That night, following her meeting with Kamatsu, Qianli let Kenmei know upon the Head Nun's return to the Monastery that she had more information to share, and told her about the white dog. She would also point out how Kamatsu had mentioned it looked really skinny, while the woman she had seen had looked emanciated as well, with long white hair and two dog-like ears, convinced that the two were, in fact, the same creature. If the mines were indeed where the lair of the creature was, knowledge of its home location might prove critical. She did, however, keep Kamatsu's secret about the puppy as she saw no harm in it herself, and it would build some goodwill between them.

When the Senior Instructor arrived the next day, it did not take her a lot of imagination to figure out the reason for her arrival. Kenmei was strong and capable, but going by how much she relied on the scroll to teach her about talismans, she was no expert, and had she owned any taels it would have been a safe bet to wager that Tokusei was. She did, of course, continue to feign ignorance of why such an important figure would visit the Monastery, though she did send a quick glance and a nod at Kamatsu to preempt any questions from her as well.

She did wonder what it would mean for her lessons. Once the dog-creature would have been defeated, would she still receive talisman lessons from Kenmei, or would things slip back into the regular routine of training and chores intended for apprentices? Or perhaps there would be more advanced training in the future, as she felt she had been making good progress thus far. Still, that was not her decision to make, nor did she think she had anywhere near enough weight to influence such a decision. She would have to wait and see. She did resolve to bring up the scroll during her next Talisman lessons, perhaps she could even convince Kenmei to have her take a look at that scroll herself?

OOC: Rolls:
Talisman: 25 (+2)
Staff: 6 (+1)
Cooking: 7 (+4)
Herbalism: 10 (+4)
Medicine: 3 (+1)
Tea Ceremony: 44 (+4)

Hyougan Shuushinpou: 506 (+180)
Nansei Sect Buddhism: 240 (+131)

Dodge: 7 (+4)
Arm: 5 (+1)
Earth: 4 (+1)
Metal: 5 (+2)
Water: 6 (+2)

Strength: 11 (+1)
Ability: 18 (+2)
Eye: 1 (+1)

Character sheet updated
This message was last edited by the player at 16:10, Mon 26 July 2021.

In reply to Oriana Kimari (msg # 28):

At the night of your encounter with Kamatsu, Kenmei left these words to you:

"Yes, my own investigations have led me to narrow down this Demonic Cultivator's whereabouts to that Mine. I have been dismantling the formations she secretly planted around the village, and she has taken refuge there. I suspect that there will be no shortage of traps lying in wait there, as such I have invited one of the sect's Seniors to help in handling the situation. Be at ease."

...

Date (Y/M/D): 1000/12/08
Season: Winter
Time: Night

On the night you have your Talisman lesson with Kenmei at the Hall of Wisdom, just as you are about to ask Kenmei about the scrolls, your lesson is suddenly interrupted by Tokusei as she emerges from the scroll holdings area with a number of bark scrolls.

"Senior Instructor Tokusei..." Kenmei greets the Senior Instructor respectfully as Tokusei places the bark scrolls on a nearby table and returns a greeting to Kenmei.

"So this is the new disciple you talked about? And you taught her the ways of Talisman use?" Tokusei says with a slight smile on her face.

You notice Kenmei making a rather uneasy looking expression - something that you have rarely seen at all.

"Indeed - her name is Qianli - she was a travelling nun from Teishuu. This is as a precaution considering the situation at hand..."

Tokusei studies you for a moment and she then speaks.

"So, Disciple Qianli. Tell me what you've learnt so far about the principles of Talisman use," Tokusei inquires as she looks calmly at you.

Make a Talisman self check (Success lower or equals Talisman skill. Failure otherwise. You can also choose not to answer if you want)

Qianli turned around when she heard the door open, wondering why her lesson would be interrupted, but bowed respectfully when she saw who it was. As she rose, her eyes went to the number of bark scrolls the senior Instructor was carrying, curious as to what techniques would be inscribed upon them, but knew better than to ask. When asked to show Tokusei what she had learned, she bowed again.

- "As you wish, Senior Instructor, though i am no master by any means."

She then proceeded to attempt the creation of a Talisman, though she took a regular piece of paper and writing ink for it rather than the white cloth and red cinnabar paint that would be used in the creation of an actual talisman, not wanting to waste the materials on what was essentially practice. She would explain as much before beginning, and comment on what she was doing every step of the way.

As she progressed, the basics were present in her form, but there were simply too many mistakes for the creation of the Talisman to be successful. While the talisman she had crafted had been a dud, she did not think any measure of success had been expected of her, but rather a preparedness to show that she had been paying attention. And pay attention, she had. Once done, she slid the talisman over to Tokusei. She knew the crafting had been unsuccessful, and while she felt the Senior Instructor could notice the slight sense of disappointment she allowed to slip through, this was ultimately a review of her progress more than an actual crafting attempt, and as such she would not hesitate in pointing out her own mistakes, or at least the ones she had been aware of. It was usually so that things went better in theory than in practice, and getting a handle on what exactly she did wrong was a big part of that.

OOC: Rolled 51 vs. 25

In reply to Oriana Kimari (msg # 30):

After you are done, Tokusei examines your work for a moment and then bursts into laughter.

"Haha, Junior Kenmei - you were never good in the handling of talismans. To think that you would have attempted to teach one of your disciples the using your own flawed understanding?"

"This Junior understands her inadequacy..." Kenmei looks down and slightly shivers as she responds to Tokusei.

"It seems that training in this monastery is a little lax. Perhaps this is the reason why such a situation had presented itself in Boushima," Tokusei shakes her head as she returns to face you.

"Young one, I shall provide you the opportunity to correct the tardiness of this monastery. Come with me to dispatch the Dog Spirit Cultivator tomorrow morning -"

"Senior Instructor Tokusei...!" Kenmei tries to protest, but is immediately cut off by Tokusei's soft by strangely powerful voice.

"You are not to interfere Kenmei. Stay here with the rest of the disciples. I shall see for myself the fruits of your efforts so far..."

"Listen clearly Qianli, I'm providing you an opportunity.... no... I am ordering you to undertake this tribulation to prove your worth to the Nansei Sect. Our sect did not form simply to observe the banal teachings of the Shakyamuni Buddha... We stand to hold back the line of carnage... It is foolish to think that our sect would be set up in this backwater village for the sake of seclusion..."

You can see Kenmei shaking slightly as though holding back words of protest.

"Should you succeed on your own Qianli, I will bring you to the Main Sect Grounds and take you in as my disciple. But should you fail... Then I suppose you will be a fine example to be set for all those who neglect their training and duties in the future..." Tokusei briefly looks towards Kenmei who bows down further as though being crushed by her pressure.

"We will set off at midday tomorrow Qianli. Prepare yourself, and rest early. You will gain little from the Talisman lessons of Kenmei."

Once Tokusei is done speaking, she returns to her desk stacked with scrolls and begins perusing them.

Kenmei only glances at you with an apologetic expression, telling you with her weak expression to follow Tokusei's instructions.

And as though understanding your earlier intent, she hands you the scroll she used to teach you about Dao of Talismans.

Qianli stamped down on her own internal screaming and gave a polite bow. Taking down an enemy Cultivator, was hard enough, but doing so while adhering to the Nansei teachings was sheer madness! That said, there was perhaps some information Takusei did not yet have.

- "This one shall obey, Senior Instructor. However, she must mention that she has had only six weeks of training proper, having arrived late Autumn in the year of her Naming."

She then turned to Kenmei, accepting the offered scroll. It was important to show Takusei that she wasn't objecting to her orders, merely stating information that might be important to consider. Whether or not the Senior Instructor actually would was, of course, entirely up to her.

- "Master Kenmei, given the task ahead, may i be excused of the remainder of my chores for the day?"

Inwardly she had to wince a little at the dressing down Kenmei had gotten in front of one of her own Monastery's apprentices. That could not have been good for the Head Nun's self esteem, and so she decided to help it recover a little by asking her permission to skip her chores for the day. It would include guard duty, but she did not name that outright, given that she felt it would have led to Kenmei getting slammed for having barely trained novices guard the Monastery. Regardless of what the answers would be, she would utter a 'by your leave' before retreating to a corner of the room, and begin studying the scroll like her life depended on it. Which it at least partially did, though the opportunity to learn of secrets beyond her current station had been equally inviting. Should she be granted leave from her chores she would study until the evening, handing the scroll back before leaving the room, and if she would not she would leave at the end of her assigned study time. She just hoped she would survive the encounter tomorrow, and that Takusei would step in before things turned ugly.

In reply to Oriana Kimari (msg # 32):



"That is fine. Judging from your posture, breathing and manner of walking I can tell that you are already leagues above any of the disciples here," she says while giving Kenmei a slighting glance.

When asking to be excused, Kenmei agrees wordlessly before returning to her quarters.

As you peruse the scroll, you notice that indeed it is extremely hard to understand - and you'd imagine even some of the prodigies in your sect would have trouble understanding its principles. No doubt it is something that would take years of practice to master.

When you eventually return to your quarters to rest, you find Kamatsu and Kakei about to sleep as well. Judging from their behaviour, they are unaware that you've been assigned a deadly task tomorrow.

Date (Y/M/D): 1000/12/09
Season: Winter
Time: Midday

By midday tomorrow, your wait for Tokusei ends as she immediately arrives right on time and motions towards you to follow her.

You notice her stride though powerful it gives off a certain note of elegance. It is clear that Tokusei most likely an expert among experts to display such passive finesse in every banal movement of hers.

Though it is now winter and some fog escapes your mouth whenever you breathe, you are able to feel the very thankful warmth of the sun shining down from the cloudless sky, filling parts of your exposed skin with much needed warmth especially in this hilly area. What's even more thankful is that it is not snowing!

Eventually you come to a rocky cliff face on which you see an entrance clearly roughly hewn by miners.

Based on the rotting wooden shacks nearby you imagine that this is the abandoned mine that Kamatsu was speaking about.

As you survey the cliff, Tokusei says with an amused voice, "what are you looking at? The entrance to the mine is there"

As you look towards Tokusei, you suddenly notice that she's holding a slender Dao made of wood and she slices at the air forcefully. As you blink your eyes, you suddenly see another larger cave entrance where you initially thought was a smooth cliff face, and all of a sudden you see that the Dao is no longer in her hand.

After this, she throws a large forearm sized red candle at you which seems to be alight and says with a tranquil expression, "go on in. I will be meditating in the shack nearby."
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:47, Thu 29 July 2021.

Qianli tried her best to keep her posture steady and her emotions calm, knowing what she would be up against. She did not say where she would be headed to Kakei and Kamatsu, given that the vow of secrecy on the matter of the demonic dog cultivator had not yet been lifted, though she would have been lying if she had had a good night's sleep. She did sneak out for her usual training routine, though not knowing just how powerful Tokusei was, she took extra care to train a little further away from the Monastery than she normally would have.

The next day, she found it surprisingly soothing to walk alongside Tokusei, though she figured that was mostly due to the aura of expertise making her feel safe against possibly being ambushed by the cultivator on her way there. Once at the mine she looked at the shacks, and then the ground to see if she could make out any tracks, when Tokusei performed some sort of illusion dispelling technique to reveal the entrance to her. She also tossed her a candle, which she managed to catch.

- "Senior Instructor, if this one may ask, does this candle have a specific purpose aside from lighting her way? And, this creature, would it need to be banished or exorcised or is there a different method that is to be used to purify it? This one has no knowledge of any special rites and preparations that may be involved in facing and dealing with such a creature, yet would be required to adequately perform her duties."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:05, Thu 29 July 2021.

In reply to Oriana Kimari (msg # 34):

"Bodhi originally has no tree,
nor any polished mirror stand,
Basically there is not one thing.
Thus where could dust alight?"

Tokusei recites a poem as she doesn't answer your question and heads towards the shack some distance from the mine entrance.

You recognize the verses as a poem composed by one of the legendary Patriarchs of Buddhism, with one of its interpretations being the idea that the Buddha-Dharma need not be studied as it is present within all - and only when all attachments have been placed down can one figuratively regain their connection to to the Buddha-Dharma.

As you study the ground for tracks - you find strangely what appears to be the very faint tracks of shoes pointed in the direction of the entrance.

Oriana bowed in response to Tokusei's recital, and proceeded to search the shacks to see if she could find anything that would be even moderately useful. Not that she expected to find an armory filled with axes and sabers there, but anything that looked sharp would be better than nothing. She would also take out the damage mitigating Talisman and place it inside her sleeve, waiting to be activated should she be attacked.

- "Wow. Okay then. If i get attacked, i'll just have to recite poetry, i guess."

Muttering to herself, she would bring with her whatever appeared to be useful, and head inside, candle held at an angle away from her face so the flame wouldn't be inside her direct field of vision and she would end up blinding herself to the darkness. She had used that mistake to her advantage too often during her skulking around to fall for it herself. Once inside the mine, she looked around, not knowing where to go to but keeping her attention to the ground and follow the tracks deeper in as she softly mumbled below her breath.

- "Sure, send the unarmed student out to deal with a freaking illusionist. Hey, let's have her hold a candle while she's at it, tie my ankles together and have me hop around all the way like a jiangshi why don't'cha. Maybe if i'll stare hard enough, she'll drop dead on her own: Know a few people i could use that on."

Taking a deep breath, she stopped the venting of her frustrations, and attempted to calm her mind. Getting her concerns off her chest had helped in that regard and, out of curiosity, she tested the candle to see if it could be used as a makeshift club. She wouldn't swing it around or hit anything with it, but the flame had kept alight when Tokusei had tossed the candle over to her even in this cold weather, so maybe there could be some use to it even if it was unlikely to be sturdy enough to bash someone over the head with it and knock them out cold. She had to know about her options after all.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:19, Fri 30 July 2021.

In reply to Oriana Kimari (msg # 36):

[Make a rage self check and add +1d6 rage on a failure in the light of your frustration towards Tokusei's unhelpful advice]

The broken shacks nearby contain simply rotting furniture and a few stacks of unused firewood alongside rusty tools.
The only thing you manage to discover that could be of some use is a Rusty Machete (1d4-1), and a Rusty Axe (1d6-1).

While opening one of the very worn drawers in one of the shacks, the entire drawer somehow just slides out and falls to the ground, revealing a false compartment below one of the drawers. Inside this compartment you see a rusty key and a small wooden slip upon which is carved the following:

Brother Luo,
The stuff is in the mine, buried under a very flat rock.
You'll know it once you see it. I've seriously never seen a rock so flat.
Everyone just enjoys stepping on it without caring what is underneath.
Don't forget about me once you make it in Xujiang!

Whether you take the items you discover or not, you eventually find yourself in the mine which seems to just lead straight forwards.

Based on the weight of the candle, you guess that it would most likely snap should you try to strike something with it. You've seen candles like these often being used to raise incense to various Bodhisattvas such as Jizou in temples that have their shrines - just not of such a size as the one you have in your hand right now. What is likely is that its just a larger version made of the same materials probably intended to last almost for an entire day.

After a few moments, you catch sight of a body that seems to have been pierced by stalactites. The body wears a horribly ripped Dao Pao, and its rotting hand is clutching what appears to be an Wavy Bronze Sword of average make (1d6).

Upon searching the body, you discover:

- A porcelain bottle containing sour smelling pills [5]
- A bamboo book journal
- A medallion of bearing the symbol of a strange undulating sword

The bamboo book journal seems to be only filled a little and it contains the following information:

Luo Kanli finally excused himself from years of hellish training in The Piaomiao Qijian Sect, and swears never to return.
He curses his old friend Master Thief Jiang Ni for dying of venereal disease before letting him know where he hid the treasure he stole from a Four Yin Sect Inner Disciple, and says that he had to spend a fortune and wasted almost 2 years to track down the most likely place he hid the treasure.

While you look through the belongings, you suddenly hear the soft sound of treading from deep inside the cave which seems to be growing louder gradually...
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:38, Sat 31 July 2021.

As she proceeded deeper into the mine, Qianli found that the catharsis of venting her frustrations had truly done her good, and helped put her mind at ease. She brought with her the machete and axe -- while they were of poor make, they were still better than nothing -- as well as the key and slip, which she slid into her pocket. It was a bit uncomfortable juggling a machete, an axe and a candle, but she supposed she could just put the candle down in case of trouble -- moving around in a fight would just cause the flame to blow out anyway. Given that the candle was only intended to give off light, she also took two logs of firewood with her, intending to turn them into a makeshift torch by lighting them on fire with the candle later on. Those she placed in her pack.

She did ponder about the apparently hidden treasure, and decided to keep an eye out for this supposedly very flat rock while she was in the mine. Instead of the flat rock, she did find something else however, in the form of a long-forgotten corpse impaled upon some stalactites that had at some point apparently come down from the ceiling. She decided to take the unintended warning to heart and keep an eye on the ceiling as well as her footing, just in case she might suffer the same fate. The corpse however also held a sword of fairly average make, but the cave had preserved it much better than the ones outside, and so she took it as well, along with the medallion, the bottle of pills and the bamboo diary. She gave the corpse a respectful bow.

- "It seems fate was unkind to you. Please forgive your brother Jiang Ni as he did leave you instructions, and may you pass on without attachments."

As she looked through the belongings, her ears caught the sound of footsteps getting closer. She quickly stuffed the other items in her pack as well, retrieved one of the logs of firewood she had taken from the shacks and lit it on fire using the candle before placing the now burning log down on the ground. The still-burning candle she hid in an alcove a few meters closer to the entrance, faking a hiding spot. She then took a few steps deeper into the cave and attempted to hide among the stalactites, hoping that the creature would be too distracted by the burning log to notice walking past her hiding spot as it would approach the log, and thinking whoever left it was hiding in the alcove where the candle was still shimmering light, enabling her to strike it from behind. It was a long shot, but she hoped it would work. She took the rusty axe in her hands, ducked into her little hiding place, and waited.

00:15, Today: Oriana Kimari rolled 37 using 1d100.  UNENDING RAGE vs. 63.
00:46, Today: Oriana Kimari rolled 77 using 1d100.  Sneakiness vs. 47.

Here's to hoping the Sneak roll was unnecessary ^^;
This message was last edited by the player at 22:56, Sat 31 July 2021.

In reply to Oriana Kimari (msg # 38):

While stuffing the items in your pack, you unfortunately make a few loud sounds compounded by the steps you made while heading towards your planned hiding spot. The area now lit by the log which the flames now begin to engulf, you catch the sight of 2 rotting corpses of furless dogs that appear strangely muscular despite their wasting flesh...! You notice a strange greenish glow from their eye sockets that are eyeless!

As though sensing your movements, the rotting dogs run towards you and begin their attack!
One leaps towards your calf to bite! [>= 80 to react. Else 3 damage]
Another leaps towards your chest to try to scratch at you! [>= 94 to react. Else 1 damage]

Qianli resisted the urge to cuss again. More undead. Just wonderful. She winced as the dogs attacked her, though she knew she had one advantage the rotting carcasses did not: Whereas the dogs posed a threat when it came to biting, unlike the mighty tiger the scratches were only an annoyance at best. Axe in hand, she attempted to grab the dog snapping at her calf by the neck, and attempt to start hacking into its exposed back with her axe. Undead or not, she had yet to see something be able to move with a severed spine.

Took 4 damage, 88 to hit, dealing 1 damage if i... understand the combat system correctly?

Find Weakness check successful (24 vs. 43)
Upward slash 3 damage, Elbow Strike 4 damage

Total: 8 damage dealt, 14/18 HP, 25/28 Qi
This message was last edited by the player at 11:16, Mon 02 Aug 2021.

In reply to Oriana Kimari (msg # 40):

With your swift and deadly attack the dog snapping at your calf is severed into two and you see the greenish glow dissipate from its eyes!

But with your stance lowered to grab at that dog, the other dog takes the opportunity to lunge at your neck! [> 65 to react, else 2 damage]

Well, one down, one to go. Qianli knew she had been leaving herself open in finishing off the first undead dog, but a two on one fight was simply not sustainable and would have hurt a lot more in the long run than giving one a good opportunity to strike at her. She managed to avoid the brunt of it by shifting her stance to have it bite into her shoulder rather than a vastly more lethal neck, but bite her it did, that had simply been near impossible to avoid given the circumstances.

However, she attempted to repeat her little feat, and grabbed at the dog as it bit her in an attempt to push it down and drive her axe into its spine again, with the power of her Qi behind it. It would go down, and she would win!

Assuming the second dog wasn't more durable than the first, upon the light leaving its eyes she would retrieve the burning log, and set fire to the desiccated corpses of the two dogs as well as that of what she assumed to be Luo Kanli, just in case it might rise as well later on. Once all three would be burning at a decent rate, she would take the candle and begin heading back to the entrance to ask Tokusei if she had any healing techniques. She had no real objection to clearing out the caves, but given the amount of dog corpses in the forest she'd rather not get stuck in a series of battles and be taken down by attrition, and she wanted to ask the Senior Instructor whether the bite marks the dogs had inflicted would have carried a curse with them, just as a precaution.

OOC:
Dodge: 15 vs. 65, failed
Find Weakness: 3 vs. 43, success
Attack (axe): 129 to hit, 5 damage
Attack (Qi Technique): 92 to hit, 3 damage (2 slashing 1 blunt)
Damage: 8

Total: 8 damage dealt, 12/18 HP, 22/28 Qi

In reply to Oriana Kimari (msg # 42):

Indeed, with your well placed attack, the rotting dog just barely scratches your neck with its filthy looking fangs before beomg crused by your axe and crumpling to the ground in a mangled heap.

As you head out of the cave - you suddenly see two familiar looking silhouettes at the entrance. And as though seeing the flame from your torch, the silhouetes react and hurriedly rush to you revealing upon entering the range of the torchlight that they are in fact Kamatsu and Kakei! Alongside them you hear a soft sound of paws nearby as you see a Tibetan Spaniel running ahead and leading the two towards you.

"Qianli! You're completely battered! Take a rest for now - let me tend to you wounds...!" Kakei says as she puts down her staff and draws out a satchel of aromatic smelling salves asking to show your wounds. "Take this pill in the meantime, it should help recover some of your energy" Qianli takes out a small wooden bottle and hands it to you. Inside you find a rather bitter smelling black pill the size of a thumb.

The Tibetan spaniel seems rather strange, and unlike what you would expect from a wild dog appears to be looking about in a strangely attentive manner.

Kamatsu who appears to be carrying a staff as well has a worried expression on your face as she sees the wounds on your body.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:22, Mon 09 Aug 2021.

Qianli nodded, and welcomed the healing, though she did not take the pill -- she had plenty of Qi left and did not want the medicine to go to waste. She looked at the dog, petting it if it decided to come close and acquaint itself with her scent, but otherwise sat still to let Kakei tend to her in peace. In response to the offer for assistance, she shook her head.

- "That would be too dangerous. I have brought down two undead dogs, little more than rotting carcasses that were controlled by the magics this cultivator employed. Those corpses i have set on fire, with the intent to discover whether the dazing effect of the smoke would disrupt the cultivator's connection to the reanimated corpses. Regardless, i will need to scout further as some mines can be labyrinthine, and would prefer you to guard the entrance in the meantime so our enemy does not slip away. I know of your love for dogs Kamatsu, it would harm your heart to see what has become of those puppeteered, and i would not ask of you to strike at them."

She looked at Kakei and Kamatsu, giving them both a smile.

- "Since this cultivator is an expert in illusions, shall we decide on a password? A key phrase, so you will know whether i am me or simply one posing as me?"

In reply to Oriana Kimari (msg # 44):

"Yes of course... how about... uh... Lotus Paste Buns?" Kakei suggests as she finishes up with patching you up. [Regain 1d4 HP]

The Spaniel of course comes close to you and sniffs at your waist for a few moments before walking towards the carcasses and sniffing them too.

"Kamatsu will be fine on her own. Let me accompany you, Qianli. You likely haven't familiarized yourself with much of the staff techniques, and I imagine you would require some assistance should you find yourself in a pinch... I have some needles for acupuncture that might be able to stop your bleeding and cease the spread of poisons."

As you talk, you smell the smoke of the burning pile of corpses begin to infiltrate your noses, causing all of you to cough involuntarily occasionally.

"I will stand by here then..." Kamatsu replies in a somewhat uneasy tone as she stands near to the entrance of the cave.

Should you decide to push on, you will notice the Spaniel puppy following you alongside Kakei, who will continuously insist upon following you.

After walking for a few moments, you come to a rather large room dimly lit by faintly glowing orange crystals held in sconces, with a tall ceiling held up by what appears to be natural rock columns. Around each column appears to be a simply crafted herb patch surrounded by roughly made mud bricks.

Scattered throughout the room are around 8 patches, bearing all the same herbal plant: a strange salty smelling bushes with sickle-like leaves.

At the far end of this room next to another cavernous opening appears to be a table with a set of tools for medicine making - A mortal and pestle, and herb scoop, and a few earthen pots for cooking herbal remedies. Alongside these tools seem to be bundles of bandages, pots filled with herbal smelling oil, and a small shelf of various common medicinal herbs held in baskets.

As you walk into the room, you notice that there are around 3 rotting dogs patrolling the area, though they don't seem to notice your presence and do not seem to have that ghastly glow in their eyes like the previous two you encountered before.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:49, Mon 09 Aug 2021.

Qianli nodded in reply to the password, and didn't object to Kakei joining her.

- "Good. And the answer will be 'Three Flowers Wine'. Kamatsu, we do not yet know if this demonic cultivator uses a method of remotely controlling a soulless corpse, or if it is a form of consciousness transfer. If it is the latter, even a single undead dog escaping would have all this begin anew, and she will know our faces. Be vigilant."

When Kakei wanted to step into the cave, Qianli stopped her.

- "Not yet. Tie a wet cloth around your nose and mouth, i intended the smoke to hinder the cultivator and it would not do for us to fall prey to our own trap. Breathe through your nose and keep your stance low."

She also headed back to the shack to pick up another log, bringing her total back to two again, and headed into the cave. Once inside, she drew two of her weapons, the sword and the machete -- it would come closest to the twin dao technique she knew. It would be easy for anyone that was not blind to see the familiarity with which she held the blades, hinting at previous training in a place that had not been part of the Nansei Sect, but there was no helping that. Safety came before secrecy.

She pointed out where she lit the fire under the corpses, explaining that the human one had not risen, and theorized that the cultivator needed either dog corpses to work with, or the victims needed to die in her presence. Continuing on, with Qianli keeping an eye out for the flat rock, they soon found themselves in a large room. She signaled for Kakei to come closer, and whispered through the cloth.

- "Take all the herbs. Try and keep them intact for replanting, but remain silent. Identify what you can, but it is not a priority, denying the enemy their reagents and components is. The dogs i fought had a green glow to their eyes, these ones have not. They also seem not to be aware that two of their number are missing. It is possible the smoke is having an effect on the cultivator as i hoped it would, but do not assume her weak or foolish because of it."

Leaving the herbs to Kakei, she sneaked over to what appeared to be the main storage area for medicinal herbs, and slipped as much of it into her pack as she could. She would also keep an eye on the rotting dogs, the ones she fought had been sliced in half with a single attack so it was possible she could take out a straggler and lessen their numbers. For now however, after she was done she would analyze the patrol routes of the dogs to see if she could single them out, where quick attacks and superior numbers would remove the puppets form the equation. She figured they were going to need every advantage they could get, and she wasn't about to pass up a good opportunity for one either.

In reply to Oriana Kimari (msg # 46):

Kakei nods as she ties a strip of cloth wetted using a gourd of water she draws from her robes around her nose and mouth and passes another one treated the same way to you.

While you proceeded, unfortunately you did not spot any sign of a flat rock - and surmise it might be yet deeper inside the cave.

"These are quite a lot of herbs to pick though! It will take some time!" Kakei says as she takes out a small sack and begins to harvest a number of herbs from the nearest herb patch.

As you make your way to the herb storage, you notice oddly that the rotting dogs, all of which look similar in build and condition, do not react your blatant walking, and they just walk about listlessly. They do not patrol in lockstep but simply walk about with maximal distance from one another as though they were intended to keep an eye on the entire area as much as possible.

You manage to fill your pack with a number of herbs from the shelves - but it seems that they are truly plenty and soon you find your pack brimming with herbs of common quality giving off a rather strong herbal aroma when put together.

As you rummage through the herbs, you discover a rusty key and a tattered manual titled "Fundamental Medicine for Dogs" with a rather tastefully drawn dog on the cover, hidden at the bottom of what appears to be a basket filled with the same sickle shaped leaves from the herbal patches in this large room.

By the time you're done looking through this part of the room, Kakei seems to have only harvested 2 of the 8 patches in the large room.

Qianli frowned for a moment as she saw the manual. While it made sense for it to be there if this were just a place where a hermit took care of stray dogs, the fact that this was the lair of a demonic cultivator hadn't escaped her, and she had seen firsthand that said cultivator didn't really care much about the well-being of said dogs. So why, then, was this manual carefully hidden in the way it had been? She leafed through the manual, trying to discern if it had been written in some kind of code or cipher, and keeping an eye open for mention of the scythe-like leafed plants that seemed abundant in the other section of the room. Regardless of what she would find, both items went into her pack before she moved towards Kakei.

- "The undead dogs seem pretty out of it, there is no intelligence behind them like the ones that had sought out and attacked me earlier. They're not patrolling more than simply walking in the same pattern, so it seems the cultivator's conscious control is required to make them do anything. And that means smoking the cave had the desired effect. I'm going to explore deeper inside, i'm pretty confident in my ability to keep quiet. If you hear me shout, come to my aid. Likewise, if i hear you i will rush back without delay. For now, focus on the plants, so that should we need to retreat, the cultivator will not have their necessities."

OOC: Healed 4 from being patched up by Kakei earlier, back to 16/18 HP.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:31, Sat 14 Aug 2021.

In reply to Oriana Kimari (msg # 48):

Thankfully, it appears that the manual is written in plain language and is easy enough to understand.

Generally, the manual contains a number of remedies and prescriptions for common dog ailments, but also appears to have an interesting section about boosting the vitality of dogs, and other reactions to certain potent medicines by dogs.

From the looks of it, the description scythe leafed plant is found in one section which names it Feicao (New Moon Shrub). Apparently the grass when crushed into paste and fed to or sniffed by dogs, can result in it entering a trance-like intoxicating state during which it becomes unresponsive to various stimuli and will not react even to signs of potential harm.

Kakei's brows furrow slightly at what you say as she replies.

"I think its not a good idea to split up. I have a feeling that the dogs might strike if we present ourselves in a vulunerable posture...." Kakei speaks with a rather unsettled tone. Kakei will try to protest, but if you insist she will likely trust your judgement on this matter.

Whether you decide for her to follow or not, the small spaniel will follow you as you make your way deeper into the cave.

As you go deeper you notice a large number of baskets of white chalk-like stones placed every few metres or so as the cave twists and turns. As you proceed, you begin to feel that the air feeling a lot drier than before, and eventually you find yourself at a portal beyond which you see what appears to be coffins of wood placed in neat rows at the far end of the room which appears to have a ceiling from which is hung numerous baskets of the same white chalk-like stones you see before.

Beside the four coffins appears to be around 6 large wooden boxes about half the size of a man that are closed shut with the exception of one which has a open lid. You seem to catch the faint scent of honey from this room. A quick survey of this rooms surroundings with your candlelight reveals that there is no sign of any creature in this room.

- "Do not worry. I am silent, and these dogs are much, MUCH less aware of their surroundings as the ones i fought earlier. I will go and return shortly, just a quick reconnaissance of the area ahead."

Qianli attempted to reassure Kakei's worries, and pointed at the scythe-leafed plants.

- "I found a book on them. The plant is called Feicao, and apparently when crushed into paste the taste and smell can put dogs into a trance-like state. I do not know the effects it would have on our dog, but perhaps it could be used as a weapon against the enemy cultivator? She did have dog ears when i spied on her in the forest."

She then sneaked into the next room, taking care to avoid the dogs, and when she arrived at the coffin room, would return to Kakei to tell her what she had seen. she would also take one of the chalk-like stones with her, though careful not to touch them directly, with the intent to ask if Kakei knew of them, and to check the book she had found to see if they were mentioned there also. Given how many of them there were, it felt to her like a deterrent of some kind, and the room a burial site for treasured pets. Had one of the corpses been possessed by a demon?
This message was last edited by the player at 14:56, Mon 23 Aug 2021.

In reply to Oriana Kimari (msg # 50):

"That seems like an odd plant..." Kakei comments when you speak about Feicao. "Considering how whoever is living here is cultivating much of this plant here I highly doubt it could be used as a weapon though... But I'll prepare some just in case..."


...

When you return, as you show the stones to Kakei she thinks for a moment before replying.

"Oh..! I know this is... this is a stone called Waterless Stone. Its commonly used to keep a place very dry as it absorbs the moisture in the air. Considering how you saw a few coffins there - maybe it is being used to preserve bodies...? ... Could it be that this is actually some ancestral grave...?" Kakei says.

After speaking about the stones, Kakei holds up two satchels of crushed Feicao. You can detect a rather salty scent faintly wafting from it.

"I also prepared this while you are away. Not sure if will be of any help though..."

Qianli nodded.

- "Yes, most likely those who were once the former miners of this place that had died to a collapse. A demon must have found its way into one of the corpses and possessed it, and used its magics to animate the dogs. There were six chests for four coffins however, and only one of them opened -- i believe it smelled faintly of honey. It is possible these were the pets, which should explain the book on how to care for them, and my guess is a demon found its way to one of these dog corpses and possessed it."

She took one of the small satchels, putting it in her pocket within easy reach, should it be required.

- "Good. Keep the second one with you, if my theory is correct it should daze the cultivator when applied to the face. And if it does not... use the time it will spend clearing goop out of its eyes wisely. Once you have all the plants, and are prepared, we shall continue."