Battle at the Docks

“Shit!” Sawyer thought as the guard grabbed Ameiko by the arm. “Stay calm. She’s smart – she can talk her way out of this.” Everything had been going so well. They’d disembarked the boat that had smuggled them into Kasai, everyone disguised as Minkaian sailors. They'd gone about their business, unloading cargo, and most of the party had managed to satisfy the Typhoon Guards who were watching the docks, interrogating any newcomers. But then Zhustin’s disguise hadn’t fooled one of the guards (why they hell did he think wearing orange robes would be a good way to blend in?), and then Ameiko, under questioning, tried to bribe the guard a ridiculous amount of money. And doubled the bribe when he got suspicious. “Shit, shit SHIT!” Now the invisible oni who’d been perched on a nearby roof was flying over. Sawyer could see him thanks to Suishen’s See Invisible power, and as the oni flew, he changed to human form. He was dressed in the same green armor as the other Typhoon Guard, but with fancier rank insignia. He landed behind the guards holding the two troublemakers, and became visible.

At the appearance of the Typhoon Commander, all the civilians in the vicinity began to scatter. Ignoring them, the Commander glared at Zhustin and Ameiko. “What’s going on here?” he demanded. Other Typhoon Guards began drifting towards them from their stations at either end of the wharf.

“This one’s wearing some kind of disguise,” the Guard holding Zhustin snarled, tightening his grip on the mage’s arm. “She tried to bribe me” the other guard whispered, “with these!” He tossed a pair of heavy leather bags at his boss’s feet, and gold coins spilled out. That trumped Zhustin’s face paint, and the Commander focused his full attention on Ameiko. His eyes bore into her as he began his interrogation. “Who are you?” he hissed.

They all had agreed on cover stories before tying up at the dock. Ameiko, who looked like a portly male sailor, thanks to a Potion of Disguise Self, opened her mouth to give the false name and background she’d rehearsed. But as the inquisitor’s eyes burned into hers, she felt an overwhelming compulsion to Confess the truth. It took all of her willpower to stick with her lie. “My name is Hoto Mishashi. My father died, and that’s all the money he left me. I just didn’t want to get in trouble, so I offered it all.” The act of lying twisted her guts painfully, and she could taste blood in her mouth.

The rest of the party braced for trouble. It took all of Sawyer’s self control not to whip out Suishen from beneath his rags and attack the oni, but he wanted to give Ameiko a chance to escape without combat. Bella crouched behind a stack of crates on the dock, pretending to be just another frightened bystander, while Marie activated her Aura of Freedom, to allow Ameiko and Zhustin to slip free if necessary. Zhustin tried to deflect the attention to himself. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” he shouted. “My mother was born in Sakakabe, although my father was from Avistan. I am a loyal monk, here to pray for the gods’ blessings on the Jade Regent. I demand you let me go!”

The guard holding him raised his fist, ready to show Zhustin just what his “demands” would get him, but a commotion distracted him. “You’ll never take me alive! I am the Princess Ameiko! Death to the Jade Regent!” All heads turned as a fishmonger ran past, headed for the street to the south. She was middle-aged and extremely ugly, but she made pretty good speed for a woman her size. Nicki snickered at the success of his Dominate Person spell, not caring that he had almost certainly signed this poor woman’s death warrant.

Ameiko didn’t trust that Nicki’s distraction would be enough to make the inquisitor forget about her. With a quick jerk she was free of the Guard’s grasp, and she dashed off after the fleeing fishmonger. Sandru darted after her. Her former captor lashed out reflexively with his katana, slashing the caravan master as he ran. “Hey! What was that for?” he shouted angrily. “I didn’t do anything!” But he kept running.

Typhoon Commander

“Kill them!” the Typhoon Commander bellowed. He began to change, and in the space of a heartbeat had reverted to his natural ogre mage form. He blasted out a Cone of Cold that caught Ameiko and Sandru, and left the frozen bodies of innocent workers and merchants strewn across the wharf – including the hapless fishmonger.

Sawyer had been on edge, waiting for the first sign of trouble. Now that it had arrived, he sprang into action. Suishen was in his hand in a flash, and he leaped at the Typhoon Commander’s back. The blade cut deep, but did far less damage than he would have expected, and the Commander seemed oblivious to the sword’s flaming blade. Several of the Typhoon Guard surrounded Sawyer, katanas and wakizashi’s flashing, but the fighter’s quick reflexes and heavy armor made him almost impossible to hit. Two more of the Typhoon Guard went after Ameiko and Sandru. One stabbed Sandru in the back, forcing him to turn and fight, while the other headed off Ameiko. His katana drew blood from the empress-to-be, and he snarled as he drew both of his weapons back to finish her off. But suddenly, arrows sprouted from all over his body. He looked at the feathered shafts for a moment with a shocked expression, then collapsed to the cobbles. Ameiko turned to see Bella give her a jaunty wave with her bow from her position behind the crates.

Sandoval began singing at the top of his lungs, anxious that Ameiko should hear his song at the far end of the wharf. Marie, seeing Sawyer’s blows glance off the oni, drew her adamantine mace and swung at the creature, but he easily evaded her attack. Nicki focused his concentration and blasted the Typhoon Commander with a set of Empowered, Maximized Scorching Rays, fueled for extra power with a vial of Alchemist’s Fire. The big oni was engulfed in flames, but while the spell did some damage, to Nicki’s dismay he barely seemed to notice, and didn’t seem to mind being on fire in the least.

Zhustin had been all but forgotten in all the confusion. He cast a Quickened Haste on Sawyer and Bella (and himself) then used his Dimension Step to teleport closer to Ameiko, hoping to help her escape. Ameiko reached into her belt and pulled out her Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds, healing some of her damage before she ducked behind Sandru, who was battling with the Typhoon Guard. As Sandru and the Guard traded blows, she used her Wand to heal Sandru, keeping him in the fight.

Shinjiro had already been dismissed by the Guards as a harmless sailor, and they’d forgotten about him, too. So one of the Guards attacking Sawyer was shocked when the “sailor” suddenly attacked him from behind with a ferocious flurry of punches and kicks, breaking several ribs. Sandoval cast Slow on the group surrounding Sawyer, but only one of them seemed to be affected.

The Typhoon Commander whirled around to see who had attacked him. Seeing Sawyer, Suishen in hand, he smiled, and brought down his naginata on the fighter’s head, Smiting him badly. Sawyer’s riposte cut the oni again and again, but the huge creature stood there and absorbed the damage without faltering. But then, another volley of arrows blackened the sky. These were Bella’s adamantine arrows, and each found its mark in the oni’s body. He staggered backwards as shaft after shaft sank to the fletching, then let out an unholy screech as he fell.

The Typhoon Guard surrounding Sawyer kept attacking, but they were lucky if one blow in twenty drew blood. Nicki blasted them with another set of Empowered, Maximized Scorching Rays. These grunts didn’t seem to have the same fire resistance as their commander; one fell, screaming, and another was badly scorched.

Sandru wasn’t nearly as well armored as Sawyer, and his opponent was having a much easier time hitting him. Suddenly the air was filled with holy fire, as Marie called down a Flame Strike on his head. An instant later, Zhustin fried him with a Lightning Bolt. As he staggered from this one-two punch, Sandru swung his scimitar in a mighty blow, and his head rolled across the wharf.

Shinjiro launched another Flurry of Blows at one of the Guard attacking Sawyer, but then found himself assaulted from behind – one of the Typhoon Guard stationed at the far northern end of the wharf had finally reached the action. But Sandoval wasn’t about to let his friend be threatened. He used his Jaunt Boots to leap behind this newcomer, sinking his echoblade deep into his liver. Sawyer focused his attacks on the Guard who was Slowed, pressing him back until his final thrust sent him toppling off the wharf into the dark waters below. One of the other Guards tried to slip in and stab Sawyer in the back, but suddenly had trouble seeing, due to the arrows sticking out of his eyes.

As Sawyer turned back to the remaining Typhoon Guards, he saw the Typhoon Commander’s body give a lurch. Afraid it might have regenerated back to life, he prepared to reengage. But the flesh melted off the creature’s bones, and the resulting oni skeleton staggered to its feet, punching the nearest Typhoon Guard with a bony fist. “Go get ‘em, Tiny!” Nicki shouted, delighted at his newest creation.

With this new ally, the battle quickly ended. Shinjiro dropped one Guard, then pelted the last survivor. Sandru joined him, stabbing him with a quick thrust, and as the Guard turned to defend himself, Sawyer finished him off from behind.

“Quick – come to me!” Marie called to Ameiko and Sandru. She was intent on doling out some healing before reinforcements arrived. But Ameiko and Sandru were already running around the corner of the building at the southern end of the wharf, motioning for the others to follow. They could hear shouts and the sound of hooves clattering on cobblestones from around the northern end of the wharf, and knew they had no time to lose. Not sure what would be waiting for them, they hurried off after Ameiko. Nicki paused briefly, reluctant to abandon his new friend. But he knew he couldn’t take him where they were going. He pointed to the dead Typhoon Guards. “OK Tiny – take those guys out to sea.” The big skeleton obediently picked up as many Guards as it could carry, then marched to the end of the dock, walked off it into neck-deep water, and kept walking, disappearing under the waves. Nicki only hoped he’d come back for the other bodies, just to give their pursuers something to keep them occupied.

As they rounded the corner, they saw a small man waving them on. He matched the description they’d been given of their contact in Kasai, and they could only hope he wasn’t leading them into a trap. They rounded another corner, and found a trio of wagons waiting for them. All three were piled high with horse dung, but a trench had been dug into the dung and lined with a tarp. “Oh no! Not again!” Nicki groaned, but everyone climbed into the wagons, and the drivers threw the tarps over them and hastily shoveled the dung over them for concealment.

They were taken on a long ride through the winding streets of Kasai. Although they couldn’t see anything, they could feel every cobble, and their sense of smell was overwhelmed. At last the wagons drew to a halt, and they were exhumed from their stinking hiding spots. They were inside a walled compound somewhere in the city. An elegant house dominated the estate, surrounded by fragrant gardens. Their contact ushered them inside, where hot baths and clean clothes awaited them.

When they had bathed and changed, they were escorted to an elegant tearoom. A frail, ancient looking man awaited them, and when he saw Ameiko, he prostrated himself at her feet. “Oh my Princess! It is an honor beyond my worth to have lived to see you return! I am Asachi Isao, loyal servant of House Amatatsu. I actually met your great-grandfather, when I was a small boy. When he took your family into hiding, he left all the wealth of the Amatatsu family that he couldn’t carry in the care of my family. We have invested it on your behalf, always hoping for your return, and I can give you a full accounting of every penny!

“But of course, you are not here for money. You are here to fulfill your destiny, and I shall do whatever I can to help you ascend to your rightful place on the Jade Throne, and to aid the people of Kasai in this time of great suffering. How can I be of service?”

The group looked at one another, unsure where to begin. Then Marie spoke up. “We understand there are certain ceremonies that Ameiko must complete in order to become empress. What can you tell us of those?”

Isao nodded solemnly. “The Jade Throne will reject anyone who is unworthy. In order to ascend to the rulership of Minkai, you must first seek the blessings of the ancestral spirits of Minkai’s former emperors. There is a magical island in Kasai Bay, called the Imperial Shrine that you must visit to obtain your ancestors’ blessings.

“As you know, the goddess Shizuru created the five Imperial Seals that bestow the divine right to rule Minkai. At the same time, she also created a magical conduit to the Great Beyond, allowing those in possession of an Imperial Seal to make contact with the ancestral spirits of those laid to rest on the island who were once ordained by the seals as well. When an emperor dies and is interred in the Imperial Shrine, his soul passes on to Pharasma’s Boneyard, where he becomes a petitioner and is sent to his ultimate fate. Unlike most petitioners, however, the souls of Minkai’s emperors retain memories of their former lives because of Shizuru’s conduit, even as they transform into spirits. This connection with our world allows Minkai’s former emperors to guide their successors with lifetimes of knowledge and wisdom, even beyond death.

“The Imperial Shrine can only be visited by those of Imperial blood or their anointed guardians, and they must be in possession of an Imperial Seal. Indeed, the island is invisible to all others. It is rumored that the Emperor Shigure fled there, knowing no assassin could reach him there. If he is still there, you must convince him to return, or else grant his blessing to Ameiko to take his place as the next rightful ruler of Minkai.”

Marie frowned. “So how did the Jade Regent take the throne? Shouldn’t it have rejected him?” Isao shook his head. “The man now known as the Jade Regent was once Higashiyama Shigure’s best friend and bodyguard, a man named Soto Takahiro. Soon after Emperor Shigure was crowned, he and Takahiro disappeared. A few days later, Takahiro returned, bearing the Higashiyama Seal, and saying that Emperor Shigure had appointed him to rule as his regent until his return. The fact that the Jade Throne accepted him affirmed that the Higashiyama Seal perceived him as the rightful ruler.”

“What happened to the other Imperial Seals?” Nicki asked. “Ameiko has hers, and the Jade Regent has his, but that leaves three unaccounted for.” Isao shrugged. “No one has seen the other Seals since their families were wiped out. They could have been hidden, or lost, but the common assumption is that the Jade Regent has them in his keeping. Recovering them would do much to weaken the Jade Regent’s hold on power, and to help Minkai recover after the revolution succeeds.”

Marie was still focused on the Imperial Shrine. “If the Jade Regent has one of the Seals, he could also find the island, right? So if we go there, he could follow us?” Isao nodded. “In theory, yes. But ever since word spread that you had returned to Minkai, the Jade Regent has locked himself away in the Imperial Palace. He hasn’t been seen in public in weeks. All communication has been through his Chief Magistrate, his grandfather Anamurumon. It is said that he only meets with his inner circle of closest associates. But by all accounts, these associates are as much rivals as comrades. Anything you can do to sow distrust among them will weaken their ability to oppose your revolt.”

“Sounds like it’s settled then,” Sawyer said, climbing to his feet. “We head for this magic island right away.” The others also began to stand, but Isao turned to Ameiko. “Before you go, Your Highness, there are things you must know about the situation here in Kasai. The people hate the Jade Regent, but they cannot yet rise against him and his troops. Part of it is simple fear. The Jade Regent’s inquisitors are everywhere. They know our thoughts when we conspire against him, and they drag off any who might stir rebellion, torturing them for information before staging public executions in the marketplace. He’d have us believe that Ameiko is an imposter, that the Amatatsu family died out long ago.” Ameiko remembered the pain she’d felt facing the oni inquisitor back at the docks, and shuddered.

Isao continued. “But worse than that, your people are starving. The Jade Regent has imposed a heavy rice tax, taking food from farmers and storing it in the imperial granary here in the city. The soldiers gorge themselves on what others have labored to produce, leaving nothing to feed the people. They claim this keeps the army well fed and ready to defend Minkai, but it also weakens those who might take up arms against him. Every day, hundreds die of starvation, and situation worsens daily.

“In addition, the Jade Regent holds many of our daughters captive. His guards accost women at the city gates and in the marketplaces. Surely you’ve seen them? That’s because the Regent’s seer, an oracle and diviner named Renshii Meida, foresaw your coming. They know that a daughter of the Amatatsu family holds the last of the Imperial Seals. And that’s why they search for you in the city and across Minkai—to deny Ameiko her birthright, for it would end his reign. My own granddaughter, Harumi, is held somewhere in the palace, along with daughters from many other prominent families. Officially, they are ‘wards’ of the Jade Regent, but they no doubt face nightly interrogations - or worse - at the hands of their captors.”

Ameiko’s face had grown dark with suppressed rage as Isao had described Kasai’s plight. Knowing the volatile ex-adventurer, everyone expected an explosion, but instead she spoke in low, tightly controlled tones. “My people are starving. I have to put that ahead of my own ambitions. We do nothing until my people are fed.” The group looked at each other. “The granary it is, then,” Sawyer said at last.

Sandoval began to brew some tea with the Karyukai Tea Set they’d gotten from the geishas, in preparation for an upcoming assault on the granary. Everyone quickly agreed that no matter how strongly she felt, Ameiko had no business coming on a raid. As the group discussed tactics, Marie quietly cast Status on Ameiko, just to be able to keep tabs on her while they were apart.

Isao brought out a map of Kasai, and showed them where the granary was. “I can have my men take, you there, but we’ll have to be very careful not to run afoul of any patrols.”

“Actually, I’ve been giving that some thought.” It was Bella, and she was in the corner methodically emptying everything out of her Portable Hole. “I know we can’t hide in this if we try to close it. But what if we put it in the bottom of a wagon, climb inside, and then throw an empty burlap sack over the top to hide it? Anyone looking in the wagon wouldn’t see anything worth searching, and we’d still be able to breathe.” Everyone looked at Bella open-mouthed; that was crazy enough it just might work.

Isao continued with his discourse. “The granary is surrounded by dozens of Typhoon Guards; in the early days of the rice tax there was a small riot at the granary that was brutally put down, and the guard was tripled after that. No one knows if there are other guards inside or not. And any battle with the guards at the granary would quickly attract reinforcements from elsewhere in the city.”

“If we can get anywhere in the neighborhood, we can just Dimension Door inside, and the guards outside will never even know we’re there.” Marie was falling back on their tried-and-true entry strategy.

“Umm … guys?” Everyone looked a Zhustin, who held an empty rice bowl in his lap. “Everyone in Kasai eats a couple of these full of rice every day, right?” Everyone nodded. “And there are what – 100,000 people in Kasai?”

“164,000 at the last census,” Isao corrected.

“That’s …” Zhustin scribbled something on the palm of his hand. “A LOT of rice. How are we going to get it out of there?”

The PCs earned 15,085 XP for the night, putting them at 384,119 XP with 445,000 required for level 14. We’ll be at Joette & Rich’s next week.