Session19
An important delivery
Following the investigation into the death of Governor Asato's concubine, Harume, and the execution of her murderer, Imperial Inquisitor Otomo Riki wrote a report to take back to Otosan Uchi of Magistrate Bin's performance during the case. While the contents of the report were kept hidden, the Magistrate and his Investigators were in no doubt that the report distorted the truth to further the ends of Isawa Bin's enemies.
Otomo Riki once more withdrew Akodo Haraku from his duties as a Yoriki to the Magistrate and ordered him to act as his yojimbo on the long journey south to the Imperial City. Shortly afterwards Shosuro Korow asked the Magistrate's permission to depart in order than he may attend to a 'prior commitment'; the request was granted and the Scorpion bushi departed Toshi Ranbo on unknown business, business that kept him away from the city for about a week.
In the days that followed the departure of Riki, Haraku and then Korow , Isawa Bin decided it would be wise to seek advice from his clan and ensure his daimyo was aware of the potential threat to his position. It was then arranged that he would rendezvous with his Investigators at the Setsuban Festival at the Shrine of the Ki-Rin in the Western Phoenix lands leaving them to escort the scroll cache that would be the first in the shugenja festival taking place there.
The stiflingly hot summer days passed slowly in Toshi Ranbo but Yoriki Ryou, who was left in charge in the absence of the Magistrate, was thankful that the days were also largely uneventful.
One days ride outside Shiro Akodo, Otomo Riki's horse began acting strangely as if it were spooked by something; Akodo Haraku, the Imperial's yojimbo tried unsuccessfully to soothe the beast which bolted carrying it's rider along with it. Racing to catch up with his charge, Haraku eventually did so but only to find Otomo Riki dead on the ground, his neck broken... After ensuring appropriate funeral rites were conducted, Haraku continued on to Shiro Akodo to notify his daimyo before returning to Toshi Ranbo.
Shinjo Gidayo, the minor Unicorn daimyo charged with escorting the scrolls from the far flung Iuchi school to the Shrine of the Ki-Rin arrived in Toshi Ranbo half way through the month of Shiba as arranged. He was somewhat perturbed to learn that the Magistrate, to whom he had been asked to entrust his precious cargo -and his honour- was not present. However, Yoriki Ryou's honour and conduct convinced him that the scrolls would be safe in their possession. With that Gidayo left to attend to whatever duty it was that prevented him travelling with the scrolls to the festival.
The merchant and his caravan were also escorted by ten Unicorn trained bushi and a dedicated shugenja sworn to protect the scrolls. Yoriki Ryou led these men, along with Shosuro Korow and the newly arrived Miya Katsumi, slowly northwards on the little travelled roads to the north of the Drowned Merchant River.
The journey through the low-lands that bordered the Dragon lands was largely uneventful until one night they encountered two wailing ghosts, parents calling for their children. When the ethereal figures of children that had obviously been butchered mercilessly appeared in the midst of the camp the horses, and several of the samurai -including Miya Katsumi fled in fright and the ghosts began screaming manically for justice for their murdered children. Daidoji Ryou attempted to placate the ghosts but with little success, it was soon uncovered that the two ghosts were the merchants of legend that gave the river its grisly name; they and their children had died several hundred years ago and the murderers of their children were long-since dead and therefore beyond the reach of any justice.
Following that somewhat disturbing event, the caravan proceeded sombrely towards and into the foothills that marked their ascent towards the mountains where the Shrine of the Ki-Rin was located.
On what was likely to be the last day of their week-long journey, where the dirt road twisted through the hills and ravines that characterised the area, the caravan suddenly came under attack from a large number of archers. Shosuro Korow, who had been scouting ahead of the caravan found himself amidst a number of the bandits as they launched their attack. Unable to successfully stop the ambush he managed to dispatch three of the bandits before being spotted; the hail of arrows that ensued forced the Scorpion to retreat but his efforts had drawn fire away from the vulnerable caravan.
Katsumi also drew away much of the bandit's fire by entreating the air kami to create an illusion of many additional soldiers travelling with them. The rain of arrows still descending on the caravan and wounded a number of its escorts but Ryou quickly realised that the archers were not attempting to kill but rather to pin down and distract the samurai. But from what?
Then there was a sudden noise in the centre caravan where the scrolls were kept and whisps of smoke indicated that a fire had started in there! Miya Katsumi rushed in to find the Unicorn shugenja dying from a sword slash to his abdomen, a small fire apparently started by one of the Unicorn's spells and most shockingly of all: that the scroll cache was gone!
At this time, the bandit began to withdraw, covering themselves with a deadly hail of arrows. While Ryou and Katsumi attempted to aid the injured and assess the damage done, Korow attempted to pursue the bandits but found his progress halted by a ravine which they had crossed using a rope bridge that was now cut and useless.
With little alternative Ryou pushed the caravan on towards the Shrine of the Ki-Rin and the festival which now had no prize for the tournament winner...
A runner was sent ahead to inform Shinjo Gidayo of the loss of the scrolls. The Unicorn daimyo -who's honour, as well as that of the Investigators was at stake here- was obviously greatly disturbed by this turn of events. However, all was not lost, although the festival was due to start on the next day, the scrolls would not be presented to the winner until the fifth day meaning that there were a few days in which the Investigators could find the scrolls and return them before anyone knew they were missing.
Assigning one of his yojimbo, a samurai-ko named Shinjo Iruko, to assist, Gidayo told Daidoji Ryou to leave immediately to find the missing scroll cache and return them to the festival: at any cost!
It was not difficult to track the bandits, although it was relatively time consuming. On the afternoon of the day after the scrolls were taken they found a small village nestling in a fertile valley that was about a days walk south from the Shrine.
After observing the village for a while they counted about forty five ronin -all engaged in building new buildings within the village- about the same number of peasants and one ronin shugenja.
In order to try and recover the scrolls, Shosuro Korow first crept unobserved into the village but was unable to locate the scrolls. Then, Miya Katsumi called on the air kami to obscure the samurai from view allowing them all to enter the village unobserved by the men, women and children of the village.
Then a voice called out from the direction they had come, a small boy yelled "Niban-samma, the samurai must be here! I followed them from the Shrine and they have come this way but I seem to have lost them." With that the ronin put down their hammers and saws and drew their swords, the shugenja picked out a scroll and began petitioning the kami to aid him...
Last edited on Wednesday 16 January 2008 7:49:55
