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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Black Omega" data-source="post: 1187723" data-attributes="member: 79">The battle against the Black Wave changed many things for Bansho Kishu, and their reputation in the city.  When Verick got back he passed along his news about the source of the attacks.  Then he used his Pegasus, provided by a Volar polymorph spell, the fly Mir around the city so she could use Circle Dance to n arrow down where Mindra was.  All signs pointed to one building, what looked like an abandoned warehouse.  But when the group arrived to investigate, they found the building obviously occupied, a sign consisting of dead rats hanging out in front.  The Dead Rat turned out to be a dive where hardened criminals placed bets on rat fights.Entering, the group had their first encounter with the Black Wave, a battle of confused melee against an opponent who made frequent use of invisibility.  The battle was also marked by moments of comedy.  Mindra’s talking panda getting stuck in a window when he tried to sneak through.  Volar using an illusion to create a Thunderguard yelling the building was surrounded and they should give up.  At which point, the other criminals not involved in the fight drew weapons and looked ready for a bloody last stand, though Mir was able to calm things down before this turned against Bansho Kishu.The battle was sharp and short and never in doubt.  Ikio’s snarled “I don’t know how you found me or rescued your friend, but it won’t be enough!  This is not done!”  left the group puzzled.  They hadn’t rescued anyone yet.  Back in the room the Black Wave had been using they found a few non-descript magic items from their friends, but no other sign of them.Verick also had a warning for the criminals running the Dead Rat about cooperating with the enemies of Bansho Kishu.  The tattooed toughs responded to the threats coolly, and the rest of the group was not ready to fight a new enemy before finishing the one they were fighting now.It was only when they got home they found Mindra already there, explaining he had been rescued by a spirit.  He didn’t mention any details of the spirit, or how the spirit was now following him around, offering sinister advice.  He also neglected to mention the kanji for ‘thief’ was shaved into his chest.  It would grow back soon enough.Yukiyo was found as well, stripped bare and with the kanji for thief painted on her body.   Alive of course, you can’t humiliate the dead.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After finishing his time as King of Generosity, Toshiro rejoined the group.  He’d been given a number of gifts, including a leather wrapped club from Shinjo Nihao and a quick lesson on how to use it to cause pain rather than injury.Kaz’s Thunderguards reported they had found a man wearing what looked like Mindra’s armor.  Dragging the man in, after he’d ‘fallen down’ a few times, led to the discovery the man was a merchant who had purchased the armor at a local orphanage.  It was a Ryoko Owari tradition that gifts given to orphanages were sold afterwards to support the orphans.Kaz went straight to the orphanage, only to run straight into an ambush.  Several archers and a couple of monks attacked, killing all his guards and forcing Kaz to retreat publicly.  The ambushers were gone by the time Kaz returned with reinforcements.The idea that the magic items missing were now circulating around the city, sold to feed orphans, infuriated Bansho Kishu.  There was no easy way to retrieve the items without looking bad.  But they had one edge, someone in the Black Wave still had Mindra’s Coin of the Fortunes.This led to the first battle at a warehouse, a trap set for Bansho Kishu.  The battle was sharp and very bloody.  An invisible spell caster kept dropping freezing spells on Bansho Kishu while Ikio added in illusions and healing for his comrades.  The battle was very nearly a draw, but Bansho Kishu held the field at the end, even if they were too battered to do anything more.  Half the group had come very close to death, and they had not gotten any of the leaders of the Black Wave.Later, a flight around the city by Verick and Mindra, Locate Object spell in effect, led them to the Eta area outside the city walls, where they found the fears that a dispel magic could send the two falling out of the sky were unfounded.  It was a Hold Monster that nearly did the Pegasus in and Verick wasted no time diving low and getting out of there.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The final battle took place, appropriately enough, at the house of Itoshi the torturer.  The group had spoken often about killing everyone associated with the Black Wave, as a way of inspiring fear.  But it didn’t quite work that way.  Volar used walls to cut off parts of the battlefield then a Stinking Cloud luckily took the ice spell caster out of the battle while the battle raged on below, the ninja, monks and ronin of the Black Wave against Bansho Kishu.  A bloody minute later Bansho Kishu had emerged victorious.  But not before Mir had to face her fears, almost stunned again by a monk, on the spot of her death months earlier.  But this time Mir survived the fight on  Verick was fought to a bloody draw by a ronin wielding two swords before Volar intervened with Magic Missiles to finish the battle.And finally, out of spells, Ikio was corner and frozen in place by a Hold Person.  Mindra took this as his chance for revenge and there was a series of sickening crunches as the monkey’s morning star bashed in the head of the helpless spellcaster.Even so, the group didn’t live up to their plans.  The ice spell caster was allowed to escape with no effort later to track her down.  The ronin with the two swords was bandaged up by Verick, who didn’t feel his victory had been earned.  The ronin promised to return later after he had practiced more, for a final duel with Verick.Mir’s diplomatic skills were stretched to the limit but she did a magnificent job getting back Mindra and Yukiyo’s items without causing to much damage to the group image.</blockquote>

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