"Apart from what master Ichimura relayed about these oni-aka's being able to see in the dark- but not to worry, I can see in the dark too- erm, under special circumstances". Kouji continues on, "These goblins are partly demonic, but not that much so; they're not scared of fire like all the other goblins- it's been said that they've been spawned from the very lavas of a volcano"
Suddenly realizing that he wasn't quite sure if he had heard his master's inebriated ramblings right, Kouji tries to piece together what he could remember about the oni-akas but then decides that it probably wouldn't matter anyways, so he lets his previous answer stand. "'Sides, I can alway check my notes later", Kouji thinks to himself as he helps his master turn in for the night. Afterwards, the hengeyokai lad comes back down to complete some last minute purchases from both the smith and the shopkeep, at half-off the regular price.
"Let's go now, and take the fight to our foes! The place is not far, so we can get there before the sun goes down."
"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."
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...
Akemi smiles at her new pupil's eagerness, "Normally we consider the bodies of the dead unclean, and I would not wish to handle such. If it is unavoidable, then you must cleanse yourself with bathing as soon as possible. This only pertains to physical contact."
She looks at the bodies, "Hmm... salt... an interesting method." before being drawn back to the conversation.
"Alcohol you may drink, in fact many of the rituals in - er, my home village, were fuelled by such." she looks sad for a moment.
"You know where the oni-aka camp? Do you think you could show us? I do not wish to place you in any more danger"
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
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.
"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
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 :)
I will fully describe the oni-aka campsite in greater detail if needed tomorrow...
Akemi looks over the weapons and chooses the kama, "This should do - I fear that the others may be dangerous without training." she pauses and adds "Which will come later."
She hefts her naginata and smiles.
Akemi looks over the weapons and chooses the kama, "This should do - I fear that the others may be dangerous without training." she pauses and adds "Which will come later."
She hefts her naginata and smiles.
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.).
Oni-Aka Encampment
The heroes take inventory of the grounds near the town. To this spot, Aeikhi the armor-smith led the party and believes wicked oni-aka camped before attacking the teahouse this morning. The grass appears trampled here, and small paths snake back to the main dirt road leading to town. Amid this general area, the heroes find the following things:
Small bits of cloth/clothing/fibers indicative of blankets or bedrolls.
Blackened wood within small stones circle, from a campfire, including a small spit.
Large brown rock, upon which rests a freshly (within one day) severed boar’s head.
Rudimentary cutlery, including a large fork and two knives and an encrusted ladle.
Leathered parchment, including what appears to be markings of the town and river ways.
Bone-carved dice, with painted pips.
Waterskin filled with sweet-smelling wine and funny-looking script drawn on the outside.
Fifteen dead- but featherless- birds strewn across the encampment.
Broken mirrors.
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.
Akemi inspects the smith, "Is this an old friend, this pain?" she asks.
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...
"They're really not that careful with their money, aren't they?"
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.
Akemi looks over the weapons and chooses the kama, "This should do - I fear that the others may be dangerous without training." she pauses and adds "Which will come later."
She hefts her naginata and smiles.
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.).
Kouji looks over the various weapons after Akemi and Aeikhi made their choice. In his mind's eye, he envisions the ginormous silver-gleaming nodaichi with radical ricepaper-thin multihued razor's edge that he would've liked to wield if he were a gigantic musclebound hero- but reality soon sets in, causing his wild imaginings to wither away like so many brittle leaves; the young shugenja had no real training with swords whatsoever. Kouji gives a sigh as he explains "I can't really use any of these weapons found".
Rolled a saving throw here, which happens to be a 3.
Kouji Information
** spoiler omitted **
Noticing that the older farmer who was gung-ho to go along and fight the oni-akas was nowhere to be found by the time all four of us were ready to head off to where the oni-akas were last seen, Kouji mutters, "Man, that old farmer was all talk and no action- probably got himself a big old hangover too from that party".
Oni-Aka Encampment
The heroes take inventory of the grounds near the town. To this spot, Aeikhi the armor-smith led the party and believes wicked oni-aka camped before attacking the teahouse this morning. The grass appears trampled here, and small paths snake back to the main dirt road leading to town. Amid this general area, the heroes find the following things:Small bits of cloth/clothing/fibers indicative of blankets or bedrolls.
Blackened wood within small stones circle, from a campfire, including a small spit.
Large brown rock, upon which rests a freshly (within one day) severed boar’s head.
Rudimentary cutlery, including a large fork and two knives and an encrusted ladle.
Leathered parchment, including what appears to be markings of the town and river ways.
Bone-carved dice, with painted pips.
Waterskin filled with sweet-smelling wine and funny-looking script drawn on the outside.
Fifteen dead- but featherless- birds strewn across the encampment.
Broken mirrors.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.
Akemi inspects the smith, "Is this an old friend, this pain?" she asks.
Takeshi takes stock of the oni-camp. His first priority is find out where the enemy has gone. There must be clues (the leather parchment, tracks indicative of a large group of people leaving camp in a certain direction) that can tell him where his prey has gone. Most importantly, he will make sure that the camp itself is not a big ambush.
1. I am under the impression that we killed the oni-aka prisoners. No point leaving those trouble-makers behind.
2. I got a 16 + 2 = 18 on my saving throw, boya!
Takeshi suddenly feels a sharp pain in his stomach. He quickly sits down and goes through a meditative chant that his half-ogre family has taught him. By the time he is finished, the ranger no longer feels the pain. "That's strange," he thought, "I don't usually get pain like this..." Takeshi then notices that Aeikhi is sitting on the rock holding his gut and Kouji's face has changed color.
"Akemi, we got a problem..."
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..."They're really not that careful with their money, aren't they?"
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:
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.
"Damn it, I was gonna try to calm the animal!"
Resigned, the Ranger quickly snaps off two shots at the wolf. (rolled 17 and 13, if successfully hit, rolled dmg 5 and 3)
"Hold on boy! We're coming!"
"Damn it, I was gonna try to calm the animal!"
Resigned, the Ranger quickly snaps off two shots at the wolf. (rolled 17 and 13, if successfully hit, rolled dmg 5 and 3)
"Hold on boy! We're coming!"
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.
"Oh, may Takitsu-hime forgives me..."
"I'll be right back, hang in there." Says Takeshi to Kouji, as he heads toward the young wolves in a slow pace, trying not to scare them off. Kneeling down, the Ranger presents the elder of the wolf pup with a dead bird. He then reaches out to the wolves with his hands, hoping that they would accept him.
"If the wilds, it's a dog eat dog world." Explains Takeshi to his companions. "These pups do not have a chance on their own. If they would have me, I will have to take care of them temporarily..."
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.
"Gomennasai, little one," says Takeshi, "but your mother has passed on. But in her place, I shall care for you. The ranger lets the pup nuzzle his dead mother for a little longer, then gently picks him up.
"So, Akemi, what's our next step? Normally, we would normally head toward here." Takeshi points to where the rat is on the map, simultaneous pivoting to prevent the curious pup from licking the parchment, "that's where our enemies are most visible. But..." Takeshi trails off as he looks at Kouji, Aeikhi, and the pups. "Our friends are wounded and frail. Our immediate priority should be to rest and then regroup. At the very least, we need to drop off Aeikhi and the pups at a safe place. I know a secluded hideout not to far from here. Unless there is something you really need to do at this camp, I say we head there as soon as possible."
"Another thing that concerns me is what happened to Aeikhi, Kouji, and me. I felt a sharp pain in my stomach as well, but was able to overcome it. Maybe the oni-akas had a way to poison us...but I highly doubt it..." Takeshi thinks pensively, "To affect all three of us, there must be a common source. We can speculate that the oni-akas poisoned Kagami's water, but if that's true, then everyone in town would be sick...Also, that means I wouldn't have been affected since I only got into town today..."
"Which means whatever happened must have taken place today, when all three of us are together." Deduces Takeshi, "There's the fight at the tea house, the interrogation, and the feast...but you were there during all these events, weren't you?"
Takeshi's eyes suddenly widened as he remembers something, "Akemi, did you eat any of Hitmoi's food?"
"No, I did not. I was fasting. You think the food may have been poisoned? Who would do such a thing?" Akemi asks in horror.
"I agree with your plan to get the cubs and this brave man somewhere safe. I would not like to see any more innocents become hurt on accoutn of us."
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..
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Takeshi acts quickly. He removes the arrows from the mother wolf's corpse and moves it out of the camp, covering it up with some vegetation. He then gathered the wolf pups and leads the party to his nearby safe haven. He also takes some time to cover their tracks so the enemy, when they realize they had uninvited guests, won't be able to find the heroes.
Once everyone is settled at the haven, Takeshi asks everyone, "Do you guys have idea how to counteract this poison? The easiest way is to wait till your bodies purge it. Or maybe we can go back and pay Hitomi a visit? I don't think he would expect that we will be back so soon. I imagine he'll have the antidote and answers to some interesting questions. Aeikhi, you're from the Kagami, what do you know about Hitomi?"
What Akemi knows about Hitomi
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...
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Takeshi acts quickly. He removes the arrows from the mother wolf's corpse and moves it out of the camp, covering it up with some vegetation. He then gathered the wolf pups and leads the party to his nearby safe haven. He also takes some time to cover their tracks so the enemy, when they realize they had uninvited guests, won't be able to find the heroes.
Once everyone is settled at the haven, Takeshi asks everyone, "Do you guys have idea how to counteract this poison? The easiest way is to wait till your bodies purge it. Or maybe we can go back and pay Hitomi a visit? I don't think he would expect that we will be back so soon. I imagine he'll have the antidote and answers to some interesting questions. Aeikhi, you're from the Kagami, what do you know about Hitomi?"
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Takeshi acts quickly. He removes the arrows from the mother wolf's corpse and moves it out of the camp, covering it up with some vegetation. He then gathered the wolf pups and leads the party to his nearby safe haven. He also takes some time to cover their tracks so the enemy, when they realize they had uninvited guests, won't be able to find the heroes.
Once everyone is settled at the haven, Takeshi asks everyone, "Do you guys have idea how to counteract this poison? The easiest way is to wait till your bodies purge it. Or maybe we can go back and pay Hitomi a visit? I don't think he would expect that we will be back so soon. I imagine he'll have the antidote and answers to some interesting questions. Aeikhi, you're from the Kagami, what do you know about Hitomi?"
addition to the XP bump, your party gets more interesting. I think we'll keep the storyline as constituted- no need to re-do the combat scene. Fair? Comments?
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…
As his unexplained sharp stomach pain has the young hengeyokai slumping down upon the ground, among his thoughts were things to the effect of "That old farmer got himself too sick to come then", "Now that's why all those birds have no feathers left on them", and "What was in those dumplings and sushi?". Those thoughts eventually get pushed aside as the wolf comes into Kouji's pain-stricken attention with "What's he doing here?".
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.
A different but no less sharp pain coming from his shoulder as the wolf bites down with a slight shake of it's hairy muzzle would've had the young lad wondering which pain happened to be worse, if Kouji wasn't so disoriented from his condition.
"Damn it, I was gonna try to calm the animal!"
Resigned, the Ranger quickly snaps off two shots at the wolf.
"Hold on boy! We're coming!"
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.
"Oh, may Takitsu-hime forgives me..."
"I'll be right back, hang in there." Says Takeshi to Kouji, as
he heads toward the young wolves in a slow pace, trying not to
scare them off. Kneeling down, the Ranger presents the elder of
the wolf pup with a dead bird. He then reaches out to the
wolves with his hands, hoping that they would accept him."If the wilds, it's a dog eat dog world." Explains Takeshi to
his companions. "These pups do not have a chance on their own.
If they would have me, I will have to take care of them temporarily..."
The second pain subsides as Takeshi's aim hits true and the dazed Shugenja finds himself having a dead wolf slumped over on his legs. The rest of Takeshi's words come in blur, but between the sharp pains in his stomach and the wet numbness on his shoulder where the elder wolf bit him, the young Shugenja is somehow able to make out that the group had gotten himself some new and unexpected companions.
"So, Akemi, what's our next step? Normally, we would normally head toward here." Takeshi points to where the rat is on the map, simultaneous pivoting to prevent the curious pup from licking the parchment, "that's where our enemies are most visible. But..." Takeshi trails off as he looks at Kouji, Aeikhi, and the pups. "Our friends are wounded and frail. Our immediate priority should be to rest and then regroup. At the very least, we need to drop off Aeikhi and the pups at a safe place. I know a secluded hideout not to far from here. Unless there is something you really need to do at this camp, I say we head there as soon as possible."
"Another thing that concerns me is what happened to Aeikhi, Kouji, and me. I felt a sharp pain in my stomach as well, but was able to overcome it. Maybe the oni-akas had a way to poison us...but I highly doubt it..." Takeshi thinks pensively, "To affect all three of us, there must be a common source. We can speculate that the oni-akas poisoned Kagami's water, but if that's true, then everyone in town would be sick...Also, that means I wouldn't have been affected since I only got into town today..."
"Which means whatever happened must have taken place today, when all three of us are together." Deduces Takeshi, "There's the fight at the tea house, the interrogation, and the feast...but you were there during all these events, weren't you?"
Takeshi's eyes suddenly widened as he remembers something, "Akemi, did you eat any of Hitmoi's food?"
"No, I did not. I was fasting. You think the food may have been poisoned? Who would do such a thing?" Akemi asks in horror.
"I agree with your plan to get the cubs and this brave man somewhere safe. I would not like to see any more innocents become hurt on accoutn of us."
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..
Upon hearing the possibility of the food being poisoned, Kouji could scarcely believe it himself, but his chockingly painful vomiting plus the sticky sour-smelling substance coating his mouth puts an end to any disbelief that the young shugenja may have had about the whole thing.
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Takeshi acts quickly. He removes the arrows from the mother wolf's corpse and moves it out of the camp, covering it up with some vegetation. He then gathered the wolf pups and leads the party to his nearby safe haven. He also takes some time to cover their tracks so the enemy, when they realize they had uninvited guests, won't
be able to find the heroes.Once everyone is settled at the haven, Takeshi asks everyone, "Do you guys have idea how to counteract this poison? The easiest way is to wait till your bodies purge it. Or maybe we can go back and pay Hitomi a visit? I don't think he would expect that we will be back so soon. I imagine he'll have the antidote and answers to some interesting questions. Aeikhi, you're from the Kagami, what do you know about Hitomi?"
Between the vomiting and the short break from Takeshi wiping out any traces of the companions being at the oni-aka encampment, Kouji and Aeikhi were able make it to the safe haven with the help of both the ranger and Akemi. Unable to answer Takesh's question about the poison, Kouji lets out a low groan as he remembers leaving some of those poisoned dumplings and sushi for his master to eat once he got over his drunkeness. "Oh no, my master's going to kill me for leaving him those poisoned food- I just know it!".
"I... know someone who could perhaps be of aid to us." Akemi says carefully.
"Hitomi may hold the key to this illness that has gripped you, my friends."
Takeshi's Haven, for Takeshi
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...
|
After settling the puppies in, Takeshi gathers his companions around him. "This place, marked by the rat, must be where our enemy is damming the river. I believe that when we confront them, we'll be facing more than just the oni-akas. Kouji, you seem to be pretty knowledgeable, what do you know of rat monsters?"
"Why rat? There has been several clues, but I wasn't too sure until the oni camp. There were rat scratchings near the eating utensils and fire spit. Also, the marker on the map is a rat. Let's not forget that some of the coins carried by the oni-akas also had a rat. Coincidence? I think not."
"I say we rest a bit so our young shugenja here can recharge his magic. Once we're good to go, we'll travel to the dam and hit it at night. What say you all?"
"Yezumi?" Akemi ponders, "Yes, I suppose it could be rat-goblins..."
"So there are rat-goblins..." says the Ranger, "what are they like?"
<snip>
"I say we rest a bit so our young shugenja here can recharge his magic. Once we're good to go, we'll travel to the dam and hit it at night. What say you all?"
"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
Akemi, please roll a d20. If the result is less than you Intelligence, please know
"Well, let me see, there are so many different legends, it's difficult to know truth from lie. Perhaps there are many different kinds.." Akemi muses.
"Very well, I shall tell you what I have heard. They live in burrows, or some have been known to live in seedier areas of cities, where they can be mistaken for particularly filthy humans. Some of them might look like that and be able to turn into a giant rat. But some people say that they look like rats who walk on two legs, and speak their own rat-language. It's all most confusing."
"I'm sure I shall remember more as we travel.
"Well, let me see, there are so many different legends, it's difficult to know truth from lie. Perhaps there are many different kinds.." Akemi muses.
"Very well, I shall tell you what I have heard. They live in burrows, or some have been known to live in seedier areas of cities, where they can be mistaken for particularly filthy humans. Some of them might look like that and be able to turn into a giant rat. But some people say that they look like rats who walk on two legs, and speak their own rat-language. It's all most confusing."
"I'm sure I shall remember more as we travel.
** spoiler omitted **
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?
After settling the puppies in, Takeshi gathers his companions around him. "This place, marked by the rat, must be where our enemy is damming the river. I believe that when we confront them, we'll be facing more than just the oni-akas. Kouji, you seem to be pretty knowledgeable, what do you know of rat monsters?"
"Why rat? There has been several clues, but I wasn't too sure until the oni camp. There were rat scratchings near the eating utensils and fire spit. Also, the marker on the map is a rat. Let's not forget that some of the coins carried by the oni-akas also had a rat. Coincidence? I think not."
"Yezumi?" Akemi ponders, "Yes, I suppose it could be rat-goblins..."
"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.
"Well, let me see, there are so many different legends, it's difficult to know truth from lie. Perhaps there are many different kinds.." Akemi muses.
"Very well, I shall tell you what I have heard. They live in burrows, or some have been known to live in seedier areas of cities, where they can be mistaken for particularly filthy humans. Some of them might look like that and be able to turn into a giant rat. But some people say that they look like rats who walk on two legs, and speak their own rat-language. It's all most confusing."
"I'm sure I shall remember more as we travel.
Under normal circumstances, the studious young shugenja would've remembered something, but given his recovery from his poisoned condition, in addition to the constant feeling of weakness, awful taste in his mouth, and nausea, Kouji is hardly able to give much of any answer- luckily, Akemi's recollections of Nezumis comes at an opportune time, and the young hengeyokai lad gratefully flashes a small smile of relief to where the temple maiden is at.
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?
.
With the brief reprieve offered by Akemi's knowledge of the rat goblins, Kouji tentatively gets back on his feet- feeling a bit wobbly and woozy, but still able to keep standing upright with a bit of effort.
"If I can get to him before he wakes... Maybe I can try to get to my master by way of flying..."
The young hengeyokai lad steps outside the safe haven and begins his transformation into his sparrow form, his normal caution about transforming in front of non-hengeyokais temporarily suspended due to the cobwebs in his head from the poisoning.
Akemi bows to the brave armourer, "Your spirit is strong. I think you are apt to take care of one of the pups."