The Caves of Inharmonious Discord, Part 6

Back in Pasar, Ginjo and Sukh made a quick plan.  Based on what the bakemono had told Ginjo about the "kidnapper" bakemono, Sukh wanted to approach them about their missing comrades.  He wasn't ready to deal with hordes of undead.  And, by selling one of the gems from the temple, they might have enough cash to ransom their friends from the kidnappers and avoid a lot of unnecessary hassle.  Sheng the mercenary who had spent time with Shek in a bakemono dungeon was eager to join the effort to find his friend.  The group of sohei also agreed to the plan in hopes of rescuing Irak.

Ginjo and Sukh found the kidnapper bakemono and struck a deal.  Unlike some of the other bakemono, these were larger than most men and covered with hair thick hair.  They were cagey negotiators, insisting that the party buy both of their humans sigh unseen, but were willing to accept much less than the party had expected to pay, 100 tael for the pair.  

Happily one of the ransomed captives was Shek.  Sadly, the other was a wild, crazy and belligerent man. The hairy-bear bakemono rolled him down the hill in chains.  As soon as he was released, he struck Sukh, made a grab for his sword and, when thwarted, charged back up the hill to attack his former captors with his chains.

Reasoning that a dog will always return to its vomit, Ginjo and Sukh took this opportunity to hustle Shek to safety and learn his account of his capture.  Shek confirmed their suspicion that the Pana had used strange magic to paralyze himself and Irak and then carried them into the darkness.  They had both been bound with ropes to be carried and force marched through the forest, and reached the Caves near dawn.  It was still dark, and they had encountered a large number of bakemono were cavorting and fighting each other in the open area at the bottom of the canyon.  Shek recounted that Pana had traded away first his two assistants and then Shek in order to keep hold of Irak.  Based on this recount, Sukh and Ginjo deduced that Pana was affiliated with the wicked men who had constructed some kind of temple in one of the caverns high in the canyon.  Ginjo was not eager to return there, having been quite unnerved by the experience of fighting animated skeletons.  But he agreed it was the only way to save Irak and that time was already against them.