*Much like the previous page, this entry as well lacks any hue to the page outside of shades of black, white, and grey. In the corner of a reader's gaze, the ink strangely seems to squirm like dark tendrils on the page, as if made of living shadows*
My head is really killing me right now...
Well at least we seem to be safe for the moment. We're located in a strange room that was used for meditation or prayer at one point. Regardless, it has given us a chance to quickly rest and recover some of our energy. There are these amazing designs and patterns on the roof that I'm sure would be stunning if they weren't drabbed in the same shades of grey as everything else. If nothing else they seem to augment rest and even a short time of meditation in the chamber has allowed us to recover some of our spent energy.
Well at least we seem to be safe for the moment. We're located in a strange room that was used for meditation or prayer at one point. Regardless, it has given us a chance to quickly rest and recover some of our energy. There are these amazing designs and patterns on the roof that I'm sure would be stunning if they weren't drabbed in the same shades of grey as everything else. If nothing else they seem to augment rest and even a short time of meditation in the chamber has allowed us to recover some of our spent energy.
I have no idea how long we've been here at this point. There is no way to tell time in this place. Even with everyone taking the chance to rest, most of the party still isn't in great shape. This place seems to worm its way into your mind, the unending shades of grey and every shadow seems to hold a malicious presence. Princess Nyotei is being hit the hardest I fear, though I cannot blame her with her son lost somewhere in this horrid shadowy hellscape.
Rereading that last bit, I am beginning to fear this place is really getting to me. Best to backtrack a bit and cover how we got here.
After our arrival here there was no fewer than 11 doors leading just out of that initial massive chamber. It was more than a little overwhelming honestly. Remembering an old adventuring rule I picked up years ago we picked the door to the left of the massive one with necromantic wards and began to work our way left, exploring each passage and chamber one at a time and marking the ones we completed with chalk.
As Aiko approached the first door to check it for traps, it burst open suddenly revealing a gaunt and recognizably pale (even in this place) form of a man with deep black hair and pupilless eyes. It swung at her twice and missed, it's claw-like fingers deflected by her magical protections. Words did not to deter it and it became obvious quickly the man was quite insane, perhaps twisted by the darkness of this place. Aiko was able to react quickly and murmured something under her breath. In the blink of an eye the...creature was sprawled out on the floor sleeping. Baoji stepped into the room past the door, finding it little more than a tiny closet. The creature within didn't even have room to lie down inside. He delivered a swift blow and put it out of its misery.
The next two rooms were the same, tiny chambers housing people who had been trapped here far too long and driven mad by it. Keisuke delivered the deathblow to the woman that leapt out of the second door. The entire party was disconcerted by what awaited us behind the third though. The being that emerged was little more than a child, a young boy maybe 8 years of age at the oldest. Aiko put him to sleep before he hurt anyone. I handled it myself and the image will forever burn in my mind I fear...I'm not proud of what I did behind that door but I hope it brought his tormented soul some measure of rest. I felt like I was punched in the gut when I stepped out of the chamber and saw the look on the Princess's face. It was obvious she had been sheltered and never had to see anything like this before.
The next room was almost like a garden, much wider with the floor covered in monotone flowers. Amongst it stood a single figure like that of a man, but with flesh of shadow and wearing a mask of porcelain. He was simply staring for a long time before we were able to break his trance and get his attention. He was known as On-Ryo the Black Yokai. When the Princess demanded her son returned he drew a katana and wakizashi pair and moved in to attack us. While we managed to end his life fairly quickly mostly due to our numbers, but he was indeed a powerful opponent nonetheless. I left him his katana to honor the fight he put up. The Wakizashi I picked up and brought along as Aiko mentioned it radiated some magic. Grandfather's blade does not and we might need every advantage we can get to escape from here alive.
Something worth noting is the shadows here seem to obscure and aid our foes. Whether this is simply from them living here so long and adapting or part of Ushi-Oni's malign influence against us, I don't know. I do know it has made battles that should be more decisive, take much longer and inflict greater damage on us than I would like.
The next chamber was another plush noble's room. We were lucky that Aiko and Baoji's sharp eyes detected the foe waiting stealthily within for us else we might have been ambushed. Yet another of the strange shadowy figures wearing a porcelain mask.
The next room after that was...a massive library of sorts. Walls upon walls of books with ladders leading to a second floor balcony to reach the higher up books. Within the center of the room was a wide desk with a single figure. This shadowy figure was cloaked in robes and expensive looking jewelry with yet another of those masks covering his features. He was quick to insult the Princess and laugh at her requests to return her son at which point we knew a battle was upon us yet again.
The fights until this point started to mesh together in my mind. This one I remember all too clearly. Unlike the other fights this one was nearly the end of us. The being had magical capability and used it to bring forth a powerful Kuwa Oni before summoning more and more firey hounds from Hell. Even when the Oni was dropped to the ground it continued to rise numerous times, its wounds healing slowly. For every hound that was slain, two more leapt from firey summoning circles to take their place. There was a dozen of the blast things at one point!
I recall Baoji closing with him once but the mage simply stepped through the shadows to the balcony above somehow. By this point the room was filled with the hounds. One by one I saw my companions start to fall. The Princess tried to climb up after the being, but he called a pair of hounds that dropped her to the ground. Next was Aiko...I couldn't get to her with so many hounds between us. Seeing her fall like that, covered in blood...it was agony to me. Baoji wasn't long after her. Soon it was just me and Keisuke. He was able to bat enough of them aside for me to get to one of the ladders and climb up where the mage and two more hounds waited.
Keisuke managed to hold his own and then some, eliminating hound after hound with might swings of his hammer, though by the end it seemed he was only standing by sheer force of will. I was able to bring down one hound before I was covered head to toe in my own blood and knew another bite would be the end of me.
I recalled the gift Kieshkin gave me for winning his little fishing competition earlier that day (was it still today...I really have no idea now, it feels like ages ago), a bottle of an expensive magical whisky. Even a sip could close injuries so he said and the more you drank, the more potent the effect.
I chugged the entire bottle while slapping aside bites from that blasted hound.
It felt hot as the sharp bite of the whisky slipped down by throat but made my body feel cool quickly after. Wounds closed and flesh knit itself back together...and I'm not sure I have ever been so graceful as that moment while looking so silly stumbling about to avoid blows like some manner of drunken master.
I cut that damned hound down with a series of perfectly executed strikes to the neck and I quickly closed the distance with the shadowy caster, his only spells left mere cantrips. Bolstered by the potent booze flowing through me, I weaved and stumbled out of the way of every spell and brought him down, though it was far too close for comfort.
We got everyone to their feet with some potions and spells after thanks to Aiko. They spent a short time looking over the library...I hesitate to call it that as every book save one was completely blank! What sort of mage keeps thousands of blank books anyway? The one book we did find was called the, "Atlas of the Black Shores". Interestingly it dates back to the time Gilgamesh ruled the land and has all the old Oni citadels listed on its many maps. I have a feeling it could be useful to help us locate the relics we seek...we need to get our of here first though!
The Princess also located some strange mechanical items she is certain Prince Bogden left for us. I don't have the foggiest idea what they do but she seemed pleased and a bit more animated for the first time in awhile. Good enough for me. I also took the mage's mask he was wearing and put it on my belt. A reminder of a very brutal battle and how close we came to death today. Something to keep me a bit humble lest I fall to arrogance.
On the second floor balcony Aiko located a hidden doorway in one of the bookshelves that lead to another large noble's chamber with a very plush carpet. Within a rocking chair was yet another shadow being wearing a white mask bleeding shadows and a pair of silk white gloves...
I don't remember that fight very well. I'm getting flashes of seeing Prince Bogden pop up during the fight though and get cut down by the shadow being's blades. Must have been a hallucination but even still...the memory is real enough to be chilling. That whisky was some really strong stuff and even now my head is still reeling a bit from it. I've been taking the edge off with some sake. Aiko laughed at me for some reason when I told her that. Oh well.
In any case we won the fight. There was a single door that lead us to the room I mentioned at the start with the strange geometric patterns on the roof. I'm nursing a nasty headache but we're all alive and going to get out of here...sooner than later I hope and with the Prince at our side.
The next two rooms were the same, tiny chambers housing people who had been trapped here far too long and driven mad by it. Keisuke delivered the deathblow to the woman that leapt out of the second door. The entire party was disconcerted by what awaited us behind the third though. The being that emerged was little more than a child, a young boy maybe 8 years of age at the oldest. Aiko put him to sleep before he hurt anyone. I handled it myself and the image will forever burn in my mind I fear...I'm not proud of what I did behind that door but I hope it brought his tormented soul some measure of rest. I felt like I was punched in the gut when I stepped out of the chamber and saw the look on the Princess's face. It was obvious she had been sheltered and never had to see anything like this before.
The next room was almost like a garden, much wider with the floor covered in monotone flowers. Amongst it stood a single figure like that of a man, but with flesh of shadow and wearing a mask of porcelain. He was simply staring for a long time before we were able to break his trance and get his attention. He was known as On-Ryo the Black Yokai. When the Princess demanded her son returned he drew a katana and wakizashi pair and moved in to attack us. While we managed to end his life fairly quickly mostly due to our numbers, but he was indeed a powerful opponent nonetheless. I left him his katana to honor the fight he put up. The Wakizashi I picked up and brought along as Aiko mentioned it radiated some magic. Grandfather's blade does not and we might need every advantage we can get to escape from here alive.
Something worth noting is the shadows here seem to obscure and aid our foes. Whether this is simply from them living here so long and adapting or part of Ushi-Oni's malign influence against us, I don't know. I do know it has made battles that should be more decisive, take much longer and inflict greater damage on us than I would like.
The next chamber was another plush noble's room. We were lucky that Aiko and Baoji's sharp eyes detected the foe waiting stealthily within for us else we might have been ambushed. Yet another of the strange shadowy figures wearing a porcelain mask.
The next room after that was...a massive library of sorts. Walls upon walls of books with ladders leading to a second floor balcony to reach the higher up books. Within the center of the room was a wide desk with a single figure. This shadowy figure was cloaked in robes and expensive looking jewelry with yet another of those masks covering his features. He was quick to insult the Princess and laugh at her requests to return her son at which point we knew a battle was upon us yet again.
The fights until this point started to mesh together in my mind. This one I remember all too clearly. Unlike the other fights this one was nearly the end of us. The being had magical capability and used it to bring forth a powerful Kuwa Oni before summoning more and more firey hounds from Hell. Even when the Oni was dropped to the ground it continued to rise numerous times, its wounds healing slowly. For every hound that was slain, two more leapt from firey summoning circles to take their place. There was a dozen of the blast things at one point!
I recall Baoji closing with him once but the mage simply stepped through the shadows to the balcony above somehow. By this point the room was filled with the hounds. One by one I saw my companions start to fall. The Princess tried to climb up after the being, but he called a pair of hounds that dropped her to the ground. Next was Aiko...I couldn't get to her with so many hounds between us. Seeing her fall like that, covered in blood...it was agony to me. Baoji wasn't long after her. Soon it was just me and Keisuke. He was able to bat enough of them aside for me to get to one of the ladders and climb up where the mage and two more hounds waited.
Keisuke managed to hold his own and then some, eliminating hound after hound with might swings of his hammer, though by the end it seemed he was only standing by sheer force of will. I was able to bring down one hound before I was covered head to toe in my own blood and knew another bite would be the end of me.
I recalled the gift Kieshkin gave me for winning his little fishing competition earlier that day (was it still today...I really have no idea now, it feels like ages ago), a bottle of an expensive magical whisky. Even a sip could close injuries so he said and the more you drank, the more potent the effect.
I chugged the entire bottle while slapping aside bites from that blasted hound.
It felt hot as the sharp bite of the whisky slipped down by throat but made my body feel cool quickly after. Wounds closed and flesh knit itself back together...and I'm not sure I have ever been so graceful as that moment while looking so silly stumbling about to avoid blows like some manner of drunken master.
I cut that damned hound down with a series of perfectly executed strikes to the neck and I quickly closed the distance with the shadowy caster, his only spells left mere cantrips. Bolstered by the potent booze flowing through me, I weaved and stumbled out of the way of every spell and brought him down, though it was far too close for comfort.
We got everyone to their feet with some potions and spells after thanks to Aiko. They spent a short time looking over the library...I hesitate to call it that as every book save one was completely blank! What sort of mage keeps thousands of blank books anyway? The one book we did find was called the, "Atlas of the Black Shores". Interestingly it dates back to the time Gilgamesh ruled the land and has all the old Oni citadels listed on its many maps. I have a feeling it could be useful to help us locate the relics we seek...we need to get our of here first though!
The Princess also located some strange mechanical items she is certain Prince Bogden left for us. I don't have the foggiest idea what they do but she seemed pleased and a bit more animated for the first time in awhile. Good enough for me. I also took the mage's mask he was wearing and put it on my belt. A reminder of a very brutal battle and how close we came to death today. Something to keep me a bit humble lest I fall to arrogance.
On the second floor balcony Aiko located a hidden doorway in one of the bookshelves that lead to another large noble's chamber with a very plush carpet. Within a rocking chair was yet another shadow being wearing a white mask bleeding shadows and a pair of silk white gloves...
I don't remember that fight very well. I'm getting flashes of seeing Prince Bogden pop up during the fight though and get cut down by the shadow being's blades. Must have been a hallucination but even still...the memory is real enough to be chilling. That whisky was some really strong stuff and even now my head is still reeling a bit from it. I've been taking the edge off with some sake. Aiko laughed at me for some reason when I told her that. Oh well.
In any case we won the fight. There was a single door that lead us to the room I mentioned at the start with the strange geometric patterns on the roof. I'm nursing a nasty headache but we're all alive and going to get out of here...sooner than later I hope and with the Prince at our side.
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