Game: Final Judgement

Knocking on the door has no effect, but it cannot be said it does surprise the party.

After the divination spell Goldblood used, the four pictures on the door start to glow a bit, but the door does not seem to be locked magically. Disappointed with the result, the orc makes a step backward, trying to find other solution.

*clap*

A sound of... Key? Surprised, the party stands aside. The door starts to open inside the room and you are blinded for a moment by the bright light coming from the space behind it. Blinking, you notice a person standing in the middle of the door, only a shade for you at this moment. Only a while before the door is fully open and the person walks inside the room. It's heading your way, Avrael...

The mysterious person walks into the room, and as your eyes adjust to the bright light, you see it's a middle-aged man dressed like a farmer. He does not seem to care about any of you and sits himself on a bench next to the ranger, without showing any sign that he even noticed the party.

 While the party members curiously watch the stranger, the door starts to close again with a nearly inaudible... *squeak*.

 OOC: Roll for initiative. Roll 11+ means you are able to act before the door closes.

Avrael and Shattir:  

You jumped through the door just before it closed. Divided from the rest of the party, you are on your own now.

„Wh… wh… who in the name of the Emperor are you???“ Shocked expression on the face of the soldier guarding the door cannot go unnoticed. He wears armor of the same type you have seen in the courtroom, a lamellar cuirass. His only weapon seems to be a dangerously looking halberd, pointed at you at this moment.

„Through this door, people are allowed to walk in, not back.“ Chilling second voice, on the other side of the door, belongs to another guard.

(„Pull together, Yao!“ he hisses angrily, adressing his nervous partner.)

This place is not a room in the sense of that word. On both sides of the door, large corridors continue left and right, and before you, some 30 feet away, there is a… bridge? Is that an open sky you see…?

No time to examine the room closely now.

The first guard, called Yao by the other one, leans forward and slowly reads the piece of paper Schattir is showing him, while the second soldier stands firm. He doesn’t seem to lower his weapon until your words prove to be true.

"They speak truth, Hwang! The most reverend judge Sung himself granted them the permission to walk the halls of the Palace."

"Please, forgive me, noble masters." He bows to you, Schattir, and then to you, Avrael. "I’m sorry for my previous behaviour…"

"Not so fast! Show me the paper!" The second guard seems to be stubborn and his piercing eyes indicate he's taking his job seriously. When Schattir hands him the document, Hwang keeps scowling at you. While Hwang read through the document, you have time to look around you.

Opposite the massive door Yao and Hwang are guarding is located an exit from the building. This place is a crossroad of sorts, a great hallway continuing both left and right (15 feet in width and with ceiling some 20 or 25 feet high, so it makes you feel insignificant) is being interposed by a short passage leading to the door on one side and to a gateway on the other side. Through the gateway you can see a bridge, made from stone and with wooden roofing. Treetops around the bridge indicates, that there is some kind of garden around the building. After the dark court inside, the sunlight and the song of birds feels optimistic. This place emanates... Tranquility.

"Hmmm." Hwang's muttering returns your attention back from fantasying about the pleasant rest in a celestial garden back to your quest. Before he continues, you notice that the bright hallway has

 walls covered with light wood decorated by pictures of animals, trees and plants, scenes from both the city life and the countryside... And all in them are strangely pale, no bright colors you are accustomed to.

"All right, foreigners. The most reverend judge gave you the permission to walk the Palace and we all are obliged to answer your questions. So know, that you can find xianzhang's office if you continue this way, to the eastern wing," he directs you to the corridor left from the bridge, meaning that the exit of the building is facing south, "but," and the smile suddenly appearing at his face clearly means trouble, "we are not obliged to open the door for the others of you. As I told you, through this door, people are allowed to walk in, not back."

When the uncommonly looking orc walks through the door, the older guard ignores this fact. He stands firm, guarding the door, same as he did before, staring on some place before him. The younger guard with a nervous smile makes a small nod to you, Goldblood.

The lamentation of your orc friend makes Yao smile even more, and you feel it's a worried smile.

On the contrary, Hwang doesn't seem to be embarrassed. With a stoick face, he answers: "I have my orders from an authority higher than the most reverend judge. We are obliged to help as we can, because of the mandate you have here, but the help provided can not interfere with our other duties. This door can be opened for Celestial Bureacracy's petitioners only. As I have told your companions, all I can do for you is to answer your questions. And even this duty imposed by the most reverend judge can not interfere with my duties of gatekeeper." He silents for a moment, and then he adds: "And for the previous question of your companion, you can find archives in the western wing of the Palace."

"Now, we would hate to slow you, noble masters." And he nods.

Goldblood: When you look through the window, you see an autumn garden under you. Red, yellow and occasional green leefs are everywhere, and just in front of the window, you see a statue of a... Rabbit??? You noticed some water, probably a small lake or a slow river, hidden between the trees. Your eyes catch a small wooden bridge and several small wooden garden houses. And, on the other end of the garden, which is very, very wide, you notice a great stone wall stretching to both left and right, as far as you can see.

When the orc grabs the handle and pushes, the door opens lightly. And right behind the door, there is a man with arms full of papers, who was obviously on his way out of the room. When the door suddenly opens and he sees an orc, he shriecks out, jumps back, hits the chair and is literally buried under all the papers he was carrying...

The room you are standing in is an office of sorts. It's actually pretty big, with no less than five desks all covered with papers, the walls are hidden behind bookcases which are full of scrolls. Only source of light seems to be lampion lanterns again, there are no windows and the only door here is the one you used already. The room seems to be weirdly empty, with only one man here.

The shocked expression on the face of the man you surprised changes to confused. He is a bit hesitant in the first moment, but after few seconds he accepts your hand, Schattir. As you help him to stand up, the papers he was buried form a a small avalanche which covers the floor around.

Standing face to face with Schattir, you have a moment to take a look at the administrator. Against all expectations he's actually a young man, it could be even said a boy. His light blue robes, with silvery sash and lining around the neck and on the sleeves, is not even nearly as decorated as Sung's, but it's not a simple commoner's outfit. He's clearly shaved (or, too young to grow beard maybe) and his dark hair is close-cut. With a nervous smile, seeing the strange orc picking papers, an elf who helped him to stand up and a half-elf talking to him friendly, he relaxes a bit.

"Oh, you don't have to help me, dear misters. It's entirely my fault, really..." he apologises, still nervous. Then, suddenly realising something, his voice gets a bit hysterical: "Oooooooooooooo, nonononononononono, I would be sooooo punished! Master Liao will kill me! Oooooh, I have to hurry, have to take this to master Liao...." and with more mutterings, he falls on his kneels and frantically picks the papers around, ignoring Schattir and Avrael standing around.