Game 17: Stray Dogs and Fire Oni
General Summary
Stray Dogs
The fighting on the ships was fierce, but in the end, the Boarding Crew emerges victorious. As they are cataloguing their loot, they hear the sound of war drums and horns and see, in the distance, three more war ships approaching. Knowing that they are not sailors, and that their healer is tapped on resources, the Boarding Crew decides that discretion might be the better part of valor in this case and make their escape. Boh decides to put an earlier plan into action, and waits for the party to get into the row boat before setting the ships on fire. Tossing two black powder grenades into the hold of the last ship ignites the powder kegs and covers their escape back to shore. By this point, the Beach Team has dispatched the Mongolian camp. They borrowed a cart, and were in the process of loading it with loot from both the fort and the camp. Boh does use the Staff of Balance to sooth some wounds, most are still pretty battered. The ride back to camp is uneventful. Ryuzo in particular does not have much to say. Erizawa talks to Akari about the infamous duel that Takeshi keeps bringing up, and she shares that it was an impressive fight. Ryuzo had shown strong in the tournament up to that point, but Sakai was faster, fiercer. She denies Ryuzo's off-handed claim that Sakai somehow fought dirty. At the camp, however, the ronins' moods improve. They put on smiles and return with a good story to tell, even if the rice haul is a little disappointing. Chiyoko tends to everyone's aches and pains. She is quiet and contemplative. Sakura has been in very high spirits. She is smiling, humming and in a general good mood. She sets herself to the task of playing very domestic. She is making food and serving the men sake and beer. She pays special attention, as always, to Lord Sakai, right up until Ryuzo drags him away from the little celebration. The party, already a little leery of the mercenary, keep an ear open for the conversation. Sakai and Ryuzo are just a little way away from the fire. Ryuzo laments that his men are still starving. “I've come back to them empty handed.” Lord Sakai tries to keep things positive and says, “We’ll manage somehow.” “But how many will I lose before then?” Considering the island is at war, Sakai is not certain what to say to this. He looks to his eavesdropping party and asks, "Erizawa, Toso, did any of you find anything of use on those ships?" Erizawa mentions the map and the missive. He brings it over to Lord Sakai. He reads it. "Hm," Sakai says. "Supply lines and battle plans..." Ryuzo tries to snatch the map out of his hands, but Sakai is faster and pulls the parchments out of his reach. The party does not like this, and stand up, drawing closer. “We do this together,” Sakai states firmly. Ryuzo, seeing the party's reaction leans closer to Sakai. He speaks low enough for his men do not to hear him. “Jin. I need this.” “And I need you at Castle Kaneda when we save my uncle,” Sakai presses. Ryuzo looks at him a long moment. He casts the other party members are a cursory glance before looking back to Sakai. “You have me,” he promises. Despite this declaration, the party is wary of Ryuzo, to say the very least. The only one who trusts him fully is Takeshi. Lord Sakai hands him the map. But not before Boh and Chiyoko make a copy. Akari looks to be a little down. Despite Toso's best efforts, she does not wish to talk about it. He declares that the party is like a Clan now. If she needs to talk, he's available.Boh in Komatsu
The next day, Saturday, November 17, 1274, the party sets out after a simple breakfast and their classic meditations. They ride north, passing Komatsu along the way. The town was the seat of Clan Takuzudama. It is currently occupied by Mongols. It does not seem, at a glance, that they have started purging the population here. Yet. Boh decides to wander in pretending to be a peasant and asks some questions. It is confirmed that the Mongols barricaded the women and children of Clan Takuzudama in their estate and set it on fire. The man speaking to Boh also confirms that the Mongols are pushing quite a lot of propaganda against the Shogunate, claiming that the Shogun and Emperor do not care for the suffering of the island and that Tsushima is on it's own. Boh tries to console them with the promise that a few samurai have survived and are still fighting to liberate the island. When he reports back, they entertain the idea of sending a message to the Mongols with a quick and bloody strike, to give the people hope. Lord Sakai decides against it, stating that for the safety of the people, he does not wish to engage if they can't win. The party lacks the high ground and the numbers that they had at Azamo, and the Mongols have proven that they are not above civilian reprisals.On to Plum Blossom Shrine
The party continues toward Shigenori's Peak. They find wagons, horses and people (Japanese and Mongolian alike) burned to charred husks along the way. They can smell smoke and rotten eggs on the wind. They pass the first torii gate and round the bend and find the first bridge burned out. A strange samurai stands before it. He is gaunt. His armor is blackened and glowing hot. What skin they can see beneath his helm is blood-red. The entire length of his bodies is sheathed in red-orange flames. His katana is glowing white-hot like it was just pulled from a fiery forge. The battle is short but painful. They discover that stronger magic weapons (+2 minimum) are needed to even harm these oni. Attacking it in close quarters requires the warriors to withstand the heat and flames, and the fiery katana indeed burns with each cut. Lord Sakai delivers the killing blow, but falls immediately afterwards...Loot
Fort Ohira
Dual-wielders (5)BEACH TEAM - Sakai, Sakimori, Sakura, 3 ronin + that Goro guy
The Landing Bay**
Hunters (5)
Takeshi Sake
Toshikasu Erizawa
Boh
Kumo Toso
Report Date
20 Nov 2020
