1st Scroll - The Will of Nobles - 5th - 6th Days

[Marullus]

Kentaro keeps his face impassive even as his heart sinks, leaving him utterly hollow inside. A proper samurai should have no care for niggling about money, he reminds himself, trying to overcome his personal aversion to continued poverty.

To the craftsman, he just nods solemnly. "Six bowel-rakers and a dozen willow leafs, then," he states as he hands over 5 silver pieces. "Deliver them to the Inn," he concludes. Conscientious that he might looks too rough and worn, he lets his fine katana show, casually, to reinforce his status.

Subtracting 5sp from 9sp leaves 4sp. (arrows)
5sp for room, meal and bath. 11cp for boarding.
New totals: 10gp, 11sp, 6cp.
12 willow leaf, 7 bowel raker, 5 armor piercer)

Need to calculate Haruto's shugendo for Day 4 and today. Voices in the Blood is 10 cost, so .1 shugendo per day, correct?

It is not based on Power Spent, it is based on Knowledge Required. So each use of it would be .2 Shugendo.

Going forward, Haruto will need to say where he is casting Astral Senses (the inn's main room, the kuge's bedroom, etc.)

Yeah, I took that into account by specifying the Inn's main room - so he could see the main space and the proprietors. I understand he was accepting risk on the bedrooms in that case.

To scout an entire inn, I think he'd have to enter a room, cast Astral Senses, go into trance, return to the mundane, move to another place, and cast it again. For Day 4 and today, let's say Haruto spent 6 power each day doing that. 6 power / 10 = .6. .7 shugendo total each day. If I'm missing something, please let me know.

That's cool. If you're allowing the "total inspection" option, we should do that.

So, he can be led by others without leaving the trance. He would probably coordinate with Taisho for multi-room inspections, asking Taisho to lead him while he inspects for their safety.

Astral Senses is technically a Basic Power, unclear how it works with Shugendo, and there's no Knowledge Required. A Gakusho gets rewarded for a Trance (which is a more specific-use similar power). If Astral Senses counts as a spell or a trance, it is probably .1 per effective use. If not, it isn't rewarded.

Haruto also pays his bills.
5sp for room, meal and bath. 11cp for boarding.
New totals: 17gp, 5sp, 16cp.

[jemmus]

I get 5 sp and 18 cp for the arrows. (168 cp total, divided by 30 cp per sp = 5.6 sp = 5 sp, 18 cp).
Agreed about awarding .1 shugendo for Astral Senses, similar to Trance for gakusho. Let's say that shugenja in a trance can be led around to use Astral Senses in various places. It seems a little overpowered, but the shugenja would be very helpless and vulnerable. And the character doing the leading would be occupied with doing the leading that whole turn. In the event of danger, they'd be vulnerable at least part of that turn as well. House Rules page updated.

Haruto's shugendo information revised on the game days tracking Excel, based on the figures from the post above.

[jemmus]

Day 6
The sun rises on another clear and sunny autumn day. In the samurai sleeping room, Haruto hears Omi and Ito discuss the day's travel to Kofu.
No o-yoroi to be worn in Kofu, Ito says. That means guarding the kuge all the way to Kofu unarmored.
Bah, Omi replies, I'll wear my armor until the Takeda make me take it off. Until then I am an Imperial subject and a samurai traveling the Emperor's highway.
So you would remove armor at a checkpoint, in public? That would be humiliating. Aren't you worried about your family's pride?
I have pride enough as a bushi to wear my o-yoroi if I want to. Besides, you don't know what I'm going to do.
Omi begins putting on the pieces of his o-yoroi. Ito dons his clothing and puts his dai-sho through the cloth sash. In the dining room, he says to the postmaster-innkeeper, Please send your smartest servant to purchase a traveler's chest of the right size for a suit of o-yoroi. And to hire a porter to carry it to Kofu. A one-way trip.

Kentaro rides Tafu to the fletcher's workshop and retrieves his purchase. The 18 arrows ordered are there, and they are of average, workable quality. The shafts are straight and the fletchings and heads aligned true and firmly affixed. He notes that the fletchings are of gray goose feathers, rather than the preferred stripes ones of a hawk, kite or pheasant. That makes them seem all the more expensive to him, consider what he paid.

This morning the kuge appears from his room a little later in the day. His pilgrim's garb is gone, and in its place is the elaborate silk of a kuge of Imperial Kyoto.

Akemi, Taisho, Kentaro and Hiroshi have never before seen such an extravagant costume. Even the samurai have never seen such a thing, outside of in woodblock prints. Taisho with his merchant background is unable to estimate the cost of so much fine silk. Let us be off to Kofu, then, he says. Bushi, you will see to it that no damage comes to my clothing. And to my person, of course.

Ito's trunk and porter arrive. The folding o-yoroi is soon packed away and the trunk on the porter's back hanging from shoulder straps. The travelers are in the roadstead, ready to escort their conspicuous ward to Kofu.

Taisho - 5 copper for the night at the inn. Hiroshi - 5 silver.
Hiroshi and Kentaro have to decide about wearing o-yoroi or not.
Any actions this morning before departing for Kofu?

[ffilz]

Hiroshi will also pack his armor. Will he also need to hire a porter to carry it? Or can we just pack it carefully on the horse with the trunks?

[ffilz]

And blessings for the day:

[Marullus]

Kentaro dons his armor and mounts his horse next to the silk-clad noble. He sits upright, performing his duty as yojimbo.

[jemmus]

Taisho invokes the blessings of the kami for the yojimbo for the day's travel. When he reaches Haruto, a gentle breeze rustles the leaves of a gingko tree by the inn. Leaves fall to the ground and both he and the shugenja feel the presence of the divine harmony of nature and the world.

Hiroshi ties his folding o-yoroi and its various separate pieces into a bundle and, with Haruto's permission, adds it to the burdens hanging from the shugenja's horse's back. The party sets off down the highway to the capital. The highway continues to follow a northwest to southeast valley bound by steep, pine- and maple-forested mountains to either side. In most places now-dry rice fields lie between the roadstead and the mountains. But in many places where the valley is more narrow, the highway is simply a wide path through thick woods. At such places both the yojimbo and the kuge are more alert for bandits, brigands, or other concealed dangers.

In the late afternoon at one such place, the travelers encounter a beautiful girl of around 18 years old. From her clothing and hairstyle, she appears to be heimin, perhaps the daughter of a merchant or successful artisan. From her happy demeanor, she seems exceptionally full of health and good spirits.

She is sitting on a rock at the side of the road. One of her straw sandals is off, and it appears that she is working at re-attaching a strap. When she sees the party and the magnificently dresses kuge on horseback, she stands, raises her hands to her cheeks, and her mouth becomes an O. She quickly sinks to the ground and bows deeply to the kuge and the rest of the party. When she raises her head, she says in honorific-level Nipponese, Good afternoon, o-kuge-sama, samurai-sama, min-na["everyone"]-sam. I am called Shino. Hokuto-cho is my place of origin. My father became no longer existing in this world last week, then my mother also, four days ago. I am going to Kofu to look for employment. If it will not inconvenience o-kuge-sama or anyone, I would like to ask to follow along behind your party. Because I fear there may be dangers on the highway.

The kuge looks left, right and left at girl's ears. The yojimbo do too. Upraised, high on top, earlobes attached and not free and fat. A sign of a life of shortage and not wealth. But that is from the lore of China, neither Shinto or Buddhist. The kuge sniffs and looks at the two samurai bushi, indicating that it doesn't matter to him one way or another. Ito nods his approval; Omi simply grunts. Akemi looks the girl up and down appraisingly. She speaks up. I'm sorry to hear of your misfortune, Shino-san. Don't you have even an aunt or uncle who can care for you? Do you have relatives in Kofu to welcome you?
No,miss-sama, the girl answers. I am all alone. That's why I must go to Kofu to find work. I'm sorry to delay you, o-kuge-sama. I'll quickly repair my sandal and hurry behind you. The girl does just that. With a few deft motions she re-attaches the strap, puts the sandal on her foot, goes to the back of the party. Along the way, she smiles cheerful and utterly lovely smiles at Kentaro, Taisho and Haruto, meeting their eyes with a greeting. Perhaps the young men, each according to his own nature and experience, think different things.
"Does she like me? Am I her type, and she naturally finds me attractive? A beautiful girl like that? It seems too good to be true. But the old songs and tales tell of such things. Love at first sight. Born for each other. Buddhism's meeting of great friend souls again in next lives."
"Perhaps the girl out on her own is looking for a husband, a roof, and a livelihood? That would be understandable for a girl in such a situation."
"Is she a runaway oiran courtesan, like Akemi was?" And then, "If so, is she actually ninja, like Akemi was?"

The kuge urges Omi's horse on and the travelers proceed down the highway, expecting to arrive at Kofu in the next couple of hours.

Haruto doesn't know Akemi's story, so he wouldn't have the thought about ninja in disguise.
Did Haruto consent for his horse to carry Hiroshi's armor? If not, we can retcon and have Hiroshi buy a chest and hire a porter.
Actions?

[jemmus]

A nice topo map of the Kofu area from the Honor Bound module/adventure. The maps, the city of Kofu and its institutions, and the escort the kuge idea were about all I could take from that one so far. But more good maps from it to follow.

[jemmus]

I'm sorry, I edited the post about today's travel along the road, please see the new version and don't consider the first one. I'm sorry, but the revised one is a better GM post and reference for the players as they move along today.

[Marullus]

Did Haruto consent for his horse to carry Hiroshi's armor?

Yes.

When the new girl appears, Kentaro remains alert. He has no eyes for her, however. Instead, he looks to see Akemi, to gauge her reaction. The new girl panders as they come to her... she pales in comparison to Akemi, who has already captured his heart and his eye. Who works to hide her capability and her worth, not to flaunt it. His heart swells into his throat and he blinks, breaking his gaze from Akemi and looking back to the road ahead once more. (What's Akemi's reaction to the new girl?)

Haruto is polite to the new guest, deferring to Omi and Ito on her disposition. He may be young, but he doesn't think himself a fool... a lone woman on the road with a 'broken sandal' just hoping for a handsome escort to the capital... He considers. Then he quietly chants to himself, his eyes clouding over as he watches quietly.
Magic Detection - see if she is hinky. It takes no power but 1d3 minutes per attempt (so not a detail time thing) - should have time along the road...
Magic Detection. [1d3]=3 minutes. BCS 10. [1d20]=19
Magic Detection. [1d3]=3 minutes. BCS 10. [1d20]=10
So... six minutes pass before he can evaluate her appropriately.

[jemmus]

Kentaro notes that the usually quiet, unassertive, and even innocuous Akemi spoke up when the newcomer appeared. She questioned the girl Shino's story about having no family and going to Kofu on her own, with no one to receive her there. She is too good of an actor to make it obvious, but it seems to Kentaro that the shinobi woman is keeping an eye on Shino and appraising her as they go along. But when their eyes meet, her gaze frankly confides her suspicions to the big ronin. And her eyes seem to say, "Please don't suspect me because of her. Our stories are similar, but I really did tell the truth."

Haruto concentrates as they walk down the highway, the senses of his mind open to detecting the presence of magic. He sometimes likens the effort as to placing a down feather on a table and opening all windows and shoji. If there is any movement of the air, the tiny piece of down will move. And likely float away. After almost 400 paces, his mind of the magical realm detects "motion in the air." It's behind him. The girl who calls herself Shino is glowing with an aura of magical energy that's like the color of the inside of a tangerine.

[Marullus]

Haruto quietly continues his analysis...

Magical Analysis (BCS 10) [1d20] is wood, steel, or soil [1d20]
Magical Analysis (BCS 10) [1d20]=17 is wood, steel, or soil [1d20]=9
Magical Analysis (BCS 10) [1d20]=4 is wood, steel, or soil [1d20]=7
if wood, steel, or soil [1d20]=19 [1d20]=15 [1d20]=11 [1d20]=19
So, spend 2 Power, successful magic Analysis. Not likely successful in further analysis within the school, though.

[jemmus]

Good catch, Haruto needed Magic Analysis to identify what actually is magic. I missed that, but honestly I think the description of Magic Detection is poorly worded. To me it implies that the spell detects the source of the magic. But apparently it doesn't, or we wouldn't need Magic Analysis.

Please note that my last post above has been revised a little. Sorry, I tend to do that. After I post, I have ideas about how the text/storytelling could be improved.

[Marullus]

Oh, I see what you mean... "if there is any source" vs "knowing the source." I thought your description was (and is) a good application of Magic Detection and would rather have it be more applicable that way. He knows any specific magic sources in the area. Seeing it "tangerine" is fun description (because without Magic Analysis I have no idea what "tangerine" means, apparently.)

Magic Analysis is then what the spell does - what school it is, what spell it is (i.e. degrees of knowledge about its effect). I would rather have reliable, basic plot info come from the basic analysis and further specific details come from the school roll... having to succeed at three BCS rolls in a row to potentially understand the nature of a spell is neutering the sorcerer class, imho.

FWIW, I'm waiting for the Magic Analysis reveal before I act on anything. What the magic is remains terribly relevant to a Shugenja (presence of magic alone is not indictable.)

[jemmus]

OK, let's treat Magic Detection as identifying what specifically is magical (an entity, a wakizashi, a calligraphy pen, etc.)
Haruto focuses more sharply on the magical energy, separating it various essences. It's not Wood, Steel, or Soil. Its definitely not Fire. It's Water.

[Marullus]

Haruto walks, leading his horse, chatting amiably with Taisho as they go. A spell of water, the discipline of deception, cast over her person, he thinks to himself. What lies beneath? Could be dangerous indeed... He resolves not to out the creature, whatever it may be, until they come to a crossing point.

He chats with Taisho as they walk. "Do you know the stories of Kazuya the Kitsune?" he smiles. He rambles on, telling the story of how the Kama of the tale used magic to hide her appearance and engage in a number of tales, hoping to communicate to the gakusho his suspicious without saying them aloud... and hoping that Shino doesn't catch on.

Theology (BCS 9) [1d20]=13

[jemmus]

The traveler's follow the mounted kuge along the final stretches to Kofu, the capital of the samurai Takeda clan, governors of Kai province. Both clan and province famed for their horse-breeding and fine horsemen. And the Takeda being famed for being proud and fierce bushi. Or put down for being uncouths who know reins and not the inkbrush, weapons and not words. As usual, the truth probably lies somewhere between either extreme.

As they walk along, Kentaro tells Taisho old partly-remembered tales of kitsune. Taisho remembered them a little differently, but he got it. Glances back at Shino show her walking along. When asked to join the travelers, the healthy and cheerful girl took a place in front of the trudging porter. But now she's behind him and the healthy, cheerful girl the party met an hour an hour ago has truly become a sad, dejected orphan.

The kuge walks Omi's horse on, along the last few short miles to Kofu. Very soon, the legs of this trip will be done. By dusk at the latest. And in the city and the castle by dinner time.

Actions?

[Marullus]

Briefly so I don't forget to post. When we get to guards at Kofu:

• Kentaro intends to remain armored as the Koge's bodyguard unless the Koge says otherwise.
• Haruto plans to out the magical impostor to the guards, so if it some dangerous creature we aren't facing it alone and if it just requires captivity they're present to handle it.

When we enter Kofu:

• Kentaro will remain with the Koge if he is permitted and not dismissed by the Koge. He has nowhere else to go, so he continues to serve on his honor.
• Haruto fulfills honorably his promise to herald the Koge to the court and his family. Afterwards he goes to seek out his father.

No action at present, as we're not to guards or to the city.

[jemmus]

A summary of this wall of text is in the next post.
At a little before sunset, the travelers mount a rise in the road and have a view of Kofu. It's a real city in a broad flat-bottomed valley and surrounded by rectangular rice fields. Numerous houses, shops, and other buildings can be seen. Two-story whitewashed warehouses with dark shutters and tiled roofs rise above them. Farther away, there to the right on a hill wooded with pines, is a wide Buddhist temple with peaceful, eye-pleasing lines and great, dark wooden columns. There to the left on another wooded hill, this one with autumn-foliage maples, is a great vermillion gate of a Shinto shrine. Only a corner of the tiled roof of the shrine building shows behind the leaves. On a hill rising above everything else are the granite walls and wooden buildings of a fine castle. It can only be Maizuru-jo, Kofu's fortress and the center of the Takeda clan's power.

The travelers know that such a city is a local concentration of the high civilization and culture of Nippon. It must have libraries, dojos, and other places for advancing one's knowledge of the arts.

The kuge stops Omi's horse and announces a directive. The samurai bushi will walk in front of me, but not lead the horse by the reins. The herald will be two paces behind, leading the pack horse with my chest. I'm afraid his own chest must not be on the horse with my own. Ronin bushi will be two paces behind the pack horse. Try to look smart like true bushi, and not look like vagrant ronin sellswords.

The rest of you, Gakusho, Tomboy, all the rest, you cannot enter the city proper with me. You must always stay 10 paces behind the ronin and pretend we are not acquainted." He draws forth from his voluminous left sleeve, which is sewn at the end to form a sack for holding things, rolled papers tied with black ribbon. I will tell you what they say, in case you can't read them. They are written in kanji, and also in hiragana, for the less literate. The travelers see that In flowing kanji, followed by columns of hiragana. They say,
"Jishoh, 1st Year, Tsukimi-zuki, 5th Day. In Hokuto-cho, Kai Province.
To Whom It May Concern:
I, Sanetoshi of the Fujiwara clan, write this by my own hand. The bearer of this letter, by name [the PC's name], has rescued me from the murderous hands of brigands of the Koshu-Kaido highway, and escorted myself to the capital of the Takeda in Kai, Kofu. This person caused no complaint, and I have no reason to doubt [his/hers] honesty or diligence."

At the bottom of each paper is a sumi-e ink painting of just a few quick strokes. And the vermillion seal of the kuge stamped beside each.
For Haruto, there's an image of a waving banner bearing the kamon of the proud Takeda clan, partially obscured by a branch of autumn maple leaves.

For Omi, the side of a kabuto helmet, with just the just a faint hint of the warrior's jawline and grimace. The image is more kabuto than person.

Ito, the rough shape of a figure in o-yoroi, both hands and katana raises overhead to deliver a downward killing blow.

Hiroshi's paper has a part of a plum tree branch, with a cluster of three blossoms. Branches and blossoms are common motifs for sumi-e paintings. Perhaps the kuge doesn't know Hiroshi well enough yet for anything more individualized.

Kentaro's has the head and torso of an armored acher. He seems to have just loosed a shot and is looking expectantly in the distance to see the results. There's a hint of something over the archer's shoulder. The head of a samisen? A wind? A spirit?

Taisho's has a faint image of the head and shoulders of some kind of rough and bristly bearded monk or priest. The old man's eyes are wide, as if grim and apprehensive before going into battle. But they look upward, toward Heaven.

Akemi's is enigmatic. A cold, solitary shrike is perched on a sole, dry stalk. Is its gaze one of a predator scanning the fields for prey? Or is gazing inward?


There is no letter or painting for Shino, who just started following along. And of course none for the porter bent under the burden of Ito's chest.

You may display the paintings in your homes, or you may even sell them to common merchants. And now, to the city and the castle. Samurai, see that no one forgets their position. The captured, beaten, liberated, healed and escorted young nobleman doesn't say "Thank you" or "Well done." But he watches while each open and view their gift. When the last is done, he's still for a second, upright on Omi's horse. Then wheels it around as if on a racetrack before a race, runs it forward a few yards, and slows it again to the walk toward the capital of Kai.

Only Akemi's painting was a BCS success. The others all have some flubs in the execution. Merchant-descent and non-artist Taisho can't really guess the value of each. From nothing on up to 1 gold, maybe? Because of the kuge's vermillion seal? More, even? Art is an intangible value that he doesn't have experience with.
The image is sumi-e by the famous bushi duelist, and later Zen philosopher, Miyamoto Musashi, author of The Book of Five Rings, which was a bestseller in the 80s.
Haruto's and Hiroshi's trunks have to be taken from Haruto's horse and somehow ported, or abandoned. Let me know about the trunks, please. Then we'll be done with the mechanics and logistics of travel in Bushido for awhile.

[jemmus]

Summary of the above post.
The travelers come within sight of Kofu, the Takeda capital and the kuge's destination as a refugee. The kuge stops and announces this marching order from highway to city: Omi and Ito; the kuge, riding; Haruto, leading his horse with the kuge's trunk; the ronin bushi Kentaro and Hiroshi. All others are to follow 10 steps behind. And the kuge's chest with his belongings can only be on Haruto's horse. Haruto's and Hiroshi's have to be gotten off.
The kuge provide the travelers with letters of commendation. But no cash reward or reimbursement travel expenses, as would be expected. But each letter has a personal sumi-e ink painting on it done by the kuge. All of the paintings are BCS failures, except for Akemi's. The kuge states that the travelers are free to display or sell the paintings, which bear his vermillion seal. Taisho, the gakusho son of merchants, doesn't have much idea about such things are worth.