[hr][hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/RsyU6pj.png[/img][/center][hr][hr][center][h2][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cc94Knv86w]♫[/url][/h2][/center][hr][hr][center][color=808080][i][b]Present:[/b] Yalen Castel [@pantothenic], Maura Mercador [@Ti], Trypano Somia [@A Lowly Wretch], Ingrid Penderson [@dragonpiece], Niallus Saberhagen [@McKennaJ71], and Abdel Varga [@YummyYummy][/i][/color][/center][hr][hr][color=808080]It was 2:00 in the morning, by Retanese reckoning, when the Obake Maru appeared in the fogbanks southeast of the capital. The ship’s stern showed no port of registry and it bore neither flag nor seal. Its sails were black and it ran no lights either, appearing as stealthily and silently as its name would imply. In truth, even that name was an invented one, for people it is easier to name an uncertainty than accept it. There had always been an Obake Maru, perhaps more than one, as far back as any could care to remember. There were men waiting for the vessel in a pair of large skiffs, and two women as well: one young and frail, blindfolded; the other dark-robed and deeper-voiced, her face covered with a mask. [color=EEE8AA]“Are all of these precautions really necessary?”[/color] grumbled one of the men. A couple of others glanced his way reproachingly. [b]“Yes,”[/b] replied a somewhat elderly voice. [b]“We’ve reached the next phase. There are more pieces in play and more at stake.”[/b] He cleared his throat as a rope ladder came down the side. The younger woman, who had been stalk-still for the entire sequence, nodded, and one of the men reached up and secured it. [b]“The Dragon has placed his hungry young pieces on the board,”[/b] his older counterpart continued, [b]“and, if we ever want Retan to be truly free of the yoke, we must feed them only the right meals.”[/b] [color=EEE8AA]“Keep your friends close…”[/color] the older of the two women concluded. The others nodded. They knew the rest.[/color] [hr][hr] [color=808080]The hour was late, and two men sat beside a campfire. One was finely dressed. The other’s clothes were ragged. He set a mask aside and breathed heavily. [color=000000]“That Exemplar hits like a dragon,”[/color] he griped, and his counterpart laughed softly. [color=000000]“But at least he brought the goods. They got to fight the Traveler’s Agent, saw how bad he was, and got their share of institutional rot and distaste.”[/color] His counterpart said nothing, and this made the raggedly-clothed man nervous, even against his better judgement. He continued, in Avincian, following the trend of their entire exchange to this point. [color=000000]“Do you think they’ll take it?”[/color] he asked with a hint of anxiousness. His counterpart, spare in motion and response thus far, merely nodded. Then, he rose. They both knew that his night was far from finished. He had more people to meet and much yet to do.[/color] [hr][hr] [color=808080]The sun broke the horizon. There was not much sleep, and still less than there should’ve been. The sound of a strumming lute cut through the dawn-hour silence and straight through Rikard’s rest. [color=DEB887]“Hello sleepy people, I know you haven’t slept a peep So I'm feeling kinda bad right now that I’ll interrupt your sleep! I can see your eyes are lazy, though the fault: she isn’t mine, But you’ve only gotta rise, my friend. No you don’t have to shine. Have to shi-i-i-i-ine, no you don’t have to shine! Have to shi-i-i-i-ine, my friend: you don’t have to shine!”[/color] His head still pounded, feeling heavy and fuzzy, and his body ached. He refused to open his eyes. Instead, rolling over and burying his head under a pillow, he willed the unwelcome noise to go away. It… did not. [color=DEB887]“Well, I’ve only come to wake you with excitement in the air And I think you’ll wanna hear this and I hope you’ll wanna share. And I know your mind is hazy and you’re feeling less than fine. But you’ve only gotta rise, my friend. No you don’t have to shine. Have to shi-i-i-i-ine, no you don’t have to shine! Have to shi-i-i-i-ine, my friend: you don’t have to shine!”[/color] [color=0072bc][i]Fuck off, fishsticks! Fuck [b]off![/b][/i][/color] he screamed at her mentally. Bits and pieces got through, though: exciting news, sharing. Momentarily, Rikard wondered how she could be singing and strumming so loudly without all of their chaperones hearing it. Then, he remembered that she was an accomplished sonic mage. He groaned and rolled over, the moment of having to think having irreversibly woken up his brain. [color=DEB887]“So it’s time to use some magic on your hangovers and aches, And come down to the atrium before our babysitters wake. Now, I betcha think I’m crazy and you wish I’d just resign, But you’ve only gotta rise, my friend. No, you don’t have to shine. Have to shi-i-i-i-ine, no you don’t have to shine! Have to shi-i-i-i-ine, you bum: no, you don’t have to shine!”[/color] Now, there was knocking on his door too. [color=a187be]“Okay, okay!”[/color] he grumbled aloud. [color=a187be]“I’m up!”[/color] He rose in a single smooth motion, flipping out of bed and standing. Truth be told, he was already feeling better, just the act of getting to his feet having perhaps done it. He stretched briefly and blinked. He was actually feeling really good, to be honest, as if he [i]hadn’t[/i] just been drinking the night before and [i]wasn’t[/i] running on perhaps three and a half hours of sleep. Down in the atrium, people were gathering. Rikard swept for the guards and all but two - in other sections of the inn - seemed to be asleep. Mr. Wei was in the kitchen, already cooking breakfast. Yin seemed… later than usual to rise. [color=DEB887]“Eye em saurry foor wekeng yoo aup soo erlee,”[/color] the lone eeaiko among the group began. [color=DEB887]“Eye see meny sleepy eyes.”[/color] She made a guilty, apologetic face. [color=DEB887]“Baut Eye thenk meny oof aus heve staurted too learn theengs.”[/color] She took them all in. [color=DEB887]“Eye thenk eet es e good ideea eef wee shere.”[/color] Thankfully, it seemed as if at least [i]some[/i] others were willing to take that leap and, in hushed voices, they exchanged what they had learned so far. Still, more than one seemed guarded. While much was shared, a handful of things were inevitably held back. Kaureerah was not one to do so, however. [color=DEB887]“Eye hev e theery,”[/color] she proposed, glancing Maura’s direction. [color=DEB887]“Wu Laung is aun aur side. Wee were naut braught too thet restauraunt by ecceedent. Eye hev thaught ebaut eet mooch, end Eye thenk hee wes tryeng too get aus eenvoolved.”[/color] She shook her head. [color=DEB887]“The goovernment ees joost keepeng aus eraund. Why? Eye cennaut sey.”[/color] The discussion lasted the better part of half an hour and inevitably turned to what they should do next. There were numerous opportunities and leads to follow and more than one seemed to be pointing to Bailong Shan. [color=a187be]“Maybe we should split up?”[/color] Rikard proposed. [color=a187be]“I know we’ve got at least one ‘in’ with searching for Bao, and a couple of us have managed to cozy up to the White Knights.”[/color] He shrugged. [color=a187be]“If we do, I call mountains!”[/color] That was when Ingrid spoke up, still rubbing some sleep from her eyes, though everyone was surprisingly - almost unnaturally - energetic given their general lack of rest. [color=8882be]“Hey wait… has anyone seen Xiulan?”[/color] she wondered aloud. [color=8882be]“She’s usually getting up around now.”[/color] There was silence and a chorus of shrugs and shakes of the head followed a series of glances. Then, once more, Kaureerah spoke up. [color=DEB887]“Erly thees moorneng, Eye hoord saumoone leeve. Eye waus steel sleepy, soo Eye deedn’t sweep like en eedeeoot.”[/color] She smacked her forehead with her palm. [color=DEB887]“Coold’ve been her.”[/color] The group broke up as Captain Zhu and his men drew near, coming back together at the large table in the atrium for their morning meal before long. Mr. Wei and Yin filtered in and out, bringing water, food, and handkerchiefs as needed. With Xiulan still absent, it fell to Maura, Abdel, and Ingrid, but most especially to the absurd(ly useful) Speaktrout to make communication work smoothly. It was discovered that their translator and guide had booked the morning off for an ‘important personal matter’. In fact, she’d even left them a note, produced by Mr. Wei. [quote=Xiulan] Dear Friends, I am sorry for my absent this morning and my distract last night. You see, I have studying for the official magic certification test very hard and now is my result date. I always had the ability to magic and I wish to use it. I have work the hardest I can and I hope to sharing this victory with you soon, but I might to have the oral test next after I pick up the result. For the morning, I arrange two things for you: a visit to the guardian station and a hiking up the White Dragon Mountain (白龙山) because I see some of you to go look it last night when you should go sleep. Tisk tisk. You can to choose the one you like. After breakfast, there will be wagons wait for you to go each one. I will meet the first group before the lunchtime. Captain Zhu and his guards will to go also. Yin will go as well. Good luck and stay safe! 秀兰[/quote] It was hastily decided among the group who would go where. Those who had gained some level of favour with the guardians generally decided to visit the station, in the hope of being sent on investigations within the city, for there was much to look into. Yet, just as many proved unable to resist the allure of the great mountain to the north, or perhaps there was more to it and they knew as much. [hr][hr] It was a cool, dusty Rezain day as the wagon they had chartered dropped them off at the base of the mountain. Noon was nearly upon them and they sipped sparingly from their flasks. A smattering of cicadas buzzed in the thickets and tall grass along the sides of the road, a last hurrah for their kind before the weather took its final plunge towards Hundri and the snow that was perhaps a month and a half from coating the ground. Yellow and reddish leaves skittered about, pushed by the wind, and there were workers out in the fields. Yet, it was far from a peaceful scene. The large village of Jiangzuishan was bustling with people, donkeys, horses, and wagons. Many of the latter were shaped like giant barrels sliced in half lengthwise, with thick metal ribbing to strengthen them. Many of the men, leathery and sun-browned, with those ubiquitous straw hats, trudged their way up the mountainside, oversized baskets on their backs. They all seemed to be headed to where the avalanche had struck the night before when the dragon had emerged from its periodic slumber and lifted off. Of that great and noble beast, there was no indication, save for the small temple near the summit and the sacred cave and shrine just below. It appeared to be Dai and the captain himself, Zhu Kai, accompanying them today, along with Yin, equipped with a basket of her own. [color=a187be]“So… what, exactly, [i]are[/i] they all gathering?”[/color] Rikard asked, glancing Abdel’s way apologetically. He’d thrown himself eagerly into learning the language, but there was only so much that one could pick up in two and a half days. Most of the men appeared to be loading red slime into the multitude of barrel-wagons, and each of the tourists peered inquisitively in their direction. Yet, a handful seemed to be handling small reddish shapes with far more care, settling them into small jars strapped securely into another couple of wagons. [color=f6989d]“那些是法力果冻。我们称他们为红色杀手。它们非常珍贵，获得它们的最佳时间是在山上发生雪崩之后。” (Those are mana jellies. We call them Red Killers. They are usually very rare and the best time to get them is after an avalanche on the mountain.)[/color] If Abdel’s translation wasn’t great, everyone at least got the idea, context being king in this instance. Before long, Yin was skipping ahead excitedly, twisting around to smile at them. [color=f6989d]“We must go up!”[/color] she chirped in heavily-accented Avincian, [color=f6989d]”Up up up!”[/color] and Rikard gasped and smiled. [color=a187be]“I didn’t know you could speak Avincian, Yin!”[/color] He skipped after her, full of boyish energy, but she merely blinked, blushed, and smiled in embarrassment. [color=f6989d]“No speak,”[/color] she replied, shaking her head. She bounded over to Captain Zhu and reached up to squeeze him on the shoulders, grinning. [color=f6989d]“He speak!”[/color] She giggled and darted out ahead again before he could shoo her away. The two exchanged a glance and Yin stuck her tongue out. [color=a187be]“This is starting to look like a job for the Hundrians,”[/color] Rikard joked, widening his eyes suggestively in Ingrid’s and Niallus’ direction. [color=f6989d]“Hun-di-an!”[/color] Yin exclaimed, grinning in his direction. [color=f6989d]“What is?”[/color] After a moment, she winked. Captain Zhu merely blushed. Dai kept his eyes pointedly straight ahead and began whistling. Then, everybody broke out laughing. They had a long hike ahead of them and no idea that they were being watched. [hr][hr] The other group, by contrast, found themselves well aware that they were objects of interest. Abdel had convinced Ming, of the White Knights, to let him use the skuggvars to track the now-escaped Mr. Bao, and Zihan had offered only perfunctory protest. Yalen had wanted them to return to where he’d defeated the mysterious black-clothed woman who had seemed to be a leader of sorts. There was a good chance that they would find bloodstains. He remembered how heavily she’d been wounded by Rikard before healing herself and escaping. It had occurred to him that her accent was not strictly Retanese, but more similar to that of a student he had run into on occasion back at Ersand’Enise: Ymiico. She was [i]Nikanese[/i]. It was an unusual dynamic, to be certain. Each of the youths had his or her own angle. Ming had his priorities, Zihan had hers, and the skuggvars very much had theirs. Yet, by the time that lunch approached and they were headed back to the station to eat and meet with Xiulan, they had succeeded in uncovering four leads: [quote][indent] - Mr. Bao seemed to have visited a particular complex of shops. It contained an apothecary, a noodle restaurant, a Nikanese imports and curiosities shop, a Constantian-style watchmaker, a produce vendor, and a butcher. - One trail led out towards the coast, near a small fishing village just outside of the city. This was not followed all of the way due to distance. - A third, faint one, led into the Forbidden Quarter, where high officials and some of the emperor’s favourites and guests would dwell. Ming appeared very nervous about proceeding further and Zihan said that the proper paperwork would have to be filled out to gain entry permission. - The fourth led into the foreign quarter and, in particular, to a warehouse in a seedy area.[/indent][/quote] The strange woman’s activities, by contrast, had gone mostly unexplored and were left for the afternoon. So it was that the eclectic group of investigators found themselves sitting at a table in the guardian station courtyard, waiting for Xiulan. Waiting for a companion who… never arrived.[/color] [hr][hr] [hider=Action Opportunities][center][h2]Action Opportunities[/h2][/center]Coming Soon...[/hider] [hr][hr]