Session 20220210 Report

General Summary

continuing Mercuryday 4 Resplendent Wood, Calendar

After lunch Mathias Stormcrow heads out to the Crested Wave Estate to check on the progress their opera company is making, and start cleansing the Manse to make it non-death aspected; Marag-ang remains in the Glorified House of the Golden Lord in his role as Old Man Fig.

A heavily cloaked real Old Man Fig (in some sense at least, see below) turns up to warn Marag-ang that there was a Black Rod safe house that contained their cache of magic items, it (and the apartment building it was in) have burnt down and it was probably cleared out first. Little Raven sets the spy-ring to looking for anyone who went in or out of that building, especially if they were Black Rods. After several hours learn that a small group of Rods led by Friendly Robin (the ringleader Mathias tatooed instead of killing theprevious night) went in this morning in uniform then a non-descript group came out carrying crates (presumably the same group though out of uniform and with Robin wearing a heavy bandana that almost completely covers his eyes as well as forehead there was no positive ID) shortly before fire consumed the building (no-one was killed but there were injuries and of course a great deal of property loss). The spy-ring is now looking for Friendly Robin specifically.

Robin and his "friends" have deserted and stolen the items to use in getting revenge on Little Heron and her confederates - he's going to start going around as a masked avenger in Ashigaru armour so no-one can see his forehead

Little Heron comes to the tea-house to discuss Marag-ang joining her students on patrol this night, as well as revealling his status as a Shining One to the rest. He agrees but reveals that this is not his true apearance, and also that Mathias did not kill Friendly Robin and the latter's activities. She is not pleased about this. Goldy was able to follow the new handler into the Alabaster Precinct where the human follower could not, they cannot describe the house the spy went into well enough for Marag-ang to identify it, be he should be able to find it on his next visit to the precinct.

At the Crested Wave Estate Mathias finds the opera company's rehearsals progressing well, but there are several unusual instruments used in the first act that they did not think to acquire on Nightfall Island. The house staff ask if the commercial orchards of the estate are to be put back into use. Stormcrow is having them look for the workers who were turned off from the estate previously (as a cost cutting measure) since it would cause discord to get misbegotten workers from Dragon's Jaws. Also looking at planting some opium (since it grows well in the soil) in pots in the orchard, also asked the staff to look for a local expert, essentially for something like companion planting. He then performed the water cleansing ritual he stole from Storm Mother Agaderak and washed the Manse to start changing the aspect. When he returns to the city he takes several of the company with him to look for the instruments they need.

The two visit Little Heron's alley dojo (Marag-ang using his real appearance for the first time ever), where she expresses her displeasure that Mathias unilaterally decided he couldn't accept the damage to his conscience and principles that her students had agreed to, and worse did not warn them that one of the most dangerous of their targets was still alive. Raven reveals himself to the students as a Solar. The three travel around the lower city, meeting with her patrolling students on a regular basis and stopping at various message points to make sure they are not needed. Mathias spends the time playing the flute to calm the not quite mobs that are forming and trying to convince Little Heron that Marag-ang is a desirable man rather than merely a religious icon (to some success) and attempting to recruit a blacksmith to work on the estate and pay rent in kind, a smith with a withered left arm (damaged by a horse kick) signs on - the damage is too old for Mathias to be able to heal it. Little Heron will strat looking for a real dojo that the PCs will purchase for her instructing.

Jupiterday 5 Resplendent Wood

Old Man Fig informs the two PCs that the building Spy Two was followed to is almost certainly a HQ rather than their residence, and that as of last night the security has been improved with extra guards. Spy One later tells them that it is now the building he is being run out of as well, the ring has abandoned the tea house. In a more private meeting in the restaurant OMF announces himself as a Twilight Solar going by Copper Scorpion who is peeved at the lack of support from other Solars he's had over the last two thousand years in his attempts to free An-Teng from the Dragon-Blooded (aparently he's mostly been dying for that time). Marag-ang attempts to work out why he couldn't spot him as a Solar, so Fig removes his mask Mission Impossible style (though it's made of porcelain) and explains that much of the time in the tea house it's been another Old Man Fig working on his behalf. Mathias met Copper Scorpion years ago in the High Lands, they spent an evening gambling, drinking and discussing life before he did his final ninja training, it helped clarify for both of them what a worthy life consisted of, and what they would and would not do. Scorpion believes that the new spies are working for the Realm's intelligence service, the All-Seeing Eye based on the way they are operating, one of the groups they report to is the Wyld Hunt so they are probably looking for Solars in the city. Might be best to get out of the city for a while and let them observe the remaining Old Man Fig for long enough to determine he is not a Solar.

Marag recruits Gary the spider as a Spirit-Tied Pet, disguises himself and sends the familiar into the Eye HQ.

Mathias goes down to the docks, thinking that the Black Rods might be trying to smuggle the magic items out of the city that way. He finds out that there are basically no Rods left in the city, those that have not deserted were arrested by the garrison and shipped out. The docks themselves are still tense, with the day workers carrying out a go slow. He looks into buying the now available Black Rod HQ as the new dojo and searches it for hidden doors, finding several which he sneaks back in to explore.

Hallow sends a note to Mathias saying that he is leaving for the City of Dead Flowers as waiting any longer will break his initiation and he'll have to start again. Possibly somewhere for everyone to go to get out of the city for awhile?

The PCs achieve a Milestone

Questions for next time

• What does Gary find out?
• What does Mathias find in the Rod HQ?
• What's in the spy house in the Alabaster Precinct?

Notes

Question from the session: Does summoning ghosts cause them to appear immediately or do they need to travel normally?

Report Date

10 Feb 2022

Primary Location

Dragon's Jaws

Secondary Location

Crested Wave Estate

Related Characters

• Little Heron
• Marag-ang
• Mathias Stormcrow
• Old Man Fig