Post by Richard Loh on Jul 8, 2014 17:56:32 GMT 8
The Quest for Perfection III: Defenders of Nesting Swallow
Tedium has become a constant companion in the countryside of Shokuro. The roads have dwindled in size and maintenance as the days have passed; what was a wide, stone-paved highway near the river towns has become a narrow, winding track of dust, sometimes fading entirely into the surrounding terrain. Travelers along it have likewise grown scarce as the days drone on. Still, the journey’s end lies no more than half a day’s travel away, in the village of Nesting Swallow, a hamlet so small it could easily vanish into a crease on a map. No more than a few more miles through these sparsely wooded hills and valleys rests the last known home of Master Li Yao, and here, with luck, his descendant still lives. In this speck of farmland may be found one who can, by right of blood, bring forth the forgotten power of the Braid of a Hundred Masters.
Nesting Swallow is located deep in the heartlands of Shokuro, a few weeks’ travel from the end of the river journey in On Hostile Waters. This last leg of the trip takes you through mostly civilized country, and passes without significant event. Over the past week, the towns have grown smaller and further apart, as the interior of Shokuro is for the most part extremely rural.
The party have nearly reached Nesting Swallow, and have begun to encounter some of the farms on the outskirts of the village. Though these farming developments seem unremarkable enough at first, an eerie silence permeates the countryside, and it soon becomes clear that not all is right in this region around Nesting Swallow. Around noon on the last day of their trip, the trail takes you over a small hillock, where you are privy to a startling sight in the sprawling valley below, revealing to them that not all is right in this simple farming community.
Cresting a rise, the trail winds its way up a small hillock that overlooks a large valley beyond. Not far from the hill, a dead mule and overturned cart lie in the middle of the road, two cloaked figures rummaging through the spilled contents of the cart while making disapproving cawing noises to a pair of similarly dressed riders on horseback. Two other horses stand on the side of the road, presumably mounts for the two on foot. The mounted figures loom over a half-dozen shabbily dressed peasants. One of the riders urges his horse forward and makes a threatening slash at the face of a man trying to shield several children behind him.
As you look on unnoticed, the rider menacing the family croaks at the father in a harsh, biting dialect of Tien: “You want to run? Leave early? We won’t stop you. But it costs! Gold, silver, where is it?”
Tedium has become a constant companion in the countryside of Shokuro. The roads have dwindled in size and maintenance as the days have passed; what was a wide, stone-paved highway near the river towns has become a narrow, winding track of dust, sometimes fading entirely into the surrounding terrain. Travelers along it have likewise grown scarce as the days drone on. Still, the journey’s end lies no more than half a day’s travel away, in the village of Nesting Swallow, a hamlet so small it could easily vanish into a crease on a map. No more than a few more miles through these sparsely wooded hills and valleys rests the last known home of Master Li Yao, and here, with luck, his descendant still lives. In this speck of farmland may be found one who can, by right of blood, bring forth the forgotten power of the Braid of a Hundred Masters.
Nesting Swallow is located deep in the heartlands of Shokuro, a few weeks’ travel from the end of the river journey in On Hostile Waters. This last leg of the trip takes you through mostly civilized country, and passes without significant event. Over the past week, the towns have grown smaller and further apart, as the interior of Shokuro is for the most part extremely rural.
The party have nearly reached Nesting Swallow, and have begun to encounter some of the farms on the outskirts of the village. Though these farming developments seem unremarkable enough at first, an eerie silence permeates the countryside, and it soon becomes clear that not all is right in this region around Nesting Swallow. Around noon on the last day of their trip, the trail takes you over a small hillock, where you are privy to a startling sight in the sprawling valley below, revealing to them that not all is right in this simple farming community.
Cresting a rise, the trail winds its way up a small hillock that overlooks a large valley beyond. Not far from the hill, a dead mule and overturned cart lie in the middle of the road, two cloaked figures rummaging through the spilled contents of the cart while making disapproving cawing noises to a pair of similarly dressed riders on horseback. Two other horses stand on the side of the road, presumably mounts for the two on foot. The mounted figures loom over a half-dozen shabbily dressed peasants. One of the riders urges his horse forward and makes a threatening slash at the face of a man trying to shield several children behind him.
As you look on unnoticed, the rider menacing the family croaks at the father in a harsh, biting dialect of Tien: “You want to run? Leave early? We won’t stop you. But it costs! Gold, silver, where is it?”
