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

[spanningtree]

Thank you Taisho, I appreciate it, the brute did not have a light touch. Ito says with a deep bow. I know something of the healing arts myself, I hope to repay you in kind in the future.

I will accompany Kentaro to the shrine, if you will have me.

[jemmus]

And I think that cost me one power? I need to grok a bit more of the magic rules...

Yes, one power for the Basic Healing.

[jemmus]

The kamunushi leads the way to the mountain shrine. There are stone stairs going up the pathway. He and the travelers reach the vermillion torii gate. Beyond it is the pure and sacred space of Fuujin, great kami of the wind. The priest enters the shrine area the same way a layman would: a bow before the torii, then walking up the stairwell off of the center, which is for the kami's steps only. The travelers know to do the same. The priest bows before the second, higher torii and proceeds.

The pathway flattens and the shrine building is seen. Before it and to one side a square-walled stone well sits on flagstone pavement. Spring water overflows its walls. Long-handled ladles lie on a table beside it. The old man dips water and pours it onto his left hand and then his right. He pours water into his left hand and touches it to his lips. Then he raises the ladle's cup so that the water flows down its handle, purifying it for the next visitor. The travelers, including the Shinto gakusho Taisho, do each of these steps also.

The priest approaches the open front of the wooden shrine building. A bell like a big cat's collar bell hangs from the roof eaves, with a thick red cotton rope hanging from it. The two o-miko-san maidens are just inside to either side. Their hands are held down clasps before them. They are very calm, but they stand very straight. The old man bows to the shrine twice. Then he claps his hands twice and rings the bell twice to summon the kami. He then bows again. He enters the shrine and turns to face the travelers. The travelers perform the same actions, knowing not to pray to the kami, but only show their respect and reverence to it. They also know not to enter the shrine the way the priest did.

Good, well then, the old priest says. Would you like some o-mamori? You will have to make an offering. A copper or even a grain of rice will do. A miko-san step forward with an unfinished pine wood tray with amulets of protection. The other miko-san steps forward and says, Donations should go into here. She indicates a wooden box to the side. It's open at the top, with slats. Perhaps to prevent innocent children or even thieves from reaching in and taking the offerings. Copper and silver coins can be seen resting on the bottom.

Each o-mamori has a strip of paper with calligraphy inside. The PCs know that they should never open the bag and view the paper. They also know that they should turn the o-mamori in at a Shinto shrine at New Year's. Finally, they know that the wind god Fuujin is and his brother the thunder god Raijin are both very wild, unpredictable, and powerful kami. Showing reverence to Fuujin-kami-sama can only help one's fortune. But the more superstitious among you wonder if taking and carrying an o-mamori from his shrine might be different. That's asking for the untamed kami's attention protection-- for better or for worse. Or for nothing at all.

If you give an offering and take an o-mamori, please roll a d100. You won't know whether a high roll, middle roll, or low roll is better. It's not a linear spectrum of worst to best values. Fuujin shifts... well, like the wind.

[ffilz]

Taisho drops a copper into the box.

[Marullus]

Kentaro moves slowly, consciousness of his thick hands, his bulk. When they reach the offering box, he touches each of the seven copper coins on his broad palm. Seven. Not enough to eat. To get home. He plucks the shiniest one, still without a green patina and drops it in, closing his hand around the remaining six and tucking them away.

o-mamori [1d100]=66

[spanningtree]

Ito will drop a copper in but not take the talisman.

OCC: 1 copper deducted from sheet.

[Enoch]

Katsumi approaches reverently, palming a silver coin and sliding it through the slats. His hand trembles slightly as he reaches for the o-mamori, and he pauses for a moment just before his fingers reach the pouch, then he snatches one up almost in a strike and clutches it to his chest.

1 silver deducted
o-mamori: [1d100]=89

[jmacatty]

Omi drops a silver into the box. He does not take a medallion.

[jemmus]

The travelers who took o-mamori amulets stow them away. Everyone bows to the shrine and the o-miko-san respectfully bow back. Good, the old priest says. Well then, let's proceed to report to the samurai. His name is Andoh no Yuusuke. He is the ninyo of Chiyoda village, wear the farmers were from. His family serve the Takeda daimyo in Kofu. The Andoh have been ninyo for Chiyoda for many years. He begins walking down the path down the mountain.

Ninyo = Commissioned administrator, magistrate, sheriff and tax collector for a local area. They're lowest in the provincial administration system, but they're universally High Rank (In Service) samurai. Which doesn't necessarily mean that they're all very culturally refined or sophisticated. They do have a reputation for being pretty canny and tough characters, though. They have to be, considering their main function to collect around 4/10th of the peasants' rice harvests as tax. Depending on the size of the village, they command a few or many Low or Middle Rank samurai. They can also temporarily conscript peasants to serve as ashigaru or for corvee labor.

All PCs get 4 On for visiting the well-known and fairly remote shrine. Please update your sheets.

Next actions?

(If anyone's interested: Actually the ninyo aren't administrators of villages, they're administrators of groups of farmland called shoen. Of the 40% tax, half goes to the samurai governing the province and half goes to the kuge or temple in the capital (including the Emperor). Technically the Emperor owns all of the farmland in Nippon. But he gets no percentage of the tax. Instead he gets a generous stipend from the kuge family that is currently dominating the Court.

The lower-rank samurai bushi in the villages are paid by being assigned a plot of land to farm. With or without the assistance of the local peasants).

[jemmus]

Do the PCs want to discuss among themselves about following the priest, or doing something else?

[Enoch]

Katsumi pauses and asks with uncharacteristic diffidence, "is ninyo-san a fair man? Surely he won't take the word of strangers that villagers of Chiyoda were preying on travellers."

[jemmus]

The kamunushi replies, I would say that, like all samurai, he's firm. But not unfair. He has sometimes had to judge in difficult disputes over land and distributing water. It didn't seem that he sided with the wealthier or higher ranking farmer. But we have never had this kind of situation before. The ninyo is very aware of the bandits that sometimes roam into this area. To be honest, they cause him... embarrassment. Because he is responsible for safety for this part of the highway. And, he says in more hushed voice, it has long been suspected that some of the peasants secretly give aid to the bandits.

And then back in his regular, slightly quavery old man's voice, The fact that you killed two human-eating monsters may help. You should take the heads or some other body parts for proof, perhaps.

[Marullus]

Kentaro nods solemnly, glad for Katsumi's question. I should have thought to add their heads to my sack, he thinks, obviously too flustered by the Shinto priest and maidens' arrival.

"Is it okay if we stop to collect their heads on the way, then?" he asks.

I have no problem continuing the story's trajectory, but I'm surprised the shrine visit was so brief. I guess I expected a storyhook here regarding the Kami, or for us to need to scale the summit, or something. *shrug* I'm happy wherever this is going.

[jemmus]

Well, the spoiler button text shows how the sausage was made. (No spoilers about future events, just info about how the shrine visit happened).

The shrine was mainly to explain how the PCs all ended up together on the side of a mountain. The shrine made the mountain beside the highway a pilgrim/tourist destination that the PCs might want to visit. Actually I had a different plan for how the PCs would meet, but everybody introduced their PCs by joining Kentaro and Katsumi on the mountain before that happened. Your guys jumped into the sandbox before rookie PBP GM could get you onto the railroad. Which is kind of nice, I think. Organic rather scripted story development). The amulets may also come into play later, depending on what you rolled.

[Marullus]

Oh! Got it. From past context, I mistakenly thought the Shrine was the module kick-off. Hence, surprised. No worries - lead on to where it goes!

[jemmus]

The module does start on the Kohshu-Kaidoh highway, which runs past the Neno-san mountain the PCs are on. We'll eventually get into one of the module's three adventures, but it will be highly modified. We might do a second one from the module also, but again fairly heavily overhauled.

[jemmus]

Please collect the heads now, before we leave, says the old Shinto priest. I would prefer not to be presence while that is done.

Etiquette note: Heads should be washed before being presented. If the victim was an honorable or high-ranking foe, the hair should be rearranged into the proper hairstyle. Otherwise, no need for that.

Kentaro has indicated that he'll go with the kamunushi to report to the samurai. Ito, Katsumi, Omi and Taisho?

[Enoch]

Katsumi will report to the samurai, once he has collected the heads (and washed them in a stream or other source, if possible).

[jmacatty]

Omi will go as well

[spanningtree]

Ito nods thinking Maybe this is the adventure I yearned for? . He will accompany the others to where the battle took place and help the others with the gruesome work.