On the Western Front (Part 8 - The End)

Ginjo, Bayan, and Bing Chi Ling made their way back to their inn. Being unarmed, they stayed on the busiest streets through the caravanserai and felt they had no reason to fear or avoid the Pasha’s guards. But owing to Hiram’s high station, they decided not to ask for assistance, either. They reached the inn safely and retired to their rooms to sleep.

Ginjo and Bing Chi Ling, along with Ryu, slept in Mauza’s room. Their sleep was uneasy and Ginjo’s dog whined throughout the night. Nevertheless, Mauza did not complain, but slept soundly, enough that the sound of his snores soon overpowered those of the dog’s whining.

And then the door was burst open and a man with a sword burst into the room, several others pushing in behind him. Ginjo grabbed his own sword and blocked the door, while Bing Chi Ling cut down the attacker who had made it into the room.

Drunk and reckless, the attacking thugs soon fell to Ginjo’s blade, and were routed. Bayan, alerted by the noise blocked their escape, and soon all were laying on the floor, groaning in pain or dead.

The innkeeper rushed upstairs, protesting his innocence and begging forgiveness for not preventing the intrusion. Servants ran into the street, calling for the watch.

And so, Ginjo, Bayan, and Bing Chi Ling were escorted to the Pasha’s palace in the middle of the night. When asked to surrender their belongings and be locked in a holding cell, they refused, knowing that it might be the last they saw of the sales records they’d retrieved from the gnolls. They explained to the guards that they should see the Pasha immediately. Through their investigations of the bandit attacks in the Painted Canyon, they had learned that a band of man-eating gnolls were the source of the attacks. One of the guards was friends with one of the prisoners who had been rescued. “If you are who you say you are, I know the Pasha would like to meet you. “ Between Bayan’s money and Bing Chi Ling’s winning personality, the guards were convinced.

The Pasha met the party in a small audience chamber. Groggy and cranky, he stared at them with baleful eyes, demanding an explanation.

Bing Chi Ling complimented the Pasha’s pajamas, and with his fine manners, the Pasha’s mood softened. Having heard Ginjo and Bayan’s tales at the inn, he recounted them for the Pasha, sprinkling in more compliments whenever possible.

The Pasha’s moved changed to one of horror, when he learned that Ginjo and Bayan had found evidence that the gnolls were re-selling their stolen goods to respectable merchants. “Have you any proof of this?”

Ginjo produced the records. “We got the message from Hiram that you had heard about these records and wanted to see them. I am grateful to finally have the chance.”

“Hiram said—?”

The Pasha ordered for Hiram to be brought to the palace.

Hiram, not understanding why he had been summoned, began to apologize that “Your Wisdom may have his slumber interrupted on account of these ruffians who tried to rob my house tonight. I assure you they were handily repelled by my men.”

Ginjo produced the invitation with Hiram’s seal.

Next, the Pasha asked Hiram about the caravan raids and rumors he’d heard that gnolls were re-selling their stolen goods to other merchants. After asking Hiram to vouch for the honor of several local merchant’s and receiving Hiram’s assurance, “That if any of the men you named were involved in such a scheme, I would know about it.”

Ginjo produced the gnolls’ sales record book.

After allowing Hiram to tell several more lies, The Pasha ordered that his house should be searched. Neither he, nor the adventurers were permitted to leave the palace.

The next day, based on evidence he found at Hiram’s house, the Pasha ordered his immediate execution.

On the Western Front (Part 7 - The Dinner)

Mauza found multiple fletchers in Salt Springs whom, together, could satisfy Al-Fitar’s order by the end of the week. He gladly provided Bayan and Ginjo a generous allowance so they could enjoy themselves in the caravansary while he attended to other business. His only stipulation was that they would return to the inn each evening so that he could be assured a safe and restful slumber.

Ginjo and Bayan hatched a plan. They wanted an audience with the Satrap so they could tell him about their last meeting with Hiram and about the ambush at the ford. Based on his reaction they would know whether he was a party to Hiram’s treachery. However, they feared meeting the Satrap at a time when Hiram also present, knowing that he would simply contradict them. So, Ginjo sent a message to the Satrap, announcing plans to visit him the next afternoon. And meanwhile, Bayan sent a message to Hiram, inviting him with them at the inn at on the same day, believing this would prevent Hiram from being present when Ginjo visited the Satrap.

The day passed slowly as Ginjo and Bayan waited for a response. During this time, they made the acquaintance of Bing Chi Ling. He was like them, a wanderer, a warrior who had pledged a life oath to lend his sword to any righteous cause, without regard for reward or personal glory. He also had a irreverent sense of humor and enjoyed a well-conceived game of chance. So the three adventurers became friends.

At the end of the day, Bayan received a return message from Hiram to decline the invitation, but also expressing gratitude for their offer of hospitality following “the unfortunate incident at the ford” and insisting that they must allow him to make it up to them by dining at his house.

The satrap did not acknowledge Ginjo’s message.

Ginjo and Bayan decided to accept Hiram’s invitation. They asked Minh and the other sohei to secure the inn for the evening. And they invited their new friend Bing Chi Ling to join them and he gratefully accepted.

Dinner was an enjoyable affair, and Bing Chi Ling was welcomed along with the others. Hiram apologized again for any “previous misunderstandings” owning that he was “arrogant” to leave the safety and comfort of Salt Springs or even to believe that “such adventures would someone suited to a life of ease.” He patted his ample belly. “Based on the stories I have heard, I fully expected that I was going to end my life being turned over a fire covered in butter! If you think I am a coward, you are right!”

In fact, a roasted butter-basting was the delicious fate of both a lamb and a goat that night; Hiram and his guest enjoyed their beautifully roasted meat, together with all the finest accompaniments. Hiram ate and laughed heartily and very much enjoyed the stories of his “new best friend,” Bing Chi Ling.

After dinner, Hiram called for music and dancing. The musicians who had sat in the shadows during the meal, lightly tapping on their drums, emerged to beat their instruments with full, unified intensity, summoning three dancers who shimmied with the music in perfect time and, with the bangles ringing around their waists, added another timbre to the music.

Always most wary when distracted, Ginjo cocked his ear toward the kitchen, and heard the muffled sounds of heavy boots on the cellar stairs and the jangle of clinking armor. He stood up and flung open the shuttered balcony. Two guard were waiting there, their swords in hand.

While their swords were ready, the guards were not prepared for Ginjo’s sudden exit. He pushed past them and leapt off the balcony, raising a call for help. Bayan rose, urging Bing Chi Ling to follow. With people in the street gawking and pointing, Hiram did his best to calm the commotion, pleading for a “chance to talk this out,” and offering them thousands of drachmas. “I know important men in the north who can help you!” The guards sheathed their swords, but Bayan and Bing Chi Ling ignored Hiram’s offers; instead, they calmly tied a rope to balcony and lowered themselves to the street.

On the Western Front (Part 6 - honor, courage, and guile)

Al-Fitar asked Bayan and Gin Jo some pointed question about what they thought they knew. It turned out to be very little.

Yes, the invitation to Salt Springs looked like nothing more than a set-up for an ambush. It could be that the Satrap of Salt Springs was in league with the Master’s forces. Was there any evidence that the Master or his agents had contacted the Satrap? Was there evidence that the Satrap had ordered Hiram to arrange the ambush? Was there evidence that Hiram had arranged the ambush? Was there evidence that he or any of his bodyguards had known it was coming? Were there not plenty of reasons why the gnolls had a special hatred for Ginjo and Bayan? The gnolls’s list of names was evidence of terrible crimes, but was there anything connecting it to anyone in Salt Springs?

What they seem to have proved was merely that the gnolls were a serious threat to almost everyone except Bayan and Ginjo. Al-Fitar did not dare send his soldiers into the Painted Canyon. Although they fought well in large numbers on the plains or when they were the ones doing the ambushing, Al-Fitar knew that even his best officers would not have made it through the Painted Canyon without heavy losses. But Bayan and Ginjo showed an unusual combination of honor, courage, and guile. Rather than try to unravel the conspiracy, Al-Fitar preferred that they should work with what they knew. The gnolls were attacking his merchants with great success. But a savage mob of gnolls were no match for Ginjo, Bayan, and a few disciplined sohei. The Company should escort a merchant to Salt Springs, lay low in the caravansary while the merchant made arrangements to fulfill Al-Fitar’s order, and then escort the merchant back to Al-Fitar’s camp. Either the gnolls would show that they had learned their lesson and the merchant would be allowed to make his way in peace. Or the gnolls would have to learn their lesson again. “Isn’t that right, schoolmasters!”

And so Al-Fitar introduced Bayan and Ginjo to Mauza. He had two drovers, who also served as guards. But he was grateful for the additional protection. They would travel disguised as nomads. Al-Fitar needed arrows, thousands of them, but Mauza was on good terms with all the fletchers in Salt Springs.

The journey to Salt Springs was tense. They had nothing to steal and all the previous attacks had always targeted caravans traveling from Salt Springs, but Mauza understood that his new bodyguards had a reputation that cut both ways. The gnolls would be crazy to attack them. But according to all the stories about them, the gnolls were crazy.

On the way, they had the good fortune to cross paths with some real nomads, some of whom were wearing fancy riding boots! Yes, they had been among the captives that Ginjo and Bayan had rescued. They assisted the travelers in improving their disguises and sold them a few emaciated goats to improve the ruse. They described their favorite places to camp so as to avoid the dangerous ford crossing. Finally, they told them that the howl of jackals at night was a good omen; the jackals were sly hunters who stayed silent when the gnolls and hyenas were on the prowl.

That night, and for three following, the travelers slept with the lullaby of howling jackals. On the fourth day, they safely reached Salt Spring. Mauza introduced Bayan, Ginjo,and the others as nomads he had hired as drovers. He led the way through the caravansary to his favorite inn and booked three rooms.

On the Western Front (Part 5 - The Betrayal)

Bayan and Ginjo returned to Al-Fitar’s camp carrying (with the help of the rescued prisoners) a substantial bounty of diverted supplies and valuable trade goods. Al-Fitar was grateful also to receive the gnolls’ record book, which would prove useful in settling accounts-- both with those merchants who had been robbed and also those merchants who had purchased stolen goods from the gnolls. And Al-Fitar was especially grateful, after a couple weeks had passed, that the stream of needed supplies once again flowed without impediment from Salt Springs to his camp.

And then, about a week after this, Al-Fitar received a surprise visitor—Hiram Parth, the chief advisor to the Satrap of Salt Springs. Hiram had come to confirm the happy rumors that the savage gnolls had been destroyed and to reward the brave heroes for their victory. He congratulated Bayan and Ginjo and invited them to accompany him to Salt Springs. “His Wisdom would be most grateful also to receive any evidence you recovered that would document the full extent of the wicked crimes of these bestial creatures. And, I assure you, his gratitude would be expressed in form of great riches.”

Ginjo, always wary, agreed, but instead of sleeping that night, he re-copied the gnolls’ records and left the second copy with Al-Fitar for safekeeping.

And indeed, Ginjo’s wariness proved prescient. After several fine days of travel with Hiram and his guards, the travelers were ambushed in the Painted Canyon as they were crossing the ford. Groups of gnolls on either side of the canyon pelted the travelers with arrows and rocks while a group of hyenas blocked the way across the ford. Given that the attack started as soon as Hiram and his men crossed the river and the gnoll missiles only targeted Bayan, Ginjo, and their company, Bayan, fighting through the hyenas, loudly accused Hiram of betrayal.

Ginjo, however, ordered a full retreat. Bayan saw the wisdom of his counsel and turned her horse, seeking to defend the retreat of the rest of the party. These efforts were challenged by the appearance of the gnolls’ shaman, who used his witchcraft to transfix Phubi in her saddle, preventing her from calling on the divine powers which had previously served them so well in their battles against the gnolls. Irak and Saw rallied to protect her and Ginjo guided her horse with his away from the ford. Minh and her sohei initiates demonstrated the great strength of their qi, deflecting many of the arrows raining down on them as they followed closely behind. Finally, Bayan, killed the pursuing hyenas and repelled the attack of two gnoll warriors who had found their way to the canyon floor.

The party escaped the ambush point and the range of the gnoll archers; their horses easily outstripped the few gnolls warriors who dared pursue them. However, at this point, two of Hiram’s men galloped back across the ford, toward the party. Seeing them ride down and trample a gnoll warrior, they were allowed to reach Ginjo, whereupon they set upon him with their scimitars. Ginjo fought them off and with the help of Saw and Irak, killed the false allies. By this time, Hiram and his remaining guards had vanished, having dashed away in the direction of Salt Springs.

The party did not pursue, but continued their flight away from the ambush site and in the direction of Al Fitar’s camp. After a mile of riding, they paused to give Phubi the chance to recover the use of her limbs and the power of speech. The party continued their return ride at a fast trot, stopping to camp only when darkness made it dangerous to ride on the uneven ground.

Three days later, they reached Al-Fiter’s camp and shared the disappointing news.

On the Western Front (Part 4 - The Prisoners)

The company found a sheltered, defensible place, near a muddy pool in a gully shaded by trees. Within a few hours, Phubi recovered from the witchdoctor’s hex. Likewise, the sohei had tended to the minor wounds they had received in their skirmishes with the gnolls. Gin Jo and Bayan discussed what they had seen and concluded that the leaders of the gnoll band had been isolated in their towers and that the rest of band was poorly organized; they should mount another raid that afternoon before their enemies had a chance to recover.

The company approached the settlement from the south, and once again made their way for the bridges, curious to see what the gnolls were doing to repair the damage. They encountered no resistance until they reached the bridge, whereupon teams of archers emerged from several tents at once. Finding the odds against them Ginjo ordered a retreat along the rim of the canyon, with instructions to regroup on the scrub-covered mountain where they’d been led by the nomads the day before. Bayan meanwhile, lingered to guard the retreat, trusting to her well-made armor to deflect the gnolls’ arrows.

While the gnolls, by pure numbers, were successful in driving the company out of their village, they did so at great expense. Those who sought to cut-off the company’s escape were cut down and their fellows put to flight. In the ensuing chaos, a few human captives escaped from one of the huts and joined the company in escaping to the scrub-covered mountain.

The company spent the night on mountain, taking turns watching for any attack by the gnolls and also keeping an eye on the rescued prisoners, who seemed to be exactly what they claimed to be. They were three men, dressed in rags, well-built, but poorly-nourished. Their hands and their unshod feet were calloused and bloody. They slept heavy and huddled closely together on the rocky ground.

In the morning, the rescued captives shared their story. All three had worked as caravan drovers, captured by the gnolls in the past several weeks. The gnolls had attacked with ferocity and guile, targeting certain camels, and cutting them off from the rest of the caravan. They each believed that their own capture was a result only of having the misfortune of being near to the targeted cargo. But they knew that their fate, if they had not been rescued, would have been grim. None of the other slaves had been there more than a few months; those who weren’t worked death were intentionally sacrificed in the most gruesome ways imaginable. Likely they were planning a major sacrifice now, following the humiliation they had experienced at the hands of Ginjo and Bayan. “They told us that Red Mane was so powerful that even the human chiefs gave him tribute and no one would dare to try to rescue us.”

When pressed, the captives said that, yes they had been visited once by a group wealthy humans, a well-armed caravan that came to purchase the goods stolen from others. One of the rescued captives, had been offered, along with two captive women, for the human men to take as slaves. “The merchants laughed, and said no because we were already ruined and would smell like gnoll.”

After saying these words, the captive, whose name was Ahmed, settled the question that had been on everyone’s mind. He was afraid, and he longed to be reunited with his family, but he wanted to rescue the other captives or die trying. Impressed by his courage, Ginjo and Bayan agreed to lead a rescue attempt.

They asked Ibrahim, the youngest of captives to stay behind on the mountain. If the rescue ended in disaster, there should be someone left who might be able to take the news back to Al-Fitar.

With the advice of the captives, the company made a plan to enter the village from the south in late morning, when most of the gnolls were typically sleeping; they would approach with stealth if possible and use the huts as cover against archer fire. Once inside the village, the captives would lead the way to the two huts where the other captives were being held. The freed captives were eager to fight if necessary, and thus were provided with daggers. Ahmed offered that once the other captives were free, he would show the company where the stolen caravan goods were stored.

The company entered the village according to plan. Phubi called on divine assistance in overcoming a sentry post on the edge of the village and they made their way into the village. They found the first of the two captive huts, and freed them from their bonds. The second captive hut was guarded by two gnolls. The first was killed, but the other escaped, and began raising the alarm. A fearsome howling arose from the towers. On the eastern tower, several archers emerged on the roof. From the western tower, multiple witchdoctors emerged and began chanting.

Ginjo, Irak and Saw, together with the already freed captives, set about freeing the captives of the second hut, while Bayan and Minh led the other sohei in meeting the gnoll defense within the village. They charged a mob of javelin-armed gnolls with their swords drawn. With this charge, the mob of skirmishers were scattered like birds and Ginjo used this opportunity to reach the stoutly-built hut used to store the stolen trade goods. The gnolls on guard outside the storehouse abandoned their post and Saw battered the door open.

Bayan and Minh contended with the gnolls’ efforts to re-group in the village, while avoiding any attacks from the towers. Isolated gnoll archers fired wild shots from the darkness of their huts, while several heavily-armored warriors made a steady approach. Minh ordered the sohei to retreat to the storage hut while she and Bayan fought the gnoll warriors.

Minh and Bayan allowed the warriors to approach while backing away, picking their path carefully to keep out of sight of the gnolls in the towers. Minh stopped occasionally to shoot at the warriors with her crossbow from behind cover while Bayan, with her sword out, taunted them, daring one of them and then another, to try her.

Finally one did. He was hit in the shoulder by a crossbow bolt, but kept charging only to be stabbed through the heart by Bayan’s sword. A second one charged and suffered a similar fate. And then the last three warriors charged at once. Bayan stayed light on her feet, slashing at one warrior and then another, luring a third to showing his back to Minh who shot him in the back.

Ginjo called out from the storage hut. With the help of the freed captives, he had recovered a large amount of valuable trade goods, including several pairs of ridiculously elegant riding boots. It was now time to escape. Bayan rained a barrage of blows on the largest of the gnoll warriors attacking her, forcing him to the ground, and then turned and ran to join the rest of the company. Minh fired a last crossbow bolt and ran with her. The gnoll warriors did not pursue except to hurl their spears. One of the spears hit Bayan in the back; she tumbled, but it did not fully pierce her armor. Minh helped her to her feet and they followed Ginjo and leading the charge out of the village. They did not meet any sustained resistance.

The company visited the scrubby mountain only long enough to retrieve Ibrahim and then made their way back toward the canyon road. The way was hard, especially for the weak and hungry captives, and they were forced to camp in the wilderness.

Ginjo woke early the next morning and, allowing the other captives the benefit of a full night’s rest, examined the goods he’d recovered from the gnolls. There were weapons, medicine, and blocks of salt, as well as fine clothing and other luxuries. He also found a book, written in a mixture of bakemono and Ori, that seemed to record all of the goods that had been stolen and whether they had been claimed by Red Mane or sold to human merchants. For the goods that had been sold, the merchants were named and described. Ginjo studied this information carefully and shared it with Bayan, but none of the names or descriptions were familiar to either one of them. Nevertheless, they agreed that this information would be very valuable to Al-Fitar and that they should most definitely return to his camp rather than Salt Springs.

On the Western Front (Part 3 - The Needles)

Al-Fitar congratulated Bayan and Ginjo on their success in capturing the gnoll prisoners. The prisoners had little information to share except that their chief was named Red Mane and he had great power and that his revenge would be terrible.

Despite this warning, there was no revenge. In the ensuing weeks, merchants arrived every day at Al-Fitar’s camp, bring much needed supplies. Al-Fitar could give his full attention to thwarting the invasion of the Master’s armies. His teams of skirmishers sabotages the Master’s juggernauts, and were always well-supplied with plenty of arrows, strong horses, and heart meals when they returned to camp.

This happy situation was not to last. One night, a half-dead man crawled into camp in the middle of the night. He was a drover from a large caravan that had been carrying grain, weapons, and medicine; they had been victims of a gnoll attack less five leagues away. The attackers had killed or captured the rest of the caravan, and tossed him into a deep pit as a “joke.” All of the cargo had been stollen or destroyed.

Bayan and Ginjo rallied their friends, and with Al-Fitar’s blessing, set out the next day. The journey was uneasy, but after two days of furtive travel, they encountered a group of nomads, who promised they could safely guide the party to Salt Spring. Their demands were reasonable and an agreement was soon reached.

The next day, after learning that the adventurers were keen to end the gnoll menace, the nomads proposed a new destination. For an additional fee, they would show the way to The Needles—the rock formation that served as a fortress for Red Mane, the gnoll chieftain. Again, the fee proposed for this dangerous journey was very reasonable and the party agreed.

After another day’s travel they reached the ford and from there the nomads followed the tributary stream into the mountains. They traveled all of that day and part of the next before starting their climb of a gently sloping mountain covered with scrub. Reaching a suitable height on this mountain, the nomads pointed into the distance, indicating a small canyon about a mile away. Two narrow buttes rose from the floor of the canyon, each capped with structures of red sandstone. With the nomads’ assistance, the party could see the rope bridge that connected the two natural towers to each other and the additional bridges that connect each butte to a village of about a dozen huts on the south rim of the canyon. In the village, movement could be detected—figures going between crude huts, some of these hits showing the smoke of cooking fires.

Sensing that the party intended to raid the gnoll settlement, the nomads declared their refusal to be associated with such a plan and begged to be allowed enough time to remove themselves to a safe distance. The party agreed that they would not raid the gnolls until morning, giving the nomads several hours of daylight to escape.

Ginjo and Bayan used their time to watch the village and settle upon a plan. They decided that their chief objective would be more information, while also disrupting the Red Mane’s authority within the village. With this objective, they would avoid combat if possible, instead seeking to destroy the bridges connecting the village on the rim to the two towers. They noted places where sentries were posted, and decided that rather than fighting or bluffing, they would simply try to avoid them.

Early in the morning, the party descended from their lookout point and approached the village from the southwest, choosing a route by which huge boulder obscured them from the view of the inattentive sentries. The village was quiet and the huts were so closely packed together that the party was able to use them as cover as they moved toward the bridge.

A very old gnoll warrior, decrepit, but also “decorated” (by gruesome trophies), emerged from his hut and began threatening them. Ginjo, who was fluent in bakemono, understood that the old gnoll was calling them slaves and ordering them back to work. Bayan responded by loading her sling and hurling a stone that hit the gnoll square in the forehead. A crowd of other gnolls warriors emerged from a nearby hut just as the old gnoll toppled to the ground. Cheering and jeering, they dashed to pick up his body and carry him back into their hut, fighting each other to see who could hold his head the highest.

Shrugging off this bizarre display, the party continued their way to the first bridge. This one was surrounded by several crudely-carved wooden idols, but was otherwise unguarded. The ropes were severed and the bridge collapsed with large crash as it slammed against the butte on the opposite side and its planks tumbled into the ravine. The party moved along the rim to the next bridge. As they reached it, archers from the roof of the second tower began shooting at them. Irak and Saw returned fire and Phubi called our for divine assistance. Her prayers were answered; the rooftop gnolls were transfixed. However, as Ginjo and Saw completed their vandalism of the second bridge, a circle of gnoll witchdoctors emerged from the first tower. They cast a curse on Phubi; she was struck down, foaming at the mouth and unable to move. Terrified at the thought of harm coming to his niece, Ginjo ordered an immediate retreat. Saw lifted the transfixed Phubi and Ginjo led the charge due south out of the village. At the sentry post, the sentries, released a pair of hyenas to attack the party and fled. Bayan and Ginjo struck down the hyenas and the party completed their escape.

On the Western Front (Part 2)

 In Salt Spring, Bayan and Ginjo were granted an audience with the local satrap, His Wisdom, Pasha Hari Abubakka. The Pasha maintained Salt Spring as a secure oasis and caravanserai for merchants, and he "refused to tolerate" the disruption of essential trade routes by vicious bandits. He was particularly distressed by the bandits peculiar success in targeting caravans with the most valuable cargo. But he had many other affairs to attnd to . . .

He offered a reward for useful information and a more substantial reward for the heads of any malefactors. In the meantime, he offered the part a small suite of rooms in his palace and encouraged them to speak to his most trusted advisor and Salt Spring's minister for commerce, the merchant Hiram Parth.

Hiram Parth invited the party to tea at his house and showed them a hospitable afternoon but had little information to share. The bandits were a band of Gnolls, a type of bakemono or beastmen, that were larger than humans with hyena-like features. The party asked whether they could meet anyone who had survived a gnoll attack. Hiram agreed that was a useful idea and promised to do his best. "But you must remember, caravan workers are not stable, honorable men.  They drift from one place to another, chasing money to feed their vices for the day, but with no thought for the future."

Over the next few days, the party lounged in the taverns of the caravanners quarter, making the acquaintances of guards and drovers. All had heard about the attacks in the Painted Canyon, agreeing that none would work that route unless they were paid premium wages. and that the ford was the most dangerous place on the route. But none offered first-hand information.

Within a few days, the Pasha, through a minor advisor, expressed his frustration with the party's tarrying in Salt Springs. And they did not have any new information from Hiram. So the party decided to head out and search for their own information in the Canyon.

Based on information they'd heard in Salt Sping, the party made their way to the ford, and then followed a tributary up into the hills south of the canyon. Along the way, Ginjo was able to find debris indicating that others had traveled before them though there was nothing to indicate whether the tracks and bits of charred wood and broken weapons had been discarded by gnolls or men.

In time, the party reached a high plateau and a well-traveled track. While making their camp along the track, the party was alerted by the sounds of excited yelling about a hundred yards away. This was a band of gnoll hunters, including several young.  Gnoll archers fired a volley of arrows at the party while the most fearsome warriors brandished their long spears and charged, fanning out to cut off any escape.

But the party was more than prepared for this attack. Phubi invoked divine aid in thwarting the gnoll archers who were struck down to the ground. Bayan and Ginjo, along with the warrior monks met the attacks of the charging warriors and cut them down.  The few survivors gathered their young and fled. The party allowed them to escape, but took several captives among the gnolls who had been wounded or struck down by Phubi's god. 

What to do witht he captives? A reward had been promised in Salt Springs. Gin-jo and Bayan acknowledged to each other vague antipathy regarding both the Pasha and Hiram. Given this, and their reluctance to see their pitiful captive executed in exchange for a bounty, the party decided they should instead deliver the captives to Al-Fitar. 

On the Western Front (Part 1)

On the Western Front, Al-Fitar was managing a successful guerrilla campaign to slow the advance of the Master's armies. And needing some help, he called on Bayan, protege of his friend Beatriss and Gin-Jo, a mysterious wanderer who had lived among the beastmen and learned their language and customs. Playing D&D with Stuffed Animals: Homecoming Part 9 (Finale and a new beginning) (dndstuffedanimals.blogspot.com)

There was a problem with his supply chain. For weeks, the armies of the Master had been slowly advancing toward the realms of Or; and for weeks Al-Fitar’s much smaller, more nimble forces had been harrying this advance, giving the people of Or time to harvest their crops, secure their possessions, and move their families to safety. Al-Fitar’s efforts, in turn, depended, in turn, on a relatively small corps of merchants who, often at risk of their lives, supplied Al-Fitar with provisions, weapons, and medicine. And it was this last category of item that was too often not getting through, too often getting “lost” in the Painted Canyon, a natural labyrinth of red sandstone, by which the merchant caravans made their way to Al-Fitar’s supply depot from Salt Springs, a prosperous oasis under the authority of the neutral Satrapy that had negotiated a private neutrality pact with the Master. Bandits, of course, were the most likely explanation, but it was strange that bandits would be so lucky in attacking the caravans with the most valuable cargo. Even more strange that these bandits wouldn’t seek to maximize their profit by selling their ill-gotten gains to Al-Fitar. (“Though perhaps my reputation for honor dissuades them.”)

Al-Fitar would not give the Master an excuse to overrun Salt Springs by sending his soldiers to commandeer the depot or confront the Satrap. But he would encourage a small group of brave "civilians" who were concerned about the free flow of commercial activity to visit Salt Springs and offer to the Satrap whatever help he requested.

Gin-Jo and Sukh had spent two years with the armies of Al-Fitar, ever since escaping from the valley of the Hatukaan. During that time, Gin-Jo had made the acquaintance of Bayan, being much impressed with her authoritative demeanor and martial skills. Sukh and Bayan, however for whatever reason found many points of disagreement, and developed a mutual dislike that made it difficult for them to be within each other's sight. As a result, Sukh declined the offer to participate in Al-Fitar's mission.

 

Gin-Jo, his niece Phubi, and Bayan, together with her friend Minh and a few sohei set out for Salt Springs. Thanks to the help of a group of nomads, they navigated the difficult trip through the Painted Canyon.  They followed the course of a narrow river for three days, then camped at a ford where the river was joined by a major tributary. That night, they were awakened by a mysterious howling, which echoed through the canyon, obscuring its source. As soon as dawn broke, the travelers were ready to move on; pressing hard, they reached Salt Springs as the sun was setting.

Homecoming Part 9 (Finale and a new beginning)

 The surprise attack on Byxata did not go as the Traldars had expected.  Somehow, the Hutakaans had been ready.  Kfaz was there, leading a well-organized defense.  The defenders targeted Ben-Kraal with javelins and sling stones.  He was knocked from his mount and half-trampled.  The Traldars called off the attack and retreated.  They had the wherewithal to shield Be-Kraal and hoist his half-dead body onto a mount.  A few of the boldest warriors urged their lizards to climb up the town walls to guard the retreat of the main body.  While there were few casualties, the Traldars returned to Ronkan in defeat.

The party received little blame.  There was talk of a traitor who must have alerted the Hutakaans.  But the loudest talk was about Ben-Kraal and his poor decision to lead his warriors into a trap.

Sukh, Ginjo, and Phubi pushed their way intot he tower and Ben-Kraal's sickroom.  They warned him of the seditious talk about him. He shrugged it off.  He would be challenged to a duel and killed and a new leader would be selected.  It was the Traldar way.  After a nod from Ginjo, Phubi pulled out the scroll she had found in the middle. She read it over Ben-Kraal.  In a flash of white fire, the scrool was consumed and all in the room felt fully invigorated.  Ben-Kraal jumped out of bed, fully healed.  He strode down the stairs, but assumed an awkward, wincing gait as he met the crowd outside.

As predicted, there was a challenge.  The two men stripped naked and began to fight.  Ben-Kraal sustained a couple punched, shook his head and then took hold of his challenger and threw him to the ground.  His challenger stood up only to be punched in the face and knocked to the ground again. The challenger pulled himself to his feet and the crowd took a breath, expecting Ben-Kraal to finish him off.

Instead the sturdy warrior took a few steps back.  "Today I learned the value of mercy.  Maybe some of you."

Some were angry, some were inspired, most were confused, but all had to respect Ben-Kraal's decision not to finish the fight.  The challenger knew better than to claim the mantle of leadership.  It would stay with Ben-Kraal.

The next day, Sukh and Ginjo pressed Ben-Kraal with the urgency of returning to the temple. In his study of the books, Ginjo read about a powerful enemy of the ancient Hutaakans, one who had lived for centuries and whose power, it seemed, still lingered.  This was an evil mage named Acererak.who after transforming himself into an undead being, had continued to develop his arcane powers. Also for centuries, the Hutaakans had been researching how to destroy him and had developed certain magic items for this purpose.  Sukh and Ginjo wanted to visit the temple once mre, with the key, find the Hutakaan treasury, and hopefully those items.

Ben-Kraal was surprised that Sukh was no longer pressing him to make peace witht he Hutakaans but instead plotting to loot their temple.

"I know them and I know you.  You are honorable.  When we visited the temple together, you fought beside us."

Ben-Kraal agreed that Sukh and Ginjo should loot the temple.  "But do not return here."  He apologized to the bakemono for their rough treatment. "If there are other people outside this valley that are more like you than like us, than your promised land must also be elsewhere. Leave us to our petty war."

There was no public goodbye.  Ben-Kraal insisted that the Traldars must believe that the party would be returning that night laden with treasure.  He provided four lizard mounts to help carry the load.

So the party returned once more to the temple.  They found the treasury behind the altar and used the key to gain access.  Ginjo was disappointed at the lack of weapons, but compensated himself by collecting thousands of gold coins and ingots, filling up a dirty old sack that was conveniently draped over one arm of an ornate wooden throne.  He was even more disappointed later when he opened the sack later and found all of his treasure had disappeared.  But rather than cast it aside, Sukh suggested that it might come in handy someday.  They were also puzzled by a wooden rod, light and brittle, and carved with a single magic sigil.  A mystery for another day.

The party loaded the food and supplies that would be the bulk of their treasure, plus a small coffer of gems that Sukh had deliberately not placed in the devouring sack and said goodbye to the lost valley.  They climbed on top of the temple and that up the side of the valley, taking the same trail by which they had seen the Master's minions arrive and depart. 

With the help of the giant footpad lizards, scaling the peaks of the Lost Valley was an achievable feat.  The travelers descended into an oven-hot sandy desert.  Traversing a nightmare landscape of burnt-out villages and rotten oases, the party soon became homesick for Ronkan.  As their water supplies ran low, they realized it was too far to go back and they could only press forward.  By powers beyond their ken, they encountered a party of riders who, after some initial wariness, took ity on the strange wanderers.  They shared water and explained they were scout in the army of Barack Al-Fitar, fighting a desperate hit-and-run-run-run campaign to defend their land against the depredations of a sinister warlord, called by his minions by only the name "Master" and with no knowable objective other than destruction.

Ginjo offered that he and his friends had also encountered and fought against the Master's minions.  And he was eager to continue to fight against them.  

And so the party was introduced to al-Fitar and, inducted into his army.  Al-Fitar showed himself to be "tough but fair," demanding strict discipline among his troops, but granting the party latitude and autonomy based on their experience and willingness to commit to the the cause.  In particular, he made it clear that although the four bakemono shamans resembled many of the Master's minions, they should be judged by their individual characters, rather than this resemblance.  He excepted the party from the most demanding aspect of army life, while warning them that he would soon be asking them to perfomr a very dangerous mission.

Homecoming Part 8

 Ginjo and Sukh spent several weeks resting in Ronkan and giving their retinues the chance to celebrate their accomplishments. The Traldar cautiously ventured outside their houses after nightfall, relieved that the walking dead had finally found rest. But there was clearly still a great evil to confront.  As Ginjo had predicted, the tentacled monster became more active.  Sukh and Ginjo, after conferring with Ben-Kraal, decided that they should give the Hutakaan a chance to join in destroying the common enemy.

So one fine day, Ginjo, Sukh and company made their way to Byxata.  They were welcomed.  "We knew that you would come when you were ready for the truth."  Several Hutakaan families opened up their homes.  The high Priestess Kfaz invited the bakemono shamans to share her dwelling.

Kfaz was reluctant to join with the Traldar for any reason.  "It was their ancestors who released the monster in the first place, why should we expect a better outcome this time?"

An agreement was made that the party would meet Kfaz at the temple.  And the party would travel via Ronkan so Sukh could ask Ben-Kraal to contribute help.

As Kfaz had predicted, Ben-Kraal refused. "We risked our neck with the ghosts and zombies, it's their turn!"  He also warned Sukh against leaving the temple with the Hutakaans during thenight. "Enter in daylight and leave in daylight."

So Sukh and Ginjo together with their followers, met the Hutakaans and entered the temple.  Sukh had made a careful and so they explored the crypt and other places the party had visited with the Traldars.  There was no obvious way to track down and fight the tentacled monster, except by going into the dark pit.   In discussing various options, Kfaz learned that Ginjo had taken books from the temple library and the two began to argue.  The argument seemed ready to come to blows when Sukh noticed several tentacles emerging from the pit. Dripping with sticky slime, one tentacle caught Irak and another caught Dew Blossom.  Immediately their companions charged with their weapons and began hacking at the hideously writhing appendages.  The tentacles were like thick, slippery leather.  All but the strongest blows slid or bounced off harmlessly.  Meanwhile additional tentacles emerged until the entire monster, a huge green mass, a bloated stomach studded with teeth and dripping slime and acid, crawled out of the pit.  The heroes charged toward this horror, shielding their helpless friends from the gnashing teeth while hacking at the disgusting monster.  One-by-one, they cleaved the tentacles from the body of the monster, leaving it helples and then stabbed it with spears until it fell still.  Only when the monster was dead, did the Hutakaans approach it.  They had seen the large key embedded in its gullet.  And when Ginjo also reached for the key, a struggle ensued.  Ginjo slipped out of the Hutakaan's grip and dropped her onto the body of the monster.  The gelatinous mass jiggled and slid into the pit, carrying the hutakaan with it.

Later, Sukh was say that more outrageous than anything else was Kfaz's cavalier attitude with regard to her own assistant.  The high priestess sniffed, "It seems the key will remain in the temple for now."

"Don't you want to do anything about this?"  Sukh demanded.  And then Sukh asked for assistance in getting into the cage.

They lowered Sukh into the pit and a darkness so deep, he couldn't see his own legs.  He asked them to lower him under and then pull him right back up.  The darkness, below the top of the pit, was complete, even with a torch, but Sukh re-emerged unscathed with the torch still burning.    He asked them to lower him further and then to pull him up when he shook the chain. Bo Jing and Saw turned the winch until the chain went slack.  A few seconds later the chain began to shake and they winded it back up.  

Sukh was relieved but disappointed.  "I reached the bottom and it was still dark.  I couldn't see anything and the ground was slimy beneath me.  I listened for the breathing of our companion, but heard nothing.  Sadly, she must be dead."

Kfaz and the other priestess shrugged and left the temple.  The sky, visible through the hole in the dome, was still dark and so the party, remembering Ben-Kraal's warning, remained in the temple to wait the dawn.  

As the Hutakaans were gone, Sukh began laughing and pulled out the slime-cvered key that he'd tucked into his tunic.  It was dark at the bottom of the pit, he confessed, but not pitch black.  In the flickering light of the torch, he'd seen the crumbled body of the unfortunate hutakaan priestess, and , emerging from the dissolving  mass of the monster, the large, oddly-shaped key.  Phubi revealed that sshe, too, had located, a fantastic schedule, a set of scrolls with powerful healing powers, including a chant for calling someone back from the brink of death to full health.

About an hour later, as the sky turned pink, the party left the temple, very cautious and weapons at the ready.  They were ambushed-- badly-- by a group of Traldars waiting on the roof.  One spear glanced off Gentle Foot's shoulder.  The Traldars called out an apology.  Sukh was angry and suspicious, but accepted the Traldars' apology on the condition that they return to Ronkan with the Traldars leading the way.

The Traldar complied, and by their conduct when they reached Ronkan, proved that they were not shapeshifters.  Most of the warriors of Ronkan were gone, and those that remained were in an expectant mood.  The reason, one giddy Traldar matron revealed, is that the day had come to extinguish the Hutakaan.  Having learned that Kfaz was gone from Byxata, Bem-Kraal and a large party had rode out at dawn to attack the Hutakaans.  Without their leadere to protect and lead them, the jackal-headed tyrants would be slaughtered!  Every dog bitch and pup!

Sukh resolved not to tell the Traldars about the key.

Homecoming Part 7

As the Traldar warmed to the visitors, they explained that the Hatukaan’s main temple lay not far away. “We will not allow them to return because if they do, they will summon all the dead to their evil work.”

Sukh and Ginjo were curious and decided to see the temple for themselves. A few traldars, mounted on lizards showed them the way. The temple was a two-story building. The domed roof had been badly damaged by a large landslide. As they drew closer, they noticed a gathering of people on top of the dome. They were about 20 and had the canine heads of the hutakaan and the muscular bodies of the traldar. In other words, they looked like hyena-headed bakemono from the Caves of Discord. They seemed to have just arrived in the valley—the dozen or so on the roof were being joined by others rappelling down the cliffs.

Sukh and Ginjo engaged the surprise visitors, with Ginjo explaining that the Traldar and Hutakan were engaged in civil war. The visitors explained that they were under the banner of the Master and that whichever side pledged allegiance to him would surely come out on top in any local conflict. The traldar guides, objecting to the conversation rode back to Ronkan. Sukh did his best to licit information from the hyeana-headed visitors but they seemed to have little to offer expect that, yes, the flying women were also part of the Master’s forces.

Sukh and Ginjo decided that they should also return to Ronkan. They were met with outrage and derision, accused of giving away secrets to the enemy. Ben-Kraal quieted the rabble and asked for a more in-depth briefing, but this was unnecessary as the hyaena-men soon arrived in person.

Ben-Kraal order that they should be provided hospitality and gave them an empty house to use as they wished (the same one where that tentacled monster had recently attacked) while he considered their offer of alliance with the unseen Master.

Ben-Kraal confided to Sukh and Bo-Jing his belief that the conflict of the valley would soon come to a head. And as long as the valley was haunted by the undead—whom he believed were controlled by the hutakaan, it would be impossible to consider negotiating peace. He believed that the undead would be put to rest through a special ritual inside the temple. To conduct the ritual, they needed water from the singing pool. Unfortunately, it was impossible to get to the singing pool and back within one day—and the Traldar dared not be caught out in the valley after dark . . .

Bo-Jing volunteered to lead a small group to the singing pool while Sukh provided support in Ronkan lest the hyaena men caused any trouble. The hyeana men were loud and boisterous, but in their crude unaffected manners and apparent martial prowess, they earned some begrudging respect among the Traldar.

Sukh was suspicious that something else was going on and patrolled the village with Phru, making many visits to the roof of Ben-Kraal’s tower. He sensed an invisible presence in the tower and called an alarm. In a burst of fire, that presence showed itself, a woman dressed in dazzling red and gold robes. She too declared her allegiance to the Master and warned the people of Ronkan that they must accept accept his authority. When Sukh and Phru attacked her, she ensnared them in a giant spider’s web and then blasted her way out of the tower, killing most of Ben-Kraal’s most trusted advisors. The hyena men burst out of their house and charged out of the village, while the flying women swooped down from the cliffs. Sukh chased the woman to a tower balcony and stabbed her twice before she escaped on the back of one of the flying women. Sukh ran back to the top of the tower to help Phru but was too late. She saw two of the women flying off with his lifeless body and a third with his axe.

The next day, groups of Traldar war parties set out with an unelaborated mission to “find out what’s going on!” One group returned late in the day with a badly-beatan Hutakaan. They put him in the same house that had been occupied by the hyaena men and deliberated over how to make him “tell what he knows about the fire witch!”

Ginjo returned in the evening. His missin had been a success. He cautioned the Traldar against torturing the Hutakaan prisoner. “Just because you make him talk doesn’t mean you can make him tell you the truth. If you hurt him he will only tell you what you already think.” Ben-Kraal agreed and ordered that the torture should cease. “We have a more important job to do now.”

The next day, a large group set out for the temple, including Sukh and Bo-Jing and their entire retinues, plus Ben-Kraal and six of his best warriors. They entered by breaking down the front door where they met a dozen zombies, most of them hutaakans, but one of them a reanimated hyena man. While the Traldar hesitated outside, Sheng and Shek held the doors half open so that Sukh and Bojing could fight the zombies in small groups, while Phubi castigated any that managed to escape the gauntlent. Ben-Kraal was thoroughly impressed by the combination of tactics and bravery; ordered his men to assist the fight. Together, the group destroyed the zombies while suffering only a few minor wounds. Gentle foot and the other bakemono shaman were glad to tend to these wounds and together the group entered the temple itself.

They soon found themselves in the main sanctuary—a large room, under the cracked dome with a pit in the middle surrounded by blue flames. Sukh found the stone altar, at the foot of a monumental statute of a jackal-head man. But there was no bowl to hold the water from the singing pool.


It was time to explore more thoroughly. While being harassed by more undead and quasi-sentient puddles of gray ooze that corroded boots and armor, they found a library full of books describing the history of the Hutakaans, at least from their point of view. While looking for clues about the golden bowl, Ginjo stumbled upon the story of his own family. Centuries ago, the Hutakaan held authority in the lowlands in a kingdom that included the tiny village of Pasar. The stubborn and ungrateful humans resisted everything the Hutakaans tried to teach them and when they did learn something, managed to forget that they had learned it from the Hutakaans. Some of the most ungrateful humans began to gather in secret, and made an evil plan to kill their teachers and destroy their most beautiful works. At almost the last minute, two of the plotters, Kwam-Rak and Tral-Dar, realized the error of their ways and confessed everything to their masters. The other plotters were captured and punished. Kwam-Rak and Tral-Dar were rewarded. Kwam-Rak was given authority over the lowland humans. Tral-Dar was invited to retire with the most learned of the Hutakaans to the Hidden Valley. Bojing considered these treasures were valuable than gold and he stowed as many as he could in his backpack, asking Phubi and the bakemono shaman to do the same.

Elsewhere in the temple, in a half-collapsed corridor, they stumbled upon the long-dead body of a Hutakaan priestess in all her temple finery, clutching a golden bowl. When Sukh grabbed for the bowl, the spirit of the priestess rose to attack. Her chilling touch drained a part of his very lifeforce. Most weapons were unable to harm the vengeful spirit. Saw, with the magical spear taken from the bull-man was able to pin the spirit to the ground and destroy it.

When the party returned to the sanctuary, they met additional undead, including re-animated bird-woman wielding Phru’s axe. The battle was quick and brutal. Phubi held most of the zombies at bay while the rest of the party fanned out and shot them with arrows. And when the battle was over, an argument broke out. Bojing had read the books from the library and he now understood that the the undead were temple guardians. If they were destroyed, a more terrible evil would be unleashed. He would rather fight squads of ambling zombies than even see whatever terrible thing lived in the pit. Sukh argued with him, but when he ran out of facts, made a dash for the altar and filled the golden bowl with water from the singing pool. Bo Jing tried to stop him but the Traldar “accidentally” stepped into his way. Sukh placed the bowl on the later and pronounced the words that involuntarily came to his lips. The sanctuary was bathed in a soft, golden glow. Everyone felt a little calmer. Some a lot calmer. Bo Jing just a very little tiny bit calmer. And he still thought Sukh was an idiot.

Homecoming Part 6

Ginjo, Sukh, together with Irak, Shek, and Vanilla Rainbow ventured out to observe the “jackalhead” ceremony. The other bakemono were required to stay in Ronkan and Phru and Saw protecting them. Following the directions of their hosts, the party found the ruins of a temple, reduced nearly to its foundations. Weaving around the half-columns and around a circular fire pit, a dozen fox-headed creatures chanted in a low drone, taking turns shouting out ecstatic phrases in a language that Ginjo barely recognized as bakemono though he identified only a few individual words.

Sukh cautiously walked down the slope and onto the floor of temples, holding out his open hands.

One of the fox-headed people stopped abruptly and raised up her own hands, and shouted out, “Behold, they have come!” The other chanters fell silent and all looked to the speaker, a tall and slender being, wearing robes trimmed with silver.

Sukh murmured a bakemono greeting and Ginjo came down the slope to join them.

The silver-robed bakemono uttered a series of friendly but unintelligible sentences.

After a few minutes of awkward pleasantries, the party determined that the speaker was trying to speak to them in Pasari, though her pronunciation was very strange. Ginjo asked how she had come to know his language.

“Your language? My ancestors taught your people how to speak. And sing and dance. We helped you develop laws, planned your cities and roads. All the systems you traverse.”

Her name was Kfadz and she listened eagerly as Ginjo told her about his family, about the caves of discord and about the carpet by which they had found their way to the bakemono homeland.

Kfadz and the others explained that they were the Hatukaan, and they were indeed ensnared in a war against the ungrateful Traldar. “As you have no doubt seen, they are brutish people. They refused to learn anything and rather than apply their animal strength to useful labor, demand to make their own way, destroying the beautiful things by which we once hoped to bring them up to a better way of being.”

Sukh expressed his hope that a peace could be negotiated. He declined the initiation to accompany the hatukaan back to their own settlement of Byxata, explaining that they had friends back in Ronkan. “But we will find a way to get out and come to Byxata.”

The party returned to Ronkan and reported that they had witnessed the ceremony and that it did not involve the summoning of undead monsters. Ben-Kraal sneered that they had been tricked by the jackalheads. The party began discussing how they would escape. They stayed up all night to watch the guard changes. In the middle of tne night they heard a scream coming from one of the houses. Ginjo broke down the door and found a Traldar teenager in the coils of a slimy green tentacle that was pulling her toward a dark hole in the floor. While her family clung to her desperately, Ginjo drew his katana and leaped into action. The tentacle was thick and tough, barely yielding to the katana’s edge while another tentacle burst through the floor and smacked Ginjo to the floor. Phru entered the house, pulled Ginjo to his feet and together they chopped at the tentacles until freed the girl. They fled the house and watched from outside as the tentacles thrashed about before finally withdrawing into the floor.

The Traldar complimented Ginjo on his valiance. After some reluctance, they admitted that the tentacled monster made appearance on almost a weekly basis, and attributed its attacks to the jackalhead magic.

The party spent a few more days in Ronkan, giving Ginjo a chance to recover from his fight with the monster. A fw days later, a strange flying woman appeared above the village. The Traldar instinctively raised the spears to hurl at her, but as she descended, she began to sing and they dropped their spears to stare at her stupidly. Sukh, shaking off the charm of her song, raised his bow and begin shooting arrows at her, driving her away. He recommended that the wall guards should begin plugging their ears with wax to avoid being deceived by any future attacks. Furthermore, he recommended that one of the “vocals”—whose voice could easily be heard from anywhere in the village and drown out any other noise—join the guards and pay special attention to any threats form the sky. Ben-Kraal was impressed by these suggestions and ordered that they should be done.

Homecoming Part 4

 The silver needle, when inserted into Kwam-Rak carpet, slipped out of Ginjo's and, seemingly with a mind of its own, began to embroider the carpet with a golden thread.  The thread grew as the needle worked, passing over every square inch of the carpet to add line, shading, definition, even the illusion of flowing water and fluttering leaves.  The abstract shapes became a map and a beautiful landscape on which well-known landmarks were clearly visible including Lake Pasar, the Cave of Discord and hundreds of villages including the Kwam-Rak compound.  Pasar itself was only a small village and the map did not show the empires to the west or their roads.  The needle finished its work in the jungle near Lake Pasar, seemingly at the exact point where Ginjo now stood in the Monastery of the Two-Fold Path.  Ginjo and Sukh agreed that they must show the carpet-map to their bakemono friends.

By the time they reached the bakemonos' lair in the forest, the needle had moved. It had embroidered a pathway, using tiny letters in a script form of bakemono: "Now is the time for the dear ones to reconcile and return home."

Sukh and Ginjo discussed the matter with their bakemono friends and decided that they would use the carpet to find their way to the bakemono homeland together.  Sheng and Shek, plus Irak and a few other sohei would join them.

Relying on the carpet as a guide, the travelers returned to the Caves of Discord and the Shrine of the death cult, where they found a blocked tunnel.  Working diligently, they moved enough boulders and rubble to reveal a passage deep under ground.  After provisioning themselves with torches from the stores of the death cult, they ventured into the hidden underground highway.  They followed its course for many miles, soon realizing that they must conserve their torches by allowing the bakemono to lead the way while the darkness-blind humans made do with the light of glowing embers.

They spent two nights in the tunnel, crossed an underground river and found themselves in a maze of smaller tunnels.  As with the expansion of Pasar into a large town and the blockage in the shrine of the death cult, the carpet-map did not show this presumably more recent construction.  The maze seemed to be part of an abandoned mine.  The party lit additional torches to find their way and fought off attacks from an enormous, half-invisible spider.  They found their way at last by following a draft of pure air.  They came upon a wide tunnel slanted upward at a steep enough angle that a trickle of water ran steadily down it.  Following that tunnel they emerged on a blustery cliffside in the middle of the night.  After spending the night inside the tunnel, and waiting for the dawn, they ventured outside once more.  According to the carpet-map they were still on the right way, and would follow a path on the side of a cliff for several more days.  

At the end of those days, the travelers were confronted with another disconnect between the map and current reality.  The beautiful stone bridge that arched over the chasm to a pair of enormous iron doors had collapsed.  The party camped, rested, and discussed what to do.  Sukh had recovered a few magic potions from the lair of the bull monster.  According to wise woman he'd consulted in Pasar two of the potions had properties that might assist them in crossing the ravine.  

The party had enough rope that they climb down the wall of the ravine without expending any of their magical resources.  Despite a couple close calls, everyone reached the bottom safely.  They drank deeply from the river and rested on the soft grass.  Then they prepared to climb the other side.

Ginjo drank a long draught of dank, frothy liquid and within a minute, grew to five or six times his normal size.  His clothing and possessions-- including the rope-- also grew in size.  Climbing up the the other side of the ravine was a strenuous challenge, especially with Irak holding onto him.  But he was large enough and strong enough to use the ledges and outcropping like the steps on a ladder.  When he reached a large enough ledge half way up, Irak let the rope down and helped the others climb up it.  Then Ginjo and Irak repeated the maneuver to reach another ledge near the top.  The ledge at the very top was the too narrow and unstable to support the enlarged Ginjo.  He gave Irak a push and helped ther others climb up to the to ledge.  Then when the potion wore off and he returned to his normal size, Ginjo joined them by way of the rope.  

Now it was Sukh's turn to make use of a magic potion. He unstoppered a small glass vial and tossed back a dull blue liquid that turned to mist as it poured into his mouth.  As Sukh inhaled the thick mist, he too turned into mist and, in the form of a dull blue cloud, rose up and over the pair of tall iron doors.  For a moment, he took on the sight of the bakemono homeland.  His vision was blurred, but he could make out a verdant valley that matched the carpet-map, with towns and roads and other small structures dotted throughout.  He was not able to see any movement or detect signs of life.  Not knowing ow long the potion's effect would last, he descended to the ground on the other side of the doors.

On the inside, the doors were flanked by a pair of eight-foot jade statues-- humanoids with the head's of foxes or jackals.  These figures looked like what Sukh would call bakemono but their flowing robes, haughtily serene demeanors, and especially the artistry of the statues themselves were suggestive of something very different from anything Sukh had encountered in the Caves of Discord or his kind-hearted but simple friends.  Sukh was distracted from his musings by a chortle of laughter from Dew Blossom and Gentle Foot on the other side of the doors, still held shut by an iron bar.  With a shout, he heaved the bar off its brackets and called to his companions.  They pushed their way inside as the jade statues came to life.  

Relying on battle-tested tactics, Sukh and Ginjo each attacked one of the statues directly with a flurry of aggressive slashes while their companions made coordinated flanking attacks.  The jade statues were terrifying opponents, the faces set in fearless disdain but they fell to ruin under the rain of blows. They had reached the lost valley of the bakemono.

Immediately before them was a collection of stone buildings, the beauty of their proportion and precise construction still evident in their ruined state.  For they were ruined.  Roofs were missing, walls had collapsed, moss grew thickly, and, as they wandered into the town, they found the streets strewn with rubble, a tree growing from a dry fountain.  Looking closer, it seemed the destruction was deliberate.  Carvings and frescoes were deliberately defaced and marked by graffiti, in a style reminiscent, in form, style, and substance, of the Caves of Discord.

Welcome home?

Homecoming Part 3

 Ginjo and Sukh decided they would look for the needle in the Caves of Discord.  Based on their experiences with the bakemono, they reasoned that it would most likely be found with the strongest bakemono, the bear-like "kidnapper gang" that had captured Shek.  In their investigation, they learned that this group had only become bolder after the destruction of the Death Cult and the dispersion of the other bakemono groups.  They were regularly attacking human villages to obtain captives.  At least one village was offering a bounty.  Ginjo and Sukh decided that they would leave this problem to other adventurers and maintained a focus on finding the magic needle, which the inscription on the carpet  described as being made of silver.

They visited the "kidnapper" of "bear" bakemono and were welcomed gratefully.  The kidnappers proclaimed that they had several humans to sell. And their price had only increased slightly since the last time.  When Ginjo let it be known that they were more interested in a magic needle and that they had the carpet, the bear bakemono became talking over each other, some of them clamoring to see the carpet, with others shouting out prices to sell the needle, and one still threatening to sell the humans to another buyer who wanted to eat them. Sukh led the negotiation for the captives while Ginjo hinted that the magic needle looked like any other old needle.  Together they came up with an offer for the humans and agreed that they would come back soon to buy the needle.

The captives were a man and wife who lived on the other side of Pasar.  They required frequent rests and made repeated requests for "better food."  As they reached their home village, they chided the party for ransoming them.  "You know it only encourages them to raid us because they know they can get money.  What you should do is go and kill them all."

Sukh and Ginjo decide to leave this ambiguous and returned to the bear bakemono cave.  The needle presented was old and rusty. When Ginjo said he was looking for a silver needle, the bakemono tried to tell him it was silver, but needed to be polished.  Sukh and Ginjo debated buying the rusty needle, but decided they could always return and buy it later.  The references to people-eating monster who was also interested in buying captives made them wonder if this monster was the keeper of the needle.    If they killed the monster and didn't find the needle, they would only be in a better position to bargain with the bakemono.

Based on conversations with their bakemono friends, Sukh and Ginjo deduced that the people eater lived in the labyrinth where Liu-Po had been killed by giant beetles.  Ginjo warned that their foe would be a formidable one to live in such a strange place and share it with such  hideous creatures. But Sukh avowed that he would face any dangers with his sword ready.  Perhaps both thought of Gunjar, who had been Ginjo's first companion in exploring the Caves of Discord.  Ginjo missed the holy man, but he appreciated Sukh's wisdom in battle and felt confident knowing that together they were leading a well-disciplined group of warriors.

On an auspicious day, at about mid-morning, they entered the maze of the monster, a creature described as a powerfully-built man with the head of a bull.  Sukh did his best to map the narrow, twisty corridors, but soon found the effort made him dizzy.  They pushed onward by trial-and-error, avoiding the tell-tale red glow of the giant beetles.

After at least an hour of walking in circles, they found themselves in large cavern.  Their flickering torches created strange shadows that danced on the walls beside crude drawing of the foe they were hunting and the many victims he had hunted before them.  A pungent, bestial scent hung in the air, soon broken by the sounds of aggressive snorting and stomping.  Ginjo order the sohei and mercenary to spread out and find places to hide themselves.  He and Sukh stepped boldly into the middle of the cavern and drew their swords.

From out of the darkness, the monster charged, wielding a thick-shafted spear with a blade nearly as long as a sword.  Sukh whirled to miss the point of the spear whereupon the monster lowered its head and gored him with its horns.  Sukh was knocked to the floor and struggled to get up as Ginjo closed, slashing at the monster's back, opening two great wounds.  Bellowing in pain and rage, the monster turned.  Sukh and Ginjo mastered their fear and flanked the monster, taking turns withstanding its powerful blows while the other slashed and stabbed, remaining close enough to prevent it from gathering speed to charge.  Just as the monster was faltering, Ginjo was struck in the face with the butt of the spear and fell on his back.  Sukh, fighting to stay on his own feet was slow to come to his aid, and this was the moment for Phru to shine.  Chanting a prayer from the monastery of the two-fold path, he led the other sohei in a surprise charge against the monster.  Dropping its spear, it thrashed and kick like a pure animal as the sohei's spear found its heart.  The monster was dead.

They rested and explored the monster's lair, at last finding a boulder that concealed a cahce of strange treasures-- foreign coins, weird elixirs, and a small ebony box that held a silver needle with a thread of gold.  Ginjo gratefully granted the monster's spear to Phru.  Together, they collected all the coins they could carry and made their way of the labyrinth and back to Pasar. eager to test the needle.

Homecoming Part 2

 Ginjo spent a few days studying the Kwam-Rak family heirloom that had been entrusted to him, a beautifully-crafted carpet.  He puzzled over the design, seemingly abstract, but seemingly real.  He puzzled over the border, a complicated script that he recognized from the book he'd studied to learn Bakemono.  He recognized the individual words, but had trouble finding a meaning that matched the usually brutish and most often simple perspective of the bakemono he'd encountered in the Caves of Discord.

After consulting with Sukh, he decided to seek out his Bakemono friends, the four disciples of Gunjar who had helped him defeat the Death Cult.  He found them in their new home deep in the forest, in a cramped hollow beneath an enormous and vine-covered fallen tree.  When Ginjo described the carpet, the Bakemono were at-once eager to hear about it and reluctant to share what they knew.  Vanilla Rainbow sneered at the others, "Why waste our time on the old stories when we have a new one to tell?"  This confirmed for Ginjo and Sukh that there was a story and they decided they would bring the carpet to the bakemono.

When this was done, even Vanilla Rainbow could not hide her interest.  Ginjo shared the story that he had heard from Pau-Lung and the bakemono nodded.

Gentle Foot interpreted the border inscription.  The carpet was a map, a map to the bakemono homeland.

"But we need the needle," Vanilla Rainbow interrupted, "and the needle is lost!"

The needle, as Gentle Foot explained, would complete the carpet and show the way to the bakemono homeland.  "When the time is right."

Ginjo and Sukh heard four stories about the fate of the needle.

1. It was still held by the strongest bakemono.  
2. It was given to a powerful monster for safe-keeping.
3. It was hidden in a foul, disgusting place where no non-bakemono would dare to go.
4. It was lost and would never be found.

Homecoming Part 1

 Besides rescuing Irak, Ginjo and Sukh recovered an abundance of treasure from the Death Cult. Ginjo resolved to visit his family and make a suitable gift, so that he might share the honor he had recently received with the people who had given him life and a disciplined upbringing.  His family was comfortable and prosperous; they owned good farmland, which they leased to about twenty families.  But this land was far from the comforts of civilization and surrounded by untamed jungle.  As landowners, his family bore the responsibility of protecting the farmers from both he beasts of the jungle and the hunter tribes who did not respect the labor of the farmer.   Ginjo knew that gifts of gold coins from faraway places, sparkling gemstones, and fine silks would bring some excitement to lives that were honorable, but often difficult. Sukh was glad to accompany his comrade, as were Sheng, Shek, Irak, and a few other sohei.  They traveled to the backcountry in a heavy-laden small flat boat, paddling upriver over a few days.  

They reached the homestead at the end of the day and found it bathed in an orange glow. A beautiful sunset? Perhaps, but the column of dark smoke and sound of screaming told Ginjo that his family was under attack.  Rushing to their aid, the party was attacked by a large group of well-armed hunters.  Ginjo and Sukh held them off while their associates carried their burdens through the gates of the fortified homestead. 

Once the party was safely inside, they met Ginjo's uncle Pau-Lung who briefly explained the situation. The forest hunters had long been a problem for the Kwam-Rak since they saw little difference between gathering wild fruits and stealing bags of rice, shooting a deer and shooting someone's milking goat. But this was different.  More than a raid, these were organized war parties, from at least two different tribes, with vicious dogs, flaming arrows, and incessant drumming.  One wall had been breached, several farmers had been killed, the other tenants were huddled inside the main house.

Ginjo asked to lead the defense of the walls, leaving Pau-Lung and the Kwam-Rak family to protect their tenants. Having seen Ginjo's battle prowess, Pau-Lung agreed.

Night fell.  Outside the Kwam-Rak stronghold, and screened by the trees, bonfires burned on all four sides.  The various groups of hunter-raiders took turns chanting and drumming, their menacing conversation denying anyone inside the stronghold the comfort of sleep.  Close to midnight, Sukh, from his rooftop watchpoint, called the alarm.  The hunters were making a two-pronged attack, charging two places where the stockade wall had already been breached.  Sukh led Sheng and Shek in repelling the attackers with arrows while Ginjo and Irak led the sohei in defending the breaches.  The wild and undisciplined hunters were surprised and dismayed to meet such well-armed and courageous defenders.  Those who evaded Sukh’s arrows suffered Ginjo’s blade.  The balance were routed and the forest to the south side of stockade fell quiet.

The Hunter-Raiders made several other sorties throughout the night, but all were soundly repelled.  Pau-Lung hinted that attackers were under the sway of a sinister force from outside the area.  Attacks by giant bats shortly before dawn seemed to confirm.  The raiders’ final attack, using ladders to scale the stockade wall was fearsome, but reckless, showing a disregard for self-preservation on the part of the attackers that left the defenders feeling uneasy even in their victory.  What was driving these men to throw away their lives?

Pau-Lung believed he knew the answer.  Several weeks ago, a merchant had arrived.  He was given a warm welcome.  The Kwam-Rak family had little contact with the outside world so any visitor brought the promise of exciting news about faraway places and this merchant with his rich and outlandish clothes, foreign manners, and retinue of quiet servants was especially captivating.  There was some disappointment when they learned he had little to sell and even more when they learned he had almost nothing to tell.  While obviously learned, he seemed to know nothing about the goings on in Pasar or any other town and had no opinion on the war between the Zhou empires.  Instead he asked questions and his questions soon proved intrusive and oddly knowing.  He believed that the Kwam-Rak family was in possession was in possession of a mysterious carpet with a unique design, an abstract pattern that “becomes nearly recognizable if you stare at it long enough, like a landscape visited in a dream.”  Pau-Lung could not deny that he knew of such a carpet, but refused to consider any offers to sell it, even refused to discuss its whereabouts.  No one had ever seen Pau-Lung so distraught, but the man smiled, promising to return later, “after you’ve had some time to consider all the advantages of letting it go and the disadvantages of keeping it.”

Pau-Lung explained that he did in fact own a mysterious carpet.  He had only seen it once.  His father had show it to him, told him the story of its origin and the reason why it must be kept within the family.

Generations ago, the Kwam-Rak family had been simple jungle hunters.  They were not even a family for they had no name, no land, no legacy.  But the first Kwam-Rak had met a strange creature in the forest and agreed to share his honey with it.  In honor of his hospitality, the creature taught the first Kwam-Rak all the secrets of agriculture, building, metal-working, and more, even house to read, write, and play music.  With the help of this benefactor, the first Kwam-Rak had cleared a plot of fertile land, built a solid house and established himself as the first of his people.  The benefactor promised Kwam-Rak that his family would hold the land in perpetuity.  In return, he only must promise to keep safe a beautiful carpet of exquisite design.  He could not allow it to be harmed and could not sell it or give it to anyone outside the family. 

“Ginjo, you have chosen another life.  Your brother is a good farmer and a good manager.  He will inherit the land, the farm, and family’s wealth.  But you will receive the family’s most precious legacy.  Take it far away from here.  When the stranger returns, I will show him the presents you gave us and tell him that I sold it.  And I know that he will force me to tell him where you have gone, so tell me what I should tell him and nothing more.”

Ginjo agreed to take the carpet.  Pau-Lung gave it to wrapped in rough cloth and asked him not to look at it until he had gone somewhere far away.

Ginjo spent the next few days resting and relaxing with his family.  He learned that his niece Phubi had received the gift of insight and healing.  Pau-Lung asked Ginjo to take her with him.  “She is young, but brave, and the good spirits will not allow her to come to any harm.  Protect her and allow her to protect you.”

Ginjo, Sukh, and their associates left the Kwam-Rak stronghold and went to Pasar, and to the Monastery of the Two-Fold Path.  Ginjo and Sukh secured themselves in their quarters and unwrapped the carpet.  As described, its design was abstract, bearing lines and shapes and fields of colors in no clear pattern.  What had not been described was the border of red with golden letters that Ginjo recognized as the Bakemono language.

The Caves of Inharmonious Discord, Part 8 (Two Prisoners)

The next day, the party returned to the shrine of the Death Cult. They were met by one of the adepts and eight skeletons. Seeing the four bakemono, the adept asked the party to wait while he summoned the supreme leader. As soon as the adept was out of sight, Ginjo attacked the skeletons, swiftly dispatching two of them. The rest of the party joined him in laying the bones definitively to rest; then they quickly made their way to the receiving room where they had met the supreme leader the previous day.

When they arrived, four adepts were busy summoning a large group of skeletons and zombies. Ginjo led the attack against the adepts and their minions, while Sukh, accompanied by Shek and Sheng, tore through a series of smaller rooms until they found the supreme leader in his private chambers, starting to don his armor. Relying on his evil powers, he was able to incapacitate Sheng and Shek, but Sukh fought with determination and courage, slashing at him with his sword and smashing up the furniture while driving him forcefully into a corner and killing him.

Out in the reception room, Ginjo concentrated his attacks on the adepts while the sohei fought the skeletons and zombies. Using superior tactics, four of the sohei held the bulk of the mindless undead at bay, allowing only one or two to fight at a time so they could be destroyed by the others.

When the battles were over, the party declared an uneasy victory. The supreme leader was dead, and most, if not all, of his minions had been destroyed. But there was no sign of Irak. While debating what to do next, who should run into the room but their “friend” Pana. His robe was torn and his face bruised.

“They’re coming!” he cried. “The other priests! They’re going to kill us all!”

Sukh pointed his sword at Pana’s throat and demanded, “Where is Irak?”
Pana didn’t want to answer—and didn’t need to. A heavy clanking sound announced the arrival of four more skeletons in rusty armor, followed by three priests in red robes and three zombies. Ginjo ordered the sohei to adopt a defensive position against the skeletons’ charge. Then he launched a counterattack, routing the three priests, whose flight was hampered by their own zombies.

In the confusion of battle, Sukh noticed that Pana had disappeared. Quickly deciding there was only one place he could have gone, Sukh dashed into the supreme leader’s chambers—sure enough, Pana was there, looting the body of his fallen master.

“It’s what he would have wanted,” Pana offered, tossing a handful of coins and gems at Sukh before pushing a panel to open a hidden passage.

Out in the hallway, the sohei destroyed the skeletons, and Ginjo killed one of the priests while the others fled. Ginjo backed away from the attacking zombies and ducked halfway behind a corner to fight them one at a time. They were much slower than his flashing blade, and he quickly cut them down.

As the last of the zombies fell to the floor, a previously hidden door opened and Pana dashed out. Ginjo brought him down with a flying tackle and began punching him while the sohei gathered to cut off any escape. Sukh emerged from the hidden passage, and the party threatened Pana with death unless he took them to Irak.

Pana agreed. He led them down a wide, echoing corridor and a flight of rough steps into a darker, cramped dungeon. The passage twisted and narrowed. He led them through a series of barred doors to a small chamber. He opened a small window so Ginjo could see the legs of a chained woman inside, then handed him a set of keys.

Ginjo opened the door and rushed in—but the woman was not Irak. She was a horrible monster with snakes for hair. Ginjo stopped himself short, but valiant Sheng met the monster’s eyes and was turned to stone.

Sukh and Shek seized Pana and pulled his arms behind his back before he could even think of fleeing. He pleaded ignorance and begged for another chance to prove himself, but with a more immediate crisis at hand, they simply held him and ignored his arguments.

The snake-woman offered the party a bargain: her freedom in exchange for the elixir that would restore Sheng. Sukh refused.

“We don’t trust you, and we won’t free you until we have the elixir.”

Ginjo resolved the stalemate by charging at her and braving the snakes until he found the elixir. They restored Sheng and left the snake-woman behind, reasoning that she could not be trusted.

Pana led them deeper into the dungeon, into a larger chamber filled with devices of torture. Irak was there. So was the torturer. He had a few words with Pana, then grabbed his axe and rushed at Ginjo. Pana called upon his dark magic and transfixed Sukh.

Ginjo dodged the torturer’s axe and drew his sword. Sheng and Shek fell upon Pana. With Sukh unable to speak and Ginjo engaged in mortal combat, there was no one to answer Pana’s last cries for mercy—and he was swiftly killed. Ginjo, bloodied and exhausted from his previous fights, might have fallen to the heavy blows of the torturer, but the sohei arrived and killed the wicked brute.

Ginjo broke the chains and freed Irak. Meanwhile, the bakemono practiced their recently learned healing arts upon Sukh and massaged his limbs until he could stand and move again.

The party carefully retraced their steps out of the dungeon and into the open air. It was late afternoon, and many of their number were in no shape for a forced march back to Pasar. They climbed higher up the canyon, far enough from the caves to feel relatively safe, and made camp. The most wounded slept while the bakemono tended to them.

In the morning, they hiked back to Pasar. The party thanked the bakemono for their assistance, and the bakemono thanked them for giving them a chance to redeem themselves. They would not return to the caves, but they knew they would not be accepted in human society either. Instead, they would build a hut deep in the forest and live out their days according to what they had learned from the kindly and forgiving Gunjar.

The Caves of Inharmonious Discord, Part 7: "This is all your handiwork"

Sukh, Ginjo, and their band—comprised of on-loan sohei and a few seasoned mercenaries—resolved to return to the cavern lair of the wicked men. This time, they came not as trespassers but with a demand: to know what had become of their missing comrade, Irak.

They were received with unsettling hospitality. The red-and-black robed men welcomed them into the cavern with smiles and gestures of goodwill. Yet behind this show of civility stood scores of undead: reanimated skeletons and corpses that lingered silently, their hollow eyes fixed and obedient. It was clear who held the true power in this place.

The cultists praised the “gifts” Sukh and Ginjo had provided—many of the undead were fallen bakemono, some recognizable as recent foes cut down by the party’s own blades. 

The cult’s leader, a gaunt man with a high brow and a lilting voice, confirmed that he had Irak in his possession. She was unharmed, he claimed—and he had plans for her. As he gestured grandly to the silent ranks of undead lining the cavern walls, his smile widened.

“This is all your handiwork,” he said, his tone oily and reverent. “Your blades. Your decisions. You’ve made a generous offering to death—and we are merely stewards of what you began.”

But—he was willing to negotiate.

He did not ask for money. What he wanted was simple: life for life. Four living bakemono, freely offered, in exchange for the honorable monk.

Sukh and Ginjo agreed. But they had a different plan in mind.

They returned to the shrine at their old campsite—the one tended by the peaceful bakemono who venerated the fallen warrior Gunjar. When the four bakemono emerged to greet them, Sukh and Ginjo explained the situation. They needed help—not as bait, but as allies. They promised no betrayal. The mission was to negotiate for Irak’s release and, if necessary, to fight. No one would be left behind.

Moved by the honor shown to them—and perhaps by Gunjar’s lingering spirit—the bakemono agreed.