Down to the Vaults

Sandoval’s ears popped as the Silence spell that had been plaguing them suddenly expired. Barely pausing for a breath, he resumed singing, even as he charged forward to attack the last surviving Iron Tempest monk, and he was pleased to feel the vibrations of his echoblade’s sonic attack working once again. Zhustin hammered the monk with a volley of Magic Missiles, throwing him off balance so his attempts to hit the elusive Bella went wide. Nicki’s oni skeletons lumbered in behind the monk, and as he turned to defend himself from them, Bella slipped behind him. He never even felt the blade that pierced his heart.

Far across the ballroom-turned-dojo, Shinjiro faced off against the oni martial arts master, Sudoshi Sento. Sento struck first, his hands and feet little more than a blur as he battered his way through Shinjiro’s defensive stance. One fist struck Shinjiro directly above his heart, and Sento stepped back, confident his Stunning Fist had disabled his foe. Instead, Shinjiro launched into a blinding flurry of his own, spinning the master around in a spray of blood and teeth. Suddenly Sawyer was there, having come at a dead run from the opposite side of the room, lunging forward to drive Suishen into the oni’s side. Marie cast Mass Bear’s Endurance, and all three of them felt a much-needed infusion of health.

A green ray of light flashed across the room, enveloping Sento in its glow as Nicki locked him to this plane with his Wand of Dimensional Anchor. A moment later, the oni found himself gasping for breath, as Zhustin’s magical Suffocation sucked the air from his body. Nonetheless, he steeled himself and struck Shinjiro once again; ribs cracked, but Shinjiro kept his senses. Sawyer whirled Suishen, and blood spurted from a severed artery in the oni’s arm. He turned to face the fighter, still struggling for breath, and saw Bella loose a volley of arrows from across the room. His lightning reflexes were enough to bat aside the first arrow, but the second buried itself in his eye and he fell backward in a spreading pool of blood.

As the rest of the party hurried to join Marie and the others, the cleric glanced for the first time through the ballroom’s open doorways into the room beyond. She sucked in her breath in alarm, and ducked behind a pillar, motioning for the others to stay quiet and out of sight. Down a short flight of steps from the ballroom was an immense chamber, its ceiling supported by massive wooden pillars. Four statues stood in the corners of the room, reaching nearly as high as the ceiling, each depicting a different creature — a brightly scaled carp, a sly fox, a leaping hare, and a coiled imperial dragon. But those were not what had caused her alarm. Beyond the great hall was a broad hallway, its jade-inlaid walls hung with banners and tapestries. Milling about in this entry hall were a number of immense mechanical creatures, made up of a bewildering array of clockwork gears. Their attention seemed to be focused to the western end of their hallway, and they did not appear to have noticed the party – yet.

Keeping quiet and out of sight, Marie doled out badly-needed healing to her friends. “We still need to find a way up,” Zhustin whispered, and the others nodded. Her healing complete, Marie eased from pillar to pillar, slipping west to check out the exit leading that way. Down a few steps was an open chamber, decorated with priceless artwork and antiques. It looked like there were more similar galleries leading back north, while to the south was a closed wooden door, like the ones they’d seen on the other guardrooms.

While Marie was moving west, Bella scouted to the east. She found herself at the southern end of a long gallery. It looked like it was undergoing renovations; velvet ropes blocked access, and its floor was littered with statues, decorative urns, and rolled tapestries. To her right, however, was a broad marble staircase, curving upwards. At the far end of the roped-off gallery, an identical staircase also led upwards.

Directly in front of her, a tapestry hung crookedly on the wall. It was clearly not of traditional Minkaian design, and she could still see the outline of where a much larger tapestry had hung until recently. Fearing some oni trap, she turned for backup. “Hey, Nicki!” she hissed. “See if there’s anything funny about this tapestry.” The sorcerer was happy to oblige, and cast Detect Magic as he began to study the tapestry. It appeared to be very old, and showed a jungle scene, with hints of creatures hidden in the dense undergrowth. The tapestry glowed with conjuration magic, and Nicki almost felt as if he could see dark figures slipping between the shadows of its scene.

Suddenly a pair of Dire Tigers sprang out of the tapestry. They were on Nicki in a heartbeat, slashing and grabbing him with their front claws, then raking him viciously with their hind claws. As they rent him, he could tell that they were creatures of shadow, not entirely real – but his wounds were real enough. His screams got everyone’s attention, and Bella leaped to his aid, badly wounding the nearest tiger. There was a sudden whoosh! as Marie called down a Flame Strike on the tigers, but its flames didn’t hurt them nearly as much as she’d hoped.

Sandoval opened his mouth out of reflex, then clamped it shut; he didn’t want his singing to attract the attention of the clockwork beings on the other side of the hall. Nicki’s screaming hadn’t gone unnoticed however; the metal creatures’ heads swiveled in the direction of the noise, but they held their positions. Zhustin crouched behind another pillar, also watching the clockwork golems, finger at the ready.

One of the tigers slashed Nicki again, opening great bloody gashes in his flesh. He was glad for Bella’s aid, if only because it meant the other tiger was trying to eat her instead of him. But then another pair of tigers appeared out of the tapestry. With a bound, they leaped over their heads. One took a nasty gash in the belly from Bella’s adamantine short sword as it sailed overhead, but then they were surrounded, with slashing claws and snapping fangs on all sides. With barely enough strength to scream, Nicki managed to mutter a Dimension Door spell, and an instant later he was back in the ballroom, huddling behind his protective skeleton minions and guzzling healing potions as fast as he could pull them out of his pack.

Sawyer rushed forward to help, but Sandru, taken by surprise by the new pair of tigers’ sudden appearance, was scrabbling backwards, blocking the fighter’s path. He managed to lunge past Sandru, stabbing one of the tigers in the flank. Shinjiro was standing next to Sandru, and the tiger had leaped right into his lap. He unleashed a flurry of blows that broke the beast’s spine, and it disappeared in an oily smear of shadow.

Ameiko rushed to the front where everyone could see her, and began waving the Amatatsu banner to inspire her friends. This action also drew the attention of the clockwork golems, and their heads turned in unison to watch her flag go back and forth, but they still held their ground, and soon returned their attention to the unseen end of the entry hall.  Bella, surrounded by furry foes, managed to dispatch one with her adamantine sword, but her steel rapier failed to even injure another. She darted and wove, managing to avoid the tigers’ attacks, even as a fifth tiger sprang out of the tapestry to chase her.

Sandoval stabbed one, barely scratching it, then stepped back, making room for others who might do more damage. Sawyer stepped into the gap, and Suishen bit deep into shadow-flesh. Shinjiro pummeled another tiger with powerful blows and then Bella dispatched it with her short sword. She tumbled between the legs of a surprised dire tiger, coming up behind it. As it turned to chase her, Shinjiro ambushed it from behind, and it too evaporated. The last tiger sprang at Sawyer, sinking its fangs into his neck before he buried Suishen in its guts, and found himself surrounded by rapidly dissipating shadows.

Marie and Zhustin had held out of the fight, keeping their attention focused on the clockwork guardians on the opposite side of the hall, but they seemed to have little interest in the party. Whether that was because their orders were simply to prevent anyone entering through the front door, or because they were only to attack anyone entering the large hall (which no one, so far, had done) who could say? Nicki was screaming “Medic!” so Marie went to tend to him, as the others prepared to ascend to the second floor (being careful not to look at the magical tapestry).

Zhustin suddenly stopped, and turned back to the huge hall, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at its four statues. “Do you remember Emperor Ito telling us about the hidden vaults beneath the palace?” he said softly. Bella’s eyes lit up. “He said to ‘look behind the dragon’!” she remembered. There, in the southwest corner of the hall, was a statue of a coiled imperial dragon. Being careful not to draw the notice of the clockwork guardians, Bella wasted no time in slipping behind the immense statue, and quickly emerged, a huge grin on her face and both thumbs pointing up. As the others hurried to join her, she slid open the secret door hidden behind the dragon statue. Behind it was a stone staircase, spiraling down into darkness.

The group hurried down the stairs, deep into the earth. When they finally reached the bottom, they found themselves on a short stone landing. To their right was a set of heavy iron doors; to their left, steps descended into a small stone alcove, its rough alabaster walls decorated with frescoes of imperial dragons and menacing samurai. Continual Flames cast a flickering illumination.

Bella moved cautiously; she was in her element here. She carefully inspected the floor and walls of the landing for any sign of traps, then did the same for the iron doors. Satisfied it was safe, she pulled out her lockpicks. The lock was intricate, but proved no match for her skills. Hands trembling with anticipation, she pushed the vault doors open.

And was disappointed to find herself in an oversized clothes closet. Dozens of elaborate costumes and armored suits hung from wooden racks and mannequins throughout the chamber. Most appeared far more decorative or ceremonial than functional, and many appeared to be very old, bordering on ancient. Hopeful, she called in Marie to cast Detect Magic, but to her disappointment, the clothing all appeared to be mundane. However, there was another set of iron door in the west wall. Repeating her cautious search for traps, Bella approached the doors, and applied her picks. There was a loud click, and she pushed the doors open to the next vault.

This was more like it! Hundreds of gemstones lay separated into individual piles throughout this vault. Rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and other more exotic stones created a scintillating array of colors. Bella’s jaw hung slack and her fingers began to twitch involuntarily. Marie stepped up behind her, unnoticed, and swept her Detect Magic around the room, but it apparently held nothing but vast wealth. Marie felt Bella shudder beside her, and then the rogue’s hands formed into tight fists. “It’s not mine… it’s not mine,” Marie heard her muttering through clenched jaws.

Bella finally pulled herself together. They appeared to be at a dead end. She carefully searched both vaults for any secret doors or hidden passages, but found nothing. Retracing her steps, she descended into the alabaster alcove, and repeated her searches. Hidden between the claws of one of the dragon carvings, she found a pair of concealed keyholes. Normally, it would require two keys being turned simultaneously to open the mechanism, but Bella’s magic fingers worked her lockpicks effortlessly. There was a soft click, and then the wall’s carvings folded in on themselves, revealing an open doorway.

Bella carefully approached the door and peered through. Inside, a narrow catwalk wound around the wall of an oddly shaped chamber, skirting a pit that disappeared into unknown depths. Catty-corner across the chamber she could see a landing leading to another pair of iron doors, and the catwalk wound away out of sight to her right.

Backing away, Bella motioned for Marie again. The cleric unfurled her wings, and flew into the room, its ceiling soaring over 40 feet overhead. She cast Detect Magic once again, and was not surprised to see the walls of the chamber glowing with evocation magic. She flew back out, and reported back to Bella and the others.

Bella crept cautiously along the catwalk, scanning every inch of floor and wall for triggers. Some ten feet in, she spied a small hidden hatch in the wall. Inside was an intricate keyhole. She used her lockpicks once again, and felt something inside shift, but couldn’t be sure she had disabled the mechanism. As the others waited anxiously outside, she continued slowly along the narrow walkway, but encountered no dangers before she reached the next set of vault doors. “I think it’s all clear,” she called back across the pit, and the rest of the group made their way carefully to join her.

By the time they got there, she’d already picked the vault’s lock, and was pushing the doors open. Inside, thousands of golden coins littered the floor of the vault, some scattered and others neatly stacked upon the floor. Among them, golden scepters, crowns, and other jewelry also glittered in the light.

“Remind me just why we’re bothering with this place?” Sawyer asked. All these riches were impressive, but they already belonged to Ameiko, just as soon as they placed her on the Jade Throne. And he was anxious to get on with that.

Marie cast Detect Magic once again and answered as she scanned the room. “We’re looking for the other Imperial Seals. The ancestral spirits said they were down here somewhere, and that they might help us against the Jade Regent.” She shook her head as she finished her scan. “They’re not in here, though.”

Bella was tempted to dive into the piles of gold, but instead she simply pulled the doors shut; better to not even see the temptation. From their new vantage point they could see that the catwalk wound on around to another pair of iron doors. These were much taller than the other vault doors they’d encountered, and the catwalk ended in front of them.

Bella repeated her procedure, and the doors’ lock was quickly dealt with. The immense doors swung open easily at her touch, and she found herself looking down into a huge sunken chamber. Tall stone columns supported the soaring ceiling, and the walls were lined with small alcoves, each holding a pair of silent stone sentinels. All around the room were priceless artifacts, many of which appeared to date back to the founding of Minkai, or beyond.

In the center of the room, a solitary figure sat cross-legged on a small rug. He appeared to be a monk, deep in meditation, but he opened his eyes and smiled as Bella entered the room. “Welcome!” he said cheerily. “What errand brings you to my vault?”

Bella motioned frantically for the others to hurry up, then moved into the room and seated herself on the top step. “Well, we’re here to crown a new empress, and replace the Jade Regent with a rightful ruler,” she explained, as the others peeked through the doors. The monk’s eyebrows went up. “Oh really?” he said “I was given to understand that all the members of the royal families were dead.”

Bella shook her head. She thought she was starting to get pretty good at this diplomacy stuff. “Oh no. See, we’re from Magnimar, in Varisia? You heard of it?” The monk nodded. “Anyway, we found the last surviving Amatatsu living over there. Of course, she wasn’t called Amatatsu, on account of she was in hiding and all. But anyway, we went to her old castle, and found her sword, and traveled clear across the Crown of the World to bring her here and put her back on the throne.”

“Fascinating!” said the monk, seeming genuinely interested. “Would you tell me the tale of your journey? I have all the time in the world.”

“Perhaps another time,” Ameiko interrupted, stepping forward. She proceeded to introduce herself and present her bona fides, as was becoming routine for her. As she spoke, the monk rose to his feet. He bowed deeply to her as she finished. “It is an honor to meet you, Princess Ameiko. You come from a line imbued with great history, and it has been my honor to serve several of your ancestors. I am Teikono and long ago I swore an oath to guard this vault and all its contents on behalf of whoever sits upon the Jade Throne.”

The party exchanged glances. The ghost of Emperor Ito had told them that an Imperial Dragon named Teikono guarded the imperial vaults – this monk before them was far more than he appeared.

“But the Jade Regent is an usurper,” Ameiko countered. “He murdered Emperor Ito! He’s not even human! Surely you cannot in good conscience serve him?”

Teikono shook his head. “I have long feared that what you say is true, but I do not serve Soto Takahiro, the Jade Regent. I serve the Jade Throne. The Higashiyama Seal affirmed that he was rightfully anointed as the emperor’s regent, and so his right to sit upon the Jade Throne is unquestioned. My honor does not allow me to break my oath simply because I do not approve of the current ruler. My oath transcends my own personal opinions and preferences. I truly hope you are successful, Princess, and I shall rejoice if you win the Throne. If you do, I will serve your reign faithfully, as I have served your predecessors and shall serve your descendents. But until that time, I can do nothing to aid you.”

“Are the Imperial Seals here?” Marie asked, and Teikono nodded. “Yes, all save the Amatatsu Seal. They would probably be useful to you in your coming confrontation with the Jade Regent, but I fear I cannot give them to you.”

“What if we just ‘borrowed’ them for a few minutes, and brought them right back?” Bella asked hopefully. Teikono’s frown was all the answer she needed. The party spent several minutes trying to find some loophole that would allow them to get Teikono’s assistance, but the terms of his oath were strict, and his devotion to it unyielding.

Sawyer began to get antsy, and loosened Suishen in his scabbard – it looked like this was going to come to a fight. Nicki, too, was casually inching his way along the wall, maneuvering for position. Bella looked relaxed, still slouching on the stairs, but Ameiko noticed her hands had moved closer to the hilts of her swords.

“Enough!” Ameiko said suddenly, startling everyone. “We don’t need the Seals now. We don’t even know what they’ll do for us, and there’s no reason to make this fine guardian fight us just to obtain them.” Teikono gave a short bow, acknowledging her compliment. “It’s time for us to do what we came here to do – it’s time to kill the Jade Regent and retake the Jade Throne!”

The PCs earned 18,514 XP for tonight, putting them at 586,062 XP, with 635,000 required for Level 15. We’ll be at Joette & Rich’s next Sunday.