-1-

When last we saw our heroes! Pamuya, Cedar, Zeraklitus and Zukari had all made their way to Ba Sing Se and found themselves watching a heated match get underway in the Terra-Dome! Whatever their reasons were for being in the seedy underbelly of the lower ring would have to wait as the entire arena collapsed they were knocked unconscious in the rubble. When they came to, they found themselves hooded and bound in the back of a carriage being taken somewhere unknown. Pamuya woke first, and instinctively whistled for Asteria, unfortunately the frost hawk did not hear the call, but their captures did. They stopped the carriage and one of them started to come around back to investigate. As Zukari woke a reflex took over and a small sputter of flame shot from his wrists, beginning to burn the hemp rope around his wrists.  Meanwhile Zera tried to put out the mysterious fire as Cedar tried to free his binds. After Zukari explained he was a fire bender and Pamuya hushed Zera by stuffing a furry boot in her face, Cedar burst from his ropes and uncovered his face. Zukari followed suit and then lunged though the opening in the canvas at the front of the carriage, only to get stuck halfway though looking up at one of his captors. Seconds after the second of the two men opened the back of the carriage to see the kerfuffle unfolding, but intimidated by Cedar and the fact the prisoners were all awake, he took a step back and drew his scimitar - warning the heroes to get back into their bonds. 

-2-

When last we saw our heroes! The party chaotically escaped their captives and managed to take a captive of their own. After bursting forth from the carriage prism Zukari gave the driver a resplendent bonk on the head before pushing him off into the marshy wetlands and taking the reins. Cedar was able to fend off the more capable of the bandits with a brief scrap - driving his trusty axe through the bandit’s armor causing him to faint from shock. Just as the brigand’s limp body hit the clay, an obsidian dark hissed through the air and struck Zukari below the shoulder. Meanwhile Pamuya grabbed the reigns, and after laying a reassuring hand on the Ostrich Horses, whisked the carriage away past the new adversaries as they frantically fire more darts. Thinking quickly, Zukari clambered onto the canvas roof of the first carriage and leaped onto the another, left behind from the other bandit’s. Seeing this, Cedar bounded out of the carriage and, with heavy thuds, strode towards the two men as they fumbled for their scimitars. He barreled into one, narrowly dodging a blade and was able to take the other captive. All the while, Zera had been mumbling to herself with the grain sack on her head, her nose buried in a scroll as she feverishly took notes.
After regrouping, patching Zukari’s wound with an unidentified slime, and a brief interrogation of their new coerced companion, Tatsong, they gathered the carriages in a clearing, off the trail and out of sight to decide what to do next as the fire casts a warm glow on the crimson leaves and the sun just starts to break over a jagged spine of distant mountains. 

-3-

When last we saw our heroes! They had just finished resting around the fire - Cedar methodically puffing at his pipe while Pamuya and Zukari becoming more acquainted in the soft glow of the flame. Zera, on the other hand was sick of the contrived kumbaya, and told the party that she was off to wonder the woods, only to secretly meet with Tatsong. After an unproductive parley she smeared Inkblot Ginko sap in his eyes, in part to intimidate, but mostly to study the reaction. Speaking of Ginko sap - after Zera joined back with the group, Zukari started to feel shooting pains in his shoulder wound, and when he went to check he saw, in horror, that inky black tendrils had taken root under his skin branching from the wound. Thankfully Cedar and his abounding knowledge of botany came in handy once again as he prescribed bloodwood leaves soaked in river water to both Zukari and their worse-for-ware trail guide Tatsong. After day broke, they all decided to have Tasting lead them to the hideout to rescue Boshi and Astaria, and also to see what exactly this duplicitous Jade Rabbit Syndicate is up to on the Oashisu trail. On the road, Zukari almost urinated his way into a snare trap, but thanks to Pamuya’s keen eye he stumbled back just in time. After navigating the first trap Cedar prodded Tasting along sending tremors out in front of them to spring any more snares. Unfortunately for Tasting though, the vibrations failed to reveal a pit fall and the aloof bandit tumbled in head first as Cedar stifled a gleeful smirk. After about 5 miles up the hidden trail the came across an ominous cave opening, and as they argued (quite loudly) about how to proceed, two more Jade Hare Bandits sprung out of some briar behind them. The lookouts struggled to recognized a Tatsong hastily covered in Hay and glue, but when they did they called out. Thinking his long ordeal was finally over, Tatsong lurched his way towards his comrades, only to trip and fall yet again on an exposed tree root. A scuffle ensued, but was short lived as Cedar caught one of the brigands with the back of his axe and heaved him into the forrest. Meanwhile Zera, testing her bending, had a short lived burst of power as she expelled a giant fireball over everyone’s heads. Between the blinding flames and his friend being catapulted like a flopping skunk fish, the lone remaining bandit had had enough and dove into the brush for a hasty retreat, as Tatsong hopelessly inchwormed forward calling out “Wait! Don’t leave me with these people!” 

-4-

When last we saw our heroes! They had cautiously made their way into the Jade Hare Hideout after much deliberation. The party elected Cedar to try and pose as one of the bandits and took Tatsong’s insignia to his dismay. They made their way into the dingy cave, the spray of the stream solidifying into to a viridescent mist that hung in the air. They could smell the first room before they saw it. Inside were three mangy wolf bats chained to stalagmite fighting over bones and scraps. As the party approached, their snarls turned from each other and towards Cedar and Pamuya. Wings arched and fangs bared, they stalked closer to the party. After assessing the situation and determining the beasts were the Jade Hare’s guard hounds, the party’s plans changed from rescue to escape as they quickly moved further up the stream and out of sight of the growling trio. They could see up the cavern a ways and saw the faint silhouette of a rope bridge on the second level, but instead of heading that way, they elected to cross the stream and clamber up a narrow rocky hole. Cedar effortlessly bounded up and flattened the rubble to make it more manageable for the rest of the group. Once yo, they could see the faint red glow coming out of a room to their left. In the midst of discussing what to do, Gomi heard the murmuring coming from the cave and called out, demanding a name. They party somewhat hastily pushed Cedar out, the plan being to pretend to be Tatsong. After some failed, stumbling attempts at deception, Cedar instead turned to intimidation tactics. Unfortunately for him though, Gomi wasn’t alone. A skirmish ensued! Early in, Cedar took a slashing swipe that broke through his rock shield and carved into his chest. Zukari rushed in and imploded the cinders of the dying fire spraying spot and ash into the eyes of some of the bandits and filling the room in a thick blanket of inky black smoke. Pamuya used a mist cleanse to purify the air around her long enough to see her next two targets. She bent two tendrils of water towards the feet of the two blind Hares and stuck them fast to the ground in ice.

After trying and failing to utilize her supposed newly regained bending, Zera made a bee line up the stairs to cages containing a swath of animals. She got underway trying to secure fur and feather specimens, totally ignoring the beaten and chained woman in the corner, and subsequently got bitten by an indignant Astaria. Pamuya, seeing Zera ascend the steps, quickly followed to make sure she wasn’t up to anything nefarious. Upon reaching the top she was overjoyed to see both Astaria and Boshi alive and well in their cages. She freed the majestic bird as Zera fumbled over her words when she realized the chained woman had been watching them the whole time. The part defeated the majority of the bandits, and frustrated at his luck, and knowing he was out gunned, Gomi Tried to strike a deal. But before they could negotiate, Zukari knocked him out cold after seeing his sinister sneer. After a failed attempt to interrogate an unusually loyal jade hare, the party turned their efforts once again to Gomi, waking him from his sleep with one of Cedar’s extra potent waking elixirs. He told the party that powerful earth bender, Loti was in the far room of the cave, and that if anyone knew what happened to Yasuko, it would be him.

They secured Gomi and the stoic bandit, took a short rest and then decided to free the pygmy panthers in the rest of the animal cages. Most were happy to leave, however one with a white patch under its chin was hesitant to leave the group, even after Zukari’s bumbling attempts at instant friendship.
After having made sure everything in the barracks was secured, the party left the room and made their way to the rope bridge, where the lone sentry stood, unaware of their presence. The whole group readied themselves for battle, but Pamuya made quick work of him, conjuring a mighty water dragon that swallowed the guard up and tossed him over the side of the bridge and washed him out of the cave. The others stared, their jaws dropped astounded at the sneaky and stylish takedown, all except Zera, who was, instead eyeing one of Astaria’s iridescent feathers. 

-5-

When last we saw our heroes! They snuck their way up the last winding corridor past the rickety rope bridge. Hearing the rushing sound of waterfalls and feeling the spray of misty air - Pamuya crept her way into the next room - darting to and from stalagmites to scout ahead. There she saw three Jade Hares guarding two large pools damned up by earth bent stone walls - a booby trap that they narrowly circumvented by shambling up the narrow tunnel to the barracks. She scurried back and told the others the intel. The party decided to all sneak into the room and take out the guards one by one. The plan quickly unraveled though, as Pamuya and Zukari failed to pay attention and tripped into Cedar leading the way. Understanding that their cover was blown - Zera whipped out her darts, dipped them generously in poison wasp venom, and hurled one at the furthest of the Hares. It sailed above all their heads and splashed, unnoticed, into the waterfall beyond them. Hearing the dart sail past his head - Cedar took action and charged in to surprise the three unaware ruffians. Unfortunately, his overeagerness was to his detriment and he stumbled right past the Jade Hares and trudged into the pool in front of them. Zera, embarrassed and re-living her mind-numbing combat training in the Fire Nation academy, once again flung a dart - this time with more vigor and focus, but once again, missed completely. Pamuya regained her composure and hurls her spear at one of the combatants, catching the shoulder of his tunic and pinning him to the ground near the pool. Cedar, whips around and catches one of the other guards, sending him sailing, unconscious into a pair of stalagmites in the pool. The last of the three Hares - seeing one of his comrades knocked out, and the other pinned - sprinted towards the stairs in the back of the room. Zukari was too quick for him, however, quickly procuring his geckosheep herding rope and lassoed the Hare around his feet, leading him to trip with a loud whump, just short of the doorway. The Hare that had been pinned struggled to his feet - and in a fury hurled Pamuya’s own spear straight at her. Luckily he misjudged the trajectory and the spear flung high in the cave - striking a stalactite and sending it hurtling down to the pool, breaking one of the damns and sending a torrent of water down the streamside path of the cave. Seeing this, Cedar became enraged, and with a mighty below, barred toward the spear thrower. He heaved his axe high and brought it down with a decisive, wet crunch. The rest of the party watched in bewildered horror as Cedar casually wrenched his weapon’s bit out of the unfortunate Hare’s scalp.

After their captive confessed all he knew about Loti and his prized wolf bat - he watched in terror as the group decided to relieve the corpse of its arm in order to make an offering to the beast they were about to meet. He passed out, and the party pressed on.

Loti had heard the commotion unfold when Zukari lassoed the runaway, and strategically ordered his escort and Umbra, his jet black wolf bat, to stay behind cover of the stalagmites in the back of the cave. When the party entered, he was ready for them - and placidly congratulated them for making it this far into the hideout. The tension of the situation hung in the air for a moment, as the white orbs to Umbra’s eyes stalked ever closer to the party, but when Loti noticed Zukari gathering flame behind his back - He gave the word to strike! Loti lunged forward and formed a heavily rooted stance - he whirled his arms in precise movements and a disc of stone underneath Zukari and Pamuya whipped out from underneath them in spiraled to a halt. Zukari was able to jump just in time, but Pamuya stumbled and lost her balance. After righting herself, Pamuya unleashed a torrent of water aiming to knock Loti over, but he simply braced and raised his forearm to part the incoming stream. Smiling all the while. He curtly snapped an order to Umbra, and she darted into action. Unfurling her wings, she sprinted up and around the wall of the cave, darting through the air, and latched her fangs deep into Pamuya’s shoulder, dragging her screaming into the darkest corner of the room. Seeing this, Zukari unleashed the fire he was collecting and filled the room with a golden flaming serpent. This scared Umbra and she released Pamuya and ran towards her master. Zera, fed up with her unruly darts and suppressing the urge to wither flee or take notes on the incredible wolf bat specimen, instead took aim at the two archers in the back of the room. She unleashed two brilliant fire whips that sailed across the cave in winding arcs. They hit their mark, and the two Hares howled in surmised as their bowstrings snapped simultaneously.

Cedar turned his gave to Loti - he charged towards him, axe raised. Loti raised an impressive earth shield, but his expression of mere irritation changed to incredulous surprise as the axe blade pierced the rock wall and cut clean through his wrist. He clutched his forearm as wet, dark streams began to pour out. And after peering into Cedar’s eyes and giving him one last threat, he apologized to Umbra under his breath and slid down the natural chimney, barricading the exit behind him.

Umbra, confused and panicked by the absence of her master, went into a frenzy. She lunged across the room - but Kakita was ready, she slid underneath the wolf bat and with a precise slash of the longsword, struck a debilitating blow to the animal.

The past couple of hours had been all too much for Zukari, shaking, he once again called on his strength to conjure another impressive serpent, but this time his flames were a fiery azure blue, wild and vibrating furiously. The angry, ethereal light was almost blinding, and then, in an instant, the cave seemed to go pitch black. As the light returned, Umbra fled the cave, the two remaining archers dropped their weapons and lay prostrate in submission, and Zukari dropped to his knees, shaking. Tears forming in his eyes as the heat dissipated from his hands.