The Birth of a Rebellion

Sandoval wasn’t sure what was going on, but Bella had just dashed past him with a look of concern on her face. Not sure if she was running away or towards, he decided it might be a good idea to follow. He opened the door and stepped out into the fortress’s courtyard. Ahead of him, Bella was sprinting away, drawing her blades as she ran, and he could see Shinjiro running down the far side of the open space. Looking ahead to where their paths would converge, he saw a pair of huge wooden figures, like animated trees, swinging at Marie, who circled in the air above them. He wasn’t sure what had alerted Bella and Shinjiro to her plight, but he didn’t waste time wondering – he just started running. As he ran, he cast a Slow spell on the pair of figures, but it seemed to have no effect. Zhustin suddenly appeared in the courtyard, having used his Dimensional Step, to hurry himself along. Nicki burst out of one of the buildings, and fired off a quick set of Magic Missiles, but the magical bursts seemed to have no effect either. Ahead of Shinjiro, Sandoval saw two more seemingly innocuous woodpiles begin shuddering into animated life. He guessed that these were some kind of guardians that the bandits’ druid shaman had created to augment the fortress’s defenses.

Marie had been sprayed by bursts of flying splinters from the two Vengeful Wood Spirits, and now she gained altitude to ensure another such burst wouldn’t catch her, and cast more healing on herself. When the Spirits saw that she was out of reach, they turned and lumbered towards the little rogue racing towards them. Both of them slammed her with knotted fists, and she felt like she’d been hit by a falling log. She had a little surprise up her sleeve, though. When she’d first entered the fortress she’d quaffed an Elixir of Fire Breath, just in case. It still gurgled in her stomach, and she now breathed out a jet of flame at one of the Wood Spirits. It shrieked with the sound of a tree trunk bending in a strong wind as the flames licked at its bark, but it wasn’t cowed.

Shinjiro rushed to Bella’s aid, punching the other Spirit threatening her. He was used to punching blocks of wood as part of his training, but this thing was far harder than any wood he’d hit before. The Wood Spirit turned and swung its limbs at him, nearly splitting his skull. Another of the newly-animated Sprits came up behind him, bashing him with another slam, while the scorched one retaliated with a pair of strikes on Bella that left her wondering how many bones had just been broken. The other new combatant charged at the other group of adversaries approaching along the line of buildings. It slammed into Nicki, throwing him back against the wall of the building and leaving him wondering just what the hell he was doing in front of Sawyer. Then the Wood Spirit grimaced, strained, and exploded into a cloud of razor-sharp splinters that pierced Nicki, Sawyer, and Zhustin.

Sawyer saw the blood running from Nicki’s wounds, and stepped up to confront the wooden construct. Suishen’s flaming blade flashed; his first blow chopped a huge chunk out of the Spirit’s side, and then he delivered an overhand strike that split the creature like a stick of firewood. Suishen’s newly activated Flame Burst ability exploded with each strike, and the Wood Spirit was reduced to a cloud of ash.

Nicki gasped a word of thanks to Sawyer, then pointed a (probably broken) finger at the other Wood Spirits. “Burn in Hell, you overgrown kindling!” he screamed, and a blast of Hellfire sprang up from beneath the Wood Spirit behind Shinjiro. The flames ate extra deep into the creature’s wooden body, but it continued fighting. Marie drew her adamantine mace, and swooped down on the Spirit attacking Bella. She was gratified to see that her mace scored an extra-deep divot in the thing’s head. Shinjiro delivered a Flurry of Blows, breaking off several branches, but it hit back, and he regretted that he’d never fully healed himself after the battle with the bandit leader. Marie saw his distress, and flew down and delivered a Breath of Life, and not a moment too soon. The Wood Spirits renewed their attacks, and Shinjiro was still pinned between two of them, taking the worst of it. Then the one behind him Splintered, and the flying shrapnel caught everyone in the vicinity. Shinjiro, barely upright, limped away out of the fight.

Zhustin saw the Wood Spirits getting the upper hand, and decided to even the odds. In a flash, he Summoned a trio of large fire elementals. The fiery creatures laid into the three remaining Wood Spirits, and one was reduced to a bonfire. Sawyer, the Spirit on his side taken care of, charged into the fray, and another of the constructs fell to Suishen’s flames. Bella had abandoned her fire-breathing act – fun as it was, she knew she could do more damage with her blades. She chopped away at with all she had, but it was still batting her back and forth like a ball. With a shout of frustration, she swung both blades in ferocious chopping motions. The Wood Spirit creaked ominously, then its top half slowly toppled over, falling with a crash into the earth of the courtyard.

Now they were sure they had finally rid the fortress of its inhabitants (although they’d thought that before). As the others led Ameiko back to the mysterious shrine they’d found inside, Marie decided to double-check by searching for secret doors. She started with the workshop where they’d found the shaman, and within minutes she spotted a door concealed in the northeast corner of the room. She considered investigating herself, but then had the rare good sense to summon Bella. The rogue checked it thoroughly for traps, then pulled it open. It revealed a tunnel hewn into the stone of the hills. Following it, Bella found the back side of a stone door, likely concealed from the other side. Easing it open, she found herself looking out into a hidden ravine, lit only by starlight. She’d seen this glade in her aerial reconnaissance, but thought nothing of it. Directly outside the door were three large piles of innocent-looking wood. Gulping, Bella closed the door as quietly as she could.

Back at the shrine, Ameiko was examining the statue of Shizuru that they’d discovered. She read the inscriptions in the many cartouches, and Shinjiro pointed out the one that read “Empress of Heaven, touch me with your grace!” Looking at the others for reassurance, Ameiko tentatively reached out and laid her finger on the cartouche.

Nothing happened. She tried again, pressing harder, then laid her whole hand against the statue. Nothing. The others looked crestfallen, but Nicki spoke up. “You didn’t happen to bring the Seal, did you?” Ameiko gave him one of her trademark grins. “You mean this?” she asked, pulling the Warding Box from a pocket in her robes.

That sparked a short but intense debate. “If we take out the Seal, it will be like sending up a flare!” Marie argued. “I have a feeling that flare went up a long time ago,” Zhustin countered. “Besides, we’d only have it out for a minute. I doubt they could home in on our location that quickly.” He sounded more confident than he felt. The debate when back and forth, but ultimately they all looked to the innkeeper-turned-princess. “I think it’s a risk we have to take,” Ameiko said finally. “Besides, if I’m going to lead a rebellion, I don’t think I can do it with nobody noticing.” Taking a deep breath, she opened the Warding Box and withdrew the Amatatsu Seal, then pressed it against the cartouche.

There was a bright flash of light, and when their vision cleared, a cylindrical pit had appeared in the center of the room. At the bottom was a short passage leading to a small room. The hidden vault was full of samurai weapons – katanas, daikyus, o-yoroi armor and kabuto helmets, and the like. All were still sharp and shiny after half a millennium. One of the katanas was made of adamantite, and had the Tien characters for Hirabashi engraved along the blade. This had to be the family sword that Jiro was searching for. There was also a thin cylinder of ivory, about a foot long, with jade end-caps carved like lotus flowers, with ribbons affixed to each end, their colors still vibrant. “That has to be the Baton of Hiroto!” Ameiko whispered reverently.

Unsure how long the magical vault would stay open, they quickly unloaded its contents. They then set about securing the fortress as best they could. Bella spoke with the bandits’ thralls; they turned out to be girls who had been abducted from a number of villages the bandits had raided. All were happy to be rid of the bandits, and agreed to stay on as (paid) servants.

Two days later, a rider approached the fortress gate. It was one of Jiro’s ronin, and when he saw the fort was in the party’s control, he rode back and returned with Jiro and the rest of his men. They were a handful fewer than when they’d left, and some had bandaged wounds, but Jiro’s lieutenant, Habestuta Hatsue gleefully reported that the ambush had gone just as they’d planned, and the other half of the bandit gang had been wiped out.

As Jiro and Hatsue were recounting the battle, Ameiko emerged from the main building. She had dressed herself in a silk kimono she’d found among the bandits’ loot, and she carried the Hirabashi sword before her in both hands. “I believe you have been looking for this,” she said, presenting the weapon to Jiro. Jiro and Hatsue’s mouths dropped open, as they stared back and forth between the ancient sword and the imperial-looking woman holding it. Then Jiro dropped to one knee before Ameiko, bowing almost to the dirt, and Hatsue followed suit. “My Empress,” he said solemnly, “I pledge my life and my honor to you and your cause!” He then nodded to Hatsue, who bowed to Ameiko and then ran to Jiro’s horse. She returned carrying a long Minkaian bow. She knelt before Ameiko and offered her the bow ceremoniously. “This is the Daikyu of Commanding Presence,” Jiro explained. “It is the ancestral weapon of the Higashiyama royal family. Emperor Higashiyama Raijin, the current emperor’s father, entrusted it to my father when all the other imperial families had been slain and he feared his own would soon fall. I had kept it to return to Emperor Higashiyama Shigure, when he emerged from hiding, but I now fear that shall never happen. It belongs with one of Imperial blood, and I offer it into your keeping.”

For the next several days, Hirabashi Jiro was kept busy organizing the region’s defenses. A steady stream of peasants began to arrive at Seinaru Heikiko. Some were the inhabitants of Jiro’s former camp, relocating to the more secure location, but others were peasants who had been displaced by the Jade Regent’s oppression, or were looking to join the rebel army that was already rumored to be gathering. But finally one evening, Hirabashi Jiro called everyone together to discuss strategy.

“We have made a good start, but our ragtag band of ronin and peasants are hardly an army that could wrest the Jade Throne from the control of the Jade Regent. However, there is much discontent in Minkai, and many would rise in revolt if they thought there was a reasonable chance of success. The peasants are starving, and many have lost homes or family to the Jade Regent’s cruelties. In addition, his bloodthirsty policies have alienated Minkai from most of the other countries in Tian Xia, and foreign trade is drying up. The merchant class, especially along the western coast, are suffering as much as the peasants, although few are yet in danger of starving. And many daimyo are unhappy with the present situation, as they are obliged to pay surplus taxes for the upkeep of a mercenary force of uncertain origin, called the Typhoon Guard, who now serve the Jade Regent as a private army. The nobles also see the officers of the Typhoon Guard as dangerous rivals for positions in the imperial bureaucracy.

“Here in the north, we’re still far from the Jade Regent’s center of power, and stirring a rebellion in the provinces of Enganoka and Sakabe would not be impossible. But we will need to enlist powerful support from several factions in order to have any chance of success. I’ve been giving the matter a lot of thought, and I think we must focus on three key groups.

“The first are the Ninja Clans. While they are not the sort of people that honorable men would deal with, they would be powerful allies in the coming rebellion. Just as importantly, they could be equally powerful foes if they were to be recruited by the Jade Regent. If you cannot hire the ninja to support the rebellion, you should at least try to ensure their neutrality in the coming war. There are three main ninja clans who could be of use: the Emerald Branch, the Black Lotus, and the Dragonshadow. I have heard that once a month, at the new moon, representatives of all three clans meet together at a restaurant in the Kuroi Yane market in the city of Enganoka. They are referred to as nokizurusan, or the Three Monkeys (although I’m not sure anyone would dare call them that to their faces). They meet to ensure there is no conflict between their clans, and if one wished to meet with all three clans, this would be the opportunity.

“The next critical faction are the merchant class. Normally, forging relationships and alliances with all the merchants would be a very time consuming (and expensive) proposition. However, there is one group that knows many secrets that can be used to manipulate and persuade the merchants: the Geisha. I would suggest you visit the renowned Kiniro Kyomai Teahouse in downtown Sakakabe, whose entertainment district is second only to that of Kasai. The owner of the Kiniro Kyomai, is a skilled and respected geisha named O-Kohaku. She was the niece of the late governor of Kasai, who was executed by the Jade Regent, and likely hates the Jade Regent for killing her uncle. Many people discontent with the rule of the Jade Regent frequent the Kiniro Kyomai, and befriending the geisha would give you a chance to contact and persuade them to join your cause. When you first approach O-Kahaku, I would suggest flattering her with an expensive and unusual gift.

“The final group are the Daimyo. While many of the Jade Regent’s most fervent allies are greedy or power-hungry nobles, just as many chafe at his overreaching rule, and abandonment of honor and tradition. The daimyo control the samurai, and their recruitment to your cause is vital. However, one of the Jade Regent’s most zealous supporters is the current governor of Enganoka, Sikutsu Sennaka. Sennaka is cruel, efficient, and powerful, and anyone trying to give voice to dissent in the province has been ruthlessly persecuted. Besides ruling in his domain, Sennaka exerts a strong influence over Minkai’s military and the adjacent provinces through terror, espionage, and blackmail. No one in northwestern Minkai is likely to rise against the Jade Regent as long as Sennaka lives, but once he is removed from power, you have a much better chance of gaining the support of Minkai’s samurai. In addition, Hiroto’s army of Terra-Cotta Warriors were buried in the foothills of the Sanyodai Mountains after their last use. Digging them up will take time, and cannot happen without Sennaka’s notice and retaliation. Sennaka is well guarded, however, and an open attack on the daimyo is likely doomed to failure. You’d need to find a way to ambush Sennaka or otherwise take him unawares and unguarded if you were to hope to have any chance of success.”

When Jiro finished, Ameiko bowed to him respectfully. “We are honored by your wise council, and will follow your advice as best we are able.” Then the party took to discussing the best course of action. With no clear idea as to how to assassinate Sikutsu Sennaka, they turned instead to whether to approach the Geisha or the Ninjas first. The new moon was some two weeks away, so either approach was feasible. With nothing obvious to recommend one option over the other, they finally decided to try the geisha.

The next morning, they set out for Sakkabe, a little less than a week’s ride to the west. Jiro and Hatsue stayed behind to see to organizing the growing group of would-be rebels into an organized militia. Ameiko also stayed behind, with Jiro promising to tutor her on the history and traditions of Minkai, and the customs and protocols of court. Sandru, naturally, would not leave Ameiko’s side, and besides, he seemed to be a bit taken by Hatsue. In the discussion of the appropriate gift for the geisha hostess, Sandru suggested some of the glassworks they’d been hauling since Sandpoint. “I certainly haven’t seen anything like this since we’ve been on this side of the world,” he argued, and Hatsue agreed that some of the delicate glass mobiles were both beautiful and completely unlike anything in Minkai. So they set off with one of the caravan’s last remaining wagons in tow.

There was a well traveled road leading to the city of Sakakabe, although there was surprisingly little traffic. They passed several villages and small towns, whose inhabitants gawked at the strange foreigners but made no overtures. Two and a half days out, they met a group of peasants trudging along the roadside. They had the look of refugees, carrying a few meager possessions on their backs. Many had bruises or half-healed wounds, although none looked to be in any immediate danger.

Nicki approached one of the peasants. “Where are you from, and what are you doing on the road?” he asked respectfully. The peasant bowed low. “Your lordship, we are from the village of Kokomugi. Several days ago, the Daikan Tetsuku came to our town. They are the governor’s police, and they began accusing everyone of treason. No one had any idea what our village might have done to offend the governor, but they began killing everyone in sight. After they had killed all they could find, they killed the livestock, burned the buildings, and set fire to the fields. We were the only handful that escaped.”

Taking pity on them, Marie did a quick Channel Divinity and Nicki handed out a few copper pieces that were gratefully accepted. Zhustin told them about Seinaru Heikiko. “Go there – you’ll find shelter and protection, and work for all.”

An old farmer at the back of the group approached Sawyer. He seemed to be dim-witted, and gave the big fighter a gap-toothed smile. “Please sir, do you know where I can find work as an honest farmhand?” Sawyer too advised him to go to the fortress. Having done what they could for the refugees, the two groups continued on their separate ways.

The old farmer was the last to pass. Zhustin was at the rear of the party, and those ahead of him heard a sudden, sickening crack. They turned just in time to see the young wizard collapse face-first into the dirt, the back of his skull crushed. The farmer stood behind him, but his straw hat and wig had slipped, revealing a shinobi shozoku beneath. The assassin held a bloody pair of iron nunchucks in his hands, their bars decorated with an imperial dragon motif.

Mysterious Assassin

Sandoval was the first to react. As he began singing, he also cast Crushing Despair on the assassin and anyone he could reach behind him. It wasn’t clear if the other peasants were in on the plot, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Marie dashed forward and threw herself on her knees at Zhustin’s side. The wizard was clearly dead, but he hadn’t been dead long. Calling on Desna’s power, she blew the Breath of Life across his face, and drew a sigh of relief as his eyes fluttered open.

Nicki threw his arm forward and fired off a trio of Scorching Rays. But as the first ray hit the assassin, he vanished, leaving Nicki with no idea what had happened to him. Shinjiro knew, however, because the mysterious figure had instantly reappeared right behind him. With lightning reflexes, Shinjiro launched into a flurry of blows, but only one hit managed to connect with the elusive target. In response, the assassin pounded Shinjiro with his nunchucks. Bella fired off a fast volley of arrows, but the assassin dodged them all. Sawyer charged with Suishen, but the slippery foe not only ducked under his blow, he brought the nunchucks up in a blow that almost caught the fighter in the groin; only the barest luck let him sidestep it by a hair.

This assassin moved like nothing they had ever seen before, and had already killed Zhustin once with a single blow. Could they defeat him?

The PCs earned 3,658 XP for the night, putting them at 279,434 XP with 315,000 required for level 13. We won’t meet next week (Merry Christmas!), but will resume and Joette & Rich’s the following Sunday.