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Only a handful of other Pathfinders, most of them initiates, walk the halls near the office of Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin. The Grand Lodge's chamberlain sits behind an organized desk, reading a recently printed chronicle, and tapping his finger on an elaborate open envelope, the only sound in the eerily silent Pathfinder Society headquarters. Whilst normally 200 Pathfinders walk these halls at all times, all of them are gone, seemingly sent all over the world and letting the magnificent building enjoy a moment of peace.
Outside his office, 6 Pathfinders wait patiently for him to usher them in for debriefing. They've been told it's a very important mission, and so they wait for Ambrus to finish reading his reports, many of them only just seeing their colleagues for this mission.
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Perched on the edge of her seat, swinging her legs like a fidgety child, is a female gnome with short-cropped fiery orange hair, peach skin, and pale green eyes. She keeps turning her head to look around, leaning forward or back to get a better view. As soon as she sees another person, she hops down off her seat and zips over to greet them, her words tumbling from her lips in energetic rapid-fire: "Hi! I'm Pai! Are you hear for the mission? Do you know what it's about? My summons didn't give me very much information, but I always like to keep busy, so I'll do it, whatever it is. But if we have to fight undead, I gotta tell ya I won't like it. I'll do it, but--uuugh! They give me the creeps. Man, did you notice how quiet it is around here? I've never seen it this still. It's like a ghost town! Oh, hey, I didn't get your name!" She offers her hand for a firm, vigorous handshake.
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Just standing with the rest of the group is a tall Nagaji with a blue scaled frill. He is wearing a set of full plate mail and carries a shield along with several weapons.
Hskoro hisses his greetings. "Greetings! I am Hskoro Failfeather. I'm not much for social gatherings but in combat, just let the enemies come to me and I will hold them back while you pelt them."
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An elegantly dressed () Tien woman enters and curtsies politely.
"My name is Tsuan," she introduces herself. "Are we travelling together?"
She bows at Hskoro.
"It is nice to meet you, Hskoro. I heard you were part of the team that recently saved the Blakros Museum from some Numerian artifacts."
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A tall half orc woman comes in, a toothy smile comes across her face. Hi everyone! My name is Bedisa Zharvazhidse. Pleasure to meet you all..
Bedisa looks young - maybe early 20s - but there's something about her that makes her feel a lot older.
She pulls out a few things from her pockets and hands one to each of her new companions. Here - take this. Bedisa hands a simple ring to everyone. Something to remember me by. I spent countless hours crafting those.
A small bird pokes his head out of Bedisa's pocket. His feathers are grey and he looks old. He'll start muttering something in a language which sounds like music to the ears.
He says: [b]Another mission? I'm too old for this. Let's get it over quick. If anyone needs me, I'll be napping.
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Hskoro grins down at the Tien Woman, "Yes. Some kind of cult or something like that set loose a weird ooze thing. Managed to put a stop to it, but the weird ooze was able to take over a person's body."
He shudders, "Almost had to take out a companion due to the weird ooze fortunately he got free from it."
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Hskoro takes the ring offered to him by the Half-Orc. "Um... thank you."
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Tsuan bows at Bedisa, accepting the ring with both hands.
"It's magnificent, thank you."
She squats down to be eye-level with the bird.
"Hey there, buddy, I'm so sorry I can't understand you. I was part of the team that recently rescued the books Celestial Song and Infernal Incantations, and as a reward, I got to study them. Unfortunately, I started with Infernal Incantations, and some Grand Lodge scholars swooped in and took Celestial Song before I got a chance to study it. As a result, I know Infernal but not Celestial."
She turns to Hskoro.
"Your service honors us all, thank you."
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Pai's face lights up with delight after a quick glance at Lai's dress. "Oooh! Your dress is custom! That's so cool! I have a custom dress too! Not the same as yours though. Mine has a tassel that I can pull to shorten it so I can run if I have to. I got it for a mission where we went to an opera and ended up fighting off a bunch of undead. It was wild! --Oh! Thank you, Besida! It's great! You really made this? So cool! You did a really good job on your craftsmanship." Her chattering abruptly stops as she turns the ring around to inspect it from all angles, then begins trying it onto each of her fingers until she finds one on which it fits. "Ah! There! Perfect! Thanks!" She beams up at Besida with genuine joy.
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A small halfling in a red business suit and pencil skirt with some modest heels stands up from one of the desks nearby Valsin's office and takes a stack of papers off to a filing cabinet and putting it away. She gives a stretch heads back to her desk and picks up a pack and ergonomic longspear, with wayfinder hanging from it 3/4 of the way up, that had been hidden behind the desk, she then saunters up to the rest of the group.
"Are you Venture-Captain Valsin's 2:15? I believe we are going on a mission together. My name is Angela Isafira, secretary and chronicle auditor third class here at the Grand Lodge." She extends a hand and then passes around business cards with her title and the glyph of the open road on them. "I'm occasionally sent on missions randomly to make sure that the chronicles and paperwork we receive are representative of what happened. It's a randomized process, so noone of you in particular are under doubt.... or it could be because a secretary was needed, not sure why."
She looks back at what must be her desk, "I got here early enough to finish up filing an travel reimbursement that someone forgot the return trip receipts for. Remember always ask for a keep a receipt when on Pathfinder duty!" Her face flattens, eyes growing sharp, "...Or I will haunt you in your dreams for making the process even more difficult!"
Her very slight smile however quickly returns as she pulls out a piece of paper tacked to a small board before looking at everyone in order. "First, you must be Pai, no other halflings but you and me on this list, next, you're either Hskoro or wearing a an extremely convincing nagaji disguise! You are Bedisa, are you not? Meaning that you're Ms. Lai, am I right? Guess we are still waiting on Zeta then."
She takes a moment to get her waterskin out and take a few sips of water while looking over the party.
... but finds nothing odd.
She accepts Bedisa'S offered ring with a few blinks, examining it closely. "Why, thank-you. I am honored you thought to give me this. You have a real talent for making simple yet beautiful jewelry."
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"Hey! I'm a gnome!" Pai's response is slightly indignant whiny. She gives Angela an exasperated look, then shrugs and dismisses the incident. "Eh, whatever. Nothing wrong with halflings, anyway. But can they do this?" And with that, she casts Dancing Lights. The little globes of light run in circles around Angela's head. "Eh? Eh?" Her eyebrows waggle proudly.
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"Hey! I'm a gnome!" Pai's response is slightly indignant whiny. She gives Angela an exasperated look, then shrugs and dismisses the incident. "Eh, whatever. Nothing wrong with halflings, anyway. But can they do this?" And with that, she casts Dancing Lights. The little globes of light run in circles around Angela's head. "Eh? Eh?" Her eyebrows waggle proudly.
Angela looks up and finally sees Pai properly for the first time, "Dangit the notes here jsut say small next to both our names, and I just assumed... Apologies that was rude of me."
She watches the spell being cast and shakes her head. "No I can't do that but I can tell you if you move your hands like this during the casting of dancing lights, your lights shine in a rainbow of colors."
"Yes, Ms. Lai, or simply Tsuan. Lai is my family name, Tsuan is my given name."
Angela gives a smile and a small bow, "It's not the first time I've had the pleasure of meeting someone from Tian."
A funny and curious red creature flies into the room. It is the size of a large dragonfly and has the same wings, but otherwise it is a real red dragon (with large bulging eyes). It also wears a masterwork chainshirt that fits its diminutive size.
'Welcome!' You might assume that the voice will be ringing, but it turns out to be unexpectedly bass and low. 'My name is Vellestir. I am escorting lady Zeta, mighty warrior of the Silver Crusade. And here she is...'
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A woman enters the room, dressed in black chelish fullplate with a kelish patterns of bright red and white colors. All this is decorated with a lot of gold and silver jewelry and a scarf that can easily be turned into a hijab. In general, this gives the impression of a mix of two cultures (perhaps involuntarily).
Her skin is dark brown, her hair is bright red, and her red eyes are like two smoldering embers that can ignite at any moment. The image ends with small horns on the head and veins of bright red on the neck and hands (she is without gauntlets now).
'Hello, fellows!'. She smiles playfully at you all. Soon you will notice that this is just her normal state to smile mischievously sometimes at her thoughts. She seems to have a lot of ideas in her head and not one of them leads to balanced decisions.
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Bedisa greets Zeta and her familiar. She'll hand over a handmade ring. I unfortunately only made one. If Vellestir wants one, I'm happy to make another one.
Looking around at the mostly female team, My diety would approve.. Bedisa gives a nod to each of her new companions.
Does anyone know what this mission will be?
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Almost as if to answer Bedisa's question, the group of Pathfinders hear Ambrus' voice from his office-"Come in, agents. We have a lot to go through."-he says as he opens the door and lets you in.
To most Pathfinders, Ambrus Valsin is well-known: his well-groomed moustache, his waxed hairstyle are iconic, and his proffessional attitude is said to hold the Society together in the day-to-day. In his desk you see dozens of papers sprawled out neatly, as he starts talking-"Can you believe this place?"-Valsin calmly asks, keeping his eyes squared on his chronicle. "Almost every agent worth her salt is off in Varisia right now. I bet you the Heidmarchs' manor has more Pathfinders in it than this place."
Valsin finishes his reading and places the document on the desk, while sliding the envelope forward-"Desna smiles upon us that I have you fine agents here, as I doubt anyone else in Absalom is better qualified for this mission. I won't lie, this is probably one of the trickiest tasks I've ever had to send a group of Pathfinders on, and much rides on its success. I need you to attend a wedding. And not just any wedding, mind you, but a Blakros wedding."-he says in a serious tone, but unable to hide a tiny smirk.
He returns to his usual expression and continues-"The Blakros family is one of the wealthiest families in Absalom-in the entire Inner Sea region, even-and we've cultivated a good working relationship with them over the years. In two days, Michellia Blakros is getting married to the former Hellknight Damian Kastner, and because of security concerns, we only got our invitation this morning. I won't bore you with specifics, but sufficed to say, the Society has a lot of interest in this wedding, as some of our agents had a hand in helping it along."-and pauses to avoid overwhelming you.
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"OOOooooh! Ohmygosh you're so coool!" Pai almost squeals with delight at the entrance of Vellestir and Zeta. "I'm Pai! I'm so pleased to meet you! It's--" At this point, the door opens and the Pathfinders are beckoned inside. The hyper gnome hops as she turns, then zips inside, flashing a grin over her shoulder as she does so.
As soon as Ambrus pauses, Pai blurts conversationally: "Ooo! So glad I already have a dress. Though maybe I should have it altered some... Ooops! Sorry... Uh, you were saying? 'Cause so far you haven't told us why you need qualified people for this mission." She leans forward expectantly, waiting for the *real* information.
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Angela gives a frown over the mission briefing, "So I'm not to be auditing things, and mostly here because we're understaffed. Hrmm disappointing, I DO still have filing that needs to be done, but I guess making sure that that cursed Blackros place doesn't have some ill-timed flare up is important. I still remember the time they had a group of people break in to take back a relic that had been stolen from them. The glyph wards were fun to take down...."
She stops and pauses for a second. "So, if there aren't any problems, what exactly is the Society there for? Are we exclusively there for security and need to act like it, or are we more a representative group and need to focus on talking nice and building the Society's reputation?"
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Valsin is taken aback by your questions, but does his best to respond-"We're not too concerned about security at the wedding. Your primary objective is to mingle, and get on the good sides of as many people as you can. I can't stress this point enough: This is a social gathering, and the Society could really use the extra clout with all our current efforts being so far abroad. I don't care if you save the wedding from a dragon, find out the bride is a doppelganger, or discover some grand plot to take over the Inner Sea-I only care that you leave this wedding having made people happy and improving our standing among the attendees."-he says looking at everyone very seriously.
Valsin continues-"You have been recruited for this mission for either participating in missions involving the Blakroses or their museum, or for your ability to charm your way through a conversation. You will need to peace-bond your weapons when you arrive on the location: Pariol Island, a private land owned by the Blarkoses. I recommend wearing your finest armor - or barring that, the best formal attire you can get yours hands on."-he says nodding at Pai, Tsuan and Zeta.
The chamberlain of the Grand Lodge sits down, taking a deep breath and says-"Any further questions?"
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Valsin smiles-"If you want to bring in concealed weapons, do so at your own risk. You seem capable enough to pull it off, but be ready to face consequences if you are discovered."-as he plays with a dagger in his desk, spinning it in his hand.
To the second question, Valsin replies-"No particular objective. If anyone would want to stop the wedding, of course, stop them without pulling your weapons out. Apart from that, you should strive to make the best impression possible, leaving both you and the Society in good standing with the guests. A lot of important people are going, so make sure not to anger anyone - you might wake up with assassins waiting for you back here in Absalom."-leaving a moment of silence to accentuate the gravity of such a possibility.
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"When was the last time I angered someone?" Tsuan muses.
Then she remembers.
"Oh, right, when I pretended to be Zarta Dralneen and told a devil to take off all his clothes. But really that was an isolated incident. Plus, it was the devil that was the angriest."
"Well, there was also that time that I pretended to be an assassin sent by Anubis to exact revenge for some stolen books. That guy did end up getting hanged, but it had nothing to do with me."
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I could spruce up my armor as well. Though, maybe I should buy some fancy clothes! It's a wedding after all.
Peace-bonding my weapon? No problem at all. Will someone be able to assist with that? Bedisa holds on to her longsword for just a second and nods.
Where is this Pariol Island? Bedisa asks. And how will we get there?
Also, is it too late to make some last minute purchases? I have some things I would like before I go!
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Tsuan is wearing a courtier's outfit, and she glares at anyone who asks if she spent the extra 5 gp for the tear-away version and says no very sternly.
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Valsin nods as he sees you all acknowledging the gravity of the mission, and reacting accordingly. For a second he was expecting someone to refuse to wear fancy clothes. At Bedisa's questions, he replies-"Ah yes, Pariol Island is a small piece of land off the coast of Absalom. The island was an old summer retreat used by the Blakroses for vacationing. Several years ago, their summer home burnt down in an accident involving some of the house staff when the family wasn't present. The Blakroses abandoned the island, as they had other summer estates elsewhere. Now they've built a pavilion to host the wedding and all the guests, but otherwise, the island is largely empty and uninhabited."-he says as he pulls out two folders, each with a set of 6 papers.
He pushes both folders forward and says-"You will have to make a choice, agents. There are two boats heading there before the first wedding festivities. One is a small supply runner set to leave in an hour that could get you there early tomorrow morning. The next is a larger ship that will transport the majority of the guests in the morning. Your travel is paid for of course, but you'll need to get on one of those two vessels."-revealing each folder to contain writs of passage on the respective boats.
Looking at the timetables, the party gathers taking the earlier boat will only allow them to buy clothes and not any additional items for their journey.
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"Yeah, I think going on the boat with everyone else would be a great idea! Since we're not there for security detail, there's less incentive to get there early to scope the place out. But hmm... Will we be spending the night there? If we have rooms, we can just leave our weapons there, right? Or will we be searched as soon as we arrive on the island?" Pai's words practically trip over themselves as they gush from her lips. Her legs are swinging energetically in rhythm with her speech, dangling from a chair built for much taller folks. Why she chose it instead of the smaller-sized chairs present in the room isn't hard to guess.
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Valsin answers to Pai's eager question-"You will probably be searched when you arrive, and they will make sure your weapons are peace-bonded. You will have to spend one night there, as weddings such as this one normally have one day for the reception and acclimatization, and one day for ceremony and celebration."-he says as he smiles at the small kineticist.
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Angela nods at the suggestions being brandied about. I should probably get a new cocktail dress my self. One that blends with my chain shirt better than my current one."
"I do have some qualms about trying to peacebond my longspear, seems just leaning over would be enough to make the thing deadly again. Mind you I'm okay leaving it here and just guiding by hand or with whatever I pick up."
"The later ship sounds more exhausting but if that is what the party mostly wants to take then I'm okay for it."
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The party takes the tickets for the latter boat, and goes off to make preparations for the journey tomorrow morning. A good 12 hours pass until you once again see your companions, this time in full wedding attire.
Lai, Angela and Pai are all wearing elegant dresses, each one in their own styles to match their physique, armor and hidden weapons. Spending such incredible amounts of gold is enough to make their dresses stand out over the rest - you'd guess they're the most beautiful ladies in the long line that forms to board the Blakros ship, perhaps only bested by the bride, which the party still has not seen.
At their side, Bedisa, Hskoro and Zeta are all wearing a different style of elegant: they are clad in a breastplate and two full plates respectively, each adorned with tabards, epaulets and jewelry that are simply marvelous to look at. Their armors have been treated with special oils to make swirling and exquisite patterns in the metal, and have been given mysterious colored sheens by that same oil.
Without much fuss, the party is now aboard the ship, decked out in the finest clothing money can buy, and ready to mingle! Servants pass small delicacies from the world around, coupled with fine champagne and superb care to your every need. Looking around, some individuals in particular stand out aboard the ship, marked by your keen senses as individuals of great renown...
The four individuals that stand out are as follows:
-A skinny elf with a pair of glasses - Nigel Aldain, curator of the Blakros museum, currently enjoying some peace and quiet and not being very social.
-A tall man wearing Andoran noble clothes that's currently telling stories about his time as a diplomat - Alexander Bedard, a member of Andoran's People's Council.
-A lean tian man currently downing champagne by the bottle, talking to everyone he gets a chance to - Jeon Raeng-Woo, a trader from Tian Xia.
-A dark-skinned, muscular woman keeping an eye out, but not being very comfortable in the ceremonial armor she's wearing - Rubaani Shafar, the head of security.
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Tsuan will talk to Jeon Raeng-Woo.
"Mr. Jeon, how very nice to meet you. My name is Tsuan, I represent the Pathfinder Society."
"It is Mr. Jeon, correct? Some in the Pathfinder Society call me Lai, but that's my family name. I was born here in Avistan but my family is from Lung-Wa. I hear you are a trader to Tian Xia, I have never been. Where do you trade? What do you trade?"
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Angela, dressed in a beautiful silky red dress that highlights her curves and natural form, fitting tightly over her hips and legs, but and being bright and durable enough to survive under her polished up armor, looks over at Nigel and heads over to the elf. "Certainly shaping up to be an interesting event is it not? So.. have you had any recent acquisitions to the museum lately? I'd love to hear all about what you're going to have on display soon. If you can tell me, that is! "
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Pai grins at Jeon Raeng-Woo from across the deck. "Now there's the life of the party!" Looks like Tsuan's trying to start a conversation. She seems alright, but too formal for me. Guess I'd better try someone else. Hmm... Her eyes scan the crowd. Fortunately the boat isn't too crowded, and she's able to spot Alexander Bedard chatting with some folks she doesn't recognize. With a brisk nod of decisiveness, she lifts a glass of champagne from a passing server and sashays over to join the conversation.
After listening long enough to let Alexander finish his train of thought, she inclines her head in a respectful bow and comments: "Having spent much of my youth traveling between Chelaxian nobles' estates, I must say that Andoran always seemed like a utopia compared to what I experienced. I'm Pai Shecks, by the way, with the Pathfinder Society. It's an honor to meet you."
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Tsuan approaches Jeong, who seems to enjoy drinking the champagne by the bottle despite engaging in conversation. In a high-pitched voice, he says-"From Lung-Wa, you say? Been a while since I visited. Been a while since I visited Tian Xia at all!"-as he erupts into laughter.
"Been a merchant my whole life - mostly silks, spices and gems. The Blakroses call me when they need someone with connections to Tian Xia, and when the party needs life to be breathed into it!"-he says as he takes Tsuan for a dance in the middle of the journey.
The rest of the ride is spent between the two of them chatting about Tian politics, pirate raids in the high seas, and differences between Taldan and Tian silk.
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Bedisa approaches Rubanni instead, and starts making small talk. The Garundi woman says to her-"Yes, been working with the Blakroses for a while now. Peaceful job, most of the time."-without continuing to make conversation, seemingly very reserved and awkward.
Still, after the boat ride is over, she seems to warm up to Bedisa, despite not being very talkative. They both spend the boat ride talking about the weather, the island climate, and observing some nobles in their tight clothes.
It is during this time that Hskoro starts asking about Rubanni in the boat, maybe trying to pick up on some gossip or possible angle from which to approach her. He finds a butler that says-"Quiet as a mouse, that one. But don't mention tales of battle, once she gets going retelling her adventures, she never stops!"-as he laughs politely.
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Angela instead approaches Nigel Aldain, and immediately gathers that he seems to be on the defensive when it comes to the Society-"Agent Isafira, is it not? Come to uncover an assassination, or is the ship actually a wood golem?"-referencing all the crazy adventures the Society seems to involve Nigel in.
Still, Angela's charming attitude, perhaps coupled with her beautiful appearance, is enough to turn Nigel from a closed book into a soft endearing bookworm. He seems to enjoy talking about his exhibits and even discloses some private information about future items for the museum. While he is not head-over-heels for Angela, the halfling investigator gets a feeling she might be charming the museum curator in more ways than one.
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Finally, Pai is able to get a word in with Alexander, with a bellowing laugh he says-"Andoran is what makes the council proud! To strive for equality in rights and opportunities, no matter the background!"-getting a cheer from the crowd.
As the boat ride ends, Pai seems to be have been charmed herself, as Alexander's glorious exploits and grandiose attitude pulls her in ever so increasingly. The diplomat explains to her how he came from a working-class background, and made his way up to the People's Council.
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Tsuan gladly shares drinks with Raeng-Woo, although she actively pretends to drink more than she does. Whenever he looks away, she pours a little of her drink overboard.
She gladly dances with Raeng-Woo.
Tsuan also shares her belief that the Eternal Emperor of Lung-Wa has only been temporarily deposed, and is alive, safe, and planning with his loyal generals to reclaim his throne.