A thousand apologies for how long it’s been since the last post. The holidays were much busier than I anticipated, but since my last update I’ve finished my final classes. I won’t feel I’ve officially graduated until I have my diploma in hand, but I don’t have any homework anymore and that’s progress!
Festival?
In the letter, there is some talk of the festival we are attending, so I wanted to shed a little light on that for you, even if it’s not the most important thing. The festival was in honor of the Emperor and for those who entered and passed through the series of rounds to finish in the top five, they would be granted one request. Nash looked to use his request to enter into the Jade Bailiffs, the Emperor’s personal enforcers who fulfill a variety of roles. He was hoping to use this to one day gain access to places he wouldn’t normally.
Heron – Tai Lin, Monk and Nash’s betrothed.
Phoenix – Nash Yosoku, Wizard
Sparrowhawk – Seiichi Aimoto, Kensai
Falcon – Toshiro Kibun, Fighter
Owl – Hayami Riyu, Ranger
Osprey – Jhin Toshiro, Rogue
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Heron
Jade City really brought us together. Before the festival started, I stumbled upon a ritual murder in a basement of a shop. I alerted the guards, but it was too late to save anyone as the body was already missing. When we gathered again for the festival, we were warned by a note delivered through a street urchin that I followed the day before, that a certain someone was in danger. I’m sorry, I can’t elaborate more than that. The festival started without a hitch and of the five of us, four made it through to the second round. I can tell you’re smiling, but I’ll have you know I made it through.
That’s when shit went south. There was an attempt on the Emperor’s life and the festival changed. We were all charged with finding the person responsible and bringing back their head. Even those who had been eliminated in the first round were eligible. We regrouped outside the gates when I spotted the street urchin from earlier, staring at us. We stopped and questioned him, before splitting off to investigate two further shops. One was a bust, but we found a hidden door that linked up to a tunnel that led into the palace in the other. This was the same shop where I found the murder scene. I told the boy to stay in the basement and wait for us and we ventured into the tunnel.
First we came across a blood ritual where a man had been killed and used to raise…something awful. We followed the tunnel onward and after a few encounters with some yokai, came upon a puzzle room. I must admit that I was sort of an asshole in this room. You know how I like to be the smartest person at any given time. The thought of someone else having the answer to a puzzle is just not possible in my mind. Well, Falcon had the answer and I wouldn’t listen. I’ll have to apologize at some point. We eventually found ourselves in a large open room with a chest in the center. Osprey opened the chest and found the keys to getting through the door on the other side.
When we opened the door into the next hallway, a gruesome sight awaited us. It was the creature that had been raised from the poor man’s blood sacrifice at the beginning of this tunnel. Only, he had some sort of connection to Osprey. I think it used to be his brother. Poor guy. We chased after it, but it disappeared into a blood portal. I wanted to follow after it so badly, but restrained myself.
Something was thrown through from the other side. A small silver ball the size of my fist, covered in runes, and when it hit the ground there was an explosion of ice and snow as a blizzard filled the tiny space and the blood portal closed. Sparrowhawk and Owl both speak Kami, the language that the runes were carved in, and we had our next clue. The other side of the portal is the Temple of Ice.
That’s where we’re headed now.
When we made it back through the tunnel and into the basement of the shop, we were met with the murdered body of the street urchin. He was just a child, Heron. If I had let him leave, he might still be alive. This one’s on me. We returned with the dead man’s head to the Jade Bailiffs and explained what we had found. They tasked us with heading to the Temple of Ice and taking down this creature. In doing so, we’ll save the Emperor’s life and I can leverage that to get myself onto the Jade Bailiffs. It’ll put me one step closer to my goal.
And one step closer to you.
We’ll be nearby, but I don’t think I’ll get the chance to stop by the monastery. Give my best to everyone.
With love,
Phoenix
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Hope you enjoyed this long overdue post! I also hope your holiday season was, and continues to be, enjoyable. Happy New Year everyone!
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Josh Hoffman 