Chapter 3: Snake in the Eagle's Shadow

Music

It's been three days since you slew the beast responsible for the river ferry deaths. In the interval, three more Guong nobles are assassinated -- two knifings, and one poisoning. Also, Fan Zexian is found drowned in one of the city's most luxuriant public baths. No evidence of foul play is found, but everyone knows better. Now that the proverbial dust has settled, and the precarious balance of power restored, Guong Bai, the youngest scion of that clan, now becomes Guong Ming's sole heir, and Fan Song replaces his late brother on the ruling council.

A message arrives from Yao Fei, the slug-man apothecary. Several days ago you gave him samples of the Yellow Zombie Mold you collected in the wild, and a vial of blue crystals found on one of the gang members that accosted Iko and Feng in the Lower East Quarter. He invites you to pay him a visit, as he is ready to share his findings with you.

A silk merchant shows up at Feng's textile shop. Wu Meng recognizes the man who, at the behest of the Quian, hired him and Rong Hua to steal the scroll from the Guong Estate. The man talks shop for a few minutes, pretends not to know Meng, then politely takes his leave. The unspoken message is obvious to Meng: "Report!"

What do you do?

In addition to the Twelve Lanterns, the Quian has influence in many other enterprises, including several of the city's many archives. The man never mentioned the Quian, only that he represented the archive on Plum Orchard Lane in the Upper West Quarter, but Meng recognized the man's ring easily enough. A senior adviser or steward. He gave his name as Choa (though Meng doubts that is the man's real name), and said to find him at the archive.

The men Kalam plays mahjong with are old, hairless and stooped, but sharp as tacks. Bo is a retired ferryman, Hu used to be a musician, and Zhi used to be a street-sweeper. They haven't got much, so the wagers are small, but they're ready to take Kalam's coin if he doesn't play his tiles well.

Kalam

"Come on! Surely, you've got something!" the men chide Kalam. "That knife at your hip has got to be worth a coin or two."

Meng
Do you visit the archive? Do you go alone?

Mimi
Your leg is much better now. Tell us what sort of game you and Orengi are hunting. Roll Hunt and Track.

Iko
Where does the Lord of Sorrows lead you today?

Feng
There is a well nearby where the womenfolk gather to gossip as they draw water. The topic of the moment is the recent spate of noble killings. Not unusual in the Opal City, by any means -- hardly a week goes by without an assassination attempt in the corridors of power -- but the women are a-titter today because it's long been whispered that Lady Guong has been sleeping with a certain opium den owner, and one can't help but wonder whether the infidelity had something to do with her untimely demise.

"That's rubbish," scoffs Chen, a cleaning lady. "Wasn't her husband slain, too?"

"What do you think, Feng?" asks Xue, a washerwoman.

"You've all got soap suds for brains," cuts in Ling, another washerwoman. "Guong Ming is still alive. It was his cheating wife, and their two eldest sons that were killed. The youngest son, Guong Bai, is now sole heir!"

"Honestly, you can't even tell the slug-men and the slug-women apart," complains Siao, an apprentice seamstress. "How do they do it? I don't think they have any privates!"

...and so on, and on, goes the gossip.

Kalam

"No, forget it," Bo says, putting his half-coin away. "Put your coins away, boys. Let's just have a friendly game. No wagers."

Feng
As you are taking your leave, Jinu, who works at a nearby brothel, shares something one of her regulars confided in her. Paranoia has infected a circle of occult summoners. A young neophyte, Jinu's guy, believes what the group has summoned is far more ancient and horrible than his superiors think.

Kalam (assuming you stay)
The mahjong guys speculate on the clan rivalries behind the recent killings.

Zhu believes Guong Bai eliminated his mother and older brothers to gain influence with his father. As sole heir, the hot-headed Bai can now pressure his father to wage full-scale cloak-and-dagger war against the Fan, something his mother and brothers must have cautioned against.

Hu disagrees. He's convinced Fan Song was behind the Guong killings, as well as the removal of his own brother, Zexian.

Meng
At the archive, you are attended to by a slug-man librarian assistant with exceptionally long eyestalks.

"Can I help you?"

Mimi
Tracking a wild boar, you lose the trail when it crosses a stream. As you and Orengi search the opposite bank, there's a rustle nearby to your left. It's a fanged deer, and it's watching you intently. Its eyes are unnaturally yellow, you're guessing it's the zombie mold.

What do you do?

Kalam (mahjong table in front of Feng's shop)
Bo wins three rounds in a row, and starts the final round of the match by winning the first hand. "Even though I'm wearing my lucky hat," grumbles Zhi.

Talk turns from politics to remedies for aches and pains. Hu swears by his wife's Ginseng Chicken Soup with Goji Berries, while Zhi says he relies on a decoction of various herbs and ground-up dried seahorse to improve his mood and keep his mind sharp. "So sharp, you haven't won a single hand today," scoffs Bo. "Take our friend Kalam here. He's an elf, I know, their physiology is different, but even among elves he's quite the physical specimen, don't you think? What's your secret, my boy? Any tips for us old codgers?"


Feng (the well)
"Oh, I don't know," Jinu whispers to Feng, as the other ladies are preoccupied with the discussion on slug-folk sexuality that Siao instigated. "He likes to tease me with scary stories of monsters and demons, but last time I saw him he seemed really scared himself. That was nearly a week ago. He hasn't come by since. Used to visit regularly, came all this way from some fancy library on Plum Orchard Lane. Just to see little ole me!"


Wu Meng (the archive on Plum Orchard Lane)
One eyestalk fixed on you, the other eyestalk on a voluminous visitor's log, the slug-man inks your name with flowing brush strokes. "Hour of the Dragon. Wu Meng. What is your business with Master Choa?"


Mimi (the woods)
The infected deer seems to have lost interest in you altogether, and is watching Orengi instead. It licks its lips, exposing its long, needle-like fangs. The animal is trembling. Perhaps this is a prelude to the deadly convulsions you know are just minutes away, based on what you saw happen to the giant toad after eating the infected cockroach. Then, you realize that the deer is wearing a collar.

What do you do?

Wu Meng (the archive on Plum Orchard Lane)

The clerk lets out what is probably the slug-folk equivalent of a harumph. It sounds very much like a very wet squelch. It reaches out and rings a bell. A runner appears so quickly and silently, it's almost as if the boy were magically summoned. "Take this man to the east garden. Then, inform Master Choa he has a visitor. Expected, I am told." The boy bows to the slug-man, and leads you through several corridors, past shelves of scrolls of both the bamboo and paper variety, to a small garden with a koi pond in the east corner. You are served tea, then left to your own devices. From this garden, you can partially see into two rooms to the north and west. The north room is full of scribes quietly going about their work. The west room is lined with scroll shelves but appears to be empty of people.

What do you do?

A branch heavy enough to quickly kill the deer would be hard to bring down with the weapons you have on hand. Perhaps a well-placed shot aimed at the deer itself would be better?

Also, a fanged deer is a strange choice for a pet.

You put an arrow through its skull. A clean kill. You take comfort in the knowledge you've spared it from further suffering.

What could that collar mean? Where did this animal come from? You've never heard of a fanged deer being taken as a pet.

What do you do?

Feng (at the well)
"I'd like that," Jinu giggles. "His name is Mengyao."

Mimi (the woods)
Making sure Orengi stays a safe distance away from the infected corpse, you carefully remove the collar from the deer's neck. It's made of leather, with rings for attaching to a larger system of restraints, possibly a harness of some sort. There are unfamiliar symbols branded into the leather.

Do you follow the deer's tracks to possibly find out where it came from? Do you continue your boar hunt? Or do you return to the city at once to tell the others of your find?

Kalam (mahjong table in front of Feng's shop)
"Lots of recruiters are always down by the docks ," Bo muses. "Plenty of jobs for a strapping young lad like you."

"Be wary of gang recruiters," Zhi warns. "They're always looking to hire new muscle, especially now that I hear some some of gang trouble is brewing."

"You could come work for me," Hu says. "Chop firewood, tend the garden..."

"Don't fall for it, boy," the other two scoff. "Hey, cut it out. You know you can't pay him. Kalam needs coin, understand?"

Wu Meng (the archive on Plum Orchard Lane)

Changing vantage point, you discover the west room isn't as empty as you initially thought. There's a lone figure there, female, scanning the shelves against the south wall. You've never heard of a female scribe. What's more, this person is dressed in scarlet rather than the muted colors a scribe would wear. A minor aristocrat, perhaps?

The woman turns to face you - you had no idea she was even aware of your presence - and you realize everything has gone quiet - no rustling of leaves in the garden, nor trickling of water in the koi pond, no quiet shuffling in the north room - everything has fallen unnaturally still, frozen in time. In the woman's hand is an ornate scroll case.

What do you do?

Kalam or Feng (Feng's textile shop)

There's a messenger at the door. Very official-looking. Very annoyed with this errand they obviously feel is beneath them.

When you answer, the person unceremoniously dumps a pouch in your hand. With a sniff as if they were handing off a fish that has gone off. The pouch contains 250 coins, the bounty on the scorpotaur.

The messenger spins on their heel and marches away.

What do you do?

Wu Meng (the archive on Plum Orchard Lane)

A man clears his throat behind you. When you turn around, you see Choa. He's not wearing the Quian ring. In fact, today he's not dressed like someone who works for anyone. He has the appearance of being the master of this place.

"I expected you and your associate much sooner, monk."

Turning once more, you see that the mysterious, scarlet-garbed woman has disappeared!

What do you do?

"Scruples. Rare in Opal City, and certainly not in evidence when you accepted the commission," Choa dismisses you with a wave. "If you feel unequal to the task, away with you. You will not be punished for this failure, but neither will you be paid."

Choa turns to leave. What do you do?

Kalam follows suit. Putting his fifty into a coin pouch tied to his belt and placed inside his vest.
"My Sifu asked me to come find him. We are both students of a Martial art heritage. He is of the Mountain, under Sifu Gen. I am of the Sky, under Sifu Qian. He is in fact, the last Mountain. I'm not sure how much you know of these traditions, but the meaning is significant." he gives a pained look. "I had the honor of sparing with him in the past, his martial prowess is not to be taken lightly. The only reason I won is because of my bloodline. The ability to harness a small amount of magical energy, gives me an edge in combat. "

Iko, Feng, and Kalam (Feng's textile shop)
Iko arrives as Feng and Kalam discussing philosophy over a pot of tea.

Mimi (the woods)
The deer's tracks lead you to a small hut well-camouflaged with bark and molds and moss. A thin wisp of smoke snakes out of the chimney. What do you do?

Wu Meng (the archive on Plum Orchard Lane)Choa stops and throws up a hand signal that looks suspiciously like one meant to stay an assassin's blade, or at least, command them to wait. "You have my name. Are you suggesting I was being false?"

In the corner of your vision, a blur of scarlet. When you look, the woman is not there.

"As for our reasons, you are in no position to demand them. Your free-spirited partner should have taught you better. I am told the Changgok now have possession of the scroll thanks to a certain... free-spirited individual you were seen sharing a pot of tea with. Some might infer you colluded with said individual, but I can tell you haven't the liver to double-cross me. Am I wrong?"