Wealday, Calistril 20, 4713 evening
The Spirit Road, south of Ordu-Aganhei

Beorn was right: people died before we left Ordu-Aganhei, but not in the way he (or we) expected, and the expected victims were among those that were spared.

Today was the final day of feasting ordained by the Prince. We had already sent the caravan out from the city towards our next destination in anticipation of trouble from the Prince, and were “enjoying” the festivities out in the streets of Ordu-Aganhei.

Music and colorful banners lifted the otherwise pensive and fearful atmosphere to an almost festive mood. We watched as dancers performed while operating a silk dragon costume, which undulated and darted this way and that to the music. Suddenly the performers tossed aside the dragon costume and charged towards us, throwing poisoned shurikens with deadly accuracy.

Ninjas! I hate these guys.

Battle ensued and the ninjas felled, while on our side we only suffered the effects of poison and the usual cuts and bruises — that is if you did not count the Prince’s guards that died as being on our side, which I definitely did not.

But the battle also had several unexpected benefits.

First, using Hold Person I managed to capture one of the ninjas alive! Ah, ha, now we’ll get one of them to talk. Or we would if he had not had his tongue cut out.

What kind of psychotic prick cuts out the tongues of his servants? And what kind of pathetic sicko continues to blindly follow such a deranged whack job?

Having proven he was of no use to us, we handed him over to the guards with instructions that since the ninja wished nothing more than to die, that he be kept alive.

Pervs, the lot of them.

Second, we had an unexpected ally in combat. While the rest of us were questioning the prisoner or looting the ninja bodies, she was talking urgently with Radella.

Speaking of loot:

[453]	5 potions of Cure Serious Wounds
[454]	7 empty vials
[455]	8 vials of shadow essence poison (strength draining)

We returned back to our rooms at the palace to have a private chat with Miyaro, our unlooked for accomplice. She came right to the point, “You all seem to have attracted some unwanted attention. They failed this time, but they will be back in greater numbers, and soon.”

“We are leaving now. All of us.” Kali stated matter of factly.

Oddly enough I trusted Miyaro for some reason, but I had to ask why she had helped us.

“You are known to more than just the Five Storms. My people have lived in the forest to the south of here since before man, dwarves or elves walked this world, and they detected that the Amatatsu Seal had entered Tien.”

“Your people?” I asked

“Yes, they are the spirits of the forest. They once held the Oni captive until they escaped. I was brought to live with the spirits at a young age, and I serve them by patrolling the human inhabited areas, gathering information, and now,” she said looking over at Ameiko, “to aid in returning the rightful heir to the throne in Minkai.”

At that moment there was a knock on the door, and Chua stuck his head in. “I most humbly…”

“Tell the Prince I cannot accept his offer and will be leaving Ordu-Aganhei at once.” Kali said, and slammed the door on him.

I thoroughly approved of this change in plans, but Radella seemed somewhat shocked by Kali’s abruptness and opened the door.

Chua was still there and explained that the Prince no longer wanted to marry Kali, and would prefer that we left his city as soon as possible.

“Perfect!” Kali replied and slammed the door on him once again.

Radella sighed and stepped out to chat with Chua.

Meanwhile Miyaro offered some advice, “Five hundred miles from here the road enters the forest. But you must not follow the road: it is under the control of the Oni, and it is far more dangerous than you can imagine. Instead you must enter the forest, where my people can assist you.”

We had heard about the Spirit Forest, and that it should be avoided at all costs (“Do not leave the road!” being the most common form of advice we received with regard to traveling in this land.”)

Miyaro said, “I shall accompany you and guide you through the forest.”

Presently Radella came back in with word that the Prince was so anxious for us to leave that he had gifted us with eight light war horses and the finest saddles and tack the city had to offer.

There is an old saying about not looking gift horses in the mouth before they ripped your lips off… or something to that effect. Radella had accepted this gift on our behalf and we now quickly made our way to the stables.

Along the way out the townfolk acted as if we were not there. We found our mounts, already saddled and tacked and ready with a groom beside each waiting to help us up and away. And good riddance to you too!

The sun had already set and by the dusk’s fading orange light we made our way through the southern gates and along the road. Before long evening’s pale glow in the west had faded and low clouds stretched in from the east, blocking out even starlight. We brought out the torches and rode for several miles and finally met up with the caravan, which had set up camp some distance off the road.

Getting Kali away from the clutches of the Prince was far easier than expected, but we were still worried he might try some underhanded act at revenge, and that plus the ninja attack forced us to rearrange our watches such that most of us would be up and awake through the night.

I sat next to Ivan and was reflecting (out loud) about how radically our caravan had changed since arriving at Ordu-Aganhei.

“Ulf is gone, and while I think half of his stories might have been fabricated or borrowed, he was a good guide and I will miss him.”

“True,” Ivan replied, “but we knew he would leave us once we had crossed the ice and made it to Tien.”

“We also said goodbye to Anavaru, who said she might wait with Ulf and cross back over to Varisia with the next caravan.” I continued.

Ivan mused on this for a moment before saying, “Well, Ana was so distant and remote by the time we hit the ice that it seemed like we hardly knew her anymore.”

“Yes,” I agreed, “but then there was Sparna, or to be more precise, there Sparna was not. I am glad he at least sent word with you that he was leaving, but then he vanished without a trace. I wonder what he’s up to now.”

“I kind of saw that one coming,” Ivan admitted. “He was struggling with all of the craziness we were encountering, and the sorts of things we had to do to survive. Besides his passion was clearly working at a forge, and wherever he ends up you can be sure that’s what he’ll be doing.”

“I guess I missed his discomfort with our adventures. I thought he might have been warming up to us. And now I need to hire someone to add an enchantment to my flail.”

Ivan looked at me quizzically, “You know I can do that sort of thing, right?”

“Really? Oh that would be great! I already purchased the enchanting supplies for Sparna to do the work. There’s a special ability I wanted to add.”

Ivan seemed a little doubtful, “What sort of enchantment do you want? I’m not so good with good and evil, or holy and unholy.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” I reassured him, “It’s only the Grayflame enchantment, which enables me to add positive energy to my flail.”

“That’s alright,” Ivan said, looking a little relieved, “I can work on that after I finish the bow I’m enchanting.”

Our party is pretty awesome.

Oathday, Calistril 21, 4713 evening
The Spirit Road

The morning dawned a fog enshrouded ghostly grey as we broke camp. We left glistening tracks in the damp grass as we moved southward, keeping the road a few hundred yards off on our right, obscured by the gloom. We rode on in silence.

Our caravan was down to three wagons. With the brutal conditions of the high ice long behind us it had made sense to pare our footprint down to the bare minimum. Kali had spent long hours fretting over the arrangements, and seemed to view the eight unexpected horses as an unwelcome burden. Miyaro also seemed to think three wagons was the limit of what could “easily” pass through the forest.

The smaller caravan size meant that most of us were riding. Our new horses move out at a brisk but smooth pace which is ideal for traveling long distances. My steed is a spirited chestnut mare whom I have named Ginjinha, after the Varisian cherry liquor.

By mid morning the fog had burned away presenting us with a deep blue sky above, and undulating hills of deep grasses and hummocks of shrubs or stunted trees. To the north a purple band along the horizon was all we could see of the now distant mountains.

The scouts ranged around the wagons in a wide circuit, while the rest of us clumped together, riding in no particular order. After a mid day break I found myself alongside Dasi, and we took the opportunity to chat.

“So tell me,” Dasi asked, “why Groetus?”

His question caught me by surprise. I have been traveling with (or known) the same group of people for so long that I had forgotten how curious people can be about Groetus and those who follow him.

“Groetus is the most benevolent of the gods,” I began, “and it is through him that all suffering will end.”

“His followers are not particularly organized — which is one of the more comforting aspects of our order. No vast sums of money spent on large and ornate temples, no overly complex and stale rituals that do little for the masses. No bullshit trumped up rules and restrictions to appeal to a deity’s vanities or whims.”

“We are left on our own to do the best we can to succor those who are suffering, and to prepare the world for its inevitable, soothing end.”

“Of course, with that amount of freedom there are bound to be those who take advantage and use the powers given to them by Groetus for their own sick purposes. But then there are always psychopaths: just look at Prince Batsaikhar and the suffering he brings upon his own people.”

Dasi then told me tales of Rovagug, who according to some would bring about the end of the physical world. To be honest it did not sound at all comforting, but Dasi had a way of speaking that kept me interested and intrigued. We discussed different end of time beliefs, and how Groetus fit into all of that.

The conversation went on for some time — longer than I usually speak with anyone — and some of my friends became restless. “Patience,” I softly said to quiet them, “there will be time enough for other conversations.”

Dasi looked at me thoughtfully for a few moments before gesturing at the necklace I wear to honor my dear departed friends. “You speak with their spirits?”

“I do, and they speak in turn… or out of turn more often than not!” Here Timber let out a derisive chirping sort of snort, and I laughed out loud.

Dasi looked quizzically at me.

“Case in point,” I said, “Timber was letting me know that my friends are not simply passive idols to be consulted in times of need. They are my constant companions, offering advice and camaraderie. Being spirits they often see things more clearly than I, and I treasure their closeness. They are my family.”

Dasi’s eyes widened and he said, “Ahh Kami. You are truly fortunate to have so many guardian spirits. May they be known to me?”

Now it was my turn to look amazed and it took me a moment to reply. “I do not understand how their spirits communicate with me. I do not know if they choose to only speak with me because of our relationship in life, or if they can only speak to me because of that. Sometimes I do believe others hear them as well, but those are rare occasions.”

We rode silently together for some time after that, before the natural rhythm of our different riding styles caused us to drift apart.

Moonday, Calistril 25, 4713 evening
The Spirit Road

The land in which we have found ourselves is mostly empty. We passed by the occasional village huddled near the road on the first day, but these became less frequent and today we’ve seen no sign of people, except for a group of riders heading in the opposite direction along the road.

As we had been traveling well off the road we passed by at a reasonable distance, but we were uneasy and kept a close eye on them. Some time after the encounter Kali sent Nihali aloft to make sure they had continued along their way.

What a paranoid lot we have all become.

Toilday, Calistril 26, 4713 midnight
The Spirit Road

They set upon us half an hour into the second watch. Our caravan still boasted a full array of winter lighting (something we’ll need to adjust when we approach the forest, if not sooner), and I easily saw ninjas slinking about in the periphery of our light dome.

“Incoming,” I casually said in a voice loud enough for my companions who were awake to hear. And with that the ninjas descended upon the caravan.

Miyaro was correct: there were more of them this time. But they were not able to overwhelm us as they intended. Foes who approach too near me are given visions of the void, and they sense its true nature and how it surrounds us, ever trying to displace our mundane reality with its own. This has an unpredictable affect on all but the strongest of wills, and several of the approaching ninjas halted, or attacked their comrades, or wandered aimlessly.

Ivan quickly erected a Wall of Flame on the opposite side of the caravan, blocking off a large group of the invaders. Kali created a shelter that was opaque from without, but transparent from within, and here the rest of my companions formed a defensive force.

Soon those ninjas who dared to advance found themselves stuck as full of arrows as a pincushion. Unfortunately the only target they could see was me, and I found myself on the receiving end of numerous poisoned shurikens. I had managed to bash one senseless, but the incoming tide was proving to be a challenge, and so I instantly killed one with a Slay Living spell, and brought forth a spiritual ally to occupy the others.

Those who were sleeping were now awakened by the sound of battle (and Dasi’s singing, which had a profound affect on our ability to strike our enemies). Unfortunately Shalelu stepped out from the wagon to confront an attacking ninja only to be caught in another Wall of Flame that Ivan created. With a shout of pain (and possibly anger) she dodged beneath the wagon and into the center of the defenders.

I realized that I would need to do something to minimize the risk of this sort of thing from happening again, but for the moment my attention was focused on our foes.

With our combined might, skill and abilities we managed to kill all but two of the ninjas, who had run away. Kali and I quickly flew in the same direction and overcame them as they lay prone in the tall grass a hundred yards away, looking back at the caravan.

“Oh, this will never do!” Badger exclaimed. He was right, and I dropped a spiritual ally on top of the pair as Kali summoned a dire Lion. The prudent use of Hold Person ensured these two ninjas would not escape and report our where abouts and status to anyone else.

We dragged all of the corpses into the flames and burned them to ashes and then healed our wounds and restored strength lost to poison.