Tianchao Wangguo Chapter 1: Calm before the storm

[sword-dancer]

Arishan Tüen Li

*He bows to the spirit and holding his hands to the water*
Help me to see any pollution

Casts detect tanit

 

[Ariakor]

Arishan Tüen Li:
Before your eyes the world changes. Every plant, every being, every item in your surroundigns looses its colours to be replaced by a vivid layer of life and spiritual forces connecting everything. But some of these strands have lost their vibrancy. The ruined shrine close to you looks like a dark heart pulsating in a dark chest, and the strands of taint spreading from it along the signs on the floor and in the water lilys are like veins, slowly but steadily spreading their taint over the pond and the clearing. The only area not touched by the taint is the other side of the pond, where you now can see the rough shape of the spirit outlined among the trees. Its own form shimmers with energy, but even as you look it is growing a little weaker, the encroaching taint making itself felt upon the sirit being whose duty it had once been to watch over this area. Sadness and loss now seem to be almost at at arms length. [you can make another knowledge arcana check for more details]

 

[sword-dancer]

Arishan Tüen Li

*He felt to his knees and bowed instantly*
"How can I help you, O Master"

Knoledge Arcanana Check rolled 1, that would be a 9

 

[Ariakor]

The otherworldly voice of the spirit is more a whisper, difficult to hear over the rustling of the leaves and branches, but to anyone on the clearing it seesm like it is speaking more to their minds than to their ears. "The land is soiled and the old rites undone. The Taint is spreading as long as the vile creature birthed here is still free. They took the holy bowl from the altar, and other places are still in more desperate need. Return the bowl and renew the rites to stop this madness."

Then the voice turns into an unearthly wailing, sending shivers down your spines, as a gust of wind suddenly unleashes a storm of leaves and blossoms over the pond towards you.

"Don't come near." you can hear the voice, faintly in the tumult. Then everything falls silent again.

 

[Gez]

Lin Xu starts scrubbing the blood off the shrine's planks.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Guchiko bites her lip and considers the spirit's words.*

"Tracks... traces... where did it go? We must find it," she murmurs, and waves a hand before her eyes so she can see the auras of magic that must remain.

OOC - Casting detect magic

 

[Ariakor]

Guchiko:
The first magical auras that you can see are no doubt connected to the desecration that has taken place here. It is a strong aura, almost choking everything else and covering the shreine as well as part of the pond. It is strongest at the center of the shrine, where the summoning seems to have taken place. Aside from that, little else remains to give you hints as to where the creature or the attackers have gone to. [ooc: but you or the others can still make search or wilderness lore checks to look for nonmagical traces]

"There are other places like this as well, probably there's more at hinting where they went." says Kairan, when he overhears Guchikos muttering. He still seems frightened from the spirits unearthl wailing.

 

[Nephtys]

Jian Guo growls suddenly, annoyed at herself. "Nobody move. They may have left tracks." She slowly and carefully walks around the clearing looking for any tracks from the desecrators.

 

[Rhialto]

Magistrate Pan Chou

Sword drawn, Pan Chou glances around at the trees. "Spirits. It had to be spirits..." he mutters darkly.

 

[Ariakor]

Jian Guo:
They didn't pay too much attention at concealing their comings or goings. But what they did was split up: one group, a larger one on horseback, apparently left through the gate down the hill, while th other one followed the game trail leadig further into the hills. This set of tracks also left deeper impressions in the ground and seems to be newer, suggersting that this group has left after rain had turned most of the trail to mud.

Now, as the wind has dropped again and the last echos of the spirits wailing have lsot themselves among the hills, everything is silent and peaceful again, like when you first got here.