Session Report: 10 September 2021
The Underdog Triumphs
General Summary
In this session of Tsuwamono, the following events transpired:
Clan Finals (Part 2)1559年11月16日 13:30 (Afternoon)
Shimonoseki
Historical Entry: Clan Finals (Part 2)
By this point, the crowd had settled down and a solution had been set for the coming match. Musashibō Benkei would face Ryūzōji Kagetada in single combat. It was a departure from the dual-fighter setup that had served in the clan matches up to this point. However, the decision not to add yet more new combatants seemed to mirror the crowd's own wishes. None spoke a word of discontent. Both fighters had already taken to the field. Above, in her box, Mōri Motonari stood tall and prepared to announce the start of the battle. Yet something didn't seem quite right. There, on the floor of the arena, were a pair of dolls, one next to each competitor. The keen-eyed could see more details and, yes, each one resembled one of the missing combatants. A soft-knit Shōta and Yagyū Jūbei had inexplicably taken to the battlefield. A few murmurs ran through the crowd and a general air of confusion reigned for a moment. Still, neither doll seemed magical, nor about to influence the battle in any meaningful way. So, Motonari saw no harm in bringing the match to a start regardless of their presence. The Daimyō and Kikkawa no Myōkyū made it official together. The battle had begun. Benkei seized the first move and dashed across the battlefield. It seemed that she wished to quickly engage Kagetada in melee, and that was a logical enough choice for most of those watching. The wandering monk had shown herself to clearly be a more skilled combatant in the matches previous. As Benkei reached her opponent, she grasped for a weapon at her side. Her hand came up empty. A stitch of emotions passed over the monk's face as she realized that she'd given Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi to Aotsuki Tsukamoto not long before. A weapon that powerful would have been a great advantage in this fight. Instead, Benkei's hand came back with only a mundane katana. Kagetada had opted for a nodachi and swung it to block with a power that belied her graceful feline form. The two exchanged blows, then, both their phenomenal skill obvious for all to see. Still, they seemed quite an even match. Even when Kagetada tactically switched to a light wakizashi to get the drop on her opponent, she still struggled to land a significant hit. Neither could Benkei wound the Ryūzōji Kensei, even when she brought the full force of her myriad weaponry to the fore. As the match dragged on, small dramas played out in the stands surrounding. None of these, however, were enough to distract the two warriors from their fated battle. They continued to exchange parries and hair-breadth blocks with neither showing a definitive advantage and yet...After a time, Kagetada began to display an uncanny spike in her swordsmanship. The Neko-Kensei was striking with an accuracy and ferocity which had been all but absent in her previous matches. Slowly, wounds began to show on Benkei's exposed flesh. It was as if Kagetada had been training all her life for this single match and, now, she was bringing the fruits of that effort to the fore. Even with such an advantage, the legendary wandering monk did not fall easily. Bearing five wounds which would have killed a mortal man, still she stood, unhindered and barely registering the pain. Kagetada's victory should have been obvious, but it was a hard-fought, inch-by-inch thing to overcome the sheer fortitude of her opponent. When Benkei finally did slouch to the ground, it was not her wounds which had ended the fight. No, the monk had placed all her power and energy into a single final attack. When that failed to connect, she simply had nothing to offer. As Ryūzaki Sanosuke had done in the past, Benkei fell into a self-imposed unconsciousness, all her effort spent. That very same Ryūzaki Sanosuke watched from the stands as his unlikely champion, Kagetada, proved victorious unscathed. The Silver General's hand was raised, ready to snap his fingers to some unknowable end. Whatever power he sought to use was not needed, however, and the arm fell slowly to his side. That was incredible; it seemed strange now to have doubted Kagetada even against such an impossible opponent as Benkei. The fight had clearly brought out her true potential. The crowd, too, was stunned. Many had bet on Benkei as a sure thing. Yet Kagetada had prevailed, an unknown Kensei from a new clan rising to be champion of this entire bracket of the tournament. Now, the victor turned to the Mōri Clan box. The crowd hushed as the Daimyō prepared to proclaim her reward.1559年11月16日 13:30 (Afternoon)
Shimonoseki
Historical Entry: Clan Finals (Part 3)
The battle between Musashibō Benkei and Ryūzōji Kagetada was in full swing, yet not everyone's attention was fully on the fighters. Maxim found his eyes flicking time and time again to Nagasone Kotetsu. The smith's strained expression told him that not all had yet been forgiven. Time, it seemed, was most valuable to Kotetsu, and Maxim had wasted it with impunity. Perhaps he could use this opportunity to give some of that time back. Aotsuki Tsukamoto was not far away. Shuffling through his crowd of generals, Maxim asked Kotetsu if she'd like to take this time to meet with the young Daimyō of Ōtsu himself. In response, the hard lines of her expression softened somewhat. As much as she'd been enjoying the match, Kotetsu opined, she'd rather not have to stick around afterward for another meeting. They were in agreement, then, and Maxim led her across the stands to Aotsuki's box. Meanwhile, that same young Daimyō was engaged in mental discussion with his wife. He'd left her with a task that morning; something which he hoped would aid in dispersing Tokku-hime's listless feelings. She'd gone above and beyond his expectations. Now, Aotsuki listened with utmost attention and affection as his wife listed out the teams she'd put together using assets from both the Aotsuki Clan and the Biwa Abyssal Fifteen. There were six in all: Dai Namazutai, Kitako Genko, the Lake Biwa Trading Collective, Shirokurodan, the Spring of Wisdom, and the Teisatsu Santai. Covering a variety of applications from demolition to scouting to research, the idea was that Aotsuki could dispatch teams quickly and easily without worrying about the exact readiness or composition of their members. Indeed, there was a mission on Aotsuki's mind that this would be perfect for. According to Abe no Seimei, Utsunomiya was an unremarkable settlement at the base of Mount Myōjin in the southern reaches of his domain. Yet Amaterasu herself had been sensing a preponderance of prayers for aid from the place. Something bad was happening there and, whatever it was, it only seemed to happen at night. Aotsuki had learned from experience not to rush into situations he didn't fully understand. Not to mention, it would still be many hours before night fell and whatever dastardly machinations took place. So, in the meantime, the young Daimyō heeded his wife's advice and dispatched the Teisatsu Santai to scout the area beforehand. They would surely be back by the end of the afternoon with information which would prepare him for whatever trial lay at Utsunomiya. As he ended communications with Tokku-hime, Aotsuki glimpsed a pair of unexpected visitors moving through the crowd to him. It was Maxim and, in his wake, a tall, fiery woman with wearing the garb of a smith. They had planned at points to meet for introductions with one Nagasone Kotetsu. Could this be her in the flesh? Indeed it was. Maxim made introductions and Aotsuki did the same. For her part, Kotetsu seemed at first interested in Aotsuki's gorgeous aspect. Before long, however, her eyes drifted up behind the young Daimyō to rest on the magnificent bulk of Saitō Dōsan. Maxim thought back to when he'd first met the smith. Then, she'd been impressed with his own stature, naming him someone "worthy of wielding her weapons." If size were her only criterion, Dōsan must be on an entirely different level. In truth, the Big Man himself had reasons for wanting to meet Kotetsu. He'd had a very specific goal lately, after seeing Parapara Starlight in action: a great guitar, sized for a giant like himself, doubling as an axe. The idea was admittedly strange to Aotsuki, but the young Daimyō owed Dōsan a great deal, and was dedicated to making that dream a reality. Fortunately, Kotetsu was completely on board with the idea. Indeed, it seemed like she'd be willing to make just about anything for a man of Dōsan's caliber. She even promised to give it priority as soon as she finished her current request from the Mōri Clan. There was, however, one problem. Kotetsu could make the frame with no problem, but the strings of such a guitar were another matter. Making something that would keep its strength, tension, and sound at that size would be impossible with ordinary materials. Figuring out that part of the design would be up to Dōsan and Aotsuki. She'd take care of the rest. A moment of contemplative silence followed. If steel would not do, then what other options did they have? From nearby, Zinnia the Traveler chimed in with her own opinion: They should just use Gug muscles. The tendons of those beasts had been put to work as a bowstring for more than one dreamborne hunter. According to Sugihara Hidemitsu, the practice of using the remains of great monsters to forge greater weapons was not at all alien to Japanese mythology either. Of course, to obtain such a thing would be difficult now. The portal to the Dreamlands had been sealed to prevent the spread of some kind of plague. Aotsuki wasn't sure he wanted to get involved in something like that right now. Hashinara Yoshitakatomo probably had it under control, anyway. If only there was something closer to hand that would serve the same province... From just below Aotsuki's hand, Tsurugi spoke. How, she asked, had she been forged? Another moment of silence followed, this one significantly more awkward. Sure, Aotsuki was something of a father figure to his sheele, but was now the time for that? Then, he realized what she was actually getting at. Tsurugi, or Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi as she was more properly known, had been forged from the blood of the great Yamata-no-Orochi after it'd been slain by Susano'o. According to Tsurugi, a being as powerful as Orochi would not simply cease to exist, even after being slain by a god. What's more, the great serpent was said to have eight heads. That meant eight spines; a fine number of strings for a massive guitar. It was a logical idea, but Aotsuki felt a lump of worry growing in his stomach all the same. He'd just fought some kind of "Kamui" monster, been swallowed by an abomination from the depths, and suffered an attempt on his life from some masked karakuri maniac. Now they wanted him to take on the actual Yamata-no-Orochi? It wasn't exactly that he shied away from battle, should the cause be just, but did his life really have to be on the line literally every single day? A quick call to Seimei confirmed Aotsuki's fears. She was quite optimistic about the idea that they could track down and slay what remained of Yamata-no-Orochi. Worse, she seemed absolutely enthralled by the idea. As expected from the great onmyōji; she wouldn't pass up a chance to battle one of Japan's greatest monsters. Aotsuki argued, at least, that they should explore other options, but soon withered in the face of Seimei's rare enthusiasm. Eventually, he agreed to set the newly-formed Spring of Wisdom on tracking down the serpent for a hunt. Maxim and Kotetsu took their leave then, and the battle between Kensei was beginning to wind down. Far across the stands, however, a new vignette was just beginning. It started with Tōdaisen Nobuhara, who called Fubuki to ask about her* "antics" earlier that day at Wakigami Castle. Fubuki, who hadn't been to Wakigami all day, understandably found this question a bit strange. After some back and forth and a few veiled questions, it came to light that someone claiming to be the Black Blade of Doom had been proclaiming his return at the castle. What's more, this "imposter" seemed to look just like Date Masamune. Ooawagaeri, in his many forms, had been known for strange and uncommunicated strategies in the past, so Nobuhara had simply taken this instance as another of those. Upon being informed that this was not, indeed, the true Black Blade, he buried his face in his hands. A number of questions shot through Fubuki's mind. Was this the same Date Masamune, The White Blade of Hope, who had been pursuing her* since that ill-fated expedition to Date lands? He'd recently been sent to Tōdai-ji by the Daimyō's schemes. Had something happened there? How would Fubuki find him and settle this? That last query, at least, received an immediate response. No sooner had Nobuhara realized his mistake than a boisterous voice boomed out through the mental network. Date Masamune was broadcasting to everyone that he was returned from the dead; resurrected after his death against the Toyotomi forces, and would be assuming his post as Cardinal General once again. The true Black Blade had, for one reason or another, kept her* own identity a secret ever since that death. To those not closely acquainted, the Matsumoto name was more legend or history than fact now. So, it would seem, few would question this "imposter's" claim. Their own leaders had come back from the dead on more than one occasion, after all. This would not do. Fubuki transformed her* appearance into that of a girl with nondescript features and then called out in the mental network. Seizing upon Date Masamune's claim that anyone in trouble need only call him, Ooawagaeri* did exactly that. Soon enough Date Masamune had arrived in the stands. His handsome face a glowing picture of concern, his armor a benighted shade of black, he asked how he could help. Ooawagaeri* played her* cards close only to begin with. Soon, a true accusation was leveled at this false Black Blade. ...Only to be parried with sincere denial. It seemed that this Date Masamune truly believed himself to be the Black Blade, returned from the dead. Had he been brainwashed somehow? A quick check found a spell of illusory memories cast over the hapless man. This must have happened during his visit to Tōdai-ji, which could only mean that one of Ooawagaeri's foes had placed a scheme into motion. Not to be outdone, Ooawageri* called upon Jigenmaru as proof of her* identity. This did not have the desired effect. Instead, the Black Blade of Doom was incensed. He'd been searching for Jigenmaru ever since the blade went missing when he fell in battle. If they were not in a crowded place full of innocents, he claimed that he would take the weapon back by force. Ooawagaeri's* eyes shifted to the arena. Indeed, the two fighters had finished their bout. Surprisingly, Ryūzōji Kagetada was proclaimed the winner. Flicking back to the stands, Ooawagaeri* saw what she* hoped to. Kitakura Kanjūrō and Masuda Kita were there representing the Date Clan. Their attention was on the final match, and so they did not seem to have noticed their "Daimyō's" presence at Ooawagaeri's* side. Then she* would make them notice. No sooner had Benkei's unconscious form been removed than Ooawagaeri* took to the arena floor herself*. The Black Blade of Doom: Date Masamune followed. He would not, it seemed, turn down a rightful challenge. A quick spell lit fireworks that burst over the scene, drawing all eyes. Soon, everyone was looking at Ooawagaeri* and her* foe.Character(s) interacted with
- Abe no Seimei
- The Black Blade of Doom: Date Masamune
- Haures
- Jigenmaru
- Kikkawa no Myōkyū
- Mōri Motonari
- Musashibō Benkei
- Nagasone Kotetsu
- Phenex
- Ryūzōji Kagetada
- Saitō Dōsan
- Shigeaki Fujino
- Sugihara Hidemitsu
- Tōdaisen Nobuhara
- Tokku-hime
- Vepar
- Zinnia the Traveler
Report Date
10 Sep 2021
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