Dueling Fate

You study your friend for a moment. You are not quite sure why the situation at the sect has struck him so hard, but it is clear that on the surface level, he is concerned about the upcoming competitions.

"My father sometimes said, "The wolf should not be jealous of an eagle's wings, nor the bear a snake's bite," you say, feeling a pang of homesickness as you think of him. "The other teams may have a noble and a daughter of the sect, but they do not have a spiritual farmer, nor a musical exorcist. Who is to say what is more valuable?"

Medhi shook his head, chewing a bite of pork. When he spoke, he seemed contemplative. "You have a great deal more trust in the fairness of our situation than I do, Lind."
You bite back another saying, this one from your mother, about the usefulness of complaining about the unfairness of encroaching ice instead of cutting firewood. Medhi is not interested in platitudes.

"You have been in a situation before that feels similar." You guess, not quite blindly.

Medhi's expression becomes thoughtful, his eyes distant. "Not exactly the same. There was…" He pauses, collecting his thoughts. "I have mentioned the Shattered Empires where I come from before, but you likely would not have heard of the White River Princedom where I was born. War touched every part of those lands, and the Princedom was no exception. When our lord died, it became embroiled in the same struggle as our neighbors. The battles were as bloody and brutal as you might expect. Soldiers marched and cultivators clashed with the force of natural disasters. My family was forced to flee our home in the face of an advancing army. We were one of thousands, fleeing anywhere. We wandered far, looking for anywhere that would take us. We came to another place, a land known as Kalba. It was neither large nor prosperous - the lands were hot and barren, but it was not part of the war. And my family, along with others of our people, were taken in, but we were not… accepted. We lived in camps for many months on the outside of the cities. My father was a mason, but there he was only allowed to be a common laborer. We had food, but not much of it, and it was strange."

He shook his head. "And we were supposed to have teachers. But they called us stupid, uneducated. Sometimes they waited until they thought we couldn't hear them. Sometimes they didn't bother. And I remember one day, one told us that we were to be taught one of the Great Classics. And she chose me to read one. And passed me a book, the Story of Six Cycles, and… told me to read."

"And?"

"I didn't know the third word." Medhi clears his throat. "I'll spare you the details. I confirmed exactly what the teacher thought about Kalbans, and he spared no effort to hide his reaction to that."

"So when our teacher brought out the books…"

Medhi interrupts you before you can explain the resurge of humiliation he must have felt. "Yes."

You wait for a moment, considering your words. "I cannot speak for the sect. But I remember the words spoken in the Consecration chamber. I do not think this is another Kalba."

Medhi exhales. "Time will tell. You are too trusting, Lind."

Empathy 2 + Discernment 0 (Heart Reading 1): 3d10
6 7 3 = 1 Success!

You have little to say to that, but you notice Medhi's tone and posture have shifted, and you believe some of the tension has left him. You gather both your and Medhi's empty bowls and you depart back to your dwelling for the evening to dwell on Medhi's words.

Your own words to Medhi return to you throughout the evening. Your wilderness skills may prove crucial in navigating the test to come - indeed, you are not sure Bai Ping will be able to scale a mountain at any significant speed, and your charmcrafter teammate's slender frame does not fill you with confidence. But in the grand scale of the struggles of cultivators, wilderness skills alone will not suffice. Medhi has sought to expand his skills into the realm of spiritual gardening, and you are sure Bai Ping will work on expanding his abilities. You owe it to your teammates to be no less diligent in improving yourself.

Besides, should you come into possession of demon cores in the future, you would rather not rely on someone else to refine them. The Ghost has departed from the sect, and you will not have his presence to barge through closed doors and demand services from the sect's refiners.

Bearing the invitation letter in hand, you seek out the promisingly-named Red Sky Pavilion. Following the directions takes you not the lair of the naga you spoke with before, but nearby.

The first warning you are getting close is the faint scent of smoke. It doesn't smell quite like woodsmoke, nor quite like burning meat, nor the horrible smell of burning goosefeathers you recall from a youthful misadventure. Or rather, it smells like all these things and more.

The Red Sky Pavilion is an open-air structure made of stone, sturdy stone walls with wide windows and arched entrances from multiple directions. The land outside… well, the the only word you can conjure for it is blasted. No, perhaps blighted is also appropriate. Accursed might be a touch harsh, but not entirely undeserved.

Many places, the grass does not grow. Where it does grow, it can barely be called grass, as grass does not usually come in festive purples or oranges. And you are fairly certain that patch of flowers is tipped with tiny grinning skulls.

The tree across the meadow appears to be moving against the wind for a moment. Perhaps it is your imagination. Perhaps not.

As you approach the Red Sky Pavilion, you can see scorch marks and scars embedded in the stone.

Well. If you had any belief that refining would be a safe and frivolous art to pursue, you have now been disabused of that notion quite thoroughly.

A scattering of your fellow new initiates stands within the Pavilion, which is dotted with cauldrons and workbenches. Atop a raised dais the Naga you met before… sits? Lounges? You are not certain of the correct word for a being whose lower body is that of a serpent. His broad muscles and bronze scales catch the light and he cuts an impressive figure as he rears up and speaks to the lot of you.

"I see a few of you have braved the landscape outside. Some of you have come out of curiosity, others out of a lust for silver, still others to increase your own power. All of these are worthy goals, although I will warn you experimentation can become ruinously expensive before it yields profitable results."

"Why is refining considered the noblest of the crafting arts? Because refining supports cultivation directly. Every cultivator in the world wishes to increase their personal power and advance through the stages of cultivation. You will be one of the treasured few who can assist their journeys, as well as their own. And unlike an Immortal Chef, your pills are easily kept and can be traded as needed.

The possibilities of refining are limited only by your imagination and skill. You all received at least three pills to support your completion of Consecration. Pills that can directly influence cultivation breakthroughs are some of the most valued, but unfortunately, also some of the rarest. There are pills for learning techniques, pills for healing, pills that temporarily make you hardier, stronger, or more perceptive. Pills that cure poisons, pills that *are* poisons.
"Each of you may take up a cauldron. I have provided a refining journal for you with several recipes already filled in, and a number of ingredients. Or, if you are feeling brave, you may try to experiment. I will do my best to ensure such experimentation is not lethal.

You approach one of the stations. There is a wooden desk, with a large beaten copper kettle slung on a cross-bar over an unlit pile of kindling and wood. On the desk there are a bewildering bundle of ingredients - flowers, herbs, and what appear to be parts from various beasts preserved in jars.

Opening one of the journals, you see a chapter on basic refining theory, as well as a set of three recipes. One is a pill for restoring lost qi, known as the Draw From a Well. The second is a healing pill, the Soothing Balm. The third is a basic cultivation pill, the Kindled Spark, suitable for either attending to your base in between breakthroughs or for helping to learn a technique.

Which pill do you attempt to make? There are enough ingredients for one batch of each of the below:
[ ] A Draw from a Well - Qi Recovery Pill. Recovers 5 (7) Qi instantly. Difficulty 3, Threshold 2, Max 6. Recipe: Spirit Spring Water, Sun-Bee Honey.

[ ] A Soothing Balm - Healing Pill. Recovers 5 (7) Health instantly. Difficulty 4, Threshold 2, Max 3. Recipe: 10-Year Ginseng, Preserved Spirit Snake Liver

[ ] A Kindled Spark - Cultivation Pill. Adds 2 (3) dice to a single Cycling roll, for either technique or general cultivation. Difficulty 3, Threshold 2, Max 4. Recipe: Fire Crab Shell, Blood-Root

[ ] You will attempt to experiment
-[] Write-in your intended Outcome and what ingredients you wish to use