Mission 2: Big Trouble in Little Nexus

The Job

Client: Takeshi Irugawa
Target: The Most Parsimonious Shogun
Type: Kidnapping, bodyguard
Target background: The Most Parsimonious Shogun is a spirit of the salt drying pools at Port Calin. He is one of the three spirits whose salt tithes are averaged to set the interest rate in the Nexus securities market, and is, by proxy, one of the most influential individuals in Scavenger Lands society. Every spring, he travels to Nexus to meet with the Council of Entities and Guild Hierarchs and discuss the upcoming harvest season's rates. This season, it is anticipated that a great deal of money will change hands in anticipation of civil war in the Realm - many houses are liquidating their Scavenger Lands assets. The other two salt spirits upon whom Nexus relies are predicting high rates for the Harvest season, favoring the Realm's oncoming storm of sales. The Most Parsimonious Shogun, on the other hand, is planning to lower his salt tithe considerably. This lowers the average interest rate in the Nexus market, and would result in considerable profit loss for the Realm. Both the Realm and the Guild are less than pleased about this - the lower rate also means that less silver will end up back in the hands of the Guild when the Realm makes its sales. Like the salt spirits themselves, one Councilor has a differing opinion - the resident astrologer, Takeshi Irugawa - Naru's uncle - foresees dark economic times if harm is to befall the Most Parsimonious Shogun. Contacting the organization through his niece, Takeshi has contracted the Grass Spiders to kidnap the Shogun for his own good, leaving behind a decoy to be the target for the Realm's or Guild's assassins. Takeshi has also foreseen the the Shogun's guardian spirits in Calin have been compromised, and asked that they meet an unfortunate accident on the job.
Critical Notes:

• You are in flagrant violation of the First Dogma. Be aware of this fact at all times.
• Expect trouble - the All-Seeing Eye almost certainly wants or already has a hand in this. Numerous other independent assassins are likely on the trail of the Most Parsimonious Shogun as well.
• The Shogun himself is extremely vain (as is his nature as a salt spirit) and is unlikely to respond to rational pleas to seek shelter - getting him out of harm's way will likely need to be done by force.
• The other assassins don't necessarily have to be convinced they've killed the Shogun, but the task has to be resolved somehow. The Grass Spiders don't get paid until the Most Parsimonious Shogun can safely meet with the Council and return to Calin unharmed.
• The Council can't find out the Grass Spiders are on the job - most of the council wants the spirit dead, and Takeshi will likely suffer the same fate if it's found out he's contracted the Order.

Team A (Nexus): Lord of the Ashen Cloud, Zealot of Iconoclastic Virtue, Fay Morgana, Naru Irugawa
Team B (Calin): Mesa, Opal, Cello Expected Threats:

• The Hooded Executioners (Threat level: Minor, probability of encounter: High)
• The Emissary (Threat level: Do not engage, probability of encounter: Low)
• The All-Seeing Eye (Threat level: High, probability of encounter: High)
• Guild mercenaries (Threat level: Minor, probability of encounter: Medium)
• Ruol was spotted in Calin by Cello's scouts just days before the trip, and is likely to have followed Shogun to Nexus. It isn't known at this time where his allegiance falls.