Session 1. (28/5/11)

It is Spring in the Year of the Tiger (1482). The children of the heroes of The Wood are preparing to sail from their home on Ikusyun Island to the mainland to help their parents obtain a medicinal herb that is vital to Koshamain's life. Shaved, and wearing wajin clothes, they are excited to be embarking on a great adventure and nervous at the prospect of travelling unnoticed through the heart of the Wajin lands.

Emishi is Miyoshi's son, brought up to be a swordsman and a leader, nevertheless has rivals for leadership of the close-knit group of friends made up of the mixed-race children. Since he came of age (15) five years ago, Emishi has worked hard on the okuden of Precision Strike, and gained karma from Kachamaru to boost his strength to 29.

Emishi's main rival for leadership is Sahpo, Haku's fourth-born and only son. Sahpo, now 18, has given up his childhood teachings of Ainu magic and Wajin shugenja and turned to the spiritual, becoming an Ainu priest. He has studied Ainu spiritual teachings, its theology and learned some of its Sagas. He has drawn on Miyoshi's karma to boost his strength to the point where he can actually carry a weapon and inflict damage, as well as topping up some other stats.

Onuma also has her sights set on being a leader. As the only female in the group chosen to travel, and at 17 the youngest as well, she has her work cut out! Kachamaru has brought her up with a wide range of skills including both the martial and the performing arts. With her natural tomboy personality and an uncanny ability to take on any look she pleases, fitting in is not a problem. Onuma has spent the last few years improving her main skills and applying Yoshi's karma to her strength, wit and willpower.

Yoshi Yeesu, the eldest at 23, has little desire for leadership but dreams of returning to the Wajin world and taking up a life of comfort and samurai status. He rejects the Ainu ways, hones his samurai skills and tries to dress like a Wajin. Yet despite this, his karma derives from his Ainu "uncle", Kokuma, and like his uncle he has developed great strength (31) - but he uses it to pull a four-man bow, not swing the uncivilised tetsubo.

Ishan Ashte is Yoshi's 19-year-old son and takes after his father in learning two-sword, bow and bow-making skills - though it has sometimes needed all Yoshi's powers of persuasion. Yoshi practices many skills and uses Mineo's karma evenly across nearly all his attributes.

Finally Tomtare - son of the only Ainu father in the group, Kokuma - and at 17 already strong, healthy and delighting in the power and (in his hands) precision of an excellent tetsubo. In order to keep "in" with the other children he learns kenjutsu, but it is clear that this is not his passion. He teaches his big frame to leap great distances, and uses Haku's incredible karma to further boost his strength, health and deftness.

As they ready their boat, Emishi and Sahpo once again argue about who is the leader. Emishi has the better fishing skills and will helm the boat, but Sahpo disputes that this makes him the leader. The issue unresolved, the six youngsters set out in their boat under skies that look like smoke from a burning pine forest. Some of the village elders have said that the previous several mornings' pink skies mean an approaching typhoon, but with the wind blowing strongly towards the mainland, and little time to spare, the parents and children decide to take their chances. However, while only a short way into the crossing, the typhoon arrives, and the children's boat becomes separated from that of their parents. Monstrous waves pound the boat as wind and current fight for supremacy - one dominant above the surface, the other dominant below. For now at the mercy of the ferocious winds, the children of The Wood are carried away from both their home and the mainland, fighting to keep their boat upright.

Emishi has trouble controlling the boat and it is carried first ahead of then far off course away from the parents' boat. Yoshi Yeesu, Sahpo, Ishan Ashte and Onuma are seasick, especially Ishan Ashte, and all feel weakened. Emishi gives up trying to keep the boat on course and manages to keep it steady in the huge seas. Running before the storm at a horrendous rate for many hours, the young adventurers are worn out when, in the gathering dusk, land appears on the horizon. Emishi has done a magnificent job of keeping the boat together, helped by one level of calming from Sahpo's casting of Fronting the Storm. A rocky headland appears in their path and Emishi fades the boat left towards a shingle beach. Unfortunately there are jagged rocks just off the shore and the boat founders on them. Everyone is forced to jump onto the rocks and scramble ashore with just a handful of possessions. Scrawny Sahpo slips off a rock but is dragged back by Onuma, showing her boyish strength. Ishan Ashte falls into the sea and finds himself more suited to drowning than swimming. Tomtare and Onuma climb across the rocks and pull him to shore.

Uninspiring view of the shore from the sea

The party spends a fairly comfortable night, protected from the worst of the weather by Yoshi Yeesu's bushcraft-built shelter and Onuma's culinary feat of transformation on some small game trapped by Yoshi Yeesu, Tomtare and Ishan Ashte. In the morning the sun comes up - somewhere. Blanketed by heavy, rain-bearing cloud, the sky gives no clue as to direction. Neither does the sea, blown by a million different winds, it smashes against the rocky coast and leaves no trace of the boat - except for a small plank of wood with the name "Miyoshi-maru" carefully painted on and the "Mi" symbol carelessly scratched off. Ishan Ashte throws it back into the sea before Emishi sees it.

Uninspiring view of the sea from the shore

The marooned youngsters look around to see if they recognise where they are. Back along the coast is a long shingle beach, and just inland of it is a large lagoon, a few miles in extent, surrounded by acres of tall reeds. On the horizon tall mountains rise. The view the other way along the coast is blocked by the rocky headland they have landed on. The headland is forested, but seems to be too rocky to support much underbrush. With Emishi's "Don't wander too far" admonition ringing in their ears, the others head off to see what they can find, though not before Sahpo has danced a blessing on their hunting trip, which Tomtare, good Ainu that he is, joins in. Sahpo and Onuma go in search of immobile prey, Sahpo locating some mood-enhancing fungus and Onuma finding some flavour-enhancing herbs. Yoshi Yeesu, Ishan Ashte and Tomtare first happen upon five semi-wild pigs. Best bows in hand, they let fly three arrows. Yoshi Yeesu and Tomtare both hit pigs and severely injure them. Ishan Ashte goes one better and kills a pig with his first shot. As the pigs flee, Ishan Ashte tags another one and the others finish off their injured prey. The tagged pig hobbles into sight and all three boys fire at it; Ishan Ashte misses, but the others complete the kill. Next they find four grouse. All three bowmen get a kill with their first shot. Yoshi Yeesu and Ishan Ashte fire at the last bird as it flies off and Yoshi Yeesu gets the kill.

Weighed down with food, the three hunters return, but surprise two wild boars foraging among the leaf litter. All three quickly fire their bows - and all three critically fail! Ishan Ashte misses wildly, Tomtare breaks an arrow, and Yoshi Yeesu, in a bizarre echo of what happened to his karma-father at almost the same time but many miles away, cracks his pride and joy, a Yoshi-made four-man bow. The boars hear the confusion and charge at the young men. They all switch to hand weapons while the boars get in their first attack, one gouging Tomtare for nine damage with its tusks. The hunted hunters swing their weapons and all score, Yoshi Yeesu and Ishan Ashte doing 6 and 5 damage to one boar with their swords, Tomtare clubbing the other boar for 11 damage with his tetsubo. The boars charge again and now Yoshi Yeesu is gored for 10 damage. All three hunters miss on their second attacks, Ishan Ashte critically though fortunately without serious consequence. The boars attack again and Tomtare is critically gored for six damage. He replies by clubbing the boar to oblivion. Ishan Ashte swings two swords at one boar, missing with the first and critically missing with the second. He really needs some practice! Yoshi Yeesu saves his bacon by slicing the last boar into rashers. They shoulder their kills and head back, bent double.

Back at camp the meat is prepared and cooked or smoked while skins are cleaned to be made into bags. Sahpo uses his old shugenja spell Pure Flesh to heal some of Tomtare's and Yoshi Yeesu's wounds; Onuma does the same with her Stage Blood spell. Ishan Ashte uses his bow-making "magic" (a critical success) to repair Yoshi Yeesu's bow, which pleases him immensely. The hunters decide to rest for the rest of the day. Emishi is restless, however, and as they still can't fix the sun's position in the sky, he and Onuma decide to go scouting on the headland. Emishi sketches a map using some charcoal from the fire and one of Onuma's scrolls, showing the beach, the lagoon, the site of the shipwreck, the camp and the wooded headland. They find a game track and follow it for a while. There is no sign of human life.

Then they spot movement on the track - it is a wolf. Emishi advances, confident in his ability to handle a lone wolf. But as he gets nearer he sees another wolf... and another... in fact, a whole pack. He lets out a yell and runs away, quickly passing Onuma, who hasn't seen all the wolves. The pair run at top speed, screaming all the way, and emerge from the wood and into the camp with the wolves close on their heels. The others quickly pick up their swords. Onuma turns and casts Stage Flash. The leading wolf is blinded, and the others halt at the edge of the trees, uncertain. Following Yoshi Yeesu's lead, the lost boys pick up burning brands from the fire and drive back the wolves. Emishi uses Control Wolf to make first one, then another wolf flee into the woods. Onuma casts Breath of the Dragon and singes several other wolves. The other wolves slink back into the woods in ones and twos. Sahpo comments, "It smells like barbecued dog hair!"

The young adventurers are still worried that the wolves will return, but Emishi has a great idea - take some of the mountain of food and leave it deep in the woods. This works, and the wolves are sated for the night and probably several days to come. The party settles down for the night, wondering what the next day will bring.

Next: An Encounter with Wajin.

Home  |  Bushido  |  The Sword  |  Next >