-13th of Dragon-
Head back to Inari Seido. A messenger from Toshi no Naishou is waiting for us; giving us a run-down on the situation, expecting us to be working on it already. Asks us to head to Sujuu Mura to inform the Lion of the situation. Iaimiko feels she's spoken enough with the Abbot and monks to have a feel for what's going on, so we are free to leave in the morning. Genjiro writes up a chop of the ronin's hiring, along with a letter of introduction and intsructions for them to work under Kitsuki Umeji in the southern docks.
-14th of Dragon-
Send the ronin towards Toshi no Naishou while we head to Sujuu Mura. Meet several Lion patrols en route; talk briefly, and continue on to Sujuu Mura. Get an audience with Matsu Tadanobu in short order. Genjiro informs him of the fate of the patrol; unsure what set them off, but have returned all their effects and done a thorough investigation of the area. He asks for clarity that they attacked ronin? Yes. Says very well. Ask if there is anything we can see sent back with us to Toshi no Naishou, and gives us some missives to take back. Also inform him of Akodo Jun being assigned as the magistrate.
Inigo and Genjiro survey the town some for additional considerations on stronger trade routes north from Inari Seido, up to Botsu Mura and Moku Mura. Inigo needs to go to Koso Mura and Toshi no Naishou to really understand the conflict between the farmer tribe and the mountain / forest tribes. Ingio (with a 90) has a deep and instinctive knowledge of the commericial prospects of Sujuu Mura. The merchents are doing very well; if Inigo were to become the patron of these merchants, much money would be made. He'll invest 20 koku into stuff to send them from Toshi no Naishou to help them as a patron for them to resell to the Lion. Decide to head to Shizu Mura, then on to Ichinori Mura from there before heading back to Toshi no Naishou. Shizu Mura mainly supplies lumber to Sujuu Mura (and the broader province). They ship it down tributaries back to the main river.
-16th of Dragon-
Around noonish, make it to Shizu Mura. Get to the Scorpion encampment first; check in, inform them that Soshi Itaru will be assigned as the magistrate for the town. Collect some dispatches for Itaru, they request a good flow of luxury goods, and we head on to the village.
Shizu Mura is a lot more superstitious than Sujuu Mura. No real night life, most folks turn in at night. Relatively happy with their village life; content with how things are, and no real difficulties with the Scorpion legion, who have gone out of their way to not be disruptive. They have also been respectful of the forest, which the villagers are pleased with. There only note is the Scorpion go out at night, and they believe that's going to end poorly. Inigo (53) also invests 10 Koku to patron merchents in Shizu Mura. When Kazue asks why, they say evil spirits that kill or kidnap people at night (all hear-say, nothing in recent memory, but tons of stories). Inigo looks into resources to take us to Ichinori Mura. None of the village have gone there in living memory; tales of past encounters, but no trade, no knowledge of existing people.
Stay overnight in Shizu Mura, and decide to check back to Toshi no Naishou to get more solid info on HOW to get to Ichinori Mura.
-19th of Dragon-
Arrive back in Toshi no Naishou. Genjiro delivers the Lion missives to the Lion, and the Scorpion to Itaru. Iaimiko gives her report to Ansho-sama, and we also provide our report on what happened with the Lion patrol, Sujuu Mura, and Shizu Mura.
-20th of Dragon-
Inigo and Haundo go to check out the harbor and trade. Sou and Kazue go to find Usagi Yoshihiko and talk with the minor clans about how they intend to get to Ichinori Mura. Genjiro investigates the government archives.
Genjiro finds some older records first; taxes were being paid, though the village was always kind of small, never very prosperous. Last year, first year no taxes were collected. Taxes were last collected in 1155 by Shiba Risu. She was the second messenger sent out by the Phoenix to report the death of Hiromoto. She picked up takes back to 1152, and from there to 1143, Shiba Midori collected them (as well as Shizu Mura and several smaller villages) - will need to ask the Phoenix about her. She was reassigned, and is now serving in the Isawa province.
Sou and Kazue go and talk with Yoshihiko. Talk with Kasuga Hitsuko; she says Yoshihiko has already headed out on the 19th to Ichinori Mura. Finding the village was going to be his first task; they don't really know where it is, either. She is happy to forward on any reports they receive from Yoshihiko.
Inigo and Haunda check out the merchants around the port. Oh yeah, it's a cultural issue. In Koso Mura, more intermingling of the tribes, so more open. The Nobu valley tribes still don't like to trade luxury goods to the other tribes. Inigo feels like he'd be best served by actually going to Koso Mura and getting the other perspective as well. Does get to see the Kitsuki and the ronin policing the southern port. A lot of bustle, but nothing more nefarious than normal going on that Inigo and Haunda spot.
Look to get an eta assigned to the team.
-21st of Dragon-
Ansho-sama gives us a new task; he seems a bit embarrased by it. It's an important task of a relatively... delicate nature. One of the undertakers of the village nearby has gone missing, as has a corpse he was prepairing for the burial of Isawa Kobo's mother - Kobo is one of the lieutenants here.
When we leave, Suzume Hideyo and Miya Iaimiko are waiting for us. Iaimiko is the one who asked Ansho-same to get us to look into. Hideyo says that Akinari, the eta, had been reported missing by his family around lunch time, along with the body of Isawa Kama. Akinari had sent Taro, his eldest son, home the night of the 20th. As of noon today, he's missing, along with the body. Hideyo is moderately well known amongst the commoners, so he heard of it, and ran into Iaimiko. Inigo and Genjiro notice Hideyo uses an affectionate term for her, and Iaimiko is pleased by this.
Talk with Hideyo a bit on the way; he knows of the Iwane family of torturers, but doesn't know them personally. He tells of the curse of the eta village; once every couple of years, one of its residents go missing without a trace, and a few suspect that the Iwane family acting as torturers contribute to the cursed state of the village. Headman, Ekiken, can likely tell the tale as well as any in the village. Genjiro notes that this village is unusually shitty.
Boat ride across the village to the eta village. Population around 800, marshy, muddy, and stinks; had been underwater when the flooding occurred. Most are dilapidated; homes are huts in poor repair. The Akinari house is better, but that's because samurai are brought to rest there. Hideyo takes his leave, as does Iaimiko. Meet Taro, early 20s. He says they received word last night that there was a body to prepare. After they brought the body back, since it was so late, Akinari that he would complete the preparations so Taro could go get some rest. Then the next day, the sons could take it back, and Akinari would rest. Taro and his brother came here immediately and found neither the body nor their father. They didn't see anything, the neighboring undertakers didn't, so they went home and reported, and the family all scattered to look.
Inigo and Haundo go check the other undertakers to make sure all their palanquins are accounted for. First is Masuharo. He says he wasn't working last night, and nothing is missing from his mortuary. He doesn't seem to be lying. Asks him about the legend; he says the village is definitely cursed. He says two years ago, Shoko, Tokamichi's wife, vanished on a foggy night. She was late hauling garbage from the palace, crossed the river - Riozo, the boatman brought her across - but somewhere between the landing and her house, she vanished. He also remembers 5 years ago - Yoshiaki, one of the tanners, disappeared one night. It's only ever one person, they are always alone, and no sign is ever found. Inigo also gives him some zeni as he leaves.
Tokimasa, the other neighbor. He was working last night, seeing to his tools and preparations. Around midnight, he thought he heard something that might have sounded like chanting? He doesn't know what it was, doesn't recognize it. Lasted for minutes, maybe? 20, 30 seconds of chanting, then maybe a minute, two minutes of silence. Went on for maybe 10 minutes? Sounded like it was coming from the left (Akinari's direction). Man's voice, but didn't recognize it - wasn't Akinari. It sounded maybe a little... excitable? Actually, it sounded hysterical, or on the edge of hysteria; a little mad. Also gives Tokimasa some zeni.
Genjiro and Kazue investigate Akinari's mortuary, aimed at primarily serving samurai. The special kimono that they had made for Kama is still hanging on the wall; says that would have gone on in the morning with two people again. Working by himself, it should have taken four to five hours to prep Kama for the next day. Kama has been wearing an orange and red kimono when they retrieved her body. One of the urns of oils is half full, used for the prepping the kindling for the funeral pyre; nothing unusual about it. He does say that when they got in, they did notice their container of salt is missing - a small ceramic jar with a fitted lid, with salt blessed by the monks. There is also a large bucket of water near the trestle table to wash the body with. Last night, it was full, and this morning, it was empty; it was not emptied out here on the floor. Its definitely been moved, but no drag marks. Also doesn't seem to be any salt on the floor. Kazue asks the earth kami for information, but they inform her that they were not here last night. Seems like someone banished the earth kami from this place - it requires a moderately powerful shugenja to pull off. They were banished sometime around midnight.
Meet up with everyone. Outside, Genjiro looks around the mortuary for the prints of Toru and Akinari, as well as any others that might have been created. Looks like someone, a single person toting a heavy burden, left the building. It proceeds away from the river, moves down the street. Follow it down to the western edge of the eta village; still have a track we can follow. A puddle is nearby, so Kazue tries to an image of who may have moved passed it late at night; 11pm to sunrise. An image of fog moves through the area west to east, like heading down the street rather than spreading; after midnight and before 2, another similar fog bank move east to west and disappear to the west. An hour after that, a pair of peasants walk down the street west to east. And the last before down, east to west. Kazue isn't familiar with a spell that could do fog like that - summon fog is stationary.
Pause; Genjiro writes a chop to Ansho-sama; powerful shugenja involved in the disappearance; following track west from the eta village; requesting Isawa Suzuhiho and any assistance she requests to follow; Kazue is also contacting Suzuhiho directly. Send it via eta to the southern port. Kazue sends Suzuhiho a magical bird, sketching out that we're tracking a mid to powerful shugenja that seems to be using custom spells. A few minutes later, Suzuhiho returns bird saying she's bringing her legionaries and will be with us in 30 minutes.
We wait for Suzuhiho. Kazue communes with the void back at the mortuary. It shows her that this shugenja is a child of the tribe of Isawa, spellcasters before the kami came; images of blood - Kazue knows of the Isawa of old using untainted blood magic before Fu Leng came; images of air kami. Between the shugenja and the body, a body wrapped in a shroud, burning seemingly from the inside out; maybe as an offering to the fire kami? The void cannot sense any connection between the shugenja and this village.
Suzuhiho arrives; we prep to track down the shugenja.