Session X: Landfall

As the weight of the events in the arena settle around you, the immense responsibility is now upon your shoulders.

Two Azimuths working together, the Alabaster Jaguar and Slate Terrapin are bound by the responcibility to do what is right. With dusk beginning to settle. The time for action is fleeting. All parties within the arena know their duties and begin to head in the directions of their duty.

As a single unit, the eight of you head in the direction of Lóng Shénzhì. Known as an opiates tavern nearby to the arena, it is a sight to behold for any who have not yet witnessed it. A steel grate trapdoor opens to a series of soapstone stairs. These lead down to a large metal portcullis, horizontally placed and attached to the side of a cliff. Its edges are held up by chains that hang from the cliff's edge. While there are a few somber souls around minding their own business, two figures stand out to you as strong of character and call you over.

The Psychologist in his leather business suit - Dr. Phaire Ette, a hegnyokai in half form unabashed due to his new status regards you albeit with an air of superiority, your presence before him nothing but data, a mass of neurons for his study. His presence in any place is a force to be reckoned with as his near emotionless state and analytical methods give him unabashed calculations on how best to achieve his goals.

The second is well known in these parts, an elderly master of intoxicology and the owner of Lóng Shénzhì.she Madam Hua has been known to 'heal' many of their ailments by brewing alchemical cocktails that would lift the brain from its body. As if resetting the body and mind's connection and expanding synapses from their usual paths, she has helped many overcome trauma, poor habits, and birth conditions.

Together they are leaning over a series of flasks. some of them sealed, some of them open. The crips sea wind sways the floor beneath you and causes the visible fumes to sway gently as they rise. As you are welcomed over, they speak.

"Quickly, your mind cries out for expansion young souls~" The old woman motions to five seats in a circle low to the ground at a nearby table and she brings the open flasks to the table.

"Yes, I am eager to study your mental performance as you synchronise with my sanitorium." Drawing out a leather bound journal, Ett eagerly stands with firm posture expecting you to sit. "I will guide you through the process."

"Please, Imbibe the potions before you. allow them to infiltrate your brain."

** Have the players bring the concoction to their noses.**

As soon as the scent enters your nostrils, your perception of the world expands, your thought processes that you were confined to for so long and the mental pathways that have become highways become of equal standing.

** Have the players drink the concoction**

The natural things you know. Those you take for granted are no longer your first result. All things are possible and all the experimentation that has led you to the values your turn to in life are not rendered certain. Before you can realise it, your brain has rejected everything around you and your surroundings are void. You are seated cross legged in a black abyss. The disembodied voice of Dr. Ett cuts through the nothing and speaks directly into you.

"Stay with me as I guide you so that you can rouse from this coma. Close your eyes. Now imagine the depths of the ocean. The cold brine and pressure that traps the unknown horrors of the deep sea realm surrounds you. Without light, the laws life that you have come to know are not valid down here. Open your eyes, what do you see? What creature can you envisage?"

As your eyes open, as each of you speak, the creatures spoken of appear before you one by one floating in the darkness. Ett speaks once more. "Well done each of you. These are fascinating observations of the capabilities of the mind."

"Allow me to bring you back." The voice of Madam Hua is followed by the sharp salty taste of a refreshing concoction. It enters your mouth and has you shiver, the sensation of your body bringing it back to you. "The essense of the sea, reduced and purified down to its essence."

As you choke and splutter, reality is back with you.

Hours have passed and night is upon the area. All of the other patrons have gone home or have passed out for the night in booths.

Your view of the ocean is obscured, rising from the tides is a colossal sea leviathan. Its flesh has bioluminescent strips that glow with a raw ancient power. Its flesh reflects in the light pink moonlight, scales like giant crocodile leather. It is an abomination of the creatures you envisaged.

*** You can mount in its mouth***

The evening passes as you rest in the belly of the beast. The rest is uneasy as you know your compatriots fight above you. The roar of Brass Dragon King Anhedral

As the shore of the island comes into clearer view, you can hear it before you see it. Hundreds upon hundreds of leather canvassed drums all beating in quick succession. The sea breeze rotates mallets attached to wind mills again and again over the skin of the drums making a rhythmic beat. Each of the drums is timed so that a thick war beat is played perpetually.

Above the deafening chorus of stretched canvas, your eyes look to the skies and are met with the bolstering roar of Dragon King Anhedral and your allies in the skies. Although the war drums would aim to demoralise, you are not alone in your efforts. Seeming more powerful than anything you could gauge, an effigy of equal size erupts from the city before you. A manifestation of blood that outstretches its wings shoots up to meet the Dragon King in the sky. At first strike, the Blood Crane surges and with wings that catch the light holographic, its wings slice one of the Dragon King's clean off. Imbalanced, a dance of struggle commences in the air.

The wing plummets towards you. The creature you reside within looks directly at the skies. With moments to spare, it violently spits you out towards the shoreline. Looking back, the creature you arrived within shrieks, its skull pierced by the huge airborn bladed wing.

-

Within the shallows of the shore, the gravely mass holds fast beneath your toes all bound together by sea moss and reeds. Reasonably close to you, the entrance to a sewer around two feet wide is semi close to you. It exudes a green liquid that flows out into the bay.

Inside the sewer, long winding corridors with troughs full of sticky vile liquid fill the area. Finding your way around, eventually you come accross two figures, teenage oni maybe that are flogging the sense out of each other in a blind rage. A few younger oni watching hear the noise of you approaching and begin running.

Break them up?

Let them continue?

They will fight you if you don't.

Grume Roshambo turns up.

>"Split them up."

>"You don't belong here."

>"Why are you here?"

>"There is work to be done."

>"You will need to blend in. As preoccupied as everyone will be under the effets of bloodlust from Brakkas Zanzulu, going out onto the streets would be advisable only if you have a deathwish."

*** I rally the troops in groups to violent allusions

They ignore their bumps, lumps and bruises,

Bunions, contusions, bone fragment protrusions,

To keep you hidden in the street, I have no solutions.

Our King killed by humans would make my whole day.

But Making illusions is not my forte.

Just waking confusions to turn the mind grey.

Me faking Inclusions? I've only Foreplay.

Fresh baking delusions, you have your own ways.***

Administer disguises, people are short. Explanation of young inciters.

Take them to tavern

Oni are all around celebrating, comiserating and nursing themselves over hot brews. The aroma of what we players would know as coffee mixes with the heady aroma of strong spirit alcohol. Many fights are breaking out but this seems normal.

Grume speaks over the roudy noise while leading you to a table. "If you are you be among us, you shall drink like us. I will order us a bottle to share."

Sitting around a table with little objects on it, it's a curious sight. "You don't have Blood Dice where you come from do you? We may aswell enjoy ourselves, we're heading quickly towards what could be our final days alive. I'll teach you how to play."

Blood Dice

A set of seven dice is required for each player. If a dice is removed from the table by another dice either by play or knocking, it returns to the player's bag.

D20 - Emperor - Keep it alive

D12 - Priest - Heal damage as per shown on dice split evenly between at least two allied dice within 12" If only one allied dice is within range, the amount on the dice is reduced by a quarter and rounded up before being dealt to that dice.

D10 - Samurai - Deal damage equal to the number shown on the dice to one single dice within 10"

D10x - Monk - Heal a singular dice within 10" for the amount shown on the dice.

D8 - Messenger - Return up to as many allied dice as number shown within 8" back to pool including self. Must always return at least itself. If Emperor is recalled, it must be played immediately. This action does not count as a turn.

D6 - Brute - Deal damage equal to the number shown on the dice to all dice within 6"

D4 - Temple - Damage reduced to allied dice within 4" by number shown on dice.

An even number of players is required for a fair game of teams or all verse all is common.

All players roll their d20 to