the Elder's page

Uncomfortably, Auntie Wu explains Pick. "Pick is a...former person...who talked to us in the caves. He was...not a threat at the time." She's clearly not happy about his existence. "I agree that he needs to be put to rest, but we have higher priorities. He's bound to the cave, so he can't hurt anyone outside of it, and he's not able to die while we work to ensure our people's survival. That's a 'later problem'."

Shou narrows his eyes. Sus. His body tenses. But. He lets it slide. Because:

"I propose we stay in town for three days before going to check on the Grove. We can ask the Silvermist Rangers if they'd be willing to map the Wall. We can organize the people, set up workshops to teach necessary skills, be seen helping, and make sure everyone knows how they can help." She pauses for a beat, then continues with a perfectly neutral voice: "Granny Hu should be a part of this as well. We should take this opportunity to try to unite the people of the North and South sides. ... I think our next stop should be to appraise her of the situation, minus our theories about the Sugi Tree. Once we return from that, we'll share any news we have with both of you."

"Regardless of how Granny Hu reacts to the idea of sharing power, there are enough people on both sides of the river who will respect the idea of unity, and any potential leader who is willing to share power rather than hoard it all for themselves." And we'll make sure to plant that seed in Granny Hu's ear as well, though whether any seed can sprout in that dry stone of her heart is anyone's guess. The people of Northridge deserve better, no matter how capable she is.

Three things slowly happen: Old Matsuki flushes a little red, he seems to notice that he does, and, embarrassed at being embarrassed, flushes even redder - primarily in his wine-stained nose!

It takes him a moment to recover: "That is..." is he lost for words? "Wisdom beyond..." is the conclusion of the sentence beyond him? "..." awkward pause, then finally, with onlt a modicum of grace "What do you need me to do?" he offers to support, rising from his comfortable seat, pacing, pacing, thinking, thinking - a new animation takes the aged Southbanker, a churning of gears that perhaps had been at rest for an extended sabbatical. He paces, thinks.

Speaks "How do you intend to contact Ban-niang (Granny Hu)?" he posits "She is a military woman. Might I suggest you arrange the meet through her lieutenant, Kim Gu-won ("Local NPC" #20)?"

A half-smirk flashes across Auntie Wu's face as Old Matsuki shares his opinion of the constable. She completely agrees.

Shou notices, and shares, the half-smirk. He opens his mouth as if to elaborate, then decides the better of it.

"This is conjecture so far, so it would be unwise to inform her yet. That could distract her from doing her part to help rebuild Willowshore and prepare us for winter. For now, we should gather information to determine exactly what the danger is, how much to share, and with whom. Besides, Granny Hu tends to dismiss people who don't know what they're talking about. This is something that she must take seriously, if we're right. We can't afford for her to ignore it."

"Ban-niang is a long-retired Captain for Lung Wa - she knows conflict, and will act in accordance with what her training has taught her" he chooses his words delicately "She would have Willowshore militarized and upon austere rationing, prioritizing power over production. In some ways, she never left the lumber barons' mindset" he sighs... a beat... then a look of mischief - seemingly deciding against, then for, sharing the following "Her subtleties she learned on her own..." holding the rest of his tongue.

Then whirls on the cleric:

"We need to focus on rebuilding Willowshore, first and foremost." Sigurd chooses his words carefully. "I do not wish to start a panic, or even worse, convert our citizens to that fiend."

"Yes! That must be our priority!" He pleas now! "Please stay on for a time before heading out of town. There is so much to do. And we have lost so many" he adds, realizing that he may be sounding desperate "I mean, if you have to go, go. But. With your help, we could easily doible our efforts. Perhaps you don't know" he awaits everyone's full attention before speaking again.

"The people of Willowshore consider you it's heroes!"

"...I do wish to find some way to help, Pick. Someone who died long ago, yet he cannot rest. He is bound to the same cave we found Ugly Cute within. If we can restore his memory, we may be able to help him find his rest. Elzabeth may know a thing or two, I'll have to converse with her afterward."

"Pick?" Shou looks confused "Who is Pick? What do you mean 'Someone who died long ago, yet he cannot rest'? An abomination that must be destroyed?" his prejudice shows a little...

Zoudou and her followers kept going on about Kugaptee. It could just be they had a fixation, but the emergence of the Wall of Ghosts suggests he has re-gained a foothold in this world.

He shakes his head and looks down, thinking of Tan Sui-Jing taking the form of the Sugi tree.

If entirely freed, a great sacrifice may be required to seal him away again...

Shou scratches his chin "Do you think Willowshore should be warned? Or should this be handled quietly? If Ban-niang (Granny Hu) found out, who knows what she might do..."

Quote:

Night of the Broken Blades

Auntie Wu frowns, deep in thought. "I wonder why they rose after they were killed. If the Grove were truly containing Kugaptee's menace, something else would have had to cause it. But perhaps he found a way to leak his influence out of his prison. Hmmm... There's something more to this..."

There is a tone of reluctance, almost automatic "We need to fortify Willowshore against Winter - to Rebuild!" before he appears to grant Auntie Wu - whom he has unfortunately become very fond of - the following concession "But if there is something more going on in Sugi Grove - if the legends are true - then a Deeper Darkness lurks at the old Monastery..."

He sips his wine gravely. Hoping, perhaps, it would go away. But Auntie Wu and Lan are firm in their determination. Shou raises an eyebrow when they agree:

A coldness is spreading deep in Auntie Wu's gut. She takes a careful sip of Old Matsuki's special wine, rolling it across her tongue for several moments to focus her attention. (It doesn't hurt that she's showing appreciation to the maker of the wine.) Taking a deep breath, she exhales slowly as the warmth of the wine fights to counteract the inner chill. "I have a bad feeling that the great Sugi tree has been harmed. We should go check it as soon as possible. Though I'm not sure whether taking the shortest route or following the Pilgrim's Path is the wiser course of action. There are arguments for both."

"I agree with Auntie Wu, we'll need to check on the Sugi Grove. We'll also need to confirm the extent of the Wall of Ghosts. And Willowshore - North and South - will need to cooperate to secure the town - the entire town, not just the urban parts. We'll need to consider a long-term strategy to reduce wood usage, as well."

His face contorts with further discomfort until Lan finally says "secure the town" - then visibly relaxes. Wonders aloud "Perhaps I underestimate you. For that, I apologize. If you all seem to think that all three tasks can be completed without interfering with eachother - (1) Securing the Town for Winter, (2) Mapping the Wall of Ghosts, and (3) Visiting Sugi Grove - then I trust in your abilities. You have already done so much" he looks between Lan, Sigurd, and Vekka as he says "Too bad that fool Zheng Peng is constable. Bah!" crashing his cup onto the table, he spills a little wine.

Are there any former members of the monastery still around?

"Not for a long time. But again, nobody knows. We don't go there since the Night of Broken Blades"

I suspect Lung Wa is in decline for reasons removed from Willowshore's influence. Are those reasons well known? I would imagine that keeps the seat of the Empire occupied and with less energy to enforce our town's speed of delivering resources.

"Bah! Those politics are beyond me. I'm just glad the statesmen no longer come around here treating our village like their personal vacationland" he pauses a moment "Too bad they closed down the brothel though..." he realizes this may be a mispeak, and changes subject...

What was at Sugi Grove before the monastery. Was that particular tree somehow marked and kept sacred?

"Legend has it that Zhi Hui identified it by it's sheer height, and confirmed it's spiritual significance by meditating under it"

Old Matsuki wrote:

"Yes. Ugly Cute is our Guardian. But Willowshore hasn't needed a Guardian for... nearly as long as I remember..." he let's the thread die out, hinting at their being a story that he doesn't have the time to go into (if he can remember it fully!), but winks at Lan before he allows the subject to change...

Once she senses the time is ripe for a change in subject, she respectfully urges Old Matsuki to elaborate on what he knows of Ugly Cute's past. "You mentioned the last time Willowshore needed a Guardian when we were speaking of Ugly Cute. Perhaps we can glean some wisdom from that time, if you'd be so kind as to share the tale with us."

"The Night of Broken Blades"

He looks at Auntie Wu "I was a still young man - about your age - when this came to pass" smiling now, for even if he was half the age he is now, it would hardly qualify him as "young" by humans standards - he continues to boast "I built the Monastery you know! Yup, I was there. But this was long after that, and yet, still a long time ago..."

Old Matsuki is 99 years old - this was about half his life ago...

"People from Away - Cityfolk" he barely spits out the word "come to town with their axes and carts. You see, around this time is when Willowshore started to change - the damned Lung Wa!" he shakes his fist vigorously! "Split into "north" and "south" - anyway - this upstart whipper snapper lumberjack potato sack comes to town and starts asking about the Sugi Grove - persistent in his quest, eventually finds someone willing to give him directions - and makes the three-day trek to claim it for himself. It did not go well for him" he smiles maliciously "Our town guardian - Ugly Cute - barely needed to awaken (no one remembers this because most folks aren't as old as I am, but, it happened!) until the monsters came for Willowshore!"

He takes another swig, leaving the party in mild suspense "They got what they deserved - slaughtered by the Sugi Grove itself - but came back as monsters - busted axes and all - and sieged Willowshore on the The Night of Broken Blades!" his tone changes here, as the memory of the violence comes to the fore of his mind "We lost a lot of folk that day - folks who would be grandparents today - but we prevailed - and Ugly Cute, having saved us, rested again for a long time until about one week ago, as you know..."

He looks around, knowing this story ought bring forth additional questions, and readies to answer them!

ΩΩΩ

Monastery? You may roll a Religion check to Recall Knowledge!
Lung Wa? You may roll a Society check to Recall Knowledge!
Sugi Grove? You may roll a Nature check to Recall Knowledge!

For each of these, you may substitute Willowshore Lore instead!

"Ah Yes, I remember now. Like it was Yesterday..."

"Long ago, there was a hero by the name of Tan Sui-Jing who defeated a powerful fiend named Kugaptee. But as Kugaptee was immortal, upon defeating him, she had to sacrifice herself in order to prevent his inevitable return. The legend is that Tan Sui-Jing took the form of a Sugi Tree and presides over his grave to this very day, her deep roots containing the pure evil buried underground"

"I was told this story when I was young: Not to cut down too many trees when clearing land in case one of the trees unleashed an evil demon. But that children's warning is not one given today to the young of Willowshore - I think I was a boy of..." he looks around, and singles out "Darius's age" he pats the boy on the head.

"Perhaps it has faded into myth - the reason nobody tells that children's warning anymore as I had heard it. But. I have seen Willowshore transform slowly over time. There wasn't always a "north" and a "south", just... one village. In any case, there may be some documentation - I am no historian proper! - but it might be hard to sort the myth from the reality..."

Old Matsuki scratches his chin.

"What do you make of it?"

With the Critical Success, during Book Two, anyone who Researches this legend gains a +2 circumstance bonus to the checks!

"There is a legend about Kugaptee?" Sigurd is so focused on Old Matsuki he doesn't notice Sheela reaching over to get some of his special tea into her slightly larger teacup.

Old Matsuki fails to recall the legend... it seems... and then... he sips his wine once more thoughtfully... and...

↺) "Wait, Give me a Moment..." (□/week) When Old Matsuki fails a Recall Knowledge check, he may re-roll with a +2 circumstance bonus

Go ahead and Re-roll, Sigurd. The DC is 25!