Shortly after the last court, the Cathayan Ambassador dies in a freak yachting accident. This puts something of a damper on plans, but Silva decides to press on without her since the matter is too important to allow any one death to abort the mission.

Upon arrival in Cathay the expedition succeeds in buying up all the gunpowder available at various trade ports, including a certain amount from dubious sources. Cannon are every bit in as much demand as you might hope and the only thing preventing you from buying even more gunpowder is the size of your ships' holds. You judge however that you have made a significant dent in the stocks of the entire empire. The East India Company now has a decent store of gunpowder for immediate trade, in order to cope with any interruption of the source.

The party then travels to the valley in Shaanxi province, in company with a small number of mercenaries to protect them from roving bands of rebels, bandits and wolves (2+0, Singles, Maneater). Through a few encounters with various troubles on the road, Marcus Fervent proves himself an excellent fighter, driving off various groups of bandits who attempt to prevent the expedition from travelling any further.

The party manage to sneak into the secure valley where gunpowder is held, though the trip is dangerous and a few of the hired mercenaries lose their lives during a risky distraction attempt. Marcus Fervent distracts the attentions of the rebel guards on the factory, luring them into a lengthy and dashing chase through the nearby foothills in an attempt to catch what they are quite convinced must be a roving demon. This leaves you and Silva free to enter the factory itself through an unguarded back gate, and quickly make your way to the heart of the factory.

At the heart of the gunpowder factory, you and Silva find a great internal chamber containing a dragon. The dragon is very large (size of a small palace), though seems to shift in and out of corporeality, and you're not always sure that the room is truly big enough to hold it.

Between the assistance of Silva's dragon-spirit Vheress and your own negotiating skills, the dragon Yaolong is eventually convinced to remain dormant until the Ming return to power, and to report any capture of the factory by the Manchu to Heaven. Affairs are almost sabotaged when Vheress seems to argue with the dragon a little too forcefully, but calm is eventually restored. Vheress seems a very strange beast at times; normally quite calm but frequently enraged at the most trivial of matters.

As you and Silva leave the factory, you begin to hear a quiet rumbling which descends to a whining behind them, as the great mechanisms of the factory slowly shut down. The terrible noise which previously filled the valley begins to quieten as, leaving in its wake an echoing silence which seems strange after days of mechanical sound.

The party then splits, as various individuals have personal business to conduct in Cathay. You journey with Silva to the capital Beijing where the new “emperor” Li Zicheng hold Court. You are careful not to reveal yourself, which turns out to be a wise precaution. Although on the surface the Imperial City continues as it always has, the deeper truth is very different. The army of Li Zicheng is an undisciplined rabble and murder and theft and worse are all too common on the streets. Nine Fires manifests on more that one occasion as you conduct your clandestine business; her fingers stretched to claws threatening to cut throats until the interested parties withdraw.

Li Zicheng is rumoured to have found the Imperial Treasury empty and to have taken out his displeasure slowly and leisurely upon the courtiers of the Forbidden Palace. Few days go by without rumours of another senior bureaucrat being tortured to death.

The fear in the city is palpable and though many of those you knew before your self-imposed exile have been killed or fled there are more than a few left. They fear Li Zicheng and his peasants; they fear even more the possible coming of the horse barbarians who may raize the city and libraries and everything of worth. You develop a kind of horrible celebrity, the jinshi who knows how to operate in the courts and councils of the barbarians.

In this kind of environment it is a relatively simple matter to acquire the eyeballs of a man who has shown disrespect for Li Zicheng at least; at times bodies reach the graveyards more rapidly that they can be buried and it is simply a matter of determining what “crime” they have been executed for. You acquire two sets of eyeballs and calling in a favour in the Palace you acquire a single small fragment of the scholartree from which the last Ming Emperor hung himself, the Guilt Scholartree itself.

As they meet again to return to Albion, news comes from the Wall that Wu Sangui, who had been on the point of joining the rebel emperor Li Zicheng, has abandoned his post at news that Li Zicheng has stolen his favourite concubine, and is marching on the Imperial City with an army of Manchus at his back.

Unfortunately the sapling scholartree you acquire does not survive the long journey from Cathay.

How does Tsung Chang-Mai react to the events in China? The coming of the Manchu may be quite a shock to the system. The Mandate of Heaven has clearly been lost or passed on. But the Manchu are something more. It is as if a minor Roman noble has gone to sleep one day at the height of the Empire with Octavian ruling and awoken to find not the civil wars of the past, but instead that the Huns had taken Rome and were using the Senate as a stable. Even worse your friends in Albion may not easily understand why it is so appalling that the ritual of the Greeting of Dawn is being allowed to be conducted with but six scholars instead of seven.

It is a relatively simple matter for you to search amongst the refugees being housed by the East India Company and those at Lanik College. The East India Company has already been subtly winnowing through the refugees, selecting those with skills in magic or languages or scribing that would be useful to their trade. Lanik College on the other hand has been most attractive to the scholars and more learned courtiers amongst those who were forced to flee Cathay.

Unfortunately this means that neither of these venues is likely to be the home of the daughter of the Son of Heaven; though well-educated at Court she is no scholar and she has had no need of the skills of the scribe. Your investigations are sufficient to establish to your confidence that she is not in either location. Rumours of an important noblewoman amongst the refugees were widespread in the initial days, and conversations with level-headed old sages make you believe that they really did have brief words with one who might have been of the Imperial family.

Unfortunately, by process of elimination, it seems that she must be amongst the refugees accommodated by the Dom Alonso. It also seems likely that she is still hiding her status, unsure of her reception in this strange land. (It may be that the recent death of the Ambassador Lao Jungfei has spooked her.) You do expect that she will at least retain a small retinue.

You write the letter with the very best paper you were able to find in China and with a delicate hand practise your letter a dozen times with ordinary ink and EIC paper before taking down your dragon scale. You are immensely careful as you scribe youe message to the Kings of Di Yu; every word must be perfect in intent and execution. It takes you an entire day but the work is flawless to your own eyes.

You present an account of your humble self, a detailed list of the crimes of Hell - both of its very nature and against your emissary - and of the plots and wars that are underway there. You appeal for the aid of the Yama-Kings.

Once the letter is prepared you summon your Scribe, Nine Fires Cap the Hills, to your side. You are hardly surprised when she coughs discretely behind you, her head respectively bowed. When you explain the contents of the letter, where you wish it delivered and that she is to act as your emissary to the Yama Kings she is completely silent. A bit worried you quickly duck your head and look at her face. You find that your normally reserved and expressionless scribe has an enormous grin on her face! The delighted smile looks like it might actually split her jaw open. She winks at you, grabs your hands and actually does a merry little dance spinning you around once, before composing herself. As you watch her robes become even more finely made, they are still red but now cut and styled as an Imperial Herald and her from her back suddenly two bamboo poles reach skyward and from them fly small vertical banners with the three characters of your name upon them. Nine Fires disappears.

She returns some days later to report. The rulers of Di Yu have no record of Wo Feng and do not believe he has ever dwelled within their realm; his name is in the book of mortals but his death is in the future. The Yama-Kings are aware of the treacheries of Hell, and of the monstrous nature of even its lords. They give you the following report from their own agents:

Dalembertus has returned and has the upper hand. The Archduchess Kasadya is known to have supported his cause once before he was exiled and it seems likely that she does so once more. His opponent Baal is fighting a defensive action and has himself retreated to Pandaemonium, while Azazel (demon patron of War) sends out frequent sorties. The various terrible engines of war scattered throughout the Realms Infernal pass from hand to hand by week and month, and are used to assault both inwards and outwards.

Other news comes from the defences of the Fourth Circle, where it appears that the demon Mammon has turned coat and now supports Dalembertus. He is viewed with suspicion by some of the rebel court, who are convinced he wishes to save only his own existence; however, with influence in the Mortal realms he is a powerful ally.

The rampant rumours that Dalembertus plans to go on to conquer Di Yu after he has finished his rebellion have swayed some young Knights and Imps to his side, though not enough to decisively sway the balance.

The Yama Kings pledge support to their Loyal Advisor. If you can find a safe way to breech the defence of Hell then they will pledge you the legions of Di Yu. They warn you however that Hell seeks similar cooperation from mortals and the victor of the civil war within that infernal realm will be making the same offers to other mortals.

For your reference - from speaking to the various Cathayan exiles scattered around Oxford, it becomes clear to you that the reason Lao Jungfei hasn't immediately been replaced by another Ambassador is that none of the exiles (some of whom still hold high social positions) are happy with any Ambassador who hasn't been endorsed by either the Son of Heaven or one of the Imperial Family. Since there is still no clear sign of the Heir, it's unlikely that an “official” ambassador will appear soon - although there is a certain amount of jockeying for position among the various eligible candidates, and some rather sharp-edged politicking.

My final task (which I will hide from Tsung and the others) is to make contact with Wu Sangui and persuade him to abandon the Great Wall to the Manchu. I want to persuade him that the Mandate of Heaven has been lost and that if he remains then he will die in ignominy- not even genius can defy the will of Heaven. Instead he should come with me and become my general- I'll give him an army that will amaze the world and a battleground on which to make his gifts legendary. Hopefully Vharess' presence will lend weight to my words- who can doubt that a Dragon spirit is a Celestial Messenger?

If this doesn't work then we still want the Wall to fall, so we'll pay some unscrupulous local messenger to deliver the Wu news that Li Zicheng has stolen his favourite concubine or some such nonsense. That ought to piss him off.

Includes same brief as Tsung then continues…

Despite your best efforts, Wu is not enthusiastic about leaving with you. The fact that Vheress launched into a tirade you couldn't understand halfway through acting as your interpreter probably didn't help matters at all. This having failed, you quietly leave and send a commoner in some time later with news that his favourite concubine has been stolen.

As they meet again to return to Albion, news comes from the Wall that Wu Sangui, who had been on the point of joining the rebel emperor Li Zicheng, has abandoned his post at news that Li Zicheng has stolen his favourite concubine, and is marching on the Imperial City with an army of Manchus at his back.

Almost forty years ago now engineers from Albion journeyed to Egypt and with great explosives blasted a route between the Mediterranean and Red Seas. This is the Gerard Canal, and is owned by the Ottoman Empire, a firm ally of Albion who grants her ships preferential tariffs and cheap passage. You are surprised upon approaching the Canal in the White Tiger to be greeted by a vessel of the new Royal Navy which orders you to prepare to be boarded. You consider this option and instead pile on the sails and run before them! They chase for a bit but seen unwilling to follow you into the Canal proper (and to perhaps catch the attention of the patrolling Ottoman warships).

You find out from some of the merchants traversing the Canal that the naval vessels are part of the squadron assigned to the Baron Mandrake, acting Governor of Malta, and have been instructed to prevent ships from Albion, apart from those of the East India Company, from travelling East.

It is unfortunate but when you arrive in Siam you find that your third brother Láng Sǐ-le has already departed. Apparently your gifts from Albion proved very popular with the King of Siam, Prasat Thong, and were taken as proof of his claims of nobility and wealth. He quickly rose to become one of the King's favourites; unfortunately he proved even more popular with some of the women of the Court. He was discovered in a state of some undress with Princess Chaiama, the 14th in line to the throne, and is believed to have fled the country only just ahead of the King's furious soldiers.

It is thus a very good thing that you give the name Yīng-Láng, Baron of Orpington, because although enough to give you some suspicious looks it is not enough to have you closely questioned. You are introduced to the King who is in his late 50s and still very much in control of his country. Siam is open to the world, the ports are full of merchants from Cathay, France and even Nippon and the King is very much interested in the outside world. His questions reveal that he already knows much about the politics of Europe.

Your gifts of cheeseknives to the local aristocracy goes down very well and they are soon a minor fashion, with elaborate and impractical copies being made. You are yourself gifted with a number of such items, many made of precious metals or encrusted with jewels.

The Kingdom of Siam has lacked dragons for 30 years, the last having flown north around then, much to the distress of the locals who put up with its raiding of their livestock as they saw it as a symbol of good luck. The King does however write you a very impressive letter of introduction for your journey on to Cathay.

As a parting gift he gives you a number of lacquered boxes full of Siamese spices, but also a pebble! According to the Senior Court Magician the pebble is actually a fragment of the pillar of the world which supported the sky and was knocked down in ages past by the furious water god Gong Gong. When you examine it closely you find that though black it is circled by bands of yellow which glow brightly in the dark. The stone has a single sharp edge which is capable of scratching diamond.

Armed with a letter of introduction from the King of Siam himself and fine Western and Siamese clothes none doubt your explanations about being Yīng-Láng, Baron of Orpington, when you arrive at the great port city of Guangzhou - known for some reason to the people of Albion as Canton - upon the Pearl River. The officials of the local docks bow low enough that you feel like a real Prince!

Unfortunately your good humour is spoiled by the arrival of a representative of the East India Company, an odious slimy merchant called Jonathan Fellows, who demands to know what you are doing in Cathay and whether you have the permission of one of the directors of the John Company to be there. You rather pointedly ignore the man, and eventually he goes away, promising to write letters to England!

It is in Guangzhou that you first learn the details of the troubles that have recently been afflicting Cathay. Apparently the last Ming Emperor has been dead almost 6 months now, overthrown by a peasant army lead by the rebel Li Zicheng. He committed suicide by hanging himself from the Guilty Scholartree in the Forbidden City after ordering the deaths of the royal family. Rumour says that only a single daughter defied him. If true she is the last heir of the Ming, but not even rumours of her have surfaced for months.

Li Zicheng announced himself the new Emperor, the founder of the Shun Dynasty, and proclaiming himself as Shunwang or the “Thunder King”. His rule was short though. The Manchu waited just beyond the Great Wall, the capital of Beijing defended by the general Wu Sangui.

Having opposed their armies for more than a decade Wu Sangui has now allied himself with the Manchu and his army and theirs have marched from the Great Wall. It is rumoured that he only revolted when reports reached him that his concubine Chen Yuanyuan had been taken by Li Zicheng. (The status of Li Zicheng is unclear, some say that he hung himself from a lotus tree, others that he escaped his defeat disguised as a monk.) Whatever the truth of these many rumours, it is certain that the capital has fallen already and it seems inevitable that the rest of the country will follow in time.

The Manchu have announced that Shunzhi is the founder of the Qing (“clear” or “pellucid”) dynasty and have claimed the Mandate of Heaven. The people of Guangzhou are already resigned to rule by the horse barbarians.

Cathay is now governed by Prince Dorgon in the name of the infant Fulin, who has been given the name Emperor Shunzhi by the conquerors. It is rumored too that Dorgon has married Xiaozhuangwen, the Grand Empress Dowager and mother of Shunzhi, his sister-in-law.

The aristocracy of Guangzhou are still in shock from these events and though they invite you to social visits and mouth words of thanks when presented with gifts and tales of exotic Norway it is clear that they are like the prisoners of a defeated army, listless and only forcing jollity. You do however find an old scholar who tutors you in the draconic tongue and advises you of a peak to the West where he believes a number of female dragons may be found. You also manage to buy a great deal of spice though the price is high due to the political troubles which beset the country.

You journey with some of the men, including your specially chosen seven, to the West to the peak the old man mentioned. It is not hard to find since even from a distance you can see a number of long dragon shapes dancing through the clouds around the mountain. What does make it harder to reach are the bandits who frequently attack you; the government has had other concerns recently and highwaymen seem to have flourished due to their distraction. You are forced to reluctantly but expertly dispatch a number of them before your reputation proceeds you and they learn to steer clear.

At the peak you climb with your 7 men and some of the crew of the White Tiger until the dragons begin to pay attention to you. Swooping in one picks up a crewman, lofts him into the air, and screaming for what seems like minutes as plunges to his death below. You take this as evidence that you are near the breeding nests and proceed more cautiously on your own.

You return several hours later with more than a few claw marks and some unlikely tales of fighting single-handed against a dozen dragons carrying a single large egg. I have deliberately not described this so that you can boast as truthfully or untruthfully as you like in session!

“The Guild of Navigators expresses its sincere condolences to the Cathayan Embassy on the loss of Honoured Ambassador Lao Jungfei, who passed away while boating with her clerk off the shores of De Vries isle this month. It is believed that a private funeral in the Cathayan style will be held soon, and…”

The civil war in China appears to have reached a conclusion of sorts. The general Wu Sangui has allied himself with the Manchu and his army and theirs have marched from the Great Wall. It is rumoured that he only revolted when reports reached him that his concubine Chen Yuanyuan had been taken by Li Zicheng. (The status of Li Zicheng is unclear, some say that he hung himself from a lotus tree, others that he escaped his defeat disguised as a monk.) Whatever the truth of these many rumours, it is certain that the capital has fallen already and it seems inevitable that the rest of the country will follow in time. The chaos seems likely to last many more years, but there seems little doubt as to the final outcome now.

Cathay is now ruled by Prince Dorgon in the name of the infant Fulin, who has been given the name Emperor Shunzhi by the conquerors. It is rumored too that Dorgon has married Xiaozhuangwen, the Grand Empress Dowager and mother of Shunzhi, his sister-in-law.

The Manchu have announced that Shunzhi is the founder of the Qing (“clear” or “pellucid”) dynasty and have claimed the Mandate of Heaven. More alarmingly a Jesuit missionary by the name of Johann von Bell has been appointed to head the “Board of Astronomer”, a position of significant political power through the astrological advice he will be able to give the Imperial Court.

The Baron of Orpington, the Prince Lang, has apparently conducted his own expedition to Cathay these last few months. For years now we have believed him to make a pretty penny for himself by raiding our ships. But to interfere in Cathay at such a delicate time is insufferable! Our factor in Guangzhou, Mr Jonathan Fellows, informs us that the Prince has been loudly and publicly inquiring after dragons. We are simply lucky that he has not managed any permanent damage to the interests of the East India Company. Discourage him from any further adventures at our expense.

The East India Company is establishing a new facility for housing the Cathayan refugees and to give them a chance to resume their trades. Unfortunately it has become clear that they must be guarded well against those who do not understand their Oriental ways, for this reason the John Company has a continuing requirement for reliable guards.

Discretion is of the utmost importance in this matter, and we hope that our officers will understand that we can not reveal the location of this facility. For the good of Albion any rumours, or questions, that reach your ears about the existence of this new facility should be reported to Director Mandrake at once. The Lord-Director will see to it that any officer leaking any details of the facility will be punished severely.