Session 3. (8/6/05)

After last week's bruising encounter with the wild boar, the apprentices spend a few moments binding their wounds before setting off again into the mountains. Having already used their entire supply of bandages, they are forced to cut up an old embroidered robe Kanemitsu had brought to keep out the cold in the mountains. So Yoshi (Chris Dore), now looking more like a sampler^* than a samurai, and Kachamaru (Anthony Hummerston) take the lead for the next hour of the trek. They encounter nothing but trees, as do Miyoshi (Jim Loder) and Mineo (Denzil Brown) who lead for the following hour.

During the final hour of the day, with Haku (Paul Burton) and Kanemitsu on point, and with the two apprentices looking for a place to camp as dusk closes in, Haku notices a strange light ahead. It is moving slowly from the track into the forest to the left. Haku can't decide whether it is a will-o'-the-wisp or someone carrying a lantern. He sends Kanemitsu back to tell the others and follows the light. Haku finds a short track leading off the main track. At the end of the track is a large clearing in which, lit by many lanterns, is a large, well-appointed house set in beautiful gardens. Haku watches and waits and is soon joined by the others. Yoshi's eyes are well-adjusted to the half-light and he sees children playing in the garden. The party approaches the house to see who lives there. Just then a handsome, well-dressed, middle-aged man comes out of the house and invites them inside. He introduces himself as Kitagaki Yukihira and his beautiful wife as Yukio. He asks the party to stay for dinner and offers them beds for the night. The guests agree readily.

Dinner is served in a sumptuous dining room with views over the garden. The food is delicious and is brought by servants dressed in a gorgeous livery. Dinner is shared with Yukihira's six daughters - all apparently of marriageable age and very pretty. Yoshi, initially a little suspicious, but realising they are not hostile and quite genuine, asks how come the family is living out here, so far from civilisation. Yukihira replies that he brought his family here to get away from the bustle of the city - Hakodate, in response to Kachi's interjection - and they all enjoy the life out here. There is plenty of wood, game and fish, and when they occasionally need something a servant is sent into town to get it. Haku asks if they have any trouble with the Ainu, but their host replies that the Ainu are not want to attack people or their homes. As the evening draws to a close, Haku composes a haiku in honour of their hosts, which is warmly received, especially by the girls. Yukihira insists the travellers stay the night - they have plenty of spare rooms, so they can have a room each.

During the night, each member of the party (including Kanemitsu, Tagaya and the level twos) experiences a curious incident. As they are lying in bed waiting to fall asleep, a beautiful young girl, one of the host's daughters, enters their room, disrobes and gets into bed. What would they do? What should they do?

Yoshi, suspicious as ever, questions his girl's motives. He asks if she thinks this is improper - she giggles and says that they so rarely see young men out here in the forest. Yoshi is satisfied, and soon after so is the girl. Haku is also suspicious and he isn't satisfied with his girl's answers to his questions. After several minutes of questioning she gets quite upset. Meanwhile, Miyoshi is completely nonplussed by the situation. He asks his girl some questions but doesn't know what to do with the replies, and in a panic he dashes from the room. Mineo has no such worries and plunges on in. Kachamaru is similarly uninhibited, but assuages his curiosity by deciding to ask questions afterwards. However, in the event he forgets (failed Will saving throw) and falls asleep.

While Yoshi, Mineo and Kachamaru sleep contentedly, their respective partners take vials of a dark liquid from their clothes and pour it into their mouths. It is a level 5 hypnotic poison - when they wake they will be highly suggestible. Miyoshi, meanwhile, is wandering the rooms and corridors of the house, completely lost. He can't find the others, the way out, or even a room with a window. Haku is also lost. His persistent questioning eventually drove the girl away, and when he followed into the corridor and another room he lost her. He is trying to make a mental map of the house, but it is driving him mental! He tries going in a straight line through room after room but never reaches an outside wall. He calls out to the others but there is no reply. Finally it dawns on him that this is all an illusion, and his knowledge of Japanese classics tells him that the masters of illusion are - kitsune. With this realization he shrugs, finds an empty room and goes to sleep.

In the morning, Haku greets the sun - and then realizes that he is not in the house! Miyoshi is lying on the ground a short distance away, having finally fallen asleep after hours of fruitless searching. Haku wakes him and they look around. They seem to be in the same clearing as before, but now there is no house, only a ruined shack on one side of the clearing. Haku and Miyoshi gather their belongings and go to look at the shack. On the way they find the rest of the party. Kanemitsu is alright but the others have all been stripped of their armour and weapons and although awake seem to be moving as if in a daze. They respond to instructions but appear to be unaware of their surroundings. Realising they have been drugged, Haku casts Pure Thought to restore their Will attributes. Kachamaru responds to treatment, but Tagaya remains in a trance until Haku's power runs out. Yoshi manages to rouse himself from his half-dream and he joins Miyoshi, Haku and Kachamaru in searching the clearing; Kanemitsu guards Mineo, Tagaya and the level twos. As the four approach the shack they hear a yapping and barking from underneath it. Haku casts Light and peers underneath. There is a family of foxes and mounds of equipment and assorted articles in the space between the shack floor and the earth. Two foxes rush out and nip at Haku's ankles but fail to break the skin. Then a great flood of water rushes out from under the shack. Yoshi manages to skip out of the way but the others are washed away, drowning in the sudden torrent. Haku recognises the source as the spell Watery Storm while going down for the first time. Fortunately the flood abates and no further injuries are sustained. Kachamaru retaliates by casting Limelight and throwing the conjured pot of burning lime under the shack. It doesn't cause a fire, but the space is now as bright as a stage. Haku detects another spell being cast and sees two Darts of Water fly out but miss everyone. Kachamaru casts Stage Sword (to conjure a magical bo-ken), and he and Miyoshi climb into the tumbledown shack and try to break the floorboards, but they are too thick (the floorboards, that is). Then six foxes burst out from under the shack and inside where Miyoshi and Kachamaru are, taking a bite at Yoshi on the way and causing a minor wound. Miyoshi and Kachamaru hack at the foxes and hit two of them. Yoshi now crawls under the shack to see if he can find any weapons. He finds a wakizashi (which happens to be Mineo's) and throws it out into the clearing. Then the mother fox casts Binding of Limbs on Yoshi and he finds himself very securely bound. Haku goes to his rescue and manages to cast Countermagic. Yoshi freed, he continues to look for weapons. Inside, Miyoshi and Kachamaru are still in a frantic fight with six foxes. One turns to human guise and leaps at Miyoshi, but Miyoshi swing his sword round and kills it. Another fox lands badly from a leaping attack and knocks itself out. Underneath things turn sticky when the mother fox casts Mud and Yoshi and Haku find themselves sliding about. Yoshi manages to find his own bow and a few arrows and slithers out into the clearing. He retires to a safe distance and starts firing arrows at the foxes in the shack.

At about this time the two level twos get enough willpower together to join the fight. They both climb under the shack; one finds a wakizashi but the other gets stuck in the mud. The father fox tries to cast Dark Circle but fails; the mother fox casts Spell of Sizes and appears to disappear right in front of Haku's eyes (in fact she shrinks to a tiny size). Miyoshi lands a critical hit with his sword on a fox and kills it outright; Yoshi lands a critical hit with an arrow on a fox and does likewise. Kachamaru tries to cast Stage Flash but fails. The father fox again tries to cast Dark Circle and fails, but the mother fox casts Arrows of Wood and hits Miyoshi. Miyoshi tries to fight off the lightning narcotic poison; he only succeeds in lowering the poison's level after four action phases and can't throw it off for a further seven action phases, by which time his strength has been reduced to 10 - only just enough to wield a wakizashi! Coincidence or not, his next four attacks all fail. Kachamaru tries to pick up the pace, clubbing a fox with his wooden sword. He only manages two hits from the next four, but it is enough to defeat one fox. Yoshi hits and severely injures a fox with an arrow but can't finish it off. The first level two crawls out from under the shack with a wakizashi and then fails to hit any of the foxes. The other level two is stuck in the mud. Haku find's Kachi's bow and crawls out with it, but is unable to use it. He tried casting Countermagic against the mud but fails. Finally the father fox manages to cast Dark Circle and, with a rallying series of yips, the fox family tries to escape through the utter darkness he created at the back of the shack. As they run, Miyoshi gets a hit on one injured fox and kills it; Yoshi hits another injured fox with an arrow and kills it too. Mineo and Tagaya at last snap out of their stupors but when they arrive all the foxes have gone.

To the sound of foxes barking their defiance and fear from the depths of the forest, the party tears down the shack and recovers the stolen items. In addition to their own armour and weapons there are many other interesting and valuable items. Mineo spots a flask of poison but can't identify it (in fact it is the level 5 slow hallucinogenic poison); more importantly, there is another flask of poison antidote. Correctly surmising this is the antidote to their current affliction, all those affected take a swig, which is just as well because the poison was still in their bodies and actively depressing their wills. Tagaya then goes through the other spoils. He takes some money for himself, five fine rubies for his master and shares some lesser gems with the level twos. A tessen with a jitte tine catches Yoshi's eye - it belonged to his brother who disappeared in the forests ten years ago. There is also a training manual on its use in combination with a sword (ken-to-jitte-jutsu). Other interesting items include an average no-dachi with a decorated scabbard (but none of the apprentices is yet strong enough to wield it); a magical wakizashi that gives +3 armour class; a relic carrying 6 charges of L4 gnana-yoga blessing; a talisman carrying 9 charges of L3 Darts of Wood; a Helm of Hachiman with 12 charges (protects against critical failures and opponent's critical hits) which Tagaya pointedly gives to Mineo; a magical tanto casting Darts of Water and giving the caster +1 level for this spell; a Pearl of Magic which Tagaya gives to Kachamaru (gives a permanent +1 Mag Cap if swallowed); and a wood-bound book containing the spell scrolls Watery Storm, Pure Blood and Stage Blood. In researching the magical items, Haku over-expends power (for the n^th time) and suffers a backlash - now they really must rest for the day.

How will the party divide up the loot? Find out next week…

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