The Day of Thunder

[Makime]

"Aye...we need everyone safe. This village grows more unsettling by the day." The Lioness remarked, "Those wards...are they any spirits or just those that bare the mark of corruption? If the later this is a very, very dangerous development."

"Shinsei is many things but...not a traitor." Makime remarked. Her eyes shifted to the older Crab, "I let you tend to your kin while I go and get a search started. I'll return shortly."

/temporary exit to hand out orders to whatever sentries she can find.

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"And after we've got you patched up and your head's cleared a bit we're going to need you to think back to what you saw. Anything you can remember could be valuable and gives us a lead. Makime and Tai both got their heads on right. Was this Shinsei corrupted or something else? Was it him? Maybe something possessed him?"

Ayako racked her brain for more details.

“The thing spoke like a rider who mistreats his horse,” she recalled. “Trying to make it do tricks, then shouting if the animal isn’t good enough. Something was wrong with its skin, it was tougher than good armor, and near the end its body bulged unnaturally with muscle. And… it recognized Matsu. It called her by name.”

“I don’t know what any of it means,” Ayako admitted.

[Anjing]

Day 4 MM. medicine to patch up Ayako, base TN 15 with one raise for an additional 1k0. TN 20 | 5k4 ⇒ 18 (TN: 20)

Anjing gets a little over ambitious and ends up bandaging some superficial wounds without doing any actual good.

“Like a rider? Was the man possessed maybe? He did fall asleep in the garden…”
Anjing’s brows come down. “Useless man. I swear sometimes… tsssk. But that’s good information Ayako. It’s not easy to remember something that happened even 5 minutes ago when it comes to fighting for your life.

[Kaiu Tai]

Tai tosses herbs back in the pot for tea before cutting lightly across her palm and pressing the bloody hand against Ayako's collarbone. She hisses something like a chant as she feels the kami work through to all the internal damage, broken ribs and pierced organs. It's likely an unsettling feeling as the kami rearrange things. After a moment, she lifts her hand, squeezing it into a fist to get the blood flowing again, and reaches for the larger woman's side.

"Fortunes, he did a number on you, Ayako. How are the others?" She pauses. "Isn't that garden haunted or something? What a place to nap."

***********************
D4 MM: PTiP for Ayako, VP | 6k4 ⇒ 27 (TN: 10) 17 wounds.
D4 MM: PTiP #2 for Ayako, VP | 6k4 ⇒ 26 (TN: 10) another 16

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

Ayako sighed with relief as Tai’s healing spells took hold. (Anjing's bandaging probably helped, too!)

“Thank you, Auntie Tai,” she said. “That’s much better. Why, I could fight another Shinsei right now!” Her eyes crinkled a little at this; the bruises on her face were faded and nearly gone.

“Like a rider? Was the man possessed maybe? He did fall asleep in the garden…”

"Maybe! I ... don't know how tell if someone is possessed," she admitted. "I've been having bad dreams the past couple night, that something is trying to get me in them; I've heard a lot of people have. Maybe Shinsei got captured in a dream?"

"Fortunes, he did a number on you, Ayako. How are the others?" She pauses. "Isn't that garden haunted or something? What a place to nap."

"Lady Matsu and the monk Ukyou were wounded pretty badly," Ayako reported. "Satsuki and Sugri weren't hurt. Is the garden really haunted? Are there ghosts there?"


—
Wounds 39/92 (Grazed) after healing

[Makime]

/Returns

Makime made her way back, "Well the camp is alerted and hunts are being organized." Her frown deepens, "Shinsei turns mad the morning following an intrusion by night time horrors?"

"Forgive me Lady Anjing but I begin to repeat myself: I do not like this village, there is something very wrong happening here."

[Anjing]

"Maybe! I ... don't know how tell if someone is possessed," she admitted. "I've been having bad dreams the past couple night, that something is trying to get me in them; I've heard a lot of people have. Maybe Shinsei got captured in a dream?"

"If they exhibit superhuman strength and start punching holes in your armour that sounds like a hint. But it could also just be a thing wearing his face..."
She nods at the dream theory though. "Not impossible at all, Ayako, you're sleeping under wards tonight, good ones too."

Although her face doesn't display much, internally she was thankful Satsuki had survived, Sugri too, he seemed a good man. Matsu being so hurt..that was worrying.

/Returns

Makime made her way back, "Well the camp is alerted and hunts are being organized." Her frown deepens, "Shinsei turns mad the morning following an intrusion by night time horrors?"

"Forgive me Lady Anjing but I begin to repeat myself: I do not like this village, there is something very wrong happening here."

"More than wrong, the little teacher has just become the big fighter."
Anjing slams a fist into her palm.
"Nearly put Ayako in the ground and did violence near my family. I'm gonna beat sense into him next we meet. You don't get to just walk away."
As if to everyone present.
"So where is the bastard?....Ayako you didn't hear that last word."

[Makime]

Makime crosses her arms and then allows herself a small smile.

"You remember the offer I made you a few days ago. About the koans. It still stands."

She made a mental note to check on her fellow daimyo later.

[Kaiu Tai]

Tai tidies her tea and herbs as others talk, thinking on the descriptions of the fight.

"There's those who've gone mad from their dreams, or been corrupted by them. There's things that eat people and wear their skins, like the tales Anjing remembers from that court, but I think you'd have spotted that in the fight. Hard to keep a skinsuit looking its best in all that, neh?" She offers cups to those who don't have them and refills those already held. At the least, Anjing wasn't running off right this second to try smacking the monk into the mud.

"Possession I know less of. Ghost stories and the like. But I'd hope for that and not corruption."

[Anjing]

Makime crosses her arms and then allows herself a small smile.

"You remember the offer I made you a few days ago. About the koans. It still stands."

She made a mental note to check on her fellow daimyo later.

"Closer now then ever. Fortunes grant me the opportunity to actually live a dream and now these nightmares."
Anjing looked quite excited at the possibility.

Tai tidies her tea and herbs as others talk, thinking on the descriptions of the fight.

"Possession I know less of. Ghost stories and the like. But I'd hope for that and not corruption."

"Any way we can check which was which? Shinsei sounded pretty monstrous but...more rational than most monsters? Hmmm?"
Anjing thinks for a few moments before applying the entirely practical solution of taking out a finger of jade and poking it into Ayako.
"If he was corrupted, some of it would have rubbed off on the girl."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"Any way we can check which was which? Shinsei sounded pretty monstrous but...more rational than most monsters? Hmmm?"
Anjing thinks for a few moments before applying the entirely practical solution of taking out a finger of jade and poking it into Ayako.
"If he was corrupted, some of it would have rubbed off on the girl."

Ayako put her teacup down and accepted the touch of jade. "Probably a good idea to check," she admitted, her eyes guileless.

-
[OOC as far as I know, Ayako shouldn't have any reaction to the touch of jade - but any GM can feel free to correct that]

[Kaiu Tai]

Tai sighs, "well corruption that lets him punch folks halfway into the next world this way would likely react to jade...I think. But possession by somethin' corrupted is...contact of a sort, and that might plant corruption in him eventually too. Or at least I would think that's possible."

[Anjing]

When there's no reaction to the jade Anjing nods and slips it back around her neck.

"You're all good Ayako, praise the fortunes. But Tai's right, if it's something corrupted inside of him it might take a while for that to manifest. If Shinsei was a strong man he could maybe hold it off for some time but...we will have to move quickly."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"The monk Ukyou seemed to know something was wrong with Shinsei," Ayako volunteered. "Maybe he would be able to tell us something more about what happened."

[Kaiu Tai]

"The monk Ukyou seemed to know something was wrong with Shinsei," Ayako volunteered. "Maybe he would be able to tell us something more about what happened."

As Anjing takes the jade away, Tai pokes at a bruise, shaking her head. She slices another thin line along her palm to encourage the water kami to just a bit more work.

"Hmm...any way to track down Ukyou? Does seem he'd have something to say, and also likely needs a bit of patching up, from what you said." She looks Ayako up and down. "And whatever happens, I don't think I trust whatever ritual they're havin' that regrows limbs, so stay clear of that. Talked to the village healer about it and he said he just makes up the drugs that keep folks from goin' crazy with pain durin' the process. But he was reaaaaly cagey about side effects. And we're already hearin' of critters that the wards keep away, so I don't like it much."

"Guess that headwoman does the actual ritual, whatever it is."

******************
D4 LM: One more PTiP on Ayako | 5k3 ⇒ 16 (TN: 10)...merely 6 I'm afraid.

[Anjing]

Firmly.

"You need some healing, you see Tai or Satsuki here. None of this villager nonsense, you don't let someone you don't trust have at you when you're vulnerable. Tai says he's suspicious, he's suspicious, end of story."

Very firm indeed.

"It's either good magic, or it's bad magic. And look around you, ain't much good magic in this cursed place."

[Makime]

"The village doctor is...suspicious, not just in the usual sense." Makime pressed her lips together, a look of disappointment on her face. "I believe he may partake of some of his supply. For reasons beyond healing. To a disturbing degree."

"Duty requires you remain fit and ready for combat." She nodded. "Especially now with so few warriors we can fully trust."

[Kaiu Tai]

Tai wraps a cloth around her hand. "Not sure entirely. Whatever strangeness is going on here, he's certainly in a spot to know about most of it." She downs about half her cup of tea in three large swallows.

[Anjing]

"Tssk, you've given quite enough of your blood today. Let's keep the rest inside you."

Day 4 MM, medicine to heal wounds on Tai, calling one raise, TN 20 | 5k4 ⇒ 29 (TN: 20)

Day 4 MM, medicine roll to heall Tai, 2k1 | 2k1 ⇒ 6

(Tai heals 6 wounds)

Anjing takes Tai's hand and sturdily wraps it in a proper bandage before handing her some soybeans.
"And make sure to eat or you'll turn as pale as one of these ghosts trying to kill us. Gonna be plenty more wounded before the end of this, need our wise women and our warriors."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

As Anjing takes the jade away, Tai pokes at a bruise, shaking her head. She slices another thin line along her palm to encourage the water kami to just a bit more work.

"Hmm...any way to track down Ukyou? Does seem he'd have something to say, and also likely needs a bit of patching up, from what you said." She looks Ayako up and down. "And whatever happens, I don't think I trust whatever ritual they're havin' that regrows limbs, so stay clear of that. Talked to the village healer about it and he said he just makes up the drugs that keep folks from goin' crazy with pain durin' the process. But he was reaaaaly cagey about side effects. And we're already hearin' of critters that the wards keep away, so I don't like it much."

"Guess that headwoman does the actual ritual, whatever it is."

"You need some healing, you see Tai or Satsuki here. None of this villager nonsense, you don't let someone you don't trust have at you when you're vulnerable. Tai says he's suspicious, he's suspicious, end of story."

"As you command," Ayako said, nodding in acknowledgement as Tai's magic causes the purple bruises on her face faded to a less vivid color. "Though, if I understood correctly, this may be a big ritual that includes most of the village? Should we be concerned?"

"As for Ukyou..." The younger Crab frowned as she remembered something else. "When the false Shinsei struck Ukyou, it looked like Ukyou was turned into a crow. I'm... not sure how that's possible, but the others saw it too. None of the rest of us got turned to crows when we were hit. Satsuki seemed to think Ukyou would recover, though; I'm pretty sure she used some magic to help him."

-
Wounds 33/92 (Grazed)