It was not a long search. Like most others in the Crab Caves, the Blacksnakes wore little armor, only forearm guards and didn’t bother with kimonos, instead showing off the vivid tattoos that covered most of their visible flesh. The first battle was a trap. The Black Snakes had heard the group was on their way and one gang member challenge the group, leading Kaz onto an ice slide that sent the Crab plunging down 30 feet onto spikes while the Black Snake simply ran up the wall and stood there as if it was level ground.
While Verick, Mir and Volar went up top, picking off the Black snakes up there. A flight spell cast on Toshiro allowed him to get at the Black snakes on the wall, though he was set on fire by a viscous liquid that burned hotter and hotter with each passing second. Mindra once again cast a spell on someone peeking around the corner, though this time it was a Hold Person. The figure shook off the spell and then stepped into view, stalking toward Mindra with two kama held at ready. Mindra and his panda bodyguard took the route of least resistance and slide down the ice slide. Mindra caught himself in time before smashing into Kaz. The panda didn’t. Despite the silliness, the group managed a victory but not before Kaz was taken close to the point of death. Hawk did manage an impressive jump that cut off the escape of the last few Black Snakes.
The single prisoner captured offered to lead them to the challenge square. Though only after being doused in cold water and left to shiver in the snow for a few minutes. Traveling on quickly to the challenge square, they found a crumbling, open area that had previously been an enclosed yard for drilling soldiers. Torches flickered from the tops the remaining pillars and snow covered the ground in a pristine white sheet.
A shouted challenge from a single guard was met by Verick declaring the group was here to kill the Black Snakes. Within minutes men and woman came running into view, all Black Snakes. Little armor, many tattoos, most carrying nunchaku, though a few had long, weighted chains. The leader was a thin man carrying two nunchaku. Beside him a sinisterly silent girl in black sharkskin armor that covered every inch of skin except for her white painted face. She carried a weighted chain.
The leader introduced himself as Black Snake and declared his intent. To kill Toshiro. He knew the Scorpion didn’t like Toshiro and felt they would reward him with membership in the clan if he gave them Toshiro’s head. And again, Verick seethed as he was ignored.
The battle was a long, drawn out affair. The Black Snakes vastly outnumbered Bansho Kishu, but many of them were simple thugs who fell after one of two strikes from a katana. Toshiro was rocked by the chain wielded by the black armored girl, though, the dishonorable weapon striking to the core of his honorable soul.
Verick circled invisibly around to strike directly at the Black Snake, but was nearly killed when Mir’s Briar wall cut him off from the rest of the group, also allowing the black armored girl a spot where she could fight Hawk and Toshiro one at a time. Safe behind the Brian Wall, Black Snake called out orders, directing a flanking attack that came close to killing Kaz once again.
But Bansho Kishu persevered, cutting down the thugs every chance they got. Volar summoning up earth elementals to help Verick try to corner Black Snake, though the swiftly moving gang leader simply ran up a stone pillar to avoid the flanking move. And when the tide of battle went to much toward Bansho Kishu, Black snake simply fled along with his lieutenants (the girl in black armor and two spell casters). The girl with the chain ran up the wall by Volar, trying to get a last attack in on him. Volar surrounded himself with an Otiluke’s Sphere. The girl paused only long enough to glare at Toshiro and draw her thumb across her throat before giving a thumbs down. Volar made silly faces back at her as she disappeared down a hatch on top of the building.
Bansho Kishu had won, but had failed to kill any of the important Black Snakes. And as they healed up, on top of another building a large number of men with Ghost Dragon tattoos appeared. The tallest of the men lifted his kana and shouted down to the square “I’m Daikubo of the Ghost Dragons! Are you here to attack us as well, Bansho Kishu?”
There was a moment’s indecision before Toshiro spoke up “No, not you.”
“Then the attack was an individual action, that is all we needed to know.” Daikubo replied and the Ghost Dragons turned to leave.
Volar piped up, asking “What attack are you talking about?”
“The monkey attacked killed one of our people and attacked another with a spell. We needed to know if we were dealing with all of Bansho Kishu, or simply him.” And with that the Ghost Dragons were gone.
Mindra finally admitted to casting the spell on the Ghost Dragon, adding in defensively “What was I supposed to do, wait for him to attack?”
Bansho Kishu decided to teleport back to their estates and rest up, making preparations for their next attack on the Black Snakes. Verick put out word that he’d pay gold for any Black Snake gang members killed, with a much larger bonus for the heads of Black Snake himself, as well as the two spell casters and the chain girl.
[GM Note – Thanks to Kill Bill, the girl with the chain will be forever known as Go Go. It’s a bit of happy chance that I’d gotten the idea for the Black Snakes as well as their weapons of choice well before ever watching Kill Bill. But I did steal the idea of mass mooks for the PC’s to kill from the movie.]
Mindra had his own concerns as well. An air spirit was buzzing around him, trying to get his attention. The spirit had a message from someone the group had fought in the past. He wished a meeting with Mindra alone, in some safe place where they could talk. He had information he thought the group would want. Mindra said no, but left the door open for negotiations on the meeting.
The next day the group traveled back to the Crab Caves, refreshed and ready to fight. Verick had to pay out a little gold; a few of the Tonpachi Arrows had caught Black Snakes the night before and were ready to collect the reward. Their captive started them on the first building they found, guiding Verick, Hawk and Kaz to the rooms of Black Snakes. Kaz and Hawk focused on killing the gang members but Verick killed everyone he found without mercy. At the top floor they found two men, Iron Butterflies judging from the tattoos. Both were spiked to the wall, disembowel, their rip cages ripped open and the hearts removed. Also left was a warning ‘This is what happens to those who hunt snakes.’
Before coming to the Crab Caves, it had been decided the group should stick together from now on in combat, at least long enough to get spells cast. Even so, outside waited Toshiro along with Volar, Mindra and Mir. The ambush could not have been unexpected. Black Snakes suddenly coming into view, including the leader himself. Mir and Mindra both closed in around Volar and as a result all were caught in the chain web cast by the sorceress of the Black Snakes.
Black Snake himself closed in on Toshiro, the twin nunchaku striking with devastating skill. The only thing that saved Toshiro was Mindra ability to walk through obstacles like webs, and the fact the ambush was impromptu. He had been so clear he intended to kill Toshiro, Black Snake had not planned to have do an ambush right away, he’d simply planned to watch at first, then strike at the right moment. As Volar dispelled the web, Mindra and Mir healed Toshiro and the chance to kill the samurai passed. And just that fast, the Black snakes melted away again into the twisting alleys of the Crab Caves.
Hawk took it upon himself to do some interrogating, placing a heavy hoof upon one of the Black Snake thugs and demanding information, in exchange for sparing the man’s life. As the pain grew, the man finally revealed he knew where the Black Snake treasury had been moved. Hawk thanked the man for the information, then put his full weight forward, crushing the man’s chest.
Much like Mindra’s little comment about attacking the Ghost Dragons; this was brushed quickly aside in favor of going after the Black Snakes. Volar in particular was eager…a treasury meant gold.
Traveling to the building (and followed by members of the Ghost Dragon gang), the group charged inside. Verick led the way, disabling traps as they went down the hall to the treasury. As soon as the door opened, a gust of wind raked down the hallway, blinding Kaz and Toshiro. Verick avoided easily and tumbled inside the room. The Black Snake shugenja was there as was Black Snake himself. Gogo was no where to be seen. But in her place stood a imposing figure in immaculate black armor trimmed in jade green. On the armor’s breast place was the kanji for ‘Poison’.
“I know you, Poison Sawada!” Verick called out “”You should not have chosen to join this fight!”
“Our reputations precede us, Akodo Verick. But my contract has nothing to do with you.” Poison Sawada calmly replied.
The battle was cut off suddenly, though. Volar had rushed forward and thrown up a wall between the Black Snakes and Bansho Kishu, giving time to cure Toshiro and Kaz’s blindness and for the group to reform. When the group was ready, they broke through the wall; only to find the Black Snakes and Poison Sawada were gone…
