Session 41. (12/2/10)

The weird creature hunt continues. Kokuma hears a flock of songbirds and finds them in some trees surrounding a glade. Yoshi notices that they a behaving oddly - sitting in the branches, watching the party, occasionally chirping to one another. Think how Kurosawa would have made The Birds. Suddenly the birds fly down and attack the party. Yoshi, Haku and Miyoshi see them in time to dodge, but Kokuma is pecked for 1 damage and Kachamaru for 3 damage. They all draw weapons and start swatting the birds out of the air. Miyoshi, using his relatively unfamiliar katana, hits one bird, then another, then gets a critical hit and downs three with one great stroke. He finishes with another hit for a total of 6 kills. Kachamaru, using his relatively familiar katana, misses the birds and dazes himself. While dazed, the birds add insult and injury by pecking him twice for 3 and 2 damage. Kachamaru regains his composure and downs a bird. Yoshi swings both his swords and gets two birds on the first pass, one on the second, one on the third and one (the last one) on the fourth for a tally of 5. Kokuma swings his heavy tetsubo. It is hard to control against such small targets, but when it hits, the target stays hit. He gets three birds. Haku swings his little-used tanto and misses (getting pecked for 3 damage), hits and misses again (getting pecked again for 3 damage). Miyoshi is very pleased to get the most kills, just beating Yoshi.

The party moves on and Yoshi identifies a good hunting area for rats. Sure enough, four rats are found, but these look very menacing - they have razor-sharp teeth. The rats attack but our heroes are ready. Miyoshi gets a critical hit and chops a rat's head off. Kachamaru casts Breath of Dragon and makes rat flambé. Yoshi swings both swords and cuts a rat neatly into four. And Kokuma swings his tetsubo and makes rat pâté. Haku doesn't have to do anything.

The party moves on and Kachamaru tries to gain some more hunting experience. Unfortunately he leads the party into a cluster of totate-riso (trap-door squirrels), the demonic offspring of the poisonous trap-door spider and the very dangerous squirrel. Miyoshi and Haku don't spot them at first, and two spider-squirrels jump onto them and bite them. Miyoshi is poisoned but Haku just suffers the 3 damage of the bite. Kachamaru has one on his back and tries to brush it off, but clumsily puts his arm on its fangs and it bites him for 3 damage, though the poison fails to take hold. Kokuma and Yoshi attack the rest of the creatures and kill two. Miyoshi's system tries to fight off the poison but his immune system identifies it as a virus and actually increases the poison level. The four remaining totate-riso attack again and Kachamaru is bitten again, and this time the paralytic poison gets into his system. The other three demon-spawn miss their targets. This gives our heroes a chance and they take it, all five of them scoring hits - only Haku's feeble tanto thrust fails to kill its victim so Kokuma finishes it with his tetsubo. Miyoshi fights off his poisoning with Haku's help (Pure Blood), losing three strength in the process, and Kachamaru overcomes his for the loss of one strength. Both recover soon.

As the daylight fades, the party finds a suitable spot to camp for the night. As Mineo has gone up into the snow-covered mountains for a while, Miyoshi has to order Kachamaru to make the camp. However, when they come to prepare the meat from the dead demon creatures, it turns out to be rotten, worm-infested and foul-tasting. So they settle down to discuss the day's events over a hot meal of nothing. The consensus is that some big bad monster is turning all the game into demonic equivalents. Kokuma and Yoshi think it is because the gods are angry. Haku postulates that Wajin magic-users have caused it, but can't think of any way they might have done it, either from his knowledge of shugendo or in any examples in Japanese classics. He searches for a big malign spirit but can detect only the usual minor forest spirits. He gets a feeling of general hostility though. Resolving to look for the big monster in the morning, Miyoshi sets watches for the night and takes the first watch himself. He takes pity on Kachamaru, the most wounded, he spares him a watch.

During the first watch, Miyoshi spots six rabbits hopping about near the camp. He wakes the others, fearing that they might overpower him (if they are demonic animals, that is). Stealthily, the warriors ready their bows and fire at the rabbits. Kachamaru and Kokuma score hits, killing two rabbits. The other rabbits run off, but all manage one more difficult shot. Kachamaru, Kokuma and Yoshi get hits and kill three more rabbits. The sixth rabbit escapes. Mineo is relieved at the closeness of the shave. He cautiously examines the dead bodies and finds that they are ordinary rabbits. Kachamaru rekindles the fire and asks Kokuma, "Hey, what's your favourite recipe for rabbit?"

"Skin. Gut. Roast," he replies. So everyone has a midnight feast of skinned, gutted and roasted rabbit, including a portion for any passing kami.

Yoshi has the second watch but it passes uneventfully. Kokuma takes the third watch and spots some giant rats scuttle up to the camp. He watches them suspiciously. They watch him suspiciously. They wander off. Nothing bad happens. For once.

In the morning, after an uneventful dawn watch taken by Haku, the party has a breakfast of boiled rabbit. Conversation returns to the mystery of the demonic animals. Haku again searches for an evil spirit. "I can only detect the usual forest spirits. They seem angrier than usual."

"Maybe de spirits are at war with each other," opines Kokuma.

"Is this a sacred forest, like we ha back at Mori?" asks Kachamaru.

"I think there must be an external influence," offers Yoshi, playing the intellectual.

"It's a dark, evil being behind it all," says Miyoshi with finality.

Haku changes into a bird and flies up to see if there is a large, malign creature around, but sees nothing unusual. Miyoshi makes a decision. "We need advice from the Ainu shamans. Haku, fly back to the village and consult with your wife. No, not in the cave." Haku flies off. The others remain in the camp with orders not to kill anything except for food or to defend themselves.

Kachamaru is on watch at the camp when he spots four hares nearby. He whistles softly to the others and they ready arrows and lick their lips, not recognising them as usagi-tsuki (legendary moon-hares). Suddenly the hares shift shapes into human warriors, armed with spears. Shocked, the real human warriors fire four arrows at the unreal human warriors. Three arrows strike home. The moon-hares shriek with rage and charge at the archers. The party quickly change weapons and await the onslaught. Miyoshi's spear just outreaches the hares' spears and he turns one warrior away, doing seven damage. Kachamaru is speared but for only one damage. He gets inside his foe's spear range and inflicts seven damage with his sword. Yoshi dodges a spear pint and swings his two swords, which would both have missed if the moon-hare's momentum hadn't carried it into them, and it suffers 18 damage. Kokuma is hit for 6 damage so he replies with 8 damage from his big club. Miyoshi presses his advantage and lands a critical hit, killing the usagi-tsuki. Kachamaru scores another 7-point hit and his opponent, trying to use its spear at close quarters, misses and falls to the ground. Yoshi hits with one of his swords for 10 damage while his foe hits with its one spear for 7 damage. Kokuma's enemy scores a critical hit, knocking Kokuma unconscious. Miyoshi goes to Kokuma's aid and spears it for 5 and 8 damage without reply, killing it. Meanwhile, Kachamaru strikes the prone figure for 12 damage but then can't hit it even though it is helpless. Yoshi gets another hit, is hit for 6, then lands two more, one critical, to finish the creature. Miyoshi goes to help the hapless Kachamaru and kills the last of the moon-hares.

Kachamaru revives Kokuma with some "Stage Blood". Yoshi and Kokuma recognise the creatures as moon-hares. Yoshi knows from his Japanese classics that they are strict adherents to the code of bushido, and theorises that they were enraged by the unprovoked attack on spearmen by bowmen. The camp settles down again and Kokuma makes some tea. It is pretty bad.

Shortly afterwards, Haku flies back from Miyoshiville. He reports that Koshamain was quite definite that he thought the omen of the premature death of the bear cub had caused ordinary game animals to turn demonic. "So what do we do?" asks Miyoshi plaintively.

"We return to the village and dance and dance until the omens improve," replies Haku.

"Or maybe we get a replacement bear cub," suggests Kokuma. So on the way back they look for a bear. Kokuma excels in his tracking and finds both deer and bear tracks. "Which do we follow?" he asks. The others chime in: "We follow the bear."

Kokuma follows the bear tracks and thinks they are getting close when suddenly the bear, which has smelled them coming a mile off, attacks Yoshi, doing 3 damage with its claws. The others quickly bring their weapons to bear. Miyoshi spears the bear for 7 damage, Kachamaru casts Scenery and disappears behind it, Yoshi hits with one of his two attacks for 9 damage, Kokuma tries Control Bear but fails, and Haku bides his time. The bear attacks Miyoshi but misses. Miyoshi punishes its mistake by spearing for 4 damage, Kachamaru reappears behind the bear, ready to attack, but Yoshi gets in first with a 13-point hit that kills the bear.

Kokuma checks the bear and finds that it is a female. Needing to act quickly, Kokuma and Yoshi start looking to see if there is a bear cub nearby. Yoshi thinks he has found a likely location and Kokuma thinks he has found some small bear tracks, but they are both way off beam - in fact they lead the party into the middle of a drey of demonic squirrels with Deadly Gaze (a.k.a. Laser Squirrels) - as if ordinary squirrels weren't fierce enough!

The squirrels attack with their Deadly Gaze and strike Yoshi for 8 damage and Kokuma for 7 damage. The heroes run up to the trees and start hacking at the squirrels on the lower branches - all except Kachamaru who starts casting a kabuki spell. Miyoshi kills a squirrel, Yoshi gets two and Kokuma gets a fourth. Then Kachamaru's spell kicks in - a scene of themselves running around the glade decoys most of the squirrels, though a few see through (or round?) it, their gazes inflicting 13 damage to Haku. Miyoshi kills another squirrel, as do Yoshi and Kokuma. Kachamaru somehow manages to only wound one, but he finishes it off and another on with three Darts of Wood. Miyoshi spears his third, Yoshi weighs in with two again and Kokuma clobbers one out the (wildlife) park. The final two are mopped up by Miyoshi and Yoshi, taking their tallies to 4 and 6 respectively, Yoshi having the honour of most kills this time.

The adventurers give up looking for a bear cub and hurry back to the village before they meet anymore crawling nasties. They report to Koshamain who immediately decrees that there will be a dance to honour the spirits. The adventurers are given a week to practise their dancing and they take full advantage, in spite of a little bickering - Kokuma wants Miyoshi to wear a sign reading "I'm sorry!", while Miyoshi suggests that Kokuma wears a sign saying "Butterfingers" (for not catching the falling bear). They learn all the steps: It's just a jump to the left / And then a step to the right / Put your hands on your hips etc. Then on the day of the dance they focus their ki, with Haku and Yoshi making critical successes. The dance starts and the heroes and their wives do well, especially Haku and Kokuma. Only Kachamaru makes a bit of a mess, but the overall effect is very positive. For a few weeks the hunting improves, but gradually the demonic game takes over again.

Kokuma declares that the only solution is to capture another bear cub. They agree, do the Dance of Bear Capture (Haku falls over but overall it goes well). The first day they find no sign of bears, but on the second day they find some bear tracks. What will they find at the end of them?

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