Keiko moves to Mairu and mounts him rapidly. Unfortunately, even without any cover her timing is off and her arrow strikes a menacing gazebo at the rear of the grounds.
Kenji-kun drops his greatsword, draws his longsword and thrusts it into the panda’s furry gut doing irreversible damage to the critter as he twists the blade HARD.
Radiarch then puts the poor critter out of its misery with a single arrowshot between its eyes.
As the panda’s features relax into a peaceful death mask, a ghostly figure rises from its supine form. The figure is a scowling Tian-Shu man wearing ceremonial armor and holding a long-bladed sword.
He waves his sword threateningly, indicating that the group should turn back, before slowly dissipating.
An examination of the bear's corpse and the outer courtyard yields nothing of interest and so you may turn your attention to the tumbledown manor house. The single visible rear door hangs open on broken hinges.
The smell of panda urine and excrement wafts from inside.
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Brand waves his staff back at the Panda body-snatcher in the same gesture.
"Off wit you!" Brand grumps, then looks around at the rest of the party. He casts a cure light wounds on himself, mending the worst of the bear claws transferred from Kenji.
"Zet could have been worse. Ve seem to be effecteeve, yez. Blunt, but effecteeve... and, ugh, eet smellz like sheet in zere." Brand fumbles in his bag before pulling out an old, worn plague doctor's mask. A fresh clove of garlic stuffed into the beak, and then he pulls it on.
"Prrh...you mmhh... fir nn nnd mmmn a brr,"It makes his already thick accent, now muffled, basically unintelligible.
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Keiko is thankful the panda bear was put down before more mauling occurred. She is impressed with her companions' skills however.
"What the...?" She flinches and pulls back Mairu's reins when the spirit(?) rises from the corpse - that's definitely not what she was expecting.
"UGH the smell... that bear must have been living in here for quite a while."
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As Radiarch sees his arrow bring a final end to the bear, he relaxes his arm for just a second before pulling another arrow upon witnessing the apparition appear, ready to fire if it did more than threaten his team. Something about it's armor, or what the vision it cast did reminded him of something...
Upon finally stepping in to assess the manor, he braced himself for not just the odor, but for any potential surprises with the previously nocked arrow at the ready. But oh, that smell.
Brand and Kenji believe the ghostly spirit is that of the famous Taldan General Arnisant, victor over the Whispering Tyrant during the Silver Crusades.
The oracle + palaninja may get into an argument with Keiko and Radiarch, who sense the spirit belongs to an undistinguished Lingshen general named Zhen Chiang, who was rumoured to have a country estate somewhere in the Li Sho Forest.
From horseback, Keiko can tell the single door that marks the estate's main entrance is worn and covered with deep gouges that look as though they would match the paws of the dead panda.
Once Brand is healed and everyone is ready to proceed, Radiarch swings the door open and steps inside, bow in one hand – his nose in the other.
Light floods into what appears to have once been the estate's entry hall. A tattered rug adorns the floor of this large, forlorn room. Pieces of a broken weapon rack lie on the floor in front of a statue of a stern Tian-Shu man wearing ceremonial armor and holding a long-bladed naginata above his head. The statue resembles the man whose spirit you saw leave the slain panda. A set of double-doors lead out of this hall to the south.
All is quiet.
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Keiko shares her identification of the spirit, and then sputters for a moment when the other two think the spirit is a Taldan General - Taldan! the man was obviously Tian. But since she knows she is right, she doesn't argue, just shakes her head with a disbelieving look on her face.
She looks around the new room, taking a mirror path to Radiarch, looking for any sort of relics or information about Lung Wa.
...But she is too distracted by the smell.
Mairu sniffs around for anything interesting other than Panda refuse.
The room bears the hallmarks of having served as a panda's den for years -- shattered porcelain and ruined furniture litters the floor and torn remnants of banners and flags hang on the walls, their meanings long since consigned to history.
Razisus’ ✨detect magic cantrip reveals a faint evocation aura originating from the statue.
“Are the doors to the south closed as they appear?”
Although she doesn’t find anything relicy or likely to hold information about the Fallen Tien Empire, Keiko confirms from horseback that the southern set of closed double-doors are in remarkably good condition; almost like the panda has avoided them …
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Brand looks at Razisus approaching the statue and promptly goes the opposite way, south to where Keiko inspects the door.
"Zet eez not how one checks for traps," he chides. "Zeez eez how!" and, assuming she does not tell him it is in fact trapped, he grabs the doorhandle and gives it a jiggle to see if it is unlocked (without actually opening it).
As Razisus approaches the statue he sees its scowling mouth open as Brand jiggles the doorhandle without actually opening it.
The statue spits a pea-sized pellet into the rough center of the room, where it into a fireball, catching Brand, Razisus and Kenji-kun.
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Razisus manages to avoid the brunt, but not the burnt, of the flames. He barely stands, the hair and head covering burned away and his flesh blistered and charred.
Panting for breath and wincing with intense pain, the cleric says to Brand through gritted teeth, "I suggest that you do not do that again."
With the waves of channeled energy, his burns are soothed, leaving only his clothing scorched and singed.
"Let us find what we are searching quickly, then be done with this place."
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Keiko was so focused on the door she didn't realize Brand was even approaching until it was too late. The fireball blazed momentarily in front of Keiko & Mairu's faces, and the horse reared back to avoid the worst of the heat. Keiko glares at Brand for a moment "You nearly killed Razisus! Use your eyes next time. LOOKING doesn't trigger traps like touching does... generally."
Once everyone is healed she will calm down and ask if Brand would like to lead the way in to the south room, since he's the one who "cleared" the trap. It is obvious she harbors no ill feelings.
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Magdelina stares in horror at the scene unfolding in front of her. Like a vision from the Nine Hells unfolding in slow motion, she sees her friends burn, their bodies blistering, popping and sizzling horribly in one moment, and THEN, like the scene being played in reverse, sees Brand drawing all their pain, suffering and ALSO their physical wounds unto himself... undoing the death and carnage in mere moments. She sees the man's limp go from bad to worse and sees his spine curving forward as if he had taken yet another impossibly large load unto his back.
Not understanding how this is possible, and how the old man from Galt can withstand and absorb all this trauma, she remains speechless for several moments, but soon erupts into tears, feeling an immense amount of sorrow for the man.
When several of the adventurers look in her direction, she runs to Brand and buries her face into his chest, hugging him fiercely and crying for several minutes, unable to form a coherent sentence...
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Radiarch's eyes lit up even more than they usually appeared as nearly
everything in the room in front of him was suddenly engulfed in flames. He was thankful to see his friends quickly recover from some grisly burns.
"Well... that was certainly a choice," he said snarkly. "It appears this estate should not be taken lightly. Let's hope that was the last of those awful traps."
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"Oh, you moan," Brand waves dismissively at Radiarch. "But ve have no mazzter tief here. If zee keen eyes of zee archer could zee no trap, ve vould have triggared it regardless. Better me than her."
"I zought fire hair here vould handle eet, non?" Brand looks at Razisus a bit guiltily, but doesn't verbally apologize. Instead, the old man just sighs heavily under the weight of his armor. "Zee burst was bigger than I zought eet might be."
Brand catches Magdelina staring at him. Not at him, into him-- through him. It makes him shudder involuntarily, feeling exposed and laid out bare. He didn't like being seen. Better to be overlooked and judged quickly. Such empathy and connection to others was dangerous.
"Vat are you looking at? Am I still on fire?" He chaffs, but let's her rush him and embrace him. Magdelina might find herself poked by some of his armor's spikes, but he lets himself feel the pain instead. When was the last time he had been embraced? It had been long ago. Had it been his daughter, before the final blades took her? She would have perhaps been Magdelina age... Finally, to distract and distance himself, he eases her off him, wipes her tears, and goes to the door again.
"Now, shall I open eet?" At least this time, he waits.
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Magdelina's bursting into tears surprises Keiko - although she does remember the woman saying she wasn't very experienced as a Pathfinder. I suppose it is all rather gruesome. Perhaps I am the oddity in being nonplussed by such happenings.
But then, at Radiarch's comment Keiko's tactical mind goes to work. "Somehow, the bear knew not to attack this door. I'd have to check around the outside of the estate to be sure, but unless there is a back entrance this may indeed be the only trap needed, since the bear 'guarded' the rest? But still, best to be on guard. There is more to this estate than originally appeared." she nods curtly, at attention.
Keiko can't fault Brand's logic, and extends a hand in a "please, do" gesture.
Once the party has managed the initial shock of nearly losing Razisus (each in their own way), Kenji takes the lead, pushing into narrow corridor leading south.
The western side is a solid wall of construction rubble, no doubt the result of the manor falling in over time. It is impossible to discern the purposes of the rooms that once existed to the west.
In stark contrast, the eastern wall holds an open doorway allowing anyone approaching to peek into a bedroom-office combination in almost pristine condition save for a thick layer of dust. 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.
However, you may be concerned at how quickly you can get him out uninjured if the unexpected occurs in such cramped quarters with loose rubble underfoot.
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After Brand wipes her tears off and quietly disengages from her, Magdelina recovers and stares at the old man as he once again walks away first into probably some other death trap... she can almost feel the pain that is no doubt about to greet him once more... however, a deeper sadness settles into her now at the realization that he perhaps seeks these injuries, nay, runs towards them... like some arrow hopelessly shot towards an inevitable, descending sun that seeks to envelop the entire world.
When will the pain be too much for this Mister Le Blanc? she thinks to herself, followed by yet another unspoken question: will it be his salvation and solace, a peace of some sort, or will it usher some kind of unending torment for him the likes of which his mind will no longer be able to endure?
Patting the soon to be solitary horse of Keiko, she follows the rest into the uncertain paths beyond.
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"Remembar, ze old bat zaid ve'd know ze treazzah ven ve find it!" Brand peers past Kenji, giving him a nudge to go through the doorway.
"Hmm, hmm. Something about symbols of old imperial authority? Let uz zee if zat ghost was keeping zee goodz in ere!"
Brand will quite gleefully begin ransacking the place, seeming to take pleasure in creating more of a mess as he pulls out books, shakes them, and throws them aside.
"Ah, vat of zee map zere? Does eet zay 'Imperial Authority' to youzall?"
While Brand treats the aged valuables in a manner he’d surely wish to be treated himself, Kenji calls on Razisus to check for ✨eldritch auras.
“Lady of Graves, we pray You judge and uphold my appeal!”
A servant of Pharasma obliges and the slim two-handed blade leaning against the desk *glows* menacingly.
After Brand is appropriately admonished, a dismounted Keiko is free to focus on searching the room thoroughly. She finds a number of things of interest.
The books on the shelves turn out to be military treatises, while the scrolls are military orders detailing troop movements in the dying days of Lung Wa. While quite heavy - nearly 200 pounds in total - you're certain that these would be of historical interest to Chun Mai.
The giant map of the region that became Shokuro is highly detailed and someone with a steady hand appears to have carefully marked several remote locations in various mountain ranges. The border of the map is an intricate depiction of the Dragon Empires zodiac. Although the map looks to be delicate, it should be possible to remove it from the wall if proper care is taken.
While the books and the map are certain to be worthwhile acquisitions, the papers on the desk are more dubious. They seem to be a series of one-sided correspondence from an adjutant of the last Lung Wa emperor to General Zhen Chiang, surely the original owner of this estate.
You suspect Chun Mai will know more.
Other than the books, map, and papers there are a few other items scattered about the room that are likely worth some coin if not any historical value.
A fine calligraphy set, probably worth about 100 gold or so, sits atop the desk. Within the drawers you also discover a gold ring, worth 300 gold, as well as 50 loose gold dragons
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“Hmm .. look here. These papers seem to be a series of one-sided correspondence from an adjutant of the last Lung Wa emperor to General Zhen Chiang, surely the original owner of this estate!“
He thinks a moment.
“The adjutant thanks General Zhen for his visit to a recent military summit at a place called the Summer Palace. I recall the Summer Palace as a near-legendary Tien castle believed to have been lost when the empire fell.
I suspect Chun Mai will know more!!“
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When Magdelina finally enters the room, she assists Keiko with her search, holding items for her and helping her thumb through documents she has put aside for further study.
After that, she helps Razisus with the magic naginata.
Alas, she is unable to focus and make sense of the magic auras surrounding the weapon.
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Keiko's eyes widen in historical glee "This is... this is a treasure trove! There's so much here though, I don't know how we can transport it all - Mairu's strong enough, but my saddlebags could only hold... oh maybe 20% of these documents? And that's only if I leave all my tea behind." she considers momentarily, but tea is cheap and easy to replace, so she starts dumping the tea in a desk drawer if no one has a better idea. There is a LOT of tea.
When Kenji points out the papers referencing the Summer Palace at first she rolls her eyes when he says 'General Zhen Chiang, surely the original owner of this estate' NOW you agree with me, but then she quiets and her eyes get even wider than before. "The Ten Thousand Summer Palace?" she repeats softly, almost reverentially. Although it seems too good to be true, she checks the map just to see if the legendary Summer Palace happens to be noted.
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"Oh, I'll be a mule. I've been called vorse," Brand remarks about carrying everything out, those shrinks at Keiko's scolding, for she reminded him of his grand-daughter. He imagines her as a youth on a wooden rocking horse, and smiles to himself whilst looking at the peculiar, magical pole-arm.
"Ah, yez, zeez eez one of zee five famed weapons of zee master Zheneral Lu Ghan heemself, who tales zay had zee power to strike down zee very gods with eets might!" He cackles to himself.
Since Chun Mai didn't give you a deadline, you're able to take as much time as you need to pack up all of the books and papers in old bedding, and load it up on Mairu and Brand(!)
Magdelina also manages to carefully remove the map from the wall without damaging it.
With the ruins of the estate explored and the panda threat resolved, you set out on the return trip to Ashima with your findings. By the time you find yourselves walking up to Mai Chun's house once more the hour is twilight, with the sun almost completely out of sight below the horizon. As if expecting you – or perhaps because she heard your approaching footsteps – the screen door bangs open as Chun Mai Chun rushes out to greet you.
"You've returned! And not empty-handed, I see." She gestures at your pack l’animaux’ heavy loads.
"Let us discover what's written in all these papers!"
Chun Mai hurriedly clears space off of an enormous table, and beckons for Keiko, Kenji-kun and anyone else of a mind to help her, sort through the books and papers as you tell your tale. “It sounds like you've had quite the day - please, have a seat and rest if you like.”
“Oh! And help yourselves to the kitchen if you're hungry, just be sure to leave enough for everyone else!”
While the rest of you settle in on the ‘classroom’ cushions, Chun Mai begins with the easiest and most logical item – the letters you'd uncovered. "Hmm ... written to General Zhen? Most likely the spirit inhabiting that poor panda. But I wonder what would have been so important for him to linger on past death?"
As she begins reading through the letters, Mai Chun's eyes slowly grow wide with realization. "The Summer ..?" she speaks aloud and then suddenly dashes for the map and unfurls it across the table and begins tracing the various places marked with one finger.
"This ... this is ... HAH! You've done it! How wonderful!"
The elderly matron laughs with glee. "These letters and this map … I'm certain that they hold the key to discovering the location of the Summer Palace, which has been lost since the fall of Imperial Lung Wa."
"The treasures likely contained within these spots are unknown ... but surely significant! What you've uncovered is a good start to finding the Palace's location!"
She taps her fingernail on the map and muses aloud:
The moon, with joy enough to tear the heavens,
Sinks to the horizon, and suddenly,
The Spring has grown old.
Then she looks up at you and grins. "Who wants to make history?"
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As soon as Chun Mai finally mentions the kitchen, Magdelina rises almost instantly, and begins to open cupboards, pantries and the like, gathering ingredients, pots and pans, and herbs. Soon comes the heavy chopping, which grows especially loud during Chun Mai's talking moments. As the clacking of the cutting board intensifies, out of the bag comes Daysie the friendly skunk, who manages to climb unto the countertop to observe (or supervise?) Maggie's cooking closely, sniffing at the fragrant release of onions, tubers, celery and shallots. A giant batch of soup soon begins to steam over the fire, releasing a homey comforting smell and making a few stomachs growl...
“As well as history, it appears you have a desire to make dinner as well!”
Keiko is so excited, but she waits to let Chun Mai discover it for herself - and feels like doing a dance herself at the moment so goes back to the kitchen where she knows 1 person will dance with her.
Your hostess allows you to celebrate in your own way until whatever hour you fancy. However, at two hours before midnight she announces she has an early morning and is going to bed.
“Expect to see my part-time retainer in the morning. She is very excited to meet folks from the Inner Sea. Good night, Lilies.”
☀
Next morning you wake up to find your sprightly hostess gone. However, in the kitchen you find a homely, muscular young woman preparing a sizeable breakfast of Maggie’s leftover vegetable soup, steamed rice, grilled fish and pickled plums.
“I am Zhang Chunhua. I originate from a local farming family, but supplement our income by serving and learning in my Mistress’s home.”
She bows formally to you all, before settling her eyes on Kenji. “You have hair like fire! I have never seen its like before!”
“Mistress says you and the angelic archer are holy warriors, who have sworn an inflexible oath to goodness and law, not unlike the Sun Shogun, Shokuro Toriaka!”
Her eyes widen in excitement as her gaze alternates between Kenji and Radiarch’s faces. “Please, will you tell me about the Powers you serve and what your homelands are like!”
She also gestures to a note on the table, before handing it respectfully with both hands and a bow to Keiko, Maggie and Brand:
Lilies,
Apologies for leaving you without a farewell this morning but urgent business in Mukinami has called me away. I have finally finished putting together our next three leads on the location of the Summer Palace and you can find details on the first one I’ve left with Zhang Chunhua.
Please investigate these leads and then return here to Ashima when you are done. Until we meet again, ‘break a leg’, as I believe the quaint Taldan saying goes.
Chun Mai
Once you have finished reading, Chunhua hands you a sealed envelope.
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Keiko greets the new woman politely and thanks her for the food, but is mostly silent while the more religious types share with her.
Keiko nods as she reads the missive, until she reaches the last line. Then she just looks... very uncomfortable. "Uhh... just so you are all aware, subtlety is not my strong point. I will do whatever I can to assist, of course, but it would be best if someone else takes the lead on this mission." she looks around at the party, gauging their apparent strengths, as her gaze finally rests on Kenji questioningly. "Any ideas?"
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"Come, girl! You must ave meesread. Subtly? Studiedly? Suitably?"
Brand is loudly slurping whatever soup Magdelina had made, reading the letter. When upon seeing 'subtlety, discretion, and likely light fingers' he guffaws and nearly makes soup come out of his nose. Carefully, he tries to dab the soup off the letter but smears much of the ink.
"Blast eet!" He then hands the letter off for someone else to read.
"Well, I do have zee light fengers," he says, holding up one gnarled, age-spotted hand. Starting at his finger tips it does begin to glow softly, becoming translucent for a moment, before he shakes the effect away. "Whell, causing eenternational eecident is one way to get in the heestory books."
After you have finished preparations under Chunhua’s supervision, including the making of promises to return when the mission is over, the journey to Xiwu passes without incident and before long you find yourselves standing before the School of Affinities. The college grounds stands on the southern side of Xiwu, overlooking the Golden River.
The campus is a compound of several freestanding buildings surrounded by a stone wall.
A small fountain bubbles in the space between buildings. The sliding walls of most buildings are open, allowing light to reach rows of students kneeling at their desks. Teachers walk between the desks, occasionally pausing to check work before continuing with their calligraphy lessons. Several guards, dressed in blue and black sashes, patrol the grounds.
Before long, a youth sporting yellow robes approaches your group with an easy smile and fluent Taldane.
“Well met, strangers! I am Hong Jiang, but please call me Jiang. Might I interest you in a tour of the School Campus?”