Background
Feel free to discuss your plan of action as you dot in and the way in which you want to proceed. You have imperial authority to enter the palace and use whatever means necessary to get to the bottom of this. However, you have been cautioned about damaging the facilities, buildings, staff and product.
Standing at the top of the hill Peony adjusts her armor, stretching liberally, trying desperately to prevent herself from getting overheated. Once comfortable and able to focus on anything but her own annoyances she peers off across the valley, (?) admiring the beautiful sloped roof of the forest smothered palace. Unfortunately due to her stature she could only make out the roof of the palace through all the shrubbery, but nonetheless she was taken back by the sheer artistry, a far cry from the thatched shanty towns she's used to. Turning to one of her taller companions, she squeaks out
"So, do y'all see anything I dont?"
"Place looks abandoned..." Tashi tells Peony. The tall half-elf shades his eyes with a hand, while he looks the place over. Something was clearly wrong here. The question is: What?
Bō grins widely. "It can't be that abandoned, eh? So many people have gone in recently! Maybe they have found the lotus blossom that grants eternal slumber? Or a heavenly peach tree has grown in one of the tea gardens? Maybe we'll go in and find them all sitting around the tables drinking tea and looking very surprised that anyone came!"
The itinerant cleric's lamellar leather armor creaks as he stands up on his toes to try to take a look over the rooftops. "There's a whole compound in there, eh? We'd better go soon if we want to search the place before the sun sets!"
As you all gaze out across the forested valley at the palace, Xiang's keen eyes spot that some of the windows on the second and third floor seem smashed. A few other distinct traces, such as faint gashes through the lacquered pillars outside the entrance courtyard, or faint smoke drifting from behind the palace itself lets you know that most likely all is not well.
The descent to the palace proper should take no longer than 15 minutes.
Shara strings her bow and checks the tension as her Bengal tiger cub licks her paws seemingly oblivious to anyone around him. "We agree" she says gesturing to the large cat. "It doesn't seem far but there is no use wasting time." Shara snaps her fingers and the Tiger grudgingly raises from the ground and begins to follow Shara.
As the enter to forest Shara keeps her head swiveling and eyes focused as she walks. Years spent in forests and jungles have taught her to always stay vigilant.
Sneering, Peony takes a cue from Shara and strings her bow as well, tightening, un-tightening and re-tightening her hip fastened quivers, trying to get the fit just right. Pulling her hood up to protect her eyes from the morning sun the halfling chirps again, probing at the hillside for a safe passage down
"We should've come before morning, it would've been easier to approach...unnoticed. But no matter, if we were in for some sort of great peril we would've been sent with a bigger group, eh? Seriously though, if nobody objects to the idea I'd like to trot on ahead and give the joint a good once over, so as to make sure we're not walking into some sort of gank."
Peony scouts ahead, staying close to the shadows. Shara sees the same sights that Xiang spotted.
Undetected, Peony makes her way down to near the palace entrance.
There's a faint, bitter and fragrant aroma on the wind. Most likely tea.
Peony leers about before returning to the party, recounting what she's seen.
Tea Culture of JiangshiTea culture in Jiangshi dates back to the earliest days of the realm, roughly two thousand years ago. Though the Gui and Jinhou were here long before Qíguài arrived, (Qíguài denotes the common races brought to Jiangshi after they were saved from the Desolation) they were not the ones to develop tea.
It is said that among the Qíguài, there lived a woman named Nuwa. Nuwa was an attendant to the first of newly crowned Imperial family. At the time, customs dictated that only hot water be served to the Emperor and his family so as to assure it would be clean. One day as she was about to serve water, she found that single leaf had drifted in from the gardens and landed squarely in the boiling water. As she watched the leaf float, the surrounding water slowly changed color. An earthy aroma emerged from the water. Intrigued and amazed, Nuwa brought the water to the Emperor and asked him his opinion on it. Daring to taste, the Emperor enjoyed the taste greatly and asked that more be produced.
Soon, the leaf was identified as originating from a single plant within the garden, one that no one could remember being there. The plant was cultivated and from its seeds, the first generation of tea plants came into being. Today, tea is mainly grown in the Qiao province, the temperature and weather much better suited to the plant. However, the original garden lies within the Jade Tea Palace. For it is there that the tea plant was first discovered by the Emperor, on his visit to the meet with the Zhuge noble family. The garden itself lies at the heart of the palace, and it is a sacred and special location to the people of Jiangshi. Once a year, a few leaves of the plant are gathered and made into a single serving of tea to be given to the Emperor. Named after the woman who found it, Chúnjié Nuwa (Pure Nuwa) tea is the Jade Tea Palace's most precious possession.
The origins of tea are derived from the actual mythological origin of tea in China.
"I smell something... Tea I think. Tashi yawns, then asks: "Shall we stride right in the front door? Or scout around the back a bit first?"
"It smells wonderful" Shara says sniffing the air. Her tiger purrs as she too picks up the wonderful aroma of tea. "Usually I would say scouting it the best option and I will help scout if need be, But we are on a bit of a time constraint and I would rather see where these tracks lead."
Anyone entering the courtyard should please make a Stealth check.
Bō follows some distance behind Peony and Shara, allowing them the opportunity to move stealthily.
Shara looks through the gate and sees the two guards sleeping in the courtyard "What are the Gui doing here?"
She ducks back out and holds up two fingers and then motions that they are asleep. She points to Peony and motions that she should take the one on the left and indicates that she will take the one on the right.
Tashi gets his bow in hand, then nods, indicating his readiness. He stays close to Bō. Stealth is not one of best his talents either.
Bō nods and flexes his grip on his shield - a round wooden shield with flaking lucky red paint on the face and a few dings. He raises his empty right hand as if gripping an invisible ball... perhaps waiting for something?
Encounter 1 - Jade Tea Palace Outer Courtyard
Shara
Tiger
Peony
Gui (no action in surprise round)
Xiang
Huān
Shara's tiger stealths (). I leave all other stealths and combat options open to you. Describe your actions for both the surprise round and round 1 please. I manage cases where things don't mesh.
Gui are an aquatic race of outsiders resembling humanoid men with koi scales and gills. They have the same stats as undines but have +2 Str, +2 Dex and -2 Int and replace water affinity with 60 ft. darkvision.
Gui are bullies and thieves and their culture invokes a might is right attitude. Whoever is strongest gets the gold so to speak. Therefore they don't always get along well with the other races. If they didn't want their stuff stolen, why'd they leave it undefended in the hands of weak opponents?
Peony stows her bow and draws her bastard sword, a heavy curved blade marred with scratches and a severe lack of polish. She watches her comrades arm themselves, chirping quietly "So I take it these fish fellas shouldn't be here? Well then...we should let them know." Smirking, she creeps through the gate into the courtyard, matching her footsteps to the tiger
With her bow in hand Shara quietly follows Peony and the Tiger into the courtyard leaving space for her less stealthy companions to get into the courtyard.
When she gets into position she fires and the sleeping guard on the right and her tiger closes on him to bite.
As the guards begin to wake Shara reloads and makes sure that she is close enough to sink the arrow deep into them and fires a second arrow into the guard. Her tiger, who is now close enough to smell the guards morning breath, rears up with her claws and swipes with her paws as she snaps her teeth at the guard.
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Tashi moves in to the courtyard, following behind Shara. With his bow at the ready he looks around inside.
Concentrating hard, Bō slowly turns his hand outward to face the gui. Small arcs of lightning leap from his fingertips to coalesce into a single bolt in the center of his hand, which then tears out through the air toward one of the fish-men.
Round 0 - Surprise Round
- Shara fires off an arrow hitting one of the two guards for . Tiger jumps in and unfortunately misses her target.
- Peony remains stealthed but is in the courtyard undetected.
- Xiang likewise moves undetected into the courtyard.
- Huān Bō lashes out with a lightning arc dealing to the right Gui.
Round 1
- Shara and her Tiger managed a combined into the leftmost guard, finishing him off before he can come around completely to his senses.
- The second guard is startled awake and only seeing a very aggressive tiger, attempts to spear him through.
He then takes a five foot step back towards the Jade Tea Palace's entrance. He still looks a bit wobbly on his feet and only manages to croak out in Gui.
Waiting on Round 1 results from the rest of the crew.
Bō concentrates and fires another blast of lightning at the gui that he previously hit, on the right.
(Damn, I posted from work and somehow totally spaced that we were beginning combat. I'm off for the next few days though. )
Lost in a daydream for the last few seconds Peony snaps to her senses as the bloodshed begins, the familiar scent of the red liquid filling her nostrils. She springs from the shadows with a screech, leaping beside Shara's Tiger, swinging her blade in tandem with it's vicious strikes
Tashi quickly draws and looses an arrow at the remaining gui. He has to be careful of the tiger, and Peony, so it's a difficult shot.
Round 1
A flash from Huān Bō and a vicious cleaving from Peony finish off the second guard. Luckily, no one seems to have noticed you coming in.
The guards were carrying a jug of a strong smelling liquid. This is Hújiāo Baijiu, otherwise known as Pepper Wine. It is a strong alcohol brewed from spicy red peppers grown by Gui and stolen grain. It is non-addicting and has the following effect when drunk: The user gains +2 morale bonus to fear effects for 1 hour but is fatigued for the duration of the bonus. Multiple doses have no additional effect.
As well, each guard carried a small container of cold White Lotus Tea (functions as a potion of cure light wounds.) One of the many magical varieties of teas produced by the Jade Tea Palace, White Lotus Tea is the cheapest of the lot.
The courtyard has already been described above. The enclosed space can be searched and you may enter the palace proper by the gate itself.
Tashi takes a moment to search the courtyard, before turning his attention to the inner gate.
Bō sniffs the jug and then wrinkles his nose. "Well, I guess we know what happened here," he says. "They're probably all over the place inside of the tea brewery. Guess we'll have to roust them out!" He draws his nine ring broadsword and taps it against his shoulder.
Shara joins Xiang in his search of the courtyard. As he tiger tends to the wound she received from the spear thrust.
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Together, Shara and Xian scour the courtyard and pick up traces of activity. The smashed crates contain non-magical tea sealed in waxed paper bags. Some crates seem to have been dragged away judging by the large scuff marks.
You manage to recover another vial of White Lotus Tea that seems to have been dropped into some of the bushes growing around the edges of the courtyard.
There is no sign of any of the workers or Zhuge family members. No blood either, so hopefully no one was killed by the Gui... if there are even more of them.
"Don't gui usually live in water? How would they even store tea?"
"Don't gui usually live in water? How would they even store tea?"
Peony hefts the great jug of pepper wine, wrinkling her nose in confusion as the unfamiliar brew fills her nostrils. She smiles down at the container, shrugging.
"Well, I've never turned down a free drink before"
Swallowing a few mouthfuls she quickly drops the jug with a sputtering cough, making a bitter face at the wine. She turns her attention to the great wooden door, quietly leering inside.
She looks back at Huan Bo with a knowing smirk.
Peony peers into the Jade Tea Palace's interior.
You see a long hallway, two large sliding doors to the east and west. The hall opens out at the northern end (you are at the southern end) into another inner courtyard. The hall itself is furnished lavishly with chairs and small tables.
Smashed porcelain, broken furniture and cracked wood indicates that the Gui came through here, and not in a gentle manner.
Paintings on the walls show Zhuge family members.
You cannot see any Gui at the moment.
"Watertight jars?" Guesses Tashi. "Maybe they didn't plan that far ahead..."
Tashi switches to his sword, a long, slender blade, then tries to footpad to the door on the west. Once there he puts an ear to the door and listens within.
Bō raises an eyebrow at Peony's blatant impulse, then grins widely and tugs on the horsehair mane that tops his leather cap. He enters with the team but stays back from Tashi while the latter listens at the door, so that he doesn't inadvertently ruin the attempt.
Shara pockets the Whit Lotus Tea that she found in the courtyard and follows the group though the doors doing her best to keep quiet.
Peony warily scampers ahead, surveying the northern courtyard, taking care not to disturb any of the porcelain debris.
Some good stealth rolls from everyone it seems.
Xiang glides to the western sliding door and ever so slowly slides it open to check inside. The room is revealed to be a gallery or showcase room of sorts.
Boxes, chests and crates lie neatly stacked at the northern end of the room while a large wooden table with comfortable looking chairs takes up most of the middle of the room.
Fine porcelain cups and sculpted kettles lie stored behind a glass case on the southern wall.
Some of the chairs at the far end have been pushed aside and two Gui seem to be tending to a wounded one of their own on the wooden table in the center.
From what Peony can tell, the Gui looks like he's been badly burned, with sizable welts and reddish-tinged scales giving him an odd look for a Gui.
The Gui seem visibly agitated.
"Looks like the gui aren't the only ones here," says Bō warily.
"I hate the Gui" Shara mumbles and steps into the room. Drawing her bow cord back to her ear she lets fly an arrow at the one on the right.
She holds back he tiger who is at her side, ready to attack anything that gets too near.
Tashi is not broken hearted that Shara has taken diplomacy off the table. it probably would have failed anyway...
After the arrow is let fly, he darts through the doorway to take a position on the left.
"Okay, that way!" says Bō with a smile. He raises his shield and rushes to engage the gui.
An arrow flies into the room, barely missing one of the Gui standing around the table and lodging itself into the wall behind them.
The two Gui immediately jump to attention and shift their attention to the group. The wounded one simply tries to curl up into a ball and roll off the table to cover.
Shara Initiative:
Xiang Initiative:
Huān Initiative:
Peony Initiative:
Gui Initiative:
Tiger Initiative:
Peony, Xiang, Huan, Shara, Gui and then Tiger for the initiative order.
Bō advances to engage one of the fish-people. He twitches once, not quite a feint, before he suddenly commits to a slash with his jangling blade.
Peony jerks her head backwards, bounding for the open door she shrieks like a demon, leading the assault on Bo's shield side, leaping into the fray with a wild swing from her blade.
She grins wildly, spitting and snarling, attacking with great sweeping strikes and acrobatic leaps.
Tashi moves in, with ineffectual poking motions of his sword.