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The warmth of Berosius' healing energies, the whispers of encouragement behind Iomedae's power, eventually gives Hyeon-ae the strength to look up. She remains silent, however, her countenance the very picture of stoic sadness. It's obvious she's taking her failure to do much at all very hard, and she glumly follows the rest deeper into the temple.
So absorbed in her self-pity, she gives only the barest glances around the place, following dumbly after Gorn and Zephri. As such, Hyeon-ae is utterly taken aback by the statue(?)'s voice in her mind, and she stares in shock at it. Perhaps more shocking is the rude manner in which her companions are treating what is obviously some kind of religious servant of Irori...
Trying to shake away her blues, Hyeon-ae steps up and bows deeply to Jiang Dan. "Jiang Dan-nim," she says reverently, "I apologise for my companions' rough manner of speaking. They are from far across the sea and are unaware of local customs."
She tentatively raises her head, although slouches somewhat. "May I ask if you were one of the Clouded Path Monastery monks?"
"We are here in search of the Braid of a Hundred Masters. Would you know of it, Jiang Dang-nim?"
"I was one of the Master's eleven disciples, yes. I know of the Braid of a Hundred Masters very well. Each successive master of the Clouded Path Monastery inherited the Braid of a Hundred Masters from the previous master and, with it, was better able to help guide the rest of Irori's faithful along the path to perfection.
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"Turning someone into a rock is not the way to gain wisdom. One gains wisdom by learnin' what's about. Hiding as a rock, or under a rock, only gets you as far as yer nose."
Gorn frowns as he looks at the statue. Looking over to Hyeon-ae, he apologizes.
"Look, talkin' rocks are the stuff of wizards. Ah'm not one for wizardry on top of this."
Looking back to the Stone Man.
"So, what happened to the other eleven disciples? How does a braid help 'guide to perfection?'"
“A petulant student believed he knew better than his master. The student proclaimed that the master unfairly gained power from the Braid of a Hundred Masters, cheapening the path to self-perfection. He challenged the master to remove the braid and compete against him without its power. The master did so and, in the process, defeated the student. Once the master had proven himself to the student, the master left the braid at the student’s feet, then turned away, leaving the monastery, never to return. The master took one student with him that day, the young disciple, Ying Pei, while the remaining students squabbled and fought over the braid. None could call upon the power of the braid and so they left the monastery, one by one, once again seeking their true paths to perfection. Eventually, only the petulant student and the braid remained. Here he stayed, until the day he died, contemplating the significance behind his master’s actions. Perhaps, through searching for the master and his last disciple, you may uncover the answer to the Braid of a Hundred Masters.”
"I was the student who thought he knew better. I thought the master had left the braid to taunt me, but over time, I came to realize that there had to have been more to the master's gesture than a simple provocation. I continued my training alone, all the while contemplating the meaning of my master's gesture. Upon the moment of my death, I had still not solved the riddle, and with my dying breath, I whispered one last prayer to the Master of Masters, asking for a final insight.
"My prayer received an answer, but not in the manner I expected. Instead of attaining an instant inspiration, I woke to find myself turned to stone. I remain aware of my surroundings and am conscious of the passage of time and my own thoughts. I did not gain the insight required to understand my master's actions, but I did receive the time necessary to reach the answer on my own."
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Hyeon-ae quietens as she listens to the disciple's story, her chest tightening as his words resonate within her. A twinge of guilt rocks through her, realising she is as much a petulant child as Jiang Dan described himself as. A petulant child that could not protect that which she so dearly wished to... could be neither the child her parents dreamed of nor the warrior her heart dreamed of...
She shakes her head. She would have more time for self-pity during the rest of their journey across Tian Xia. "Would you allow us to take the Braid of a Hundred Masters with us? If we could find your master and Ying Pei, we might be able to help you in your quest to understand why he took the actions he did. And then you might finally be able to leave this... strange form behind."
"The braid is yours if that is what you desire. The last master, Li Yao, left the monastery and the braid here many, many years ago. I have little doubt that he no longer lives, I am afraid. His knowledge may have been passed down, or it may have died with him."
After some more information gathering of little relevance and some small talk, the party eventually travels back down the mountain, which is a simple matter, as the slope works in your favor and all threats along the way were cleared on the ascent. Venture-Captain Amara Li personally thanks you for the recovery of the Braid of a Thousand Masters. The Lantern Lodge venture-captain immediately begins organizing a search for the last master and the young student that followed him. Tracking down the monastery's last master, and his last disciple, become the focus of the lodge.