The Makuran Dragon I

The Dragon

• Characters
• Excerpts from Campaign Journal

Characters

Please note that these characters and this campaign were run under my own conversions of 1e OA D&D, not the most recent 3e version.  Races, classes, spells, and weapons may thus not coincide with 3e OA.

• Akana Kiku - Noble Bamboo Spirit Folk Samurai of House Akana
• Bakalrehn Chaer' Run - Wild Korobokuru Warrior from Tribe Chaer' Run of the Kainuik Wastelands (slain)
• Chae - Dog Hengeyokai, Slain Samurai Raised as a Reformed Shukenja
• Feng Show - Itinerant Crane Hengeyokai Wu Jen
• Gendai Mokomo - Serious Hare Hengeyokai Devoted to Study in the Spiked Chain
• Jakume - Relentless monk of Shou-Ken Cloisters
• Mei Lai - Easy-going Human Shukenja of the Village Tael (slain)
• No Xin - "Free Marksman" (Ronin) of the Sea Spirit Folk (ghost)
• Sasuko - Reticent Savant from northern Makura (ghost)
• Shou-Ken Tai - Dedicated Warrior-monk of Shou-Ken Cloisters (slain)
• Tera Kantiku (Mutara Ii) - Independent Ninja of Shou-Ken Cloisters
• Yokim - Peasant become psionic warrior from the Ki Mai mountains (ghost)

Characters marked "ghost" are not (or rarely) in play.  Rather, they exist as backup characters which can quickly take the place of a character who has been removed from play (or serve as "props" for the DM. ;)

Akana Kiku

Female bamboo spirit folk, Samurai of House Akana
Lawful good

Background Akana grew up the third daughter of a minor official who rules the eastern portion of T'aeru Ko Forest. Although descended from a common bloodline, Family Akana has in its past Shan Wei, a swordsmaster whose exploits in Makuran mountains Ki Mai are well known.  It was said that Shan first introduced the tengu to the newly-arrived humans when the latter started migrating from Meng Hai, and then fought along their side as they forged settlements along the coast.

Intensely interested in this aspect of her family history, Kiku has discovered she was born under the same sign as Shan - the Year of the Leaping Tiger - and with all her heart wishes to emulate him.

Family background Family Akana is of High Class, owns a small fortress overlooking the banks of the Nai, has a common bloodline but a well-known folk hero as ancestor.

Personality Kiku is serious, a trait somehow underlying her good looks.  She practices intensely and takes offense at anyone maligning her abilities.  Determined, she will usually not bend in her moral views.  All in all though, she's a very trustworthy companion.

Physical appearance Kiku is slim, which conceals her surprising strength.  She usually wears her hair in several braids which keep it out of the way.  She also bears a few scars from early-childhood swordplay.

Tactics Kiku is adept with the tetsubo (iron staff), which although not the samurai's usual weapon, does her good.  To date, not many have been able to withstand her attacks with the iron staff.  She does prefer wielding it in melee to ranged combat.  Kiku often works back-to-back with teammates to avoid flanking attackers.  Notably however, she did not hold off while another better-prepared teammate (warded by a potion of protecting from fire) attacked some fire-wielding thoqqua -- her unbudging reason that she was as capable as he.

Personal History
Tsuo (first month), 772 - Kiku is sent by her family to deliver a message to a Bamboo Spirit Folk clan of Korobubaru Forest.  Upon arriving, she finds no sign of them.

Kiku eventually found the remains of the Spirit Folk family's bamboo grove twisted into a hideous abomination under the Korobubaru Forest.  Eliminating the abomination's guardians, she loses her companion Shou-Ken Tai in the battle, but the puts the twisted grove to flame.  Kiku's plans now include returning home to relate the sad news.

Bakalrehn Chaer' Run (slain)

Male korobokuru, Age 53, Warrior of Tribe Chaer' Run of the Korobokuru
Chaotic neutral

Background Bakalrehn grew up in the wilds of the Kainuik Wastelands, an unforgiving childhood if there was one.  Yet, he forged a string tie with his tribe and rose to be a guard in the shaman's train.  When the Fifty came and the korobokuru holy men set forth on their pilgrimages to Marok's Chin and Marok's Toe, he went with them.

His tribe, Chaer' Run, always held that the proper order of visitation to the peaks was first the Toe then the Chin, and when his party had achieved the latter and performed the ceremonies, Bakal' stayed a few more days to climb with some of the others to the top of the mountain.  And what he saw astounded him... the largest river he had ever seen in his life, so wide he could not see the farthest side.

Then, he came down, and he stayed there, but not for long.

Traveling to the transient coastal village of Ma'keer, Bakal' eventually boarded one of the rare ships that came to trade... made his way across that river - so many days it took - was enamored by the people and places and foods and music and animals and all he saw... and would have stayed there the rest of his life had he not met an old man of his own race, who had lived in that far-off place near all his life.

The old man told him, after breaking some bones and reading the fractures, that Bakalrehn was to return to Kokubura to become a great mediator between his kin and the Tourmaline Throne.

Accordingly, Bakal' left that place and set forth for Kokubura, though not necessarily the Kainuik wastelands, as first he had to learn the ways of the humans.

Personality Bakal' is curious yet stern.  While he's drawn to see what's around the corner, he's not foolhardy or capricious.  In fact, he disdains those who jump eagerly to battle without adequate preparations like consulting their ancestors or applying war paint.

He is however, quick to defend when slighted, and wouldn't hesitate to send someone brash to consult their own ancestors - face-to-face.

Physical description Bakal' keeps his hair long and braided, even his beard.  Ruddy in complexion, he sports the tattoo of the Chaer' Run tribe and its warriors, which includes a circle of stone hammers around a running deer on his right (face) cheek.  He is strong, stocky, stout, and stolid, and 3-foot 4.

Tactics Bakal's favorite tactic is to go into a rage and attack the enemy.

History
Ju (second month), 772 - Bakal' is rescued by a party of adventurers routing out the evil from Korobubaru Forest.  Fighting bakemono, he helps them to great effect.

Bakal' remains behind in Korobubara village to make some armor for himself - none of the human-sized sets will fit him.  One day, he is insulted, and in rushing the transgressor, manages to get both of them knocked out.  Upon recovery, he is assigned guard duty with the town watch for not setting up a proper duel.

Responding to calls for help from an outlying farmstead, Bakal' and his squad encounter a group of goblin rat bandits and manage to slay them.  The last scampered off and would have escaped had not Bakal' miraculously hit it with two far-flying arrows - before Bakal' himself fainted from wounds.  Released from guard duty, he has now put himself in the social position to become a bushi if he wishes.

Chu (sixth month), 772 - Bakal', stunned by a troglodyte sorcerer, succumbs to a massed attack of the foul creatures under Daisu-zan.  He is placed in in an unused stone coffer found by the party with his morning star and a small offering.

Chae

Female dog hengeyokai, shukenja
Neutral good

Background Tarae Shokie was a bright young samurai in the court of Himei daimyo, and she followed her orders exactly -- and ruthlessly.  Indeed, her prospects were so bright she even made a few enemies.  It was on the daimyo's training grounds a lance "accidentally" pierced her breast -- the daimyo was left with one samurai less.

Her body taken to the temple as usual, there a most extraordinary occurrence took place.  Perhaps the usual priest was preoccupied, for a visiting shukenja was allowed to do the traditional preparations...

From a distance she watched as her own family inserted bones into their gravestone... whose bones, she never knew, nor did she found out why that priest had seen fit to raise her from the dead.

Spending nearly a year in secluded contemplation, she took the name Chae, turned from evil, and became a wandering priest.

Personality Chae is bright yet pensive, reclusive but outgoing.  At heart, she's probably introverted, most likely as a result of her "transformation," but she is not reluctant to be sociable or outgoing nonetheless.  Since her change, she does however become excessively sullen when encountering evil in any form, and her determination becomes the driving point of her personality.

Physical appearance Chae is a rough-hewn figure, though her energy perhaps adds to the disheveled appearance.  She wears a simple samurai outfit most often, though she's not at pains to give the impression of that class.

Tactics Chae is not the typical priest.  While most of her spells do end up being transformed into healing, her personal vendetta against evil in all its forms often sees her at the front of the line, where she wields her katana with a reason.  Lately, she has acquired a special blade imbued with the power of lightening itself.  Beware, evil! 

Personal History
Hsiang (seventh month), 772 - Serving as the chief priest in charge of the public funeral procession for Mei Lai, Chae becomes indispensable to the party in its efforts to avoid another funeral -- theirs -- as one after another, assassins emerge from the alleys and attempt to do the party in.  Seeing what the party stood for, she relinquished her duties as a priest of Tara Ko and joined them in driving out the evil from the town.

Feng Show

Crane Hengeyokai male, Age 73, Initerant Wu jen
Chaotic good

Background Feng Show grew up in southwestern Takara Ken on the many small streams that flow into the sea.  Coming of age, he set to adventure on his own.  Feng flew across the Cheng Straits and eventually found his way to Wei Than, a mystical village where hengeyokai often wander in biped form among humans.

It was there that Feng found a wu jen of the Sea Spirit Folk race.  Becoming friends, the the sea spirit taught Feng in the way of the elements and helped him master his first spells.

Feng Show considers the Cheng Straits area his home, but although intrigued by Wei Than, he was not altogether enamored by the too-free mixing of humans and those of his own race.

Personality Feng Show is contemplative and watchful.  He speaks with a calmness that others find settling.  Feng is likely to choose his fights wisely, though he likes to advance the cause of good.  Nonetheless, he's not the kind who would sacrifice himself for a greater cause.

Physical description Feng is thin with slightly longer legs than normal - a sign of his true identity as a crane hengeyokai.  He is rather pale in complexion for the amount of time he spends outdoors.  Feng always sports a blue-gray feather pointed downward behind his head, another legacy of the crane in him.

Taboos May not light a fire, may not sit facing south.

Strategy Feng has the strategy of the unarmored and martially unskilled - hang back, way back, and let those elemental bursts fly.  He does his part to snag interlopers with his crossbow, although recently he nabbed Shou-Ken Tai with a bolt, who was having a critical-miss-sort-of day.  After Tai "went off" on him, Feng decided to be a bit more forthright in combat and now occasionally wades in with his gunsen war-fan, scraping a few foes here and there.

Of note, Feng stunned a tiny white dragon the party was attempting to nab with his elemental burst spell (he was evoking the air version).  The melee was all but over after that.

Personal History
Tsuo (first month), 772 - Feng has come to Korobubaru because he heard there was good fishing.

Yu (third month), 772 - Feng helps defeat the evil under Korobubaru Forest after a horrendous battle.  He was instrumental getting the party out of several tight spots, including aiding in the jamming of an arrow trap, stunning a tiny white draagon which was their quarry, and generally helping the "climbing-impaired" (including himself) with generous spider climb incantations.  Having tasted adventure, Feng is actually getting a little hooked on it, though not to the expense of his fishing.  He takes the following few days to brew a few potions.

Gendai Mokomo

Hare hengeyokai female, Age 35, Kensei
Neutral good

Background Mokomo grew up in the plains below Temple Makura.  Her life was fairly unexceptional for a hare hengeyokai (save for a period of illness that was relieved by a wandering priest who thankfully took pity on the poor rabbit rather than eating it).

Four years ago however, a small horde of goblinoids and bakemono driven by oni passed along the plains, killing everything in its path.  An undersized force was sent from Temple Makura to deal with the raiders, and Mokomo witnessed a fantastic fight.

Wandering the battlefield afterward led her to find an old man near death.  Changing shape to a human, Moko provided the man water and in the next few days nursed him back to full vigor.  The man turned out to be an expert with the spiked chain and instructed her in its use.  Since then she has been making regular trips to the temple to learn from her master.

Personality "Moko," as friends call her, is easy-going at first appearance, but underneath her determination is what propels her to master her martial art form.  Timid socially to a fault, she's often the most recalcitrant in a group.  Moko prefers to be outdoors as much as possible, and will  only abide underground and indoors grudgingly.

Physical description Gendai Mokomo is slender and amazingly quick.  he hair is usualy pulled back into a tail to keep it away fro interfering with her maneuvers.  She is always physiclaly poised, as if ready to jump at a moment's notice (a sign of her identity as a rabbit hengeyokai).  Somewhat shaken from a childhood illness, Moko is nevertheless robust in any physical challenge.

More often than not, she prefers earth-toned clothing, especially green, when such are available.  She's more likely to wear a loose set of practice clothes (leggings and shirt) than a garment that shows her real social station.

Tactics Owing to the reach provided by her the spiked chain, Moko will often be the one to position herself within strategic locations on the battlefield to strike with attacks of opportunity.  This is especially the case when the party is facing foes skilled with missile attacks or spell combat.  It has also been important in preventing those escaping a battle from summoning reinforcements.  Moko is not afraid to join in a fight, or even close the distance to a foe where she could be struck if it will provide her an advantage (though perhaps putting herself at personal risk).

Jakume

Male human, Monk of Shou Ken Cloisters
Lawful neutral

Background Jakume -- born Mataike -- entered Shou Ken Cloisters on his fifteenth birthday.

Mataike was actually born in Himei, provincial capitol of Makura.  At a young age, he was recruited by a yakuza clan with direct connections to the Himei daimyo.  Working at first as a messenger, then as a thug, Mataike was lulled into furthering the daimyo's undercover policies.  A favorite among the leaders of the clan, Mataike was occasionally allowed to sit in on higher-level meetings, albeit as a servant boy.

It was in one of these counsels that he learned of a plan to intimidate the local trade shops -- his father was a blacksmith -- and Mataike hurried home to inform his father, whom he hadn't seen in several years.

Unfortunately, the yakuza leadership realized their mistake and set a team to stop him.  Breaking into his home, they murdered his family and left Mataike for dead.

A few weeks later, having semi-recovered (at least physically) under the care of neighbors, Mataike was begging for scraps of food and a coin or two -- he was too ashamed to ask for help from his family's friends after having been part of the yakuza who had shook them down.

Nevertheless, it was the street-smarts Mataike had learned under his cabal that kept him alive... until one day he attempted to lift from a seemingly innocuous man...

The man took him to Shou Ken Cloisters, where Mataike soon took up the life of a spare hand.  Invited soon thereafter into the order of temple monks, he took the name Jakume, meaning "calm," in signification of his newfound ability to pacify (at least somewhat) his ardent temper.

Personality Jakume is known for being rather cold, one who doesn't allow for weakness in others.  Perhaps this is a result of his own harsh upbringing, but his determination and resolute demeanor are what saw him through.  He still carries the trappings of this stubbornness, though his religious training has relieved him of it somewhat.

Physical appearance Jakume is small, oftentimes leading opponents to underrate him.  He has a flock of black hair, unlike the bald pats of most monks.  Jakume often wears a headband, though his only other adornment is a falling dragon tattoo on his left shoulder acquired before his ascetic life.

Tactics Jakume is up-front about his ability to go toe-to-toe in melee -- he believes himself more than adequately prepared.

Personal History
Chuu (sixth month), 772 - Jakume is sent by Shou Ken Cloisters to aid a band of adventurers exploring Daisu-zan.  The party was originally recruited by Temple Makura for the purpose of investigating rumors of an ancient underground fortress in the mountains which supposedly manufactured wondrous weapons.  Locating the party, he followed them unseen for quite a time before revealing his presence.  With the help of Tera Kantiku, he swayed the party to undertake the adventure in behalf of Shou ken Cloisters. 

Mei Lai (slain)

Female Human, Shukenja
Neutral

Background An unknown itinerant priest wandering through the town of Tael when Mei Lai was born stopped in on her mother's shack.  Examining the child, the priest grazed her cheek with her hand, whispered a few words of blessing, then left.

Since then Mei Lai's parents have died as a result of disease, although they did leave in their daughter's care a small plot of land. Soon seized by quarreling relatives who had their sights on the property (vs. Mei Lai's welfare), Mei grew up in a turbulent world where she learned to distrust those were extreme of heart.

She often spent her time helping at the village temple where she learned the mystical ways of the shukenja, a roll she fully embraced when she came of age.

Personality Mei Lai is easy to smile, slow to judge.  She prefers balance to extremes and will voice her opinion when things seem distorted to her.  Generally, she's pacifist but will fight to defend herself and her friends.  Mei Lai's more likely to encourage a course of action than to demand it, though he social graces go a long way toward convincing others of her ideas.

Physical appearance Mei Lai is a very pretty woman with an easy smile.  Her hair extends down her back and is often held in a tail with a loose cord.  Mei Lai is small, but strong enough to carry herself with poise.  A single white mark winds down her left cheek, a mark that appeared when she was 13.

Tactics To date, Mei Lai usually finds herself running about the battlefield healing those in need -- sometimes even the opponents, to her companions' dismay.  She also serves as a capable rearguard however, and so always has at least one defensive spell with which to grace herself.

Personal History
Tsuo (first month), 772 - Mei Lai wanders to Korobubaru with a merchant she knew from her home village, Tael.

Hsiang (seventh month), 772 - After accosting a malevolent cult in a curious bookshop in Tara Ko, the party gives battle to their leaders.  It is here that Mei Lai acquitted herself of life, first succumbing to an attack by a giant alien worm conjured by a wu jen, and then finally fading in the scorching heat belched forth in the leader's breath.
    Three days later the party, victorious yet sullen, carry her cremated remains through the streets of Tara Ko.  While a crowd of mourners first follow them, they soon disperse when assassins strike the funeral parade.  Barely making it through the gauntlet of magic wielders and poison blades, they vow vengeance for such a crass act.  Mei Lai is lain to rest.

Tera Kantiku (Mutara Ii)

Human female, Age 20, Ninja of Shou-Ken Cloister branch Temple Mutara
Chaotic neutral

Background Mutara Ii grew up as a ward of Shou-Ken Cloisters.  Initially was to be trained as lay-clergy, but at age 8, one of the three abbots took her aside and asked, "Do the branches hang from the tree, or the tree from the branches?"  Ii looked at him and said, "Why?  Don't you know?"  She was sent back into the mountains to Temple Mutara to begin her training.

Ii took the name Kantiku, meaning "hanging tree."  Indoctrinated into Shou-Ken's ninja organization, she is unswervingly loyal to her masters and her mission, though the latter Ii often does in her own way, despite all advice to the contrary.

"Kantiku," as Ii relates - only the superior echelon at Shou Ken know of their ninja organization - is a lower-class bushi descended from the first settlers of Makura.  She'll often pose as an itinerant fighter looking for soldiering work, and her demeanor and martial skills basically live up to this image.

Personality Ii is friendly but inwardly careful.  Those who watch her for an extended period know that she herself watches and perhaps sees more than the average pair of eyes.  She is very individualistic, bowing only to her religious and ninja clan elders, and although she gets the job done, she does it her own way.

Physical description Ii is lean and quick, although not altogether powerful.  She's fairly attractive with longer hair usually held loose.  Ii prefers the dress of a common bushi, which helps her encourage the belief that that's all she is.

Tactics Ii's general role is to play rearguard and backup for her party's combat-oriented characters.  She's an excellent shot with the crossbow, but on occasion will tumble into melee and use her shortspear in conjunction with her martial art skills.

Personal History
Tsuo (first month), 772 - Ii is sent on her first mission, to discover the goings-on of Temple Makura in the town of Korobubaru.  She is to report to a contact in Tael by Yu (third month).

Yu (third month), 772 - Ii helps defeat the evil troubling the village Korobubaru, making her a local hero, of sorts.  This will help her gain access to higher audiences and discover the plans of Temple Mutara in the community.  She is saddened by the death of Shou-ken Tai, the only other person in the group who know of her true identity and shared her denomination.

Yu (third month), 772 - Ii visits Temple Makura in Korobubara under the auspices of requesting to see whether a boku-toh (wooden sword) she picked up in her last adventure was magical (it wasn't, which she knew).  The spell was cast by the head priest, Mou Kei, with whom she talked a bit.  From her actions, Ii infers where the head office was in the temple.  She spends the next week constructing eggshell grenades for her foray.

Ii s lips into the temple one night and serendipitously found the stairs to the attic, where she hides until morning.  Apparently someone had heard the "rats" above them, and one of the acolytes is sent to clean them out.  He finds Ii, who knocks him out with a crossbow bolt before he could yell.  Having cared for the boy so he wouldn't die (and bounded, gagged, and blind-folded him), Ii overhears an important visitor and Priest Mou Kei talking about Temple Makura's plans in Korobubaru.

Temple Makura has designs to increase their following in Korobubaru, as well as keep the Shou-Ken out.  To this end, they have placed the local daimyo in their debt (he has... well, a problem only a viagra spell could help) and have a spy in his house.

Furthermore, Ii overhears that agents of Temple Makura have uncovered the whereabouts of a hidden fortress long abandoned and reputedly once the site of a renowned smithy -- if any of the famed weapons remain and Temple Makura claims them, Shou-Ken would find itself significantly disadvantaged.

Impatient for the lack of the missing acolyte, Mou Kei went to look for him.  That is when Ii bolts.  Priest Mou Kei follows the sound (the priest had not seen her), and Ii hides where she could, in the outhouse.  Mission accomplished.

Shou-Ken Tai (slain)

Human male, Age 20, Warrior-monk of Shou-Ken Cloisters
Lawful neutral

Background The person known as Shou-Ken Tai was first taken as a child to the temple that now provides his surname.  His birth family's farm devastated by the daimyo's retaliative raid on a host of bakemono based nearby, they had no choice but to admit themselves into the temple's service.  His parents and younger siblings now serve as groundskeepers and the like, but Tai has adopted the Shou-Ken sect as his own, releasing his birthright family name to take on the temple's and become one of its devotees.

Picked by the temple elders to join their sohei fighting force, Tai has become a promising student, studying long and hard to measure up to his masters' expectations.  A whirl of action on the battlefield, he is also fairly devout and attends all morning and evening ceremonies when not on duty.  He will also occasionally sit in the back row during the monks' instruction, gleaning as much as he can from the esoteric teachings.

Personality Shou-Ken Tai is tight-lipped, unbending under pressure, and able to announce a firm decision within a moment's reflection.  He usually takes the lead position in the party, despite there being persons of higher social rank.  He is utterly devoted to the teachings of Shou-Ken.

Physical description Tai's head is shaved except a long lock of black hair which he holds in a queue.  Clean-shaven, he is also lithe and able to explode into action.

Tactics Tai is not one to hold off from engaging the enemy.  Wielding his favored weapon, the nagimaki (a "horseman's glaive"), Tai bursts into the fray.  Owing to excellent Dexterity, Improved Initiative, and an ability to act swiftly which he learned as a member of the Shou-Ken church, Tai was often the first to act in battle.  As he progresses, he is concentrating on this aspect of martial life and has learned the Expert Tactician feat, granting him an extra partial action against flat-footed foes.

History
Tsuo (first month), 772 - Tai has been granted leave, as typical for young sohei, to expand his skills.  He is to return to Shou-Ken Cloisters in a year.

Yu (third month), 772 - After leading the party below the depths of Korobubara Forest, Tai is slain in the battle to end the evil they found there.  His remains are placed on a byre and burned in a ritual to purify that unholy place.  His companions will not forget him.

Excerpts from the Campaign Journal

• Chae's Vigil
• Kiku's Pride
• Kantiku's Bluff
• Ii's Mission

These are vignettes, or short descriptive stories usually centered around an encounter one or more of the characters had.

Chae's Vigil

Background: The adventure is actually The Speaker in Dreams. The place where this sketch begins is after the party has disposed of the cult holed up in the Reality Wrinkle bookstore (or, the estate of a minor samurai known for eccentricities in this campaign). Returning to their inn, the owner pleads with them to leave, for fear they will attract the deadly attention of the demonic beings wandering the streets and surely after the heroes. Miffed, the party heads toward Shou Ken Temple, over which a great glow can be sees in the sky. They encounter otyugh and its lackeys, and after a very tough fight knock it out of this plane. Exhausted with no where else to go, they try for the daimyo's house they raided not so long ago. Finding it weakly guarded, they rest here for the night. Chae, the hengeyokai (shapechanger) shukenja (cleric), has a few spells left in her repertoire and decides to scout the town...

Chae decided to check out the situation for herself. Calling Feng and Moko over, she disclosed her plan to the two other hengeyokai in the group. While the others were preoccupied, Moko slid open a screen at the back of the house, and a somewhat small, rusty dog emerged. Chae glanced back as Moko closed the door.

Though she had a destination in mind -- that omnipresent glow over the Shou Ken Temple -- Chae knew that part of the ruse was to look like a dog. She wandered in the direction of the temple, mindful of looking preoccupied as her less intelligent brethren would. Few people were out this evening. Once she passed a patrol, but they ignored the hound.

Coming through a narrow street walled on both sides by high wooden fences, she spotted a man, hiding. He had a crossbow at the ready and was taking aim at... another man, a peasant from the looks of it, in an open area where the market used to be. The rogue reminded her of the assassins who had molested the party during Mei Lai's funeral (Mei Lai was a shukenja slain by the malicious if incomprehensible wu jen sponsored by the daimyo whose house the party was currently in). Chae sprang at the would-be assassin and barked, catching him by the arm. He whirled in surprise. Another snap at his heel, and Chae was still barking wildly. She noticed the peasant make a start for cover -- unfortunately the man was running across the square, instead of toward the alleys where he could be lost all the sooner.

The assassin dropped his crossbow and produced a sai and with a movement faster than she could dodge, managed to stab her in the haunch. Chae let out a small whelp of pain, but managed to evade a second blow. She ran. The man was determined enough to take after his original quarry, however, and Chae was left standing alone in an alley. Through her years serving the priesthood in Tara Ko however, she had come to know the streets well, and ran forward, jumping several open gutters and hid just behind the corner of a house, beyond which was the market square. The assassin was racing toward the peasant who was running as fast as he could but to no avail.

Chae shifted into human form. Having just been canine, she was forced to leave all of her equipment behind at the house. She stood naked, and said a small prayer so that her faith would protect her. Chae stepped around the corner.

The assassin saw her.

But, it's not everyday that you espy a naked woman walking toward you in the streets while you hold a poison-laced weapon at your side. He slowed, stopped, and stared. Was this a trick? In his hesitation the peasant slipped out of the square and was gone.

Chae stared at the man, holding his gaze and tried not to betray any nervousness. She just needed to give the intended victim time to escape. The assassin looked dumbfounded, yet still dangerous. She took a single step toward the man, and as she did her leg grew fur, her foot became a paw. A human-sized dog bayed and leapt upon the killer, and Chae summoned the strength of her belief to deliver a vicious bite. She would not let go. The sai flashed once, twice... and she turned, bleeding.

The man chased her through the alleys of Tara Ko, but Chae knew the streets better than he. It wasn't long before a great canine slunk back to the house where the party kept watch. She saw Moko slide the door open slightly. "Change and come in!" Moko whispered in their racial tongue.

"I can't. I'm too exhausted." Chae stayed back behind some old timber and sniffed the air. "I'll sleep her tonight."

"Just bark if you see something." Moko closed the door.

Chae lay down on her haunches. With a last sigh, she lapped at some of her wounds, said a prayer that at least stopped the bleeding, and closed her eyes. She was wounded, exhausted, and alone, but content in that she had stopped at least one more of the town's assassinations.

Kiku's Pride

Background: The day after the above incident, the party set forth once again for the temple. Encountering a few patrols of impressed locals, they barely had to show any steel before the militia let them by. They were now infamous, but for a very good (deadly) reason, and everybody knew it. The party ventured into the hondo (great hall) of the temple to find it empty other than a supernatural column of flame rising to the sky. Finding nothing specific to do, they slide open one of the screens on the side of the hall and wander through several rooms before encountering a hellhound. Though not too dangerous, the hound manages to draw two other foes, a priest and an accomplished warrior, the latter of whom comes ripping through the paper and wood walls to slash among the party before being knocked down. It's after this fight that this sketch, focusing on Akana Kiku, begins...

The party ascended the stairs, not expecting much better.

They found before them a sturdy door. Around a corner, another door waited. Not wanting to be taken from the rear, Kantiku was set on guard watching the corner with Chae as backup.

Kiku tried the handle -- unlocked. She opened the door. It was only a glimpse they had of the rather upscale furnishings of the room -- the floor was of tightly woven straw mat, a vase and hanging scroll simply adorned an alcove across from them -- and in front of the alcove in full battle regalia stood a horned creature, at once bedecked in armor befitting a human warrior while sporting two great horns that rose even above the mon (decorative coat of arms) on the top of the helmet. Kiku tried in the briefest of moments to identify the red half-moon that was the mon.

Leaning forward, the creature uttered a curse that seemed to turn the word gray. Color itself died, and Kiku herself fought off the unholiest of assaults -- as if the very air were seeking to pull her to the edge of an abyss... She straightened, and charged. Moko had already moved into the room, pulling herself short before the devilish foe and was swinging her chain. The beast caught Kiku's tetsubo square on its shield. To the side, Jakume leapt on a low table and delivered several blows, though all he seemed to hit was armor. One, then two bright bolts came from behind and smacked it square in the chest.

And then the creature dodged, ducked her blade, and delivered another curse that froze her in place. Unable to move, Kiku watched in horror as the fell creature raised its katana and prepared to deliver a fatal blow. Her friends clambered. Moko's chain smashed down across its back, once, twice, then the other end caught his leg for yet another mighty blow - yet it persisted in raising its sword. Jakume attempted a strike to the creature's neck, but his fist seemed to catch the side of the devil's lacquered sode (shoulder plates) and deflect his intent. Someone was yelling for Kantiku... Kiku watched the blade, electrical energy crackling audibly along its spine... She remembered her childhood in the bamboo grove not far from this village...

And suddenly she felt a coolness that she hadn't felt since... The katana struck nevertheless not once but twice, delivering a grievous pain yet somehow muted by her new form. Kiku had become as if the air itself. Who would have though the crane had it in him to rush a battle and save her? Once again able to move, the cloud that she had become backed away slowly, watching the fight unfold.

The crane's next incantation released a thud in the air near the devil, so powerful that it ripped the scroll in half and shattered the vase. Their opponent stood, wobbling slightly as if dizzy. Jakume from atop his table kicked, jumped inhumanly high, and then came down with another foot on the beast's shoulder. He landed as lightly as a fallen flower, yet his strike made a noticeable crack.

Moko was working her chain, both ends whirling like vengeance. Kiku admired the dedication of the kensei, but couldn't say much for her stamina. She knew that without her aid, Moko had to make every blow count.

And still the foe stood. Kantiku rushed into the room, raised her crossbow and took careful aim...

The beast straightened, backed up against the wall, and simply disappeared into it. What!? The party whirled about, searching for a mysterious attacker... Yet the crane stood calm before the same wall into which the devil had disappeared, and spoke with an assurance in his voice.

A white ether seemed to float between the him and the alcove, and suddenly the devil re-appeared, as if spat from the very wall itself. Moko's chain whirled once again, delivering a telling blow, while Jakume managed a few feints and kicks. A bolt snapped into the beast's side, courtesy of Kantiku, but it brought its wicked katana across Moko. Kiku heard the kensei's cry, short and small and displaying no indication of the hurt, yet she knew Moko could not take another blow and live. The crane raised his hands as if cupping something in them, and cast a flash of white at the creature. The missile slammed into the wall beside it, leaving several electrical arcs to fade in lost opportunity. The crane quickly whirled and retreated to the doorstep.

And Jakume connected. The devil stood as if surveying the scene, but without the infernal light in its eyes. Moko's chain flew once, twice around her head, and she leaned her wounded body into it, ignoring a pain so acute that it was almost visible, and drove her weapon across the devil's chest. It was flung back into the wall behind it, but this time found believable resistance, and slumped to the floor.

Kiku felt the tinge of paralysis dissipate. The crane turned to her, flicked his hand and nodded his head, and she fell to the floor. A samurai brought to the ground by a simple wu jen. And yet she was grateful.

Several others actually sat down, so exhausted were they by their battles. A few looked at Chae, but she only returned a furtive look. Her curative blessings were spent. They had to leave - this creature was indeed behind the horrific dreams and horrific days they'd had in this town, but it wasn't the one they sought... Kiku pried the creature's hands off its katana and removed the scabbard. Kantiku searched the body. Nothing significant. They left.

Coming back to the temple's side door, Kantiku was set to task opening the lock. And then the party made a break for it. Perhaps someone spoke, but all Kiku remembered was sprinting for the closest cover -- a peasant's house about fifty yards away. Going back to the inn was useless, as they had been requested to leave for the mutual safety of all involved.

Kiku put her shoulder to the door which was assuredly locked and knocked it in. A terrified man and woman with several children whirled on them from where they were kneeling on the floor around a small fire. She held her tetsubo lightly, but looked them straight in the eyes. "We're staying here tonight."

Kantiku's Bluff

Background: This sketch picks up where the previous one left off, but from Tera Kantiku's perspective.

The crane placed a minor incantation on the door, making it more difficult to enter - an assurance after Kiku's easy rush through it. And Chae spent the night moving between nearly all of them, changing bandages with the help of the commoner and his wife. In the morning the priest said a few words of prayer over the more grievously wounded. As they sat around the fire eating too little rice and watered miso, Kiku placed a hundred tael in the hands of the woman. An expensive "inn" to be sure, but she knew with the trouble haunting the town now, and the general lack of food in any case, that the family would use every fen of it wisely.

They walked confidently back to the temple. 'Let it come,' she thought. 'This ends today.' A light rain enveloped the great structure, nevertheless parted still by the great pillar of flame that shot up from the hondo (main temple hall). Water ran down the chain-link gutters, and the great beams of the building seemed to be thankful for the slight relief from the fires of hell burning within it.

They entered the door they had left through the night before. The roar of the infernal fire was dulled until they slid aside the curtain screen to the hondo. This time, it was not empty.

"Saa... Here, heroes, here. I welcome you to the fire of your destiny. Come, let us compare poems of hell, shall we?" The voice that had been haunting them through this ordeal was close -- it was here, so close it was almost audible, even though it's enraging messages were yet conveyed only in thought.

And suddenly that thought became tangible. Moko and Kiku were at the fore of the party: from out of the higher regions of the great hall, a rippling of air smacked into them, leaving the pair dazed. Three great hounds snorting fire leapt baying from around the pillar of fire. And despite the flames they could hear an incantation on the other side of the fire.

Kantiku saw it. Hovering high in the air beyond the flames was the robed figure from which the emanations had arisen. And in that second, fire sprung at her from the mouth of one of the hell hounds. She ducked and rolled, suffering a twinge of pain. Moko and Akane were still reeling as if all they could do was keep their balance. Moko at least was twirling her chain above her head, but so pathetically it looked more like an invitation to be attacked than an active threat. And attack the hounds did. Fire ripped through the group. Kantiku released a bolt, which solidly sank into one of the dogs. It eyed her a second before Chae came rushing in with a great cry, katana coming down in a flash of sparks and vehemence. The blade clove the infernal dog's head in two, and a loud puff of smoke rose from the corpse.

On the other side of the two useless warriors Jakume fought with precision, though he seemed to be losing the battle. A kick here, punch there, whirling jump. Slowly, his prowess was wearing down the resolve of the hell hounds, but as he ever stuck, so did they, taking from him a vigor and strength. Suddenly, a soft yet sharp force slapped him in the back. He turned to receive the same in the face, as a small, devilish-looking figure flitted before him, cackling. He struck, and connected, but the being simply *melded* with the blow, reforming as his hand withdrew. One of the hounds took a sizeable bite from his leg, and the devil stroked him once again with its tail. He felt a small wave of nausea pump through his veins, felt not so quick, not so able...

And where was Feng, Kantiku thought. Loading her crossbow while keeping a wary eye on the hounds ripping through the dazed Moko and Kiku, she spied with her other the crane-man: frozen in stone, as he often was in battle, but unlike usual he seemed not to be switching back and forth between flesh and rock. No spells came from the frozen crane.

She looked across the way in time to see a foul priest charge Jakume, barely missing him with her tetsubo but then delivering a blow she heard even across the din. Jakume was backed up against one of the great pillars. And the two remaining hounds were relishing the feast they'd enjoy when Moko and Kiku were finished.

Chae was before her, holding off one of the hounds when suddenly she felt a mental twinge -- and managed to afford herself one of the basic mind blocks she'd learned from her mentor. Nevertheless, her view of life actually seemed to dim to a small extent, and as she turned to face the originator of that psychic strike, she noticed Chae, too, doing the wobbling "dance" the two greater warriors had been performing all along.

And then, from behind her, without warning or sound, Feng leapt to the fore and belched -- she would had laughed had it not been so deadly in connotation -- steam from his strained mouth, right into the face of the beast she had seen hovering high near the temple roof before. It was so hot now with the constant pillar of flames and Feng's magic that sweat poured down, matting her hair to her head. Her bolt snapped graciously into the mysterious being, and once again the air rippled -- and once again she lost a little more of her interest in life, as if even the heat and noise around her could not keep her long.

Feng, too was reeling. The creature took two calculated strides toward him, and four horrific tentacles emerged from where its face should have been. They wriggled for Feng, bracing himself on the nearby pillar.

And then Kantiku knew what they were fighting. Why the dreams, why the inane messages, why only she and Jakume were fighting the losing battle while the others prattled in their private worlds thick with slow thoughts and slower action.

A vermin. An illithid. A mindflayer. And the crane was about to find out how one of his famously caught fish felt as the monster leaned closer to his skull. Kantiku charged, leveling not her shoulder but springing at the last moment to push her foot into the creature's face, as the monks had taught her. One of the foul tentacles whipped out and abraded her heel, but the force of her blow managed not only to knock away its hold on Feng but push the beast back, away at least from the helpless wu jen.

She could spare not a half second to glance around her -- hell dogs, laughing imp, infernal shukenja. But she heard the familiar lap of chain, and later she would recall that it was then she knew Moko was back into the fray, and that this barely-recognized fact lent her hope in what she had to do.

Kantiku spun with her longspear, lifting the haft and twirling the point so it would come down on the 'flayer's head... and at the last inch before committing the strike, she instead levered the spear so it instead pointed at the beast's gut. Just as she hoped, it ducked and made to deflect the blow with upraised hands, exposing its center... And here time seemed to meet resistance, as once again rippling waves of mental shock coursed through the air. She was spent, and they crashed into her as if physical objects, removing her persona like glass shards on skin. Perhaps it was only the residual intention that kept her in motion, though she almost knew not why she moved at all, as she drove the spear into the monster's gut. A high, mental shriek screamed through the room.

The 'flayer backed away one, two faltering steps, made deadly eye contact with Kantiku, and vanished into nothingness.

Kantiku turned, slightly invigorated, in time to see Moko's famed chain catch not only the priest and leave him in a lump on the ground, but also smack the wooden floor as if on purpose, as if she were intentionally striking at a creature hidden there. Across the room, Jakume emerged from the hellish light near the pillar. He had his crossbow in hand, his usual stern and unrebukable visage shattered. The self-styled monk of steel had apparently run, letting Moko take the beating for the rest.

Anyway, it was finished. She thought.

Ii's Mission

Background: I'm only going to claim to be posting excerpts, not a journal of our campaign. Thus, the next is a complete section, though the first part happened before the previous events, and the second part after the above. Remember that Kantiku's real name (ninja name) is Ii, and since what follows below is a one of her missions, I'll use "Ii." (It's pronounced like the "ee" in "meet.") This missive reads as a journal of her ongoing assignment to encourage the prospects of Shou Ken Cloisters (the temple she serves) in the coastal town of Korobubaru. Shou Ken has a history of conflict with the main religious institution on island Makura, named appropriately, "Temple Makura."

Tsuo (first month), 1072 - Ii is sent on her first mission, to discover the goings-on of Temple Makura in the town of Korobubaru. She is to report to a contact in Tael by Yu (third month).

Yu (third month), 1072 - Ii helps defeat the evil troubling the village Korobubaru, making her a local hero, of sorts. This will help her gain access to higher audiences and discover the plans of Temple Mutara in the community. She is saddened by the death of Shou-ken Tai, the only other person in the group who know of her true identity and shared her denomination.

Yu (third month), 1072 - Ii visits Temple Makura in Korobubara under the pretense of requesting to see whether a boku-toh (wooden sword) she picked up in her last adventure was magical (it wasn't, which she knew). The spell was cast by the head priest, Mou Kei, with whom she talked a bit. From the priest's actions, Ii infers where the head office is in the temple. She spends the next week constructing eggshell grenades for her foray.

Ii slips into the temple one night and serendipitously finds the stairs to an attic, where she hides until morning. Apparently someone had heard the "rats" above them, and one of the acolytes is sent to clean them out. He finds Ii, who knocks him out with a crossbow bolt before he could even yell. Having cared for the boy so he wouldn't die (and bounded, gagged, and blind-folded him), Ii overhears an important visitor and Priest Mou Kei talking about Temple Makura's plans in Korobubaru.

The Temple has designs to increase their following in Korobubaru, as well as keep the Shou-Ken out. To this end, they have placed the local daimyo in their debt (he has... well, a problem only a viagra cantrip could help) and have a spy in his house.

Furthermore, Ii overhears that agents of Temple Makura have uncovered the whereabouts of a hidden fortress long abandoned and reputedly once the site of a renowned smithy -- if any of the famed weapons remain and Temple Makura claims them, Shou-Ken would find itself significantly disadvantaged.

Impatient for the lack of the missing acolyte, Mou Kei went to look for him. That is when Ii bolts. Priest Mou Kei follows the sound (the priest had not seen her), and Ii hides where she could, in the outhouse. Mission accomplished.

Yu (third month), 1072 - Ii must now relay the news to a priest in the village Tael, about four or five day's ride from Korobubaru. Taking leave of her companions ("I have a standing contract with a village near…" Ii explains), she purchases a light horse and makes for Tael, by way of Himei, the island's capitol.

The traveling isn't as easy as planned. Weather this month is more horrid than normal, rain drenching everything and requiring twice the time she anticipated to travel.

It's at a crossroads that Ii barely escapes a black bear that's having a bad fur day. She rides back up the road a bit and waits an hour, but upon returning, finds the bear again. The trail is fairly easy traveling, but enclosed on either side by thick brush, and she can't get her horse to walk through it or to pass the bear. Riding back again, she leashes her mount to a tree and returns on foot, her crossbow loaded and ready.

Owing to the rain, she only spots the bear a few yards away but luckily manages to plant a bolt firmly in its side before it can react. Dropping her 'bow, she produces her spear but is swiped viciously by the animal's claws. She stabs at the beast, scratching it. The bear smacks her again, knocking her back.

Not looking good.

Ii is not one to stand toe-to-toe unless it's a requirement. She scrambles up the nearest tree, the bear immediately after her [DM's note: She had about 3 hp left at this point]. At about 20 feet up, she decides that this is not the best course of action, and in a leap of courage and desperation, falls down on the ascending beast, her spear point planted between her feet. She falls; the bear falls; she tumbles despite the reckless maneuver and manages to escape injury; the bear goes [i]thud[/i], but it's still conscious, territorial, and in her face.

Ii has a choice: flee (a bear?) or plunge her spear into its heart. With a prayer the length of a thought's breadth, she braces her arms and crashes into the beast. The rain comes down on wet fur, matting her hair to her face. Silence: only rain. The bear lies dead.

Ii limps back to her mount. On to Himei.

Two few days later - Ii "slips" into the provincial capital, Himei, the guards having only confiscated her weapons, though they should return them when she leaves. Luckily, they did not locate her eggshell grenades which would have immediately put her under suspicion of subversive activity and arrest. It probably helped to be and appear as wounded as she was, causing the guards to at least treat her with pity ("Found a bear on my way…") She knows enough about Himei that she is aware the inspection she passed at the main gate is the same one she'd have to pass through to go from one of the city's wards to another, and so decides to stay at a cheap inn in the Gate Ward, the first one she entered.

It takes a few days, but she recovers from her wounds, and on the last evening leaves incriminating items behind to venture to the Castle Ward, where she purchases a well-crafted crossbow with the money gained from her adventures in Korobubaru. (Purchased in the city proper, the weapon is legal; Himei prices are nearly double what they are anywhere else on the island, and its prosperous merchants have strong ties with the daimyo and thus the city militia. They don't need mavericks hauling cartloads of weapons manufactured two days awaya and selling it at discount prices.)

The next morning… off to Tael.

Three days later - Ii enters Tael. This is a village on every map of Makura, and it lies at the heart of the island, though few ever travel here. In idle chat, Ii had garnered some information about the village from Mei Lai, the party's shukenja, who was a Tael native. [DM's note: Mei Lai has since died, being replaced by the reformed samurai/shukenja Chae.] Apparently the place is under a curse, so glaring and dire that despite the fact that the shortest path between any major place on the island runs through Tael, it has been ravaged by passing armies of bushi and sohei not once in its history. Named from a misunderstanding between a priest come from the mainland centuries past (he wanted to know if they would accept "tael," the currency of the mainland), the village grants a special aura to its natives: if you're not shy about being from Tael, you probably don't have many friends but your enemies will fear to attack you.

[DM's note: There's a regional feat one can take if a character is a Tael native. This feat reciprocates any melee damage below 0 hp if inflicted on a native of Tael. That is, if a bakemono struck a Tael native for 8 hp of damage, reducing her to -5 hp, the bakemono would suffer 5 hp of damage. This is a very powerful, protective ward, encouraging enemies to attack either with missiles or not at all. Thus, advertising one's affiliation with the town has its benefit; it also imposes a penalty on most social skills like Diplomacy, etc. Keeping it a secret provides no penalties but only a surprise to victorious assailants.]

Ii knew only that she was to report to the independent temple of Tael and receive a sign that the contact was trustworthy, reply with her given code phrase, and relate her news. What sign she'd receive she did not know.

She stayed that evening in the hovel of a poor farmer (Tael has no inns; no one ever visits, and since we're talking about it, no one ever steals there anything unless a thief comes by). The next morning she went to the temple.

Walking below the temple eaves, she smelled the soft scent of incense. Removing her sandals before the hondo (main hall), she entered. A black statue of a monk-like man stood at the temple's fore. In front of it was a large man kneeling, black robes draped across her back. His head was shaved as appropriate to the clergy.

She waited.

Motion at rest. Ii started. A mental voice had invaded her mind, making her ears hear where there was no sound. Yet, there was a reply to this phrase she had known before she could walk. She hesitated... should she say the response aloud or think it? Do not speak. We are watched. Think.

Ii thought: Rest in motion. Beware the silent stone, for it cannot be outrun. When she had first received her mission, she was taken aback at the simplicity of the password phrase she was to give. Any person familiar with Shou Ken doctrine could repeat the simple peasant's prayer -- so what was to prevent an imposter from delivering a false message "from her"? Unlike the usual ninja, she questioned her master when told these instructions. An unlike his usual self, he did not answer. Now she understood. Spoken messages can be overheard. [i]Thought[i] cannot. (Well, maybe..)

Follow me. The black-robed figure stood, moved to a screen in the hondo, pushed it open, and exited. Ii followed.

The next three weeks were a wonder to her. Used even to the temple grounds of Shou Ken where normal visitors stood a gape in wonder, she was fascinated by this new training she received. The temple master encouraged her to believe in manifesting the mind -- not like the elemental magics wielded by sorcerers of Temple Makura, but by actually pulling her thoughts into reality. And he not only encouraged her to believe in this ability, but demonstrated it quite well.

"Strike me." Ii was sparring with the man, her spear held tilted toward his chest, the head wrapped in cloth to blunt the tip. She took a jab step forward and lunged with it. The man turned as she expected, but her spear should have at least brushed him given the rapidity of her movement. Instead, it seemed to slide slightly into empty air. "Again."

She stood before him again, whirled the stick above her and pulled it down toward his foot. He jerked back in anticipation, but that was what she expected as well. Using a trick she had been perfecting, Ii instead let go of the spear with her right hand and struck at his neck. She wasn't strong, but it should have knocked him down. Her fist came to rest below his chin, as if she had nonchalantly placed it there without any intention of force. Something had slowed her punch to the degree that it all but stopped.

The priest glared at her and kicked up with her foot, but Ii was too quick for that. They sparred, she relying on her agility to avoid his angry fists and he on a mental force that caused her spear to wobble every time it came near him.

She believed.

Ii delivered her message of course. The man took it simply by listening mentally as she remembered her foray into Temple Makura in Korobubaru. He then went into an adjacent room, and after half an hour emerged to announce that her findings had been delivered.

A few days later, during their daily practice, the man suddenly paused in the middle of action. "Wait."

She waited, preparing to pull his sandals from under him with a sweeping kick the moment he resumed. She was tempted to anyway.

He relaxed after a few moments. The priest started to think to her, "I…" And he was lying on the worn tatami mat that served as their training area. "…Have your next assignment."

Ii gave him a kick in the shin and sat down to listen.

The Wu Jen