[003] Bandits, unkillable men, and strange mists

[ffilz]

While resting at the inn after telling your tales of the tiger demon on the mountain, you hear about tales of bandits in the mountains to the North, unkillable warriors who attack traders, and strange mists that swallow men. The folk sharing these tales don't seem to believe them, but your recent encounter suggests there might be some grain of truth to these tales.

[Starbeard]

That sounds like a job for the Oni Slayers of Nagiso.

Ezo spends the evening courting some of the gabbier locals with booze, asking about the weather, the harvest, trade, and then the bandits. Who claims they were attacked? Where, is it north of Nagiso? What's the local history of the area, was there a war or sinister tragedy in recent times?

[Marullus]

After their journey and rewards, Bankei places himself on a tatami mat a bit too close to the heat of the fire, sipping from a sizeable amount of saki as the first purchase of his coin. The soup is filling, and being warm and full is good. He drinks the last of it from the lip of his bowl and scoops the last bit of tofu and seaweed with his finger. He wipes is mouth on the back of his sleeve as he catches the conversation, listening to the banter.

He sips again of his drink, keen on the answers as Ezo asks the questions. Men don't want to think of or believe the bad things, the things that would scare them, but he never lived with such illusions. They like to tell tales like of the ghostly wrestlers of the Katada hills in Omi province, as those tales are spooky but yet harmless. Or they are titilated by the tales of the Goblin of Adachigahara, disguised as a hag and living only on human flesh, because those places are long ago and far away, and not here in the next town. The peasants and samurai would never look upon the gnawed bones when close at hand. He sips his saki again, listening intently for glimmers of truth among the lies of their tales.

I am assuming I can do a Butso-Do check as a knowledge skill... it's the thing he's best at.
Butso-do (6pts) [1d1000]=793 [1d1000]=83
So, I think that's really good. I need a refresher on how our rolls work...

[ffilz]

That is a good Butso-do roll. Bankei has heard of a Buddhist curse that renders someone undying, perhaps there is some truth to the tales. His Butso-do tells him nothing of strange mists though.

[Starbeard]

Back in a corner with his compatriots, it is clear that Ezo has let the drinks are just shy of getting the better of him. He looks at the floor mat with an exaggerated frown. "Strange mists swallowing men whole? Curses of undeath? Hmmm. Even the oni seems parochial by comparison. I can't even picture how these things would look in a painting; maybe that's why they make me feel so uneasy."

Then suddenly his demeanor shifts. Amusing himself with a private joke, Ezo chuckles and slaps his thigh as he stands up to retrieve his things. "Well then, tomorrow we will find out what is going on out on the northern mountain. Be sure to sleep well."

(If we still have things to do, just pretend this happens at the end of the night)

[ffilz]

Actually, a bit more detail of the curse. This may not be the same curse, but Bankei has heard of a Buddhist death curse against someone who had attacked the priest. With the curse Bankei heard of, the afflicted would suffer wounds as expected, but they would bleed for some time and then stop. The wound wound still hurt. Neither natural or magical healing would heal the wounds. The cursed could recover enough to continue on, but in constant pain.

[ffilz]

As you head up the road towards the village, you arrive at a shrine to Dosojin, kami of roads. Beyond the shrine, the road continues, also there is a narrow, rough road leading deeper into the mountains. A thin mist is starting to develop.

[Marullus]

Bankei plods up the road behind his samurai companions, hungover and feeling as sour as his stomach. Yagi heehaws, full from a trough of fresh provender and without the harmful after-effects of too much sake. He takes advantage of the slack in the lead-rope to trot ahead and grab mouthfuls of weed and thistle before Bankei passes him and tugs the line.

As they reach the crossroads, he calls out to his bushi companions. "Hai. Stop walking with your young, long legs." He looks around at the gathering mists and centers himself, increasing his awareness by whispering his ko-an as prayer to the Buddha. "Whether these are mists or strange mists, we do not blunder. A curse that prevents death is a grave curse indeed, holding the accursed back from rebirth... such cursed men must be desparate indeed." He contemplates the small shrine, placed at a fork in the road. "We stop and pray. To know whether to take this fork less traveled might make all the difference."

He grunts, shuffling over and kneeling at the shrine, settling himself into prayer to honor the Kami of Roads.

I think I can maintain both Detect Magic IV and See Invisible V without depleting my points, right? If so, I do so. If I can only do one, lets See Invisible.

Butso-Do at Shrine [1d1000]=108

[Starbeard]

Ezo lazily swings his leg over the saddle and dismounts his horse (we still have those, right?), strolling over to the side of the road. Finding a few delicate wildflowers he plucks them (assuming it's the season for it) and bows before the dosojin shrine. He whispers a quick prayer with serious piety, gently places the flowers and a couple of coins at the shrine. When he returns to his horse his smirking demeanor returns as well.

"The first traveller to pass by after us will find himself blessed by the dosojin, and collect a few coins miraculously conjured from thin air! Let's hope a kami up ahead will have been appeased to munificence by someone far wealthier than us, no?" Ezo mounts his horse thoroughly amused with himself.

[ffilz]

I'll try to have an update tomorrow, but would also welcome Jemmus's input.

[ffilz]

Bankei can only maintain See Invisible.

As you pray at the shrine, you see a vision of a young coman clad in a simple kimono:

Greetings, I have waited for such as you. Honor and death await you on your road, the road to my prison. Honor and death must be restored to their proper places - you are the ones I have chosen.

Three you will meet, three you will fight, three you will defeat on the south toad.

Go not to Akita.

The main road leads to Akita. The narrow road is the south road.

Bankei's See Invisible sees the "vision" as a programmed illusion. He realizes the source is one of the offerings on the altar. The Butso-do roll doesn't inform Bankei of much.

[Starbeard]

Is this something only Bankei can see, or do all of us witness it?

[ffilz]

Is this something only Bankei can see, or do all of us witness it?

All witness he vision. Sorry. Bankei has the additional information that it’s an illusion.

[Marullus]

Thanks for the clarification!

Bankei examines the offerings to determine which one was enchanted and if there's additional meaning to be gleaned.

Specifically, are we tovtake this as the plot hook, or is there more to be learned about this that could reveal it as a trap or ruse?

[ffilz]

Plot hook…

And yes you can identify the offering that is the source. It’s a bundle of flowers bound around a stick (pick a wood associated with this kind of thing).

[Marullus]

Bankei scunches up his face and regards the two paths, the points to the narrow one. "That way, then," he says, sticking his pinkie finger in his ear and wiggling it to dislodge some wax. "Three challenges, death and honor, something about toads..."

He tugs the Yagi's rope, then pauses contemplative, speaking to his companions. "It is a grave and terrible curse to be unable to die. Being denied an honorable death is the worst torment to the soul. If these three challenges are what were described, the deathless perpetrators must have done something utterly without honor. Your wits might be more importantthan your swords - look to resolve their dishonor," he pauses and focuses on tugging until at last the donkey moves. "...then grant them death."

As an after thought, he takes up the bouquet and stick of hinoki wood, sniffing it's faint lemon scent, carrying it with him. "Just in case you have more to say," he comments quietly to the piece of wood.

[Starbeard]

Ezo, who has already resumed his custom of chewing on a long reed of grass plucked from the side of the road, freezes still half-mounted onto the saddle of his horse as he watches the vision. "Honor and death await us…" he weighs the words morosely. "Wizards and their riddles. I'd like to think she means our honor and their death, but you can't tell with these things, can you…"

Still uneasy, he leads his horse to the south road and examines it curiously, looking for signs of obvious recent use, the surrounding landscape for possible ambush positions, and whether he can still ride his horse easily along that path.

[ffilz]

You ride up the path climbing into the mountains, following above a river in a narrow valley. You pass through a wooded area and then come out of the woods and see the valley opens up some with rice paddies. In the distance a large manor house stands on a mound in the middle of a serene and beautiful lake.

Before you can take in any more than that, there is a cackling laughter over your head and stones start dropping around you. A curious half crow half man creature drops onto a large rock on the side of the road. The crow figure hops around on the rock in some excitement. In a hoarse cawing voice:

Ha! Fight! Fight! Fight me, brave warriors! Fight me, wily swordsmen! Need challenges I do! Ha! Need to battle true men, I do! Fight! Fight! Fight! Need to test my sword I do! Duel, we will! Fight one of you i will, but Kakati is better! Always Tengu is better! Ha!

Reactions?

[Starbeard]

Ezo resists the impulse to simply take up his bow and shoot the tengu from the saddle. After all, the sadhana of the warrior requires improvement, victory itself is tangential.

He dismounts and draws his blade. "Come down here, you cackling creature, and we will see who learns from whom."

[ffilz]

Ezo resists the impulse to simply take up his bow and shoot the tengu from the saddle. After all, the sadhana of the warrior requires improvement, victory itself is tangential.

He dismounts and draws his blade. "Come down here, you cackling creature, and we will see who learns from whom."

I'll wait just in case Kiyoshi wants to accept the challenge also, though as ronin, I assume he would defer to samurai Ezo.