SolitonMan
Explorer
Nasty little coin Boris has picked up there...
Pathfinder 1E JollyDoc's Jade Regent
- Thread starter JollyDoc
- Start date
JollyDoc
Explorer
It gets nastier...
JollyDoc
Explorer
The Imperial Shrine
16 Desnus, 4716 - 17 Desnus, 4716
It was near dusk by the time the Scions regrouped at the home of Asachi Isao.
"When I heard about the disruption of the execution, I was worried about you, Empress," he bowed low before Ameiko.
She smiled at him and patted his hand.
"I am safe so long as I have my friends close by," she said. "Hatsue is now safely back with Jiro."
"I am happy to hear it," Isao returned her smile. "What will you do now?"
"I've been thinking about that," Ameiko turned towards the others. "You mentioned something about the Typhoon Guard hoarding food from the people."
"Yes," Isao nodded emphatically. "They keep all of the stolen rice in the city's main granary."
"If we were to...liberate it...," Ameiko asked, "how would we get it back to those in need?"
Isao thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers.
"Once the granary is safe," he said, "I can have people waiting with carts to load the rice and then see that it is distributed discreetly. I would, however, recommend that such an endeavor take place under cover of darkness."
"I agree," Ameiko nodded, "which is why I think we should go tonight."
_________________________________________________________
Midnight found the companions gathered in the mouth of a darkened alley across the street from the massive, warehouse-like granary. No guards were visible anywhere, which itself was cause for concern. They made their way quickly to the shadows of the main doors and paused. Lucian stepped forward, and morphed into his tree-like form. He pressed one gnarled hand against the wooden doors and bowed his head, his affinity with the wood allowing him to peer through them as if they were glass.
"No one," he said at length. "Just lots of containers of rice, various art objects, and some large statues of tigers."
Boris made quick work of the large padlock on the doors, and the group slipped stealthily inside the building. The crates, barrels and pallets were piled so high, that they turned the floor of the warehouse into a virtual maze. The companions began winding their way cautiously through, looking for any signs of security.
"What that?" Boris said after they'd reached the middle of the granary.
"What?" Haroldo asked. " I don't hear any...,"
At that moment, a crate toppled from a tall stack behind them and crashed to the floor, spilling rice in all directions. There, crouched atop the stack was what appeared to be a large tiger carved entirely from marble, its body and face covered in decorative carvings and etchings. It moved like a feline, however, and leaped at the Scions, paws spread wide. Sandru dodged nimbly to one side as it landed, back-swinging with his blade as he whirled. He struck the creature across the face, shearing off half of its jaw. As it turned to snap at him with what was left of its teeth, he slashed twice more with blinding speed, cutting away more of its marble hide. Though she wasn't sure exactly how much good it would do, Miyaro snapped off a shot from her bow. The arrow, much to her surprise, sank into the thing's eye socket and it abruptly stopped moving altogether.
"Watch out!" Boris cried as three more of the great marble cats came barreling through containers on all sides.
The little goblin rolled deftly underneath one as it charged, raising one sword to scour a deep gash down its belly as it passed over him. Haroldo met another head on, his greatsword cleaving pieces off of it as it reared up on its back feet. Lucian put an arrow through the back of its neck, and it shattered into fragments. The third one bore down on Sandru, but the nimble caravan master danced to one side and scythed his blade in a flamboyant back swing, taking off one of the golem's feet. Haroldo and Ameiko joined their friend in fending off the thing, and the three of them brought it down in short order. Behind them, Boris rolled back to his feet and then leaped onto the back of the last of the tiger guardians. He held on like a bull rider, stabbing his twin swords into its stoney hide repeatedly until it finally stopped moving.
The Scions paused for a moment to catch their breath, listening to see if the noise of their battle had attracted the attention of anyone else. The warehouse remained silent. After they had searched every corner and discovered no other guards, Ameiko stepped to the exterior doors and whistled a soft bird call. It was answered a moment later by a similar call, and then men started moving out of the alleys pulling carts behind them. They made quick work of loading all of the grain and rice before disappearing back into the shadows of the night. Ameiko smiled. Her people would not go hungry again.
__________________________________________________________
Isao was relieved and overjoyed at their success, and assured Ameiko that the people would know who exactly it was that had delivered them.
"What's next?" she asked the old man
"I think it is time for you to seek the blessings of the emperors of the past," he said gravely. "Everything else that you do will mean nothing if you do not do this. There is an island in the harbor known as the Imperial Shrine. Only those if imperial blood, or their sworn guardians, may set foot on the island where they can commune with their ancestors. Some even say that Emperor Shigure fled there. If so, you must convince him to return, or ask his blessing for your ascension. Only then can you claim the Jade Throne."
"So, we could theoretically just fly over to this island?" Sandru asked.
Isao shook his head.
"You must not," he said. "The Imperial Shrine is warded by ancient magics that make it impossible to find unless you observe the proper ceremonies and travel there by boat. You must first pass through five torii gates that surround the island before its true nature will be revealed. I know a man who will take you there."
____________________________________________________________
The boat was called the Weeping Willow, and it was captained by an ancient lobsterman named Kadei Ejigoro. He was expecting his passengers, and cast off as soon as they were all aboard. The island they were bound for was less than a mile off shore, and looked remarkably unremarkable. It was heavily wooded, and certainly showed no signs of housing a royal cemetery. Positioned around the island were five torrii gates, their twin vermilion posts rising from the shallow water about twenty feet apart and fifteen high, joined together by an upper lintel painted black. One after the other, Kadei maneuvered his vessel through them. Each time he did so, Ameiko felt the Amatatsu Seal pulse where she kept it in her hip pouch. As they passed through the fifth gate, the island underwent a remarkable transformation before the eyes of the Scions. It was now covered by lush gardens, ornate mausoleums and shrines, as well as scores upon scores of headstones. A single stone dock jutted into the water from the nearby shore, and a rectangular wooden building stood just beyond it.
"I will await your return here," the old man said as he moored his boat to the pilings.
"We thank you," Ameiko bowed low. "Your loyalty and service will not be forgotten."
The Scions disembarked and made their way to a pair of double doors set into the front of the building. They were unlocked and gave onto a wide room. Two small shrines sat on either side of another set of double doors on the opposite side, and artistic tapestries of the celestial realm adorned the rest of the walls.
"These are shrines to Pharasma, and to Tsukiyo, the Tian god of spirits and the moon," Akiro explained.
They passed through the second set of doors and found themselves in a short hallway. On either side were four small sitting rooms, furnished with low wooden tables, seating cushions and sleeping pallets, all resting upon tatami mats covering the floors. A third set of double doors stood at the end of the hall, and beyond that was another, larger shrine. A huge statue of a golden-scaled dragon dominated the far wall, towering almost to the high ceiling above. Smaller shrines sat on opposite walls, and in the corners flanking the entrance, two large braziers scented the air with the tang of sandalwood incense. A robed and hooded figure knelt before the dragon. As they entered the room, Akiro bowed before the statue.
"My patron, Shizuru, goddess of ancestors, honor and the sun," he murmured. "She is also the patron of Minkai, and creator of the Imperial Seals."
Ameiko bowed briefly as well before turning her attention to the kneeling figure.
"Greetings," she called out. "We are sorry to intrude, but we are in need of assistance."
The figure half-turned towards them, and a woman's face peered out of the deep recesses of the cowl.
"You are welcome here," she said in a husky voice. "I am Kiyomi, caretaker of the Imperial Shrine. How can I be of service?"
She rose to her feet and turned fully towards them.
"We have come here to commune with the Imperial ancestors," Ameiko explained.
"Then it is the Imperial Mausoleum on the Shrine of Heavenly Sovereigns that you seek," Kiyomi smiled. "I would be most honored to show you the way."
___________________________________________________________
They followed Kiyomi back out of the temple and onto a paved path that led through the vast cemetery. Head stones spread out in all directions.
"While the former emperors of Minkai are laid to rest in the Shrine of the Heavenly Sovereigns," the monk explained, "the cremated remains of their trusted guardians and advisors, as well as the lesser scions of the imperial lines, are interred here."
"Are any of the Amatatsu line nearby?" Ameiko asked.
"Of course!" Kiyomi exclaimed. "Come. I will show you."
Kiyomi turned down a small side path which ended abruptly before a cluster of obelisk-shaped tombstones.
"Many years ago," she said, "two samurai named Akio and Yua fell in love while serving Empress Amatatsu Maemi. Rumor has it that another among their order grew jealous of their relationship and, wanting Yua for himself, arranged Akio's death. When the murderer tried to woo Yua, she slew him him in turn. Taking pity on her, the empress had Akio buried in a place of honor here on the Imperial Shrine. One day soon after, when Yua came here to grieve, she committed ritual suicide with her own sword."
"That stupid," Boris frowned. "Why she no take new mate? Or more? That how goblins do."
Ameiko gave him a dirty look.
"I think it's very romantic," she said.
Boris shrugged and muttered under his breath, "Boris still say female stupid. Why no...?"
His voice trailed off as a sudden rush of sadness, loneliness and regret washed over him. Without a sound, his eyes blank, he abruptly drew one of his wakizashis from its sheath, and stabbed it through his own belly.
"Boris!!" Ameiko screamed as the goblin dropped to his knees, and then collapsed into a widening pool of his own blood.
"Something's...wrong...," Miyaro said, her voice quavering. "I feel...such grief...,"
"Yes...," Sandru echoed, one hand dropping to the hilt of his own blade. "So...lonely...,"
"It's a haunt!" Haroldo shouted. "Like the ones we encountered in the Forest of Spirits! We have to get away from here! Now!"
Ameiko bent down to pick up the limp form of Boris and began running back down the path. Haroldo seized Sandru's arm and led him away, while Lucian ushered Miyaro. When they reached the main path again, they paused.
"I'm...so sorry!" Kiyomi explained. "I've never felt anything like that before near those graves! It must have been the proximity of your royal blood."
Ameiko nodded. "Perhaps. I think it's best if we reach our destination as quickly as possible."
So shaken was she but what had transpired, that it never even occurred to her that she had not told Kiyomi of her ancestry.
____________________________________________________________
A soft wind blew through the gathered leaves covering an intersection of paths where Kiyomi paused again.
"Something is not right," she said, looking around anxiously. "I have never felt this amount of...unrest in the shrine."
Ameiko, still cradling Boris's lifeless form glanced in all directions.
"Which way?" she asked.
Kiyomi raised on hand to point, but as she did so, the wind suddenly died, and silence fell like a shroud. A cloud fell across the sun, draping the intersection in shadow.
"Beware!" Kiyomi cried out.
All around them, dark shapes rose from several of the graves. They appeared as nobles clad in ancient garb, but their bodies were translucent, and their eyes glowed a hellish crimson.
Miyaro was first to shake off the initial horror of seeing the dead crawling from their resting places. She reached for several arrows in her quiver that she had specially prepared for just such an eventuality. They had been dusted with ghost salt, an alchemical substance that would allow them to affect the dead as they would the living. As one of the shadows advanced, she loosed a volley of arrows into it, causing it to vanish, shrieking, back to the afterlife. Akiro hurled a fireball at a knot of four before they could close to his companions. Though the magical flames did not have their full effect on the incorporeal creatures, they still writhed in pain from the blast. Lucian had also brought along several ghost-salted arrows, and in short order, he took down two of the shades caught in Akiro's explosion. Then the shadows were among them, reaching with their clawed fingers, and whomever they touched felt the cold of the grave seep into their bones, sapping the very life force from them. The weapons of Harodlo and Sandru were limited against them, but far from ineffective. It was only a matter of time before two more of the shadows were destroyed. Akiro encased the last one in a resilient sphere of force that even its insubstantial form could not pass through.
"That won't last long," he said. "Let's keep moving."
______________________________________________________
A strange dust hung in the air among the gravestones in the part of the cemetery where the Scions next found themselves, swirling in small eddies amid the light. Suddenly, the headstones and ground beneath them began to shake violently as something rose from the midst of them. A massive figure, composed seemingly of gravestones, earth, and burial urns soon stood towering above the companions.
"A gravebound guardian!" Kiyomi screamed.
Lucian and Miyaro let fly with an impressive barrage of arrows, not knowing if they would have any effect on such a composite creature. To their immense relief, their efforts were not in vain. The golem reeled and stumbled to one knee beneath the bombardment. Sandru rushed forward, his blade blurring as he slashed into the behemoth. With a groan of despair, it collapsed back into its individual components.
"We need to stop," Ameiko said decisively as she stooped and laid Boris on the ground.
The others gathered around her, keeping watch in all directions for new threats. Ameiko withdrew the Amatatsu Seal from her pouch and set it upon Boris's chest, where it began to glow warmly. After a few moments, the horrible, gaping wound in his belly closed, and a moment later, he drew a deep, gasping breath as he opened his eyes.
"What?" he coughed, looking around wide-eyed in fear. "Where Boris? He have...bad dream."
"You're safe," Ameiko soothed, "but we can't tarry. Can you walk?"
Boris nodded, climbing shakily to his feet.
"Boris run if it mean leaving dead place."
____________________________________________________________
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kiyomi led the Scions out of the cemetery. Ahead, past an archway inscribed with Minkaian characters, a bridge of luminescent light stretched across the silver waters of a moat. The bridge led from the graveyard to a long, tombstone-shaped island. A large torii gate stood at the opposite end of the bridge, opening into a courtyard surrounded by several stone structures that peeked above the trees.
"Only those close to death my seek the spirits of the ancestors," Miyaro translated as she read the inscription.
"It is not a literal interpretation," Kiyomi explained. "It is more symbolic, meaning that to commune with the dead, one's soul must be at peace. Here, I must leave you. I am not of royal blood, so I am forbidden from crossing the bridge."
"I understand," Ameiko bowed to the caretaker. "Thank you for your assistance."
"I am sorry for our misfortunes along the way," Kiyomi returned the bow, "but perhaps now you will be able to set things to right."
As the companions started towards the bridge, Kiyomi turned back in the direction of the cemetery. She paused some distance away, looking back as the others passed beneath the archway. No sooner had Haroldo, who'd been leading the way, set foot upon the bridge, than a concussive blast of dark energy exploded out from the arch, bowling all of the Scions off their feet.
"Fools!" Kiyomi cackled from a safe distance. "Did you really think it would be so easy? My master would never allow you to leave this place alive!"
She drew back her hood, and from her shoulders sprouted a grotesquely long neck that coiled about like a snake, and razor-sharp teeth filled her gaping maw. She thrust one hand out towards them, spitting arcane words like a curse. As the spell washed over the companions, Boris began babbling incoherently like a simpleton, while Miyaro stared about, blinking in uncomprehending confusion.
"Why you traitorous trull!" Sandru snarled, climbing to his feet and charging Kiyomi.
She tried to get away, but he was too fast, and slashed her across the back as she retreated. She shrieked, and spun back towards him, preparing to strike with her vicious fangs, but suddenly, shimmering bars of pure force sprang up around her, encasing her in a glowing cage.
"That should hold her," Akiro said, climbing unsteadily to his feet. "At least until the two of you can deal with her."
He gestured towards Haroldo and Sandru, and both of them promptly vanished, only to reappear a moment later inside the cage with Kiyomi. She shrieked in panic and began casting another spell, but Haroldo drove the point of his sword into her belly, ripping the words from her lips. He struck again, nearly severing Kiyomi's sinuous neck, and as she gurgled on her own bilious blood, Sandru finished the job.
Boris, still not entirely recovered from his recent suicide, moaned in agony on the ground. Lucian rushed to his side to lend what aid he could, but as he did so, a volley of arrows whizzed past his head, narrowly missing him. He turned and saw Miyaro, no recognition in her eyes, pulling her bow string back again for another salvo. The oracle brought up his own bow and returned fire, using blunt-tipped arrows from his quiver. Each shot was well-placed and true, and the kitsune reeled and fell, unconscious.
16 Desnus, 4716 - 17 Desnus, 4716
It was near dusk by the time the Scions regrouped at the home of Asachi Isao.
"When I heard about the disruption of the execution, I was worried about you, Empress," he bowed low before Ameiko.
She smiled at him and patted his hand.
"I am safe so long as I have my friends close by," she said. "Hatsue is now safely back with Jiro."
"I am happy to hear it," Isao returned her smile. "What will you do now?"
"I've been thinking about that," Ameiko turned towards the others. "You mentioned something about the Typhoon Guard hoarding food from the people."
"Yes," Isao nodded emphatically. "They keep all of the stolen rice in the city's main granary."
"If we were to...liberate it...," Ameiko asked, "how would we get it back to those in need?"
Isao thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers.
"Once the granary is safe," he said, "I can have people waiting with carts to load the rice and then see that it is distributed discreetly. I would, however, recommend that such an endeavor take place under cover of darkness."
"I agree," Ameiko nodded, "which is why I think we should go tonight."
_________________________________________________________
Midnight found the companions gathered in the mouth of a darkened alley across the street from the massive, warehouse-like granary. No guards were visible anywhere, which itself was cause for concern. They made their way quickly to the shadows of the main doors and paused. Lucian stepped forward, and morphed into his tree-like form. He pressed one gnarled hand against the wooden doors and bowed his head, his affinity with the wood allowing him to peer through them as if they were glass.
"No one," he said at length. "Just lots of containers of rice, various art objects, and some large statues of tigers."
Boris made quick work of the large padlock on the doors, and the group slipped stealthily inside the building. The crates, barrels and pallets were piled so high, that they turned the floor of the warehouse into a virtual maze. The companions began winding their way cautiously through, looking for any signs of security.
"What that?" Boris said after they'd reached the middle of the granary.
"What?" Haroldo asked. " I don't hear any...,"
At that moment, a crate toppled from a tall stack behind them and crashed to the floor, spilling rice in all directions. There, crouched atop the stack was what appeared to be a large tiger carved entirely from marble, its body and face covered in decorative carvings and etchings. It moved like a feline, however, and leaped at the Scions, paws spread wide. Sandru dodged nimbly to one side as it landed, back-swinging with his blade as he whirled. He struck the creature across the face, shearing off half of its jaw. As it turned to snap at him with what was left of its teeth, he slashed twice more with blinding speed, cutting away more of its marble hide. Though she wasn't sure exactly how much good it would do, Miyaro snapped off a shot from her bow. The arrow, much to her surprise, sank into the thing's eye socket and it abruptly stopped moving altogether.
"Watch out!" Boris cried as three more of the great marble cats came barreling through containers on all sides.
The little goblin rolled deftly underneath one as it charged, raising one sword to scour a deep gash down its belly as it passed over him. Haroldo met another head on, his greatsword cleaving pieces off of it as it reared up on its back feet. Lucian put an arrow through the back of its neck, and it shattered into fragments. The third one bore down on Sandru, but the nimble caravan master danced to one side and scythed his blade in a flamboyant back swing, taking off one of the golem's feet. Haroldo and Ameiko joined their friend in fending off the thing, and the three of them brought it down in short order. Behind them, Boris rolled back to his feet and then leaped onto the back of the last of the tiger guardians. He held on like a bull rider, stabbing his twin swords into its stoney hide repeatedly until it finally stopped moving.
The Scions paused for a moment to catch their breath, listening to see if the noise of their battle had attracted the attention of anyone else. The warehouse remained silent. After they had searched every corner and discovered no other guards, Ameiko stepped to the exterior doors and whistled a soft bird call. It was answered a moment later by a similar call, and then men started moving out of the alleys pulling carts behind them. They made quick work of loading all of the grain and rice before disappearing back into the shadows of the night. Ameiko smiled. Her people would not go hungry again.
__________________________________________________________
Isao was relieved and overjoyed at their success, and assured Ameiko that the people would know who exactly it was that had delivered them.
"What's next?" she asked the old man
"I think it is time for you to seek the blessings of the emperors of the past," he said gravely. "Everything else that you do will mean nothing if you do not do this. There is an island in the harbor known as the Imperial Shrine. Only those if imperial blood, or their sworn guardians, may set foot on the island where they can commune with their ancestors. Some even say that Emperor Shigure fled there. If so, you must convince him to return, or ask his blessing for your ascension. Only then can you claim the Jade Throne."
"So, we could theoretically just fly over to this island?" Sandru asked.
Isao shook his head.
"You must not," he said. "The Imperial Shrine is warded by ancient magics that make it impossible to find unless you observe the proper ceremonies and travel there by boat. You must first pass through five torii gates that surround the island before its true nature will be revealed. I know a man who will take you there."
____________________________________________________________
The boat was called the Weeping Willow, and it was captained by an ancient lobsterman named Kadei Ejigoro. He was expecting his passengers, and cast off as soon as they were all aboard. The island they were bound for was less than a mile off shore, and looked remarkably unremarkable. It was heavily wooded, and certainly showed no signs of housing a royal cemetery. Positioned around the island were five torrii gates, their twin vermilion posts rising from the shallow water about twenty feet apart and fifteen high, joined together by an upper lintel painted black. One after the other, Kadei maneuvered his vessel through them. Each time he did so, Ameiko felt the Amatatsu Seal pulse where she kept it in her hip pouch. As they passed through the fifth gate, the island underwent a remarkable transformation before the eyes of the Scions. It was now covered by lush gardens, ornate mausoleums and shrines, as well as scores upon scores of headstones. A single stone dock jutted into the water from the nearby shore, and a rectangular wooden building stood just beyond it.
"I will await your return here," the old man said as he moored his boat to the pilings.
"We thank you," Ameiko bowed low. "Your loyalty and service will not be forgotten."
The Scions disembarked and made their way to a pair of double doors set into the front of the building. They were unlocked and gave onto a wide room. Two small shrines sat on either side of another set of double doors on the opposite side, and artistic tapestries of the celestial realm adorned the rest of the walls.
"These are shrines to Pharasma, and to Tsukiyo, the Tian god of spirits and the moon," Akiro explained.
They passed through the second set of doors and found themselves in a short hallway. On either side were four small sitting rooms, furnished with low wooden tables, seating cushions and sleeping pallets, all resting upon tatami mats covering the floors. A third set of double doors stood at the end of the hall, and beyond that was another, larger shrine. A huge statue of a golden-scaled dragon dominated the far wall, towering almost to the high ceiling above. Smaller shrines sat on opposite walls, and in the corners flanking the entrance, two large braziers scented the air with the tang of sandalwood incense. A robed and hooded figure knelt before the dragon. As they entered the room, Akiro bowed before the statue.
"My patron, Shizuru, goddess of ancestors, honor and the sun," he murmured. "She is also the patron of Minkai, and creator of the Imperial Seals."
Ameiko bowed briefly as well before turning her attention to the kneeling figure.
"Greetings," she called out. "We are sorry to intrude, but we are in need of assistance."
The figure half-turned towards them, and a woman's face peered out of the deep recesses of the cowl.
"You are welcome here," she said in a husky voice. "I am Kiyomi, caretaker of the Imperial Shrine. How can I be of service?"
She rose to her feet and turned fully towards them.
"We have come here to commune with the Imperial ancestors," Ameiko explained.
"Then it is the Imperial Mausoleum on the Shrine of Heavenly Sovereigns that you seek," Kiyomi smiled. "I would be most honored to show you the way."
___________________________________________________________
They followed Kiyomi back out of the temple and onto a paved path that led through the vast cemetery. Head stones spread out in all directions.
"While the former emperors of Minkai are laid to rest in the Shrine of the Heavenly Sovereigns," the monk explained, "the cremated remains of their trusted guardians and advisors, as well as the lesser scions of the imperial lines, are interred here."
"Are any of the Amatatsu line nearby?" Ameiko asked.
"Of course!" Kiyomi exclaimed. "Come. I will show you."
Kiyomi turned down a small side path which ended abruptly before a cluster of obelisk-shaped tombstones.
"Many years ago," she said, "two samurai named Akio and Yua fell in love while serving Empress Amatatsu Maemi. Rumor has it that another among their order grew jealous of their relationship and, wanting Yua for himself, arranged Akio's death. When the murderer tried to woo Yua, she slew him him in turn. Taking pity on her, the empress had Akio buried in a place of honor here on the Imperial Shrine. One day soon after, when Yua came here to grieve, she committed ritual suicide with her own sword."
"That stupid," Boris frowned. "Why she no take new mate? Or more? That how goblins do."
Ameiko gave him a dirty look.
"I think it's very romantic," she said.
Boris shrugged and muttered under his breath, "Boris still say female stupid. Why no...?"
His voice trailed off as a sudden rush of sadness, loneliness and regret washed over him. Without a sound, his eyes blank, he abruptly drew one of his wakizashis from its sheath, and stabbed it through his own belly.
"Boris!!" Ameiko screamed as the goblin dropped to his knees, and then collapsed into a widening pool of his own blood.
"Something's...wrong...," Miyaro said, her voice quavering. "I feel...such grief...,"
"Yes...," Sandru echoed, one hand dropping to the hilt of his own blade. "So...lonely...,"
"It's a haunt!" Haroldo shouted. "Like the ones we encountered in the Forest of Spirits! We have to get away from here! Now!"
Ameiko bent down to pick up the limp form of Boris and began running back down the path. Haroldo seized Sandru's arm and led him away, while Lucian ushered Miyaro. When they reached the main path again, they paused.
"I'm...so sorry!" Kiyomi explained. "I've never felt anything like that before near those graves! It must have been the proximity of your royal blood."
Ameiko nodded. "Perhaps. I think it's best if we reach our destination as quickly as possible."
So shaken was she but what had transpired, that it never even occurred to her that she had not told Kiyomi of her ancestry.
____________________________________________________________
A soft wind blew through the gathered leaves covering an intersection of paths where Kiyomi paused again.
"Something is not right," she said, looking around anxiously. "I have never felt this amount of...unrest in the shrine."
Ameiko, still cradling Boris's lifeless form glanced in all directions.
"Which way?" she asked.
Kiyomi raised on hand to point, but as she did so, the wind suddenly died, and silence fell like a shroud. A cloud fell across the sun, draping the intersection in shadow.
"Beware!" Kiyomi cried out.
All around them, dark shapes rose from several of the graves. They appeared as nobles clad in ancient garb, but their bodies were translucent, and their eyes glowed a hellish crimson.
Miyaro was first to shake off the initial horror of seeing the dead crawling from their resting places. She reached for several arrows in her quiver that she had specially prepared for just such an eventuality. They had been dusted with ghost salt, an alchemical substance that would allow them to affect the dead as they would the living. As one of the shadows advanced, she loosed a volley of arrows into it, causing it to vanish, shrieking, back to the afterlife. Akiro hurled a fireball at a knot of four before they could close to his companions. Though the magical flames did not have their full effect on the incorporeal creatures, they still writhed in pain from the blast. Lucian had also brought along several ghost-salted arrows, and in short order, he took down two of the shades caught in Akiro's explosion. Then the shadows were among them, reaching with their clawed fingers, and whomever they touched felt the cold of the grave seep into their bones, sapping the very life force from them. The weapons of Harodlo and Sandru were limited against them, but far from ineffective. It was only a matter of time before two more of the shadows were destroyed. Akiro encased the last one in a resilient sphere of force that even its insubstantial form could not pass through.
"That won't last long," he said. "Let's keep moving."
______________________________________________________
A strange dust hung in the air among the gravestones in the part of the cemetery where the Scions next found themselves, swirling in small eddies amid the light. Suddenly, the headstones and ground beneath them began to shake violently as something rose from the midst of them. A massive figure, composed seemingly of gravestones, earth, and burial urns soon stood towering above the companions.
"A gravebound guardian!" Kiyomi screamed.
Lucian and Miyaro let fly with an impressive barrage of arrows, not knowing if they would have any effect on such a composite creature. To their immense relief, their efforts were not in vain. The golem reeled and stumbled to one knee beneath the bombardment. Sandru rushed forward, his blade blurring as he slashed into the behemoth. With a groan of despair, it collapsed back into its individual components.
"We need to stop," Ameiko said decisively as she stooped and laid Boris on the ground.
The others gathered around her, keeping watch in all directions for new threats. Ameiko withdrew the Amatatsu Seal from her pouch and set it upon Boris's chest, where it began to glow warmly. After a few moments, the horrible, gaping wound in his belly closed, and a moment later, he drew a deep, gasping breath as he opened his eyes.
"What?" he coughed, looking around wide-eyed in fear. "Where Boris? He have...bad dream."
"You're safe," Ameiko soothed, "but we can't tarry. Can you walk?"
Boris nodded, climbing shakily to his feet.
"Boris run if it mean leaving dead place."
____________________________________________________________
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kiyomi led the Scions out of the cemetery. Ahead, past an archway inscribed with Minkaian characters, a bridge of luminescent light stretched across the silver waters of a moat. The bridge led from the graveyard to a long, tombstone-shaped island. A large torii gate stood at the opposite end of the bridge, opening into a courtyard surrounded by several stone structures that peeked above the trees.
"Only those close to death my seek the spirits of the ancestors," Miyaro translated as she read the inscription.
"It is not a literal interpretation," Kiyomi explained. "It is more symbolic, meaning that to commune with the dead, one's soul must be at peace. Here, I must leave you. I am not of royal blood, so I am forbidden from crossing the bridge."
"I understand," Ameiko bowed to the caretaker. "Thank you for your assistance."
"I am sorry for our misfortunes along the way," Kiyomi returned the bow, "but perhaps now you will be able to set things to right."
As the companions started towards the bridge, Kiyomi turned back in the direction of the cemetery. She paused some distance away, looking back as the others passed beneath the archway. No sooner had Haroldo, who'd been leading the way, set foot upon the bridge, than a concussive blast of dark energy exploded out from the arch, bowling all of the Scions off their feet.
"Fools!" Kiyomi cackled from a safe distance. "Did you really think it would be so easy? My master would never allow you to leave this place alive!"
She drew back her hood, and from her shoulders sprouted a grotesquely long neck that coiled about like a snake, and razor-sharp teeth filled her gaping maw. She thrust one hand out towards them, spitting arcane words like a curse. As the spell washed over the companions, Boris began babbling incoherently like a simpleton, while Miyaro stared about, blinking in uncomprehending confusion.
"Why you traitorous trull!" Sandru snarled, climbing to his feet and charging Kiyomi.
She tried to get away, but he was too fast, and slashed her across the back as she retreated. She shrieked, and spun back towards him, preparing to strike with her vicious fangs, but suddenly, shimmering bars of pure force sprang up around her, encasing her in a glowing cage.
"That should hold her," Akiro said, climbing unsteadily to his feet. "At least until the two of you can deal with her."
He gestured towards Haroldo and Sandru, and both of them promptly vanished, only to reappear a moment later inside the cage with Kiyomi. She shrieked in panic and began casting another spell, but Haroldo drove the point of his sword into her belly, ripping the words from her lips. He struck again, nearly severing Kiyomi's sinuous neck, and as she gurgled on her own bilious blood, Sandru finished the job.
Boris, still not entirely recovered from his recent suicide, moaned in agony on the ground. Lucian rushed to his side to lend what aid he could, but as he did so, a volley of arrows whizzed past his head, narrowly missing him. He turned and saw Miyaro, no recognition in her eyes, pulling her bow string back again for another salvo. The oracle brought up his own bow and returned fire, using blunt-tipped arrows from his quiver. Each shot was well-placed and true, and the kitsune reeled and fell, unconscious.
JollyDoc
Explorer
The Well of Demons
18 Desnus, 4716 - The Well of Demons
Lucian finally managed to get Boris back on his feet, and then turned his attention to Miyaro. She was not seriously wounded, but after he'd tended to her wounds she was still somewhat addled and dazed once she'd regained consciousness.
"Sorry about that," the oracle explained. "Turns out Kiyomi was some sort of monstrous servant of the oni. She cast a confusion charm on you. I had to make sure you didn't hurt anyone."
"I...thank you," the kitsune said sheepishly as he helped her to her feet.
"No need," Lucian smiled. "Good thing you're not so great a shot."
Miyaro looked momentarily affronted, but when she saw the grin on the oracle's face, she returned it.
"When we are done here," she said slyly, "we'll shall have a true bowman's contest."
"Challenge accepted," Lucian laughed, clapping her on the shoulder.
On the far side of the light bridge was a tombstone-shaped islet, the Shrine of Heavenly Sovereigns. It was much more expansive than the narrow confines of the neighboring Mikado Cemetery, dotted by quiet groves and peaceful gardens, as well as a small pond surrounded by several shrines and tombs. Directly in front of the scions was a covered stage, raised a few feet off the ground, its roof held up by four cedar columns. Low-lying hedges and flowering shrubs decorated its base with several trails connecting it to the structures and gardens on either side. Past that was the koi pond, a small footpath following a zigzag pattern along wooden planks to a small gazebo on the far side. As the companions passed over it, they noticed dozens of orange and gold fish floating lifeless on the surface, some half-covered by lily pads, water grass and cattails.
"This does not bode well," Ameiko remarked. "This whole place lies uneasy. There is...wrongness to it."
Beyond the pond was a sandy garden, two cherry trees and the life-sized jade likeness of a grieving maiden occupying its center. Alternating rocks of pink and white granite marked its boundaries, where a smooth path circled to a stone structure flanked by twin golden statues of kirin...the Imperial Mausoleum.
Behind the immense double doors of the mausoleum lay five chambers, four at each point of the compass and one smaller square chamber joining them. Each chamber held a small shrine decorated with Minkai heraldry, bowls of incense, and dried flowers, and contained carefully stacked urns of gold, silver and bronze. No sooner had the companions entered the central chamber than Ameiko felt a presence.
"Someone...or something...watches us," she warned.
Just as the words left her lips a figure materialized, floating in the air above them. It was dressed in royal robes, which fluttered around it even though there was no breeze. Its form was transparent and ethereal, and its head floated slightly above the stump of its neck.
"You stand before Emperor Higashiyama Shigure!" the ghost bellowed. "I am the rightful emperor of Minkai! Who are you? Why do you have an Imperial Seal in your possession? What are you doing here!?"
He spoke in Tian, and it was Ameiko who answered him in kind, bowing low before him.
"Your Majesty," she said, keeping her eyes averted. "I am Ameiko, last scion of House Amatatsu. My companions and I have come here to seek the blessings of the emperors who have gone before so that I might reclaim the Jade Throne from the usurper who calls himself the Jade Regent."
"Hah!" Shigure laughed. "Is that what the traitorous murderer is calling himself now?"
"You knew him?" Ameiko asked, confusion on her face.
"He was once like a brother to me," the ghost said forlornly. "My childhood friend and bodyguard, Soto Takahiro. He, along with my closest advisor, Renshii Meida, told me that I would be safe if I came here, away from the assassins who killed so many of my family. But they lied! The only threat to my life came from their honeyed words!"
"Then will you give me your blessing so that I might avenge your death?" Ameiko asked.
"I will give my blessing to no one while my body lies disgraced and dishonored!" Shigure screamed. "I have only curses now for those who survive me! I cannot rest! I cannot find peace! And I will not give peace to anyone else while I am denied it!"
"Where can we find your body?" Ameiko asked placatingly. "Tell us so that we may honor you."
"The traitors cast it into the Well of Demons," Shigure wailed, "a great chasm in the hills of this island! The holy waters of Shizuru pour down into the well to drown the sins of my wicked predecessors. But after the treachery and dishonor enacted here upon a living emperor of Minkai, not even the Empress of Heaven can contain their evil, which extends farther beyond the well with each passing day. Soon the spirits of the evil emperors will broaden their reach into Kasai and beyond, into my stolen empire. And I may as well join them if it means I can face my murderer again. But I fear that outcome, for I know I'll lose myself to it, becoming as much a monster as the ones who took my life."
"That will not happen," Ameiko vowed. "If we retrieve your remains, will you give us your blessing?"
"Yes," Shigure sighed. "If you recover my remains from the Well of Demons and properly inter them by cremating them and placing the ashes in one of the urns here, I will grant you the blessing of the Higashiyama family. But my blessing alone will not be enough. You must obtain blessings from the ancestors of all five of the imperial families."
"How can we receive those?" Ameiko asked.
"In normal times, you could commune with the spirits here, in the Imperial Mausoleum," Shigure explained, "but Takahiro's crime has severed the connection and driven most of the goodly spirits away. You will have the Higashiyama blessing if you recover my murdered remains. It's been a long time since an Amatatsu held the throne, but the tomb of Empress Amatatsu Onoko lies just west of here in one of the standing tombs...perhaps you can commune with her or one of your other ancestors there to request their assent. But you must still gain the blessings of the Shojinawa, Sugimatu and Teikoku families, and I fear your only choice is to seek them inside the Well of Demons. Those within represent the most evil and depraved of Minkai's emperors, but the Jade Throne will still honor their blessings, provided you can bargain for them. Otherwise, you must set things right by recovering my body and destroying those inside the Well. Once the sanctity of the Imperial Shrine is restored, you can properly commune with the ancestors to receive their blessings."
Ameiko nodded her understanding.
"One final question, your Highness," she asked. "How did the Jade Regent ascend to the Jade Throne?"
Shigure's eyes flashed with rage, and the urns upon the stone shelves began to tremble.
"ENOUGH!!" he howled, malevolence flowing off of him in waves.
Boris's face blanched and he turned and fled as fast as his small legs could carry him out of the mausoleum.
"Well that sure went south quickly!" Sandru shouted as he leaped towards the rampaging ghost.
He spun and slashed in rapid succession, and though he felt no resistance as his sword passed through the spirit's incorporeal form, he could see on Shigure's face that he felt pain.
"Stand clear!" Akiro shouted.
Sandru quickly leaped aside, and the wizard unleashed a barrage of force missiles that thundered when they struck the shade. Shigure reeled from the impact, then stretched his mouth wide and voiced an inhuman, bone-chilling moan. This time it was Lucian whose nerve faltered. The oracle dropped his bow and ran screaming in panic from the building. Miyaro hissed in anger and frustration as her fingers danced across her bowstring, firing arrow after arrow. Sandru darted back in and continued his assault, distracting Shigure. Finally, with another salvo from Akiro, the ghost wailed one last time and vanished.
"What are we going to do now?" Ameiko snapped in frustration. "How are we going to get his blessing?"
"Do not worry, my Empress," Akiro reassured her. "Spirits such as the Emperor's are tied to a location until certain conditions are met. In this case, I suspect it is the recovery and interment of his body. Until then, he will manifest again in a day's time. Perhaps by then he will be more reasonable."
___________________________________________________
They found Boris and Lucian standing shame-faced among the tombs on the far side of the koi pond. Miyaro handed Lucian his dropped bow, which he accepted with downcast eyes. Sandru likewise returned Boris's wakizashis.
"Boris thank you," the goblin muttered.
"Look there," Ameiko broke the tension, pointing towards one of the standing tombs. "Was that like that before when we passed through here?"
The others followed her gaze to a low mausoleum nearby. It's door stood open.
"No," Sandru said tensely. "It wasn't. We'd best be on our guard."
Cautiously, the scions approached the tomb. Inside, the ceiling only reached eight feet high. Its anteroom was dry and dusty, while an ornate bronze door on far side also stood open, revealing an adjoining sepulcher. Standing in that door was a marble-skinned Tian-Min woman with white feathered wings, wearing a beautiful cloth-of-gold kimono and carrying a traditional Minkai conch shell horn.
"I see you met Emperor Shigure," she said, smiling.
"Who are you?" Ameiko demanded.
An array of swords, bows and casting hands came up in threatening gestures, all aimed at the newcomer.
"I am Empress Amatatsu Onoko," the woman said regally, "your ancestor."
Ameiko's eyes grew wide and her mouth gaped.
"Yes," Onoko nodded. "My ashes lay within this tomb, but I have transcended and now I serve Shizuru as one of Her archons."
Akiro gasped and immediately prostrated himself before her.
"Rise," she said smiling. "We are all here for the same purpose...to see the Jade Throne returned to a rightful scion."
As Akiro climbed to his feet, Ameiko approached her ancestor.
"Please, can you help us?" she asked.
"Unfortunately I cannot intervene directly," Onoko sighed. "I can assist you most by providing you with information. You have spoken with Shigure, so you know about his betrayal by his bodyguard and advisor. Unfortunately, he who would become the Jade Regent convinced Shigure to invest him with the regency before slaying his lord. When Shizuru first created the Imperial Seals, she also created a conduit to the Great Beyond, allowing those in possession of a Seal to make contact with the ancestral spirits of those laid to rest on this island who were once ordained by the seals as well. This allowed Minkai's former emperors to guide their ancestors with lifetimes of knowledge and wisdom, even beyond death. With Shigure's death, and the treachery of the Jade Regent, the island has been left in disarray. Many of its guardians have activated and the wards that once protected the shrine against the influence of Minkai's evil emperors have failed. These malevolent spirits now hunger to extend their reach beyond the island's shores."
"Are these the spirits trapped within the Well of Demons?" Ameiko asked.
Onoko nodded. "When Shizuru opened the conduit, she could not limit the access to just the celestial realms. Instead, anyone interred in the Imperial Shrine would have the means to connect with the island, including those who had passed on to Abaddon, the Abyss, Hell or beyond. To minimize the influence these creatures might exert over sitting emperors, she created a massive chasm that opened into natural caverns beneath the island's northern reaches, which soon became known as the Well of Demons, and she used the sacred waters of the Eternal Spring to contain the spirits of those evil emperors and cleanse their sins from the island. It was into that maelstrom of iniquity that the Jade Regent and Renshii Meida cast Shigure's body. It is there that you must journey to begin to set things right."
"We understand," Ameiko bowed, "and we thank you. If I may ask, may we receive the blessing of House Amatatsu from you?"
Onoko smiled. "It would be my honor, but I am forbidden from doing so until the empress Amatatsu Maemi is defeated. You will find her in the Well. I shall remain here and await you're return. I will offer you what assistance I may."
_____________________________________________________________
The Scions left the islet of the Shrine of Heavenly Sovereigns, crossing the light bridge back to the Imperial Shrine. They followed a path around a small body of water that Akiro identified as the Lake of Tears. Beyond that, a stream from the lake passed through high hills that stood above a gaping chasm in the ground. A narrow muddy path descended into the abyss, winding in a spiral as it passed multiple times under a cascading waterfall formed by the stream rushing down the cliffs.
"The Well of Demons, I presume," Sandru said sourly as they stood peering over the edge.
"Boris not feel so good," the little goblin muttered as he leaned dangerously out over the ravine."
"Boris, be careful!" Ameiko shouted as she reached for him.
As she turned, however, she saw Haroldo swaying and tottering as well.
"What's happening?" Sandru shouted.
"On my word," Akiro snapped, "everybody jump!"
Haroldo and Boris did not wait for his word. They simply kept leaning forward until they toppled over the edge. Sandru cursed and leaped after them, quickly followed by Ameiko, Lucian and Miiyaro. Akiro came last, but as he jumped, he spoke the words to a spell, and in an instant all of the companions ceased their lethal plummet and began to drift like feathers down and down into the darkness.
Eventually, after more than a hundred feet, the roaring waterfall emptied into a massive cavern, echoing off the stone walls. The water flooded the cave before falling into a second chasm on the far side of the chamber. Several passageways exited the cavern, leading to higher ground. As the scions drifted towards the pool, Boris pointed a finger below them.
"Something moving in water!" he cried
No sooner had he spoken than the air in the cavern became filled with noxious green and yellow clouds of vapor that simultaneously burned the skin of the scions trapped within them and made their stomachs heave and convulse violently. Boris immediately gripped the coin around his neck and willed himself out of the trap. A moment later he was standing on a sandy beach inside one of the side passages looking out over the water-filled cave.
When Miyaro struck the water, she inhaled a great gasp of the nauseating gas and immediately began flailing in panic. Her head ducked under water, and she swallowed a large mouthful before she'd had a chance to draw another breath. As she thrashed and kicked beneath the surface, she saw that she was not alone in the pool. Something that resembled a mound of animate ooze that had about its shifting countenance the hideous shape of a half-melted man, swam quickly towards her. Before she could react, it slammed two club-like arms into her, and then grabbed her in crushing bear-hug. She felt what little air she had left being squeezed from her lungs. Just as her vision started going dark and she felt consciousness leaving her, she found herself standing on solid ground. Better yet, she could breathe again! She opened her eyes and saw that she was surrounded by her companions, all save Boris. They were gathered just inside a large tunnel that opened onto the main cavern.
"You looked like you were in trouble," Akiro said, smiling tightly. "And I was getting sick of breathing rotten eggs, so I took the liberty of whisking us all to safety."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Sandru said.
More stinking, acidic clouds abruptly appeared around the scions, just as the creature that had attacked Miyaro, or else one just like it, materialized in the tunnel behind them. Sandru and Haroldo turned and rushed the thing, while Lucian tried to maneuver past it. It slammed the oracle broadside with one arm before the caravan master and the blood-rager managed to drive it away with a flurry of slashes from their blades.
"Look out!" Lucian shouted.
A second creature had appeared out of the mist and was charging at Haroldo's back. The oracle managed to put an arrow into it as it came, but it didn't slow the thing in the slightest. It bowled into the blood-rager, forcing him away from Sandru and its companion. Miyaro, seeing that Sandru was on his own against one of the fiends, turned her bow on the monster. It shrieked in rage and pain and ran towards her. She brought her bow up in a vain attempt to ward it off, but its mistake was in turning its back on the caravan master. Sandru leaped after it, hewing at it relentlessly while Miyaro backed away to a safe distance and continued to pepper it with arrows. Finally, the beast swayed and fell, collapsing into a rancid pile of goo.
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On the far side of the cavern, Boris could hear the sounds of battle, but he could not see his friends due to the roiling clouds of fog that filled the air on that side. Truthfully, he wouldn't have cared much even if he could have seen them. They were capable of defending themselves. No, Boris had something else on his mind. He looked up, craning his head back to see the top of the high wall that rose behind him. There was a ledge and an opening there, and something...something seemed to call to him from there...
___________________________________________________________
A third fiend erupted from the water just as Sandru, having rejoined Haroldo against the second creature, had managed to end its miserable life. The latest arrival thus had the unfortunate luck to be surrounded by the six scions, and its last remaining moments in the world were brief, violent and pain-filled. As it fell, and Akiro cleared away the cloying mists with a simple gust of wind spell, Ameiko looked around, taking stock.
"Where's Boris?" she asked.
_____________________________________________________________
Boris reached the top of the high cliff wall, scaling it like a spider thanks to the ninja coin that hung from a thong around his neck. Directly before him was a large opening. He stepped through and found himself in an opulent throne room paved with golden tiles joined together by fist-sized rubies. A magnificent bower of silk cushions sat atop a dais at the far end. The goblin just stood there, blinking in amazement and disbelief. It took him several long moments before he realized he was not alone in the room. Seated upon the bower was an imposing Tian-Min man, his hair worn in the traditional samurai style.
"Welcome my little friend," he said in flawless Common. "It seems that you and your allies ran afoul of my jailors."
"You no look like prisnoner," Boris said, narrowing his eyes.
"Appearances can be deceiving," the man replied. "For instance, to look at you, one would not suspect you to be the clever individual that I sense you to be."
Boris shrugged and nodded.
"That true," he agreed. "Me Boris. Who you?"
"I am Shogun Teikoku Sokai," the man replied, rising to his feet. "Once, long ago, it was I who forged Minkai from a collection of petty, warring settlements into what would become a mighty shogunate, paving the way for the nation that you see today. And yet, here I languish."
"Why you here?" Boris asked.
"The whim of the fates," the shogun waved his hands. "Some thought my methods...extreme, yet who is to judge such things? If the outcome serves the greater good, should that not be the main consideration?"
Boris shrugged again, noncommittal.
"Still, as I said before, you seem like a clever fellow. Perhaps I could persuade you to do me a simple favor."
Boris's eyes narrowed again. "Boris know there always a catch."
"Not so hasty," Sokai said. "Listen to my offer, and if you don't care for it, well then, you are free to go about your business."
"Boris listening," the goblin said, flicking one of his large ears.
"There is a torii gate north of the Lake of Tears," Sokai explained. "It's magic is what holds me and my servants captive in this place. If it were destroyed, we could leave the Well and go to the lake above, but no further. We would still not be able to leave the island, but we would be free of the endless conflict down here in these crowded conditions. If you did this for me, not only would I give your new empress the blessing of my house, which I know she seeks, but I would also be willing to give you vital information about my rivals, which you could use to defeat them, or strike a bargain. What say you?"
"Boris say fine," the goblin nodded, "but Boris friends not. Boris know this. They no like evil peoples. They no bargain. Besides, Boris not care about information or blessings. Boris want something that help Boris."
"Very well," Sokai grinned malevolently. "I see that I read you correctly. Know this then: if the torii gate is destroyed, then I will be able to redirect the waters of the Eternal Spring to spill into the bay of Kasai. This would expand my influence enough to create a direct portal to Golarion from my home in the Abyss, thus paving the way for the rise of my new shogunate! The so-called Jade Regent would be as nothing before my armies! And you, my little friend, would hold a place of honor and prestige in my court. All that you wish would be yours for the taking. Now, we just have to convince your friends...,"
_____________________________________________________________
Ameiko's question was answered a moment later when they heard Boris's voice shouting to them from somewhere above. Looking up, they spotted the goblin perched on a ledge some seventy feet above the water, waving and gesturing for them to come to him. A short time later, they joined him.
"Boris glad to see friends safe," he smiled. "Boris meet new friend. Come, you meet him too!"
He led the way back to the throne room where Teikoku Sokai waited.
"This friend," Boris introduced the others. "He old emperor, trapped here by bad oni. He say he mighty general. Help lead Ameiko's army if we help him free."
"What is your name?" Akiro asked, suspicion in his voice.
"Teikoku Sokai," the shogun bowed.
"I thought so," Akiro snapped. "I recognize you from paintings." He turned to Ameiko. "This one is not to be trusted, my Lady. During his reign, he ushered in an age of unparalleled eugenics in Minkai, attempting to elevate certain bloodlines above all others, especially his own. He subjugated lesser noble lines by seizing their property and enslaving their scions to enrich themselves and his cronies. He lost his life in a violent uprising against his decadent rule."
"I see," Ameiko nodded. "Boris. Step aside."
18 Desnus, 4716 - The Well of Demons
Lucian finally managed to get Boris back on his feet, and then turned his attention to Miyaro. She was not seriously wounded, but after he'd tended to her wounds she was still somewhat addled and dazed once she'd regained consciousness.
"Sorry about that," the oracle explained. "Turns out Kiyomi was some sort of monstrous servant of the oni. She cast a confusion charm on you. I had to make sure you didn't hurt anyone."
"I...thank you," the kitsune said sheepishly as he helped her to her feet.
"No need," Lucian smiled. "Good thing you're not so great a shot."
Miyaro looked momentarily affronted, but when she saw the grin on the oracle's face, she returned it.
"When we are done here," she said slyly, "we'll shall have a true bowman's contest."
"Challenge accepted," Lucian laughed, clapping her on the shoulder.
On the far side of the light bridge was a tombstone-shaped islet, the Shrine of Heavenly Sovereigns. It was much more expansive than the narrow confines of the neighboring Mikado Cemetery, dotted by quiet groves and peaceful gardens, as well as a small pond surrounded by several shrines and tombs. Directly in front of the scions was a covered stage, raised a few feet off the ground, its roof held up by four cedar columns. Low-lying hedges and flowering shrubs decorated its base with several trails connecting it to the structures and gardens on either side. Past that was the koi pond, a small footpath following a zigzag pattern along wooden planks to a small gazebo on the far side. As the companions passed over it, they noticed dozens of orange and gold fish floating lifeless on the surface, some half-covered by lily pads, water grass and cattails.
"This does not bode well," Ameiko remarked. "This whole place lies uneasy. There is...wrongness to it."
Beyond the pond was a sandy garden, two cherry trees and the life-sized jade likeness of a grieving maiden occupying its center. Alternating rocks of pink and white granite marked its boundaries, where a smooth path circled to a stone structure flanked by twin golden statues of kirin...the Imperial Mausoleum.
Behind the immense double doors of the mausoleum lay five chambers, four at each point of the compass and one smaller square chamber joining them. Each chamber held a small shrine decorated with Minkai heraldry, bowls of incense, and dried flowers, and contained carefully stacked urns of gold, silver and bronze. No sooner had the companions entered the central chamber than Ameiko felt a presence.
"Someone...or something...watches us," she warned.
Just as the words left her lips a figure materialized, floating in the air above them. It was dressed in royal robes, which fluttered around it even though there was no breeze. Its form was transparent and ethereal, and its head floated slightly above the stump of its neck.
"You stand before Emperor Higashiyama Shigure!" the ghost bellowed. "I am the rightful emperor of Minkai! Who are you? Why do you have an Imperial Seal in your possession? What are you doing here!?"
He spoke in Tian, and it was Ameiko who answered him in kind, bowing low before him.
"Your Majesty," she said, keeping her eyes averted. "I am Ameiko, last scion of House Amatatsu. My companions and I have come here to seek the blessings of the emperors who have gone before so that I might reclaim the Jade Throne from the usurper who calls himself the Jade Regent."
"Hah!" Shigure laughed. "Is that what the traitorous murderer is calling himself now?"
"You knew him?" Ameiko asked, confusion on her face.
"He was once like a brother to me," the ghost said forlornly. "My childhood friend and bodyguard, Soto Takahiro. He, along with my closest advisor, Renshii Meida, told me that I would be safe if I came here, away from the assassins who killed so many of my family. But they lied! The only threat to my life came from their honeyed words!"
"Then will you give me your blessing so that I might avenge your death?" Ameiko asked.
"I will give my blessing to no one while my body lies disgraced and dishonored!" Shigure screamed. "I have only curses now for those who survive me! I cannot rest! I cannot find peace! And I will not give peace to anyone else while I am denied it!"
"Where can we find your body?" Ameiko asked placatingly. "Tell us so that we may honor you."
"The traitors cast it into the Well of Demons," Shigure wailed, "a great chasm in the hills of this island! The holy waters of Shizuru pour down into the well to drown the sins of my wicked predecessors. But after the treachery and dishonor enacted here upon a living emperor of Minkai, not even the Empress of Heaven can contain their evil, which extends farther beyond the well with each passing day. Soon the spirits of the evil emperors will broaden their reach into Kasai and beyond, into my stolen empire. And I may as well join them if it means I can face my murderer again. But I fear that outcome, for I know I'll lose myself to it, becoming as much a monster as the ones who took my life."
"That will not happen," Ameiko vowed. "If we retrieve your remains, will you give us your blessing?"
"Yes," Shigure sighed. "If you recover my remains from the Well of Demons and properly inter them by cremating them and placing the ashes in one of the urns here, I will grant you the blessing of the Higashiyama family. But my blessing alone will not be enough. You must obtain blessings from the ancestors of all five of the imperial families."
"How can we receive those?" Ameiko asked.
"In normal times, you could commune with the spirits here, in the Imperial Mausoleum," Shigure explained, "but Takahiro's crime has severed the connection and driven most of the goodly spirits away. You will have the Higashiyama blessing if you recover my murdered remains. It's been a long time since an Amatatsu held the throne, but the tomb of Empress Amatatsu Onoko lies just west of here in one of the standing tombs...perhaps you can commune with her or one of your other ancestors there to request their assent. But you must still gain the blessings of the Shojinawa, Sugimatu and Teikoku families, and I fear your only choice is to seek them inside the Well of Demons. Those within represent the most evil and depraved of Minkai's emperors, but the Jade Throne will still honor their blessings, provided you can bargain for them. Otherwise, you must set things right by recovering my body and destroying those inside the Well. Once the sanctity of the Imperial Shrine is restored, you can properly commune with the ancestors to receive their blessings."
Ameiko nodded her understanding.
"One final question, your Highness," she asked. "How did the Jade Regent ascend to the Jade Throne?"
Shigure's eyes flashed with rage, and the urns upon the stone shelves began to tremble.
"ENOUGH!!" he howled, malevolence flowing off of him in waves.
Boris's face blanched and he turned and fled as fast as his small legs could carry him out of the mausoleum.
"Well that sure went south quickly!" Sandru shouted as he leaped towards the rampaging ghost.
He spun and slashed in rapid succession, and though he felt no resistance as his sword passed through the spirit's incorporeal form, he could see on Shigure's face that he felt pain.
"Stand clear!" Akiro shouted.
Sandru quickly leaped aside, and the wizard unleashed a barrage of force missiles that thundered when they struck the shade. Shigure reeled from the impact, then stretched his mouth wide and voiced an inhuman, bone-chilling moan. This time it was Lucian whose nerve faltered. The oracle dropped his bow and ran screaming in panic from the building. Miyaro hissed in anger and frustration as her fingers danced across her bowstring, firing arrow after arrow. Sandru darted back in and continued his assault, distracting Shigure. Finally, with another salvo from Akiro, the ghost wailed one last time and vanished.
"What are we going to do now?" Ameiko snapped in frustration. "How are we going to get his blessing?"
"Do not worry, my Empress," Akiro reassured her. "Spirits such as the Emperor's are tied to a location until certain conditions are met. In this case, I suspect it is the recovery and interment of his body. Until then, he will manifest again in a day's time. Perhaps by then he will be more reasonable."
___________________________________________________
They found Boris and Lucian standing shame-faced among the tombs on the far side of the koi pond. Miyaro handed Lucian his dropped bow, which he accepted with downcast eyes. Sandru likewise returned Boris's wakizashis.
"Boris thank you," the goblin muttered.
"Look there," Ameiko broke the tension, pointing towards one of the standing tombs. "Was that like that before when we passed through here?"
The others followed her gaze to a low mausoleum nearby. It's door stood open.
"No," Sandru said tensely. "It wasn't. We'd best be on our guard."
Cautiously, the scions approached the tomb. Inside, the ceiling only reached eight feet high. Its anteroom was dry and dusty, while an ornate bronze door on far side also stood open, revealing an adjoining sepulcher. Standing in that door was a marble-skinned Tian-Min woman with white feathered wings, wearing a beautiful cloth-of-gold kimono and carrying a traditional Minkai conch shell horn.
"I see you met Emperor Shigure," she said, smiling.
"Who are you?" Ameiko demanded.
An array of swords, bows and casting hands came up in threatening gestures, all aimed at the newcomer.
"I am Empress Amatatsu Onoko," the woman said regally, "your ancestor."
Ameiko's eyes grew wide and her mouth gaped.
"Yes," Onoko nodded. "My ashes lay within this tomb, but I have transcended and now I serve Shizuru as one of Her archons."
Akiro gasped and immediately prostrated himself before her.
"Rise," she said smiling. "We are all here for the same purpose...to see the Jade Throne returned to a rightful scion."
As Akiro climbed to his feet, Ameiko approached her ancestor.
"Please, can you help us?" she asked.
"Unfortunately I cannot intervene directly," Onoko sighed. "I can assist you most by providing you with information. You have spoken with Shigure, so you know about his betrayal by his bodyguard and advisor. Unfortunately, he who would become the Jade Regent convinced Shigure to invest him with the regency before slaying his lord. When Shizuru first created the Imperial Seals, she also created a conduit to the Great Beyond, allowing those in possession of a Seal to make contact with the ancestral spirits of those laid to rest on this island who were once ordained by the seals as well. This allowed Minkai's former emperors to guide their ancestors with lifetimes of knowledge and wisdom, even beyond death. With Shigure's death, and the treachery of the Jade Regent, the island has been left in disarray. Many of its guardians have activated and the wards that once protected the shrine against the influence of Minkai's evil emperors have failed. These malevolent spirits now hunger to extend their reach beyond the island's shores."
"Are these the spirits trapped within the Well of Demons?" Ameiko asked.
Onoko nodded. "When Shizuru opened the conduit, she could not limit the access to just the celestial realms. Instead, anyone interred in the Imperial Shrine would have the means to connect with the island, including those who had passed on to Abaddon, the Abyss, Hell or beyond. To minimize the influence these creatures might exert over sitting emperors, she created a massive chasm that opened into natural caverns beneath the island's northern reaches, which soon became known as the Well of Demons, and she used the sacred waters of the Eternal Spring to contain the spirits of those evil emperors and cleanse their sins from the island. It was into that maelstrom of iniquity that the Jade Regent and Renshii Meida cast Shigure's body. It is there that you must journey to begin to set things right."
"We understand," Ameiko bowed, "and we thank you. If I may ask, may we receive the blessing of House Amatatsu from you?"
Onoko smiled. "It would be my honor, but I am forbidden from doing so until the empress Amatatsu Maemi is defeated. You will find her in the Well. I shall remain here and await you're return. I will offer you what assistance I may."
_____________________________________________________________
The Scions left the islet of the Shrine of Heavenly Sovereigns, crossing the light bridge back to the Imperial Shrine. They followed a path around a small body of water that Akiro identified as the Lake of Tears. Beyond that, a stream from the lake passed through high hills that stood above a gaping chasm in the ground. A narrow muddy path descended into the abyss, winding in a spiral as it passed multiple times under a cascading waterfall formed by the stream rushing down the cliffs.
"The Well of Demons, I presume," Sandru said sourly as they stood peering over the edge.
"Boris not feel so good," the little goblin muttered as he leaned dangerously out over the ravine."
"Boris, be careful!" Ameiko shouted as she reached for him.
As she turned, however, she saw Haroldo swaying and tottering as well.
"What's happening?" Sandru shouted.
"On my word," Akiro snapped, "everybody jump!"
Haroldo and Boris did not wait for his word. They simply kept leaning forward until they toppled over the edge. Sandru cursed and leaped after them, quickly followed by Ameiko, Lucian and Miiyaro. Akiro came last, but as he jumped, he spoke the words to a spell, and in an instant all of the companions ceased their lethal plummet and began to drift like feathers down and down into the darkness.
Eventually, after more than a hundred feet, the roaring waterfall emptied into a massive cavern, echoing off the stone walls. The water flooded the cave before falling into a second chasm on the far side of the chamber. Several passageways exited the cavern, leading to higher ground. As the scions drifted towards the pool, Boris pointed a finger below them.
"Something moving in water!" he cried
No sooner had he spoken than the air in the cavern became filled with noxious green and yellow clouds of vapor that simultaneously burned the skin of the scions trapped within them and made their stomachs heave and convulse violently. Boris immediately gripped the coin around his neck and willed himself out of the trap. A moment later he was standing on a sandy beach inside one of the side passages looking out over the water-filled cave.
When Miyaro struck the water, she inhaled a great gasp of the nauseating gas and immediately began flailing in panic. Her head ducked under water, and she swallowed a large mouthful before she'd had a chance to draw another breath. As she thrashed and kicked beneath the surface, she saw that she was not alone in the pool. Something that resembled a mound of animate ooze that had about its shifting countenance the hideous shape of a half-melted man, swam quickly towards her. Before she could react, it slammed two club-like arms into her, and then grabbed her in crushing bear-hug. She felt what little air she had left being squeezed from her lungs. Just as her vision started going dark and she felt consciousness leaving her, she found herself standing on solid ground. Better yet, she could breathe again! She opened her eyes and saw that she was surrounded by her companions, all save Boris. They were gathered just inside a large tunnel that opened onto the main cavern.
"You looked like you were in trouble," Akiro said, smiling tightly. "And I was getting sick of breathing rotten eggs, so I took the liberty of whisking us all to safety."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Sandru said.
More stinking, acidic clouds abruptly appeared around the scions, just as the creature that had attacked Miyaro, or else one just like it, materialized in the tunnel behind them. Sandru and Haroldo turned and rushed the thing, while Lucian tried to maneuver past it. It slammed the oracle broadside with one arm before the caravan master and the blood-rager managed to drive it away with a flurry of slashes from their blades.
"Look out!" Lucian shouted.
A second creature had appeared out of the mist and was charging at Haroldo's back. The oracle managed to put an arrow into it as it came, but it didn't slow the thing in the slightest. It bowled into the blood-rager, forcing him away from Sandru and its companion. Miyaro, seeing that Sandru was on his own against one of the fiends, turned her bow on the monster. It shrieked in rage and pain and ran towards her. She brought her bow up in a vain attempt to ward it off, but its mistake was in turning its back on the caravan master. Sandru leaped after it, hewing at it relentlessly while Miyaro backed away to a safe distance and continued to pepper it with arrows. Finally, the beast swayed and fell, collapsing into a rancid pile of goo.
_______________________________________________________
On the far side of the cavern, Boris could hear the sounds of battle, but he could not see his friends due to the roiling clouds of fog that filled the air on that side. Truthfully, he wouldn't have cared much even if he could have seen them. They were capable of defending themselves. No, Boris had something else on his mind. He looked up, craning his head back to see the top of the high wall that rose behind him. There was a ledge and an opening there, and something...something seemed to call to him from there...
___________________________________________________________
A third fiend erupted from the water just as Sandru, having rejoined Haroldo against the second creature, had managed to end its miserable life. The latest arrival thus had the unfortunate luck to be surrounded by the six scions, and its last remaining moments in the world were brief, violent and pain-filled. As it fell, and Akiro cleared away the cloying mists with a simple gust of wind spell, Ameiko looked around, taking stock.
"Where's Boris?" she asked.
_____________________________________________________________
Boris reached the top of the high cliff wall, scaling it like a spider thanks to the ninja coin that hung from a thong around his neck. Directly before him was a large opening. He stepped through and found himself in an opulent throne room paved with golden tiles joined together by fist-sized rubies. A magnificent bower of silk cushions sat atop a dais at the far end. The goblin just stood there, blinking in amazement and disbelief. It took him several long moments before he realized he was not alone in the room. Seated upon the bower was an imposing Tian-Min man, his hair worn in the traditional samurai style.
"Welcome my little friend," he said in flawless Common. "It seems that you and your allies ran afoul of my jailors."
"You no look like prisnoner," Boris said, narrowing his eyes.
"Appearances can be deceiving," the man replied. "For instance, to look at you, one would not suspect you to be the clever individual that I sense you to be."
Boris shrugged and nodded.
"That true," he agreed. "Me Boris. Who you?"
"I am Shogun Teikoku Sokai," the man replied, rising to his feet. "Once, long ago, it was I who forged Minkai from a collection of petty, warring settlements into what would become a mighty shogunate, paving the way for the nation that you see today. And yet, here I languish."
"Why you here?" Boris asked.
"The whim of the fates," the shogun waved his hands. "Some thought my methods...extreme, yet who is to judge such things? If the outcome serves the greater good, should that not be the main consideration?"
Boris shrugged again, noncommittal.
"Still, as I said before, you seem like a clever fellow. Perhaps I could persuade you to do me a simple favor."
Boris's eyes narrowed again. "Boris know there always a catch."
"Not so hasty," Sokai said. "Listen to my offer, and if you don't care for it, well then, you are free to go about your business."
"Boris listening," the goblin said, flicking one of his large ears.
"There is a torii gate north of the Lake of Tears," Sokai explained. "It's magic is what holds me and my servants captive in this place. If it were destroyed, we could leave the Well and go to the lake above, but no further. We would still not be able to leave the island, but we would be free of the endless conflict down here in these crowded conditions. If you did this for me, not only would I give your new empress the blessing of my house, which I know she seeks, but I would also be willing to give you vital information about my rivals, which you could use to defeat them, or strike a bargain. What say you?"
"Boris say fine," the goblin nodded, "but Boris friends not. Boris know this. They no like evil peoples. They no bargain. Besides, Boris not care about information or blessings. Boris want something that help Boris."
"Very well," Sokai grinned malevolently. "I see that I read you correctly. Know this then: if the torii gate is destroyed, then I will be able to redirect the waters of the Eternal Spring to spill into the bay of Kasai. This would expand my influence enough to create a direct portal to Golarion from my home in the Abyss, thus paving the way for the rise of my new shogunate! The so-called Jade Regent would be as nothing before my armies! And you, my little friend, would hold a place of honor and prestige in my court. All that you wish would be yours for the taking. Now, we just have to convince your friends...,"
_____________________________________________________________
Ameiko's question was answered a moment later when they heard Boris's voice shouting to them from somewhere above. Looking up, they spotted the goblin perched on a ledge some seventy feet above the water, waving and gesturing for them to come to him. A short time later, they joined him.
"Boris glad to see friends safe," he smiled. "Boris meet new friend. Come, you meet him too!"
He led the way back to the throne room where Teikoku Sokai waited.
"This friend," Boris introduced the others. "He old emperor, trapped here by bad oni. He say he mighty general. Help lead Ameiko's army if we help him free."
"What is your name?" Akiro asked, suspicion in his voice.
"Teikoku Sokai," the shogun bowed.
"I thought so," Akiro snapped. "I recognize you from paintings." He turned to Ameiko. "This one is not to be trusted, my Lady. During his reign, he ushered in an age of unparalleled eugenics in Minkai, attempting to elevate certain bloodlines above all others, especially his own. He subjugated lesser noble lines by seizing their property and enslaving their scions to enrich themselves and his cronies. He lost his life in a violent uprising against his decadent rule."
"I see," Ameiko nodded. "Boris. Step aside."
carborundum
Adventurer
I never realized this was so...brutal! Yikes! Must go read it properly 
carborundum
Adventurer
I can't imagine a eugenicist making room for a...gack! ... goblin in his Brave New World. Hope Boris realizes that rather than turn against his mates!
Nails being bitten here
Nails being bitten here
JollyDoc
Explorer
All Good Things
18 Desnus, 4716 - All Good Things
"So it's to be war, then," Teikoku Sokai snarled as the scions advanced on him.
"No!" Boris protested. "Wait dead shogun-man! Boris talk to friends! Everything be ok!"
"I think it's too late for that," Sokai replied. "Your so-called friends seem to have already made up their mind about me. Pity. We could have done great things together."
As Boris stared in disbelief, the shogun's form began to shift and change. He grew taller, broader and more...porcine? Where a handsome man had stood just moments before, there now loomed a towering, corpulent beast with the hideous head of a boar, and arms ending in fatty, four-fingered hands.
"Come my minions!" Sokai bellowed. "The time is now!"
From an archway on the far side of the chamber, a sour-smelling mist began to flow. It pooled around the edges of the room, and then started to rise along the walls, coalescing into vaguely humanoid shapes. A moment later they solidified, revealing a trio of demons whose armored flesh was scaly and moist, with large, toothy mouths gaping beneath hungry, reptilian eyes.
Sandru had seen enough. He lunged towards the demonic shogun, who was now surrounded by a dark nimbus of light. He struck the brute with three quick, wicked slashes, but when he did so, the black light flared out at him, and he felt himself grow weak, his muscles struggling to hold up his sword. From behind him, Lucian fired his bow, putting three arrows into the shogun's chest. Sokai barely seemed to acknowledge the pain. Instead, he drew the dark nimbus in tight around him, and then unleashed it in an ebony explosion. It struck Haroldo, Boris and Sandru, filling their minds with visions of madness, leaving them momentarily dazed and confused. At that moment, the shogun's demonic, frog-like minions began an obscene croaking. As it built to a crescendo, a miasma of greasy, black energy enveloped the scions, leaving their exposed flesh numbed and frozen, and causing Sandru to double over and vomit in revulsion.
Lucian drew his bow string back to his ear and prepared to fire, even though he was no more than a few feet away from Sokai. The shogun raised one mighty fist to hammer him, but as the blow descended, it struck some unseen obstacle in mid-air.
"You're welcome!" Akiro grinned at the oracle
Lucian shook his head, not sure whether to be grateful for the force wall, or annoyed. Instead, he turned and put his arrows to use on the nearest frog-demon.
"Clever," Sokai growled from the other side of wall, but then he abruptly vanished only to reappear among his servants. "But not clever enough."
The demons began croaking again, but then Akiro lobbed a fireball into their midst. It detonated with ferocious force, ripping all three of the demons to shreds. Sokai reeled from the blast, and that's when Lucian put an arrow right through his throat. Gurgling and sputtering, he toppled to the floor. No sooner had he fallen than the throne room transformed. Gone were all the trappings of royalty, leaving nothing behind save bare stone.
As the others regained their composure, Boris scrabbled quickly across the floor to Sokai's side. His small hands moved deftly through the dead shogun's pockets and closed on something smooth and hard. When he drew it out, Boris saw that it was a small statuette of a horse, seemingly carved from obsidian. He quietly tucked it into his own pocket.
_____________________________________________
"Boris still not know why you not listen to shogun-man," the goblin grumbled as the scions made their way up the tunnel that led off the small beach in the flooded cavern. "He say make deal. He help us fight Jade Regent and tell us about other bad rulers."
"He was a demon," Ameiko sighed. "Can't you see that he was just trying to use us to get free of this place?"
Boris shrugged. "So? He help us fight enemies."
"Just so he can rule Minkai in the Jade Regent's place," Ameiko explained. "Trust me, Boris, we don't need his kind of help."
Boris shrugged again, but kept silent.
High rock shelves lined the narrow passageway they found themselves in, marred by a forest of stalactites and stalagmites that resembled nothing less than the narrow bars of a cage in the ebbing glow of the luminescent lichen growing upon them. Abruptly, Akiro halted, holding up one hand.
"What is it?" Ameiko asked quietly.
"I've magically enhanced my senses like those of a bat," the mage whispered back. "I can 'see' sounds as they bounce off of objects. Up ahead, there is something...humanoid...near the ceiling. Make ready."
He began a spell, conjuring a small orb of fire between his hands. When the spell was complete, he hurled the fireball towards the spot where he'd sensed the lurker. It exploded, and in its aftermath, a figure became visible, floating gently to the floor. It appeared female, though a featureless porcelain mask concealed her features. Long, twisting horns grew from her head, and a hairless rat's tail poked out from beneath the skirts of the blood-stained kimono she wore. In one hand she held a wickedly curved naginata. As her robe touched the floor, she suddenly erupted in a nimbus of fire, burning but obviously unharmed by the flames. She extended her free hand and cast her own spell, sending waves of power washing over the scions, leaving them fatigued in their wake. Haroldo rushed towards her sluggishly, but as he drew near, she lashed out with her polearm, stopping him in his tracks.
Piercing shrieks filled the air of the tunnel. In the air behind the fiendish woman, a flock of a half-dozen black-winged females appeared, fiery bows gripped in their hands. As one, they unleashed six blasts of unholy magic. The blight struck Haroldo, Sandru and Boris like a shock wave. The battle-rager and the caravan master were rocked back on their heels, but Boris looked unscathed. Akiro quickly hurled a ferocious salvo of magic force missiles towards the immolated woman. She recoiled, but then gripped her naginata in both hands and rammed it straight through Haroldo's belly. The magic of the winged fiends struck again, catching Lucian in its effect as well. This time, however, in the wake of the bombardment, both Sandru and Haroldo were left unmoving on the floor. Boris, again, seemed untouched.
"We have to go!" Lucian cried shakily.
He reached down and seized his fallen companions, then cast a teleportation spell. The three of them vanished.
"I agree, my Lady," Akiro said as he took Ameiko by the arm. "This is not a fight we can win this day."
With Boris and Miyaro gathered near, the mage cast his own spell and whisked the four of them to safety...
__________________________________________________
"That sounds like Shiori Heikkaki," Amatatsu Onoko said, "Amatatsu Maemi's handmaiden."
"Handmaiden??" Lucian gasped. "That wasn't the empress herself?"
"I'm afraid not," the archon shook her head sadly.
She gazed down upon the bodies of Haroldo and Lucian where they lay on the floor of her mausoleum.
"I am sorry for your loss, but when you return to the Well of Demons there is an enchantment I can give you that will protect you from the unholy blight of Heikkaki's erinyes servants."
"Go back??" Boris snapped. "Why go back? No one want to listen to Boris when he say shogun-man want to help, and now two friends dead! Boris no go back!"
Lucian whirled on the goblin, anger and suspicion burning in his eyes.
"You were in the middle of the blight just like the rest of us," the oracle accused, "yet you were not so much as sickened by it. Why is that?"
Boris glared back at him.
"Boris not know about devil magic," he said. "Not know why stoopid elves and humans get dead and him not. Maybe because he goblin, and goblins strong!"
"Or maybe," Lucian said, his eyes narrowing, "it has something to do with that coin around your neck."
Boris reached up and gripped the coin reflexively.
"You give coin to Boris fair and square!" he barked. "You no have it back!"
"Onoko," Lucian turned back to the angel, "as an archon, can you not detect the presence of evil?"
"I can," she nodded.
"Then I ask you to assess our friend here," Lucian pointed at Boris. "Ever since he came into possession of that coin, a coin taken from the body of an assassin I might add, he has not been acting himself."
"You no look at Boris, bird-lady!" Boris said, standing defiantly before the archon.
Onoko focused her gaze upon him, studying him intently. Her brow furrowed, and her expression darkened.
"There is great evil here!" she hissed. "Why have you brought this to my holy place??"
"We did not know," Ameiko protested. "It's the coin. It has done something to Boris."
"Which is why it is past time we got rid of it!" Lucian said.
Boris's eyes went black as coal, and he bared his pointed teeth in a wicked snarl.
"Never!" he spat. "You never have it!"
He gripped the coin more tightly, and before anyone could react, he simply faded away, like a shadow in the sunlight.
____________________________________________________________
Boris saw the truth now. He could not trust anyone, nor anything other than himself. Even those he was closest to, his so-called friends, wanted to take what was his. Well, that time was past. From now on, he would do whatever it took to make sure no one ever underestimated him again.
He moved through the shadow plane like a wraith, descending back into the Well of Demons. It was too bad about the shogun-man. Boris could have used his help, but he knew there were others. The shogun-man had told him. He went down the tunnel where his former companions had been defeated by the bird women, and he saw the horned lady in the mask standing silent watch there again. She cocked her head as he passed, almost as if she sensed him. Beyond her was a mammoth courtyard. Huge, basalt columns held up its ceiling, while a balcony and two elevated platforms looked down upon its ivory-tiled floor. Imperial tapestries of green and gold hung from their edges, and on the far side of the chamber, a decorative overlook provided a breathtaking view of a waterfall as it poured into the misty depths. Perched on the various platforms were the bird women. Boris ignored them. He was in search of someone more important.
Past the courtyard, Boris found a small cavern. Delicate silk curtains hung from a forest of stalactites on the ceiling, and plush carpets covered the floor. A huge bed draped in satin sheets and a multitude of pillows occupied the rear of the chamber, behind a regal throne carved of jade. Seated upon the throne was a beautiful, ageless Tian-Min woman dressed in Minkai imperial regalia, though the two tentacles that sprouted from her head, writhing about her elaborate coiffure somewhat spoiled the image. Beside her, two more of the winged woman stood, attentive to her every need. Boris braced himself, and then pulled out the small statuette he'd taken from Sokai, spoke a word then returned from the shadow plane to the real world.
Amatatsu Maemi's eyes went wide when the black stallion with eyes and hooves of flame suddenly materialized out of thin air, though what truly caught her off guard was the large-eared goblin perched on its back.
"Empress tentacle-lady," Boris sketched a bow from his seat. "Me Boris, and Boris have important things to tell you."
The erinyes devils beside the throne tensed, drawing back the strings of their fiery bows.
"You may tell me why I should not slay you immediately," Maemi hissed.
"Because Boris and friends sent her to kill you by pretty lady with horn in cemetery," the goblin replied, "and friends come back soon to kill you big time!"
Maemi's mouth gaped for half a second.
"Amatatsu Onoko," she whispered. "Is that who you speak of? That heretical bitch??"
"Yeah, that her name," Boris nodded. "She tell us kill you so Ameiko can get blessing to become big chief of this land."
"Ameiko?" Maemi asked. "That is a woman's name. Could it be? Is there truly a surviving female scion?"
"Yep," Boris nodded again. "She come long way to take throne from Jade Regent. She have fancy seal and everything. But she have problem. She too worried about what right and what wrong. She not able to do what she need to take what hers. She get bad advice from friends."
"I see," Maemi narrowed her eyes. "So what is it that you ask of me?"
"Boris think Ameiko need advice from ancestors. Tell her right way to kill Jade Regent and take what hers. Boris want to help you help Ameiko, but her friends won't let Boris."
"Then they should be removed from the equation," Maemi smiled.
"Boris think so too," the goblin said, "but friends very powerful, and they have lady with horn helping now. Boris think need more powerful friends to beat them. Boris hear there other ancestors trapped in well. Maybe they help too."
Maemi was silent for a long moment.
"Perhaps," she said finally, "for the right price, they will."
______________________________________________________________
Amatatsu Maemi and her retinue of erinyes, plus her handmaiden Shiori Heikkaki, left her domain for the first time in decades. She took Boris deeper into the Well of Demons, into the dominions of her sworn enemies under a flag of truce. She introduced him first to Emperor Sugimatu Nobinoru, a horned skeletal figure who wore a dark kimono and carried an ornate staff. He was accompanied by a creature that resembled a cross between a lobster, an octopus and a human. Nobinoru at first had no interest in deposing the Jade Regent. He had no yearnings for his former life, as Maemi did. However, when he learned that Boris had actually been invested as a scion by the Amatatsu Seal, he was intrigued. He agreed to lend his assistance in exchange for a small fee...a piece of Boris's soul.
Next, Maemi brought Boris before Emperor Shojinawa Ito, a once powerful necromancer who had transformed himself into a lich, but now only existed as dread ghost, bound for all eternity to the Imperial Shrine. It was he who stood guard over the remains of Emperor Shigure, hoping to find a way to possess the corpse so that he might walk the world of the living again. He was more than willing to assist Boris in his endeavors, but the only way he would be able to lend his aid was if he could possess an imperial scion. He gave his vow that it would only be temporary, just long enough for him to escape the island. Boris offered up Ameiko as a host.
________________________________________________________________
When they emerged from the Well of Demons, they were a truly horrifying sight to behold. Empress Amatatsu Maemi was accompanied by her handmaiden and her aerie of erinyes, while Emperor Sugimatu Nobinoru brought with him a half-dozen hydrodaemons, as well as his piscodaemon major domo, Ikku. Last was Emperor Shojinawa Ito, who rode atop a monstrous nightwing, followed by his loyal vassal, a graveknight named Akatsuka Katsumoto.
Amatatsu Onoko sensed them first and warned the scions. There was no question that they were overmatched and could not stand against the united Imperials, but there was another problem: Ameiko could not teleport nor dimensionally travel with the Amatatsu Seal. She had left it in Onoko's care while she was in the Well of Demons, but now it was in her possession once more. Akiro volunteered to stay with her, and Onoko vowed to stand by her, but Ameiko commanded Lucian to leave with Miyaro. When he protested, she told him that he must warn their allies. He had to reach Koya, Shalelu and Spivey again. Hirabashi Jiro had to know that they had failed so that he might not throw his mens' lives away needlessly. Lucian could not argue her logic, but when he spoke the words to his teleportation spell and whisked himself and Miyaro away, it ripped out his heart to do so.
______________________________________________________________
Akiro and Onoko were fearless and truly a sight to behold as they fought to drive back the devils and daemons. Ultimately, however, the outcome was inevitable, and when Emperor Ito forcibly took possession of Ameiko, Akiro lost heart. He fell, leaving only the archon to fight on. She new she could not win, and Ameiko was beyond her ability to save. Before she could be overwhelmed, she transported herself to safety. It was her duty to report back to her mistress, Shizuru, what had transpired.
Above the battle, Boris circled astride his nightmare steed. He could not bring himself to enter the fray and cause direct harm to his former comrades. Something held him back. There was even a part of him that was gladdened to see Lucian escape. He cared nothing for Miyaro nor Akiro, and he had Ito's word that Ameiko would be set free in time. It was for her own good, Boris kept telling himself. This was the only way she would ever win back the Jade Throne.
_____________________________________________________________
Things progressed very quickly after that. Lucian and Miyaro were able to warn Asachi Isao and his underground rebels in the hope they would be able to evacuate. The pair then fled the city and joined up with Jiro's army, where they reunited with Koya, Shalelu and Spivey. Jiro could not be convinced to retreat. This was their only chance as he saw it. His forces met the Jade Regent's Typhoon Guard on the plains before Kasai. The rumor among the citizens of the capital was still that a rightful Amatatsu heir had come to claim the Jade Throne...and they were not wrong.
While the two armies clashed outside the city walls, Boris, along with the Empress Amatatsu Maemi, Emperor Sugimatu Nobinoru, and Ameiko, possessed by Emperor Shojinawa Ito, descended on the Imperial Palace. What resistance they met from the remaining Typhoon Guard was quickly overwhelmed until, at last, they stood in the throne room before the Jade Throne. There they faced Soto Takahiro, the Jade Regent himself, as well as his grandfather Anamurumon, the leader of the Five Storms, his lover and closest advisor, the oracle Renshii Meida, his master of assassins, the tengu ninja Giras Notori, the Raven Prince, and his newest acquisition, the thunder-caller turned vampire, Zula Breaks-the-Wind. Their battle was epic in scale, with Empress Maemi falling before the storm giant oni, Anamurumon, before he himself was slain by Ameiko wielding Suishen. The Jade Regent and the graveknight Akatsuka Katsumoto battled to almost a standstill, but in the end the undead warrior got the upper hand. Boris himself slew the Raven Prince, the power of his coin along with his unholy mount quickly overwhelming the ninja, and Emperor Nobinoru took great pleasure in ripping Renshii Meida's soul from her body and devouring it. That left just Zula who, after Anamurumon's death, found herself free-willed. Having no loyalty to the Jade Regent nor the Five Storms, she pledged her fealty to the necromancer-possessed Ameiko.
____________________________________________________________
In the end, Ameiko ascended the Jade Throne, and the people were at first elated. Jiro's samurai and peasant warriors handily defeated the Typhoon Guard, especially after the oni learned of their master's death. Still, they did not enter the city, as Lucian was uncertain of what to make of Ameiko's victory, especially when last he'd seen her, she was facing certain death.
As for Ameiko, it wasn't long before Boris understood that Emperor Ito had no intention of relinquishing his new vessel. Emperor Nobinoru, having no interest in the affairs of the living, returned to the Imperial Shrine and the Well of Demons to pursue his own dark agenda. With Maemi dead, that left no one to oppose Ito. He began issuing decrees as Ameiko, immediately instituting martial law throughout Kasai. To enforce his commands, he resorted to his necromancy to reanimate the soldiers fallen in battle, both samurai and Typhoon Guard, as loyal undead minions. The people were horrified and terrified, and Jiro's peasant soldiers' will broke before the shambling corpses of their former comrades. They fled back to their farmlands to the north. A new dark age had come to Minkai
Lucian, Miyaro, Koya, Shalelu and Spivey fled as well. There was nothing more they could do. Ultimately, Miyaro returned to her forest and the kami. The oni had been defeated, but a new evil had arisen. The forest spirits would do as they had always done...protect their charges and wait out the storm. The others returned across the Crown of the World, and eventually back to Varisia and Sandpoint. They never spoke to their friends and family about what they had experienced, nor what had befallen those they had set with on that long ago day with Sandru's caravan.
__________________________________________________________
As for Boris, he was angry and saddened over Ito's betrayal, but there was little he could do without endangering Ameiko's life. The new Emperor/Empress didn't seem to mind his presence in the palace, but Boris knew it would only be a matter of time before he'd worn out his welcome. Eventually, he slipped away unnoticed and unseen, traveling the shadow dimension north, back to the Crown of the World and that small town where he and his friends had rested once upon a time. There, he walked out onto the ice-covered lake and sat and waited. Before long, she came to him, as he knew she would. His bride had been expecting his return, and she embraced him and welcomed him home. She took him beneath the ice and into the perpetual darkness of the lake to meet his children...
18 Desnus, 4716 - All Good Things
"So it's to be war, then," Teikoku Sokai snarled as the scions advanced on him.
"No!" Boris protested. "Wait dead shogun-man! Boris talk to friends! Everything be ok!"
"I think it's too late for that," Sokai replied. "Your so-called friends seem to have already made up their mind about me. Pity. We could have done great things together."
As Boris stared in disbelief, the shogun's form began to shift and change. He grew taller, broader and more...porcine? Where a handsome man had stood just moments before, there now loomed a towering, corpulent beast with the hideous head of a boar, and arms ending in fatty, four-fingered hands.
"Come my minions!" Sokai bellowed. "The time is now!"
From an archway on the far side of the chamber, a sour-smelling mist began to flow. It pooled around the edges of the room, and then started to rise along the walls, coalescing into vaguely humanoid shapes. A moment later they solidified, revealing a trio of demons whose armored flesh was scaly and moist, with large, toothy mouths gaping beneath hungry, reptilian eyes.
Sandru had seen enough. He lunged towards the demonic shogun, who was now surrounded by a dark nimbus of light. He struck the brute with three quick, wicked slashes, but when he did so, the black light flared out at him, and he felt himself grow weak, his muscles struggling to hold up his sword. From behind him, Lucian fired his bow, putting three arrows into the shogun's chest. Sokai barely seemed to acknowledge the pain. Instead, he drew the dark nimbus in tight around him, and then unleashed it in an ebony explosion. It struck Haroldo, Boris and Sandru, filling their minds with visions of madness, leaving them momentarily dazed and confused. At that moment, the shogun's demonic, frog-like minions began an obscene croaking. As it built to a crescendo, a miasma of greasy, black energy enveloped the scions, leaving their exposed flesh numbed and frozen, and causing Sandru to double over and vomit in revulsion.
Lucian drew his bow string back to his ear and prepared to fire, even though he was no more than a few feet away from Sokai. The shogun raised one mighty fist to hammer him, but as the blow descended, it struck some unseen obstacle in mid-air.
"You're welcome!" Akiro grinned at the oracle
Lucian shook his head, not sure whether to be grateful for the force wall, or annoyed. Instead, he turned and put his arrows to use on the nearest frog-demon.
"Clever," Sokai growled from the other side of wall, but then he abruptly vanished only to reappear among his servants. "But not clever enough."
The demons began croaking again, but then Akiro lobbed a fireball into their midst. It detonated with ferocious force, ripping all three of the demons to shreds. Sokai reeled from the blast, and that's when Lucian put an arrow right through his throat. Gurgling and sputtering, he toppled to the floor. No sooner had he fallen than the throne room transformed. Gone were all the trappings of royalty, leaving nothing behind save bare stone.
As the others regained their composure, Boris scrabbled quickly across the floor to Sokai's side. His small hands moved deftly through the dead shogun's pockets and closed on something smooth and hard. When he drew it out, Boris saw that it was a small statuette of a horse, seemingly carved from obsidian. He quietly tucked it into his own pocket.
_____________________________________________
"Boris still not know why you not listen to shogun-man," the goblin grumbled as the scions made their way up the tunnel that led off the small beach in the flooded cavern. "He say make deal. He help us fight Jade Regent and tell us about other bad rulers."
"He was a demon," Ameiko sighed. "Can't you see that he was just trying to use us to get free of this place?"
Boris shrugged. "So? He help us fight enemies."
"Just so he can rule Minkai in the Jade Regent's place," Ameiko explained. "Trust me, Boris, we don't need his kind of help."
Boris shrugged again, but kept silent.
High rock shelves lined the narrow passageway they found themselves in, marred by a forest of stalactites and stalagmites that resembled nothing less than the narrow bars of a cage in the ebbing glow of the luminescent lichen growing upon them. Abruptly, Akiro halted, holding up one hand.
"What is it?" Ameiko asked quietly.
"I've magically enhanced my senses like those of a bat," the mage whispered back. "I can 'see' sounds as they bounce off of objects. Up ahead, there is something...humanoid...near the ceiling. Make ready."
He began a spell, conjuring a small orb of fire between his hands. When the spell was complete, he hurled the fireball towards the spot where he'd sensed the lurker. It exploded, and in its aftermath, a figure became visible, floating gently to the floor. It appeared female, though a featureless porcelain mask concealed her features. Long, twisting horns grew from her head, and a hairless rat's tail poked out from beneath the skirts of the blood-stained kimono she wore. In one hand she held a wickedly curved naginata. As her robe touched the floor, she suddenly erupted in a nimbus of fire, burning but obviously unharmed by the flames. She extended her free hand and cast her own spell, sending waves of power washing over the scions, leaving them fatigued in their wake. Haroldo rushed towards her sluggishly, but as he drew near, she lashed out with her polearm, stopping him in his tracks.
Piercing shrieks filled the air of the tunnel. In the air behind the fiendish woman, a flock of a half-dozen black-winged females appeared, fiery bows gripped in their hands. As one, they unleashed six blasts of unholy magic. The blight struck Haroldo, Sandru and Boris like a shock wave. The battle-rager and the caravan master were rocked back on their heels, but Boris looked unscathed. Akiro quickly hurled a ferocious salvo of magic force missiles towards the immolated woman. She recoiled, but then gripped her naginata in both hands and rammed it straight through Haroldo's belly. The magic of the winged fiends struck again, catching Lucian in its effect as well. This time, however, in the wake of the bombardment, both Sandru and Haroldo were left unmoving on the floor. Boris, again, seemed untouched.
"We have to go!" Lucian cried shakily.
He reached down and seized his fallen companions, then cast a teleportation spell. The three of them vanished.
"I agree, my Lady," Akiro said as he took Ameiko by the arm. "This is not a fight we can win this day."
With Boris and Miyaro gathered near, the mage cast his own spell and whisked the four of them to safety...
__________________________________________________
"That sounds like Shiori Heikkaki," Amatatsu Onoko said, "Amatatsu Maemi's handmaiden."
"Handmaiden??" Lucian gasped. "That wasn't the empress herself?"
"I'm afraid not," the archon shook her head sadly.
She gazed down upon the bodies of Haroldo and Lucian where they lay on the floor of her mausoleum.
"I am sorry for your loss, but when you return to the Well of Demons there is an enchantment I can give you that will protect you from the unholy blight of Heikkaki's erinyes servants."
"Go back??" Boris snapped. "Why go back? No one want to listen to Boris when he say shogun-man want to help, and now two friends dead! Boris no go back!"
Lucian whirled on the goblin, anger and suspicion burning in his eyes.
"You were in the middle of the blight just like the rest of us," the oracle accused, "yet you were not so much as sickened by it. Why is that?"
Boris glared back at him.
"Boris not know about devil magic," he said. "Not know why stoopid elves and humans get dead and him not. Maybe because he goblin, and goblins strong!"
"Or maybe," Lucian said, his eyes narrowing, "it has something to do with that coin around your neck."
Boris reached up and gripped the coin reflexively.
"You give coin to Boris fair and square!" he barked. "You no have it back!"
"Onoko," Lucian turned back to the angel, "as an archon, can you not detect the presence of evil?"
"I can," she nodded.
"Then I ask you to assess our friend here," Lucian pointed at Boris. "Ever since he came into possession of that coin, a coin taken from the body of an assassin I might add, he has not been acting himself."
"You no look at Boris, bird-lady!" Boris said, standing defiantly before the archon.
Onoko focused her gaze upon him, studying him intently. Her brow furrowed, and her expression darkened.
"There is great evil here!" she hissed. "Why have you brought this to my holy place??"
"We did not know," Ameiko protested. "It's the coin. It has done something to Boris."
"Which is why it is past time we got rid of it!" Lucian said.
Boris's eyes went black as coal, and he bared his pointed teeth in a wicked snarl.
"Never!" he spat. "You never have it!"
He gripped the coin more tightly, and before anyone could react, he simply faded away, like a shadow in the sunlight.
____________________________________________________________
Boris saw the truth now. He could not trust anyone, nor anything other than himself. Even those he was closest to, his so-called friends, wanted to take what was his. Well, that time was past. From now on, he would do whatever it took to make sure no one ever underestimated him again.
He moved through the shadow plane like a wraith, descending back into the Well of Demons. It was too bad about the shogun-man. Boris could have used his help, but he knew there were others. The shogun-man had told him. He went down the tunnel where his former companions had been defeated by the bird women, and he saw the horned lady in the mask standing silent watch there again. She cocked her head as he passed, almost as if she sensed him. Beyond her was a mammoth courtyard. Huge, basalt columns held up its ceiling, while a balcony and two elevated platforms looked down upon its ivory-tiled floor. Imperial tapestries of green and gold hung from their edges, and on the far side of the chamber, a decorative overlook provided a breathtaking view of a waterfall as it poured into the misty depths. Perched on the various platforms were the bird women. Boris ignored them. He was in search of someone more important.
Past the courtyard, Boris found a small cavern. Delicate silk curtains hung from a forest of stalactites on the ceiling, and plush carpets covered the floor. A huge bed draped in satin sheets and a multitude of pillows occupied the rear of the chamber, behind a regal throne carved of jade. Seated upon the throne was a beautiful, ageless Tian-Min woman dressed in Minkai imperial regalia, though the two tentacles that sprouted from her head, writhing about her elaborate coiffure somewhat spoiled the image. Beside her, two more of the winged woman stood, attentive to her every need. Boris braced himself, and then pulled out the small statuette he'd taken from Sokai, spoke a word then returned from the shadow plane to the real world.
Amatatsu Maemi's eyes went wide when the black stallion with eyes and hooves of flame suddenly materialized out of thin air, though what truly caught her off guard was the large-eared goblin perched on its back.
"Empress tentacle-lady," Boris sketched a bow from his seat. "Me Boris, and Boris have important things to tell you."
The erinyes devils beside the throne tensed, drawing back the strings of their fiery bows.
"You may tell me why I should not slay you immediately," Maemi hissed.
"Because Boris and friends sent her to kill you by pretty lady with horn in cemetery," the goblin replied, "and friends come back soon to kill you big time!"
Maemi's mouth gaped for half a second.
"Amatatsu Onoko," she whispered. "Is that who you speak of? That heretical bitch??"
"Yeah, that her name," Boris nodded. "She tell us kill you so Ameiko can get blessing to become big chief of this land."
"Ameiko?" Maemi asked. "That is a woman's name. Could it be? Is there truly a surviving female scion?"
"Yep," Boris nodded again. "She come long way to take throne from Jade Regent. She have fancy seal and everything. But she have problem. She too worried about what right and what wrong. She not able to do what she need to take what hers. She get bad advice from friends."
"I see," Maemi narrowed her eyes. "So what is it that you ask of me?"
"Boris think Ameiko need advice from ancestors. Tell her right way to kill Jade Regent and take what hers. Boris want to help you help Ameiko, but her friends won't let Boris."
"Then they should be removed from the equation," Maemi smiled.
"Boris think so too," the goblin said, "but friends very powerful, and they have lady with horn helping now. Boris think need more powerful friends to beat them. Boris hear there other ancestors trapped in well. Maybe they help too."
Maemi was silent for a long moment.
"Perhaps," she said finally, "for the right price, they will."
______________________________________________________________
Amatatsu Maemi and her retinue of erinyes, plus her handmaiden Shiori Heikkaki, left her domain for the first time in decades. She took Boris deeper into the Well of Demons, into the dominions of her sworn enemies under a flag of truce. She introduced him first to Emperor Sugimatu Nobinoru, a horned skeletal figure who wore a dark kimono and carried an ornate staff. He was accompanied by a creature that resembled a cross between a lobster, an octopus and a human. Nobinoru at first had no interest in deposing the Jade Regent. He had no yearnings for his former life, as Maemi did. However, when he learned that Boris had actually been invested as a scion by the Amatatsu Seal, he was intrigued. He agreed to lend his assistance in exchange for a small fee...a piece of Boris's soul.
Next, Maemi brought Boris before Emperor Shojinawa Ito, a once powerful necromancer who had transformed himself into a lich, but now only existed as dread ghost, bound for all eternity to the Imperial Shrine. It was he who stood guard over the remains of Emperor Shigure, hoping to find a way to possess the corpse so that he might walk the world of the living again. He was more than willing to assist Boris in his endeavors, but the only way he would be able to lend his aid was if he could possess an imperial scion. He gave his vow that it would only be temporary, just long enough for him to escape the island. Boris offered up Ameiko as a host.
________________________________________________________________
When they emerged from the Well of Demons, they were a truly horrifying sight to behold. Empress Amatatsu Maemi was accompanied by her handmaiden and her aerie of erinyes, while Emperor Sugimatu Nobinoru brought with him a half-dozen hydrodaemons, as well as his piscodaemon major domo, Ikku. Last was Emperor Shojinawa Ito, who rode atop a monstrous nightwing, followed by his loyal vassal, a graveknight named Akatsuka Katsumoto.
Amatatsu Onoko sensed them first and warned the scions. There was no question that they were overmatched and could not stand against the united Imperials, but there was another problem: Ameiko could not teleport nor dimensionally travel with the Amatatsu Seal. She had left it in Onoko's care while she was in the Well of Demons, but now it was in her possession once more. Akiro volunteered to stay with her, and Onoko vowed to stand by her, but Ameiko commanded Lucian to leave with Miyaro. When he protested, she told him that he must warn their allies. He had to reach Koya, Shalelu and Spivey again. Hirabashi Jiro had to know that they had failed so that he might not throw his mens' lives away needlessly. Lucian could not argue her logic, but when he spoke the words to his teleportation spell and whisked himself and Miyaro away, it ripped out his heart to do so.
______________________________________________________________
Akiro and Onoko were fearless and truly a sight to behold as they fought to drive back the devils and daemons. Ultimately, however, the outcome was inevitable, and when Emperor Ito forcibly took possession of Ameiko, Akiro lost heart. He fell, leaving only the archon to fight on. She new she could not win, and Ameiko was beyond her ability to save. Before she could be overwhelmed, she transported herself to safety. It was her duty to report back to her mistress, Shizuru, what had transpired.
Above the battle, Boris circled astride his nightmare steed. He could not bring himself to enter the fray and cause direct harm to his former comrades. Something held him back. There was even a part of him that was gladdened to see Lucian escape. He cared nothing for Miyaro nor Akiro, and he had Ito's word that Ameiko would be set free in time. It was for her own good, Boris kept telling himself. This was the only way she would ever win back the Jade Throne.
_____________________________________________________________
Things progressed very quickly after that. Lucian and Miyaro were able to warn Asachi Isao and his underground rebels in the hope they would be able to evacuate. The pair then fled the city and joined up with Jiro's army, where they reunited with Koya, Shalelu and Spivey. Jiro could not be convinced to retreat. This was their only chance as he saw it. His forces met the Jade Regent's Typhoon Guard on the plains before Kasai. The rumor among the citizens of the capital was still that a rightful Amatatsu heir had come to claim the Jade Throne...and they were not wrong.
While the two armies clashed outside the city walls, Boris, along with the Empress Amatatsu Maemi, Emperor Sugimatu Nobinoru, and Ameiko, possessed by Emperor Shojinawa Ito, descended on the Imperial Palace. What resistance they met from the remaining Typhoon Guard was quickly overwhelmed until, at last, they stood in the throne room before the Jade Throne. There they faced Soto Takahiro, the Jade Regent himself, as well as his grandfather Anamurumon, the leader of the Five Storms, his lover and closest advisor, the oracle Renshii Meida, his master of assassins, the tengu ninja Giras Notori, the Raven Prince, and his newest acquisition, the thunder-caller turned vampire, Zula Breaks-the-Wind. Their battle was epic in scale, with Empress Maemi falling before the storm giant oni, Anamurumon, before he himself was slain by Ameiko wielding Suishen. The Jade Regent and the graveknight Akatsuka Katsumoto battled to almost a standstill, but in the end the undead warrior got the upper hand. Boris himself slew the Raven Prince, the power of his coin along with his unholy mount quickly overwhelming the ninja, and Emperor Nobinoru took great pleasure in ripping Renshii Meida's soul from her body and devouring it. That left just Zula who, after Anamurumon's death, found herself free-willed. Having no loyalty to the Jade Regent nor the Five Storms, she pledged her fealty to the necromancer-possessed Ameiko.
____________________________________________________________
In the end, Ameiko ascended the Jade Throne, and the people were at first elated. Jiro's samurai and peasant warriors handily defeated the Typhoon Guard, especially after the oni learned of their master's death. Still, they did not enter the city, as Lucian was uncertain of what to make of Ameiko's victory, especially when last he'd seen her, she was facing certain death.
As for Ameiko, it wasn't long before Boris understood that Emperor Ito had no intention of relinquishing his new vessel. Emperor Nobinoru, having no interest in the affairs of the living, returned to the Imperial Shrine and the Well of Demons to pursue his own dark agenda. With Maemi dead, that left no one to oppose Ito. He began issuing decrees as Ameiko, immediately instituting martial law throughout Kasai. To enforce his commands, he resorted to his necromancy to reanimate the soldiers fallen in battle, both samurai and Typhoon Guard, as loyal undead minions. The people were horrified and terrified, and Jiro's peasant soldiers' will broke before the shambling corpses of their former comrades. They fled back to their farmlands to the north. A new dark age had come to Minkai
Lucian, Miyaro, Koya, Shalelu and Spivey fled as well. There was nothing more they could do. Ultimately, Miyaro returned to her forest and the kami. The oni had been defeated, but a new evil had arisen. The forest spirits would do as they had always done...protect their charges and wait out the storm. The others returned across the Crown of the World, and eventually back to Varisia and Sandpoint. They never spoke to their friends and family about what they had experienced, nor what had befallen those they had set with on that long ago day with Sandru's caravan.
__________________________________________________________
As for Boris, he was angry and saddened over Ito's betrayal, but there was little he could do without endangering Ameiko's life. The new Emperor/Empress didn't seem to mind his presence in the palace, but Boris knew it would only be a matter of time before he'd worn out his welcome. Eventually, he slipped away unnoticed and unseen, traveling the shadow dimension north, back to the Crown of the World and that small town where he and his friends had rested once upon a time. There, he walked out onto the ice-covered lake and sat and waited. Before long, she came to him, as he knew she would. His bride had been expecting his return, and she embraced him and welcomed him home. She took him beneath the ice and into the perpetual darkness of the lake to meet his children...
helginho81
First Post
Ok...this is a pretty non-standard and to be honest rather unsatisfactory conclusion to an otherwise great AP and associated story hour. To me personally it appears as if your players in the end did not care any longer and wanted to focus on the WotW AP instead...
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