carpedavid's Land of the Crane (Updated 11 May, 2006)
LOL, half-orc! I thought the same thing, but would never be brave enough to acually permanently record the thought.
As for the picture of Fukasu, I had expected a darker and more foreboding external to contrast with the lighter internal spirit. A lesson not to judge a book by its covers. But then again in anime ALL non-crones are spritely bright eyed teens, right?
As for the picture of Fukasu, I had expected a darker and more foreboding external to contrast with the lighter internal spirit. A lesson not to judge a book by its covers. But then again in anime ALL non-crones are spritely bright eyed teens, right?
carpedavid
First Post
TDRandall said:But then again in anime ALL non-crones are spritely bright eyed teens, right?
Yeah - it's definitely an anime version of Fukasu. If anyone out there feels inspired to create something a bit more realistic, I'd love to see it
.Kiwifudgechocobo
First Post
I think we might all have a more dark image of Fukasu in our minds. Though at the same time, some of her comments/actions are definitely more scary if you picture the light-hearted anime version of Fukasu doing them...
Great, now I have an image of the anime Fukasu calmly stabbing a ninja's kidney out, flashing a smile, and giggling like a cheerleader...
Great, now I have an image of the anime Fukasu calmly stabbing a ninja's kidney out, flashing a smile, and giggling like a cheerleader...
carpedavid
First Post
Kiwifudgechocobo said:
...or holding up the severed head of an enemy, flashing the "cute anime girl face," and exclaimaing, "Kawaii!!!!!"
As an aside to my players, I'm probably going to commission the same artist to do a portrait of Keiko (Note to readers: not Takayama Keiko, the evil witch who just got killed, but a young character yet to be introduced here). I think her style would fit the little girl quite well.
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Ivy Sylvan
First Post
Yeah, that is so not the picture of Fukasu that I have in my head. I was very disappointed in her rendering, but I guess that's what anime's all about. Given your latest imaginings though, she could grow on me.
carpedavid
First Post
Uzumaki
Now that Iron DM is over, we return you to our regularly scheduled updates!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Kakeru groaned. Why Nakamura? Why now?
For over three hundred years, the Nakamura clan has been the largest producer of jade in all of Tanayari, controlling nearly fifty percent of the total supply. For just as long, they have coveted the Watanabe clan's tiny, mountainous han, which produces about five percent of the jade in circulation*. And, for just as long, Kurosawa has sent troops to aid Watanabe in the defense of its borders.
The Kurosawa dynasty has aided Watanabe for two reasons. Superficially, a loose alliance was formed between the two clans when a distant cousin of the first Kurosawa daimyo married a distant cousin of the first Watanabe daimyo. More important, though, is the fact that the Watanabe lands lie directly between those of Kurosawa and Nakamura. The tiny, mountainous han acts as a very convenient shield against Nakamura's constant warmongering.
"You are not welcome in these lands, Nakamura-san," Musashi said forcefully as he climbed down from the wagon.
Uzumaki scowled at the young samurai, "I do not care if I am welcome or not." He waved toward the side of the road, "Now move aside."
"Nakamura-san," Musashi punctuated each word with a pause, "You are not welcome in these lands." As he closed the distance toward the other samurai, his hand moved toward the hilt of his sword.
"Kurosawa dogs, your very presence insults my ancestors!" Uzumaki spat.
Musashi's face turned bright red. "Enough!" he shouted as he drew his katana and charged. His iron blade shone in the mid-morning sun, but the other samurai was quick, and the edge of his blade glinted as well.
Uzumaki met the young warrior half-way, his own sword raised high above his head. When the two samurai closed within striking distance, Uzumaki dropped his weight into his lower torso, and slammed the katana down into Musashi's shoulder.
The young Kurosawa samurai suppressed a scream as the razor-sharp blade cut into his flesh, but the pain caused him to panic, and he swung reflexively. As a result, the blow glanced harmlessly off of his opponent's armor.
Oh, crap! Takashi thought as the rest of the party tumbled, climbed, and jumped down from the wagon. While the heroes rushed to their friend's aid, Uzumaki once again slammed his blade into Musashi's torso. Takashi crashed through the trees, snapping off branches and catching leaves in his robes as he circled outside the range of Uzumaki's katana. Fukasu used her wings to loft herself into the air, and then tumbled over the older man's head, landing only a few paces behind him.
Kyoji edged past Musashi and threw a roundhouse kick at the Nakamura samurai's head. Uzumaki saw the kick out of the corner of his eye and ducked. While he watched the kick sail over his head, Fukasu took advantage of the distraction, and plunged her ninja-to between the tiles of his ceramic armor. Takashi burst through the tree line in an explosion of leaves and twigs and slammed his fist into Uzumaki's side. The Nakamura man grunted, but stood fast.
Kakeru dashed up behind Musashi and placed his hands on the center of his back. A bright blue flash of light swirled around the young samurai as the ancestral spirits of Kurosawa restored his vitality. Musashi raised his katana high over his head, let out a great kiai, and smashed his blade into his opponent's shoulder.
As Uzumaki thrust his blade toward Musashi's chest, Takashi jabbed him in the ribs. As a result, the blade sliced shallowly, instead of penetrating deeply. Fukasu followed with another precision strike, and then Kyoji stunned the Nakamura samurai with a ki-powered blow.
Musashi stepped forward, prepared to deliver the killing blow, and stumbled over a rock. His katana hit nothing but the ground at his feet. Fortunately, Takashi followed his strike with one of his own: a snap kick to the side of Uzumaki's head sent him sprawling to the ground. The young Kurosawa samurai let out another great kiai and buried his katana in the unconscious man's chest. With that, Nakamura Uzumaki was dead.
"Burn him," Musashi growled as he yanked his blade out of the corpse.
Hours later, the five heroes from Kurosawa left the lands controlled by their clan. The environment didn't look any different from that with which they were familiar, but it certainly felt different to each of them. Musashi entered a state of hyper-vigilance, nearly flying out of the cart at the movement of every bird and branch. Fukasu fidgeted nervously in her spot in the back of the cart, and occasionally took to the air to stretch her wings. Kakeru's thoughts were consumed by the newly acquired sake, and hoped that no bandits would attempt to steal it.
Over the next few days, the company encountered an ogre, which they dispensed with summarily, and little else. Their time was spent riding, resting, and worrying. On the 20th of Yongatsu, Kakeru reined in Yagi when the came to a fork in the road.
Sitting in the lotus position directly in the middle of the fork was an elderly man, whose visible flesh was covered in a thick, gray fur. As the cart stopped, he looked up and smiled broadly, whereupon the group realized that he was one of the vanara - the capricious race of ape-men. He bowed respectfully to the group, and said in a wizened voice, "Welcome travelers."
"Greetings, venerable sir," Kakeru said as he returned the bow from his perch at the front of the wagon, "We are humble travelers from Kurosawa, on our way to deliver an offering to the Fire Crane."
"I am Hanzo," the vanara answered, "and I am here to offer you guidance."
"Guidance?"
"On which path to take."
"Ah," Kakeru replied as he scratched his head in confusion.
Musashi nervously shifted his weight from one leg to the other, for he could feel an air of extreme power emanating from the old man, despite, and perhaps because of, his serene countenance.
"I act as a guidepost of sorts," the old man grinned.
"Ok," Kakeru replied, "Well, what's down the left path?"
"Ah, to the left is the Valley of Spiders. Very dangerous."
"I see," Kakeru said without any trace of confidence, "I preseume that it's filled with lots of spiders?"
"Oh, yes, quite."
"Hmm. And down the right path?"
"To the right is the City of Pillars. Also, very dangerous."
Where have I heard of that, Kakeru thought to himself. It must have been one of Grandfather's speeches. He spent a moment trying to recall what he had only half-paid attention to originally. Oh, he finally remembered, that's right. It's supposed to be filled with undead naga. "That's the place with the undead naga, isn't it?"
"Oh, yes, you are quite correct."
Kakeru sighed inwardly - this wasn't going to be easy.
Musashi took advantage of the lull in the conversation to ask his own questions. "What's to the west of here, off the path?"
The vanara looked off to his left, "Those are uninhabited lands. Much too dangerous."
"And to the east?"
The vanara turned and looked off to his right, "Too far that way, and you will encounter the Warlords of Xin. Also, much too dangerous."
"Well, I guess those are out," Musashi said dryly.
"That leaves the Valley of Spiders or the City of Pillars, doesn't it?" Fukasu asked. Kakeru and Musashi nodded grimly.
"So," Takashi asked as he turned to the others, "Which flavor of certain death do you prefer?"
Next: A blind taste-test. Of doooooooooom...
Notes:
* Watanabe is famous for its Shirohisui River, which carries pebbles and boulders of white jade with it as it flows down from the peak of Mt. Nantokakantoka
Now that Iron DM is over, we return you to our regularly scheduled updates!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Kakeru groaned. Why Nakamura? Why now?
For over three hundred years, the Nakamura clan has been the largest producer of jade in all of Tanayari, controlling nearly fifty percent of the total supply. For just as long, they have coveted the Watanabe clan's tiny, mountainous han, which produces about five percent of the jade in circulation*. And, for just as long, Kurosawa has sent troops to aid Watanabe in the defense of its borders.
The Kurosawa dynasty has aided Watanabe for two reasons. Superficially, a loose alliance was formed between the two clans when a distant cousin of the first Kurosawa daimyo married a distant cousin of the first Watanabe daimyo. More important, though, is the fact that the Watanabe lands lie directly between those of Kurosawa and Nakamura. The tiny, mountainous han acts as a very convenient shield against Nakamura's constant warmongering.
"You are not welcome in these lands, Nakamura-san," Musashi said forcefully as he climbed down from the wagon.
Uzumaki scowled at the young samurai, "I do not care if I am welcome or not." He waved toward the side of the road, "Now move aside."
"Nakamura-san," Musashi punctuated each word with a pause, "You are not welcome in these lands." As he closed the distance toward the other samurai, his hand moved toward the hilt of his sword.
"Kurosawa dogs, your very presence insults my ancestors!" Uzumaki spat.
Musashi's face turned bright red. "Enough!" he shouted as he drew his katana and charged. His iron blade shone in the mid-morning sun, but the other samurai was quick, and the edge of his blade glinted as well.
Uzumaki met the young warrior half-way, his own sword raised high above his head. When the two samurai closed within striking distance, Uzumaki dropped his weight into his lower torso, and slammed the katana down into Musashi's shoulder.
The young Kurosawa samurai suppressed a scream as the razor-sharp blade cut into his flesh, but the pain caused him to panic, and he swung reflexively. As a result, the blow glanced harmlessly off of his opponent's armor.
Oh, crap! Takashi thought as the rest of the party tumbled, climbed, and jumped down from the wagon. While the heroes rushed to their friend's aid, Uzumaki once again slammed his blade into Musashi's torso. Takashi crashed through the trees, snapping off branches and catching leaves in his robes as he circled outside the range of Uzumaki's katana. Fukasu used her wings to loft herself into the air, and then tumbled over the older man's head, landing only a few paces behind him.
Kyoji edged past Musashi and threw a roundhouse kick at the Nakamura samurai's head. Uzumaki saw the kick out of the corner of his eye and ducked. While he watched the kick sail over his head, Fukasu took advantage of the distraction, and plunged her ninja-to between the tiles of his ceramic armor. Takashi burst through the tree line in an explosion of leaves and twigs and slammed his fist into Uzumaki's side. The Nakamura man grunted, but stood fast.
Kakeru dashed up behind Musashi and placed his hands on the center of his back. A bright blue flash of light swirled around the young samurai as the ancestral spirits of Kurosawa restored his vitality. Musashi raised his katana high over his head, let out a great kiai, and smashed his blade into his opponent's shoulder.
As Uzumaki thrust his blade toward Musashi's chest, Takashi jabbed him in the ribs. As a result, the blade sliced shallowly, instead of penetrating deeply. Fukasu followed with another precision strike, and then Kyoji stunned the Nakamura samurai with a ki-powered blow.
Musashi stepped forward, prepared to deliver the killing blow, and stumbled over a rock. His katana hit nothing but the ground at his feet. Fortunately, Takashi followed his strike with one of his own: a snap kick to the side of Uzumaki's head sent him sprawling to the ground. The young Kurosawa samurai let out another great kiai and buried his katana in the unconscious man's chest. With that, Nakamura Uzumaki was dead.
"Burn him," Musashi growled as he yanked his blade out of the corpse.
Hours later, the five heroes from Kurosawa left the lands controlled by their clan. The environment didn't look any different from that with which they were familiar, but it certainly felt different to each of them. Musashi entered a state of hyper-vigilance, nearly flying out of the cart at the movement of every bird and branch. Fukasu fidgeted nervously in her spot in the back of the cart, and occasionally took to the air to stretch her wings. Kakeru's thoughts were consumed by the newly acquired sake, and hoped that no bandits would attempt to steal it.
Over the next few days, the company encountered an ogre, which they dispensed with summarily, and little else. Their time was spent riding, resting, and worrying. On the 20th of Yongatsu, Kakeru reined in Yagi when the came to a fork in the road.
Sitting in the lotus position directly in the middle of the fork was an elderly man, whose visible flesh was covered in a thick, gray fur. As the cart stopped, he looked up and smiled broadly, whereupon the group realized that he was one of the vanara - the capricious race of ape-men. He bowed respectfully to the group, and said in a wizened voice, "Welcome travelers."
"Greetings, venerable sir," Kakeru said as he returned the bow from his perch at the front of the wagon, "We are humble travelers from Kurosawa, on our way to deliver an offering to the Fire Crane."
"I am Hanzo," the vanara answered, "and I am here to offer you guidance."
"Guidance?"
"On which path to take."
"Ah," Kakeru replied as he scratched his head in confusion.
Musashi nervously shifted his weight from one leg to the other, for he could feel an air of extreme power emanating from the old man, despite, and perhaps because of, his serene countenance.
"I act as a guidepost of sorts," the old man grinned.
"Ok," Kakeru replied, "Well, what's down the left path?"
"Ah, to the left is the Valley of Spiders. Very dangerous."
"I see," Kakeru said without any trace of confidence, "I preseume that it's filled with lots of spiders?"
"Oh, yes, quite."
"Hmm. And down the right path?"
"To the right is the City of Pillars. Also, very dangerous."
Where have I heard of that, Kakeru thought to himself. It must have been one of Grandfather's speeches. He spent a moment trying to recall what he had only half-paid attention to originally. Oh, he finally remembered, that's right. It's supposed to be filled with undead naga. "That's the place with the undead naga, isn't it?"
"Oh, yes, you are quite correct."
Kakeru sighed inwardly - this wasn't going to be easy.
Musashi took advantage of the lull in the conversation to ask his own questions. "What's to the west of here, off the path?"
The vanara looked off to his left, "Those are uninhabited lands. Much too dangerous."
"And to the east?"
The vanara turned and looked off to his right, "Too far that way, and you will encounter the Warlords of Xin. Also, much too dangerous."
"Well, I guess those are out," Musashi said dryly.
"That leaves the Valley of Spiders or the City of Pillars, doesn't it?" Fukasu asked. Kakeru and Musashi nodded grimly.
"So," Takashi asked as he turned to the others, "Which flavor of certain death do you prefer?"
Next: A blind taste-test. Of doooooooooom...
Notes:
* Watanabe is famous for its Shirohisui River, which carries pebbles and boulders of white jade with it as it flows down from the peak of Mt. Nantokakantoka
carpedavid
First Post
Just to let those of you who are still reading out there (I think there are still a couple of you ) know, I've decided to try to adapt the Land of the Crane to the True20 system (published by Green Ronin) in order to submit it for their True20 Setting Search. As a result, updates may be sparse whilst I pour my creative energy into that. And yes, I'm not a publisher - yet. I'm working on putting together some .pdf adventures that might seem somewhat familiar (or will seem familiar, if you keep up with the story).
Other than lots of writing, it's going to require excising some of the WotC stuff. Fortunatly, I think my group and I are already pretty far along as far as that goes.
If anyone has any questions about the conversion, what's likely to be included, etc, I'd be happy to answer them here. Thanks to everyone who has been keeping me writing so far, and stay tuned for the further adventures of Kakeru, Fukasu, Musashi, Takashi, and Kyoji.
) know, I've decided to try to adapt the Land of the Crane to the True20 system (published by Green Ronin) in order to submit it for their True20 Setting Search. As a result, updates may be sparse whilst I pour my creative energy into that. And yes, I'm not a publisher - yet. I'm working on putting together some .pdf adventures that might seem somewhat familiar (or will seem familiar, if you keep up with the story).Other than lots of writing, it's going to require excising some of the WotC stuff. Fortunatly, I think my group and I are already pretty far along as far as that goes.
If anyone has any questions about the conversion, what's likely to be included, etc, I'd be happy to answer them here. Thanks to everyone who has been keeping me writing so far, and stay tuned for the further adventures of Kakeru, Fukasu, Musashi, Takashi, and Kyoji.
carpedavid
First Post
Valley of the Spiders, Part 1
Hi folks,
Well, the setting is complete and has been sent off to Green Ronin, and first two products I've produced are on sale at RPGNow. Oh, and IvySylvan and I got married! Yep, we eloped. So, I guess that means it's time for an update!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After several minutes of discussion, the party decided that killing spiders sounded easier than killing undead naga. After all, they had each killed spiders before; one swift stomp equals spider goo, right? They certainly hoped so.
They set up camp near the entrance to the valley, and bedded down for the night. The next morning, Kakeru hitched Yagi up to the cart, everyone climbed aboard, and the group pressed on. The fields and forest quickly disappeared as they entered the valley. It's more like a canyon, Kakeru thought as the cart bounced and rattled over the rocky ground. The rocky walls of the valley rose steeply on either side, casting long shadows in front of them.
Musashi examined the terrain. He quickly realized that they were in a strategically poor position. Fukasu would be able to fly out, but the rest of them would be trapped at the bottom of the valley. He suspected that the monks might be able to climb out, but not quickly, from the look of it. Well, if we can't get out that way, he thought, we'll just have to push through.
Directly in front of them, stood two huge, rock outcroppings, and between them, spider silk drifted lazily in the breeze. Kakeru brought the cart to a stop, and Kyoji hopped out. "I'll take a look and see what's ahead," he said stoically.
He was unsure what he might encounter, but he didn't want any of his new friends to accidentally wander into a nest or get jumped on by those little, furry, grey spiders that occasionally fell on him while he slept at the Temple of the Silent Lake. All those eyes and legs and the creepy crawling across your skin; the thought caused him to shiver, but he shook off the feeling as he crept carefully toward the outcroppings.
Suddenly, a ten-foot diameter section of rock and dirt burst open at his feet, and a spider the size of a horse lunged out from below. It narrowly missed his head with its foot-long fangs, which were dripping a thick, amber liquid. "Holy!" he screamed as he reflexively punched it in the middle of its eight, black, saucer-sized eyes.
"Ahhhh!" Fukasu screamed, "Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!"
Musashi drew his katana and charged, only to see three more monstrosities appear over the top and sides of the outcroppings. Ancestors, protect us, he thought to himself as he cleaved through the carapace of the trap-door spider. Black ichor sprayed everywhere as the spider twitched on the end of his blade.
"Look out, Musashi-kun!" Fukasu yelled as the spider on the right-most outcropping turned and pointed its hindquarters at him. The young samurai looked up just in time to see a thick rope of spider silk slam into him. He tried to wriggle free, but the webbing stuck fast, and he quickly realized that his struggles only served to entangle him more.
One of the two spiders on the left outcropping threw its silk at Kyoji, but the young monk was quicker than Musashi, and was able to dodge out of its path. Takashi dashed forward, but stopped short, since all three of the monstrous spiders were well out of his reach.
Kakeru took a deep breath, closed his eyes, envisioned the spiders in front of him, and intoned, "O, great ancestors, please fill our enemies with confusion and doubt. Prevent their fangs from finding purchase and their silk from sticking." He wasn't sure if monstrous spiders had intelligence enough to be confused, but he figured that invoking the spirits of his ancestors couldn't hurt.
Kyoji began to climb the left outcropping, in an effort to reach the nearest spider, but wasn't able to get very far before Fukasu swooped in. She attempted to stab the arachnid with her ninja-to, but only succeeded in annoying it enough to move; unfortunately, it had only one place to go - it jumped right onto Kyoji, knocking him to the ground. "Wah! Sorry Kyoji-san!" Fukasu yelled as the spider chomped down on the monk's neck.
Kyoji could feel the poison course through his veins, burning and numbing at the same time. He tried to push the furry creature off of him, but he immediately realized that the venom had sapped his strength.
Musashi gave a great shout and managed to wriggle his arms free enough that he could cut through the webbing with his katana. He was in the process of shoving the sticky silk off of his legs when the second spider on the left outcropping jumped to the ground. It didn't land on him, but it did land close enough to lunge forward and catch him with its fangs. He grimaced as the poison pumped into him, but the large geyser of blood that spurted out of his shoulder when the spider drew back carried the poison right back out.
Takashi and Kakeru both joined the fight. Takashi pushed past Musashi and slammed an elbow into the spider threatening the samurai, while Kakeru slammed a palm into the spider on top of Kyoji. The momentum added by Kakeru's blow was enough to allow Kyoji to push the spider off of him and tumble back up to his feet.
Fukasu fluttered to the ground behind the spider, and managed to slice off one of its legs. Black spider goo spurted out of the wound, but it remained upright. A kick from Kakeru's gata-clad foot finished it off, caving in its carapace and sending it tumbling to the ground.
The remaining two spiders concentrated their efforts on Musashi. He slashed at one and then the other as they repeatedly lunged at him, trying to impale him with their fangs. Takashi ducked and tumbled under the samurai's katana as he, too, attacked both creatures. Sword and fist, fist and sword, the two warriors kept the spiders from advancing.
As Kakeru, Kyoji, and Fukasu moved in to help, the spider that initially entangled Musashi fell to the young samurai's blade. The remaining spider did not go down easily, though. While Musashi hacked at it with his katana, Takashi pounded it with his fists. Fukasu flew over the group and flanked the spider, hoping to distract it, while Kyoji tumbled through the narrow space between the spider and the outcropping in order to get in position from which he could attack.
Kakeru, realizing that spider was flanked front to back by his four companions and side to side by the rock outcroppings, did the only thing he could think of: climb. He scrambled up the side of the rock as the spider once again brutally attacked Musashi.
While the monks, the samurai, and the ninja hit and slashed and jabbed the spider, the young shaman hefted his bulk up into position on top of the outcropping. The spider bit into Musashi again, and Kakeru knew that his childhood friend wouldn't be able to take much more punishment. He pushed himself up onto his feet, then turned, took a deep breath, and jumped onto the back of the spider.
As he slammed into the creature with his fist, driving his full weight into the creature's abdomen, he was rewarded with a sickening crack. The spider's exoskeleton exploded under his bulk, splattering all of his companions with chitinous shards and a viscous, black goop. Kakeru looked up and smiled.
"Nice," Takashi nodded as he looked at Kakeru with a newfound respect.
"Sweet," Kyoji said, as he offered the young shaman a hand in climbing out of the dead spider's remains.
"Thank you, Kakeru-kun," Musashi bowed as he sheathed his katana. He wobbled for a moment, and then fell to one knee.
Kakeru rushed to the young samurai's side. He could see that Musashi had sustained numerous wounds, and, despite the coating of spider guts, that he was covered in far too much blood. He placed his hands on Musashi's shoulders and called upon the benevolent spirits of Takama no Hara to heal his friend. A familiar blue glow washed over Musashi, sealing his wounds and renewing his vitality.
"Is anyone else hurt?" Kakeru asked.
Fukasu and Takashi both shook their heads, but Kyoji nodded. "I think that spider poison affected me," he said shakily.
Hmmm, Kakeru thought, I wonder if I can fix that?
As the shaman meditated on which spirits he would need to call, Fukasu surveyed the scene of the battle. While the one spider was completely destroyed, the legs and mandibles of the others were still twitching. Ugh, how creepy, she thought. Then she looked down at herself. Ewww, I'm all covered in spider guts! She caught the twitching of one carcass out of the corner of her eye, and a chill ran down her spine, so she turned her attention back to her friends.
Several minutes later, Kakeru walked over to Kyoji and placed a hand on his shoulder. He could feel the ground tremble slightly beneath his feet as the spirits of the mountain rose up to renew the young monk.
"Thank you, Kakeru-san," Kyoji said as he felt his strength return.
"Think nothing of it."
With everyone healed, Kakeru retrieved Yagi and the cart, and the party pushed on. As they rumbled away, Fukasu meekly tapped her cousin on the shoulder.
"Kakeru-kun?"
"Yes, Fu-chan?" Kakeru replied.
"Are they still twitching?" she asked, trying to avoid looking back at the spider carcasses.
Kakeru craned his neck to look behind them. "Yep."
"Ewww," she said with a shiver.
The rocky terrain made movement slow, as Kakeru had to be careful to choose the path that would put the least strain on the cart's wheels. Thirty minutes of heightened vigilance later, the five pilgrims from Kurosawa had navigated several twists and turns of the valley, and now stood in front of a natural bridge that spanned a wide chasm.
The five heroes climbed out to survey the scene. Kyoji, Fukasu, and Musashi peered down into the chasm, and collectively gasped in horror. The fifty feet of empty space was filled from wall to wall with gigantic spider webs. Moreover, they could see movement down there – lots of movement, down beneath the dozens of layers of silk.
"How many do you think are down there?" Fukasu said quietly.
"Too many for us to fight," replied Musashi.
Meanwhile, Kakeru and Takashi examined the bridge. Kakeru thought it looked stable enough, but it was barely wide enough for the cart to fit. He would have to be very careful.
"Kakeru-san," Takashi whispered, as he craned his neck to get a better look at the underside of the bridge, "We may have a problem."
Kakeru walked over to where the monk was standing, and immediately saw what Takashi was referring to: hanging underneath the bridge were hundreds upon hundreds of giant egg sacks, each attached by a thin silk thread. He realized that careful was right out – they would have to cross as fast as possible.
The five heroes regrouped and shared their findings. They all agreed that trying to get across as quickly as possible was the best plan. Fukasu would fly, while everyone else would ride in the cart. Kakeru led the cart up to the edge of the bridge, and then leaned down to whisper to his horse, "Okay, Yagi, let's make this quick."
He nodded to Fukasu, who took to the air, and then snapped the reins. Yagi took off at a full gallop, and the cart raced across the bridge. It bounced and rattled and slammed its occupants against each other as it rumbled over the uneven ground. Kakeru gritted his teeth as he urged Yagi on, hoping to make it across before they were noticed.
Underneath the bridge, however, the vibrations caused by Yagi's gallop and the bouncing cart caused the egg sacks to sway to and fro, stretching the silk used to hold them up. Strands of spider silk ripped and tore as the sacks were jostled. Then, at just about the point when the cart reached the center of the bridge, the egg sacks began to fall, tumbling briefly through the cool spring air, before slamming into the spider-filled mass of webbing below.
To be continued...
Hi folks,
Well, the setting is complete and has been sent off to Green Ronin, and first two products I've produced are on sale at RPGNow. Oh, and IvySylvan and I got married! Yep, we eloped. So, I guess that means it's time for an update!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After several minutes of discussion, the party decided that killing spiders sounded easier than killing undead naga. After all, they had each killed spiders before; one swift stomp equals spider goo, right? They certainly hoped so.
They set up camp near the entrance to the valley, and bedded down for the night. The next morning, Kakeru hitched Yagi up to the cart, everyone climbed aboard, and the group pressed on. The fields and forest quickly disappeared as they entered the valley. It's more like a canyon, Kakeru thought as the cart bounced and rattled over the rocky ground. The rocky walls of the valley rose steeply on either side, casting long shadows in front of them.
Musashi examined the terrain. He quickly realized that they were in a strategically poor position. Fukasu would be able to fly out, but the rest of them would be trapped at the bottom of the valley. He suspected that the monks might be able to climb out, but not quickly, from the look of it. Well, if we can't get out that way, he thought, we'll just have to push through.
Directly in front of them, stood two huge, rock outcroppings, and between them, spider silk drifted lazily in the breeze. Kakeru brought the cart to a stop, and Kyoji hopped out. "I'll take a look and see what's ahead," he said stoically.
He was unsure what he might encounter, but he didn't want any of his new friends to accidentally wander into a nest or get jumped on by those little, furry, grey spiders that occasionally fell on him while he slept at the Temple of the Silent Lake. All those eyes and legs and the creepy crawling across your skin; the thought caused him to shiver, but he shook off the feeling as he crept carefully toward the outcroppings.
Suddenly, a ten-foot diameter section of rock and dirt burst open at his feet, and a spider the size of a horse lunged out from below. It narrowly missed his head with its foot-long fangs, which were dripping a thick, amber liquid. "Holy
!" he screamed as he reflexively punched it in the middle of its eight, black, saucer-sized eyes."Ahhhh!" Fukasu screamed, "Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!"
Musashi drew his katana and charged, only to see three more monstrosities appear over the top and sides of the outcroppings. Ancestors, protect us, he thought to himself as he cleaved through the carapace of the trap-door spider. Black ichor sprayed everywhere as the spider twitched on the end of his blade.
"Look out, Musashi-kun!" Fukasu yelled as the spider on the right-most outcropping turned and pointed its hindquarters at him. The young samurai looked up just in time to see a thick rope of spider silk slam into him. He tried to wriggle free, but the webbing stuck fast, and he quickly realized that his struggles only served to entangle him more.
One of the two spiders on the left outcropping threw its silk at Kyoji, but the young monk was quicker than Musashi, and was able to dodge out of its path. Takashi dashed forward, but stopped short, since all three of the monstrous spiders were well out of his reach.
Kakeru took a deep breath, closed his eyes, envisioned the spiders in front of him, and intoned, "O, great ancestors, please fill our enemies with confusion and doubt. Prevent their fangs from finding purchase and their silk from sticking." He wasn't sure if monstrous spiders had intelligence enough to be confused, but he figured that invoking the spirits of his ancestors couldn't hurt.
Kyoji began to climb the left outcropping, in an effort to reach the nearest spider, but wasn't able to get very far before Fukasu swooped in. She attempted to stab the arachnid with her ninja-to, but only succeeded in annoying it enough to move; unfortunately, it had only one place to go - it jumped right onto Kyoji, knocking him to the ground. "Wah! Sorry Kyoji-san!" Fukasu yelled as the spider chomped down on the monk's neck.
Kyoji could feel the poison course through his veins, burning and numbing at the same time. He tried to push the furry creature off of him, but he immediately realized that the venom had sapped his strength.
Musashi gave a great shout and managed to wriggle his arms free enough that he could cut through the webbing with his katana. He was in the process of shoving the sticky silk off of his legs when the second spider on the left outcropping jumped to the ground. It didn't land on him, but it did land close enough to lunge forward and catch him with its fangs. He grimaced as the poison pumped into him, but the large geyser of blood that spurted out of his shoulder when the spider drew back carried the poison right back out.
Takashi and Kakeru both joined the fight. Takashi pushed past Musashi and slammed an elbow into the spider threatening the samurai, while Kakeru slammed a palm into the spider on top of Kyoji. The momentum added by Kakeru's blow was enough to allow Kyoji to push the spider off of him and tumble back up to his feet.
Fukasu fluttered to the ground behind the spider, and managed to slice off one of its legs. Black spider goo spurted out of the wound, but it remained upright. A kick from Kakeru's gata-clad foot finished it off, caving in its carapace and sending it tumbling to the ground.
The remaining two spiders concentrated their efforts on Musashi. He slashed at one and then the other as they repeatedly lunged at him, trying to impale him with their fangs. Takashi ducked and tumbled under the samurai's katana as he, too, attacked both creatures. Sword and fist, fist and sword, the two warriors kept the spiders from advancing.
As Kakeru, Kyoji, and Fukasu moved in to help, the spider that initially entangled Musashi fell to the young samurai's blade. The remaining spider did not go down easily, though. While Musashi hacked at it with his katana, Takashi pounded it with his fists. Fukasu flew over the group and flanked the spider, hoping to distract it, while Kyoji tumbled through the narrow space between the spider and the outcropping in order to get in position from which he could attack.
Kakeru, realizing that spider was flanked front to back by his four companions and side to side by the rock outcroppings, did the only thing he could think of: climb. He scrambled up the side of the rock as the spider once again brutally attacked Musashi.
While the monks, the samurai, and the ninja hit and slashed and jabbed the spider, the young shaman hefted his bulk up into position on top of the outcropping. The spider bit into Musashi again, and Kakeru knew that his childhood friend wouldn't be able to take much more punishment. He pushed himself up onto his feet, then turned, took a deep breath, and jumped onto the back of the spider.
As he slammed into the creature with his fist, driving his full weight into the creature's abdomen, he was rewarded with a sickening crack. The spider's exoskeleton exploded under his bulk, splattering all of his companions with chitinous shards and a viscous, black goop. Kakeru looked up and smiled.
"Nice," Takashi nodded as he looked at Kakeru with a newfound respect.
"Sweet," Kyoji said, as he offered the young shaman a hand in climbing out of the dead spider's remains.
"Thank you, Kakeru-kun," Musashi bowed as he sheathed his katana. He wobbled for a moment, and then fell to one knee.
Kakeru rushed to the young samurai's side. He could see that Musashi had sustained numerous wounds, and, despite the coating of spider guts, that he was covered in far too much blood. He placed his hands on Musashi's shoulders and called upon the benevolent spirits of Takama no Hara to heal his friend. A familiar blue glow washed over Musashi, sealing his wounds and renewing his vitality.
"Is anyone else hurt?" Kakeru asked.
Fukasu and Takashi both shook their heads, but Kyoji nodded. "I think that spider poison affected me," he said shakily.
Hmmm, Kakeru thought, I wonder if I can fix that?
As the shaman meditated on which spirits he would need to call, Fukasu surveyed the scene of the battle. While the one spider was completely destroyed, the legs and mandibles of the others were still twitching. Ugh, how creepy, she thought. Then she looked down at herself. Ewww, I'm all covered in spider guts! She caught the twitching of one carcass out of the corner of her eye, and a chill ran down her spine, so she turned her attention back to her friends.
Several minutes later, Kakeru walked over to Kyoji and placed a hand on his shoulder. He could feel the ground tremble slightly beneath his feet as the spirits of the mountain rose up to renew the young monk.
"Thank you, Kakeru-san," Kyoji said as he felt his strength return.
"Think nothing of it."
With everyone healed, Kakeru retrieved Yagi and the cart, and the party pushed on. As they rumbled away, Fukasu meekly tapped her cousin on the shoulder.
"Kakeru-kun?"
"Yes, Fu-chan?" Kakeru replied.
"Are they still twitching?" she asked, trying to avoid looking back at the spider carcasses.
Kakeru craned his neck to look behind them. "Yep."
"Ewww," she said with a shiver.
The rocky terrain made movement slow, as Kakeru had to be careful to choose the path that would put the least strain on the cart's wheels. Thirty minutes of heightened vigilance later, the five pilgrims from Kurosawa had navigated several twists and turns of the valley, and now stood in front of a natural bridge that spanned a wide chasm.
The five heroes climbed out to survey the scene. Kyoji, Fukasu, and Musashi peered down into the chasm, and collectively gasped in horror. The fifty feet of empty space was filled from wall to wall with gigantic spider webs. Moreover, they could see movement down there – lots of movement, down beneath the dozens of layers of silk.
"How many do you think are down there?" Fukasu said quietly.
"Too many for us to fight," replied Musashi.
Meanwhile, Kakeru and Takashi examined the bridge. Kakeru thought it looked stable enough, but it was barely wide enough for the cart to fit. He would have to be very careful.
"Kakeru-san," Takashi whispered, as he craned his neck to get a better look at the underside of the bridge, "We may have a problem."
Kakeru walked over to where the monk was standing, and immediately saw what Takashi was referring to: hanging underneath the bridge were hundreds upon hundreds of giant egg sacks, each attached by a thin silk thread. He realized that careful was right out – they would have to cross as fast as possible.
The five heroes regrouped and shared their findings. They all agreed that trying to get across as quickly as possible was the best plan. Fukasu would fly, while everyone else would ride in the cart. Kakeru led the cart up to the edge of the bridge, and then leaned down to whisper to his horse, "Okay, Yagi, let's make this quick."
He nodded to Fukasu, who took to the air, and then snapped the reins. Yagi took off at a full gallop, and the cart raced across the bridge. It bounced and rattled and slammed its occupants against each other as it rumbled over the uneven ground. Kakeru gritted his teeth as he urged Yagi on, hoping to make it across before they were noticed.
Underneath the bridge, however, the vibrations caused by Yagi's gallop and the bouncing cart caused the egg sacks to sway to and fro, stretching the silk used to hold them up. Strands of spider silk ripped and tore as the sacks were jostled. Then, at just about the point when the cart reached the center of the bridge, the egg sacks began to fall, tumbling briefly through the cool spring air, before slamming into the spider-filled mass of webbing below.
To be continued...
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