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The Celestial Empire (Romance of the Three Kingdoms-ish, Updated 12/09/05)
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<blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 1969520" data-attributes="member: 15043"><p>This dagger cause them a bunch of problems later... so drag n fly's right IMHO <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Another Evil Surprise; A Funeral</strong></p><p></p><p>It took the best of Chou and then Nayu’s cajoling to get the other worried lodgers within the inn to disperse without seeing the chaos for themselves, while it took all of Felonca’s nerves to regain her composure, and along with Liu and Li, start to clean up the macabre scene.</p><p></p><p>By morning the dreadful task was done, ad both Nayu and Liu slept in far past when the sun rose. Thankfully it was not until perhaps noon when the scholar from the Hu court arrived, and began rousing everyone from their slumber with shouts and yells. Apparently sleeping in was neither ‘dignified’ nor ‘virtuous.’</p><p></p><p>Quickly, they dress themselves in the fine clothing provided; Felonca receives on loan a fine silken cloak with shawl, under which she sneaks her warfans, Chou and Li both fine sets of armor that a bodyguard might wear (though not magical in the least), Liu a fine shirt and silken skirt. Nayu, of course, receives raiment worthy of a prince, with a long, fine silken robe with etchings and gold weave across its surface, a tall black hat upon his head, strings of pearls dangling from its front and back over his face.</p><p></p><p>Thus dressed, the band of unruly commoners marched towards the halls of power...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“Now, <em>my prince</em>,” the scholar accented Nayu’s temporary role, “you will be the first to be allowed up to the funeral bier of your father, since you are the prodigal son, recently returned from banishment.”</p><p></p><p>Nayu nodded emptily, his eyes awash with the flood of sights and sounds of palace life about him. The soft rustle of their sandals echoed about the massive chambers they went through, banners, characters and silk hanging from all corners. Every servant they passed, immediately kow towed to the supposed prince, dropping whatever they were doing and immediately falling on their knees, placing their heads to the floor.</p><p></p><p><em>I could get used to this...</em> Nayu thought, but managed to keep the grin that would’ve appeared off his face.</p><p></p><p>They rounded another corner and crossed a large garden, before they stopped in front of a large set of double doors, massive dragon heads rearing out of their immense brass forms. A team of eight servants scuttled in front of them, and pulled the immense doors open.</p><p></p><p>And they all blinked.</p><p></p><p>The smell of incense and perfume was overpowering, as a mass of elegantly and expensively decorate persons twittered quietly on each side of a simple red carpet that ran the length of the audience chamber. Where the governor’s throne would have been, now rested a simple slab, upon which the bier would be placed.</p><p></p><p>“Remember, walk with elegance,” the scholar whispered from behind Nayu as they ventured into the chambers. The first people they passed, furthest from the front, began performing kow tow to Nayu and company. The scholar gave them a look of disdian, before looking towards the front.</p><p></p><p>“My prince, that young man there,” he whispered from just behind Nayu’s ear, “is your brother, Hu Man.” Nayu looked towards the man in question, clad in similar robes and a similar headdress. He too was tall, but not nearly as thin, and unlike Nayu’s fledgling mustache and beard, his face was shrouded in a perfumed, elegant black beard. The man’s eyes flicked towards Nayu momentarily, and even the young sorcerer could see the barely muted anger and distaste in them.</p><p></p><p>“Why did my brother exile me, teacher?” Nayu asked softly as the walked further up the aisle.</p><p></p><p>“You were gathering allies to usurp him from his rightful position of heir... so he says,” came the quiet dry reply. Nayu’s eyes then looked about more, and sitting beside Hu Man, he spotted a very beautiful, demure looking woman, whose dress appeared to be woven gold and silver, her skin with subtle arrays of orange coloring. A member of the Qing.</p><p></p><p>“That is the Empress Dowager,” the scholar answered Nayu’s question before he even aired it. “She and her family, who govern our neighbors, Shu Province, were close friends of your father. As the young Emperor is only ten, she is on the Council that advises him. So is the man sitting next to her... her brother, the Prince of Shu.”</p><p></p><p>Nayu saw a large, fierce man sitting next to her, clad in black armor with gold trimmings. His face also held the trace coloring of orange that bespoke of tiger hengeyokai ancestry. As he was seated, Nayu could only see the hilt of his weapon, but that alone bespoke of an enormous sword. As Nayu watched, he clasped his hands while talking to another man next to him, and even from that distance Nayu could see the claws he possessed.</p><p></p><p><em>Great... so I’m impersonating a Prince at a funeral that might result in an assassination attempt... all in front of princes, governors, and the Empress HERSELF?</em> </p><p></p><p>Carefully, the group of five found their spot, a set of five pads set aside in the front row. Nayu took the first, followed by Felonca, Liu, Chou, then Li. They knelt in their spots, and waited.</p><p></p><p>To their relief, there was only a small wait, not enough for anyone to have started a chat with the nervous party members, before a massive gong sounded deep within the palace. From outside, the cry from the official wailing mourners drifted in, as ten servants brought in the elegant funeral bier, seemingly made of marble, etchings and drawings of parts of Prince Hu’s life on each side.</p><p></p><p><em>I don’t cry yet,</em> Nayu remembered, as those behind him burst into wails. He glanced to his side to the other side of the aisle, and noted that neither Hu Man nor the Dowager Empress were wailing. A good sign.</p><p></p><p>Carefully the servants set the bier upon its pedastal, and then backed away, after each step performing a kow tow. It was the first sign that the ceremony was likely to be a very long one.</p><p></p><p>Nayu couldn’t say he liked the service. It seemed that the various eulogies delivered were all with a motive. One of the chief scholars of Kongshi asked to speak on the life of the late prince hardly mentioned his supposed dead friend, instead almost lambasting the monks of Shenyang for following the teachings of a foreign devil who did not acknowledge the <em>dao.</em> A representative of Liu’s faith was next, and proceeded to diplomatically call all the scholars ‘narrow-minded.’</p><p></p><p>The Empress’ brother, the Prince of Shu, rose and proceeded to tell only a few anecdotes of his father serving alongside the late man while fighting the northern barbarians, before he issued some poignant ‘quotes’ from the late man all but slamming the provincial governors of Han, another great family to the south. Their representative, in turn, did the same thing to Shu. </p><p></p><p>And so it went... squabblings and snappings back and forth between the great families and intellectuals of the Empire, and Nayu realized why his instructions on what to do when he reached the bier were so precise, and so over the top. <em>Scream. Cry. Beat the side of the bier and wail with the utmost anguish,</em> the scholar had said. </p><p></p><p><em>In the midst of this squabbling, that would make Prince Shikai look truthful in his grief... something these scholar people describe as virtuous, I gather,</em> Nayu thought, before a dark thought crossed his own mind.</p><p></p><p><em>Too bad even those plans are getting interrupted.</em></p><p></p><p>As the time drew near, Nayu silently went through the rituals he would have to go through, as well as the improvised plans he’d have to rush through...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“And so, the elements have returned to their state. The fire that gave Prince Hu Lun his strength on the field of battle, the water that gave him a fluid mind, the envy of scholars, the air that carried Heaven’s blessings to him, and the earth which made his people prosper, all have returned to their native states,” the last man to speak, a wizened crone of a man that was evidently the most senior scholar in the palace, intoned.</p><p></p><p><em>That’s his cue,</em> Felonca thought. She even as Nayu somehow concocted fake tears on his face, she heard the barest of whispers coming to his lips, words that were decided not mumblings of grief. Instinctively, she tensed, her muscles coiling, ready to spring, leap forward once the chaos began.</p><p></p><p>She had little idea how chaotic things would truly become.</p><p></p><p>Nayu slowly went forward, sniffling even as the whispers of his <em>levitation</em> spell disappeared from her ears. <em>Wow... he is impressive,</em> she thought, as he drew up next to the bier. Slowly, the lid of the bier began to shift, and she heard hisses and quiet gasps going through the crowd. With a slight smirk, she looked over towards the Empress, and Hu Man. The Empress had an unconcerned frown on her face, while Hu Man had a huge smile.</p><p></p><p>Alarms went off in her head, as a strange shriek and roar thundered out of the funeral bier. The marble lid flew off, and ten dark streaks flashed upward into the air. Felonca’s muscles uncoiled, launching her forward as she saw what finally had flown out... horrors, abberations of life.</p><p></p><p>The ten <em>things</em> now hovered in the air around Nayu. They were heads, the skin black and shrunken, drawn tight over the muscles and skull. In the place of hair, long, thick strands, almost tentacles, hung off their scalps. As they opened their mouths to let loose another scream, she saw each floating head held long, sharp teeth, dripping with foul ichor.</p><p></p><p>It was then that the chaos began, as the crowd surged towards the rear as the party surged forward to defend their friend. In the chaos of leaping forward, Felonca found her eyes looking back towards the fleeing mass. While most were pushing and shoving to leave, the Dowager Empress, her brother, and the young Hu Man, were calmly walking away, a barely disguised chuckle on Hu Man’s lips...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Emperor Valerian, post: 1969520, member: 15043"] This dagger cause them a bunch of problems later... so drag n fly's right IMHO :) [b]Another Evil Surprise; A Funeral[/b] It took the best of Chou and then Nayu’s cajoling to get the other worried lodgers within the inn to disperse without seeing the chaos for themselves, while it took all of Felonca’s nerves to regain her composure, and along with Liu and Li, start to clean up the macabre scene. By morning the dreadful task was done, ad both Nayu and Liu slept in far past when the sun rose. Thankfully it was not until perhaps noon when the scholar from the Hu court arrived, and began rousing everyone from their slumber with shouts and yells. Apparently sleeping in was neither ‘dignified’ nor ‘virtuous.’ Quickly, they dress themselves in the fine clothing provided; Felonca receives on loan a fine silken cloak with shawl, under which she sneaks her warfans, Chou and Li both fine sets of armor that a bodyguard might wear (though not magical in the least), Liu a fine shirt and silken skirt. Nayu, of course, receives raiment worthy of a prince, with a long, fine silken robe with etchings and gold weave across its surface, a tall black hat upon his head, strings of pearls dangling from its front and back over his face. Thus dressed, the band of unruly commoners marched towards the halls of power... “Now, [i]my prince[/i],” the scholar accented Nayu’s temporary role, “you will be the first to be allowed up to the funeral bier of your father, since you are the prodigal son, recently returned from banishment.” Nayu nodded emptily, his eyes awash with the flood of sights and sounds of palace life about him. The soft rustle of their sandals echoed about the massive chambers they went through, banners, characters and silk hanging from all corners. Every servant they passed, immediately kow towed to the supposed prince, dropping whatever they were doing and immediately falling on their knees, placing their heads to the floor. [i]I could get used to this...[/i] Nayu thought, but managed to keep the grin that would’ve appeared off his face. They rounded another corner and crossed a large garden, before they stopped in front of a large set of double doors, massive dragon heads rearing out of their immense brass forms. A team of eight servants scuttled in front of them, and pulled the immense doors open. And they all blinked. The smell of incense and perfume was overpowering, as a mass of elegantly and expensively decorate persons twittered quietly on each side of a simple red carpet that ran the length of the audience chamber. Where the governor’s throne would have been, now rested a simple slab, upon which the bier would be placed. “Remember, walk with elegance,” the scholar whispered from behind Nayu as they ventured into the chambers. The first people they passed, furthest from the front, began performing kow tow to Nayu and company. The scholar gave them a look of disdian, before looking towards the front. “My prince, that young man there,” he whispered from just behind Nayu’s ear, “is your brother, Hu Man.” Nayu looked towards the man in question, clad in similar robes and a similar headdress. He too was tall, but not nearly as thin, and unlike Nayu’s fledgling mustache and beard, his face was shrouded in a perfumed, elegant black beard. The man’s eyes flicked towards Nayu momentarily, and even the young sorcerer could see the barely muted anger and distaste in them. “Why did my brother exile me, teacher?” Nayu asked softly as the walked further up the aisle. “You were gathering allies to usurp him from his rightful position of heir... so he says,” came the quiet dry reply. Nayu’s eyes then looked about more, and sitting beside Hu Man, he spotted a very beautiful, demure looking woman, whose dress appeared to be woven gold and silver, her skin with subtle arrays of orange coloring. A member of the Qing. “That is the Empress Dowager,” the scholar answered Nayu’s question before he even aired it. “She and her family, who govern our neighbors, Shu Province, were close friends of your father. As the young Emperor is only ten, she is on the Council that advises him. So is the man sitting next to her... her brother, the Prince of Shu.” Nayu saw a large, fierce man sitting next to her, clad in black armor with gold trimmings. His face also held the trace coloring of orange that bespoke of tiger hengeyokai ancestry. As he was seated, Nayu could only see the hilt of his weapon, but that alone bespoke of an enormous sword. As Nayu watched, he clasped his hands while talking to another man next to him, and even from that distance Nayu could see the claws he possessed. [i]Great... so I’m impersonating a Prince at a funeral that might result in an assassination attempt... all in front of princes, governors, and the Empress HERSELF?[/i] Carefully, the group of five found their spot, a set of five pads set aside in the front row. Nayu took the first, followed by Felonca, Liu, Chou, then Li. They knelt in their spots, and waited. To their relief, there was only a small wait, not enough for anyone to have started a chat with the nervous party members, before a massive gong sounded deep within the palace. From outside, the cry from the official wailing mourners drifted in, as ten servants brought in the elegant funeral bier, seemingly made of marble, etchings and drawings of parts of Prince Hu’s life on each side. [i]I don’t cry yet,[/i] Nayu remembered, as those behind him burst into wails. He glanced to his side to the other side of the aisle, and noted that neither Hu Man nor the Dowager Empress were wailing. A good sign. Carefully the servants set the bier upon its pedastal, and then backed away, after each step performing a kow tow. It was the first sign that the ceremony was likely to be a very long one. Nayu couldn’t say he liked the service. It seemed that the various eulogies delivered were all with a motive. One of the chief scholars of Kongshi asked to speak on the life of the late prince hardly mentioned his supposed dead friend, instead almost lambasting the monks of Shenyang for following the teachings of a foreign devil who did not acknowledge the [i]dao.[/i] A representative of Liu’s faith was next, and proceeded to diplomatically call all the scholars ‘narrow-minded.’ The Empress’ brother, the Prince of Shu, rose and proceeded to tell only a few anecdotes of his father serving alongside the late man while fighting the northern barbarians, before he issued some poignant ‘quotes’ from the late man all but slamming the provincial governors of Han, another great family to the south. Their representative, in turn, did the same thing to Shu. And so it went... squabblings and snappings back and forth between the great families and intellectuals of the Empire, and Nayu realized why his instructions on what to do when he reached the bier were so precise, and so over the top. [i]Scream. Cry. Beat the side of the bier and wail with the utmost anguish,[/i] the scholar had said. [i]In the midst of this squabbling, that would make Prince Shikai look truthful in his grief... something these scholar people describe as virtuous, I gather,[/i] Nayu thought, before a dark thought crossed his own mind. [i]Too bad even those plans are getting interrupted.[/i] As the time drew near, Nayu silently went through the rituals he would have to go through, as well as the improvised plans he’d have to rush through... “And so, the elements have returned to their state. The fire that gave Prince Hu Lun his strength on the field of battle, the water that gave him a fluid mind, the envy of scholars, the air that carried Heaven’s blessings to him, and the earth which made his people prosper, all have returned to their native states,” the last man to speak, a wizened crone of a man that was evidently the most senior scholar in the palace, intoned. [i]That’s his cue,[/i] Felonca thought. She even as Nayu somehow concocted fake tears on his face, she heard the barest of whispers coming to his lips, words that were decided not mumblings of grief. Instinctively, she tensed, her muscles coiling, ready to spring, leap forward once the chaos began. She had little idea how chaotic things would truly become. Nayu slowly went forward, sniffling even as the whispers of his [i]levitation[/i] spell disappeared from her ears. [i]Wow... he is impressive,[/i] she thought, as he drew up next to the bier. Slowly, the lid of the bier began to shift, and she heard hisses and quiet gasps going through the crowd. With a slight smirk, she looked over towards the Empress, and Hu Man. The Empress had an unconcerned frown on her face, while Hu Man had a huge smile. Alarms went off in her head, as a strange shriek and roar thundered out of the funeral bier. The marble lid flew off, and ten dark streaks flashed upward into the air. Felonca’s muscles uncoiled, launching her forward as she saw what finally had flown out... horrors, abberations of life. The ten [i]things[/i] now hovered in the air around Nayu. They were heads, the skin black and shrunken, drawn tight over the muscles and skull. In the place of hair, long, thick strands, almost tentacles, hung off their scalps. As they opened their mouths to let loose another scream, she saw each floating head held long, sharp teeth, dripping with foul ichor. It was then that the chaos began, as the crowd surged towards the rear as the party surged forward to defend their friend. In the chaos of leaping forward, Felonca found her eyes looking back towards the fleeing mass. While most were pushing and shoving to leave, the Dowager Empress, her brother, and the young Hu Man, were calmly walking away, a barely disguised chuckle on Hu Man’s lips... [/QUOTE]
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