"humm. Were they involved in the battle in the Devil House of Mount Senzobashi, back maybe 39 years hence? I think I'd heard of two miem, a wizard, and a warrior woman who went into that place.
Along with the Shogun's great uncle, Tashi Kezui?"
Time passes like a light breeze.
And then, "Ah, old friend old friend! Come! Sit!" A huge smile creases Satari's face from ear to ear, disappearing behind his neatly braided white beard only to reappear on the other side, just as full of delight. "The world is a terrible place, and the youth of today are fools who do not listen to wise old men. And we must talk, you and I."
"It is good to see you."
I know, right?
It ebbs sometimes too...
** spoiler omitted **
Satari San:
My friend, it has been long. Time has treated you well though."
Pleasantries are exchanged for a fleeting time.
"NOw, the problem. The woods, the vast woods to the south of here and west. What do you know of them?
The problem......strange occurrences...have been happening.
One man on the outskirts of this town caught a singing fish that would not die; mosquitoes the size of shiprats have become common.
Watermelon, growing off of pinetrees; something is amiss.
I have consulted the priests of the local Temple of the Natural Ways; they too sense it. Tell me; what do you know of the First World, my friend? It seems.....to call to the priests in dreams of late. They say that its energy is infusing the Dragon (Lay Lines) Lines overly much. I feel concern. They chant their sutras, but now is the time for action, not contemplation! We of the open hand are MEN OF ACTION!
And yet,....I am broken. I am infirm. Two more seasons and I will go to the next world. So I called you, my friend; your youth is still in evidence. I never knew I was that much older than you....
"Oh, a leak ... by the way, do you have an outhouse or something?"
Omma nods;
"Mei....show him where it is."
One of the granddaughters stands up, smiles, blushes; the others giggle.
She says,
"follow me, Sir!"
and leads you out into the garden. It is a nicely appointed rectangularish shed, decorated with flowering vines; you enter and it is scented with heated oil potpourri.
It's rather nice, as outhouses go.
Beldan is politely flirty with the girl, but doesn’t try anything since he doesn’t want to annoy his hosts and he really does need to pee after that sake.
... and he can’t figure out why Omma, with all her disapproval and glares, would send this girl outside alone with him. Is there something wrong with her? Is she a simpleton? A boy? Frigid? A highly trained assassin? Wearing a chastity belt?
Beldan is curious but not that curious, so he just goes to pee.
... and he can’t figure out why Omma, with all her disapproval and glares, would send this girl outside alone with him. Is there something wrong with her? Is she a simpleton? A boy? Frigid? A highly trained assassin? Wearing a chastity belt?
heh heh....
It's by far the nicest outhouse Beldan has ever been in. When he starts to whizz, soft music starts playing. He's taken aback for a split second, then relaxes when nothing untoward seems to happen.
Then a spritz of floral scent blossoms about him as he finishes.
“Wow ... it’s the little things that make you realise you’re in a far country,” comments Beldan.
Dok stands near the door, austere and silent except for a short, deep grunt when something said is interesting to him. He looks horribly uncomfortable and out of place. After a few minutes, he quietly calls Colu just inside the door, kneels down to scratch her behind the ears, and glances over at the old woman's granddaughters. If they show any interest, he silently beckons them over to pet the beautiful animal.
Most of them are scared, but one comes over, completely mesmerized by the giant feline.
She strokes its coat; and jumps back when it starts its throaty catpurring, but she's back at it, totally fascinated.
Beldan walks back in and sees one of the grand-daughters patting Dok’s leopard.
Damn, he thinks. I need to get a better pet. Neither his old pig, Snuffles, nor their new team mascot, Shelly the bad tempered and chaotic evil snapping turtle, gets that sort of attention from the ladies.
heh heh....whelp, I gotta crash.
Got the shogun's splendid crapper to dream up.
heh heh....whelp, I gotta crash.
Got the shogun's splendid crapper to dream up.
Elgan shrugs, "Wah'll, ah gessin' it depends. If'n yeh lahk yer Watermelons growin' on yer piney-trees and yer catfish flyin', iz all guud. If'n yeh don' den iz bad." He says sagely.
"Howevuh, Ah kin tells yeh dis. If'n it goes on TOO much it'll t'row deh hole area out o' whack. Natuh need teh be in balance, and too much, even growin t'ings, iz bad fer teh rest uv deh critters livin' dere." He adds to warn Altai not to take this too lightly.
** spoiler omitted **
Pip takes in the scene, idly strumming Lucille and scarfing up as much food as the giggling grandaughters place in front of him
"OM NOM NOM! Hot dang! Now this is some good grub! What do they call that there fish dish over there? MMMMMM OM NOM..."
When Pip plays,.....everybody is awestruck and silent.
"You play so splendidly," says Omma...
"What is that song?" asks one of the granddaughters.....
Elgan shrugs, "Wah'll, ah gessin' it depends. If'n yeh lahk yer Watermelons growin' on yer piney-trees and yer catfish flyin', iz all guud. If'n yeh don' den iz bad." He says sagely.
"Howevuh, Ah kin tells yeh dis. If'n it goes on TOO much it'll t'row deh hole area out o' whack. Natuh need teh be in balance, and too much, even growin t'ings, iz bad fer teh rest uv deh critters livin' dere." He adds to warn Altai not to take this too lightly.
"This concerns me then, Honorable Miem."
When Pip plays,.....everybody is awestruck and silent.
"You play so splendidly," says Omma...
"What is that song?" asks one of the granddaughters.....
Pip bows in his seat to Omma.
"Thank you, honored host. My playing pales in comparison to the splendor of your table!"
He smiles at the granddaughter
"It is a new song I am writing called The Girl who Cried Tears of Gold"
Pip sings
"Across icy fields
The Regulators rode
Men of honor
Men of pride
Taking the quest laid by their wyrd
To travel beyond the sky."
The 20 questions start....
"Who is she?"
"How could she cry gold?"
"What does the song mean? Is it symbolic?"
"What kind of koto is that you play?"
the 7 granddaughters are eating it up.....
"Who are the Regulators? We've never heard of the Regulators."
"Are they looking for a Wifu?"
Pip attempts to answer all the questions as best he can, detailing out the last adventure in Asgard to the young ladies. He plays them some romantic ballads he knows and makes sure to praise both them and Omma highly on their prowess as hostesses.
Perform(Diplomacy):
Omma;
"so,.....that is what became of Yakuma Seijiro."
and looks at Beldan;
"THAT is whose sword you wield, lad."
Emrael's heard of Yakuma; about 100 years ago he was the daimyo of the southernmost province of Wa. He disappeared......went off into the Great Wheel, it is said; none heard from him ever again.
"So," she continues; "tell me more of this....Loki. Does it seem that he has used you to send Yakuma's sword back here then?......hmmm. That one's is strange, that.......Loki. Sounds like trouble is brewing indeed....
oh. my. you actually have a dragon. In my house,...."
He sighs.
"I am old and my knee hurts in the rain. But I think this calls for a journey, if only to see for myself. Do you have any advice for me, old friend?"
Satari San:
There is an old hidden fortress, in the woods down there. He acquired the sword whilst questing within....one of the Oracles of the Temple of Enlightenment of the Thunderbolt dreamt of that old place; I believe the answer may be within.
It is called the Nine Sword House......."
And some anecdotal info for Satari San:
The farmland is the least productive in all of Wa. The stewardship amounts to a shogun-appointed "s~%% detail" for the daimyo in question......typically it is a punishment of sort for unruly samurai to gain the daimyoship of Fochu.
THAT "honor" currently falls to Bokika Hokio, a nephew of the shogun who apparently thought that his familial relation to the shogun gave him some level of protection.........
it did, although it only meant that he is now Daimyo of Fochu instead of having had to open his belly with his wakizashi.
You are currently in Fochu Province.
The woods to the sout west;.......that's where the weirdness is occuring.
Any questions, let me know....
And, the map...
Satari San, let me know if you have any questions; if you center the map on "Fochu Peninsula" and zoom it, you can see many of the places I'm referring to.
And,....a small homework assignment if anybody's interested.......
If you have a good idea, or like are inclined to fleshing out your character and having it have some impact on the game,.......
in the next few months there's a "bloom" (the catfish was the "First Bloom" of this "Blossoming of the First World") in the next few months there's a bloom that is related to nightmares.
So, if you have a good idea for a nightmare that has some special significance to your character, or what your character's deepest most primal fears are (hey, 14th level is still human, right?) let me know, and I can probably throw it into the mix.
It'll be fuuuuuun!!!
Oh, and I wouldn't dream of making your character less immune to the fear effects; that would be douchy.
allrighty,....check y'all later!
"Finders keepers," says Beldan of the sword.
"humm. Were they involved in the battle in the Devil House of Mount Senzobashi, back maybe 39 years hence? I think I'd heard of two miem, a wizard, and a warrior woman who went into that place.
Along with the Shogun's great uncle, Tashi Kezui?"
The kensai looks at Omma for a long time. "That... that could have been them..."
She's lost in thought as the others continue conversing.
That's the best I can think of at the moment for Emrael.
"Finders keepers," says Beldan of the sword.
heh heh...
** spoiler omitted **
Right on. Making notes...
Duly noted......
"A fortress in the woods to the south-west. A perhaps cursed sword. It is good to know of these things. Thank you." Satari bows, still seated. Like possessions, he feels that he should only carry a small amount of information, so as not to burden the soul.
"Tell me of your grand-children. They are a delight, I am sure."
right on:....
Satari San...
There is little Mai Mai; she is three and can do splendid calligraphy, and I don't just say this because I'm her grandfather.......
he goes on and on; his cheeks are ruddy and you don't have the heart to stop him......
then a tea girl comes rushing in;
"honorable sirs!!! you must come see!"
outside she beckons you two.....and points to the west;
a small nervous crowd is gathered, looking;
and you see.....maybe 10 miles west,......a cloud of pink.....smoke perhaps?
"This.....is what I speak of," says your elder cohort; "this is ....quite unnatural."
huzzah!
Beldan’s not scared of nothin’ man!
He’s also scared of being alone, in the long term. For all his rakish ways, he really wants to settle down, one day, with a nice girl ... and he’s scared, deep down, that he’ll miss his chance, or that his continual search for excitement and ‘the next thing’ is going to mess that up.