Whilst on their travels Tenmei and Bui Janling have received a job from the patriarch of Saan Tin (山田) village to investigate the potential contamination of a local river
- Arriving at the river as it winds through rocky terrain they head down to the bank
- Janling builds a fire to prepare some food
As they begin to investigate the water the travelling salesman Ceoi Zainou is walking along the cliffside trail
- On his way down to the riverbank he bumps into an old man, Æthelred
- Æthelred is in the area to look for a herb which he has heard may help extend life
- Zainou claims to have some and offers to sell him some
- Looking over Æthelred, Zainou declares him to be in poor health and suggests they head down to the bank to the campfire so he can examine him to advise treatments
- As they walk down to the beach they are suddenly struck by a sense of oppression and the earth shakes beneath their feet
Down on the bank they meet Tenmei and Janling who also felt the unusual sensation and came over to ask about it
- Æthelred is excited to see the eladrin and starts pestering them with questions about their age
- Misunderstanding Zainou and Æthelred’s conversation, the eladrin assume that they are trading drugs
- The earth shakes and they all experience the sense of oppression again
Tenmei heads along the bank upstream and spots a woman standing up from where she was snoozing on a rock, fishing
- Saan confirms with Tenmei that she was not dreaming
- The party hears a skittering sound
Swarming out of cracks in the cliff rocks comes a horde of large rats and a large beetle with a glowing rear end
- The group band together to defend themselves against the rats and are able to defeat them without too much trouble
- Several of the group are infected by the rat bites
After the fight the group takes a moment to patch up their wounds
- They discuss why the rats would rush out to attack
- Saan suggests they might have been fleeing something
- Zainou asks if someone will extract the glowing glands from the rear of the beetle
- Saan cuts them out with a flint knife
- Looking inside some small nearby caves in the cliff face Tenmei hears more rats
- Saan notices that there has been some slippage inside and that the caves extend further back than before
Tenmei inspects the river and confirms that the water is tainted in someway
- It seems that there may be something wrong with the spirit of the river
- Saan confirms that it can be found at the source of the river
Tenmei heads back to the village to report to the patriarch
- At the patriarch’s home Tenmei, Janling and Saan are lead inside by an old servant
- Zainou starts to set up shop outside, talking with Æthelred
- The patriarch is an ancient man
- He is alarmed by their report of the rumbling and the oppressive feeling, especially about the timing
- Apparently his wife collapsed at the same time
- He takes them upstairs to see her, she is clearly ill and needs medical attention
- Saan goes outside and collects Zainou to have him look over the matriarch
- Zainou looks her over and gives Janling a list of herbs to fetch from the local apothecary
The matriarch improves slightly and explains the situation
- Long ago the village sealed away a hydra, an evil creature associated with water
- She shows them an old bamboo book with a picture
- She believes the seal is weakening
Leaving the patriarch’s house the travellers head to the tavern to get a room for the night. Several of them are feeling ill with the disease from the rats
- Tenmei goes via the local healer to get help, the treatment doesn’t seem to work on her
- Janling’s treatment is more effective and he clears the infection
- Æthelred gets some medicine off Zainou and feels better
- Tenmei gives in and also gets some medicine off Zainou (who charges her extra)
- Still doesn’t feel better the next morning
- Saan, who is not a fan of buildings, finds a spot to sleep outside
- Her body clears the disease on its own