Session 5. (11/1/08)

It is winter and a hunting party is travelling through the hills west of Mori, consisting of the former wajin Kachamaru (Anthony Hummerston), Miyoshi (Jim Loder), Mineo (Denzil Brown), Haku (Paul Burton), Yoshi (Chris Dore) and their new Ainu companion, Kokuma (Dave Weaver). The party comes across the tracks of a pack of what they agree is 10-20 wolves (though in fact there are 8 wolves). Although it is a few Ri away, the adventurers can tell they are heading straight towards the Wajin village they found about a year earlier. After a protracted discussion they decide to check out the village.

About 1 Ri further on they discover the body of a Wajin man. He has evidently been run down by some wolves. The disturbing thing though is that he has been killed by a blow to the head, and the tracks of two Oni lead to and from the scene. The wolf, man and oni tracks all lead to and from the Wajin village, about 2 Ri away.

On arriving at the village, the hunters find it under attack by wolves and oni. The bodies of several villagers lie in the main street. Three more are trying to fend off half a dozen wolves and three oni. One villager is on the ground, nearly dead.

Kachamaru, Miyoshi, Mineo, Yoshi and Kokuma wade in, taking on whatever oni and wolves are nearest. Haku hangs back and assists with spells and healing. When Kokuma despatches a wolf and is looking for the next target when a young woman runs past with a wolf snapping at her heels, close to him. With the others tied up for several rounds, Kokuma gives chase across the village, through the houses and their neat, fenced gardens and outhouses. He is just starting to gain on the wolf when the woman runs into a shack and slams the door, leaving Kokuma outside with the wolf. Kokuma quickly despatches the wolf, but the woman is heard screaming inside. He bursts through the dor to find within the shack, two oni are holding the woman down on a bed. Fortunately for Kokuma they are fairly small oni, but it is still a tough fight.

After the fight the woman hugs Kokuma and thanks him. It turns out that she has a soft spot for Ainu, and was very upset by the events of their previous run-in (the Talking Stone that was the manifestation of the Headman's wife's hatred of the Ainu).

Elsewhere in the village the others weather wave after wave of oni attacks. Most of the wolves attack in the first wave, but oni emerge from buildings in ones and twos.

After the fight the village can be surveyed. Almost all the houses have been smashed, knocked down or burned. The headman's house, more substantial than the rest, is unscathed, but it was already half ruined as it had been unoccupied for nearly a year.

The few survivors explain that soon after the previous affair with the oni, the village had been split by arguments over the Ainu. Some said they were gentle and friendly, and helped rid them of the oni, but they were in the minority. The Ainu-hating faction left the village and went to live in Togenoshita. Only 12 families remained of the original 30.

The young woman Kokuma saved hangs on to him and says, "Please protect me." She is very sweet on Kokuma now. Kachemaru recognises her as the woodcutter's daughter. The rest of the surviving villagers ask for help in rebuilding the village; the Ainu-converts are a bit dubious but eventually a deal is struck that in return for help, the woodcutter's daughter can go with Kokuma.

Kuchiki - L2 Female Woodcutter
     Str 18 Dft 17 Spd 10 Hlh 15 Wt 9 Wl 9 Dam +1 BAP 8 MNA 1 ZAN 1 BMA 4 HPT 19
     AC 2 Fine Axe Masakarijutsu 14+ Fine Whittling Knife Tantojutsu 13+
     Woodcutting 17+ Forestry 11+ Carving 16+ Bowyer 3
     Monomane 8 Popular Dance 6 Singing 5 Commerce 9 Cooking 12

The woodcutter's daughter is good with wood, including cutting down (small) trees, whittling and carving, and understands forests and trees. She has learned some commerce skills from observing her father selling his wood and cooking from helping her mother. She also provides rustic village entertainment, acting and singing (Kabuki players being rare on the frontier). Before he left, she used to perform with the Headman, with whom she would change clothes.

< Previous  |Home  |  Bushido  |  The Wood 2  |  Next >