9. Doji Ren

Further investigations

Before we set of to meet the Emerald Champion to start our training we spend a day in Tsuma, trying to figure out more about what might be going on with Hitoshi, the ghost of Doji Satsumi and Bayushi Sugai.
I visit the Tsuma office of the Emerald champion and manage to get an audience with the Emerald magistrate, Asahina. He tells me about Doji's reputation. He wasn't too popular due to his duty to the Empire; Very strict and a ruthless sense of justice. He urges me to get on our way to the Emerald Champion as fast as possible. There we could talk to Kitsuki Kāgi, the head Yoriki, who might be able to provide us with more information about the sudden passing of Doji Satsumi.
I wander the gardens of the office for a bit, pondering what might have happened with Doji Satsumi and I meet up with my attendant, Kiji Sutanpā. He wasn't able to learn anything important from the heimin who worked for Doji.

The rest of the day is spend on packing and getting ready for the eight day journey to Shiro Yogasha. We should've been able to take the main road there, but that's been under construction for quite a while, so we'll have to go off road through forests and rough terrain.

Day 2 of our trip to Shiro Yogasha.

The first day went by fast. On the second day in the morning we wake up and see a grey-clad woman performing an intricate Kata. Yoshi is mesmerized by the fluid movement of the old woman and tries to imitate the Kata with his bō. Aki, Yumako and Takuya want to figure out who she is and what she's doing here so they approach her. From a distance I notice they are being challenged to a duel as they bow to each other. Yumako is up first and manages to win somehow. On Takuya's turn he shoots three arrows at a target attached to his horse, but misses the third as the woman somehow manages to stop the horse in his tracks. Finally Aki makes a ball of fire appear out of thin air, which explodes right where the woman was, if she hadn't disappeared and reappear some ten yards away.
Then all of a sudden the old woman grows wings and flies of into the clouds. It seems we have just encountered a Tengu. A very very rare occurence and I wonder what this spells out for us.

Day 6 of our trip to Shiro Yogasha.

We're already six days on our way. We've visited the capital where we spend a night in the inn and Aki went to the temple.
But this morning might not be as uneventful as most of the previous days. As we round a corner we stumble upon two overturned carts. Guards and merchants lie on the ground mangled and mutilated. Most likely by the ogre and goblins who are feasting on the remains of the horses, which were pulling the carts.
One of the merchants is still alive, his eyes in terror, pleading us to help.
Yomaku charges in and the only thing we can do is follow her into the fray.