Arrow of Truth, Part 1

"When tragedy befalls a hunting trip deep in the lands of the Unicorn, necessity calls upon three young samurai to discern the truths that have been obscured."

Summary
The three yoriki, Kitsuki Shiro, Isawa Michio, and Bayushi Akina, travel to Yashigi to accompany Emerald Magistrate Shinjo Shinpachi on a hunting trip hosted by Moto Shotetsu, a middle-aged man and the magistrate of the village. He is known for being a hard-ass and was instrumental in bringing law and order back to the area after the destroyer war. Shinjo is on this trip as a diplomatic function rather than for the hunt itself.

The episode opens on the golden plains of the Yashigi where the hunting party is sitting down for the noontime meal. Baysushi Akina is sitting on top of her horse, dressed in a traditional kimono and half mask with devil horns and hair in a high ponytail, watching as the other members of the party set up. Meanwhile, Isawa Michio, a lanky and somewhat disheveled man, is sitting near the base of a tree sketching a map the area. Kitsuki Shiro, a relatively unassuming man with cold grey eyes, is helping set up the camp. The hunting party includes approximately a dozen people in total. Moto Hiya, the youngest brother of Moto Shotetsu is also the master of hunt and horse, and is known as a skilled hunter and serves his brother faithfully. Asahina Sango, a Crane clan samurai and shugeja in his 50s is on the trip as a guest of Moto Shotetsu. Tsuruchi Fujiyo, of the Mantis clan, is a skilled archer and hunter and has been traveling the empire testing her skill. In addition to the samurai, Asahina has brought two servants and Moto Shotetsu has brought a servant and an eta, likely to clean the boar.

The lunch is traveling food but also includes some red meat, something rare in Rokugani cuisine. During lunch Asahina spends the majority of the time in discussion with Moto Shotetsu and later reveals that he has a daughter and was discussing the possibility of a political marriage.

Following the stop for lunch, the party splits up ( at the suggestion of Tsuruchi Fujiyo) to pursue a white boar that had been injured earlier in the day. Bayushi suggests a wager and it is decided that the winner will assign roles for the play later in the evening. They pair off into groups of two: Moto Shotetsu and Tsuruchi (along with the eta), Asahina and Isawa, Bayushi and Moto Hiya, and Kitsuki and Shinjo.

While tracking the boar, the body of a murdered Moto Shotetsu is discovered face down in the dirt, with no sign of Tsuruchi, and the yoriki begin investigating the scene. They gather the group back at a camp and Bayushi and Kitsuki begin questioning suspects.

They first question the eta, Doru who tells them that he often accompanies Moto Shotetsu on hunts but his role is clean and prepare the animal, not to partake in the sport. He states that Moto Shotetsu told him to wait for him while he went to find the boar, but after some time Doru went looking and found the body. The yoriki dismiss him to help Isawa with the body.

Bayushi and Kitsuki then focus their questioning on Tsuruchi. They look at her arrows and see that one appears to be missing, and matches what was found in the back of the dead body.

Characters
Kitsuki Shiro

Isawa Micho

Bayushi Akina

Shinjo Shinpachi

Asahina Sango

Tsuruchi Fujiyo

Moto Shotetsu

Moto Hiya

Doru

Episode Link
https://shadow-of-the-cabal.pinecast.co/episode/d1916480-3c1d-44b5-b980-4d240b31381e