The Court of Emerald Eyes
The Lodge of Jade
The Lodge of Jade appears to be the largest Shinto shrine in Little Asia. On the sides and in the rear, a high cobblestone wall that slopes up as high as fifteen feet encircles the area. In the front, a ten foot tall brass fence separates the Lodge from the well-kept street of the Ten Do. A thin lawn with short shrubbery spreads past this fence, a stone path leading past a red, wood torii. The path leads two ways: one way loops around behind the shrine building, and the other leads directly to another short, five foot tall fence. Typically, this is where a Shinma guard will be posted.
Past the fence rests the garden, inaccessible to the general public and unwarranted supernatural visitors. It is ornate and beautiful in a Japanese style, decorated with several stone sculptures of animals. The Lodge lingers behind the flower beds, short, stout, and healthy trees, and lush bushes. The path continues from this gate to the one-story square shrine building. The garden encircles the Lodge, and large flat stones rest among the flora in the rear (where the Po Jen enjoys sunbathing!). Another door stands in the back of the building but this leads to the mortal priests’ quarters.
The building’s exterior is dark-red trimmed with gold and ebony, with several windows on all four sides. Similar trim exists inside. The Lodge contains a dozen “meditation” rooms towards the rear that have been set with sparse living accommodations for all hsien of the Court. Past these rooms, in an attached section, lies the compact priest quarters. Towards the front of the Lodge, meanwhile, rest two chambers angled diagonally from each other. The door closest on the right of this corridor enters a small study and library combined. Further down on the left opens a door into the central chamber of the facility, the corridor skirting past it and around to reach the “meditation” rooms.
The central room of the shrine is the heart of the Lodge of Jade. It is often used as a meeting place for the Shinma yet is starkly decorated. Many floor cushions rest in a square around the room but that is all besides the trim of the walls. In the center of the room, a large silver brazier blazes. This fire is always lit and radiates more than heat. A tangible sense of purity and life extends from the fire, proof of the Dragon Nest found here in the Lodge of Jade.
OOC: The Dragon Nest is a Level 2 holding. All Shinma of the Court may access it at will; outsiders are restricted from even entering the Lodge at all. Meditating in the Dragon Nest up to twice a week to regain yugen is permissible provided the hsien pays twice the monthly tithe at the Lodge Gathering for each week’s extra meditation beyond the first. Thus, if a hsien meditates to regain energy a total of six times in one month, that is a total of 3 yugen he must donate to the Dragon Nest at the next Gathering (four weeks standard as a matter of membership to the Court require 1 yugen, plus the extra two meditations).
Wall Rating (garden/most of the building): 6
Wall Rating (central chamber): 4
Other Sites
The Ling Estate (communal estate)
This beautiful home has long been a prize in Little Asia. The large house built in classic Chinese style was erected in the late 60s by a wealthy family immigrated from Hong Kong. The Lings turned the three acre land into a gorgeous preserve of gardens and natural beauty. As years passed and the home changed hands, the estate was kept in the highest regard by whomever owned its expanse. The three-story six bedroom home is only part of the estate's beauty. The grounds are fenced the entire perimeter, lovely wood and vine twining six feet high to create an almost natural-seeming boundary. Within the land stands troops of cypress, sycamore, willow, and cherry trees. Amidst the many trees stand beautiful garden plots of nearly every sort of colorful flower imaginable. Paths circulate the grounds, sometimes marked by cobble stone, sometimes just green grass. All of these byways return to the center of the grounds behind the house. Here rests a wide pond surrounded by rocks. The water seems bottomless, though koi fish can be seen swimming within. Shen might become aware of the peaceful mysticism surrounding the pool, as if it were a portal to somewhere else, or just the sheath for something magical beneath.
OOC: This hsien territory hosts an alternative home for the Shinma and a bonus Dragon Nest. The Nest is small (Level 1) and its power is active only in the spring and fall seasons. It is centered, of course, in the fish pond. The pond conceals a small pocket of silver veins in the earth.
Wall Rating: 6
