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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 449627" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chinese Take-outChapter 27, “You Can Fight City Hall”, 4:00 P.M. The group leaves the Yin-Ywe Ming school and heads into the human section of the city, towards the Chunming City Hall, to get a look at the painting of the castle.   The City Hall is located in a massive stone and timber building, seven stories high, and occupying an entire city block. It takes a bit of red-tape cutting to locate to the bureaucrat who has a listing of the locations of all artwork within the building, however, since the Granddaughter of the Ming Clan wants this information the group is helped as expediently as possible.   They are eventually directed to a rear hallway on the fifth floor, where the painting is now on the wall of the office of a Yu-Tin Kwan, an assistant  to a minor official.   They are shown to the office, where they see the painting of the tall black castle, with four spires, out of which pour fire and smoke.   A mounted warrior, whose armor is painted like a member of the undead, takes up most of the foreground.   The occupant of the office asks what he can do for them.  Kim asks to be told about the painting.  Yu-Tin Kwan says that  “It used to be in an office downstairs, but when somebody new got appointed to that post he wanted it removed, finding it too dark and dreary.  It was moved here a few months ago.”    Yu-Tin then says that he has personally done some research on the painting, and that it is of a castle called Darkhold.  He says that it was the main base of operation of the Zhentarim, the mages who ruled the land a half-millennia earlier.  He states that the painting must have been created early in their reign, as most of the outer wall that they had Chunming dwarves later build for them is not depicted.    They party asks where he obtained his information, and he tells them that “There are a group of clerics trying to start a new church in the city, followers of a demigod by the name of Finder Wyvernspur.  The provided me with this information.  Apparently they recently fought and defeated a group of the Zhentarim in their own homeland.”  “What, You mean that group of mages still exist?” Narg exclaims.   “Oh yes,” Yu-Tin answers “They only ruled here for a few centuries, but have been prominent on their home continent for much longer.  The people at the church could probably tell you more.”   “Who exactly is this Finder Wyvernspur?  I’ve never heard of him,” Serita states.   “Few have,” answers Yu-Tin “He’s apparently a new deity, having only recently been ascended to a demigod.”  “With a name like Finder he must be a god for thieves,” Lannon comments.   Yu-Tin answers “Actually, he was a bard, and is now considered to be the ‘god of reckless fools’.”    “Reckless fools?  Sounds like someone for this group,” Serita mutters.   They ask for and are given directions to this church. The group then asks if they can borrow the painting.  Yu-Tin Kwan is very reluctant to let them, and tells them that they would need special permission.  He explains that this permission would be nearly impossible to get and would require many permits, which would take several weeks to obtain and get the appropriate signatures for.   “Yeah, right,” Kim sarcastically answers.   Mojo whispers to Narg “Let’s tell him that a light on it has burned out, and we have to bring it back to the North Pole to fix it.”   “Follow me,” Kim tells the party.  They then meet with the city official who is in charge of the building. This man spends no time at all evaluating and prioritizing that Kim-Sung’s wishes (or rather, her Grandfathers) take much greater precedence over those of Yu-Tin Kwan, and he tells them to “Go ahead,  take the painting, and keep it as long as they wish.   They return to the room with this official and take the painting off of the wall.  As they remove the painting Yu-Tin starts to complain about the bare spot on the wall.  “OK, I’ll replace it for you,” says Duegar, who pulls one of the steaks out of his backpack and sticking it to the nail on the wall.   “What is this!” Yu-Tin explains.  Duegar replies “Humans! Can’t even recognize a fine piece of steak when they see it.”  As they leave Lannon tells Yu-Tin “It would probably look better if you put a couple of pork chops on either side of it.”As they leave Chunming City Hall, Lannon says to Duegar “Wasn’t that the steak you were planning to eat later with Mojo?”  Duegar replies “Yeah, I guess he’ll just have to go without.”   [DM’s note: The painting of Darkhold Castle is from the Forgotten Realms Castles boxed set that is also depicted on the cover of that gaming supplement.]</blockquote>

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