Amidst the reunion, Böðvarr turned to Korloth with a solemn proposition. Guided by the wisdom of Odin, he sought to trade his reclaimed sword for Korloth's own. Recognizing the exchange as one of warrior to warrior, myth to myth, Korloth accepted, and the legendary blades changed hands before the giant bid them farewell.
Enik then commanded the party's attention, launching into a lecture on the ancient history of creation. He spoke of Anthraxus, known then as Abraxus, and his early experiments in creating animal races, with Sleestaks serving as the initial drafts. He recounted the tragic fate of the Saurials, purged by the Afanc for daring to wield arcane magic instead of serving as spiritual batteries. Most significantly, he revealed the nature of the Titan Ryūjin, forged from rare positive energy to create Dragons and the Animal Paragons. These beings, who turned their power inward rather than feeding the Afanc, were exterminated in Alluria, leaving only their descendants, the Seirei-Shō, on the elusive floating continent of Obojima in Mysterra.
During this exposition, Elyndra's sharp gaze detected fresh blood on Enik's claws. Under pressure, the Sleestak confessed to slaughtering two dozen of his primitive kin to harvest their souls for preservation in the Anubis Box. Though horrified by his methods, the party pragmatically extracted a promise for future consultation on such matters before continuing their mission.
To address the unique nature of Ryūjin, whose soul remained intact but trapped in an eternal dream, Enik enacted a daring plan. He needed a diplomat to navigate the Titan's subconscious and coax him awake, a task for which he selected Akemi. Cannibalizing the local Pylon's matrix, Enik stripped it of its glowing Fourth-Dimensional Nodes and arranged them in a circle around the Kitsune. As the crystals hummed, folding reality, Enik warned that Akemi must journey alone to avoid tearing the dream's fabric. With a final instruction to "wake the dragon," Akemi dissolved into a white mist, transcending the physical realm to begin her negotiation in the dreamscape, leaving the rest of the Feinting GOATs to handle the physical husk.
The depletion of local crystals for Akemi's ritual necessitated a journey to a distant Pylon. The two-day trek led them through a canyon infested with Araumycos, which dampened arcane magic and heightened danger. Here, they were ambushed by Krugel Orcs mounted on dinosaurs. The Orc leader, Chief "Iron-Shell," proved a formidable tank, adopting a total defensive stance to absorb damage, while his Wranglers targeted Bao Bao with lassos, attempting to drag the healer away and kill her. The Wranglers also dropped dynamite as they rode, causing several explosions and an avalanche. During the chaos, Enik chose not to participate, using his crystals to surround himself in a sanctuary-like force field that made enemies ignore him. Despite the chaos, the party prevailed, with Korloth claiming the Chief's head with his new blade. After the battle, Enik emerged to heal the wounded using his crystals, a process that accelerated natural regeneration.
Upon activating the Pylon, they arrived at the outskirts of Obojima. A Nokodama spirit barred entry to "Mankinds," identifying Korloth and Adrian as such (Elyndra had already taken the form of a Sleestak). Korloth assumed his Fire Elemental form, convincing the Nokodama he was a fire spirit, while Adrian posed as a Snake Spirit. Lenti and the Dodds were asked if they were there to take the test of adulthood. The mushroom also remarked that Cut-Cut must be a Mantis Spirit, there to reclaim honor for her people, and wished her luck.
Lenti played along, but the Nokodama proclaimed Lenti too complicated to enter, stating a Nokodama must strive for simplicity. However, Dodd qualified if the two combined into one coherent individual. Lenti and Dodd agreed, and Dodd's fused form entered. Inside, Dodd was greeted by a spirit offering The Golden Riddle: "To walk the path, you must first Open your Mind to the Heavens to receive the Benefit." By touching glowing symbols for Open, Mind, Heaven, and Benefit in the correct order in the shrine, Dodd concluded the riddle. He was granted "adulthood" and better spiritual understanding, gaining the ability to see glowing spiritual runes above those declared "adults" in Obojima.
After entering the town, they found that only adults were allowed to participate in most functions, including commerce. Elyndra stole what she thought was money, only to find the notes were vouchers for goods. She and Phillip enjoyed a massive platter of delicious noodles. Many locals stopped to gawk at Cut-Cut, noting that a Mantis Spirit hadn't been seen in generations and wishing her luck on her challenge against Daimyo Ōmukade. They learned the Daimyo was the only one capable of defeating Ryūjin.
However, to issue the challenge, one had to be an adult Animal Spirit. Dodd did not qualify (and was classified as a “nature spirit.” Fortunately, they found a large Panda Shrine. The guardian admitted Bao Bao, saying she was ready. Inside, a panda spirit gave her a bamboo puzzle box containing a spirit apple. Bao Bao solved the box and ate the apple, gaining the Avatar of the Panda form and the status of adulthood.
Not long after, a Cricket Spirit approached the party. He told Cut-Cut that while she could challenge the Daimyo with Bao Bao's blessing, it would be best to do so as an adult. He revealed the existence of an abandoned Mantis Shrine in the old quarter. Cut-Cut ventured in and was greeted by an ancient, incorporeal Mantis Spirit. The spirit recognized her alien nature immediately but offered a deal: training in a timeless spirit realm in exchange for being carried with her. Cut-Cut agreed, gaining the Way of the Mantis. Although he couldn't grant her true adulthood, he manifested a symbol above her to let her pass. Crucially, he informed her that the Daimyo’s weakness was human saliva. This led to a humorous moment where Cut-Cut asked Adrian to spit on her knuckles before the fight, causing much confusion.
Cut-Cut issued a verbal challenge to Daimyo Ōmukade, who appeared in a red whirlwind as a large centipede spirit. The Daimyo accepted and nearly killed Cut-Cut in the first round. She managed a few hits but would have fallen if not for Bao Bao's stealthy psionic healing. The Daimyo was visibly confused by her resilience and doubly shocked when the "human venom" set in, leading to his defeat. Being an immortal legend, he promised to reappear in the morning. The party was taken to his palace by centipede spirits, where they were treated like royalty, given food, sake, and soft beds.
At sunrise, the Daimyo appeared, declaring the Mantis people's honor restored. He owed Cut-Cut a favor and agreed to help defeat Ryūjin. The party ascended the mountain to confront the Dragon Titan, initiating a battle that would rage on two planes of existence simultaneously. On the physical plane, the combat was cataclysmic. Ryūjin’s husk unleashed a breath weapon of pure sonic force that shattered the very stones of the mountain, while his claws and tail struck with the weight of an avalanche. Enik, true to his nature, immediately encased himself in his sanctuary field, observing the chaos with clinical detachment while the Daimyo and the GOATs weathered the storm.
Realizing that brute force against a Titan would take much longer than they could endure, the party shifted tactics to target the beast's agility. Elyndra unleashed a potent Wracking Ray, stripping away the dragon's grace, while Korloth utilized his own magical arsenal to further sap the creature's Dexterity. It was a race against time as the Titan’s physical might threatened to overwhelm them, but the debilitating magic took hold. Slowly, the titanic movements grew sluggish, the deadly strikes lost their precision, and finally, the great beast froze, paralyzed not by damage, but by the total erosion of its ability to move.
At that precise moment, the air shimmered next to the immobilized husk. Akemi emerged from her meditative state, her mission in the Dream World complete. She had guided the soul to the surface just as the body was rendered helpless. Seizing the opportunity, the party opened the Anubis Box. A vortex of spiritual energy erupted, pulling the reunited essence of the Dragon Titan into the magic vessel. Enik, lowering his barrier, stepped forward and released the stored souls of the Sleestaks from his crystals, allowing them to follow Ryūjin into the safety of the box.
As the magical energies dissipated and the dust settled, the party turned to thank their ally, only to find empty air. Daimyo Ōmukade had mysteriously vanished, leaving no trace of his departure. Enik, finally making himself useful, moved among the battered victors. He utilized his crystals to initiate a slow, intricate healing procedure, accelerating their natural regeneration as the session drew to a close.
Note: The following writings are from the character's perspective and are often private to the character. They are not considered "in-game" knowledge to the other characters, and any in-character reference to this information would be considered meta-gaming.
Letter to Master Kagemitsu at Tengai-no-mori Monastery by Caylen Redden
Dear Master,
You are likely reading these letters on after the other, but it has been several days since I last wrote. After our battle with Grindill, we recuperated in Enik’s cave, and we awoke one morning to the sound footsteps – multiple individuals- approaching. Out of habit, we quickly roused and readied ourselves, but there was no danger. Instead, we were met with a most welcome sight: Enik, with our new friend Böðvarr Bjarki in tow, leading Lenti and the Dodds, restored to their fungal forms. Lenti told us a tale of passing through the Myconet and meeting with an ancient entity called Araumycos. The entity helped Lenti return to her true form and unlock some new abilities as she made her way to join us in Mysterra.
The GOATs’ reunion was not to last, however. Enik soon launched into another lecture, providing information about our next target, the titan Ryūjin. This dragon-titan would require a two-pronged attack, one to battle the body and one to persuade the soul, which remained intact but trapped in an eternal dream. For the latter task, Enik nominated Akemi, our party diplomat. She would have to travel alone to avoid damaging the dream’s fabric and losing the titan entirely. Akemi accepted the mission with typical kitsune grace, and we saw her off through the transportation pylon.
Although we must rely on Enik for assistance tracking titans and moving through Mysterra, we have been given reason for suspicion. During Enik’s lecture on Ryūjin, Elyndra noticed fresh blood under his claws. I foolishly assumed he had simply been out hunting, but fortunately others were more concerned and demanded an explanation. To our horror, Enik confessed to killing dozens of the primitive Sleestaks in order to place their souls into the Anubis Box. When we had agreed to take Sleestaks with us back to Alluria, we had expected to be transporting living beings, but Enik did not trust us to keep our word. We eventually reasoned that the end result should be essentially the same, and what was done was done, but we made it clear that we expect Enik to communicate with us going forward, and we will certainly be keeping a closer eye on him.
After sending Akemi on her solo mission, the rest of us were not able to use the same pylon, so our mission began with a trek across the desert to another one. At first I found it rather pleasant, thankful to spend time in a more agreeable climate, but as we began making our way through a steep-walled canyon, we ran into some trouble. Elyndra noticed it first; she had taken point on her flying carpet, but beyond a certain point, the carpet lost power and drifted to the canyon floor. Something in the area was suppressing magic. We continued on, but we were abruptly ambushed by a group of dinosaur-riding orcs. We attempted to negotiate so that we might pass peacefully, but the orcs would have none of it and we were forced to fight.
At first, Korloth and I took on their leader, but he adopted a strong defensive strategy that made it difficult for me to land any blows. I was, however, able to assist in bringing down his mount, and I gave Korloth what advantage I could by limiting the orc’s maneuverability. Across the battlefield, Bao Bao was in dire straights. The orcs, having identified her as our healer, attempted to drag her out of range and dispatch her. She went down once and was brought back by Loarkon with a pomegranate, but one of the riders still had a lasso on her and contiued pulling her away. I sent Kuu to assist, then left the orc chief to Korloth and joined the small group massing around Bao Bao. Finally, the tides turned when Korloth beheaded the chief, and we began picking off the remaining riders. Of course through all of this Enik did not participate; he simply encased himself in protective crystals and watched. He displayed no shame about it either, though he did provide some assistance with healing after the fact.
Although the battle was difficult, we did benefit from it in the end. Elyn claimed the chief’s huge dinosaur as an addition to her army of undead, and Adrian caught and tamed one of the smaller ones. Then we all had a fine meal and prepared several days’ worth of rations. We reached the pylon without further incident, and Enik took us to the floating continent of Obojima, land of the Seirei-Shō. On our way to the main settlement, we met a mushroom spirit, a Nokodama, guarding a shrine, and he barred our way, declaring that “mankinds” were not permitted in Obojima. Adrian, as a human, certainly qualified, and the Nokodama apparently considered Korloth close enough, but, thinking quickly, Korloth showed his elemental form, declaring himself a fire spirit, and Adrian used his affinity for Saa-Thoth to pass as a snake spirit. Elyn had already transformed into a duplicate of Enik, and the rest of us appeared spirit-like enough to be allowed. The Nokodama took a particular interest in me, greeting me as a mantis spirit, and mused that I must be attempting to reclaim my people’s honor. Although deception is not my strong point, I though it best to play along. Once the Nokodama was satisfied that there were no “mankinds” among us, we turned our attention to the shrine. Lenti was not allowed in because the Nokodama found her “too complicated,” but the Dodds, combined into one, were permitted. After completing a challenge, they emerged, and the Nokodama declared them to be an adult. This turned out to be fortunate, because we discovered that we needed an adult escort to conduct business in town.
As for the town, Master, I wish you could see it! It bore enough similarities to Mupalan to feel somewhat familiar, but the streets were filled all sorts of animal spirits and nature spirits going about their business. It felt like walking into some of my favorite old Mupalanese stories. I continued to attract attention, and we learned from curious but supportive locals that mantis spirits were thought to be extinct, since none had been seen in Obojima for some time, and this was due to their defeat by a centipede spirit, Daimyo Ōmukade. We also learned that the Daimyo had gained his position by being the only one able to defeat the dragon, Ryūjin. The locals expected me to challenge the daimyo for the mantis spirits’ honor, and that seemed a reasonable way to gather insight toward our goal of defeating the titan. Only an adult animal spirit could issue a challenge, and only the local definition of adulthood was accepted, but fortunately there were several shrines and temples where one might undergo the proper ritual. We found our way to a panda shrine, and Bao Bao easily passed the test within. She emerged as an official Obojima adult and with a new panda avatar form which will hopefully help protect her in future battles.
That done, we considered ourselves ready to issue a challenge, but we were approached by a cricket spirit whi suggested we wait. He explained that although it would be acceptable for me to issue a challenge with Bao Bao’s permission, it would be better if I were an adult myself. Although there were no longer any mantis spirits in Obojima, the cricket knew of an old, abandoned mantis shrine where perhaps I might still be able to undertake the adulthood ritual. I must admit, although I had been playing along with the locals’ assumptions for the sake of our mission, I had grown rather curious about the mysterious mantis spirits, so I wanted to visit the shrine for that reason, if nothing else. Imagine my surprise when I entered the shrine and was met by an incorporeal mantis spirit! (A spirit-spirit?) Now, Thri-kreen are frequently compared to mantises, but there are some notable differences, and this mantis spirit recognized immediately that I was not one of his kind. However, he was willing to accept a potential champion for his people and offered training in the way of the mantis in exchange for taking him along when I challenged the daimyo. He warned that the training would be arduous, but it could be completed in a timeless spirit realm, so it would not impede our overall mission. That was an opportunity I could not pass up, and it was thoroughly enlightening. I mentioned in my previous letter my desire to improve my mobility in battle, and as luck would have it, the mantis style pairs nicely with the maneuvers I was already practicing. If you would like, I will go through the forms with you next time I visit. That done, the mantis informed me that while he could not grant me true Obojima adulthood, he would remain with me for a time, manifesting as a symbol above me that would give me the appearance of adulthood to any observers. He also revealed one final, crucial secret: the daimyo’s weakness was human saliva, thus explaining why humans were not welcome. With my new training and knowledge, and with some assistance from Adrian to prepare my weapons, I was ready to issue my challenge.
Much as Korloth had done with Böðvarr Bjarki, I called Daimyo Ōmukade out by name, and he soon appeared. He presented a fearsome image, heavily armored and with an excessive number of limbs, many clutching katanas. His disdain was obvious and very nearly justified. After accepting the challenge he struck first, and nearly killed me then and there, but somehow, I remained on my feet. Knowing I would likely have just once chance, I struck with everything I had. I think he was taken aback a bit by my ferocity, but unfortunately it was not enough to bring him down. I thought for certain then he would finish me, and we were both surprised when he completed his second attack. I was gravely wounded, but miraculously still alive. The daimyo’s surprise doubled when he felt the effect of the human saliva. He admitted defeat, but as an immortal legend, promised to return in the morning. Victorious, the GOATs and our new cricket friend were taken to the daimyo’s palace by his servants, where we enjoyed refreshments and well-deserved rest.
As promised, in the morning, Daimyo Ōmukade reappeared. He declared that the honor or the mantis spirits had been restored and that he owed me a favor. Of course, I asked for assistance defeating Ryūjin, so the daimyo traveled with us to the titan’s mountaintop home. Somewhat wiser after our battle with Grindill, we knew that it would be best to keep some distance from the titan, if possible, and that it would be best to avoid a drawn-out fight. If it came down to brute force, Ryūjin was likely more than a match for us, so Elyn and Echo used spells to reduce his dexterity. Korloth, along with his usual mighty blows, also utilized magic to weaken the titan. The healers kept us all going while the rest of us chipped away at Ryūjin until he was finally immobilized. With the body defeated, Akemi reappeared, returned from her mission with the titan’s dream. We opened the Anubis Box, and body and soul of Ryūjin were reunited and drawn inside. Enik, until now having been once again simply observing within his crystal barrier, released the Sleestak souls he had captured, and they too were drawn into the box. Daimyo Ōmukade disappeared, leaving us to travel back down the mountain without him.
I hope that we will spend a little more time in Obojima – I think Akemi would appreciate a chance to visit a kitsune shrine, at least – but I know we cannot linger long. We still have five titans ahead of us. Who knows, Master, perhaps there will be another chance to visit someday.
Yours,Cut-Cut
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Elyndra's Journal by Syd McVay
I wasn’t writing to Tom anymore, so I wrote to
my future self instead. I was too worn out to pretend otherwise. Maybe
someone down the line would read these entries and understand how I
ended up like this. By then I was a rogue‑necromancer with a shaky
moral compass, and the Feinting GOATs were the only people who still
treated me with respect.
My undead companions felt like family too, which said a lot. I had two
undead reindeer with riders, a fire‑bone dragon, a swarm of skeletons
and spirits, Echo the ghoul, and a mummy. I controlled them, but I
cared about them, and losing one always hit harder than I wanted it
to.
After the North Pole mess—where I created some of those reindeer—we
got thrown through portals I still didn’t understand and landed in
Mysterra. That’s where we met Enik, who had terrible manners but knew
what we needed to know. He understood the portals and how to find the
Titans’ spirits. Our mission suddenly involved fighting for cultures
and communities long ignored. We rested and tried not to worry about
Lenti, who had gone off alone.
Enik’s cave became our temporary shelter. While the Sleestaks worked,
Böðvarr Bjarki showed up with Lenti and the Dodds, alive again thanks
to Mysterra. Lenti especially looked renewed, which fit the Myconet
prophecy. Then Emil gave us the long history lesson—Anthraxus, the
Saurials, Ryūjin, the extinction of Dragons and Animal Paragons, and
the Seirei‑Shō hiding on Obojima.
During all that, I noticed blood on Enik’s claws. After some pushing,
he admitted he’d killed many of his own kind so their souls could be
stored with the Titans. We weren’t thrilled, and we made him promise
to communicate better.
I watched him set up his plan to reach Ryūjin, whose soul was trapped
in an endless dream. He said we needed someone who could reach the
Titan’s subconscious, and he chose Akemi. He tore apart the local
Pylon, set the Nodes around her, and told her she had to go alone.
Then she dissolved into white mist and disappeared into the
dreamscape, leaving us to guard Ryūjin’s body.
Because he drained the crystals, we had to travel to a distant Pylon.
The canyon we crossed suppressed our magic, and that’s where the
Krugel Orcs ambushed us on dinosaurs. Their chief, Iron‑Shell, tanked
everything, and the Wranglers tried to lasso Bao Bao while throwing
dynamite. Enik hid inside a crystal barrier the whole time while we
fought through explosions and an avalanche. We still won—Korloth took
the chief’s head—and only then did Enik come out to heal us with his
crystals.
When we activated the Pylon and ended up on the edge of Obojima, a
Nokodama spirit immediately blocked us because it said “Mankinds”
weren’t allowed. It pointed at Korloth and Adrian, so Korloth turned
into a Fire Elemental and Adrian pretended to be a Snake Spirit. Lenti
and the Dodds got asked about some adulthood test, and the spirit
decided Cut‑Cut was a Mantis Spirit and wished her luck. Lenti tried
to play along, but the spirit said Lenti was too complicated. Dodd
only qualified if they fused, so they did, and the fused Dodd went in.
Inside, Dodd solved a simple riddle by touching the symbols in the
right order and got declared an adult, plus the ability to see runes
over other adults.
Inside the town, we learned adults were the only ones allowed to do
most things, including buying anything. Elyndra stole what she thought
was money, but it was just vouchers, and she and Phillip used them to
eat noodles. People stared at Cut‑Cut because no one had seen a Mantis
Spirit in generations, and they wished her luck against Daimyo
Ōmukade, who was apparently the only one strong enough to beat Ryūjin.
To challenge him, you had to be an adult Animal Spirit, and Dodd
didn’t count. We found a Panda Shrine, and the guardian let Bao Bao
in. She solved a bamboo puzzle box, ate a spirit apple, and that gave
her adulthood and the Panda Avatar. I was just trying to keep up with
all of it.
Of course, Not long after, a Cricket Spirit showed up and told Cut‑Cut
she could challenge the Daimyo with Bao Bao’s blessing, but it would
be better if she did it as an adult. He mentioned an abandoned Mantis
Shrine, so Cut‑Cut went in, met an ancient Mantis Spirit, and agreed
to carry him in exchange for training. She got the Way of the Mantis
out of it, plus a symbol over her head so she could pass as an adult.
He also mentioned the Daimyo’s weakness was human saliva, which is how
I ended up watching Cut‑Cut ask Adrian to spit on her knuckles. I was
too tired to question any of it.
Cut Cut challenged Daimyo Ōmukade, and he arrived in a red whirlwind
as a giant centipede spirit. He nearly killed her immediately, and she
only stayed standing because Bao Bao healed her quietly. The Daimyo
was confused, then even more confused when the “human venom” kicked in
and he lost. Since he was immortal, he promised to come back in the
morning. His centipede spirits took us to his palace, fed us, gave us
sake, and put us in soft beds, which honestly felt like the first good
thing that had happened in a while.
At sunrise he reappeared, announced the Mantis people’s honor
restored, and agreed to help us defeat Ryūjin. So we climbed the
mountain and started a fight that hit both the physical world and the
dream world at once. Ryūjin’s husk blasted the mountain apart with
sonic breath and hit like a landslide, while Enik immediately hid in
his sanctuary field and watched. The Daimyo and the rest of us had to
deal with the actual danger while he stood there doing nothing useful.
We realized brute force wasn’t going to work, so we focused on slowing
the Titan down. I unleashed a Wracking Ray, Korloth added more magic,
and eventually the dragon stopped moving. Right then Akemi appeared,
done with her dream‑world mission, and we opened the Anubis Box. The
Titan’s soul was pulled inside, and Enik finally lowered his barrier
to release the Sleestak souls so they could follow. When the dust
settled, the Daimyo was gone without a word, and Enik wandered around
healing us with his crystals. At that point, I was too exhausted to
care about anything except that it was finally over.