The Sengoku Era

Chapter 1: Hieizan Temple

(A/N: Just like with Stellar Detectives, I’d recommend that you don’t play this as Hayato or Kanna. There’s an issue with the dialogue where Hayato and Kanna get referenced, and if you’re playing as either of them, it feels weird for them to be referred to in third person when they’re right there. Furthermore, Hayato has the same issue that Jett has in Stellar Detectives, which is that you end up meeting yourself. This just goes to solidify my belief that the main character of GMS-verse is a non-overseas class.)

A traveler was summoned by Takeda Shingen, who explained that he wanted to introduce them to the newest warrior in Momijigaoka. The traveler arrived near Momiji Hills and met with Shingen, who explained that the new general was in a coma. He suspected that the Oda army, which had been taught dark spells, may have used their magic to knock the general out. He then asked the traveler for their help in lifting the curse.

In order to obtain clues, the traveler fought the Seasoned Oda Warriors and obtained the spellbooks that the soldiers were carrying. Shingen read through the books and learned that they needed the Bitter Resurrection Herb, though they would first need Contaminated Goblin Detritus in order to grow the herb. The traveler successfully obtained the detritus and used it to grow the herb, which they then brought back to Shingen. Shingen mashed the herb into a medicine and told them to bring it to Mouri Motonari. Motonari used the medicine to treat the warrior and let them know that she would soon awaken.

The traveler went to the Master Room and discovered that the warrior was a woman named Ayame. (A/N: Hayato and Kanna have some class-exclusive dialogue where they ask Ayame where she’s been after Honnou-ji. All other classes just tell her that Takeda Shingen wants to know how she got to Maple World.)

Ayame immediately began calling for Sakuno, explaining that she had much to tell the princess. Sakuno soon arrived and, after a tearful reunion with Ayame, thanked the traveler for obtaining the medicine, because of which she had been able to see her friend again. Sakuno noted that the traveler must have been surprised to see her so emotional and explained that the reason was because she was indebted to Ayame. She then began explaining her history with the sharpshooter.

Many years ago, Ayame had been in service to Sakuno’s father, Matsuyama Nobukane, who would regularly send her to spy on Princess No. On one such occasion, Sakuno had begged her father not to send Ayame to spy on No, fearing for Ayame’s safety. However, Nobukane had merely told her that Shingen and the other Daimyos were unanimous in their belief that Ayame had to take on the role of spy for the good of the country. He added that he also agreed with them, and that the matter was none of Sakuno’s business.

After he had left, Sakuno apologized to Ayame, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation. Ayame had attempted to make Sakuno feel better by claiming that she was glad to be away from the other generals, as they suspected her loyalties as a spy. She had also conceded that she had the closest ties to Princess No, making her the best choice. She then reminded Sakuno that she always came out fine, and that it would be no different this time either.

Back in the present, the traveler asked Ayame how she had ended up in Maple World. Ayame explained that before going undercover on her mission to spy on Princess No, Nobukane had given her the Matsuyama family’s holy artifact, hoping that it would help guide Ayame back to them. Nobukane had explained that the artifact, a mirror, had been passed down through generations of the Matsuyama family, and that it was said that the mirror could reveal the way to overcome any hardship, adding that Ayame was close enough to be part of the family.

He explained that Princess No would know about the mirror as well, and so Ayame could claim that she had been at the Matsuyama home in order to steal it as part of her cover story. A touched Ayame had thanked Nobukane, who asked her to come back safely. Ayame had then gone on to see Princess No, her previous master, who had attempted to turn her away before seeing the mirror.

Ayame told the traveler that even though Princess No had taken her in, she was still suspicious and had kept sending Ayame further and further away on missions. During Ayame’s time away, Oda Nobunaga had exterminated the Matsuyama clan and kidnapped Princess Sakuno. Though Ayame had wanted to go see for herself, she could not leave her post until one day, when Princess No had tasked her with a mission in Echigo and had given her a letter with the details. Ayame had demanded to know how many errands she was meant to go on, as they were all for petty matters.

Princess No had told Ayame to be patient and asked her to prove herself one last time in order to be fully trusted. Ayame then noticed that No had a strange look on her face and began to grow suspicious. Soon after, the Oda soldiers had begun moving in secret and Ayame, realizing that something major was happening, had traveled to Honnou-ji in order to find out what Oda was up to. There, she had discovered that Oda was attempting to sacrifice Princess Sakuno in order to summon the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven.

As she fought through Oda’s soldiers, she spotted Hayato facing Princess No, who was raising her gun to attack. Ayame swiftly shot her, allowing Hayato to reach Oda. Soon after, the ritual had been disrupted and a blinding flash of light had transported her to a random spot in Maple World, after which she had spent a great deal of time trying to learn what had happened.

She explained that she had chased after a strange group of Oda soldiers, which was how she had discovered the entrance to Hieizan near Momijigaoka. She told the traveler that she knew Hieizan well, as she had been raised there when she had first served under Princess No. Though the entrance was usually hidden, Ayame believed that the disrupted ritual transporting their world to Maple World must have done something to it, and so she decided that they ought to investigate.

After a quick investigation, Ayame reported that Princess No had cast a spell on Hieizan to prevent anyone from Maple World from entering. (A/N: This makes no sense, unless she means to lock out anyone who’s currently on Maple World or something.) However, she also discovered that the Oda soldiers had used a special potion to get past the spell. She then revealed that she had stolen one of the potions and tweaked it, which would allow them to turn back into their old selves from before they came to Maple World. (A/N: This makes even less sense.)

The traveler agreed to use the potion and infiltrate Hieizan, after which Ayame explained that there was a small temple deep within Hieizan which only Princess No had been allowed to enter. Believing that the holy artifact of the Matsuyama family was inside, Ayame asked the traveler to recover it. The traveler then drank the potion, transforming themselves into Ayame from before she had arrived in Maple World, and headed to Hieizan. There, they discovered a small boy crying and begging for help.

The traveler asked the boy why he was crying, to which he explained that he used to serve the Sengoku Warriors by taking care of the horses, though he had passed out in the chaos after being led from the guard post. When the traveler asked where the other Sengoku Warriors had gone, the boy paused and said that he didn’t know, adding that he only knew that they had become strange.

He then asked the traveler to find his floral-print sack, which was his only keepsake from his father. After the traveler found the sack in the bushes, the boy thanked them and explained that Oda Spirit Walkers had been using strange potions and spells to transform the Sengoku soldiers and asked the traveler to save them.

The traveler defeated the Oda Spirit Walkers and obtained a note from one of them, which they read was an order from Princess No to brainwash the Sengoku soldiers. The boy then showed the traveler a note that one of the soldiers had given him, which said, “The Oda Spirit Walker Jars can hold innocent souls. Ask someone to do that for our souls.” The boy explained that he had spotted an Oda Spirit Walker carrying a suspicious jar and asked the traveler to obtain some from the other Spirit Walkers nearby.

After the traveler collected the jars, the boy excitedly told them that all they needed were some souls to place in them. The traveler fought the brainwashed Sengoku soldiers and collected their souls inside the jar. The boy thanked the traveler and asked them to hurry, and to “get the job done” by filling the second jar.

Though suspicious about the boy’s choice of words, the traveler nevertheless collected more souls from the Sengoku soldiers. The boy then sent the traveler to fill the last jar, after which he wrapped the jars in cloth. The traveler once again felt suspicious at the sight of the unpleasant floral-print cloth, though they chose not to mention it. The boy then told the traveler to meet him at the East Tower.

At the East Tower, the boy asked the traveler to place the jars atop a stone altar, claiming that it was the best spot for the souls to be put to rest. The traveler was unnerved, realizing that the boy didn’t seem like he did before. Just as the traveler placed the jars, the altar shattered and released dark energy. The boy laughed and congratulated the traveler for completing “her” task admirably.

He then smirked and told the traveler that “she” had mentioned that they would be easy to trick because of their kind spirit and weak mind. The boy then ran off as the traveler began to chase after him. They soon reached a shrine entrance and, believing that the boy had gone inside, decided to enter.

Inside, they discovered a sorceress named Miroku, who was surprised to see Ayame, as the traveler was still disguised as her, and realized that she was a traitor. The traveler demanded to know what Miroku was doing, to which she explained that “she” had ordered her to brainwash the Sengoku soldiers. She then asked the traveler if they were ready to pay their departed friends a visit before attacking.

After defeating Miroku, the traveler picked up a rosary that she had dropped, which contained dark energy. Realizing that Princess Sakuno might need it, they decided to bring it to her after their investigation at Hieizan. They then headed outside the shrine and soon encountered Princess No at a bridge.

(A/N: For some reason, even though we’re only disguised as Ayame superficially, the game dialogue has us speak as though we really are her in this portion. Since I’m guessing that this is probably a continuity error, I’ll just summarize their conversation in this author note. Basically, Ayame claims that No is doing everything for Oda, not for herself, as she never cared for such things when Ayame knew her.

No tells Ayame that she loved her unconditionally and says that Ayame shouldn’t have betrayed her like that, adding that part of the blame was her own for growing attached to her. She then says that the era of Oda Nobunaga will begin anew with the arrival of the Demon King, declaring that this is where her story with Ayame ends.)

After Princess No left, the traveler chased after her and soon encountered a pink whale named Mikagami, who guarded the entrance to the shrine. When she refused to step aside, the traveler attacked and defeated her. (A/N: We’re fully treated as Ayame for the rest of our time in Hieizan, as there’s some lines that we have while fighting the bosses in the shrine that have us recount Ayame’s personal history with them.)

Proceeding deeper into the shrine, the traveler fought Oura Shogun and Renka before proceeding even further. They soon encountered Princess No, along with the others they had defeated. Princess No revealed that they were trapped in her illusion, explaining that she had brought in the Sengoku soldiers to be sacrificed in order to summon the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven.

Her ritual soon succeeded and the voice of the Demon King rang out. To her shock, however, the Demon King claimed that he would not accept such as weak body as No’s, though he laughed and claimed that he would reward her for summoning him, strengthening her with his dark power. After Princess No and the others disappeared, the traveler decided to head west in order to find the innermost shrine that Ayame had told them about.

After finding it, they entered and found Princess No, who was strengthened by the power of the Demon King. After a fierce battle, the traveler defeated her and took back the mirror of the Matsuyama family. With their investigation complete, the traveler returned to Ayame and gave her the holy relic, as well as the rosary that they had obtained from Miroku to Sakuno.

After learning what had happened, Ayame noted that it was a good thing that the Demon King couldn’t be fully summoned, though she felt pity for Princess No for having lost herself. She asked the traveler to defeat her once and for all, explaining that they would need the key to Hieizan Temple in order to reach her. She told the traveler that No had left traces of herself at the small shrine of Hieizan when she fled, with her alter-ego in possession of the key to the real Princess No, though Ayame revealed that she had somehow managed to obtain a copy.

Soon after, the traveler spoke with Sakuno, who noted that she had been having strange dreams about planets, adding that it may have been because of the rosary they had given her. She explained that the rosary received power from Jupiter, and that it had a rightful owner, noting that it being in the hands of someone as evil as Miroku was an ill omen.

She asked the traveler to obtain the marks of the other four planets so that she could properly divine her dreams. As the mother of the five planets started from the moon, she first asked the traveler to bring Lunar Sand, which linked the moon to Saturn. The traveler obtained the Lunar Sand from the Mammoth Moon Bunnies and brought it to Sakuno. Sakuno then presented scrap metal, which one of the soldiers had brought from Momiji Hills, explaining that it had once been imbued with the energy of Venus, which had since faded away.

In order to restore it, the traveler went to Showa Town and met the 100-Generation Blacksmith. After paying him to restore the scrap metal, the traveler brought back the golden metal that glowed with the energy of Venus. Sakuno then asked the traveler to obtain objects containing the energies of Mars and Mercury, which Hayato and Kanna had brought with them. (A/N: This is the part that I mentioned at the beginning of this section. Sakuno says this even if you’re playing as Hayato or Kanna. As a matter of fact, it even has Hayato talk to himself if you’re the same class.)

The traveler first traveled to the Hidden Ghost Shrine, where they obtained the Warrior’s Soul Spear, containing the energy of Mars, from Hayato. Sakuno then gave them Fish Bait to summon Cane-Gulping Pianus in Aqua Road. After using it to summon and defeat Cane-Gulping Pianus, the traveler obtained a Blue Cane containing the energy of Mercury. With the energy of the five planets, Sakuno divined that an ominous force had appeared in the wake of Oda Nobunaga and Princess No’s attempts to cross dimensions.

She feared that they would soon be fully thrown into Maple World and disappear. When the traveler asked if anything could be done, Sakuno explained that the Demon King had refused to cooperate with Princess No, though he had also not returned to his domain. In order to send him back, she explained that they needed to eliminate Princess No, the one who had summoned him. To help them, Sakuno blessed them with the Will of the Five Planets.

(A/N: Warriors get the Fury of Mars, Magicians get the Blessing of Venus, Bowmen get the Seal of Jupiter, Thieves get the Curse of Venus, and Pirates (and Xenon) get the Wrath of Saturn. You can use the skill exclusively during the Princess No fight.)