Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Black Omega" data-source="post: 1213925" data-attributes="member: 79">The next morning the group rode out toward the grove where the duel was set to take place.  But along the way they were attacked by Hordeland barbarians and a wizard that looked very much like a half orc.  The battle was sudden and unexpected and the assault was almost totally on Volar, Mindra and Mir, who were peppered with arrows while the fast riding barbarians did their best to keep distance from the fighters.Kaz and Toshiro used their Bansho Kishu badges for the speed boost, while Volar teleported far from the battle.  Mindra ran up a tree, while Mir traded arrow shots with the riders.  Eventually they chased down the wizard, though killing him left a pile of snow instead of a body.  The other barbarians were killed or run off, save for one who was captured.  Under interrogation that involved body parts being removed while the samurai found something else to do, he revealed little save he worked for Stavros and was sent to kill the group.  Something the group could well believe, they knew he was an enemy of theirs.  Volar noticed there was an enchantment spell on the barbarian but didn’t have any dispel magic spells handy, so they simply killed the barbarian.  Investigation revealed the attack was by a Moto hunting party who had disappeared.  Volar conjectured they were dominated, but was concerned about how many dominations that would take.The grove was already prepared for the duel, sections set out for the Phoenix, the Akodo and the Unicorn.  Lord Jyaku was in attendance as was Akodo Jusho and Akodo Setei.  One the Phoenix side was another group, also wearing mon very similar to the Setei-kai emblem.  Their aged teacher bearing a suspicious resemblance to Akodo Setei.Among Bansho Kishu there was some discussion over if Jusho would be angry with Verick for picking a Scorpion second.  Bayushi Sakura was present in her Emerald Magistrate armor, however, and as a former Emerald Magistrate himself, Jusho didn’t seem inclined to object.Stepping up to face each other, Verick and the Phoenix looked each other in the eyes.  The first test of wills that started the duel.  After a moment, Verick knew the Phoenix had little chance of defeating him.  But the Phoenix was not backing down, either.  Seconds passed as the tension built, until with a blur of motion both struck.  Verick was faster, however, slashing with the precision of a Lion into his target, then sweeping back with the flat of his sword to knock out his opponent.  The fight was over in seconds.Verick was a little puzzled why the Phoenix had not been more skilled.  But the way the other Phoenix were watching made it obvious.  This was the test.  The battle over Setei-kai had only just begun.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Back to work, Mindra had been wearing around the jade necklace Hawk had given him.  And he had  started noticing people watching him on the way home.  Verick passed along word that some thieves were planning on robbing him, but he didn’t believe it until on his way home with his panda a young thug stepped in the way.  While Mindra was pausing to talk, a beam of brilliant green nearly struck him.  Without wasting a moment, Mindra teleported himself and his panda home.Mir found there was a problem at her grove.  Cracked Nut was in trouble for getting in the way of some Moto who were riding through the area on a hunt.  A –hunt- through her grove.  That did not sit well with her, anymore than the fact that the Moto were starting to aggressively patrol the area, testing the Shinjo defenses.  Mir arranged a meeting with the Moto commander, a man named Moto Kiyomasu.  She first wished an end to the hunts going through her grove.  The Moto smiled and agreed.  After all, if Mir can talk to animals, she can tell them not to run through her grove when fleeing the Moto hunters.  Not exactly the result Mir wanted.  But she did finally work out an agreement to avoid the grounds of the grove, in exchange for Cracked Nut being sent to Shinomen forest, a sort of exile.Later, Mir was called in to a meeting with Lord Jyaku at the archery range.  A discussion over Volar and how to handle him.  As well as some better news.  Lord Jyaku had heard about the agreement with the Moto and quite approved.  In fact, he was expanding the area granted to the grove for a  mile in all directions.  Mir was responsible for taxes there, and for the peasants in that area.  But as long as it was clearly marked, it would block off the Moto patrols even more effectively.Following up on a meeting with a Scorpion at the party, Hawk met with a merchant named Subtle who was eager to open up trade relations with the Centaur nation.  And offered an expensive, custom tailored kimono as a way to start this relationship.  Not really a gift, but there are many ways to pay it off, favors being the preferred.  It was an offer Hawk gladly accepted.Toshiro was left looking over reports at home.  Until he heard a voice where there should not be anyone.  Going into the room, he found one of his three pet monkeys outside it’s cage, though it crawled toward the cage guiltily as Toshiro walked in.  Seeing that Toshiro was only watching, the monkey paused and said clearly “Oh, you don’t mind me being out?  Sorry, I always try to be back before you notice.”A moment of shock passed before Toshiro exclaimed “You can talk!”“Yes, and very well.  I’ve been listening to everyone here.  No one ever thinks we can understand what you say.”  The monkey replied.  “And..um..on the subject.  I’ve noticed you have problems with picking the right words sometimes.  If you ever run into trouble, you can just come over and whisper your question, and I’ll be happy to help.” The monkey offered.  Toshiro was so pleased with this, he even convinced the monkey to teach him ‘monkey’.Though when Toshiro went up to Mindra and made monkey sounds, it was nothing Mindra understood.  Taking Mindra and Mir back to his house, Toshiro introduced them to the monkey.  He was silent.  No magic.  After some questioning, Mindra finally admitted it had been a prank he was playing on his friend.  Even so, Toshiro gave the monkey to Mir as a gift.Kaz found that some of the guards he had dismissed from the Thunderguards in his area had signed on with a Scorpion vassal merchant named Subtle.  And was invited to help Shinjo Nihao with a raid on a tea house at the edge of their territories. An invitation Kaz accepted.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~While walking home from his patrol, Toshiro was approved by a worried Mindra with dire news.  There was a plot against Toshiro’s wife.  Mindra had overheard it while working, and convinced the man he heard refuse the offer that he should speak to Toshiro about the plot.  But it had to be Toshiro himself, with Mindra only.  And right away, since the man was leaving town.  Toshiro sent off his bodyguards to let people know where he was going, then followed Mindra to the teahouse.  A real dive as it turned out.  Opium and all manner of vice clearly on display once you got inside.  And despite his Thunderguard armor, Toshiro was allowed inside.  Going to meet with the man, Toshiro was almost there when the doors at the front and back were broken in, men in Thunderguard armor yelling “Everyone surrender, this is a raid!”  Looking around for Mindra, Toshiro found the Vanara had disappeared…</blockquote>

Verification