Sesson 10: 21st of Dragon

21st of Dragon, notes on Communions while investigating in the Eta village:
 
Commune with Earth:
 
The earth spirits contacted were not there at the time (most likely they were banished). they came to this location sometime after midnight, but not too long after midnight.
 
I ask if there’s anything that seems like it would normally be here, but isn’t here right now. They describe Akinari — he is usually here. The washtub is usually full — the weight being less is noticeable to them. (The salt container lived on the table, so hard to know if they’d notice that.)
 
Commune with Water:
 
It wasn’t terribly bright out last night — some moon, but moving towards the new moon.
 
I ask for an image of anything small human sized or above that moved in front of them from around 11 pm to before sunrise (2 raises for clarity).
 
First — fog. Billowing along the ground, dissipating into a haze maybe 8-10 feet up. Rather than blowing in and staying everywhere, a patch or cloud of fog kind of moves through the area, down the street, from west to east. Sometime after midnight and before 2, a similar-looking fog bank from east to west, moves through, and disappears out of sight to the west. About an hour after that, a pair of peasants walking down the street (west to east), and then another couple right before dawn (east to west).
 
I can’t think of any spell that does this, precisely. Summon Fog (p170) — Air 3 — but it’s stationary. But it’s the closest thing I can think to it.
 
We decide to follow the track for now. (This is also when I sent a bird messenger to Isawa Suzuhiho. She replies a few minutes later that she’s on her way, bringing her Legionnaires with her. She’s in the merchant quarter and should reach us in about 30 minutes.)
 
Commune with the Void:
 
I ask the Void to reveal whatever it can about the shugenja that banished the kami here. This shugenja is very specifically — and the phrase radiates very strongly — Child of the Tribe of Isawa (Isawa was the leader of a pre-fall of the kami tribe). Images of blood. Prior to the fall of the kami, the Isawa practiced a form of blood magic that did not cause Taint (Taint with blood magic only happened after Fu Leng came after the pit). It was a pure form that they stopped practicing once the Taint was a threat, and once kami-based magic became available, as it was generally more powerful and easier to cast because it didn’t require blood sacrifices. The practice died out around the time Fu Leng launched the first War of Thunder — 1100 years ago. Images of air kami as well. I got the feeling from the first questions that they were alive, a living being, connected to the elements — connected to the Void like all living things, but not like an Ishiken like me.
 
Next question: what is the connection and nature between the shugenja and the body? Image of a body wrapped in a shroud, burning, seemingly from the inside out. A lot of energetic and excited fire kami. Most likely it’s an offering to the fire kami.
 
Next question: what is the connection between the shugenja and this village? If there is any connection between them, the Void cannot sense it.