the sunken | moonrise

[groundrules]

THE SUNKEN | MOONRISE

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The final Arc VI event lasts three days ICly and until 23 July OOCly. Yancai goes back another two years in time to the Huntress’ visit, Miang-Si’s corruption and the memory-meddling rite of the ladies of the lake.

The party can choose to stay neutral, only heading to the House of Commerce to access its now-active beacon — or they can inevitably get mixed up in the affairs of Yancai and endanger the village’s time loop.

For a quick catch-up: the latest clues | everything about Arc VI.

BOAR’S HEART

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Rattled, on high alert, feeling watched and skin prickling from static electricity, characters wake to find Yancai has gone back another two years in time. It is now nearly dry, barring rare waterways. Mould is absent. The village bustles with activity: a heavy influx of new arrivals comes by sea, and frequent fishermen’s and merchants’ markets set up in the open road — enjoy fresh fish delicacies, discounted pearls, rare cloth textiles and dyes that include the unique Yancai green!

■ No more hauntings take place, and only one moon loiters above the village. Villagers still remember the party under their false identities.

■ Word has spread of the conflict between elder Quanze Tsaymien’s council and a beautiful woman who has taken up in the forests at the village’s outskirts. Gossipmongers say she wastes away in the woods weeping — while ground cracks beneath her feet, grass wilts, waters poison and animals drop dead nearby. Young men are drawn to her and are later forcibly recovered in a state of rambling, feverish exhaustion. Village healers gladly accept your nursing help.

■ Village elders have given the woman — correctly identified by the party as the Huntress — until the following sunrise to leave Yancai on pain of death. You have 24h to encounter her.

■ The forests are livelier than in previous iterations of Yancai, but you feel perpetually… watched, as if sharp eyes follow your progress. These heavy gazes may belong to the young men bewitched to protect the Huntress, or to razor-clawed venom-spitting creatures that hunt her.

■ You may find some of the aforementioned creatures bleeding on the forest path. They possess slightly above canine intelligence, cannot communicate in human tongues, and hesitate to let you approach — but nursing one might reward you.

■ The death-touched (necromancers, those who died or revived, or otherwise marked) may optionally feel compelled to join the Huntress. Physical distance dwindles her pull, as can your own magic or solutions.

■ Luck (?) leads you to a silent and bloodied forest clearing, come sunset. Here, two dozens of Yancai’s recent dead have risen alive and surround the Huntress, some battling the creatures that assail her, while she speaks to 16-year-old village beauty Miang-Si. There is a gaping, if regenerating hole in the Huntress’ chest; in one hand, she holds her yet-beating heart she cuts in several parts she wraps in parchment. She asks Miang-Si to bury these pouches near Yancai to ‘hold her power close,’ in exchange for permanent and ever-blossoming beauty.

■ Wait as the Huntress and her forces retreat — then catch up to Miang-Si, capture her, or find the pouches. The ground where they are buried is desaturated, brittle, nearly pulverised. Hawks and ravens circle above and plunge down to claw at intruders, or attempt to pick up children or feebler adults. To the magically or death-sensitive, the pouches emanate a revolting aura of withering death.

■ Beware if heart pouches were buried beneath aged, thick trees — their roots burst out like nooses and writhing spiders’ legs, looking to either slam you against the tree trunks or entrap you within.

■ Finding at least two heart pouches prevents the dead from rising in Yancai in the years to come! Keep the heart cuts fettered — touching these parts directly can overwhelm you with the need to consume this or other hearts, to compensate for the sudden and unfeeling… coldness in your chest.

WAKE, UNWAKEFULLY

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Sunrise finds the Huntress gone from Yancai — while waves of the dead rise from the sea to attack the village. Some come chained, or dragging pieces from the casket-ships in which they were set for water burial.

This is the first undead attack witnessed by Yancai villagers, who are largely clumsy, slow and petrified. Some sentimentally believe their revived relatives never died and plead not to kill them. Many are caught in undefended areas, such as open port harbours, fishing boats, markets — and need help to travel to their families. The Huntress’ spell starts dissolving by midday, with the dead largely pulling back into sea and lake waters

■ Beware the village waterways: touching the water replenishes the strength of the dead and saps yours. Look closely at the bottom of the waterways, and you find them lined with dozens of resting corpses. Some wake slowly, as they clutch shards of glistening black mirror — best to… use a very long oar… or plunge very quickly to recover shards.

■ Carrying a mirror shard puts the dead around you to blissful sleep. Those who possess a cut of the Huntress’ heart can take control of up to 20 of the risen dead. Necromancers can control up to 10, even without such a token.

MOTHER MOON

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Come midday of Day II, Yancai villagers start to move freely and reunite with loved ones. Waters begin to gently rise and flood the grounds, while the first spores of black mould appear on walls.

The first to help the injured are the washerwomen of Yancai, who favour the young and magically sensitive. You notice they work in perfect synchrony and have developed a hand sign language they can teach you. Keep an ear out, and one might entrust they are hedge witches, the so-called ‘ladies’ of the lake.

■ Join them, either invited or unseen, when they gather at one of Yancai’s three great lakes. Each lady picks up one of the silver coins tossed in the water for luck-bearing. Take one yourself, and you will be able to breathe and speak underwater, following as the ladies dive and swim through thin underwater passageways. Beware countless skeletal remains that line the lakes and sinister fish — both burst out to shackle your limbs, or sound the alarm about intruders.

■ You find the ladies have begun to shelter and ward the dead in lake caves, to avoid their rising up again. The ladies re-emerge in the forest, speaking of a protection rite they agreed with the elders’ council. They are not strong enough to break the Huntress’ lingering spell, but hope to later recruit nascent witch Miang-Si, who teases she has power from the Huntress. For now, the ladies have decided to create a five-year time loop, moving Yancai back and forth in time whenever the dead attack.

■ To achieve their rite, the ladies use large pieces of black mirror confiscated from the Huntress’ dead and the energy of the hunter’s moon that shines down a bloody red tonight. Those with a lunar connection feel the moon aches, disgusted by this violation. Even those unaffiliated with the moon feel irascible and prone to violence while under its gaze.

■ Interrupting the rite rescues the moon, earning you a reward, and breaks villagers from the five-year loop, allowing them to live their true lives. It also exposes Yancai to the dead, unless you remove the heart cuts. Co-ordinate and choose wisely.

■ The ladies conduct their chanting, rune-painting and summons throughout the night of Day III in the forest. You have a wealth of options to break their spell: interfere with the magic flows, disrupt the guarded ash circle of convened witches, summon irate villagers to raid, persuade Miang-Si to intervene, break or steal the rite’s black mirror pieces… You can also reach out to the coven’s strongest witches, who agreed to sacrifice themselves to become overseers in the time flux — the Lumberjack, Red Lady, White Woman, Man in Black and the Milk-Toothed Babes. You can still sign up for a RNG draw to chat.

BAIT & BEACON

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To take attention off the ladies of the lake, Yancai’s council organises a sumptuous masked banquet and charity auction for the victims of the undead attack at the lavish House of Commerce. The House has been thoroughly cleansed by the time of your arrival, with only faint, clumsy traces of blood, decay and debris lingering from the previous offensive.

On site, servants are still jittery from the undead assault, while openly armed guards walk the grounds and answer any small provocation. Be kind to the staff or offer sympathy for their likely recent losses, and they might let you in unnoticed, or offer a hand.

■ Anyone who brings an item for the auction or who can pretend s/he possesses massive wealth can join the banquet. Show up with anything you can brazenly talk up as elite, exquisite or one-of-a-kind — or perhaps auction your services?

■ The House of Commerce contains a locked room with the village’s now fully active beacon. The Master of Commerce has the only key-tokens to access this quarter, somewhere in his study room — pick a lock, sweettalk the staff, or work your magic to get inside the study and grab one of the rune-inscribed tokens. The study room brims with scrolls, globes, letters to and from the Dawn’s Reach Trade Company and maps of… Arc I’s Sa-Hareth in the west, where hand-written news reports say the dead are rising.

■ Back at the banquet, the richest wine and… relaxing herbs and powders are offered freely or sometimes slipped into food to ease spirits. Aiming for levity, participants don comical animal masks or play a local game of ‘bait or hook,’ whereby they approach you with the aforementioned fishing bait or fish hook in closed fists, asking you to pick one. Depending on your choice, you must ‘bait’ the audience with a song or dance, or ‘hook’ them in with a joke or anecdote.

■ Around midnight, attendants are invited to an increasingly competitive auction, punctuated by elbowing, loud voices, crowding and the occasional threat. Beautiful concubines might stick to your arms, asking to be purchased this or that (exorbitant) small nothing as a gift. Participate to keep up your cover, but beware landing in hard debt!

■ Most banquet goers pretend they are indifferent to the undead attack, but some question whether the woman of the forest was to blame — while others mention that the mysterious, far too independent coven of the ladies of the lake is meeting even now, and might be cursing Yancai.

■ However you spend your night, the witch Karsa asks you to infiltrate the House of Commerce by dawns and attempt to leave through the beacon. This will only be possible if at least one person has picked up a key-token…!

QUESTIONS

Comments

[valeas]

Emilia tries not to startle at the sound of his voice in her mind.

Between this and his ability to glamour himself, she thinks she could learn a thing or two. Something burrowed in her mind wants to stir, as if the latter is a spell she once knew. A spell her twin was particularly fond of.

Of the two of them, Vittoria was certainly the more theatrical. Emilia will attempt to embody some of those qualities as she tucks her hand near his elbow in reassurance of her own, nodding at him with resolve.

Ready.

Ooh, that does work, doesn't it?

With one last look at him, Emilia joins him in making this grand entrance, chin held high.

[blackscales]

He turns a broad smile on her, pleased at how quickly she's caught on, and leads them both inside. The auction is, of course, buzzing with people eager to be seen performing charitable acts. The place is richly decorated, the wine is freely flowing, and some of the guests are notably... indulging in a manner that leaves them especially carefree. He tilts his head, considering.

If anyone asks privately, we should offer them a slot in my commission queue for a hefty deposit.

They all look like they can afford to waste money. He moves forward with confidence, not even bothering to introduce himself but allowing just enough information in his greeting for context. He is so sorry he is late, of course, busy with a young client, and this dress! Oh, he wanted it to be perfect, he works hard to make sure his pieces dazzle -- and of course he thought to offer one in the auction! It is not too late, he hopes! Here, this beautiful piece will be the example but he can make any style or colour they prefer. A custom piece, of course, nothing you could buy elsewhere. Oh, and of course he can offer accessories.

Wrathion's eyes skim the area subtly while they talk, taking in what doors are closed and where jittery staff go in and out. He remembers the layout, loosely, from his last time here. The trick will be making his way through without being seen, once the auction begins.

[valeas]

He is a natural, isn't he?

Emilia, on the other hand, is learned.

Perhaps not many in their group would realise it. If only they had met the naive girl she'd once been. All she had known was her corner of the world in Palermo, shielded from both threats and truth alike. Elusive, but not duplicitous. Clever, but not cunning. That young girl would have chosen mercy over vengeance.

The underworld is a ruthless teacher, and the Emilia that stands beside Wrathion is a goddess reborn. She draws attention to herself, albeit understatedly, as opposed to shying away from it. She moves in a manner that will best showcase his beautiful work, and oh, they are so terribly impressed. Where in all realms did he learn such fine craftsmanship? What sort of accessories does he have in mind? Oh, does he offer jewels, as well?

Emilia does her part to talk him up, smoothing her hand over the impeccable fabrics, laughing along when animal masks are brought over to them all to partake in the mischief. They almost seem ... too at ease, don't they? she asks Wrathion over their temporary link. Especially after the past few days. If they are imbibing other substances, we should make sure they keep doing so. They'll be less alert and observant.

[blackscales]

Wrathion accepts a mask styled like a cat, enormous whiskers jutting out either side. He puts it on with an indulgent smile, causing a flurry of giggles from a young woman who appears to have attached herself to one side of him. Potentially in the hope of talking him into a dress herself.

Best avoid the food and drink ourselves, he offers Emilia, while taking a glass off a passing tray and offering it to the young lady with him. If there's a chance anything is in it, he doesn't want to risk drugging himself as well. Oh but no, he says, when she tries to gesture for him to take one too. No, no, no he has such a weak constitution! He would surely cause a scene, a scandal! No, no perhaps wait until after the main action of the auction...

He glances up at the time, begins to gently manoeuvre himself and his young attendant away towards the back of the building. Better to be near the doorways and stairwells he needs in advance, just in case he gets caught by someone else.

[valeas]

Emilia can tell the young woman is quite taken with him.

In spite of her initial disappointment at his refusal to join her in the drinking, her spirits brighten once he begins to usher them away. Emilia watches them through her own mask — a fox, of all ironies — and once she deems enough time has passed, she bids her own goodbye to the growing cluster of attendees.

Her nerves are getting the best of her, you see. She needs to go to the powder room before the charity auction begins in earnest to ensure there's not a single wrinkle on this stunning dress.

They're distracted enough in their joviality they don't pay much mind to her reasons, and soon enough, Emilia is joining the others who have offerings for the auction. She keeps appraising the space as surreptitiously as she can. How are things going on your end? We're about to begin.

[blackscales]

In place, Wrathion responds. He's stood at the edge of the room near the stairwell, chattering to his young companion. The time ticks closer, and Wrathion glances at a clock, turns to her and oh but now his nerves are getting the better of him. The bidding! It's so exciting! Perhaps a drink is a good idea after all, to ensure nerves don't get the better of him! Would she mind...? She turns away as the clock chimes the hour, and someone begins to call everyone down towards the auction.

Wrathion waits a moment in the shadows, until he's sure nobody is looking at him, then vanishes away into the shadows.

[valeas]

And surely enough, the auction begins.

… Well, the last leg of it begins. Emilia and Wrathion were fashionably late, but such things happen when you’re hunting hearts and poking around moon rites. His response only steels her resolve and she nods, as if to herself.

There is a platform where one shows off items auctioned, and Emilia moves closer to it, pondering to herself if she should add… some natural light to this show. It’d certainly distract while Wrathion looks.

Do you thing, sir. Emilia believes in you.

[blackscales]

Wrathion slips through the hallways upstairs, pausing to duck out of the way as a guard walks past and searching through for the room he needs. He remembers the layout, loosely, and a key is what they need. A token, of some sort. What will the token look like? He has no idea, but he'll work that out when he gets there.

There's a round of polite applause as people surge forward, announcing the final items of the auction, a lot of excited whispering and pleading of younger women from their sponsors there to bid for them. It is for charity, after all. Surely they could contribute...?

Wrathion waits until the guard has passed, slips out and darts down the hallway. He pulls out some tools and begins quickly picking the lock to the study door.

Make sure they keep bidding a while, he prompts, so I have time to search.

Surely Emilia can entice people to spend money?

[valeas]

The dress is beautifully crafted, and bidding for it begins almost right away. But Emilia does want to commandeer the attention of everyone in the room, not only those who are interested in the dress for themselves.

Natural light it is.

I’ll make sure of it.

With a soft exhale, Emilia steps up and conjures the illusion of her fire at the skirts of the dress, while leaving the actual material intact. The flames move along with her as she turns in place to model the dress. She adds some of that flame to her hair, as if strands of their own waving about, and receives some oohs and aahs for it.

Hopefully, it buys Wrathion some time. She does have plenty of additions to make.

[blackscales]

Wrathion can hear the reaction even if he cannot see what she's doing. He knew she'd be good at this, of course, but there's always validation in being right. The door's lock clicks and Wrathion slinks in, closes it silently behind himself and darts to the desk. There's so many interesting things here, and the temptation to read it all is agonising -- but he needs to focus. He begins testing all the drawers. The key, he imagines, will be secreted away even inside this room. A safe, or a secret compartment? He finds another locked cabinet door, begins picking it quickly.

There's maps and news of Sa-Hareth here. Makes sense if they've had dealings with Anurr. Still searching for the key. How's the crowd? If they don't spend all their money I'll be offended.

[valeas]

Well.

… There is certainly a bidding war.

Emilia had not anticipated the dress might work so well that a fight might actually break out for it. It does not appear to be escalating to Miang-Si levels, but there’s certainly an intensity to it that’s starting to become tense. She’d wager these two young women know each other, one of which Wrathion had been charming only minutes earlier.

They’re giving each other side eyes, their voices pitching higher as they offer greater sums. Then Wrathion can find them the match of a lifetime, yes? If there is a map of Akhuras as a whole, it might be worth taking.

[blackscales]

Oh he'd be delighted to know a fight was breaking out, and quite sad to miss it. It's so rare to witness a fun fight!

The cabinet clicks open and Wrathion scrambles around inside. Scrolls, more scrolls, -- ah.

I have the key. Seeing what else I can find. Hopefully the bidding war is keeping you entertained.

Will there be hair pulling? Brawling? One can only dream! Wrathion pockets the token, begins examining what else there is quickly. He can't linger too long, but an opportunity like this can't be missed!

[valeas]

Entertainment is one way to put it. Your dress is now a heated dispute.

When Wrathion is finally able to join them, he'll find Emilia placed directly between the two women who were growing quite spirited about the dress — one of them he'll find familiar, as he was charming her earlier.

Their parents try to placate them, and Emilia herself has her arms extended to keep them from each other's reach. As the village problem solver, her word carries some weight, not that they seem all too aware of it right now.

"I was the one to bid on it first, Gertrude!"

"And I'll be the last! I need it for my engagement, Ruth."

"For a wedding to take place, you need a groom, and we know what happened with — "

So on. So forth.

[blackscales]

A heated dispute sounds exciting, in truth. Wrathion grabs a few more things -- a map, two more interesting pieces of paper -- and retreats. The door is locked behind him, and quite luckily the brawl is drawing plenty of attention. Well done, Emilia! Excellent distraction.

He slinks through the crowd, shooting Emilia an mused smile briefly before stepping in to help break it up.

"Ah, please, this is a charity auction my dear friends! Let us not cause a scene!"

How distasteful! Surely they can behave better than this?