Game-Summaries:3/16/2019 Recollections

Ci's Inspirational Breakfast

On the morning of their departure to aid the Elven Ambassador, Ci, Iago, Cassio, Amon and Ember were gathered in the great hall of Shanjiu Keep, seated at the Feast table, sharing a simple but hearty breakfast. There were two new faces at the table, however. One was that of Arwel, a female half-elf druid that had been tending the garden and grounds of the keep for the last month or so. Her head was shaven, she had green eyes and rough brown skin marked with tattoos on the right side of her face and body. The other was named Caydranth, a Dragonborn Warlock who had been seen in the Library, roaming amongst the stacks and assisting the Sage with his duties. Caydranth was tall and slight, her scales a rugged black and her eyes a deep blue. her oblong face seemed slightly asymmetrical and had a deep scar running down the left side. Both Arwel and Caydranth had arrived at the Keep in the aftermath of the destruction of Solace to pledge their service to the keep and the Eternal Order. Both would be accompanying the Eo on this mission.

Ci sat next to Caydranth and spoke quietly with her. Indeed they could often be seen in the library or elsewhere about the keep, speaking quietly and walking together. Caydranth seemed quite sad in those times, and often fresh tears could be seen glistening on her slick black face.

Ci placed a gentle hand over Caydranth's and said with a slight shrug, "The Paths are many, but the mountain is one." Ember, just to Ci's other side, heard this and asked, "Ci, you have said that many times... I know it is saying of your Order, but what does it mean?" Ci replied, "Its meaning is Many layered in the philosophy of Yanji, and many masters have dedicated their entire lives to discovering them all. I will answer with the Story told to me, when I asked the same question..."

"This story was told to me by my master, Liu. One summer, when Liu was but a disciple himself, and was leaving for his Pilgrimage. As he prepared to leave, his master came to him and said, if you head directly Westward from the Temple for 3 days, you will come upon a small village. In that village is a Tavern. In that Tavern dances a woman known as the Butterfly. I owe her a great debt, and I ask that you would repay it for me.” With that, the master handed his young student one of the amulets worn by the Masters of the Temple. Indeed this was his master’s own amulet, fashioned by his master’s own hand and worn for many years. "

The student was stunned into silence for a moment. “My master’s amulet!” he thought. “Such a gift is meant to be given from Master to Master, not to some dancing girl in a dirty village tavern!” But Liu held his tongue, and only nodded stiffly. He thought, “I had not noticed how old my master looks. Perhaps he is becoming odd in his elder years. I will hold this amulet for him until he comes to his senses.”

As he turned to go his master called out, “and Liu! When you reach the village you will be tired and hungry from road. Be sure to rest and feed yourself, but do not to miss her performance. The Butterfly is one of greatest dancers in all of Eomas.”

Liu thought as he walked away, “A dancer? Why would the master think that was important?” In fact it bothered him so much, he grumbled to himself the whole way to the village. He had joined the Temple of Shan Sua to train, to learn the martial arts, not to watch silly dancers.

He was obedient, however, and when he reached the village, after rest and a good meal, he attended the performance.. The attendant at the front door recognized Liu as a disciple from the Temple, and said that, due to the respect that the Butterfly had for the monks of Yanji and their art, he was instructed to offer a prime location to Liu for 2 silver, rather than the customary four. This further incensed Liu. “4 silver!” he barked. “To watch a dance! Even just 2 silver is bad enough!” The attendant frowned at first, before nodding and bowing to the disciple Liu, saying that he understood it was a sacrifice, but that the Butterfly hoped most sincerely that all who attended would find her performance worthy of the time and effort spent to attend. The other guests already in the tavern glanced at him in the doorway, wondering what he would do, but Liu seemed mollified by the attendant’s humility, and dropped his 2 silver in the bowl for him, striding into the tavern and muttering to himself.

Inside, Liu was shown to an area near the raised platform that was to be used as a stage. The tavern itself was almost full, and the excitement in the crowd was palpable. People from near and far had journeyed to see the Butterfly, as the tavern clearly held more people than this meagre village could support. Even those in seats furthest from the stage, farmers and tradesmen all, had dressed in their finest clothes. All seemed to be waiting for The Butterfly to appear. Being among the crowd with so many people talking of how wonderful was the Butterfly’s dancing, only intensified the Liu’s ire. He complained to others that this was a waste of time and that he was regretting spending his money on such trifles. This garnered him some odd looks, and an attendant began walking his way. Liu noticed and drew himself up, ready to tell the attendant what he thought in no uncertain terms. Before Disciple Liu could do anything, however, a hush fell over the crowd, and the attendant bowed to the stage and remained motionless. The student turned, and there, in a pillar of light, was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The Butterfly stood, poised and motionless, in a simple outfit of black and white. In one hand was an open fan; in the other, a blossom of almost iridescent pink. She stood for an indeterminate amount of time-- not a whisper or murmur among the crowd. Her eyes flicked across the audience and seemed to linger on the novice. He held his breath. And then, she began to move.

The Butterfly's skill and talent were said to be unrivaled, and that night she shone. Her movements were graceful, perfect, precise. Body, mind, and soul merged into one. She spoke to the audience in a language that they knew and did not know, and no one was unmoved. When her dance was complete, another perfect silence settled over the crowd-- until an overwhelming cry of acclaim erupted, engulfing the small Tavern. Throughout the performance, though moved by her beauty, Liu had seethed inside. "Dancing? this is a waste of my time. I am to see the world, and test my skills. I am to spread the word of Yanji, and one day hopefully take my place among the masters. Beautiful though she may be, this frivolity should be beneath me, and certainly my master. The cries of acclaim broke the disciple’s reverie, and he once again grew discomfited, and stormed out, making his way across the Tavern to the bar.

Soon Liu had already drunk one large cup of wine and had begun his second. A cloud seemed to hang over him, and the other patrons gave him a wide berth. After another cup, the novice heard a familiar voice from one corner of the bar.

Slightly inebriated, the novice got up from his chair and walked, cup in hand, to find his Master in a secluded corner table, speaking with the Butterfly. Liu's eyes narrowed. "You said... why are you here?"

The master regarded the Disciple Liu coolly, tilting his head before turning back to the Butterfly. "Please pardon the interruption. My student has journeyed far, and no doubt that and the luminosity of your performance has unsettled him." Returning to Liu, he continued, "I got to thinking about the perfection of the Butterfly, and decided it had been too long since I had made this journey myself. Tell me, what did you think of the Butterfly's performance this evening?"

The novice did not look at either of them as he muttered under his breath "I came to learn to fight. This was just a waste of time." The disciple heard a sharp intake of breath and prepared himself for a mighty blow, but none came. A glance at the master showed the cold fury that had settled into his face-- and a delicate hand on his shoulder, pausing him from pulling back his arm to strike. The Butterfly, a small, sad smile on her face, spoke.

"I am most regretful that you did not find my performance worthy this evening. I strive to show that training one's body to the highest pinnacle need not be done solely in the realm of the martial arts. Although I believe the distance between the art of dance and the art of yanji is not as great as one might think. It always seemed to me that the keen observer could see the ways in which they overlap." The novice let out a loud, derisive laugh that caused nearby eyes to turn to see what was going on. "Dance, like yanji? You don't know anything about it!"

A hush fell over the whole bar as the master was suddenly standing over the younger man, two fingers at the side of Liu’s neck speaking death in their silence. "An apology. Now." said the master. But the Butterfly gracefully stood, unperturbed. "The fault is mine. I have failed as a teacher, and I have clearly not demonstrated what I mean to help your student understand. Please, allow me." And with that the Butterfly drew the disciple out of his chair and to a space that moments before had seemed crowded, but now was empty of all people and furniture.

Liu was too overwhelmed-- whether by fear or awe or something else entirely he could not truly say-- to do anything but comply and stand dumbly in the cleared space. All eyes were truly on him now. The Butterfly now struck a pose from her dance.

"See, how the raised arm is like the beginning of the third kata to strike. But where the third kata sends force through the target, to wound, the Unfurling Willow is an invitation to one's partner."

The Butterfly's raised arm extended towards the novice so gracefully that he was mesmerized, unable to take his eyes off of her outstretched hand. An invitation, from a beautiful woman, in front of all these staring eyes... He did not move. The small, sad smile returned to The Butterfly's face as she resumed her pose.

"See again, the grace of the willow branch. And see too what strength lies within that grace."

And again, the raised arm extended, with such grace that the novice's eyes could not be averted. This time, however, there was no invitation to dance, no offering of peace. There was a beauty unmatchable, unavoidable, and although he saw the arm approaching, sensed the danger, and every ounce of his training compelled him to parry, to dodge, to BE SOMEWHERE ELSE, there was nothing he could do but watch.

The dancer's arm was delicate to look at, but had been hardened by training that began at the age of four, honed to be the perfect instrument of beautiful motion. After the first blow, Liu recovered and attempted to parry. The butterfly’s movements however, were swift and precise, and at the end of each, a blow came that Liu had neither expected, nor seen. As the rain of blows continued, Liu found himself unable to lift his right hand, then his left. A sharp kick from the Butterfly’s foot froze his left leg.. . a snap from her fan froze his right. As the novice crumpled to the floor under the precisely choreographed attacks, he realized that in truth, the paths are many, but the mountain is one.

"And thus was Disciple Liu enlightened," Ci concluded quietly. "There is truth to be found in all things...

"In victory and in defeat... in joy and in sorrow... even in death and in loss." Ci touched Caydranth's shoulder delicately. "And though those truths may come at the end of a staff or a fan, those truths all lead to enlightenment, if we have but the Wisdom to recognize them."

Jeroy, who had paused to listen as he passed through the great hall on his way to do more pushups, interjected "Did the butterfly ever get the amulet?"

Ci smiled and replied, "Master Liu did not say. But I know he himself wore an amulet with an image of a butterfly carved into its face..."

The meal concluded with each person (with the exception of confident friend Cassio) thinking of some moment in their lives that might hold a lesson yet unexamined.