Negotiation and politics not being his strong suit, Parity stands around awkwardly, trying not to look like a hardened killer.
Heng bows low. "That is very acceptable. Thank you, O-Kohaku. Your assistance has been invaluable. Would you have enough time to set the meeting for tomorrow?"
"Yes, that would be appropriate to 'request' the lord's time. Say, mid-day for lunch... We look forward to seeing you then."
Harlan claps his hands.
"Hey, lunch! That's my specialty. Do you need help cooking? Are we going to cater the meal? Will there be entertainment. Last time we did this I ended up making camel burgers for everybody! That was so long ago. Wasn't that the night...oh..."
Harlan's recollection of the fun he had that night comes to a halt as he recalls the sad outcome of those events.
"That's the night we lost Maeve."
Ameiko flashes Harlan a sad smile and leans down to give him a hug. "It wasn't your camel burgers that caused that. The Jade Regent has much to answer for."
You return to the inn you shared a few weeks ago, and find Sandru and Koya (and Skygni) already there.
"Good timing! We arrived just yesterday. I thought I would arrange a caravan of goods for the keep... supplies and sundries, of course, but also some indulgences to make the place a little more refined. Anything you think we need otherwise?"
Harlan's mood brightens as his friends remind him of the good times they've had as well.
"I guess you're right. And it's important to remember why we're fighting."
*****
"I'm not sure Sandru. Did they seem to be lacking anything that you guys noticed? They talked about having new soldiers, but really what they're going to need is a solid connection for getting these goods. I'm sure weapons and armor are going to be in high demand, and specialists to keep it all working."
Koya smiles, "It was quite pleasant. We joined up with a trade caravan along the road. We don't speak the language, other than a few words, but Sandru managed to find common ground in talk of trade. From different worlds thousands of miles apart, yet so many things here are just as they are in Varisia."
Harlan smiles at Koya.
"But different too. I think we're ready for this meeting. From what we've seen they need Ameiko on the throne sooner than later."
Kiyomi stands quietly while the discussion occurs, waiting to see if the Empress needs anything.
You spend the evening relaxing and washing up from the days on the road. In the late morning, you group up and return to the Kiniro Kiyomai tea house. O-Hakami greets you at the entrance and lead you through the adjacent gardens to a private detached building -- a miniature version of the larger tea house.
Inside, O-Kohaku has arranged a formal tea set, with cups and seats for everyone attending. After she has organized you into your planed places, O-Sayumi enters from the other side with a cloaked man. Once the panels are closed and privacy assured, he removes the cloak. Sikutsu Itsuru is a handsome Tian man blessed with youthful features but his mid-thirties age is betrayed by the gray hairs at his temples and mustache.
He bows formally to Ameiko and greets the rest of you with a polite nod. "O-Sayumi has told me who you are and your purpose. I must admit my skepticism, but then she told me of her rescue and the horrors within Shinju-no-Ie that you defeated. You have my thanks."
Ameiko returns the formal bow. "The credit goes entirely to these brave souls at my side. They are my guardians, advisers, and friends. Since I learned of my ancestry, less than a year past, they have been at my side. I trust them with my life."
Parity smiles faintly and a pleasant warm flush fills his skin at Amy's compliment. He nods in acknowledgement.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Harlan smiles.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. I'm sure it was a great risk to yourself but we really appreciate it. My name is Harlan, and as Ameiko mentioned we've been by her side since this all started. Except at the beginning, when we went into the swamp. But after the swamp, pretty much us and Ameiko. We've lost friends along the way, but we've fought these creatures back every chance we get. Mal even came back from the dead once, you should ask him about it. Anyway, we've been gathering allies to help in our fight against the Jade Regent, and now we've arrived here to talk to you about it."
"Indeed. I disapprove of this kind of deceit and trickery, but I know my brother would spare me no mercy should he learn of our meeting. And even he is not my greatest fear... Sennaka has never been a caring person, but he is an effective and efficient governor. Honorable, if cold. I used to be able to mitigate his crueler tendencies, and keep lands mostly peaceful." He shakes his head, taking a long sip of tea. "No longer. As the Jade Regent grew in power and influence, his shadow overtook my brother and drew out the worst of his nature. He no longer heeds my advice, and the land and its people suffer for it."
In a slightly lower tone, he finishes, "These things alone would not drive me to betray my brother. My honor and loyalty run stronger than that. But now he seeds his forces with oni, demons in the shape of men. His body guard, a thing named Kazuo the Yojimbo, is one of them. It is this affront on the legacy of my family name I can not turn a blind eye to. Sikutsu Sennaka must be removed from power."
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Heng nods as he listens and his hand reflexively goes to his tattooed scalp. "The Oni of the Five Storms have sought to thwart us every step of our long journey. From what I understand, Oni form only where corruption and cruelty reign. Unfortunately, I fear that if Sikutsu Sennaka has this Kazuo as a retainer, he has also been corrupted. The Jade Regent must be defeated. Will you join us? We will kill this Oni spy and if there is hope for Sennaka, we will try to save him."
Malnival nods his head in aproval.
"Finally, something I understand. Kill Oni? I'm in."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Itsuru frowns as if chewing on something bitter. "Saving Sennaka from the oni, sadly, will buy you no gratitude from him. He must be removed from power, either by force or in the off chance you can appeal to his honor. I would happily join you, but I am just one man... another ronin amongst your hundreds. You need the support of the province, and I can give you that fealty if I succeed Sennaka as governor. Then, your force will number in the thousands."
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Heng's eyes turn to Ameiko as if seeking permission before answering. "Sennaka has abused his office and dishonored your family. He will certainly be removed from power and we will look forward to your pledge to the Empress once you are governor." So saying, Heng bows deeply.
"Now that we are in agreement, what counsel can you offer to this end?"
"There's always hope of redemption. Still, to increase our force so greatly we need to remove your brother from power rather than defeat the Regent and hope that allows him to return to the light on his own."
Malnival nods his head at his friends words. "We shall take this on as our next mission."
Itsuru nods grimly. "I cannot be directly involved. By the laws of Minkai, if I take a hand in my brother's death to gain his title and possessions, I forfeit my claim completely. Some would employ proxies to see such a task done, as long as no direct ties evince involvement. Thus, the prominence of ninja in our land."
"Sennaka always travels with a large retinue -- two-hundred veteran samurai, as well as his bodyguards, advisers and aides. If you wish to confront him directly and alone, there are scant opportunities to do so. One could be while he takes a seasonal retreat to Shuryo Onsen, a hunting lodge in the hills east of Sakakabe. While there, he normally leaves the bulk of his force at a nearby labor camp, keeping just a select personal escort at the lodge."
"If I pick up a few more travel scrolls we can be in and out before they know we're there. We have to assume he has a way to summon the rest of the guards as well, and probably magical protection against scrying and teleportation."
"The lodge is only a few miles outside of Sakakabe, so it would not take you long to reach there, even without magic. The camp is a quarter-mile or so... close enough that, if alarm is raised, you will have company in minutes."
"Let's be off."
Parity will be sure to cast resist cold, airwalk, see invisibility, and countless eyes[i] before we travel and then [i]keen edge, bulls strength, stoneskin, and invisibility when we arrive.
Ameiko adds, with a little hesitation, "Would this be an appropriate task for our new... 'allies'? Seems to be their area of specialty."
Harlan nods with Heng.
"We need to win, but how we win is as important as why. We bought the ninjas so nobody could use them against us. If we decide to use them, it needs to be our only choice."
Ameiko nods, smiling, "I would be hopeless at this on my own."
"Ninjas are just plain bad luck. Let's do this without them."
Parity shrugs, "So, are we ready then? Let's get on the move ... no need to waste time talking about it any more."
Kiyomi nods, "I am prepared, sirs."
"I may have one way to aid you," Itsuru adds. "A handful of samurai were recently dismissed from Sennaka's service. They were ordered to burn down a village that had failed to pay its full taxes. Instead of torching the village, they raised the money by other methods and paid the debt. In a rare moment of mercy, Sennaka simply dismissed them for disobeying a direct order." He sighs, shaking his head. "I retain contact with these ronin... they are good and trustworthy men. They know the lodge and the camp, and could serve to create a distraction to keep any soldiers there from coming to Sennaka's aid, or at the very least, delay them."
"That's a great plan actually."
"If you like, I will contact them. They are in the area, so it will take me a few hours, but I can have them ready by nightfall."
Malnival nods his head at his friend. "We must strike quickly."
"I'll stay at the inn with Koya and Sandru. We'll have dinner ready for when you return," Ameiko adds with a wink as you leave the tea house.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"We should hit them at dusk. There will still be some light for those who need it. Maybe right after the evening meal? If we hit them during they'll be in one place. And we'll interrupt them eating, which is just rude."
Malnival smiles slightly and adjust is weapons belt. "I believe we have a plan.
Date: 2 Desnus 4712
You depart the teahouse and head into Sakakabe to make purchases. The rest of the day passes slowly as you wait at the inn for dusk. Then, as you did a few weeks ago, Harlan blesses the group with the speed of the wind. Using Kiyomi's familiarity of the surrounding lands, she guides you easily to the forested hills north of the city. In less than an hour, you arrive at the Sikutsu hunting lodge: Shuryo Onsen.
In the deepening dusk, you see the hunting lodge is a sizable wooden building surrounded by a stout palisade. A single gate in the south wall connects to a footpath that leads off to the southeast. There, in the distance, you can make out the lights and campfires of the worker's camp.
A double gate in the palisade's north wall provides access to hunting trails into the surround forest, and is wide enough for horses to pass through. A ditch is currently being excavated to bring hot water from nearby springs, but it ends ten feet south of the palisade. An earth-and-wood dike at the end of the ditch holds back waters of the stream.
Inside the palisade, much of the lodge is still under construction or undergoing renovations. The foundations of an unfinished extension sit north of the lodge, while an incomplete pool is still being dug to the southeast of the building. Most of the building is dark, but you can see lights from the southern-most rooms, and those in the southwest and northeast corners.
A single patrol of four samurai dressed in Sikutsu uniforms patrol the outer courtyard.