Rina remains near the garden wall with her sheathed practice blade, while Charlotte and Khan observe from the covered walkway. Sam steps beside Kaungshen among the stones.
Sam
We leave the swords resting. I will show you how earth anchors the body before fire gives the hands their answer.
Sam marks a broad circle with her heel. Earth ki sinks through the stones, raising a low rim beneath her feet as her magma-colored skin warms with contained fire.
Sam
Meet my hands, not my anger. Keep your guard compact, use your strength through the ground, and adapt when the footing changes.
Her gauntlets ignite with a controlled orange glow. She advances with measured punches, each impact driving heat through the air while the raised stones tilt Kaungshen’s footing.
Sam
Good. Now the circle rises. Let your legs answer the earth, then let your guard answer the fire.
The terrain lifts another finger-width and warmth gathers around the sparring space. Sam pauses just outside his reach, one gauntleted fist held ready, inviting Kaungshen to choose how he enters.
✓ Quest Accepted
Withstand Sam’s shifting earth-and-fire training
“I ask Sam to teach the anchoring stance first”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled -2)
Kaungshen
Sam, teach me the anchoring stance first. I want the earth to hold my body before I answer your fire.
Sam lowers her glowing fists and steps into the raised circle. She places one bare foot against a tilted stone, demonstrating how the hips settle beneath the shoulders.
Sam
Widen your base, soften the knees, and sink through the soles. Do not brace against the earth. Let it carry your weight, then return that weight through your center.
Kaungshen follows her alignment, lowering his center as the uneven stones shift beneath him. Earth ki answers through his legs, drawing the raised rim into a steadier, supportive ring.
Sam
There. Keep the spine tall while the legs root. Now let me disturb the ground without letting it disturb you.
Sam nudges the circle with a controlled pulse. Kaungshen holds the anchoring stance, but a sharp stone edge bites into his left sole through the boot, costing him a brief jolt of pain.
Sam
You held it. The cost is a bruised sole, not a broken structure. Remember the pressure point, adjust your footing, and keep the earth beneath you.
“I adjust my footing and face Sam’s next pulse, circulating healing kito heal my wounds and continue the session.”
SUCCESS (Great Healing Arts, rolled +2)
Kaungshen shifts his weight away from the sharp stone, widening his base and turning the injured sole onto firmer ground. His knees soften without surrendering the stance.
Healing ki circulates through his foot and legs in a controlled loop. The bruised sole cools, the pain recedes, and his rooted alignment returns beneath the raised stone ring.
Sam
Good. Heal through the structure, not around it. The earth should carry the recovery while your body remains ready.
Sam drives another measured pulse through the circle. The stones tilt in opposing directions, and heat rolls from her glowing gauntlets across the uneven ground.
Kaungshen faces the pulse without retreating. Earth ki absorbs the shifting pressure through his soles, while healing current seals the remaining tenderness and keeps his hips level.
Sam
That is the anchoring stance. You adjusted, restored the injury, and met the change without letting the fire pull your guard apart.
The raised circle steadies beneath him. Sam’s fire remains poised before his compact guard, and the training session continues with Kaungshen fully grounded and ready for her next lesson.
Quest Complete
Withstand Sam’s shifting earth-and-fire training
Skill Upgrade: Darkness(Gravity) Ki Superb→Legendary
“I then help Sam with her ki, and hand to hand skills and increase our agility and acrobatics.”
SUCCESS (Good Hand-to-Hand Combat, rolled +3)
Kaungshen steps beside Sam within the raised circle, matching her grounded stance. His ki joins hers through the stones, reinforcing her earth anchor while leaving her fire responsive.
Sam
Good. Do not carry my weight for me. Give the earth a path, then make me move through it.
Their palms meet briefly before separating. Kaungshen redirects Sam’s fire through compact hand-fighting patterns, guiding her elbows, shoulders, and hips into tighter defensive transitions.
Sam answers with controlled strikes and shifting steps. Together they circle the uneven stones, vault a low rim, and land in mirrored crouches without breaking their shared ki rhythm.
Sam
That is the connection. Your movement gives my fire angles, and my pressure forces your feet to become quicker.
Kaungshen accelerates the sequence into linked sidesteps, hand checks, and short acrobatic turns. Sam adapts cleanly, her gauntlets brightening as their combined current stabilizes the entire circle.
Khan
Exceptional. You have not only improved each other’s agility and hand work, you have created a shared training pattern the household can use for coordinated combat.
“I then try channeling earth ki into my fist to increase my earth affinity and Sam to do the same so we can practice our ki manipulation of earth and tactical repetoire.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Darkness(Gravity) Ki, rolled +0)
Kaungshen closes his fist and draws earth ki from the raised stones into his knuckles. The current thickens his stance, giving the strike weight without sacrificing speed.
Sam mirrors him, guiding a compact stream of earth ki through her glowing gauntlet. The circle settles beneath them as both currents answer the same grounded rhythm.
Sam
Good. Keep the earth behind the fist, not trapped inside it. Strike through the target, then return the force to your center.
They begin with paired hand checks and short punches against the raised stone rim. Each impact compresses the earth, leaving shallow marks while their footing remains stable.
Sam
Now change the angle. I will pressure your lead side, and you answer by shifting the ground beneath my next step.
Sam advances behind a guarded punch. Kaungshen redirects the earth current through his fist and heel, tilting one stone beneath her path and opening a clean tactical counter.
Sam
Excellent. You made terrain and striking power serve one decision. Repeat it from the opposite side, then add a retreat and reentry.
“I repeat the pattern from the opposite side. I also suggest she coat her tail blade in tranquilizers to help apprehend criminals.”
SUCCESS (Good Hand-to-Hand Combat, rolled +1)
Kaungshen repeats the pattern from the opposite side. He shifts his heel beneath Sam’s lead step, redirects earth ki through his fist, and opens the counter without breaking the grounded rhythm.
He retreats three measured steps across the raised stones, letting Sam’s pressure follow, then plants, turns, and reenters beneath her guarded punch with a compact strike toward the safe shoulder line.
Sam
Clean. You changed the terrain, preserved your center, and made the retreat create the opening instead of surrendering it.
Kaungshen
Coat your tail blade in tranquilizers when we apprehend criminals. A subdued target is safer for the household and the guards.
Sam lowers her glowing gauntlets and considers the proposal, her tail curling close as the raised circle settles beneath both fighters.
Sam
Only with a measured dose, a known antidote, and clear records. We protect the innocent; we do not turn restraint into uncertainty.
Khan
A sound tactical suggestion if discipline governs it. Train the retreat and reentry again, then we will test that principle under coordinated pressure.
“I ask Sam to define the antidote protocol, suggested if the Eclipse Palace can just use a harmless tranquilizer that easily breaks down and lasts 3 hours undiluted.”
SUCCESS (Great Healing Arts, rolled +0)
Kaungshen
Sam, define the antidote protocol. Could Eclipse Palace use a harmless tranquilizer that breaks down easily and lasts three hours undiluted?
Sam studies the raised stones, then extinguishes the glow around her gauntlets. Her expression turns practical as she organizes the proposal into a field procedure.
Sam
Yes, if the undiluted dose lasts no longer than three hours and leaves no lasting impairment. Every vial gets a measured strength, batch mark, and expiration record.
Sam
The antidote must be stored beside the tranquilizer, carried by every arrest team, and tested against the batch before deployment. No unknown mixture is acceptable.
Sam
On contact, guards secure the subject, check breathing and circulation, then administer the matched antidote only if the dose or duration becomes uncertain. A healer confirms recovery.
Khan
Add a written limit: restraint only, never punishment. Train the guards to record the time of application, monitor the full three hours, and report every variance.
Sam nods and traces the protocol into the dust beside the raised circle: matched antidote, timed observation, healer oversight, and sealed records. The proposal becomes a usable palace standard.
“I ask sam if she and our child are fine as I tried mastering Earth ki skill under a meditation state.”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Meditation, rolled +0)
Kaungshen
Sam, are you and our child fine while I try mastering Earth ki through meditation?
Kaungshen settles within the raised stone circle and enters meditation. Earth ki spreads beneath his seated stance, steadying the ground while a heavy pulse briefly drains warmth from his legs.
Sam
We are fine. The child is steady, and your Earth ki is not disturbing our circulation. Keep the current low and broad.
The earth answers his quiet focus. Its pressure settles into a stable foundation beneath Sam, while Kaungshen’s numb legs bear the concrete cost of holding the meditation too deeply.
Sam
Your control is working, but you spent too much strength anchoring it. End the meditation before the numbness reaches your channels.
Kaungshen loosens the Earth ki without breaking the shared rhythm. Warmth returns slowly to his legs, and the raised stones lower into an even ring around them.
Sam
That was a successful foundation. I and our child are safe, and you now know Earth ki can protect us when you keep its weight measured.
“I record Sam’s protocol and assign practice partners, and make notes that we might needs to assign a servant to make sure the masters get along and not do anything stupid. Again.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +0)
Kaungshen records Sam’s protocol in the household ledger: matched antidotes, batch marks, timed observation, healer oversight, and sealed variance reports.
On the next page, he assigns practice partners for the Trials. Rina pairs with Charlotte for tactical exchanges, while Sam and Kaungshen drill coordinated earth and fire pressure.
His notes add a separate administrative concern: the household may need a trusted servant assigned to keep the masters from arguing or doing something foolish again.
Sam
That servant should be calm, literate, and impossible to intimidate. The masters will test all three qualities before breakfast.
Rina
Pairing Charlotte with me makes sense. We can pressure each other’s timing without wasting the stronger martial drills on academic preparation.
Charlotte
I will organize the rotations and record recovery limits. As for the masters, a neutral attendant with authority to interrupt them would be useful.
Khan
Record the assignment, but do not turn supervision into another battlefield. If the masters behave badly, summon me before anyone reaches for a weapon.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure a trusted attendant to supervise the masters
“I ask Charlotte to draft criteria for a trusted attendant. I state that other than me and my three wives to be, they must be loyal, competent and well versed inthe basics of the Eclipse Palace ki techniques and martial arts. I also each one of my girls if they have ideas for dealing with the three of them, all while genuinely smiling at Master khan.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +0)
Kaungshen
Charlotte, draft the criteria for a trusted attendant. Beyond me and my three wives-to-be, they must be loyal, competent, and versed in the basics of Eclipse Palace ki techniques and martial arts.
Kaungshen genuinely smiles at Master Khan while speaking, his ledger open between them. Charlotte immediately turns to a fresh page and begins structuring the requirements.
Kaungshen
Rina, Charlotte, Sam, what ideas do you have for dealing with the three masters? I want supervision that prevents foolishness without creating another conflict.
Charlotte
The attendant should understand rank, records, and de-escalation. I will add confidentiality, reliable judgment, and authority to interrupt an argument before it becomes a demonstration.
Rina
Choose someone patient enough to withstand Father’s impatience, but firm enough to stop him. Clear procedures will help more than personal courage alone.
Sam
Give the attendant scheduled check-ins, written limits, and permission to summon Khan. The three masters may respect a calm witness more readily than a frightened servant.
Khan
That smile tells me I am included in the problem. Still, the plan is sound. Find someone loyal, capable, and brave enough to interrupt us before weapons leave their racks.
“Does Khan know a suitable attendant?”
NO, AND WORSE (Likely, rolled 97)
Khan
No. I know no attendant I would trust with that authority, and worse, the masters already know we are seeking one.
Khan’s humor disappears. Beyond the raised circle, a folded palace memorandum rests beneath a training weight, its seal broken and its ink still fresh.
Charlotte
Someone has been listening to our planning. The memorandum was not here when I began the criteria.
Rina
Then the search itself is compromised. If Father sees this first, he will treat supervision as an insult and demand the name of whoever proposed it.
Sam
And if the wrong servant accepts the role, they could steer household records, training access, or the antidote stores. We need to assume the vacancy is already being used.
Khan
The memorandum orders an immediate review of household attendants before dawn. It bears the masters’ shared seal, but none of us authorized it.
The fresh ink glistens beside a copied list of Kaungshen’s requirements. The search for a trusted attendant has become an exposed contest over who controls the household’s safety procedures.
“I examine the unauthorized memorandum for its issuer, and ask the girls to find a neutral candidate themselves to avoid leaks. I then ask master Khan for permission to use the Eclipse formation to summon the culprit here.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled -2)
Kaungshen lifts the memorandum from beneath the training weight and studies its seal, pressure marks, and ink. The copied requirements conceal a second impression beneath the shared seal.
Kaungshen
The issuer is the Palace Steward’s office, using a dormant household authority mark. Rina, Charlotte, Sam, find a neutral candidate yourselves and keep the search compartmentalized.
Rina
We will divide the inquiries and share only verified names. Father and the masters will hear nothing until we have a candidate we can independently confirm.
Charlotte
I will compare personnel records and appointment seals. Rina can test loyalty through household contacts, while Sam evaluates practical competence and composure.
Sam
I will inspect access histories and antidote handling. Anyone who already knows about this vacancy is disqualified unless they can explain the leak.
Kaungshen
Master Khan, may I use the Eclipse formation to summon the culprit here? I want the issuer confronted before the memorandum reaches another desk.
Khan grants permission with a sharp nod. Kaungshen spends a measured reserve of darkness ki across the memorandum’s seal, and the Eclipse formation opens; a middle-aged palace steward appears within the circle, pale-faced and clutching a ledger. The backlash numbs Kaungshen’s fingertips, but the issuer is present.
+ New Item Acquired
Palace memorandum
“I have Charlotte verify the dormant authority mark, after using my healing art to poke pressure points to immobilize the summoned culprit.”
SUCCESS (Good Hand-to-Hand Combat, rolled +2)
Kaungshen crosses the Eclipse circle and applies healing-trained pressure-point strikes along Palace Steward’s limbs and shoulders. The man’s ledger slips shut as his body locks upright.
A careful thread of healing ki confirms the immobilization is clean rather than damaging. Kaungshen’s numb fingertips regain sensation as the formation steadies beneath them.
Charlotte
Hold the memorandum flat. I will compare the dormant authority mark against the appointment seals and the Steward’s registry.
Charlotte kneels beside the circle, arranging the memorandum, its hidden impression, and Palace Steward’s ledger without touching the active seal. Her eyes track the pressure lines in the wax.
Charlotte
The mark is genuine in origin but improperly revived. It belongs to the Palace Steward’s office, and this impression bypasses the current appointment chain.
Palace Steward
I did not revive it by choice. The order arrived already sealed, and refusing it would have marked my household for review.
Charlotte finds the copied attendant criteria embedded beneath the authorization notation. The evidence now links the forged vacancy directly to the dormant office authority, while Palace Steward remains securely immobilized.
“I question the immobilized steward about candidates”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +3)
Kaungshen
Palace Steward, name the candidates who could serve this household without compromising its safety or loyalty.
Palace Steward
Three names were placed under the dormant authority mark: Mei Lian, a senior records tutor; Toru Venn, a retired courtyard monitor; and Sera Qiao, an antidote clerk.
Palace Steward’s locked shoulders tremble as the question reaches the order’s hidden purpose. Charlotte copies each name while Sam studies the man’s eyes for hesitation.
Palace Steward
Mei Lian is competent but answers to the High Registry. Toru Venn is loyal to Khan’s school. Sera Qiao has handled sealed medicines and refuses undocumented transfers.
Palace Steward
The strongest candidate is Toru Venn, but the safest appointment is Sera Qiao. I have her sealed service record in my ledger, untouched by the dormant authority.
Charlotte finds the matching registry mark in the ledger, confirming Sera Qiao’s record. Beneath it lies a private access schedule, giving the household a direct, verified route to contact her.
Palace Steward
The order also required me to reject any candidate chosen by your household. That clause proves the vacancy was meant to control your selection, not protect you.
“I confront the steward about his hidden coercion, warning him that although everyone here is intimidating to him, master Vlarr, would teach him primal fear, and although he his busy with his research on the six elements, he wouldn't mind another test subject/volunteer. I am saying this as a chance to speak honestly and we may show mercy”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
Kaungshen
Palace Steward, speak honestly. Everyone here may frighten you, but Master Vlarr could teach you primal fear, and his research could use another volunteer. Tell the truth, and mercy remains possible.
The steward’s locked posture tightens beneath Kaungshen’s warning. Charlotte stops writing, while Sam shifts closer to the ledger, ready to preserve every word.
Palace Steward
I understand. Vlarr’s name was meant to force obedience, not to summon him. The order came through Deputy Registrar Hua Shen, carrying the High Registry’s authority.
Palace Steward
Hua Shen instructed me to create the vacancy, reject household nominees, and place Sera Qiao under review if she refused. He promised my family protection from an audit.
Charlotte records the confession beside the dormant seal impression. Sam checks the ledger’s access schedule and finds Hua Shen’s countersignature concealed beneath the appointment notation.
Palace Steward
There are two others involved: Mei Lian supplied the registry wording, and an aide from the High Archivist’s former office delivered the sealed order. I will identify that aide and testify, if your mercy is real.
“I make the steward summon Sera Qiao”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -3)
Kaungshen turns the steward’s ledger to Sera Qiao’s sealed service record and presses the dormant authority mark against its matching registry line.
Darkness ki threads through the paper, carrying the summons along the palace’s trusted records route. The effort drains a sharp reserve from Kaungshen and leaves his fingertips cold.
Palace Steward
The summons is accepted. Sera Qiao will be called from the antidote stores under verified household authority.
A response bell sounds beyond the court, louder than intended. The noise carries through the passage, alerting unseen attendants that a sealed summons has been issued.
Minutes later, Sera Qiao, a young adult woman with a compact build, brown skin, tightly braided black hair, and a blue-gray clerk’s coat, her alert face marked by a small scar at one eyebrow, enters carrying a locked medicine case.
Sera Qiao
I am Sera Qiao. The summons bears a valid dormant mark, but its use will be recorded. Who requires my service, and under whose protection?
Palace Steward
Kaungshen’s household requires it. The authority is genuine, and I will testify that Hua Shen ordered me to obstruct this appointment.
Director's notewhole tale
i gesture sam to have the Eclipse Palace guard subtly hunt down and detained any responsible for this incident that we haven't yet judged.
“I let the steward confront the memorandum’s investigators”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +2)
Kaungshen releases the steward’s restraint without leaving the memorandum within reach. The man steps toward Sera Qiao, ledger clutched against his chest, and faces the investigator he was ordered to obstruct.
Palace Steward
Sera Qiao, I was instructed to reject your appointment and place your service record under review. I now confront that order before its intended witness.
Sera Qiao
Then state the chain plainly. Who issued it, who carried it, and what protection were you promised for obeying?
The steward opens his ledger and points to the concealed countersignature beneath the dormant mark. At the passage mouth, Sam makes a subtle hand signal, and palace guards begin detaining unjudged participants connected to the incident.
Palace Steward
Hua Shen issued the order. Mei Lian supplied its registry language, and an aide from the High Archivist’s former office delivered it. I was promised protection from audit.
Sera Qiao
Your confession confirms the vacancy was designed to control household oversight. I will accept the appointment only under open records, matched seals, and independent review.
The steward nods before Sera, visibly shaken but no longer evasive. Her medicine case remains locked, while the guards quietly secure the remaining responsible parties for later judgment.
“I ask Sera to inspect the antidote stores, asked that she procure following: Dark Sweet tea leaves, nether dark flowers, lavender plants, honey, pigs blood, and equinox shadow blossoms.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
Kaungshen
Sera, inspect the antidote stores and procure Dark Sweet tea leaves, nether dark flowers, lavender plants, honey, pig’s blood, and equinox shadow blossoms.
Sera inclines her head, then unlocks the medicine case and checks the supply ledger. The nearby guards continue quietly detaining unjudged participants tied to the forged appointment.
Sera Qiao
I will verify each ingredient, record its source and strength, and keep the matched antidote materials under sealed custody.
She crosses to the antidote stores and inspects the shelves, checking labels, preservation marks, and sealed compartments with practiced efficiency.
Sera Qiao
The stores contain Dark Sweet tea leaves, nether dark flowers, lavender plants, honey, pig’s blood, and equinox shadow blossoms. I have secured the requested quantities.
Sera Qiao
I will enter them into the household register with batch marks and expiration records. No ingredient will leave storage without a matched antidote entry.
Sera returns with the sealed requisition and the updated inventory slip. The ingredients are secured, documented, and ready for the household’s antidote work under independent review.
“I ask sera to bring the ingredients i requested and tell me which could be used to make to tranquilizers i suggested to Sam and master Khan.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +0)
Kaungshen
Sera, bring the requested ingredients and tell me which can support the measured tranquilizer proposed for Sam and Master Khan.
Sera secures the inventory slip beneath her medicine case and signals the Eclipse Palace guards. They continue detaining unjudged participants connected to the forged appointment while she prepares the ingredients.
Sera Qiao
The Dark Sweet tea leaves and nether dark flowers can provide the calming base. Lavender may moderate the effect, while honey can carry a measured preparation.
Sera Qiao
The equinox shadow blossoms are unsuitable for routine restraint. Their mixed nature makes the response less predictable, especially around trained ki circulation.
Sera Qiao
Pig’s blood is not a tranquilizing ingredient. I will exclude it unless a healer identifies a separate, documented purpose. The matched antidote must be prepared alongside the batch.
She lays the selected materials in separate sealed trays, marking each with source, strength, and expiration space. The rejected blossoms and pig’s blood remain locked in the store.
Sera Qiao
For the palace standard, I recommend the tea leaves, nether dark flowers, lavender, and honey only. I will draft the safety record and bring it to you, Sam, and Khan for approval.
Director's note
All while observe her for any tells of deceit.
“I interview Sera on what she knows is going on, what this interview is about, how long has she been a member of yhe Eclipse Palace and if she knows what this job is am offering entails. I also suggest she answers truthfully.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +1)
Kaungshen
Sera, answer truthfully. Tell me what you know is happening, what this interview concerns, how long you have served Eclipse Palace, and what you understand this appointment requires.
Kaungshen keeps his tone measured while studying Sera’s eyes, breathing, hands, and posture. Sam gives the Eclipse Palace guards a subtle signal, and they quietly begin detaining any remaining responsible participants.
Sera Qiao
I have served Eclipse Palace for six years, first as an apprentice in the antidote stores and later as a clerk trusted with sealed medicines. This interview concerns whether I can protect your household from manipulation.
Sera Qiao
I understand the appointment requires inventory control, matched antidote records, timed observation, access logs, and immediate reporting of irregular orders. I must also refuse any seal or instruction that lacks proper verification.
Sera answers without rushing. Her gaze stays level, her fingers remain visible beside the medicine case, and her breathing changes only when she mentions the forged appointment.
Sera Qiao
I know Hua Shen’s name from registry traffic, but I have never met him privately. I recognized the dormant authority mark because its records were part of my training, not because I helped revive it.
Sera Qiao
The job is not ordinary service. It makes me responsible for preventing harm through careful restraint, transparent records, and loyalty to the household’s safety rather than to any individual’s pressure.
Director's notewhole tale
I look at Master Khan and sigh amused but exasperatedly
“I asked if she believes she is qualified for this position, because this job is all that but more. i explained that the job includes everything she said, but also to support the Masters: Khan, Vlarr, and Toujin, whenever me and my three fiancee are away from the Palace and Palace territory like the city. Like during the Martial Trials. But mostly importantly, she is to make sure the master get along, don't bicker over stupid stuff, or do anything dangerous, stupid, illegal, or all three.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +2)
Kaungshen
Do you believe you are qualified for this position? It includes everything you described, and more.
Kaungshen studies Sera’s eyes, breathing, hands, and posture for any sign of deceit. He gestures subtly, and Eclipse Palace guards continue detaining those responsible for the incident.
Kaungshen
When my fiancées and I leave the Palace or its territory, especially during the Martial Trials, you will support Masters Khan, Vlarr, and Toujin.
Kaungshen
Most importantly, you will keep the masters from bickering over foolish matters or doing anything dangerous, stupid, illegal, or all three.
Kaungshen looks toward Khan with an amused, exasperated sigh. Sera follows the exchange briefly, then returns her attention to Kaungshen without touching her locked medicine case.
Sera Qiao
I believe I am qualified, provided the authority is written clearly. I can manage records, stores, and schedules, and I can interrupt the masters without insulting their rank.
Sera Qiao
I will support them away from the Palace, report dangerous conduct immediately, and document every dispute. If they become foolish, illegal, or all three, I will summon the proper authority before intervening further.
“I ask Sera to draft oversight procedures while I channel my ki to improve my health.”
SUCCESS (Great Healing Arts, rolled +2)
Kaungshen
Sera, draft the oversight procedures for household stores, records, the masters, and field operations while I improve my health through ki.
Kaungshen gestures subtly toward the Eclipse Palace guards. They spread through the passage, quietly locating and detaining responsible participants not yet judged, while he watches Sera’s eyes, breathing, hands, and posture.
He turns to Master Khan with an amused, exasperated sigh, then settles into a grounded stance. His ki circulates through his channels, warming strained muscles and smoothing his breath.
Sera Qiao
I will draft four sections: sealed inventory control, independent record review, master-conduct limits, and field reporting with matched antidote custody.
Sera writes without hesitation, recording dual-signature access, timed checks, dispute escalation, and immediate reports for dangerous, illegal, or unauthorized conduct.
Sera Qiao
Every action receives a time, witness, seal, and variance note. Away from the Palace, I will maintain contact logs and summon authority before a dispute becomes a crisis.
Kaungshen’s ki completes its circuit. The lingering fatigue recedes, his circulation becomes clear and resilient, and Sera’s finished oversight draft rests beside the locked medicine case.
Quest Complete
Secure a trusted attendant to supervise the masters
Skill Upgrade: Tactics Mediocre→Fair