PCs
Ito Namagachi – Low Ronin Bushi (spanningtree)
Uesigi Omi – High Samurai Bushi (jmacatty)
Togakushi no Kentaro - Low Ronin Bushi (Marullus)
Taisho – Middle Heimin Merchant Gakusho (ffilz)
The Story So Far
Day 1
Day 1 - Mi-na-zuki, 4th year of Angen (September 27, 1179)
It is evening, just becoming dark. Kentaro and Katsumi from Shinano are in the autumn foliage on the side of Neno-san mountain in Kai province. It is beside the Kohshu-Kaidoh highway that runs from Shinano to Kai and beyond. The mountain is famous for its Shinto shrine to Fuujin, the god of wind.
Ito, Omi and Taisho arrive. Taisho begins cooking a pot of rice and mountain herbs. Two peasant men appear at the camp, appear surprised, and depart. Katsumi follows them and hears them say “report to samurai” and “no, report to Mura no Banjin ("Guardians of the Village"). Katsumi disables one, slays the other. He then questions the first one, who says that the Mura no Banjin are bandits who rob travelers and share spoils with some of the peasants. Katsumi executes him. Kentaro and Omi arrive and hear the story from him.
While the peasants are being killed, Ito and Taisho at the camp hear a sabi sabi (whip-poor-will) calling on the mountainside above them. Then a girl’s voice singing a sad song. Soon they hear crashing through the forest up the mountain slope and conceal themselves. A smelly bakemono-sho appears in the camp, declaring he will eat the rice and Kentaro’s horse. It is soon followed by a red o-bakemono with a great club. It says it knows that the humans have killed “something that has a name” because the girl sang. The bakemono-sho attacks Ito, but his club catches on a sapling and he is disarmed. The creature runs into the woods. The o-bakemono and Ito battle. Ito’s heavy armor protects him from the monster’s blows. His katana and Taisho’s bo kill it.
The two pursue the bakemono-sho into the woods, with Omi, Kentaro and Taisho also running at it from downslope. Swift Katsumi reaches it first and attacks. Kentaro seeks to subdue it with sumai, but his technique fails. Katsumi dispatches it.
The travelers return to the campsite. Taisho’s pot of rice and herbs is done and is only slightly burned on the bottom.
It is evening, just becoming dark. Kentaro and Katsumi from Shinano are in the autumn foliage on the side of Neno-san mountain in Kai province. It is beside the Kohshu-Kaidoh highway that runs from Shinano to Kai and beyond. The mountain is famous for its Shinto shrine to Fuujin, the god of wind.
Ito, Omi and Taisho arrive. Taisho begins cooking a pot of rice and mountain herbs. Two peasant men appear at the camp, appear surprised, and depart. Katsumi follows them and hears them say “report to samurai” and “no, report to Mura no Banjin ("Guardians of the Village"). Katsumi disables one, slays the other. He then questions the first one, who says that the Mura no Banjin are bandits who rob travelers and share spoils with some of the peasants. Katsumi executes him. Kentaro and Omi arrive and hear the story from him.
While the peasants are being killed, Ito and Taisho at the camp hear a sabi sabi (whip-poor-will) calling on the mountainside above them. Then a girl’s voice singing a sad song. Soon they hear crashing through the forest up the mountain slope and conceal themselves. A smelly bakemono-sho appears in the camp, declaring he will eat the rice and Kentaro’s horse. It is soon followed by a red o-bakemono with a great club. It says it knows that the humans have killed “something that has a name” because the girl sang. The bakemono-sho attacks Ito, but his club catches on a sapling and he is disarmed. The creature runs into the woods. The o-bakemono and Ito battle. Ito’s heavy armor protects him from the monster’s blows. His katana and Taisho’s bo kill it.
The two pursue the bakemono-sho into the woods, with Omi, Kentaro and Taisho also running at it from downslope. Swift Katsumi reaches it first and attacks. Kentaro seeks to subdue it with sumai, but his technique fails. Katsumi dispatches it.
The travelers return to the campsite. Taisho’s pot of rice and herbs is done and is only slightly burned on the bottom.
Last edited by jemmus on Wed Jul 14, 2021 10:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
PCs
Day 2
Day 2 - Mi-na-zuki, 4th year of Angen (September 28, 1179)
At dawn an old kamunushi (Shinto priest) and two o-miko shrine maidens come up the trail. The priest sees the body of the o-bakemono and thanks the travelers for ending its evil career. Kentaro tells him that they killed thieves who set upon then. The kamunushi views the bodies and says they are peasants from the village. A party is searching for them. He invites the travelers to visit the Fuujin wind god shrine for purification. They do, and Katsumi, Kentaro and Taisho donate and take o-mamori protective silk cloth amulets. Ito and Omi donate only. The amulet owners have no way to know whether the charms they randomly selected will affect their fortunes or not.
The priest says that they should report the deaths of the peasants to the samurai who manages the village, the o-ninyo-sama. His name is Andoh no Yuusuke, and he’s a deputy of the Minamoto. On their way, the travelers take the heads of the o-bake and bake-sho and a large silver bracelet from the o-bake. The old priest leads the travelers to the ninyo’s residence in Chiyo village. The peasant groundskeeper excitedly reports that war has broken out between the great Minamoto and Taira clans.
The ninyo holds an audience from his house’s veranda. The travelers present the heads of the ogres. He says that the travelers must pay compensation of 500 silver coins by spring for the deaths of the two valuable peasants. They can offset the cost and probably make a profit by bringing him the heads, weapons and armor of the Mura no Banjin bandits. Katsumi, Kentaro and Taisho sign the promissory note, but Omi and Ito refuse. Omi refuses to take responsibility for Katsumi’s action, and there is a verbal exchange between them.
The ninyo then changes tack. It appears that the bandits are a serious embarrassment to him. And he and his five samurai bushi are in haste to do something and don’t have time to do the job themselves. He offers to pay the travelers a reward for eliminating the bandits. They accept. Katsumi wracks his brain and recalls that the executed peasant said they are based on Chiyo-san mountain.
The o-ninyo's samurai Sawaguchi mucks up an attempt to write a letter to Kentaro's employer in Shinano. Kentaro writes a fine letter in katakana, asking his employer for the reward for killing a thief here in Kai. The ninyo and his samurai seem to be shamed at being bested in literacy by a field ronin.
The old priest leads the travelers back up the Kohshu-Kaido highway to Chiyo-san, then departs. The party and their horses follow a woodcutters’ path up the slope of the mountainside single file. They take a side path and arrive at a charcoal burners’ site. Questioned, one of the burners implies that he knows where on the mountain the Mura no Banjin bandits stay.
At dawn an old kamunushi (Shinto priest) and two o-miko shrine maidens come up the trail. The priest sees the body of the o-bakemono and thanks the travelers for ending its evil career. Kentaro tells him that they killed thieves who set upon then. The kamunushi views the bodies and says they are peasants from the village. A party is searching for them. He invites the travelers to visit the Fuujin wind god shrine for purification. They do, and Katsumi, Kentaro and Taisho donate and take o-mamori protective silk cloth amulets. Ito and Omi donate only. The amulet owners have no way to know whether the charms they randomly selected will affect their fortunes or not.
The priest says that they should report the deaths of the peasants to the samurai who manages the village, the o-ninyo-sama. His name is Andoh no Yuusuke, and he’s a deputy of the Minamoto. On their way, the travelers take the heads of the o-bake and bake-sho and a large silver bracelet from the o-bake. The old priest leads the travelers to the ninyo’s residence in Chiyo village. The peasant groundskeeper excitedly reports that war has broken out between the great Minamoto and Taira clans.
The ninyo holds an audience from his house’s veranda. The travelers present the heads of the ogres. He says that the travelers must pay compensation of 500 silver coins by spring for the deaths of the two valuable peasants. They can offset the cost and probably make a profit by bringing him the heads, weapons and armor of the Mura no Banjin bandits. Katsumi, Kentaro and Taisho sign the promissory note, but Omi and Ito refuse. Omi refuses to take responsibility for Katsumi’s action, and there is a verbal exchange between them.
The ninyo then changes tack. It appears that the bandits are a serious embarrassment to him. And he and his five samurai bushi are in haste to do something and don’t have time to do the job themselves. He offers to pay the travelers a reward for eliminating the bandits. They accept. Katsumi wracks his brain and recalls that the executed peasant said they are based on Chiyo-san mountain.
The o-ninyo's samurai Sawaguchi mucks up an attempt to write a letter to Kentaro's employer in Shinano. Kentaro writes a fine letter in katakana, asking his employer for the reward for killing a thief here in Kai. The ninyo and his samurai seem to be shamed at being bested in literacy by a field ronin.
The old priest leads the travelers back up the Kohshu-Kaido highway to Chiyo-san, then departs. The party and their horses follow a woodcutters’ path up the slope of the mountainside single file. They take a side path and arrive at a charcoal burners’ site. Questioned, one of the burners implies that he knows where on the mountain the Mura no Banjin bandits stay.
Last edited by jemmus on Thu Nov 11, 2021 4:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
PCs
Re: The Story So Far
Day 2 (continued)- Mi-na-zuki, 4th year of Angen (September 28, 1179)
The gakusho Taisho gives the rough-living charcoal burner 10 silver coins. The man leads the travelers deep into the mountainside. Behind a screen of foliage lies a sunlit field of thickets and jumbled rocks and stones. Kentaro finds tracks, and the travelers find a hovel built against the side of a standing rock.
Inside, to their surprise, is an oiran courtesan in a colorful kimono and with an elaborate coiffure. She explains that the bandits are currently away, and that she is their captive. She says that their leader is Satoshi, who wears a dark blue breastplate, and that he is very clever. She also tells of this Satoshi and the other bandits mocking a bandit named Ken'ichi. Rustic bushi Kentaro is captivated by her beauty and elegance, and by her quoting of classic haiku to let the travelers know that she understands they have come to kill the bandits. Kentaro and Omi inspect the interior of the hovel and find a variety of commonplace items looted from travelers, but no coins or gems.
In mid-afternoon in the Hour of the Monkey, bandits wearing pieces of ashigaru armor appear single file entering the field of stones. They lead a battered man in pilgrim's clothing by a rope. Kentaro stands atop the tall rock beside the hovel and shoot the man at the front of the column a kyujutsu shot. He dies with a scream. Taisho stands beside him, observing all directions of the field. The man called Satoshi appears to the left of the first group. A cry of "Ken'ichi! Coward, stop!" and the sound of two pairs of running feet is heard from beyond the thickets at the field's southern edge. The samurai bushi Omi and Ito begin to charge through the stony ground toward the bandit leader.
A bird starts from a thicket before the standing rock, and Taisho sees a woman in peasant men’s clothing and hat. It’s the oiran Akemi, and she’s carrying a wakizashi and kitchen knife. She gestures to Taisho, asking him not to reveal her presence. Kentaro wins an archery duel with a bandit and kills two more of them with his bow. From atop a boulder, Satoshi shoots arrows at charging Ito, but misses. He attempts to step back to open the range for more kyujutsu, but underestimates the difficulty of the rugged terrain. Omi closes on him with his katana. Kentaro shoots his last arrow at him, but misses. A bandit with a naginata deals Omi a vicious slash from the side. Omi focuses on his kenjutsu battle with Satoshi and takes the bandit to near death with a near-perfect stroke.
Meanwhile, Ito has climbed on the boulder to engage a bandit beside Satoshi. The butt of the bandit’s yari wedges between stones and can’t be used. Seeing Satoshi down and the other surviving bandit hors de combat, the bandit with the naginata flees. He surrenders, begging Ito to spare him in exchange for revealing where money is hidden. Ito executes him.
The man in pilgrim’s clothing emerges from behind foliage and walks toward Ito and Omi, his hands in the air. Akemi, now with just the kitchen knife at her waist, brings rope and torn cloth for bandages from the hovel. Kentaro and Taisho join her in approaching Omi, Ito, and the unconscious Satoshi.
The gakusho Taisho gives the rough-living charcoal burner 10 silver coins. The man leads the travelers deep into the mountainside. Behind a screen of foliage lies a sunlit field of thickets and jumbled rocks and stones. Kentaro finds tracks, and the travelers find a hovel built against the side of a standing rock.
Inside, to their surprise, is an oiran courtesan in a colorful kimono and with an elaborate coiffure. She explains that the bandits are currently away, and that she is their captive. She says that their leader is Satoshi, who wears a dark blue breastplate, and that he is very clever. She also tells of this Satoshi and the other bandits mocking a bandit named Ken'ichi. Rustic bushi Kentaro is captivated by her beauty and elegance, and by her quoting of classic haiku to let the travelers know that she understands they have come to kill the bandits. Kentaro and Omi inspect the interior of the hovel and find a variety of commonplace items looted from travelers, but no coins or gems.
In mid-afternoon in the Hour of the Monkey, bandits wearing pieces of ashigaru armor appear single file entering the field of stones. They lead a battered man in pilgrim's clothing by a rope. Kentaro stands atop the tall rock beside the hovel and shoot the man at the front of the column a kyujutsu shot. He dies with a scream. Taisho stands beside him, observing all directions of the field. The man called Satoshi appears to the left of the first group. A cry of "Ken'ichi! Coward, stop!" and the sound of two pairs of running feet is heard from beyond the thickets at the field's southern edge. The samurai bushi Omi and Ito begin to charge through the stony ground toward the bandit leader.
A bird starts from a thicket before the standing rock, and Taisho sees a woman in peasant men’s clothing and hat. It’s the oiran Akemi, and she’s carrying a wakizashi and kitchen knife. She gestures to Taisho, asking him not to reveal her presence. Kentaro wins an archery duel with a bandit and kills two more of them with his bow. From atop a boulder, Satoshi shoots arrows at charging Ito, but misses. He attempts to step back to open the range for more kyujutsu, but underestimates the difficulty of the rugged terrain. Omi closes on him with his katana. Kentaro shoots his last arrow at him, but misses. A bandit with a naginata deals Omi a vicious slash from the side. Omi focuses on his kenjutsu battle with Satoshi and takes the bandit to near death with a near-perfect stroke.
Meanwhile, Ito has climbed on the boulder to engage a bandit beside Satoshi. The butt of the bandit’s yari wedges between stones and can’t be used. Seeing Satoshi down and the other surviving bandit hors de combat, the bandit with the naginata flees. He surrenders, begging Ito to spare him in exchange for revealing where money is hidden. Ito executes him.
The man in pilgrim’s clothing emerges from behind foliage and walks toward Ito and Omi, his hands in the air. Akemi, now with just the kitchen knife at her waist, brings rope and torn cloth for bandages from the hovel. Kentaro and Taisho join her in approaching Omi, Ito, and the unconscious Satoshi.
PCs
Re: The Story So Far
It's been a while, so here's a reminder about what the Andoh clan (cadet clan of the Minamoto) ninyo of Chiyoda village told you.
"I will hire you to kill the bandits and bring their heads, weapons, and armor. I will pay 15 silver for each head. And I will give each person 25 silver upon your return. All of you, one other thing: If you bring back a live robber, I will pay triple. 45 silver. But you must eradicate them immediately, with no delay." Indicating Kentaro, the thrifty ninyo says, "Ten silver will be deducted from your reward for the [letter] post fee."
He said that he would buy weapons and armor at half the sell prices in towns. If you want to loot the bandits' armor, you can cut bamboo poles for carrying it between two people's shoulders.
The ninyo also said he would give a reward of 30 sp for the heads of the o-bakemono and bakemono-sho, which he hasn't done yet. And don't forget that Ito has the o-bakemono's big silver bracelet, that's about as heavy as 20 silver coins.
"I will hire you to kill the bandits and bring their heads, weapons, and armor. I will pay 15 silver for each head. And I will give each person 25 silver upon your return. All of you, one other thing: If you bring back a live robber, I will pay triple. 45 silver. But you must eradicate them immediately, with no delay." Indicating Kentaro, the thrifty ninyo says, "Ten silver will be deducted from your reward for the [letter] post fee."
He said that he would buy weapons and armor at half the sell prices in towns. If you want to loot the bandits' armor, you can cut bamboo poles for carrying it between two people's shoulders.
The ninyo also said he would give a reward of 30 sp for the heads of the o-bakemono and bakemono-sho, which he hasn't done yet. And don't forget that Ito has the o-bakemono's big silver bracelet, that's about as heavy as 20 silver coins.
PCs
Re: The Story So Far
Budo totals so far:
Ito - 3 (o-bakemono killed, rabble executed)
Kentaro - 7 (attack on bakemono-sho, killed two Level 1 classic bushi and one rabble, attack on Level 3 bushi)
Omi - 4.5 (attack on bakemono-sho, killed Level 3 bushi)
Shugendo totals so far:
Taisho - 1.0 (Healing Ito on Neno-san, blessings before Chiyo-san, trance and healing on Chiyo-san)
On gained for visit to Fuujin wind kami shrine on Neno-san (please add to initial On):
Ito - 8
Kentaro - 8
Omi - 8
Taisho - 8
Recorded, but please update your sheets for your own records. Sad that gakusho don't get budo, Taisho got some bo whacks in on the o-bakemono. I suspect gakusho will have a place to shine more along the way....
Ito - 3 (o-bakemono killed, rabble executed)
Kentaro - 7 (attack on bakemono-sho, killed two Level 1 classic bushi and one rabble, attack on Level 3 bushi)
Omi - 4.5 (attack on bakemono-sho, killed Level 3 bushi)
Shugendo totals so far:
Taisho - 1.0 (Healing Ito on Neno-san, blessings before Chiyo-san, trance and healing on Chiyo-san)
On gained for visit to Fuujin wind kami shrine on Neno-san (please add to initial On):
Ito - 8
Kentaro - 8
Omi - 8
Taisho - 8
Recorded, but please update your sheets for your own records. Sad that gakusho don't get budo, Taisho got some bo whacks in on the o-bakemono. I suspect gakusho will have a place to shine more along the way....
PCs
Re: The Story So Far
The man in pilgrim's clothing emerges from hiding. He says that he is Fujiwara no Sanetoshi, a kuge nobleman from Kyoto who was touring the famous sights around Nippon. However, he learned that a Fujiwara and Minamoto plotted against the Taira, were discovered, and killed. The Taira exiled some senior Fujiwara, including his uncle. He therefore headed toward the Minamoto Takeda clan in Kofu to ask for refuge. But the Mura no Banjin bandits ambushed him on the Koshu-Kaido highway, killed his bodyguard and beat him. He charges the travelers with escorting him to Kofu as his yojimbo. Taisho ministered to his wounds with spiritual healing powers.
The travelers loot the slain bandits' weapons and armor and shuttle them to the charcoal burners' hut farther down the mountain. In the morning they spend the day hauling them, the bandits' heads, and the unconscious bandit leader Satoshi to Chiyoda village. The lieutenant ninyo of the village gives them and the kuge accomodations for the night. In the morning he pays the promised rewards and purchased the arms at half market value. He also gives Ito and Omi letters of safe passage for escorting the kuge to Kofu. Satoshi regains consciousness and Akemi reveals that she was not the helpless oiran courtesan he thought she was.
As the travelers set out for Kofu, the kamunushi priest of the Fuujin's shrine on Neno-san introduces them to two persons: Takeda no Haruto (Marullus), a samurai shugenja raised at the shrine; and Shimura Hiroshi (ffilz), a ronin bushi. They join the travelers on the trip to Kofu.
The travelers reach the village of Fujimi-cho and stay at a post station inn. They overhear the post master and a courier discussing news of Nippon. To the west, several hundred Minamoto attacked a similar number of Taira. The Taira retreated to a castle further west. The Minamoto returned to the Taira's homes and burned them to the ground, leaving their wives, children and elderly as refugees fleeing to the capital Kyoto. The men comment that it is a bad start to this latest war. Burning samurai enemies' homes and turning their families out on the road is not the usual practice. Haruto listens in on his father in Kofu's prayers, and he expresses similar concerns, as well as concerns for treachery among the Takeda.
The next day the party reaches the bigger town of Hokuto-cho. They stay overnight at another post inn. The bushi guarding the kuge's room here him using brush on paper deep into the night. In the morning Kentaro buys arrows at a war-inflated price and Ito hires a porter to carry his o-yoroi armor. Omi and Kentaro wear their o-yoroi, though the know the law prohibits entering Kofu in it. They travel again, and a lonely wooded spot along the highway they meet a girl of around 18 years old mending a straw sandal. She says that she is Shino, and that her father died last week and her mother died four days again. She asks to join the travelers on the road to Kofu. Akemi questions her about her circumstances. Haruto casts a spell on Shino to determine the school of any magic she might be doing. The School of Water is revealed, and he deduces that it is an illusion spell. He tells Taisho a story about a legendary kitsune. Shino's keen ears overhear, and she admits that she's a kitsune. She was seeking revenge, because the relative of someone in the party killed her father and mother. But because they knew she was a kitsune and didn't kill her, she will commend them to her brother. She changes to a fox and runs away into the mountainside.
In the evening that day the travelers and kuge reach the edge of Kofu city. The kuge gives each traveler a letter of modest commendation, with a sumi-e painting. As the processing enters the city, samurai and ashigaru bushi meet them at a checkpoint. The kuge states his name and lineage, and the samurai welcome him with deference. The samurai officer demands that Omi and Kentaro remove their armor and unstring their dai-kyu. Kentaro says that he is the kuge's yojimbo and needs his armor. Haruto says that he wishes to introduce the kuge to his samurai family in Kofu. The kuge dismisses the travelers as his yojimbo, returns Omi's horse to him, and thanks them for their service. The samurai officer gives the bushi the option of removing their o-yoroi or not entering the city.
The travelers loot the slain bandits' weapons and armor and shuttle them to the charcoal burners' hut farther down the mountain. In the morning they spend the day hauling them, the bandits' heads, and the unconscious bandit leader Satoshi to Chiyoda village. The lieutenant ninyo of the village gives them and the kuge accomodations for the night. In the morning he pays the promised rewards and purchased the arms at half market value. He also gives Ito and Omi letters of safe passage for escorting the kuge to Kofu. Satoshi regains consciousness and Akemi reveals that she was not the helpless oiran courtesan he thought she was.
As the travelers set out for Kofu, the kamunushi priest of the Fuujin's shrine on Neno-san introduces them to two persons: Takeda no Haruto (Marullus), a samurai shugenja raised at the shrine; and Shimura Hiroshi (ffilz), a ronin bushi. They join the travelers on the trip to Kofu.
The travelers reach the village of Fujimi-cho and stay at a post station inn. They overhear the post master and a courier discussing news of Nippon. To the west, several hundred Minamoto attacked a similar number of Taira. The Taira retreated to a castle further west. The Minamoto returned to the Taira's homes and burned them to the ground, leaving their wives, children and elderly as refugees fleeing to the capital Kyoto. The men comment that it is a bad start to this latest war. Burning samurai enemies' homes and turning their families out on the road is not the usual practice. Haruto listens in on his father in Kofu's prayers, and he expresses similar concerns, as well as concerns for treachery among the Takeda.
The next day the party reaches the bigger town of Hokuto-cho. They stay overnight at another post inn. The bushi guarding the kuge's room here him using brush on paper deep into the night. In the morning Kentaro buys arrows at a war-inflated price and Ito hires a porter to carry his o-yoroi armor. Omi and Kentaro wear their o-yoroi, though the know the law prohibits entering Kofu in it. They travel again, and a lonely wooded spot along the highway they meet a girl of around 18 years old mending a straw sandal. She says that she is Shino, and that her father died last week and her mother died four days again. She asks to join the travelers on the road to Kofu. Akemi questions her about her circumstances. Haruto casts a spell on Shino to determine the school of any magic she might be doing. The School of Water is revealed, and he deduces that it is an illusion spell. He tells Taisho a story about a legendary kitsune. Shino's keen ears overhear, and she admits that she's a kitsune. She was seeking revenge, because the relative of someone in the party killed her father and mother. But because they knew she was a kitsune and didn't kill her, she will commend them to her brother. She changes to a fox and runs away into the mountainside.
In the evening that day the travelers and kuge reach the edge of Kofu city. The kuge gives each traveler a letter of modest commendation, with a sumi-e painting. As the processing enters the city, samurai and ashigaru bushi meet them at a checkpoint. The kuge states his name and lineage, and the samurai welcome him with deference. The samurai officer demands that Omi and Kentaro remove their armor and unstring their dai-kyu. Kentaro says that he is the kuge's yojimbo and needs his armor. Haruto says that he wishes to introduce the kuge to his samurai family in Kofu. The kuge dismisses the travelers as his yojimbo, returns Omi's horse to him, and thanks them for their service. The samurai officer gives the bushi the option of removing their o-yoroi or not entering the city.
PCs