Qi Tam - Disciple of the Whispering Breeze
This short story was intended to serve as an introduction to an NPC my players' party of adventurers were supposed to meet up with while they were adventuring in Nehwon. A DM's plan being what it is, the group never showed any interest once they met the character and I was obliged to change my plans to avoid railroading them down a path they weren't inclined to follow. - Chapter 1: Qi Tam - The jingle of buckles on a horse’s harness outside drew Qi Tam from his meditation. As the elder shrine guardian rose from his kneeling position before the altar, he heard the sounds of more men and horses join those of the first rider. He picked up his cane, a battered wooden stick with the elaborate carving of a hawk’s head, and walked toward the open door of the single-room shrine. The roadside stop was dedicated to the God of the North Wind, an aloof deity who ruled over the steppes and the people who lived and traveled upon it. He emerged from the minis...