Arc 2, Session 13, L5R

October 15th, 1118

Dawn broke slowly over Twin Blessings Village. Kiyuki & Hayata awoke to the pleasant bustle of the townsfolk beginning the day’s work. They spent some time enjoying a slow start themselves: eating & perusing the small shops abound.

Hayata spent a few Bu on various souvenirs in the village’s name. Following the suggestion of the note Kiyuki had found beneath her door, the pair made their way to the familiar teahouse at noon. Kiriko sat alone at the back table, as if she had not moved since the day prior. Idle pleasantries were exchanged along with the tea & fruit.

The older woman hinted that she had more to say in private. When it came time to leave- alas! She had forgotten her coin purse. Ever-generous Hayata gladly paid their bill as Kiriko suggested a short walk towards the local falls.

Upon reaching the spot, they could see a small group of young boys playing at the edge of the pool. Satisfied that the sounds of both water & laughter would suitably obscure her words, Kiriko began to speak.

It seemed that Otomo Ran had attended to two things of interest the previous evening. Though postings would likely not be on display for a few hours, she was seeking applicants to aid in the spiritual care of Mori Springs. The previous caretaker must have moved onto greener pastures, & word was that a replacement would be paid handsomely. Interesting, surely, but of unclear use at the moment.

The second piece of information provoked a much stronger reaction: just this morning, Otomo Ran had dispatched a messenger towards Otosan Uchi. Specifically, the office of the Emerald Magistrates…with a writ for a bounty to be assigned.

Four samurai were wanted for the recent murder of one of her subordinates. Kiriko was unsure what-all the writ entailed as far as descriptions went, nor did she know if Otomo Ran had realized who her recent callers were. She was certain that the amount offered was considerate. Perhaps more importantly, she was also able to confirm that the messenger was a runner, not a rider.

Having shared all that she could for the moment, the woman thanked the pair for a lovely afternoon before taking her leave. Hayata & Kiyuki lingered by the waterfall for a moment to discuss these revelations. Realizing they were talking in circles, the duo agreed that getting the rest of their allies up to speed was the most prudent first step. They gathered their belongings from the inn, & began the walk back towards Nestled Village.

On the other side of the forest, the other three samurai finished a meager breakfast at the Nestled Inn. Narumi’s efforts had made Dajan’s cooking more palatable, at least. After a brief discussion on how to proceed, the trio also agreed that re-forming their group was a good play. Yudai gave cryptic instructions to what few townsfolk remained, warning them away from the forest.

With that, they set out towards Twin Blessings Village. Whether it was by the hands of luck, fate, or some strange third option, the groups came upon each other just near the bubbling pool. Each shared what they had learned as the re-formed group ambled back to Nestled Village.

Returning to the inn, the party found Dajan had already begun to barricade the doors & windows. He quickly let them inside once they announced themselves. While the samurai discussed in hushed tones, a dry coughing could suddenly be heard upstairs. Knowing the identity of the sole other occupant, all of them dashed to Otomo Kuni’s room.

Sure enough, the record-keeper was sitting up in her bed. Though her skin was wan & her voice was weak, she began to inquire what had happened to her. Seeing how weak she was, they only gave her a cursory summary. At insistence that she rest to gather strength, she eased herself back down- only to let out a slight wince of pain.

Reaching behind her, she rummaged in the bedsheets. She slowly withdrew her hand from beneath her pillow. Clutched in her trembling grip was a small doll, made of human hair & ribbon. Even for those unattuned to such things, there was a palpable feeling of unease upon viewing the fetish.

The very room itself seemed to hold breath for a moment. When the party advised that they did not know the origin or purpose of the doll, Otomo Kuni gently tossed it to the bottom of her bed. They quickly gathered a small container to keep it in to avoid touching it further. Leaving the record-keeper to recover, the rattled party made their way outside of the inn.

Even the Sun’s light felt pale on the samurai’s faces. Taking a few hours to search revealed dolls hidden in nearly every bed in town. All of them seemed spent in some way, their dark purpose having been wrought. The only other “live” one was found in the bed of the village chief. Thankfully, moving her to the inn & giving her the clean water seemed to have spared her the same fate as most of the villagers.

 Though none of our heroes were familiar with the nuances of blood magic, it was easy to piece the puzzle together: each villager that died in the embrace of these foul charms had risen again as a zombie. With two of the “active” dolls, the group decided that Kiyuki would look after one, while Yudai would carry the other.

The group next paid another visit to Otomo Kuni. Seeing that she was in a slightly better state than before, Hayata explained that they had been tasked by Otomo Sorai to ensure she read a missive from him. Unattached to these events, the Wasp decided to investigate the other rooms that had been occupied recently.

The contents of the sealed letter clearly shocked her- but didn’t seem to cause her any distress. Though it was beyond their station to do so, the courtiers gently asked after the letter’s contents. With a somewhat dazed smile, Otomo Kuni let the group know that she would appear to be their new employer.

Leaving the politically-minded samurai to gather further information, Megumi & Yudai sought out Shiko. She had thoroughly searched the other rooms. Despite their recent run-in with her, the Moth’s room appeared to have been empty for a few days. Dajan was able to confirm that she had checked out the morning after our heroes had arrived.

What was more concerning was what Shiko had found in the room of Mariko, the peasant healer: though the room had been emptied recently- and in a hurry- one thing had been overlooked. Beneath a dresser, she had found a small spool of ribbon. The color & texture was an identical match for the ribbon used in the strange dolls.

Shiko went downstairs, leaving the Crab & Unicorn to catch their allies up to speed. The conversation she’d been having with the Scorpion & Tortoise didn’t glean too much new information. Otomo Kuni was still reeling from the news herself.

In her duties as a record-keeper in the Imperial City, she saw papers of all sorts from across the country. Reading between the lines, she had noticed some oddities here & there. A handful of small, seemingly unconnected events that dotted the map sporadically.

Her research had led her to believe that something larger was going on, so she dutifully prepared a report for her superiors. It was…politely ignored. Yet now, Otomo Sorai had somehow arranged for her to head a new office in the employ of the Emerald Throne! As to why, who could say.

When it was clear the woman was running out of steam, the party took their leave. On the ground floor of the inn, they found the Wasp explaining virtually everything about the dark threats in the forest to the remaining townsfolk. She convinced Dajan to begin gathering whatever weapons he could in defense of the inn.

Unenthused, the samurai gathered the Wasp before setting out for the springs. Different plans were suggested & discussed as to how to proceed. Much to her ire, most of these involved Shiko lying her way to a meeting with Otomo Ran, pretending to be applying as a monk. As she & Yudai had never met the tax collector, they stood the best chance of entering her good graces.

The Wasp argued bitterly against any such tactic for some time. In the end, she struck out alone towards Closed Shell Castle, leaving the others to “clear” the area surrounding the springs. When she reached Twin Blessings Village, Shiko discarded the monk’s robe Hayata had given her as a disguise. Yes, some deception would need to be used here, but her honor could only stand so much.

When she explained her role as a bounty hunter to the castle guards, she was quickly admitted entrance to meet with Otomo Ran. Unlike what had been described by the others, the Wasp was not led to any lavish receiving rooms- instead, she was taken downstairs to a soundproofed cellar.

Otomo Ran’s smile did little to hide her nervous excitement as she greeted the samurai. She had only sent a runner out to place a bounty this morning; who could’ve expected such a quick response! The Wasp clarified that she had not heard of this specific bounty yet, & asked for more details. Her host described a group of four “dastardly samurai” who had recently murdered a monk in her employ.

Choosing her words with care, Shiko recalled coming across just such a group in the forest. Why, she had even overheard them discussing some ritual they would aim to perform tonight at Mori Springs. Something about summoning some devil or another…

It didn’t take much for the tax collector to take the bait. Otomo Ran asked if the Wasp thought she would be capable of taking on these samurai- or at least capturing one or two of them for interrogation. If so, she would send a dispatch to cancel her runner to the Imperial City, & award the bounty straight to Shiko. It would allow Otomo Ran to skip all the tedious red tape & get the matter resolved quickly, so she was willing to pay quite well.

After letting the negotiation continue a bit more, Shiko agreed to bring the samurai in for Otomo Ran. She left with a heavy coin-purse, & the certainty that her host would make moves to accost the group “performing strange rites at the hot springs”.

Once they had all reconvened, the Wasp explained what had transpired. If she guessed correctly, Otomo Ran would likely send out a large troop of the guards to capture the party. What luck then, that the samurai would instead be sneaking into the unprotected castle.

The five worked together to create a false campsite around the springs. From there, they created a false trail that led deeper into the woods. The Wasp spread Otomo Ran’s money across the trail to create the illusion that she had been overtaken- she also refused to claim money paid to her for services she was unwilling to provide. This trap set, the group set out towards Closed Shell Castle. They took care to avoid the main roads to avoid detection. Sure enough, several torches were seen winding towards the forest shortly before midnight. It was time.

Yudai climbed his way atop the outer-most wall of the castle. When he crested it, he lowered a rope down for the others to follow. The Crab couldn’t help but scoff- this poor excuse of a castle had clearly not been designed with defense in mind, like those in his homeland.

Recalling their previous adventure at the wedding, Kiyuki was nominated to take the lead in navigating the interior. The Scorpion did her clan proud. Almost as if by magic, she kept the group from running into any of the remaining patrols on duty. Soon they had entered the keep itself.

There were four floors, plus a basement level. According to custom, the governor would occupy the highest floor. His most trusted samurai would then take the floor below his: surely this is where Otomo Ran would be.

Of course, even a lessened guard presence was still something to worry about. Kiyuki was able to scout out the second floor while the others hung back. She reported that there were two guards, walking the outer edges of the floor in a circuit. Moving as quietly as possible, they were able to cross between their positions to reach the stairs to the third floor.

In the nobles’ quarters, most rooms were darkened. Only one still had candles lit. Two hushed voices could just be heard from within, as Otomo Ran’s silhouette paced back & forth. With a brief countdown, the samurai burst into the room as one.

Otomo Ran was momentarily stunned, but looked about to scream for help. Megumi dashed towards her, clapping her hand shut on the woman’s mouth. The other figure, clearly the Moth, had gotten to their feet & moved to run out the back of the room. Before she could reach the door, Yudai had tackled her to the ground.

The two prisoners were quickly disarmed, gagged, & bound. Where could the group take them? Staying this close to the guards was simply asking for trouble- ah, but the Wasp had mentioned a soundproofed cellar!

As before, Kiyuki scouted a short way ahead of the others as they began their descent. This is where luck left them: the Scorpion was so focused on the guards’ positions that she bumped into a decorative vase. Its shattering sound was too loud to escape notice.

To keep the rest of the group from being discovered, Kiyuki darted off in the direction of the closest guard. He let out a cry, & Kiyuki was rewarded for her efforts with the sound of the other guard rushing to help. Now the object of their focus, she began to run through the paper walls separating the rooms of the floor.

Everyone else waited a beat, before crossing to the stairwell. Though it was slower goings, they were able to reach the cellar without being discovered. The four samurai shut the door tight, & ungagged Otomo Ran.

Meanwhile, Kiyuki was doing her best to keep the guards busy. She had no way of checking if her allies had made it through, but she could only do this for so long. The guards were coming at her from in front & behind in a pincer maneuver. Desperate to avoid the sting of their spears, she juked hard to the right after breaking through into another room. It only bought her a few seconds out of sight, but that was all she needed…

Downstairs, the interrogation had begun. Though the tax collector was fuming at all of them, she reserved most of her vitriol for Shiko. Tempers rose & fell across the group as Otomo Ran attempted to dress everyone down. Seeing this was going nowhere fast, the party re-gagged her in favor of the Moth.

Kaikoga Tsuko was certainly calmer than her friend, but no less sullen than she had been before. Initially, she simply claimed she was only having a romantic liaison with the tax collector. After some pressing, she quickly answered most of the group’s questions. Apparently, she had been contacted by Otomo Ran for much the same as several other samurai- though in this case, it was not her that required the healing.

She hesitantly spoke of how her mother, the Moth Clan Daimyo, was suffering from a terminal illness. In exchange for healing her mother, Kaikoga Tsuko had agreed to publicly testify to the magic of Mori Springs. If she was to be believed, she knew nothing beyond that.

Kiyuki suddenly entered the room, in time to hear the Moth make an offer. Kaikoga Tsuko had been telling the truth about a short fling with Otomo Ran. In the course of their dalliance, she had seen where the noble kept her secret documents.

Swearing on the life of the mother she fought to save, Kaikoga Tsuko said she would show the group where the documents were kept. Even more, she would testify alongside them if Otomo Ran was brought to court. She even offered to aid in slaying the beast- if the group set her free.

This immediately sparked arguments amongst the party. In truth, the Moth had committed no crime of any sort. They also knew it would be difficult to make anything official stick to an Otomo, even one from a vassal family. On the other hand, there was no certainty that the Moth was telling the truth.

In a show of good faith, she told the samurai that Otomo Ran’s secret documents were kept in a false barrel at the local sake brewery. Yudai & Shiko both vowed to the Moth that if her information was true, they would release her. Megumi hesitantly agreed, Kiyuki vehemently refused to do so, & Hayata remained silent.

Seeing how angry Otomo Ran had been getting while the Moth spoke, they once more removed her gag. She continued to bark out threats & curses- until Hayata took out a cursed doll. Knowing exactly the effect it would have, he tucked the doll tightly inside the bound woman's collar. Now overcome with fear, she swore to tell them anything if they took the doll away. Suppressing smiles, they did just that.

To hear her tell it, she had found a strange, robed figure in her quarters one evening some months ago. Whoever it was, they were a powerful maho-tsukai. They offered Otomo Ran power, riches, & prestige, & laid out the beginnings of a plan.

Terrified into agreeing, the noble had followed each instruction to the letter. She knew practically nothing of who the figure was: short, skilled, possibly a woman. It was all the blood magician's fault, they must see that.

Regardless of if she spoke true or not, Otomo Ran was still guilty of heretical crimes. Both prisoners were re-gagged, & the cadre prepared to leave. Carefully, our heroes wound their way out of the castle. They made their way through Twin Blessings Village to the sake brewery. The Moth pointed out a small shed behind the main building.

Inside were many casks, waiting to be filled. When Kaikoga Tsuko pointed out a specific one, Kiyuki was quickly able to find the secret compartment. Many of the papers inside held little relevance to the matters at hand, but there was a small sheaf bundled together at the back. These records detailed the business with the springs, near exactly as the tax collector had recounted it.

Silently, Yudai untethered Kaikoga Tsuko. While the others were preoccupied with the papers, he sent her outside before blocking the door with his large frame. If the rest of the group noticed, none spoke on it just yet. Evidence now in hand, they easily compelled Otomo Ran to "assist" them.

Since she knew how to summon the Kunshu-uso, they would bring her to Mori Springs. She would perform the strange song taught to her by the maho-tsukai to call up the fiend. And then, they would kill it.