Roughly two hundred years have passed since Jiang presented his first automaton. His descendants, the Yeng, carried on his work. Today, the automata are found everywhere, some serving as laborers and others as soldiers. The robots form a vital part of the workforce and are indispensable to the kings' military. To this day no one outside of a small circle knows the secret that gives these creatures a semblance of life. Those who have examined them claim to have detected no trace of magical or mechanical power. Only the highest echelons of the Yeng are privy to this knowledge, and they are sworn to secrecy by mighty oaths. Furthermore the Yeng are aware that their position depends on their control of the automata and their sole access to the secret. They are surrounded by noble clans which purchase their product while envying and despising their success. This has made the Yeng far more loyal and tight-knit than many clans of higher birth.
During their active years, the leaders of the Yeng and their immediate family dwell within the Great Lodge. This complex is the wooden heart of Mutsai and the core of the Yeng's operations. Here orders and payments to the Yeng are received, here their plans are hatched, and here every fresh batch of automata is brought for final inspection and activation. The outer area is a great square collection of garages and bays, built around an inner courtyard. On the outside, each of the great bays is fitted with two sets of doors which close to guard the privacy of the operations within. The doors on the inside, facing the courtyard, are less cumbersome and fitted with windows high up to let in the sunlight. Activities are directed by the position of the sun-- in the morning the bays of the west side are used, and operations move eastward to utilize the light most efficiently, with the north side being used at midday and the east at evening. No torches or lanterns are allowed within for fear of a blaze getting out of hand. The south is reserved for offices, stables, storage, and the great Main Gate.
All entrances are guarded by members of the Yeng Clan chosen particularly for their strength and intimidating presence. They carry long-handed dagger axes for lethal combat and truncheons for non-lethal. Their leader is a man named Ilok the Butcher. As the name may suggest, he came from humble origins in a Yeng village serving as a meat cutter. He still carries his large meat cleaver as a side arm. It is said that a thief may expect to lose a hand, and a spy a foot.
The imposing edifice of the Main Gate is carved with stylized trunks and branches. Despite its name, this gate does not directly lead into the courtyard but rather a separate area for those who have dealings with the Yeng. The foyer within is an imposing and grand room which boasts exquisite murals and moving dioramas, most depicting scenes of industry in the Forest of Lin. Beyond this room customers are ushered into the Spring Hall to a table where they may conduct their business. A fan hangs in the ceiling, powered by a waterwheel in an underground stream far below. Along three walls curtains of water drops, pumped here by some device, drip in a musical staccato mimicking rain.
Only a small side door allows access from here to the courtyard, and this is off-limits to guests. The courtyard itself is broad enough to cart material from one bay to another, and works often drive oxcarts across as needed. A red square border marks the central area where no one is allowed unless they are of the Yeng clan. It is patrolled by wooden dogs which are said to be able to smell the Yeng bloodline. If an outsider approaches, they will bay with the sound of oboes or bark with the noise of flutes. If the intruder persists they will attack. Only a select few ever enter this square to access the house within, mainly the leaders of the Yeng and a handful of trusted servants from lesser branches of the clan.
The house is where the current heads of the clan live. These are not necessarily the oldest, as they must still be vigorous enough to inspect and activate the merchandise on a daily basis. Those who lose their vitality are retired with honors to mansions outside of the city to live out their last days in ease. But these current managers dwell here in the house. They dine on the ground floor (the only floor where servants are allowed) and sleep on the second. No one else is allowed up those stairs, and it is presumed that all work is done by automata. What lies on the topmost story is anyone's guess, but it is whispered by some that this is where the Yeng store their most treasured items, guarded by hulking automata with curved blades.
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