Session 05: Temple Wars Report
General Summary
The group stood in the wreckage of the forest cleari, surrounded by the bodies of the Jade Wasp and her minions, as dawn broke. In desperate need of rest, the group could see lanterns visible through the trees. The group knew they were being actively searched for. They had the option of travelling back to one of the towers on Musu Kasu's bridge, but it would be 2 hours back. They could try to find a better-hidden spot, but none of the group were rangers or druids, with true wilderness experience. Having successfully climbed the first mountain and crossed Musu Kasu's bridge, the group were making their way around the second mountain following the path. Vulpis and Emeny found a parchment lying to one side. While they examined it, there was a flash of light and they disappeared, teleported away. The group cautiously looked at the scroll left behind, and realised they had been teleported back the the Steel River's house in Bajapur. The group decided to search for another hiding place to finish their rest, and Mortimer found a suitable location and he and Cebril managed to hide the resting place sufficiently that the group's rest was undisturbed. Heading back to the path, the group followed it around the curve of the mountain as it rose higher. Passing around the far side of the mountain, smoke was visible in the distance. The path sloped downward to a cleared area, where a walled temple was visible. The courtyard was ablaze, and a huge fight was happening inside the temple. One faction was a yellowish-beige, and another clad in a bluish-white, the same as the Steel River, as figures fought around the buildings and across the rooftops. Every few seconds, more yellow figures winked into existence in the large gardens around the temple, before running back in. The group suspected that the figures were being teleported away by the Steel River's staff. Looking closer at the yellow figures, they had no feet, and were running on points - they were origami puppets, the same as Korgawa's tests. The temple was the one visible in the scrying done in the House of Cats. The main temple is three storeys tall, in the pagoda style, while the other buildings are a single tall storey, like the height of a barn. One figure stands on the tallest roof, in voluminous robes with writing upon them, casting spells down into the curtyard. He was likely a paper wizard, dressed in what looked like scrolls and papers. A paper spell drove the Su Monster crazy, and the original theft was of a scroll. Korgawa was previously known as a hero known for his good works, but he apparently became corrupted by a lust for power. He progressively became more and more brutal, until eventually he was invited to leave Bajapur, at which point he created the Academy. He became even more brutal at that point, but his training methods were indisputably effective. Front buildings 1 storey. Mid-courtyard buildings 2 storeys. Back buildings 1 storey. Central building 3 storeys. Courtyard raked white gravel. Reflecting pool in the centre. Steel River stood in the centre of the courtyard, with two surviving acolytes. Piles of black ash were scattered across the ground, remnants of the origami warriors. As the party approached, they could see the origami figures vanishing from the courtyard and reappearing outside before running in. Less and less was visible as the characters descended from their elevated position and the walls and foliage rose. Fortunately, the origami figures don't notice the party as they arrive at the gates. Steel River struck 2 of the origami warriors with his flail, and they winked out. All the origami warriors were vaguely samurai in appearance, with razor-edged paper folds. Several of the warriors were charging from behind the party, but didn't seem to react as they raced back to combat. Junko charged between two of the warriors to attack Steel River, and they didn't react. She faced him, announcing, "Prepare yourself, Steel River. I am here on behalf of the House of Cats." His bluish-white robes bore slashes and staining, but not as much apparent damage as would be indicated. Junko raised her blade aura and slashed at him, radiant damage surrounding her blade. Steel River whirled around impossibly fast, regarded her, and said "You, I don't need." His flail whipped around at her amazingly quickly, and she frantically dodged with her impossible deflection, stepping aside so quickly she seemed to blur, and the flail cracked into empty air. "Interesting," he said. Kayle charged forward and flanked Steel River, his fists blurring in a flurry of blows and crackling with electricity. Steel River frowned, and said, "You, I really don't need." His flail smacked into Kayle, and a ripple formed in the air behind Kayle, briefly looking like a doorway, then Kayle was sucked into it. Cebril recognised the effect as a Dimension Door, as Kayle was sent hundreds of feet away behind the back of the temple. The onimagi on the temple roof gestured forward two more of his paper warriors, and they attacked Junko from behind as she was in the way. Surprised, she was wounded by a paper cut. One of Steel River's acolytes was mortally wounded, falling to the gravel, as the origami warrior turned to charge Steel River. Cebril the changeling changed his appearance to an origami warrior, and as Steel River teleported an origami warrior, Cebril used his own Dimension Door to teleport behind and above the onimagi, then used Feather Fall to drift down to the roof behind him. If the onimagi saw him, he assumed Cebril was one of his own warriors. The mage pulled two strips of paper off his robes and threw them to the ground below, where they turned into origami warriors. Mortimer cast Spiritual Weapon and Toll the Dead. A sonorous chime rang through the air as the toll struck Steel River, and he staggered. Steel River turned to Junko and said, "You're fighting the wrong target! Thbe onimagi is allowing Korgawa to access the spirit realm. If he uses the scrolls, he will destroy Bajapur!" He whirled, and one of the origami samurai burst into flame and another was teleported away. Steel River then leapt into the air and landed fifty feet away. His fallen acolyte did something, then rose to his feet, looking better than he did. Junko shouted after him, "I will believe you for now, as the spirit realm is my home, but if you betray me, I will give you a horrible death." She turned and cut down one of the origami warriors, and it twists silently as a red line of fire scorched across it, turning from parchment to red-black ash. It froze for a second, then the ash blew away. Whirling on the next warrior, she slashed at it, damaging it, then raced over to a larger paper warrior. She shouted at the wounded acolyte, "Stay behind me!" The two acolytes shared a flickering glance, then nodded slightly to each other. Kayle used Step of the Wind to charge back toward the temple, which was 200 feet away, covering 165 feet in a single turn, his spectral dragon wings lifting him into the air. Cebril began a Song of Creation to create a non-magical version of the Iron Bands of Bilarro, which grappled the onimage. He flailed in shock as it lifted him into the air. He fought the grappling as it tried to blind and muffle him, but failed to escape. The two origami hulks attacking Junko were wielding paper clubs, like tetsubo, but were ineffectual in attacking her, causing minimal damage. Over in the corner of the courtyard streamers of inky smoke rose from a black fire consuming the remnants of a paper tiger. Mortimer raced over to support Junko, and his spiritual weapon attacked the origami warrior Junko had damaged. The shimmering monarch butterfly's wings sliced through the paper, and it burned up. Mortimer cast Faerie Fire on the two origami hulks facing Junko, glimmering light outlining them. Steel River leapt 25 feet vertically to one of the middle buildings on the side of the courtyard, and then raced to the end of the building toward the onimage. His acolyte raced up beside Junko and critically hit a paper hulk twice, and it ignited. The other acolyte facing a pair of orgami warriors continued to stalemate against them. Junko slashed twice against a paper hulk, leaving dangling ribbons. Kayle continued his draconic flight to land on the roof with a soft thud. He raced toward the roofline, and just before attacking the origami warrior standing on the crest, he realised it was playing an instrument & singing - it was likely Cebril. He charged past him and crested the roofline, seeing the paper hulk standing by the edge. Kayle leapt off the crest and slid down toward the paper hulk. Hitting it solidly, he knocked it off the edge of the roof, and it fell to the stairs below. Rising to its feet, it looked around confusedly. Kayle looked over the courtyard below, taking in the changed battlefield with a flashing glance as he recognised Junko fighting beside an acolyte against the paper hulks. Cebril solidly grappled the onimage, his version of the Iron Bands looking like five smashed guitars had vomited all over the caster. Guitar strings, frets, and all the rest wound around the struggling mage. The onimage tried to focus, and managed to turn into a silvery mist as he tried to Misty Step. Cebril hurriedly cast Counterspell, and the onimage resolidified in the grasp of the strings. More of his origami warriors charged back into the courtyard, and the paper brute swung at Junko but missed so badly she heard a tearing sound as it opened its ripped damage further. Mortimer attacked one of the returning origami warriors with his spiritual weapon, damaging it further, and then charged into range of a group of origami warriors, casting Spirit Guardians. The disciple beside Junko rained a flurry of blows on the paper hulk, and it turned into a cloud of ash. Steel River leapt from the building to the main temple, teetering for a second as he landed on the very edge of the roof, then turned and ran along the edge toward the onimage. Junko ran toward the origami warriors approaching Mortimer, and sliced clean through one of them. A line of fire crawled across it and it fell. She sliced at the second, leaving tatters behind. Kayle exhaled a cone of poison breath at the onimage, wounding him, then turned to Steel River as he approached. "Will I have to fight you?" he asked. "He is the one we should be fighting," Steel River replied. Cebril cast Bigby's Hand in front of Steel River, interposing it in the way, then lowered the onimage to the roof to try and tie and gag him. Steel River lashed the hand, and it winked away, reappearing on the outer edge of the courtyard, only just within range. The onimage made another concentration attempt and started to turn into silvery mist again, and Cebril counterspelled it again. The paper hulk that had been knocked off the roof attacked Junko, but was still disoriented and missed completely. Four more origami warriors futilely tried to attack the floating butterfly that was Mortimer's spiritual weapon. The cloud of butterflies that was Mortimer's spiritual guardians swarmed the remaining origami warrior in front of Mortimer. Diving into it again and again, glowing pinpricks of fire spread over it until it was consumed. Steel River leapt toward the animage and started hammering him with his fists, a glowing shimmer surrounding his hands. "Could you not?" Cebril asked in irritation. "I'm trying to take care of this situation myself." Steel River ignored him. Steel River dealt enormous damage to the onimage, who was near-death. His acolytes turned on the two closest origami warriors, consuming both in flame. Junko raced past the paper hulk, dashing to the stairs of the main temple. Kayle readied his action, preparing for Steel River or the onimage to attack. Cebril sent the Iron Bands of Cebril 30 feet into the air, and then cast Heat Metal on the flail. Steel River turned on Cebril, saying, "You're a complication I don't need." He lashed him with the flail, and Cebril winked out of existence as the dimension door opened before him - and reappeared 30 feet away across the rooftop. The flail glowed red-hot, and Steel River dropped it in surprise. The paper hulk facing Mortimer smashed at him, but had no effect. Mortimer cast Toll the Dead, and mouldy, damaged paper spread across the surface of the paper hulk as the necrotic energy crawled across it, before turning to ash. Steel River glanced at the glowing-hot flail, then pulled a trio of kunai from his waist, and hurled them at the onimage. One sank to the hilt in the onimage's eye-socket, and he fell limp and dead. The origami warriors all burned to ash, and a globe of multi-coloured light expanded as the spell effects backlashed. Steel River fought off all the effects, but Kayle staggered as his strength was sapped by two-thirds and his intelligence was weakened. At the base of the steps, Junko shouted, "There's a portal here on the steps, with bodies and blank scrolls around it!" Steel River raised his hand, shouting, "Hold! We need to get through the portal as quickly as possible! He's draining power from the acolytes." Mortimer hurriedly cast Greater Restoration on Kayle, pulling out a glittering vial which shattered as he held it over Kayle's head. It shattered in his hand, and a cloud of glittering diamond dust drifted down over Kayle, evaporating away. Kayle straightened, catching his breath. The group leapt through the portal, accompanied by Steel River and his acolytes. They found themselves in a strangely misty realm, finding themselves on huge rocks floating in mid-air, with half-buildings scattered across their surface, and trees with red leaves growing from them. Wispy grey-white spirit figures are dotted around, and seem to be writhing in pain. They are indistinct, but could be the sacrificed acolytes. Everyone watched as Mortimer paused, grimacing as if in great pain, and then steam rose from him as if a wind was blowing against him. Butterflies flashed around him as he concentrated, and then the wispy steam was sucked back into his body. "Korgawa knows we're here," Steel River shouted. "He's trying to kill us!" A second breeze blew, and Mortimer screamed in pain as he fought it off again. The group raced across the floating rocks and bridges, and leapt to the next rock when one of the acolytes screamed and fell to the ground, writhing, as the steam rose from him and turned into a ghostly copy of himself. The spectre was drawn from his body and looked like the other suffering spirits, as a small golden star rose from him and zipped forward. As the group raced toward the distant spirit temple, Kayle shuddered as he fought off an attack, then Cebril, then Kayle again were affected. As the group neared a wider open area with lines of stone columns forming an open temple. The trees were losing their leaves faster and faster in great drifts of red. Korgawa was standing at the far end of the temple, his eyes glinting from beneath a wide-brimmed conical hat, as grey mist boiled off him and his long tightly-buttoned robes. Blank scrolls were scattered on the ground around him, and translucent acolytes appeared around him as he summoned them. Junko ran forward as fast as she could, slicing her sword in glittering arcs as she readied a sword storm. Glittering sparks slashed through the air in a cone, sleeting through two of the acolytes and Korgawa. The spirits were shredded as they blew back, reforming in the distance. Korgawa looked at her, and said, "Your abilities are potent, but they are not enough." He raised his hands, clad in metallic gloves that appeared to be made of writhing worms or an endless maze. Kayle raced forward 55 feet and hit Korgawa with a flurry of fiery blows, causing great damage. Korgawa swung his fist back in a wide circle, the air thickening in his grasp, and he punched Kayle with a booming thunderclap. Kayle was blasted back 50 feet, sliding on his feet until his heel caught on a cobblestone and he fell prone. Cebril cast Vicious Mockery successfully on Korgawa, and moved his Iron Bands toward Korgawa. Steel River ran toward Korgawa, shouting, "Betrayer of students! Betrayer of those who were faithful to you!" He attacked, and Korgawa replied, "It doesn't matter any more." Korgawa wound up and hit him with another thunder-punch, knocking him back 30 feet, and almost off the floating island. He kept his feet, barely. Mortimer called upon divine intervention from his deity, but was too far away in the spirit realm. The two nearby spirit acolytes charged Mortimer, but were swarmed by his spirit guardian butterflies, which tore them into shreds. With another rolling boom of thunder, Cebril's Iron Bands were massively damaged, but not destroyed. Junko slashed through the air repeatedly with an action surge, hitting Korgawa three times, wounding him badly. Korgawa shouted, "Noo!" He tried to grasp the air, but discorporated as his essence streamed backwards and evaporated.
