The Sacbe 3 (Ball Game)

The next morning they explored the empty dwellings. They found people, none of them alive.  The furnishing were smashed or burned. The granaries smelled like urine. The travellers maintained their camp on the shelf outside the dwelling houses. In the hazy sky there was prospect of neither sun nor rain.

They rested for several days on the cliff. There was a stream of almost-clear water that that spilled from higher on the cliff into a shallow pool. It was a comfortable place for Divemoye to recover from the scorpion sting. And they had plenty of food for the time being. The porters joked that when the time came to return to the road there would be much less food to carry.

One day, Atl noted a trail that led higher up the cliff. From his new vantage point, he spied a green valley and, beyond that a city. He watched for hours and saw no movement, but thought that maybe he detected a shimmer in the haze that could be the smoke of a cooking fire.

When Divemoye was strong enough, four of the traveller went out to explore the city—these were Atl, Zolin, Young Savage, and Davimoye. Huasteco remained with the porters.

Many of the plants in the green valley were different from those they knew at home. The leaves had a gray tint and the wood was brittle, small branches snapping easily. They explained to each other that this place needed rain even more than they did, but even with this explanation, they couldn’t imagine ever living in such a place. They came to a wide stream, murky green with sediment. They walked upstream, reasoning that the water coursed through the city.

In time, they began to catch glimpses of the city through the leaves on the other side of the stream—the long lines of a palace, the jagged teeth of a pyramid.  These glimpses suggested a settlement larger than they had ever seen. They hurried—and then stopped every time a gap in the forest gave them another view.  What was that sound?  I didn’t hear anything. Do you see something?  Yes, but it was nothing. Should they cross the stream? Yes, they should cross it here.

When Divemoye and Paal entered the water, they were attacked by ravenous fish. Their companions pulled them out and knocked off the several fish still clinging by their teeth. They walked further until they came to a ruined bridge. They needed another way to cross the stream.  Zolin had noticed that the trees growing next to the stream looked healthier than those higher in the valley.  Their branches stretched over the stream meeting branches from trees on the other side.  Thick vines seemed to complete the natural bridge. To prove the virtue of his idea, Zolin climbed up one tree and found his way to the other side. The others followed. Paal came last. A branch snapped and he fell into the stream. Young Savage threw a rope and pulled him to safety before any fish could attack him.

They walked into the city. There were more stone buildings than they had seen before, and at the far end, a pyramid twice as tall.  In front of the pyramid, set below street level, was a stone-paved ball court. Back in Otoch, they had played Ulama on a hard-packed dirt court. They were the best, that’s how they’d been chosen to take all the food they could carry and leave.

Without a word spoken, they climbed down the steep sides to the court. As their feet slapped the pavement, a ball rolled out, shiny and smooth. And a voice, challenging them, “Who will face death today?” The speaker was a powerful man wearing ragged jaguar armor. His four companions wore jaguar fur on the wrists and ankles.

The travellers accepted jaguar knight’s challenge, and listened to his terms— a feast at the conclusion of the match. 

“We have some beans at our camp.”

“No. Meat.” The jaguar knight pointed at one of his men. “Him. Or, one of yours.”

The travellers expressed their disgust. Zolin started to walk away. But for Divemoye, the risk of his life seemed a worthwhile price for a chance to remember happier days. Atl, Paal, and Yung Savage were easily convinced, and Zolin was at last persuaded, though he insisted to his companions that he wouldn’t join any feast as either diner or meal. The others brushed off Zolin’s fears and set aside their weapons and shields.

Two things became obvious. The Otoch travellers were much more skilled. And their opponents were deadly earnest. The Otochs passed the ball among themselves.  After failing to intercept the ball, the Jaguars directed their attacks at any Otoch who neared the goal. When the Otoch dodged these attacks, the lead Jaguar attacked Paal with his fist.  Zolin intervened and tripped the big man, and Atl scored a goal.*  

The Jaguars showed one skill that was new to the Otochs, who were used to playing on a stone court with slanted sidewalls. The Jaguars took the ball and, and bouncing it up the sidewall, chased after it toward the hoop. An impressive feat, but without profit. The Jaguar lost control of the ball, Atl passed it to Divemoye and Divemoye scored another goal.

The Otochs took the ball again almost immediately, and the Jaguar players dropped all pretence of playing for the ball, instead slamming their bodies into the Otochs, or seizing hold of them and trying to throw them down on the pavement.  While bruised and battered, the Otochs evaded the worst attacks and Yung Savage scored another goal.

As the Otochs celebrated, the Jaguars stormed off the court, cursing them as cheaters. They returned, fully armed with large shields and macas. Yung Savage ran to retrieve the Otoch weapons while his friends did their best to defend themselves with their fists and, in Divemoye’s case, the Ulama ball. When Yung Savage returned, the Jaguars surrounded him and before his friends even knew what was happening, killed him.

“Sacrifice!” The Jaguars cheered. “The gods are appeased.”

The Otochs watched as the Jaguar’s carried away their friend’s body. They collected their weapons and returned to the place on the cliff.

*This game was played according to rules written by John Hild and Hoover Dam. Although written for 5e, I found it easy to use in my 1e/2e game.  http://www.dmsguild.com/product/229460/TWR2-The-Maztican-Ball-Game  My previous understanding was that the Aztecs and Mayas played with the near-impossible winner-take-all goal of putting the ball through a stone hoop.  The rules I used, like the rules in the 2e Maztice, and like the modern version of the game allow for endline goals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjLUDMTJnAI

The Sacbe 2 (Interlocution)

After an absence of three days, the old man reappeared one morning with three gifts. First, there was a shield, decorated with feathers woven to depict four figures. Second, an axe, carved from as single piece of hard, dark wood, the wooden blade shod with sharpened copper. Finally, a pair of sandals, decorated with animals. Atl wanted all of them, claiming first one, then another, proposing bargains to his companions, arguments as to which they should prefer.

The old man asked Atl if he was a priest.

No, but he was a plumaweaver.

How was a plumaweaver like a priest?

They know how to please the gods.

What pleases the gods?

Sacrifice.

The old man presented the Shield of Loyalty—for the one who risked their life to save their friends.

Atl knew. That was Zolin, who had fought the red headed men alone when there was no reason left to hope. The four figures depicted on the shield were Atl, Young Savage, Divemoye, and Huasteco. “As you saved their lives, may they save yours.”

The old man presented the Axe of Justice—for the one who risked their life to save strangers.

Again Atl knew. Divemoye was the one who saw the heavy-laden slaves and charged to rescue them, not even turning back to see if his companions would support him. “When you fight for justice, this axe fights with you.”
 

The old man presented the Sandals of Truth—for the one who risked the displeasure of an ornery sorcerer to protect the life of an animal.
 

Atl hesitated, but admitted it was Young Savage who had insisted on freeing the javelina, instead of cooking it for the old man. When Young Savage put the sandals one, the animals decorating the straps began to run and jump. “Any animal you meet will know your true intentions.”

What reward was left for Atl? 

Wisdom. What sacrifice did the gods find pleasing? Did they have need for blood or tears? When Atl offered them a pluma crown, was it cherished for the weight of the feathers?

Atl’s reward, if he accepted it, would be a life of sorrow. A new priest, with no need for a knife.

The travellers returned to the road. It passed through the drying jungle to the barren plains. The white stones of the sacbe half-covered by a fine layer of ash. The bodies of their enemies from many days before were untouched by any scavengers larger than insects.

That night they slept in the open, with no shelter but the hazy sky and solitude. More days passed like this and the road brought them to a broken land of brittle black rocks, seemingly impassable from a distance. And yet the smooth white stone climbed the sharp black mountains step by steps and step by step the travellers followed them. The wind blew ash in their faces, interrupting their conversations.  Squinting, they felt their way across the hard white stones.

In this monotonous dream, the travellers half-welcomed a new sound, a clicking that rose from nowhere and echoed everywhere. Soon the sound grew louder and sharper and its source appeared.  Scorpions, large as monkeys, bright green like leaves of new maize, they sprouted from the dead rocks and swarmed over the travelers.

Young Savage insisted that they should not be harmed. Did the scorpions take his meaning? His companions did, but disregarded it. With axes and spears, they struck at the scorpions and the clicking turned into crunching. Human blood was spilled.  The scorpions’ claws were sharp as daggers. They cut at the legs of Zolin and Paal. One of the porters was knocked to the ground and would have been killed if Atl had not sent the scorpion flying with a sharp blow from his club.  But after several scorpions were killed, the two survivors seized the bodies of their fellows and scrambled away into a crevice.
 

Divemoye followed them into a steep canyon. Ignoring the scrapes on his back he slid down the rough black rock in pursuit.  His companions, without understanding the value of eliminating the scorpions rather than simply driving them away, followed him. Divemoye lost sight of his quarry until a stinger was buried deep in his calf.  With his axe, he killed the scorpion, but he immediately fell to his knee howling in pain.  Atl immediately began applying the healing poultice that he had learned to make with the old man of the pyramid. Zolin and Young Savage scouted for more scorprions.  They saw none, but they saw something much more interesting, a row of buildings tucked under a ledge on the opposite side of the canyon.

They picked their way down to the dry stream bed where they found a well-worn path leading up the other side to the dwelling on the cliff. At the base of the cliff, they found a jumble of broken ladders. Atl climbed up and then threw a rope down for his companions. Divemoye was hosted on two ropes.  As the sun set, everyone collapsed into sleep.

The Sacbe 1 (Leaving Otoch)

Things have been bad in Otoch.  Long-forgotten by the warring powers to the north, the southern peninsula has suffered years of drought and storm.  Hungry refugees from other places who had seen the same cycle.  And then the big one that wiped out whole villages.  In the north, there was food.  In the north, they were wanted.

The elders wouldn't let strong young children wait for the big one.  If you don't leave now, you'll be forced to leave later.

Follow the Sacbe.  Follow it to the great city in the north.  Follow it to another village.  Follow it to the pyramid of the sorcerer.  Follow it anywhere that's not here.

Who?  The best, the brightest, the young:

"Young Savage" Quick with a spear. He knows how to make pulque.
"Zolin" Well-armed, with shield and axe. She keeps the peace.
"Huasteco" Strong like a water plant.  She knows how to braid rope.
"Divemoye" the jokester.  He fights with an axe.
"Atl" the sleeepy Plumaweaver.  He is good at making a fire.

They had slept in the jungle before and the first day was like a party.  But quiet.  No animals.

The second day was the same.  They saw the pyramid and went toward it.

Attack of the flying cat creature-- larger than the largest dog and with wings like a bat.  Huasteco launched her spear as the monster descended. Shadecian braced his against the ground and drove the blade into its armpit even as he was knocked to the ground.  The obsidian blade broke and the monster howled lashing out with its claws.  Mazateco embarassed himself by using this opportunity to strip off Shadecian's loincloth.  Wayob was scratched by the monster and fled into the underbrush.  Zolin beat the monster over the head with her axe.  When the blade broke, she beat him with the haft. The monster roared so loudly that all were stunned.  The monster flapped its wings and took to the air.

The explorers continued their way to the pyramid.  They went to the room on the top platform where they found an old man weaving with feathers.  His design looked like the monster they had just fought.  He explained that he liked to be left alone, but didn't mind the occasional visitor. 

Zolin asked the man what he ate.  He said that he was hungry and she gave him some food.  He thanked her and showed them around his home.

Soon it was time to press on.  The pyramid was a safe place to rest, but neither the travelers nor the old man had food to spare.

From the top of the pyramid they studied what lay before them.  The sacbe threaded invisibly through the jungle, but in the distance, it emerged from the greenery into a sea of brown grass, the white stones glistening in the bright sun.  From the top of the pyramid, they saw their road would join another road to become part of the great sacbe pointing northwest, to heart of the Nexal empire.

As they made their way through the last few miles of jungle, this image of the open road was by turns encouraging and tantalyzing.  Huasteco fell sick, but the others urged her on.  Night came  They slept, and woke before dawn, stumbling forward in the darkness and the fog.  They emerged from the fog and jungle onto the plains.  As the fog cleared, they saw people, other travelers.

The other travelers were a larger group than them and moving slowly, also traveling north and west.  Some were laden with baskets, others with red head-dresses and whips.

Blastoise told his companions that he was going to kill the men with the whips.  Taking his axe in hand, he sprinted forward.  The others trotted behind him and, when they came in range, shot arrows at the man at the head of the column.  Blastoiste attacked the big man at the back of the column and killed him with two quick blows.

The men in red head-dresses welcomed this opportunity for battle.  Their five captives, laden with baskets continued to walk the road.

Blastoiste fought ferociously, felling another foe and wounding two others.  His companions closed more cautiously, continuing to shoot arrows.  Their enemies hurled their spears and closed.  With two men down, the red-head-dress men numbered 5 and the travelers from Otoch soon relized they were out-matched.  Young Savage was the first to be wounded and the first to desert the battle.  He drew off two of the red head-dress men.  One was hit by Young Savage's arrow, but did not falter.  They caught him and together battered him to the ground.  One knelt to prevent Young Savage from bleeding to death and the other overpowered Huasteco.

Atl was the next to fall, followed by Blastoise, but not before he killed another foe.  As on of the red-head-dressed men, knelt to take Atl as a living prisoner, Zolin came behind him and cleaved his skull with her axe.  The other red-head-dress men jeered their friend's spectacular death and jeered at Zolin as they tried to grapple her my the shoulders.  Zolin shook them off, swinging her axe.  She fought alone against two attackers, while the third living red head-dressed men went from one friend to another, staunching their wounds and claiming them as prisoners.

Zolin was struck by a maca and fell to one knee.  As her assailant again tried to overpower her, she rose and attacked them in a blind fury.  She killed them both and broke her axe head.

The last of her foes, smiling at this opportunity to take such a fearsome prisoner or die trying, was clubbed sensenless and then to death.

Zolin called out to the burden carriers.  They stopped, awaiting the commands of their new master.  They wer carrying loads of beans and rice.  Zolin confirmed that her friends were all still breathing.  She gave them water and helped them recover their breath.

Zolin selected the best of the weapons from the fallen enemies.  The burden-carriers refused to touch any weapons, but would help Zolin bring her friends back to the old man's pyramid.

Burne's obsession

After months or years of wandering from one village to another and through trackless forests,
Kirioto and Ed were ready to try their luck again in the dungeons below the ruined moathouse.

They returned to Hommelet and offered their services to Burne who was, indeed still seeking the legendary pools that were the key to understanding elven magic.

Burne had a new assistant, Vegan, who eager to prove himself worthy, gladly joined the quest.

They recruited Phoenix, a brash warrior lass, ready to test herself.

The party was completed by Dane, a priest of Raud who was looking for Gerrilyn, a fellow disciple who disappeared from the mother church some time ago and last seen by the people of Hommelet  about to venture out on her own expedition to the moathouse.

The guards at the moathouse (a.k.a. Burne's Badgers) helpfully moved the pile of rocks and debris that held down the dungeon trapdoor, whistling a syncopated version of a well-known funeral dirge. The party lit their torches and ventured down a flight of well-constructed wooden stairs, narrowly missing a glob of green slime that fell from the ceiling and began dissolving the wooden steps. Stepping over the slime, the party reached the bottom of the stairs and began to look around. Ed pointed out the hallway where their companion Vlad had met his death by zombies. Kirioto noted some newly-constructed doors.  Locked.

Rebuffed by the threat of zombies and the locked doors, the party found a third option, a series of square rooms connected by old, unlocked doors.  Listening outside one of them, Ed heard noises-- footsteps, the grinding of stone on stone.  By the time they opened the door, there was no sound, not sound of what had made it.  There was, however, a small cell, and within it a prisoner. Ed picked the lock and Dane addressed the prisoner. He was dressed in Burne's livery and seemed in decent health, though a bit smelly, and very confused.  He offered them some food-- there was indeed a slection of bread, fruit, and wine in the cell. Dane declined and pressed him for his story. The man, who remembered his name was Sief, explained that he was one of Burne's Badgers and that, he had ventured into the dungeon alone. Because he was hungry. And met some talking bears. Convinced that he was harmless, the party escorted him up the stairs. "Watch your step!"

The other Badgers were happy and surprised to see him.  "We thought you deserted!"
"Dessert? The Bears will bring us some pudding!"

The party went back into the dungeon. Emboldend by the successful rescue, the party broke down the first of the pair of new doors and found a cache of weapons and food, including dried fruit like that which Sief had been eating. Ed, feeling paranoid, convinced the rest of the party that they needed to deal with the zombies or risk being surprised later.

Phoenix led the way down the zombie hallway. As she passed the first of several large pillars, two  zombies lumbered after her.  Ed shouted an alarm and Phoenix whirled to defend herself.  The battle was on.

A row of five cell doors opened and more zombies started to emerge.  Phoenix leapt into action, holding one of the doors closed and one pair of zombies trapped inside. Dane tried to turn the zombies, but faltered, and, still gripping his holy symbol in one hand, also readied is war hammer. Kirioto drew his sword and slashed one of the zombies to pieces.  Ed stepped back and notched an arrow.  Vegan mumbled what sounded like magic words that didn't seem to have any noticeable effect.

As the crowd of zombies approached, Dane charged to meet them. The rest of his party hung back. Phoenix held the door, and Kirioto assisted her, fending off the remaining zombie that had attacked from behind the pillar.  Ed shot an arrow that went wild. Vegan cast another spell.  Dane bashed one of the zombies in the face before being surrounded and killed by the others.  Ed gave the order to retreat. All responded.  Phoenix hesitated, but at least released the door and ran her fastest.

The party ran back to the storage room and up the stairs.  They heard the zombies tearing up Dane.  On the other side of the trapdoor, the Badgers were a little slow in answering the call to open the trapdoor. "Back again? Again? Already?"

Not wanting to say anything that might discourage the guards from opening the trapdoor, the party didn't say anything about the zombies, who by, the sound of it, were slowly drawing closer.  "Yeah," Kirioto explained, "we accidentally started a fire." This was also true.  When two zombies appeared at the bottom of the stairs, Ed through his lantern at them, followed by a flask of oil.  Both zombies burst into flames. "Yeah," Vegan added, "And I had to pee.  It smells really bad." This was also true.

While the lackadaisical Badgers, rolled away the stones, the party watched in horror as two burning zombies began climbing the stairs.  The first was completely consumed by flames, but the second kept climbing higher-- until it fell into the hole created by the green slime! Clouds of black smoke filled the air as the fire burned up the zombie, the slime, and-- by the time the trapdoor was opened, the flight of wooden stairs.  The Badgers pulled the party to safety and then slammed the door shut.

Seven Zhounese Brothers Part 1 (Two Nights in Pasar)

As hoped, the Monastery of the Two-Fold Path welcomed Bi-Gon-Dang as their spiritual brother and offered hospitality to him and his friends.   Over the next several weeks, Bi-Gon-Dang trained Sum-Dank in the ways of the Savage Tiger, a martial arts form that relied on sudden burst of raw strength to subdue one's opponents. Sum-Dank learned to use his nekode-- a strange claw-like weapon or climbing implement that he had inherited from a mysterious grandfather-- to master the grapple-and-throw techniques of the style. Because weapons were completely banned from Pasar, knowledge of a martial art seemed likely to come in handy.

While Sum-Dank was training, Bat, Bojing, and Sukh got to know the city of Pasar. Their young friend Bug became something of a liability to the trio of warriors, as they strove to be good role models while prowling gambling dens and drinking houses.

Enter the Seven Zhounese Brothers. These were deserters from the Imperial Army who, according to rumor, were rejected by the Black Flowers because they were too vicious. Maybe just too drunk. Regardless, even worse role models for Bug and thus, all the more appealing.

When Bug wasn't seen at the Monastery for a day, his guardians asked some questions and found out where the Seven Zhounese Brothers lived-- a run-down, two-story warehouse that had been built by the Silk Merchants Guild when they first established business in Pasar.

Waiting for dark, Bug's friends made a plan and went out to rescue him.

The rescuers:

Sukh, level 2 bushi
Bojing, level 1 samurai
Sum-Dank, level 3 bushi and his adviser/trainer, Bi-Gon-Dang, level 1monk

While they were staking out the house, an oddly-dressed man walked by, quietly laughing to himself.  He stopped suddenly and addressed them.  "Why not go inside? I'm sure they'll be glad to see you."

Sukh and Sum-Dank were half-surprised, half-outraged and peppered the man with questions. He laughed and started walking.  They blinked and he was gone.

The house was surrounded by a low wall without an obvious gate, but easily climbed.  Once inside the yard, dogs started barking.  There was light in the top floor of the house but not obvious way to reach the front door.  The stairs leading up to it had crumbled into rubble. On the bottom floor, the warehouse doors were boarded up, but looked like they could be broken down.

Bojing, Sum-Dank, and Sum-Dank found the weakest of the warehouse doors and began pulling at the hinges. Inside the dogs, started barking like crazy.  With a little work, the entire door was pulled off and fell flat on the ground. The dogs charged out.  One caught Bi-Gon-Dang by surprise, knocking him down and seizing him by the throat. The rest of the party were surrounded by snarling, snapping dogs. Sum-Dank seized one dog and slammed it to the ground, but another seized this opportunity to rip into his leg. Bojing pulled some cooked meat from Sum-Dank's ration bag and, with it, managed to distract one of the dogs, but the others seemed hungry for fresh food. Sukh fought his way towards Bi-Gon-Dang, still struggling on the ground, but without any weapons but a small knife, the rabid dogs were not easily intimidated.

When Bi-Gon-Dang stopped struggling, his friends gave him up for dead and ran to save their own lives. As they reached the hedge wall, the front door opened on the top story and the Brothers hurled curses and bricks.

The next night, sad, bitter, and nursing dog bites, the rescuers returned to the house with a new companion and a better plan.

They went to the back of the house and Sum-Dank.  No barking. He heard the snores of content, sleeping dogs, and upstairs, the noise of bickering brothers. Staying well away from the entrance to dogs' lair, Sum-Dank climbed up the side of the house to the roof.  The roof was in poor shape.  Light shone through the shingles and there were gaping hole in several places. He pin-pointed where the Brothers were inside the house-- in a room near the front of the house, drinking and playing dice.  Sum-Dunk tied a rope to a cross beam and dropped it for his friends to climb up.  Together, they decided, that Sukh and Bojing would climb down to the landing in front of the front door.  They would knock and when they did, Sum-Dank would climb down into the house and either find Bug or attack the brothers form behind r otherwise cause havoc.

Everything went more-or-less according to plan.  The brothers first ignored the knocking and then began yelling threats and insults. Plenty of commotion to cover Sum-Dank as he climbed down into a room in the back of the house.  This was the worst room of the house and of course Bug was found there. He was scared, hungry and beaten, curled up in moldy blankets. He started to cry when he saw Sum-Dank.

The noise might have attracted the Brothers if they weren't yelling so loud themselves.  At last they decided, together, to go open the door, and thrash those &$%*!s. Bojing and Sukh started to climb down the front of the house.  Slipping on the loose brickwork, they reached the ground well before the Brothers had opened the door.  After giving the Brothers a chance to scream challenges and throw the most hand pieces of brick into the street,  Bo Jing and Sukh pulled themselves up, rubbed their sprained ankles and hobbled toward out of the yard as fast as they could.  Sum-Dank and Bug, meanwhile, climbed back out of the house, and made their own escape.

Bug's disappearance was soon discovered. "Good riddance! I was about to kill that whiny brat!"

Gua-Sar Caves

In the aftermath of the break-up of the Slavers' Stockade, a new generation of adventurers, heroes, wanderers, and fortune-seekers found each other in Kāi'ěrwén, a rough-and-tumble market town about a day's travel from Quitokai.

The company:

Shoji, level 4 shukenja
Sukh, level 1 bushi
Bojing, level 1 samurai
Bat, level 1 barbarian
Sum-Dank, level 2 bushi and his adviser/trainer, Bi-Gon-Dang, level 1monk

Bojing and Bat, despite their very different upbringings were distantly related.  Their fathers, believing that the two could learn something from each other and grow up to be the broad-minded men that the next age would require, had conspired to send them on a vague mission to find the burial place of their common ancestor, rumored to be found in the mountains beyond the southwest edge of the empire.  Interpreting this as a license to adventure and with a budget befitting their high stations in life (minor aristocrat of the imperial court and powerful khan of the high steppes), they found themselves tumbling roughly in Kāi'ěrwén, chasing rumors that someone deserved a righteous beat-down.

Shoji and Sukh had followed a caravan out of Pasar with every intention of assisting Gwinch in overthrowing the slavers, but had somehow been left behind in the Kāi'ěrwén market.  After a few weeks of begging and odd jobs, their welcome was nearly worn out.

Sum-Dank and Bi-Gon-Dang knew there were more slavers to fight in Khanbaliq but also knew they needed back-up.

One night, Bat was on an evening stroll, and he saw a very big man threating a tearful boy.  Not an uncommon sight in Kāi'ěrwén, but no less distasteful to Bat for its banality.  The streets deserted, Bat knew it was his fate to stop it.  He punched the man.  The man drew a knife and sliced Bat.  Bat punched the man again.  The man ran away.  The boy cried even more loudly.

Bat carried him back to his inn.  The noise awakened everyone.  Bojing asked the boy where his parents were.  There was a language barrier.  Either his parents were both dead or the mother was dead and the father had just received a righteous beat-down.  Sum-Dank wanted to knw the boys name.  Bug.  Or that's what he was called.  Little bug.  Dirty bug.  Squished bug.

Shoji suggested it was time for the boy to leave Kāi'ěrwén.

And so the inhabitants of the inn came to realize they were all tired of living in an inn.  Shoji and Sukh volunteered that they knew of a much nicer town.  Good food, nice people.  Pasar.  It wasn't easy to get to, without an imperial escort.  The road was infested with bandits.  And imperial armies.  The mountain passes were high and cold.  But Shoji and Sukh knew another way, a secret way, right through the mountains.

They set out the next morning.  Bojing and Sukh had second thoughts about taking a child with them into a cave, even one paved with an attractive pattern of hexagonal stones.  But Bug had no relatives.  And Bat and Sum-Dank seemed to believe he had a special destiny that they each hoped to share.  There were arguments, a vote, more arguments, threats, tears.  Finally Bug decided.  He trusted Bat and would go with him.

The journey under the mountain was long, dreary, and often dark.  And it seemed that Sukh and Shoji did not have direct personal knowledge of the way or how long the tunnel extended.  On the long straight stretches, the party rationed their torches by marching in near darkness, their way lit by a glowing ember.

After two days, they emerged in a small clearing, surrounded by steep cliffs.  Behind a waterfall was another cave, flooded with glowing greenish-yellow water. 

Happily, there were several small boats, one of for each of them.  One of them was large enough to hold both Bat and Bug.  They paddled slowly, letting the current carry them along.  Bat thought he heard screaming.  Bojing saw hands in the water.  When they spotted a sandy beach, they landed and explored the caverns.  Unlike the underground they had followed earlier, in the days previous, this was a circuit of winding natural tunnels.  In a large, muddy cavern, everyone saw a hand reach up out of the much and grab Sukh by the ankle.  At once, 4 more, disgusting undead creatures likewise rose up to attack.  Bat and Bojing pulled Bug out of the room, leaving the others to fight the monsters.  Despite their horrifying aspect and own lack of fear, the creatures were soon destroyed. 

Bat and Bojing, in their flight had stumbled upon a tunnel that seemed to lead toward the light.  Calling out to the others, the party reunited.  This tunnel was paved in hexagonal stones.  The party followed it steadily upward for several hours until they emerged on a verdant hillside.  Climbing up into the hills to get a higher vantage point, Sukh and Shoji were able to confirm that they were almost to Pasar.  Another day of travel, this one through steamy jungle that almost made them miss the cool darkness of the caves, the party arrived in Pasar. 
 

Monastery of the Crimson Monks

Beatriss and Tetsukichi had been away from the Happy Valley-- and their families for more than a year.  Beatriss's children, being half-spiritfolk, were causing trouble.  For others.  And maybe themselves.

Damai, a skilled hunter and tracker offered to help the local community find non-harmful way to keep their animals safe from the foxes that were probably the children of their local ruler.  What he found was that at least one of the "foxes" wasn't chickens for food or even sport.  They were gifts.  Gifts for someone that lived up in the unexplored hills on the west side of the valley.  Damai followed the tracks and found a small pile of chicken corpses outside the entrance to what looked like a small cave formed by a rockslide-- but proved to be the entrance to something larger and intentional.  There were stairs carved into the stone, and a door.

Based on Damai's report, Beatriss, Tetsukichi, and their associates went to investigate.  They explored an eerie complex of rooms that was clearly one something and in dissembling might become something else.  There were shrines dedicated to sinister spirits, defaced in a way that made them more sinister.  And there were bakemono and goblins, many of them, in all colors and shapes, their only common feature being that they were dead.  There was a large room with a vaulted ceiling, whose only notable feature-- sockets carved into the stone walls-- hinted at some notable purpose that the explorers could not discern.

And there were people.  People in red robes, who greeted them with grave, menacing civility.  They were members of a religious order, and they were visiting.  Beatriss, hoping for more information, volunteered that some children from her village had been exploring in the hills and stumbled upon the entrance.  The robed visitors wanted to meet these children and offered a reward.
Beatriss agreed to bring them.  And then got out as quick as she could.

Returning home, Beatriss questioned her children and found out that they had been feasting and playing with the bakemono.  Beatriss told them that their playmates were all dead and not to go back to the cave in the hills.