Editor's Note: Tsung Chang-Mai, Philip Silva and Wilson Mandrake all journey east and receive similar briefings.

Written by Helen.

It is a most auspicious time for travel.

Given that the Jade Emperor, his Celestial Majesty, has declared this such an auspicious time for his nobles and courtiers to travel to distant countries and experience life in the outside provinces, a remarkable number of scholarly, academic and courtly types seem deeply eager to take advantage of the East India Company and Navy's generous provision of secure transport for their “tourist visits”.

In actuality, all those visiting Cathay will quickly realise that revolution itself is well underway. The Forbidden City is in the process of falling as the expedition makes landfall, and the great nation is in utter chaos.

The rebel Li Zicheng is in the process of taking the city, and has already declared himself the Emperor of the Shun Dynasty, referring to himself as Shunwang or the “Thunder King”. By some he is called Chuang Wang, the “Roaming King”, reflecting his origins as a rebel and peasant. There is fighting throughout Beijing and, worse, an invasion of the Manchus from beyond the Wall; currently the great general Wu Sangui is holding the Wall forts with a great strategic genius, but it is not known for how long this can continue. It is generally assumed that Wu Sangui will side with Li Zicheng, and that together they will firmly establish the Shun Dynasty.

Meanwhile, word comes from the capital at Beijing that the Emperor, in an excess of terror and despair, has gathered the Imperial household and ordered them to suicide rather than surrender. Many, including the Empress, complied, but one of his daughters resisted; in his rage, the Emperor is rumoured to have had her mutilated. Some stories say that she was killed, some that she escaped altogether and hid herself among the fleeing courtiers, disguised as a wandering scribe.

The Emperor and his chief eunuch, Wang Chen, are certainly dead. The Emperor's body was found hanging on the Guilty Scholartree in the Imperial park, with the body of Chang Weng at his feet. As the Company ships leave harbour, the refugees aboard seem certain that the Forbidden City will itself fall within the month.

Of the refugees which return with the ship, several are accomodated by the Merchant Companies, which generously provide various spaces for them to live and practice. Others take advantage of Dom Alonso's new provision of a trading house within the city, though the EIC may have Views on Dom Alonso's apparent muscling in on their territory. Others still are accommodated at Lanik College, where Doctor Leah Brandage and Jinshi Tsung Chang Mai ensure that the environs are hospitable to them; several of the students, particularly of the linguistics faculty, seem delighted with their new guests.

After her recent experience in Hell, Nine Fires has largely taken against the place and its denizens. This isn't just a case of bearing a grudge because they're screwing with her mistress and almost killed her, though these could be considered contributing factors. She also hates the place ideologically, since it's a place of eternal torment and not eventual redemption. Naturally she puts it all a great deal more delicately than this.

She is therefore delighted with an expedition to return to Di Yu, where she will at least be on home ground. She returns with the information that the factory in the valley where blackpowder is produced has been shaped, with Alchemical assistance and Theurgic bindings, to be a home for a Fucanglong, one of the dragons of the underworld which guard buried treasure - both natural and man-made. Volcanoes are said to be created when the Fucanglong burst out of the ground to report to Heaven.

It seems that in order to create black powder, a Sorcerer would need to be able to summon one of these Fucanglong into a space prepared with the assistance of a Theurgist; the Fucanglong would then produce the raw substance of blackpowder, which, with Alchemical refinement, could be created into the finished product.

The Fucanglong currently employed (quite happily, apparently) at the main factory in the East goes by the name of Yaolong.

Nine Fires has also respectfully requested and been granted an audience with another Fucanglong, by the name of Meilong. It seems that this dragon, while excessively polite, is ancient, cunning and greedy beyond belief, and only willing to contemplate working in such a factory in exchange for a regular supply of the finest and most exotic (to his taste) wines and spirits.

(Nine Fires quite sensibly points out that in addition to such a supply, it would be good to secure a Theurgist first. To avoid the volcanoes.)

Written by Ann and Helen.

The fan is an item made by a magician – the word the ambassador uses doesn't really translate, so you're not sure what type – for fashion, though some have other uses – changing colours with the seasons, if poison is present close-by, and so on. Not being a magician, she's not sure if it's one of those.

Given that the Jade Emperor, his Celestial Majesty, has declared this such an auspicious time for his nobles and courtiers to travel to distant countries and experience life in the outside provinces, a remarkable number of scholarly, academic and courtly types seem deeply eager to take advantage of the East India Company and Navy's generous provision of secure transport for their “tourist visits”.

In actuality, all those visiting Cathay will quickly realise that revolution itself is well under way. The Forbidden City is in the process of falling as the expedition makes landfall, and the great nation is in utter chaos.

The rebel Li Zicheng is in the process of taking the city, and has already declared himself the Emperor of the Shun Dynasty, referring to himself as Shunwang or the “Thunder King”. By some he is called Chuang Wang, the “Roaming King”, reflecting his origins as a rebel and peasant. There is fighting throughout Beijing and, worse, an invasion of the Manchus from beyond the Wall; currently the great general Wu Sangui is holding the Wall forts with a great strategic genius, but it is not known for how long this can continue. It is generally assumed that Wu Sangui will side with Li Zicheng, and that together they will firmly establish the Shun Dynasty.

Meanwhile, word comes from the capital at Beijing that the Emperor, in an excess of terror and despair, has gathered the Imperial household and ordered them to suicide rather than surrender. Many, including the Empress, complied, but one of his daughters resisted; in his rage, the Emperor is rumoured to have had her mutilated. Some stories say that she was killed, some that she escaped altogether and hid herself among the fleeing courtiers, disguised as a wandering scribe.

The Emperor and his chief eunuch, Wang Chen, are certainly dead. The Emperor's body was found hanging on the Guilty Scholartree in the Imperial park, with the body of Chang Weng at his feet. As the Company ships leave harbour, the refugees aboard seem certain that the Forbidden City will itself fall within the month.

Of the refugees which return with the ship, several are accomodated by the Merchant Companies, which generously provide various spaces for them to live and practice. Others take advantage of Dom Alonso's new provision of a trading house within the city, though the EIC may have Views on Dom Alonso's apparent muscling in on their territory. Others still are accommodated at Lanik College, where Doctor Leah Brandage and Jinshi Tsung Chang Mai ensure that the environs are hospitable to them; several of the students, particularly of the lingusitics faculty, seem delighted with their new guests.

The gunpowder factory is essentially disliked by the local familiar spirits; the alchemical, sorcerous and theurgic effluvia which it creates seem to poison the land around, and many of the spirits are sick and deformed when they appear to Silva. In addition, the spirits of some of the dead buried in nearby ground are restless, and unhappy with the impurity of their burials.

Several of these spirits are delighted with the idea of a cleaner burial on the soil of Albion, and happily accompany you on the provision that you take a few of their finger-bones in order to enact an appropriate burial when you get home.

It appears that the gunpowder factory itself is relatively unstable, and could probably be destroyed by a few well-placed explosives, preferably alchemical in nature. Although effective, a great deal of safety has been sacrificed to ensure rapid and efficient production.

You obtain some tree-frogs from the coastal market. The trader (a small, unwashed man with not enough teeth) swears blind they are Zilmatillian. To your untrained eye, they look like they are merely bright blue; but who can say?

From “The Comparative Philosopher”, a semi-regular independent magical journal enjoyed at both the Invisible College and Oxford University.

”…indeed, just as our Cathayan visitors have declared these months an Auspicious time for travel, and so visit the shores of our fair Albion, so we must adopt their terminology and declare it an equally Auspicious time for study; for when else might our Astrologers, Rhetorician and Philosophers have such a sterling opportunity to study the workings of the Mysterious East? Indeed, the fine young minds of the Dawkins Institute have already suggested a field-trip around some of the great Sites of Albion in honour of the Cathayan visitors, taking in such sites as Drowned London, the accursed Isle of Lundy, the mysterious depths of the Hebrides, and the peculiar Dancing Marsh-Lights of the Welsh Estuaries. With Cathayan guests already present in the East India Company's establishments, at trading-houses throughout the city, and at various College of the University - particularly Lanik College - it seems that these Visitors to our Shores will find themselves warmly welcomed; already, several of the Coffee-Houses and Salons have begun to adopt a distinctly Cathayan style to their fashions, indulging in complicated Tizanes and Teas, carved Wooden Screens and silk Hangings, and some even fashioning their hair in the Pig-Tails so well-regarded by these Honoured Guests. It is but to be hoped that they will learn as much of Civilisation from the brave Sons of Albion, as we will learn of their Quaint Culture…”

All those resident in Oxford through the season will notice a great influx of visitors from the far East, staying in various residences around the town. Many do not speak much English, though most seem excessively polite, if a little distant.

The Emperor has been overthrown, the nation is in chaos, and the Ambassador we currently are providing residence to is likely to have little power to arrange future trade deals. Whilst hosting a government in exile may prove advantageous, we must also look to secure the supply of gunpowder.

Though Dom Alonso is to be thanked for his hospitality to our Cathayan visitors in these troubled times, it is troubling that he would not seek to coordinate this with us. It must be impressed upon him that if he wishes to involve himself in the Orient he should join the Companies. There are many benefits to be had from numbers, including safety.

It is a pleasure to announce the promotion of Tsung Chang-Mai to Trader, for her recent sterling work in Cathay.