[004] A Call to Retribution

[jemmus]

Zenrin watches Daitaro's arching arrow fly true and sink into the fleeing yakuza. The man seems likely to escape to live to report what he has witnessed. So one of Zenrin's other reasons for killing these two helpless yakuza has been obviated. He says to the men in the water, We will show mercy and spare you.
But only if you swear in your heart to show mercy to the next person you have in a helpless situation. Do men of your occupation honor their oaths? I don't know.
But we know that if you break your oath, you will burden your soul with the dark, heavy weight of karma. You will not be responsible for honoring an oath to me, or even the Buddha. The responsibility will be to your soul. Say your promises if you wish, and then throw your weapons up on the bank.

If either yakuza does that, Zenrin will help the wounded one onto the bank first and send him toward Daitaro, Keiso, and Saizo. The other he'll let climb out on his own.

Saizo watches Daitaro's kyujutsu shot with interest. It's a skill he wish he had, but doesn't. When it hits, he thinks, "Magnificent. True in the bow's and arrow's alignments to the target. And also in the upward angle of the shot, against a running foe. The yakuza was foolish. If he'd run even a little to the right or left after the arrow had left the bow, it would have fallen harmlessly to the roadstead beside him. Even a master archer can't control the path of an arrow after it's launched."

The unrolls the letter and reads through it as quickly as possible. He burns the names and their significance and relationships to each other into his memory. "A paper can be lost or destroyed along the way. But the information lives in the clan member's mind as long as his body lives. When you've mastered that, you'll learn the much harder skill of how to memorize conversations..." He speaks to the struggling merchant, showing the face of a bluffing eta, but yet a ninja killer. Thank you, merchant-san. Very interesting. I will now ask that you read your letter aloud. It's a bill to someone for the goods on the wagon, isn't it? And what is on the wagon going under the river?

Saizo smiles to himself behind his facial cowl. Everyone is safe, and not too many unnecessary deaths so far. But he worries about the fleeing yakuza. He hopes the bushi Daitaro's next shot will fly true and drop the escaping informer.

Unlike the use of Monomane for disguise, the Ninja has no
inherent chance of being spotted as a fake. It requires a Wit ST even
to suspect a Ninja in one of his disguises. The Ninja’s Level isalways
subtracted from this Saving Throw. Only if this Saving Throw
succeeds may a character be motivated to watch the Ninja more
closely.

[Marullus]

Cool - need the arrow shot for Daitaro.

For Saizo, I need you to define the specific disguise he is using? (As you already revealed ninja skills, I will allow him the ST.)

[jemmus]

I should have mentioned that Saizo is currently in his ninja suit. When he's in town his disguise is as a budoka on a bugei-mastery quest. He was trying to use hensu-jutsu acting ability to pretend to be an illiterate eta ninja.

[Samwell Turleton]

Daitaro Amano

Daitaro lines up his next arrow and lets it soar.

Daitaro Arrow [1d20]=12
Willow Leaf Damage [1d6]=6
Willow Leaf Damage [1d6]=6

[Marullus]

Hit Points	Power	Turn Order
Satake Motoyuki 30 / 30 Satake no Taka 9 / 9 Daitaro no Amano 19 / 19 Kamine no Zenrin 15 / 15 Saizo 22 / 22 Keiso 15 / 15	Taka 38 / 38 Keiso 39 / 39	Phase 16: Draft horse (Base Action) Phase 12: Saizo (Base Action) Phase 10: Satake Motoyuki (Base Action), Kamine no Zenrin (Base Action), Guards (Base Action) Phase 7: Daitaro no Amano (Base Action) Phase 6: Saizo (Primary Action) Phase 5: Satake Motoyuki (Secondary Action), Daitaro no Amano (Secondary Action), Kamine no Zenrin (Secondary Action), Guards (Secondary Action) Phase 3: Keiso (Base Action), Satake no Taka (Base Action) Phase 2: Daitaro no Amano (Secondary Action) Phase 1: Keiso (Secondary Action)

---

Turn 3, Phase 10
On the south side of the bridge, the other yakuza gasps for air, swimming clear of both the flailing horse and sinking wagon, but unable to find any handhhold to pull himself up on the steep muddy bank.

The rear guard continues to run as fast as he can, not even pausing to remove the arrow that has pierced him, hoping instead to outpace the archer who threatens his life and reach the cover ahead....

Zenrin extends his arm downward to the last guard in the river, the one on the south side of the bridge. The man has no weapons - his wakizashi lost in his struggle to swim already - and grasps in panic to the Bushi's limb. Zenrin lectures the yakuza on honor and promises as the man clings to him, finally pulling him up onto the shore. The body of the other guard washes buy on the surf, the second horse goes under as it continues to whinny in panic, now alone in the river, bound by its harness to the wagon and the other dead submerged horse.

Turn 3, Phase 7
Daitaro's arrow makes a graceful arc, hanging languidly at its zenith before arcing downward. Shooting the panicked, running man in the back proves easy for the skilled archer. The arrow plunges into the man to its fletchings (-12) and he collapses, dead on the road.

BCS 11 + 10 for rear facing -3 for AC -4 for running target = BCS 14. Your roll of 12 succeeds.

...EDIT: Looking more closely, it looks like the bonus for rear facing is listed under melee and not for archery. Shooting someone in the back apparently has no bonus. I'm going to let it stand for this action (since we allowed it in all previous), but fair warning that I'm going to switch and not use it in the future.

Turn 3, Phase 5
The last yakuza lies, soaking wet and with nothing left but his clothes, panting on the bank at Zanrin's feet. He has not yet mustered any speech, but seems resigned to the fact that he's currently at his rescuer's mercy.

Turn 4, Phase 12
Saizo holds the scroll and feigns ignorance, confronting the merchant. "Thank you, merchant-san. Very interesting. I will now ask that you read your letter aloud. It's a bill to someone for the goods on the wagon, isn't it? And what is on the wagon going under the river?"

The merchant scoffs, looking as proud as he can while trussed on the ground at the feet of the illiterate eta. "I shall take no commands from you, nor could I do so while bound." The eta can see the man's mind turning furiously, looking for advantage. "Unbind me first, then I shall tell you of it, as I have nothing to hide. My wagon is quite legal. It is fitting, that you bandits have lost my cargo as surely as I!"

I should have mentioned that Saizo is currently in his ninja suit. When he's in town his disguise is as a budoka on a bugei-mastery quest. He was trying to use hensu-jutsu acting ability to pretend to be an illiterate eta ninja.

So, the Hensu-jutsu rules are very explicit that they only apply to the five disguises of pretending you're NOT a ninja. It really doesn't apply to pretending to be anything else, especially while being openly a ninja. This is more general acting, which is the Monomane skill.

...that said, I like the idea, so I'll approve it as "the rule of cool." I'll allow you to roll your hensu-jutsu in place of Monomane and attempt the ruse. You have BCS 6 in an opposed roll against his Wit ST BCS 7.
Saizo acting (BCS 6) [1d20]=6 Makoto percieving (BCS 7) [1d20]=15
You succeed at your ruse!

We'll end detailed time there. Wow, you beat them fast! I'll assume you all move to congregate on the road together.

• Does anyone jump in the river to save the horse?
• What do you do with the yakuza that Zanrin has left alive?
• What do you do now that you have Makoto?
• Who handles the two corpses left on land (and how)?

[jemmus]

Post slightly revised after posting a couple of hours ago. Saizo initially addressed Daitaro by his given name. An eta shouldn't do that with a samurai. He also marched the merchant to Daitaro. But I think he would have drag the entangled fellow.

Saizo watches Daitaro's second arrow fly true and find its mark. Fine archery indeed. The fleeing criminal will bear no witness on this Earth. He makes no reply to the merchant other than the pull the manrikigusuri chain a little tighter to make sure it is fast around the man's body. He quickly drags him over to Daitaro. Satake-san, please watch this rogue for a moment. He leaves the man trussed in his manrikigusari chain and hands the scroll to Daitaro. Then dashes to the river bank, sees Zenrin and the exhausted wet yakuza, and dives into the water to try to save the stuggling horse.

Swimming check required I think, since it's not calm water.
STs: Str 7 + Dft 10 + Hlth 7 = 24. Divided by 3 = 8. Ninja add +1 per level equals 10.
[1d20]=2

Any character may swim in water above his waist, and must swim
in water over his head. He may do so without checking his Swimming
capability if he is in calm water, Unencumbered, without any
disabled limbs, and if his current wounds are at worst Light, ie. he
has at least 75% of his full Hit Points left.
The Swimming Capability is equal to the average of the Saving
Throws in Strength, Deftness, and Health. Again, Saving Throws
based on the permanent Attribute scores are used. Members of the
Ninja Profession add their Level to this figure as a Bonus.

[jemmus]

Zenrin watches Daitaro's arrow arc and drop the fleeing yakuza. A fine shot indeed. He looks at the soaked and exhausted yakuza lying at his feet. "Well, human being," he thinks, "your companion did not escape to report after all. Slaying you would have been of the most practical benefit for all. Yet for some reason, the way of dharma has let you live. And I suppose dharma-- partly through you own decisions-- will also in some way determine what we all decide to do with you." But he says no word to the prone gangster.

He watches Saizo dash to the bank and dive into the river. He stands guard over the yakuza, ready to assist the ninja however he can.

[Marullus]

Just putting these rules out there.

For Saiso...

Torture
Nippon had a wide variety of torments available, designed to
impose lingering death or to elicit information. Executions were
performed by skinning alive, boiling, burning, etc. But the Practical
Art of Torture is of most interest as regards using duress to get
information out of characters.
The Torturer is assumed to be improvising, using his hands and
available edges, points, fire, etc., to cause pain to the victim.
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.
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.
The use of "sophisticated" equipment will give a bonus to the
Torture BCS. This also means that a character having no Skill in the
Art. but with access to a rack (BCS + 10) or some thumbscrews (BCS
+ 5), or even some boiling oil or hot irons (BCS +2), can try to torture
a victim with an effective BCS equal to the bonus received for using
the implements.
Victims rendered unconscious by Torture must be nursed back to
consciousness by normal means. Victims who die under the
question are dead
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.
BONUS. Ninja.
INITIAL SKILL SCORE: Will + Deftness.

For Taka, she also knows this spell:

Fetters of Truth
Kn: 28. Range: Touch. Cost: 1 x LoS. Duration: —
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.

...and for everyone,

1064.2 LOSING ON
Just as On can be acquired at any time, it can be lost as quickly.
The Gamesmaster should be sensitive to player feelings in judging
losses in On, but when the situation calls for such a penalty, it should
be applied. It is quite legitimate to warn players that they are in
danger of losing On, if they pursue some course of action. For
example, a character who is preparing to torture an innocent victim
for some reason should be warned that such sadism may lose him
On. If the Player Character proceeds, then at least he was warned.

[jemmus]

Saizo doesn't have the Torture skill. It looks like his BCS would be 1 plus his level. (Ninja bonus for this skill. Those are pretty elaborate rules for this subject!

[ffilz]

I think I need some cultural guidance for how Keiso might react in this situation. I don't think it makes sense for him to jump in to help the horse, he isn't that great a swimmer and is not very strong. Taking care of the bodies probably makes sense.

[Samwell Turleton]

I think that it is worth a try to use Satake's skill in extracting the truth. From what I understand ooc, torture and questioning under duress only results in getting false confessions and the information that you are demanding, not that that might be fully known in the time of the game setting. What are the important bits of information that we are looking for anyways?

Contents of the Wagon
Their purpose in delivering it to the mentor in the mountains
Incriminating information about the Daimyo
Information about the bandit hideout in the mountains

[jemmus]

Nice framing of the objectives, thanks.

Yes, and torture isn't really Saizo's style. Ninja have to use every possible tool to get the job done efficiently, of course, they can't be squeamish. But Torture was an elective he avoided in ninja school.

[Marullus]

I think that it is worth a try to use Satake's skill in extracting the truth. From what I understand ooc, torture and questioning under duress only results in getting false confessions and the information that you are demanding, not that that might be fully known in the time of the game setting.

You know how successful your art is, but not whether they pass their save. If they pass the save they may lie, if they do not they must tell the truth. (I originally built Taka specifically around getting this spell.)

The spell is interesting in that it compels answers the same as torture, but specifies "without damaging the victim." It will be up to you to describe what that means within your spellcraft. It is in the School of Wood, so affects the life force of the person. Is this a charm effect, or is it still compelling with fear/pain (just not actual harm)? Is it a physical, mental, or spiritual compulsion? What does it look like to bystanders? You as a player have descriptive rights.

Zenrin hauls the drenched thug up to the road, where he lies, resigned, next to his employer. Makoto is bound by the long chain, handed off to Daitaro. The merchant seethes openly, staring at Daitaro as if to memorize his features. Saizo runs to the riverbank and dives into the water. He swims expertly, and in a few moments has cut the harness from the flailing horse. The horse churns the water, emerging next to Saizo on the riverbank, still wide-eyed with panic at his circumstances. The wagon and its still-attached dead horse dissappear beneath the water's surface for the last time, but a healthy horse is probably worth at least as much as a cartful of simple goods.

So, the rules for mount/dismount allow a PC to use a Speed ST or a Bajitsu score... I will use that as a proxy for if Saizo can gain control of the horse [since he has speed but not horsemanship].
Saizo and the horse (Speed ST BCS 8) [1d20]=20

Having rescued the horse, Saizo tries to wrangle the terrified beast and in so doing keep at least something of value here. The ninja grabs the halter and tries to hold the beast until it calms, but the horse scream-whinnies again, and begins running at a full gallop downstream. Saizo's arm is caught and he cannot let go fast enough - the soaking wet ninja is dragged through the muddy grasses and brambles for at least 20 yards before he wrests himself free. The horse gallops away at full speed, Saizo forced to walk back to the group muddy and wet, his ninja outfit snarled with briars and torn in several places. Ignominous, but unharmed in body but not pride.

I think I need some cultural guidance for how Keiso might react in this situation. I don't think it makes sense for him to jump in to help the horse, he isn't that great a swimmer and is not very strong. Taking care of the bodies probably makes sense.

Keiso considers the situation. It is good that his companions came through unharmed, though he and Zanrin both know the sin which now weighs the sohei warrior's soul. He looks with regret on the two corpses, one slain in surprise, the other shot in the back as he fled, neither act honorable, carrying both bodies over near the shrine. If only they had been subdued.

- Regrettably, they are beyond healing, and he does not have the mastery of Raja-Yoga to give them a second chance at this life.
- He can perform the Segaki Rite upon the two bodies, taking 30 minutes each to purify their corpses and ensure their souls move on to reincarnation and do not return as vengeful spirits. He would then need to burn the bodies in cremation (requiring a lot of wood and 12 hours to burn). Alternatively, he can send them home with Makoto to their families, or bury them here (where the chance of vengeful spirits is then delayed up to a year instead of eliminated).
- As a Gakusho, he can hear the sins of Zanrin and (with a full day of ritual cleansings) purify him of the sin of murder. Daitaro may also seek this absolution but is not pious enough for it to include a mechanical effect for him.

The group is along the main road between the city and the wizard's village, and is feeling rather exposed. Some pretense or relocation should be considered, particularly regarding blood stains and corpses.

[ffilz]

Keiso will counsel the others on the proper rites for the deceased. I think it all depends on the disposition of Makoto. All this violence is most regrettable, but such is the way of the bushi. All a devout Biddhist can do is clean up the aftermath, yet practicality suggests that a lone Buddhist priest seeing to the cremation of bodies among a bloody battle scene that clearly looks like an ambush is not the wisest place to be. It would be better for a local priest to see to the resting of souls if we do not send them home with Makoto.

[jemmus]

SaizoChuckles to himself and shakes his head at his pitiful performance. But when he approaches the group, he's somber. I apologize for my failure.

He disentangles his manrikigusari from the merchant. Then takes a 20 foot hemp rope from his furoshiki a knee of each the merchant together. Then runs the length behind them to bind each man's wrists behind their backs. There's enough rope length left for a line to hold and lead the men.

Not too uncomfortable, eh? You can walk togetheron three legs, but running would be difficult. To the group he says, For until we decide what to do with them.

Don't know if I need a roll for that.

[Marullus]

So, tying them up securely falls under Hojojutsu. No roll is required if they're unconscious, but you've kept both of them awake - there is apparently some risk involved in untwining the entangling weapon and switching to ropes. Go ahead and look over those sections and make a roll(s). His Deftness ST to resist will be BCS 5; you can roll both to compare the contested results until you succeed, he escapes, or you quit. It may be important later, depending how the scene goes.

Hojojutsu
A technique for binding a foe so that he cannot escape. Also used
defensively by the victim to impede the binding process and possibly
to escape.
The Attacker must have rendered the Target helpless before
attempted to tie him using Hojojutsu. Common means of doing this
include completed Grappling attacks or completed Entangling
Attacks. These are both explained in the Combat rules (section
1117.1). When a die roll is called for, it is made on the Base Action
Phase of the Attacker, since the Target is in a passive role unless he
happens to escape the Attacker, in which case the fight will probably
start all over again.
If the Target is unconscious, the Attacker can tie him up simply by
making a successful Hojojutsu BCS, rolling on each Detailed Turn
until he succeeds. A conscious Target is presumed to be struggling
and the following rules come into play.
The Attacker rolls his Hojojutsu BCS and notes the Effect Number.
The Target does the same if he knows the Bugei. He may, instead,
choose to roll his Deftness ST, but his RAW Saving Throw is subject
to a 50% penalty. He will still add his full Level to this figure to
determine the Base Saving Throw. The Attacker's Effect Number
minus the Target's Effect Number generates an adjusted Effect
Number.
If this adjusted Effect Number is positive then the Attacker has the
advantage. He rolls 1D10 and if the die roll is less than or equal to the
adjusted Effect Number than the Target is bound fast. If the adjusted
Effect Number is negative, then the Target has the advantage. He
likewise rolls 1D10 and if his roll succeeds then he has broken free
and is no longer subdued. If the 1D10 roll for the character having the
advantage fails, or the adjusted Effect Number is equal to 0, then the
situation is stalemated and continues into the next Detailed Turn.
The Target may opt to do nothing, hoping that the Attacker's
Effect Number will be negative, giving the Target a chance to escape.
But if he exercises this option and the Attacker's Hojojutsu roll
succeeds, then the Target will automatically be tied up. The Attacker
need not check to see if he has succeeded in doing so.
Once tied, a Target is allowed a Deftness ST once per hour to try
and slip free, unless he is under constant guard. A Ninja having the
Escape Skill (Nawanuke-jutsu) may work surreptitiously to get free
even if he is being watched. His actions are a Hidden Thing as far as
his watcher are concerned. See the rules governing Ninja Skills for
details.
BONUS: Bushi.
INITIAL SKILL SCORE: Speed+Deftness

[Marullus]

*bump*

[jemmus]

Zenrin watches the disentangling and tying operation, naginata ready. He makes sure that both the merchant and the yakuza note that.

Saizo says, Binding you would be more easily done if you were unconscious, merchant-san and gambler-san. The can be made to happen, if you resist. You are not in a position to fight armored bushi. Or my humble self.

Saizo does have the hojojutsu skill, so I suppose his BCS is 1 (1051.0)
Merchant [1d20]=20
Yakuza [1d20]=16

[Marullus]

...both appear to be effectively bound.

Shoshen Kogataro, merchant son of the Oyabun, scoffs at you with distain. "Worst excuses for robbers. You lost everything in the cart! Release us now, before the charges against you grow worse." The last guard next to him remains silent as their limbs are bound to one another, his eyes never leaving Zenrin as the sohei cleans the blood off the blade of his naginata.

...so, now that the dog has caught the car, what are you going to do?

[jemmus]

Could you remind us about the merchant's destination? The adviser, or the military camp?