The Withering Star

Life, Supernatural

Following her* impromptu encounter with Sasaki Kojirō, Daimyō Hashinara Yoshitakatomo proceeded down the Baharnan docks toward her* target. The path to Phiruna the Navigator was separated by a stone palisade bordering the port proper. Such an obstacle proved little difficulty to one such as Yoshitakatomo, however. Walking up, over, and across the wall, she* soon stood behind the windswept captain as he gazed out to sea.

The silence stretched out for a moment. Yoshitakatomo chose not to announce herself*, instead allowing the soft wash of waves and the distant sounds of port business to fill the air. Finally, Phiruna himself spoke. Rather than a greeting, the captain waxed poetic about his journeys across the Dreamsea. He'd seen many things, been to most places in the Dreamlands, and met a great variety of people and monsters. What Phiruna truly longed for now, however, was something that no one else had seen before. A discovery totally unique and his own. In such a fluid landscape as the Realm of Dreams, such a thing must exist, and he yearned to find it.   Perhaps on that count Yoshitakatomo could be of some help. Faced with such an offer, Phiruna needed little convincing to join her as captain of the Black Galleon at Queen's Landing. Orders from Veasna the Elder aside, Phiruna was obviously eager in his own right to be back upon the waves.   The magical journey here had not gone as smoothly or simply as Yoshitakatomo would have liked. So, the eldritch princess determined to take the land route back from Baharna. Her* new companion's apparent status was enough to secure them a pair of horses with no questions asked. So, soon, the two were departing from the city's southwestern gates. The roads they were to follow were overgrown and ill-used, but that would surely change as Queen's Landing continued to grow and establish itself.   On the way, Yoshitakatomo and Phiruna spoke of their coming adventures. The captain wanted a crew worthy of their journey, while the magus suggested that wizardry alone could fill that need. Although he'd met many Dreamers with magic at their command, Phiruna noted that they all still rode upon vessels bearing a full crew. There must surely be a reason for that. Unknown to either of them, Phiruna's doubts would soon be put to rest by a display of Yoshitakatomo's power.   As Baharna receded into the distance behind them, something dashed out of the bushes nearby and sprinted out of sight. It looked something like a horse, but boasted a queer black-on-white striped coloration. Yoshitakatomo's nigh-endless knowledge failed to present any answers on what it might be. To Phiruna, it was nothing special. A zebra, he said. They often frolicked around the wilds south of Baharna.   Yoshitakatomo peered through the brush in an attempt to catch another glimpse of the unusual creature. So focused was she* on the task, however, that she* did not notice the other presence which had invaded their group. There came a sound like a spear punching through flesh and Phiruna let out a soft gasp. Then, he shriveled. In a matter of moments, all of the unfortunate captain's blood had left his body, drawn out by a protuberance connected to something previously invisible in the air behind him. As the crimson fluid filled out the transparent creature's insides, it painted something horrific. Looking at once like a human heart and a terrible, alien cephalopod, this monster could only be the Star Shambler that Kojirō wished to hunt down.   Fortunately, the creature seemed to show little interest in Yoshitakatomo herself*. Was this, too, the same effect of her* undead nature that had kept the aged Daimyō safe from the Wamps of Tyrhhia. As Phiruna's desiccated body struck the ground with a hollow thud, the Star Shambler turned its attention to his horse instead. That animal suffered a similar fate to its master as Yoshitakatomo brought her* magical forces to bear.   With a simple wave of the Daimyō's hand, a burst of arcane energy struck the Star Shambler full in what could be generously called its chest. The creature shuddered, then calcified rapidly. It crashed into the ground as whatever ethereal power of flight it possessed ceased to function. Suddenly, Yoshitakatomo was alone with a dried husk of a former captain and a nightmarish stone statue lying on the ground. This would not do.   Another expenditure of magic recreated Phiruna's body, whole and filled with blood as it should be. A third then grasped his soul, still floating in the air, and reunited it with the flesh. Phiruna opened his eyes and stifled a scream. He wasn't happy to hear what had happened to him. Indeed, it was understandably a bit traumatic. As a man who had been many places and seen the good and the bad of the Dreamlands, however, he was quick to regain his composure. Yoshitakatomo revived his horse as well, and then suggested that they return to Baharna and seek different transport. Traveling by foot on Oriab was clearly dangerous.   The captain, however, would hear none of it. He had volunteered for this journey, and with what he was beginning to realize was very powerful magic on their side, they could face any further horror that might dare interrupt their journey. No further horror did. The two riders, petrified monstrosity floating behind them, enjoyed an uneventful journey the rest of the way to Queen's Landing.   As that small but growing colony came into view, Phiruna first commented on the castle. Although small, it certainly had not been there last time the captain had sailed by the coast. Yoshitakatomo explained briefly that it was a gift to a certain resident who enjoyed living in luxury. She* continued by introducing the various notable residents of their group. There, on the ridge, stood Carmilla, whose condition made her extraordinarily powerful but also unfocused, unstable. Yoshitakatomo was still working on a way to resolve that situation. Minamoto no Yoshitaka must be within the castle, enjoying its comforts. And there, on the beach, was Ashiya Dōman.   Surrounded by his four wraiths, the insidious onmyōji was doing something near the water's edge, but it was hard to make out from here. He was usually the sort to seclude himself in hidden chambers, or at the very least stay indoors. Yet here he was. Curious, but Yoshitakatomo had other matters to attend to. Their first voyage may not be for some time yet, but Phiruna the Navigator would make a valuable tool when that moment came. Until then, he would join them in building Queen's Landing into something which might appear on that Accurate Map of the Dreamlands.