Session Report: 28 January 2022
A Heart Divided
General Summary
In this session of Tsuwamono, the following events transpired:
Log of the Quartet RoyaleThe 16th of November in The Year of Our Lord 1559
The Waters of Ago
Historical Entry: Log of the Quartet Royale
As the captain of the Quartet Royale has been indisposed, I, Waxim of The Molfpaque, shall take on this log in his place. May Michael, the Angels, and the Lord Our God watch over us.17:00
We arrived at the shores of Japan, but this does not seem to be "Shimonoseki." We have already been swept off course and cannot afford to waste much more time. Only by Tambouriner's command of the waves are we not far later for our rendezvous. Still, there is a certain way to go about these things. We are passengers aboard an Albionite ship and will not cause any more trouble for the captain17:30
We have received word from shore. The lord of this town, Maxim, will meet with us in the morning. Maxim? Is that not an Albionite name? What's more, Vizier Orat seems to know who he is. Is this truly Japan, or have we gone so far astray that we've ended up back where we started?22:00
I was roused from my prayers by news of a man standing on the water outside the ship. Our bosun said that the man spoke to him in a strange foreign tongue. Perhaps this is Japan after all. I left my quarters and invited the stranger aboard. A tall, broad man with silver hair and clad in finery answered my summons. He must be a man of some power here. Indeed, his aura seems comparable to my own, which is most impressive. Tambouriner and Artiya'il are nowhere to be found. My guardian angel is probably in the crow's nest again, and the fae spirit watching from somewhere unseen. I was therefore forced to meet him with only Vizier Orat by my side. Unfortunate, as the man from Japan had two companions. One was a slight local maiden. She appeared unassuming, but there was an intensity in her gaze as she studied my powerful form that left me slightly on edge. The other companion was none other than a fellow Albionite. She introduced herself as Mary Lyn and welcomed us to Japan. Later, my Vizier informed me that this was none other than the court magician of Arthur himself. Heavens above! I would have conducted myself differently, had I known. It seemed that the man with silver hair wished to know of our intentions here, so I began telling him my story. Starting with my humble beginnings in Molf, I elaborated on my technomagical transportation to Albion and my adventures there, culminating in death at the hands of Agravaine. I could tell by the furrow of his brow that he wanted to know more. So I continued. My audience with Archangel Michael, his blessing of Artiya'il as my guardian angel, the suit of angelic armor I now bear, my further adventures (including the one in which I met a spirit of good luck, Tambouriner), and the truth of my mission: to find and forgive Mordred for all that she has done. All of it I laid bare. When my story finally wound to a halt, I was met with only stunned silence. Indeed, this is often the response to my tale, and I take it as nothing short of a compliment. Orat, however, told me later that I should have at least asked for the foreign man's name first.1559年11月16日 22:00 (Evening)?
Queen's Landing
Historical Entry: Interview with Sakigake Mukō
Shigeaki Tōno: So you were here when the Daimyō's group returned from uh...[checking notes]...Andahad? Sakigake Mukō: That's right. It was a few hours after that chunk of weird city had showed up— ST: "Weird city"? SM: Oh right, y'all wouldn't have seen it. It was like somebody's cut a filet of city out of somewhere else and shut it down right here. I didn't catch you name, by the way...? ST: Tell me more about this city. SM: Well...[shrugs a bit of cloth off his shoulder to show more of his chest]...It was yellow, wasn't it? Tall, pointy buildings built from dusty yellow brick, is how I'd describe it. A big road running through the center, and that pretty girl in red, Carmilla, walking down it. ST: Are you certain you weren't hallucinating? SM: Me? No, I was taking a bath through most of this whole "plague" thing. Never seemed to catch it myself. ST: Amazing. And what happened with the city? SM: Not much. We all got a bit spooked and moved the sick away from the place on Ashiya-sama's orders. Then we waited and, sure enough, the Lady of Names arrived a few hours later. ST: The "Lady of Names"? SM: Just a bit of a pet name for Hashinara Yoshiyuki-sama. You know, the Daimyō? She gave us our names, and a new purpose. It's been the Three Named Men's greatest honor to serve her ever since. ST: You keep shifting your shoulder, are you hurt? SM: What? This? No. Well, not recently. Don't worry about it. Anyway, when the Daimyō came back, she was flying around the side of the mountain. That's not too crazy; I mean, we all know that the Daimyō's some kind of grand magician or something. But what surprised us is that she had more companions with her than she brought on the journey. ST: Go on. SM: Well there was that guy I've heard about, the Silver General, but he looked a bit like he'd been through the wringer. Then I think I saw the Black Blade, but he's supposed to be dead, isn't he? There were a few others I didn't recognize too. Two kinda hopping vampires like in the stories, and a blue bunny sort of girl with an orb flying around her. Then a uh...like an octopus, but if it was a person. Actually, there were two of them, too. And they had this big cloth-covered thing with them, but nobody seemed to want to get real close to it. ST: You don't do much writing, do you? SM: No, should I? ST: Don't worry about it, tell me what happened after they flew in. SM: When she saw the city, the Lady of Names peeled off and swung down there. The Silver General went with her. The rest of them, well, they came to where the sick were. The Black Blade, or the guy what looks like him, was whipping up some kind of pale sludge in a cup and feeding it to the sick. Perked them right up, it did. I didn't feel bad at all, but he and the black-and-white thing insisted I drink some anyway. Tasted like nothing at all. Meanwhile, the Daimyō is chatting with Carmilla over there in the city. It's a bit fuzzy in my memory for some reason, but I feel like I remember a lot more than three people there. Couldn't have been, though. Everyone was over here, either sick or takin' care of them. Seemed like the Lady of Names was getting a bit frazzled, but then again, who can tell with that mask on? Speakin' of masks, the Black Blade finishes what he was doing over here and goes over to the city. He hands the Carmilla girl a cup of the sludge and she toasts, then drinks it all down. Then, just like that, the city vanishes. So do all the other people. Who...weren't there? [rubs his eyes with his hands] ST: Amazing, and do you know anything about this city? SM: Not a thing, but it seemed like it had something to do with the lass. Elsewise why would drinking the sludge have fixed everything? ST: Yes...fascinating. What happened then? SM: Well the Daimyō addresses us and says that the plague is cured. Everyone survived! Well, most everyone. Ganzo Sada was still a statue for a while, until the Lady of Names went and cured that too. Then she opened up the portal and everything was, more or less, back to normal. ST: Just like that? SM: Just like that. ST: Well there you have it, readers! The grand and powerful Daimyō of the Hashinara Clan solves yet another magical mystery! SM: Uh, who are you talking to? ST: Shut it, we're done here. SM: Wait, I didn't even get your na— ST: Look forward to even more in the next issue!Waterlogged Scraps Found in the Possession of a Gold-Toothed Pirate
Shimonoseki
Historical Entry: The Seduction of Maxim
—continue to log my efforts to ingratiate myself, and by extension the Aotsuki Clan with Lord Maxim of The Wolfpack. To disregard what must be firsthand knowledge of the Demonic Realm would be the height of foolishness. These creatures pose a— —agreed to aid Maxim in achieving some kind of "vengeance" against Honda Tadakatsu, formerly of the Tokugawa Clan. I understand that she wounded him when he first arrived in our land, but that wound has long been healed. Is he truly so petty as to drag this little vendetta out over such a long period? It matters little. In aiding him with this, I will both create a debt to the Aotsuki Clan we can leverage later and an opportunity to practice the onmyōji arts against a true demon. My research, though limited, has given me the creature's true name: Eligos. A demon of war and Pride. Why, then, was she serving Mammon, Prince of Greed? Perhaps these hierarchies are not as strict as I once believed— —agreed to aid Maxim in achieving some kind of "vengeance" against Honda Tadakatsu, formerly of the Tokugawa Clan. I understand that she wounded him when he first arrived in our land, but that wound has long been healed. Is he truly so petty as to drag this little vendetta out over such a long period? It matters little. In aiding him with this, I will both create a debt to the Aotsuki Clan we can leverage later and an opportunity to practice the onmyōji arts against a true demon. My research, though limited, has given me the creature's true name: Eligos. A demon of war and Pride. Why, then, was she serving Mammon, Prince of Greed? Perhaps these hierarchies are not as strict as I once believed— —is powerful and has amassed a surprising collection of misfit, but capable allies. Still, Maxim sorely lacks in initiative. It seems that it will be up to me to "arrange" the entirety of his battle with Honda Tadakatsu. I should not complain. More control is always a boon, and if he is not capable of laying a trap himself, I will do so in a way which benefits my ends most. I have spent more time than I would like planning this out, but I believe that my plot will work. The key is to prey upon Tadakatsu's pride; to create a situation where it would be cowardly of her not to face Maxim. To achieve this, I have tempted her with an array of weaker fighters, sent one by one to a certain cavern beneath the arena in Shimonoseki. My sources have thus far been correct. Tadakatsu lusts for a worthy opponent, and now that she has killed Ryūzaki Sanosuke, there are no others in Japan who she believes can prove a challenge. Yes, that was a much-weakened simulacrum of the Silver General, but guile does not seem to be in Eligor's skillset. She was fooled utterly. As a result, she seems to have lost all interest in Ryūzaki Sanosuke, having marked him as weak as the others. Seeing as the man's actions seem to be driven mostly by his loins, I doubt that was his intended outcome. Still, we can turn it to our advantage. Dangling the promise of a worthy opponent, slowly increasing the power of each opponent, until it would be unthinkable for her to refuse a combat with Maxim— —finally in place. Maxim seems to believe that I will be traveling with him to this encounter, but I see no reason to risk myself. I have fulfilled everything he asked for. The binding circle is in place. All that remains is to see if it will hold Honda Tadakatsu. I am, of course, prepared for the eventuality that Maxim does not survive. It would be an unfortunate loss of knowledge, but in truth the Aotsuki Clan loses little by such an outcome. He is leaving now, and I plan to use my unseen observer in that chamber to collect as much data as possible on— —had not accounted for the presence of the Champion of Inari no Okami. Certainly, she would not suffer a demon to be bound if she could prevent it, dogmatic harpy that she is. But how did she even learn of this contest? Did someone tip her off? I will have to use this time wisely to plan my excuses when Maxim returns. If he returns. Certainly, their cadre has been more successful against an unrestrained Tadakatsu than I would have thought possible. That corrupted man from the Kōga Ninja managed to hold her down while the others beat on her with their weapons. Eligos' skin seems to be as steel, but even it is beginning to yield under their onslaught. What's more, the Binbōgami's destructive magic appears to bypass those natural defenses altogether. Witnessing this, I am full glad that I took steps to ensure that her power can never be turned against the Aotsuki Clan. Of course, I should not have underestimated that Maxim has a demon at his hand as well. Haures has no doubt whispered the secrets to defeating their own kind into his ear. Oh to have that knowledge for myself. Perhaps I shall be able to wring it out of him, if he survives. That seems more likely now, but far from certain. Diminished by Maxim's allies though she is, Eligos appears to have some kind of higher patron aiding her. The golden wings which burst from her back, striking Kashirin from the darkness in a blaze of light, did not seem demonic in any way which I yet understand. What's more, even with half of her skin burned off and a dozen wounds piercing her skin, she shows no sign of slowing her struggle. My knowledge of Pride demons is still sorely lacking. Could this be the work of the Prince of Pride? Research so far indicates that this power is named Lucifer—1559年11月16日 22:00 (Evening)
Utsunomiya
Historical Entry: The Mystery of Mount Myōjin: On Stage Act 2
明方 新聞
Akegata Shinbun
The Mystery of Mount Myōjin: On Stage
ACT 2
SCENE 1
Setting: A graveyard near Utsunomiya. Cliffs of Mount Myōjin in back. Many simple wooden grave markers stand in the ground.
At Rise: AOTSUKI and the DODOMEKI face off on opposite sides of stage. The SHEELE and the SHIROKURODAN observe from background.
AOTSUKI
Speak, fiend, or feel the Emperor's blade. What is it that is so important to you in graveyard yonder?
—(DODOMEKI tenses to flee)
AOTSUKI
Stop! Perhaps my words were too harsh. You may speak freely, we mean you no harm. ...Yet.
DODOMEKI
We look for justice.
AOTSUKI
Justice? What nonsense is this? For whomst is justice not served?
DODOMEKI
The girl, Momose Umiko, was murdered. We do not know by who. Someone in the village. Few visitors come here. We will continue to take them...until we find the killer.
AOTSUKI
This cycle of violence benefits no one but Izanami! Dost thou know aught else of what happened?
DODOMEKI (turning to leave)
No.
AOTSUKI
Wait! A single question yet lingers on my lips. Wouldst thou hear it? What has happened to the Graveyard Boy? What has happened to Momose Nao?
DODOMEKI (regretfully)
Momose Nao is dead.
—(DODOMEKI exits stage left)
AOTSUKI
Hark! Mine Sheele has pierced the fog of this graveyard. Beyond, in the face of the cliff, a hollow dost run into the ground. There the miasma is strongest. I shall not ask you to accompany me into such blatant danger.
TANNA
We are the Shirokurodan, Lord Aotsuki. Your personal guard. We're going with you.
—(SHIORKURODAN all agree)
AOTSUKI
Thy bravery shall be commended, ere we return. Come, we descend now into the maw!
—(AOTSUKI, the SHEELE, and the SHIROKURODAN cross the graveyard and exit stage left)
CURTAIN
SCENE 2
Setting: A dark stone tunnel, sloping down toward stage left.
At Rise: AOTSUKI, the SHEELE, and the SHIROKURODAN creep slowly from stage right to stage left. They stop at the center of the tunnel when the floor falls out just in front of them.
AOTSUKI
Sun curse this darkness! Even by the light of Yata-no-Kagami, the way is treacherous. Had we not your eyes, Kagga, we would be lost for certain.
KAGGA
The way doubles back ahead, Lord Aotsuki. It could be dangerous.
AOTSUKI
Were that we had a scout that I did not mind sending into such obvious danger. We could learn what lies below, but I dare not sacrifice any of my beloved companions.
KAGGA (waving her hand)
As you wish.
—(Another SECOND MATE RYŪJI exits from behind hidden panel in burst of smoke)
SECOND MATE RYŪJI
Is that me?
KAGGA
A reflection of your soul. It is not you, no more than your reflection in the water is.
THIRD MATE RYŪJI
I'll scout ahead.
—(THIRD MATE RYŪJI exits stage left)
AOTSUKI
Your wisdom reaches deep, dear Kagga. We must wait for the scout to return, but in the meantime, I might try my hand against this vicious miasma.
—(TSURUGI exits via trapdoor)
AOTSUKI (brandishing Kusanagi no Tsurugi)
Light of the Sun Goddess, banish the darkness from this place!
—(Lights to full, pointed directly at audience)
AOTSUKI (checking KAGAMI's mirror)
Indeed, this fell stench cannot stand before the light of Amaterasu. Yet it rises again even as I watch. The belly of the beast, wheremst this miasma dost generate, must be yet further below.
—(THIRD MATE RYŪJI enters stage left)
THIRD MATE RYŪJI
There's a temple down there.
AOTSUKI
Strange... There have been no temples here, even in the ancient times of Japan. Couldst thou tell me aught else of value?
THIRD MATE RYŪJI (looking at SECOND MATE RYŪJI)
Maybe, but I'll need some help.
—(Song: "ENSHRINED BELOW")
AOTSUKI
Thou hast served thy purpose well. Rest now, and return to the soul ere ye came.
—(KAGGA points her staff and THIRD MATE RYŪJI exits via hidden panel with burst of smoke)
AOTSUKI
What business has a Dodomeki at a temple. Was it a monk in life? We will descend and see for ourselves. Trap this may be, but I trust in Amaterasu's glory to keep us safe.
—(AOTSUKI, the SHEELE, and the SHIROKURODAN cross the gap and exit stage left)
CURTAIN
SCENE 3
Setting: Sprawling temple backdrop. A tall wall separates stage right and stage left. On right, a tall cliff rises with a ladder leading down. On left, temple grounds with entrance visible in back.
At Rise: AOTSUKI, the SHEELE, and THE SHIROKURODAN enter from stage right atop the cliff. SUMISAKI HISAE is visible on left temple grounds, sweeping floor with a broom.
AOTSUKI
A treacherous descent, yet the ladder looks strong. Kagga, drape thy tail over my shoulders broad, and I shall help you brave this climb.
—(AOTSUKI descends with KAGGA's tail on shoulders. The SHIROKURODAN follow. The SHEELE are lowered down on stage wires)
(Director's Note: We need a bit more runtime to meet the requirement for this show. Can we maybe drag this ladder scene out a bit?)
AOTSUKI
This place is like unto a labyrinth. How shall we reach the center, where yon plume of smoke rises into the cavernous sky?
SECOND MATE RYŪJI
I've got a pretty good sense of direction.
AOTSUKI
Then lead on, braver Ryūji, and bring us to our destination. The fell Dodomeki must not be far from here, and Amaterasu's light shalt find it eventually, even in an oubliette such as this.
—(AOTSUKI, the SHEELE, and the SHIROKURODAN exit stage right, cross backstage, and wait one minute before entering stage left)
AOTSUKI
You there, priestess! Who art thou, and what temple dost thou tend? I see the sigils of no god emblazoned upon its walls, a sacrilege in itself.
SUMISAKI HISAE
Oh? We don't get many visitors here. And it's the illustrious Lord Aotsuki. To what do we owe the honor?
—(AOTSUKI gasps)
CURTAIN
END OF ACT 2
Rewards Granted
- +7 total Kuma Commendations
Missions/Quests Completed
Report Date
28 Jan 2022
Primary Location
Secondary Location
Related Plots
Related Characters
- Abe no Seimei
- Aotsuki Tsukamoto
- Ashiya Dōman
- Askaenos
- Carmilla
- Dodomeki
- Evaine the White
- Ganzo Sada
- Haro Uin
- Hashinara Yoshitakatomo
- Haures
- Honda Tadakatsu
- Kagami
- Kagga
- Kashirin
- Mary Lyn
- Matsumoto Ooawagaeri
- Maxim
- Ōgon no Hakuhen
- Oyama Hikari
- Ryūzaki Sanosuke
- Second Mate Ryūji
- Shigeaki Fujino
- Sugihara Hidemitsu
- Sumisaki Hisae
- Tanna
- Tsukuda Katsuo
- Tsurugi
- Urashima Tarō
- Vizier Orat
- Waxim
- Yagokoro Tokuyo
- Zinnia the Traveler
- Zvonimira
Comments