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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 2070924" data-attributes="member: 15043">Well, they’ve paid for these easy ones in spades, so far... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />  And I think the new course of things has gone better than the previous course that would’ve happened if Hao Tong had stayed alive.And yeah, I call things as they are.  The players (well, Nayu's player) made a good case that if fireballs are being chucked at the man, his horse would panic.  Reasonable, which would require a handle animal to get the horse to do anything.  So I did that... and he failed. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f641.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":(" title="Frown    :("  data-smilie="3"data-shortname=":(" />So, this is the start of the seventh session, with the party having just returned to Mingzhong, intent on delivering their news to Prince Hu...In Mingzhong Yet Again... and Felonca Meets Yet Another Old Acquaintance...“Master Wakabayashi, Felonca did not lie when she said you were a master trader,” Yari Ai grinned, the healing staff still clutched close to her chest in the morning light of Mingzhong.  “I saw senior sisters in my order with these, but I was never able to get one.  And now...” she playfully touched its tip to the sorcerer’s shoulder, “You have been healed!” she declared in a mock commanding tone.Nayu gave a smug smile, and then casually blew on his fingertips.  “It’s not that hard, if you know the scholars, and know their breaking points!”  He looked down to his own morningstar, now shimmering with magical power.  “Such as... one; scholars will pay through the nose for things random and rare, like the skin of that white furred, overgrown horse of a lion we killed,” he chuckled.  “And since you’ve decided to stay with us, I guessed you needed some equipment!”“After talking with Felonca, that wasn’t a hard decision,” Yari Ai smiled, looking over towards the rogue briefly.  “Considering our troubles mirror each other, I see no reason why we can’t fight alongside each other, at the least.  The hard part was getting Meiji to say yes as well.”“As if we need that fruit-head,” Liu observed sourly.  The monk’s low opinion of the bard had not changed.  “He’s good for a giggle and a farce, but that is all.  A jester.”“Don’t be upset that I’m prettier than you, baldy!” Meiji replied coarsely, tossing some curled locks over his shoulder, before looking around at the party.  “What?”“If you practiced with your blade as much as you toss your hair, you might be useful in a fight,” Yari Ai added her own disdain for his fighting abilities.  “Then again, all I saw you do was make two gnomes giggle and accidentally cut Nayu here!”“I took down a white wolf also!”As the disagreement turned into a debate, Nayu then turned to look at Felonca.  She’s so happy with her new toys...The rogue had laid before herself, on the steps of the local Scholar’s Academy, her two warfans, the glint of a child with new toys in her eyes.  She gently ran her hands just inches above both fans yet again, and gave a cackling, gleeful laugh.“I can just feel the magic!” she laughed, picking up the two weapons and tossing them into their sheaths on her belt.  Secured from mistakenly injuring others, she then bounded over to Nayu, and buried the sorcerer in his third crushing hug of the day.“Uf!”  Nayu gasped for a second, before Felonca released him from her grip, and he gave a sigh of relief that this one had been far shorter than her previous two since he’d talked the scholars into adding more magic to her warfans.  Before she could launch another assault of thankfulness, Nayu tried a diversion.  “We’d all better get going if we’re going to get to the audience hall of the palace in time!  I’m not about to let a week of waiting for an audience to be wasted by cartwheels and dawdling!” he grinned.“I haven’t cartwheeled yet,” Felonca said haughtily, before breaking out a grin and doing a few backflips towards the palace...“Hai,” Felonca sighed a few hours later, “Why is it that royalty are always late?  If I had been this late when Hsiu called morning drill...” She let her voice drift off into a slow whistle, before shaking her head.“You heard the attendant, the prince is meeting with his generals right now, to try to stop the repeated Shu incursions into Langya,” Nayu nodded towards the servant standing patiently between the two ornate door guards, the plumes in their helmets now yellow and red, instead of the plain white the party had seen when they’d visited this place six weeks before.That alone speaks volumes... Nayu thought to himself.  Yellow and red plumes are only supposed to come from the helms of members of the Imperial Guard... so Prince Hu thinks of himself as something more than just a defender of the Emperor... just like the rumors said...“Surely it doesn’t take hours to discuss how to stop a few cavalry raids,” Meiji said quietly.  “Doesn’t this guy have a huge and powerful army?”“Master Shenyang says that we must plan and consider our decisions carefully, to ensure they are for the good of all.  Dangerous paths lie when one trods down the road of haste,” Liu replied quietly.  Before any arguments could break out anew between them, the attendant suddenly stood straight, and after a bow towards the closed door of the audience chamber, walked stiffly towards the party.“His Excellency will see you now,” the messenger bowed to the party, before leading them towards the massive bronzed doors, motifs of White Dragons and sea gracing its huge frame.  With a creak and a groan, the doors swung open, and once again, the party stepped into the audience hall of Prince Hu Shikai, the self styled ‘Defender of the Imperial Throne.’The hall was as immense as they remembered it, save now its formerly empty marble columns were now covered with white banners, the words “Virtue,” “Courage,” and “Knowledge” on each in massive black characters.  Down the middle of the hall ran a red carpet, and to the party’s right side sat twenty scholars, all clad in the bright yellow of Disciples of Virtue, the highest and most studious rank within the Imperial Bureaucracy. On the other side sat twenty men clad in military armor, each holding at his side the yellow plumed helmet of a full general.  To the front, on a raised dais, sat the young Prince himself, clad in gilded armor, gems within his helmet flashing in the sunlight.“Please... Master Wakabayashi, Mistress Felonca, Master Liu, step forward, and introduce your friends,” the prince invited smoothly as he waved the party forward.  Slowly, reverently, the five compatriots went forward, passing by scholar and general alike.As Felonca walked forward, careful to observe protocol and keep her face looking towards the prince, her eyes carefully watched the generals as she passed them.  Part of her hoped to see a tall man in light silver armor, his panther hybrid face as dark as coal.  Another part dreaded the look she knew her father, General Wa-Feng Liaoxi, lately of the Imperial Guard, would have given her.To her relief, she saw no panther hengeyokai within Hu’s ranks, however, as her eyes drew closer towards the prince, she thought she saw something else.  For a moment, another general leaning forward obscured her view... but even then, she saw a familiar paw touch the leaning man’s shoulder... its palm covered in white fur, its back covered in brown.  As the other man apologized, she saw a pair of black eyes staring back at her, a look of shock and confusion within their aged forms.“Felonca!” Nayu hissed as he touched her arm.  “C’mon...” his hand gently guided her into moving forward.  He fell into step alongside her, purposefully drawing close to whisper, “Who is that man?  Do you recognize him?”“That is General Shih Quan-Shi,” Felonca replied, her voice trembling slightly.  He got away from the Academy?  But Gao Yun said everyone at the Academy was slaughtered... then again Nixi got away... why would Gao Yun lie about something like that? Her face still held a look of controlled shock when her nostrils picked up a familiar smell, and she suddenly stiffened.“What now?” Nayu whispered, his mouth barely moving.“I smell White Wolf,” she whispered back, her eyes following her nostrils as they continued their slow, protocol pace towards the throne.  Lying on the dark marble dais just beside Prince Hu’s throne was a single long strand of white fur.  A trap!  Its a trap!  The Prince means to kill us! her mind panicked.  Instinctively, her eyes flecked to the carpet underfoot, searching for niches, holes and wires.  A second after she started looking, she felt Nayu’s grip on her arm tighten.“Look forward, nonchalant,” he whispered in reply.  “If its a trap, we mustn’t let him know that we know.”The frighteningly long trip towards the throne... which took perhaps thirty seconds... finally ended with the party ten paces from the prince, where they all went to their knees and bowed, placing their heads on the carpet in respectful kow-tow.“Thank you for inviting us, Your Excellency,” Nayu spoke, before they all rose from their show of respect.  “We hope that you might find the information we wish to tell you helpful in your quest to restore peace and order to our Jade Empire.”“I am sure it will, Wakabayashi Nayu.  Because of such, I have invited all my chief advisors and commanders to hear what you wish to say.  But before that,” the smiling prince turned towards Felonca, and raised an eyebrow, “Miss Wa-Feng, please kindly tell me of this... item... that you carry.”“What... item...” Felonca stalled, her mind panicking.  He knows!  He knows! Pros and cons fought in her mind, part of her remembering Nayu’s assurance that they’re best chance was if they were honest with the Prince, another shouting back her own mitrust, brought to life by the long strand of white hair, a piece of fur, that came from the carpet as some wispy, obscene spire.“Oh!  You mean the bow of Prince Hao Tong!” she blurted out.  “Yes!  He was a very tough combatant, very keen of tactical mind,” she bulled her way forward.  Sell it, Felonca!  You’ve gotta sell it!  She forced her nervous fear into acting out excitement, as she started describing the fight with Hao Tong, before the Prince raised a hand.“Wa-Feng Felonca, I am well aware of your combat with the son of the Prince of Shu,” Prince Hu said gently.  “An amazing feat, knocking him dead from his horse as you did.  But what concerns me, and the others gathered here, is another item you carry.  A certain... dagger...” the prince leaned close, his eyes boring in on hers.“What... dagger...” Felonca said slowly, feigning ignorance.  “You mean this dagger?” she pulled out a mundane dirk taken from one of Hao Tong’s soldiers.  “There’s nothing special about it, really.  Its actually a little rusted, not nearly as useful as the bow we took...”For a split second, a look of frustration and anger crossed the Prince’s face.  Just as quickly as the blast of his inner emotions roared forth, his will quenched the flames, and his face went back to the same calm, gentle smile.  His hand waved dismissively, prompting Felonca to stop.“Never matter.  This matter can be better discussed in private.  I have more important issues... namely that I intend to declare myself Protector of the Empire, and I am in need of skilled persons.  Will you five join my banner?”Felonca looked at Nayu, and both immediately understood that the other had also witnessed the brief fury on the Prince’s face.  Nayu’s eyes asked a question, and Felonca gave a slight nod in reply.  The sorcerer cleared his throat, and gave a respectful bow.“We are thankful Your Excellency considers us worthy of such praise.  We hope you will forgive us if we wish to stay out of the political realm for now, and seek to return to our former, simple lives.”To Felonca and Nayu’s surprise, the Prince merely nodded, and gave yet another charming smile.  “I can respect wishes such as those.  However, as I said, I have need of skillful people.  If you are not willing to take my banner, perhaps you will assist me for payment.”  He leaned back, waving his hand as if to dismiss their doubts.  “It will be one task, a task that will go far in securing peace within our realm.”“Um... with all due respect, Excellency, we have news which might affect your plans,” Felonca deftly stepped in during the pause.  “It concerns the Emperor himself, as well as a threat against your person.”  Slowly, she reached into a side pouch, and pulled forth the letter taken from Hao Tong’s body.  For just a second, she paused, unsure whether she should proceed, until a light tap on her shoulder from Nayu told her to go on.“This letter was taken from the body of  Hao Tong, son of Hao Yu, Prince of Shu,” Nayu spoke as Felonca reluctantly turned the letter over to the Prince.  Royal eyes scanned the letter quickly, though to Felonca’s chagrin, they stopped halfway down the page.  For just a brief second, royal eyes flashed towards Nayu, before just as quickly returning to the page.  A few seconds later, and the note was thrust back to Felonca, chuckles coming from the Prince’s lips.“This is to be expected!” he laughed, somewhat too forcefully.  “First Prince Hao Yu launches raids into my territory, burning crops and stealing peasants!  Now,” the prince stood, speaking loud enough for all to hear, “he has the nerve to call me a traitor, and treat me like a bandit, when he is the one raping and murdering!”A rumbling twitter arose the generals and scholars behind the party, all in various forms of agreement.  As the murmurs continued, the Prince sat back down.“You spoke of more than one piece of information.  What was the second?”Felonca sighed, forcing herself to put aside the images of the terror to come.  If you do not tell him, someone else will.  If we tell him, we’ll be the ones under his protection, and in the coming months, a friend this high will be useful... maybe even life-saving...  She cleared her throat, and began to speak in a voice loud enough that it echoed through the audience hall.“Prince Hu, honored others present,” she winced, realizing the slight insult she’d unintentionally committed against the scholars and generals, “it has come to my attention, through sources within the Jade City itself, that Emperor Beiyan-di in fact, did not sire a son!”Felonca heard the collective gasp of the audience behind her, and resisted the urge to turn and comfort Yari Ai.  The handmaiden had agreed that her tale should be told, but didn’t want herself to be connected to its origin.  Felonca could imagine how much rehearing the news was tearing apart her new comrade, but if the rogue turned to comfort her, it would be all too apparent to everyone who the source was.“How do you explain our beloved Emperor then?” one of the scholars scoffed loudly.“Hao Yuan,” she used the boy’s true name... Hao for his father’s surname, Yuan for his name before coronation, “is no more than an incestuous blasphemy in the face of Heaven’s virtue, sired from an unholy union between the Dowager Empress and her brother, the Prince of Shu!”The room immediately exploded into an uproar.  Shouts from some of the scholars that the tale could not be true, sounds from the generals loudly discussing the coming wars if the tale was true.  As Felonca returned her gaze back to Prince Hu, she saw his face was still covered with the same, plastic smile.  Slowly, he rose, and raised his hands for silence.“My lords!  If this tale is true, if Beiyan-di had no son, then it is my solemn duty, no, my virtuous requirement, as a loyal child of Heaven, to hereby claim the Jade Throne, to ensure that Heaven’s wrath does not fall upon us for allowing so evil a union, the result of such lascivious debauchery, to rule from the holy Jade Throne!”The room once again exploded into bedlam, and everyone in the party could easily see that for Prince Hu, the idea of becoming Emperor was not a solemn one at all...</blockquote>

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