Shoshen Kogataro was on his way to seek counsel from Hidetoke Kiyomaru, the reclusive old wizard and the small village which has sprung up to support those that seek him. Because this is also the mentor of Taka, you knew the route well enough to plan upon it.
You do not know if he was going onward to the war camp or returning through Takayama first, but the heavily-laden wagon seems to be more appopriate for the war camp than for the wizard. Also, the fact that nothing in the cargo was bouyant and everything sank precipitously to the river bottom indicates it was not mere sacks of rice or bundles of silk.
Because Taka was in the first party, she knows of the war camp and may be able to find it without the aid of the guide Osama (who was later treating with Kogataro, anyway). But the group never succeeded against the bandits and foul hag, so did not gain admittance or introduction to know more about the war camp than the Gunsō at its entrance.
It is, after all, not the first time that Taka has met Shoshen Kogataro, as he is the self-same 'merchant' who personally sent the previous group to their deaths at the hand of the Hag, trying to reclaim a stolen box of great value to his father Shoshen Makoto. The defiant words of the 'bandit' bushi claiming that your group were the ones working for criminals comes back to her ears.
Taka sees the last of her expected guests arrive to the tea house. She smooths the fabric of her kimono sleeves with her palms and stands up. The soft blue silk of her kimono, patterned with billowing silvery clouds, rustles gently and she begins to address the group, I have written each of you a letter and asked you to come here today to hear news of your families. The paper lanterns, shining their soft light in the room, sway gently in a soft breeze blowing in through the open screen. " I was a companion of them and I regret to tell you they are all, each one, dead, a result of treachery."
Taka pauses for a moment to let the information she just shared sink in, then continues.
"There is a scheme, one that was secret but which I have unearthed and share with you who have been wronged. I say this in trust to you, as you will see there is great risk in knowing it, but you deserve truth regarding the fate of your loved ones. Shoshen Makoto presents himself as an upstanding businessman of good repute in this city, even rising onto the respected council of businessmen. He is actually Oyabun of the Yakuza. He has not made his fortune by honesty dealing, and your loved ones fell into his plans. He, through his son, offered them generous reward if they risked themselves against bandits in the mountains to retrieve an object he desires, but sent along a guide to ensure they were all murdered and never returned to be paid for their bravery. He hid what he knew of the bakemono of the mountain, sending them against far greater odds than they could have expected and resulting in them all being killed. This is no great loss to Shoshen Makoto, of course, who is now seeking another company to go and finish the task. He interviews more Bushi who have need of his gold even today."
"For these wrongs, I would hire you to put an end to Shosen Makoto, who betrayed your families.
I have coin to offer should this be done, but it would not be easy. He is crafty and secretive. He never allows himself to be alone and stays within his mansion here in Takayama, letting others go and do his bidding as often as he is able. He grasps for ever greater power and influence and even dares to oppose the Daimyo.
Only death is a suitable punishment."
She quietly returns to a kneeling position at her own chabudai and lets the group mull over what they have heard.
Merchant-san, you are not in a position to be rude,Saizo says. What was the cargo you were transporting? And to whom?
Zenrin doesn't reveal as yet that the avenging party aren't simple robbers. He says in his low, deep and calm voice,Yes, please state the contents, and the destination. Perhaps there is yet a way to salvage the cargo. This man,-- he nods to Saizo--, is an adept swimmer. But you must cooperate and you must not speak rudely. And you must do so quickly. I will leave you to report to these associates.
He turns to Keiso and takes him aside. Perhaps we can find a local priest to perform the rites for these men? Regrettable, but necessary, I think, acts of violence have been done. If the authorities come, they will not know the reasons and the background. If we are detained and our mission fails, the deaths will have been for nothing. That we humans can know of, at least.
The ronin caste sohei drags the dead yakuza away into the bushes. The eta ninja Saizo runs up the road and does the same with the arrow-shot yakuza.
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
I will adjudicate here for Saizo/Zenrin again; Ffilz, if you have response to Zenrin for Keiso?
Zenrin collects the pieces of the dead yakuza slain by his polearm on the road while Saizo brings back the corpse of the arrow-shot yakuza who tried to flee, both laying the deceased in the bushes by the shrine for Keiso. The other guards appear to have floated downstream.
Shoshen Kogataro lifts his nose disdainfully. "Your robbery is for naught. We had nothing but our simple foodstuffs for the villages, all of which will now be ruined by the river. Besides ruining my livelihood, for which you will indeed pay, this profits you nothing. Free us that we may return to Takayama and I will bring the families for these two men. You will have a day to flee before the samurai come to hunt you for your heinous crimes. Such is a courtesy."
His words seem a lie, as you strongly suspect him of transporting goods to the war camp and sacks of foodstuffs would not have sunk so readily to the bottom of the water.
So Zenrin is proposing we engage a local priest to lay the Yakuza to rest? Can Keiso do that? I'm not quite clear on all the social implications and risks here...
We're looking at "1062.3 STATUS IN SOCIETY" - you would return to Takayama, approach a temple, and ask them to perform the favor of the burials. I would probably do some rolls from Book 2 to generate the temple, but influenced by your backstories.
Looking at Keiso and Zanrin. I think you both established that you're from outside Takayama and not local, so you might not have Group Status to rely on. If you are local to Takayama, or describe your group in a way that there's a local chapter of a larger group, you might have group status here and you can approach your own Temple group for the favor. Otherwise you're rolling your society-wide status based on your Profession at an unfamiliar temple.
You could influence the roll with an appropriate Social Art (such as showing your religious education) or with gifts, artwork, or money. If the Satake PCs go and support you (higher society status), they add half the difference between your scores to your score.
How you couch the request then matters. It ranges on that table from "mutually beneficial +5" to "contrary to the desires of the one being asked -10."
The social risk involved is then based on the Effect number of the resulting status die roll. 0 to -2 is a refusal to help. -3 or lower includes them reporting you for charges to have the murders looked into. a +1 to +10 is agreement with a condition. You need to succeed by +11 or better for them to just do it.
Social status is thus the arbiter of truth here with the temple as it will also be with the Daimyo. If you come in and say "this was a sad but justified death" and you have high status, they believe you, and if you're a no-name low-On Ronin, they likely don't.
Hmm, I still don't totally understand status, but it looks like AT BEST Keiso's status is 20 or BCS 4, in all likelihood it's a fraction of that, maybe less than 1/2. That would imply a pretty significant chance of a -3 or worse effect number. I find this social stuff one of the most frustrating parts of Bushido. The numbers seem to work out to be really unlikely to gain success and combined with my not really understanding the culture doesn't help things.
Zenrin is from Shinano, so he's not local. He's a monk of the Zen sect of Buddhism, so if we can find a Zen temple that might help. Maybe he can do the purification he needs while he's at it.
Or we could just take the time to bury them ourselves. Do we know about how long that woud take?
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
Zenrin says to the merchant, Perhaps you would like to tell us what you know about the secret military camp in the mountains. Yes, we do know about it, so there is not use denying its existence. What is its purpose? And what was your cargo, and its destination?
Saizo says to Keisho, Perhaps we should bury the bodies here, rather than getting the local priests involved. They would probably have to report the matter to the authorities. I think we need more evidence against the father before we are questioned by them.
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
Taka walks out from where she was hiding near the shrine, flattens her clothing with the backs of her hands and meets the ninja and the bound Daimyo's son by the road . "Hold him fast, the snake may speak with a soft tongue but there is poison in the fangs." she says as she positions herself above the captive's head.
"Zenrin, there may be some things you have heard about me. Some of them may be true. What you see here in a moment, please tell no one and keep him still."
Taka looks intently into the captive’s eyes, wordlessly, she stares deeply into his face asking in her mind if he remembers who she is and what she is capable of. "Shosen Kogataro", Taka whispers in a hissing voice as she places the fingertips of her right hand just above Shosen Kogataro's eyes. In the passing of a moment she no longer seems herself. Her eyes turn a milky white as she looks deeply at the captive son. Taka begins muttering to herself and the surface of the soil begins vibrating, small tendrils of pale white delicate roots branch across the temple and forehead of Shosen Kogataro. Worms, disturbed by the sudden change in the soil, surface and crawl aimlessly around. "You will answer truthfully the questions you are asked", Taka says to prime the captive of his coming interrogation. "What was in the wagon? Where were you headed? and What was your purpose?"
Okay, so that looks painful, not charming, so we will go with the "non-damaging pain" lens for the Fetters of Truth spell.
Successfully casting this Spell on an opponent has the same effect as a successful BCS in the Torture Skill, without damaging the victim. Targets of the Spell are permitted a Strength ST to resist its effects. If this fails, they must roll as described under Torture to avoid answering the Caster's questions.
So, he gets a Strength ST, and if that fails, a Will ST. (He could also have a Meditation skill roll third, but is not skilled in that.) Shosen Kogataro: Strength ST (BCS 3) [1d20]=7 Will ST (BCS 7) [1d20]=5 Note: It is being cast with Level of Spell = 2. That means it is two power points per casting and we also will apply a -1 to his BCSs.
So, he is affected by the pain, but resists his will breaking. Remember, though, that the roll to tie him up was a critical failure, so he can also slip his bonds and escape. This is when he would do so. But with Zenrin holding him, we'll resolve that as a resisted Strength ST. Resisted Strength: Zenrin (BCS 10) [1d20]=4 Kogataro (BCS 3) [1d20]=6
He is held fast. Zenrin is also fully complicit in the torture.
For every turn of Torture (usually 10 minutes), the character will
roll his Torture BCS. The absolute value of the Effect Number is the
damage done to the victim. Thus, whether the die roll fails or
succeeds, the victim takes damage, unless the die roll exactly
equals the BCS This damage is evenly divided into Subdual and
Lethal damage, with any odd point going to Subdual.
This is the part replaced by the spell. The spell has to succeed, but the Effect number is irrelevant because it causes the pain/compulsion without physical harm. Instead, the victim gets a Strength ST (rather than "if the damage doesn't incapacitate them")
When a Torture BCS roll succeeds and the victim survives, the
victim must make a Will ST or answer the interrogator's questions. If
the victim has the Art of Za-zen, or Meditation, he may use this BCS
to resist the torture if his Will ST fails. He may refuse to speak if either
die roll succeeds. Player Characters have yet a third way to resist
Torture available They have a special Saving Throw equal to their
Level, rolled on 1D6! If the die roll is less than or equal to their Level,
they may refuse to talk. In other words, Torture cannot break the will
of a 6th Level character.
This is the Will ST, if he breaks. Kogatoro doesn't have meditation, nor will he have the benefit of being a PC (even though he is a major NPC... other higher-ups may have that benefit).
Breaking under torture may cost a Player-Character On. This is a
certainty if they answer the question voluntarily (without missing
their assorted saving throws).
The Gamesmaster will have to determine the success of giving
false answers. Usually, a Non-Player Character will believe false
answers if they get the same response three turns in a row. The trick
here is for the victim to avoid missing his Saving Throw for those
turns, lest his pain betray him into giving the right answer.
This is remarkably unhelpful as far as explaining the effect. Presumably, if a victim fails the Will ST, they tell the truth, and they can lose On if it is known they have done so.
So, Taka's torture in total costs 6 Effort, causes 30 minutes of supernatural agony, then she's confident in her responses.
The body parts of the two slain men are collected and the question of burial or hiring of a local priest is discussed. Given the questionable nature of the events, burial seems the wiser course. Keiso chooses a place behind the altar to inter them, recusing him from... whatever comes next.
The merchant remains haughty as the Saizo and Zenrin first pose as regular highwaymen to draw the merchant into admission.
Shoshen Kogataro lifts his nose disdainfully. "Your robbery is for naught. We had nothing but our simple foodstuffs for the villages, all of which will now be ruined by the river. Besides ruining my livelihood, for which you will indeed pay, this profits you nothing. Free us that we may return to Takayama and I will bring the families for these two men. You will have a day to flee before the samurai come to hunt you for your heinous crimes. Such is a courtesy."
Satake Taka comes forward from where she was hiding near the shrine, flattens her clothing with the backs of her hands, and meets the ninja and the bound Daimyo's son by the road. She moves with the dainty steps of a noblewoman but it is not only her clan crest which sets her apart - the steel-eyed determination of the woman who came to the war camp also could not be forgotten by the merchant. He goes pale. "It... it cannot be you. You were... you were slain by the hag. It cannot be you..."
"Hold him fast, the snake may speak with a soft tongue but there is poison in the fangs," she says as she positions herself above the captive's head. The man quakes, just looking at her speechless, just for existing. "Zenrin, there may be some things you have heard about me. Some of them may be true. What you see here in a moment, please tell no one and keep him still," Unsure what is coming, Zenrin does what the noblewoman bids, holding the man's arms fast to his sides from behind.
Taka towers above the bound man in his knees and looks intently into the captive’s eyes, wordlessly, she stares deeply into his face asking in her mind if he remembers who she is and what she is capable of. The man shakes uncontrollably, held by the upper arms, unable to look away from the woman-back-from-the-dead.
"Shosen Kogataro", Taka whispers in a hissing voice as she places the fingertips of her right hand just above Shosen Kogataro's eyes. In the passing of a moment she no longer seems herself. Her eyes turn a milky white as she looks deeply at the captive son. Taka begins muttering to herself and the surface of the soil begins vibrating, small tendrils of pale white delicate roots branch across the temple and forehead of Shosen Kogataro. Worms, disturbed by the sudden change in the soil, surface and crawl aimlessly around. "You will answer truthfully the questions you are asked", Taka says to prime the captive of his coming interrogation. "What was in the wagon? Where were you headed? and What was your purpose?"
The man screams in pain, clenching his eyes shut as thin white roots erupt from his skin and crawl across the side of his head. He yanks, the ropes falling away from his wrists, and tries to jump up and escape, but the strong grip of Kogataro holds him fast, keeps him victim to the witch's sorceries. "No! No! Please no! Stop! Stop!" he weeps, but provides no answer.
"What was in the wagon? Where were you headed? and What was your purpose?" she seethes, eyes white, demanding of the man again. But the yakuza resists, forcing his eyes open, looking up at her defiantly even as a thin white root wriggles from under his eyelid, bridging his eyeball. "You are naught but the hag's dog," he spits, "You and all your companions too weak to even fetch a damn chest!"
Amano Daitaro stands to the side and watches, recalling that this is the man whose tretchery resulted in his sister's death. Saizo is no stranger to tortured confession, but nonetheless has never seen this. The torture stretches 10 minutes, then 20... the worms on the ground are followed by grubs and beetles, a circle of emerging vermin around the trio of Kogataro, Zenrin, and Taka.
"What was in the wagon? Where were you headed? and What was your purpose?" Taka demands again, redoubling her will upon the man. Her fingertips seem to sink a quarter-inch into his flesh where the rest on his brow. The thin, white tendrils thicken to woody stems, spade-shaped ivy leaves sprouting from them, wreathing the man's head in shiny verdant foliage, crusty blood at the edges of the wounds where the roots pulse, growing thicker and stronger on his lifeblood.
Kogataro lets out a final scream of pain, then breaks into abject sobbing. "The wagon had weapons and armor for the camp," he wails between sobs, "The final shipment for them before..." he winces and whines, then continues, "the people's uprising!
Plus... plus a new dowry, since... since the hag has the last box! With it gone again, my father's wroth will be terrible!" He cries out once more, collapsing forward, his gripped arms crossing on his belly. "I went... I went to get Kiyomaru's readings of the tea leaves, to ensure timing, then on to the war camp to... to deliver... to deliver it all! My purpose was to ensure the dowry, for my sister, and the readiness of the samurai, to ensure.... to ensure my father's honor!"
Thirty minutes of this is hard to even watch, let alone for this man to endure. Finally, however, his words ring true.
The bound yakuza guard watches his master's torture, his face frozen in a rictus of horror and fear. He remains absolutely still so as to not attract the witch's attention.
More rounds for more questions? Does anyone else react?
Last edited by Marullus on Tue Nov 22, 2022 12:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Also Keiso is removed from the immediate area he probably can still hear some of the proceedings...
He will say a prayer for Shoshen Kogataro's soul as he digs graves for the others.
He thinks to himself the waste of all this violence, but understands that violence is the way of the Samurai and those who pay them allegiance, sadly even a poor Gakusho can not always avoid association with violence as it is impossible to live without allegiance to the Samurai ruling class.
Keiso digs harder as a penitent meditation.
I hope all of that is reasonably culturally correct...
Saizo looks up in awe at the shungeja's wrath and and power of her spell. The ninja alternately binds the yakuza soldier and merchant's son to the ground. I don't know what evil things you have done. Well, that's not true. I fully know what you have done, and why my clan sent me here to see the end of you. Sayonara, until we see each other again. But I don't think you and I will see each other again in the next life. Wealthy merchant though you are, and untouchable eta that I am. I and my clan lie, use deception, and kill. But we do not do such things out of greed, to people who rely on us for trust. Next life, then, Kogataro-san.
Zenrin bows silently to Taka and observes. The small creatures of the earth, the legless and eyeless, the six-legged, the eight-legged, the hundred-legged are disturbed by the projected zone of the kakuriyo and flee. But the shugenja lets the living creatures go, and doesn't cruelly crush the crawling ones under foot or the flying ones by hand. It is not fault of the innocents'. The fault is with the foolishness and greed of ningen. Kogataro, I'm sorry for you, and that you didn't realize wisdom in this life. And that your foolishness and greed required violent action in this life. To stop it. Zenrin bows and says a prayer for the corrupt and slimy departed soul. Next life, then, Kogataro-san.
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
Saizo, eta-born ninja, watches the merchant son of a merchant die by remote sorcery. It's bad. Yes it is. Priest Keiso, monk Zenrai! You don't need to worry about taking care of the bodies of the dead. The four elements will take care over time. We've wasted so much time, and this is a well-traveled road. I'll follow.
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
Each companion observes, accepting the merchant's death by sorcery fatalistically. Only Satake Taka knows that the man will emerge from the pain completely unharmed.
We will wait a bit longer on Satake Taka for if there's more questions, or if that's enough and it ends. Once it ends, you have to collectively determine next steps for your action AND then also what to do with the unharmed merchant and his wide-eyed, terrified companion while your next steps are taken.
"What was in the wagon? Where were you headed? and What was your purpose?" Taka demands again, redoubling her will upon the man. Her fingertips seem to sink a quarter-inch into his flesh where the rest on his brow. The thin, white tendrils thicken to woody stems, spade-shaped ivy leaves sprouting from them, wreathing the man's head in shiny verdant foliage, crusty blood at the edges of the wounds where the roots pulse, growing thicker and stronger on his lifeblood.
Each member of the party watching speaks, bidding the merchant's son farewell from this life. At last the man breaks, finally confessing words that ring true.
Shoshen Kogataro collapses forward on the ground as Taka removes her fingertips from his brow. The vines wilt, the white tendrils become brittle, the plant life crumbles to dust as it falls away, leaving the man's flesh unmarred by his experience only the pain of it remaining in his memory. The yakuza guard, trembling and pale next to him, blathers in a shakey voice, "Whatever you need, just not that... not that..."
Taka takes dainty steps backwards, closing her eyes to re-center herself after the expenditure.
Okay! You have to collectively determine next steps for your action AND then also what to do with the unharmed merchant and his wide-eyed, terrified companion while your next steps are taken.
Saizo unrolls the rice papers as the proud Kogataro struggles and curses at him on the ground. They are letters written in Hiragana, and by fortune the eta is literate. A cursory look identifies the first letter as being from Shoshen Makoto to Hidetoke Kiyomaru, a request form a worried father, requesting divination regarding his younger daughter - Shoshen Ari - and her imminent marriage to the samurai Tsuzawa Hoshii, for whom he suspects some turmoil and wishes sorcerous protection.
Do you go to the Daimyo now, or do you first try to acquire more phyiscal proof that you can take to him? If you will acquire physical proof, where and what do you pursue? (From the submerged wagon, from the Hag [the dowry box], or from the war camp? In order of potency in convincing the Daimyo.)
...and what do you with these two? Do you kill them? Free them? Secret them away until judgment is rendered? Try to compel them to confession in front of the Daimyo?
I'm waiting for the others to respond. Keiso doesn't have much to say, understanding that more violence may be necessary and not being particularly fit to go diving for something from the wagon.
Though Keiso will scan the river for any easily spotted cargo:
