The Candlekeeper: Strange Tales of Zheng County

Keepers of the Flame is the name given to members of the Observatory Pavilion. What exactly is the Observatory Pavilion? That's a long story. Legend has it that our origins date back to the Warring States period, when it was customary for the various feudal states to patronize scholars and retainers. Qi had the Jixia Academy, Zhao had the retainers of Lord Pingyuan, and our branch began as a group of wandering scholars responsible for collecting strange tales and investigating hidden matters among the people for the feudal lords. The Six Secret Teachings says, "Eight wandering scholars are to watch for treachery and change, discern the moods of men, observe the enemy's intentions, and serve as spies." It was talking about people like us. The flame of a candle has two meanings. First, it represents the light of truth: a small beacon of reason in the darkness of superstition and rumor. Second, it represents the act of recording: every file is a candle, burning itself to light the way for those who come after. The Keepers of the Flame follow a simple but strict creed: record, but do not interfere; seek truth, but spread no falsehood; preserve uncertainty, and make no unwarranted claims. This creed was forged through blood and tears. In the early Ming dynasty, one Keeper of the Flame tried to publicly expose a local "miracle" as a fraud. The local gentry accused him of spreading heresy and beat him to death. After that, the Observatory Pavilion established an ironclad rule: truth must remain in the archives, never brought into the world. Keepers of the Flame must be invisible observers of history. Their pens are knives that cut only into the facts, never into the living. The Five Volumes of Strange Tales from Zheng County is one such collection of archives.