The Harvest Moon Consortium

[Winterhawk99]

Fwangzhu paces restlessly, angrily snarling and muttering to himself as he's below deck. Nor'vee seems to try to give him a wide berth. Or tries. They do eventually meet in the cargo hold. Fwangzhu looks to Nor'vee. "So, that shit that went down on Renkao. Where do you stand on it?"

Nor'vee squeaks, then shrugs. "Not Nor'vee's fight. Angry stupid humans will be angry and stupid and can stabby, stab each other. Not Nor'vee's problem."

Fwangzhu snarls, then huffs. "Least you're honest about it. Fucking atrocity." Nor'vee quietly shuffles away.

They all rest after the traumatic time on the island. Silgara keeps watch until morning. She knows at just before dawn Mingzhu will appear to do her meditation. After the shamaness is finished, Silgara walks up to her. “Have we decided on our plan of action then?"

Mingzhu frowns and shakes her head, "I do not know what to do. I hope the spirits of the dead did not engage anyone townsfolk or Samurai's men."

Silgara nods … "That is a concern, I do not know how spontaneous spectral undead manifestations are in this part of the world. Usually, it takes something to stir them on." She shakes her head. "My thoughts have been more tactical. Or strategic, if we determine that we should leave Renkao and not return. And head elsewhere."

“We still have to find Zsikhou.”

Silgara nods to that. "Feels strange to try and rescue a kobold we know is evil, I'll admit."

"I know. Yet he is a member of our team and knows the ways of these islands. You don't think he went out to seek revenge, do you?"

Silgara nods. "I'm aware. Just... it still feels a bit weird. And he has been naught but helpful to us." She considers. "Revenge on whom? That's also a concern. Let’s say he and the Daimyo's men do meet. You're more familiar with their culture and society. And as far as they know he's still got his dragon's blessing which has made him effectively above human law. How would they handle him now?"

"It will depend on if they still believe he has it." Mingzhu insists.

"Only you, myself, and Fwangzhu were there when he spared Sachiko. And we never told Minamoto about what happened there." Silgara nods. "Let’s assume they still believe he is still blessed. How would they handle it?"

"Much more delicately than I was handled. if they believe he is an avenger of a typhoon dragon. Dragons in these lands even evil ones are revered as direct representatives of the Celestia court. Some are even worshiped as members of the 8 million gods. Minamoto has also never seen me control water. They may attribute the spell as a warning from his master. Though I am not sure."

Silgara nods. "That also depends on if they will want to detain him, if they will want to keep an eye on him, or just let him go." She spends a moment considering. "What happened once we became separated, anyways?"

"They took us to their jail in the ship. Minamoto came down and was...extremely arrogant in trying to question us. I made a hard decision that It would be better to try to escape than try to talk our way out of a closed-minded court. So, I used my control water spell to try to shipwreck them."

Silgara nods, "Understandable given the general degree of competency and integrity we have seen of the authorities in this region." She considers. "How did Zsikhou react to this?"

“He said I was not to be harmed that he needed me to do the celestial court’s business.”

Silgara cranes her head. "I meant more to you shipwrecking them, but how did the Daimyo's men react to that?"

“They were stunned and scared mostly. Some got their heads together and attacked us. Zsikhou went to shadows and as far as we know escaped. T'kharr casts some spells and flew us off the ship. I can use dream sight to try to find him on land without having to put myself in danger. He can see and hear spirits. but I only have about 7 minutes to find him.”

"That's... not a lot of time. Especially since Renkao is larger than most of the other islands we've been on." Silgara considers.

“If I can find him I can tell him to go to the beach where I can pick him up swimming. I travel really fast as a spirit. I can fly around and call out to him to come to the beach. I know it’s not much time but it’s the only thing I have without having to defend myself against the Samurai's men. I can also try to locate him with the spirits.

Silgara nods, "I've got some disguise spells, but they only work on myself. Odds are they're going to be on the lookout for all of us. Minamoto knows each of us reasonably well, except Nor'vee. But I'll admit I'm not sure how on board Nor'vee is going to be with this."

Mingzhu purses her lips and looks around. “I can try to find out his general location using commune with spirits then go near shore and use dream sight to call to him.”

Silgara nods, trying to think. "What if he's in the city itself? I expect he'd be easy to find if he's in the port town. We have been away for several hours now, at least."

Mingzhu thinks a long time. "I was going to ask distances east or west from the ship if he wasn’t on it with my questions. Do you think it better to ask if he is in the city or not?”

Silgara paces over to the captain's cabin, entering. Going to look at a map. The port town is on the southern end of the island, with Rakusinan in the center. It's pretty large, though it looks like there's rice fields on the northern side of Rokusinan, with the bulk of the city being more southwards, though there is a short distance between the port and city. East and west sides of the island are mostly uninhabited, just grasslands with some forests. There is a notable river that flows from the north side of the island and bends around to the west, it looks like it's a source of water for most of the rice fields. "Zsikhou can change position and is likely staying mobile. Even if the Daimyo's men are unwilling or unable to detain him, they're probably keeping a close eye on him, and he's trying to keep a low profile." Silgara considers. "So, if we were in Zsikhou's position, what would we be doing right now?"

"Well, if it were me, I would be in the grass lands finding heavy cover or trying to look out for the ship. someplace where it would be safe to wave us down. But I am not sure if Zsikhou thinks like that."

Silgara considers. "Eastern side of the isle probably has the most cover." Then she looks at Mingzhu. "Well, you probably know him best of us. What do you think?"

Mingzhu shakes her head. “I am not sure. I can ask the spirits if he is in the grasslands and then if the answer is yes, I can ask if it’s the eastern or western side of the island?”

Silgara nods. "It's worth a try. I wonder if T'Kharr or the others have any ideas. Unfortunately, most of the divination spells I know involve analyzing magic, not something like this. There's a few spells I know of but don't know how to cast."

Mingzhu looks at T'kharr and Balan, "Any ideas?"

"Hm. Nothing comes to mind offhand, at least, I'd have to sit down and have a think to try to come up with a better plan than what you've described." T’kharr explains.

Mingzhu looks down a moment and back to the group, “Can anyone come up with the best way to find out where he is with my four questions? Balan, T'kharr?"

Silgara shakes her head. "The only thing I can think of is I can cast a disguise spell and search normally. Nor'vee can likely hide from the Daimyo's men, but I expect all of us are to be detained on sight and none of us have Zsikhou's political immunity."

“If I do find Zsikhou I'll tell him to come to the beach from there he can swim to me. I can call a sea creature to take us back to the ship.” Mingzhu says.

Silgara nods. "Which side of the island? North? East? Or West? South is likely highly dangerous, since the Daimyo's ship is there. Odds are they're working on getting it repaired."

Mingzhu looks out to sea in the direction of the island. “We need to fine out which direction he is first. Then decide.” Silgara nods.

Mingzhu casts trance then commune with spirits. She calls an ocean spirit to her. A spirits appears. Mingzhu greets it, “Greetings spirit. I need to know. Is my companion Zsikhou in the grasslands?"

“No.”

“Is he in the dock side city which includes the shipwrecked samurai ship?”

“No.”

“Is Zsikhou in Rokusinan?”

“Yes.”

“Is Zsikhou within 500 yards of the magistrates burn out courthouse?”

“No.” The spirit fades.

Mingzhu turns to the others. “He is in Rokusinan outside of 500 yards from the courthouse."

Silgara nods. "Rokusinan is relatively large... do you have another casting ready to narrow it down? Maybe find out what he's doing or if he's in trouble?" Mingzhu shakes her head.

The elf sighs, nodding. "Okay... I don't think a seven-minute spell will be able to scout all of that place, we do at least know he's in the city. I was hoping we could narrow it down further."

“Silgara is there a point a 100 yards off shore somewhere on the island where I can cover that distance. Even if it’s on the south side? I can go 7,000 feet before I am pulled back to my body.”

Silgara looks over, "Can you use the river for that? It goes through the rice fields."

“I can as long as I am submerged while I dream. I will be hidden.” Mingzhu insists.

Silgara nods. "I'm not sure how large that river is but I can take us to the north side of the isle, and you can go in the river. If we're lucky the Daimyo's guardsmen will be keeping their force on the city core and docks."

Mingzhu nods. “A good plan.”

Silgara goes to the wheel "Taking us in then." Silgara sails the boat to the north side of the isle, still trying to keep relatively out of sight of the coast. She also considers. "The river also spans to the west side of the isle, if you'd rather us go there instead of the north side."

Mingzhu says to her, “Whichever your charts infer it is deepest and closest to the city."

"North side, though it's more populated." Silgara mentions.

Mingzhu nods. “Hopefully they will never see me.”

Silgara nods, "I can give you an invisibility spell before you head off, if you like."

“Ok.” Mingzhu says knowing she will need any help she can get.

Silgara eventually swings the boat to the north side of the isle, out of sight, she looks to Mingzhu. "Ready?"

Mingzhu breaths deeply and nods. It’s still darkish out Mingzhu knows that will also work in her favor. Silgara casts invisibility on her. Nor'vee also gets on the top deck, though seems to be keeping to himself. Mingzhu dives off the ship and disappears into the sea.

[Winterhawk99]

Once Mingzhu is submerged her gills open up and she sucks water into her lungs, so she isn't buoyant. She swims as fast as she can south toward the river. It doesn't seem like there's a lot here. She sees some fishermen on the river, but it seems pretty quiet. Some farmers doing late night tasks, but beyond that, it's smooth swimming. She swims upriver as fast as she can until the water is a little under 6 ft. deep in the channel. just enough to cover any movement. The water is fairly clear. She goes down to the bottom and casts dream sight so that her soul can leave her body and she can travel in spirit into the city.

Her spirit parts from her body. Now she can fly as fast as an arrow. She searches the city for nearly all the time she has. She eventually finds him. He’s not in any of the farmhouses, but it does look like he did find a ramshackle house to commandeer and sleep in. He looks very snuggly while doing so. along the northwestern outskirts of Rokusinan. Unfortunately, the spell fades after she finds him and she is snapped back to her own body.

Mingzhu wakes up in her body. She slowly surfaces sticking her head out of the water to see if anyone is around. It doesn’t look like it. It seems at this time at night, there aren't too many people up, but there are some people around or doing late night tasks. There's a few of the Daimyo's men in the city itself though.

She comes up slowly along the bank of the river and casts Summon nature’s Ally 4 but calls out to smaller creatures. Within a few minutes 3 wolverines bound up to her.

She casts Speak with Animals. The wolverines stand on their hind legs at attention. She says to them. “There is a ransacked house near the edge of town with a kobold hold up in it. I want you to go there and try to bring the kobold to me. Not by fighting, try to get him to understand he needs to go with you. She describes the house. color position. If there are more than one home split up until you find him and coax him here. He’s not a chew toy, understand? Go, go, go, as fast as you can.” The wolverines head off.

As Mingzhu waits she hears something coming. She gets down on her belly and slides back into the water and at the bottom of the channel. With her low light vision, she sees a pair of the daimyo’s men doing a late-night patrol along the river bank. She decides to wait there.

After a while Zsikhou strolls up to the bank near where she is hiding. She lifts her head above the surface and motions him over. Zsikhou glances around quickly, then looks at her. "Daimyo's men are looking for you. Where's the extraction point?"

“I am the extraction point I hope you can still swim good. We have to swim down the river and go out to sea to the ship.” Zsikhou narrows his eyes, then starts walking along the river northwards. She follows him swimming and lifting her head slightly every now and then to mark his position until he's safely at the mouth of the river.

They arrive there eventually. Zsikhou looks at her and then out to see with raised eyebrows. It seems the ship isn’t clearly visible. She nods, “It’s out there to the north. I'll swim beside you. if you get tired, I'll pull you."

Zsikhou nods, bracing himself for a long swim... "Right, let’s go." He jumps into the surf. Mingzhu follows slightly behind him making sure he doesn’t get tired. As they swim Zsikhou says, “They woke me up." Zsikhou huffs, clearly not in a great mood, but he keeps swimming with her. Eventually, they make their way aboard the ship once again. Silgara breathes a sigh of relief. T'kharr also sighs with relief as well as Zsikhou climbs aboard.

As Mingzhu comes aboard she says, “I had to call some wolverines to get him so used up my call nature spell or we would have been escorted.”

Zsikhou shakes some to try to dry himself, then he looks over to the others. "We'd best move away from this isle. The Samurai is trying to have his boat repaired. And the rest of you are wanted now. Or definitely will be once they get word back. Speaking of which, there are two things I need to know." Zsikhou looks to Mingzhu first, squarely. "Why did you capsize their boat back there?"

Silgara sighs, "Already on the boat and going straight to the questioning..." She muses as she pilots the boat.

"It was Minamoto and his attitude that made me decide. If he would not treat us fairly on the ship, why would I expect the Daimyo's court to treat us fairly. Every time we encounter authorities, they have been narrow-minded. I cannot expect anything other than that in the courts." Mingzhu explains.

Zsikhou considers, then a nod, then a breath out. "I'm aware. They're difficult. Possibly corrupt. Probably incompetent. But we still needed to get them to send word to the emperor. We've been set back on our overall objectives considerably because of how things turned out."

"Aye, I agree wholeheartedly...while what you did there was an extremely valiant expression of conviction, we fell off the knife's edge in the wrong direction as a result." T’kharr says tersely.

Zsikhou nods grimly. "Minamoto's still going to try to present our case higher in the Daimyo's court, but we both realize it's not likely to work. Especially now. I don't think his commander believed either of us."

"The samurai? No. He and the elder both seemed to have total tunnel vision." T’kharr remarks.

"They were in the middle of a battle. Not the best place to have diplomatic talks." Zsikhou responds.

T’kharr rubs her muzzle. "Well...it shows a lot that neither of them was able to delegate even temporarily to free up their capacity for such"

"Zsikhou are the dead still littering the streets?" Mingzhu asks.

"The Daimyo's men went about cleaning that up after the dust settled." Zsikhou responds. He then looks squarely to T'kharr "Next time I suggest trying to talk things out before they start killing each other. Assuming there is a next time."

Mingzhu nods "Good hopefully the dead had proper ceremony, and their spirits will be quelled from their wrath. Zsikhou, we didn’t have time or we would have.”

"We moved as fast as we could" T’kharr sighs, "Had the Daimyo's forces spotted us, there's no telling what they'd have done."

Zsikhou looks to T'kharr. "Would have made more sense to try talking with them then than before they were in the middle of a battle."

"Aye, but all the same, had we tried to intercede with the Daimyo's men whilst they were still on the march, that'd have probably led to the same result with regards to the magistrate. And risked the samurai simply ignoring our intercession. Best hope there would have been we got folks to the courthouse a sliver faster."

Zsikhou wrings some of his clothing, trying to get some water out. "That said, I did some investigating when I figured you were trying to recharge your magic. Which brings me to the second question I had." He looks over to Nor'vee narrowing his eyes. . "I spent some time at the courthouse looking through Josou's paperwork, hoping to find something useful for our mission." Nor'vee looks over, his hairs seeming to stand up, as Zsikhou keeps speaking. "And I found some paperwork indicating that you're wanted by the temple of the Tiger God for murdering one of their high-ranking priestesses." He looks at Nor’vee like he’s demanding an explanation. Mingzhu snaps her head around to look at Nor'vee too.

Nor'vee squeaks at that, seeming angry himself. "Oh! So what! They believe something by a treacherous CAT god and theirs?! Oh, just like other stupid humans thinking Nezumi bring plague and steal food and everything!"

Zsikhou narrows his eyes, flexing his claws. "I am expecting a good explanation, Nor'vee."

"What? Oh! Nor'vee kills some CAT things and CAT priests hunting Nor'vee! Oh, Nor'vee is supposed to be fine with it when CAT hunts Nezumi! Nezumi kills CAT in defense and suddenly it's murder and stupid humans get angry about it!" Nor'vee gives some angry squeaking in response.

Mingzhu laughs, "Oh what else can go wrong."

Silgara looks over. "Best not to tempt fate."

Nor'vee keeps squeaking. "Tiger god priests blame Nezumi for bringing plague! For stealing food! Nezumi don't do that! But Tiger god opens big hunt for any Nezumi! Give rewards! Have their CAT people eat us! So Nor'vee ended up having enough! Ended up killing their high priest's mate. Stupid tiger CAT person with their magic! Hands facing wrong way too." They squeak, then shake their head

T’kharr turns her head stunned a bit at what Nor’vee just said. "WHOA. That's a dead tipoff that's no ordinary cat." T'kharr's eyes immediately turn into two dinner plates as she observes the conversation "So, we have evidence that they were harboring a Rakshasa in their midst."

Nor'vee squeaks, Zsikhou looks over to T'kharr. Silgara blinks, looking alarmed. "Rakshasa?" Zsikhou asks
Nor'vee also raises an eyebrow, looking to T'kharr

T’kharr explains, “Fiend. Felid-humanoid in appearance but with the hands on backwards. Extremely clever and often capable of using magic Besides, isn't the plague carried by fleas? And if there's anything you, me, and a cat person could agree on if we were all in the room together...fleas suck"

Nor'vee squeaks, "SEE! Nor'vee told you! CAT IS DEMON!"

Zsikhou nods, calming down some, a breath out. "Extremely troubling. A Yokai infiltrating a temple, then. Possibly two." Zsikhou flexes his claws, considering.

Mingzhu looks incredulous, "A demon that looks like a cat?"

"Aye, a fiend that looks like a cat person." T’kharr insists.

"Nor'vee said that CAT was BAD!" They squeak again, huffing.

Zsikhou looks over to Mingzhu, considering, then back to the others. Perhaps deliberating what to do about this. She asks, “Is this one of these three western yokai that we are concerned about?"

Silgara looks over. "They would indeed count as a western Yokai, though it's not one of the ones we saw in those notes. Rakshasa are still extremely cunning and dangerous, and corruptive, for sure. Odds are they're posing as a Tiger Hengeyokai, and if there is a Tiger God here, they might have installed themselves as being blessed or a religious leader, from what it sounds like. Or a pair of them have."

"Aye, that'd be likely from what Nor'vee's saying. Perhaps they can guide us to where the source of this corruption is? Because it sounds extremely serious." T’kharr nods.

Nor'vee looks over to them, narrowing his eyes. "What is their plan for dealing with temple of Tiger God? Are still going to try to kill Nor'vee there. And there are plenty of stupid CAT LOVING humans there in that place."

Mingzhu looks down a moment then up again. “Well, If Nor'vee stays on the ship we can investigate discreetly."

"Aye, that might be workable. Do you recall what island you were on that had the tiger-God temple with the backwards-hands cat on it?" T’kharr says to Nor'vee "Apologies for talking about you like you weren't right in front of me for a moment, by the way."

Nor'vee squeaks, huffs. "Island is called Nokimua. Is east of Soljura. STUPID CAT GOD temple blames Nezumi for lots of things and opens general hunt for us! Nezumi colony remains mobile and hidden, but they still hunt us! Nor'vee recalls two NASTY BAD CAT DEMON with reversed hands. One is high priest. Other is their dead mate. Nor'vee killed her and some of their attending clerics."

"I reckon the Daimyo either protects them or at least tolerates their presence..." T’kharr theorizes.

Nor'vee squeaks, "Oh stupid humans love their STUPID BAD CAT GOD and their following!"

Mingzhu thinks about something then asks the nezumi, “Are there other temples on the island, Nor’vee?"

"Just that one." he replies.

Mingzhu purses her lips, “Well, that means they have cornered the market so to speak. I will not be welcomed there I think."

Silgara looks over at Mingzhu. "What do you know of the Tiger God? Not one I've heard of."

Nor'vee rants. "ARE NASTY BAD CAT GOD OF ALL BAD THINGS THAT ARE CAT! WHICH IS EVERYTHING ABOUT CAT!!"

Mingzhu gets a reflective look in her head and says, “The Tiger god is revered on both Wa and Kozakura. A god of warriors. One of the 8 million. That’s all I know on this god. The tiger god is revered enough on both countries that I know of this one."

"OH, OF COURSE STUPID HUMAN WORSHIPS STUPID CAT when they want to MURDER!" Nor'vee huffs.

Silgara nods "Sounds like Tempus from the West in a way, though it would appear this Rakshasa has made Nor'vee's people an easy scapegoat." She sighs. "Well, we still need to look into Zuodong sending the Corsairs to raid Kaluso's domain, but, what's our next heading, then?"

“The question I have is why would Kaluso have wanted papers for Nor’vee when he killed this yokai on another Daimyo's land?" Is Kaluso subservient to the other Daimyo?” Mingzhu asks.

Zsikhou looks over. "The paperwork to Josou's office came from the Temple of the Tiger God, not Yasima, specifically."

Mingzhu thinks on that, a moment and nods. “So, what do we do now? Balan? T’kharr?”

T’kharr asks, "Were you able to recover that paperwork, Zsikhou?”

"Well, it's soaked now but I did my best to preserve it." Zsikhou does show the paperwork.

“Fair.” T’kharr responds. "Why would the Temple of the Tiger God be appealing to a court in the jurisdiction of a different Daimyo though? Josou should have tossed that case right into the round file as soon as it was filed since he doesn't have jurisdiction in Yasima's territory...."

Mingzhu starts to pace. “"Well, he’s not wanted in these lands now unless the temple sent letters to other magistrates in the Daimyo's land." She stops and looks around. “We need a direction.”

Zsikhou nods to Mingzhu. "Probably that."

Silgara looks over. "If we want to head to Nokimua, I can plot a course there. That or if we want to prioritize investigating the corsairs, we can head towards Daimyo Zuodong's waters. Though for that it may be best to stop by Zalusu once again for some additional information."

"I think we at least investigate Nokimua, reserving the right to break off and deal with the corsairs if we find that that's a better option." T’kharr replies.

Mingzhu nods, "Ok."

Silgara nods, "Right then, plotting a course." Nor'vee looks rather pensive, managing his crossbow bolts, then heads below deck.

[Winterhawk99]

Silgara looks at the group and speaks, “The trip to Nokimua is going to take some time. The distance between Renkao and Nokimua is a fairly good sail. Soljura is on the way if you want to stop there.” Everyone nods. There doesn’t seem to be any interruptions at sea.

After a day Silgara calls everyone together again to discuss tactics and Strategy. “So, I know Azure Winds doesn't have a setup there, but beyond that, well, I don't really have a lot of information on Nokimua. So, what's our plan going on? We do at least know that there's an active bounty on Nor'vee there."

Mingzhu frowns looking at the map then looks up. “Perhaps we could stop at Soljura so I could plead with the spirits again… Tell them it is time to leave the mortal realm and move on.”

Silgara nods, ... "Well, if you wish, it's on the way at least. What about after that?"

Mingzhu shakes her head. “I do not know these creatures… these rakshasas. It would be best if T’kharr and Balan plan with you.”

Silgara nods, then looks to T'Kharr "Well, what do you recommend, then?" She also looks to Balan to see if he has any input.

"Unfortunately, we are up against a very tough foe if we truly are up against Rakshasa. They are wily masters of disguise, closer in nature to devils than demons, and resistant to both mundane blows and much spellcasting as well. Suffice it to say, if we were to pick a fight with one, we'd have little chance of coming out on top." T’kharr frowns.

Silgara nods ... "If a Rakshasa is out of our means to handle at the moment, we can always head to deal with the other lead we have, that is towards Zuodong's domain to investigate the Corsairs further."
She sighs, nodding. "This Rakshasa has probably, from what Nor'vee said, come across as a favored of their Tiger God and is likely manipulating them as a religious or messianic figure."

"That may be for the best, although one other thing...was Zsikhou able to recover my staff and sling while he was making his escape? If not, it's fine, the sling was but mundane anyway and I can make do with a mundane staff and some blessings myself." T’kharr looks quite somber.

Zsikhou shakes his head no. "Was not, I'm afraid. I could convince them not to detain me, but getting your weapons back was too much."

Silgara considers, then shakes her head. "I don't know if I have anything that would help against them. They're highly magic resistant and resilient against most weapons."

Mingzhu says, “Under the right circumstances, I could drown them.”

Silgara looks over at Mingzhu. "Might be one option, but Rakshasa are intelligent and expert manipulators."

“I only know what I have read on them which was limited at my temple.” Balan replies.

Silgara sighs. "Well, the options I see are to continue on to Nokimua, head back to port Ginji, or head back to Zalusu to resume picking up the lead on the corsairs. We know that Zuodong's agent was paying them to raid the place. Maybe they've found out more there since. After that, there are some islands in Daimyo Zuodong's territory to investigate."

"I think we may have to stop in Ginji briefly at least to snag me a staff unless you want to snag a tree limb from some uninhabited islet that I probably could carve myself a crude staff from. From there, we head back to Zalusu...unless we can get me a staff in Zalusu somehow?" T’kharr says.

"There is an Azure winds trading ship at Zalusu, so I wouldn't be surprised if we could get one there." Silgara mentions.

Zsikhou flexes his claws, then looks over. "We'll need to make a decision."

"Zalusu it is then, pick up a sling and staff from the Azure Winds then see about investigating the corsairs" T’kharr says.

Silgara nods "Alright then, I'll redirect our course southwestwards." She goes ahead and gets the ship to change direction, heading off towards Zalusu. Zsikhou nods and goes to meditate elsewhere for the trip. Nor'vee hides away in the cargo hold. Fwangzhu paces around, irate. Mingzhu decides to have some fun and jumps off the ship. She calls a great white shark and has it swim alongside, while she stands on it. Zsikhou looks over, raising an eye ridge, then just shakes his head.

Even with antics and Zsikhou getting antsy. for lack of head pats They arrive at Zalusu. It seems as lively as ever, bustling, active, still doing quite well. Once they touch down on the dock, Fwangzhu grumbles and angrily heads off into the town, not even bothering to give anyone a farewell or anything. He still looks rather livid. Silgara looks around the group. "Well, what's our first stop, then?" Nor'vee wanders up, and Zsikhou stands at attention as well.

"Find the Azure Winds so I can rearm." T’kharr produces small chuckle.

Silgara nods, "They had a stall at the docks. Might as well resupply while we're here. Kanako was the one who told us the tip, so maybe she has gotten more since."

Zsikhou looks over. "Just don't forget who, or rather what, she's closely associated with."

Mingzhu checks the coffers she watches over. “We have 3,750 in gold and no pearls at the moment.”

The group finds an Azure Winds stall. They look over the goods and find a basic quarterstaff, a masterwork, one with a +1 enchantment and another that is way out of their reach. T’kharr points to the one with a +1 enchantment. “First rank is more than fine; I can always pray for a Darkfire blessing should such be called for."

Mingzhu gives her the coin and T’kharr buys it. The shamaness recounts. “We are down to 2,850 gold. I guess my job is to go do some work. I'll meet back with the group in 6 hours. Mingzhu goes to ply her trade and collect pearls for 6 hours or so.

"Can I get you anything else?" The merchant asks.

Silgara looks over. "Well, if, you're sure? ... Not sure how long we... okay..." She sighs looking over to T'kharr and Balan. "Right, what's our next steps then?"

"Do you think we'd be able to get anything by talking to folks, or would it be better if we worked from isle to isle? That said, I wonder if the Azure Winds might be able to get us some charts of the area?" T’kharr muses.

"I've already got a map, so I think we're good on that. We could pick up furniture. As for talking to folks, I suppose we could. Kanako might be the one to go to about things though, since we know she is 'in the know' as it were." Silgara replies.

Zsikhou shrugs "The elder may be an option too. But both of them have connections that make them compromised."

Nor'vee squeaks some, looking around. "Compromised how?"

"Alright, we're good on charts. And I think that while they have some dark connections, Kanako and the elder are probably good enough sources on the corsairs, no?" T’kharr asks.

Zsikhou nods, "If, you're sure. Let’s find them, then? This one remembers where the elder's hut is."

Silgara looks over. "I think I got a feel for Kanako's favorite places to perform, if we want to find her. Who should we visit first?"

Nor'vee squeaks. "What do you mean by dark connections?"

T’kharr lowers her voice to Nor’vee, “Ties to a kitsune, suffice it to say, although such is not a matter of public speech. But, while dark, they are stabilizing forces all the same, seeking order, not chaos, unlike the corsairs"

Nor'vee's tail lashes, but he says nothing.

[Winterhawk99]

T’kharr looks over at the docks toward the bars then the town in the direction of the Elders. “Its up to you who we visit first.”

"Might as well visit Kanako I think, she seems to be more informed. Plus, she did ask us to tell her what happened on Tzukine." Silgara says.

Zsikhou shrugs. "This one thinks we ought to visit the elder, but alright." Silgara starts leading off to a particular tavern. Eventually after listening for a while, They do find Kanako again. She does appear human here. In her geisha attire, she seemed to be just finished playing an instrument.

"Oh!" Kanako gives a warm smile as she sees you. "Hello again! Ah... seems like it's been a while. How has your sailing been?" Kanako looks your company over, seeming to note Fwangzhu, Mingzhu, and Minamoto missing, but then she spots Nor'vee. "Oh my, who's this? Why hello there cutie." She gives a smile and moves over, seemingly fixated on him.

Nor'vee squeaks, a bit confused... "What? … Cutie? Is... not how most humans greet Nor'vee..."

Kanako goes to move over to him, then moves behind him, caressing and feeling his muscles. "Aw, that's okay. Just means you can still find better company. I'd be happy to play you a song and strong your ears, you look like you could stand to relax." She smiles.

Nor'vee freezes up "Wh... nnnh! What is this?!"

Kanako smirks. “Ara~ such tense shoulders! If you’re going to squeak every time I touch you, I may have to make a game of it.” She strokes the back of one of his ears.

Nor'vee lets out a panicked squeak. "This feels like someone playing with Nor'vee before eating Nor'vee!!"

Zsikhou muzzle paws, then looks to T'kharr and Balan. "Can one of you get her attention please?"

"Um, Kanako?" T'kharr looks at her. "I think Nor'vee may not appreciate the attention so much, even though I doubt you mean ill by it."

Kanako frowns, perhaps feigning offense. "Aw, come on. We're both intelligent beings. I wouldn't eat you! But warm lantern light and a shamisen song just for you sounds nice..." Then she turns her attention to T’kharr as her flirting is interrupted. “Ah? Well, alright. But he is just so adorable!... Well, do keep him close, yes? So! How have your adventures been? Oh! How is Kizamine?"

Nor'vee squeaks again. "THAT SOUNDS LIKE MOUSE TRAP TO NOR'VEE!"

"Our adventures have been...kind of all over the map, sadly. Some have gone well, some have gone very...not-well." T’kharr admits.

Kanako pouts some. "Aww, I wouldn't put up a mouse trap for you! Maybe some cheese and sake and a nice song, and some velvety cushions." She then looks over. "Oh!... Well, would you like to sit down and talk about it? Here, I can get you and your friends a table." It's relatively early in the day, so it doesn't seem like this place outdoors is overflowing with activity. Enough to garner crowds for music at least.

"Hm. Suffice it to say that we aren't in the good graces of the Daimyo any more....we were a hair too late and slow to intervene, despite our best efforts" T’kharr shakes her head and sighs.

Kanako raises an eyebrow... "Well, does that mean Minamoto isn't in your company anymore? ... What happened...?" Silgara looks to the side, remembering Kanako hasn't been involved in most of the party's adventures. Though Fwangzhu isn't here either.

"Minamoto is indeed not in our company any more. I reckon I will let Mingzhu speak on this topic when she returns." T’kharr states.

"Sure. I notice Fwangzhu isn't with you right now either. Or her. Erm... did he leave your company as well?" Kanako asks.

"No, Fwangzhu's still with us, for better or for worse." T’kharr says.

"Aw, I don't see how that handsome badger would be bad company!" Kanako gives a playful smile. "Still, what happened with Kizamine? I was hoping to see myself, but well..."

"Ah. That island was raided by Corsairs; they left an elderly woman but killed all else and had a very powerful sage of some sort with them who was part of the assault on that island's spirit guardian." T’kharr informs.

Kanako stammers some, clearly the news is shocking to her. She stutters, seemingly lost for words for once. Nor'vee also squeaks and stammers, apparently not having known, but composes himself more quickly. "G...guh...! Wh... That.... I... that's horrible! … What of the survivor? Where are they? ..." Kanako stammers.

"Still on the island, they had no desire to move elsewhere." T’kharr shakes her head.

"Y... you just left them there?! All alone!? …" Kanako stammers, then rubs her face. "G..gah! You could have brought her here! We could have helped care for her! …"

"They were quite the stubborn lot about not wanting to move or really even talk to us much." T’kharr insists.

Kanako stammers, then breathes out a heavy sigh... "After surviving something like that, I can't blame them for feeling that way... I just wish there was more we could have... done for them..." She rubs her eyes, then heaves a heavy sigh. "Well, thank you for letting me know about... that... I... how have the rest of your adventures gone?" Silgara shuffles a bit, she's content to let T'kharr and Balan handle the talking right now, but she does seem like she wants to take the turn asking questions. Zsikhou shuffles a bit looking snuggly maintaining that chilly, demanding demeanor.

"Sadly, not nearly as well as I'd have wanted but that's a topic for Mingzhu to address when she returns." T’kharr then glances to Silgara "I take it you have questions for our hostess?"

Kanako nods, "Well, alright then. So, anything else you wanted to talk about? Ah, I'm not the hostess, I don't own the place, but I do perform regularly!" She smiles.

Silgara nods aside. "We wanted to inquire if there was more regarding that lead on Zuodong. We know his official paid the corsairs to raid here, but..."

Kanako furrows her brow, then nods "Ah, yeah, that. I was trying to dig more into it. Naturally it's not so easy finding out more with how travel is often disrupted around here. I was trying to put some rumors and other scraps together. So, there's two islands nearby in Zuodong's domain. There's Kurozhan, and Shenyaku island." Kanako says. "Kurozhan is a much more notable and larger one. Here's what I know about them though. Kurozhan is Zuodong's southernmost isle. It's where most of the foreign trader traffic shows up. Or showed up. I'm not sure how much business they're still getting, but probably still getting plenty if Zuodong has a deal with the corsairs. Either way, it's a rather large island, plenty of trade goes on there. Just mind your step there. It's a pretty rough place. It's not the kind of place I'd walk around alone. At least not without someone like Fwangzhu to keep the low lives from touching me in gross manners." Kanako wrinkles her nose.

Silgara interjects. "I do believe Azure Winds had a set up there."

"Noted that the locals there are gutter-brained." T’kharr nods.

Kanako winces. "And greedy, don’t' forget greedy. Now, the other island, Shenyaku. Can't say it's too pleasant of a place either, but it's a rather rich one. Supposedly it's got extensive mines and mineral deposits, so the village settlement there is mostly miners and fishermen, some good metalworkers too. That island's not nearly as prominent but it's got plenty of trade coming through or used to." She shakes her head. "But I think of the two, Kurozhan is likely to be the one you're most likely to pick up a trail there. It's got a lore more attention to it. Of course, it can be easy to get lost in the crowd. Or maybe because Shenyaku is smaller, they might have something there. But it's a smaller town and you still get plenty of trade because of the metalwork there."

"Oh..." Kanako pauses, then mentions. "One other thing, culturally. You're probably going to find that the people on that side of the isles, they don't care as much about tradition, more about profit. Elders included."

"Aye, that's probably going to be a good one to reiterate when Mingzhu rejoins us." T’kharr considers.

Kanako nods "Yeah, definitely. Well, anything else you'd like to talk about while you're here. Or, have anything else you'd like to share?"

"Not for now, I think we'll have to swing back by when Mingzhu returns though." T’kharr says.

"Sure! Enjoy. Oh! Um... by the way, my offer from before is still open." Kanako nods to T'kharr. "And after everything I do feel like giving those Corsairs and Zuodong's thugs a good clubbing. "Oh, and uh," Kanako looks to Nor'vee, then to T'Kharr "If you're heading out, do make sure you keep an eye on the cutie there, yeah? Well, it's okay if I spend some more time with him." She gives a smirk.

Nor'vee squeaks. "Gah! What more does geisha lady want?"

Kanako chuckles. "Well, a fine evening with a lamp light sounds nice to me, still."

Down at the bay Mingzhu is able to get two nice pearls and one decent pearl while pearling. She finds the group easily. She gives Balan the two of the pearls she found. He scrimshaws them while listening. She goes to the dealers and gets 350 gold for all of them then returns to the group. "Balan and I managed to make up for some of the losses we have 3,200 now."

Silgara looks over at T'kharr. "Well, where to next, then?"

Kanako looks over "Oh! Hello again!" She smiles at Mingzhu.

The shamaness nods. “Hello, Kanako.”

Ah, I reckon we'll let Mingzhu speak to Kanako on the matter of recent events, depending on what she wishes to share about those?" T’kharr suggests.

Kanako looks over "Ah, yes, your friends were telling me about recent adventures. Including... that some things didn't go so well. I heard about Kizamine..." She frowns, looking aside for a time, then back to Mingzhu "I hope you're holding up okay, at least."

"Physically yes, spiritually I fight to keep my convictions. but that is another story." Mingzhu states.

Kanako gives a slow nod. "Well, if you want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen. Maybe it will help to share."

"Kizamine? Well, we arrived to find one old woman on the island the pirates did not take into slavery. She was too old. I did get past her façade for a few moments, but she was deeply disturbed I tried to get her to come with us... bring her here or to an island of her choice but she refused to go. As for the guardian..." Mingzhu shakes her head... "Defeated by a powerful necromancer and is either dead or captive now."

Kanako blinks, perhaps looking to T'kharr, she frowns notably at the mention they were taken to slavery, then she sighs. "Well, at least you tried to help her. Thank you for that." She gives a nod in turn...
Though she takes note of Mingzhu's description, seemingly quite worried, but nods in turn. "I already heard about that but... everyone on the island gone." She frowns, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I was hoping things would be okay there..." She sighs... "Have your... other adventures gone better at least?" Kanako asks.

Mingzhu frowns, “We went to Renkao were we tried to stop the battle between the populace and the Daimyo and save the magistrate. But again, we were too late. Fwangzhu killed some of the daimyos men which I said we would not kill anyone and try to stop the battle. We were too late to save the magistrate’s life. in the end I was captured with T'kharr. Minamoto switched sides and was arrogant with us in the ships jail. So, I shipwrecked the whole of the ship on the island and we left.”

Kanako blinks, stammering some, then frowns... "Yikes... sounds like a total mess... how many...?" She stammers, perhaps wondering how many casualties there were, but can't seem to articulate it, then a sigh. "I'm sorry, I wish I'd been able to help somehow..."

“As far as I know none of us except for Fwangzhu killed anyone. Fwangzhu killed two or three of the Daimyo's men as I remember.” Mingzhu states.

"And among the populace...?" Kanako frowns, tapping her fingers on the table nervously.

"The casualties were many, albeit with the only ones inflicted by us being the few Fwangzhu felled, but the worst was our ability to venture beyond Renkao, appear before the Daimyo's courts and perhaps convince the folks there of some of the troubles we observed." T’kharr nods.

"Fortunately for us Minamoto did not know I have begun to be able to control the seas." Mingzhu says.

Kanako closes her eyes, a deep breath, frowning..., a wince, she takes a moment to compose herself, looking crestfallen. "So, a large fight between the Daimyo's men and their people, and you couldn't break up the fight." She heaves a heavy sigh. "There's no way any of that can be good news... I ... take it Fwangzhu wanted to defend the populace, at least...?"

Mingzhu frowns deeply, “Against our orders… yes.”

"Aye, he did, although I did try to steer him away from the frontline to keep him from becoming a further detriment to our credibility." T’kharr insists.

Kanako huffs, then sighs, "Well, knowing what I've seen of the Daimyo's men... shipwrecking one of their ships is basically going to cost you any chance of them hearing you out now. Probably a good idea not to venture north of Renkao now. From what I have heard, Kaluso's focused on providing defense to his heartlands, with little to spare for his southern territories."

"Unfortunately, due to the mess in Renkao I can no longer do my job as a mediator between the rulers of the land and the populace." Mingzhu grumbles.

"We were caught flat-footed by how swiftly the Daimyo's men were able to march, got too tangled up with trying to avoid confrontation with them and arrived too late to intervene." T’kharr adds.

Kanako nods... "Yeah... I get it. I wish I could have been there to help, somehow..." She rubs the side of her head. "Guess that means your next step would be to... well, try to investigate what's going on with Zuodong paying off those Corsairs, then? Or whomever in his court is doing it."

T’kharr nods, “Aye, that's what we were after."

"Well, did you have any further questions about Kurozhan or Shenyaku islands? I'll try to answer what I can." Kanako insists.

Mingzhu asks. “Could I get caught up on these islands?”

"Ah, I'll reiterate then." Kanako nods "Basically, there's two islands where Zuodong's stooge might have come from and have further contact. Kurozhan and Shenyaki. Kurozhan is Zuodong's southernmost isle, and it's got plenty of foreign traders there, lot of traffic coming through then going to the rest of the isle. Now I don't know how much they've been harried by corsairs but it's likely they haven't been, despite how much trade goes through there. But I will warn you it can be a rather rough place. Not the kind of place a gal wants to hang around without a big, tough fella watching your back." Kanako nods
"The other island is Shenyaku," Kanako continues. "That place has some extensive mines so exports metal goods, however its population overall is smaller so it's less notable and fewer trade traffic goes by there."

The shamaness frowns, “Oh is that all. Well, I haven’t figure out how to create a tsunami yet but I'll get there."

“Though, one thing I should tell you, since it may be pertinent, don't expect the locals there on either isle to care too much about tradition. They're more interested in profit and well, seedier desires." Kanako huffs. She then giggles, “Well, that's one way to keep a sleazy guy off of you! Still, I do notice you travel with some fine gentlemen." She gives a playful smirk to Nor'vee. Mingzhu just looks a Nor'vee and shakes her head.

Nor'vee squeaks "Oh come on Geisha lady was feeling Nor'vee up already shamaness better not start too!"

T’kharr laughs to Kanako, "Some of us don't need much help dealing with...unwanted suitors"

Mingzhu just shakes her head, “You don’t have to worry about that.”

Kanako giggles playfully, then a nod to T'kharr "Well, do be careful around Kurozhan. But there is a lot of traffic there, especially from Zuodong's officials. Though either island could be a good lead, really."
Nor'vee breathes a sigh of relief. Kanako gives him a smile. "Aw, you don't have to be so shy. But, hey, it's okay to take things slow."

Silgara rubs her face, then a nod aside. "Then, I guess we'll need to decide where to go next."

"It does not matter to me." Mingzhu states.

Silgara looks to T'kharr and Zsikhou. T’kharr is the one that answers, "I think the main trade hub would be our best place to start, aye, unless someone disagrees?"

Mingzhu nods. "Alright."

Kanako perks up. "Ah, did you want me to come along then?"

Mingzhu looks at her. "Only with permission of your mother. She has to know this is dangerous work and you could die. I want no repercussions at the group from her if that happens."

Kanako sighs, then rolls her eyes. "I was alright when facing those Tsuno, wasn't I? Really..."

"That’s not the question Kanako. You did well enough. but I want no repercussions from your mother if we take you into the group. in letter and word. being she is....... who she is. I want the celestial court to know she gave her word. You will be going to places where you could very well die or be maimed despite our best efforts. It is the risk that the rest of us take every day. If you do so and get hurt, I do not want your mother coming after any of the companions we have assembled." Mingzhu insists.

"And I wasn't risking that when fighting the Tsuno?" Kanako huffs, "Really. It'll be fine."

Zsikhou interjects. "She's connected with her mother regardless and her presence could well be a liability."

"That is why I want reassurance from her mother." Mingzhu slowly states. Kanako set up a meeting. I will talk to her. That is if you wish to go with us.”

"Uhhh...." Kanako stammers some. "I /really/ don't think that's a good idea. Trust me on this, if you really want someone to talk with her, I'd better do it. Otherwise well, it's not like the Tsuno are a huge threat she can't handle right now, so..." She doesn't finish the sentence but leaves the implication hanging. Nor'vee raises an eyebrow but says nothing.

Mingzhu sighs, “In this regard it has to be me. Being that my companions know almost nothing about your mother. and I cannot trust you not to lie about what your mother says. Only Zsikhou and I have the training to deal with one like your mother."

Kanako pouts, then huffs. "Well, if you know what dealing with someone like her is like, then you should know it's not a good idea to go to her unless you have a way of getting her interest." She shrugs, running a hand through her hair. "And you know how she is going to take it if she ends up getting offended by something."

"It is either that or you cannot come with us." I will have her word and written word that she will not enact vengeance upon the anyone in the group if you do not come back or are maimed."

Mingzhu looks at her straight in the eye. “It is either that or you cannot come with us. I will have her word and written word that she will not enact vengeance upon the anyone in the group if you do not come back or are maimed."

"That's... not how she works, and you know it." Kanako huffs "Especially since you know she's going to ask for something in turn for such restrictions and she might not even entertain it unless there's something she wants in that bargain, which I suspect isn't going to be on the table." She shrugs, "It's my earnest offer in that regard. If you don't want me coming, well, that's your group's decision, I guess." Though she looks around the room to see if anyone else has anything to add.

“I did not say you were not wanted Kanako. I said there are conditions and you have heard my conditions.” Mingzhu declares.

Kanako takes a sip of tea. "And I can assure you it's not one that can be realistically fulfilled."

Mingzhu nods, "Then I am sorry Kanako."

"Aye, sadly, we cannot take that risk." T’kharr says backing up Mingzhu.

Kanako nods, "Well, alright. I get it." She sighs, "Well, was there anything else you wanted to ask?"
She looks aside to Nor'vee "Oh uh, just make sure you keep him company while you're here, okay? Besides, I'm sure he's great company." Kanako smiles to Nor'vee. Mingzhu nods. Kanako waits to see if anyone else wants to ask anything.

Though Zsikhou breaks the silence. "Are we done here now?"

“I reckon so.” T’kharr nods.

"Let’s head back to the ship then." Zsikhou nods, "Unless we have more stops to make while we're here."

"I reckon we head back to the ship, aye. Unless Mingzhu wishes to speak with the elder about anything?" T’kharr looks at the shamaness. Mingzhu thinks then slowly shakes her head.

"I'll handle the tea fare. I hope your adventures go well." Kanako nods, stands, then goes to settle the bill. Mingzhu and Snout follow along after the group back to the ship.

[Winterhawk99]

The companions get back onto the ship. They begin to get it ready to head out. Zsikhou looks around, though mumbles something. "Wonder if Fwangzhu's back already. Or if we should just leave without him."

Nor'vee squeaks once out of sight, looking around. "Was she hinting something about why Nor'vee should not go off alone there?"

Silgara rubs her face. "Maybe if we want to get the badger I and Balan should do it. I'm pretty sure he's still quite livid with both of you." She looks to T'kharr and Mingzhu. Mingzhu nods.

Balan comments, “That is best probably though he is not impressed with any of us.”

Silgara nods, "Well, let’s go find him then."

Zsikhou shrugs but just continues to fix the lines on the ship.

Silgara and Balan head out. They eventually find Fwangzhu along the coast, not far from town, seems he wanted to stay close to the docks. He looks over when Balan comes close. He still looks pretty pissed off, but not immediately in about-to-maul-someone mode. Silgara whispers aside, "Maybe you should try take the lead here..."

He approaches Fwangzhu. “Still mad aren't you.”

Fwangzhu snarls. "Is there any fucking reason I shouldn't be?" He kicks some sand on the beach, then huffs. "Let a whole lot of people die because they wanted to suck up to a fucking tyrant and paralyzed ME with their magic and didn't do jack shit to stop them. What the FUCK?" ... He snarls.

“In the way you feel towards the way law is handled in this land I believe in your case you should be upset especially with use of magic on you though we did want to lower casualties and failed.” Balan responds.

"Yeah, failed is fucking right, and how many of Renkao's people were slaughtered because the rest of you froze the fuck up or didn't do shit?" Fwangzhu snarls.

“Too many people died but It was not my fight to take place in Fwangzhu and yet I am in danger from them as well now.” Balan says.

"Not your fight? How the fuck wasn't that your fight?! Have you been fucking blind to the shit that's been going on lately?! Was seeing the atrocity at Soljura not fucking enough to paint a clear fucking picture of what the Daimyo and his bootlickers are like?" He growls, agitated.

“I have seen their justice as they call it, and it is not right, but this is not my home nor my land and now...well now the fight is on my door step after the last conflict, and I have no choice but to defend myself against them if needed even if that means over stepping my gods command.”

"Of course, their 'justice' is a fucking sham. I would have thought that would be fucking obvious by now." Fwangzhu snorts, "And those other two still don't fucking get it. Can't believe I killed a friend to save her ass." Fwangzhu shakes his head. "Really makes me wonder what I'm even doing here."

“I understand your feelings on this, and it is something to address maybe in more detail if you still wish to travel with the group....unless you would prefer to stay with the girl that is here that is also your own choice.”

Fwangzhu huffs, growling. "Do the lot of you even want me around? Two of you fucking paralyzed me with magic."

Balan raises his hands in a calm motion. “When you are not upset you can be a voice of reason though you do have a hot head as they say...Honestly, I do enjoy your company at times.”

Fwangzhu huffs, and nods "You're a step above those other two, I'll give you that. Plus, that shit we saw on that black island... fuck, I know THAT is a big deal. And we can't just leave that shit alone because it's already ruining people's lives here." He snarls, kicking the sand again. "But by the eight million I sometimes feel like I should just go at that shit alone at times rather than stick around with some fuckers I can't stand." He huffs, "Staying with Kanako is tempting, I get it. She's good company. But there's a part of me that knows sticking around here and hooking up with her is just asking for trouble. Even if I can tell she wants to get out from under her mother's shadow."

Balan chuckles, “Trouble seems to find you anyway you know.”

Fwangzhu snorts, "Whatever. You lot heading off now? Might as well head back before the other shits sail off without us."

“I believe we are shortly.” The paladin gestures over to where Silgara stands a bit away.

"I still want to punch their smug faces so let’s just get moving before I get some sense and abandon this shipwreck." Fwangzhu snorts but follows along.

The party reconvenes on the ship, Fwangzhu looking slightly calmer. Slightly. Silgara huffs, once everyone is assembled on deck. "Right then. Our destination, then?" Balan heads below deck for a few minutes.

T’kharr looks out at sea. "Kurozhan, it seems."

"Right then, setting a course. It might take us a day to get there. Here's hoping we don't end up getting waylaid by Corsairs on the way there." Silgara nods, "There is an Azure Winds presence there, according to the map Khalid showed me."

Mingzhu heads to the bow and meditates using Snout as a backrest. The crew settles in they head off to Kurozhan.

It takes about a day, but the party eventually makes it to Kurozhan without incident, at least near the island. The party assembles on top deck once again. "Seems like it's a pretty busy port, far busier than the ones we've seen elsewhere." Silgara mentions. "What's our plan for this one? Take us in normally? Or something else?"

Mingzhu purses her lips thinking about it. “Make sure no one can get on the ship Silgara.
"Takes us in normally then shrink it."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to do that where there will surely be witnesses?" Silgara looks over. "We've seen how touchy they are about use of magic."

The shamaness sighs, “Maybe not.”

"If you can find a place where you can beach the ship unnoticed and then shrink it..." T’kharr asks and suggests both at once.

Mingzhu smiles for the first time in a long time. “Better idea, I like it.”

"Right, I'll take us on a roundabout course. That port town looks pretty dense, and the coast I think is populated with fishing stops. We've definitely got a more populated presence here than other isles we've been to. I'll try to circle us around to see if there's an opening." Silgara nods.

They are able to sail around the island. It's a larger one, but it also seems like a more populated one. While the main port town appears to be the densest and have the most notable docks, there isn't any part of the town's circumference that isn't populated by at least some fishing village setup. "I don't see a landing where we could shrink the ship without being spotted." Silgara furrows her brow.

"You think we might be able to slip in at night at least, perhaps in to one of the fishing villages?" T’kharr asks.

"That would mean waiting until night time, are you sure we want to do that?" Silgara looks over.

"Can’t we just shrink the ship and swim to shore?" Mingzhu asks.

T’kharr just looks at her. “I'd have to grant several of us water breathing powers to do that."

Mingzhu looks a bit surprised by that. “Oh, some can’t swim.”

Zsikhou considers "What we might need to do is dock and then just leave one of us to guard the boat."

Mingzhu sighs, "Make your best guess on what to do, T’kharr. I just don’t know anymore."

"Nighttime might be our best bet then." T’kharr looks up to see how long they'd have to wait. She finds its still morning. They will have to wait at least 12 hours. “Probably sit a fair bit offshore until then.”

"Well, what's the plan, then?" Silgara looks over.

Mingzhu looks out to the shoreline. "I just don’t want to take a chance with the reputation of this island.”

T’kharr has a thought, “Would the fishing villages have night watches patrolling the docks?" Silgara shrugs, she looks over at the others in the group. But Zsikhou also shakes his head. Nor'vee remains quiet. Fwangzhu just offers a grunt in turn.

“If we can find one that isn't paying attention to the docks at night, we probably could get an opening to shrink the boat that way. Either by docking then and shrinking it immediately, or docking now and having Silgara stay back to guard the boat then shrink it come nightfall?" T’kharr muses.

Silgara nods "I suppose I can guard the ship, if you think that best. I'll try to take us in at an inconspicuous looking location. It might be best if the rest of you don't waste the day. If I can't get an opening, I'll just keep watch."

"That sounds like a plan." T’kharr looks to the rest of the party.

"Sounds ok, by me." Mingzhu comments.

"Right, I'll take us in, somewhere that looks like it's not being overly watched then. If Kanako's intelligence is right then, this is a pretty rough place." Silgara nods, going to pilot the boat.

She eventually goes to bring the boat to shore, not at a clean dock, but she's able to get it parked decently. There are still huts around. They look pretty decently made, like they're architecturally and functionally sound. But there's just about nothing in the way of decoration outside, and you're sure there are some fishermen and villagers around, watching you warily. "I parked on the eastern side of the island. The port town is in the Southwestern portion. It might be a bit of a hike, but this seems to be the least watched and populated part of the isle. Well, good luck out there." Silgara nods.

Fwangzhu, Nor'vee, and Zsikhou go to follow everyone getting off the ship. It seems the village section, despite being less populated than other places on this island, still has plenty of people. They don't approach, but you can tell they're watching you. T'kharr heads out, head on a swivel for any trouble. Mingzhu and Snout follow everyone else. The villagers seem too wary to approach the group or the ship as of yet.

Mingzhu occasionally looks for spirits as they walk along but there doesn’t seem like there is any that stand out as she walks along. T’kharr continues to lead the party towards the main port town. Once they're out of the fishing village, she asks, "Do you feel more comfortable if we find room in town once we arrive, or break camp for the night outside of town instead?"

Mingzhu says, “I could sleep in the local bay if necessary.”

Zsikhou looks around. "I don't see too many uninhabited places we could camp. Resting at our boat even though it's a long walk may be safest."

"We can at least see what's on offer for rooms when we arrive in town." T’kharr insists.

Fwangzhu huffs "Pretty long walk. I'd normally say find an inn, but I don't know if Silgara can handle trouble on her own if it comes knocking at her."

Nor'vee squeaks. "Not used to ranging big towns like this..."

Zsikhou looks ahead. "Don't think an inn is our highest priority, unless that also factors into your investigation."

"It would, most likely." T’kharr states.

Zsikhou nods. "Right, let’s see if we can find one then."

As they approach the main port town, it certainly feels like a shock compared to what they have seen before. Densely packed buildings and streets, a busy, bustling dock, tall buildings, well maintained. It doesn't resemble the sparser villages they have seen at all, but it also looks a mix of opulent, but also seedy, like the shadows themselves are hungry. There's people of various means going around, it also looks like there's Zuodong's people around, and plenty of rough characters. In fact, the people in Zuodong's uniform are plenty rough characters, it would seem...

[Winterhawk99]

As they walk Nor’vee and Fwangzhu start to banter. "So, Geisha-Lady Kanako mentioned you when we stopped by Zalusu." Nor’vee comments.

Fwangzhu huffs and replies. "Damn, wish I'd gotten to see her again while we were there. She's better company than most of you lot.”

Nor'vee nervously squeaks. "When Geisha-Lady saw Nor'vee she went and started rubbing Nor'vee and flirting, like someone circling Nor'vee looking at juicy rat to snack on."

Fwangzhu gives an amused snort. "You lucky bastard."

Nor'vee squeaks with some irritation. "Nor'vee does not consider it lucky! Felt like being pushed into a trap before bitey, bite!"

Fwangzhu replies. "She's a sweet, kind, and lovely lady. Next time you're lucky enough to get her attention like that, I'd recommend you let her."

Nor'vee furrows his brows, then replies. "Seems you like her. Nor'vee also notices you tense with others in your colony. Would have thought Fwangzhu might have wanted to stay with her."

Fwangzhu grumbles, then replies. "Believe me, it's real tempting. And the thought crossed my mind. I'm still fucking livid about being held on Renkao while this lot let Renkao's people get butchered. But I've got shit to do first. Which means staying with these assholes. Whatever. Let’s get it done. And be ready to maul some shits soon."

Mingzhu follows, walking in the back slowly with Snout.

Zsikhou looks around. "Looks like it's going to be a big place. What do we look for first?"

Mingzhu glances at the sun in the sky. It seems to be somewhere around 10am in the morning. “I should look for a temple or monastery of the path.”

Zsikhou nods. T’kharr smiles, “Aye, probably would be a good enough starting point."

Mingzhu adds, “We might also find a local inn where we can hear what is going on in this...city afterward."

"Aye. Temple first, then the inn." T’kharr again replies.

They search the outskirts first. It looks like, as expected, besides the port town, the rest of the island is covered in farming and fishing villages. It’s denser near the port town, but outside, more huts for rice farms and smaller functions.

They spend about an hour searching around the more rural areas. They eventually find what looks like a... dilapidated shrine of the Path. There's no one there. It looks barely used, and poorly maintained. Contrasting the functional but well-kept architecture around, it looks a little jarring. The dust on the altar and stones used to build it seems to indicate it hasn't been seriously utilized for some time.

T’kharr shakes her head. “Well, that’s not a good sign.”

Zsikhou looks around but keeps quiet. The nearest people nearby are just going about their daily labor. Mingzhu looks around then at the altar. "I must clean this all up. You move on to the inn. Someone come back to me when you find a place for the night."

Zsikhou looks over to Mingzhu "Given what we have heard about this place, assuming any of it is accurate, it is unlikely splitting up is a good idea." Fwangzhu snorts, like he'd interject, but then he shrugs, and doesn't bother.

T’kharr looks around. “I reckon that we're best-off standing watch for a bit, aye."

"I must stay, Zsikhou. This is a duty I can't pass. If you wish to stay with me, I'm sure it will be ok." Mingzhu casts Summon Nature's ally 4 (Earth elemental) to help her with the initial task of cleaning up the shrine and putting any stones that have been dislodged back in their proper place. The elemental helps speed it up some, though it only lasts for under a minute. It still takes a few hours to clean the place. Mingzhu pulls weeds, dusts and cleans up the shrine until she can get it back to as original condition as she can. She looks for any church artifacts but doesn’t find any. She sanctifies the shrine and then casts commune with spirits. One appears awaiting her questions.

“Spirit is anything missing from the shrine?”

“Unknown.”

How many days, weeks or months ago did the last person pray here?”

“Four months.”

“Have the people turned from faith in general here?”

“Yes.”

“Is the turn from faith because of enterprise and profit?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you spirit.” The spirit fades. She turns to the rest of the companions, “This island is a faithless island for the most part."

"Aye, sounds like the inn is our best bet then, shall we?" T’kharr surmises.

They head into town. Mingzhu nods and follows everyone.

[Winterhawk99]

The companions move into town. While walking the denser streets however They see that most of the people are busy minding their own business. They walk hurriedly in the streets. As the group watches walking along, they come upon rough looking crowd of fellows. The crowd blocks their path. On one side they see some armed, uniformed men. Most likely some of Zuodong’s men at arms.

T'kharr sizes up the situation, her amber eyes roving first the rough-looking folks then Zuodong's men-at-arms, trying to get a feel for just what they're up against here, if it's just a bunch of random thugs or some band of ruffians that somehow has Zuodong's backing. There's about 8 thugs, they approach. There's four of Zuodong's men at arms to the side, but while looking, they don't seem like they're about to get involved.

One of the ruffians, probably their leader approaches. They look like westerners. They have a patchwork of armaments, leather armor. Some have short blades; some have clubs. The men at arms look pretty well equipped, scimitar, baton, shield, and some metal armor, splint mail it looks like. They at least seem decently armed and trained.

"Oi! What's this? A travelling freak show? A Circus? Who the bloody 'ells you think you lot are?" The ruffian leader approaches with a sneer and a confident swagger.

Mingzhu stays in the back watching quietly. T'kharr holds up her wrist with the red cord about it, staring down the ruffian leader with a predatory look in her eyes. Zsikhou looks over the man with snuggles and hugs murder in his eyes. Fwangzhu growls, like he can't wait to start mauling them.

"Oh, what's this? They can't talk? This a circus full o mimes?!" Some of the other ruffians laugh "Ey you, I'm speaking to you lot!" The leader shouts. Nor'vee nervously fidgets, hands on the grip of his crossbow.

"Did your folks back home teach you anything about what's good for your own hide?" T’kharr looks them down, quarterstaff in hand, still giving them that predatory stare.

Mingzhu tries using diplomacy, “We are simple travelers looking for a good inn. I'm sure you strapping men know were a good one would be."

One of them looks over with a leer "You know what, I can show you the best places. Ditch these freaks and you and us can have a good time, eh, eh?"

"No thank you, I'm just looking for a place to rest." The shamaness insists calmly.

Zsikhou glares at them. "At this point I would be fully warranted with executing this lot and I am struggling to come up with a reason why I shouldn't."

The ruffian leader looks to Zsikhou "Awww, what's this, this lizard mutt thinks he's got a big bark? Piss off before ya go whimper to your owner!" Zsikhou reacts predictably, the Siangham in his bracer comes out. Though he doesn't go to stab anyone. Yet. Fwangzhu looks over like he could get involved, but shrugs like he doesn't care to. Fwangzhu looks over like he could get involved, but shrugs like he doesn't care to. He growls but decides not to really care about getting involved and just shrugs. Mingzhu quietly tells Snout to stay back a bit.

Balan steps up. The Ruffian leader looks over to Balan, puffing his chest. "Oi! What're you look’n at ya scaly freak?! Shouldn' you go back to the circus where ya belong?"

The dragonborn chuckles, “Am I missing the fun or is it just getting started?”

"Oh, you wan’na have some fun? Well, I can tell ya we're gon’na have fun with you lot!" The ruffian leader smirks. His hoodlum followers seem to be getting their weapons ready. "You might wish you never crawled out-ta whatever egg ya hatched from!" The leader sneers.

Balan smiles a bit toothy smile, “Hey, Zsikhou time for fun?”

Zsikhou flexes a claw. "Figured this would be cleaning out the trash."

"Oi! Ya know what? Let’s mop the floor with them smug lizards! Get em!" The Ruffian leader shouts.

Zsikhou gets in the first move and tries to stab the leader but the man for all his size quickly dodges the kobold. It does give Nor’vee time to carefully aim and he manages to shoot an arrow into the large man’s left shoulder. The leader reciprocates against Balan with his short sword but all it does is bounce off his armor. Balan also misses countering the leader. Mingzhu tries to cast Rebuke upon one of the ruffians, but it has no effect.

Fwangzhu gets his axe out and smacks one of the thugs with the flat of it. Several teeth fly out of the ruffian’s mouth. Two more surround Fwangzhu and one clobbers him with a club. The hengeyokai takes the blow with a grimace. The other gives him a light wound with his sword.

Zsikhou flanks the leader stabbing out twice and hitting him one in the back of the thigh. It gives the thug a nasty wound. Nor’vee puts another arrow in the man who begins to wobble and think twice about what he had provoked. The leader in turn tries to shank Balan with his sword but once again it only bounces off the dragonborn’s armor.

Another ruffian tries to kick-punt Zsikhou but misses and almost falls on his butt. T’kharr tries to flank the leader but misses in both her punch and kick. Four of the thugs not engaged yet throw into the melee. Two go after T’kharr and two go to strike Balan. But their weapons are completely ineffective against the heavily armored dragonborn and nimble priestess.

Balan changes his stance and goes all out for the leader. He wounds him badly with both his strikes. The man now is barely standing. Mingzhu casts Hold Person on one of the thugs that’s on top of Fwangzhu. The man is suddenly paralyzed. Fwangzhu slits his head like a melon. The other one on him still feels like fighting and tries to club the badger but misses completely.

The leader’s knee collapses on him. Zsikhou takes the opportunity to stab him in the ear ending his thuggish days for good. The kobold quickly pulls it out and manages to stab another through the knee. Nor’vee ends his life putting a bolt through his forehead. Then the nezumi turns and fires another shot hitting another thug but doesn’t bring him down. T’kharr tries to bite one of the men on her but misses as the man avoids her attack all together.

One of the thugs’ panics and starts to flee. Zsikhou manages to stab him in the gut as the man passes. The thug gets 5 steps then drops dead. The rest of what’s left of the thugs, attack Balan, T’kharr, and Zsikhou. All of them miss or get their weapons turned by the companions’ armor. Balan laughs and swings at the closest of men. He puts two devastating wounds in the man’s chest. The man nearly crumbles but still has breath enough for one last strike.

Mingzhu casts Bless on the group. Fwangzhu takes the head off the ruffian still on him. Then bull rushes one on T’kharr injuring the man. Zsikhou gets behind one on Balan and nearly stabs him to death. Nor’vee brings another one down and puts a bolt into the buttocks of another. T’kharr puts a bone-crunching bite into the shoulder of another sending him into shock.

The last thug, able to stay standing, thinks better of fighting now. He turns and runs. T’kharr, Balan, and Zsikhou are able to get light wounds on him as he runs by. He keeps running as fast as he can. The remaining two thugs alive are stunned and in shock on how badly the battle went for them. Zsikhou looks inclined to execute them while they're helpless. Mingzhu looks at him. "Don't Zsikhou they are defeated."

T’kharr backs her up. "Don't think that'd be wise in town in front of officials. As much as they earned it."

"They have earned it, but alright." Zsikhou slips his siangham away.

Mingzhu walks up to the dead leader and gets down on her knees. She glances at the uniformed men then casts Speak with Dead.”

Zuodong's men were watching the fight the whole time. They made no move to interfere during the fight, but they approach now that it is over...

Mingzhu looks at the dead man, “What is your name?”

“Gaulen.”

“Gaulen, why did you insight us into combat?”

"Freaks... Easy marks..." The corpse replies.

“Gaulen, are you a member of a faction within the city?

"Just me and my boys..."

The guards look over. One of them approaches and speaks. "Hey! You lot! Put your weapons away now. What do you think you're doing making a mess on the streets like this?"

"Defending ourselves, ser." T'kharr has her staff set aside. Balan puts his sword away giving a polite nod.

Mingzhu looks at the others along with the officials and smiles, “Does anyone want to ask Gaulen a question?"

“I asked if they were having fun and they drew weapons on my friends.” Balan looks back.

"Yeah, yeah, real likely story, there. You lot show up and there's already a ton of dead bodies? And wounded?" The guard shakes his head. Zsikhou looks to Mingzhu, then the guards. Fwangzhu growls at the guardsmen as they get closer.

"Aye, they drew blades on us and found out the hard way they had quite underestimated us as combatants." T’kharr tries to stay calm.

Mingzhu waits just a moment for others to ask her a question.

"Oh sure, you look like the type that thinks that's fun. But this is a respectable town, and we got laws against this stuff! So, you lot are gon’na have to pay for it." The guardsman says.

Mingzhu shrugs and asks Balan’s question, “Gaulen, were you having fun when you drew weapons on us?”

Gaulen replies, groaning. "Oh yeah..."

The guards look at each other, there's a nod.

"You can take the two ruffians that we politely left for you" T’kharr points at the two stunned ruffians.

"For fighting on the streets, that's a fine. 100 gold for each of you involved in that mess." The Guard looks over "Yeah, we'll be collecting them. But we're getting your due too. And there's still dead bodies here because of you lot. So, you better pay the fine up." The Guardsman adds.

Mingzhu stands and looks at the guards, “You heard the story from Gaulen himself.” Then she uses her diplomacy skill. “But not everyone fought. I simply chanted.”

The guards look at each other, then a huff, grumbling "Ugh, fine, whatever. 500 gold from your lot for leaving us dead bodies in the streets to deal with."

Balan picks up on what Mingzhu is doing and says, “I was only doing the god's work by removing evil threats to your city.” Zsikhou narrows his eyes at the guards, like he's considering executing them too.

The guard looks Balan dead in the eye, “Yeah, yeah, save the preaching for someone who cares." The guards just sneer. You got a fine to pay, so pay up." Fwangzhu just growls at the guards in response.

Mingzhu counts out 500 gold and gives it to them. Fwangzhu looks over, rolling his eyes, and snorting. Balan suggests, “If it helps, I can get rid of the bodies for you.”

The guard smirks and collects the gold from Mingzhu, counting it "Glad to see one of you is socially responsible. Fine is paid. Go on, get outta here. We gotta clean this mess up and deal with these two."
The guards go to apprehend the two still living ruffians and check the bodies. Zsikhou's hissing is audible, like he very much wants to stab them. Fwangzhu just snarls at Mingzhu and then storms off.

"Nor'vee thinks we should go quickly." He shimmies off.

"I just hope this sends a message to the rest of the ne'er-do-wells in town." T’kharr replies.

"Word will certainly get around." Mingzhu answers.

Once you're out of sight, Fwangzhu snarls, huffing. "Good job. Now these fuckers in the guard know we're easy marks. What the fuck were you thinking? Though you know what? Never mind. It fits what I've seen from you. Good fucking job inviting them to push us around more."

Zsikhou looks over, a huff, "I was about to stab them on principle, however that could have complicated our position here."

Mingzhu sighs, "It was necessary. We do not know what we are stepping into yet. we have 2700 gold left. I guess I'll go to work tomorrow.”

"And picking a fight with the guard, or even just pissing them off badly enough to start in on us...well, that's a different lot than a bunch of ruffians." T’kharr retorts to Fwangzhu.

Nor'vee nods nervously. "Starting fight with local guard? Bring down too much trouble on our colony. Need to keep a lower profile."

Fwangzhu snorts, "These fuckers really aren't so much different than those ruffians we mauled. They saw the whole fight and they did jack shit. They only stepped in to pocket what they could from us. Just with a flimsy excuse of being the law around here."

Fwangzhu snorts "These fuckers really aren't so much different than those ruffians we mauled. They saw the whole fight and they did jack shit. They only stepped in to pocket what they could from us. Just with a flimsy excuse of being the law around here."

"His attitude, don't think we could have counted on him to respect even a well-mannered stubbornness"
"And aye, but they have the backing of jail and all the reinforcements they could ever wish to dogpile us with." T’kharr explains.

"The only shit these fuckers around here will listen to is if they know you'll knock their teeth down their throats if they give you any shit." Fwangzhu snorts.

"As much as one'd want to do that...you'd basically be meat for anyone with a badge at that point, not respected." T’kharr insists.

"Fine, whatever, let yourselves get pushed the fuck around by corrupt jackasses. That pretty much fits what I know of how you lot operate." Fwangzhu snorts, just shaking his head.

"And you can't claim self-defense against someone of the law." T’kharr says shaking her head.

Zsikhou huffs, looking over. "We'll have to be mindful of how they are going forward. All the same, what's our next step?"

T’kharr looks down the street. "Find an inn, I reckon."

"If worse comes to worse they may find their trade ships have mysteriously moved to the middle of the town." Mingzhu smirks.

"Nor'vee thinks it's best to not make another Daimyo want the colony's heads?" Nor'vee squeaks.

Zsikhou huffs, "This is a pretty big place, let’s try to find one, then."

It does take some searching, but they do eventually find one. It's called the Lumpy Ladle. It's probably not the most inviting place. It is at least spacious, and the furniture and building is well maintained at least. But it also looked like a place where there's plenty of rough characters around as well.

"Definitely not a high-class sort of establishment" T’kharr shoots a small chuckle to Balan.

“Maybe we will blend in better then.” Balan laughs.

Zsikhou shrugs "This one isn't sure what you expect from such a place but will follow your lead."

Mingzhu nods and follows. When they gather in the inn, she says, "I'll dive all day and see what I can gather and what traders are the best for pearls. Perhaps you can get some information from around the area."

"Scouting the traders would be useful, aye." T’kharr nods.

Zsikhou shrugs "We at least know there is an Azure Winds boat here, according to the map Khalid showed us. Assuming they are any more trustworthy than anyone else here." Though his tone suggests some skepticism.

T’kharr rubs her muzzle. “They're at least something of a known quantity."

Zsikhou nods at that.

[Winterhawk99]

The lumpy Ladle is a lively enough place. It seems like the group might be able to get a decent meal, or a hard beverage. There are plenty of rough looking characters mingling around. The companions, given their quiet exotic personages, definitely draw eyes, but most go back to muttering to themselves and sneering. Mingzhu meets the host and pays for rooms, meals and tea. While she does, she looks for any spirits lingering in the inn. There are none. Satisfied she comes back to the group. She finds them a nice table in the back corner that is quieter: away the vociferous goings on at the bar.

T'kharr crunches through a whole game hen without remark on the local characters, supplementing it with some rice. She then washes it all down with some tea, ears perked to whatever chatter might be around them that isn't just folks gawking. Nor'vee seems nervous being here. Fwangzhu also seems agitated but does get something frothy and strong.

Mingzhu mentions, “I'll be gone all of tomorrow. I'll head to the bay as soon as I finish with my meditations." T’kharr mostly hears some idle gossip about a guy complaining that his wife is cheating on him. After eating they all sit back and listen to the tables around them. Balan leans back in a chair carving a pearl while doing so.

Mingzhu overhears something about trade policies. She does hear the names of familiar trading companies from port Ginji, plus a few she might not recognize. One name that comes up is 'Fated Winds'. She writes down Fated Winds on a slip of paper.

Balan overhears some talk regarding the Dockmaster, seems that people are sharing rumors about who's pockets he's in, trading companies, stiffing everyone for coin, etc. But it is agreed he is keeping commerce flowing. But it does seem like the Dockmaster is the 'real' power of this place, at least. More so than the mayor, though both have offices in the town hall.

The shamaness looks to the group. “I'll see which companies will offer us the best prices for our wares. I'll give half of what I find to Balan and sell the other half.”

Zsikhou responds, "Given what we've heard of this place it may not be prudent to go off alone."

"Aye, we probably want to stick together as a party even." T’kharr agrees. Fwangzhu shrugs like he doesn't care.

"We need the coin Zsikhou. I'll change one of my spells to provide some safety." Mingzhu calmly retorts. She then looks over to see that Nor’vee seems jittery and nervous here. She pats him on the shoulder. "Nor'vee the more nervous you are the more you attract attention. Eat, enjoy, try not to worry so."

Banter seems to continue on around them, though mostly mundane matters, maybe. Nor’vee huffs, “Feels like a place full of CAT here!" Mingzhu tries to use her natural ability to calm emotions on him, but it doesn’t seem to work.

As they make small talk they overhear about a bunch of “Free Trader” ships coming and going. They always have different names, though some swear the faces of the westerners are the same. Mingzhu looks around and quietly says, “Sounds like pirates have free reign here.”

Zsikhou nods. "Makes sense."

T’kharr rubs her muzzle, “Aye, that'd be consistent with the general tenor of the place so far." Fwangzhu snorts but doesn't say anything.

Zsikhou looks around. "What's our next plan then? Unless you want to keep eavesdropping?"

"I honestly don’t know Zsikhou. Tomorrow I will dive. it is what I am most concerned about other than tending the shrine if needed." Mingzhu replies.

T’kharr leans back comfortably. “I reckon we may have to just keep our eyes and ears out for rumors and such."

"This one still doesn't advise that, Shamaness." Zsikhou says while sipping his tea, then he nearly spits it out.

She looks back at him and the tea worrying it might be poisoned, “What is wrong?”

Zsikhou huffs, "Just don't like it's taste here."

She nods then says, “I will be safer in the bay than out here in the city.”

He gives up, “As you wish. Still, what are our next steps?"

She shakes her head, “I don’t know. It’s best to talk to Balan and T'kharr on these things." He then looks to T’kharr and Balan for more.

T'kharr looks down at her tea with a look of concern to Zsikhou. "We also may have to see if there are other...establishments in this place."

"More Tavern hopping?" Zsikhou sighs, nodding "Fine, your call there." T’kharr looks to the others to see if they have any opinions. Mingzhu just shrugs and looks out the window. Fwangzhu snorts, shrugging.

Nor'vee squeaks, shrugging. "Could check docks? Keep listening? Talk to tavernkeeper?"

T’kharr sighs in response, “"Talking to the innkeeper would be too obvious in this context. We could walk the docks as a party on our way to seeing if there's any other watering holes in this town, at least.”

"There's probably a lot." Zsikhou shrugs. T’kharr decides to pack up and lead the party on a search for another watering hole, walking the docks along the way.

[Winterhawk99]

It’s easy enough to find another tavern. There are plenty in this town and it’s a relatively large city compared to what the group is used too. Closer to the docks they see what looks like the usual roughnecks, merchants, fishermen, and others. There's another place they come across, the Pristine Pearl. It isn't really a pristine place, but it's nice enough. Though they do still see some rough fellows. T’kharr nods and smiles, “I think this'll do." She approaches the bar, ordering Fwangzhu something strong and tea for the rest.

The Barkeep nods, fetching their drinks. "Enjoy." T’kharr takes her tea and sniffs at it before sipping gently from it and then leads the party to find a table. Mingzhu sits down and drinks some tea. They're able to find a table.

This time the tea is of a much better quality. "I hope this is more satisfactory?" T’kharr mentions to both Nor'vee and Zsikhou.

Mingzhu nods, “"It's closer to the docks."

The Barkeep looks over. "Can I get you anything else?"

The shamaness asks, “Do you have any sardines?”

"Uh, not something that's commonly asked for, but sure, I can get you some." The Barkeep nods and makes an order to the place's kitchen. When the sardines come, Mingzhu feeds them to Snout one at a time by hand keeping her ears open for any rumors.

T'Kharr overhears some rumors about some officials that the Dockmaster, or someone else in the Town Hall has been seeing, there's a lot of rampant speculation about what it could be. Mingzhu overhears something about rumors of which companies might be favored... seems the Fated Winds are relatively new but have gotten some traction. The others have been around for a bit, but business has been slower here lately. They blame the corsairs. Though they also say the local waters are safe. T’kharr whispers to Mingzhu, “Seems there's some rather...secretive official business going on."

The shamaness whispers back. “The corsairs seem to be affecting trade here but not directly.”

Balan overhears something, apparently there's a group of psychotic Chessentans around town, causing trouble wherever they go. They're strong and dangerous, and even the guard doesn't want to try dealing with them, just stay away and hope they don't cause too much damage. He looks at them all and whispers, “Seems the local thugs we should watch out for as well: A group of Chessentans.” Mingzhu nods to him.

"Noted on the troublesome locals. Sounds like the type that wouldn't be easily...dissuaded by us looking a bit scary." T’kharr comes back.

Balan says, “It seems the dockmaster more than likely runs everything in this town as well.”

"Dockmasters have much power in wherever port city you go." Mingzhu agrees.

Zsikhou shrugs, "Not sure how we'd secure a meeting, if one would even be of benefit. “Then sips some tea and says, "So, what are our next steps, then?"

"I think we walk the docks proper if that's fine by you folks, then either return here or find another place to check out?"

Mingzhu nods reluctantly, “Ok.” They head to the docks then. It's quite expansive, and it's a very busy place, for sure. Lots of tradesmen, stalls, Zuodong's guards are there. Despite the rough looking crowd, it does seem that the guards ensure that business is run smoothly. Over in the docks, they definitely see a lot of ships there. Local ones (Zuodong’s), Azure Winds, Golden Sails, Diamond Industries, Fated Winds, and several others who don't bear flags. Mingzhu walks behind slowly with Snout looking around. They see it’s a lot more expansive than Port Ginji, for sure.

The market at the docks is large and easy to get lost in. Mingzhu checks out what the local prices on pearls are. She seems to be disinterested in anything else in that there is little the companions can buy at the moment. It seems that many of the merchants here are hard bargainers. She can't get a good price.

Zsikhou looks around, looking at T'Kharr. "What are you looking for, here?"

"Seeing if we can overhear anything.” She responds. Besides the usual market talk, she does overhear some worry about new goods coming in having stalled, from Azure Winds and Golden Sails. It Seems a lot of the new goods are coming from 'free traders' who are braving the corsairs... T’kharr considers all of this and says, “We should check in with the Azure Winds at least.”

“Aye, that wouldn’t be a bad Idea.” Balan responds. Mingzhu follows along. They head to the Azure Winds stall. T'kharr greets the trader there with a bow, looking over the goods they have on offer. Mingzhu watches the crowd keeping a look out for trouble.

There looks to be a decent selection of goods there. In fact, there’s multiple workers there. One of them notices the group approach. "Salam-Alaikum, honored customer. Can I get you anything?" Mingzhu keeps one eye on Snout to make sure he doesn’t get any ideas. The merchant at the stand who is addressing them waits for what they have to say or offer. Another merchant at the same stall, it's a large one, does business with another customer.

"Ah, it is good to see a familiar name in business here at least." T’kharr remarks.

"Hrm? My apologies, honored customer. I do not believe we have met before. Well, can I get you anything?" The merchant asks again.

"Aye, I don't believe we've met personally." introduces the party "We've done a fair bit of business with your colleagues to the east." T’kharr responds.

"Ah, I see. I have not seen or heard from them in a while." He sighs, "The recent corsair troubles keep us out of contact, I'm afraid. I'm glad you were able to make it here; without too much trouble I hope."

"My colleague Mingzhu here is a pearl diver and is looking for an outlet for her work." T’kharr mentions. Mingzhu smiles and nods while keeping watch.

"Hrm? Well, alright, well, if you have any pearls to sell, I can appraise them and give you a price." He replies.

Mingzhu quietly states, “I'll be going out tomorrow to find some. Until that time, I have none at least at the moment.”

He nods, "Well, we should be around standard business hours when you are ready, then. Can I help you with anything else?"

"If you would let your shipboard colleagues know that we seek an audience with them at their earliest convenience, that'd be excellent please." T’kharr bows, "Burdens be eased."

"Hrm, what do you seek audience with them for?" He looks over, more critical now.

"We were wondering if we could get more information on the corsairs causing troubles in these waters, 'tis all." T’kharr says quietly while looking around.

"I'm not sure what we could tell you. They've been disruptive to trade." He responds.

"That they certainly have. Thank you for your time in any case." T’kharr bows and moves on.

"Ma'as Salama". He says in farewell.

[Winterhawk99]

As T’kharr leaves she says, “I think we try Golden Sails" looking to Balan.

Mingzhu stops them all for the moment addressing all of them. “I don't think we are getting very far, and we are at the docks. I'll sleep in the bay tonight then do my job. After selling things I'll be at the Pristine Pearl at sundown. Perhaps you will have found out where we need to go next. We need to salvage some of the coin we lost." She walks to the edge of the pier and jumps in. Disappearing under the waves.

Zsikhou nods to T'Kharr "Right, let’s go then." They head off to Golden Sails stall. They get there and look over the goods. It’s also a pretty expansive stall set. One of the merchants looks over. "Greetings, can I interest you in any of our wares?"

Balan speaks up, “Hello friend, I was wondering if you could give us some information like your colleagues in the east have been as much helpful in the same way.”

"Hrm, what were you looking for, customer?" The man asks.

“We are looking for information or anything on what troubles the local area.” Balan replies.

He sighs, "if you're looking for Gossip, I'd suggest a local tavern. Though troubles? Well, anything more specific you're looking for?"

“Specifically, the corsairs and their issues that have been building up over time.”

"Corsairs..." He sighs, "They've been preventing us from getting inventory cleanly. Our supply restocking is rather... intermittent. As I understand it, they avoid attacks around this port, but beyond, they'll strike ships going by."

Balan looks out over the bay then back to the man. “Is there a reason they would avoid this port specifically?”

"If I had to guess, Zuodong's patrol boats keep them away." He shrugs, but he might sound unsure... Balan can tell he doesn’t really believe that, but it might take some convincing to get him to open up.

Balan says, “Do you believe there is another reason then?”

"It wouldn't do for me to speculate." The man shrugs, "Ah, can I get you anything?"

“Speculations are never a bad thing it could give interesting information.” Balan sets 50 gold on the counter from his personal bag

The man seems to consider, then takes the gold, then speaks. "Hrm, alright. Well... just... I have noticed there coming and going a lot of... well, unmarked traders. Clearly not locals. But they tend to have fresh goods, or at least, second hand. I would swear that I'd think there might be corsairs, disguised in plain clothes here, selling stolen goods here, but I don't think the local guard checks too hard as long as commerce keeps flowing."

T'kharr nods along with that. "That'd make sense, at least."

"And as long as well, they're not obvious pirates at least." The merchant shakes his head. "And it would make sense the Corsairs don't want to attract too much attention if this is their port but..." He shakes his head. "Nothing but idle rumor and speculation, really. Maybe I should save this for when I'm at the tavern."

“There may be truth in what you say though and it may not surprise that it would be the case.” Balan agrees.

The merchant nods, musing. “Well, was there anything else I could help you with?"

Balan assures, “Perhaps not at the moment but we may come back at a time.”

"Ah, of course. Well, have a good day, customer." He nods.

“Aye platinum dragon offer protection for good trade.” Balan gives a nod back.

Zsikhou nods aside. "More evidence of what we suspected, at least. Where to next?"

Balan looks around. “This newer trade company has me curious, but I am not sure on how to approach them.”

Zsikhou looks over. "Which one? Fated Winds?"

“Aye, that one.”

Zsikhou nods. "Well, guess we can approach them?"

Balan looks around and quietly says back, “We just need to be careful.”

T’kharr swats at a bug buzzing around her ear. “I suppose we can see what the Fated Winds are like.” The group heads for their stall. Balan follows T’kharr. They go to the company stall. It looks like the Fated Winds actually has a few of them set up, larger than the others you've seen. They look like westerner humans. T’kharr bows to the stall-keeper and looks over the merchandise.

The man tending to the stall looks over, seeming wary of T'Kharr, but manages to remain polite. "Well, let me know if you want anything. What can I get you?"

"Ah, we were just checking out your stall for now." She replies. Balan gives a polite nod window shopping as it were.

It seems they've got quite a variety of goods there. "Well, alright, just lemme know if you want to buy anything. Or sell. I can do that too." He shrugs. It looks like a bit of everything. Goods have been pretty neatly organized among most of the stalls, The companions should be able to buy most adventurer goods here, and other basic home supplies. Balan quietly looks over the items using his Detect Evil ability. Curiously, most of the people working the Fated Winds stalls ping as evil. Faint aura. But definitely there. It's definitely notable that usually when in such groups, you might find a few who are evil, but in this case, it seems like the bulk ping as evil.

Balan steps back. “Well, I'm not sure if we need anything at the moment but thank you.” he gives a nod.

The man grunts, “Well alright, have a good day then."

Zsikhou looks up at Balan. “They looked like westerner humans. Do you know of them?" He also looks to T'Kharr.

T’kharr looks back giving the stall a scrutinizing eye for any overtly displayed symbols. There is nothing of religious significance, at least of obvious religious significance. Balan looks over and quietly says. “I know of the name, Fated Winds. It’s a mildly known trading company around Neverwinter… but they definitely have a shady history and have shadier business practices. I can recall anything specific though.”

T'kharr nods back as they head off. "Aye, sounds like folks we won't be trading with any time soon."

Zsikhou looks over. "Well, what's next, then?"

Balan thinks and says, “We should discuss this or give the information to one of the other traders.”

"We'll want to discuss this when we regroup, aye." T’kharr recommends.

Zsikhou considers. "Wonder if Silgara might know more about them, if they're more known in the west. Though trying to see if they're any more talkative on their ships is an option, too." He shrugs.

"We're probably best saving the ships for later given the Azure Winds' response to a request for an audience." T’kharr suggests.

"Nor'vee thinks they seemed rather reluctant." Nor'vee chimes in.

Zsikhou shrugs. "The trading companies clearly don't trust each other. They'll trade and do business, but they're certainly not friends."

“I would agree with this as well.” Balan responds.

"Either way, what should we do next?" Zsikhou looks to Balan and T'Kharr.

“Do we need to purchase or sell anything?” Balan asks.

"I don't need any supplies. We can try seeing if we can find another watering hole?" T’kharr grins.

Balan nods, “Aye, good idea.”

"Or back to the same one, might have some fresh rumors there." Zsikhou shrugs, "Or could ask around."

“See if you can find anything and we can go back to the inn and secure rooms.” Balan says.

"Nor'vee thinks we can also go back to our boat parked on the outskirts if we need a secure place to rest." Nor'vee chimes in.

"We already have rooms paid for." T’kharr says exasperated.

"Maybe ask Silgara about west trading company... oh, okay." Nor'vee nods.

Balan shakes his head. “Yes, we can do that, but it may be best to do so in a private area.” Zsikhou shrugs. Fwangzhu just looks disinterested.

"Well, what's your call then? Back to the ship? Back to the Pearl? Find another watering hole? To one of the boats, or something else?" Zsikhou looks over.