First Post and first chapter. Chapter One

 Hello Everyone,

This is a blog to show and archive my solo play sessions of the module, Flower Liches of the Dragon Boat Festival. Something that I have been doing since April 10, 2023, My God!
If anybody is reading this, I hope you enjoy this and it gets you interested in Flower Liches of the Dragon Boat Festival. It is a great module that fueled this entire solo play/story.

You can get Flower Liches of the Dragon Boat Festival here: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/213677/Flower-Liches-of-the-Dragonboat-Festival

Special thanks to my friend Josh for providing the inspiration for a certain character in here as well as Kabuki Kaiser for writing this module.

Chapter I

The ill omens have occured.

The priests have chanted the Flower Liches' return.

Their Dragon Boat race is on!

Lil'ling, the Sound of White Jasmine, the purest lady in the city went missing at the beginning of the dragon boat festival. Her servants ran into the District Judge's house, babbling about ghost stories becoming true and alive. As the Judge was about to dismiss this with a haughty wave of his hand, famous psychic detective, Tu Wang Ping, decides to take the case.

Yet, however, by the next day, Lil'ling is back and the servants are laughing at their own drunken stupidity.

Cased closed, eh?

Tu Wang Ping does not think so.

She head to the House of the Sound of White Jasmine.

She arrives.

Lil'ling is on the balcony of the first floor, alongside a haughty, yet confused looking man.

The unkempt young coach driver with a large blue and crooked teeth looks bothered as well as he sits by the double doors of the house's entrance. He is looking at the pair of white ponies, grazing.

Lil'ling covers her mouth with a bright yellow fan and has in her other hand a magnificent scarlet umbrella tipped with a golden bulb-like symbol.

Tu Wang Ping cries up to the balcony and greets Lil'ling, saying what a wonderful dragon boat festival they are having.

Lil'ling nods and blushes to this.

Tu Wang Ping is unsatisfied.

Things look odd at this house, the two servants standing, feeling off, and, though Tu Wang Ping knows that Lil'ling is feigning shyness, her response is too stilted, even for acting.

It is an unnatural, stilted simulacra of a noble house.

Tu Wang Ping wishes to use her ESP on the lady, yet there is an uncanny, inexplicable feeling of venom hiding in the young beauty, as if a Venus fly trap hides in a white jasmine flower.

Yet against her better judgement, Tu Wang Ping probes a psychic link with Lil'ling to see if she is alright.

Tu Wang Ping's instinct is right, a terrible venom courses through the mind of Lil'ling, a undying, alien malignancy of titanic apportions. It takes Tu Wang Ping's willpower not to vomit and shutter in horror, yet her charisma is not good enough to stiffen the ugly look she makes.

Lil'ling sees this.

Tu Wang Ping sees that Lil'ling sees what she sees.

Tu Wang Ping takes a great gulp, knowing that she now must enter the house and continue her case, else the great foulness will get too suspicious if she flees.

She stifles a gasp yet again and calls up, "May I come inside Lil'ling?"

Lil'ling laughs, saying, "It is the first time I have had a woman suitor. And at the time of my marriage?"

Tu Wang Ping tries to laugh, adding, "No. No I merely want to know about the tales of horror that were happening last night and how everything seems okay after such a fright."

Li'ling's eyes narrow and she says, "You may enter."

Tu Wang Ping is terrified. She is, in a matter of speaking, entering the Venus fly trap, yet has to or else! So she, herself, has to enter and be a part of the unnatural artificial banality. 

She first comes up to the young coach driver and asks about his experience. He shakes his head, saying he is just the coach man and he doesn't want to talk about it. Yet he looks very confused and worried.

Tu Wang Ping uses her ESP on the man. She sees a scene of him being surrounded by blue-faced monkey men phantoms and being killed by them. "I'm insane," says the last trail of thoughts from the young coach man's mind.

Tu Wang Ping becomes even more unnerved. She enters the lobby and staggers once out of the eye line view of Li'ling. She puts her hand on her head, feeling utterly terrified and regretting even coming and taking this case.

She hears steps and know it is Lil'ling coming to meet her. The awful trepidation suddenly makes her stomach sicken. 

The most beautiful maiden in the city comes to her, just when Tu Wang Ping gets a hold of herself.

Lil'ling smells faintly of patchouli and jasmine, which makes the woman all the more disturbing because of the spiritual pestilence Tu Wang Ping sensed.

Lil'ling laughs and says she must apologize for the behavior of her servants who were under the stupor of drunkenness when they made their report.

Tu Wang Ping nods, says she understands, yet says she still wants to have a few talks with everyone of the house.

Lil'ling nods and answers, "But of course. What is it that you wanted to ask me?"

Tu Wang Ping gulps and tries to act natural. "What happened last night?" She questions.

"Nothing happened last night," answers Lil'ling, a little angry. She says, "I told you my servants were drunk when they sent in that report. Why does that foolishness continue to vex us this continuing morning?"

Tu Wang Ping attempts to smile. "Well, I am only trying to be helpful. Trying to see if everyone's alright."

Lil'ling's demeanor abruptly changes. Her body composes still and she appears tall. She says, "Yes. You are trying to do that."

Mouth slightly parted, Tu Wang Ping walks to the door Lil'ling entered from.

Lil'ling follows her and towers over her, like a praying mantis over quarry, waiting for the perfect chance to strike.

Meanwhile Tu Wang Ping desperately tries to buy seconds to somehow slip away. Luckily, for Tu Wang Ping, this situation makes her like spring steel coiled for when the danger decides to attack.

The two arrive at the dinning hall, where at a window, a dark-skinned woman with porcine, small, evil eyes sits, feeding parrots marrow rice cakes.

The parrots fly onto the porch of the window from the sea cliff and the grove.

The woman ruefully turns up her nose to both Tu Wang Ping and Lil'ling, suspicious of both the stranger and her mistress.

Tu Wang Ping walks up to her and smiles. Her smile is awkward because of Lil'ling's close presence. "Hello, I am Tu Wang Ping."

The dark skinned woman with the evil eyes glances to Lil'ling, her mistress. "You let a person of this sort into the house?"

"Now. Now. Ni Wayan," answers Lil'ling, both sweetly yet with a tinge of sinisterness in her voice.

"I am a detective and I am just following a report that happened last night."

"Everything is different since last night. I don't like the changes that happened."

At this, Lil'ling stares at Ni Wayan, and if her stare could kill then Ni Wayan would be dead.

Ni Wayan looks terrified as the stare of her mistress is upon her.

Tu Wang Ping crooks one eyebrow and asks, "How are things different?"

Not knowing she is even replying, Ni Wayan says, "Everyone today is not acting like themselves. Everyone's behavior is incoherent."

At this, Lil'ling casts message and whispers under her yellow fan, "Kill yourself for dishonoring me! Climb out the window and jump off the cliff to your death after this woman leaves."

However, just at that moment, Tu Wang Ping uses ESP and hears Ni Wayan's thoughts. "I must kill myself for letting my mistress lose face by per her orders."

Immediately Tu Wang Ping grabs Ni Wayan by her clothing and, with her other hand, draws her flintlock pistol on Lil'ling. "Who are you and what have you done to Lil'ling? Why are you so malignant that you would compel your servant to kill herself?" 

As she cries this, Tu Wang Ping uses sensitivity to psychic impressions and sees a group of goblin spirits entering through the window and carrying off Ni Wayan.

Tu Wang Ping cringes in horror at this.

Meanwhile Lil'ling aka Nightshade, the malignant flower lich, screeches in absolute rage, so infuriated. Who is this woman who can figure her out so quickly? 

She casts color spray. It does not work so Nightshade casts dweomer of rage on herself and attacks Tu Wang Ping.

She hits Tu Wang Ping with a flurry of fists and kicks, a blurry fury of rage. This hits Tu Wang Ping twice for 7 points of damage and 14 points of damage with an additional 1 point of damage. Nightshade, the flower lich, in Lil'ling is so full of wrath that after she has pounded Tu Wang Ping, she picks her up and throws her out the window along with Ni Wayan. Nightshade/Lil'ling is able to do this because he/she gained a 20 on one of those attack throws.

Tu Wang Ping is thrown down into the sea along with Ni Wayan. Ni Wayan dies in the beating, yet Tu Wang Ping survives the beating and the fall, just barely, only having 1 hit point remaining. . . 

Tu Wang Ping floats unconscious in the water of the sea, until a grey, elderly hand wrenches her out of the sea.

The next day, Tu Wang Ping awakens with a jolt, finding herself in a strange room. Her body is in excruciating pain and is covered in bruises and wounds.

She find the room she is in is a temple office of a great priest doubling as living quarters. Outside the room, she hears the resounding gongs and mumbled prayers of the morning ritual. The smell of the incense is overwhelming. Outside, flutes begin playing, yet bizarrely, they sound like horses neighing in heat, though they have a tinge of flute-like quality which Tu Wang Ping's seasoned detective ears pick up.

With the priests' high-pitched singing and this flute neighing mingling, a catastrophic clanging climax happens. This tsunami of sensory sensations after the nothingness-calm of sleep hits Tu Wang Ping like an invading army bursting through a city gate.

However, Tu Wang Ping steels herself and does not panic from awakening into world of agony, incense, and flute-neigh singing. Nor does her body rebel against her. She turns her head in a flash as the door opens.

The door reveals a beautiful covered garden bounding with multi-coloured flowers and vines.

Two men stand in front of the door's opening. Both are dressed in long ochre tunics and sliver-coloured slippers. One is bald and arrogant-looking while the other is elderly, bearded fellow. They appear to be arguing when the door opens.

"You are not the great priest, Jae Ming! You are not the great priest yet! This is, at this point, still my office!" shouts the old man, his voice a stamping foot.

Tu Wang Ping notices the arrogant bald man smiling a smug grin as the old man marches into the office and shuts the door. 

The old man then catches Tu Wang Ping half up-right in the covers on the floor. The man's expression turns surprised, then a bit sorrowful. "Ah, you are awake. I wish I could have been here when you awakened."

The old man walks to sit down by Tu Wang Ping. "What is you name?" he asks as he walks towards her.

"Tu Wang Ping," replies Tu Wang Ping. She stifles a groan of pain and asks, "Where am I?"

The old man sits. "Keep your voice down You are in the temple of the Horse God. I saved you out of the sea."

"You have my thanks."

"Do not. I did not save your life because I wanted to, I saved your life because I need a crew member for my dragon-boat."

"What!?" cries Tu Wang Ping, face scrunching up in confusion.

"I have saved you for to be my boat member. I am entering the dragon boat race and you are entering with me."

"What?! What can I do in this condition?"

The old man says nothing for a second, then lifts up the thing he was going to say. "Better my chances of surviving."

Immediately Tu Wang Ping uses her ESP and reads that the old man is being blackmailed by the Tunshang Barony. It is read clear as day in the man's surface thoughts. 

"You're being blackmailed," She mutters.

Now it is time for the old man to say, "What!?"

"You're being blackmailed into the dragonboat race by the Tunshang. I know that now. Don't deny it. Now tell me who are you and what is going on."

The old man repeats the words, "Tu Wang Ping. Tu Wang Ping . . . Wait?! Ah Hells! You are that detective, aren't you?"

"Damn right I am," shouts Tu Wang Ping. "Now tell me what is going on, who are you?"

The old man pauses and says nothing, unsure of what to do.

"Tell me now!" cries Tu Wang Ping.

The old man burst out, "I am Pin Lung, Great Priest of the Horse God. Yes, I am being blackmailed. The Tunshang have my secret daughter. We priests of the Horse God aren't supposed to be celibate. Please great detective, I am sorry for forcing you in the dragonboat race, but you have to help me."

Tu Wang Ping smirks and huffs, "All you had to do is ask and pay. I have my own problems though." 

She thinks as she says this, "Like what happened to Lil'ling?" 

She continues, "Why do you think you had to fish me out of the sea in the first place." She breaths in deeply. "I don't like your talk of force, but I do own you one for recusing me. Give me full pay and I will investigate this for you."

Pin Lung nods his head vigorously. "Yes. Yes. I'll pay full price. Thank you. Thank you." Then he moves closer to Tu Wang Ping. "Also, Keep this in the hush hush." He whispers.

Tu Wang Ping nods, "Of course." She then looks at him despite the great pain in her body. "Do you have money?"

"Payment? I fully assure you, great detective, I can pay full price."

Tu Wang Ping shakes her head. "No. That's not what I am talking about. I am talking about money to hire a crew. For we will require one if we are going to enter the dragonboat race."

The old man, Pin Lung, smiles. "You mean you are going to help me in the dragonboat race?"

Tu Wang Ping shrugs roughly. "It is part of the job."

Pin Lung's smile broadens a little hearing that. He then goes to the temple of the Horse God's dried pool and gets out a small ebony chest. He brings it back to his office. He mutters some chants over it, and Tu Wang Ping can sense magi being soothed down. Pin Lung opens the small ebony chest, revealing a figurine of an obsidian steed.

"Are you going to sell that?" asks Tu Wang Ping, pointing to the obsidian steed figurine.

"Oh no," Pin Lung cries, 'The figurine is too, too important for our cause. No, I am going to sell the chest. It is worth quite a bit of gold pennies. Take the money from that and buy us a dragonboat crew. I think you will be better suited for figuring out things like this."

Tu Wang Ping finally gets up. She gets up with a great amount of difficulty. "Do you have anything to heal me with?"

Pin Lung looks at her. A sad face crosses his head. "We have to make due with what we got," He says, then adds, "to better the chances of me surviving."

"Alright. Alright," says Tu Wang Ping. 

Making due with what she has, she leaves still with only one hit point. She takes the ebony chest and sells it in the dragonboat festival market which is in every part of the city. Tu Wang Ping gains 250 GP from the ebony chest. She then goes to gain hirelings.

However, Pin Lung has made an entire ritual of the Horse God's blessing for Tu Wang Ping, thus increasing her chances of having an encounter to 3 in 6 chances. 

Tu Wang Ping does not chances an encounter however. She spends 10 GP of her own 100 GP (now, 90 GP) on a harpoon for the dragonboat race, and 100 GP of Pin Lung's cash from the ebony chest on a caravansary public announcement.

Many ruffians and weirdo appear, answering her call for a dragonboat crew for the deadliest of all dragonboat races.

At the caravansary, Tu Wang Ping shows off her wounds and cries about Pin Lung's plight at having being forced into the dragonboat races. She bemoans the fickle fortunes of fate, lamenting that only if they had a crew, surely they and their crew would be propelled to glory. 

She really lays it on thick. Her speech convinces some boat men to compete with her in the race as, because of their Taoist upbringing, they are touched with pity.

As well, tow stranger wanderers, a white Shakti sadhu named Terry the Terrible and a Axolotl man-Naga hybrid warrior named Shesha respectfully, also take up being hired by Tu Wang Ping.

Although, Tu Wang Ping knows that they don't do this out of pity, but rather the white self-loathing Sadhu, Terry the Terrible, was lured along by her waxing poetic about all the riches they could get from glory in the race. She doesn't even need to use any psychic powers to understand this. 

Terry the Terrible and Shesha's wage is the same as that the boatmen's (which is 7GP a day).

Tu Wang Ping returns to her house after a very insane, bizarre day and tomorrow goes to join the doomful dragonboat race.

Meanwhile Pin Lung makes a late registration to the dragonboat race at the demon Chancellor ghoulish lone copper-plated stand. (It is literally ghoulish, there are 20 flower ghouls, there.)