A Town of Mysteries

An extract from a letter found in Miran Cache #25:

I am sorry to hear of your loss, old friend. I have lit a red candle and a white candle in memory of her last journey.

I write to you from the town of Chayi. That is a name I have heard often around the caravan fires this past season. From the stories I expected a town of great wealth and mystery. Well, it surely has the mystery. Wealth is a more tenuous claim:  though the fields seem abundant, the region is poor in iron and they must import their metalwork.

Lately, it seems, there have been some new decorations added: the ruins outside the town have apparently yielded many trinkets, with more to be found. There is an expedition of some kind excavating the ruined tower now, for some religious purpose. I talked to one of the nuns present, and she told me privately that she thought that the site originally belonged an ancient order of Path-followers.

The local Vamto clan seems to have become prominent in the wake of these discoveries; the religious significance of these finds has put them in contact will all sorts of dignitaries and honors. Mostly Kusinne, of course–I am one of the few followers of Symness to visit.

Faithful to the Adjudicators,

Aspandhat

In the Court of Kucha

From the Annals of the Oasis Kingdoms:

That year, Queen Shayn was often observed to be unwell and absent from the court. This did not go unremarked among the nobility, and many speculated that poison had affected her health severely, the same way her mother had been brought down.

The Frogs of Iron

An excerpt from a letter found in Miran Cache #25:

A great many small metal frogs have been spotted in Kucha, all of them pointing towards the capital. According to rumor, they are connected with Symness and secret meetings. There are mutterings in the streets about unholy rulers and of some kind of connection with the recently excavated tower…

The Eagle of Brass

The Eonic people have a legend about their ancestors and how they came to live in this land. They were lead here by a conqueror, who established a lasting kingdom. He was known in the Oasis Basin as “The Eagle of Brass”. At the end of his legend, he departed for the east, never to be seen again.

There is another story, about a weapon or a fortress that belonged to him: the “Tent of Brass”. It has not been seen since the Eagle departed, and the stories speak of the traps that guard its resting place, and scorpions made of brass.

Cycle: Year 116, Season of Harvesting

As the heat of the sun wanes with the lengthening days, the laborers return to the harvest fields. They speak of floods, famine, monsters, bandits. One pauses, lifts eyes to the caravan on the horizon. What stories does it carry?

This ends cycle 9 and begins cycle 10…

A Traveller’s Report

An excerpt from a letter in Miran Cache #25:

Most esteemed friend, I write to you from the quaint village of Chayi.

The locals have been assisting some kind of religious expedition to the ruins outside of town; I gather they hope to find something of significance to their beliefs. The rumors of treasure appear to have spread far and wide, which is no surprise, for it is all these farmer have to talk about. Well, when they’re not complaining about the storms or floods, or worrying about being stalked by fearsome winged desert creatures.

The local farmers showed me a dry channel that they said used to lead to the citadel, before the land changed. They told me stories about the lack of water causing the place’s abandonment long ages ago.

They weren’t quite clear about what caused the change, though I thought it reasonable to assume that some shift in the water underground or a change in the river was the most mundane explanation.

By the time this letter reaches you, I will be accompanying a caravan to Aksu, together with some of the local youths. They tell me there is an academy at Aksu where they hope to study. A fine occupation for our youth, I dare say.

From The Expedition of 1836

12th Thermador, 1836: Hyronomous has sent sketches of the entrance to the underground chambers beneath the Chayi ruins. A gravesite was discovered nearby; from the perfunctory markings and the late date, he estimates that a tomb robber perished while trying to uncover the ruins, and that later visitors buried the body.

He also inclosed a metal ingot found near the site that has a curious resemblance to some we found near Aksu. I wonder how they could have travelled so far from that place to arrive here?

Open Questions

How will the discoveries from the ruined tower near Chayi affect the Basin?

What old symbols or legends have new significance now that the tower is discovered?

What other desert places have a connection to the ruins near Chayi? 

Anyone can search for the answers, according to their narrative authorities.

State of the Game

I’ve updated the player list on the State of the Game page based on the feedback I’ve gotten so far. We’ve had one player withdraw and a few more say that they’ve been stressed for time but plan to get back to the game soon.

The current plan is to run for at least three more cycles, working toward a player-generated climax. You may get some character updates from me, as I adjust a few things to amp up the tempo.

If you feel that you don’t have enough other player contacts to talk to, please let me know. I’ve tried to make sure everyone is likely to get replies, but it’s hard to know for sure on my end.

Do note that even if you don’t get a reply, all of your letters are part of the game and can make it into the news. Though the lack of feedback can certainly be discouraging.

The Troubles in Yiwu

From the Annals of the Oasis Kingdoms:

Yiwu has seen a sad decline this year, with much of the laboring population migrating westward in search of employment. Food is in short supply, and order and law are lacking.