Overview

Santokumaru recalls the words of the dance-battling glass tiles; there is either some powerful magic or force at work here, that binds the unwary in slumber. His senses feel unclouded for now, but he wonders how long that will last. As Vesper begins brewing some tea so they might keep their wits about them, Santokumaru begins exploring the room. He deftly tries to obtain as much information about their immediate area as possible, without directly disturbing any elements of the scenery; this requires an extremely light touch, a great deal of dexterity, and a lot of using his knife block delicately to investigate and explore without personally touching anything. "This all feels like a trap, waiting to spring and cut our wakefulness in twain," Santokumaru comments to both of his allies, in a hushed voice.

Vesper watches the Honyaki Style happen. Then Knorkus joins in the windmills. Then the stained glass gans do as well, wooping and hollering, the two groups rotating around the eye of the storm that is knivesman and wizard. Light is reflected and refracted everywhere, a maelstrom of colors. All of them come back out of it at once, posing. "You're fire, Fresh Samurai." The leader of the Blues tosses Santokumaru the key, all stained glass people nodding to a rhythm, still holding their poses. "Go get our boys." "And show them sleep fellas they ain't so hot," the Reds add, clinky finger-snapping returning. Both sides seem happy to let someone else do the work. Knorkus, wearing different shades on his hat and thus making him someone else entirely, clearly, goes "Ho-ho-ho, this is my kind of problem-solving!" Flawless disguise, no one will ever be the wiser. So as the group lets the stained glass people get back to their dance battles, the group unlocks the door, and they reach the source of the troops' fear, a most dreadful place. Sage Knorkus'es tower 5F Guest dormitory Most notably, the floor plan of what you would expect of a functional building is not present, instead presenting them with what looks like a tangle of orderly bedrooms and various similarly cozy places of relaxation. It is also unusually quiet, and lacking in flames. But it is comfortably warm, and child-friendly images like moons and stars are projected on the blue walls. Some of the beds and couches are occupied, such as seeing a tome glowing with heat snoring away half-covered by a blanket, bookmark flapping whenever the tome closes. "Hmmm, this isn't how I made it last time, how did this happen?" Knorkus combs through his long beard with his fingers while doing twisting motions with his legs. So this leaves two questions: where are the stairs up, and what were the stained glass gang so afraid of?

Another floor another bizzare scene, truely the study of the arcane arts lead to some perculiar domiciles. Vesper was relieved that his employer didn't seem to lean so hard in to this particular eccentricity, it would at the very least add more hurdles to his day to day responsibilites, nevermind what it would do to poor Brie. This was all hypothetical of course and he swept the thoughts from his mind like dishes from the dinner table and focused on the matter at hand. There was unfortunately not much that he could offer to assist in this particular situation. For all the myriad skills the Elysium Academy of Culinary Excellence had imparted on him, for every situation and task he had mentally prepared himself to handle it was simply a fact that while they could move with elegance and grace neither butlers nor elves were inclined to dance. It was simply unbecoming. "Lord Santokumaru speaks the truth." Vesper chimed in, hoping that his stately presence might add some weight to his words "It would be our pleasure to take care of whatever problem avails you beyond the door if you would simply be so kind as to unbar our path." INS+WLP

Once again, Santokumaru finds himself face to face with an experience that defies all manner of reason or sanity. And once again, Santokumaru will have to learn to flow with the energies of this bizarre and whimsical place if he is to recover the tomatoes and save Blanche. There is only one thing to be done for it. In order to continue their progress up... ...Santokumaru will have to get down. "Word, my Crimson Comrades and my Cobalt Compatriots," Santokumaru says, in a clumsy salutation. The music stops with a record scratch, as the glass tiles all turn to face Santokumaru after his incredibly awkward start to negotiations. How can I have already erred, when I have yet to say anything of value? Santokumaru wonders to himself. He turns to his teammate Vesper, hoping for some kind of inspiration. Sir Vesper never changes who he is; he merely adapts his skills to the situation at hand, Santokumaru realizes. There is never any putting on of airs, or false faces with the tremendously skilled butler. He always finds some way to cleanly cut the situation into pieces that he can analyze and address, and then proceeds from there. Then that is what I must do to salvage this. "...ahem, allow me to start again," Santokumaru says, bowing as he always does. He already feels more confident. "Esteemed sirs of either faction, it would seem your discussion has reached a sort of gridlock. All sides wish for progress, and yet your foe from upstairs would make it impossible. Luckily, we come bearing the remedy to your ills." With a swing of his ice-enchanted blade, Santokumaru creates a thin carpet of magical frost along the dance floor, which he uses to enter the area with a move entitled the "moonwalk" from Honyaki dance festivals. The move was named after a folktale, about a clever potato spirit who learned to walk on the surface of the moon. After moonwalking to directly between the two sides, Santokumaru executes a number of slick dance moves, as he drops his rhyming haiku. ~ We're the antidote To your awful fuss; look out, The treatment is us! ~ Santokumaru's windmill slows down, as he slides into a dramatic pose. "We will face this soporific foe, if you do not dare. We merely wish to assist."

Your approach first draws a bit of alarm, what with fleshy beings approaching and them not being on fire, but any initial mistrust is soon dispersed by Santokumaru declaring their archenemy defeated at their hands, followed by executing frozen remnants of the cheese wheel in front of them. And the elven butler offering it to them to eat, along with wine. This group of suddenly appearing mercenaries is hardcore! "But... the rappeling..." The small molten silver golem seems almost a little dejected, despite the news having their archenemy having been vanquished. It consoles itself with offered cheese ribbons. "¡Victoria!" The chandelier maid shouts, once again thrusting a fist in the air. "I can hear the scars of the dairy traitor's arsenal in your vocabulary. You've all done good work today, soldiers, and- Wait, do I know you?" The plate armor looks to Sage Knorkus. Who is just standing there, knuckles touching behind his back, shades placed on the brim of his hat (which is still pulled over his eyes), and currently not dancing, I repeat, not dancing. "I'm Pocus. Hoho." he says. You practically don't recognize the wizard. "Nevermind then. Good job, soldiers! Move on up and see if any more traitors have started guerilla warfare against us while we're planning our advance." "So there is probably a lot of cheese, so just to be safe, we could rappel-" "We'll rekindle the hearts and minds of our captive allies in the kitchen to fight back against the dairy oppressors!" The animated object squad seems to wipe the board and begin a new gameplan. You are free to move on up to the next level and thus Sage Knorkus'es tower 4F Lounge and dance floor The next floor seems to be a big recreational area, one part being a lounge of various couches, easy chairs, and loungers, with various drinks available (though a lot of them are currently boiling or on fire). Another part is a stage of burning instruments playing animated jazz. And finally, there is a big dance floor, with two parties facing each other in what looks like a combination of football teams and gangs consisting of burning colored glass tiles. One side is apparently higher in rank and blue (with blue flames), the other tinged in red and more red flames. Both sides have burning "shades". And there is rhythmic, tinking "finger" "snapping" as both groups are opposite each other, and circling each other. "Ya gonna go up there 'n' get more of our boys as reinforcements, ya know what I'm sayin'?" Five of the blue faction put their "hands" in their opposite "armpits" and nod in synchronicity. One of the red faction steps forward smoothly with rolling shoulders. "Them sleep fellas are crazy, I tell ya, man. Ain't no way to siege up the place if we all end up lyin' down whether we want to or not. Y'all go up there if you wanna." Five of the red ones lean forward, hand on a knee, and shake their heads in sync. Both sides are at an impasse. The party sees a key to the distant door up on the hip of the blue leader.

Another room and another bizzare situation but the Elysium Academy of Culinary Excellence taught their students to be prepared for the unexpected, the lot of a butler was to be a stalwart island of calm and dignity no matter what happened to be going on around them. Santokumaru had taken the lead, putting his best foot forward with the strange creatures of the war room and that was an example that Vesper was more than happy to follow. Who knows, maybe this whole thing could be solved peacefully? He doubted it but hope springs eternal. Letting his companion dazzle the generals (?) with a display of swordsmanship, Vesper simply stepped forward and introduce himself with a crisp bow. "Vesper Douceur at your service my lords. I'm sure we can come to some sort equitable arrangement no? Perhaps a drink before we begin negotiations?" Could these things consume liquid? Would they even want to given their construction? Who can say but when he straightened up again Vesper was holding a trio of wine glasses nontheless. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks, how could he have been so blind? Simply offering up drinks on their own wouldn't do and after Lord Santokumaru had so generously contributed... Luckily there was still time to fix this grevious oversight and the butlers free hand shot out to capture the ribbons of cheese as they fell around them and arranging them tastefully on a wooden board. "And of course hors d'oeuvres." That could have been dicey. Shmoozing (WILL+WILL)

Santokumaru's left eyelid twitches, involuntarily. Ever since he's stepped foot in this tower, nothing has made the slightest bit of sense. Santokumaru traditionally perceives his problems as uncut ingredients, awaiting the perfect slice so they might join a recipe in poetic harmony. But between furniture stampedes, a wizard who dances as his tower burns, oceans of molten cheese, and now this whimsical war room, he's having a hard time parsing these events with his usual stoic resolve. The irreverent looniness of it all is beginning to unhinge him, to the point where he considers using the chandeliers as makeshift platforms to bypass this new cast of characters entirely. Yet, at the same time... a thought gnaws at him. Did he not treat his kobold foes in the forest with the utmost dignity and respect? Do these constructs before him not deserve the same courtesy, simply because they are wrought of strange, chaotic magic beyond his understanding? They are just as worthy of the best qualities of himself as any other person he could meet. And we have common ground, Santokumaru realizes; we have all had enough of the cheese. "Well met, Keepers of the Dining Hall," Santokumaru says, making himself known to the squabbling constructs, with a bow. "It is my understanding, from what little I have heard, that the cheese wheel is no ally of your... coalition." "In that case, I come bearing auspicious tidings. For we too ran afoul of the wheel's..." Santokumaru searches for a phrase, hoping to match the constructs' intensity. "...dark machinations. But we persevered, amidst many a dreadful cheddar, er, counterattack, and for our efforts, we were justly rewarded." Santokumaru shows them Yanagiba, its frosted edge caked in hunks of frozen cheese. With a powerful swing, he flicks the fragments off of the blade and into the air. He immediately follows this with a hurricane of slashes, causing paper-thin ribbons of shredded cheese to waft downwards like yellow-orange cherry blossoms, drifting idly in a gentle breeze. Somewhere in the distance, a bamboo flute plays a sorrowful tune. ~ Cheese petals bring dreams Of autumn. Like the leaves, I Will drift home, someday. ~ "The cheese wheel has been dispatched, and we would be forever in your debt if you could tell us what else you know of the tower's situation."

Yellowed ice blossoms like petals of previously unheard of cheese flowers in Santokumaru's wake, precise slashes even making them sprout from the pot, dislodging the giant cheese wheel with thuds that make the tower quake. There also briefly was a thin ice layer around the pot, and with all that rapidly heating up, the pot half slides, half explodes off the stove. Cheese flow sealed! As Sage Knorkus prances across the islands of furniture ("Very dandy!" a funky stool goes), Vesper examines the impromptu barricade. His all in all brief period of cleaning up Lord Reuben's mansion (or, at the very least, keep it from escalating in several ways, despite his and Brie's master not being present) has granted the elven gentleman butler a keen eye for precarious balances and singular points holding nigh incomprehensible constructs of happenstance together. Steeled in such ways, a single blow to an innocuous bucket is enough to have have all the stuck furniture and its surrounding cheese half tumble, half flow out into the kitchen. So swift and precise were Vesper's motion that his shoes even rid themselves of any cheese and oils in the process, once again being spotless. Having made very good time, our heroes and their sliding wizard companion race up to Sage Knorkus'es tower 3F Dining Floor They enter the dining hall. Or halls. Or rooms. Really, not only is the room perpetually shifting around the edges, at times looking like a cozy nice kitchen, or a café table, or a hearty inn interior, or just prime laziness armchair central. The swaying chandeliers lit with primarily blue flames paint glittering light and colors across the whole hall. In the center lies the grand dining table, mostly unchanged from the shifting. They see three figures huddled around it. One knight's armor now filled with flame, also having melted the helmet into practically a bucket going over the eyes, and also having formed a flaming bushy military "beard". The armor is busy pointing with its burning sword at a smaller overturned tiled table put onto the dining one. The tiles have been drawn on like the plan for a coming battle. You can spot cheese, furniture, flames, and far too many lines and arrows and rectangles. "Operation Gatecrash Gouda backfired, we have been betrayed by our circular former ally. A minor setback, one we will overcome with grit, bravery, and overwhelming fire power!" the armor gruffly declares, sword tip tapping on what seems to be a drawing of the barricade they just did away with. The second figure, what appears to be a small golem made of (currently) molten silverware, nods in agreement (little droplets of silver flying off), and is also drawign silvery lines on the battle plan. "But we need to be smart about this. Smarter than that cheese! They must never see us coming. Perhaps rappel down and break through the windows and fight behind enemy lines. It will be that wheel's last surprise!" Finally, a chandelier assembled into a made outfit with a beret out of blue flame puts a foot on the dining table. "Si, our cause is the will our people, camaradas! We will rally the troops and overthrow this quesadillian regime. ¡Venceremos!" A glittering fist is raised in the air. The planning session on how to overcome this dastardly traitor barricade appears to be ongoing. OOC Because you made it through the second floor to successfully and thus quickly, the possible encounter on the third floor is still busy doing other things. You are pretty free in regards to how you would like to interact with or circumvent this. Use their distraction and the shifting surrounding environments (or even the underside of the table or the chandeliers) to sneak by, disguise or trick them, do the fighto fighto, become part of the strategy meeting and join the liberating revolution against this tower etc.

Entering the kitchen, Vesper looked down at the squelching mass beneath their feet and rankled, this was going to be a chore to clean off his shoes later. As such he was more than happy to hop on to a stool and get out of the mess while Santokumaru started to clear a path through the chaos. "Your assistance is apprieciated as always Lord Santokumaru, allow me to return the favour." He had total faith in the swordsman's mastery of the blade so he turned his attention to the other problem at hand, the door was blocked and trying to brute force it wouldn't do, that was only a recipe for failure and getting more unsightly goop on his otherwise pristine uniform. No this was a task that required elegance and precision (yes Vesper thought every task required elegance and precision, shut up), much like the seating plan at an orcish wedding reception it would only take a single disruption to send the blockage collapsing in to disarray and he was going to find it. Find the Weak Point (INS+INS)

Truly, a culinary calamity. But if there's one kind of situation Santokumaru knows how to deal with, it's food situations. It only calls for the proper knife and the proper cut, he thinks to himself, as he unsheathes Yanagiba once more and recites his battle haiku. The fish on the blade frolic, while a cloud of silvery mist envelops the frozen steel. Of course, there's far too much molten cheese to freeze all at once, but by solidifying a path to the stove, perhaps one of his companions can take advantage to render further aid. "Comrades!" Santokumaru cries, as he digs Yanagiba into molten cheese close by. "I will try to keep this burrata... er, barrage at bay! A fetapath -- ergh -- a footpath to follow, if it might help!" He flicks the blade upwards in a series of uppercut figure-eights, prompting waves of magical frost to course through the cheesy mess. The sheer volume of cheese saps the magic's energy quickly, but Santokumaru is still managing to congeal a gouda-sized, er, good-sized zone of cheese, buying the party some time and providing a modest stepping stone to other parts of the kitchen.

"OhohooOOOoohoho!" Sage Knorkus appears to have a grand ol' time, flapping behind Santokumaru, occasionally spinning in the air as positions are changed during transit. The Voice of Authority speaks and for this particular scrambling inventory, it is akin to a magic spell, like when mothers call for their children using their full names. The stream quiets and slows down a little in response, while Santokumaru and his sagely luggage land beyond. The party thus enters: Sage Knorkus'es tower 2F A kitchen space! One can even spot the stairs up on the far end. End this time, you do not need to dodge through a stream of panicking furniture, oh no. Well, there is panicking furniture, given blue flame is blazing around the windows and from glowing pipes leading up through the ceiling. Indeed, it is quite hot in this place, as one might imagine, but the floor isn't lava. It is molten cheese instead, so it may as well be lava, with stools, tables, chairs, and the odd armchair stuck in it. The culprit for this catastrophe is a large pot glowing from the Cobalt Heirloom flames, and stuck on top of it is the biggest cheese wheel you have ever seen in person (there are bigger ones; Vesper, due to his extensive education, is, of course, familiar with siege cheeses, just as Santokumaru knows the ancient rite of Cleaving the Monumental Cheese, one of the ultimate swordsman tests). "Hmm, how did you get down here and up there?" The wizard wonders at the dairy, rubbing his thoroughly bearded chin, while making twisting motions in place. The party can see suspicious places where pieces of the floor, ceiling, and walls have been crushed in a little, and they seem to match a big wheel going at speed. The cheese stream still flows, and now that Vesper has stepped into the room, the stove gets even more nervous, and thus hotter, ever so slightly speeding the process up. Worse, the doorway has been clogged with cheese-glued furniture (also in the process of trying to free itself). OOC You made it up to the second floor in decent time, now the next Labour of the Chefs of the Round awaits: getting to the door and unclogging the way up. And optionally averting the cheesepocalypse. Once again, you are free to pick your approach and make a check you feel is appropriate against DL 10. You are not limited to one thing, you can make this your approach for dealing with the room's problems as a whole. You also have anything feasibly available in a fantasy kitchen at your disposal (but no free capital I Ingredients). Due to the most minor failure on Vesper's part, if you wish to deal with the cheese fountain situation, the check is DL 11 instead.

"Not at all Si-" Vesper hadn't been expecting a sudden wave of panicked décor rushing towards them but that didn't mean he wasn't prepared for it, training to be the gentleman's gentleman for an employer like Lord Reuben had left him with contingencies for all sorts of eccentric situations. So it was that Vesper Douceur cleared his throat and demanded a return to some semblance of order. "All of you cease this rabble immediately!" He really didn't like to raise his voice but sometimes it was the only way to get your point over to a particularly flustered crockpot. Stern Butler Vibes (WILL+WILL)

Santokumaru is awestruck, by the prospect of someone who can reconstruct and remodel their tower on a whim. He's heard the Honyaki tales of powerful onmyoji and great sorcerers, but he's never had the occasion to meet one in person. He wonders if he'll have the chance to ask him if magic could be useful in attaining a perfect cut; for now, he needs to deal with the "emergency" at hand, even though Knorkus seems more amused by these events than anything else. As the great wave of furniture and kitchenware surges, Santokumaru grabs one of his carving blades' handles on pure reflex. But these enchanted objects don't seem wicked in intent, he realizes. Not to mention, it would be most dishonorable to mar the property of their new ally, even in a moment of need. He quickly seizes Knorkus as one might hold a dancing partner, and says "Forgive my grasp, Sir Knorkus, but I fear for your safety." With Knorkus in hand, Santokumaru springs at the walls beside the staircase in a gravity-defying series of spinning leaps, aerial cartwheels, and occasional scurrying along the surface of the wall itself; he silently hopes that Knorkus doesn't resent him for his sudden display of coarseness.

"Hohoho! Hoho. Ho." The spin slows down until the wizard faces you again. "That's a little troubling. I hope Anise hasn't murdered anyone responsible. She crushed minerals with her bare hands as a girl, and grip strength only goes up with age and training, I hear. Well then, let's go fetch some tomatoes, my dapper lads!" Sage Knorkus joined the party (as a guest, in his own tower)! The wizard turns around and begins jogging into his tower. If still moving in a rhythmic, sliding zig-zag. The inside is rustic and hewn from stone, with no shortages of additional pots and planters standing and hanging in several places. You wouldn't call this place, tidy, but there's a lot of shelves and nets for some sort of convenience present. Compared to Lord Reuben's mansion, the necessary work may as well be a light dusting. As they quickly move past the entrance cloakroom, a grand collection of gardening tools, supplies for shipping and unboxing and what have you, Knorkus says "Now, no need to be too delicate with my things, they are fairly rough and tumble. Awfully panicky, however, especially the tomes. Hmph, as if they haven't been through a couple fires, the dramatic lot! Oh, and if some shinies drop out of something that needed a good whack on the binding, eh, finder's keepers, hoho!" Ascending the first winding staircase, he explains "Now, the last time I put my tower back together, the stairs didn't end up on top of each other. I kept it, figured I could use the additional exercise, hoho! I hope you don't mind a little job to the-" The door at the top of the long stairs is opened and out pours a wave of scrambling furniture, decor, kitchenware and what have you, all in varying levels of panic and wildly talking over each other ("Fire! Fire! My finish!" "I'm too young to get bent out of shape!" "Where are we going guys?"). While this leaves Vesper mostly unaffected, given he is a true elven butler and currently within the perimeter of a domicile, the wave has caught Santokumaru and Sage Knorkus (the latter seemingly being more amused than anything). OOC Well then! Please give me a check of your choice against DL 10 to free Santokumaru and Knorkus from the Tide of Inventory however you like, or otherwise keep them from getting swept back out of the tower. Narrative-wise, Vesper has basically no issue not getting swept up or accidentally hit by something. Such is the mastery of one Vesper Douceur.

"That's part of the problem, Sir Knorkus," Santokumaru confesses. "Due to unforeseen mishaps, the Granary is no longer as well stocked as they once were. We came here to seek your aid, and beseech you for whatever Cobalt Heirlooms you might be able to spare." "However, I fear that number is..." Santokumaru looks up at the tower, grimly. "...dwindling, is it not?"

"Those dragons and their weakness for princesses. Poor girls and what they need to put up with." The wizard is facing you and his feet only seem to shake in place, yet he is moving from side to side! "It was hard not to hear him shout for the Stew of Tiamat and occasionally make his displeasure known with some additional rumblings. Luckily for you dapper lads, the Grand Granary should have plenty Cobalt Heirlooms. But it is nice you came by to visit an old man, hoho!" And now he spins in place around his own axis multiple times at great speed!

Vesper blinked. He blinked again. He removed his glasses and cleaned them off with a pocket square before looking again. That tower was most certainly on fire but the wizard didn't seem awfully bothered about it and mages tended to be a strange bunch at the best of times (he didn't consider anything he did as magic of course) so it probably wasn't something they had to worry about just yet. "Vesper Douceur at your service Sir." He introduced himself with a customary bow "It is those very tomatoes for which we have sought you out. The dragon Haxenspargilis holds Princess Blanche hostage and they may be the key to her freedom."

"Are you..." "I'm Sage Knorkus, yes." And the wizard. "Is that your..." "This is my tower, yes." He be dancing. "Oh yes, it's quite ablaze, young lad, but that's hardly unusual! Those tomatoes got all fired up when the big dragon showed up, hoho! Terrible timing, really, I was just making tea. So I'm passing the time while these temperamental berries get it out of their system, settle down into ash, and I remake my tower. It was time for redecorating anyway, hoho!" The wizard appears to be walking forward, but through some miracle of magic dance, he is indeed moving backwards! "So, did you swing by for some fresh herbs? Scarlettal Strawberries, perhaps? We could brew some tea on the" He checks. "second floor window flames."

Santokumaru thanks Barley for his advice and his onion, and continues on his way. Surely, the light shining from Sage Knorkus' tower was an omen of glory, triumph, and good fortune! ~ The light shining from the tower turned out to not be an omen of glory, triumph, and good fortune. For a moment, Santokumaru stands there frozen, speechless at what unfolds before him. He is about to run inside and attempt to quell the flames with the magic of Yanagiba, when he pauses. He finds himself strangely spellbound by the wizard's manner of dancing, and complete lack of concern. "Are you..." Santokumaru does a double take, with the tower. The wizard continues to dance. "Is that your..." He does another take, and freezes again as his brain momentarily shuts down and restarts. The wizard? Still dancing. This time, he bows before speaking. "Sir Wizard, is your tower not ablaze? Pardon my egregious lack of introduction, but I would aid you in all haste, if I may. How can I..." Who's still dancing? That's right. It's the wizard. "...render assistance?"

"Barley's the name! Oh, Sage's tower, eh? Haven't swung by for a while, but there's light going up there, so I guess he's fine. Just go down thataway," Barley points behind him, in the direction you were heading. "take the next right. Well, first road right, don't just go stomping off in the woods if you spot some dirt path, gotta make sure I don't send you folks traipsing around the wilderness. Old Knorkus put up signs the rest of the way, 'cause some people got lost on the way. Thanks again!" And with that, the farmer, his cart, and the wobbly onion tower continue their journey to Entrée. The party, meanwhile, heads in the opposite direction, finding the path they need to go on. And true to the words of Barley, they do eventually find the first sign once they reach the first intersection. By now, they are deep in the network of paths snaking their way through hills and ravines, though you can still glimpse the top of the tower most of the time. To Sage Knorkus' tower ➡️ And there is also a scribble of a bearded old man's head with a big wizard hat covering his eyes, and a hand helpfully pointing in the same direction as the arrow. Below the sign is another one: To somewhere else And below that a crooked addition: And mushrooms! A ways further, a similar situation, with a sign reading To the Tower of Sage Knorkus ↗️ and another scribble like the last one, but with a thumbs up instead. By the third intersection, there is another sign. Sage Knorkus' Tower ↙️↖️ as well as a peace handsign scribble saying "Have a drink!". There is a little water flowing down the side of a rock wall, pooling by the wayside and seemingly flowing off into the rock. But there is also a little booth under a pointed roof, wherein you find a kettle with herbal tea, and cups. If you take some of the tea, water from the little stream flows through the air, into the pointy booth roof, the whole thing rumbles for a moment, and water flies into the kettle to fill it up again. Fourth intersection of the increasingly mazelike network of paths: knorkus tower ↪️⤴️ and a more scruffy-looking scribble gesturing to come over. Fifth intersection: knork tow ⬆️↔️↖️➡️🔄⬆️ and the scribble is somewhere in the corner, looking scraggly and exhausted. As you brave the path, you also notice that the light at the top of the tower is flickering, and looking a little larger. Hm. Finally, you crest the final hill, and you reach Sage Knorkus' tower. Rough-hewn stone walls were put up around a large garden housing all sorts of peculiar produce, from red tigered watermelons to grapelike pineapples, and there are also multiple levels of tea fields, from the looks out it, housed in hanging gardens. A path leads to the grand tower proper, which looks even higher when standing in front of it than from afar, a grand edifice of ancient stone and covered in vines in interesting patterns. In the courtyard in front of the tower, you see the quintessential wizard, with a very large pointed and wide-brimmed green hat, a big bushy beard, the big robe green and brown morning robe, and fuzzy slippers. The wizard is in the process of dancing energetically, back and forth. Oh also, the top of the tower is on blue fire, and similarly colored flames are visible throughout several levels. Second Course: Cobalt Heirlooms, Tomatoes of the Siegemaster The old wizard notices you all, and adresses you with a jovial, clearly quite old, and somewhat quirky forest creature sounding voice: "Hey there, whippersnappers! What brings you here on this fine day?" He never ceases his dancing as he does so.

Vesper applauded politely as the icy statue of their vanquished foe shattered to the four winds like a garish centerpiece at a nouveau riche reception. "Your sword cuts as true as always Lord Santokumaru." He praised the swordsman before turning his attention to the onion farmer and offering him a deep bow, deftfully scooping up the Zenith off the ground as he did. "Think nothing of it Sir, I live to serve." With the pleasantries out of the way he straightened back up, taking the offered onion with a smile and storing it with the rest of his ingredients while he waited to see if the man had any knowledge of their destination.

With a flourish, Santokumaru unsheathes Yanagiba once more, and holds the tsuba to his brow as he mutters a new poem under his breath. ~ A wolf or a fish? Yanagiba cares not. With Frost, it carves its truth. ~ The crystalline, cracking sound of the weapon's enchanted cold gets quieter and quieter, until it fades to silence. Santokumaru gives the blade a couple of quick swings, and the ice crystals slide off and evaporate into nothing, before he spins Yanagiba and resheathes it with a metallic click. "I would be honored, sir farmer," Santokumaru replies, taking the onion with a bow. "You need not thank me, for I could not have stood idly by while injustice goes unminced. I would only ask you your name that I might carry it in my heart, and if you know anything of the tower that lies in the distance. That is our destination, and our information is limited."

Confused wolf noises as Santokumaru suddenly appears behind the departiewolf, who looks back at him with big eyes. Then in front again at the big freezy fish coming straight at- A storm of ice slashes encase the beast, and with a resounding howl, the ice sculpture shatters and dissolves into nothingness, scattering shining motes on the wind, along with falling leaves that were shaken loose from trees up on the ridges. PLATES CLEANED! Chefs of the Round Win! Having freed himself from the dastardly sabotage of his very own hat, the farmer whips around with his spear held the wrong way around, only to find no more wolf, but the stack of onions still intact. You also find 80 Zenith on the ground, fallen from the fur of the departiewolf and most assuredly ill-gotten by said wolf. "Thanks, you guys! You work quick! Wouldn't wanna know how big that beastie would've gotten with a mountain of Nix in its belly." He inspects his cart, the onions, and his donkeys, the latter of which were deeply focused on dandelions. "Critters getting real uppity with the big dragon around. Onion farms gotta hold 'em off every now and then, but mostly they just seem to fight among themselves real hard for some reason. Roads got real dicey out here. Rider that came out with the king's order for onion deliveries looked real beat. Anyway, can I offer you an onion in these trying times?" he says from up on his driver's bench, holding a nice, pristine Nix Chevalitas to each of you. OOC Every PC gains 40z. And also a snack. If Vesper wants to, he can add a Nix Chevalitas as a Sweet ingredient.

Santokumaru looks on in awe as Vesper pummels the departiewolf in midair with a peppering of polite punches. Having never had the chance to train in unarmed combat (how would one cut?), Santokumaru is impressed by the technique and pain tolerance that goes into striking an opponent with one's fists. He would have Vesper show him some combinations, at a later time. But for now: the departiewolf. As Santokumaru takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, he begins to perceive the departiewolf's form... differently. Beneath its pelt, he senses... scales? And there's a familiarity to its claws, the way the bones fit together, that evokes... "Yellowtail," he says, his eyes opening once more. "Do not take offense, O cunning wolf, but you remind me of an ingredient. And once that happens, all that is left--" Santokumaru spins Yanagiba again, and strikes a low stance. "--is to cut." "Five Harmonious Carving Blades!!" Suddenly, Santokumaru flickers in place, and vanishes. From where he stood, the image of an enormous, ghostly fish bolts towards the wolf, its speed unnatural. As it passes through the departiewolf, one can hear the sound of steel ringing, until the fish melts into the air, and Santokumaru reappears on the other side. "Yanagiba -- Hirazukuri!!" He resheathes his carving blade, and a frenzy of freezing slashes eclipses the wolf's form.

Serving 2 The departiewolf is starting to howl up a storm, semi-literally, gathering even greater power, the fruits of all its labor, steam rising from its mighty bo- The wolf finds itself airborne thanks to Santokumaru zipping past and a cutting frozen gale whipping it upwards. Looking utterly confused, icicles hang from its snout as much of its protective might just evaporates (semi-literally) as it is no longer warmed up. The next moment, Vesper pummels it in the air with a shining butlerian beatdown. Finally actually getting back down onto the ground, the shaking, sneezing beast is covered in bandages while trying to put the gameface back on. Apart from all the things undermining that, the jittery bark really doesn't help things. It seems to notice as well. Hence it, apparently, decides to save face by getting bitey. Meanwhile, the farmer has regained a sense of where up is, but he is caught in a spell of darkness (namely, his hat)! Serving 3 Serving 3 telegraphs Departiewolf: Scrambling after having spent way too much time on self-motivation, the wolf is baring its fangs, looking to melee attack Santokumaru. Initiative Chefs of the Round Departiewolf Chefs of the Round OOC Santokumaru casts Elemental Weapon (ice), and hits the Departiewolf's Cold weakness for 36 ice damage, putting it into Crisis. The Departiewolf casts Get Hyped!, gaining a +1 bonus to Accuracy Checks for the rest of the scene. Vesper hits the Departiewolf for 15 light damage. Vesper's Spell Mimic skill triggers! Vesper can choose to immediately learn the following monster spell (Species = Beast): Get Hyped!, 10 MP, Up to three creatures, Scene: Until the spell ends, each target gains a +1 bonus to Accuracy Checks.