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Saarai conjures a rock-filled snowball and launches it violently at the yeti.
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Traveling back down the mountain is a simple matter, as the slope works in the PCs’ favor and all threats along the way were cleared on the ascent. Venture-Captain Amara Li personally thanks the PCs for the recovery of the Braid of a Thousand Masters. If the PCs also discovered the means of activating the braid from Jiang Dan, the Lantern Lodge venture-captain immediately begins organizing a search for the last master and the young student that followed him. If the PCs failed to discover the means for activating the Braid, Amara Li later learns of an old report describing the last master and his exploits since leaving the monastery. The report contains enough information to warrant further investigation.
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After you have slain the Yeti, you are able to get to the final room in the monetarist.
This fifteen-foot-by-thirty-foot room seems to have escaped the destruction found throughout the rest of the monastery. A statue, leaning against the northern wall, appears out of place among the rest of the room’s contents—clay pots, ruined sacks, and aged tools. The statue, made of finely carved stone with jade inlays, depicts a man with a serene face, standing in a meditative stance.
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Kasei brushes some of the dust of years past off the statue's face with his hand. "So who is this a statue of?" he wonders out loud.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"It speaks, so it does!" Kasei says in surprise when the statue begins answering his questions.
"We found this braid, which appears to be what we are looking for, in the Yeti's nest. Can you tell us anything about it?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
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The statue sighed. "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.”
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It’s been three days since parting ways with Venture-Captain Amara Li, and the journey along the Tuunma River has been unusually quiet so far, with the two-masted junk called the Laughing Crow holding up surprisingly well, especially considering its simple design and relatively minute size. The journey has been peaceful so far, the endless processions of sand dunes and clear skies proving remarkably contrary to many of the warnings Amara Li provided during the meeting with her nearly half a week ago.
“No time to rest, Pathfinders!” she exclaimed late one night, barging into the bedroom of the ramshackle tavern in Goka. “I’ve looked into the situation surrounding the relic you found, the Braid of a Hundred Masters. As you may have noticed, the artifact appears to have been dormant for many years now, and in this state it’s essentially worthless to us. Fortunately, it can be reactivated, but only by the descendant of the braid’s last master, who, as you may know, was the master of the Clouded Path Monastery many years ago, a man by the name of Li Yao. I’ve discovered the whereabouts of his final living descendant—a woman by the name of Je Tsuin—but she now resides in the nation of Shokuro to the east, far from where her ancestor taught in his monastery in the Wall of Heaven. In order to reactivate the sacred relic,you’ll need to travel to the village of Nesting Swallow in Shokuro and find Je Tsuin to perform the necessary ritual. “Unfortunately,” she continued, “we’re not the only group interested in Iroran artifacts. Our operatives claim that Lingshen, the Successor State to the southeast, is after the relic as well. Since Lingshen’s armies have a stranglehold on the overland routes from here to Shokuro, you’ll have to travel by river. Riding the Tuunma is faster anyway, though you might run into some hostile Mutabi-qi or goblinoids along the way. The river empties into the Sea of Eels—cross it and you’re in Shokuro, and from there you can follow the map I’ve provided to reach Nesting Swallow."
“Ah, before I forget, you’ll also need you to make a quick stop along the way. The ritual requires a large amount of rare incense—more than I could easily procure from any of my local suppliers—so I’ve contacted a nomadic tribe in Shaguang, the Jhemulit, and they have agreed to provide you with the prepared herbs. I’ve already paid their shaman, a man named Ogokai, and I’ve marked their approximate location on your map, so it’s simply a matter of picking up the incense on your way to Shokuro.”
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Zalanda waits be side Venture-Captain Amara Li while she speaks looking at each of the group members in turn. ... they look experienced I hope I can help in some way ...
After the speech. Zalanda addresses her fellow Pathfinders. "Hello, I am Zalanda." Giving a dazzling smile. "Venture-Captain Amara Li has asked me to join you on your mission. She has briefed me of the details and of your previous mission to retrieve the relic. My skill lye in the use of persuasive and charm magic."
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A short stout human with a big bushy beard (If he wasn't so tall, about 5'4" and his beard wasn't so unkempt you'd almost mistake him for a dwarf) addresses Zalanda. "Hi, name's Jones. My expertise is hittin' my mark with Vera here." He reaches over his shoulder and taps the heavy crossbow on his back. "Welcome."
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Venture Captain Amara Li is lost in thought with the mentioning of cake. "Yeah, there should be a good cake shop just a little walk from here." She remembers that she is giving a briefing. "Oh, yes... Goblins. The second half of your trip will take you along the border of Kaoling, which was seized by hobgoblins shortly after the fall of Imperial Lung Wa. The hobgoblins probably won’t bother you provided you don’t venture inland, but even less civilized monsters are said to lurk around the border.” She turns towards Jones, "The Mutabi-qi is what the nomad tribes of Shaguang call themselves. Most are pretty aggressive toward outsiders, but if you can make friendly contact, you’ll find them very hospitable. They travel from oasis to oasis across Shaguang, and frequently make stops along the Tuunma River to water their horses.”
She grabs her had and is getting ready to leave. "Your boat is the Laughing Crow. She isn’t a particularly difficult ship to handle. There might be a couple stretches of the Tuunma that give you a little trouble, but I’m sure you’ll manage.” she dawns a cape then stops at the door.
"Speaking of Armies, you should watch otu for Lingshen, They’ve got the largest and mightiest army in all of Tian Xia, their soldiers fight with fanatical devotion, and they’ll only offer you one chance to surrender—after that, they show no mercy. I’d avoid them if at all possible, but if confronted, your only option might be to fight.” She walks out of her office, mentioning something about a cake.
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"Swimming is not a something I have any skill at. So if I happen to fall into the water you will know by the wailing and screaming." ... I hope that I do not have to get wet ... why did I agree to come on this mission ...
"I may be a graceful dance but get me in the water and I'm all legs and arms a flapping. Not pretty at all."
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You can hire the following NPC's (They won't fight in combat and all have a minimum of 1 week contracts.)
Shipmate 5sp/day
First Mate 3gp/day
Captain 10g/day