Shurio Matsu
Approaching the Shamate Pass, the party was discovered by lion matsu troops, who insisted they come to the Last Breath Castle and present themselves to the Commander. The commander was a very no-nonsense woman, and she had no love of scorpion. She believed them to be scorpion spies, as many parts of their cover story didn't add up, and she had recently gotten a wanted poster for the attempted assassin of the emperor (though with the emperor's face instead of the assassin's).
She took Diadoji Nagumi to play go and asked for her explanation of things. Diadoji was skillfully evasive. Matsu Nasuko decided to have the Kitsu Shujenga examine the party.
When they did so, they discovered that Chan was very important to the kami, and they decided to let them go. After announcing it, Matsu read aloud an order from the Tiger Clan to keep the party prisoner until the come to get them. "But I already announced their release. Darn!".
She warned Nagumi that they are after Chan.
Shamate Pass
Crossing the pass, the party was ambushed by a Tsuruchi Archer and his Moshi Shugenga ally. They said that there is a bounty on the party, and they attacked Chan. The party was able to defeat them, and found the orders to take them alive if possible, but that death is acceptable. They kept the Moshi spell scrolls.
Beiden City
Yogo James' brother (Tomoyuki) was running the family affairs here, so James presented him with Otomo Hana's poor quality wakizashi. The party was invited to tea. At tea they discovered that the mysterious liquid was Essence of Ningyo, which was basically like Fountain of Youth water, which made James' mother fourteen again. They stated that his sister, Meiko, was married to the lion so that they could discover how the lion was getting this stuff, but she killed her husband before she could learn anything, because of the inappropriate relationship between her and James. The family is quite disappointed in James.
His other sister, Kimiko, did a divination after tea, and saw the scorpion being devoured by a lion. But Chan corrected her, and showed her it was a tiger, not a lion. She went to consider this.
Meanwhile the group was sent to Gakki no Machi to deal with a peasant uprising led by a "peasant shujenga" who studied foreign scrolls. The peasants followed the Singular Kami, and they had killed the samurai in the city using a Golem, and they kept their wakizashis, hoping to ascend the celestial order by committing seppuku using samurai weapons, absorbing the souls as they reincarnate.
The golem was defeated. Tomoyuki was glad to have the issue resolved, as a copper shortage in the empire has drastically increased the price he could sell musical instruments at. He paid the party a reward of koku (under the guise of unpaid taxes to the clerk). He also gave James a brass flute, a bit of a joke, since a flute requires 2 hands to play, but insisted that he learn how in order to gain insight and be useful to the family.
Nagumi offered the golem's Chem to Tengen, the fortune of literacy, and gained Tengen's Magicite, which allowed you to write in any clan's cypher (and provided a way to learn other cyphers). It also allowed Chan to communicate via writing.
Kimiko took the scorpions to a secret temple where they keep the Oni's Eye. She showed them that they could scry on the imperial throne room, and see the nobles there were eating rotting meat under the illusion of normal food, and that the emperor does not show up on the scrying. When they attempt to scry on the emperor, it shows the group (Chan in particular). They believe the eye is being re-directed somehow.
With Chan able to write, he told the group he was the emperor, cursed by a foreign demon to not be recognized. With all the physical evidence, the party was able to mentally overcome the spell, and recognize their emperor (who still could not speak). Nagumi studied the spell, and saw that the curse could be broken if they could destroy whatever was maintaining it- either a spellcaster or a device of some kind.
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Saturday, April 11, 2020
Session 2 (11 XP Total)
The Stowaway
A man was found hiding in the wagons as the party left the capital. He had no identification, and he could not speak intelligibly, nor write more than 1 word at a time. They called him Chan because that was the most meaningful word he could write.
Chan was enchanted with some kind of "Blue" magic, fairly powerful. Seppun Izu began studying him. Using rudimentary communication, the found that Chan believes himself to be a member of the Totori family, though they can tell this is not true.
West Hub Village
The mission began at West Hub village. After Yogo James challenged a Lion Bushi and immediately backed down, the group met a Gaijin scientist who was working on making a synthetic jade substitute under employ of Rin, using some jade he had acquired from the Mantis Clan.
Afterwards they headed for the Shrine to Ebisu where they found a standoff between Tiger Samurai and peasants. When their caravan was attacked by bandits and the samurai protecting them was killed, the peasants drew the fallens' weapons and defended themselves. They claimed worship of Om (the singular Kami) and claimed that they were no longer honor bound to serve the Samurai class, as the samurai failed to provide them the protection that their servitude was bound to.
The PCs intimidated off the Tiger Clan, who vowed revenge. The monks at the shrine revealed that the Tiger was not there for the peasants, that the peasants were circumstantial, that they were probably after the Magicite of Ebisu- which granted any who wore it the Blessing of Ebisu.
Osari Mori Forest
Leaving West Hub Village, they went into the Osari Mori, where they found some people having been brutally dismembered by a large beast. That night they were attacked by a large tainted tiger, which they were able to kill. A crab harrier, Hiruma Inejero came, wielding a gaijin pepper gun, and said he was hunting the tiger, and that he was hunting a witch that was tainting animals in the forest. He continued the hunt and gave the PCs directions to the Silent City.
At the Silent City, they prayed to Benten, and found Fujihiro Hisake a vassal samurai in love with a woman above his station. They decided to try to gain the sponsorship of the Clan Champion to increase Hisake's station. While investigating the Clan Champion's wife, they found eta removing boxes from the palace and throwing them down a waterfall. The boxes turned out to contain dead women and their dead infants. They identified that Doji Mineko had miscarried and was going to pass off a peasant baby as her own. They informed the clan champion, who had her executed. The PCs asked in exchange for their help, the Doji Kurohito arranged the marriage of Fujihiro Hisake and Diadoji Shunji. By helping romantic love flourish, Benten cried out tears which became the Benten Magicite.
The party is now headed towards Last Breath Castle, a stronghold of the Lion.
A man was found hiding in the wagons as the party left the capital. He had no identification, and he could not speak intelligibly, nor write more than 1 word at a time. They called him Chan because that was the most meaningful word he could write.
Chan was enchanted with some kind of "Blue" magic, fairly powerful. Seppun Izu began studying him. Using rudimentary communication, the found that Chan believes himself to be a member of the Totori family, though they can tell this is not true.
West Hub Village
The mission began at West Hub village. After Yogo James challenged a Lion Bushi and immediately backed down, the group met a Gaijin scientist who was working on making a synthetic jade substitute under employ of Rin, using some jade he had acquired from the Mantis Clan.
Afterwards they headed for the Shrine to Ebisu where they found a standoff between Tiger Samurai and peasants. When their caravan was attacked by bandits and the samurai protecting them was killed, the peasants drew the fallens' weapons and defended themselves. They claimed worship of Om (the singular Kami) and claimed that they were no longer honor bound to serve the Samurai class, as the samurai failed to provide them the protection that their servitude was bound to.
The PCs intimidated off the Tiger Clan, who vowed revenge. The monks at the shrine revealed that the Tiger was not there for the peasants, that the peasants were circumstantial, that they were probably after the Magicite of Ebisu- which granted any who wore it the Blessing of Ebisu.
Osari Mori Forest
Leaving West Hub Village, they went into the Osari Mori, where they found some people having been brutally dismembered by a large beast. That night they were attacked by a large tainted tiger, which they were able to kill. A crab harrier, Hiruma Inejero came, wielding a gaijin pepper gun, and said he was hunting the tiger, and that he was hunting a witch that was tainting animals in the forest. He continued the hunt and gave the PCs directions to the Silent City.
At the Silent City, they prayed to Benten, and found Fujihiro Hisake a vassal samurai in love with a woman above his station. They decided to try to gain the sponsorship of the Clan Champion to increase Hisake's station. While investigating the Clan Champion's wife, they found eta removing boxes from the palace and throwing them down a waterfall. The boxes turned out to contain dead women and their dead infants. They identified that Doji Mineko had miscarried and was going to pass off a peasant baby as her own. They informed the clan champion, who had her executed. The PCs asked in exchange for their help, the Doji Kurohito arranged the marriage of Fujihiro Hisake and Diadoji Shunji. By helping romantic love flourish, Benten cried out tears which became the Benten Magicite.
The party is now headed towards Last Breath Castle, a stronghold of the Lion.
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Session 1 (3XP)
The various clan samurai came to the imperial city and met with Otomo Hana, the middle aged governess of the tax district.
Otomo Hana was quite bored with her life, and requested each samurai clan regail her with some test of skill. She then insisted they all stay for a few days, while she tormented her guests with off color and bawdy conduct, including inviting local eta to dine at the samurai's table, orchestrating a fake assassination plot, and tricking one clan samurai into wandering the grounds naked all night.
She gave the scorpion clan a gift to bring to their local daimyo. Investigation of the gift revealed a poor quality wakizashi (generally considered to be an insulting gift), though a closer look revealed a strange liquid concealed in a secret compartment in the handle.
During the event, several clan samurai were recruited by Otomo Toju, the hostesses brother, who, with a recently fired Jade Magistrate, Seppun Izo, were going to tour Rokugan to investigate reports of strange foreign magics and potential spy activity in the country, under the guise of working as tax collectors.
The party left early in the morning, and learned during their exit that the imperial city had been shut down- no one was to get in or out because of an attempted assassination in the imperial palace. No one was killed, but the would-be assassin escaped. Otomo Toju was able to use his connections to bypass the guard, but it looks like no one else would be leaving or entering the capital any time soon.
Otomo Hana was quite bored with her life, and requested each samurai clan regail her with some test of skill. She then insisted they all stay for a few days, while she tormented her guests with off color and bawdy conduct, including inviting local eta to dine at the samurai's table, orchestrating a fake assassination plot, and tricking one clan samurai into wandering the grounds naked all night.
She gave the scorpion clan a gift to bring to their local daimyo. Investigation of the gift revealed a poor quality wakizashi (generally considered to be an insulting gift), though a closer look revealed a strange liquid concealed in a secret compartment in the handle.
During the event, several clan samurai were recruited by Otomo Toju, the hostesses brother, who, with a recently fired Jade Magistrate, Seppun Izo, were going to tour Rokugan to investigate reports of strange foreign magics and potential spy activity in the country, under the guise of working as tax collectors.
The party left early in the morning, and learned during their exit that the imperial city had been shut down- no one was to get in or out because of an attempted assassination in the imperial palace. No one was killed, but the would-be assassin escaped. Otomo Toju was able to use his connections to bypass the guard, but it looks like no one else would be leaving or entering the capital any time soon.
Friday, April 3, 2020
Prologue
You have each been summoned by your lord- you are to be sent with a small group to the imperial city.
The group will include (from your family) a Bushi, a Courtier, a Shujenga, and a Bonge Clerk, and some Ashigaru guards. You will be delivering your tax payments to the imperial city for the quarter. Part of this is to be paid in coin, part in food crops.
You, as low level Samurai on your first mission, are to guard your individual caravans on the way to the Capital, and lead your Bonge clerk to the tax offices, where he will spend several hours (or days) accounting for your lord's tax payments.
While in the capital city, you are expected to present yourself to the Governer of the district, Otomo Hana.
Each clan has an extra mission for its staff as well...
The group will include (from your family) a Bushi, a Courtier, a Shujenga, and a Bonge Clerk, and some Ashigaru guards. You will be delivering your tax payments to the imperial city for the quarter. Part of this is to be paid in coin, part in food crops.
You, as low level Samurai on your first mission, are to guard your individual caravans on the way to the Capital, and lead your Bonge clerk to the tax offices, where he will spend several hours (or days) accounting for your lord's tax payments.
While in the capital city, you are expected to present yourself to the Governer of the district, Otomo Hana.
Each clan has an extra mission for its staff as well...
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