The Last Shogun
Our new band of adventures were on their way to Waterdeep. When a great storm causes the ship to go off course. Everyone is knocked out and wakes up on a rocky beach shore with thick woods behind them. After taking care of the dead bodies from the shipwreck and finding some loot the party decided to camp for the night, with Lucky Nimble Fingers sleeping in the nearby trees. All night everyone could hear scary growling and teeth ribbing of flesh.
In the morning the party set out north of the beach where they spotted fishing boats earlier. They found a small fishing village. There they will meet Hinto Waddell and the elder of the small fishing village, Ine. Hinto will feed the party fish and rice. He will also introduce them to his two sons, Kodo and Gar Waddell. The party will see that Gar is sick but no one is able to go to town because of the monsters at night and the bandits on the road.
The party then headed to Dead Man’s Cave after searching around they encountered a Ghoul, a Ghast, and a Mane sleeping with full bellies. It looks like there is a one way portal stuck open. After taking care of the Ghoul, Ghast, and Mane the adventurers were able to close the portal by removing ruby crystal from its position.
Everyone gets 300 XP
Hinto asked the party if they could take his son, Kodo, to town where he can get some medicine for his brother, Gar. On the road they were attacked by bandits that seem to be staying in the woods and preying on people using the road.
The party reaches the town of Misho from the north, where they see merchants selling potions and other odds and ends. There is a line of people trying to get into town but they must have their day pass and tax. Just then, what looks like a Warforge, but not any kind of Warforge you have seen before approaches our adventures. Val Korra, a wealthy merchant of the town of Misho tells the party that he will get them into the city and has the medicine that Kodo needs to give to his brother Gar. Val leads the party into town and takes them to meet Yudai Shima and his pet leopard Surtava, at the temple of Padhra.
Yudai has been expecting the party and asks them to help with people that have gone missing around the dock. Everyone meets Jido Jabez who helps them investigate the missing people. Their investigation leads them to an abandoned warehouse which has a tunnel that leads under the city of Misho.
The party finds The Ritual of Iuchiban’s Rise run by Jido themself. Jido says, “Iuchiban will cleanse this city. The masters who have sullied Misho with their material trappings will be consumed. The Emperor will be replaced by the true Emperor. All that will remain is the Bloodspeakers. The blood of lives of the people of the Docks were not enough to make my master rise, but here—with new blood, powerful blood—see how he grows.”
The party stops the ritual and the area collapses. Who knows what may come of this and who are The Bloodspeakers.
Everyone gets: 875 XP
The party learns the story of Hajime, the lord of the Crane clan and keeper of Inuyama Castle. So the adventurers decide to travel to Inuyama Castle and learn why there has been no communication.
When arriving at the castle the party could see three medium size Oni at the door drinking Sake and trying to make more. Tenzor intimated the Oni and told them to get lost. That they were not welcome here at the castle anymore. After a little jarring back and forwarth the Oni took their Sake and left the castle.
Lucky Nimble Fingers, Codam, Grayscale, Tetsuo, and Tenzor were let into the castle by the servants of Inuyama Castle and were told that the army and everyone else had left. And, that bandits had taken up camp in the inner grounds of the castle. Tenzor and Tetsuo told the bandits that it was time to leave and not to take any of the food with them. The bandits left and went back to the woods.
The party entered the tower of the castle and soon learned that they were going to have to take care of whatever the challenge was on each level before they could advance to the next level.
Everyone took care of each challenge and advanced all the way to the top of the tower to find a shape shifting demon that was feeding off the life of the Lord of the Castle and his son. The party took care of the monster and freed Lord Hajime.
Everyone gets: 1325 XP
The party had just saved Hajime, the lord of the Crane clan and keeper of Inuyama Castle, and everyone was celebrating their victory. In the morning the Lord Hajime asked the party if they could take care of the bandits in the woods. A small group of bandits and ne’er-do-wells had set up their base in some abandoned ruins inside the Kinka forest. From there, they’d been raiding passing caravans and locals.
The party set out in the morning to find the bandit camp and take care of them. They came upon a wrecked wagon and two dead bodies that were being eaten by three blink dogs. After taking out one blink dog Tenzor tried to calm the other two down. He was successful and brought them with the adventures.
Moving into the woods the party found the ruins of a Panhra temple where it seems that the bandits had been camping. They also found the nest of a baby Basilisk. The party quickly took care of the Basilisk and found stairs leading down to a lower level of the temple.
Junebug, Lucky Nimble Fingers, Codam, Grayscale, Tetsuo, and Tenzor went down to the lower level of the temple to see if they could find the bandits. Down there they found food storage and a camp inside the temple.
After taking care of six stone skeletons that were at the camp the party found a part of the temple that was blocked off. So, after moving the crates that blocked the hallway, the adventurers found the main temple area where the Alpha Basilisk was living. After making a plan the party took care of the Alpha Basilisk and cleared out the rest of the temple.
Upon leaving the underground part of the temple Junebug, The party found the bandits were waiting for them to take them out after clearing out the temple for them. The party convinced some of the bandits to come and be new guards for the Lord Hajime and they took the deal. The bandit captain left.
Everyone gets: 550 XP
Rhiannon: Add 975 XP
Dave: Add 1075 XP
This is to get everyone to 4th level
The party decided to go and see if they could find out why the village of Woostone was not supplying the crops for the region as they used to.
Junebug, Lucky Nimble Fingers, Codam, Tetsuo and Tenzor traveled to Woostone. They were able to find out from the village elder that bandits had been coming to the town and taking their rice crops and they were going to come back after the next full moon to take more rice crops. Also, that the bandits and their captain Kesi Vale were staying at the keep south of town. The adventurers tried to find a way to take a fishing boat down the river to the keep but no one was willing to take them to the bandits setting up fortifications on the river. The village elder let the party take his boat and they set out to the keep.
The party set out down the river to the keep until they were near the fortifications and look out on the river. The party took out the two bandits at the river look out and headed to the keep.
Junebug, Lucky Nimble Fingers, Codam, Tetsuo and Tenzo were able to set up a good plan to take out the bandits and their captain. And after a long battle the party were able to take care of the bandits.
Everyone gets: 1200 XP
Junebug, Lucky Nimble Fingers, Codam, and Tetsuo. Decided to check out the keep that was said to be haunted. After figuring out how to bust open the old rusted doors the party headed into the Fortress of Endless Night. Once inside they found four animated samurai warriors and took care of them.
After deciding to take a small rest they ventured on. The party investigated all of the old fortress and cleared out everything that was inside. The Fortress of Endless Night is now clear and the party can now make the keep their own.
Everyone gets: 2650 XP
Grayscale and Tetsuo set out to head back to Misho after everyone had cleared out the Fortress of Endless Night. Once they arrived in Misho the village lord wanted to meet with them and ask for a favor. He asked if they could investigate people going missing in the town of Wayford.
In Wayford they found a town merchant that was turned into a Zombie with a porcelain mask on just standing in the merchant district. It was that someone called the Oni was taking people and turning them into Zombies. After some investigation they found an old warehouse on the outskirts of town with more masks and plans to cause chaos through the city. After taking care of the Monsters there they found a map that showed where the Oni was using the sewer under the town of Wayford.
They went into the sewer and comforted the Oni who was The Joker. After a quick battle The Joker’s body disappeared. They reported back to Ichiro, the Guard Captain.
The next day Grayscale and Tetsuo decided to check out the temple of Air which was close to the town of Wayford. After passing some trials they learned that the temple was the home of the air Monks but they were slaughtered by the emperor army for not going with the status quo. After this the Monks ascended to Air Elementals and have been recording the history of the land. Also, a large elder Air Elemental is what caused the storm that brought the party here.
Everyone gets: 2925 XP
While Grayscale and Tetsuo were taking care of the Joker, Junebug was researching old tales about The Dirt Man. All Junebug was able to find out was an old tale about a mountain that appears near a village one day and then in five days the entire village is gone.
When they were leaving the town of Wayford they noticed to the south there was a mountain that was not there before. So they headed south to the village of Ajiro. Once there Junebug went to talk to the town elder to find out more about the story of The Dirt Man. She learned that in order to not be taken by The Dirt Man you must put dirt under your pillow when you sleep. So Junebug and Tetsuo went house to house to tell everyone in town to put dirt under their pillows.
Meanwhile Tenzor went to check out the new mountain to see if there was anything strange about it. I found a cave leading into the mountain and waited for the rest of the party to check it out.
When all of the party was together they went into the mountain to find the lair of The Dirt Man.
Everyone gets: 1000 XP
Junebug, Grayscale, Tetsuo, and Tenzor took a long rest just outside of The Dirt Man’s lair and then went back into the cave to find The Dirt Man.
They cleared out the tunnel with the assassin vines and made their way back to the blocked tunnel. After some investigation Junebug started punching the stone that was different from everything else which engorged everyone to follow suit. The party learned that it was an Earth Elemental blocking their way.
Everyone kept going and found the lair of The Dirt Man and three more Ogre Zombies. The party found that The Dirt Man had a dwarf cleric that he was draining the essence of.
The party took care of The Dirt Man and with the dwarf cleric in two everyone was able to escape the lair of The Dirt Man. The adventures learn the dwarf cleric name was Throwein Hobjeck and that he had been in the lair of The Dirt Man for some time. Throwein learned that he was now in Japan and nowhere near his home.
After a great feast from the village and some rest the party made their way back to the Fortress of Endless Night. And, then to the City of Pain. Once in the City of Pain they found five Wererats Cultists bullying the town elder.
Everyone gets: 3320 XP
Junebug, Codam, Grayscale, Tetsuo, and Throwein had just taken care of five Wererats Cultists that were bullying the town elder. The town elder told the party that the cult had been there for some time and were taking people out of the town. Also, going to many different places in the town and spreading their dark blood magic.
The first place the group went to check out was The Shrine of the Winds. Once there they saw a human fighter, that did not look like he was from this town, hanging from a tree slowly bleeding out. As the party approached the fighter they were attacked by three shadow demons. The group were able to take out the shadow demons and freed the fighter. They learn that the fighter’s name is Bishop Windmill and he, like them, was summoned to this land from somewhere else and now has no way to get home.
Next the party went to the Bloodspeakers camp and took out all of the cultists and zombies that were at the camp. They now had a new fighter Bishop to help them in their fight.
The last place the party went to was The Crypt. After battling two blood elementals the party found the prophecy of Iuchiban and that he had returned.
Everyone gets: 2300 XP
After the party was checking to see if everyone was safe in the village after driving off The Bloodspeakers, an old farmer came up to Tetsuo and told him that his family was taken by The Bloodspeakers to the Shadowlands. He was pleading with Tetsuo to save his family. Tetsuo talked to the party and everyone agreed to take a fishing boat over to the village of Yamashiro in the Shadowlands.
During the boat ride the entire party fell asleep no matter how hard they tried to stay awake. While asleep everyone had a vision from Kaito Tsukikage, a powerful Onmyoji of the seven items needed to clear the darkness over the Shadowlands. In the vision Throwein was the person who could interact in the dream but the entire party could see the dream.
After the vision everyone unboarded the boat near the town Yamashiro. In town they found three Hags with a clear sphere floating in front of them. Morga the Crone, Sivra the Seer, and Grelda the Bone-Crafter the three Hag sisters told the party that they would tell them where to find the family that was taken if everyone in the would give them a pinky finger (or any other body part of their choosing). The party decided to destroy the Hags rather than give up a pinky finger. Once the Hags were taken care of Greyscale looked into the glass sphere and saw where the family was in the Shadowlands.
The party started making their way to where the family was located and ran into more trouble on the way.
Everyone gets: 3245 XP
The party—Junebug, Grayscale, Tetsuo, and Tenzor—successfully located the family held prisoner. After a fierce battle, they defeated the Archmage, the Joker, and their minions, freeing the captives. They returned the family safely to the Village of Pain, where the grateful father expressed his heartfelt thanks. In honor of their bravery, the town elder hosted a grand feast to celebrate the party’s triumph. During the festivities, Tetsuo negotiated with the elder, securing an agreement for the village to join the Crane Clan. The elder promptly sent word to the Lion Clan in Misho about the alliance.
After resting at the Fortress of Endless Night, the party resumed their journey to the Shadowlands, determined to find the Bowl of Blood.
Everyone gets: 9,125 XP
The party—Junebug, Tetsuo, and Tenzor—enter the ominous Crypt of Shadows in their search for the legendary Bowl of Blood. At the crypt’s entrance, they encounter two towering Stone Golems standing guard, their stony gazes unyielding and their massive forms ready to strike. After a hard-fought battle, the party shatters the golems, clearing their path forward.
Venturing deeper into the crypt’s dark corridors, the adventurers come across unsettling sights: skeletal remains scattered along the ground, some still clutching the weapons used in their final moments. Haunting inscriptions on the walls suggest that these unfortunate souls took their own lives to escape a greater horror within. As the shadows press closer and the atmosphere grows heavier, the party steels themselves, knowing the Bowl of Blood awaits somewhere in the crypt’s deepest, darkest reaches. With danger lurking at every turn, they press on, determined to locate the artifact and unlock its secrets.
Everyone gets: 3,208 XP
Junebug, Lucky Nimble Fingers, Codam, Tetsuo, and Bishop continued their exploration of the Crypt of Shadows. After navigating a series of darkened corridors, they encountered what appeared to be a dead end. However, after careful searching, Codam discovered a hidden lever cleverly concealed in the stone wall, revealing the path to The Labyrinth of Blood.
Upon entering the twisting labyrinth, the party found themselves surrounded by walls pulsating with a sickly, living blood magic. As they pressed on, Lucky worked to dispel the magic, weakening the blood’s grasp on the walls. Then, Codam and Lucky searched for a faster route out, chipping at sections of the wall to gauge for hidden paths. While Lucky and Codam investigated, Junebug, Tetsuo, and Bishop were able to find the exit.
Finally, the party emerged from the maze and encountered their true objective: the Bowl of Blood. It was fiercely guarded by a half-dead necromancer, flanked by several zombies and two monstrous blood elementals. In the heat of battle, Lucky managed to transform the necromancer into a mouse, allowing the rest of the party to eliminate the remaining zombies and blood elementals.
With the area secure, the party examined the Bowl of Blood, only to find two eerie messages inscribed in dark, dried blood on the wall nearby:
“Seek not in the sun, nor under moon’s gaze,
But where mist and silence weave through the haze.
Where cedars watch with ancient might,
A silver pool holds twilight’s light.
Reflect upon the water still,
There lies the glass, by shadow’s will.”
Long ago, In the village of Morinomura the villagers said that at dusk, when the mist thickens, the pond near the old cedar grove reveals its secrets. But beware: only those who come alone and in silence can see the Mirror’s glimmer.
With this new clue, the party ventured south toward the village of Morinomura, prepared to face whatever mysteries awaited them next.
Everyone gets: 1,680 XP