Session 48: Disguises seem to be the "In" Thing to do right now...
General Summary
As the group leaves the dowager to her rest, Anya contacts A'flora for a meeting point while the others scan her desk and find a jade lion and a scroll case. Sikander nabs the statue while Offa uses mage hand to pick up and open the scroll as it gives off a black smoke. Inside they find a note from Lord Mirt:
"To the Great Dowager, May our alliance last.
- Lord Mirt"
A'flora is rushing them via message to Anya and they manage to get out and to her before the guards find them. Scolding them all as they enter, Sikander is especially meek at her tone, and Silas shares that the Dowager is sleeping and it is time for them to get moving to Dragontooth Step castle. A'flora explains the transport isn't a train like they rode with Haka-Ho, but a ceremonial parade to celebrate the new year. It is heavily guarded as they traverse the part of the forest that is the thickest of the spirits. Everyone agreed joining the parade seemed the best option, with A'flora smiling fondly at Sikander, "I've missed you brother."
She continues explaining the layout - the royal family with their imperial servants with them then the servants making up the rest of the parade doing all that is asked of them without question. A'flora, as handmaiden to the empress, is to be with the royal entourage. After a long discussion, they decide Anya will disguise herself as a Fox and Offa will accompany her invisibly to travel in close to the royal entourage while Silas and Sikander pose as servants, with Tal keeping his distance but staying close to the tail of the parade, as close to Sikander and Silas as possible.
A'flora introduces them to an ancient man with one eye named Hito, who helps Silas and Sikander get situated and into servant garb. As they do, Hito shares that he can see into the future with one eye, telling them:
Silas and Sikander will have some bad things happen to them today
Anya has a choice in her future
Today Offa will be disappointed
After insisting the guys call him Uncle, he lets them know the lord of servants, Toru, is to be listened to right away and not argued with, along with several other rules, including not to look in the nobles eyes and no getting drunk before the work is done. He leads them down the corridors where the servants are gathered and the pair is offered a plate of mochi. Sikander downs several - they are delicious and taste of rosewater - but he starts choking on them. Silas tries to heimlich him and jumps on his chest, managing to dislodge the mochi and catches the bolus of chewed mochi as it falls. Tucking it away, they continue on to their assignments.
Meanwhile, Anya is led to the royals with Offa staying close invisibly. They are sitting around having polite fun and conversation. Among them is a tall, dark foreigner and a pair of handsome twin servants. She introduces herself as Anna and is quickly rescued in her conversation with Lord Mirt by Niala, a fellow fox, who explains Anna is visiting from Kuzu. Anna can't place what is up with the extremely handsome individual other than they have a fey sense about them. Offa notices that there is something up, almost uncanny valley, about twins, almost illusory. Climbing into the palaquin, Anna settles next to Niala while Offa opts to stay close to it, keeping an eye out for Chiome.
In the back of the parade, the peasants are organizing boxes and instruments, having a great time and drinking, Silas and Sikander included. A hand smacks Sikander, telling him, "You'll drink when your done working," prompting Siaknder to turn and glare at Toru, tall and brawny, covered with tattoos. Mouthing back, Toru hits Sikander hard and has him carrying chamber pots. Silas pipes up and ends up using Minor Illusion on Toru so it looks like he peed himself, sending the boss off embarressed. Through their standing up to Toru and putting him in his place, the pair engratiate themselves to the servants.
As the parade gets moving, the long train moves with lights on sticks and a group carrying a scale model of a temple with what appears to be Sukuyomi the Moon Maiden. Niala explains to Anna that the parade is walking across several worlds the higher we climb the mountain and if you are there at the break of day then you will see the Seven. Anna smiles and shares about her experience at the Feast of the Moon several years prior and Niala is excited to get to know her.
Continuing on, those celebrating with massives kites are seen in the distance and everyone watches until screaming begins echoing up to the parade. Chiome comes in, nearly face to face with Offa, and tells them all to stay put, keeping Anna and Offa stuck for a moment. Sikander and Silas take off into the woods to help, finding the further they get into the woods, the more mystical and overgrown it feels. Eventually Anya and Offa sneak out and take off, Anya noticing the very Feywild feel these woods have.
Everyone arrives at different points to the kite crash site and find beasts spewing blueish red flames at the participants.
The group watches as the crab like creatures uses it claws to rip the spine out of a person, then run off with them. After Silas attacks, Sikander has a shift in how he addresses Silas, calling him gnomeling and inciting a sort of competition between the two. They work on taking out the three monsters with their various attacks and abilities, Anya finally hearing Sikander speak and realizing with the shift to being in a Feywild like place, Shalmar had returned. During the fight, everyone gets hurt with Tal nearly getting despined. They finally finish off the last one, prompting Shalmar to drop a knee and pray and Offa to speak with the dead. He learns the monsters were sent by Dred Garlu and it tells Offa he will eat Offa's soul. Ignoring that, Offa asks if the master is angry with him and is told Offa betrayed his trust. To regain it, he must slay his friends and not the God Eaters, as he favors them and will avoid destruction by doing so. Not sharing that, the group looks around and sees the fires of the kites have been handled, so they start making their way back to the parade.
As Anna returns, she learns from Niala the mountain is not safe as the Yokai have risen and they will miss sunrise on the mountain. Anna tells her she and the others must continue on. Niala explains it will be difficult on the Dragon's Way with a series of 1000 tori gates forming a tunnel and that the protection is not what it once was. They are safe enough until they cross the open spaces. Thanking Niala, Anya misty steps back out of the carriage and goes looking for the others. As she does, the Imperial carriage goes by and she sees the child emperor in Yoko Ono's lap. She messages A'flora if there is anything she can do. She can sense the extreme urgency as A'flora tells her to go. Anya wrestles with leaving A'flora and returning to the others, finally opting to trust her sister at her word and go deal with the Dragontooth Step Castle with the others.
Coming back together, Sikander is back to himself, Anya shares everything Niala told her about the climb, and Offa shares that the crab things were sent by the God Eaters and Lord Mirt. Sikander comments being hungry and Silas gives him the prechewed mochi from earlier and he takes it down no problem. As they start the climb, Sikander takes point, climbing cautiously and studing the stones as he does, noticing they have damaged purposefully. Continuing slowly and cautiously, Anya and Offa start to notice slithering sounds and finally hear creatures speaking in Abyssal, learning they are being followed by demons. They finally come to a steep wall of volcanic rock and spot a series of the tori gates. While deciding on next steps, Anya shifts into an eagle while a spear is thrown at Offa. It misses, and they all climb onto her back as she tries to fly them out of danger. Unfortunately, the demons could fly too, and hit Anya, forcing her to shift back and they all fall back to the base of the cliff. The demons try to decide who will be for hell and who will be for food and share they work for the Lord of Vampires as a fight breaks out.
Offa gets slammed and sends a Finger of Death back at Sjaz. Anya tries to heal everyone, but Offa is poisoned and unable to be. Silas sends his blasts and Sikander swings with Wibbles, just hitting the demon....
"To the Great Dowager, May our alliance last.
- Lord Mirt"
A'flora is rushing them via message to Anya and they manage to get out and to her before the guards find them. Scolding them all as they enter, Sikander is especially meek at her tone, and Silas shares that the Dowager is sleeping and it is time for them to get moving to Dragontooth Step castle. A'flora explains the transport isn't a train like they rode with Haka-Ho, but a ceremonial parade to celebrate the new year. It is heavily guarded as they traverse the part of the forest that is the thickest of the spirits. Everyone agreed joining the parade seemed the best option, with A'flora smiling fondly at Sikander, "I've missed you brother."
She continues explaining the layout - the royal family with their imperial servants with them then the servants making up the rest of the parade doing all that is asked of them without question. A'flora, as handmaiden to the empress, is to be with the royal entourage. After a long discussion, they decide Anya will disguise herself as a Fox and Offa will accompany her invisibly to travel in close to the royal entourage while Silas and Sikander pose as servants, with Tal keeping his distance but staying close to the tail of the parade, as close to Sikander and Silas as possible.
A'flora introduces them to an ancient man with one eye named Hito, who helps Silas and Sikander get situated and into servant garb. As they do, Hito shares that he can see into the future with one eye, telling them:
After insisting the guys call him Uncle, he lets them know the lord of servants, Toru, is to be listened to right away and not argued with, along with several other rules, including not to look in the nobles eyes and no getting drunk before the work is done. He leads them down the corridors where the servants are gathered and the pair is offered a plate of mochi. Sikander downs several - they are delicious and taste of rosewater - but he starts choking on them. Silas tries to heimlich him and jumps on his chest, managing to dislodge the mochi and catches the bolus of chewed mochi as it falls. Tucking it away, they continue on to their assignments.
Meanwhile, Anya is led to the royals with Offa staying close invisibly. They are sitting around having polite fun and conversation. Among them is a tall, dark foreigner and a pair of handsome twin servants. She introduces herself as Anna and is quickly rescued in her conversation with Lord Mirt by Niala, a fellow fox, who explains Anna is visiting from Kuzu. Anna can't place what is up with the extremely handsome individual other than they have a fey sense about them. Offa notices that there is something up, almost uncanny valley, about twins, almost illusory. Climbing into the palaquin, Anna settles next to Niala while Offa opts to stay close to it, keeping an eye out for Chiome.
In the back of the parade, the peasants are organizing boxes and instruments, having a great time and drinking, Silas and Sikander included. A hand smacks Sikander, telling him, "You'll drink when your done working," prompting Siaknder to turn and glare at Toru, tall and brawny, covered with tattoos. Mouthing back, Toru hits Sikander hard and has him carrying chamber pots. Silas pipes up and ends up using Minor Illusion on Toru so it looks like he peed himself, sending the boss off embarressed. Through their standing up to Toru and putting him in his place, the pair engratiate themselves to the servants.
As the parade gets moving, the long train moves with lights on sticks and a group carrying a scale model of a temple with what appears to be Sukuyomi the Moon Maiden. Niala explains to Anna that the parade is walking across several worlds the higher we climb the mountain and if you are there at the break of day then you will see the Seven. Anna smiles and shares about her experience at the Feast of the Moon several years prior and Niala is excited to get to know her.
Continuing on, those celebrating with massives kites are seen in the distance and everyone watches until screaming begins echoing up to the parade. Chiome comes in, nearly face to face with Offa, and tells them all to stay put, keeping Anna and Offa stuck for a moment. Sikander and Silas take off into the woods to help, finding the further they get into the woods, the more mystical and overgrown it feels. Eventually Anya and Offa sneak out and take off, Anya noticing the very Feywild feel these woods have.
Everyone arrives at different points to the kite crash site and find beasts spewing blueish red flames at the participants.
The group watches as the crab like creatures uses it claws to rip the spine out of a person, then run off with them. After Silas attacks, Sikander has a shift in how he addresses Silas, calling him gnomeling and inciting a sort of competition between the two. They work on taking out the three monsters with their various attacks and abilities, Anya finally hearing Sikander speak and realizing with the shift to being in a Feywild like place, Shalmar had returned. During the fight, everyone gets hurt with Tal nearly getting despined. They finally finish off the last one, prompting Shalmar to drop a knee and pray and Offa to speak with the dead. He learns the monsters were sent by Dred Garlu and it tells Offa he will eat Offa's soul. Ignoring that, Offa asks if the master is angry with him and is told Offa betrayed his trust. To regain it, he must slay his friends and not the God Eaters, as he favors them and will avoid destruction by doing so. Not sharing that, the group looks around and sees the fires of the kites have been handled, so they start making their way back to the parade.
As Anna returns, she learns from Niala the mountain is not safe as the Yokai have risen and they will miss sunrise on the mountain. Anna tells her she and the others must continue on. Niala explains it will be difficult on the Dragon's Way with a series of 1000 tori gates forming a tunnel and that the protection is not what it once was. They are safe enough until they cross the open spaces. Thanking Niala, Anya misty steps back out of the carriage and goes looking for the others. As she does, the Imperial carriage goes by and she sees the child emperor in Yoko Ono's lap. She messages A'flora if there is anything she can do. She can sense the extreme urgency as A'flora tells her to go. Anya wrestles with leaving A'flora and returning to the others, finally opting to trust her sister at her word and go deal with the Dragontooth Step Castle with the others.
Coming back together, Sikander is back to himself, Anya shares everything Niala told her about the climb, and Offa shares that the crab things were sent by the God Eaters and Lord Mirt. Sikander comments being hungry and Silas gives him the prechewed mochi from earlier and he takes it down no problem. As they start the climb, Sikander takes point, climbing cautiously and studing the stones as he does, noticing they have damaged purposefully. Continuing slowly and cautiously, Anya and Offa start to notice slithering sounds and finally hear creatures speaking in Abyssal, learning they are being followed by demons. They finally come to a steep wall of volcanic rock and spot a series of the tori gates. While deciding on next steps, Anya shifts into an eagle while a spear is thrown at Offa. It misses, and they all climb onto her back as she tries to fly them out of danger. Unfortunately, the demons could fly too, and hit Anya, forcing her to shift back and they all fall back to the base of the cliff. The demons try to decide who will be for hell and who will be for food and share they work for the Lord of Vampires as a fight breaks out.
Offa gets slammed and sends a Finger of Death back at Sjaz. Anya tries to heal everyone, but Offa is poisoned and unable to be. Silas sends his blasts and Sikander swings with Wibbles, just hitting the demon....
Report Date
22 Jun 2024
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