Tales from Dar E Lan: The Lost Silver Mine (Over the Waves Interlude 2)

The slayers of the earthquake beetle shared news of their success, and were summoned by officials in Dar Elan to provide proof. Bo Jing had collected the mandibles and other samples, which were received with great interest. A sage offered payment for the samples, most of which Bo Jing was willing to part with. He kept one of the mandibles, and asked a grateful weaponsmith to fashion it into a weapon.

Bo Jing wanted to send his reward money, including the silver coins collected from the beetle’s lair back to his parents in Khanbaliq. Compared to the price of sending a ship through the Imperial blockade or hiring a caravan for the months-long trip over desert, mountains, and jungle, his treasure was paltry, and Bo Jing did not find a willing courier for a price he could afford. News of his filial loyalty enhanced the story of his courage against the earthquake beetle, reaching the ears of a wealthy merchant who invited Bo Jing and his friends to dine at his house. The merchant, named Daye, was the son of ex-patriates from Zhou Dang, and, it seemed, distantly related to Bo Jing. During more peaceful times, he regularly traded with his relatives in Tian Jing [check]. He suggested a way that Bo Jing could bring much honor to the family.

The family had rights to a silver mine not far from Dar E Lan. The mine had been abandoned after being overrun by monsters. That was a generation ago and those had claimed to be eye-witnesses were dead.

Daye acknowledged that he did not know the true story. He hoped that it was a tall tale spread by the family to discourage claim jumpers. It was possible that the mine had deserted because the silver ore had been exhausted. Or, perhaps the stories about monsters was true! Regardless, if Bo Jing resolved the mystery, he would be doing the family a great service.

Batzorig and Shoji asked to join the adventure. Sang and Han Bee also agreed to assist.

Daye’s servants showed Bo Jing and his friends the way to the mine cutting a path through the jungle in the foothills above Dar E Lan. Once the dark hole of the mine came in view, the servants returned to the city and the explorers were to left to rely on their courage.

There was a clearing in front of the mine, and several heaps of depleted ore. Among these piles, they found bones and the half-eaten carcass of a recently killed animals.

The heroes lit a lantern and ventured into the mine. A wide, well-worked passage led straight into the hillside, sloping steeply downwards and with evenly-spaced side passages. The party quickly explored these side passage, found that they terminated in dead ends and continued their way down. As the passage leveled off, the floor suddenly gave out beneath them. Sang fell into a deep chasm that had been covered by a sheet of canvas strewn with gravel. Shoji called out to him. He was hurt, but alive. The explorers had no rope, and Shoji encouraged Sang to climb out, if he could. Sang picked out a climbing route and began his re-ascent, encouraged by his companions. They never saw him alive again. They heard him fall again and then silence.

Batzorig, a fearless climber offered to climb down into the pit and see if Sang was still alive. About halfway down, he lost his purchase on the slick walls of the chasm and also fell to his death. The survivors decided to leave the mine.

Back in the clearing, Bo Jing, Shoji, and Han Bee silently cooked a small, quiet supper. It was too dark to return to the city, They thought they should retrieve the bodies of their friends, but weren’t sure how. A unexpected guest joined them, a capricious, self-style magician of the jungle who, besides the other powers he boasted of, possessed a large of quantity of rope. He also knew that the mine was hope home to monsters, though he refused to describe them. “In the morning, we will all see them for ourselves.”

The next morning, the reformed band of explorers entered the mine. When they reached the chasm, the magician (who had refused to reveal his name) climbed down into the pit with an easy nimbleness that made him resemble a spider. Within seconds, he called down from the bottom of the pit that the friends were there, and as expected, dead. Bo Jing and Shoji threw down the ends of two ropes. The magician tied them round the bodies.

As Bo Jing, Shoji, and Han Bee were beginning to hall up the ropes, they were surprised by a ten-foot tall, two-headed woman who was swinging two spiked clubs as she leapt over the chasm into their midst. One club sent Han Bee sprawling. The other club pounded so hard against the wall that small rocks fell from the ceiling. Shoji attended to Han Bee and Bo Jing drew his sword to fight the monster. Bo Jing’s skill and courage was no match for the monster’s brute strength and blind rage. Although he spilled much blood, he surely would have been battered to a pulp if the unnamed magician had not emerged from the pit to shoot blue and green glowing bolts of energy into the monsters back. When the monster turned to fight the new attacker, the magician hid in the pit. Bo Jing rallied. Climbing onto a fallen boulder, Bo Jing sprang at the monster and cut off one of its heads. Shoji too joined the battle. The monster struck Shoji full in the chest with its club. Shoji tumbled backwards to absorb the blow, and then sprang at the monster’s knees, knocking her off balance so that she tumbled into the pit.

The friends worked together to pull their friends out of the pit and bore their bodies back to Dar E Lan. Daye gravely congratulated them on having confirmed that the old tales were true.

A few days later, the explorers returned to the mine, this time accompanied by Bangqiu. Bangqiu, with his knowledge of powerful magic, transformed himself into an owl and led the way into the mine.  When the party reached the chasm, Bangqiu flew down into it and investigated the body of the dead giantess.  He discovered a jeweled necklace and pulled it off of her. He flew back up to the top and returned to human form to pocket the necklace.

The party proceeded down the mine, Bangqiu still leading the way, now wearing his invisibility cloak. In time, the tunnel opened into a large, smoky cavern. A larger, male, two-headed giant was there and he attacked them immediately.  Bangqiu dashed for a corner and threw a fireball at the giant's chest.  The giant chased him, running into Bo Jing's flashing blade.  Han Bee lit an arrow from the giant's firepit and shot it at his face.  Shoji chanted a blessing, calling on the force of good to help them defeat this evil aberration.

With its clothes on fire, the giant, howled and ran wildly. Bangqiu threw flashing stars of fire at its face, giving Bo Jing an opening to slash across its abdomen. Han Bee dropped her bow and joined the attack. The howling giant dropped one of its clubs and caught her by the hair. With a quick twist, he broke her neck and dropped her body to the ground.  Shoji rushed to her body, but there was clearly nothing to be done. Bang Qiu levitated into the smoky darkness of the the heights of the cavern.  Bo Jing didn't flinch, but attacked with renewed courage, determined to avenge his fallen companion or die trying. Thoguh battered by the giant's club, he stayed on his feet, andcalled on his ki power to release storm and blinding cutting strokes. Shoji's kicks to the giant's back were a valuable distraction and a blast of magic missiles from Bangqiu finally felled the terrible monster.

The survivors lit torches and surveyed the cavern. Bangqiu discovered a thick vein of silver ore. Knowing what to look for, Bo Jing found another. And then another. After satisfying himself that they had reached the bottom of the mine, Bangqiu ordered his friends to stand guard while he studied his magical books. The mine was eerily silent, but for the occasional gust of wind from outside carrying the sound of birdsongs. After several hours of this, Bangqiu himself took upon the form of a bird and flew out of the cavern.

More hours passed. Bo Jing slept and Shoji meditated. Finally, Bangqiu returned. With mining tools. Much to Bo Jing's annoyance, Bang Qiu began to mine the silver from the family mine. Hours of hard work accompanied by insults, recriminations, and threats, generated enough silver ore to pay for the pick an shovel that Bangqiu had bought in Dar E Lan. Fianlly Shoji intervened, advising Bang Qiu and Bo Jing that if thier argument turned violent, he would not offer healing or other assitance to either one of them. At last Bangqiu agreed to leave the mine and go back to Dar E Lan. Bo Jing and Shoji carried the body of Han Bee. Bangqiu carried his tool and the sack of ore.

Daye congratulated Bo Jing on his success and promised that as soon as the shipping lanes were sent, he would send news-- and a generous sample-- to Bo Jing's family in Zhou Dang.

Kafka's congratulations were less ebullient, burdened as they were with his questions, "How did Han Bee die? And why?"

Tales from Dar E Lan: The Earthquake Beetle (Over the Waves Interlude 1)

Bangqiu’s ship arrived in Dar E Lan, and while he attended to the business of securing payment and compensating the local monastery for the unexpected arrival of foreign sohei, his companions found other ways to occupy themselves.

In the days after docking, a traveling merchant returned from the remote mountain villages with a troubling account. While descending from a journey into the high valleys, he had stopped to rest. When he awoke, his mule was gone. Its tracks led down into a marsh at the base of the mountains and across to a cave beneath a sheer cliff. Inside, he found the mule half-eaten. The cave walls were lined with oversized insect eggs. Terrified, he fled and brought word back to Dar E Lan, hoping someone braver would investigate.

Bo Jing, Bayan, and Shoji agreed to take on the task. Two of Kafka’s promising students, Sang and Han Bee, insisted on accompanying them as bodyguards for Shoji and spiritual aides to Bo Jing. The party set out early the next morning, following the valley trail into the mountains above the monastery.

The first day passed without incident. They reached a half-ruined watchtower and spent the night there alongside a small garrison of monks of the Two-Fold Path.

On the second day, they climbed higher into the hills, losing sight of the valley below. After several hours, they realized they had overshot a landmark described by the monks and retraced their steps. By late afternoon they found themselves once again in the marshy valley floor, uncertain of their bearings and searching for signs of the creature described by the merchant.

The answer came suddenly.

The ground trembled with violent, rhythmic shocks that threw Sang and Han Bee to the earth. A flash of blue-green light cut through the air overhead, and an enormous beetle dropped from the cliffs. Its mandibles snapped like forged blades as it struck Sang.

Bo Jing reacted first, loosing arrows into the creature’s armored body. Bayan charged from the flank with her sword drawn. Shoji pulled Sang back from the creature’s reach as it clawed forward, relentless despite its wounds. The beetle turned on Sang again, only to be kicked aside by Shoji and struck by Sang himself in desperation. Bo Jing leapt onto its back and drove his blade into a seam in its carapace. Bayan’s repeated strikes finally forced it to collapse and roll onto its back, dead.

Bo Jing collected several samples—mandibles and a strange glowing blue-green fluid—before the party followed the tremors back toward their source.

They soon found the cave.

The entrance was a narrow opening beneath chalky cliffs, oozing with sticky luminous residue. As Bayan stepped inside, she slipped into a shallow chamber filled with the same blue-green slime. Smaller beetles emerged immediately, and the party fought them off as they helped her free herself.

Deeper inside, the cave widened into a vast egg chamber. The walls were covered in oily sacs the size of a man’s head, each pulsing faintly with blue-green light. Bones and broken metal fragments littered the floor, including scraps of silver. The trader’s mule lay half-consumed in the outer tunnels.

After gathering what valuables they could carry, the party set fire to the chamber. Torches and oil spread quickly among the sacs, and soon the nest was engulfed in flame, the eggs hatching into nothing.

Over The Waves Part 2 (Running the Straits)

The good ship Bīnggōngchǎng sailed out of Niǔyuē Port on a fine spring morning under a clear sky and steady winds. Captain Huan, on the other hand, showed himself to be a foul storm as soon as the ship left the harbor. He strode the decks with a whip in hand, and his trembling crew heard every order as a mortal threat. The crew’s provisions consisted of scant rice, flavored with rotten fish. They drank water mixed with vinegary wine. Despite his treatment of the crew, he was always deferential to Bangqiu and the other passengers and blamed his crew for any problems caused by the non-sailors. Bayan and Shoji noted the Captain’s conduct as unnecessarily strict but did not intervene, instead opting to stay in their cabins. Bangqiu had provided good rations for his friends, including Kafka’s sohei and despite the small space, the two groups lived side-by-side while barely acknowledging each other.

A week out from Niǔyuē, after leaving Zhounese coastal waters behind, Captain Huan allowed the Bīnggōngchǎng to drift for a day while the newly acquired cannons were tested. Kafka's warrior monks had received only the briefest instruction in loading and firing the unfamiliar weapons, but they learned quickly. They gathered coconuts, rocks, and driftwood from a nearby coral island and practiced with these before expending precious iron shot. Once they had found the range, the iron balls smashed into the tiny island again and again until a narrow channel split it in two. Captain Huan ordered his crew to watch the demonstration carefully.

Only Dai Duo and Pao Tiānkōng seemed unimpressed. While the cannons thundered across the water, the old monk calmly drilled his young companion on the foredeck. Blindfolded, Pao endured a relentless rain of blows while Dai Duo shouted cheerful encouragement, seemingly oblivious to the explosions echoing around them.

Several days later the Bīnggōngchǎng entered the contested waters of the Straits of Malaca, where the navies of both the Zhou Dang and Zhou Song empires hunted one another without mercy. Neutral shipping fared little better. Merchant captains had warned Huan that either navy might seize an unfamiliar vessel as an enemy.

The first day passed without incident. The second was equally quiet.

On the morning of the third day the ship entered a narrow passage between two long, jungle-covered barrier islands. Bo Jing stood watch from the masthead while Bangqiu floated another hundred feet above him upon a platform of air. From that lofty perch Bangqiu spotted a sail astern and called down to Bo Jing, who hurried to the quarterdeck.

By then the approaching vessel was plainly visible. Captain Huan studied it through his telescope.

"It bears neither Imperial colors," he said at last. "Nor does it resemble a warship. No danger."

Dai Duo glanced only briefly at the distant sails.

"That," he replied quietly, "is Noh-Moon—the most ruthless pirate in the known seas."

Young Bo Jing sided with Dai Duo and, assuming his authority as a baghatur, ordered Captain Huan to change his course, skirting the barrier islands in favor of the open sea and turning the Bīnggōngchǎng to port to maximize use of the canons.

As the range closed, Dai Duo's warning proved correct. Though little larger than the Bīnggōngchǎng, the pirate vessel carried perhaps three times as many fighting men. Rows of archers crowded her decks.

At roughly five hundred yards both ships turned to port.

The pirates prepared a devastating volley.

The cannons fired first.

All five guns roared together. Most of the iron balls splashed harmlessly into the sea, falling short of their target. Only one struck the pirate ship, crashing onto the crowded main deck. Before the pirates could recover, Bangqiu hurled a great sphere of magical fire from his aerial perch, engulfing the vessel's stern in flame.

The pirates answered with chilling discipline. Their archers ignored the wizard overhead and concentrated instead upon Kafka's cannon crews. Arrows swept the deck, sending many of the sohei below with grievous wounds. Those still standing hurriedly reloaded.

Only three cannons answered the second time.

One iron ball struck true, splintering the pirate's mainmast.

Bo Jing ordered Captain Huan to turn southeast and make all possible sail.

The damaged pirate vessel gave chase but could not close the distance. By the time the Bīnggōngchǎng cleared the barrier islands and reached open water, the reason for the ambush became clear. Waiting several miles beyond lay a second pirate ship, larger than the first and flying Noh-Moon's personal banner. The crippled raider had been intended only to drive its prey into the trap.

Denied that opportunity, neither pirate ship pursued.

Over The Waves Part 1 (Preparations)

Bangqiu decided to set sail from Niǔyuē Port, the nearest port to Khanbaliq and home port of the Zhou Dang Imperial Navy. Though much of the city's shipbuilding supported the ongoing war effort, private shipwrights still constructed vessels for merchants and other wealthy patrons.

Beatriss and Tetsukichi declined to leave their families for another long expedition into unknown seas. Bayan, however, eagerly embraced the opportunity. Having become Beatriss's protégé, she was determined to see more of the world than the Happy Valley alone could offer. She accompanied Bangqiu in his search for both a shipbuilder and a captain.

The master shipbuilder agreed to construct a sturdy, fast ocean-going junk modeled after an Imperial warship, though by Imperial decree it could not be fitted with cannons. His price was enormous. Bangqiu's adventures had made him wealthy, however, and through a broker he traded Sakatha's jeweled crown as partial payment for the vessel. Construction was expected to take six months.

Captain Huan did not balk at the extraordinary voyage Bangqiu proposed. He simply named his price and calmly asserted that he was the finest captain and navigator alive. Convinced that the old sailor was worth every coin, Bangqiu entrusted him with enough money to recruit a crew and provision the expedition for the first half of what Huan estimated would be a year-long voyage.

While the ship was under construction, Bangqiu returned to Pasar to bid farewell to his parents. During his stay he became acquainted with Bo Jing, an inexperienced Baghatur; Batzorig, a rough but capable man of the steppes; and Shoji, a young shaman. Seeing promise in each of them, Bangqiu paid for their passage with an Imperial caravan to Khanbaliq so they could join the expedition in Niǔyuē.

As the vessel neared completion, Bangqiu was introduced to an intriguing pair of monks seeking passage to Dar E Lan, a distant city reached only by sailing through dangerous waters contested by the rival Zhou Dang and Zhou Song empires.

The elder, Dai Duo, was an itinerant holy man advanced in years. His patched robes and quiet manner suggested humility, yet he carried himself with such effortless confidence that even the roughest sailors in Niǔyuē's waterfront taverns treated him with unusual respect.

His companion, Pao Tiānkōng, was a farmer's son eager to see the world beyond his lakeside village, who seemed to believe he'd learned everything he needed to know about sailing in piloting a fishing skiff across a stormy lake. When Bangqiu quoted his fare for passage to Dar E Lan, Pao blurted out, "Ten thousand taels? We could almost buy our own ship for that!" Dai Duo silenced him with a patient glance and agreed to Bangqiu's price, while countering that they wouldn't be able to pay him until they reached Dar E Lan. Bangqiu accepted the arrangement, particularly after Dai Duo quietly offered another service. Although Imperial law forbade private vessels from carrying cannons, he claimed to know merchants who could obtain them discreetly. Bangqiu would bear the expense for the time being, but Dai Duo assured him that he would be well compensated upon their arrival in Dar E Lan.

The Hidden Serpent (Seven Zhounese Brothers Epilogue)

After resting in the statue room a while longer, the party continued to explore the underground labyrinth and in time found themselves in the open air, on the backside of the hill.  Thinking that they might find Bunko waiting for them, Bangqiu lurked behind the rest of the party waiting for the right moment to reveal himself. Sure enough, Bunko did appear, and Bangqiu revealed himself by transfixing Bunko in place before he could even begin asking people to be his good friend.

Bunko could not have been surprised to find yet another group of friends turn on him. Despite some sadistic brainstorming, they did not kill him or harm him, but merely strip-looted him. Bangqiu claimed a plan gold ring and put it on his own finger. Everyone agreed that it really suited him. It was almost uncanny the way it made everything about him seem more interesting, charming, and handsome. Bo Jing got a big bag of gold. Batzorig, the barbarian, destroyed a potion.

The rescuers did return to the hideout once more and found two of the "Zhounese Brothers" who had been held captive for some time, and were surprisingly improved by the experience-- or at least more lucid. The party found them locked in a jail cell, laughing bitterly at the many times they'd been ill-used by their "good friend." On the way back to town, they shared the story of how they'd met Bunko-- and each other! They were neither Zhounese nor brothers.

Clearly, it was about time to leave Pasar. Although Bunko had seemingly been deprived of his power, he might use anything he had left to exact his revenge. Bangqiu was eager to see if his ship was ready and the Imperial caravan was ready to head north.

NOTE: The "Black Flowers hideout" is QUAZKYTON, the B1-inspired of stronghold Zeglin and Rogar from the Hidden Serpent by Faster Monkey. Bryce Lynch writes a decent summary  though I think he's a little stingy with his praise. It hits the right balance between plot and sandbox. It provides a steady backbeat for a creative DM to improvise over.  For instance, although written for a standard fantasy setting, I had no problem running it in my Oriental Adventures campaign, using my own town as a home base.  The Bunko/Seven Zhounese Brothers plot-line was also my own, and it fit nicely with the rightfully classic hooks of "rescue prisoners/find a treasure" supplied by the module as written.   The relatively small size is much appreciated.  The upper level "makes sense" as a bad guy hideout and the lower levels brings some funhouse elements without taking it too far.  But enough, it's available free so see for yourself . . .

Seven Zhounese Brothers Part 7 (Truth is a Cold Hard Beauty)

The new party of rescuers—Batzorig, Bojing, now with Bangqiu and Gungar, plus the two remaining Zhounese brothers (Bi-er and Farang) returned once more to the Black Flowers’ hillside hideout. With two powerful magic-users (wu-jen 7 and shukenja 6), felt much braver about venturing inside and exploring. They were surprised to find the complex mainly deserted, and even more surprised to find evidence of a battle (i.e. dead bodies) between humans and humanoid monsters. They were forced to fight some of these monsters themselves, but used classically effective tactics. Bangqiu blasted the leader with magic, Bo Jing and Batzorig led the charge, and Gungar healed the warriors as soon as they were hurt. The monsters were killed and the rescuers continued to explore.

They found a strange series of magic doors that opened by simply touching them. The party felt they were moving deeper and deeper into the hillside only to find themselves walking outside through the same tunnel that they’d entered. Though puzzled, the party also decided that the small room between doors was an ideal place to play, study spell books, and sleep off drunkenness—the warriors had stumbled upon a supply of remarkably delicious beer.

Back in Pasar, Bunko became suspicious that his friends had recovered his statue from the Black Flowers’ hideout, but instead of returning it, had decided to keep it for themselves. He recruited Shoji, an itinerant holy man who for some time had been sheltered by the monk of the Two-Fold Path. Shoji enthusiastically accepted Bunko’s cause and joined him in an expedition to the Black Flowers’ hideout. Bunko seemed to know his way inside and directed Shoji toward the “magic doors” at the back of the complex.

Bangqiu and the others had discovered these same magic doors and, while mystified by their properties had found them a safe space to sleep off the effects of the very fine beer they’d discovered in the mess hall. Just as the drinkers (Batzorig, Bo Jing, Bi-er, and Farang) were starting to feel like they could walk around again, Bunko and Shoji suddenly appeared in their midst—without either door opening. There were brief, awkward introductions—some of the group considered Bunko a very dear friend while others felt a vague, but deep mistrust. Bunko asked about his statue, only to rebuked that some of the Zhounese Brothers might still be imprisoned. “And that is our priority,” Bo Jing told him.

Bunko insisted that he had no interest in recovering the statue until after his loyal friends were safe—unless he found evidence that he must sadly accept their demise. With this, the party agreed to leave the “magic door” rooms. The always unpredictable Bangqiu turned into a rat, climbed into Bo Jing’s backpack, and fell asleep. The others laced up their boots and opened the door by which they’d come in. They were surprised to find themselves in an Octagon room with a statue of a dragon.

Bunko identified the dragon statue as another one of his missing possessions and Bo Jing took a step to claim it. The dragon seemed to come to life—an explosion of green fire engulfed Bo Jing, leaving nothing but a black smudge. Bunko suggested to Shoji that it was a one-time trick and that he should approach from another angle. Although the outcome seemed to be very much the same, Gungar thought he noticed that Shoji wasn’t burned up, but had fallen through the floor. He boldly jumped forward, bracing himself for a fall—and indeed landed in a dark cave in about five feet of cold water. Batzorig came tumbling after, feeling that he might have been pushed rather than jumped. He realized that Bunko was not a good friend.

The 4 adventures and their rat explored a series of strange caverns and their terrifying occupants—sentient ooze, blood-sucking birds, and screaming mushrooms.

The screaming mushrooms attracted the attention of an evil spirit. Gunjar castigated the spirit, rebuking him for its terrible deeds and long refusal to repent. As the spirit writhed and screamed in shame and agony, Bang qiu climbed out of Bo Jing’s backpack and blasted it into oblivion. In the corridor beyond, the explorers found a long smooth hallway, marred by long scratches along the walls—that stopped abruptly at the threshold of a softly glowing room. In the room was the beautiful marble of a woman hunter—the statue coveted by Bunko.

The party lingered here several hours, enjoying the statue’s power to ward off evil spirits (zombies gathered outside the room and were destroyed by fire) and contemplated how to move it. At last Gunjar convinced the others that the statue should not be moved and they continued their exploration.