At The Heart of Winter
“Nazo no yama” is more than a legend; the mountain is a lost pillar of hope in a time of uncertainty. Few have ever seen what secrets the monks found within the storm, but those that have had the fortune of finding the mountain have seen their lives prosper in ways they needed most. Farmers having an unusually good yield, a Daimyo claiming a crushing victory, and rumors even of the Shogun himself having to credit the mountain for his grand seat.
Tactically retreating saves your men’s lives, not their morale. The journey back to more defensible terrain is sullen and quiet as thick snowflakes ease down. Pads of snow form on top of your warband in your travels, and the road becomes virtually impossible to follow. Your men have traveled this road many times, but none recall seeing the glow of a lantern in this area. The glow, coming from the base of a giant silhouette, casts a massive shadow within the falling snow. The road you are traveling on is often clear, and these fields rarely have anything larger than a few travelers on horseback. Your initial impression is that the snow has taken you off your intended course, but you feel yourself being drawn toward the glow as it becomes closer and closer. Upon closer inspection, the big shadow turns out to be an unfamiliar mountain.
A heavy, swirling stream of snow that appears to have a life of its own is obscuring the unknown mountain’s imposing form as you get closer to it. The angry, blistering storm clings to the mountain’s slopes and hides its secrets, giving the impression that the mountain is hiding from view. A faint glow, much like the lantern your warband is now standing beside, is faintly pulsing just up a narrow path along the mountain base. The glow is almost calling to you — a call that you answer.
As you get closer to the next glowing lantern, the chill in the air becomes more pronounced, and you can feel the moisture on your skin freezing bitterly. The blizzard becomes so thick that you can only clearly see a few feet in front of you, and the sound of your footsteps is lost in the now howling winds. Upon approaching the next glow, you can see the lantern has no oil or wick. The lantern itself is glowing; clearly, the lantern is a work of magic bestowed upon it by a practitioner of great skill.
The mountain itself is a massive, craggy behemoth, with rugged cliffs and steep, rocky slopes that rise majestically from and into the storm. Jagged peaks pierce through the snowdrifts, and as you pause to take in where you are, you make out dozens more pulsating glowing orbs climbing up the mountainside. Following an unknown path up an unknown mountain is not where you could have guessed you would be leading a group of wounded men.
As you make your way up the mountain, the snow becomes even thicker and more oppressive, and it’s easy to lose your way. You can feel the weight of the storm pressing down on you, and it’s almost as if the mountain itself is trying to push you back whilst pulling you in.
Despite the challenges, you persist in your climb, drawn by a sense of curiosity and wondering about what lies beyond the veil of snow. You have ascended the mountain too far to turn around without having lifelong regrets, so you proceed one by one along the lantern trail. Undoubtedly, there are undiscovered valleys, vanished cities, and temples waiting to be found.
A spectacular perspective of Japan is revealed when the storm begins to clear as you get closer to the summit. The sun breaks slightly through the clouds, casting golden light over the snow-laced landscape, and you realize that the mountain was hiding not just from you but from the world itself. A sense of awe and wonder washes over you as you take in the stunning vista, and you feel as if you have uncovered a great mystery that was hidden in plain sight.
Just below the summit, you see the final lantern at the mouth of a seemingly small cave. Having traveled this far, you and your men couldn’t turn back without seeing what was inside. Although the view is stunning, it isn’t what you are here to see. The mouth of the cave was only large enough to fit in by ducking down almost to a crouch; however, after about four paces, it opened up to a vast carved room with treasures lining the walls. One by one, your warband enters, brushing off the snow as the feeling quakes back into their fingers.
A scroll with a faint glow in the center of the mysterious room catches your attention. The words on the scroll are not written; rather, they are visible on a portion of the scroll.
Takaramono o okizari ni sureba, motto ōkina takaramono ga anata o mitsukerudeshou.
“If you leave your treasure behind, a greater treasure will find you.”
The message, cryptic as it would seem, rang true to your soul. You only needed to do one thing to obtain the treasure you seek within your heart: leave all of your valuables in this room. Without hesitation, you and your men drop their coin purses, ornate weaponry, and battle-worn armor and make their way out of the cave, feeling as though they had just been warmed by a fire. The lantern that sat glowing at the mouth of the cave is no longer glowing, and the path down the mountain has changed. A long and jagged climb down a mountain is now no more than a short, snow-covered walk back to the road you had left hours ago.
You step weightlessly on the road, not looking back, for you know you have been to the top of “Nazo no yama” and it will not be there any longer. The mountain has moved on, and whether it is to go back into hiding or to await the next that needs it most, you will never know. Now you must compose your thoughts as you travel home. Preparing for the inquiries that anybody who hears your story from your troops will make.
What is your “greater treasure”?
