The Red Tide Draws Near

Red Tide Campaign

Nuwa Ye – Human Imperial Cleric

Background / Prologue :

Born in a small village under the shadow of the great City of Xian , Nuwa Ye had a good yet humble upbringing working the farm owned by her parents . Now 21 years of age and with the village struggling to sustain a growing population Nuwa Ye has decided she should move on and hopefully find wealth somewhere in the wilderness . Rumours of great riches are told of The Westmark Lands , yet they remain brutal and hostile , still – the undiscovered treasures are an appealing and exciting prospect for a young adventurer .

It was mid – week , whilst still making preperations for the great travels ahead , she was in need of a break and perhaps some evening wine and possibly some social interaction . After all – she was days away from leaving the village and may never return . Although she had outgrown the village and yearned for an adventure she would miss the place and had good memories growing up . It wasnt a goodbye , it was a farewell .

She sat on a stool in the Tavern chatting away to the Barmaid . Ting Chang was in her 30's , and Nuwa had known her all her life . She ordered a glass of her favourite rice wine and sat there as Ting served the evenings patrons . It was a fairly busy evening and in between pouring drinks for the locals they would talk and poke fun at each other , as well as pleasantrys with the known locals that were also out for a night of drinks .

A tall figure unknown to them walked into the Tavern . Nuwa had not seen him before but it was not abnormal as many people heading to the Great City of Xian would stop in the Tavern for a good meal and a warm bed . The figure approached the bar next to Nuwa and ordered one of their fine Ales . Nuwa acknowledged him "Are you on your way to Xian?" she said . "Indeed i am , but i'm out of supply's and arrows and in need of a hot meal, a bath and a good nights sleep ."

The figure looked a bit worse for ware , like he'd had a rough time of it . "Long Journey ?" she asked . "Yes and a treacherous one at that , i barely made it here." he said with a look of fear and releif . "What happened ?" said Nuwa with intrepidation . "I was making my way back from the wilderness of The Westmark , on my way back to Xian . I know the lands well and new i was back in Mandarite territory , i stumbled across what what seemed like a village , i stopped by looking for a bed . The locals were friendly and put me up . I woke in the middle of the night with what seemed like 20 madmen surrounding me . They were chanting in a language i have never heard before , before i knew it i was staring at a huge cauldron over a fire with these loony's dancing around doing some kind of ritual . There were skulls of men decorating the area and there must of been a hundred of these madmen . They are some sort of crazy tribe or cult i'm not sure . I keep a small knife in my sock and while they were busy performing their ritual i was able to cut my bindings . I quickly killed the 3 men guarding me and ran off through the village into the jungle . I covered my tracks and used my hunting skills to get away . " The figure seemed to relive the experience again as he stared at the wall behind the bar , eyes wide staring into space .

"How far away is this village ? " said Nuwa .

"I've been walking for 5 days and finding shelter in the jungle at night , the village is West from here ........ It's not just Men ! Woman and children were among them as crazy and mad as the men !" He said staring at the wall . The figure downed his ale in 3 gulps wiping his mouth on his sleeve almost looking releived . He payed Ting Chang the barmaid for a room "I need to freshen up and get some sleep before i leave for Xian tomorrow " He said as he stood up and wandered toward the rustic wooden stairs to the patrons quarters .

"What is your name ?" shouted Nuwa . "Hilt Frey!.......Yours ?" He replied . "I'm Nuwa Ye ."

"What a lovely name . It's good to meet you ." He said with a tired smile . He turned around and climbed the stairs toward the quarters, legs slow but purposeful . Nuwa hoped they might meet again someday .

Maybe this was good opportunity for Nuwa to investigate these strange events and maybe make some coin while she was at it!

Written using the Scarlet Heroes RPG and the Red Tide Campaign Sourcebook by Kevin Crawford