Under the Eastern Sun

[MrEdwardNigma]

There is a land, a far away land, where a thousand gods are worshipped, where some citizens never have to lift a finger in their whole life, while others never seem to do anything but work and fighting has been turned into an artform.

This land has been ruled by an emperor for as far as anyone could remember, and in all that time it has been threatened from the outside. Surrounding the Empire was nothing but wastelands, inhabited by brutes and barbarians. Folks who couldn't stay in one place and weren't smart enough to run a farm. Instead, they made a living by taking other's well deserved food, drink and valuables. To protect the Empire form these barbarian invaders, a huge wall had been built, surrounding all of the Empire. They called it The Great Wall.

It had taken a thousand years to built it, and it would have taken even longer if the builders had followed the actual borderlines of the country. Some pieces of the land had been left out of the wall, but they were so close to it the invaders hardly ever dared to come near the settlements there. Today was different. This is where our story begins.


Not that far outside of the Great Wall was a small monastery, one of the many thousands the Empire possessed, to keep track with it's many gods and deities. The monastery lay at the top of a hill, which in it's turn lay at the top of a larger hill a small town was built on. The town's side of the hill had been turned into land for cultivation, but the monastery's side of the hill was just jungle. A winding path led from the town to the monastery, and once a week some of the villagers would go up there and bring the monks food. In return, the monks made sure the gods protected the town and they provided all sort of services for the villagers such as performing ceremonies, advising them in times of great need and doing all their reading and writing.

However, the most important task of the monastery was still protecting the jade statue of the Dragon, their patron deity. It stood at the centre of the monastery chapel, which stood at the centre of the monastery square, which, in it's turn, stood at the centre of the monastery itself.

Today, the monks had failed in that task. The barbarians had appeared at the monastery. As they were bashing into the gates, the monks had all gathered on the square to stop them, the three elite warriors, the only monks in the monastery able to handle The Dragon's Claws, a sort of halfmoon shaped sickles, were the first to hit the fray. Even they were no match for the barbarians though, only managing to kill one. Meanwhile, the head monk flead into the chapel with those monks who were too young to fight and had only had basic training. they gathered round the Dragon and prayed, but when the shouts and the screaming had faded outside, the head monk sent the boys to the storage room, which was adjacent to the chapel. There they hid behind some barrels of incense. When the doors to the chapel failed to resist too, the head monk put up quite a fight, but he was just one man, and even he died.

Hours later, when they were sure the ruffians had gone, the young boys crawled from behind the barrels and returned to the chapel. There the head monk lay, in the middle of the floor, bathing in his own blood. A gigantic blade-headed spear had been stuck in his fat stomach and stood up straight, casting a shadow on the altar. An altar which was empty.

When the boys had been adopted by the monastery, after their parents had died or left them, the first thing they had done was swear to protect the statue. It was a time honoured tradition. The monks gave you life, and in return you owed your life in servitude to the Dragon. They had sworn that they would, no matter what, keep that statue inside the monastery. Now it had been stolen, and all the other monks were dead. There was only one option, and they all knew it: they had to go after them and get it back.


In case you hadn't figured it out yet, those young monks are you, the players. You all start out with very basic equipment: Monk's Robes (0 armor value, I'm afraid) and a Fighting Stick.
You're in the chapel right now, there's a door to the storage room, where you came from, and the double doors leading to the square, which have been bashed in.
Inside the chapel there's the dead head monk with huge spear sticking in his belly, the painfully empty altar, some pillows by the side for the monks to sit on during services and some carpets on the wall.

[GimliFett]

Shadow-Roku (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3612509&postcount=6)

Pointing to the huge spear, Shadow-roku nods to the others. Though tears stream down his face, his voice is strong and commanding. "First, either Ground-mein or Shrine-roku should claim the spear from Father. Second, brothers and sister, we must make sure our slain brethren will be at peace."

[Fisher]

Lantern-Chang
Stepping out from within the storeroom, there was little Lantern could say. Clearly, he was still in shock from the recent attack. Looking about this once familiar room, everything was now different. They could never return to those peaceful days under the monk's tutelage. Their mentors were now gone.

Hearing Shadow's statement, he nods in agreement. He was glad someone could still remain sane in this situation.

Quietly, under his breath he mutters "I wonder if anyone else made it through the attack."

[MrEdwardNigma]

The spear is too big and for any of the young monks to weild it, and even picking it up would need a strenght check of 4.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower-Lee

Name: Flower-Lee

Strength: 1
Intelligence:3
Charisma:2
Adroitness:1
Reflexes:2


Piousness: 3
Patron God:The Dragon

Magical Powers:
Dragon's Eye: Grants the user heat-vision for a short period. Normal sight is lost during this period though.

Weapon atonement: Stick 5.
Flower-Lee nods at the words of Shadow Roku as he kneels by the deceased head monk, closing his eyes. "Indeed brother, we should work together and remove that which came from the earth, but was not alive. Then indeed we should set free his spirit, not merely by fire, but also by granting his soul the rest of completion. We should now complete his task and our own." He speaks without naming the object of this task, but his tone is tranquil, calm and seemingly wise beyond his years as a tear rolls down his face. It is clear he intends to go after the statue.

[Fisher]

Lantern-Chang (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3613234&postcount=10)
"I... I'm sorry everyone, this is a lot to take in. I'm going to step outside and get some fresh air. Try to calm my head," Lantern says after a short pause.

With a short bow to the others and a slow, reverent bow to his deceased mentor and recent savior, Lantern begins to slowly walk towards the outer doors. After being trapped within the monastery for several hours, the thought of leaving the building provided a minor relief.

The elites were guarding the front gate. Perhaps one of them survived, he thought.

It was an empty hope, he knew, but there was always the possibility. What he did know was that he'd make sure those responsible for the attack would pay.

[MrEdwardNigma]

As Lantern-Chang walked into the monastery square, his hopes sank. The square was littered with dead monks, all savagely sliced apart. The three elites were there too, all dead. They'd only been able to kill one of the barbarians, and he was lying at the centre of the square, his gut sliced open and innards portruding.

There are a lot of exits to this place: the double doors into the chapel, the gate that leads outside, and a lot of small doors surrounding the square that lead to the monk's rooms. There is also a big wooden door leading to the back of the monastery, where the dining hall, the kitchen and the head monk's room are.
Most of the dead monks are armed with a Fighting Stick, but some aren't armed at all. The three elites all carry two half-moon shaped sickles, the Dragon's Fangs.
The dead barbarian is wearing some random pieces of armor, not enough t cover him completely, and most of it has been sliced up in battle. There's a small piece of helmet stuck behind his ear, but most of his helmet has dissapeared. He has a belt on with a rusty shortsword on it and a pouch, but that is all covered in his guts.

[detrevnisisiht]

Ground-Mein

This is twice those savages have taken my family, and now they take, the dragon. I will go and recapture it with you.

Ground-mein then walks outside with a look, not of sadness, but of rage and fury. he walks over to one of the corpses of the elites and pulls a dragon's claw from it's hand. he then looks for any way to tell which way they went.

[MrEdwardNigma]

Outside of the monastery, there is a winding road leading to the village. At the left side of this road, most of the ferns and other plants are trambled, forming a path running down the hill. The path seems quite slippery and muddy.

[Shades of Gray]

Shrine-Roku

I take the other dragon's fang.

Anyone else find anything useful?

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower-Lee

Flower Lee solemly walks outside, closing the eyes of the monks he comes across and placing their bodies in a comfortable, respectable position. He takes him time to do this as serenely as he can, for he would not suffer further disrespect for those who fulfilled their oaths into death.

"Brothers help me move master Stone-Lee, he is heavy."

As he moves and searches for the dead, he keeps an eye out for an cloths that he can bind their bodies in and oils he can use to send them on their fiery journey.

[MrEdwardNigma]

The square is pretty much empty except for the dead monks, but each of the monk's room holds sheets and the laundry room does as well, and then there's the ornamental carpets in the chapel too. There's plenty of oils in the storage room, as well as incense and candles and such.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee

Flower Lee starts to work dilligently at bringing dragging all the dead monks into the central square, washing of the blood and filth from their bodies and wrapping them in the cleanest white sheets he can find. As he works he asks the other brothers to help him.

"We must first help the other monks, they sacrificed themselves and their oaths and deserve the release of the cleansing flame of the dragon, so that when we accomplish our task they can be free and rest in eternity.

Lantern-Chang and Shadow-Roku could you help me with the washing and Shrine-Roku and Ground-Mein could you gather the other bodies?"

His voice is friendly, calm as if he is tranquil amids the carnage, solemnly devoted to what he views as his sacred duty.

After all the monks are washed and enshrouded in clean linnen Flower Lee will start the hymns to the dead and dowse them all in oils and incense, burning them to release their spirits.

[Fisher]

Lantern-Chang
His hopes crushed by the sight, Lantern could only bow his head in silence and respect. Staying still for some time, it wasn't until Flower-Lee requested aid that he began to move.

Of course Flower-Lee, it's the least we can do for them now. I'll go retrieve some sheets from the laundry room.

As he returned from his task, he carried several clean cloths and a bucket of fresh water from the kitchen.

[Altharis]

Sky-Roku

Moving out of the storeroom with an armful of incense and holy oils, having heard all the previous dialogue, Sky-Roku places the oils and incenses on the ground and begins to purify the corpses. His working seems overzealous and forced, and is obviously his way of forcing himself not to cry.

When he notices the barbarian's body, he appears intrigued, and begins cleaning the shortsword and the pouch. Once clean, he looks inside the pouch.

[MrEdwardNigma]

The monk's bodies start burning away, and black smoke rises to the sky as the stench of the burning corpses fills the air.

Sky-Roku discovers 4 triangular coins in the pouch (the coin system in the Empire has three kinds of coins: pentagonal ones, square ones and triangular ones. A coin is worth as much as the number of corners it has, which makes for a very complicated sytem. For example: if you only have triangular coins, you can't pay someone 10 gold, instead, you'll either have to pay too much or try to convince the trader of taking 9 gold).

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower-Lee

After the Monks have been release by fire and their ash scattered to the four winds Flower-Lee walks out the gates, collapsing out of view and finally letting his emotions flow freely as hot tears run down his face. He had to get out of the monestary, they had to find the statuette, why? Why did these barbarians want it? Why did they dessicate what was sacred to so many? Was this the greed master Wood-Roku had once warned him about? The desire for worldly possesions?

Eventually he wiped the tears, stepped back through the gates and addressed his brothers. "I will go to the town to see if it too was attacked...there is nothing more we can do here, safe leave the spirits rising to the dragon behind in peace..."

With these words Flower-Lee takes a simple fighting stick, a shoulder sack filled with a small amount of food to sustain him for a few days and some incense and candles for meditation along some of the ritual equipment to burn it, wrapped in some warm sheets for sleeping under.

With these meager tools packed he sets of to the town hoping the others will follow. On the road he is careful to look for evidence of the barbarians passing or other signs that could tell him what happened.

[MrEdwardNigma]

Signs of the barbarians passing? You mean something like that trampled path to the left of the road to the village that wasn't there before and leads off of the hill?

[Fisher]

Lantern-Chang
"Wait Flower-Lee. We should all go together to pursue those barbarians. Alone, I fear, we will be able to do little good against them," Lantern calls to the departing monk.

Having completed his work a short time prior, Lantern had taken the time to wash any remains from his person. Now all that was left was to gather supplies for the soon to come journey.

"Has anyone else found anything? Before we leave for town or in pursuit of those savages we should make sure there's nothing left to do here."

Lantern isn't aware of the path the barbarians left on or anything else beyond the theft of the dragon and the slaughter of the monks. He was too busy with the task of cleaning the dead.

[GimliFett]

Shadow-Roku

The young monk nods to Lantern-Chang. "Indeed. We should at least see if there are any foodstuffs we may take with us before departing." He takes a quick moment to wash the tears and soot from his face, relishing the feel of the cool water. "I think a quick summation of our inventory would be a good idea. See what else is salvageable. Then I will ask a blessing from the Dragon before we depart."

[MrEdwardNigma]

A lot of what was in the monastery appears to have been looted. Among the things looted was all the food supplies and anything of value (well, anything that was obviously enough valuable for the barbarians to notice).

As for the inventories, most of you are still only carrying a fighting sticks and some monk's clothes, but Ground-Mein and Shrine-Roku have each taken two Dragon's Claws and Flower-Lee has made himself a shoulder sack with some incense, candles, flint and sheets.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower-Lee

"We should head to town and see if we can help, or they need ours...In any case we'll need to track down those barbarians and need to get some food for the journey. It seems though that fate has provided us with a new road to find our marks. If you are ready we can depart."

If the others appear ready and packed flower-lee will start and take the first steps towards the village, leading the other monks, his head kept down in a kind of remorseful precession as if to mark the failure to protect the statuette as well as the deaths that marked this day.

[MrEdwardNigma]

As Flower-Lee makes his first few steps towards the village, he spots a bunch of villagers, running towards the monastery. They are carrying buckets of water and seem very worried.

[GimliFett]

Shadow-Roku

Moving to the front of the group, Shadow holds his empty hands high in the air. "Good villagers! Please hold!"

Were there any fires other than our pyres?

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower-Lee

Flower-Lee bows respectfully to the villagers, his hands touching his head as he does so. He stands beside Shadow-Roku and after his companions brief words he speaks to the villagers in a gentle voice as he had heard the wise older monks do all these years that people had come to visit them.


"The monks of the temple of the jade dragon bid you welcome, even in our hour of sorrow. What is it that makes you carry the fluid element to our halls? and how may we help you?"

[Altharis]

Sky-Roku

((Give us some gorram time! Gah! Don't wander off like that! Rant! Blah!....Alright, I'm better now.))

After hastily making a bag akin to Flower-Lee's, and taking the pouch with its coins and the shortsword (now all clean), Sky-Roku rushed off to join the others. Seeing the villagers he spoke for the first time since the incident: "Why are you running in this time?
Oh my! I am speaking in rhyme!
This must be an ancient Dragon curse,
So we the loss must reimburse!
To free the statue of our heavenly sire,
We must manifest the Drgon's ire!"

It appears that he is either cursed by the dragon spirit ((Extra piety for speaking in rhyme?)) or stark raving mad ((Just a roleplaying hook? Or some other effect?)).

((It's bloudy hard to speak in rhyme!))

[MrEdwardNigma]

The villagers stop, staring at you in surprise. One of them, seemingly the oldest one, steps forward. He is wearing very simple clothes, but unlike some of the other villagers, he is not covered in mud. The old man is going bald, and has a short trimmed beard.
"We saw the fire in the monastery, and we've come to help douse it. Are all the monks all right? Is the fire very bad?"

Altharis, I don't think I can give you extra piety for speaking in rhyme. It may be hard, but speaking in rhyme is not one of the Dragon's requirements, I'm afraid.

There don't seem to be any other fires besides the pyres. And that rhymes as well :smalltongue:

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower-Lee

Flower-Lee bows his head in a brief moment of grief before facing the villagers.

"You must not worry about the fire,
Yet the situation is dire,
Barbarians beyond our empire,
Came to us and took what we desire,
The dragon statue they have taken,
Elders from the fight did not awaken,
Their bodies we cleansed by the dragons flame,
This was the signal upon which you came,
Now for the statue we will chase soon them,
We will find it and be sure to condemn."


He bows his head again in grief awaiting the villagers response.

Rhyming is hard, but keeping the same number of syllables is harder still. I count 10 in each.

[MrEdwardNigma]

"The monk's are...dead?"
The villagers stare at the rising smoke in disbelief.
"The statue missing?" the elder asks, a tear running down his cheek. He wipes the tear off his face and a stern look appears.
"Yes! You must retrieve it! You will return the statue to our town, and everything will be as it was before. Our children and crops under the care of the dragon, and our enemies held back with it's mighty claws"

[Fisher]

Lantern-Chang
A moment, brothers. I need to gather a few things for our journey. I'll return shortly.

Jogging off into the monastery, Lantern gathers what supplies were available. After fashioning a makeshift rucksack with some clothe and string he began to pack small bags of incense, a notebook worth of paper, some ink and quills, a spool of thread, and an iron and flint set for starting fires. Slinging the bag onto his back, he departed to join the group.

Noticing several villagers that had arrived during his absence he stood back and to the side, allowing the other monks to explain the situation. Words had never been one of Lantern's strong points.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower-Lee

"And return it we shall, strive on till the last of us fall to recover the statue and restore it to the temple that bears it's name. Still to help us on our voyage we require the sustenance drawn from the earth, some rice and a small pot to boil it in. Will you help us with this, so we may serve the dragon?"

Flower-Lee sounds like the wise and humble servant of the dragon, intending to set off as soon as he can, whilst the trail is fresh.

[MrEdwardNigma]

"Off course we will! Just follow us to the village, we must prepare your journey and honour the dead!"

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower-Lee

"Thank you, may the dragon keep you and protect you."

Flower-Lee respectfully bows to the villager as he takes his pack and follows them down to the village to get some much needed supplies. He looks back at the other monks for a brief moment as if to ask them gently to follow.

"let us prepare for the journey of a lifetime." he whispers audibly, seemingly to his brothers, but sounding like he speaks to the void itself.

[GimliFett]

Shadow-Roku

Shadow arches an eyebrow at FLower's encompassing statement, but says nothing, merely nodding and following along passively. We are going to have to figure out a pecking order soon, he muses to himself silently.

[Fisher]

Lantern-Chang
Lantern follows the others at a short distance. While prepared for the journey, stocking up on food would make the trip far easier. It was fortunate the villagers had arrived when they did.

[MrEdwardNigma]

You all head to the village, while some of the villagers head out to the monastery. When you arrive in the village it's getting dark already and they've prepared a large banquet for you. It's not often that they get visited by the monks, and they wish to honour the occasion. Some villagers point you to your places. None of you are seated next to any of the other monks. Instead, you're all surrounded by villagers, who keep urging you to eat their food and drink their wine.


((OOC: I realise some of you might have busy lives and such, but only three people have posted since my last post, and it would be nice to see everyone engaged enough to make at least one post every two days, or else I'm going to have to start replacing people))

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower -Lee

The first few offerings of food were welcomed by Flower Lee, who graciously accepted those that could spare some uncooked rice for his journey or would provide him with dried fruits or other lasting goods that he set aside to add to his pack.

"May the dragons blessing be upon you, who would provide for us not only for today, but for the days to come as the dragon will guide us to those who have defiled his temple."

He eats only moderate amounts from all that he is offered, preferring to spare things that would last longer and not wanting to misuse the villagers goodness. As he sits at the banquet he speaks to the villagers sitting beside him.

"Allthough the monks have thought us much on how to respect the dragon, our knowledge of the land is like that of a fish...seen only from a distance and never very clearly. Could you teach us how to swim in places other then our temple and teach us what our eyes might meet?"

[Shades of Gray]

Due to personal reasons I have to leave this game, sorry.:smallfrown:

[MrEdwardNigma]

[All right, since very few people seem to be posting, I'll have to re-open recruitement... First of all I'll have someone take Shades' Character, or well, his place at least. Anyone who doesn't post before January 12th is definitely out]

"We know very little" the villagers tell Flower-Lee humbly, "
All we know is how to tend the fields and cook some humble meals".
The meal sure is great. In the monastery all you ever ate was plain rice, some bread and some vegetables, but the villagers cook everything with rich sauces and they include meat in their dishes, a delicacy never seen to any of you.

[Altharis]

Sky-Roku

((OOC: Post that serves only to express the fact that I'm still in.))

As Sky-Roku tastes the various dishes, soaking in the exotic flavors, he thinks about possible difficulties that might be encountered on the way. One thing that disconcerts him greatly is the simple fact that, being monks, he and his companions might not be well adapted for the outside life. This troubles him greatly, but he does not mention it, letting the festivities continue while fun is to be had.

[GimliFett]

Shadow-Roku

Shadow relishes the meat dishes most of all, enjoying the flavor and texture far more than the usual bland fare served at the monastery. "Excuse me, but what are the nearest towns to this village and how far would they be?" he asks as he takes yet another bite of the meat, completely ignoring whatever bits of vegetable might be in his meal.

[MrEdwardNigma]

"The nearest town? Well, the only real town outside the wall is Bah-Sing, but I suppose there's some villages too. I doubt the villains would dare head to Bah-Sing though"

Meanwhile, it's getting pretty dark outside.

(Still need a post from Fisher and Detrevni)

[Wizard of the Coat]

"Flower-Lee"

Noticing the darkness Flower-Lee cannot help but feel it might be an omen of ill to come. He'd always felt secure in the monastery, but now the darkness felt like a creeping doom on his skin. He stood up, bowing respectfully and walked a few paces out into the darkness, his eyes seemingly becoming lit with flame as his pupils turned into burning embers.

Flower Lee was using the Dragon's Eye to pierce the darkness...seeking comfort in knowing the Dragons sight would allow him to roll back the shroud of night to some extend.

"What way leads to Bah-Sing? And what way to the next village?" he asks dispassionately whilst staring out into the void.

Flower Lee wondered staring out into the darkness, what challenges they would face and what they should do next. Surely they were no match for the barbarians now, perhaps they could find some great master to help them...train them...lead them... One blessed by the dragon even more then they...

[MrEdwardNigma]

"There is a road that goes along the wall, monk, but you should follow the villains' trail before it goes cold. Hmmm, it is getting dark. Once you've finished eating, we will show you where you can sleep for the night. The monastery is cold and lonely now, some of the villagers have opened up their houses for you instead"

[GimliFett]

Shadow-Roku

Shadow bows respectfully to the villagers. "Your kindness and help are greatly appreciated. The Dragon's Blessing upon you all," he offers the people of the village.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower-Lee

"Indeed you are wise, the trail is like a dying man, wait too long and the world will ensure that no more goodbye's may be said. Though indeed I feel that my limbs will soon tire and with the darkness our eyes cannot follow the road easily and might lead us astray. Like my brother I thank you for your hospitality and would be humbled to sleep in your abode. Truly you do deserve every blessing the dragon might bestow. Could you weak us before the sun rises anew? I feel we shall need all the light the dragon chooses to grant us tomorrow."

After a short meditation and a prayer to the dragon, thanking him for all the hopeful blessings that he send their way in the guise of the kind villagers, Flower Lee retires for the night, seeking to get a good rest before the morning.

[MrEdwardNigma]

All those ready with their dinner are taken to some of the villagers huts. Since the villagers don't have much space left in their houses, each of you is taken to a different house. Sleeping places are a lot less comfortable than those in the monastery, but this is probably something you'll have to get used to.

Oh, and Flower-Lee gets an extra point in Piousness for being so very, ehrm, pious.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee

As he sleeps his dreams are filled by the horrid events of the day that passed. He awakes in the night screaming and covered in cold sweat... Taking a moment to look around he feels a strange sense of security in the villagers hut.

"please, heavenly dragon, bringer of the sacred flame...protect my spirit tonight and let not the evil of despair fill my mind and cloud my thoughts..."

After saying this short prayer and taking a moment to recover his breathing flower lee lies back down again, feeling somehow strengthened in his faith as he falls into a deep slumber...his dreams are peaceful again. He simply feels that the dragon is with him and is strengthened by this thought, not out of hubris, but genuine thanks for the shield of faith bestowed by the dragon.

He hopes that he did not wake the others though...

[MrEdwardNigma]

The next morning you are all woken up by the villagers, and they drag you out to the village square, where a crowd is waiting for you. off course, village square simply means "opening between two houses" here, and crowd means "some villagers". They all seem to be quite exited though. Some children approach, each holding a handfull of unpeeled rice. It's clear they intend to give one of those handfulls to each of you.

[OOC: This is where two new players will join, perhaps one more to be added later on. They will replace Fisher and Shades of Gray's character. I still need to send them some additional information, but I keep that at home and I'm not using my own computer right now, so that'll have to wait. Oh, and we're going to pretend the new characters were there all along]

[Warshrike]

Kitakaze Roku

As the monks were woken by the villagers, Kitakaze rose slowly. Before assembling in the square, Kitakaze greeted the sun as he had every morning for as long as he could remember. Silently, he nodded towards the great disk, for to him there was no better aspect of the dragon than the heat and life giving sun.
He had always been quieter than many of the other monks in training, and this showed in that he had not spoken since before the previous days events. He ran through them in his mind now. The day had started as any other, with him waking and greeting the sun in silence, praying through the morning, but then they had come. That the bandits would harm many innocent villagers showed that they were misguided and required punishment. To have them butcher holymen proved that they needed eternal punishment at the hands of the dragon.
But they had taken the dragon with them. They had taken the lives of those who could punish them. Now it came down to a group of boys who had not yet finished their training to track down the villains, punish them, and retrieve the dragon.
Arriving at the square, Kitakaze leaned against his staff, as though his weight was too much for him to bear. He looked around at the villagers. These poor folk who required the monks to speak with the Dragon on their behalf. Monks who were now dead, and a god now missing. Kitakaze would retrieve the dragon. He would do it for the Monks, for the Statue, but mostly for these people. People like his parents may have been before the bandits took their lives. People who, without the Dragon to protect them, would be cursed.

((Oh hai))

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower-Lee

Though a shiver of disappointment runs down his spine with so little food given for the journey Flower Lee feels strengthened in his resolve. Indeed they had just ate enough for a week, surely the dragon would not want them to needlessly encumber themselves. Asking only for a small pot to cook the rice in Flower Lee thanks the villagers for their assistance and looks to his fellow monks to see if they are ready.

"I believe we should follow the steps of our quarry soon, to not lose the trail. For a fox knows that a rabbit is best caught, when it has not yet gotten in it's hole."

With these words Flower Lee will walk side by side with his fellow monks to stride of along the barbarians trail.

[MrEdwardNigma]

It appears the villagers are not done handing out gifts. As the children retreat back into the crowd, having left you with hands filled with unpeeled rice, some of the villagers' wives approach, each handing one of the monks a bottle of their selfmade wine. After that, they too retreat, and some of the village's men come forward, each handing a club to one of the monks.
"There's dangerous creatures in the woods, at least this way you'll be able to defend yourselves" says one of them, winking at you.

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-Ho

Hou bows deeply to the villagers, and mumbles some thanks to them. Before now he has been in staunch silence to respect the dead, however formalities must be upheld, lest the Dragon be angered at his rudeness.

"Many thanks for you kindness, may the Dragon watch and protect you."

Hou-ho is bulky, but carries himself well and is very light on his feet, as is the way for many with the wrestlers build. He also speaks with a very quiet voice.

"Are we sure that the barbarians went that way? Do you know how to track? for sadly the Dragon has not bequeithed me with that skill."

Hou-ho follows Flower-Lees lead on the trail for the villainous barbarians that have taken the precious statue.

((sorry I'm so late, Mr. Ed. Your pm got buried by a load of others and I missed it...))

[Warshrike]

Kitakaze Roku

Using the small sack that Kitakaze had taken on his exit to the monastary, storing the rice and wine would be no problem. He placed this rice within, and the wine, peeling away enough to have a few grains of rice to suck on for the morning, jsut to keep him from feeling hungry.
He smiled to the villagers, thanking each in turn and offering them a brief blessing from the dragon. He then moves off to join with his bretherin, following down the path several steps behind.
"Hou-Ho, we must merely hope that the dragon blesses our mission, and have faith. Surely he would not allow us to move i the wrong direction??"

(( I got distracted with that "Meat life" thingo, and Escape from Ironheart. Sorry :) ))

[MrEdwardNigma]

Some of the older men in the village lead you to where the broad mudslide leads down the hill, where you hope to find more tracks of the barbarians. You are struck with surprise as you reach the place: during the night, some of the villagers have erected a large wooden pole on which they have mounted the corpse of the only barbarian who died in the attack. His guts are dangling out and there's a bird plucking at his eye.

The elderly villager smiles as he sees you look at the pole and says "That should make them think twice about attacking again, don't you think? Now, be carefull as you go down the hill, it seems extremely slippery".

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-ho

Hou retches at the sight of the barbarian's corpse.

Thats... not right. We should treat their dead with the respect we treat our own. Lest we become as one with them.

Hou starts quietly chanting a liturgy for the dead barbarian, bowing towards the morning sun, head in the mud.

Almighty Dragon, let those who have died, whatever their sins, pass into the next world where their deeds will be judged. Almighty Dragon, let those who have died, whatever their sins, pass into the next world where their deeds will be judged. Almighty Dragon, let those who have died, whatev-

[detrevnisisiht]

wait so ive been replaced:smallfurious:



damn dsl

[MrEdwardNigma]

((No, Detrevni, in the kindness of my heart I have not replaced you. You may still play, but I would like you to post more))

The villagers stare oddly at Hou-ho.
"Look, monk, he killed your friends, and he would've killed you to if he had the chance. Leave him be, his soul deserves no rest"
Another joins in "Yeah, you'd better get moving and go after the rest of them, before the tracks fade away"

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-Ho

You are right. His soul deserves no rest. But it is not for us to judge, it is for the Dragon to decide. However, I hope he is burned in the heat of a thousand suns as repentance for his deeds. Along with the rest of the barbarians.

Hou looks at the tracks and the descent down the hill they must now undertake.

Farewell and thank you. May the Dragon bless you and your families for the generations to come.

He starts to follow the tracks, watching his footing as he walks down the muddy slope.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower-Lee

Like Hou-Ho, Flower Lee is visibly shocked by the sight of the dragon, but unlike his companion, who goes after the barbarians after the villagers comment, Flower Lee takes out his flint and steel and takes out a small piece of dry rag which he lights on fire.

Shielding the fire with his hands and blowing onto it, Flower Lee set's the pole on fire and effectively making a quick pyre for the Barbarian.


"I will send him to the dragon for judgement. If truly his soul deserves no rest, the Dragon will make him wander the world eternally."

Bowing for a moment as the first flames lick the barbarians flesh Flower Lee shakes his head in disbelief. He'd rather have the barbarian alive, feeling the dragons wrathful flame, but he knew that what he did was right as he followed his brothers.

[MrEdwardNigma]

As Flower-Lee tries to light a fire, some of the villagers run up to him and pull him back.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing? That corpse is going to keep our village safe! You don't have to live here anymore, but we do!"

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-Ho

When Hou-Ho sees Flower-Lee being manhandled by the villagers, he runs back up the slope.

What are you doing? We should respect them, despite their actions. They have been kind to us. He whispers to Flower-Lee.

To the villagers he says, I'm sorry. My fellow monk has been having a stressful time, as have we all. Please allow him this folly, he meant no harm. Please let us continue with our quest.

If/When the villagers let go of Flower-Lee, Hou-Ho whispers to him once again.

I have a plan to send this barbarian's soul onwards to be judged.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee


"I understand your fears, but this corpse will not keep you safe. Instead when wolves see a dead one of their own, the pack will howl and bring vengeance upon it's slayer...better thus to cleanse it by fire. As such the way of the dragon shows us wisdom..."

Flower Lee awaits the reaction of the villagers, keeping perfectly calm, yet determined as he stands amongst them.

[MrEdwardNigma]

"Ha! These barbarians don't care about each other, monk, they wouldn't have left behind the corpse of their friend if they did. Always keep that in mind, kid, out there, it's the law of the jungle. Those men don't care about anything but themselves"

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee

"Such is indeed wisdom, spoken you. If they care for no-one, then why would they fear the one on this pole of wood. If they truly are cruel and evil beyond all redemption, then surely they are demons and demons have no fear.

Better to send this deamon to face the judgement of the dragon, lest you risk his spirit haunting your village. For one so evil might not be stopped in death."

[MrEdwardNigma]

The man seems desperate.
"You don't have to live here! We've all seen what happens to the villages that get raided... Please, just leave us this comfort. It's some comfort we at least managed to kill one..."

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-Ho

Hou-Ho whispers to Flower-Lee.

Please. If we leave, I have a plan that will make both sides happy.

He glances at the worried villagers.

They are foolish. But we can use it to our advantage. As we leave, I can set the barbarian alight with eye beams. The barbarian's soul will ascend to face its judgement with the almighty Dragon. And the villagers will think it is the will of the Dragon.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee

"Truly Hou Ho, you are blessed both with power and cunning, yet I feel that if we trick these people we would be little better then the barbarians. Surely how could we serve the dragon if we do not pursue truth. I believe there is a better way." Flower Lee whispers back.


"If indeed you need this idol to sleep easily, I will not take it from you now. The dragon asks us to look after your spirit as well as your body. If it truly is the only way to make sure your spirit is at ease, then leave this man out here till we shall come this way again. Yet on the day we return with the statue, and thereby wash away our burden caused by this barbarians sin, we will send him on to face his final judgement. Can you live with that?"

Flower Lee was not entirely happy with it himself, but indeed the villagers needed some hope and he would not deceive those that were in the care of the monastry. If the monks were gone, perhaps this would be their sole comfort and he should at least leave them that. He bowed his head and prayed to the dragon as he proceeded to walk away, calling on him for guidance and perhaps even forgiveness, hoping the dragon could see that he did what he believed was right and no evil dwelled within him.

[Warshrike]

Kitakaze

As the two monks move of to discuss, Kitakaze* gathers the villagers now, and speaks in a low but harsh voice.
"All of you, stop this!! Do you honestly believe that a single corpse of a fallen man will scare away this barbarians?? Or will they think 'Oh look, these peasents killed a single ruffian. That means they probably have something to kill a man with and something to protect'. And what would the dragon say, seeing something like this by his humble servents?? Would the monks who died to slay this man... would the monks who die to save this man do this?? Or would they bury him and pray for his eternal soul, that the dragon may find forgiveness?? If they come for your village, do you want them to treat you with honour, or sting you up for the world to see that you have fallen?? Take this man down, yes, not a monster but a man, and give him the ceremony YOU would want."

((*I really gotta stop saying Renshi))

[MrEdwardNigma]

The villagers nod at Flower-Lee, happy he will leave them their comfort, but they don't seem pleased that Kitakaze ((didn't you have a different name before? :smallconfused: )) is now starting to object as well.

"You think the barbarians will show us honour for burying their comrade? They do not care if bodies get buried, they are godless animals! This man here shows them that another village will be less resistant, here they might lose their lives! That is what the barbarians respect: strength!"

[GimliFett]

Shadow-Roku

Tired of the argument, Shadow leaves the villagers to their warning sign and waves his brothers forward. "Let us leave, brothers. We have done and said all that we are able. Now is the time to begin our journey, not to dwell on the past."

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-Ho

I dislike it as much as you, Brother. He says to Flower-Lee, But I feel that leaving them in their folly will not only make the almighty Dragon turn his wrath upon them, but will encourage the barbarians to attack again. We cannot leave them like this, it will lead only to their destruction. Through a small amount of trickery we might let them glimpse part of the greater truth. The Dragon would not begrudge us that. Does the scripture not say that even the surest footed goat will stumble, and it is our duty to help it up?

Hou-Ho follows the rest of the monks down the slope although slowly, and still trying to remain in range of the corpse.

[MrEdwardNigma]

I'll be needing an Adroitness Check from everyone going down the slope.
Just to remind you, that's a d10 plus your Adroitness modifier. Target number 4, so it should be really easy to make. Failing to make your roll within two days will cause you to fail it automatically. I would really prefer to have everyone's rolls sooner though.

[GimliFett]

Shadow-RokuGood idea...
Name: Shadow-Roku
Strength: 1
Intelligence:2
Charisma:3
Adroitness:1
Reflexes:2


Piousness: 3
Patron God:The Dragon

Magical Powers:
Dragon's Wail: Allows the user to make a single loud cry.

Weapon atonement: Stick 5.

Adroitness: [roll0]
EDIT: Ugh.

Clumsy as ever, Shadow trips and tumbles down the slope.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower-Lee

Name: Flower-Lee

Strength: 1
Intelligence:3
Charisma:2
Adroitness:1
Reflexes:2


Piousness: 4
Patron God:The Dragon

Magical Powers:
Dragon's Eye: Grants the user heat-vision for a short period. Normal sight is lost during this period though.

Weapon atonement: Stick 5.

Adroitness: [roll0]

Nimbly moving down the slope, Flower Lee is amazed at his own agility. Still to reply to Hou-Ho as they go down he says.

"Do not deceive in the name of the dragon if there is a better way Hou Ho. I know the dangers too, but the drago asks every man to hold his own wisdom, we can merely show the path in this manner, but to trick them might shake their faith and make them even more afraid. Leave them this comfort till we return, chances are barbarians will not care or not notice in any case, so it is no danger to them and we can still fullfill our duty when we come back. I only hope the dragon will forgive us for not succeeding today."

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-Ho


Name: Hou-Ho

Strength: 2
Intelligence: 1
Charisma: 1
Adroitness: 2
Reflexes: 3


Piousness: 3
Patron God: The Dragon
Magical Powers: Dragon's Eye
Weapon atonement: Stick 5


As you wish, Brother, I respect your belief. I just think that it is our duty to help these people as best we can.

He scrambles down the slope as best he can.

[roll0]

[MrEdwardNigma]

Hou-Ho and Flower-Lee manage to climb down the slope safely, but everyone else falls and slides down instead, either through plain bad luck, or because they weren't paying attention.

Reflex checks to see if they can grab on to anything on the way, target number 8:
Sky-Roku: [roll0]

Ground-Mein: [roll1]

Shadow-Roku: [roll2]

Kitakaze-Roku: [roll3]

Sky-Roku manages to grab a hold of some bamboo immediately after he falls, and Ground-Mein manages to stop himself from falling by grabbing some grass. Shadow-Roku and Kitakaze-Roku are less lucky though, and splash into the river at the end of the slide, a painfull experience because of all the rocks in it. They both take five damage.

The others arrive at the river somewhat later. It comes from the mountains and runs towards the village. The river is also where the tracks end. Across it is only thick jungle.

[GimliFett]

Shadow-Roku

Gathering himself together after the fall, Shadow seems out of sorts. "I really must work on my balance in the future," he comments dryly, with a hint of self-mockery.

How many damage can we take?

[MrEdwardNigma]

Your Hp equals your strenght times ten, as stated in the rules. This means you went from 10 Hp to 5 Hp... To you, this was a really bad fall.

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-Ho

Hou-Ho goes to help Shadow-Roku and Kitakaze-Roku out of the river and starts to light a fire, to dry them off.
Do I have a flint and steel set for lighting things? If not then eye beams on a pile of dry sticks!)

Are you all right brothers? We should pray to the Dragon that this will be the worst of our troubles.

Once the fire is lit, Hou-Ho begins to perform the Dragon's rites. He faces first to the sun and bows his head to the ground, then stands, turns round and bows to the fire, chanting the prayers to the Dragon.

Almighty Dragon, Lord of the sky, let your wisdom and guidance be with us. May your flame of justice burn within us and that through us others may see your light through us. I give thanks for the heat of your flame and pray that my brothers and I will succeed in our task, and resore your glorious temple to its former state.

[MrEdwardNigma]

((I adressed this in the recruitment thread, but I guess no-one noticed. Eye of the Dragon gives you heat vision. This means you can see heat. Compare to nightvision, which allows you to see at night. Heat vision does not mean you can shoot beams of fire with your eyes.

Also, the Dragon doesn't demand that much honouring. In the monastery, there was one service a day, but in times of need the Dragon allows these to be skipped completely. the Dragon is not a very demanding deity, in fact. The basic rules to it are described in the recruitment thread, yet again))

Some of the other monks (Kitakaze-Roku and Flower-Lee)) do have flint and steel, and I will allow Hou-ho to have this too, as he did not actually begin the game in the monastery where this could be picked up.

[Dr. Bath]

Aww. I wanted eye beams. :smalltongue: Sorry, I mis-read. I thought it was heat coming from where you would normally see, hence losing normal vision (you can't see anything during that time). But this is fine too.

And I'll stop praying so much too.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee

Rushing over to the two injured monks Flower Lee takes out some of the clean sheets he has brought.

"Are you alright? maybe I can tend your injuries."

If they appear to be bleeding or have broken any bones, Flower Lee will inexpertly, but the best he can treat the wound and try and stabilize any broken limbs, using strips cut from the sheets to bind wounds or make emergency bandages.

((OOC: besides having the same power as me, maybe you can ask f you may change it to one no-one has. Dragons light thingie I believe, sounds like the first step to fireballs))

[MrEdwardNigma]

((The system doesn't really require anyone to take a certain skill to get another skill later on, so you could take the Dragon's Light, but other than having that gift this will lend you no additional advantages. No gift is the first step to anything. The only things that can give you restrictions are your piousness and your patron god))

Shadow-Roku seems to have hurt his leg quite badly, while Kitakaze has simply got a lot of bruises. There is no bleeding or broken bones.

[Dr. Bath]

((Could I get Dragon's light instead then, MEN?))

Hou-Ho

Hou-Ho walks a short distance back up the hill to gather some bamboo. If one of the other monks lends him a knife/sword/sharp thing he cuts it to a length which would work as a make-shift crutch for Shadow-Roku.

Having attempted this, Hou-Ho takes a look around and tries to guage the swiftness and depth of the river.

[MrEdwardNigma]

((Sure, you can have the light instead. No more changes from anyone after this though))

Hou-Ho makes the crutch and then inspects the river. It's not very deep. Two feet at most. Its bottom consists of rocks. The river runs quite fast, but it isn't very deep and therefore not strong enough to sweep anyone away or something. It comes from the mountains, further away into the badlands, and runs towards the village. You didn't see the river as you were passing through the village though.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee

Finishing binding the leg of Shadow-Roku to stabilise it a bit Flower-Lee then continues towards the river with Hou-Ho.

"What do you think? Can we cross it or should we take precautions?"

[MrEdwardNigma]

There's no problem crossing the river, don't worry. It's shallow, and the current isn't too strong. But there's not much on the other side of the river, just thick jungle.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee

"It's likely the barbarians would have made a trail if they went anywhere. We should move along the riverbank on both sides to see if we can find anything. If you look on this bank, maybe me and Hou-Ho can cross"

With flower lee starts wading across the river to search the other bank for signs of the barbarians passing. He uses his stick both as a walking stick in the river and to balance himself on the bank and to poke around at things he doesn't trust.

As he crosses he invokes the dragons eye to help him pierce the jungle a bit and see what, if anything lurks there. He uses his normal sight to search the bank though.

[MrEdwardNigma]

The bank on the other side of the river is completely overgrown, the jungle beginning where the river ends. The jungle seems to be full of critters of all sort (seen with the Dragon's Eye) but nothing really big so far. neither of the banks have any traces leading in any direction, except off course the mudslide elading upward. It seems the traces simply end at the river.

((Oh, and I've started up our very own OOC thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70520)!))

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee

"Maybe they used a boat or a raft..."

Flower Lee whispers in disbelief as his stick tries to poke through the jungle.

"Then we need to follow the river, but what way?"

Flower Lee sits down in the lotus posture and meditates, asking the dragon for inspiration. In his meditation he thinks and wonders, does the river flow to the sun rising or to the sun setting, and the barbarians where do they come from, his mind filling with questions to be answered and answers to be discovered.

((OOC: What way does the river flow too and from and which direction are the closest to barbarian lands))

[MrEdwardNigma]

The river comes from the mountains, and flows towards the village. The mountains are further into the barbarian lands (or further away from the wall).

((Oh, and the link to OOc was the last post on the previous page, so I'm repeating it here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70520)))

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee

Amids visions of stone and water Flower Lee opens his eyes.

"We must go towards where stone cries the tears that we stand in"

[GimliFett]

Shadow-Roku

Scowling, Shadow hobbles closer to Flower. "Fine. But how will we travel?"

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee

"Well I've always dreamed of being a sailor, but without a boat I think walking will be our only way. Unless we are going to try and build a raft. Should be possible, wood floats on water, but to get it upstream might be a challenge."

There is a sense of humor in his tone, not mockingly, but just to lighten the mood after all their set backs.

((OOC: I'm off on a trip for three weeks. Have fun I hope to pick up when I get back!))

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-Ho

Well, I think we should start moving. The longer we tarry, the harder it will be to track them. Kitakaze-Roku, Shadow-Roku do you need assistance walking?

Hou-Ho waits for their reply then starts to walk upstream along the near river bank, either helping his brothers or letting them walk themselves.

[MrEdwardNigma]

You progress along the river, and the landscape gets more rugged and rugged as you do. You start moving upward and the jungle now lies far beneath you, while you ascend upwards, towards the mountains.

After a long walk, a road appears at the right side of the river. Since you have been walking along the river banks with great difficulty until now, you are pleased with this development. Another point of interest is that there are tracks on the road once more. Something does seem rather strange about them.

Well, the road continues towards the mountains, but there is one slight problem: somewhat ahead there's a female tiger playing with her two cubs.

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-Ho

Hou-Ho crosses the river and bends down to inspect the tracks on the road.

These are ...strange. I think they're the barbarian's track.

Look! over there, a majestic tiger! Surely it is a sign from the gods. The tiger is a sign of courage and nobility. We mustn't harm it.

Hou-Ho looks at the landscape to see if they can go around the mother and her cubs, giving them a large berth.

[MrEdwardNigma]

There doesn't seem to be much space to go round the tiger and her cubs. to your right there is a steep slope that goes down a very long way to the jungle, to your left is the river, and then rock wall basically.

As for the tracks, you make an intelligence check to see if you can see anything peculiar about them: [roll0] target 5.

You notice the tracks actually run towards where you came from, and not the other way around.

((Oh, and Dr. Bath, have you checked out the OOC (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3894058#post3894058)?))

[Dr. Bath]

((Nope, not yet. Sorry 'bout that. Don't let the first game I join die...))

Hou-Ho

Do you think you could climb the slope, Shadow-Roku? If not.... we must find a way around this obstacle the Dragon has placed before us peacefully. Perhaps we could drive the family back into the safety of the jungle?

What do you think, brothers?

[GimliFett]

Shadow-Roku

Looking from the great cats to the steep slope and back, Shadow shakes his head. "I don't know that I can make it up that, but I think I have a better chance of the former than trying to compel mother and cubs to do much of anything at the moment. Unless I were to invoke Dragon's Wail, that is. Unfortunate side effect of that is it would be heard for some distance." Shadow looks at his brothers. "What do you think?"

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-Ho

I'm ...I'm not sure. I'm afraid that might attract something, or someone, much worse. Perhaps I could try to scare her first with my gift? It is less noticable from a distance...But if it does not work, and my trick angers the mother, do not hesitate to drive her off with a wail. It is vital we do not harm this magnificent creature.

Hou advances towards the tiger and her cubs, allong the path. Just as he comes within a distance that annoys the tiger, he uses Dragon's Light and shines the bright light directly at the eyes of the mother tiger.

[MrEdwardNigma]

The orb of light doesn't really seem to scare off the tiger, in fact, it attracts her attention. As soon as she hears the wail of Shadow-Roku though, she and her cubs jump off the road, rolling down the slope towards the jungle. It's a deep slope, but they look like they'll be fine.

You continue along the road (or so I assume) despite your recent discovery about the tracks, and end up at a bit of the road that is somewhat broader, with some horses dropping spread around the place and the remains of a campfire in the middle.

The river dissapears into the rocks somewhat further along, while the road goes on toward the wasteland. There are barely any tracks left further along the road.

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-Ho

Hou-ho goes over to the campfire and tries to work out how long it has been left for. After that he walks a little further along the path until he can look out onto the wasteland and scans the horizon for any signs of life, or, in fact, anything.

If this was the barbarians, then we have to think carefully about how to chase them. It will be difficult to catch them if they are on horseback...

Hou tries to remember the maps back at the monastery and which way the barbarians may have gone.

((Do the wastelands lead into barbarian lands?))

[MrEdwardNigma]

((The wastelands are the barbarian lands))

Hou-Ho looks for signs of life in the distance, but can't find anything. At all. Just loads of wasteland.

Hou-Ho then checks the campfire.
[roll]1d10+1[roll] secret target.
Blast. I'll have to make a double post for the roll...

[MrEdwardNigma]

[roll0], secret target.

The fire seems to have been here for two or three days.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee

Looking over the wasteland Flower Lee eyes start to glow as he seeks to look over the land for hidden features, things that might heat up, or cool down more then others, such as wells or signs of life.

"Such a foreboding place...Surely we must push on, even if it does suck all of the courage out of my heart. Perhaps we should follow the tracks for a little while longer till they fade from our sight completely. For surely even the journey that created these tracks must have had a beginning. they lead in a straight line, to shorten this distance across this forsaken land."

As he scouts over the landscape Flower Lee suddenly stares intently at a certain point.

"Quick, follow me, there is some-one or some-thing out there...lying as if a tiger ready to strike or a pilgrim in need of sustenance."

As he speaks he speeds of to the place he was just looking at, keeping a good distance from it he once again looks at it with dragons eye, approaching cautiously, afraid of it being a barbarian.

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-Ho

I suggest we follow those brutes as best we can, whilst what little food we have is still available. If we tarry, they will escape with the treasured dragon.

Hou waits for Flower Lee to look for anything interesting and follows him to wherever he is now going.

[MrEdwardNigma]

You find a man, covered in dirt, somewhat along the road. He doesn't have the build of a barbarian, so that puts you at ease. Besides, he seems too tired to be of any danger anyhow. He seems hardly aware of you and mumbles of shadows, dark invaders. Crusts have formed on his lips. He is in dire need of water. That is not all though, as his robes are stained in blood.

There is one relief though: the sun seems to be setting, so the heat will go away soon. The sun sets very slowly in these parts, but the coming shade will still be good for the man.

[GimliFett]

Shadow-Roku

Coming out of his long silence, Shadow approaches the man, kneels and offers him water from his own pouch. "Easy. What has happened to you?" he asks as he notes the blood on the man's clothing.

As he notices the sun begin to hang low in the sky, a shadow seems to overcome Shadow's features. "Brothers. I must speak with you privately in a moment." he says as he looks at them with a look of fear on his face.

[MrEdwardNigma]

The man grunts. He then mumbles something about a rat and a road of water. He keeps repeating the word water over and over again.

((I don't believe you have water with you, Gimlifett. I don't recall you ever taking a pouch with you to carry it in))

[GimliFett]

OOC:Oops. I thought the villagers gave each of us a skin of water.

[MrEdwardNigma]

((It was a bottle of wine, a handful of unpeeled rice and a club, actually. But you have nowhere to carry that stuff (no backpack or such. Especially the unpeeled rice would be difficult to carry along) ))

[Dr. Bath]

((So we have nothing? At all?))

(If we have it) Hou-ho offers the man a few sips of wine and looks over his wounds to see if he can help.

He then gets up to talk with Shadow-Roku.

What do you have to say brother?

[MrEdwardNigma]

((Errr, it seems you do have a shoulder sack with the gifts in it. This probably has to do with you joining late and not having had the chance to have picked it up in the monastery. Warshrike mentioned it back then. Players who remembered to make a shouldersack while back at the monastery do too))

Hou-Ho gives the man some wine, and he instantly seems to snap back to reality.

"The barbarians! They did it! Cut me down, they did! Scumbags! And my cart... I have nothing left!"

The wine then seems to take effect on his empty stomach and he continues vaguely babbling about his cart. No new information is gained from the now drunk man though. Hou-Ho tends to his wounds as he listens to Shadow-Roku. The man seems to have been stabbed in the gut.

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-Ho

Please keep still, I need to tend your wound. What were you doing out in the wastelands, good sir? And what did your cart have in it? I'm sure my brothers and I will be able to help you recover it.

Hou-Ho tears a strip of his robe off and makes it into a crude bandage to strap round the man's wounded gut.

[MrEdwardNigma]

Intelligence check: [roll0], target 6.

You mess up while tending to the man's wounds. Your finger slips and he cries out in pain.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee

"forgive me brother, but I'm a bit more graced by the dragon in my skill at tending the ill. Why don't you get some water from the river and see if you can make a fire so we can purify it and also cook this poor man some rice."

Flower Lee proceeds to tend the wounds of the man. ((Intelligence [roll0])) Using his wine to clean the wounds and sheets and ointment brought from the temple to remedy the man as much as he can.

[MrEdwardNigma]

This attempt at patching the man up works much better. A bit flustered, and probably still drunk, he says "They rode it off into the wasteland, they did. My cart. Those bastards rode off to the river, they did. Stabbed me and rode off. How will I get home without my horse? And what about my cart? They took my earnings! Had made such a nice deal too..."

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee

"Worry not sir, for today the Dragon led us upon your path. Evidently your life must have some purpose. It is for you to go and seek it. There is a river nearby, it is likely that you will find a village along it's bank. I could even give you directions to the one we have just come from, if you feel up to walking again.

Still I must ask you to make some sense, who rode into the wasteland and whom went to the river? And when did this come to pass?"

((OOC: just noticed the bit about the tracks: intelligence [roll0] to notice something about them

Second intelligence check [roll1] how old do his wounds look and does he have anything 'odd' about him))

[MrEdwardNigma]

Flower-Lee notices the exact same thing about the tracks Hou-Ho noticed: the tracks only run in one direction: from the wastelands to the village, and not the other way around. (Oh, just for clarification, this is about the tracks back on the road. There's none here)

As for the wound, it seems to be about two days old. He seems to have been stabbed with great speed, in an angle facing downwards. You're guessing he was stabbed from horseback.

The guy looks at Flower-Lee as he speaks, but you're not sure he understands what is being said.

"My cart..." he says, pointing in a particular direction in the wastelands, and then he fades. You see no tracks going that way, but judging from the fact the guy is covered in sand, the tracks would probably have been too.

[Dr. Bath]

Hou-Ho

I-I'm sorry! So sorry! Hou-Ho apologises profusely to the man and tries to help him up.

Perhaps we should head back to the river and see if we can find any better tracks. It does not seem like the barbarians passed this way twice.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Flower Lee

Flower Lee stops Hou Ho from getting the injured man up.


"Don't, his wounds might tear open further and he may have other injuries, or broken bones. What we need is some sort of stretcher. Perhaps you and Shadow can get some strong bamboo or other plants from the river bank..that is if life dares grow strong enough on the edge of this land..."

In the mean time Flower Lee removes the sand from the man as best he can without hurting him and examines him for other injuries as he does so.

[MrEdwardNigma]

Removing the sand isn't going very well, the wind keeps blowing up new sand on him, and the stuff pretty much sticks to him in the first place. The good news is, he doesn't seem to have any other injuries.

[MrEdwardNigma]

Is anyone planning on posting any time soon?

[Wizard of the Coat]

(I was kinda waiting on the others to do something to help this poor soul)

Flower Lee

Flower Lee helps the otherwise uninjured man up somewhat, making sure he get's plenty of help from the others to prevent the man from getting injured and tries to take him towards the river. There he'll clean up the man properly and make camp to cook a basic meal for them all...attempting his luck at fishing to get something other then rice.

His fishing is rather basic and consist of using all his patience as a monk and his stick to stand still in the waters shallow regions for a (long) while and quickly whack any fish that comes by with his stick.