Starday, Sarenith 8, 4713 late night
Enganoka

Dasi had spent some hours researching the back ground of our shadow, the ninja assassin. Luck (or skill) was with him and he discovered that he came from an obscure and insignificant background, but after joining the Oni’s Mask clan his star rapidly rose. He was known for being an out rider and frequently clashed with his fellow ninjas, thus earning the title “the ninja of chaos.”

“Well that’s interesting,” Timber quipped, “but he’s still gotta die.”

Meanwhile Ameiko was having second thoughts about her doppelganger. More specifically she was worried how it would appear for her to condone its existence. Right. So it was ok when she felt the need for added protection, but now that she felt safe it was bad.

I looked over at Zos who seemed not to care, but I distinctly heard Beorn hiss “Coward!” under his breath.

Sunday, Sarenith 9, 4713 evening
Jiro’s Fort

We left Enganoka on the early morning wind and flitted south to Kimoto Kiyomasu’s home town of Kokomugi. Or what was left of it. Hulking mounds of charred timbers lined the streets, and the acrid smell of smoke filled our lungs. Some skeletal remains showed that many of the inhabitants had been burned alive, but most had been buried in a mass grave outside the ex-village. It was not clear if they were all dead before they had been flung into the pit and covered with earth.

We buried the doppelganger here and created a stone marker upon which we had carved fitting words using Stone Shape and Kali’s artistic skills.

We then turned to the northeast and flew to Jiro’s Fort. Once there I took the time and expense to set up various Glyphs of Warding along the heights, and also created a powerful Symbol of Sleep before the main gate.

Dasi spent time scrying on the regional governor, who was on his way to the resort where we hoped to ambush him. Kali and I focused on our ninja assassin, who was back wasting time at Sakakabe because of several strategic phrases we let drop while we knew he was scrying on Ameiko.

Naturally I have prepared a Nightmare for his bed time enjoyment later on.

Dasi also found that the governor had once been a successful naval commander and that he was known as “The Epitome of Honor”

And still today, even after weicked and cruel things he has done, he was known as a man of impeccable honor.

My friends and I were silent for a moment before Takoda said what we were all thinking, “Then Minkai is a land devoid of any actual honor.”

Moonday, Sarenith 10, 4713 evening
Jiro’s Fort

We spent the day scouting about and helping the guards at the fort prepare for the expected attack. The extent of our scouting trips were greatly extended by Wind Walk and still they turned up nothing within several days march.

Ivan took advantage of his mobility and traveled all of the way to the governor’s camp. Thus it was confirmed that he was where we expected him to be and on the way to where we needed him to be.

This was a clever use of resources and I wish I had thought of it!

Toilday, Sarenith 11, 4713 late night
Jiro’s Fort

We’re back at the fort again, although this was not where we had intended to end our day.

We left (again via Wind Walk) before sun rise and whisked ourselves west to the governor’s resort, arriving past mid day. We scouted up the road along the way to the lodge itself before finding a sheltered spot in the woods some half a mile beyond where we made our camp.

We had prearranged with “the Nine” to look for a raven at the lodge and speak with it if they saw it. Obviously the raven was to be Nihali, and after several uneventful hours of perching on a gate post a servant finally approached and spoke to her. A meeting was arranged for later on after dark at our camp.

While we waited for night fall we had a disturbing conversation. Dasi said that because the governor was honorable that he must be given a chance to serve Ameiko. I thought he was joking and said something to the effect that he would serve her best by being dead. But no, he was serious. I looked over to Ameiko and she was clearly considering this as a distinct possibility.

Let’s review, shall we? Less than two days before we had been at a village that the governor had ordered be burned to the ground. Innocent men, women and children had been slain, burned alive, and possibly buried alive. This is not the first time the governor has destroyed a town in this way. The governor’s own brother said he was unfit to rule (but of course would not take any action of his own for reasons of “honor”).

And now we were considering allowing him to continue to govern under her rule?

Star angrily spat out, “Then Ameiko would be no better than the Five Storms!”

Darkness fell (both literally and metaphorically) and soon the Nine visited us. We reviewed details of the plan, and learned what we could of the governor’s retinue. The intent was to attack him while he was in the lodge and so we decided to send a scouting party to the resort to check it out in person.

Radella, Dasi and Ivan were chosen both for their abilities to move relatively quietly (or in dead silence in the case of Radella) and for their varied skills in case anything went wrong.

I’ve never been so good at creeping about in silence. There’s always a twig underfoot at the wrong moment, or my cuff gets hung on some bric-a-brac that inevitably falls to the floor with a thud (or crash). I think I am better at it than Olmas, but then he moves around like a goblin in a glassworks.

Earlier in the day Ameiko had been scried upon once again by our ninja and so now Kali returned the favor. “He looks really tired,” she announced. I smiled. He was in a small wood with tents and camp fires in what looked like a refuge camp.

Suddenly Kali sat bolt up right and said, “He’s at the fort!”

We were deciding what to do when Radella’s scouting team returned in a rush. They had been spotted on the way out from the lodge– hmm, maybe I could have gone along afterall — and quickly made their way back to camp.

Ivan said, “I’m returning to the fort now. I can take three others with me. Who is it going to be?”

I said, “Returning to the fort is a good idea, but before we just pop in we should have a plan and take care not to alert the ninja that we knew where he was.”

I had hardly said this when Ivan and three others popped out. Badger chuckled, “Oh, okay so now it is.” Kali used Teleport to take the rest of us over to the fort’s inner chapel, and we arrived in the midst of Ivan’s squad. Jiro and Hautsue were listening as Ivan explained the current state of affairs, and we made a hasty plan in which most of the group would head to the druid grove and find the assassin.

My job was to start a Scry spell, which took an hour to cast, in case the assassin had fled and we needed to find what he was up to. Ameiko stayed behind because she is a coward and Shalelu remained to guard Ameiko and me.

Short story: the ninja assassin was found among the refugees where Kali had last seen him and my friends very quickly and efficiently killed him.

I arrived moments after the final blow and stayed behind with Radella to search his tent while the others hauled his body back to the chapel. We gathered up his valuables, including a portable hole, and followed the others.

He carried surprisingly little beyond the basic needs of an assassin. Poison. Some potions. Armour. A weapon. It was all of good make, but nothing outstanding. Except for one thing.

An ancient Minkai coin was pierced with a hole through which a leather cord was strung, making a crude amulet. But through Detect Magic it blazed forth with a bright aura. We could not identify it by the usual means, and so Dasi peered thoughtfully at it before announcing that it was an artifact of unusual powers, tailored for ninja.

“Perfect!” I exclaimed, “this is just what we need to buy the services of the ninja clans.”

Much to my surprise my companions did not agree. It was must too dangerous to let anyone else have it. In fact Dasi did not want anyone else (other than himself) in our group to even handle it. He looked directly at me and said, “I do not trust her.”

Seriously? The one person in this group not likely to be swayed by the mental pull of a powerful object? And yet you trust the sniveling coward posing as the heir of Minkai?

Dasi did finally set the coin on the ground and Ivan encased it temporarily in a dome of thick stone.

But by then I had had more than enough. I wandered outside into the dark courtyard.

“Guys,” I asked, “what the hell are we doing here?”

There was silence. And I prompted again, “Guys?”

Long moments passed before Pookie finally spoke.

“We have all been waiting for you to ask this question. Ameiko has proven herself unfit to rule. All she is interested in is getting to the throne of Minkai. She cares nothing for people other than how they can best serve her needs.”

“This land has a twisted notion of honor determined by only the most trivial of words and actions, while acts of villany and cowardice are ignored or justified. Perhaps Minkai deserves the Five Storms.”

I stood staring up into the starlight and was taken back to that first night in the slave pens of Kaer Maga. Then I was alone and powerless with no clear direction or purpose. And here on the other side of the world and a decade later I had found myself similarly without direction.

But only momentarily. My fundamental purpose had not changed. The slave markets would be closed. But my needs were much the same as when I first joined this journey north and south to the east.

I needed more power and money.

The first had not been an issue and I can continue to gain more using my skills and abilities. But I did not need to debase myself by doing so in support of a dishonorable cause.

The second had been more difficult given my team’s inclination to hang onto everything we find of any real value, whether we could use it or not. Each item was too important or too dangerous, or maybe at some point someone might want to use it, maybe once. Or someone just wanted to hang onto it, taking it with them when they left the group.

Yeah. It was clear that my goals no longer aligned with my companions’ goals. It was time to leave and make a new start. Somewhere else.

Wealday, Sarenith 12, 4713 no time
Astral Plane

It is calm here and quiet. I am drifting in the near emptiness of the astral plane and contemplating life.

This morning I had prepared a number of spells in anticipation of my actions. I then found my way back to my companions and faced Kali.

I had intended to explain why I was leaving and my concerns for the rest of the party. I had planned to let them explain why I should not leave.

But when it came down to it all I could say was, “This is nuts.” And then I released the held Plane Shift and I was here.

It is a wonderful place to just drift and think and am surprised I had not visited before. I must have been here for hours before thinking about my next actions.

Magnimar. Major port. Trading center. Historically iconic. Gathering place for those seeking fame and fortune. Home.

All of these reasons make it the perfect place to start again.