Video | un: a jug of wine amidst the flowers

[wenderer]

[ A man with long dark hair, dressed in green silk robes, is lazily fanning himself and smiling, as he lounges by a campfire. He’s singing along with a group of children seated next to him:

Stitch by stitch,
The love of a witch
Will unravel

Dusk to dawn
Each morning to mourn
With blood and gravel

He lifts his hand, stopping them. ]

I think I’ve learned it now, I’ll teach you all a verse also, come listen.

[ He clears his throat, and in a formal style, speaks as if he were reciting before a large audience. As he does so, the man’s eyes drift away to something just out of view. ]

When mountain peaks wear away, when all the rivers run dry
When thunderstorms rumble in winter, and snow falls from the summer sky
When heaven and earth seal back together, only then will I dare to—

[ A hand abruptly darts out from off camera, obscuring the scene for a moment. When it draws away, the stone has been forcibly moved, revealing the face of another man. ]

That’s not why we’re here. We’ve found out a few things about Lord Arha. If the song these children have been singing is true, this ghost army isn’t trying to rescue anyone, it’s out for revenge.

[ The first man scoots back into the scene, sitting right next to and parking his chin on the second man’s shoulder. ]

Ah-Xu, the man was betrayed!

[ He clicks his tongue, shaking his head sadly.]

He went to rescue his lady, but she joined hands with her enemies instead. The whole army was slaughtered!

[ "Ah-Xu," with a slightly frozen smile, says through his teeth: ]

Keep it down.

[ The undead army is clearly changing its guard in the background. More softly, the first man says, leaning towards the stone: ]

I’ve met some people who say they know how to deal with ghosts. Kindly share your knowledge, I have a feeling we’re all going to need it.

[ Meanwhile, the children have started softly singing again:

Love, her love
Hatisse’s sweet dove
Arha fell last

Vowed to return
His lady to scorn
And spit on their past

With strike of sword
The love of a lord
Will unravel

Dawn to dusk
His memory a husk
Each year he will travel.


ooc: replies from Wen Kexing wenderer and/or Zhou Zishu fated_dance ]

Comments

un: wei laozu

[weifinder]

Did rather suspect that was the case, but yes, this is one more piece to fit that puzzle. One of the former ghost soldiers recalled similar before he passed on.

( A pause. )

Myself and an associate in the loosest possible sense of the term can see about playing to guiding that resentment to settle, but Arha and Hatisse need settling I won't be able to manage without sealing the rest first, then releasing them one by one after.

[wenderer]

As for the lady, performing funerals for the unfaithful is a little hobby of mine, perhaps I could assist?

[weifinder]

Far be it from me to turn down willing hands, as long as they remain respectful, too.

( we're here to lay people to rest not eradicate them ruthlessly, and all )

un: in a manor of speaking

[fated_dance]

Did he happen to say how he was keeping them calm? Or why Arha remains deluded?

un: xianxian of yunmeng jiang

[downswing]

'Die.' Your verse.

Then, no love forfeited between the pair.

un: in a manor of speaking

[fated_dance]

There is permanent death, then there is lingering. [ He speaks from experience. :| ]

And helping the former while not sacrificing the living.

[wenderer]

[ He has altered the poem; the last line should be, "only then will my love for you die." But of course, he's contrasting against these ill-fated lovers, Hatisse and Arha, and complaining about Zhou Zishu.

Therefore he replies: ]

Correct.

No love at all. How pointless.

UN: peerless cucumber

[softheartedshizun]

Am I suppose to be suprised? Wasn't that a given? Wasn't that an ultimate conclusion? It's not a twist, It's almost a crime to be anything else.

[wenderer]

Are you an expert on love? You look like a virgin.

un: in a manor of speaking

[fated_dance]

Surprised or not a twist or not, compiling -

[ Zishu sighs at his soulmate's words, dropping his gaze. ]

Compiling what we know and what we can do is the best way forward. Am I wrong?

un: any fin is possible (text)

[lancifolium]

She promised she would open the gates for them, and instead she and the other witches took his army down from high on the wall. Revenge makes perfect sense though it is terrible news for those of us traveling with them.

un: in a manor of speaking

[fated_dance]

So is it better to stay with them, or try and break away?

[wenderer]

Yes, that's why we decided to say something. Do you have any experience fighting... actual ghosts?

Where I'm from, killing people is usually enough.

un: blushing beads of heft and beauty | audio

[paperbutterflies]

[ ... he keeps forgetting to switch to a crystal with a less Complicated network name, mostly because he doesn't actually understand it.

That said, Sizhui's voice is thoughtful but also obviously young. ]

Oh... so that is how the rest of that goes. We could only read the first two verses back then.

She must have had a very difficult choice, between watching innocent people be slaughtered and turning on him. Was simply leaving with him from outside the city not an option, I wonder.

un: chengmei

[thesuspense]

Not if she didn't want him any more.

People are fickle.

[Not his place to interrupt, but for whatever reason, he chooses to.]

If she ever wanted him.

un: xianxian of yunmeng

[downswing]

Choice ever remains.

The lady decided.

[wenderer]

[ ..................... ]

That's quite the name, Young Master Blushing Beads.

un: chengmei

[thesuspense]

Huh.

[A small sound, early on in the recording, then he listens to the rest, with a scoff or two, perhaps of amusement.]

Someone should inspect those children. Who bothers remembering something that long? I fell asleep halfway through.

[The yawn, naturally, is an exaggeration.]

Thanks for the lovers' spat. Made it more entertaining. Ah... Whoever's not Ah-Xu? Don't take it so personally. I've listened to Lord Arha. That's one tedious ghost. The slaughter is the most interesting thing about him.

[wenderer]

It goes on for ages, you've only heard a small part of it. There are twenty verses total. As for Lord Arha, was the whole thing entirely one-sided, do you think?

[ He laughs, about as theatrically as the man's yawn. ]

That would be hilarious.

un: dappled pearl of the parted seas [voice]

[beitangmoran]

Hm, that was indeed the general idea we got from the letters, but we were not sure whether he was replaying his original voyage or actually out for blood, I suppose.

He definitely would have died with a sense of betrayal for certain. What we cannot ascertain is if she did it willingly or if she was coerced into it.

[wenderer]

Are you taking the lady's part in this? It's true that women are more often betrayed than betrayers, but that doesn't mean the reverse can't happen also.

un : deft hand of little deaths [voice]

[scrapgege]

Well... I'm a Heavvenly Official so 'dealing with ghosts' is sort of my job...

But this Lord Ahra is at the very least a Wrath-level ghost with how he can keep the army in its thrall. I have a feeling that if we managed to make him pass on or destroy him, the rest will probably dissipate as he'd be the one keeping them here.

If he won't listen to any reason, and nothing else works to appease him, then destroying his bones and ashes would be a last resort, but we'd need to find them.

[wenderer]

[ With a name like that, this person must be totally shameless. More so than himself, and that's saying something! ]

I've heard others say this as well, that destroying Lord Arha will also vanquish the army; someone told me that the soldiers under him are tired of this repeated, pointless journey and wish to rest.

If it's as easy as destroying his ashes and bones, then we could start by setting fire to the tombs.

un: daozhang

[binghua]

I believe there are quite a few of us who are experienced when it comes to putting ghosts to rest, myself included. Ideally, one would try to appease the restless spirit first, try to find a solution that does not involve violence. But that isn't always possible, and I have a feeling it won't work for Lord Arha. Not to mention, we don't necessarily have enough time or resources to investigate fully. I don't like it, but eradication of the spirit might be the best solution if the rest of us are to get out of this unscathed.

[A small sigh.]

I know there have been letter fragments scattered over our camp, but I don't know how much was ever translated for us. Nor could I read any of it anyway. But from what I've gathered, that should be helpful in providing a solution.

[wenderer]

Agreed. Someone who's made such a journey year after year, all for the sake of revenge, even after death: I doubt such a person could be appeased. Also, someone said that Lord Arha is beginning to understand that he's dead. We might not have much time before he decides to unleash his ire.

How does one eradicate a spirit? I've been trained in martial arts, but that isn't something I've ever had to do.

[ Not to mention, it's a potentially useful skill. If he ever gets home and enacts his own revenge, it would be beyond satisfying to eradicate the actual souls of the people responsible for his parents' death. ]