The long road to Lothilawyr [Updated 7/23]

[DiFier]

"This one is still alive!" Arsindis crouched down and lets some healing energy flow into the Shugenja. The man's eyes fluttered and he sat up. Looking around slightly confused.

"I just found Sinji, I think he's alive too." Ciramar motioned for Arsindis to come over and help the Shugenja. Kyodai and the Sohei Fanned out across the ling level of the temple of the elements. It looked like the battle went poorly, many of the monks, Sohei and Shugenja looked like they had been caught by surprise.
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Sinji sat in the common area. "ten monks, two shugenja and 5 Sohei, including the four that went with you are all that survived. We are missing five. We found 6 bodies that were not member's of our temple. Three were merchants staying with us and the other three were like the ones you found down stairs."

"What were they after?" wondered Ciramar?

"I do not know, but Master Ti told me to find the the scroll and get it to master Po at the Temple of Fire. He said something like you must find the 4 keys to retrieve the scroll. and he told me not to fear the elemants. "

"I would like to talk to the survivers in the morining. I also plan to interogate our prisoner. We will also find your scroll. What is so special about this scroll?"

"It is one of twelve black scrolls that keeps the world from being destroyed."
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Ciramar Slid the paper wall back and steeped into his room closing it behind him. laying on his bed was a small collection of scrolls. It took him a second to remember asking to see some scrolls on legends about mist. He'd have to memorize comprehemd languages in the morning.
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Many years ago a great cloud envoloped the village of Koten. 4 warriors Stood in the Village. The warriors had weapons and armor that were made of mist. They enslaved the town and began having the townsfolk harvest the clouds. The famous ronin Kankari Ujo came to the village and was able to defeat them. There is still a shire there today that holds one of the mist swords.
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In 1017 Toji Village in the Lion lands was attacked by demons. The first night a fog filled the forrests surrounding the village it lasted for a week. When it disapated on the 7th day 5 warriors appeared in the town square when the demons attacked them they fought back and were able to damage them. They killled all the demons and one was able to seal the portal that they used to get to this plane. The warriors dressed strangly and spoke a strange language. Only the one who sealed the portal could speak the language. The next night the fog returned and they were gone. the fog stayed for 7 days.
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One foggy morning 6 travelers wandered into Kakita. They spoke an unidentiful language and dressed oddly, one was a Korobokuru man except with an enormous white flowing beard. Some of the legends say that at least 2 of the 5 five humans were decendants of spirits. The which hunter who was in the Village at the time was able to speak with them. They had been traveling and didn't expect to find a village here. He didn't recognize any markings on their maps. The witch hunter taught them how to speak the language and they stopped a corrupt one who was an assistant to the mayor and the blood speakers cult that he led in the town. There are many legends of the 6 gajin. There names were Koru, Eru, Santhu, Ri, Edora, and Vanderu. They seem to have been in the empire for about 15 years. They were a force for good against those who had been corrupted. eventually the 3 remaining (which three depends on the legend though alway Koru the korobokuru) ventured into the lands of the corrupt killing the daughter of the currupter before she could raise her father. some legends say that they were all killed. Some say that they stayed to long in the corruption and were corrupted by it. One legend says that Koru made it out and continued wondering the countryside helping people in need as the corruption slowly ate away at his soul. He eventually killed himself before he fully sucummed.
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200 years ago fog flowed into the village of Simjueonu far north in the lands of the unicorn. the fog began to eat away at the flesh of those living in the village. Tojitsi Sayu a Shugenja of the Unicorn clan was able to protect a handfull of people but the rest of the village was whiped out. only bones remained in the morning. While Sayu was a hero he felt shame for not saving the entire village. he left his home and never returned. when he resurfaced a few years later he was a master air Shugenja. Eventually he joined Kankari Ujo. He never returned to the lands of the unicorn.
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100 years ago in sojino fog rolled along the river and into the town. the fog was so dense that it took effort to move into it. but those that entered didn't return. The fog lasted for 20 years. many adventurers went into the fog and disappeared. when the fog finnally disapated everyone from the village and thos who entered were there but they hadn't been aware of the passage of time. they also hadn't aged at all. Some legends put Tojitsi Sayu as one of the adventurers that entered the fog.
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In the lands of the crane there is rumored to be creatures that are not ghosts but are instead made of mist.
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A Shugenja of the crab clan was able to quickly summon a fog to surround him and his compainons and seconds later when the fog disapated they were gone they would reappear somewhere else when a colum of fog would appear and they would step out of it as it disapated.
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Only 5 years ago in the mists of the dragon's mouth a woman was found. she was strangly dressed and spoke an odd dialect of the language. the dragon clan monks that found her were discovered that she was trained as a monk. She stays with the Monks of fire in the Temple of Fire. and has been initated into their order. She seemed to fit with the dragon perfectly sometimes talking in riddles.

 

[DiFier]

I'm having trouble dealing with the detect thoughts part of this next update so I'm gonna move it. Ciramar cast detect thoughts and then questioned the scorpian woman. she didn't answer any of his questions directly but he got many answers. I'm gonna move it to after the this next part which was more fun to write.
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Ciramar arose and prepared his spells. He cast comprehend languages and attacked the scrolls. Most were not of much use. They were interesting but really didn't tell him anything. The Ones on the 6 gajin had a familiarity to them. Ciramar had a suspicion that they were the other's who had been traveling with them on the road to Lothilawyr. He would ask Sinji what a Korobokuru was.

Sinji led them up the stairs to the temple proper. It was another five-minute climb into the immense building that seemed to precariously sit on the side of the mountain.

Ciramar had told Arsindis about his research into the legends and his suspicions. He still had the scrolls and was rereading the one on the six gajin trying to find more clues before the comprehend languages wore off.

"Sinji, What is a Korobokuru?"

Sinji looked at him a little funny "they are a race of small stocky people they live to the north of the Empire. They aren’t friendly and they keep to them selves. I'd guess that they are around 4 feet tall we don't get many around here they prefer the cold weather. They are sort of uncivilized."

"Ciramar. . " said Arsindis

"they are dwarfs. . . Sinji can you get me copies of the legends of the 6 gajin?" He said reading the description of the koroboku named Koru again. Sinji didn't respond He and Arsindis were looking out across the landscape to the village of Emei. A black cylindrical cloud hovered over the village. Lightning flowed through the cloud and repeatedly struck the tower of the keep at the center of the village. The lightning stopped. Suddenly the cloud got smaller it shrank to half it's size and then the lightning began again as it grew to it's original size again but only for a second. It pulsed and then it dissipated quickly. It was again a perfect day for as far as they could see.

"What was that? Ciramar searched his magical knowledge but this was not a something that he recognized.

'We are going back to the village, I'm sure we will find out."

They watched for a few more seconds but when nothing happened they turned and climbed the rest of the way to the temple.

"I will have someone search for those legend scrolls" continued Sinji.

The stairs went up through a large arch held the temple above from crashing down the mountain. They climbed to the top of the stairs. Directly in front of them was a column of air that spun like a whirlwind. The surrounding air was unaffected.

They were on a large circular walkway around a deep, dark chasm the bottom, if there was one, was obscured in black shadow. There were 3 other columns at the cardinal points of the walkway. To the right was a column of fire then a solid marble column and finally a column of falling water.
Between the columns were spiral staircases that led up to a second circular walkway. The ceiling above was of black polished stone with white "stars" in a gentle dome.

"The Temples are upstairs,” said Sinji, "there is one for each element and the doors for each are opposite their respective column."

"I believe that we should check out these columns, first" Said Ciramar

They walked up to the air column and Ciramar and Arsindis checked it out. They made their way to the fire column it gave off an immense heat. It was hard to look at and the heat kept them from staying too close for very long.

The stone "earth" column was just that a simple stone column. Beautifully made but just a solid stone column. Ciramar decided to search it anyway. At about chest height his hand went through the stone surface and hit solid stone a few inches behind where the illusory image was. Ciramar disbelieved the image and it was gone. Arsindis and Sinji seeing Ciramar's arm going into solid stone also disbelieved the illusion. There was a 6" square hole on the side of the column. It was 2 inches deep and on the back wall was shallow octagonal indention about 2 inches across.

"Is there a key?" asked Arsindis.

"No. Perhaps the key was here and has been removed."

"Or this is the lock."

"Let's see if the other columns have similar indentions"

They found an indention on the floor of the air column and one on the top of a pedestal in the center of the column of fire, which Ciramar had protected himself to reach into. They were unable to locate one in the water column but the powerful falling water made searching inside the torrent difficult. In fact the air column was also difficult to search but the indention on the floor was easy to spot once you knew what to look for.

"I'd say that there is an indention in the water column as well and that these are the locks. Let’s check upstairs in the temples for the keys." decided Ciramar.

They ascended the closest staircase and took in the second level. There were 4 sets of large doors. Each of the corresponding element's color and with the symbol of the element in a large emblem on the pair of doors.

"So where do we start?" asked Arsindis.

 

[DiFier]

Well I'm a little behind on my updating. plus I just got back from vacation. hopefully I will have an update soon

 

[Drusilia Nailo]

It's fun sometimes, to play a character that is so completely out of her element that she just has to go with the flow. I think that's one of the things that makes this game so much fun.

 

[DiFier]

They stepped into the Fire Temple. The most obvious feature of the temple was that the back wall was made of fire. The other walls were tile moasic. The design was scenes of fire elemantals and peple using fire. The floor was black tile. There were mats rolled up next to the door.

After a careful search of the room turned up nothing they stood infront of the wall of fire. Ciramar thrust his staff into the wall as far as he could. It didn't hit anything solid. He pulled it out and inspected it. Ciramar called for protection from fire and Tenetivaly put his hand up to the wall. He touched the wall with his finger tips and then stepped into the burning plane.

The Wall of fire was not thin. Ciramar was releaved that he was not burning he walked a few more steps and exited the burning wall. The Room continued twenty feet beyond the burning wall.

Arsindis was getting Antsy. Ciramar hadn't burst into flame but he hadn't returned. she kept repeating in her head. do not fear the elements, do not fear the elements she then thrust her hand into the burning wall and immedially pulled it out. it was still there, it wasn't burning. She stepped into the wall of fire.

Ciramar was studying the back wall the moasic on the side walls continued past the wall of fire and onto the back wall. All the people and elemantals on the back wall were pointing to the center of the wall. Ciramar barely noted Arsindis, with Sinji following quickly, exiting the burning wall. "they are all pointing to . . . . that." All the moasic's people and monsters were pointing at a dark hexagagonal tile centered in the back wall.

They moved over to inspect the tile. Ciramar tapped the tile. "I believe that this is made of some sort of metal. Iron would be my guess. . . It appears that it would fit in the indentions in the columns."

Arsindis was inspecting the grout around the tile. Proding it with a dagger. "the grout around it is different. . . harder, slightly shinnier." She jabbed it with the dagger but the grout remained unharmed.

Ciramar looked to Sinji. "We'd like to remove this tile. but we may need to damage some of the surrounding tiles, is that alright?"

"Certainlly. We must get the scroll to master Po."

"This is the temple of fire." reasoned Arsindis "maybe it will burn out."

Ciramar was thinking the same thing. Before She had finished speaking he had begun casting prestigitation. a small flame sprung forth from his finger tip and he held it to the edge of the tile. the grout melted quickly and the tile fell to the floor. once it had cooled Sinji wrapped it in a piece of silk cloth and placed it inside his robe.