Unbroken

Unbroken
Date	5/29/23
Storyteller	Doug
Tier	Trainee - Moderate-Hard
Player Characters	Maki, Zeal, Berta Stormhammer, Ishi, Chrysanthemum Lavandula Orchidaceae Delphinium Helianthus, Tuli Mrysky
Rewards	250 exp, 85 gold 80 silver, 3x oil of potency, Unbreakable Heart (Formula), Artisan's Tools (Blacksmithing)(Formula), Antler Arrows (Formula)
Result	Success
Author	Zeal

Log

The parameters for the expedition were anything but simple. No metal or the plants would die, which forced me to borrow a large sack from another associate to wear over my armor, as well as fully stow my equipment away before we entered. Entering wasn't particularly fun either, with a two day walk through an empty mine, followed by swimming through a pool full of black vegetation to reach a portal. The vegetation apparently attempts to drown you, but nobody was drowned, so I consider that our first success of the expedition.

After entering through the portal, we were dropped into the grove. From there we met with the Wise Kodama and a dryad, the latter of which offered us a hellish piece of black seaweed that crawled into our ears. It allowed us to understand the Kodamas, apparently by making us part plant for a short time. Extremely unpleasant technicality, but effective. The Dryad, wearing some sort of faux plate armor made from wood, did little else while the Kodama now explained the situation and led us to the other Kodamas. We were also given vine necklaces with a blue and pink flower on them, I'm still not sure what they were for.

After a rather dour conversation with The Strong, we took The Broken to a valley area to begin a restoration ritual. This ritual involved everyone locking hands around The Broken and entering its mind to face the nightmare that broke it. I will attempt to explain the resulting situations in following, but it will be generalized for both our sakes. If you only seek to know the enemy we now face, skip to the end.

The ritual was complete, Talia the Dryad and The Wise not following us through. Our vision was taken from us as we floated in a calm darkness, listening to The Broken speak for a time. In it, we learned its name was once The Courageous. It detailed how the ogres came, of bone and blood, from another portal. The Courageous had assembled the greatest army the grove could muster and set out for battle. It went on to describe how it felt no hatred toward the ogres at first, knowing it was in their nature to commit their torturous acts in the same way that a beast has to chew its food. These ogres seemed different, however. Driven to work with haste, no time to enjoy the act. What it was broke the Kodama's heart, even despite the hatred it felt. It was cruel intent that led these creatures, and the face of the act showed itself soon after. An Oni, ten feet tall and wearing a mask and sporting massive horns to mirror its long, thin blade. It had a massive mane of white hair, and its armor was exceptionally ornate. Its burning body denoted its fiendish origin if the mask left any doubt. From where we watched through the Kodama's eyes, this Oni looked particularly massive, though given the situation it can be assumed some of its more striking details were exaggerated.

The scenario changed to a burning forest, screams all about us matched by joyous laughter. Aku, the name the Oni provided, mocked The Courageous before telling them to run. We could feel it through the Kodama's form, there was no convincing this creature to stop. One particular part it spoke stood out most importantly. "I am Aku, I am here to welcome you back home. You can't outrun what you've left behind." We later learned that this was because the Oni come from the same land the Kodamas had left behind a long time ago, though I'm certain there's a deeper history there we have yet to uncover.

Once The Courageous began running, this was where our part came in. All six of us found ourselves in the body of a Kodama, running from the Oni in some sort of heavily industrial layout. The goal was simply to escape, as The Broken had once done. Chrysanthemum was the first to fall, and I was cornered soon after and found myself beheaded. From what I heard later, Ishi was successfully able to hide from the Oni until the doors opened, allowing him to escape. Once this was over, we found ourselves back in the valley where The Wise began to summarize the next step. We had to physically stop bad memories from reaching him and ensure a handful of good ones did. It sounded simple enough, until a vision of Aku joined the fray and began attacking us during it. Even when he was defeated, he soon after mustered back and began his assault once more. Aside from Aku, some of the bad memories had an explosive tendency, but we managed to accomplish our goal regardless. The Courageous was restored, and the three now sought out the full support of the city in the coming offensive against the ogres. The group was able to convince The Courageous that Maki was not in league with the other Oni, and with the aid of a portal now placed at the entrance to the mines, we were able to return without further trouble.

IMPORTANT: In combining the knowledge of our combat with Aku's vision and later insight from Maki, we have been able to compile an effective report on the enemy forces, most notably their leader. Aku is a high-ranking Oni from a clan mostly frequently known as "Will Breakers", who seek torture more so than victory. They are exceptionally cruel, and well feared even among the other Oni. Death is preferred to capture. Aku's army is in the hundreds, mostly comprised of ogres, but there is a high likelihood of other Oni presence among their forces due to Aku's high standing in his clan. No sightings of Oni so far, outside of The Courageous's encounter with Aku. This army comes from portals deep in the forest, likely highly guarded. Aku himself moves exceptionally fast when he wishes to, able to dash across large areas and cut a swath through it, leaving behind a spiritual sword. These spiritual swords mimic his swings, allowing him to strike at anyone near them no matter the distance. They disappear if pulled out, though there seems to be a test of will to pulling it from the ground. He can also make very wide swipes with his sword, striking multiple people at the same time. His reactions are of note, striking out at anyone that tries to flee. Everything he attacks is also marred with fire, and I fear this is only a glimpse of his true power. This was a vision of what The Courageous had seen, not the full truth of the matter. I firmly believe only our most combat-capable associates should consider engaging Aku if seen.