While Yue is messing with another shrine, Lady Lao tries to keep a look-out. She trips and falls over her feet before sheepishly righting herself.
As the jinkens scramble away Zhēnzǐ makes note of the direction they went, and watches them until they vanish from his view.
"You doing okay, Jing? Did you get anxious playing music for Shelyn? I haven't heard you play badly since...", Zhēnzǐ rubs his temple, "I don't remember the last time you you played badly."
Zhēnzǐ nods his head in agreement to Jing about not wanting to disturbing bodies of water.
"We still need to investigate it and see if there's anything in it, young Jing. I suggest we go inside and have a look."
Denkō seems genuinely surprised the Jinkins gave up so easily: Well done on that, then; much easier than fighting. I can only hope the rest will be so easily persuaded.
At the shrine: Ah, I'd not worry about it to much - after the day we had, I'm surprised you can get a note out at all; we'll have other chances to win favor here, I'm sure.
as they discuss the bathhouse: I agree with Lao, it's best we do what we can to limit the gremlins' ability to ransack the village; If there's any of them or other creatures in there, we may as well get them out sooner rather than later.
"The folk don't need any surprises when they return to this part of town," Yue agrees.
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This locker room is orderly, with slippers and towels in each cubby. All the lockers are open, save for one.
Lady Lao Strides up to the locker and knocks thrice with her Warhammer, careful not to leave any lasting damage (which she'll be charged for later).
"Hello? The baths are closed, time to go home, whoever's in there." She calls out loudly to its occupants.
Zhēnzǐ walks to the locker and tries to calm the nerves of who he expects is a frightened resident of the town.
"It's safe to come out. We are citizens of Willowshore that are reclaiming our town back. My name is Zhēnzǐ. The others with me are Lady Lao, Yue, Denkō and Jing. What's your name?"
Yue waits for Zhenzi to calm whoever is trapped within the locker--or at least get a name--before attempting to free them.
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Zhēnzǐ walks to the locker and tries to calm the nerves of who he expects is a frightened resident of the town.
"It's safe to come out. We are citizens of Willowshore that are reclaiming our town back. My name is Zhēnzǐ. The others with me are Lady Lao, Yue, Denkō and Jing. What's your name?"
"Ah. Ah. You're not... monsters?" A muffled voice yells from inside the locker, clearly shaken by the ordeal. "I'm..I'm.. stuck! It's me.. De-Ge"
As Yue forces the door open, you realised it wasn't actually locked, but somehow the latch must have been really sticky causing difficulties in opening the locker.
Falling out, but uninjured, is the halfling innkeeper of the bathhouse itself. He mumbles as he picks himself up, "Ah, I'm so glad you arrived. I've been stuck in there since last night. I'm so done with this place!" He looks over and studies the party. "Erm, you all look formidable, can you please please get me out of here, somewhere safe? somewhere sanitized?
He looks for a moment towards the hot springs, "And after that, when I'm safe out of here, could you... attend to my guest? If they are still there.. I'm sure a few polite words would make them leave but I just don't want to deal with all that right now!"
Yue looks upon the sticky lock. "I feel the sudden urge to wash my hands."
No, not monsters, though we've certainly had to deal with our fair share of them at this point. We can take you to granny Hu's, she's got a large part of Northridge holed up with her, should be safe as anywhere. As for your guest... what are we to expect? Denkō eyes the waters suspiciously
"What were you doing in that locker to make it so sticky?" Lady Lao grimaces.
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De-Ge gives a thought about Granny Hu and ponders, "Is the Hand of Spring safe? I rather be somewhere cleaner"
"My guest well, they look like Kappas?" He bluntly speaks, but does not give a lot of confidence in his answer.
"I SWEAR I wasn't doing anything.. It just go stuck when I was trying to hide." The halfling sweats.
"We're joking, De-ge. I'm just glad you're safe." Lady Lao tries to reassure the man.
"You mean Doctor Dami's place? He's doing fine. We can escort you out of Downtown. You'll have to walk the rest of the way there but it should be safe after we've relit the Eternal Lantern."
After De-ge is brought to safety, Lady Lao tries to Recall Knowledge on Kappas. She also pockets the Kukri from the party Stash after asking Yue to install a Potency Crystal on it.
"Yes, we will help you get to safety, De-Ge. That is part of why we are here. To clear downtown of the invaders and to escort the townsfolk we find back to one of the two large gatherings of townsfolk in Northridge or the large gathering of townsfolk in Southbank. Once we take care of your guest, would it be okay with you if we use your place here to gather any other townsfolk we find elsewehere in downtown. Then after my companions and I have cleared downtown of the invaders, we will escort you and the others to the doctor's and Granny Hu's, then escorting any of the gathered townsfolk in Northridge to the Matsuki Estate in Southbank, if any of them want to get back to their loved ones there."
"We can try to negotiate with the kappa," Yue says. "If that is what they are."
"Wouldn't you prefer that we dealt with the Kappa without violence, Young Master Yue? If we can give that much courtesy to the much more hostile Jinkin, we can at least try and talk down some Kappa."
Lady Lao suggests to Yue, preferring to avoid violence. "We have Master Denko on our side. He's a trained negotiator, he can handle it."
After escorting De-ge to the edge of Downtown, Lady Lao waits for Zhēnzǐ to do his trick at the entrance of the door before moving in.
Yue gives Lao an enigmatic look tinged with sadness.
That I am, though I can't say I've dealt with a kappa before. If they'll listen to any sort of reason, I think we'll be fine, and I think they very likely do if this one's not cause any real trouble yet.
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Many areas where kappas dwell feature posted signs warning of their presence that encourage travelers venturing near water to toss in a cucumber—kappas' favorite food—in exchange for safe passage.
Kappa's are inherently evil and hate children. They often sing songs to attract wandering kids to the waters and then eat them.
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After leading De-Ge to safety, the party investigates the so call Kappa's in the bathhouse.
A pair of stone-lined baths of steaming water sit within this open-air, hedge-walled yard. Five creatures, sit around having idle chatter in the waters. Turtle-like humanoids with beaked mouths, webbed hands and feet, and slimy scales that range in color from bluish green to pale yellow, where the top of their head is, is bowled shaped with water inside.
"Come join us! The waters are nice and warm." One of them yells as they spot the group approaching.
Lady Lao briefs everyone - including De-ge - all about Kappas. She goes on and on about what they look like, what they might like and what they might dislike. In a long droning voice, she drags out their journey back and from the bathhouse until she can give the party all the information she knows.
"Kappas vary in physical attributes from region to region, they're all amphibious, turtle-like humanoids with beaked mouths, webbed hands and feet, and slimy scales that range in color from bluish green to pale yellow.
"Now here is where my sources get dubious. Some say that many areas where kappas dwell feature posted signs warning of their presence that encourage travelers venturing near water to toss in a cucumber—kappas' favorite food—in exchange for safe passage. Zhenzi, can you make any cucumbers? Those might help."
"Or...Kappas are inherently evil and hate children. They often sing songs to attract wandering kids to the waters and then eat them. None of you are kids, right?"
At the baths, when the Kappas aren't singing songs and don't seem to be evil, Lady Lao exhales and whispers; "Looks like the part about cucumbers was right. Whenever you are ready, Zhenzi..."
To stall for time, Lady Lao calls out back to the Kappa; "Sure! Give me a second to change...Do you all mind turning around? A lady has to protect her modesty."
"Why would we get in the water with spirits nearby?" Yue says with a pensive frown that only deepens with Lao's revelation that they eat children. "What do you need to leave our village in peace?"
"I can."
Zhēnzǐ makes a cucumber for each of his companions and hands them out and smaller one for himself, which he puts into his empty right side pouch.
"I think I was born eleven years ago. I remember one season of snow on the ground before arriving in town. Jubei told me she fed me hazelnuts for the first five years before the Great Willow granted me my new life five years ago."
Zhēnzǐ, about twenty feet from the closest kappa, retrieves the cucumber from his side pouch and holds it up to show the assmebled kappa, "Would any of you like a cucumber?"
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The Kappa's are fairly mild and just playing and enjoying the warmth of the waters. They surprisingly honour Lady Lao's request, and turn around. Some of them bop their heads under the waters and blow some bubbles, seemingly enjoying themselves.
"Why would we get in the water with spirits nearby?" Yue says with a pensive frown that only deepens with Lao's revelation that they eat children. "What do you need to leave our village in peace?"
"Spirits???? Where!?!?!" They all look around trying to discern what Yue speaks of. "Hey! Don't scare us like that mannnn. What happened here is unfortunate, but we're peaceful! None of this is our fault! We're just enjoying the waters. mmm." There's a slight look of guilt on their faces.
Zhēnzǐ, about twenty feet from the closest kappa, retrieves the cucumber from his side pouch and holds it up to show the assmebled kappa, "Would any of you like a cucumber?"
The lot of them glide to the edge of the waters at the sound of cucumber.
"Duuuuuuddeee, I love cucumbers!""Me tooooooooo!"
"I could so suck a cucumber right now! I wish we had a juicer!"
"How many cucumbers would you each like to have?" Zhēnzǐ asks them as in addition to the cucumber he retrieved from his pouch, another cucumber appears in his left hand. "Each of my companions have a cucumber. You can ask them to give you their cucumbers if you like."
With a snap of her fingers, Lady Lao changes back into her Tanuki form.
"Phew! Now I'm dressed and ready to enter the waters...Oh right, we've got work to do." Lady Lao gestures at Yue. "As my friend here says, there are spirits about. It's not safe to enter the water. If I give you this cucumber, could you all leave and come back later once we've finished exorcising the spirits?"
She holds out the cucumber in her hands to the nearest Kappa.
Denkō seems rather concerned with Lao's description of the kappas, particularly with the children eating bit. You seem to be rather well informed on them! I must say, I know very little myself. How'd you come to know so much, have you dealt with them before?
They seem rather jovial fellows, fortunately. This shouldn't be too bad.
Indeed, we've been dealing with spirits all over the town; one of them nearly drowned a few of us! Were I you I'd definitely pack it up until things blow over; We're stuck here because we live here.
[dice=Diplomacy with Cucumbers]1d20 + 8
With a snap of her fingers, Lady Lao changes back into her Tanuki form.
"Phew! Now I'm dressed and ready to enter the waters...Oh right, we've got work to do." Lady Lao gestures at Yue. "As my friend here says, there are spirits about. It's not safe to enter the water. If I give you this cucumber, could you all leave and come back later once we've finished exorcising the spirits?"
She holds out the cucumber in her hands to the nearest Kappa.
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They look a little disheartened at the request, but seem to come to an understanding. "I supposeeeeee." One of the Kappa's drag out the e and end with a big sigh. "We'll leave at soon as we're done with our cucumbers." They all seemingly nod at each other at this proclamation.
From a distance, you hear the clanging of metal pieces strike each other. Multiple hits and knocks without rhyme, rhythm, or reason. Just unending noise, the parade of sounds grows louder and louder as if it were approaching the center of downtown..
As Zhēnzǐ hands off the two cucumbers in his hands to the kappas, as they agree to Lady Lao's deal, his ears twitch in response to the sounds of the metallic clangs that are getting loudly.
"I will see what that is."
He runs to the front door of the bath house and sneaks a peak outside, and listens to determine which direction the parade of sounds is coming from.
"Why would we get in the water with spirits nearby?" Yue says with a pensive frown that only deepens with Lao's revelation that they eat children. "What do you need to leave our village in peace?"
"See, those guys arent super evil. Sometimes you shouldnt trust everything I say - not everything comes from a reliable source." Lady Lao lightly pokes fun at Yue's uptight attitude with a smile on her furred face.
"Ooh! Sounds like a party. Let's go outside and see if we can join in." Lady Lao quickly grabs her belongings and rushes out of the doors of the bathouse, not even bothering to change back into her human form.
Yue follows Lao out of the bathhouse, casting a worried look backward. "And what if you were right and this is a ruse?" he worries, mostly to himself.
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The party is greeted with a sight most unusual, but perhaps not out of the ordinary given the circumstances of the last two days. A floating Apron shaped in a way that somehow resembles a face leads swarms of clattering cookware.
Upon seeing Lady Lao the Tanuki, and a squirrel pop it's head out of the alley, he stops, and as if by cue all the cutlery stop banging. "WhoOo GoOes ThEre!" The creature shouts, it's voice cracking as it tries to put the words together. "Ah, just animals.."
Zhēnzǐ's head disappears from the thing's view as Zhēnzǐ moves back inside the bathhouse and whispers to Lady Lao, "Pretend to be a raccoon and come back inside. Maybe whatever that is will keep traveling past downtown. If so, we can deal with it later, so we can focus on clearing the invaders that are already on the ground."
I think if they were trying to upll some kind of ruse they'd be far less inclined to agree to leave - I'd not worry about it too much. Though I must wonder what sorts of books Lao reads to have heard such a thing.
Zhēnzǐ has a point.
Much to her embarrassment, Lady Lao gets down on all fours and crawls back into the bath-house, pretending to be a regular racoon dog.
She does a very poor job at it. Before she even makes 5 feet, she gets up on two legs to walk the rest of the distance back into the bath-house, clutching at her back the whole time.
"Ooh! My back hurts - I'm getting too old to be crawling around on the ground. The idea was good, Zhēnzǐ, but I don't think they bought it." She whispers back to the squirrel.
"Master Denkō, have you ever attended a Tanuki rager? Sometimes they get just as noisy and un-coordinated as this parade. Here I thought we were going to have a good time..." Lady Lao loudly laments the loss of a likely party.
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The noise would continue off into the distance, the creature would take no interest in the animals he saw and would continue the parade of marching pots, pans, knifes, forks elsewhere for the time being.
By this time the Kappa would have finished munching on their cucumbers and make good with their word, and be heading out the door. "Laters!"
"I am uncertain how to exorcise whatever spirits have possessed the cutlery," Yue says with a puzzled expression. He adds, hesitantly, "I could try."