A new day and a new challenge from Irori. This new challenge goes by the name of Hatsue .Of course this could be a common name in Minki so it may not be a unique name but I have a feeling that if Irori wants me to interact with her then she is probably a unique person. The fact that she didn’t say anything when Omlas butchered the language tells me she may be forgiving of strangers so there is hope that she won’t get too mad when I ask her about Iroir.

All through the conversation with the Ronin I watch Hatsue so that I could make my decision on her. Her passionate outburst claiming unquestioning respect for her master made my decision easy. She is someone worth knowing.

I still don’t know what Irori expects of me but I have decided that killing her is something that I will not do.  Didn’t Kali dress as a follower of Irori when her and Dasi teleported to town to sell stuff? The fact that Kali was willing to impersonate a follower of Irori probably means that she irori would likely not be the type of god to have someone killed. Is Irori a female or a male god? People tend to think knowing the gender of there gods is important but either way they are still a god. At least for today I can avoid that “are you stupid” look from Kali by putting off the question until another day. Hopefully Dasi or kali will refer to Iroir as he or she and thus I won’t have to ask.

So now I have to figure out how to talk with Hatsue about Irori or talk with her to figure out what Irori wants. The direct approach is the simplest but I wouldn’t be surprised if she thought that the whole idea was crazy. It would be for the best if I wait until we return from the fort. Maybe then there will be some good will and she will be willing to at least listen.  I wouldn’t blame her for ignoring something coming from some seemingly random goddess.

I wanted to go adventuring to meet interesting people and whether she likes it or not Hatsue is next. I don’t think she would try to kill me over this but it still could be painful. Building the bonds of trust with Hatsue likely will not be easy and we may each need to demonstrate we are worthy through actions. I don’t yet know what action will make her worthy in my eyes but then again I am also not sure what will make me worthy.  So help me if she wants to do I Kali type discussion on the topic I may just not help her. I have faith that this will be settled in a more physical or brutal manner.

I have to tell the others about the mission from the god Irori even if they don’t believe me. I will leave out the discussion that testing our faith could be brutal, don’t want Kali to have a brain aneurysm.

I have some thoughts about Hatsue that may explain why I am supposed to be connected with her but I need to talk with Jiro first. I don’t want to risk these pages falling into the wrong hands so I will keep my theories to myself. I suspect that I am completely wrong but it might explain some things.

Jiro provided us with a test questioning the honor of a Daimyo. I let the knowledgeable ones take the question because it didn’t make since to me. How could it be honorable to follow such an order from the Daimyo if this goes against your god. Maybe the point was for the Daimyo to feel like a god. I am not sure I fully understand the whole kill yourself for honor thing. But if it saves retribution against the family then I guess that makes some since. The problem again is that those in power are abusing it.

Jiro told us about a special room that holds his family sword that can only be open by a member of the royal family. This brings up so many question such as why was it locked up? Is this one of the royal ancestral weapons? Do have to give it back? Is Jiro planning to cut someone in half with the sword? Is Jiro the kind of honorable man that Amieko would be interested in? I wonder if the kids would look more like her or like him? Is Jiro already romantically involved with Hatsue? Somewhere in the back of my mind I could since that Sparna is listening to my thoughts and rolling his eyes.  I am sure that Sparna wasn’t really listening but he surely would have told me to keep this to myself.

Finally I was able to experience windwalk. Not a bad spell but may not be good in bad weather.  I think there is a different spell that works like teleport that would be better for me. I just have to wait to see if the gods decide to give it to me.  Although he gods tend to give me what I need instead of what I think I want.

We hurried to arrive at the fort and scouted out the area around the fort. Looks like the ability to fly greatly simplifies attacking the fort.

After spending a day scouting we finally proceeded to capture the fort.. With sneaking I worked to improve my skill so that someone could always sneak forward with Radella. Zosi clearly demonstrated that his natural skill with sneaking is far better than mine. If we can make it better with enchantments than it may be time for me to hand over protecting Radella’s back to Zosi on sneaky missions where more than two is not reasonable.

With the guard in the makeshift tower dead we were able to move forward. Apparently Olmas decided that sneaking wasn’t necessary any more. Down the stairs we came to a room with 3 sleeping guards. I suggested that we slit their throats expecting to get objections to attacking helpless people but Olmas charged into the room and started beating on one of the helpless guards. The others followed suit and soon all the helpless guards were dead. All I had to do was just watch as they massacre the once sleeping guards.

With Munasukaru dead we were able to get the large group of victims back to the world above. It was slow going but we were able to get all of them back into the sunshine. The brute strength of Olmas and Radella is kind of scary. I watch as they carried the injured people across the dangerous areas with ease, If it were me I would have been worried about dropping them.

We have decided to give money to each of the survivors so that they can start a new life or get back to their old life. There were so many that it took Kali 3 days to teleport everyone to the nearest city.  Next I turned my attention to Kusatsu Yuka and putting her remains to rest. After a bunch of make whole spells her body and cloths finally shed the look of being torn apart. I did this not just for her but also for all those that now call the pit there tomb. I know that we have to focus on the living but a lot of common folk did not make it out of there. I suspect that for the ones that died in there it was probably a release from the constant torture. Everyone else but me, Sandru and the brothers went to the city so we made sure our guests were fed and comfortable while they wait for their turn to go to the city.

I wanted to go to the city with the others but deep down I needed time to myself to figure things out. It felt like if I went I may not come back. After the last of the survivors were teleported to the city I finally figured out that spending time with these people is what I needed. These are the kind of people that are going to be most hurt if the Oni win. I know if was only a couple of days but a lot of them shared their plans for the future. The talking seem to help them but the pain of those that did not make it out still seem to be a burden in their hearts.

The grove of the Kami is amazing. I spent hours investigating and at times just sitting in the dirt watching and listening. As much as I wanted to spend more time in the grove I felt as if something was pulling me forward to Minkai.

Koya and Amieko clearly had fun shopping. Their bright faces shown of two happy women. Shalelu and Olmas looked to be sporting new scarfs and they did not look happy about it. By the style and color I would guess that Koya picked them out. It wasn’t long after returning that both scarfs were out of sight.

I just learned that Sessi and grandmother are in Sandpoint.  In fact they have been staying with Abby for the last couple of weeks. It never occurred to me to use the crystal ball to view Sessi or Abby. It would have been nice to see their faces. From what I can tell from the sending spells Sessi and Abby are getting along very well. Apparently Koya’s journey inspired grandmother and she insisted that they not wait. I don’t understand why Sesi didn’t tell me she was going to Sandpoint, she just told me that her grandmother said that I needed to focus on getting Ameiko to Minkai. Grandmother said getting Ameiko to Minkai but said nothing about defeating the Oni. Is grandmother trying to tell me that my part ends when Ameiko arrives in Minkai?

Something doesn’t make since. I thought my sending a couple of weeks seemed like she was with her friend in Iqaliat.  How could she get to Sandpoint that quickly? There is an explanation for this but I just can’t see it. Some questions are just best not asked.

It has been a week since we left the grove of the Kami and this part of the journey has been peaceful but I just feel uneasy about something. The others seem to be going about their daily lives as normal, at least normal for a group heading to Minkai.  I feel like a bruised myself right on top of one of the god symbols.

The enchanting of Qatana’s armor has been completed. I was telling her that the armor looked to new and pristine for an adventure like her. We spent some time breaking in the armor so to speak and now this looks like the armor of a warrior. Thankfully Qatana didn’t seem to mind going along with my obsession in regards to metal armor.  She looks really good in this Mithril armor but she would look even more kick ass in something like dark Mithril, is there such a thing as dark Mithril? I was thinking about mice or skulls on the armor but things like that tend to scare people away.

It makes me happy to see Olmas, Redella, and Qatana each having a good set of armor.  I continue to struggle with weather or not to get a mithril breastplate but my role is to shoot arrows. If I upgrade to a mithril breastplate I don’t know if I can resist not picking up a big weapon and heading into melee. If the gods truly didn’t want me to be an archer then I would not be good at archery.

Today something seems to be different about Sesi. Her grandmother says that everything is fine but I just can’t shake this feeling. Abby seems to be fine so I have to wonder if I am seeing something that is not there. I have been having odd dreams about Sesi and that god symbol with the hand, Qatana says it is the symbol for Irori. Sometimes that symbol itches and other times it almost feels like I have a bruise right on the symbol of Irori. Good thing it’s not one of the symbols for the lustful gods as that would be more uncomfortable.

Thanks to Qatana I was able to keep busy working the next enchantment on my bow. Qatana providing the needed spell really help out and I always enjoy her company. Having to buy the materials for 9 true seeing spells really up the price on the enchantment but it just seems right. I always enjoy doing things with Qatana and her protectors.  I would not be surprised if Amieko and dealing with the Oni is just the beginning of our adventures together.

I still have the feeling that something is up with Sesi but she just keeps telling me that everything is fine and that we can’t control fate. Abby just laughed at this and told me that I have always been protective of the people I care about.

The forest has peaceful as Miyaro said it would be. I am glad that the Kami are on our side. I still don’t fully understand why the Kami created a prison for the Oni of the five storms instead of wiping them out. The only thing I can think of is that they were hoping that the Oni would change.

We have made it to the river. I thought building a bridge over the water would be a lot fun. Turns out that there is a lot more to bridges then just creating a stone path across the water. Luckily I seem to be traveling with some smart people. Truthfully I didn’t even understand half of what they were saying. The bridge safely allowed us to cross the water, not sure how many caravans will be taking this path in the future. I guess if Sandru leaves Minkai this could be a safe path, assuming Miyaro is his guide.

Wow it has been a couple of weeks since we crossed the river. Our travel has been peaceful. I have learned a lot about the forest from Miyaro

Kali says that we have just about reached Minkai. I have kept myself busy by creating and upgrading magical weapons and armor for my friends. It is odd to finally admit that I consider all of the friends.

For the record Miyaro is truly amazing. Her secret is absolutely amazing and it makes me mad that she feels that she has to hide it from stupid humans. I was really considering showing her the symbols the gods decided to put on me but it just seemed too creepy. I am not exactly sure how to explain them without sounding creepy.  Hopefully I have was able to properly explain to Miyaro that her abilities are amazing and that I am jealous of them.

Minkai! We arrived and nothing happened. Even the hand symbol has stopped bothering me. I remember Sesi used to talk about how interesting it is that a god picked a hand as his symbol. She would trace the symbol of the hand and talk about how interesting it would be to meet a followers of Irori. Come to think of it she even once asked if I would be upset if someday she became a follower of Irori. I had completely forgotten about that conversation but with what is going on I have to wonder if that means something.

Stepping foot into Minkai feels like the end of chapter one of a book. I spent some time taking in the sounds and smells of the area. Standing here I now get that Sesi was trying to tell me that I have to go were fate takes me even if I can never return. Worrying about it just makes me miserable. When did I start trying to go against fate?

Now we are heading to the camp of a Ronin named Hirabashi Jiro. This will be Amieko’s first test.  Dasi explained about Ronin’s so it should be interesting to meet Hirabashi. I am interested in talking to those that follow the Ronin.

It has been several weeks since Sesi or her grandmother have responded to sending. Abby says that they are no longer there in Sandpoint but now she seems odd. I tried to push it with her but she just told me to knock it off. Which in Abby speak means I am not going to tell you anything. She did tell me that it may be several more weeks before she responds.

I am not sure how I feel about my relationship with Sesi. It took me all this time to realize that her grandmother wasn’t the real reason she did not come along. As usual Abby kept feeding me clues until I figured it out for myself.  All of this still does not help me to understand what is happening.

This morning after our first night in Minkai I feel like some weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  Ameiko on the other hand looks a little tense this morning. I can’t imagine what she is going through. While I was there to cast beacon I reassured her that all your friends are here to help her. Bring stability to Minkai and defeating the Oni are worthy causes but you have to take it one day at a time.

I explained to Ameiko that scouting is relaxing and that I have been trying to figure out a way that she could spend some time away from the caravan scouting. Getting her away from the caravan without anyone seeing isn’t the problem. I told Ameiko that for this to work I would need her to figure out how we can do this without me getting into a heaping pile of trouble with the others.  So today I scout alone.

Night two in Minkai was the might of strange dreams.  The only thing I really remember is the hand symbol of Irori watching me and then suddenly the hand waved goodbye and disappeared. I guess that is a sign that I am not the right path.

It is time to regroup and for the others to regain spells. We don’t have any evidence that those below even know we are here, if they know we are here then they should hit us during the night. I can hear Dasi and Kali discussing the pictures on the walls all the way other by the traps, they are clearly excited about analyzing the meaning of those pictures.

Dasi asked me what my plan was for combat and I didn’t tell him the entire truth. Sparna’s attempts to bring order to these people is what drove him away. Everyone wants to be the Hero and the hero is always the one the turns the tide of battle. So how to you create a plan so that everyone can be the hero? You can’t. I have come to realize that my only option is to adjust to the situation at hand, luckily the gods have provided me with gifts that are good for managing controlled chaos.

What is a Hero anyway? I guess it depends on who is telling the story. During this journey we could be looked upon as both hero and villain depending on the point of view. Kali would tell me that the authority would be the judge but what about the city we were kicked out of? I really don’t have any use in becoming a hero so I will let the others be labeled as hero’s.

I have learn to view darkness as a trusted ally. Being able to see in the darkness gives me an advantage over those that use lights. The wand the others were using is just about used up with only 11 charges, not quite enough for two uses on all six of them. That’s only 3 hours until we are at a disadvantage. It still seems strange that I can write in complete darkness.

I can’t help but wonder what the gods sent me here to do. Our first goal was to get Ameiko safely to Minki so that she could take over the throne. How can the people just accept the unknown Ameiko as there empress. Why is her family bloodline so important? The seal is crazy powerful yet it seems to be bound to her bloodline. The big question is why are the Oni of the five storms so worried about her? And how does her taking the throne help defeat the Oni? Dasi and/or Kali may have some ideas on the subject but I am not sure I have the stamina needed to listen to the long winded theory. Or do they call them facts, I can’t remember. I think the first thing to do is consult with the worldly Pookie.

So I keep coming back to trying to figure out the path that I am supposed to walk. I have to just stop thinking about it and wait to see what happens after we deliver Ameiko. So apparently according to Dasi I shouldn’t be treating Ameiko as a normal person, those with royal blood should be referred to by title and not by sweetie.

A few minutes ago a mouse came scurry along in my direction and suddenly changed direction over towards the bear trap. This mouse spent several minutes searching around the bear trap, apparently some bits of food must have fallen out of my pack. The bear trap was totally beyond its comprehension, it’s like me trying to understand what the gods are planning.  The mouse seemed totally clueless that its original path would have let it directly to me. The fact that the bear trap was there changed the mouse’s fate and steered it away from danger, even though the mouse was totally clueless about the danger. I have a feeling the gods won’t use something as obvious as a huge bear trap.

I wonder if Miyaro is the bear trap? Clearly the Kami see her as friend so that does not seem likely. Although it is strange that somehow she added color to her hair like Kali. For that matter why didn’t the first Kami we saw not recognize her? The color in her hair couldn’t be enough to make her look different. Can the Kami even be tricked by someone that looks different? Maybe Miyaro is hiding her true form.  She has been hanging around Kali a lot, almost like an infatuation, so Kali must know something about it. Kali is way too smart not to figure out secrets about Myaro. The question is whether she is keeping the information secret out of friendship or leverage. Dasi is way too smart as well, I wonder if he thinks there is anything hidden about Miyaro? He really hasn’t been hanging out with her so maybe not.

The kami grove is big enough to be the bear trap! No that is ridiculous. Well it’s my turn to sleep.

Well I will have to say that the gods continue to surprise me. I can make my skin like iron once per day now. After talking with Kali I realized that this why I have adamantine arrows. I am not sure what to use it for but it still cool.

So far today the trek to the head Oni has been going pretty well. Although I am really confused about the Oni trying to pay us off. She didn’t seem to know that we are with Ameiko and that the family sword was here as well.  The Oni seemed to know things I assumed that had a way to communicate, maybe the Oni in here don’t have a way to communicate with the Oni on the outside.

My arrows shattered the defenses of this Oni causing almost instant death and the thing that attacked me chose to die by the hands of Radella, or should I say Radella claimed the kill. The thing is I could help but wonder what it would take to let it go. I thought about it for a little bit and there is nothing that they can give me. The things I care about in the world are in danger from the Oni. I really hope it is the will of the gods that I am allowed to help stop the Oni.

But I also have to think about the other taking bribes. So Dasi, Kali, and Olmas are definitely safe.  I want to believe Radella and Qatana is the same as well but they are not as emotionally attached as the other three. Zosi is new and the weakness could be giving him great alchemy knowledge or power. I wonder if they are wondering about me. I suppose it would be a bad idea to share that I spend some of my spare time figuring out different ways to take or disable each of them. I was warned that this is common for battle oracles and that I should use the information learned from allies to my opponents.

For a moment the world around me stopped and I could hear voices speaking in some foreign tongue. Suddenly I realized I could understand the words, it was Minkaian the language Dasi has been teaching me. I could not tell if the voices were male or female as they seemed to almost naturally blend together as if it was one voice. Just for a moment I thought that I could make out the figure of a man and then a woman but the area was so bright that it was hard to see. The voices told me that a hero can call upon strength from within to accomplish extraordinary things. These voices told me that one of the spells that I have been practicing could help turn the tide against the sound attacks. Suddenly I could hear Sesi’s voice telling me to call forth communal protection from energy and use it to protect the others.  This voice went on to tell me details about the spell so that I was ready to use the spell immediately.  Everything is kind of fussy but the last thing I remember is being told that I have to return followed by a kiss on the cheek. I thought that I was gone for a minute or so but it was as if it never happened. It’s not for me to question the methods of the gods. Wow this is actually the most information that I have ever gotten about a new spell without asking Qatana for help. I wonder what the 4 other spells from the gods will be, luckily I have Qatana to help me out and she doesn’t judge me. Since we are going into a dangerous situation I should make sure I know what my new spells do, even if it means asking Kali. For some reason Kali seems to expect that I should know every detail about a spell before even learning how to cast it, wizards are very strange.

It still puzzles me how the other spellcasters know all that information about their spells. Kali seems to spend a lot of time either reading or writing in her spellbook.  I still don’t really understand how she can use a book to cast spells…  The way they have to figure out which spell and how many to use each day seems very complicated. I don’t understand how they are able to figure out which spells they will need later in the day.

This day has been interesting, with a lot of sex and violence. Well to be honest we are reason for the violence although violence could be an everyday thing for hobgoblins. I am not going to put the exploits of the naked aroused hobgoblin Oni onto paper, some things are just best not written down.

Where to begin, Oh in the beginning there were two dead giants, Zosi through some mysterious power of alchemy turned them into golems. They did not make it through the entire day and were eaten whole by some type of water monster. Although soon after losing his golems we defeated an Oni riding a gorgon. Zosi instantly had to have the gorgon as his next golem. He was so excited that we stopped and packed up the gorgon, luckily Qatana has a spell that shrinks an area of stuff. She said that it consumes a carpet but it is still a cool spell, although it is on the expensive side for getting goods to market.  I was considering seeing if Gorgon meat was edible but I don’t think Zosi wants his new toy butchered.

The lice infested living area for the Oni and Gorgon makes me wonder what other kinds of bugs are living on these hobgoblins. As with everything in life I am posed with the problem of getting rid of lice and other bugs and the gods provided the solution. On this day the gods worked through Kali to help me solve my bug problem. Standing in the poisonous cloud took care of any bug problem that I might have had.

I called upon my new protection spell to keep the others safe from the sound attack of these odd creatures. Clearly getting this spell early was a boon. These are not creatures that I would want to face by myself, luckily I don’t have to do this alone.

“Hobgoblins having sex is something I am not sure I want to see. Clearly the sexual habits of Hobgoblins does not interest Dasi or Zosimus ether, I guess the three of us will stand watch while the others head into the love cave.”

“Ok is it my imagination or have they just paused to peek over the panels, maybe there is a hidden side to my companions that I never knew about. Well at least everything out here is clear. A wall of fire pointing up the stairs should do the trick if a hoard of Hobgoblins descends upon us from the upper floor.

“Oh I see Kali casting a spell, weren’t they just going to charge in and kill the hobgoblins. Ok now I can see the webs, maybe they decided to keep them alive for questioning. Wait what Oni!”

Ivan glances over at Dasi “can I have fly”

“Let’s see if I can get into the room without getting caught in the web. Ok now which one did they say was the Oni, oh it’s the naked male hobgoblin. Not really a good shot at any of them with the web in the way. “

“Qatana looks to have that one, the other is still stuck in the web so I will help Radella with the Oni.”

Ivan shoots several arrows into the Oni.

“Wait what he’s begging Redella to keep him alive. Since when do Oni try to bargain for their life?  It may be a mistake but if that is what Radella wants. Uh that was a nice hit from Olmas. “

Ivan moves over and shoots an arrow at the Hobgoblin engaged with Qatana.

“Well now that his sex slaves are dead I’ll stay over here and just search through the stuff. “

“Oh my god this guy is so full of himself.  The fact that Qatana and Redella haven’t killed him is amazing, from over here I want to kill him. Oh god there he goes again, he seems to think that every woman wants him.”

“The map he is drawing will be very useful but I think he spent most of the time describing which females he had sex with in each area. Either these women really liked having sex with him or they were really devoted to the goddess. “

“Ok this information on his sisters and what his mother can do gives of something to prepare for. This is not going to be easy. I can see why his sisters do not like him. So knowing what the sisters are and that there are two of them is helpful, although I am not sure if he can count above 2.  ”

“So Manasukaru has a lot of magic.  Sounds like she might be able to control people as well. I wonder if that is what the dreams were warning me about. If kali does get controlled by Manasukaru the only thing I can do is maybe try to dispel the magic. I know that three of my new spells can be cast on other people, and I think one of the spells can be spread across the group. Why do the gods seem to gain enjoyment from showing me how to cast spells and then just giving me a name and only if I am lucky very basic information on the spells? It’s a good thing that I can rely on Qatana to help me understand my spells. “

“Interesting that Manasukaru can also do elemental damage spells. It seems like we already knew this but I can’t think of how we would know that. I seem to remember something about having to protect the group from chain lightening, was that in a dream. Why can’t I remember anything about her using elemental magic or why this sounds so familiar? Since she can use any of the elements I don’t see how we can protect against her elemental magic.“

“Well like the monks he doesn’t have a lot of valuable stuff. Maybe I should go out with Dasi and let them deal with it.”

Ivan attempts the intimates the Oni.

“Oh my god I threaten him and he just acts like its foreplay.  Maybe I should just leave this up to Radella and Qatana. Hopefully I can find a secret stash of stuff like Radella does. “

Ivan spends some time searching the wall of the other side of the room for any hidden compartments but only finds a pair of underwear that was most likely flung aside by one of the sisters.

“That’s a long way for the underwear to be flung. What are the chances that these panties would get stuck on the wall? They really should wash their cloths more often. Maybe the panties were caught on a secret catch.  Darn there is nothing here or maybe I just can’t see it. Maybe if Redella were to take a look.”

Ivan glances over to look at Radella.

“Oh my god is that naked fully aroused Oni really making a pass at Radella?  This takes examining the goods before purchasing to a different level and Redella doesn’t seem to be getting upset, although it is hard to tell only seeing the back of her head. Does he have the ability to control people like his mother? Maybe all of these women are throwing themselves at him because he controls their minds. Are we next to fall under his spell?  If he gets out of here what is to stop him from doing this to my wife and sister just to prove a point. The Radella I know would not put up with this unless she was interested in the offer. The only way the Radella I know would be interested in him at all is if he was beginning to control her. Is there any other reason that Radella hasn’t removed his manhood? Maybe his control over people gets stronger the longer you are around him. Are we soon going to be his guards? Are Radella and Qatana going to be his next lovers?”

Ivan quietly whispers to himself “No I won’t let that happen”

Arrows fly across the room and the mind controlling Oni falls to the ground breathing his last breath of air in this world. Ivan takes the body over to the pit and drops the dead half-oni into the pit. Pausing for a few moments to look down into the pit.

“At least this should make it more difficult for anyone trying to bring him back from the dead. “

“I will truly never really know if he could control their minds but given the situation this had to be done. He admitted his mother can control people so there is a chance that he also has the ability to control people. The followers of Gorum once told me that in battle sometimes you have to make a split-second decision, you can’t hesitate once you make the decision or the battle will be lost. I am beginning to understand what they were trying to tell me.  I’m never going to know if this was necessary but in that split-second it was the right decision so that I could keep them safe. ”

I’m not normally a big fan of summon monster but in this case it triggered the Clay golem. This was not Kali’s intended use for this monster but it did find the trap. It’s the kind of thing I had wanted to do with skeletons but Qatana’s lectures on how she was taught that the animation processes effects the souls of the dead made me realize that normal people just aren’t going to be understanding of someone who creates skeletons. I should probably stop bringing up the subject with her but time to time seeing that determination in her eyes on something not Groetus is refreshing. Activating the golem with the summoned monster may or may not have been a good item, in this case it worked out I guess.

The gods must agree with my thoughts on summon monster as they have never seen fit to grant me any level of summon monster. It’s kind of a flashy spell that does not last very long and is a little boring, except maybe the fire elements.

The illusion of the Munatsukaru worked better than I expected, I guess you can’t under estimate fear. Qatana and Olmas unarming the hobgoblins was quick thinking that made the battle easier. I really enjoyed the look of panic on their faces as Qatana pulled the morningstars out of their hands. We were lucky that sending a hobgoblin to get there leader did not back fire. Things might has been different if we actually been hit with the full might of those between us and Munatsukaru. I don’t like the Oni and I am glad to see that my longbow also does not like Oni.  My aim was true and I seemed to have gotten to get the attention of the Oni as he seemed to do that challenge that Olmas does. In the heat of the moment surrounding him with fire seemed like a good idea. It was quickly apparent that this was a mistake and it put us at a disadvantage. In my haste I had blocked off the others from getting to him and we couldn’t even tell if he was still inside the wall of fire.  This forced me to dispel the wall to provide access for Olmas and Radella, luckily he was dead but I have to remember not to do this in the future unless there are not any other good choices. We are much better when everyone can use their abilities to defeat our opponents.

The hits from clay golems don’t heal correctly. Qatana found it very difficult using healing magic and so I had to try. My healing worked just fine on Radella but not on Olmas. Dasi or was it Kali that said that the damage from clay golems resists magical healing. I may have just been lucky that the spell even worked on one of them. Oh well it was worth using these low level spells on trying to get Olmas and Radella back to full health. It’s also really a good thing they didn’t take even more damage from the clay golem.

Kali requested another one of her breaks to memorize spells. I still can’t figure out how she can cast spells by just reading a book, it just seems so foreign to me. I know she must have spent months or even years learning how to do it but it almost seems impossible. I can’t imagine how long it took to cast even the simplest of spells.  I can only imagine that the same is true for Zosimus as well. There is absolutely no way I could ever be a wizard or alchemist, I think that would be way too hard for me.  She spends a lot of time with that book, it seems like a big commitment her having to write down each spell. I have to wonder who first figured out how to be a wizard. Someone must have figured how to use a spellbook and then taught it to others or maybe it was the gods who taught people how to be wizards.

That reminds me. I have been having the strangest dreams lately or was it just one dream across many nights?  Maybe I am only remembering parts of the dream each night. In all of the dreams or versions of the dream we were fight the Oni down here but it seems like the order is all mixed up. I have been trying to put them in order or understand them but nothing makes since. Maybe they are just separate dreams. In most of the dreams the Oni enhances herself to make it very difficult to hit her with weapons or magic. The Oni seems to be able to move at odd times such as moving at the same time Kali was casting a spell.  In at least one version she gets help fighting the group from Olmas and Zosimus, It was almost like they didn’t know who we were. Other versions had different people helping her. In one of the versions I think I was helping her but to me I was fighting the Oni, I remember Redella knocking me silly. It was only when Redella did not kill me that I was able to see the truth. I remember that in a couple of the versions Redella and I were trapped in one of Kali’s tentacle spell and in the dream I did something to allow her to move freely. Again Redella punched me and threw me from the tentacles before heading to knock Kali silly. I am not sure that I want a spell that compels Radella to punch me, that kind of spell just doesn’t sound very useful. Maybe the gods are trying to warn me that Radella is looking for an excuse to punch me. No that can’t be it, I choose to believe that Redella would just hit me if she thought I deserved it.

Fear and complacency have been our greatest ally thus far today. Hobgoblins staying at their post and assuming that they were protected was their last mistake. Redella was first to kill her hobgoblin but to be fair she started and got help from Kali who looked as if she wanted to kill on her own. When it comes down to it Olmas had to run across the room and didn’t have help. I think Olmas’s kill was the most impressive of the three, but they were just hobgoblins. This structure looks as if it has been here for many years. I am also surprised that we are going back up. For some reason I had thought that we would be going down into a big pit.

The Marley’s were dead to begin with, no I mean the giants were dead to begin with. I am not even exactly sure who the Marley’s are it must be from a story Abby read to me when we were growing up.

From the talents and mastery of Zosimus the giants have been transformed into something amazing. He is no Roger bacon but Zosimus appears to on his way to possible one of the greatest alchemist or as Abby called them khemeias. Actually I don’t know if Mr. Bacon was even a good alchemist, I really only remember his name because its bacon.

I don’t really understand what is really happening to Kali but she seems just as annoying as before so I guess this new woman inside her may be ok. At this time I don’t feel like the gods want me to interfere. Mending to the rescue to repair her robe so we can wrap her in it and place her in a bag of holding. I wonder how she came to be on this wall. What about her family, does she have people that are worried about her? Because of the carvings I worry about the horrors she might share with Kali, hopefully she won’t share those thoughts.

The walls here are somewhat creepy, the carvings show how little the Oni thing of the human races. I suspect that the countless bodies on the walls cover even more of the Oni’s depraved cravings. It is good that Eytane and Anavaru did not have to see this, they have already been tortured enough. It remains unclear how much this will affect others. I fear that Kali may be the one most affected. Luckily the gods have provided Kusatsu Yuka as a guide to help Kali find her way.

A returning hobgoblin scouting party caused the others to scrabble to catch them before they could escape, I am glad that I stayed with Redella to secure the ladder as from what I heard Kali was casting spells that made range combat useless. After a number of spells Dasi’s tricked the hobgoblin into thinking that Dasi is his superior. That is a very cool and very scary skill.

After resting to regain strength and spells we are heading over to the house the bird found. Kali would be upset if she knew how often I have had the bird in my sights, she is a target until I know it is really her. After our experience with those birds it is clear that black birds pose a danger. I sure hope there darkvision wand doesn’t run out before we kill the Oni.

The battle with the shogun was an opportunity to test our metal in battle. Clearly the sight of Omlas changed the tide of battle as the shogun committed suicide rather than attempting to flee or to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. Well that’s likely what the sword of doom thinks. The shogun’s wife’s showed more tenacity and spirit then he did, I can’t imagine why they put up with such a spineless leader.  To make things worse all of the bows they have are too hard for me to pull, I guess maybe put adaptive on one of them. Maybe Dasi has the strength to use one of these bows and I can get my backup bow back from him, although it might make since to make it magical for him.

I have been careless in my commitment. With worrying about how the carvings were affecting everyone and the amazing feat of alchemy I completely forgot to check in with Ameiko. Now I have to worry about it all day.

The door opened into a strange room with dividers creating hallways. I would have blindly walked into the trap but not for the skill and experience of Redella. We have been traveling together all this time and yet I do not know much about her. I have always assumed that she did not want to share private information about herself.  The room was pretty easy for me as I just had to watch Radella, Olmas, and Qatana take out these creatures, I just had to guard Radella’s back. The two prisoners we rescued were at first afraid that we were there to harm them. We had the discussion about getting the two of them safety but it was pointed out that there is no safe place nearby, in the end they finally realized that they would be safest right there, we could have set them free in the woods but I don’t think they would have much of a chance to survive.  We still need to figure out what to do with these people once we get out of here, the kami may or may not allow them to enter the grove.

Finally we are on the ground floor and still more webs but we did find the way out through the front door and a way down. Well its looks like we need to go down into the deep dark hole.  The others could have defeated the spider things without my help. Once again Kali has to be the one to scout so we wait.

Kali returned and began working on a complex plan to get through the gate of the fortress. Kali just loves to make complex plans even when one is not needed. I got bored with the complexity so I just spaced out for a few moments to allow them to finish, they seem a lot happier if I just let them get it all out. My idea is simple just create a new doorway.

The hobgoblins assault was over quickly. Without the protection of their walls Radella, Olmas, and Qatana quickly cut them down. It comes down to the cycle of life, these hobgoblins now become food for other creatures. The humans outside on the pikes would have shared the same fate had Qatana not spared their lives.   Very interesting, Desna clearly had a hand in this.   They took these two up to be with the others, safety in numbers or something like that. I just wonder what my companions will do if the Kami do not allow these people into the grove.

The door that leads into the complex looked dangerous with traps on the floors and dead bodies hanging from the walls. Radella, Olmas, and Qatana entered this hallway of death and began the slow process of detecting and avoiding the traps in the room. For my part I attempted to cover them from the doorway but from my vantage point I failed to see the ambush. As they reached the other side of the room hobgoblins began the attack with arrows on the three in the room. Quick thinking on Olmas’s part and the locked door on the other side of the room was busted wide open by the power of the ring of the ram. For not being a spell caster Olmas has quite a few spells at his disposal. I have to give credit to Olmas for being able to put up with the sword day in and day out. Some of the special abilities of the team shined as they had hobgoblins confused and attacking each other. This was pretty awsome to witness, giant kill giant was the best of the enemy on enemy combat. I do worry about this being used on us at some point in the future, hopefully one of the gods will provide me with to help my companions.

The battle was interesting as Kali used a special ability to perform a mini teleport to take me and her through the now busted door, plenty of hobgoblins targets. I failed to see the giants until one of them hit me with a rock or should I say boulder. Before I could react Kali had a wall of force up. Damn it really sucks that I don’t have the mini teleport or wall of force spells.

“Well now that we have made it to the top of the building I can see that there are a lot of spider webs in the hole.”

“Wow even with all the burning there are still a lot of spider webs. I wonder if we can clear this out before fly ends.”

“Oh their goes Radella down into the hole. How brave of her”

“Well I see that Olmas and Qatana are brave as well. I guess we will destroy the webs after they finish killing everything. Oh well I’ll just wait here and provide backup support.”

“Holy crap Radella just lost a chunk of her strength”

“Oh shit Olmas just lost almost half his strength as well. I sure hope that they are both smart enough to get out.”

“Ok there’s Radella and now Olmas, why is Qatana still down there. Damn. Ok let see if I can get a wall of fire in place around her without catching her or her clothes on fire”

“That will work nicely, there is nothing like a good fire”

“That is one tall room, let’s put another wall of fire right there. Ok that will get the job done. I wonder if the fire with burn the drugs out of the air , it’s a good thing Qatana suggested life bubble. Once again the gods knew which spell that I needed.”

“That’s one room cleansed. Damn the next floor has webs as well. Should I just start with fire? Maybe I should save wall of fire for later.”

“Damn those spiders are big. My armor is not good enough for close combat. Over here is much better.”

“Well that’s what I get for not starting with fire. Burn”

“What the hell is with the lighting hitting everyone but Radella? Ok I better do some healing. Kali already put up the second wall of fire so now we wait for the burning to complete its job”

“Where did he come from? Oh good there aren’t any more spiders. Let’s see if I can remove a few of these illusionary versions of him. Ok now I can leave him to the others.”

“Wow he had an endless flask of sake, that’s pretty cool. That could be very useful.”

“Dasi are you still reading minds? Can you hear me now? I guess not. I wonder how he can tell between victims and those causing the harm. ”

“I wonder who built this grill going all around the room. This gives those up here a huge advantage. The skeletons down there almost seem to be walking with a purpose.”

“Redella seems pretty intense about the undead. I hope this new spell works well.”

“Oh that died quickly. I still don’t know if daybreak arrow is good or not. But they are dying quickly or is that actually true death.”

“I better follow Olmas and Qatana down there. Damn there are prisoners in cages. I better get the others in place before they do something crazy in the name of rescuing the prisoners”

“Come on, come on just open up stupid grate. I’ll just move the stone out of the way. That’s a strange look on her face, at least she doesn’t look mad. “

“Ok now we are all in place”