Arc 2, Session 11, L5R

October 12, 1118, Continued

The trio of samurai checked around the inn, finding Takeshi still in the stable. Wherever Megumi had gone, she had done so on foot. From what little she had shared the day prior, it was a safe guess that she would have, at the least, paid a momentary stop at the Mori Springs. So, they set forth on that path once more.

To little surprise, Megumi was found sitting atop one of the rocks near the pool. Her still-drying hair showed that she had spent some time soaking- perhaps it had helped with what must have been a terrible hangover. Teruo, seeming a bit on edge, moved to do some cleaning in back of the shrine.

While Yudai spoke with Megumi, Kiyuki took the opportunity to entreat the earth kami of the springs. They, too, showed no evidence of having been used in any sorcerous capacity. The spirits enjoyed Kiyuki’s offering so much that they gave her a few tips on how to avoid getting lost in the forest. They also warned her of something quite odd: the fire kami of the springs was missing.

By the time both Kiyuki’s blood & Yudai’s temper had cooled, the group reconvened to discuss their new findings. Megumi shared that she had indeed met with Matsu Kaii earlier in the morning. Though reticent on some details, she recalled seeing him in the midst of a healing ritual being performed by Teruo.

Kaii had been cake- no, buried- in mud on the shore, only his nostrils uncovered. When he was freed from his earthen confines, his health seemed significantly improved. Unfortunately, this proved a short remedy, as the healing ritual had been…postponed. A short while later, a young woman came up the path from Twin Blessings Village.

She was flanked by two bushi, a man & a woman. Both wore large hats that hid their faces from view. The woman immediately questioned Kaii about his health. After being told what happened, she moved away to speak with Teruo. A touch jealous, Megumi had inquired about Kaii’s “friends”. He recounted how he had received an invitation from the governor & lord of Twin Blessings Village, Reju no Otomo Nishi. It seemed that many samurai had been contacted thus: all of them known to have long-standing injuries or illnesses.

Nishi wished for the springs newfound healing properties to be recognized by the Imperial Court. They could then become a blessed tourist location, increasing local trade. Testimony from a notable samurai who had been through such healing would lend great credulity to their claims in the capital. The Lion was fatigued from the aborted ritual. Teruo & the Otomo woman came over to check on Kaii again.

When he asked them when he could attempt the ritual again, the monk seemed to become a bit nervous. Apparently, it would take some time to re-sanctify the springs for another attempt. A day or two, at the most. Finally, the woman recognized Megumi’s presence for the first time.

She introduced herself as Reju no Otomo Ran. A tax collector from Twin Blessings Village, she also performed odd jobs for the governor. She begged pardon for her rudeness: she had been so worried about Kaii that she had been single-minded. When Kaii could manage to walk, she & the bushi bid Megumi goodbye as they began the trek back home.

All four of the samurai agreed that something strange was clearly going on involving Mori Springs. They had already heard a little about Twin Blessings Village & Nestled Village having a light rivalry, but the current circumstances seemed beyond that. Our heroes moved a bit away from the pool to plan.

Eventually, they decided to explore the forest more during the day. Closer to nightfall, they would set up camp a short ways from the spring. Using the dark of night, they planned to keep watch on the area. Goals set, they began their sojourn through the maple woods. More wolves crossed their path, yet another oddity they had no understanding of. Not too fat from the spring, all of them began to sweat.

The ambient temperature seemed to have risen substantially. As the rest of the group looked around in confusion, Kiyuki quietly pointed to a small clearing ahead. Circling slowly within it, almost pacing, was a great ball of flame. All samurai have heard tell of the kami taking physical forms, but it was still surprising to witness. Even someone with no sensitivity for the supernatural would be able to tell that the spirit seemed furious for some reason.

Not wishing to draw its ire, the group moved on in silence. Noon saw them coming across the Wasp bounty hunter. They exchanged polite greetings, but little else was said before she continued her hunt for the bandits. Another encounter with wolves saw one of Kiyuki’s sleeves shredded & matted with blood.

Seeming bothered by this, she decided to return to town for rest before the group’s nighttime plan. Before she left, the group decided on a spot to meet up at later.

Upon nearing the true depths of the forest, a cheerful voice called out a greeting. Yudai managed to suppress a groan as they spotted Kuro-Hane nestled within the crook of a tree. Megumi & Hayata spoke with the strange man, who hinted that he had knowledge they could make use of. Yudai decided the best use of his time would be to scout a bit ahead.

Hayata recalled tales of wiseman who had vices; perhaps a gift of coin could get the man to speak plainly? This did the trick fairly well. Kuro-Hane seemed entranced by the koku, studying it intensely for a moment. He offered to answer a few questions in return.

From him, they were able to learn that “something” had taken up residence within Mori Springs. Whatever the creature was, it had driven off the fire kami, who was offended at its presence. When asked about the illness afflicting Nestled Village, he expressed surprise that the group didn’t know the source already: the stink of it was already upon them, he claimed.

To Megumi’s confusion, Hayata pivoted in his interrogation. He zeroed in on any other travelers that Kuro-Hane may have seen recently. The man held out his open hand, into which Hayata plunked a bu with a sigh. Despite its lesser value, Kuro-Hane seemed equally enamored by it as he had been with the koku. Curious.

Regardless, he asked the Tortoise for more details. Who did he wish to find? Kuro-Hane had seen many samurai passing through of late, after all. Major Clans, Minor Clans, Ronin…Hayata clarified some, asking if there had been any short samurai lately.

“Were you looking for your short friend with the mask? Or the short one with the glasses?”, the man replied with a grin. The mention of the glasses perked Hayata’s ears right up, noticeably so. He further asked where he might find the samurai wearing glasses, & was instructed to continue following Yudai’s current trajectory.

A bit miffed, the Tortoise left the tree, Megumi trailing in his wake. As the three samurai walked, Hayata did not share any explanation for his questioning. The matter was quickly forgotten as they became aware that someone was following them at a distance. Whoever it was, they could be heard stepping on branches & mumbling under their breath.

Megumi drew her bow, demanding their follower show themselves. They could all hear the quiet gasp of surprise coming from behind a nearby tree. As Megumi continued to verbally coax out their stalker, Yudai quietly approached the tree himself. A few moments later, a short samurai wearing glasses stood & nearly bumped straight into him.

She got over her shock quite quickly, & introduced herself as Kasuga Royuki. A Tortoise samurai, seemingly lost in the woods. She had followed the group to find the way out. When asked why she hadn’t approached them, she explained that she hadn’t known if they were to be trusted. In the process of doing so, both she & Yudai managed to insult each other quite gravely: slights not to be forgotten.

It was about this time that she got a good look at Hayata’s face. Her face furrowed in confusion as she cut out mid-sentence. She asked what Hayata was doing here in a familiar tone, prompting raised eyebrows from the other samurai. Clearly using veiled speech, their friend simply asked if Royuki was perhaps “a bit overdue”.

The woman became flustered & annoyed in equal measure. After some back & forth, she insisted she needed to speak to Hayata privately. With his reassurance, Megumi & Yudai moved a short bit away. When the Tortoises returned, Royuki began to do her best to dance around why she was here, & why she had been following the group. This made it all the more hysterical to see how mortified she was when Hayata cut her off to explain it in plain speech.

The Tortoise clan had a special duty, one known only to a select few. You see, sometimes the Emperor entertains certain…special guests. Guests who have travelled a long way, & from parts unknown. Royuki, who often worked as a ”face” for her clan, had been guiding some of these visitors on a brief exploration of what Rokugan had to offer. Their last planned stop was a visit to the Mori Springs.

Unfortunately, 2 of her 6 guests disappeared shortly after arriving to the forest. Her other charges were irate, refusing to leave until the missing were found. Neither Yudai or Megumi were enthused to hear that gaijin were being trusted to visit the Emerald Empire, but Royuki recovered enough to impress upon them that these people were under the Emperor’s protection.

She explained that she & the group had gotten lost while searching for their companions, ending up in the woods well past dark. Alone, scared, & hearing the wolves around them, it was a relief to run into a friendly face in the form of Kuro-Hane. For reasons unknown, the man had taken pity on the group. He led them to a small tree hollow where they could rest safely at night.

Though Royuki had not seen him since, Kuro-Hane had left gifts of food every so often. With the party’s arrival, she now hoped to get help looking for her quarry. If nothing else, maybe they could help convince her guests to move out of the forest to a safer clime. Out of respect for Hayata, the bushi agreed to lend some small assistance.

The Tortoises agreed to meet up in Nestled Village the next day at noon. Royuki left to attempt to corral her group, as our heroes moved on. They found a spot not too far from Mori Springs in which to stake out. Knowing they would be up late, they went to sleep while the sun was overhead to prepare.

Lord Onnotangu was well into his nighttime procession when they woke. Kiyuki managed to safely make her way to their meeting point, her sleeve mended by hand. Before the samurai could make their way to the springs, she handed Yudai something with a grave expression.

She had found a note, sticking out from beneath the door to Yudai’s room at the inn. A child’s scrawl was upon it, & the paper was speckled with obvious spotting from tears. “Big brother, the monster has taken my momma. I don’t know what to do.” Though this was both distressing & disturbing, the matter at hand took precedence.

As stealthily as possible, they approached the outskirts of the pool’s clearing. Nothing of consequence happened for a few hours- but as midnight drew near, a candle was lit in the shrine’s window. Teruo shuffled out carrying a small lantern. He made his way to the Eastern side of the pool to wait.

A few tense minutes later, & another small light could be seen approaching through the woods. Two bushi exited the underbrush, carrying a human-sized sack between them. Megumi recognized these as the pair who had flanked Reju no Otomo Ran. When they tipped their hats back, our heroes realized these were the ronin the Wasp had been searching for.

The three spoke in hushed tones as they dragged the sack to the water’s edge. Hoping to get a better vantage point, Kiyuki snuck forward towards the shrine. The other three instead circled to the East to cut off a retreat if needed.

The three spoke in hushed tones as they dragged the sack to the water’s edge. Hoping to get a better vantage point, Kiyuki snuck forward towards the shrine. The other three instead circled to the East to cut off a retreat if needed. Teruo moved right to the edge of the water.

In a deep, lilting voice, he began to chant in an unknown language. Even Hayata & Megumi, whose clans deal closely with people of many tongues, had never heard its like before.

Bubbles began to roil atop the springs as the chanting continued at an even pace. Two hairy nostrils breached the surface, sniffing the air aggressively. The ronin threw the sack into the reeds bordering the water, as they & Teruo took several steps back. A strange beast coiled up from the roiling pool.

Its form appeared most similar to an otter, but...no otters in Rokugan had ever appeared this size before, nor in so twisted a form. Small antlers adorned its head, & scales lined its spine. The creature's tail was almost as long as the rest of its body, giving it a serpentine quality. Its fur was primarily brown, with a cross of white across its back. Near every inch of it seemed to be dripping with slick mud.

"Kunshu-uso..." Teruo managed to squeak out. Trembling, he motioned to the sack. The monster let out a rattling, phlegmy roar as it approached what was clearly a sacrificial offering. Yudai quickly told his comrades to be ready.

The scene burst into chaos as several things happened at once. Yudai charged forth, flinging the sack to Megumi behind him. Hayata drew his bow as the Unicorn hid the bound figure in the bushes. The ronin each drew their blades, though Taehimi fled to the North side of the clearing with the monk; Kuzan turned to strike at Yudai.

And then?

Seemingly from nowhere, the earth began to tremble. A towering wall of soil rose like a tower to the heavens, cleaving the battlefield in two. Teruo & Taehimi were now separated from the rest of the combatants.

Taehimi began to run around the wall to come to Kuzan's aid, taking an arrow from Hayata in the process. Megumi let arrows fly at the Kunshu-uso as Yudai shifted to put Kuzan between him & the beast. Once the ronin had been dealt with, the two bushi joined forces to drive the creature back into the waters.

After his lucky shot, Hayata had but a moment before Taehimi was upon him with her blades. The Tortoise did his best to mount a defense, but was quickly becoming overwhelmed. From behind the shrine, Kiyuki crept towards Teruo in silence. The knife in her hand soon kissed his quivering neck; threatening him with death, the Scorpion began to lead him back to the shrine.

Whatever this otter was, it was not used to resistance from armed enemies. Yudai managed to wail on its snout & legs, while Megumi lodged an arrow fully into its thick neck. It hunkered down low above the surface of the pool- a pool far too shallow for such a beast to have been dwelling in- before diving back into the springs.

Yudai moved to ensure their foe was truly gone. Hayata called for aid: Megumi rushed to his side. Outnumbered, Taehimi made to flee, but did not make it far before being brought down & disarmed. Kuzan was similarly disarmed as the water slowly stilled.

Hayata cut open the sack, revealing Narumi, Seiki's mother. A quick examination found that she was sorely beaten, but breathing. Sleep made her wounded features appear peaceful, a small mercy.

Marching the two ronin at blade-point, the group also wound around to the shrine. Inside, they found Kiyuki had already begun to interrogate Teruo. After conferring briefly, it was decided to tie the two ronin up outside. Then our heroes could question each of the three in turn.

Teruo had much of interest to share regarding what had just transpired. In his words, he had been hired by Ran to run the springs. She & the governor wished to draw in increased levels of tourists with the allure of the springs healing powers. Healing powers that were strange & new... There was a third party involved here- though Teruo had not met them himself. This entity provided Ran with both the beast & the means of summoning it.

Fur from the otter had strange protective properties, & the mud of the pool became imbued with healing powers due to its presence. When they had decided they had learned all that he could offer, Teruo was swapped for Kuzan. Unfortunately, his disdain for lorded samurai allowed only invectives to flow from his lips. He was very quickly replaced with Taehimi, who proved much more amenable to discussion.

Resigned to her impending fate, the ronin held nothing back. She & Kuzan had both been hired by Ran some time ago. A Tortoise samurai stopped by Twin Blessings Village with some odd company, company of interest to Ran's co-conspirator. And so, they kept watch.

The night two of the veiled visitors snuck off to the spring, the ronin swept down upon them in a flash. Ran led the ronin & their kidnapped foreigners to meet with the strange third party. Whoever they were, there was a palpable air of menace around them. Of average height, the figure was completely shrouded within a robe decorated with stars. Their face was hidden behind a mask of porcelain white.

Taehimi could not explain what dark forces the stranger employed, but they used the gaijin as sacrifices in some form of spell. This magic is what invoked the Kunshu-uso to take up residence in Mori Springs. Our heroes pressed further upon this point for any more identifying information.

A clouded look filled Taehimi's eyes as she attempted to recollect more- almost as if something had been done to hinder her powers of recall. Her entire body began to shudder & twitch. Blood trickled down from her nostrils as she desperately looked to each of her captors.

With barely time for even another word, she convulsed violently, fading into the afterlife. From her position near the door to the shrine, Megumi could see the same happening to Kuzan. Teruo was unaffected.

The sight of such a terrible death momentarily shook the samurai. All of them had been able to feel a strange...pressure within the shrine as the ronin were dying. Kiyuki could tell that, whatever the force was, it had no connection to the kami. Any kami. With her skills still secret, she kept her mouth shut on the subject.

 

October 13th, 1118

Yudai took up Narumi's sleeping form & began the trek back to the village. Megumi, fearing for Kaii, instead moved towards Twin Blessings Village. After some more short questions, Megumi & Hayata led Teruo back to Nestled Village.

Seiki could be seen sleeping next to her father's bed back in her hut. As quietly as possible, Yudai made his way within. He laid Narumi down on a tatami mat before leaving. Standing outside the window, he could faintly hear as Seiki woke. In surprise & joy she cried her mother's name. Narumi woke, & the family tearfully reunited.

Eyes closed, Yudai did his best to quell the beating this caused in his chest. The Scorpion & Tortoise took shifts watching Teruo in one of their rooms at the Nestled Inn. Megumi managed to reach Twin Blessings Village as the moon was beginning its descent. Her inquiries at the inns confirmed her fear: Kaii must be staying as a guest at the Otomo castle nearby.

It was not a difficult hike to reach Closed Shell Castle. Two guards stood at the sole entrance to the keep, armed & alert. Though Megumi attempted to sway them, she was refused entry until she could be confirmed as an expected guest in the morning. Begrudgingly, she sat nearby to wait for dawn.

Though he had managed to calm the storm within him, Yudai was still strangely...haunted in some manner the others did not yet understand. The days of poor sleep, the recent fighting, the stress of the summons to the capital: it all combined to wear him down. Barely conscious, he stumbled a short way into Koden Mori & laid down with his back to a tree.

Lady Amaterasu brought with her three meetings for our heroes. When the guards swapped shifts, they let Megumi know that she was not an expected guest. They were, however, able to let Kaii know she was here to speak with him. The look on his face was difficult to parse, a confused mix of emotions at seeing Megumi. After walking a bit away from the entrance to the castle, she relayed to the Lion everything that our heroes had learned thus far.

As expected, he took the news of human sacrifice for his own potential healing poorly. Though she tried to convince him otherwise, Kaii insisted on staying close to Ran, the better to learn of a way to bring the conspiracy down. The two parted, & Megumi started the walk back to Nestled Village. By the time she had arrived, Kiyuki, Hayata, & Teruo had already been met by Royuki & her guests in the town courtyard.

Knowing that the contents of their discussion would cross several lines, the group moved to a small copse a mile up the road from the village. Hayata instructed Teruo to explain everything that he knew, while Royuki translated for the gaijin. They were immediately irate upon hearing that their associates had been killed, demanding retribution.

Before Royuki had even finished translating their reaction, Hayata understood what they wanted: one quick slice of his blade saw the monk's shocked face fall to the ground. Strangely, Royuki seemed upset at this. In her flustered state, she loudly asked Hayata if the monk could have been connected to the Tortoise's "other problem".

Two the two had a short talk which saw her fraught, but calmed. She practically spit a thanks at her clan-mate. With bows to the samurai, her troupe began the trek back to Slow Tide Harbor.

The trio took care to burn Teruo's corpse, as was custom. It was well past noon when they returned to Nestled Village, which is when they realized they had no idea where Yudai was.

In the woods, the Crab slowly came to as the sun blazed overhead. Even with the long sleep, the exhaustion still lingered. Perhaps this is why he couldn't find the will to leave when he saw Kuro-Hane sitting in the tree across from him. The man's demeanor was a bit more...lucid than it had been in their previous meetings. Still, he could not help but levy his wisdom in the form of riddles.

Through their conversation, Yudai was able to learn the source of Nestled Village's fever. The fire kami of the springs, made homeless, wandered the forest in a rage during the day. But at night, it sought the home most similar to its own: the well in Nestled Village.

Drinking the water had been causing an elemental imbalance in the inhabitants over time, the fire within them growing too powerful. The wiseman confirmed that the spirit likely could not be moved until the beast in the springs was driven off.

Yudai asked if drinking "non-contaminated" water would help the villagers recover, which Kuro-Hane believed would work. With his shakujo jingling, the man leapt to the ground. He let Yudai know that he had kept the sleeping samurai safe from wolves in the night; a pile of nearby wolf corpses lay nearby, & their blood was still slick on his jian. Wishing the bushi luck, Kuro-Hane left.

If fresh water would help heal the villagers, & keep our heroes from catching the fever themselves, Yudai reasoned that he needed to acquire some. He spent most of the day in silence as he marched towards Twin Blessings Village.

Buying a few empty barrels & a cart proved to be no trouble. He filled the vessels with waters from the river encircling the village, loading them into the cart. Rather than rent a pony, the Crab took hold of the cart himself. It would be a slow walk back to Nestled Village...but if this worked, it would be worth the strain.