There was no point in delaying, and faced with a door at either end of the corridor I picked north at random.

“Hey!” Pookie prompted.

OK, so not quite at random: Pookie had suggested north.

The room was of a good size, and decorated with exquisite paintings of various female oni, each bearing an expression of power and prestige. A door was in the far wall. But more pressing to us were the half a dozen Sisters of the Broken Path.

We did our usual thing, but with a subtle twist. Kali suggested that we take one of them alive for questioning. She said this in Tien and loud enough for the sisters to hear. It was a good idea by itself, but the added effect of us calmly discussing whether we would simply kill them all out right or pick one to save must have had some impact on the sisters’ morale.

In the end we had five dead sisters and one alive and tied. She was surprisingly arrogant and confident in herself, considering how quickly we had just slain her companions and subdued her. Dasi questioned her, but she was having none of it. She did let slip that Munasukaru was beyond the door before demanding an honorable end to her life.

Dasi complied and the two faced off in combat, but it was really more of a mock combat: something to tick off a box before she died. It was as if her god, whom I suppose she thought was Munasukaru, had a check list for entering heaven. “Died in combat, check.” What a pathetically feeble diety, and what an even more pathetic life spent in devotion to such a charlatan.

We were reasonably sure that Munasukaru was behind “door number one,” but there was the southern door to check out first. This was the door to the oni’s library, and it was filled with an amazing selection of books, scrolls, pamphlets, and what not. Radella and I spent a little extra time searching for secrets (nope) while the others perused the stacks.

Dasi found a jade plaque boasting that on such and such a date the Oni of the Five Storms escaped this prison.

He also found a journal, the bulk of which was written in a single hand. The last entry from this oni stated “Construction of the kimon is complete and with it the fate of Minkai is sealed.” The same author also went into excessive detail about the oni’s plans to turn Minkai into a pleasure center (for the oni) of debauchery and sin.

The journal entries after this were from Munasukaru, and start out sane enough, but over the years they became more unstable and the writing devolved from elegant script to child like scrawls.

It turns out that Munasukaru was not one of the oni that the kami had imprisoned. She showed up at the House of Withered Blossoms and demanded to be held captive. This is seriously wretched and indicated that she had (for apparently good reason) a significant inferiority complex. “Hey, lock me up too. I’m dangerous! Really I am.”

Apparently she had the hots for the head of the Five Storms, Anamurumon, but her love was unrequited. In fact the other oni held Munasukaru in contempt, referring to her as “the least,” and Anamurumon himself ordered that she remain behind to fool the kami while the others escaped.

After some time going through the library we decided it was time to face Munasukaru in person and end her reign of torture and terror. We returned to the ante chamber and Radella quietly opened the door and peeped in.

An old woman stood before a bed of nails, on to which one of the arachnids from above was lashed. The woman was carving flesh from the hapless creature and eating it as she cackled with glee. Further in was an enormous pit.

Radella closed the door and we prepared for the conflict, readying weapons and casting spells. We then rushed in and attacked.

It was over in seconds. “The Least” had lived up to her title to the very end.

“That went well,” Star drolly remarked as the oni collapsed to the floor in a very bloody heap.

We freed the arachnid whom Munasukaru had been torturing, but it was fairly insane. It had an undying hatred of all things hobgoblin. We told it we would let it go free as long as it avoided any humans it found on the way out. We also mentioned the village of hobgobs above, and it seemed quite excited over the prospect of killing them.

We collected the ex-oni’s possessions and then used Treasure Stitching to store all of the items from the library, leaving out the journal and a few other select items for later perusal.

	From Munasukaru:
614	Naginata: +1 thundering pole-arm Once per day wielder can strike the ground with effect of Shout spell Royal historical artifact: imbues honor (negative level to those wielding it without honor)
615	9 screaming bolts
616	masterwork repeating crossbow
617	Do-maru of Broken Flesh: +2 armor (30 lbs) Once per day as std action heals 4d8 + 9 plus cures ability damage, blindness, etc. — also functions as break enchantment Creates visible scars (1d4 CON damage) each time the above ability is used
618	crystal ball (minor defect)
619	clear spindle ioun stone (sustenance)
620	+2 ring of protection
	From the sisters:
621	6 MW nunchaku
622	6 +1 amulets of natural armor
623	6 +2 bracers of armor
	From the library:
624	antique gold lions (3,500 gp)
625	hinged emerald and turquois bracelet set (6,100 gp)
	Contents of the entire library

After looting the place we investigated the pit in more detail. At the bottom was a massive stone doorway in the rock wall, but it was part of the surrounding rock. All about the faux door was a score of golden humanoid figures, each posed in a moment of agony.

It still held a faint aura of conjuration magic from back when the oni used it to escape, and this plus what we had found in the journal confirmed that the oni had created a portal to flee. The golden figures were not just morbid decoration: part of the spell that created the dimensional gate required a particularly brutal and sadistic sacrifice.

Ivan used Sending to let Ameiko and the others know that we had killed the oni, and she replied that the kami were aware of it and were on their way.

We made our way back to the surface, taking the surviving refugees we had rescued on the way down with us. The kami were there, waiting as promised. We gave some basic gear to the survivors and the kami assured them of their safety in the forest.

Starday, Pharast 30, 4713 evening
The Spirit Forest, Kami Enchanted Circle

Our party then returned to the enchanted circle where the caravan had been waiting. There we reunited the little kami with his tree it had asked us to find. It was so happy that it volunteered to accompany us as long as we cared for the tree, and offered healing in return. It then merged with its tree and… there was just a tree.

We had accumulated a lot of valuable items over the course of the past few months, and now seemed like a good time to sell as much as possible and use the proceeds to equip ourselves for entering Minkai.

As easily as we had defeated Munasukaru we remembered that she was “The Least,” and quite isolated. The remaining oni would not be so weak or alone.

A trip back north to Muliwan was the obvious choice. Kali planned to use Teleport spells to bring much of our loot to the city in multiple trips, taking with her the survivors. I would use Wind Walk to make the same journey, which would allow Ameiko (and of course Olmas), Shalelu, and Koya to come along as well.

Starday, Gozran 6, 4713 evening
Muliwan

All in all we have spent a full week in Muliwan.

Kali helped me set up a soup kitchen to spread the word of Groetus to the needy and suffering on the eve of the Day of Bones. In honor of the festival I pulled my hair back into a pony tail and covered my face and hands in ash, and then used charcoal to draw a skull over my own face. Some of Groetus’ clerics in Magnimar covered their entire bodies in ash and danced naked through the streets of the city: prancing skeletal simulacra.

Beorn was all in favor of going all the way, but when I mentioned it to Kali she suggested that the worthies of Muliwan might not be ready for me to go full Groetus.

On the Day of Bones we visited the local Shrine to Pharasma and paid our respects.

The shopping trips worked out well for me, and I was able to purchase a more potent Rod of Extend and obtain enough materials to have my headband upgraded. And to keep Star happy I purchased a mithral breast plate that will be enchanted by the time we leave the forest.

The only downside of the trip is that my little friends now want to Wind Walk everywhere. “But seriously,” Takoda asked, “why slog around on the ground when you can zip around like zephyr?”

Sunday, Gozran 27, 4713 evening
The Spirit Forest

We left the kami enclave two weeks ago and as promised the kami have kept our way clear, thus progress has been good. Today we reached a large river and Ivan and I just used several walls of stone to build a sturdy bridge for our caravan to cross.

After all of the darkness of winter across the top of the world, and then passing under mountains, and then scouring the catacombs beneath the House of Withered Blossoms, it is mighty nice to be above ground with an open sky above and lengthening days ahead.

Miyaro spent much of the day updating us on events in Minkai. The Five Storms are in control, but they do so through a puppet figurehead, The Jade Regent. The last of royal family fled some years ago and so a regent was appointed to rule until his return. And so the people tolerate this ruthless dictator only because they believe, long and hope for the return of their missing prince.

Kali reminded us that one of the mental vignettes we shared when we found the royal seal was the murder of the prince. And so he’s not coming back, oni or no oni.

And so Ameiko really is the last royal heir to the Kingdom of Minkai. But simply showing up and announcing this will only get her (and us) killed. Miyaro suggested building a groundswell of public support for the return of the royal family before making our move.

Oathday, Desnus 23, 4713 afternoon
The Osoegen Grasslands

We left the forest some days ago and entered a vast expanse of grass and rounded hills. The horses were quite happy with the change and I think the spirits of everyone in the caravan lifted once we passed out from the trees.

Off in the distant south we could barely see the tips of snow covered peaks, which have grown progressively taller each day.

Miyaro knows of a ronan (a wandering samurai) who might be inclined to help us, but because part of his job was to wander, I wondered how much we’d have to wander before we wandered into him. “Wonderful,” Timber replied to that thought.

By mid-day we had reached a settlement on a river. Boys were training at archery and their instructor came over to see who we were, and if we posed a threat or were merely a nuisance.

There was a good bit of chit chat, but none of it going where we needed, and so I broke in and said, “We’re looking for the ronan.”

That caught her attention, and our host introduced herself as Hbesuta Hatsue and she invited us in a round hut (was this a yurt?) for some tea. Sometimes the direct approach is best.

We chatted for a short while before a man showed up, who introduced himself as Hiraboshi Jiro, the ronan. “Now that’s what I call a coincidence!” peeped Badger.

More pleasantries were exchanged, and more bushes were beat around. I stated that the weapon had could not stop staring at, which Kali was now wielding, was indeed a royal artifact from Minkai. Was he interested in helping the royal family return someday? He was at least now interested in us.

The direct approach. I think it might be one of the tenets of Groetus, just after “Don’t worry, be happy.”

He suggested we might build public support by helping out with a bandit problem the folks in the surrounding area had. The region was controlled by a despot (apparently now a requirement for public service in Minkai) who had little interest in helping the people. And so issues like bands of plundering bandits were beneath his concern (or most likely, were paying him off).

About fifty miles from the settlement the bandits had set up their stronghold in an abandoned fort. From there they set out on forays to loot and plunder the countryside, returning to the safety of stone walls to rest.

Jiro asked us to “do something” about the bandits.

“And of course we will!” Star said enthusiastically. “We always do,” added Pookie.