Dramatis Personae

• He Bohai aka Eleven (NPC): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
• He Donghai aka Twelve (NPC): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
• Ko Lenfan aka Four (NPC): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
• Laoshu aka Mouse aka Three (NPC): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
• Meiyou Ren aka Six (NPC): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
• Rang Baozhai aka Ten (NPC): TBA. Tagline: TBA.

Previously . . .

The day after their day off, they were spoken to by their new commander, Nu Ti, and commanded to find demon worshippers and cultists. She doesn’t care methods or manners that they use and that they’re considered acceptable losses if one of them dies. They’re taken to the office and Ops center and gestures at the massive mess and wishes them luck. Rang’s eyes narrow at the mess while Nongmin moves to help her somehow. The person that used to organize it was murdered. Rang gets down to work, Sheng Yi directs people and works intelligence analysis, Zhiyu helps alongside Nongmin, Ting and Jing Min help provide refreshments for everyone while Nu Ti takes Mouse, Ko, and the He Twins to do shift sweeps. Rang’s dislike of the organization makes her demand that Ting comes help them sweep through and sort the papers while Nongmin is forced to make lunch.

An Early Morning

Jian Wu, Jiao Ting, Liang Jing Min, Nongmin Chushi, Sheng Yi, and Zhiyu Zhige
The Order’s Inquisitorial Office
Ninth Month 16th day, 1006 Zao Dynasty, 6th hour
Jiangzihua, Ketuso Province

It takes them nine hours to sort out all the paperwork and Sheng locates three leads to start out. The Undercity, basements, sewers, houses that have been built over full of people, spirits, undead, lots of places to find the underbelly. Then there’s the noble houses, the aristocracy, beholden to the Emperor, and they’ve got information about Noble families meeting with members of The Black Silk but none that they’ve been able to identify properly. Finally they have the Guilds, who are easily as powerful as the noble houses but don’t have quite the same authority, instead they have resources and specialties.

The Inquisitorial unit that they’re in has several hundred spies and thieves working for them to get the information but they don’t have the manpower to get it all sorted out and collated. The three tacks are all current. Wu wants to head to The Undercity and forge an alliance between them and whomever rules it and the others seem to agree with that despite previous experience showing that they tend towards corrupting Noble houses. Sheng Yi tries to map out several different entries and try to find their way into The Undercity, the easiest way down is in the Merchant quarter where there’s stairs down into an aqueduct that leads into the cavernous buildings and rooms of the Undercity.

An Early Morning

Jian Wu, Jiao Ting, Liang Jing Min, Nongmin Chushi, Sheng Yi, and Zhiyu Zhige
Merchant Quarters/Undercity
Ninth Month 16th day, 1006 Zao Dynasty, 6th hour
Jiangzihua, Ketuso Province

They’re followed by a group, Sheng Yi identifies them as members of the local thief guild which he gestures to the rest of their group but Jing Min isn’t able to identify it while Ting just gives a thumbs up in response. Nongmin continues to look around for spirits while Zhiyu looks for meals of local flora and fauna. With them wearing the Robes of the Order, they wonder if they’re up to no good. They’re not interested in being led into an ambush before Jing Min helps the group lose their tail and they’re into Undercity.

They head off for the Undermarket for food and clothing. The Undermarket is in a large natural cavern, lit by hundreds of the glowing stones they got from the brothel basement a couple years back, giving them the light of an overcast day. Undermarket is a large sprawling complex of shanties and stalls and other buildings. There’s a large amount of people around, even some rather obviously non-humans around like those with the heads of an elephant or non-corporeal spirits floating.

They find a stall full of sentient animals with a speaking rabbit that Nongmin tries to enthusiastically speak with causing the rabbit to worry about stranger danger while Nongmin tries to fast-talk the bunny into believing that he’s not dangerous, which doesn’t sound too truthful when he’s trying to convince the Rabbit to allow Nongmin to pet him, which he reluctantly agrees to only once. Nongmin also questions about food and souls, the food is easy to find and the souls, not so much as the rabbit says they don’t want to go there. Jing Min is noticed by the rabbit and is hit on by the rabbit much to his shock and mild dismay, turning down his advances and head offwards to find that Ting has wandered off to look around the market stalls since his normal skills are useless there. Zhiyu wanders off to find Fox spirits to speak with them for secrets, finding a whole market stall full of them. Ting contemplates the tableful of magical lamps before deciding against it. Nongmin wanders off towards the food area while Jing Min regrets turning down the rabbit.

Aftermath

There’s places to buy and sell secrets, dreams, memories, and souls and Zhiyu tries to make sure that most of the rest of the group keeps Nongmin away from such stalls while she speaks with the foxes quietly. Sheng Yi keeps an eye out to memorize faces and people around him. Jing Min wanders the weapon stalls, trying to find another weapon. One of them speaks to him in cryptic references and shies away from it while Sheng Yi goes to look for arrows. Wu wanders off with Nongmin to get some food for everyone, with some funds from Zhiyu. Ting gives up on trying to find something. Nongmin wanders into the food market and speak with the folks around the market, getting information. The folks in the Undercity aren’t too pleased with the guilds and the guilds aren’t too happy with the nobles and the nobles aren’t too happy with the emperor. They’ve got some information on a local bit of the Undercity ruling class and have a plan to go see the Merchant Prince.

After Action Report (GM)

This session was mostly setting up the rest of the sessions in the capital city. The team’s commander gave them free reign to do whatever sort of investigation they wanted as long as they investigated the Black Silk and was not shy about telling them why: they are going to be her stalking horse. Commander Nu Ti has lost too many good men too fast to be messing around anymore. Pai Mei told her they could handle it so now she’s going to find out if they actually can. This puts the PCs on the spot (where they should be) and should provide for many sessions of action right at the forefront.

Other Notes

Bonus report here.

Soundtrack

None.