1st Scroll - The Will of Nobles - 1st - 3rd Days

[jmacatty]

Omi rolls his shot:
[1d20]=7
Hits, rolls damage: [4d5]=12
Ouch!

[Enoch]

As long as the bakemono is down, Katsumi will keep battering at it with the ring. He has no desire to get within arm's reach to use the knife or his sword, downed or no. If at any point in this round it gets up, please treat the next attack roll as a Trip:

1st Action (Basic, Phase 5): Attack Kusari-Jutsu (Adjusted BCS 22): [1d20]=7 Damage (S): [1d5]=4
2nd Action (Secondary, Phase 10): Attack Kusari-Jutsu (Adjusted BCS 16): [1d20]=11, damage (S) [1d5]=3
3rd Action (Secondary, Phase 15): Kusari-Jutsu (Adjusted BCS 16): [1d20]=5, damage (S) [1d5]=5

[jemmus]

In a flash Katsumi iron ring again smashes down on the shirted ogre's back. It lies unmoving, lifeless and reeking of carrion and bakemono scent. Kentaro releases his grip on the thing and rises to his feet. Omi eases the tautness his long dai-kyu's bowstring. Taisho stops his run. Ito considers taking the o-bakemono's silver bracelet. It would require severing the thing's other red hand.

The bushi, gakusho and shinobi make their way back to the campsite. Kentaro's and Omi's horses look at their masters and acknowledge their return, in the way that only horses do. In the past 14 minutes they've come to know better than if they'd spend a day and night on the road together. Taisho's pot of rice and mountain herbs is done. The scent is in the air, with just a hint of delicious koge.

Koge - burnt rice at the bottom of the pot. 1 budo for Katsumi, .5 budo and .5 On for Kentaro. The fights with the two bake lasted only 54 seconds (9 turns). Omi can try to extract his arrow from the o-bakemono. It's buried pretty deep and the bake's flesh is very tough, so it will take a successful STR saving throw.

Moving to Day 2. Feel free to post any dialogue or actions after the PCs return to the campfire on Day 1.

[Marullus]

Did the fight end with the bakemono-sho slain or tied-up for questioning? (Either is fine, of course.)

[jemmus]

Day 2

The sun rises and lights the forest on the side of the mountain. The travelers wake and begin their preparations for the day. For each his own reason, they will travel southeast along the Kohshuu-Kaidoh highway toward Fuji-san, the volcanic mountain at the heart of Nippon. Every person in Nippon longs to see beautiful Fuji-san and experience the presence of it's powerful, majestic kami. Pilgrims who have visited the sacred mountain gain honor and respect, and perhaps even some spiritual blessing. Perhaps this is the destination of some of the travelers.

Perhaps for others it is Kofu, the capital of the warlike Takeda clan of the Minamoto. The city lies on the way to Fuji-san.


Soon after sunrise three people are seen coming up the mountain trail. They are an aged Shinto priest and two miko shrine maidens. The girls would ordinarily be considered rather plain, but they radiate a purity that makes them quite beautiful.


The old priest leaves the trail and looks at the o-bakemono's and bakemono-sho's dead bodies. He and the maidens approach the travelers, and the old man speaks. Good morning! Ah, I see you have killed the o-bakemono. It was a naughty one. And the outcast bakemono-sho was even naughtier, even its own kind wouldn't associate with it. Strange that they were here-- usually they don't come this close to the shrine. Thank you, we are grateful. I'll have people from the village burn the bodies. Come to the shrine to cleanse the pollution and receive amulets of protection.

The priest heads up the trail toward the shrine, the two maidens behind him formally walking side by side.

[jemmus]

Katsumi's first blow in Turn 9 killed it dead.

[ffilz]

Does Taisho need to do purification on anyone? Thankfully Taisho himself was not actually engaged with either foe when they died...

[Marullus]

Does Taisho need to do purification on anyone? Thankfully Taisho himself was not actually engaged with either foe when they died...

Purification only impacts Gakusho or "pious laymen." None of us qualify currently as "pious laymen" which is defined under 1093.3 Piety and entails taking actual Gakusho vows and getting 1/day Gakusho powers. (I missed that previously - a great tie-in for a Sohei concept.)

[jemmus]

Wow, that is pretty perfect for developing a sohei PC profession.

[ffilz]

Does Taisho need to do purification on anyone? Thankfully Taisho himself was not actually engaged with either foe when they died...

Purification only impacts Gakusho or "pious laymen." None of us qualify currently as "pious laymen" which is defined under 1093.3 Piety and entails taking actual Gakusho vows and getting 1/day Gakusho powers. (I missed that previously - a great tie-in for a Sohei concept.)

Hmm, does anyone need any healing, Taisho can do that, but wounds are impure also...

[Marullus]

Kentaro gawks at the two miko shrine maidens before he closes his mouth and approaches the aged Shinto priest, bowing low and holding it in excessive respect. "O-Gakusho-san, we are honored to make this road more safe for your travel. I am Togakushi no Kentaro, far from home and humbly ask to protect you until we reach the holiest of shrines. It is not just these naughty creatures that make this unsafe. I pursued a brazen thief across the mountains who robbed my liege," he nods to the bloodied sack which holds the severed head on his horse, "we were set upon by these Bake, and also by men who revealed they too waylay travellers to rob them." He blushes after a furtive glance at the maidens. "what Holy treasures and wisdom you transport should be free of such offense."

[ffilz]

Taisho will also accompany the priest to the shrine, sharing how as he was preparing his evening meal, the two bake barged into the camp while the warriors were off chasing something in the forest.

[jemmus]

The two o-miko-san maidens smile and lower their heads to Kentaro, but they avoid giving any sign of any possibility of friendship of the male-female kind. It seems that they are indeed devoted shrine maidens. I ask your favor in the future, Togakushi no Kentaro-san, Taisho-san. I am Kamunushi. Thieves, as well? What happened to them? The old man serene smile and placid demeanor remain, but his eyes don't hide that the casual question is in earnest.

The red one has a silver bracelet. I ask that donate it to the shrine or take it with you, either way is fine. But if it's left on the body, it will cause trouble in the village. The farmers have rules for dividing water among their fields. But they don't have rules for dividing monsters' treasure. If you donate it to the shrine, Fuujin-sama will be pleased, I would think. Perhaps he would give you a special blessing. But Fuujin-sama is kami. The thinking of kami and humans are not the same. Isn't that right? The old gakusho's last question isn't so much of a question as a softer way of making a statement.

Kamunshi = shrine priest (kami expert). The old gakusho gave his occupation, rather than his personal name. It could because he feels he feels it's his function in society that matters, not his personal identity. Or it could be that he didn't want to introduce strangers/travelers to his personal self and group.
Either way, its not an insult. It's just he has called himself by what he does, rather than by his name.

Noted that Taisho plans to visit the shrine. But the shrine attendants won't depart until the dialog with the old gakisho is done.

[Marullus]

Kentaro stays bowed as he answers. "The thieves were slain as well when they attacked our companion. We had no to leave them, just through the forest, that over there. They confessed to work for bandits who rob the strong and murder the weak along the highway."

With the old priest's permission and request, Kentaro draws his no-dachi and brings it down in a heavy stroke, severing the o-bakemono's other wrist and removing the silver bracelet. He holds it a long moment, considering his own poverty, their trials to come. He then extends the bracelet to Ito, to have and carry. Such decisions come later, he thinks.

He places his bundles on his horse, ready to carry out his pledge to go onward to the shrine and protect the priest on his way.

[jemmus]

I see, the old priest says to Kentaro. Please take me to the bodies of the bandits. To the miko, Go ahead to the shrine and prepare it for the day. They bow their assent and head up the pathway.

[Marullus]

"Oh... right..." disassembles Kentaro, glancing to Katsumi for help.

[spanningtree]

Ito accepts the bracelet from Kentaro with a slight bow, stowing it: This may be of use on our journeys... I will join you.

OCC: I made the corrections to Ito's sheet based on the discussion in the character sheets thread. Please let me know if anything else needs attention.

[jemmus]

The silver bracelet appears not to be of human manufacture. If a human made it, the craftsman must have been a wild barbarian from across the seas.

People in Nippon don't wear jewelry such as rings, earrings and necklaces. (Kuge might have some gold accessories). No one wore bracelets, so this is an unfamiliar item to the heroes. If they'd like, PCs can make a Commerce, Crafts, or Make Trappings BCS check to try to get an insight into the value of the thing.

Need Katsumi's reaction to Kentaro's post, then we can proceed. (I realize it's been a holiday weekend here in the U.S., people may be busy catching up on things).

[ffilz]

The silver bracelet appears not to be of human manufacture. If a human made it, the craftsman must have been a wild barbarian from across the seas.

People in Nippon don't wear jewelry such as rings, earrings and necklaces. (Kuge might have some gold accessories). No one wore bracelets, so this is an unfamiliar item to the heroes. If they'd like, PCs can make a Commerce, Crafts, or Make Trappings BCS check to try to get an insight into the value of the thing.

Need Katsumi's reaction to Kentaro's post, then we can proceed. (I realize it's been a holiday weekend here in the U.S., people may be busy catching up on things).

Once I get a chance Taisho will make a Commerce roll.

[jemmus]

Taisho's appraising eye lit on the silver object. He's gakusho and he doesn't care at all about money. But he's also grown up in a merchant herbalist family.
No land ownership, no harvests of rice coming in, no tax income. Heimin making their way among other heimin. His dad ran an herbalist store.

"Really wide, probably heavy, and looks like the silver of an unmixed Imperial silver coin. These kyuu, katana and o-yoroi armor bushi might not know how to sell. Or even be easy marks for a yakuza hustle in an inn. Quick fellow Katsumi (shinobi?) probably too. They probably need some guidance about common sense, all of them. So they don't fight everything, and then just starve."

Taisho observes Ito putting the o-bakemone's silver wrist band into his bag with hardly any attention. He'll watch when he takes it out again, step in and advise or intervene.