Session 20. (18/5/12)

While Ando Hidasue, their boss, prays in the deserted temple, our heroes explore the strange place that is the holy site of Hotokegaura. In a move which resulted in a vacancy in the continuity department, Sahpo and Yoshi Yeesu have turned up while Tomtare is conspicuous by his absence. None of the characters seem to notice...

After an hour of Ishan Ashte saying "Look, there's another Buddha, up there, if you squint..." and Emishi saying "It's a load of rubbish - just lava that has set in funny shapes" and Onuma saying "Yes, but the spirits of this place made it set that way" the others are about ready to turn them into squid bait. Sahpo leaves them arguing and goes to watch Hidasue perform his devotions - discreetly, of course, not spying. Sahpo marginally increases his knowledge of butsu-do. By the time Hidasue finishes the others have stopped arguing, prompted perhaps by Yoshi Yeesu pointedly practising iaijutsu in the tiny space between them. Having waited in vain for service at the gift shop (there is no gift shop, and the holy site is completely deserted apart from Hidasue's party), Emishi is amusing himself by writing rude messages in the sand at the sea's edge - though due to his poor grasp of kanji he has in fact written "Soup - this way!". Sahpo turns up and asks where the soup is. Everyone looks blank.

Hidasue emerges from the temple and announces that he is ready to return to Osore-zan, the starting point of his pilgrimage. As they walk back at a quick pace (for Sahpo, at least), aiming to get to the village of Sai before dark, Onuma and Emishi discuss a plan to get Hidasue to wear an even more ridiculous hat by telling him that it is even more devout, but they can't discuss it much because Emishi keeps having to stifle fits of giggling. Onuma dreams up construction plans in her head and has to hide her smiles. The others wonder why she and Emishi are in such a good mood.

The party reaches Sai by dusk and again commandeers the largest house. The villagers have skinned and butchered the lizard they killed the previous day, but Onuma is having doubts about whether the skin is worth carrying back, as there is certainly a lot of it. Sahpo thinks it is worthless and should be left to rot. Onuma temporises by taking a small sample for valuation back in Mutsu, intending to send porters to collect it if it is worth it.

The following day the party sets off early and heads inland into the forests and mountains that lead back to Osore-zan. While the others talk about parakeets (for some reason), Emishi stops listening and gets chatting with Hidasue. He broaches the subject of his late fiancée, but Hidasue doesn't want to talk about it. He just says she dies of an infection. Emishi manages to get through the day without being sacked and is thankful when night falls and everyone gets busy making camp.

The first watch passes without incident, but during his turn, Yoshi Yeesu sees a gigantic snake slithering into the camp. He wakes the others with a shout then moves to attack it. As he does he notices that the snake has a transparent, luminescent aspect - it is a shura, a warrior ghost in beastly form. The snake moves like lightning and bites Yoshi Yeesu, who turns and just manages to prevent the venom-laden fangs injecting him. He tries to hit it but the snake is too quick. The others arrive and the snake bites Onuma, injecting her with poison. Her system takes a second to react and counter the poison, in which time she loses 6 points of health! This snake is not to be trifled with. Emishi hits the snake for 14 damage, Yoshi Yeesu for 10 and Ishan Ashte for a critical 14. Onuma flashes the snake and blinds it, making it much easier to hit. Emishi misses it, then Ishan Ashte misses with both swords and Yoshi Yeesu misses as well. The snake throws a coil around Onuma and pulls her screaming towards its mouth. Sahpo fires three Arrows of Wood and hits with only one, but it is enough as the toxin quickly weakens the snake until Onuma can pull free. Emishi delivers the final blow, whereupon the snake turns into a vapour and dissipates. Sahpo is annoyed that he can't exorcise the ghost, but is mollified when Onuma thanks him and Emishi for saving her. He heals her for 3 health.

The next day dawns fresh and bright, though Onuma and Sahpo don't feel too fresh and bright as they greet it. Hidasue does, however, as he slept right through the night's events. He chivvies his wards to break camp and soon sets off east at a brisk pace. The others follow. By dusk they have reached the point where the path turns south and where they camped the first night on the way out. Emishi is particularly apprehensive about meeting another mujina, or even the same one. Fortunately, none show up, and it looks like a quiet night. But as the sky just starts to lighten, Sahpo hears a crashing in the forest. Just as he alerts the others five bakemono-sho burst into the camp. Sahpo, quick as thunder, fires three Arrows of Wood, each hitting a separate target. One bakemono resists the poison, one is slightly weakened, but one collapses to the ground. The two stung bakemono club Sahpo for 1 and 5 damage before Yoshi Yeesu and Onuma step in. Emishi and Ishan Ashte take on the other two. Emishi scores a critical hit for an outright kill. Ishan Ashte also gets a critical hit, almost killing the bakemono - but he is swinging two swords and the second finishes the job. Yoshi Yeesu gets a solid but non-fatal blow on his opponent and Onuma hits for 8. Her opponent replies with a hit for 4 damage so Onuma sticks it for 12 damage, killing the ogre. Sahpo finishes the last one with his tanto.

The next day the weary party completes the final leg back to Osore-zan, arriving around midday. But something is amiss: the seer that Hidasue visited is lying lifeless next to her booth, and the priest is slumped in the temple, badly injured. Sahpo heals him for 14 using Pure Flesh and he improves. Onuma makes him some pine-needle tea and he improves some more (more at the thought than the taste). He tells Hidasue's party that the seer stole the sword and tried to sell it, but the buyer, a ronin, killed her and took the sword. He headed in the direction of Ominato. Leaving Hidasue to look after the priest, Sahpo, Onuma, Emishi and Yoshi Yeesu head down to Ominato, a few miles away. They split up to look for the ronin, but soon they converge on an inn where the thief and murderer is negotiating with the barman. Hidasue's jewelled sword lies on the table between them. Emishi and Onuma call him out. The ronin grabs the sword, but Emishi is faster, hitting him for 12 damage. He swings at Emishi but misses. Several patrons of the bar jump up to the ronin's defence. Ishan Ashte hits one with a dazing blow and finishes him with his second sword. Yoshi Yeesu and Onuma attack the ronin: Yoshi Yeesu hits for a critical 18 but Onuma's Breath of Dragon fizzles. One of the bar patrons attacks Ishan Ashte with a table but hits himself for 3 damage. The other three all attack poor Sahpo, but only one lands a punch (though for 6 damage). Sahpo fires an Arrow of Wood at each - an in a pattern seen several times before, one resists the arrow, one throws off the poison very quickly and one collapses. Emishi attacks the ronin again, doing 13 damage. The ronin tries to hit back but dazes himself. Yoshi Yeesu hits him for 12 damage and Onuma finishes him with 11. Ishan Ashte slices another patron for 7 and 8 points with his two swords - and but for the fact that the patron had hit himself with a table, he might have survived. The last two patrons surrender to Sahpo, hoping for mercy from the justices. "Sorry about the mess," says Emishi to the barman. "...again!" he adds pointedly.

"This sword is cursed!" No-one was quite sure who said it first, but it is what they were all thinking. Sahpo checks it for spells but finds nothing he recognises. On a whim, he tries praying for an answer, but hears nothing. Finally he tries to evoke spirits from the sword, but concludes there are none - at least, nothing animistic. So they return the sword to Hidasue without a word, and gain 4 budo and 10 On for completing the quest.

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