Oathday, Pharast 28, 4713 afternoon
Beneath the House of Withered Blossoms

Our plan for sneaking up and ambushing the the two guards at the bottom of “the drain” before they could make a noise went almost according to plan. We did sneak up and kill them, but in the process of doing so a blast from a flask of some oily explosive concoction gave us away.

From deeper within the cavern came the sound of heavy movement and a loud gruff voice called out, “Who goes there? None shall pass. Identify yourselves!”

By this time most of my companions had flown off to the far end of the pool, where there was some sort of commotion, and so to delay any attack from another enemy I answered, “It’s Icharou” while infusing my voice with as much oily obsequiousness as possible.

“Not today!” came the response.

“It is too Icharou! Yassu said to come see mother.” I was counting on the voice being familiar with just how craven and stupid Icharou was to aide in my deception.

“Oh, remember what happened to you the last time you saw Yassu? If I were you I’d keep away.”

Joy! You really can’t go wrong assuming everyone else thought Icharou was a worthless fop. “I’m more afraid of mother than Yassu!”

“If I were you I would be afraid of both, but do what you will.”

By now the rest of my companions had gathered near the entrance to the cavern. Most had a grim look about them, and Zos’ giant twins were absent (I later discovered that something had swallowed them whole!), but this was not the time for questions.

We carefully moved in to where we could just make out the owner of the voice. He was a large samurai mounted upon a gorgon. He seemed bored, as did the gorgon, and with little wonder: how many invaders could there have been that had made it this far over the centuries. Not many, I warrant, and so perhaps he was not quite as alert or suspicious as he otherwise would have been.Piles of gorgon dung (some still steaming) gave off a pungent stink of sulfur and rotting flesh.

Kali and I used our usual confuse and confine technique, which had the desired affect of the gorgon and samurai attacking each other. Meanwhile my companions used ranged attacks to wear them down even further. Eventually the samurai fell and the gorgon smashed through Kali’s wall of ice, but it was grievously injured and the combined efforts of Olmas, Zos and Ivan put it out of its misery and cleared the way.

There was a door to the west, which Zos opened and stepped in while I picked through what the samurai had been carrying.

587	large master work katana
588	silver master work wakisashi
589	large composite longbow [+9 STR]
590	large master work tatami-do armor

The room to the west had been the samurai’s bedroom. Zos said that the floor was a carpet of beatles and that the bed was full of over sized lice. I took a peek later, and really, I know I am not the neatest of people, but how could anyone sleep in a room like this?

“That’s just Gross,” Timber squeaked, and the others quickly agreed, except for Beorn who simply cooed, “Mmmm, bugs.”

There were some nice items in the room which are now ours.

591	headband of alluring charisma +2 (Dasi?)
592	offering bowl set with rubies
593	gilded elephant tusks
591	jade and silver rooster funerary figure
595	10 foot panel screen of the House of Withered Blossoms when it was still pristine

We faced a small dilemma. While the panel and treasure could have fit inside a bag of holding the gorgon could not. Yes, we needed the gorgon’s body, or more specifically Zos did. As I had mentioned his giants perished back in the pool and to replace them he wanted a gorgon that he could ride.

I actually had a solution to this problem, and pulled a bolt of fabric from my pack. It unfolded to a ten foot square of silk which we spread onto the floor on top of which we were able to place all of the loot and the body of the gorgon. I then cast Treasure Stitching and the entire pile collapsed into an embroidered image of the same. I rolled up the silk and put it back in my pack.

And moments later we heard voices approaching from the north.

“Oh I can’t believe we’re doing that again. We should let the others…”

A squad of hobgob warriors came into view and started shooting arrows at us. Some of us fired back and the rest closed in and quickly reduced them and their pet giant into piles of gore and bone.

The hallway from which they had come was odd: there was a ramp that led up from a rubble strewn floor — the ramp had clearly at one time been a bridge, but the archway in the far wall to which it would have led was bricked in. The walls were decorated with scenes of oni-centric decadence and depravity, including the scene of a female oni suckling a pair of nagas.

Pools that probably led to the lake outside were to the west, and further north was an eastern door beneath the balcony from which the ramp descended. The door was wooden and swollen shut from moisture, but Radella and Olmas forced it open. The small damp chamber beyond was uninteresting except for the small potted bonsai tree that was withering within.

This must be the tree one of the kami had asked us to rescue. It looked to be in poor shape because of its prolonged exposure to darkness. Just why someone had bothered to steal the tree and bring it down here was a mystery, but we took it in the hope that it would recover once it was back outside.

We picked our way across the remains of a collapsed bridge that led us back east and into the western end of a long pillared hall that stretched east into the darkness.

We had hardly all moved into the hall when we heard the sound of hobgoblins and a giant approaching. A moment later and I was eye to eye with a giant (I was floating some teen feet up) and the brute walloped me.

Kali cast Cloud Kill, which stretched across the full width of the hall engulfing a number of hobgobs before moving eastward. We killed everything on our side of the cloud and then followed it along, swiftly slaying the occasional warrior that stumbled out, gasping and wheezing. Ivan aided us greatly here by entering the cloud (safe with Delay Poison) and luring the attackers on the other side of the cloud in to their deaths.

Nearly ten minutes and six hundred feet later and we finally reached the end of the hall and the cloud began to waft out over a pond to the southeast. We heard a loud “Crap!” from Ivan, who was still before the cloud. He had suddenly come face to face with a large wide mouthed hump backed lizard (his words) sporting a lot of razor sharp teeth, but having no eyes.

Moments later we were blasted with the force of one of these things screeching. Dasi was stunned, but Ivan managed to find his way back through the cloud to join us. Another, lower key shriek pounded us, and we realized that these reptilian frog, lizard like beasts were probably the most dangerous things we’d faced all day.

I placed a zone of Silence in the middle of the cloud to buy us some time to regroup and Kali put up a wall of force. We decided to let the poison cloud do as much damage as possible before pressing our attack.

Presently the cloud drifted out past the lizard things and dissipated. We moved in, but this time Dasi was prepared and matched his singing to counter the sonic attacks.

Even still the creatures were tough and took a lot of punishment before falling. We were all a bit tired by the time the last one dropped, and those of us who use spells were feeling a little depleted.

On the further side of the pond we could see what looked like a pile of hobgoblin bones on the shingles. So the lizard things ate the hobgoblins? Then which way had the group of hobgobs (plus hill giant) come from?

We must have missed a secret door somewhere along the hundreds of feet of hallway we had traversed. Radella seemed upset by this, but even she needs to focus a little more than was possible when we passed through.

We’ve decided to set up camp either at the far end of the pillared hall or maybe the chamber before that. While this seems risky, we do need to rest to regain spells, and it is a far better option than to drop back to some place “more safe” — or I should say “less dangerous.”

Toilday, Pharast 12, 4713 evening
The Spirit Forest

We met a gnome in the forest today and he is following us in his wagon of many smells.

I’ve only known one other gnome, Elias, but from even the short time Zos has been around us I can tell he and E are as different as kale and cabbages.

Or cheddar and brie, as Timber suggested. Yes Badger, or gouda and parmesan. Or chevres and… guys, I think you’re getting side tracked on cheeses again. But yes, it is true: we did not bring nearly enough cheese with us on this expedition.

Where was I?

Right, we had not gone far this morning when we heard the sound of combat from over a rise before us. Kali, Ivan and I flew over to see what the trouble was and if it posed a threat to the caravan. We saw a group of hobgoblins attacking some people making a stand next to an over turned wagon.

Ivan swiftly placed a pair of arrows in one hobgoblin, while I created a pair of giant anacondas that began to throttle two of the attackers. Kali cast Slow on another.

It would have been better had we arrived sooner. Human bodies (and a few dead hobgoblins too) lay about. One of the humans took a blade to the head and toppled as watched.

So we stepped up our own attack. Kali caught one of the stinky hobs in a sticky web. Ivan used a telekineses spell and pulled another over by him, and Olmas and he treated it as a pin cushion. I closed in and bashed another senseless.

Soon the hob gobs all lay dead, but unfortunately all of their victims were no better off. Ivan used Deathwatch to see if there were any survivors, and that’s when we discovered our new gnome friend hiding behind a tree.

He suggested that righting his wagon was a priority because it might explode. I tracked down the horses that pulled his wagon, and soon Zosimus (“Call me Zos”) was explaining why he was in the forest with his now dead fellow travellers.

They were here to get something, or do something. Zos wasn’t sure. He was just a hired hand, who now wanted to get out of the forest alive. Thus when we said we were passing through to Minkai, he eagerly asked to tag along. Safety in numbers, and all that.

Zos has light blue skin and purple hair, in contrast with Elias’ green skin and complete lack of hair (I never thought to ask if this was natural or by choice). There were a fair number of gnomes in Magnimar, but I seldom went to the parts of the city where they dwelled, and so I cannot say if Zos is typical of his kind or not.

Huffy liked him right away, and that’s usually a good sign that someone is trustworthy.

It looks like we’ll spend the rest of the day and some of the next working on his wagon to ensure it (and he) can keep up with the rest of the caravan.Wealday, Pharast 13, 4713 morning
The Spirit Forest

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…”

This is how my morning began: with my friends singing to me. McLovin remembered. He’s good with things like that. I seldom remember on my own. For a while Kali used to do something with me, but then I went away and it’s been years since.

Wealday, Pharast 20, 4713 midnight
The Spirit Forest

We had another spirit visitor. This one was in the form of an angry man who materialized next to Dasi. Ivan cleverly used a mass curative spell, which visibly weakened it. It then menaced Kali, at which point I channeled energy a couple of times and the fade faded.

If nothing else these acts must in some way end the apparent suffering of these entities.

Moonday, Pharast 25, 4713 evening
The Spirit Forest, Kami Clearing

The forest has become more dense over the past few days, but only slowly such that if you were not paying attention you might have thought all of a sudden you were in a much darker and forbidding place than just a few hours before. The limbs of the trees are so close and interwoven above that the ground is bare of undergrowth and even snow. I rather much like it.

By mid day Miyaro had led us to a large circular clearing. A dense thicket of plants clustered around the forest’s edge, creating a barrier as effective as any wall.

On the near side of the clearing was a gate, and as we made to pass through we heard a voice say, “This is the place of the Kami.” Suddenly a warrior stood before us, blocking the way.

“Hail travelers. What is your business?” he asked.

He seemed put off by our answer of “Traveling south to Minkai,” and suggested the road would be a better choice for such a journey.

I countered that the road was controlled by the Oni, and that they had been harassing us. “Oh, why should they do so?” he asked. “Because we attack them when we find them.” I said. “Do you oppose the Oni?” he asked, becoming more interested in us. “We more than oppose them,” I answered, “we actively seek to end their control of Minkai.”

He then bowed and said, “You may enter.” But he did scrutinize each of us as we passed through the gate. As I did so a sensation of peaceful watchfulness washed over me.

Miyaro was delighted, and sitting down said, “Let’s remain here for a while.”

The day was only half done, and normally we would push on, but it was nice to escape the confines of the dark wood for a while, and clearly this place was special. We circled the wagons and made camp early.

Gradually we began to hear whisperings and chanting, but all Miyaro would say was, “It is the Kami. This place is sacred to them.” And then she flashed that smile of hers that could mean either everything or nothing.

Darkness fell and the voices of the Kami increased. Small animals crept to the edge of the clearing and gradually circled their way inward, along with small stones and bits of wood that seemed to roll in on their own. Small creatures peeped out from these creatures and objects. The Kami had arrived. One stepped forward and began to speak.

They wanted to know if we would assist them with an urgent matter concerning the Oni. At one time the Kami held the Oni imprisoned in the House of Withered Blossoms. But one hundred and sixty years before the Oni found a way to escape.

The way of the enchantment of their prison was such that as long as the Oni were present, the Kami could not enter. The Kami still could not enter, and so they knew at least one of the Oni remained.

“Enter this place and destroy the Oni such that we might enter and discover by what means the others escaped. In this way you will also aid your own purpose, for we know why you tavel to Minkai.”

The House of Withered Blossoms was some distance from the clearing, and we agreed to begin our journey in the morning.

Toilday, Pharast 26, 4713 evening
House of Withered Blossoms

It felt good to move about on our own two feet, although it meant the trek took all day. Miyaro led the way, as usual.

The House sat in the middle of a decayed patch of forest. The trees gave way to a corrupt garden of dead things and broken statues, and rising up from the middle was a tall pagoda made of white porcelain. Decaying petals of purple flowers littered the ground about it.

Dead vines clung to the building’s sides, but it looked like there were no windows at all. One large door was in front but we saw no other visible way of entering or leaving, except through the large hole in the golden roof.

Miyaro said that this was as close as she could come, and that she would return to the clearing. Before leaving she loaned us her fan, which was a delicately beautiful device that allowed us to send a message over a great distance, as well as making the bearer more persuasive.

Dasi gratefully took the fan, and then we got to work.

I cast True Seeing on Kali, and she used Darkvision and then created an Arcane Eye. Down through the hole in the roof, and past thick matts of giant webbing she sent it, passing by several half spider/humanoid creatures. Near the main floor was a human wearing filthy silk robes. Small spiders crawled over him and he plucked one off his arm and ate it.

And then the eye reached a door and could go no further. Kali sent it up and out and around to the door. Many small holes faced outward, but most were filled with arrows (“Poison arrow traps,” she murmured, “lots of them!”) before the spell finally expired.

Well, through the roof it is. But not until morning. Fortunately all of us can watch the house throughout the night to see if anything comes or goes. We had been told about the spider creatures, but also warned of hobgoblins, of which there had been no sign… yet.

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.

Starday, Calistril 2, 4713 evening
Caravan, Necropolis, Path of Spirits

The yeti’s were no longer a threat and their king had given us free passage through the necropolis, but we were still stuck waiting until tomorrow. While we could fly or air walk across the chasm, the caravan oxen and wagons needed to roll across a solid surface, and with the anti-life bubble still blocking the existing bridge, we needed a couple of Wall of Stone spells to erect our own.

It was still not yet mid day, and there was talk of removing all traces of Fumioshi from the necropolis. One of our primary concerns was the mysterious magical aura surrounding the tree in the middle of the deep blue glowing pool.

“It’s based necromancy,” Ivan said, “but I’ll be damned if I can figure out what it does.”

None of us could. And so we fell back to experimenting. I took Katiyana’s head, which I had recovered from the chasm earlier, and held it in the pool while Ivan looked on with Deathwatch.

Moments later a pair of shadows appeared at the tree and approached. And just as before they stopped at the water’s edge, which was exactly where the magic field ended.

We couldn’t just leave the shadows there, and so Ivan and I used force spells to slay them. Unfortunately this left us no better off than before. Did the magical field create the undead, contain them, or both? We did not want to dispel the effect only to discover it was the only thing containing any undead created here.

In the end we used Stone Shape to carve crude warnings in various languages to keep anyone else passing through here from blundering into the pool. It was not a satisfactory solution, and none of us were happy, although Beorn had one of his hysterical cackling fits during our discussion.

Sunday, Calistril 3, 4713 evening
Caravan, Southern Foothills of the Wall of Heaven

Fresh air! It will take weeks for before the caravan itself is free from the stench of the necropolis and under-tunnels, but it took only a minute or two of blinking in the bright winter sunlight to shake off the gloom from our prolonged reliance on magical light.

A pair of Wall of Stone spells this morning and I had constructed a sturdy bridge for the caravan to cross the chasm. And then some judicious use of Stone Shape to open up a rock wall and a short while later we were out in the cold clear light of day.

Ulf said we were almost sixty leagues west of the Path of Aganhei, and then another one hundred forty or so to our first town of significant size since Kalsgard, although Ordu-Aganhei was no where near as big as the former.

But I don’t care. The delightful resinous aroma of spruce and fir has replaced the sharp smell of chert and flint (not to mention dessicated mummy and unwashed yeti). Various hues of green contrast lovely with rich browns and greys, which are all perfectly illuminated by a blazing ball of yellow in a deep blue sky.

Tonight’s camp was as cheerful as it has been since we clambered up onto the high ice. Timber summed it up best as we were sitting around the camp fire with the stars shining brightly above, “I’ve missed this!”

Wealday, Calistril 6, 4713 evening
Caravan, Path of Aganhei

We’re back on the main caravan route and heading south. We’ll be losing elevation the further we go, which means warmer temperatures. Heck, just moving south means warmer weather and more daylight hours.

We passed a group of hunters, on foot and heading north. They were a dour and grim bunch and looked at us with distrust and open hostility. I suppose we must have returned the same look, but it was odd to pass by people for the first time in weeks only to huddle down and ignore them.

At least they didn’t throw anything at us.

Starday, Calistril 16, 4713 early evening
Caravan, Ordu-Aganhei

We reached the city in the late afternoon. Brightly painted wooden buildings peeked out over an encircling wooden wall, and my spirits lifted as we approached the gate.

Here Ulf reminded us that this was as far as he would travel with us. Obviously we knew that, but we had been through so much together for so long that our party will seem lacking without him.

“There is a field within the city walls for caravans, and I’ll help you get settled in before I leave.” Ulf then frowned and looked over at the iron gate ahead before adding, “Be careful in Tien. Stay on the roads. It is not just bandits that will pose a risk if you venture away from public spaces. And be careful in Ordu-Aganhei. The prince has a reputation for being cruel, although he could prove a powerful ally should he befriend you.”

And with that we arrived at the northern city gate. A sizeable guard was posted there, and the leader hailed us rudely, “Halt! Who enters our city?”

Kali replied politely. More than politely. But she was met by scorn and accusations of our party being brigands, thieves and spies. The leader then motioned for the guards to search our wagons.

Things were about to get very ugly, and Badger hissed out of warning, “People who live in a wooden city should be more courteous when greeting guests!” when an effete looking man in fine robes rushed out shouting, “Enough!”

The guards recoiled in fear, and the dandy layed down in the road before us and begged our pardon. He introduced himself as Chua, advisor to Prince Batsaikhar, most gracious ruler of Ordu-Aganhei. He then offered each of us (correction, each of us women folk) in the caravan a black rose.

Chua led us through the gate and told us that the prince had invited us to dine with him in his palace that night. We accepted warily, and led our wagons to the (empty) caravan field.

Ulf muttered, “I’ve never seen nor heard of anything like that before.”

Star was more blunt, “The whole thing stinks like the north end of a south bound yeti.”

Indeed all of my friends were grumbling and even Huffy was not happy. The whole encounter seemed staged, but to what purpose?

I took a tentative sniff of the black rose and found it totally void of scent.

Starday, Calistril 16, 4713 late evening
Palace, Ordu-Aganhei

We are now guests of Prince Batsaikhar, and I have to admit that I preferred being with the yetis.

I’ve seen the prince’s type before: spoiled, over indulged brats who think only of themselves and grow up to be petty tyrants. We’ll need to tread very carefully here to avoid serious trouble, and so I am saying very little.

And then there is the matter of his ever present insincere smile. Ulf had warned us that the prince had been known to keep that smug smile even while having people executed (apparently for pleasure).

We need to get the hell out of and as far away from the city as soon as possible. Unfortunately the prince has invited us to stay for another four days. He invoked something called the “Five Feasts of Hongal,” with tonight having been the festival’s opening act.

We met for dinner in the palace’s grand ball room, along with about three hundred other diners. This might have put me at ease had we not been clearly made the guests of honor and primary excuse for the event.

My companions dressed in bright coloured clothes, but I stuck to the simple grey raiment of Groetus. To hell with the damned prince.

Dinner was inedible. It was exquisitely prepared, but dishes were bizarre animal parts that you would only eat if it were a choice between that and starving.

Dinner was followed by three different forms of entertainment, which were, um, entertaining enough, but after the performances we were asked to do repeat them, as if it were a competition. Kali, Ameiko and Sparna made a good account of themselves (Olmas less so, but he made a valiant effort), and the prince rewarded us with gifts.

[446]	Short bow, composite, masterwork
[447]	Efficient Quiver
[448]	+1 Arrows (x10)

We’ve been given guest rooms in the palace, and are to stay here throughout the festival. And by “we” I mean Kali, Ameiko, Ivan, Koya, Radella, Olmas, Sparna and myself. The others — the caravan “staff” (as Chua called them) — were not invited: lucky them!

Sunday, Calistril 17, 4713 afternoon
Palace, Ordu-Aganhei

This morning we were finally able to sell all of the excess loot we collected since leaving Kalsgard. I’ve got a lot of gold coins, and asked Sparna to add an enchantment to my flail. I did find tuning forks for casting Plane Shift to the Astral, Ethereal, Air, and Material (need to get back!) planes.

As we walked the streets of the city we did note just how clean it all was, and unexpectedly quiet. It was as if the entire town were holding its breath.

We also were able to find a suitable diamond to raise poor Bevelek, and enough diamond dust (and to spare) to perform the necessary restorations upon him and Trask.

The casting of Raise Dead was actually rather anticlimactic. I had never cast it before and was a bit nervous, but my friends helped by reminding me of the subtle elements of the spell. I had cast Restoration before, and although expensive, both applications went well. Olmas is totally back to his full abilities, although Bevelek needs another dose in a week’s time.

Sunday, Calistril 17, 4713 late evening
Palace, Ordu-Aganhei

Tonight’s feast was much the same as last night’s: perfectly prepared disgusting glop. And they don’t do courses here: everything is brought out at once, and so even if you wanted to eat the stuff, half of it was cold before you could get to it.

Kali was wearing a lovely local dress, but it was considerably more revealing than what she usually wore. I looked quizzically at her, but she only returned my gaze with a half smile.

Later I learned that the prince had sent the dress to her earlier with the request that she wear it. If it had been sent to me the prince would have found himself wearing it as he danced from tabletop to tabletop.

Worse, even though our performance at story telling tonight was a joint effort, the prince saved his praise for Kali.

I do not like the way he leers at her.

Even worse still, the prince invited Kali to breakfast the next morning. This clearly upset Kali, but she graciously accepted, and we spent some time back in her room discussing our breakfast battle plans.

For one Sparna will act as her escort, and for two she will be carrying a little statuette of me so I can use Enter Image to monitor the whole affair (possibly a poor choice of words there).

Oh yes, the prince gave us another present after our performance.

[449]

Horsehead fiddle, masterwork

Moonday, Calistril 18, 4713 late morning
Palace, Ordu-Aganhei

“The pig touched her!” Star screamed.

“Calm down,” I tried to quiet her.

“The filthy pig touched her!” Star yelled again.

We were all upset. Breakfast with the prince, while uncomfortable for Kali, had gone fairly well… until it was time for Kali to leave. Then, as Star already stated, the filthy pig touched her.

Kali had returned to her room, and we were trying to reassure her and decide upon a proper course of action to safely extricate ourselves from the prince’s grasp.

It was not helping that Timber, Takoda and Star were running through lists of spells to cast upon the prince, while Beorn cackled with each new strategy they devised. The rest of my friends were disturbingly quiet, and I suspected had already sided with my vocal threesome.

I would be delighted if we could make it out the city with a minimum of fuss or violence, but if it gets messy I am quite certain the prince will die.

The caravan has left without us, and we will catch up to it when we can. On its own, without us, it is an uninteresting merchant’s caravan. With us in (or near) the city it is of interest to the prince, and a target if he becomes unhappy.

Moonday, Calistril 18, 4713 afternoon
Palace, Ordu-Aganhei

Well things are worse. Radella spent some time inspecting our rooms and found a variety of secret doors and peep holes in the walls.

Just great. Add pervert to the list of the prince’s charms.

Starting with Kali’s room we spent some time closing the holes and wedging the secret doors so we cannot be so readily spied upon

Moonday, Calistril 18, 4713 late evening
Palace, Ordu-Aganhei

Another feast of excess and another set of performances by the prince’s subjects and an answering one by us. And another yet another gift from the prince.

[450]

Vials of Flaming Breath (x6)

Tomorrow night we are expected to provide the menu for the feast, and guide the palace kitchen staff in preparing it. Ameiko and I spent an hour or so coming up with a meal plan that should impress the prince and his other guests.

Kali is working on the entertainment: a production of the odd play we found in Brinewall. But she seemed distracted. The prince asked that she sit with him at tomorrow night’s feast (reason enough to be nervous), and she thinks he will propose marriage at the end of the evening.

Seriously, things just keep getting worse.

Toilday, Calistril 19, 4713 afternoon
Palace, Ordu-Aganhei

Kali was wrong. The Prince did not wait until the tonight to propose: he did so during a private stroll through the palace gardens earlier today. Kali wisely did not refuse him, but made the reasonable excuse that she had to ask her parents first.

Toilday, Calistril 19, 4713 evening
Palace, Ordu-Aganhei

Say what you will about the dishes the prince makes them prepare, but the palace kitchen staff is talented. Ameiko and I are quite confident that they will properly execute our menu, which will allow us to sit at the table with the rest of our companions.

Toilday, Calistril 19, 4713 late evening
Palace, Ordu-Aganhei

Sparna was not at dinner. In fact Ivan has said that Sparna has left.

“What, left with the caravan?” I asked.

“No, he has left the party. He was tired of the constant danger and just wanted out,” Ivan replied.

Oh. Well crap. Now I’ll have to get someone I don’t trust to enchant my flail.

Dinner was a big hit, and Ameiko and are were both happy with the way it turned out. As an added bonus we all got to eat without risking nausea.

Kali’s production of the Brinewall play was also a big hit with Batsaikhar, but I think if Kali showed up in a burlap sack and belched to the tune of “The Sailor’s Wench is a Dolphin Prince” he would still gush over her performance.

The obligatory gift from the prince:

[451]

Jeweled scabbard, radiates magic

The actors Kali arranged to be in the play appeared oddly relieved at the outcome. Apparently the prince has a habit of having anyone who does not please him executed.

The warning signs are there for us all. We need to get the hell out of here with Kali, and keep the caravan safe.

One of the actors was suspiciously interested in us and remained at our table asking to speak with us. He chanted something that caused his fellow thespians to fall asleep.

Kali cast Codespeak so we could all have a private conversation.

He said his name was Dasi, and that he was from Minkai. He knew the history of the the Minkai royal family, and that while all that remained were slain, one branch of the family fled across the Crown of the World to Varisia.

He then looked knowingly at us and said, “I hear you are from Varisia and crossed the Crown of the World in the dead of winter.”

We were all suspicious and cautious, but as he had already heard of Suishen, and recognized that this was the sword Olmas carried, Beorn boldly demanded, “Make him hold Suishen and let the sword confirm his intentions.”

Dasi held the sword for quite some time, and it was obvious they were having the same sort of conversation that often caused Olmas so much grief. And yet, in the end Suishen politely accepted him as an ally!

Wealday, Calistril 20, 4713 afternoon
Palace, Ordu-Aganhei

As agreed upon the night before I had prepared Zone of Truth for questioning Dasi this morning. In an interesting conversation we found that he knew about the branch of Minkai family that fled, and looking at Kali and Ameiko said, “If they survived any heirs would be about your age.”

There seemed little point in hiding what he already had guessed (and McLovin really thought highly of Dasi) so I asked what he would do if the heir were standing before him?

Without hesitation he answered, “I would swear my service to her.”

“Well,” I said nodding over toward Ameiko, “there she is.”

Dasi immediately dropped to a knee (“Oh no, it’s another proposal!” Timber squeaked) and to the embarrassment of Ameiko pledged his allegiance to her.

Great. Now we just need to get all of us out of here without Kali getting married or held captive by the prince. Unfortunately the best plan put forth thus far is to leave her behind and then have her use a scroll of Teleportation to get the hell out.

This has a number of serious risks, not the least of which is that the prince can keep her in a place magically sealed against dimensional travel. In fact I suspect that the moment the rest of us leave, he will drop his nice guy pretense and make a grab for her.

And as if to confirm my fears that oozing sycophant Chua showed up with a pair of guards who were to stay with Kali “for her protection.”

I hate to agree with Beorn, but I suspect “before we leave this place some people are going to die.”