Chapter 9
"The really dangerous people believes they are doing whatever they are doing solely and only because it is without question the right thing to do. And that is what makes them dangerous." - Neil Gaiman, American Gods.
Part I
Mako's wings were gently spreading and contracting as she hummed while having tea and cake in the wide balcony outside her room. The day was bright and warm, and the sunlight felt ticklish on her wings. The chair's back was quite short, as it was more comfortable for her wings that way, but it had a large, soft pillow which nicely fit against the small of her back, making her feel quite comfortable and supported all the same.
She was wearing a simple, plain long summer dress with spaghetti straps, and soft cuddly sandals made of wood with white cotton straps.
Well, if you ask, it was perfectly normal clothing. That is to say, it was genuinely normal clothes, rather than a item set or modified armor. The first time Burlaug saw her dressed like that, he looked as if he was about to have a stroke, but she calmly explained that she wasn't going to wear her full end-game set all the time.
At least in the privacy of her own room, she wanted to be able to dress however she wanted.
"Hmmm...!" ~ she cooed as she stretched, lifting her arms above her head and smiling. She had been reading for a while now, and her neck felt a little stiff.
The 'cereals and milk' operation to enrich the children's diet had been a success!
When Lyann heard about it, she commented that while the younger children would probably have no issues, teens and older were likely to turn lactose intolerant due to the previous lack of cattle in this world.
So, she had been reading on it, and was sure she would be able to spot if any of the children were unable to process milk in the future. As Lyann said, however, most of them would probably become unable to once they aged.
By the way, everyone 'born' in Tengoku Junzi was able to drink milk with no issue whatsoever.
Well, if they had a way to produce nanomachines, they would be able to implement gene therapy in this world, and correct most health problems before they manifested, but while Mako was actually quite handy with technology, the super specialized knowledge needed for such was out of her field of expertise, as well as those of Lyann or Ren.
In the short term, the children were now looking forth to breakfast. She had began looking for a way to make star-shaped cereals to turn breakfast into a fun experience.
With the medical encyclopedia closed now, she opened her research notes, a book about programming, and a tome in magic. Her [Origin of Species] over magic spell was a success, but she had only modified it slightly in order to create non-intelligent lifeforms up to now.
Now that she was thinking about creating sapient beings, she needed to consider a large number of things.
The purpose was clear. It certainly wasn't one of those 'just to see if I can' situations. She wanted to create strong but kind beings that would be of help to others, and able to live as civilized folk, but at home in the wilderness if need be.
She was choosing by a process of elimination.
Humans? No racial superiority complex, please. Human beings created by a 'goddess' and given divine purpose already sounded like it was asking for problems in the future.
Elves, dwarfs, gnomes, hobbits... they were all considered demi-humans and discriminated against by humans.
Undead or outsiders would have many advantages, such as requiring no upkeep. It was one of the reasons Tengoku Junzi could afford such a large army and still aboic pop bankrupcy. But they either had extremely low fertility, or none at all.
It had to be a race capable of sustaining itself over time.
Htteromorphic races? Mako certainly had no problem at all with them. They had the advantage of being similarly distanced from humans, orcs, goblins, elves, dwarves, or the like. But at the same time, it was also a disadvantage to make them too alien.
Slimes? The lack of apendages would be an issue. Mako knew she could probably design a humanoid-shaped slime race in time, but the idea of a entire race of strong intelligent creatures immune to physical damage and able to reproduce asexually whenever they had enough food was just asking for a overpopulation problem.
Doppelganger? It was certainly possible for a race with no distinct appearance of their own to fit in with anyone, but at the same time, it would lead to paranoia and suspicion. The shapeshifting side wasn't a problem on itself. The problem was the ability to look like anyone, and replace anyone.
That said, shapeshifters? Weretigers, werewolves, wolfwere, werebears, wererats... they were all famed as evil monsters, and that ruled them out. The [Origin of Species] Over Magic spell was capable of creating true living beings, but it wasn't able to modify their natural alignment tendencies, and those were all normally evil.
She needed a naturally good race, or at least neutral.
Fae? Almost all faeries had horror stories behind them. Flighty and whimsical were basically synonims with faeries, as was cruel and cold. They weren't actually evil, but they found the idea of turning a boy into a tree to be hilarious. They wouldn't do it with evil intent, but that only made them scarier.
Fae... shapeshifter... neutral and able to live with others... she was thinking along those lines, feeling like she had forgotten something basic, when Virupaksa knocked on her door.
"Doctor Orders-sama, may we enter your room?" - the succubus asked softly.
"Come in."
When Mako saw who came in with Virupaksa, she had her answer.
~O~
Virupaksa and Kubera walked into the room, wearing their usual gear. In Vitupaksa's case, this meant a simple, long white dress with golden armor shoulder and breast plates over it, and a red 'belt' wrapped many times around her thin waist.
Kubera was wearing asuper modern bodysuit in the style of many modern countries special forces. Well, since the use of nanomachines became widespread across the modern world, things like armor had become almost completely unrestrictive, and so hers covered her almost completely while hugging her figure, with an additional layer of plate armor over her torso and limbs, albeit it was mostly for decorative purposes in accordance with Lord_Quicote's tastes.
The plates are designed in a gothic armor style, slightly reminiscent of a medieval knight, and the end result was both aesthetically pleasing and a perfect marriage between protection and flexibility. allowing to make full use of the lightning fast movements of a sohei.
Well, in the end, thanks to Yggdrassil cosmetic items, her armor could have looked however her maker wanted it to look, and still be just as efficient. She could have been wearing a full set of plate armor, and the high quality materials would have still, through game mechanics, allowed for amazing freedom of movement. Her spear was nowhere to be seen, but it would immediately materialize in her hands if she needed it to.
When Mako saw them, she smiled brightly as if she had just thought about something. Which in fact she did.
Kubera is a hengeyokai. Despite having a human form and a human-beast hybrid form, they also have a purely animal form, which made them qualify as a heteromorphic race.
Thus, she was neither beast nor human. Her kin would be the ideal agents fod good and peace that Mako was hoping for. They were even naturally giving to guarding both small settlements and the wilderness, so even in the future, they would be able to naturally live with such a role without anyone ordering them to do so.
"Doctor Orders-sama, we have returned from wrapping up the surviving rakshasa." - Kubera announced politely as she bowed, holding her wooden umbrella in both hands.
As the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings, it was obvious that she would report on behalf of her peers once the mission was completed.
Mako looked at her for a moment, thinking about how to modify the [Origin of Species] Over Magic spell to go from regular rabbits to hengeyokai. In a sense, it would be simpler than going for a completely new race, after all.
"Doctor Orders-sama?" - the bunny faery repeated herself, a little bit confused as to why the Exalted One was looking at her like that.
"Ah, I am sorry, Kubera-chan. Please call me Mako, alright? I feel you are talking to someone else when you call me 'Doctor Orders' after all."
"B-but..."
"It just doesn't feel right. You wouldn't like it if I started calling you Kubera Gabriella every time I spoke your name, right?"
"...it would feel rather cold." -she said while hugging her umbrella
"Right? Please call me Mako."
"Then, maybe for informal occasions?"
Mako looked at her while supporting her right hand on her face and her right elbow with her right hand. The gesture was very natural, and pushed her generous blossom slightly upwards.
Kubera-chan, please call me Mako all the time."
"Please spare me from such a thing."
"You are all so difficult about this." ~ Mako sighed and looked at her.
But, most people who had finished their build had also customized their final gear to look the way they wanted it to look, and only used the costume slot for special ocasions. Well, neither approach was wrong in the end.
"What happened to the prisoners?" ~ asked Mako
"What prisoners?" ~ Kubera looked at her while slightly leaning her head.
Should she have taken rakshasa as prisoners?
"They were using humans as cattle, right? You must have rescued some of them."
"There were none left, Mako-sama."
Mako sighed again.
"Alright, thank you for your hard work. Where are Virulhaka Azriel and Dhrutarashta Michaella right now?"
"Virulhaka and Dhrutarashta are wandering the countryside. They said they wanted to explore the northern lands. There is an area known as the Katzu plains, which are a known undead spawning ground."
"A natural spawning ground for undead? I can see Dhurutarashta wanting to purify the region, but why did Virulhaka had to go with her?"
"Virulhaka Azriel will head northeast after a while, and explore a country known as the Baharuth Empire."
"I see! Yes, we should learn about the surrounding lands. I will ask Lyann to convince her new friends of traveling to other regions. Their common sense will surely aid us greatly in this. Oh, since you came all this way, would you like some tea?"
"Thank you, Mako-sama."
Mako had the succubus and the bunny girl sit down with her, and poured some hot tea into their cups.
"In a few days, Ren will go to Sorventh to oversee the extent of the city repairs and urban renewal. Please go and make sure that it is a safe place ahead of her."
"Yes! Uh... but sending all Four Heavenly Kings out again... could one of us stay in the city this time?"
"Alright, in that case... Virupaksa, you go."
"Yes, Mako-sama!"
~O~
Albion looked at the skill tree with a lot less wonder the 7th time.
Sure, it is amazing to see a floating holographic screen the first few times, but Lyann had loaned him a pair of magical spectacles so he could read it, and so far it looked like he could only pay the [Tutor] for a few skills, and most if not all of the best skills required other, more basic skills.
In short, it was a game of short term gain vs long term planning, and if Albion had had the head for that kind of thing, he probably would have been a merchant rather than a sword and board type of fighter.
"So, [Supreme Cleave] allows me to, after taking down a foe, move and attack again, and if I manage to take that target down, I can do it again and again as long as I keep taking them down, right?"
"Yes, but you first need [Power Attack], [Cleave], and [Great Cleave] ~la" ~Lyann replied patiently.
They had already gone through something similar with Cathya, but the party's rogue was quite happy now with her freshly acquired skills. She could even dodge (some) spells completely, and was nearly impossible to catch flat-footed!
Still, it seemed like it would take at least a couple of days before everyone was done with the NPC Tutors.
Well, it was already pleasantly surprising when the tutor's skills worked on the Wild Riders, and it opened a whole new world of possibilities to them.
"Maybe you should think about skills that will be immediately useful, such as defensive ones? I haven't seen you take down many enemies in just one blow ~la"
"Do you have any suggestions?"
"I have a lot, if you trust me enough to choose for you. Planning ahead is like 95% of what I do ~la"
It was true enough, as a Enchantress, planning ahead and choosing which buffs would better serve the party the following day was perhaps the most important part of her job. Even without knowing magic, anyone would understand that after spending any amount of time with her.
"Lyann, I trust you. Besides, we wouldn't even be able to learn these if you hadn't convinced us to come here."
"Alright, I'll do my best! ~sol"
The redhead thought about it for a few moments, then asked:
"Would you be alright with becoming a tank? ~la"
"What is that?"
"That means, you won't do much damage, but you're almost unkillable. You mostly just lock the enemy in place and either win by wearing it down or trust your allies to kill it for you. I was thinking that if you, Grumnir and Tazar for a few key abilities and worked defensively together, it would be amazing! ~la"
The three armor wielders of the group looked at each other, and shrugged.
"I know ye were just saying so to try and woo the lady Lyann to dinner with ye, but I'll play along, kid." ~ said Grumnir with a grin
"Jeez, don't be so subtle about it. Why don't you say what you really think?"
"That's what I really think."
"Subtlety literally goes over your head."
"Is that a short people joke!?"
"No, it really isn't."
"Alright, let me see... you three will need to have [Phalanx Fighting]. It normally gives you a little bit extra armor when you are using a shield and a light weapon, like a short sword or a gladius, but if you are next to another ally who is also using a light weapon and a shield, and also knows this trick, you basically double the armor you get from your shield ~la"
"Alright, that would be useful in closed spaces, like dungeon hallways."
"Double shield sounds good."
"I'm in. What else?"
"Let me see ~la"
[Phalanx Fighting] – Extra shield armor bonus when wielding a heavy shield and a light weapon. Bonus is tripled if adjacent to an ally who, while currently wielding a heavy shield and light weapon, also knows this trick.
[Shield Specialization] – Choose a type of shield, such as buckler, light or heavy. While wielding this type of shield, you receive a slightly greater than usual bonus from it. You can learn this ability multiple times, and each time it applies to a different type of shield.
"Of course, you should choose Heavy Shield since it already gets a bonus with [Phalanc Fighting], and they stack. Together when you are side by side, they basically triple the defense you get from a shield. However, that's the only two tricks I think all three of you should share. Let me see what else is a good idea for Albion ~la"
[Combat Expertise] – You can lower your attack to raise your defense.
[Improved Combat Expertise] – The bonus you get from Combat Expertise is greater.
[Allied Defense] – When you use Combat Expertise or Improved Combat Expertise next to any ally, that ally also receives the extra defense.
[Deadly Defense] – Raises your damage whenever you use Combat Expertise.
[Armor Specialization] – Choose a type of armor you are proficient with. While wearing that type of armor, you gain a small reduction to damage taken.
"That should be it for defensive feats... now let's see, highest ranked offensive tricks for fighters ~la"
Once Albion was done, they continued with Grumnir, then had to relocate to a temple for Tazar's benefit so he could learn special priest tricks, and to the wizard's guild for Kallisto's benefit. In the end, Lyann ended up quietly paying the tutors directly from her inventory so her friends wouldn't notice.
Well, it was literally chump change for her. Low level special abilities and spells wouldn't even cover the cost of a christmas event candy cane, after all.
After choosing their new feats for them, she felt obliged to help with gear. Well, it was just the one item for each of them, none of them a weapon, and they were all the cheapest available magical gear in the city magical shops, but there was a reason for that.
Still, it was better than what they had. Defense is extremely important when resurrection magic isn't readily available, after all.
~O~
Juno looked up at the ursinal officer as he came into his office.
'Ah, I'm fully used to this now." - He wasn't one for idle thought, but he was smart enough to realize his attitude had changed in the last few months.
The sight of a bear in walking upright in a military uniform was completely normal to him now. He had grown familiar with them to the point he could effortlessly tell them apart by their facial features, nowadays.
"Liutenant Greenhill, what can I do for you today?" - Juno invited the ursinal to take a seat as he poured him some mead (honeywater). Ursinals love mead.
"Thank you sir mayor, but I am on duty." - said the ursinal officer, while still eyeing the mead with sorrowful eyes.
"Of course, I'm sorry to have brought it up. What can I do for you?"
"I am here merely to inform you that the lady Virupaksa Ariel, Heavenly King of the West, will arrive shortly to inspect the civil works and the overall state of the city as a final check in preparation for Celi Malefactor-sama's arrival tomorrow."
"I'm sorry, I thought you said a lady king is coming."
"I did."
"Did you meant, a lady queen?"
"It is a traditional title. It cannot be changed for the convenience of its current holder."
Juno picked up the mead and drank it himself.
Well, it certainly wasn't the strangest thing he had heard or seen since accepting the office of mayor.
"She's not human, is she?"
"No."
"I somehow didn't think so. So! When will the distinguished lady arrive?"
"A [Message] was sent to announce she was walking to the [Gate] in the capital, so I would say we have 15 minutes, more or less?"
By capital, Juno knew the liutenant was talking about Tengoku Junzi, and not Daurgothoth.
"Alright, I will go to the [Gate] and wait for her there."
"Yes sir."
"Oh, and liutenant."
"Yes?"
"Please fetch my sister. There's no reason she gets to relax while I meet … would her excellency be the right way to address the lady?"
"I believe lady or milady would be appropriate followed by her given name."
"Thank you. Her name was...?"
"Virupaksa Ariel."
"Bi Rupaksá Ariel."
"It's just one word. Virupaksa. Virupaksa Ariel."
"Virupaksa."
"Splendid."
Juno nodded, and once the officer was gone, sighed.
~O~
Ren was going through her personal item bank. Thankfully, it had several functions to automatically categorize itself by crafting materials, quest items, healing potions, buff items, etc. Otherwise, the accumulated stuff from 10+ years of loot on Yggdrassil would be way too much for anyone to bear looking at it anymore.
Of course, it wasn't even as much as a drop of water in the ocean when compared to the guild's treasure room, but she didn't like having to go down to the treasury whenever she wanted to consult her books or craft something. And after talking with Lyann and meeting the Wild Riders, she felt like giving them something to celebrate their friendship.
It couldn't be a mighty item, but she didn't want to give them a random trinket, either. So, she was looking for inspiration while going through her inventory and looking at the titles of the books there.
Henchmen: Loyal Companions or Seedy Pack-Mules?
Making Your Kit Work for You
101 Uses for a 10' Pole
Catapults: Yes, That's as Far as it Shoots
Getting the Most Out of Your Party's Thief
Today's Tinderbox - It's Not Just For Lighting Torches Anymore
Dungeons to Tackle:
Stinky Pieter's Halls o' Poorly Guarded Gold
The Caves of Soundly Sleeping Monsters
Archmage "Loose-Bowels" Wozley the Milksop's Enchanted Item Warehouse
The Wooden Citadel of Darmos the Old and Crippled
Uncle Fralin's Tool Shed
... and more!
Dungeons To Avoid Like the Crotch-Rot:
The Iron Fortress of Blodaz, Devourer of Souls
Dominara the Erinyes' Nine-Layered Brothel of Violent Emasculation (No Slaking... or Slating... Allowed)
The Crimson Hell-Pit of One Billion Miserable Deaths
Uncle Fralin's Bedroom
... and more!
Your Lantern and You
Twelve Uses for Twelve Iron Spikes
99 Uses for That Little Hammer That Comes With Twelve Iron Spikes
Face It, You're Actually 'Neutral Evil'
The King's Lovely Daughter: Look But Don't Touch
Don't Put Your Hand in That Dark Hole
... and over eighty more information-packed books covering all aspects of adventuring, from hoarding to spell-casting and from bold heroics to arse-saving cowardice.
Her eyes lit up when she noticed one of her all-time in-game favorite books.
Weapons Of Legacy
Through the great deeds of illustrious heroes or terrible villains, these items have gained not only power, but power befitting of legends. A weapon of legacy will grow with its user, and so it will begin its service to a new owner as a generally well-made but otherwise unremarkable item, before slowly but surely growing with him or her unto a grand legend.
Out of all the Weapons Of Legacy described in the book, Ren always favored Cera Summat (Six, now Silenced). Out of nostalgia, she started brewing some tea to enjoy with the story...
The holy avenger is the paladin's ultimate weapon against the forces of evil.
There are few creatures on the Lower Planes that would not fear to confront
a holy warrior wielding such a weapon... and this one, perhaps more so than
others. Once, it was nothing more than a simple iron sword, but through the
courage and faith of one man, it became something more.
The fully awakened blade of this holy avenger glows with a soft golden light. Inscribed upon
the hilt in flowing gold letters is "Cera Sumat," which translates into "Six,
now Silenced." Cera Sumat earned its name through the labors of elderly duke
Kholsa Ehld, a man cresting nearly eighty years of age, who vowed to complete a
task that the greatest heroes of three kingdoms feared to do... all because of
the weeping of a child.
The times in which Old Duke Ehld lived were ones of great upheaval, and the
servitors of the Black Sun god were strong, crushing all that stood in their way. Entire
kingdoms feared their wrath, and to speak out against them meant death, so many
remained silent and turned their eyes from the evils of the Black Sun and his servants.
During these dark times, the most terrible of the Black Sun's minions were six who called
themselves the Lost Followers. Their souls were storms of avarice and hate, and
mighty were the powers at their command. They reveled in strife and tyranny...
and for all the blood they shed, it was never enough.
Together, the Lost Followers brought about the downfall of the Silver Court,
slaying its king upon his throne and renaming his once-beautiful nation the
Barbed Kingdom. After animating his decapitated corpse and having it march
through the streets slaying anyone it could find, they brought a rain of fire
down upon the city and the lands around, leaving it a barren wasteland. It is
said that they dined in the capital's great hall that night as the land burned,
and they raised their wine glasses as the screams of the dying reached their
peak.
There was only one survivor. In their last act of malice, the Lost Followers
left the king's only daughter, barely five years old, alive to reign as "Queen"
over the burned kingdom. They called her the Weeping Queen and casted wards about
her so that she might never leave the empty capital, and then left her to
starve. Their appetite for evil momentarily satisfied, the Lost Followers parted ways and
went upon their separate roads of damnation, sowing strife in the Black Sun's name.
Old Duke Ehld was the first one to cross the wards of the Barbed Kingdom and
seek out the Weeping Queen upon her father's throne. When he found the small
girl, he approached, kneeled before her, and told her he had come to pledge his
life in her service. In stiff, formal words, he said he had brought food and
water, and apologized for his lateness, but his bones were old and it had taken
him some time to reach this place. The near-starving child stared at him as he
pledged his worn blade and his honor to seeing that the ones who had done this
terrible crime answered for their actions, if his Queen wished it. After a
long, stunned silence, the Weeping Queen found the words to thank him.
From the moment Ehld left the throne room in search of the Lost Followers, the
weeping of the queen ended, and she never wept again.
Her tea ready, Ren poured the tea and reached for some cookies, made herself comfortable on the couch, and kept reading.
For over six years, Ehld traveled all the lands of the world and across the planes
themselves, seeking the Six, and asking them to answer for their crimes. Each in
turn scoffed at the old man and his worn-looking blade, only to find him a dangerous
opponent... and in the end, the victor. He recorded the events of their death
upon a stone set into the pommel of his blade, and there was even regret in his
writings, because he had not been able to enlighten the Lost Followers to turn from
their path before it came to its end.
When the last of the Six had answered for their crimes upon the edge of the Cera
Sumat blade, Ehld returned to the Weeping Queen and laid the blade at her feet.
Where once it had been a tarnished blade, it shone as brightly as the sun, and
the stone in the pommel was covered with the writing of his journeys. He
detached the stone, set it into a chain, and gave it to the Weeping Queen. Ehld
told her to keep the chain to wear as a reminder of the many evils of the world
and that they are never far from one's heart... but if one's heart is true and
one's path is righteous, one may triumph against any number of evils.
Duke Ehld outlived his queen, who lived to the age of 107, at which point Ehld took
his Cera Sumat and left the Barbed Kingdom... and is said to have traveled
north. In time, the Barbed Kingdom rose to its former glory and its name was
changed, and with it, the fate of Cera Sumat and the Medallion of the Lost
Followers was forgotten... until a hero can reunite the blade and the medallion, to make
the Holy Avenger whole once again to meet the followes of evil in battle
once again, perhaps for the last time.
But the story of Ehld and Cera Sumat was a story of another time, and of the
adventures of another hero. This is now your time, and your epic. If your band
counts a paladin among its number, then the ancient blade is yours to wield
against the forces of evil...
And perhaps, if your heart is true, save a land from destruction once again.
'Uhmm... yes, a [Legacy Weapon] would be fine, right? I can craft some using just my private materials and recipes for Lyann's friends. I don't think anyone will complain...' - Ren finished her tea, and poured herself a new cup.
As for the medallion, Ren had actually acquired it and it was part of her own End Game gear. If you focused on its surface, it used to be that a window would pop up, back in the days of Yggdrassil, and you could read the rest of the story. Now, it directly flowed unto her mind.
Perhaps the yuan-ti did not know what they held in the depths of Dragon's Eye, but
simply holding this item reveals its long history to you, and its saga is a long
and bloody one indeed. One only needs to hold the medallion close to them,
close their eyes and concentrate upon it, and the chronicle of the medallion
scrolls through your mind.
This notched stone was once set into the pommel of the ancient blade Cera Sumat,
a Holy Avenger wielded by old Duke Kholsa Ehld as he walked upon the path of the
Lost Followers, challenging them to answer for their crimes in the Barbed
Kingdom. Inscribed upon the stone is the chronicle of his search for the six
Lost Followers, and the circumstances surrounding their deaths. The medallion
tells of the six:
Ehld met Inhein-Who-Was-Taken as she slept beneath the earth on the Battle of
Bones and asked her to follow him to the Barbed Kingdom to be judged. Her
laughter was a storm of bladed whispers, and she cursed the old man, hurling
spells of death and flame upon him... she surrounded herself with mighty magics
and swirling blades, daring the old man to come close, but he simply bowed his
head and took shelter within the spiritual shield of his holy blade. In fury,
she risked much and began to raise the dead from the Battle of Bones to destroy
the Duke, but the shield around him prevented them from getting close. The
undead, furious at their summoner for putting them to an impossible task, turned
upon their mistress and tore her apart. Ehld took what was left in a small
metal cask and took it to the highest hill at daybreak, and let the sun shine
down upon Inhein's remains until they were dust.
Broken Khree, one of the only monks to fight the Black Raven in combat and
survive with only his legs shattered and his jaw splintered, was next of the
six, and he was not hard to find. He had gathered together a band of slaves
captured from a number of small farming hamlets and had them build a temple in
Black Sun's name. Khree was a master of unarmed combat, with eyes and reflexes so
quick that he could dodge missiles and spells before they stood a chance of
touching him - and he had sent many archers and mages to their graves. In hand
to hand combat, he was a terror, for his bones and body were one with the
elements, ignoring fire, cold, lightning, and weather's other displeasures, and
while his skin could be stabbed or cut, his bones had the strength of the earth
about them, preventing them from being broken or crushed by all but the most
powerful of attacks. Ehld knew this, and when he found the bloody monk, the two
traded no words, but attacked each other immediately. It was all Ehld could do
to dodge Khree's attacks, but in a dangerous stratagem, Ehld tricked Khree into
collapsing the newly-erected temple of the Black Sun around them, causing Khree's arms to
become pinned by the falling masonry. The monk died as the falling crossbeams
of the temple pierced his chest, and in the last minute of his life, he spat his
defiance against Ehld and told him he would fight his way back from death to
destroy him.
Kaervas Death's Head was the lord of an empire deep within the earth, and he sat
upon his lava-red throne of rock and lava, his skin so thick with calluses and
black enchantments that no mortal weapon could pierce or cut it. Ehld traveled
many leagues beneath the surface of the world and demanded an audience with the
black rock king. Kaervas, amused by the old human's challenge, agreed to fight
him, but found Ehld's strength and holy avenger an equal match for his strength
and skill. Finding it almost impossible to strike a mortal blow against Kaervas
with even his holy avenger, Ehld parried one of Kaervas' strikes and turned the
momentum of Kaervas' own axe back on its owner, causing the blunt end of his
mighty axe to sink into the dwarf's skull, splintering the bone beneath the skin
into fragments. The Duergar allowed the human who had slain their king to leave
unmolested, and they sealed Kaervas' body in the throne room where he died.
Atalaclys the Lost traveled upon the great sands of Anarouch, hoping to unearth
some of the ancient magics buried within the desert to stave off the rotting
disease which had claimed him. Ehld tracked him down through the shifting
desert, meeting him in the sandy square of a dead town. With no living creature
as their witness, the two of them fought for days, spell and blade clashing with no end,
until at the height of the fourth day, Atalaclys's rotting throat cracked in the
desert heat. Unable to utter a spell to carry him away, Ehld left him in the
desert, feding the flies and beetles of Anarouch.
Jaiger of the Fanged Season had once been one of four Uthgart brothers whose
father had blessed with a binding of the elements. Jaiger had been
bound to the Elemental Plane of Air, and such was his power that he could
harness the wind to pull his bowstring - and cause the missiles and spells of
his enemies to go astray. Jaiger was serving as a mercenary in one of the many
southern kingdoms, his bow firing out a stream of arrows so fast and sure that
he was said to bring a Rain of Death wherever he traveled. Ehld found the
toothless barbarian within the brothels of a southern port, half-drunk and
belligerent. When confronted, Jaiger was too deep in his cups to realize who
Ehld was, and once it suddenly sunk in that the old man had come to capture him,
Jaiger tried to fight back with his bow - only to find it much more difficult to
fire with his opponent standing almost on top of him than it was when the
opponent was a horizon's distance away. Although Jaiger sunk many arrows into
his opponent, Ehld was able to best him with a whirling strike that severed
Jaiger's bow... and the barbarian's throat.
Veddion Kairne, the Hunched Lord, was the last and most difficult of Ehld's
challenges. Kairne was said to be the spawn of a storm giant and a demon,
combining the great strength of his father with the cunning and bloodthirstiness
of his mother. No fork of lightning could touch him, no fire could burn him,
and it was said that he bathed in acid and frost as if it were water. The two
bloods coursing through him had given him a tremendous resistance to magic, but
it prevented him from using magic himself, forcing him to walk the face of
the world whenever he wished to travel the land. Instead of awaiting his death,
however, he sought out Ehld as he was traveling upon the Spine of the World
Mountains and tasked the old paladin with proving him guilty of the slaughter in
the Barbed Kingdom. The two of them dueled with words for many hours atop the
Spine of the World Mountains until Ehld finally tricked Kairne into admitting
his guilt... and the Hunched Lord laughed and their battle began. Hurling
jagged boulders at the elderly warrior, Kairne buried Ehld under an ever-growing
mountain of rubble, then lifted up his hammer to drive the tombstone into the
makeshift cairn around the old warrior... only to have the cairn collapse
beneath him, causing an avalanche and crushing him beneath its great weight.
Ehld, who had been crouching within the cairn and using his sword as a brace
against the precarious balance of the rocks, had slipped free and let weight and
gravity take their course. With Kairne, the last of the six had been silenced,
and Ehld returned home to his Queen.
When he arrived in the court of the Barbed Kingdom, Ehld detached the medallion
from the pommel of his Holy Avenger and gave it to his Queen to wear as a
reminder of the many evils of the world... but if one's heart is true and one's
path is righteous, one may triumph against any number of evils.
If this medallion could somehow be brought to the resting place of Ehld's Holy
Avenger, the blade will rise in glory, ready to be taken up against the
forces of evil once again.
Back during the last days of Yggdrassil, Lord_Quixote had obtained the Cera Summat blade, and it now rested in the guild's treasure room after his retirement, but neither Ren nor Mako had the abilities nor the right job to wield it, and while Lyann could use a special bard skill to 'trick' the blade into service as if she was a paladin, she preferred spears to swords.
Thus, the blade was allowed to sleep: a simple, rusty-looking, well-crafted iron longsword waiting for a paladin's hand. It was a shame that there was none in the Wild Rider's party, but it did at least inspire Ren as to what type of item she would gift them with.
~O~
Draudillon Oriculus, Dragon Lord and queen of the Dragonic Kingdom, was having a very good day.
Now that the beastmen were finally gone, and not just temporarily repelled, but actually gone, never to return, she could announce the end of the 'curse' that held her back in an infant state, and begin quickly 'growing up to her proper age' over the following months.
Honestly, she wanted to make it a few weeks, but her most trusted minister begged her to control herself for the sake of letting the court grow used to her new appearance in a comfortable manner.
Well, she had waited decades for this, three months wouldn't be the end of her.
"This is one of the new coins." - A minister approached with a small plate where three brand new coins had been placed.
A gold, silver and copper coin.
Draudillon picked the copper coin first, held it between the tip of her youthful fingers, and looked at both its sides. It was well enough minted, for the standards of technology in the region, but after seeing the beautiful gold coins of Tengoku Junzi, the queen couldn't help but feel like a child trying to imitate an adult.
The ministers quietly shared her opinion on the matter. All of them had at least seen a few coins, showed them to each other, or had managed to lay their hands on a few for themselves.
"This the best we can do?" -she was still using childlike speech. It was better to grow out of it slowly, after all.
"I am afraid so, your highness. Perhaps we could ask the lady ambassador for a technological trade?"
"Oh, that sounds great! So, what do we offer on our end?"
"..."
The way she said so was plain and completely serious. Weapons technology, farming technology, magical tool development, military technology. There was not a single field where the queen or the ministers felt superior to their 'new' neighbors.
"Perhaps we could honestly ask what the ambassador would like to ask for?" - ventured someone after a moment.
To be honest, there were magical tools that had caught Ren's eye. Yggdrassil had tried to create a fantasy world, after all, so it tried to forcefully keep technology as backwards as possible. In this world, however, thanks to the efforts of players who had shown up in the past, magical tool development had done a serious effort to match the comfort of the modern world.
Like this, things like cold boxes trying to imitate refrigerators, blazing ovens to try and imitate modern kitchens, magically powered perimeter alarms... there was actually a number of things that had caught the eyes of both Ren and Lyann.
"Alrighty then, I'll ask lady Malefactor the next time we meet for tea."
~O~
"Mako-sama, the explorers report..." - Burlaug began talking with walking next to her along the hallway.
She was dressed in her 'let's get dirty' clothes, which meant she was going to the nursery/school again. Well, she had made it a part of her daily routine by now. She was wearing very casual clothes, the same long, white t-shirt with dozens of small and colorful hand imprints in many colors, jeans, and white running shoes.
Her long, midnight-black hair was pulled behind her into a loose ponytail, and secured in place with a long white lace with a ribbon knot. She was in a very good mood, hoping to see the children's faces when they tried out the candy apples she had prepared early and was now carrying in her inventory.
She had also planned some basic math lessons, and procured more finger paint to try and teach them to write in as fun a manner as possible.
"I've read them. The Theocracy hunts, eradicates and enslaves demihumans in their lands and elsewhere. I want to bring those people to Tengoku Junzi, or, if they are too many or do not wish to live with us, prepare a nearby region for them. I already wrote a plan for it and intent to speak about it in tonight's council meeting."
"Ah, yes, well, I am worried about allowing strangers into the city area... well, security will decrease, and..." - what Burlaug was trying to say was "I don't want dangerous strangers being close to you."
"We'll talk about it tonight."
"Yes, Mako-sama."
Mako arrived at the school's door, went in, and was greeted by the children's happy voices and tight hugs.
Burlaug stared at the scene through the door's window for a full five minutes, then left.
'Mako-sama is too kind. Children are fine, but entire tribes of violent strangers? Savages. What if one of them tries to hurt M- I can't even think of it!' - such were his troubled thoughts as he walked towards the city.
Meanwhile, Mako was kneeling on the floor, sitting on her heels as she wiped the paint off a little boy's face.
"Don't try to rub your eyes with dirty hands, it only makes it worse, Rudy."
"Yes Mako-sama."
Then, she turned towards the other children, and asked them to fetch some white paper and sit on the floor so the class could begin.
They whined and pouted, until she promised to give them a new treat if they were good children today, then her math class could start.
'Well, the candy apples were for them to begin with.' -she thought- 'I wonder if there's cacao on this world? They'd love chocolate, right?'
~O~
"Captain, there it is again! Can you hear it now?!" - one of the imperial knights called out as he caught up to his commanding officer.
The wind was strong enough to pick up the sand, have it fly up to 3" tall, and completely prevent the sun from reaching the ground under it, yet it went no higher, somehow. It was to a degree where one was nothing but darkness within 3" from the ground, and over that, there's only fog.
For the knights patrolling the area for undead, it was a terrifying set of conditions, since monsters could emerge from that unnatural darkness literally at any time, the wind was strong enough that it was difficult for your allies to head your calls for help if you happened to be any further than 10" away from them, and to top it off, you could easily lose sight of them in the fog.
"I can't believe it, but I did hear it this time. Just for a moment, though." - replied the captain
Over the last three months, things had gone from bad to worse. Specifically, after the Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown personally snuffed out the lives of almost 100.000 people with a single spell.
The Katze plains had always been a dangerous place, where the ever present mist registered as a undead being, making spells to detect or ward against undead, completely useless. A horrible place where undead monsters would randomly, and regularly, spawn forth from the ground. A near-guaranteed death sentence for the troops who had to patrol them and clear out the undead in order to prevent them from gathering and giving birth to yet stronger undead through the effect of what is known as the 'Spiral of Death.'
Specifically, it meant that whenever undead gathered in a place, their collective negative energy would bring forth more, and greater, undead, whose negative energy in turn would bring forth even more undead, and so on in a ever-growing tide of death and madness.
And ever since the sorcerer king, Ainz Ooal Gown snuffed the lives of half the kingdom's army with a single spell, this horrible place had turned truly hellish.
It had been long understood by the patrols of both the kingdom and the empire, that there were no enemies in the plains except the undead. Both groups would politely greet each other whenever they found the chance for it, and would even cooperate and go to each other's rescue if need be.
That is why, while the music was more than simply out of place, it was not a sound that induced fear in the hearts of the knights. They had never even heard about undead musicians. The very idea was laughable.
"Perhaps a merchant caravan?" - said the knight who had heard it first
"Ugh, I have said it before, but there has to be a limit to greed and recklessness. Is the profit from trading between E-Rantel and the Dragonic Kingdom really worth a trip through this hell?"
The captain looked around. He was experienced enough that he knew not to trust in the echo of the plains. Just because you heard a cry for help, you shouldn't immediately rush in whatever direction you thought it came from, but calmly wait for its final echo, as that would tell you the real direction it came from.
However, since the music was soft enough for him to barely hear it to begin with, its last echo was much too soft, and he couldn't figure out which way to go.
After a few minutes, he gave up on it.
"Never mind. If they're not asking for help, it's not really our business." - he just signaled his troop, and kept going north east back to base.
What the captain failed to notice, were two small figures walking against the wind just a stone throw away from his own group. They were striding forth at good speed, as if the harsh wind, the biting sands and the deep fog were naught but a refreshing breeze in a sunny day.
Both figures were female, and very clearly so, yet even as they kept each other's company and were playing a tune together, they seemed completely out of place next to each other.
One was dressed in a extremely luxurious, almost gaudy dress that in the southern desert would be called a kimono, with bright layers of silk printed with delicated yet flashy patters. It was clearly an outfit meant for two things: to impress its wearer's wealth upon the viewer, and to flaunt her beauty.
Indeed, its folds seemed to bloom on its upper half, almost like petals in a glower, revealing the delicate, flawless skin of a beauty with long dark hair arranged in a perfect cascade behind a high bun at the back of her head. The complexion of her face was exquisite, a natural beauty which was best adorned by not trying to add any artificial adornment to it, such as makeup or jewelry, for it would only substract from from its god-given perfection, and her delicate shoulders and neckline oozed a completely feminine beauty, leading to a shapely and generous bossom that seems to threaten with spilling out of her dress with every step, yet never did.
Down to the tip of her toes and beyond, she looked as if she was heading to a magnificent event at some imperial court, yet despite her apparent frailty, which seemed only more obvious with each tiny if quick step she took on her tall geta sandals, she was moving against the wind, the sand and the fog as if they weren't there while playing a shamisen with perfect skill.
Next to her, her companion managed to be her perfect match and complete opposite at the same time. With ease, too.
While Virulhaka Azriel, for that was the name of the colorful beauty playing the shamsen was, appeared as a princess in court, Dhrulhaka Azriel was dressed in such a way as to make a monk's clothes look positively gaudy and wasteful, and yet managed to appear perfectly elegant and alluring, at the same time.
While Virulhaka was covered in high-end magical gear from top to bottom, Dhrulhaka was wearing a white robe. That was it. That was all. She was not even wearing sandals on her feet, and her only 'accessory' if one dared to call it such, was a green bamboo shot she had cut off with her bare hands a couple hundred miles ago, and then with a small stone shard, worked into a flute.
And yet, she appeared the epitome of femininity and grace. Not only was her robe small enough to expose most of her legs, it opened at the top to, like her friend's robe, show off her perfect skin and feminine figure.
Of course, to say she wore no make up would be pointless. Her hair was kept short enough for it to expose her princess neck, its silver luster, mixed with her moon-pale skin and white robe, making her seem ethereal and unreal.
A careful observer may perhaps notice that, wherever the silver beauty passed, the fog receded, completely unwilling or unable to approach her.
"Those men" - said the colorful princess-like beauty- "they are going back."
"Alright." - replied her silver and white companion after lowering the improvised flute from her lips and holding it as the staff it was meant to be.
They understood each other well enough with just a short exchange, but it had actually been a meaningful conversation. Point by point, something along the lines of:
O - If the knights are heading to a military base, there will be more troops there.
O - If there are troops, they will need supplies.
O - Unless the supplies are transported through the air, teleported, or created in the spot with magic, there will be a road.
O - A road will eventually reach a city.
Therefore, Virulhaka and Dhrutarashta casually altered their course, and followed the now retreating knights. They kept a constant distance with no difficulty, as if the mist wasn't there to begin with.
"Fun." - said the silver-and-white Dhrutarashta Michaella, and licked her lips
"I will tell." - replied the rainbow-colored Virulhaka Ariel
This exchange had been over in a few words, but its actual meaning was more along the lines of:
O - Men are fun
O - There will be lots of men
O - I will have fun with the best-looking ones
And
O - Shut up, you slut, aren't you chasing after Kubera-sama?! I will tell her about it if you go wild, I definitively will!
They looked nothing alike, yet they were created as sisters.
Even though they were sisters, they belonged to different races.
Even if they were sisters of different races, they were still sisters with the same parents.
Those parents were Celi_Malefactor, Hammer_Time, Holy_Diver, and Shivadattha, all of which had added to their concept, design, build, equipment, background and personalities.
To be honest, the fact that Dhrutarashta Michaella was the aggressive predator type was completely Ren's fault. As soon as she realized she was a wolf, she thought it would be funny to give her a interest for as many partners as possible, but to always place Kubera, a rabbit, at the top of her 'to eat' list.
"That is, because a confident and sexually aggressive tomboy who can't confess to her one true love, is justice!" - those were Ren's unapologetic words, back then.
At the time, Mako had disconnected for a moment, just so she could go and karate chop Ren on the head, but Dhrutarashta's story was untouched.
Soon enough, the knights arrived at the edge of the Katze plains, with two uninvited kings on their trail.
~O~
Author Notes (this time there's a lot):
I-it's not like I care if you guys understand and enjoy the references, alright? I just happened to have all this research lying around, got it!? I'm not a tsundere author or anything! Stupid readers!
About Cera Summat.
It is not of my brewing, it is simply the holy sword I love the most in D&D. But c'mon, isn't its history just awesome? Oops, I may be coming down with a relapse of 8-years-old syndrome again.
About Dungeons & Dragons in anime, manga and LNs.
D&D seems to actually be surprisingly popular in Japan, to the point that the logs of gameplay sessions for original campaigns are distributed and sold as light novels of their own. Not just that, but many many great titles such as Record of Lodoss Wars, Overlord, Maouyu Mao Yusha and Log Horizon are based on such 'scripts.' Hell, the author of Overlord came out and said that he came up with the idea for Overlord after his D&D game group broke up.
So yeah, he's basically Ainz.
Now having said that, please allow me to drop a info dump on you.
There have been about 35+ years of D&D now, with 5, technically 6+, different editions of it, so there's a HUGE amount of playable races and classes for the players to choose from.
Sebas Tian is a monk. We are all clear on that (I hope). However, I can tell that he's a 'vanilla' monk. That is to say, he's from the monk class/job that comes in the original player handbook for D&D 3rd, 3.5 and 4th edition (I havent messed around with 5th, so no comment there).
That monk is oriented towards attaining physical perfection. It can do things like hitting pressure points to stun an opponent, use a 'flurry of blows' to make dozens of attacks against an opponent (think atatatatatatata from Fist of the North Star), heal by using its ki (or chi, however you prefer to call it), and use a 'death palm strike' where he touches someone, disrupt the target's inner ki and then can cause it to die at will within the next 24 hours, not to mention attaining the 'diamond body' which makes him immune to aging, poisons, non-magical weapons, and able to ignore trivial flesh and bone needs like food, air or sleep.
We have seen Sebas use ki healing already, ignore attacks from opponents with non-magical weapons, and such. I wonder if we'll ever get to see him use the death touch or the flurry of blows, though I get the feeling the author was not very familiar with the monk class, so I sort of doubt it, sadly.
However, in D&D, there are actually three 'monk traditions.'
The 'monk' is the one that comes in the Player's Handbook. Thus it is the most commonly known and popular, but there are two more. There is the 'inkyo' monk, whom, rather than attaching physical perfection, dedicates itself to spiritual enlightenment, by channeling and becoming one with 'the void.'
What's the void? Imagine a song. ANY song. The song exists because of the notes, right? But what is a musical note, but a sound with a definitive length and tone? Basically, it starts and ends. A song is a series of notes.
The void is the space between the notes. Without the void, the song would not exist. It would simply be a incoherent, eternal noise in various tones. A nightmare. Only when there is silence between the notes, only thanks to the void, does noise turn into music.
Similarly, every single thing, ever, is only a thing thanks to the void giving it limits, giving it shape.
A inkyo monk studies the void with the final purpose of becoming one with it, and therefore, becoming that which defines everything in the universe, becoming one with everything. Thus, inkyo monks are called 'enlightened monks.'
In combat, the monk uses powerful attacks and defensive techniques, mixed with a little bit of spiritual mastery, to best his enemies.
The inkyo monk, uses his mastery of the void to change the universe in order to obtain the desired result. "Oh, my kick is about to hit empty air? I guess I'll re arrange the universe so your chin happens to have been there all along. Oh, your attack is about to hit me? Sorry, I was never there."
As an old reference, Kenshiro, the protagonist of Fist of the Nort Star, uses a void technique called Musou Tensei to.. well, basically use emptiness to rearrange reality so his blows cannot be defended against and is unasailable.
As a more modern reference, think of the Fate/Stay Night lancer's Gae Bolga. You'd expect him to attack, therefore his spear is aimed at the heart of his enemy. But what he does is, he alters cause and effect, rearranging it so that his spear WILL hit the heart of his enemy, therefore he must simply attack.
The final inkyo monk technique is 'The Void Incarnate,' and I am literally going to copy and paste from the book here...
Void Incarnate (Ex)
The inkyo has mastered his use of Void, able to deflect godly attacks and perform inhuman feats of skill. His connection to the Void is so strong that his spirit continually regenerates spent Void points at the rate of 1 per hour. Furthermore he gains the native outsider type and no longer needs to eat, sleep, or breathe.
This means that his ability is Extraordinary, rather than magical, spell-like, or supernatural, so it works even inside an anti-magic field. It is completely a part of him, and cannot be prevented in any way.
Being an outsider means he becomes a spirit, basically.
So, the monk reaches 'Perfect Self' through physical discipline sprinkled with mental discipline, while the inkyo achieves it with mental discipline sprinkled with physical discipline. Both are perfectly valid, if somewhat different, paths to enlightenment.
The third monk job/class is called a sohei. They are extremely focused on combat, and typically fight wielding a yari, a long spear with a short sword at the tip. That's the best way I can think of to describe a yari.
In warring states japan, they were quite formidable, so yeah, they're actually a historical figure.
Basically:
Monk → Shaolin Monk → Enlightenment through martial arts
Inkyo → Buddhist Monk → Englightenment through meditation
Sohei → Militant Monk → Ass kickery through weapons
The sohei can dispel the spells or spell-like effects of targets he hits, resist magic with ease, and attack every opponent around him at the same time.
The monk becomes immune to aging, no longer gaining bonuses (to wisdom for example) nor suffering penalties (to strength, for example) as he ages. The inkyo becomes effecticaly immortal, and no longer receives bonuses nor penalties as he ages.
The sohei no longer receives penalties, but still receives bonuses. Think of it as leading to all those badass old guys in so many anime and manga. Have you ever seen a old master kicking ass despite looking like a fragile old man? There you go, that's likely a sohei. Aging in this way increases their wisdom, without lowering their physical abilities. Since all three 'flavors' of monks gain power based on their wisdom, this is a pretty big deal for them.
Now, about Tengoku Junzi Four Heavenly Kings... it was hard, but also fun. If you know Maouyu Mao Yusha, you may be familiar with a cute redheaded demon king who, when asked by the hero "why are you a demon king? Shouldnt you be a demon queen?" answers "It can't be helped, its a traditional title."
I decided to play with that, and that is why the Four Heavenly Kings are female, even though their original identities are male. Please forgive me if they are important characters in your culture, I just couldn't resist.
Kubera. He who hears everything. Originally, the chief of the four heavenly kings and protector of the north. He is the ruler of rain. His symbolic weapons are the umbrella or pagoda. Wearing heavy armor and carrying the umbrella in his right hand, he is often associated with the ancient indian god of wealth. Associated with the color yellow or green.
For the Tengoku Junzi version, I went with a bunny girl because bunny girls are cute, therefore bunny girls are justice! Also, 'he who hears everything' you know? When I think of that, I think of bunny ears. It was hard to decide on her job/class. I went looking around for styles of fighting involving umbrellas but didn't found anything that satisfied me.
Then I thought 'well, we have cosmetic items right? It can be something else that just looks like an umbrella' so decided she needed a long weapon that could be reasonably modded into a umbrella shape. Also, armor. That helped discard options until I came up with either a spear-focused fighter (the class known as fighter) or a sohei, since they both use spears and armor. In the end I went with sohei, thus Kubera wields a spear shaped like an umbrella or parasol.
As a side note, hengeyokai (her race) have three shapes they can switch between at will. Animal, human, and hybrid. And while the hybrid shape of a hare hengeyokai is actually pretty fucking scary (think werewolf-like), I thought 'hell, they made Shalltear look super cute despite really being a horrible monster, im sure we can have Kubera be a cute bunny girl.
Since she's the guardian in the shrine of Diligence, I imagined her personality as that of a earnest, super hard working type that gets the job done despite being (gently) bullied by the other kings, whiom she's meant to be the leader of.
Also, designing her looks was ridiculously hard. At one point, I thought of dressing her in traditional sohei armor. You know, ACTUAL historical warrior monk garb. But it was awful because it would hide the bunny ears and that was heresy.
First I found a comic book heroine named Shi, whose entire thing is that she is trained as a sohei. Then I looked at her, and chocked on my drink. She was striperrific, so no.
Then, I thought 'Alright dude, think back, female armor that looked viable while still being attractive, and protective yet allowing for a ton of mobility" and then I thought of Hellgate London. If you don't know what Im talking about, here you go:
albums/d84/Maglad/hellgate%20sculpture_
albums/d84/Maglad/hellgate%20wallpaper_
And last but not least watch?v=_T4lzDUxNlk&nohtml5=False
Here's a pic of a hare hengeyokai, if you need it.
albums/v171/Matrim_/Stuff/BunnyThief_
Virulhaka. He who causes to grow. King of the south and one who causes good growth of roots. He is the ruler of the wind. His symbolic weapon is the sword, which he carries in his right hand to protect the Dharma and the southern continent. Associated with the color blue.
For the Tengoku Junzi version, I choose human and samurai of the crane clan with the Different School feat so she also had access to the dragon clan techniques, to go with the sword mastery + no armor combo. To be honest, since she's the king that protects the shrine of patience, I choose to make her specialized in counters. She 'can' attack, but she's at her deadliest when she's countering an enemy's attack.
Virupaksa. He who sees all. King of the west and one who see all. His symbolic weapon is a snake or red cord that is representative of a dragon. As the eye in the sky, he sees people who do not believe in Buddhism and converts them. His ancient name means 'he who has broad objectives.' Associated with the color red.
You were already familiar with our chaste succubus. Why a succubus? Because chaste and loving succubus are cute. Also, the 'eye in the sky' implies she can fly, and the red cord was easy to imagine as a red whip.
And last but not least.
Dhrutarashta. He who upholds the realm. King of the east and god of music. His symbolic weapon is the pipa (stringed instrument). He is harmonious, compassionate and protects all beings. Uses his music to convert others to Buddhism. Associated with the color white.
Honestly I wanted to give this role to Lyann because of the music bit, but immediately realized it made no sense to have a player as a shrine guardian. Ended changing Dhrutarashta in a few minor ways. Her instrument was changed from a stringed instrument to a long flute, and while I thought about making her into a caster type focused on charm spells, in the end decided against it.
Why charm spells? Because the idea was for her to play her flute and charm people through its sound, forcing them to become good. But according to the Book of Exalted Deeds, such a thing is evil as it is not of the person's own free will. Embracing good has to come from within.
Sure, there is a process by which you can 'force' a change in a prisoner, but it involves being kind and caring to your prisoner, and slowly, bit by bit, talk him or her into changing perspectives and accepting good in his or her heart. Through honest discussion. No magic involved.
And that is how Dhrutarashta ended up as a inkyo monk who uses a long flute as a staff, and, since she represents Charity, has taken the (rather infamous in D&D) Vow of Poverty.
Also, a wolf girl, because Ren did it. No, seriously, I decided to blame Ren's sense of humor, and make her a wolf girl, because a wolf girl bullying a bunny girl is cute.
In the end, that left us with:
Virupaksa Ariel (succubus) Chastity. Red whip
Kubera Gabriella (bunny girl) Diligence. Golden umbrella
Virulhaka Azriel (human) Patience. Blue swords
Dhrutarashta Michaella (wolf girl) Charity. Long white flute
Hengeyokai in
D&D 4th edition wiki/Hengeyokai
D&D 3.5 edition
Also, I was super tempted to give Dhrutarashta and Kubera a yuri relationship, but since im not sure on what is and isn't allowed on this site, decided against it in the end. Again, because the wolf 'eats' the bunny, get it?
This author's notes section was sooo long. I don't think it'll be this long again! Also, I would like to hear your preference in the reviews and such: Would you prefer if I waited and posted the whole chapter as one, or are you fine with receiving long chapters like this, by parts? It would take longer if I waited for it all to be completed, but maybe it would be easier to read and/or navigate?
Note: I just realized that links are no longer available, as in, for some reason, I cannot add links anymore. I guess that explains why people had told me that links in the past weren't working. As I already struggled a lot to upload the chapter, I'm going to explore other options, such as starting a forum topic and posting the links there, if at all possible. Please excuse the invonveniences.