Bai Zhan's Audience Hall

[Matt]

Lu Shan bowed and saluted. "I should not wish to ask for either, unless it be the death of me. I shall make haste in offering what little service I may, my liege."

(OOC: Officer Info posted!)

[SleepingDragonZ]

Ugly Feng was quite unsure what to expect as he approached the gates of Jiangling. Even still he was quite surprised when he finally arrived. Foreigners and natives living in peace, all forms of decoration seemingly ignored or put to more practical use. This city was an anomaly among the rest and Feng, something of an anomaly himself, immediately felt right at home.

He was unsure, however, how to proceed. Was he supposed to approach the barbarian guards? Was he supposed to casually stroll toward the administration building? What was the etiquette for a place like this? His mother and half-brother stood there with him, all three of them in a stupor about what they were supposed to do next and hoping someone would approach them to help.

"This is an odd place" said Fiao, Feng's mother.

"This is a beautiful place" Feng corrected.

[gravenimages]

"If I may interject" comes a voice from behind the group. "It would seem to be both, and therein lies it's true value."

An average-looking, thirtyish chinese man clad in the livery of an officer stood behind the group, flanked by a brace of guards. "Ouhuan and Chinese, living in relative peace and to the betterment of both. An interesting state of affairs that others would do well to learn from, I think." The man bows slightly. "Forgive me. I am Ta Duc, lt. general in service of the lord of Jiangling. Am I correct in assuming this is your first visit to our province?"

[SleepingDragonZ]

"Correct you are" said Feng, who's eyes were still wandering around in amazement at this place. "My name is Feng Jiulong, better known as Ugly Feng throughout the provinces." He started fumbling through his bag, finally producing a piece of parchment, which he handed to Ta Duc. "I recieved this letter from your lord, inviting me for an audience. His honesty about his intentions won me over and I have come in hopes he is available to see me today."

[gravenimages]

Duc examines the letter briefly, hands it back to Feng. "As luck would have it I am delivering reports from Han province. I would think that both could be accomplished at the same time."

(OOC if this is acceptable)

The trip through the streets of Jiangling serves to showcase the odd mixture of Chinese and barbarian influences in the area. A mix of stoic southerners and more gregarious native Chinese keep the peace in the city's streets, both identifyable as followers of Bai Zhan. Months of living together has brought a measure of tolerance and interaction to the mixed populace.

The administrative compound has been cleaned up and organized somewhat. The civilian presence is gone, and most of the buildings are allocated to higher-ranking officials and barbarian warriors. The couryard is populated with raucous knots of tribesmen, engaged in the sport that also hones their tribal fighting skills. Here and there functionaries hurry about the business of the province.

In contrast to the rest of the administrative compound, Bai Zhan's audience hall still reflects a mostly-chinese court flavor. The only nod to it's barbarian occupation is the rather gaudy Ouhuan mantle worn by Bai Zhan, and the presence of the shaman Bahn Tu, who had fast become Zhan's most trusted advisor. The Marquis receives Ta Duc's reports, handing them off to Ban Tu for review. He looks with interest at the general as well as the unfamiliar visitors.

Ta Duc presents a shallow bow. "I present Lord Feng and companions, seeking audience in reply to your request."

Bai Zhan nods in response to his general, then addresses the visitors. "Lord Feng, I am gratified that you have chosen to trav

[SleepingDragonZ]

((OOC: Looks like your post got cut off but I think I get the picture ))

Feng sent his mother and brother away for a moment. He wanted to have a frank and candid conversation with Lord Bai and didn't want them to hear it. His father had left him in charge of family business, after his death, and Feng had very different ideas about their future than his mother.

"I suppose you may have already noticed that one of my companions has barbarian blood in his veins as well. That is my older brother, well half brother, Qunxu. Our family has been ridiculed for having him and even more for not casting him away. He has been my best friend and mentor since childhood and, I believe, were it not for his bloodline, he may be able to achieve even more than me in his lifetime." Feng cleared his throat. Realizing he was rambling a bit, he tried to skip to the point. "What I'm trying to say is, my family is deeply sympathetic to what you are accomplishing here."

Feng's family was thrilled at the prospect of joining Lord Bai's ranks for these reasons. Feng himself, however, had his own motives.

"The reason I have come here today, in response to your letter" said Feng "is your honesty when describing your motives and goals for this land. I believe in honesty myself..."

Feng smiled a bit. The following rant had led others to believe he was insane. He thought that Bai, however, was the type who would understand. "I care little about the will of the heavens, which these other lords constantly speak of. I've never thought much of the heavens, I am too busy here on land. I seek not to be a hero. Heroes have a way of dying before their time and I do not wish this on myself. I could care less about peace, I'm a firm believer that perpetual war is inevitable given the nature of the people in this land." Feng's smile grew broader as he continued. "I simply seek a degree of authority. After years of insults for my hideous appearance and the odd nature of my family, the only thing I want is to be put in a position where people would not be allowed to speak of us like that any longer. If you can offer this to my family and I, we will gladly become your humble servants."

With that, Ugly Feng bowed and awaited a response.

[gravenimages]

The young ruler considered for several moments. He hadn't really styled himself as a supporter of the downtrodden, but he could appreciate the man's ambition. His attitudes and beliefs certainly seemed compatible with Bai Zhan's goals, and the scant unbiased information he could uncover indicated that Feng was more than competent. "Peace will come in time, I am sure, and I intend to embrace it rather than perpetuate war for war's sake." He smiles. "Contingent on your ongoing ability to perform such duties, I offer you the position of Prefect with authority over Han province: The city of Nanzheng, the towns of Anzhong, Chengdu, and Yangping, as well as a handful of villages."

[SleepingDragonZ]

Feng did his best to maintain his piety and hide his excitement. Even in his fantasies that had played in his head about how this meeting might go, he did not expect on offer this great. Was he ready for this type of responsibility? Was he worthy of the faith this man was putting in him? After a moment of self-doubt, Feng decided that he was up to the task.

"Honestly, I hope you are correct in believing that peace will have it's day. Though I don't share your optimism, I swear that, as your humble servant, my life will be dedicated to this end if it is what you desire." Feng bowed down before Bai Zhan. "So, if you will have us, my family and I promise to serve you until our deaths."

(((EDIT:OOC just waiting on confirmation and I'll make my OI post)))

[gravenimages]

Bai Zhan dips his head in a shallow nod. "Very well, Prefect Feng. I will expect good things from your administration. The current district manager of Nanzheng will brief you on your duties, and the reports I expect."

Post in OI to get cheese*

*cheese not included.

[dqube]

Qu arrived early for his meeting with Lord Bai and he approached the guards refreshed from his night’s rest.



Di Qu: Good day, I am here to meet your Lord, please tell him Di Qu is here.