The Tale of The Bonsai, And The Fall of The Five Storms

The forest seemed to stretch on forever, a sea of green in every direction with game trails and tiny paths glimpsed one moment, and then gone. The sun barely penetrated the dense canopy, and the only sound for miles had been the whisper of the wind through the branches, and the occasional scurry of small animals in the undergrowth.

"Are you... sure... this is the way we're supposed to go?" Gog asked. His face was ruddy, and sweat ran from his brow. He armed it off, leaning on his spear as if it were a walking stick rather than a weapon. He'd only been a halfling for a few months, and the erstwhile goblin was still getting used to many of the changes that had come with his new body.

The creature at the front of the party stopped, and looked back. A huge figure covered in black armor, even it couldn't hide what lurked beneath. Behind the samurai's mask were glowing, golden eyes, and the hands that rested on his weapons were huge, gnarled implements of battle. His nails were thick and black as the rest of his pebbled skin, and there were too many fingers on the oni-spawn's hands. Rather than answer, Nisshoka pointed. Through the trees less than a stone's throw away was a wooden arch, its red paint faded and worn with time.

"That's the Forest of Spirits?" Rei asked. The kitsune was having trouble holding onto her borrowed face, the features changing every time she blinked or turned her head. She swallowed nervously, touching her tongue to her bottom lip. "Do we wait here? Or send a messenger? Or-?"

Before she could list more options, Fang took the lead. She was short and slender, but the thunderhead on her face and the katana at her side made it clear she had run out of patience for dithering, particularly when their goal was within sight. Nisshoka matched his pace to hers, his head swiveling as he sought to find danger before danger found them for once. Rei blew out a breath, and patted Gog on the back.

"Looks like they're going to need us," she said.

"They'd better," Gog grumbled, beating aside the tall grass with his spear. "Do kami eat? I'm starving!"

They had gone no more than two dozen steps past the arch when the forest all around them filled with wind. It seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once. Fang had her blade half out of its scabbard when her bodyguard touched her arm, and shook his head. He rested his hand on the hilt of his own sword, but made no move to draw it. Fang frowned, and followed his lead.

Out of the gale, a figure manifested. Wreathed in white, with a thick, pale mane and eyes those shone, the gate guardian gripped a spear that glowed with power. The wind did not vanish, but it seemed to draw back slightly as the kami examined those who had entered its realm.

"I know you," it said after a long moment as it stared down at Nisshoka. Its mouth didn't move, but its words were carried on the wind. The guardian shifted its grip on its weapon, and frowned. "Did you find the charge you were given?"

Again, Nisshoka didn't speak. He simply nodded his head. The kami nodded, and shifted its gaze to Fang.

"You would speak with the others, princess?" It asked.

"Yes," Fang said, nodding. Nisshoka raised two fingers on his sword hand, and she added. "Please. It is a matter of some urgency."

"The council will be the judge of that."

The guardian departed, bursting into a hundred different streams of wind as it fled into the forest to seek the powerful kami who controlled this domain. The wind departed, and the trees stilled. After a long moment, the sounds of the forest returned.

"Now what do we do?" Gog asked, his hand still tightly gripping his spear.

Rather than answering, Nisshoka simply knelt. The oni spawn settled his weight on his heels, planted his palms on his thighs, and assumed a position of patience. Fang threw herself down nearby, attempting to assume a similar air of waiting. Rei shrugged, and sat, opening up her pack. Letting out a breath, Gog plopped himself on the soft grass, and accepted a sandwich when Rei handed it to him.

As the daylight began to fade, the true denizens of the forest began to emerge. At first they saw only the small spirits emerging from the boles of trees, sitting on branches and staring down curiously at the newcomers. Then others came from deeper in the forest. A white tiger who appeared to be made of smoke and light, its burning eyes regarding Nisshoka for a long moment before it stretched out beneath a tall tree. A woman with skin like bark and hair like vines who smelled of roses joined them. The great kami came, each more unusual than the last, until they sat in a semi-circle before those who sought their audience. Last was the guardian, who settled into his place. He nodded, giving their guests permission to speak. Fang glanced at Nisshoka, and he gave an infinitesimal nod. That was when she stood, and addressed the kami.

Fang was not a princess by birth, and she had not been raised among diplomats and courtiers. She was a fighter from a small town who'd faced down death more often than she had a negotiation, and she'd fallen into her role as an imperial princess by accident and chance. With that said, however, she acquitted herself well. She told the kami of their journey from Sandpoint, of the trials and tribulations they'd faced across the mountains, and of how the agents of the Five Storms had tried to assassinate them at every turn. And she asked with all the dignity she could muster that the kami would let them enter the fortress in the Forest of Spirits so they might uncover the truth of what the oni lords were planning, how to stop them, and how to tumble the so-called Jade Regent off the throne so that the imperial line could once more take its rightful place.

The great kami spoke in the whispers of the wind, the rumble of the earth, and the soft shush of the sky. They shared conference with one another in voices none who still occupied mortal flesh could understand. Finally, all went still, and a decision was reached. The guardian of the gate floated forward, and planted the butt of his spear in the earth.

"You will be allowed passage to the prison of the oni," the kami intoned. "Once there, you must ascertain the whereabouts of the Five Storms, and do all you can to prepare yourselves to face them. We cannot aid you in this endeavor, but we shall not stand in your way. If you wish to reclaim the heart and soul of this nation, then you will need to fight for it."

Nisshoka lowered his head in respect. Fang bowed. Rei clasped her hands and lowered her head. Even Gog touched a hand to his forehead in a gesture of deference. The great spirits left all at once, vanishing deeper into the forest. The kodamas went soon after, leaving the companions in a dimness lit only by the stars. They were just about to begin making their plans when a tiny spirit approached. He was old and stooped, walking with a tiny root cane and wearing what looked like a hat made from a mushroom cap. His eyes glowed dimly, and his beard and mustache were long and gray. There was a weariness to him, but something else as well... a hope that seemed fragile as glass.

"Please, princess, I would beg a boon of you if I might?" the tiny kami asked, his voice so soft it could scarcely be heard.

"What would you have of us, grandfather?" Fang asked.

"Many years ago, when the fortress was sealed, my tree was locked inside it." He swallowed hard, readjusting his knobby hands on his walking stick. "We kami are not allowed to enter that place so long as even one oni resides there. I know my little bonsai is still in there, somewhere. It has been so long, but I can feel it struggling on... would you please bring it back to me?"

Nisshoka turned slowly, still on his knees. He had to lower his face even further to come even with the tiny spirit. When he spoke, his voice seemed to rumble out of the depths of his body; a growling, rasping noise like a sword being rubbed with chainmail.

"If your tree is there, grandfather, we will find it," he said, drawing two inches of steel and touching his fingers to the blade. He held the bloody digits up, sealing the vow. "And we will let nothing stand in our way."

Gods Above... What Do They Want!?

The halls of the fortress that had held the Five Storms reeked with the scent of carnage. Blood gathered in pools, and the bodies of those who had stood before the onrushing force of the princess and her companions littered the halls. Doors once thought proof against battering rams lay in pieces, neatly bisected by Nisshoka's adamantine blade Shadow's Song. Nothing had stopped their advance, and those warriors who could make their own decisions were scattering, hiding in the shadows and fleeing to higher ground so as not to become part of the tide of death.

"What is it you want?" one of the oni's lieutenants asked in a soft, calming voice. They held up empty hands, showing they meant no harm. "My mistress is not unreasonable. She recognizes your strength, and wishes no further loss to her forces. Make your request, and you will find her most agreeable, I can assure you."

"Do you have the bonsai?" Gog asked.

The lieutenant's brows drew together, and a frown creased their face. They blinked, as if trying to be sure they'd heard properly. "I don't-"

They may have had more to say, but before they could finish, Gog raised his crossbow and fired. The bolt sailed past the hanging webs, burying itself in the creature's shoulder with a heavy, meaty sound.

"This one doesn't have it either," Gog grumbled, pulling on the string to reset his weapon.

"No matter," Nisshoka snarled, the blade in his hand burst into flames, parting the clinging webs as if they were little more than gossamer. "We will find it."

A Lesson To Be Learned

This little tale briefly sums up my group's run through the 4th book in the Jade Regent adventure path Forest of Spirits. A problem we'd been running into, though, was that the overarching plot of the campaign (returning to the nation of Minkai, defeating the great oni known as the Five Storms, and toppling their puppet ruler the Jade Regent) was sort of falling by the wayside. The group on the whole was having trouble really feeling the epic side of things, and players were frequently forgetting where we were, what we were supposed to be doing, or why we were supposed to be doing it.

Then came this tiny little kami to save the day, and become the most memorable part of this entire game for my group.

Because fighting the oni, discovering the intricacies of their plots, and locating the weakness in their plan to use a puppet governor was important... but that tiny little kami's request made this entire arc personal in a way that got everyone invested once again. It brought everything back into clear focus, giving us an NPC we quickly identified with, and putting our actions into immediate context. While there were bigger concerns overall, knowing that the bonsai could be harmed, and that it might be burned, broken, or trampled, was enough to push the party into a higher gear than they'd been in for some time. Enemies were given a single warning, and those who did not step from the path were cut from it. Once the bonsai was recovered, of course, it was kept and cared for tenderly for many years to come.

In fact, if one were to be given permission to enter the shrine of the Empress's Guardian, they would find the fearsome black armor worn by the princess's bodyguard in the years before he mysteriously vanished. And on a nearby table, as the centerpiece of its own, small shrine, rests the bonsai. Those who make small offerings to it, and who gently care for it, are said to be visited by the luck of the kami within, and that as long as the bonsai lives, so too will the true emperors reign.

Tune In Next Time on Table Talk!

As I said in my previous Table Talk installments, I'm trying something a little different with my stories going forward. I feel like this one had a good moral to it that Game Masters could take to heart, though!

For those who'd like even more Pathfinder content, consider checking out my current Hell's Rebels series, where the PCs are leading an active rebellion against the fascist reign of House Thrune as it cracks down on the city of Kintargo! Current installments include:

- Part One: Devil's Night

- Part Two: From The Ashes

- Part Three: The Raven's Nest

- Part Four: Circles in Salt

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- The Irregulars: My official contribution to the Pathfinder Tales, The Irregulars follows an Andoran unit as they throw a wrench into the gears of Molthune's war machine.

- Waking Dogs- A World Eaters Tale: For my fans of Warhammer 40K, this is a story I felt compelled to tell about one of the infamous World Eaters remembering who he once was. It was also dramatized by the channel A Vox in The Void, for those who enjoy audio renditions.

- Crier's Knife: My sword and sorcery novel, we follow Dirk Crier as he sets out to collect his wayward cousin from parts unknown. Dark tidings lie ahead, but those who stand in his way will learn why the mountain folk say only a dead man crosses a Crier.

- Marked Territory and Painted Cats: Join Leo as he gets roped into other people's problems on the mean streets of NYC. A Maine coon with a bad habit of getting curious, explore the world of street beasts in these nasty little noir mysteries!

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