LOG START
[16:57:18] Master of Games
All Creation, Beneath the Sword
Session 6
Your barge grinds to a stop in shallow water. A rocky beach resolves out of the thick mist. You’ve made it through the unnatural fog surrounding the island that sits near the center of Agate Lake, where the diver-miners propitiate Dai-Kiga for his sufferance as they haul glittering iron-sand from the lake’s bed.
Our heroes of the Sun have come here to investigate after learning that not only had the island been mysteriously shrouded in fog for days, but a team of geomancers sent to investigate its essence flows has not been seen since either. The Anori clan, architects of Jibei’s geomancy, had noticed a disruption to the island’s integrity that caused its hearthstone, the manifest core of its sculpted essence, to crack and crumble, not long after something similar happened to another known manse in the vicinity of Ama-Ni-Traya. Twice is a coincidence, but the Anori are unwilling to take a risk where Vaneha’s most sacred mountain is concerned.
The fog rampart proved more of a maze than a wall as such. It brings to mind certain myths of the descent of the Ninety-Nine Stars and the founding of Vaneha, when Ama-Ni-Traya was shrouded in clouds, but the strange shapes you saw floating in the mists are incongruous—hardly legible characters, shadows of centipedes and deer. Is it some long-forgotten defense mechanism of the islet’s, or a trick of whoever or whatever is causing the damage?
[16:58:32] Master of Games
The islet itself is the size of a large estate; one could likely walk the circumference of its beach in an hour. Irregular spires of rock dominate the landscape, appearing almost grown from the water. Many of them are decorated with ropes and paper streamers. Between these stretch wooden walkways, fences, sheds, communal spaces, and structures of uncertain purpose for the use of those who come here to pray. The roofs of the central shrine buildings can be seen from the beach, clustered around a central spire that appears to be covered in flowers made of rock. Now, though, that spire is cracked and many of the stone-flowers are scattering. The lay of the land is not entirely intuitive to the outsider, but it’s clear enough that whatever is causing problems is most likely to be found at the center. Your eyes can see fine, now that you’re out of the mist; the sky above is blue as it was before you plunged through. Only your view out onto the lake is obscured.
[17:00:18] Master of Games
A few small, cheap vessels lie upside-down on the beach, unattended and likely meant as spares for divers. One more boat catches the eye for being larger than these, though smaller than yours. It’s discreet, but visibly of good make. Your suspicions confirm themselves as Kagemori approaches the boat with a vigilant eye. Though nobody answers his call, he spots a body, dead, some distance away from the water. It’s wearing the clothes and mon he would expect to see on an Anori retainer; perhaps a bodyguard. Signs of a struggle abound and hint at multiple combatants, though only this one unfortunate is left on the beach.
[17:06:37] Raizo
”Band, spread and search, move in pairs!” Raizo shouts to his men as he sets his helmet on his brow and ties off the straps.
[17:07:07] Datei ma Kagemori
”Attacked as soon as they landed, it seems.”
[17:08:20] River Snake
”Any idea by what?” Snake walks over for a better look at the possible battle scene
[17:11:28] Datei ma Kagemori
Kagemori kneels by the body to study it for details. “Be aware, there’s more to this place than meets the eye. Be cautious if you’re searching.” The warrior fell in a struggle, but what sort of attacker did they face? Where is the rest of the Anori group?
[17:11:33] River Snake
Once he gets to the bodies snake takes a look around, trying to identify footprints, weapon damage, signs of animals or monsters, whatever might tell something useful
[17:20:20] Master of Games
Raizo’s band answer with an affirmative call and fan out to search the beach while River Snake and Kagemori inspect the fight scene.
[17:25:10] Master of Games
The basic answer to the question of what the Anori faced is straightforward enough: something large. The rocks and sand around the fallen warrior are disturbed in a way that suggests movement, and the nearby wooden walkway is partially smashed as if by a heavy impact. More specifically, the tracks suggest something large being dragged, or dragging itself, across the ground and displacing small rocks as it went. The rocky ground is not very receptive to footprints, so it’s hard to say what exactly moved here, but quite likely it crawled. Perhaps, the shapes you saw in the mist, oddly shaped centipedes and deer, are suggestive.
[17:26:51] Datei ma Kagemori
”Not a rival armed band, surprisingly. Crushed by a large beast, perhaps.”
[17:32:25] Master of Games
Following splatters of blood on the ground, River Snake finds broken pieces of weaponry, and a number of scales that look similar to those of Raizo’s armor at the foot of a larger rock, accompanied by specks of blood. Perhaps a bodyguard was slammed against the rock here, surely fatally. If so, their body is nowhere to be found.
Considering the traces of blood, scraps of equipment, and the size of the boat, you can figure that perhaps three or four individuals fought here, and the bodies besides this one were presumably dragged off or consigned to the lake.. Assuming Anori’s geomancers weren’t themselves armed, that leaves them unaccounted for.
[17:33:04] River Snake
”Does that big fish of yours come out of the water?”
[17:34:11] Master of Games
He doesn’t, in theory, but one supposes stranger things have happened. Dai-Kiga is a spirit fish, after all.
[17:35:13] Datei ma Kagemori
”If it does, I have not heard of it occurring. But much is strange about the islet today, so perhaps.”
[17:37:04] Raizo
Raizo picks up one of the scales and regards it absent-mindedly. “Hm. Why drag off the bodies if you’re going to leave one behind?”
[17:40:16] River Snake
”Couldnt carry any more, I guess? Or the monster was full”
[17:42:05] Master of Games
The islet is small and the rocks make good vantage points; it would not have been difficult for any given attacker to ambush the Anori on the beach. One more interesting thing: Traces on the fallen warrior whose body you do have suggest a struggle with an opponent closer to their size—vicious scratches and bite marks, one of which seems to have opened their throat either before or after the heavier beast crushed them.
[17:48:57] Raizo
”Do you think we can figure out anything else here or should start going inland?”
[17:52:23] Datei ma Kagemori
”I think we’ve got what we can from this, but the structures,” Kagemori gestures, “There’s something off about them. I think we should be cautious before proceeding.”
[17:53:41] Datei ma Kagemori
Kagemori cautiously approaches the closest one, to get a better look at it. He’ll leave climbing it to his compatriots though.
[17:54:31] Master of Games
Raizo’s band comes up empty-handed from their search of the remaining and the dredge-divers’ boats, save for a brief surprise when they happen upon a crocodile, not too common at this altitude, basking in the sun between two of the boats. It’s hardly large enough to have been the culprit in the lethal battle further up the beach, and seems largely disinterested in your party.
[17:54:46] Raizo
Raizo turns his gaze to the compound. Since it’s seeming to be more and more common they might have to fight their way in or out, he takes a focus on studying it and the surrounding rocky outcrops as both fortification and for ambushes.
[18:04:42] Master of Games
Raizo’s eye is drawn to the arrangement of the walkways, the fences, ropes, parts that look like they’re movable… it’s not exactly a defensive fortification, but the structures here, however old they may be, seem to have been built with an eye towards barricading particular pathways at a moment’s notice. Perhaps it’s even possible to collapse posts or rocks on certain spots. As far as Kagemori knows, the dredgers of Agate Lake have been left to keep their own counsel for a long time, as long as they answer to appointed overseers and deliver precious iron-sand, but the Sword has at times been ruthless in enforcing this arrangement. It’s not out of the question that the eventuality of needing to barricade themselves against the government was in the back of their minds.
[18:12:05] Raizo
”You know, I don’t know if they did this on purpose, but this place is full of chokepoints, isn’t it? A handful of fighters and you could probably hold this place for a long while.” Raizo observes, idly gesturing around. “But the fact they haven’t used that suggests they either didn’t feel the need or that they couldn’t prepare in time.”
[18:12:56] River Snake
”Well I dont think whatever came here was human, so that could complicate things a bit. Or maybe they got caught on the beach”
[18:14:21] Datei ma Kagemori
”We should keep our eyes out. Hopefully the chokepoints remain unmanned as we head in. Any suggestions on approach?”
[18:21:28] Raizo
”I should lead. Canopy, behind me. My suggestion is you two stay in the middle of my fighters. We’ll be your shield, you’ll be our eyes.”
[18:22:30] Datei ma Kagemori
Kagemori nods, his eyes already scanning for hidden enemies.
[18:23:12] River Snake
”You’re the one with group combat experience, I’ll take your lead”
[18:36:27] Raizo
And so Raizo leads on, ordering his soldiers thusly and marching forward toward the temple interior.
[18:44:08] Master of Games
Forewarned and forearmed, your group moves inland, where the mystery assailants almost assuredly are, if only for lack of anywhere else to be. The pier-like wooden walkways are simple, but in good repair, and make walking a good deal easier than on the unstable footing of the beach, but also confine your movement. The path forward isn’t always perfectly obvious, either, so a bit of searching is necessary. Nobody disturbs you, though, the dredgers seem to be out as Kagemori expected… or are they?
River Snake spots it first, followed by the others. Something—someone—clambers over a rock spire, messing with some ropes and preparing to move something. It would be too much to hope that this silhouette is trying to help you find your way.
[18:47:26] River Snake
”Ahead, on the rocks.” He points to the whatever it is messing with the ropes.
[18:50:07] Datei ma Kagemori
”Be ready to move if something is dropped.”
[18:51:07] River Snake
Snake shifts his stance, grabbing his weapon as he launches himself into the air at the mystery figure in a superhuman leap over the heads of his allies
[18:57:36] Master of Games
The figure, hurried in their work, jumps as Snake lands next to them. They nearly take a bad fall off the back of the rock, but a swift grab at the rocks saves what turns out to be a woman at the cusp of middle age, in modest garb and skin tanned from a lifetime in the sun. A startles curse escapes her, audible by the rest of the group as well.
[18:59:00] River Snake
”Hold on, we’re not enemies. I think”
[18:59:07] Raizo
Raizo hurries after Snake’s leap, hand on his sword.
[18:59:25] River Snake
Snake does his best to calm down whoever this person is and avoid an immediate conflict
[19:01:29] River Snake
”We heard there was trouble here on the island, we came looking to help”
[19:10:14] Master of Games
”Poor decision, stranger. You’re walking into a snake nest.”
[19:11:45] River Snake
”Good news, People love to call me a Snake” He laughs. “Can you tell me and my friends what happened here?”
[19:15:17] Master of Games
The woman regards Snake with some skepticism. “A witch came, wanting to speak to the Great Fish. We asked her if she was insane. She didn’t like that.”
[19:16:24] River Snake
”A witch?”
[19:19:34] Master of Games
”Did something to the blooming obelisk. Shrouded the island in clouds. Then the manse-architects from the city came looking. She brought forth a monster to kill their guards and captured the architects.”
[19:20:14] Master of Games
”Then, your group came.”
[19:24:30] River Snake
”Well, that explains some things…I wonder how much experience the others have with monsters. Did more of your comrades survive?”
[19:26:25] Master of Games
The woman considers for a moment before answering. “The others left the island before the fog came in. I stayed to try to reason with the witch.”
[19:27:49] River Snake
”Would you mind meeting with my group, perhaps we can figure something out, you know the island better than anyone, we might be able to deal with the witch and save the prisoners.”
[19:32:51] Master of Games
”Best to leave her alone. But I will, if you insist.”
[19:35:05] Master of Games
”I can show you hiding spots.”
[19:44:08] Master of Games
River Snake’s new friend introduces herself as San, diver and priestess of Dai-Kiga, and agrees to clamber down and meet the rest of the group as well. She looks the assembled group up and down and her gaze lingers briefly on Kagemori’s clan emblem before looking up.
[19:47:25] Datei ma Kagemori
”Thank you for your assistance, priestess. Do you know anything else about this witch?”
[19:47:48] Raizo
”Raizo and the Band of the Canopy at your service,” he offers with a slight bow of his head.
[19:50:08] Datei ma Kagemori
”This one is Kagemori, of the Datei. I heard some of the Anori vanished and wished to investigate.”
[19:53:29] Master of Games
”She… wanted something from the architects,” San answers, more guarded than she was before. “Took them to the central shrine. Haven’t seen them since.”
[19:57:25] Raizo
”You have my word you’ll be safe with us, honest master, whatever is happening here.”
[19:57:26] Datei ma Kagemori
”Hmm. Their expertise, perhaps, but to ends not what they originally intended I would assume. Otherwise no need to kidnap them.”
[20:03:12] Master of Games
”I don’t know what she wants, in the end. Best if she gets it and leaves before the Great Fish turns wrathful.”
[20:04:47] Datei ma Kagemori
”Ah, another question. Did she bring a crocodile? We saw one down that way.”
[20:05:03] Master of Games
San gives Kagemori a blank look. “What is a crocodile?”
[20:05:54] Datei ma Kagemori
”A form of lizard from foreign lands. If she rode in on it, you’d remember it.”
[20:07:36] Master of Games
”Ah. I saw a large lizard on the beach. I’d never seen one like it before, but it didn’t look aggressive, so I stayed away. I doubt it’s hers. Probably stranded.”
[20:10:19] Datei ma Kagemori
”I see. In any case, I think we need to learn more about this witch. If her ends are not malicious or even righteous, perhaps we can assist her. If her ends are unjust we can end her, and perhaps win a favor from clan Anori.”
[20:10:52] Master of Games
”Righteous like what?”
[20:14:19] Datei ma Kagemori
”Unclear, and it seems unlikely, I just did not wish to rule out the possibility. If nothing else, I would like to ensure the fog falls and you can return to your normal duties. Preferably with the Anori alive to return home as well.”
[20:18:45] Master of Games
San regards Kagemori, and then the others, with some incredulity. “You’re… certain? She didn’t listen to me.”
[20:19:05] Raizo
”We can be very persuasive.”
[20:24:48] Master of Games
”…Follow me.” She points the way not to the center of the island, but up onto a spire, from where one would likely have a view of the main sanctum.
[20:24:57] Datei ma Kagemori
”It is dangerous, of course, but I will never achieve my dreams if I shy away from danger. If she is a potential friend, all the better. If she is my enemy, better to strike when she is busy with other matters.”
[20:26:03] Master of Games
”I… doubt she’ll be your friend. Sir.”
[20:27:13] Datei ma Kagemori
”Can you describe the monster she summoned?”
[20:34:08] Master of Games
”Up there.” She points up a narrow staircase leading to higher ground. From there, you can get a look of the center of the island, a complex of shrine buildings circling what San termed the “blooming obelisk”. Also coiled around the obelisk is a long, dark shape, with a segmented body and countless legs. It’s hard to tell where it starts and ends. It seems to be partially covered by tarps, as if resting, but you can see pincers and odd outgrowths that remind one of antlers. Its body must be thicker than a man’s torso, and it’s certainly large enough to be what dragged itself around on the beach. “It looks like some kind of centipede. But not a normal one.”
[20:35:02] River Snake
”That’s a big centipede”
[20:35:27] Raizo
”Yeah, that’s… that’s not normal, you are correct.”
[20:35:52] Datei ma Kagemori
”Explains the visions we saw in the fog, of centipedes and deer.”
[20:37:18] Master of Games
”You’d have to get past it to talk to the witch.”
[20:41:42] Datei ma Kagemori
”Indeed. Options, we could try to get past it unseen, we could try to reason with it…If it is intelligent, which is presently unclear, or we can meet it in combat. I should have soldiers of my own, but I did not expect …Quite this.”
[20:42:48] River Snake
”I can’t say I’ve ever fought a giant centipede before”
[20:44:39] Raizo
”Hm…” Raizo’s brain buzzes with possibilities, considering how best he and his soldiers might lay such a beast low.
[20:46:17] River Snake
”Poke it in the joints with big spears? I usually try to sneak past anything I can”
[20:53:03] Master of Games
San looks at the lot of you like she thinks you’re insane
[20:56:02] Raizo
”Joints, yeah. Could also try to bait it somewhere else. What do centipedes even eat? I only ever saw them crawling around in the grass when I was growing up. Or maybe set a fire near it and try to make it move away?”
[20:56:33] River Snake
”I doubt a building sized centipede eats whatever regular ones do”
[20:56:34] Raizo
”If the armor along the underside is thinner, we could try to attack it from below.”
[20:58:04] Datei ma Kagemori
”I think they eat other bugs, so maybe this one eats…I don’t know. Cows?”
[20:59:02] Datei ma Kagemori
”If it is intelligent, it is likely we can reason with it. If it isn’t, hmm. How brave do you think it is?”
[20:59:30] River Snake
”Probably brave enough to not be afraid of a bunch of people the size of snack food”
[21:00:04] Datei ma Kagemori
”Size can be deceiving.”
[21:02:39] Raizo
”Well, not much we can do from here. I’m comfortable trying communication before violence. Harder to try the other way around, usually.”
[21:03:51] River Snake
”I would sugguest one of us distracts it while we sneak past to find the witch, but If she can fight well on her own we might be in trouble. She can probably call it somehow as well”
[21:05:41] Datei ma Kagemori
”If it is a summon bound to her, protecting her is likely to be its first priority.”