Session 19. (11/5/12)

It is Autumn of the Year of the Hare (1483). With the harvest tax collection duties in Shimokita complete, and before they leave Mutsu town to return to the capital, Hidasue decides he wants to go on the famous Osore-zan to Hotokegaura pilgrimage, which is nearby. Hidasue explains that his fiancée died twenty years ago, and he wants to do it in her memory. Emishi, Tomtare, Ishan Ashte and Onuma accompany him, both as an honour guard and because there are bears in the woods. Sahpo stays behind to write up the tax account, while Yoshi Yeesu looks after Emishi's girlfriend.

The pilgrimage begins at the sulphurous, bubbling pools of hot mud at the peak of Mount Osore-zan. At the summit is the Bodai-ji temple, attended by an old priest, and a long line of stalls. The temple priest explains that the stalls are for seers who give advice and predictions to travellers. Because it is late in the year and the peak is covered in snow, there are only two other pilgrims here, both on their way home after visiting Hotokegaura. After making prayers at the temple, the members of Hidasue's party go to visit the seers in the booths, each going to a different one.

Onuma throws yarrow stalks for a seer practising the i-ching. The seer sees Onuma meeting a dark stranger very soon, and warns her that once he gets his teeth into her he will turn out to be a bit of a bore and have the manners of a pig - but in compensation he will make her breakfast.

Ishan Ashte shakes a pot full of carved sticks until one flies out. His prophet looks at the markings on the stick, shakes his head and tells him that his companions will fight over a maddening woman and that he must face up to that which cannot be faced. Ishan Ashte is puzzled.

Emishi takes the simple expedient of eating fortune cookies until he gets one he likes - it says "You will be the leader of the pack".

Tomtare simply writes a prayer strip (with the priest's help) hoping for the blessings of the gods to fall on Koshamain and Hidasue. The old priest nods approvingly, and tells Tomtare, "I hope your compassion is rewarded. May you meet a stunning woman tonight!" The priest lapses into a meditative state, perhaps trying to remember what a woman is like.

The pilgrimage path loops north for 1.5 ri, then west for 4 ri to reach the coast at Sai, then turns south for 2.5 ri along the coast to reach the holy site of Hotokegaura. It will take about four days. Once away from the heat of the volcanic crater, patches of snow appear, but soon the path descends and enters thick pine forest and the snow is left behind. Hidasue, dressed in the pilgrim's traditional garb of white clothes and a stupid straw hat, sets a good pace and they cover more than one ri during the afternoon.

As the light fades, the four half-Ainu set about making a camp next to the path. After supper they start discussing who is going to stand watch over night, no-one voicing the shared thought of whether Hidasue should take a watch. As they are doing this, Ishan Ashte notices that Hidasue doesn't have his fancy sword, though he had it earlier. Hidasue says that the seer he visited advised him to leave his sword at the temple as a sign of his devotion and to ensure the success of his pilgrimage. He left it in an alcove in the temple and will go on with the protection of the Buddha. He apologises that this means he will be unable to take a watch. This decided, Onuma volunteers for the dawn watch, and Emishi says the other two can divide the night between them, as he needs his beauty sleep. Tomtare and Ishan Ashte exchange a look, then grab Emishi and pin him to the ground.

"Okay, I'll take the third watch!" he squeaks.

"No, you'll take the first watch," grumbles Tomtare.

The sun sets, unseen through the trees, and the pilgrims settle down to sleep - all except Emishi who grumpily sits at the edge of the camp while behind him the camp fire dies down to embers. The fire faintly lights the forest with a sullen red glow as full darkness shrouds the canopy. Emishi is lost in reverie, wondering how his girlfriend is and how soon he will become the great leader that his father always wanted him to be. Then he hears a noise on the path, from the direction of their destination. Footsteps. He squints into the gloom and sees an indistinct figure coming up the path. Emishi grabs his helmet and rams it on his head, forgetting that he had used it as a bowl for his supper. "Who goes there?" he shouts, fish soup dripping from his hair.

"Just a humble pilgrim," comes a voice, dripping with sultriness. "May I share your camp?"

Emishi sees a very attractive shape approach the campsite. "I don't see why not," he stammers, struggling to keep the excitement from his voice. The young woman sits next to him, their backs to the guttering fire. Emishi feels something slide down his check and onto his mouth. He hastily wipes the morsel of squid from his lip and turns to look into the girl's eyes. She has no eyes! Nor nose, nor mouth! Emishi leaps up in fright and runs off into the forest as fast as he can, screaming, "MUJINA!!" He runs and runs until he collapses, exhausted. Back at the camp, the others wake up and look around. They see the woman's form sitting by the fire. Onuma casts Light so everyone can see. Tomtare take fright and hides under his blanket, petrified. Ishan Ashte and Hidasue are made of sterner stuff and pick up their weapons. Onuma runs and hides behind a tree, taking the light with her. The mujina stands up and leers at Hidasue and Ishan Ashte, hoping to frighten them, but they hold their ground. Ishan Ashte swings his two swords and lands one blow on the legendary being, injuring her for 10 points. Hidasue swings his short sword but misses. The mujina smiles mouthlessly. Ishan Ashte and Hidasue attack again but are put off by the sight of a grin without a face. The mujina moves in close to Hidasue, as if to kiss, but Hidasue holds his nerve and backs away, allowing Ishan Ashte an attack. Both swords score and the apparition is defeated, turning to vapour and dissipating into the fir boughs.

Ishan Ashte checks that Hidasue is all right then retrieves a shaking Onuma from behind a nearby tree and the paralysed Tomtare from beneath his security blanket. He makes pine-needle tea for everyone then starts to get used to his newly acquired level 3 while waiting for Emishi to return. Emishi finally turns up over an hour later, looking very shame-faced.

"Shame-faced is better than no-faced," he opines quietly, then apologises to Hidasue and the others for his behaviour.

After an incident-free remainder of the night, the party sets off again and heads west through the forest. They are tired and don't travel as far as they had hoped, so have to camp in the forest again. They take the same watches. It is uneventful until just before dawn when Onuma, taking the last watch so she can greet the rising sun and regain her magical powers, hears a noise. Tomtare snoring?... no, a snuffling, grunting noise, like a pig.

"Tomtare?" she whispers. No reply. She casts Light, nervous because of her recent bad experience. In the forest underbrush she sees a wild boar. The boar sees the light. It charges. Onuma leaps up and casts Stage Flash. The boar is caught by surprise and is blinded. Nevertheless it charges in and slashes with its tusks at the spot where Onuma was, catching her for 3 damage. Onuma casts Breath of Dragon, engulfing the boar in flame. The attack only does 2 damage, but the boar's hairy coat is on fire. It squeals like a pig as its skin starts crackling. Onuma draws her sword and hacks at the hog, first for 12 damage then for 20 damage as she cuts off one of its back legs. The flames do the rest of the work and the boar collapses. Then it twitches, lifts its snout... and expires. When the risen sun finally makes its presence felt through the canopy, the others awaken to a breakfast of bacon, ham shank and pork scratchings, all prepared by expert cook Onuma.

The five adventurers break camp and continue heading west. By mid afternoon they get their first glimpse of the sea, and below them the fishing village of Sai. But on the path ahead of them Tomtare spots a yamatokage, a gigantic predatory lizard. The yamatokage spots them at the same time and charges in for a quick meal. The startled adventurers just have time to draw weapons, though Onuma instead casts Hand is Faster Than the Eye to boost her reaction time. The lizard charges at Hidasue, no doubt attracted to his white clothes (though no-one else is), bites him for 8 damage and bashes him with the ferocity of its attack, leaving him temporarily stunned and defenceless. The others rain blows in on the lizard - Tomtare 10, Emishi 9 with his spear, Ishan Ashte 7 - and Onuma casts Stage Flash and blinds the lizard. The lizard turns and thrashes its 10-foot long tail through the party: Tomtare, Emishi and Onuma manage to dodge, but Ishan Ashte is clobbered for 5 damage. Emishi, Ishan Ashte and Onuma circle the blinded beast and finish it with hits of 9, 10 and 8.

Onuma heals Hidasue while Ishan Ashte prepares a herbal enema, which makes Hidasue perk up immediately. They walk the half hour down to Sai, where Ishan Ashte arranges for some villagers to go and collect the meat and skin from the lizard. There are no leather-workers or butchers in the village, as it lives mostly on fish and vegetables, but one small-holder has experience with goats and chickens and offers to help supervise the others. The villagers promise to do what they can to get the lizard skin ready for when the travellers return from Hotokegaura. In return, Ishan Ashte tells them they can have all the meat for themselves. By the time negotiations are complete, Emishi has commandeered the largest house in the village on behalf of Hidasue and installed the party there: the house's owner and family have to squeeze into a relative's house for the night.

The next day Hidasue's party sets off south along the coast. They get close to Hotokegaura as the light starts to fade but decide to camp in the forest rather than push on to the rocky coastal area around the holy site. After a meal of roast boar, the travellers settle down to a night of sleep and individual watches. Around 3 am, on Ishan Ashte's watch, he spots two ghostly shapes moving under the trees. In the faint starlight he makes them out to be white wolves, padding up towards the camp. Ishan Ashte raises the alarm, draws his sword and rushes towards the wolves, as they rush towards him. One wolf bites him for 6 damage; the other snaps at him but misses. Ishan Ashte hacks at the one that bit him and connects for 8 damage. Emishi, quickly banishing sleep, tries Control Wolf on the other wolf. Somewhat to his surprise it stops attacking Ishan Ashte and looks at Emishi expectantly. Emishi calls it over and it trots to him, then lies down in front of him. Meanwhile the other wolf bites Ishan Ashte again for 5 damage. Onuma and Tomtare get into position to strike it but Ishan Ashte does the job himself, finishing the wolf with a blow for 5 damage. Emishi savours the feeling of power over a wild creature but realises it won't last forever, so he takes big hunk of boar meat and, the wolf trotting along at his heel, heads into the deep forest. He leaves the wolf wolfing down the meat and returns to the camp on his own. They don't see the wolf again.

In the morning the party makes the short way down to Hotokegaura, a site of fantastic rock formations that supposedly look like images of Buddha. Ishan Ashte is enthusiastic, seeing images everywhere. Emishi is very sceptical. "It's just a lot of rocks," he says.

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