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Each of the PCs arrived in Minkai within the past few months. Since then, the PCs have been working with Venture-Captain Amara Li to help lay the groundwork for a lodge in Minkai, performing a variety of tasks that are well-suited to their individual skills. They know that Amara Li has been collecting relics from across the world to house in a new museum with a focus on relics from Minkaian history that have been kept in other nations. To this end, she has been traveling all over the nation to pursue leads. These relics have come from a combination of purchases and donations, and she has occasionally called on local Pathfinders to guard the relics. The PCs are currently working in Sakakabe, a prosperous city famous for its trade in silver and pearls.
Venture-Captain Li summons the PCs to meet with her in one of the gardens of the Kiniro Kyomai teahouse, a famous teahouse run by geisha. The quality of the Kiniro Kyomai’s tea, food, and samisen music make it a popular destination for locals and travelers alike. She waits for the PCs to enjoy their tea before turning their attention to more serious matters.
“I fear that misfortune may have struck some of your fellow agents. I hope that you can help them return here to safety, but I fear the task I have to request of you may instead center around recovering what you can from your fallen allies and, if it is safe to do so, completing the mission in their stead."
“Last year, I received a donation of relics from Taldor. The route is lengthy and complicated, so I will spare you unnecessary details. A caravan carrying the relics safely arrived in Hongal to the north, where it met up with a pair of Pathfinder agents, Lin Po and Ti Lan. These agents inspected the cargo, sent me a missive indicating that all was in order, and joined a second caravan to take the Spirit Road through the Forest of Spirits. The journey is understandably long, taking over two months to complete. Still, the caravan is late, and I fear that they may have run into trouble along the way. They were supposed to reach Sakakabe two weeks ago.”
“While it’s possible that they were waylaid in the northernmost parts of Minkai, I believe it’s far more likely that they ran into trouble in the Forest of Spirits, a mystical place that shelters departed souls and most of the world’s kami. Kami are spiritual guardians with a deep connection to certain living locations or living things. The locals pay great respect to the kami, never intruding further into the forest than their one coastal road, the Spirit Road, and a number of small settlements built around shrines. This should make tracking the caravan simple, since there’s only a single road along which they should have had to rest or resupply at some point. I need you to check each of the roadside settlements until you find the last one to have seen the caravan, then track it from there and figure out what happened.”
“Be sure to respect the kami and the local traditions honoring them; I don’t want you to come to harm in your journey. The kami are mostly benevolent, so long as they receive the proper respect, but there are some dangers that might have harried the caravan. Bandits, hobgoblins, and giants, among other creatures, dwell within the forest. The forest also hosts some aggressive plants and animals, not to mention malign spirits such as the oni, the sworn enemies of the kami. The locals will know more than I of what perils to expect.”
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Grabshanks Moneymaker, is a Goblin wearing what appears to be a tailored full suit (with bow tie) made out of canvas and leather, making it incredibly durable, if a bit odd. His black hair is slicked back professionally, and he carries few weapons . . . just some javalins and a long walking stick. He sips tea and listens to Amara Li respectfully.
"Loosing a shipment is, of course, of grave concern, though they are relics and not personal finances, so thank Abdar for small favors. It wasn't carrying personal finances, was it? Come to think of it, what was the cargo? We'll need to recognize it to retrieve it of course, there may be more than one lost caravan, we wouldn't want to take anyone else's cargo."
He then takes a bit of sushi with some chopsticks and eats it.
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Lewdvik Moneymaker, is a Goblin that also wears the tailored full suit (with bow tie) made out of canvas and leather. Atop his bald head rests a deerstalker and a crosssbow on his back. As Amara Li speaks Lewdvik scribbles studiously on a notepad.
He nods seriously to Grabshanks' words while raising a hand to caress his long ear. "Indoobeetable, Grabshanks" he adds. "Ventnure Captain, we will need a complete list of the cargo and.." he trails off as he rubs his ear more vigorously. "Dossers of the agents!" he suddenly exclaims while thrusting his smallest finger in the air.
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Aldonza Delamorte is a pale elven woman with a black ponytail. Her right eye is violet, her left eye black. She has long purple nails, and wears a jester’s motley in purple, black and white. She holds a large marotte (jester’s baton), and wears a black cloak with the hood down.
”This forest sounds dangerous and unpredictable”, she says. ”My kind of place. If the locals know the perils, maybe they know how to avoid them”
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"The cargo was a collection of Minkaian historical relics that were donated by a Taldan collector. The journey is long and treacherous. Sending a manifest ahead of time was impractical and beyond the scope of the missive. The list of items will be with the caravan."
Amara Li does provide you a drawing of the two agents. "Since we are not at the lodge, I do not have anything more about the agents than this on hand."
Amara looks at Burny's drawing and smiles. "Thank you, but I haven't anywhere to put such a masterpiece. However if you take your talents to the marketplace sometime I'm sure you can make more than a copper piece."
"Small villages along the Spirit Road won't be big enough to have dedicated law enforcement. They all look out for one another and deal with problems together."
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Jord appears to have once been dressed similarly to Grabshanks and Lewdvik. His clothes are in noticeably worse repair and pieces of his suit have been replaced with animal hides, like one might see among the Mammoth Lords. The only weapons noticeable on his person are a few javelins.
He cocks his head back and forth examining the tea and food. His face twists up a bit, and he takes on a more frog-like appearance. Then a large tongue lashes out at the food in front of him drawing it to his mouth. His countenance reverts back in roughly a minute.
He then takes up the tea rather gently and sips from it.
"Sounds like we are off to the forest, Grab and Lew will look after the paperwork and goods. I'll bite anything that gets in our way. ... Well that needs biting. Seems simple enough. Wait, do any of you others know how to talk to people round here?"
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"Hmmm, I see." Grabshanks says as he helps himself to more Sushi. "Well, you said most spirits are benevolent" he turns to Jord "That means nice to us, don't try to eat them," he turns back "But surely there exist some sort of monsters or ne'er do wells on the spirit road or you would not expect foul play. What sort of creatures might be malevolent there?" He grabs another piece of sushi.
He then turns to Jord, a look of mild surprise on his face. "I . . . admit that is a rather good point. Good thought Jord. Unfortunately I learned the tongue of that nice Vudrani man who taught us," he gestures to himself and Jord "unarmed combat. Well, taught us the basics anyway. I do not speak the Minkai language. Or Tien."
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"The villages, though small, are along an established trade route. Some of the people will likely know other languages than their native tongue."
"As I said Grabshanks, bandits, hobgoblins, and giants, among other creatures, dwell within the forest as well as some aggressive plants and animals, not to mention malign spirits such as the oni, the sworn enemies of the kami."
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Burny puts the drawing away and stands up Shall we get going? The goblin is dressed in some studded leather armour and has a buckler strapped to his arm There is a scimitar handle poking out from beneath his backpack and his face is mostly covered in soot. A black and charred looking symbol of Sarenrae hangs from his neck
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Burny puts the drawing away and stands up Shall we get going? The goblin is dressed in some studded leather armour and has a buckler strapped to his arm There is a scimitar handle poking out from beneath his backpack and his face is mostly covered in soot. A black and charred looking symbol of Sarenrae hangs from his neck
Aldonza gives her chopsticks a twirl around her fingers, before setting them down.
”Let’s”, she replies. ”We don’t want to miss our curtain call”
She stands up, and gives Captain Li an elaborate bow. ”Thank you for your hospitality”, she says. ”Time to work up an appetite!”
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"Well," Amara Li concludes, "If you are ready to go, I have prepared supplies for you at the lodge. Please gather anything else you need and then head out as soon as possible."
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"Hmm, what I've heard contradicts what Amara Li said, I've heard that vengful spirits on the spirit road there kill people and those killed then rise to kill others to continue the cycle of revenge. Though the guy who told me that was quite drunk on rice wine . . . and didn't speak the best common. I dunno."
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"Hmm, what I've heard contradicts what Amara Li said, I've heard that vengful spirits on the spirit road there kill people and those killed then rise to kill others to continue the cycle of revenge. Though the guy who told me that was quite drunk on rice wine . . . and didn't speak the best common. I dunno."
”So, kill them before they kill us”, Aldonza replies cheerily. ”I’ll keep that in mind”
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"As i understand it the Forest of Spirits is so named for the dense population of kami, benign sometimes powerful spirts that share memories with people if they merge with them. I recall seeing a map of the area showing that there is a larger town just before the forest called Tano. It is very amenable to foreigners as its regional trade hub. there rumors that most of the population of Tano are really kitsune in human guise."
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As the team is about to set out, Grabshanks approaches Burny
"Ah, ehm, Mister. . . . McBurnyface. I understand you are a . . . man of the cloth? A priest of Saranrae?" Grabshanks looks skeptical. "I have been sent these magic scrolls of healing by a clerical mixup instead of healing draughts. Do you think you can make use of them? Of course, any scrolls you don't use will have to be returned at the conclusion of our mission."
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You spend several weeks on the road to Tano. At each small village you reach you confirm that someone recalls seeing people who match the picture of Lin Po and Ti Lan. Thus far nothing appears to have befallen the caravan prior to making their last stop before the forest in Tano.
You arrive in the city at midday. Tano is large enough that you will need to try to narrow your search or else you will likely spend the rest of the day here and fall further behind the caravan you've been tracking.
Recalling a bit of knowledge about Tien society may go a long way here. The residents of Tano are generally helpful but the city is large enough that not everybody will have noticed the Pathfinders you are tailing.
A Society check is required.
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The Moneymakers and Aldonza agree that the best way to proceed is to go to the market. This would be the last major civilization on the way to Sakakabe, they would have resupplied here. However, upon talking to the people at the market, none of them recognize the picture of the two Pathfinders. Did they never make it to Tano? Just about when the party wonders if they hit a dead end. A young Tien boy who was out making deliveries returns he sees the picture and tugs on Grabshanks cloak.
"Excuse me mister. Are you looking for them? I saw them a long time ago. They didn't come here, but some people they were with did. Those two, they went toward the observatory."
The boy points toward the highest hill in town, one of the few places that could see over the thick canopy of trees that make up the Forest of Spirits. A single building sits atop the peak.
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You reach the observatory and find the door ajar. One elderly man is looking at some charts as well as a drawing.
The old man introduces himself as Chyu'en Zhou. You are about to explain the reason for your visit, the doctor interrupts.
"You seem to be people full of energy, perhaps you can decipher this better than an old man can. You see my colleague is convinced that these charts of the stars represent a good omen, but I did not agree. We believe that all the forces of the cosmos are interconnected. The bright primal forces of life called yang does a subtle dance with the shrouded mystical force, yin. They compliment one another and remain in balance unless manipulated. Some, like the monks, tap into an inward force called ki, to change the flow of yin and yang, but they do so carefully and always recenter themselves when they are finished."
The doctor shakes his head.
"I explain too much. We have our charts, but they are open to interpretation. Perhaps they would mean something to one of you. Since Dr. Lifeng and I disagree in our conclusion I would like your opinion."
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Grabshanks huffs.
"I don't know what Ki is either. According to this guy some monks, but I guess not all, use it to make a sort of internal magic? I dunno, maybe bite a monk that can use ki?" Then as he realizes his mistake, Grabshanks adds and addendum.
"Normal rules still apply, they have to be the one to instigate hostilities."
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Despite no formal training in arcane knowledge, Aldonza begins to pour over the charts. After about 30 minutes of searching, she begins to feel a dull pain, at first, like a headache, but then it seeps down into her bones. She begins to feel irritable. It is feeling of being scored by someone intimate that is now ice cold. As she dwells on it, a rage begins to well up inside her. There is something in the air, she can feel it and whatever put that feeling there, whatever shifted the balance of energy over this town, is very angry, and that is certainly not good.
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Aldonza whirls on Grabshanks. ”Hostilities!?”, she snaps. ”Oh it’s too late to worry about that! Someone’s getting torn apart, and when I find them, they’ll be sorry they were ever...”
She pauses, as the light of realization comes to her eyes. ”Ahhh”, she breathes. ”The subtle dance has become a murderous revel. The delicate balance is neither”
Turning to the doctor, she says, ”Something is manipulating those energies. I can feel it. If this is an omen, I’d get my affairs in order, and keep a knife under the pillow”
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Burny sits quietly contending himself with another drawing of the good doctor in charcoal while Aldonza does the pathfindery things
When do we get to the burning things part he thinks and jumps up eagerly when she finally snaps poised on balls of his feet As she explains he shifts and looks round trying to see what happens next and if the burning part as come. Slowly gaining the realisation it is not yet he picks up the picture he dropped and puts it in his portfolio not even bothering to ask for a copper piece