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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Black Omega" data-source="post: 1226" data-attributes="member: 79">The 1st Day of the Month of the MonkeyHiruma Toshiro reported in to his Lord, Shinjo Jyaku, relating the story of their fight with the bandits and with the undead;tactfully omitting that he had twice succumbed to the Bloodspeaker's sleep spells.  Stoically, the Lord of the Heigen Yuki nodded and listened to the young samurai's report. He even complimented Toshiro on how bravely he had fought.  Then the other sandal fell."Toshiro, it was foolish to go off after those zombies as you did!  It's not a question of bravery; no one can doubt your courage.  But your duty extends to letting me know there are maho-tsukai in this area.  The Bloodspeakers are a danger to the entire empire.  If you and the others with you had fallen in that cave, would anyone have known where you were?  What happened?  You left three barbarians back at the village who have no idea what a Bloodspeaker is.   Your bravery is commendable, but a Samurai must know when to put duty before glory.  You will report in the morning for training.  You serve the Unicorn now, I expect you to ride like one!"Mir, Volar, and Verick were left with the items recovered from the body of the Bloodspeaker.  A vial of a thick black stuff like had been used in the ritual one Utaku Shiko, and an amulet of some black stone that showed up as magical.  At first they debated going to one of the Red Wizards in town, even contacting one of the low ranking peon wizards with the group.  He was willing to identify the items, but for 200 gp for each.   The price was not to their liking, so the three went to the Temple of the Seven Fortunes instead.  After telling the story of where they got the items, they were quickly let inside to a side room, waiting but a few minutes before an older Shugenja entered, two burly shaven headed monks waiting by the door in case there was trouble.  The Shugenja introduced himself as Iuchi Kazuyuki. He scanned the two items, revealing they were tainted.  He also informed the three that they were not tainted, having conveniently forgotten to let them know they were subjects of the scan as well.  Looking somber, the Shugenja answered questions about the taint from Volar, revealing it to be a form of corruption of the spirit that manifests in the body as well.  A manifestation of the Shadowlands that can be spread beyond by things like the vial combined with certain blood rituals.  The amulet turned out to be a way of controlling the undead for someone who could not normally do it.  Mir, Verick and Volar were politely thanked for bringing these items to the Temple, so they could be destroyed.  Volar wondered aloud about getting the items back, but dropped the issue after Kazuyuki commented that possession of such items was punishable by death.  Mir asked about getting help with the local language and customs, while Volar questioned about learning how the local healing salves were made.  This the Shugenja was more than happy to assist with.The 2nd Day of the Month of the MonkeyThe heads of the bandits turned up around town, posted prominently for display with the names of the miscreants underneath.  The 'ronin' was revealed to have been  Shinjo Nobuhiko, a local, minor samurai.Mindra the Vanara found himself back home in his native jungle, somehow turned dark and disturbing in his absence.  The spirits that had guided him since his childhood swirled around him, twisted into dark reflections of their former selves.  In the darkness before him loomed a familiar face, his own but framed in a ghostly white...the masks he had seen on the zombies. Chill and unpleasant, Mindra's spirits closed in around him, freezing him in place as the mask floated nearer.  His blood turning to ice as he struggled, held helpless as the mask drew nearer.  Almost to his face,  blocking his vision, then with a piercing monkey shriek he found himself awake, in the guest room Toshiro had set aside for him.  Where his fingers had touched the tainted black goo on Utaku Shiko's face, there was a black stain, a burning ache that only slowly faded as the light of dawn peeked into the room.The monkey's scream went unheard, Hiruma Toshiro already gone to start his training.  At the training grounds, Lord Shinjo Jyaku brought out a sturdy warhorse, personally selected by him for the young Crab Samurai.  Then Lord Jyaku presented Toshiro's riding teacher, a young woman named Shinjo O-Hisa.  Clad in leathers and a horsehair-plumed helmet, she had a touch of the barbarian look Toshiro seemed to like.  This appreciation only heightened when Toshiro learned the girl had fostered with the Crab Clan.  Lord Jyaku's amused smile during the introductions suggested there was more left unsaid.  And in minutes Toshiro found out just how harsh a taskmistress the young woman was, falls from his horse bruising his body and ego.  And O-Hisa politely asking each time "Are you finished yet?  Are you hurt?  I can send you home to a healer."  In true Samurai fashion, Toshiro endured.Mir's lessons in Rokugani began well, her bardic talents a great aid in picking up yet another language quickly.  On the way back to the Dancing Ferret Inn, a cheerful young woman approached Mir.  Clad in white and lavender kimonos, her long dark brown hair set in long braids.  The girl introduced herself as Iuchi Yoenki and started asking questions about the battle where Mir used her divine power to turn the zombies.  Intensely curious, then girl soon turned the questions to the God Mir worshipped, to how such things were done where Mir was from.  It didn't take long for Mir to get into a little trouble:Yoenki:  So, what do you mean by Evil?Mir:  Well, it's if someone kills just for the joy of killing or steals from people.Yoenki:  And your God is against this?Mir:  Silvanus balances between Good and Evil.  So sometimes I lean more toward Good and sometimes toward Evil.Yoenki (slightly puzzled):  Oh, so sometimes you kill for the pure joy of it and sometimes you don't?Mir:  Umm...Even so, the chat went well and Mir agreed to help Yoenki do an experiment on how her powers work and if there was some way it could be used on a broader scale.  The exact details were left unsaid, but Yoenki left even more cheerful than before, practically skipping.Troubled by the nightmare and throbbing in his fingers, Mindra went to the Temple of the Seven Fortunes.  He walked up to the monk standing watch over the gate to ask for help:Mindra:  Hello, I have a problem.  I could use some help.Monk (looking over a large talking monkey):  Yes, I can see the problem. I think we can help.  May I ask your name?Mindra:  Mindra.Monk:  That's an unusual name, are you a Moto?  They often have foreign sounding names...Mindra:  What?  No..no...Argh!  Oook!  Oook!  Aaawwk!  I'm supposed to look like this!After it was worked out that Mindra's problem wasn't that he looked like a large monkey, he was allowed inside to see Iuchi Kazuyuki.  Luckily, Mindra wasn't truly tainted, that would have required a ritual.  But he was slightly touched by the taint, a condition the Shugenja could fix through a lengthy ritual.[DM Comment:  This was a lot of fun.  I've been trying to find ways to keep working in how weird a talking monkey is to this area and the look on the player's face a few minutes into the conversation when he realized that the monk was assuming his problem was that he was a talking ape was well worth it.J]A couple of days pass, Volar studying herbalism.  Mir performing at the Inn in exchange for room and board and while studying Rokugani.  Sho hanging out with the other ronin in town and practicing his skills.  Verick asking around about the Akodo and the Lion clan, gathering information.  Mindra being cured of the taint.  And Toshiro being put through hell by his charming teacher, Shinjo O-Hisa.The 4th day of the Month of the MonkeyWhile relaxing back at the Dancing Ferret, where he, Mir and Volar were all staying; a tall beautiful blond woman in tight black leather approached Verick.  She didn't bother to introduce herself, but knew who Verick was well enough.   The woman had an offer, a foreign merchant was trying to do an end run around the Unicorn Clan merchants and make a trading deal with someone deeper in the Empire.  By Imperial Decree gaijin merchants were restricted to Bugaisha and were required to do all trading with Unicorn Clan merchants.  Her own interest was more personal, the merchant had taken something from her, she wanted it back.  But she needed help dealing with the ronin the merchant was employing as guards.  And travel papers are required for travel beyond Bugaisha, something the Samurai Verick had worked with could get, since he'd be serving his lord by enforcing the law.  And everyone else could have whatever gold the merchant had as well as whatever goods he was taking to show the person  he was meeting with.  Verick agreed to take the deal to his friends and the woman said she'd be back around later to meet with him again.Verick got together with Volar and Mir and passed the details along, as well as realizing he didn't have a name for the woman or the identity of the merchant.  Volar was all for the deal, it gave him a chance to travel freely beyond Bugaisha and explore the Empire a little more.  Mir was a little reluctant to cut off her lessons so fast, but more than willing to do some traveling as well.  Verick was the one not sure he wanted to go along with it, the 16 year old very serious for his age, something the others have started teasing him about.  Akodo Verick talked little about his travels here to perhaps return to the Lion Clan, Volar mentioned he's from Evermeet, Mir revealing she's from the High Forest.  Her casual comment that she had once dated a centaur seemed to truly boggle poor Verick's mind as he tried to figure out just how that could work physically, much to Mir's annoyance.  Finally they agreed to take the deal to Mindra and see if he thought it was worth taking to Toshiro.[DM Comment:  Akodo Verick started CN, an alignment his player normally favors.  The Emerald Empire's been a bad influence though and he's steadily drifting toward N and maybe LN at some point.  The 'dating a centaur' comment threatens to become a running joke as Verick kept bringing it up later on.]The three were shown into the sitting room by the ancient lady that looked over Toshiro's home and the three put the deal to Mindra (at this point Verick and Mindra are still the only characters speaking both Common and Rokugani), though they were soon joined by Sho and finally, achingly, Toshiro joined them as well.  Toshiro was more than enthusiastic about stomping out this attempt to bypass imperial law, as well as getting a few days away from O-Hisa to recover.  Details were worked out for traveling, Hiruma Toshiro got permission from Lord Jyaku to take the trip and traveling papers that would see him to the edge of Unicorn lands.  At the later meeting with the tall blond in leather, the group agreed and she introduced herself as Leila and identified the merchant they were seeking as Malthorn, a trader from Thesk.  Leila knew what direction the merchant was going in and about how far ahead he was, but the scrying she can arranged could not give any more details than that, she suspects something must be interfering.  She wasn't sure who Malthorn was planning to meet but figured it must be a Crane of Scorpion representative.  The 5th Day of the Month of the MonkeyMaking arrangements for the whole group to get horses this time, they set off on the trail of Malthorn, Verick taking the rearguard, now and then heard muttering to himself "Centaurs!  But..I mean..it just wouldn't..Centaurs!"A brisk days ride brought them to the village of Mimura and a brief chat with the guards at the gates revealed that while no gaijin merchants had come through, two merchant's had come through with ronin guards and just one wagon, the group suspecting he was somehow disguised.Checking in for the night, the group stayed at the Blessings of the New Year Inn, a very clean, prosperous establishment decorated with a strong, slightly creepy, spider theme.  While enjoying their tea and the evening meal, a young lady named Furiko provided entertainment by playing a Biwa, a short necked lute.  In true bard fashion, Mir struck up a conversation with her to try out her slight knowledge of Rokugani and they discussed music, with Mir showing a little of her own musical talents.  The girl revealed she was what was called a Geisha and began politely asking Mir about her own training, at which point Volar leaned over to comment to Mir "I think she thinks you are a geisha also."  Verick chimed in once again with "Well, she's admitted she's dated a centaur."  Once it was made clear what a centaur was, Furiko was rather bemused by this, mock whispering to Mir  "He almost sounds jealous, does Verick really like you?"  Something quickly denied by both Verick and Mir.Then monks entered the inn, the first monk so massive he had to not only lean down but also turn sideways to get inside.  The other monks accompanying him had a disreputable look more associated with bandits then religious men.  The massive man invoked Shinsei's blessings, then grabbed the innkeeper and slapped him up against the wall a couple of times before tossing him along the counter, leaving the poor man crumpled up unconscious.  When the group stood to save the old man, the massive monk growled over  "Shinsei once said nothing was ever accomplished by violence or meddling.  I'm simply following the Tao of the Fist.  Stay out of my way."  Then he grabbed one of the shelves holding sake bottles and violently ripped it away from the wall, sending it crashing down.  Toshiro, Sho and Verick all unsheathed their swords and the brawl began.  While Sho and Verick faced off with the six disreputable monks, Toshiro went after the huge monk, who simply cast his staff aside and tackled the Crab Samurai to the ground, pinning him before palming Toshiro's face with one massive hand and starting to bounce his head off the floor, introducing him to the Tao of the Fist..  While Mir's bardic song bolstered the group, Volar chanted, casting forth a cloud that sent several of the 'monks'  into a deep sleep.  The elf then invoked a wave of dazzling colors that blinded both Toshiro and the huge monk he was fighting.  One of the 'monks' escaped in the confusion, but the others were captured and once it was clear he was alone, even the huge monk gave in, sitting back, crossing his arms and growling "Shinsei said there is no shame seeking peace over violence."[DM Note:  Toshiro's player has such bad luck with dice sometimes.  He bought a new set just for this character and even so he's kept rolling badly.  This last fight he had a +6 to counter the monk's grapple check of +7, yet he still somehow managed to lose each roll off. ]Volar produces manacles from his backpack to help make sure the huge monk is kept securely bound and all those captured were turned over to the local authorities.  Later that night, Toshiro is awakened from the sort of sleep only a half bottle of Plum Brandy can provide, several sharp kicks to the ribs necessary to awaken him.  Bleary he looks up into the dim light, only to see four figures dressed in dark colors.  One is holding his swords!  Another figure, holding a wooden sword, growls "On your feet, dog!  Face your death like a Samurai!"</blockquote>

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