Session 45. (26/8/16)

It is Summer of the Year of the Goat (1487). Hidasue, our heroes and their entourage are once again leaving a promising employment, this time under threat of execution by the Daimyo of Shimotsuke province to save face after a spy mission to neighbouring Hitachi province, undertaken by Ishan Ashte, was uncovered and provoked a minor war between these provincial allies. The fact that Ishan Ashte actually discovered a plot to invade Shimotsuke using ronin warriors, and that it was thwarted by Emishi, Tomtare, Yoshi Yeesu, Sahpo and Onuma is lost in inter-province politics, and made them a potential embarrassment to both daimyo, hence their hurried departure. Hidasue managed to get a letter of introduction to the daimyo’s daughter’s uncle in Kyoto, so they have fled along the Tosando, the eastern Mountain Road that leads west to Kyoto. It will be a journey of many weeks. Fortunately there is no chase from Shimotsuke.

Tosando

After a few days they reach the border of Kozuke province, and a few days after that arrive in the capital, Takasaki. There is a fine castle here, and while the domestic staff sort out lodgings in the town, Hidasue takes his troubleshooters to check in with the daimyo. As it turns out, the head of the province takes the title Shugo. This is because the leading family, the Uesugi, split into three parts as many did in the lead up to the Onin Wars, which lasted for 10 years and ended 10 years earlier. The various branches of the family vie for control of the province, and if any of them claimed the title daimyo it would spark a war with the other two.

Hidasue is has a short but friendly audience with the Shugo, Uesugi Akisada (head of the Ogigayatsu branch), and Akisada stresses his support for the Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshihisa, and the need to resist their rivals the Takeda Clan and the rise of the Hojo Clan. Hidasue is likewise a staunch supporter of the shogun and the stability the shogunate brings, and agrees with the Shugo. Afterwards, Hidasue and the troubleshooters have a much longer meeting with Shigo Narimasu, the Jito (Land Steward). He is somewhat scathing of the shogun, and Akisada’s support for him, and says the Uesugi Clans (Narimasu is from the Yamanouchi branch) have more to worry about at home. However, he is impressed by Hidasue’s credentials and offers him a job. He explains that the province is beset by bakemono. They are terrorising villages, stealing possessions and crops, and sometimes killing people. They are too numerous or too strong to resist, and too mobile (or attack too many places) to defend against with a large enough force. However, he thinks that a few good samurai could decimate them, and destroy their base, wherever it is.

Hidasue agrees, and accepts the job on behalf of the troubleshooters in return for room and board and a fair fee. He cautions the Jito though: “Basically, I’m on my way to Kyoto.”

The Jito fills in some more details. The most recent attack was a few days ago in a village called Haruna, 1 ri north-west of Takasaki. Four people were killed – two men, a woman and a child – and ten were injured. Food and goods were stolen. He expects Hidasue’s team to go there and investigate.

After settling into their lodgings and getting a good night’s rest, the six troubleshooters ride off to Haruna. As usual, Hidasue stays behind with the cook, the gardener, Emishi’s wife and her lovers (actually she hasn’t got any at the moment – the Shimotsuke taiko drum troupe had to stay in Utsunomiya). After half an hour they arrive in Haruna, a small farming village of about 20 houses. They look around but there is no obvious signs of a raid. Onuma asks a strapping young lad to fetch the village Headman, and a man called Iwaki comes out and tells them about the raid. Sahpo goes to attend to the injured. Emishi has other priorities: “Which way did the bakemono go?”

“Into the mountains to the north west.”

“When did this happen?”

“Four days ago.”

Emishi remembers his compassion: “Er, and how old was the child that was killed?”

“Seven.”

Yoshi Yeesu, looking for evidence of the raid, finds some broken pots and a smashed door. “What did they take?” he asks the Headman.

“Cooking pots and some baskets. Oh, and a comb and a mirror,” adds the Headman.

“How many bakemono were there?” asks Onuma.

“Ten or fifteen,” replies the Headman. “It was hard to count.”

They leave the Headman, collect Sahpo from a makeshift hospital where he has bored the injured with a Saga of Healing – fortunately none of them was too badly injured – and set off towards the mountains looking for tracks. Tomtare and Yoshi Yeesu quickly pick up the trail despite the passage of four days. The tracks lead northwest, straight into the tree-covered lower slopes of the mountains, but the ground becomes rocky and the trail disappears. Yoshi Yeesu suggests they look for rocks that have been disturbed and sure enough he and Tomtare discover the trail again, now heading southwest. They lose it again but pick it up again looping down to the south back towards the river. Where it crosses some soft earth Onuma examines the various tracks and concludes from the stride lengths that there are several sizes of bakemono in the raiding party. The trail appears to cross the river about a mile upstream (west) of Haruna, though they find no tracks on the other side.

Takasaki district

“There are plenty of rocky places to exit the river,” Ishan Ashte points out.

“What if they are travelling along the river,” suggests Tomtare excitedly. “They could have had rafts here waiting for them.”

“Bakemono don’t use rafts!” exclaims Emishi.

“Besides which, where would they go?” adds Sahpo. “Downstream from here is Haruna, the village they just came from, and beyond that is Takasaki, the capital,” he points out.

“Oh well, it was just a theory,” says Tomtare.

“A stupid theory,” mutters Emishi.

“It’ll be dark soon,” says Yoshi Yeesu. “If we camp here overnight we’ll be able to see any light sources from the bakemono camp really easily.”

“Don’t you think we should go back to town and report to Hidasue?” asks Onuma.

“Nah, we’ll see much more out here,” replies Tomtare.

“What about the village?” asks Onuma. “Shouldn’t we go there?”

“I’ll tell you what, I’ll go back to town and report, and come back in the morning,” says Emishi, hoping for a rare night alone with his wife.

“And I’ll go to the village in case anyone needs anything, or there’s another attack,” says Onuma.

Emishi sets off on Park n’ Ride along the road that follows the river, with Onuma accompanying him as far as the village, and gets to Takasaki at dusk. Before he can report to Hidasue, the Jito rushes up and says there has been another attack, earlier that day in Kanra, 2 ri southwest of Takasaki. Emishi is in a quandary – should he return to the others, riding in the dark, or report to Hidasue and set off at first light? Given how recent the attack was, he decides to return immediately to the others, despite the difficulty of riding in the dark, in the hope that they can catch up with the bakemono and follow them to their camp. It is a difficult ride, but Emishi manages to control his horse very well, and the ride is all on roads. During the hour-long ride, a just-past-full moon rises to make it a bit easier. He picks up Onuma from Haruna and they ride to the camp where the others have been unable to see any evidence of bakemono camp fires.

There is another debate about whether to set off in the dark or wait until morning, but the bright moonlight decides things in favour of immediate action. The troubleshooters cross the river and ride, slowly and carefully, across the flood plain towards Kanra, 2½ ri and three rivers to the south. The moonlight makes it easy to see where they are going, but the shadows beneath the horses make it difficult to see there they are putting their hooves. Onuma falls off once when her horse is spooked by a shadow, but suffers only bruising. About three-quarters of the way to Kanra, Tomtare’s horse trips and he is thrown to the ground. Again he suffers only bruising, but the horse starts limping. Sahpo tries to use his Pure Flesh, but either it doesn’t work on horses or Sahpo messes it up as it doesn’t have any effect. Tomtare decides to walk, leading his horse. This adds another half hour to the journey, but they still arrive several hours before dawn.

“Okay, the cavalry is here!” announces Emishi to the sleeping village of about 40 houses.

Sahpo tries the more subtle approach. He slides open the door of the largest house. “Anyone here?” he asks.

“Who’s there?” comes a trembling voice.

“We’ve been sent by the Jito.”

“Come in, then,” comes the voice. Sahpo looks into the gloom and sees a Buddhist priest.

“We’ve come to help,” says Sahpo.

“Was anyone killed,” says, Emishi, right behind him. “We have a doctor,” he says, oblivious to the non-sequitur.

“Yes, 12 were killed, including the Headman. I’ve got the bodies here. There aren’t any injured – they slaughtered them.”

“Was it bakemono?”

“Yes, dozens of them.”

“Which way did they leave?” asks Tomtare.

“I don’t know, you’d have to ask around.”

“How long ago?”

“About midday yesterday.”

Satisfied they have all the necessary information, the troubleshooters settle down to rest themselves and their horses for the remaining few hours of darkness.

In the morning, after Onuma has greeted the dawn, Sahpo uses his Saga of Healing to heal the four surviving injured villagers. The priest brings a young man to see them.

“This is Sanzo,” says the priest. “He followed the bakemono and saw where they went.”

“What happened?” asks Tomtare.

“The bakemono left carrying the things they stole – food, goods and valuables – into the hills south of the village. I followed them at a distance, and saw them turn to the southeast and follow the slope along for a while. Then suddenly I was ambushed by a single bakemono. It was a rather small, wiry one, but I was unarmed and it knocked me to the ground.” A livid bruise on his cheek confirms this. “It could have killed me but it didn’t – unlike the other injured in the village. It just went off after the others and that’s the last I saw of them.”

“Maybe they weren’t bakemono, but bandits using trickery to make it look like a bakemono raid,” suggests Yoshi Yeesu. This prompts a lengthy debate among the troubleshooters that ends only when Emishi gets bored.

“Can you take us to the place where you were ambushed?” Emishi asks.

“Sure,” replies the youth.

With Sanzo leading the way on foot, the troubleshooters ride slowly, climbing through the wooded slopes until they reach a rocky hollow. Sanzo points out the rocks where the bakemono had hidden.

Tomtare and Yoshi Yeesu quickly find the bakemono’s tracks leading east. Ishan Ashte thanks the youth and gives him a copper coin. Then the troubleshooters follow the tracks. They join up with other bakemono tracks, at least 10 strong. Tomtare estimates the tracks to be 12 hours old. He also notices that the tracks left by the ambusher are more obvious than the others. After following them a bit further he realises why.

“The bakemono that ambushed Sanzo is dragging its feet,” he exclaims.

“Do you think it is injured?” asks Sahpo.

“No, it’s not limping, unless it’s limping with both feet.”

“Are the tracks deeper than the others?” asks Yoshi Yeesu.

“No, if anything they’re shallower.”

As they ponder this the tracks emerge from the trees on the side of a hill overlooking the wide valley – and a bakemono camp.

“Look!” hisses Onuma. Below them is a rough camp with hide shelters, cooking fires and heating fires.

“Let’s fire arrows on them from here,” says Emishi.

“We’d be better fighting them on the open ground in front of the camp,” says Tomtare. “Up here in the trees they’d have the advantage.”

They tie their horses in the cover of the trees and sneak down to the flat ground about 100 yards from the edge of the camp. A bakemono is on watch, sitting on a boulder that forms a natural defence to the camp. It isn’t paying much attention, but Emishi is making so much noise, moaning about not being able to fire on the bakemono from the hill, that it spots them immediately and raises the alarm. Bakemono have little time for philosophy and immediately rush out to attack our heroes. Onuma and Tomtare charge in to meet them. Emishi, Ishan Ashte and Yoshi Yeesu stand back and fire arrows into them (and into bakemono in the camp once Onuma and Tomtare have closed to melee). Sahpo walks forward, concentrating on his Arrows of Wood spells.

Bakemono camp near Onishi

Emishi lands the first hit, for 8 on a bakemono-sho emerging from the camp. Ishan Ashte hits another for 14, while Yoshi Yeesu picks out an o-bakemono and hits for 18. While she and Tomtare are running in, Onuma casts Stage Flash to blind the onrushing bakemono, but the spell fizzles. Sahpo casts four Arrows of Wood, hitting four different bakemono-sho (the small, goblin-like humanoids); however, two miss, one is resisted, and one is thrown off after the bakemono lost 9 of its 27 strength.

Emishi reloads and fires again, doing only 4 damage on his first target. As he is using the smaller han-kyu bow, he can fire rapidly and scores a hit for 12 with his third arrow, killing the bakemono. Ishan Ashte fells his target with a hit for 11, but Yoshi Yeesu’s target is an ogre-like o-bakemono and it stands up to his second hit of 17. Meanwhile, Tomtare and Onuma have closed to melee range. Tomtare launches a heroic leap and whacks a bakemono-sho with his tetsubo (iron club) for 9 damage, followed by a hit for 13, defeating the beast. Onuma uses her swiftness and her katana to hit for 11, 8 and 10, scoring another kill for the heroes. Sahpo fires another four Arrows of Wood, with again only two hitting. This time one of them poisons the already-weakened bakemono from the previous volley, and it collapses, weak as a kitten.

Emishi fires again and hits another bakemono-sho. Ishan Ashte scores a critical hit on a new target and is amazed when the 39-point hit doesn’t take it down – he has picked out a dai-bakemono, the 6-7 feet tall bakemono equivalent of a samurai. Yoshi Yeesu finally finishes the o-bakemono with a hit for 12 damage. Tomtare clubs a bakemono-sho for 6 damage but also knocks it cold. He turns to find another foe and finds himself face to face with a dai-bakemono. He hits it for 12 damage, but it replies with a critical hit for 21 damage! Tomtare is hurting. Onuma starts on another bakemono-sho and finishes it with hits of 12, 9 and 12. Sahpo fires four more Arrows of Wood and this time the three that land all manage to sap their targets of all their strength, and they collapse in an untidy heap.

Emishi shoots at his latest target and is disappointed to hit for only 3 damage. Quickly he nocks and looses another arrow and hits for 10, killing the bakemono. Ishan Ashte fires at the dai-bakemono and scores 17 for the kill and 4 budo. Yoshi Yeesu picks out a new target and almost finishes a bakemono-sho with one arrow. Tomtare, reeling from his critical hit, bashes the dai-bakemono on the head for 13 damage, knocking it down. It struggles back to its feet in time for Tomtare’s second hit, also for 13. Onuma whirls in against an o-bakemono, setting it up with a hit 11 and finishing it with a critical hit to the eye also for 11. She whirls out again to find a new target. Sahpo sees the battle is nearly won and decides to conserve his power – he might need it to help Tomtare with his critical wound.

Emishi picks out a new target and hits a bakemono-sho for 6 damage. Ishan Ashte also has a new target, also a bakemono-sho, and also hits – for 9 damage. Yoshi Yeesu, annoyed by his slow progress, puts extra force into his arrow and scores a critical hit on the barely-alive (2 hit points) bakemono doing 36 damage. The arrow could have gone through several more bakemono, but there are no more left once Onuma polishes off the last one in melee, an o-bakemono, with hits of 21, 9 and 11.

Emishi takes two arrows to finish his last target, and Ishan Ashte and Yoshi Yeesu combine to take down the last bakemono standing with hits of 10 and 17 respectively.

The heroes gather in the camp and congratulate each other. Onuma says, “Did anyone notice two of the bakemono fighting each other?”

“Yes,” says Yoshi Yeesu. “I’m sure I saw one punch another in the tents.” Five pairs of eyes water. They all go to investigate and find a small, wiry bakemono hiding in one of the hide shelters. At least, it looks like a bakemono – hairy, dark skinned, smelly... but when they look closely they see that its skin is as light as their own, just covered in dirt.

“You know who this is?” exclaims Tomtare suddenly. “It’s Kanemitsu’s son – our ‘cousin’!”

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