[003] Into the War Camp

[jemmus]

Wow. The US Dice Roller god is having a grumpy day.

[ffilz]

Wow. The US Dice Roller god is having a grumpy day.

Either that or someone who plays D&D or some other D20 roll high game has hacked the dice roller...

[Marullus]

(-2 for wounds) critical failure

And I'm going to check in before proceeding...

Okay...

Critical Failure in Healing. If you apply first aid to wounds immediately after battle, it prevents infection. If your first move after detailed time is NOT first aid, then you need to pass a Health ST. Failure means you get Infection. There is then a Health ST every morning to overcome infection and Critical failure on any of those means you get Plague.

These wounds were all treated by Eiji, so no infections. Instead, we're dealing with...

Critical Failure on a Spell Casting. Normally, when you attempt a spell it costs the full amount. If you fail it costs only 1 Power Point. On a Critical Success it costs no Power Points. On a Critical Failure it costs the full amount of the spell.

Right now, Eiji casts Healing at first level and it costs 1 power point. At level 2, it will cost 2 if successful, 1 if failed, and 2 if critically failed. So, the current critical failure has no effect.

...that also means that I think we're overcharging you for failed Trances. I think failing only costs 1 Power, and you can try more times. (It also takes time to do in Detailed Time, but you're not time-limited right now, so he should be able to meditate until he gets it right.)

[ffilz]

OK, so Eiji still has 24 power left... (and technically he had 8 power left at the end of the day before - if you're OK with mild retconn, he'll use those 8 for healing).

So more attempts at trance:

Success, leaving him with 15 power. So with Raja Yoga, Eiji will meditate on Taka's condition seeking guidance on how to rejoin her spirit and body.

[Marullus]

Copying this forward:

This is they key moment for action by Eiji the Gakusho. He gets his 28 Power Points restored with his morning prayers at dawn.

• He can perform a Ki action to enhance his future actions, he needs to roll d20s until he gets a 1, but we're not time limited so he can do that. The only one relevant to this situation is Power Reservoir, which will increase his Power points from 28 to 29 (because he only has 1 Ki, that's the maximum).
• He can enter a Trance for 9 Power (10-level) and roll for one Prophecy (Karma-Yoga) useable in the coming day and one piece of Secret Knowledge (Raja-yoga) while in the trance. BCS to enter a trance is (Magic+Meditation/2) BCS 7. Successful use of either Yoga is BCS 3.
• He can attempt to heal the wounded, paying 1 Power for each roll and if successful healing 1d6. (BCS is 9 minus the amount of lethal damage the subject has/10. So BCS 7 for Souta and Ha, BCS 9 for Toshizo, and Taka can't be healed.)

He can cast Blessings upon himself or his teammates. This requires a BCS 9 roll and and each attempt costs 2 Power Points. Success allows the recipient to either add +2 to BCS rolls (Karma Yoga) or to gain 18% bonus hit points above their current total (Raja-Yoga). Either blessing lasts 1d3 turns, rolled when activated.

I think he gains Shugendo as follows:

• .1 Shugendo per successful healing roll with a minimum of 1 Shugendo for the scene.
• 1 Shugendo for gaining useful information from a Trance.
• .2 Shugendo for each Blessing successfuly cast.

After Eiji makes his decisions regarding his power points and has his scene, then the rest of you can plan your action for the day.

Okay, having achieved a trance, he can now attempt one roll each for Raja-Yoga and for Karma-Yoga while in the trance. (To try a second time, he needs a second trance.) So, please make those rolls. (You already corrected that those Yoga rolls should be BCS 4, not BCS 3... Wit 18 /5 + 1 for level = 4.)

I'm fine with retconning to use the left over power for yesterday on more backdated healing spells.

[ffilz]

Raja yes, Karma, not so much...

[ffilz]

Retconning yesterday's healing:

Healing Souta

(-2 for wounds) fail
(-2 for wounds) fail
(-2 for wounds) fail
(-2 for wounds) fail
(-2 for wounds) success
(-1 for wounds) fail
(-1 for wounds) success
(-1 for wounds) fail

So Souta is healed 8 more.

Now I'll await the results of the Raja Yoga meditation before doing anything more.

[Marullus]

Hit Points	Power	Turn Order
Ha 30 / 41 Toshizo 24 / 24 Souta 19 / 19 Taka 0 / 9 (subdual, unconscious) Eiji 11 / 11 Jīva 10 / 10	Taka 0 / 38 Eiji 17 / 28	Phase 16: Jīva (Basic Action) Phase 12: Bakemono-sho (Basic Action) Phase 10: Souta (Basic Action) Phase 9: Toshizo (Basic Action) Phase 6: Eiji (Basic Action); Souta (Secondary Action) Phase 5: Ha (Basic Action) Phase 4: Toshizo (Secondary Action) Phase 3: Souta (Secondary Action) Phase 2: Taka (Basic Action)

---

With Eiji's ministrations, Souta is fully healed before sleep. Only Ha remains wounded, except for Taka, who continues to waste away.

In the morning, Eiji greets the Buddha and is restored, then settles into a meditative trance. Sitting on his straw tatami mat, Eiji is unmoving, the others watching.

It takes three attempts to enter the trance (-1, -1, -9 Power)

Entering the trance has a base effect:

This performs the full functions of the Shugenja Spells "Magic Detection" and "Magic Analysis" immediately and in full.

Then successful use of Raja-yoga reveals hidden knowledge.

His mind placid and open to the spiritual realm. He feels the pull of darkness, palpable at the mouth of the cave. The magic of the potent Uba, the mountain hag that the bandits named Shimi, pervades the east side of the valley beyond the fire where Eiji meditates.

Eiji meditates on Taka's condition, seeking guidance on how to rejoin her spirit and body. His awareness shifts, like a gathering and dissipating of mists, and he finds himself in a massive natural cavern with a soaring ceiling, surrounded by tables with alembics and bubbling glass and ceramic containers. The laboratory equipment glows to his sight as impacted by the hag's magics, but more knowledge of it is beyond him. There is a large urn next to the door, however, which glows with an aura of transformation. Eiji focuses on a grey-haired hag within the chamber, her stony black eyes filled with malice. Her gnarled hands fondle an ivory netsuke carved to be a frightened rabbit. She croons to it and chuckles darkly, but he cannot make out her words. He sees, however, the tortured and pained spectre of Satake no Taka is the subject of the hag's attentions and that spiritual threads bind Taka to the netsuke rabbit. There is another netsuke upon the hag's garment, a twining dragon, the threads from it stretching thinly across the room and through the closed wooden door.

The wisdom for Eiji is clear - Taka's soul is bound by the hag and the netsuke must be rejoined with her body before she can recover.

You have 17 power remaining for another trance (to try Prophecy again, and ask another secret-knowledge question) to heal Ha, or to cast Blessings.

After a few minutes, Eiji opens his eyes.

[jemmus]

Toshizo stands by silently on guard as Eiji falls into a deep trance. He has seen more wondrous things in the past few days than throughout the rest of his young life. Bakemono-sho running about the Earth, as common as dogs. Taka-san falling unconscious, with no wounds or marks on her body. Being cut down and a hair's breadth, then restored to full health in just two days by Eiji's connection with the Buddha. He's relieved when Eiji again opens his eyes. His soul didn't wander away and get lost or captured like Taka's did.

[Samwell Turleton]

Souta was patient with the monk's ministrations and felt the pain leave her sides. She looked in wonderment at the locations of her deep wounds only to see fresh scar tissue instead of the fresh wounds that were there before. Thank you, Eiji-san - this is a remarkable thing that you can do. Souta remains by Taka's side talking to her, hopeful that her state will change.

[Samwell Turleton]

Does Taka's projection into the Kakuri-yo have any continued action there? Is there any awareness of capture? Is it still in the cave at the Hag's chamber?

[Marullus]

Does Taka's projection into the Kakuri-yo have any continued action there? Is there any awareness of capture? Is it still in the cave at the Hag's chamber?

That's a fun idea - it would be possible for us to do a separate solo RP of some social roleplay while under imprisonment. I don't have time right now to run that and it won't be capable of impacting the rescue scene (and the OOC knowledge might detract from the rescue scene) so I'll hold off for now. If I get some extra time, I'll open a separate thread for that flashback.

[Marullus]

*bump*
Eiji needs to reveal what he reveals, then make decisions about his remaining Power points.
Then you guys still need a plan of attack.

[ffilz]

*bump*
Eiji needs to reveal what he reveals, then make decisions about his remaining Power points.
Then you guys still need a plan of attack.

Oops, somehow I missed the actual results of the trance. Eiji will share the description of the rabbit netsuke and how Taka's soul has been bound into it. He will also describe the chamber with its laboratory.

I think we must enter this cave and find the hag and this netsuke

I actually have that Eiji has 15 power left.

He will try for another trance:

But is unable to reach the trance state again. With only 8 power left, he will try some more healing on Ha:

(-1 for wounds) fails
(-1 for wounds) fails
(-1 for wounds) fails
(-1 for wounds) fails
(-1 for wounds) fails
(-1 for wounds) fails
(-1 for wounds) fails
(-1 for wounds) fails

to no avail and using all his power.

[jemmus]

Hearing Eiji's explanation about Taka's catatonic state, Toshizo says, That is very bad. We must kill the hag and get the netsuke, I think. I hope when the hag dies the magic holding Taka-san's spirit will end and she will be releases. But is it possible she could stay trapped in the netsuke? And she would need the hag alive to cancel the magic? I'm regrettably very ignorant about magical things and how they work.

We decided that we will stay together as a group, correct? Then we must bring Taka-san with us. Perhaps Eiji can carry her and they can stay to the rear, with Souta, Ha and I in front.

[jmacatty]

Ha: We will kill the hag. Taka will live or die.

[Marullus]

Hit Points	Power	Turn Order
Ha 30 / 41 Toshizo 24 / 24 Souta 19 / 19 Taka 0 / 9 (subdual, unconscious) Eiji 11 / 11 Jīva 10 / 10	Taka 0 / 38 Eiji 0 / 28	Phase 16: Jīva (Basic Action) Phase 12: Bakemono-sho (Basic Action) Phase 10: Souta (Basic Action) Phase 9: Toshizo (Basic Action) Phase 6: Eiji (Basic Action); Souta (Secondary Action) Phase 5: Ha (Basic Action) Phase 4: Toshizo (Secondary Action) Phase 3: Souta (Secondary Action) Phase 2: Taka (Basic Action)

---

With the revelation of Taka's condition being spiritually enslaved by the Hag, the group now is committed to their action - enter the cave, reach the hag, and slay it. Not much as far as strategy goes, but sometimes a direct approach is best. The group is loathe to leave Taka's body behind in the house. Eiji, experienced with moving inert bodies, fashions a litter to bear her, pulled with the strength of his shoulders and following behind the others. (For gameplay purposes, allowing Eiji to bring her as Fully Encumbered, where he's not otherwise strong enough to carry her alone.)

Toshizo, Ha, and Souta need to take a single file line entering the cave mouth, beginning at first in that order, with heaviest armor to least. There are enough chochin portable lanterns for them each to carry one (state if you don't.), which is good, as the sunlight is quickly only a memory behind you as you descend into the stone of the mountain. The entrance to the tunnel is concealed, from the vantage of the house, by a rock outcropping, but plain enough once at the right angle. The tunnel is about 10 feet wide and eight feet high as you enter. You wend around 10 yards straight in to the northeast, then the passage bends and you go another 10 yards due east. The wafting scent of fire-roasted spit-pork is overwhelming. The tunnel begins to widen into a chamber when you are stopped by a nasal, croaking voice. "Stop! Interlopers unwelcome!"

At the edge of your lantern-light the cavern opens, soaring 24 feet high with stalactites far above. Two bakemono-sho in ashigaru armor stand with spears in hand, terrified looks on their faces masked with bravado, blocking where the passage enters the cavern beyond.

[jemmus]

Something smells like roasting pork, but Toshizo doubts that that's what it really is. He prefers not to really investigate and analyze the scent. At the sight of the bakemono-sho, he doesn't waste time with any parlaying. He nocks a willow leaf arrow, draws the string to his ear, and looses at the man-eater to the left.

BCS 12 +2 point blank [1d20]=7 Damage [2d6]=7

[Marullus]

*bump*

Ha? Souta?
(Eiji is carrying Taka but can still act, too.)

I will try to update on Sunday if everyone posts.

[jmacatty]

Ha will move to attck with blade. Katana if there is room, Wakizashi if not.

Go ahead and roll it, as I don't know which one I'm using.