The story so far - Twilight Honour

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Coming from Kyuden Kitsune by river, the party of fledgling Yoriki decided to approach from a land border as it is the more cautious and respectful approach. 
A pair of border guards and a contingent of Budoka (Peasant warriors) approached and confronted them. They seemed professional highly cautious and outright rude towards Shinjo Takaki for bearing the mon of the Moto School. 
Thankfully, whilst searching Iuchi Ayana, they did not delve to deeply in to the scrolls she carried or they would have found the Maho scroll that she acquired from Shinroku - The Maho Tsuke (bloodspeaker) that they defeated. 
They allowed them to pass advising that as servants of the Emerald Magistrates, they should make their way to the capital of Hida Kyuden to meet with the Emerald Magistrate there. 
== Episode 3 - Kyuden Hida ==
On the road to Kyuden Hida their duellist companion Daidoji Asami said that she wanted to go to Clear Water Village where she hoped to catch up to the merchant Koku and have her revenge. The Yoriki wished her luck, but stressed that she should seek a confession first. 
On the road they discussed what gifts they could present to the Daimyo. Iuchi Ayana made three small sculptures, each one representative of one of their victories: A ronin for the Topaz Championship, a dark figure for the Maho Tsuki village and a pair of foxes and a crane intertwined above a knife for their recent murder investigation. 
Visiting Kyuden Hida, they were struck by its immense size and fearsome stark architecture. However there was a concern about who they should present themselves to first. The Daimyo of the Clan who was higher ranked and who owned the castle, or the Emerald Magistrate who asked for their presence. 
Eventually they decided to present themselves to the Crab Clan first and sent a letter to the Magistrate explaining their decision. 
After a fruitless day of waiting for an audience, Emerald Magistrate Miya Eri came to them. He passed on congratulations from Bayushi Sugai, who, in recognition of their unexpected work awarded them with official badges of their new office. 
He mentioned that the Daimyo himself was not present and neither was the clan champion, but that the Champions eldest son Hida Yakamo, was holding court in his absence. He stressed that Yakamo held sway over if they would be able to proceed on their mission and that he liked to test visitors. 
They mentioned Asami's journey to the port city of Clear Water Village and the magistrate was a little concerned, so said he would send people to investigate. 
He also deputised Kitsuki Rei and asked for his services specifically. But in his place he offered them the services of one of his own deputies a courtier named Yogo Midori. 
After he left they went to the bath house, where the crab members filed in one at a time and took great pride in showing off their nude bodies. Shinjo Tomoe found herself warmly received, whilst Iuchi Ayana was given a cooler reception. Although she did meet a Kuni Shugenja who warned her emphatically about the dangers of the taint and shape-shifting evils. 
In the male bath house it was Yogo Midori who was left out in the cold. A society of warriors had little use for a 
scorpion courtier. However they were able to bathe in peace. 
The next day after a few more hours of waiting they were admitted to the main hall where Yakamo received them. 
He asked about their swords and Shinjo Tomoe managed to give a bold account of her deeds. Whilst Iuchi Ayana and Tsurichi Okura both managed a fair explanation. He queried the reason for their journey and then advised them that he would challenge them in three ways. 
He asked the group how they would deal with an Oni on the road. The assembled court did laugh a little when Tomoe claimed that she would face it down rather than more sensibly warning others and fetching reinforcements, however it was considered at least a brave answer. 
He also asked if, as they would be willing to stand guard on the wall. Which they agreed to. 
A feast was started and whilst Tomoe was not able to keep up with the other crabs, she was at least making a good effort, whilst the stoic attitude of the others was noted. A brief fist fight broke out, a calculated test to see if they could be made to draw their blades inappropriately or flee dishonourably. 
Thankfully they did neither. Okura defended Ayana whilst Tomoe laughed it off and continued to drink. Midori on the other hand received a black eye and stern lecture about training harder. Tomoe ended up in a wrestling match against one of the Crab bushi and lost soundly, but challenged her to a riding contest tomorrow. 
In the morning Tomoe took on her opponent from the last night and soundly beat her. 
Ayana visited the temple of Osano-Wo within the castle and there, the Kuni Shungenja gifted her with a scroll of Jade Strike that they said would be useful if she spent time upon the wall. 
Then they set out again to deliver the Salted Plum wine to Hiruma Makasu at Shiro Kuni (The castle of the land) 
After several days of travel they reached the wall and continued North West along its length until they arrived at Shiro Kuni. 
The Settlement is heavily fortified, but is much more a vast set of barracks than a castle. surrounded only by a single wall. But containing a vast number of troops who rotate in and out to man the Kaiu walls. 
They were greeted at the gate and with the letter that they received from Hida Yakamo they were able to approach the garrison commander Hiruma Makasu. They were surprised when his reaction to the gift was more negative than they expected. He shouted about the dishonourable fiend Togashi Yokuni who had disgraced and humiliated him in the past and how he had sworn that if the Dragon Clan Champion ever entered his lands himself, he would seperate their head from their shoulders.
However he grudgingly accepted that he did have a fondness for salted plum wine and a game of Sadane with Yogo Midoria. Eventually he conceded that his grudge was with Togashi Yokuni and not with his messengers. Yogo Midoria did suggest that he ask them to return with a suitable gift that would subtly convey his displeasure at the dragon. An idea that very much tickled him. 
He did enquire if they take the opportunity whilst visiting to standing watch upon the walls. Whilst the Scorpion Courtier was more reluctant, the others seems eager to accept. 
They spent the day training and sparring with some of the Crab soldiers, including an impromptu game of kill the Oni and some archery. Ayana received more dire warnings.
During dinner they met a Lion Bushi named Akodo Mokusei who was a fellow visitor to the wall from the Lion Clan. Shinjo Tomoe chaffed at the idea of standing atop a wall without her horse and so the idea of heading beyond the wall on patrol was suggested. A far more risky and potentially glorious duty, but it would certainly be a demonstration of their courage. They acquired jade and prepared themselves to leave the next morning. 
== Episode 4: Beyond the Wall ==
In the morning they gathered at the gates to the wall. Shinjo Tomoe had impressed the commander so much that she was sent on a special mission, whilst the rest of the Emerald Yokiri would escort a party of engineers to assess and carry out repairs along the base of the wall. They were joined by Akodo Mokusei of the Lion clan and Hiruma Haru would be their Crab scout as well as a party of veteran engineers. With Hida Fujizaka acting as the overall squad commander. They were given the one-time password of Amaterasu's Necklace which would open the next gate. Before the left Haru issued a small pouch of jade dust to prevent wounds from becoming tainted and to provide a weapon against certain types of more powerful Oni as well as issuing Yogo Midori and Iuchi Ayana with some ashigaru armour and ensuring that everybody had a finger of jade on their person. 
The gate in the wall was a tunnel large enough to fit the entire group and its great gates are stone slabs that required 10 Crab Bushi each to open. 
Venturing in to the shadowlands it was full of thick white ash the hung in the air. So fabric masks were essential to breathe. However for nearly an hour they travelled the path at the base of the wall and beyond some dead goblin bodies there was little of concern, despite the oppression of their surroundings, the wall was a strong and familiar anchor to reality. 
They approached some serious damage to the wall, a partial breach the size of a horse. However the masons got to work and had exactly the materials needed to repair it. The party fanned out around the engineers to keep watch, but nothing intruded on them for the hour it took to repair the breach. 
They moved on to their next objective, a tall siege tower or war-engine made of mighty bones, each one the width of a small persons torso..This needed to be torn down so that it could not be used by the Shadowlands in their next attack. 
Hida Fujizaka approached to inspect it, however the ground gave way beneath his horse. He fell badly and ended up head-first in a concealed pit. Akodo Mokusei ran to defend him whilst he was vulnerable whilst Hiruma Haru defended the engineers. Shinjo Takaki attempted to calm the trapped horse, but as his attention was drawn, an Oni-spawn (Akaru no Oni) appeared from the siege tower wreckage and spat viscous webs at the Unicorn Bushi before slashing him with one of its vicious barbed claws. 
Tsurichi Okura unleashed arrows at the beast but its thick chitinous hide turned every shot to begin with.  
Seeing his fellow Samurai in danger, the unlikely hero Yogo Midori rushed in and with his katana landed a skillful blow. cutting in to its body until black fluids spilled out.  
This caught the beasts attention whilst Iuchi Ayana called upon water spirits to bless Takaki with their fortune, despite the evil air that made the Kami far more reluctant to answer her call. 
Takaki burst free, but Yogo Midori's slash had earned its ire. It lashed out with a bite at him. Ayana tried to summon further Kami, but they would not answer her here except to strike it once with jade. 
Finally both Okura and Takaki began to find their stride and despite his best efforts, Midori was unable to lure it to himself to make it open. Finally the beast fell to their blows and lay still. 
Hida Fujizaka was retrieved and confirmed to not be a shapechanger whilst the engineers completed the grizzly work and tore down the structure.  
On the final leg of their journey they were riding to the third and final engineering project when Okra spotted a damaged helmet and a trail of fresh blood.  
After some debate they decided to investigate. The trail indicated that an Ogre had snatched its victim from the wall and dragged them along, shedding its victims armour in the process. 
When they caught up to the trail, only a few hundred paces away from the wall, they found it toying with its victim who was still very much alive. 
Okura took a shot at it from a distance as Takaki made his way around, skirting the area.  
However as he did and Okura took a second successful shot, the cry ran up among the Goblins lurking nearby. This was a carefully planned ambush. With a second Ogre also emerging from hiding. All wearing a strange mon of a crescent moon with a blood red hand upon it.  
Yogo Midori again proved his courage in luring the Ogre towards him and away from its prisoner. Allowing Takaki to sweep in and pick her up before the Goblin mob reached her. They kept their distance, harrying the numerically superior enemy and luring them out. The Ogres tried to sprint to catch the horses, but Unicorn horsemanship and the luck of the Scorpion and Wasp managed to outdistance them without any horses startling at the frightful presence of the Ogres. 
They reconnected with the engineers and skipped the third task on their list out of concern for the pursuing Ogres. 
Making it safely back to the gate they reported in their success and took a well deserved break as the woman they rescued (With two broken legs and her tongue cut out) was treated and quarantined by Shugenja. 
In the baths, they noticed the relative quiet and Hiruma Haru pointed out that this outpost was massively under-strength. After some investigating, Hida Fujizaka came back and informed his guests that a large portion of the Crab army had been pulled back to quell a threat from the Crane Clan after a Daidoji duellist killed an Important Yasuki in an unsanctioned duel. Renewing old tensions. Although the wall still had plenty of people for day to day operations. 
They also interrogated the Crab Samurai whose name was Hiruma Yori, the daughter of the garrison commander. Hiruma Makasu who wrote that the Goblins and Oni were under the thumb of one of the Lost (Fallen Samurai) which is why they were displaying such advanced (Or at least advanced for goblins) tactics. They rode back to deliver the news that she was both irrevocably tainted and badly maimed as well as the intelligence and organisation behind the attack. He took the news poorly as this was his last living heir and once his guests had left the office, loud noises were heard from within and studiously ignored by all. 
However Hida Fujizaka invited them to a celebration and widely praised Yogo Midori for his bravery in the field. Far above what he had expected from a Scorpion courtier. They ate much and drank heavily as the sun set telling tales of glory and heroism well in to the night. 
== Episode 5: The Curse of Competence ==
That evening Tsurichi Okura took the time to go down to the Kuni Witch Hunter temple in the castle and asked about the strange mon that they saw on the Ogres and Goblins. He discovered a tapestry that depicted the battle in which Moto Tsume last assaulted the Kaiu Wall. In one of the rear echelons was a centauroid figure covered in thick chitinous plates. This figure bore the bloody hand over moon mon on a back-banner.
That evening the Crab celebrated the `Scorpion's tongue` referring to Yogo Midori's Katana and were considerably more friendly to those who had gone beyond the wall than they had been previously. Iuchi Ayana got a good nights sleep for once and in the morning a servant called all of the Yokiri to report to the garrison commander.
Due to the impending threat that they had discovered, he asked them to again go beyond the wall and this time scout Kyuden Hiruma (Daytime Castle - his family's ancestral castle that fell to the advance of the Shadowlands), as part of a broad scouting mission to find the enemy force. The castle he explained, had been used as a staging ground in past attacks from the Shadowlands. Their mission was to travel there, gather as much intelligence as they could on the situation and return. The pass-phrase for the mission would be `Doji's Folly`. Meanwhile he was going to travel to see his daughter and rode off. 
They were left in the care of his lieutenant (Gunzo) Kuni Loko who was a lively and enthusiastic woman with one eye who seemed to quite enjoy shouting good-natured insults at her soldiers. She ensured that they were properly provisioned and they set off North before crossing in to the Shadowlands with Hiruma Haru.
Normal Rokugan Ponies are too unpredictable so they opted to only take the two Unicorn riding horses and the Utaku battle steed, reasoning that they could double-up if they needed a short burst of speed.
The six set off with limited provisions, restricted by the amount of jade available, making their way down the valley and across the river that ran parallel to the wall.
They hadn't gone too far when they found a wild beast like a land-dwelling octopus closing swiftly on them. They rained down a hail of arrows on the creature and managed to finish it off with Tomoe, Takaaki and Midori closing in for the kill easily dispatching the beast.
The next obstacle was a large forest apparently made of trees like birch whose bark seemed like paper scrolls dripping down from their branches. The paper caused a rustling like whispers which as it became louder revealed the thoughts of everybody nearby. It became impossible to converse normally, with people only able to demand subservience or accept acquiescence. Eventually Shinjo Takaki took control of the group, Iuchi Ayana managed to meditate and clear her mind and everybody made it to the other side safely. Leaving the two Shinjos with an affliction each. Takaki could speak in nothing but orders and Tomoe found her will severely undermined.
However leaving the forest Haru stopped them as he spotted a corpse in the grass. The distinctive wounds were chilling even to a veteran such as himself. The corpse carried Heart-grubs. Tiny burrowing worms that dig through flesh and unerringly seek the heart, meaning certain death unless one has immediate access to a surgeon. 
Safely avoiding it, the next hill crest revealed their destination: Kyuden Hiruma, a run down and ruined structure with two personal campaign tents and a large canvas shelter. Around the area were a pair of Ogres, a dozen zombies and a handful of zombies seemingly tasked as mindless servants gathering scavenged weapons and armour and re-fitting it for the goblins and ogres. One zombie carried a tray with a scroll between the two tents. There was also an Onikage (demon-horse) tethered outside. Even from a distance it was clear that this place was used as a staging post and that the troops were heading South parallel to the wall. Uncertain that they could face such formidable opponents they decided to strike in two groups. The Unicorn would race around the camp and with horse-bows attack the Onikage, then lead off the defenders. Then the remainder would sneak in to the camp and try to find whatever information they could. 
The distraction worked flawlessly with both a fallen Crab Samurai, the two ogres and the goblins all chasing off after the Unicorns, who strung them out with intermittent archery-fire. As Yomo Midori, Tsurichi Okura and Hiruma Haru snuck closer they evaded detection and looked at the tent the crab had come from. Inside was not too different from a standard campaign tent, with an empty stand for armour, a rack for a Daisho and a piece of wood used for a writing surface, a calligraphy set and finally a cheap sleeping roll. There was also a lone zombie standing motionless holding a jug of brackish water. 
They set fire to the tent intending it to be a distraction whilst they snuck up on the second tent which bore a personal mon of four hands grasping a rod. However their attempts at sneaking were thwarted by the inhabitant, a petite young woman in riding armour who objected because she hadn't quite finished doing her hair. However when she stepped out she had pale bleached skin and hair, three glowing eyes and four dexterous looking arms.
Midori attempted to persuade her that he was an ally, but his lack of uniform, setting fire to one of her tents and then attempting to sneak up on her made her immediately dismiss the claim.
== Episode 6: A heroes death ==
Moto Kusogaki made a thin veneer of politeness and offered to spare their lives if they yielded. 
However the noble Yokiri would not bow. The alien looking samurai carried a naginata and her Daisho. 
The three arms gave a considerable advantage in any fight, but her small stature meant that few attacks were instantly fatal, so she killed with many cuts rather than a single decisive blow. 
Yogo Midori and HIruma Haru both drew her attention, and her wrath trading blows, whilst Tsurichi Okura took a few steps back and planted an arrow directly in her third eye. The injury did not phase her, but unnatural light from her eyes faded and she became deeply enraged and focused all of her energy on him. She charged from her Onikage and shattered a lance on him, leaving him barely able to stand. 
Once Okura was on his knees she turned her attention back to the others, nearly crippling Haru as well. Midori however fled in to her tent where he found one copy of the orders that had been sent by the overall commander of the campaign, Moto Shinta.
Rather than face a mounted opponent, he lured her in to the tent with taunts, throwing her meticulously collected cosmetics at her and tried to collapse the tent on her. But her blade was too quick and she escaped the falling cloth and wood injuring him further in the process. She gave him one last chance to surrender and like any proud Samurai he stood fearlessly and told her that he would never yield. 
She cut him down and threw his body in front of the Wasp, who had been trying to take down her Onikage for some time by now, but so badly injured he could scarce draw his bow, promising the same fate if he did not submit. He likewise refused, but she bound him with rope and took him away. Laying the unconscious Hiruma scout on the back of her saddle whilst the wasp was bound and forced to walk behind her as she moved to join with the ogres and goblins that has chased after the Samurai. 
Meanwhile the Unicorn cavalry had successfully led the bulk of the forces away and were circling back. However they did not encounter their fellow Yoriki at the rendezvous point. So they charged in to the now flattened camp. 
Iuchi Ayana spotted the fleeing Samurai in the distance with her prisoner, they had to choose between retrieving the body of their dead friend and rescuing the survivors, they chose the survivors. Tomoe shot the Onikage out from under the Lost Samurai, and whilst she summoned another one, Tomoe closed, gravely wounding her with her katana, before Takaaki charged in and severed her head with a single blow from his no-dachi. 
Her mount fought back but was also dispatched. Finally they retrieved their injured colleagues and broke off, retreating back towards the wall.
However as they fled the light died and as they reached the edge of the Forest of Dominance, they could not see the ground whilst mounted. They stumbled in the dark. 
In the woods, a kindly voice lured Ayana away from the others. But Okura's keen ears heard the movement of her horse and Ayana snapped out of the daze long enough to rejoin the others.
They walked all night through the darkness, only to realise by light of day that they had strayed off their heading. The now conscious Hiruma Haru pointed out that they had wandered South West instead of East and put them back on track. Their mounts allowed them to evade the numerous hazards of the land, but could not save them from fatigue and bone-deep exhaustion. 
By late afternoon, still battered, beaten, exhausted and missing one of their friends, the Yokiri made it back to the wall and remembered the password to gain access. 
They were treated to a warm welcome, although the castle was more sparsely defended than before. It seems as though the commander took a sizeable number of troops with him when he went to scout the enemy. 
The Crab commemorated the fallen Yogo Midori (no doubt slightly improving the local Crab's opinion of the Scorpion clan) and with the report in hand they sent a warning, as it detailed the enemies plan to break through the Wall and settle at Mushi Mura. The Sparrow clan village tainted by the blood sorcerer that they had chased off but not been able to slay. The taint there would keep them strong and give them a base of operations within the Empire that they can strike from. 
Kuni Loko informed the Yokiri that the commander himself was out on a deep Shadowlands patrol and had taken a sizeable force of elite troops and commanders with him. He should be due back that evening. 
Until then they were welcome to relax, feast, bathe and be ready. With Takaki going out drinking with Hiruma Haru and Okura exploring more of the Kuni temples scrolls.
== Episode 7: A monsters war ==
After returning from the Shadowlands, the Yoriki got a good long nights rest and did not awaken until late morning, when they woke to find Monks being carried by bushi past their room. They were unconscious having collapsed at the gates that same day. Iuchi Ayana identified them as Togashi monks with magical tattoos that could bolster their speed. They had evidently exhausted themselves by such magical exertions and slept like the dead. 
Having missed breakfast they instead attended a well provisioned meal around mid-day where Kuni Loko informed them that as he had died in their defence, a funeral would be held for Yogo Midori at the wall its self.
Arriving at the wall, they were invited up to a tall scaffold to carve Yogo Midori's name in to one of the great stones that made up the wall. All stones to the left of this had a single name upon them and all stones to the right were bare. The wall stretched off for countless miles in both directions. The Kuni Shugenja lit incense for the dead and said prayers ushering his soul to Yomi the realm of blessed ancestors and said that the spirits of the honoured dead would strengthen the wall and keep the Empire safe from the evils of the Shadowlands. Tomoe made the inscription and the proper veneration was paid. 
As the came down the ladder Kuni Loko was called away to respond to a messenger. She had a head start, but the Unicorn horses were able to close the distance as she reached the garrison. 
The messenger was one of three dispatched by Hiruma Makasu and he carried the jade sunrise of the garrison crest.
They reported that the unit dispatched to scout the enemy army had been pinned down by the bulk of it and whilst in a defensible position would not be able to hold indefinitely against such a large force. 
They had held up in a highly defensible position; a stone cottage on a spur of rock in the middle of a deep swamp that once belonged to a blood speaker. 
Kuni Loko announced her intention to rescue the garrison commander by force. She released them from their obligation to stay with the Crab and granted them travel papers to return home if they wished.
However the Yokiri bravely elected to stay and fight rather than flee.
The Lion tactician Akodo Mokusei had been watching and listening the whole time. He grew concerned that Kuni Loko was a fine commander of troops, but lacked the depth of strategy needed to conduct a war against a superior enemy on open ground. 
The next day as the army prepared to march, Iuchi Ayana was present when the 20 monks began to rouse. They revealed that the Dragon Clan Champion had sent them to deliver a poem to Hiruma Makasu in person and that they had run the length of the Empire to arrive. 
* 100 Legion of the Damned (200 strength)
* 300 Hida Heavy Infantry (450 strength)
* 100 Hiruma Scouts (100 strength)
* 100 Hiruma Archers (100 strength)
* 25 Kuni Shugenja (50 strength)
* 50 20 Cut-off elites in need of rescue (200 100 strength)
* Nearly 650 (1000 effective strength)
So Tsurichi Okura listened and after hearing enough he appealed to Kuni Loko suggesting that she used all resources at her disposal and his earnest appeal supported by Shinjo Tomoe's appeal to his character persuaded her to give him the position of her battlefield signaller. Allowing him considerable leeway in how to handle the battle. 
They still had to devise a plan to evacuate the survivors without sending heavy infantry through the treacherous swamps. Thankfully Iuchi Ayana recalled a love story about a Unicorn battlemaiden who sought to rescue her beloved from a tall Scorpion prison. The tale went that she shot an arrow trailing fine silk. Then using the silk, her beloved pulled up a rope, secured it and slid down the rope over the heads of the enemy army.
Taking inspiration from this a small group would sneak in to the swamp. Ayana would take some purified elements with her and bless Okura's bow shot and then shroud the area in mist. Tsurichi Okura would fire an arrow with a message and a silk thread to the distant rise whilst Shinjo Tomoe kept watch. They would send up a rope and allow the elite unit to slide down to safety. Then withdraw together to rejoin the army. 
The plan went well, with Okura planting a shot that few others in the Empire could have made reliably. Hiruma Makasu was the last person to descend and they fled back to rejoin the army. 
Being one of the only dedicated cavalry officers in the army Tomoe took the leading edge of the attack and engaged the Shadowlands forces as they broke out of the forest. Whilst Akodo Mokusei led from the middle of the pack. Iuchi Ayana stayed with other Shugenja in the reserves and Tsurichi Okura was towards the rear of the force providing archery support. (Starting strength: Crab: 1000, Shadowlands: 2000)
As the enemy ran from the swamp, screened by a wall of zombies and goblins, Shinjo Tomoe spotted a familiar face. The cowardly former Crab that she and the others had lured away only a few days ago. She faced him in single combat. He leapt at her with razor sharp claws of Obsidian gravely injuring her, but she struck back successfully. Even as the fallen Samurai mauled her beloved horse she first trampled him, then evading his blow struck him down and trampled him beneath her horses hooves. (round 1: Crab: 900, Shadowlands: 1760). The overall battle seemed to favour the Crab defenders. 
However the tide of battle rapidly shifted as Tomoe moved back to the Shugenja healers. The general rain of goblin spears and undead claws slackened then the thundering hooves of Dark Moto cavalry swept in to the midst of the legion of the damned, cutting down the vast majority. Their centaur-like general wading in to the midst and tearing limb from limb. (Crab: 648, Shadowlands:1464)
The Crab having accomplished their objective began to fall back towards the walls of the Empire. A slow measured retreat was the only way to ensure that soldiers were not left behind. In this, the Lion tactician found his stride. On open plains careful manoeuvres would triumph over brute force. Although almost everybody in the force was now wounded and supplies of Jade and spells were running low, they fought with stoic determination. Okura and Mokusei found themselves together battling a unit of goblins hurling crude spears and sharp rocks. Cutting them down until the remains fled. They recovered their footing and inflicted serious injuries on their enemies (Crab: 600, Shadowlands: 1000). However as they approached the wall, there was one final obstacle to over come. Counting the cost they had lost half their scouts, 1/3 of their heavy infantry and the entirity of the Legion of the damned, who gave their lives to blunt the effects of the Dark Moto cavalry charge. 
* 100 Legion of the Damned (200 strength)
* 300 200 Hida Heavy Infantry (450 300 strength)
* 100 50 Hiruma Scouts (100 50 strength)
* 100 Hiruma Archers (100 strength)
* 25 Kuni Shugenja (50 strength)
* 20 liberated elite soldiers (100 strength)
* Nearly 650 450 (1000 600 effective strength)
Meanwhile the Shadowlands forces had likewise been whittled down:
* 1000 200 Zombies (500 100 strength) -400
* 1000 400 Goblin infantry (500 200 strength) -300
* 100 75 Ogres (200 150 strength) -50
* 100 Lost Moto Cavalry (200 strength)
* 100 50 Undead Revenants (100 50 strength) -50
* 100 Lost Infantry (100 strength) - Including a cadre of Bloodspeakers.
* 200 100 Goblin Berserkers (100 50 strength) - 50
* 200 100 Goblin Chuckers (100 50 strength) -50
* 20 10 Kumo (100 50 strength) -50
* 50 25 Trolls (100 50 strength) -50
* Nearly 3000 1160 (2000 1000 strength)
== Episode 8 - The Elemental Terror ==
Now they had lost the advantage. They were within sight of the walls, but the wall took advantage of many natural barriers to supplement its defence, not least of which is a fast-flowing river and the steep sided valley that it rested in. 
Shinjo Takaki rallied the engineers and Budoka and engineers to construct a path across the river for the retreating army as well as sending down 200 Yari from the armoury to help defend against the Moto Cavalry.. However it was narrow and any attempt to retreat would be thwarted by the Moto Cavalry. which could easily sweep in to the back of any retreating force. A few ideas were proposed, but the only one with a chance of success was to distract the enemy general with a suitable challenge. 
However despite Tomoe's best efforts, the Steed would not answer the challenge, seeing it as beneath him.So they were unable to pause the conflict which would have given the Crab forces more time to withdraw safely. 
So they made a fighting retreat across the bridge, evacuating the archers and Shugenja first, leaving the monks, heavy infantry and the officer corps to guard the retreat. 
Hiruma Makasu was aggressive and reckless, taking command and selling the lives of himself and his troops dearly, but selling them all the same. Little more than 50 of the original 300 Hide heavy infantry and half of his officer corps Survived. Makasu himself did get the duel he craved, but it was a brief and improvised one as the two commanders met each other in the field and The Steed rapidly defeated Makasu, crushing his skull under hoof. 
However the remainder, covered by the spears brought down from the wall were able to escape, saving at least some of the officers and the valuable shugenja and light scouts. 
Withdrawing behind the wall, the Yokiri rested, trying to recover their reserves after the harrowing battle. They were not fully recovered however when they noticed a new threat on the horizon the next day. 
The Bloodspeakers were raising a new host of undead from the casualties of the previous days battle. 
Through the mist, eagle eyed scouts saw the figure of a tall Oni, that a Shugenja identified as a Greater Terror of Earth. A creatures that could move through both stone, metal and earth as if if were water. Similarly it was unaffected by mortal weapons and feared only jade. It could cause Earthquakes and bury people alive with ease. 
The Yokiri realised that the wall was studded with jade, but that if given cover by the undead, the goblins with their numble fingers could easily remove enough jade to make way for the Elemental Terror to break through and bring at least a segment of the wall down. 
They saw an opportunity to stop the fall of the wall, if the small group rode out and tried to stop the terror by destroying its goblin escort that was prodding it along with six jade-tipped spears. 
They managed to reach the enemy with little opposition, only moments before it reached the army. The Unicorn bushi and the the Lion rode in and began stripping the goblin escort away. the goblins threw stones with accuracy, but little strength, doing little against the armour of the Bushi, but landing a rather unpleasant strike against Iuchi Ayana, striking the bridge of her nose. 
A lesser elemental terror burrowed beneath them, attacking horses and attempting to grab them to bury them alive. 
They did not have time to kill them all, but striking down the few with spears was enough to cause them to lose their control of the beast. 
They scooped up the few remaining jade-tipped spears and began to ride off as the beast, finally free, struck against its captors, decimating the Shadowlands force. 
Returning to the wall they were hailed as heroes for stopping the inevitable assault. The new fort commander Kuni Loko wrote letters praising the actions of the Yokiri. 
Now free to travel again they make for their home dojos where they will explain their actions, and gain additional training advice from their sensei and then finally report to their new posting in the Second City, Ryoko Owari, the city of stories. But maybe a relaxing soak first. 
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