The action picks up after our last adventure. With the Braid of a Hundred Masters and important herbs and incense in your possession, you are making your way across Shokoro to look for one who can reactivate the braid.
Tedium has become a constant companion in the countryside of Shokuro. The roads have dwindled in size and maintenance as the days have passed; what was a wide, stone-paved highway near the river towns has become a narrow, winding track of dust, sometimes fading entirely into the surrounding terrain. Travelers along it have likewise grown scarce as the days drone on. Still, the journey’s end lies no more than half a day’s travel away, in the village of Nesting Swallow, a hamlet so small it could easily vanish into a crease on a map. No more than a few more miles through these sparsely wooded hills and valleys rests the last known home of Master Li Yao, and here, with luck, his descendant still lives. In this speck of farmland may be found one who can, by right of blood, bring forth the forgotten power of the Braid of a Hundred Masters.
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Sakura is diligent and records their progress in her journal.
“Are you all ready for Nesting Swallow?“ the Aphorite asks while her whole form is shining with metallic hues due to the sun’s reflection.
Her silver and golden skin flickers and periodically coruscates with sparkling crystalline dust that has an exotic appeal.
Her silver eyes lack any pupils and her hair shines with golden colors.
She sporadically pets her hedgehog familiar but the little magical creature realizes that there is sense of urgency and obviously feels threatened, so it just rolls up into a spiny ball as a defense mechanism. Most of the time the familiar remains underneath Sakura’s clothing.
Asb is trying her best to walk on this tricky road while Sakura is still on her back.
But Sakura's white steed - that has a strange horn on its forehead - seems to be more joyful than her owner.
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"Mmn," comes Kiyoko's reply.
The young Tian-Min woman plods along with the party as their trail turns from stone pavement to dust and grass. Stony-faced, her chin-length platinum bob and icy-blue eyes only seem to enhance the unapproachable aura that seems to radiate off of her--the distinctive beauty mark to the right of her chin may be the only thing that makes her look more like a painting than an ice statue. Outfitted in a short red kimono, thigh-high tabi stockings, and zori sandals, she is armored in leather lamellar armor. A samurai's customary daisho rests at her hip.
As they continue their trek, she keeps a vigilant watch on their surroundings. Though she hardly expected trouble as their journey came to its end, she would not let her guard down prematurely. Still, a hot bath once this is over will be nice.
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Elemenar walks in step with the rest of his companions. With each passing mile along the dust filled tracts and paths his scowled has deepened.
“Are you all ready for Nesting Swallow?“
Elemenar scoffs. "I'm not at all sure what you are expecting to find. We'll be fortunate if there is something that could be called an inn with proper places to sleep and eat. And even if such a place exists, it is beyond all hope to expect anything but flea ridden mattresses, moldy blankets, and some watered down rice soup."
The travels have made Elemenar even more grumpy than normal. He glances at the soiled hem of his robe and tries to shake some of the dust off. Not for the first time regretting that he didn't take the time at the beginning of the day to prepare the magic needed to clean things. He grunts and keeps moving.
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Finishing up his warm up kata Ki Chin feels something climb up his leg, his back and settle on his shoulders. Turning his face to look at his passenger he is greeted by the golden muzzle of his familiar. "I had wondered where you went off to. Ready for the journey?" the magus asked his familiar as he give her a few head scratches.
Link Ki Chin is free to introduce his familiar and describe himself retroactively.
Meanwhile:
You have nearly reached Nesting Swallow, and have begun to pass through the farms on the outskirts of the village. At first seeming unremarkable, an eerie silence permeates the countryside. A forboding feeling that all is not well sets in.
Cresting a rise, the trail winds its way up a small hillock that overlooks a large valley beyond. Not far from the hill, a dead mule and overturned cart lie in the middle of the road, two cloaked figures rummaging through the spilled contents of the cart while making disapproving cawing noises to a pair of similarly dressed riders on horseback. Two other horses stand on the side of the road, presumably mounts for the two on foot. The mounted figures loom over a half-dozen shabbily dressed peasants. One of the riders urges his horse forward and makes a threatening slash at the face of a man trying to shield several children behind him.
You have not yet been noticed, but overhear the croaking voice of one of the cloaked figures speaking in Tien. "You want to run? Leave early? We won’t stop you. But it costs! Gold, silver, where is it?" The speaker sounds tengu, and as you look a bit better you see the 4 cloaked figures all are tengu.
Slide 4!
You are as yet unnoticed as they are distracted. Do you want to roll in with a surprise round, announce yourself to the gathered parties, or fall back over the hill to take the time to plan and strategize while whatever happens here unfolds?
Despite their distraction, two of the kenku presumed bandits notice the party just as they begin their descent. Orange and Purple get to act in the surprise round.
They each fire a shot from a shortbow, one at Ki Chin and the other at Kiyoko.
Ki Chin takes a surprise arrow to the shoulder.
Sakura and Kiyoko start their charge.
** Suprise Round **
Orange
Purple
Sakura
-> Toto
-> Elemenar
Kiyoko
Red (surprised)
-> Ki Chin (-10)
Blue (surprised)
To-to, Ki Chin, and Elemenar can make their surprise round standard OR move action.
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Moving from scratching the fox's head to petting its' fur Ki Chin replies. "I was born in Nanzhu, Minkai. Youngest of five sons and the only one not borne by the main wife, I decided to learn the family style of martial arts. Once I was declared good enough by the grandmaster I went out to look for my half-sister who got separated from my mother when they fled Chu Ye. The clues I managed to find said she joined the Pathfinder Society so here I am." he says with a shrug.
"This little one is Mei. I found her in a village called Highdelve. She was just a regular fox but as later blessed by a dragon giving her golden fur."
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Ki Chin ignores the wound on his shoulder only taking a moment to break the arrow before joining Kiyoko.
As the party moves in, the tengu bandits fire more arrows as they reposition themselves. Sakura high on her horse makes for the most attractive target.
Both shots miss however.
** Round 1 **
Orange
Purple
-> Sakura
-> Toto
-> Elemenar
-> Kiyoko
Red
Ki Chin (-10)
Blue
Sakura, Toto, Elemenar, and Kiyoko are all up!
Asb also strikes the Tengu!
Sakura's sword cuts right through the tengu's neck. Red is down.
Toto, Elemenar, Kiyoko
Turns out Ki Chin is up now too now that red is dead.
Ki Chin's acid strikes its mark, damaging blue.
Blue readies a full attack against Kiyoko for when a flank is possible.
Orange strikes at the opposing tengu with slashing sword and beak.
But both attacks miss and the bandit 5 foot steps around the side of Toto.
Purple charges on his mount toward Kiyoko.
The blade misses, but the horse continues its charge to surround Kiyoko with Ride-By Attack so Kiyoko gets no AoO.
With an ally in flanking position, blue launches their assault on the samurai.
The blade bites, but the bite misses. Kiyoko takes 10 damage.
** Round 2 **
Orange
Purple
Blue (-3)
-> Sakura
-> Toto
-> Elemenar
-> Kiyoko (-10)
-> Ki Chin (-10)
Sakura, To-to, Elemenar, Kiyoko, and Ki Chin are all up!
The tengu rider manages to maneuver so the grease cannot spread over the horse's saddle.
But Sakura and Kiyoko each drop a tengu in one blow.
Only orange remains.
Ki Chin and To-to are up!
Ki Chin's acid hits, but To-to's sword misses as his foe does not fall for the ruse.
Orange decides his chances of survival are slim to none so he tries to escape.
He successfully tumbles out of To-to's threatened area and fast mounts his horse, and takes off through the forest.
** Round 3 **
Orange (-3, retreating)
-> Sakura
-> Toto
-> Elemenar
-> Kiyoko (-10)
-> Ki Chin (-10)
Orange is mounted and 20 feet off the map, clearly in retreat. Do you want to give chase or see to the family here?
Everyone is up if they choose to chase.
Oh I don't know mount rules terribly well, so if a mount can double move when the rider only has a single move or standard, then the bandit is +50 feet more off the field.
Or I guess the horse can even use the run action? Unless someone can correct me, I'll say bandit's horse uses the run action, and Kiyoko's does too, so Kiyoko is currently 40 feet behind the bandit (no matter what actions the horses can use when a rider has already spent their move action).
Edit: Sakura is basically side-by-side with Kiyoko.
Bandit is 170 feet off the map, and Kiyoko and Sakura are 40 feet behind it.
Elemenar, Ki Chin, To-to are up
The fireball ignites right in front of the fleeing tengu. When the smoke clears, you see a badly injured horse fleeing, and a rider slide off the saddle, motionless as the smoking corpse hits the ground.
Combat over.
The group of townsfolk consists of an old man, a younger man and woman, and two children.
The old man in the group steps forward and offers his thanks. "You have my gratitude travelers, I do not think my family here would have survived this encounter without your timely intervention."
"I am Xien Wun Lao, and this is my daughter and her family. What is going on here is an ongoing infestation of banditry. I must admit, we had thought to flee our home - the town of Nesting Swallow, to escape its doom. These bandits you defeated are but a small part of a much larger group, and when they rob the town of its meager harvest in the coming days, it will likely spell starvation over the winter for many in the village."
"You are doubtless to pass through the town are you not? Perhaps you are destined for Nesting Swallow for some purpose? Gods willing, that purpose might just be salvation. It is clear to me at least that escape from our situation is not an option."
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Not being much of a rider Ki Chin did not give chase but instead stayed near the family in case of any other attackers.
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"Yes, we are passing through. We will do our best to eradicate the bandits. Where do these bandits stay?" the magus asks.
Xien Wun Lao seems much more upbeat the more you talk to him, though his news is also grave. "Oh the bandits number in the dozens. Enough that they have a circuit of villages to plunder at their whim. If they have a permanent home I don't know it, for they move from town to town to take what they want. None around here have adequate defenses you see, as the kingdom is too busy defending the borders from Lingshen and the like. We would welcome whatever help you can offer, but I assure you that going up against them all by yourselves would be a suicide mission."
He raises an eyebrow at your mention of Master Li Yao. "Yes, the old master's blood does run through our town. You should be able to find the answers you seek in Nesting Swallow."
The old man stretches his arms out for a moment and exhales heavily. "Look at the way I'm talking, I suppose I was both cowardly and foolish to think I could leave our problems behind and escape. Let me introduce you to our our council. Perhaps you can meet the one you are looking for and we can discuss how you might be able to help us turn these bandits away."
Do you have any other questions for him or wish to head into town now?
Along the way Xien Wun Lao answers Sakura's questions about the town. It's a poor farming community, of less than 100 people. There isn't one central leader, but several of the important families are represented on a council, of which he himself is one.
You make your way to Nesting Swallow with the old man and his family, arriving a little before sunset. As you approach from atop one final hill, the object of your quest comes into view. From this height, the village of Nesting Swallow is laid out almost like a map. The small town consists of little more than a few dozen huts encircling an open common area. Rolling hills surround the village to the north and west, while the east is bordered by a light forest. South of the village, the brush has been cleared, and a long string of paddy fields stretches out into the distance, webbed with irrigation ditches branching off from a stream that separates the village from the farmlands.
The villagers seem wary of strangers, but your escort seems to be a man of some importance, and some greet him as "Councilor." Xien escorts you to his family's yurt, which seems to have been hastily packed up. "Please relax, have some food while I arrange a meeting with the council." The Xien family offers a modest meal mostly of rice and millet.
After you have had a chance to eat, you are escorted across the village common to another building. This hut differs from every other one in the village only in size, easily twice as large as most of the other dwellings. Otherwise, it is identical, being another slightly elevated circle of bamboo and wicker walls surrounding a packed earthen floor. The interior has some rooms partitioned off the main one, and the collection of furniture and possessions indicates that this is another family home when not in use for official purposes. Against one wall stands a simple shrine with a collection of clay tiles hung from it, each bearing a different name. The lowest hanging tiles look quite new, a few months old, maybe. The highest and oldest tile on the shrine, however, bears the name “Li Yao.”
The center of the room is cleared, and an assortment of cushions has been laid out in a semicircle. A dozen or so old men and women sit on the cushions, Xien Wun Lao among them. A woman standing in front of the shrine finishes a prayer and turns to join the seated elders; she is clearly the youngest among them, not even middle-aged, in spite of a face beset by worry and a hard life. Her youth is attested by the fact that she is greatly pregnant; six or more months along. After settling down into an empty place among the council, she motions to several empty seats opposite her.
Once you are comfortable or if even if you clearly choose to remain standing, she says "Xien Wun Lao has told me how you saved his family - you have the gratittude of all the village. He also told me of what you seek to find here in Nesting Swallow."
She quietly smiles and resumes "With that in mind, permit me to introduce myself. I am Je Tsun, and the last of Li Yao’s descendants.” She rubs a hand across her swollen belly as she says this and smiles slightly. “At least for now. So, perhaps you look upon me and see the end of a quest. I look upon you, and I see hope. Hope for my village, my family, and our future. You have become familiar with the troubles facing us?"
"Whether you are here in answer to the prayers of our people or simply here at this time by happenstance is beside the point; you are here. And it is within your power to help us. I tell you now, we have little to offer as incentive. This is a poor village even when not beset by misfortunes, and this year has been less fortunate than most. If you can save us from these tengus, we can offer you food, shelter, and whatever other aid we may give you. But as for a reward, the only thing I can offer is that which you came here for in the first place. Defeat our enemies, and I will bring this relic of my ancestor’s to life for you. I am sorry we do not have more to offer than hospitality, but our need remains: will you help us? Our people are not warriors but every able bodied man and woman would be your army. We do not have a fortress, but we would fortify our home to make a stand against the bandits when they arrive."
What she is asking for is aid in planning and preparing defenses, and of course you would be the strongest fighters in the battle.