Nanashi Mura

Upon arrival the group is intercepted by a group of Eyes of Nanashi, led by the ronin Nanshiro. He probes around to learn the group's intent, but raises no problem due to Misuchi's business in town. He lets them into Nanashi Mura, in the condition of an audience the following day.

They decide to stay on the Silent Garden inn, managed by the Kakita Artisan Monaka. He and Misuchi start speaking of business and seem to get along just fine. The group decides to explore the village, splitting up. Sumire and Yatori investigate the central shrine and the tower that is the only line of defense. Learning that the restaurant Wretched Frog offers clandestine gambling, Yuzuko and Takehiko decide to burn some koku.

The owner of the Wretched Frog, Hayashi, is at first relutant to let the samurai join his gambling circle. After some persuasion he let's them in, and with other three ronin they play some matches of Fortunes and Winds and Oichu-Kabu

Meanwhile, Sumire discovers that access to the shrine is limited to the Eyes of Nanashi and those they trust. He also discovered that the sohei that guard Nanashi Mura's sacred place are followers of Ebisu.

Takehiko gets the notion to team up Hayashi and Misuchi's, but sadly he is too late. She and Monaka seem to have formed a partenership.

They try to get some rest, but are awaken during the night. A drunk monk named Itashi was waiting for them, carrying an invitation from the Emerald Magistrate in charge of overseeing the ronin activities in Nanashi Mura, Kitsuki Hitoko. For a nightly session of "poetry." As one of the letters they carry is for him, the group jumps on the opportunity.

Led across the grove, they find Hitoko's mansion. There, they meet the Mirumoto guards, Hitoko and his grandson, Kitsuki Haro. The night starts with pleasant courtesies, but Hitoko doesn't take some breachs of etiquette on good tone, and gains a very bad first impression of the group. When receiving the message, this causes him to lash out of the party, furious. As the group tries unsubtle methods to get information about the contents of the letters, the brash old magistrate snaps. He declares the contents of the letter proof of a conspiracy, and that they and their leader are traitors to the Empire. He threatens them to persecute them unless they leave his house and Nanashi Mura.

They refuse. Not only that, Takehiko deems himself due a duel. He issues the right to defend his accusations by arms. Hitoko agrees and sends Haro as his champion. Courteous, Haro offers to take them back to Nanashi Mura, as he suggests that Itashi would find a way to apprehend them before they could attend the duel.

The following day they have an audience at the shrine to Fuyari, where a member of the Voice of Nanashi, the ronin Hokusai. He presents them the armour of Fuyari and the remains of the Maw, kept in a Jade reliquary. He imparts upon them that Nanashi Mura will never conquered - you either have it's people, or you have a land that you will never hold. He received from them a letter, which left him livid. He suggested that the letter was some form of deception by Sun Doru to move his army into Nanashi Mura unopposed, under pretenses of helping. Willing to defend their commander's words, Sumire and Takehiko decided to open another copy of the letter.

Shocked, they discovered that Sun Doru had intel that suggested that a bloodspeaker cult was acting in Nanashi Mura.