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- | The return to Baamebu Daa. MeBe receives a visitor from the Imperial Court. It is lady in waiting and Head retainer for the Imperial Princess | + | The return to Baamebu Daa. MeBe receives a visitor from the Imperial Court. It is lady in waiting and Head retainer for the Imperial Princess |
Here is Lord Krappi' | Here is Lord Krappi' | ||
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> There are but a few provisos. | > There are but a few provisos. | ||
+ | |||
+ | * Your house must never equal or exceed the size of my house. | ||
+ | * It must not impose upon existing farmland. | ||
+ | * The gardens must be given to formal landscaping, | ||
+ | * You may station no more than 100 bodyguard for your wife and family' | ||
+ | |||
+ | > Lord Tenwa | ||
+ | |||
+ | Here is MeBe's response to Lord Krappi' | ||
+ | |||
+ | > You do me a great honor, by giving me and my future wife permission to have a house and live on your property. I would never dream of having a house anywhere near as grand as my great lords. | ||
+ | |||
+ | > I gladly accept your offer to build the house, the gardens I had always intended to be for contemplation, | ||
+ | |||
+ | > After much soul searching I will agree to become a member of your clan, although I have little knowledge of how a senior advisor should act. But I will endeavor not to cause any problems while I learn. While also trying to become a cultured man, so that I will not cause the Emperor to have regret about giving me his 2nd cousin to marry. | ||
+ | |||
+ | > Your Humble Servant MeBe. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Word reaches the party that the city of Kyoto has been destroyed by Altuzu' | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== Week (Unknown) (Year of the Unknown)) ==== | ||
+ | < | ||
+ | |||
+ | Lord Krappi magically summons a Kirin and the party travel on mass to Yedo to see if there is any reason why the ceremony was not performed. When we arrive, we are summoned by the Emperor for an audience. Lord Krappi then inquired about the ceremony but was told by the Emperor that the ceremony did not have to performed at Kyoto. Which was not what Lord Krappi knew to be the truth. So Lord Krappi asked for it to be checked, the minister of the left, took exception to this, and said that every thing was in order, and what did Lord Krappi know about it. Lord Krappi said he had been informed by a Kami about the state of the ceremony, and if the minister of the left would only double check, and if Lord Krappi was not correct he would commit Seppuke right there. This offer seemed to sway the court and a check was made and Lord Krappi was found to be correct. The Emperor then dismissed Lord Krappi while he considered this new situation. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The party then returned to our compound to prepare for what was to come? | ||
+ | |||
+ | While waiting to be summoned by the Emperor again, the party mingled with the locals in the castle. Toriyoshi reports some rumors that he had heard to MeBe concerning his future wife. Which seemed to indicate sympathy for MeBe as he was getting the Princess Easiko, because see was becoming a embarrassment to the court because she had little or no moral character (palace bike) and she had been though most of the palace guards! | ||
+ | |||
+ | MeBe took this badly and over the following few days spend his free time in the form of a mouse looking for who ever was spreading these scurrilous rumors. MeBe also attempted to get in to see Princess Easiko in the form of a cat. He crept passed the main Imperial compound guard, and was walking down one of the corridors, when he was confronted by a Buddhist priest, trying to shoo him out of the compound. He retreated and tried to go round the priest. The Priest then pointed at the main doors and said ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Toriyoshi and Lee Ho are attempting to get maps for the journey to Kyoto and of the city of Kyoto, and also how the ceremony needs to be performed. They do not have much success, but Toriyoshi manages to make contact with one of the priest who may have access to the ceremony information, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Lord Krappi and MeBe then go into town to buy some gifts. Lord Krappi buys a some gifts for Lady Mi-Lan and there son. MeBe buys a single perfect Chrysanthemum, | ||
+ | |||
+ | The next day MeBe puts the Chrysanthemum in the Vase and puts the Vase in the Box, and had a note written to say who it was from, and seals the box. He then put the box and the Chinese porcelain in a sack, and turns into the form of a cat. He then returned to Imperial compound. Shortly after entering he was approached by the same priest, who tried to shoo him out of the compound. MeBe then returned to his human form. And spoke to the priest, saying. Hello honorable sir, I have come looking for you to beg a boon. I have a small gift for the Princess Easiko, and if he would agree to make sure see gets it, He would give the priest the piece of Chinese porcelain for the inconvenience. The priest agree to do it this once, but warns MeBe to only return to Imperial compound when formally invited. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== Week (Unknown) (Year of the Unknown)) ==== | ||
+ | < | ||
+ | |||
+ | Lord Krappi gets very worked up about the fact that the Emperor has not summoned him, to let him know what is to be done about the ceremony at Kyoto. Tokyo decides to go astral and investigate the Imperial compound. After some searching he finds a room where he can observer the Emperor, talking to his family. While listening one of the Emperors defenders also goes to the astral plane and attempts to dispel Tokyo, There is a struggle while Tokyo attempts to listen and the defender tries to remove him. After a few minutes of this Tokyo decides it was time to leave, and returns to out compound to relate what he has heard which is disturbing news. | ||
+ | |||
+ | > **The Emperor has Decided to Retire** | ||
+ | |||
+ | This causes Lord Krappi, even more anguish. He attempts to get into see the Emperor, but the guards will not let him pass without a official pass. Lord Krappi begins to think there is a plot buy the Kuge, to keep him from seeing the Emperor, and he is almost ready to resort to violence. In exasperation he goes to see Lord Xinji to invite him and his men to a Basho that afternoon. He agrees to come. During the Basho, Lord Krappi talks about the problems he has been having getting to see the Emperor or his brother. Lord Xinji, says he will organize a Paper Dart throwing contest for the following day, and will invite the Emperor' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The arrow had the Mon of the Hikidunot clan on it. Lord Krappi decided not to confront the clan fearing that it may be part of the Kuge plotting to throw suspicion on an innocent party. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Next day MeBe turned into a dog before the party went to the Emperors compound. The party present the Emperor' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Lord Krappi show them his pass and tells them to stand aside or die. Lee Ho goes forward and explains to the samurai, that Krappi is very annoyed and it might be best to let him past. The samurai have a moment of indecision, which is a Krappi, needs to brush pass then and into the corridor behind. The party follow, as we leave the scribe is heard to say 'Wait, Wait your map is not finished' | ||
+ | |||
+ | We are escorted to the Emperors audience chamber, where the Emperor ask Lord Krappi why he has not responded to any of the Emperor' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Emperor is sending 3 of his sons by 3 different routes to Kyoto, and when the first one gets there, he will resign in favor of the one who can perform the ceremony. Lord Krappi is to escort one of the son's, and he should make preparations to leave. Lord Krappi agrees to do this, and is escorted out of the imperial compound. | ||
+ | |||
+ | On route to his compound Lord Krappi is again attacked by archers. There appear to be 5 archers in a building overlooking the court yard. MeBe and Lord Krappi run towards the building to engage them. Tokyo concentrates while this is happening, and as MeBe performs a heroic leap to enter through one of the windows the archers are using, Tokyo sets of a 60 magic point Metal Storm, in the area where the archers and MeBe are, fortunately Lord Krappi was outside the area of effect, and MeBe heroically avoids the whirling metal blades, But the top floor of the building and the archers are turned to match wood. The arrows are then investigated, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Lord Krappi then return' | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== Week (Unknown) (Year of the Unknown)) ==== | ||
+ | < | ||
+ | |||
+ | The party decide to attack the town house of the Hikidunot clan who have sworn the blood feud against Lord Krappi, for killing the last Daimyo. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In preparation for this, he assigns 2 of MeBe's budoka, to watch the house. So we know if anything changes. Later that night before we finished planning the attack MeBe decides to go and spy on the Hikidunot clan. He turns himself into the form of a cat, and enters the clan compound. He searches the compound and finds many empty rooms., eventually find the barracks, he over hears the samurai getting drunk on saki, and cursing Lord Krappi for decimating, the crack archer group, using fool magic. MeBe continues his searching, and find the room where the Lord of the Hikidunot clan is talking to two advisors. The Lord is cursing the dishonorable way that his assassins were killed, An Lord Krappi must die because he dishonors us all. MeBe begins to leave the compound, but notices light on in the tea house. So go climbs into to roof to find out what is happening. In the tea house is a Shugenja and two elders of the Hikidunot clan. MeBe uses his ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Back at Lord Krappi' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Dave, being a nasty GM, had learned from his previous mistakes and had the clan leader commission a divination (the Gakusho power). When the divination resulted in their total extermination, | ||
+ | |||
+ | In the centre of the compound the bodies of the two missing Budoka were found. After examining the compound, it appears that there were two groups that left the compound, one of 10 or more men left from the front gate, and a smaller group of 5 or so left from the rear gate. | ||
+ | |||
+ | MeBe and Lee Ho took the bodies of the two dead Budoka to a temple to give them a proper ritual send off. Toriyoshi, decides to stay at the Hikidunot clan compound and prepare to summon the clan Kami, to try to resolve the situation. Lord Krappi and Tokyo return to their compound, to question the unconscious captive archer. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Dave left the adventure on a cliff hanger with Tokyo, myself and my ten bodyguard returning to our residence inside the emperor' | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== Week (Unknown) (Year of the Unknown)) ==== | ||
+ | < | ||
+ | |||
+ | The ambusher' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The ambush has been sprung in the perfect position. The group is halfway up a rising road with thirty foot walls on either side. The archers are at the top and have a clear line of fire. The bodyguard would be unable to retreat down the road without being devastated by archery. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Lord Krappi orders his guard to stand their ground, expecting Tokyo to cast a Bar Arrows spell to protect them. Those with Yadomejutsu try to cut the first volley out of the air, but several arrows slip through. One finds a soft spot in the back of one of the rear guard and he collapses without a sound. The second is struck away from Tokyo by Lord Krappi. Many arrows hit the samurai guards but fortunately they are still wearing heavy armour from the raid on the Hikidunot town house. | ||
+ | |||
+ | A second volley is fired and the guards are now beginning to look like pin cushions. Tokyo completes his spell but somehow it fails to work!, he must of been distracted by a member of the Hikidunot clan flashing his red underwear. Lord Krappi curses and leads a charge up the road to engage the archers before they wipe out his entire bodyguard. A third and a fourth volley of arrows tears into the samurai. Fate does not favour those who fail, and Tokyo takes an arrow through an eye for his wasted efforts. He dies instantly. Lord Krappi could not protect him whilst leading his men to combat. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Meanwhile the rearguard spot a group of five Hikidunot warriors scaling down a rope to launch a surprise attack at their backs. Two of the remaining three Tenwa samurai shoot their bows at the climbers while the third grasps the end of the rope and jerks it too and fro. The majority of the ambusher' | ||
+ | |||
+ | As Lord Krappi and his vanguard closed against the archers, the Hikidunot archers dropped their bows and readied weapons for close combat. Five samurai engaged the bodyguard, leaving five gunning for Lord Krappi himself. All of the Hikidunot samurai were veteran Bushi of great experience. Most of Lord Krappi' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Lord Krappi was incensed not only at being ambushed, but also at the loss of his Shugenja. He called upon the Buddhist blessing that Lee Ho had given him that morning and danced the supernatural war dance of Fudo-Myoo. Using both swords he tore through the Hikidunot archers like a bolt of lightning. Decapitating and severing his opponents with single strikes. Such was his anger that once he'd finished of the sword and yari masters ahead of him, he turned and vented his spleen at those still engaged with his bodyguard! | ||
+ | |||
+ | In less than half a minute the entire battle was over. Lord Krappi had the bodies of all who were slain taken to the compound given to him as residence. The injured were doctored as best as possible and a brief head taking ceremony held. The loyal bodyguard were rewarded for their actions with artworks taken from the Hikidunot town house and the slain samurai. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== Week (Unknown) (Year of the Unknown)) ==== | ||
+ | < | ||
+ | |||
+ | Krappi and most of the party return to our compound to recover from the fight. MeBe and Lee Ho return to the temple to complete the rituals over the two dead Budoka, and the newly dead samurai bodyguard. Toriyoshi returns to the house of the Hikidunot clan with 2 bodyguards to prepare to summon the clan Kami to try and resolve the blood feud, he spends some of the night in ritual dance. While Lord Krappi is having a bath to remove the blood and grime from the recent fights, three Hikidunot samurai burst in and try to kill him. Krappi picks up his sword, and disarmed the first assailant, and then half cuts the second assailants head off !. The remain assailant fails to get a good blow in. Krappi then turns his attention to the remaining armed assailant, which allow the disarmed one to retrieve his sword. A quick skirmish then occurs where the third assailant his body slashed repeatedly before he passes out. Krappi then gives the final assailant who has now recovered his weapon the chance to surrender, the assailant screams | ||
+ | |||
+ | >'I would rather die in the service of a bad lord' | ||
+ | |||
+ | and lunges in attack A brief fight then occurs at the end of which Krappi severs the assailants hand in a spectacular blow. Krappi then leaves his room and finds 2 of his bodyguards bleeding but alive with 2 other assailants who are dead. He then binds the wounds on the one assailant who has not died yet. He summons the household to make sure there are no other injuries, and then send a runner to get a priest to heal the remaining assailant, so he can be questioned. After he was healed, he and the captured archer from the Hikidunot house, are taken back to there house to be confronted by there house Kami. | ||
+ | |||
+ | After the party arrive at the Hikidunot house, Toriyoshi summons the house Kami, who is uncooperative, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Lord Krappi writes a formal letter to the Emperor asking for an audience. He attempts to have it delivered, but the Kuge on guard at the Imperial compound will not let anybody pass who has not got a valid pass, which we do not have. After some thought Tokyo goes astral and travels to the imperial compound, after some searching he find the Emperors private area, where there is a writing block and parchment, he projects an invisible physical presents, and writes a note saying that Lord Krappi has a note for the Emperor. While he is doing this the Imperial bodyguard Buddhist are trying to dispel him. While this is happening Toriyoshi also writes a note inviting the Emperor and his brother to see the spectacular Shin' | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== Week (Unknown) (Year of the Unknown)) ==== | ||
+ | < | ||
+ | |||
+ | At dawn Lee Ho performed a resurrection ritual to bring back Tokyo and the dead member of Lord Krappi' | ||
+ | |||
+ | After the Buddhist ritual, Lord Krappi changed into a somber kimono and went to witness the Seppuke of the two Hikidunot prisoners. He seconds the hari kiri of the senior samurai and feels great honour in being asked by his enemy to perform the ceremony. The samurai manages to do two cuts before he signs for assistance. To give the loyal retainer a fine departure Lord Krappi uses flashy sword play to add to the artistic poignancy of the moment. It is a touching moment. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Lee Ho supervises the Segakki rite to send the noble souls onto their next life. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Toriyoshi spend the remainder of the day preparing for the Emperor to view his Bell. The following morning all is prepared. MeBe positions his Budoka around the edge of the viewing area, telling them to keep an eye open, but to be discrete. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Emperor and retinue arrive and take up position, at one end of the viewing court yard. Lord Xinji and his retinue take up position at the opposite end. And Lord Krappi and the party are on a third side. MeBe notices that the Princess Easiko seems to have picks the wrong set of colours for her Kimono, as the colours clash. Toriyoshi invites the Emperor to approach the bell for the ringing. The Emperor and body guard approach and sit a few meters from the bell. Toriyoshi then has the priests under his supervision ring the Bell. A perfect clear tone is produced, and ways of blessing are felt to ripple out from the bell, Toriyoshi is very pleased. He directs the priests to strike the Bell a second time. But as he does so Lady Amora stood up from Lord Xinji' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Unfortunately while this was going on, a member of the Emperors retinue took a throwing knife out of her kimono, and threw it at the Emperor. It struck him in the neck and he collapsed. The assassin then jumped up onto the roof of the court yard. Two of the Emperor' | ||
+ | |||
+ | While this was going on, Lee Ho had started to walk towards the prone Emperor, realising that he could not get there in time, he goes astral, and attempts to see the extent of the Emperor' | ||
+ | |||
+ | > **The Emperor is Assassinated !** | ||
---- | ---- | ||