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.