The gate chain lifts free, and the opening yawns wide. Gold glints on the road behind Kareem Bishop as the Senior Guard and Gate Scribe stand aside, still watchful.
A man in layered silk robes steps into the passage, a scroll case tucked under one arm. Two attendants follow at his shoulders, silent as lacquered masks.
Magistrate Wei
You are the foreign traveler entered in the gate ledger, I presume. I am Magistrate Wei, charged with the oversight of such arrivals.
Magistrate Wei
Your credentials are unusual, and your wealth more unusual still. For order’s sake, I should like a few questions before you proceed beyond the threshold.
Kareem Bishop
Kareem Bishop answers carefully and keeps his hands visible, offering no resistance as the magistrate takes his measure.
Wei’s gaze flicks once to the bulging bag, then back to Kareem’s face. The attendants wait for a sign, while the guards hold their positions at the open gate.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish a working relationship with Magistrate Wei
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn where and when he is
“"Of course. I will answer what I can. Right here in the street?"”
SUCCESS (Superb Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Kareem Bishop
Of course. I answer what I can, right here in the street.
Magistrate Wei
That is acceptable. A clear answer in the open is often better than a polished one in a closed room.
Wei shifts one step back from the threshold, giving Kareem the street before the gate. The attendants remain still, but their attention sharpens.
Magistrate Wei
Tell me your name, your station, and why you come to Shou Lung carrying foreign gold.
Kareem Bishop
The street is safer than a chamber. Less room for traps.
The Gate Scribe lowers his brush over the ledger, gold glimmering on the road near his feet as he waits for every word.
Magistrate Wei
Answer plainly, and I will judge you plainly.
“"I am Chief Warrant Officer Kareem Bishop. Stationed at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti. I am sure everything i carry is foreign. But I don't know where the gold is from. I don't recognize it either. It too is foreign to me”
SUCCESS (Superb Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Kareem Bishop
I am Chief Warrant Officer Kareem Bishop. I am stationed at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti. Everything I carry is foreign here, and the gold is foreign to me too. I do not know where it comes from.
Magistrate Wei
Chief Warrant Officer. A military title, then. And your honesty about the gold is either refreshing or carefully chosen.
Wei studies Kareem a moment longer, then gives a small nod toward the ledger and the open road beyond it.
The Gate Scribe
Foreign gold that even the holder cannot place. That is worth noting.
Magistrate Wei
It is. But a traveler who names his rank plainly has taken the first step toward lawful hearing.
The scribe’s brush scratches across the page, not as an accusation now, but as record. The gold still glints near his feet, yet the tone around it changes.
Magistrate Wei
Tell me this, Kareem Bishop, do you seek passage only, or do you seek some standing here in Shou Lung?
Quest Complete
Establish a working relationship with Magistrate Wei
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Superb→Legendary
“"Honestly? I don't know. I have a gut feeling I am far from home and might be here for a while if I am welcome. But that is a hunch not a declaration"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Kareem Bishop
I do not know yet. I know I am far from home, and I may be here a while if I am welcome, but that is a hunch, not a declaration.
The words land plainly in the cold air. The magistrate does not press, and that restraint says more than suspicion would. The scribe’s brush keeps moving, slower now, capturing uncertainty as carefully as title or coin.
Magistrate Wei
A fair answer. Better than a polished lie, and better than a boast. You speak like a man who has not yet decided what this place will become to him.
The Gate Scribe
Then I shall note it so. Visitor, provisional purpose unknown, honest about the limits of his knowledge.
Wei’s posture eases by a fraction. He turns one palm toward the open road, then back toward Kareem, as if marking the boundary between entry and scrutiny.
Magistrate Wei
You may pass under lawful notice. If you remain, come to the gate office at dawn and we will see what place, if any, can be made for you.
The scribe gives a small, thoughtful look at the gold near the ledger, then lowers his eyes to the page again. The record is no longer a warning. It is an invitation with terms.
undefined / undefined
Wei does not dismiss him. Instead, he studies Kareem with a look that is less official than personal, as if deciding what sort of man can survive a new land without a patron. The scribe’s brush slows again, hungry for the answer before it is spoken.
Magistrate Wei
Then let us make the matter plain. A visitor with lawful notice may still be stranded, and a man without a place may still be useful. If you wish a foothold, say so before my witnesses.
The Gate Scribe
And if you prefer privacy, Magistrate, I can note only that the offer was made. Though I confess, foreign gold and foreign courtesy have both stirred my curiosity.
At that, one of the attendants lifts a small lacquered box from beneath the ledger stand and sets it near Wei’s elbow. Not a weapon, not quite an offering, but something sealed and official. Wei’s gaze flicks to it, then back to Kareem, a silent invitation to step closer to the machinery of the empire.
Magistrate Wei
Take your choice, Kareem Bishop. Speak here, in the open, or come with me to the office and tell the record what kind of life you mean to build in Shou Lung.
“I look around, taking note of the clothing, the outdated technologies, the horses and realize i need friends. "Your office? Please lead the way"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Kareem Bishop
Your office? Please, lead the way.
Kareem lets his gaze travel over the gateyard, the cut of the guards' cloth, the horses at rest, the older fittings tucked into the stonework. He stores each detail away as Wei's offer becomes a real path instead of a test.
Magistrate Wei
Gladly. A man who watches first and speaks second is easier to trust than one who flatters the air.
Wei turns from the threshold and starts for the side passage, one hand lifting slightly to signal the attendants into motion. The lacquered box remains by the ledger stand, now left behind like a sealed thought.
The Gate Scribe
I will bring the record after you, Magistrate. And I should like to hear, in proper order, what a foreign soldier considers a suitable beginning in Shou Lung.
The scribe's brush dips, then pauses as he follows with the ledger tucked close. The Senior Guard stays at the gate, relieved but watchful, while the attendants fall in behind Wei with disciplined silence.
Magistrate Wei
Then let us begin with plain things, what name you answer to, what skill you keep sharp, and what sort of shelter would keep you steady here.
Kareem is guided through the gate office door, and the question of where he belongs in this empire now has a chair, a seal, and witnesses.
“"I go by Kareem, Warrant, Bishop, or Doc. My skills? We'll I am a highly trained special forces ranger medic that excel in combat medicine, urban conflicts, and psychological warfare. Outside of the military I focus on construction and plumbing. As far as the shelter, if it were up to me, I would love a dilapidated multi story building on a plot of land. A place i could work on and build. I find the best way to know something is to get in there and start fixing stuff"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Kareem Bishop
Kareem works for me. People call me Warrant, Bishop, or Doc. I am a trained ranger medic, good in a fight, and better when someone needs patching up. I can build, fix plumbing, and take apart bad ideas with words before fists.
Wei listens without interrupting, his hand resting on the edge of the desk as if weighing each trade of title and skill. The gate office feels smaller now, but not hostile, just attentive.
Magistrate Wei
A soldier who mends, and a builder who thinks before he strikes. That is useful in any district, and especially in one that cannot waste labor.
The Gate Scribe
He speaks of work as if it is a wall he can raise by hand. Foreign coin, foreign manners, and yet a very Shou Lung answer.
Magistrate Wei
As for shelter, a ruined house on its own ground is no empty wish. It is an oath to stay long enough to make it honest.
The scribe’s brush moves at last, scratching down Kareem’s preferences beside his name. Wei gives a short, approving nod, and the record begins to look less like an inquiry and more like a formal understanding.
Magistrate Wei
Then we proceed plainly. You will not be hidden, and I will not pretend you are ordinary. In return, you will be given a lawful place to begin, and tomorrow we see what kind of future can be built from that.
“"That might be the best thing i have ever heard"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Kareem Bishop
That might be the best thing I have ever heard.
Magistrate Wei
Then let us treat it with the gravity it deserves. A lawful place is not charity, it is a foundation.
The Gate Scribe
Foreign coin, foreign speech, and still he answers like a man who knows what labor means.
Magistrate Wei
You are not being swallowed by the gate, Kareem Bishop. You are being entered into the world where names and duties can be carried on paper, and protected by it.
Wei turns one page of the ledger and marks a final line with deliberate care. The brush stops, then lifts cleanly, as if the record itself has become more solid under his hand.
The Gate Scribe
A rare answer, that. Most arrivals ask what is owed. He speaks as if he has been given a door instead.
Magistrate Wei
Tomorrow, we begin with practical matters. Where you sleep, what work you can take, and what title this empire can honestly afford to grant you.
The open doorway holds the cool dusk beyond, while the room stays warm with ink and authority. The scribe waits with his brush poised, ready for whatever Kareem says next.
“"Thank you. Truly. I will be right here at first light." I look at the coin, then my wallet. I have less than 50 in cash. American dollars. "Is this enough for a room and meal tonight? If not, no worries and can camp and hunt”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Kareem Bishop
Thank you. Truly. I will be here at first light.
Kareem Bishop
Is this enough for a room and a meal tonight? If not, no worries, I can camp and hunt.
Kareem flips a small bundle of unfamiliar paper money from his wallet, then stills it in his palm. The gesture is careful, not flashy, but it makes his foreign coin and foreign notes feel suddenly real under the magistrate's lamp.
Magistrate Wei
You ask plainly, so I will answer plainly. Yes, for one night, it is enough. More than enough, if we are speaking of a clean bed and a hot bowl.
The Gate Scribe
American paper as well as gold. Whatever road brought him here, it was long and expensive.
Magistrate Wei
Keep your hunting for another day. Tonight, you eat under my notice, and that carries its own value.
Wei slides a small token across the desk, then closes the ledger with one firm hand. The room feels less like an interview now, and more like a bargain sealed by courtesy.
“"Thank you. I don't want to press my luck, but if I could tale my leave I would appreciate it. I am starving and dirty.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Kareem gives the magistrate a small, respectful nod and eases back from the desk, signaling the meeting’s end without breaking its dignity. The room relaxes with him, the ledger shut, the token settled, the tension finally giving way to ordinary evening air.
Magistrate Wei
Of course. You have conducted yourself well tonight, Kareem Bishop. Go, eat, wash, and return at first light as agreed.
The Gate Scribe
And if you have questions about the district, or the forms, bring them tomorrow. I would rather record a clean truth than chase one later.
Wei reaches for a folded slip and marks it with a measured brushstroke, then sets it before Kareem as if it were as ordinary as the token. The scribe’s eyes flick once to the foreign bills, then back to Kareem’s face, curiosity softened by respect.
Magistrate Wei
There is a bath-house on the lower street, and a cookshop beside it that serves before midnight. Show this seal, and they will know I have spoken.
The Gate Scribe
A foreign soldier with honest hands, a ledger entry, and enough gold to make half the ward stare. Strange, but not impossible.
The attendants part enough to clear his path, and the office threshold opens into the dim blue evening outside. Kareem is no longer being held under scrutiny, he is being seen off like a guest.
“I give a respectful bow like I have seen on my way jn and leave to the bath house”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled -2)