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You look out on the tundra of Hongal, the northernmost realm of the continent of Tian Xia. You will have to cross this tundra to reach the capital of Hongal, Ordu-Aganhei, from where caravans depart to follow the Path of Aganhei. By traveling this dangerous path through the Wall of Heaven and across the Crown of the World, you will be able to reach Avistan.
Behind you are the ruins of Maiji, an old stone settlement that’s been long abandoned by the semi-nomadic Tian-La people that have made Hongal their home. A relic of the time when these horse lords tried settling in permanent villages. It was here that you spent the night, using the walls of what was once a house as your shelter for the night. The fire you made to keep yourself warm is still smoldering.
You were told that the best way to reach Ordu-Aganhei isn’t to travel in a straight line toward the city. Food’s sparse on the tundra, and you’d have to be lucky enough to happen upon one of the Tian-La’s temporary settlements in order to survive. Instead, the advice you’ve been given is to travel northeast, to the town of Muliwan. There you can resupply before you head out to Ordu-Aganhei and start your trek to the other continent, Avistan.
Rixin wipes his hands together, brushing the dust of his morning prayers away.His keen eyes sweep the empty, flat horizon, willing himself to see beyond the edge of sight to view his destination.
He still had far to go, before he could even begin his trek. The distance were vast, for a man grown in a city. The leagues on endless leagues. Still, there was nothing to do but go on.
His future, his glory, would wait for no one.
Sighing slightly, he began to make his way northwest, towards distant Muliwan. The traveling so far had taught him one thing, he would need a caravan to cross the Crown of the World. These empty, dry tundras were bad enough and it is said the Crown was even worse...
Shivering at the thought, the monk heads for the distant horizon.
During the day you make steady progress toward Muliwan, using the sun as your compass. They day's mostly uneventful, and it's hard to estimate exactly how far you've traveled in this seemingly unchanging terrain. When you've got about two hours of daylight left, you spot a small pack of four white wolves west of you. The animals currently keep their distance from you, but they are definitely keeping an eye on you.
Rixin eyes the wolves carefully. He had seen the like before. No one traveled for long distances without seeing predators. But that 'experience' hardly helped when a pack started following you, in broad daylight, in the middle of an empty tundra.
The monk makes camp early, knowing at night the wolves will have the advantage. Gathering up manure, wood and dry grass Rixin makes a big roaring fire, sending sparks up into the chilly air. he is careful to avoid starting a grassland fire.
The fire alone might keep them away, but he doubted it. Any packs out here were infrequently attacked by humans, and never humans on foot. Rixin was probably prey to them.
You're able to start a fire with the wood from a couple of dead bushes you find. During the night the wolves creep closer, but their natural fear of the fire keeps you safe.
The next day eventually arrives. You spot one of the wolves atop a hill that's about a quarter of a mile away from you, which is an awful lot closer than the distance the pack kept from you the previous day. It looks like the wolf's still keeping an eye on you.
Rixin stretched out the kinks from an uneasy night sleep. He hadn't been eaten but...things weren't getting better. Eventually they would get hungry enough and attack.
Unless he gave them something else to eat.
The monk keeps walking, looking for the tracks of any other animals. Maybe if he can kill a deer or something, he can give it tot he wolves. They would prefer a fresh kill to a live human.
Otherwise he kept up a brisk pace, trying to cover as much ground as possible.
As you walk you spot the tracks of a fox.
Meanwhile the wolf pack continue to follow you, slowly creeping closer as the day progresses.
A fox is nothing, not worth following. Too small to satisfy the needs of a wolf pack. He would need a bison or a musk ox,or whatever big mammal lived here. But luck didn't seem to be with him.
The monk trudges on. Assuming he sees no tracks, he tries to find a place with a decent amount of brush to build up a large fire again. The most defensible position he can find. This endless chase was wearing on him.
Near the end of the day your luck doesn't seem to have improved. There aren't any bushes nearby and the only living animals you spot are the wolves.
When the sun starts to set, you cross yet another hill and spot something new: two large tents with horses next to them, and a small cattle of cows nearby.
With wolves on his heels and the sun setting Rixin starts to fear the worst. Suddenly, the spirits of his ancestors feel a modicum of mercy and he sees a small camp.
Humans!
He hopes.
He takes a moment to gather himself, tidy his clothes, calms his nerves before walking into the tiny camp, being sure to make a suitable amount of noise. He holds his hands up, palms outward, 'Greetings. Is there a place for a traveler at your fire?"
Rixin decides to play it safe and mention the wolves later.
The door of one of the tents opens and a man steps outside. He slowly starts raising his arms to greet you in return, when suddenly he throws his arms wildly into the air instead. "Watch out! Wolves! Behind you!"
As you turn around to look, you see the wolves are no more than fifty feet away from you. They freeze the moment the man starts waving and yelling.
Rixin turns around, as quick as he can. Running was no option now. Hopefully these men could help him, and had weapons. For now, the old adage would hold true.
Th best defense was a good offense.
The monk stood his ground, clearing his mind, tensing his body for the upcoming struggle. Perhaps if he stood his ground the wolves would leave without much danger...
While you're having a stare off with all four of the wolves, you hear horses moving up to you from behind. The man who greeted you from the entrance of his tent and two others pass you on their horses, yelling at the wolves. "Begone! Begone!"
The wolves run away, followed by a couple sling stones. The men chase the wolves for a bit, making sure they're gone before turning around and approaching you.
"What brings you to us, lone man?" the man who greeted you earlier asks as he rides up to you. "My name's Gantumur Chingis. These are my sons, Batbayar and Ganzorig."
There's the sound of chatting from the direction of the tents. If you'd choose to look, you'd see several women stand outside the tents and look at you.
Rixing bows formally, "My name is Zeng Rixin, of Goka. I am a lone traveler in the lands, on a quest that is leading me to distant Hongal. I hop I do not offend on traveling your lands and leading wolves."
Breaking formality a bit, he adds, 'Thank you for saving me. I did not desire to fight a pack of hungry wolves!"
"Well met, Zeng Rixin," Chingis replies. "I do not expect the wolves to return, but it is getting dark outside. If you would like, you can join me and my family for dinner and spend the night in one of our tents."
Batbayar smiles widely at you. "Maybe you could tell us of your journey, sir? Goka is very far away, and none of us has ever been there."
Rixin smiles, a expression he hasn't used much these last few...months. It was nice to be in the company of people again, even commoners such as this Batbayar. As a displaced noble, he was more willing then most to understand the more wild and free aspect of the landless natives of this nomadic land.
"Of course. I would be honored and will gladly tell you stories on my grand city, which lies over those mountains. It is a cheap price for a warm meal inside a man's tent. Shall you hear of the great noble families of Goka, the trading ships of a hundred lands, or maybe my act of climbing the Wall of Heaven?" He will gladly tell them whatever story they wish to hear, only lightly embellishing the parts where is heroic.
"Everything!" Batbayar replies, laughing happily as he, his brother, and their father guide you to one of the tents.
You spend that evening with the Gantumur family, who share their food with you and offer you a warm place to sleep in return for your stories. The morning comes swiftly, and you're awoken by the smell of fresh bread.
"Will you eat with us, Rixin, before you continue your journey?" Chingis's wife asks you, looking up to greet you with a nod and a smile.
'Of course, I am honored." Rixin wondered what his family would think, of him sitting down with nomads to break morning bread. Nothing good he thought. He wasn't sold on peasant virtues himself, but that food smelled good...
'I am in debt to your and your family." Rixin says formally but he does mean it. The wilds are a harsh place and finding such open hearted goodness is comforting.
Once the entire family has gathered the bread is shared among everyone. You also get some fresh cow milk to drink.
"Do not think of it as a debt," Chingis tells you. "You are our guest. Not only that, you also shared some of your stories with us. News about the world beyond the tundra doesn't usually reach us. It was a true pleasure listening to all you had to tell, Rixin."
Rixin takes a deep draft of the fresh milk. He speaks then, "I am glad to tell it. But now, perhaps you can help me. I am a stranger to these lands. As I have said, I have long traveled in the high places, where the air is thin and the snow deep. But this is my first time in this place, where the earth is so flat and where a man can see for many li in every direction." Rixin uses the old imperial unit of measurement on purpose, to keep grasp of the old way.
"I am headed towards Muliwan. Do you have any advice for a lone traveler headed that way?"
"Of course," Chingis replies, and starts by telling you which direction you should start walking to once you head out. It soon becomes apparent to you that you went a bit too far to the west.
"Most of the terrain is flat, but there are some landmarks that will help you."
Chingis continues with some other advice: "Fire keeps most wild animals at a distance, but it's not always easy to make on the tundra. Don't expect you'll find suitable tinder and wood where you decide to spend the night, once you've stopped walking. Pick it up when you come across it during the day."
"We can give you some food for the journey to Muliwan," his wife tells you. "You'll be able to purchase more once you arrive there. I assume you already have a waterskin? We can fill it for you, before you head out."
Rixin bows, rather formally, to the man. He takes this advice seriously. No one should be too proud to absorb truth from a craftsman, a merchant or even a lowly herder if the time is right. And Chingis had been respectable enough.
"That would be very helpful, thank you." He'll take whatever he can get from these pople before setting off again.
"The blessings of the gods be upon you and your family." he adds, overly formal again. Rixin is discovering it is a handy tool to hide behind.
Chingis and his family see you out, waving at you as you set out on your journey to Muliwan.
"Take care, Rixin! May you find fortune where you're going, and may we meet again!"
The flat was flat, bare and hostile. but at least he knew which way to go. Taking care to follow the nomad's advice, Rixin heads towards Muliwan, hoping to avoid wolves.
That day, as well as the day that follows, you make steady progress toward your destination; Muliwan. Which is, of course, only one of the first steps of the grand journey you're on. Yet, on the second day after you've said goodbye to Chingis and his family, you lose sight of the landmarks Chingis told you about and no longer have any idea where you are in relation to your destination. Your foot sinks away as you accidentally step into a small pool of water and it gets caught in the mud at the bottom. Before you knew it, you ended up in the middle of a swamp.
Rixin pulls his wet, sopping foot from the mud. He instantly became worried. It was all too easy to sink into a sinkhole or trip into a hole with this treacherous ground. Even if he could climb out, he would be cold and alone (and soon maybe surrounded by wolves).
He needed to get out of this swamp...
He looks around for any high ground or trees.
Some distance from where you stand is a lone tree, and the terrain rises a bit above the swamp. Separating you from the raised terrain is about eighty feet of swamp. In the far distance you see large, rolling hills with trees. It looks like the tundra ends there.
Rixin heads for the lone tree, trying to stay out of any deep pools or quicksand pits.
As you move toward the tree you spot a faintly glowing ball of light in one of the swamp's puddles. When you take a better look at the glowing ball, you notice the nebulous image of what might be a skull within. The moment you continue moving, it moves with you while staying underwater.
A skull? Rixin stops in his tracks, staring at it. That can;t be a good sign. Was this swamp haunted with otherexplorers who got lost here? Or was he just getting jumpy.
In any case he heads toward the tree, he has plans for some of the wood.
You observe there no physical skull, just a vague image of a skull within the glowing ball. You're not able to recall what exactly the ball of light is, but as you continue walking it rises from the water and floats in the air, following you as you move toward the tree.
The ball slams into you and shocks you with electricity.
Round 1:
Ball of light
Rixin 12/20 HP
Rixin reels back, barely managing to avoid falling into the mud. The jittery, burning sensation of electricity fills his body. The pain is rather intense and he feel burns along his arms.
The monk channels his Ki, summoning his superhuman abilities of speed. He strikes back twice, punching quickly.
Only your first punch connects to the ball of light. There's no visible change after your punch, but it seems to react a bit slower with its counterattack.
Despite its slowness the ball still slams into you and shocks you badly.
Round 2:
Ball of light -6 HP
Rixin -20 HP
Rixin reels in pain as the searing jolts surge through him. He looks around in a bit of a panic. This thing could kill him, was already killing him. Could he run away? Not in this swamp...it was either kill or be killed.
Summoning up his fading strength he lashes out again, fits and feet flinging muck from the swamp.
Rixin hopes this is enough...
All of your attacks miss the ball of light, which then slams into you again.
Round 3:
Ball of light -6 HP
Rixin 16/39 HP
This was suicide. He could die here. It didn't fill him with fear but shame. Here, in a windswept swamp on the tundra, Zeng Rixin would die.
He ran.
As he ran he cried out, "Leave me be, evil spirit. I wish you no harm and just wish to pass. Leave me be!"
The ball shocks you again as soon as you turn your back to it. Heavily wounded, you run away from it as fast as you can. The swamp slows your progress considerably, but you reach the edge of the swamp and move away from it. As you reach the tree atop the hill, you see the ball of light hovers in the air at the edge of the swamp. It followed you till there, but it looks like it won't go any further.
In the far distance you see large, rolling hills with trees. It looks like the tundra ends there, and you know Muliwan's located where the tundra and Forest of Spirits meet.
Rixin sits on the ground for awhile, at the forest's edge. He looks at distant city, eyeing it gratefully. He had come close to death,a nd his nerves still rang with pain at every movement. His skin, burned and blistered, hurt every time he took a step. It would be good to sleep inside tonight.
These plains were a dangerous place, no place to travel alone. If this was that bad...how bad would the Crown of the World be? He need allies, fellow travelers. He hoped a caravan or some trading mission would be setting out north soon. The monk didn't doubt he would find employment easily, who wouldn't want a guard as talented as himself?
Rixin made his way to Muliwan as fast as his battered frame would allow him.
To one born in an urban environment the town of Muliwan won't seem very large, but in a country where most of the people live a nomadic lifestyle Muliwan is quite an impressive collection of buildings, people, and more. The small town with its population of no more than 500 people is bustling with activity. As you reach the town you're greeted by not only the friendly smiles and greetings of townspeople, but also by a wide array of smells. You pass what looks and smells like a bakery, a smithy, a stable, and a variety of other shops and places. The streets are filled with not only people, but also animals like chickens and an occasional dog or cat. A cart, pulled by two oxen and laden with hay, forces you to step aside.
As you look down for the source of the voice, you see a gnome carrying a basket of apples standing next to you.
"You almost knocked this basket out of my hands," the small man says, clearly upset.
As you look down for the source of the voice, you see a gnome carrying a basket of apples standing next to you.
"Are you looking for something?" the small man asks with a friendly smile.
Rixin narrowly avoids crushing the gnome carrying his apples. The grumbling tradesmen looks sour as Rixin dodges. It was hardly his fault, but it wouldn't do to press the matter in a strange city, doubly so as he could still feel the pain of the electricity flowing through him.
Bowing formally (and a bit coldly) to the gnome, Rixin says, "I apologize, merchant. I am new to the city and unused to it's ways. I can be on my way if you could point out a nearbye and fine inn."
"I'm not a merchant. I'm just carrying these home," the gnome sneers at you.
"You'll find one there." The gnome nods vaguely at the end of the street. You get the impression he's just pointing you at the nearest tavern, and doesn't really care if it is or isn't a fine place.
The gnome looks you over and frowns, after which he walks off.
Rixin shrugs. Not everyone could be a friend. Besides, he wasn't in the mood to chat in the street anyway. Taking care to avoid trampling anyone else, he makes his way to the Inn, hoping to soon ease his tired feet and then, later, seek a caravan or other form of group transport.
The inn the gnome pointed you to looks a bit ramshackle at first sight, but when you enter the inn you notice the interior looks a lot better than the exterior. There are several round tables, each surrounded by four chairs. The stairs in the far right corner lead up, and there's a small bar in the other far corner. There aren't any obviously untrustworthy figures lurking about the inn. Instead the inn's almost deserted, safe for a young woman at one of the tables and a man, presumably the innkeeper, behind the bar.
Rixin enters the inn, glad it is mostly deserted. He wasn't in the mood for crowds, just now. And at least it isn't full of thugs ready to make an easy coin...
The monk heads for the bar, bows respectfully and says, "Innkeeper, I have traveled long and hard, from a far country. How much for a simple room? A bed and roof, I require little else." He hopes it isn't too much money..
The innkeeper looks Rixin over. "One bronze piece for the night."
He then looks Rixin over again. "You sure you don't need a doctor as well?"
Rixin grins, "I'll pass on the doctor, but I would like something to eat. Do you have anything, master innkeeper?" Rixin asks respectfully. "A hot meal with cure me faster then a leech."