Session Report: 27 November 2020
Clan Tournament Semifinals
General Summary
In this session of Tsuwamono, the following events transpired:
Home Is Where the Hearth Is (Continued)1559年11月15日: 13:30
Shimonoseki
Historical Entry: Home Is Where the Hearth Is (Continued)
Having spoken at length about herself, Kotetsu began to express her curiosity about Maxim. That he was a foreigner wasn't too strange in Shimonoseki, but he'd said before that he attended a meeting with Ishida Mitsunari. That must make him someone pretty important, or so Kotetsu asked to confirm. Maxim shrugged off the question with a humble statement that he didn't consider himself a big shot, just someone who works with the Hashinara and Aotsuki clans. When asked about how well that paid, Maxim dropped his humility and said that it was enough to purchase Shima Province. That got Kotetsu's attention. She was looking for somebody with ambition and power to work for after this Mōri job, so... But she couldn't just take Maxim at his word. She didn't know anything about the guy except that he'd somehow stolen a weapon through her forge. So, she gave him an option for later. If he and his organization ever found themselves in need of a blacksmith, he could bring her a letter of introduction from someone with a bit of clout. If that paper confirmed the amazing things Maxim was saying about himself, then she'd sign on, assuming she didn't have another job lined up. Although it wasn't the clean recruitment Maxim had been secretly hoping for, it was definitely a step in the right direction. After confirming Kotetsu's whereabouts at the Old Ōuchi Manor outside town, the two found themselves arriving in Shimonoseki. Since Maxim was headed to the arena after this and Kotetsu wanted to inform her partner she wasn't ash in the forge, this is where they'd part ways. First, Kotetsu promised that she'd come and watch Maxim's next match, provided he used that weapon she gave him. With a fond farewell, Maxim turned and headed toward the arena for the afternoon matches. That was a unique and valuable meeting, and he felt sure somehow that he'd see Nagasone Kotetsu again. First, there was one last thing to do. On the way back, he stopped at a handy merchant and ordered a sizable amount of snacks and drinks for the rest of his companions. Perhaps with the offering, and a particularly juicy haunch of meat he'd picked out just for her, Haures wouldn't be too upset about his absence. Indeed, the feast was so large that Maxim was forced to hire a young Castillan lad, Jesús Fernández or something, to help him tote it the short distance to the arena.1559年11月15日: 13:30
Shimonoseki
Historical Entry: The Tour Resumed (Continued)
Sanosuke gave his okay for the mission to go ahead, awaiting a report from Danzō and Shibai later in the day. That was not the only matter of mental matter to attend to, however. Upon hearing of Hashinara Yoshitakatomo's impromptu expedition into The Dreamlands, Sanosuke decided to send someone to accompany her* in his place. Kirin immediately came to mind, as she would no doubt be of use if the Princess-Daimyō's goal were to close the Date rift from the other side. Upon checking with the Avatar of the Land, Sanosuke found his concerns verified. Kirin could not leave this plane, otherwise the ley energies of Japan would no longer be able to sustain her physical form. The other did present a solution, however: She would attempt to meet up with the Hyakki Yagyō, who were even now organized by Hakutaku into an expeditionary group to tackle the rift from this side. They were currently on their way to Mutsu Province, so Kirin made to work with Shigeaki Fujino to find and join them. If Kirin couldn't go, a few other individuals were notable for the task. He called out to Sasaki Kojirō, knowing that she would no doubt be fuming over her recent loss in the arena. Indeed, Kojirō seemed short and annoyed, but opened a little when Sanosuke explained his reasons for calling. The Dreamlands would be an interesting place to hone her skill. Instead of seeking out the Daitengu who had trained Minamoto no Yoshitsune, she agreed to join with Yoshitakatomo's party and act as bodyguard and student. Finally, Sanosuke contacted a second individual and, finding them to react in an agreeable matter, sent them on that way as well. Surely that pair would come back bearing treasures both material and abstract. As if on cue, Randi and Shigetoki exited the embassy with Xenophon just as he finished issuing those last commands. The blacksmith-princess seemed quite impressed with the artistry she'd seen within. Randi, however, was harder to please, opining that she'd rather have seen more like the painted ceiling. Even so, she valued the experience and set Alexandria as the next place to visit on Earth when she got the opportunity. Although only featuring two sites in Shimonoseki, Sanosuke's tour seemed to be quite acceptable to Randi. She thanked him, but suggested that they should soon be getting back to the arena. The afternoon matches of Mōri Motonari's grand tournament were about to begin.1559年11月15日: 14:00
Isle of Oriab
Historical Entry: Dreamfall at Oriab
While Hashinara Yoshitakatomo made arrangements for a facsimile of herself* to be present at the Mōri tournament, her* true self was stepping through a portal, beyond the wall of sleep, and into the Dreamlands. Accompanying her* were retainers Hosokawa Gracia and Matsumoto Hiei, both of whom owed their current bodies and lives to Yoshitakatomo's immense mystical power. After traveling through the space between planes, the place where the three arrived was not so different from many vistas found on Earth. Long grass ran up to thigh-height on a short cliff overlooking the ocean. Behind them, an immense snow-capped mountain poured itself into the sky, shining under the midday sun. The air was fresh and tinged with salt. A coast, perhaps an island, familiar save for the strange fruits sprouting from nearby bushes and trees. This was not Hosokawa Gracia's first venture into the dream world. Previously, she had headed an expedition to establish a forward camp in this very land, which mirrored Japan's approximate geographical position on the other side of the oneiric barrier. According to Gracia, this was the Isle of Oriab. It was largely uninhabited save for the major port of Baharna on at the island's northern point. Fortunately, the Baharnans were friendly toward their cause, and had previously allowed Gracia to set up an outpost not far from their city. If they wanted to travel to another major city, such as Dylath-Leen or Celephaïs, chartering a vessel from Baharna would likely be the best option. Yoshitakatomo was not interested in those cities, however, so much as the true reason for her* venture into dreams. The rift between these realms of sleep and reality still posed a threat to their growing empire and she* would see it closed from this side if possible. Unfortunately, Gracia wasn't privy to the exact location of the tear on this plane. It was supposedly somewhere in the Southern Dreamsea, which probably meant close north of Oriab, but beyond that she couldn't say. Any further explanation was interrupted at this point by a rude interjection from Hiei. The Matsumoto boy had been taking in their surroundings while his companions spoke and picked up on something that the others missed. After tuning her* ears to the sloshing of waves and calls of sea birds, Yoshitakatomo heard it too. Somewhere nearby, voices were raised in guttural tones, shouting orders over the clank and rustle of chains. Rather than approach the source of the noise herself*, Yoshitakatomo instead expanded her senses. By seeing with faculties beyond her* primitive eyes, she* was able to gather a comprehensive picture of the company not far down the cliff. Upon the coast itself, a boat of middling size had been moored, no doubt subject to the grand Black Galleon anchored a bit further from shore. Two rows of Baharnans stood in shackles, heads bowed, as their slavers barked orders and moved cargo about. From only a cursory examination, it seemed the crew of this Galleon had docked here to resupply. Not surprising, as they would be very unwelcome in the main port, especially with their cargo of Baharnan slaves. These were not the only captives shackled on the beachfront, however. An enormous creature, fully sixteen feet tall, required two Men of Leng with heavy chains to keep it subdued. At the heavy iron collar beneath the creature's alien, vertical fanged mouth, a symbol etched into the metal glowed faintly. To Yoshitakatomo, it looked like a crude eye scrawled at the center of a five-pointed pentacle. Occasionally, the beast would scratch the earth with one of its four trunk-like, black-furred arms, but it otherwise appeared somehow dazed. The two yellow eyes on either side of that horrible vertical maw were dazed, staring unfocused at the sea. Finally, at the far rear of the slaving crew, a small wooden cage had been set haphazardly on the sand. The prison was obviously not meant to house anything dangerous. As Yoshitakatomo watched, something small and white flitted around inside it with an air of annoyance, but it was too small and too far for even her* inhuman sight to make it out.1559年11月15日: 14:00
Shimonoseki
Historical Entry: Blade Kittens vs. Yamada Brothers
Maxim and Ryūzaki Sanosuke arrived back at their seats in the tournament stands just in time to see the first two clans take to the field. These next matches were to make up the semifinals and determine which clan teams would be competing for the title of champion. For this match, Ryūzōji Kagetada and Yagyū Jūbei represented the Silver Meteor Storm, or Ryūzaki Clan, on the left. Across from them, brothers Yamada Arinaga and Yamada Arinobu stood for the Shimazu Clan. Both were known to be onmyōji and had previously brought their familiars onto the field with them. The two Wani standing behind those siblings were not, however, quite the same team which had accompanied them the first time. This discrepancy didn't go unnoticed by either of the Cardinal Generals watching from different spots in the stands. Hadn't there been some kind of enormous, jellyfish-style yōkai hiding in the canal when the Shimazu brothers fought yesterday? Sanosuke was informed by perceptive Motoyama Tsugutoshi, while Maxim relied on his own senses to look for the creature. Indeed, there it was, lurking as a dark spot under the water of the northern canal. The Silver Meteor Storm team received a mental warning that they would be facing a total of five combatants, but since the jellyfish had not seemed too important a force in yesterday's match, little more came of it before the match began. While the two teams prepared and the Mōri box made announcements, Maxim shared some snacks and drinks with his companions in the stands. Indeed, he had brought so much sheer bounty with him that he'd had to enlist the aid of a small Castillan errand-boy. This lad, an oddity in Japan but no less odd than the rest of Maxim's day, was named Jesús Fernández. It was a name that Maxim would no doubt never hear again as he sent the armored kid clanking back to Shimonoseki's markets. For Haures, he'd procured a particularly large, juicy chunk of meat. It was Maxim's hope that such an offering would blunt her teeth when she inevitably chewed him out for his absence that afternoon. Even before receiving the prize, however, Haures didn't seem particularly upset. As she cast her slitted eyes over Maxim, all she commented was that he seemed to be spending his time away from her more wisely, then went immediately to the feast. By then, the two clan teams below had finished their preparations and now readied themselves. Kikkawa no Myōkyū called the start of the match with her usual enthusiasm, prompting a flurry of activity. Despite their skill, it was neither of the Kensei on the Ryūzaki side who seized the first move, but rather Orinoko, the wani behind Arinaga. She took on a defensive posture that Jūbei, at least, recognized immediately as prepared to defend either of the onmyōji, should they be attacked. Kagetada, by her feline reflexes, had the upper hand next, but chose instead to let her partner take the lead. Meanwhile, Kurasame slipped away from Arinobu, taking advantage of Kagetada's hesitation to seize the land bridge at the center of the canal. Then a chance for Jūbei to act finally arrived. Hopping around to the other side of Kagetada, the diminutive, pink kensei began gathering energy for a special technique. As her powerful life force built up inside, it spilled out into the arena around, filling the sands with a howling demonic presence, unseen yet promising death to all who opposed Jūbei. Unlike when Honda Tadakatsu had performed the same maneuver, the killing will was not directed at everyone present, so the audience remained uneffective. Kurasame, however, found her limbs utterly paralyzed with terror. A predator fiercer even than a great wani had its eyes on her, flattening her will and pinning her in place. Arinobu and Orinoko, too, showed signs of terror rushing ice-cold through their blood, while the remaining combatants merely shook it off. With one quick motion, Jūbei hurled her ki-charged katana through the air like a darting swallow. Orinoko attempted to knock her charge out of the way, but was moments too slow. Time seemed to crawl to a halt as the lethal blade sped straight toward Yamada Arinaga's unguarded chest. The handsome young onmyōji, however, called upon some henceforth unseen samurai training. With a complex parry that would meet even Miyamoto Musashi's approval, he cut Jūbei's flying blade out of the air, suffering only a brush with its deadly edge as it shot into the rock wall behind him and shattered. When he was safe once again, however, Arinaga slumped his shoulders and began to breathe heavily. That skillful maneuver had obviously taken most of his energy to achieve. Now that Jūbei had made the first move, Kagetada followed it up. Padding up to Kurasame's frozen form, she wrapped the wani's arms in the chains of a kusarigama and dragged her back to where Jūbei still stood. Picking a hefty rock, broken off from a pillar in the fracas of a previous match, Kagetada carefully wrapped the other side of the chain around it and lifted it with effort. In a striking display of strength an accuracy, the neko-kensei threw her rock up into the air, taking the chain and Kurasame with it. Accompanied by a splash of water, the stone landed in the canal just north of its land bridge, leaving Kurasame's paralyzed body just about where it had started. Jūbei, the Yamada Brothers, and the crowd all stared at Kagetada in stunned silence. She, however, obviously felt no need to explain her actions. Perhaps they had indeed achieved the desired effect as, with a yelp, Yamada Arinobu scrambled back to the opposite side and hide behind a rock wall. Or, perhaps, he was still terrified from Jūbei's domineering presence. Regardless, the way was now open for Jūbei to act again. Putting the ki now into her hands and feet, she conjured a shimmering katana formed from pure energy even as she sprinted with matchless speed across the bridge. A fountain of water heralded Jinkari's arrival from the depths, but the ambush failed to stop Jūbei, who dodged the tentacle and continued on her way. As the impish swordswoman arrived at Arinaga, Orinoko was still too off-balance to prevent what happened next. Two sword strikes cut through that handsome onmyōji's feeble defense and carved the life from him. Arinaga's severed arm flipped into the air as his body fell dead to the ground. Not far away, Jinkari let loose an awful scream as her master's shared pain overwhelmed her through the familiar bond until she, too, flopped into the water as a lifeless heap. If Orinoko was rattled before, her fair features were now contorted in terror. She lost her composure and yelled for her master, Arinobu, to concede the match before they met with the same fate. From behind the low wall a few feet away, the other brother waved a feeble surrender with a paper charm as a white flag. Mōri Motonari did not hesitate to call the match in favor of the Ryūzaki after that clear concession. Before Sūhai priestesses could take the bodies away, however, a commanding voice rose in protest from amongst the western stands. Niiro Tadatsuru, who had wrested the title of Daimyō from her husband, was standing and demanding that this unfair match be overturned. It was far from reasonable, she accused, for Ryūzaki Sanosuke to have exchanged one of his champions for that monster, Yagyū Jūbei, without any notice. Rather than argue that claim, Motonari countered by stating that indeed, it was unfair. That was why she had allowed Tadatsuru's team to compete with three familiars, rather than one per onmyōji as had been previously established. Now aware that all eyes were on her, the lady Niiro seemed as though she was going to explode into violence for a brief, cutting moment. Then, the fire in her eyes died down, and she expressed her woe about losing that particular gamble. Sitting back down, she ordered Yoshitaka Hitsuie to serve as her stool, which he did without complaint.1559年11月15日: 14:30
Shimonoseki
Historical Entry: Benkei (Plus One) vs. Presbyters
After the bodies of the unfortunates from last match had been cleared away, those last four remaining fighters in the semifinals took to the arena without delay. Musashibō Benkei was to represent the Hashinara Clan, aided at least nominally by Shōta or whomever now possessed his body. Pitted against them were the Presbyters of Sancta Sedes, Ketzi'ah and Steffi Schwangau. Shōta in particular seemed to have caught the little succubus' attention. Not because of his lanky, awkward frame or dull expression, but more because the soul inside didn't match his outward appearance whatsoever. While most humans weren't able or hadn't bothered to check on the lad, to a creature which feasted on souls this discrepancy was fully apparent. As Mōri Motonari called for the match to begin, it was Steffi Schwangau's small angelic form which made the first move. With an exhortation about looking to the light, she cast a spell of blinding radiance in front of both opponents' eyes. Benkei hardly blinked and, while Shōta jerked back as if surprised, it quickly became clear that he wasn't affected either. While the wandering monk patiently unpacked her bow, her unwieldy companion found himself suddenly engaged by Ketzi'ah. Swinging her twin swords, Contrition and Perdition, the demoness cut brutal, gorish streaks across Shōta's unprotected flesh. With a yelp of pain, the boy collapsed to the ground, instantly slain by his grievous wounds. Or... so it seemed. The more perceptive in the audience, including those of the Cardinal Generals in attendance, could clearly see through his scheme. In fact, Shōta wasn't harmed at all. Despite his unholy cries of pain, not a single mark marred his flesh. Ketzi'ah wasn't fooled either. She cursed at the boy, prompting him to drop the act and rise to his feet once again. Meanwhile, Benkei was shooting down Steffi as keenly as Hikohohodemi Ho'ori might fell a soaring hawk. One arrow didn't quite fell the little angelic chimera, but a second one finished the job. In a dazzling display of skill, Benkei managed to avoid all her opponent's vitals with the final shot. Steffi fell from the air as the pain overwhelmed her, but never reached the ground. Benkei caught her opponent, laid her gently on the ground, then turned to deal with Ketzi'ah. Shōta had been keeping the demoness busy with a series of embarrassingly poor attacks. It was almost as if they boy had never held a katana in his life. Each time, Ketzi'ah would block and counter with enough force to send Shōta straight to hell. Each time, the lanky lad fell to the ground and pretended to be dead, before being outed as just faking. No matter what she did, Ketzi'ah couldn't make a mark on him. Some unseen force or powerful magic kept the blade from his skin in an increasingly ludicrous display. By the time Benkei arrived, she had already swapped the greatbow for an enormous two-headed axe. With Ketzi'ah so distractingly infuriated, it only took the monk two swings to fell her as well. With this opponent, Benkei didn't hold back. She cleaved the demoness straight through the middle, cutting her whole earthly body in twain, all the while secure in the knowledge that Ketzi'ah would no doubt slither back into the mortal world before long. The whole match lasted well under a minute from start to when Motonari declared its victors. The crowd loved the display, but amongst the cheering figures, Knight Commander Maxim's attention was elsewhere. On the other side of the stands, that Unnatural Oni who had so eluded him in the past was nearly leaning over the side of the railing with his gaze focused only on Shōta. Within Maxim's head, gears began to turn.Rewards Granted
- Various Elan bonuses and penalties—see Secrets
Character(s) interacted with
- Crocodile
- Haures
- Hosokawa Gracia
- Jesús Fernández
- Jinkari
- Ketzi'ah
- Kiban
- Kikkawa no Myōkyū
- Kirin
- Kurasame
- Matsumoto Hiei
- Mōri Motonari
- Motoyama Tsugutoshi
- Musashibō Benkei
- Nagasone Kotetsu
- Niiro Tadatsuru
- Orinoko
- Ōtomo Sōrin
- Randi Carter
- Ryūzōji Kagetada
- Takenaka Hanbei
- Tanegashima Shigetoki
- Sasaki Kojirō
- Shōta
- Steffi Schwangau
- Xenophon
- Yagyū Jūbei
- Yamada Arinaga
- Yamada Arinobu
- Yoshitaka Hitsuie
Created Content
Report Date
27 Nov 2020
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Secondary Location
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