Session 11: At the gates of the Floating World

 Party: Daidoji Jinsoku, Doji Natsuki, Hida Ganko, Togashi Amajino, Yoritomo Shohei

The party finds themselves escorting the Geisha Crescent back to Teardrop Island, while Matsu Mizuki heads off to seek out and cull further cult members. 

The group then heads to the Little Gate Pier, meeting a crew that works the ferries for Bayushi Korechika to get people to Teardrop Island, talking at length with Fang and Crescent about the happenings in and around the Island.
Arriving at the dock, the party calmly hands over their weapons to Kado, except for Jinsoku, who insists that he has to carry his sword with him. After diplomatic inquiry, Kado allows it if Jinsoku ties the blade to the scabbard.

Teardrop Island turns out to be an political hotbed, with guests being observed by both other samurai and those that walk the streets. Estimations are made and polite inquiry as to 'where' this group of magistrates are going are as much en vogue as with 'who' they are doing so. 

Seeing an opportunity with no less that FIVE new magistrates arriving, the party is approached by two Minarai who are in need for a Danna, a patron to sponsor their rise to full Geisha. The names they give are Iyo and Kirame, from the House of the Red Lotus. The girls focus their attention on Doji Natsuki, who promises to give due consideration to their offer.

Brash and obtrusive, Bayushi Otodo challenges Daidoji Jinsoku to a duel, with various bets being placed.
Already a little uneasy with the happenings of the past day, the party spies someone trying to influence the outcome and stops the interference, so the skill of the Kakita school prevails. Otodo is forced to accept the defeat at the hands of Jinsoku and leaves the scene.

Most of the party then spends some time being hosted by Crescent at the House of the Gilded Lillies, but Ganko enjoying the charms and favors of the House's Yujo in a different room. 

Session 10: Clear as the gaze of Lord Moon

Party: Hida Ganko / Yoritomo Shohei / Daidoji Jinsoku / Doji Natsuki / Togashi Amajino

The group decides to curtail the chaos of the city and the many distractions the City of Green Walls throws at them, and spends some time to sort through their current issues.

The following are pinpointed:

*How to solve the current sudden opium violence?

*Who killed the previous Emerald Magistrate (Ashidaka Naritoki)?

*How to save Doji Chi?

*What about Fade?

Ganko suspects that the opium issue is likely to be a family struggle in the Scorpion Clan, where the party may eventually be called upon to pick a side. 

Kakita Dozé (one of the few remaining original hires from Daidoji Jinsoku's wife) has found a group of three likely new candidates. As these appear to all be vapid teenage girls, Jinsoku impresses that their abilities will reflect on Dozé's ability to estimate talent. Dozé seems properly motivated to provide the youthful servants training and he will be judged within due time on the results.

Going through the paperwork, Shohei finds that the price of opium has jumped over night with the recent attacks. And most of the trading seems focused on acquiring whatever people can get from the poppy harvests.

The gang then heads to Shosuro Hyobu (after being picked up by their good friend Jocho and his Lightning Squad) and talk through the issues ahead of them. Oni, opium and Fade all get talked about, and Hyobu offers servants to support their household, should the new hires fail.
As the party leaves, Amajino and Ganko spy a paper crane flying away on the wind from Hyobu's window sill. Also, a portrait displaying Hyobu's late husband (Shosuro Akitada) in the entrance hall of the Shosuro Castle reminds Amajino strongly of Ganko.

Still plotting their next step, the gang then turns their attention to the Juniper Teahouse (run by the Soshi cartel-affiliated Moment's Edge Firemen), but decide to first head to the Shosuro compound that was raided yesterday. They find Bimyo, a merchant who seems to be more aware of things happening than they expected. A guard does cast a certain amount of doubt on whatever testimony Bimyo gave, painting him more as a sniveling coward than a brave servant of the Shosuro.

Leaving the compound, the gang bumps into a familiar face, the geisha Crescent (whom they first met at the Ryokan), being pursued by a gang of Moon Cult thugs. The group captures one and meets with a samurai-ko from the Lion clan. She urges the group to bring Crescent back to Teardrop Island as she seeks out more information on the Moon Cult and their targets.
The gang brings the surviving cultist back to the Shosuro compound to have him securely locked up and sets their sights on the Floating World.

Session 9: The Shelter of Osano-Wo

Party: Hida Ganko, Yoritomo Shohei, Doji Chi, Daidoji Jinsoku, Togashi Amajino.

The group reacted to the news of the opium store raids in the best way they could: they headed to the Temple of Osano-Wo (the Fortune of Fire and Thunder) to regroup with Yoritomo Shohei, but also grabbing Isawa Nagitoro (resident inquisitor) as a useful touchstone to figure out what they were dealing with in relation to Doji Chi.

Shohei-san was put to the question, oft repetitively by Ganko-san, and Kakita Michitaka (Cousin of Naritoki) gets called in to corroborate the story of Shohei-san.
Michitaka-san from his part, eager to help those who would fill the void left by the death of Naritoki, swears the group to secrecy before revealing Doji Chi's mother was Doji Tsuki, a powerful shugenja born outside of the Asahina family and a paramour who had gotten pregnant with Naritoki's child before the man came to perish. 
Astute as they are, the party links the name Tsuki to the Moon, as it is spelled with the same kanji, putting the Cult of Lord Moon back at the fore of their thoughts.

The short version of Shohei's tale (with additions by Michitaka) which was revealed is:

When, in the dead of night, an unknown person boarded the vessel of Shohei's father (who was ferrying a senior member of the Kakita family with a cargo of goods for the man's dojo), Shohei's father drew his blade and ran through the interloper, thinking them to be a bandit or saboteur. This bandit turned out to be Doji Chi's mother - carrying her baby away from the captivity at the hands of Bayushi Korechika.
The Kakita suggested that, in order to cleanse the stain off of the hands of his old man, Shohei should bring the child to safety and ensure she could grow up the way she would have with a proper family - in Ryoko Owari, Shohei would likely find her relatives among the magistrates.

Considering all of this, and the threat of the Moon Cult looming in his mind, Shohei-san passed on the young Crane to Nagitoro-san and Michitaka-san, making them vow to keep her safe and in the gaze of the Statue of Osano-Wo at all times.

The group then headed out to investigate Watchful's warehouse (Jittu is a known merchant vassal of the Soshi family). Jittu seems ... fidgety, but takes GREAT PAINS to assure the magistrates know she's in the clear with her possession and sale of poppies and medicinal opium.
With what she told the magistrates, and what their own investigations turn up, following pieces of evidence are... evident:

*A Netsuki shaped like a coiled Scorpion with one claw raised is found trampled on the ground. (it bears striking resemblance to the Bayushi family mon)
*One of the attackers rode a large black horse with a white star on its head.
*Three guards were struck down, one from behind.
*The thieves piled a lot of the opium in a boat that was moored nearby and some of them sailed down the river to escape, while the others rode off on their horses.
*The Thunder Guard was not at the scene of the crime.

After this, the group decided to invite themselves (thanks to Doji Natsuki) to the wounded Ide Asamitsu and talk with him about the ronin Fade, whom they expected to have Unicorn Clan ties.
They did not get a lot of new information, but shared a pleasant talk with their host, leaving with the feeling that they had done well for the way the Unicorn viewed them.

At the end of day, Hida Ganko -with the party's blessing- went to place a short note at the Moon Caves for Fade to find, inviting him to reveal a meeting place to talk.

Session 8: Within these walls lies not safety

 Party: Daidoji Jinsoku, Doji Natsuki, Hida Ganko, Togashi Amajino, Yoritomo Shohei

The party rushes in to find a large Oni stained with the blood of Flower in their house. A trail of blood leads from the basement (where the suspect was tortured) to the bedroom of Yoritomo Shohei, where Flower had gone to pick up some blankets for Doji Chi (who was passed into the care of Ashidaka Michitaka, the brother of Chi's suspected father). It keeps repeating "Chi chiii chiiiiiiiiiii" over and over, causing Shohei great worry. 

They set about defeating it, with various moments of individual heroism between the samurai. As the Oni is knocked down, the group spies a red-robed individual outside and a quick split occurs: Daidoji Jinsoku, Hida Ganko and Togashi Amajino seek to capture their suspected tormentor, while Yoritomo Shohei seeks to find Doji Chi and assure himself of her safety, before bringing her back to the Temple of Osano-Wo. Doji Natsuki initially starts after the suspicious person too, but seeing as how the bushi are on it, she returns inside. There, she finds the Oni still breathing and spends some time cutting off its head.
Then she proceeds downstairs to find Itoshi (the torturer) still in the holding cell, alive but injured, and he explains when the others arrive what happened. Which is to say, the prisoner turned into the Oni they defeated.

Hida Ganko receives an invitation from Shosuro Hyobu, informing him he would be most welcome in three days at her residence for a talk about the city.
A messenger also arrives from the Temple of Osano-Wo, informing the party that Yoritomo Shohei has taken up residence there. 

And then all hell breaks loose, as apparently THREE opium locations in and around Ryoko Owari have been attacked while the party was occupied otherwise.
The Bayushi holding of Necessary Village was raided and plundered.
The Shosuro warehouse is robbed by day.
The Soshi warehouse near the river is literally attacked by people in black clothes, who sail off with a lot of the stored content...

Session 7: This is torture

 Party: Yoritomo Shohei, Daidoji Jinsoku, Doji Natsuki, Hida Ganko, Togashi Amajino

Speaking with Isawa Nagitoro, the party realize they need a torturer, so call for an Eta known as Pitiful (Itoshi).
The suspect, a peasant known as Shitzu, is interrogated by Pitiful (and shouted at by Ganko) and breaks after his toe is snapped off.
The party learns:
*the Moon Cult is involved,
*Shosuro Kimi was to be taken to a place known as "Madame Kakaru's Inn",
*the orders came from a masked figure in red robes
*the peasants were recruited at the Juniper Teahouse

There is a lot of talk of suspicions and the like, including the thought that Phoenix clan also wear red robes. 
As the party decides to start confiding in each other, Shohei talks of Doji Chi with the others.

Afterwards, they head into the Loops of the Crab Caves, busting into the Inn they heard about. 
Due to obstruction of justice, Madame Kakaru is arrested. 
Due to being a shady bastard in a dark room with a finger of obsidian on him, so is a peasant.

The party head back to their dwelling to renew interrogations and hear an old woman dying...

Session 6: Brilliant Cascade Trouble

 Party: Daidoji Jinsoku, Doji Natsuki, Yoritomo Shohei, Hida Ganko

As the party recovers from the slightly unusual night, with Jinsoku-san asking Kakita Doze to seek out new hires to replace the lost members of the household, they receive with their morning post an invitation to the House of Foreign Stories. They respond that they will visit in the near future.
Yoritomo Shohei takes it upon himself to check the merchant missives and manifestos, while requests for travel papers are shared within the party to check and stamp.

As the day starts picking up, the group head for the Brilliant Cascade Teahouse, a charming place in the Temple District,  to get a feel for what is going on. On the way there, they meet up with Isawa Nagitoro in the temple to Osano-Wo and check off some theories about the attacks from the night before.

A red-robed figure is spied observing the group, but gets away before they can catch up.
At the Brilliant Cascade Teahouse, Shosuro Kimi and Ide Asamitsu are noted as present, as well as a lion samurai-ko known as Matsu Mizuki, but before much can be said, a group of opium-addicts attempt to kidnap the daughter of Hyobu, injuring Asamitsu. They have an escape carriage outside with more of their number, but the party makes quick work of this situation through Kakita training, kama to the face and thrown Tetsubo, with Kimi asking for the surviving attackers to be taken hostage. Suicide pills are employed by the addicts, but one does not get a chance to take it and will be brought in for interrogation by the Emerald Magistrates. 

Session 5: The Investigation

 Party: Hida Ganko, Yoritomo Shohei, Doji Natsuki, Togashi Amajino 

We rejoin the party as Daidoji Jinsoku recluses himself to cleanse his blade from the tainted blood, not wanting the foul traces of Fu Leng's spawn to bring corruption to the soul of his ancestors. 
As the crane warrior heads inside, Kitsuki Jotomon spots a wandering Togashi monk in the street. 
Calling him over, she learns the man was sent by Togashi Yokuni (the Dragon Clan champion) himself, in accordance with some greater vision, and helps with the introduction to the Emerald Magistrates before heading back to her dojo.

The discussion about the oni picks up and various theories are brought forth, enabled in part by the expertise of both the monk (given name Amajino) and Ganko, but also the insight of Shohei, who find the porcelain masked undead from the Ryokan holding a spot in his mind. Both Shohei and Natsuki are rather convinced a Maho-Tsukai (bloodspeaker) is involved, a theory both Crab and Dragon subscribe to without any doubt.
Before long, the group deduces tainted nemuranai (artefacts) have likely acted as a lodestone for the oni to attack the house. They find two obsidian items in the house, both bloodied (a crow in the bedroll of Yoritomo-san and a sharp knife in the kitchen), and a rat impaled under the table (throat slashed and eyes gouged out).
Hida Ganko worries Doji Chi was the actual target of the attack.

As the party briefs Amajino on the happenings in the city, he considers their plight. As a group, they come up with a plan to celebrate the Liberation Day festival by offering the samurai guard new armour. All guards will have to come to a muster and the old uniforms will be clearly defunct, bypassing the theft. Then, the guards will have a victory parade through the city, honouring their efforts in keeping the city safe.

With the oni corpses slowing degrading into a black slush, the group seek a shugenja to banish the spirits and purify the grounds, calling Shosuro Jocho over from his patrol to arrange for one.
In little time, Isawa Nagitoro and his yojimbo Shiba Ni arrive to perform the duty.
After this, the group retires for the night, ready to face the city another day.