Session Notes

Part One: Start to Water Zombies

The PCs meet, help a ghost, go to a party, and fix a shrine to a forgotten spirit.

January 28, 2024: Ghost Story

The PCs meet while seeking shelter from a storm at an inn. A woman outside the inn is waiting for her fiancee. We look for him, but it seems like he died 50 years ago.

The PCs are each traveling to Otosan Uchi, but a stormy spring has made travel difficult. A particularly rough storm forces us all to look for shelter at the same village. After introductions, we wonder if the Fortunes brought us together for a purpose.

At the village, a samurai-ko standing in the rain almost falls off dangerous stairs, but Niko saves her from falling, and Sumiko hauls them both up. Her name is Akodo Nayoko, and she is distraught: she had a fight with her fiancee, and is now waiting for him to return.

Ginji asks a local fox, who hasn’t seen the missing samurai. Tracking can find little in the rain, and Tomoe’s attempt at divination reveals only a card with a picture of a flower. After a lengthy search, we give up and return to the inn, only to find that Nayoko isn’t there. We begin to suspect that she is a spirit.

That evening, we chat with the only other samurai at the inn, a painter from the Kakita Artisan School named Asahina Yuki. She’s hoping to experience as much of Rokugan as possible by going to the city where all of Rokugan gathers.

Our suspicions about Nayoko are confirmed the next day, when we speak with a local elderly heimin named Schuichi. He tells a story of a Lion samurai-ko who died fifty years ago by falling off the stairs in a storm, and whose fiancee was killed by bandits.

We go into the hills, wondering if we can find the place where the fiancee fell, and maybe find something that will help put Nayoko to rest. Instead, we are ambushed by bandits ourselves. We do well, injuring several, then the rest flee when they see Sumiko brutally crush another with a single blow.

Extras

We have the first of what will be many instances of “did he mean blank, or did he mean blank?”

February 4, 2024: Otosan Uchi

We put the ghost of Akodo Nayoko to rest, then finish our journey to Otosan Uchi. There, we meet our ambassadors and one of our fellow attaches. Ending 10th of the Hare.

Niko warns the wounded bandits that their actions are harming their souls, while Sumiko binds their wounds. The combination seems to have some effect.

Nearby, we find a clearing covered with lilacs. When Ginji communes with the air kami, they show Nayoko and her fiancee moving towards each other, but pulled back. We believe this means they are being held apart, and decide to bring her out to the clearing.

Back at the inn, we find a lilac at the base of the stairs. We carefully dig it up, Sumi loses a boot, and it’s dark by the time we return to the meadow and replant the lilac. We return once again to the inn, where Ginji walks barefoot into the mud to retrieve Sumi’s boot. That night, we dream of the reunion of Nayoko with her lover, and the next day dawns bright and sunny.

We travel towards Otosan Uchi, stopping in Kakita lands. The general level of wealth is somewhat oppressive to all but Tomoe. Our fellow travelers are mostly Crane going to or from Otasan Uchi. General themes of conversation include:

• Complaining about the recent weather.

• The upcoming wedding of a Miya noble, which many are sad to miss.

• There’s speculation on how long the new Jade Champion will last.

10th of the Hare

We arrive in Otosan Uchi, and head to our respective embassies: the Phoenix and Scorpion embassies in the Kanjo District, the Dragon in the Chisei District, and the Crab in the Karada District.

• Sumi meets the Crab ambassador Yasuki Fujiko. Fujiko struggles to find suitable duties for Sumi, settling on telling her not to break things and to make friends. Clearly experienced with receiving Crab from the wall, she explains that Sumi shouldn’t wear her armor to social functions. She also tells her that there’s a Crane reception in a few days, and that Sumi should be there.

• Niko meets the Dragon ambassador Mirumoto Tokai. He is fairly blunt: asking why a Togashi monk has been sent to Otasan Uchi. Niko explains with equal frankness that she wants to find out what happened to her brother, which Takai does not object to. When asked, he says that he never met her brother. He only asks that Niko to remain aware of the political and social scene in Otosan Uchi, admitting that he sometimes finds it tedious.

• Ginji meets the Phoenix ambassador Isawa Mikio. She mostly seems happy to have someone take care of some socializing while she spends time studying. She explains to Ginji that the zoo around the Phoenix embassy serves to delineate a safe zone for practicing Void magic.

• Tomoe meets the Scorpion ambassador Bayushi Yojiro. He seems distracted, tired, or just possibly senile while speaking to Tomoe. Quickly, an embassy staffer Shosuro Kato retrieves Tomoe. She doesn’t really need to explain to Tomoe what his duties here will be.

We find that we are living in the Hayasu District, together in group of small homes which seem to be set aside for samurai attached to the various clan embassies. Some of this we learn from our new neighbor, the Unicorn courtier Iuchi Maya, who is friendly and perhaps a little too enthusiastic. She shares that her cousin is an Utaku in the Emperor’s guard.

Maya says that she expected a replacement for Sumiko’s predecessor Yasuki Reizo, and that Tomoe’s predecessor Shosuro Remi got promoted. However, the Dragon and the Phoenix have not had people in our position recently. Maya herself was recently appointed.

She gives us gentle warning about our fellow attaches and neighbors. Kitsu Cho “is a little sensitive, and takes offense easily.” And Kakita Kiyotoki “is nice, but standoffish,” and interested in high cultural pursuits like noh theater and painting, which she has trouble following.

Maya is pleased when Ginji, hearing about her horse, asks to see it. Tomoe is less excited to visit a stable, but is dragged along by collective enthusiasm. Ginji speaks to the horse, who is fond of Maya.

In our appointed homes, we find gifts waiting for us:

• For Tomoe, there is a beautiful painted fan, nominally from Yojiro. Also, he finds an ornately painted card of the “Wheel of Fortune” for his divination deck.

• For Sumiko, Fujiko has sent a kimono, and a flower carved from jade with no note. She recognizes it as a kind of flower found in the Shinomen Forest.

• Niko gets a set of fine tattoo needles from Mirumoto Tokai, and from an unknown sender: a book about rare herbs by Asako Kinto.

• Ginji gets a scroll with an Air spell of communication from Mikio, and also a pearl teardrop necklace. Asking the kami about it, it’s not magic.

When Sumi mentions that Fujiko implied that Sumi needs help dressing, Tomoe agrees emphatically that Sumi does need help.

February 18, 2024: A Dark Vision

We spend time preparing for our first big social event, and one of our neighbors takes us to a nice teahouse. Later, the PCs share a terrible vision of the future. 11th and 12th of the Hare.

11th of the Hare

We prepare for the upcoming party on the 13th. Sumi is worried about her lack of experience; Tomoe leads the others in coaching her, with limited success, though we are all entertained by her attempt to raise a disapproving eyebrow. Tomoe also secretly supplements the others’ budgets if they can’t afford the kind of clothing one expects at functions in Otosan Uchi.

Sumiko looks for sparring partners, and many Crab bushi who would prefer to be on the Wall, rather than guarding Yasuki diplomats. Tomoe finds a man named Sanzo to take care of our homes.

12th of the Hare

In the morning, Kakita Kiyotoki knocks on Tomoe’s door, introduces himself, and invites us all to tea. He does a good job as tour guide, demonstrating his broad knowledge of the city and its denizens. He takes us to The Field of Sharp Returns, a tea house in the Chisei District, where he seems to be a regular. It has a garden growing tea, but the teahouse itself is fairly small, with a Crab aesthetic. The staff are friendly towards Sumiko and more reserved with Tomoe. Sumiko alone perceives the tea as being “tingly.” It’s a feeling she eventually associates with Gaki-do, which for her is a feeling of injury-and-recovery.

Kiyotoki tells us a bit about his history: he’s been an attache in Otosan Uchi for three years, with previous experience as ambassadorial stuff elsewhere, and a lot of courtier training. He also explains his view of the duties of an attache: assisting the ambassadors, being aware of the city, knowing about conflicts before they become conflicts, and facilitating communication. Later, Tomoe does a divination regarding Kiyotoki, and gets the concept of “dutiful.”

Kiyotoki also gives us a bit more detail about the upcoming reception. It’s the celebrating the betrothal of Matsu Sakiko and Kakita Oroko. Oroko is a cousin of Doji Kuwanan, the Crane ambassador, and Matsu Sakiko is a cousin of the Matsu Daimyo.

That night, the PCs all share an ominous vision in their dreams. We see Otosan Uchi, seemingly ruined by war. Looking for clues, we find a number of Tomoe’s journals — more than he has written currently — but they are illegible. We also find what seems like a recent note written during the next Winter Court, almost a year in the future.

Ginji can tell that we’re in a place where the realms of Gaki-do, Meido, and Maigo no Musha are all nearby. Hearing this, Niko calls out for her brother, and believes she gets a glimpse of him before we all wake up. She tells us about him, and that she feels his death must be related to this vision. Tomoe uses his divination cards, drawing the new Wheel of Fortune card that he received, despite not adding it to his deck. Later that night, Ginji climbs onto the roof, speaking with passing birds and spirits, but hears no hint of what we’ve seen.

February 25, 2024: Betrothal Party

At our first big social event, we help Kakita Oroko find a necklace that was stolen from her, at the cost of irritating the Lion who took it. 13th of the Hare.

13th of the Hare

In the morning, we discuss the anonymous gifts we’ve received. Ginji examines Sumiko’s jade flower: it came from far to the south, but doesn’t seem magical. We also find that we all received the Otosan Uchi guides from anonymous sources. Ginji, wanting to see if we’re the only people who have had this disturbing vision, wonders about talking to Asako Ochiyo, a local holy person.

We also speak with our neighbors. Kiyotoki offers to walk with us to the reception that evening. Tomoe invites Maya to tea, and she’s delighted. For the first time, we meet Kitsu Cho, the Lion attache, who immediately seems unfriendly.

That evening, we head to the Chisei District and the Crane Embassy with its story gardens. Kiyotoki is enthusiastic — in a restrained Crane way — about the gardens; saying that they tell you about the person viewing the garden. He also introduces us to Doji Kuwanan, the Crane ambassador, who is pleasant. When Ginji asks him about talking to someone about the garden, he says that they don’t have a chief gardener at the moment. We also meet Asahina Yuki again, who is excited about the art gallery.

We visit the story gardens, finding them peaceful, beautiful, and perhaps a bit overdone. We also find Kakita Oroko crying in distress. Sumi comforts her, and she reveals that she’s missing a necklace of symbolic importance: an heirloom, a trophy of a battle in the past with the Lion, that she was to give as a gift to her Lion fiancee. Of course, we promise to help.

We go to her room to look for clues, but find none. Niko guides Oroko in some mediation techniques, helping her narrow down the location she lost it to the Crane embassy’s gallery. Tomoe and Ginji head to the gallery, attempting to search for the necklace while looking casual. Tomoe speaks again with Bayushi Yojiro, who continues to seem at least a bit forgetful, but socially capable. Kato tells Tomoe to be wary of the Lion. Ginji uses magic to find hidden things. This doesn’t find the necklace, but does reveal (to Ginji) that Tomoe carries a variety of equipment, that several others are also carrying concealed weapons, and there are several concealed doors, probably for servants.

Niko, less concerned about looking out of place, makes no attempt to hide the fact she’s looking around. Kitsu Cho makes no effort to disguise watching us, and Niko stares back, starting a minor confrontation with the clearly ready-to-be-offended Cho. Her open anger to seems to upset her Akodo companion.

After more searching, we are convinced that the necklace is not misplaced somewhere, but is stolen. We speak with Oroko again to get more information. She tells us:

• Doji Yuri and Akodo Toshiro are close now; this wedding has been part of their plans.

• It’s generally known that there’s tension in the last decade or two between the Crane and the imperial court. Maybe not all of the Crane, but at least some of them, including their daimyo Doji Hoturi. The Crane Clan had a privileged relationship with the Emperor for centuries; for example, all emperors married Crane women. That ended when the current emperor married a Scorpion.

• There’s a similar situation with the Lion Clan. They too had a position of privilege as the Emperor’s right hand, but this Emperor set up a sort of Praetorian Guard of Utaku.

• There are some in both clans who feel like Doji Kuwanan’s friendly approach as ambassador in Otosan Uchi is messing up their hard-line stance with the Emperor, and perhaps messing up the marriage would embarrass Kuwanan.

• She thinks Kitsu Cho doesn’t like her fiancee. We think Kitsu Cho might not like anybody.

Tomoe initiates our first use of tactical gossip. He starts the rumor that Oroko is grateful that a lost necklace was returned to her. It pays off as we intently watch people’s reaction to the rumor, and Niko sees the Akodo with Cho react by putting his hand to his pocket. She flickers across the room and grabs his arm. This causes quite the scene, and might have led to violence. However, Oroko demonstrates Crane social graces, smoothly stepping in and letting the Lion save face by thanking him for finding her necklace.

Later, Oroko is happy and thanks us for our help. We return to new homes, have a good night’s sleep, and wake up to summons from our various ambassadors.

March 3, 2024: Mystery of Drowned Corpses

We are summoned to help an Emerald Magistrate dealing with drowned corpses on dry land.

14th of the Hare

We each answer the summons of our ambassadors:

• Sumi talks to Yasuki Fujiko, who is upset that Sumi attracted so much attention at the party. Fujiko heard of “an assault on a Lion.” When Sumi defends her action, Fujiko explains that Sumi’s job here is not “keeping people safe.” She tells Sumi not to be involved in any other physical confrontations. She also says that while she might like to send Sumi back to the wall, she’s received an order to have Sumi assist an Emerald Magistrate. Fujiko expresses disbelief that she’s been given this order and wonders why a Dragon magistrate would want Sumi’s help.

• Niko talks to Mirumoto Tokai. At first, he simply asks for a report. Niko says that she acted rashly, but Tokai is sympathetic. He seems to have different standards for success at court, and seems happy that there was no open conflict. Also, he was already aware that Kitsu Cho is a jerk. He too says that Niko has been summoned to aid Kitsuki Satoshi.

• Tomoe talks to Kato and Yojiro. Kato asks what Tomoe has learned. He discreetly mentions the Lion and Kakita Oroko. Kato compliments him on his tactical rumor usage. The summons to help the magistrate is repeated here; Kato is unsurprised but curious about the situation. Yojiro seems distracted during the conversation, but Tomoe is a bit suspicious that it may be feigned.

• Ginji talks to Mikio. She is unaware of what happened the previous night, and doesn’t seem to care about it. She passes on the summons to help Satoshi.

Back at home, we compare notes, then head to the Kosuga District, in a neighborhood called Glory’s Shadow. Kitsuki Satoshi is polite, but he too doesn’t know why we, in particular, were sent to help him; Kitsuki Momoko simply told him we’d be there. He explains the situation:

• There have been a series of deaths. It took them a while to see this as a pattern: the five dead people have no connection, and there’s no pattern to when or where they died. But all five seemingly drowned on dry land.

• The first body was found on the 12th of the Tiger (a little over a month ago), and the most recent was found two days ago, on the 12 of the Hare.

• The names of the five dead people are Bayushi Kano, Mizuki, Yasuki Mari, Shinjo Takashi, and Ruri. He also tells us the locations where each body was found.

We go to the Hinjaku District, which has many mortuaries and crematoriums. The eta who deal with bodies clearly know Satoshi. One of them, Mori, is working on Ruri, the most recent corpse. There are bits of fishing net on the body. Ruri was a fisherwoman in the Higshikawa District. Yasuki Mari was also a fisherman, but the others had no connection to the sea. Shinjo Takashi had marks that indicate he was bound before died, but his corpse was not found with bindings.

Ginji tries to speak with the water kami, but is instead trapped in a vision. He sees Ruri grabbing him and dragging her inside of herself. He feels himself drowning in very cold water during a storm. He is tangled in a net, cold and alone. Then, at the end of the vision, he is suddenly very angry. Satoshi tells us that the storm was on the 6th.

Tomoe tries divination. For Ruri and Bayushi Kano, he gets the sense of sudden, tragic accidents. For Yasuki Mari, he senses violence, and for the Mizuki, a betrayal of someone close. We develop a theory that the deaths are unrelated, and it’s simply that the bodies ended up in the ocean, where something is making them get back up.

Satoshi tells us that he looked for witnesses where the bodies were found. He found none, which is suspicious, because the bodies were in populated locations. Heimin may be reluctant to speak with samurai, especially magistrates. We decide to look around ourselves, hoping that we might have better luck.

Niko notices Satoshi seems to kind-of recognize her. She asks if he knows her brother. Satoshi met him at Takeo Library in the Meiyoko District weeks ago, and didn’t know he is dead. Her brother had found a book about the history of Otosan Uchi; they talked about scholars debating the nature of the founding of the city, and he was excited to be looking at the ancient history of the city.

March 31, 2024: Investigating Corpses

We find that the walking corpses seem to be heading towards the Graveyard of Shrines.

That day, which is still the 14th of the Hare, we decide to head to Sea Mist, the neighborhood where Ruri’s body was found. There are a lot of inns, taverns, etc.; they serve sailors and others moving through the area. Niko talks to a local urchin Mat, who says that the current of the river is very strong. She seems to know something about walking drowned corpses: “Tomi was telling stories.” Tomi, another urchin, is scared when the walking corpses are mentioned. He saw a dripping woman with torn clothes. Her eyes were empty, her skin was strange and “nibbled,” and she seemed angry. He saw her very near the river

He takes us to the place where he saw her, where we find claw marks where something might have climbed out. Ginji talks to the earth kami; they say the thing that climbed out was “out of place,” there was only the one here, and it was “not kansen, but other.” The kami remember seeing something like this “before so many feet, so many voices.”

We plan to triangulate where the zombies are heading, so we seek out another sighting. We heard to a barracks area where the previous body was found, where Sumi talks to the Daidoji samurai Uji. He feels the imperial garrison presence here is mostly for show. He mentions that a body was found near the district, and that a Captain Fujisa saw it walking it at night. She is initially reluctant to discuss it, imagining she was mistaken. But Sumi convinces her to tell us more: Fujisa talks about a body looking long-dead, walking into the barracks courtyard.

When we look at the map, it looks like both zombies were headed towards the Graveyard of Shrines. We head there, looking for a place to stay the night, when we are jumped by members of a local gang. After we kill several, the others run away, and a quick interrogation of a remaining thug reveals they are members of the “Nine Fingers Gang.” It seems like they killed one of our zombies, imagined we were investigating the murder, and wanted to scare us off or kills us.

We rest for the night.

April 14, 2024: Mystery Solved

On the 15th of the Hare, we believe we fix the problem with the walking dead by restoring a treasure to a pre-Kami shrine.

On watch, Sumi sees a walking corpse (she can tell it’s not a zombie), and we quickly follow it through the maze-like Graveyard of Shrines. It stops and begins digging frantically. Frustrated, it turns to attack us, but Niko and Sumi quickly disable it.

We find ourselves in front of a shrine so old that all identifying marks it might have had are now worn away. The corpse had dug up a box, but the box is empty. Ginji speaks to the earth kami about it. They don’t care about whatever was in the box, because it was “too transient,” but something important was there for a long time, and removed recently (for the earth kami, maybe in the last year).

Whatever was removed, it was linked to the shrine and some kind of beneficent water spirit, which Ginji think might have been what the Phoenix call a “peasant spirit,” which is what they call the spirits that predate the coming of the kami. Tomoe tries to learn something via divination, but seems to get entranced by the shuffling. It seems like the box has been dug up and reburied multiple times recently, perhaps as some kind of dead drop.

Satoshi shows up with Mori. He’s not aware of organized artifact theft; those kinds of crimes are considered very bad and an insult to the emperor. If the box could be a dead drop, he doesn’t associate it with any particular group. We leave a note in the box explaining the situation. Mori says this body is like the others, but since we found it faster, she can identify a particular kind of mud clinging to its feet that comes from a specific place on the coast.

Niko talks to Satoshi privately about her brother. He was studying ancient Otosan Uchi history, but Satoshi doesn’t know that much about it. Niko asks him to let her know if others ask about her brother.

Then, Niko finds Mat again. Despite thinking that area seems like a good spot for a dead drop, she finds it unusual: it’s weird for gangs in this area to pick this weird spot in the Graveyard of Shrines, but it would be very daring for someone from elsewhere to use it. We ask her who is in charge of the Nine Fingers gang we fought with; she replies that it is someone named Nine Fingers, naturally.

Next, we head to the area on the coast with distinctive red dirt described by Mori. The water kami there are upset by the presence of thing “invasive it what it is, in our space, doesn’t belong here.” After Tomoe sacrifices some his fine liquor and perfume, the kami push forward a hollow sphere of aquamarine. Ginji grabs it, because the kami want him to.

Back at the ancient shrine, the earth kami identify the sphere as thing missing artifact, and are happy for us to return it. It seems to serve as a guide for the water spirit, letting her find her way back. We (Tomoe) gets a very nice box; Ginji places the sphere inside, says a prayer to the spirit, and encases in solid stone underground to protect it. We leave the drop box, with our note, buried shallowly above the stone.

We visit Satoshi and tell him that we think we’ve taken care of the problem.

Next, we head to the enormous Takeo Library. We speak to a librarian named Ikoma Manzuoku, who knew Niko’s brother, and is enthusiastic about history. He points out a work that Niko’s brother was using: a geographic survey of the area before the city was built, including rerouting the river, early agricultural changes, etc. He tells us that Iuchi Sadako comes here, and likes a book that Niko’s brother was reading, a collection of ancient stories.

Manzuoku directs Ginji to some surveys of the shrines in the Graveyard of Shrines. One author theorizes that this was a shrine to a pre-kami spirit named Danu, a goddess of the sea who looked after fisher folk.

Returning home, we find an invitation from Kakita Oroko waiting for us. Tomoe also plans to send a note to Magistrate Kitsuki Momoko to thank her and politely ask the question, “why us?”

Part Two: First Salon to Haunted House

Summary:

• Our first Salon with Oroko
• A tour of the magical walls of Otasan Uchi
• Investigating the murder of the gardener
• We go on the emperor’s hunt and fight trolls
• We meet the Jade Magistrate
• We go to a haunted house and find an old artifact

May 5, 2024: Oroko’s Salon

We go to a salon hosted by Oroko, meeting people including Iuchi Sadako. 16th of the Hare.

• Waking up that morning:

Tomoe gets a coded message from his ambassador, ordering him to build a relationship with Kakita Zachi, who will be at the salon. Sumi is summoned by Fujiko, who orders Sumi to open communications with Daidoji Nokatsu. He’s apparently been dodging her — we can’t imagine why.

We head to the Hojize District, to the Morning Star Teahouse. Kakita Oroko welcomes us and introduces or points out many of the other guests:

• Matsu Sakiko, Oroko’s fiance and a Lion, is wearing the necklace we retrieved.

• Shinjo Kiiyo, Unicorn sculptor and poet

• Shiba Namiko, Phoenix poet, and seemingly a Tomoe-level social presence

• Kakita Koishi, Crane duellist whom Oroko claims is very good

• Kakita Izuko, Crane acrobat who seems to have some beef with Shiba Namiko

• Kakita Zachi, Crane dance teacher, who is skittish and anxious when Tomoe asks her about dancing.

• Daidoji Nokatsu, Crane origami expert and courtier

• Shosuro Mari, Scorpion poet, last student of famous Shosuro Kyoto

• Asahina Yuki, who we know.

Sumi chats with Nokatsu, who enjoys making animal-shaped origami. The discussion moves to tea houses; Sumi mentions that she likes the Field of Sharp Returns, and invites him to go with her.

Meanwhile, Tomoe talks to Zachi, who continues to be anxious and is willing to talk with Tomoe about it. Tomoe responds with friendly advice and bonding, and working to include her in conversation with Shosuro Mari. He makes plans to go to Zachi’s studio.

Asahina Yuki also makes sure that she has a conversation with Tomoe; he can tell she has some kind of reaction when he mentions working for the magistrates, but not exactly what.

The final arrival at the salon causes a stir: it’s Iuchi Sadako. She seems to be aware of what happened at Oroko’s betrothal party, saying we “uncovered that *awkwardness,” *and that she has a theory about what was going on here.

Later, Oroko tells us that she likes Sadako’s stories, and that Sadako is close to many people in the Emperor’s circle. She says there haven’t been more problems with the Lion since the betrothal party.

Tomoe sees Izuko and Namiko whispering heatedly. Izuko seems to be accusing Namiko of having used him, having “lead him on to get into his circle.”

Niko talks to Sadako about the ancient history of Otosan Uchi. Sadako talks about the inner walls infused with spirits, and suggests walking on the walls at night. We note that Koishi and Nokatsu don’t seem to be Sadako fans. Ginji asks her to mention Danu in her next book, and she invites us to go for a nighttime spirit walk/tour on the walls.

May 12, 2024: Ghost Tour

We walk the haunted walls of Otosan Uchi with Iuchi Sadako. 17th of the Hare.

• We get a note from Momoko, not really responding to our question.

• Sumi wants to get in touch with Daidoji Nokatsu, works with Tomoe to write a note. Also writes a note to her ambassador saying she’s on track.

• Tomoe divines about the coming ghost tour.

• Sumi and Niko spend some time at the Field of Sharp Returns.

• Sadako is waiting to give us the ghost tour.

• First we visit the Eastern Wall. Ginji hears voices calling him to join the wall, others grab him. He gets a feeling of loneliness.

• Second we visit the Southern Wall. Sumi and Tomoe look in mirrors and see themselves. When Niko looks in the mirror and sees her brother.

• Third we visit the Northern Wall. Tomoe feels like he is lost for a moment.

• Finally we visit the Western Wall. We can all hear the bound oni.

• She tells us about rumors of an underground tunnel network beneath the city, but no-one has found them.

• Her theory about what happened at the engagement party: she believes that there are factions within the Lion, that may be a threat.

• She talks about the graveyard of shrines. She knew a shugenja Asako Kinto who spent time there researching.

• Asking her who might be an expert on ancient or forgotten things: she mentions “that historian,” Ikoma Manzuko (the librarian). The gardener at the Crane story garden knew lots of old stories. She says that the Crane will tell you that he died of natural causes, but she doesn’t believe them because he seemed too healthy. She also promises to put us in touch with people who might know about old stuff.

• We part saying that we’ll invite her sometime soon.

• We ponder talking to Momoko about our vision. Tomoe does a divination: what’s useful to focus on? The cards say we’ve already treaded useful ground.

• 18th of the hare.

• The next day we get notes from ambassadors about a hunt.

May 26, 2024: Hayashi was Murdered

18th of the hare

• We had just gotten notes about a hunt.

• Ginji asks Kakita Oroko to visit the story gardens.

• Niko wants to visit the Maze of Wisdom.

• Off to the story gardens. She loves the story gardens. They tell stories via topiary, arrangement.

• The story that was in progress as the gardener died, she will show us. The gardener died of seemingly natural causes, in his home, but it was surprising, he seemed healthy.

• [previous gardener] was here for years before new guy, who also was here for years. But no long enough to take on an apprentice.

• Says replacing him is difficult and is on Doji Kuwanan’s mind.

• There’s a waterfall area that is about the arrival of the Kami.

• Hayashi liked love stories

• There is a story that was a popular pillow book that became a play, a tragic love story of two Lion. The implication of the garden is that the couple were together after death.

• Unfinished story: something here reminds us of our dream, perhaps the ruins of the city. The gardener was very excited about it.

• Niko meditates on the garden, but can’t see the part leading up to the ruin.

• Doji Shusewe had a friend, Asako Kinto, who he would talk to about stories, but doesn’t know if Hayashi did.

• Ginji looks at the garden tools. He gets the feeling the excitement about the work, but also hearing a whispering voice talking to him.

• He also talks to the animals, sometimes the gardener seemed not see anything; just sitting quietly. The area with the story, “now it’s fine,” when the person sat there, sometimes the cold feeling, like winter and hunger.

• We ask Satoshi to help us find Hayashi’s house. On the way over, he tells us that Satoshi died three months ago (at the beginning of winter).

• It looks mostly untouched. We find sketches and correspondence. The correspondence is in a different handwriting style. They are mostly about gardening stuff.

• The journals seem to all be Shusewe, as did the sketch pads. His journal talks about the spirit of the garden.

• Some stains on the floor under the bed. Doesn’t smell like something you’d drink, kind of astringent.

• We find an empty spot under the floor.

• The fire kami were ‘awake’ at his death.

• He was alone when he died.

• There was someone else here alone before he died who left before he died and returned after he died.

• All the dishes have been washed.

• Later, we head to the maze of wisdom.

• It seems bigger on the inside

• Sumi feels strangely cold. hearing thunder, feeling a cold breeze, feeling like a storm is coming.

• Ginji feels like he’s being watched. Sneaking along, he hears whispering about him. Scared, he uses a scry spell, but the maze seems to change as he watches. He bails.

• Niko hears footsteps. Without looking she offers to talk, only hears a sigh. Turning, sees nothing.

• Tomoe has a bad time. Got overheated, found it annoying, did not seem to have a vision.

August 11, 2024: The Hunt Begins

The first day of the hunt is essentially a day at court, with much socializing. 19th and 20th of the Hare

We prepare for the upcoming hunt. Tomoe receives a coded note from Kato: she believes Shiba Namiko is having an affair, and wants Tomoe to keep an eye on them. Meanwhile, Iuchi Maya offers to help us out by providing us with Unicorn riding horses for the hunt.

The next morning — 20th of the Hare — the hunt starts. Or more accurately, we ride to the highly-prepared campground from which the hunt will start the next day.

There are several loose cliques that comprise the hunt. Ours includes our fellow attachés, and people we met at Oroko’s salon: Kakita Koishi, Shosuro Mari, Shiba Namiko, Daidoji Nokatsu, and Asahina Yuki. Mari is hanging out with Bayushi Itamaki, who wears a hawk mask and is a skilled duellist.

Another group is the Emperor, her Utaku guard, and various high-ranking samurai. This includes Oroko, her fiance Matsu Sakiko, her cousin Doji Kuwanan, and others we don’t know.

We note that Niko is the only Dragon at the hunt, and Sumi is the only Crab.

Kitsu Cho struggles with her horse, and Niko attempts to laugh at her without being *too *rude. Tomoe talks with Shiba Namiko; they mutually enjoy looking good, being cool, and generally being a nexus of social interaction. Ginji makes friends with his horse.

Sumi chats with Maya and her cousin Utaku Imani. She is happy to talk with Sumi about warrior stuff and being bored with guard duty. Imani teases Maya about “her girlfriend:” Ikoma Saeko, an imperial scribe that Maya has a crush on. Saeko is part of the hunt, having joined at Imani’s insistence.

Tomoe gets involved in the conversation, and Maya opens up about how much she likes Saeko. Later, Tomoe chats with Saeko, who seems very shy. After a minute, she recognizes his name from Satoshi’s report about the drowned corpse mystery. She tells Tomoe that she reads many of the magistrate reports.

At the camp, Niko just happens to notice a moment between the Emperor and Utaku Fumi, the captain of her Utaku guard, where they seem more intimate than one would expect. Elsewhere, Matsu Sakiko chats with us, and confesses that she’s not much of a hunter. Tomoe pulls a card to get a read for the night, and gets the two of cups.

Later in the night, there’s story-telling. It starts with a Crane telling a spooky story, then the Unicorn ambassador tells a story from the Burning Sands, both doing a good job. But then Sumi steps in and tells a bone-chilling ghost story so well that it gets noticed by the Emperor. Seeming to sense that Sumi’s story can’t be topped, an Iuchi storyteller switches gears and tells a love story.

Later, Sumi attempts some matchmaking with Saeko. She doesn’t find much success, leading to a somewhat wandering conversation.

August 18, 2024: The Hunt, Trolls!

We find a cave with strangely well-equipped trolls. 21st and 22nd of the Hare.

Overnight, Ginji sneaks out to check out the forest. The animals seem on edge — even more than would be expected with the hunt going on. On hearing this, Tomoe does a divination and gets the Moon card: confusion and secrets. Ginji speaks with (and bribes) the local birds to keep track of the emperor’s party.

We see that Kitsu Cho’s group includes Shinjo Kiiyo, Kakita Kiyotoki, and Kakita Koishi. Namiko is riding with Shosuro Mari, Bayushi Itamaki, and Asahina Yuki.

Sakiko joins us, and much of our group is at best nominally interested in actually hunting. However, Niko’s observational skills make up for her lack of training, and she quickly tracks down a deer, but misses a bow shot to bring it down.

We hear a commotion, and see Cho clinging to her startled horse as it gallops by. Ginji manages to calm the horse, then heal Cho, who was badly injured when she was thrown from the horse, which tells Ginji that it ran from a giant snake.

We go back and can find no evidence of a snake. When consulted, the air kami are quite pleased with a trick that someone did, indicating some kind of fake snake, and “a shroud of leaves over Ginji’s face” when asked who did it. We’re not sure if that’s meant to indicate a Scorpion mask or something else. Tomoe draws a card, and gets the mysterious Wheel of Fortune card he received as a gift.

At that point, we’re worried that either the unknown attackers will try again with Cho, or that the attack was merely a diversion. So, Ginji and Sumi stay in the woods nearer the Emperor, while Niko and Tomoe return to camp to check on Cho. Tomoe offers a small gift, Niko apologizes for her behavior the previous day, and they tell Cho that the snake seems like an attack. Cho is seemingly pacified by some combination of their good manners and her near-death experience. She shares that she felt a strange, sudden dizziness before she fell, which we assume was part of the attack. When asked about who might attack her, Cho is either spectacularly clueless, or a far better liar than we know.

There are no more attacks or mishaps that evening. Several hunters bring back deer, including the emperor herself.

As we keep a watchful eye around Cho, Niko notices that Asahina Yuki seems to paying attention to her from a distance. Niko talks to Yuki, who raises the point: is it kosher to beat the emperor at a contest? In this case, the hunt. Niko points out Yuki’s interest in Cho, but Yuki says she is just concerned with Cho after her accident, which she heard about in totally normal ways, and the possible long-term effects. Does she mean to Cho, or otherwise?

Shinjo Kiiyo seems to have an origami animal from Namiko. While the two are chatting, Kiiyo mentions his wife.

That night, Niko sees Shiba Namiko is seen sneaking out of the campsite. While attempting to follow her, Niko makes a noise that Namiko hears. While she doesn’t seem to spot Niko, she returns to camp.

22nd of the Hare

The next morning, we ask Cho to stick with us for the day, and she agrees.

Sumi starts feeling twitchy a minute before a powerful storm blows up unexpectedly. We decide to head back to camp, but the trail is impassable in the rain. Instead we find a cave, which Cho says makes her dizzy. She waits outside with Sakiko. Niko feels compelled to enter the cave.

Inside the cave, we find several trolls. Sumi is familiar with trolls, but these are unlike any she has heard of: they have equipment (albeit heavily decayed) and seem to be trained fighters. One even seems to demonstrate some Jujitsu skill fighting with Niko. We defeat them both.

August 25, 2024: The Hunt, Aftermath

After beating the trolls, we tell the story of the battle, then start researching what happened. 22nd – 24th of the Hare

22nd of the Hare, Continued

After the battle, Ginji sends a message to Utaku Imani about what happened. Sumi notes that these trolls are unlike those she’s fought in the shadowlands. The trolls she is familiar with are barely intelligent, while these have equipment and fought with some skill. She doesn’t recognize their equipment, which has some symbols that are too decayed to make out.

We explore the cave, which has a number of passage that quickly are blocked. Niko notices that the stone blocking the passages is a different kind than the surrounding stone. In it, we find a large purple crystal.

We head back to the camp after several of the Utaku guard show up to check out the cave. Tomoe whips up excitement about the day’s events, then Sumi does an unbelievably good job of presenting one of the troll’s weapons to the emperor as a gift and telling the story of the battle. While Maya and Imani are excited, Asahina Yuki seems privately irritated at Sumi’s great success.

Ginji speaks with Cho, warning her to be careful of strange magics. She seems both grateful and mistrustful. Niko finds a group of bushi, including several Utaku and Daidoji Nokatsu, are excited to talk with her about fighting trolls.

Separately, Bayushi Itamaki and Tomoe also talk about the trolls. He Is fairly snobby about Crab in general. He also says to be careful of Cho and her dueling skill, saying “she’s rude because she can afford to be.” He also says that should the need arise, he’d be happy to duel her.

The actual hunt is won by Utaku Fumi.

23rd of the Hare

Oroko chats with us about the previous day, telling us that the emperor was impressed with Sumi. Later, she mentions that one of the emperor’s sisters joined the Utaku, which is somewhat unusual. We ask her more about Cho: Oroko doesn’t know that she has specific enemies, but is aware that she tends to irritate everyone. Cho has apparently won several duels with skilled Crane duellists, so she is notably (or even surprisingly) good.

We spend the day travelling back to Otosan Uchi and resting.

24th of the Hare

The next day, Ginji goes to research purple crystals at the Phoenix Embassy, but there is nothing there about them. Sumi and Niko also find nothing while looking for stories of smart trolls in atthe Crab embassy and the library. Sumi sends a letter to the Kuni.

Without other resources, Ginji uses Void magic to learn about the crystal. In his vision, it is cold and dark, and he has a sense of moving a very long way. It’s unclear whether that might be time or distance, but it’s clear that the meaning he’s finding with his spell is nowhere near the surface. Ginji sees a glowing crystal city in the darkness before the vision ends.

Hoping for another viewpoint, Ginji asks Maya to introduce him to a Unicorn shugenja. She brings us to her ambassador Ide Eichi. He is also not aware of purple crystals, or the city that Ginji saw. He recommends talking to the Kuni and the Yogo.

With unknown magics and strange trolls appearing near Otosan Uchi, we think it would be a good idea to speak with the Jade Champion, but she hasn’t been seen recently. Ginji goes to Mikio and asks about her; Mikio says she’s keeping a low profile while investigating the disappearances of the previous Jade Magistrates, but promises she will get Mikio a message.

September 1, 2024: Secret Jade Magistrates

We attend a dance performance and meet the Jade Champion. 24th–25th of the Hare.

24th of the Hare, Continued

Tomoe reports recent events to Kato. As requested, he watched Shiba Namiko, and observed that they probably have a relation ship with Shinjo Kiiyo. He also describes the attack on Cho and the curious dizziness she felt during the attack. Kato isn’t aware that the Scorpion are targeting Cho for anything.

Finally, Tomoe describes the encounter with the trolls and the purple crystal. Kato doesn’t have any information on that, and when asked about the Jade Champion, only knows that she’s not in Otosan Uchi. Tomoe asks for any information the Yogo may have about purple crystals.

Back hom, there’s an invitation waiting from Kakita Zachi for Tomoe and his friends to attend a performance at Blessings of the Kami.

The 25th of the Hare

Tomoe sends an invitation to Bayushi Itamaki for tea the next day while Niko goes for a morning run. Sumi asks Maya if they can spend more time with the horses, which she enthusiastically agrees to. Ginji talks to the urban wildlife, which seems normal — not agitated like the animals in the forest were.

Maya warns us that the Blessings of the Kami is maybe a bit outré, but that doesn’t keep it from being crowded when we arrive. We are surprised to see Kitsuki Satoshi near the stage, and not surprised to see Iuchi Sadako at the center of a large group.

Satoshi is sitting with a man who he introduces as his friend, Ryoshin. The performance we are about to watch is apparently a dramatization of events in Ryoshin’s life.

The dance itself is beautiful. Some details we fill in later, speaking with Ryoshin. The story starts with him coming of age and leaving his guardian — who we later confirm is Togashi Kenjin — to explore the world. He fights and wounds a Rakshasa in the Shinomen forest. It then spends years afterwards stalking him and killing his friends and companions. Eventually, he returns to Otasan Uchi, and kills the Rakshasa together with Kenjin; Ryoshin privately gives all credit to Kenjin for that.

In the discussion afterwards, Ryoshin tells us a little about Kenjin, and can’t add much more about the Rakshasa. Satoshi and Sadako praise the dance, and Zachi is happy with it.

Satoshi gets a note, which we later discover is from Kitsuki Momoko, directing him to invite us to a particular noodle shop. He does, and we accept. The shop is towards the outer wall of the Juramashi District, and has a clientele that mixes samurai and heimen in an unusual way.

We are immediately ushered into a back room, where Satoshi tells us about the note, and we are quickly joined by the Jade Champion, Yogo Katsuda. She knows a lot about us; for example, she knows about the ghost from the first session. Her interest in us began when she had the same dream we did, with us in a destroyed Otosan Uchi. Other parts of the discussion include: she doesn’t know anything about the purple crystal, and she wasn’t the person who brought us here, sent the gifts, etc.

Given the number of dead and missing Jade Champions, she’s hiding while investigating. She thinks whoever is behind it has a supernatural awareness, and avoiding that makes it hard for her to act directly. Instead, she wants us to be her unofficial agents. While she trusts Satoshi and Momoko, she doesn’t want us to tell anyone else, and mostly wants to us to stay observant for now.

When Ginji mentions our guesses about people who study pre-kami history being targeting, she wonders if that’s linked to the Jade Champions. She explains that for generations, there were no Jade Champions. The last emperor reinstituted the position, and the first was Isawa Tatsuo. He knew some pre-kami magic: Naga pearl magic, taught to him by Asako Kinto, who had rediscovered it in some excavations. Tatsuo taught it to others, including the Jade Champions. We also note that Kinto was hanging out with the gardener who was killed, and that Niko received Kinto’s book as a gift.

Ginji attempts to use Void magic to confirm that Katsuda is, at least, not a shape-shifting oni. As far as he can tell, she isn’t, but she is an ishiken.

September 15, 2024: Haunted House with Sadako

26th of the Hare

• Sadako invites us to tea, indicating urgency. She’s spending the night in a haunted house. The house is in the Chisei District, owned by the Crane clan. People don’t stay there very long.

• Sumi and Tomoe look for people who know stories about the haunted house. They head to the Chisei District. Sumi breaks the ice, Tomoe provokes a reaction. A guard says that it’s just the Crane being oversensitive, but knows that many owners have left. They had been called in for “people making noise.” Peoples’ pets don’t like it there.

• Niko and Ginji head to library, and have a conversation about destiny. Asahina owners of house. There are lots of ghost stories to be found, but none about this house. Asahina Teijo lived in the house, a shugenja and historian. Books written by Teijo seemed to have been removed from the library. The librarian says the books were removed because Teijo was no longer considered a reliable source.

• We head to where Saeko works. She finds reports of events there:

• a magistrate investigating a death in the house - where a husband and wife killed each other - ten years ago on the 26th of the hare

• twenty years ago on the 26th of the hare, someone hung themselves

• minor disturbance not on the 26th of the hare

• multiple people killed 30 years ago on the 26th of the hare

• 50 years ago, Asahina Teijo. The magistrate concluded that Teijo found a tainted artifact that influenced him to kill his husband. They were both found dead.

• Cat finds the place “loud,” buzzy. Not always, but now. Note: we don’t hear buzzing.

• Tomoe does a reading: betrayal, stories that are false, the lovers card

• Niko meditates: a prickly almost buzzing, overwhelming sorrow

• Sumi feels a shiver run through her, somewhat like when she drank the tea.

• Sadako arrives with the three Crane, whom we don’t recognize. Asahina Midori, Daidoji Yasuo Doji Aki. They don’t seem like a group of close friends.

• Sadako says the Asahina asked her to come here.

• Ginji mediates. A feeling of sadness and anger, from two sources. Three fish in the koi pond start attacking each other. Sumi falls in stopping the fish.

• Tomoe sees Midori paying a bit too much attention to the bookshelf, and trying to hide that fact. He casually gets Sumi over there, she finds bundles of notes from Teijo.

• Crickets try to guide Ginji north.

• We hear yelling from the tea room.

October 13, 2024: Finding an artifact in the haunted house

• We run to the tea room. We hear the shouting there, but don’t see anyone shouting.

• It sounds like three voices. They are garbled somehow.

• Sumi picks out the name Teijo, another name Chomei, Teijo’s husband, and Eriko.

• Tomoe notices that Doji Aki flinches when Eriko’s name is mentioned.

• Sadako walks into the room and tries some amateur seance.

• Divination: “betrayal”

• Niko make a connection with Eriko, feeling anger and fury, then all is silent.

• Doji Aki is smooth in denying knowing about the name; Midori does the same but is less convincing.

• Niko tries to convince Midori to speak up. She doesn’t believe that Teijo was corrupted and killed his husband. She’s read about him and read some of his writings. Tomoe can see a bit of sneer from Doji Aki while Midori is speaking.

• We try a tea ceremony to invoke the ceremony. Suddenly, the tea is bitter. Ginji recognizes the taste of a poison, so does Sumi, in the positions of Teijo and Chomei.

• Daidoji Yasuo has been searching, and clearly lies when he says he hasn’t found anything.

• Ginji finds a secret panel, Yasuo seems upset. The mirror is polished black laquer and has a bit of a tingle. Ginji looks into the mirror. It’s surface shimmers. He sees a scene in the Kitsune Forest, which he realizes he dreamed last night.

• Yasuo breaks, tells us that reports of tainted artifacts only come from the magistrate report. Teijo wrote some letters about an artifact, which didn’t come from the shadowlands. He thought it might be very old.

• The notes we found earlier are in a cipher. Tomoe breaks it easily. Doesn’t have conclusions, Chomei wants to sell it, but Teijo thinks it’s too imortant. There is a reference to Chomei’s friend Daidoji Eriko.

• Ginji reads the object. It starts like a normal vision, but then: extreme fury. Ginji sees himself as a woman asking “does it have to be that way?” He’s arguing that they have to take the mirror, and they want to be together. The fury feels like it’s linked to Eriko.

• [] says that Eriko was her great grandmother.

• We try another tea ceremony. Things grow hazy, the mirror seems to grow. We all feel Eriko’s anger.

• We see Teijo and Chomei having the argument mentioned in the notes. We see Chomei and Eriko, Chomei saying that they must steal the mirror. Then we see Eriko being caught by Teijo. Teijo feels betrayed, offers Chomei a choice. Chomei stays with Teijo, tells Eriko to get out. Chomei and Teijo drinking tea, Eriko poisons them. Teijo curses them all.

• Reading Teijo’s letters, he got this artifact from his “dear friend,” who is unnamed. His friend is an expert herbalist. His friend is also an archaeologist.

• The next day: we send message asking to speak to Yogo Katsuda.

October 27, 2024: Meeting the Jade Champion

• The next day, we receive invitations to an engagement celebration from Kakita Oroko and Matsu Sakiko. This will happen Matsu Amiko’s estate in Toshi Ranbo, a week-long celebration. The event starts in five days.

• We then receive messages from our ambassadors.

• Sumi goes to Kuni Fujiko, who is disagreeable as always. She tells Sumi to discourage: Akodo Toshiei is negotiating a new trade route with Daidoji Itsuo which would hurt the Yasuki and the Crab. Reminds her to bring gifts.

• Ginji goes to Mikio. There is a scholar there, Asako Miyuu, who has a scroll that Mikio wishes to study in person.

• Niko goes to Tokai. They talk about Niko’s direction in life. He wants her to listen to what’s happening with the Lion, and their potential conflict with the Unicorn.

• Tomoe goes to Kato. She starts asking about the haunted house. There is a Lion, Ikoma Hideko, who has asked for assistance.

• Everybody goes gift shopping. Tomoe does some calligraphy. Sumi commissions a tea blend. Ginji collects a flower from our first meeting with Oroko. Niko purchases an expensive painting of a mountain landscape.

• Everybody gets invitations to tea at the Scorpion embassy. Waiting for us is Yogo Katsuda and an emerald magistrate, Kitsuki Momoko. Katsuda doesn’t know much about the mirror, but knows someone who might: Asahina Juri. She tells us not to hesitate to contact her.

• Momoko says we were brought to her attention through an anonymous source.

• Katsuda says me might want to talk to a Kitsu about the realm of dreams.

• We go out for a dinner to keep up appearances.

• Tomoe looks through Niko’s book for a code.

Part Three

November 24, 2024

• Tomoe looks at Niko’s book. It’s Asako’s notes and stories about herbs, using them, growing them, and historical anecdotes. Tomoe finds notes encrypted/hidden in what otherwise looks like doodles. The notes describe dealing with the Naga ruins, and how he suspects there was a civilization preceding even them.

• We prepare for the trip to Toshi Ranbo.

• The next morning, we head out. We get to a nice village.

• The next morning, it is stormy. We get diverted by a washed-out bridge. Eventually, we take shelter at a monastery devoted to Hotei, the Fortune of Comfort. Meeting a monk named Kajo. And this is the Monastery of the Cherry Blossom.

• They are celebrating the retirement of Doji Makuni.

• We notice weirdness while waiting. Ginji can’t meditate. Tomoe does a divination and gets something about secrets.

• The ceremony begins: Doji Makuni talks about his life, then does the ceremony and takes the name Choku, “Simplicity.”

• We have a nice meal. Interrupted by a bushi coming in talking about a ghost “is back.” Kajo turns pale and mutters to himself, “Ai-chan, won’t you ever rest in peace.”

• The ghost haunts lord doji’s castle. She was a peasant woman. She appears outside the gates of the castle, pacing and moaning, not responding to anyone. Says over and over, “my love, you must escape, hurry.”

• Kajo ignores a magic spirit sent to him asking for his presence.

• We head to the castle with the abbot and some monks. We see the ghost. She has a wound in her side and her clothes are soaked in blood, and she is crying. She is looking at the gate, looking for someone on the other side of it.

• We convince the guards to let us in. The caro Doji Shinji greets us with required civility.

• We ask questions of Kakita Miroji, one of the guards. Asked about the ghost’s story, he’s uncomfortable.

• Niko goes back and convinces Kajo to talk. He reveals that she was his lover. There was a peasant revolt against Lord Morisato. When she ran ahead to warn him, but this gave warning to the samurai. She was punished (by the other peasants?) for her actions. Niko brings him back.

• Ginji feels many whispering voices again. We wonder if it is the voices of other peasants who died in the rebellion. We go to visit her village, nothing immediately stands out. Kajo claims not to know who actually killed her.

• In the morning, the voices are quieter, but still there. We have a nice breakfast.

• We talk to Choku. He tells us that the peasants attacked because of higher taxes.

• People still around: Doji Aki, Doji Shinji.

December 1, 2024

• We head to the village, which is named happiness. It looks large and prosperous.

• We head to the inn, which is attached to a sake distillery.

• The innkeeper Kove is practice at being polite to samurai. They recommend “Old Cho” as someone who remembers things from long ago,” but not with a lot of respect.

• When the uprising is mentioned, Kove says it he doesn’t understand it and that they’ve always been treated well. He seems sincere, and wonders if there were “bad elements.”

• He mentions a few people who lost family members in the uprising.

• We go to find Old Cho. He seems not all there.

• He chuckles when the uprising is mentioned, at first denying any knowledge about it.

• He says that the current lord’s father was worse than the current lord. During the uprising, people were starving.

• The uprising may have “been encouraged.” A samurai encouraged it; the people thought that the castle would be left open for them.

• Ai was dead before the first groups of peasants arrived at the castle.

• “Silent” might be able to tell you some answers. Works for the magistrate.

• Silent is outwardly polite, but seems to flinch when she sees Ginji. Her voice is raspy and it seems difficult for her to talk.

• Almost every samurai at the castle at the time is retired or dead.

• Has also heard that a samurai encouraged the uprising. It must have been someone with some status.

• Possible suspects: the current lord, too young to have arranged this, but maybe his mother. The magistrate is ineffective, and maybe it would have been an opportunity to do something. And Shinji, because he’s a jerk.

• The old lord “just keeled over”

• If anyone knows who killed Ai, it’s Doji Shinji or Doji Aki.

• On the way to Doji Aki, we are ambushed by some folks who seem to be using illusion magic. There’s a shugenja who does some impressive Air magic.

• He claims Doji Shinji hired him. His name is Wind.

• We go in to Aki’s dojo. She requires fighting.

• She reveals that Doji Shinji had opened the way into the castle, Ai came up shouting warnings, he stabbed her, then closed the gates.

December 16, 2024

• Aki comes with us back to find Silent and tell her our plan.

• We find them and make our accusation.

• He demands a duel. During the duel, Ai appears and takes Shinji’s blow, while Sumi’s attack kills Shinji.

• We return to the monastery and tell Kajo what happened. He is sad, but relieved.

• The next day we head out for Toshi Ranbo. We have two uneventful days of travel, and arrive at Toshi Ranbo at sunset.

• We go to see Asahina Juri to ask about the mirror.

• tell her the story of the mirror and the ghosts

• she says that there has been more ghost activity across rokugan recently, hypothesizes about realms coming closer together

February 2, 2025

• Some people there we know or have heard of:

• Kitsu Cho

• Akodo Toshiro, the Lion Clan Champion

• Doji Yuri, the son of the Crane Clan Champion

• Shiba Osagi, an Emerald Magistrate

• Doji Kuwanan

• Oroko welcomes us.

• Tomoe strikes up conversation with

• Kitsu Chiyako, musician, long-time friend of Sakiko, twitches at the mention of Cho

• Doji Risa, mother is friends with Oroko’s mother

• Ikoma Miyumi, guest of Lord Akodo

• Miyumi shares that she’s a bit nervous being will all these important people. Yuri and Toshiro’s new friend, Kitsu Xiaomin. Miyumi “doesn’t know how to act” in front of Xiaomin yet.

• He mentions wanting to meet Ikoma Hideko; they say this is her first public appearance since her husband’s death.

The next morning,

• Sumi and Niko hang out with the bushi doing morning training

• tomoe socializes

• ginji socializes

• Sumi spars with the bad-ass Matsu Fumi

• Niko and Kakita Yuto, neither used to stick fighting, are somewhat less bad-ass.

• Ginji speaks with Doji Risa, Kitsu Chiyako, and Kakita Toshiko. They’re having a poetry battle. Toshiko seems best. Ginji doesn’t participate, but does create a calligraphic rendering of a poem about nature he loves. Doji Risa seems to note the skill.

February 23, 2025

We find that the scroll Ginji was asked to retrieve describes trolls like those we fought, and was recently stolen.

• Tomoe digs (subtly) for info on Asako Miu (information requested by Ginji), she is a scholar and impatient with those who aren’t.

• Niko hears a conversation between Matsu Ikuyo and Kitsu Akeno: Ikuyo lives on the border with the Unicorn clan, and Akeno seems to be digging for info about the Unicorn, and even more trying to portray the Unicorn as jerks. When Niko says nice things about the Unicorn, Akeno has some concealed dislike for that.

• Tomoe gets a conversation with Ikoma Hideko: she’s anxious about being in this charged situation. She says her degenerate gambler husband stole heirlooms before dying. One of them, a jade ring, is very important because it’s very well known.

• Sumi talks to Akodo Toshiei and sets up a later meeting. Trade route by land (through Crane lands) would be more expensive, but possibly safer; the sea route has had trouble with pirates.

• Later that day, big opening dinner. Oroko and Sakiko give nice speeches, then Doji Kuwanan and Akodo Toshiro, all happy speeches about cooperation and unity.

• People who seem really into talk about glory of Lion and Crane: Kitsu Akeno and Kitsu Xiaomin.

• Tomoe spots Ikoma Miyumi and Kakita Yuto doing some subtle flirting.

• Matsu Ikuyo seems uncomfortable during some of the speechifying.

• Ginji and Miyumi nerd out about calligraphy.

• The next day

• Ginji and the party go to talk to Asako Miu.

• Tells her that we’re here on behalf of Isawa Mikio.

• She seems angry and suspicious, reveals that the scroll was stolen.

• It was last seen here, her shop was locked, with no evidence of a break in.

• She used to have an apprentice, but got the key back from him before he left.

• The scroll is a very rare record of a troll attack 100 years ago. An attack in the Saikitsu Pass. The trolls wore armor. Mikio requested the scroll after we were attacked.

• She got it from a Unicorn. It was taken a week or so ago. A number of scholars knew about it.

• There’s a locked window in the room with the scrolls, but no sealed.

• The air kami haven’t done anything interesting for a while.

• Niko notices a gap in the window, with scratches around it, near the rock itself. Ginji thinks it looks like racoons. We plan to come back in the evening and talk to racoons.

• Sumi has an invitation to have tea with Toshiei. We have a discussion about how she might approach him.

March 2, 2025: Racoon Stakeout

We discover that there is a trickster shapeshifter at the engagement celebration.

• Sumi speaks with Akodo Toshiei at their appointed tea. He says that the Yasuki made promises about security, yet two shipments were lost to pirates. He seems somewhat mollified by his conversation with Sumi, but will still be meeting with the Daidoji to hear their competing offer.

• In the dojo, Niko watches another round of sparing and practice. Matsu Ikuyo strikes up conversation with Niko, mentioning that she’d love to see a jujitsu demonstration. She is a true student of fighting, aware of details like where people trained and how that is reflected in their sparring; she says that fighting styles reveal truths about people. Also, she admires the purity of the Crab’s purpose. While talking about the other clans, she mentions that in one way or another, “a war is always being fought.” She might be a bit of a rebel, at least among Lion.

• Tomoe walks into a tense conversation, with Hideko and Kazutoki not quite arguing and Nobusama and Nori being mildly uncomfortable. Kazutoki seems like maybe’s he’s generally unpleasant, and especially towards Hideko. Tomoe can tell that Kazutoki is trying to subtly aggravate the situation, but defuses it with Nori’s help. Later, Hideko tells Tomoe that she’s got a bit of history with Kazutoki: he was once a suitor, and now feels entitled after her husband passed. But he seems worse now.

• Ginji joins a group of Crane playing go. Oroko explains that it’s a family tradition, and is happy to teach Ginji how to play, though Doji Kuwanan can’t help himself from throwing out a few tips. The conversation outside the game is a little unsatisfied with the good-old-days clan cheerleading of the previous night. Oroko is happy to have us around.

• That night at dinner:

• Kitsu Cho remains the same, Ikoma Miyumi is sad not be near Yuto, and Matsu Ikuyo seems quiet and thoughtful.

• An argument breaks out between Kitsu Chiyako and Daidoji Itsuo; we don’t catch the subject of the argument.

• Fumie talks with Shiba Osagi, who is an Emerald Magistrate for this region. Fumie seems to be from a more rural area and is worried about crime, but Osagi reassures her. When Osagi talks about some criminal groups they’ve taken down recently, she indirectly gives Tomoe a picture of the town’s underworld.

• We go to speak with the raccoons in the alley. They say a fun person who plays tricks and wears a mask asked them to get the papers. Two of their tricks were making a noise that distracted a guard in the alley, and tripping another person. “Didn’t look like what they looked like.” They followed the person on the night of the theft, and retracing that route, bring us back to the Matsu castle.

• The air kami seem unhappy when we ask them about people using magic in the alley. About the thief: “they are no-one they should be,” and “the spirits didn’t change this person, they were a spirit.” How they did magic: “We had nothing to do with that one,” and their magic was “not kansen, but bad spirits.” To Sumi with her experience at the wall, this sounds like a pekli no oni. Ginji knows about other shapeshifters, but they would be unusual here, likely summoned.

March 9, 2025

• Ideas for trickster detection:

• Ask raccoons to identify them

• Try to trap them by letting it be known that we have something about the trolls

• We go with plan 2. Ginji will make a counterfeit scroll, with a scented ink. Then when it’s taken, we can 1) find it via spell, 2) track it via smell.

• That night Ginji talks to the animals, who report no other people talking to them. But the cats do respond that other people have spoken to them. The person looked like a cat, an orange cat. They asked about people moving around.

• In the morning, Tomoe arranges a suitably visible scroll delivery. He also checks around the local pawn shops, and finds that the jade ring was recently sold. Tomoe manages to figure out that it was Kitsu Kazutoki, who it seems went around various shops looking for it.

• In the afternoon, folks are gathered in the sparring room. It’s kind of an exhibition day, so Niko does a jujitsu demonstration, flipping Sumi. Fumie is delighted by this, and is not the only one to be pleased. Cho is less impressed, as is (less obviously) Daidoji Itsuo. Kazutoki seems bored. Akodo Toshiro is clearly fascinated, but perhaps in a hostile way.

• Shimpachi and Fumie get into an argument while sparring. Kazutoki seems startled and alarmed. Akeno and Cho seem mildly amused. Ginji asks the air kami if something is going on, they say that spirits from Sakkakku, the realm of mischief are present. Niko speaks to Fumie later and we hear that Fumie “suddenly knew” that he was mocking her.

March 16, 2025

• Back in the dojo. Sumi tells the story of the fight with the troll, with the extra detail of the trolls’ fighting style. Tomoe subtly mentions that we’ll be getting a scroll with more troll info soon. We note that Akodo Toshiro seems interested/engaged with us for the first time, as does his buddy Kitsu Xiaomin, but Doji Yuri seems a bit bored.

• Niko asks Toshiro to relate a story. He tells a story about how he killed a great beast in Unicorn lands that they had been unable to deal with. Many of the Lion present seem to have heard the story before.

• Before dinner, Kakita Yuto knocks on our door and asks to speak with Tomoe. He asks for romantic advice about Miyumi. Yuto likes poetry; they conspire to see if Miyumi does as well.

• There’s going to a kabuki show put on by a Lion troupe.

• We note tension between Shiba Osagi and Kitsu Xiaomin. Daidoji Itsuo and Matsu Fumie just seem to have little in common.

• Matsu Ikuyo seems very excited by the earlier story and the idea that ancient trolls were skilled warriors.

• The mostly-Crane end of the table around Oroko seems subdued, and Tomoe can tell they’re talking almost directly about real politics, and potential conflict with the Unicorn.

• Yuto and Miyumi seem to strangely start arguing about poetry. Sumi interrupts by spilling rice everywhere.

• Ginji manages to speak to the trickster spirits, and offers to play two pranks embarrassing samurai in exchange to them pointing out who summoned them. They reveal Nobumasa.

• Also, the scroll is stolen, and is in Nobumasa’s guest house.

• We make a plan to tell Oroko what’s up, wait for Nobumasa to once again do his trick during the opera, and call him out when he does.

• We go to the kabuki. We see Nobumasa getting twitchy. They make an actor trip, fail to make Sumi irritated with Cho, then get Cho and Kakita Reona.

• When confronted, Nobumasa turns into a lion. After a few moments of brawling, he turns into an ox, then a wolf. When we finally drop it, it takes the form of a pekkli.

April 20, 2025

• We got to search the pekkli’s room.

• We find our bait scroll and the stolen scroll about the trolls.

• We find several other scrolls, that we are unsure of the origins. Three are histories, one is poetry. Two are histories of Lion and Crane conflicts, one is a story about a journey into the shadowlands.

• Various personal items we assume were stolen from the party.

• Sakiko says that the journey to the shadowlands scroll came from the main castle.

• The scroll describes a troll attack 100 years ago in the Seikitsu Pass. That’s unusual, because it’s too far from the wall for the troll to have come from the shadowlands, and it fought like the one we saw.

• There’s a note in the margin: “is this Sichi?” Which we think is a name.

• The poetry seems to be pretty meh poetry about flowers, and maybe was just taken by the Pekkli.

• The journey to the shadowlands is the journal of a lion bushi who went to the wall and did a scouting trip to the shadowlands.

• Both of the Lion-Crane conflict histories are focused on the political context and maneuverings.

• The next day: people are talking about the previous night. Fumi is excited to talk about fighting the Pekkli. Niko uses the opportunity to successfully advocate for clan unity.

• Curiously, the Lion Champion seems somewhat negative towards us. We guess that this has to do with his pro-war agenda and disliking our resistance to that narrative.

• Toshi requests another meeting with Sumi. He compliments her. He says that the Crab can continue handling the shipments, if they provide protection on the ships until the piracy problem is over.

• We head to the shop of the person with the scroll. She didn’t write the note, so we think the Pekkli did.

• Tomoe spends the afternoon retrieving the stolen ring.

• That evening at dinner, we’re mostly seated near Crane. Doji Kuwanan thanks us for our work. Asked to tell the story, Tomoe tells an abridged version.

• The traditionalist Lion seem to be a little cool towards us; Tomoe overhears one of them wondering if we summoned the spirit ourselves.

• We watch noh. Ginji loves it, while Oroko tries to bring Sumi to appreciate it.

May 11, 2025

• We all wake up to find the compound empty. Sumi tries to walk about, but finds herself back in the garden.

• Things that we expect, seem to appear. Ginji expects nothing, very hard, and a spirit seems to appear.

• It seems excited about food, not about baubles. It tells us about a hungry spirit inside.

• We head inside and see some giant spiders. Sumi believes they are a variant form of gaki.

• We defeat the gaki.

• The spirit offers Sumi some tea. She drinks it and feels wonderful, and the realm seems more solid to her. So does Niko, but Ginji and Tomoe are wary.

• We find statues of our clan ancestors. The Crab looks dead. The Dragon statue communicates a feeling of failure and loss. Tomoe’s statue seems to be asleep and dreaming. Ginji’s statue has saint-with-animals vibe.

• Sumi’s jade rose and Niko’s book both feel warm to them near the pond outside. Ginji and Tomoe also drink the tea. Their items begin to glow near the pond. And the pond rises up in a humanoid form. It says we’ve met, that we’ve summoned it, and it summoned us. It says that we know it. “The tokens I sent you are now more awake, more connected.”

• “each of you has a foot in your world and a foot in my world… not entirely of ningendo.”

• “and now I think they can see you… because you killed the shifter… the ones who are trying to bring the spirit realms together and erase that which was created long ago.”

• they’re the ones who have been killing the champions

• “I am near the distant child of amaterasu”

• be careful: as the borders weaken, your strength will become your weakness

• We wake up in our beds.

June 15, 2025

• Tomoe does a divination; there is still an immediate danger that the tokens we have are still hiding from, so are not yet fully active.

• Tomoe hears voices raised: Kazutoki threatening Hideko, trying to blackmail her into marrying. Tomoe tells her he has the ring, so Kazutoki does not have the blackmail material he thinks he does.

• Ginji joins Oroko, Sakiko, Kakita Nori, and Doji Kuwanan at the pont. They are being poetic.

• In the dojo, folks are a bit sad, it’s the end of a fun time. Matsu Ikuyo wants to visit Sumi later to talk about the trolls and their ancient combat style.

• In the evening, the garden is lit up with laterns, and it’s a nice time. We note that we hadn’t seen much of the Lion leadership during the day. Niko joins a group with them, hears Cho being snooty about fancy parties in Otasan Uchi. Kitsu Xiaomin seems pleased to have met us. Cho and Toshiro seem to not work too hard to conceal that they expect the Unicorn to fall out of favor at the imperial court, though perhaps that’s overconfident assumption than current reality.

• Tomoe takes revenge on Kazutoki; secretly tripping him into the pond.

• The evening ends without bloodshed.

• We head back to Otosan Uchi; the trip is uneventful. On the way back, Niko uses her tattoo to send a message to the Dragon ambassador about rising tension between the Lion and Unicorn.

• Sumi goes to see Fujiko. She’s predictably upset; this time, upset that Sumi promised protection of the shipments, but is grudgingly happy that the alliance is maintained.

• Niko goes to ambassador Mirumoto Tokai. He’s sad about Lion pushing for war, and particularly the Lion champion; he wonders about the Crane champion.

• Ginji goes to ambassador Isawa Mikio and hands the scroll over. She mentions sending us to investigate the site of the troll incident described in the scroll.

• Tomoe goes to his ambassador and gives an extensive report.

June 22, 2025

• After discussion, we plan to go to another of Oroko’s salons, we set up tea with Maya, and plan to meet the Jade Champion again, but she is not in the city of the moment.

• Messengers arrive for Sumi and Niko. Sumi is invited to dinner tonight with Governor Hida Kosuga. Niko’s got mail: a message that has gone from otosan uchi, to dragon lands, and back. It has a map and a haiku. “rain falls on whispers / thunder battles long lost fears / the storm conquers blood.” The map is a hasty hand-drawn thing; perhaps caves or streets.

• When Ginji casts a spell on the map, he gets an impression of a person in darkness, underground with a lantern, sketching this map. He thinks this person is connected to Niko, maybe her brother. And the cave are semi-natural.

• We head to the Field of Sharp Returns for tea with Maya. She is wowed by our stories. Niko brings up Lion wanting to war with Unicorn. And also possible issues with the Crane. Then Niko gives a list of Lion to Maya that she believes are involved in moving towards war. Maya takes this in stride, and seems doubtful.

• Tomoe spends some time subtly asking about any new members of the Emperor’s inner circle, but few are new. Us, Kakita Koishi, Oroko and Sakiko. Asahina Yuki. Shosuro Mari.

• Next up: dinner with Kosuga. Tomoe helps with shopping for gifts.

• It’s a low-ceremony environment. Tomoe feels that the informality goes beyond normal Crab etiquette and is a pointed rejection of the fancy ways of Otasan Uchi.

• The governor is disdainful of the Crab Ambassador. He’s interested in our fights with monsters. He wants to help us, believing that the city is unprepared for threats. Ginji asks for papers indicating we’re working with/for the governor.

• Afterwards at home, Oroko will have a salon the day after tomorrow.

• The next day, we decide to head to the Chiken Temple.

Part Four

August 24, 2025: First Trip into the Tunnels

We pick up dungeon-delving supplies — jade powder, torches, chalk, rope, log, snacks, spikes, hammer — and head to the temple. The guards there remember Yuta: he used to came here for long periods. We guess that our map, which looks like a copy of another map with notes added, was made by Yuta during those visits. The guards also repeat — with less-than-perfect sincerity — the party line that the temple isn’t haunted.

Inside, we see the stairs at the entrance have been maintained recently. Tomoe sees a hidden Scorpion symbol on the wall. The symbols get more extensive as we get deeper in the tunnels, but are mostly out of date.

On the map, there’s an area under the center of the city. Worried that this represents a threat to the emperor, we make our way there, and find what looks like an ancient guard post. The heraldry inside dates back to the beginning of the empire, around 1000 years ago. The innermost room seems very imperial; that impression is strengthened after we find magic on a door inside that only allows members of the Hantei family to pass through. The tunnel beyond that door looks collapsed.

We find an ancient scroll case and a jade bracelet. The contents of the scroll case are equally ancient and can’t be inspected here. Ginji casts Read the Essence on the bracelet, and sees what looks like an imperial princess, waiting anxiously in the room.

We move on to an area marked “new?” on the map. We find a narrow, natural passage that looks like it was opened where the earth has shifted over time. It leads to another constructed tunnel, but the construction of this tunnel is different, and it’s not on the map. Also, the stones seem to be glowing slightly. We find chalk marks and guess that Yuta also explored here recently.

Further in, there’s a room with two main features:

• Many skeletal remains that look like the aftermath of a battle. The skeletons are humanoid but not human: some large and with tails, other small and oddly-shaped.

• An outcropping of rock from the floor with more of the purple crystal we saw before. Touching it is what looks like Yuta, but turned into purple crystal.

Suddenly, three laughing hyena people appear: tsuno, spirits from the realm of slaughter. They immediately attack us. During the fight, Niko is thrown into Yuta’s remains. She has a vision of Yuta, who tells here “this is all I can give you,” and grips her arm. After the vision ends, she has a new tattoo on her arm: his crystalline hands wrapped around it, as in her vision.

After the battle, we can see that the larger skeletal remains are tsuno. The newer tunnel is collapsed not much beyond the room, and we decide to return to the surface.

August 31, 2025: Asahina Yuki has the Same Dream

Ginji examines the scroll we found in the tunnels. It is the journal of Doji Usan, whom Ginji recognizes as the consort of Hantei VII. This was the first emperor after the Gozuku conspiracy, around 600 years ago, when several of the great clans had effectively taken over the empire, leaving the emperor as a figurehead. The journal seems to be written around the time that Hantei VII was reestablishing imperial rule.

Then, we got to Oroko’s salon. We recognize everyone, including: Asahina Yuki, Iuchi Sadako, Kakita Koishi, Kakita Zachi, Daidoji Nokatsu, Shosuro Mari, Iuchi Maya, Utaku Imani, Kitsuki Satoshi, Bayushi Itamaki, and Kakita Yuto.

• Zachi is nervous about an upcoming show.

• Yuto looks a bit nervous. It turns out that he’s got a crush Ikoma Miyumi (which we saw earlier) and is trying to figure out how to see her again.

• Sumi talks to Satoshi, starting by commiserating about being a Crane salon. He says things have been quiet since the water zombies. They talk about the history of the city, or historians of the city.

• Ginji asks Koishi and Yuto about the use of void magic in dueling: would it be dishonorable? They are interested and thoughtful, but have no immediate answer.

Asahina Yuki seems distracted. When Niko speaks with her, she says she’s been obsessed with her art, and “inspired by the city.” Niko mentions dreaming about the city — in a non-specific way — and Yuki responds enthusiastically. They talk about art and inspiration. Niko gets Ginji involved, and when Yuki mentions being inspired to tell a story about “material vs spirit” and seeing conflicting visions of Otasan Uchi in ruins or triumphant, Ginji asks to immediately see her art, and we make an abrupt exit.

One of her paintings basically looks like our dream, while the other is a view of the forbidden city lit from below with a familiar purple glow. Sumi’s jade flower feels warm to the touch, but doesn’t have any reaction to touching Yuki.

After some questioning, we discover that she doesn’t remember any specifics of her life before coming to Otasan Uchi, and remains unaware of her amnesia.

While we wonder what to do, Yogo Katsuda sends us a message telling us that she’ll meet us tomorrow. Ginji responds with a message briefly explaining the situation with Yuki. Katsuda is interested in meeting her.

Tomoe does a divination on Yuki.

September 7, 2025: Yuki is a Spirit; Niko Leaves

Tomoe’s divination on Yuki shows secrets, hidden things, heartbreak, grief/loss, naive, and unequal power dynamics.

We share a dream of a strange underground city, where the buildings are carved from stone and the ceiling of the cavern is set with thousands of glittering lights. We all share the single perspective of someone who isn’t us. Behind us, someone speaks, and we see they are like a tsuno, but this person looks feline with intense purple eyes.

“I’ve done all the divinations I can; there’s no answer but to use the crystal,” they say. But, the dream-perspective we share knows this is wrong.

“No Kishenku,” we say, “we’ll find another way.”

“This is the only way to stop Jigoku,” he replies. From an obscure text on the Spirit Realms, Ginji remembers Tsuno Kishenku. Yuki tells us that she’s also dreamed of the city.

Katsuda shows up for our meeting, and examines Yuki while we explain recent events. She tells us that Yuki is both a person and a spirit. She also looks at Sumi’s jade flower. She tells us that it exists in multiple realms at the same time and that it may help sensing spirits or connections to the spirit realms.

She tells us that the Kitsu are probably our best source for learning about history and the spirit realms. We resolve to call on Kitsu Xiaomin.

We return to the tunnels with Katsuda; she recognizes them as the “old Scorpion tunnels.” When she sees Niko’s new tattoo, she knows it isn’t kami magic, and is connected to Niko, Togashi magic, and the spirit realms, and that Yuta is still tied to Niko. Katsuda things that Yuta was not actually killed, but that the magic of the crystal pushed him into the spirit world. She also thinks that he could possibly be brought back, and that the Togashi might understand more about the tattoo. Niko decides to travel home to find out more.

September 21, 2025: We Learn of the City of Night

After we leave the tunnels, Katsuda gets us each a crystal wakizashi, so that we have a reliable way to fight the spirits we are seeing ever more frequently.

We want a little more info about Kitsu Xiaomin, since we plan to ask him about sensitive topics. Regrettably, our local source of Kitsu information is Kitsu Cho. Tomoe speaks to her, but she mostly complains about the Unicorn. She’s suspicious of them because the Unicorn ambassador has been out of town is for two weeks, but no-one is talking about it. She does know that Xiaomin is at Kyuden Ikoma. Tomoe writes a letter to Xiaomin asking to meet him there; Ginji sketches the remains we saw in the tunnels — tsuno and the smaller remains — and includes them with the letter.

Shosuro Kato tells Tomoe that not only is the Unicorn ambassador gone, their clan champion and several family daimyos haven’t been seen for a while. Maya doesn’t know why her ambassador is gone, only “he seemed grim when he left.” She did notice that we left the party earlier with Yuki, which Tomoe deflects by talking about how we wanted to see her art.

We leave for Kyuden Ikoma. The trip is pleasant, and while we’ve felt a rising Lion–Unicorn tension in social situations, we don’t see any sign of that as we ride through Lion territory. Kyuden Ikoma is a smaller castle within a big city, which also includes the enormous and fortified Ikoma library.

At the library, we meet Xiaomin and tell him a redacted story about our interest in pre-kami history and the spirit realms. He knows more about it that anyone else we’ve met.

He tells us about the City of Night, an ancient city with five races, each connected to an element: the Trolls, Kenku, Tsuno, Zokujin, and Ningyo. He says the city was underground, but its location is currently unknown. However, he recognizes the odd architecture from the tunnels, and from our dreams, as matching the City of Night.

He also knows more details about the encounter with the troll in the Seikitsu Pass. An imperial cartographer, Asako Gohiro, along with others, was mapping the area when they found a stone troll. It started moving, then used earth magic to grow larger. It attacked, leaving soil where it walked. Eventually, a scorpion magistrate named Bayushi Seiko helped them subdue it — possibly just putting it back to sleep.

We mention the purple crystal, and he says that he’s read that it was related to the destruction of the City of Night. Xiaomin claims to know nothing more about it, but Tomoe can tell that he is lying. Xiaomin also stifled reactions earlier, when we mentioned the Tsuno and Tsuno Kishenku. We don’t know what he’s hiding, but he definitely knows more than he’s sharing.

He says that Asako Kinto wrote about ancient history, but not the City of Night.

We stay the night at a local inn, then head to Ryoko Owari, wanting to find more of Asako Kinto’s writing.

October 12, 2025: Learn about Sichi and Naga

But first, we stop at Shiro no Soshi, hoping to learn more about Bayushi Seiko, or at least what she did to stop the troll we may be about to encounter.

Tomoe gets us a meeting with Soshi Hachi, a scholar at a library here. We find out that Seiko was a scorpion magistrate that had been stationed on the wall, and had even gone on expeditions to the shadowlands. Sumi knows that this is particularly rare/hardcore for non-Crab. This may be related to another fact: she was specifically requested by Gohiro for their expedition. She was able to help Gohiro with knowledge — we don’t learn any specifics — that let him cast the spell that put the troll to sleep, though the spell also killed him in the process. We are also told that the troll, like those we fought earlier, had no shadowlands taint.

Ginji notes that the magic used against the troll is conspicuous in its absence, as if carefully omitted or redacted from the scrolls. But, the name “Zgkol” is present in the margins. It’s obviously not a Rokugani name, and maybe not even a gaijin name. Hachi tells us there’s nothing else in the library about Zgkol, but there is a descendant of Seiko named Bayushi Ogura living in Shiro no Soshi.

We meet with Ogura. He tells us that the story and the magic have been handed down in his family. The troll “Sichi” — whose name we saw earlier — was maddened, wild, and almost mindless. Ogura says the magic to fight it can’t be taught quickly, and agrees to meet us at Seikitsu Pass.

Next, we take a boat downriver to Ryoko Owari, looking to find more of Asako Kinto’s writings. We discover that he has a nephew Asako Natsuo, who maintains Kinto’s home as a museum, and defends his writings. He enthusiastically invites us to visit when we send him a message.

We meet him at the museum, a tiny house on large grounds with unorganized gardens. The museum preserves Kinto’s work: he believed that the Naga had a large empire before the fall of the Kami and the beginning of Rokugan. Part of the grounds are an archaeological dig; Natsuo shows us oddly-shaped tools and pottery depicting naga. We also see herbs that Kinto believed were cultivated by the Naga, and Ogura is happy to give us samples.

Kinto also believe that the Naga empire was built on the remains of an earlier empire.Evidence included scrolls found a cave in the Shinomen forest, which he believed were written by naga, that referenced the earlier people. Looking through some of the writings, we find mention of an ancient city predating the Naga, who expanded their influence after the city was destroyed by a disaster. Also mentioned is the Naga fighting Jigoku, which would have been before Fu Leng fell.

Natsuo also tells us about Naga pearl magic. Kinto learned it, then taught it to Asako Tatsuo. We find writing where Kinto speculated that the naga learned the pearl magic from the Ningyo. Ginji shows the pearl he received to Natsuo, who thinks the pearl has been prepared for Naga magic. But, instructions for pearl magic are noticeably absent.

Ginji casts Read the Essence on his pearl.

October 19, 2025: Sichi

After casting the spell, Ginji has a vision of being in a city deep underwater. It has a dissonant appearance: complex, beautiful architecture, but covered with primitive and savage decorations, like dead bodies. Shadowy figures swim around. Some might be Ningyo, and there are also much larger serpentine shadows.

We head towards the Seikitsu Pass. In Unicorn lands, we’re attacked by a group of mounted warriors. They are dressed as bandits, but are clearly skilled Lion bushi. Sumi drops five or six before they bring her down. A group of Unicorn arrive and finish off the remaining “bandits,” and we capture the bandit leader.

The unicorn are led by a bushi named Moto Chen, who apologizes: he is guarding the Unicorn lands, but the “bandits” manage to sneak in. It’s also clear to him that they are Lion bushi, but he is politely circumspect. These types of attacks have been going on for a short while, and they always target travelers, not the Unicorn themselves. After some conversation, Chen also repeats what we’ve heard elsewhere: much of the Unicorn leadership has withdrawn. It’s gone on long enough that many Unicorn are “getting restless.”

Chen and few others accompany us to Seikitsu Pass, and slowly realize that Ginji isn’t joking when he warns them about a possible battle with a giant troll. We meet Ogura there and find Sichi there, who is also known to Chen, though only as a mountain that looks like a troll. Ogura tells us that, Gohiro accidentally woke Sichi elsewhere, and this is where his rampage ended.

There are all kinds of strange clues around Sichi:

• Sichi is made of stone, but not stone from this area.

• The earth kami are weaker the closer you get to Sichi; where he touches, there are none.

• There’s a sort of tunnel, filled with solid stone, leading downward.

• There’s an outcropping on the wall of the canyon that reminds Sumi of areas in the Shadowlands, and has a feeling of resonance with our various items.

Ginji speaks with the earth kami:

• What is this thing? A monster spirit being held prisoner; it came here and fell.

• What is the tunnel? One who is earth, but not earth, travelled through.

• What is the magic used to bind the monster? Magic of those who are earth but not earth, channelled through “one is who is connected to us.”

We guess that this earth-not-earth magic might be Zokujin magic, in the same way as the Naga pearl magic is descended from Ningyo magic. Ogura confirms that Seiko taught him the earth-not-earth magic. He doesn’t know who Seiko learned it from, but they also told her Sichi’s name. Seiko may have learned the magic from them while in the Shadowlands, though the magic is emphatically not maho. He saw the name “Zgkol” somewhere in Seiko’s notes, though without much context or explanation.

We head towards where Sichi was awakened.