Month: June 2015

Assassians on the Road

From the Annals of the Oasis Kingdoms…

The assassins on the trail of the Magi, Feegle Yitaka, reportedly met with success. No one has heard from the missing Magi. His students have earnestly pledged to maintain the academy he founded.

There is some evidence that the assassins themselves may have met an untimely end. Any treasures the magi may have been hoarding are in other hands now…

The player of Feegle Yitaka, Magi of Knowledge, has withdrawn from the game due to time constraints. I’d like to thank him for his contributions, and note that some of you may notice some additional things soon…

 

Faith in Aksu

From the Annals of the Oasis Kingdoms…

An unexpected result of the recent troubles: many newcomers to Aksu are publicly pledging themselves to the Kusinne paths. The Grand Abbey has equipped many pilgrims with the Little Book of Kusinne and a compact guide to the caravanserais, inns, and wayhouses that welcome those walking the Path of the Road.

Cycle: Year 115, Season of Hybernating

Few travellers are found on the Summer Road. The mountain passes are dangerous, and the rivers difficult to ford.

The caravans travel on, following the winter routes. Despite the dangers, the oases of Niya and Lop Nur are in their prime, and the journey continues…

This ends Cycle 5 and begins Cycle 6…

A story, told around the campfire

Long ago the oases dried out, the goats perished, and men battled for every scrap of filth. The time of devastation buried many mighty Kingdoms in sand and time.

The descendents had abandoned the Teacher’s ways. They embraced their lesser natures. Ignored their inner voices, lived immorally, failed to honour travellers, and disregarded their Teachers.

Abandoning the Kusinne Paths allowed demons to enter the sacred valley. They brought storms, disease, drought, and war. For uncounted years the Demons walked among the Oases; suffering and death their gifts. Driving all life from even the most verdant places.

The time of devastation and suffering lasted until a great Teacher, Didgiaya, who brought with her unadulterated copies of the Cycles, served to guide a return to the way of Kusinne, and eventually authoring the Eighth Cycle. Returning to the Paths drove the Demons, now contented and lazy, into the Relinquished Desert, where they may yet dwell.

It is known that following the Precepts of Kusinne, walking the Fourfold Path, and continually striving to achieve the divine balance between body and mind are the only way to prevent the return of the Demons, who are drawn to the weakness of spirit all are prone to.

Caravans Avoiding Niya

From a letter discovered in Miran Cache #25:

…around the campfire, the faithful followers of the Path of the Road speak of their concerns about the roads in Niya no longer being safe. There is an undercurrent of fear that the high-born of Niya no longer support the Kusinne Paths like they should, though few dare to say it in so many words.

The discipline of the Green Banner Army leaves much to be desired, but chaos is something merchants fear above all else…

From the Imperial Archives

From the Imperial Annals of the Middle Kingdom:

In the 115th Year of the Dynasty, the Green Banner Army of the West was deployed on the frontier. The general of the army, popularly known as the Wheat Scythe of the West, was noted for his accomplishments and quickly brought order to the ranks of the glorious imperial army.

In the midst of a conflict with the horse nomads from the northern wastelands, the general was felled by a quarrel fired from a crossbow, and so passed from the service of his Emperor.

This was reported to the Court of The Emperor of Ten Thousand Years in the Withering Season of the 115th year of the dynasty, long may it endure.

The player of Zhang Hansi, Frontier General has withdrawn from the game, due to time constraints. I’d like to thank him for his participation and the many creative ideas that his letters have spread throughout the game.

From the Expedition of 1836

10th Thermidor, 1836: We have excavated the drainage system of the abbey. It proves to be a complex work of engineering. I may base my next presentation at the Academy on what it has to tell us about the technology of the Oasis Basin in the second century.

News from Hieronymus, who is still at Chayi: they have uncovered a structure in the desert to the east of the city, which they believe pre-dates the earliest Chayi settlements. They must have been ruins even then. Hieronymus describes the major feature as being very large blocks, worn by time and the desert sands. Hieronymous suspects that the area was originally quite fertile, speculating about the possibility of lush vegetation. I think it is much more likely that it was a military bastion of some sort.