Shao 2.2

Shao's trail for Plague went cold and sent him to Zezen, the land of the dwarves. The Mujikan states made up of over a score of Central Red Dwarf states had unified to become a massive kingdom building its foundation on industrialization and mobilization of field armies. Jabalina to the West watched as Mujika's forces patrolled closer and closer to their border. In 3872, Mujikans armies stormed across the border rivers, pushing all the way to the Jabalina capital and making an embarrassment of the Jabalina field armies. The Mujikan king crowned himself emperor at the ancient palace of the Jabalina kings to further insult Jabalina and to solidify the unification of the Mujikan states.

Frustrated with his newly cold case and weary from decades away from his homeland, Shao finally returned home to the Richu Islands in Eastern Si. There, he found his homeland in disarray. The once isolated nation had its port forcibly opened ten years prior and international trade was rapidly changing the Richu culture. A small band of Richu paladins were waging war with the national armies. Shao kept his reserve as he watched his home country tear itself apart in a civil war pitting the ancient paladins fight the modern Richu military. Ultimately, the paladins were exterminated and the ancient orders were wiped from the country.

Shao left his homeland once again and returned to Larrunana- sending himself into exile among the Drow. By the time of Shao's return to Larrunana, not a single Drow lived as a free man or woman. The Drow had been banished to territorial prisons where they were forced to farm in drought-stricken soil. After an argument broke out between Nimipu (Drow) warriors and Larrunana (Dwarf) infantry, the Larrunana government called for war against the Nimipu.

The Nimipu chief in an act of stoicism and honor refused to engage in battle against Larrunana, instead taking his people on a desperate march for survival to allied Drow lands. The Larrunana cavalry and infantry hammered the Nimipu chief and his people throughout the march, attacking reserve forces and capturing civilian stragglers. After three weeks of marching through snow, cold rain, and strong winds; the Nimipu finally submitted to Larrunana rule and surrendered their last chance at independence.

Shao left Turtle Island and sailed for the Scorched Land where in the central rainforests, he entered a Baso colony owned personally by the Baso king. As he sailed up river, he witnessed an increasingly grim scene. The Baso king had hired mercenary barbarians to oversee the slave colony where humans worked in chains to harvest natural resources for Baso. Shao learned of a rogue barbarian who had assumed control of one of the colony's outposts at the mouth of the river there.

Shao discovered the rogue mercenary to be a vampire- ruling his personal kingdom on human blood. Shao took it upon himself to use his Ancient Blade and slay the vampire lord. After toppling the tyrant, Shao departed the colony- still under the tyranical rule of Baso; but with information on Plague that could rekindle his case.

Before slaying the vampire lord, the vampire revealed the presence of Plague in Jabalina. He hinted at the demon's presense at an upcoming ballet that would "sacrifice the peace of the world to summon a great evil." Shao left the Scorched Land and returned to Zezen.