Session 27. (20/7/12)

It is Spring of the Year of the Dragon (1484). The six adventurers/tax collectors are collecting taxes in the small town of Iwaizumi in the Rikuchū region of Mutsu Province. They are visiting a ji-zamurai living in the town. But when they ask him for his annual tax payment, he says, "I'm afraid I don't have enough money to pay my taxes right now. Can I offer a few of these rare pearls instead?" He points to a dozen unusual-looking pearls he has on prominent display in his house. "I paid a quarter-gold each for them." The pearls are rather chalky and nearly an inch in diameter. Onuma surreptitiously casts Pinocchio Effect and determines that the man is telling the truth.

Emishi demands, "Where did you get these?"

"Actually, I got them from a peasant, a wood-cutter who works on my lands. He says he found them."

"What are they made of?" queries Tomtare. The man shrugs, so the tax collectors examine the pearls. They are unlike anything they have seen before - except pearls, if they were made of chalk.

"They're stone," decides Yoshi Yeesu. "And ovoid, not perfectly round."

"Are they magical," asks Onuma. Sahpo has a look, but critically fails his Detect Magic.

"No, there's no magic I can detect."

"Should we take the pearls as payment?" continues Onuma.

"Well, if they're worth what he paid for them..."

"Maybe we should ask the woodcutter where he got them," suggests Tomtare. "They might be stolen, or worthless, whatever."

"Okay," agrees Emishi. "Ji-zamurai, where does the woodcutter live?"

"On my estate, on the edge of where the forest used to be. Not far."

The tax collectors troop up to the woodcutter's house and march straight in. In the front room they see a few fineries not normally associated with peasant life. "Who's there?" comes a woman's voice from the back room.

"Tax collectors!" replies Emishi.

"You'd better come through.

In the back room is a woman sitting beside a man lying in bed. "He was attacked in our very home, and his a bag with the gold coins stolen," she explains tearfully. "He's been like this for three days. I don't think he's ever going to wake up!" Onuma looks at the man and uses a spell to heal his physical wounds. Sahpo recites the Saga of Healing, but though the man looks more comfortable, he doesn't wake up. Sahpo tries Healing by Yoga and Pure Blood in case of any slow poisons, but without any immediate effect.

"Who did this?" asks Sahpo.

"Yakuza from the town. They must have heard about him selling the pearls he found."

"Where did he find them," asks Ishan Ashte.

"In a cave, north of the town."

"Thank you, ma'am," says Yoshi Yeesu, and leads the others out of the house.

Emishi is all fired up. "Let's go and teach those yakuza a lesson!"

"I think we need to check on the story before challenging yakuza," says Sahpo sagely.

"Then we'll check out the cave. If we can find it. It might be anywhere within ten miles."

"Maybe the ji-zamurai knows," suggests Tomtare. They return to the farmstead. Emishi gets straight to the point.

"Will the woodcutter get sick pay?" he demands.

"He will be provided for," assures the ji-zamurai.

"Who is responsible for local law enforcement?" asks Ishan Ashte.

"That's the mayor," replies the ji-zamurai, "but he's not very effective. The yakuza probably pay him off."

"The woodcutter says he got the pearls from a cave north of the town," says Sahpo, getting back to the point.

"Ah, that must be Ryūsendō cave, the Dragon Spring cave. There is supposed to be a dragon guarding it. Dragons sometimes have pearls. I hope it hasn't been killed - it's a symbol of good luck to the town." He gives the tax collectors directions. It turns out to be just ten minutes' walk from the town. "You'll need lanterns," he advises.

Tomtare laughs. "I'm sure we'll manage," he says, thinking of the two magic users, "but maybe we could borrow a rope from the farm."

Thus kitted out, the party sets off for the Ryūsendō cave. At the entrance they find a name board and some description of the cave and dragon - evidently the town attracts a few tourists. It is dark inside the wide cave mouth. The first cavern is large, flat-floored and empty. Onuma and Sahpo both cast Light to reveal what is within. At the far side is an opening the size of a door. This leads into an even larger cavern. There is a deep pool in the middle, glowing blue in the lamplight. Behind it is a rock formation that could be seen as a petrified dragon. A breathy, sibilant voice echoes from somewhere, "Who dares enter my home?"

"Emishi!" - calls Sahpo!

Tomtare speaks up. "We seek wisdom in the matter of the woodcutter who was assaulted..." Tomtare's eyes scan the cave for the dragon but sees only shadows flitting as the spell-casters shift their positions.

"You speak in riddles," sneers the dragon.

Onuma acts out the beating of the woodcutter.

"What is that girl doing?" asks the baffled dragon.

Tomtare tries to explain. "A woodcutter came to your cave..." He edges towards the back of the cave, looking for hiding places.

"I know of no woodcutter."

"Someone came, recently, and took pearls."

"Like these," says Onuma, holding some up.

"We're looking for the person who took these." He reaches the back of the cave. There are no exits, no hiding places and no dragon.

"No-one has been here. I would know if any pearls had been taken. But there were noises in the cave north of here. You should go now." This last sentence seemed directed directly at Tomtare. He jumps.

"Okay, let's go, nothing to see here, it's obviously that cave to the north we need to be in." Tomtare hurries out of the cave and starts looking for tracks. He finds nothing fresh, just the tourist path.

"Maybe if we wait we'll se someone leaving the cave, after impersonating a dragon." They wait, but no-one appears. They debate whether there really is a dragon, or just a story designed to attract tourists.

"This is getting us nowhere," says Emishi. "Let's go to that other cave."

The party sets off northwards. Emishi follows what he says is a clear trail; the others can see it with difficulty, except Onuma who just has to tag along. The faint track leads up a tree-lined valley on the slopes of Mount Toshima. After a long hike, a cave entrance can be seen as a six-foot-wide hole in an outcrop of white stone. Chilly gusts rise up from the depths of an inky-black hole that appears bottomless. After a short scramble into what Sahpo innocently - or cheekily - calls "Onuma's Passage", they find themselves in a cavern with two passages leading off. The one on the left soon reaches the top of a 20' drop. The one on the right immediately reaches a 60' drop. Emishi finds a rope tied to a mushroom stalagmite at the top of the cliff. Ishan Ashte checks that it is long enough to reach the bottom, then shins down it, followed by the rest. At the bottom is a small chamber with nothing but a small hole leading into further recesses. It is only 15 inches wide and 10 high. Emishi goes first, and deftly squeezes through. Onuma follows and easily manages this first obstacle. Yoshi Yeesu is next and gets through with a bit of effort. Sahpo, thin but unsupple, tries next but gets stuck. Tomtare pushes at his feet and Yoshi Yeesu and Onuma pull on an arm apiece and haul Sahpo through with a few abrasions. Tomtare goes next, but his broad shoulders and rippling muscles get him completely wedged. Yoshi Yeesu and Emishi pull while Ishan Ashte pushes and Onuma smears him with oil from the lamp she reluctantly brought. Tomtare pops out like a champagne cork, suffering 4 points of damage in the process. Ishan Ashte slithers through last, looking like he has done this before.

The squeeze opens into a long passage that continues slightly down, a rivulet running along the slippery floor, quite narrow until it opens out into a large, irregular space. In the lowest corner the water has collected in a pool. In one place there is a small gap above the water through which another cavern can just be seen. A quick search of the cave reveals nothing more than some beautiful stalactites, so they all decide to press on into the next chamber. They all make it through, though some gasp as they duck under the inky water. They emerge into a wide, low cavern whose floor is made up of a series of shallow lagoons of silvery water separated by curving dams of stalagmitic deposits.

"It's just like fairyland," exclaims Tomtare, "...except for the smell of lamp-oil."

Picking their way carefully through the lagoons, the six explorers make their way to the end of the chamber. Here, a twisting passage leads upslope and ends with another small gap, even smaller that the first. Emishi goes first - and gets stuck. Tomtare pushes his feet, Emishi wriggles (more from having ticklish feet than any attempt to free himself) and gets through with a few bruises. Onuma goes second - and gets stuck. Emishi pulls her arms and Tomtare tickles her feet, but she remains stuck. They try again and she gets through with two minor bruises, though she won't say where. Yoshi Yeesu goes third - and gets stuck. Onuma and Emishi pull an arm each, Tomtare pushes and Yoshi Yeesu is through. Sahpo goes fourth - and gets stuck. Tomtare, Emishi and Yoshi Yeesu do the unsticking, but Emishi pulls too hard and damages Sahpo's arm. They try again, a bit more carefully, and Sahpo is dragged through. Tomtare goes fifth - and gets stuck. Ishan Ashte, Yoshi Yeesu and Emishi get him clear. Ishan Ashte goes sixth - and gets stuck. Royally stuck. Wedged like a sumotori's loin cloth. Tomtare and Yoshi Yeesu take an arm each and pull, but Tomtare can't get any purchase, with the lamp oil on his body. They try again but Tomtare still can't pull had enough. They swap arms. Tomtare gets a better grip but now Yoshi Yeesu is slipping on the oil Tomtare left on Ishan Ashte's arm. He wipes it off and pulls again, this time with success.

"Good job I trust you or I might have panicked, and then I'd have been in trouble," confesses Ishan Ashte.

They find themselves in a large, long chamber. The near end of it is an enormous stal wall, breathtaking in its beauty.

The cavern continues as a wide passage split by columns of rock. To the left is a small climb to a fantastic chamber full of stalactites and stalagmites. Onuma is about to scramble up when Ishan Ashte stops her.

"Look, someone's been here recently," he says, pointing to a broken stalactite.

Everyone climbs up to marvel at the chamber. Onuma points to two tiny passages, one 11" wide, the other 9" wide.

"I'm going through," she says, and pulls herself into the larger gap.

Emishi is right behind her and slips in easily. Inside they find a transverse chamber with a floor like chalk. As they scrabble around on the floor, Onuma finds three small spheres.

"Look, I've found some cave pearls!" she shouts excitedly. Emishi feels around and finds two small spheres and a large one. He holds them up to see in Onuma's Light spell - just like the woodcutter's pearls. Their happy squealings bring the others to the tiny passages. Tomtare immediately tries to squeeze through - and gets stuck. Ishan Ashte manages to pull him back.

"That's too small for you. Look, it's too small for me, and you're bigger," says Ishan Ashte, demonstrating - and getting stuck. Tomtare returns the favour by pulling him back. Yoshi Yeesu squeezes through followed by Sahpo. Yoshi Yeesu roots around and finds two pearls and an ordinary rock. Sahpo does likewise with the same result. Tomtare and Ishan Ashte have to content themselves with reaching through the narrow gaps and fishing around in the bits of the pool they can reach, but Tomtare only finds one pearl and a rock which Ishan Ashte only gets two rocks.

"At least we don't have to squeeze out again," says Ishan Ashte. Sure enough, Sahpo, Yoshi Yeesu and Onuma have trouble emerging from the pearl cave and have to be pushed and pulled, suffering more bruises and abrasions. Only Emishi has no trouble, to everyone's amazement.

"I'd have sworn your head would never fit through that gap," comments Yoshi Yeesu.

On the opposite side of the columned gallery is a dark hole. Onuma scrambles down first to find the passage narrows down to 11". "I've done this before," she thinks to herself and slides through. Tomtare follows, managing much better than in the previous cave. Ishan Ashte follows his example - and gets completely wedged. It takes three attempts to pull him back out.

Emishi says, "I'll show you how to do it!" - and gets stuck. Tomtare manages to pull him through. Sahpo slides through easily and Yoshi Yeesu takes his turn. He gets thoroughly stuck, but Emishi pulls him through - with considerable loss of skin - at the second attempt. The five who made it through find that the passage widens and two more passages lead off to the left. Each comes to the top of a 20' drop into the same deep, dark chamber. Satisfying themselves they can get back up, they scramble down and find a small cave half covered by a pool of water. There are no exits. The five examine the floor of the pool. Onuma is first to find anything.

"Look, another cave pearl!" she squeaks, but it is an unusual one. It was a cube. Sahpo quickly names it a cave dice. Onuma looks for more, but just finds ordinary rocks. Now the others scrabble round on the bottom of the pool. Tomtare finds three cave dice, one much bigger than the others. Emishi grabs a handful of loose material and reveals two cave dice and four rocks. Sahpo's haul is one die and four rocks, while Yoshi Yeesu finds three cave dice. Ishan Ashte is amazed when they return to the squeeze and tell him the news.

"Are you sure we should be taking these? They might belong to the spirit of the cave." The others feel a momentary pang of conscience. "Oh well, if the cave spirit wanted to keep them it would stop you getting through this tight squeeze," concludes Ishan Ashte.

With a feeling of trepidation, Tomtare slithers into the passage - and gets stuck. Ishan Ashte and Emishi need two attempts to help him through. Sahpo is next - and gets stuck. A quick pull from Tomtare and Ishan Ashte frees him. Onuma uses Stage Smoke to move from one cave to the other, irritated that she didn't think of this earlier. Emishi squeezes through - of course - and Yoshi Yeesu gets past with help from Tomtare and Ishan Ashte.

The party continues up the sloping chamber, past a fantastic fluted wall and more mushroom stalagmites and soon find themselves at the bottom of the 20-foot scramble they passed near the cave entrance. They climb up and emerge once more into the sunlight.

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