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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Black Omega" data-source="post: 24288" data-attributes="member: 79">Still the 5th Day of the MonkeyYutaro was summoned over again to minister to Verick, explaining nervously that a few people do have this sort of bad reaction to the medicine; it's nothing to be concerned over.  He's found Lion clan members in particular often have this trouble.Satisfied at least that the healer was too worried not to be helpful, the group notified the authorities of the fight at the Silver Okasan.  Three fights in less than a day, the local Yoriki was just thrilled.Yukiyo asks Toshiro about Madame Sadoka and if the group should keep going after her.  He vaguely admits he'd not mind if she died, but leaves it at that.  Checking around town for information, she found the location of Madame Sadoka.  Sneaking to the building, she worked at the lock, though perhaps not as quiet as she might have wished.  As the door slide open Sadoka and the two heavily armored ronin she was talking too looked up.  Yukiyo got off a fast arrow and Sadoka fell and the two ronin charged, katana slashing out, carving into the young woman.  Trailing blood into the darkness, Yukiyo barely escaped, hiding out until the first rays of light signaled morning.Yukiyo went out to find a healer, a young local Shugenja.  He was happy to be of help, though he only had one healing invocation left.  He'd apparently been called away to heal a older woman who had been attacked that night.The 6th Day of the MonkeyBack at the Inn, the Yoriki had shown up, this time accompanied by a young man named Ide Masaaki.  A rather foppish figure in fine kimono, wearing the two swords in a way that suggested he didn't draw them often.  Masaaki thanked Toshiro and his friends very politely for their fine help cleaning up crime in the town.  They'd been of great service to him and he was very appreciative.  But..he was sure they had very important business to be attending too.    Important business for their Lord.  In the interest of being helpful, he'd already arranged to have their horses saddled.  The guards at the gates informed to let them out without their papers being checked.  Guards would be posted to make sure Verick was kept safe until he recovered, then he'd be sent on after them just as soon as he could stay on  a horse.Given the velvet boot onward from Mimura, as the group joked, they pressed on, meeting a partially healed Yukiyo outside town.  Trotting on at a brisk pace the group began to pass caravans of wagons.  The first single wagon the encountered was guarded by a few ronin and watched them warily.  But no magic was detected on it and after a brief discussion the group passed them by.The next single wagon was far more suspicious.  A single merchant, silent and unfriendly looking, but still Rokugani.  Six ronin, five in armor and armed with lance and bow as well as katana.  The wagon pulled off to the side, the ronin guards at ready as the group slowed to pass them by.  Volar called out in Common "Hey Malthorn!"  to no reaction, though the ronin without armor glanced over.  Volar said they were searching a merchant named Malthorn and wondered if they had seen him.  A curt shake of the ronin's head was his answer, then he answered in Common as well, a growling denial "No, foreigner merchants are not allowed outside Bugaisha.  Move along."Volar cast a detect magic over the wagon and the merchant and the ronin without armor returned the favor, chanting softly.  Magic was found in the wagon and on the silent merchant. Speeding up to pass on by the group paused a little ways ahead of the wagon to plot and plan.  Should they go on ahead and try to ambush them when the wagon and ronin camped.  Should they just cast some spells and attack now.Yukiyo pulled out a spyglass to look back at the wagon and saw the merchant with a spyglass of his own watching them.  And the ronin shugenja casting spells on some of the other ronin.  As the group was deciding now was a good time to attack, the ronin beat them to hit, charging in on horseback just as the group was dismounting.The ronin's plan was obvious, several of them pulling up short and starting to launch arrows as two more charged in with lances.  A couple of tanglefoot packets were tossed at Sho and Toshiro, trapping Sho briefly.  Then the lancers charged around toward the spell casters.  A sleep spell stopped one of the charging ronin short, sending him tumbling from his horse in a sudden doze, only to be awakened by a hard landing on the ground.  Looking up, he saw Toshiro and Sho standing over him, katanas drawn.  He didn't see anything after that.Arrows from the other ronin thunked into Mir and Yukiyo, who fired back.  Volar turned Mindra invisible so he could heal safely.  An entangle spell from Mir caught one of the ronin on horseback.  A charge from a lancer nearly skewered Volar, and then as the rider turned to charge again a color spray brought him up short and he was forced to dismount.Volar retreated back and the ronin ran up, cutting Mir down with a slash of his sword before chasing after the elf.  But energy surged in Mir, healing some of the damage, restoring her to consciousness.  The ronin shugenja took arrow after arrow from Yukiyo, a sleep spell casting Toshiro and Sho into a slumber.  Invisibly Mindra started to wake them as Mir recovered.Toshiro was roused and cut off the ronin chasing Volar; a brief exchange of slashes bloodied both men before the ronin was cut down.  Three ronin were left to shoot their arrows, exchanging fire with Yukiyo's deadly shots as well as taking shots at approaching Sho and Toshiro.  But the samurai were far to slow to come to grips with the mounted archers.  The breaking point of the fight was Volar running in close enough to the wagon to cast a charm spell, ensnaring the merchant.  One of the horse archers fell to arrows from Mir and Yukiyo as Toshiro and Sho chased the others around.  With Volar's new friend the merchant talked into trying to end the fight, the other Ronin finally withdrew from the fight.After having disappeared at the beginning of the fight, Leila reappeared once the battle was finished.  She was carrying a small box, lacquered black and tied with a golden cord.  Happily, she thanked the group for their assistance and let them know she was taking off ahead of them.  The next caravan was leaving from Bugaisha in just a few days and with the wagon slowing them down the group was never make it back in time.Anxiously, the merchant consulted with his new 'friend' Volar over how to deal with the samurai.  The merchant admitted to being Malthorn and finally turned back to his normal appearance, a magical amulet allowing him to appear Rokugani.  His inventory list was found, a varied list of items from cloth to magic potions to a cask of firewine.  One of the potions was missing, assumed also taken by Leila.  Malthorn's main concern was that the Pearl was safe.  It was the key to the deal he was going to make with someone deeper in the empire.  A large, fist sized pearl, glowing golden and with an aura of great magic.Before the group could follow up on that more, they spotted riders far off, approaching fast.  Volar had claimed Malthorn's spyglass and he and Yukiyo used the glasses to check out the riders.  Through the dust they made out what looked like  Hordeland barbarians!  Squat, fierce looking men in fur and leather, riding fast toward the group.  Concerned, the group prepared for a fight.It was only when the riders drew close and slowed to a trot, brushing some of the dust off their armor, revealing the purple of Clan Unicorn.  The lead rider trotted up beside the group, glaring over them before growling out  "I am Moto Subatai, gunso of the White Guard of the Moto.  What happened here?"Toshiro explained only briefly, the barbaric Moto cutting him off with a "We are searching for an item stolen from Shiro Moto.  A pearl gifted us by the Naga."  At this comment Mindra gave a quiet monkey squeak, looking more anxious.  At the Moto's command a Shugenja cast a spell over the group, pointing out Volar, Mindra, Mir and Toshiro as having magic.Moto Subatai accepted Toshiro's word that he did not have the pearl in question, but insisted the other three be searched.  There was little trouble with Mir.  She had a pearl that registered as magic, but it was far to small and the wrong color to be the pearl they sought.Volar emptied out his Handy Haversack, a process that took several minutes and ended up with a pile of scrolls, a tent, a overstuffed pillow, food, drink, writing implements, and more, a pile that grew to impressive size.  But nothing the barbaric Moto were searching for.The last Mindra, the worried monkey edging over to the side more behind Toshiro with each passing minute, hoping to be forgotten.  When the fierce gaze of Moto Subatai turned to him, though, Mindra stepped forward, showing his own pearl.  It was larger, carved with the intricate symbols of the Naga.  The Moto leaned over for a far closer look, a glare to the monkey then back to the pearl before he sat up straight again, shaking his head brusquely. "Not the pearl I'm looking for.  You got this from the Naga though?"Mindra nodded "I found it in a abandoned city in a forest far to the south.  It was just laying there."Moto Subatai snorted, then shrugged "If the Naga want it back they'll find you then.  You don't have what we are looking for.  Have any of you heard anything of the pearl we seek?"There was a uncomfortable silence, then Toshiro spoke up "A barbarian helped us find this merchant.  She took a pearl from him that she had claimed was her's.  That might be the pearl you are looking for.  She left not long ago heading back toward Mimura."</blockquote>

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