Session Report: 6 November 2020

The Chase

General Summary

In this session of Tsuwamono, the following events transpired:

The Uncommon Fugitive

11/15/1559: 11:00 (Morning)

Shimonoseki

Historical Entry: The Uncommon Fugitive

With the harrowing experiences of Yakisoba Yashiki behind them, many of the Hashinara generals chose to return to the arena on the outskirts of town. In truth, Knight Commander Maxim had other things on his mind. He wished to go find the Eerie Tree Ryūzaki Sanosuke had uprooted and thrown into the eastern sky, then return it to its rightful owner. It was, Evaine agreed, the knightly thing to do.
However, Maxim's sometimes-companion Fubuki wanted to join him on the expedition, right after she* tied up some business at the arena. So it was that Maxim wound up here with that cold-eyed oni and Aotsuki Tsukamoto. The latter soon left on his own business and Fubuki made her* way to the Mōri box, apparently intent on speaking with their Daimyō. That was when Maxim saw him.
Just north of where they'd entered, Shōta's lanky form was busy chatting up the head of the Shimazu Clan. That wasn't anything out of the ordinary. The scamp had been trying relentlessly to ingratiate himself with people of power even before some other personality had taken residence in his head. No, what Maxim saw was beyond that. On the other side of the stands, behind the curve of the stone stairwell leading below, a white-masked figure peered around the corner at Shōta and his company. The ineffective stalker would have been much less obvious had he not been wearing that ivory Hannya mask and a bright yellow jacket of unknown make.
Now curious, and a little dismayed to see someone hiding so poorly, Maxim began the short journey over to that side. Making as if to walk past the stairwell and its lurker, he stopped for just a moment to whisper a few words of with advice about color and shadow. Much to Maxim's surprise, the lanky oni boy bolted immediately. Leaping over the rail and down the stairs, he vanished into the tunnels below with a terrified haste. Some switch flipped in Maxim's head. The burly knight followed suit without a moment of hesitation, pounding his way down the stairs in pursuit of his sudden quarry.
When he reached the bottom, Maxim found his fugitive already running down a long tunnel leading east. In his wake, by some hidden mechanism, an iron portcullis slid out from grooves in the ceiling and crashed into the ground, effectively blocking Maxim's path. A fiery urgency burned through Maxim's veins. This boy was not going to get away. Placing one heavy, gauntleted hand on each side of the portcullis' bottom, he heaved upward. With a screech of steel on stone, the ironwork vanished back up above. It fell again with nothing to hold it there, but Maxim was already through the gate and thudding through the tunnel with increasing speed.
His quarry was ahead of him now, yellow jacket clearly visible in the shadowy, torchlit tunnel. He was fast, certainly, long limbs carrying him with loping steps that most humans wouldn't be able to match. Maxim's own speed was bolstered by magic, however, and he was closing the distance with terrifying alacrity. As the boy looked over his shoulder and saw the approaching hulk, he seemed to panic. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled forth a medium glass jar and tossed it backward toward Maxim's feet. A thousand terrible guesses at what might be in the jar flashed through the knight's head, but the reality was worse than any of them. It was wasps.
The furious insects swept up out of the jar's remains like an avenging cloud. They were confused, they were angry, and they desperately wanted something to sting. Maxim's eyes darted among the tiny, terrible creatures as his momentum carried him into the swarm. He could perhaps match their movements, look for an opening... No, there was no time. Raising a muscled arm over his face, Maxim plunged into the buzzing cloud and pushed through. The wasps finally found an outlet for their rage. They fell upon him, stinging as many times as they could with vicious precision. It hurt like hell, and Maxim would know, but he was a trained knight hardened by mercenary service. The piercing and the venom didn't slow him, but instead made him angrier with each prick. Bellowing a fierce roar, he burst through the other side of the swarm and swept the remaining wasps away with a fling of his arm.
Nearing the end of the tunnel, the oni boy's body language conveyed the dismay his masked face could not. He nearly kicked off the final wall, turning quickly and almost tumbling down a darkened stairwell with Maxim right on his heels. The two descended a level, surging from the stairway in a frenzied dash that led them into a new section of tunnels beneath the arena. This place was different, decorated in a peculiarly unsettling way. The walls that Maxim now ran past were painted a deep red. At regular intervals and varying heights, stark white Hannya masks glared at him from every side. These snarling vizards seemed to have a life and a will of their own. Maxim could feel their rage bearing down upon him from every side, screeching their indignation at him for entering this sacred place. His feet slowed and almost stumbled as he suddenly felt very small.
Then, Maxim growled. He snarled right back at the masks, rage building inside him and bubbling over as pure, liquid defiance. These were nothing but masks. Glare as they might, they couldn't stop him. That boy had thrown wasps at him. Wasps! Maxim redoubled his efforts to catch the fugitive, closing the short distance and coming right up behind that fluttering neon jacket. As if sensing that his doom was at hand, the oni boy resorted to one last, desperate trick. He flicked his wrist, dropping a small glass vial into his waiting hand. At the same moment as he tossed it down, he jumped, powerful legs pushing him a few precious feet ahead. Whatever was in the vial, some kind of lubricant, gave the stones below as much traction as ice. Maxim's foot came down, slipped, sped, and nearly took him clear to the ground. With his other boot, he managed to push off and make a clumsy leap to the other side of the spreading puddle. He had managed to avoid embarrassing himself in front of the watching Hannya masks, but the oni boy hadn't stopped running. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, that fugitive had managed to gain back a bit of distance from his pursuer.
Testing his boots for a moment and finding purchase, Maxim set off once again. He quickly regained his momentum and was soon at the desperate boy's heels. They'd entered some kind of larger chamber, flanked on either side by towering, ancient statues. Their faces were all but eroded away, but small nubs of horns were still visible on their weathered visages. He could reach out now, just a foot or so away, and grab-
With a sudden dodge, then juke to the left, Maxim's quarry jumped in the air and kicked the shin of a nearby statue. That fearsome oni strength, only enhanced by the boy's adrenalin and desperation, cracked the stone at the statue's shin and sent the whole thing tumbling down. With an almighty, thunderous impact and a fountain of dust, the statue landed on its side, interposing itself between Maxim and his prey. The furious knight didn't even stop. He pulled back, gathering ki in his gauntleted fist, and pushed it forward, inevitable as the piston of some mighty, rage-fueled engine. Maxim's punch cut clear through the ancient stone, parting the statue like a prophet parts the sea. On the other side, he found his quarry.
The oni boy hadn't had time to get away, or had been gloating on the other side of the blockade. Either way, the impact of Maxim's almighty strike had sent him tumbling to the ground. He turned his head up now, gazing up at the victorious knight, and heaved a sigh. He was caught.
Maxim reached down and hauled the errant boy up to his feet. They glared at each other, face-to-mask, for a long moment. As his fury drained away, Maxim began to wonder just why he'd been chasing the boy in the first place. Certainly, he'd been acting suspiciously, spying on Shōta from the shadows. Then, without Maxim even confronting him, he'd run. That had been reason enough for him to give chase, but now that he'd caught the scamp, Maxim wasn't quite sure what he was going to do with him.
Despite his many questions, the lanky oni remained silent. He answered in a fashion, with shrugs, hand waves, and a very rude gesture. That last made Maxim put the fear of Wrath in him, after which he was fairly certain that the boy was actually mute. Satisfied that things were now more or less in hand, Maxim made his way back to the surface, new captive trudging along behind him. When he reached the fallen portcullis near the entrance, Maxim found Evaine waiting on the other side. He hadn't even noticed during the chase, but of course the petite swordswoman wouldn't have been able to keep up with him. Maxim apologized and explained the situation to her.
Fortunately, Evaine took what could have been a slight in graceful stride instead. As all three returned to the surface, she did express some distaste with her lacking physique. It wouldn't do for a knight's squire to be unable to keep up with him in action, but at the same time, she couldn't move freely without first drawing her warded weapon. That, in itself, was a decision not made lightly. In the meantime, she suggested, perhaps a mount would suffice?

A Gift, An Invitation

11/15/1559: 11:00 (Morning)

Shimonoseki

Historical Entry: A Gift, An Invitation

Coming straight from the Halloween Hijinks at Yakisoba Yashiki, Fubuki found herself* in a quandary. Mōri Motonari had, more than once now, promised some kind of reward for her* actions in aiding the fallen of the tournament. However, each and every time, some bizarre event had precluded their meeting. For this reason, Fubuki was glad when Kikkawa no Myōkyū reached out through Fujino's mental network shortly after their recent spooky fiasco. Motonari was feeling well and wished for Fubuki's company within the arena at her* convenience.
The Shimonoseki arena was not far from where she* was now, but Fubuki's sometimes-ally, Maxim, seemed to have other matters on his mind. The Knight Commander voiced a decision to travel into the eastern forests in search of that tree Ryūzaki Sanosuke had uprooted and thrown miles away. It was pet and property of Hospodar Mikhail, after all, and so should be returned to its owner. Fubuki could see the rightness in this and offered to come along. First, however, she* did not want to put off the meeting with Motonari any longer. So it was that Fubuki, Maxim, and Aotsuki made the short trek to the arena together.
Aotsuki had business of his own to attend there and Maxim seemed, as usual, to be locked in some bizarre event or other, so Fubuki made her* way alone to the Mōri box where Mōri Motonari awaited. Accompanying the recovered Daimyō were her wife, Myōkyū, and also the pale, winsome oni whom Fubuki had seen intimidate Ibaraki-dōnyo a few hours before. The latter of these wore white robes reminiscent of the priestesses running Motonari's "infirmary," and might be guessed to be affiliated with whatever religion they practiced. Her role in their current meeting remained, for the moment, unknown.
Motonari began by thanking Fubuki for her service. Their guest's actions had saved the lives of many Mōri subjects, and had not gone unnoticed. Looking around thereafter to ensure that no others were in position to hear, Motonari lowered her voice. Bluntly put, she wanted Fubuki to consider joining the Mōri Clan. As Motonari put it, Fubuki's actions in the tournament showed the kind of wisdom and discretion valued in her generals. What's more, both were demons of a sort, but neither beheld themselves to their own violent nature. The Daimyō admitted to feeling a certain kinship with Fubuki on this point.
While flattering, receipt of of this uncommon invitation brought shock as well. Fubuki took a moment to consider, then decided to reveal a bit of her* true nature. Letting a fox tail slip free from her* metamorphic disguise, Fubuki informed Motonari that she* was not quite what she* seemed. Rather than respond in anger or betrayal, the Daimyō laughed. That Fubuki was a Kitsune, as she now assumed, explained much of her abilities and actions. Such a thing did not matter enough to her to void Motonari's invitation, however.
Fubuki hesitated another moment, but eventually asked for time to consider her* response. This request Motonari graciously granted. She encouraged Fubuki to enjoy the tournament and understood if she* had other allegiances which would make joining the Mōri difficult. In the meantime, Motonari still owed a gift. Upon the Daimyō's signal, their third guest stepped forward, a lacquered wooden box held gently in her pale fingers. Fubuki accepted the gift graciously and gently opened its lid. Inside, on a plush crimson cushion, sat an ivory-white Hannya mask. Its subtle curves and fine details glowed slightly to Fubuki's mystical vision. This was clearly an item of some power.
Before she* could say anything in return, their meeting was disturbed momentarily by a blast of radiant light from below in the arena. It seemed that Aotsuki had succeeded at one of his longtime goals. Fubuki's attention was brought back by the crystalline oni's soft voice informing her* that the mask was a gift from the "Hannya Sūhai." Placing the mask upon her* face, Fubuki was pleased to find that it fit her* current form's head perfectly.
Through the eyes of the mask, the world seemed to jump into sharper clarity. Try as she* might, Fubuki could not tell what precise effect the item produced. As she* puzzled over it, Motonari began to speak. Many believe that the Hannya mask represents anger and vengeance, the Daimyō explained, but to the Hannya Sūhai, it symbolizes instead something more ancient: "Wisdom." Hannya-bō, who crafted the first masks, believed that by wearing one's anger upon the face, the heart could be lightened and true clarity achieved. Something about these words spoke to Fubuki, and she* promised to take their message to heart.
The Mōri party prepared to depart then, perhaps on their way to second lunch. Before she left, however, Motonari urged Fubuki to consider her offer. If the other should choose to act in the Clan's service, Motonari suggested, she* should wear that mask so as not to make her* new affiliation quite so public. Fubuki did not answer directly, but stated that she* would continue to grant her* assistance, should it ever be needed.

It Came from Beyond Time

11/15/1559: 11:30 (Morning)

Shimonoseki

Historical Entry: It Came from Beyond Time

By a happy turn of fate, Fubuki stepped down from her meeting with Mōri Motonari at about the same time Maxim and Evaine approached with their new companion. The Unnatural Oni wore the slumped shoulders and stooped posture of an angsty, defeated teenager. It seemed that Maxim intended to take their new acquaintance with them on their mission to return the Eerie Tree to its rightful owner. As the misfit group prepared to depart, however, they were interrupted yet again.
Watanabe Hajime, that pale, crystallized oni who had given Fubuki her* Hannya Vizard, floated down to Maxim and favored him with a cool glare. Where, she wanted to know, had she found this lanky oni boy? That line of questioning came as a bit of a surprise to Maxim, who demanded in turn to know what she had to do with him. According to Hajime, the boy's "rehabilitation" was not complete, whatever that meant. If not returned to the care of the Hannya Sūhai, he would not be able to speak again. Something clicked in Fubuki's head and she* turned her attention to the laconic boy's aura. There was something familiar about it, something she* was nearly certain she'd* seen somewhere-
Fubuki paused in her musings to brush away a wisp of multicolored smoke that had floated up below her* nose. She* instead remarked that Lord Maxim, indeed, had also been without his voice not long ago. The boy in question was up to his bony knees in a dilemma. He looked first to Hajime, then to Maxim, then back again. Then, without a sound, he bolted. Maxim was ready this time and grabbed the lad by his arm as he sped past. Yanked back and held fast, the oni boy could only slump his shoulders once again. That, at least, was answer enough for Maxim. His new charge didn't want to go back to whatever the "Sūhai" might be.
A bit of irritation danced around Hajime's otherwise cold eyes, but she let the matter drop. It was not their way, she stated, to force others into captivity. As though washing her hands of the matter, she flicked her fingers, disturbing another few puffs of the strange multicolored smoke. As Hajime floated away, the remaining generals' attention was drawn toward that strange fog puffing up from below. Closer inspection revealed its source to be a solid stone corner where three planes met at the base of a nearby bench. Inexplicably, this solid, opaque angle was puffing out bits of multicolored smoke and... something else. Maxim was left unsure whether anyone else had seen it, but he spotted a thin, questing appendage amongst the mist. Like a red tendril, it pushed itself from the point where the three surfaces met and tasted the air.
Fubuki spoke aloud, demanding to know what the presence was and what it wanted with them, but no response came. No response came, but her* innate ability to sense chaos, so bestowed by Amatsu-Mikaboshi, started to scream in alarm about that corner. Acting on instinct, Maxim reached out and pushed Fubuki bodily with both arms. The cold-eyed oni stumbled back just in time to avoid what happened next. Bursting through a much-too-small space, some enormous, eight-foot clawed thing raked and stabbed at the air where Fubuki had been just before. A few points about this creature stood out in stark relief. Its wicked claws, twisting red tongue, pallid skin, and jagged teeth beneath eyeless sockets all competed for attention. Everything else about it seemed to be strangely immaterial, twisting and turning, dissolving into acrid puffs of that multicolored smoke and back again. Although like nothing they had ever seen before, one thing was clear: this was an enemy. Maxim, Fubuki, Evaine, and the Unnatural Oni all prepared for imminent combat.
Although its ambush had failed thanks to Maxim's quick thinking, the creature still seemed to focus all its ferocity upon Fubuki. It slashed out twice with its claws, but failed to pierce the swordswoman's* guard. Steel clashed with hardened flesh as Susuki Masamune parried both its attacks. Taira no Tokuko and Aka no Kitsunebi, still nearby from their exchange with Aotsuki Tsukamoto, joined the fray now. Tokuko held Karasuhebimaru firmly in her hand and swung it down upon the creature with a samurai's precision. The accursed sword appeared to twist somehow, its snake motif seeming to slither as it passed through unnatural angles and spaces. When it came out on the other side, both the weapon and its target where wholly unharmed. Somehow, this thing's very nature seemed to make it impossible to reach with melee weapons.
Fortunately, Aka no Kitsunebi was beheld to no such restrictions. She gathered her concentration and formed a pinprick of light above her fox's mask. The particle's intensity increased geometrically until it was a powerful, sustained laser, blasting away at the monster. This, too, proved to be ineffective. The line of light diminished, turned, and appeared caught in a labyrinth of harsh angles suspended in the air before vanishing completely. It seemed that opposing this beast would be no simple feat. Cunningly, Fubuki attempted to memorize the angles she'd* seen in the laser's maze, but the heat of battle and eye-watering field around the monster were too much to take an accurate measure. At this time, they could only hold out until someone with better grounding in mathematics could arrive. Fortunately, Aka no Kitsunebi was here, and that meant that Kan Shōjo could not be far off.
Maxim saw the angles as well and came to a similar conclusion. The key to defeating this thing might lay in the bizarre geometry it surrounded itself with. He experimented with Hokkuken, exploiting his position behind the monster to cut first straight downward, then diagonally to the right, and at an angle to the left. All three merely warped and passed through his target without success. If there was any bright side to be seen, it was that the monster seemed locked completely on Fubuki to the exclusion of all else. It made no attempt to even counter Maxim's strikes.
The Knight Commander's new companion watched this battle, eyes expressionless behind his Hannya mask. He reached into that absurd yellow jacket and came out with his ultimate weapon: a live, muzzled snake. Unclasping the restraint with a click, he threw the angry reptile with all his might at Fubuki's aggressor. The snake tensed in the air, rearing back to bite into the pallid flesh rapidly approaching it. Once it drew closer, however, the serpent's writhing halted. It seemed to collapse in on itself as its scales turned grey, then fell away, revealing only bone. Once the snake's eye-watering journey was over, it was no more than a puff of dust on the wind. Fubuki understood what happened all too well. The poor animal had been unnaturally aged to death. Having seen the whole process unfold, the Unnatural Oni might not have enjoyed such a grasp on the specifics, but the general idea was clear enough even to him. He bolted. This time, Maxim was too engaged to catch him, and the lanky boy vanished back into the tunnels beneath the arena.
As the extraplanar monster reared back for another strike, Maxim recommended that they may want to consider retreat. By that time, however, Kan Shōjo had arrived and the rest of those occupants in the arena were beginning to take note. As the monster swarmed onto Fubuki's body, plunging its barbed tongue through her* armor and into the flesh beneath, she* managed at the same time to call out to Kan Shōjo about their situation. The Avatar of Tenman Tenjin was happy to oblige. In a cool, mildly curious voice, she identified the creature as a Hound of Tindalos. While Fubuki batted the monster away, teleported to safety, and clamped down on the coldness spreading through her* shoulder, Kan Shōjo had the gall to ask if she'd* been messing around with time lately.
Fubuki couldn't really deny that, however. Just that morning she* had reversed time in order to raise Aotsuki Tsukamoto back to personhood after he'd tragically become a vegetable. That action, it seemed, had called this creature to her*. They lived somewhere beyond time, or perhaps at the end of time, Kan Shōjo explained, and hunted creatures that created disturbances in the temporal flow. Any time someone cast a Time spell or traveled to a different age, they risked drawing the attention of these indefatigable hunters.
Fubuki waved the coming lecture aside. More important at this moment was figuring out how to get rid of it. To that, Kan Shōjo had to admit that she didn't know. All scholars who had attempted to study the Hounds of Tindalos seemed to inevitably have their work cut deathly short. She was able to provide a helpful quote from a Dreamer who had written on the subject:

"Beyond life there are things that I cannot distinguish. They move slowly through angles. They have no bodies, and they move slowly through outrageous angles...God, they are breaking through! They are breaking through! Smoke is pouring in from the corners of the wall. Their tongues—ahhh—" -Frank Belknap Long

By this point, the few remaining priests of Sancta Sedes had joined the fray. This was unlike any devil which Zōta had ever seen, but he resolved to use the force of his Haka to keep it at bay while Francine Xavier spoke a prayer to the Lord. Given how much prayer had helped their deaconess in her fight against Maxim, this approach seemed dubious. Fubuki's idea about angles, perhaps, would hold more water.
Kan Shōjo continued to ramble while Fubuki conjured a splash of water up around the creature. In hopes that it might accomplish something, she* inundated each of the billowing, multicolored smoke clouds with liquid. This only resulted, however, in the water fogging up uselessly. Meanwhile, the Avatar of Knowledge was explaining that, if humans can be said to live on the "curves" of time, then Hounds live in the "angles." By striking at a particular angle, or bending a weapon to it, they might be able to reach across to the end of time, or wherever these things were coming from.
The problem therein was that they still didn't understand the precise angle that might be needed. Kan Shōjo certainly would, but her weak, scholarly eyes had trouble following the action. They would have to work together and experiment. At the same time, Shōta, the very antithesis of working together, had spotted their tussle up in the northern stands. For a moment it seemed as though he would do something, but he merely gave an exaggerated yawn and took his Shimazu companions out of the area.
Standing just above the Hound of Tindalos now, Maxim exercised a stroke of mild genius. Gathering ki into his boot, he smashed a portion of the stone stands beneath his feet. Commanding the now-ki-infused shards of stone, he batted them into orbit around the Hound, then shot them at the thing in every direction. A majority of the stones vanished, turned to sand, or simply passed through, but they all witnessed something unusual. The Hound of Tindalos dodged. It had felt some instinctual need to avoid one of the stones, which had passed through the creature's aura at an angle which allowed ingress.
Fubuki, Maxim, and Kan Shōjo immediately put their minds to figuring out that stone's trajectory. Together, they were able to come up with a number, a precise angle: 120°. Kan Shōjo shouted the number as Fubuki sent Susuki Masamune sailing at the Hound. This would be it, the cut which determined whether they would be able to fight this creature on any realistic terms. Before Fubuki's custom sword arrived at its target, however, it bumped into an invisible barrier and skittered away.
Fubuki squinted. Looking through the eyeholes of her* Hannya Vizard, she* could just see the glimmering outline of a Containment hovering in a cube around the Hound. Whoever cast it must have been extremely skilled, as even with her* own considerable ability, Fubuki could only barely discern it. Her* mind went to Shōta, or rather, the soul of Dōhan who inhabited Shōta's body. Had his yawn been more than just a lazy, boorish gesture?
Regardless, Fubuki could not reach the creature to test their theory. It, too, appeared trapped. Darting at its prey, the Hound slammed into an invisible wall and scrabbled at it with both claws. All who remained watched as it searched for an exit. Finding none, it crawled into a corner of the invisible cube and compressed, shunting itself through an impossible angle with a gout of smoke before vanishing entirely. All that remained within the cube was now a plume of multicolored fog, showing its confines clearly to even those without mystic sight.
The creature had gotten away, but with Fubuki as its prey, it would no doubt be back. Kan Shōjo, at least, remained optimistic. She entreated Fubuki to call her if it ever returned; she still wanted to see if the theory they'd come up with worked in practice.

Mystery at Old Ōuchi Manor (Part 1)

11/15/1559: 11:00 (Morning)

Old Ōuchi Manor

Historical Entry: Mystery at Old Ōuchi Manor (Part 1)

Following the absurd morning he had at Yakisoba Yashiki, Ryūzaki Sanosuke was in need of some entertainment. He gathered a few members of his usual group who were not otherwise occupied and set off for the heart of Shimonoseki in search of levity. So it was that Sanosuke, Byakurei, Ryūzōji Ryōka, Takayama Ukon, Takenaka Hanbei, Tanegashima Shigetoki, came upon a packed mochi stand in the mercantile area that spread out from the town's port. Most of the customers appeared to be standard citizens or tournamentgoers, but among the throng, Sanosuke caught sight of a bobbing hilt. He recognized it immediately as the dreamcrafted greatsword carried by Randi Carter.
Sanosuke wasted no time in pushing his way through the crowd to greet the little Dreamer. Randi didn't recognize Sanosuke, but she understood the importance of the Hashinara Clan name when he dropped it. She'd been grabbing a snack, she said, but since he'd fatefully run into her, perhaps he could show her some interesting spots around town. Dreamers didn't often make it to the waking world, and Randi was more than curious to see what it had to offer. That explanation piqued a bit of Sanosuke's curiosity. How had she ended up in Japan. Fortunately, the pink-haired sprite was happy to explain.
It was commonly known in both Japan and the Dreamlands at this point that a great rift had erupted somewhere in the sea, linking the two worlds. On the Dream side, that passage was in the waters south of Dylath-Leen. That was a problem, because the Trade Guilds of Dylath-Leen and the artists of Celephaïs did not see eye to eye on most matters. Most objectionable was the guilds' willingness to engage in any form of trade; including ferrying slaves to and from the Dreamlands' Moon. Sanosuke had encountered some of these slavers in his own adventures, and hadn't liked what he'd seen on their ship, so he understood. What mattered most to Randi, however, was that people said the rift was now inaccessible. She didn't like being told she couldn't do something and so, trade blockade or no, she decided she was going to sneak through Dylath-Leen's fleet and into Earth. Apparently she had managed it and then come to the tournament out of pure curiosity. Randi was, by her own admission, however, probably going to be in quite a bit of trouble when she returned home.
After hearing her tale, Sanosuke surprised Randi by offering his own help in dealing with the slavers of Dylath-Leen. She seemed to have difficulty accepting that pure altruism would lead the Silver General to engage in a problem so far from and so unrelated to his home. Japan, indeed, was not in any fair state itself right now. Eventually, Randi's bubbly disposition returned from wherever it had fled and she accepted his proposition. She'd speak to some of the powerful in Celephaïs about it on his behalf once she returned.
On that point, Sanosuke had another question. He'd heard Randi mention the name Henry Holiday when she'd conjured that block of stained glass during her match. Back in a dream that might have been real, Sanosuke had also heard that name. He wanted to know if she had any information to offer about The Dodo, or perhaps the other names he'd heard, like Alice Hargreaves, Gertrude Chataway, or John Tenniel. Randi thought it over, but only one name stuck out to her: Alice. The exact association required a bit more explanation. Her father, Randolph Carter, was a figure of some renown in Celephaïs as a great adventurer. He'd used his connections to hire on Henry Holiday, a famous architect, as Randi's tutor. Finally, Holiday had often used a girl named Alice as an example in his word puzzles. By the end of her spiel, Sanosuke knew quite a bit more about Randi, but not much more about the Dodo situation. That tidbit about Holiday being a renowned architect who'd designed many stained-glass buildings in Celephaïs could be useful, at least.
With various yarns shared between them, Sanosuke, Randi, and the rest of their company proposed to finally check out the hot cultural spots of Shimonoseki. Sanosuke scoured his mind for points of interest and came up with a couple, despite his own relative unfamiliarity with the town. To start with, they headed off to the site of one of his previous adventures: The Old Ōuchi Manor.
Standing proud on a cliffside hill overlooking the town, the manor itself was not particularly old. Rather, it had belonged to the Ōuchi Clan, whose last member had vanished at about the same time Mōri Motonari claimed rule over Shimonoseki. While a fine residence, the lack of any kind of traffic going up or down the winding cliffside road seemed to indicate that none of the Mōri had chosen to claim it after the loss of its previous occupants. Takenaka Hanbei, at least, thought this was odd. The manor was a fine building, and if Motonari herself wasn't staying here, it would have been customary to offer it to one of her prominent retainers.
Indeed, Sanosuke's group reached the elegant building atop the hill without running into a single other traveler. He'd seen these heavy wooden doors on his previous visit, but they were now solidly shut. Soft light filtering through the space between showed a solid-looking bar on the other side preventing common entry. Randi, blithe or oblivious, wondered if Sanosuke knew how to pick locks. Instead, the Silver General asked a favor from Kanashibari, the lunar ghost who haunted his person. She was able to pass through the doors easily and, by becoming selectively tangible, slide the wooden bar out and allow the great doors to swing open.
Sanosuke entered to the sounds of Randi's appreciation. There was something else, though, something on the edge of his hearing. From below the floorboards and decorations, all as clean and immaculate as if the Ōuchi had never left, a subtle rhythm ran up through the soles of Sanosuke's feet. It was as though a great heart beat somewhere deep within the mansion's core.

Regalia Reunited

11/15/1559: 11:00 (Morning)

Ōtsu

Historical Entry: Regalia Reunited

The Hashinara generals' misadventures at Yakisoba Yashiki proved to be quite taxing for Golden Boy Aotsuki Tsukamoto. Indeed, he had apparently at one point all but been killed by a tree. He couldn't remember it himself, but that wasn't the sort of thing that could just be dismissed. Now, at least, he was free to pursue some personal business. The morning matches had ended, which meant that fellow general Fubuki no longer required Kintoki's Hatchet. That weapon was the last puzzle piece in Aotsuki's plan to trade Musashibō Benkei for Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. If he could achieve that, he'd finally have Mirror, Jewel, and Sword; the three Imperial Regalia of Japan. Fubuki and Maxim seemed to be heading for the nearby arena anyway, so Aotsuki accompanied them that far.
Upon regaining the arena's flowered sands, Fubuki revealed that she* did not have Kintoki's Hatchet on her* person. Instead, the cold-eyed oni directed Aotsuki to the other side of the stands. There, her* retainers Taira no Tokuko and Aka no Kitsunebi were tending the weapon. So, Aotsuki left the other two to their unorthodox tasks and made his way over. Aka no Kitsunebi did indeed have Kintoki's Hatchet held loosely in one hand. As Aotsuki approached and asked for it, however, she could only stammer a weak reply at him. Unbeknownst to Aotsuki, the Red Foxfire had only recently achieved sight after a lifetime of blindness. She had literally never seen someone as gorgeous as the man who now stood in front of her. Tokuko, however, seemed much less impressed. She checked with Fubuki to make sure that Aotsuki truly did have claim to the weapon, but before she got authorization, Aka no Kitsunebi had already handed it over. In this case, that was fine, but Tokuko's brow knitted at the worrying precedent. Thanking the two, Aotsuki sought out Benkei to make the trade. As it turned out, she was right below in the arena proper, examining the burst remains of that stained-glass cube that had set there since Randi Carter's match. When Aotsuki made his way there and produced the three weapons, he made his pitch. It was simple; weapons from three legendary Tarōs, the Peach Baton, Tsurimaru, and Kintoki's hatchet for the single, priceless Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. Benkei was obviously interested in the uncommon weapons Aotsuki had brought to barter. However, she hesitated. Kusanagi was the sword, perhaps the greatest in Japan, and she had already gotten much use out of it. On the other hand, Aotsuki was offering a very nice selection, and trading three for one would finally let Benkei break her goal of owning one thousand weapons. Eventually she agreed, on one condition.
It was no secret that Minamoto no Yoshitsune was on a quest to root out a darkness, a corruption which she felt within Wakigami Castle. According to Benkei, Yoshitsune had forbidden her loyal monk to help in this endeavor, fearing that another curse might separate them for centuries as it had before. So, said loyal monk wanted Aotsuki to help out Yoshitsune in her stead. He was willing, and began to ask for details, but Benkei had few to give. His promise was enough. Accepting the trade now, she took the weapons and gave over Kusanagi, with one last entreaty not to tell Yoshitsune that it was she, Benkei, who had sent him.
Aotsuki was about to assent, but as soon as his hand touched the legendary blade, a shock ran up his arm. Then, as though pulling some piece of him out, the same power jumped back through his limb and into Kusanagi. Aotsuki was left feeling bewildered and a little hollow. The blade in his hand was glowing radiantly, a soft white light enveloping it and his arm before building to a nova that wiped everything else from his world. Somehow, Aotsuki managed to keep his feet and consciousness. When he recovered and the glow faded, he found that he was no longer holding the Kusanagi. Instead, a regal-looking girl of a bit shorter height than himself was looking up at him with an imperious expression. This, she proclaimed, was no way for the Emperor of Japan to behave.
Her name, of course, was Tsurugi, and she was the final result of the Imperial Regalia reacting with Aotsuki's soul. Kagami and Tama welcomed their new sister, excited to finally have the gang back together, as it were. Aotsuki, too, was pleased. This was a major milestone for him, a culmination of a goal he had been pursuing for some time now, and the first step to truly claiming his heritage as Emperor of Japan. Benkei, still watching, was a bit nonplussed. Was this, she wanted to know, normal? Aotsuki couldn't answer that, but he did tell her that it was the result he'd been hoping for. Gathering up his three Regal Sheele, he bid the warrior monk farewell and returned to Saitō Dōsan's side.
Although this was exciting news and reason to celebrate, Aotsuki still wanted to take full advantage of the lull in this day's activities. That meant talking to his trusted retainer, Dōsan. The giant man had some information to report on his efforts to gain the aid of the Oda Clan, and apparently something personal to ask of Aotsuki too. Together, they called upon Shigeaki Fujino to deliver them to Ōtsu Castle. Not long after they left, all hell broke loose, but that wasn't Aotsuki's problem.
Upon arriving at Ōtsu, Aotsuki reached out to Abe no Seimei and asked both her and Tokku-hime to join him in the second-floor meeting room. They all arrived there not long after, along with a creepy fox-masked child that Aotsuki didn't remember inviting. This was Ooawagaeri's doing, as evidenced by the Black Blade's voice emanating from behind the mask. Since they would be discussing private matters, however, Seimei requested that the fourth sheele be left outside. Kōyō didn't argue when Aotsuki agreed, but instead teleported out of the room. At the same time, Aotsuki summoned deadly huntress Alice of Hearts to find the masked girl and play with her.
Tokku-hime, at least, was reacting surprisingly well to the addition of Tsurugi to Aotsuki's "children." She'd shown some trepidation toward the possibility of needing to act as a mother figure toward Kagami and Tama, but now Tokku and Tsurugi sat shoulder-to-shoulder. Apparently they'd found something in each other that both liked. Tucking that observation away, Aotsuki started the meeting.
First, there was the matter of Ikkyū, the fugitive, and finding a member of the Oda willing to hunt him down. Dōsan had been successful on this count. He spent the night last eve at Owari Castle and asked around. It turned out that one Hayashi Hidesada might be exactly what they were looking for. Hidesada was a Tengu, a bird-yōkai race usually limited to the Uesugi Clan. She, however, had broken off from those worshipers of Bishamonten and sought to bring the rest of her family into the Oda Clan. Negotiations had been going well until Oda Nobunaga's crisis and departure as head of the clan. Leadership of the Oda was questionable now, and she was left sitting on her hands, or talons as the case may be. Helping Aotsuki would both give her something to do and, through aiding an old friend of the clan in Dōsan, endear her to the Oda's remaining members. Therefore, she would be willing to perform the task at no charge.
This was certainly welcome news. Aotsuki commended Dōsan for his fine service and looked forward to talking with Hayashi Hidesada personally later. Speaking of emissaries from other clans, the situation brought his mind to that general they'd taken in from the Rokkaku. He asked Seimei, and received an impromptu report. Kannonji Castle, headquarters of the Rokkaku, had vanished with the morning light as it did every dawn. Rokkaku no Jakusai, however, remained whole, healthy, and intact within Ōtsu Castle. She was asleep right now, but Seimei suspected that was just a result of her normally operating at night, rather than any sinister magicks. That, too, was interesting, but didn't bring them much closer to solving the mystery of the One-Night Castle. Seimei offered that she'd like to put something big and visible but inexpensive where the castle was due to reappear and see what happened at evening. This wouldn't really give them much new data, but would at least assay the ancient onmyōji's curiosity. Aotsuki agreed, and presented a fine idea to boot. They would ask Alice of Hearts to create a big, shiny, colorful structure at the site of the castle. Perhaps a tower with instructions left inside for anyone who might appear there.
With that settled, they returned to Dōsan. The big man scraped the ceiling with his hair as he tilted his head back and forth. It seemed he had something else on his mind, but was somewhat embarrassed to explain it. Eventually, Aotsuki managed to coax it out of him. When he'd been to visit Mitake himself, that band-raised settlement in the eastern parts of Mino Province, Dōsan had gotten a glimpse of Parapara Starlight and the instruments they played. The guitars struck some inspiration within him, and he began to wonder if it would be possible to get something like that in his size. Aotsuki was a bit nonplussed at this unexpected request, but Dōsan affirmed that if anyone could figure it out, it'd be the future Emperor of Japan. The old Saitō patriarch was more than a fine retainer, he was a friend, and Aotsuki owed him a lot. He agreed to help Dōsan however he could to achieve that dream.

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Character(s) interacted with

• Abe no Seimei
• Aka no Kitsunebi
• Alice of Hearts
• Francine Xavier
• Hound of Tindalos
• Kan Shōjo
• Kikkawa no Myōkyū
• Mori Hibiki
• Mōri Motonari
• Musashibō Benkei
• Randi Carter
• Ryūzōji Ryōka
• Saitō Dōsan
• Shigeaki Fujino
• Shōta
• Taira no Tokuko
• Takayama Ukon
• Takenaka Hanbei
• Tanegashima Shigetoki
• Tokku-hime
• Unnatural Oni
• Watanabe Hajime
• Yagyū Munetoshi
• Zōta

Created Content

• Hannya Vizard
• Hound of Tindalos
• Tsurugi

Report Date

06 Nov 2020

Primary Location

Shimonoseki

Secondary Location

Ōtsu Castle

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