Emperor Valerian
First Post
To Red Lotus We Will Go... To Red Lotus We Will Go... Hi Ho the Dareeio... Holy Crap Its a Dead Thing!
Felonca... shredded apart that undead creature... I knew she was hengeyokai... but I never expected THAT...
Nayu’s impressed look was somewhat disturbed by the wrinkle that came to his nose at the smell hanging in the air. A quick glance revealed Bohai cowering next to a tree, whimpering.
Poor guy, Nayu thought, taking in the other man’s frightened brown eyes, He only went after Liu’s caravan because he thought he could find some holy water... and now he has to see this? Taking a deep breath, Nayu made his way through the foul smell towards the cowering farmer.
“Bohai? It... smells like you need a new set of trousers,” Nayu said, some sympathy seeping into his voice. He was tied up this entire time... I’d be frightened too! Nayu started to undo the man’s bonds as Felonca continued to cough. After a few moments, the ropes fell away.
“There,” Nayu said quietly. “And I have a extra set of clean trousers you can borrow until we reach Red Lotus.”
“That was very kind of you yesterday,” Felonca said the next morning as the group continued their rapid pace towards Red Lotus, their two horses kicking up a great cloud of dust behind them. Behind Nayu was seated a much happier looking Bohai, his former dusty brown trousers now replaced by Nayu’s green extras.
“The poor guy was so frightened,” Nayu replied, “I couldn’t help but untie him. Besides, he doesn’t like these undead things also... and another blade... even if it’s a scared farmer with a dagger, can’t hurt, now can it?”
“Unless he decides to use the blade while we sleep?” Felonca raised a dark eyebrow. Nayu’s eyes narrowed at the comment.
“I wouldn’t...” Bohai’s voice rose in protest, before Liu interrupted.
“I will take watch with him, and I have a distinct feeling he’ll behave,” the monk said dryly. Neither Nayu or Felonca saw the look the monk gave the farmer... otherwise they would have seen all the threats in the world conveyed through simple, calm eyes.
“Now that I’m fed, I will beh... hey! What’s that?”
Felonca and Nayu followed the unbound farmer’s pointing finger, towards a thin whiff of brown hanging over the road far ahead. Even in the moments that they watched, it seemed to billow and grow.
“That’s either a very large caravan... or something I’m going to guess will be unpleasant,” Nayu said sourly. Already his hands had grabbed his horse’s bridle, goading it towards a small copse trees off the road.
“Maybe its some soldiers sent to kill these things?” Felonca offered hopefully, before she too gave a grunt and followed him. “You’re right, our luck, it’d be an army of undead soldiers!”
“Undead soldiers?” Bohai asked uncertainly from behind Nayu.
“No one has seen anything like that yet,” Nayu replied slightly testily as he guided his horse into the brush, a hand running along his mounts neck to calm the steed. If you think you’re going to be outnumbered by bandits... its better to hide than try to fight against hard odds, Nayu heard his father repeating. The young man quickly alighted off his horse, and tied the animal up deep in the wood copse.
“I can see them now... there’s at least eight skeletons,” Felonca’s strained whisper ruslted through the air. Liu, tying up her horse, gave a grunt of displeasure. At her announcement, Bohai’s whimpers increased in volume and quantity.
“Quiet down, Bohai,” Nayu said, the testiness in his voice increasing as he peered out of the woods, and counted twelve skeletons himself, armed with various implements... and two with crossbows. In response, Nayu heard the whimpers increase even more.
“Bohai, shut up,” Felonca hissed in an acidic tone. Nayu’s eyes saw the man’s brown eyes flash with the same fear he had seen the night before, but this time, the young sorcerer’s compassion faded in the face of the adrenaline pumping through his system.
He’ll give us away if he keeps going! Nayu’s mind flashed, as Bohai let loose a small wail of fear as the steady step of the skeletons grew audible. Finally, Nayu stalked over to the whimpering farmer with a piece of cloth. Quickly, he had the man’s mouth bound shut before Bohai could react.
“We can’t have you being loud! You’ll give us away!” Nayu growled, pulling the man to his feet. “If you choose to fight, you can. If you choose to run, you can. But dammit, you won’t give the rest of us away by whining!”
“Too late!” Felonca’s hiss echoed through the trees.
Felonca’s eyes narrowed as she watched the small column of skeletons, marching two by two, changed direction and starting marching up the road they were hiding beside. Their skulls shifted side to side, making creaking and cracking noises as their undead eyes searched for the prey that had mewed.
A sickle, several daggers, and one with a crossbow, she noted with alarm. Nayu’s expert use of the weapon only a few days ago was enough to convince her that this one was the most dangerous.
She heard the slightest of rustles to her left, and knew without looking that Liu and Nayu had shifted into a position close by. Carefully, Felonca drew her bow, silently tensing up her bowstring as she sighted her shot for the left eye socket of the crossbow-bearing skeleton.
A muffled cry tore through the silent air, and Felonca jumped. Her bow, so carefully sighted, jerked to the left, and her arrow sailed only a few inches to the left of her target’s head. Immediately, the skeletons clattered their skulls in unison towards this new threat. A whumph then thundered through the air, as a blast of light slammed into the same skeleton, the magic missiles forcing the creature to stumble backwards.
The skeletons broke into a clattering run as one, their weapons raised above their heads. All started to run towards the woods, one making a charge directly towards Liu.
Felonca called out a warning, only to see the sage monk close his eyes and fold his hands together. As the skittering undead grew nearer and nearer, Liu barely moved, not even twitching an eyebrow as Felonca leapt into the creature’s path and cut it down with her warfan.
“Liu! What the hell is wrong with you!” Felonca shouted before three skeletons swarmed her. Dammit! Don’t pray! Fight! her mind snapped as her combat training took over, her form becoming a whirling dervish of razor sharp fans and blocking moves.
Her world visually became nothing more than a sea of colors as she spun ‘round and ‘round in a defensive bid to keep her attackers at bay. All around her, dull white skulls clicked their jaws in silent screams of rage as their daggers desperately tried to close in on her. Finally, Felonca saw a blur of brown and green, and suddenly the off-white blurs of skeletons shrunk. She stopped her spin in time to see Bohai breathing heavily as he shattered the skull of one of the skeletons with the hilt of his dagger.
Nayu gave a silent curse as he saw the three skeletons mob Felonca, and gave a sigh of relief when Bohai leapt into their midst and surprisingly destroyed one. The chaos around him had caused Nayu’s concentration to fade momentarily, and he felt the magic in his body surging, writhing just below the surface.
A blast of focused magical energy lashed out at the crossbow skeleton again, this time shattering the creature’s skull. As it clattered to the ground, Nayu saw with alarm that four skeletons were rushing towards a still calm and unmoving Liu.
“Master Liu, look out!” Nayu called out. He didn’t hear me! the young man panicked as the monk continued to stand tall, his eyes closed and arms crossed. Suddenly, the man’s eyes flew open, a bright, white fire burned from their depths. The four skeletons skidded to a halt, as Nayu heard a faint whistling in the air.
The whistle rose as the leaves began to flutter slightly. Within moments, the whistle had risen to a roar, and the four skeletons seemed to break apart, as if a great typhoon was twisting and wrenching them to pieces. As their bones broke into dust and flew away, the noise subsided, and not even the weakest of leaves on the trees seemed out of place. (Turn Undead)
Nayu stood, mouth agape for several moments, even as another skeleton ran towards the monk. Liu’s eyes had returned to normal, but still he did not move as the monstrosity clattered ever closer. Suddenly, like a coiled snake, the monk’s arm lashed out in a vicious punch that shattered the skeleton’s skull. Liu’s calm eyes then looked towards Nayu, and part of a grin formed on his face.
“Nayu, tend to your front,” the monk called as he slipped back into a full fighting stance.
Felonca looked at the monk, and then at the skeletons now backing away, her eyes wide with surprise. Well... he is a monk, Felonca... he would have connections with something powerful, by logic, her mind would chastise her as she drew her bow and dispatched another skeleton. The final two remaining ones were backing away, even their emotionless eye sockets betraying nervousness. Two bright flashes of light from Nayu’s hand ended their existence only moments later.
“Everyone alright?” she called, walking over to where Nayu was already examining the daggers the skeletons were carrying.
“I need another set of trousers,” Bohai said quietly, his face beet red as a familiar smell began to assault the party’s nostrils. Felonca watched Nayu’s eyes flash momentarily with anger before the young man reined in his voice.
“I have no more trousers to spare,” he said quietly and curtly, before turning to the monk. “And Master Liu... how did you do that... thing? With the wind? Was that magic like the scholars use?”
The monk’s calm smile returned. “Master Asoka teaches us that if we can find our inner peace, it can be used to calm any storm in this world,” the monk said simply, before the thin smile was replaced by a look of concern. “Though my peace of mind is disturbed... these skeletons came from the road to Red Lotus, did they not?”
Felonca wasn’t surprised when Nayu’s eyes went a little wide, and he immediately began hurrying everyone to rush towards the town. It actually was not far... after a hard ride they arrived at the outskirts of the village within a few hours... and to Nayu’s apparent relief, things seemed normal.
Felonca noticed many of the same people she’d seen the week earlier when she first arrived in the town. Jiang the blacksmith even glared at her as the group made their way towards the town market.
“I think we hurried for nothing,” she said rather hopefully, “it looks like everything is normal here!”
“Not... quite...” Nayu said slowly, making his way toward the market square. “I don’t see Mistress Cixi’s stall open. That’s not right.”
“Well, she did sound a little under the weather when we were last here. Maybe she took the day off? Or maybe she’s using that gold I gave her to get her roof fixed?” Felonca replied. I wonder if this mess made that young man so paranoid, or if he is normally like this?
“Perhaps we should move aside from the middle of the street,” Liu said, pointed towards the market crowds. “There’s a black litter coming this way... a procession of some kind. Master Nayu, is today a holy day in your village?”
Felonca could see by the confused look on Nayu’s face that the answer was no. His eyes narrowed as he stared ahead, and then, she saw him relax slightly.
“Prefect?” she asked.
“No... it’s a funeral litter. If it was the prefect, I’d be trying to get you to hide,” he gave a slight wry grin at her. His face became somber again as he muttered, “I wonder who peri...”
His musings were interrupted as screams of confusion and fear came from the crowds ahead. Like a sea breaking before the bow of a ship, the crowds suddenly parted as the shrouded litter fell to the ground, its carriers fleeing as well. From within its black shrouds a emaciated, wrinkled hand clawed out, followed by a long, aged arm, and then a body.
As Nayu stood rooted in fear and confusion, he found himself staring into familiar eyes. Instead of aged grey, they now burned a deep, dark red. Instead of a buck-toothed smile, there was a mouth filled with razor-sharp, blackened teeth. And instead of her usual rags, the bone-thin form of what was once Madame Cixi was clad in the garb of a body being taken for burial...
(DM Notes: The skeletons the part fought were simple ones, based on first level warriors. As for what Madame Cixi has become... well, the next update will explain that...
This is almost the end of the first session!)
Felonca... shredded apart that undead creature... I knew she was hengeyokai... but I never expected THAT...
Nayu’s impressed look was somewhat disturbed by the wrinkle that came to his nose at the smell hanging in the air. A quick glance revealed Bohai cowering next to a tree, whimpering.
Poor guy, Nayu thought, taking in the other man’s frightened brown eyes, He only went after Liu’s caravan because he thought he could find some holy water... and now he has to see this? Taking a deep breath, Nayu made his way through the foul smell towards the cowering farmer.
“Bohai? It... smells like you need a new set of trousers,” Nayu said, some sympathy seeping into his voice. He was tied up this entire time... I’d be frightened too! Nayu started to undo the man’s bonds as Felonca continued to cough. After a few moments, the ropes fell away.
“There,” Nayu said quietly. “And I have a extra set of clean trousers you can borrow until we reach Red Lotus.”
“That was very kind of you yesterday,” Felonca said the next morning as the group continued their rapid pace towards Red Lotus, their two horses kicking up a great cloud of dust behind them. Behind Nayu was seated a much happier looking Bohai, his former dusty brown trousers now replaced by Nayu’s green extras.
“The poor guy was so frightened,” Nayu replied, “I couldn’t help but untie him. Besides, he doesn’t like these undead things also... and another blade... even if it’s a scared farmer with a dagger, can’t hurt, now can it?”
“Unless he decides to use the blade while we sleep?” Felonca raised a dark eyebrow. Nayu’s eyes narrowed at the comment.
“I wouldn’t...” Bohai’s voice rose in protest, before Liu interrupted.
“I will take watch with him, and I have a distinct feeling he’ll behave,” the monk said dryly. Neither Nayu or Felonca saw the look the monk gave the farmer... otherwise they would have seen all the threats in the world conveyed through simple, calm eyes.
“Now that I’m fed, I will beh... hey! What’s that?”
Felonca and Nayu followed the unbound farmer’s pointing finger, towards a thin whiff of brown hanging over the road far ahead. Even in the moments that they watched, it seemed to billow and grow.
“That’s either a very large caravan... or something I’m going to guess will be unpleasant,” Nayu said sourly. Already his hands had grabbed his horse’s bridle, goading it towards a small copse trees off the road.
“Maybe its some soldiers sent to kill these things?” Felonca offered hopefully, before she too gave a grunt and followed him. “You’re right, our luck, it’d be an army of undead soldiers!”
“Undead soldiers?” Bohai asked uncertainly from behind Nayu.
“No one has seen anything like that yet,” Nayu replied slightly testily as he guided his horse into the brush, a hand running along his mounts neck to calm the steed. If you think you’re going to be outnumbered by bandits... its better to hide than try to fight against hard odds, Nayu heard his father repeating. The young man quickly alighted off his horse, and tied the animal up deep in the wood copse.
“I can see them now... there’s at least eight skeletons,” Felonca’s strained whisper ruslted through the air. Liu, tying up her horse, gave a grunt of displeasure. At her announcement, Bohai’s whimpers increased in volume and quantity.
“Quiet down, Bohai,” Nayu said, the testiness in his voice increasing as he peered out of the woods, and counted twelve skeletons himself, armed with various implements... and two with crossbows. In response, Nayu heard the whimpers increase even more.
“Bohai, shut up,” Felonca hissed in an acidic tone. Nayu’s eyes saw the man’s brown eyes flash with the same fear he had seen the night before, but this time, the young sorcerer’s compassion faded in the face of the adrenaline pumping through his system.
He’ll give us away if he keeps going! Nayu’s mind flashed, as Bohai let loose a small wail of fear as the steady step of the skeletons grew audible. Finally, Nayu stalked over to the whimpering farmer with a piece of cloth. Quickly, he had the man’s mouth bound shut before Bohai could react.
“We can’t have you being loud! You’ll give us away!” Nayu growled, pulling the man to his feet. “If you choose to fight, you can. If you choose to run, you can. But dammit, you won’t give the rest of us away by whining!”
“Too late!” Felonca’s hiss echoed through the trees.
Felonca’s eyes narrowed as she watched the small column of skeletons, marching two by two, changed direction and starting marching up the road they were hiding beside. Their skulls shifted side to side, making creaking and cracking noises as their undead eyes searched for the prey that had mewed.
A sickle, several daggers, and one with a crossbow, she noted with alarm. Nayu’s expert use of the weapon only a few days ago was enough to convince her that this one was the most dangerous.
She heard the slightest of rustles to her left, and knew without looking that Liu and Nayu had shifted into a position close by. Carefully, Felonca drew her bow, silently tensing up her bowstring as she sighted her shot for the left eye socket of the crossbow-bearing skeleton.
A muffled cry tore through the silent air, and Felonca jumped. Her bow, so carefully sighted, jerked to the left, and her arrow sailed only a few inches to the left of her target’s head. Immediately, the skeletons clattered their skulls in unison towards this new threat. A whumph then thundered through the air, as a blast of light slammed into the same skeleton, the magic missiles forcing the creature to stumble backwards.
The skeletons broke into a clattering run as one, their weapons raised above their heads. All started to run towards the woods, one making a charge directly towards Liu.
Felonca called out a warning, only to see the sage monk close his eyes and fold his hands together. As the skittering undead grew nearer and nearer, Liu barely moved, not even twitching an eyebrow as Felonca leapt into the creature’s path and cut it down with her warfan.
“Liu! What the hell is wrong with you!” Felonca shouted before three skeletons swarmed her. Dammit! Don’t pray! Fight! her mind snapped as her combat training took over, her form becoming a whirling dervish of razor sharp fans and blocking moves.
Her world visually became nothing more than a sea of colors as she spun ‘round and ‘round in a defensive bid to keep her attackers at bay. All around her, dull white skulls clicked their jaws in silent screams of rage as their daggers desperately tried to close in on her. Finally, Felonca saw a blur of brown and green, and suddenly the off-white blurs of skeletons shrunk. She stopped her spin in time to see Bohai breathing heavily as he shattered the skull of one of the skeletons with the hilt of his dagger.
Nayu gave a silent curse as he saw the three skeletons mob Felonca, and gave a sigh of relief when Bohai leapt into their midst and surprisingly destroyed one. The chaos around him had caused Nayu’s concentration to fade momentarily, and he felt the magic in his body surging, writhing just below the surface.
A blast of focused magical energy lashed out at the crossbow skeleton again, this time shattering the creature’s skull. As it clattered to the ground, Nayu saw with alarm that four skeletons were rushing towards a still calm and unmoving Liu.
“Master Liu, look out!” Nayu called out. He didn’t hear me! the young man panicked as the monk continued to stand tall, his eyes closed and arms crossed. Suddenly, the man’s eyes flew open, a bright, white fire burned from their depths. The four skeletons skidded to a halt, as Nayu heard a faint whistling in the air.
The whistle rose as the leaves began to flutter slightly. Within moments, the whistle had risen to a roar, and the four skeletons seemed to break apart, as if a great typhoon was twisting and wrenching them to pieces. As their bones broke into dust and flew away, the noise subsided, and not even the weakest of leaves on the trees seemed out of place. (Turn Undead)
Nayu stood, mouth agape for several moments, even as another skeleton ran towards the monk. Liu’s eyes had returned to normal, but still he did not move as the monstrosity clattered ever closer. Suddenly, like a coiled snake, the monk’s arm lashed out in a vicious punch that shattered the skeleton’s skull. Liu’s calm eyes then looked towards Nayu, and part of a grin formed on his face.
“Nayu, tend to your front,” the monk called as he slipped back into a full fighting stance.
Felonca looked at the monk, and then at the skeletons now backing away, her eyes wide with surprise. Well... he is a monk, Felonca... he would have connections with something powerful, by logic, her mind would chastise her as she drew her bow and dispatched another skeleton. The final two remaining ones were backing away, even their emotionless eye sockets betraying nervousness. Two bright flashes of light from Nayu’s hand ended their existence only moments later.
“Everyone alright?” she called, walking over to where Nayu was already examining the daggers the skeletons were carrying.
“I need another set of trousers,” Bohai said quietly, his face beet red as a familiar smell began to assault the party’s nostrils. Felonca watched Nayu’s eyes flash momentarily with anger before the young man reined in his voice.
“I have no more trousers to spare,” he said quietly and curtly, before turning to the monk. “And Master Liu... how did you do that... thing? With the wind? Was that magic like the scholars use?”
The monk’s calm smile returned. “Master Asoka teaches us that if we can find our inner peace, it can be used to calm any storm in this world,” the monk said simply, before the thin smile was replaced by a look of concern. “Though my peace of mind is disturbed... these skeletons came from the road to Red Lotus, did they not?”
Felonca wasn’t surprised when Nayu’s eyes went a little wide, and he immediately began hurrying everyone to rush towards the town. It actually was not far... after a hard ride they arrived at the outskirts of the village within a few hours... and to Nayu’s apparent relief, things seemed normal.
Felonca noticed many of the same people she’d seen the week earlier when she first arrived in the town. Jiang the blacksmith even glared at her as the group made their way towards the town market.
“I think we hurried for nothing,” she said rather hopefully, “it looks like everything is normal here!”
“Not... quite...” Nayu said slowly, making his way toward the market square. “I don’t see Mistress Cixi’s stall open. That’s not right.”
“Well, she did sound a little under the weather when we were last here. Maybe she took the day off? Or maybe she’s using that gold I gave her to get her roof fixed?” Felonca replied. I wonder if this mess made that young man so paranoid, or if he is normally like this?
“Perhaps we should move aside from the middle of the street,” Liu said, pointed towards the market crowds. “There’s a black litter coming this way... a procession of some kind. Master Nayu, is today a holy day in your village?”
Felonca could see by the confused look on Nayu’s face that the answer was no. His eyes narrowed as he stared ahead, and then, she saw him relax slightly.
“Prefect?” she asked.
“No... it’s a funeral litter. If it was the prefect, I’d be trying to get you to hide,” he gave a slight wry grin at her. His face became somber again as he muttered, “I wonder who peri...”
His musings were interrupted as screams of confusion and fear came from the crowds ahead. Like a sea breaking before the bow of a ship, the crowds suddenly parted as the shrouded litter fell to the ground, its carriers fleeing as well. From within its black shrouds a emaciated, wrinkled hand clawed out, followed by a long, aged arm, and then a body.
As Nayu stood rooted in fear and confusion, he found himself staring into familiar eyes. Instead of aged grey, they now burned a deep, dark red. Instead of a buck-toothed smile, there was a mouth filled with razor-sharp, blackened teeth. And instead of her usual rags, the bone-thin form of what was once Madame Cixi was clad in the garb of a body being taken for burial...
(DM Notes: The skeletons the part fought were simple ones, based on first level warriors. As for what Madame Cixi has become... well, the next update will explain that...
This is almost the end of the first session!)
