The Desert Summit

General Summary

Benkei and Genji, along with some helo from Yuuna and Rei were able to locate Conradus and teleport to his location in the Sabaku.  After collecting him from the tribe of Si-Xiong that had taken him in they teleported to Feng-Nao to pick up Azrael from "Cutter" as well as to purchase a Gem of Seeing for Benkei. Returning to Tengoku , they spent the next day and a half relaxing before the Daimyo Summit in the Crescent Moon Valley. Benkei spent some time deciphering the spell scrolls he'd taken from Laxius' hideout as well helping Ayaka tame the hatchling Orochi that had hatched from the Glimmer Egg the group had retrieved for her.   The next day at dusk, the group met Tao-Ren and the Queensguard in front of the barracks where a Dimension Gate linked to the outpost in the Crescent Moon Valley had been erected. Upon arrival, they met briefly with Suzuha, Liu-Xiao , and Tanjiro before spending some time exploring the outpost until the scouts from the Twilight Enclave returned. The group finally saw the rumored war machines of Byakuroku, as well as mobile warframe's.    When the scouts, Mumei and Eizan returned from Taizai, the Summit was convened and the group began explaining the situation and what information they'd gathered to the assembled Daimyo. Mumei and Eizan also reported that the smog from Yomi is actively overwriting the Sabaku with an entirely foreign one. The rate at which the area is expanding is unknown, but it is already nearly upon the Shattered Spire. More disturbingly, they reported that after being ambushed by creatures within the smoke their comrade who should have been dead somehow survived until reaching the edge of the area before dying. Conradus and Genji used Mifune's Oracle to posit a theory that within Yomi, the concept of death does not exist. Tao-Ren then asked the Enclave members to return to the Sabaku and confirm the rate at which Yomi is spreading.   When discussion turned to how to stop Izanami, Suzuha suggested employing the leftover StarCrossed as shock troops to keep casualties low, revealing to all present that she had been studying them for the past 3 years. After provocation from Tanjiro, tempers flared and a battle royale nearly broke out among all those present. However, Tao-Ren and Liu-Xiao were able to defuse the situation and the summit ended with the group heading in search of the Sanshu no Jingi while Tanjiro, Suzuha,and Liu-Xiao would work to establish mobile bases closer to the smoke from which they could beat back any creatures that emerged. Benkei also used to his new gem of seeing to discover that Gin, the Second in Command of Byakuroku's Iron Samurai was a transformed Yokai, and that the upper echelon of the Blood Lotus Guild were actually featureless humanoids in disguise.    The following morning, they teleported to the Glimmer and set off in search of the Jigoku Tayū's shrine. The first 3 days passed without incident, but on the 4th day they ran across the dreaded Hyakki Yagyo, the night parade of 100 demons. Led by the supremely powerful Nurarihyon, Benkei challenged him to a game of chance to determine whether they would be allowed to leave unharmed. Wagering the location of Jigoku Tayu's against the limbs of Conradus and Genji, they were successful and were told that her shrine was to the East among a grove of living bamboo. The next day, the came across a large puddle of Glimmer miasma within which appeared to be a gauntlet-type Kyotouryu and a skeletal arm. After several unsuccessful attempts to retrieve it, Conradus succeeded in yanking the arm free, along with the body of a woman with bony growths protruding from her body.