Helping Black Dog search for his Empress Part 5 (To Xi'an, Hanzhong, and beyond)

 We left Willow Crossing and traveled with Nar-Nuteng, Ju-Mei, and Chuluun toward Xi’an. Before leaving, I arranged for the prisoner who had survived his exorcism to return to Happy Valley with the Blackbirds. Lord Timur seemed determined to punish him. I wanted him watched carefully rather than imprisoned, with precautions taken to protect my children.

We found a decent inn in a village outside Xi’an, on the western side. We were not planning to linger, but over dinner we met a merchant who recognized me and then seemed to realize who the Emperor was. His recognition concerned me. The Emperor introduced himself as Black Dog, but I was not sure that would undo the merchant’s discovery.

The merchant warned us that imperial agents would take our horses on the road to Hanzhong. He offered to buy them himself for slightly more than the agents would pay. He also offered food, his own room, and his services as a guide. He seemed unusually eager to help us. When he proposed going ahead to announce our arrival, I explained that I would prefer people not to know we were coming.

During the night, Nar-Nuteng noticed Chuluun getting up and gathering his belongings. He claimed that he only needed to relieve himself, but she remained awake until he returned and told Ju-Mei and me what had happened.

The next morning, I questioned Chuluun privately. He said he wanted to return to Banua and wished he had never left. I told him that waking to discover him missing would have been upsetting, especially after we had saved his life. I also reminded him that helping us find the Empress would be an honorable undertaking and promised him a reward sufficient to buy a horse. He agreed to remain with us and pledged to find her or die trying. I still did not entirely understand his intentions, but at least we had spoken plainly.

As predicted, we encountered imperial agents who required us to exchange our horses for donkeys and a payment. These were the Emperor’s own orders, which made the situation rather awkward. Chuluun preferred to walk instead of riding a donkey, although eventually he put his armor on one and asked Ju-Mei to lead it.

Riding donkeys instead of horses slowed us considerably. We continued after dark and finally reached a village near Hanzhong, where we stayed at a rather miserable inn. The Emperor and I had a private but dingy room, possibly the proprietor’s own room, while the others slept in the common room.

The locals kept our companions awake with endless questions. Their curiosity was exhausting, but it also produced information. Dragon Claw fighters had been there, and their activities had apparently led to fighting being forbidden at the tavern. They had since moved on toward Broken Gate. More importantly, the villagers’ descriptions left us almost certain that the Empress and her son had been traveling with them. At least we knew we were following the right trail.

We continued toward Broken Gate and stopped at a beautiful campsite beside a stream. The Emperor and I slipped away from the others and found a shallow pool surrounded by boulders. We spoke about finding the Empress and perhaps continuing to Balanzia together afterward. For the moment, we wanted to enjoy the time we had.

I was still close beside him when something that had looked like an enormous boulder came to life and attacked us. Fortunately, we had our swords nearby. Our companions rushed upstream to help, and Ju-Mei offered a prayer to strengthen us.

Nar-Nuteng noticed an opening beneath the place where the creature had been sitting. As we fought, it tried to retreat into that opening. We struck it down, but its dead body slipped into the cavern below.

Chuluun dropped a torch through the opening. Its light revealed a strange metallic gleam, suggesting precious metals in the cavern’s walls. We could see little from above, but the creature had been concealing something worth examining.

We will have to investigate.

Helping Black Dog search for his Empress Part 4 (Feline agenda)

 We slept through the rest of the night, with me sleeping beside the Blackbirds. The attack had made it clear that the Dragon Claw would not willingly allow anyone to leave them.

The next morning, Ju-Mei successfully exorcised Lord Timur’s son. I wanted to begin with him: apart from helping the young man, freeing him would give his father good reason to support us. He was exhausted afterward, and Ju-Mei needed time to memorize the spell again. Meanwhile, we still had two Dragon Claw men imprisoned.

I considered releasing one prisoner and having Nar-Nuteng follow him invisibly. But he might first seek revenge on Chuluun or Timur’s son for leaving the Dragon Claw. I decided that the risk was too great.

Despite everything, we arranged a tournament for the Blackbirds, who had been looking forward to testing themselves. We settled on a round-robin format followed by finals. Lord Timur also showed us the beautiful bathing complex he had built beside the river: a hot bathing house, a sweat room, and the cool river itself. We could enjoy his hospitality, but I insisted that the prisoners remain guarded.

Back at the castle, one of the Dragon Claw prisoners was brought up. Ju-Mei attempted an exorcism, but the man reacted with extreme anger and violence. He broke free of his restraints and attacked Ju-Mei, injuring his face. The Emperor and I intervened. I still hoped that we could subdue the man and give Ju-Mei another chance to free him, but the struggle ended with the prisoner’s death.

That evening, the Emperor and I returned to the baths and found a private place together across the river. While we were there, the special cat returned. She waited until we were ready to speak with her. 

This time she spoke Zhou-Deng. She told me that she was connected to an enormous magical cat, the Great Black Panther, though I am not entirely sure of the nature of their relationship. These magical cats also hate the Dragon Claw. She asked me to go to Balanzia and form a team to fight them.

I considered the journey, but the cat cared nothing about finding the Empress. To her, opposing the Dragon Claw mattered more than the lives of one woman and her son. I was not ready to abandon them.

When we returned to the castle, Ju-Mei went down to the cells and exorcised the remaining prisoner. This attempt went much better. Afterward, the man told us that he had seen the Empress and her son. They had been expelled from a village outside Xi’an along with a band of Dragon Claw followers and had continued toward Hanzhong.

After three days at Willow Crossing, we finally had a clear destination. We decided to leave immediately with a smaller group and search for them. I did not want my son coming with us. He was not yet strong enough to fight the Dragon Claw, and I would not put him in that danger.

Balanzia and the team the cat wanted me to assemble remained a larger mission for afterward. First, we would find the Empress and her son.

Nar-Nuteng: Helping Black Dog search for his Empress Part 3 (A student comes home and assists her mentor)

I arrived at Beatrice’s castle after traveling from Banua to see her. I wanted to show her how much I had learned—and I wanted to be tested.

Jumei greeted me and explained that Beatrice had gone on a short mission with two companions. He welcomed me to stay until she returned.

Not long after I arrived, the servants told me that one of the prisoners wanted to speak with me.

It was Chuluun, who I had once known when we had ventured into the Valley of the Five Fires, both of us under the banner of Bo Jing.

Chuluun insisted that his arrest had been a mistake. He seemed certain that once I understood what had
happened, I would help him.

I was not so certain.

I asked one of Beatrice’s fox children what had happened when Chuluun was captured. They told me that he had been associated with the Dragon Claw and, more seriously, had apparently tried to seize their younger brother.

That made me much less inclined to trust him.

I began asking questions about the Dragon Claw. What I learned was disturbing. They are more than a group of fighters. They seem to be a cult. Those who become deeply involved begin to lose themselves, physically and mentally. Their transformation starts in the hands: scarring, damaged fingers, and eventually the development of terrible dragon-like claws. They become increasingly cruel, but also extremely dangerous fighters.

I asked the servants to look closely at Chuluun’s hands the next time they brought him food.

They reported that there was indeed unusual scarring.

That did not prove that everything he had told me was a lie, but it certainly did not reassure me.

Two of Beatrice’s fox children later took me to the site where Beatrice and her companions had fought members of the Dragon Claw. Remains of the battle were still scattered there.

What disturbed me most was the evidence of what had happened after the battle was over.

Something very large—apparently a giant cat—had come to the site, eaten from the bodies, and crushed some of the skulls.

I did not know what to make of that.

A day or so later, a servant arrived from a neighboring castle carrying an invitation to a martial arts tournament. The host was Lord Temur of Willow Crossing.

Beatrice has around twenty bodyguards known as the Blackbirds living at her castle. The past ten years in Happy Valley have been remarkably quiet, and the prospect of attending a martial arts tournament immediately excited them.

Soon afterward, Beatrice returned with her companion, a man whom she introduced as Black Dog. I didn't ask any questions.

We compared what we had learned.

I told her about Chuluun, the scarring on his hands, and the evidence of the enormous cat at the site of the battle. Beatrice told me that a strange and unusually intelligent black cat had been following her during her travels.

Neither of us thought that was a coincidence.

I asked whether Jumei could attempt to remove whatever curse was affecting Chuluun. He performed the necessary rituals, although afterward I could not tell whether they had truly worked.

Beatrice and I were also suspicious of the tournament invitation. The Dragon Claw were clearly operating in the region, and a gathering of skilled fighters would be an obvious opportunity for them.

We asked Jumei to keep that possibility in mind when preparing his spells.

Before we left, I spoke with Chuluun again. I told him that he could accompany us, but that this did not mean we trusted him. We would be watching him closely.

He accepted those conditions.

We returned his armor but not his weapons.

Beatrice chose the rest of our party carefully. She included one of her fox sons, who is particularly gifted at communicating with cat Animaji while they are in animal form. Several of the Blackbirds also came with us.

Beatrice decided that we would attend the tournament.

Interjection from Black Dog: “I wondered why my lady wanted to delay our travel west to watch, or perhaps even participate in, her neighbor’s martial-arts tournament. As usual, the wisdom in my remaining silent was proved by events.”

The walk to the neighboring castle was almost festive. The Blackbirds had spent years protecting a peaceful valley, and they could hardly contain their excitement at the prospect of seeing—and perhaps entering—a real martial arts tournament.

But shortly after we arrived, one of the young women approached Beatrice and me with troubling news.

She had seen a black cat following us on the way to Willow Crossing—presumably the same cat Beatrice had seen during her travels.

That evening, our hosts gave us an elaborate dinner. During the meal, Beatrice asked Lord Temur whether Jumei might bless all the fighters before the tournament began the following morning.

That sounded innocent enough.

Our actual intention was more practical.

If any of the fighters were secretly affected by the Dragon Claw curse, Jumei would have an opportunity to remove it.

That night, we divided into two rooms. Beatrice slept with her “mysterious” partner and her son. Chuluun stayed in the other room with Jumei and the rest of us, where we could continue watching him.

Sometime in the middle of the night, I woke to the loud cry of a cat.

I saw it darting away.

Then I saw something far worse.

Two men with enormous clawed hands were attacking Chuluun in his bed.

They were not trying to frighten him.

They were trying to kill him.

As they attacked, they shouted something like:

“You can never leave the Dragon Claw.”

I yelled for Jumei.

He woke immediately and used magic to hold both attackers completely still. Once they were restrained, he turned his attention to Chuluun and healed his wounds.

By morning, there was no longer much room to doubt what we were dealing with.

We met with Lord Temur and explained what had happened.

To our astonishment, he seemed genuinely shocked that we considered the Dragon Claw dangerous. His own son had been training with them. He dismissed much of what people were saying as superstition and insisted that Dragon Claw was simply an effective fighting technique.

So we showed him the two frozen men.

We explained again that these men had broken into our room in the middle of the night and attempted to murder Chuluun while declaring that no one could leave the Dragon Claw.

That was considerably harder to dismiss as superstition.

Afterward, Beatrice and I looked at one another.

We had both come to the same conclusion.

The cat was not hunting us.

The cat was helping us.

Beatrice: Helping Black Dog search for his Empress Part 1 (A long trail east)

 

(Beatrice’s Account)

I am Beatrice, a warrior from Cynadicia. I now have a fortress in the Happy Valley near Khanbaliq, where five of my children—young-adult Animaji, part fox and part human—make their home. My youngest son is eleven and fully human. His father is the Emperor, and my child is being raised in Khanbaliq.

It is an unusual arrangement, but the Emperor and I understand one another. He once saved my life, and over the years we have developed a real respect and affection for each other. I know his nature well enough to appreciate him without expecting him to become someone he isn’t.

Recently, he arrived at my fortress disguised as a common man, bringing our son for a visit. He also brought troubling news: his wife, Empress Nambui, and her young-adult son had disappeared.

Nambui and the Emperor have never seemed particularly close, and I have never been entirely certain what to make of her. Still, whatever my doubts about her, I was immediately concerned. A missing woman and her son are in danger until proven otherwise.

Saran, Nambui’s fiercely loyal bodyguard, provided our best clue. Before she disappeared, he had seen Nambui and her son speaking with men at a Monastery of the Two-Fold Path outside Khanbaliq. When she prepared to travel, Saran asked to accompany her. She refused.

Saran’s own actions complicated matters considerably. He became involved with Dragon Claw and even broke into my fortress on their behalf. We fought. During the confrontation, however, he began to understand what Dragon Claw truly was. Whatever mistakes he has made, I do not doubt one thing about him: his loyalty to Nambui is absolute.

The Emperor, Saran, and I set out on horseback to find her.

I had to remind the Emperor early on that this was serious. At one point, I told him plainly:

Beatrice: “This is not going to be a romantic holiday.”

I did not think he was treating the situation with quite the urgency it deserved. But I also know him. I wasn’t offended, and I didn’t waste time judging him for being himself. We had work to do.

We traveled through Yuzhou, Luoyang, and Dadu South, staying in inns and asking questions wherever we could. In Dadu South, we learned something important: Dragon Claw has been outlawed there and in Su Qi Port because of the brutal and unfair duels they have inflicted on innocent people.

The Emperor: “You wouldn’t last long as an emperor if you couldn’t operate in multiple modes at once. Beatrice was wrong about one thing: this was a very romantic holiday. I had never stayed at an inn before, although I still knew how to find the best ones—especially the one by the river. And I won’t even tell you what we did there.

“But in addition to admiring Beatrice, I was also listening closely to what people were saying—and not saying.

“People in Yuzhou laughed at Saran because they remembered him coming through a month earlier and asking the same questions. He had been so eager to hear good news that he allowed himself to be misled by the man who told him to keep going east. Beatrice bought another man a horse so he could leave town after telling us the obvious: the liar who sent Saran farther east was a Dragon Claw agent.

“It was difficult to find an inn in Luoyang because people remembered seeing Saran with members of Dragon Claw. Those members had left town a week earlier, traveling west. All the same, we did find an inn that suited our purposes.

“And then we went even farther east. In Dadu South, an imperial magistrate—too hungover
to see through my disguise and recognize his own master—told us about the local policy toward Dragon Claw: Execution Based on Suspected Affiliation.

“These people need proper laws. Perhaps Beatrice is right again, and I am not taking my job seriously enough. And yes, I am concerned for my Empress and my son. This was not about her needing some time alone.

“Back to you, Imperial Consort of Truth and Beauty.”

Beatrice: “I don’t really care for ‘Imperial Consort.’ It sounds like a prostitute.”

The Emperor: “Yes. How about—”

Beatrice: “How about I just finish this so we can have dinner?”

Saran: “Beatrice has told this generously. I followed the lie because I wanted it to be true. I accept the answers-- and power-- that Dragon Claw offered without considering their motives. I still do not trust Bearice's reasons for seeking Her Imperial Highness—but she is treating Nambui’s disappearance more seriously than Nambui’s husband, and for now that is enough.”

 

We found no clear trail beyond that, so we decided to retrace our route through Luoyang and Yuzhou and look more carefully for what we may have missed.

I increasingly suspect that Nambui and her son were not simply abducted. They may have gone willingly, at least at first. Nambui can be secretive, and she deliberately left Saran behind despite his devotion to her. The men at the monastery may have offered her and her son something they wanted.

Perhaps magic.

That worries me more than a simple kidnapping would.

Dragon Claw may be teaching them magic, but I have seen enough of this world to know that power is rarely offered freely. I fear what they may demand in return—and what it could cost Nambui and her son if they have placed themselves in the hands of people they do not understand.

I have told the Emperor my larger concern. Dragon Claw may intend to turn Nambui and her son against him. If they can use the Emperor’s own family to overthrow or kill him, they could throw the empire into chaos while claiming some kind of legitimacy for themselves.

I do not yet know that this is what has happened. Nambui may have her own reasons for leaving, and I will not condemn her before I know the truth. Saran himself is proof that a person can become entangled with Dragon Claw without fully understanding what they serve.

But I cannot ignore what the evidence is beginning to suggest.

We need to find Nambui and her son, understand what they have become involved in, and get them away from Dragon Claw if they are still willing to leave.

And we need to do it quickly.

The Chronicle of Beatrice of Cynidicea: Black Dog Comes to the Happy Valley

Beatrice had long ago stopped expecting peace.

Once, she had been a daughter of Cynidicea, a place of masks, secrets, and decay. But that life felt distant now—like a dream half-remembered. Her present was carved from harder things: survival, bargains, and love that demanded sacrifice.

She was a mother.

She had brought six children into the world—her five Animaji, fox-blooded and bright-eyed, now grown into fierce and clever young adults of eighteen. They had been raised within the stone walls of her castle, a place she had built with gold that came at a cost she rarely spoke of.

And then there was the sixth child.

A son.

Eleven years ago, Beatrice had been frozen—held between life and death, her body suspended like glass. It was the Emperor who had saved her… or claimed her. The terms of her release were never spoken plainly, but she remembered enough: warmth returning to her limbs, breath flooding her lungs, and the quiet, terrible understanding that followed.

The boy had been left behind.

She had not seen him since.

Slave Pits of the Undercity 01

tl;dr:

Bojing and his crew go to explore a monastery which has been transformed into a place of human trafficking. Walking in the front door, Bojing saw a woman on a bunk and Nar Nutang yelled that the woman on the bunk was a shape-changing monster and Bojing listened and killed the woman but the woman wasn't a shape-changer but a real slave.

Bojing and the crew saw some ""MONKS" and a merchant; Bojing, a powerful baghatur, stuck fear into the monks' hearts forcing them to run. The slave merchant's two powerful bodyguards remained, one with the abilty of shooting meteorites the other a powerful warrior that the mighty Bojing even struggled with but the crew defeated the bodyguards and recovered the keys to rescue the slaves.


"AKSHULLY":

When Bo-jing learned from Ryu that innocent people were being pressed into slavery in the shadow of the Kanbaliq's walls, his heart hardened against the Emperor. He promised Ryu that we would cleanse the monastery of this wickedness, free the enslaved people, and one day depose the cruel despot who misused his power in this way.

Beatriss knew about the monastery and its ugly secrets. Besides the corrupt monks who received captives from the outskirts of the empire and beyond, Beatriss warned her new protege about shape-changers and a lizard that turned people to stone. After her months-long absence from home, Beatriss herself would return to the Happy Valley. Based on these warnings, Bo-jing and Nar Nuteng both bought mirrors.

Based also on Beatriss's advice, Bo-Jing, Nar-Nuteng, plus their sometimes associate, sometimes rival Bangqiu, along with Ryu and Bo-Jing's men-at-arms, entered the monastery through a secret door and based through several halls so long ruined that their original purpose was impossible to know. They encountered a horde of undead creatures whose chilling touch caused temporary paralysis. None of the party was lost in this encounter, but Bo-Jing elected to choose another entrance to gain access to the actual monastery.

Bo-jing led the party in breaking into the stables. There, the party encountered a group of monks whom were so terrified at the sight of the fearsome baghatur that they fley in terror. A woman who had been hiding in the loft space peered down. "Who is there?" she called. "Who will save me from this place?" Something about the young woman's helplessness put Nar-Nuteng on edge and she warned Bo-Jing of the seductive shape-shifters. Bo-Jing charged up into the loft area and angrily killed the too-good-to-be-true ingenue.  She screamed and bled and died and her body did not revert to a gray, alien form.  She was not a monster but a true victim, killed by the one she thought would rescue her.

Bo-Jing was despondent and blamed Nar-Nutang.  Bangqiu rebuked him for being too emotional.  But Ryu patiently explained that he alone was responsible for his mistake and that he must accept it and learn from it and give his focus in the moment to rescuing other slaves.  

The party found their way into a series of tunnels dug under the monastery and inhabited by disgusting ant-men.  With the power of his magic coin, Bo-Jing drove away the ant-men and the party navigated the labyrinth to arrive at the lair of the resident slave lord, a greasy-looking man in leather armor.  While contending with a dozen cowardly monks and several ferocious giant weasels, the slave lord escaped.  Rifling through his belongings, they found some useful information about the work of the slavers including contacts in other cities.

The party continued to explore and discovered a series of cellblocks, where they encountered a group of monks negotiating with a merchant sought to purchase and enslave a number of the people imprisoned there.  Alarmed by the heavily-armed intruders, the monks and the merchant were put to flight while the merchant's bodyguards stayed in place to guard his retreat.  A blast of steam from Bangqiu killed one of them while Bo-Jing defeated and slew the other in trying hand-to-hand combat.  A search of the surrounding storage rooms located the keys and the party freed about a dozen prisoners.  These people, mainly young women from Southern Zhou were glad to leave the monastery but feared being left alone in a city where they would be regarded as enemies.  Bangqiu suggested that they should be taken all the way to the Happy Valley and resettled there.

The Taxman Part 10: Southern Coin

In Banua, Bojing, Beatriss, and Nar Nuteng parted ways with the sorcerers and resumed their search for the coins.  They made their way once more to the southern cave, guarded by the stone warriors.  Beatriss, Bo-Jing and Ryu fought three of the warriors and then Ryu swallowed a lotus pod to go into the dream world in hopes of accessing the secret chamber at the back of the hall.  He was able to converse wit the stone statute who friendly and chatty but refused to step aside to allow access to the chamber. "I don't know you and I cannot allow you inside unless you know me."

Bo-Jing and Nar-Nuteng reasoned that the word they'd found in the yeti cave was the fox's name, but the fox didn't seem any better to read it than they were.  There seemed nothing to do but go back to Banua and find someone who could read the old script.  But on the way there, they encountered a wild fox and with a few scraps of meet and the power of the Eastern Coin, were able to befriend the fox, speak to him, and learn about his indigenous belief system. Most notably, the great ancestor of all foxes was named üneg.  

And indeed the fox in the Southern cave responded well to that name and happily stepped aside, allowing them into a small dark room where they found the Southern Coin, most notable for its red tint.  Bo-Jing gripped the coin and knew that it would make him an even more powerful warrior.  But he also remembered his honor and his promise to Ganbaatar.  "We will present this coin to the Emperor together."

The party returned to Banua to announce their success.  Ganbaatar was pleased and praised Bo-Jing for his honor.  "Your Emperor will be most pleased will us and with you in particular.  Let us go to Khanbaliq at once."

Within days, Ganbaatar had organized a caravan and they began the trek to the capital. Along the way they stopped in Blue City and received a reminder of the dangers of displeasing the city.  Among the bodies of the criminals hanging from the walls, they recognized the same governor who had warned Bo-Jing against doing anything to cheat the Emperor.  The sign hanging around his neck proclaimed, "In cheating the people, I cheated the Emperor."

The Taxman Part 9: Meeting the Rivals

 Back in Banua, Ganbaatar had good news for Bo Jing.  The people of the Bolad horde, having heard that the Imperial Agent had drivn off the bandits and killed the yetis that were attacking the fire camp, were paying their taxes with minimal grumbling.  Ganbaater asked Bo Jing about his success in searching for the lost coins.  Bo Jing was clumsily evasive but Ganbaatar didn't press the matter.

Bo Jing and his companions spent a few weeks in Banua, waiting out a blizzard and a cold snap, and then decided to go to Kuzhu Kala so that  they could return Narantsetseg's necklace. On the way there, they found the remains of several large campfires.  By investigating one of these sites, they found a discarded brass badge of a distinctive design.  Beatrsiss and Bo-Jing both recognized it as part of the uniform of the armies of the "Master" whom they had fought in the Sind desert.  The next evening as they were seeking a suitable place to make their own campsite, they heard the noise of a large gathering and as they cautiously approached heard snatches of songs in the voices of the bestial bakemono, possibly amasssed in large numbers.  They circumvented the sounds of the enemy camp and rode onward through the dark, Beatriss leading the way.

After another dya of travel, the party reached Kuzhu Kala and found a place to stay in one of the yurts outside the walls. Soon, they learned that Gansukh was entertaining a pair of mysterious visitors, foreign sorcerers whose descriptions made them instantly recognizable as Bangqiu and Hyamsam.  Rumors hinted that Gansukh had hired them to find something and that he was very disappointed with the news of their progress.

Beatriss and Bo-Jing decided that  even if their friends had become their rivals, they were friends first and might need assistance.  They entered the town just as the gates were closing and went to the yurt of Gansukh.  A cataclysm of emotions erupted over the Khan's face as Bo-Jing came into his presence, holding the Khanum's favorite necklace.  Caught in the midst of a red-faced red directed at Hyamsam and Bangqiu, GanSukh looked ready to draw his sword when he heard Bo Jing's greeting-- until he caught sight of his necklace.  The color drained from his face and he smiled weakly.  "Oh, where did you find that?"

Gansukh was saved from further embarrassment by his wife's excitement at seeing her necklace.  Gansukh sent her and the other women away as his soldiers crowded in.  Bo-Jing and Beatriss learned, as they expected that Bangqiu and Hyamsam had found a coin and that they were refusing to turn it over to Ganuskh in exchange for the reward he was offering of several thousand tael.  A long argument ensued in which Bo-Jing revealed that he too had a coin. Beatriss told Gansukh about the threat posed by the Master and offered her services in fighting off his advance.  Bangqiu nodded, avowing that he too would help protect the lands of his host but would not relinquish the coin. With nothing else to offer, Gansukh became threatening.  The coin rightfully belonged to him and he would take it by any means required.  If the sorcerers refused his gifts of wealth and prestige that was no matter.  Beatriss and Bangqiu agreed that they were ready to fight if necessary, but that Bangqiu should first try his charm magic.  Because it was clear that Gansukh had become an enemy.

Bangqiu sat down and stared at his hands as if considering Gansukh's offer.   Then he looked up without standing and said, "I think you are a good friend and have made an interesting offer.  I only wish to think about it over night.  Let us retire with our friends outside the walls so that we can see the wisdom of your offer."

To everyone's surprise, Gansukh agreed.  He ordered his soldiers to make way for the visitors to leave his tent and gave the order for the gates to be opened.  Once outside, the reunited friends rode into the cold night, headed towards Banua.

Friends?  And still rivals.  Bangqiu told Hyamsam and Bo-Jing that they should both give him their coins, that he was the most powerful member of the party and that he was the best suited to unlocked the combined power of holding all four coins.

The Taxman Part 8

Nar-Nuteng and Bo-Jing's men surveyed the scene-- scores of animated skeletons and a group of men on horseback. Reasoning that while the hollow-headed skeletons were a horror, the minds of evil men were the true danger, the heroes launched a volley of arrows at the men on horseback who reacted by raising their shields and spurring the horses behind the ranks of undead that were closing in around the entrances to the cavern hall.

As Bo-Jing reached the tunnel, Gan-Wei pointed out to his master the enemies on horseback. Bo-Jing, clutching the magical coin in his pocket cursed the men with their evil; immediately they broke out into an argument with each other and within moments, blades were drawn.  Beatriss joined the archers and Ryu called for divine wrath on the undead horde; a dozen skeletons exploded in a flash of blinding light just as they reached the entrance to the hall. As Ryu strode toward the entrance to meet the undead horde with his holy symbol. the necro-shaman from outside Khuzu Kala appeared from nowhere and launched an exploding ball of fire into the hall.  Ryu was knocked off his feet and his robes were badly singed, but as the shaman raised his wand, decrying "self-righteous fools who stand in the way of progress," intervened.  Squeezing the Coin of the East into his palm, Bo-Jing cursed the shaman with a word of rebuke that made him drop his wand and wander away in a stupefied daze.

Ryu regained his feet and resumed destroying skeletons, clearing a way for Bo-Jing to reach the skeletons.  Beatriss and the other warriors, meanwhile, cut down the few skeletons that reached the cave.  Some of the men on horseback continued to fight each other while others galloped away.

Soon Bo-Jing reached the befuddled shaman and cut him down without mercy.  When the shaman's body fell to the ground, the skeleton fell into disarray, come continuing to attack, while others retreated, some attacking each others, while other's attacked shadows.  Most of those who pressed the attack were obliterated by Ryu while the stragglers were obliterated by Bo-Jing and Beatriss.  When the dust cleared, Bo-Jing claimed the shaman's ring and reveled in its power-- he was invisible!

Beatrriss noticed that the shaman was once again wearing Narantsetseg’s necklace and encouraged Gan Wei to take it.  "You should return it to her."

The Taxman Part 7

Bo-Jing, Beatriss, Nar-Nuteng and their followers and companions returned to the Valley of the Five Fires by way of the Bolad fire camp.  The fire-watchers asked to see the yeti cave and see for themselves that the yeti were in fact dead.  The party agreed to this request.  In addition to yeti corpses, they also encountered a group of warriors inside the cave.  Although evidence suggested they were members of the Nergui horde, they denied this, claiming instead that they were wanderers looking for a place to camp.  Beatriss order the unknown warriors to leave the cave and they did, muttering curses under their breath.  The party didn't tarry long in the cave, casually the many runes and symbols before escorting the fire-watchers back to their camp.

It was a two-day trip back to the Crystal Cave.  Along the way, they developed their plan for taking the coin.  Ryu explained that with assistance of some honey-scented dried poppy pods, he would be able to enter the dream world or ethereal plane and take the coin. Also on the way to the crystal cave, they encountered Gan Yul.  He explained to them that  Gansukh had sent groups of warriors into the Valley to look for them.  Rather than argue, Gan Yul had silently resolved that in forcing him to break an oath, Gan Sukh had broken his allegiance to the Nergui Horde.  And thus he was free to enter the Valley and would join Bo-Jing's squad again.  "If you'll have me.  Otherwise, I will seek the coins for myself."  Bo-Jing grateful accepted Gan Yul as his noken.

The party reached the cave and by use of potions brewed for them in Banua, Beatriss and Ryu were able to enter the cave.  Ryu entered the dream world and smashed the statue in order to claim the coin. It was pure gold but reflected a green tint.  Ryu delivered the coin to Bo-Jing whom, apprising the new powers conveyed to him by the coin, immediately began to equivocate over the arrangement he had made with Ganbaatar.  "He just wants it because he's power hungry."  Ryu shook his head slowly and stared at ground.

The party made their way north, toward Banua, but with no stated purpose.  As they approached the Bolad fire, they decided to visit the yeti cave once more.  This time, Bo-Jing used the last gaseous form potion to slip through the crack in the wall and discovered a hidden chamber, carved with of the entire valley.  A cave was precisely delineated at the southern end, marked with a  series of symbols:

Rather than return to Banua, the party decided to venture to the south end of the valley and find the cave identified on the map.  Concealed by magic, the entrances, a total of four straight tunnels, would have been impossible to find without the map and the drawing of the cave.  They walked into a tunnel that led to a hall covered with gleaming white stones.  Three columns of stone warriors filled the hall.  As Beatriss and Bo-Jing stepped into the hall, two of the statues cave to life.  The two brave warriors warned their companions to stay out of the hall, for fear of causing additional statues to come to life.

The stone warriors were 20-feet tall and wielded stone swords.  Bo-Jing used his sword to break the statues sword and then level it.  Beatriss meanwhile, stayed low and smashed the statues legs.  The two of them moved to the back of the hall.  There was a bas-relief statue of an even larger warrior with a fox sleeping under his legs.

Bo-Jing and Beatriss puzzled over what to do about this problem.  They invited Ryu into the hall, assisting him in destroying the statue that came to life and attacked the monk as soon as he crossed the threshold.  And then they asked him to ingest one of the honey poppy pods.  He did, and when he entered the dream world, he saw that he could see there was a hidden room beyond the fox, but we couldn't enter it.  As he explained it to to Bo-Jing and Beatriss, the fox had stood up and continued to block his path.

While debating what to do next, Nar Nuteng, from the tunnels outside the hall, raised the alarm.  "Skeletons!  We're being attacked by skeletons!"

Taxman Part 6

 After a meal and a rest, Bo-Jing investigated the area, looking for signs of what had happened to the fire-watchers.  He found blood and other signs of a struggle with large and fearsome beasts.  And in the icy snow outside the fire camp, he found large tracks and sings of bodies being dragged.  Deducing that the Bolad fire-watchers had been victims of a yeti attack, he rallied his troops and explored the area following the tracks to a well-worn path that led higher into the mountains.  The party found a cave of dried flowers and nearby a cave inhabited by three yetis.  Beatriss, Bo-Jing, and Naron faced off against the terrible foes, and supported by Ryu and Bo-Jing's retinue, emerged bruised and battered but victorious.  They explored the rest of the caverns and found runes carved into almost every wall.  By creating a careful map and listening to the wind, they deduced that there was a hidden chamber situated between the flower cave and the yeti's cave, reachable only by a crack in the stone mere inches wide.  They concluded that this was another reason to go back to Banua-- to seek out a place to purchase more of the gaseous form potions that Beatriss had used to enter the crystal cave.

Back in Banua, Ganbaatar was interested to meet Bo-Jing and hear about his rumored success in dealing with the bandits. He smiled to hear about his brother and especially how quickly Gansukh had turned on Bo-Jing.  "That's my brother, he thinks everyone lives to please him and anyone who doesn't becomes his enemy."  He was also grateful to hear that Bo-Jing had hunted down and killed the yetis who had plagued the Bolad fires.  "I will send out new fire-watchers tomorrow."

And then he asked about the coins.  "That's why you spent so much time in the Valley of the Five Fires, right?"

Bo-Jing admitted that he hoped to learn the secrets of becoming invisible or taking on the form of an animal.  Ganbaatar reminded him that the coins were ancestral treasures of his people, but acknowledged that his brother was probably looking for them too "And maybe others, worse than him."  Ganbataar offered to take on the task of collecting taxes in Banua with the understanding that Bo-Jing would continue to look for a coin and-- if he found one-- he and Ganbaatar would present it to the emperor as a gift.  "I'm sure he will reward you and in this way, we will keep the coins away from my brother.

Bo-Jing and Beatriss spent a few weeks in Banua.  Ganbaatar supplied an office and sleeping chambers within the palace and convinced Bo-Jing to hire a scribe to handle the task of accounting for taxes collected and the expenses of Bo-Jing and his staff.  Finally, Beatriss accepted an offer of service from a teen-aged girl named Nar-Nuteng who wanted to learn how to wear armor and fight with a sword.  seeing that the girl was already a skilled archer, hunter, and wrestler, Beatriss was glad to accept her as her sister-in-arms.

Taxman Part 5

Bo-Jing and Beatriss found the heroes' burial mound and Ryu presided over the funeral of the warriors killed by the necromancer. The ceremony was disrupted by wolves from a nearby cave, but Bo-Jing chased the animals away before they could scavenge the bodies.

Bo-Jing and Beatriss spent the next week exploring the Valley and various small caves.  They encountered fearsome monsters including yetis and giants that seemed to step at-will between the waking and the dream world and meld into walls.  Most notably they located a cave with a crystal door, accessible only by a small hole.  By drinking a magic potion, Beatriss was able to become a cloud of fog and slip through the hole.  Inside the cave, she found one of the coins, embedded in the chest of a crystal statue.  But like the strange giants, the entire statue resided in the dream world and could not be touched or wakened.

Running out of food and ideas, Beatriss and Bo-Jing left the valley. Opting to avoid Gansukh, they sought out the fire camp of Ganbaatar's Bolad horde.  They found the camp, at the northeast corner of the valley, but the camp was deserted and the fire was out.  Uneasy, but also very hungry, the party found the stores of firewood and rice.  After restarting the fire, they cooked themselves a large meal.

Taxman Part 4

Bo-Jing met with Gansukh, and asked him what he knew of the Four Coins. Gansukh explained that they were heirlooms of his people. If any of them were discovered, he could surely claim his place of leader of his father’s people. All the legends said they were hidden in the Valley of the Five Fires, a sacred place that he and his brother and all the local men of honor had sworn not to enter when receiving their first horse and formally joining the horde. But Bo-Jing was an outside. If he found one of the coins for Gansukh, he could name his price.

Bo-Jing knew what he wanted. “Something that could make me invisible.”

Gansukh promised he could do that.

Bo-Jing finished training his men and buying provisions for their trip to the Valley of the Five Fires. When the day came for them to set out, Gansukh asked Bo-Jing and Beatriss if they could help him with one thing.

“I am having problems with a thief. Of course I could deal with him myself, but it is not my place to enforce the law. I would not usurp the will of the Emperor or his agent . . .”

Gansukh explained that a shaman had stolen some jewelry belonging to his wife, a necklace and a ring. His right-hand man Batzorig, who also happened to be his brother-in-law would show them where the shaman lived. He could identify his sister’s necklace. And also the ring.

So the company set off. They found the shaman’s abode, a sprawling house built of stone and thatched with straw, next to a cave and a stone formation that happened to closely resemble a skull. When Bo-Jing ventured inside the house, a strange wailing noise, rose from an invisible source. Bo-Jing retreated and set fire to the rood of the house. While the wet thatch smoldered, a mob of skeletons began filing out of the caves, raising a terrifying din by clanging their swords against their shields. Ryu showed his holy symbol and began turning the skeletons to dust in a blaze of holy fire. A squat man stepped out from behind a rock. He pointed a wand at Ryu and hurled a huge ball of fire in the holy man’s direction. Ryu was knocked to the ground and the three of Bo-Jing’s men were killed in the fiery explosion. The others were badly wounded. When the smoke cleared, the shaman was gone.

“What are you doing to my home? To my creations?”

Beatriss and Bo-Jing argued with him. The skeletons ceased their advance and Ryu lowered his holy symbol.

The shaman confessed to having stolen Narantsetseg’s necklace, but denied that he’d stolen anything else from her. The shaman threw the necklace on the ground. Batzorig, recognizing it as his sister’s eagerly grabbed it. “This is it. She’ll be so happy!”

Beatriss asked Batzorig to describe his sister’s ring. When he could not, he agreed that there might have been a misunderstanding and that they should return to Khuzu Kala.

Narantsetseg was happy to see her necklace returned, so happy, that Beatriss did not trust her husband’s disappointment. “What about the ring?” Narantsetseg was deaf and could not be questioned closely, but she smiled like amother who had recovered a lost child, stroking the necklace with ring-heavy fingers.

Beatriss accused Gansukh of staging a trick that cost three men their lives. With a great display of insult and outrage, Gansukh ordered them to leave his tent. “I will pay your tax and then you will have no reason to stay here!”

During the week that Gansukh collected the tax money for Khuzu Kala, Bo Jing made inquiries as to how to bury the men who had been killed. Gan Yul explained that while most the bodies of most people were laid out on the steppe for the animals, esteemed warriors were sometimes buried in a place of honor. And before the treaty, the Valley off the Five Fires had been known as the Cradle of Humanity. The most esteemed warriors were laid to rest in the valley where humans had first appeared in middle earth.

B-Jing collected the taxes from Gansukh and then set out to bury his fallen men. Gan Yul led them to the edge of the Valley, where they rested at the fire tended by the Nergui horde. Gan Yul, as a member of the Nergui horde, would not enter the valley. But he pointed out a lone mountain in the middle of the valley and explained to Bo-Jing where to find the warriors’ grave. “On the far side of the mountain, at the edge of dawn’s shadow.”

Taxman Part 3

Gaansukh was pleased to hear about Bo-Jing’s success in disrupting the bandit’s activities. He called for two yurts to be erected within the walls of Khuzu Kala for use by Bo-Jing and his men. Likewise, Bo-Jing was pleased by the way his men had conducted themselves in their fight with the bandits; he spent a few weeks training them in more advanced maneuvers. Gan Yul, a member of the Nergui horde, asked to join Bo-Jing's company and was accepted.

During this time, Beatriss returned to the bandits’ tower alone. Having lived the first half of her life in the underground city of Cynadicea, she was most comfortable in the darkness. Plus she owned a magical sword that let her become invisible. She left her horse below the camp and traveled the rest of the way on foot. She found many fewer tents in the camp and she found no men in the tower. Going from room to room, she concluded that most of the valuables had already been taken by the other bandits. She claimed a staff, likely magical, that they had missed, and returned to Kazhu Kala.

Despite his martial prowess and reputation for decisive leadership, Bo-Jing was discouraged, that unlike Beatriss, Bangqiu, and Hyamsam, he had no method for becoming invisible. So, together with Beatriss, he found an old woman named Tolai who lived in a fine yurt all by herself outside Khuzu Kala and who made her living brewing potions purported to have magical powers. Bo-Jing gave her a potion he had found in his adventures and asked her to analyze it for him. She collected her fee and conducted various tests, finally pronouncing that it would make the imbiber vanish.

“Do you mean I can turn invisible?”

“Well . . .what do you mean by invisible? Their body would, for a time, turn into a cloud of mist, which is indeed very difficult to see.”

 Bo-Jing was grateful for this information but what he wanted was to be invisible, to be able to sneak up on his enemies and attack them with surprise.

Tolai shook her head and laughed to herself before asking Bo-Jing if he knew the legend of the Four Coins. Tengri had made them for his four sons, the Kings of the North, the East, the South, and West.  A fox had stolen them and hidden them
and they would never be found.  "But if anything could make a powerful warrior invisible, it would be one of those four coins."

Taxman Part 2

During their time getting to know Banua and its people, Bo-Jing and Beatriss were joined by their friends Bangqiu and Hyamsam. Bangqiu agreed to help them find the bandits’ lair. Using his magic, he located an ancient tower high up in the hills of the borderlands, surrounded by a dozen yurts. Bo-Jing, Beatriss, and their retinue were able to locate the tower and visit the people who lived there. They called themselves “Oken’s Horde” and claimed no allegiance to either brother. The tower was the tomb of their ancestors and they camped near it to prevent its desecration. They dismissed Bo-Jing’s questions about bandits, explaining that it was common practice for young men to raid across the border for livestock. It was an unfortunate practice but not the work of organized outlaws. Oken himself pledged his allegiance to the Emperor. He offered 1,000 taels as tax payment for the Oken horde and suggested that be taken into Bo-Jing’s service. “We know this land like the back of our hands. Give us authority to collect on your behalf while you take your ease in Banua or Blue City.” Bo-Jing declined and Oken, visibly offended, all but order the group to leave.

Having traveled to the borderlands, Bo-Jing and Beatriss decided to make his way to Khuzu Kala and meet Gaanbaatar’s twin. They were met and welcomed by a group of horsemen, who showed them the way to Khuzu Kala, offered rest in their own yurts and promised to introduced them to the khan the next day.

Gaansukh showed himself to be a hard man, scarred and half-dressed for battle in leather armor and with his sword close at hand. He lectured Bo-Jing on his superior suitability to be chief, insinuating that his cowardly brother had poisoned their father to prevent him from naming a successor. “And so the nobles selected that coward only because he was a few moments older. What about stronger?” However, he almost promised that he would pay the Emperor’s tax.

While staying in Khuzu Kala, Bo-Jing and Beatriss learned more about Oken’s horde. A tradesmen asked Beatriss to bring some food and warm clothes to his brother who was a “guest” of Oken’s. While scard to say so, it was clear that the tradesman understood that his brother was being held against his will. With some reconnaissance help from Bangqiu, Bo-Jing and Beatriss were able to confirm that multiple prisoners were being held in the tower. The three of them planned an early morning visit to Oken’s horder, arriving at the camp as dawn was breaking, and going straight to the tower without advertising their presence, thanks to Bangqiu’s cloaking magic. They entered the tower easily and were met by a few armed men, poring over a map at a table on the bottom floor. Beatriss accused them of holding prisoners. The men objected to the accusation and one went upstairs to get Oken. Soon violence broke out. Oken, his lieutenant, and his adviser, a sorcerer were all killed and the other bandits surrendered. Beatriss and Bangqiu found the prisoners and freed them while Bo-Jing stripped one of the dead bandits of his leather armor, deducing that it must be magical given that it had survived a magical assault that had charred its owner to black bones. Meanwhile, the surrendering bandits had used this opportunity to loot their former leader’s treasure chamber, releasing a cloud of poison gas. Bo-Jing, Beatriss, and Bangqiu decided that if they really wanted to rescue prisoners, they would have to forego any looting and instead used this opportunity to make a get away. Bo-Jing had the wherewithal to take the map from the table, reasoning that if it was useful to bandits, it would be useful to a taxman.

Taxman Part 1

"Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic. The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute."

Star War: The Phantom Menace, opening Crawl

"The best Star Wars is Phantom Menace. All the new ones suck."

Rainbow-Monkey-Sock (Player who runs Bo-Jing)

Bo-Jing comes from a prominent family, most well known for their wealth and mercantile prowess, but with a history of military success and loyalty to the Imperial Khan's great-grandfather. Bo-Jing's own recent success in battle gave new currency to the old stories and brought him to the attention of the Emperor himself.  Bo-Jing and his friends were invited to the Capital to witness Bo-Jing receive his commission as as Imperial agent, charged with collecting taxes and keeping order in the lands of the Naran horde, on the wild northern edge of the Empire.  He was granted authority to recruit assistants and used this authority to grant commissions to a few of his cousins.

On the way to the lands of the Naran Horde, Bo-Jing and Beatriss, together with their henchmen Ryu and Naron and Bo-Jing's cousins, stopped in Blue City where Bo-Jing met his immediate supervisor, the local governor.  The governor advised Bo-Jing that his new role would give him great authority over the local populace.  "But whatever you do, don't cheat the Emperor.  He will find out and you will be punished."  

Bo-Jing and Beatriss joined a caravan bound for Banua, the capital of the Naran horde. Along the way, Bo-Jing recruited local warriors to join his squad. From them he learned that the Naran horde, following the death of it leader, had split into two rival branches, led by twin brothers. Gaanbaatar, the older twin led the larger Bolad horde, and controlled the old capital of Banua and most of his father’s lands. Gaansukh, whom Bo-Jing would learn based his claim to leadership on his strength, had established his own seat in a fortified camp on the shore of a lake known as Khuzu Kala.

When Bo-Jing arrived in Banua Gaanbaatar met him with courteous disdain, alluding to an appeal he’d made to the Emperor five years ago when his brother revolted and split the horde in two. His attitude softened greatly when Bo-Jing shared the details of his commission and how he planned to spend his salary. The Emperor had promised to pay him a bonus for taxes collected beyond the last census count and he wanted to use that money to build a road to connect Banua with Khuzu Kala. Gaanbaatar tested him, asking, “But surely you want to collect your money as quickly as possible and return to court?” No, Bo-Jing, assured him, he had no interest in court life and had chased adventure across the ocean and over burning deserts. Now his ambition was to make sure the people saw their tax money put to good use. 

Gaanbaatar suggested that he could handle the collection of taxes and Bo-Jing could help him with another problem. His people didn’t need a road. They just needed to be able to ride to Khuzu Kala without fear of a bandit attack. As Gaanbaatar explained it, a group of bloodthirsty bandits lived in the rough borderland between the two brothers. Merchants were afraid to make the trip and even poor nomads knew that they put themselves at risk when crossing the borderlands to visit family on the other side. The bandits had evaded the Khan’s men, but perhaps a small group of canny and experienced warriors would be able to track them down.

Bo-Jing pledged to help with the bandits. During his few days of rest, he heard rumors about other things that interested him. Monks in mountains, magical coins, and a Valley of Five Fires that all the surrounding hordes had agreed not to enter.

Master of the Desert Nomads Part 7: Disrupting the Master

 Based on their experience with the so-called "Master," Beatriss and Tetsukichi realized their own adopted homeland was in danger.  Without believing that the Master could pose a serious threat to the Imperial Khan, he could bring misery and destruction to the people of the Zhou Empire, very likely beginning with the Happy Valley.  They asked their proteges Bayan and Timur to accompany Al-Fitar in his efforts to rally defense of his father's lands to the best.  But Beatriss, Tetsukichi, along Hyamsam, Bangqiu, and Bo Jing collectively decided to go east.

On this occasion, the journey home was nearly as trying as the journey out.  The Master's armies seemed to attract strange and terrible monsters-- a multi-headed lizard buried in a pit, a lizard made of flames that emerged from their own campfire.  But they were truly horrified when they reached the Asada River and the ruined village of Pramayama.  A huge contingent of the Master's army was encamped along the banks.  The river was the only thing blocking them from the most peaceful region of Zhou.  And that army, was busy building a bridge to bring their supplies and siege engines across the river.

Thanks to the magic of Hyamsam, Bangqiu,a nd Mustapha, evading the army was easy enough, but as they pressed on they encountered a horrifying advance party of giants, trolls, harpies, gnolls, a fire sorceress, and bloodthirsty barbarians.  The defenders of Zhou determined that this was not just a raiding party, but scouts, seeking the pass by which the army would invade.  In a first skirmish, several of Kafka's archers were killed and the most powerful raiders escaped.

The homelanders regrouped.  Bangqiu took to the sky and found a short cut; the defenders pushed ahead, and sought a place where they wanted to stage a battle.  They chose a high hill on the edge of a plain where they expected the raiders to pass.  Bangqiu approached the raiders invisibly.  The archers started the attack, firing from the top of the hill.  Most of their arrows fell harmlessly among the well-protected raiders who responded by charging the hill.  Mustapha created a troop of illusionary skeletons at the bottom of the hill, giving the raiders what looked  like an easy target.  The fire sorceress made the mistake of identifying herself.  Before she could cause any damage the defenders on the hill, Bangqiu blasted her with a barrage of magic missiles.  He then reverted to bird form to escape the giants and flew back to the hill.

As the raiders reached the hill, the defenders created a wall of fire, trapping them at the base.  As the harpies approached, the archers shot them down from the sky.  The raider's ground troops were divided, with half trapped by flames as the trolls and barbarians circled around the hill.  The powerful fire giant happily waded through the fire and bounded up the hill.  Hyamsam blasted him with a cloud of steam and Kafka finished him off.  Meanwhile, Bo Jing singlehandedly killed one of the trolls with his fiery sword.  As the raiders fell victim to their own homicidal urges at the hands of the calm, well-organized defenders, Tetsukichi noticed that the human leaders of the band were hanging back.  He and Bangqiu led a group down the hill to make sure none of the raiders escaped.  They were successful.

The defenders pressed on toward the Happy Valley, stopping periodically to ensure that they weren't being followed.  There were no raiders in sight.  They reached the Happy Valley and quietly prepared their troops for a possible attack.  None came.  Invisible Victory.

Master of the Desert Nomads Part 5: Lost and Found

Meanwhile, Beatriss, Hyamsam, and Temur had little difficulty finding the Salt Swamp. After parting ways with Kalashar, they pointed their horses north and after a few hours saw the white flash on the desert before them, comparable to a mirage that stretched along the horizon. As they drew closer, they were nearly overcome by a brilliance in which the horizon virtually disappeared. Everyone used their cloaks to shield their eyes and those of their horses. Beatriss covered her own sensitive eyes and face completely.

Towards nightfall, the soft desert sand gave way to salt crystals that crackled loudly under their horses’ hooves. There was a pungent smell and unfamiliar birdcalls. Beatriss unwrapped her face and stared into the swamp, but saw nothing alive. They decided to camp and make plans in the morning. Ju-Mei refused to sleep and spent the night softly chanting and burning incense.

They woke early and in the morning light were happily surprised to find a long, flat-bottomed boat, painted a bright sky blue. Hyamsam elected to guard the horses on shore, along with the soldiers of Fitar. Beatriss, Temur, Ju-Mei, and Naron rowed the boat into the swamp.

Ju-Mai sat in the prow of the boat while the others paddled. This was the place of his nightmares. He urged his comrades to paddle and push forward, guiding them through a maze of strange trees and salt-encrusted mudflats with uncanny confidence. As night fell he did not waver, and continued chanting, until he suddenly interrupting himself, “There!”

Ahead of them they saw a flickering light. Soon they heard moans mixed with shouting, mixed with incoherent babbling.

Ju-Mei chanted in a low whispered and directed his companions to pilot the boat toward the light and the voices . . .

-------

For those in hut, the whispers from the darkness seemed to be drawing closer. In time, Bangqiu noted something moving through the water. Those who were fully coherent looked forward to a direct confrontation with whatever had been tormenting them. Al-Fitar loaded his crossbow. Tetsukichi stood on the dock with his sword. Bayan tried to rally the sohei and soldiers. Bangqiu strained his eyes against the darkness, seeking a target for a blast of magic missiles. The shape moving through the water glided into a patch of unobscured moonlight. It was a moved, filled with several people. One of them stood up. “Bangqiu! We found you!” It was Beatriss. At once, the whispers rose to a single loud chant of several voices. The people in the hut responded with a deep sigh and rushed toward their friends in the boat, some clambering down the ladder, others jumping down onto the dock or even into the shallow water. Bayan guided the catatonic soldier down the ladder. By the time he reached the boat, he was sobbing but fully alert. Ju-Mei, while continuing to chant, lit candles and hurled them into the hut and on the dock. Once everyone was safely on the boat, Naron and Temur turned it around and those who were able helped to push and paddle it away from the swamp. Ju-Mei ordered that no one should look back at the hut. “If you cannot move the boat forward, pray with me! If you cannot pray, close your eyes and sleep! If you cannot close your eyes, stare up into the sky!”

Amidst the darkness, there was no way to measure their progress. In time, morning broke and far ahead of them, through the screen of reeds and sickly trees, they saw solid land, and the figure of their friend Hyamsam waving and shouting encouragement.

Master of the Desert Nomads Part 3: Ju-Mei's Fortuitous Nightmare

Meanwhile, back in the Happy Valley, Ju-Mei was troubled by strange visions; he convinced Beatriss that her friends were in danger and that she should go their aid. Tetsukichi’s protégé, Temur was glad for an opportunity to prove himself by coming to the aid of his master. And the always unpredictable Hyamsam agreed to accompany them.

Beatriss, Hyamsam, and Temur (leading a few soldiers from Fitar’s army who had remained in the Happy Valley) reached Pramayama to find that both their friends and the army had already departed. A few stragglers explained that Tetsukichi had traveled up river by boat while the army had ventured overland. Based on warning from Ju-Mei, Beatriss decided that they would take the overland route. All were mounted, with at least one spare horse, and they made good time, following the tracks of the army of Fitar.

After about a week of travel, the party spotted a large encampment. Beatriss and Temur discussed whether this would be soldiers from the army of Fitar, enemy soldiers, or someone else. Hyamsam volunteered to investigate while the others found places to hide on a rocky ridge. He became invisible and approached the encampment, making a beeline for the largest and most elaborate tent. Spotting a pair of guards just outside the entrance of the tent and hearing voices inside, Hyamsam found a place outside where he could listen to the conversation. To his happy surprise, they were speaking Findi, his own native tongue. They were two men, a merchant named a Kalashar and his assistant, discussing what sounded like a familiar debate—whether the way ahead of them was becoming too dangerous. As other merchants had been frightened off by stories of attacks by savage bandits and monsters—or simply never returned, the money available to those still willing to travel the “Dark Northern Mountain Way” seemed too good to pass up. Anyway, it would never do to back out on this contract with an army. Nevertheless, this time would be the last time for sure.

Hyamsam returned to share the news. Merchants sounded harmless enough, but which army were they supplying? Beatriss and Temur had found a small cave to spend the night. Better sleep on it rather than make a rash decision unnecessarily.

But then the party heard the sound of hoofbeats from the other side of the ridge. A large group of horsemen were gathering and seemed to be planning an attack on the merchant caravan. Hyamsam demanded that his friends assist him in protecting the merchants; Beatriss and Temur agreed that it was the only honorable course of action. They led their horses quietly down the ridge and then rode quickly toward the merchant camp. When challenged by a guard, Beatriss answered that she has a warning for Kalashar, that the camp was in danger. The guards asked the party to dismount and then led them into the camp.

Kalashar was surprised at the news but had little time to question it. They all felt the ground shake with the sound of pounding hoofbeats. Kalashar called for his guards and their captain, Khel, who sent his men to four defensive positions. Beatriss and Hyamsam joined the guards in front of Kalashar’s tent. Temur, plus Fitar’s soldiers took a position with a group of archers at the front of the caravan.

The attackers proved to be bandits—brutal in their tactics, but most intent in making off with camels and cargo. With a magic blast of steam, Hyamsam broke the charge of the fiercest bandits who had attacked Kalshar’s tent directly. Beatriss and her henchmen dispatched the others of this charge. At the front of the column, bandits from behind rocks and guards from behind a wagon, exchanged missile fire. Temur broke the impasse, leading a group of Fitar’s soldiers in a swift flank attack on the surprised archers. When the heroes of the Happy Valley turned their attention to the other parts of the battle, they found the caravan guards in a bad way, overwhelmed by sheer numbers. But when the bandits saw the magician and the warrior woman coming, they took what they could and fled. Beatriss decided that they should not pursue them, but instead stay and help the wounded. Roughly a third of the caravan guards, plus several drovers had been killed in the battle. Nevertheless, Kalshar thanked the strangers for their help, fully realizing that he too would have been killed if it weren’t their surprise assistance.

The party traveled with Kalashar for several days. He cautioned them against exploring the Salt Swamp, advising them that few who ventured within ever returned. “Centuries ago, a terrible witch lived there. She made men mad and devoured their minds. Nothing good lives there now.”

These warning echoed the dreams that troubled Ju-Mei and reinforced the party’s commitment to rescue their friends. The day came when it was time for the party to part ways with Kalshar. He indicated the way he was headed, pointing out rough mountains to the west and a dark spot before them that he said was an oasis. “We will rest there for a few days. If any mortals can venture into the Salt Swamp and return, it would be the ones who stand before me now. May we meet again.”

Back to normalish

Following the defeat of the Snake Lord, Bangqiu claimed a large share of the treasure from the tomb. Most of it he donated to Gwinch's monastery, effectively purchasing the promise that Kafka would be allowed to accompany him on future adventures. His immediate plan was to hire a sailing ship and return the captives he had rescued to their distant homelands, including one whose home lay beyond the eastern sea. Kafka agreed to meet him in Quitokai.

Rather than join Bangqiu's voyage, Tetsukichi and Beatriss returned overland to the Happy Valley by way of Khanbaliq. 

They were accompanied by two of the rescued captives. Hui, the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Khanbaliq, was reunited with her family. Before the companions departed, she and Al-Fitar were married in a small ceremony. As a wedding gift, Hui's family presented the young couple with an oddly fashioned golden box whose purpose remained a mystery.

The other traveler was Noi, the daughter of prosperous farmers near Quitokai. Though her family welcomed her home with great joy, Noi surprised them all by announcing that she intended to leave the farm behind and seek a life of adventure..

Back in Happy Valley, Tetsukich had a new son. Beatriss’s children were running wild. The people of the Valley had learned that they should not kill the foxes that raided their farms, but it was permissible to hurt them. These foxes’ love of stolen meals seemed to far outstrip any trap, punishment, or other tactic the villagers could devise to deter them.