The faceless man gives a frustrated grunt. "Ugh. Okay, fine. I will agree to your terms."
"Where will you go now?" Kamo wonders. "And for that matter, where did you come from?"
Kamo is relieved that they won't need to resort to more violence. It's already been a long day. He is very curious about the origins of these creatures.
”Kugaptee brought us here, but what Kugaptee is, I am not sure. Zoudou believed it was a god to be worshipped. We have been trying to open the Wall of Ghosts to reach the paradise that waits for us beyond. We will explore the wilderness to find a way to do so.”
Sakura maintains a watchful eye on the faceless leader as he speaks, her instinct as a protector of Willowshore making her wary of any agreement with these strange creatures. However, the priority remains the safety of the captives, and she nods in agreement with Pagma's terms.
"Alright, we'll let you go. But remember your promise. No more attacks on Willowshore or its people," Sakura says firmly, her tone leaving no room for misinterpretation. "And if you break your word, know that we will find you."
Suddenly she remembers something else "Wait. What was meant by the boy Menu-Sung had an old soul that Kugaptee needed?"
She then turns her attention to the prisoners in the cage, her expression softening. "We're here to get you out. You're safe now." Sakura approaches the cage, looking for a way to open it and free the captives.
Once the prisoners are released and assured of their safety, Sakura addresses her companions, her voice tinged with exhaustion but also satisfaction at having fulfilled their mission. "Let's escort these people back to town. They need rest, and so do we."
The faceless leader shrugs. ”No idea. Zoudou said these four prisoners had souls that weren’t ‘old’ enough to sacrifice. I think she was just making it up to pass on her undesirable castoffs onto us.”
He gestures for his underlings to release the prisoners. He also gifts you with a set of keymaking tools and a crafter’s eyepiece as a peace offering before leading his followers off into the woods.
Meng-Sung shares a tearful reunion with his father. You escort all the prisoners safely back to Willowshore where you are met with resounding praise for your success!
Pagma still isn't used to people being happy to see her. Well unless she was working at the Inn, where her presence was usually accompanied with the bottle of saki they had ordered.
As the townspeople made a fuss, Pagma leaned over to her friends and whispered "we're just a little past kids, they know this right?" she knows they have managed to do some amazing things. Jing's magic, Kamo's brain, Sakura's sword, and when they hit her own bombs, but it still struck her as odd.
Jing is uneasy with the deal they've struck. Can this entity be trusted? Perhaps trust is the wrong word, for it is unlike them, and who knows if the way it thinks and reasons is similar to that of the people of Willowshore. Then again, one builds bridges so you can cross a barrier or obstacle and the peace deal they just made is a bridge towards a better tomorrow. One with less violence, Jing hopes.
When they return to town and get showered with praise and appreciation, Jing can't help but smile. For once, there is no doubt in his mind that he belongs here. "Enjoy it. Before you know it, they'll treat you like a kid again and you'll wish this moment had lasted a little longer."
Kamo settles in to a two-day nap, interrupted only by hearty meals.
"I walked my feat off and we stopped some kind of hideous sacrifice. That's hungry work!"
Before you leave the lumber camp, you raid the camp's forgotten treasury. The cache includes 125 gp, a +1 battle axe, and an invisibility potion.
***
With the defeat of the faceless monsters at the lumber camp, things become relatively quiet around Willowshore. The dreary, rain-filled weeks of summer stretch on as the townsfolk slowly adapt to their new reality of being trapped within a curse. There’s one bit of good news, though: your actions in helping to bolster and support Willowshore have helped the town grow more confident in itself.
There are a few minor issues that crop up over the next few weeks. Imperial guards allied with Northridge begin pressuring Eternal Blaze Ironworks to set aside other work to focus on crafting weapons and armor, free of charge, to help arm guards now that it looks like Willowshore might be cut off from the rest of the world. The blacksmith Yong Wu-Xiu asks you to speak to Zheng Peng about this. Alternatively, you could try to convince Wu-Xiu that supporting the town’s guards is a good idea.
On the first day of the third month of summer, Luo Xi Lang of Luo & Laws approaches you, having discovered a document regarding the ownership of the abandoned Cerulean Teahouse. A reading of the document reveals that eccentric aristocrat Qing Mai-Lai wanted to ensure her heirs would have the gumption and devotion needed to continue running the teahouse once she passed away, and set a somewhat dangerous requirement for its inheritance. With no descendants surviving today, ownership of the teahouse will legally transfer to the first person or group that fulfills the document’s requirement: to recover the “two pearls I’ve thrown into Fumeiyoshi’s eyes.”
The two small ponds north of town are known locally as the “Eyes of Fumeiyoshi.” In order to comply with the will’s unusual stipulation, the pearls must be retrieved from these pools. After several diving expeditions to explore the bottoms of the lakes, you successfully find the pearls. Thus, the ownership of the Cerulean Teahouse passes to you.
Summer is beginning to draw to a close. Soon, you will learn what fall will bring...
Pagma's eyes spark (in a good way) at Jing's words "That... is a GOOD point."
The cogs that make up Pagma's chaotic mind start whirling into overdrive. Suddenly the young woman stands, finds a chair to stand in and announces "Everyone! Let me tell you the tale of Four Friends verses Kugaptee."
She has decided the more she can make this moment stick like alchemical paste in people's minds, the longer it will be that Jing's prediction comes true.
Just a few sentences in, spent on describing the journey and snippets of each of the Friends, she grabs a thick piece of paper, drawing a face on one side as she talks. "Who are you? Go AWAY!" she says in a gruff voice after slipping the face over hers.
Taking it off, she places her hands on her hips in defiance. Using her best Sakura voice she states "NO, we are here to save the people, now MOVE"
The face returned, wicked laughter erupts behind it, "Foolish humans, you should have left, now you DIE" she flips the face over, to the blank side of the paper. And starts narrating the battle.
All of the story is like this, relying heavy on props and quick chemical reactions, like floating embers for the butterflies and heavy billowing smoke with a bunch of silk napkins floating in the torrent of air.
None of which are perfect, but none of which burn the place down.
Act 2: Let the Leaves Fall
Part 1: Turning of the Seasons
It is the first day of fall in Willowshore, and as the leaves begin to turn, the summer rains are replaced by crisp autumn breezes, yet the end of the unusually rainy summer and the defeat of the monsters that had menaced the region bring the townsfolk little comfort. New leadership has been put in place, but the mystery of what happened to Governor Heh Shan-Bao (and his manor, for that matter), missing since the first day of summer, continues to perplex. However, even more worrisome is the strange curse that surrounds the region, one that prevents anyone from traveling too far from Willowshore and also seems to prevent anyone from neighboring settlements from visiting. Only one mysterious merchant, a strange man named Shinzo, seems able to come and go to Willowshore, and even he is unsure of why and has no insight into the curse’s nature. As the days march forward, one thing has become clear: if the people of Willowshore are to survive the coming winter, food must be stored and reinforcements must be made so that the townsfolk can survive the seasonal storms to come.
While the locals can continue to stockpile firewood, pickle and ferment food for long-term storage, fortify structures against the cold, and store grain for safekeeping, there’s only so much they can do on their own without aid and without inspiration. Fortunately for Willowshore, the townsfolk aren’t alone in this plight—they have a band of heroes at their side to help prepare them for the worst!
***
This morning, the town elders sent a message, inviting you to meet at the Willowshore Trade Office to discuss the town’s immediate future. When you arrive, you are greeted by Granny Hu, Old Matsuki, captain of the town guard Zheng Peng, and Nadoya Sanmi, the merchant you rescued from gremlins last season.
Granny Hu pours tea for everybody as you exchange pleasantries. Soon, she gets to business. "We want to thank you once again for everything you've done to help Willowshore so far. But the work has only begun. We must continue to research the nature of the curse afflicting the town, but right now it’s more important to make sure that Willowshore is ready for winter. The town has only three months before food and shelter will become its most important resources."
In light of this need, the gathered dignitaries ask you to help in three specific ways:
• Townsfolk Morale: Old Matsuki observes that the townsfolk are growing worried and fearful of the future, so whatever you can do to keep spirits high and spread hope will be appreciated. An excellent way to do so would be to rebuild and reopen the Cerulean Teahouse to the public as a traditional place to relax and gather, but taking part in the festivities for First Long Night on the 22nd day of the month might be an even better way to keep spirits high. Beyond these options, you should be ready to provide help and aid to the townsfolk as needed in order to improve morale.
• Food Stores: Nadoya Sanmi notes that as long as the people of Willowshore remain trapped in the curse, food stores are important to build. She can suggest several activities you can pursue to help Willowshore prepare for winter but remains very concerned by the simple fact that Willowshore has always relied on trade to supplement its food supplies, and without that option available, the town’s farmers and hunters are going to be hard-pressed to meet the upcoming demand.
• Storm Preparation: Zheng Peng tells you that he has asked the town guard to help with repair work and storm-proofing of buildings, but he would be grateful if you can help in other ways to ensure Willowshore is ready for the coming winter. While the summer’s rainstorms were excessive, they’re still nothing compared to the powerful winds, thunder and lightning, torrential downpours, and even periodic snowstorms that Willowshore expects to face in the coming months.
Granny Hu wraps up the meeting by saying that anything you can learn about the curse afflicting the town will help. If you can determine any clues as to how to lift the curse, she wants to hear about such information as soon as possible—but not at the expense of the three more immediate concerns above. With the ledger you recovered from the faceless priestess Zoudou at the end of the previous adventure, you’ve got an excellent lead on where to go next, but interpreting Zoudou’s notes will take time and work. Granny Hu suggests three individuals in particular who might be able to assist: the herbalist You So-Jin at Graveside Manners (who has lived in Willowshore longer than anyone else and might have insights others have missed), the wizard Igawa Jubei at Mother’s Coil (where the largest amount of old texts in Willowshore are stored), and Great Willow (the kodama who dwells north of town).
The meeting adjourns soon thereafter, allowing you to begin the work of preparing for winter as you see fit...
At the same time, the PCs can research the curse afflicting the town as they work to learn more about the situation they all find themselves in. All of the methods by which the PCs can accumulate these three categories of Victory Points play out as special downtime activities that have the preparation trait.
Downtime in this adventure is measured in weeks, with up to four individual PCs being able to attempt one preparation downtime activity each week. A PC can also pursue one additional non-preparation downtime activity each week if they wish, choosing from standard downtime activities like Craft, Earn Income, or Retraining as well as attempting Research checks to research the curse.
As the PCs prepare, they’ll also face weekly events that they’ll need to take part in. In particular, the festival of First Long Night will take place at the end of week three.
Bolstering Hope: To bolster the town’s hope, the PCs accumulate Hope Points. The most common way the PCs will be able to do so is during the town events, but they can further build up hope by restoring the Cerulean Teahouse to working order.
The Cerulean Teahouse still stands, but it was in rough shape after months of neglect even before it became the personal domain of a hedonistic monster during the first days of summer. Today, the place is in need of repair, refurbishing, and renewal before it can once again open its doors to the general public. The teahouse’s sign has weathered and is barely visible, water leaks in through the doors and holes in the walls and roof when it rains, and a cold draft chills the bones in the evenings. Still, the building’s core is sound, and once repaired, the teahouse can serve well as a base of operations in addition to bringing back a beloved local business.
When you return to the teahouse to assess how best to repair it, you spot a small white, leopard-spotted cat lounging on the porch. This is Yami! The teahouse’s previous owner, Qing Mai-Lai, found the cat as a kitten, curled up in the cooling embers of a campfire while she was walking through the village. Thinking the cat was black, she named it Yami, but upon giving it a proper cleaning, the cat turned out to be a light cream with brown leopard patterns. The name Yami stuck, and the cat became one of Mai-Lai’s most loyal companions, watching over the teahouse from the shadows while occasionally warming the laps of guests. She must have gone into hiding during the summer, but now she has returned to the teahouse.
The following downtime activities can be pursued to restore the Cerulean Teahouse.
REPAIR AND RESTORE
DOWNTIME MANIPULATE PREPARATION
You spend the week cleaning, repairing, and restoring the Cerulean Teahouse. Attempt a DC 19 Crafting, DC 21 Architecture or Labor Lore, or DC 24 Athletics check. If you expend 10 gp on resources to help, increase the result of your check by one degree of success. Once the PCs earn a total of 5 Restoration Points, the Cerulean Teahouse is fully restored; they earn 80 XP and 1 Reputation Point with both factions.
Critical Success: You make excellent progress, and the PCs gain 2 Restoration Points.
Success: You make normal progress, and the PCs gain 1 Restoration Point.
Failure: You fail to make any progress.
Critical Failure: Setback! You’ve accidentally damaged the building, and the PCs lose 1 Restoration Point.
BEFRIEND YAMI
CONCENTRATE DOWNTIME PREPARATION
Yami is initially wary of the PCs and doesn’t allow anyone to approach at first. A PC can attempt a DC 14 Nature check to befriend Yami. Once a PC achieves a Critical Success at Befriending Yami, this preparation activity can no longer be attempted.
Critical Success: Yami takes a liking to the entire party, but particularly to the PC who rolled this critical success. No further rolls can be attempted to Befriend Yami. At the end of each week, the PC who Yami particularly likes should attempt a DC 11 flat check; on a success, Yami brings that PC a gift (roll on the “Yami’s Gifts” table below). The PCs earn 80 XP and 1 Hope Point.
Success: Yami takes a liking to the party and allows people to pet her and hold her, but she remains randomly standoffish.
Failure: Yami remains wary but isn’t chased off.
Critical Failure: Yami hisses and runs into the wild for several days; you can’t attempt to Befriend Yami for the rest of this week or the next week.
***
Gathering Food: To prepare Willowshore’s food stores for winter, the PCs accumulate Food Points. Nadoya Sanmi runs Treesparrow’s Rest in downtown Willowshore, a sort of grocery store that specializes in dry goods, preserved food, and alcohol. Due to Nadoya’s extensive knowledge of food preservation, the town elder has recruited her to aid in organizing the town’s food storage efforts. She advises the PCs that the best way they can help to gather food for winter is to pursue the Aid Harvest and Aid Hunt downtime activities
AID HARVEST
DOWNTIME MANIPULATE MOVE PREPARATION
You spend the week helping farmers to harvest grain, rice, fruits, and vegetables, either by working in the fields, providing logistical expertise, or offering insights from your knowledge of the natural world. If the PCs successfully secured the old village expansion north of Willowshore as a supplementary site for last-minute crops in the previous adventure, then all checks to Aid Harvest gain a +1 circumstance bonus, and the first roll in any given week to Aid Harvest is improved by one degree of success. To Aid Harvest, attempt a DC 17 Farming Lore, DC 19 Athletics, or DC 21 Nature check.
Critical Success: Not only is this week’s harvest wildly successful, but supplemental foraging from the nearby wilds brought in even more food. The party gains 2 Food Points.
Success: The crop harvest is a success, with a fair amount of surplus gathered. The party gains 1 Food Point.
Failure: The crop yield is unimpressive; it’s enough to help feed folks in the short term, but not enough to set aside anything for stores.
Critical Failure: Disaster! The crop was infested with pests, riddled with fungus, or simply became spoiled. The party loses 1 Food Point.
AID HUNT
CONCENTRATE DOWNTIME MOVE PREPARATION
You spend the week helping hunters and fishers to stalk game, check traps, and catch fish, either by using your skill at woodland survival, providing expert advice, or simply by lending your knowledge of the natural world. Attempt a DC 17 Fishing or Hunting Lore, DC 19 Survival, or DC 21 Nature check.
Critical Success: You gather an impressive amount of food while not overhunting the area. The party gains 2 Food Points.
Success: You catch and secure a fair amount of game and fish, but the area’s bounty becomes scarce; no one can Aid Hunt for the rest of the week. The party gains 1 Food Point.
Failure: You find only a few animals and catch a few fish; it’s enough to supplement food for the week, but not enough to build up the town stores.
Critical Failure: Your attempt to hunt and fish ends in disaster, with poorly managed hunts and overfishing overtaxing the ecosystem—and even worse, some of the fish and game previously gathered is revealed to be infected or spoiled and must be destroyed. No one can Aid Hunt for the rest of the week. The party loses 1 Food Point.
***
Increasing Security: To prepare Willowshore’s buildings and roads for winter, the PCs accumulate Security Points. Zheng Peng is Willowshore’s captain of the town guard, a man the PCs likely rescued from his own jail in the previous adventure. That experience continues to be a source of humility for Zheng Peng, so he’s eager to focus on the future rather than to dwell on the past. With his knowledge of defensive measures and his influence over Willowshore’s militia, the town elder has recruited him to lead the efforts at preparing the town and its people for a winter without reinforcement. He advises the PCs that the best way they can help prepare for winter is to pursue the Aid Townsfolk and Reinforce Buildings downtime activities.
AID TOWNSFOLK
DOWNTIME PREPARATION
You spend the week helping the people of Willowshore prepare for winter. This could entail physical labor, such as chopping wood to build up the town’s supply of firewood or helping to harvest dead trees or branches to prevent deadfalls. Alternately, you could work to keep the town’s workers’ spirits up by providing entertainment or helping them to relax after a hard day’s work. Finally, you can draw upon your knowledge of Willowshore and its history to remind folks what has and hasn’t worked well in previous winters. To Aid Townsfolk, attempt a DC 17 Athletics, DC 19 Willowshore Lore, or DC 21 Performance check.
Critical Success: You’ve really helped to bolster the town’s spirits, and the citizens find your aid to be as inspiring as it is helpful. The party gains 2 Security Points. You can choose instead to gain 1 Security Point and 1 Hope Point.
Success: Your assistance helps the townsfolk accomplish more than they could’ve on their own. The party gains 1 Security Point.
Failure: The work proves to be more complicated, difficult, and tiring than expected. The party gains no Security Points.
Critical Failure: An unforeseen setback or accident undoes a lot of the work, potentially damaging townsfolk morale. The party loses 1 Security Point. If this is the first time a critical failure was rolled for Aid Townsfolk this week, the party also loses 1 Hope Point.
REINFORCE BUILDINGS
DOWNTIME PREPARATION
You spend the week lending your labors to the efforts to repair and reinforce buildings to prepare for the upcoming winter. Alternately, you could lend your skill at crafting to help direct those efforts or to handle delicate repairs or improvements. Finally, you could use your knowledge to come up with solutions to bolster the town’s infrastructure or to suggest unexplored methods of winter preparation. To Reinforce Buildings, attempt a DC 17 Architecture or Engineering Lore, DC 19 Crafting, or DC 21 Athletics check.
Critical Success: The work went better than you expected! The party gains 2 Security Points.
Success: Work proceeds on schedule without any accidents or setbacks. The party gains 1 Security Point.
Failure: While reinforcements continue, the work has revealed underlying and unexpected damage or other unanticipated repair needs. The party gains no Security Points.
Critical Failure: An accident hinders progress, be it a collapsing roof, a twisted ankle, or a painful mistake with a tool. The party loses 1 Security point from the damage caused by the accident, and the character who attempted this check must now attempt a DC 20 Fortitude saving throw to avoid becoming enfeebled 1 or clumsy 1 for 1 week (or until the condition is healed magically); the PC chooses which affliction they gain. If the Fortitude save is a critical failure, the PC gains both conditions.
***
Researching the Curse: In the previous adventure, the PCs explored Willowshore’s hinterlands, made contacts with supernatural allies, and heard the name “Kugaptee.” They also had firsthand experience with the strange boundary that now contains the region and the more disturbing Wall of Ghosts that looms to the west of town. These discoveries posed more questions than answers, but as fall begins, the PCs have enough information to begin properly researching the nature of the strange curse that afflicts them all.
To investigate the curse and determine what steps can be taken to lift it, or at least learn how to lift it, the PCs must spend downtime investigating the topic, making use of the Research rules detailed on pages 154–155 of the Gamemastery Guide. Normally, Research resolves in exploration mode, but for this more obscure and hard to understand topic, the PCs must use downtime to seek answers. A PC who attempts to Research the curse takes a week of downtime (but as it doesn’t have the preparation trait, a PC can Research simultaneously to any preparation downtime activity they attempt).
Willowshore has three important resources that the PCs can work with to research the curse (You So-Jin of Graveside Manners, Igawa Jubei of Mother’s Coil, and the kodama Great Willow), or they can go at it alone if they’re skilled in magical knowledge.
THE WILLOWSHORE CURSE RESEARCH 4
You So-Jin: You spend the week talking with You So-Jin about Willowshore’s history and discover things that many locals have forgotten; Maximum RP 2
Research Checks DC 17 Willowshore Lore or DC 19 Diplomacy
Igawa Jubei: You spend the week investigating with the aid of Igawa Jubei at Mother’s Coil, speaking with her or sifting through her collection of books; Maximum RP 2
Research Checks DC 17 Library Lore or DC 19 Arcana
Great Willow: The strange spiritual guardian of the towering willow tree north of town helped to determine the extent of the curse in the previous adventure. You spend the week making several trips to and from Great Willow to gain further insight into the curse; Maximum RP 2
Research Checks DC 19 Nature
Solo Investigations: You spend the week researching the nature of curses in general on your own, either using your own collection of tomes and reference materials or libraries held by others in town; Maximum RP 3
Research Checks DC 17 Sangpotshi Lore or DC 19 Occultism
Studying Zoudou’s Notes: If you can read Abyssal and Aklo, you can study Zoudou’s notes on your own to learn what the noppera-bo discovered about the Wall of Ghosts; Maximum RP 3
Research Checks DC 17 Academia Lore or DC 19 Religion
In the first week of the fall, Kamo becomes fixated on investigating the notes recovered from Zoudou. He brushes up on the strange, fiendish language that the notes are written in and dives into the notes.
When his eyes are too tired to stare at the strange script any longer, he works on rebuilding the tea house. "After all," he tells his friends, [b]"It will be nicer to puzzle through all of these mysteries with a warm cup in the hand."
Sakura focuses her efforts on the teahouse. She splits her time between repairing the structure and attempting to befriend Yami.
"It's hard to concentrate in here when you are always wandering through saying 'pst, pst, pst,' Sakura!" Kamo grumps at his sister, frustrated by his own lack of progress.
She happens to know a lot about tea, which she regales Kamo on as they sweep the dust and hammer errant nails of the tea house. "I think a jasmine tea with hints of honey and mint would be a GREAT starting drink for our place." she practically floats at the word 'Our'. It also could be noted that when Pagma makes tea or cooks in general she tends to use as many ingredients as possible.
She also could be spending more time focusing on her work instead of dreaming of their teas.
In her off time, Pagma works on crafting Sakura's sword
While Pagma and Kamo make some progress on restoring the Cerulean Teahouse, Sakura focuses her efforts on befriending Yami. The cat is standoffish at first, but Sakura seems to have an innate animal magnetism, and by the end of the week, the spotted feline is happily purring and rubbing against the warrior's legs.
At the end of the week, Yami approaches Sakura with a shiny gold coin in her mouth. She lays it at Sakura's feet, tail swishing happily.
As you are going about your preparations, a young boy shyly approaches you. He introduces himself as Minwhan and explains that he has been taking care of an injured fox in the forest. Yesterday, he went to visit the fox only to discover to his dismay that the fox had abandoned the makeshift shelter he had built for it. Dejected, he returned home, and that night, he dreamed of a white fox touching its nose to his head. Minhwan woke with the conviction that the fox was a messenger of the goddess Daikitsu telling him he had done a good job protecting the injured fox.
Minwhan asks what gift he should offer to Daikitsu (something that doesn't cost a lot of money, he's quick to add). He offers to do you a favor if you help him pick out a good offering.
"If you want to please Daikitsu, just leave her some inarizushi at the Nine Ears Shrine. Tell my mother that I sent you!" Having drooled over many offerings made to the goddess, Kamo is very familiar with the Lady of Foxes favorite treats.
Minwhan smiles and bows. "Thank you! I'll do just that!" He scampers off happily, leaving you with a warm feeling for having aided the young child.
Kamo continues his research, often putting in long hours. The cups of tea he brews in the Cerulean Teahouse's half-finished kitchen are refreshing, and he manages to put a bit of work into restoring the teahouse dining facilities.
Sakura is pleased with her progress with Yami and enjoys spending some extra quality time with the feline. She happily takes the gold piece and flaunts it to Kamo, asking what success he's had, staring at strange words and what gold coins it has brought him.
"Also, why do you think animals like me and not you? Do you think you need to bathe more?"
She then spends some time with You So-Jin but can't quite bridge the gap to help recall the long-forgotten lore of Willowshore.
"If you want to please Daikitsu, just leave her some inarizushi at the Nine Ears Shrine. Tell my mother that I sent you!"
Sakura bops Kamo on the back of the head and says "The way to victory is not always through the stomach, Kamo."
The following week, she starts working on repairing the teahouse's roof, continuing her work with You So-Jin. This week she seems to make some progress finally!
"Tik especially" Pagma says from behind the gloating warrior about being liked by animals more. But she is smart enough to not risk either her pet or her friend by letting the lovely arachnid scurry onto her back.
Quickly she changes the subject to food "I worry about having enough food if we are stuck here for a while. Papa as well, and is insisting I try and help out there instead of wasting my time in a tea house." the alchemist seems a little glum about missing out in fixing up their place, but she does her duty anyway.
Her evenings are still spent on crafting.
During the first week, Jing-De struggles to help repair the teahouse. He makes great progress researching with You So-jin however, discovering bits of forgotten lore. The sorcerer continues to struggle during the second week as he tries to help with the teahouse and with Kamo's research.
Kamo and Sakura both make progress with their respective avenues of research. By the end of the second week, you have discovered this much about the curse afflicting Willowshore:
The curse borders to the north, south, and east are subtle and hard to interact with without stepping directly through them, whereas to the west, the Wall of Ghosts is a visible barrier with recognizable spiritual elements—as such, it’s likely an easier barrier to attempt to remove. Further, the ruins of the Tan Sugi monastery lie beyond this wall, and if this site can still be reached, the lore and libraries within will be invaluable in learning more about the curse itself. Construction on the Tan Sugi monastery began back in 7020, the same year Willowshore was founded, but the monastery was abandoned in 7062, and much of its lore was lost or forgotten.
The noppera-bo who dwelt in the abandoned lumber camp seemed to believe a “paradise” awaited them beyond the Wall of Ghosts, but perhaps the truth is something else entirely? Others among them worshipped something named “Kugaptee”—a name that sounds familiar but that likely requires more research to learn more about.
***
Sakura is able to fix up more of the Cerulean Teahouse, while Pagma finds great success in assisting the farmers with their harvest.
At the end of the week, a nervous-looking man approaches you. He introduces himself as Matsu and explains that he has a problem that needs true heroes, but he seems wary about saying more. Eventually, he reveals his problem—a nest of vipers has taken up residence in the pit of his outhouse, and he narrowly escaped a slow and painful death after he was nearly bitten while conducting his business inside. Blushing and stammering, Matsu you to get rid of the viper swarm and offers 2 gp and an invitation to dinner if you can help.
The request, while unusual and somewhat comical in its nature, is still a matter of safety for Matsu and potentially others. Sakura, despite any initial amusement or disbelief, understands the gravity of the situation—a viper swarm is no small threat, especially in such an unsuspecting place as an outhouse.
With a nod, she reassures Matsu, "We'll take care of it. No one should fear for their life in their own outhouse." Her tone is serious, but there's a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth – the situation is bizarre, after all. It's not every day you are asked to save an outhouse.
Turning to her companions, Sakura discusses a strategy. Given the confined space and the risk of multiple venomous bites, Sakura is hesitant to get in close. "Pagma, can you prepare something that could smoke them out or perhaps a concoction that repels snakes?
"Come on, Pagma! Let's brew up some snake repellant." Kamo thinks. "No, what do snakes hate? Mongoose musk?"
"Couldn't we just blow the entire thing up?" she asks with all honesty, the idea of the outhouse flying through the air is just too tempting in her mind.
"OH!" she exclaims "Snakes hate noise." she rummaged in a near by sack, pulling out a thunderstone. "We thread three or four or six of these together, Sakura opens the door and fling them in. BOOM!" she throws out her hands, almost dropping the stone. "Maybe some pepper smoke thrown in as well, tinged with coloration for effect. Purple?"
Pagma chews on her lip as she thinks "Or a pole. We tie the stones together then on a string at the end of a pole, put a smoke stick at the end. Open the door, insert the pole, smoke first, let it burn down to the string and drop the stone in a thunderous clap." she thinks it through. "That gives everyone time to get ready to stab and slice... if it comes to that."
Kamo and Pagma work together to craft a smokestick and thunderstone device. When you arrive at the outhouse, Matsu gingerly unlocks the door then flees to watch the events from the safety of his window. Luckily, the device works as intended, the smoke and the noises causing the swarm of snakes to scatter and flee!
Matsu is overjoyed by your success. He turns out to be an excellent cook, and the promised dinner he delivers on is a significant reward all on its own. As dinner concludes, Matsu presents you with a family treasure he has kept locked up and hidden for years—he figures the you are more deserving of it than he is since he can’t even take care of a few snakes in his outhouse. He presents you with this treasure, a fiend bane rune, with a heartfelt thank you.
***
As the third week of fall begins, First Long Night approaches. First Long Night is one of the most anticipated holidays in rural Shenmen, and Willowshore is no exception—particularly now when the townsfolk could really use a day of celebration and distraction from the unsettling situation they find themselves in.
AID FESTIVAL PREPARATIONS
DOWNTIME MANIPULATE PREPARATION
You spend the week helping townsfolk get ready for First Long Night, either by preparing food for the celebration, cleaning and preparing downtown’s town square to host the event, or helping to craft outfits and other accessories for locals to wear during the festivities. To Aid Festival Preparations, attempt a DC 17 Lore (any Food, Games, Labor, or Willowshore), DC 19 Crafting, or DC 21 Society check.
Critical Success: Your time preparing for the festival is not only efficient and helpful, but also highly enjoyable. During First Long Night, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to all skill checks to resolve the effects of any contests you take part in. The party gains 2 Hope Points.
Success: Your assistance has helped Willowshore prepare well for First Long Night. The party gains 1 Hope Point.
Failure: You did your best to assist but weren’t able to contribute anything particularly helpful.
Critical Failure: Your attempts to help backfire, with you getting in the way more than actually providing assistance, spreading frustration through the townsfolk. During First Long Night, you take a –1 circumstance penalty to all skill checks to resolve the effects of any contests you take part in as a result of being nervous about making more embarrassing mistakes. The party loses 1 Hope Point.
Over the days of preparation, Pagma is everywhere. In the long kitchens, simmering and stirring, humbly helping the elders with their cooking. Climbing ladders to help string lanterns over the lanes. With the carpenters, repairing a stall that has been used a few years too many.
Holidays are her favorites. Everyone coming together, a large family almost. Food, drink, games, even a few good natured fights. Papa never went but never kept her from going. So she would weave and wander all day and night, fighting sleep to experience it all, not wanting it to end.
This one is no different. The beaming alchemist catches up with her friends to help with whatever they are doing at least three times a day. "Kamo, that is lovely." she says to the thing he is creating and looks over to his sibling "And So interesting Sakura" at hers. Waving a Jing not wishing to interrupt his conversation at the moment.
"And that's how we invented outhouse fishing!" Kamo relates to a giggling circle of neighbors after clearing out the snake infestation.
Taking a break from restoring the tea shop, Kamo helps to prepare for the festival, getting decorations situated at the most-frequented parts of town and helping to make sure all of the most important festival traditions are observed.
He spends his spare time toiling away at the odd notes.
The week leading up to First Long Night is a welcome change of pace for Sakura. Despite the ongoing tensions and mysteries surrounding Willowshore, the preparations for the festival inject a sense of normalcy and joy into the town's daily life. Sakura takes an active role in organizing the event, ensuring that every detail is attended to.
Sakura focuses on transforming the downtown square into a festive hub. She coordinates with Pagma, Kamo, and Jing-De, assigning tasks and overseeing the decoration process. They string up lanterns in vibrant colors, creating a warm, inviting glow as evening approaches. Banners and streamers are hung between buildings and trees, fluttering gently in the breeze.
Little Kamo becomes a mascot of sorts, eagerly following Sakura around and amusing the townsfolk with his antics. Sakura even crafts a small festive bandana for him, much to the delight of the children who come to pet him. During the setup, Little Kamo becomes a source of amusement for the children of Willowshore. At one point, Kamo is carefully placing lanterns along a path when Little Kamo, perhaps thinking it’s a game, starts to mimic him. Every time Kamo puts down a lantern, Little Kamo follows suit, albeit with a small rock or a twig. This goes unnoticed by Kamo until he turns around to find a trail of rocks and twigs interspersed with the lanterns. Sakura watches, her laughter mixing with the children’s, as Kamo tries to explain to Little Kamo the difference between a rock and a lantern.
Sakura and her friends set up various game stalls and activities for the townsfolk. She helps Kamo construct a booth for games like ring toss and archery, while creating a "safe space" for Pagma to contribute by creating unique, non-dangerous potions for a guessing game booth. Finally, she sets up a storytelling corner for Jing-De, where he can share tales of folklore and heroes for the children.
She makes sure to visit Yami the teahouse cat several times throughout the week as well, not wanting to neglect her new friend.
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As the day of the festival comes about, Sakura discovers something rather distressing.
Her sword is missing.
Words cannot express the thoughts that go through the poor warrior's mind at that moment, but she does rather quickly decide that Kamo is responsible somehow.
Since we are on the topic of words. The word 'Bursting' might be accurate to how she entered her brother's room, followed by 'Irately Violent' how she is feeling, and 'Shouting' about what she was about to do, but all those words are brought up short by seeing her brother and her best friend hunched over something on his bed.
His... bed?
Both turn around QUICKLY, pressing shoulder to shoulder, blocking behind them, both look more than a bit guilty. Which did nothing to soothe the Words in Sakura's mind.
Pagma, by the way, is dressed for the festival, in a snug white lace kebaya, near floor length, over a vivid red sarong. Her dark hair is wrapped up into a tight bun, with yellow ribbons binding and trailing. Her face is properly powdered and she fills the air around her with the scent of fresh bread and lilacs.
And Kamo is dressed, well, however he is dressed for the festival.
"I told you we didn't have enough time for anything complicated" one whispers to the other "we only had it for two and a half minutes!" the other whispers back. "hurry up and show her, 'cause I think she is about to burst."
"SURPRISE!" Pagma announces and quickly separates from Kamo to show the shape of a sword under a cloth. Her sword. "We wanted to wrap it but... You are You." she explains in the way she normally explains things, and pulls the cloth away.
Her sword, from hilt to where the new blade gleams in a perfect gray sea of steel and light orange runes, like little fires on the rippling still water.
"Kamo and I worked together on it... do you like it?" there is a hitch of worry in Pagma's voice. She really really wants Sakura to like it.
In the midst of successful festival preparations, Sakura takes some time to speak further with Great Willow, reaching the limit of the kodama's understanding of the Wilowshore curse. Kamo and Jing De struggle to make sense of Zoudou's notes.
Yami the cat brings Sakura another gold coin at the end of the week. Just where exactly is the feline finding these funds, anyway?
***
At last, the time has come to celebrate. As autumn’s days yield to the burgeoning night on the fall equinox, those who dwell in Shenmen’s countryside begin preparations for winter. These preparations are organized around rural families’ observation of First Long Night, an evening spent together in solemn commemorations of deceased kin as well as witnessing the community’s hopeful aspirations.
First Long Night is a very physical event, even before the date of the festival arrives. As anticipation builds, locals work more exuberantly in hopes of getting ahead of duties so as to have time to prepare for the festival, working to the tempo of resonant folk songs with the lyrics and cadence often containing insights into traditional farming techniques or local legends. Fall’s crisp breeze carries the scent of wood-smoked preserved meat and rendered lard as townsfolk prepare food stores, while the noise of construction for temporary festival grounds goes on well into the evening. Everything is vivid, loud, and fun, and everyone is a little more spirited than usual in ghost-haunted Shenmen. The pulsing sweat and pouring blood, the songs, the race to beat the turn of seasons... all intended to remind both the living and dead of the tenacity of life—be it a life still being lived or one that exists only in a spirit’s memory.
Hot desserts (such as sesame and peanut soup) and brewed tea are shared between all, along with mooncakes, glutinous rice balls, and fruits. Local syncretic beliefs encourage such generosity, stating such warmth and unity are sure to impress visiting ancestors or benevolent spirits who might then return in future years and bring good fortune with them.
COMMUNAL REVIVALS
While a history of brutal regimes have fractured many social bonds, First Long Night is a time when communities reforge these connections. From checking on neighboring villages to feeding the families next door, each small step brings Shenmen’s community closer again.
ENLIGHTENED SELF-INTEREST
First Long Night sees many embarking on dangerous journeys to do good deeds, clean graves, and perform last rites. Helping others this way also helps oneself; after all, it’s simpler to feed or bury neighbors rather than deal with undead arising from their starved corpses.
GHOSTS... OR ANCESTORS?
Some in Shenmen fear becoming undead less than witnessing loved ones undergoing such pitiable transformations. Regardless, by cleaning ancestral graves, they prevent the sleeping dead from arising as violent undead. Some seek to exorcise undead who were once family, and thus return their purified spirits to the fold as respected ancestors.
BRIBING FUMEIYOSHI
Many scatter silver dust near grave sites to bribe Fumeiyoshi, hoping he would accept these offerings and not feel the need to create more undead. Greedy bandits might lurk in wait to rob villagers or pocket the strewn silver dust; villagers often don’t mind (providing they escape unharmed), as that simply draws Fumeiyoshi’s wrath upon the thieves instead.
SEASONAL MARKETS
The hubbub of a village’s celebrations often draws merchants, priests, and other visitors; locals are quick to host such travelers and offer to purchase their goods and services with food, drink, and hard-hoarded silver dust.
AGILITY UNDER OPPRESSION
Releasing colorful lanterns into the sky, cutting ropes, poetry praising the moon—these traditions might appear irrelevant oddments. However, they fulfill twofold purposes: one, they allow isolated villages to bond over shared imaginations of a Shenmen identity; two, they allow surreptitious honing and preservation of practical knowledge and skills.
"Drat this book. Reading Abyssal gives me a headache. No wonder cultists are always so irritable."
Kamo sees the festival as a welcome break from the frustrations of the week. He gathers a heaping hamperful of warm goodies and goes to seek out his friends.
Mouth stuffed with mooncake, he asks, "What should we do first? Nothing too active, I hope. I'm full of soup!"
"Listening to you mutter the fowl tongue is no better" Pagma complains when Kamo complains "The words are like an inch worming into your ear, leaving an oily trail. Ugh."
When she sees Kamo, she slips down from the low wall she had been resting on. She had slipt from the siblings after the presenting of the sword, seeing to the last preparations for her stall that Sakura had convinced her to do.
A flask of water, a drop of a special liquid, then the clear liquid burst into colorful fiz! Most of the time contained in the flask of course. Splattering of violet on her lace dress speaks that it wasn't ALWAYS contained. '
"Hmm... what to do?" she thinks aloud, starting to walk with her friends. "I want to do the lanterns, how about that?" she nibbles on her own mooncake, her eyes glowing in the scrumptious pleasure of the flavor.
As you look around the festival grounds, you spot a familiar face--the merchant Shinzo stands behind his cart of supplies, along with his strange raven companion, Yix. He smiles and waves at you while Yix caws and cocks his head.
"Hello, friends! What a joyous celebration! I am glad to see that, even in the tough times Willowshore has found itself in, your spirits are not broken. I have brought new wares for you to peruse, should you be so inclined."
***
ADMIRING THE MOON
Admiring the Moon is a game with roots in Yixing courtier culture. Facing the harvest moon, participants gather to enjoy mooncakes and tea while composing poetry to extol the moon’s grace and beauty. Elegant wordplay and evocative verse win accolades and praises, while more labored metaphors and epigrams spur encouragements and critiques. As the night goes on, tea is invariably replaced with wine and spirits, and poetry gives way to discussions on metaphysics and political philosophy.
A typical bout of Admiring the Moon involves an hour of eating, drinking, and composing poems.
ADMIRING THE MOON
CONCENTRATE EXPLORATION
Skill Checks DC 17 Art Lore, DC 19 Performance, DC 21 Religion
BUNDLE-CUTTING
Encouraged by onlooking fellows, participants strive to cut hanging bundles of straw loose from tightly-woven lattices. There’s an additional twist to this contest, as each participant begins the contest bound in twine ropes. Stone daggers are laid on the ground some distance away so that participants must first undo their own bindings, then dash to retrieve daggers, and finally run back to cut as many bundles free as they can within a time limit.
Bundle-cutting evolved from training exercises to help villagers deal with being captured and bound by bandits or caught in woodland traps—techniques that are equally useful in escaping the webs of the giant spiders and similar creatures who have long posed dangers to the locals. Once a participant escapes their bindings, the cutting of other bindings represent swift action to rescue and release allies who have been bound.
This contest is much faster-paced than the others with a typical bout of bundle-cutting resolving over the course of 1 to 2 minutes, depending on the song chosen (regardless of the time, the contest still resolves via four skill checks).
BUNDLE-CUTTING CONTEST
CONCENTRATE EXPLORATION
Skill Checks DC 17 Thievery, DC 19 Athletics, DC 21 Survival
Special: Before any skill checks can be attempted, a participant must Escape (DC 17) from their bonds. If a participant Escapes on their first attempt, they can attempt the four skill checks to win bundle-cutting without penalty. If a participant requires two Escape attempts to get free, they take a –1 circumstance penalty to their four skill checks. If a participant requires three or four Escape attempts to get free, their following skill checks take a –2 circumstance penalty. A fifth Escape attempt is always successful, but after this, the participant takes a –3 circumstance penalty to their following skill checks.
LANTERN MAKING
Sky Lanterns were originally developed during the days of Shu for sending military signals. The ancient practice now has a different cultural significance: representing reunions and people’s wishes finding their ways to the heavens.
These sky lanterns have bamboo frames and are made of oiled rice paper. They incorporate designs of fanciful shapes like birds, dragons, and other flying creatures.
In a fitting nod to its military, functional origins, villages now also use lantern making ceremonies for basic communications. On First Long Night, if the horizons are filled with flying lights, it reassures many to know their neighbors are still alive and able to construct sky lanterns. On the contrary, if a nearby village doesn’t release its own sky lanterns on this important festival, it’s very possible they’ve fallen to ghosts or worse. In such situations, neighboring villages might dispatch their bravest members to investigate, bring aid, and, if necessary, provide exorcisms for the unquiet dead.
A lantern making ceremony involves two hours of designing and crafting lanterns, culminating in the lighting and release of them all at once; the winner of the contest is the one whose lantern evokes the most admiration from the spectators.
LANTERN MAKING CEREMONY
CONCENTRATE EXPLORATION
Skill Check DC 19 Crafting
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Sakura stands frozen for a moment, her anger dissipating as quickly as it had flared up. The sight of her sword, transformed and beautifully etched with glowing runes, leaves her momentarily speechless. Her gaze shifts from the sword to Pagma and then to Kamo, her expression a mix of surprise, confusion, and a budding sense of awe.
"You... you did this for me?" Sakura’s voice is soft, a stark contrast to the fiery torrent of words that had been ready to spill out just moments ago. The meticulous craftsmanship and the evident care that went into modifying her beloved weapon touches her deeply.
She steps forward to examine the sword closely, her fingers tracing the newly forged blade and the intricate runes. The light dances across the blade, reflecting the orange hues of the runes, giving it an almost ethereal quality.
"This is incredible," Sakura whispers, her usual tough demeanor softened by the heartfelt gesture of her friends. She lifts the sword, feeling its familiar weight now imbued with a new sense of power and beauty. "I... I don’t know what to say. Thank you, both of you."
Her eyes meet Pagma's, and there's a hint of a tear forming. She turns away, wipes at her eyes, clears her throat and turns back with a smile, rubbing her eyes again. She gives Pagma a silent hug before turning to Kamo. As he opens his arms to embrace her for a hug she shoves him into the wall with a playful nudge and says "You've outdone yourself, brother.
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Sakura grins at Kamo, her eyes twinkling with a mix of amusement and teasing. "Kamo, with the amount of mooncake you've eaten, I think you're well-prepared for Admiring the Moon. You've practically become a mooncake yourself!" she chuckles, nudging him playfully. "Besides, the poetry and discussions might suit you. Just try not to fall asleep mid-verse from all that food!"
Turning to Pagma, Sakura's smile softens, encouraging yet playful. "Pagma-chan, lantern making sounds perfect for you. With your knack for mixing colors and creating those vivid fizzy drinks, I bet your lantern will be the most vibrant and creative one we'll see tonight. Just remember, no explosions, okay?" she adds with a wink.
Sakura's expression turns more determined, placing her fist into her open palm. "I'm going for the bundle-cutting. This is going to be my year, I jut know it."
---
When the time comes, Sakura sets off to do some bundle-cutting!
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"Remember, Sakura, slow and steady on knots." Pagma raised her finger and pronounced sagely in a deep voice "'If you are the Hare instead of the Turtle, you will be bound Forever'"" she cannot remember who said that but surely someone has.
"Jing are you doing the Moon thing again?" while the moon is amazing in so many ways, and even Pagam who always feels the need to being doing somehthing can be lost staring at it from time to time, the idea of spending an hour or more talking about it makes her sleepy.
"Kamo, are you lantern making too?" she asks, knowing if he is then she has a competition on her hands.
On to the contest...
The initial construction goes perfectly, light enough to fly, but strong enough if Elder Lin sat on it... well it would still crush it, but there would be a moment of resistance at least.
Pagma then decides to alter the frame to allow for wings along side of it, flapping lightly in the air as it accends, and just can't seem to get it right. She chews on her lip and thinks about undoing that...
Nope, this will work she tells herself, pushing forward with her design, adding gears to the wings to a neck that will sway as the wings beat and open a mouth to let out... not sure, but by this point it is all too heavy to fly now!!!
Pamga frets, frowns, then tears it all apart and starts over, but she knows what she wants this time. A baby dragon of purple scales and gossamer wings of lavender and lace. The wings moving in the wing cause the tightening of a spring with their gears. Then as it crests the tallest building, the spring releases, the mouth OPENS, and three smaller lanterns bob out.
Each represents one of her friends. A sliver of a sword, a holy symbol, and a book built into the lantern for each, crafted out of the forks, spoons, and knives of the butcher they helped defeat.
It is far from perfect. Time was called before polishing could occur, but it does fly, it does work, and it looks like she wants.
So she is smiling at the end.
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Kamo tries vainly to cover up a blush at his sisters kind words. "Uhhh. It's extra sharp now, so just make sure that you don't cut yourself."
Belly full of sweets, Kamo feels inspired to craft some poetry in praise of the moon.
Silhouettes of leaves
Are but specks, that do nothing
To dim lunar beams.
Kamo makes his way through the rest of the festival, thoroughly enjoying himself.
He struggles to escape from the bonds at the bundle cutting event, but laughs as he manages to chop about half of the bundles.
In a whimsical mood at the lantern lighting, he paints caricatures of Jing-De, Pagma, and Sakura among the wild animals on his lanterns.
Only one of his lanterns makes it off the ground, but he shows off the flaming wrecks of the others to Pagma.
Pagma was simply going to watch the bundle-cutting contest, but since Kamo was joining his sister, she joined in. "Did you forget to knot mine properly?" she asks with genuine confusion, as she slips out of the bonds with extreme ease.
Speed wants to rush into her, making her hurry, and mess up, but then the Turtle settles into her mind, making SURE with each cut.
---
"Oh my, poor Sakura is burning up... that is Sakura, right?" Pagma points at the blazing ruin of one of Kamo's lanterns. She is rather impressed he went for FOUR lanterns, shaped like animals and painted so nicely.
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"Yes, you can tell by the aggressive stance and disapproving look! Well...what's left of it." It's not the most interesting smoldering wreckage Kamo has created, but it's close.
Admiring the Moon is a game with roots in Yixing courtier culture. Facing the harvest moon, participants gather to enjoy mooncakes and tea while composing poetry to extol the moon’s grace and beauty. Elegant wordplay and evocative verse win accolades and praises, while more labored metaphors and epigrams spur encouragements and critiques. As the night goes on, tea is invariably replaced with wine and spirits, and poetry gives way to discussions on metaphysics and political philosophy.
A typical bout of Admiring the Moon involves an hour of eating, drinking, and composing poems.
ADMIRING THE MOON
CONCENTRATE EXPLORATION
Skill Checks DC 17 Art Lore, DC 19 Performance, DC 21 Religion
"Jing are you doing the Moon thing again?" while the moon is amazing in so many ways, and even Pagma who always feels the need to being doing something can be lost staring at it from time to time, the idea of spending an hour or more talking about it makes her sleepy
Jing gives Pagma a sleepy nod. The mere mention of the moon causes Jing's thoughts to float, and just like that, Pagma knows she has lost him. He hadn't been this bad before but with the awakening of the power in his blood plus all that's happened to them, and to Willowshore, the young man's eccentricity is reaching other levels. "Yes, I think I'd like that. The spirits that envy us might have walled us in, but so far, they've been unable to take the sky from us. The moon, the sun, and the stars, they still shine and that fills me with hope."
Once the night comes, Jing-De pours his soul into his favored instrument, the koudi flute. He weaves soft spun-out melodies and loses himself in the music whilst gazing at the moon. The music attempts to cross the gap between the two distant divine lovers, and part of Jing hopes, really hopes, that the two gods can hear it.
Sky Lanterns were originally developed during the days of Shu for sending military signals. The ancient practice now has a different cultural significance: representing reunions and people’s wishes finding their ways to the heavens.
These sky lanterns have bamboo frames and are made of oiled rice paper. They incorporate designs of fanciful shapes like birds, dragons, and other flying creatures.
In a fitting nod to its military, functional origins, villages now also use lantern making ceremonies for basic communications. On First Long Night, if the horizons are filled with flying lights, it reassures many to know their neighbors are still alive and able to construct sky lanterns. On the contrary, if a nearby village doesn’t release its own sky lanterns on this important festival, it’s very possible they’ve fallen to ghosts or worse. In such situations, neighboring villages might dispatch their bravest members to investigate, bring aid, and, if necessary, provide exorcisms for the unquiet dead.
A lantern making ceremony involves two hours of designing and crafting lanterns, culminating in the lighting and release of them all at once; the winner of the contest is the one whose lantern evokes the most admiration from the spectators.
LANTERN MAKING CEREMONY
CONCENTRATE EXPLORATION
Skill Check DC 19 Crafting
Jing gives designing and making a lantern a real shot, but the whole process, especially the part where he has to actually make the darned thing, just isn't his 'thing'. The colorful and abstract design he came up with proves to be an impossibility to create, and so, his attempt falls short.
Kamo and Sakura come close to winning their rounds of the bundle-cutting contest, but they come up just short. Likewise, Jing De and Kamo do well in admiring the moon but not enough to secure victory, and while your lanterns are praised for their craftmanship, the grand prize winner is You So-Jin of Graveside Manners. Still, just participating in the contests has helped to raise the townsfolks' spirits.
The festivities last long into the night, but unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The next morning, it's back to preparing Willowshore for the winter to come...
"The teahouse is almost complete. With the festival finished, people could use a place to relax." Will the end in sight, Kamo takes to the final touches on the teahouse with a will.
His nights are still consumed with the notes retrieved from the lumber yard. He finally seems to be making some headway.
Pagma helps out with harvest again, though her desire to be in the tea house is making her distracted.
The day after the festival, Sakura, feeling rejuvenated from the lively celebrations of First Long Night, returns to her work at the teahouse. She dives into the final phase of the construction repairs with renewed vigor and focus. The sounds of her working—hammering, sawing, and occasional instructions to anyone helping—fill the air around the teahouse.
Her attention to detail is meticulous, ensuring that every part of the teahouse not only is structurally sound but also retains its traditional aesthetic. She works tirelessly on fixing the roof tiles, reinforcing the wooden framework, and restoring the intricate carvings that adorn the eaves and door frames.
As she works, Yami weaves in and out of the construction area, sometimes watching Sakura with curious eyes, at other times napping in a sunlit patch on the newly repaired veranda. Sakura has grown fond of Yami’s quiet company , occasionally pausing to give the cat a gentle scratch behind the ears.
Throughout the day, Little Kamo stays close by, occasionally running off to chase a butterfly, investigate a new scent, or bother Kamo - but always returning to Sakura’s side.
Jing steps out of his comfort zone and offers his assistance to the group of townsfolk who are reinforcing the town's buildings to resist the depredations of winter. Alas, with little to no real construction experience under his belt, Jing finds himself to not be of much use.