Balance Restored (RPG)

In the aftermath of his spiritually reinvigorating peregrination to the Congolian rainforest, the Esoteric Elitist's initial quest for isolation had culminated in an unanticipated encounter with a philanthropic goddess. Valorously aiding her in righteously avenging the demise of her followers while rescuing her spiritually adherent children, Ishin, embracing his tenderhearted inclination towards the goddess Lady Naamah, commenced a relationship of amorous romanticism with the celestial deity, accepting her as both lover and partner. Yet, still the Keijijo Prophet remained troubled, minor bouts with inner turmoil becoming a common recurrence since his resurrection.

A portion of him had been immaterially severed from his being. Memories of his estranged wife Fan had grown nonexistent, he harbored no recollection of her, convinced only of her existence by the insistence of his trusted clansmen. Though initially dismissing her relevance with venomous coldness, admittedly hurt at her apparent absence from his life, Ishin however, required closure. He needed his memories. They would answer all his questions. He would not seek her out nor welcome her with open arms, Fan had become but an instrument to his mental and spiritual alleviation.

Reisho Monastery

His ingress to the gelid landscape of the geographically isolated monastery was taciturn. The wooden base of his footwear crushed compiling mounts of snow as he footslogged forward, his physically perfect frame affluently adorned in Keijijo traditionalism. Sun rays were faint, obscured by the looming mass of pale clouds as frigid precipitation pelted his trekking form. Snow accumulating atop his shoulders, the phonically eerie whispers of hyperborean winds auricularly teasing him. The laborious terrain, the unwelcoming climate, the rousing metaphysical pressure as altitude escalates, none managed to deter the former Impero.

An hour had gone, and he had halted. The scintillating bronze-blue hue of his predatory eyes gazed upon the engraved, grandiose symbols on the monastery's weathered gates. He spoke no words. Only subtly pressed his left palm against the gates, his ethereal essence commanding it to swing open with thunderous fervor. His fellowmen met his return with muteness, their eyes acknowledging him with cordiality, their former Grandmaster. Genteel bows greeting him as he once again set foot inside his home. His practiced silence only aggrandizing his enigmatic nonchalance, his mystique. And as he retired to his quarters, his mind reached out for hers, the monastery's ambient energies affording him the luxury of transcendent communication. "Naamah-chan, please come see me". She would find him. His energy-signature encouraged her metaphysical senses.

Lady Naamah's Temple

The goddess was in good spirits even as far as the demeanor of the benevolent goddesses was concerned. Her Priests and Priestesses had noticed that their Mother Matron seemed to have an even more exuberant spiritual glow than usual.

Finally the overwhelming need to know gets the better of Shallendar the Head Preist of her Order. "Something has our Lady in fine spirits this day." His comment is not directed as a question but his tone and his facial expressions suggest otherwise.

Lady Naamah smiles brightly and nods to him in response. "Indeed something has put your Lady in glorious spirits." She finishes her reply with her own safiticated facial expression that wordlessly said. "Drop it."

The head Priest noticed the look and his body took on the posture of jealousy. For whom or what could put his Lady in such blissfully good spirits that she was not even willing to share it with he. After he had dedicated so much of his own life in the service and cause of to the worship of her divinity. "But," he starts to continue but is stoped with a shift of her eyes. And his voice is swallowed back down into his throat, his face goes red with embarrassment. Oh fine. He thinks. Don't tell me. I don't care. He lies to himself as he runs off towards his private chambers to sulk out of sight, but he is stopped by her soft voice.

"Oh Shallendar you are such a baby... Fine if it troubles you so much to not know I will share with you my secret."

His eyes light up with greed and his smile is liken to that of a devil, as he replies. "Oh please do!" Naamah looks at him like did you really just shout at me in my own temple and the Elder Priest immediately calms down. "Sorry... I meant to say... Please do... Go on." His voice is soft almost a whisper.

Lady Naamah starts to answer him but her focus is interrupted by the cerebral energies of her lover reaching out for her presence. "Naamah-Chan, please come see me."

"I will tell you all about it when I return." She says as she gathers herself up to her feet, so that she could give herself a once over check in a mirror before teleporting to Ishins location. "Ba ba ba ba, but you said you were gonna tell me?" He looks like he is about to have a stroke.

"And I shall... When I return... Ta Ta." She finishes before vanishing from sight in a bright flash of pure creation energy, that sparkles golden flakes of dust.

"Ta ta." Shallendar says as he buckles over and grasps his own knees, making faces that look like he is going to be sick. All of the nearby handmaidens of Naamah see their Priests antics and take off scurrying away with Panicked screams and cries, not wanting to be vomited on.

The Goddess re-appears inside of Ishins private quarters. Her eyes and senses take in the situation at hand, an order of silence. Makes sense to her now why he reached out to her the way he did. She replies via mental link established. "You rang my love?"

A ceremoniously encompassing mass of candles provided luminosity. Hot candle wax lamely melting off from the thermal intensity of the incandescent malachite flames burning a spiritually aggrandizing scent into the air. Seated atop the unblemished, beige wooden floor, legs crossed underneath his frame, his habitually preferred uchigatana sheathed and motionlessly resting an inch from his left knee. His eyes coolly focused yet sharp as they analyzed the literary cabalism of poorly preserved scroll detailing the refinement of the Keijijo Geijutsu tattoo creation process. Immersed in his endeavored studying, the former Impero remained unaware of his lover's ingress prior to the auricular registering of her endearing voice calling him.

"You came. Good", his usually unmoving features festooned by a sincerely content smile as he stands to his full height. Forsaking their mental banter he approaches the Rubicund Goddess, lovingly greeting her with a tenderhearted kiss on the corner of her lips, his right hand endearingly taking in hers as he guided her towards red-velvet covered sofa. Seating himself beside her, his eyes met hers with palpable austerity. "I wanted to see you again. But I also need your assistance with something", he paused. "I am supposed to be dead. But one of my daughters, she resurrected me. And though I commend her efforts, it was partially an incomplete resurrection", his facial expression betraying no emotion as he spoke his following words. "A fragment of my spirit is missing. It contains part of my old power. Which I do not want, that you can do away with. But it also contains my memories of my estranged wife, Fan".

"I was skeptical of her existence until recently. I was shown a picture by one of the clansmen. I don't intend to seek her out. I simply want", pensively searching for the correct word, "Some closure on this matter". Continuing, he unveiled his request, "I want you to use your magic to restore all of my memories", unaware of the imminent enemy force that slithers closer towards Reisho while he remains occupied with personal dilemmas.

She does her best to digest all of the information that he presents to her, and she tries really hard to understand the position he was in. "I understand your need to know... Your need to understand... Your need to remember." She will help him, and she is fairly sure she already knows how best to achieve this feat. She has things to consider for sure however, she feels slightly betrayed, he never once mentioned that he was or even might have been married to her before now. It would be a lie to say that this has not happened to her before, in all honesty she was getting used to it. "Estranged?" she simply replies.Her hand moves towards the unseen presence. "We are not alone." Her divine senses are never dull and she is never taken off guard even when distracted.

That solitary, rhetorical inquiry of hers alerted him. Her discontent, audible from the hushed, brief tone of her uttered word. Sincerely concerned with the Rubicund Goddess' disposition, Ishin softly utters, "Naamah-chan, I-", whatever words would follow had been forsook. His immaterial senses feverishly yelled of approaching entities. His lover's verbal confirmation enough for him to instinctively rise to both feet, left hand subconsciously moved to tighten around his uchigatana's hilt. "You are right", he acknowledged, his alarmed demeanor facially masked, the stoicism of his features allowing none of his worry for his fellow clansmen to emerge. Turning towards Naamah, Ishin affirms, "I will tell you everything later love, now however, it seems that my home is a target for someone".

"But my senses, I cannot discern their identities. I have never felt this energy-signature before", he admits, prior to requesting, "Please Naamah-chan, you have to help me defend the monastery. Whoever these people are, they are too large to not be an army. They are trekking up the mountain. Can you uncover their identities for me?", he inquires, relying on his expertise of mental chakras to spiritually reach the Keijijo Elite, urging them to ready themselves for an inevitable conflict.

@ishin:

Although her dialect was rusty from not being practiced in an era or two Lady Naamah commences commentary with the local spirits. The elemental forces of the region, for she knew them all by name and could count them out if need be. "Iktome saktwhd," she utters a call to the winds, asking them to bring forth an unrelenting fog. The effects of the call were answered almost immediately as the mountain terrain that the Monastery was perched on was engulfed in a thick foreboding fog. Making it impossible for anyone or anything to see past their own noses. "That should slow them down at least, and yes I will help uncover the identities of these invaders." She reaches out to the spirits of the Earth next to see if they can lend a hand as well...

"Thank you", he smiled a smile of sincere gratitude, the softness of his expression however, gradually giving way to austerity and focus as demanded by the unfolding situation. "Come, let's go. We must attack while you've deterred them". Gesturing that she follow closely behind him, Ishin emerges from the isolation of his quarters' walls, the unique flush of his sharp eyes gleaming with approval at the sight of a gathered mass of Keijijo Elite and martially astute clansmen and women. Their complacency motivated by their respect for the former Impero, and a fortuitous desire to protect their home. "We know this mountain better than they do. Let's use that to our advantage. Make use of deception, we attack them by using the element of surprise".

"Once we reach their location, circle them and enclose them". Exiting the monastery's architecturally menacing gates with his esoteric clan's militant forces firmly behind him, and Naamah by his side, they trekked the Reisho Mountain. Making use of the obscured visibility of the feverish snowfall and aerial frost, the clansmen, as instructed, commenced their distant circling, identifying the enemy via their energy-signatures. Exploiting the environment to veil themselves, the clansmen waited. Ishin waited. Turning to Naamah, he requests, "Can you use your divine perception to identify the leaders of this opposition? We must engage them while the rest of the clan does battle with the others". While he waited, the Esoteric Elitist sought to apply his Eikyo expertise, distorting the flow of biophysical energy in the enemy's mental chakras, inciting rampant sensory confusion, their momentary vulnerability enabling the clansmen to commence their assault as the battle commenced.

"Makula Handigo Zthyrlouim," The goddess reaches out to the spirits for the names, the essences of these invaders, the winds whisper answers into the goddesses ears. "We must retreat for now... I am sure your Clansmen are very capable warriors, but this is not a fight they can win on this night."

All at once it makes perfect sense to the goddess, of course they would come here on this evening of this year. The Monastery was unknowingly built on possibly their most sacred of holy grounds. "What do you know of the Wendigo?" She looks into Ishins eyes with a very serious look upon her face. "I promise you... If we do not get your people to safety very soon they will all be dead by dawn."

"If it were any other night of the year, or if this was any other location we would stand a fighting chance... On this night of the year under that Moon, these creatures are Invincible. They are better hunters than you could imagine, they move like the wind, and they have an insatiable hunger for the flesh of men and women and children alike."

"You're Monastery was unknowingly built on ground zero my love. This exact location is the holy grounds that these creatures swarm to every couple thousand years or so... It is the very birthplace of their Lord Wendigo himself. He is a powerful entity by himself, and with his children on this night... Our odds of surviving a direct conflict are inconceivably bad... Maybe there is one last thing I can do, I only hope I have enough time. We need to build a ring of fire around the Monastery... These creatures have a deep hatred for fire and it will slow them down even further. Usually fire is the only means of killing these creatures, but even fire won't kill them under that moon." She points at the Moon in the sky, it is a Full Moon and it has an odd green cast to it known as The Hunters Moon.

Invincible? Circumstantially so perhaps, but were they truly invincible? The thought momentarily inhabited a pensive Ishin's mind following his lover's informative advice. "So I see", he remarked, the ethereal vision of his spiritually aggrandized senses detecting the overflow of biophysical energy in their opposition's physical chakras, "But fire is their weakness? Very well. We can exploit that". Though the creatures sought vengeance for having their sacred ground occupied thousands of years ago by the founding fathers and mothers of the Keijijo Clan, the Esoteric Elitist harbored little remorse for their actions, this was now his home. It had been for eight thousand years. The slaughter of the rallied Keijijo Elite and additional clansmen had begun, blood spilling as claws tore through flesh with fluid facileness.

Urging the remaining to retreat with him, Ishin commenced the tactically necessary footslog up the hazardous mountain. "So we have to outlast them then?", he inquired shooting a brief glance towards Naamah as they along with the surviving clansmen journeyed into regions of higher altitude, the snowfall growing feverish and antagonistic with the night. "A ring of fire we can do", though he himself is no practitioner of Fire Yoso, a large percentage of his followers were. Tersely, Ishin's eyes shift upwards, catching a glimpse of the ominous green hue reflecting from the sky-bound moon. "This is not good", the remained corpses of those who have fallen leaving a trail of blood staining the grounded snow and ice. Approaching the gates, the Keijijo Prophet was immediate in instructing his men of Naamah's suggestion, the ring of fire.

Retreating behind Reisho's gates, his men channeled the ambient metaphysical energies, exponentially fortifying their elemental prowess, their Fire Yoso. A collective, hushed inhale by the Keijijo Elite heralded the forthcoming flames as they fervently thrust their palms forward, and encompassing the entire monastery, a towering ring of searing conflagration, the scorching flames frantically melting the ice and snow all about it. Turning towards Naamah, he begins, "I am not sure how to combat this. Do we maintain the ring of fire, intensify it until the full moon passes? Or is there something we can do while we hold them off? I know nothing of these creatures. I'm reliant on your knowledge of them, Naamah-chan".

The Goddess understood the severity of the situation at hand, more so then many else would. She had witnessed many other strongholds toppled over by the ravishing hunger of the Wendigo. With the fire circle in place she feels she has time to explain what they are up against while simultaneously communing with the Earth spirits in order to help further their protection.

"The word Wendigo which is pronounced (wehn-dee-go) comes from the Native American Algonquian Language, meaning, evil spirit that devours mankind."

"The Wendigo is a purely anthropomorphous beast, hungering for human flesh. It will go to any lengths to procure this food, no matter the risk or possibility of injury. The Wendigo craves human flesh and is constantly starving for it which is indicated by the beast’s lean, wiry frame. The Wendigo is known to have its preferences: the sweet fat of children, the soft skin of women, the course muscles of men especially warriors and hunters, or the brittle bones of the elderly. In preparation for long winters when few travelers are out and about, the Wendigo will stash away large pots filled to the rim with human remains in the highest tree branches. On rare occasions, it will take humans alive and hide them away in its lair, allowing the beast to feed whenever it wants. The Wendigo is more intelligent than many humans, and thus understands the value of storing and saving its food. However, it will only resort to this when food is scarce and it becomes desperate.

Since the Wendigo constantly hungers for human flesh, it wreaks destruction in its pursuit of its chosen prey. It crashes through the forests, all the while uprooting trees, causing game animals to stampede, and causing whirlwinds. The monster is often thought to be the cause of ice storms, tornadoes, and violent winds. All of these weather-related phenomena are believed to signal the Wendigo presence.

When the Wendigo hunts, it stalks the victim for long periods. The chosen victim only has a dreadful feeling of being followed. However, the Wendigo has a sadistic streak. It prefers to terrify its victims before moving in for the kill. When it has had enough of stalking the victim, it lets out a growl or a shriek, which resonates through the forest and terrifies the beast’s prey. They panic, firing weapons haphazardly into the brush as the dense forest closes in on them. Eventually, the intended victim succumbs to insanity, running wildly into the forest with abandon. In such a state, they are easy prey for the Wendigo.

The Wendigo has been known to enter cabins and other dwelling, unlocking them from the outside and slaughtering the inhabitants, then proceeding to convert the cabin into its own lair. The Wendigo tends to hibernate for long periods, ranging in length from a few months to years at a time. Once they awaken, they go into a feeding frenzy, and after having eaten enough humans, it retreats to its lair and falls back into hibernation once again.

The Wendigo inhabits the forests of the Great Lakes and Canada. The dreaded Wendigo King lives near the Windigo River in Quebec. Kenora, Ontario is thought to be the “Wendigo Capital of the World” because so many sightings and incidents have taken place there, and it attracted Wendigo originally because it used to be tribal grounds, with many Native American settlements scattered throughout the area. Most caves, gullies, and canyons in central Canada will provide shelter for the Wendigo.

The Wendigo territory is vast, stretching from the Canadian Rockies and the Arctic Circle in the north, to the Great Lakes regions and the Dakotas. It reigns supreme across the whole of Canada. But what people don't know is that it was once upon a time Nomadic for the dreaded Wendigo King was born here in this very Mountain Range a very long time ago. The Flames will stop the possessed ones from entering, their bodies are to fragile and even though their Wendigo spirits will survive their bodies will burn to ash if they try to cross its threshold, the King however is wise and powerful, he will eventually figure out a way to get in. Luckily they were all heading up here to hibernate and were already fully fed, but they are greedy for the meat of humans, one last snack before bedtime is always welcomed."

Sweet success Lady Naamah thinks to herself, being able to establish a connection with the spirits of the earth, the most notably stubborn elemental spirits of them all. Earth spirits are for the lack of a better word, lazy. Almost to the point to where those who can communicate with them misjudge them to be stupid or slow. Not the case, they just have a very odd sense of time.

She implores them to please aid her in a great time of need, and even though they consider the fact that Lady Naamah is an Eternal goddess and should not be in any great deal of harms way, even they recognize the urgent beckon to her call for aid. They react uncharacteristically swift almost alarmingly so, as the Monastery seems to be swallowed up by the very rough rocky terrain it is nested on. The once solid sediment becomes soft and malleable as the Monastery sinks down into the Earth of the Mountain. It sinks down forming a deep pit that is then swallowed up at the top as the rock comes back together, and smooths out. It becomes as if they were never there to begin with.

The Monastery is now underground with a thick layer of solid protection concealing them from the man-eaters, unrelenting hunger. There is enough air trapped inside with them to last them at least a Month, and they only need to last the next twelve to thirteen hours, give or take. "The Earth spirits have aided us at great cost to themselves, such extreme changes takes a lot out of them. They have agreed to set things right again after this all blows over however. All of the remaining survivors should pray and meditate to the Earth spirits and thank them for their selflessness, it will help them replenish their own much needed energies."

With the benevolently offered aid of the Earth spirits, the Reisho Monastery securely plummeted into the gelid mountain's rocky interior, a geological sheet barricading the constructed hole above, protectively concealing the Keijijo Clan's isolated abode. Meanwhile, above on the hyperborean surface, burned the incandescent flames of the Keijijo Elite, the searing conflagration gradually dwindling with lethargic pace. In the uncharted depths of the mountain's interior, Ishin's eyes sharply observed the interior, the absent luminosity appropriately accounted for by the encompassing malachite flames hovering above the monastery's Keijijogaku temples. "You", the deep registers of his voice breaking the atmospherically settled silence as predatory eyes shift towards an approximated Keijijo Elite constituent, "Go inform the monastery's inhabitants of what has happened".

Obediently adhering to the Martial Arts Prophet's austerely issued command, the Keijijo Elite ventured into the monastery's depths, relaying news of the recently transpired events. Turning to address the entirety of those who had accompanied Naamah and he into the battlefield prior to their early retreat, Ishin's features remained poised, his coolheaded disposition even during times of laborious stress, further aggrandized his mystique. "The rest of you do as Lady Naamah-chan has said. Pray to the Earth spirits, they have done us a great service. Then, rest, replenish your energies, heal from whatever wounds you may have sustained", he paused, "Because come morning, we emerge to do battle with the creatures above". Following his own advice, the Esoteric Elitist indulges in concise prayer.

Bracing both knuckles against each other, head subtly hung low as eyelids concealed his oculus, Ishin spiritually attuned himself to the immaterial planes, his wordless prayer expressing his sincere gratitude to the Earth spirits for their assistance. His spirit vocalizing more than his simple words could. Temperately breaking the consciously demanding trance, he turns towards the Rubicund Goddess. Tenderheartedly pulling her towards him, right arm securing itself around her waist, Ishin smiles, "Thank you", tenderheartedly pressing his lips against the enticing flesh of hers in a terse yet symmetrical lip-lock, a brief exchange of intimate chemistry. Parting from the embrace, he requests of her, "We have enough time now, Naamah-chan. Come, I know you have questions to ask of me", implicitly referring to his recently discovered past marriage to Fan. Gesturing that she follow him, he momentarily retires to his quarters.

She follows him into his quarters. "I hope my split-decision to find a way to get everyone to safety did not upset you my love." She does have questions of her own asking, but she wants to make sure she has not been acting disrespectful inside his domain. "I hope I didn't offend anyone?"

"If we are to face these creatures at daybreak I must finish telling you about them first... The Wendigo is a supernatural entity of enormous power, the embodiment of insatiable hunger, gluttony, unbridled evil, and the savage predator. Befitting its bestial nature, the Wendigo possesses supernatural strength, speed, endurance, and senses. The beast is able to rip a human apart with little effort, and the Wendigo moves so quickly that it cannot be seen by the human eye. Any wounds that are inflicted on the Wendigo’s body are healed very quickly, although wounds caused by silver tend to heal very slowly. It is invulnerable to most conventional weapons, excluding arms incorporating pure silver. The Wendigo thrives in even the harshest climates, immune to extremes of cold.

The Wendigo’s senses of sight, smell, and hearing are greatly enhanced, comparable to those of many predatory animals. The Wendigo can see clearly in total darkness, and it may have some kind of infrared vision, enabling it to see its prey by detecting its bodily heat emanations. Once the Wendigo has its prey’s scent, it is able to follow it swiftly and precisely, no matter how far away the victim may be. It’s hearing is so keen that it can hear the pounding of its fear-filled victim’s heart, which causes the beast’s own heart to pound with joy and anticipation.

Besides sheer strength and animalistic ferocity, the Wendigo is armed with formidable array of weaponry: its dreaded claws and fangs. The beast’s claws have been described as icicles, reflecting its utter dominion over its freezing territory. These talons are designed for ripping through flesh with the slightest touch, and one swipe from the Wendigo’s powerful claws can disembowel or decapitate a human. The beast’s mouth is filled with long, needle-sharp fangs, made for slicing through flesh and sinew, as well as for breaking bones. The Wendigo’s fangs can easily puncture a human skull. Far from being a stupid beast, the Wendigo has a man’s intelligence and cunning, as well as the predatory instincts of an animal. It is mystically attuned to every single tree, bush, rock, hill, or cave within its territory (which can be considerably vast). The Wendigo uses this advantage to stalk its victims for hours on end, never being seen or heard unless the monster chooses to reveal itself by means of a growl or a shriek. There is no way to hide from the Wendigo, and it will not stop hunting until the victim’s broken, mutilated body lies at its clawed feet.

The Wendigo excels in stealth, and it is said that the Wendigo moves on the wind and breezes in utter silence. It can fill the air with an eerie, haunting siren by forcing the air through its blood-flecked lips. The Wendigo is able to mimic human voices, which are most often cries for help. The beast’s roar is utterly terrifying, and the fear it inspires cuts to the bone. When the freezing winds rise, it is said that the Wendigo’s howls can be distinguished from the moan of the wind, letting people nearby know that a monster lurks in their midst. For its prey, these warnings occur far too late to make any appreciable difference.

Among the Wendigo’s host of supernatural abilities, the Wendigo Fever is perhaps the most feared. It is a terrible curse, overtaking the mind and body of the unfortunate victim. The first symptom of the curse is a strange scent, detectable only to the intended victim. After absorbing this disturbing odor, the victim experiences a long night of weeping and horrifying nightmares. Upon awakening, the victim experiences a burning pain in the legs and feet, which becomes so intense that the victim runs into the forest, shrieking like a maniac, and discarding clothing and shoes all the while. Most of the curse’s victims never return, although those who do return are irrevocably insane from their experiences of the curse and the Wendigo itself. It is thought that most of the curse’s victims are devoured by the Wendigo.

The Wendigo, although a dire threat to mankind, shares a close kinship with the forest’s wildlife, mainly predatory animals (such as the wolf, bear, raven, or eagle). The beast willingly shares its kills with these companions, and these animals have been known to travel with the Wendigo.

As the Wendigo grows older, its powers over nature increase exponentially. The beast becomes a shaman, extremely adept in the dark arts. With this power, the Wendigo can manipulate the weather, creating storms of terrifying strength, and the beast can summon the midnight darkness hours before sunset. The Wendigo may summon dangerous beasts from the deepest, darkest reaches of the forest and command them to attack its enemies, traverse enormous distances in the blink of an eye, and heal any wounds instantaneously (although injuries inflicted by silver may take longer to heal).

Despite the beast’s immeasurable amount of power, there are ways to protect oneself from the Wendigo. If one is hunting this creature, a fire must be kept burning at all times. This will deter the Wendigo from attacking, but only for so long. If only burned, the wounds will eventually heal and will only make the beast angry.

Any means of mystical protection should be employed (amulets, protective spells, fetishes, and charms), as these things hold power over the Wendigo. Headphones or earplugs must be used to block out the beast’s maddening shrieks. However, one’s surest defense and greatest chance of survival during the Wendigo’s attack is a firearm loaded with silver bullets, and a silvered blade (such as a sword or a knife).

The Wendigo cannot be hurt or killed by conventional methods or weapons, including blades or firearms. However, silver is lethal to the Wendigo. Silver bullets or a pure silver blade (or silvered steel) can cause the Wendigo great pain and can even kill the beast.

In order to permanently destroy the Wendigo, one must first find the beast. The Great Lakes region and the forests of Canada are prime Wendigo territory. Beware, for the hunter may soon become the hunted. After finding and incapacitating the beast (no easy task, be assured), a silver stake must be driven through the Wendigo’s heart of ice, therefore shattering it. The shards of the Wendigo’s heart must be securely locked in a silver box and buried in consecrated ground (such as a churchyard or a cemetery).

The Wendigo’s body must then be dismembered with a silver-plated axe, and each piece of the body must be salted and burned to ashes (which must then be scattered to the four winds), or each piece must be hidden in some remote, inaccessible location (i.e. the bottom of a lake, a chasm, the sea floor, or a well). Failure to follow these procedures exactly will inevitably result in the Wendigo’s resurrection, followed by its bloody vengeance. It will hunt down its killer, relishing and anticipating the taste of the hunter’s blood in every single moment. Rest assured, the death that follows will be both slow and painful. The Wendigo will take great pleasure in every single bit of agony it inflicts on its killer before finishing the job and devouring the remains. Beware, as according to some legends, the Wendigo is indestructible. This is indeed false, unless under the effects of a Hunters Moon, or facing King Wendigo himself. We won't be able to kill the King, his essence is protected by Gaea and Luna for he is their brother, for some unknown reason the King is an essential aspect of Nature, the powers that be will not allow his death.

However... I do believe I can bind him into a deep slumber, that he will not wake from unless my binding spell is broken. We would have to put protective measures in place making sure the shrine is well guarded and kept a secret for the most part, only trusting the most loyal and trustworthy to protect it."

Lightly shaking his head, the former Impero justified the necessity of her actions, "What you did was necessary. We urgently needed to find some way to remain safe, and this was it", he pointed out prior to assuring her of the clansmen's comprehension regarding their present situation. "Do not worry about the others", Ishin coolly smiled, "They understand, they are not upset. They have no reason to be. You did after all bring about that which is keeping us protected from those creatures above", nonchalantly pointing his right index finger towards the ceiling. Attentive to the Rubicund Goddess' words, the Keijijo Messiah nodded, expressing his understanding of the various fundamentals that would facilitate a Wendigo's defeat.

Silver, historically, a precious metal of financial value. Defeating a Wendigo seemed to revolve around crafting bladed weaponry forged from silver. Ishin had never used silver weaponry. Until recently he had long forsook his armed martial prowess. Yet the idea intrigued him, "Silver and enchanted amulets and items. We have plenty of those here. As for fire, I can gather the elemental practitioners of the Keijijo", he began, "I have a collection of weapons that I have never used", walking towards the cluster of bladed weaponry aesthetically hung along the towering walls of his suavely lit quarters. "One of them is a silver uchigatana", his left hand extending to reach for the hilt of the silver-forged Japanese nihonto. "I never used it, along with most of these weapons. I never felt that I needed to". Stylistically unsheathing the uchigatana, his eyes concisely gazed, admiring the craftsmanship, the metallurgy of the blade.

"Yes, this will do just fine", he enthusiastically smirked, fluidly twirling the sword with his hand in a circular motion. Sheathing it, he turns towards his lover, "I know you are very powerful, Naamah-chan, and that unlike the rest of us, you need not worry about dying. But if you'd like, there is a silver blade for you here as well. Take your pick", he smiled, gesturing towards the expansive collection plastered across the gargantuan wall's entirety. "The ones in the lower right, those are the silver swords".

Without wasting any more words between them Lady Naamah kisses Ishin, and clings to him with a heartfelt embrace. "I am sure you had your reasons for withholding the information of your estranged wife from me, so I am going to hear your words of this matter now. Why did you not mention this before today?"

She then seats herself on the edge of his mattress, and awaits his reply. She uses her telekinesis to retrieve one of the Silver Weapons for a curious inspection, she admires the craftsmanship. All objects that were handcrafted from artisans tell a story to a well informed eye, even crafted weapons have a life about them in the form. Every etched line, every honed curve, the heft and balance it all speaks of the one who did the creating. She smiles and she nods. "It is a fine piece."

Reciprocating the affectionate romanticism of her kiss and amative embrace, Ishin's arms tersely secure themselves around her lithe waist, pulling her in closer for the impassioned lip-lock, the enticing texture of her luscious lips causing him to succinctly linger prior to the break. Relinquishing his hold over her as she seats herself on the edge of his bed's mattress, the Martial Arts Prophet intimately meets her eyes with a gaze of endearing genuineness. "Naamah-chan, let me begin by apologizing. I should have told you earlier", admitting to his mistake with poise and sincere remorse, he seats himself beside her, his dominant left hand gently resting atop hers with expressed tenderheartedness.

"I am sorry. You must have felt like I had used you or not trusted you. That is not the case my love, believe me", his assuring smile fading with forthcoming austerity in his features. "Not too long ago, I was dead. Killed by my father who is currently nowhere to be found", the deep registers of his cool voice subtly unveiling his desire for vengeance. "But later, I was brought back, resurrected by one of my adoptive daughters, Ali-chan. And though she is a prodigy, her skills are still not of a master's. Her resurrection of me was an incomplete one. A fragment of my spirit is missing from me. This fragment held seventy percent of my original power, and my memories of certain things. I do not want that power returned to me. I want only my memories. These memories are of this estranged wife".

Pausing, he resumed indulging his lover with answers to her inquiries. "I have no recollection of her. And for a while I did not believe that she existed. She was not here when I was resurrected. And I have not seen her since. So I had no reason to believe that such a woman existed. Yet as more of the clansmen told me, the more my skepticism disappeared. But still I did not believe them. This was when I met you. I was captivated by your kindness, and your beauty. And it made me forget. Even after the start of our relationship, I did not believe that she existed, and I did not think you needed to know about something that I felt was a lie. So I told you nothing of it. But now, I was shown physical evidence. A photograph from my wedding with her". Continuing, Ishin's gaze deepened, "I want these memories because I want closure and certainty about who this woman was. I will not choose her over you. I am not going to do that, I love you, you are the one who is here with me", he smiled.

She is satisfied with his explanation and she never really questioned their love, as much as felt like she would not understand, it was a matter of her questioning his trust for her. But that questioning was now ended, they could move past this matter now. She looks back at the Silver Blade in hand, and then back to her lovers gaze. "Do you have a forge in this Monastery?" The Goddess has plans of helping even the odds if the answer is yes.

Following the required heart-to-heart, Ishin rose to both feet, left hand holding Naamah's, their fingers endearingly intertwined. "We do have one. Just outside", he answered, "Come with me Naamah-chan", gesturing that she follow him, the Esoteric Elitist guided the Rubicund Goddess towards the exterior immediate to his quarters. His right finger pointed towards the approximated forge to their right, "There. I hope it is to your liking", he jestingly smiled, relinquishing his amative hold over her hand.

With his silver uchigatana dangling from his waist, he would join Naamah as she made her alterations to her weapon. He however, would seek to engrave Keijijo Geijutsu symbols onto his sword's blade, fortifying it's structural integrity.

Music sprang from the forge where Lady Naamah tapped her hammer on the bits of silver. She could never explain the rhythm in it, the song that was equal in some ways to the beauteous voice of her own. The smith looked up when Ishin, started engraving symbols into the blade of his sword.

"Best if we make the fires hotter," she sighed, flicking back her raven-black hair. "A pack of Wendio's will need hunting come dawn, and our weapons need refinements. I also have plans on crafting some tokens, totems, and amulets. I would also like to melt some of the silver down in order to mold out some silver bullets for my revolvers." Naamah nodded and put aside her first creation. She stokes the fire, and pores some water over the hot rocks to enjoy in a nice steam. Her lean muscles ripple under skin of crimson, as she continues to tap her hammer on a new project.

Looming over a sizable workbench six feet from the enormous, calescent forge, the Keijijo Messiah rests the selected silver uchigatana atop the workbench's surface. Briefly, sharp, analytical eyes appreciate the blade's metallurgy, an obscured smile expressing his impressed disposition. "Then please Naamah-chan, do so", coolly gesturing towards the forge, awarding his lover the required permission to do as she sees fit with the forge. "There are several silver ores three feet to your left. Leather, everything you will need is here", assuring her with a tersely flashed smile prior to returning his focus to the uchigatana resting before him.

With the necessary tools and skill in his possession, Ishin began meticulously cutting grooves into the surface of the uchigatana's silver blade, patiently incising artistically aesthetic designs onto it, calmly engraving the intended Keijijo Geijutsu symbols. "How are the children? I have not seen them since I left the Congolian forests", he inquired, concerned about the youths they had saved in their previous misadventure. A drop of sweat incited from the forge's ambient heat trickling down the left side of his face as he continued, "I hope they are fine".

"The local spirits have given me permission to bind their essences to an array of tokens, totems, and Amulets. These artifacts will give the one whom possesses them access to the spirits favors. These amulets binded with wind spirits will give their wearers supernatural speed and reflexes. These totems that are to be garnished about the wearers armor are binded with earth spirits and will gain them extra protection against the claws and fangs of the Wendigo. And these tokens that can be held in pockets have been binded with Moon spirits to give their carrierer the ability to see the spiritual energies of the Wendigo." She states as she continues her diligent crafting of arms and armor. "The children are healing and they speak of you often. They ask me when is Mr Ishin going to come visit." She smiles.

"That will be useful. Not many of the Keijijo are very physically oriented fighters. They enjoy the destructive capacity of their elemental powers more, as well as other less simple ones", Ishin responded, addressing the usefulness of Naamah's hypothesized amulets and other enchanted items while unveiling the preferred abilities of his fellow clansmen. Paying grossly attentive focus to the shape of the engraved Keijijo Geijutsu Symbols, the Grandmaster terminates the initial phase of the sword's structural fortification. Harnessing the abundant quantity of ambient metaphysical energy emanating from Reisho's mountain, Ishin directs the environment's chi into the blade's engravings, imparting a specific percentage as the fortification process commences.

"They do?", he inquires, a smile of contentment festooning his visage. "Then perhaps when we are done with this Wendigo dilemma, we can visit them. Or we can bring them here. Snow is something I am certain that they have never seen".

Deceptively engrossed in her craft, Lady Naamah has been communicating to her Celestial Mother. Naamah Prime has been considering her daughters request to have Ishins memories located and returned to her lover. Prime doesn't like when her children ask her for personal favors, she usually only agrees to aid in times of the greater good. And ultimately her child's lovers past was not something she considered a subject of cosmic importance. Regarding that her daughter had her heart set on such intervention the Celestial wavers her better judgment and yields to her beloved child's desires.

"I will aid him in this process. It will not be immediate and his mind will repair itself as he sleeps and dreams. His dreams will be vivid and will explain all that he had forgotten. He will remember in time and as his mind repairs itself his power that he wishes to relinquish will be bestowed evenly to the rest of his Clan. I have bargained an agreement with Enoia the goddess of Dreams, for she is of a more intimate relationship with mortals then I. She will feed me the lost bits of his broken mind. I hope this satisfies you my daughter and you do not come to me with another request as selfish in the years to come."

With these last words the connection is severed by the Celestial, as Lady Naamah comes out of her trance tears in her eyes. Her mother had never hung up on her before, the channel was always left open. She then precedes to reply the message about his healing and all it details to Ishin himself.

With the appropriate percentage acquired, Ishin attentively transfers the selected portions of ethereal energy into the engraved Keijijo Geijutsu symbols festooning the uchigatana's scintillating silver blade. It had been several hundreds of years since he had last made use of Keijijo Geijutsu, one of the most frustratingly complex skill-sets boasted by elite clansmen. Being made to employ it once again, out of necessity, it, albeit temporarily, drew a smile from his features. Mentally, he romanticized with his past use of the technique and the memories of those times. Hovering his left palm above the uchigatana's blade, emerald incandescence emanated from his hand, it's malachite hue reflecting off the weapon's aesthetically crafted blade.

His profound concentration broken only by the nigh-imperceptible sob of his beloved Lady Naamah. Turning away from the workbench, his eyes met the Rubicund Goddess as she tearfully relayed Naamah Prime's words. And though assured that his lost memories would return to him, he found himself most concerned with Lady Naamah's sorrow. "Naamah-chan, please, do not cry", his voice subtly hushed and endearing as he approached, the verdant energies dissipating from his left hand. And though still Naamah focused on her task of refining her blade's metallurgy despite her melancholy, Ishin did his best to offer comfort. Resting his right palm atop her shoulder with loving intentions, his left palm resting atop her other shoulder, establishing affectionate contact without disrupting her work.

"Its probably pretty weird to see a goddess get all teary eyed huh?" Lady Naamah was not one that cried very often, she was usually pretty stoic, unless witnessing great tragedy or of course her mother was mad at her. "I just got something in my eye is all." She tells a little white lie, but she knows he knows better. She just doesn't want to admit that she is so transparent, she keeps taping the hammer on the silver token. As Ishin lays his hands on her, she drops the hammer and turn to face him. She buries her face into his chest and wraps her arms around him, and lets it all out.

"A little bit", Ishin smiled softly, hoping to alleviate her sorrow with very subtle, light humor. Lovingly wrapping both arms around her as she tearfully buries her face deep into his chest, the Esoteric Elitist offers words of comfort, his voice hushed and endearing, "It will be fine Naamah-chan, please do not cry. You are one of her daughters", right hand tenderly smoothing her raven hair back, "She will reach out to you again. I promise", he assured prior to apologizing for his part in Naamah Prime's decision. "Forgive me. This is my fault Naamah-chan. I asked too much of you".

Many people made the mistake of thinking that the divine were immune to emotional distress, this was a massive misconception. Gods and goddesses are very emotional beings, they are often times driven by certain emotions. Many are unstable due to being utterly obsessed with certain emotions or passions. Ares would not be the god of war, without being obsessed with rage and bloodlust. And Lady Naamah would not be the nurturing mother matron that she was without a strong connection to maternal instincts. She could imagine the anger a mother feels towards a daughter in order to cause a separation, and she can't help but feel like she must of been very selfish and ungrateful in order to cause this reaction from her mother.

She doesn't want to burden Ishin with her troubles however, so she decides to draw them back inside of herself, and hide them.

"It's not you're fault. I am the one who forced her hand in matters that she considered beneath her concern. She is upset with me, she is not upset with you. I probably could have helped you myself, but it would have taken a lot longer and not have been as masterfully performed." She wanted his mind and restoring it to be in the most capable hands that she knew of.

"We should rest before the altercation with the Wendigo. It's not good to deprive yourself of rest before battle."

"Naamah-chan", Ishin began, voice still hushed, still conveying a comforting, loving tone, "I won't presume to understand how painful this must be for you", he admitted, his embrace still affectionate as his arms held her close, "I never knew any of my parents. Mother, no. And my father, well.. I met him once but that is a story for another day".

"But she will not be upset with you forever. Of that I know. Please don't cry", he smiled softly, intimately meeting her eyes, genteelly wiping the flooded tears from her eyes, warmheartedly pressing his lips against her forehead with an assuring, feather-light kiss. Complying with her suggestion regarding rest, he nodded prior to breaking their embrace, "Then let us rest. Soon we will have to fight the beasts off", guiding her back to their quarters for the strategically required period of rest prior to the impending battle.

She glided from the bed as the bed glided with her in equal grace, her movements were liquid as the gentle lapping of waves. She didn't wish to disturb Ishin knowing what she must do, and she must do alone. He was going to have an important day ahead of himself, as he would have to no doubt lead the assault against 'The Possessed Ones' The Wendigo that were once men or women that were driven insane by the spiritual energy of Lord Wendigo himself. These lesser Wendigo's would be a hell worthy challenge all on their own... Lady Naamah knew she must act fast with her own play against Lord Wendigo himself, as he sleep in the sacred cave of his birth. The cave was just beside where the Keijijo monastery was perched on the mountain-range.

The moon, Luna, was still faintly visible when Lady Naamah slipped through shadows, walked the abyss and came out clean on the other-side. Lady Naamah traveled the spirit realm, were all things could be tracked down, could be bound, or killed. She intended to find Lord Wendigo there in his rest and bind him to a deep slumber that he would not wake from unless released from her binding.

She wore few clothes, as was normal for ones who traveled the other-side, other then the agents of The Weaver who were order and wore heavy armor, and carried mighty weapons. She had no reason to fear the Weaver or his agents however, they knew the Lady well and knew of her place, and its importance. No... All that she had to fear was Lord Wendigo discovering her plot against him, or his sisters Luna or Gaea alerting their brother of her presence in his sacred cave.

Lady Naamah's hand went to her hip as she moved towards the entrance to Lord Wendigo's cave, and she untied her short skirt and let it fall aside. Still walking, she pulled her top over her head. She was not embarrassed, not uncomfortable, but bare and beautiful. She discarded the last few pieces of garb knowing that Lord Wendigo may catch her scent on them and it could stir him from his slumber. Her body unencumbered by garments she could conceal with her magics, the tangible fabrics however were a gamble she was not willing to chance.

So now she walked toward him with confidence, and as she entered his sacred cave, she felt the silent whispering of yet another spirit that she did not consider. It was Anansi the trickster. A spider spirit that was worshiped in West Africa as a God. She had forgotten that Anansi was a cousin to Lord Wendigo, and could possibly try to interfere on his behalf.

"It would be a shame if something were to wake my sleeping cousin wouldn't it?" Anansi teased in her ear with a whisper.

She stopped walking towards Lord Wendigo for a moment, to see if Anansi would explain himself.

"I really should wake him you know being family and all... I could be persuaded to look the other way however for the right price." his whispers were soft as silk and would not disturb Lord Wendigo unless he wished to.

She takes a step back, as if retreating. Gambling that Anansi would reveal more of his desires to get her to stay and complete her task, she knew he wanted her to owe him some type of favor, only the what remained?

"Its nothing really... Just a teensy weensy favor... I want you too help me settle an old score with Nyame, my father the sky god. If you do this I will look the other way. Take a step forward and I will take it as an agreement. Take another step backwards however and this is where this little game of you feeling like you have a choice stops."

She grudgingly takes a step forward accepting that she had no choice. Anansi is pleased and he indeed looks the other way, as Lady Naamah performs her binding ritual on Lord Wendigo. Unknown to Lady Naamah, Anansi had spun his webs all around Lord Wendigo's sacred cave and the webs were hiding all that was going inside of it from his sisters eyes. This helped Lady Naamah not become discovered and she was able to successfully complete her binding.

When Ishin awakes he will realize that Lady Naamah went on without him, however if he is even mildly observant which she knows him to be he will locate the hand written note she left behind explaining her actions. She fabricated many weapons, amulets, tokens, and totems for Ishin and his men. She hopes her efforts will help them to be able to overtake the horrible man eaters that they must now face.

Undisturbed in his profound slumber, and unaware of Lady Naamah's spiritual peregrination to the immaterial planes of esoteric fanaticism, Ishin's self-induced lucid dreaming alleviates his mental stress, readying the Keijijo Prophet for the impending battle come morning. With temporal gradualness came morning, but the sun did not shine, the encompassing geological encasement of mountainous rock shielded the monastery from the star's solar incandescence. It had never been a requirement for the Keijijo, their ethereal awareness, so intrinsically intimate with the energies of nature, alerted them of day, of night, of weather alterations and the like. Awakening, Ishin temperately erects his back, the corner of his sharp, uniquely flushed eyes catching sight of bed's other side, Naamah absent from it.

Coolly, he reaches for the handwritten note rested atop the Rubicund Goddess' pillow. With Naamah's absence explained by the note, the Martial Arts Messiah readies himself. Bathing prior to adorning himself in appropriate combat attire, arming himself with his enchanted silver uchigatana, and iconic broad and flat sword, Hansha, it's bandaged form hovering a mere inch from Ishin's back by the command of some unknown, archaic magnetic force, the influence of Keijijo Geijutsu symbols in truth. Gathering the collections of weapons, amulets and whatnot, Ishin presents the items before the valorous Keijijo Elite, awarding them their weapons based on individual specialization, all the while instructing the battle-tested warriors in their tactically issued tasks come battle. "Fire. Those creatures fear it. Use Fire Yoso to deter them from approaching and charging forward. And as they are flustered, capitalize on the opening and butcher them with these silver blades".

Subsequently awarding them their amulets and additional enchanted items while he too festoons himself with some, Ishin continues, "Do you understand? The strategy is simple. Do not rush in with reckless intent", he warned, the deep registers of his commanding yet cool voice echoing as they nod with expressed obedience. "Good. Let us go". He sought not to create any openings in the mountain for their emergence, the covered hole would remained to shield the less battle-worthy clansmen from their opposition. Instead, the Esoteric Elitist teleports his forces and himself above, to a concealed Keijijo Geijutsu Kunai buried in several inches of snow. The gelid winds bombard them, a violent snowstorm peppering them with frigid precipitation, the sky darkened by the hazardous climate. "There. Several meters ahead they lie".

Footslogging across the difficult, snowy landscape, the Keijijo pause, assuming their tactical positions as the Wendigos approach with an insatiable hunger and undeterred ferocity. "Now!", Ishin shouts, the Keijijo Elite complying, their palms thrusting forward, their metaphysical powers summoning a towering, looming wall of scorching azure flames, the conflagration halting the violently geared beasts. Unsheathing his silver uchigatana as his followers do the same with their weapons, Ishin darts forward, executing his stylistic brand of transitionally fluid, and pacey swordplay, speedily cutting down the enemy along with the Keijijo Elite as war commences.

@ishin:

Retiring back to Ishins room within the Monastery, Lady Naamah invokes the spirits once more. She communes with the Earth and reminds them of their word to change things back to as they once where, after much grumpy groveling about how tiring the experience would be they realize that they were bound to their word, and that they should be more careful on making them in the future.

Lady Naamah thanks them and apologizes for the trouble, as they shift back the Monastery bringing it back to the surface and returning the Earthen floor around its mound back to how it had been for centuries before. All of the melding of the Earth in the location does have an effect however, an extra unexplainable bonus for those living there. The ground is now 300% more fertile then it was prior to the event. the Keijijo would be able to grow amazing gardens in no time.