Kofusachi's Sacred Tea House

One of the many things I like to do is explore characters in the world of Golarion by talking about faith. Who does this character revere above all others in a polytheistic society? One of the ways I like to do this is to scrutinize each god individually, their religious practices, and their followers is to ask this question:

“Imagine if you will, you're making a character for a group. Your only instruction is that you must be a worshiper of a specific god. You do not need to be a divine casting class, although you can be, but the group’s purpose is working toward the goals of this specific divine being. I'd like not just a race class combo, but a little bit about why the character would choose to dedicate him or herself to this god. Feel free to make up secret or not so secret orders within the church, or even sects outside of the church you think might be interesting. With only this one piece of information that must be true, let your imagination go wild with the rest.”

During a recent exploration of a god’s followers a group of us on Facebook focused on Kofusachi, the Tian Xia god of abundance, discovery, happiness, and prosperity. After a long round of discussion about what characters we would make who were supplicants of the laughing god I began to form some ideas about Kofusachi.

Kofusachi's faithful seems like a very disparate group, each following a different path to the laughing god's truth. His church, if you can call it that, has very few large physical locations. His faithful mostly worship at small shrines, located at crossroads, and a few chapter houses for his holy staffsmen.

But there is rumor of a roadside tea house, a place only found when one is not seeking it. It is only open to those Kofusachi has seen fit to give his personal favor. One never knows if or when one will come upon the sacred teahouse and the legend says that it may even exist in multiple locations at once. Some who have claimed to have been to the tea house say that The Laughing God’s herald actually serves as the lady of the house.

And that is where the adventure begins; A fat jolly monk, the sacred traveler, a well off wizard, a fan dancer, a holy staffsmen, and a drunken womanizer find themselves in a tea house on a rainy night. They don't realize they each entered on different roads, but when they leave they set off together down the same path to adventure.

Kofusachi's Sacred Tea House

On the side of a long lonely road, in the middle of the night, with the rain pouring down on your head, the soft light of a lonely cottage gives off a warm welcoming glow even from a distance. As you step ever closer to the front porch of the long two-story structure you see a wooden plaque hanging from the roof above the door. It swings in the wind and as you come under the eaves you see that etched into it is the image of a circle enclosing a man with a walking stick. From this circle hang seven other thicker circles. But the sound of murmuring and an inviting tune being plucked on the Guqin give you little time ponder the name of the establishment as you hurry out of the chill rain.

The first thing you notice as you enter is the warmth from a roaring fire in the stone hearth against a back wall; Your bones start to forgive you for the long cold journey as they thaw. The place that seemed so small and quaint on the outside is a burst of decadence and color on the inside. Colored silks hang from the walls, giving what you thought would be a drab roadside inn the touch of the city. A woman in a finely sewn kimono takes your traveling cloak and hat, and ushers you into the main area where a small crowd seems to be enjoying the late evening in excess. You are seated on the most comfortable cushions you have ever felt, at a low round table where a fat man in ill-fitting monks robes is belly-laughing at something said to him by a man in fine red silks and a disarming smile.

Food adorns the table and no one asks you about coin as some of the most beautiful women you've ever seen offer you delights that feed your soul as well as your taste buds. The music's tempo increases and a geisha begins a seductive dance on the small stage. Everything seems to be overloading all of your sense at once. The Guqin fills your ears, the geisha teases your eyes, the food assaults your tongue and nose, and the texture of warm flesh lies under your fingertips. There is something about this place that is just out of the reach of your mind. But for now, for this night, you will eat, you will drink and you will enjoy; in travel, prosperity, and abundance.