Benzaiten

The message from the Gestalt is clear: We need to move quickly. The eastern contingents now need reinforcements, just as we needed them a few weeks ago. I fold the order in my hand and scrutinize the landscape before us. The tundra and all its traps are sure to slow us down. I can't afford the luxury of moving cautiously over this terrain as I'd originally planned. I need a solution to avoid that – a fast, safe form of transportation – and I need it now! I clench my jaw. Sometimes I'd prefer to deal with everything as simply as Kojo does and just charge in head-first. But I'm responsible for my soldiers, and it's my duty to get them home safely. If only good fortune could be on our side! Though, come to think of it… it can be.

I trace a series of Glyphs in the snow and a whirlwind appears, spinning around us. I order my men to close ranks. The vortex turns a bluish-purple and acquires a scaly surface, with a few golden sparkles as well. It transforms into a group of giant snakes curled around us. Once the first wave of fear passes, I notice that one of the snakes has a rider: a tall woman with eight arms, instructing the colossal reptiles where to go. She also holds a biwa – the traditional lute – and a sword. This is our strategic asset, our secret weapon: Benzaiten. In an aerial dance timed to the rhythm of her instrument, the snakes lower themselves to the ground and load my troops onto their heads, each of which can carry three riders. My men don't look entirely reassured, but I encourage them to climb on. One by one, the creatures collect their passengers. All right, that's all of us. The squadron prepares to depart. Sitting sidesaddle on her mount, the Eidolon changes her melody. A different vibrato runs through the group. Hope has returned to our hearts. Hang in there! We're coming!

With roots in both Japanese and Hindu traditions, Benzaiten is the Buddhist goddess of knowledge, art and beauty, eloquence, music, literature, arts and sciences, virtue and wisdom, prosperity, and longevity. She is one of the seven lucky gods and one of the most powerful warrior goddesses. She is believed to be a synthesis of the Buddhist version of Sarasvati and the Shinto kami Ugajin. She is often represented with snakes in her Buddhist version and always with a lute in her Shinto version.

GULRANG

393 AC