Session 8: Senamiizu Village

General Summary

The party awoke after their night of revelry to the sound of the Sea of Swords lapping at the shores of Diamond Bay. As Olaf awakened he felt a uncomfortable heat coming from his pack. It took him a while in his bleary, half awake state to discover his source. He pulled out a statuette depicting a mass of writhing tentacles. As well as emitting heat it has a slight shine to it as though wet and give of a jarring vibration that numbs his finger tips as resonates through his bones.
As B'njiyo approaches he quickly stows it away and the group converse with her about the plans for travel. B'njiyo shyly asks them if they have a dragon and Olaf just barely manages to bluff that they haven't. The expedition begin travelling away from Diamond Bay, through the fertile green flatland of Koga Prefecture, stopping for the night before continuing. The next day they climb the steep terraced rice fields they had descended previously. Noticing a shrine off of the side of the road they party stopped off to investigate. flanking the shrine was a pair of stone pillars with domed tops and space inside for candles or lanterns. Westra and Olaf placed their lanterns inside the gaps and the top of the alter slid off, revealing a compartment containing a staff carved to look like a coiled snake, a pair of boots and a bundle of 5 scrolls titled The Book of Five Circles, by Sword Master Toktsu.
Olaf used his new found power, opening his awareness to the perception of magic. He was able to determine that the staff and boots were both magical but that the scrolls were mundane. They stowed the items and hurried to catch up with the Ish'akath expedition. 
As mid day came close the expedition came close to Senamiizu village and the grove of knot-trees where the survivors from the town had taken shelter. The party decided to investigate the village to see if they could find anything of use for the survivors. Esterial said that she would take Eli and search for plants for her collection. Graahl directed one of his tribesmen to accompany the part, a furbolg named Yozinoka.
As they entered the town they discovered that much of it was burnt down. The main street allowed them to see all the way down to central square where a huge, open sided temple stood. Olaf recalled that this village was built around the temple, whose origins were lost to living or documented memory and that there was a legend that said that the temple drew people to it to observe its rituals.
They moved forward, encountering a crossroads that allowed them to see a fountain in a small square in both directions. Riyo and Olaf began to scout ahead and noticed a pair of zombies making their way slowly towards the temple in the towns center as well as the sound of a drum being beaten rhythmically from the somewhere up ahead. Riyo found something else, a familiar banner bearing the colours of Lady Satochi and the emblem of her old unit emblazoned across it. She searched the house where she had seen it but came up with nothing.
The zombies didn't seem to notice the party and were moving with a clear purpose towards the temple. The group decided to climb a nearby building to get a better look at the town. They all ascended and settled in to wait. Riyo with her keen eyes spotted movement from the undead around the temple. They settled in to wait. Periodically passed by a zombie on its way towards the center of town. Red lipped on some loose debris making a noise and drawing the attention of a zombie that was passing below their position. The zombie turned its gaze to regard them but kept on going towards the temple.
Intrigued the party ventured towards the center of town, coming shoulder to shoulder with the undead who ignored them. At the temple they found a horde of zombies. Some were performing rituals within the open sided temple, others were bowing and preying at the alter. One played a drum while some of the others even danced. The party spent an hour puzzling at what it all meant. Westra discovered four symbols on the four pillars standing to the northwest, northeast, southwest and south east corners of the temple and Olaf used his magical sight to determine that beneath the ground of the alter was something magical of vast size while something smaller lay hidden beneath the floor by the south exit. 
They tried cracking the floor open using pitons and the tip of a javelin but all it did was mark the beautiful marble. With the group despondent and ready to give up Riyo suggested that they check the fountains before leaving town. When they got there they discovered that hanging unsupported in the air above the spouting water was a silvery, metallic orb bearing one of the symbols they had seen on the temple columns. They worked out that by matching the orbs to the fountains whose directions corresponded to the columns compass point would unlock the temple. They toured the village and once they were finished they heard the deep rumbling of stone.
Returning to the temple they found the floor in the process of opening and a huge stone ring, rising from the depths beneath the temple to stand 30 feet high, its highest point almost in contact with the temple ceiling. From the floor by the south exit, where Olaf had determined something magical lurked a pillar, 7 feet tall rose out of the earth, the top of the marble melting away, drifting to the floor like sand.
Olaf recalled that he had heard that some cities were built on the ruins of a race that predates written history and that these ruins usually help in them a summoning circle and that an attuned and learned arcane mage could use to teleport people incredible distances, instantaneously. Having already realised that the stone of the columns and teleportation ring was the same as the stone that the Pokkabi mural was carved in, beneath Cherry Blossom Temple the group realised that this race and the Pokkabi must be one and the same.
Also revealed beneath the ring was a ring and a helm in the Hivokian style. Riyo, using an unwilling Olafs back to gain height leapt up to grab onto the top of the pillar and found that the top was covered in a bank of gems and crystals. She tried to use her dagger to lever one off but it was stuck fast in the pillar. The party gathered up the items at the base of the ring and returned to their original task of scouring the village for things that may be of use the the survivors at the nearby camp. Deciding that the zombies posed no particular threat they left them be and managed to find what little food hadn't been scavenged as well as some tools, a batch of usable timber and a stuffed toy.
Making their way to the survivors camp the party were talking about how it was a shame that no one was able to identify the items they had found over the past two days and Yozinoka spoke up, telling them that he could cast the identify spell for them if they wished. When they got to the camp they found it mostly deserted with only a few villagers refusing to give up on their homes still staying. The party spoke to a seemingly mad old woman, giving her the supplies while Yozinoka began to identify the items. He determined that they were; a Helm of Telepathy, allowing the wearing to detect the thoughts, communicate with or make a telepathic suggestion to a nearby creature; a Staff of the Snake, which could be made to turn into a snake to attack and deliver poison damage; Boots of Striding and Springing, which allow the wearer to triple their jump distance; and a Ring of Warmth, granting its wearer and their equipment resistance to the cold.

Rewards Granted

• 5 Scrolls in Anchient Hivokian, titled the Book of Five Circles by Sword Master Toktsu
• Staff of the Snake
• Boots of Springing
• Helm of Telepathy
• Ring of Warmth

Missions/Quests Completed

Senamiizu Village

Report Date

22 May 2021

Primary Location

Senamiizu Village