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1) I am based in Southeast Asia (UTC +8) so my posting hours may be unusual (especially for those in North America). I usually update at least one or twice per day. Just to keep the game moving, please post at least once every day and at least once during the weekend.
2) Please keep all posts and communication in all channels limited to a PG-13 level and be both positive and inclusive.
3) Please label all three of your actions. Even if you think what you are doing is obvious.
4) If I am unavailable for longer than 24 hours, I will let you know in the Discussion Tab. Out of respect for your fellow players and myself, I ask that you do the same. Real life happens, and real life will always take priority over the game, but out of fairness for your fellow players, please let us know if you will be unavailable for an extended period of time.
5) Please note that on the following days, my posting can get unpredictable:
Tuesday/Thursdays - all day, as they are the 2 busiest days of my work week
6) Please complete the Macros and the Slides linked at the top of the page.
7) Questions, concerns? Feel free to share them in the Discussion tab.
8) Let's have some fun and tell a great story together! After all, that's what we are here for.
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A young Tian Min lad plops down at the table and picks up the hashi and places his palms together, Gyoza! Oishisou! Itadakimasu!
Carefully dipping a dumpling into a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil, the young man plops the whole thing into his mouth. He grins, mouth full, and chews. Then after swallowing, he speaks, Hi, some of you I know, but for the others, I am Ebiten! Douzo yoroshiku onegainshimasu!
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A tiny young Osirian woman, wearing a red-black dress with golden hieroglyph decorations, watches as Ebiten eats and presents himself, taking note of their host's reaction to his manners and his skill in the local language.
"Zenobia Arsinoe Thea, known in the west as an acrobat, and in the Society, undercover thief and assassin", she presents herself. She looks around the lodge, at the eastern design of the building. "I have been planning to come to the homeland of the fan for some time", she says and opens both her fans with a metallic snap. The fans have the same red-black theme with hieroglyphs, and she does a couple of moves with them while continuing: "There are some advanced techniques not found in the west I am interested in."
She snaps the fans close. "But that has to wait until later, after the pressing issue we were called for."
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A normal looking fellow, wearing worn and comfortable clothing smiles at everyone. And I am Achurius, a studier of magic. And practitioner, though any spells at my disposal are courtesy of my god, Nethys."
If you hadn't noticed prior to the announcement, he does carry a staff with the emblem of Nethys on it.
"What magics do you all practice?"
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Melenia helps herself to some tea and dumplings. She takes a big gulp and lets off a mild burp before she introduces herself. "Those are some good dumplings! Hello again, everyone! Pleasure to be working with all of you. I am Melenia Nightbreeze. A former scout to the forests of Kyonin before enlisting in the Society."
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"I need you to investigate something for me," Amara Li says as she pours golden buckwheat tea into simple yet elegant cups. "Despite the vast and somewhat dangerous wilderness that surrounds it, the Spirit Road is the lifeblood of trade between Hongal and Minkai, and now it has been inexplicably blocked." She pauses. "The Forest of Spirits is home to departed souls and kami, the spiritual guardians of the forest. Travelers through this region rarely dare to stray from the road for fear of offending either."
She passes the cups along the table, and then continues. "Some merchants that I hired to transport goods to Hongal reported that a thick and disorienting fog laid across their route. One woman told me that she heard howling ghosts when she tried to enter, and another was bitten by relentless tiny teeth. The merchants soon found themselves leaving the fog where they had entered. Shaken by this experience, they turned around and reported back here." Amara Li sighs. "There is another group of merchants who left from Hongal, and have not been seen since, and other merchants coming from Minkai have reported being unable to pass through. "[b]It is always hard to map a region as ever-changing as the Forest of Spirits," Amara continues, "but consider this as close an approximation as we can get." Amara unrolls a delicately painted map. "As you can see, the Spirit Road connects Minkai to Hongal along the peninsula’s southwestern coastline. The largest settlement on the Spirit Road is the village of Ohira, right at the delta of the Bunkatsu river. But crossing the Bunkatsu at this time of year is dangerous, so most merchant caravans take their heavy wagons to the crossing slightly north of the Spirit Road at the bridge that leads to the tiny village of Silvertree." Amara taps her finger on the dot representing the village.
"There seems something sinister to this strange and persistent fog. We think the source of the fog must be somewhere near one of these two villages and the Bunkatsu river. With so many of my experienced agents dealing with literal fallout of Godsrain, I’m hoping that you can investigate the phenomenon and tell us what we need to do to end it."
"Any questions?"
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I heard stories from my parents when I was young, about the kami... They each would want something different, but most are appeased with the balance of nature. Finding ways to appease the spirits, however would likely be more personal, Ebiten muses.
Is there anything we should know about Silvertree? Why would it be an important destination? Is it just the last point that they can get to with this fog?
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"Silvertree is the detour point to get to Ohira. The Bunkatsu River is at its highest point during this time of year. So caravans cannot cross it safely. This fog is preventing our caravans from even getting to Silvertree. You need to figure out why. If you can, you'll need to find a way to rectify the situation."
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"That is not a very reliable trade route, with bandits and mystical beings threatening it. The latest caravan from Hongal, what was its estimated schedule? When was it supposed to pass Silvertree, and when to arrive in Minkai?" Zenobia asks.
"The last caravan that reached Silvertree was three weeks ago. This is why it is imperative that you find out what is going on."
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The journey from the Three Gates Lodge in Kayajima through the Osogen Grasslands is chilly but scenic, with brisk winds blowing through the swaying plants of the prairie and mountains soaring to either side of the plain. Along the way, friendly nomads and hearty herdsmen wave from a distance, and some locals approach on horseback to warn travelers with rumors that the Spirit Road has been blocked. Finally, the northern city of Hokkoshi comes into view. As the last stop for travelers venturing into the Forest of Spirits, Hokkoshi teems with Spirit Road guides and merchant caravans, all glumly stuck in town.
The merchants clamor to talk to any Pathfinders who approach them, telling them stories of the mysterious fog that is blocking all travel across the Bunkatsu river. Most of the merchants and guides are veterans with many prior crossings of the road; none have seen a fog this impenetrable or permanent. They confirm that the fog has blocked all travel for the past month.
One thing is clear though -- they adamantly refuse to accompany you through the fog as long as it is present.
Once within the woods, almost all traffic on the Spirit Road dies away, though the sounds of birdsong and skittering wildlife fill the void. Old growth trees enclose the path on both sides, with the occasional a break in the trees revealing a view of the azure seawater of the Sapphire Sound. Down below, waves crash against a rocky shore and the air tastes not just of pine but also of finely misted salt spray.
One by one, snowy squirrel-like creatures with the twitching long ears of rabbits arrive on the path. The squirrel-rabbits watch you with intelligent eyes, always following at a watchful distance. As you travel onward, more and more squirrel-rabbits arrive, skittering overhead from branch to branch or hopping along the sides of the path.
A light mist gathers, swirling around the trees. A risucho hops in front of you, waits for half a minute, and then starts hopping slowly away, stopping every few seconds to look behind and check if anyone follows.
The drake walks trots slowly down the road observing the squirrels with interest
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The squirrel-rabbit skitters to a halt as an antlered figure arises out of the mist to the mixed scents of cherry blossoms, sea spray and cloying blood. As the mists clear, her form becomes fully visible. With bright green fur and cherry blossoms sprouting out of her antlers, her face is that of a furious macaque monkey. "Well met, strangers, I am Sakura, the guardian kami of Silvertree." says she "Do you feel it? An unholy miasma resides in what was once a sacred wood. The village harbors it and it festers in my domain like a weeping sore."
Sakura continues, "I have laid this fog in to separate Silvertree from the rest of the Forest of Spirits. This is not just to punish the village, but also to protect the rest of the forest from infection. I will not remove the fog until the villagers rid themselves of this horrid thing. Can you find the source of unholy energy? Perhaps if you can find a way to navigate this fog, you can also find a way to free the village and remove the filthy source of miasma. I do not know exactly what the source of the foulness is, only that I sense it within the village and its presence is enraging, not just to me but to the other forest spirits. Some of them have been maddened by it, losing all sense and reason. I’m losing all sense and reason! Dig until you find it, and then destroy it!"
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The white squirrel-rabbits chitter at Sakura, and then hop hopefully to the edge of the solid fog barrier. Sakura’s eyes narrow as she studies the Pathfinders before her. "Very well. I will allow you within the fog, and we will see how you manage the challenge. Perhaps you can find your way." Then Sakura pauses. "Should you meet enraged kami, defend yourselves, but try not to kill them. They know not what they do."
With that, Sakura creates an opening in the fog and you move through it. A scurry of intelligent squirrel-like messengers called the Risucho gather to watch outsiders struggling with the fog, their long rabbit-ears flicking warily.
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TRACKER
Round: n/a
Obstacle: PLEASE FEED THE SQUIRRELS
Overcome:
DC 16 Performance to make them forget their wariness.
DC 18 Nature/Diplomacy to appeal to the messengers for help
DC 20 Deception to trick them into revealing information
Successes: 0/2
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Those with ** may go
**Achurius
**Ebiten PFS
**Ghardak
**Drokki Goldenoak
**Melenia Nightbreeze
**Zenobia Arsinoe Thea
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"They look wary, but interested. Acting like a squirrel should heighten their interest and lower the wariness" Zenobia suggests. She climbs on a branch with some squirrel-rabbits, and stands on it mimicking a squirrel. She slowly walks on the branch toward a squirrel-rabbit, looks a moment at it curiously, and then runs fast back on the branch. Then she hops on an adjacent branch, balances herself there, runs along it close to a squirrel-rabbit on another branch and looks at it with a curious expression.
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Zenobia and Drokki make the Risucho feel more at ease.
The fog is thick and disorienting, but everywhere you can find signs in the natural world that offer clues to orient yourself. However, Achurius and Melenia manage to find their way and guide the party as well.
PHANTOMS IN THE FOG
A broken down cart with several half-eaten dead bodies are all that remain of a merchant caravan that failed to penetrate the fog. Their ghosts wail their frustrations about their interrupted lives and needless deaths.
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TRACKER
Round: n/a
Obstacle: PHANTOMS IN THE FOG
Overcome:
DC 15 Religion to lay the spirits to rest;
DC 15 Mercantile Lore to soothe the angry spirits
DC 19 Deception/Diplomacy to soothe the angry spirits
DC 17 Other Lore to promise to help the ghosts with unfinished business (make it fit)
Successes: 0/2
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Those with ** may go
**Achurius
**Ebiten PFS
**Ghardak
**Drokki Goldenoak
**Melenia Nightbreeze
**Zenobia Arsinoe Thea