Kaeso Ahino sat on the deck of the steamboat, bundled in his jacket and traveling cloak, appreciating the views of the mountains that now surrounded the River Aaru in which they were cruising along. In a few hours they would be arriving into Lake Tiya where the steamboat would carry them to the lake-side town of Desbryn, where the passengers would depart and seek out their accommodations. 

 It had taken Kaeso almost a week to get to this point even with the wondrous technological advancements of trains and steam ships, he could not imagine those traveling here before their existence. And yet for centuries people came to the sacred valley of Dunna Ri, in the Isari Mountain Ranges on the northern island of Etana on spiritual pilgrimages to the various holy sites, or seeking the healing waters of the hot pools and springs in the region.  

He was here for the latter. Ever since he fell ill as a child, his constitution remained weak, his energy lackluster, spells of fainting fits, and many days wasted on bedrest, had limited Kaeso’s life. His parents spent a great deal on doctors, physicians, healers, priests and other shamans in hopes someone might cure him. How many pills, tonics, teas, soups, spells, talismans, charms were paid for, only to fail after some time or never worked to begin with. But Kaeso remained optimistic, keeping a pleasant hopeful attitude.  

Whether his scholarly interests derived from his youth spent inside, or happened to coincidence with his illness, he never knew which impacted the other, but it mattered not to him in the long run. He was content to study, write, and hopefully one day become a minister like his father. He was young, only twenty and had steadily gained more strength. So when his mother read a travel guide promoting the healing properties of the springs and hot pools in Dunna Ri, the family decided perhaps this was one more chance of him finally overcoming his ailment.  

Not only were the springs and pools known to heal and rejuvenate people, the valley was known as a spiritual epicenter and home to many holy sites. The most important one being the site where the monk Dun Ri heard the voice of the Divine Mother, one of the few deities wildly worshipped across the Ektuan archipelago and the patron goddess of the imperial family. From her words, he created what is now known as the Heavenly Doctrine, which became adopted by many in the empire after the imperial Royal family made the doctrine a part of their state religion. The valley was then renamed in honor of the monk, Dunna Ri.  

A temple was built on the site the supposedly divine miracle occurred and where Brother Dun Ri spent days afterwards in mediation, named Temple of the Heavenly Doctrine. Thousands of pilgrims flocked to the temple yearly hoping to hear the words of the goddess herself, or receive divine inspiration, or spiritual fulfilment. With the valley becoming more accessible with the use of steamboats, the number had likely ballooned. The valley locals in turn profited off the influx of visitors into the region, their whole economy thriving off the money brought in from the outsiders.  

The travel guide in Kaeso’s possession remarked on where the best inns were to stay at, the trails one could hike, location of local shrines, temples, monasteries to visit, best places to eat, location of hot springs and pools and which had the better amenities. Many relied on such guides to assist them during their travels as travel become more affordable and convenient. With time and cost reduced greatly, travel for leisure or even to visit family from a far was accessible to the middle and lower classes who prior could not justify the expenses or time away from work or home merely to sightsee, or benefit from natural wonders outside of their own communities. Even the poorest in the imperial capital of Tasohka could not hop on a train to the coastal communities and enjoy the warm sandy beaches and azure waters.  

It was all such a marvel, and although Kaeso felt exhausted from his travels across the channel into Etana, there was something invigorating about having new experiences, and waking up someplace new and different almost every other day. Even now sitting on the deck, the mountains of Etana were unlike those in the mainland of Ektu. First the flora was different, the trees here had to survive cold harsh long winters unlike the mild rainy winters of Ektu. Even the beasts roaming the land differed. While both had deer, antelopes, bears, wolves, and other creatures on Etana their animals grew larger, and more dangerous. The wilderness of Ektu was shrinking, but much of Etana remained untouched as settlers remained sparse the further north one went. It added to the allure and reputation of Etana being a land full of spirits, mystical creatures, and spiritual energy of a primal age before humans.  

Dunna Ri was considered the more northern settled part of Etana with her most northern regions hardly ever even explored except for her coastlines which had been done by sea. In some of the reading materials Kaeso picked up about Etana and the Dunna Ri, historians and other writers wrote about the countless expeditions that ended up with no one returning, creating rumors, superstitions and legends about monsters, demons, or other natural beasts being the cause behind such numerous disappearances. Those had did return, explorers, prospectors or other settlers, spoke about hardships mainly relating to the weather, climate, or the terrain, but many did mention threats from packs of wolves of great size, bears, or a common threat, spread of some disease among the group members. Fevers, dysentery or other ailments that were common often hit a group with limited resources.  

And there were a few that fascinated Kaeso about some exploring groups hearing strange cries in the night, or being stalked by something unseen that supported many beliefs that the wilderness of Etana was home to something supernatural, whether it was spirits, demons, or ghoulish monsters. While amused by such ghost or spooky tales, Kaeso being confined to his room, bed, or family estate, saw things through a rational reasonable mindset. While not non-religious, Kaeso was highly skeptical about the existence of non-human spirits or entities. After dealing with shamans, priests, priestesses, even a few exorcists as his parents had been desperate to heal their only son, he saw many as frauds, seeing through their tricks and schemes to earn coin from people like his parents who wanted some answer. Thankfully his parents were not as easily fooled as some.  

“Some tea sir?” his man servant had returned with a tray with a small clay teapot, cup, and plate of biscuits.  

His parents spared no expense for his travel expenditure ensuring he had suitable rooms and service along the way.  

“Yes thank you Emiri,” Kaeso accepted the tea once it was poured into the cup.  

Although tea was no cure, it had its health properties and was a part of his daily routine in order to maintain some semblance of well-being. On the worst days when he was unable to even lift his head, Emiri would gently lift his head for him in order to drink the tea as the warm liquid often helped sooth his bodies aches internally. Also the various flavors of tea available were merely delicious regardless of health benefits.  

The tea on the steamboat was adequate but he had read in the travelogues Dunna Ri had several famous tea-houses know for splendid concoctions and flavors. Many made tea-making and brewing into an art-form, similar in reverence as with wine-making and brewing. Even ales and beers were beginning to become artful although the latter was still considered the drink of the lower classes, and rather vulgar.  

Emiri left once the tea was finished to return the tray to the boat’s main kitchen and Kaeso was left alone with his thoughts. He casually observed the other passengers, many elderly were on board, but as were several families with children, couples, and single folk like him. He also notice a group of exorcists on board. Likely came to train at the monasteries where monks taught various spiritual purification rituals and spells. Given the rich connection between the foundation of the Heavenly Doctrine, the supposedly spiritual energy of the valley, many spiritualists, shamans, priests, priestesses, exorcists or magicians also came to Dunna Ri to hone their skills. Something Kaeso also learned in the various travelogues.  

Traveling around the valley one would find many stalls and shops telling charms, talismans, prayer papers, holy beads, and all sorts of spiritual paraphernalia to tourists and pilgrims. Leaning back into the wicker lounge chair, Kaeso allowed the hum of the boat to relax him, as the chatter of the other passengers faded out of focus. 

He must have dozed off as Emiri gently shook him to inform him they were entering Lake Tiya now. Surrounding by mountains, the lake was crystal clear one could almost see the bottom. The waters were ice cold, fed by the glaciers and melted run-off from the highest of peaks in the Isari Ranges. Several villages doted around the lake, relying on the clean water and fish to sustain them. The water was so pure, it did not need to be treated to drink, or that was the case but now with the increase of industry, and boats on the lake, it was best probably to still use the chemical treatments found readily in all establishments in the valley.  

An alchemist by the name of Iseldis formulated chemicals that purified water. Now most households kept such bottles adding a few drops to their containers of drinking water, or wells. In the cities, the public water fountains and wells were treated daily. It reduced water-borne illnesses significantly but if water was too heavily tainted, regardless of the amounts used, certain areas suffered simply for the lack of other water resources. Dunna Ri was not one such place.  

It took less than an hour to cross the massive lake, and Kaeso was pleased to see the lake-side town of Derbryn appear on the shore. Its average population was less than three thousand year-round residents but exploded to triple that number during the spring and summer months reducing over the colder months. Nearest to the lake were grand inns, lake-side manors, and other richer establishments that utilized the shore location to draw in tourists and guests. Others built on the hills offering breath-taking views and their location nearer to popular hot springs and pools for their guests to visit without much travel time.  

Emiri packed their belongings from their cabin, and they readied for departure from the steamboat. Once the boat was anchored and secured to the dock, did the plank descend and all the passengers excitedly disembarked. Now it was a mad-dash to grab a cab to drive them to their accommodations. Some wrote well in advanced to secure rooms, but others only had to race and beat others to acquire the best rooms. Desbryn offered accommodation covering from cheap to very expensive, allowing travelers of all means to find someplace they could afford. The monasteries continued their tradition of offering room and board to pilgrims and tourist for a very small fee but many were some distance from the lake-side town which provided many amenities which kept plenty of tourists content to make it their home base for the duration of their stay.  

They were able to hail a cab quite quickly. A shoddy little thing. They were not in a big city, and so those who took on the job of cab drivers did not have the resources to buy new cabs once their old ones wore down, instead repairing and re-using the cabs for many years. Farmers even rented their carts and wagons to transport people around the valley as a means to supplement their income. Most locals in Dunna Ri found some way to profit from the influx of visitors into their lands.  

They gave the cab driver the name of the inn they wished to stay at, The Mountain God Inn. One of the most prestigious inns, it came highly recommended to those who could afford to stay there. Some of the rooms had private small courtyards, tea-rooms, and bathing facilities.  Nobles, rich business-men, wealthy ladies of leisure all stayed at The Mountain God Inn. Kaeso was impressed as their cab driver drove them to the sprawling inn. Three floors high, it was built from the stone taken from the local quarries. A darkish grey stone with hints of green hue. Stone had been notoriously difficult to get out of the valley until the arrival of steam boats, now the Dunna Ri stone, due to the expense of removing it, transporting, and shipping it from Etana into the mainland, made it a symbol of wealth. But for the locals, it was a regular available stone to build with. Most structures were of wood and stone combination.  

The inn was named, as one could guess, after the Mountain God. A deity long worshipped by the natives of the valley long before Brother Dun Ri arrived. Considered an unsettling deity referred to as Lord Isaru or Isari as ancient texts from the first monks in the region spelt it both ways, gave his name to the mountains of Etana. Although the Divine Mother and her Children had long superseded the deity’s reverence in modern times, the people of the valley still held an annual festival in his honor, although according to the imperial Ministry of Divinity, he was a powerful spirit, not a god.  

The woman working the front desk at the inn, bowed in greeting to Kaeso, and informed him there was rooms available for him to rent. Thankfully there was one on the first floor, as stairs could often become a hindrance to the young sickly man.  

The room was sparsely furnished but the items were all of the finest and highest of quality. The outer room had central hearth with seating, a side desk facing a window overlooking his personal private garden which had a small fountain. The inner rooms had a bedchamber, with a wide low bed with curtains, a wardrobe, another desk, with a cushioned chair, attached was a bathing room, with a copper tub and piping bringing in water from the inn’s private water source, likely piped directly from the lake itself given their proximity. Finally, there was another side chamber which Emiri would use as his room. It had a smaller bed, but all the necessities.  

Emiri wasted no time in unpacking his master’s luggage, carefully laying out his suits in the wardrobe.  

“Shall I draw you a bath sir?”  

“Yes thank you Emiri.”