Asian Shadows

(L5R) Ch 4 – The Burning Sands, part 1

2009-01-14T12:00:00.001-07:00

The Souq

Synopsis: The samurai join up with a group of Moto traders to meet up with caravans from the Burning Sands – to try and find a way to journey to the Jewel of the Desert.

The samurai stay at Exile’s Road long enough to get supplies and trade their koku for other things such as gold and jewels – things that would make it easier to trade in a foreign land.

The samurai leave Exile’s Road and within a week, they meet a band of Moto who have never returned to Rokugan since they were known as the Ki-Rin Clan. Moto Chen-Shih is delighted to have them as guests and they join the caravan until they reach the edge of the Burning Sands whereupon they will meet up with caravans from all over the Burning Sands and trade. Once the caravans have left, the Moto will return to their lands with much needed trade goods. In the meantime, Moto Chen-Shih teaches them the language of the Burning Sands.

Within a few days, several small caravans begin showing up for the Souq – Moto Chen-Shih tells the samurai that once a year, the Al-Badian meet here to trade with the tribes that live in the mountains – namely the Moto, Yobanjin and even some Rokuganese who flout the laws of their Empire by trading with foreigners (mostly Unicorn or Mantis Clan). The caravans show up with riders riding camels – strange hump-backed creatures that are overloaded with supplies as well as riders.

Chen-Shih introduces the samurai to Najib al-Nisr, a merchant from one of the many Houses of Dahab located in Medinaat al Salaam. Chen-Shih has known Najib for many years. He asks Najib to assist the samurai and guide them toward the Jewel of the Desert. Najib gladly accepts and invites them all to his tent that evening to be his guest.

Najib introduces them to his traveling companions, Haroun and his daughter Alia. Ryu notices Alia immediately – her dark, long, flowing hair, brown eyes and dark skin are very attractive to him and he begins to speak with her. Alia, of course, will have none of it and rebuffs his advances. Ying-Lien, meanwhile, asks Najib about bringing her Utaku steed with her to the Jewel. Najib is not sure if that is possible, given the size of the horse. He directs her to Alia, who is just finishing rebuffing Ryu’s advances. Alia examines Ying-Lien’s steed and tells her that it is a fantastic horse, but requires so much water it may not be feasible to ride it to the Jewel of the Desert. She should instead, ride a camel.

The samurai decide to find a way for Ying-Lien to bring her steed with her. Noriyaki can call the water kami and summon water to them (but how much in the middle of the Burning Sands is debatable). The samurai decide to pool their new “funds” together to see if they can essentially “rent” a camel. They will buy everything off one camel, give it to Moto Chen-Shih, and then request that enough water be carried on the camel for the sole purpose of allowing the Utaku Steed to join the caravan.

They discuss these things with Najib. The samurai soon discover that their bargaining powers are limited. Najib wants more than three quarters of all their available funds to buy all the exotic spices and merchandise from one camel. The samurai consider the price too steep to pay and decide to wait and see. Since Najib invited them to his tent that evening, they will see if they can do better.

The evening arrives and the samurai visit Najib’s Al-Badian tent, guarded by a mamluk of great size. Upon entering they are surprised to see a sumptuous feast and many luxuries such as pillows and blankets spread about the room. The samurai sit on the pillows provided and Alia washes each of the samurai’s hands with warm rose water before Najib passes around a bowl of salt. He takes a pinch of salt and sprinkles it on the food on his plate. Each samurai does the same. Najib tells them it is a custom in his land to engage in a bond of salt. A guest can be assured of three days of hospitality and safety. The host can do no harm to the guest and vice versa. This bond of salt ensures safety in travel and hospitality wherever one goes.

As they begin to eat, Najib’s servants pour goat’s milk wine for his guests. Most imbibe it and like it – especially Ying-Lien who takes a great liking to the milky-coloured alcohol. Ryu does not even bother. At one point, he distracts everyone and switches his full cup, with Ying-Lien’s empty one. Ying-Lien notices the newly full cup, wonders for a moment where it came from, shrugs and drinks up. Only Haroun took any notice to the switch.

At that moment, another gentleman enters the tent. He is introduced as Khalid, a merchant from a different House. Khalid washes his hands, thanks his host for the gracious invitation and then turns down the salt saying he has an “allergy” to salt and cannot ingest any. The refusal to participate in the bond of salt enrages Alia who gets up and storms out.

Najib conducts a coffee ceremony, handing out small cups of a very thick, and very potent brew, not unlike the coffee served by Ide Murai in Kyuden Ikoma, but the thick, viscous liquid was very bitter. Most of the samurai had a hard time with it.

The meal continues with Ying-Lien getting more and more drunk. Najib begins telling tales of the Burning Sands and Noriyaki, eager to try out his own storytelling abilities on the Al-Badian merchant, tells a few tales of his own. While each are spinning tales, a servant enters the tent and serves Khalid more goat’s milk wine. He drinks it, then his eyes widen. He looks down at the goblet of wine, spits it out, looks up at the servant who he now sees as Alia, and then storms out of the tent. Ryu takes the goblit and tries it. The goat’s milk wine is salty. Khalid had ingested salt and was now bonded by it. Ryu comments on how dishonorable Alia’s actions were, but no one hears him.

Later that evening, the samurai retire to the tents provided by Moto Chen-Shih. Ying-Lien drags Kenjiro back to their tent. Much rustling and the occasional yelp and frantic calls to the kami was all anyone heard from them for the rest of the night.

Ryu tries hard to get rid of his yojimbo, who is duty-bound to follow and protect him wherever he goes. Since the incidents at Kyuden Ikoma where Ryu disappeared for hours, Jin is much more wary of his charge’s habits and insists on following him. Jin is afraid that he will try and seduce Alia. Instead, Ryu wanders over to Khalid’s camp. Khalid and his mamluks sit around a fire. Unaware of his presence, Ryu finds Khalid’s House Crest attached to one of Khalid’s camel saddles and cuts it off. Ryu returns to his tent accompanied by Jin and they lie down for the night. Ryu, still hopped up on coffee, stays awake and slips out silently. He approaches Alia’s tent and slips in unnoticed, walks up to her, crouches down and strokes her hair before slitting her throat with his wakizashi. As blood pools around her body and soaks into the sand, Ryu drops Khalid’s House Crest beside her and slips out into the night.

Next: The Bond of Salt

Ch 4 Dramatis Personae

2009-01-13T12:00:00.001-07:00

Moto Chen-Shih – a Moto who still hails from the Ki-Rin Clan. He teaches the samurai the language of the Burning Sands so they can get along.
Najib al Nisr – a merchant from one of Houses of Dahab located in Medinaat al Salaam
Alia – Haroun’s daughter and an expert on horses and camels
Haroun – a merchant from the same House as Najib. He is getting old and wants to one day pass down his merchant practice to his daughter.
Khalid – a Merchant Prince from one of the richer Houses of Dahab

Other NPC's in Other Chapters:

Chapter 1 NPC's
Chapter 2 NPC's
Chapter 3 NPC's

(L5R) Ch 3 – The Dragon, part 2

2009-01-12T12:00:00.001-07:00

Exile’s Road

Synopsis: The Shrine of the Keeper of Fire is attacked. The samurai journey to the edge of Rokugan.

The next day, before the samurai can gather up supplies for their journey, they visit the Keeper at his shrine once again. This time, they present him with the Dragon Helm and hope that he can figure out how to use it. He does not know but says he will do what he can to research the Helm. The samurai leave the Keeper to do his job and return to his devotions. The rest of the day is spent gathering supplies in town. At night, they return to the monastery outside the Shrine of the Keeper of Fire. Ying-Lien believes it prudent that they watch over the Keeper, so she decides to stand guard for the night just outside the Shrine. The rest retire to the austere monastery.

As the evening wears on, Ying-Lien is visited by a group of ronin lead by two lion clan samurai. Ying-Lien recognizes the female as Matsu Hira, Daidoji Jin’s betrothed. She is accompanied by her right hand man, Matsu Gisei. They ask Ying-Lien where they can find Daidoji Jin and Ying-Lien tells them where to find them. Matsu Hira bows and thanks her and all but two ronin follow.

While the rest of the samurai are relaxing in the monestary, Matsu Hira appears and demands that Daidoji Jin return with her to Kyuden Ikoma to answer to the dishonor he has shown her family for leaving Kyuden Ikoma without warning and without the courtesy of notifying her family even after they were betrothed. She demands he return and conclude the joining of their two families. Daidoji Jin refuses.

Matsu Hira is enraged. She grabs a nearby monk and draws her sword. If Jin does not agree to return with her, she will kill the monk. Jin does not flinch and responds by saying no. Matsu Hira slits the monk’s throat. His body slumps to the snow-covered ground, his blood spraying the trees. Matsu Gisei and the remaining ronin draw their katanas and Hira grabs another monk. She threatens to kill every monk in the monestary and shrine if Jin does not come with her and, she says, their blood will be on his hands.

Noriyaki opens a scroll and begins chanting a spell. Suddenly, a kami of fire begins raining balls of flame down onto the ronin. They scatter and begin to advance toward the samurai. Jin and Kenjiro stay by the hearth and wait for the samurai to come to them. They clash briefly with the ronin, but the ronin are no match for Jin and his superior fighting skills. He easily dispatches several ronin before Matsu Hira orders the ronin to stop. They take hostages and again Hira demands that he come with her. This time, Jin tells her that while he may have returned with the Lion, Matsu Hira, he will never return with the dishonorable Hira who has disgraced her heritage by killing innocent monks. In response, Hira kills another monk, his blood spattering the statue of jizu.

Upon hearing the battle, Ying-Lien draws her katana and begins running toward the monastery. The two ronin who were with her stop her and draw their katana. She strikes first, drawing blood in one of the ronin, but the other strikes a mighty blow sending her reeling backward. Another blow and she is down on the ground.

Meanwhile, Ryu sneaks away from the carnage and disappears out the side door. He makes his way to the shrine and finds Ying-Lien about to be killed by the two ronin. He sneaks up behind one and kills him before the other is aware Ryu is there, Then Ryu dispatches the other ronin. Ying-Lien, who is barely able to move, thanks Ryu for his assistance. Ryu grabs a katana one of the ronin was wielding. It is old and not well kept. Ryu needs a katana, but decides against taking one of these.

Ryu leaves Ying-Lien and goes into the shrine. He finds the Keeper and informs him of what is going on. The Keeper asks Ryu what he should do and Ryu hands him the Dragon Helm.

At the compound, Hira and Jin are at a stalemate. Hira has murdered four monks in an effort to get Jin to return to Kyuden Ikoma. Jin has not moved away from the hearth and waits for the next ronin to challenge him. Suddenly, a dark shadow looms over the ground and a huge creature crashes into the compound, crushing several ronin. The Dragon of Fire has arrived.

Hira and the ronin scatter. The monks they were holding hostage run for cover. The Fire Dragon breathes gouts of flame at the ronin, engulfing them in an inferno. They all flee. Matsu Hira and her right hand man, along with a few ronin, make it out alive. The remaining ronin are dead. The Keeper of Fire looks down from atop the dragon and asks Jin if he would like further assistance in pursuing Matsu Hira. Jin politely refuses saying her dishonorable actions will not make her welcome anywhere in Rokugan. The Keeper dismounts the Dragon of Fire and the Dragon disappears into the night.

The samurai wait for an additional day to allow Noriyaki to pray to the kami to heal Ying-Lien. They use that day to obtain the travel papers necessary to get across the border into Unicorn territory. The next day, Ying-Lien is fit to travel and the samurai journey in to Unicorn territory without a hassle finally making it to Sorrows Path and Exile’s Road. Exile’s Road is the last bastion of civilization a person would see before leaving Rokugan. Only those exiled by decree or the rare traveler who wishes to leave Rokugan ever venture this far. This is the border of Rokugan.

The samurai find a small dusty shrine dedicated to the exiled. Inside, an old miko sweeps the old wooden floor. Many Scorpion masks, wakazashis and katana’s with colours from every clan adorn the walls. The samurai ask whether a Daidoji Kage and Isawa Mutsuye had made it this far. The miko says yes, but they had changed their names. She could not remember what their new names were. She also tells them that there were three of them. The samurai ask who the third one was. It was their unborn, the miko tells them. Mutsuye was with child.

Next: Book II: The Jewel of the Desert

(L5R) Ch 3 – The Dragon, part 1

2009-01-11T16:07:00.005-07:00

The Crossing

Synopsis: The samurai leave Kyuden Ikoma and cross into Dragon lands.

Two hours earlier: Ryu has heard the news about the approaching Unicorn army. He sends a message to Yori at the Teahouse of Jade Thunder, but it is returned unopened. Worried, he returns to the Teahouse to find her but instead finds Shosuro Shigeru. Shigeru explains that he sent Yori away to keep her safe from the Unicorn invasion. Ryu is not entirely convinced. Shigeru then asks for the Dragon Helm. If he gives him the Helm, he will let him know where he can find her. It is a matter of utmost importance in the Scorpion Clan that he get the Helm. Ryu knows he is lying and that Shigeru is hiding something, but agrees to meet at the Hour of the Ox to give it to him. Shigeru agrees.

Ryu returns to his quarters and finds his wife, Kita, and his two daughters. They speak for a few moments about their daughters’ future – whether they would grow up to become Scorpion courtiers or perhaps rejoin the Crane as beautiful Crane Clan courtiers. Kita doubts they will marry for marriage brings too much sadness. Kita asks whether she has done anything to offend her and Ryu says no. Ryu tells her that the Unicorn army is approaching and that they must return to Ryoko Owari for their own safety. Kita says she will go as a dutiful wife should.

When Ryu returns to the manor with the rest, he tells his servants to go and gather things up for him, then goes to investigate the Dragon Helm when he is attacked by someone clad in black – by shurukin. The ninja jumps down at him from the roof and he fends him off with a wakizashi. He pulls out a jitte but Ryu manages to kill him just as three more ninja jump down to surround him.

Just then, the rest of the samurai arrive and see the ninja surrounding Ryu. They attack with Jin rushing to aid Ryu and the rest rushing in to pull out their katana and attack. They manage to kill two before the last climbs up a rope and tries to escape. Jin and Ying Lien rush out to follow. Ying Lien pulls out her bow and hits the ninja from a great distance, knocking him off the roof. By the time the town authorities get there, the ninja is dead.

Back at the manor, Ryu explains to everyone where he has been for the last day. He also tells them about his encounters with Shigeru and the fact that he did not believe him when he said he would give him the Dragon Helm. They send authorities to the Teahouse to find Shigeru, they explain that he is a traitor and must be arrested. The authorities return empty handed. Shigeru was gone.

Ying-Lien and Kenjiro begin to pack and they discuss what they should do. Honor is at stake. She made a promise to join the Battle Maiden but Kenjiro says their duty is more important. She eventually relents when he explains that he will tell Utaku Yaeko that this is entirely his fault. Before dawn, they venture to the Unicorn camp and find Utaku Yaeko and explain their predicament. Yaeko makes Ying Lien promise she will be there in the spring when they invade Toshi Ranbo. She has lost honor, but at least she is allowed to continue her mission.

Jin sends message to Ikoma Tadasu about using caltrops in the snow. Ryu sends Hiroko with his wife and kids.

They leave before the invasion and meet Ying-Lien and Kenjiro at the crossroads. They venture along the road that crosses the Plains of Battle for several days before arriving at a small village along the banks of the Drowned Merchant River – the border between Lion and Dragon lands. The villagers are stopping a caravan to try and get food. The others give up their provisions knowing there is a Dragon village across the wide river. One bridge is open but guarded by Unicorn and ronin – Ying-Lien has not seen so many ronin and it bothers her.

Ying-Lien goes to give food to a hungry old woman and kids when she is accosted by ronin who tries to rob her. He is part of a band of ronin who will soon become a great clan. They fight briefly but she gives her money to feed the poor. He promises to and she is convinced that he would.

The rest give food to distract the caravan and go to cross the bridge but run into bureaucracy trying to do so. They cross just as they say something about what is on the other side of the river.

They enter town and get a room from a kindly innkeeper. The town is abandoned. There is no business and no trade since the Unicorn has burned many of the bridges.

The innkeeper tells the samurai that there is a Shrine to the Keeper of Fire in the mountains. The samurai decide to visit the shrine. When they visit the Shrine, the Keeper says that he can read their fortunes if the Fire within their spirit is strong enough. Each of the samurai is told their fortune. Ying-Lien is told she will have to protect what she hates. Ryu asks about Daidoji Kage and is told there is no one by that name. Hughes asks if the Spider Clan is evil and is given no answer. Kenjiro is told nothing at all. They all return to their rooms at the compound near the shrine.

During the night, Jin has a dream. In the dream, he is caught in a web with a giant spider and the darkness is talking to him, telling him that ‘they have him.’ He discusses this dream with the other samurai. The entire group is beginning to think that this Spider Clan is more than it appears and wonder if Shigeru was involved.

Next: Exile's Road

Ch 3 Dramatis Personae

2009-01-11T16:00:00.004-07:00

Ikoma Tadasu – High level courtier of the Lion Clan – negotiating with Daidoji Kikaze
Daidoji Chisato – Daidoji Kikaze’s envoy
Utaku Yaeko – Leader of a Battle Maiden contingent approaching Kyuden Isawa
Keeper of the Dragon of Fire

Other NPC's in Other Chapters:

Chapter 1 NPC's
Chapter 2 NPC's
Chapter 4 NPC's

(L5R) Ch 2 – The Betrothal, part 2

2008-11-23T16:33:00.004-07:00

The Duty

Synopsis: Daidoji Kikaze meets with the samurai and sends them on a personal quest.

Shosuro Shigeru greets Ryu in the room and tells him that he has a gift for him. He opens a shoji and reveals Bayushi Yori who stands, rushes to him and almost crushes him in a bear hug. Shigeru tells them he will leave them alone. Ryu tries to get to Shigeru and asks if she is the price for the Dragon Helm. Shigeru says “of course not” before closing the shoji behind him. Ryu tries to follow Shigeru, but Yori pulls him back. She has not seen him in months and wants very much to make amends. Ryu does not resist and they spend much of the night pillowing and enjoying each others company.

During the night, Yori explains to Ryu what happened after winter court. She tells him that after Ryu had rebuffed her advances, she was convinced that he no longer had feelings for her, so she ran away. Cold and half-starved, she was found by a kind ronin who helped her out and nursed her back to health. The ronin explained that he was joining his brothers at Ryoko Owari, but she said she did not want to go back there. Yori is surprised when the ronin tells her that there is a war on and explains that she would be safe there. Yori reluctantly agrees to come to Kyuden Ikoma at least – the pass into Scorpion lands is difficult to get through because the Unicorn is blocking it. Yori follows the ronin to Kyuden Ikoma where she spent her days in quiet contemplation before the ronin introduced her to the kind Shigeru. She had no idea Ryu was in the same city.

In the morning, Ryu bolts up and realizes he has spent the whole night with Yori and not with Kita. He rushes out of the Teahouse and forgets his mask.

---

The previous evening, Noriyaki hired Toshio, an artisan, to build him a small shrine to the Kami of the Dragon Helm. He asked him to build it in an area of stone overlooking the city and he paid two koku for the privilege. When he returns, Jin proposes they have a tea ceremony. He needs something to relax his mind for the duel he will have with Hira in the morning.

In the morning, Noriyaki and the rest of the samurai prepare to go up and consecrate the shrine. Jin looks for his charge and does not find him. He asks Hiroko whether Ryu had returned the night before, and she says that he had not. Jin returns to the Teahouse and tells the others to go and consecrate the shrine without him.

When Jin arrives at the teahouse, he is greeted by an elderly matron who remembers Ryu but does not know where he was. She also tells him that discretion is a major part of her business and that she cannot disclose any details about a nightly rendezvous. It would be bad for business. Jin remembers one of the geisha who took Ryu with her – she wore a light green kimono. The matron finds the green robed geisha named Tae. Tae takes Jin to the room where Ryu met Shigeru. They find a futon with blankets which had obviously been occupied the night before, and they find Ryu’s mask hanging on a hook. Tae then explains that Shigeru ordered her and the other geisha out and then shut the shoji behind them. When she returned later at night, she could hear a man and woman behind the shoji pillowing, but Tae did nothing to disturb them. The matron explains that Ryu had left quietly and no one knows where he went. Dejected, Jin leaves the teahouse.

Noriyaki, Kenjiro and Ying-Lien arrive at a small and hastily constructed shrine at the top of an outcropping of rock overlooking Kyuden Ikoma. Noriyaki places the Dragon Helm on the altar and performs a small ceremony consecrating the shrine – nothing fancy, just a simple ceremony (Theology roll just barely made it). The Kami is satisfied.

As they begin climbing down, they see dark smoke in the distance and feel the thunder of hooves approaching Kyuden Ikoma. The Unicorn have arrived and it looked like they were preparing to siege Kyuden Ikoma. The black smoke was the Lion samurai, burning crops and supplies to prevent the Unicorn from capturing anything to feed their army with.

When they returned to the city, the makeshift peasant refugee camp outside the city gates was in disarray as the peasants were busy taking down their ramshackle tents, gathering up their belongings and trying to stay out the way of the advancing Unicorn army.

Jin returns to their home. He gives Ryu’s mask back to Hiroko and delivers it to Ryu. Ryu is getting ready to go to the bathhouse when he runs in Jin. He thanks him for the mask but brushes him off saying he will be right back.

Jin prepares for his duel with Hira. Kenjiro is petitioned to be Jin’s second, and he agrees. When they arrive outside the city gates, Hira is waiting for them with her own second, Matsu Gihei, another Lion samurai as large as a Crab berserker.

Hira and Jin prepare for the duel and begin sizing each other up. Jin examines Hira’s stance and realizes that she has been working on her dueling skills. She has improved and when Hira sees the worried look on Jin’s face, she smiles.

They are about to begin focusing when Daidoji Chisato interrupts the ritual and orders them to stop the duel and attend Kikaze at his guest house in the keep during the hour of the rooster. Hira is incensed and tells Jin that this is not over. She storms off with Gihei who scowls at the samurai as they leave.

Ying-Lien decides that this may be her opportunity to join the Unicorn army. She rides out dressed in her sky blue kimono and is greeted by Unicorn Battle Maidens who take her to the yert of Utaku Yaeko, their commanding officer. When she is escorted in, she finds Yaeko sitting on a small dais. The other Unicorn samurai are busy putting up wall hangings and placing rugs and other appointments that the Unicorn like to have around them. To Ying-Lien, it felt like home.

Ying-Lien gets down to business. She wants to join the Battle Maidens in their glorious march toward Kyuden Ikoma and later to Toshi Ranbo. She also explains that her husband has a plan to try and negotiate an end to hostilities such that the Lion would simply allow the Unicorn army across their lands. Yaeko cannot speak for Moto Chagatai, the Khan, but says that she might be able to see him at a later time. In the meantime, Ying-Lien agrees to ride out with them tomorrow morning. Yaeko is only glad to have Ying-Lien on her side.

Just before the Hour of the Rooster, Jin goes looking for Ryu again. Frustrated, he returns to the teahouse to be told that he met and left with Shigeru. Jin has had enough with pleasantries. The meeting with Daidoji Kikaze, the impending invasion and his own problems are enough without having a recalcitrant charge who refuses to stay with his bodyguard. Jin finds Kita and asks her if she had seen her husband earlier. She tells him no. Jin asks about a woman named Yori and Kita says that she is Ryu’s brother’s wife. She asks if Yori is in town, but Jin does not admit to anything. Jin excuses himself and Kita tells him that if she sees him, she will let him know that Jin is looking for him.

The samurai are escorted into the grounds of the keep at Kyuden Ikoma. They are taken to a small house guarded by Daidoji Chisato and another Crane samurai. Chisato shows them in and then leaves. Kikaze is sitting crosslegged by the table and shares tea with them. Then he asks them if they are truly Crane samurai and if they would die for their Clan and their Emperor. Each respond saying yes before Kikaze asks them “then why did you betray me.”

Kikaze tells them he knows about the deception involving his son’s death. Shosuro Shigeru came to him and told him about it all. Then, he throws the wakazashi and obi that the maho-tsukai had and that Ryu used as proof of his death. Kikaze tells them that Shigeru wants something from them and then asks if they know what he is talking about. Everyone else remains silent, but when asked, Ying-Lien tells him about the Dragon Helm.

When pressed about the accusation Shigeru is making about who was complicit in faking his son’s death, everyone denies knowledge, but Kikaze sees through their lies. He calls their actions treasonous and says he should have their heads, but falls short of asking for them – he sees Shigeru’s hand in everything that happened and is not convinced that Shigeru did not just manipulate everything.

The samurai ask him why he simply does not call Shigeru’s bluff and challenge him to a duel. No one would believe such things of the Daimyo of the Daidoji family. Kikaze explains that any knowledge could compromise his position as a credible negotiator for the Crane in this war. The Lion may be desperate to gain their help, but he wonders whether they would negotiate with someone whose trusted son and samurai betrayed him in such manner. By the time things are sorted out and the truth revealed, the Unicorn could have marched on Toshi Ranbo. He cannot afford a scandal to delay negotiations.

When asked if any of them could challenge Shigeru, Kikaze tells them not to touch him. Instead, he has a different duty for them. Despite what they have done, he is convinced that they are the only ones he can ‘trust.’ Kikaze wants the samurai to find out what Shigeru wants with the Dragon Helm and to find and return his son. Kikaze explains that Kage is not his true son, but that his mother had an affair and died giving birth to Kage before revealing who the father was. Despite this knowledge, he raised Kage as his own and never told him he was a bastard. He dearly loves his son and despite the dishonor that will come with revealing him as a fraud, he wants him back.

Finally, Kikaze tells them this quest must remain a secret. He cannot afford to have knowledge of their quest get out into court. The samurai commit to both tasks and return to their home. Along with this, he cannot give them papers to travel through the disputed territory. Once they get to Dragon lands, he has a friend who will give them travel papers, but they will not have any until then.

The samurai return to their quarters, a lot on their minds.

Next: The Crossing

(L5R) Ch 2 – The Betrothal, part 1

2008-11-22T16:25:00.006-07:00

The Teahouse of Jade Thunder

Synopsis: Daidoji Jin is betrothed to Matsu Hira. Meanwhile, the Unicorn Clan continues to march across Lion lands.

It is the Month of the Boar in the year 1168 IC and the Empire of Rokugan has been thrown into chaos. The Unicorn Clan attacked the Lion Clan in an unprovoked and deadly winter assault. Normally, winter is the worst time to conduct a war. But for the Khan, it is an opportunity that was not to be wasted. With its mounted cavalry, the Unicorn use the winter to their advantage and flank the Lion forces at every turn. Their huge mounts glide past the Lion infantry which struggles in sometimes waist deep snow, surrounding them and cutting them off from reinforcements and supply lines. Entire Lion battalions are captured or killed as the Unicorn easily capture towns and cities that dot the Plains of Battle.

But as the New Year approaches, the Khan’s purpose becomes clear. The Khan does not just wish to attack the Lion; the Khan is attacking them only as a means to an end. The Khan is marching his troops to Toshi Ranbo, the Imperial Capital. He intends to take the Imperial Throne and declare himself Emperor. The surviving Hantai siblings, Kaneka and Sezaru, have both refused to take the throne. Kaneka is happy being Shogun and Sezaru continues his hunt of the Shadowlands throughout the empire. Neither wish to engage in courtly power politics and so both refused the Steel Throne. The Khan saw this as weak. He believed that the empire needed someone of strength to rule – someone who was strong enough to fight the tide of the Shadowlands that has ripped across the Empire from time to time over the past century. So the Khan took action.

In the hours after the initial attack, the group of samurai that had just killed a maho-tsukai in an abandoned keep overlooking Daidoji castle, arrive to find the castle in chaos. Amidst the chaos, Ryu looks for Bayushi Yori but does not find her. Finally, he ventures into the basement of Daidoji castle and finds Shosuro Shigeru. He hands him the maho-tsukai’s obi and wakizashi as proof of his death and the completion of their duty. Shigeru thanks him and asks if there was anything else there, a helm perhaps. Ryu says yes, but since Shigeru had never mentioned it, they have taken it as their own. Shigeru is somewhat annoyed, but does nothing else.

Two months later…

Year 1169 IC, Month of the Tiger

The Lion have asked the Crane for help in fighting back the Unicorn war machine. So far, the Crab Clan are not intervening, deciding that the Empire needs strength on the throne. The Mantis Clan have also refused to get involved deciding instead to sell arms to both sides. The Dragon Clan and Scorpion Clan have been silent. Only the Phoenix Clan have rushed to the Lion’s aid, but as peacekeepers, not soldiers. So, the Lion have turned to their allies, the Crane. Daidoji Kikaze, being the highest ranking member of the Crane on this side of the lines of battle, has been elected to negotiate for the Clan. The samurai have been requested to help him in negotiations at Kyuden Ikoma.

The samurai have been living in the Noble Quarter of Kyuden Ikoma since they arrived over a month ago. As a guest of Kyuden Ikoma, Kikaze has been given a guest house in the keep itself.

It is during these negotiations that Daidoji Jin receives a note from Kikaze delivered by his new envoy, Daidoji Chisato. The note tells Jin that as part of an attempt to strengthen ties between the Lion and Crane, he has been betrothed to Matsu Hira. Jin’s face goes red. He is betrothed to the one Lion who hates him. They had dueled several times in the past. Nothing good could come of this. The messenger becomes scared that Jin is about to kill him, but Jin reassures him that he will not.

The note also asks Jin to appoint a Nokado. Jin asks Bayushi Ryu who accepts the honour. Jin then goes to the market to find appropriate wedding gifts for the betrothal to take place later that day at the Teahouse of Jade Thunder.

Ryu decides that while the Crane and Lion were finding new ways to make war, he would try to make peace. He visits the Unicorn compound. It is tightly guarded by Unicorn and Crane samurai, a hedge against any possible Lion attacks. A servant shows him and takes him to a serene snow-covered garden in the back. Ide Murai, the Unicorn advisor, greets him and asks if he would like to try a delicacy from beyond Rokugan’s borders – a dark beverage known as “kohi”. Murai’s father had brought it back from the Burning Sands and they have grown small crops on the Utaku Plains ever since. The brackish liquid is bitter, but Ryu actually enjoys the taste.

Ryu speaks to Murai about the Khan’s invasion. Murai supports his Khan, of course, and he calmly states his Clan’s position – that the Khan intends to take the throne. Murai hopes Kikaze would eventually call on him to speak of those matters, but have not heard anything from him. He expects that the Lion are so desperate to get help from the Crane, they will lose the war in the meantime. As Ryu is escorted out, Murai gives Ryu a small package of kohi beans with instructions on how to brew a cup. They do a gift dance before Ryu graciously accepts.

Ryu then sends an invitation to the Lion Clan, hoping to get an idea of what it would take for the Lion to sue for peace.

Meanwhile, Noriyaki is doing research into the helm and discovers it may be a Dragon Helm. He takes it back to his compound and while the others looked on, summons the Kami in a ceremony. A steel Kami responds and answers Noriyaki’s question – that he can indeed command an Elemental Dragon. This Dragon Helm is indeed, a valuable if not legendary, nemuranai. Ryu rationalizes that this Helm is what Shigeru sent them for up the mountain – not necessarily to kill the maho-tsukai. The steel Kami requests that Noriyaki build him a shrine within one day in exchange for such information. Noriyaki agreed.

Ying-Lien, being Unicorn, has had a hard time traveling through Kyuden Ikoma without getting accosted by Lion Clan samurai. So she has a kimono made in Crane colours with the Unicorn mon and white fur trimming. It will not attract as much attention as the purple kimono she normally wears.

Ide Murai summons Ying-Lien. When she arrives at the Ide compound, Murai shares kohi with her and asks her why she is not with the other Battle Maidens. She explains that her duties with her Crane husband preclude her from being on the battlefield even though she really wants to be. She decides, however, that she really wishes to be on the battlefield with the remaining Battle Maidens. Murai says he will arrange papers for her to meet up with a nearby contingent of Battle Maidens lead by Utaku Yaeko.

Kenjiro, in the meantime, discusses the possibility of using the Dragon Helm as a carrot – to get the Lion to agree to allow the Unicorn to cross their lands in exchange for a prominent position in the Khan’s new court (such as Shogun). In exchange, they could give the Dragon Helm to the Unicorn as a token of peace – to ensure that they do not lay waste to the Lion lands.

Before they can set those plans into motion, the samurai all get ready for Jin’s betrothal party. Ryu offers kohi as a gift, but Jin wisely decides against it. They all arrive at the Teahouse of Jade Thunder. It is a large two storey structure with many rooms for both tea and more intimate activities. Many serving girls and geisha greet them and escort them to their private room on the second floor. The servant opens the shoji door. They find a breathtaking view of the Mountain of the Seven Thunders as well as Matsu Hira kneeling beside an older gentleman dressed in Lion colours who introduces himself as Matsu Shogo, Hira’s father. Ryu introduces himself as the Nokado and everyone else files in. When Hira sees the Unicorn, she bolts upward and almost draws her katana before Shogo quietly calms her down.

Daidoji Jin begins by giving three gifts – first a war fan, then a Go set and finally a sake set. Always ready to pick a fight, Hira accuses Jin of offending her by giving her a sake set and implying that she is a drunk. Jin defuses the situation by saying it is to be used to acknowledging victory in war. Unconvinced, Hira tells Jin he is insensitive and that the gift is a bad one. Ying-Lien had enough of Hira and begins arguing with Hira. The two get up and almost draw katanas right there before Kenjiro drags his wife out of the room and takes her back to their quarters.

When Shogo calms his daughter, he presents Jin with a scroll with a painting depicting the Lion victory at the Battle of Black River, despite the mistakes of the Crane. Jin politely disagrees and explains that it was the Lion who refused to listen to Crane commanders. Hira yells at Jin telling him that her grandfather was at that battle and the tales he told were the true accounts of that battle. Jin interrupts and tries again to explain the Crane side of things. Hira accuses Jin of insulting their ancestors and challenges Jin to a duel. Having bested her before, Jin agrees to a duel to first blood the next morning outside the city walls – the duel will decide once and for all who is correct about their version of history.

As they leave the Tea House, Ryu sees a small group of geisha beckoning to him. He cannot resist and tells the others to go home without him. Ryu goes with the geisha to a back room. When they open the shoji door, they find Shosuro Shigeru there to greet them.

Next: The Duty

Dramatis Personae - Chapter 2

2008-11-11T15:48:00.006-07:00

Ide Murai – Unicorn Clan Courtier at Kyuden Ikoma. Prides himself in the 'kohi' his family grows on the Utaku Plains.
Ikoma Tadasu – Courtier of the Lion Clan – He is responsible for negotiating with Daidoji’ Kikaze
Daidoji Kikaze – The Daidoji Daimyo
Daidoji Chisato – Daidoji Kikaze’s envoy
Matsu Shogo – Matsu Hira’s father
Shosuro Shigeru - Scorpion Clan Shugenja who likes to examine dead Shadowlands creatures. He wants the Dragon Helm.

Other NPC's in Other Chapters:

Chapter 1 NPC's
Chapter 3 NPC's

(L5R) Ch 1 - The Mountain Witch, part 4

2008-11-11T15:43:00.005-07:00

Part 4: The Maho-Tsukai

Synopsis: The group learn about the mastermind behind the murders, a maho-tsukai who lives in an abandoned keep located up the mountain.

Immediately after her waking from her nightmare, Ying-Lien talks to Kenjiro about the disturbing dream. They do not know exactly what it means or whether it is a true representation of what will happen or merely a metaphor, but now they are both aware of the prophecy.

There is still the matter of finding the true maho-tsukai. After several days of quiet investigation (which included several forays into the local bath houses looking for scars and tattoos, the samurai hear of an old peasant rumour – that there is an haunted keep at the top of the mountain overlooking the shrine. The maho-tsukai surely lives there.

After hastily making preparations, the group quietly leaves the Daidoji keep and ventures up the mountain, stopping only long enough for Kenjiro to visit the shrine and see his sister, Shiba Yakiko. Kenjiro tells her about the dream and asks her what it means. Yakiko tells him that without more, she cannot tell him exactly what it means. It may be symbolic or it may indeed be prophetic. Any more she could not say.

As the motley collection of samurai continues their short journey up the mountain, they find two sets of human footprints – both venturing up toward the old keep. Were there two maho-tsukai at work here? Who else was hidden within the castle walls? After eight hours of following the path up the mountain, they finally spot the old keep. Along each side of the path approaching the keep, they see dozens of white masks hung atop bamboo poles. The masks stared at them with eerily glowing eyes. Kenjiro knocked one of the masks off its moorings. He found an ordinary candle behind the mask.

As they approach the gates of the keep, they see one light glowing at the top of the keep. That is where the maho-tsukai is, they surmise. That is where they will find him and dispatch him to Jigoku for the trouble he had caused them.

The front gate crashes open. Three large goblins rush out to greet them, but they are ready for them. Kakita Kenjiro shoots an arrow at one while Daidoji Jin rushes up and easily dispatches another. The others move in and take the goblins out before the goblins on the wall shower them with arrows. But the goblins fail to hit their targets and the samurai rush through the open gate. The few remaining goblins try to intercept them, but are easily killed by Kenjiro’s arrows and Noriyaki’s Jade Strike spell.

Sensing very little opposition, they walk along the keeps dilapidated wall and approach the main keep. Just as they approach the stairs down to the keep itself, they hear a thunderous pounding inside. A gigantic ogre crashes through the door. Undeterred, Daidoji Jin attacks it with fervor previously unknown to him. With one strike of his katana, he slashes the Ogre across his mighty chest. The ogre staggers and notices black ichor draining from the large gash Jin had given him. The others move in and attack. The ogre strikes back, but the tides of battle had turned and the ogre falls easily.

The group moves quickly into the decaying keep. The wood and paper walls are ragged. Wind whistles through the tattered halls. As the samurai move into the keep, they hear a quiet laughter from above.

“So, he has decided that I am to die, has he?” says the disembodied voice. “Then come and try. I will enjoy the challenge.”

There is one thin staircase creeping upstairs. Daidoji Jin ventures ahead of the others – given confidence by handily defeating the ogre. As he climbs up to the third floor, he is suddenly hit by a bolt of energy. A numbing cold climbs within his body, and though he resists, it drains him of his will, stunning him. (the bolt of nothing drains 1 VOID permanently). Two large black creatures appear from the shadows and begin stalking the stunned Daidoji Jin. To Jin, they look like cats, almost the size of tigers. But their appearance keeps shifting making their true appearance a mystery. Jin does not care. They are still unnatural creatures from the Shadowlands and they will be sent back to the abyss they came from.

The others rush upstairs, but the thin staircase prevents them from all converging into the room to help their comrade. Noriyaki is behind them all and wants desperately to summon an earth kami, but until he is able to see the creatures, he cannot begin his prayer.

One of the minions rushes at Daidoji Jin with blackened claws. It strikes him fiercely before moving off evading Jin’s katana. Kakita Kenjiro rushes up the stairs, nocks an arrow and fires at one of the creature, missing. Ying-Lien rushes up behind Kenjiro but also fails to land a blow. The creature circles around and strikes at Jin, almost knocking him on the ground but Jin responds and hits the minion hard. Ryu draws his wakizashi and tries to strike at the second minion, but to no avail.

Finally, Noriyaki, with scroll unfurled, climbs the stairs into the chamber and summons an earth kami. He feels a resistance to his prayers, evidence that there are Kansen nearby, but manages to summon the kami and commands it to strike the creatures with the power of jade. The room glows green as the kami strikes a mighty blow on the minion throwing the creature across the room.

With Noriyaki’s spell, the tides of battle turn. The second minion throws a bolt of darkness at Kenjiro. It strikes him, but he resists the cold, numbing darkness that enters his body. It is the last blow the creatures would land. The minions fall and their carcasses dissolve into the shadow as if they had never been. The samurai are injured, but they live. Daidoji Jin, however, has been hit with a bolt of

The samurai venture upstairs and find the maho-tsukai sitting cross-legged inside a mystic circle of protection. There is a nebulous smoke spinning around him not venturing forth beyond the circle.

They begin to approach. Noriyaki summons an earth kami to throw another jade strike. It is blocked by the smoke, which Noriyaki realizes is the Kansen he felt earlier. However, this Kansen is wearing a mask made of the flesh of the face of Ide Keiyomi – no doubt a sacrifice the maho-tsukai had to make to summon the Kansen. The samurai know they have the right maho-tsukai – the one who murdered Ide Keiyomi.

The samurai attack. The maho-tsukai’s fingers grow long black nails and he stands, ready for them. Noriyaki, knowing an earth kami will likely not have any affect as long as the maho-tsukai stands in the circle of protection, summons an air kami instead and a tempest of air appears in the room, blowing scattered scrolls everywhere. As the witch struggles to stand, Daidoji Jin strikes an incredible blow on the witch before Kakita Kenjiro’s arrow pierces his gullet. The maho-tsukai gasps, unable to speak before falling to the floor. The Kansen dissipates, since its master was no longer of this world.

The samurai do not cheer. By gaining vengeance for Ide Keiyomi, they have done their duty. No more, no less.

Behind the maho-tsukai’s mystic circle, sits a helm with a stylized dragon on its top. They take it and the maho-tsukai’s obi and wakizashi and venture back down the mountain. When they arrive at the Daidoji keep, they find chaos. The Daidoji samurai were scurrying about mobilizing as if going to war. When they reach the gates, the find the Karo barking orders. He ignores the samurai and their disheveled appearance when they ask him what was going on. The karo tells them that the Unicorn, have attacked the Lion.

Next: The Betrothal

L5R 3rd Ed Revised Errata

2008-11-04T22:20:00.003-07:00

There were quite a few questions about the L5R Third Edition Revised Errata in our last session. Therefore, I am putting up a permanent link to the L5R Forum Post with the latest official Errata. Here it is:

L5R 3rd Edition Revised Errata

(L5R) Ch 1 - The Mountain Witch, part 3

2008-11-04T21:31:00.011-07:00

The Duel

Synopsis: Kenjiro prepares to duel Daidoji Kage.

It is the hour of the Ox and activities in the keep are winding down. Only the Unicorn are active, preparing to leave before midday – delayed only because they were not allowed off the keep grounds until now. Bayushi Ryu quickly scrawls a haiku onto parchment. He admires his calligraphy. Ryu had never thought of calligraphy as anything but a utilitarian task. He never thought of it as art. While the ink dries, Ryu finds a young servant girl with long bangs tied back with string and shells. Ryu gingerly rolls the parchment and seals it before handing it to her and telling her to deliver it personally and secretly to Bayushi Yori. The servant bows and goes to do her duty.

But Ryu’s night was not yet done. He goes to Mutsuye’s room but he wasn’t searching for Mutsuye. What he sought were the samurai-ko who stood guard in front of her room. Of the three, only two were there. Aiko was still in Shosuro Shigeru’s clutches. Just as he is about to greet the two remaining samurai-ko, he finds Ying-Lien arriving at the same time. Ying-Lien asks to see Mutsuye, but the tallest samurai-ko, Shakuko, refuses to let her enter. Ryu, seeing that Shakuko is distracted, speaks to the other samurai-ko, Akemi. He asks her about Aiko, the missing samurai-ko. What is she like? Suspicious, Akemi tells Ryu that all three grew up together and trained together before going through their gempukku ceremony together. She was honorable and would never do anything to stain that honor. Ryu then tells her that Aiko was last seen with Shosuro Shigeru, that she has obviously failed in her duty because she is not here, and that she is not to be trusted. Akemi stares at Ryu in disbelief, but Ryu’s sincerity had had its effect.

Ying-Lien finally gains entry into Mutsuye’s chambers when Mutsuye herself tells her to come in. When Ying-Lien enters, she finds Mutsuye wearing white – the colour of death. Mutsuye tells Ying-Lien that she loves Doji Kage and would love him even beyond death. But now that it has been revealed that she is tainted, her own Clan will not take her back. After the duel, no matter the outcome, Mutsuye intends to commit Jigai, ritual suicide by slitting her throat. When asked if she knew how she became tainted, Mutsuye could only tell her that she recently had illicit and erotic dreams, but that she had never knowingly been in contact with the taint.

In the meantime, she is trying to write her last haiku, but even as a child, she hated poetry. Now what she hates the most will define her last words to her family for all time. She wants those words to be wondrous, but the pile of crumpled parchment tells Ryu exactly how successful she has been.

Ying-Lien has an idea – something that could perhaps save her life and the life of the man she loves, but first, she has to speak with Kage. She leaves Mutsuye to her poetic musings and finds Kage in his dojo, practicing iaijutsu. Ying-Lien tells him what his love intends to do after the duel and he agrees that to do anything less would be dishonorable and Mutsuye is not a dishonorable woman. Ying-Lien asks Kage if he would entertain the thought of leaving before the duel. Kage tells her that he would only leave if there was no way of dishonoring is father. Ying-Lien goes to see the Daimyo himself.

Meanwhile, Ryu believes that Aiko, might be a danger to Mutsuya. Shigeru was a poison master, that much is certain. If Shigeru found a way to control the samurai-ko’s mind, she might do something to her against her will. Ryu regretted giving her to Shigeru, even though he would arrange things to allow Kenjiro to win. Ryu finds his yojimbo, Noriyaki and the shugenja Daidoji Jin and together they go back up to Mutsuye’s room to stand guard down the hall. The remaining samurai-ko are not amused, but do nothing to interfere.

Kakita Kenjiro wakes up to find a wakizashi beside his futon. It is sheathed in white and gold and sealed with the lotus flower - the insignia of the Imperial family. After staring at it wondering where it came from, he gingerly wraps it in a silk cloth and picks it up. He hides it in a closet and calls for a servant. He instructs the servant to find Noriyaki. The servant finds Noriyaki with Ryu, guarding Mutsuye’s room and returns with him to Kenjiro’s room.

Kenjiro shows Noriyaki the Imperial Wakizashi. He feels very uncomfortable being in possession of it and wonders who it really belongs to. He asks Noriyaki to summon the kami of the wakizashi to tell him who was the wakizashi’s master. Noriyaki does not think that would be a good idea, considering the problems summoning Kami in the castle was the last time. Instead, he tells Kenjiro they should simply get rid of it. They decide to wrap it up and give it to a servant to give it to Kage anonymously and see what happens.

While Ryu and Jin continue their vigil, Aiko returns to her post with the other samurai-ko. Then, Matsu Hira appears to deliver a message to Mutsuye. She sees Jin waiting down the hall from Mutsuye’s room and begins to antagonize him. Jin ignores her ranting for a while, but then looks up and asks whether her master has managed to replace the tea service she broke. Hira fumes, gives the scroll to Aiko and then storms off. Aiko goes to open the shoji door to Mutsuye’s room, but Akemi stops her, takes it from her and does it herself. Ryu smiles behind his mask.

The young servant girl with shells in her hair approaches Ryu. She hands the scroll Ryu had so meticulously composed earlier in the evening back to him. She explains that she tried to personally deliver the letter to Yori, but she was not in her room. After waiting for a long while, she was told that Yori was nowhere to be found, that she was gone.

Ryu begins to worry for the safety of his former love and tells Jin that he will return. He goes to Bayushi Daitaro’s room. Bayushi Daitaro slides the shoji door open a crack and greets Ryu by saying “hi brother. What do you want?” Daitaro is not wearing his mask. Ryu asks if he knew where Yori had disappeared to. Daitaro answers by saying he did not know where she was, nor did he care. He seemed completely indifferent to her fate. This upsets Ryu, but he leaves and begins looking for Shigeru in the castle’s catacombs.

Ryu finds Shigeru. Shigeru informs Ryu that the Ide was not a Pekkle and that the real maho-tsukai is still out there, and that their work is not yet done. This news is even more upsetting. It meant that they were wrong and had failed in their duty to point out the right murderer. It also meant that they condemned two innocent people to death. Mutsuye, despite the fact that she is tainted, should never have been accused and her love Kage should not be dueling Kenjiro. Ryu decides to take action. First, he returns to Mutsuye’s room to collect Jin, who is still waiting down the hall for something to happen. Ryu tells Jin that Aiko is not a danger.

Everyone else is discussing the nights events trying to figure out how to save the lives of Kage and Mutsuye. They agree that they have to disappear, but the question is, how to make them disappear without making the Daimyo lose honor. Ryu believes that he can get Shigeru to give the couple a different poison to make them appear to die. Then, they can make them disappear. He also tells them that Ying-Lien must not be told of this – she has proven herself to be naïve and too trusting. If she is told, she will likely tell others.

Ryu contacts Shigeru and explains the plan to him. Shigeru nods behind the mask and agrees to do it, with a price – they must hunt down the maho-tsukai who committed the murders in the first place. They will not have to bring him in, just bring evidence of the maho-tsukai’s death to him. Ryu agrees, reluctantly.

After waiting for the Daimyo for what seemed like forever, a servant informs Ying-Lien that the Daimyo will not see her. She returns to her room. She arrives to find Asako Kuhime waiting for her. Kuhime thanks her again for the kindness she showed her the night previous and then gives her a small charm. It was made mostly of wood, but the wooden shell hid something inside that Ying-Lien could not see. Kuhime tells her not to tell anyone else about the charm – that she might get into trouble if one of her clansmates found out she gave away such a prized possession. Ying-Lien is flattered and as per Rokugan custom, does the gift dance (refuse three times before accepting) with Kuhime.

When Kuhime leaves, she enters her room to find Kenjiro, her husband, waiting for her. It is dawn. The time of the duel has arrived. Kenjiro sits Ying-Lien down. He tells her a tale about when he was not Kakita Kenjiro, when he was still part of the Phoenix Clan. He tells her that he had been reborn into the Crane Clan and that his old life was gone. And now they plan on conducting a rebirthing ritual with Kage and Mutsuye. Kenjiro explains with utmost sincerity (the fact that Ying-Lien is also gullible helps) that Ryu conduct the ceremony after the duel. He asks her to arrange for the Unicorn Clan to take them away after it is over. He also asks her not to tell Kage and Mutsuye what they are planning to do. It must all look natural. Ying-Lien agrees and goes off to contact her Clan mates.

Outside the Kakita castle, it is snowing. Kenjiro arrives, katana in hand. Kage is already in the field, kneeling before a small family shrine. A small white tent overlooks the field. Daidoji Kikaze, Kage’s father, sits on a squat pedestal. On his left, Mutsuye sits crosslegged on a white sheet. She is still wearing her white kimono. In front of her sits a scroll, rolled up tightly and bound by red ribbon. In front of the scroll is a wakizashi sheathed in the colours of the Phoenix. At the far end of the tent, Shosuro Shigeru stands – his mask hiding whatever emotion he might be feeling. The rest of the group stands near the tent to witness the duel. Jin has been chosen as Kenjiro’s second, just in case something happens to justify needing one. Ying-Lien was asked to be Mutsuye’s second.

Kage stands and faces Kenjiro. Kage yells out “show me your stance, samurai.” They each enter their iaijutsu dueling stances ready to, at any moment draw their blade and strike down their opponent. Both duelists begin sizing each other up – looking for unsteadiness in their stances or weakness in their eyes. Kenjiro stares at Kage’s impassive face. It showed no emotion, no expression, no flaw. Kage’s stance was the stance of an experienced duelist hardened by dozens of encounters – some to first blood, maybe even some to the death. Kenjiro is also an experienced duelist, but finds no weakness in his stance [GM Note: Kenjiro’s roll to read Kage’s attributes was shy by 2 points. Kage’s roll was enough, and he read 3 of Kenjiro’s attributes. He chooses Kenjiro’s Agility. Kenjiro chooses Kage’s VOID – big mistake because Kage has 4 VOID].

Both duelists shift their stances and place their hands on the hilt of their katana. Once the katana leaps from their sheath, it would take a split second to have an effect – to slice air or leave the other on the ground in a pool of blood. Kenjiro focuses zen-like to build the chi in his body all the while staring at Kage looking for a sign of nervousness – a drop of sweat on his brow, a nervous twitch of his fingers, any sign that his resolve was beginning to crack – that he was ready to strike. But Kage’s face remained implacable. Instead, Kenjiro’s mind began to race. When will he strike? When will he release his energy in one final blow? [Kenjiro focuses first and both duelists exchange focuses until Kenjiro requires a TN 30 to hit]

Kenjiro thought he saw Kage’s eyes twitch. Was that the sign? Did he just show the first sign of weakness? Kenjiro gives a shout, releasing his chi in a roar and signaling that this duel was about to end [after Kage focuses once more, Kenjiro is forced to strike. Kage strikes first and has a TN of 35 …]. In one smooth movement belying a decade of iaijutsu training, Kage draws his katana from his sheath. It arcs forward toward Kenjiro – his katana leaping toward its own target. Kage’s katana sweeps past Kage, the tip arcing across Kenjiro’s gullet, missing him completely [… and fails]. But Kenjiro’s katana hits his mark, arcing deeply across Kage’s chest. Kage stands for a moment, stunned, before falling face first into the snow.

Daidoji Kikaze puts his head in his hands. He knows he has just lost his eldest son and heir. But honor has been satisfied. Mutsuye, knowing that her fate is sealed, quickly picks up the wakizashi, unsheathes it and draws it deeply across her throat. She collapses to the ground and Ying-Lien catches her, putting a white cloth on her throat trying to staunch the mortal wound. Shigeru strides over and leans over her, examining the wound. He pronounces her dead. He then walks to Kage’s still form and examines him as well and makes the same grim announcement.

Daidoji Kikaze shows no emotion as he gets off his pedestal and walks back to the castle. Honor has been satisfied.

Later that morning at the funeral, Noriyaki reads a haiku he had composed for the occasion. Kage’s and Mutsuye’s last haiku’s are also read out. The ceremony is short, but moving.

The couple wake up in one of the Unicorn clan tents to find Kenjiro looking at them. He lights afire a Phoenix Clan kimono that he used while he was a member of that Clan, and then tells them they have been reborn. Kage and Mutsuye are dead to Rokugan. At first, both of them want to run out of the tent and exclaim that they have been dishonored, but they realize that this is a second chance. They agree to travel to Unicorn lands and try to find a cure for Mutsuye’s taint – and try to make a life for themselves.

Ryu thanks Shigeru for using his skills to prevent the couple from dying. He then turns his attention to the rest of the group and tells them they have a maho-tsukai to hunt.

Ying-Lien congratulates the couple for being “reborn” before seeing the Unicorn contingent off. As she returns to the keep, she sees Shiba Yakiko approaching her, a servant guiding her hand. Yakiko tells her of a dream she had and tells her that she had to tell her this in confidence. In that dream, she is holding an Imperial Wakizashi and being attacked by Kakita Kenjiro, her husband. Kakita Kenjiro was going to try and kill her.

[GM Note: Each of the characters lost 3 points of Honor. Kenjiro gained 2 points of Honor and Glory for defeating Kage in the duel - a gain which will be negated if it would ever be revealed publically of his part in the duel. Ying-Lien loses nothing yet.]

Next: the Maho-Tsukai

A Journey of a Thousand and One Nights Begins With a Single Step ...

2008-09-23T22:03:00.006-06:00

The Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) Role Playing Game keeps on evolving. Recently, Alderac issued its new L5R 3rd edition Revised. This new edition fixes some of the problems players complained about when 3rd edition came out 3 years ago. The only problem with Revised is that far from fixing the problems, they created more. A comprehensive Errata is being written and AEG will likely publish it online.

But along with the new Revised edition of its flagship, AEG has also published Legend of the Burning Sands (LBS). LBS also started life as a Collectible Card Game that existed in the same universe as L5R. In fact the Burning Sands are just north of Rokugan. The new LBS rule book is a gorgeous 300 page book detailing the world of Medinaat al-Salaam and its inhabitants. The Roll and Keep rules from L5R have been transplanted here, but they use a hybrid of L5R's 3rd ed and 3rd ed Revised - making it compatible, with a bit of work, with its sister game.

Hot on the heels of L5R, is Qin by French RPG company 7th Circle. Now published in English by Cubicle 7, Qin reminds me of a wuxia version of L5R - before L5R became heavily laden with CCG inspired metaplot. The corebook and its few supplements are fantastic to look it and minimalist in feel. It is still fantasy, but it is fantasy with deep roots in Chinese wuxia literature and film as well as Chinese history. It looks and feels as if it could be a primer in Chinese anthropology. It took almost 2 years before 7th Circle translated their game of fantasy China into English.

Well, 7th Circle is at it again. First, Qin gets a Kung Fu makeover with Qin: Shaolin and Wudan. This fatsplat supplement (with a stylized tiger instead of a dragon on the front cover) acts as a stand-alone game and updates Qin with rules about Kung Fu. The timeline is also updated. This one takes place in 17th Century China.

But 7th Circle didn't stop there. In a parallel move to AEG's Legend of the Burning Sands comes Caphernaum: the Heritage of Dragons (trans.). It is a fantastic version of the Tale of 1001 Nights. It is only available in French and so far there are no plans for an English translation, but it tackles the same subject matter as LBS does. It even uses a "Roll and Keep" system, but my French is too rusty to allow me to figure out how close it is to AEG's system. If my experience with Qin is any indication, Caphernaum will be fantastic. I hope we don't have to wait too many years before they publish it in North America. There is already a couple of websites for it. One is right here.

(L5R) Ch 1 - The Mountain Witch, part 2

2008-09-22T22:11:00.011-06:00

The Trial

Synopsis: The group investigates the grisly death of Ide Keiyomi and come to a shocking conclusion in Daidoji Kikaze's court.

Most of the group goes up to Ide Keiyomi’s room on the second floor of the keep. Bayushi Ryu grabs Noriyaki before he could go and tells him “let the magistrates deal with her. I have a scroll I need to show you.” Noriyaki is too curious. He examines the scroll. Noriyaki reads it and realizes it is a prayer to the Air Kami known as the Mists of Illusion - the Air Kami would help the shugenja who prayed to it, to disguise something, but whatever is under the spell would not be able to move. Noriyaki and Ryu decide to think about this further. They both join the rest of their group at Ide Keiyomi’s room.

There is already a small crowd gathering around the open shoji door. An older gentleman in Unicorn Clan colours is slouched on the floor, a couple of Unicorn Clan are there comforting him. Two Daidoji samurai are doubled over in the corridor retching - the smell of bile and vomit wafts toward them.

Daidoji Takakana is speaking with another Crane samurai. He approaches the group and tells them they are to investigate the murder on orders from Daidoji Kikaze. He wants them to do this since they are already investigating Mutsuye. He warns them before going in that what they will see will challenge their honour.

The group opens the shoji door and they are assaulted by the strong odour of iron and death. They find a maid on the ground with her throat slashed from ear to ear – her blood covering five tatami mats. Ying-Lien gasps. The others try to show bravery in the face of such a repulsive scene. The eta will have to burn all the tatami mats.

But when they enter Keiyomi’s bed-chamber, they face the true horror. Keiyomi's body lies on the floor, naked. Her torso is torn asunder, her organs, intestines and blood scattered across the room as if her chest exploded showering gore throughout the room. Keiyomi's shattered ribs thrust upwards, exposing the blackness within her chest cavity. The group inch toward Keiyomi's body gingerly trying to avoid touching the gore when they notice one final horror - Keiyomi's face is missing - the flesh torn from her skull like bark from a tree exposing bloody muscle and sinew beneath. Only her eyeballs remain, staring blankly toward the ceiling. Before this room could be used again, it will have to be exorcised and cleansed before another samurai would be allowed to step into the room.

Jin looks down at the blood and gore. Along with the brackish coloured blood he spots a reddish-brown ichor mixed in that was indicative of only one thing - the Shadowlands Taint. He tells the group that whatever this was, was exposed to the Taint and may have been Shadowlands itself.

Noriyaki looks for a bowl with water to summon a water kami and find out what it saw, but the only bowl he finds is stained with blood, gore and taint. If he were to try and summon a water kami, he would risk summoning a Kansen instead. He decides against this course of action.

Noriyaki finds an untouched bowl of water in the outside chamber where the maid was found. He takes a moment to summon a water Kami and it shows the shugenja what it saw - the maid backing up, her arms in front of her as if defending herself and a moment later, Isawa Mutsuye approaching her with a tanto in hand and murder in her eyes.

In the meantime, Jin speculates what had happened in the room. Jin has been exposed to Shadowlands Lore and thinks that Mutsuye killed an Oni no Pekkle, a deceptive Shadowlands creature that disguises itself as a human and who has the power to seduce all manner of men. The Pekkle must have killed and replaced Keiyomi a while ago. When Mutsuye figured out that her friend had somehow been replaced by the tainted doppleganger, she killed it and in its death throes, it exploded. Jin's story could not explain why Mutsuye killed the maid nor did it explain why Keiyomi (if that really was Keiyomi) was missing her face.

The group decides that the best way to figure out what really happened was to talk to Mutsuye herself. They leave and make their way to her room where they find the three samurai-ko guarding the room. They demand entry in the name of the Daimyo and are let in. They find Mutsuye changing into an elaborate Phoenix Clan kimono; her maid is tying up her obi. Mutsuye is incensed. She is in the middle of getting ready for the party. Ying-Lien tells her that the party is over and that her friend Keiyomi is dead. Mutsuye gasps and sits on a chair, absorbing the information. When they accuse her of the killing, Mutsuye denies she had even seen Keiyomi since she arrived. Bayushi Ryu listens to her and believes her but sits back and says nothing.

Daidoji Kage barges in and demands to know what is gong on. When the group confronts him with the news that his betrothed perhaps killed a Shadowlands creature and could very well be tainted herself, Kage yells at them telling them that she is innocent and could no way be a party to such horrible deeds.

While Kage argues with the group, Noriyaki takes out a scroll from his satchel, unfurls it and silently prays to the earth Kami. The Earth Kami answer with a Jade Strike on Mutsuye. She is struck to the floor by the force of the blow and is obviously injured by the earth kami. Kage draws his wakizashi and rushes at Noriyaki. The group block his way as the samurai-ko enter, wakizashi drawn. Before the samurai-ko can rush to Mutsuye's aid and attack Noriyaki, Kage challenges Noriyaki to a duel to the death for the insult an dishonor brought upon himself and his betrothed. Jin tells Kage that his father should be brought down to decide what should be done with her, but Kage, fearing any excuse to refuse the marriage, tells them no. The group does not concur, and they leave Kage and Mutsuye as they go to seek out Kikaze.

While everyone else goes to visit Kikaze, Ying-Lien decides to take a different course of action and excuses herself from the group. She ventures out into the courtyard where the Unicorn Clan has gathered. Until the murderer is found, the Unicorn will not be allowed to return to their encampment. She finds Ide Toshimitsu, Ide Keiyomi's father, and despite protests, manages to convince him to take a walk with her. While in the garden, they converse about Keiyomi. Ying-Lien asks if Keiyomi had changed her behavior. Toshimitsu denied that Keiyomi had changed and that she was just as exuberant as always.

Ying-Lien then tells Toshimitsu about Jin's theory, that she was no longer human. This news rattles Toshimitsu and he sits down on a snow-covered bench. He tells Ying-Lien that this is not possible, that his daughter, whom he loved more than anything in this world, could not possibly have been a thing from beyond the wall. Disoriented, he tells her to leave and that he must have time to think. She bows out of respect for the Ide diplomat and leaves.

In Daidoji Kikaze's chamber, the Daimyo asks for a report. Bayushi Ryu explains the events and tells Kikaze that without a doubt, Mutsuye is tainted - that Noriyaki's spell has proven that.

Kage and Mutsuye are summoned and brought into court. Mutsuye denies ever meeting Keiyomi since she arrived and implores for the Daimyo to believe her. Kenjiro listens to her and believe she is being sincere. Despite all he has seen, he believes her. Kage backs her up and tells his father that the group has dishonored themselves and insulted their host by daring to cast such an offensive spell while in his keep. Kikaze questions Noriyaki about the spell and Noriyaki explains Jin's theory - that Keiyomi was what was known as an Oni no Pekkle. Kikaze frowns at Noriyaki's demonstration of his knowledge of the Shadowlands in open court, but does not deny that the effects of the spell have revealed that Kage's betrothed is indeed tainted - a fact that would have become a difficulty had Kage been allowed to marry her.

Kikaze demands that Toshimitsu be brought in front of him. When he arrives, Kikaze relates the facts and asks Toshimitsu if he knew that his daughter was a creature of the Shadowlands. The Unicorn diplomat is insensed and denies that she was and challenges anyone in open court to make a statement otherwise. Ying-Lien steps forward and explains to Kikaze that she would step forward. Toshimitsu, not wanting to duel a clansman, tells Kikaze that he should not believe her and that she is not of sound mind - that the death of their clansman has shocked her senses. Ying-Lien tries denying this, but Kikaze silences her. No one else steps forward to challenge Toshimitsu. But, there is no denying that Keiyomi was not human (at least in their minds). Mutsuye would not strike down another clansman that could start a war. No, Kikaze declares that Keiyomi was a kami. No one in the room challenges him on this fact.

Then, Kikaze announces in open court that Mutsuye is tainted. He then turns to the Bayushi Ryu, the Nokado, and asks if this is appropriate to deny the marriage. He agrees and Kikaze announces that there would be no wedding. Meutsuye falls to her knees and covers her face. For Mutsuye, her life is over. She could not return to Phoenix lands a tainted shugenja. She had only one way to atone - to commit seppuku.

Kage is enraged and tells his father that these are all lies that should not be believed by ones with such little Glory. Kikaze is un-moved. Kage then explains that he has challenged Noriyaki to the death for such insults. Kikaze ponders the duel and announces in open court that the duel will take place at dawn. Since Noriyaki is a shugenja and not versed in the ways of iaijutsu, someone would have to act in his place. Kakita Kenjiro steps up and volunteers for such a duty. Kenjiro accepts the duel as it stands knowing full well that any deviation from custom would be struck down by Kikaze himself. The duel would be to the death. If Kenjiro failed in his duty and Kage won, Noriyaki would be honor-bound to commit seppuku.

The group is excused from court. They begin to ponder the effects of the evening's investigation. Ying-Lien wonders if there is any way to avoid the duel so no one has to die. She even considers figuring out if there would be a way for them to elope. They go to their quarters to conduct a tea ceremony and to help Kenjiro clear his mind before the upcoming duel.

Meanwhile, Bayushi Ryu decides to take matters into his own hands. He discovers that there is another Scorpion shugenja attending Kikaze's winter court, Shosuro Shigeru. He finds him in the catacombs below the keep with a scruffy Crab samurai. They are examining a dead Shadowlands thing when they are interrupted. Ryu wants to rig the duel in favor of Kenjiro. Shigeru tells him it could be arranged - a small use of poison or some such toxin. All that would be required would be to arrange a meeting between him and on the samurai-ko who were guarding Mutsuye as well as some of her belongings and her saliva. Ryu agrees to the conditions and waits for the opportunity to kidnap one of the samurai-ko. When he succeeds at bringing the prone body of the woman to him, he tells Ryu that "it will be done - Kage will not win."

Next: The Duel

(L5R) Ch 1 - The Mountain Witch, part 1

2008-09-17T21:38:00.005-06:00

Winter Court

Synopsis: The group arrives at a Daidoji keep for winter court and become embroiled in courtly politics.

Year 1168 IC, Month of the Boar

Bayushi Ryu, Kakita Kenjiro and Utaku Ying-Lien arrive at a small Daidoji keep close to Lion territory. It is in the mountains near the former Beiden Pass , north of the Kakita Dueling School overlooking the Lake of Sorrows . They are greeted by Daidoji Takakana, Karo for the keep. He takes everyone's katana and asks them to keep their wakizashi on them at all times or in their rooms. Then, they are shown their rooms where they will stay until the New Years Celebrations.

Bayushi Ryu has arrived to be the Nokado (marriage go-between) for Daidoji Kage and Isawa Mutsuye, an assignment he received only a week ago (to his surprise). He has brought his wife Kita and his children with him.

Daidoji Jin and Doji Noriyaki are already at the keep. Jin was given a message from his Daimyo that he was to report to Bayushi Kita when she arrives at the keep. Noriyaki was at the keep because his family's temple dedicated to Kuni Harika is only a short walk up the mountain.

After they have a chance to rest, everyone is given a notice by Daidoji Kikaze (the Daidoji Daimyo) to attend to his chamber during the Hour of the Horse.When they all arrive, Jin meets Bayushi Kita, Bayushi Ryu's wife. She introduces herself as a former member of the Kakita. Her family has been kind to gift her husband a yojimbo, Daidoji Jin.

The others introduce each other before the shoji doors open and they find their host, Daidoji Kikaze, Daimyo of the Daidoji Family, sitting on a raised dais surrounded by bodyguards. Everyone bows, but Kenjiro bows in an exquisite manner that Kikaze notices. They exchange pleasantries before Kikaze tells the players why he asked them there. Their lords have offered their services to him during winter court, and he requires them. His eldest son is marrying Isawa Mutsuye and the final arrangements are being made that evening. He trusts that after that time, there will be NO FURTHER DIFFICULTIES.

Without warning Ying-Lien blurts out "have there been many other difficulties?" Kikaze fumes and almost challenges her outright for the insult before Kenjiro apologizes for his wife’s inappropriate behavior. Because Kenjiro showed exemplary behavior earlier when bowing to the Daidoji Daimyo, Kikaze lets this one go but asks him to control his wife.

Kikaze leaves the group and the Karo steps in to “explain his Lord’s instructions.” They are to seek out and find any information about Mutsuye that may make her an inappropriate choice to marry Daidoji Kikaze’s son, Kage and report such information before the marriage can be formalized with the Nokado. Discretion is mandatory and Kage must not find out about the investigation. They have until the Hour of the Dog to find out anything.

The Karo dismisses the group and they begin by trying to find Mutsuye. They are told that she is at the temple dedicated to Kuni Hiraka, an hour away up the mountains. Bayushi Ryu overhears a conversation between Isawa Akiko and her friends. Akiko, it turns out, is a close friend of Mutsuye. Ryu lures her away from her entourage and questions her. He is pulled away from her by Akiko’s friends but he promises Akiko he will find her later.

In the meantime, Ying-Lien sees a contingent of Unicorn and their many tents and she tells the group to go ahead of her while she speaks to them. She finds out that although the Unicorn arrived recently, they are preparing to leave on orders from the Khan. They do not want to insult their gracious host, so they are leaving in the morning after the evening’s festivities.

So, Noriaki, being very familiar with the area, leads the rest of the group up the mountain to the temple dedicated to Kuni Hakira. (whom nobody seems to know anything about). His statue sits between the statues of Benten and Jizo and is crowded over in offerings. Kenjiro sees his blind sister, Shiba Yakiko praying before the alter and sits behind her so as not to disturb her ritual.

In the meantime, Ryu finds Mutsuye in a small ante chamber, the shoji door guarded by three samurai-ko. The samurai-ko will not let Ryu in but say they will let him know when she is done her prayers. Ryu relents and returns to the group.

Ying-Lien arrives and she tells Kenjiro about the Unicorn exodus. Noriaki is curious and begins talking to her about it. Kenjiro’s sister finishes her prayer and after a friendly, but surprised, greeting, she takes Kenjiro aside for a private conversation. Kenjiro tells her he has misgivings about being here because he wants the blood of the Toturi. Yakiko says he should forget the past that it will not serve him well. She asks who his rather loud friend speaking behind her was, and he introduces Noriyaki. She says she knows who Noriyaki is and apologizes. She says he can rely on her to keep the Temple running smoothly. Noriaki appreciates the gesture.

Ryu, no longer wishing to wait, barges past the samurai-ko and into Mutsuye's chamber where she is conducting her ritual. All the elements that were floating around the room while she prayed, fell to the floor. She fumes and complains, but her ritual is ruined. Mutsuye storms out of the room with Ryu following closely behind. Meanwhile, Noriyaki enters the chamber and summons a water kami to see what she was doing. It reveals nothing useful to him.

The group travel back down the mountain without Mutsuye (who tells them she will come down by palanquin). As they get to the gates of the Daidoji keep, Jin sees Matsu Hira, his sworn enemy. Jin keeps his distance and watches as they enter. By the time the group gets inside, the party is in full swing. They enter the main room and see members of many of Rokugan’s clans: Crane, Crab, Lion, Phoenix , Unicorn and a small amount of Scorpion.

The Daidoji have prepared a full slate of festivities for the evening. Daidoji Kurako, the hostess for the Winter Court, lets everyone know about the dance competition. Only a few enter. First up is Shosuro Shiko who performs an old dance entitled Song of Sparrow's Flight. She receives mild applause for her competent performance, Next, Asako Kuhime performs the Five Elements Dance and trips up. She receives a few polite applause. Kuhime is so embarrassed at her failure she runs off stage. Ying-Lien runs after her. Then, Ryu gets up to perform. He tells Kurako that he will perform the Dance of the Scorpion and the Frog. Ryu has no dancing or performing skill whatsoever, but is so Agile, he manages to pull off the performance of the night – that is until Ide Keiyomi stumbles into the room to perform The Tunnel of Quiescent Flame, a dance which is both graceful as well as provocative and garners applause from Unicorn and Crab alike.

During Keiyomi’s distracting performance, Ryu leaves the table and tells Jin not to follow. He sees Akiko and again flirts with her while her friends try and keep her from blabbing everything she knows about Mutsuye to the handsome Scorpion courtier. Still, Ryu manages to pry Akiko away from her friends and take a walk with her around the garden. Ryu sees Bayushi Yori, his brother’s wife, staring at them as they leave.

After her stunning performance, the crowd (mostly Crab and Unicorn) erupts with applause. Kurako awards Keiyomi with the prize for best dance and then she staggers up to Kenjiro and flirts with him. Kenjiro rebuffs her advances telling her that he is married to an Otaku Battle Maiden who might not appreciate Keiyomi’s flirtatious ways. Keiyomi wastes no time and sidles up to Noriyaki who, not being married doesn’t seem to mind her flirting. She lets him know that she knows Mutsuye, which makes him all the more curious. When she invites Noriyaki to her room (which she loudly re-states as “going for a walk in the garden”), he agrees to follow in a while. She tells him she is going to slip into something “more comfortable” and staggers out the door.

Meanwhile, Ying-Lien follows Kuhime back to her room and comforts the sad samurai. She appreciates Ying-Lien’s friendship and lets her know she has an ally in court. Ying-Lien, satisfied that Kuhime is not going to commit seppuku, leaves Kuhime and walks toward the festivities. She passes Keiyomi in the hallway as Keiyomi stumbles up toward her room. Before she can return to the party, Ying-Lien spots the archery contest and sees Shiba Noboru, Mutsuye’s bodyguard. She enters the archery contest to talk with Noburu, but watches as Noboru wins handily. Ying-Lien walks back toward the party.

In the meantime, Ryu has dropped Akiko like a lead balloon and snuck into Mutsuye’s room. She is nowhere to be seen, and Ryu did not see her at the party. He looks around and finds a shugenja scroll which he cannot read. He slips it under his kimono and returns to the party.

When Ryu returns, he finds Yori in front of the door. They have an argument in front of everyone before Yori stomps off. Ryu returns to his table just as Ying-Lien returns. Suddenly, a Unicorn samurai rushes into the room and announces that Ide Keiyomi has just been found in her room, dead. The snow is falling. No one is leaving the castle.

Next: The Mountain Witch, part 2 - the Trial

Dramatis Personae - Chapter 1

2008-09-16T21:38:00.005-06:00

This is a short listing of all important NPC's from Book 1, Chapter 1 - The Mountain Witch:

Daidoji Kikaze – The Daidoji Daimyo
Daidoji Kage – Kikaze’s eldest son
Daidoji Takakana – Karo of the Keep
Daidoji Kurako – Host of the Winter Court
Isawa Mutsuye – Kage’s betrothed, a Phoenix Clan Shugenja
Isawa Akiko – Mutsuye’s close friend and motormouth
Shiba Noburo – Mutsuye’s head bodyguard
Ide Keiyomi – Daughter of a Unicorn Clan Diplomat. Provocative Dancer. Likes to drink
Ide Toshimitsu – Keiyomi’s father and Unicorn Clan Diplomat
Shosuro Shiko – Scorpion Clan Courtier and Dancer
Shosuro Shigeru - Scorpion Clan Shugenja who likes to examine dead Shadowlands creatures
Asako Kuhime – Phoenix Clan Courtier and Dancer
Akemi, Aiko, and Shakuko – Mutsuye's Samurai-ko bodyguards

Chapter 2 Personas

Major NPC's

2008-09-14T13:53:00.003-06:00

NPC's in Rokugan:

Bayushi Kita: wife of Bayushi Ryu. She was formerly a member of the Kakita family of the Crane Clan. Together, they have two girls, Yuki and Miya.

Bayushi Yori: wife of Bayushi Daitoro. She is in love with Bayushi Ryu. Ryu and Yori were romantically involved with each other until each were betrothed - Ryu to a Crane courtier, her to Ryu's brother. Ryu has been ignoring her so as not to bring shame to his family, but Yori continues to pursue him.

Bayushi Daitoro: Bayushi Ryu's older brother.

Hiroko: Bayushi Ryu's oldest and most trusted servant.

Matsu Hiro: A Matsu warrior of the Lion Clan, she has sworn to destroy Daidoji Jin because of some perceived slights at a tournament. Several recent encounters have not dulled her resolve. Little do either know, but their respective families have agreed to have them married to each other.

Shiba Yakiko: Sister to Kakita Kenjiro, Yakiko is an Itako, a blind Shugenja with a skill in prophecy and divination. She has been assigned to the Temple dedicated to Kuni Hakira.

Shosuro Shigeru: Scorpion Clan Shugenja who likes to examine dead Shadowlands creatures. He is at the centre of many devious plots.

NPC's in the Burning Sands:

none yet

Prologue

2008-09-14T12:10:00.003-06:00

The 1168th year IC, during the month of the Boar

Totori III, the Righteous Emperor, is dead – killed alongside the Emerald Champion Daidoji Hachi at the Mountain of the Seven Thunders by an army of the Shadowlands lead by Kyoso no Oni. The entire Emerald Empire is in mourning. This is the first Winter Court without a Toturi on the throne.

Normally, the Emperor sends invitations out for all those he wishes to have attend his Winter Court. This year, the Imperial Family has issued no such invitations. Instead, the Daimyos of the greatest of Rokugan’s houses are attending the Imperial Capital along with the remaining Toturi siblings, Kaneka and Sezaru, to deliberate on who will become the next Emperor. They will decide who will ascend to Emperor.

The coronation is to take place in Toshi Ranbo during the New Year celebrations several months from now…

Next: The Mountain Witch, part 1

Player Characters

2008-09-14T11:51:00.005-06:00

Here are the Player Characters for the Burning Sands Campaign:

Bayushi Ryu
Scorpion Clan
Bayushi Courtier
Rnk: 2
Inst: 151
Glory: 1.0
Honor: 1.5

Rings: Earth 2, Water 2, Fire 3, Air 3, Void 3

Skills: Caligraphy 1, Courtier 3, Deceit 1, Etiquette 3, Investigation 1, Stealth 2, Acting 1, Iaijutsu 2, Kenjutsu 3, Defence 2, Kyujutsu 2

Techniques: Weakness is My Strength, Shallow Waters

Advantages/Disadvantages: Dangerous Beauty, True Love, Lechery, Dark Secret (Maho Tsukai Ancestor), Heros End Heritage Roll

Background: Bayushi Ryu is a Courtier from the Scorpion Clan. He is married with two children, yet he is in love with Yori, formally of the Shosuro family but now married to his brother. He wholeheartedly believes in Bushido despite his family's misgivings. His early family life was not good and his father hates him (although he is not sure of the reason why). His mother loves him and has supported him through his most trusted servant, Hiroko.

-----

Daidoji Jin
Crane
Daidoji Yojimbo
Rnk: 2
Inst: 154
Glory: 1.0
Honor: 3.5

Rings: Earth 2, Water 2, Fire 3, Air 3, Void 4

Techniques: The Force of Honor, Wielding the Inner Fire

Skills: Battle 1, Defence 3, Iaijutsu 2, Kenjutsu 4, Kyujutsu 1, Etiquette 1, Lore 1, Tea Ceremony 1

Advantages/Disadvantages: Sworn Enemy, Bitter Betrothal

Background: A proud Daidoji yojimbo, Jin bested Matsu Hira in a Kenjutsu tournament and boasted of his win to everyone who would hear. Hira, being a proud Matsu samurai-ko hated him for this and every time they have met since, their enmity grows. They have had several duels, including one to first blood. Little do they know, they are destined to be betrothed to each other because of a deal struck between their respective Daimyos.

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Doji Noriyaki
Crane
Asahina Shugenja
Rnk: 1
Inst: 135
Glory: 1.0
Honor 3.5

Rings: Earth 2, Water 2, Fire 2 (Int 3), Air 3 (Aware 4), Void 3
Magic: Affinity to Air Magic

Spells: not yet listed

Skills: Calligraphy 1, Etiquette 3, Meditation 3, Theology 1, Investigation 3, Courtier 1, Tea Ceremony 3

Advantages/Disadvantages: Precise Memory, Lost Love, Soft Hearted, Small, Meddler, Inept Ancestor

Background: Doji Noriyaki has always been a bit different. Although he wanted to be a Courtier, he was sent to the Asahina Shugenja school when he displayed talent in talking to the Kami. He combined his passion for the courts with his affinity for speaking with spirits and specializes in Air spells. He was betrothed to Asahina Miya who ran away for reasons he is not sure. After his musha shugyo, he discovered that an ancestor had not lived up to his promises and now it is Noriyaki's duty to maintain the Temple of Kuni Hakira.

-----

Kakita Kenjiro
Crane
Kakita Duelist
Rnk: 1
Inst: 142
Glory 1.0
Honor 3.5

Rings: Earth 2, Water 2, Fire 2 (Agility 3), Air 4, Void 3

Techniques: Way of the Crane

Skills: Etiquette 2, Iaijutsu 3, Kenjutsu 1, Kyujutsu 1, Meditation 1, Courtier 2, Tea Ceremony 2

Advantages/Disadvantages: Dark Secret, Nemuranai (Heritage)

Background: Kenjiro was formally Shiba Kenjiro of the Phoenix Clan, but events conspired to make many of his family Crane. His family's dark secret includes very unpleasant events involving the current Imperial Family - so unpleasant that Kenjiro harbours revenge in his heart - he wishes to paint the walls of Toshi Ranbo with the blood of the Toturi. Recently, he was betrothed to Utaku Ying-Lien. Their marriage has been rocky, but he is beginning to appreciate his new wife.

-----

Utaku Ying-Lien
Unicorn
Utaku Battle Maiden
Rnk: 1
Inst: 143
Glory: 1.5
Honor 3.8

Rings: Earth 2, Water 2, Fire 3, Air 3, Void 2

Techniques: Riding in Harmony

Skills: Battle 2, Defence 2, Horsemanship 3, Kenjutsu 2, Kyujutsu 3, Polearms 1, Games 1, Divination 1, Medicine 1, Iaijutsu 2, Etiquette 2, Animal Handling 2, Athletics 2

Advantages/Disadvantages: Gullible, Overconfidence, Cannot Lie, Fascination: Gaijin Lore, Absolute Direction, Irreproachable, Luck 2, Ancestor: Imperial Magistrate

Background: Fourth child of a Utaku Battle Maiden and a Ide Courtier, Ying-Lien has always had an enthusiastic, if not naive air about her. She expresses her emotions much more than is appropriate for a Rokugani and this has gotten her into trouble in the past. Her parents married her to a Crane in the hopes that her exposure to such a refined Clan will smooth some of her rougher edges.

The Burning Sands

2008-09-14T11:30:00.002-06:00

Welcome to the Burning Sands Campaign

This is a blog for the Legend of the Five Rings campaign wherein the characters will venture to the Burning Sands and (maybe) return.

The campaign does not begin in the Burning Sands, though. It begins in Rokugan during the winter of 1168. The Emperor has died - killed by oni at the Mountain of the Seven Thunders. The player characters are minor samurai - most of whom are from the Crane Clan. They are meeting at the Daidoji Winter Court when the campaign begins.

Gary Gygax - Rest in Peace

2008-07-14T14:58:00.001-06:00

I started with a photocopy of the white box edition in 1978. I couldn’t even afford the actual game. Little did I know that this game, D&D, would change my life.

I never met the man, yet he influenced me as if he were my (surrogate) father. In my early years, I worshipped him. His creation was my constant companion. In my “teen” years, I rebelled – saying that he was arrogant and undeserving of praise. In my maturity, I learned to appreciate the hobby he had shaped from his imagination.

I searched elsewhere for the perfect game. I had many partners and a few true loves, but every so often, I came home. It was never the same. The games of my youth were distant memories and I had moved beyond the 20-sided polyhedrals. Still, I yearned to capture those magic moments from long ago and still own the most current copy of his creation on my bookshelf. With a new edition, I may yet return …

My real father passed away at the age of 69 and so too has the father of my dreams and imagination. He has been a constant in my life for 30 years. Now, there will be an empty chair at the gaming table.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. He has kept his promises and earned his sleep."

Goodbye Gary. Well miss you.

Picture by "Aikuchi"

Order of the Stick Tribute

(reprinted from my other blog, Asian Echoes)

City of Glass, City of Rust

2007-09-10T12:32:00.000-06:00

Well, the penultimate Chapter of my 2nd Mage Campaign has come to an end, and the last chapter is set to go this Thursday. Also, it has been so long since I finished the FIRST campaign as well as updating (the last chapter will be done this week, I promise), I will not be posting that second (and actually less successful) campaign.

So, after this, a new campaign set in the new World of Darkness is set to begin, albeit with a different cast of players.

This new one will be set in the exciting game of Changeling: the Lost. My Mage campaign will be set aside and re-vamped with a new focus in mind (set to begin next year) but even that will be set aside if I can get my (new) players to play in an Asian themed Changeling game set in Shanghai (or even Tokyo - which would be very appropriate). Should be very interesting to say the least.

So, with no further ado, please find my new game here, at the City of Glass, City of Rust site.

Never Woke Up

2007-06-07T12:10:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've been able to post anything. It has been a very hectic time in my life, and the last chapter of Ryujin Chronicles 1 is still being edited (but will be up very soon). The second Ryujin Chronicles has already started, so I have to get a move on.

In the meantime: Those who know me know that I've been trying hard to "sell" Changeling: the Lost. Changeling is the new White Wolf game from Werewolf: the Forsaken creator Ethan Skemp. Since Werewolf is arguably the best of the World of Darkness line, I trust Ethan to once again hit an atmospheric home run with the new Changeling. I'm excited for this game even if others are not - but I hope to change their minds before August.

Check out the previews (which have now started) at the Changeling Home Page.

For now, take a look at this little animated video that seems to be inspired by Changeling themes. Very creepy.

Never Woke Up

(RC) The Cave – Ch. 12, part 2

2007-04-03T22:32:00.000-06:00

Summary: The Cabal fights their way through the cavernous cave fighting vicious Bakemono and encountering Emma-O for the last time.

Recap: The Cabal goes further into the cave and find a huge pit. One of them throws a rock down into the gaping hole. It takes quite a while before it lands on something. They grab some rope and begin descending into the pit.

At the bottom, they find a huge stone alter with skeletons stretched out on wooden trestles behind it, bits of skin and cloth hung limply on the bones, limply blowing in the wind. As they pass the alter, they notice fresh blood pooled on its flat surface and feel a strong magical energy emanating from it. Mori concentrates and siphons the dark, tainted mana into his own body, the dark energy mingling with his own.. The Cabal passes by and begin exploring deeper into the cave.

As they travel further in, they feel a rumbling. The ground shifts beneath them and suddenly rocks tumble down from the ceiling. The ground beneath Mori shifts and buckles and he tumbles into the abyss. Mori crashes onto the rocks below and he is crushed under the weight of more that fall on top of him. Mori is buried in rubble and debris, but he is alive. Mori scrambles out from under the rocks. He is bruised and bleeding and he can barely move.

The Cabal calls down to Mori. They are going to attempt to rescue him. But before anyone can send a rope down to him, they are attacked by slavering Bakemono. The Bakemono are vaguely humanoid in appearance. Their musty skin is mottled grey and tough as leather and they don only scraps of cloth. Their hands twisted into claws and their faces contorted into grotesque humanoid masks.

As the Bakemono surround the Cabal, the urge to consume human flesh wells up in their bellies. They eye each other as if looking for weakness, but shake off the urge, regroup and fight off two of the Bakemono before retreating deeper into the caves.

Two Bakemono accost Mori. Mori also gains the urge to consume human flesh, but with no target available, casts Prime magic at the beasts and scrambles into the darkness.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the Cabal are attacked by more Bakemono. They use Magic to force the Bakemono to retreat and fend off the urge to consume each other. Kemosiri uses Death Magic to raise one of the Bakemono into a super zombie (6 successes).

The Cabal finds itself at a dead end. Above, they see a ledge – a passageway leading further into the cave. They frantically begin climbing the sheer rock face using the zombie Bakemono to bide them time. Kemosiri tries climbing, but finds it extremely difficult considering his condition. Tenzin uses Life Magic to grow wings and flies up. The remainder scramble up the wall. Still, Kemosiri is holding them back and the Bakemono climb much faster than he can.

Kontonshin casts the Fate Spell ‘Monkey’s Paw’ on a part of the wall. When one of the Bakemono climb onto it, the rock collapses sending the Bakemono and the other pursuers crashing onto the cave floor. Kemosiri barely makes it up to the ledge.

Meanwhile, Mori finds a stream of blood. He follows it toward a bright light and finds himself on a cliff overlooking a lake of blood in an underground cavern. On the opposite shore he sees hundreds of Bakemono. They see him and begin approaching. Mori tries to escape, but in his weakened condition is unable to flee. He reaches into his pocket and finds the crystal that Isora had given him so long ago. He begins siphoning the dark mana he had drained from the Bakemono into the crystal. The crystal turns from a bright, clear colour to the colour of onyx.

Just as Mori is about to use his Magic to create a massive Prime explosion, he sees Emma-O and Dr. Wu enter the cavern. In their hands, they have the pieces of the Shinwa Taizen that Tatsu was guarding. The scrolls are stained with new blood. Mori realizes with horror that Emma-O has all of the scrolls that were in their possession as well as many other pieces of the Shinwa Taizen.

Emma-O commands that Mori be brought before him. He then brings the unconscious body of one of the Consilium’s servants toward Mori. Mori’s urges overwhelm him. He cannot hold back. He grabs the unconscious servant and at first only gnaws on his arm, the thought of cannibalizing the servant repugnant to him and making him gag. But when he first breaks flesh, Mori experiences a moment of reverie. The flesh tastes sweet and the blood has a delicious metallic tang to it as it rushes past his tongue and down into his gullet.

Something snaps deep within him. He no longer has the will to hold back from even this horrendous act. Mori begins consuming the man with the fervour of a starving man, while Emma-O and Dr. Wu laugh in the background. The remaining Bakemono tear the servant apart in an orgy of violence and blood that Mori does not witness as he is too busy gulping down the warm nurturing human flesh (Mori loses a point of Wisdom for this horrific act, but suffers no derangement. His Wisdom is now 2).

The remainder of the Cabal find the cavern and notice the reverie. They also see Emma-O, Dr. Wu and a blood covered Mori Memento. They stop, horrified at the sight of Mori consuming a human being.

The Bakemono converge on the Cabal. Kemosiri commands the Bakemono Zombie to defend their party, but the Zombie is quickly subdued by dozens of Bakemono. The Cabal uses magic to defend themselves, but Emma-O stymies them by using Time tricks to slow them down and allow the Bakemono to overwhelm them.

Mori cannot move his body and cannot stop engorging himself. He looks up when he sees a bright light at the centre of the cavern, a light no one else seems to acknowledge. In the light, he sees Isora, clad in her bright green kimono, reach out to him.

In a moment of clarity, Mori reaches for the ebony gem Isora had given him, tosses it in the air and uses Prime magic to destroy it. A massive explosion occurs sending bright shards of light into every corner of the cavern.

---

Mori finds himself lying on the shore of a fog-covered beach. Isora is standing in a small boat loaded with the scrolls of the Shinwa Taizen. She says goodbye to Mori and congratulates him on a job well done. Isora tells him that the alternate history that the Shinwa Taizen would have created if fully assembled, that of a cannibalistic hell on earth, will not be and that she will take it where it will no longer invade the dreams of mortals in the Fallen World. Mori’s only response is to say that he has done things, horrible things - things that he is not sure if he can atone for.

With that, Isora waves goodbye, pushes her boat from shore, and disappears into the fog.

---

The Cabal finds Mori on shore. He is unconscious and in critical condition. Emma-O and the Bakemono are nowhere to be seen. Dr. Wu’s body is lying broken and lifeless next to Mori, his lifeless eyes gazing into the Abyss. The Cabal build a stretcher and lift Mori up and carry him out of the Cave.

When the Cabal finally leaves the cave and return to their sanctum, Mori is conscious and just barely able to walk, thanks to Tenzin. They find a note from the Consilium, summoning them to a gathering they must attend immediately upon reading the note.

Next: O-Bon

Playing Cute Fuzzy Animals in Japan

2007-04-02T10:38:00.000-06:00

Has anyone ever been interested in what kinds of RPG's are published in Japan? I've just started finding out. TRPG's (or Tabletalk Role Playing Games to differentiate them from RPG's which are computer games) are very obscure in Japan. They are rules lite so you get into the game very quickly and are heavily influenced by manga.

The more popular North American games have been adapted into Japanese language versions. D&D, GURPS, Call of Cthulhu and even the World of Darkness have all been translated into Japanese with Japanese-only supplements created for each line. My favourite on my want list is Hiei-zan Enjou (Mount Hiei Burns) - a full Call of Cthulhu rulebook (not a supplement) set in feudal Japan.

One of the more interesting original Japanese RPG's include Yuuyake Koyake (trans. "Sunset"), the “Heartwarming Role-Playing”. It is a diceless TRPG about henge, animals that take human form (think Kitsune). They live on the edge of a town in rural Japan and must make connections with people in the town by helping them out. By forming connections, the characters get what they need to use their special powers necessary to accomplish harder tasks. I don't know how they resolve conflicts since the section on fighting basically says "don't fight" (you lose connections and thus powers, by fighting with others). Definitely not angsty world of darkness stuff. It even has a supplement entitled Mononoke Koyake which expands its world by allowing players to take on the roles of ghosts, skin-riders and even aliens.

When I saw this, I began thinking of how good a resources this game would be for something like the upcoming Changeling: the Lost. Think about Japanese Changelings and you might see Kitsune, Kappa, Oni and Yuki-Onna as I do. Just something to think about for the future.

New Campaign

2007-03-21T11:46:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the long wait for the last two chapters of my last campaign. I have already started the new one and haven't been able to finish the last write ups. Look for a lot of changes on the blog as I ramp up what I will be doing with the new campaign entitled RC2: Black Iron Prison.

In the meantime, have a look at a new Motivation Poster - the tag line was quoted by White Wolf's own Jess Hartley. Take a look:

The Year of the Golden Fire Pig

2007-02-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

On February 18th, we enter the 4075th year on the Chinese Calendar, also known as the Year of the Fire Pig, or if you follow legend, the Year of the Golden Pig.

The Year of the Golden Fire Pig comes only once every 600 years and rumor has it, 2007 is this special year. It is Golden because the combination of elemental Fire, the sign Pig, and Yin/Yang components bring this year once every six centuries! It is said that children born under this sign will live in comfort as wealth and luck are always near. The Fire Pig is known to have traits of wealth, prosperity, luck and fertility.

So what are you waiting for...go out and celebrate.

The Cave – Ch. 12, part 1

2007-02-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

Summary: The Cabal prepares to enter the last known place where the original Cabal disappeared.

Recap: The Cabal doesn’t even think. They attack the thin, emaciated being. With a wave of his hand, the being stops time around members of the Cabal and then hits each of them with bolts of energy, knocking each of them down to the ground. After laughing maniacally, the being identifies himself as Emma-O, master of Unit 731. Dr Wu is his student – a student he never would have found had not Kemosiri approached him with the Shinwa Taizen. Dr. Wu’s interest slowly became obsession and made it all that easier to convert him to his cause.

The members of the Cabal slowly get to their feet and prepare another attack. Emma-O waves his hand again and stops time in the room sending waves of paradox rippling throughout the room only to be absorbed by Emma-O. When the characters come to, they find both the human skin scrolls and the prone form of Dr. Wu, gone. The Cabal cannot find Emma-O.

As the group returns to their sanctum, Kemosiri admits to feeling remorse at inadvertently getting Dr. Wu involved in Emma-O’s cult. Dr. Wu was an innocent bystander. He feels the need to redeem his actions.

Tenzin prepares a healing ritual for each of his Cabal mates. While he is busy healing them, the rest discuss their next moves. They reach a conclusion that they don’t even know where begin searching for Unit 731. Mori surmises that the most logical place to search is where the last Cabal disappeared. Their last action was to attend a geology class at a local university. After briefly checking in with Ms. Ogawa, they disappeared.

With a bit of research, and remembering that Koya (the Yamada Taro) kept repeating “Jomon”, they find that the Kobe earthquake epicentre on an island just off the coast. On the island, the Japanese authorities had found a cave with pottery dating back to the Jomon era. That is where the Cabal decides to search for Unit 731.

But what to do with the scrolls? No one believes they are safe in their sanctum. Even with wards around the safe, Emma-O is powerful enough to break anything magical they might use. Kemosiri wants to keep them while they explore the cave, but Mori objects and argues vehemently against that option. Mori tells Kemosiri that the scrolls are having too much of an influence on him and he must divest himself of them. He points out that Tatsu and the Consilium have noticed has more than given him permission to kill Kemosiri if he gets out of control. This shocks Kemosiri and despite his lust for the scrolls, he decides letting them go and giving them to the Consilium for safekeeping is the best course of action.

Despite their misgivings, they give the Shinwa Taizen to Tatsu. They no longer suspect him as being with Unit 731. They now believe that everything they had seen in visions or video was false or designed to mislead them and throw them off track.

The Cabal travels to Osaka and ventures into Kobe. There, they are waylaid by a motorcycle gang (all Sleepers, apparently). Mori calls down lightning and strikes one of the gang members (and loses 1 wisdom for such an act as well as absorbing damage due to Paradox). The gang reluctantly lets them pass.

The Cabal reaches the boarded up entrance to the cave and break through the flimsy wooden barriers. In the gloom, they see dusty remnants of ages old pottery as well as small ceramic dolls reminiscent of dolls from the Jomon period. Under an old World War II tarp, they also find the slightly scorched remains of immaculately decorated wooden scroll cases – all empty.

Next: the Cave, part 2

That Ring's got a Grudge

2007-02-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

J-Horror is part of what has inspired my Mage campaign, but according to this article, I'm a bit behind the times (and since the article was written in '05, really behind).

I found a comprehensive and detailed look at the history and future of the J-Horror industry that apparently peaked after the Grudge. There are a lot more J-Horror films that have been made, but I guess most of them were a bit on the schlock side. Detractors of the genre say that aside from some foreign copies, the genre is atrophying and needs to be revitalized before it dies.

So check out this very enlightening article about J-Horror, its roots and where its going. And check out the site, Midnight Eye, for the latest in Japanese cinema.

I bow the appropriate amount

2007-02-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

At long last AEG has come up with a definitive cultural reference for the land of Rokugan. The Emerald Empire will be a hardcover companion to their Legend of the Five Rings 3rd edition RPG.

There are many who might say that L5R is about as accurate a view of Asia as Dungeons and Dragons is an accurate view of Europe, but at least this Asian-inspired game now gets a definitive political and social hierarchy and a detailed discussion of Magistrates and their role in the empire.

The Emerald Empire: The Legend of the Five Rings Companion is due in June 2007. The Samurai Edition of AEG's flagship CCG, Legend of the Five Rings is released in July, 2007.

The climb was worth it but the knife in the back is killing me

2007-02-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

With the Internet, this must be the golden age of small, independent RPG's. They have never been easier to find and purchase. And the quality and production value of the RPG's is getting better and better.

That brings me to The Mountain Witch, an RPG/Adventure that comes to us courtesy of Timothy Kleinart of Timfire Publishing and can be ordered through Indie Press Revolution. It is a complete RPG scenario that uses a rules lite system developed especially for the adventure, and although the system could be used for other adventures, the scope of the game itself is this one role playing experience.

The players are ronin in medeival Japan. Their mission is to kill the Mountain Witch who lives in a castle at the top of Mount Fuji. The details are left deliberately vague so that the GM can personalize the experience for the players. The trick is, that the mission is not the point of the game - it is only the setup.

Character creation is less about stats and abilities and more about character background. Players choose one of six fates that will come up during the scenario and also choose their zodiac sign (based on the Asian animal signs). Choosing the zodiac will give each character a number of Trust points that can be used to help other players or hinder them (they call this last one, Betrayal).

It's all designed to give the GM the tools he needs to create conflict and tension within the party. So even as they fight a common foe, as the adventure wears on, the most likely death comes not from the Witch himself, but from the sword of another player. In the right hands, this adventure could be a most enjoyable gaming experience.

Shadows of Nanking - Ch. 11, part 4

2007-02-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

Summary: The Cabal prepares to enter the last known place where the original Cabal disappeared.

Recap: While Kemosiri, Kontonshin and Tenzin were wandering though Kwannon’s Oneiros, Mori and Hachi-ko went back to the Sanctum and slept until morning. When they got up, they ventured to Kiyomizu-dera to speak with Tatsu about everything that was going on.

As Mori arrives, he sees an image of a young girl dressed in green that he recognizes as Isora (the little girl in the green kimono from Chapter 6, the Shadow). She tells him not to forget the crystal that she had given to him. Hachi-ko snaps him awake and asks why he was staring out into nowhere. Mori deigns not to respond and instead knocks on the door of Kiyomizu-dera.

A servant answers the call and leads them in to the main temple anti-chamber. Tatsu arrives a short time later. Mori and Tatsu have a conversation couched in riddles. Tatsu intimates to Mori that there is a cancer in their cabal that could destroy not only their cabal, but Kyoto as well. Tatsu also intimates that he feels Mori is the only person capable of cutting out that cancer. Mori agrees. Tatsu tells him to do what he must and Mori agrees. Hachi-ko looks on and is mystified with what is going on.

Mori then goes back to visit Kwannon and meets Daishi instead. He discovers that the rest of the Cabal had entered Kwannon’s Oneiros and after that arduous journey had already left. Kwannon was now resting and Daishi tells Mori that “the end is near.”

The rest of the cabal returned home. Kemosiri realizes how dangerous the knowledge he has is and with Kontonshin’s help, wards the safe against scrying. Kontonshin creates a ward and ban that is very potent – only a Master would have any chance of breaking it.

It was at this point that they find out that Akio Ogawa had still not appeared at the office – not since they had left for Hong Kong. A worried cabal go to her apartment to find out what was going on.

They find Akio Ogawa still in her bedclothes sporting blue eyes. She tells them that they are natural and are not the result of her supernatural rape that had occurred over a month earlier. The actions of Tamano-no-Mae were the final straw. She could not continue the way she was going and she has not seen anyone now for a month.

She relates to them the fact that she is of Ainu decent. She gets her blue eyes from that. She has worn brown contacts her whole life to prevent others knowing her background. Her mother, besides being an Ainu elder was also a member of a secret society – she did not know what society, or what she did and her parents’ divorced while she was very young leaving her and her sister with their father. Still, Akio was the dutiful girl and did what she was told and studied for her University entrance exams like all the other dutiful children in Japan.

After she graduated, she got a job with an oil company who shipped her off to the Middle East despite her father’s objection. While she was there, radical Muslim militants kidnapped her and held her hostage for two weeks before Japanese government interceded and got her released. During that time, she began to see things she never imagined. She later found out that she began to see magic and that she was indeed a Sleepwalker.

When she arrived in Japan, she was met with disdain from the Japanese, an invoice from the government for expenses and rejection from her father. Only her sister was there to comfort her but even she could not maintain close contact with her. She was effectively shunned.

After months of isolation, the mysterious benefactor contacted her and gave her purpose again. The loss of the first cabal struck a fierce blow to her heart, but this last supernatural incident has frightened her. She has had a lot of time to think over the month and has almost put in her resignation. But she has decided to come back to work. She is needed.

During the past few days, she had dreams which repeated each and every night. In these dreams, a young girl in a green kimono appeared and told her that to quell the darkness a beacon of light must shine. The young girl then held out a large crystal which glowed green. Then she would wake up. She tells the Cabal that something horrible is about to happen and that they must find that crystal to prevent it from happening.

The Cabal returns and regroups at their Sanctum and they compare stories. Mori shows them the crystal he obtained from his experiences in the Shadow and has determined that it is at the very least, a mana battery. It is decided that their next course of action in stopping the coming darkness is to locate the supposed leader of Unit 731, Dr. Wu. To start their search, they decide to go back to the Asylum – which they find out used to be a Unit 731 laboratory.

The Cabal sneaks in to the Psych Ward (again) at night and ends up in the basement. The last time they were here, they discovered that the ghost of the World War II soldier had been discorporated. Now they believe it may be the centre of all of the occult activity. Using various detection spells, the Cabal finds a hollow area behind the basement wall. They use ghost gates to enter the Shadow and exit right in the room. What they see horrifies them.

They find Dr. Wu studying several scrolls while meditating in a warded magic circle with a symbol painted in blood in its centre – a symbol they had seen months ago at the Kitigawa house and an abandoned warehouse (Chapter 2). Surrounding the circle are 8 more scrolls made out of human skin and written in blood. Dr. Wu quickly tries casting a spell, but Mori negates it before it could get off. Kemosiri and Kontonshin both hit Dr. Wu with offensive spells and manage to breach his wards. Dr. Wu falls to the floor unconscious. Mori thinks that this was too easy.

As the Cabal approach Dr. Wu’s prone body, a light flashes and suddenly, a gate appears in the middle of the magic circle. A seven foot tall emaciated humanoid in a tattered white robe and hood walks through the gate and faces them. Kemosiri uses his Mage Sight to discover that whoever stood in front of them, unlike Dr. Wu, was a Master of immense power.

Next: Chapter 12 - The Cave

Shadows of Nanking – Ch. 11, part 3

2007-02-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

Summary: The Cabal enters Nanking

Recap: As the morning sun rises over the mountains in Kyoto, Kemosiri, Kontonshin and Tenzin meet with Kwannon in the main temple, a powerful Hallow. Candles are now placed in a circle around Kwannon’s bed. There are three spaces for the Cabal in the circle of candles. Daishi instructs them to sit in one of those positions. Daishi takes the position at Kwannon’s feet and tells the Cabal that they will be astrally projected into Kwannon’s Oneiros (his personal dream space). Daishi will act as an Astral Guide leading them to Kwannon’s Oneiros. From there, the Cabal will have to enter his soul.

Daishi begins a ritual and the Cabal begins to meditate. Within 3 hours, the Cabal has begun projecting into Astral Space, and by 4 hours, Daishi has led them to Kwannon’s soul. He tells them that he cannot go any further and the Cabal steps through into Kwannon’s Oneiros.

They find themselves in a forest. There is fresh, foot deep snow on the ground and only new tracks of animals mark its surface. The Cabal is altogether and see a large column of smoke in the distance. Without warning, they hear something crashing through the bushes. They turn to see a young woman stumbling through the deep snow. A shot rings out and the woman falls, blood spattering the new fallen snow.

The Cabal begins trudging toward her. Before they can get there, three Japanese soldiers break through into the clearing, and pick up the injured woman. One then uses his bayonet to stab her in the stomach several times. Blood comes pouring out and she falls to the ground once more, the snow around her body coloured deep red.

The Cabal rushes in and begin casting spells at the soldiers, felling them quickly. They barely have time to get off a shot before they too are merely bodies in the snow. Kontonshin rushes up to the woman to see if there is anything she can do. The woman’s eyes stare lifelessly at her. Kontonshin makes another grim discovery - she was pregnant.

The soldier’s uniforms are old World War II uniforms. The Cabal surmises that they must be in an area of Kwannon’s mind that remembers or dreams of World War II. They figure that they will find all the answers they need if they only approach the fire.

As they trudge toward the fire, the snow clears and roads leading to a large town or city begin to appear. At the edge of the City, they are greeted with a sign: Welcome to Nanking. Nanking: where the Japanese are said to have committed atrocities upon the Chinese people, killing hundreds of thousands of them, and have never admitted to such atrocities. Those atrocities included grotesque experiments such as amputating someone’s limbs or injecting someone with a virulent disease just to watch them die and recording the results. The bodies were then taken to huge pyres and unceremoniously burned. Although many cities and towns were victimized by the Japanese soldiers, the worst of the atrocities occurred in Nanking by a section of the government known as Unit 731.

As the Cabal ventures through Nanking, they find the city deserted. There are no signs of normal city life. The only sign that someone is close by are Japanese military vehicles that roam the city. The Cabal stays hidden from them until they get close to the centre of Nanking, where the Japanese military presence becomes much too heavy.

They are spotted by a Japanese patrol. The patrol sends up an alarm and soldiers begin piling out of the back of their APC shooting at the intruders. The Cabal duck into an abandoned building. Kemosiri wonders what would happen if he created a Ghost Gate in Kwannon’s Oneiros. He quickly conjures up the Gate (Death 4 Arcana knowledge allows for Instant casting) and all three of them enter.

What they see next surprises them. Kontonshin and Tenzin see Kwannon sitting at a table shuffling what appear to be Tarot cards. They do not see Kemosiri. Kwannon bids them to come forward and have a reading done. Kontonshin approaches and her cards come up: Nine of Swords, Seven of Cups and the Hanged Man (all right side up). Kwannon tells her that she is unhappy right now, and that if she sees through illusion, she will be reborn. Kontonshin shrugs and looks at Tenzin. Tenzin decides not to get one. Then, both find themselves back in “reality”, with Japanese soldiers near the door of the abandoned building they occupy.

Meanwhile, Kemosiri entered the Ghost Gate only to be found separated from the group. He also faces Kwannon sitting at a table shuffling a deck of Tarot cards. He bids Kemosiri to come forward and get a reading. He gets a reading as well. His cards are: Five of Cups, King of Pentacles (upside down) and Judgement. Kwannon tells him that he is feeling a lot of regret for his actions and that if he avoids the corruptive influence in him, he will be able to learn from his mistakes.

When the Judgement card turns up, Kemosiri is clearly shaken. For a while now, he has been judging himself and found himself wanting. He did not really need external confirmation, but it bothered him nonetheless. He watches in silence as Kwannon’s spirit discorporates. He hears Kwannon’s voice asking Kemosiri to follow him to the fire. Kemosiri complies.

Meanwhile, Kontonshin and Tenzin decide that they cannot face a large number of Japanese soldiers by themselves. Kontonshin uses her Fate magic to keep the soldiers from finding them and they sneak out the back way and continue to make their way to the fire in the center of the city. When they approach the fire, they see a large crowd of people (but no soldiers) – hundreds of the citizens of Nanking. They are all lined up and approaching the fire. The fire reaches high above the tallest building of Nanking and appears to be a pyre made up of thousands of bodies. On one side of the fire, they see Kwannon and other mages. The mages appear to be chanting something in a strange language. Then, to their horror, the people at the front of the line, without protest, jump into the pyre.

Kemosiri approaches the same pyre. He sees a Shadow version of what Kontonshin and Tenzin see. Instead of the citizens of Nanking, he sees thousands of spirits and souls lining up to jump into the pyre. Instead of a giant pyre, a maelstrom of souls is present. The souls entering the maelstrom are taken into a gaping maw that appears to descend into the ground. Kemosiri can feel a dark intelligent presence within the maelstrom directing it. Its insatiable hunger demands more and more souls. And with Mage Sight, Kemosiri feels a very powerful magic from the maelstrom, but no other resonance – only a powerful feeling of nothingness. Kemosiri concludes that the maelstrom leads to the Abyss and that the powerful presence within the maelstrom must be a strong Abyssal entity.

Kemosiri sees the mages reading from scrolls. The scrolls he recognizes as pieces of the Shinwa Taizen and the mages are chanting in Muvian. He begins to piece things together. The powerful spells that inhabit the Shinwa Taizen must summon something awful from the Abyss when the scroll is completed. The souls must be the price the mages have to pay for help from the Abyss.

Kemosiri tries to stop the hooded mages from taking more souls. He launches himself at them and tears the scrolls free of their hands. He gets to the last mage, who resists and keeps his portion of the scroll away from Kemosiri. During the struggle, Kemosiri tears the mages hood and sees himself staring back at him. Kemosiri pushes him to the ground and grabs the scroll. The maelstrom ends and he finds himself near the smouldering ruins of a giant fire in the middle of an abandoned Nanking. He sees Kontonshin and Tenzin nearby and finds himself holding his journal. A quick look in the journal and he finds that he has several more pages of the Shinwa Taizen scrawled in it – all in his handwriting.

The Cabal leave Astral Space and their minds return to their own bodies in Kyoto. Kwannon is still lying on his bed in the middle of his temple. He turns to the Cabal and tells them what they saw was what really happened in Nanking. The world remembers the events as medical and scientific atrocities. However, the thousands of people died not because of the atrocities of men, but of the atrocities of mages who were attempting to summon an Abyssal entity.

Kwannon turns his head weakly and tells the Cabal that what they saw was what really happened in Nanking. He begins to tell the Cabal of the secret history of the Shinwa Taizen.

Kwannon's Story

Kwannon finished his story leaving the Cabal shaken to the bone. The Kyoto mages had almost caused the end of the world by overwriting history. Kwannon leans in and tells the Cabal that it is happening again – that the Shinwa Taizen cannot be completely destroyed and that it will appear to a chosen Awakened in his or her dreams and in that way the Shinwa Taizen will come alive again. If allowed to be completed and the dark ritual recast, it will overwrite the world’s history. History as we know it will disappear and replaced with an Abyssal history replete with cannibalism and bloodshed such as the world has never seen.

It must not be allowed to happen.

Next: Shadows of Nanking – part 4

Free Council Cover ... Free

2007-01-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, this cover is just plain cool. It's the cover for the next Order Book for Mage: the Awakening which should see the light of day by summer. This, along with White Wolf's Scion: Hero and the Dresden Files RPG should keep me in the poorhouse for quite some time.

Big Eyes, Small Mouth, Miniscule Time

2007-01-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

Big Eyes Small Mouth began as a 90 page Anime/Manga RPG. It used a simple 3 stat system (Body, Mind, Soul) and tried hard to emulate any anime/manga one could imagine. And, as a bonus, Guardians of Order was Canadian to boot. Well, as you might well imagine, people who loved this game clamored for more and several supplements later, a larger second edition came out and now the long-awaited (these games all seem to be long-awaited, don't they?) third edition has finally been released in all its full-colour, hard-covered glory. It almost didn't make it and was saved from the bankruptcy and collapse of Guardians of Order by White Wolf itself (under its Arthaus label).

So, I picked it up, and although it looks nice, I probably won't play it. Why not? Probably for the same reason as I've never played any of the other editions - I'm just not as big an anime / manga fan as I probably should be (and I own or have seen my fair share of the stuff - Miyazaki, Lain are my favorites) to run/play this game and the GM has to worldbuild something from scratch.

If you like anime and manga, this is probably the game for you. From a quick overview, the game looks solid and not too different from the second edition (it's said that any 2nd ed characters will need tweaking, however) and competes with GURPS in character design options. Give it a whirl if the subject matter appeals to you.

Curse of the Golden Qin

2007-01-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

Qin: the Warring States RPG has finally arrived!!! After months of waiting, 7th Circle has finally confirmed the release of this seminal game about China during the Warring States period (240 B.C.).

I already have the PDF (available at DriveThruRPG), but now I can get the full colour hardcover book. I can only hope that this sells well enough for the remainder of the French-language books available already in Europe to be translated into English and distributed throughout North America.

For more information, go to the 7th Circle website (warning: it's in French) or download the Intro Booklet at DriveThruRPG.

Shadows of Nanking – Ch. 11, part 2

2007-01-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

Summary: The Cabal tries finding Dr. Wu and ends up speaking with Kwannon who says he has knowledge concerning the Shinwa Taizen.

Recap: Kontonshin tells the rest of the Cabal what she has seen and reveals that Dr. Wu must either be the mortal face of a cannibal cult or a very powerful mage. They even speculate as to whether he is a member of the Seers of the Throne. Kontonshin, remembering her post-cognitive vision, finds an amulet in the dirt that Dr. Wu had used in the ritual. It is severely scorched, but still recognizable.

The Cabal formulates a plan to meet with Dr. Wu, but play down the knowledge they have of him. Kemosiri phones Dr. Wu’s office but has to leave a voicemail message. They visit his office, but his secretary tells him that he has not attended classes for over a month and has all but disappeared. The secretary speculates that he might have gone on sabbatical, but cannot confirm his whereabouts.

Dejected, but undeterred, the Cabal contacts the only member of the local Consilium they trust – Daishi of the Kodoshigisha. They try and get more information about the Shinwa Taizen by first confirming one of the stories written on the scrolls. The Cabal does not reveal that they have any scroll of the Shinwa Taizen, they simply relate one of the stories Kemosiri had translated. They share the story about the Hatare rebels (The 16th Aya). Daishi is somewhat confused. He informs the Cabal that the story he knows is vastly different and does not include cannibalistic references. The Cabal then realizes that what is written on the Shinwa Taizen scrolls is not history or legend as is known to the rest of the world. They wonder what nefarious purpose the Shinwa Taizen has and what magical secrets does it hold?

Kemosiri decides that the only way they are going to get any information about who is behind the cannibal cult and where they can be found is if he summons the ghosts of the dead. He returns to the mass grave and attempts to summon Koya’s ghost. Kemosiri prepares and enacts a powerful ritual and although he performs it perfectly, neither Koya nor any of the other ghosts appear. Kemosiri is at both mad and puzzled at why Koya didn’t appear. The ritual should have worked. Why didn’t it?

In the meantime, Kontonshin takes the amulet and tries finding Dr. Wu using fate and space magic to find a sympathetic link. Her magic works and appears to point in the direction of the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine where the Insane Asylum is located.

Before they can leave, the Cabal receives a phone call from Daishi. Kwannon, Daishi’s superior who has been infirm since they arrived in Kyoto, wants to see them. They decide to go to his bedside, but just as they are leaving, Larva, one of the Bunny Warner cabal from Osaka, approaches them. Hachi-ko runs upstairs saying she does not want to see him and that he is the reason she left the Bunny Warners. He had apparently come into her room when she was changing and he saw her naked. The Cabal leaves their sanctum. Larva approaches them and meekly asks them if he could speak with Hachi-ko, but they refuse him entry. When Larva says he would like to speak with the rest of them, they just tell Larva to go home. He does.

The Cabal attends Daishi’s shrine. Daishi leads the Cabal into the shrine’s inner sanctum and to Kwannon’s large, but sparse quarters. Kwannon is lying on a hard wooden bed surrounded by candles with only a pillow and spare blanket to keep him warm. Daishi informs Kwannon of the players arrival and Kwannon slowly turns his bald head to face them. He weakly greets the Cabal and then Kwannon tells them that Daishi had told him of the tale they related to him earlier that day. He said it sounded familiar and that he wanted to find out if they knew anything about the worst kept secret in Kyoto – the Shinwa Taizen.

Somewhat taken aback, but not completely surprised, Kemosiri tells Kwannon they do not know very much and that they have only recovered six of the scrolls. Mori reads Kemosiri’s aura and sees that Kemosiri is being sincere (even though Kemosiri is lying – he had obtained a seventh scroll in his dreams). Kwannon warns them about the power of the Shinwa Taizen and that it is not to be treated lightly. The Cabal ask Kwannon what he knows about the Shinwa Taizen. He tells them that he will reveal everything to them at dawn after he has had enough rest. Daishi quietly ushers the Cabal out of Kwannon’s residence and shows them to rooms for the night.

As the Cabal retires, they talk about what they have learned up to this point. They now know what they have suspected for quite some time – that the Shinwa Taizen must be destroyed. Since nothing they have done to the scrolls up to this time has had any effect on them, they do not believe they can simply destroy them. Until they can figure out how to destroy the Shinwa Taizen, they decide that the scrolls must be kept under lock and key.

However, Mori does not believe that Kwannon knows anything of value and that waiting for him to reveal all is a waste of time. He leaves telling the rest of the Cabal he’s had enough of this nonsense.

Next: Shadows of Nanking, part 3

All My RPG's Listed in One Place

2007-01-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

Scroll down my Sidebar to the left and you will find a new section for My RPG Library. This section is compliments of a new website called Library Thing (which I notice is still in Beta).

Library Thing allows you to enter your entire library and share what you read with the world. I have been told it's like flickr for books. You can also hook up with other people who have similar book collections or libraries as you do. You can rate your books, write reviews and read reviews of books others own. I especially like the UnSuggestor ("if you like Book X, you will NOT like Book Y.").

It looks absolutely amazing

On this site, you will be able to see what books I have in my RPG collection by looking at the "Random Books in my Library". If you want to search my entire library, click on the "Library Thing" icon below that and it will take you to a listing of everything I own in my RPG Collection. For other books, you'll just have to connect with my General/Writing Blog.

(RC) Shadows of Nanking – Ch. 11, part 1

2007-01-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

Summary: The Cabal prepares to enter a the last known place where the original Cabal disappeared.

Recap: The Cabal is onboard the ship for a month before arriving back in Osaka. During that time, they contact Duncan and have him construct a walk-in safe to store the larger scrolls in. When they get back to their Sanctum, Kemosiri places the 7 chapters of the Shinwa Taizen into the new safe, but keeps the one hidden chapter to himself and then goes to his hidden sanctum to speak with Sachiko (see Interlude). Duncan tells everyone that Ms. Ogawa has not come out of her apartment since they left for Hong Kong.

Dancer has already arrived. She stayed with the Bunny Warner’s for three weeks before she said she had to leave. She does not want to talk about why she left. She chose the Shadow Name of Hachi-ko (named after the Japan’s most loyal Akita dog).

After Kemosiri returns to the Sanctum, the Cabal decide what they are going to do next. Kemosiri suggests exploring the cave located in Kobe. He believes the Queen of Hell, who is prominently mentioned in the Shinwa Taizen, may be down there. To do so, they figure they need more information. The Cabal decides to visit Koya (the Yamada Taro mage located in the Mental Hospital), to get info regarding the cave, but when they arrive, the nurse informs them that Koya had been transferred a week ago. There was no destination given on the manifest.

The Cabal decides to break into the Psych Ward and confront the ghost. They use Ghost Gates to walk into Twilight and then enter the hospital and then exit Twilight. They exit Twilight in the hospital’s basement – the oldest part of the hospital, and try to summon the World War II ghost Kemosiri had met there. Despite pulling off the ritual perfectly, no ghost appears and no psychic remnant of the ghost remains. Kontonshin uses the Time Arcanum to find out who is responsible. She can only see a man wearing robes and a mask destroying the ghost. The Cabal believes it is Tatsu who destroyed the ghost, but beyond what Kontonshin saw, they have nothing else to go on.

Kontonshin uses the same ability to find out who took Koya and sees only nameless paramedics. Finally, they break in to the personnel office and find out who the nurse on duty was the night Koya was transferred. They find out she had not appeared for the past week. They get her address and head straight for her apartment. They find the apartment empty and discover that she had moved out less than a week ago. Kontonshin’s uses Postcognition and sees the faces of the same paramedics who transferred Koya from the Psych Ward.

Dejected, the Cabal returns to their sanctum. Detective Imada is waiting for them. Several mutilated bodies were found south of Kyoto in a field. He asks the Cabal to investigate.

Before the Cabal begins investigating, they go to Kiyomizu-Dera to confront Tatsu. They demand to know what he had to do with the disappearance of Koya. Tatsu vehemently tells them he had absolutely nothing to do with his disappearance and that if it had not been for the fact that they were foreigners, he would have challenged them to a duel of magic for their insolence. The Cabal leaves Kiyomizu-dera not believing anything Tatsu had to say.

The Cabal arrives at the gravesite Detective Imada had told them about. Four burnt, eviscerated and mutilated bodies are found in shallow graves. Kontonshin uses her Postcognition to see the sacrifice. She sees a group of robed and hooded people encircling the bound and naked bodies of Koya, the nurse and the “paramedics”. Then, their bodies are mutilated with a ritual knife and large chunks of their flesh are greedily devoured in an orgy of blood and viscera. No matter how many times the knife plunges into their bodies and no matter how much of their flesh is taken in the obscene ritual, the victims remain alive and they scream; their cries for mercy ignored. Only the sound of the ripping and tearing of flesh and the slurping of blood and entrails can be heard under the victims howls for relief. Their wails pierce Kontonshin’s heart and she struggles to keep watching - but she watches because she has to know who their leader is. Finally, the Cultist leader removes his hood Kontonshin sees the face of – Professor Wu.

Next: Shadows of Nanking, part 2

Kitsunemori

2007-01-14T16:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, this has been around for a little while, but I haven't gotten around to posting any info about it.

Kitsunemori is a d20 product. It offers the Japan inspired setting of Yonhosu Valley. The setting is filled with the tropes you would expect in any fantasy setting inspired by the myths and legends of Japan. For a product put out by a small indie press like Dog Soul Publishing, it is very well written and shows high production value.

You can find a description for Kitsunemori on the DrivethruRPG site.

Relaunching - Asian Shadows

2007-01-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

This is the official Relaunching of this Blog - now renamed "Asian Shadows". This blog will be dedicated to Asian-style RPG's (L5R, Qin, Feng Shui or other RPG's re-tooled for Asian themes - such as my current Mage campaign), but mostly as an [Actual Play] of the RPG campaigns that I run.

Right now, I am quickly writing and re-writing text for the remainder of the Ryujin Chronicles 1 (that's right, as we speak, a second Ryujin Chronicles is set to begin in February 2007).

Asian Shadows has also been re-tooled with the new Blogger. New formatting, labels etc. will slowly make its way into Blog posts. So stay tuned.

(RC) Hell’s Kitchen – Ch. 10, part 3

2007-01-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

Summary: The Cabal meets with Hong Kong’s Consilium. Kemosiri gains another piece of the Shinwa Taizen.

Recap:

The Hong Kong Consilium sends a few men down to the Aethenium to find the Cabal. They meet up with Kemosiri and friends as they try and transport not only the ancient artefacts, but Mingly’s broken form as well. The Cabal is very cautious at first; thinking the men may be agents of the Seers of the Throne, but agree to follow them up through the subway tunnels up to the streets of Hong Kong. Outside, they meet the Tai Pan who invites them into her limo and takes them to the Chi Lin Nunnery, the headquarters of the Ghost Shadows, a cabal made up of the Guardians of the Veil mages. The Tai Pan orders her servants to care for and heal Mingly.

After inviting the Cabal to sit and relax and enjoy refreshments, the Tai Pan tells the Cabal that all the scrolls from the Aethenium belong to the Ghost Shadows. The Tong of the Sixth Dragon was a Hong Kong Consilium cabal and with the destruction of their last member, all contents of the Aethenium revert to the Consilium. Also, the Ghost Shadows need the scrolls to fight the Seers and they are so weak, they need any advantage they can get. The Five Thunders were ready to attack the Seers and the Tai Pan knows such an action would be suicidal.

Not wishing to condemn what was left of the Hong Kong Consilium to the Seers, Kemosiri lays claim to the Aethenium scrolls. Kemosiri explains to the Tai Pan that they risked life and limb and rescued the scrolls stored in the Aethenium that the Tai Pan and the Hong Kong Consilium had failed to recover and protect. Kemosiri also explains that the scrolls, once interpreted, did not seem to contain rotes useful for combating the Seers – only legend and myth.

Not wanting to provoke a violent confrontation, Kemosiri allows the Tai Pan to copy the scrolls for themselves knowing they will not be able to do it. As part of the deal, Kemosiri and his Cabal must find and convince the Five Thunders not to attack the Seers. The Tai Pan wants to keep them alive so the Consilium can regroup and become a stronger force against the Seers.

While the Tai Pan and the Ghost Shadows attempt to copy the Aethenium scrolls, Kemosiri retires to his chamber in the Chi Lin Nunnery. While he sleeps, he dreams of encountering Amaterasu herself. Amaterasu tells Kemosiri she holds the secrets to ultimate power and wishes to share that knowledge with him. The knowledge he already possesses is a start, but it is only a beginning. If he were to submit to her will, she would show him so much more. Kemosiri submits to Amaterasu’s will, wanting to learn more about the scrolls he has almost died trying to recover. Amaterasu begins to recite to him another chapter of the Shinwa Taizen. When Kemosiri wakes up, he copies what Amaterasu has told him onto another parchment, creating another scroll of the Shinwa Taizen.

Kontonshin, Tenzin and Mori make contact with Mingly’s cabal, the Five Thunders. They agree to meet them at a restaurant in Kowloon. Kemosiri joins them after creating the new Shinwa Taizen scroll, but does not tell his Cabal-mates about his night time visions.

The Cabal finds the four remaining members of the Five Thunders at the restaurant – Datta, Tiger, Bai Yu Feng and Hong Quan. A few minutes of speaking to them reveal to the Cabal that they are incompetent without good leadership (which Mingly likely provided). The Five Thunders are reluctant to submit to the leadership of such a weak Consilium, but the Cabal convinces them to return to the Chi Lin Nunnery and discuss matters with Mingly and the Tai Pan. Just as they are leaving, the Tai Huan Chai (the Tong minions of the Seers) attack and a prolonged gun battle ensues. The members of the Five Thunders scatter and defend themselves in a disorganized fashion. Datta and Bai Yu Feng are badly injured, but with judicious use of Prime and Fate magic, Kontonshin and Mori help repel the Seer attack and get the rest of them back to the Chi Lin Nunnery.

Back at the Nunnery, the Tai Pan confronts the Cabal. The Ghost Shadows cannot copy the scrolls and the knowledge contained within them. Kemosiri feigns surprise. Not wanting a fight with a Cabal from another Consilium, the Tai Pan lets them have the scrolls but the Tai Pan makes them promise to not only return them when they are finished, but if they need any help, to come to their aid in the future.

The Cabal leaves for Kyoto by taking a cruise ship since the Seers were monitoring the Airports.

Next: Shadows of Nanking, part 1

Japanese Game Show

2006-10-07T22:12:00.000-06:00

I don't know if I would want to play this Japanese Game Show. If I did, the prize had better be worth it.

http://www.glumbert.com/media/tonguetwister

Panty Explosion!

2006-08-29T11:45:00.000-06:00

It's a new RPG you can buy at DriveThruRPG...

...nuff said. Just look here for more info:

http://www.atarashigames.com/whatispantyexplosion.html

I am sorry that I have not been able to update the Blog lately. I will be updating the Blog early September. Watch for it.

(RC) The Shinwa Taizen

2006-05-10T22:43:00.000-06:00

Sorry for such a late update. During the past month, my group has not had a chance to play much. But now, we're back. The last part of Hell's Kitchen will be up shortly.

My players have begun finding and translating several pieces of the Shinwa Taizen. Therefore, I have created a new blog specifically listing those Chapters (Aya) that have been found and translated.

You can find the Shinwa Taizen under the Resources section listed on the left hand side.

Enjoy.

(RC) Hell’s Kitchen – Ch. 10, part 2

2006-04-15T23:07:00.000-06:00

Summary: The Cabal locates and enters the Hong Kong Aethenium and face off against a group of cannibals. The Cabal also makes a grisly discovery.

Recap:

The Cabal goes down to the Hong Kong underground. They need to get themselves into the tunnels, but cannot just jump into the tunnels because the plexiglass walls stand between them and the tunnels. They decide to get aboard a train and then Kontonshin would use her new sword (acquired from Mingly’s hidden stash aboard her junk) to cut through the plastic “wall” that covers the area between rail cars. It takes longer than they thought and several passengers call the Transit cops who rush after the cabal after they run into the tunnel. Mori’s use of the Forces Arcanum keep the Transit cops from catching up with them.

After journeying through the tunnels for over half an hour, the Cabal finds an abandoned rail line and travel down the tunnel. They see the flickers of light ahead as if someone had a fire going. They arrive at an open area – perhaps where workers stored equipment before the underground rail lines were finished. Kontonshin detects five minds within earshot and they all see the alcove leading to the entrance of the Tong’s Aethenium. Several Atlantean runes written in what looks like blood, are positioned in an arc above the entrance.

The Cabal decides to sneak in. Mori lowers the ambient light in the room while Kemosiri creates deep shadows for them to walk in. They get to the entrance of the Aethenium unnoticed, but when they try and sneak in, a mage cannibal detects their presence and warns the others. The other cannibals see them and begin closing in to attack.

The Cabal use their key to get into the Aethenium. Mori uses vulgar Prime magic to attack the cannibals, but triggers a Bedlam paradox he cannot absorb as damage and becomes Paranoid of any Cannibals. He runs into the Aethenium just as the cannibals reach the door and the Cabal closes the door.

The Aethenium is a small chamber. Inside are a few stone shelves. Aside from a few artefacts, there are 4 large scrolls as tall as a man. Kemosiri grabs them quickly and opens one of them and begins reading it with the help of the copy of the Codex. He quickly scans all four of them and comes to the conclusion that they are all parts of the Shinwa Taizen.

In the meantime, Mori finds the dark shadowy roof to be because the Matter spell made the roof clear – and the Aethenium is under Hong Kong Harbour.

Kemosiri begins to get a feeling that there are more pieces of the Shinwa Taizen across the hall where the cannibals came from. Mori won’t go back out to face the cannibals – his fear and paranoia are still operating. Tenzin stays with Mori while the others decide to back Kemosiri up in trying to retrieve the other scrolls. They devise a plan to use a Ghost Gate to exit the Aethenium and then open a second gate, incapacitate the cannibals and then retrieve the scrolls.
Kemosiri opens the first ghost gate and the rest follow. They exit the Aethenium and watch from Twilight as the cannibals futilely try and enter the room they were just in. They also see the cannibal mage follow them out. When Kemosiri opens the second gate, the cannibal mage directs his minions at the gate as it opens. Kemosiri, Kontonshin and Mingly jump out of the gate and combat ensues.

In one fell swoop, Kontonshin dispatches the cannibal mage with vulgar magic, while the others engage. Mingly, despite an Armor spell, is overwhelmed by two cannibals and viciously stabbed in the stomach repeatedly. Kontonshin tries to help her but is blocked by another cannibal who tries grappling and biting her. She slices him open with her sword and dispatches the cannibal repeatedly stabbing Mingly. The other one is now engorging himself on Mingly’s bloody entrails which are beginning to spew out of the cavernous opening in her stomach. Kontonshin lets loose another volley of strikes with her sword and dispatches the blood covered cannibal. Kontonshin calls to Tenzin through the Ghost Gate to get out of the Aethenium and help her with Mingly.

Meanwhile, Kemosiri uses his Rotting Flesh spell to injure two of the cannibals. The sight of flesh, sinew and muscle melting off bone disgusts him, but he continues to cast the spell at them. A paradox occurs causing the entire area around him to merge with Twilight. Everything in the area now exists in both the Material World and in Twilight. Mori sees this and begins to fear for his life as he is still under the influence of the Paradox he had created. He begins to cast spells to weaken the integrity of the Aethenium roof. Still, it is too late for the cannibals as the last of them is felled by Kemosiri’s Rotting Flesh spells. They are still alive, but incapacitated.
Tenzin runs from the Aethenium to find Mingly barely alive. He stablizes her and uses magic to heal her a bit. She remains unconscious, but alive.

Kemosiri goes into the room to find the two new scrolls. What he finds are two scrolls made of the flesh of the torsos of two dead people. Appalled, Kemosiri uses Death Magic to find out how they died, and when. To his dismay, he gets a complete picture of how they died (6 successes on the die roll). Six months previous the two unfortunate souls, one man and one woman, were kidnapped and taken to the cannibal’s sanctum. After spending an extended period underground, the cannibal mage used Life magic to keep the victims alive and conscious so they could witness every last excruciating moment of their lives. First, they boiled them alive (to remove impurities). Then, the cannibals performed a ritual wherein they tore their limbs from their sockets (drawn and quartered) and then cauderized the stumps to prevent more bleeding. Then, the victims watched as the cannibals devoured their limbs while the cannibal mage used a heated sharpened blade to scrape the flesh and sinew off their torsos down to their muscle. As a final indignity, even while the victims were begging to be put out of their misery, they watched while the cannibals began devouring their torso – starting with their genitals which the cannibals declared to be sacred jewels. Then, the victims were decapitated using a blunt axe – all the while feeling the agonizing pain each indignity offered.

Kontonshin arrives in the chamber and sees the inhuman scrolls. She asks Kemosiri how they died. Kemosiri, still in shock at what he was seeing, tells her. Kontonshin goes white and then red with absolute rage at what the cannibals had done. She exits the room and before anyone can stop her, mutilates the still living bodies of the cannibals killing them outright (loss of one Morality point with no degeneration). She is covered in gore and blood after the ordeal and is rasping heavily. She almost slips on the slick blood soaked concrete surface and mutters to herself that they deserved it. Kemosiri cannot figure out how to transport six large scrolls to the surface as well as carry Mingly and the other artefacts. Kontonshin uses her Life magic to enhance the strength of everyone there and they begin the trek to the surface of Hong Kong.

Next: Hell's Kitchen, part 3

(RC) Hell's Kitchen - Ch. 10, part 1

2006-04-15T23:03:00.000-06:00

Summary: The Cabal travels to Hong Kong to find more pieces of the Shinwa Taizen and become embroiled in an open war between a fractured Consilium and the Seers of the Throne.

Recap:

The Cabal arrives in Hong Kong. Kemosiri is taking no chances. He leaves the original scroll of the Shinwa Taizen and the Codex in Kyoto and instead brings copies of the Codex with him. The Cabal make their way to a bank located in Kowloon, the purported headquarters of the Tong of the Sixth Dragon, a Hong Kong cabal Ms. Ogawa was told might be able to help the Cabal. They are to meet Hok Wo Sung.

When they arrive at the bank, they find it boarded up and abandoned. The entire bank was firebombed and destroyed. No members of the Tong are nearby. The Cabal spots a lone motorcyclist on the street. Kemosiri and Mori pass through an opening in the wooden security wall surrounding the bank. The other two stay on guard outside.

Kemosiri looks into Twilight and uses Mage Sight to find out what happened.

While they are investigating, a biker gang flanked by 2 Hummers appears outside. The lone motorcyclist disappears and the biker gang begins to drive up and down the block.

Suddenly two Hummers crash through the wood walls and two mages get out and begin tossing vulgar magic at the Cabal. The Cabal fights back, but between the mages and the Sleepwalker bikers, they are hopelessly outnumbered. Then, a Spirit Road door into Shadow opens, and the motorcyclist appears beckoning those into the door. They run into the local Shadow and travel for a while before exiting in another part of Hong Kong.

The girl introduces herself as Mingly Sui. She is a young member of a local cabal called the Five Thunders. Their cabal is part of a triumvirate of Cabals facing off against the Seers of the Throne who have gotten very aggressive in the past few months. She takes them to a small apartment – a safehouse she calls it. She will take them to her junk at Aberdeen where her stuff actually is. The Players try to get her to tell her what is going on, she says she will do what they want, but they need to find the Aethenium. The person who can tell them, a mage named Moolie (the last member of the Tong of the Sixth Dragon) had been kidnapped a few days earlier by a criminal group known as the Shay Ling.

After getting supplies at Mingly’s junk, the Cabal travel back to the Chungking Mansions located in Kowloon to visit Moolie’s last known hiding place. They find a few things they could use to find the Aethenium in his apartment. Mingly warns them that another local cabal had fragments of some old scroll and had to be put down like rabid dogs when they turned to infernalism and cannibalism.

Using Sympathetic Magic and a hidden key they find in Moolie’s place, the Cabal locates the Aethenium – it is underground near some subway tunnels. They also see humans feasting on what looks like other humans in front of the entrance.

Next: Hell's Kitchen, part 2

(RC) The Mysteries

2006-03-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

This is a listing of the current Mysteries developing during the campaign. It has been prepared as a resource for players and readers to access. It will also be a living document and will change as the players learn more about the mysteries. New segments will be highlighted in red.

The Shinwa Taizen

This is the main Mystery in the Ryujin Chronicles. What is the Shinwa Taizen? Where does it come from and what knowledge can it impart to its owner? And most importantly, who wants it and why?

Known Timeline:

These are events/history that the Cabal currently has knowledge about.

794 AD: Heienkyo is formed as the Imperial City of Japan and the seat of the Imperial Court. It will later be re-named Kyoto.

800 AD – Japan’s Empress Pimiko, a Master Mage herself, commissions the creation of three documents: the Kojiki (The Myth), the Nihon Shoki (The History of Japan) and the Shinwa Taizen (The Truth). The documents were originally intended to be made available to all, including Sleepers. The Shinwa Taizen is written in Muvian (a hybrid Japanese language) and a Codex is created to help translate it. Before any of the documents can be made available, Pimiko is convinced to keep the Shinwa Taizen hidden from view of Sleepers.

800 AD – Empress Pimiko takes things one step further. She demands that the Shinwa Taizen be hidden from view from all – including mages. She forms the Hagekure Kyodai to lead the new brotherhood that will be responsible for guarding the Shinwa Taizen – the Samurai. The Kodoshigisha are formed as the religious brotherhood that would assist in the guarding of the Shinwa Taizen. The Shinwa Taizen is never revealed to anyone for the next thousand years. Details of its contents and powers fade into antiquity. Its true existence even becomes myth.

1000AD – Chinese Emperor dies becoming a Wrath Spirit that is captured by a Mage in a Buddha Bowl.

1853 AD – Commodore Perry blockades Edo Bay forcing Japan to end 200 years of isolation and open its borders to foreign trade.

1873 AD – Meiji era begins. Emperor Meiji vows to modernize Japan. Japanese Nationalism on upswing.

1937 AD – The Rape of Nanking, China. Unit 731 is just one of the secret medical units involved in this incident. Codex of the Shinwa Taizen published by Wang-Jiang in China.

1939 – 45: World War II. During the War, the Shinwa Taizen remained in its traditional hiding spot in Kyoto, Japan. For whatever reason, the Allies never bomb Kyoto. The traditional reason given for this is that the Allies did not want to destroy the cultural treasures in Kyoto. Mages have different theories.

1940’s – Unit 731 store the Buddha Bowl in Kyoto where it stays hidden for the next 60 years.

1945: The Shinwa Taizen, which has been guarded by the Hagekure Kyodai and Kodoshigisha for the past millennium, is suddenly moved south. The destination of the Shinwa Taizen is unknown. Several days after leaving its hiding spot in Kyoto, it is destroyed when an atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima. The leaders of the Kodoshigisha commit seppuku. Several members of the Kodoshigisha form their own cabal, the Kakumeiso. With the Kodoshigisha now disgraced, the Gyochisa take over as the leading cabal in the Kansai Consilium.

1995: The Great Kansai Earthquake (known in the West as the Kobe Earthquake). The earthquake apparently uncovered a cache of scrolls in a cave (the cave is considered the epicentre of the quake). The Yamaguchi-gumi recovered some of those scrolls before being killed by a horrible beast apparently guarding those scrolls. The Yamaguchi-gumi did not know they were fragments of the Shinwa Taisen and subsequently sold the scrolls to buyers in Hong Kong and Kyoto. Some of the fragments eventually made their way into the hands of the Tong of the Sixth Dragon, a Mysterium Cabal that hid them in their Athenium located under Hong Kong Harbour. Others are rumoured to have been sold to a cabal who eventually turned to Infernalism and cannibalism and were eventually destroyed by the Tai Pan of Hong Kong.

1995: Several mages in Kyoto begin the task of examining the scrolls and believe that it is the Shinwa Taizen. Several mages of various cabals dispute that claim. The Shogun (then only the head of the Hagakure Kyodai), is the most prominent member of the Consilium to dispute the existence of the Shinwa Taizen. He wants them fragments collected and destroyed and no more mention of the Shinwa Taizen shall be made in the Kansai Consilium.

1996: After months of bickering, a Shadow War between mages breaks out. One faction wants to have the Consilium find the pieces to the Shinwa Taizen believing that the fragments will empower anyone using it. The other does not believe that the Shinwa Taizen exists and for whatever reason, wants all research into it to stop. The Shogun one day leaves his Sanctum and when he returns, tells the remaining members of the Consilium that the problem has been dealt with. No one ever sees the other members of the Cabal ever again.

1995/96?: A group of mages create a sanctum in a cave below the ruins of an old castle just outside of Kyoto. The only entrance available is through Twilight. The mages who occupied the sanctum have since disappeared.

2000: The Shogun of the Hagekure Kyodai and Ane-san of the Kokyryu-kai, take over the Kansai Consilium from Gyochisa, through a bloodless coup. The members of Gyochisa are very upset about being taken over.

2004: Akio Ogawa is approached by an unknown benefactor to form a cabal of mages to be “Paranormal Investigators.” She gathers them from various cabals in Tokyo.

2005: Early in 2005, Ogawa’s Investigators completely disappear after entering a cave off the coast of Kobe. One of them (Koya) shows up months later in Kyoto and get taken to a mental institute at the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine as a Yamada Taro (John Doe). Several members of the Kempai Tai (Guardians of the Veil) visit Koya and rape his mind.

2005: The Tong of the Sixth Dragon in Hong Kong is destroyed by the Tai Huan Chai - a group rumoured to be controlled by the Seers of the Throne ("Metal Dragons").

Aug 2005: After several months, Akio Ogawa is once again convinced to form another Cabal. This time, she is instructed to form it using mages from outside Japan.

Sept 2005: The new Cabal comes to Kyoto and as their first investigation, they investigate the murder of an unknown man with tattoos scrawled all over his body. The tattoos are Atlantean runes that act as Bans.

Sept 2005: Remnants of an Infernalist Cannibal cult in Hong Kong flay two humans alive and use their skins as parchment to write two new fragments of the Shinwa Taizen.

Other Info:

After scrutinizing the piece, the Cabal finds it has no Resonance.

The Shinwa Taizen scroll cannot be copied by mechanical or other means. Any copies show up as distorted.

It is now known that there are literally hundreds of scrolls or scroll fragments waiting to be found. So far, the Cabal has one fragment.

The scroll is divided into two parts. The first part details a diary from someone living in the 450th year of the Reign of Izunami no Kami, Queen of the Hells. The second part is part of a grimoire – part of a spell from the Time Arcana.

The Codex of the Shinwa Taizen that has been obtained by the Cabal was written by Wang Ji-ang in China circa 1937. The Codex acts as a Rosetta Stone to translate the Muvian language that the Shinwa Taizen is written in. The other languages in the Codex include Japanese, Mandarin and German. Copies of the Codex can be copied.

The Cabal now has in its possession 1 Scroll from Japan, 4 Scrolls taken from the Hong Kong Athenium and 2 "scrolls" made from the flayed skin of two bodies.

Mori Memento

Mori Memento currently has two souls. The second soul was grafted to him by an unknown person (perhaps an Archmage) when he was trapped in a small room of undetermined location. His resonance has been irrevocably altered. As far as he can tell, this second soul belonged to a long dead samurai. Current effects of having this second soul: it allows Mori to understand and speak the Japanese language and to understand the nuances of the culture.

Tamano no Mae

Working on it

Kyoto’s Shadow

Working on it

Giant Update

2006-03-17T23:19:00.000-07:00

Hi all. It has been a very busy time since the New Year, so although I have continued to run my campaign once a week, the updates have been slow to get posted.

Well, I have now posted two entire Chapters (4 weeks of play) in one fell swoop. Chapter 8 - Tamano and Chapter 9 - Yamada Taro have now been posted.

Also, for your reference, I have also updated some of the Resource pages - including Consilium listings and Major Characters.

Enjoy

(RC) Yamada Taro – Ch. 9, part 2

2006-03-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

Summary: The Cabal visits the Free Council group in Osaka, re-visits Koya in the Mental Institute and begins to seek out more fragments of the Shinwa Taizen.

Recap: The next day, the Cabal take Dancer to the Bunny Warner Appreciation Society. They go to BW’s Copy Shop – a dingy copy shop with 4 copy machines in various states of repair. Behind the counter are six networked computers with a few players at them playing various network games.

When the Cabal tries to get someone’s attention, a midget pops up from behind one of the computers and introduces himself as Shugo. When Mori tries to scrutinize him, Shugo recognizes that the group are Mages and quickly introduces himself as a member of the Bunny Warner Appreciation Society. He brings out Inu Yasha, a young former sumo wrestler who was ejected from his Nihon Sumo Kyokai stable for “inappropriate behavior” (he always farted during matches). Larva, the last member of the Free Council cabal, is a lanky man with long hair. He is the cabal’s Mastigos Mage and would train Dancer. Dancer seems reticent about staying with this Cabal, but agrees to stay for a month learning what she can.

The rest of the Cabal return to Kyoto and re-visit the Yamada Taro at the Asylum. With Kontonshin’s Mind Magic assisting them, they find out that the old cabal attended a Geology professor’s lecture and found a cave near Kobe considered the epicentre of the 1995 Kansai Earthquake. Koya mentioned that there was a creature in the cave that took out their cabal. Koya could not speak of the rest. The ghost also returns and tells Kemosiri that the Asylum was once a base for a Unit of the Kempai Tai (the Japanese government, not the Mage Cabal) that experimented on humans in China and Japan. The Unit at the Asylum was Unit 12.

The Cabal decides to pay Professor Nanakushi a visit. Professor Nanakushi shows them where to find the cave and also shows them photos of the cave. In the cave are Jomon age pottery as well as a World War II era jeep that does not look like it has aged through time. Finally, Professor Nanakushi says that after he was taken to the site to explore it, he was shuttled out and him and the rest of his team were not allowed back at the site. Since then, he has tried to get back but has not been allowed. He has reliable information that there are alien artefacts hidden in the cave and the government has been covering it up. He would like the Cabal’s help, but the Cabal does not promise him anything.

The Cabal learn that scrolls from the cave were taken by the Yamaguchi Gumi and they sold them for cash. The Yamaguchi Gumi are a minor Mage Cabal but a major Yakuza group. They are much more interested in Temporal Power and not Supernal Power and they use their Supernal Power to gain whatever Temporal Power they can.

After finding a contact with the Yamaguchi Gumi from the Kokuryu-kai, they visit Taro, the leader of a Bosozuka gang (Motorcycle gang). He tells them they sold a number of scrolls to Mages in Hong Kong.

Now, the Cabal has a choice: go to the cave in Kobe and find out what killed the former Cabal (as well as find more scrolls) or go to Hong Kong and find scrolls.

The Cabal chooses to first go to Hong Kong.

Next: Hell’s Kitchen

(RC) Yamada Taro – Ch. 9, part 1

2006-03-17T23:02:00.000-07:00

Summary: The Cabal goes to speak with the unknown Mage at the mental institute. Meanwhile, a young girl awakens.

Recap: Although the news of one of the Mages from their Cabal is still alive is of pressing importance, the Cabal decides to take it easy and let Kemosiri and others heal up.

A month passes. Kemosiri has been finding out who the souls of those in the soul jars were and returning them to their proper place. The last one belonged to someone who has died. He takes the soul to a cemetery and releases it into Twilight by smashing it onto the ground.

Kemosiri keeps the remaining 4 dolls to use to track down the remainder of the Uchida family. He suspects the Kempai Tai of protecting them and dearly wants to embarrass Tatsu, the leader of the Kempai Tai.

The insane asylum that Ayame mentioned is located at the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine. The Cabal journeys there. They have trouble finding it, so they stop a young girl with pink highlights in her hair and listening to an I-Pod. Her name is Hanako Suzuki. She tells them where it is. As Kemosiri hands her his card, he gets a feeling of magic. He quickly scrutinizes her and finds a latent Magic ability. After she leaves, Kemosiri lets the others know of his feelings. Mori and Kontonshin decide to follow her.

At the Asylum, they are greeted by a reticent nurse who is reluctant to let them in to see the Yamada Taro (“John Doe”). Through a bit of magic, they manage to convince her to let them in. A Dr. Kumamoto takes them to an observation room where they can observe the Yamada Taro safely. As they walk the lonely hallways, Kemosiri looks into Twilight and sees a very bleak and dark place. The paintings on the wall are period pieces of Japanese art, but seem to have shadows and sinister figures on them that move.

Kumamoto takes them to the observation room and tells them they have a half an hour. The Yamada Taro is brought in. He is in a straight jacket. The room he is in is a padded cell. They begin asking questions, starting with reading a list of the people who were in the Cabal before. When they say “Koya”, the patient screams and smashes his head against the wall over and over again. His cries eventually turn into whimpers as he continues to bang his head against the wall.

A ghost appears. He is again dressed as a soldier from World War II. He says he is the only ghost in the hospital. He protects those who cannot protect themselves. Kemosiri talks with him and finds out that Koya has been “interviewed” several times by men in masks. Always at night.

Tenzin interviews Koya and asks about his experiences. But, he gets more agitated and repeats the word “Jomon” over and over. They need Kontonshin and her ability to work with minds to get more information. As Koya becomes more agitated, Dr. Kumamoto comes in and ends the interview.

Kontonshin and Mori follow Hanako. She goes to north Kyoto where she lives. As she is approaching her home up the hill, she is confronted and attached by a dog spirit. Mori and Kontonshin intervene, but not before Hanako is knocked unconscious. Mori dispatches the spirit by draining its essence, and Kontonshin kills it. Hanako wakes up and says she had just visited an Iron Tower.

Mori and Kontonshin scrutinize her and realize that Hanako had awakened as a Mastigos Mage.
Then, Tatsu appears and demands the Cabal hand Hanako over. Mori and Kontonshin refuse. Tatsu leaves, but not before reminding them that Hanako has to be introduced to the Shogun.
After arriving back at the Sanctum, each of them talk about the nights events and introduce Hanako to their ranks. Then, they get read to attend the Consilium meeting.

The Consilium meetings are all held at Kiyomizu-dera. After mingling around and speaking with other friendlier members of the Consilium, the meeting itself takes place. After the formal part of the meeting, the Shogun asks if there are any new members, and the Cabal brings Hanako forward. She had not yet fashioned a Shadow Name so she agrees to “Dancer” for now. The Shogun asks who would like to sponsor her. Since she is a Mastigos Mage, a mastigos is asked to sponsor her. Only Tatsu steps forward. She says she does not want to go with him. The only other Mastigos who are available are a few Free Council mages in Osaka – the Bunny Warner Appreciation Society. It is agreed that she will have a month to decide her Shadow Name, her Cabal and her Order.

Then, Kemosiri puts forward more Consilium business. He puts the soul jar dolls he found with the Uchida family in front of the Shogun and demands action. The Shogun gives the responsibility to Tatsu to investigate. The Cabal wants to have a say in what is going on, so the Shogun allows them to assist when Tatsu needs their help.

Third, they ask that the cave location which was once a Sanctum is to now be under their protection. The Consilium agrees. Also, Koya is now ordered to be under their protection as well.

Next: Yamada Taro part 2

(RC) Tamano – Ch. 8, part 2

2006-03-17T22:55:00.000-07:00

Synopsis: The Cabal invade the Uchida sanctum to free the souls trapped in their twisted Ningyo. They also track down Tamano and discover she has taken the body of a familiar acquaintance.

Recap: The Cabal make plans to take out the Uchida store and free the souls trapped in the Soul Jars. Kemosiri is especially mad about the Uchidas.

As a first step, they go to meet the Consilium and find out some information regarding the Uchida family. The Shogun is not able to meet with them. Instead, Ankokuji, Deacon of the Hagekure Kyodai meets with them and tells them that he will do what he can to warn the Consilium about these soul stealers. The Cabal leave Kiyomizu-dera thinking that Ankokuji will do nothing about the Uchidas.

The Cabal discusses possibilities – Mori wants to break in to the Uchida’s, but Tenzin does not want anything to do with criminal activity. He wants the Consilium permission. He is opposed by Mori and Kemosiri who wants to barrel ahead.

Kemosiri and Mori go to explore the Uchida shop. They go at dusk and as Kemosiri approaches their shop, he looks into Twilight and sees the ghost of a young Japanese woman in a Kimono and carrying a small cloth-covered package. She implores Kemosiri to help her, but Kemosiri is at a loss for words. She then goes to Mori who cannot see her. Kemosiri gives Mori the ability to see into Twilight and Mori then sees the young woman holding a small package. The woman puts the package on the street in front of Mori. A pool of red begins to form under it and spread out from all sides. The woman implores to Mori that he is a Samurai and only he can help her. Mori prepares a spell and drains her of essence, destroying her.

Kemosiri and Mori enter the store. They see no one at first. Still looking in Twilight, they both see a ghostly Japanese man dressed in the uniform of a Japanese WWII soldier. He is guarding the entrance to the back of the shop. They wait for Uchida to come out and he tries to sell them a doll and show them a soul jar from the back of the store.

As they leave, the see a young Japanese woman in a business suit examining the ground where the ghostly woman had placed her package. It becomes apparent that she is using Mage Sight to scrutinize the area. She identifies herself as Kurotsuki of the Kempai Tai. She has two bodyguards with her. With veiled threats, she warns them not to touch the Uchida family.
After arriving back at their Sanctum, Kemosiri discusses matters with the rest of the Cabal. He still wants to attack the Uchida family irregardless of consequences. They are soul stealers and should be punished. He thinks the Consilium is corrupt for allowing the Uchida family to even exist within their borders.

Meanwhile, Tenzin and Kontonshin track Lady Kagawa through Kyoto and find her at Alcatraz II, an eclectic bar. Kontonshin uses her powers of persuasion to get them in the bar in front of the line. When they get in, they see the cramped hallways of Alcatraz – with tables in rooms that look like cells – complete with cell doors. Servers are dressed in very skimpy costumes. They get into the main chamber and see a punk rock band on stage. They see Lady Kagawa carrying a long knife which appears to be dripping with blood. Her eyes look blank and she appears to be approaching someone. They look over and see their boss, Akio Ogawa. As they approach her, she appears to have blue eyes.

Kagawa turns to see Kontonshin. Kagawa lifts her knife and at Akio’s command, begins attacking Kontonshin. Aghast, Kontonshin protects herself with magic. Then, Akio Ogawa reveals herself to actually be possessed by Tamano no Mae. She tells Tenzin “thank you for freeing me from my prison.” Kontonshin uses her martial arts to neutralize Kagawa while Tenzin uses Spirit spells to damage Tamano’s pattern. Tamano uses her Numina to create chaos in the bar. The lights flicker and explode. Fires start and the customers begin to stampede for the doors causing more mayhem and chaos. Tenzin eventually manages to destroy Tamano’s pattern, but as he does so, Tamano smiles and then her spirit disappears – apparently destroyed.

Kontonshin carries out Lady Kagawa and gets rid of the knife. Tenzin gets Akio Ogawa out as well. They take both of them home. Akio Ogawa still has blue eyes. It is eventually discovered that she has always had blue eyes, and the rest of the time she has worn brown contact lenses. Ayame is there and thanks the Cabal for their service.

But, their night is not over yet. In the middle of the night, Mori, Kemosiri and Kontonshin raid the Uchida stores in an effort to free the Souls of those trapped in their Soul Jars – including the soul of Lady Kagawa.

They break in to the shop and examine the Ningyo. All the dolls are still there, including the soul jars. Kemosiri commands the ghost soldier to move and takes control of it. It now stands with them. They go into the back room and Mori goes down the hall where Kontonshin tells him to go to retrieve Lady Kagawa’s soul. He finds a large iron door in the way and begins using Magic to lower the doors durability.

Meanwhile, the others begin going toward the door leading to the basement. They pass through a workshop and see two shadows coming up the stairs. Two zombies come up and begin attacking the Cabal. The group dispatch them handily. When they begin going down, the ghost soldier departs saying he is no longer held there. Mori joins them after getting the soul jar containing Lady Kagawa.

They go into the basement – the basement is soft ground. There is only a bit of light and they see an alter with Uchida behind it. Fresh graves litter the ground. They begin approaching, so Uchida begins casting a spell. Mori casts a counterspell, but it is disrupted by another counterspell Uchida had set up to activate. Uchida’s damage spell goes through hitting Kemosiri and knocking him unconscious (he still had a large amount of Aggrevated damage). Kontonshin leaps ahead and begins to wail on Uchida using her martial arts, but then Uchida disappears into Twilight. The others cannot touch him without Kemosiri and so they get out carrying Kemosiri. They burn down the Uchida shop in the process.

When the characters arrive back at Lady Kagawa’s sanctum, Ayame thanks them for their service and lets the Cabal know – that one of the original cabal members is still alive. Ayame had seen him wandering the streets of Tokyo, but he was taken away before she could do anything. He was taken to a local insane asylum located at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine.

Next: Yamada Taro

(RC) Tamano – Ch. 8, part 1

2006-03-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

Synopsis: Tenzin discovers that the white fox spirit he had released in the Shadow, was none other than the infamous Tamano no Mae - a malevolent spirit of incredible power. Meanwhile, Kemosiri begins interpreting the Shinwa Taizen.

Recap: Kontonshin, Mori and Tenzin return to their sanctum in Kyoto. Tenzin tends to Duncan’s wounds while Mori dumps Kara’s burnt body onto Ogawa’s desk. Duncan only remembers being hit by Kara with an impromptu flame thrower and ambushed by thugs. After consuming some of Tenzin’s “special tea”, Duncan feels better and tells the Cabal he will “take care of things for them.” He leaves with Toshi’s body and Yumiko. He returns to report that everything was taken care of. A subsequent news report showed Yumiko being examined by doctors and the deaths being blamed on Yakuza.

Meanwhile, Kemosiri is being questioned by Tatsu. Tatsu’s face is hidden behind a hideous oni mask and Tatsu’s voice changes from male to female. Tatsu asks Kemosiri what it was they were searching for and why he was in a forbidden area of the Aetheneum. Kemosiri refuses to answer any questions. Kemosiri thinks Tatsu already knows the answer to those questions anyway and begins referring to the Shinwa Taizen as the worst kept secret in Kyoto.

Kontonshin, Mori and Tenzin visit the Aethenium to get Kemosiri. They find him still alive, but very hurt. Tatsu demands to know what it is they were searching for and provide no answers. Reluctantly, they let Kemosiri go – without his notes.

Kemosiri does not feel that he will be able to get the notes back. So, he decides to steal Professor Wu’s copy of the Codex. Mori helps. They steal it late at night using Magic. It is relatively unprotected (Kemosiri makes a Morality roll and loses 1 Morality point).

When they return to their sanctum, they receive a phone call from Ayame (Sa-an’s geisha girlfriend). Ayame’s master, the Lady Kagawa, is very ill.

They go and visit and find Lady Kagawa in bed. Her soul has been removed. Ayame explains that Kagawa had entered the Shadow through a special portal that they use. They are the Myobu – a Legacy who are all descendents of half-Kitsune spirits and defenders of Japan against ancient malevolent spirits – especially Nogitsune, malevolent Kitsune. The most dangerous Nogitsune is Tamano no Mae. Lady Kagawa and the other Myobu protected Kyoto against Tamano and when Kagawa came back, she said Tamano was gone. Now, Kagawa’s soul is gone and Ayame feels that Tamano is responsible. She asks them if they knew of anything that happened in the Shadow. No one answers – especially Tenzin, the one who freed Tamano. He later confesses to the group that he had freed her and that she had helped him cross Kyoto and found Sa-an.

Kontonshin and Kemosiri derive a plan to track down Tamano. They use Kagawa’s body to find out where her soul is located – it seems to be stored in a storehouse on a shelf with Ningyo – Japanese dolls. They try tracking down Tamano herself. Tenzin tries locating her since he is a bit familiar with her and gets an image of a woman in a business suit.

Kontonshin uses Fate magic to help track down the Ningyo shop containing the soul. Tenzin and Kontonshin track down the shop in a small shop in northern Kyoto. The sign above the door is an old wooden sign and the snow in Kyoto has not been cleared from the doorsteps as the others had.

In the morning, Kemosiri calls Professor Wu. He asks Prof. Wu that he would like to meet and see the Codex. He tries to feign having the Codex. The Professor agrees to see him in the afternoon.

In the morning Kontonshin and Mori attend the shop. Snow has still not been cleared. They knock on the door and are met by a short balding Japanese man with coke bottle glasses and a deathly pallor. Mori tries to use Mage Sight and finds him to be a Mage. They enter the shop and see twisted Ningyo – none of the dolls are traditional dolls. They are twisted visages of children that Uchida claims come to him in dreams. Mori tries to find out if any of the Ningyo are magic and detect a whole bunch of them. They surmise that they are Soul Jars – but none of them contain souls. With a bit of Fate Magic, she convinces Uchida to show her the back room. He does and they find a Ningyo with a soul they believe to be Lady Kagawa’s. Before they leave, Kontonshin gives Uchida her calling card and says to Uchida to “give her regards to Tamano.” Uchida turns even whiter.

Kemosiri meets with Professor Wu. He expected Prof. Wu to simply phone him and tell him the book was missing. He did confess that it had been stolen, but after he had discovered it missing, he was called by University Security and shown a videotape showing two Japanese men breaking in to his office and stealing the Codex. He shows Kemosiri the photos and he sits there stunned wondering who could have done this. Professor Wu really wants to look at the scroll. He is becoming VERY interested in the scroll and wants to study it himself. In fact, he had spent several hours poring over the Codex – even without something to look at. Professor Wu leaves – very excited about learning more about the scroll.

Kemosiri looks at the scroll and discovers it is one of many scrolls. The Codex – written in 1937 by a Wang Ji-ang, is a “Rosetta Stone” – containing 4 different columns and 4 different languages – Ancient Japanese, Chinese, German and the language being translated from the scroll (an unknown language now being referred to as Muvian). This one contains part of a diary about someone living in the 450th year of the reign of Izunami-no-Kami, Queen of the Hells. A second part of the scroll seems to be a grimoire – a spell summoning something – what cannot be determined without other pieces of the scroll.

Detective Imada shows up and asks for help (related to Fox). There is someone out there murdering geisha’s and their guests. The Cabal ventures over to the murder site and discover that Tamano was behind the murders.

Kontonshin gets a call from Ayame asking for assistance after Lady Kagawa gets up and leaves her home with a long blade.

Next: Tamano - part 2

(RC) The Shih - Ch. 7

2006-03-05T23:32:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Sorry for the late updates, but it has been a very busy time. I am just catching up on things, and the next Chapter will be online very soon now.

Summary: While on vacation at Akio Ogawa’s mountain cabin, the Cabal are ambushed by mages intent on killing them. Meanwhile, Kemosiri gains access to the Mysterium Aethenium in Kyoto.

Recap: Kyoto, and in fact all of Japan is experiencing the heaviest snowfall in years.

Amidst the record snowfall, Mori, Kontonshin and Tenzin along with Gei Ho and Duncan take some time off to try and recover from the events in the Shadow. They go to a cabin located near a small ski hill an hour north of Kyoto and owned by Akio Ogawa. They enjoy two weeks of rest and relaxation. Kemosiri remains in Kyoto searching for a Codex for the Shinwa Taizen – a document which can help him translate the Shinwa Taizen.

Dr. Wu calls Kemosiri and says he ordered a very old dictionary that might help. Kemosiri, wary of getting a sleeper involved in his project, decides not to see him at this time.

At the cabin, Duncan is busy cooking Kobe Beef (a delicacy) on the barbeque. It is dark and it has been snowing heavily for the past week and a half. Gei Ho sees something near a small shed outside the cabin. Kontonshin and Duncan look outside, but see nothing. They believe that Gei Ho is merely seeing things.

Kemosiri tried for two weeks to gain entry into the Mysterium Aethenium. He finally gets an appointment with Daishi, the head Curator. He meets Daishi at his sanctum located below the Minami-za Theatre. There is a Kaomise Kabuki going on when he arrives. After exchanging pleasantries, Kemosiri tells Daishi he is doing some research on some very old scrolls and would like access to the Aethenium. Since Kemosiri is a member of the Mysterium, Daishi allows this. He instructs Aragashi, his young apprentice, to take Kemosiri down to the Aethenium as a courtesy.

Later in the evening, the Cabal hears a vehicle spinning its wheels outside their Cabin. Kontonshin and Tenzin go out to investigate. They find a jeep spinning its wheels in the snow covered road outside. There are two sets of skiis on the roof. Inside, three youths, Toshi Yumiko and Kara (two girls and one boy) are huddled trying to keep warm while extricating their vehicle. Kontonshin and Tenzin invite them in.

Once inside, Kara begins playing with her laptop computer and the other two snuggle up together seemingly to ignore Kara. Tenzin makes a pass at Kara - she is young and very pretty. She quietly ignores Tenzin’s bungled advances and closes the laptop whenever he gets close. Toshi tries to phone home using his cel phone but cannot get a signal. Mori suggests trying upstairs and the young couple hurriedly retreat to an upstairs bedroom and leave Kara to stare at her laptop.

Kemosiri and Aragashi continue to scour over old scrolls, but fail to find anything useful. Kemosiri asks Aragashi if there was more. Aragashi smiles and tells Kemosiri that there is a hidden cache of material hidden under the National Museum of Art and can be accessed through a secret entrance at the end of a stone hallway. Aragashi says he has been using that secret cache for months doing his own research. He opens up the entryway for Kemosiri and they venture into it.

At the cabin, the power goes out. Kontonshin finds candles while Kara continues to work on her computer. Gei Ho thinks he sees something by the shed. He is adament that something is out there. Kontonshin and Tenzin go out to investigate and find tracks in the snow leading around the shed. They circle the shed and realize that the tracks are leading back to their cabin. They race for the cabin.

Kemosiri and the Apprentice get to a warehouse under the National Museum of Art. The warehouse is choked with ancient relics and artifacts - many of them have nothing to do with magic, but provide valuable insight into the history of Kyoto and Japan. Kemosiri quickly finds ancient scrolls piled in the back of the warehouse. He finds one scroll – a Codex useful for interpreting the Shinwa Taizen. A very happy Kemosiri begins to write down what is there.

Kemosiri is so engrossed in copying the Codex, he fails to notice a spell being cast. The spell melts the Apprentice's pattern away, killing him. A Mage dressed in black leather and carrying a cane appears at the end of one row of metal shelves. He identifies himself as one of the Shih, a group of Witch Hunters (Banishers). He lets Kemosiri know that he and his group are taking care of their entire Cabal. The Shih begins casting a spell. Kemosiri throws his scroll and the Codex back on the shelf just as he is hit with a painful Mind spell.

At the cabin, Kontonshin and Tenzin rush inside and warn Duncan about a possible intruder. A sudden noise upstairs alerts them. Before they can go up, Duncan reveals a handgun and gives another one to Mori. Then, him and Kontonshin rush upstairs. Tenzin stays downstairs.

Mori and Kontonshin hear screaming behind a door. They break it down to find a hysterical and naked Yumiko standing on the futon covered in blood from Toshi's decapitated neck still gushing arterial spray.

Mori cautiously enters the room. He tells Yumiko to go downstairs. She grabs a clean sheet and rushes past Mori and Kontonshin. As Mori notices a figure emerge from the bedroom shadows holding a katana, he hears a shot from downstairs. Mori tries shooting the figure, but the Shih casts a spell destroying the floor beneath Mori and sending him down into the kitchen.

At the Aethenium, Kemosiri summons ghosts. He has been making friends with ghosts in Kyoto and many of them come to his aid. Some begin creating havoc - knocking down shelves and throwing the artefacts around. Amidst the maelstrom, the Shih throws spells at Kemosiri damaging his pattern with lethal force. Before he goes unconscious, Kemosiri notices the ghosts surrounding the Shih and injuring their victim.

The Shih faces off with Kontonshin. Kontonshin uses her Fate Arcana to erect Mage Armor. The Shih attacks, but does not damage Kontonshin. Kontonshin is furious. She uses her Martial Arts to pin the Shih to the wall and pummels him. Injured, the Shih fades into the shadows and disappears.

Meanwhile, Mori creeps from the Kitchen to the Great Room and sees Duncan on the floor being taken care of by Tenzin. Kara is throwing Forces Arcana spells at Tenzin and Yumiko remains huddled under her blanket screaming. Mori dispells one of Kara’s spells while Gei Ho picks up Duncan's gun and starts shooting at Kara. Mori throws vulgar Prime spells at Kara injuring her. Paradox occurs creating a vortex that smashes all the windows in the cabin. Mori sees Kara flee onto the cabins deck and then casts a ball of flame at her as she dives into the snow. She dies in a flaming heap. (Mori makes a Morality check and loses one Morality).

The Cabal does not feel it is safe to stay. They get into their SUV with an injured Duncan and the bodies ofToshi and Kara in the back. Kontonshin suggests torching the cabin to eradicate evidence (She loses 1 Morality even with bonuses to her dice pool) and Mori sets fire to it. Meanwhile, Gei Ho, having gotten a taste of what it is like to use a gun, begs to start learning how to shoot. They leave hurriedly.

Next: Tamano - Ch. 8

(RC) The Shadow – Ch 6, part 3

2006-02-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

Summary: The Cabal travels to Kiyomizu-dera and attempts to open a Spirit Road through the Gauntlet back into the Material World. Meanwhile, the Nezumi become more persistant.

Recap:

A very nervous Tenzin decides to look through the Gauntlet to see if their sanctum had been burned down. He sees their sanctum is still safe. Apparently, the Shadow version of their sanctum was burned down, but the real version is untouched.

The Nezumi continue to hang around the Cabal. There are now over 40 of them skulking around the burned out Shadow sanctum. The largest Nezumi, their leader, beseech the Cabal to let them help. They suggest that they can give the Cabal a hand at getting home by taking them to an area where it would be easy to cross over – their burrow beneath Kyoto Station (below the throne room of the Daimyo himself). The Cabal politely, but firmly, refuses. Tenzin uses his Spirit arcane to send the Nezumi away.

Sa-an tells the Cabal that if they get back to the Shadow version of her sanctum, her Cabal might detect her presence in the Shadow and help them get back to reality. All they need to do is go up through Gojo-zaka (the pottery district) to get to Kiyomizu-dera. Her sanctum should be a safe haven.

As the Cabal ventures towards Gojo-zaka, they notice the buildings becoming much older. No tentacles threaten them and the eye at Kyoto Tower does not appear to be tracking them. The Cabal sees groups of the Daimyo’s spirits crossing the Kamo River searching for them. The Cabal quicken their pace.

The Cabal ask Sa-an how she got in the Shadow. She explains that she was investigating them for security reasons. She especially had to obtain more information about the ancient scroll they had won from Reitaro (Ch 2). She tells them she suspected that the scroll may be a fragment of the Shinwa Taizen.

Sa-an continues her story. In 1995, the Kansai Earthquake (Kobe Earthquake) occurred. The Yamaguchi-gumi was rumoured to have found scrolls as a result. Several mages, especially those from the Kodoshigisha and Hagekure Kyodai believed these scrolls to be parts of the Shinwa Taizen. They attempted to retrieve them, but encountered resistance from not only the Yamaguchi-gumi, but from others within the Consilium. A Shadow War erupted with mages from several factions forming their own Shadow Cabal. Eventually, events threatened to spin out of control and threaten the Consilium itself. The Shogun (then only the leader of the Hagekure Kyodai) lead a group to face off with the Shadow Cabal. He returned to the Consilium saying he had dealt with the others. The Shadow Cabal was never seen again and the events surrounding their departure were never fully explained.

Since then, no one has questioned the Yamaguchi-gumi about the scrolls – the matter had been dealt with. When the Cabal arrived and came into possession of the ancient scroll, Sa-an began investigating and was beginning to open up old wounds. She found out that some of the Kakumeiso members were actually old Kodoshigisha Mysterium members who did not commit seppuku after the debacle of 1945 when they dared to move the Shinwa Taizen.

Sa-an finishes her story just as the group approaches the Torii at the entrance of Kiyomizu-dera. They see two giant stone samurai blocking their way. Sa-an gives them a secret password, and they enter. Just as they cross the threshold, the Cabal see a hoard of 80 or more nezumi lead by a very large scarred rat. The Nezumi leader was different than the one they had spoken to earlier in the evening. When asked about the whereabouts of their other leader, the scarred rat says that the old leader was “replaced” because he had not fulfilled his purpose. Again, Tenzin shoos them away with Spirit Magic.

The Cabal enter the enormous hall of Kiyomizu-dera. Tenzin begins chanting in Atlantean in an attempt to cast Spirit Road. He guesses that it should take an hour to cast. As the spell is being cast, the lights dim revealing dozens of glinting eyes in the shadows.

Within a half hour, the Cabal hears thundering noise outside. Kemosiri peaks outside and sees several of the Daimyos’ spirits charging up to the gate of Kiyomizu-dera. In front of them is a swarm of hundreds of Nezumi.

The Cabal locks itself in, but one of the Spirit Samurai guarding Kiyomizu-dera is thrown through the wall and the Nezumi swarm in followed by a gigantic mechanical spirit.

Kontonshin leaps at the mechanical spirit and hits it with her spirit katana. Mori and Reitaro both strike at it with Prime bolts. Sa-an uses Matter to rust the spirit and damage its integrity. Suddenly, the Nezumi swarm Sa-an and Reitaro and they begin gnawing at their weakened bodies. Sa-an and Reitaro desperately try to tear at the dozens of Nezumi clawing, biting and burrowing their way through their flesh, their hands turn progressively blood red.

Tenzin hears a voice in his head. It is the voice of a Spirit Master from the other side of the gauntlet. The voice asks him to stop his spell and assist him on casting a spell to open the Spirit Road from his end. Tenzin hesitates thinking this may be a trick, but reluctantly agrees, stoops his spell and begins assisting the Spirit Master.

Meanwhile, Kontonshin continues to battle the mechanical spirit while Mori tries to tear the rats off Reitaro. The rats begin to swarm Mori and Kemosiri watches in horror as Reitaro collapses to the ground and Mori is overwhelmed.

The Spirit Road opens up. Kontonshin grabs Sa-an and drags her bloody body through. Kemosiri grabs Reitaro and begins dragging him across the barrier. The Nezumi do not seem able to use the Spirit Road. Mori is overwhelmed by rats who begin gnawing at his stomach. Mori, Kemosiri and Tenzin (now overwhelmed by rats) scamper through the Spirit Road before it collapses. They are now all in the Material world.

Kontonshin tries reviving Reitaro and he begins to twitch. Sa-an also begins to twitch. Mori puts up Supernal Vision and studies Reitaro and Sa-an Resonance and determines that they are both dead and that something else has taken over. They hesitate when the Spirit Master who pulled them in confirms what Mori is saying – that Reitaro and Sa-an are physically dead. Kontonshin, her ephemeral Katana long since faded into nothingness, grabs a blade and lops off Reitaro’s and Sa-an’s head.

The Spirit Master then turns to Mori who asks him what happened to him across the Gauntlet. The Master tells Mori he now has 2 souls and that his Resonance is now made up of a combination of two completely different souls melded into one. Mori is speechless and explains to everyone what happened to him in the small room. They speculate that the power to combine two souls together must be Archmastery.

The Cabal leaves Kiyomizu-dera for a well-earned rest. Duncan arrives at Kiyomizu-dera. It is early in the morning and he is wearing his chauffeur’s cap and an apron that says “kiss me, I cook” on it.

Next: The Shih

Gamer Films

2006-01-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

It must a great time to make movies about gamer geeks. First, we got "The Gamers", now we have Fear of Girls, a new independent film about that most maligned of hobbies. And if that isn't enough, DigiTribe Productions is producing a new film about gamers entitled Geekin. Despite what the Trailer says, it does not come out until later this year. Check out the trailer.

Geez, are these guys must be lonely.

(RC) The Shadow – Ch 6, part 2

2006-01-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

Summary: The Cabal regroups at the Kamo River and attempts to cross it and get back to their sanctum.

Recap:

Tenzin and Sa-an are both trapped in the basement of a burning wood building. Sa-an suggests they make a run for the back exit. They both cast Armor spells and Sa-an leads Tenzin out of the burning building before it collapses. She is severely burned and her kimono is in tatters. Tenzin bolts out of the building, stops, drops and rolls. Tenzin then uses magic to heal himself. Sa-an does not.

Mori sees Tenzin and Sa-an as they exit. He gets their attention and leads them both into an alleyway as the building collapses. The Fire Samurai and purple hippos do not see them disappear.

Kemosiri and Kontonshin carry a gravely injured Reitaro. They continue to follow the Nezumi (who appear to have grown larger). They are leading them to what they refer to as the Blue Dragon. They eventually find a sewer grating overlooking a shallow river. They smell smoke and see the light of a fire outside. Kemosiri warps the ephemeral grating lock and opens the door to the Kamo River. They see the purple hippos with tentacles and the burning building and the red Fire Samurai. They also see two bridges over the Kamo River. One is occupied by the Red Samurai, the other is occupied by two spear-wielding Mujina. The group thinks about where to go to next.

Tenzin is distracted by a succubus-like spirit. It tries to feed on his essence. Mori rescues him. Sa-an is disgusted with them both.

Kemosiri has a brainstorm. Instead of crossing at the bridges occupied by dangerous spirits, he sculpts the ephemera that is the Kamo River and creates an ephemeral bridge crossing the middle of the river. Kemosiri casts an improvised spell and manages to create a thin veneer of a bridge. In the meantime, Kontonshin sends out a mental signal to Tenzin using sympathetic magic (she knows his True Name) to get him to come to the River. Tenzin hears the signal and leads his group to the Kamo river near the 7th street bridge.

When Tenzin and Co. get back to the Kamo river, they see the others crossing Kemosiri’s bridge just as a hippo surges out of the water and begins attacking the party. It smashes the bridge in two. This attracts the attention of two Mujina guarding the nearby bridge and they begin running to the scene. Kontonshin attacks the hippo with her sword, and others cast spells harming it. Reitaro tries casting spells, but in his injured state, fails repeatedly. He accidentally creates a paradox causing a lightning storm to begin forming in the area.

Tenzin, Mori and Sa-an cross the bridge that the Mujina have abandoned. The Mujina attack Kontonshin and although Kemosiri warps their ephemeral weapons, the first Mujina grabs Kontonshin, and the second uses its faceless maw to swallow her to absorb her identity and memories. Thousands of maggots flow in and out of every orifice. Kontonshin fights the invading maggots keeping her mouth and nose closed even under the onslaught. Kemosiri trips the Mujina swallowing Kontonshin. Kontonshin flails wildly trying to hit either Mujina with her sword. Finally, Tenzin, Mori and Sa-an catch up and dispatch the Mujina.

The group, finally all together, spot a towering nuclear spirit rising over the horizon above Higashiyama. They head towards their Sanctum to avoid the giant spirit and the lightning storm that is slowly descending upon them. They get to their sanctum to find it burnt to the ground. They also spot many tiny Nezumi chittering within the ruins.

To be continued…

Next: The Shadow, part 3

(RC) The Shadow - Ch. 6

2006-01-25T16:25:00.000-07:00

Summary: Trapped in Kyoto’s Shadow, each mage faces his own challenge. Mori must escape a seemingly empty room. Tenzin finds a trapped nine-tailed fox spirit. Kemosiri, Kontonshin and Reitaro must fight their way across Kyoto’s horrific landscape.

Recap:

Kemosiri, Kontonshin and Reitaro are in a glade. They look around and find Cherry trees (sakura) that have had their branches cut down to bare stumps. On each of the stumps, artificial cherry tree branches have been transplanted and are “growing” out of them. Each artificial branch has many silk cherry blossoms blooming on them. Kontonshin sees some grass spirits – small clumps of grass with sharp teeth. Reitaro “feeds” them by channelling mana to them.

They all see the lights of Kyoto in the distance and they decide to go to travel back to their sanctum. Kemosiri takes a clump of grass growing in the glade and uses Death magic to sculpt the grass into a hardened ephemeral katana for Kontonshin. It is green and rough and cannot be mistaken for a real Katana, but it will do for now. The group begins the long trek toward their sanctum located in Higashiyama-ku ward in Kyoto.

Mori awakens to find himself in a bare room. The room contains four windows and a door. Through one window he sees a snow covered garden. Through the next window, he sees another garden with wild cherry blossoms growing. In the next window he sees another garden at night with fireflies. Through the final window he sees another garden with multi-coloured maple trees. The door is on this wall beside the window. Mori finds the door locked. He tries physically forcing the door open but the door does not budge. He uses magic to weaken the door, but the door remains resilient. Try as he might, Mori cannot open it.

Tenzin finds himself in an alley located in Nakagyo-ku Ward of Central Kyoto. He sees a spotlight turning atop Kyoto Tower. He sees tiny flower spirit round the corner towards him. Before he can speak to it, a Flaming Red Samurai incinerates it. Tenzin shrinks into the shadows and lets the column of Samurai pass.

Kemosiri, Kontonshin and Reitaro enter Kyoto. The buildings, while familiar, appear slightly different. The concrete and metal slabs that make up most of Kyoto’s skyline, appear to have been built over the ruins of more traditional Japanese buildings. Remnants of those wood and paper structures seep out of the foundation of their newer replacements.

Once Kemosiri and the others enter Kyoto, metallic tentacles begin to appear from the building foundations. At the tips of the tentacles, an electronic eye opens up and emits a high-pitched squeal. The spotlight atop Kyoto Tower falls directly on the group. Two spear-wielding Mujina (see Ch 3) round the corner and begin to bear down on the group.

Tenzin decides to leave his shadowy hiding place and begins skulking through Kyoto’s alleyways when he spies a furry white spirit in the shadows. It identifies itself as Tamano, a white fox spirit with nine tails caught in a steel leghold trap. Tamano says that the Daimyo will soon come for her if he does not free her. Tenzin uses magic to free Tamano. Tamano tells Tenzin she will lead him through the back alleys of Kyoto to his sanctum.

Mori is still trying to find a way through the door. Suddenly, he hears a voice behind him saying “Nani iamas ka?” Mori turns to see a young girl in a jade green kimono. The girl repeats her question. Mori tries to speak with her in English, but she continues to repeat her question.

Kemosiri, Kontonshin and Reitaro battle with the two Mujina. Reitaro uses Prime Arcana to hurl balls of pure Prime at them while Kontonshin uses her ephemeral katana to fend them off. Kemosiri hobbles about trying to distract the Mujina with shadows. When Kontonshin dispatches the second Mujina, the three regroup at the outskirts of Kyoto and discuss how they are going to get to their chantry. They begin hearing a chittering low to the ground. Kontonshin spots two small mice hiding in a tuft of grass. They identify themselves as Nezumi. The Nezumi claim that they can take the group to their sanctum through Kyoto’s underground. The group agrees to follow the two small Nezumi.

Tamano continues to lead Tenzin through the back alleys of Kyoto. Soon, they end up in Pontocho. The buildings in Pontocho are older traditional two storey wooden structures similar to their sanctum. Tenzin spots a geisha exiting a building. The geisha turns away from Tenzin and quickly scampers down the street. Tenzin tries to follow it, but Tamano warns him against pursuing them. They are dangerous.

Mori is becoming frustrated at his inability to open the door, and to communicate with the little girl in the green kimono who continues to repeat the question “Nani iamas ka?” Suddenly, a man in a gleaming green kimono embroidered with a golden dragon, appears at the centre of the room. He tells Mori that he must answer Isora’s question. Mori explains to him that he does not understand the question. The man tells Mori to hurry up and answer before it is too late. The door then shifts from beside the autumn window to beside the winter window.

Kemosiri and the others continue to follow the four Nezumi to the entrance of Takeda Station at the southern end of the Karasuma Subway Line. When they go down, more Nezumi greet them and lead them through the thin train tunnels. Some parts of the tunnel have alcoves that the group can hide in if a train comes by.

The situation has stymied Mori. The man in the dragon kimono tells Mori he can grant him the gift of the Japanese language. Mori agrees to take it. The man snaps his fingers and Mori sees a light above him. It infuses his body. Almost instantly, Mori understands. He understands the language and the cultural nuances that come with the language. Mori understands Isora’s question – “What is the word?”, and replies with “Dozo akete kudasai” (please open the door). Isora opens the door and before Mori enters, gives him a large blue jewel.

As Tenzin continues to follow Tamano, he finds himself along Kamo river. To get to the sanctum, Tenzin knows he has to cross one of the many bridges over the Kamo River. Once across the Kamo river, he will be in Higashiyama-ku Ward. Suddenly, the Kamo river surges and 3 purple hippos with metallic tentacles sprouting from their enormous mouths emerge and begin scanning the area. Tenzin runs into alleyway but not before a pair of Red Fire Samurai see him and begin following him. Tamano disappears into the shadows and Tenzin bumps into a hiding Sa-an. She has been hiding for a week in the Shadow unable to get back to her sanctum, Kyomizu-dera.

Kontonshin and Reitaro hear a train coming toward them. Everyone in the tunnel find an alcove and shrink their bodies into it as the train passes by. After it passes, the group emerge from the alcoves and continue down the tunnel away from the train. Suddenly, they hear the train screech to a halt and begin hearing giant metallic footsteps behind them. The train spirit lumbers down the tunnel toward them and begins using its giant metallic arms to try and smash the group one by one. Reitaro begins throwing Prime bolts at it, and Kontonshin strikes at it with her ephemeral katana. The 20 Nezumi tell Kemosiri that the next fork in the tunnel is not for another mile down the tunnel.

Mori has appeared in urban Kyoto. As he walks down the abandoned street, he sees metallic tentacles emerge from the building foundations. The spotlight atop Kyoto Tower shines its light near Mori and he hears heavy metallic footsteps approaching his location. To hide, Mori runs into a local Combini (convenience store). He tries exiting out the back but feels compelled to buy something. He “spends” several mana before he is able to sneak out into the back alley.

Tenzin and Sa-an find themselves trapped by the Red Samurai. Sa-an suggests they enter one of the abandoned buildings and she leads Tenzin inside. Together, they descend into the basement of the rickety old building. Metallic tentacles begin probing the building. Sa-an uses magic to slice the tentacles in half causing the hippo to cry out in pain. The Fire Samurai had enough. They light the building on fire trapping Tenzin and Sa-an in the basement of the burning building.

Mori sees fire in distance and begins to approach Kamo river via alleyways. He sees the fire samurai setting the fire.

The Train Spirit continues its fight against Kemosiri and friends. It smashes Reitaro against the wall. Reitaro’s body goes limp and falls to the broken ground. Kontonshin strikes the Train spirit with her green katana injuring the spirit. Kemosiri sculpts the ephemera above the train spirit and collapses large chunks of the roof on the spirit burying it in tons of rubble. Kontonshin and Kemosiri grab Reitaro’s grievously injured body and follow the Nezumi (all 30 of them) into a small ante-tunnel before the train spirit can break free of its ephemeral prison.

To be continued…

Next: The Shadow, part 2

Memory of the City

2006-01-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

Please welcome our latest RPG Blog, Memory of the City.

This Blog will cover a campaign taking place in the world of A/State. A/State is an RPG by Contested Ground Studios in the UK. The setting is a unique blend of dystopian future and Dickensian elements. The action is set entirely in a place known only as "The City".

However, instead of using the RPG system provided by Contested Ground, the GM will be using the World of Darkness rules.

This should be an interesting campaign to watch.

(RC) Hashi no Kochou (Butterfly Bridge) - Ch. 5

2006-01-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the late update.

To make reading these entries easier, I have put “Summaries” at the beginning of each RC Chapter entry, followed by the long Recap.

Summary: The Cabal is petitioned by the Kyoto Consilium to search for a missing Mage. During their search, they find an abandoned Chantry, and wind up transported into Kyoto’s Shadow.

Recap:

Kontonshin meets up with Kaze at Kyoto Station. They meet at a restaurant and although autumn lurks outside, an artificial cherry blossom light show fills the room with white and pink light. Kontonshin puts up her Mage Sight and now detects Kaze as a Mage. Kaze convinces her to a viewing of the sword. He will be in touch. As Kontonshin leaves, she has a feeling that someone is following her. She hops on the bullet train and takes a short trip to Osaka before returning home.

Meanwhile, back at the Chantry, Akio Ogawa mentions that a few people have taken an interest in the hospital incident (Chapter 4). The Cabal had left their calling cards there and Ogawa had received a couple of calls from Inspector Imada and others interested in what happened.

Cabal realizes that they only have a few days left to get some sort of personal object for Ane-san from Raiden.

Kemosiri gets phone call from Ane-san’s assistant, Nakayama. They meet in the public bathhouse across from the Chantry. They make small talk and Nakayama notes that there are a few large gentlemen with tattoos. Nakayama tells Kemosiri says that Ane-san has extended their deal. All the Cabal needs to do is attend the Consilium and all Ane-san will let them know what to do. Kemosiri agrees, but is suspicious. As he leaves, Nakayama comments to Kemosiri “don’t look for the pearls, they might consider it rude.”

The Cabal shows up at the Consilium. The Shogun announces that Sa-an, a member of his cabal, is missing. He places his Provost, Ane-san, in charge of the investigation. She accuses Gyochisa of orchestrating Sa-an’s disappearance and cites their long-standing rivalry as the reason. Raiden protests and demands proof. Ane-san assigns the player Cabal to head up investigation. She assigns them ostensibly because the Cabal is new and in town and theoretically, neutral on these matters. She asks them to start with Gyochisa’s sanctum. A very annoyed Raiden assigns Reitaro to follow them around to make sure they are fair in their assessment.

The Cabal investigate Sa-an’s room first. They find no connections between her and Gyochisa, but find picture of Sa-an and Geisha – Ayame. The Cabal pays Ayame a visit. Ayame is nervous and says Sa-an visited her 1 week earlier and that was last she saw of her. Ayame says she left to meet Jizo at midnight.

The Cabal then visits Gyochisa’s sanctum. They find a small connection with Reitaro and Sa-an. Sa-an had originally awakened in Gyochisa territory. She was supposed to join Gyochisa but she ended up joining Kodoshigisha instead. Reitaro had given her a robe as incentive for her to join (He was secretly in love with her, but she spurned his advances – so she left).

The Cabal then visits Jizo. Reitaro continues to follow them. Jizo had left the Consilium meeting and had returned to his sanctum. He admits that Sa-an and him were supposed to meet near ruins of an old castle. He waited for an hour for her before leaving.

The Cabal and Reitaro then go to the site of the ruined castle. They had been here before (Chapter 2) when they originally met the Shadow Samurai. Kemosiri uses Mage Sight and sees a door in Twilight. He casts Ghost Gate. The Cabal enters Twilight and they open the door. The Cabal finds a stairwell going down and they enter.

What they find is a weakly warded sanctum with five-year old magazines and Atlantean sigils on the walls. They also see several colourful butterflies flitting about. They see two other exits from the main chamber – one leading to places unknown, the other leading to a bridge over what seems like an endless abyss. The bridge leads to a solid rock wall. Kemosiri tries finding a secret entrance, but finds none.

Kemosiri then summons a ghost, and the Shadow Samurai he had met previously (in Chapter 2) greets him. The Shadow Samurai tells the Cabal that those who were here have long left.

Suddenly, the Cabal detects supernatural activity with their Unseen Senses. Someone is coming down the stairs. The mage attacks the Cabal, and they counter the spells he throws at them and Reitaro throws a spell that collapses part of the wall near the entrance.

Meanwhile, the Shadow Samurai opens a magic portal. Kemosiri suddenly realizes he is dealing with a Ghost Mage. Before any of the Cabal can do anything, they are all drawn across the bridge into the portal. Only Mori Momento seemingly escapes the portal, but falls over the bridge and drops into the Abyss.

Kemosiri, Kontonshin and Reitaro wake up and find themselves in a forest glade in Kyoto’s Shadow Realm…

To be continued…

Next: The Shadow - Ch 6

Treasure Tables Weblog

2006-01-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

Need advice as a GM? Try Treasure Tables. This Weblog has been around for a while and provides a good resource for GM's. Give it a whirl.

(RC) Idoru - Ch. 4

2005-12-30T16:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Holidays all. It had been a while since I last updated so I thought I would get this up before the new year. There is one more Chapter to update before the holidays end, and I hope to have it up on January 2.

Just so you know, each Chapter Summary is a summary of 2 or 3 gaming sessions.

Enjoy.

----

Summary: The Cabal discovers more about the history of the Shinwa Taisen. Inspector Imada asks the cabal to investigate the suicide of three high school girls all of whom are linked to a falling J-pop star.

Recap:

Two weeks have passed since the events from Chapter 3.

Each of the Cabal Members is doing their own thing. Tenzin is cutting back on training Gei Ho just a bit. He tries to explain to him not to trust Sa-an or other mages who might do them harm. Kemosiri goes back to Dr. Wu to find out more about the scroll. Dr. Wu has ordered a book from Tokyo that will help in translating the scroll (he hopes – Kemosiri is not so optimistic). Dr. Wu is getting annoyed that he is only finding out about the scroll in bits and pieces.

Kemosiri and Mori decide to go visit the Kakumeiso to find out more about the Shinwa Taisen. Jizo agrees to see them and greets them warmly. He offers them tea and they sit and chat. When asked about the Shinwa Taisen, Jizo tells them that it was a document created in 800 AD under the reign of Empress Pimiko. She commissioned the creation of 3 documents – the Legends, the History and Magical History (Shinwa Taisen). Besides holding history, the document was also rumoured to be a grimoire and held powerful spells that apparently date back to the time of Atlantis. The Empress later decided not to release it as the knowledge it contained was deemed too dangerous. She then created a warrior class whose express purpose was to guard the Shinwa Taisen and keep it away from prying eyes. She named the warriors, Samurai.

Two Mage cabals, the Kodoshigisha and Hagakure Kyodai, became responsible for the Shinwa Taisen’s safety. It remained safe and secret until the 20th century and World War II. Fearing that others, including western Cabals, would find the Shinwa Taisen, the Kodoshigisha decided it was prudent to move it. Other Cabals objected, but as they were the ruling Cabal of Kyoto, they’re word held sway. En route to its final destination, the Shinwa Taisen was destroyed when the Americans dropped the first nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. Many members of Kodoshigisha committed seppuku in shame and Gyochisa became the new ranking Cabal of Kyoto.

After hearing these revelations, Kemosiri and Mori thank Jizo for being so helpful and leave.

Meanwhile, Kontonshin tries to find an authentic samurai sword. As a Japanophile, she has wanted to find an authentic katana for some time. Her trip to Japan has given her just such an opportunity. After doing some searching around, Kontonshin finds a master outside of Kyoto who has made many and he charges $250K US for one. Balking at the price, she decides to come back later. She makes a hasty exit and runs into a weirdly dressed gentleman who introduces himself as Kaze. Kaze says he can sell her a Katana for $50K US. All she has to do is meet her at the Kyoto Cultural Centre the next day and he will have one. Suspecting this is all a set up, she talks to Det. Imada and tells him about the scam artist. He decides to investigate.

In the meantime, Imada has his own story to tell. He presents the pictures of 3 girls – they all died a month ago on the same hour at the same night. A fourth girl, Hoshi, is in a psych ward in Kyoto for trying to do the same thing. He would like the group to investigate this mystery as he does not know where else to go. Kemosiri recognizes the girls. He had seen them before on the first night he was in Kyoto and had intended to investigate them. He decides that now is as good a time as any.

The Cabal returns to the alleyway where Kemosiri first saw the “Suicide Triplets.” The Triplets pass by and the Cabal follows. The triplets turn a corner and one of them drops an CD for Satomi Shimizu a fading j-pop idol. The girls school is around the corner and Mori breaks in and goes to one of the girls lockers. They find a pic of a boy and a poster for Shimizu. They get out and go home.

More net investigation and they discover that Shimizu has been despondent lately – her latest boyfriend broke up with her and she is playing a small concert in Osaka the next night. Her star is fading fast. Her 4th album in four years only went to #20 on the J-pop charts.

They call Imada the next morning and he agrees to come to the school to assist. He also reports that there was a break in last night. The principal cooperates with them. The boy is no lead. Hoshi’s locker shows a pic of her and Shimizu.

They go visit Hoshi in the hospital. Both Hoshi’s forearms are completely bandaged. Hoshi is rough with the Cabal and does not want to speak to them. She says she was in the band as a backup singerabe fired when she giving Satomi flowers. She railed against Satomi for a while before Hoshi’s website was shut down by Satomi’s lawyers. That is all she would say.

The Cabal decides to attend her concert. After several hours, the concert ends. Then Mori vaults onto the stage attracting all the security guards in sight. He uses sleight of hand to perform distracting magic and allow Kontonshin and Kemosiri to get behind the guards and onto the backstage.

Kontonshin and Kemosiri get into Satomi’s room on pre-text that they are with a group with backstage passes. Their disguise slips and then they try to convince her they are reporters. Finally, they confess and tell Satomi they are paranormal investigators. Satomi kicks everyone but Kontonshin and Kemosiri out and then breaks down in tears. Through the sobs, she says ghosts are haunting her and they have been haunting her for the past month and a half. She is on verge of nervous breakdown. When shown pictures of the Suicide Triplets, she recognizes two of them.

Kemosiri and Kontonshin leave and return to the Chantry to do more research. They believe that Hoshi has something to do with things, but are not sure what. They come up with plan to scare her into telling them something.

The Cabal go back to the hospital. When they enter the hospital, Kemosiri sees several ghosts. As the Cabal predicted, Hoshi would have nothing to do with them and tries kicking them out. Kemosiri does a general ghost summons and attracts six ghosts who haunt the hospital. Some of them are not happy to see Kemosiri.

When Hoshi sees the ghosts, she screams and tries hiding under her sheets. Kontonshin and Mori pull the sheets off to make her see and then ask her again what she knows. Hoshi says she will tell them everything as long as they get rid of the ghosts. Kemosiri begins to dismiss the ghosts, but some of them are now rather pissed off that they were summoned in the first place. They begin hurling objects around the room and smashing lamps. Several light fixtures explode. Objects begin to fly at the Cabal. Hoshi screams and hides behind her now overturned bed. Mori tries to bar nurses and other hospital staff from getting into the room while Kemosiri and Tenzin command the ghosts to leave. When they are finally gone, security breaks down the doors. Mori explains that Hoshi had a temper tantrum and that she is all right now.

Before they leave, Hoshi gives the Cabal a wooden bowl. She explains that she received it in the mail after Satomi fired her but that she does not know who sent it. To use it, all she had to do was give the Buddha of the Bowl blood so it would perform her every wish. She apologizes and says she did not realize the ghost in the bowl would kill Satomi’s fans. She only wished to hurt Satomi.

When the Cabal returns to the Chantry, they use Mage Sight and determine that a Wrath Spirit is trapped within the bowl. They find out that that the “Buddha’s” former master stored it in a place called “Unit 731” more than 60 years ago. They also find out that the spirit was originally a Chinese Emperor who existed over 1000 years ago.

After interrogating the spirit, Mori drains it of essence enough to kill the spirit. Tenzin tries to object saying that the Spirit may be able to help locate the one who sent it to Hoshi, but Mori does not listen. The Cabal keep the bowl as it still has some resonance on it.

Next: Hashi no Kochou - Ch 5

Star Trek: The New Voyages

2005-12-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

If you were a fan of the original Star Trek series (you know, the one with Kirk, Spock and McCoy), you will be happy (?) to know that the last TWO years of that original five year mission are now being filmed. You can download the first two episodes from "Season 4" at Star Trek: the New Voyages.

Check it out.

Weapons of the Gods

2005-12-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is a new RPG from EOS Press is based on a Hong Kong Wuxia comic book. EOS has done a ton of research into this "Fantasy China" and the system seems to be rules lite (d10's only).

It is now available in PDF form at Drive Thru RPG. A full color book from EOS Press is also available.

Check it out. It could replace Feng Shui as my martial arts game of choice.

SC8 Submission

2005-12-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've been a bit late with the posts lately. Why? Because I have been hard at work at my latest writing project, Togeriso's SC8 Submission. I got it in under the wire.

If you would like to read it, you can find it at (that's right) my new writing blog I have entitled Dragon Lit.

You can see the other submissions at the CCC Storyline, Fiction and RPG Forum

Read. Enjoy.

The Order of the Stick

2005-12-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

I was just introduced to this new web comic about the joys of roleplaying games entitled the Order of the Stick by Rich Burlew. It is absolutely hilarious. There are over 250 of these comics already and I think they are being compiled into a book. Read. Enjoy.

(RC) Mujina - Ch. 3

2005-12-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

Summary: While Kemosiri delves into the mystery of the ancient Japanese scroll, Gei Ho, Tenzin’s sleepwalker retainer, begins visiting another cabal and inadvertently brings home a dangerous mind eating spirit.

Recap:

Two weeks after arriving in Kyoto, the Cabal has settled into a routine. Tenzin is teaching Gei Ho the rigors of his Bon Po legacy (what a Sleepwalker could reasonably learn). However, Gei Ho is chafing against this. Every night, Gei Ho ventures out and unbeknownst to the Cabal, has been making his way to Kyomizu-dera to talk with the mages of the Hagakure Kyodai. Sa-an, a young female mage of the Hagakure Kyodai, has lured him there and has surreptitiously been gaining valuable information about the Cabal from him.

This particular day begins with Gei Ho failing to meditate to Tenzin’s liking. He is thinking about the Tigers Baseball game Duncan is taking him to. Before he leaves, Gei Ho gives Tenzin an onamori (good luck charm) as a gift for all his teachings.

Kemosiri and Kontonshin are still researching the scroll. Kontonshin cannot translate anything – the writing is too archaic and she cannot discern their meanings. Kemosiri tries drawing some of the Kanji onto another piece of paper in the hopes of giving it to a Sleeper Professor who might know how to translate the Scroll. Akio Ogawa gives him the name of a Chinese Professor of Archeology at Kyoto University.

Mori, in the meantime, is trying to make deal with Itako for learning the Japanese.

Kemosiri makes an appointment to see Dr. Wu at Kyoto University and present copies of the Kanji. Dr. Wu says that they are unrecognizable as Kanji and wonders if someone is playing a joke. He wants to look at the scrolls more closely and believes that they might be a valuable find. Kemosiri agrees to return the next day.

Meanwhile, Tenzin, Kontinshin and Mori are at sanctum and begin to get a weird feeling that an unknown power is at work. They begin to use Mage Sight and Mori senses Awakened magic. He feels they are being scryed on and before he can examine any further, the scrying window disappears.

Kemosiri returns to the Sanctum and lets Kontonshin know that their kanji copies did not look like anything to the Professor. Kemosiri begins to scan the scroll with his laptop computer’s scanner and it comes out garbled. Confused, they use Mage Sight on the scroll and get an aura of powerful Magic, but nothing else – no other quality is present.

Duncan arrives back at the Sanctum. He dropped off Gei Ho near Kyomizu-dera. The others let Kemosiri know of the scrying and they begin to look for Gei Ho. They find him near Kyomizu-dera. Tenzin chides him for being out late and for consorting with other Mages. Tenzin tells Gei Ho not to do such a thing again. After getting Gei Ho back to the sanctum, he runs away during the night.

The next day, Kemosiri and Kontonshin go to visit Dr. Wu – this time with the actual scroll. They give Dr. Wu more copies of the Kanji. Dr. Wu becomes annoyed that he has been given more copies of things he cannot recognize. Reluctantly Kemosiri and Kontonshin show him the real scroll. Dr. Wu examines it and can recognize several words – Kojiki (the Japanese creation myths) and Nihongi (the early history of Japan). He also recognizes words he pronounces as Shinwa Taisen. From the context, Dr. Wu surmises that this is another historical document written in conjunction with the Kojiki and Ninhongi (The Kojiki and Nihongi were written in approximately 800 AD under the rule of Empress Pimiko). The characters find out nothing else. Both begin to detect something unusual with their Unseen Senses and decide they must leave.

Kemosiri and Kontonshin decide to speak with the Itako whom they believe will be able to give them more information. As they arrive at the subway station, their Unseen Senses go off. Something is following them. Kemosiri turns on Spirit Sight sees a humanoid shaped Spirit materialized in Twilight. It is almost nine feet tall and completely black. However, where its head should be, Kemosiri sees a skull with its face ripped off. In that faceless void are hundreds of squirming maggots.

Kemosiri gives Kontonshin the scroll and tells her to run. She runs down the stairs towards the Itako’s sanctum. Kemosiri hobbles down the stairs, but the Spirit catches up with him, materializes, grabs him, and exhales thousands of maggots onto him. Kemosiri panics, but manages to free himself of the Spirit’s grip. He hobbles down the stairs and rushes through the steel door just as the Spirit reaches him. They slam the door in the Spirit’s “face”. Kemosiri tries hard to brush the maggots off his body, but still finds them in his clothes days later.

The Itako tells Kemosiri and Kontonshin that the spirit they encountered was a Mujina, a Faceless One. She also mentions that the wards against Spirits she has up seem to be working against it.

When asked about the term Shinwa Taisen, the Itako asks Kemosiri and Kontonshin where they had heard them. She is surprised that foreigners who had only been in town for two weeks could have heard of such a thing that up to this time, she had only heard in whispers.

The Itako tells them that she does not want anything to do with the matter. She then tells Baka to show them out the back way. Baka leads them through the sewers to an outlet along the Kamo River.

In the meantime, Mori and Tenzin are out searching for Gei Ho. They go to Kiyomizu-dera where they believe Gei Ho has been going. Sa-an answers the door and denies having seen Gei Ho that night. She tells them that he had been come to her Sanctum a few times and that she regarded him as a fine young boy. Before they leave, Sa-an refers to Tenzin by his True Name and she smiles.

Kemosiri and Kontonshin return to the sanctum. Kemosiri is still brushing maggots off his clothes. The others still do not know where Gei Ho is. Suddenly, the door opens and Gei Ho walks in. He seems non-chalent about running away and asks if he can go upstairs to bed. They let him go but not before Tenzin chides him once again. Gei Ho shrugs it off. The rest confer about the scroll and about the days events.

Soon, they all begin to retire for the evening. Before he goes to bed, Kemosiri decides to scrutinize the sanctum with Spirit Arcana for anything unusual. He does not want to get scryed upon again. He enters Gei Ho’s room and sees Gei Ho standing up on his futon. Kemosiri further scrutinizes the room and finds a Spirit seemingly controlling Gei Ho. He quickly calls for the others. When Mori and Tenzin arrive, they see the Mujina standing above Gei Ho, maggots erupting from its faceless void entering any open orifice they can find.

The Mujina lets Gei Ho go and he collapses to his futon. It then attacks Kemosiri as he did before, by grabbing him and exhaling thousands of maggots onto him. This time, however, the maggots crawled and squirmed their way into his mouth, nose and eyes. At the same time, Kemosiri could feel the presence of another mind forcing its way into his consciousness.

While Kemosiri is immobilized, Tenzin tries commanding the Mujina. It just shrugs off his commands. Mori, now able to see the Mujina in Twilight, strikes at the Mujina with Celestial Fire and essence drain. The Mujina tries to lash out at his attackers. It is eventually banished back to the Shadow leaving Kemosiri a heap on the tatami mats (most of which will have to be disposed of because of maggots).

When the Cabal tries to take care of Gei Ho, they discover that the Mujina had stolen Gei Ho’s memories and that a part of his Soul was ripped out as a result. The Cabal fears that whoever sent the Mujina after them would be able to gain valuable knowledge about them through Gei Ho’s memories.

The Cabal decides that they MUST get Gei Ho’s memories back. They visit the Itako who tells them that the only one she is aware of with the power to get him back is Ane-san of the Kokuryu-kai.

They visit Ane-san’s sanctum, which is the top floor of the Umeda building in Osaka. They trick their way in and make a deal with her – she will open a gate to the Shadow and then they can call the Mujina using Gei Ho as a sympathetic connection. Kemosiri begins the ritual to tear Gei Ho’s soul from the Mujina. When he is ready, Ane-san casts a spell to call the Mujina and Tenzin calls the Mujina to the Gate. Kemosiri tears Gei Ho’s soul from the Mujina and Mori drains the Mujina of all its Essence and Corpus destroying it forever.

As a price, Ane-san asks the Cabal to get a personal item from Raiden, the head of Gyochisa, and deliver it before the next Consilium meeting.

Next: Idoru - Ch 4

Will Hollywood Ever Get it Right?

2005-12-05T14:24:00.000-07:00

The upcoming movie adaptation of “Memoirs of a Geisha” has re-opened the debate regarding the portrayal of Japan in movies made in Hollywood. The usual criticism of such movies is that they invariably get the culture wrong.

If you want to know what I mean, look at Hollywood’s track record. The last Hollywood movie about Japan was “The Last Samurai” starring Tom Cruise. The movie took a part of Japanese history concerning the transition of Japan as a feudal nation into a more modern nation, and Americanized it to make it palatable for an American audience. Before that, we have “Lost in Translation”. A beautiful film to be sure, but one in which Japan gets lost in caricature behind two American actors (and I think the intention was the reverse). I am sure you can name other films in which Japan is distorted through a Western lens.

It looks like Hollywood is only going to continue on the same track with “Memoirs of a Geisha”. How do we know? First, “Memoirs” is an International effort – it is an adaptation filmed in California, of a book written by an American author, starring Chinese actors in the major roles, about a uniquely Japanese subject. When you have such a mutt-like pedigree, mistakes just have to creep onto the celluloid. What makes things worse, is that the author’s inspiration for his book is reported to be very critical of him – so much so, she is considering legal action (See “A Woman Scorned”).

To be fair, films are not history or cultural lessons – they are entertainment and entertainment has to entertain its target audience (in this case, a Western audience). If we desire bald facts, we should tune into the Discovery Channel. Or, better yet, since the movie is adapted from a book, read some good books on the subject.

Instead of reading “Memoirs of a Geisha”, by Arthur Golden, why not pick up “The Geisha of Gion” (recently re-titled and sold as “Geisha: a Life”), Mineko Iwasaki’s autobiography and response to Golden’s authorial errors.

Instead of watching the Tom Cruise eye candy that is “The Last Samurai”, peruse the biography of Saigo Takamori entitled “The Last Samurai - The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori” by Mark Ravina (Takamori is the real world inspiration for the movie of the same name).

These titles are in print and are widely available in North America.

Am I going to discourage you from attending the movie version of “Memoirs”? No. From what I have seen and the cultural misgivings I may have, it looks like a wonderfully shot film that may even inspire Oscar nods. Judge the film on its merits as a film, not on the cultural and historical lessons it has to offer.

Just remember that the films often get it wrong, but you can be learned enough to tell the difference. Oh, and for those of you reading this who know me, I have these books and will gladly lend them out.

Sadako from "Ringu"

2005-11-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

Check out this little gem. It's a lot of anime/manga versions of Sadako (the girl from the Japanese "Ringu" movies) with J-pop music in the background. You will never be creeped out by her again, I guarantee it.

(RC) Ubume - Ch. 2

2005-11-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

Summary: The Cabal meets the Kyoto Consilium and must defeat a mage for possession of the ancient scroll. Meanwhile, Ogawa gives the Cabal their first assignment: to get rid of a ghost haunting a suburban Kyoto home.

Recap:

The Cabal finally arrives at their sanctum located across the Kamo river in Higashiyama-ku, a ward located in Central Kyoto.

The day after arriving in Kyoto, Kemosiri and Tenzin both wake up to find the rest of them meditating. They are anxious to confront Ms Ogawa about the gaps in their knowledge regarding the “original group” and the fact that Ms. Ogawa had not given the Consilium their Letters of Introduction.

Kontonshin had a dream the previous night. The dream seemed to place her in the body of a young school aged girl who appears to be going to a photography studio to do some "questionable" photographs. The stain of death appears in the dream and Kontonshin is shaken when she wakes up.

When she arrives, Ogawa complains about the mud in her office. The characters confront Ogawa about the first group. She explains that she did not want to tell the characters about the other group because she was afraid they would not accept their offer. She offers to send anyone who does not want to be there, a one way ticket home. No one accepts. She tells the characters that she gathered the last group from Tokyo and they were there for only a week before her Benefactor asked them to attend a lecture from a Geology Professor at Kyoto University. After the lecture, the Group called and said they were running a few leads and would be in touch. They never returned a call and none of their cell phones ever picked up again.

Ms. Ogawa said she has no clue whatever happened to them and regrets sending them to that lecture.

On the subject of why she never submitted their Letters, she explained that she was waiting for everyone to arrive before submitting them. The fact that they ran into a Consilium member was unfortunate.

Ms. Ogawa then says that their cover is Paranormal Investigators. She has arranged an assignment - their clients will meet them at a local Starbucks at 5:00 p.m. (it is 1:00 at the time).

No one in the group mentions the scroll they had found the night before or the Baku they had found guarding it.

The characters decide to visit Kiyomizu-dera to see the Consilium. A sleepwalker servant meets them at the door and hands them a scroll. The scroll charges the characters with two crimes against the Lex Magica. The first crime is not presenting themselves to the Kansai Consilium upon arrival, and the second is “wanton disregard for Consilium property”. This last charge has the PC's befuddled. Was the mirror Mori Memento had broken at the World Club the reason for the charge? They could not figure it out.

Since the summons was for that evening at 9:00pm., the characters had some time, so they go to the Starbucks to meet with their clients - the Kitagawa's. Mr. Kitigawa is a very well dressed businessman who the PC's found talking on his cell phone. Mrs. Kitigawa is also a very well dressed woman. Mrs. Kitagawa has a baby girl in a stroller. The baby is only a month old. The Kitigawa's are very busy people. When he is not running his business, he is expected to be a socialite and attend social events such as charity balls. Mrs. Kitigawa is expected to help out and the number of social events he attends is huge. They would like their problem to be dealt with quickly and discretely. They offer over $1M Yen to deal with it the first night and more when the players balk at the offer.

The characters tell the Kitigawa's that they have a previous commitment and might be a bit late getting to their place. The Kitigawa's agree and tell them that their Nanny will greet them at the door.

The characters then prepare for the evening session with the Consilium. They arrive at 9:00 pm. The servants introduce them to the five members of the Consilium Council. Then, the Council asks who speaks for the Cabal? Kontonshin is the one to reply (she is the only member of the Cabal fluent in Japanese). After that, the Provost reads the first charge - the charge of “not identifying themselves to the Consilium.” The characters accepted the charge and they were fined 5 mana, payable before the next meeting of the Consilium.

Reitaro, the owner of the World Nightclub, read the second charge. He had made a deal with a mage last evening concerning a scroll (that Mage was the one found dead the previous night). He charged that the PC's are in control of that scroll, and that he is entitled to it. The Consilium does not rule, but instead, Reitaro challenges the Cabal to Duels Arcane with ownership of the Scroll at stake.

Kemosiri steps forward for the cabal, and the Consilium adjourns for a short time giving the PC's time to prepare. The PC's quietly speak with some members of the Consilium, most especially the members of Kakumeiso, who are all from the Mysterium Order. They request an audience at some time.

At midnight, the Duels Arcane takes place. Reitaro, an Obrimos Adept, uses Forces for his Sword and Prime for his Shield, while Kemosiri uses Death for his Sword and Matter for his Shield. The first blow goes to Reitaro who drains Kemosiri of 4 Willpower in one strike. Kemosiri whittles away at Reitaro's Willpower. Reitaro never lands another solid blow before Kemosiri gives one final great effort and solidly knocks Reitaro on his ass, ending the duel. Reitaro, still smoking after the duel, gets up and storms out of the Consilium.

As a final function for the night, the Characters perform the Sakazaki (Rote for the Swearing an Oath Spell) ritual – they swear to uphold the Lex Magica of the Kansai Consilium and obey the elders.

The Characters then decide that they should go and investigate the haunting.

Their first destination is the Haunted House, a large, but un-assuming house in the north end of Kyoto. Trees surround the house. There is a small wall and gate leading into the house. The lights to the two-storey house are on. The Cabal wakes up the Nanny. Gei Ho asks her to come out of the house so as not to disturb the PC's and the Nanny goes willingly.

The Cabal finds themselves in a large living area that has been very richly designed. Hard wood floors, elegant furniture and other very expensive accoutrements are strewn neatly throughout the house. There is a very large stone fireplace as well.

To start their investigation, the players activate their Mage Sight and look around. They see magic resonance where blood had spilled from the stone walls. Looking into the Shadow, Tenzin sees the remnants of an ancient Samurai castle across the street from the house. The other players follow the resonance into the baby's room. In the hallway outside the room is a clutter of desk furniture covered with plastic tarps. In the baby's room itself, it appears stark and bear with the exception of the crib at the other end of the hallway.

Kemosiri decides to try calling a ghost. He summons it in the living room. Instead of getting the ghost he was expecting, the ghost of an ancient samurai appears in Twilight and demands to know who had summoned him. Tenzin, now looking into Twilight as well, tries to speak in broken Japanese to the Samurai. Kontonshin is the only one who is able to speak with it and she cannot see him. Tenzin, in his vain attempts to try to speak with the Samurai, angers him. He charges Tenzin and using one of his Numina, puts Tenzin into Twilight. Now, the only person who can see Tenzin is Kemosiri. The only one who can speak with him is Gei Ho. It makes for some interesting communications difficulties.

In the meantime, the ghost they had been waiting for, materializes in the child's bedroom. The characters scamper back to the child's room. The ghost is checking out the crib. The characters feel a chill in the air. They see blood staining the wood walls of the child's room. They do not notice a weird iron symbol covered in blood that the ghost had shaken loose from the wall above the crib. They smell fresh dirt and foul smelling refuse. The ghost of a girl dressed in a school uniform turns to face them. Her face is dessicated and skull like and she appears to them pregnant. Tenzin begins a ritual of Exorcism. Kemosiri tries to command it, to no avail. Before anyone else can do something, the ghost shreiks and de-materializes through the wall.

Thinking that there is nothing else they could do that evening, the Cabal gathers everything up, grab Gei Ho and go back to their sanctum. Kemosiri begins a ritual to create a door into Twilight to get Tenzin back into the Material World. He completes it before noon, and collapses into a heap (he had been up for over 24 hours).

Later in the day, the Cabal begin investigating the ghost. The Kitigawa's apparently used an Adoption Agency that promised to get them a baby from a well to do family (to avoid any potential health related problems later). Kontonshin phones the adoption agency. The clerk said she could not give out information, but when pressed, looked it up in the computer. The computer had an entry stating that the baby was originally from the Tanakas, but that the Agent that did the actual transfer was not around to speak to her. Kontonshin then phoned the Tanakas and found out that they indeed had a baby, but when Kontonshin heard a baby in the background and asked about it, the Tanakas decided not to give the baby to the Adoption Agency.

Kontonshin relates the dream she had to the rest of the Cabal and they decide to investigate the Photography Studio where the girl in her dream went. It was easy to find, but it is located in a very seedy part of Kyoto. The Cabal formulates a makeshift plan to go in and coerce the photographer into revealing what is going on. To do so, they get fake ID identifying them as Japanese Police from Duncan. Duncan asks them not to lose the ID and not to ask where he got them.

Once they enter the “studio”, the photographer insists that Aiko Suzuki, the girl from Kontonshin's dream, was just an “enjo kosai” (Compensated Date). She was a high school student. They had ‘relations’ last year after a photography session in which she came alone (normal sessions included several girls and no sex). She came back to him a few months later saying she was pregnant and she demanded money. He could not tell if she was pregnant at the time and insisted that even if she were pregnant, it was not his child. He adamantly refused to give her any blackmail money and he sent her away. He had not seen her since. The Cabal left the studio and informed Detective Imada of the Photographer.

Now that they knew the girl’s name, the Cabal quickly found out where Aiko lived. She lived in a small apartment with her parents and younger brother. The Cabal speak with the mother. Mrs. Suzuki said she has not seen her daughter in over a month. Aiko and her father had an argument about her pregnancy. Aiko's father was very angry with her for getting pregnant - no one would want to marry such a girl. Aiko would also not reveal who the father was, but said it was not her current boyfriend. The father threatened to kick her out but Aiko stormed out yelling that she didn't need him. Mrs. Suzuki would like to know where her daughter is. She was afraid of what her husband might do. The Cabal left the apartment and attempted to come up with a plan of action.

Since garbage and the smell of refuse played such a prominent role in the haunting, the Cabal ventures to the local garbage dump. The Cabal finds out that, garbage in Kyoto is incinerated and that no suspicious body was found in the last month. Even using Mage Sight, the Cabal finds nothing. They decide to look at the Adoption Agency later the next day.

They track down the Agent in charge of the Kitigawa file. She takes the Cabal into her office. After a brief conversation, the Agent confesses. She was “given” her current job by someone named Itako. The Agent was unemployed and almost penniless when Itako, a local soothsayer, told her to be at a certain place at a certain time and this job would just come to her. In exchange for this opportunity, all the Agent had to do was the odd ‘favours’ for her. Itako had given her 3 babies in the past few years to put up for adoption. She had searched for 2 years to find the Kitigawa’s a baby and had finally gotten a commitment from the Suzuki’s for theirs. When the deal fell through with the Suzukis and Itako gave her another baby for adoption, she decided to make a ‘substitution’. The Kitigawa’s would never find out, she thought.

The Agent tells the Cabal that she had met Itako and her “friend” at the Karasuma-Oike subway station.

The Cabal ventures to the subway station. They find a gated entrance to stairs going below the station. They find it blocked by punk kids who demand money. After a brief and heated conversation, the Cabal realizes that one of the gang members knew Akio and they try to question him. The other gangers block the Cabal and attack them. The Cabal fights and wins. Most of the gang runs away.

The punk who knew Akio was her boyfriend. He explains that he was not the father of her child and that he did not know who was.

The boyfriend goes on to explain his story. Akio and he were planning to run away together. She had saved a lot of money. Her father was mean to her and Akio did not want to live under his roof any longer. After a particularly vicious argument a month ago, she ran off, got her money and came to see him. When the other gang members saw how much she had, they attacked her. He tried to fight off the rest of the gang, but they were relentless and Akio was badly beaten. He eventually chased them off, but the gang had stolen all of Akio’s cash. When he returned to help Akio, she had disappeared. Akio was unconscious when he last saw her. He did not know how she disappeared, but he saw a trail of smeared blood leading down the stairwell passed the locked gate. Everyone, even the gangs, is afraid of what lies beyond the gate, so he never went any further.

The Cabal decides to go past the locked iron gate and down the cement stairwell. Behind the locked iron door at the bottom of the stairwell, they find Itako - a blind prophetess and mage who is the defacto leader of the Burakumin, a cabal of outcast mages. Her cabal includes Baka no Oashi (a mute and illiterate mage), several homeless Sleepers, and her.

Since only one person in the cabal speaks Japanese, Itako translates by using Mind Arcana. She tells the Cabal that the Burakumin are known to the Consilium, but for reasons of cleanliness, are not recognized as part of the Consilium.

Itako relates what happened to Akio. Baka heard the scuffle, found Akio, and dragged her downstairs. Itako was not present at that time. Akio seemed dead to Baka, so he buried her in a grave located in the sewers. The Burakumin cannot cremate bodies, as is the custom in Japan, for fear of attracting attention.

Itako told Baka to show the Cabal Akio’s grave. They follow him to underground garbage dump close to the sewers. Besides garbage, several other graves are there. Akio’s is the freshest. Baka digs out a wooden box from the grave. They lift the makeshift coffin out of the grave and open it. They find a desiccated corpse. There are signs of childbirth and deep claw marks in the wooden lid. Clutched in her bloody hand is a crumpled bit of paper. It had the name of the child (Takara) scrawled on it.

Itako enters the gravesite and explains that Baka heard the baby wailing and unearthed Akio to find her dead, but the baby alive. Baka took the baby to Itako who then contacted the Adoption Agency about putting Takara up for adoption.

At this point, the Cabal begins to wonder why the haunting is taking place. Akio’s ghost is protecting Takara and the reason for the haunting lay in the Kitigawa home.

The Cabal returns to the Kitigawa house to find the Nanny removing the child. They see she is wearing a weird symbol that is similar to the one they saw in the baby’s room. They initially ignored it. After some heated questioning, they believe the Nanny was going to kidnap the baby and take it somewhere. They coerce the Nanny into telling them where she was taking the baby. Reluctantly, the Nanny consents.

The Cabal travels to a warehouse district located on the south side of Kyoto. In an abandoned warehouse, they find a red magic symbol painted on the floor and an altar. They surmise that a cult was going to sacrifice the baby for some nefarious purpose. The Nanny denies any knowledge about what the baby was supposed to be sacrificed for, and then tries to escape from the Cabal. She does not get far. The Cabal sees the Nanny disappear out the door and then they hear her scream. When they find her, the Nanny had fallen into an open sewer. The Cabal can see the ghost looking down at the Nanny. It eyes the Cabal and then disappears.
Mori disenchants the magic symbol. The Cabal now knows a magic cult is in the city of Kyoto, but have no other information.

The Cabal offers to have Akio’s body properly cremated and returned to the Suzuki family. Some of them attend the small funeral but stay at a discrete distance. Tenzin dedicates part of his pay from Ms. Ogawa to the Burakumin.

Next: Mujina - Ch 3

(RC) Influx - Ch. 1

2005-11-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

Here is the first of the summaries for each Chapter of the campaign. I will try and post them weekly or at the very least at the end of each Chapter. Try and remember that this is not literature, these are indirect Summaries for each Chapter of the Ryujin Chronicles.

Summary: Kemosiri and Tenzin arrive in Kyoto and after meeting up with their new Cabal, must solve the mystery behind the death of an unknown mage. Their investigation leads them to an encounter with a Kyoto Consilium mage and the discovery of an ancient Japanese scroll.

Recap:

It is raining heavily when Kemosiri and Tenzin arrive at Kansai International Airport near Osaka, Japan. It is 9:00 p.m., local time. Kemosiri, who has just flown 18 hours from Heathrow, has two bottles of old Scotch as a gift for his new boss and Ms. Ogawa, their team leader. He hopes this would impress them. He has been reading the Lonely Planet guide to Kyoto and is beginning to learn the basics of Japanese.

Tenzin, on the other hand, has just arrived from Chengdu, China. He travelled from his native Tibet to Chengdu and picked up Gei Ho from a Bon Po Cabal in Chengdu. Gei Ho is a 12 year old street urchin who also happens to be a Sleepwalker. Gei Ho knows Mandarin Chinese as well as English and is supposed to act as translator for Tenzin.

Kemosiri sees Tenzin and Gei Ho holding up a sign saying “Akio Ogawa” on it. It is how Tenzin figured they would identify their ride. Kemosiri and Tenzin tentatively greet each other. Just then, a black limo pulls up to the door. Duncan, Ms. Ogawa’s chauffeur, greets them. He says they have a situation and he will take them there immediately.

Duncan drives the mages from Kansai airport, past Osaka and on to Kyoto – a mere 45 minute drive. Through the heavy rain, they could see Kyoto. Shrines and Shopping Malls, Temples and Apartments, all laid next to each other in a dull metal and tan patchwork tapestry roughly sewn together by a blind seamstress using patterns from ancient books and today’s magazines. Duncan, in an animated voice, explained what they saw through the rain swept windows.

They arrive at a “crime scene” in a Kyoto alleyway. Ms Ogawa has contacts in the Kyoto police, and they told her of a body in an alleyway covered with weird tattoos (Atlantean runes in the form of tattoos). The remaining characters (who have been in Kyoto for a week already) are already at the scene. They gather and begin to investigate. Kemosiri uses Grim Sight and Forensic Gaze to determine how the victim died. He determines that the victim was shot twice in the back and that he died at the scene. Kemosiri uses Speak with Dead to see if there are any ghosts in the area. He was hoping to find the ghost of the victim, but instead Kemosiri sees other apparitions (including a few school girls who have all committed suicide, and a Yakuza mobster who died violently).

Kemosiri finally finds a couple willing to speak with him about the events in the alley. They say the tattooed man was speaking with a “shadowy man” before he was shot. That is all they say. A matchbook found in the tattooed man’s pocket is from the “World Club”. The PC’s decide that this is their next target.

Upon arriving at the World Club, all the PC’s enter except Gei Ho. He stays outside and begins to do a “shell game” for interested patrons who have lined up, but not gotten in.

Meanwhile, the PC’s separate inside the Club. Tenzin begins to ogle two Japanese “waitresses” who sidle up to him and corner him in a booth. He has never met women such as these before and is genuinely curious. The others use their Mage Sight to investigate the bar. Mori Momento notices the large mirror at the back of the bar and detects enchantments. He tries to get their attention by throwing things at the mirror, but he eventually breaks the mirror. A bouncer comes for Mori and takes him upstairs where he meets Reitaro, a member of the Gyochisa Cabal and owner of World Club. He lets Mori know that he knows he is a Mage and that Ms. Ogawa hired him. Reitaro lets Mori know that they are not the first group Ogawa had hired. The former group she hired disappeared and months ago. Reitaro then asks why the group had not handed in their Letters of Introduction to the Consilium as is their custom, but Mori has no answer. Before Mori can ask any more questions, a Bouncer escorts him out.

The others try hard to find someone who might be magical. They wait around thinking that if the tattooed gentleman were here earlier in the evening, then his murderer might come back. They eventually find someone who uses magic but only manage to detect him as he is going out the door. A waitress says goodbye to him as he disappears down the street. They find out that the person is a Detective Ota of the Kyoto police and a regular at World Club.

Knowing now that they are not the first group Ms. Ogawa hired, the group tries to contact her. They only get her voicemail.

However, they do get a hold of Duncan. He cannot contact Ms. Ogawa for them, but Duncan tells the group that they might be able to get more information at another local watering hole, Tadg’s Irish Pub, a pub for ex-pats and (unknown to Duncan), Mages. The bar is owned by Nessa Flannery, an young Irish ex-pat and Sleepwalker who arrived in Japan several years ago. She came to teach English and the local Consilium pressed her into service because she was a Sleepwalker. Tired of serving their every whim, she quit (amicably) and opened up Tadg’s. A gargoyle with a Ban spell on it that wards scrying and weapons sits atop the bar and protects Nessa and her patrons.

The group picks up the trail of Detective Ota as he wanders toward a Shinto Shrine. An eerie nimbus surrounds Ota and everyone believes he might be a mage. Ota ignores the group as he wanders aimlessly up the path toward the shrine. Ota inadvertently activates a spell that summons a guardian spirit - a Baku. The Baku materializes and attacks Ota, knocking him unconscious. The group rush toward it.

As they rush toward it, the Baku disappears behind a large stone alter and begins using one of its powers. A Baku is a spirit of Nightmares. The Baku looks into each character’s mind and extracts their deepest nightmare. It then creates a hallucination of that nightmare. Each character experiences his worst fear. Kontonshin sees a Samurai on horseback attack her. Kemosiri sees a lovecraftian monster appear from behind the stone alter. Tenzin sees a demon from the deepest pits of Tibetan hell. Finally, Mori sees his own father armed with an axe.
Each character battles with his or her nightmare. Some characters, like Kemosiri, take lots of “damage” fighting their nightmares off (the damage is illusionary and disappears when the nightmare disappears). Mori destroys his nightmare and then proceeds to help Kemosiri with his. Kemosiri, now looking in Twilight for the spirit, spots a hidden scroll. Kemosiri reaches into Twilight and grabs the scroll. The Baku ambushes Kemosiri and they fight, but eventually the Baku is defeated and it dematerializes behind the Gauntlet.

Kemosiri takes the very delicate scroll and studies it. It is a very old scroll written in an ancient Japanese language that Kontonshin cannot interpret. Kemosiri vows to keep it and translate it as he believes it is of great importance. Detective Ota is still alive and the eerie nimbus that surrounded him earlier is no longer there. They hear a disembodied voice as the nimbus disappears that says “this is only the beginning…”

Next: Ubume - Ch 2

(RC) Ryujin Chronicles Prologue

2005-11-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

From the Diary of Nakamura
Date: Year of Showa 33

They are coming now, during the Hour of the Ox. They climb the hills of Chawan-zaka – past the ancient Kiyomizu-yaki stalls. They will be here very soon and I must make a record of these events.

How could the Goddess allow the Kansai Consilium to choose such drastic measures to ensure their own survival? Still, they will not listen to the counsel of an old monk who has yet to achieve mastery of any Arcana. They have made up their minds and nothing can staunch the flow of blood that is to come. I thought even Murasaki-sama, venerable Shogun of the Kodoshigisha, wisest of all cabal leaders, and Hierarch of the Consilium would see the truth and listen to me. It turns out he is the most foolish of all.

Since time immemorial it has been our duty to guard that which must be kept secret. That which is the repository of Truth about Japan and its history – the Shinwa Taizen. The knowledge contained within these scrolls would rock the foundations of our nation. Use of the knowledge could destroy that nation, if not the whole of civilization.

I hear the troops at the door, demanding to be let in. No doubt troops backed by guns, bayonets and perhaps even Rotes, wait outside these sacred walls which have stood for a thousand years under the watchful eye of the Brotherhood. They know not what they do.

Our Brotherhood would never have allowed this a hundred years ago. Fools who mock the True History would have been put to death for their insolence. It was the damnable Black Ships that forced open our borders and let in a flood of foreign ideas – ideas we tried hard to keep out by that our magic could no longer defend against – especially since the Black Ships came armed with magic of their own.

But we adapted as we always have. Some cabals tried to rebel. Saigo Takamori was the most prominent of the rebels, and he failed. I would have committed honourable seppuku for my Emperor had he not stayed my hand. Instead, we became part of the system and part of the problem. Like the rest of the nation, we rode the wave of Nationalism as we hoped to use our newfound technological marvels that the Westerners had given to us to achieve the Empire we so richly deserved.

It was in that arrogance that we failed. Failed to defend that which we swore to defend over a millennia ago. Failed to live up to our ages old ideals and embraced new ones in defiance.
I am hoping anyone reading my journals would be able to forgive our arrogance, but perhaps it will be too late by then.

I hear them coming down the hall. They are almost at the shoji. I can beg them not to take these scrolls and the other Imperial Regalia. I can warn them of the consequences of removing them, but I know they will not listen. They will simply push away the foolish old monk who has yet to achieve Mastery of any Arcana and take what they came to take. They will not listen and they will not believe that Kyoto has not and will not be destroyed by the enemy. There is too much arcane knowledge here to be preserved. But they believe in the inevitable.

And they are the men with the guns after all.

From the Diary of Nakamura
Addendum, Year of Showa 33

The caravan transporting the Shinwa Taisen was last seen journeying south near Hiroshima. Yesterday, on August 6th, the United States dropped the atomic bomb. No one has seen the caravan since.

Next: Influx - Ch 1

L5R Story Contest #8 (SC8)

2005-11-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

I have decided to participate in the 8th annual L5R Story Contest put on by Alberta's very own Togariso.

Fiction writing is one of the few ways I will allow myself to venture back into the land of Rokugan. If anyone out there wishes to join me in this little endeavour, feel free. The deadline for submissions is December 16th, 2005.

I might be calling on some of you for proofreading purposes. Be prepared. I will also be posting the story before I submit it to the contest.

(RC) Kansai Region Consilium Cabals

2005-11-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

Here, for your reference, is a basic list of Cabals that the PC's have run into over the course of the first few adventures. I will also be posting Summaries of those adventures in the near future.

Major Cabals

Hagakure Kyodai (Brotherhood of Hidden Leaves) - Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Silver Ladder and Adamantine Arrow. This is one of the ruling Cabals of Kyoto. They have an alliance with the Kokuryu-Kai. Together, they deposed the ruling Gyochisa in the year 2000.
Major Characters: The Shogun Yoritomo (M) - Hierarch of the Kansai Consilium, Ankokuji (M) - Deacon, Sa-an (F) (deceased), Spirit Master (unnamed M)
Sanctum: Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto

Kokuryo-kai (Society of the Black Dragon) - Based out of Osaka, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Silver Ladder. They have an alliance with the Hagakure Kyodai. Together, they deposed the ruling Gyochisa in the year 2000.
Major Characters: Ane-san (F) - Provost and Counsellor, Nakayama (M) - Sleepwalker Assistant to Ane-san
Sanctum: Top Floor of the Umeda Building, Osaka

Gyochisa (Society of Action) – Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Silver Ladder and Free Council. This Cabal is a younger, more brash Cabal. They believe in power and ruled the Kansai Consilium with an iron hand before they were taken down by an alliance between the Hagakure Kyodai and Kokuryo-kai. Reitaro, Raiden's young Adept, is the owner of the World Club in Kyoto, a progressive dance club. He was also defeated in a Duel Arcane by Kemosiri.
Major Characters: Raiden (M) - Counsellor, Reitaro (M) (deceased)
Sanctum: Penthouse Suite of the New Hankyu Kyoto Hotel

Kodoshigisha (Imperial Way) – Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Silver Ladder and Mysterium. The head of the Cabal was sick and could not make it to the last Consilium meeting. Daishi took his place.
Major Characters: Kwannon (M) - Counsellor, Daishi (M)

Kakumeiso (Society of the Cry of the Crane) Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Mysterium. Buddhist/Shinto group in Kyoto whose primary function is to keep the Spiritual side of things alive. Their leader has approached the Characters since most of them are Mysterium.
Major Characters: Jizo (M) - Counsellor

Kempei Tai - Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Guardian's of the Veil. Their leader, Tatsu, appears at Consilium meetings wearing the mask of an Oni. His face is known only to a few. No one knows how many Mages are members of this Cabal.
Major Characters: Tatsu (M?) - Sentinal, Kurotsuki (F)
Sanctum: unknown

The Consilium meets once a month at Kiyomizu-dera overlooking Kyoto. The Temple has Wards against scrying and Bans against weapons on its property. This is supposed to be the place where the Consilium can meet in peace.

Minor Cabals

Yamaguchi-gumi - Based out of Kobe, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Adamantine Arrow. The Mages are associated with the Yamaguchi-gumi family of Yakuza and direct competitors of the Kokuryo-kai. The cabal has little interest in Supernal Power, but IS interested in Temporal Power (Power in the Fallen World). As a Cabal, they are not taken seriously.
Major Characters: Taro (M)
Sanctum: Kobe City, Kansai Region

Bunny Warner Appreciation Society - A Free Council cabal made up of Otaku computer geeks. Their cabal name is from a famous anime character.
Major Characters: Larva (M), Inu Yasha (M), Shugo (M)
Sanctum: BW's Copy Centre - Osaka, Kansai Region

Unaligned Cabals

Myobu (Kitsune Legacy) - This is a Kitsune-based Legacy. The ancient progenitors of the Myobu were said to be Kitsune spirits. When Atlantis fell, the Myobu were seperated from the Fallen World. After many generations, the Myobu found a way to cross the Abyss. They joined with mages who specialized in Spirits (Thyrsus) and the resulting human/spirit hybrid became the Myobu - guardians of Japan against the ravages of the Shadow - most specifically against the Nogitsune - those Kitsune spirits who revel in Chaos and Destruction. Today, the Legacy is dying out. It's Attainments are taught from older Master to younger student in the guise of a Geisha Okiya.
Sanctum: Geisha Okiya in Pontocho Alley, Kyoto
Major Characters: Lady Kagawa (F), Ayame (F)

Burakumin (Society of the Unwanted) - Members of this loose, Kyoto-based Cabal are all Free Council Mages. They are the homeless and the displaced and they make their living in Kyoto by making their own luck. Itako, the Acanthus leader of the Cabal, lives in underground tunnels that were once used or would have been used by the Kyoto subway system. There are many others, sleepers and sleepwalkers alike, who barely eke out a living with the Itako and her Cabal. The Consilium is aware of the existance and location of this Cabal but do not openly acknowledge them.
Sanctum– Labyrinth below Karasuma-Oiki Subway Station, Kyoto
Major Characters: Itako (F) - blind prophetess, Baka (M) - idiot savant

Unfriendly Cabals

The Uchida Family - a family of Moros mages who manufacture soul jars in the form of twisted Ningyo (Japanese porcelain dolls). After an encounter with the PC Cabal, the family has moved underground. They have connections with Tamano no Mae (Nogitsune Spirit) and possibly have connections with the Consilium (who may be protecting them for unknown reasons)
Sanctum: unknown

The Shih (Banishers)
Sanctum: unknown

Unit 731 - Unit 731 is known historically as a government agency that conducted immoral human experimentation during the 1930's and 1940's. They are most famous for the incident known as "The Rape of Nanking" for which the Chinese have never forgiven them for and the Japanese government has never publically acknowledged. They were apparently disbanded after World War II.
Sanctum: unknown - although the Asylum located in the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine was once used by Unit 12 as a place for human experimentation.

Sayonara, L5R

2005-11-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it is over.

This past Saturday, I hosted my last Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) card tournament. It was a Release Tournament ushering in a new era in the L5R card game, the Lotus era. It is a new beginning for the game, and an ending for me as a player and tournament organizer. I gave away a lot of prizes – stuff that has been sitting in my basement for years, but anyone who continues to play the game would appreciate. I did not make any announcement of my retirement. I decided to leave with the quiet dignity befitting a samurai.

For those who know me, know that I have been playing the L5R collectible card game and role-playing game for the past 10 years. Ever since the first card graced my hands, I have been enamoured with this game. Why? It has everything you could want in a game based loosely on a fictional Japan/China (the mantra has always been “this is not Japan” - even though it certainly resembled it in a lot of ways). It has honourable Samurai, spell-casting Shugenja, scheming Courtiers, evil creatures from the Shadowlands, pseudo-Japanese culture and customs and hundreds of pages of stories about the characters inhabiting the world. With the card game, I have played and ran almost a hundred tournaments and met many good people from around the world. With the role-playing game, I have told stories of honour, glory and heroism. Hell, I even got to tell a love story.

So why am I leaving?

The short answer is because of recent life events now I am now dedicating my time elsewhere. The long answer is much more complicated.

Cost is a huge factor. Role playing games allow you to spend a lot of money up front to have a lot of (less expensive) fun later. Collectible card games, however, drain you of money constantly if you want to remain competitive. However, if money were the only cost, I would not be leaving the game. To remain competitive, you also have to undergo the card game equivalent of the twelve labours of Hercules. You have to give up free time going to movies and visiting family and friends to spend time designing decks and playing cards with others similarly affected by the card gaming bug. You have to dedicate a permanent space in your home to accommodate the growing inventory of cards in both boxes and binders - cards that eventually seep into every pore of your once pristine household. Finally, you have to spend a lot of vacation time travelling elsewhere to get to major tournaments so you can meet other players who have similarly delivered their first born to be sacrificed on the alter of L5R. These are costs I am no longer willing to pay.

But most importantly, I have lost interest. The game itself is still okay. It is much more complex and challenging than the first edition ever was. The deck type I play is finally getting the support it deserved. But I am no longer enthusiastically chasing down the cards I need to make my favourite decks. I have not organized my cards like a latter-day Scrooge hunched over his wads of cash. I have not religiously perused the web for more strategies, card combos and suggestions for a long time. I have not recently engaged in a conversation with anyone concerning card game minutiae. My heart is no longer in it.

And, it is just as well. The company making the game, Alderac Entertainment, is having financial difficulties. Most of the gaming world is having difficulties right now, but these difficulties have hit Alderac especially hard. There is doubt of the financial viability of the game and if it may not be around in a couple of years. That is too bad. L5R’s Samurai certainly out duel Magic’s spell casters on the field of battle any day.

Will I revisit the world of L5R? Certainly. The role-playing game is still around and sits proudly on the top shelf in my library. The new edition of the role-playing game is the best one yet published and despite Alderac’s financial problems, there are plans for at least one more role-playing supplement. The role-playing game shall be the vehicle I will use to revisit the world of L5R. It will be as refreshing as a dip in the onsen.

Thanks to Alderac Entertainment for giving me 10 years of honourable katana wielding fun. Thanks also to those who have made this experience so much fun. I bow low to you all, take my katana by the hilt and walk slowly into the sunset. Sayonara.

(RC) Prominant NPC's

2005-11-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

Akio Ogawa: Female Japanese Sleepwalker - the Sleeper face of the “Paranormal Investigations” front of the cabal. Smokes RIN cigarettes. She is frequently agitated. She has blue eyes because of her Ainu background. She wears brown contact lenses to disguise this fact.

Duncan: Akio Ogawa’s chauffeur, bodyguard and general assistant. He is a Sleeper. He is a large, bald, black man from Louisiana who originally joined the US Marines to see the world. He quit after the first Gulf War and became a Security Consultant. He loves Japanese baseball. He has learned his great cooking skills from his grandfather who lives in New Or'lans. He has been frequently called upon to provide certain "services" for the Cabal. How and what he does, no one has asked. His feelings for Akio Ogawa are not entirely known, but he feels a great deal of loyalty to her.

Hachiko (Hanako Suzuki) - Mage - Mastigos/Free Council: A young girl with pink and blonde highlights in her hair who Awakened recently. The Cabal has made it a point to look out for her. She is currently with the only Free Council Cabal in the Kansai Consilium (The Bunny Warner Appreciation Society) learning the basics of being a Mastigos Mage.

Detective Imada: He is a Police Detective. He looks like a Japanese version of Columbo. He is Akio Ogawa’s contact in the Kyoto Police Department. He has assisted or asked for assistance several times in the past few months.

Nessa Flannery: Sleepwalker Bartender. Formerly a servant in the Kansai Consilium, Nessa is the owner/operator of Tadg’s Irish Pub. The pub caters to English and American ex-Pats and to Mages (and sometimes other supernaturals). Violence in her bar is banned.

(RC) Player Characters

2005-11-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

The following are the Player Characters who have joined the Ryujin Chronicles (for Mage: the Awakening):

Kemosiri - Path: Moros, Order: Mysterium - American Archeologist who awakened while on an archeological dig in Egypt. Enjoys the writings of HP Lovecraft;

Kontonshin - Path: Acanthus, Order: Adamantine Arrow - Canadian Wannabe Samurai who loves all things Japanese, she awakened in Calgary on what appeared to be a 16th Century Japanese Battlefield;

Memento Mori - Path: Obrimos, Order: Mysterium - originally a stage magician from the United States, he became a famous Debunker of all things Supernatural before Awakening. He specializes in Prime magic;

Tenzin She-rap Cho-kyi (true name) - Path: Thyrsus, Order: Mysterium, Legacy: Bon Po - a Tibetan sorceror who awakened and immediately joined a Legacy based on Ancient Tibetan Sorcery. He speaks no English or Japanese and requires the help of his young Retainer Gei Ho to translate. He is in Japan at the request of his Master.

(RC) Inspirations

2005-11-03T10:47:00.001-07:00

The Ryujin Chronicles are inspired by my interest in the culture and history of Japan. As such, the mythology, history and culture of Japan will all play key roles in the campaign. In fact, the primary metaplot will heavily utilize this history and culture and some sessions may involve Players playing GM created historical characters in various eras of Japanese history. Along with the typical antagonists associated with Mage, expect to see spirits, ghosts and even some mythical Japanese creatures during the campaign. Please note: the campaign will also tie in with the Atlantis-centric mythology created by Mage: the Awakening. Mood-wise, the campaign is inspired by the new wave of Japanese horror novels and movies (ie. Ringu, Ju On, Dark Water, etc). The atmosphere created in them captures the flavour I am going for. I am not using the typical anime or manga sources as inspiration either (although some do capture the atmosphere I am looking for).

Ryujin Chronicles (RC) Overview

2005-11-03T10:44:00.001-07:00

This is the basic plot line for the Player Characters for my current Mage: the Awakening campaign. Most of the relevant details have been omitted so as not to give away everything:

A “Mysterious Benefactor” hires the Player Characters (all foreigners) for a “job” in Kyoto, Japan. This benefactor has a Sleepwalker contact named Akio Ogawa whom he/she uses as a go-between. This cabal is disguised as a “Paranormal Phenomena Investigation Team”. Akio Ogawa will give them assignments from their Benefactor but also the police. As Players become acquainted with Kyoto and get caught up in complex Consilium politics, they will slowly unravel a mystery that has haunted Japan for almost 2000 years which may even lead to the discovery of the actual location of Atlantis.

Here are the links you will need to follow this blog and its very long story:

Inspirations
Chronicle PC's
Prominent NPC's
Kansai Consilium

For those who wish to skip ahead, here are two useful blog posts:

The Mysteries
The Shinwa Taizen

The Story Starts here. Just follow the links:

Prologue

Welcome, Irrashaimasu!

2005-11-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first post for the Asian Echo Blog. This Blog is dedicated to (believe it or not) Asian RPG gaming. I have been gaming since 1978 and because I am Asian Canadian, began to specialize in gaming with an Asian flare.

I began (like most gamers) with D&D. I began my journey through Asia with Oriental Adventures and branched out from there. I have tried Bushido, Land of the Rising Sun and GURPS Japan and China. More recently, I have playtested Feng Shui and ran Legend of the Five Rings. I also ran Kindred of the East (for Vampire: the Masquerade) and Asian versions of Mage (including using Dragons of the East). I also own Jadeclaw, HKAT, and Wushu. I just recently purchased Weapons of the Gods.

Currently, I am running a Mage: the Awakening campaign set in Kyoto, Japan. Most of this Blog will be dedicated to that campaign entitled Ryujin Chronicles. But every now and then, I will post news, rules and other such thoughts that pop into my head concerning what it is like to be an Asian Canadian living between worlds. I might even throw out my thoughts on some movies, books and other media. Enjoy!