Answers at the Summit [Silva]

Sir Kaida,

I must thank you for your assistance in locating the lost armour from the Hinamoto vault. I have informed the lord Hinamoto that they have been found - and lady Manami has granted permission that you may return them to the Hinamoto shrine atop Mount Raiji. She believes that you are worthy of this sacred task and sent help from the Hinamoto clan in ascending - and following the Yoryudou traditions in honour of the kami  who make Mount Raiji their home. I must thank you again on behalf of all my colleagues from the Hinomoto vault and wish you good luck in this endeavour.

Many thanks
Isshiki Sojirou

That is how Silva found himself below the snow-dusted ridges of Mount Raiji, faced with the first of many cherry-coloured torii gates. He would have been guided here by a Hinamoto servant under Manami’s employ, left beside the Yoryudou shrine which Kinan pilgrims frequented as the first stop on their journey up the sacred mountain. He could see Kinan citizens wearing all colours of loose-fitting robes, the variety of colour evidence that they hailed from different clans, but all prayed at the Yoryudou shrine regardless of their clan’s favoured sect.

    It was truly magnificent in size, this tawny shrine, able to accommodate dozens inside its oaken halls, whilst crowds in the hundreds milled about outside. Dragons were intertwined in a frieze above its open doors; and the panels displayed pastoral-scenes with lions preying upon bulls whilst monkeys pranced about hot springs. In fact, the entire shrine seemed a moving artwork; the dragons undulating in the sunlight with a swarming motion as if flying across the wooden doors.

    As he looked around, however, Silva would notice that someone familiar was admiring the Yoryudou shrine nearby. Dressed in mustard-coloured robes, unflattering with his fluorescent pink-red hair, was Yazai Koemon. Gesturing towards Silva, he would secretly communicate with the former assassin using a globally-recognised form of thieves cant: Are you the rat scrambling the encounter for a piece of scum? After a second or two, Koemon would cough a little, blushing redder than his hair, and repeat the message in thieves cantt: Are you the fat man crying out banter for a log of lumber? Hanging his head low, now evident that he had failed to pull off the message in thieves cant, Koemon would sidle up to Silva and discreetly whisper:

As he watched Silva strike his own pose, Koemon would look flustered for a moment, his cheeks blushing even darker in absolute embarassment, “Don’t you remember me?!” As if he had all but forgotten about his previous covertness, Koemon shouted back in frustration, “I’m the world-renowned thief who you took one of those sets of armour from!” Ignoring the dirty looks from the Yoryudou bystanders, Koemon would raise his hands in what seemed to be his signature pose, “Yes, that’s right! You know my name! So say it together with me!”


As he broadcast his name around the Yorudou shrine, Koemon received rounds of uncertain applause, with most onlookers assuming he was some sort of street-performer. As the applause died down, however, the Hinamoto guards began to look back and forth between Koemon and a poster pasted onto the shrine walls until…

“Hey, isn’t that the man on this wanted poster!” “Oh…” “I think you’re right!” “Damn…” “Then what’re you standing around for! Get him!”


Panic covering his face, Koemon would grab Silva’s sleeve and attempt to drag him past the cherry-coloured torii gate leading towards Mount Raiji’s summit, “Just follow me and I swear I’ll explain on the way! I mean, miss Manami put me up to this, you know? One thing she made clear though is that I can’t be caught else her reputation will be dragged through the mud. And believe me, if I get caught, I will be dragged through more than just mud!”

Voice wobbling with confusion when Silva picked him into his newly-muscled arms, Koemon could only manage a weak outburst in response at first, “What do you mean by you’re seventy?! I’m in my forties and you look much younger than me! How in Naraka’s hells could you be - ” He was quickly interrupted as several guards started to lob their spears at them in frustration, unable to catch up due to Silva’s immense and surprising speeds, “Kami be damned, I get that this is clearly not the time or place to question that! As long as you just keep running up those steps, and get away from those pesky guards, I’ll tell you everything I know. They sure as hell won’t be able to catch up with you at these speeds…”

“Umm, so what did you ask again? Oh, what miss Manami asked from me, right? Well, it was a bit of a confusing request, you see. I used to work as one of her spies in the other clans, stealing kami’s relics, clan-related regalia, magical tools and the like. Well, until lord Akihiko took over and laid off all us spies, except for the oiran, just so he could prove his friendship with the Big Six was the real deal. I was given a handsome pension, but old habits die hard. When I heard the Hinamoto vault had been broken, I just had to nosy on down and see what was inside. In retrospect, I should’ve guessed that Manami would’ve anticipated that. After you took the armour back from me, she sent a letter telling me that she knew I had taken one of the Hinamoto armours from the vault. If I didn’t help you rehouse the other armours, she’d send me to jail for everything I'd done. All that hassle just to get these armours up to the Hinamoto shrine at Raiji’s summit…”

Sighing as he looked towards snow-capped Mount Raiji, Koemon looked more impressed than scared as he recounted Manami's instructions, “She really is one scary woman...” Seeing that the Hinamoto guards had been left far behind, Koemon's voice had returned to its usual carefree tone, almost grinning as he whispered under his breath, “Guess you need a scary man to match up, eh?”

As he placed his coin inside the shrine’s donative bowl, Silva would hear the sound of faint applause echo from behind him, revealing a black-haired man with a khakkhara staff, “Kami are not oft enough respected in these modern times. That thou hast granted them coin without even knowing their names deserves thanks from myself and the Kannagara.” Watching how Silva would react closely, this man in priestly robes would place a slender finger on his chin and question, “Mine apologies, but hast I yet introduced myself?”

Frantically bowing his head, Koemon would look back and forth between Silva and this priest-like man with even more confusion than ever, “No apologies needed, reverend sir! Who hasn’t heard of you?!” “Thou need not bow thine head, dear Koemon. Thine words speak highly of my office, but this man mayhaps doth not know it. Mine name be Hirabayashi Kazuki, but thou wouldst best know me as the High Priest.” He would bow rigidly, offering his hand towards Silva, “Dost thou - no…” And then his tongue twisted, “Hath thou - not that…” And twisted even more, “Doth thou…” Until his tongue entirely unfurled…

“UGH, KAMI DAMMIT, WHY DO I HAFTA SPEAK LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME!”

“Umm…” “Are you alright, reverend sir?” “I’m pretty embarrassed that you guys had to witness that…” “No, not at all! Well, I mean, I say that. But uhh, what just happened?!” “Oh, lemme introduce myself again:”

“My name’s Hirabayashi Kazuki of the Hinamoto’s Kannagara sect. You might understand that better if I called myself the new ‘High Priest’, but that title’s got some bad vibes ever since the last one allied with the Red Lotus. And, you know, destroyed the Hinamoto vault. Sorry for that little outburst, I’m still adjusting to the new position. I took over the title cos the last guy was killed during the Red Lotus incident, so I’m now the one in charge of making sure that you’re able to get inside the old Hinamoto shrine, courtesy of lady Manami. I mean, technically it’s against the rules made by the Four Pillars for someone other than them to go inside the shrines at the peak of Mt Raiji, but I’m one of the Pillars, so I’ll just play that card if worse comes to worst. That sound good?” Whether they agreed or not, Kazuki would twirl his khakkhara staff like a showman and take the lead, moving out of the snow-dusted temple and further onwards, “Now then, if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where the shrines are! Any questions?”

“You’re right. Well, at the very least, those kami’ve been watching over me since I was born. It’s why I was chosen as the High Priest, you know.” As he followed behind Kazuki, Silva would spot another set of stone-cut steps within the snow, winding around the back of the dragon-ornament shrine. “Maybe it was the kami who sent you here too, huh?” With a knowing smile, Kazuki would walk ahead of Silva and Koemon, casting a near-inaudible spell through his khakkhara staff in order to illuminate the steps. It seemed that the light dusting of snow atop Mt Raiji was gradually becoming thicker and thicker, covering their footsteps after a few seconds. “Ain’t that’s a little weird? The forecast from the kami said it’d stay light. Well, I guess even their forecasts can sometimes be off, eh…”

While Kazuki muttered to himself, Koemon would consider Silva’s request with a long hmmmmmmm, “I don’t know if I can say yes to you yet. Not that I don’t want to join you, not at all! But, well,  I am still being blackmailed by miss Manami, you know.” Suddenly he crouched down, staring into snow-white skies with an intense expression as another hmmmmmmmmm came out until… “I suppose you could somehow get rid of all the dirt she has on me? Then I would be free to do whatever without fear of, well, one of the Big Six coming to put me in jail - or worse. Don’t get me wrong, I love miss Manami! Buuuuut she also has blackmailed me into dangerous situations about a dozen or so times over the past decade. On the other hand, being able to retire and teach? Well, that sounds like a sweet deal. I’m so tired of running around the country like a headless chicken. I just want to settle down somewhere…”

As soon as Koemon said that, Kazuki would hold out his hand to stop them, pointing towards some silhouettes looming over them from Mt Raiji’s peak, “We’re pretty much here. As you can see, those’re the two ancestral shrines of Kina’s founding fathers: On the left’s the burial-place for the Hanamo shogunate, known now as the Morihana. On the right’s the one for the Yamato, but theirs was pretty much taken over by the Hinamoto. Since you weren’t born here in Kina, you might not’ve heard about the Yamato, but they’re a staple of any Kinan bedtime story. They supposedly found the entire country back in the mythical past, and the Hinamoto have claimed their blood’s the same. Who knows, maybe it’s even true?” Looking behind them all shiftily, however, he would quickly correct himself, “Uhh, I mean, of course it’s true! Do you think they believed that? Ugh, nevermind, that’s not important! Just take this key here. It’ll get you through the front door, but you’ll have to figure out the rest.” With one more glance behind them all, Kazuki would hastily bow towards them before rushing back down to the dragon-ornament shrine.

“Uhh, why did the reverend Kobayashi suddenly ditch us like that? I gotta say, this really doesn’t leave a good feeling in my mouth… You absolutely sure we should continue?”

You can see the Yamato, or Hinamoto, shrine at the very peak of Mt Raiji. The snow has started falling heavily, obscuring any features on either the Hanamo or Yamato shrines, save the massive cherry-red doors which bar entrance. On the Yamato shrine is the distinct insignia of the Hinamoto clan; the lotus flower. It seems oddly familiar and unusual to see that this lotus is coloured crimson, unlike the black lotus which Akihiko usually associated with himself. Regardless, if you decide to use the key which Kazuki gave you, you can easily find the keyhole.

However, you will find the inside is completely bare, save the richly-decorated walls which shows a mythical scene which includes a dragon, a monkey, a bear, an ox, a lion, a deer and a horse all surrounded by lotus flowers. On the roof, you can see three lotuses, the first coloured red, the second green and the third orange. And, of course, a familiar riddle hangs on the wall:

"On their brows are sweat and blood
But splayed above their head,
The arcing crests like bronze half-moons
Shall wake the ancestral dead."

As he looked around the Hinamoto shrine, Silva would decide to position the three armours around the main hall according to the colour and animal related with them. Waiting for a few seconds, however, he could neither see nor hear any changes - save the snowstorm growing stronger atop Mt Raiji. As he wondered what to do, Koemon would begin knocking on the animal-decorated walls, pressing his ears against them, before he realised something massive,

When he poured magoi into the gold-inked trigrams, Silva would finally hear something click within the walls, with Koemon giving him a thumbs-up. That would soon turn into a thumbs-down, however, when a booming crack came from the ceiling. As the sound of cogs whirred audibly, the ceiling began to slowly lower itself onto their heads, “Did you pick the wrong order or something?!” As he looked around, Koemon began to panic and head towards the exit, just as they snapped closed onto him, “Kami dammit, how do we get out now. Ah, the lotuses are red, green, orange in that exact order! Do those colours mean anything to you?”

Silva could hear something rattle within the walls when he poured his magoi into the deer, monkey and lion decorated around the Hinamoto shrine, sounding like the machinery was changing direction. As they waited, however, the ceiling did not cease its descent, “You did it right, didn’t you?! Why isn’t anything happening? C’mon, kami gimme this one thing, I don’t wanna die yet!” As if his prayer had been granted, the wooden floor split open and revealed a hidden staircase branded with the Hinamoto lotus.

Koemon would hesitate from entering when familiar blue-tinged lights spilled forth, however, provoking memories of the Kambutsu festival in Silva. Even if it has been months since the Red Lotus incident, it would be difficult to forget the blue wire-like fibres which had encircled the staircase into the Hinamoto vault. And the same wire-like fibres which now twisted around the staircase into the Yamato sanctum like blue-eyed snakes. As he shuddered involuntarily, and watched Koemon do the same, Silva would have to make a split-second decision: Was it worth following these blue-coloured wires down into the Yamato sanctum?

If he decided that it was truly worth it, then Silva would descend the spiral staircase, feet crunching on bone-white steps. A blue energy coursed through the wires in the walls like blood running red through veins, humming gently as they flowed downwards into the depths below. However, as they descended deeper, the wires’ humming became faint whispers, You were supposed to keep your political leaders in line… I am here to request an audience with our king… Why must you people return to cause us more pain? As the voices melded together in Silva’s mind, becoming a vague hiss, he could hear a few conversations loud and clear, only able to focus on one of them before they all faded into a long hissssssss.

After what seemed like an eternity, Silva finally reached the bottom of this otherworldly staircase, now aware of conversations to which his ears would otherwise not be privy. But somehow he was greeted with a sight more strange and fantastical than anything he had seen in Kina. He had arrived inside another shrine, similar to the Hinamoto shrine above, but suspended above a massive chasm under Mt Raiji.

The Yamato Sanctum:

If he looked past the paper-thin windows, he could even see what looked like an underground city in the far-off distance, pagodas soaring towards the cavern ceiling like skyscrapers. Inside the shrine itself, identified as the Yamato sanctum through archaic Kinan script, was an ebony-black altar surrounded by a dozen or so sets of armour, each with an animal-like crest similar to those Silva bore. If he looked close enough, he would even notice that there was space for his three armours to be set down in order to finish the circle around this raised altar. And atop it lay his prize:

Yamato Jimmu's Armour:

As he descended, a few voices burrowed into Silva’s ears before he could shut them out,  “What are you saying? Do you mean that my daughter is still alive…” “War is brewing, and the Dakiniten will be the front-line…”

But soon, Silva found that he was able to tune into Kazuki’s alone, “It’s good to see you again, Kazuki.” “And you, reverend Jiryu.” “Please, no need to call me that anymore. I lost any right to the title ‘reverend’ when I left Kina.” “But you’re here again, aren’t ya! Why don’t you come on back to the Kannagara? I mean, gotta say we missed you badly, ‘specially after the High Priest up and died.” “Ah, and that is why I cannot come back. I returned here only with the High Priest dead, after leaving you all with him for years. I have no right to assume the title ‘reverend’, or even a position in the Kannagara, when I would not help you against him myself.” “But - ” “You are a more worthy High Priest than he or I could ever be, reverend Kazuki.”

The whispers faded into silence for a short while, before they soon hissed out another conversation between the same voices, “Did ya hear about the Nagatacho estate?” “I did indeed! I was surprised enough to hear that it was flying, much less still flying! Yes, quite the surprise, I must say.” “You’ll be more surprised to hear that it’s decided come to a stop in the Bodaze province!” “Is the Bodaze province not…” “Yeah, it’s the place where the High Priest had you raise that temple to Haage.” “Why would the Nagatacho estate alight over the place where I rose that Dungeon?”

---

As he placed the Hinamoto armours in their original places, Silva would notice that there were no tricks or traps, just a simple click as several locks around Yamato Jimmu’s armour were released. Before he examined further, however, Silva had decided to listen to the modified Origami Caller, which would sound out the following:


“I don’t know who’ll end up here, whether it’s you Manami or your paramour, but I’ve left this message because I know one of you will come. In case it turns out to be you Silva, let me introduce myself: This is the High Priest speaking! Well, if you’re being technical, I suppose I’d be the former High Priest. But anyways, you can call me Naran, since that’s the name I’ve taken now. Heh, never thought I’d have one of those for myself again!”

“So then, onto my point: I decided I’d leave one last message before leaving Kina for good. I wanted to tell you about the Hinamoto curse, or how I fabricated it. You might ask, ‘Why would you tell me that?’ If I’m honest, it’s just that I don’t like loose threads! I want to leave Kina with no strings attached, so I thought telling you might help with that.”

“Well then, why did I fabricate it? As you know, the Kannagara have maintained for generations that there is a curse on the Hinamoto’s children. All but the firstborn child are considered tainted, and must be handed away to the Kannagara. You lost your own children to this curse, Manami. Or rather, you lost your children to the High Priest in the name of this curse. But there was no curse; it was just an excuse. I acquired the Hinamoto’s children as test subjects. I needed to test my compatibility with them, so I might use them as potential vessels. You see, my body had grown old and weak, and in need of replacement. But what could be a better replacement than a Hinamoto child? At least, that was what I thought. Sadly, it turned out that none of them were compatible as vessels, neither yours nor your mother’s, so I turned to new test subjects. I realised that maybe I just needed to widen my scope, and brought in potential vessels from outside Kina. In fact, that’s how I received this body!”

“Oh, I think I’ve veered slightly off course here, haven’t I! So what did I want to say? Ah, yes, I remember. I wanted to tell you that it was never Sukune, Manami. You thought that your husband Sukune was the reason why your daughter had to be sent away? You feared that, since Akihiko was firstborn legitimately, Norahana would be sent away in the name of the curse. In fact, you even killed Sukune for that reason! Oops, spoiler alert for you, Silva! But no, it was always me. And you killed your husband for nothing.”

“Oof! Damn, was that good to get it all off my chest. Hmm, I don’t think I’ve anything else to say, do I? Nope, that’s pretty much it! Well then, if that’s it, I wish you all good health...”

Silva would pick up Jimmu’ armour without any complications, donning it as he stared into Kina’s subterranean wonders. Koemon would look out at the underground Naraka with narrowed eyes, however, his mouth shut tight unlike before. It seemed that he was not keen on discussing whatever lay below the Yamato shrine, even if Silva had asked, “We got what we came for, huh? Well, let’s get back to Manami before she tries to extend my punishment again.” Ushering him up the staircase, Koemon seemed to veer away from the blue-tinted wires, grimacing as he heard their whispers. Whatever he heard was evidently different from what Silva had, but Koemon would not give him time to question, busying himself once they reached the top by fixing the mechanism which had earlier closed the entrance.

Once they had emerged outside the Hinamoto shrine, Koemon would spirit him down Mount Raiji without a word. As they passed behind the Yoryudou shrine at the bottom, however, he would begin speaking again as if nothing had happened, his eccentricities on full display, “Soooo… Gotta get to Hakyu, right? But we’re in the middle of nowhere! Well, you might be surprised to know that…” Tapping the back of a dragon statue behind the Yoryudou shrine, it would slide away to reveal a secret staircase. “Yeah, there’s a ton of these everywhere around Kina. We don’t have many ideas why, and not all of them are even documented, but us Hinamoto spies used to use them all the time. Why am I telling you this? Uhhhhhhhhh… Well, to be honest, I really shouldn’t be…”

With a nervous gulp, Koemon would quickly shut up and just beckon for Silva to follow him down the staircase, which would promptly close itself. As they fumbled through the murky dark for a moment, Koemon would remember that he had a Heat talisman, conjuring a flame they could follow. Passing the time with idle chatter as they walked through the passages, Silva would soon spot an doorway which seemed suspiciously akin to the entrance into the Hinamoto palace. And, indeed, when opened, it led him and Koemon into the heart of Manami’s private court…

…where a Hinamoto attendant awaited them. Bowing towards them, she would guide them towards a spacious room, partitioned by a paper-latticed wall. As they approached a familiar voice greeted them from behind this wall, “Well done, Kaida. And you as well, Yazai. You have both done a great service for the Hinamoto in returning my ancestor’s armours to their shrine. I see, however, that you have taken one for yourself. Hehe, no need to look so worried, Kaida! I told the curator Isshiki Sojirou that it would be much safer with you. After all, nobody would expect Hinamot Manami to have given away the prized heirloom of the Hinamoto clan to some stable-owner, hmm? Do not worry, I am not saying that you are nothing more than a stable-owner. You have proven yourself exceptional in retrieving those armours. I expect great things from you, Kaida. And I look forwards to seeing you again.”