scenario

Adventure Path– Only The Dead Face North
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Adventure Path– Only The Dead Face North
Summary: This scenario takes place along the Nakahechi route of the Kumano Road, a pilgrimage trail already hundreds of years old by the time our characters take it. The player characters must negotiate with (or confound) one another as they search for the missing imperial treasure and carry it to Hōjō no Fancypants. The adventure starts on the trail and comes first to the Tainai Kuguri, the Passing Through the Womb test of faith. Players may gain status or form alliances as the group attempts this traditional obstacle. Then they will discern the meaning of a riddle and choose a path. An important clan member is kidnapped by bandits, and the player characters will go to rescue him from a dubious teahouse. If saved, he will have information to guide players to Nachi Taisha, the second-nearest of the three great shrines of Kumano. There they will pray and gain ??? If they do not save him, they will continue to Hongū Taisha, the nearest. Players near Hongū Taisha risk an encounter with mamushi, a venomous snake. Players near Nachi Taisha risk a swarm of suzumebachi, giant wasps which can kill. A typhoon will batter characters on the mountainside and trigger a landslide. Dexterity and strength will help players to escape a crushing fate. At last the PCs will go to Yunomine and visit the ancient healing hot spring of Tsuboyu, with an option for physical healing if necessary. Not far, near the temple of Toko-ji, they may find a bamboo tube preserving the missing flute.
Characters: Player characters may have one or more personal missions, as detailed in their character information. Yoshikazu Human male. Large. You volunteered for this task because of the rare chance to take the Kumano pilgrimage. You seek spiritual enlightenment on this journey along with the fulfilment of your assigned escort duties, and you wish to visit and pray at all three shrines. Hang a senjafuda at each shrine (-taisha) or child shrine (-oji) in your religious devotion. Gyōi Human male. Is interested in spiritual enlightenment but is more interested in temporal gain by pleasing the Hōjō with a gift of recovered imperial treasure. He must represent his master Naka no Yoritomo well but also himself. He wants not only to find the treasure, but to be the one to personally present it. Toyotori Kitsune female. Wishes to influence the Hōjō clan toward supporting Shintō rather than Buddhism and sees recovering the treasure as a step toward influence. If given a chance to subtly influence the Hōjō retainers or Hōjō no Tadayori, take it. Tadatsune Human male. Wishes to return the jade flute to China and the Song government, who is facing serious challenges from the Mongols and needs both financial and moral resources. Would prefer if flute was found but not hidden away again. Sukechika Kitsune male. Wishes to influence the Hōjō clan toward protecting natural spaces for kami and yōkai, as at Nara. Does not care about the treasure for its own sake, just wants to get near the Hōjō court. Kuwa Human female. A shadow, employed by rival lord Sanjō no Takeo, who wishes to find the treasure for her own master. It will be nearly impossible to steal the treasure, but she will do her best to convince the Hōjō that it was Sanjō no Takeo who found and delivered it rather than the other player characters. The Adventure Begins You are each washing in the cold river, performing your ritual ablutions for the pilgrimage, when you hear a man calling your names. You return to the shore and join the group forming there. This is the man you are to accompany on the Kumano Road. You introduce yourselves and are introduced to your fellow pilgrims. The most prominent is Bekki Shunzei, a grizzled veteran with a scar on his temple who looks competent and intimidating. He is commanding the small group of retainers accompanying Hōjō no Tadayori, a young man of perhaps eighteen. With the Hōjō clan name, Tadayori is an important figure and must be protected even on a religious pilgrimage. He is accompanied by only a few men, however, as he is not a direct heir. Still, you all were recruited to keep him safe, and this pilgrimage will benefit him and you, both spiritually and financially. You expect at least ten days of travel if you move quickly as a small, efficient group, traveling from Takijiri-oji to Hongū Taisha to Nachi Taisha and then on to Hayatama Taisha. Yoshikazu should hang a senjafuda here at Takijiri-oji before leaving. At every shrine, he needs to tell the GM that he is hanging another senjafuda. Tainai Kuguri—Passing Through the Womb The first challenge after leaving Takijiri-oji is this test of faith. At the top of a rise, you find a jumble of enormous boulders, partially split and with a narrow gap through the stones at a dog-leg angle. This is the Tainai Kuguri, the test of Passing Through the Womb. It is a symbol of spiritual rejuvenation for all pilgrims, and it is said that women who pass through will be assured of easier births in the future. Wriggling successfully through the passage will mark a step on your pilgrimage and will probably raise the esteem of some in your party. But getting stuck will be humiliating. Do you attempt it? Characters who are large cannot fit through. Characters who are small can wriggle through easily. Medium characters will need a dexterity or agility roll. This is an easy roll. If they fail, they may be helped by other players who pull them forward and through (success) or backward without completing (not a success). Successful completion, for player characters who passed through the boulder and for those who assisted someone to pass through, will result in a spiritual boon, granting one reroll of a failed check. The Riddle At the end of the first day, the party stops at a tea house and is offered food to purchase. The party will be given tanka (poems) preserved from Emperor Kazan’s personal papers. Hōjō no Tadayori has been entrusted with copies of these documents. He is clearly on a mission to gain experience and earn credit while securely watched by trusted retainers. Bekki Shunzei explains the hidden mission to the player characters. That night, the Hōjō retainers invite you to their room. Hōjō no Tadayori gestures you to join him around the hearth and you sit facing one another. He opens a protective satchel and draws out a folding book, which he places unopened on the floor before him. Bekki Shunzei begins to explain. “We are indeed on a pilgrimage for our spiritual benefits. We are also on a subtle mission to serve our Hōjō lords in a different way. “In the first year of the Eikan era, Emperor Kazan ascended to the throne. His rule was troubled by intense pressures from his counselors and elders, including the notables of the powerful Fujiwara clan. Fujiwara no Kaneie coerced Kazan and played on his griefs and fears. Finally he told the young emperor that the imperial regalia which indicate a divine right to rule were already in the possession of Fujiwara’s grandson Ichijō, undermining Kazan’s authority and position. Just two years after his ascension, Kazan abdicated, fleeing the palace secretly in the night. “With little remaining to him in the secular world, Kazan determined to enter the priesthood. He traveled to a temple with Fujiwara no Michikane, his relative and another grandson of Fujiwara no Kaneie. Michikane had supported Kazan and promised to follow him as a faithful disciple. Once at the temple, however, Michikane told Kazan he wished to see his parents one more time before he gave up secular connections, and so he left to visit them. Fujiwara no Kaneie’s men were waiting outside to escort him back to the palace. He never returned, leaving Kazan alone. “Kazan entered religious orders and took the new name Nyūkaku as a monk. He later received a vision from Kannon Bosatsu, instructing him to revive a pilgrimage in her name and visit 33 sites. This act would relieve his suffering. “Ichijō succeeded Kazan on the throne. It was discovered during his reign that one of the imperial treasures was missing. A priceless jade flute, given two hundred years before by the Tang Dynasty in China, has vanished. The last time it was cataloged and cared for was a few months before Kazan’s departure. “Michikane, when questioned, tells his family privately that Kazan had been moody and secretive. When Michikane confessed to wanting to see his parents again, Kazan had likewise admitted to still bearing worldly attachments himself, and while he would not give details, he hinted to Michikane that they were far too great to carry into a monastery. Michikane had believed at the time that Kazan spoke metaphorically, but now it seems possible that Kazan stole the flute—possibly in spite, possibly in hopes of using it to fund an attempt to retake his throne—and hid it somewhere.” At this point Hōjō no Tadayori picks up the book. Bekki Shunzei continues to speak. “Kazan commissioned a book of poems while he was emperor and wrote poems now used as hymns on the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage. Here are a few waka we have discovered in what few items he left after his death.” Bekki Shunzei nods to Hōjō no Tadayori, who opens the rice paper folding book and chooses a poem. There are two poems to start. Smoke from my death pyre rises by night into sky for others to see and they think lightly of it only a salt-maker’s fire. Sun streaks fall at dawn crawl warm from right hand to heart and still I can’t rise pinned beneath disappointment and the chilling weight of grief. Intelligence Success: For the light to slant through a window and travel from right hand to left as the sun rises, the viewer must have his left hand nearer the window and his feet pointing to the south. Knowledge Success: Easy success: The principles of onmyōdō and feng shui indicate that one lies facing any cardinal direction at night except with one’s head to the north. Moderate success: In writing of his head pointing north, Kazan is suggesting he is already dead. He might mean this in terms of leaving the secular world, or he might be speaking in depression. If no player succeeds in the knowledge check, then Hōjō no Tadayori will supply the observation. Bekki Shunzei continues, “The recovery of this imperial treasure, a gift from the Tang dynasty, will lend validity to the position of whoever holds it. It might strengthen the position of the Hōjō, who benevolently hold the regency and guide the shōgun in political duties. Or it might be used by some rebellious Minamoto to resist Hōjō authority. It might even be used by the exiled imperial court to regain power. Our intent is to find it and get it into the right hands.” Possible player questions and answers: What happened to Michikane? He returned to court and took the high position of Minster of the Right, while his father Fujiwara no Kaneie became regent for the new emperor, Kaneie’s six-year-old grandson. Why do you think the treasure is on the Kumano road? Kazan famously performed a pilgrimage along this route and spent three years in spiritual shugendō training at Seiganto-ji, a temple at Nachi Taisha. He wrote poems of relieving burdens on his pilgrimage. Perhaps that was not metaphorical, either. Players have up to three missions: • Protect Hōjō no Tadayori on his ostensible pilgrimage. • Assist Hōjō no Tadayori on his secret mission to recover the lost imperial treasure. • Succeed in the personal mission assigned to their character, if applicable. Typhoon You are walking along a mountain path, paved with ishidatami (cobblestones, literally a stone mat). It has been raining intermittently, but now it really begins to darken and pour. This is shaping up to be a typhoon, one of the great storms that ravages the mountains. Do you seek shelter? If so, where and how? Knowledge/nature or /survival: Such storms in the rainforests of Kumano bring a risk of landslides. You’ll want to seek high ground on firm rock, away from soil which could loosen and fall. Go up the mountain. If player characters do not seek high ground, they will be swept away as the hillside collapses, injured in the fall, and potentially crushed by trees or boulders. Roll for damage as if they had fallen 70 feet, not to exceed 75% of a character’s health. An extremely difficult dexterity or reflex check may reduce damage by half. After the storm, as the party reassembles, you realize that someone is missing. Hōjō no Tadayori is nowhere to be found. You scatter to search for him. Behind a tumble of debris, you find an injured retainer who reports that young Tadayori was carried away by bandits. Rescue Mission Hōjō no Tadayori is a scion of the clan which is the true power in the country—losing him would negate any chance of winning favor with the Hōjō. The Hōjō retainers are frantic with worry; even aside from not wanting the boy to come to harm, they will lose their own lives if he is lost. Tracking the bandits (easy check for Knowledge/survival) will lead the player characters toward a mountain ridge. Along the way, they are ambushed by a group of bandits. This is a moderate fight. There is a kappa (very strong), a yanagi babā (tentacle branches), and a shunobon (fear effect).

After the fight, another easy check will bring the player characters along the bandits’ original track to a remote teahouse on a mountain ridge. The teahouse is one of many along the Kumano Road. They are waystations for travelers, offering food, baths, and shelter. The others you have seen had signs of busy life about them and a bustle of welcome. The one seems quiet, even for the quiet after the storm. There is a scent of smoke—a fire was in this hearth some time ago—but it is hours old, and the fire is not burning now. Rain is dripping from the eaves and the veranda looks slick. A tree limb has fallen very close to the house. The veranda appears to run all the way around the building. Veranda The veranda has loose boards which may give way beneath a player character or tilt up to startle or slap them. It is a moderate-difficulty perception check to identify the dangerous boards. If end of board is stepped on, the board will flip up and strike the player character in the face. Roll damage as if punched by a strong opponent, with 50% chance of one round of immobilization. If middle of board is stepped on, the player character’s foot will go through. Player character is immobilized for two rounds but takes no damage. Moya (center of building) There are eight bandits in the tea house. They are actually yōkai. Unless the player characters approach the house in stealth, the yōkai will be waiting in ambush in the dark house. If the characters approach in stealth, they may catch half the bandits unaware for the first round of combat. Falling through the veranda negates all attempts at stealth. Two oni are have superior strength (do more physical damage). Two oni are resistant to damage (damage is reduced). Two oni are unusually quick and are difficult to hit unless immobilized. One tanuki has illusion skills, will appear as 2-4 opponents (roll d4). If illusion is hit it vanishes; if he is hit, he takes damage. Yuki-onna does cold damage, both area of effect (will harm allies) and single target. Cone attack will reach 30’ with 20% chance per round to recharge. Strikes do physical damage (roll for punches) and cold damage (mirror punching damage). The yōkai have no reason to fight to the death. These are difficult opponents, but their goal was to hide Tadayori from another yōkai faction rather than to harm him themselves, and they have no need to fight his escort beyond their own self-defense. Each will depart once they’ve taken 30% of the max health, and once four have fled the others will follow. They will flee into the mountain forest. Rewards: Food and drink can be found if the house is searched. With an easy perception check, player characters can also find a cedar chest containing their missing person. You hear a muffled voice and thumping, and you find Hōjō no Tadayori hidden in a cedar chest. He recovers quickly with some tea and some offered rations. He explains that the bandit yōkai put out all the lights as they entered the teahouse and pushed him into the chest, warning him to be silent. Though he is putting on a brave face as he tells of his abduction, you have the impression that he was afraid. It’s hard to blame him, though. He tells you he heard the yōkai discussing their planned rendezvous with others at Nachi Taisha in two days. Nachi Taisha is one of the Kumano Sanzan, further away than Hongū Taisha and situated at the base of the tallest waterfall in Japan. Tadayori says he thinks the yōkai are also looking for the imperial treasure, though he is not sure of the reason. Players may choose to go to Nachi Taisha to investigate the yōkai movement, but this will not allow time to explore Hongū Taisha first and they will have to return in order to explore it. Or they may continue directly to Hongū Taisha to search, but they will probably miss the yōkai meeting. Hōjō no Tadayori is shaken by his misadventure and his guardians are reluctant to let him go on to Nachi Taisha. They will attempt to talk him into going to Hongū Taisha unless the player characters are persuasive. The Trail to Nachi Taisha This is a beautiful and treacherous route. The path runs along mountain ridges overlooking hundreds of green peaks, and then travels through ancient forests, the trees creaking overhead as if they are conversing about you. The Dogirizaka, or belly-cuting slope, got its nickname from the pilgrims who claimed they would rather die than climb it again. It’s a steep ascent of ankle-twisting stones and foot-grabbing roots, difficult in your geta and waraji. Roll fortitude/constitution to make it up the climb. A moderate success will reach the top. Take light damage for each additional attempt as player characters exhaust themselves with repeated efforts. At last you reach the top of the infamous climb and the trail levels out along the ridge of the mountain. After another mile or so, you come to a waystation tea house. This one is open and welcoming. The landlord offers you tea and riceballs, and he tells you have only a few hours of daylight left. You know the worst ascent is behind you, but the way ahead will still be steep with repeated climbs and descents. You can choose to spend the night here, safe from being caught on the trail at nightfall, or hurry on toward Nachi Taisha before dark and start tomorrow already at the shrine. If you choose to buy extra rations or supplies, this is the time. Onigiri are available for purchase. Players must declare whether they are buying additional rations to carry, and whether they are walking on in the remainder of the day or waiting until the morning. The trail is not easy, as you are already fatigued from the climb and the steep slope challenges your knees and stabilizing muscles. You are making decent time, you think, despite your weariness. The mist is cool and almost pleasant after the heavy struggle up the mountain. Suddenly you see someone coming toward you through the mist. After a moment, Gyōi recognizes the figure as Kaneko, his sister’s mother-in-law. If Gyōi greets her kindly, she returns the greeting politely. She will then ask if he has any food to spare. If he gives her an onigiri (his own, or one donated by another player character), she will thank him and go on her way. After she has gone on, it will gradually occur to Gyōi that his sister’s mother-in-law has been dead for a year. After a bit, Kuwa sees another figure coming from the opposite direction through the mist. She recognizes her aunt, Tokiko. If the player asks: Kuwa knows her aunt Tokiko was embedded on a mission in a town about fifty miles from here. She has not seen her aunt in a year, as she is working incognito. Tokiko’s last monthly update arrived as usual. If Gyōi or Kuwa do not greet Kaneko or Tokiko, or if any of the party is rude, or if no one offers them food, the ghost will attack the party. This combat will draw more ghosts to attack the player characters. This is a fight which might be easy but, if not immediately won, builds in increasing difficulty. Each round has an 80% chance of adding another ghost, to a maximum of six ghosts. Nachi Taisha Soon you come to Funami-jaya, or Ship-Viewing Teahouse. From here, you can look down upon the Pacific Ocean, islands, and boats. After a brief rest, you descend the mountain to Nachi Taisha. The great waterfall at Nachi has been a site of worship for hundreds of years. You descend the final slope to the shrine grounds and have a choice to go left to the base of the waterfall or right to the haiden (the shrine’s central hall of worship). Going toward the haiden: You pass a Buddhist temple on your way to the shrine buildings. This is Seiganto-ji, the Buddhist temple where Kazan trained as a monk and determined to re-found the Kannon pilgrimage. You pass beneath the torii to the shrine complex. Worshipers are waiting to pray at the haiden, and a miko is dancing. Everyone here appears to be human. Players may roll for perception, but everyone really is human. Going toward the waterfall: The waterfall plunges 133 m/436 feet in a single drop. At the base, two great boulders split the fall into three streams, representing the three primary gods of the Kumano. Mist from the waterfall brushes your cheeks. You may go to pray at the base of the falls. The water looks cool and refreshing. Players who drink water from the sacred falls gain 5 HP. Not far from the base of the falls, you see a group gathered in close conversation. There are about a dozen figures facing inward, speaking in polite but urgent tones. Players may roll perception (easy) to notice that some members of the group have horns, some tails, some extra teeth. This is a gathering of yōkai. Very sucessful checks will overhear brief snatches of political talk, mentioning the Hōjō clan, the shōgun, rank, favor, etc. The yōkai are in intense conversation, and the talk seems mostly political. “We are losing ground! If we do not stand up to stop it now, the problem will only continue to grow. The Hōjō will continue to support Buddhist schools and teaching, and we will continue to lose our forests and our mountains. We have tried waiting and hoping, and it has brought us nothing. Now we must act.” In addition to the eight yōkai seen before, all fully healed, there is one yamajijii (one-legged man with bite attack), one bakeneko, one ōgama (giant toad with tongue attack), and one mujina (badger). Attacking yōkai will result in a difficult fight. While before the yōkai were happy to flee the unimportant teahouse rather than fight, here they are on their own territory and defending their own society, and they are in greater numbers. Diplomacy is the preferred approach. A diplomatic approach will uncover that the yōkai are concerned about the government’s support for Buddhism, leaving what they see as a threat to the natural world and the sacred mountains and natural features which house the kami of Shintō as well as the yōkai themselves. They wish to open negotiations with the shōgun and the influential Hōjō clan for the preservation of these paces. Players may also learn in conversation that the yōkai are not alone in their concerns. Another faction of yōkai is prepared to act more aggressively to gain the attention of the Hōjō. This second faction was following the party on the road, looking for an opportunity to attack and seize Hōjō no Tadayori as a hostage. These yōkai, led by the yuki-onna, abducted him to hide him from the other faction. They would have apologized, explained, and tried to influence him to see their position once the night was safely over.


Thank you for your understanding and openness to help our cause. There are many Buddhist scrolls hidden at this holy site, which we know how to find. Please carry this case of scrolls to the shōgun and the Hōjō clan to show our goodwill. Results: Players may gain status with the yōkai and carry a gift from yōkai to the Minamoto/Hōjō court. This is a step toward peace and religious syncretism. If a player character asks any of the yōkai about the missing treasure, they will receive this answer: “Oh, I was here when Emperor Kazan came along. I was just a young thing then! But I do remember him passing on the trail, praying and murmuring. He looked so distressed for one on a pilgrimage, but I suppose it’s not an easy walk for those born to luxury. No, I don’t remember him having anything like you describe. He didn’t carry anything extra—just his prayer beads. I even saw him picking reeds to use for chopsticks! I don’t think he had anything valuable with him.” Yoshikazu may hang a senjafuda near the haiden, the falls, or both; only one is necessary to count toward the character goal. The Trail to Hongū Taisha The players will surprise a swarm of suzumebachi (giant wasps). This encounter is moderate difficulty, with one HP and a moderate constitution save per wasp attack. Failure results in a 10% loss of strength. Hongū Taisha Players must ford the river to approach the shrine, located on a large sandbar. Players may walk all the way in the water, which appears to be knee-deep, or try to reach the stony edge of the bar and finish the approach there. Players who cross on the rocks will encounter a mamushi, a venomous viper. Roll to see which player character is struck, and then if any additional character is struck (30% chance). (NPCs are also subject to snakebite.) This is a very difficult dexterity save and a very difficult constitution save. If poisoned, lose 10% of constitution per hour, stopping at 1. Roll once per hour, but the check becomes more difficult with each passing hour. You enter the shrine grounds. There are 12 individual shrines here honoring 12 kami. You pass among the shrines, observing the worshipers and the grounds. Roll for intelligence or insight. Easy check. As you watch the priests and the worshipers move about the grounds, you realize that it would be extremely difficult to hide something here that would not be discovered in ordinary caretaking. More, it would be hard to find enough privacy to both hide a treasure and to expect to safely retrieve it without being observed. If Kazan hid a treasure, he more likely did it along the road, at an easily recalled landmark, rather than at the most popular shrines. Yoshikazu may hang a senjafuda here. Tsuboyu in Yunomine is known for its healing waters. It’s possible the hot spring may ease the effects of the poison. There are two routes to Yunomine. One is to take the primary path around the mountain, which is about 10 miles and 6 hours of travel. The other is to take the Dainichi-Goe route over the mountain, which is only about a mile but which will require 1-2 hours of climbing. Dainichi-goe (between Hongū Taisha and Yunomine) This short, steep trail between Yunomine and Hongū Taisha will take you across the mountain ridge in only a mile or so, but you will need 1-2 hours to climb that mile. A tengu guards this narrow pass. Players may pass via diplomacy or combat. If players have negotiated successfully with the yōkai at Nachi Taisha, they have an advantage in diplomacy, and this medium-difficulty encounter becomes an easy-difficulty encounter. If players choose to fight, this is a medium-difficulty fight. Poison effects will be the challenge. The tengu uses wind attacks with his fan and strikes with his shakujō for blunt damage. Yunomine You crest the mountain ridge and descend toward Yunomine, a town built around hot springs. The springs bubble up into the river, sending steam into the air and the scent of sulfur up and down the street. You can see some children boiling eggs and vegetables in a quiet pool near the bank. The bedrock is augmented by concretions of minerals where the hot springs have left deposits over many years. These accumulations can vary in size from small to the size of an arm or larger. Directly below you lies a small temple, called Toko-ji, and a rocky pool filled by a hot spring, called Tsuboyu. This hot spring is famous for its healing waters. Tsuboyu This famous and ancient hot spring will heal players of any afflicting conditions (poison, etc.). It will also give a 30% bonus on any healing spells. The tiny stone pool will accommodate only one or two player characters at a time, or only one large character; players will need to take turns in the pool. Toko-ji This temple sits above the source of the hot springs. It is sacred to the Medicine Buddha.



You feel much better after your retreat in the healing waters. As you exit the hot spring, a group of yōkai rush at you, focusing their attack on Hōjō no Tadayori. Bekki Shunzei manages to blunt the first attack with his sword but is significantly wounded in his arm. He calls for help as the yōkai close around them. This is the first group of yōkai, the faction that wanted to abduct Tadayori. Again it is a kappa (very strong), a yanagi babā (tentacle branches), and a shunobon (fear effect), and this time they have also brought a pair of skeletons and a nomori (large snake, crushes and bites). This is a difficult fight. Bekki Shunzei and the two retainers are primarily concerned with shielding Hōjō no Tadayori. They will defend against any direct attack to themselves or to the young man, but they will not leave him unprotected to engage. This is why they hired the player characters! If Yoshikazu has hung a senjafuda at each shrine (Takijiri-oji, Hongū Taisha, possibly Nachi Taisha if visited), he will be aided by the kami in this final encounter. The Yatagarasu enters the fight on round 3, and the player may roll for the bird. The Yatagarasu always hits, doing piercing damage from a stronger-than-average creature. There is a sudden angry cawing, and a black bird appears in the sky overhead. The crow plunges and strikes [the antagonist character] with three legs, ripping with its talons and simultaneously gouging with its beak. The fight continues in the river and on the bedrock. Falling into a hot spring causes 1d4 fire damage. Knocking yōkai opponents into a hot spring is a good tactic; use grappling or charge rules. If Hōjō no Tadayori dies, the players fail in their first mission. An easy perception check offers the observation that as the fight rages in the riverbed, accumulations of minerals break apart along the rocks. If players descend below the temple, they will find more accumulations of minerals. Examination of these (moderate perception check) will show an irregularity, with a cylindrical protrusion. If players are too busy during the fight, request a check after the fight has finished to notice the mineral deposits. If no one makes the check, the Yatagarasu might settle on an outcropping and begin pecking at it. You break away the outer mineral layer and find an encrusted bamboo tube, about the length of your arm. It is capped with bamboo. It requires some effort, but you eventually break away enough minerals to be able to remove the cap. Inside, wrapped in protective green silk, is a jade flute, carved from a single piece of stone. It is a beautiful creamy white with green mottling, and red tassels of silk still dangle from it. Hōjō no Tadayori/Bekki Shunzei accepts the flute with wonder in his eyes. “It’s beautiful. And it’s safe now. It will be returned to its rightful place.” Players may now negotiate how the flute and the yōkai’s scrolls, if applicable, will be presented to the Hōjō representatives. Tadayori (or Bekki Shunzei, if Tadayori did not survive) will agree to carry the items to the court and present the yōkai’s concerns, either out of obligation or with real support depending on the player characters’ actions and persuasions. If asked: Kuwa’s aunt Tokiko died in her mission; that was indeed her ghost on the road.