anything of note when finding nothing, Khzuro heads up the stairs onto the deck of the ship. Up on the deck it looks like a standard large deck. As they look across the area, they see nothing around: No demons, just the ice shelf. Khzuro does spot something though. He sees Clyde snoozing while clinging to the side of one of the crevasses. He is about 50 ft below the shelf.
Drasta stays down and looks carefully at the door. It’s larger than the rest on the ship, heavy and is made of solid oak. She makes a note of it to tell the others. She comes on deck with the others. “There was a large door in one of the rooms...I am uncertain if is of value to explore there as well.”
Khzuro looks around their current location then gives Drasta a nod, “They could have gotten in there, let’s check.” They go back to midships and to the back of the vessel. The door is fairly plain but very thick. Khzuro checks for traps. He sees none.
He tries the handle. As soon as he touches it a magic mouth appears. It says in elven, “What is my name my love?” Khzuro backs off nervously, but realizing silence probably triggers it, he silently motions the others back then looks to the door. He calls out to Drasta, knowing she read that love letter.
Drasta thinks for a moment, “Perhaps it was the name on the message…Alluin?” Nothing happens.
Khzuro says, “Lunan’ari!” Nothing happens.
Drasta mutters to herself, “Perhaps a pet name, no?” Then speaks questioningly, “My Wild Bird?” This time another magic mouth appears. “And who is my own heart’s desire?”
Drasta thinks a moment, “Haimon?” Nothing happens. Drasta dwells on it. “Perhaps it was never that one. He wrote that it should……. No Haimon was Laruiella’s husband. She didn’t write letters to him but to Alluin……My Wild Bird and My…… Ah yes so obvious I overlooked it as a loving demeanor….” She clears her throat, “My Heart, Love, and Soul.” Everyone hears a click.
Drasta comments, “Interesting.”
Khzuro shakes his head. “Well, might as well take a look, hoping no quasits overheard us.”
Drasta says guardedly, “We should be careful.”
“Very!” Khzuro responds.
They open the door, finding a rather large stateroom with a full bar and a table in the center big enough to seat 10 people. At the back is another door, it’s open. There is a large cot in the corner next to it. with some items. Theres also a drafting desk in the other corner and a safe. Khzuro looks for any signs that anyone besides them have been here. He sees the door at the back open. It’s a small bedroom with a double bed, a closet and a desk. On the bed is a mummy that looks freshly wrapped. Though the room looks squeaky clean it seems no one has been in here. There is no rot on the fruit at the bar and the alcohol has not gone bad. There is also a telescope in the bedroom on a stand, a footlocker and a small closet.
In the stateroom Masako inspects two ships in a bottle and paintings of several people. Aiami closes the door behind everyone once they are all in and it locks. Drasta looking around says, “This is curious indeed.”
Khzuro looks around too, “Probably kept a lot of things of sentimental value here but... what's that?" Looks over to the Mummified body. It’s completely wrapped up.
Drasta answers, “Perhaps it is her.”
Khzuro looks incredulous, “Sithmore herself, you mean...? Looks too fresh, I would have thought her..." Pauses, thinking "No, would make sense." A sigh, looking at Ayako and Iwao "No chance of trying to bring her back, is there? Figured if she could be she wouldn't have had to possess that ranger."
Ayako says, "If that’s her my bets is she will be coming on her own soon"
"Not sure if that's a good thing, even though we really could use the help around now." Khzuro responds.
Katsu says, "Well there are lots of things to investigate here."
“Indeed, though we should take care in disturbing anything.” Drasta remarks.
Khzuro nods, "Indeed so, I expect she'd awaken very angry if we took or broke anything."
Iwao also agrees with Drasta, "We should be very careful. If she does come, she can’t hurt us with spells unless she can possess one of us. Still, she’s an archmage so probably can overpower most of us with her will if she wishes too."
Khzuro says, “But even so, can anything in this room actually lead us to our foe if he's not on this ship? And if we dally too long the demons will get that portal open again too."
Shin asks, “Perhaps something here can lead us to her cursed items that we can leave for him?"
Khzuro looks around to see if the hourglass is anywhere in sight. It is not. "Maybe... assuming we can handle any of this safely."
Drasta starts looking around the room carefully and thoroughly. Samo goes over to the bar, picks a bottle of whisky up and gets a glass out. He then pours and drinks a couple of shots.
"Samo, careful with that, we have no idea if she trapped her drinks cabinet." Khzuro warns.
He shrugs. “It’s really, really smooth.”
Drasta spots the safe. “Hmm… A safe. Shin?”
Shin nods. "On it.” He goes to the safe and starts to work on it. He tries the open/close cantrip. It doesn’t work. He sighs and gets some tools out. Khzuro also goes over to the safe and checks it for traps. Finding none, he gives Shin the nod. He opens the safe.
Khzuro comments, “Hope something in there can help us find our adversary."
Drasta responds, “that was my thought”
Shin pulls out a bunch of books, papers, and charts. “Logs, personal journals, letters written in elven with illuminations on them………. Ummm some of these have positions! Ok, oh! What’s this?” Drasta looks at him curiously. He takes the charts and rolls them out. There are constellations and names of stars with their longitude, latitude and declination numbers written down to the second of angle along with dates. "Now this, this is interesting."
He goes over them a long time. “Ha! She maps times with star movements. So that’s how she does it. She moves things through time with the star angles of different constellations. She has charts from just 200 years ago back to............almost 4,000 years ago."
There is also a wicker ball in the safe that Shin did not touch. It’s about three times the size of a soft ball. Drasta looks at it strangely. She picks it up, inspecting it. “Have not seen one of these in some time.”
Khzuro sighs a bit, but doesn't press the matter of Samo's drinking, then looks to Drasta "What is it?"
“A fairy ball.”
Khzuro is mystified, “Which is?”
Drasta chuckles. “It’s a home for fairies like a doll house. Elven girls make them for fairies and hang the balls up in the eaves of porches. The fairies come and live there and light up the porch at night.”
Khzuro scratches his head. “Does that mean there’s one in there now?”
“I would doubt so since it has been here many years.”
Khzuro says, “Right…” Then he strolls over to Samo, trying to see how he’s holding up. He finds the samurai happily getting sloshed.
Masako goes into the bedroom and looks in the trunk and in the cabinets. Everyone hears, “WOW!”
Khzuro gives Samo a nod, normally he'd press Samo about drinking on the job, but given what happened to Haru and Ogano, he lets him have this. He then looks over to Masako "What is it?"
Drasta says, “One might remember what happened last we indulged in what was around us?”
Masako comes out with a very fancy dress in her hands. It’s white on top and there are pearls and opals sewn into the silk. The bottom has a double skirt the inner skirt has a green and blue pattern like the aurora borealis. The outside has small diamonds sewn into it that look like stars. Khzuro just blinks at her stupefied. Ayako and Aiami are both overwhelmed by it to. They stare at the dress dumbfounded. Khzuro asks, “Is that magic that will aid in the mission?"
Drasta takes one look at the dress and backs away from it a bit. Partly in reverence and partly because Masako just did something no one should ever do to that kind of dress. “You would be best to put that dress back. It was given to her by her lover. It’s a moon dress. A dress given to a woman by their lover. The dress is meant for the dance to Sehanine. The woman dances for an hour at full moon and exhausts herself while building sexual energy after an hour she goes to the ground and makes love to her mate. if her mate is female they dance together. It’s both a celebration to the goddess and to the love between the two elves. You’re committing a greave sacrilege, Masako”.
Masako says, “The dress isn’t magic, but this is.” She holds up a rapier. It’s glowing a soft blue light. Fog starts to slowly build around the stateroom.
Khzuro huffs, “Put the dress back, this isn't the time to be distracted by fashion. We know what we're up aga..." Blinks!
Drasta arches a brow at the rapier. “Interesting.”
Katsu’s jaw droops, “That’s a Typhoon Blade.”
Khzuro is looks at the fog collecting on the floor. "This better not be a trap or her ghost coming to smack us." He then looks up. Typhoon blade?”
Katsu nods. “They are superb blades.” He then rattles off its power. “+3 enchantment 1-6 electric, 1-6 sonic, gust of wind 2x/day, call lightning 2x/day, shocking grasp 5x/day.”
Khzuro says, "Well, guess if we can use it, it's fine to borrow it. Can anyone here use it well?"
Samo looks over. “"To pick my nose or use as a spit for a rabbit?"
The kobold slaps his face, “To use as a weapon.”
Aiami looks over at Samo and narrows her eyes. Samo’s face goes red, “Sorry Aiami.”
Ayako says, “That’s ok Samo. I think that’s a wonderful idea.”
Drasta chuckles and taps her own rapier. “It would be a trade in use overall.”
Khzuro yells. “No, it's not. Focus people!" Then huffs a bit annoyed. Masako puts the dress back into the cabinet.
Drasta says, “It is possible I could wield both rapiers but that would put me on a front line in a battle.”
"Well, if you can make practical use of it, feel free." A sigh, Khzuro says, considering "Guess we haven't found anything that would locate our foe, and our countermeasures on sealing the portal won't last forever."
The glass in Samo's hand shatters, cutting him and Masako somehow trips and falls to the floor on her face.
Khzuro blinks, looking over to Samo "Or maybe everything here is cursed and we're getting Sithmore's ghost angry." A sigh.
Drasta responds, “That may be the case, I suggest we put what was found where it belongs.”
“Yes, please.” Khzuro asks.
Drasta looks to Samo, “Maybe not the drink though that would be much trickier.”
The fog gets heavier and some of it coalesces into an ethereal visage of Captain Sithmore in uniform.
The Kozakura Campaign
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Winterhawk99
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Winterhawk99
- Posts: 2264
- Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2009 12:00 am
- ctp: Yes
- nwnihof: Yes
- Location: Pa.
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Re: The Kozakura Campaign
Khzuro looks up at the ghost, “Well hello again. Fancy meeting you here.” Rubs his muzzle. Drasta palms her forehead. The captain slowly stares at each person in the room then walks over to the mummy on the bed. She points to the side of its head.
Khzuro looks over to the mummy. “Is that your body? Do you want us to bring you back to life?” She doesn’t move but just puts her finger where the ear would be since the body is completely wrapped. They cannot see the ear. He looks over to Drasta, then back to where she’s motioning, looking over the mummy to see if there’s anything strange or off about the corpse.
Drasta steps over as well, taking a look. “Perhaps it would like to unwrap that section.” Khzuro gives a nod to her, letting her go ahead. Also goes to check on Samo. Samo just keeps looking at the ghost and back to the broken glass.
Drasta takes a small blade and creates an opening very delicately. Samo looks at Khzuro, “It is really, really, good stuff. Better than Shasta.”
Khzuro comments, “Good to know.” That aside, though he refrains from sampling, He needs to keep his wits and not start licking his team’s faces. “Your hand ok…”
Samo nods, “Just a flesh wound.”
Drasta cuts the area around the right ear. She sees that the ear is perfectly preserved as if the body had just died. on the earlobe is an earring in the shape of the all-seeing eye with a jade in the middle of it. She takes a moment to study it. She is not sure what it does but knows it’s highly magical. The ghost points to the other side of the head. Drast does the same with the other side looking at the ghost, “May I?” She sees the matching earring on the other ear. The ghost points to Ayako. Drasta nods. “I will give them to that one. The ghost nods.
She gently and carefully removes them and hands them to Ayako. “She wants you to use these.”
Ayako looks them over. “What will they do?”
Drasta responds, “I am unsure, but I feel they are powerful or perhaps they turn you into a dog. I am just not sure.
Ayako puts them on the Ghost walks over to the drafting board and looks at the drawing on it. Khzuro looks over, watching quietly for now. The ship rumbles and shakes a second then someone seems to step out of thin air. It’s a strange little dumpy half-elven girl. She has olive skin, green eyes and a mass of red hair with a silver streak going through it. She is holding two beakers and looking confused. “What the hell just happened and where the hell am I! And Gods damn it who has my earrings! I know it isn’t my apprentice. She’s dead!”
Drasta looks at the woman. “Interesting.”
The woman is also wearing a fist sized diamond on a neckless. Khzuro notices that the diamond was flawless but now has several cracks in it. That can only mean one thing. It is a gem used to cast the spell: Magic Jar. He asks Drasta, “What’s going on?”
Drasta stares at her, “This one just appeared with no portal. It’s not unheard of but very… uncommon.”
Samo unsheathes his katana. The half-elf stares at him and mutters an incarnation. He drops the sword and freezes in place. Khzuro yells out. “Okay! Everyone! Let’s calm down here.” He looks over to the half-elven girl. “You seem just as confused as we are. Might be best we greet one another properly. This one is Khzuro. Who are you?”
“My name doesn’t matter.” She looks around. “I want my earrings back… Lauriella is that you? Of course it is. Do not go into the border ethereal or I’ll chase you down.”
Drasta quietly says, “It was asked to give the earrings to another.”
Khzuro crosses his arms in front of him. “Okay um, what’s your relationship with Sithmore?”
She was my apprentice a long time ago. Those earrings are cursed. They can only come off when she died. I lost her some 400 years ago and figured she had died. That earrings is how I kept track of her and could communicate with her in her dreams.”
Khzuro sighs, “Oh… I see. I… thing I figured out what’s going on, then. Sithmore is dead. She’s been trying to protect some artifacts from a demon lord. We’re trying to stop this demon lord too. If this one had to guess, she had us put on those earrings to contact you for help with defeating this demon lord.”
Drasta nods to him, “I would believe the same.”
The half-elven thinks a moment. “Of course, if anyone were to take them off her dead body and put them on, I would be teleported to them." She points to Ayako. You! Come here!"
Ayako says, "I think I like the earrings"
.
"Ayako those are literally cursed." Khzuro responds.
The half-elf's eyes go cold, "How about I turn your brains inside out until you think you’re a kitten forever." Somehow no one thinks the little half-elf is bluffing. Not even Ayako because she meekly steps up to the foreigner. The half-elf says a simple spell and the earring fasteners unlock Ayako gives them to the woman. She says, “Now I will talk with the ghost. Come with me Lauriella.” She and the ghost go into the bedroom and the woman closes the door. Samo is still frozen in place.
Drasta puts a finger over her lips and listens at the door. She whispers, “I so want to hear this.” What she does hear is the woman casting the spell Speak with the Dead.
After 15 minutes the woman comes back out and closes the door alone. “Ok, this is her ship, so she tells me, and a demon is trying to use her chronomancy. Is this the idea?”
“That is correct.” Khzuro responds. “We are trying to stop a demon. We thought they would be here, but… seems he is not.”
"Then you don't have much time. I can take the ship and put it in a very safe place, however you have to turn off its defenses. She says most of what you need is in here. I guess this is her office and bedroom. I don’t know much about sailing ships."
"It's her bedroom. Right then, what's the plan, and how do we turn off the defenses?" Khzuro insists.
Drasta speculates. “Perhaps it is on the board she was looking at.
“She told me it’s in one of the holds. The traps can only be disarmed with wit and the things you find in here. She told me to pull out a flower from her wrappings. Theres’s hundreds of them.” The woman says. She gives Khzuro the moon lily.
Khzuro takes it. “What should be done with this… did she say?”
The woman shakes her head. "She would not tell me. I think she’s still angry with me for screwing up the operation on her head. Long story. You'll have to do this yourself."
Khzuro sighs, "We're dealing with a demon lord, now's not the time for... right... How will we let you know when we're done?"
“Come back here and let me know. Then you abandon ship, and I'll teleport the whole thing to the astral plane but she tells me the ship absorbs magical energy. That must be turned off.”
"Right then. I suppose there is one potential complication, what will happen if the demon lord or their minions are here when you do that? We know they have breached some of the holds."
"Let’s just make sure he doesn’t make it before you turn everything off.” She states. “I cannot breach a demon lords mind. They are too alien.”
“Indeed.” Drasta nods.
"Guess what that means is we'd better hurry. Did she say which hold has the device we need to turn off?" Khzuro thinks out loud.
The mage looks at Samo. "I'll release that giant chunk of meat only if I know he isn’t going to harm me. One more thing she said. If you succeed you may take one and only one thing...........except the dress. Whatever that means but she was really pissed about the dress."
Khzuro resigns, “This one can imagine... Also, Samo won't harm you."
She looks at him and mutters and incantation. Samo is released and presses his body against the liquor cabinet, "I'm not touching anything. That woman is scary! Really scary!"
The woman says, "Pick your sword up samurai and join your friends. I'm not in the mood to give you nightmares for the rest of your life." Samo picks up his katana and heads for the door rather quickly for such a large man. In fact, no one thinks anyone has ever seen him move quite as quickly.
Drasta chuckles. The woman looks after Samo and shakes her head muttering. "Should never draw a sword against an enchantress."
Khzuro looks at her. "We've been getting ambushed by demons a lot. Don't blame him for being ready to defend us."
Drasta adds. “It has been quite the journey to even get here.”
The woman waves her hands at them. "Well get going then. I don’t have forever either. Your little adventuring group already screwed up an important experiment."
Khzuro looks at the group. “Right then, let’s move, back to the holds everyone." He notes that for an enchantress she seems to have a very abrasive personality. They all funnel down the stairs and back to the hold areas.
Khzuro looks over to the mummy. “Is that your body? Do you want us to bring you back to life?” She doesn’t move but just puts her finger where the ear would be since the body is completely wrapped. They cannot see the ear. He looks over to Drasta, then back to where she’s motioning, looking over the mummy to see if there’s anything strange or off about the corpse.
Drasta steps over as well, taking a look. “Perhaps it would like to unwrap that section.” Khzuro gives a nod to her, letting her go ahead. Also goes to check on Samo. Samo just keeps looking at the ghost and back to the broken glass.
Drasta takes a small blade and creates an opening very delicately. Samo looks at Khzuro, “It is really, really, good stuff. Better than Shasta.”
Khzuro comments, “Good to know.” That aside, though he refrains from sampling, He needs to keep his wits and not start licking his team’s faces. “Your hand ok…”
Samo nods, “Just a flesh wound.”
Drasta cuts the area around the right ear. She sees that the ear is perfectly preserved as if the body had just died. on the earlobe is an earring in the shape of the all-seeing eye with a jade in the middle of it. She takes a moment to study it. She is not sure what it does but knows it’s highly magical. The ghost points to the other side of the head. Drast does the same with the other side looking at the ghost, “May I?” She sees the matching earring on the other ear. The ghost points to Ayako. Drasta nods. “I will give them to that one. The ghost nods.
She gently and carefully removes them and hands them to Ayako. “She wants you to use these.”
Ayako looks them over. “What will they do?”
Drasta responds, “I am unsure, but I feel they are powerful or perhaps they turn you into a dog. I am just not sure.
Ayako puts them on the Ghost walks over to the drafting board and looks at the drawing on it. Khzuro looks over, watching quietly for now. The ship rumbles and shakes a second then someone seems to step out of thin air. It’s a strange little dumpy half-elven girl. She has olive skin, green eyes and a mass of red hair with a silver streak going through it. She is holding two beakers and looking confused. “What the hell just happened and where the hell am I! And Gods damn it who has my earrings! I know it isn’t my apprentice. She’s dead!”
Drasta looks at the woman. “Interesting.”
The woman is also wearing a fist sized diamond on a neckless. Khzuro notices that the diamond was flawless but now has several cracks in it. That can only mean one thing. It is a gem used to cast the spell: Magic Jar. He asks Drasta, “What’s going on?”
Drasta stares at her, “This one just appeared with no portal. It’s not unheard of but very… uncommon.”
Samo unsheathes his katana. The half-elf stares at him and mutters an incarnation. He drops the sword and freezes in place. Khzuro yells out. “Okay! Everyone! Let’s calm down here.” He looks over to the half-elven girl. “You seem just as confused as we are. Might be best we greet one another properly. This one is Khzuro. Who are you?”
“My name doesn’t matter.” She looks around. “I want my earrings back… Lauriella is that you? Of course it is. Do not go into the border ethereal or I’ll chase you down.”
Drasta quietly says, “It was asked to give the earrings to another.”
Khzuro crosses his arms in front of him. “Okay um, what’s your relationship with Sithmore?”
She was my apprentice a long time ago. Those earrings are cursed. They can only come off when she died. I lost her some 400 years ago and figured she had died. That earrings is how I kept track of her and could communicate with her in her dreams.”
Khzuro sighs, “Oh… I see. I… thing I figured out what’s going on, then. Sithmore is dead. She’s been trying to protect some artifacts from a demon lord. We’re trying to stop this demon lord too. If this one had to guess, she had us put on those earrings to contact you for help with defeating this demon lord.”
Drasta nods to him, “I would believe the same.”
The half-elven thinks a moment. “Of course, if anyone were to take them off her dead body and put them on, I would be teleported to them." She points to Ayako. You! Come here!"
Ayako says, "I think I like the earrings"
.
"Ayako those are literally cursed." Khzuro responds.
The half-elf's eyes go cold, "How about I turn your brains inside out until you think you’re a kitten forever." Somehow no one thinks the little half-elf is bluffing. Not even Ayako because she meekly steps up to the foreigner. The half-elf says a simple spell and the earring fasteners unlock Ayako gives them to the woman. She says, “Now I will talk with the ghost. Come with me Lauriella.” She and the ghost go into the bedroom and the woman closes the door. Samo is still frozen in place.
Drasta puts a finger over her lips and listens at the door. She whispers, “I so want to hear this.” What she does hear is the woman casting the spell Speak with the Dead.
After 15 minutes the woman comes back out and closes the door alone. “Ok, this is her ship, so she tells me, and a demon is trying to use her chronomancy. Is this the idea?”
“That is correct.” Khzuro responds. “We are trying to stop a demon. We thought they would be here, but… seems he is not.”
"Then you don't have much time. I can take the ship and put it in a very safe place, however you have to turn off its defenses. She says most of what you need is in here. I guess this is her office and bedroom. I don’t know much about sailing ships."
"It's her bedroom. Right then, what's the plan, and how do we turn off the defenses?" Khzuro insists.
Drasta speculates. “Perhaps it is on the board she was looking at.
“She told me it’s in one of the holds. The traps can only be disarmed with wit and the things you find in here. She told me to pull out a flower from her wrappings. Theres’s hundreds of them.” The woman says. She gives Khzuro the moon lily.
Khzuro takes it. “What should be done with this… did she say?”
The woman shakes her head. "She would not tell me. I think she’s still angry with me for screwing up the operation on her head. Long story. You'll have to do this yourself."
Khzuro sighs, "We're dealing with a demon lord, now's not the time for... right... How will we let you know when we're done?"
“Come back here and let me know. Then you abandon ship, and I'll teleport the whole thing to the astral plane but she tells me the ship absorbs magical energy. That must be turned off.”
"Right then. I suppose there is one potential complication, what will happen if the demon lord or their minions are here when you do that? We know they have breached some of the holds."
"Let’s just make sure he doesn’t make it before you turn everything off.” She states. “I cannot breach a demon lords mind. They are too alien.”
“Indeed.” Drasta nods.
"Guess what that means is we'd better hurry. Did she say which hold has the device we need to turn off?" Khzuro thinks out loud.
The mage looks at Samo. "I'll release that giant chunk of meat only if I know he isn’t going to harm me. One more thing she said. If you succeed you may take one and only one thing...........except the dress. Whatever that means but she was really pissed about the dress."
Khzuro resigns, “This one can imagine... Also, Samo won't harm you."
She looks at him and mutters and incantation. Samo is released and presses his body against the liquor cabinet, "I'm not touching anything. That woman is scary! Really scary!"
The woman says, "Pick your sword up samurai and join your friends. I'm not in the mood to give you nightmares for the rest of your life." Samo picks up his katana and heads for the door rather quickly for such a large man. In fact, no one thinks anyone has ever seen him move quite as quickly.
Drasta chuckles. The woman looks after Samo and shakes her head muttering. "Should never draw a sword against an enchantress."
Khzuro looks at her. "We've been getting ambushed by demons a lot. Don't blame him for being ready to defend us."
Drasta adds. “It has been quite the journey to even get here.”
The woman waves her hands at them. "Well get going then. I don’t have forever either. Your little adventuring group already screwed up an important experiment."
Khzuro looks at the group. “Right then, let’s move, back to the holds everyone." He notes that for an enchantress she seems to have a very abrasive personality. They all funnel down the stairs and back to the hold areas.
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Winterhawk99
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Re: The Kozakura Campaign
The companions go down into the small three-foot hallway in the middle of the ship by the bilge pumps. They have holds 3 and 5 in front of them 4 and 6 behind.
“It would seem me need to be careful but yet make haste” Drasta comments.
Khzuro looks around. “What we are looking for is probably behind the hold with the strongest magic… Not sure it’s safe to cast a detect magic, otherwise we’ll just need to go through them one by one.” He surveys the holds. Hold 1 and 8 are blown and empty. 7 Chrome got to first. He knows holds 2-6 are still sealed and heavily guarded by custom locks and magic.
“Shall we start with the one not blown up?” Drasta chuckles.
Khzuro answers, “That seems obvious” as he makes his cursory examination of the doors. He goes to hold 2. There is a hole about 3xs the size of a softball in the middle of it. As he looks through it, He sees little green lights flittering about. The room itself is filled with a glowing blue light. It looks like he could just reach in and unlock the door but there is a very large pile of ash in front of the door lying on the floor, so he thinks, ‘This isn’t going to be as easy as it seems.’
The first thing he does is search for traps. As he does, one of the green lights inside the room stops and seems to be observing what he is doing. He doesn’t find any traps then again looks inside to see if there’s anything about the device, he’s looking for there. “Drasta, this one has a hole in it. Can you see if there’s something of what we’re looking for on the other side?”
“I will do my best.” She sees there are several families of pixies in the room, and she sees the edge of 4 mythallar crystals just in sight of view which to her would be like finding 4 200 megaton warheads sitting there being that with just one of these she can shear off a whole mountain top and turn it into a floating city. She looks a bit stunned. “Well… This is quite a dangerous room.” She also notices an hourglass on a pedestal.
Drasta holds the ball up in her hand looking for a moment. “Would the items in her room be keys?” She ponders a moment then holds it up to the hole to see if there is any reaction. Nothing happens but she sees that it looks like it will fit into the hold nicely.
Khzuro asks, “Do you see the device in there? Or something that could be it?”
She nods, “Something familiar in what you have seen in your visions.” She places the ball in the hole. “Just do not touch the crystals. They may explode.” Drasta places the ball into the hole. At first nothing happens then a pixie investigates the ball. it goes inside. then another and another. They check the tiny cabinets. One bounces on a tiny bed. Two others find chairs and sit down. Another fairy comes into the ball. it seems to be getting stuff out of a cabinet, A tiny tea pot. It pours tea for the two at the table and they start to drink and gab to each other.
Khzuro says, “We might as well skip it and go to one of the other holds then."
Drasta has a playful chuckle watching. “We could but there is an hourglass in here, Khzuro.”
More fairies are attracted to the ball. As they come into it Drasta hears an audible clicking sound. Khzuro goes to hold 3 until he hears the click then goes back to where Drasta is. He sucks in his breath, “Right, let’s do a quick check. If it doesn’t have what we’re looking for, we move onto the next one.” Drasta pushes the door open.
The room has a blue glow to it. There are a total of eight Mythallar against the walls here all glowing blue. There is an hourglass on a pedestal. The mythallar are against the walls of the hold and there are silver and black metal lines going from each of the crystals and wandering all through the room. These lines are engraved into the haul itself. The lines continue past the hold stopping at the ends of the walls.
Khzuro huffs, "Really should have asked what it is supposed to look like..." The hourglass looks exactly like the one that he saw in his visions with the demon. He shouts, “Everyone out of this hold. We move on to another.” He goes over to hold #3 Then looks at Drasta, “Can you close the door but not fully re-seal it?” She nods to him and closes the door slightly, putting a rock between the frame and the door so it won’t close all the way.
They go to hold 3. This door has scrimshaw work. The scrimshaw is a scene of a woman dancing in a ring of flowers under a full moon. It’s almost full sized. The woman is holding a single flower in her hand. Khzuro looks to see if there’s a slot for the hold 3 door for another flower. He finds that there is one. The flower the woman is holding is indented into the door instead of embossed. He looks around and says, “Come to think of it, for that other door, do we have anything to ward it off from lesser demons?”
Iwao says, “That I can do.” He goes back to hold 2 and casts a lesser antipathy.
Khzuro nods, "Good, that will do." Should keep out quasits, he thinks, but if Chrome were to come personally, he could overpower it, perfect.” Khzuro pulls out the flower he was given and holds up to the door. As he puts the flower in the woman’s hand where the indentation is it seals itself there. He hears an audible click. “Right, let’s see what’s in this one.” Once it opens, he looks to see what’s inside.
The room is lit by continual lights on the ceiling. There are silver and black lines going all through the walls of this room too. But what is most interesting is this hold is full of bookshelves filled with books.
Khzuro looks around. "I remember what happened the last time we ended up reading something relating to Sithmore... she would be the type to put traps in her books as well." Looks aside to Shin "See anything that could be power controls here?"
Shin walks around the room looking at everything and explaining what he sees. “There are a lot of magic books here, a whole shelf about necromancy, another on chronomancy……” He stops and looks over at the group. “She has a book of names!”
“A… book of names?” Khzuro asks.
Katsu says, “Mark that Shin. If I can take one thing that’s what I want.”
Drasta looks perplexed. “Curious, why one would have a book of names?”
Shin nods. “If you want to call more powerful creatures to be your servants… It’s good to know their names. High angels, powerful demons, Eldrin. That’s what this book is.
Katsu smiles, “Yes and books of names are very rare indeed.”
Drasta looks astounded, “I see.”
Shin continues, “Ah here is a shelf on mechanical engineering. Beautiful. I’m marking that for me.”
Masako asks, “Any on the energy planes?”
Shin looks around. “There are four.”
Drasta starts to look around the room carefully for any clues on how to shut it down. Khzuro also seems to try to study the power lattices, even though it’s way beyond him. There seems to be nothing here that fits what they are looking for. All the lines go around the room, but they all end at the walls.
Shin snaps his fingers. "She designed this magic absorbing engine. She’s a mechanical engineer. That means there should be blueprints somewhere on the ship."
Khzuro asks, “Are they here?”
Shin shakes his head. “No there may be a book on theory but no blueprints in this room.”
Drasta gets wary. “Touching the incorrect books in this room may be very bad...”
Katsu nods, "If we take a book make sure it is one, we can read and not in her code."
Drasta looks around for a moment seeing if there are any similarities or certain books that are tied together. She finds some but not all. This seems to be Sithmore's research library.
Khzuro gives them a nod. "Well, seems we got what we needed here then, let’s move onto the next hold, see if we can re-seal this one fully on the way out."
Drasta looks to Khzuro. “Would each of these rooms hold part of removing the magic of the ship?”
"It's... possible? But from what she said it seemed like there was some central device in one of the holds."
Katsu says. "That may be. We may need some of these books to unlock other doors."
Drasta exclaims, “Then we need to see what the next hold is perhaps to know.”
"Right, guess we'll keep it open for now, but let’s try to make sure our foe doesn't get in there. Let’s move onto the next." Khzuro moves to hold #4
There is an intricate pattern of tiles on the door. Below it, are two keypads made of stone. Each with one set of numbers 0-9 on it. One set of keys is blue, the other yellow. As they look closer, they see an extra 1 on the blue tiles.
Drasta studies it and says, “That makes my brain hurt.”
Masako says, “, It seems to be some form of mathematical puzzle, but I've never seen anything like this.”
Shin says, “We need the library. I think you are right Masako but it’s too complex to guess on.
Khzuro nods, “There's still two more holds, could look at those in the interim."
Katsu nods, “We can come back to this one.”
They all go to hold 5. This is the door where you see a ship and lines going to the stars in constellations. There are numbers along the lines reading the star’s position and declination. There is also a keypad here.
Both Khzuro and Drasta realize that Lauriella used the stars to move things through time. They guess that they will need a star map that matches this one to open the door itself. Drasta is the first to say something. “Well, it seems we may need a star map...Did anyone find one in her safe by chance?”
Khzuro responds, “Think we did, for sure."
Shin fishes in his bag and pulls them out, “I found about 30 in the safe.” He flips through them and after about a half hour he finds one that matches it perfectly. He goes to the keypad and looks at Khzuro. "I think she wants the date and place by longitude and latitude but......I'm not sure, and which should come first. If that is it?”
Drasta nods, “It is possible.”
Shin gives Khzuro the map. It does have the date and place by latitude and longitude. “You go first.”
Khzuro nods and swallows hard.
“It would seem me need to be careful but yet make haste” Drasta comments.
Khzuro looks around. “What we are looking for is probably behind the hold with the strongest magic… Not sure it’s safe to cast a detect magic, otherwise we’ll just need to go through them one by one.” He surveys the holds. Hold 1 and 8 are blown and empty. 7 Chrome got to first. He knows holds 2-6 are still sealed and heavily guarded by custom locks and magic.
“Shall we start with the one not blown up?” Drasta chuckles.
Khzuro answers, “That seems obvious” as he makes his cursory examination of the doors. He goes to hold 2. There is a hole about 3xs the size of a softball in the middle of it. As he looks through it, He sees little green lights flittering about. The room itself is filled with a glowing blue light. It looks like he could just reach in and unlock the door but there is a very large pile of ash in front of the door lying on the floor, so he thinks, ‘This isn’t going to be as easy as it seems.’
The first thing he does is search for traps. As he does, one of the green lights inside the room stops and seems to be observing what he is doing. He doesn’t find any traps then again looks inside to see if there’s anything about the device, he’s looking for there. “Drasta, this one has a hole in it. Can you see if there’s something of what we’re looking for on the other side?”
“I will do my best.” She sees there are several families of pixies in the room, and she sees the edge of 4 mythallar crystals just in sight of view which to her would be like finding 4 200 megaton warheads sitting there being that with just one of these she can shear off a whole mountain top and turn it into a floating city. She looks a bit stunned. “Well… This is quite a dangerous room.” She also notices an hourglass on a pedestal.
Drasta holds the ball up in her hand looking for a moment. “Would the items in her room be keys?” She ponders a moment then holds it up to the hole to see if there is any reaction. Nothing happens but she sees that it looks like it will fit into the hold nicely.
Khzuro asks, “Do you see the device in there? Or something that could be it?”
She nods, “Something familiar in what you have seen in your visions.” She places the ball in the hole. “Just do not touch the crystals. They may explode.” Drasta places the ball into the hole. At first nothing happens then a pixie investigates the ball. it goes inside. then another and another. They check the tiny cabinets. One bounces on a tiny bed. Two others find chairs and sit down. Another fairy comes into the ball. it seems to be getting stuff out of a cabinet, A tiny tea pot. It pours tea for the two at the table and they start to drink and gab to each other.
Khzuro says, “We might as well skip it and go to one of the other holds then."
Drasta has a playful chuckle watching. “We could but there is an hourglass in here, Khzuro.”
More fairies are attracted to the ball. As they come into it Drasta hears an audible clicking sound. Khzuro goes to hold 3 until he hears the click then goes back to where Drasta is. He sucks in his breath, “Right, let’s do a quick check. If it doesn’t have what we’re looking for, we move onto the next one.” Drasta pushes the door open.
The room has a blue glow to it. There are a total of eight Mythallar against the walls here all glowing blue. There is an hourglass on a pedestal. The mythallar are against the walls of the hold and there are silver and black metal lines going from each of the crystals and wandering all through the room. These lines are engraved into the haul itself. The lines continue past the hold stopping at the ends of the walls.
Khzuro huffs, "Really should have asked what it is supposed to look like..." The hourglass looks exactly like the one that he saw in his visions with the demon. He shouts, “Everyone out of this hold. We move on to another.” He goes over to hold #3 Then looks at Drasta, “Can you close the door but not fully re-seal it?” She nods to him and closes the door slightly, putting a rock between the frame and the door so it won’t close all the way.
They go to hold 3. This door has scrimshaw work. The scrimshaw is a scene of a woman dancing in a ring of flowers under a full moon. It’s almost full sized. The woman is holding a single flower in her hand. Khzuro looks to see if there’s a slot for the hold 3 door for another flower. He finds that there is one. The flower the woman is holding is indented into the door instead of embossed. He looks around and says, “Come to think of it, for that other door, do we have anything to ward it off from lesser demons?”
Iwao says, “That I can do.” He goes back to hold 2 and casts a lesser antipathy.
Khzuro nods, "Good, that will do." Should keep out quasits, he thinks, but if Chrome were to come personally, he could overpower it, perfect.” Khzuro pulls out the flower he was given and holds up to the door. As he puts the flower in the woman’s hand where the indentation is it seals itself there. He hears an audible click. “Right, let’s see what’s in this one.” Once it opens, he looks to see what’s inside.
The room is lit by continual lights on the ceiling. There are silver and black lines going all through the walls of this room too. But what is most interesting is this hold is full of bookshelves filled with books.
Khzuro looks around. "I remember what happened the last time we ended up reading something relating to Sithmore... she would be the type to put traps in her books as well." Looks aside to Shin "See anything that could be power controls here?"
Shin walks around the room looking at everything and explaining what he sees. “There are a lot of magic books here, a whole shelf about necromancy, another on chronomancy……” He stops and looks over at the group. “She has a book of names!”
“A… book of names?” Khzuro asks.
Katsu says, “Mark that Shin. If I can take one thing that’s what I want.”
Drasta looks perplexed. “Curious, why one would have a book of names?”
Shin nods. “If you want to call more powerful creatures to be your servants… It’s good to know their names. High angels, powerful demons, Eldrin. That’s what this book is.
Katsu smiles, “Yes and books of names are very rare indeed.”
Drasta looks astounded, “I see.”
Shin continues, “Ah here is a shelf on mechanical engineering. Beautiful. I’m marking that for me.”
Masako asks, “Any on the energy planes?”
Shin looks around. “There are four.”
Drasta starts to look around the room carefully for any clues on how to shut it down. Khzuro also seems to try to study the power lattices, even though it’s way beyond him. There seems to be nothing here that fits what they are looking for. All the lines go around the room, but they all end at the walls.
Shin snaps his fingers. "She designed this magic absorbing engine. She’s a mechanical engineer. That means there should be blueprints somewhere on the ship."
Khzuro asks, “Are they here?”
Shin shakes his head. “No there may be a book on theory but no blueprints in this room.”
Drasta gets wary. “Touching the incorrect books in this room may be very bad...”
Katsu nods, "If we take a book make sure it is one, we can read and not in her code."
Drasta looks around for a moment seeing if there are any similarities or certain books that are tied together. She finds some but not all. This seems to be Sithmore's research library.
Khzuro gives them a nod. "Well, seems we got what we needed here then, let’s move onto the next hold, see if we can re-seal this one fully on the way out."
Drasta looks to Khzuro. “Would each of these rooms hold part of removing the magic of the ship?”
"It's... possible? But from what she said it seemed like there was some central device in one of the holds."
Katsu says. "That may be. We may need some of these books to unlock other doors."
Drasta exclaims, “Then we need to see what the next hold is perhaps to know.”
"Right, guess we'll keep it open for now, but let’s try to make sure our foe doesn't get in there. Let’s move onto the next." Khzuro moves to hold #4
There is an intricate pattern of tiles on the door. Below it, are two keypads made of stone. Each with one set of numbers 0-9 on it. One set of keys is blue, the other yellow. As they look closer, they see an extra 1 on the blue tiles.
Drasta studies it and says, “That makes my brain hurt.”
Masako says, “, It seems to be some form of mathematical puzzle, but I've never seen anything like this.”
Shin says, “We need the library. I think you are right Masako but it’s too complex to guess on.
Khzuro nods, “There's still two more holds, could look at those in the interim."
Katsu nods, “We can come back to this one.”
They all go to hold 5. This is the door where you see a ship and lines going to the stars in constellations. There are numbers along the lines reading the star’s position and declination. There is also a keypad here.
Both Khzuro and Drasta realize that Lauriella used the stars to move things through time. They guess that they will need a star map that matches this one to open the door itself. Drasta is the first to say something. “Well, it seems we may need a star map...Did anyone find one in her safe by chance?”
Khzuro responds, “Think we did, for sure."
Shin fishes in his bag and pulls them out, “I found about 30 in the safe.” He flips through them and after about a half hour he finds one that matches it perfectly. He goes to the keypad and looks at Khzuro. "I think she wants the date and place by longitude and latitude but......I'm not sure, and which should come first. If that is it?”
Drasta nods, “It is possible.”
Shin gives Khzuro the map. It does have the date and place by latitude and longitude. “You go first.”
Khzuro nods and swallows hard.
-
Winterhawk99
- Posts: 2264
- Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2009 12:00 am
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Re: The Kozakura Campaign
Khzuro looks at the keypad again and notices there are 4 letters also N, S, E, W. He nods to himself and looks at the star chart on the door again. He then looks at the chart in his hands. He sees 3 Ches 1521 One line says longitude 40 degrees, 45 minutes 11 seconds north. Another line says 73 degrees 58 minutes 59 seconds west. He looks around nervously. “What other doors? How many holds left?”
Shin answers him. “Three. One with the pattern, this one, and one that has a complex mechanical drawing engraved on it.”
Khzuro rolls up the map and takes a look at the one with the complex mechanical drawing. The drawing looks like the inside of some machine. Drasta follows along saying, “This one is more interesting that the other one anyway.”
The kobold looks over, “Shin?” Shin nods and gets to work in trying to understand it. Khzuro goes to see about trying to figure out the puzzle door in the meantime. Shin begins to work almost immediately and there is a flash. His body gets knocked back to the door on the opposite hold. He lays there for a moment. “Glad I put on an amulet of positive energy protection… It still hurts.”
Khzuro is looking at the 2 sets of digits on the pattern. He then blinks, rushing over to Shin. “What happened.
Shin laughs, “Well the door tried to kill me is all.” He gets back to work again.
Khzuro goes back to the puzzle. There is 0-9 on one color of polygons and 1-9 another 1 on the other. ‘What could it mean he thinks to himself.’ He carefully looks for anything else but sees nothing.
Shin gets blown back against the other door again. This time he spits out a tooth. “This one hurt more but I’m still working on it.” He goes back to his tools.
“Got it, I’ll try and puzzle out the combination on the other door in the meantime.” Khzuro states.
Drasta also stands in front of the door with the numerical diagram attempting to study it for a clear combination when everyone hears a click from the door that Shin is at. It opens. Khzuro shouts, “Nice Going!” Shin nods and smiles.
Khzuro wants to investigate the hold but let's Shin take a look inside first. As they look in this hold has a large drafting board and shelves upon shelves of blueprints lining the sides. There are blueprints for everything here from small catamarans to complex time machines, to simple puzzles. Khzuro says, “Not our goal but do you think a clue to the other puzzles might be here on these shelves?”
Shin nods, “Perhaps. We won’t know until we look.”
Khzuro thinks, going back to the one with the numbers, trying to figure it out. But also tries to scope out what can be entered where and how many combinations there could be. Khzuro lets out a surprised whistle, “Oh, I'll see if I can get that number combination lock open. Might as well have the rest of us look through here and see if there's more clues." He also calls all the wizards to look through the records here before he does.
Drasta wanders into the blueprint room and fairly quickly finds a blueprint of the very puzzle on the door. She runs over to Khzuro, “Does this answer the question?” She chuckles.
Khzuro looks at the blueprints over seeing that there are notes written in elven. He looks at her, “Translate, please.”
Drasta reads it for him. "The perfect tiling of pentagrams and pentagons was thought to be impossible, but I found a way with three shapes. However, it brought about a curious side effect that the larger you go the more the pattern repeats on a larger scale and same for small. As if there were something more going on which I cannot figure out. Another curiosity is that this pattern is completely dependent upon two rather known rations. They being phi and the golden ratio.”
Khzuro looks completely lost but Shin saves him after coming over and looking at it. “That’s all good but both of these ratios go to infinity… The real question here is how small does she go?” He considers and looks at the keypads. “Has to be three digits because most artificers and engineers use 3 places, and you have that extra one there. It’s probably a marker to help her remember the rations are 3.14 and 1.61. The golden ratio is the square root of phi.
"Um, right... " Khzuro clearly has no frame of reference for what those are, his tribe of kobolds haven't delved into complex numbers like that. They spend more focus on getting head pats. He looks back to the puzzle door to see where he could put in those numbers. He looks at the tiles with the numbers. “So those would be two, three-digit entries, but which go where…?” He looks at the pattern on the door, the positioning of entries.
Shin says, “The darker one has the extra number 1 but which entry to push first?”
Khzuro asks, "What's the significance of that um... golden ration and the square root of phi?"
Shin says, “They are used for everything really, from the making of a simple perfect circle to complex mechanical and astrophysical drawings. Call them the basis from which everything stands in high mathematics. These two ratios are the foundations on which much of real math is built upon. So simple yet no one would think of them without the blueprint.”
"Right... which would mean they'd probably go somewhere... foundational for this puzzle?" Khzuro looks unsure.
Shin nods, “I would think the light colored is phi and the dark color numbers the golden ratio because of the extra 1.”
"Well, I'll try it then..." "Course, that leaves the two-digit entries." Khzuro hypotheses. He pushes 314 for the light entries. Each lock themselves in after he pushes them about a ½ inch. He then looks at the dark tiles. There is a #1 high up on the pattern and one in the lower portion. He punches in 161 using the lower number 1 first. Nothing happens.
Drasta comes up, “Let me try. The tiles have reset themselves.” She pushes 314 on the light tiles then 161 on the dark this time pushing the top one first. Everyone hears a click. Drasta breathes a sigh of relief.
Khzuro lets out a big sigh, “Excellent.” He rushes through the door and motions everyone to follow. In this hold there are shelves of hundreds of black and white crystals all touching the wall, each has a line running off it. Also there seems to be a machine in here that is converting energy from the mythallar through the metal lines and crystals about the haul of the entire ship. They find what they were looking for.
Khzuro becomes excited. “Okay then, we found what we need. Shin? Katsu? How do we shut this down?"
The mage and artificer study the machine. Drast comments, “This is quite old magic.” She starts flipping through her tome for any referance from her past studies.
Khzuro calls out for Masako. She comes and starts to look around too. He then calls for Aiami.
Masako after studying the room says, “One sure way is to pull all these crystals away from the lines they feed. but we must be careful of catastrophic explosions. If even one of the opposites touch, it will set off a chain reaction and blow everything to dust probably leaving a 1/2-mile-wide crater… or larger.”
Katsu adds, “Quadruple that with the Mythallar
Aiami looks mystified… “I have no idea.”
Khzuro considers. “Technically that would fulfill our mission, but I'd rather not resort to that." Then a looks at Aiami "Yes?"
She again says, “I don’t know what I am even looking at."
Drasta notices that one floorboard has just an ever so slight gap all the way around it as if time has shrunk and warped the board slightly. She digs around and it pops out revealing a panel underneath with a lever.
Drasta looks around. “Who would like to possibly lose a hand on this one.” Everyone either stares at Drasta or Khzuro.
Khzuro says, “I might have a trick.” Going over to examine the hole.
Drasta stops reaching for the lever and looks to Khzuro. “Go ahead.”
He sees there’s a lever there but also several weights. If he does the wrong thing his hand will be completely crushed. The simple lever inside looks like it goes to the main line of white metal going through the haul of the ship. "Any idea what I'm supposed to do with it? A mage hand cantrip would allow me to work it from a safe distance." Everyone shrugs. “Well, here goes…” He holds his breath.
Aiami calls out, “Flip it.” He gets a safe distance way, casts mage hand to pull the lever. Hopefully he will avoid any giant weights. The hand flips the switch, and all the lights go out. He motions everyone out, but they are in total darkness now.
Drasta chuckles a bit. Shin reaches into his pack and pulls out a jar of fireflies, “Sometimes simple is best.”
Khzuro starts to shuffle out. “Let's get to that mage to have this ship locked away." He has darkvision, but casts light for the others, heading to Sithmore's bedroom.
Drasta reacts to the light. She was using her darkvision too but stops for a moment, adjusts and continues following him. They all go up to midships and find the woman by the bed the mummy is lying on. She seems to be talking to it. She looks up, “Is it done?”
Shin answers him. “Three. One with the pattern, this one, and one that has a complex mechanical drawing engraved on it.”
Khzuro rolls up the map and takes a look at the one with the complex mechanical drawing. The drawing looks like the inside of some machine. Drasta follows along saying, “This one is more interesting that the other one anyway.”
The kobold looks over, “Shin?” Shin nods and gets to work in trying to understand it. Khzuro goes to see about trying to figure out the puzzle door in the meantime. Shin begins to work almost immediately and there is a flash. His body gets knocked back to the door on the opposite hold. He lays there for a moment. “Glad I put on an amulet of positive energy protection… It still hurts.”
Khzuro is looking at the 2 sets of digits on the pattern. He then blinks, rushing over to Shin. “What happened.
Shin laughs, “Well the door tried to kill me is all.” He gets back to work again.
Khzuro goes back to the puzzle. There is 0-9 on one color of polygons and 1-9 another 1 on the other. ‘What could it mean he thinks to himself.’ He carefully looks for anything else but sees nothing.
Shin gets blown back against the other door again. This time he spits out a tooth. “This one hurt more but I’m still working on it.” He goes back to his tools.
“Got it, I’ll try and puzzle out the combination on the other door in the meantime.” Khzuro states.
Drasta also stands in front of the door with the numerical diagram attempting to study it for a clear combination when everyone hears a click from the door that Shin is at. It opens. Khzuro shouts, “Nice Going!” Shin nods and smiles.
Khzuro wants to investigate the hold but let's Shin take a look inside first. As they look in this hold has a large drafting board and shelves upon shelves of blueprints lining the sides. There are blueprints for everything here from small catamarans to complex time machines, to simple puzzles. Khzuro says, “Not our goal but do you think a clue to the other puzzles might be here on these shelves?”
Shin nods, “Perhaps. We won’t know until we look.”
Khzuro thinks, going back to the one with the numbers, trying to figure it out. But also tries to scope out what can be entered where and how many combinations there could be. Khzuro lets out a surprised whistle, “Oh, I'll see if I can get that number combination lock open. Might as well have the rest of us look through here and see if there's more clues." He also calls all the wizards to look through the records here before he does.
Drasta wanders into the blueprint room and fairly quickly finds a blueprint of the very puzzle on the door. She runs over to Khzuro, “Does this answer the question?” She chuckles.
Khzuro looks at the blueprints over seeing that there are notes written in elven. He looks at her, “Translate, please.”
Drasta reads it for him. "The perfect tiling of pentagrams and pentagons was thought to be impossible, but I found a way with three shapes. However, it brought about a curious side effect that the larger you go the more the pattern repeats on a larger scale and same for small. As if there were something more going on which I cannot figure out. Another curiosity is that this pattern is completely dependent upon two rather known rations. They being phi and the golden ratio.”
Khzuro looks completely lost but Shin saves him after coming over and looking at it. “That’s all good but both of these ratios go to infinity… The real question here is how small does she go?” He considers and looks at the keypads. “Has to be three digits because most artificers and engineers use 3 places, and you have that extra one there. It’s probably a marker to help her remember the rations are 3.14 and 1.61. The golden ratio is the square root of phi.
"Um, right... " Khzuro clearly has no frame of reference for what those are, his tribe of kobolds haven't delved into complex numbers like that. They spend more focus on getting head pats. He looks back to the puzzle door to see where he could put in those numbers. He looks at the tiles with the numbers. “So those would be two, three-digit entries, but which go where…?” He looks at the pattern on the door, the positioning of entries.
Shin says, “The darker one has the extra number 1 but which entry to push first?”
Khzuro asks, "What's the significance of that um... golden ration and the square root of phi?"
Shin says, “They are used for everything really, from the making of a simple perfect circle to complex mechanical and astrophysical drawings. Call them the basis from which everything stands in high mathematics. These two ratios are the foundations on which much of real math is built upon. So simple yet no one would think of them without the blueprint.”
"Right... which would mean they'd probably go somewhere... foundational for this puzzle?" Khzuro looks unsure.
Shin nods, “I would think the light colored is phi and the dark color numbers the golden ratio because of the extra 1.”
"Well, I'll try it then..." "Course, that leaves the two-digit entries." Khzuro hypotheses. He pushes 314 for the light entries. Each lock themselves in after he pushes them about a ½ inch. He then looks at the dark tiles. There is a #1 high up on the pattern and one in the lower portion. He punches in 161 using the lower number 1 first. Nothing happens.
Drasta comes up, “Let me try. The tiles have reset themselves.” She pushes 314 on the light tiles then 161 on the dark this time pushing the top one first. Everyone hears a click. Drasta breathes a sigh of relief.
Khzuro lets out a big sigh, “Excellent.” He rushes through the door and motions everyone to follow. In this hold there are shelves of hundreds of black and white crystals all touching the wall, each has a line running off it. Also there seems to be a machine in here that is converting energy from the mythallar through the metal lines and crystals about the haul of the entire ship. They find what they were looking for.
Khzuro becomes excited. “Okay then, we found what we need. Shin? Katsu? How do we shut this down?"
The mage and artificer study the machine. Drast comments, “This is quite old magic.” She starts flipping through her tome for any referance from her past studies.
Khzuro calls out for Masako. She comes and starts to look around too. He then calls for Aiami.
Masako after studying the room says, “One sure way is to pull all these crystals away from the lines they feed. but we must be careful of catastrophic explosions. If even one of the opposites touch, it will set off a chain reaction and blow everything to dust probably leaving a 1/2-mile-wide crater… or larger.”
Katsu adds, “Quadruple that with the Mythallar
Aiami looks mystified… “I have no idea.”
Khzuro considers. “Technically that would fulfill our mission, but I'd rather not resort to that." Then a looks at Aiami "Yes?"
She again says, “I don’t know what I am even looking at."
Drasta notices that one floorboard has just an ever so slight gap all the way around it as if time has shrunk and warped the board slightly. She digs around and it pops out revealing a panel underneath with a lever.
Drasta looks around. “Who would like to possibly lose a hand on this one.” Everyone either stares at Drasta or Khzuro.
Khzuro says, “I might have a trick.” Going over to examine the hole.
Drasta stops reaching for the lever and looks to Khzuro. “Go ahead.”
He sees there’s a lever there but also several weights. If he does the wrong thing his hand will be completely crushed. The simple lever inside looks like it goes to the main line of white metal going through the haul of the ship. "Any idea what I'm supposed to do with it? A mage hand cantrip would allow me to work it from a safe distance." Everyone shrugs. “Well, here goes…” He holds his breath.
Aiami calls out, “Flip it.” He gets a safe distance way, casts mage hand to pull the lever. Hopefully he will avoid any giant weights. The hand flips the switch, and all the lights go out. He motions everyone out, but they are in total darkness now.
Drasta chuckles a bit. Shin reaches into his pack and pulls out a jar of fireflies, “Sometimes simple is best.”
Khzuro starts to shuffle out. “Let's get to that mage to have this ship locked away." He has darkvision, but casts light for the others, heading to Sithmore's bedroom.
Drasta reacts to the light. She was using her darkvision too but stops for a moment, adjusts and continues following him. They all go up to midships and find the woman by the bed the mummy is lying on. She seems to be talking to it. She looks up, “Is it done?”
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Re: The Kozakura Campaign
Drasta looks down at the mage and timidly says, “It does seem that way.”
Khzuro blurts out. “It’s done, go ahead.” She climbs up on deck and begins a complex spell. The silver lock down the middle of her head starts to glow. Across the ice shelf you see every pathway has been melted and an epic battle is going on between Clyde, Chrome and about 1/2 dozen of Chrome's Balors.
Iwao and Ayako look at each other. Ayako says, "We need more time." Both of them cast a spell. Iwao grows fire wings and Ayako throws wind walk. They both jump off the gunwale and into the battle. As they join the dragon that's the last thing the others see. They are suddenly on a prairie. There is a small blue sun overhead lighting the land. and there are giant cats everywhere. in one direction there is a large mansion on a hill. Though you really have no direction sense now.
Khzuro looked like he was ready to join the battle too but suddenly stared around him mystified. He blinks as if he is trying to disbelieve what he sees. Drasta growls a bit undertone. “The Hells did we get sent.”
Khzuro answers her, “I don't know, but we can't leave Iwao and Ayako to face all those demons alone."
The woman looks back. “They made a choice. Respect it.”
"Okay, what happened to us though?" Khzuro retorts.
“If that one is not stopped fully their choice may not make a difference unless you foresaw chrome dying.”
"And do we have some way of reinforcing them?" Khzuro pleads.
The strange woman turns to them. “"You are at my own home on the astral sea. It’s time for what’s left of your group to get off the ship. Here I control everything, even the sun and moon."
Drasta’s jaw drops, “Interesting… Is there anything you have that could help to defeat this monster?”
Khzuro not wanting to wait for her reply to Drasta says, “Understood. I expect Chrome will likely target this place eventually, though." Then a look around "Right, I expect time is of the essence here, where will we end up once we leave, and how soon can that be done?"
The woman sighs, "I can take you back to anywhere on toril once I have rested but first, I will bury this ship into the middle of this earth mote to be lost forever."
Khzuro frowns deeply, considering "So... Ayako and Iwao are going to be left on their own to face the demon lord and their minions... unless someone else has a way out..." Looks over to the three remaining magi in their party.
“Perhaps time does not pass the same way here similar to the fey plane. This could be possible that an hour is only seconds.” Drasta intones.
Aiami looks around. "If this is the astral sea then time for us has almost stopped on the prime.
The woman says, "Correct 1,000 years here is but a single day on the prime."
Drasta smirks, “It is what I thought then.”
Khzuro rubs the palms of his hands together. "So, we'll rest up, prepare, and then we'll be right back where we were... can support them against the Demon Lord and their minions." ... A pause "Though that one's going to be one rough battle."
The woman says, "If that is what you want then that is what I will do. but you must get off this ship now."
“Indeed, they do have one spell that is quite deadly…” Drasta adds.
Khzuro seeing that the mage is about to cast a spell looks to everyone, “Understood. Let’s go.”
Everyone heads off the ship including the woman. After she raises her hands and does another complex spell. The ground opens up around the ship and it slowly sinks until Khzuro, and gang cannot see it anymore then the ground closes up again. She says, "The island is 5-square miles: prairie in the center woods along the edge. You are welcome to stay in the guest house until tomorrow. Do not go into the mansion. It will kill you. The woman turns away and heads to the house on the hill saying. “I will return to the guesthouse in the morning.”
Khzuro almost stands at attention. “Noted, thank you.”
There are all types of big cats and at least one has eyes on you all the time; though they do not bother you and do not come too close. There is also a waterfall in the center of the island that forms a large pond, the runoff forming a stream that meanders through the prairie and into the woods that ring the land.
Khzuro calls the group over for a huddle, seeming to have something on his mind "Right... our mission is... technically complete. The demon won't be able to get the artifacts now. At least, hopefully not. Could try to invade the plane here, but..." Considers, the last sequence in that chronomancy was the demon using the hourglass.... but would that happen now? "Look, we can go back to the emperor’s palace, or we can go to our foe to try to fight for Iwao and Ayako. Without the rest of us they're not going to last in that battle. Don't know about you, but I don't feel like leaving others on the team behind." Looks around, trying to gage everyone’s' mood on that.
Aiami doesn’t seem to be thrilled about the idea. Samo nods. "We leave no one behind."
Masako also says. "They were with us for a full season. They are our friends. we are honor bound to help them."
Drasta intones, “Indeed and there are two we need to figure out how to bring back unless...” She looks after Fawn walking away.
Katsu says, "How many times has Ayako shielded us. how many times has Iwao healed us."
Khzuro gives them all a nod. “Agreed. Then we ready ourselves and go as soon as we are set. Whatever preparations you need to make, make them now. Though.” Looks to Aiami.
For now, we will get a night of rest...Perhaps we will have more time to conclude our plan...” Drasta looks to the lady Perhaps I could ask her to empower my scroll and make it stronger.
"Right. From what I saw, there were six Balors and the demon lord himself." Khzuro states.
Katsu says, “Verses one old wyrm dragon and two clerics.”
Masako asks, “How much time will we lose?”
Drasta jots down some numbers and thinks for a moment. “If a thousand years is 1 day here then I believe a full day may be less than it took the time to speak this.” Masako blinks.
Khzuro chides, “Seconds can matter in a pitched battle, especially with the magic they're throwing."
Drasta shakes her head and carries the 1. “A single day here would be around 40 seconds in your plane. Possibly less.”
Khzuro looks at her. “Right..." A sigh "I guess our hostess probably doesn't have any other magic items or scrolls for us for sale. I didn't exactly bring a lot of gold or anything."
Drasta shrugs. “That is to be unseen...Perhaps she may gift us something after she rests.”
“Maybe.” Khzuro looks doubtful. He looks at the others then gives Aiami a look.
Drasta decides to sit down and quietly write in her book about the place and the woman. “We will have to wait…”
Khzuro frowns, “Guess so..." Looks around the party to see if anyone has anything else to say.”
Drasta looks to Samo. “We must succeed or die in the effort.”
Samo nods, “Let’s find this place.”
Khzuro grows concerned. “Aiami? Are you alright?”
She looks around. “As long as they keep their distance, yes.”
"Oh... right, that. You're on board joining the fight, then?" Khzuro hadn't spent much attention on the local assholes cats.
She nods, "Yes I can’t leave her to die even if she eats me."
Khzuro replies, “Better not come to that after the mission."
As they begin to walk, they start to notice other creatures on the island. There are also antelopes, small birds, kudu, gemsbok and other animals on the prairie.
Khzuro sighs, then tries to relax some "Was there anything else anyone wanted to discuss or bring up? Those Balors are going to be casting implosions and fire storms at us, so we'd better prepare countermeasures."
Masako says....... “Well, we are stuck here for now. We need to make the best of it. I guess.”
Khzuro gives her a nod aside. “We'll be jumping right into battle so getting our short duration enhancements out before we go in will be valuable."
Katsu says, “Anything the builds our health will be needed for implosion.”
"I'll get everyone with a heroism spell and protection from evil spell, can anyone cover a mass protection from fire? We'll probably want a group haste going in."
Masako nods, "I can."
“I will do my best to pray and prepare.” Drasta remarks.
Khzuro looks over at the mages. “Might be good for all of you to have a spell turning spell ready before we go in." They all nod. “If um, you can cast one.”
Katsu says, “Ruby ray of reversal if I remember correctly.”
The kobold then turns his attention to Samo. “Samo, will you want a Spider Climb? In case you need to scale cliffs in that fight."
"Anything I can get, Khzuro that will help." Drasta asks.
Khzuro is still trying to think of advantages. “Right, anyone have mass haste covered?"
Drasta again asks a bit differently. “Would a spell breach help us at all"?
Shin says, “I have it in my books.”
Khzuro considers, “It'd make it easier to land spells on those Balors."
“It is something I could attempt if I get close enough.” Drasta suggests.
"I don't know if I can crack their resistance with enervation castings." A sigh "Not reliably." He considers, "Probably best for you to focus on killing them as quickly as possible with sonic arrows. How many do you have left?" Khzuro asks.
“I believe ten.”
Shin says, “I have 4 globes left.” He looks at his blunderbuss and smiles. I hope that guest house has a working shop.”
Khzuro considers it. “"Can we make any more Well, that would work if so? Otherwise, they're pretty tough demons."
Shin shakes his head. "Not unless we find just the right kind of shrimp"
“Would it be possible to attach some other form of sonic magic to an arrow?” Drasta looks to the mages and Shin.
"Well," A sigh "My crossbows generate bolts of positive and negative energy. Yours... makes fire arrows, right?" Khzuro looks at her.
“Naturally, yes.”
He nods, “Don't know if it'll be possible to switch them... " A sigh, considering "Probably not... Well, guess we'd better get some rest and make what preparations we can then. Going to be a rough one..."
They find the guest house. It comfortably houses up to 12 individuals.
In the morning the woman comes back to the house. She is not alone. There is a woman on a Pegasus beside her. The woman has wings on her back and is wearing a chainmail skirt. She also has a shield, sword, spear and a broadsword with a long bow and arrows in holders mounted on the saddle.
“A friend of yours?” Drasta asks.
The little half-elf speaks. “This is Herja. She will join you in battle, however there is a price."
They all looks to Khzuro. He asks, “What is the price.”
"If one of you falls in battle as long as she is on the battlefield there is no resurrection, and she takes your soul."
... "What?... Who is this that such a price would be demanded?" Khzuro asks incredulously.
She is called a Valkyrie a servant of those god that take the fallen in battle to their heaven it is called Valhalla.
Drasta looks at the outer plane’s creature. “Interesting.” She goes on. “A powerful being but I do not see how this helps if we cannot bring our own back to continue the fight which may indeed quicker destroy the one, we hunt.”
"That and the two we are set to rescue are clerics who would not appreciate being taken from their gods. I cannot accept something like this that would affect their souls without their consent." Khzuro adds.
The woman nods. and gives the Valkyrie a small vial that looks like quicksilver. There is a light and the Valkyrie disappears. The woman says, “Gather round me.”
"Before we go back into the fray, we should be sure to enspell ourselves. Unless you are doing something else?"
Drasta asks, “A moment.”
She looks at the kobold, “Gather round me and samurai draw your sword.”
Drasta asks, “Samo do you have a portion of Haru saved from that spell?” Samo shakes his head.
Khzuro calls out. “I’ve got what’s left of Ogano.”
Drasta side eyes around the group do we have anyone who was caught by that spell?
gestures to put it down reaching for her bow. “Let us figure this out.”
Khzuro says, “Okay... Lays out what's left of the Ogano Jelly, contained in a bag.”
Drasta pulls her bow back aiming at it pushing the concentrated holy aura into the arrow letting it loose into what is left of Ogano. Nothing happens. Khzuro frowns. “Was... that supposed to be a resurrection?" He sighs, packing what's left of Ogano back up "We'll have one of our clerics try it when we're back..."
Drasta snarls, “It is what this bow is supposed to do.” Khzuro frowns but nods.
The woman says, “Show me your sword samurai.”
Khzuro looks to the woman, “We're preparing for the battle now, then?" Drasta looks a bit sad but firms herself.”
The woman speaks a spell. Samo’s sword blazes green and begins dripping acid. She immediately begins another spell. Khzuro says, “Guess we are…” Then shuts up. She casts mass bull’s strength, cats grace, endurance, haste, magic resistance, and clarity with such high precision that no one in the group has ever felt as good in their lives as they do now.
Khzuro casts his spells and Drasta pulls a scroll out of her belt. Shre reads it while the other starts to make the portal waiting for the rift to send them through holding the last word. The woman holds the last word of her spell for a moment then casts it. A rift opens to the prime.
Khzuro has his crossbows at the ready. Drasta speaks the last word of the scroll. As it burns up. She turns into a dragon once more. They find themselves back on the ice shelf but behind the battle now. One balor is down. Clyde is badly wounded. Ayako is fighting with two Balors. and Iwao is trying to keep both Clyde and Ayako alive with mass heals.
Khzuro blurts out. “It’s done, go ahead.” She climbs up on deck and begins a complex spell. The silver lock down the middle of her head starts to glow. Across the ice shelf you see every pathway has been melted and an epic battle is going on between Clyde, Chrome and about 1/2 dozen of Chrome's Balors.
Iwao and Ayako look at each other. Ayako says, "We need more time." Both of them cast a spell. Iwao grows fire wings and Ayako throws wind walk. They both jump off the gunwale and into the battle. As they join the dragon that's the last thing the others see. They are suddenly on a prairie. There is a small blue sun overhead lighting the land. and there are giant cats everywhere. in one direction there is a large mansion on a hill. Though you really have no direction sense now.
Khzuro looked like he was ready to join the battle too but suddenly stared around him mystified. He blinks as if he is trying to disbelieve what he sees. Drasta growls a bit undertone. “The Hells did we get sent.”
Khzuro answers her, “I don't know, but we can't leave Iwao and Ayako to face all those demons alone."
The woman looks back. “They made a choice. Respect it.”
"Okay, what happened to us though?" Khzuro retorts.
“If that one is not stopped fully their choice may not make a difference unless you foresaw chrome dying.”
"And do we have some way of reinforcing them?" Khzuro pleads.
The strange woman turns to them. “"You are at my own home on the astral sea. It’s time for what’s left of your group to get off the ship. Here I control everything, even the sun and moon."
Drasta’s jaw drops, “Interesting… Is there anything you have that could help to defeat this monster?”
Khzuro not wanting to wait for her reply to Drasta says, “Understood. I expect Chrome will likely target this place eventually, though." Then a look around "Right, I expect time is of the essence here, where will we end up once we leave, and how soon can that be done?"
The woman sighs, "I can take you back to anywhere on toril once I have rested but first, I will bury this ship into the middle of this earth mote to be lost forever."
Khzuro frowns deeply, considering "So... Ayako and Iwao are going to be left on their own to face the demon lord and their minions... unless someone else has a way out..." Looks over to the three remaining magi in their party.
“Perhaps time does not pass the same way here similar to the fey plane. This could be possible that an hour is only seconds.” Drasta intones.
Aiami looks around. "If this is the astral sea then time for us has almost stopped on the prime.
The woman says, "Correct 1,000 years here is but a single day on the prime."
Drasta smirks, “It is what I thought then.”
Khzuro rubs the palms of his hands together. "So, we'll rest up, prepare, and then we'll be right back where we were... can support them against the Demon Lord and their minions." ... A pause "Though that one's going to be one rough battle."
The woman says, "If that is what you want then that is what I will do. but you must get off this ship now."
“Indeed, they do have one spell that is quite deadly…” Drasta adds.
Khzuro seeing that the mage is about to cast a spell looks to everyone, “Understood. Let’s go.”
Everyone heads off the ship including the woman. After she raises her hands and does another complex spell. The ground opens up around the ship and it slowly sinks until Khzuro, and gang cannot see it anymore then the ground closes up again. She says, "The island is 5-square miles: prairie in the center woods along the edge. You are welcome to stay in the guest house until tomorrow. Do not go into the mansion. It will kill you. The woman turns away and heads to the house on the hill saying. “I will return to the guesthouse in the morning.”
Khzuro almost stands at attention. “Noted, thank you.”
There are all types of big cats and at least one has eyes on you all the time; though they do not bother you and do not come too close. There is also a waterfall in the center of the island that forms a large pond, the runoff forming a stream that meanders through the prairie and into the woods that ring the land.
Khzuro calls the group over for a huddle, seeming to have something on his mind "Right... our mission is... technically complete. The demon won't be able to get the artifacts now. At least, hopefully not. Could try to invade the plane here, but..." Considers, the last sequence in that chronomancy was the demon using the hourglass.... but would that happen now? "Look, we can go back to the emperor’s palace, or we can go to our foe to try to fight for Iwao and Ayako. Without the rest of us they're not going to last in that battle. Don't know about you, but I don't feel like leaving others on the team behind." Looks around, trying to gage everyone’s' mood on that.
Aiami doesn’t seem to be thrilled about the idea. Samo nods. "We leave no one behind."
Masako also says. "They were with us for a full season. They are our friends. we are honor bound to help them."
Drasta intones, “Indeed and there are two we need to figure out how to bring back unless...” She looks after Fawn walking away.
Katsu says, "How many times has Ayako shielded us. how many times has Iwao healed us."
Khzuro gives them all a nod. “Agreed. Then we ready ourselves and go as soon as we are set. Whatever preparations you need to make, make them now. Though.” Looks to Aiami.
For now, we will get a night of rest...Perhaps we will have more time to conclude our plan...” Drasta looks to the lady Perhaps I could ask her to empower my scroll and make it stronger.
"Right. From what I saw, there were six Balors and the demon lord himself." Khzuro states.
Katsu says, “Verses one old wyrm dragon and two clerics.”
Masako asks, “How much time will we lose?”
Drasta jots down some numbers and thinks for a moment. “If a thousand years is 1 day here then I believe a full day may be less than it took the time to speak this.” Masako blinks.
Khzuro chides, “Seconds can matter in a pitched battle, especially with the magic they're throwing."
Drasta shakes her head and carries the 1. “A single day here would be around 40 seconds in your plane. Possibly less.”
Khzuro looks at her. “Right..." A sigh "I guess our hostess probably doesn't have any other magic items or scrolls for us for sale. I didn't exactly bring a lot of gold or anything."
Drasta shrugs. “That is to be unseen...Perhaps she may gift us something after she rests.”
“Maybe.” Khzuro looks doubtful. He looks at the others then gives Aiami a look.
Drasta decides to sit down and quietly write in her book about the place and the woman. “We will have to wait…”
Khzuro frowns, “Guess so..." Looks around the party to see if anyone has anything else to say.”
Drasta looks to Samo. “We must succeed or die in the effort.”
Samo nods, “Let’s find this place.”
Khzuro grows concerned. “Aiami? Are you alright?”
She looks around. “As long as they keep their distance, yes.”
"Oh... right, that. You're on board joining the fight, then?" Khzuro hadn't spent much attention on the local assholes cats.
She nods, "Yes I can’t leave her to die even if she eats me."
Khzuro replies, “Better not come to that after the mission."
As they begin to walk, they start to notice other creatures on the island. There are also antelopes, small birds, kudu, gemsbok and other animals on the prairie.
Khzuro sighs, then tries to relax some "Was there anything else anyone wanted to discuss or bring up? Those Balors are going to be casting implosions and fire storms at us, so we'd better prepare countermeasures."
Masako says....... “Well, we are stuck here for now. We need to make the best of it. I guess.”
Khzuro gives her a nod aside. “We'll be jumping right into battle so getting our short duration enhancements out before we go in will be valuable."
Katsu says, “Anything the builds our health will be needed for implosion.”
"I'll get everyone with a heroism spell and protection from evil spell, can anyone cover a mass protection from fire? We'll probably want a group haste going in."
Masako nods, "I can."
“I will do my best to pray and prepare.” Drasta remarks.
Khzuro looks over at the mages. “Might be good for all of you to have a spell turning spell ready before we go in." They all nod. “If um, you can cast one.”
Katsu says, “Ruby ray of reversal if I remember correctly.”
The kobold then turns his attention to Samo. “Samo, will you want a Spider Climb? In case you need to scale cliffs in that fight."
"Anything I can get, Khzuro that will help." Drasta asks.
Khzuro is still trying to think of advantages. “Right, anyone have mass haste covered?"
Drasta again asks a bit differently. “Would a spell breach help us at all"?
Shin says, “I have it in my books.”
Khzuro considers, “It'd make it easier to land spells on those Balors."
“It is something I could attempt if I get close enough.” Drasta suggests.
"I don't know if I can crack their resistance with enervation castings." A sigh "Not reliably." He considers, "Probably best for you to focus on killing them as quickly as possible with sonic arrows. How many do you have left?" Khzuro asks.
“I believe ten.”
Shin says, “I have 4 globes left.” He looks at his blunderbuss and smiles. I hope that guest house has a working shop.”
Khzuro considers it. “"Can we make any more Well, that would work if so? Otherwise, they're pretty tough demons."
Shin shakes his head. "Not unless we find just the right kind of shrimp"
“Would it be possible to attach some other form of sonic magic to an arrow?” Drasta looks to the mages and Shin.
"Well," A sigh "My crossbows generate bolts of positive and negative energy. Yours... makes fire arrows, right?" Khzuro looks at her.
“Naturally, yes.”
He nods, “Don't know if it'll be possible to switch them... " A sigh, considering "Probably not... Well, guess we'd better get some rest and make what preparations we can then. Going to be a rough one..."
They find the guest house. It comfortably houses up to 12 individuals.
In the morning the woman comes back to the house. She is not alone. There is a woman on a Pegasus beside her. The woman has wings on her back and is wearing a chainmail skirt. She also has a shield, sword, spear and a broadsword with a long bow and arrows in holders mounted on the saddle.
“A friend of yours?” Drasta asks.
The little half-elf speaks. “This is Herja. She will join you in battle, however there is a price."
They all looks to Khzuro. He asks, “What is the price.”
"If one of you falls in battle as long as she is on the battlefield there is no resurrection, and she takes your soul."
... "What?... Who is this that such a price would be demanded?" Khzuro asks incredulously.
She is called a Valkyrie a servant of those god that take the fallen in battle to their heaven it is called Valhalla.
Drasta looks at the outer plane’s creature. “Interesting.” She goes on. “A powerful being but I do not see how this helps if we cannot bring our own back to continue the fight which may indeed quicker destroy the one, we hunt.”
"That and the two we are set to rescue are clerics who would not appreciate being taken from their gods. I cannot accept something like this that would affect their souls without their consent." Khzuro adds.
The woman nods. and gives the Valkyrie a small vial that looks like quicksilver. There is a light and the Valkyrie disappears. The woman says, “Gather round me.”
"Before we go back into the fray, we should be sure to enspell ourselves. Unless you are doing something else?"
Drasta asks, “A moment.”
She looks at the kobold, “Gather round me and samurai draw your sword.”
Drasta asks, “Samo do you have a portion of Haru saved from that spell?” Samo shakes his head.
Khzuro calls out. “I’ve got what’s left of Ogano.”
Drasta side eyes around the group do we have anyone who was caught by that spell?
gestures to put it down reaching for her bow. “Let us figure this out.”
Khzuro says, “Okay... Lays out what's left of the Ogano Jelly, contained in a bag.”
Drasta pulls her bow back aiming at it pushing the concentrated holy aura into the arrow letting it loose into what is left of Ogano. Nothing happens. Khzuro frowns. “Was... that supposed to be a resurrection?" He sighs, packing what's left of Ogano back up "We'll have one of our clerics try it when we're back..."
Drasta snarls, “It is what this bow is supposed to do.” Khzuro frowns but nods.
The woman says, “Show me your sword samurai.”
Khzuro looks to the woman, “We're preparing for the battle now, then?" Drasta looks a bit sad but firms herself.”
The woman speaks a spell. Samo’s sword blazes green and begins dripping acid. She immediately begins another spell. Khzuro says, “Guess we are…” Then shuts up. She casts mass bull’s strength, cats grace, endurance, haste, magic resistance, and clarity with such high precision that no one in the group has ever felt as good in their lives as they do now.
Khzuro casts his spells and Drasta pulls a scroll out of her belt. Shre reads it while the other starts to make the portal waiting for the rift to send them through holding the last word. The woman holds the last word of her spell for a moment then casts it. A rift opens to the prime.
Khzuro has his crossbows at the ready. Drasta speaks the last word of the scroll. As it burns up. She turns into a dragon once more. They find themselves back on the ice shelf but behind the battle now. One balor is down. Clyde is badly wounded. Ayako is fighting with two Balors. and Iwao is trying to keep both Clyde and Ayako alive with mass heals.
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Winterhawk99
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Re: The Kozakura Campaign
The woman ports them in on the end of the other shelf path behind the battle. Ayako is to their right with two balors on her. Clyde is to their left with three on him, but they are much more wounded. Chrome is 30 yards behind them directing the battle with telepathy speaking orders to his Balors and is out of reach.
Khzuro tries to make the most of the surprise and assists Ayako. He aims and fires at one of the balors on her. He hits it 4 times with his quarrels, one sinking deeply into his ribs. The balor lets out a surprised, “FUCK!” He turns and charges at Khzuro.
Drasta charges the other on Ayako and attacks. She misses her bite but gets in three claw strokes on him, hurting him badly. Samo charges at the one charging Khzuro stopping it and nearly beheads it as he goes through a series of cuts to it with his katana and wakizashi.
Katsu casts horrid wilting at Chrome but the spell seems to have no effect. Masako, however, casts Acid fog into the group attacking Clyde knowing Clyde himself is immune. She hits the three balors with pinpoint accuracy. They all start to smoke and pause a moment caught by surprise. Shin throws one of his globes at the one Samo is facing. It explodes, sending out a shock wave but it seems to have no effect on the creature.
The balor that was stopped by Samo attacks him instead of Khzuro and gets through his guard, but Samo’s armor protects him from most of the damage. His shoulder armor though is in near ruin. The Balor on Ayako rips into her. nearly killing the great tiger. Each of the Balors on Clyde do find a weak point on his scales despite the harassment by the acid fog. They rip into him with their claws, but his sheer size saves him. Though they do some damage the overall damage to him is small.
Seeing more enemies all of a sudden Chrome decides to get involved. He casts a spell at Samo. None of the mages know of it but Khzuro smells chronomancy. Samo’s armor collapses and a 10-year-old boy crawls out of it. The Demon lord seems to have taken him out of the battle by making him so young he can’t fight. Chrome makes a thunderous laugh as he sees the boy, Samo.
Now really pissed off Clyde sucks in his breath and releases his breath weapon. All the demons’ skin melts off of those around him. Chrome is able to jump out of the way of the blast but there is another side effect. The acid that the old wyrm spews starts to immediately eat at the ice shelf and no one knows how much time before the whole thing collapses.
Ayako is on the ground grappling with the balor on her. She is able to bite and claw him almost to death. Perhaps if she could rake him with her back claws, she could finish him off, but she can no longer feel her back legs because of a broken back. The two tumble and fight one another, each looking for the fatal blow.
Khzuro looks around for the weakest. It seems to be one of the ones on Clyde. He fires a volley off hitting the demon 5 time. It stumbles and falls. Its metal exoskeleton begins to melt into the acid laced ice. Drasta uses her frightful presence and attacks the balor on Samo before it can kill the boy. The dragon fear has no effect on any of them, but she does get a bite and claw in on the Balor knocking him away from Samo and snapping its leg off. It tries to crawl away from the action. Shin tries to hit it to finish it off with his blunderbuss, but the missiles have no effect on it. The acid fog makes the demon crumble down again. It loses its left hand and holds itself up with its right.
Katsu, seeing that demon can no longer fight throws magnetism on the two left on Clyde. The two slide together and are disrupted as they crash into each other. Masako casts a summoning, and an earth elemental appears beside her.
A flaming sword shoots out from Ayako’s back. The balor skewers her on his sword then throws her dead body to the side and starts toward Drasta. Khzuro grimaces. Again the 2 balors on Clyde find a soft spot on him even though stuck together. They work in tandem despite the new disability and manage to dig into his flesh a bit. The wound is minor but it’s starting to add up.
Time stops. Everyone seems to freeze in place but Khzuro and Chrome. Khzuro looks coldly pissed looking at Ayako’s body lying on the ice. He quickly uses the moments of frozen time to hit the one attacking Samo with one bolt and the other that is nearly dead with three more. He brings both Balors down killing them. As all his bolts he was able to place carefully against frozen targets. When time again restarts, he knows both will be dead. Khzuro goes into the rare stay of tranquil fury with truly murderous results.
While Khzuro is killing the balors, Chrome throws two spells the first is greater dispelling. The shields and augmentations that the woman put on them before battle hold, but the acid fog evaporates, all of Khzuro’s personal shields stop, and Drasta turns back into an elf. He also casts Power Word Insanity on Drasta. It also works. Time once again begins and Drasta looks around in complete confusion as insanity takes hold in her eyes.
Khzuro turns his crossbow on Chrome as he sees a naked 10-year-old boy run past him holding a katana with both hands screaming, “I’m not done yet!” The sword is bigger than the boy holding it. Khzuro knows without his buffs he can’t hit the balors so he tries something riskier. He throws an enervation spell at Chrome. The spell fizzles and dies in his hands.
Aiami has been holding back and waiting for her moment she suddenly throws a spell at Chrome. It’s Mordenkainen’s Disjunction and it works perfectly. Several items explode around the demon lord’s body. He screams as some form of pain wracks him. He drops to one knee.
Clyde rips through one of the balors in front of him sending metal parts everywhere. Shin throws another globe into the fray, but it misses the balor and explodes knocking both Clyde and it back. The earth elemental catches up with Clyde and the balor but misses its target. Katsu throws a vitriolic sphere at the same and as the acid hits it, the demon finally falls. Clyde grabs it in his jaws and throws the metal monster over the side of the cliff.
Chrome tries to cast greater teleportation to leave the battle, but he is so wounded by his own exploding equipment he fails. Drasta starts to scream at phantom enemies all around her. Clyde goes after Chrome catching up with Samo. Seeing Chrome in a state of confusion Khzuro again tries to cast enervation on him. This time with the demon lord’s magic resistance reduced by the disjunction the spell splices through and hits him. Chrome sags under the weight of the negative energy spell.
With Ayako dead, Iwao puts all his healing magic into Clyde now figuring he has the best chance to stop Chrome. Now with his breath weapon recharged Clyde unleashes it again directly at Chrome. The demon’s skin is blackened but it doesn’t melt. Chrome’s body smokes. The smell of burnt flesh fills the air.
The shelf they are on now hit twice with Clyde’s breath weapon starts to crumble and collapse. Clyde grabs up Samo with one of his claws and yells out for everyone to cling to him. Iwao casts greater restoration of Crasta as Chrome starts to stand up again. Drasta is cured of her insanity. Khzuro looks around and sees Ayako’s corpse in the middle of the battlefield. Everyone else seems to be running to the dragon. He starts to run to her, but Clyde pushes him away and eats her. Khzuro blinks and casts an overland flight instead and flies to Clyde’s back. Drasta void steps onto his back too.
As everyone jumps on Clyde leaps to the other shelf. They all see Chrome get back on his feet unsteadily. The floor finally collapses under him completely but just before it does, he gives everyone a universal sign and screams out, “I WILL SEE YOU ALL AGAIN ONE DAY!” He falls into the abyss of the canyon.
Drasta glares at him firing sonic arrow after arrow at him in a rage. Khzuro looks down to the demon lord as it plunges down, speaking in a sharp and icy tone. “You’ve lost, and this will be the last time we ever meet. Stay in the abyss, where you belong.”
Khzuro looks at the falling demon lord coldly. He takes a breath out, the battle over, then look to see where Clyde takes them. His expression still morose, but then he looks over his team to see how they’re all holding up.
Drasta stops as the demon falls out of view. She mutters, “Fucking demons…”
There are several explosions as Drasta unleashes her arrows going down into the canyon More of the ice shelf on that side collapses and a full hundred meters of the other side is gone. You do not know the results. Chrome may have been banished to the abyss, or he may be lying at the bottom severely wounded under tons of ice.
Khzuro tries to make the most of the surprise and assists Ayako. He aims and fires at one of the balors on her. He hits it 4 times with his quarrels, one sinking deeply into his ribs. The balor lets out a surprised, “FUCK!” He turns and charges at Khzuro.
Drasta charges the other on Ayako and attacks. She misses her bite but gets in three claw strokes on him, hurting him badly. Samo charges at the one charging Khzuro stopping it and nearly beheads it as he goes through a series of cuts to it with his katana and wakizashi.
Katsu casts horrid wilting at Chrome but the spell seems to have no effect. Masako, however, casts Acid fog into the group attacking Clyde knowing Clyde himself is immune. She hits the three balors with pinpoint accuracy. They all start to smoke and pause a moment caught by surprise. Shin throws one of his globes at the one Samo is facing. It explodes, sending out a shock wave but it seems to have no effect on the creature.
The balor that was stopped by Samo attacks him instead of Khzuro and gets through his guard, but Samo’s armor protects him from most of the damage. His shoulder armor though is in near ruin. The Balor on Ayako rips into her. nearly killing the great tiger. Each of the Balors on Clyde do find a weak point on his scales despite the harassment by the acid fog. They rip into him with their claws, but his sheer size saves him. Though they do some damage the overall damage to him is small.
Seeing more enemies all of a sudden Chrome decides to get involved. He casts a spell at Samo. None of the mages know of it but Khzuro smells chronomancy. Samo’s armor collapses and a 10-year-old boy crawls out of it. The Demon lord seems to have taken him out of the battle by making him so young he can’t fight. Chrome makes a thunderous laugh as he sees the boy, Samo.
Now really pissed off Clyde sucks in his breath and releases his breath weapon. All the demons’ skin melts off of those around him. Chrome is able to jump out of the way of the blast but there is another side effect. The acid that the old wyrm spews starts to immediately eat at the ice shelf and no one knows how much time before the whole thing collapses.
Ayako is on the ground grappling with the balor on her. She is able to bite and claw him almost to death. Perhaps if she could rake him with her back claws, she could finish him off, but she can no longer feel her back legs because of a broken back. The two tumble and fight one another, each looking for the fatal blow.
Khzuro looks around for the weakest. It seems to be one of the ones on Clyde. He fires a volley off hitting the demon 5 time. It stumbles and falls. Its metal exoskeleton begins to melt into the acid laced ice. Drasta uses her frightful presence and attacks the balor on Samo before it can kill the boy. The dragon fear has no effect on any of them, but she does get a bite and claw in on the Balor knocking him away from Samo and snapping its leg off. It tries to crawl away from the action. Shin tries to hit it to finish it off with his blunderbuss, but the missiles have no effect on it. The acid fog makes the demon crumble down again. It loses its left hand and holds itself up with its right.
Katsu, seeing that demon can no longer fight throws magnetism on the two left on Clyde. The two slide together and are disrupted as they crash into each other. Masako casts a summoning, and an earth elemental appears beside her.
A flaming sword shoots out from Ayako’s back. The balor skewers her on his sword then throws her dead body to the side and starts toward Drasta. Khzuro grimaces. Again the 2 balors on Clyde find a soft spot on him even though stuck together. They work in tandem despite the new disability and manage to dig into his flesh a bit. The wound is minor but it’s starting to add up.
Time stops. Everyone seems to freeze in place but Khzuro and Chrome. Khzuro looks coldly pissed looking at Ayako’s body lying on the ice. He quickly uses the moments of frozen time to hit the one attacking Samo with one bolt and the other that is nearly dead with three more. He brings both Balors down killing them. As all his bolts he was able to place carefully against frozen targets. When time again restarts, he knows both will be dead. Khzuro goes into the rare stay of tranquil fury with truly murderous results.
While Khzuro is killing the balors, Chrome throws two spells the first is greater dispelling. The shields and augmentations that the woman put on them before battle hold, but the acid fog evaporates, all of Khzuro’s personal shields stop, and Drasta turns back into an elf. He also casts Power Word Insanity on Drasta. It also works. Time once again begins and Drasta looks around in complete confusion as insanity takes hold in her eyes.
Khzuro turns his crossbow on Chrome as he sees a naked 10-year-old boy run past him holding a katana with both hands screaming, “I’m not done yet!” The sword is bigger than the boy holding it. Khzuro knows without his buffs he can’t hit the balors so he tries something riskier. He throws an enervation spell at Chrome. The spell fizzles and dies in his hands.
Aiami has been holding back and waiting for her moment she suddenly throws a spell at Chrome. It’s Mordenkainen’s Disjunction and it works perfectly. Several items explode around the demon lord’s body. He screams as some form of pain wracks him. He drops to one knee.
Clyde rips through one of the balors in front of him sending metal parts everywhere. Shin throws another globe into the fray, but it misses the balor and explodes knocking both Clyde and it back. The earth elemental catches up with Clyde and the balor but misses its target. Katsu throws a vitriolic sphere at the same and as the acid hits it, the demon finally falls. Clyde grabs it in his jaws and throws the metal monster over the side of the cliff.
Chrome tries to cast greater teleportation to leave the battle, but he is so wounded by his own exploding equipment he fails. Drasta starts to scream at phantom enemies all around her. Clyde goes after Chrome catching up with Samo. Seeing Chrome in a state of confusion Khzuro again tries to cast enervation on him. This time with the demon lord’s magic resistance reduced by the disjunction the spell splices through and hits him. Chrome sags under the weight of the negative energy spell.
With Ayako dead, Iwao puts all his healing magic into Clyde now figuring he has the best chance to stop Chrome. Now with his breath weapon recharged Clyde unleashes it again directly at Chrome. The demon’s skin is blackened but it doesn’t melt. Chrome’s body smokes. The smell of burnt flesh fills the air.
The shelf they are on now hit twice with Clyde’s breath weapon starts to crumble and collapse. Clyde grabs up Samo with one of his claws and yells out for everyone to cling to him. Iwao casts greater restoration of Crasta as Chrome starts to stand up again. Drasta is cured of her insanity. Khzuro looks around and sees Ayako’s corpse in the middle of the battlefield. Everyone else seems to be running to the dragon. He starts to run to her, but Clyde pushes him away and eats her. Khzuro blinks and casts an overland flight instead and flies to Clyde’s back. Drasta void steps onto his back too.
As everyone jumps on Clyde leaps to the other shelf. They all see Chrome get back on his feet unsteadily. The floor finally collapses under him completely but just before it does, he gives everyone a universal sign and screams out, “I WILL SEE YOU ALL AGAIN ONE DAY!” He falls into the abyss of the canyon.
Drasta glares at him firing sonic arrow after arrow at him in a rage. Khzuro looks down to the demon lord as it plunges down, speaking in a sharp and icy tone. “You’ve lost, and this will be the last time we ever meet. Stay in the abyss, where you belong.”
Khzuro looks at the falling demon lord coldly. He takes a breath out, the battle over, then look to see where Clyde takes them. His expression still morose, but then he looks over his team to see how they’re all holding up.
Drasta stops as the demon falls out of view. She mutters, “Fucking demons…”
There are several explosions as Drasta unleashes her arrows going down into the canyon More of the ice shelf on that side collapses and a full hundred meters of the other side is gone. You do not know the results. Chrome may have been banished to the abyss, or he may be lying at the bottom severely wounded under tons of ice.
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Winterhawk99
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Re: The Kozakura Campaign
Clyde stops on the opposite shelf. Then spider climbs down into all the tunnels he created. Khzuro gives a nod to Drasta… “Wretched things... but this battle is won, at least..." A heavy sigh, looking over his companions. Despite the victory, Khzuro clearly doesn't feel elated. If anything, he seems morose.
“We should find our way to collect what may be left of Haru at some point...” Drasta pleads to him.
Khzuro gives another sigh thinking of all they had lost. “Well, where too the?” Then answers Drasta. “We should, we… owe her that much, at least…”
Aiami says, “I wasn’t sure the disjunction would work but I got past his resistance.”
Clyde meanders through the tunnels and resurfaces on the central level near the door of his home. He spits out the body of Ayako. Khzuro asks Iwao, “Can… you do anything?” Drasta fires and arrow in Ayako’s body using the bow’s special ability. Khzuro blinks looking at her.
Ayako’s wounds mend and she slowly gets up. Then her knees collapse and her eyes close. Iwao says, “She will need some time to rest.”
“One would think so anyways.... That was very difficult on all here...looks to the child form of Samo This one will be another challenge to restore.” Drasta looks at him.
Khzuro makes a breath out and gives a nod of thanks to the elf. “At... least she's alive... That was too close." Sits down, seeming relieved. Then he also looks at Samo. “Chronomancy, I suspect. We don't have the expertise to help with that... not without..." A frown, thinking of Ogano...
Samo looks around, “This is rather embarrassing.”
Drasta looks down in morose, “I did not feel Ogano would return when I tried to revive him last.”
"Wonder if that will allow him to live several years longer now, despite embarrassment now..." Khzuro looks to Samo. Then a frown, looking to Drasta "That's true... don't... know why it didn't work, though. Or what that thing you have is." She holds it out for him to inspect but he doesn’t seem inclined to inspect it, right now, then he looks around at those gathered. "So... mission has been accomplished. Suppose the only thing to do now is look for Haru's remains then depart... before we do though..." He looks over to Clyde. "I'm aware of what you wanted from Iwao, but the artifacts are gone from here now. How will that affect your bargain going forward?"
Clyde turns his great head toward them. “An unexpected turn of events. I am released from my guardianship and have no need for another to teach. I can await Null with pride.”
Khzuro gives him a nod, "Then, that's good then. Thank you for your assistance, and this one wishes you the best with your remaining years."
Drasta gives the great dragon a gentle bow. “It was appreciated.”
"As I told you before. I had no chance..........Alone that is." Clyde intones trying to speak softly. It still comes out like a roaring lion.
"But the day is won..." A sigh, looking over "Suppose you were right that victory would be costly, though. I... suppose that means this team is now free to return home. Once we find Haru's remains." Khzuro says.
Drasta sits down in a corner with a tome open looking at her sketches of Haru with a single tear. “The cost has been substantial.”
Clyde looks at all of them. "The Chronomancy I am afraid cannot be reversed. Your samurai must start over. Have a long life Samo. I am going now to dream my last dream. Fare you well. each and every one."
The kobold gives him a nod, perhaps worried about how little time the copper dragon has. “Dream well and, thank you, for everything. Oh um, one other point of affair, while we did block the portal, we didn't undo it. Do you expect it'll still be a problem?"
Drasta looks over. “If it was Chromes magic and he is dead, should it not be removed?”
The dragon explains, “With Chrome gone or so badly damaged he can no longer maintain it. It will dissipate."
Khzuro nods, “Then, that's good. One less loose end."
“I would hope so.” Drasta adds.
Khzuro looks at the group. "Then... was there anything else anyone wanted to discuss? Imagine after we get Haru's remains we... have a long trip back."
“I can only void step with one other. I could use my time while you travel to get her back?” Drasta asks.
“No, let’s not separate. We’ll get Haru then depart.” Khzuro replies.
The companions rest for a time. Nothing disturbs them. They wake and ready themselves for the long trek back and find their way out of the cavern system and onto the glacier.
“We should find our way to collect what may be left of Haru at some point...” Drasta pleads to him.
Khzuro gives another sigh thinking of all they had lost. “Well, where too the?” Then answers Drasta. “We should, we… owe her that much, at least…”
Aiami says, “I wasn’t sure the disjunction would work but I got past his resistance.”
Clyde meanders through the tunnels and resurfaces on the central level near the door of his home. He spits out the body of Ayako. Khzuro asks Iwao, “Can… you do anything?” Drasta fires and arrow in Ayako’s body using the bow’s special ability. Khzuro blinks looking at her.
Ayako’s wounds mend and she slowly gets up. Then her knees collapse and her eyes close. Iwao says, “She will need some time to rest.”
“One would think so anyways.... That was very difficult on all here...looks to the child form of Samo This one will be another challenge to restore.” Drasta looks at him.
Khzuro makes a breath out and gives a nod of thanks to the elf. “At... least she's alive... That was too close." Sits down, seeming relieved. Then he also looks at Samo. “Chronomancy, I suspect. We don't have the expertise to help with that... not without..." A frown, thinking of Ogano...
Samo looks around, “This is rather embarrassing.”
Drasta looks down in morose, “I did not feel Ogano would return when I tried to revive him last.”
"Wonder if that will allow him to live several years longer now, despite embarrassment now..." Khzuro looks to Samo. Then a frown, looking to Drasta "That's true... don't... know why it didn't work, though. Or what that thing you have is." She holds it out for him to inspect but he doesn’t seem inclined to inspect it, right now, then he looks around at those gathered. "So... mission has been accomplished. Suppose the only thing to do now is look for Haru's remains then depart... before we do though..." He looks over to Clyde. "I'm aware of what you wanted from Iwao, but the artifacts are gone from here now. How will that affect your bargain going forward?"
Clyde turns his great head toward them. “An unexpected turn of events. I am released from my guardianship and have no need for another to teach. I can await Null with pride.”
Khzuro gives him a nod, "Then, that's good then. Thank you for your assistance, and this one wishes you the best with your remaining years."
Drasta gives the great dragon a gentle bow. “It was appreciated.”
"As I told you before. I had no chance..........Alone that is." Clyde intones trying to speak softly. It still comes out like a roaring lion.
"But the day is won..." A sigh, looking over "Suppose you were right that victory would be costly, though. I... suppose that means this team is now free to return home. Once we find Haru's remains." Khzuro says.
Drasta sits down in a corner with a tome open looking at her sketches of Haru with a single tear. “The cost has been substantial.”
Clyde looks at all of them. "The Chronomancy I am afraid cannot be reversed. Your samurai must start over. Have a long life Samo. I am going now to dream my last dream. Fare you well. each and every one."
The kobold gives him a nod, perhaps worried about how little time the copper dragon has. “Dream well and, thank you, for everything. Oh um, one other point of affair, while we did block the portal, we didn't undo it. Do you expect it'll still be a problem?"
Drasta looks over. “If it was Chromes magic and he is dead, should it not be removed?”
The dragon explains, “With Chrome gone or so badly damaged he can no longer maintain it. It will dissipate."
Khzuro nods, “Then, that's good. One less loose end."
“I would hope so.” Drasta adds.
Khzuro looks at the group. "Then... was there anything else anyone wanted to discuss? Imagine after we get Haru's remains we... have a long trip back."
“I can only void step with one other. I could use my time while you travel to get her back?” Drasta asks.
“No, let’s not separate. We’ll get Haru then depart.” Khzuro replies.
The companions rest for a time. Nothing disturbs them. They wake and ready themselves for the long trek back and find their way out of the cavern system and onto the glacier.
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Winterhawk99
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Re: The Kozakura Campaign
The companions head back out to the glacier tracking down where Haru died. There is nothing left being that they were in the caves for several days. Life is hard on the glacier and scavengers have taken full advantage. Anything that may have been left of Haru is either taken by them or buried deep in the snow and ice. Khzuro casts heroism on himself, he’s not giving up that easily. He starts to search.
He looks at the others after his initial search yields nothing. Ayako transforms into her tiger form and starts to dig. She doesn’t find anything but has made a huge hole in the spot Haru fell. Drasta brushes her hands across the pile Ayako made looking for anything left almost frantically. She finds some hairs placing them in a vial. “I am unsure if this is enough but perhaps it will be.”
Khzuro jumps up and down yelling, “"Eight million willing it should be... Right, I doubt we can do it here, unless either of you can..." Looks to Iwao and Ayako, but given how intense the fighting was, it's likely they won't be able to. That and he hadn't checked on how much diamond supply they had for the needed spell. "Think we have what we're going to get. We can... try to bring Haru and Ogano back when we can. For now... back to the boat. Unless anyone can teleport us there and save us the trip." He gives a look to Aiami, Masako, and Katsu.
Katsu nods." If the portal is there, we can go through it. if not the threads of the planes will be weak there and I can cast over a long distance."
Khzuro replies, “Think we might just have to take the long way back then... He gives out a sigh "Hope the way back is relatively peaceful. But we should keep our guard up regardless." He figures there shouldn't be demons or their minions, but there were yetis and other problems on the way to the glacier, after all, ...
They go through the whole routine. Nothing disturbs them as they travel. They also see tracks every now and then of large cats. Ayako stays in her human form the rest of the trip and seems lost in thought. She doesn't even taunt Aiami. The kobold looks over to Ayako, noting her behavior. Surprised she's not behaving like an asshole. "Are... you alright, Ayako?" She just nods and goes back to her meditating silently.
He nods in turn, He doesn’t seem to believe her, but doesn’t press on the matter, and just continues walking, or flying back with the others.
After several days they make it to the portal. It is gone. A lion roars in the distance and Ayako turns to listen to it. She then turns to the group. "This is where I must part."
Khzuro looks over to Ayako. "Aren't you coming back with us to debrief with the emperor...?"
She shakes her head, "I am a pride mother now. and have done great damage to my own family. I must atone and rebuild." The sounds of a lion roaring again hit their ears.
Drasta smiles, “Seems you have a larger purpose for now.”
"I see..." Khzuro gives her a nod, he does remember how several of those assholes cats died fighting the demon. "I understand. May the grace of the eight million be with you. Is there anything you would like us to tell the temple of the Tiger God when we return?"
Ayako smirks, "I need to do one last thing." She walks up to Aiami suddenly grabs her by the shoulders and gives her the biggest cow lick up her face. "Oh, so tasty!" She releases Aiami who's now shaking like a leaf and starts to walk the other way. She gets about 10 steps and turns around one last time. "You really didn't think I would eat one of my own companions, did you?" She winks at everyone turns again and starts walking northwest.
"Uuuuuhg! Yuck! You fucking Bitch! I should imprison you! You Cunt!" Aiami wipes her face.
still shaking.
Khzuro just blinks, confused by the whole affair, then gives a look to Aiami, moving close to her. He politely doesn't correct her in that 'bitch' refers to a dog, while Ayako is an asshole cat. "Well, I guess it's a good thing you won't have to worry about her coming after you later, at least."
“I hate that cat!” Aiami exclaims.
Katsu says, "I make sure she is remembered. She was courageous."
Drasta giggles and chuckles at the exchange. “At times we would wonder.”
Khzuro asks, “Wonder what?” While raising an eye ridge.
Shin grunts, "I knew she wouldn't actually do it. you get to know someone after a while. She just like to taunt the poor lass."
Iwao says, "You never know. Cats do like to play with their food."
“Perhaps wonder if it was play or not.” Drasta answers.
"Well, all the best to her..." Khzuro did feel irritated by her antics early throughout the mission, but did know she gave the mission her all too, so refrained from saying anything against her. "Well, suppose there will be a boat ride back. By the way, Iwao, when can you attempt to revive Haru and Ogano?"
Iwao nods. He tries the resurrection spell on Haru first. Drasta says a small prayer hoping it will help the spell. Time goes by (first 10 then 20 minutes.) After a ½ hour a hand rises up from the snow. Khzuro studies the event carefully. Masako ruses over and grabs the hand, pulling a naked Haru up out of the ground. She's cold and confused. She then rips her cloak off and covers the naked girl up with it quickly.
Khzuro casts an endure elements on her, “Thank the Eight million…”
Haru coughs, “Where am I?............ What happened?”
Drasta clears her throat, “Well… We are on the glacier.”
Khzuro looks over to Samo to see his reaction, then looks to Haru, “Balor got you. But… we succeeded in the mission. Glad you’re back with us, Haru.” Let’s out a breath of relief. Samo jumps up and down like a 10-year-old......which he is.
Haru looks over at Samo. “Who’s that?”
Drasta chuckles, “Well, that would be Samo.”
Samo goes, “It’s me Samo.” Haru starts to laugh. It turns into a cry.
Drasta approaches and kneels in front of Haru putting a hand on her shoulder. “I am glad you were able to return.”
She says, “I’m still cold. Where are we going to face this demon."
"We um... already defeated him. It's been a rough evening. Speaking of which, Iwao, can you perform another casting...?" Khzuro asks. She looks sad but nods.
Iwao says "I need a lot more diamond dust now." Shin digs in his pack and pulls out a small bag throwing it to Katsu how misses it. He picks it up and it’s enough to cast. Katsu casts the spell using the remains they collected from Ogano. They wait for 15 then 30 minutes.............. After an hour Katsu shakes his head.
Drasta nods a bit sadly. “I had the feeling…”
Khzuro frowns, closing his eyes, seems like that one hit him. "He was already old, maybe it was simply his time to enter the celestial bureaucracy, but... not like this. Damn it Ogano... shouldn't have been like this..." Looks away.
“I would agree.... Though he knew the risks on this journey.” Drasta states.
Shin says, "He was my friend. I will miss him but each and every one of us has our time. He will be remembered."
"We all did...." Khzuro gives a sad nod to Shin.
Drasta takes a deep breath through her nose. “Indeed.”
Katsu looks into the distance. "Are we ready then?"
"Yip... time to go home..." Khzuro says though his usual enthusiasm is dampened. He looks to the others to see if that’s confirmed though.
Katsu gets out a scroll and some ingredients. "Gather round then. You all have to be close."
Everyone gathers around Katsu. Khzuro thinks to himself, ‘Close enough for head pats, gods I need some right now.’ Katsu casts. The surrounding land fades. A new land appears. They are standing at the front gate of Dojyu The capital city of Kozakura.
He looks at the others after his initial search yields nothing. Ayako transforms into her tiger form and starts to dig. She doesn’t find anything but has made a huge hole in the spot Haru fell. Drasta brushes her hands across the pile Ayako made looking for anything left almost frantically. She finds some hairs placing them in a vial. “I am unsure if this is enough but perhaps it will be.”
Khzuro jumps up and down yelling, “"Eight million willing it should be... Right, I doubt we can do it here, unless either of you can..." Looks to Iwao and Ayako, but given how intense the fighting was, it's likely they won't be able to. That and he hadn't checked on how much diamond supply they had for the needed spell. "Think we have what we're going to get. We can... try to bring Haru and Ogano back when we can. For now... back to the boat. Unless anyone can teleport us there and save us the trip." He gives a look to Aiami, Masako, and Katsu.
Katsu nods." If the portal is there, we can go through it. if not the threads of the planes will be weak there and I can cast over a long distance."
Khzuro replies, “Think we might just have to take the long way back then... He gives out a sigh "Hope the way back is relatively peaceful. But we should keep our guard up regardless." He figures there shouldn't be demons or their minions, but there were yetis and other problems on the way to the glacier, after all, ...
They go through the whole routine. Nothing disturbs them as they travel. They also see tracks every now and then of large cats. Ayako stays in her human form the rest of the trip and seems lost in thought. She doesn't even taunt Aiami. The kobold looks over to Ayako, noting her behavior. Surprised she's not behaving like an asshole. "Are... you alright, Ayako?" She just nods and goes back to her meditating silently.
He nods in turn, He doesn’t seem to believe her, but doesn’t press on the matter, and just continues walking, or flying back with the others.
After several days they make it to the portal. It is gone. A lion roars in the distance and Ayako turns to listen to it. She then turns to the group. "This is where I must part."
Khzuro looks over to Ayako. "Aren't you coming back with us to debrief with the emperor...?"
She shakes her head, "I am a pride mother now. and have done great damage to my own family. I must atone and rebuild." The sounds of a lion roaring again hit their ears.
Drasta smiles, “Seems you have a larger purpose for now.”
"I see..." Khzuro gives her a nod, he does remember how several of those assholes cats died fighting the demon. "I understand. May the grace of the eight million be with you. Is there anything you would like us to tell the temple of the Tiger God when we return?"
Ayako smirks, "I need to do one last thing." She walks up to Aiami suddenly grabs her by the shoulders and gives her the biggest cow lick up her face. "Oh, so tasty!" She releases Aiami who's now shaking like a leaf and starts to walk the other way. She gets about 10 steps and turns around one last time. "You really didn't think I would eat one of my own companions, did you?" She winks at everyone turns again and starts walking northwest.
"Uuuuuhg! Yuck! You fucking Bitch! I should imprison you! You Cunt!" Aiami wipes her face.
still shaking.
Khzuro just blinks, confused by the whole affair, then gives a look to Aiami, moving close to her. He politely doesn't correct her in that 'bitch' refers to a dog, while Ayako is an asshole cat. "Well, I guess it's a good thing you won't have to worry about her coming after you later, at least."
“I hate that cat!” Aiami exclaims.
Katsu says, "I make sure she is remembered. She was courageous."
Drasta giggles and chuckles at the exchange. “At times we would wonder.”
Khzuro asks, “Wonder what?” While raising an eye ridge.
Shin grunts, "I knew she wouldn't actually do it. you get to know someone after a while. She just like to taunt the poor lass."
Iwao says, "You never know. Cats do like to play with their food."
“Perhaps wonder if it was play or not.” Drasta answers.
"Well, all the best to her..." Khzuro did feel irritated by her antics early throughout the mission, but did know she gave the mission her all too, so refrained from saying anything against her. "Well, suppose there will be a boat ride back. By the way, Iwao, when can you attempt to revive Haru and Ogano?"
Iwao nods. He tries the resurrection spell on Haru first. Drasta says a small prayer hoping it will help the spell. Time goes by (first 10 then 20 minutes.) After a ½ hour a hand rises up from the snow. Khzuro studies the event carefully. Masako ruses over and grabs the hand, pulling a naked Haru up out of the ground. She's cold and confused. She then rips her cloak off and covers the naked girl up with it quickly.
Khzuro casts an endure elements on her, “Thank the Eight million…”
Haru coughs, “Where am I?............ What happened?”
Drasta clears her throat, “Well… We are on the glacier.”
Khzuro looks over to Samo to see his reaction, then looks to Haru, “Balor got you. But… we succeeded in the mission. Glad you’re back with us, Haru.” Let’s out a breath of relief. Samo jumps up and down like a 10-year-old......which he is.
Haru looks over at Samo. “Who’s that?”
Drasta chuckles, “Well, that would be Samo.”
Samo goes, “It’s me Samo.” Haru starts to laugh. It turns into a cry.
Drasta approaches and kneels in front of Haru putting a hand on her shoulder. “I am glad you were able to return.”
She says, “I’m still cold. Where are we going to face this demon."
"We um... already defeated him. It's been a rough evening. Speaking of which, Iwao, can you perform another casting...?" Khzuro asks. She looks sad but nods.
Iwao says "I need a lot more diamond dust now." Shin digs in his pack and pulls out a small bag throwing it to Katsu how misses it. He picks it up and it’s enough to cast. Katsu casts the spell using the remains they collected from Ogano. They wait for 15 then 30 minutes.............. After an hour Katsu shakes his head.
Drasta nods a bit sadly. “I had the feeling…”
Khzuro frowns, closing his eyes, seems like that one hit him. "He was already old, maybe it was simply his time to enter the celestial bureaucracy, but... not like this. Damn it Ogano... shouldn't have been like this..." Looks away.
“I would agree.... Though he knew the risks on this journey.” Drasta states.
Shin says, "He was my friend. I will miss him but each and every one of us has our time. He will be remembered."
"We all did...." Khzuro gives a sad nod to Shin.
Drasta takes a deep breath through her nose. “Indeed.”
Katsu looks into the distance. "Are we ready then?"
"Yip... time to go home..." Khzuro says though his usual enthusiasm is dampened. He looks to the others to see if that’s confirmed though.
Katsu gets out a scroll and some ingredients. "Gather round then. You all have to be close."
Everyone gathers around Katsu. Khzuro thinks to himself, ‘Close enough for head pats, gods I need some right now.’ Katsu casts. The surrounding land fades. A new land appears. They are standing at the front gate of Dojyu The capital city of Kozakura.
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Winterhawk99
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Re: The Kozakura Campaign
Khzuro looks around giving a nod to the others. Odds are they're due to be heard at the palace. Part of his mind wonders how Haruki is doing. Though Haru still doesn't have any clothes... "Maybe we should get some clothes for Haru before we report back."
Samo says, "I'm ready to head to the nearest Tea house. Ayako isn’t here anymore. Ummm, maybe I shouldn't have said that."
Khzuro raises an eye ridge. “"Why not?" He seems entirely oblivious to what he's actually referring to.
Drasta chuckles lightly. Katsu says, "I'm pretty sure you would not be well received in your current state Samo. Let’s go to an inn for the night."
Samo grumbles and sorrowfully says, "Ok." then lightens up, "Shasta!"
"Well, you get to re-live your childhood dreams now, Samo." Then a pause, thinking "Wait um.... is it healthy for you to have that given your current physical age?" Khzuro asks.
Drasta chuckles louder, “louder I believe you are too young to drink now.”
Samo smiles, "Got to get back to fighting weight"
This time Khzuro chuckles. "In any event, let’s get Haru some replacement clothes first, at least." He already did the zany running through town with someone naked skit with Sango after all.
“Indeed, my cloak only covers so much.” Drasta exalts.
It's late at night. The shops are closed but they go to an inn. One of the serving girls that’s about Haru's size gives her a dress after Katsu compensates her for 3 more dresses. "And probably something that isn't way oversized for Samo while we're there."... Though a nod of thanks to Katsu for that favor
Once they're settled in, Khzuro looks over at the team to try to gage their moods.
Drasta retrieves some warm sake for everyone and brings them each a cup. Everyone drinks. Shin says. "Plenty of tailors in my quarter for everyone to dress themselves properly in the morning. We need to write a letter to the court for an audience."
Drasta pulls out some parchment and a quill gesturing it forward. “My writing still is not the best.”
Khzuro says, "Our mission was..." He doesn't say it was a secret mission publicly of course. "Probably best someone who knows the court best do so." Drinks some along with the others, he still seems rather morose regarding Ogano. He does check on the other magi, Aiami, Katsu, and Masako to see how they're doing though.
Samo says, "I'll do it I may have no weight, but my word does. I'm still lord Samurai on a shogun's guard."
Drasta chuckles at the weight comment. “Indeed.”
Khzuro notices that the sake is quite strong then looks at Samo. "Thanks, not like they'd see you by a letter." He then looks to Aiami, Katsu, and Masako "You... all holding up okay? It's... definitely been a trip..."
Samo writes the letter still with a practiced hand. and then seals it. He looks around. "Who has my stuff?"
"Um... not sure... um... how soon will we get a reply, by the way...?" Khzuro answers.
Masako is reading her new book, "Oh I am fine. This will push me forward about 5 years."
Khzuro gives a nod to Masako. “"Hope you don't mean that literally..." Katsu just nods, then he looks at Aiami.
Aiami says, "I'm doing better now that Ayako is gone. I wonder how many years she has left before she is locked into form.
“Locked into form…?” Khzuro asks.
Drasta piles a bunch of things on the table and Samo searches through it until he finds the Barasume seal and stamps the wax on the paper, "There, that will do it."
Aiami says when our people get old, we start having trouble shape changing until a time when we get locked into one of our three forms. Whichever we are in when we cannot transform any more.
“Oh… I see.” Khzuro replies.
Shin is looking at what he took from the ship. “Oh, I'm doing very well. I have lots of new drawings in my mind now. Especially on engineering. That elf lass was brilliant. Wish, I could have had a few months with her.”
"Yip... I get it." Khzuro seems to wish he had more time with Ogano but doesn't say anything.
Drasta smiles, “Perhaps one day we can do a study together and both learn.”
Katsu says, "A word of caution to all the mages here. chronomancy is dangerous. Let us forget those parts of what we saw." Khzuro nods to that.
Drasta smirks at their banter, “Perhaps split the difference with half a case.”
Samo takes another cup of Sake, slams it down and smiles, "Samo the demon killer. Thats............." He passes out. Drasta bursts out laughing.
Khzuro looks to Samo, snickering "Don't think humans his age are supposed to be having that much. Looks like you might need to parent him some more, Haru."
Harus starts to giggle then laughs and blows sake out her nose. She looks at Khzuro, "Who me?...........Oh no! Hey, I got an idea. Let Eri have him."
Drasta chuckles, “Perhaps.”
Khzuro adds to the fun with a snickering series of chuckles, just to go along, then he looks over to Iwao. "You holding up alright? It's... sure been a journey."
"I'm still frostbitten but I'll do ok. One hot lava bath and I’ll be good. I will miss Ayako. We have been companions before and I did love her antics. I will go to her temple and explain everything to them."
"Ah, I see. Though maybe wise not to give Aiami any reasons to stuff your pants with ice." A grin. "Thanks, appreciated. Um, within what we are allowed to explain regarding our mission. Probably best to hear the debrief first." Khzuro gets thoughtful.
Iwao nods. "The imperial court should handle everything. The question is, when will they see us? Due to the importance of our mission, it may be tomorrow but if it doesn’t get into the right hands, it may be a month."
“I would agree with Khzuro.” Drasta says.
"Well... it'll probably be delayed for at least as long as it takes for Samo to clean himself off the floor, at least. Guess we have at least tonight for ourselves, though." Khzuro says as he leans back in his chair.
Iwao chuckles, "I think it may take a few years for him to get back to full form."
"Ahem, probably." A sigh, leaning back, still thinking about Ogano. Khzuro looks to his glass of Sake, taking a look, seeing how the others are handling their own drinking.
“Perhaps a payment for a quick delivery or perhaps I could deliver it quickly myself.” Drasta volunteers.
"What do you think?" Khzuro asks Haru.
"The imperials like to take their time. I'll send Drasta to deliver the letter in the morning and we will wait. Remember your dress, makeup and proper etiquette Drasta."
“Of course, Haru. I will do my best to make it perfect.”
"I suppose if we do have some down time... well..." Pauses, thinking, he does think about visiting Haruki, or at least letting her know he's okay. He'll refrain from telling her he fought a demon lord though. A sigh "Well, guess we might as well enjoy the night, I know it was a pretty rough time we had there.” Khzuro looks to see how the others are handling their Sake, if they have any drinking rituals or the like.
Drasta nods in agreement. “It is best we have some food and a slight time to take in and relax for a change.” Raises her cup to all To Ogano.
Khzuro follows suit, “To Ogano!” Takes a few big slurps of his Sake when the others drink, then his eyes gloss over, he wobbles a bit... Aiami is next to him, and he notices she smells like flowers. Rather tipsy, he puts the sake down, then shuffles and goes to hug her and almost falls on her. He starts licking her face. She drops him in shock and runs out, crying. Drasta goes a bit wide eyed and laughs.
Katsu blinks, “Ok let’s get you upstairs brave leader.”
Haru laughs and pounds the table. Masako smirks and comments, "Now that Samo is young again is he a virgin?"
Iwao snickers and comments, "It’s not like that for men."
Khzuro drops flopping to the ground drunkenly. Iwao picks him up. “Let’s get you to a room brave leader.” The kobold reflexively tries to lick Iwao’s face when he is picked up. Iwao chuckles. “His body and face are quite warm, but it doesn’t burn Khzuro. He takes the drunk kobold to a room. Everyone else soon follows.
Samo says, "I'm ready to head to the nearest Tea house. Ayako isn’t here anymore. Ummm, maybe I shouldn't have said that."
Khzuro raises an eye ridge. “"Why not?" He seems entirely oblivious to what he's actually referring to.
Drasta chuckles lightly. Katsu says, "I'm pretty sure you would not be well received in your current state Samo. Let’s go to an inn for the night."
Samo grumbles and sorrowfully says, "Ok." then lightens up, "Shasta!"
"Well, you get to re-live your childhood dreams now, Samo." Then a pause, thinking "Wait um.... is it healthy for you to have that given your current physical age?" Khzuro asks.
Drasta chuckles louder, “louder I believe you are too young to drink now.”
Samo smiles, "Got to get back to fighting weight"
This time Khzuro chuckles. "In any event, let’s get Haru some replacement clothes first, at least." He already did the zany running through town with someone naked skit with Sango after all.
“Indeed, my cloak only covers so much.” Drasta exalts.
It's late at night. The shops are closed but they go to an inn. One of the serving girls that’s about Haru's size gives her a dress after Katsu compensates her for 3 more dresses. "And probably something that isn't way oversized for Samo while we're there."... Though a nod of thanks to Katsu for that favor
Once they're settled in, Khzuro looks over at the team to try to gage their moods.
Drasta retrieves some warm sake for everyone and brings them each a cup. Everyone drinks. Shin says. "Plenty of tailors in my quarter for everyone to dress themselves properly in the morning. We need to write a letter to the court for an audience."
Drasta pulls out some parchment and a quill gesturing it forward. “My writing still is not the best.”
Khzuro says, "Our mission was..." He doesn't say it was a secret mission publicly of course. "Probably best someone who knows the court best do so." Drinks some along with the others, he still seems rather morose regarding Ogano. He does check on the other magi, Aiami, Katsu, and Masako to see how they're doing though.
Samo says, "I'll do it I may have no weight, but my word does. I'm still lord Samurai on a shogun's guard."
Drasta chuckles at the weight comment. “Indeed.”
Khzuro notices that the sake is quite strong then looks at Samo. "Thanks, not like they'd see you by a letter." He then looks to Aiami, Katsu, and Masako "You... all holding up okay? It's... definitely been a trip..."
Samo writes the letter still with a practiced hand. and then seals it. He looks around. "Who has my stuff?"
"Um... not sure... um... how soon will we get a reply, by the way...?" Khzuro answers.
Masako is reading her new book, "Oh I am fine. This will push me forward about 5 years."
Khzuro gives a nod to Masako. “"Hope you don't mean that literally..." Katsu just nods, then he looks at Aiami.
Aiami says, "I'm doing better now that Ayako is gone. I wonder how many years she has left before she is locked into form.
“Locked into form…?” Khzuro asks.
Drasta piles a bunch of things on the table and Samo searches through it until he finds the Barasume seal and stamps the wax on the paper, "There, that will do it."
Aiami says when our people get old, we start having trouble shape changing until a time when we get locked into one of our three forms. Whichever we are in when we cannot transform any more.
“Oh… I see.” Khzuro replies.
Shin is looking at what he took from the ship. “Oh, I'm doing very well. I have lots of new drawings in my mind now. Especially on engineering. That elf lass was brilliant. Wish, I could have had a few months with her.”
"Yip... I get it." Khzuro seems to wish he had more time with Ogano but doesn't say anything.
Drasta smiles, “Perhaps one day we can do a study together and both learn.”
Katsu says, "A word of caution to all the mages here. chronomancy is dangerous. Let us forget those parts of what we saw." Khzuro nods to that.
Drasta smirks at their banter, “Perhaps split the difference with half a case.”
Samo takes another cup of Sake, slams it down and smiles, "Samo the demon killer. Thats............." He passes out. Drasta bursts out laughing.
Khzuro looks to Samo, snickering "Don't think humans his age are supposed to be having that much. Looks like you might need to parent him some more, Haru."
Harus starts to giggle then laughs and blows sake out her nose. She looks at Khzuro, "Who me?...........Oh no! Hey, I got an idea. Let Eri have him."
Drasta chuckles, “Perhaps.”
Khzuro adds to the fun with a snickering series of chuckles, just to go along, then he looks over to Iwao. "You holding up alright? It's... sure been a journey."
"I'm still frostbitten but I'll do ok. One hot lava bath and I’ll be good. I will miss Ayako. We have been companions before and I did love her antics. I will go to her temple and explain everything to them."
"Ah, I see. Though maybe wise not to give Aiami any reasons to stuff your pants with ice." A grin. "Thanks, appreciated. Um, within what we are allowed to explain regarding our mission. Probably best to hear the debrief first." Khzuro gets thoughtful.
Iwao nods. "The imperial court should handle everything. The question is, when will they see us? Due to the importance of our mission, it may be tomorrow but if it doesn’t get into the right hands, it may be a month."
“I would agree with Khzuro.” Drasta says.
"Well... it'll probably be delayed for at least as long as it takes for Samo to clean himself off the floor, at least. Guess we have at least tonight for ourselves, though." Khzuro says as he leans back in his chair.
Iwao chuckles, "I think it may take a few years for him to get back to full form."
"Ahem, probably." A sigh, leaning back, still thinking about Ogano. Khzuro looks to his glass of Sake, taking a look, seeing how the others are handling their own drinking.
“Perhaps a payment for a quick delivery or perhaps I could deliver it quickly myself.” Drasta volunteers.
"What do you think?" Khzuro asks Haru.
"The imperials like to take their time. I'll send Drasta to deliver the letter in the morning and we will wait. Remember your dress, makeup and proper etiquette Drasta."
“Of course, Haru. I will do my best to make it perfect.”
"I suppose if we do have some down time... well..." Pauses, thinking, he does think about visiting Haruki, or at least letting her know he's okay. He'll refrain from telling her he fought a demon lord though. A sigh "Well, guess we might as well enjoy the night, I know it was a pretty rough time we had there.” Khzuro looks to see how the others are handling their Sake, if they have any drinking rituals or the like.
Drasta nods in agreement. “It is best we have some food and a slight time to take in and relax for a change.” Raises her cup to all To Ogano.
Khzuro follows suit, “To Ogano!” Takes a few big slurps of his Sake when the others drink, then his eyes gloss over, he wobbles a bit... Aiami is next to him, and he notices she smells like flowers. Rather tipsy, he puts the sake down, then shuffles and goes to hug her and almost falls on her. He starts licking her face. She drops him in shock and runs out, crying. Drasta goes a bit wide eyed and laughs.
Katsu blinks, “Ok let’s get you upstairs brave leader.”
Haru laughs and pounds the table. Masako smirks and comments, "Now that Samo is young again is he a virgin?"
Iwao snickers and comments, "It’s not like that for men."
Khzuro drops flopping to the ground drunkenly. Iwao picks him up. “Let’s get you to a room brave leader.” The kobold reflexively tries to lick Iwao’s face when he is picked up. Iwao chuckles. “His body and face are quite warm, but it doesn’t burn Khzuro. He takes the drunk kobold to a room. Everyone else soon follows.
-
Winterhawk99
- Posts: 2264
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Re: The Kozakura Campaign
They stay at the inn for 3 days before words comes. Iwao and shin leave for long stints during that time. Iwao comes back and tells you he had to painstakingly orate everything Ayako did to the tiger god’s high priest. She is written down in a memorial, being she won’t be coming back. Shin goes back and forth to his shop. and stays with the group in the evening till morning.
Drasta explains to Khzuro with a chuckle how hilarious it was him licking Aiami’s face in a kind gesture of love and does a bit of fun poking to embarrass him in private the next morning.
Khzuro stands there in shock. “I.... that...." Blinks, muzzle pawing, embarrassed. "Why do people drink that stuff?!"...
“To warm the soul and relax.”
"Sounds like this one made Aiami very uncomfortable though while.... don't even remember what happened." Rubs his muzzle "I'll have to apologize to her. This one's behavior was not befitting of a leader for our expedition."
She smirks, “Perhaps the trip wore on you and i would say it was cute.”
"Probably... shouldn't have let it get to him though." Sighs and goes to try to find Aiami before they meet with the emperor. Khzuro knows she is staying with Masako. He goes to the door and knocks.
Aiami opens the door. “Yes Khzuro” Is it time?”
"Oh... not yet... just um...." Sighs "Wanted to apologize for how this one behaved while intoxicated."
"I... I don't want to think about it. First Ayako then you right after. It was just.......... eww!" Drasta had trailed Khzuro. Both hear her laughing a bit around the corner.
"I don't even remember doing it... still, as the leader of the group I should have remained focused and on-task and not gotten intoxicated nor made any of the group uncomfortable."
"You’re fine just don't do it again. please. There are tea house girls for that kind of thing." Khzuro blinks confusedly, he's clearly not familiar with what a tea house girl is. She rolls her eyes, "Tea house girls mate with men for money."
... "Oh, that um.... I see..." An awkward pause.
"Let me guess you’re not real up on the mating practices of humans?"
“No.” A sigh "Among my kind, the process is impersonal. Functional. Meant to increase tribe size. Nothing more. I um, don't see you in that manner, if you're worried about that."
Well, that’s what Ayako was doing the whole time with all the men and some of the women of the group. She was mating with them because she considered herself queen of our little pride."
“Oh?” Khzuro looks completely confused.
"She was telling everyone in her own way that she's the head kitty cat. I hated it."
"Oh, ... I didn't even realize."
“I think she even peed on some of the men's tents. Marking them as hers.”
"What's the point of... oh..." Muzzle paws. Well, I take it you'll be happy to be away from all that. Not to mention all of the nasties we ended up fighting."
She nods, "I'm ready to go home to Renkyu."
"Back to studies, professor? Well, I don't blame you. Hope everything works out for you when you go back."
"It will. I have another 50 years or so before I have to make the choice of being human or my natural form. Until then I will study and perfect my craft. Teach all those bowls full of human mush how to take care of nature and the plants that live in them."
"A worthy goal." A nod in turn "I'll... well, thank you for your help and contributions, again. I'll check to see how things are coming along with the others. Um, was there anything else, Aiami?"
“When all this is over, I may see you in the library again. After all you are a member of the Renkyu Cabal now.”
A nod in turn "Yip, true. Well, hope to see you again then, professor."
“We still have to go to the emperor and let him know all that has happened.”
A nod "Am aware. I'd better check on Samo and Haru to see how the paperwork is coming along. And to see if Samo's staying out of trouble..." Chuckles, though he doesn't say it, maybe Samo's body now fits his mental age to some extent.
She nods.
Khzuro goes to his room. Samo stays mostly in his room practicing. He knows he's lost more than just years and goes through katas with a new zest. He doesn’t wear anything on his clothing that would denote him Barasume clan or anything else at the moment. He knows Kyo will know what to do. Khzuro notices how differently Samo takes to his training against how Hideo takes his.
Drasta explains to Khzuro with a chuckle how hilarious it was him licking Aiami’s face in a kind gesture of love and does a bit of fun poking to embarrass him in private the next morning.
Khzuro stands there in shock. “I.... that...." Blinks, muzzle pawing, embarrassed. "Why do people drink that stuff?!"...
“To warm the soul and relax.”
"Sounds like this one made Aiami very uncomfortable though while.... don't even remember what happened." Rubs his muzzle "I'll have to apologize to her. This one's behavior was not befitting of a leader for our expedition."
She smirks, “Perhaps the trip wore on you and i would say it was cute.”
"Probably... shouldn't have let it get to him though." Sighs and goes to try to find Aiami before they meet with the emperor. Khzuro knows she is staying with Masako. He goes to the door and knocks.
Aiami opens the door. “Yes Khzuro” Is it time?”
"Oh... not yet... just um...." Sighs "Wanted to apologize for how this one behaved while intoxicated."
"I... I don't want to think about it. First Ayako then you right after. It was just.......... eww!" Drasta had trailed Khzuro. Both hear her laughing a bit around the corner.
"I don't even remember doing it... still, as the leader of the group I should have remained focused and on-task and not gotten intoxicated nor made any of the group uncomfortable."
"You’re fine just don't do it again. please. There are tea house girls for that kind of thing." Khzuro blinks confusedly, he's clearly not familiar with what a tea house girl is. She rolls her eyes, "Tea house girls mate with men for money."
... "Oh, that um.... I see..." An awkward pause.
"Let me guess you’re not real up on the mating practices of humans?"
“No.” A sigh "Among my kind, the process is impersonal. Functional. Meant to increase tribe size. Nothing more. I um, don't see you in that manner, if you're worried about that."
Well, that’s what Ayako was doing the whole time with all the men and some of the women of the group. She was mating with them because she considered herself queen of our little pride."
“Oh?” Khzuro looks completely confused.
"She was telling everyone in her own way that she's the head kitty cat. I hated it."
"Oh, ... I didn't even realize."
“I think she even peed on some of the men's tents. Marking them as hers.”
"What's the point of... oh..." Muzzle paws. Well, I take it you'll be happy to be away from all that. Not to mention all of the nasties we ended up fighting."
She nods, "I'm ready to go home to Renkyu."
"Back to studies, professor? Well, I don't blame you. Hope everything works out for you when you go back."
"It will. I have another 50 years or so before I have to make the choice of being human or my natural form. Until then I will study and perfect my craft. Teach all those bowls full of human mush how to take care of nature and the plants that live in them."
"A worthy goal." A nod in turn "I'll... well, thank you for your help and contributions, again. I'll check to see how things are coming along with the others. Um, was there anything else, Aiami?"
“When all this is over, I may see you in the library again. After all you are a member of the Renkyu Cabal now.”
A nod in turn "Yip, true. Well, hope to see you again then, professor."
“We still have to go to the emperor and let him know all that has happened.”
A nod "Am aware. I'd better check on Samo and Haru to see how the paperwork is coming along. And to see if Samo's staying out of trouble..." Chuckles, though he doesn't say it, maybe Samo's body now fits his mental age to some extent.
She nods.
Khzuro goes to his room. Samo stays mostly in his room practicing. He knows he's lost more than just years and goes through katas with a new zest. He doesn’t wear anything on his clothing that would denote him Barasume clan or anything else at the moment. He knows Kyo will know what to do. Khzuro notices how differently Samo takes to his training against how Hideo takes his.