The old lady is grateful for the money, but more grateful that you have freed her son and his wife from their imprisonment as undead and headhanger adornments - now they can have a proper funeral. She and other residents are happy to help you back to the Narvinda. A further search of the Old Tamsa Building reveals a few vials of a pale blue liquid, and one magical token that radiates faint necromantic magic.
******
Battered and weary, you return to the Narvinda Manrupashnar, where the Vashti greets you warmly (with an unexpected hug), and Sister Herbailst grumbles over your injuries. Tea and date cake are bought out whilst you discuss recent events. The man you rescued,who calls himself Dirt, joins you, despite unpleasant looking injuries.
"I failed you," he says.
"At the temple, I felt that it was a waste of time. The Old Vashti's legacy was a game. Talking wolves, lost statues. These did nothing to help people like she taught. So I left. I heard of the gang in Shading Willow Court, thought I could deal with them, help people. I was wrong." The Vashti puts a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I'll tell what I know," Dirt continues.
"The gang was led by a walking dead spirit called Mozin. You can tell him, his head is smashed in yet he still lives. He gave the others drugs. Black yaama, and this one," he indicates the blue vials.
"They call it delerium, made them excitable. That's when they would go out and capture people. Anyone who didn't pay them, they gave to the headhanger, then turned the body into walking dead. Mozin had some magic items that he used for this. If one of the gang was killed, he bought them back too. I think he got the drugs and the talismans from somewhere else, I heard him talk of a 'Master'. I think there was a larger plan, to bring chaos to Cormondal."
"You haven't failed at all, Master Dirt," says the Vashti kindly. She turns to Growling Ape.
"I think we know where that missing body went to. This is very worrying, if it's just part of some wider plot. I think the authorities need to know, which reminds me..." She produces an elegantly written scroll from within the folds of her robes.
"Magister Ten has set a date for our little dinner date, three days from now on the eve of the Laburnum Festival. This might be a good time to bring up this little problem."
"I also have some news regarding the Jade Elixir," she continues, pouring some more tea.
"One of the sisters found a reference to a temple to the Monkey God. In Jaxius Zem of all places! It's all the way up in Nirhamsa, I'm afraid, but Zem mentions that the priest claims not only is it the largest temple to the Monkey King in the Empire (as was), but also that it contains all the important relics associated with Monkey King myths, including the last drop of Jade Elixir." She smiles.
"Highly unlikely, of course, but it's a lead."
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Jaxius Zem is a well known writer from the last days of the Empire of Splendour who travelled exntensively and recorded his observations in a famously patronising and arrogant style.
Nirhamsa is upriver along the Anhoi River, a stable former-Imperial province known for forested hills and ancient ruins. You can get an idea of the location
here. Cormondal is near the swampy-looking area just south of Ashoyin.
@Neurotic: I've done a bit of research and everything suggests that a buckler
would count as a shield as regards negating the bonus. Also, Swordsages have no shield proficiency. It could be worked into armour instead, though. There's an item in Oriental Adventures that might work, I'll look it up.
Edit again: The chahar-aina (four-mirror-armour), can be worn over padded, leather or chain shirt, requires Medium armour proficiency, provides +1 armour bonus, -1 ACP, 5% spell failure, weighs 10lb (although darkwood effects apply to those stats for the demon face). The one pictured even has a demonic face.
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