The Halls of the Master

[Dracos]

Kesir nodded silently, agreeing without adding anything.  The plan seemed simple enough, though he pondered.  Ten thousand for under one hundred remaining?  Dangerous they may be, but that seemed overkill.  What else though could such numbers be currently amassed to accomplish.  What would change with the night's shadow taken completely off the board.  He silently tried to reason through, before asking anything else as the two rode onwards out of the city.

Dracos

[Brian]

From what Kesir can see of the situation, the Empire is largely afraid of the Night's Shadow.  Then again, the Night's Shadow has a reputation as an exceptionally skilled band of assasins, so that fear may be warranted.

There's little going on that would suggest an attack on anything that would require an army of that size ... but if they were spread out among many villages and towns, hunting down the Night's Shadow, it could weaken the Empire.  Without guards near its capital, it could be vulnerable to attack.

Of course, sneaking an army large enough to assault the capitol through those guard-filled villages would be difficult, and the Imperial Navy would (in theory) protect the capitol from the sea.  At the same time, this could influence the command structure of the country....

Kesir spends some time mulling this over.  But with the Night's Shadow gone ... citizens of the empire would have no more fear of assasins (though, petty thugs and murderers would still be about, if hopefully in smaller numbers).  But then, assasins only ever targeted at the least, wealthy merchants.  Their forte was nobility.

[Dracos]

"Tell me, what do we know of those who've been found so far of the Night's Shadow?"

Dracos

[Brian]

"Not much," the courier allows.  "They're reluctant to loose their secrets, even in the offices of the Imperial Inquisitors.  From what intelligence we've gathered, they operate in small circles, the vast majority of them only aware of their own circle anyway.  This makes gathering more information on them difficult.  What may seem like an over-staffed investigation is actually about a hundred normally staffed investigations scattered across the country."

This stands to reason, but Kesir gets the idea that there's more to it than that, even if it's something the courier himself is unaware of.

"We've got imperial guardsmen trying to infiltrate the remaining circles to expose them now.  All the same, the field officers were quite receptive when the emperor suggested asking the temple for assistance in this matter.  We'd just like to be thorough," the courier adds.

[Dracos]

"Understandable.  When pulling out weeds, you want to make sure not to leave a root behind to trouble later plants."  Kesir mused.  What about nearby.  Perhaps an external threat?  Or threatening an external city?  That'd bring about chaos.  Far too early to come to a conclusion though.  Best to keep the mind open and aware of the board.

"Who leads the investigation on our side?" He asked simply.

Dracos

[Brian]

Kesir can't think of how spreading so many guard across the borders and taking them away from the capitol would threaten any nearby country that the Empire couldn't simply annex anyway.  Kesir briefly wonders, however, if chaos is inevitable, and he's just chosen to let the elder master handle it.  Then again, if so, it seems that's how Oki Bi wanted it played....

"Li Bao," the courier replies.

Li Bao is a relatively well known Imperial Captain.  He's led the Empire in a number of fights a few years ago, fighting off rebels.  Before that, he'd always been critically acclaimed in the arena's tactical battles.  He's a man of skill with his weapon of choice -- a tiger-spear.  It is said that no enemy of the empire, and no criminal have ever escaped him.

[Dracos]

Kesir nodded.  "A good choice."  He then went silent, pondering to himself as he rode along on the trip towards Li Bio.

Dracos

[Brian]

The courier is a man of few words, and doesn't volunteer anything he's not asked for.  The journey is quiet, and would be tedious, if Kesir didn't have the puzzle of Oki Bi's last game to sort through.  So many factors to consider....

After six days of riding, but not at full speed, Kesir and the courier reach the outskirts of a small village.  It would have a population of about 1,200, Kesir thinks, looking at the smoke rising.  The courier pauses as the horses edge away from the noisy square, where the women are busily washing their laundry.  Beyond the square, the town opens up into a collection of roomy looking one and two-story buildings made of a clay-like substance.

Wood is abundant here, but the people use less flamable building materials, remembering the roots they came from.  Villages like this used to be prime targets for invading barbarians from across the desert to the west.  This isn't true anymore, but traditions hold fast.

The courier has mentioned, Kesir believes, that this is the town of 'Lower Pine-Haven'.  A larger city on a mountain-top a day away is 'Upper Pine-Haven'.  The area around the town is cleared for a dozen miles in any direction, and people who had once been foresters are now farmers, who tend the land, and live in the village.

[Dracos]

Kesir nodded, taking in the rural town as he rode beside the courier silently, his face calm as he was content to allow the courier to continue to lead him towards the captain, curious to hear from the one in charge how things are currently going.  Meanwhile, he also briefly surveys the town as they ride, keeping an eye out for someone taking extraordinary interest and feeling of malice in doing so.

Dracos

[Brian]

Li Bao is a slight man.  He has an air of wiry strength about him, however.  He's half a hand shorter than Kesir, and currently just wearing a blue worker's robe.  In his left hand he clutches a dagger with an Imperial crest on it, partially concealed within his robes.  His hair is straight, brown, and about an inch long in messy spikes.  His eyes are brown, too.  Kesir senses that Li Bao is a very pragmatic man with little sense of humor, and this is reflected in his face; the set of his jaw and the near-permanent scowl his eyebrows are fixed in show a no-nonsense attitude.

Kesir sees him and takes this all in, just watching the man stalk across the street, exiting a nearby cafe.  Li Bao nods at the courier after stealing a glance at Kesir, and the courier nods back, whispering, "This is Li Bao.  But do not greet him yet; he is undercover."

Caught in his meditations, and trying to analyze the situation, Kesir notes that there's a sense that two go-players who cannot see each-other's stones are caught up in a massive game....  Many eyes can be felt on Kesir, but there's a lack of malice.  At least, that Kesir can sense.

[Dracos]

Kesir nods, softly speaking.  "Lead away then.  I shall speak with him when he arrives to wherever our forces are staying."

Dracos

[Brian]

In short order (just after sunset), the courier has Kesir led into an inn across town.  This particular inn is called the Bubbling Kettle.  The town's other two inns are the Legionaire's Retreat, and the Unshod Horse.

Once inside, the courier almost immediately aquires food.  While he's doing this, Kesir realizes that the majority of the inn's occupants are Imperial guard, even if they're all dressed as peasantry.  This is most likely the local base of operations.

[Dracos]

Kesir silently absorbs this knowledge sitting down and looking briefly for some of the real workers of the inn to see how they were taking hosting all these people or if they even seemed to notice.  He waited for the courier to return with food.

dracos

[Brian]

The servers (a man and a woman), and the man behind the counter don't seem to realize, or just don't care that they're hosting imperial soldiers.  They look busy, though.

Not long after Kesir sits down, plates of food are set before himself and the courier.  The meal is steamed rice with a thin but spicy sauce, strips of grilled beef, and some vegetable.

Shortly after the meal arrives, Li Bao seats himself at another side, and sets down an identical plate.  "You're the monk?" he asks, looking at Kesir's robes.

[Dracos]

Kesir simply nods, briefly considering if anyone came in following Li Bao from his undercover work, peering over Li Bao and sensing in person that he was just as intense as by reputation.

Dracos