Tetsukichi and Salt follow Bo-Jing Part 2 - the Grand Reunion

 Tetsukichi and Salt, disguised as Guardians, joined a group of the Master's soldiers who were pursuing the mysterious foreigners that Tetsukichi and Salt hoped in fact were their friends.

The soldiers were happy and honored to be joined by such learned companions and the group set off. Conversation was awkward as most of the party, despite their disguises could not speak Hun-Yi. However, the white-robed soldiers did not question the apparent reticence of their superiors; they set themselves to their mission and with their locals’ knowledge of the countryside, the group traveled quickly, reaching the banks of a river by the end of the day. Here, the soldiers, explained, they should camp for the night and the make a plan to ford the river the next day.

The travelers, still disguised as Guardians, agreed to the plan and made their own camp some distance from the soldiers. According to Mustapha, the effects of his magic would wane as the sun set.

The soldiers, accepting another rebuff with little protest, made their own camp next to the river, and prepared a fire.  A few hours after sunset, the party noticed another group approaching from the other side of the river.  A woman from the other group called out a greeting, and then asked if any of the soldiers spoke Zhou.  By luck, two of them did and they exchanged banter with the woman and her friends across the river.  In time, the party recognized the voices of Salt and Bo-Jing.  They called out to them from the upper camp, and using a few words in Tuigen, confirmed that they were all friends. The soldiers, confused at first, gratefully accepted the words of their “superiors” that these charming foreigners were spreading Ignorance. The soldiers were especially grateful to recognize the foreigners as “allies” when a they suddenly appeared on the other side of the river (thanks to clever use of Salt’s portable apartment and Bo-Jing, night-colored flying horse.)

The still-disguised “Guardians” explained to the soldiers that they had fulfilled their mission. They should sleep until morning and then return to Gilgat alone.

The night passed and in the morning, the soldiers followed the instructions they’d received the night before, breaking camp and departing with an awkward salute to the sleeping tents of the Guardians on the hill. When the soldiers had gone, the assembled company greeted each other and planned their next move.  Salt the sorceress, finding the presence of Narnutang the woman warrior even more objectionable than her reputation, retreated into her magical apartment.

The others began their journey home, sharing stories about their respective journeys across Hunza and pondering the strange words of the giant bird. Bo-Jing made frequent scouting sorties and assisted his companions to avoid any more encounters with the remnants of the Master's armies and other followers.

Bo-Jing Follows HIs Wife Part 2

Based on Batar’s directions, Bo-Jing flew west, following the course of a rod. When the road forked North and South, he didn’t follow either fork but continued westward, toward the darkest spot in the mountain range before him. Towards sunset, Bo-Jing saw an enormous bird rising into the sky, carrying a limp body in its talons. He urged Tse-Hemi to gradually descend as he continued his approach toward a group of people and horses on the ground. Some men were struggling to manage panicked horses while others cowered behind rocks or under trees. Among the horses and shouting men was Narantsetseg. She had seen Bo-Jing and was walking toward him, even as he glided toward the ground.

Bo-Jing slid off his horse and walked slowly toward her. Her eyes fixed on his face and she smiled and ran to him and kissed his haggard cheeks. 

“Let others have the morning sun. Too long I have waited for the cool evening rain.”

Bo-Jing received a full recounting of his wife’s quest to find him. He thanked Narnutang and Dolkar for protecting her and mourned the loss of Altani, who had been killed a band of savage and cunning bears, seemingly of the same ilk that had harassed Bo-Jing on the red dragon’s bluff. Finally, he dismissed the bandits who had trailed her from Banua.

And so it was time to return home. After giving the bandits an opportunity to ride out of sight, Bo-Jing asked his wife to join him on Tse-Hemi’s back and started the return journey. After an hour’s travel in darkness, they made camp, with Narnutang and Dolkar agreeing to share responsibilities for keeping watch. The next morning, they were met once more by the giant bird, who spoke to them in Zhou: “Your friend was a holy and righteous man, a most noble soul. His beautiful and generous heart has nourished my children.”

The bird continued, “So, you human children must nourish yourselves for a time is coming when you will be tested like never before. Hosadas was a wicked man, corrupted by power, but centuries ago he defeated a greater evil. When Hosadas gone, the Zaharans are preparing their return.”

The Zaharans, according to the bird were an people besotted with death and cruelty. The remnants of their capital lay beyond the Dark Wall. “Whoever told you to seek passage to the place of Hosadas was not your friend.”

The Roc explained that at the time Hosadas first came to the land of Hunza, he had a rival, a man remembered only as the “Broken Saint” who preached that the Zaharans could not be defeated by any human army, but only by the power of love and righteousness. When the Broken Saint was killed, his followers buried him in secret, and their descendants might still be found in the most remote corners of Hunza. But that was a quest for another day.

The Lingering Disquiet of the Khatun Part 2

Narantsetseg left a letter with Batu explaining that she feared for her husband’s life and would find him though it cost her her own.

As companions, she chose Altani, the long trusted shaman, and Narnutang, the woman warrior would had established her reputation for prowess and loyalty fighting at Bo-Jing’s side during some of his most desperate battles, and Dolkar, a baghatur of high birth, so far unproven. Tetsukichi, visiting hero of the Sansar clan, had identified Dolkar as a youth of great promise, despite his penchant for gambling and other reckless behavior.

The people of Banua would speculate why the Khatun selected this small retinue to escort her on her journey. Less conscientious chronicles might join in these speculations, this one only reports knowable facts.

Narantsetseg and her retinue made their way first to the monastery on the ridge. The monks there did their best to persuade the Khatun that she should trust her husband to return and failing that, she should trust her people to protect her and, remembering her young child, return to the safety and comfort of Banua. But she would not be persuaded and, after threatening to venture into the wilds with nothing to guide her but her love stricken heart, the monks took pity and gave her their best counsel.

The monastery had a well-stocked library including several maps. The monks that they should travel due north for a day, changing their course to the west as the sun set. For another week they should travel westward, through the open country that separated the Empire from Hunza. The Master’s realm was surrounded by steep mountains. As they reached the mountains, they should find a stream and follow the reverse of its course. Finally, they copied from a map, the sketch of the safest pass between the mountain peaks.

Even with the monks directions, the journey was a difficult one. It was cold and the stream bed was dry. Narantsetseg responded to the hardship of the journey by insisting on her status of the Khatun. The three members of her retinue, being little acquainted with each other, did not dare to discuss their misgivings about the journey, their questions about what they would find in the land where a larger, more powerful group of adventurers with no queen to escort had disappeared.

By the time they reached Hunza, Altani, Nanutange, and Dolkar had gone two days with nothing to eat or drink but gravelly snow scooped from a crevasse I the pass. So when they saw a farmstead, they approached boldly. The farm was deserted, and the scavenging travelers made a meal of half-spoiled grain. The water in the well was clean.

The next day, they reached working farmland. The farmers did not speak to them, but happily received the Khatun’s gold in exchange for good food and decent beds.

After several days, they reached Magden, a large market town on the river. The Khatun found a good inn and the others split up to try to learn more. The Most people were unfriendly, or didn’t speak Zhou-Yi, or both. No one wanted to the discuss the Knowledge of the Master, but the Guardians of the Knowledge were even stricter in enforcement, closing the town gates at dusk and shuttering townspeople in their houses after dark.

Nevertheless, the Khatuna and her retinue did confirm that yes, almost a year ago, Magden had been visited by a company of foreigners, led by the “One with a the Face Like the Morning Sun.” The people of Magden didn’t know why he had come or where he had gone, and before they could find anyone to answer such questions, Narnutang did something that forced them to leave the town quickly.

With no other plan, they followed the road westward, passing through more farmland, and then into forests and wilderness. One night, when camping in a clearing under tall trees, they heard deep moaning from deep in the forest. As the sound drew closer, it was answered by another moan of the same timbre. Narnutang recognized the sounds as belonging to bears, but heard something alien in their vocalizing. Altani, long accustomed to leaving among the beasts, called out to them, imitating their ursine moan. The voices answered viciously, even seeming to pronounce insults and invoking the name “Zahra.” And then the bears rushed into the clearing.

Dolkar stood by the Khatun and readied his bow. Narnutang and Altani stood on opposite sides of the clearing, with weapons ready. The bears charged in, each taking an arrow from Dolkar without recoiling. Altani raised his staff in front of him and continued to murmur soothing words. The bear attacking Narnutang was met with similar slashes from her sword. Neither charm nor force deterred the bears attack. They swatted with their enormous paws and lunged with open jaws. Narnutang was knocked to the ground, but when the bear stooped to finish her, Narnutang braced her sword against the ground and drove its point into the bear’s throat; Narnutang rolled away, extracting her blade as the beast feel with a heavy thud.

Altani, meanwhile had been severely beaten, slashed and, and bitten. Narnutang rushed in, and while the bear was doing its best to bite through Altani’s staff, thrust her blade into its side, finding its heart.

Altani tended to the Khatun, and then to Narnutang, and then to himself. Guessing that it was close to dawn, the party elected to press on in the darkness, and put the danger of the forest behind them.

Over the next few days, they timed their travel carefully, and paid liberally to sleep in huts and barns along the road to a town named Gilgat.

As the sun was setting, the lights of Gilgat came into view. Remembering the curfew in Magden, the travelers elected to camp in the hills. But as they were starting a fire, they heard the moans of bears; as in the party’s previous encounter, the ursine voices seemed to call to each other across a distance, and seemed to be drawing closer on all sides. Leaving their fire still burning, the party mounted their horses and made haste toward the lights of the town. Narnutang led the way and when, she encountered a bear, closed with it to fight, urging the others to press on. The bear was eager for the fight, and called for its fellows. Narnutang slashed at the bears head, severely wounding it, and then followed her companions.

Gilgat provided a most uncivil welcome, demanding that the travelers prostrate themselves and declare their allegiance to the Master. When Narantsetseg refused, she was thrown to the ground and beaten until she wouldn’t get up again.

The Guardians summoned their superior, Batar, one of the Experts of the Knowledge, who ordered that they brought to his own house for questioning. At Batar’s house, Altani was permitted to tend to Narantsetseg’s wounds, and they were provided a place to sleep.

Batar woke them at dawn and fed them. As they ate, he asked why they had come and seemed very pleased with their answer. Yes, he had heard about the One With a Face Like the Morning Sun. He and and his companions had visited Gilgat close to a year ago and left in secret after offending the Guardians.

Batar had given it little thought at the time, accepting his subordinates assessment that this was just a foreigner troublemaker. But there were rumors now that he was The One. The Master’s successor. For since that time, there had been no new Knowledge from the palace over the mountains. Instead of Knowledge, there were rumors that the war had been lost, the Master’s armies broken and scattered, his bright-eyed soldiers returning in confusion.

Batar pressed the travelers on the identity of the man they were seeking. Why had he come? Was he the One? Was he the new Master? They didn’t know.

Batar had never been to the palace over the mountains. The only way he knew to get to the palace of the Master was over the Dark Wall, the citadel of the Zaharans before the coming of Hosadas. The Master, of course, had another way, but Batar didn’t know it. Again, he had never been invited. The Dark Wall was a dangerous place and becoming more so. The beasts who lived there were turning wicked and migrating from the wilderness to the fields and villages. There were rumors—not Knowledge—about flying lizards gathering in the sky above the old Zaharan citadel.

“If your friend is the Master’s Successor, then he will protect you from these forces of ignorance and help you cross the Dark Wall. Whoever he is, if you live long enough to find him, tell him that Batar showed you kindness.”

Batar allowed Narantsetseg and her retinue to leave Gilgat by a rear gate, directing them to the Dark Wall.

The next day, the retinue were met by bandits. Not Guardians or soldiers, but bandits. Zhounese thugs who had followed them all the way from Zhou-Deng. “We were supposed to escort the Khatun, but you left before we had the chance.” They were eight in number, but carried poor weapons, and did not sit strong in the saddle. Dolkar’s hand drifted to his sword and the Khatun looked to the open road. But Narnutang spoke up. “We are glad you have found us. The Khatun will gladly pay you handsomely for your escort. And give you an additional reward when we return to Banua.”

The bandits smiled and their leader gratefully accepted a heavy bag of coins.

The bandits were poor escorts. They rode badly, had difficulty crossing the river, drank at night, and didn’t wake in the morning. But when the group reached the Dark Wall and the bears attacked, they were the easiest prey. While the cruel beasts tore apart two of the cowardly bandits, the Khatun’s true protectors secured the high ground and prepared their bows. As a half-dozen bears gathered around them, Dolkar and Narnutang assailed them with arrows. Some fears fled and others chased another of the fleeing bandits into a canyon. One bear, however, did scale the archers’ post and fell on Altani, seizing him with both arms and crushing his body. Narnutang drew her sword and killed the beast, but the loyal Altani was dead.

In the distance, the sound of screaming bandits were silenced and the few remaining bears retreated with their feast, but the party knew they would return.

Naransteseg collapsed in hysterical sobs. “What have I done?”

A shadow fell over them and Dolkar looked up to see an enormous bird descending.

The Lingering Disquiet of the Khatun part 1

In Banua, the Khatun slept poorly. She had given birth to a son, but the boy’s father, her husband, the Khan, was gone.

Khatun Narantsetseg knew why her husband had gone. The brave, noble, and handsome Bo-Jing had called upon his allies, the most stalwart and wise, to join him in a quest to confront the evil “Master” on his own throne in his own palace in the middle of his own strange domain.

What she didn’t know why her husband, brave, noble, and handsome, had not returned.

Her servants and advisers did their best to comfort her. “He will prevail. Have courage, have faith. There is none like him. Brave, noble, and handsome, how could he not prevail in achieving whatever objective he pursued?”

The Khatun, in her soft bed, in her warm palace, slept poorly.

There was a stupa that she had visited with her mother when she was a girl, and used to sleeping soundly on a soft goatskin in a warm yurt. Her mother prayed at the stupa, the elaborate mausoleum of a simple holy man, and the young Narantsetseg had watched all the worry and care lift from her mother’s face.

Narantsetseg made inquiries until she could locate a holy man. Altani, a respected hermit sometimes visited Banua, confirmed for her that the stupa she remembered was real and that its soul-healing properties had been famous for centuries. It was easy to find, being on the road to Blue City, less than a day’s ride from Banua! But, there was a problem. Lately, those who had gone to pray there, did not find peace . . .

Narantseteg ordered Batu, her husband’s baghatur to go with Altani to find out what had cursed the holy stupa and to assist in driving away any evil spirits found therein. Batu, flattered by the important mission, but also wary of what forces could threaten the power of a centuries-old holy place, not only recruited four palace guards to assist him, but also persuaded Bo Jing’s friend Narnuteng that this quest was an opportunity for her to win honor and the favor of the Khatun.

The party set out on a chilly, bright morning and reached the stupa at midday. The warriors approached while Altani lingered near the road. As they got closer Batu and his companions were struck down by one curse or another. One lost his sight, another his hearing, while Batu himself was overwhelmed by visions of flames on the edges of his vision. Altani began chanting and, with help from Narnutang, gathered the men to his side and led them away from the stupa to a safe place in the hills. He prayed over them and led them into sleep. The next morning Altani brought the warriors back to the stupa, chanting and burning incense, promising them that the only way to completely break the curse is to face it with courage.

Trusting Altani’s guidance, Batu led his companions toward the circular, columned building capped by a squat dome. Cautious at first, their strides became more purposeful as they drew closer; Altanu and Narnuteng followed close behind them.

The party walked around the stupa, and found it virtually identical The platform, about four feet off the ground, could be reached by the steps, crumbling in places, but generally solid, that ran all the way around it. The platform itself was empty of anything but the columns that supported the dome.

The party clambered up and walked around the platform. Over the centuries, windblown sand had gathered in seams between the paving stones. Except in one section, roughly 10 foot square, next to one of the columns, which, unlike any of the others, was marked with a triangle. The seam around this section had not filled with sand. One of Batu’s men found he could slide his sword into the crack all the way to the hilt. There was something more to the stupa, something beneath it; Narnuteng and Batu agreed that they must be standing on an entrance of some kind.

They spent several hours on the stupa. They felt dizzy, sometimes to the point of nausea. Battu’s men urged each other to “go find some fresh water if you’re feeling so bad” but no one budged. Batu dragged his sword over the stones throwing sparks and cursing. He tried pushing the column marked with the triangle, then pulling it, lifting it up, and pushing it down. He jumped up and down on the platform.

Narnuteng had a suggestion. “I wonder if you could turn the entire column.”

Batu thought that was a stupid idea and to prove how to stupid it was, he tried it. He planted his feet on either side of the marked column, squatted, wrapped his arms around the column and shifted his weight first to one side in an attempt to make the column turn. And it did. Almost imperceptibly at first, but then with a low rumbling far beneath them, with surprising speed and force, a full 90 degrees. The outlined section of the floor trembled and then began to sink, dropping ten beneath below its former level, revealing a pit whose bottom could not be seen. As the sunlight broke into a darkness undisturbed for centuries, hundreds of spiders scurried into the shadows.

The party descended, lowering a rope so that they might Narnuteng might climb into the pit. Even with a brightly burning lantern, the bottom of the pit was shrouded in darkness, deeper than the length of their rope. However several dozen feet down, a tunnel in the side of the pit, seemed to allow access to the stupa’s depths by more gradual descent. One of Batu’s men stayed at the top to secure the rope and guard the entrance. The others climbed down the rope one-by-one to the side tunnel. They lit a second lantern and walked down a narrow tunnel, sending spiders scurrying before them. They reached a domed room that seemed to demand further examination. But even after wiping away centuries of dust, the most notable feature was an uneven brick in the ceiling of the dome, sticking out several inches from its fellows. Climbing on Batu’s shoulders, Narnuteng was able to reach the brick and pull it free—whereupon the ceiling began to collapse. Batu’s men ran for cover, while Batu and Narnuteng instinctively dropped to the floor and ducked their heads, suffering a few stray bricks bouncing g off their armor. Altani, seemingly favored by holy powers, stood unscathed, as the dust, suddenly illuminated by sunlight swirled around them. He chanted a prayer of thanksgiving, rallying the battered warriors and they continued their exploration down a flight of stone stairs.

Another domed room. This one impassable due to thick spider webs. Narnuteng doused the webs nearest her with lamp oil and then , using a strand of rope as a wick took fire from her lamp and set it to the webs. Hot flames eagerly devoured the thick, dusty webs , creating thick clouds of dark smoke. The air became unbreathable and the party dashed back up the stairs to the domed room with the new opening to the sky and fresh air.

The party collapsed to rest and catch their breath, but as the smoke cleared, they heard the sound of a rapid click-click scuttling and tapping on the stairs. Batu ordered his men to flank the entryway with their spears ready while he and Narnuteng readied their bows. As soon as the dark, hairy form of the first spider appeared at the top of the stairs, Batu and Narnuteng loosed their arrows. One arrow bounced off its thick shell and the other did little to slow its charge. Khuyag, one of Batu’s men gored it with his spear. It shook violently in its death throes, nearly pulling the spear out of its wielders strng grip. More spiders behind the first ran up the walls and across the ceiling. Batu and Narnuteng drew their swords. Batu’s men pointed their spears toward the ceiling, driving the spiders onward until they dropped on Batu and Narnuteng, who trusted their fine armor to protect them from the spiders’ venomous fangs. The spiders’ size and strength, comparable to wolves, was nearly enough to overcome the powerful warriors but the Batu and Narnuteng each lent their strength to other when it was needed most and so kept solid footing and with courage and fine blades were able to defend themselves from the disgusting vermin. Batu’s men took advantage of their long spears and following their brave order’s advice, skewered the spider so that one by one they could be dispatched by a sword.

And yet, whether by instinct or chance, the spiders deployed a similar tactic. One more spider, smaller than the others, was the last up the stairs. Khuyag, distracted by the melee and lacking the metal armor that protected his master, was an easy target. He screamed in pain as the spider climbed up his back and sunk its teeth into his shoulder. His comrades came to his aid. One stabbed the spider with a dagger while another took hold of its legs and slammed it against the wall, cracking its shell and sending it running.

As the last of the larges spiders lay quivering and dying, Khuyag slumped to the floor. Altai rushed to his aid, applying a poultice and chanting a prayer that divine favor be shown to this brave man. Khuyag slowly stood, smiling weakly. The humble Altai acknowledged he had no right to demand a miracle and none had been granted. If they gave up their mission and brought him back to Banua, they might save his life.

If re-telling this story, Khuyag’s favorite moment was this one. “Without wasting a breath, my master gave the order, ‘Now, we go.’”

And so, Khuyag’s life was saved, but Narantsetseg’s heart continued to suffer. She summoned Batu to her audience chamber and demanded his thoughts on why master had tarried for so long. When he couldn’t find words to give her peace, she demanded that he resume his quest to make the stupa safe for her to visit.

In Banua, they had met a wise woman who had sold them an antidote for Khuyag. After a few days of rest, he was strong and hale. During those days, Batu drew additional gold from his master’s treasury and purchased bows for each of his men. Altani performed the appropriate rituals and they returned to the stupa.

Rather than climb on to the stupa platform and descend into the pit, Batu and Narnuteng agreed to enter by way of the collapsed ceiling they had “made” during their last visit. They also decided that having one more warrior with them was more important than leaving a guard. So they tied a rope securely to one of the pillars and each made the relatively easy entrance into the collapsed dome room. They passed through there into the room of burnt webs and, finding no evidence of new arach-tivity, pressed onward and again, downward by way of another pit.

This pit was lined with rungs making descent easier. Again, there was a side tunnel, though this one was sealed by a metal door. The door, with subtle manipulation by Narnuteng, was opened; the round tunnel behind it led to another domed room, this one with five statutes, and a single ancient rune on the floor which Altani translated to mean “pray.” Batu stepped onto the rune and pronounced his prayer for the Khatun—and immediately vanished. The others followed suit and immediately joined Batu. . .

They found themselves standing at the bottom of another pit—one that opened moments after they had pronounced their prayers. . . the skeleton of the exalted shaman was there—minus the head. The beatific skull was rolling on the floor, among a throng of rat-sized spiders.

Altani began to sing in a low sonorous tone and the walls of burial chamber resonated with his chanting. Shaking off the horror of what they were witnessing, Batu and his followers along with Narnutang attacked the spiders, burning them, slicing them, smashing them, driving them back into the cracks in the wall. Not all of the spiders gave up their prize so easily. The largest and most vicious charged at their attackers, climbing up their legs to drop into the top of a man’s boots or finding a open space in his armor to drive venomous fangs through his clothing. Batu’s soldier Gan fought through the pain, using the opportunity of a spider pumping poison into his forearm to seize its head and crush it in his fist.

When the spiders had been killed or driven away, Altani replaced the skull to it s proper resting place and chanted a prayer of rest. The walls resonated in a lower, comforting register and all breathed a sigh of deep relief.

Altani tended to the wounds of the warriors, applying poultices to the discolored skin. Except Gan. Knowing he was mortally wounded, he refused any treatment and pledged to remain in the tomb, praying that his spirit would stand guard over the holy man for 99 years.

Batu mourned the loss of his companion and released him from service. The rest of the party returned to the surface and to Banua.

Batu shared the news of his success with Narantsetseg, with Altani affirming that every word was true and recording it exactly as it has been written here.

The next day, Naransetseg rose early, and choosing only a small retinue to accompany her, went to visit the stupa.

She remained the whole day and her spirits were settled. Those who prayed with her also experienced the deep serenity for which the stupa had long been famous. But as night approached, Narantsetseg announced that she would spend the night there. She commanded Batu and his men to return to Banua, explaining she only wanted the company of one woman and one holy man, that being Narnutang and Altani. Before Batu departed, Narantsetseg handed him a letter, commanding him not to open it until the new moon.

Siege of Banua Day 2

At dawn, watchers on Banua’s towers saw the enemy encampments stirring. Beastmen began withdrawing, marching westward toward a long ridge. Despite their rout the night before, they still outnumbered the defenders three to one. Strangely quiet and efficient in their movements, they no longer resembled an undisciplined horde. It was as if an alien intelligence had assumed command.

Sensing deception, Bangqiu and Salt cloaked themselves in invisibility and set off to scout. Skirting around yetis scavenging the battlefield, the two magicians crept to the ridge’s crest—where they beheld a disturbing sight: the beastmen were clustered around a deep pit, excavating with inhuman speed. Lines of them marched out carrying dirt. Something was tunneling toward Banua—fast.

Among the monstrous laborers stood a solitary human in black armor. Without hesitation, Bangqiu and Salt unleashed a barrage of magic missiles, driving him into his tent. To compound the chaos, Bangqiu summoned a stone wall and dropped it across the mouth of the tunnel. Then, taking the form of an owl, he flew back to Banua. Salt, cloaked and cautious, made her way back on foot.

That night, few slept. Red flashes lit the sky. The ground trembled. Rumors raced: the well water tasted wrong. People heard screams beyond the ridge.

Before dawn, watchmen saw movement: beastmen advancing again—this time with giants and juggernauts.

Ganbaatar organized the defense. Armed soldiers manned the battlements. Citizens were herded into the inner barracks.

Then, the earth split.

Right beneath the inner gate, a colossal claw burst through the ground, ripping stone and earth apart. The gate crumbled. Up rose a monstrous, red-eyed badger—taller than two men, its snout dripping with hunger. It lunged. A slash of its claws cleaved a soldier in half. Its jaws snapped a horse’s spine.

Soldiers fled. The beast pursued, killing, devouring.

Then came Bo-Jing. With him stood his henchmen, his stalwart companion, Nar-Nuteng, and the bravest warriors of Banua. Long spears drove into the beast’s flanks. Arrows peppered its back. At first, it seemed unstoppable. But a spear found its underbelly. It halted. Bo-Jing leapt forward, slashing deep into its face. Nar-Nuteng struck beneath its foreleg. Surrounded and bleeding from every side, the beast collapsed—its death shaking the earth again.

But chaos reigned.

Beastmen had scattered into Banua, setting fires, slaying unarmed townsfolk, killing livestock. The juggernauts arrived next—three immense engines of war—rolling toward the outer gate. With the city’s defenders drawn inward, the gates fell. The juggernauts rolled into Banua.

But the magicians were ready.

Bangqiu, Hyamsam, and Salt struck the wheels of the lead juggernaut with fireballs and magic missiles. Flames erupted. The behemoth veered, tumbling into the pit torn open by the badger. The others crashed in behind.

Still, the beastmen pressed toward the marketplace—toward the tents of the Nergui refugees. Arrows rained down from the rooftops, but the monsters moved from tent to tent, slaughtering the defenseless.

Then Bo-Jing and Nar-Nuteng returned.

Rallying Banua’s remaining warriors, they charged. This time, the beastmen broke. Driven into a corner of the marketplace, they were caught, surrounded, and destroyed.

Siege of Banua Day 1

As the sun went down, the people of Banua feared an attack from the besieging horde outside. Beyond the walls, bonfires blazed, and gusts of wind carried the sounds of aggressive chants punctuated by screaming; in certain parts of the city, a deep rumbling in the ground shook the tent poles. The sky flashed red with fire to illuminate the forms of giant flying lizards. When the horde charged, the archers of Banua were ready. Arrows rained down on the onslaught of beastmen, trolls, and yetis. Still the monsters pressed in a crazed fury, many with multiple arrows embedded in their flesh. Pondering behind the hordes of beastmen was an enormous wagon with an iron head. Arrows bounced off it harmlessly. Beastmen who stumbled before it were crushed underneath its thick, spiked wheels. As it reached the gates of Banua, the town’s defenders began to pelt it with stones. These missiles barely damaged the juggernaut, and did nothing to slow its progress. When it reached the entrance to the town, it began to rock back and forth, ramming its iron-shod head against the wooden gates. Bo Jing directed the defenders to direct their fire at the beastmen who were scaling Banua’s walls.

Bo Jing called on the power of the Coin of East to freeze the wheels of the juggernaut. He and his henchmen joined the defenders in killing the attacking beastmen; their bodies began to pile up at the foot of the walls. Once the beastmen’s onslaught was neutralized, the defenders resumed their efforts to destroy the incapacitated juggernaut. The strongest men attacked it from above, casting down huge stones and barrels of flaming oil. At this moment, Bo Jing received word of another attack in another part of the town. Dragons had descended from the clouds into the midst of the crowded mass of yurts behind the Khan’s palace. They were devouring people and setting fire to their homes.

Bo Jing and his men, rallied the most capable of Banua’s defenders and dashed to the rear of the town to confront the dragons. There were two fearsome beasts, surrounded by burning wreckage. Bangqiu and Salt, from the safety of the Khan’s palace, blasted one of the dragons with magic missiles. Enraged, it took wing, flying toward them. Bo Jing and his men to attack the second dragon, striking it from all sides with swords and spears. The dragon thrashed from side to side, desperate to seize and devour a hapless spearman. But Bo Jing, with astounding bravery and quickness, stayed at the dragon’s head, slashing at its eyes and mouth, denying it the opportunity to strike. The dragon weakened and Bo-Jing saw his opportunity. He rushed toward it, feinted to the left and, as the dragon went to the right, dashed past its open maw and slashed its throat with his long sharp sword. Black blood gushed out and the dragon died. The flying dragon, meanwhile, had made itself a target for archers throughout the town. Pierced with many arrows, it floundered and crashed to the ground, never to rise.

Slave Pits of the Undercity 03 (Finale)

While in the Happy Valley, Nar-Nuteng had trained rigorously with Beatriss; in sparring contests with Bo-Jing’s retinue, the bright-eyed girl proved she could hold her own with any of them. Bo-Jing never openly acknowledged her prowess, but his insults desisted. And when she announced that she would return with him to free the slaves, he made no objection.

Salt, meanwhile, had disappeared. She had accompanied Bo-Jing and the others to the Happy Valley but refused to enter Beatriss’s fortress. Villagers claimed to see her from time to time and Bangqiu seemed to know where she was. Truthfully, no one seemed to care and soon it was time to return to Khanbaliq.

Bo-Jing, Nar-Nuteng, and Bangqiu made the now familiar journey back to the capital. Rumors of an invasion from the western deserts circulated in the taverns and Bo-Jing and Bangqiu were often recognized as that baghatur and that sorcerer who had deflected the Master’s advance. Good food, welcoming company, and soft beds made the short trip feel way too short.

Back in Khanbaliq, the hospitality was less hospitable. Bo-Jing was invited to tea with one of the Emperor’s high-ranking ministers. In this meeting, Bo-Jing learned that the Emperor was surprised that Bo-Jing had tarried so long in Khanbaliq. Bo-Jing bumbled through a few excuses and then promised to make preparation and leave the day after tomorrow.

Bo-Jing, Bangqiu, and Nar-Nuteng agreed that they had one more day to drive the slavers out of the Monastery and free the captives within.

They party made this approach by the main gate, fully prepared to meet another ragtag group of monks and their fire-breathing machine. The courtyard was empty, the machine still in the same ruinous state that Bangqiu had put it in during the last assault. Bangqiu made himself invisible and using his magic boots, rose up over the gate to land in the courtyard. The doors to each of the winch rooms were closed and barred—from the outside. Listening at one of the doors, Bangqiu heard scratching and slavering, but smelled something far worse than rabid dogs. He knocked the bar off the door and then rose into the air. A half-dozen ghouls rushed out with wild eyes and bloody teeth. They smelled Bangqiu but couldn’t find him and clawed furiously at the air.

When Bangqiu did appear, he was only a few feet above their heads. They rushed towards him and—into a thick cloud of scalding steam that delivered their second death.

Bangqiu entered the winch room and raised the first gate to allow his friends into the gatehouse. Then he opened the second winch door and blasted its two undead occupants with a barrage of hot green bolts of light. He opened the second gate and the rest of the party entered the courtyard.

Bo-Jing led the way to the temple room in which they had fought the priestess, and warned Bangqiu and Nar-Nuteng that the priestess had been killed by the sudden descent of an enormous sword held aloft by a thirty-foot statue while trying to escape through a trapdoor at the statue’s feet. The sword was once more poised aloft, and no one wanted to open the door. Bo-Jing persuaded Ryu to eat one of the lotus pods to enter the dreamworld so that he could pass through the trapdoor without opening it. After passing through the door, returned from the world and deliberately triggered the trap door from the safety of the other side. With silent cheers, the party lit torches and went below.

The party found themselves in the narrow, fulsome tunnels of the antpeople. Wanting no quarrel of double-sword-wielding creatures whose carapaces were like steel, and whose voracious larvae lurked in huge pools of offal, the party sought and found the path of least resistance—by avoiding the sound of clicking and clanging and the smell of rotting compost, the party passed through the antpeople’s lair and into the relatively homey tunnels of the Khanbaliq sewer system. The tunnels were well-made with wide iron walkways alongside an easy-running course of garbage, waste, and storm runoff.

By accident or evil design, the iron walkway was insecure in some places and the bold Bo-Jing was dropped unceremoniously into the sewage canal. There was a circular current here and Bo-Jing found himself pulled swiftly toward the bottom. The fast-thinking Nar-Nuteng through him one end of the a rope. Bangqiu seized the other end and with the help of his magic boots, ran up the arched ceiling to hover above the canal and help Bo-Jing pull himself out of the sewage. The party continued, Bo-Jing still leading the way, but tapping the floor ahead of him with a half barge pole.

The party group found their way to the cells where the slaves had been held captive, and found that they were now occupied by a several monks, who murmured softly to each other while sharing a bowl of rice perched on a stool. One of them saw the party’s approach and caught his breath. The others turned to stare in terror, not moving until the rice bowl slid off the stool onto the floor. None of them reached for his spear or hatchet. At last one of them spoke, “You have come to kill us too?”

Bo-Jing had learned from talking to the rescued slaves, that many of the monks had come from the same southern villages. These monks were thin, one of them emaciated, shivering in his thread-bare scrap of saffron cloth. It was clear to Bo-Jing that if a lucrative slaving operation was running through the monastery, these men were seeing none of the profit. He asked them why they were there. Their answer, in Southern-accented Zhou, with references to soldiers, burning rice paddies, and promises of getting educated in the North, became completely unintelligible when Ryu asked them to name the basic precepts of the two-fold path.

Ryu shook his head and looked at Bo-Jing. “You understand the way of the two-fold path better than these men.”

Bo-Jing asked the men if they wanted to leave the monastery with him. After receiving his reassurance that he did not wish to torture or eat them and his promise that if that was his plan he would just kill them now, the monks agreed to show Bo-Jing a way out.

But it wasn’t time to go out. There was something else down there that Bo-Jing needed to deal with. The monks didn’t know if there were more slaves but there could be soon. There were two bosses and after the priestess boss disappeared, there was one boss, a disgusting man with several pet weasels.

The party wandered the sewers until they met another group of sewer-dwellers. Well-fed and well-clothed Northerners, these men did not even pretend to be monks. “This is just our home.” They were led by a sinister look shaman and maintained a fortified stretch of tunnel on both sides of the sewage canal, with no obvious way of crossing between them.

They knew the weasel man and where to find him. If the party was looking to buy slaves, they could take a message. The party waited and played dice on one side of the tunnel while runners from the other side went to find weasel man. During this time, Bangqiu found a way to cross the sewer undetected and eavesdrop on the men on the far side of the tunnel. The men expressed mild curiosity about the visitors, but said nothing that betrayed a hidden agenda beyond selling slaves. When the runners return, the conversation changed. Weasel man did not want to meet the visitors. These were the robbers who had killed all the monks and stolen so many slaves. Instead, the runners, explained, weasel-man wanted them to find out where the robbers lived so he could report them.

When the runners shared their message with Bo-Jing and Nar-Nuteng, the warriors didn’t need magical powers to know something was up. Bangqiu, invisible in the darkness of the shaman’s cave, promised him new powers if he could help him meet the weasel man.

The shaman liked the sound of this offer. The other men were confused, but when the shaman ordered boards to be placed across the canal so the rest of the party could cross over. After a brief and amicable farewell, the party were on their way, led by the shaman who school his staff and rattled his bone jewelry as he led “the voice” and “the voice’s companions” through a series of passage, at last bringing them to the circular room where Bo-Jing and Nar-Nuteng had once before encountered weasel-man.

Weasel-man wasn’t there, but the weasels were, three of them, large as wolves. Bo_Jing called on the power of the Coin of the East and the weasels, fell to the floor and curled into tight balls. Nar-Nuteng heard the sound of human footsteps running out of the room. They followed the sound back into the antpeople’s tunnel, but soon lost the trail. The monk-refugees were afraid and asked to return to their cells. Bo-Jing told them they could if they found their own way back. They decided to stay with him.

The party decided to return to the circular room, hoping to lay in wait for the weasel-man. While rummaging through his belongings, they found a store of decent food, a sack of tael coins, and business records. A group of monks arrived, unarmed, but well-fed. They greeted the visitors and promised that their master did want to meet them. But he was in the city.

Bangqiu was skeptical and tapped one of the monks on the forehead, ordering him to tell the truth. The man began blabbering. His master was hiding in the stone shed. The other monks gasped and began to run. Bangqiu and the others chased them, through the antpeople tunnels to the surface, then through a garden toward a small shed built next to the monastery wall. Bangqiu became invisible and reached the shed first. The small room was cramped with tools, cooking pots, and sleeping mats. There was an exit, a stout door built into the monastery wall. The shed appeared empty, but Bangqiu sensed the sweaty, weaselly breath of another person. Bangqiu positioned himself in front of postern door. When the monks reached the shed, they cried out to the empty room that Li-Ho had told the robbers he was there. An invisible man reached for the door and collided with the invisible Bangqiu. The two men grappled and wrestled. The other man stabbed Bangqiu with a knife and Bangqiu retaliated with a blast of magic missiles.

Both men became visible and stared at each other. Weasel-man was pudgy and round with a flat nose and large eyes. But the smell. Weasel-man retreated while commanding the monks to attack. As they grabbed tools and charged, Bo-Jing arrived. He killed the Weasel-man with one slash of his sword and ordered the monks to leave his friend alone. They joyfully threw down their weapons. “We are free!”

Slave Pits of the Undercity 01

tl;dr:

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

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


"AKSHULLY":

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Taxman Part 10: Southern Coin

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

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

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

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

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

The Taxman Part 9: Meeting the Rivals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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