Chapter 1: Lotus Rises from Water

Meng and Rong Hua
You make for the Crippled Crane inn to seek out Shen Xin. The establishment just manages to cling to the bottom hem of the Upper City - classy enough to still appeal to the upper caste clientele, but pedestrian enough to still have to worry about bribing the authorities. Prostitution is perfectly legal in the Opal City, but selling girls to foreigners is most certainly not. Xin's network extends as far east as Hiptos, and Aksum beyond, and as far west as Pradesh.

When you step into the place's smoky interior, Shen Xin is dancing onstage. (music) Her movements are hypnotic. Coquettish rather than overtly seductive. The fans in her hands are like two moths flitting about a candle flame.

Afterwards, when you speak to her about Zhao Xun, her face darkens. "My dear, what makes you think I would know anything about such a dangerous individual?"



Wei, Feng, and Iko
How do you intend to find Meng and Rong Hua? You knew they were headed for the Guong Estate, but also know, based on what you heard, that they're now probably lying low somewhere. Does your group have an established rendezvous point for such a situation?

"'My Lady!' Oh, I like him, Rong Hua!" Shen Xin titters, looking Wu Meng over appraisingly. "I may have overheard that the Black Lotus was seen having tea with a man named Geon, a steward who works for the Changgok family. Isn't that a curious thing? Ah, but even such a man makes friends, I suppose. Nothing sinister about a pot of tea."

Xin sips demurely from her own teacup, a sly smile pulling the corners of her exquisite mouth. She puts the teacup down. Every sinuous movement practiced, measured for full effect. "You already owed me, little flower," she says to Rong Hua, her tone changing like a blade being slowly drawn. "Now you owe me more, and I think I'll collect. I'd like you to take care of something for me.

What do you do?

Shen Xin strokes Rong Hua's cheek affectionately with a lacquered fingernail. "A Hiptite magician named Atekhramun has kidnapped one of my girls. I suspect he'll soon be joining one of the caravans to make the Haunted Desert crossing. The girl's name is Mei. I need you to bring her back."

What do you do?

Meng and Rong Hua

"Oh you know I am extremely careful where my business is concerned," Shen Xin replies. Her tone is taking on a more and more dangerous edge. Xin is very careful indeed - she doesn't even run the Crippled Crane, choosing instead to seem like a mere dancer. In truth, the owner is in her employ, hired to keep up appearances. Shen Xin could buy this place three times over if she were so inclined. She could have this Atekhramun intercepted anywhere between here and Hiptos by any number of agents, but she's entrusting the matter to Rong Hua instead. Very careful indeed.

Xin leans in and describes the girl, Mei, and her abductor, then reveals where Zhao Xun was seen with the steward, Geon. It's a tea house in the lower east quarter. A bad neighborhood. Auspiciously, it's only a few blocks away from the East Water Gate, where one can take a ferry or barge to the desert caravan staging grounds on the opposite lakeshore. However, it's clear across town from Xian Feng's textile shop, where the others are probably headed by now if they've caught wind of the trouble in the Upper City.

What do you do?

Wei, Feng, and Iko
As you discuss whether to actively search for Meng and Rong Hua, or to try Feng's shop first, you are also able to mull over the day's events: The Yellow Zombie Fungus infection turned out to be a deliberate act of sabotage perpetrated by the clan's headman. Was it a test of some sort? Prelude to a larger attack, part of some larger scheme? The saboteur's corpse gave up its master: Fan Zexian. A clan war may be brewing. Further investigation into the fungus might provide clues. To that end, samples must be gathered in the wild with the help of Sikeo of the Explorer's Guild and brought to Yao Fei, the apothecary.

An overheard argument has put you in between the guildmaster, Tamchim, and the hunter, Jimseung. A deadly creature is loose down by the Dragon River ferry docks. Tamchim wants it quietly destroyed. This may be a problem, as the beast appears to be Jimseung's property.

Now you've heard there's trouble in the Upper City, and you know Meng and Rong Hua are involved.

What do you do?

Wei, Feng, and Iko
When you leave the Twelve Lanterns it's obvious Tamchim put a tail on you. The pair of elves aren't even trying to be discreet about it. Do you try to shake them off, or do you just let them follow you to Feng's textile shop?

Meng and Rong Hua
Shen Xin laughs. "You know as well as I, the caravans leave at first light, when the gates are opened." It's currently the Hour of the Pig. "Of course, there are ways past the guards and out of the city. A simple thing for one as talented as Atekhramun. Or Zhao Xun, for that matter."

What do you do?