|
Post by cassusaevum on May 12, 2019 17:18:29 GMT -5
Session 11: The FarmsteadsExperience Earned: 3Dramatis Personae
- Kakita Meiko - A Crane duelist who struggles with her innate soft-hardheartedness and her quest for perfection.
- Kunis Daizu - A Crab purifier, intent on tracking down the Shadow wherever it may go.
- Togashi Jin - A Dragon bushi cursed with bad luck and destined to be a great soldier.
- Shosuro Ayame - A Scorpion courtier (so far as anyone knows) who secretly works as an infiltrator and, perhaps, shinobi for her clan
An Evening of Clear Waters
With the bandit army defeated, the samurai, hailed as heroes by the villagers, took a much needed rest. Ayame, her pride injured by the snide comments the village elder had made with respect to the Scorpion, went to find his hut and deal with him appropriately. Meiko saw this, and followed after. Over the frightened and confused village elder the two had a conversation that, perhaps, could have edged into a duel. Instead, it lead to a moment of reconciliation. In the end, Ayame realized that she could, perhaps, be more than just a tool of the Scorpion. Meiko, on the other hand, seem to be moving a little farther away from the concept of duty to the clan by presupposing that they all had choices to make and that those choices didn't have to be dictated by the needs of the clan. GM Note: Though I know it's difficult to understand from a Western viewpoint, within the culture of Rokguan, this is a pretty radical idea. Borderline revolutionary, in fact.The FarmsteadsAfter leaving the village, the samurai set out to find the farmstead that had been pointed out by the Lion huntsmaster. They found it easily enough, though at first glance, it appeared abandoned. There were three homes, one of which had been burned to the ground, and no people in sight. The group split up, Ayame and Meiko going to one house, Jin to another, and Daizu sought out the ancerstor kami of the area to see if they might inform him of what had happened. Jin found a pair of survivors, and Ayame and Meiko a trio while Daizu conversed with the spirits. In short order, the story of what had happened at the farmstead came out. Two days ago, a group of bandits had come to the farms and demanded tribute. At first, the farmers had been willing, but then the bandits started getting too familiar with the women. At that point, they tried to resist. Two of them were killed and the rest of the men severely beaten. As punishment for their insolence, the bandits burned down one of the farmhouses and claimed the teenage daughter of one of the farm couples as spoils. One of the women begged the samurai to find their daughter, Kisa, before it was too late. The group agreed and set about tracking down the bandits. The CaveThey tracked the bandits too the nearby hills. A pair of sentries stood guard over a cave - a cave that the kami had given Daizu some inkling existed. While Meiko and Jin discussed whether or not Meiko had any fun in her life, Ayame and Daizu moved stealthily forward. In a coordinated strike, they managed to drop both sentries. The group entered the cave, hearing voices and muffled sobs drifting from somewhere deeper within. Unfortunately, their own planning carried down the cavern, alerting the bandits to their presence. A melee ensued. During the fray, Ayame bypassed most of the combatants, making her way to the young girl sobbing in the corner. Before she could free her, a man who appeared to be the leader of the bandits turned his attentions to Ayame. Seeing that the samurai was trying to protect the girl, the malicious bandit turned his strikes against the captive, forcing Ayame to interpose her own body between the falling sword (some sort of outlander scimitar or falchion) and the girl's flesh. This cost Ayame some broken armor and a damaged blade, but in the end she managed to protect the girl. Meanwhile, the other three samurai had dispatched the remaining bandits. Seeing this, and in a last-ditch effort to find escape, the bandit challenged Kuni Daizu to a duel, assuming the Shugenja would be the easiest one to dispatch as a way to even the odds. Daizu was having none of it, and despite the strife and glory cost, he refused. With no other recourse, the bandit surrendered. Next Time: Return to the City of the Peaceful Hills...
|
|
|
Post by cassusaevum on Jun 5, 2019 14:16:40 GMT -5
Session 12: City of the Burning Hills Experience Earned: 4Dramatis Personae
- Kakita Meiko - A Crane duelist who struggles with her innate soft-hardheartedness and her quest for perfection.
- Kunis Daizu - A Crab purifier, intent on tracking down the Shadow wherever it may go.
- Togashi Jin - A Dragon bushi cursed with bad luck and destined to be a great soldier.
- Shosuro Ayame - A Scorpion courtier (so far as anyone knows) who secretly works as an infiltrator and, perhaps, shinobi for her clan
Questions and AnswersThe curtain rose to find the samurai interrogating the bandit they had captured. He showed no compunction about admitting to his crimes, blaming the samurai caste as a whole for driving him and his fellow bandits to their actions. He also boasted about there being hundreds of bandits in the hills, unaware of the defeat the bandits had suffered at the Village of Clear Waters. When asked how the samurai taxation justified the assault of the farm girl, the brigand replied that it was the samurai who had taught them that the strong take what they want and the weak submit. Meiko took some exception to this attitude and with one swift stroke of the sword, severed the bandit's head. Jin, meanwhile, took note of the fact that the arbalest that had punched a hole in his armor was, in fact, a gaijin weapon. Unfortunately, there wasn't much of an opportunity to question the bandit further on where he had obtained it, as he was no longer in a position to give answers. The Abandoned CampAfter dropping the shocked and traumatized girl back at her parents' farm, the samurai ventured north, to the possible bandit camp that had been indicated by the huntsmaster. What they found was no mean camp, but a veritable fort, complete with wooden palisade and enough tents to hold hundreds. Of course, the army that had been housed here had already been defeated. Ayame and Daizu scouted ahead, confirming that the camp was truly empty. In fact, it appeared that the survivors from the attack on the village had returned, claimed what supplies they could, and departed once more, skirting the boundaries between Lion and Scorpion lands in their retreat. A more careful search of the camp uncovered some disturbing finds - evidence that black powder weapons, banned by Imperial decree, were present in the camp. No weapons were found, but the samurai did uncover a powder horn. Disturbed by this finding, they set out at once for the City of the Peaceful Hills, to report the presence of the banned substance to the proper authorities. Along the way, they did pause once more and the farms, picking up Kisa who had sworn herself to Meiko's service. The Phoenix Attack
The samurai made haste back to the City of the Peaceful Hills. Along the way, however, Meiko caught sight of movement and an arrow streaked towards Togashi Jin. With a quick flick of the blade, Meiko struck the arrow from the air. The ambushers revealed themselves to be a group of Phoenix ashigaru lead by a trio of samurai. The heroes recognized Shiba Toya as their leader. Toya had orders to kill Jin, and was willing to let the others go about their business. The others, of course, did not agree, and a fight ensued. The heroes proved triumphant, though it was a near-fought thing. In the end, Togashi Jin claimed the life (and head) of Shiba Toya. The City of the Burning Hills
At last, the samurai crested the final hill and looked once again upon the City of the Peaceful Hills. The city was on fire. Sounds of battle could be heard, distant, but unmistakable from clashes taking place within. The samurai looked at one another, and then set out for the city... Next Time: Dreamers, Lovers, and Deciders
|
|
|
Post by cassusaevum on Jul 9, 2019 13:27:32 GMT -5
Session 13: The Breaking of the Fellowship Experience Earned: 10 (including bonus XP awarded for the end of the chapter) Dramatis Personae
- Kakita Meiko - A Crane duelist who struggles with her innate soft-hardheartedness and her quest for perfection.
- Kunis Daizu - A Crab purifier, intent on tracking down the Shadow wherever it may go.
- Togashi Jin - A Dragon bushi cursed with bad luck and destined to be a great soldier.
- Shosuro Ayame - A Scorpion courtier (so far as anyone knows) who secretly works as an infiltrator and, perhaps, shinobi for her clan
Dragon Amidst the Flames
Having returned to the City of the Peaceful Hills only to find it aflame and scarred by the sounds of battle, the intrepid samurai rushed across the hills to the city's edge, hoping to discover the details of what had happened in their absence. At the city's edge, they were met by a patrol of Dragon soldiers. Those soldiers appeared quite disdainful of the presence of Kuni Daizu, but otherwise informed the group that the Phoenix, acting with duplicitous dishonor, had launched an attack upon the Dragon, ignoring the Emperor's Peace and the long standing traditions of Court. The Lion, their city attacked and the safety of those attending Court their responsibility, joined with the Dragon. The other Clans sat idle, though the Crab - of all clans - were giving at least tacit support to the Phoenix. Moreover, Mirumoto Bokai lay wounded, victim of a cowardly attack by Phoenix assassins. The Dragon were happy to see Togashi Jin and offered to escort him through the chaos that was the city at the moment and back to his daimyo who would certainly have orders for him. The others all knew they must seek out their own daimyos and the group separated to find the various bastions of their clans within the disputed city.
A Journey of Many Steps
As the samurai made their way across the City of the Peaceful Hills, they found trouble hounding them at every corner:
Kakita Meiko
Kakita Meiko's journey across the city began with encountering a group of Lion and Phoenix engaged in battle. Meiko, showing incredible diplomacy skills, managed to bring the battle to a halt and convince the warring forces that this was not the way. They reluctantly parted and returned to their respective lines. She then chanced across a lone Dragon on a bridge, backlit by the raging fires. Obviously a duelist, the Dragon was simply waiting for anyone to cross his path. Meiko, believing her duty lay in getting back to her daimyo with important information and not in indulging in duels, avoided the bridge. Doing so ran her full into a patrol of Phoenix that happened to be led by none other than Shiba Ayaka. Meiko talked with Ayaka who had clearly been pushed into a sort of madness by the events around the deaths of her family and taking of her family lands by Mirumoto Bokai. Meiko offered what comfort she could and the two parted with at least some of the enmity that had built up between them resolved.
Togashi Jin
Jin's journey through the city was one of blood and battle. It began almost immediately with an ambush by peasants, of all things. Two of these peasants were armed with matchlocks, but even with the firearms, they could not stand up to Jin and his patrol. A quick search of the bodies found the strange lotus tattoo on all of the dead. But there was no time to linger. Jin next came upon a battle between the Phoenix and the Dragon, with the outcome balanced on a razor's edge. Jin quickly took control of the Dragon forces and led them to a decisive - if brutal - victory over the hated Phoenix. When they had nearly reached the safety of the Dragon lines, Jin and his soldiers chanced upon a detachment of Phoenix who seemed to be taking some delight it watching the city burn. The Dragon fell upon the enemy without warning and slaughtered them to a man.
Kuni Daizu
Daizu's journey across the City of the Peaceful Hills was one that seemed under the guiding hand of the kami. He first chanced upon some lost children whom he convinced to follow him to the relative safety of the Crab lines. This act of compassion was only reinforced when Daizu and the children came to a plaza that was the killing field between two groups of opposed archers. Trapped between them were a number of acolytes from a local shrine, unable to move out of harm's way for fear of being inadvertently - or intentionally - struck. Trusting in the kami (I am one with the kami and the kami are with me) Daizu simply strode onto the killing fields, and the kami turned aside all of the arrows that should have found purchase in his flesh. Inspired by his presence, the acolytes flocked to him and he continued his strange procession across the square. There was one brief moment where he caught the eyes of a Dragon soldier that Daizu knew from the wall, and in those eyes, Daizu saw fear. He faced but one more obstacle before reaching the safety of the Crab lines - what at first appeared to be a group of looters. It turned out, instead, to be a trio of zombies, perhaps newly minted, perhaps left over from the foul maho-tsukai the samurai had already dealt with. In either case, they fell swiftly before the might of Daizu's magic.
Shosuro Ayame
Perhaps because of her intuitive need to stick to the back alleys and shadows, Shosurro Ayame had the misfortune of chancing across two separate groups of looters. The first were peasants, and while they seemed to waver when faced with a samurai, their greed and perhaps some pent up anger against their masters overshadowed their better judgement and they attacked. This proved a fatal mistake as one of the looters was quickly killed and the rest fled. The second group of looters (encountered later) were Phoenix soldiers who had forgotten their honor and begun to loot. Ayame shamed them into giving up their dishonorable ways. Then, in a dark callback to earlier events, Ayame chanced across a house on fire. Within were a mother and her two children, already rendered unconscious from the smoke. Ayame had to decide whether to save the children (a sure thing) or risk the death of all by trying to save everyone. Believing that the mother would not wish to risk her children, she saved the kids, though the mother, unfortunately, perished. Among the ClansBack among their own clans, the samurai found themselves faced with yet more problems. They all learned the specifics of what had happened; the Phoenix had been smuggling soldiers into the city almost from the first day of Court and had launched a surprise attack to try and defeat the Dragon and kill Mirumoto Bokai. The result had been the clans each laying temporary claim to some part of the city. In addition, formal declarations of war had apparently been laid at the feet of the Dragon by the Pheonix, not just at the local level of Mirumoto Bokai and Shiba Ayaka, but at the Clan level. The Lion, victims of the surprise attack and already favorable to the Dragon, had thrown in with them while the Crab, for reason largely unknown, were standing with the Phoenix. Kakita Meiko found herself in the unenviable position of being able to dictate the likely outcome of the war. The Crane - largely through her actions - had amassed enough influence at court to dictate not only their own actions, but also the actions of the Unicorn. Kakit Jomei's council was at an impasse, and it would fall on Meiko to tip the scales one way or the other. Meiko could keep those two clan out of the war or have them join one side or the other, or any combination thereof. She retired to think on it - and to send out a request for a final meeting with her friends before deciding. Meanwhile, Jin was greeted by a very much alive, if somewhat wounded, Mirumoto Bokai who praised the soldier for his successes and explained that Jin was the one he trusted most to guard the assassin that had tried to claim Bokai's life. The assassin was to be hung at dawn. Jin, though disquiet about the dishonorable death of an enemy combatant whatever the circumstances, accepted the honor, not knowing that it was about to pit him against a friend. Ayame, too, found audience with her daimyo. Shosuro Kiyoshi rather casually mentioned that she knew of certain conversations between Ayame and the Crane and that the Scorpion would not brook disloyalty. Ayame was reminded the the sole duty of the Scorpion was to protect the Empire, even if that protection took on forms that other Clans might find dishonorable. Ayame was properly chastened, and, as a sort of reward, Kiyoshi-sama told Ayame that Ayame's paramour, Kaito Takeo had been captured by the Dragon and was set to be hung with the dawn. Ayame was given tacit permission to deal with that matter as she saw fit, though she was warned that the Scorpion were leaving at once and there would be no support. Kuni Daizu, meanwhile, found himself plagued by dreams. In these dreams, he saw his Master, first on the wall speaking to none other than a younger Mirumoto Bokai. An assassin attempted to end the life of Daizu's master and Daizu called upon dark forces within himself to prevent the assassination (a thing I forgot to mention with everything going on is that any investigation into the identity of the assassin would have hinted at a Scorpion without any actual proof). As a result, he remembered that he has some aptitude for blood magic (gaining an "obsidian strike") while simultaneously remembering a darkness that had lurked within him (gaining a Tainted Earth disadvantage). The dream came with a change to the first geisha statue. Where once it had been lifeless obsidian, now all-too-human eyes gazed at him from the statue. Another restless night brought another dream, this time of being deep in the shadowlands and some sort of tainted rift in the earth itself. Daizu's master stumbled from this rift, presenting Daizu with a wrapped package and telling him that Daizu knew what must be done and that he must not look in the package. Daizu held true and did not look within the package, though he also knew that at no point on his return to the Wall, despite questioning, did he once mention the package. At this point, Daizu replaced one of his "truthy" disadvantages with an advantage called "Skilled Deceiver." The second geisha statue now also stared at him with human, soulful eyes. Jin and Ayame were on a collision course as Ayame decided to rescue Takeo. When she found Jin waiting for her, rather than fight, the two shared sake and talked of love and friendship and duty. In the end, Jin, ever the faithful soldier, chose friendship over duty and allowed Takeo's release. The only condition was that if the Dragon ever saw the Phoenix again, there would be no more chances. Jin would do his best to take Takeo down. Jin then instructed Ayame to "make it look real" and was knocked unconscious by the Scorpion. His actions resulted in being berated by Mirumoto Bokai and having his title of Gunso stripped from him, but being returned to the life of the common soldier was a price Jin was willing to pay. The MeetingIn the closing scenes, Meiko called her friends together in the gardens to make a desperate plea. She felt that the looming war was a great injustice, the end result of political machinations of the Scorpion, and something that would destabilize and weaken the Empire. Rather than follow that course, Meiko called upon her friends to join her in calling out the Scorpion for their manipulations and in denouncing Mirumoto Bokai as a warmonger and fool. Daizu, rattled by his own awakening memories and the newfound darkness within, demurred not feeling confident in anything at that particular moment. Jin, already in the bad graces and not understanding how the warrior who stood at his side when the Phoenix tried to kill him could now want him to side with those same Phoenix, turned and walked away. Ayame, knowing that the Scorpion had eyes everywhere and knowing the penalty for betrayal - and even more, believing deep down that the Scorpion were truly working for the good of the Empire - declined. She offered Meiko her dagger as a symbol of friendship, so that the Crane would know Ayame would always be willing to fight by her side - at least at the personal level - before she, too, departed. Left alone in the garden, Meiko tossed the Scorpion's dagger to the ground, where it remained, and perhaps yet remains. The WarBelieving Mirumoto Bokai to be the root cause (with the perhaps unknown assistance of Scorpion manipulation) Meiko opted for the short, brutal war. She cast the deciding "vote" to bring the Crane and the Unicorn into the war on the side of the Phoenix and Crab, pitting four clans against two. Next time: War of the Clans
|
|
|
Post by cassusaevum on Jul 28, 2019 12:39:37 GMT -5
Session 14: A Time of War Experience Earned: 4
Dramatis Personae
Kakita Meiko - A Crane duelist who struggles with her innate soft-hardheartedness and her quest for perfection.
Kunis Daizu - A Crab purifier, intent on tracking down the Shadow wherever it may go.
Togashi Jin - A Dragon bushi cursed with bad luck and destined to be a great soldier.
Shosuro Ayame - A Scorpion courtier (so far as anyone knows) who secretly works as an infiltrator and, perhaps, shinobi for her clan
Raising the Curtain
For six months, war has raged across Rokugan.
The combined might of the Crane, Phoenix, Crab, and Unicorn has struck deep against the Dragon and Lion, forcing the two-clan alliance on to the defensive.
The main push by the four clans has been in the Phoenix lands, pushing to retake Shiba Shiro, the castle originally taken from the Phoenix by Mirumoto Bokai. This is not, however, the only battle raging, as forces converge on the Dragon and Lion from all sides. With little other recourse, the Dragon and Lion have largely holed up in their strongholds, allowing the superior numbers of the armies against them to be countered by the strong fortifications of the Lion and the remote fastness of the mountain peaks of the Dragon. While the initial losses were high, things have settled for the moment as the leaders of the Four-Clan Alliance decide which castles must be broken first to protect their own long and complicated supply lines...
Looking Back
Each of our heroes is perched on the eve of battle.
In the Northern Mountains, Kakita Meiko strides through the lines, preparing to launch the assault on Shiba Shiro. On the borders between Crane and Lion lands, Togashi Jin surveys the weary and broken raiding force that he has been leading to harry the supply lines of the enemy. To the south, Kuni Daizu stands on the Kaiu Wall, and stares down at the Shadowlands horde that has gathered for yet another assault. And on the far borders of the Empire, Shosuro Ayame observes a massive force of peasants armed with the forbidden black powder, marching steadily to Toshi Ranbo, the Imperial City.
All four heroes took a moment to reflect on what had brought them here...
Four Paths
A Path of Compassion
Kakita Meiko's journey began with a desire to try to save a friend. Shiba Ayaka was far gone in madness, consumed by her hatred of Mirumoto Bokai and the Dragon for murdering her family and taking her homeland. Rather than pursue the politics of Court, Meiko took up her blades and stood at her friend's side as Shiba Ayaka began her merciless journey to retake her family's rightful lands. Though the Dragon put up a valiant defense, they could not hold out against forces that outnumbered them four to one. The madness that filled Shiba Ayaka was evident, and Meiko did what she could to ease it, to try to bring back the friend she remembered from their shared childhood. This culminated in three separate moments:
First, when Shiba Ayaka ordered a village put to the sword. The people of the village - Phoenix citizens - had not, in Ayaka's estimation, provided adequate resistance to their Dragon conquerors. As such, Ayaka deemed them conspirators and worthy of death. Meiko calmed her friend, and, in fact, convinced her to show not only mercy, but compassion. In that moment, Ayaka's madness eased, just a bit.
Next, when a Dragon defensive position was overrun and a large contingent of Dragon soldiers captured, Shiba Ayaka deemed them unworthy of a warrior's death. These selfsame men may have been those who burned her villages and killed her people. She ordered them hung. Once again, Meiko intervened, reminding her friend of the honor of soldiers and the courtesies of war. Again she urged compassion, and again, despite the odds, Ayaka relented. Once more, her madness seemed to ease.
The final moment came on the eve of battle, when Shiba Ayaka called Kakita Meiko to her command tent. The Phoenix was experiencing what might be called a moment of clarity, fully aware for perhaps the first time in years of the horrors she had wrought. She confessed to Meiko that the war was her fault, that she had hounded the Phoenix until they agreed to launch the dishonorable attack on the Court of the City of the Peaceful Hills. She felt the only true way to expiate her shame was by taking her own life and asked Meiko to serve as her second. Meiko was faced with the most difficult choice - help her friend follow where she felt her honor demanded or convince her that life was still worth living and that the better path to redemption was making up for her mistakes. Meiko recalled their shared childhood and shared tragedy and implored Ayaka to reconsider. In the end, Meiko's words were heard, and the final vestiges of Ayaka's madness fled. The friends - reunited in truth - swore to finish the battle quickly and then see how things could be made right.
A Path of Prophecy
Kuni Daizu, driven to return to his home and take up once more the battle against the Shadow, left the City of the Peaceful Hills on his own, striking out across the war-torn lands. It proved an arduous journey, as even escaping the bounds of the city itself was frought with peril. Nonetheless, he escaped the City, crossed the mountains, and traveled through the wilderness, relying on skills learned in the harshness of the Shadowlands to stay hidden and stay alive. In his own land, he came face to face with a different kind of threat: a superior who "requested" Daizu accompany him to the front lines to serve as shugenja to the Crab forces. Daizu, already pushed to the edge by the journey to date, opted to ignore what honor required and simply go, ignoring the officer and leaving him standing in stark surprise as the Purifier simply left.
Outside the walls, Daizu came across an old woman who was staring forlornly at a spilled cartload of supplies. Despite his haste, the Crab could not simply let this woman struggle alone, and lent his assistance. The woman than changed, revealing itself to be Tsugumu, Fortune of Secrets. As payment for his services, Tsugumu offered Daizu a fortune of his own:
In days not far gone / Two delved into the shadow / Only one returned A task to fulfill / Among the feathered topaz / The three must be found Torn by the harshness / Of both politics and war / Discontented blade A darkness within / Sworn to protect Rokugan / Seeker in shadows The loyal soldier / Fighting at his lord's command / Warrior poet Returned to the rift / To restore that which was lost / And save an empire
Finally home, and with his head full of a newfound prophecy, Kuni Daizu was called to Kuni Ineko, his patron among the Jade Magistrates. Having completed the mission earlier assigned (defeating the maho-tsukai in the city) and showing aptitude for the calling (by finishing the title tree), Daizu was formally inducted as a yoriki to the Jade Magistrates. Given the chance to speak with Ineko, Daizu asked of the fortune he had received and of the darkness he felt within. Ineko could not tell him much, though she tried to provide some comfort in the knowledge that all Purifiers and Jade Magistrates succumbed to some level of taint. It was impossible to work so close to the Shadow without its tendrils finding purchase. She also told him that she suspected Daizu had been touched by the fortunes in a way most are not, even among the Jade Magistrates. She gave Daizu formal permission to "follow his heart in this" and promised to investigate further on her end and see if she could learn anything more.
A Path of Passion
Disgraced in the eyes of his daimyo, Mirumoto Bokai, for the presumed failure of guarding Kaito Takeo, Togashi Jin was stripped of his rank and sent to serve with the common soldiers. Akodo Masuru offered Jin a place among the Lion instead, serving as his second in command harrying the supply lines of the superior forces. Happy to be away from Court and back to honest warfare, Jin accepted. He displayed his tactical acumen early, leading the skirmishers to a victory over superior forces and risking everything to achieve the goal of destroying the enemy supplies. In short order, everyone acknowledged Jin as the de-facto commander of the group and took to calling him the Emerald Lion, for his passion in battle was truer to the spirit of the Lion than the Dragon in their eyes.
In fact, this passion caught the eye of a young Lion samurai, a woman named Matsu Osaku. Over the months on the trail, a romance developed between the two, with the normally "unlucky in love" Togashi Jin finding a kindred spirit in the wild Lion warrioress. The Dragon knew then that Benton's Curse had been broken and he had found a woman with whom he could spend the rest of his life.
But war is a fickle mistress, and their relationship could not stop the march of the enemy. Word came of vital orders and supplies being sent "the long way around" to avoid the demon that Jin had become in the eyes of the 4-Clan Alliance quartermasters. The mission would likely be suicide for the entire troop and Jin had to make the call - did he risk his newfound love for honor and duty, or did the unit stay in place, and let the supplies through? In the end, it wasn't even a question. The Emerald Lion marched with his troops (and his newfound love) at his side. They defied all odds to even make it to the supplies caravan in the first place but, once found, Jin reached new levels of tactical acumen and command. Perhaps inspired by Matsu Osaku or perhaps by the loyalty and honor the Lion had shown, the planning and execution went off flawlessly. The battle should have been suicide, but instead, the skirmishes executed a near-perfect ambushes, destroying the enemy, capturing the intelligence, and taking only light casualties.
Of course, the Crane were unlikely to take such a defeat lying down...
The Path of Loyalty
With the Scorpion netural in the war, Shosuro Ayame found herself called to Kyuden Bayushi to meet with Shosuro Kiyoshi outside a certain wood. Ayame knew what was rumored to be in that wood, the Grove of Traitors, where those who had betrayed the Clan were subjected to eternal torment. Had she been led so far astray? Still, she was loyal to the Clan and when Kiyoshi called, Ayame answered. When she stood next to her daimyo, Kiyoshi explained that all Scorpion were expected to be loyal, but those who served as spies and infiltrators had to be held to an even higher standard. Ayame found herself presented with a choice. She could go into the forest, into the Grove of Traitors, into the very heart of it. There would be someone waiting for her; someone who would test her loyalty. If she failed that test, then she would not return. Or, Ayame could decline and she would serve the Scorpion as bushi or courtier, but her days as an infiltrator would be done. Ayame did not hesitate - she opted to go into the Grove. She was asked to remove her weapons, and when she had, Kiyoshi gave her back a single blade - a rusted and ill-cared for knife that Ayame recognized as her own. It was the knife she had offered Meiko; a knife that had obviously been discarded.
Though the journey weighed on her sanity, Ayame made it to the center of the Grove. There, she found a twin-tailed kitsune waiting for her. The spirit gave her a "Welcome. And goodbye." Ayame found herself floating over a mountain. Balanced on the peak rested a wakizashi made entirely of emerald. Down one side of the peak lay a Rokugan that had fallen under the influence of Fu Leng and was a place of darkness and anger and slavery. Down the other side of a the mountain was a Rokugan equally unrecognizeable, one where all of the traditions of the Empire have been ground to dust beneath the booted feet of gaijin influence, the Celestial Order overthrown and the soul of the samurai lost forever. Looking closer, Ayame saw that the blade was not balanced on the mountain. Instead it sat on the back of a tiny Scorpion. The edge of the sword had cracked the creature's carapace and fluids oozed forth even as the weight of the blade continued to sink it ever so slowly deeper.
"This is what the Scorpion are," said a voice distinctly different from that of the kitsune. "This is what the Scorpion do. We maintain the Balance, no matter the cost. We protect the soul of the Empire as surely as the Crab protect it's borders. We do what is necessary. We do what others won't. We do it proudly. We know that it will one day be our undoing, but we will die before we allow the Empire to fall. And as we must pay the ultimate price, then those who betray us must pay a deeper price still, for they do not only betray us, but the entire Empire."
Without warning, Ayame found herself back at the Topaz Championship, in the dining hall. The poison provided by Shosuro Kiyoshi-sama was at hand. She saw Hitoshi's spoon. Her duty was to poison it. But in that moment, Ayame knew the future. She knew the strife it would cause, the rift it would open with Meiko. Ayame felt a weight at her hip and looked down to see a decaying dagger, flaking slowly to dust. A scuttle at her other hip. A scorpion there, it's carapace cracked and broken from a great weight.
Ayame made her choice, poisoning the spoon and found herself once more in the Grove, if only briefly. The Kitsune told her that twice more would she be tested, once for what is, and once for what would be.
An army is spread out before her. They carried the dreaded firearms, banned throughout Rokugan. Ayame had been observing them and knew that the Unicorn had forces nearby and that a surprise attack from the horsemen might just sweep aside the armies before they can make their way into the Empire. But... those were not her orders. She had been sent out here to monitor and report back...to return to Kyuden Bayushi with the information she had received, no matter the consequence. Ultimately, Ayame kept true to the Scorpion, heading back to Kyuden Bayushi and leaving the army to their march.
Her vision swam again. She found herself on a blasted, unrecognizable hellscape. Her body battered and wounded, her armor broken, her blades shattered. Some dark monstrosity stood against her. She saw Jin, near death, struggling to stay on his feet and hold his blade upright before the creature. She heard Daizu, shouting for the kami. And before her, she saw Meiko, likewise on her last legs, just within reach. The creature, the darkness that she could not see was laughing at them all. Ayame knew what she had to do... the fate of the Empire required blood. She looked down at her hand and saw a rusted knife there, a knife once offered in friendship. Ayame did not understand why, but she know that if she plunged that knife into Meiko, the Empire would be saved, and she would live, to continue to protect the Empire under the orders of the Scorpion. But if she plunged it into her own heart, the Empire might survive, but the fate of her friends would be forever unknown...
Unable to kill her friend, Ayame thrust the blade into her own heart... and woke beside Shosuro Kiyoshi. A very rumpled and disheveled Kiyoshi who appeared to have been living rough for many days. "You have passed. Time for new orders."
A Fight In Four Parts
Back in the present day, the battles were joined...
Atop the Ramparts
Kakita Meiko led the forces of the Four-Clan Alliance in an overwhelming wave, crashing over the walls of Shiro Shiba. In the midst of the battle, she locked eyes across the field with a demon of a swordsman, a Dragon warrior who bore a striking resemblance to Mirumoto Bokai. The man called out, demanding a duel and the Kakita swordswoman, the Topaz Champion, the Champion of the Tournament of the Dojo of the Falling Petals, accepted at once. The clash was fierce, blades flashing in the sunlight as the Way of the Dragon met the Way of the Crane. Those watching could scarcely see the movements, so swiftly did the two strike, but in the end, the outcome was clear. The head of Mirumoto Jiro, son of Mirumoto Boakai, himself a renowned duelist went bouncing down the castle steps to land staring up at the camera as the Dragon forces broke and the castle fell.
On the Kaiu Wall
Kuni Daizu stood shoulder to shoulder with his fellow crab as the Shadowlands creatures assaulted the walls. Archers rained down arrows, foul creatures rushed the walls, but, most concerning, massive battle engines worked to reduce the grat walls to so much rubble and open a breach for the Shadow to spill into the Empire. Daizu's duty was clear - the engines must be destroyed. Calling upon the kami, he fought, bound, and blasted the creatures, trying to make his way down the enemy scaling ladders to get in range of the war machines. But ever step was paid for in blood, and his fellow Crab were quickly falling to the onslaught. He felt the dark temptation, the call to use blood magic, to empower the mystical forces within... but he resisted. Step by bloody step, until, on his section of the wall, no Crab stood. But it didn't matter, for he was in range. Now he had no choice but to call out to the darkness, to use blood and obsidian to blast the great catapults into timbers, taking their crews with them. When the dust settled, he was alone on the battlefield, the sole survivor (of that particular section, anyway). He had had to call upon the darkness, but the Wall had held. That was what mattered.
Wasn't it?
The Feathers of the Crane
In Crane lands, the weary skirmishers led by Togashi Jin tried to get what rest they could. But the Fortunes had other plans and arrows began to fall like raindrops. In seconds, the vast majority of Jin's force was down, and he found himself back to back with Akodo Masuru and Matsu Osaku as the enemy poured out. The Crane, fueled by their fury at the Emerald Lion, came in unending waves and though they died on the blades of the Dragon and Lion, they did not fall without price. Akodo Masuru went down, killed by the press of the enemy. Matsu Osaku took wound after wound, until she, too, was at risk of death. Togashi Jin, pushed to the brink of his endurance, battered and wounded, seeing his friend dead and his paramour dying, Jin did the only thing he could think of to save Osaku.
He surrendered.
On the Plains of the Unicorn
Shosuro Ayame shadowed an army of peasants - peasants armed with black powder weapons. When she was certain they were heading (as her vision had shown) towards the Capital she broke away, seeking to make it back to Kyuden Bayushi. But before she could, she had to break through the enemy pickets. Ayame picked her way through the guards, using her training to take out the enemy silently and efficiently wherever possible. In the end, the peasants never stood a chance, as Ayame slipped through their grasping fingers before an alarm could even be raised.
Next Time: Reunions
|
|
|
Post by cassusaevum on Aug 11, 2019 11:41:17 GMT -5
Session 15: Kolat Rising Experience Earned: 3Dramatis Personae
- Kakita Meiko - A Crane duelist who struggles with her innate soft-hardheartedness and her quest for perfection.
- Kunis Daizu - A Crab purifier, intent on tracking down the Shadow wherever it may go.
- Togashi Jin - A Dragon bushi cursed with bad luck and destined to be a great soldier.
- Shosuro Ayame - A Scorpion courtier (so far as anyone knows) who secretly works as an infiltrator and, perhaps, shinobi for her clan
Arrival in Kyuden BayushiWith the fall of Shiro Shiba and the return of the stolen Phoenix lands, the hunger for warfare among the Clans had been sated - at least for now. The Scorpion Clan, as the only neutral clan, offered to hold peace talks, inviting representatives to their capital at Kyuden Bayushi. Meiko, as the commander when Shiro Shiba fell and adviser to Kakita Jomei was, of course, invited. Jin, now a prisoner of the Crane, was brought since, if a treaty was, indeed, signed, a prisoner exchange would be taking place. Kuni Daizu learned of a famed scholar within the walls of Kyuden Bayushi who might help him with the fortune given to him by Tsugumu, and the peace talks provided him a window to move about the Scorpion lands that would otherwise be closed. Ayame was only peripherally aware of the burgeoning peace. Her return to Kyuden Bayushi was instead to inform Kiyoshi-sama of the army of peasants even now marching towards the Empire's capital. Reports, Proposals, and PropheciesAyame reported in to Kiyoshi, informing her of the peasant uprising. Kiyoshi responded with excitement. The Scorpion were aware of the Kolat threat brewing beneath the surface, but suspected the secretive Kolat would be impossible to find. The Scorpion encouraged chaos in the Empire to bring the Kolat out of hiding. Now was the time to stamp them out and remove their threat for another thousand years. Ayame was told to enjoy the city but to also be ready. The time to act would come soon and the forces of the Empire were certain to march to the Emperor's defense. Meanwhile, Togashi Jin received several missives. Among them were his formal release from the Dragon, his adoption into the Lion by Akodo Kusamoto, Daimyo of the City of the Peaceful Hills, and a marriage proposal from the Matsu engaging him to Matsu Osaku. All they needed were his signatures to become official. After some contemplation and deliberation, Togashi Jin of the Dragon became Akodo Jin of the Lion. Kuni Daizu, meanwhile, found the scholar Bayushi Nezu. He spoke to the man of both the prophecy (well, eventually) and the obsidian statues. Daizu learned that the statues were the end result of a dark ritual designed to steal a person's memories. The ritual required human sacrifice to fuel and the chunks of obsidian used in it took on the likeness of those who died. It seemed Daizu had found one clue as to his missing memories, but even more questions around why this had happened and who had done it to him. He also learned from Nezu that the prophecy given Daizu by Tsugumu likely referred to three other people who must be brought to the Rift. ReunionAfter a day or so of pursuing their own tasks about the city, the young samurai found themselves reunited once more. There were some awkward moments as old friendships strained by the trials of war and the necessities of realpolitik were rekindled. Daizu, having deciphered the prophecy with Ayame's help, informed the others that he believed they were tied to the mystery of his lost memories and he needed them to come with him to the Shadowlands. His friends agreed, supposing only that they could get the appropriate permission from their various daimyos. At that point, a courier arrived with a message for Meiko. Meiko excused herself and the impromptu party broke up. The MessageThe message proved to be from a Kolat agent named Yotogi, the selfsame man who had once asked for Meiko's help in getting a peasant woman released from a Lion prison. It was essentially a recruitment pitch, laying out what the Kolat believed and letting Meiko know that they saw a kindred spirit in her need for compassion and kindness to all. If Meiko was interested, she was to go to the Crimson Blossom Geisha House. Meiko deliberated for a day... The Scorpion KnowsNothing stays hidden from the Scorpion for long, particularly in their own cities. Roughly a day after Meiko received her message, Ayame received a hasty missive from Kiyoshi. It didn't tell her much; the Kolat were operating out of the Crimson Blossom and Ayame was the only resource currently available to find out more and do something about it. Ayame sought out her friends and told them she needed her help. They all agreed, including Meiko whose decision had been outpaced by events. At the Crimson BlossomUpon entry to the Crimson Blossom, Meiko was immediately welcomed and informed that Yotogi was waiting. While the others went to take a table, Meiko went to meet with the Kolat (though she had not, at this point, told anyone about the message she had received). Ayame snuck out and rushed around to listen to the conversation while Daizu and Jin enjoyed the sake and entertainment. Yotogi tried to convince Meiko to join the Kolat and betray the Empire. Meiko, in turn, tried to convince the Kolat agent to try to create change in a more peaceful manner rather than rebelling against the Empire. Needless to say, neither was particularly successful. Yotogi, however, could not risk allowing Meiko to leave the Crimson Blossom now that she knew Kolat secrets and combat broke out. In addition to Yotogi attacking, all of the geisha in the house also leaped to the attack, slaughtering unsuspecting samurai in their midst. In the ensuing melee, most of the samurai were killed, but Jin, Daizu, Ayame, and Meiko managed to defeat the Kolat. The heroes were left alone amidst the corpses of their enemies. Next Time: Assassins!
|
|