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Gynnezz looks at the situation. Since the determination is 'murder the bear' even though she might have been able to talk it down, she's not going to make a fuss about it -- it's not a potential bug-friend, after all!
With that increased clarity she moves forwards with purpose.
The bugtalker continues to move up, drawing a cold iron cutlass and a shield made of darkwood as she steps next to and into what silly no-scales would call 'personal space' of Krall.
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The deranged panda only manages to stand up and let out an intimidating snarl before it is brought down by a calvacade of arrows, claws and blades. As the bear hits the ground, a mysterious green light exits from the animals mouth and forms into the shape of a human male dressed in old fashioned looking Tien style segmented armor. The ghostly figures swings a long sword in the direction of the kobolds, then floats off towards the ruined building.
The courtyard is eerily still and even the sound of birds and insects seem still. The fountain in the center is now filled with dead leaves and the bones of various animals instead of flowing water. The stables are empty and most of the roof has collapsed.
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"Yeeeeeh, bears okay still don't like ghosts!" Krall screeches as the ghost swings at them. As his rage subsides his claws retract and he seems a bit tired.
As he slowly walks around he notices there is less stuff near the doors.
"Seems mister bear doesn't like the inside...none of his junk is near the door. Maybe he is scared of ghosts too." he proposes.
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It's not until the bear is felled and the ghostly human emerges from its body that Skyxa remembers the initial tentative plan to try and lure the bear out first.
"Sorry...old habits," Skyxa apologies to Gynnezz with a shake of her head. "But it was really a ghost? So maybe this way was for the best after all. Maybe?"
She gives the entrance to the abdandoned manor a hard look when Krall points out the lack of bones and other junk nearby.
"Ghost afraid of ghosts? Strange. Need to be careful."
Once the rest of the group seems ready to proceed further she steps back into formation once again, her longbow ready for trouble...
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The rooms in the estate are scattered with shattered porcelain, ruined
furniture, and torn remnants of banners and flags whose meanings have long since been consigned to history. A thorough search of the rooms reveal nothing that would be worth bringing back to Mai Chun. Most of the doors have been pulled off their hinges or have been left ajar to swing gently in the wind.
In the southwestern corner of the building there is a door that is still in good condition and is fully shut. If there is anything valuable in these ruins, it is probably on the other side of the door. Standing near the door at the end of the hallway is a statue of a Tien man wearing ceremonial armor and wielding a broad sword.
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Kaidynn mentally reaches for a blue crystalline egg, and the egg begins to glow with a bright indigo hue.
Kaidynn's eyes begin to glow with a faint indigo hue as well... he focuses on the statue for a few instants, calling his kobold clutch to a halt with a raised hand. He then nocks an arrow into his bow... just in case...
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"Surprised no traps!" Krall says scurrying into the house after Skithryx gives the all clear. He digs through all the debris not finding anything that looks worthwhile before sitting back frustrated.
"Thought it was gonna be easy to find something! Killing things is the easy part for once...hey that statue looks familiar. Like the ghosty that the bear ate." he says pointing towards the figure.
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With the help of Kaidynn's psychic blue mind egg he is able to detect a faint aura of evocation magic emanating from the statue.
The party has thoroughly tossed the place and they don't find anything of historical or monetary value. Neglect along with moisture and insects have destroyed anything of value that was left behind.
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"Well, if there's something I learned from the no-scale norm-size Janira, it is to always take notes of your area, pictures if you're good at drawing. I'm not good at drawing, though. Someone want to draw the statue and the armor and stuff? Maybe it's important?" the bugtalker offers after the brief exploration.
"Also, don't see why they are leaving all this perfectly fine building material here to just rot. You could build all kinds of things for a snarl from even older wood! Noscales." Gynnezz grumps.
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"Hmm...statue seems okay..." Skyxa notes as Midnight approaches the statue to examine it, without anything bad happening to her.
"I wanna try something," she adds after thinking about it for a moment. Kneeling down, she searches for a small, palm-sized rock or other piece of debris. Once she's found one she stands back up and throws it towards the closed door.
"Seen smoothskins do this. They have to because their eyes are bad and traps are hard for them to find."
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Skithryx grins at the telltale signs of a trap. "YES!" he cheers as he swiftly pulls out bar of iron riddled with plates and spikes. Twisting it around to a useful shape, he zealously gets to work.
"There? Why there? Stupid! Should go here! Trap is to kill, not only give small hurt! GAH! It pinch me! Nonononononono, oh its ok now," he mutters as he tries to dismantle it.
________
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Skithryx works on the door, hoping that he's managed to disrupt the magical trigger so that the trap will not go off. Feeling that he's done the best that he can, he carefully pushes the door open, hoping that nothing bad happens.
And the door opens to a room that stands in stark contrast to the decaying ruin of the rest of the manor. The room is almost pristine save for a
thick layer of dust. It appears to have once served as both a bedroom and office. One wall contains shelves bearing books and scrolls, and another wall is covered with an enormous map of central Tian Xia. On the desk lay several sheets of thick paper, their script indecipherable under ages of dust.
Leaning against the desk is a hefty looking polearm, a weapon referred to a naginata. On the desk next to the pile of papers is an ornate looking calligraphy set that looks quite valuable.
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"We should be very careful. Old things that sit for a long time can be very fragile." the bugtalker offers as she starts looking around the room buzzing quietly, looking for little friends to try and keep them calm from the scaled invasion. If there aren't bugs in here, she will be a bit more worried -- if a spot can be made bugproof, it can be made trueblood proof and that's a problem.
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The kobolds thoroughly search the room for any treasures or remaining traps. There are some loose coins and a very expensive looking gold ring rattling around on of the desk drawers. The naginata is sized for tall folks, but it is of incredible quality and would look great displayed on a wall or could be given to a Pathfinder agent big enough to use it. The calligraphy set is very well made and is a valuable art object on its own.
Gold and magic items help fund the Pathfinder Society's expeditions but the real treasures in here are the piles of papers on the desk and the map on the wall. The map can easily be removed from the wall.
The letters are written in Tien but even without being able to read they, they clearly look like correspondence, most likely with one person.
provide hints as to the lost Summer Palace’s location.
empire fell.
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Skyxa carefully removes the map from the wall and either rolls it up or folds it up, whichever method seems best, before placing it in her pack.
"Think our hostess might want to see!"
Then she ambles over to the desk and peers at the letters for a moment, picking one up and turning it this way and that.
"Can't read these little squiggles. Can any of you?"
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Unable to read the notes, the kobolds collect the notes and bring them back to Mai Chun.
Mai Chun is delighted to see the party return with such a treasure trove of documents. "Its going to take me a while to go through all these notes, but I would appreciate it if you could stay with me for a few days while I take an initial look at them."
A few days later the historian summons all the kobolds into her class room. On a table the map is stretched out. Mai Chun excitedly points out several locations on the map.
"These letters and this map talk about the Summer Palace. The location of this site has blost since the fall of Imperial Lung Wa. Who knows what treasures it may contain, but they are certainly items of great historical significance. The letters don't give me a enough information to pinpoint its location but this is the first lead I've seen in years."
Mai Chun clasps her hands to her heart as she recites,
“The moon,
with joy enough to tear the heavens,
Sinks to the horizon, and suddenly,
The Spring has grown old.”
Then the elderly scholar grins widely and asks , “So, who would be interested in helping me make history?”
END of PART I
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The party sets out to seek the first of three historical items that hold the key to finding the Summer Palace. The roads to Changdo are extremely safe and peaceful due to constant patrols of soldiers and even lone travelers can be seen. The city of Changdo is on a lake and as the party approaches the city they can see collosal stautue that is still under construction.
In the shadow of this towering structure is a busy trading yard just outside the city gates. The market is populated by all manner of people from across Tian Xia. To one side of the yard stands a well encircled by a low stone wall. A young Tian-Shu man wearing a broad straw hat stands beside the well, the line of his bamboo fishing pole disappearing into its depths.
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The man turns with his finger counts each of the kobolds. Then he stands up with a smile and a nod and tosses the fishing pole into the well. The falling pole clatters as it falls down the well. Smiling, the man in the straw hat greets the group in Tien.
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Skyxa quizzically cocks her head to one side as she comes sauntering up to join the rest of the group gathered around the well. When the strange man speaks, she shakes her head.
"We're not from around here," the kobold remarks in what is probably the most blatant example of stating the obvious that there ever was. "Sorry. Speak Common, maybe, please?"
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"I am no tall no-scale, but I know tossing a piece of wood and rope into a well can cause problems with rot and infection. Do you need us to pull your fishing stick out of the well before it gets everyone sick?" Gynnezz inquires intently, trying to keep her tail from twitching impatiently.
Is this stupid no-scale the person we're supposed to talk to?