Initial Reports to Ansho-sama

For the report to Ansho-sama, I'll note down what general info I have on the state of the governor's palace and the potential quartering options in Toshi no Naishou, as well as an overview of what samurai we've heard of that are in the province as well as what brief descriptions we've gotten of the settlements and other locations in the province (including info about the 3 Tribes, but that section will be mostly just informative of whatever facts I can remember. I will also give a brief report of what Izuna told us about events from her perspective, emphasizing my concern about the missing Phoenix messengers. I don't know that it will be directly stated, but he will probably get the general impression from my report that I feel like the Phoenix were stewarding the Province very well before all of this went down, and that since then, the ones here have been doing the best they can to keep it together for the sake of peace and the welfare of the city and province as a whole, and have been doing a good job under the circumstances. She probably also won't be able to keep some of her growing suspiciousness towards the Crane from showing, though she'll do her best to avoid stating anything outright -- she'll just stick to the facts as given to us by Izuna.
 
Places I will mention in more detail:

the river and what we learned about the stories related to it and spirits and creatures associated with it

the forest and the rumours we've heard about it (I'll probably mention that I will hope to be able to investigate the ones about portals to other spirit realms myself at some point)

she'll cover what rumors we've heard of the mountains and the swamp as well, though I think we've gotten a bit less detail on those so far. but she'll definitely mention that there are rumors and legends about all 5 of the ancient races here

the various places of worship we've heard about so far -- including the Shinsei temples at Koso Mura, the huge Inari temple, and in particular I'll discuss at length the Temple of Kenro-Ji-Jin i visited in Panchu Mura and the abbott's situation there

which will lead into talk about Panchu Mura. most of her emphasis will probably be on her concern for the peasants who have left, or especially the ones who wish they could leave but don't have the appropriate means or place to go (she'll refer back to the 3 Tribes here). she won't dwell on it, but she will give a brief account of our encounter with the Crane samurai for context, and her disgust at their behaviour probably shows through. but she's more worried about the disruption to the peaceful and wholesomely productive lives of the peasants than her own opinions about the behavior of soldiers. but it's another place where he can probably tell that the Crane's activities in the province are not making a good impression on her.

Again, this probably comes through more indirectly than as something directly stated, but it will probably be fairly clear that these are the things she has found most of value in the province so far: its spiritual traditions, both at the peasant level and at the samurai level (its value as a haven for samurai post-retirement is very real to her its value to scholars as a place for studying those spiritual aspects; and what seems to have been, pre-disruption, the peaceful existence of the people of the province -- Panchu Mura and Toshi no Naishou, at least, seem to have been fairly quiet, well-run, and content, prior to all of this disruption, and that seems to have been broadly true of the province as a whole. The idea of many small, fertile agrarian villages all devoted to the soil god just seems like the way things ought to be in a place like this, to her -- the same with the preserved wildernesses with their local peoples and stories and traditions and ways of life.
 
At the end, she will probably say something like "these are my thoughts so far, save for anything that seemed better to be discussed in person, of course," and she'll trust those who are giving their reports in person to give the rundown on body we found near the river, and then talk to him about it in person when they meet.
 
 
Addendum: trip to Koso Mura points of emphasis:
 
— orderly and defensible, unique covered marketplace
 
—Taoist temples — well-cared for, very popular, money clearly invested, on the big side for current use — probably, like the rest of the city — preparing for further development
 
— three tribes intermingle and intermarry. classes seemed to mix fairly smoothly as well. but still keeping and practicing their various different traditions, shrines, worship, etc.
 
— close relationships w/ Kawa forest and Taru mountain raw materials providers (closer than the Toshi no Naishou merchants, apparently)
 
— Koso Mura-Toshi no Naishou rivalry — mostly peasant-based? more than samurai-based anyway. but it does seem to affect the samurai as well — apparently Koso Mura has been having trouble getting goods from outside the province b/c Toshi no Naishou hasn’t been letting things come through (according to Yoshi Masako, a Centipede-clan artist who mostly lives in Moku Mura).
 
— Shiba Gaijitsu — has been an active governor, working on growing the city in size and importance, there’s been new construction. devoutly Taoist. seems to be attached to the city and its citizens and they seem to feel the same about him.