'Things picked up very quickly yesterday. Now that the attack's over, I have the time to send this report. The Shrine Miko has decided to be entirely candid---mostly because I ended up getting dragged in their affairs regardless.
The mountain rests on a leyline, and yesterday we went deep into the tunnels to check on it; the earth vein as the locals called it. No matter. The thing was glowing faintly red, and they all agreed that the vein had only ever glowed blue. Lying on an altar in the same room where the vein was located was this token, which I have attached and sent in along with the report.
Also, I didn't think I'd witness it so soon after arrival, but the barrier's broken. Shattered, gone, whatever you call it. The Azure Dragon saw the intruders before they saw her, thankfully, so we were able to catch them in an ambush.
I reckon about half of the outer rim of the southern part of the forest around the mountain burned down. We evacuated six whole villages whilst having to fight off the invaders, but the number of villagers that got out alive couldn't have been more than three villages worth.
Simply speaking, three whole villages got annihilated in one attack. And they were located right next to Sei's river. Didn't matter. The inferno consumed the houses in a matter of minutes. Whatever it was, it definitely ain't normal fire.
Ah, right. The enemies. I should describe them too, shouldn't I?
First, there's the blue-skinned humanoids I met previously, with a single horn on their heads. Except this time they came in larger numbers, fiercer than before. And here's something---they don't die immediately when you stab them in the heart. Those that took fatal strikes carried on for a short while before toppling.
From what we've seen, the only thing that instantly downs one is to cleave the entire head off, everything above the neck. Or pulverize the whole head, which ain't easy.
There were also three much larger humanoids, about the size of fully grown elephants, I reckon, red, blue and green. Each had two horns on their foreheads instead of one, and I can vouch for the fact that their weapons are definitely enchanted. Even if they weren't I wouldn't have tried to parry regardless. One of the Shogun's guards got in a good cut on a leg joint---I had to snatch him away seconds later before the club splattered him all over the floor.
And finally, the source of the raging fire. A little girl swinging a sword just as large as she was, dressed in red robes. Laughing as she swung her blade around randomly, sending bursts of fire everywhere.
We clashed. Briefly. I'm not ashamed to say that if Sei didn't back me up I wouldn't have been alive to write this report. I don't even remember how long the battle dragged on; at some point the girl and the three large creatures retreated, leaving us to clean up the smaller blue ones.
I can still hear her laughter in my mind, and it unsettles me very much.
Yeah, no doubt about it. Oni. Disaster in humanoid packages. Most of them have bulky frames, but holy. When they want to move fast, they can---you'll need a good horse to even think of outrunning one.
Even now, resting in an inn in the Winter City and looking out of my room on the third floor, I can see it in the distance. And perhaps you from Scribel City will be able to see it as well---locate the mountain from the city walls, and look a few degrees to the left. A slightly smaller mountain by it's lonesome.
And if it's sunny outside now, even better. Because you'll see that the sky above that mountain is a deep shade of purple, and lightning occasionally strikes the peak. Storm clouds are gathering. And the storm's going to hit the Winter City first, at it's strongest.
Having fought in Gelderholm, I can safely say this.
A few hordes of snakes' way easier to fight off in comparison.'
- Signed, V