Examining the area around the statue, Xu Jiang recovers the fallen, unlit lantern that used to light this entrance to the village. Looking around a little more, you also find a man, unconscious and slumped over but relatively unhurt.
You all recognize him as one of the town guardsman, Phang Kwan.
Yuranosuke darts over to the fallen guard immediately.
"Kwan, Kwan are you alright? What's happened?"
Kwan finally stirs after a few nudges from Yuranosuke. He frowns, blinks his eyes, and wipes a hand across his eyes.
After a few more moments, he realizes several things all at once. That it is morning. That he is laying on the ground. And, that he doesn't remember how he got here.
"Where am I? I don't remember laying down." Kwan sits up slowly and rests another moment. "The last thing I remember is standing guard at the eastern entrance. Many of the town guards wanted to enjoy a night off, so I helped out." He grimaces when he touches a lump on his head. "Seems someone surprised me. Maybe left me here."
Kwan now sees the rest of the group. "Glad you all made it back from the woods. Hopefully, you fared better than I."
"Well enough," says Xu Jiang, offering a hand to help the guardsman up onto his feet. He looks Phang Kwan over with a professional eye, then looks towards Willshore.
"We need to hurry. Something is very wrong here. Let's head to the center of town."
After traveling about a mile further west from the missing spider statue, the you all reach Willowshore’s eastern watchtower. The tang of blood fills the air, and four bodies lie sprawled on the ground. Two belong to town guards, their legs swollen and expressions of pain frozen on their faces. The other two bodies appear to be tiny blue-gray humanoids with sharp teeth and giant ears, seemingly slain by sword blows.
Kwan searches the area, and notices two dead vipers belly up in the grass nearby.
"We need to hurry. Something is very wrong here. Let's head to the center of town."
Sensing that Jiang and Yuranosuke aren't sharing something, Kwan quickly stands up with Jiangn's help and readies himself. "Is there reason to be concerned about the townsfolk? We must hurry back."
As they walk towards town, Kwan straps his shield to his arm and keeps a keen eye on their surroundings.
After traveling about a mile further west from the missing spider statue, the you all reach Willowshore’s eastern watchtower.
When the group arrives at the eastern watchtower, Kwan gasps in surprise. "What happened here?" He hurriedly examines the guards for signs of life and injuries.
The guards are clearly not breathing, but Kwan cannot determine anything about how they died - either from his hurry or his limited training in medicine.
He does, however, notice two dead vipers nearby. He quietly alerts the party. "More dead creatures over here. Nasty snakes. Be alert - there could be more danger."
She bows her head, saying a soft prayer to the winds, then looks around again
"Such a sad sight on what should've been a really fun day"
Ayane starts to look at the two bodies laying on the ground but quickly gets distracted at the mention of dead snakes!
"Hopefully these are the only dead creatures we come across and everyone else in town is safe and having fun at the festival!
Sensing that Jiang and Yuranosuke aren't sharing something, Kwan quickly stands up with Jiangn's help and readies himself. "Is there reason to be concerned about the townsfolk? We must hurry back."
"Well at the least, someone has taken our protective spirit statue on the day when hungry ghosts are said to be most common. And we met creatures in the forest I am certain were possessed by spirits. Dark spirits."
Seeing nothing to add to Phang Kwan's assertion, Jiang nods in agreement and moves on into the town.
Before you guys get the chance to move on, a head appears at the top of the watchtower looking down at you all, many of you might recognize them as Hai-er Ha, one of the local guards peers down from the guard tower, her grip tight on her weapon, eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Not another step! Prove you're not one of those cursed things skulking in the mist—recite four of the eight practices of the Season of Ghosts! Go on, let’s hear ‘em!"
1. Do not call a ghost a ghost; instead, address
them with friendly greetings if you must.
2. Do not pat people on the head or shoulders.
3. Avoid entering bodies of water when a
ghost is nearby.
4. Do not eat food that has two stick-like
objects protruding from it.
5. Do not lean against walls during the day.
6. Do not whistle at night.
7. Do not leave laundry out at night.
8. If you hear someone call your name from
behind you at night, do not turn around.
She tilts her head and almost as if in a trans, the town's notorious air head, rambles them down
1. Do not call a ghost a ghost; instead, address
them with friendly greetings if you must.
2. Do not pat people on the head or shoulders.
3. Avoid entering bodies of water when a
ghost is nearby.
4. Do not eat food that has two stick-like
objects protruding from it.
5. Do not lean against walls during the day.
6. Do not whistle at night.
7. Do not leave laundry out at night.
8. If you hear someone call your name from
behind you at night, do not turn around.
Kwan quickly turns his head in the direction of the watchtower and recognizes Hai-er Ha. "Hai-er, it's me, Kwan. I was on duty with you last night. Don't you remember?" He gestures to the others. "And these are the captives for last night's festival. Do you not recognize them?"
As Shandari recites the practices, Kwan nods along.
"Yes, we all know that we should not whistle at night. Nor, leave laundry out at night."
Kwan waits patiently for the others to recite one of the practices, and for Hai-er to come to her senses.
"Alright... alright. Guess you're real enough, but keep your voices down."
As she climbs down, she glances toward the town, her face shadowed with worry.
"Kwan, what happened to you last night? I remember the rest of you lot. Uncle Choe and his crew dragged you out into the woods last night, part of the festival. But they came back without you, and not long after, those horrible little blue monsters came out of the trees—with their damn snakes. The other guards took them down, but... those bites got ‘em in the end."
She shudders, shaking off the memory.
"Been up here since, listening. There were screams, roars—gods, the sounds coming from town were worse than any ghost story. But since dawn? Nothing. Dead silent. That’s not right."
"Maybe someone was whistling last night or worse, forgot to put their laundry away?" she shudders. "The festival is supposed to help keep anything spooky out of town. OH they came back without us? they they never came back FOR us! something weird is going on here!"
Impatient now, and worried about the safety of his town, Jiang urges his group to hurry.
"Come on, let's find out what's happening!" He begins to hustle towards the center of town.
Looking to Xu jiang then to Ayane Xio, "Wait, I'm just as eager for you to head into town but if you came from the River did you pass by the gates? What happened to Ugly Cute? Is the Lantern still lit? I have more lamp oil here but I was too afraid to venture out to the gates by myself,"
Digging through some of the supplies, to provide a small cask of lantern oil, "If you could re light it, I fear it may have gone out though I can't imagine what would have caused it. And here, its a Ladder Feather Token and well, here is a Shining Crossbow Bolt, its the only one we have left but if you are going to venture through the fog, you'll need it,"
A grim look on her face, clearly torn between remaining on guard at the Eastern Watchtower and venturing into town, "If you do head into town, please make sure everyone is all right. Pharasma bless us, I hope my daughter is okay. Even though I asked Granny Hu to babysit I worry. And my husband. . .hopefully he's safe at the Matsuki Estate right now. That place is nearly a fortress!"
Yuranosuke examines the little dead men with a curious look on his face, but shakes his head.
"These may be some kind of spirit, but not one I know of."
He follows after the others as Hai-er Ha explains what happened, and shakes his head sadly.
"We have no idea what happened to Ugly Cute. It's just gone! We need to relight the Lantern as soon as possible. Without Ugly Cute, it's possibly Willowshore's last defense against the things that hunt in the dark."
"Kwan, what happened to you last night?"
"I'm not really sure. The last thing I remember is patroling around the eastern watchtower nearby here. Yuranosuke woke me up this morning, not far from here. Bump on my head is the only clue."
Kwan thanks Hai-er Ha for the items, and then confers with the party. "Should be backtrack to relight the lantern? Or, head straight to town? Either way, I'd like to continue accompanying you."
A grim look on her face, clearly torn between remaining on guard at the Eastern Watchtower and venturing into town, "If you do head into town, please make sure everyone is all right. Pharasma bless us, I hope my daughter is okay. Even though I asked Granny Hu to babysit I worry. And my husband. . .hopefully he's safe at the Matsuki Estate right now. That place is nearly a fortress!"
"I know that you want to search for your family, but duty keeps you here. I will find your husband and daughter and make sure they are safe."
Mmm... yes I'd like it if you joined us! and i think lighting the lantern is a good idea! Gotta do what we can to keep and spooky creatures out!"
"Yes, your sword and my spear will stronger together, like Shizuru and Tsukiyo. Bringing light to the darkness."
"A trip into the smoke and mist. We need to tick people of our list!" she chimes in
Hai-er Ha listens intently, her brows knitting together at the mention of Ugly Cute’s disappearance. She curses under her breath before shaking her head. "Then we’re worse off than I thought. If that statue’s gone, there’s nothing keeping whatever’s lurking out there from getting bolder." She sighs, rubbing at her temples as Kwan speaks. When he offers to find her family, she looks at him with a mixture of gratitude and hesitation. "You’re right… my duty’s here. But if you do find them—just… just make sure they’re safe. And tell them I’ll come home when I can. It'd be wise to visit one of the elder's first, I'm sure they'll know more about what's going on."
She nods at Yuranosuke’s words, his mention of the gods seeming to steel her resolve.
"Then go. Relight the Lantern. If that’s our best defense, we can’t waste time. I’ll keep watch from here and sound the alarm if I see anything coming." She tightens the grip on her crossbow and gives them all one last, firm look. "Don’t die out there."
You all backtrack the mile or so to the gate and while Ugly Cute is gone, you're able to re light the lantern, the mist retreats back from the light but not fully. Maybe if more of the lanterns at the different gates are lit, the mist will be dispelled.
"Oh! Indeed. We need to go say hello to our families. We just got back and I'm sure they are worried. Maybe get some snacks for the road? We need to go light the fire after all." the winds around her gush a bit more as she gets excited lifting her hair in all directions except into her face
"Let's quickly relight the eastern gate's lantern. And investigate deeper into town. Old Matsuki's estate is on this side of the river so maybe we should head that way. My house is quite close to the bridge. I have a few items stored there that could be of use to us."
If he doesn't hear any objections, Kwan leads the group back east to the Spider Gate in order to relight the lantern there.
"Right," says Xu Jiang. "Let us go." And he does, heading back to the Eastern gate.
Yuranoske nods and readjusts his grip on his shuan ji in case some monster comes charging out of the fog.
You all backtrack the 1400 feet or so to the gate and while Ugly Cute is gone, you're able to re light the lantern, the mist retreats back from the light but not fully. Maybe if more of the lanterns at the different gates are lit, the mist will be dispelled.
Turning around, you start the re-backtracking to the Eastern watchtower.
The 1200 feet back to the Eastern watchtower passes uneventfully, the fog remains, making visibility beyond 500 feet around you impossible. The air is oppressive. The occasional snap of a twig, or rustling of trees and bushes adds the aura of mystery. Very faintly many of you feel like you see something in the fog just out of the corner of your eye but when you look there's nothing.
Following the road, you soon pass into Southbank proper, first through the nearby farms, then into the Industrial District. The industrial district has been hit hard by the collapse of Lung Wa as a country, many business that supported the lumber trade here have gone out of business. Where normally this area would be bustling there isn't a single person out and about.
Once you come within 100 feet of the Dawnstep Bridge that connects to the sides of Willowshow, you notice blood smears the gray stone of Dawnstep Bridge, evidence of a recent fight. The flame of Willowshore’s iconic stone lantern is—for the first time in memory—extinguished. A large humanoid figure sits on a throne made of stolen furniture heaped on the bridge. As he drinks from a brewing pot, several much smaller humanoids around him caper about, apparently mimicking and mocking death throes and reactions of recent victims.
Upon spotting the blood on the bridge, Yuranosuke raises his hand and cautions for the others to be silent.
"Death has been here and recently," he whispers.
He peeks around to see the disgusting "court" that has assembled by the dark lantern and tries to see whether they're people or...something much worse...
You all notice that the monsters are seemingly oblivious to your presence, especially if you all duck down. The monsters are cavorting loudly enough that you all can watch them from a distance to gather information, though likely would take 10 minutes of watching to learn anything of use.
Kwan immediately stops walking at Yuranosuke's signal, hunching down to stay out of sight. He watches the creatures closely, hoping to learn something about what they are or their current condition.
"Why are we ducking? Maybe they are friendly?" she offers her thoughts. Even if it made no sense
Yuranosuke points to the bloodstain leading up the bridge.
"That is why," he whispers sternly.
"Hmmm, I see your point, we should then perhaps NOT talk to them" she nods in agreement, as a very rare frown comes across her face
Some 10 minutes go by, you guys are crouched down by some trees, watching these blue gremlin creatures dance and sing and pantomime the raid on the village to the delight of the larger figure drinking on the makeshit throne.
You notice that the blue gremlin creatures speak Common (the gremlins are mostly just play-acting roles of comically frightened townsfolk), but the larger figure doesn’t seem to be paying attention. The few times the larger figure speaks, it’s to drunkenly sing out in an unknown and unfamiliar language to you
As you guys spend time, you're also able to study these creatures. The blue gremlins look the same as the corpses you found at the Eastern Watchtower.
You recognize the big guy(medium) as being a Buso. Busos are tree-dwelling folk with a simmering desire to consume the flesh of others. They heavily supplement their food with leaves and root crops, possess significant knowledge of agriculture, and boast innate powers over plants and their growth. In regards to meat, however, busos reject the flesh of beasts; they instead consume other humanoids. Not only do they find the taste of other creatures repulsive, but their bodies reject non-humanoid meat since it provides them no nutritional value and consuming it leaves them sickened and weak. They have no real weaknesses, but they are particularly bad at reflex saves. This one in particular looks quite drunk at the moment
If you spend more time watching, you could learn more information but the risk of discovery rises.
Whispering in case they are overheard ” I know what those are! They are Jenkins! Nasty fey! They like to torture and kill for fun. If you ask me there are way more things that are fun like eating, singing, dancing, playing games…” she trails off as she lists her favorite things.
”Kwan, you’re a town guard, what do you think? Should we get a little closer to see what’s happening? OH or I can change into a raccoon dog and sneak up there they won’t suspect a dog rustling in the bushes”
In a hushed voice, Kwan also shares what he knows.
"Sounds like these blue ones, jinkins you say, can speak Common. But the other one, a buso, doesn't seem to speak Common. And, I think that one is drunk."
Kwan goes on to share additional information abou the buso being tree-dwelling creatures who like to consume flesh of other humanoids. And that they aren't quick on their feet.
Kwan turns to Ayane to answer. "The Eternal Lantern is our current task and these creatures stand in our way. If stealth serves that task, that seems like a good idea. I would only make noise to draw attention, so a direct approach is my route."
Yuranoske nods to Ayane.
"That's right...I don't know why I couldn't identify them earlier..."
He thinks on the situation.
"I do not think this will end with anything but violence. Given how you've described buso, and since that one appears to be the leader of this little gang, it'll probably order its jinkins to throw us in that stewpot the moment we reveal ourselves. But we should figure out the best way to approach them, I agree. Find positions we can get into so we can minimize our own loss of life in this skirmish."
He looks behind them.
"Is there a way to cross the river without them noticing so we can flank them on both sides of the bridge?" he wonders aloud.
I could sneak in that way and throw them off guard by being a dog or turning into something mundane like a bottle or a pot! We definitely want the element of surprise.”
Responding to Yuraosk, ”I think to flank them across the river we’d have to backtrack and and try and cross the top of the dam and go the long way around.”
Yuranosuke shakes his head.
"Too long."
Then he looks at the river and back to Ayane.
"If you do that bottle trick, how heavy would you be? I could try to swim across the river quietly carrying you and thus we'd both be on the other side, and then I can give a signal for the others to approach once we're in position?"
Laughing as she responds ”ohh a bottle would be perfect! And I weigh as much as a regular bottle! They’ll never suspect anything!” she grin takes in a very mischievous grin.
"And you wouldn't...like...snap back into your normal form if I was carrying you and dove into a cold river?"