Cephiro, Elven Province

[Ebiris]

"I am Fuu Phoenixwind, and these are my companions; Umi Dragonblossom and Hikaru Lionheart," Fuu introduces them, her expression grim, "We are here to see Sakura-sama with urgent news regarding the combined Matsu and Doji attack on Cephiro."

[Carthrat]

"Is that so?" says the guard. "I would love to invite you in, but the worthy is not present."

[Ebiris]

Fuu frowns slightly. "Well, where is Sakura-sama? It is absolutely imperative that we get this information to her at once."

[Carthrat]

The guard indicates the sea. "Sakura-sama is on a cruise with a gaijin diplomat," he says. "I believe she will be gone until tomorrow, noon."

[Ebiris]

Fuu swears in a most unladylike manner, before swiftly composing herself. "The timing is most unfortunate. Very well, with Sakura-sama indisposed, we shall have to take this information to Okina-dono, and hope he can make good use of it until she returns."

[Carthrat]

"I see. Wait a moment," the guard says, dissapearing inside the castle.

A short while later, he reemerges. "Follow me," he says, leading you inside.

The party is brought into the castle, which is, like the courtyard, full of life where human architects would simply put stone and mortar. You are soon brought to an audience chamber, where a fairly old elf is standing, waiting for you. He has long white hair, but piercing blue eyes. Unlike Master Jyoshi and Master Toshi, his physical form is not as fit and well-trained as theirs, but his wit remains just as sharp.

"The Matsu and the Doji are coming to fight us, you say," he says, not bothering with formailities. "How, why, and when?"

[Ebiris]

Reaching into her gi, Fuu retrieves the Matsu battleplans. "These are their plans which we aquierred from Otoshi-san's tent in their warcamp just outside of Cephiro," she says, handing them over to Okina. "We also retrieved a document in a strange language," she takes out the document, "If you give me a moment, I will attempt to translate it." She then casts Comprehend Languages and reads it.

[Carthrat]

The document reads as follows;

"Usagi, the raiding parties are in place. Shigen has been assigned to test the three potential candidates. We will begin in three days. Induce Otoshi to proceed in five days.

Make sure to kill the head of each villiage. They are unsuitable and may prove a serious threat if left alive.

Make sure Otoshi burns as much as possible. Upon reaching the capital, further correspondance will be entered into.

The plan is going well.

                                                                   A."

Meanwhile, Okina peers over the battle plans, growing more concerned as he reads them..

[Ebiris]

Fuu faithfully repeats the contents of the document to Okina, before adding, "I overheard the Matsu samurai referring to Usagi as one of the geisha in their camp, and I suspect she is the one I found within Otoshi's tent. She appeared to be a spellcaster of some power, but I caught her by surprise."

She reaches into her pocket and produces the magic ring she found, "She was wearing this, though I cannot fathom it's purpose, it is definitely magical."

[Halbarad]

Hikaru looks thoughtful. "Shigen... didn't the Doji we caught say that was the name of the guy with the ponytail that Umi and I have fought?"

[Corwin]

Umi nods. "And while he could've been lying about a lot of things, I think that part of the monk's words was true. Also," she says, turning towards Okina, "Master Jyoshi told us that some of the Doji monks were disguised as elves, and infiltrated the town, which helped their attack greatly. If they are everywhere, and even in the capital, just waiting for their sign...."

[Carthrat]

"They will have us in a complete rout," Okina says, gravely. "But why would they attack us so? What do they hope to gain? If these plans are true, then there will be no worthwhile land left to occupy. I cannot believe the Matsu are so vengeful, and judging by that foriegn message, the Doji are attempting to manipulate them.

Either way, preperations must be made. If they really are laying waste to villiages right and left, refugees will begin to trickle in in a few days. Not to mention preparing the town for a battle and trying to discover as many of these.. monks before they strike.

And what could they mean by possible candidates? And why do the Doji hate us? Can you answer any of these questions?"

[Corwin]

"The Doji monk we interrogated was racist scum, so the reason for their hate could be simple," Umi says, scowling. "And the only ones this Shigen 'tested' were, well, us three. Though the number could be a coincidence, of course."

She is quiet for a moment, before adding, "We've sent word to our own home town, and asked Master Jyoshi to inform the nearby villages. The rest of our towns, however, are completely unaware of the threat, Okina-san."

[Carthrat]

"If the Doji launched provincewide attacks simultaneously, it is already too late," replies Okina, scowling. "I must send word to Jyoshi to evacuate back to here.

But judging by their strategy, that is exactly what they are trying to force us into doing. If the Matsu have appeared with a fully-fledged army, supported by Doji monks, we may even have to flee to the ocean. I pray that will not occur."

He starts pacing. "If you sent word to your own villiage, Toshi would likely have evacutated by now. That is a relief, though I fear for all the other masters. If Toshi and Jyoshi are the only survivors... I don't need to tell you that a single master is worth a hundred men.

And if the Doji have infiltrated the city as it is, we are at their mercy. It is very unsettling.

Do you have any idea how long the Matsu will take to get here?"

[Ebiris]

"According to their plans, the Matsu were to commence their attack three days ago. If they haven't changed their timetable, I expect they will reach the capital within five days," Fuu reports grimly.