Getting a Clue

With Rensen, the pregnant concubine safely returned to Chidak the Daizu chieftain, the party set out once again for the City/State of  Chiro. Along the way, Snow's new armor became a matter of some intrigue. As an expensive and well-crafted suit of leather it conferred excellent protection, it was also noticed by every thieving heart. Most of which also tried to make it their own -- even when the attempt was clearly ill-fated.


The party continued along the Steppes until coming at last to a low valley through which the merchants declined to travel. Spying that the way around would cost them a week, or more, the party sought to convince their hosts who steadfastly refused. That valley was none other than the Valley of Death and Despair. What lay in wait was not known to the merchants, but the name was sufficient to ward all comers.

Against this portent, the party guaranteed that they could protect the caravan. They said they would rather face danger than spend more days afoot than necessary. So bolstered by these promises, the caravan cut into the valley and found their  way impeded by a great wood -- the roots of which grew in great tangles across the sod. At the same time, one of their ponies broke a leg.

Rather than retreat, or decrease their speed still further, the party decided to reconnoiter the rest of the valley and see if anyone in it had horses to trade for one which was lame. They seemed confronted with three choices. The way forward led directly into the woods. The way South led around the woods and toward the sea. The way North led to a stately manor which could only just be made out from the air.

After some deliberation, the party went North and left the caravan for a day, or two. The manor, they found, was deserted and ramshackle, guarded only by a horde of rat men living in the tall grass. They entered to explore and there found themselves among the ghostly apparitions of an everlasting dinner party and murder scene.

At some point in the past, the Kongqu Wang, or Peacock King, was slain by one of his six guests at a dinner party. All of them were doomed to live as cursed undead until the murderer among them was discovered. This the party eventually did and the house collapsed in their inquisitorial wake, but all inside were finally put to rest. For their part, the rat men took over and in exchange for the new abode gave the group magical moldy cheese which they said could cure all wounds -- man and animal alike.

The party sought immediately to return to their lamed pack animal.

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