The Dragon's Village 2017

[Gulfwulf]

As Tsun browsed over the monastery's humble shop, Florin perched on his shoulder. Florine turned his head and looked over his shoulder at Moriko as she was stacking gold coins. "What's the deal with those little discs of gold you humans insist on carrying and exchanging with each other?"

Tsun sighed and turned away from the shop. "We've been over this before, Florin. They're called coins and we use them as a form of barter. Instead of swapping goods or services, we exchange those coins because not everybody has what the other person needs in trade."

Florin looked at him. "I don't get it. Why don't you humans just forage for what you need?"

"Unlike you, Florin, we have something called civilization."

Florin snorted. "Pfft. That stuff's overrated."

Tsun arched an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? I'll remember that the next time you ask for a piece of jerky. You wouldn't be able to enjoy that if it weren't for civilization."

Florin gulped. "Ah, well, I guess your 'civilization' has some good aspects after all!"

Tsun snorted. "That's what I thought. And how do you think I procure your delicious jerky? With these gold coins, that's how."

Florin reached out a claw and pointed at the door. "Then let's go get some more! Didn't the abbot ask you to explore the catacombs? I'm sure he'll give us plenty of jerky once we deal with those gross undead things!"

"I'm so glad your priorities are in the right place, Florin. Still, you'll have to wait until the others are ready."

Florin turned his head towards the others. "Hey, everybody! Hurry up, we need to go earn us some more of those gold coins!"

[Vanya Mia]

"Do they look prettier if you have more in the tower?" Moriko asked. "We could all put them in a big tower if so, one that will reach to the roof!" She beamed at the prospect. "We could put the tower in the field and then it would sparkle in the sun! But first we need to see the humans who walk after their time is gone." Her expression clouded to regard the monastery surrounds solemnly and sternly.

"The spirit should not stay trapped in the body after its time, because spirits are meant to fly free!" She shook her head slowly. "Spirits know this and they will be angry and might be naughty! We help them to be free!" She looked at Master as sound rumbled in the old creature's throat and then nodded in what could only be a sign of agreement.

"Yes, we will help them be free then we can build a very big pretty tower and dance for their spirits!" She glanced at the panda who had rumbled again. "Perhaps dance? Do you dance?"

[Topato]

Indeed yes! The dead should have the decency to remain in the ground where they are put. Ancestor spirits are supposed to be quiet things contemplated with fond reverence. They are not meant to wonder around breaking the furniture and frightening guests.
Plus, as adventures go, battling undead has a good deal more glory attached than stamping on bugs.

[smartalec]

Wen hovers by the doorway, watching the monks train, and Ai Cheng meditate. Occasionally, he'll steal a glance from them to the training-stick in his hands, brow furrowing as he repeats things in mutters. "Civilisation... overrated... meant to fly free... decency... reverence..."

He sighs, and shakes his head. “Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles, and the water is clear?” he asks himself, pushing himself up off from the doorframe. "I sense we'll only grasp how strange this is when we see it for ourselves," he calls to the others. "I wonder how much strangeness can be in one day."

[Shadani]

Everything was moving so fast. Not two days ago, Ning's life had been one of seclusion and contemplation, but now, she felt like a fish captured by raging currents, carried swiftly from one perilous situation to the next.

The abbot had spoken as if this was where she was meant to be - as if this was precisely what he had foreseen for her. It didn't feel that way to her, but the others - most of them, anyway - seemed so very confident. As though the prospect of hunting down the phantoms of the long dead were not something that warranted any particular degree of concern.

Diverting the river was not something that was within her power. She could not make it cease, and neither could she escape its pull. The inevitability of it frightened her most of all.

[Lazybones]

Session 2

+150xp for full-party IC posting.

[Vanya Mia]

(Server is up.)

[Mirgalen]

The crypt was full of kami who had been disturbed. The spirits were wandering around. There was something, an unseen force deep in the crypt. What? Where?

As the group was venturing deeper to find out Tenko found himself alone in a dark place. Silence ensued.

// Dark Screen of NWN, I can recover it 80% of the time but this time I had to restart.

After solving the crypt problem, the group went to visit Lady Jiang. Cows had been killed and the villagers suspected a mystical creature from the forest to be responsible. The Lady had a book, a journal rather about a group of foreigners who went to the forest to hunt the mystical creature. It was mentioned in a passage that man made weapons (not enchanted) would not hurt that creature. As the group were talking to the lady of the house Tenko took the time to study Ma Li. The night he was invited to visit the grove he half expected to find her. Firstly because she was a beauty but also because the way she moved and behaved may suggest to the trained eye that she could have been a Kunoichi. Meeting old Gao in the grove that night was a bit of a disappointment.

The group left the village and entered the forest...

[Karvon]

The visit to the catacombs was eventful; the place was haunted by various undead creatures as well as warded by a number of traps. After getting zapped by one of these, Gojiro took a much slower and cautious approach and avoided further mishaps. Mostly, he scouted ahead of the group and warned of traps he saw. In the clashes with the undead, he pelted the enemies with stones from a safe distance and managed stay well out of the frays. Unfortunately, there was next to no loot lying about, and the monastery didn't give them any gold on their return either, so not particularly profitable in that regards. However, poking around in the cellars beneath the guest house they stayed in, he did find a few useful healing bundles as well as some incense, worth a few coins, so it wasn't a total write off.

He had his doubts about the next mission; they were supposed to track down and dispose of some forest creature that was raiding the village. It was supposedly invulnerable to normal weapons, so he wondered how exactly the others were planning to kill it. He knew his own stones probably wouldn't do anything at all but upset such a creature, so he planned to stay well clear of any encounters with it.

[Vanya Mia]

"It is sharp metal," Moriko commented as Master made a rumbling noise, glancing at the sword Meng had received as the companions walked along along, "which is probably meant to help, but yes. I know you are right." She waved cheerily to those villagers they passed by as the folk skittered away from Master as he ambled along beside her. The panda rumbled again.

"Is that because they can't see through the mist?" she asked, stooping down to pick up a butterfly from beside the path. Master grunted as she blew gently on the butterfly cupped in her hands before lifting her arms above her head and releasing it into the air. "I did not know the colour smelt that way. It seems a waste. What if it cannot see?" she asked as she looked up at the sun and then to the edge of the forest, receiving yet another rumble in response.

"That would be ungracious," Moriko continued and then paused a few moments looking thoughtful before shrugging and skipping forward to catch up. "And I will."