Session Report: 9 October 2020
The Hōjō Problem
General Summary
In this session of Tsuwamono, the following events transpired:
Maxim's Go-Quest Begins11/15/1559: 04:00 (Night)
Mount Ōe
Historical Entry: Maxim's Go-Quest Begins
After his keeper stalked off further into Ago Manor, Maxim decided that he did, indeed, feel a little bad about how that encounter with Haures had ended. Thinking back on it, he realized that she'd been offended not just by his words, but his teasing and attempts to give her orders. A Wrath Demon she may be, but Haures was also among the most prideful of those he had met. Fitting for a lioness. Following Haures' path back into the shadowed hallways, Maxim was surprised to find her loitering just around the next corner. It seemed the other had not left entirely, but merely skulked away out of view. Unconscious or uncaring of all that he'd just realized, Maxim proceeded to give the lioness another set of orders. He was going to Mount Ōe, he proclaimed, to meet a certain Oni, and Haures was coming with him. The demoness obviously chafed under this new declaration, but she accompanied him without complaint. The Oni were demons of a sort, Haures mentioned, and their assistance might well be helpful to both their goals. With a final command to Kashirin to stay in Ago, Maxim hailed Shigeaki Fujino and they were off. Upon their arrival at the base of Mount Ōe, Maxim paused before scaling the peak. He first turned to Haures and bluntly apologized, calling her a friend and ally. His change in plans, a shift in focus toward Bishamonten, was only a result of orders from the Hashinara Clan. It had nothing to do with her. Although his apology did seem to soothe Haures' pride a bit, she answered quite coldly. They were not friends, she claimed. Only allies who served the same Mistress. For now. That almost sounded like a challenge, and Maxim's Sheele Evaine rose to it, claiming that they would someday best Haures, whether by blade or friendship. When asked if he'd be climbing to the very peak, Maxim answered in the negative. He'd be seeking the lord of the mountain eventually, but not this time. Instead, he asked whether Haures would like to accompany him, or if she'd prefer to wait and enjoy the festivities. Perhaps thinking of the great hunk of meat she'd enjoyed on her first visit, Haures chose the latter. She made Maxim swear to collect her before he left, but then allowed him to climb the rocky slope on his own. The last Maxim saw of her, Haures was being approached by a swaggering oni man before his view of her was obscured by the clouds. That was worrying, but he told himself that she was capable enough on her own and pressed onward. Many travelers found the labyrinthine mists around Ōe's peak to be impassible, but they welcomed Maxim like an old friend. Soon he arrived at Myoroguma-dōji's home, a simple and rough but cozy cave set into the mountain's face. Evaine pulled herself up shortly after, and Myoroguma appeared from the cavern's depths to greet them. As a friend, Maxim was made welcome. Even more welcome, perhaps, thanks to the food that he'd brought up from the Feast below. Myoroguma was unable to abandon his duties for the festivities, but he had an appetite to rival any oni. The three sat around the host's rough stone table and spoke as they ate. Maxim first had to explain that Evaine was not his daughter, but his squire. That, Myoroguma took, meant something like "servant." Perhaps surprisingly, Evaine did not seem offended, and instead offered that description as close to the truth. Soon, they turned to the true reason for Maxim's visit. The Knight Commander explained that he'd recently come to acquire the lands of Shima Province, and had come to ask Myoroguma's advice on how best to approach Shuten-dōji for a trade deal between their two domains. That seemed to interest their host, but his answer wasn't promising. Many had tried, Myoroguma explained, to strike up diplomatic relations of one sort or another with Shuten-dōji. The great ruler of Mount Ōe no longer had any interest in politics or alliances, however. Supplicants were, without exception, turned away. That explanation surprised Maxim, who couldn't fathom why the oni went to such great lengths to separate themselves from humans. Myoroguma was happy to explain, launching into a brief description of the history of his race: Oni did not always live peacefully alongside humans. Rather, there was a time not too many centuries ago when they were the monsters that folklore often paints them. Raiding, plundering, and destroying for the sake of destruction were all great joys to the Oni. They would rampage through human settlements with impunity, their great strength and tough skin rendering them invincible to all but the greatest of human warriors. Shuten-dōji was the worst of these. He was like a god of debauchery, to hear Myoroguma tell it, leaving a trail of drunken ruin in his wake everywhere he went. When his mate, rival, enemy, and lover Ibaraki-dōnyo got involved, it would take humans years to recover from the destruction they brought. Then, at some point a few centuries ago, Shuten-dōji just... calmed down. He used his great power to draw all the rampaging oni to Mount Ōe and somehow created the Eternal Feast to slake their hunger for fighting and debauchery. The slaughter of humans was now, for the most part, off-limits. The great Onigami then retreated to his place on the peak of the mountain and rarely showed himself again. Nobody, Myoroguma included, was entirely sure what had happened to cause such a transformation. Maxim, however, got a flash of a great, horrible presence he'd met under Mount Ōe, and the kindly Shuten-dōji who had implored him not to interact with it. That might just be connected somehow. Finally, Myoroguma explained the current disposition of the Oni race. There were now two dominant philosophical thoughts among their kind. Traditionalists, like Shuten-dōji, treat Mount Ōe like a haven for oni culture, a place where they can be themselves free of the growing influence of humanity. The other major group, Civilizationists, or Civilized Oni, sought instead to integrate into human feudal society. There were many such clans in Chūgoku already, with Mōri Motonari being among the most famous and powerful of the faction. When asked why Shuten-dōji, who seemed to favor separation from humans, allowed Civilized Oni to pass freely in and out of human society, Myoroguma had to admit he didn't know. There were rumors that, with the cooling of Shuten-dōji's head, the great Onigami had lost much of his power and could no longer enforce his own ideals. That didn't seem right to Maxim, however. Having met Shuten firsthand, he felt confident in calling the ancient warrior the strongest man he'd ever known. Perhaps most surprisingly from their discussion, Maxim noted that Myoroguma seemed genuinely nostalgic for the old days of debauchery and destruction. Still, he was not dissuaded from his desire to reach the mountain peak and speak to Shuten-dōji once again. Normally, humans had to pass a number of trials and brave the thick mists of the mountain in order to reach the summit. In this case, for a friend, Myoroguma was willing to make an introduction, however, on one condition. He would send Maxim to the peak of Ōe once the Knight Commander was able to best him in Go. They had already played one match while discussing the night's matters, but Maxim found himself hopelessly outclassed. Myoroguma was kind enough to show his opponent where he'd gone wrong, and where the oni himself had made a mistake he could have exploited. This helped, but their second match went little better, with Myoroguma playing nearly flawlessly. Evaine suggested that he apply his knightly knowledge battlefield tactics to this situation, but Maxim merely shook his head. He'd relied on another for that skill, long ago. In this case, he'd merely need to whet his own skill until he could best Myoroguma fairly and win his ascension to the peak.11/15/1559: 04:00 (Night)
Matsumoto Black Galleon
Historical Entry: Introducing Seki Hajime
Following the installation of an entire Imperial Palace within the bounds of the Matsumoto Black Galleon, Fubuki stepped back to admire her* work. Some of those already on the vessel had begun moving their belongings into the more spacious and luxurious Palace, but it was still quite early in the morning, and many others had yet to awaken. The world was still, the night sky vast, and the sun not yet risen in- Fubuki’s peaceful reverie was broken by a sudden explosion of sound from somewhere below. It was hard to define anything but a single note amongst the cacophony, but the force of the wave was such that even the Matsumoto Black Galleon pitched and yawed in protest. As the noise faded, leaving nothing but a ringing in the ears, Aka no Kitsunebi approached her master to ensure everything was alright. Looking over the side of the rail, the two could see what must have been the point of origin. Amidst the otherwise undisturbed forests rolling away from Wakigami, a section of flattened trees had been violently carved out in a circular pattern. For as brutal as it had been even at this distance, that sound must have been magnitudes worse up close; enough to snap trees like toothpicks, at least. Deciding to check it out herself*, Fubuki leapt over the rail and floated down, buoyed by magic, until she* arrived at the scene of the explosion. There, near the epicenter, a small, sharp-eyed girl was strapping some enormous contraption back in place. The device looked something like a biwa, but was several times larger, and seemed equipped with a hodgepodge of mechanical gears, pipes, and valves. Spotting a dazed bear lying unconscious by a tree nearby, Fubuki could piece together what might have happened. Normally, a traveler through the forest in the small hours of the morning might be startled to have a frosty-eyed oni woman float down from the sky upon them. This girl, however, seemed both relieved and impatient. She introduced herself as Seki Hajime, and suggested that it was about time an escort had arrived to bring her to Wakigami. That was a curious sentiment. Fubuki attempted some further verbal prodding that brought to light some of Hajime’s circumstances. She had, until very recently, been a noble daughter. That explained her haughty, unflappable attitude and expectation of service. Hajime had been forced to learn music and other arts suited to a noblewoman, but had taken these pursuits into areas more favored by her analytical mind. And that explained the mecha-biwa strapped to her back. Now, she was exiled, although Fubuki did not press on why that might be, and was seeking a quiet workshop where she’d be supplied with everything she needed to continue her pursuit of engineering. Perhaps wisely, Fubuki did not comment on the unrealistic nature of that goal. Instead, she* invited Hajime up onto the Black Galleon. Conjuring up a chair, the former noble was plunked down into it and lifted gently up above the forest into the sky. Hajime was at first enamored with the flying chair, and then the flying ship above. She was zealous in her questions about how that had been achieved, but lost interest entirely when told it was magic. The little mechanic did not, apparently, hold mystical arts in high regard. Upon landing on the deck, Fubuki furnished Hajime with a new offer. She could stay here, in the mirrored palace that they’d just attached to the ship, and perform her research undisturbed. In exchange, Hajime would make her first project a means of propelling the ship through the air without the use of spells. Upon seeing what awaited her beyond that disembodied door, Hajime was finally put off-balance. This was shockingly luxurious, even for someone of her upbringing, and went beyond her already-unrealistic expectations. Hajime agreed, and immediately began setting up a workshop in an unused wing of the Palace.11/15/1559: 04:00 (Night)
The Tanuki's Secret
Historical Entry: A Meeting Metallurgical
After a moment to take in The Tanuki's Secret's curious proprietress, Ryūzaki Sanosuke politely informed her that he and Shigeaki Fujino were here to meet someone. She stared at him for a moment, then another, and finally asked for his name. While Uemura Ayasa referenced that with her ledger, Sanosuke turned to Fujino and quietly asked if they'd even had a reservation here. Apparently they did, because before the other could answer, Ayasa placed them and invited them to enter. The party they were looking for would be through the door on their right, then into the fifth room on the left. Ayasa took a moment longer to caution them not to open on listen in on any other rooms on the way there. At that moment, trusty Fujino received a request from Maxim elsewhere, so she popped out, leaving Sanosuke to brave the indicated door on his own. Upon passing into the hall beyond, Sanosuke shut the door behind him and took in his surroundings. This was a long hall, flanked by shut doors on each side before turning off in a sharp corner to the left at the end. Most of these chambers were unlit and, presumably, unoccupied. His destination, the fifth room on the left, was easy to spot, but there was another light burning just off his right as well. Sanosuke took his time sallying down the dim-lit hall until a voice pricked his ears from the closed door on his right. Ignoring the proprietress' request, he sidled nearer and attempted to make out what was being said. The first voice he heard was louder, speaking in an androgynous monotone that was hard to place. Its owner didn't seem to be making much effort to hide their presence. Now that he was this close, Sanosuke could also make out another speaker. This one was deeper, a bass voice that put him in mind of a hearty, vital man of older years. Although the walls here appeared to be little more than paper, something about them dampened the sound quite well, leaving Sanosuke unable to place any specific words. Fortunately, Ryūzaki Sanosuke was a haunted man. The quiet spirit that usually loitered in his vicinity was happy to help. Kanashibari slipped through the door invisibly and returned with a brief, vague report on what was happening inside. The first speaker was a slender youth who looked to be from the Lunar Empire. Sanosuke's enchained informant was unwilling to elaborate much more on this point, however. In her own words, she didn't like people from the moon, didn't want to think about them or look at them. Considering Lunar emissaries had, up to this point, been holding the keys that locked Kanashibari's chains, Sanosuke could understand that. She went on to describe the second individual as a short, fat, bearded old man. Certainly there were many of those in Japan, but considering their proximity to Odawara Castle, the resemblance to Hōjō Ujiyasu might be too much of a coincidence. Taking a confusing moment to confer with Umbriel, Sanosuke confirmed that the first speaker in the room might very well be among the Children of Avatea. Without a physical description, Umbriel could not place her, however. What's more, she didn't seem interested, stating that the Children had separated themselves across clans for a reason, and rarely, if ever, got along. Moments later, Sanosuke's mental conversation was interrupted by a door sliding quietly open further down in the hall. Nanakuma poked her head out, calling Sanosuke over to their prescribed meeting place. Surprised, but playing it cool, Sanosuke thanked her and began to make his way over without delay. Before he could take more than a few steps, however, the other door opened to reveal Hōjō Ujiyasu's waist-high figure looking up at him. Now, Sanosuke played it really cool, looking absurdly nonchalant as he greeting the stout Daimyō. Far from being surprised to find him there, Ujiyasu seemed to take in the whole scene, then placed the lounging man as Ryūzaki Sanosuke. He wished them a productive meeting, then began to take his leave. A third door, this one at the entrance to the hall, slid open with force. Proprietress Ayasa was there, both her and her assistant looking quite cross at all the noise. Ujiyasu took the lead this time, sweeping over to the tanuki girl and kissing her hand with a charming apology. He swaggered out the door, off on his own business, and Ayasa was apparently persuaded enough to leave the issue and close the door. Finally, Sanosuke was free to proceed down the hall to his original meeting. As he left, however, he caught sight of a slight, slender figure sitting despondently in the room that Hōjō Ujiyasu had just left. Her striking black-and-white hair was hung low over her eyes, and she showed little sign of activity. Arriving then in the fifth room on the left, Sanosuke found a cramped, but well-appointed room with a few cushions around a low table. There was little luxury here, no tea kettles nor pipes. It seemed the Secret really was a place specifically for meetings and little else. As he entered, the Silver General was greeted by Nanakuma and her sister, Ozaki. After a moment of consideration, he was able to place the second as whom Nanakuma had referenced as the clan's metallurgical expert. If anyone were to know about absodium, it would be her. Ozaki turned out to be a small, excitable woman who dressed in the curiously militaristic garb common to the Hōjō. She was happy to talk about their stores of the accursed metal, mistaking Sanosuke for an interested buyer. The Silver General cannily did not disabuse her of this notion. From their dealings, he was able to learn that the Hōjō had a "significant" store of what they called tamahagane from their dealings with the now-fallen Tokugawa Clan. A smaller portion of it was set aside for trading, while they had reserved the majority for experimentation. Ozaki revealed that the Hōjō did not yet know the "secret ingredient" of the metal, and thus were unable to produce more of their own. According to her, they were close, and Ozaki expected to stumble upon the secret any day. Since Ryūzaki Sanosuke knew the secret ingredient to be human souls, this information came as quite a relief to him. He promised to pass the information on to his Daimyō before agreeing to any trades. This seemed to satisfy Ozaki, but Nanakuma broke in with a question of her own. Since Sanosuke had just been furnished with some quite sensitive intel, she felt it was only fair to ask a probing question of her own. What, she wanted to know, were the Hashinara's plans in regards to the upcoming war between Takeda and Uesugi? The Silver General was able to confidently answer that the Hashinara and their allies would not be participating in the war, but would instead watch the outcome with great interest. He failed to mention, just as Hashinara Yoshitakatomo had designed, that The Wolfpack would be granting their aid to the Takeda side. Officially, they would remain neutral, and Sanosuke saw no reason to say anything beyond that. This answer seemed to please Nanakuma. She went on to explain that she expected the Takeda to set any allies toward guarding their southern borders. The Hōjō and Uesugi had an alliance, and Nanakuma's clan would honor their treaties. With Hōjō forces able to raid with impunity so long as Odawara Castle stands, Takeda Shingen would be unable to commit all of his forces to the battle in the north. They were counting on that to grant their allies a winning advantage in the coming war. Displaying a grasp of strategy and diplomacy beyond her duties as an architect, Nanakuma suggested that they could continue friendly relations with the Hashinara, so long as they didn't have to fight them at the Takeda's southern borders. Sanosuke understood her meaning, and promised to deliver that information, too, to his lady. With that all said, and a bit more metallurgy from the near-bursting Ozaki, Sanosuke took his leave. Shigeaki Fujino hailed him as he entered the outside hall once again. She had been unable to teleport back inside after leaving to collect Maxim, and the proprietress wouldn't let her in through the front door. So, she had been waiting outside for him to finish. Wondering at the security of this place, Sanosuke began to make his way toward the exit. Before he could leave the hall, however, he was accosted by the same youth he'd seen in Ujiyasu's room earlier. She was still there, apparently waiting for him to pass by. Introducing herself as Bemolle, the girl explained that she had been stunned by Sanosuke's cool attitude just earlier, and hadn't been able to get him out of her mind. While her voice was still without inflection, Bemolle's words expressed an earnestness that her tone did not. She was a Daughter of Avatea, as Sanosuke had suspected, and apparently among the last of them to find a home clan in this realm. Hōjō Ujiyasu had just rejected her, stating that she was not up to his standards for adoption, and now Bemolle wasn't sure what to do. Sanosuke didn't seem too enthused about this flat, unemotional monochrome of a girl, but he said that if she followed him around and took lessons from his stylish ways, that would be fine. Gratefully gathering up her belongings, which comprised only a pair of monochrome rapiers, Bemolle joined Sanosuke as he continued outside.11/15/1559: 04:00 (Night)
Ōtsu Castle
Historical Entry: Aotsuki's Security Dilemma
In the dark of morning, Aotsuki Tsukamoto stood in his personal chambers, gazing down at his wife sleeping on the tatami floor, and wondered what kind of sick karma had led him to this point in his life. Along with the tea kettle apparently missing from the kitchens, someone had stolen the bedding from his room. From right under Tokku-hime, apparently without waking her up. Kagami's bed was also missing, although Tama's was, inexplicably, present. Exhausted, bewildered, and in no mood to deal with this, Aotsuki fell back on his most reliable ally. Abe no Seimei took the news of a thief in Ōtsu Castle calmly. To her mind, it must have been someone taking advantage of the chaos while Maximum Force partied, uninvited, in her sanctum. It had been a trying night for all of them. A quick check with Isaki Annette and some of the castle guards revealed that even more items were missing. In total, the tea kettle, Aotsuki's bedding, several banners bearing the Aotsuki sigil, and some unimportant scrolls from the records room were all unaccounted for. Tallying up the damage, Abe no Seimei was brought to an inescapable conclusion. Aotsuki voiced it first: attempted impersonation. Identity theft is not a joke, as both of them knew, and so the antics of the evening took on a more sinister tone. This seemed like methods that would be used by Ikkyū and his ilk, as Seimei pointed out. Had the murderous, slimy monk popped up once again, this time in Aotsuki's very home? Before the full horror could descend upon him, Aotsuki's gloom was interrupted by a knocking at his door. Slouching it open, he found the unwelcome countenance of Watagyūma-dōnyo on the other side. The two stared at each other for a moment, then the sea-blue oni complained that she couldn't sleep because her bed had been stolen. Aotsuki was taken aback at this new news of thievery and Watagyūma pressed his hesitation to accuse him of the act. He'd obviously taken the bed in order to punish her, as she claimed. This was a hellish, dastardly, unconscionable act. A sin that could only be absolved by giving Watagyūma all of Aotsuki's extra beds. At this point, the noise seemed to penetrate through Tokku-hime's deep sleep. She opened her eyes, sat up, and wondered aloud why she was sleeping on the floor. Her husband turned from his unpleasant encounter to explain that there had been some... thefts in the castle that night. Finally, Watagyūma slowly began to accept that he was serious and hadn't just taken her bedding out of wanton cruelty. Umiushi-tennō took this opportunity to schlorp through the open door and into the room. Her antennae were waggling excitedly, and she seemed to be pointing her amorphous bulk at Watagyūma over and over. Even when hailed mentally, however, the empress sea slug seemed unable or unwilling to actually speak. Another mystery. Watagyūma, at least, voiced her eagerness in helping to catch the thief and put this mystery to rest. Ever the ideal retainer, a beaming beacon of honest innocence, she was prepared to do anything necessary to help her Daimyō in his hour of need. First, she leaned in and whispered to Aotsuki that some of Umiushi's unmentionables had probably been stolen. He shouldn't worry about the slug's antics; they were, after all, understandable under the circumstances. Kagami was called upon to review the room, and announced that nothing else was out of place. Watagyūma seemed oddly nonplussed by this statement, but quickly regained her obsequious composure. Leaning in to Aotsuki, he suddenly noticed something on the oni girl's upper arm. Covered partially by her clothing, it looked like a tattoo marking her with the Aotsuki clan mon. That was too much. Aotsuki looked into Watagyūma's deep blue eyes and saw them swimming with guilt. At first, Watagyūma backpedaled, claiming that she'd told a white lie, sure, but nothing more than that. Eventually, however, Aotsuki's impassioned speech about how this might balloon into an interclan incident seemed to penetrate. If the Aotsuki Clan were to become destabilized, she'd lose out on so many great pranks... Finally, Watagyūma confessed. She claimed that she'd been trying to teach everyone a lesson. The Aotsuki guards were too lax. Everything was just left out in the open. It was better that she steal it than anyone with the clan's worst interests at heart. First Watagyūma dropped Kagami's bed out of a tattoo on her arm, then Tokku's documents, which the princess hadn't even realized were missing. As for the clan banners, Watagyūma decided to keep them. Aotsuki could always order more, and he did need to be taught a lesson, being so lax about Hashinara Yoshiyuki's assassination and all. With that (and with the conspicuous absence of a stolen tea kettle), Watagyūma decided to take her leave. Aotsuki, however, wasn't done with her. He caught the sea-blue oni at the door and demanded to know what she wanted here. At Ōtsu Castle. In the Aotsuki Clan. He confessed that he'd asked her to join for no reason, and so Watagyūma's answer was simple. Or perhaps not so simple. She'd joined for no reason. Since she was a part of the clan, though, she could at least put her powers of absolute annoyance toward its interests. Aotsuki had been thinking along the same lines, and asked to have some time to consider a target. With one last affectionate call to Tama, Watagyūma left. Aotsuki called after her, demanding she give the tea kettle back, but she was gone and the exhausted Frog too weary to chase her. Aotsuki, Tokku, and their "daughters" were left to wonder about the whole exchange in their darkened room. First, Abe no Seimei had to be brought up to speed. Then, Aotsuki confessed in his wife that he didn't know why these kinds of things kept happening in his castle. Surely the other Castle Lords of the Hashinara Clan didn't have to deal with such shenanigans on a daily basis. To that, Tokku had only one, tentative answer. Aotsuki accepted these troublemakers into his home and failed to expel them even after they'd made their natures clear. Shōjō, Ka-ten Agni, and Watagyūma-dōnyo all stood within this definition. To this, Aotsuki was forced to admit that there might be such a thing as being too kind, but he might not be able to help it. Tokku agreed, but countered that it might not be such a bad thing, so long as he continued to deal with the consequences. With that, and a few plans to increase security and give his troublemakers direction, Aotsuki was determined to finally get some sleep. Tokku was still getting used to her ability to function on much less sleep, and so decided to get a start on her daily paperwork instead. She departed, so as not to disturb her husband's sleep, but at his request took some guards with her. It had been a troubling night, but finally, Aotsuki could rest.Rewards Granted
- Various Elan bonuses and penalties
Missions/Quests Completed
- Intro: Seki Hajime
Character(s) interacted with
- Abe no Seimei
- Aka no Kitsunebi
- Bemolle
- Haures
- Hōjō Ujiyasu
- Isaki Annette
- Kanashibari
- Kashirin
- Myoroguma-dōji
- Nanakuma
- Ozaki
- Seki Hajime
- Shigeaki Fujino
- Tokku-hime
- Trivia
- Uemura Ayasa
- Umbriel
- Umiushi-tennō
- Watagyūma-dōnyo
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