Ancestral Blessings

The group woke feeling stiff and sore from the previous day’s battles, and those who had lost levels were especially grumpy. Marie reordered her spell inventory, discarded some usual spells to make room for more Restorations, and set about bringing everyone to full strength. As she worked, Bella rummaged through her pack and came out with the Wand of Dimensional Anchor they’d liberated from the oni inquisitor who was about to execute Hatsue. “I’m sick of these guys teleporting away just as we’re about to kill them,” she complained, remembering the way the Thanadaemons had escaped to regenerate. “Does anyone know how to use this thing?” she asked, waving the wand about. Nicki quickly took it away from her before she poked someone’s eye out.

Once Marie had finished her ministrations, everyone’s mood was improved. They knew they only had one inhabitant left to deal with – Shogun Teikoku Sokai, who was trying to convince them to destroy one of the torii gates that held the spirits imprisoned within the Well of Demons. They moved south through the tunnels as far as they could, then crossed the remaining lake and mounted the cliffs fronting the Shogun’s territory through a combination of flying and Dimension Doors. As they approached the tunnel leading to his throne room, Sawyer stopped them.

“No wasting time with ‘negotiations’,” he ordered. “We always end up killing them anyway. So this time, we’re just going to charge in and take him out before he knows what’s hit him.” Everyone nodded in agreement, and began making preparations. Nicki cast Greater Invisibility on himself and Bella, as Sandoval cast Good Hope and Marie Mass Bear’s Endurance. Sawyer looked on with approval. “Good. Now Bella, you slip in and try to get behind him, and I’ll charge in a frontal attack while Nicki and Zhustin cast ranged spells. Marie, you hold back to provide healing and support in case … Marie? Marie!” He turned just in time to see the cleric stroll into the tunnel leading to Sokai’s lair.

The Shogun was waiting where they had last left him, and he bowed as Marie entered his chamber. “I am pleased to see that you have survived,” he said pleasantly. “I feared that my neighbors might have proved too much for you. Have you reconsidered my offer?”

Marie shook her head. “Since the reason you wanted to leave was to avoid your troublesome neighbors, we solved your problem by eliminating them for you. Now you have the whole place to yourself!”

Sokai looked alarmed. “Ah, but it is so oppressive here! So dark, and damp. If you would just remove the gate, I could once again breathe fresh air, and see the sun and stars.”

Bella had slipped in and was creeping along the north wall, confident in her invisibility to allow her to move unnoticed. But Sokai looked directly at her. “And what of you, my little friend? You seemed so … sympathetic the last time we spoke.” He cast a meaningful glance at the ruby-covered floor. “Surely you are able to convince your friends?” Bella was caught up short, feeling exposed. “Um … well … they might take more convincing,” she stammered.

Sawyer strode into the room, only to find Marie and Bella already engaged in the ‘negotiations’ he had wanted to avoid. This ‘ambush’ was not going at all the way he had intended. The Shogun turned his attention to him. “Surely with your strength you could chop down the pesky torii gate with a single swing of that noble sword.” His voice dripped with flattery.

Nicki strolled in behind Sawyer. He’d already heard the Shogun talking to Bella, so he had no illusions that his invisibility offered any protection. Remembering Bella’s suggestion from this morning, he pulled out the Wand of Dimensional Anchor and zapped the Shogun with it. “What was that?” Sokai demanded angrily. “Just a little insurance,” Nicki replied lightly.

The others filed into the room, Sandoval kick-starting his Robe of Scintillating Colors. The Shogun’s mood had shifted, and he scowled at Ameiko. “Is this the respect you show for your betters, little princess? To come into their homes and have your servants start casting spells at them? I have lost patience with you!”

Sokai waved his arm, and a huge, birdlike demon suddenly appeared next to Bella. It shook its feathers, and a cloud of spores flew out, covering the rogue, getting inside her clothing, and burrowing painfully into her skin. Then it let out an ear-splitting screech. Two more Vrocks appeared amongst the rest of the party, and they too shook out clouds of spores before erupting in screeches that left Ameiko, Marie, and Sawyer momentarily stunned. A fourth Vrock appeared behind Zhustin, and after dusting him with spores, it stabbed at him with its razor-sharp beak. As his demonic minions appeared, Sokai transformed. The distinguished-looking samurai was gone, replaced with a huge, gorilla-like creature with the head of a boar and laughably tiny wings sprouting from its back. A nimbus of sickly light began to play about his body.

Bella leapt to one side, drawing her swords, and launched into an attack on the unsuspecting Vrock. Unlike the Shogun, it could not see through her invisibility, and was helpless to dodge her blows. But Bella felt burning pain, and was shocked to see small green shoots sprouting all over her body where the spores had taken root.

Nicki also had leaves starting to sprout from his body, but he ignored them and blasted Sokai with a gout of Hellfire, then followed up with a volley of Quickened Magic Missiles for good measure. Shinjiro launched a Flurry of Blows at the nearest Vrock, hammering it mercilessly. Zhustin darted away from the Vrock behind him, suffering a painful slash from its claws as he ran, then cast an Empowered Fireball that caught both the Shogun and his nearby Vrock minion.

Sandru was desperate to get away from the huge demons that had suddenly appeared in front of him, but one look at Ameiko, shaking her head and trying to regain her senses told him that his duty was to stand and protect her. His scimitar leapt to his hand, and it slashed deep through the feathers of the Vrock before him. It turned to face him with an angry squawk.

And then Sandoval’s Robe burst into a vibrant display of strobing color, even as he used his Jaunt Boots to leap to safety. The Vrock stalking Sandru couldn’t help but to glance in his direction, and was dazed by the robe’s flashing lights. So was the one beside Bella, and the rogue took advantage of its helpless state. Her swords flashed, feathers flew, and the demon collapsed on the ground.

The unholy light playing around the Shogun’s body suddenly exploded into nauseating beams of unnatural colors, and now it was Sandru’s turn to be dazed. The huge demon pointed a finger at Nicki, and a beam of light shot out at him. The sorcerer had an instant where he couldn’t have counted to one, but then the Feeblemind spell dissipated, to the caster’s fury.

Marie shook off the effects of the Vrock’s screech. By now the green shoots sprouting from everyone’s bodies had grown into thick, green vines, and they continued to grow at an alarming and painful rate. Marie Teleported away from the Vrocks, and cast Mass Cure Moderate Wounds; the spell helped cure the damage people had taken but did nothing to slow the growth of the vines.

Sawyer also regained his senses, and picked up Suishen from where he had dropped him when he was stunned. He stabbed the nearest Vrock through the gut, but the dazed creature didn’t even react. Shinjiro unleashed another Flurry of Blows, coupled with a Stunning Fist on the Vrock facing him. It staggered backwards under his onslaught, and the Stunning Fist made its eyes roll back into its head, and then it toppled over, dead.

Sandoval moved closer to the Shogun, hoping to dazzle him with the colors of his robe, but the demon seemed impervious. He cast Confusion on him, but that, too, had no effect. Nicki repeated his previous combo of Hellfire plus Magic Missiles and Sokai roared in pain and fury. Then Zhustin slammed him with a Disintegrate spell. For a moment, his face showed an expression of utter surprise, then he toppled forward like a falling tree.

That only left a pair of Vrocks, and one of them was dazed by the robe. Marie slammed the dazed Vrock with her adamantine mace, and Bella added the feathers from her arrows to the rest of its plumage, and it fell. The other cast a spell, and suddenly there were half a dozen or more of it flickering about in its space. Sawyer charged, but only managed to dispel one of the Mirror Images, as did Shinjiro with his spin-kick. Zhustin fired a volley of Magic Missiles, but the demon’s spell resistance thwarted the spell. The Vrock moved forward to attack Sawyer, but then it caught sight of Sandoval’s Robe. Its eye crossed and it could do nothing but stare helplessly at the swirling colors as the rest of the party ganged up and dispatched it.

The vines were still continuing to grow from every uncomfortable nook and cranny of their bodies. Nicki conjured a Flaming Sphere and thrust his hands into it, counting on his infernal fire resistance to protect him. The exposed stalks and leaves blackened in the flames, but were quickly replaced by new growth from beneath his skin. Marie tried to Channel Divinity, and it healed the party’s wounds but did nothing to stop the painful growths. She tried Remove Disease on Ameiko, and was pleased to see that her vines stopped growing, but she had no more of the spells to use on the others.

Finally, after a few minutes, the vines finally stopped growing on their own. Unfortunately, even though they weren’t growing, everyone’s bodies were covered with long, thick, uncomfortable, inconveniently located vines. Nicki’s clothing suddenly began appearing in a pile next to his Flaming Sphere, and the group was grateful for his invisibility as he began “bathing” in the flames to remove his vines. Zhustin drew his dagger and began shaving off his vines (the most shaving he’d done in his life), and the others soon followed suit. There were some embarrassing moments when they had to ask for help in removing some of the hard-to-reach vines, but soon the entire party was vine-free.

The group had finally eliminated all the evil spirits from the Well of Demons, and if what they had been told was correct, the other ancestral spirits should be free to return to the Shrine of the Heavenly Sovereigns to offer Ameiko their blessings. They flew/teleported back to the stairway leading down from the surface, and made their way back to the cemetery.

As they reentered the Shrine, the spirit of Empress Amatatsu Onoko was waiting for them. She bowed deeply before Ameiko. “You have done well, granddaughter! The taint of evil has been removed from the Well of Demons, and Shizuru has once again established her conduit with this place. On behalf of all my fellow Amatatsu emperors and empresses, I grant you our family’s blessing to take your rightful place on the Jade Throne.”

Marie stepped forward. “We have the body of Emperor Shigure, which needs to be properly interred. Can you help us?” Onoko nodded, and led her to one of the other buildings they had not explored. It was a crematorium, and she showed her how to cremate the body in its furnace, and then place the ashes into one of the funerary urns inside. They then carried it to the Imperial Mausoleum, where Sigure’s ghost was waiting for them. “Is that it?” he whispered, his voice trembling. Marie nodded, and placed the urn into one of the niches in the Higashiyama wing of the mausoleum. Shigure’s head, which had been floating above his body, reattached itself, and he breathed a ghostly sigh. “You have kept your promise, and now I keep mine. I grant you the blessings of the Higashiyama family to ascend to the Jade Throne. I also give you this, to help you take the throne that is rightfully yours.” He handed her a small jade vial. “It is a potent spiritual elixir called Seishinru. It is the distilled spiritual essence of the most honorable guardians who have died in the service of their emperors, and they will aid you when your need is most dire.”

The party became aware of a rustling in the air around them. Scores of ghostly figures began to materialize out of the darkness of the mausoleum. Old and young, men and women, all clad in imperial finery – they were the spirits of Minkai’s deceased rulers. Three stepped forward, and one by one offered Ameiko the blessings of the Teikoku, Shojinawa, and Sugimatu families.

“But we have one final task for you,” the Sugimatu representative said. Bella rolled her eyes – there was always ‘one more thing’. “You are the last of your line, with no children or family to succeed you should something befall you. It is essential that you protect the royal succession.” Nicki’s ears pricked up – maybe his marriage proposal was going to get another hearing. But the spirit continued on a different path. “All of our families have been eradicated, and our Imperial Seals were stolen when the Five Storms killed the last of our descendants. But we can still sense the Seals presence, deep beneath the Imperial Palace. If you can recover these lost Seals, you can invest new scions for each of our families, each with the divine right to rule Minkai.”

Now Bella was paying close attention. If the Imperial Seals were hidden beneath the Palace, what other valuables might be hidden with them? Emperor Shigure spoke up. “There are secret treasure vaults beneath the Imperial Palace. Look behind the dragon to find the entrance to them. But beware – they are guarded by the Imperial Dragon, Teikono. He is honor-bound to serve the Jade Throne, but if you can secure his aid, he could be a valuable ally.” Empress Onoko also stepped forward. “And possessing all five Imperial Seals could be a powerful aid in fighting the Jade Regent and his Five Storms allies.”

The group tried to question Shigure about the details of the Palace, its layout and defenses, but he could offer little – he’d spent most of his youth in hiding abroad, and had only been emperor a few days before being murdered. Ameiko asked Onoko about the Jade Throne. “Do I simply have to sit in it to become empress?” Onoko frowned in thought. “I’m not sure,” she said finally. “When I was crowned, there were hours of ceremony and ritual. But I felt the power of the Throne the instant I sat in it, and within minutes all of Minkai was aware that there was a new ruler. But my father was dead before I ascended – I don’t know what will happen if the Jade Regent is still alive to dispute your claim.”

Having gotten what they’d come for, they made their way back through the cemetery to the dock. The old boatman was still there; despite his terror at being alone on the haunted island he’d stayed true to his duty and waited faithfully for their return. He rowed them back to the mainland, and they returned to Asachi Isao’s compound.

The old man greeted them excitedly. “You’ve returned just in time! The battle will begin any day now!”

“What battle?” Ameiko demanded, and Isao explained. “Your army has reached the Taghiryu River, and the Jade Regent has sent all his forces north to oppose the crossing. Dozens of oni have been seen flying north out of the Palace to support the Imperial Army.

“Even if your forces are victorious, tens of thousands of Minkaians will die in the battle, each doing their duty as they see it. But there might be a way to prevent that. The Jade Regent has all but emptied the city of its garrison, and it is rumored that there is only a token force guarding the Imperial Palace. Now that you have the blessings of the Imperial ancestors, if you could infiltrate the Palace, you could take the throne for yourself! Once the Imperial soldiers knew there was a true empress ruling Minkai, and not the Jade Regent, I am sure they would support you and turn on the oni.”

The group began peppering Isao with questions about the Palace and its defenses, but Marie interrupted them. “I need to see Hatsue,” she said softly. Isao bowed, and led her through the house to a small room. Inside, the young monk sat on a simple cot, bandages swaddling the stumps where her oni captors had cut off her hands. In one corner of the room, a shogi board and its pieces lay scattered where Hatsue had flung them in frustration that she could no longer even move the pieces of her beloved game. Marie knelt before her, and gently unwrapped the bandages from her arms. She stroked the damaged flesh lovingly as she whispered prayers to Desna, then cast Regeneration. Hatsue gasped as the blackened flesh turned pink and began to throb. Tiny nubs appeared on the stumps, and began to grow into the beginnings of fingers. Within minutes, her wrists held newly-formed hands, their skin as smooth as that of a newborn’s. Hatsue flung her arms around Marie’s neck, and sobbed in gratitude.

The next morning, Isao rode in the group’s hidey-hole wagon into Kasai’s most exclusive neighborhood, made up mostly of the homes of court officials. The entire area was surrounded by a massive wall marked by frequent guard towers, and at least two-thirds of it was filled with a great lake. In the center of the lake loomed an island topped by a man-made plateau on which stood the Imperial Palace. As they peered cautiously over the lip of the wagon’s edge, Isao described the Palace Grounds.

“There is only one bridge onto the island that houses the Imperial Palace. It leads into a marketplace where some of Minkai’s finest merchants sell jewelry, silks, or art. During the day it is usually crowded, and there are always Typhoon Guards on patrol, with others in the guard towers flanking the market. However, at sundown there is a strict curfew, and it is always deserted at night.

“Beyond the market is the gatehouse that guards a pair of gates that lead into the Imperial grounds. It’s manned by an unknown number of Typhoon Guard, and has a bell tower for alerting the rest of the garrison to any trouble. Beyond the gatehouse are a series of royal guardens. The only path leads first to the north, then loops back to the south, rising as the level of the plateau rises, and forcing anyone approaching to follow a looping path beneath the Palace walls.

“Then you come to the inner moat. There is a single bridge ascending over it, and then the path follows right along the western wall of the fortress, then loops back to the only entrance to the Palace, in the northern wall.

“The first level of the Palace are ceremonial spaces used for receptions, official gatherings, balls, and the like, along with galleries of Imperial artwork. The second level holds most of the facilities necessary for day-to-day living in the castle; kitchens, dining halls, and the like, along with barracks for the Palace Guard. Above that is the throne room, and above that are the royal apartments. There are also quarters for the Palace servants, kept separate from the rest of the Palace.

“The Palace grounds are warded against any kind of scrying magic. Beyond that, I don’t know what magical defenses the Jade Regent might have introduced. Nothing would stop someone flying onto the island, but the towers are all manned with Typhoon Guard archers, and most, if not all of the oni can also fly. And there are no openings in the Palace walls large enough for a person to enter through. Oh, and I think you’ve already seen that at least some of the oni can see invisible creatures as well as visible ones, and it’s all but certain they’d always have sentries on duty with that power.”

The party looked up at the massive fortress looming above them. It seemed all but impenetrable, but they hadn’t come all this way to be turned back now. The Jade Throne was inside that castle, and Ameiko would be sitting on it soon – or they’d all be dead.

The PCs earned 20,571 XP for the night, putting them at 556,576 XP, with 635,000 required for Level 15. We’ll be at Leo’s next Sunday.