Giant Sinkholes

South China is home to giant caves and sinkholes. One recently discovered contains an entire forest cut off from the outside. Scientists believe that it may be home to undiscovered species. 

What kind of creatures do you think you'll find within?

Elephant Queens & Tiger Kings - 7: Journey Up The River

In the last episode I was attempting to smuggle Areca Nuts into he City of Pearls in exchange for the right to live in the city. However my companion and I were captured by Balzar, who seems to be a head guard or military leader of the city. We have 'volunteered' or press-ganged into being part of a trade and diplomatic mission to Nanbeg Gakwha a city of the Longhead people. 

Early in the morning we are jolted awake as guards drag us up to our feet and march us out of the room where we have been held for several days. We gather in the hallway together with dozens of others and then through further halls and courtyards until we are out onto a large plaza where we are again joined by more captives led by guards. All in all there must be a hundred people. We are led through streets along canals and over bridges towards the edge of the city to a great port where many large ships and boats are moored. This is where the great trading vessels embark for the spice islands in the East or to procure Jade on the Northern coasts.

There is a throng of people on the quay. People are loading and unloading goods from the water vessels and carts with various wares bound for the markets in the city or further afield. Craftsmen in docks are making repairs to the decks and hulls while women mend sails and weave and twist rope. 

The guards push through the crowds leading us along a stone quay where 3 galleys are moored. They each have double layered deck, there are what seems to be about 25 oars coming down from the lower deck and towering above, each boat has two masts from which hang massive triangular sails made of matted fibres.

There are priests making animal offerings while chanting, the smoke of incense is in the air and bells are ringing all seemingly to bless the voyage ahead. However we are unceremoniously bundled up a wooden walk way onto the boat and below deck and to one of the benches where we are expected to take up an oar in pairs.

We wait several hours until finally we hear the beat of a drum somewhere behind us, we are shouted at by some senior mariners to deploy our oars and push off the quay and start rowing to the steady beat of the drum. The boats make their way out on to the river and at this time of year the monsoon winds are blowing inland from the sea allowing us to make our way into the hinterland. 

I will treat the journey up the river as a Formidable Journey (1 Progress per Success) and will roll for the navigators giving them a +3 for Wits to add to the Action die. I will also track the supplies of the expedition as usual, starting at 5.

Move: Undertake a Journey (Formidable Rank)

Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Wits(3), 5 + 3 = 7

Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 9 and 7

A weak hit: Reach a waypoint and mark progress, -1 supply.

The initial part of the journey is uneventful. The river is wide and slow and the combination of sails and oars allow us to make progress up the river. I can see out from a gap in the hull that we are within the hinterland of the City of Pearls, the villages, farms and gardens that we encounter along the river are under its sphere of control. In the late afternoon we reach a village and trading outpost that has several large jetties where we moor. We are allowed to prepare food from the supplies and then sleep on the benches or on the deck. Incense is burned to keep us safe from the bites and stings of insects.

Move: Undertake a Journey (Formidable Rank)

Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Wits(3), 5 + 3 = 8

Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 9 and 3

A weak hit: Reach a waypoint and mark progress, -1 supply.

We've made further progress (2 out of 10) and lost more supply (3 out of 5).

We are awoken as dawn breaks and after some preparations we cast off once again. Despite the hard work we've been treated quite well so far. It seems that the captains and mariners want to keep us in good health and good spirits. As we journey up the river I notice that villages and huts on the shore become fewer in number and the vegetation growing up to the water becomes more dense.

Move: Undertake a Journey (Formidable Rank)

Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Wits(3), 6 + 3 = 9

Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 7 and 6

A strong hit: Reach a waypoint and mark progress.

We've made further progress (3 out of 10) supply remains (3 out of 5).

A couple more days pass and we are fortunate to come across some wild pigs on the shore which means we don't have to use as much of the supplies we've taken with us.

Move: Undertake a Journey (Formidable Rank)

Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Wits(3), 6 + 3 = 9

Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 8 and 1

A strong hit: Reach a waypoint and mark progress.

We've made further progress (4 out of 10) supply remains (3 out of 5).

We have been travelling for almost a week, which has been uneventful so far. But I'm noticing only the occasional small village and more often there is thick forest growth overhanging the shore. I believe we are venturing deep into the jungle. 

Move: Undertake a Journey (Formidable Rank)

Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Wits(3), 4 + 3 = 7

Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 10 and 1

A weak hit: Reach a waypoint and mark progress.

We've made further progress (5 out of 10) - 1 supply (2 out of 5 left).

We are just over a week into our expedition and it seems that we are running low on food and supplies so we take the opportunity to set anchour. We are tasked to take some canoes to a pebbled shore to see what we can gather nearby.

I'll roll for myself as well as the others. 

First I'll roll for myself.

Move: Resupply

Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Wits(2), 2 + 3 = 4 

Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 2 and 1

A strong hit: Take +2 supply

For my companions I'll roll with Wits = +1 since the average rower will not be skilled at finding food in the jungle.

Move: Resupply

Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Wits(1), 3 + 1 = 4 

Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 8 and 5

A miss: They find nothing useful. Pay the price.

I'll roll twice on my Food Staples table and twice on my Fruits table: Plant, Animal, Mineral and other Resources of Sundaland

10 Yam 

2 Banteng (wild cow) 

18 Starfruit

6 Artocarpus fruit

Move: Pay the price

48: A new danger or foe is revealed.

We spread out and make our way amongst the trees, bushes and ferns. This isn't a dense part of the forest so there is plenty of light. I quickly find some fruit and pull down what I can, wrapping them in large leaves, but then I recognise a particular patch of plants. I drop to my knees and starting digging in the ground with my hands, sure enough I've discovered some yams. Just as I'm about to call the others to help I notice a rustling amongst the bushes ahead. I freeze and remain as still as I can. There's further movement and I realise it's a Banteng. I then notice another, and another. I slowly move backwards and then jog to find crew with spears so that they can capture the wild cows. I leave them to it while myself and some of the others start digging up the Yams. Some of the others have also gathered various fruits but I've been the most successful by far. There is enough space on the boats for the Banteng which we'll keep alive until we need them. 

We now have 4 Supply. 

I wonder if the new danger is an Animal 0 - 45, Humans 46 - 90 or a Monstrosity 91 - 100.

44: Animal

As we're loading our bounty on to the canoes we suddenly hear screams from beyond the trees, then several of the crew come running out of the undergrowth. A large scaled beast burst out into the open. It's about twice as long as a man is tall and reaches up to the waist, but when it rears up on its hind legs, propping itself up with a long tail it towers above us. It screeches and brandishes sharp talons with which it lashes out at us. I attempt to duck out of the way and get to the canoes.

Move: Face Danger with Speed, Agility or Precision.

Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Edge (3), 5 + 3 = 8

Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 8 and 4

A weak hit: You succeed but face a troubling cost. Choose: You are delayed, lose advantage or face a new danger. -1 momentum (now at +2 momentum).

I duck and roll out of the reach of the creature's claws. But it seems I've found myself separated from the others. Some crewmen are attempting to drive the scaled monster away with their spears but in doing so they're pushing me it towards me. I need to get past it in order to get to the river. 

I need to figure out what to do.

Move: Gather Information

Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Edge (3), 3 + 4 = 7

Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 5 and 3

Strong hit: You discover something helpful and specific, take +2 momentum (+4).

I keep calm and realise that the creature seems to be in a state of panic rather than having a particular aggressive or ill intent towards us. It's scared of the spears being jabbed at it and by being to it's rear I'm adding to its anxiousness. 

Move: Face Danger with Speed, Agility or Precision.

Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Edge (3), 3 + 3 = 3

Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 5 and 2

Strong hit: You are successful, take +1 momentum (+5).

It's splitting its attention between two perceived threats and when I see it's distracted by the others I dash towards the canoes. The spearmen start to back away and the creature now seeing a clear route to escape returns to all four legs and scampers off into the jungle.

Thanks to finding all the food and my close encounter with the jungle animal the crews believe I've been blessed in some way by the gods and spirits of this land. Whether true or not, it will help me stand out from the regular crew and might be something I can turn to my advantage later.

Real History: The Urbanized Jungle: Ancient Maya Garden Cities

This lecture describes what the Maya cities might have looked like and provide me a lot of inspiration as to what some of the cities in Sundaland might look like. I've linked to the relevant 6 minutes of the lecture at the 40 minute mark as that's where the useful information starts, the first section is all about LIDAR technology.

The lecturer described an urbanised rainforest or rainforest garden as a mode of living that's suited to that environment and very different from European or Asian towns and villages in pre-industrial times.

 

Beasts and Monsters: Veo the Giant Pangolin

 

Pangolins, also known as Scaly Ant Eaters are known for their protective scales (the only mammal know to possess them). They are solitary and nocturnal animals, living in burrows and hollowed out trees. They prefer to keep to themselves and will curl up if attacked by a larger predator but they also posses sharp claws and the ability to spray like a skunk. Wikipedia: Pangolin

The veo was a cryptid reported from the Indonesian island of Rinca^↗, one of the Lesser Sunda Islands. It is described as a large animal comparable to a gigantic pangolin, and some cryptozoologists identify it with the Pleistocene pangolin Manis palaeojavanica.^[3][4]

The veo was first described by the French naturalist Pierre Pfeffer^↗ (1927 – 2016), who took part in a 1956 animal collecting expedition to Borneo and the islands of Komodo National Park, including Rinca. In his narrative of the expedition, Bivouacs à Borneo (1963), Pfeffer wrote that an elderly Rinca hunter, who claimed to have once seen a veo, described the animal to him in detail.

Read more here: Veo and Wikipedia: Manis Palaeojavanica 

Real History: Ethnic Group in the Philippines Have Highest Level of Denisovan DNA in the World

The findings were surprising to the team. Previous studies  suggested that a relatively simple, one-off mixing event had occurred between Australasians and Denisovans, but these new findings imply multiple mixing events have occurred across different locations and timepoints. “In [ISEA], Philippine Negritos later admixed with East Asian migrants who possess little Denisovan ancestry, which subsequently diluted their archaic ancestry. Some groups, though, such as the Ayta Magbukon, minimally admixed with the more recent incoming migrants. For this reason, the Ayta Magbukon retained most of their inherited archaic tracts and were left with the highest level of Denisovan ancestry in the world,” the authors explain in the publication.  

Read the article here:  Ethnic Group in the Philippines Have Highest Level of Denisovan DNA in the World

Real History: Was the Indus Valley Civilisation peaceful?

An interesting video about the Indus Valley Civilisation and how they were perhaps not as peaceful as is often portrayed.

The idea that the seals were attached to something (loop holes on the back) is really interesting to me.

Elephant Queens & Tiger Kings - 6: Breaking into the City of Pearls

 Read the previous episode: Elephant Queens & Tiger Kings - 5: Arriving at the City of Pearls

In the last episode we (my friend Auko and I, Kiakro ) agreed to smuggle Areca Nuts into the City of Pearls for a man named Colpa. In return we'll each be given a bracelet that will give us the right of way in the city. We picked up the goods from the other side of the river and have just arrived back on the shore near the city.

We are hunched down by the canoe and Colpa explains that we can access the city through one of the canals that pass through the walls. It has a gate that can be prized open that will allow us access inside.

We pick up the canoe and make our way to the correct canal, drop it in and climb aboard. We paddle with our hands to make as little noise as possible. There are guards posted up on the walls but neither their oil lamps and torches nor the moon and stars illuminate the the night enough for them notice us. Still, we have to be silent as we approach the gate. 

Move: Face Danger with Stealth

Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Shadow (1) = 6+ 1 for a total of 7.

Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 5 and 7.

Weak Hit. On a weak hit you succeed but face a troublesome cost. You are delayed, lose advantage or face a new danger. -1 Momentum.

We silently paddle up to the latticed gate in the wall. Colpa drops down into the water and swims to the left side, we can't see what he's doing but we hear him grunt and gasp, then he starts swearing. 

"They fixed the gap between the wall, I can't reach around to the rope for the counterweight. I don't think we can get through."

We have to figure out another way in.

Move: Gather Information with Wits

Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Wits (2) = 6 + 2 for a total of 8.

Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 10 and 9.

This a Miss but I decide to burn all my momentum to turn it into a Weak Hit. The information complicates your quest or introduces a new danger, +1 Momentum.

I Ask the Oracle. Action: Demand, Theme: Corruption.

We all freeze when we suddenly hear another voice call out to us from the darkness beyond the gate.

"Well Colpa, you filthy Hyena! You didn't think I'd let you come in without paying what you owe me?"

"Balzar, what a pleasure, I was planning to come see you tomorrow and..."

"Be quiet. My men have been watching you sneaking about for weeks. What makes you think you can bypass my authority. I control what moves in and out of this city. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you to the crocodiles right now?"

The gate has now been raised and we are surrounded by spears and bows pointing towards us, motioning us to pass through. Balzar is easy to recognise, he is short stout man, wearing red dyed bark cloth trousers and a leopard skin around his shoulders. His dark hair is tied back and his face is adorned with black and red markings.

"Balzar, look what we have here. Three baskets of Areca Nuts, and I have a new source for more. I will take all the risk and we can both profit".

Balzar chuckles. 

"Yes, we could both profit. But not tonight. Men, take those baskets! I'm letting you go Calpo, but I expect the same haul every ten days, maybe I'll let you keep a little profit now and then along with your life. Now go, I don't want to see your face until you bring me more".

Balzar motions to Auko and I. And what are these two? 

"Oh, just escaped rowers I found. I don't know them at all. Do with them what you will". 

Balzar motions for us to come out of the canoe and we are hauled up on the side of the canal by his men.

"Well I can always use an extra pair of hands... or heads" Balzar chuckles.

Calpo heads out with the canoe and it seems we're once again no longer in control of our own fate. 

We're marched through the narrow streets of the city, across stone bridges and through small courtyards until we come to a larger building, one of the few built entirely from stone. Lit up with fires that are kept burning through the night. We are taken inside and down into the lower levels and pushed into room with several other men. 

I went back and read through my session zero notes where I established the particulars of the setting. The section on Status and Hierarchy is relevant to now:

3. Your culture has a loose social structure with a lot of opportunity for social mobility which is either inbuilt or due to external circumstances (war, natural disasters, depopulation etc.). This is a dynamic social environment with both positive and negative consequences. The risks are are great but so are the opportunities. Why is the society of your culture not as stratified as others? Has it always been this way or did this situation come about recently? What are the challenges and opportunities?

This explains why Balzar has locked us up and not disposed of us. There have been decades of wars and famines resulting in a steady depopulation of the lands. Only recently has civilisation found a precarious stability from which it can start to grow again. Society is in relative flux. Where before the social casts and hierarchies were rigid and strictly enforced, now there is some flexibility and opportunity. A person can make their own way in this world, but it will take a lot of work and some luck.

I think that attaining my freedom and perhaps citizen of this city (or another) will make for a good vow so that I can become more self-directed. In the mean time Balzar will make for a good 'patron' of sorts.

The door behind us is bolted shut. We look around and see a couple of read mattresses, some vases of water and two small oil lamps. But other than that the room is bare. We find a corner to lie down and do our best to sleep. As I drift off I make a vow to Auko and myself that I will become a citizen or free man. 

Move: Swear a Vow (Extreme Rank)

Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Heart (1) and +1 because I share a bond with Auko = 6 + 2 for a total of 8.

Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 1 and 1.

A strong hit and a match! I am emboldened and it is clear what I must do. Take +2 momentum.

I decide to roll on some Oracle tables.

Major Plot Twist: The truth of a relationship is revealed.

Settlement Trouble: A rival settlement

Settlement Trouble: Urgent expedition

Action: Move

Theme: Relationship

I think this has something to do with my friend Auko.  I'm not entirely sure of the details just yet but I'll see how things play out.

We're kept in the room for several days with no indication of how long we will be kept there or for what purpose. Although we are brought fresh water and food twice a day, which keeps us placated.

Then on the 4th day one of the guards comes to us asking if any of us speaks the language of the Longheads? There will soon be a mission to one of their cities to trade and conduct diplomacy and the expedition will be in need of interpreters. Auko enthusiastically explains that his home land was near a Longhead city and that he learned some of their language growing up. The guard seems interested to know more and he is taken out of the room. I sit and wait for a while until he is brought back. He explains that he has put in a word for me and how useful I could be on this expedition because of my boating and healing skills.

A couple of days later we are taken out of the room and upstairs together with a couple of other men. In the light of day we finally get a good look at the building we are in. The ceilings in the corridors are high, as tall as four people. Many of the walls are covered in beautiful murals that detail the achievements of the kings and queens of this city and the stories of their gods. There are alcoves with statues draped with flowers and surrounded by offerings. The smell of incense is in the air and the sound of priests chanting. We are brought into a large in the middle of which is a raised platform on which is situated a beautifully carved bench. On it sits Balzar, flanked by an intimidating looking guard and behind him a servant that is slowly waving a fan.

We are pushed down to our knees and Balzar begins to speak:

"Our holy queen is sending a diplomatic mission to a city of the Longheads, the one they call Nanbeg Gakwha about 10 days up the Green river. The precise details are of no concern to you. All you need to know is that it's been determined that each of you have skills that will be of use to the expedition. Should you return the queen and the city will bestow upon you proper gratitude and reward. We are grateful that you have volunteered to further elevate the glory of the City of Pearls".

One of the others manages to exclaim 'What do you mean, "should we return"?' before receiving the but of spear to his stomach, leaving him groaning on the floor. 

Balzar shouts: "Silence! It is an honour to serve the city and the queen. You leave in three days. Men, take them away."

And with that we're all pulled to our feet and marched off, this time to another room that's above ground and slightly more accommodating. There are windows that let in light, bowls of various kinds of food; fruit, nuts and dried fish and on the floor comfortable looking bedding.

Auko, in a cynical tone says: "I guess they want us to be well rested and in good strength for this journey. We wouldn't want to let this chance to honour the great queen go to waste would we?".

We dive into the food that's been set out, enjoying what we can in the moment in case we don't see the likes of it for a while.

Auko's health is raised back up to +4.