[Game Thread] The Miyamakoori Monastery

[Lightened]

"Not really. I'm just wondering what the future will bring. For me, but also for you." With a yawn, Lanaya shifted around slightly and touched the cold steel of her scimitar with a finger, if only to remind herself that it was there. Her thoughts kept on drifting to that strange abundance of the same statue and the same image of this beautiful woman - the elf girl tried to sleep, but she just couldn't bring herself to it, and finally sat up with another sigh, looking at the demonic woman again. "Have you noticed that the statues seem... off? They all depict the same thing."

[DMDracoMoondragon]

Zariel, still a little restless herself, answered her current roommate. "I guess I just hadn't noticed. That does seem rather odd, though. Perhaps it's some deity that this temple worships. That's the only explanation I can think of, at the moment." Her knowledge of religion was very limited, so she was only speculating.

[ShinobiMaster123]

As the samurai exits the abbot's personal quarters, he studies his face and body as he leaves. Strange that his fists are clenched. Shinobi wonders what that means.

He enters the abbot's chamber and bows in respect. "Venerable abbot, I thank you for your hospitality. Again, my name is Karata, Toshi. I represent the Tetsu No Tsume clan. As you know, we are Yakuza. We have come across a tome that your monestary may be very interested in. It explains the secrets of the "The Budha's Palm" technique. We have researched it and know that you may find it is written by one of the monks that resided here. Your monestary is one of the only places of refuge in miles around. We are not asking you to get involved in any illegal activity. We just would request for lodgings whenever we are in the area and the tome is yours. I wouldn't ask that you take my word for it, a small demonstration is in order"

Shinobi does the basic stance and Bluff Check

Dice Roll:

1d20+8

(5)+8

Total = 13

moves of one of the monks of the order (luckily they fought against a monk of the order and he has practiced and copied the moves of the monk he slayed). "I apologize for my sloppy technique on the basic moves, but I am not a monk Now for the new technique, I will move so fast that I will appear to vanish, and strike that door. I will try not to break it down. Speeding Budha Strike!!"

 

Shinobi will use one of his ki points to vanish as he runs to the door and reappears next to the door and strikes it with a martial strike.

[Aerandor]

 

Dice Sense Motive:

d20+7

(15)+7

Total = 22

Koyamata Roll a Sense Motive checkseems tense as you enter the room and begin to speak. Once you mention your purpose however, he seems to relax a bit. He watches carefully as you perform the basic stance and moves of his order. The look on his face tells you that he is well aware how poorly you perform those stances, and you can see the teacher in him struggles to withhold correcting you, though out of politeness he manages to refrain. When you show him the "Buddha Strike," he exclaims, "Sugee! Tottemo omoshiroi naa... Well, that is indeed impressive, I think we can come to some sort of arrangement with your clan. I must ask, which of my monks did you say wrote this book?"

[Aerandor]

~Sagota~

When you return to the living area where the rest of the monks sleep, one of the chief monks, a man known as Sagaki-san, meets you there along with several other younger monks. Make a Sense Motive CheckSmiling at you, he directs you to a small room and tells you that you will be sharing the room with one of the monks. He points to a young man, who you recognize as Shikigawa-san, the monk that had brought the strange foreign woman into the dining hall just before dinner. He too smiles at you before entering the room. Sagaki-san holds the door open for you and asks if there is anything else you might need for the night.

[PopCultureBard]

They do seem content. Isaru returns the smiles as he is directed to his sleeping chamber. He does his best to

Dice Sense Motive:

1d20+8

(19)+8

Total = 27

appraise whether the reactions are genuine without seeming overt in his examination. Passing through the door, he gives a shallow incline of his head toward Sagaki-san.

"You have been most gracious in your hospitality. I can think of nothing else." Setting his gear at the foot of the bed, he takes special care to secure his weapons in a place above the ground with the blades covered.

[ShinobiMaster123]

"Arigato gozaimasu, venerable Abbott. The monk's name was Miyagi Kesuke.very interesting training technique. He had me washing carts, sanding floors and painting fences/houses to train my muscle memory. I of course did not bring the tome and we should discuss the terms in detail. I am quite tired from my journey and we can discuss this tomorrow."

Toshi bows to the abbot as he carefully makes note of the room And it's features.

[Aerandor]

"Hai. Very well, we will discuss it tomorrow after breakfast. I am glad to hear that Miyagi-san has been living well. It has been quite a few years since I last received a letter from him. He must have seen something special in you in order to share such a great secret." Koyamata escorts "Toshi" to the door and smiles as he sees Talhoffer still waiting outside. Rather than inviting Talhoffer into his quarters, Koyamata steps out of the door and locks it. "My dear guest, if you will follow me out into the garden, we can discuss things in further detail there." As the three of you make your way through the halls of the monastery, you see a few monks come up to join you. When you reach the central hall, Koyamata instructions one of the monks to take "Toshi" to his room for the night. Briefly, Koyamata addresses "Toshi" again. "The two of you will be sharing a room tonight, but I still have some matters to discuss with this gentleman before he will be joining you. I will see you in the morning. Oyasumi nasai" Koyamata then walks into the large central garden of the monastery, expecting Talhoffer to follow.

[brann miekka]

Talhoffer uncrosses his arms and pulls up the brim of his hat and smiles. "ah, yes, thank you master Koyamata," The professor says as he follows the pair through the fine halls of the monastery. As Talhoffer hears the rooming arrangement and see's toshi leaving he makes another attempt at contact and says, "Yes, see you in a bit then," before following the monk into the garden. He looks around momentarily, taking in the beauty of the falling snow in the garden, before turning to the Koyamata and saying, "Again master Koyamata, I must thank you for allowing my entrance tonight; It is these kindnesses that make life worth living." He watches his breath waft up into the air before saying, "So, what is it that you would like to speak with me of? I would like to help as best I can."

[Aerandor]

Koyamata continues to walk through the garden along a stone path that courses around the small pond in the center of the garden, speaking as he slowly meanders through the snow, "Well Professor, as a man of learning, and especially because of your knowledge in the more mystical arts, I was hoping you might be able to help me solve a... personal matter."

As you round the pond, Koyamata veers towards the large central hall of the monastery, which lies directly ahead of you. The huge, sloping and ornate roof of the hall looks incredibly beautiful amidst the falling snow and the backdrop of the surrounding mountains. Koyamata climbs a set of stone steps that lead to two huge bronze doors leading into the hall. He bangs a huge knocker against one of the doors three times. A monk arrayed in full armor and carrying a katana at his side opens the door, allowing you and Koyamata entrance to the hall.

The door closes behind you and in front of you is a 40' foot-long corridor lined with two rows of wooden pillars that run the length of the hall. A lavishly carved wooden throne sits upon a dais at the far end and balconies run the length of the east and west walls. Each pillar bears a different golden weapon upon its surface, though these weapons appear to be most likely ceremonial. Lamps hang near each pillar, and a series of oil braziers lie beneath each balcony, providing heat for the room.

Now that you are inside, Koyamata makes his way down the hall, continuing his conversation with you, "When I was a young man, I had a vision of a woman of surpassing beauty, and this vision compelled me to attempt to scale the peak of Language note: "san" here refers to a mountain, i.e. Mt. Kochiyama, and not to the "san" used for a person.Kochiyama-san. As I climbed the mountain, I was caught in an unseasonably fierce snow storm and nearly died. Although I remember little of what transpired that night, I remember waking in a large crevice in the rocks, with a vague memory of being saved by the woman from my vision."

You reach the end of the hall and Koyamata walks behind the dais, and you see another door that exits the hall. Following Koyamata through the door, you find yourself in a small, ceremonial room. The room contains two wooden pillars, a stone bowl of wash-water, two lit braziers, a small altar shrine, and two wooden stands upon which you see several religious texts. Expecting Koyamata to stop in front of the altar, you are surprised when he continues past it. He turns to look at you for a moment, and seems to be appraising you carefully.

He speaks again, "From the moment that I woke up in that crevice, I knew that the woman I had seen was surely one of the celestial kami, and I became a yamabushi, dedicating my life to the erection of a shrine and monastery on Mount Kochiyama. This is that monastery, built in the same crevice in which I had awoken those many years ago. The monastery now provides spiritual training for over forty of my disciples and we always offer shelter to travelers caught in the frequent mountain storms, just as I had once been."

Koyamata beckons you forth. When you circle the altar, you see that there is yet another door against the far wall, though this one looks considerably more durable than the last one. Koyamata pulls out a key and unlocks the door. Passing through it, you find yourself in a small room that clearly looks to be left unused most of the time, although it is spotlessly clean. Aside from a few lamps in the room, the only other important feature is a large concave mirror resting on top of an altar against the far wall.

Koyamata's gaze fixs upon the mirror, and he breaths deeply before speaking again, "Within this mirror rests a sacred relic of the kami, one which I believe to be linked to the woman from my vision. I have guarded it all these years and kept it free from the hands of those who would use it for evil. But, I am now an old man, and I know I have only a few years left before my time is over. I wish for nothing more than to see that woman one last time. I implore you, please examine this mirror, and see if you cannot find a means to fulfill my wish."

[brann miekka]

Talhoffer listened carefully to the mans story and found himself deeply enthralled with it. As they passed through the next door he was immediately drawn to the mirror, which he promptly walked up to and

Dice Perception check:

1d20+4

(13)+4

Total = 17

examined; bringing his face within 3 inches easily, and covering his nose as not to fog it up. Once koyamata finished his story the professor backed up to examine it from a more open angle, and slowly says, "You place a lot of trust in a stranger." With a sort of passive grin, he flashes his eyes to the master of this monastery and says, "But you have treated me with kindness not normally afforded to those who aren't known, so I will do what I can to help you."

He cleared his throat and took another step back before making a small gesture and entoning words of power. Talhoffers eyes started glowing a pale blue, and mystical auras became known to him, and after about half a minute he pulled out a scroll from his waist pouch along with a shining saltwater pearl. Another mystic pass and a word of power told him the exact effects that held sway upon the mirror. After he was done he wiped his brow and used the mere extent of his mind to lastly determine any odds and ends he may have missed.

OOC Okay, so I'm going to use detect magic for its maximum duration before casting identify from a scroll. and to top it all off; knowledge checks Dice K: arcane: 1d20+13 (7)+13 Total = 20 Dice K: history: 1d20+13 (12)+13 Total = 25 Dice K: the planes: 1d20+13 (11)+13 Total = 24 Dice Spellcraft: 1d20+13 (20)+13 Total = 33

[brann miekka]

From the moment the elderly man started his incantations Talhoffer felt knowledge course through him and several truths became known to him about the magical forces to be within this mirror. His stance wavered slightly and his feet gave a little as the surge of magic caused him to remove his hat and rub the temples of his head. After a moment the professor looked up to Koyamata and said, "Your mirror is indeed special master Koyamata. This beautiful piece of decoration is a physical window to the elemental plane of ice, and therefore holds multiple powers over such. If you would come near I would like to demonstrate to you its power." Talhoffer stepped to the side to give the monk a better view into the mirror, before walking forward to touch it and droning, "Koori O yobe."

As the vision of the mirror no doubt obscured as the plane of ice was likely to do the man took a place behind Koyamata and said, "This can only be done once a week, so I hope you have a question for it."

[Aerandor]

Koyamata approached the mirror, gazing at it in wonder. He stops just in front of it, and Talhoffer notices the man's eyes glaze over a bit (a sure sign that the spell is functioning) and the room is silent for several moments. Then Koyamata blinks, and his eyes return to normal. "She is coming! The voice said she is coming, tonight! Oh thank you Professor, you have done quite a wonder for me! I will be forever grateful to you." Koyamata breaks into a wide grin and laughs, less the laugh of an old man than that of a young one. "Just look at me! I feel like some of my youth has returned to me just from hearing this wonderful news! Well, I wouldn't want to keep her waiting now, would I? I'm to expect her in my room, though the voice didn't say exactly when... Professor, please forgive me for my rudeness, but I'm afraid I must bid you a goodnight once I've have seen you out of the hall. In the morning please speak to me again and I will grant you any favor you wish, so long as it is within my power to give it." Koyamata You are welcome to converse with Koyamata as you leave if you wish toescorts Talhoffer back through the doors to the shrine, locking the door to the inner shrine as he leaves. Once they leave the hall and return to the garden, Koyamata calls one of the monks to escort Talhoffer before bidding him farewell. The monk carefully guides Talhoffer to one of the small rooms in the living area of the monastery, and when he enters he finds the strange, silent man named "Toshi" still sitting in bed.

 

Unless further conversation occurs, I'll be assuming that everyone goes to sleep shortly. Then we can start Act 1 tomorrow

[brann miekka]

A pleased, accomplished smile also greets Talhoffers face as the two walk out into the icy courtyard again. As the cold hit the professor pulled down his hat and said, "I am glad I could help, I would just like to warn you on the nature of elementals, they do not.....think, like us exactly; She will speak most likely in tongues, and her train of thought may be skewed slightly. It is not to dampen your hopes that I say this, merely it is a warning to make your conversation more pleasant." As their trip finished, Tolhoffer stepped into the room and give a tip of his hat and a smile to toshi before going about his routine and throwing on his night gown for the night (Out of sight of course.)

[ShinobiMaster123]

Shinobi aka "Toshi" thought that he was to share the accommodations with another monk. He sees that his things were moved into the room by the monks and prepares for his excurion in the night. He counted the number of paces to his room and noted the features of the abbot's chambers. He sat in silence as he thought of how he was to deal with the monk in his room, when Talhoffer enters and tips his hat to him.

Toshi nods in acknowledgement to his greeting, luckily he heard their approach to the room in time to get to the bed and could pretend to meditate. Shinobi has his stealth suit on under his robes and his other things needed by the bed.

After his meditation he lays down to "sleep" waiting for the foreigner to nod off. He doesn't talk to him unless he atarts up a conversation..