Session 22. (4/9/07)

Starring:

Guest star: Dori.
Guest cannon fodder: Ori, and Nori.

Guest Director: Anthony Hummerston.

It is late summer in the year of the Dog. The living is far from easy. A few weeks ago, our heroes beat off an attack by a lone gigantic spider, wounding it. The spider escaped back into the forest before they could land the killing blow, and this is preying on their minds. Also there are rumours of a hard winter ahead. The forest is being severely over-hunted, and food stocks are nowhere near as high as they were in previous years. The harvest is beginning in earnest. Even young children are enlisted to help, making sure that not a scrap goes to waste.

Finally, when it seems that the rumours are at their peak, the village elders summon our heroes.

It is not good news. The rumours are alas true. The village has been struggling for some time to feed itself. Millet is being gathered in from the fields, but there is precious little meat to eat or to store. Even the usual nuts, berries, roots and fungi are in short supply. The forest is not sustaining them. The elders have therefore come to two conclusions. ^[1]

Firstly, they propose to move the Shikabe refugees further on, and into less populated lands, where food is more plentiful. This will involve some exploration - The kind that eats through resources, as non-productive villagers are supported by those left behind. Our heroes look at one another. -Scouting! Why did it have to be scouting!

The other point the elders make is a more pressing one. They do not think that the village will survive the winter on their current rations. The elders take a sombre tone. "Therefore, with heavy hearts, we have decided to trade with the Wajin." There is a stunned silence. Suddenly the elders laugh at their shocked expressions. "Did I say 'trade' - what I meant to say was 'steal!'

Our heroes are relieved. The elders fill them in on a few details of a half-formed plan.
"As you know, there are Wajin villages in the sacred forest. A scout reports that there are convoys of food and supplies between Mori, and these villages, around this time of the year. We are looking for volunteers to intercept these, and secure food from them."

Our heroes are keen to get started, they start talking fast among themselves discussing tactics and weapons and ambushes. The elders stop them from making too elaborate a plan. "We must warn you though, that there must be a different approach. We cannot afford for the Wajin to suspect that it is Ainu that are taking their food. A subtle and cautious approach is advised. If you bring reprisals from the Wajin, even the survivors of a raid will surely perish over the winter. You are all family men, you have responsibility to yourselves, your neighbours and your families.

This brings fresh discussions. They decide that Myoshi will lead the raid. Mineo steps to his side, ever the faithful manservant. Kokuma offers his skills as a tracker and a trapper. They look to the others for help, but the other heroes offer to keep the home fires burning, defending the village, and helping with the harvest. Though disappointed, Miyoshi is still confident that he can secure food enough without their help, and starts making plans.
A long discussion ensues. They are wary of attacking what might be an armed escort to a food caravan. They leaf through Mineo's recipe book of poisons, and select a few. Mostly they are mildly narcotic, or hallucinogenic. Many are more suitable, but unfortunately take too long to prepare.
"Maybe we could sneak into Mori and poison their tea."
"We could pose as wandering Ronin."
Kokuma advises against it. In a comical voice he describes a scene. "Hello, there! I'm a passing Ronin. While I look for work, do you mind if I pour this noxious substance in your tea?"

Miyoshi starts planning an ambush. By cleaning themselves up as best they can, shaving, and wearing only Wajin clothes and armour, they can pass themselves off as simple bandits.
"How simple?" asks Mineo.
"Simple."
Mineo looks at his master. "Shouldn't be too difficult then…."But then he thinks out loud. "What about Kokuma? He'll not shave his beard off."
"He will for me."
Kokuma says. "I am not being plucked for you, -or for anyone!"
"But I'm the leader!" wails Miyoshi.
"Not my leader. Absolutely NO plucking. That's final."
He looks so big and menacing, that Miyoshi has to take no for an answer.
Not wanting to see Miyoshi lose face, Kokuma declares that he can pose as a bear spirit instead.
"Do bears have spirits?"
Kokuma rises to his full height, and snarls. "They do now! Grrrr!"

Kokuma suggests playing on the Wajin superstitions, and disappears to consult with his wife. After a few hours, he returns with a bundle. Miyoshi is curious as to what the two of them have been doing^[2]. Kokuma proudly holds up a mask for each of them to wear. His wife has been busy carving frightening faces. -Taking her cue from Kachamaru - or rather the masks used in his Kabuki performances. Haku has also advised, by quoting several tales of frightening beasts that are malign spirits from classical folklore. Kuchiki has also adapted a wooden fruit-bowl into a mask, but this does not have any features. With a little white ash and animal grease, the mask is a complete blank. Kokuma is also drawing a blank. "Why is this so scary?" he asks, putting the mask to his face. His wife says. "It's giving me the wiggins!"
Kokuma looks at it again. "It's a puppet!"

He goes to show the others. The others all shrink away in fear. The resemblance to a Noppera-bo is uncanny. Kokuma says. "With a fresh smear of grease, it should shimmer in moonlight too!"

Noppera-bo - a faceless ghost.

The others still feel uncomfortable. To take their mind off it, Mineo offers to find some spider cocoons to make into ghostly robes. He scurries off home. As he arrives, his wife is laying out two strips of paper over the cocoons. "What are you doing Manimahpo?"
"Making a silk costume."

Mineo is shocked. "But this bit is only the size of a handkerchief, and this part of two tied together - It will hardly cover anything!"
"Precisely. I'm making a bikini!"

"But I need this silk. If you want to eat this winter, I need to take it into the forest, and dress up as a lady. -Ahem! Lady ghost!"
"I suppose this is all Miyoshi's idea?"
"How did you guess?"
"Oh, female intuition."

Kokuma has managed to secure some silken threads, rope and string. "It's for setting traps and animating our ghost." He tells the others. "Even the thinnest rope will easily bind a person by the wrists, so that they are at your mercy, though will not hurt them!" The others snigger at him behind hands held politely over their mouths.

They load up with any other gear that they think that they might need, and set off toward Mori. After a mile or so, they head into the sacred forest, hoping to pick up the path that leads toward the villages in the clearing.

Mineo asks Miyoshi. "Didn't you want to bring a child along?"
"What for?"
"They could pretend to be ghostly spirits."
"No. No children." He thinks for a moment. "Though I could offload a few of my own, and make the winter evenings a little quieter."

The trek through the forest is hard going. It is mid afternoon when they finally come across a path cut through the forest. Trees have been felled, and the undergrowth cleared. The pathway is only about wide enough for three or four people walking abreast. There are numerous small obstacles, and many small detours- around rocky outcrops or around the thickest parts of the wood. The path is far from straight, but nonetheless navigable on foot.

Our trio decide to use this place as an ambush site. They secure an area out of sight of the path, and make a hasty camp. Then they get to work crafting a ghostly mannequin, and setting a few traps around the area. They also need to eat, and forage some food from the forest. Kokuma looks over the terrain, and sees that there are signs of recent activity. The footprints are only a day or so old. Miyoshi doesn't want to scout up or down the path, -in case a better ambush site can be found- so they start to assemble their ghost here.
"What about if I get a hollow tube, and throw my voice too?" asks Mineo.
"A good plan, with only two minor drawbacks."
"Oh?"
"One, we don't have a hollow tube…."
"And two?"
"Two. Faceless ghosts don't have mouths. Therefore they don't speak."
"We can make 'woo-woo' noises. Two people could do it in unison for a double scare!"
"I think that'd take more time to practice and get right than we have."
"Oh. Shame." Mineo can't help himself. "Maybe you can sing then!"

They try on their masks. They make adjustments, and get them ready to wear at a moment's notice.

Scary mask.

The day wears on, but there are no signs of a caravan. They retire for the night, but stand watches to make sure they do not miss anyone coming along the path.

During the first watch, Miyoshi huddles around a little charcoal brazier for warmth. He is soon assailed by a horrible musky smell….The smell of fox. He rests his spear on his knees, poised for instant action, but apart from a few rustlings in the undergrowth, encounters nothing. Finally he wakes up Mineo. "Your turn, Mineo."
"But I swear I've only been asleep a few minutes!"
"Look at the position of the stars, Mineo. At least three hours have passed."
Mineo looks up. There is a tiny speck of sky showing through the tree canopy. "I think you're mistaking one star for another, Miyoshi."
Miyoshi pulls rank. Mineo grudgingly settles down to do his stint.
After some hours, (minutes surely?) he sees some lights in the forest. He stands up for a better view, expecting a caravan to come along the trail. However, the lights fade, only to reappear again some way off. After a few more times, he dismisses them as Onibi - ghost lights. The more he tries to remember about them, the more frightened he becomes. Still, they do no harm than give him a chill, and he wakes Kokuma.
"I think that I've only been asleep a few minutes, Mineo….."
"Don't start that again!"

Kokuma rests his back against a tree. He waits for the dawn. It's a long wait. The hour of the hare is chilly, and a mist starts to form around him. He stands up. All over the forest, the mist stretches in all directions, wrapping the trees in its ghostly tendrils. Kokuma has seen this many times before at this time of the year. He knows instinctively that once the mist burns off, it will be a glorious late summer's day.

As soon as it is light enough, he wakes the others, and disappears into the forest. He manages to bag a couple of pigeons, and pulls berries off a bush. It's a proper cooked breakfast. - Grilled over their charcoal. Miyoshi starts to complain. Kokuma advises that pigeon is better than grilled squirrel. Miyoshi pipes down and eats his pigeon with relish.

Kokuma isn't used to such small breakfasts. He announces to the others that he's going to find something more substantial. Sure enough after a few minutes scouting around, he has found fresh prints of a small boar. He stalks his prey. Getting downwind of it, he sees that it is straggling behind its mother. He takes careful aim, and downs the little porker in one. He then edges nearer, and gently lifts it. He waits patiently for the mother boar to move further away before retracing his steps.

Mineo decides that Kokuma has been long enough, and starts after him. After a few minutes, he stops to listen. He hears something in the undergrowth, and moves off to track it down. On thinking he sees Kokuma, he turns slightly and stalks through the trees. By now, he is rather disorientated, and the mists around him are not helping much. Another few yards and a detour to avoid a rocky outcrop, and he is thoroughly lost. Kokuma, meantime, is trying to locate Mineo, having heard him a moment ago. There is much blundering about in the wood, trying one way and then another and then another. Who would have thought that a mere few hundred feet into the forest could be so confusing? Miyoshi is getting nervous too. He has checked the path, but there are no signs of the others. He waits.

Finally Kokuma and Mineo manage to meet up. They manage to deduce which way their camp is, but in order not to get lost again, they strike out for the pathway. As they emerge from the tree-line, they catch their breath. The mist is starting to rise, and they spot something further up the trail. Abandoning thoughts of going back to Miyoshi, they go and investigate.

There beside the trail is a small wooden shrine. There are old prayer stips attached to it, worn and weather stained. However, their keen eyes see a couple of bright new strips also. These may only be a few days old!

As they bend down to inspect them, there is a movement behind the shrine, and a lady stands up. She is as shoked to see them as they are to see her. Mineo recognises her as a shrine maiden. The white shirt and red trousers are a bit ov a giveaway. Kokuma tries to be inconspicuous. - no mean feat!

"Are you bandits?" she asks.
"Yes!"
She draws back in fear.
"I mean no! We're…..Heroic Ronin!"
"Your accents are strange."
Quick as a flash Mineo says. "I'm from the south!"^[3]
The lady is more concerned with their status as heroes. "There is a monster a little way up the trail. He will not let me pass. Please help me."

Playing the part of the swaggering hero, Mineo offers his help. "What kind of monster?"
"An evil goblin. A Bakemono probably. All thin and wiry and hairy."
Kokuma takes a step back, trying to act cool.
Mineo prompts. "And?"
"And he demands something shiny in payment for safe passage. All I have is my knife. I fear that if I were to give it to him, he might attack me. I need the knife to defend myself."
"Never fear. We'll tackle this evil spirit."
Just then, Miyoshi comes up the trail. He sees the other two with the lady, and ups his pace. Mineo senses that Miyoshi has arrived, and starts taking detours into the forest, muttering in a stage whisper as he goes. "Tracking. Checking. You can't be too careful…." He lets Miyoshi get close.

Suddenly there is a rustling in the bushes ahead, and a wiry little goblin springs forth.
"Grrrrrr! Hand over your payment!" It snarls at them. It looks slightly comical, with three well armed and armoured heroes and a lady staring back at him.

Mineo wais until he can hear Miyoshi join the back of the group. Then he steps forward, and with a lightning fast- draw, draws his sword, and hits the creature. The creature steps back a step, stunned, then sinks to its knees. The lady asks. "Is it dead?"
Mineo has surprised even himself. "No, merely stunned."

Miyoshi, at the back yells a warning. "Watch it!" Suddenly another half dozen of these creatures burst forth from the undergrowth. They ready swords and level bows at our heroes. That's fighting talk!

Kokuma springs into attack one of them. Spoiling his aim, he lashes out with his tetsubo. Miyoshi slashes at one, cutting a critical deep wound in its chest. Kokuma gets in a good hit. Mineo manages to stumble into his attack, and suddenly his leg erupts in a gash of crimson. He's hit himself critically! He clenches his teeth together to stop himself from yelling in pain. His leg is a gory mess. He shifts his weight to his other leg, as a volley of arrows come their way. One critically hits Mineo, adding to his woes. However, the wound is small, but deep. Miyoshi follows up his attack with a successful butt stroke. With a big hit, Kokuma manages to kill one of his opponents, it falls to the floor a bloody mess. Kokuma steps over it, missing a vital clue, and wades into another.

The creatures are surprised at their successes, and press home another attack instead of cutting and running. Kokuma and Miyoshi both miss, Mineo manages to slash at one. The creatures reply, but only manage to scratch Miyoshi. The lady yelps as her knife is snatched from her hands. Her attacker has recovered from his stun, and grabbed it, though hurting himself in the process.

Seeing their luck running out, the creatures scatter into the forest. Kokuma manages a massive critical hit on a fleeing opponent, which explodes in a gory mess. The others inflict good wounds too, bus as the creatures run, they change form, and soon a yowling and a yipping can be heard from the fleeing kitsune.

Our trio look around. The kitsune continue to taunt them from the safety of the forest undergrowth. The lady is shocked, but relieved. Her attacker wanted the knife more than to harm her. Sensibly, she let him have it.

Kokuma goes to gather fox skins. The lady thanks Mineo, who glows all over with the good deed. She offers to bind his wounds, and make him tea, but he declines, saying that the kitsune need to be hunted down and punished for their evil deeds. She tells him that there are people coming down this way soon, and that she will hurry back to Mori to warn them. Remembering what their mission was, they start to make hunting in the forest noises, and move off. The lady calls after them. "Thank you. Good luck and goodbye!" As an afterthought she looks at Kokuma, who has remained silent throughout. "And goodbye to you too."
Mineo is keen to distance himself from the big Ainu. "Oh, he's not with us…."
She responds. "I thought he was your pet Oni…."
"Oh, well, when I say 'not with us' exactly, I mean…."
But the lady is going. "I obviously have a lot to learn about the world….." she says, disappearing up the trail.

Our three take stock. They collect up a bow and a few arrows that the kitsune have left, and make their way back to their camp. Mineo slumps against a tree, nursing his wounds. He manages to bind them enough to stop them leaking or worsening, and applies a poultice. Then he takes some herbs for the pain, and closes his eyes.

As the breakfast is cooking, Kokuma skins the foxes. "Don't want to waste time, they'll be 'fox mouldered' in no time." He says. The breakfast is over quickly. Kokuma wants more. He climbs into a tree to see if he can see anything. Soon he can see and hear people moving along the trail. There seems to be an advance scout, and behind them, a dozen or so men. One or two might be armed with sword and bows. Its time to spring their ambush!

Part II. (Session 23 - 11/9/07)

Along the line of trees come a score of men. A scout comes first, wearing a light backpack. He looks left and right periodically, checking for predators and hazards. Behind him come two bushi. They are armed and alert, but not expecting trouble. After that, pairs of men carry supplies for the villages, on long poles. There are also some men at the back with harnesses and sleds with food piled in sacks. At the rear is another bushi. They are keeping a low profile, and not expecting trouble. The mist is starting to clear, but hugs the ground to around knee-height. A few of the bearers are chatting in low voices, and their mood is generally good. As they pass a pre-prepared check mark, things begin to happen. Our heroes have sprung their trap!

Mineo is taking a passive role. He throws his prepared bundle of leaves over the glowing charcoal, and starts to waft the dense smoke down the trail. The acrid smoke hangs in the air, and slowly spreads all around. Mineo tries not to cough, and give the game away, but the smoke is making his eyes stream with water. Besides, coughing could pull at his wounds, and he doesn't want to aggravate them further.

On the trail, the scout stops. He puts his hand up for the column to halt. The bushi halt and the rest of the men stop too. The bushi ready their weapons. In the bushes, Kokuma starts to pull on his cord. Miyoshi starts to wail through his hollowed tubes, and an eerie sound surrounds the trail. Among the smoke and the mist, a ghostly figure rises. It has translucent clothes and its feet cannot be seen. A head sits upon its shoulders, but no face is apparent! It's surely a ghost!

All along the line, there are prayers and oaths. Two of the bearers take fright, and run screaming from the line. The bushi at the rear is powerless to stop them running. The scout steels his nerves, and starts to approach the apparition.

The other bushi try to rally their men. Packs are discarded, and poles shifted off shoulders. Many of the men want to return home, saying that it is a bad omen. As they all gather in a frightened huddle, Kokuma lets the cords in his hand go.

Amid the fear and the trepidation, a new horror appears! From two different directions, two bloody carcasses swing down into their midst. The bushi start to slash at- and fire arrows at the gory mess. More villagers start to back away, terrified at this new horror!

The bushi at the rear, whose name is 'Dori' comes forward. He slashes at the skinned body of the fox. Gobs of congealed blood fly everywhere, adding to the panic among the civilians. Several more are on the verge of fleeing.

Our heroes are about to leap in, and finish them off. They pull their masks over their faces, and wait for the pre-arranged signal. However, the best laid plans of Ainu and Wajin do not often go smooth. The scout has conquered his fear (critically) and has got to the mock-up of the ghost. He sees the silken robes, the animal grease, and the carved mask. He sees the cords looped over the trees, and blacked with dirt. He almost laughs at its crude construction. He steps back to call to the others. "It's okay! It's a……" Suddenly a soft thud is heard. Mineo has loosed an arrow at the scout, felling him with one shot! The alarm is not raised. The strength ebbs from the scout's legs, and he topples forward in mocking obeisance to the apparition. This sends new waves of fear among the porters. A few more start shuffling to the back, despite the Bushi yelling at them to hold their ground.

Miyoshi advances into the rear of the group, waiting to butt-stroke^[4]. He comes up on a frightened porter, and spears him. The spear goes right through the frightened man, and appears out the other side. The man makes a faint gurgling sound, and slumps to the ground, clutching feebly at his innards.

Dori slices a big chunk off the fox's skinned body. He is starting to realise that this is all a ruse. Kokuma attacks the Bushi with the sword. He smashes him a critical blow, stunning the warrior. Miyoshi also manages a critical hit, -this time not so lethal, but even more powerful. His foe is stunned, and drops to the ground like a sack of rice, as blood trickles from his temple. A porter has regained his senses, and grabs a pole that he was carrying. He waves it menacingly in Miyoshi's face. But he is more scared than defiant at the apparent demon in their midst. He screams "A demon! A demon!" and strikes at Miyoshi. Miyoshi strikes back for a medium wound. Dori has worked out where the cords are that suspend the fox carcasses, he strikes out at them, cutting them down.

"Don't be scared, it's a trick!" he yells into the confusion. Kokuma hits him a glancing blow, the big man looking more and more like a rampaging Oni as he wades into the thick of the action. The archer looses an arrow at the demon, but it lands harmlessly in the trees.

Miyoshi hits the man with the pole. It's minimal damage, and the man is down to his last gasp; but gasp he does. He loosens his grip on the pole, and readies himself to flee back up the trail.

Dori has been emboldened by his realisation that the whole attack might be a ruse. He changes weapon, and looses a hasty arrow into Kokuma. The big man grimaces in pain, but this is hidden by the mask that he is wearing.

Kokuma: "My wife made me this mask...!"

Dori starts to think that maybe he is a demon after all! Surely no normal man could withstand a wound like that and not react. Kokuma smashes another blow onto his bushi, and receives a wound in return. Miyoshi and Dori are now trading blows, Dori is starting to weaken, and so starts to retreat, rallying the civilians to him. He stands his ground while the others make a run for it. Kokuma finishes off his two bushi. The villagers scramble away from the rampaging demons. Miyoshi goes to pursue Dori, who stands a valiant rearguard action. They trade and dodge blows and arrows, but finally Dori gets way- or did Miyoshi let him go? We may never know. They trade insults through the trees.

In the aftermath there are a couple of villagers still alive, but out for the count. Our heroes arrange the dead either side of the villagers, to give them a final scare when they recover. They haul off the goods to their pre-arranged camp, before returning to remove all trace of their presence. Finally they cut down their mannequin. The scout is still there, with Mineo's arrows in him.

A day or two later, the spoils of their ambush are stowed safely away. There is food enough to help them through the winter, and enough to pack up to enable a few scouting missions. Miyoshi announces mission successful. They divide up any additional spoils. Kokuma takes all the salvaged armour, and arranges it in a configuration that will fit him. All he needs now is someone with some skill to put it all together- a job for the winter months ahead. The villagers feast on looted salt fish, and a small barrel of plum brandy. The skies are starting to get heavy with snow, but it might be a good winter after all!

Autumn over Lake Onuma - Looking toward the volcano.

[1] Three if you include killing and eating the biggest consumer. Everyone looks at Kokuma. Then he hefts his tetsubo. - Better listen to what the elders say after all.

[2] He did go in wearing his flying squirrel slippers after all.

[3] West country accent: "We're travellers. We not be from 'round these parts. Arr."

[4] Is this a double, double entendre?

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