[OA/FR] Rokugan - Updated 12/13/03

[Black Omega]

“Just as water will conform to the shape of the vessel that contains it, so will a man follow the good and evil of his companions.” Imagawa Sadayo

The group discussed strategy for a moment then went riding up toward the village. Despite Toshiro and Kaz’s wish to kill to bandits and continue on, it was decided to try to hook up with these bandits and use them to show the way. The moment the group was spotted, the bandits formed up on their leader. As the group drew nearer, the bandit leader gestures to a few of the men, then off to t he sides. Quickly, a few of the bandits rode out of sight. Seconds later Mindra’s keen monkey eyes spotted the men on top of a couple of huts, getting the high ground while readying their bows. Mindra also noticed a blind on the hillside overlooking the town, someone there, spying on the proceedings.

“They use hand signals? That’s a pretty good idea. Maybe we should work on something like that.” Toshiro muttered softly to himself.

“That’s far enough!” The leader called out, looking over the ragged group approaching. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing here? You looking for trouble!” He yelled fiercely.

“No, no trouble!” Verick replied, “We’ve just come in from the west. We’re looking for a spot to hole up for a couple of days and to sell our stuff. You know of a place?”

“Sure, we know a place. But what stuff do you have to sell? It would help to know what kind of stuff you need to offload, maybe we can help.” The bandit leader caught sight of Volar’s new form, Wizbang Fireblossom, and his eyes narrowed. After some muffled curses he called out “and what’s the deal with that … Elf ”

Volar and the others were taken aback by the sheer venom in the word and again had to wonder what trouble people in this part of the world had with Elves.

“We picked up a few things in the Hordelands we want to sell. That’s all you need to know.” Vlad replied, “The elf is with me.”

Volar, that is to say, Wizbang Fireblossom played along with the implication shamelessly and soon drew Mongo (Toshiro) in as well, allowing the bandits to believe the hulking, monosyllabic ‘ronin’ was only kept in line by Fireblossom’s charms.

[GM Note: This didn’t quite go as Volar had planned. He’d intended all along for Fireblossom to seem loose, but he hadn’t planned on Verick and Toshiro playing along with it, especially to the degree they did.]

The bandit leader just shook his head in disgust and muttered “Damn elves.” Before he looked over the group. “Well, looks like we can help you. There’s a place nearby called Kuzo. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Just hand over your valuables and we’ll show you the way.”

“Then we’d have nothing to sell there. Besides, do you really think we’re just going to give you our loot?” Vlad snarled back, hand falling to his Kusari-gama.

“Seems to me you have no choice. There’s only seven of you.” The bandit leader took a closer look at one in the group “Hey, is that the Rat? Been a long time, Nezu. Even assuming he’s half the man he was, I’m only seeing three, maybe four fighters in your group. And we…well; we’ve got a lot more than that. Think carefully before you start a fight you won’t win.”

Nezu was doing his best to hide in plain sight, cloak pulled in around him, hat pulled down. It hadn’t done much good, though.

Vlad drew out his kusari-gama now while Mongo and Taz drew their katanas. “We worked hard to steal this stuff. If you want it, come and get it!” Vlad yelled out.

And the battle was on. Arrows started to fly as the rooftop archers fired. The bandits charged forward and ran into a wall of steel as Mongo and Taz started hacking at anyone who came close.

Ming (Mindra) lifted up his mace, ready to joinm in but then he remembered the man in the blind overlooking the village. His keen monkey eyes picked out the man again as he was readying his crossbow. Ming lifted his mace and chanted, calling upon the spirits to freeze the man in his tracks. Then as the man became a statue, the disguised monkey took off up the hillside to see who he’s caught.

Kyruko (Mir) and Fireblossom started off by firing arrows, not wanting to give too much of what they could do away. Verick was quick to join in the battle. Nezu was not so quick, his eyes getting wide as some of the mounted bandits swept around the flank and toward him. Then with a yell he threw himself forward, scimitar and kukri appearing in his hands as a maniacal rage took over and he attacked three of the bandits.

Vlad had already calculated the bandits stood no chance; he was trying to decide how best to use whatever prisoners they took when Fireblossom had an idea. Already dismounted from the horse, Fireblossom started a chant and the bandit leader felt ‘her’ Elven eyes boring into his mind. He was helpless to resist as she took control, the spell completely Dominating his will.

The other bandits were taken totally off guard as their leader roared out orders to stand down, his cutlass brandished at a few of his men for emphasis as he suddenly ended the battle. Mongo went up to help Ming drag the frozen bandit down the hill. This bandit was a little different from the others, bushy beard, clothing made entirely from hide and fur. He’d set a very competent blind for sniping; Ming had been the only one able to see him. Ming took the bandit’s heavy crossbow for himself while Mongo propped the man against a wooden hut.

With the battle finished, the bandit leader rode over to talk with Vlad and Fireblossom, sweat beading on his forehead. Being in the power of an elf was very close to being a fate worse than death to him, but try as he would, he could not escape her control.

After a moment’s discussion Vlad and Fireblossom started to explain the plan to the bandit leader. He was given careful instructions to make sure he would not betray them, then told to explain to his men that a deal had been struck. A deal they were –not- to mess up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While the leaders plotted, the hairy barbarian snapped free of the spell that had held him paralyzed. He launched himself at Ming, but Mongo stepped in the way and a fight started again, the bandit lashing out with heavy punches before Mongo grabbed him and started to slam him back against the wooden wall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I could just take over the bandits here. That would get us into town pretty easily.” Vlad suggested.

Fireblossom shook her head “No, it’s not like that. Would the men accept him?” she asks the bandit leader, who simply shook his head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mongo slammed the barbarian against the wall a couple of times before an eye gouge forced him to break the hold. Falling, the barbarian simply crawled forward and bit Mongo on the ankle before rising up with a punch that bloodied Mongo’s nose.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Ok, how far away from Kuzo are we? And what were you doing here?” Vlad asked.

And the bandit leader was compelled to answer “A days ride. We were ordered to come here, burn as much of the villages as we could, then bring back captives. Not much worth looting from a village like this.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mongo grabbed the barbarian again, a headbutt stunning the hairy man before Mongo picked up him, lifting the barbarian over his head before slamming him to the hard ground. A couple last punches finished off the fight, while some of the waiting bandits exchanged money. Evidently the odds had favored Mongo’s opponent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The bandit leader explained the new situation to his men, again using his cutlass for emphasis where ever someone disagreed. Clearly some were unhappy about the deal, but not unhappy enough to challenge over it. Instead, the rather unsentimental bandits went to work stripping their own dead of anything valuable.

When the barbarian woke again, he found himself tightly bound. Mongo was keeping an eye on him, frowning “Now, we’ll let you go if there won’t be any trouble. If there is, we’ll just tie you up again and toss you over your horse for the trip back.”

The barbarian agreed there would be no trouble and was released. Then he thumped Mongo on the shoulder while grinning “Was good fight! You very tough, not like your govnik loh friend! Now we drink!” Mongo had found a new friend. Two in fact, as he quickly developed a taste for the vodka his friend Dmitrios was sharing to help brighten the ride back to Kuzo.

The trip went smoothly. Volar reported back to Lord Jyaku that he’d be bringing in a prisoner later who would answer any questions as best he was able. Mongo and Dmitrios became fast friends. To keep up appearances, some captives were brought back with the bandits, though some in the group weren’t happy over it.

After a day’s travel the group came upon a small valley filled with mist. It couldn’t be fog, it was far to late in the day for that. But the bandits just rode on into the mist as if this was perfectly normal. A minute later the bandit leader called out loudly “Open up! We’re back from our raid!”

There was a sound of wood creaking as they rode forward, and then the mist suddenly faded away as they entered a barely seen gate. A quick glance back revealed that indeed, the mist was still present outside, and overhead. But inside visibility was fine. No wonder it was so tough locating Kuzo.

The town looked rundown and dirty. Shady looking figures, men mostly, watching the new arrivals with interest. But the most unusual figure was the short man walking up to them. Not even four feet tall, he had the look of a halfling on steroids, with the face of a pint sized Half-Orc. He looks up to the bandit leader and the group, grinning “Sound some new friends? I’m Malachai. I show the fresh meat around town.”

 

[Black Omega]

“The samurai who does not keep his mind fixed on death, even though he wears a sword, is nothing but a farmer or a merchant in warrior’s skin.” Daidoji Yuzan.

“Hello there. I’m Malachai.” The mini sized Half-Orc said, a grin showing his fangs. Thumbs hooked into the belt of his leather armor, Malachai looked over the group, nodding to Nezu “Hey Rat! Welcome back. Got a lotta guts coming around here again. A few things you should know about Kuzo. No matter what you might have heard, we do have our own set way of doing things, our own rules. Don’t go around casting spells or someone might think you are trying something funny and attack first. If you need religion there’s a temple to Cyric, and a smaller temple for Beshaba. For your Roko’s.” the burly little figure nodded to Mongo, Taz, Ming and Kyruko. “There’s a shrine to Bishamon as well. Not many people go there though.”

Malachai walked along with the group as they headed into the town “You see someone around here who looks Half-Orcish (looks like me, but most are bigger, for you Roko’s) We’re the Children of Rodrigo. We run this town. Don’t forget it. Our rules are simple. Strength rules. No, that doesn’t mean all eight of you on one guy. Good tactics, but it proves nothing and everyone has friends to watch their back anyway. Think someone has cheated or screwed you? Sucks to be you. Be smart and it won’t happy again. You want to complain to someone, talk to Viktor. He’s the closest thing this town has to someone who’ll give a damn. You can’t miss him, look for a 6’5” guy with elfy kinda features. To the north of town you’ll find an Inu camp. Damned Inu…just don’t go there. Can’t trust them a bit. Want a place to stay? You are out of luck. Everyplace is full. We’ve got something big going on, so things are a little crowded. But you take a right and head down there, you can find a place to pitch your tents. So, who’s the elf belong to?”

“Mine.” Vlad growled quickly “Already heard that question enough.”

“He’s also mine, though.” Fireblossom chimed in while gazing lovingly to Vlad.

Malachai laughed “This’ll be interesting. Dad has had a taste for elf girls. I’ll be seeing you later, I’m sure.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I thought Nezu had been gone from here for years? Why do people remember him?” Volar thought to himself. But he had to snap back to Fireblossom as the group found a spot to camp, near the east wall. There were many other tents put up in the area, a few seemed like bandits from elsewhere but many seemed to be peasants looking for a chance a fast money and escape from the fields.

Gathers together, the group set up their tent and settled in. Fireblossom checked to make sure no one was around invisibly before the discussion began. Mongo, Taz, Ming and the Rat could go check on the Yabanjin and find out why they were here. Dmitrios had given him a barracks to go to on the north side of the village. Vlad, Kyruko, Fireblossom, and the Kid (Yukiyo) would look around town and try to get a good idea of the layout of the place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first stop, keeping up appearances, was a local store where they could sell their plunder. They found a weathered, wooden building with a faded sign that read ‘Fernow’s’. Inside they found an older, rugged looking man. He kept a mace close to hand and there were a couple guards keeping an eye out for trouble. Even so, he was a reasonable sort. Perhaps all those years dealing with thugs and bandits who’s not think twice about trying to kill him if they felt cheated, there wasn’t much haggling. And the offer for their Hordeland plunder was reasonable if not generous.

Vlad settled on the price, then the group set to looking around for other things that might come in handy. They got some food, enough for a trip deeper toward the empire. And to keep the cover story going, Vlad asked about travel papers.

Fernow did indeed have travel papers for sale. His last set, sadly, so the price would be more dear. But the papers were of excellent quality and forged with the chop of a famous samurai, one who no one would dare question. Hiruma Toshiro, slayer of Oni.

Yukiyo, as the Kid, was called in to check on the papers. They were very well done, Toshiro himself would be able to tell the difference between these and real papers. Not that he could tell even a mediocre forgery, Yukiyo thought to herself. Then on a whim the Kid went to work practicing a forgery on the spot. In just a couple of minutes, she’d produced a forgery better than Fernow was selling, a point she happily made.

“Fine, then make your own. None of my concern if you head on into the empire and get caught because you’d trust some kid over my own fine craftsmanship. Keep in mind, Roko jails are just a place to rest when you are not being tortured. And the punishment for all crimes is death. But if you think you can do better yourself, go right ahead.” Fernow said gruffly.

Kyruko soothed his ruffled feathers and Vlad said he’d think about the papers and maybe buy them later.

Undeterred by the looks from others in the group, the Kid piped up again, brightly asking, “If you are selling so much here, you have any jade arrow tips or anything?”

Fernow raised an eyebrow, looking at the kid for a moment then shaking his head “No. Best not to ask about such things, either. There are a few in town who’d not take kindly to finding out someone was looking for jade. It’s more than decoration to the Roko’s. It’s a weapon. Best to forget about that here, and hope no one hears about you asking.”

The kid nodded, and the others were quick to move on before they found themselves in more trouble.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It wasn’t difficult at all for Mongo and friends to find the Yabanjin barracks, though it was one of three, each holding around a hundred of the barbarian warriors. So it took a while to find their friend, since only Nezu knew a smattering of their harsh language. Soon enough they found Dmitrios, and an ample supply of the vodka Mongo was developing a taste for. Soon enough they were involved in the drinking contests, all save for Ming who was given a ‘child’s cup, since he obviously needed time to work up to a real man’s glass of the fiery liquid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at old man Fernow’s, he had returned to dusting the shop when a snarling voice was heard, just out of sight “Hey there, old man. I heard the new people in town stopped by hear. You know, part Roko, part halfbreed, with a kid?”

Fernow looked over the edge of the counter, Malachai waiting there with his thumbs tucked in his leather belt. “They have anything interesting to say for themselves? Usual price if it’s something worthwhile.”

Fernow checked out the windows before nodding to the Orcling. He had some information indeed…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vlad, Fireblossom, Kyruko and the Kid were out exploring more. And what they were finding wasn’t comforting. A town built for 500 seemed to have 1,000 or so stuffed into it. Savage cutthroats and rugged Yabanjin from the north added to the normal bandits found in Kuzo. Much of the town was run down wooden shacks, though there were a few houses that were well built, the pubs all seemed in good shape. And at the center of town stood a large, squeeze keep. A tower at each corner of the walled enclosure was manned by half orcs in heavy armor. Now that they thought about it, there were an awful lot of birds in the area, hawks and falcons circling the bandit town. Disguised as a crow, Mir’s thrush familiar was safe enough. But the air was suspiciously crowded.

The group didn’t have time to ponder that, though. They spotted the last thing they expected to find in Kuzo. An elf. Pale skin and golden hair were all set off by finely tailored black and gold leather armor, and his cloak was a bright red, trimmed with ostrich feathers. He was seated out on the porch of one of the nicer houses while a younger looking elf did his nails. Spotting Fireblossom, the elf was up in an instant and waving them over.

In common he introduced himself as “Finafin, the Golden Duke of the Sword Coast. A gentleman, performer, and duelist of the first caliber. It is such a marvelous pleasure to meet another elf here out in the wilderness.”

Finafin switched to elvish as he invited Fireblossom over “Care for some elvish wine? It’s not easy to get it here in the middle of nowhere, but well worth it. I have...connections.” the elf said smoothly.

A flick of his wrist produced a scented handkerchief as Finafin chatted in elvish with Fireblossom about the West. Evidently Finafin had been forced to leave the Sword Coast and was taking a few decades slumming before he would go back.

Finafin’s roving eyes picked out Vlad and he smiled to Fireblossom “So, tell me about your friend there. Is he with you?”

Fireblossom’s chaotic side showed through clearly when she smiles brightly and nodded “Oh yes. He speaks for the group and keeps my bed warm.”

Finafin showed a ghost of a smile as he looked over Vlad slowly and nodded appreciatively “I’m very sure. Perhaps we could work out a sharing for a night…”

Verick had to pretend he didn’t understand what was being discussed, since Vlad wasn’t supposed to understand Elvish, but from the look Finafin was giving him, it didn’t take much imagination to figure it out. Vlad’s hand crept to the hilt of the kusari-gama. If the elf tried anything now, he’d be ready.

One thing was making Fireblossom curious. “You must get into a lot of fights, Finafin. You don’t seem the type these bandits would accept.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised.” Finafin smiled “I’ve done a few favors for people. Helped out Rodrigo. The Golden Duke still has a few contacts. As for duels. Well, some people discourage challenges by being unthinkably brutal in destroying their opponents. I prefer to make the challenge to…submission. You’d be surprised how many people will accept almost anything instead of death when a rapier point touches their heart.”

That was really all they needed to hear. Fireblossom accepted an invitation to be Finafin’s guests later at a inn called the Dancing Ferret.

As they walked away Fireblossom said softly “I’m so glad I decided to be a female elf! I can see why elves have such a bad reputation in this part of the world.”

Vlad nodded “Just letting you all know. If there’s a fight, it’s to the death. No matter what happens, or what the situation is, I’m NOT surrendering.”

 

[Black Omega]

Things were going very well for Mongo and friends. The Yabanjin barbarians drank vodka like it was water. Mongo, Taz and Nezu weren’t left in much shape for real intelligence gathering, but Ming was still lurking there, stone cold sober and taking mental notes. He found the Yabanjin chieftains had been recruited for an assault on Bugaisha. Their chieftains ordered them to go, and besides, there was promise of great loot and plunder there, as well as the chance to bring home Rokugani women. The Yabanjin didn’t know anything about tactical plans. They were waiting here and enjoying life until it was time to fight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vlad, Fireblossom, the Kid and Kyruko continued exploring Kuzo, taking special note of places they were not allowed to go. Finally their path took them to the northern gate and the Inu encampment. The guards at the gate warned them where the Inu were. Evidently, they didn’t like life in even a small town like Kuzo, and preferred to keep to themselves. The guards described them as a bunch of thieves and cheats, no mean feat in a town of bandits. As the group went on to the camp the guards just looked at each other “They don’t know they are headed for trouble. I HATE Inu.”

The camp was different than they had expected. Instead of tents, the Inu used wooden huts built onto large wooden sleds they seemed to use, even when there wasn’t snow. Stabled off to the side were elk that stood over nine feet at the shoulders. Birds circled constantly overhead, and in the shade of one of the Inu buildings a massive bear was dozing.

The group was greeted quickly by several of the Inu, tattooed men dressed in hides. A less fierce but more roguish look to than then the Yabanjin had. It took two tries to figure out what they were saying. Their common was not only heavily accepted, but words were slurred together and much slang of their own was added.

“So, whatta you wantin’ then?” the leader asked, looking over the group “Here fer for fortunes, are ye? Gotta wisewoman who kin tell everythin’ about ye. Yuir present and future. Maybe the gamblin’? S’tonight. Bettin’ on the fechtin’ and more, later. Maybe ye fecht, yoursells? We dinnae do the fechts like in town. Wreslin’s our game. Any of ye wrestle?”

The group certainly wasn’t interested in their fortunes being told. Quite the opposite, while knowing the future might be nice, the less these Inu knew about the group the better. If the wisewoman knew real magic, she might be able to tell their real mission. They’d heard there were fights at the Dancing Ferret, a sort of rough justice where men met the settle scores. Sometimes to the death, but not always.

Vlad smirked “Wrestling? No, wrestling’s just like sex, only without the fun. Not interested.”

There was a moment of deathly silence as the leader looked around to the others, crossing his arms as he looked back to Vlad “so, what’er ye sayin’ then? We look like elves to ye? Ye know what I’m thinking, boys?” he looks to the other “I think he’s wantin’ to fight the bear.”

“I’d kill the bear.” Vlad growled, growing annoyed, even as Fireblossom watched, growing amused, and Kyruko started to think of a way to talk their way out of this. But not right away…it was kind of fun watching Vlad dig himself deeper.

“Well now, maybe ye would. Maybe there’s more to the bear than ye think. Maybe yuir friends care ta bet on it. Strong man that ye are, maybe we’d need odds even.” The leader said while grinning.

Kyruko stepped in now before it got too far. A whispered conversation with Vlad going back and forth as she tried to convince the angry young man to apologize.

Finally Vlad looked back to the Inu. A slight pause then finally “If I said anything that gave offense, I apologize.”

That drew a sneer from the Inu and a short whispered conversation with the others before he looked over Vlad “Ye think that’s enough, then? Heard people talk like that before, we have. What yuir meanin’ is “I don’t think I need to apologize, so I hope they’ll buy this.’ Be a mahn. Either apologize or don’t. But don’t put all those words around it ta add qualifications ‘n conditions.”

Vlad was ready for a fight by this point. But Kyruko smoothed the Inu’s feathers a little before she whispered more with Vlad. And finally, reluctantly, Vlad said “I apologize. I wasn’t trying to insult you.”

“Is that why you meeting the elf later for a date?” the Kid piped up, trying to stir up trouble.

Bam! Vlad backhanded the Kid then Fireblossom stepped in to pull the disguised Yukiyo aside “We’re just getting this settled, don’t start it up again!”

No danger of that, it seemed. The Inu just nodded in approval of Vlad’s action “That’s dealin’ with the insult proper. Very well, takes a big mahn to apologize. It’s accepted.”

The group left quickly, relieved to have gotten out of the camp without a fight. Except for Vlad, who was still muttering under his breath “I could have taken the bear. I don’t see why that was such a big deal.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meeting back at the base, the group discussed what they had learned that day and what to do next. Volar was going to have the bandit leader he’d Dominated come by the camp later and he would teleport him back to Bugaisha to answer questions. But first the bandit would drop hints to those around him that he wasn’t happy with how things were going, hoping to leave the impression he’d just taken off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Again the group split up. Mongo and Taz went off to meet with their Yabanjin friends again, while the others went to meet Finafin at the Dancing Ferret. The inn wasn’t the friendliest of places. A little on the dark side, a place where everyone tried to find a spot where they could sit with their backs to the wall. Finafin was there though, with his Elven boy toy, waiting.

With Fireblossom providing all the proper encouragement and flattery, Finafin was more than happy to talk about Kuzo. Even though he didn’t wear a rapier, he always described himself as a duelist. Though most in the group suspected the silent younger elf would be the real threat. Finafin had helped out Rodrigo some years ago and was now officially welcome in Kuzo, wherever it popped up. And now was a most interesting time, with bandits gathering here to fight Lord Jyaku. Something of a grudge there. Rodrigo hates the Unicorn Clan, always has. He doesn’t talk about it, but he carries a no-dachi and doesn’t allow any of his kids to use Rokugani weapons.

Finafin’s personal involvement was limited. He didn’t bother trying to command troops here. Mere rabble, not up to his standards anyway. But he knew some people back west still who could supply weapons. And he’d be seeking out the leaders in battle for dueling, Finafain was quite confident the Roko’s wouldn’t know how to handle an Elf wielding a rapier.

Sitting with Finafin certainly did draw attention to the group, most of it less than friendly. But Vlad was doing a surprisingly good job heading off confrontations, despite an ever growing need to wreck serious physical damage on someone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The open area in the middle of the floor was used for the fights. As Finafin explained it, the fighters were a way of settling scores once and for all. Take two men, let them fight it out, and no matter who won, the grudge was settled once and for all. When it was time for the fights the moment Kyruko (Mir) had dreaded, arrived. Viktor, six foot, five inches of Half-Orc Half-Elf, walked into the inn. He barely gave the group a glance, though, instead getting ready to act as referee for the fights.

The betting started before the first fight and continued through the evening. Some of the fighters were simple brawling, but most was more lethal. For fights not to the death, Viktor acted as judge for first blood and if a fighter could still continue, his massive two handed sword close to hand in case anyone wished to object. Even so, his was ruthlessly impartial, and a cleric of Beshaba was standing by for healing when needed.

The ‘Main Event’ was the least competitive fight of the evening. A short, muscular man armored in a simple breast plate, against a nervous looking bandit in scale armor, sword and shield. It was no contest at all. The unarmed man moved with blinding speed, a left-right- left of punches splintering the shield and hammering the bandit back. The bandit swung wildly, missing, then the armored monk grabbed onto the bandit’s helmet, dragging his head down to meet a knee to the face, then a crushing elbow to the back dropped the bandit flat. The battle only last another minute more because the monk made a point of drawing out the bandit’s painful demise, finishing with a twist that cracked the bandit’s neck before declare “This is what happens to anyone who messed with us.”

Finafin explained “That’s Grond. Rodrigo’s eldest son. Rodrigo rules here, but –noone- can beat Grond. He trained as a monk, but he wears armor sometimes to slow him down, to make a battle more interesting. The bandit crossed Rodrigo. How? Good question. They don’t usually explain. If you draw a line in the sand and say ‘cross this and we’ll kill you’ bandits tend to walk right up to the line, but not step over it. Rodrigo likes keeping exactly where the line is a little hazy. People are more nervous when they are not sure exactly how much they can get away with.”

Verick had watched the fight carefully to try and gauge how good Grond was. And he was very sure he couldn’t take the monk one on one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The inn returned to normal after the fights were finished, money changing hands as the final bets were settled. Finafin was back to chatting about his past, while carefully avoiding just why he had to leave the Sword Coast. But the conversation was broken up quickly as Grond walked over.

“I’m going to talk to your friend, I’ll bring him back in a couple of minutes.” And with that Grond reaches over the table and grabbed Nezu by his collar, yanking over over the table, then dragging him behind as the monk walked out of the inn casually.

Finafin was ready to resume the conversation as if nothing had happened but the Vlad and Fireblossom had other things in mind, all too aware that Nezu could blow their cover, and suspecting it would not take much to make the Rat talk.

Seeing his new friends following Grond, Finafin just nodding to his elfboy, then followed them out. Grond dragged Nezu into the alley by the inn. Lifting the thin man with one hand and banging him against the wall.

“Pretty brave coming back here after so long. Especially after leaving that bloodwitch in the lurch, you bastard.” Grond snarled, then pounded a couple fast punches to Nezu’s body. The rat doubled over before being yanked up straight again.

“You try anything this time and we’ll just kill you. We don’t have time for shows. I’ll let you and Shahai work out things out when she’s back. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you again. Until then…this is your one warning.” Then Grond lifted Nezu higher, a headbutt splattering blood from the Rat’s nose, followed by a couple of lightning fast kicks that crushed him against the wall. Leaving Nezu crumpled by the wall Grond went to walk back inside, nodding to Vlad “You can collect your friend now. Hope you’re not trusting him much, the Rat’s only good for backstabbing.”

Fireblossom watched this closely, frowning now as Vlad and the others went over to check on Nezu. “Finafin, do you know what that was all about?”

“Why yes.” The elf positively purred in his rich voice “I almost didn’t recognize the name. Years ago, he was Rodrigo’s second-in-command.”

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Stabled off to the side were elf that stood over nine feet at the shoulders.

I do understand the need to stable elves every so often as they can be embarasing if you bring them into town with you prancing around with flowers in thier hair. I don't remember any giant elves stabled with the Inu that trip though, although they did have some rather large elk.

Mir

 

[Black Omega]

I do understand the need to stable elves every so often as they can be embarasing if you bring them into town with you prancing around with flowers in thier hair. I don't remember any giant elves stabled with the Inu that trip though, although they did have some rather large elk.

Too true. And that will be corrected. Though now that I've mentioned it, I suppose I can work in a stable for elves later.

 

[Black Omega]

Fireblossom coughed, staring at Finafin “You have to be kidding…”

“Oh no. It’s a fascinating story, really. Your friend was quite the homicidal terror, I’m given to understand. A bloodthirsty little bastard who fit in here very well. But he made one crucial mistake. He tried to kill Rodrigo and take over.”

Fireblossom just shook her head, having trouble reconciling the twitchy little man she’d always known with what Finafin was saying.

“Yes, it’s true, hard as it is to believe.” Finafin assured, “He failed, of course. He gave it a good try, but trusted the wrong people for back up and it all fell through. They decided to make an example of the Rat, I’m told. I’m not sure of the details, but the torture lasted for days, and often very publicly. And then...well…Rodrigo has a fondness for companions that are, shall we say, exotic. Lovely elves are a favorite, but if you’ve met Malachai you know it’s not limited to that. At the time Rodrigo had a succubus as a guest. Now, before you think ‘That wouldn’t be so bad’ you must keep in mind, a Succubus can suck you dry without there being any pleasure in it. As a finish to it, the Rat was drained dry, to the point of death, then released. He was never the same after that. I gathered he left town not long before I arrived. As you can imagine, no one had tried to make a move on Rodrigo since.”

Fireblossom could well imagine and as Finafin went back inside, Fireblossom passed this story along to her friends, then whispered to Ming “You can do Restoration spells, right? How much time can pass before you can’t Restore someone?”

“A week or so.” Ming replied, giving Fireblossom a curious look.

“Oh, that’s a shame. I had this idea of using Nezu as our secret weapon. Get into a tight spot then restore him to full power.” Fireblossom grinned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kyruko healed Nezu a little, enough to get him up and moving again, then the healer had an idea. Calling the Kid over she quickly cast a spell before they went back inside. “This is a Chain of Eyes. It allows me to watch whoever it is cast upon. I can also transfer it if someone is touched. Try to brush up against Viktor when he’s walking around. Maybe we can use it to spy on him.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Then the group went back inside to join Finafin. Vodka also seemed to restore Nezu a little, though he was now glancing side to side, far more twitchy and nervous than he had been before, which was saying something.

Yukiyo waited until a good moment then got up to try and walk past Viktor as he was heading toward his table. Bumping into the massive abomination, Kyruko triggered the spell and felt it succeed, her point of view shifting from the Kid to Viktor. So she had a great view of Viktor easily lifting the Kid up by the scruff of the neck as he checked his gold and weapons. Then he snarled “Better watch where you are going, kid. Not everyone is as understanding as me.” Then a casual toss dumped the Kid over a table to the floor as Viktor walked on.

[GM Note: Yukiyo took quite the beating this day, and there wasn’t even any combat. Would have been much worse if Viktor had succeeded with his will save, though.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The settled in to chat with Finafin again but they didn’t have long to enjoy the fine Elven wine before another visitor came over, however. A young Half-Orc who looked to Ming and Kyruko “Viktor asked me to come over and invite you to drink with him for a few minutes.” Then the Half-Orc waited, showing fangs with his smile. Clearly this wasn’t the sort of invitation one could refuse.

Reluctantly, Ming and Kyruko got up and went over to see Viktor, Mir focusing, getting herself even more into character. She did –not- want to spend much time talking to Viktor, if anyone would recognize her, he would.

Finafin just waved it off “You are doing well, Fireblossom. Important people are noticing you already. Maybe you should stay in town for a while. We could use people with power and skill right now. There’s a war coming up and that always means chances for glory and plunder.” Vlad wasn’t listening, though. He was starting to feel feverish and weak.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Viktor was sitting in his own corner of the inn, a number of Half-Orcs lounging around, on guard. If anything, he looked bigger than when Mir had last seen him. But just as much an abomination. The strong Orcish jaw with less prominent fangs, mixed with more delicate Elven ears and features.

“Don’t worry, my conversation is a little more pleasant than Grond’s.” he assured, showing a toothy grin “I wanted to talk to the two of you since you are the only real Rokugani in your group. We don’t get much news on what’s happening in the Empire out here, and most of that is from the Bloodspeakers. And frankly I like getting confirmation on anything they tell us. Where are you two from?”

This scrutiny was a little closer than either Kyruko or Ming wanted. In a fine display of Bardic improvisation, Kyruko created a background that had her coming from the Phoenix lands, a ronin shugenja not very welcome in an area where the ruling clan claimed all magic for themselves. Ming wasn’t quite so quick on his feet, and simply tried to play mysterious without giving much away. Kyruko led the way in admitting she’d been out of the Empire for some time now, and had gone to work for Fireblossom and Vlad acting as a guide when they got to the Empire. It was a neat lie that spared them from having to talk too much about what was going on in the empire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at the table, Vlad’s condition was getting worse. His weakness was growing and he face had gotten noticeably flushed. Even Finafin seemed concerned. He leaned over for a closer look then sighed as he looked to Fireblossom “Is your friend ok? He’s looking positively peaked.”

Fireblossom was a little concerned as well, glancing suspiciously to the wine before checking Vlad again “He’ll be ok, he just needs a little rest.”

“Oh, no…” Finafin protested, “It looked much worse than that. You can’t let something like this go without proper treatment. I’m a bit of a healer, and I know some clerics in town. Perhaps we’d better take him over to my house. He can rest more comfortably there.” The Elven dandy the picture of sincerity as he made the offer.

“Not a good idea.” Fireblossom said quickly “He’s getting feverish. He gets terribly violent if he gets delusional. We’d better not take the chance.”

The corners of Finafin’s mouth twitched upwards, a hint of a smile before the serious, concerned look returned “It’s no imposition, really. I have leather bonds, I’ll simply restrain him if he starts to seem violent.”

The worse for Vlad was he could hear what was being said quite well. But his body was feeling heavier, taking more and more effort to move, let alone speak.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ming dodged Viktor’s questions as best he could, with Kyruko often intervening to help him keep his story straight as subtly as she could. When they saw Nezu and Fireblossom helping Vlad to his feet and getting ready to heard for the door, it was time to try and bring the ‘chat’ to an end. Kyruko politely thanked Viktor for his interest, and promised to pass along any news that she heard in the future.

“Thank you. Try to keep out of trouble. Women here are often seen as property, unless they are strong enough to prove otherwise. No offense, but you don’t seem that strong. If you think you might be interested in work away from the elf and Vlad, let me know.” Viktor said before sipping his wine.

“Thanks. I might just take you up on that offer.” Kyruko tossed out carelessly. And immediately regretted it as Viktor’s interest was caught again and he started to ask Kyruko about her deal with Fireblossom and Vlad.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fireblossom would have preferred to wait on the others, but Vlad was fading fast and it would only get worse if he passed out while they were still sitting with Finafin. So getting help from Nezu, they started to help Vlad out of the bar. Vlad’s condition was noticed by more than just Finafin, and three figures slipped out of the bar to follow.

Fireblossom and Nezu carried Vlad back toward their camp as fast as they could, helping him along as he determined put one foot in front of the other. They were just in the broad alley leading to the open campsite when an arrow thunked into the ground ahead of them.

“Try to cast a spell and arrows fly! We’re after your gold and the elf, nothing more. You make this a fight and it’s your own damn fault if you die.”

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Notes from Mir

Meeting with Viktor again made me glad I had crafted a detailed history and was doing my best to maintain it. I was pretending to be a Water Shugenja as my spontainious healing worked well to maintain this facade and I already had the fake Ofuda I would need. I came from peasant stock, both my mother and father and numerous brothers and sisters were nothing more than peasant farmers who had no family name nor ever would. The only thing that saved me from this life was an unexpected blessing from the Kami which allowed me to talk to them for some unknown reason. Being from peasant stock meant that I would never recieve formal training or recognition as a shugenja. The bleasing did mean fortunately that I was released from the servitude of the rest of my family because even samurai knew better than to interfere with the Kami's choices. I then wandered using my blessing to help other peasant and merchants, for a charge of course since I needed to live somehow. I eventualy left the border of rokugan where I met up with vlad and Fireblossom and accepted employment with them. If they wanted to mess with the Rokugani autorities it did not bother me as I felt no loyalty to those who treated my family like scum and would have nothing to do with me dispite my gifts. I did leave a clue though to my real identity through the name that I chose. I chose Kyruko from stories Doji Shima had told me of a rebelious Kakita Kyruko who was sometimes refered to as the temptress for her ability to charm and manipulate others with her beauty. A bit of vanity on my part but hopefly Crane stories had not made it this far.

As for my meeting with Viktor I used some magic to reinforce the mundane disguise that "the kid" had created for me. Hopefuly my bardic training would get me past a quick encounter with Viktor. I wished I could talk to him as Mir again but our mission meant that I needed to keep cover.

Mir

 

[Black Omega]

Vlad went limp in Nezu and Fireblossom’s arms, the poison finally taking full effect. He’d be no help in this fight. In fact, Vlad was still perfectly aware of what was going on around him. He could see, hear, feel…but he could not move his body an inch.

Looking back, there were four men with bows behind them. And in front was two more men with wickedly curved blades, and a figure dressed in a loose fitting kimono. His hands weaved a quick pattern, casting haste upon himself, then waiting to see if Nezu and Fireblossom surrendered.

Surrender? Ha! Fireblossom called out “You boy’s aren’t man enough for me!” flaunting that illusionary body before casting a haste as well, then with blinding speed creating a stone wall blocking the end of the alley where the spell caster was. Arrows flew and Nezu was struck, but the thin man snatched his weapons out in a flash, snarling as he threw himself at the arches, blades flashing as he went berserk. Never corner a rat…

Kyruko and Ming were hurrying to catch up, Kyruko having escaped Viktor’s interest by promising to meet him later. They saw the battle starting up ahead, the spell caster and two partners running around the side of the building to join the others.

Ming cast a Hold person, freezing one of the archers in place, then ran past with Kyruko, who cast the wield spell on herself before grabbing Vlad’s Kusari-gama. But neither could keep up with Fireblossom. Hasted, Fireblossom was running with blinding speed, for to the left, her arms waving wildly. But no, that didn’t take her out of line of sight with the archers and the spell caster. So she ran back to the left in a seeming panic...but that didn’t do it either, the stone wall blocking her in where the archers could still see her. Then Fireblossom stopped and unleashed two powerful fireballs on the gang, two booms echoing through the area as flames erupted at the mouth of the alleyway. When the two fireballs had settled there was little left but ashes and some bones where the archers and spell caster had been. The two last remaining thugs stared for a moment then fled into the darkness. Kyruko and Ming just stared at Fireblossom for a moment before she threw out her hands “What? I felt threatened!”

[GM Note: A very amusing battle. The group was trying to hide how powerful they were, but Volar gets twitchy when there are no meat shields to protect him. Fireblossom running back and forth is artistic license. Volar’s player was moving the figure back and forth, going “no, still in sight, how about over here...nope...here? No.” I translated that into the character doing it because it made an interesting image.]

Just then Finafin strolled into view, his face a carefully constructed mask of concern “Excellent, you are ok! I heard a gang was going to attack you and figured I’d check on you, to make sure nothing happened.”

Or to find Vlad left helpless after the gang took care of everyone else. Ming confirmed Vlad was poisoned, and Neutralized it. And Vlad already knew exactly when he was poisoned. They had gone outside to keep an eye on Nezu, leaving Finafin’s boy toy to watch the table.
Fireblossom’s voice was icy as she glares to Finafin “I don’t feel like talking to you now. Go away.”

The elf was about to protest when Fireblossom cut him off “Go. Away.”

Finafin sniffed and turned away, his cloak flowing out behind him as he stalked off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mindra identified Vlad was poisoned and neutralized it quickly. They had little doubt Finafin must have had something to do with the ambush. Nezu gets killed, Fireblossom taken away and there’s Vlad left drugged and helpless. But now Fireblossom had revealed more power than the group had wanted to show so early in their visit.

The group gathered back in their tent and made sure there was no one around listening before planning. The bandit leader under Fireblossom’s control would be reporting in later that night to be teleported to Bugaisha. The plan for the next day was very basic and to the point. Find the rest of the gang that attacked them and make sure they would not do it again.

Fireblossom remembered the bodies of the bandits who had attacked, but it was too late. In the half hour that had passed anything of value, or even could possibly be valuable, had been stripped away, even down to melted gold teeth. Such is life in Kuzo.

Mir settled back for mediation and focused her thoughts on Viktor, watching through the chain of eyes as he exited the Shrine to Bishamon and walked to the central stronghold of Rodrigo. Even he was stopped at the gate, though, an impatient several minutes. Once he started to look around then stopped himself. And finally he was cleared to walk on inside. There was an open yard just inside the walls, and a stable off to the side for horses. Viktor walked on inside, up a flight of stairs and to what seemed to be a map room. Spread out on the table was a map of the area, showing where Kuzo was, as well as red pins Mir recognized as showing some of the villages to the north of Bugaisha. It also showed a number of forces to the east of Bugaisha out in the Hordelands. Viktor settled in there, looking over the map for a good hour before the spell winked out of existence suddenly, obvious dispelled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The bandit leader snuck in after midnight. His face was damp with sweat as he struggled against the control. But he had no choice, the elf’s power was simply too strong. Fireblossom touched him and the bandit leader felt the world twist around him. Obediently, he followed went where he was told when Fireblossom passed him off to a couple of Unicorn samurai. The room set aside for Volar to teleport to was very plain, not even a table. But a guard was kneeling by the door, his katana always unsheathed and ready.

A couple of minutes later, Shinjo Jyaku-sama entered, looking tired but alert. “Thank you for the prisoner. We need every bit of information we can find at this point. The bandits are raiding villages all over the place. No doubt an attempt to divide my forces, disperse them before they attack. The Red Wizards are behaving unusually as well. They’ve been riding out in different directions and casting spells. I have no idea what; it’s not something Shugenja are familiar with. “

Lord Jyaku listened to Volar’s report on how well they were doing then nodded ‘It sounds like it is going well. Keep it up. If you can sow some confusion, or dissention, so much the better. But don’t endanger your cover unless it’s really worth the risk. And I have one favor to ask. When you go back, could you take one of my Shugenja with you? He’ll be invisible, so it’s safe. Once he’s there, he’ll know the location and I have a way of getting other people to Kuzo.”

Volar agreed and was introduced to the black clad Shugenja who would be accompanying him. The Shugenja invoked the power of the spirits to turn invisible then they teleported back to Kuzo. The Shugenja silently memorized the area before a soft chanting was heard before he returned to Bugaisha.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning her Thrush awakened Mir with the dawn. Cowering in a tree just inside the walls of Kuzo, disguised as a crow, Mir’s familiar was NOT flying if he could help it. No other birds were flying either. Her familiar couldn’t explain why, but there was a feeling of dread it could not shake. Vlad also found the horses were skittish, when he went to check on them. Very curious, but there was nothing obvious that was causing it.

So they went out to check around and find that gang. The only none fried body had been provided by Nezu, and that cheap thug’s only unique marking was a large octopus tattoo over his back. So the group started there. Word had gotten around of Fireblossom’s impressive display of power the night before. Between that and Vlad’s bloodthirstiness, they had little trouble finding out that there was indeed an Octopus gang in town. They had a house they used, just toward the south, closer toward the center of town.

Briefly they debated sneaking over there to see if the gang was still at home. But Fireblossom had a better idea. The elf’s rat familiar was freed to sneak along under the houses to the gang hangout. Perhaps fifteen minutes later he had let Fireblossom know the layout of the house and that there were still six men inside, though half were still sleeping. With a trace of sadness the rat finished with “I tried asking the other rats here for help. But I just can’t talk to them anymore. I try to warn them about traps, but all they can think is ‘cheese!’ It’s depressing.”

[GM Note: Volar’s player had started teasing a little about his familiar now having a Int equal to a couple of party members. Which got me to thinking about how much smarter it was than most rats. More on rats later.]

Vlad was all for simply breaking in and taking out the gang all at once, in the bloodiest fashion possible. Kyruko and Ming were in agreement that an example should be made of the gang, but not as much with a frontal assault. Then Fireblossom had an idea. Months ago Volar had collected those little pots with the sleep drug from Mimura. They were still tucked away somewhere in the Handy Haversack.

With a little rodent help, the pots were positioned under the wooden house and the wicks lit. Based on their experience from last time, they knew the vapors would take about fifteen minutes to take effect, maybe less. Ten minutes later three men burst out through the front door of the house, swords in hand as they gasped for breath. The battle was mercifully short, Nezu’s two swords slicing one bandit down without hesitation. Slowly he was getting a taste for the fight again. Ming froze another with a Hold Person, then Kyruko Charmed the final bandit.

As with the night before, there was no looting. Vlad slipped inside to slit the throats of the sleeping bandits while Kyruko started to interrogate her new ‘friend’. Kiumaof the Octopus gang wasn’t the most impressive person, though he seemed proud to be part of the Ten Tentacles of the Octopus. And quite impervious to any suggestion that octopus only had eight tentacles. The ocean was over 2,000 miles away, who here would really know? He and the others in the gang had heard quite a bit about how Fireblossom, Kyruko and the others had a lot of money. Between that and the chance to grab an elf and sell her, the temptation was too much when they saw one of the group had been poisoned. Kyruko had been hoping to hear that Finafin was involved, but evidently the local bandits didn’t need much encouragement when there was gold to be made. Nezu was allowed to finish off the bandit.

Vlad returned from inside the house, woozy but having managed to fight off the fumes long enough to finish up. Then Fireblossom shut up the house securely to trap all the sleep fumes inside.

One bandit was left, paralyzed by Ming’s spell. Vlad grinned wolfishly as he drew his kusari-gama “I know just what to do with him. We wanted to make an example…”

 

[Black Omega]

Vlad took out a few daggers and laid them close to hand before going to work on the terrified Octopus gang member, using the kusari-gama as a hammer to drive the daggers in, crucifying the man against the wall of their hangout, blood already flowing as he made sure the man was securely held in place then nodded to the others “This will make a big impression, don’t worry. Learned this back in Rashemon. It can take the man hours to die…”

Then the scene got gruesome as Vlad went to work on his Blood Eagle. As far as the others could tell, it seemed to involve flying skin from parts, forcing the ribs outward a little with the end result intended to leave the impression of ‘wings’, it was a bloody spectacle that caught the attention of even hardened bandits. Even members of his own group were disgusted by the display, Kyruko shuddering a little and not even bothering to watch.

Vlad was cold bloodedly working on his masterpiece when suddenly over his shoulder an arrow thunked into his victim. Then another followed, both finding the bandit’s throat and bringing an all too quick end to the bandit’s suffering.

Angry, Vlad looked around to see who had dared disturb his work. Not far away, Viktor was handing a bow back to the nervous bandit he had borrowed it from. Folding his arms over his massive chest, Viktor looked to Vlad evenly “Your point is made. That’s enough.” Then the hulking abomination waited to see if Vlad wanted to press the issue. Vlad stared into Viktor’s eyes for several seconds, then simply turned away to rejoin his group.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“That was sick.” Kyruko whispered as soon as the group was well away from the bandits watching the scene.

“I’m just surprised Viktor would be the one stopping it.” Vlad growled, a little annoyed still that he had been interrupted.

“I hope Jyaku-sama didn’t plan on us keeping a low profile here.” Fireblossom commented with a grin.

“You know, I bet we’re the distraction. While we make a spectacle, he probably has other people slipping in to do stuff more quietly.” Mongo said thoughtfully.

A sudden, strange feeling that swept over them interrupted their conversation. Hooves pounded as a horseman rode toward them from Rodrigo’s central keep, a rider in black. His armor looked like it had been through a fire, sooty and blackened. His face was concealed by a black mempo, a mask in the form of a demon face. Even the horse seemed wrong, dried blood blackening it’s fur, it’s eyes wild, a fiery green. As the rider charged down the street, they could see other bandits cowering out of the way. But they resisted the rush of fear that accompanied the rider’s presence as it galloped past, and on to the southern gate.

As the rider left Kuzo, Kyruko felt in the link with her familiar a happy sigh “It’s better now, Mir. I’ll go up and look around.”

“Fly south as fast as you can. There’s a black rider there, follow him as best as you can.” Kyruko ordered quickly.

“You know, us not seeming bothered by the rider will only help our reputation in town. Though Vlad’s reputation has to be mostly me keeping him alive. The only people he’s killed so far have been helpless or asleep.” Fireblossom teased.

Asking around, the group found a shaky bandit who had the information they wanted. “That was one of Shahai’s Tetsu no Shukun. An Iron Lord. Things will be happening soon, mark my words.” The older man said before wandering off to get a drink.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group gathered together at the Dancing Ferret for drinks and to plot a little. Finding a spot in one of the corners, for maximum protection. Mongo had some interesting news from the Yabanjin barracks. There had been a small fight between them and the Inu. No more than ten on a side, with other Yabanjin watching. The Yabanjin had won but the situation was tense. The hostility between the two groups went very deep.

As they talked a figure entered the inn. Dressed in a hooded robe of dark purple, he wore the sigh of Cyric, a silvered skull surrounded by purple flames. Immediately he began walking toward the group, slow measured steps while some of the bandits already in drinking paused to watch the show.

The Cyrician came to a stop before their table and the group readied for trouble. But then the man swept his hood back, revealing a thin, gaunt face and a surprisingly warm smile. “Vlad. I saw your work today. I was quite impressed. May I join you for a drink? I suspect there is much we can talk about.”

The man turned out to be a Cleric of Cyric, and quite interested in drawing the group over to join the Temple of Cyric. “You did the right thing, Vlad. Best to make a big splash so everyone notices you. And fears you. These are tenets of the Temple of Cyric as well. You should visit us tonight. I can show you a little of the temple. We are a strong power here in Kuzo. We are led by one of Rodrigo’s sons, Stavros, a powerful wizard. Rodrigo’s getting old now, one of his son’s will be taking over for him. And we’re betting on Stavros. Your group seems to have the proper mindset.” Well, most of you, the Cyrician thought to himself.

The Cyrician was quite friendly, chatting with Vlad about use of torture implements compared to the more spontaneous effect you can get from improvising with more mundane items. But soon enough his gaze turned to Ming. “I hope you’ll visit the temple as well. We know you are not a Shugenja.”

“I never said I was.” Ming said with a smile.

“You’ve never said what you are. Yes. But a Roko using cleric magic?” the Cleric smiled thinly “Very interesting. And you are not so far off us than you seem to think. Chaotic. Neither good nor evil. It’s one short step from where you are now to where I am. One simple sacrifice would do it. And then you would have such power…”

Kyruko broke in before Ming got into trouble “you said Stavros leads the Cyricians? Who are the other factions? We should watch out for them.” She said smoothly.

“Viktor.” The Cleric replied with a sour look on his face “Grond is the toughest one in town. But he doesn’t have…well…that aura of leadership. Viktor can lead people. Stavros is even better at it. Grond is powerful but not a leader. You already know how weak Viktor can be. He won’t think kindly of you after what happened today. Joining us will also make you safer.”

The group promised to think on it, and Vlad promised to visit the temple later. But now a plan was forming and they had to work quickly before the evening came.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“We know there is tension between the Inu and the Yabanjin. Why don’t we try to provoke a fight between the groups? A serious, to the death fight? What would it take to do that?” Fireblossom asked Mongo.

“When they fought today it was even numbers. A good challenging fight. I’d say we have the attack take place at night while they sleep. By surprise. I bet that would really piss them off.” Mongo decided.

Fireblossom nodded, “And animals. We have to make sure they think it’s the Inu. Ming, can you summon some animals to attack them?”

Ming was willing to give it a try. He could sneak over invisibly and summon up a bear and a small pack of wolves to attack in the night. He knew from experience summoning creatures and turning them loose would mean a good amount of bloodshed.

Next came the factions. They had seen a Cleric of Cyric talking to Finafin and suspected the evil Elf was in league with them. Besides which, they simply wanted the perverse Elf dead.

“I can look like him using magic, and perhaps drop some innuendo about Finafin and Viktor? Viktor’s part…he’s a half breed.” Fireblossom said, still not quite able to imagine Viktor was really any part elf, despite his appearance.

Yukiyo volunteered to help. The Kid had been making friends with some of the other kids in town and could make sure they heard whatever the group wanted.

Verick would play Finafin’s Elven ‘friend’, since he also spoke elvish. They’d find a bar other than the Dancing Ferret, and Finafin would let it slip about him and Viktor while acting a little drunk. In fact, Vlad suggested they add in something about Finafin and Rodrigo, just to really take this plan all the way.

Then Vlad and Fireblossom would quickly visit the Temple of Cyric while Kyruko went to see Viktor and let him know the Cyricians were plotting against him, and try to get in his good graces by offering to spy for him.

Dangerous, but if everything went according to plan they could be close with both factions by the time the night was over. If it went according to plan…

 

[Black Omega]

Corrections made to the storyhour where I accidently put in Bugaisha when I meant Kuzo. Update coming soon. Things are about to get bloody(er).