09/17/745 A.E. Past Noon.
Having made their way up the small mountain and past the illusionary wall that concealed the cave's entrance, the party finds itself in an extremely cold cavern where patches of brown mold adorn the rocky walls and floor like so many deadly decorations. Near a chasm, too wide to jump even if one had the room for a running start (which they didn't), a wind arose, buffeting the group of adventurers with forceful gusts and an awful clamor. But this was not the worst of it. A feeling of dread did wash over them and only Katsumi seemed immune.
Jarmain, Tuall, and Gillmesh, unable to control the dread and fear that arose within their souls, had no choice but to turn and blindly run out of the cave in a panic. But that smaller gap, the one with a mass of Brown Mold at the bottom, did await them. The others crouched in fear, tried to fight off its horrifying effects, and finally succeeded. Kat alone stood completely unaffected because of her newly acquired sword; one of its many properties stayed the aura of magical fear, which happened to be currently emanating from somewhere below her, though the actual source was still cloaked in darkness.
An unnatural darkness then enshrouded them, and Garren's Continual Light rock failed (or was temporarily overshadowed in another spell's stronger magical darkness). The young cleric's fear of darkness took hold, and though the other fear from without had been bested by his sheer will, the fear within his character consumed him and reduced him to a no better than a whimpering child.
"YOU!" came a strong voice from below, concealed yet in darkness where its resonance within the cave made it sound very powerful. "I thought I killed you, you lowly stinker of purple flowers." Kat's mind thought about it, and she knew she smelled of lilacs, but what was this thing saying? "Not only did I think I killed you, I'm pretty sure I even ate you, yet your stench still lingers. How?" it demanded to know. "What are you doing here, thief!?" the voice demanded, its sonorous character echoing off the cavernous walls. Kat managed to squeak something out, timidly, for though she was no longer affected by magical fear, she still was less than calm for all the normal reasons. "Me?"
"Apparently not," it said, "but another thief like you. Smelled just like you do, and came with the same larcenous heart as you, no doubt. Why do you fools invite death so easily?"
Kat talked to the voice from the darkness for a time while Garren, sufficiently recovered, cast another Light spell. Its illumination, together with the apparently dormant but enchanted rock with the other spell on it, now proved more than a match for the other darkness, and again the chamber was bathed in light.
Jarmain and Gillmesh had overcome the small gap and were free of the cave, having climbed over the smaller gap in their panic, but Tuall had fallen in his great fear, and by the time any thought to look for him, the Brown Mold had already frozen him solid. He was quite dead, though a look of sheer terror was still clearly visible on his frozen countenance.
Garren and Tagard watched as Katsumi now faced what appeared to be a dragon, its crystalline scales reflecting the light in surprising ways. Quite beautiful, really, and very deadly, if it should choose to attack. And then he cast a spell, this dragon, and the spray of colors overwhelmed them all, save Kat, who continued to stand before the great creature unaffected by the magic. "You are better than the last thief, I'll give you that," said the dragon. "So, you are not content having stolen my son, but you wish my life as well? Or just my treasure, perhaps?"
"I have stolen no one's Son, and I am no thief. I am simply protecting my Cherished Friends and Beloved," uttered the devil hunter, but the dragon seemed less than convinced. "What? Then why are you here? To protect your friends? It seems unlikely since I didn't break into their home or steal their children. You're a thief. You smell just like the last one," the dragon said, and his argument seemed telling, but he did deign to speak with further her rather than attack, so perhaps he was not so sure. And so they talked.
During the conversation several points of interests come to light. The dragon admitted killing the samurai below and killing the apple trees by freezing them to death, but only because he was forced to do it as ransom for his kidnapped son. A thief had magically entrapped his child (he claimed his child was now magically held in a large sapphire). A second thief, so he thought, worked for the first and latter issued demands over the course of a few days. The dragon was to destroy all the orchards of this land and kill any who opposed him in this. The samurai did. They failed. They died. Sometime during this, the second thief and spy had tried to further infiltrate the dragon's lair, but the dragon caught and ate him. He smelled very strongly of lilacs, just as Katsumi now smelled. Since this was obviously only a lackey, almost anything could account for his absence, so the dragon held no fear of killing him and disposing of the evidence. Furthermore, there was a letter upon his person, though now somewhat chewed and torn, the beginning was still legible. It said, "Dear Hiroki Renshawi," and that was all that could still be read.
He gave what was left of the letter to Katsumi. No one here knew who this man was. Warming to the icy dragon's plight, they agree to try to find out whom this man was working for and perhaps recover his son, if the dragon would stop killing the orchard. The dragon agreed and even gave them a small wand, which might help detect his son's presence, should they find him. And the venerable creature further promised a rich reward for each of them if they succeeded in returning his son. Thus, the dragon agreed to stay its destructive activities for a time, but if they did not soon return, he would have no choice but to continue with the demands of the kidnapper.
With that, they departed, after having spent some time trying to recover their lost travelling companion's body. Tuall's body had taken a bad bounce and was so far inside the perimeter of the brown mold, and apparently even frozen to the cave floor, that they couldn't retrieve it, so eventually they had no choice but to give up. They climb down the small mountain but it is night by the time they reach the bottom, so they set up camp amid the orchard once again and break out their magic, black silk tent.
09/18/745 A.E.
Breaking camp in the morning, they hurry home without incident. (What can I say?) About 4 p.m. they enter the tavern where they began this adventure, then break up, going their separate ways to talk to various people. Some go back to House Tsuryuu to report their findings and convey their condolences at the loss of all those fine, young samurai. The gathered weapons are returned. Soraki looks at them with dismay. "This is troublesome. Why? Who would do this? What motive could they have? I am at a loss, but it seems you have done as we hired you to do." He pays them each the 250 GP for their services. The payment is given but most refuse to accept it, asking House Tsuryuu to keep it since the house is now in economically dire straights, and they feel they haven't really finished with matters yet. Soraki tells them, "Ah, yes, our economic woes are burdensome since we just purchased a new galleon for our trade, with which we could control the market on our products. But if the orchards quit producing, we will be in deep trouble. Anyone who could be in a position to buy our land if we cannot make payments may have motive, I guess. But to do this in such a dishonorable way? It boggles the mind.
Speculation abounds. Some even suggest the prince may have a hand in this. "The prince? He has the power to force us to sell our land to pay our debts to him (and we owe him money), but it is not likely he'd do this thing, this ransoming of a dragon's child. He has no power of magic of his own, and those he commands who do have it would not stoop to this dishonorable act. They are still the king's men (he means they are very honorable), though the king is in a comma. Someone else may, however, but I do not know who." They cannot find out any more information from this quarter.
Certain promises are made to Katsumi and Gillmesh concerning training that will be made available from their masters abroad (in Alodar) with the letters of introduction given to them. With thanks, they then go to search for more clues concerning Hiroki Renshawi.
Several other leads turn out to be dead ends. Toward evening, it occurs to them to ask someone at House Escher, the house that controls geisha girls and prostitutes, and where Katsumi has been getting training for sexual technique and the like for over a month. Also, their ritual bath is in scented lilac water, so they (finally) conclude the man, the thief the dragon had killed, may have been there not too long ago. Garren goes over and looks, but refuses to enter. He thinks perhaps it would be better if he returned in the morning with Katsumi.
09/19/745 A.E.
"Sure, Garren honey, we can go together and have a 'special,' together. You, me, and one girl you can pick, taking care of both of us. How does that sound?" she asks, and kisses Garren and puts her arms around him so he might more quickly agree. Later, Garren and Katsumi enter the house and ask their questions, though it turns out they must be customers (10 GP each) to have any decent chance of getting information, so they both take a bath (of a highly sexual nature) with one of the women there, and through her they eventually learn the House knows the man they described. They refuse to disclose the information, however, (customer confidentiality), but Kat (by her vow and the fact she is a minor member of the House, due to her training these past 5 weeks), swears the man is dead. Accepting this as fact on Katsumi's word of honor, they offer to sell the information. For 20 GP, she will tell them where this man was staying, but that is all she really knows. Still, they agree and pay her that much for that little, and she is pleased, and the watery fun continues in earnest.
Eventually, returning to the party with this information, they decide to pay a visit to this man's house at the next opportunity.
09/19/745 A.E. About noon.
SESSION ENDS:
© April of 2000
by
James L.R. Beach
Waterville, MN 56096