The Ghosts of Julu

[Cao Chao]

A SimWarlords Mystery: The Ghosts of Julu

The Battle of Julu decided the fate of the Qin. Forsaken by his masters in Xianyang, Zhang Han was unable to match the ferocity of Xiang Yu. He surrendered. Within a few months, the Qin was no more. The rebellion was successful.

The vast armies departed from Julu, but they left an indelible mark upon the landscape and upon the populace. Before he left Julu, Xiang Yu massacred Zhang Han's surrendered army, adding the blood of more than two hundred thousand men into an already blood-soaked landscape. Truly, it was Blood for the Blood God. The bodies were left to rot where they lay and after a year's time had largely disappeared. To the casual observer, there was little overt sign of the great battle fought to decide the fate of the Middle Kingdom.

But there was something underneath. According to local stories, the souls of those massacred by Xiang Yu had not been able to make their way to the underworld. Damned to forever wander the earth, they had haunted the lands around Julu. Horrific accidents that claimed lives and livestock, as well as the destruction of property. Men were driven mad or driven to tears. Julu became known as the city of the damned.

In an effort to combat the horrifying image that their city had adopted, the elders of the city put out a notice, asking the brave and the fearless to come to Julu and help root out the ghosts.

Number of Quest Participants: As many as I can handle (preferably no more than 20), first come first serve basis
Quest Format: RP-based, each individual is hired as a private investigator to root out the nature of the ghosts
Quest Rewards: To Be Revealed
Quest Danger: Low with a chance of Medium

Also I prefer that you RP your arrivals instead of just posting stats and skills.

[Wen Xu]

Having taken part in the battle of Julu Wen Xu and his friend Fan Shuo decided to return to the city and see what was going on. He had heard reports that the men which they had slaughtered were once again walking this land and that was something he could not allow. Looking over to Fan Shuo from his horse he asked, "Do you believe these men are actually walking around again?"

"I very much doubt that Wen Xu. We both took part in the killing of these men and there is no way any of them could still be alive. I know I did not allow a single one of them go into that hole with a head still attatched to his body."

Simply nodding to his friend's statement the two continued to make their way north. Him riding his horse and his friend walking beside him. They were only a li away from the city if his memory served him correctly.

Finally arriving on the outskirts of the city the two quickly made their way to the administration office. "Gentlemen," Xu said to the guards once he arrived outside the building, "I am Wen Xu and this is my friend Fan Shuo. We have heard of your Governor's need of men to investigate this foolishness about the dead walking. I was wishing to meet with him and see if he will take our aid."

[NightForever]

It had been a while since Shangguan Wei arrived in Zhao state. Despite his lack of proper education, a guy in this war-torn era like him would had definitely heard of the battle and massacre of Julu. With curiosity, he paid this town a visit, but found nothing but gloomy atmosphere that covered the town along with the rumour of the haunting spirits. Not believing in such things, he decided to investigate in this matter.

Name: Shangguan Wei
Stats: 80-91-21-67-22
Skills: Charge II, Delay II, Instructor II, Qiangshu II, Raid I, Yueshu II
Items: Horse (+1 spd)

[ancientRED]

The figures of Shengtu and Aoliu silently move through a field just outside the city of Julu. Neither talk much, the older man always seemed to be inspecting or considering something; the younger woman simply followed behind him clutching her halberd uncertainly. She had heard plenty of rumors about this area and visibly uncomfortable.

"Shouldn't we go ahead and introduce ourselves to the elders, milord?" Aoliu asked as she warily looked about. "Surely there will be plenty of time for this later?"

A light breeze played at Shengtu's loose hair as he stood motionless for a moment before turning to face his follower. "Tell me, Yi, what do you think is going on here?"

The girl didn't know what to say, everyone had heard the stories of ghosts and such that haunt this place, and while such things were of great interest to normal folks surely Master Bi would not have come for a few horror stories.

"W-well, everyone say the area is haunted with the souls of those massacred here." Shengtu was giving her a smile much like a grandfather would give his grandchildren when they were reciting some new simple thing they learned. Seeing this the girl tried a different tactic. "Er, well, maybe another track has begun to..."

She looked up mid-sentence to find her mentor already several paces in the direction of the city. With an exasperated sigh Aoliu hurries after her master to meet these elders.

Bi Shengtu, 48, Male
Stats:36-55-80*-82*-52
Skills: Poison, Scribe, Civil Administrator II, Public Planner II, Engineer II
Items: Treatise on the Plurality of Worlds [+3 Int, +3 Jud], Musty Old Manual [+4 Jud]

Follower: Yi Aoliu, 19, Female | 65-77-40-47-51| Saboteur II, Confuse I, Decoy I, Jeer I, Volley I

[Brother Dun]

Although Zu Yanghei hated being far away from his work, the allure of the paranormal was too much for him to pass up. If Julu truly was a place of the damned, perhaps he could glean some of the mysteries of all time from the dead. Of course, this could prove to be a dangerous endeavor to partake, but the he was a scholar above all else, and this was an opportunity he could not pass up.

He left Gongsun Duan in Zhangxin Zhishi to take care of his affairs and to ensure the library would be run properly in his absence, and steeled himself for the journey ahead. The trip to Julu would not be a pleasant one, but the scholar did not mind. Borrowing a nag from one of the farmers of his village, he went off on his way to Julu, bringing with him supplies for the trip, as well as some medicinal and not-so-medicinal supplies should he find a need of them.

Upon reaching the city, the scholar immediately went to find the elders who requested his help, speaking with them would most certainly clarify the situation here, and prove if this journey was even worth his time...

[Trendkill]

Having had a somewhat personal attachment to Julu, the place where his father died while fighting for Xiang Yu, Luo Jian felt compelled to check out the rumors about ghosts plaguing the town. It made sense after all, with so many people having died in one place, why wouldn't there be ghosts? After making the journey from his native Chu to Julu, Jian quickly dismounted his horse before proceeding to the center of town in the hopes that he would be able to locate the elders. Several times he caught himself looking out the corners of his eyes and fending off cold chills which seemed to run through his body at odd times.

Name: Luò Jiān
Stats: 63-80-33-60-66
Skills: Challenge II, Instructor II, Intimidate II, Jianshu I, Maraud I, Qiangshu II, Yueshu I,
Items: Horse (Spd+1)

[Zhou Kahn]

Mai Zu was merely passing through the area on her travels when she found a notice. Reading it, she bit her lip. Ghosts weren't really her thing, but then again, the possibility for a reward always sparked her eye. She took note of the notice, deciding to find these elders and let them know she was interested in lending her assistance. She asked around until she was pointed in the right direction to where she could find them, and thus went that way to request to speak with them....

Mai Zu, 25
Stats: 51-75-75-75-56
Skills: Artisan I, Civil Administrator II, Engineer II, Scribe II, Smith II, Trainer II

[Suicide Fox]

Ghosts, meet De Man

Characterized by his bright blue armor and silver forehead protector, the white haired shaggy smith from village 20 in Di Province was hardly a man to be overlooked. Though he was typically the kind of person who enjoyed calm and quiet; feeling soothed by the simple sounds of a hammer clashing against steel or the warmth of his forge -- when he caught word of the ghosts of Julu he was more than intrigued.

After receiving a hefty inheritance from his late father who was a very successful blacksmith in his day, life had gotten almost too easy. He no longer needed to work hard to make a decent living, everything was set up for him. The amount of gold he had received was so great that he could likely provide for his entire lifetime, as well as his family if he was careful with it. Luckily he was still single and without kin, so such a thing wouldn't need to worried about for some time, but the possibility was always there.

He arrived in Julu on horseback in the mid-morning of early January. Washing his hands and face in a bucket to clear away the travel grit that had accumulated on his handsome face, his golden eyes scanned for a suitable place to tie his horse before he would meet with the elders. A few other last minute preparations were met, and once the young blacksmith felt it was time to heed to the notice he clutched in his left hand he sat off to meet the elders.

"Greetings. I am De Man, of the Di province. I have come to speak with whoever can give me more information of these ghosts that haunt the lands of Julu."

De Man (27) 41-77-33-72-66 - styled "Senju"
Intimidate II, Qiangshu II, Saboteur II, Smith II

[SituJinrong]

Jiacheng is an avid student of modern war history, he felt many lessons could be learnt from studying them. The battle of Julu, for all the hype, showed an important lesson in managing the masses, of how to whip an outnumbered group of people into a fanatical front that can overcome incredible odds.

It was with this urge to revisit the sites of one of the greatest history of chinese warfare, and the lingering rumours of unsaited souls that Jiacheng arrived in the vicinity of the famous battlefied.

OOC: Applying for the quest,
Li Jiacheng (35)
85-21-45-56-81
Diplomat II, Discipline II, Military Adminstrator II, Politician II

[Shen Feng]

Shen Feng had once heard of a ghost tormenting a village not far from Chenliu. The people of the village had lived in fear, refusing to go out at night, until they brought in an old mystic to try to calm the spirit. The mystic had done so, and left the village with universal praise and gifts.

"I might not be a mystic, Lue. But I do like praise and gifts. All we need to do is show up and put on a good show, convince the people they have nothing to worry about, and maybe perform some magical mumbo-jumbo. Then we'll be walking out of here richer than we came." Shen Feng nodded to his burlier comrade, his bodyguard Shan Lue.

"But Lord Shen, what if there really are ghosts?" Lue swallowed heavily as he asked that, clearly more superstitious than his master. Feng chuckled and shook his head. "Lue, Lue, what am I going to do with you?"

The battlefield at Julu was indeed a famous site, though Feng had removed himself from the Chu armies and entered the Imperial Court before that fateful attack on Xianyang, and thus hadn't been present. As they approached Julu, Shan Lue's trepidation was obvious, but Shen Feng strode on with a proud gait and broad smile, ready to do his job and rescue these peasants.

Name: Shen Feng
Stats: 37-55-56-65-84
Skills: Diplomat II, Haste II, Jianshu II, Politician II
Items: None
Follower: Shan Lue (41) 52-75-35-25-61 Yueshu II, Volley I, Pierce I, Faze I, Doctor 1

If the follower isn't allowed to come, just let me know and I'll remove him.