2nd Scroll - Lands of the Takeda - 91st Day

[jemmus]

At the bottom of the hour of the hare, Kentaro and Haruto go to the inn where the pilgrims have gathered to depart for Fuji-san, There are eight of them already gathered, all wearing the garb of traveling pilgrims. There are the young man and young woman who appear to be budoka. There is a well-fed couple who appear to be of the merchant class. There is another couple who appear to be lower ranking samurai. The wife has Buddhist prayer beads wrapped around on hand. There is a man in his fifties who appears to be ronin bushi. His rugged face suggests that he has seen, and perhaps done, many harsh things in his lifetime. Last, there is an old, bent woman who appears to be a peasant farmer.


A young woman a colorful winter kimono enters the room from the interior of the inn. The merchant class girl would not be allowed to wear such a gaudy thing on the street, but it appears that her enterprise wants to impress the pilgrims here in the privacy of the inn. She bows to the pilgrims. Good morning everyone! Thank you for arriving so early in the morning. I will now give information for your travel to sacred Fuji-san.

First, you must travel to Fujikawa-cho. You should arrive there by dusk. Our company recommends that you stay at the Fuji no Yuki (“Snows of Fuji”) inn. The rooms are warm and the dining and excellent. There is another in Fujikawa, but... reports of its accommodations are not so good.

Our company has hired two bushi to accompany you to Fujikawa-cho and onto Fuji-san. This was quite difficult for us, because almost all bushi in the area have gone into the daimyo's service. The yojimbo will travel with you through the forest and onto the mountain, but they will not stay overnight on the mountain.

The merchant man speaks up. But we paid for four yojimbo.

The young woman replies, We are sorry, but only two could be found. You will be given a partial refund when you return from your pilgrimage. The merchant seems about to say, “And if we don't return?” but glances at the proud, austere samurai couple and doesn't

Well then, it's time to depart, the young woman says. Please stay warm and please be careful.

Outside, it's a cold, clear Kiku-zuki morning. Two bushi are waiting, an old ronin missing his right hand and an ashigari with a yari. Porters carry the merchants' and samurai's trunks. The group passes through Takeda checkpoints in Kofu. It seems that bushi are everywhere. Takeda couriers and others wearing an unfamiliar kamon ride through the streets. The pilgrims reach the road to Kofu, follow it through the Kofu plain through the day and arrive at Fujikawa-cho without event.


Sorry for the delay posting. It's December 6, 1180, around 40 degrees F at sunset. Does Haruto stay at the inn or at his home in Fujikawa-cho. He can invite Taisho if he'd like. Haruto's brother's wife is pretty easy-going and she and Haruto have always gotten along (the few times they've been together).

I promise that the action is about to pick up!

[Marullus]

Haruto rides with the pilgrims, keeping the horse to a slow walk so as to not out-pace them. He considers walking, but it is afterall a long journey. He's the only Buke in the company so there is no other for the young samurai to defer to, and he realizes he should conserve his strength for the mountain climb rather than spend himself on the road... he has no wish to call more attention to his frail form than he must.

It is good to be going towards home... he remembers his early childhood years in the shadow of the great mountain with fondness, and feels a close connection to his brother despite a decade of absence. It does not occur to the Shugenja that this connection may not be reciprocated, as he has listened to his brother's voice and counsels as he listened to his fathers and is heedless that they have neither seen nor heard from him since before he could read. As the horse clops along, he thinks upon his recent observation of his brother and their troubles there. (So, what DID I learn from spiritually observing my brother in the past few weeks?)

He reminisces and points out his childhood memories and landmarks as they near the village. "My brother is the Ninyo here, you see. We will be most welcome!" he adds with some exuberance. He invites Taisho to come with him to his brother's house, but offers to pay for the overnight stay of all the pilgrims nonetheless. "I am not my brother, but I will offer hospitality for my family, anyway," he says cheerfully. "We will meet you in the morning to begin the ascent."

[jemmus]

Sorry, I thought Haruto was visiting his father the whole time.
Haruto had seen that is brother is happily married, with a daughter of around three years old and a son around a year old. His duties as the ninyo of Fujikawa-cho are trying and taxing. In addition to managing the farmers and collecting their taxes, there constant flow of pilgrims through the village. At times he and his samurai have to be police breaking up altercations. And often his has to be a judge to resolve some dispute over overcharging, some allegation of thievery, and countless other things. And there are the reports to fill out and send to Kofu when pilgrims go missing. Still, he has seemed content with his family and his life in the village.

But that has recently changed. The Takeda call to arms included him and all but one of his bushi. And the intelligence is that the Taira army is on the move not far at all from Fujikawa-cho. He isn't afraid for his own life, and the thought of not doing his duty doesn't cross his mind. But he justifiably fears that the little town-- and his Minamoto Takeda family-- are in the pathway of the thousands-strong Taira army.

Haruto and Taisho arrived at his childhood home. Haruto's brother's wife welcomes them formally, but warmly. As expected, the stand for his brother's o-yoroi is bare, as is the rack for his dai-sho. Everything in the house is spotless. It seems that his brother's wife is not completely at ease here, as if this is her husband's stepmother's house, and not completely her own home. The shugenja and gakusho see that a naginata openly stands in a corner of the living, dining and fireplace room. And more ominously, a sheathed tanto rests on a cushion on the floor beneath it.

The pilgrims are fed well. Haruto enjoys meeting his niece and nephew, and the children take to him and Uncle Taisho as well. The pilgrims have baths, and sleep soundly. Before dawn, they are up, fed well again, and say their good-byes. They meet the group of pilgrims and the two old ashigaru in the designated spot. Everyone's breath turns to clouds in the predawn air.

Samurai women were trained in naginajutsu for home defense. If things became hopeless, they committed seppuku with a tanto to the throat rather than being captured.

Costs for the inn - 2 buke, 12 silver; 6 non-buke, 36 copper. Yes, the inn is kind of a tourist trap. Which is a partly a source of Haruto's brother's troubles. The rates would be higher, if the ninyo didn't set a cap.

[jemmus]

The morning that Taisho and Haruto set off for Fuji-san, Kentaro and Hiroshi went to the Special Duties Commission office (Tokubetsu-yakuba). The scribe samurai were bent over their paper and brushes, as usual, but there were only four of them, instead of the usual eight. The commissioner greeted them with, You just renewed your inn passes the other day, so you must be here for work. The only thing available now is service in the Takeda army. Sugata, read them the terms of temporary army service.[
A scribe stood, went to a shelf and retrieved a rolled paper. He reads in a loud, clear voice.

#1. Not in service buke will serve in ronin bushi units. Others will serve in ronin ashigaru units. Units will be commanded by in service samurai.
#2. Buke with horses will serve in ronin cavalry units. Buke with no horses will serve in ronin infantry units.
#3. Samurai have the right to fight at the front of the unit. But they will treat ronin caste bushi as comrades in arms and support them and give them aid as if they were samurai.
#4. Bushi will be issued armor and weapons, if needed.
#5. Pay. Cavalry bushi, 20 gold. Infantry bushi, 15 gold. Ashigaru, 10 gold. Chugen auxiliaries, 5 gold. Each enemy head, 1 silver. Each personal combat with an enemy bushi, 1 gold. Pay is received at the end of a successful battle that involves actual combat and casualties. There is no pay for raids or other situations in which the enemy does not strongly resist.
#6. Cowardice or disobeying an officer’s order is punishable by forfeiture of pay, a fine, flogging, invitation to seppuku, or execution as a common criminal.

The commissioner says, Nakata, prepare contracts for their marks. The scholar or shugenja officer says, #5, pay. “Successful battle” means a victory. There is no pay after a defeat or retreat. Also no pay if you don’t survive a battle. As I said before in regard to special assignments, “A dead man doesn’t need rice that could fill a hungry child’s bowl.”

The contracts simply say, “I have heard and understood the six rules of temporary army service.” Hiroshi and Kentaro make their marks and the commissioner says, Ganbatte, ronin-san. Do honor to your families and ancestors as you fight alongside the Takeda.

A Takeda sergeant takes Hiroshi to an infantry barracks and Kentaro to a cavalry one. They are given detailed instructions. “Always stay with your unit.” “Follow your officer’s banner.” “Do not stop on a march unless your officer stops.” “No dueling.” And many other things. And then they immediately begin training with their units of fellow hired bushi.

The next morning the entire army rises before dawn and moves unit by unit along the main street of Kofu leading to the south, toward Fuji. There are around 5,000 Minamoto, Takeda, and Matsumoto infantry, horsemen, and ashigaru, and it takes two Nippon hours to assemble in formation in a field south of the town.

Hiroshi in his infantry unit and Kentaro in his cavalry unit see generals conferring before the army. They are in magnificent silk-corded o-yoroi, mounted on splendid warhorses, and surrounded by samurai officers, mounted couriers, and attendants. One general stands out from the others. Not only because the others give him deference and he does most of the talking, but because he has a powerful presence about him. His face seems to show a stubborn determination and a strength of will. A will to dominate, and a driving ambition for power. It can only be Minamoto no Yoritomo, the man who has emerged as the war leader of the great clan.

[jemmus]

I realize that that post doesn't give the PCs much to reply to, unless you want to RP (which would be great). I'll post again to carry us forward to a battle. And move the pilgrims along too.

[Marullus]

(Can we split the battle and pilgrimage into separate threads?)

[jemmus]

Thanks, that's a great idea.

[Marullus]

Back to this, then.

The pilgrims are fed well. Haruto enjoys meeting his niece and nephew, and the children take to him and Uncle Taisho as well. The pilgrims have baths, and sleep soundly. Before dawn, they are up, fed well again, and say their good-byes. They meet the group of pilgrims and the two old ashigaru in the designated spot. Everyone's breath turns to clouds in the predawn air.

If there's no storyhooks in the town, then we begin up the mountain until there's an inciting event.