The Harvest Moon Consortium

[Winterhawk99]

The rest of the group moves down the tunnels while Mingzhu tends to Zsikhou. Nor’vee keeps ahead. The darkness deepens as they mover away from the cave entrance. Silgara looks over. “Should I get a light spell up? I did not prepare ultravision."

T'kharr shakes her head to that. "Nay, that'd make us too easy to spot. "And probably make our eyes worse adjusted for those of us who do have good night vision."

"Right, better make sure those who can see take front." Silgara responds. T'kharr moves up to near the front of the main body of the party at that cue.

"Might be best I take point then," Xrochdyr grovels, "If we don't see any traps coming, I'll at least regenerate from the damage..." He walks in front helping those who can’t see. T’kharr falls in behind him as he takes point.

A few yards down the corridor he sets off a fire trap. He takes it in stride as devils are resistant to fire. T’kharr backs up some. It seems as though Nor’vee missed the trap as he is scouting forward. Again, Xrochdyr trips traps down the tunnel after another 50 feet. This time it’s several. Two fire and one cold trap. Again, he shrugs them off as though they were nothing. Eventually they come to a cavern opening. Ahead they can see some light and a doorway.

Nor’vee is waiting for them. T’kharr examines the group then asks, “Probably have Nor'vee look over the door closely?" Nor’vee makes a sign and moves closer to the doorway alone. They see his shadow at the doorway. He takes his time.

After 15 minutes he comes back. “"Three trap triggers on the doorway, not sure what kind of trap. Saw a group of Yakuza on the other side. Think eight at least. Maybe ten."

Silgara focuses on T’kharr. "What's the plan then?"

Looking at the doorway T’kharr says, “See if we can bait them into their own trapped door somehow?"

"Any ideas how?" the mage asks.

Xrochdyr comes up with a plan. "Hrm... If Silgara can see them and throw a fireball at them from behind the trap triggers, then retreat back, that could be a viable skirmish tactic."

Fwangzhu huffs, "That or just send the Yokai to trip it. He volunteered."

"Don't want to set off a bunch of stuff he can't resist. I was thinking of sending a spiritual weapon... fireball works too though and has the benefit that it'd be a bit more instantaneous. How clustered up is that group?" T’kharr asks Nor’vee.

"Saw a group of five clustered up pretty well there." Nor'vee replies.

"Sounds like as good a target for a fireball as any." T’kharr muses.

Silgara nods, casting an invisibility first. "We'd better be ready to support her when that goes off" Xrochdyr says, flexing his claws. Silgara creeps forward and casts Fireball……. Swoosh!

The fireball hits them square in the middle of the group. 2 are incinerated instantly. 1 evaded it and three of them tried as it came in getting slightly burned in the process. T’kharr stands aside, pressed against the wall waiting for them to come charging through the door. She has her quarterstaff in hand. Silgara returns to the group, however, the yakuza don’t come charging out. "They're expecting an ambush here, so they want to set up one of their own." Xrochdyr smiles.

"I'll try the spiritual weapon then." T’kharr casts the Spiritual Weapon blessing and sends the spiritual fist through the door after the men behind it, while moving closer so she can see. She finds they are spread out now and hiding behind turned-over tables and cabinets. She sends the weapon after the most badly hurt one she can see. The man ducks under cover at the smell of magic. The fist misses its mark. They return fire with crossbows. One of the bolts goes through the fleshy part of her collar bone nicking but not breaking it.

Xrochdyr fires his new crossbow back hitting one in the hand. Nor’vee lends his assistance with his. He puts to bolts into another. Balan raises his shield to protect everyone behind him. T’kharr stays in view so she can maneuver her Spiritual Hammer. She controls it to strike out at the nearest yakuza but again the thief avoids it. More crossbow fire comes back at them. Again, T’kharr is hit this time along the ribs.

Xrochdyr has reloaded and shoots again hitting another and grumbling something about Orthons. Nor’vee takes careful aim and shoots one through the neck. That yakuza goes down instantly choking on his own blood as it pulls around his head. Balan keeps his shield off to fend off the incoming bolts. T’kharr’s spiritual fist finally connects with one breaking one of the ruffian’s noses. The rest of the thugs back up into the shadows and run down the next tunnel away from the companions. Xrochdyr looks for more targets in the burned-out room. There are none.

[Winterhawk99]

"Seems like they really aren't biting on anything. You think you can at least identify the traps while we cover you, Nor'vee?" T’kharr asks.

Nor’vee goes back to the door and calls out, “One Sonic, one with needles and one acid.”

T’kharr glances at Xrochdyr. “You want to risk running the traps given that, or would you rather Nor'vee try to disarm them?"

"Nor'vee doesn't think they can disarm them." Nor'vee states flatly.

Balan considers all that’s being said. “I could try and give you some additional help if you wish to try disarming. If a trap were to go off, I could take the brunt.”

"Best I take the brunt of it, paladin." Xrochdyr comments.

Balan nods, “Aye if that is what you wish.” Xrochdyr sets off the traps. He uses dodge and evasion while setting them off. Only the sonic trap does any real harm to him, however two ninja that were hiding begin throwing daggers at him. The first one catches his eye and he swats it away. Then he twists his body so that the others miss.

Fwangzhu charges out past Xrochdyr as soon as he triggers all of the traps he finds a yakuza in his path. His halberd cleaves a deep wound into the woman’s side. Xrochdyr veers off to engage some of the fresher thugs. Xrochdyr jumps ahead and rips into another yakuza while grabbing a hold on him. The thug on Fwangzhu counter attacks, burying his knife in the hengeyokai’s cheek. Another thief comes out of the shadows and attacks the Abishai, but Xrochdyr again avoids all of the thug’s strikes.

A shinobi flanks Fwangzhu. He stabs the badger in his pot belly giving him a deep wound. Balan rushes forward and strike the grappled yakuza with his sword, severing his hand. Both a yakuza and a shinobi go after Balan at the same time. Their weapons bounce harmlessly off his armor. T'kharr wades into the melee herself, striking out with her quarterstaff at the nearest engaged foe while her spiritual fist goes after anyone still visible in back. She manages to bruise a thug deeply with her quarterstaff twice while her spiritual hammer punches a ninja in the gut.

Balan lashes out at one of his assailants putting a deep gash in the man’s thigh. The other man on him, the shinobi counterstrikes but again his weapon simply bounces off the dragonborn’s armor. The yakuza he wounded also tries to hit him with a tanto. The knife is deflected off his helm. T'kharr wades into the melee herself, striking out with her quarterstaff at the nearest engaged foe while her spiritual fist goes after anyone still visible in back. She manages to bash another opponent in the gut dropping him. Two shinobi seeing her come in. Both manage to stab her along the armor gaps. One in the knee and one in the elbow.

Silgara gets into the battle casting Phantasmal Killer. The shinobi she casts it at falls dead on the spot. Fwangzhu becomes frenzied. He puts two deep wounds into another opponent. Nor’vee shoots at another Shinobi. He connects with two bolts. Xrochdyr precedes to tear apart the one he has grabbed onto and goes after another. He rips another to shreds.

The shinobi on Balan still tries to get past his armor with no luck. The knife simply bounces and deflects. Balan zeros in on him. His sword catches the ninja under her arm, and he carves it up to her shoulder. Her arm drops to the ground she falls back in a pool of blood. A shinobi changes targets and tries to stab Xrochdyr. She buries her ninja-to into his back. The thug on Balan despite the fact that his weapon cannot penetrate the dragonborn’s armor still tries to find a gap. He misses.

There are still 3 shinobi and one yakuza remaining. T’kharr disengages and backs up. Her fist moves in to go after the nearer of the two shinobi engaging her. In her maneuvering she loses concentration and the fist misses the shot. Two of the Shinobi try to break off and flee knowing they are far outmatched. Silgara puts an arrow into one of them. Fwangzhu attacks another by putting more wounds into one. Nor’vee puts two quarrels into the one Silgara shot unfortunately the bolts do not penetrate far. Xrochdyr shreds apart the shinobi whose comrades left her. He is able to grab the remaining yakuza, and rip is leg off at the knee. The thug goes down screaming. He is left to die slowly.

Silgara keeps her bow drawn. "Two of them fled, down that passage."

The chamber they are in is more spacious. It’s possibly a main hall or living room of sorts. There’s a passage ahead. And another to the left. The two fleeing ninjas went into the tunnel ahead.

"After them then?" Silgara asks looking down the dark passage.

"I think we stay focused on finding the captives. Nor'vee, maybe you can scout ahead again now?" T’kharr orders more than asks.

“On it.” Nor’vee squeaks. He goes ahead, scouting ahead, then comes back "Looks like another room ahead. One Yakuza there. Just standing in the open. Seems like it's a mine area of sorts. Didn't see any traps."

T’kharr looks at the other tunnel. “As to the left?”

"Didn't scout that yet. Want Nor’vee to?”

"Aye, do check left as well." The gnoll responds.

Nor'vee goes off to scout it..., after a while, he comes back. "Looks like living quarters, probably for the Yakuza. Pocketed some gold while Nor'vee was there." Nor'vee shrugs. "No one there at least. Doubt the captive villagers are staying there."

"Guess the only way is forwards, then." Silgara nods.

“Forwards then.” T’kharr states.

[Winterhawk99]

The companions move forward, there's a tunnel, it arcs downwards. Torch brackets on the sides provide lighting. Eventually, after a narrow tunnel, they come to a more expansive room. It looks like there are, or were veins of ore around, and evidence of it being moved around. But ahead in the room, is a single man. Standing cross armed. He wears dark colored garb like a shinobi, though the tattoos of Yakuza show on his arms. The man has knives, but he keeps his arms crossed, he doesn’t have their weapons out. He’s looking at them as they enter.

"So, it is you. The outlanders. You were expelled from this island two days ago. You still persist. You still are troublesome. And you have made an enemy of the family today. All because of your meddling." He doesn't take his eyes off of you. "I expect I know what you are here for. If you take another step forward, that will be lost to you." His eyes look over your group, though he fixates on Xrochdyr for a time. "And you harbor dangerous secrets. You cavort with Yokai. Even our family does not entreat such things."

Xrochdyr hisses, flexing his bloodied claws and licking his bloodied muzzle. "Believe it or not, mortal, what you and your 'family' have been doing poses a much higher risk of damnation than what the mortals with me have been doing by entreating me."

Fwangzhu growls, like he wants to charge and maul the man, but he holds position for now. The Shinobi then looks to T'Kharr "Well then. You seem to be the leader of this little band. I can say you should turn back now. You know what will happen if you step forward. One signal from myself, and my brother will end them all, and you will have come here for nothing." The man seems eerily calm. Nor'vee and Silgara both have their weapons drawn and aimed, but while he clearly notices, he doesn't seem bothered by it.

Balan chuckles pendant in hand. T’kharr whispers in Nor’vee’s ear, “You think you can slink off and find the villagers?”

"He sees me now." Nor'vee answers in a hushed voice.

"Nothing to say?" The man comments, "Then you can turn back now. And sleep with one eye open for as long as you live. Your offense against the family will not be forgotten."

T’kharr again whispers to Nor’vee, “Can try something if you think it'll help." She turns to Silgara while the man is watching them and asks quietly, “Do you have a spare invisibility cast?"

Silgara whispers aside, "I used mine, I'm afraid."

Balan quietly says, “We can get to them before they can move if you want.”

Xrochdyr hisses, "Negotiation might be prudent here."

Silgara joins them in a hushed voice. The man seems amused. "I do have a dimension door casting readied, if needed. I can take three others with me now."

"The issue is not they themselves moving but them ordering their subordinates to cut throats." T’kharr tells Balan. "I am hoping that a Sanctuary spell might be enough to let Nor'vee slip loose and get eyes on our quarry"

Silgara’s eyes narrow. “"He'd see and hear us casting..."

Balan gets a thought. “I can give us enough speed to engage with them and take them out quickly.”

The man studies them all. "You are looking to plot a way out of this rather than speak. That much is expected. How about this. If you continue to say nothing and stay there, I will give the signal, we will fade into the shadows, and you will never find us, until we come for you."

"If you think you can engage him fast enough with the dimension door and what you have..." T’kharr states, hoping that Balan’s plan can work.

Fwangzhu snarls, "Oh for..." He just shakes his head, then steps forward, seeming to ignore the party's whispers "Listen you, do you have /any/ idea what you've done? Some of your idiots almost killed a Tun-Mi-Lung's favored. Do you have any idea what kind of danger you've just put this whole damned island in? They're the kind to erase entire islands if you anger them, which your lot just did!"

T’kharr says “Take Xrochdyr, Fwangzhu and Balan with you.” To Silgara.

Silgara looks over, it seems like Fwangzhu's decided to handle things on his own. The man fixates on him...

Fortunately, Fwangzhu's speech manages to get through to him to some extent, though the man replies. "We have no need for piety or concern for such things. The gods do not bring prosperity; we make it for ourselves."

Fwangzhu snorts in turn. "And guess what? Even if you don't care for them? They still exist. And are likely to be really fucking pissed off right about now. So do whatever you want with your people, but unless you want your whole family wiped off the maps by an angry dragon, you might want to not make things worse. Or give us enough time to get out of the blast zone!" Fwangzhu growls.

T’kharr still in a hushed voice says, “We have a good opportunity, I'll step in for Fwangzhu, let’s do it now, move in with the Dimension Door and whatever speed you have Balan."

The man stares daggers at Fwangzhu, Fwangzhu snarls again. "Or keep pissing us off and you won't have to wait for the dragon to do it for us."

Balan uses the opportunity to burst into a closing speed on the man. The man then steps back. “Take them and begone then. Do not return to this island or cross our business again.” He looks at Balan, then drops a smoke bomb and turns invisible.

T’kharr still whispering asks Silgara, “Got another Glitterdust?” While she casts sanctuary on Nor’vee.

"I do, yes." Silgara says.

“Throw it out there then. “ T’kharr urgently says. Silgara casts the spell while Balan moves to block the doorway.

The man calls out “GAH!” as he is blinded and outlined. “Strike me down and my brethren will slit all their throats. Let us go and we’ll only do so if…” Balan grabs the man’s throat and squeezes smoke billowing out of his snout. “GHHRRKK!”

Fwangzhu snarls, "What the FUCK are you lot doing?!?"

T’kharr raises her voice to normal level. “Find the villagers, Nor’vee.” He runs off.

Balan scowls, “You live and let them go or face dragon fire if you speak to have them killed.”

"They will sense that you have done the… " Cough "What happens next is your fault now, foreigners." Silgara and Xrochdyr run off. Fwangzhu snarls and yells some curses charging off. Balan keeps his grip tight enough to where the leader cant yell, yet it seems they have nothing else to say. The man does reach for his dagger.

T’kharr attempts to cast a Command spell on him and loudly says, “Surrender!” He suddenly stops. T’kharr ties him up and gags him. The rest of the companions seem to have gone deeper into the mines. Theres’s passages to the left and right.

Balan asks her, “Need to take a bite out of this one?”

She shakes her head "Not for now. Get him nice and gagged and that'll put him in enough of a pinch for now"

Balan chuckles, “Thought maybe you would be hungry.” He ties the gag tighter. The shinobi leader stays quiet.

T’kharr turns her attention deeper within the mine system. “"I think we need to move in deeper, although you can stay here and keep him company if you'd rather."

Eventually the rest of them return with some people in tow. Fwangzhu looks furious. Balan turns to the exit. “Let’s go quickly. Full movement.”

Fwangzhu snarls. "When we get to safety, I am fucking punching you both in the face!"

“I will gladly accept it.” Balan grunts.

Silgara sighs, "Not the time, let’s move."

"Aye, let’s get out of here." T’kharr agrees. She then turns to the shinobi. “Finish him off now that we’ve salvaged what we can.” Fwangzhu snarls and just brutally axes the captive until they're dead, probably letting out some pent-up rage. They then move out

Xrochdyr huffs, "We'd better get moving, we didn't find the other two, so they could be off to raise an alarm. We have what we came for."

Silgara rubs her face. "Well, I do know what they were doing here. This place has a Mithril deposit."

“Useful materials.” Balan comments.

"Well, useful for the Yakuza to make sure this part is firmly in their hands at least." Silgara muses.

"Just SHUT THE FUCK UP and let’s get out of here! We don't need the over-fucking analysis for that right now!" Fwangzhu snarls, still clearly livid. The 30 or so captives follow them as best they can.

T’kharr starts to head back up. “Hopefully Nor’vee will rejoin us soon.”

“Good!” T’kharr shouts.

Nor’vee squeaks, “Am here. We didn't get all of them out alive. Let’s get moving."

They rejoin with Mingzhu. She picks up Zsikhou and follows. The companions head towards the shoreline to get the ship ready.

"We got as many as we could manage given how much of a mess things devolved down there." T’kharr says to Mingzhu with a sigh.

The shamaness stays silent. Her eyes resolved. Fwangzhu just snarls, then goes over to T'kharr, and punches her.

T’kharr shrugs off the punch, then looks at Balan. “I reckon we should set some wild fires on this isle before we shove off, no?"

Fwangzhu snarls, "What the fuck is that going to do besides mess up the wildlife?!? Whatever, just move your asses! Farther we get away from this place the better."

"Hopefully, put the occupants of this place in a really big pickle." T’kharr states.

Fwangzhu just looks towards T'Kharr like he's a step away from just dropping everything to maul her. Balan shouts. “I can make fires!” He breaths fire across a grass field.

[Winterhawk99]

Mingzhu follows the group with an unconscious Zsikhou in her arms. He looks very snuggly. Fwangzhu looks over, snarling at Balan as he starts burning the grass with his breath weapon, “Oh nice fucking job! Now the smoke is going to let every fucker around know there's shit going down here!! Well, whatever, move your ass! I'm punching you after we get them to safety." He grunts and starts trying to get the freed villagers away. Most of the villagers are compliant, but they're clearly extremely terrified of Xrochdyr. The fire is lit. The grass begins to blaze and spread.

Mingzhu shakes her head and prays to the spirits. "Forgive them for they know not what they do." The companions go to the shoreline. The pace is more hurried and urgent. Nor'vee watches the party's back while Fwangzhu takes the front. Silgara deploys the boat, she starts getting the civilians on.

Fwangzhu looks over at T'Kharr and Balan. "Okay, now that they're safe, just what the fuck were you thinking back there?! Lollygagging around which was very fucking obvious and then the moment I talk the guy into letting the captives go, you attack him! And end up getting some of them killed! What the fuck?!" Fwangzhu is livid and snarling. Nor'vee notes the angry badger man and opts to quietly excuse himself, getting on the boat. Xrochdyr simply watches for now, but keeps quiet, looking back and forth, as if trying to assess this situation. Mingzhu goes to her cabin and closes the door. She’s tired of it all. Silgara is on the boat, trying to sort out the freed villagers. Nor'vee is on as well, but he keeps to himself.

Mingzhu sets Zsikhou down on her bed and lets him rest, checking on him every so often. She rests in between and tries to stay out of everyone else’s way.

Up on deck T’kharr says to the others, “I had no assurance from anyone that the captives’ be released. I suppose that I might have missed something in that exchange." sighs, rubs her muzzle, looking exhausted.

“Indeed, I did not hear a full promise but plenty of threats.” Balan evaluates as he thinks back.

Fwangzhu growls, then huffs, still livid, then shakes his head. "Whatever. We at least have some of them alive. Let’s just... get them home. And get the fuck out of here before that fire of yours ends up sending more of them after us." Fwangzhu and Xrochdyr board the ship. Silgara's already at the helm, preparing to take off. Xrochdyr moves to a quiet storeroom. The freed villagers are clearly terrified of him. Silgara gets ready to sail towards Tzukine.

"Tzukine it is," T’kharr says almost depressingly.

"Right, I'm setting sail before any response forces come after us." Silgara shouts from the wheel. Luckily for the group no one intercepts them at sea. It takes a day to reach Tzukine. they get a long rest in.

Some three hours after they board, Zsikhou wakes up. Mingzhu looks down on him. “How are you feeling?”

He grunts and tries to get up then decides to lay back down rubbing the side of his head. "Sssk.... like this one wants to stab someone... what happened?"

“Traps and shinobi took you down all at once. From there I tended to you while the others freed the villagers.”

He squints still in pain. "Will further corrective action be needed there?"

Hearing the voices T’kharr forces her way into the room. Mingzhu sighs but takes it in stride. The gnoll speaks, “Aye, and what happened deeper in was a mess...they had what looked like a leader figure who was trying to force us to negotiate by holding the captives hostage....we got out with what we could, but they must have had subtlety beyond my notice."

Mingzhu stares at her a moment then turns to the kobold. “I do not know Zsikhou.........I was not there. The badger though is his usual self and Balan started a bush fire. We have no idea how large it may have gotten.” She then tries to wave T’kharr off. She gets the message and leaves.

Zsikhou winces. "If they're Shinobi, that means they're quite skilled at the shadow arts, and they're also of the mindset where the mission comes above everything else."

“I’m in the dark as much as you are. I never made it past the entrance.”

Zsikhou flexes his claws. "If they have a setup like that, they've probably got more influence there than they did back in Suduzki..." He then shudders. "What's our next heading then? To Tzukine I take it to get the villagers home?"

“They enslaved villagers of another daimyos lands. If they come for us I will hopefully be ready. I plan something.”

“Was the elder of that place complicit?”

“I believe so though I have no proof.”

Zsikhou moves to his back. "Well, they've branded us outlaws there, I expect if we try to investigate, we'll probably need to kill their guards. I still would though."

"It would be the only explanation for how the Shinobi leader was behaving there." T’kharr says while peeking through the doorway.

Mingzhu frowns a moment. Zsikhou lifts his head and looks at the gnoll raising an eye ridge. “"How so?"

The shamaness looks to the distance. “Give me time to grow a little further.” He gives her a slight nod from the bed.

That’s when T’kharr decides to speak, "They knew we were outlaws, and basically treated us as if we had become pariahs on the whole island, which were very strange words to come from someone who themselves flouts the laws of civilization."

Zsikhou reflects, "Which would only make sense if the Elder and guard were cooperating with them. It... at least would track in regard to what we know of how Daimyo Zuodong's lands work."
"I guess the only question is whether we double back to execute him or not." He then lies back. "Best to get the villagers home first, though. For now, should... get some rest." He huffs, leaning back looking very snuggly curled up like he is.

"I said to finish him off but I'm not sure if anyone caught my drift in that mess." T’kharr replies.

Zsikhou turns his head back in T’kharr’s direction. "Would mean going back into town, where we're actively named criminals." ... He sighs "Being above human law now would be nice..."

"Sometimes, humans twist and pervert law away from what makes it fit for civilization." T’kharr states rather flatly.

"Often do. Why I'm supposed to execute the ones that do." Zsikhou quips, "Given these lands, would keep me busy for a long time. ... or... " He sighs "Would have..." He then looks off, lost in thought before he finally dozes off. T’kharr wanders off after that. Mingzhu quietly closes the door and this time she locks it behind her before trying to rest herself.

Up-on-deck, Balan is staying quiet for now reflecting on the events and the deeds they have done, trying to get a handle on them.

[Winterhawk99]

They reach the shores of Tzukine the next evening. The villagers are not in great condition, but they are grateful for the rescue and relieved to be home. They move quickly off the ship when it arrives in port. The villagers from the other ship are already there and are working on rebuilding the village. T’kharr sighs with relief at seeing the others. The companions see Jalyndae and Kastelli are also near the docks waiting for them. Nor’vee almost immediately moves to Kastelli to speak with her. Silgara almost giggles, “Well, he sure is in a rush.” Fwangzhu heads off to check on the village. Silgara, Zsikhou, and Xrochdyr remain on the ship.

T’kharr heads over to Jalyndae. “Good to see you again. How'd the journey here from the shadow-isle go?" while Mingzhu disembarks and sees to the needs of the villagers.

Jalyndae looks to the village and back to T’kharr. "Relatively smooth, thankfully that old pirate still knows how to manage a ship quite well. It's still in dock. We managed to sail here without problems. Between Kastelli and myself we got all of the villagers on that island here. Ever since, we've been helping them recover and rebuild." Jalyndae smiles. "How about on your end? I hope all's gone well?"

T’kharr frowns. "Going to recover the enslaved villagers...didn't go to plan. Our best scout went down early on to devilish trap work on the part of the slavers, and I'm admittedly...not well suited for negotiating with terroristic types who think that holding people hostage is a negotiating tactic, not an ultimatum. Never mind the situation in the tavern...one of Silgara's old personal foes popped up and made our lives a lot more difficult, even from the cold comforts of his grave"

"I see.... I'm sure you did the best you could..." Jalyndae purses her lips. “And, oh, I see.”

T’kharr shifts and returns, "We're alive, said personal foe of Silgara's is dead for he hadn't the sense to recognize unrequited grace, and I was able to keep my own temper together. I take it you only wound up needing one ship?"

"I do hope that your companion is well after such an altercation. I'm aware of how personal matters can greatly take one's focus." Jalyndae nods, then looks over. "Ah, we took one of the larger boats. But yes, we only needed one. The old pirate picked it. Alas, the people here have suffered greatly. Kastelli and I have been doing what we could to aid. I know Kastelli got that sending, I'm afraid we were not able to recover the spirit that was in the Scriptorium." She frowns.

"How'd the bastard manage to keep you from pulling that off?" T’kharr asks in a curious tone, not blaming or angry.

"The Scriptorium is Dimensionally Locked; I couldn't use my Ethereal Jaunt there. We got the villagers out first, then me and Kastelli went towards the Scriptorium. We ended up spotting some of his Yulgoloth there and detected multiple evil presences. We opted to withdraw. We would not have won that fight." She adds, "And we opted not to put the mortals at more undue risk waiting for us."

"Aye, it sounds like he backfilled the guards there once he knew what was up." T’kharr comments.

"By the way... I know you had a difficult choice to make at the end there as well, who did you bring with you?" Jalyndae looks over at the devil. "Possibly, it's likely that he didn't consider the mortals relevant, but I won't claim to know what motivates that one."

"How's the old pirate doing anyway? Got a piece of hardware from Black Rackham that we might need some...education on. And we wound up having to take the being of Law with us....it was the best of a bad lot. A succubus would have been too...recognizable as obviously fiendish, and that fell celestial...there was no way in any plane under the multiverse I'd have taken him with us." T’kharr remarks.

"But I dread wonder what he is doing to that spirit. Ah..." Jalyndae pauses, "He was true to his word. But I think he feels uncomfortable here, and the other mortals are uncomfortable around him. I think he is one who has had his life turned upside down. It's not easy when one's belief is... cracked like his has."
Jalyndae raises an eyebrow, "Succubi are natural shapeshifters. She could appear perfectly human if she wanted to. Or something else. ... You mean the Abishai." She then looks alert. "I understand regarding the Deva, given what you saw of his behavior. Perhaps I should go check on him...." Jalyndae muses "Well, was there anything else I can help you with?"

Jalyndae’s mind moves off for a moment then she jumps back to the present. “Oh, if you're looking for the old pirate, he's over on the ship commandeered. It should be by the docks. He can't sail it on his own, but he should be there if you need him. I'll go check on Xrochdyr. May the Light of Elysium be with you." She dips her head and moves off.

"I will head back to the boat myself, need to speak with Silgara. Burdens be eased." T’kharr dips her head to Jalyndae and heads for the ship herself to first speak with Silgara, then pick up the piece and head over to meet with the old salt dog about it. She heads back to the boat herself to consult with Silgara. "Say, now that we have a moment to talk...mind relating to your observations on how the Shinobi were holding the villagers hostage?"

After Mingzhu makes sure the village people are ok. She takes a walk up to the spirit’s grove. When getting there she sits down by the tree and meditates. She goes over what happened today. The villagers definitely need a lot of help, a lot of them are malnourished, and have clearly been through a lot of horrible nights. It's probably going to take a while for them to comprehensively recover, still, Mingzhu did make some progress.

The grove itself looks like it has not been touched since last she was there. There is more vegetation and the grove itself looks untended. She decides not to go back immediately. She wants to try something though there is little chance for it to work. She will come back to the ship in the morning.

Once T’kharr goes up to the main deck she comes over to Silgara who looks up. “Ah, those two that fled from the battle were there. They also had some traps set up. Fire traps. The Shinobi knew how to trigger them. They had rallied up the villagers into kill zones. When we rushed, we tried to stop them from harming them, but we weren't completely successful in that. Unfortunately, those two got away as well."

T’kharr shakes and frowns. “I was left with a quandary with those two who fled...I couldn't stay in that fight much longer with the way they could hit me -- had they gotten one more good round of blows on me; I'd have fallen..."

"We... got most of them out at least. It wasn't a perfect mission, but it's something, at least."

"Aye. I didn't trust the Shinobi leader at all, never mind well enough to try to parlay with him"

Silgara places her arm on the gnoll’s shoulder. “Understandable."

"Any other observations on how they operated that might help us for next time we go up against those sorts? They sure really were a tough lot...I do wonder how they set the traps up that led to Zsikhou's fall."

"An ambush position and perhaps some bad luck. But I do think these ones were more skilled than the ones back on Suduzki. But maybe someone more local knows more about Shinobi traditions." Silgara theorizes.

"Perhaps. "Maybe Zsikhou might have an idea?"

Silgara purses her lips, “Perhaps.”

"It didn't help that Nor'vee got spotted and driven back."

"They did have advantage of terrain there, and yes, that..."

"On a more positive note, I was wondering if you, or someone else in our group, might want to learn of how to work Black Rackham's piece...maybe the old pirate can give us some insights on its manual of arms."

"Hrm, maybe. If he's here, we can go visit him. Shall we, then?" Silgara’s eyes wander searching for the old pirate.

"He's on the other boat," T’kharr says as she grabs the pistol and its supplies. Silgara follows her as the gnoll starts toward the other ship.

[Winterhawk99]

The other ship is quite large, a galleon in fact but its empty. T’kharr and Silgara head for the captain’s cabin. T’kharr knocks on the door. “Aye? Come in,” The old pirated says.

She enters along with Silgara. "Ah, it's good to see you again. We were hoping you could help us figure out something of Black Rackham's?" produces the pistol gingerly, carefully laying it out on the table along with the corresponding supplies

The old pirate looks over, noting the pistol, he nods, "Aye. Rare weapon, that be. Only the most prestigious o' pirates be holdin' such usually. Tha' or ye be findin' em round Lantan's waters, though tha' gnomes guard them jealously."

"Figured it wasn't common, at least," T’kharr remarks.

"Be called a smoke powder pistol, lass." The old pirate leans forward, examining it. "I can tell ye tha' most be more symbolic than they be useful as a weapon. They shoot wit' much more power than a crossbow ever could. Though ones of this size nay shoot nearly as far, nor they always be reliable." T’kharr nods her furred head along slowly as the pirate continues. "Nay, they nay be, lass. There nay be many who can work on these. They also rely on rare ammunition. An' they also need a special smoke powder tae work as well." The Keeper nods.

"Aye, we made sure to grab Rackham's bag of supplies for this thing." T’kharr says as she shows the balls and powder bag.

"This one... hrm..." He looks it over. "I think it be bearing the mark o' a demon's gift as well, maybe." He considers. "Most nay be overly reliable. Maybe thar be one who made a wish upon tha' demon fer a workin' one. Maybe some fool gnome thought he could get it workin' tha' way. Though I reckon it now be a weapon all the same. Weapon is a weapon; nay matter the smith." He shrugs.

The gnoll looks down at the weapon and back up at him. “Ay, to a point.”

"Ye want tae be usin it, well, I donnae know how much o' tha' powder an' shotte ye got stored up. Or maybe this one makes it's own ammunition, useful enchantment if it be doin' tha'" A shrug. "Well, ye got anythin' else ye be wantin' tae ask bout this?"

"We just have what Rackham had on him at the time, nothing more. I was hoping that'd be enough for you to demonstrate such a piece, if you've shot such yourself before, and perhaps for us to try our hands at it ourselves? Get a bit familiar with the thing, at least, before we decide what to ultimately do with it." T’kharr suggests.

"Aye, lad, iffin ye want me tae be showin ye..." He goes to slowly, gently take the pistol. He then opens the chamber. "Still loaded, ye can see tha' shotte in thar"...Closes the chamber, it's ready to fire "Jus' aim an' pull tha' trigger tae shoot it." Then he checks another compartment, the powder case "Aye, powder case be full up. Some of it causes an explosion when it be shot. Tha' propels tha' shotte forward." He closes the chamber.

She watches very closely. "I reckon we should head outside to where we have a good backstop if 'tis time for a demonstration, hm?"

Silgara seems to be making mental notes. "Interesting, so instead of a drawstring like a crossbow uses, it propels a round shot forward with a contained explosion behind it. Except the explosion could cause internal damage, couldn't it?"

The pirate agrees. "Aye, lass, ye be right' thar. Maybe a reason tha' gnomes rarely get em workin' right."

"I reckon that these'd have to be made quite well to hold up to such no?" T’kharr asks.

"Aye, I can be showin' ye, iffin ye want tae be spendin' a few shotte on it..." the old pirate insists.

"Aye, I think that's the plan. We probably could find a way to make more shot if we had to, the powder's going to be the limiting thing though, we'd have to find an alchemist for that nay?" T’kharr asks.

The old pirate does demonstrate it, a pistol shot out to sea, how to reload it, how to refill the powder chamber, the various normal mechanisms ... "Think so, lad. An' tha' right kind of powder. Some are designed fer different ones. I think this one be using smoke powder, though I heard some experiment wit' rune powder." The pirate replies.

"Rune powder? From what I have heard, that is extremely volatile." Silgara interjects.

T’kharr watches with rapt attention at his demonstration. "Wow. I was expecting it to be loud..." Her ears are still ringing as she then glances to Silgara to make sure. Silgara also winces from the noise.

"I think cotton for one's ears might be a useful accessory." T’kharr commends.

"Aye lad, Runepowder be very volatile. I think most o tha' lads tryin' tae work' wit' it ended up blowin' emselves right down tae tha' locker." The old pirate nods. "Hah, maybe fer yer big ears, lass." The old pirate cocks a grin.

T'kharr smirks and chuckles lightly in response. She then glances back to Silgara "Did you want to give it a try first, or would you rather I did?"

"Ah, go ahead." Silgara shrugs.

T’kharr offers to take the pistol in her hand. "If I may try, please?" Silgara hands it over. The gnoll takes the pistol in her big, furry mitt and extends it out, cocking it as the pirate demonstrated, pointed out to sea unless there's a nearby hill that'd suit instead...and slowly squeezes the trigger. BANG! It's a single shot device. Reloading it is admittedly a bit awkward without practice. It's an unfamiliar mechanism, it'll definitely take some getting used to, but it can be done. She winces at the report of the shot once again before slowly working through the reloading process, letting the pirate observe to see if she's doing it correctly. The pirate does offer some corrections here and there.

"Did you wish to try?" T’kharr asks Silgara, once her ears have stopped ringing and she's had the pirate double check her work in the end.

Silgara nods and gives it a try. It's also a bit awkward for her, but she does seem fascinated by the inner workings of the construction, taking notes... "Definitely intricate craftsmanship on this, and an intricate latticework of enchantments. It... definitely would make sense if a gnomish artificer was able to make this with that Glabrezu's help..." She frowns. "I guess part of that wish ended up giving it to Black Rackham. Still, the magic and artifice is quite impressive."

T’kharr looks from Silgara back to the pirate. “Mind telling us how many more shots we have from Rackham's supplies?"

"Hrm, hard tae be sayin'... I just say donnae go wastin' it iffin ye nae be needin tae, tha' is iffing ye be wantin' tae use this as a weapon." He responds.

"Aye, didn't plan on it." T’kharr agrees.

"Well, ye be needin' anythin' else from me, lass?" The old pirate seems hesitant.

"I reckon that'll be it unless you had anything else to share on this piece? Ah, one other question about it...should we leave it loaded like this, or fire it off one more time without reloading so that it's unloaded for keeping?"

"Plenty tae tell, lass." He shrugs "It be a badge of office to a pirate captain as well as a weapon. Ah..." He sighs, "Keepin' it unloaded would at least prevent ye from accidentally shootin someone. Keepin' it loaded would allow ye tae shoot someone quick an easy. Whichever ye be thinkin' be more important. A good shot can send any scallywag down tae' tha' locker."

"I reckon unloaded might be safest given that it seemed to have a fairly...sensitive trigger, no?" T’kharr looks between the pirate and Silgara to see their opinions

"Probably would be safest to leave it unloaded, yes." Silgara affirms.

"At least for storage. If we decide someone's to carry it, I reckon they'll be responsible for loading it." Then T’kharr looks back to the pirate "If one's to carry such a weapon as this, how's best to do so?"

"Usually, ye be keepin’ it on a holster belt." The old pirate replies.

The Gnoll grunts, “"Openly carried then?" she looks it over cautiously for a bit, as if sizing it up to see if it could be concealed. She finds that it could if she cares too.

"Aye, like I said, it be a badge o' status among pirates." The old pirate affirms.

T’kharr looks back to him, “Noted. Anyway" she looks to Silgara "Did you want to fire the last shot off for the time being ,or would ye rather I did....?"

"Ah, go ahead." Silgara says.

T’kharr takes the pisol up, points it seward again, cocks it, and slowly squeezes the trigger one more time. ‘Click.’ "Hrm, if we can use it as a weapon, who should we give it to? Though I expect few of us could use it as well as what we're familiar with." Silgara muses.

"Ah, I thought you were going to try reloading it Silgara, did you still want to give it a go or?" T’kharr suggests.

"I think I'm alright but thank you." Silgara winces.

"Ah, fair enough then." T’kharr turns to the pirate. "Unless there's anything else you wish to add, I think that's all. Thank you for your time, and may your burdens be eased." Dipping her furred head to the old man.

"Winds at yer back, lass." The old pirate nods, then turns back in. T’kharr and Silgara head back to their own ship with the unloaded pistol and its supplies.

"That was...edifying at least, even if my ears still ring lightly from it." T’kharr rubs an ear.

"It was... hrm... interesting academically. Well, what should we do next?" Silgara looks around at the village.

"I'm honestly not sure at this point. I might need to rest a bit more myself, make sure Zsikhou's alright, and then check on the villagers, see how things are going over there, tend to anyone who needs serious attention"

Silgara nods. "And after that, then?"

"Once the villagers are established, we can then move back out, head back to that main port in Zuodong's lands and see if we can pick up on more trouble, take care of selling off stuff we want to sell for that matter."

"Hrm, well, alright. What were you looking for there, though?" Silgara considers.

"I'm hoping to get feelers for more pirate troubles, or another thing we can use to get a hook on our other targets, unless you think that we should stick to these waters for that?"

"Well, I figure there, Zalusu, and Port Ginji are places we can handle trade. I expect what we did to that midnight island probably disrupted pirate activity, though yes, we don't know the full extent of Zuodong's court scope or what other problems there are there. That and well, there's the leads Xrochdyr has given us. And I know Nor'vee wanted to stop by Nokimua now. It's something he mentioned to me on the boat ride here." Silgara evaluates.

"Ah, yes. That'd be good for the next stop after we do our trading..."

"Which place?" Silgara looks over.

"Nokimua, no?"

Silgara nods. "I'll get things ready for that trip then. Ah, where did you want to go for trade, though? Port Ginji? Zalusu? Or Kurozhan?"

"Whichever you think we'll have the least friction at." T’kharr surmises.

"We could check in with the trading companies at Port Ginji, but well, things may head up if we try to confront Samael, who may well be Lejargamael. Zalusu of course has the issues with Ceroba, but that one is probably the least problematic. Kurozhan... well, I wouldn't say we really have many friends there, even if we did help captain Manishpral there. But it's generally a rough place but probably has the most expansive market selection." Silgara muses "Your call though."
"So, what next?" She looks over to T'Kharr

"I think we either hit Port Ginji but stay clear of Diamond Industries, or head back to Kurozhan"
"Depends on what the others have to say though."

"Well, I'll return to the ship. I think the others went off but, we can reconvene when we're ready." Silgara nods, then heads back to the companions vessel.

"Aye." T’kharr reports.