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Each male hero will get an opportunity to attack first. Our dedicated priestess will have slightly caught the attention of one of the guards...those two will re-roll initiative (they roll 2 on a d6). Go 'head and declare actions, all...
We'll wait for our shugenja friend to post his athletic results...or I'll grant him an OVER his DEX Score by Wednesday night if he doesn't post by then, for continuity sake :)
Bengoshi gathers his simple belongings and makes off speddily towards the dam, looking sleek and vengeful. He stops, only to glance back at the heroes. As he snakes along the hillside, he holds up a finger to indicate that he is in position to strike, but await your signal.
Bengoshi nods that the rocks would indeed be large enough to congest the riverflow.
The heroes find themselves about to scout quick locations from which to attack the creatures described by the more-than-simple farmer. Bengoshi thankfully accepts the food offerings, but points to his weapons hidden within his clothing and quickly re-hides the defensive tools. A slight break of dawn’s light cracks the horizon…
The simple peasant looks dressed much more seriously than you might be led to believe of common farm stewards. Quietly, the man grins and takes hold of a small twig strewn along the ground. In the still soft muddied ground from an earlier shower, he carves his name, “Bengoshi,” and then points to himself. His fingernails look covered in dirt and filth and scabs and simple wounds from a not-so-simple life. He tucks his weapons into an interestingly designed series of wrapping clothes along his ribs. Bengoshi then begins to draw on the ground. The animated worker seems to work quickly and quietly, even in the dead of night. He stacks more twigs atop others, and places little pebbles to uphold the structure. He carves the dirt into a channel, spits into the make-shift pathway, and suddenly you realize that he has erected a small model of the dam, complete with “water!” He then picks up clumps of dirt, rolls these into small balls between his palms, and places them in comparison with what you realize are the creatures seen earlier. After making six such dirtballs, he packs mud around a knuckle-sized ball and places it beneath some leaves and twigs. He points to the last model and pantomimes large teeth and he smashes his fist into his palm. As he opens his mouth to create a grim visage, you now are thankful this man is less talkative than others in your group; hygiene is a luxury given to some privileged classes. However, you should be more concerned with this last representation- obviously Bengoshi has scouted this area before today, or at least sees things you have not seen. After a few moments of letting this three dimensional map settle, he scoops up smaller pebbles and begins clogging the spittle path. He exaggerates the work, swirls his arms and you believe he suggests damming the dam. Excitedly, Bengoshi moves the smaller creature models up to the blocked area, and then flings each one with a dirty index finger while subsequently pointing to each hero stationed around him. He suggested the group divides and conquers the dam guards.
Kouji reports to the group that at least several more foul denizens lurk about the dam area. He notes that a large grove f trees may provide adequate cover and even a makeshift base of operations for a hit-and-run style of attacks. Several collections of rocks gathered together in the glen suggest smaller caves or shelter possibilities. The dam looks mighty impressive, especially for one designed by commoners. Both natural rock and reinforced blocks wedge themselves snugly together, keeping the waters retained. Interestingly, the flooding fields hint at the biggest, most obvious weakness of the dam- it may be too small to retain the river waters. If more water could be added, or channeled into the current pathways, the dam may be swept away by its parental source. The quiet farmer gathers his thoughts. He seems slightly overwhelmed by many activities and many people. He looks at each of you intently, hanging on every word, with his eyes glued so closely to your lips in the heavy darkness…
If the result of the d20 is LOWER THAN your current character’s Intelligence OR Wisdom score, then read on…
Spoiler: Watching the commoner watch you strikes a familiar chord with you. Having seen others deafened by combat, by illness, or by birth, you believe that you newest companion cannot hear clearly (if at all). This condition also explains his his reluctance to provide you his name or much other detailed conversation.
The party has discovered an interesting find! During their scouting of the general area, they uncovered a young man laying on the ground. Thinking him perhaps wounded, the heores cautiously approached the prone person, only to discover he tried to slowly, quietly approach the dam by himself! Such valor! Such courage! He was armed with two tonfas tucked into his sleeves. Time left little to discuss more than his desire to erradicate the vermin rsponsible for destroying his crops and dedicatory shrine in a field not far away. He appears quite capable of such a brash attack, but may not know all the heroes do about their foes along the dam...
Deciding that Master Ichimura wouldn't be in much of any condition to be heading out to deal with oni-akas and nezumis, Kouji thought back to others in the village whom might be of help. Only one other person stood out in his mind, his fellow apprentince shugenja (if older by a few years) Tetsuya Shirogane. Techincally former apprentice, as Tetsuya had "graduated" with honors from Ichimura's tutelage. It was from Tetsuya that Kouji learned about his mentor's penchant for drink and that his mentor tended to be more "generous" in his teachings from the older fellow shugenja student. Of course, Tetsuya had been among those present when Kouji and some others had tried out a taste of sake from an unattended sake barrel sometime ago and Kouji vaguely recalled that Tetsuya had expressed interest in the study of creating and learning about magical trinkets and items.. ;) Tetsuya Shirogane, a second-level shugenja, will cost about as much as a 1st level spell-casting NPC, but also asks for first dibs on any magical items, especially those HE could use. Discuss...add him AND weaponsmaster, or one over another?
Taking yesterday & today off from posting...deadlines & hayfever kickin' my rump. Gives me more time to create weaponsmaster, tho! and baddies :>
Only one family member is currently willing to help, because he has "nothin' better to do." Outfiting the massive warrior costs double the standard pricing for any items worn or held masterfully (i.e., weapons). In addition to feeding your relative, he is asking that this adventure help pay for an "early retirement:" he's looking for at least 3-digits worth of quality coinage or gem/jewelry values. Magic items, beyond saving his hide at the moment, mean little to him over time...he wants cold, hard, coin. Roll 20d6 (yup- twenty six siders!), then multiply the result by ten. When your family member reaches this amount in treasure, he'll retire. How fast you give it to him (or how fast he asks for more) is up to your group, then...
All, please decide on what kind of help you'd like to buy, and the general price ranges. Kouji Information:
Spoiler:
You know that at least one show-off from your class trainings might be persuaded to join- for great compensation. Role play out the general information- including name, as a 2nd level shugenja with spells I select. He'll cost as much as a 1st level NPC magic user, but asks for all poential magic items as treasure. Interested? Takeshi Information:
Spoiler:
You know you could get one of your big, big "relatives" to help out on a short mission...it'l cost you though, for the short notice to outfit properly= x2 normal cost of gear to fit and rush...but I'll pick gear. Interested? Akemi Information:
Spoiler: You know that you might be able to convince your armor smith to rejoin the group as a weapon master: kama. He had the desire, but might need a second chance to try his skills. He would seek normal compensation this time, not merely a potential convert anymore. You would need to find someone else to watch pups- Hitomi? Interested?
Good points. By "below," I meant in a southern direction. There are trees around the dam, and later you could learn that stairs seem plausible, and ladders prop up against the walls...
A light shower begins to fall. The heroes find it somewhat refreshing, and the gentle waters help Kouji wash away any bad tastes in his mouth. However, tracking the oni-aka along any routes they took back and forth to the dam becomes slightly more difficult.
The Dam
The heroes will approach from the west. They can find enough fruits and berries to sustain themselves for one meal. As suggested, they will arrive at night. The remaining landscape includes: From the north, the river snakes down along small tributaries and eventually stops at a well-crafted, stone-reinforced dam about 5 men-tall. From their vantage point, the dam itself is about 150-175 yards away, and below the top of the ridge of trees from which the party scouts. Different trees dot the landscape here, and some clump together in small groves. From the east, a larger grove of thicker trees appears the source of lumber and stone used to build the dam. The trees form the entrance into smaller woodland, likely the home of deer or similar wild and larger game. A small campfire glows near the entrance of the glade, and several man-sized shapes are evident. Due to the fire’s reflection on the water, the fire’s movement itself, and time of day (night), you are not certain how many shapes are counted (maybe five? six?). To the south, the dam spills the rest of its contents into small streams that have been allowed to run freely. This ground looks like it has been worked recently, because some younger crops grow in this area. A tent rests alongside the crop rows, a tent large enough for at least a very large man or maybe a small family! Despite your intense staring, you do not see any movement from the tent. If the heroes left Takeshi’s Haven immediately (or soon after planning to hit the dam), and the headhunter has rolled under 19 or 20 on a d20:
Spoiler:
In addition to the above information, the heroes note one clearly important figure: a man dressed in red and black tight-fighting clothing darts across the landscape, from the dam to the campfire, to the tent (but does not seem to enter the tent), and then (s)he follows the path of a stream to the southwest. If the heroes left Takeshi’s Haven immediately (or soon after planning to hit the dam) and the headhunter rolls a 19 or 20 using a d20:
Spoiler:
The heroes see at least five men tending to the fire and walking along the dam. They wear straw hats (protecting from the rain), longer coats, and appear armed with spears or bo staves. At least one carries a short bow, and practices his craft into a tree near the glade. If the heroes enlist additional help, this research will take a full day to find and convince someone to go. Ichimura insists he needs more rest, and your armor smith’s misadventures takes the wind out of some of the townspeoples’ sails. Also, they worry about the old farmer who hasn’t returned since striking out against the goblins himself… If the heroes elect to hire help, I will create an NPC suitable for their needs…lemmie know.
Aeikhi agrees to warn the magician's master, and to care for the pups as arranged. Kouji can fully transform at will, with minimal confusion.
All items are approved. The well with a camouflaged entrance and a secret exit are approved, too. Nicely done.
Yes, this works well. This story is most confusing to new adventurers, and most terrifying if the size of those beasts' tongues on the coins are to be believed! Your armor smith volunteers to take the pups back into town, and they can all rest there if you want. If this agreement is acceptable, he will apologize for his lack of faith to Akemi's devotion. He thinks he might be better as an armor smith, and maybe as an animal trainer; he hints at wanting to raise one ofthe pups as a guard for his shop- either one would be fine with him. Takeshi? Anyone?
"So there are rat-goblins..." says the Ranger, "what are they like?" Aeikhi answers that he has not seen these rat-goblins around these parts for years. Normally an infestation of such creatures signifies their previous lair is no longer viable, either due to weather or forced removal by "a bigger bad thing." He is still quite ill, and this casual conversation seems to have sapped his strength. He returns to resting, and closes his eyes. What Akemi Knows About Rat-Goblins
Spoiler:
You can elect to share whatever you knnow from any general monster sections of good books. Please keep within these guidelines: 1. any rat-goblins are not powerful individually, but more powerful within a group or their "nests." 2. There have been reports of intelligent rat-goblins, or at least some kind of ratling beasts that look terrifying but walk on two legs. 3. You have read about an old cult that used to worship rats, but this was more of a swamp-based cult that venerated the creature as a natural decay/scavenger, not really "evil." Still, yucky. 4. These creatures are also associated with disease and sickness. 5. Have fun with this free-form role-playing exercise! Akemi, please roll a d20. If the result is less than you Intelligence, please know
Spoiler: and recognize the image from the coins as one you saw in manuscripts detailing the ratling cults...but slightly different.
Takeshi's Haven, for Takeshi
Spoiler:
I will give you (1d6+1)x10 gold pieces to outfit your haven. You may spend no more than 10 gold pieces on secondary weaponry, though (i.e., this haven isn't to become a free weapons shop). I'd expect to see some stuff like bedrolls and blankets and other things. Good? Let's put the time of day at about 3pm. Both heroes who were poisoned seemed to have recovered, albeit slower, weaker versions of themselves. They complain about feeling weak, and cannot get the sour taste out of their mouths...
What Akemi knows about Hitomi
Spoiler: Please feel free to cut and paste as much of this information as you'd like to do. Hitomi was an orphaned son, who learned a little bit of everything in the village. He was an older boy when you knew him first; he had been an apprentice to just about every shopkeeper and merchant with whom he could study. Hitomi is smart, quick, but very bold. His arrogance lost him customers with a silk worm farmer, who since moved outside of town. Hitomi was the boy who stole your first kiss, catching you offguard. He asked you about your dreams, and whilst thinking fondly of the future, Hitomi swept in and quickly acted. Slightly dishonored but with your virtue intact, your relationship with the brash young man is a difficult one to explain. Quite possibly, his skills on this adventure might prove handy, but his boasting behavior may not be welcomed influence, either. You did not know he had enough money to start his own shop, even one so small. You cannot belive he would want to harm you; he would openly challenge you to a duel to lose face, in such a situation. Somehow, though, you sense his presence in this manner. Perhaps the gods and kami are whispering their truths to you as you draw nearer to them...
Kouji vomits in pain and begins choking. His lips look coated in a sour-smelling paste. Your beloved brave armor smith also expels a sour-smelling, sticky substance. To accentuate the situation, an empathic wolf cub moans in sympathy. This youngest pup darts across the oni-aka encampment in a playful hunt afterwards..
Aeikhi cries out, yells something about the "shadows talking..." and extends his right arm in a rigid grasp. He squirms a bit on the ground, then is still. The wolf pup accepts the dead bird from akeshi's hand cautiously. The other young one goes over to its mother and nuzzles into her still warm fur. A smattering of new blood drips onto its perfect coat and provides a stark reminder of how dangerous the world can be for new warriors trying to be brave.
The two quick shots fly into the hind flanks of the wolf. The mighty hunter-in-the-woods falls and sinks into the young man's lap. Your shugenja has not moved, but you hear an unusual yelp! Comfortable that the immediate danger has been overcome, Takeshi examines his kill. To his surprise, he discovers that which has brought forth the normally-nocturnal wolf from its daytime slumber: two young pups cower nearby, a mere 20 feet from their now-dead mother. They look weak and hungry. The bigger one of the two wolves has darker colorings under its eyes, like a secretly-banded mask or like a racoon. The smaller pup bears a strlkingly clean and white coat. It is this pup who chews timidly on a small bird carcass given it by its mother.
A low rumble matures within the hungry wolf’s throat. Seeing itself outnumbered, it leaps upon the closest and immediate threat: Koiju! The unarmored and slumping shugenja presents little challenge to the wolf’s vicious teeth.
Your pain subsides easily, Takeshi, but for our young shugenja, an illness overcomes him. Doubling over in wrenching pain, the mighty armor smith tells Akemi that truly no, he has never experienced feelings like icy fire in his gut before today. Kouji also feels sickly, like a stabbing pain piercing your belly. Did you have too many dumplings? Examining the birds, Kouji finds various native birds present. All birds look like they were killed by twisting their necks violently, and then plucked of their feathers. As the little mystic bends down to look at the body of a smaller bird, he notices several important things: An arrow shaft lies on the ground, fletched with bird feather not unlike those of the deceased avians; a low growl issues from the underbrush nearby- a wolf locks eyes with Kouji as a featherless bird dangles from its mouth, soaked with saliva; and finally, Kouji has begun to succumb to the poisoning at the feast. Eyes feel sweaty. The ground looks inviting. Now might be a good time to rest, at least until the pain subsides… Akemi and Takeshi notice their young companion slump to the ground. At this time, they also notice the wolf which watched their witch. Takeshi, you can indeed discover some clues about the general area and traffic, and this information can be shared with you:
Spoiler:
Amid the ground, you notice tracks that differ from the oni-aka, which gives your heightened outdoorsman senses pause. The dead boar, dead birds, and whatever passed for last evening’s goblinoids dinner seemed to attract scavengers. Your trained eyes discern rat scratchings near the eating utensils and fire spit. The camp size seems bigger than the eight oni-aka that attacked you, though no signs of ambush or camp readiness are evident. The map is drawn with crude etchings, but you feel your stomach wrench when you see the shape of an odd rat-like thing with a huge tongue drawn beside a river near town. Are goblins just terrible artists, or is the swollen thing actually living near the river? You cannot discern any more writing on the map.
Oni-Aka Encampment
Small bits of cloth/clothing/fibers indicative of blankets or bedrolls.
By using the birds only as general markers, the camp size looked to sleep a dozen or more men. The group agrees that vile creatures having time to watch, eat, watch, sleep, and watch the town unnerves them. As the heroes take note and continue to explore the area, a gentle rain descends at about 1:00pm. Aeikhi stops practicing with his new weapon. He drops the kama and grabs his gut. There appear to be no cuts or wounds otherwise. Aeikhi dismisses further aid, excusing his brief pain as mere irritation over today’s excitement. He opts to rest by sitting on the brown rock and inspects the simple eating utensils for craftsmanship.
Aeikhi lifts the large farmer sickle and swings it from side to side. "I used to tend my uncle's fields when I was a boy. You please me, Akemi, by making me think back fondly to youthful and fond times." Not surprisingly, the large armor smith uses this carefully weighted tool-turned-weapon with great skill. The rhythm with which he practices seems almost hypnotic. Aeikhi willingly foregoes armor, citing his discomfort wearing the stuff in heat, and that it restricts him too much. He tries to sound important by quoting a koan. Its basis is quite like "The best defense is a good offense." Outside of the geneal clothing stuff taken to the blind tailor, Aeikhi will take ownership of the remaining oni-aka equipment (i.e., minus the beer, etc.).
I will fully describe the oni-aka campsite in greater detail if needed tomorrow...
"Now you're talking, Big Brother", Kouji replies eagerly. Nodding over to where Akemi is, Kouji adds, "Probably shouldn't take that long for Big Sister to give her prayers to those dead oni-akas and yamabushis." Kouji Information Spoiler: You take notice that the small village only sports you and another boy- the same boy who the oni-aka targeted. Remember the older farmer who wanted to join the adventure? Ummm...he's gone. You do well at noticing these small things, young shugenja! Also, please select a time of day (i.e. night) and a kind of tree (i.e. maple). To regain your spells, you can relearn them at x time by having a twig/leaf/sleeping under y tree. I suppose you could be really clever and suggest "afternoon" as the time of day to recharge and study spells, thereby regaining your spell for today :)
Before heading out, the quiet and studiuos armorer asks Akemi which weapons he should take with him on the journey. Although he could make most any generic weapon listed in the rulebook, he has been looking over the weapons collected from the oni-aka. Reminders
Spoiler:
Flail x1 Jitte x1 Kama x1 Kuari-gama x1 Sai x1 Once suggested, he will take up the weapon prescribed him by his temple matron. He also strikes up more conversations with Takeshi about using ceramics in metals, curious about the headhunter's probes. In about 20 minutes, the group finds the oni-aka campsite mentioned.
Your headhunting skills point to a broken hummingbird arrow lying lonely on the grass about 200 yards from the teahouse. The grass is trampled there, too. It is unclear as to whether this arrow had been fired and broke, or was trampled and broken. You find a small woven pouch containing 46 Mon, bearing the same stamp as the other Mon coins as described earlier...
*bump*
Hitomi celebrates the peaceful interrogation of the hellish and smelly demons by offering a 50% reduction in food. He offers the heroes a mid-size banquet before they leave on their journey. The quiet shopkeeper appears very calm now that the immediate threat has passed. Ichimura is currently in no state to travel, and would likely need days’ rest to recuperate. He does share with his pupil some interesting facts, although somewhat slurred. Kouji, you are familiar with the current routine when your master has fallen drunk. If you want, you may partake of the banquet before carting your teacher off to bed.
Spoiler:
Oni-aka are a lesser kin of demonic goblinoids. They have been rumored to have been born of the lava mountain itself, and as such, are immune to fiery heat! Most likely, these creatures were beaten, bribed, or bullied into such an organized attack; these wild things usually only raid small towns’ cattle or other easy targets. Ichimura’s comments about the red goblins’ night vision is indiscernible. Aeikhi describes the campout he saw as something more "organized" that what has been suggested of the oni-aka's skill on display. He knows the location well, but it does use a lesser known shortcut the the blind tailor's dwelling (this would take about 20 minutes on foot). Aeikhi awaits greater wisdom from his new teacher about being peaceful to evil things recently bent on killing his town. The tension on the armor smith's face adds to the current questions buzzing throughout the town...
Ichumura graciously accepts the beer. He suggests translating for the heroes, and offers his professional assessment of any magical goings-on during the interrogation. The grand shugenja withdraws a small wooden cup from his belt pouch. “Our inquisition may go smoother if our assailants were willingly robbed of their fears and inhibitions…and I may become thirsty,” says the magical master. From the local patrons, the owner of a cutlery shop offers his quiet business and even the use of fine equipment to help loosen oni-aka tongues. The owner’s name is Hitomi. He openly asks if this act (read: inviting interrogation of monsters in his shop) would cause him to lose business, or could this attention draw new business? The heroes convince Hitomi that he will not realize any loss, nor guarantee him any new clients, but praise him for his adventurous spirit and willingness to help! During their work with the oni-aka, Hitomi offers the heroes a free (albeit small) lunch including seaweed wrapped chicken-and-rice patties with sesame. Hitomi further offers some aprons to blindfold the oni-aka’s eyes. After tying the creatures in the ways Takeshi suggested, the questioning begins. Following Takeshi’s lead, Aeikhi will remove the first oni-aka outside the shop and gag it. Aeikhi also holds the creepy-stamped money until some point in the future. Ichumura gives creatures a small drink of beer after each question, even if it is not their turn to speak. The creatures offer these answers: "Monster, where did you come from?"
"How did you get here in Kagami?"
"Where does your group camp?"
"How big is your group?"
"Who/what is the leader of your group? Describe him/her/it."
"Is he/she/it the one who gave you money?"
(if no) "Then where did you get the money?"
"Why are you here? What is the purpose?"
Dear Paizo Community, For those of you interested in Old School Gaming, I ask for some feedback. I currently GM a play-by-post “Ruins & Ronin” adventure here on the Messageboards. A new optional class is the Kensei, available for review by the game designer here. I would enjoy someone willing to playtest this character option in a unique way: an existing NPC armorer has joined the heroes’ party. I would like to see this character tooled as a kensei. The commitment should be shorter than a typical game, or be incorporated as a full-fledged PC very shortly. More information about the game and game expectations can be found here. Thanks, everyone! I would also appreciate comments about the kensei class or your initial impressions of the game. I believe the bonus to Armor Class might be too strong, and would consider limiting it to only DEX or bonus. Ideas? Playtesters? Feedback? All helpful comments are greatly appreciated. Please feel free to check out the game in progress. Others willing to join are very welcome, too!
Aeikhi the Armorer happily discusses the finer elements of incorporating porcelain into folded steel as a reinforcement technique that adds beauty to functionality. He suggests that porcelain can improve the integrity of finer materials Takeshi makes from wood or leather. Certainly, the durability of such items begs greater consideration. Somewhat distracted by this welcomed diversion amid chaos, Aeikhi turns to Akemi the Temple Maiden. “What is the way you would have me deal with the dead oni-aka, or even what mercy does your faith grant them? Should I adopt a new name to reflect my renewed dedication to your faith? Am I permitted to carry anything, even strong drink, or are there prohibitions on our practices?” Aeikhi appears genuine in his pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. While everyone else ate simple lunches, Aeikhi took the clothing gathered from the goblinoids to a local tailor, a widowed and blind man known for making children’s toys from simple rags and sticks. Aeikhi the Armorer also believes he saw where the oni-aka may have camped before raiding the town this morning. Upon asking many people, nobody lends any clues about the graphic images displayed on the looted coins. Aside from a general sentiment of disgust, many people also wondered why goblinoids would need to carry money. The leading yamabushi suggests that the heroes donate the money to the armorer, and that Aeikhi melt down the coins as to remove the disturbing images. The implied advice is to literally liquidate these assets and give this amount to the teahouse owners for their generosity. The two remaining yamabushi bid everyone farewell, and retire to a small room in the attic. They announce plans to rest this afternoon, and travel to their lord by way of a local merchant route during the night. “At night,” says the dutiful warrior, “we have a better chance of seeing things which embrace the cover of darkness, and piercing that blackness!” You are unclear whether the "blackness" to which he referred was nighttime, or the foul, skulking, nocturnal creature, but are sure of his emphasis on fighting!
During the wait, the powerful yamabushi draws his fine blade and sipes it across the chest of one sleeping oni-aka. The blood spilled seems minimal, but onlookers cannot doubt the killing blow. The vocal warrior cries aloud as his head tilts towards the sky. He is a fearsome sight to behold, with his singed clothing and fuzzy, unkempt beard. His sword almost seems out of place in retrospect. The respectful fighter withdraws a small sack from his robes' pockets. You watch as he sprinkles salt onto/into the recently-slain oni-aka. "The salt abates the smell and thereby discourages scavengers by smell and taste, and prevents this thing from haunting us in the future. My brothers and I have already done this same ritual for the first demon-thing." You glances confirm his statement, as the goblinoid's battle wounds and horn stumps look like they have been burned by rubbed salt. "I am hungry, and will need a place to bury my brothers," says the second yamabushi. "Who will help me?" The owner of this teahouse willingly offers the yamabushi to remain with his family, or to use the teahouse to sleep today and tonight. Several other villagers volunteer their help in cleansing the bodies and interring the remains in an honorable fashion. A generous offer is made by a vsiting silkworm farmer's eldest son, to erect statues at the gravesites to ward against the dead or future evils. "Nah, you believe too much it superstition. Those remaining alive protect against evil attacks and guard the noble dead. Instead, make a pledge to the derilict temples in this land. You will all need the blessings of your gods. You will all need each other." The leading yamabushi's point still seems lost on some, who do not know what they can do. The time of day is slowly approaching noon.
Your quiet master likes to keep to himself. You know that his wisdom in dealing with medicinal herbs and poison remedies seems second-to-none; more than one samurai has pledged his services to you Master in exchange for life-healing anti-toxins following mystical battles. You have also noticed, while in sparrow form, that you Master withdraws from society at large during rainstorms. He secrets himself away to his room, sits in the lotus position on his straw mat on the floor, and writes in a large tome. You discovered this habit because your Master also likes saki, and drinks large quantities of the alcohol while in this self-designed solitude. It was in this drunken state that you were able to convince him to teach you your first spell two weeks ahead of his calendared schedule...
The first five sounds good- as for the last, I can take oni-aka if they happen to have their own distinct language. Great! You know know how to speak oni-aka, then. I expect this will come in handy at some point very soon!
Either one works for me; just pick one and lemmie know.
C C I would like to consider your Ruins & Ronin character’s Intelligence, specifically regarding known languages. For each point above 10, you get an additional language. With Intelligence 16, this means you have six new languages. I propose that your magical character would know linguistics of great fantasy creatures, or perhaps was thrust into the role of scribe for his studious master. Therefore, with six possibilities, I offer:
"Interesting," comments the lead yamabushi with noticeably singed hair. "I wonder how much richer you all might be if we were to find the last oni-aka. Surely, his knowledge of this raid would be a great treasure to us all, especially for the parents of young children living here. Perhaps a sleeping creature of darkness warrants your tender mercy?" The yamabushi grips the hilt of his blade tucked within his golden robes and stares impatiently at the four slumbering oni-aka. General silence washes over the crowd at the wise warrior's lecture...
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