of the F

Inn of the Oranw? Blossom - uwer level Crane House - upper level

0 c .

L
-
n of the Orange Blossom lower level
Crane House - lower level
-

0 0
0
.- -.
sliding Partition
door
 -
Shosuro Warehouse upper level

Temple of
Amaterasu
‘Beforethis night is over, this city will hear the echo of a thousand screams.. . 9,

Legend Of the Five Rings, The Emerald Empire Of Rokugan and all other related marks TM, & o 1998 Five Rings
Publishing Group, Incorporated.All rights reserved. Alderac Entertainment Group, authorized user.
WRITTEN BY JOHN ZINSER, REE SOESBEE AND CRlS DORNAUS
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
BY STEVE HOUGM, PATRICK KAPERAAND ROB
VAUX
BY DAVID
GAMESYSTEM AND JOHN WICK
WILLIAMS

ART DIRECTOR:
KC LANCASTER
COVER ARTWORK:CRlS DORNAUS
INTERIOR ARTWORK: CRlS DORNAUS
CITY MAP: KC LANCASTER
STRUCTURE MAPS:CRIS DORNAUS
ARTWORKPREPRESS: CRIS DORNAUS, HOUGH
STEVE

LINEEDITOR:D.J. TRINDLE
PATRICK KAPERA
EDITING D.J. TRINDLE,
INTERIORLAYOURSTEVE HOUGH,REE SOESBEE

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

JOHN ZINSERIS A SUAVE AND DEBONAIRE MILLIONAIRE WHO RUNS A
GAMING COMPANY IN HIS SPARE TIME. HE PARKS HIS BMW CONVERTIBLE
DIAGONALLY AND WANDERS THROUGH THE OFFICE ASKING "WHAT ARE
YOU WORKING ON? WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON? HIS ENTHUSIASM IS
BOUNDLESS, HE IS A VERITABLE FONT OF COOL IDEAS AND THE CHICKS
DIG HIM.

REE AND CRIS ARE TWO SHORT, CUTE REDHEADS WHO ARE OFTEN FOUND
GIGGLING MANIACALLY ON THE FUTON IN DJ.'S OFFICE. THEYARE
SECRETLY PLOTTING TO OVERTHROW ZINSER AND BEGIN A NEW AGE OF
MATRIARCHAL RULE OVER AEG. THEYCANNOT RESIST THE SIREN CALL
OF THE ICE CREAMTRUCK, NOR THE IMPULSE TO BREAK INTO A
HARMONIZED DUET WHEN ANY JEWEL SONG COMES ON. IN HER SPARE
TIME, REE DOES RATLING IMPRESSIONS AND TORMENTS ROB VAUXWITH
HER OVERWHELMING CUTENESS. CRlS DOESN'T HAVE ANY SPARE TIME -
SHE IS CONSTANTLY CHAINED TO HER DRAFTING TABLE IN THE ART
DEPARTMENT, DRAWING PICTURES OF KACHIKO FOR JOHN WICK.
The events in this

This source pack is designed to link with the larger RPG boxed set, City of Lies, although you do

Each story pack is an “episode” in a larger campaign for your players, and Night of a Thousand

aloud This episode was designed to help answer the question, “What can I do to add more combat to my
ers, so game, without killing off all the player characters?” The world of Rokugan is a dangerous place - a
rstand katana can kill with one stroke and tremendous Oni from the Shadowlands can do even worse things,

sense of honor, no concept of the value of life, and no ears with which to listen to reason, then there’s
going to be a battle. But remember - not everyone who opposes you is your enemy.

THE THEMEOF NIGHTOF A THOUSAND

SCREAMS
“Dark magic exacts a heavy price” is a theme which runs through this adventure. The samurai will
be faced with maho tsukai, dark sorcerers, sellers of trinkets from the Shadowlands, and some of the
most evil beings on the face of Rokugan. Terrible Oni and vicious criminals rampage through the pages
of this story, and the characters are going to be asked to deal with them. Yes, much of that will mean
combat - but before you go too far, realize that not all combats have to be lethal.
An opponent can surrender, be knocked unconscious, or beg for his life before the fight even starts.
A clever samurai will be able to tell when he has been beaten by his enemy, even before swords are
drawn. Simply facing each event in this adventure with the attitude “kill it before it breeds” is not going
to get the players very far. Even in the corrupt city of Ryoko Owari, there are still laws. There are just
more ways to bend them.
 There are also a number of mercenary gangs,
or kajinin, who work in the city. Often hired by
merchant houses or powerful individuals, these
gangs patrol select areas as defined by their
patron, are in charge of fire control in the case of
emergency, and sometimes are associated with
powerful criminal syndicates, as well. These
kajinin mind their own business and keep to ii
their allotted areas, but defend what they consider
their ‘turf with deadly force.
The final authority in the City of Lies is the
system of Magistrates. Imperial Magistrates and
Scorpion or Unicorn Clan Magistrates are always
resident in the city, looking out for their clan’s
affairs or the interests of the Emperor. Other clans
may have representatives here, as well, watching Horse
out for a traveling dignitary or investigating some
minor treason within the city. Its very possible Gc
that Player Characters may be Magistrates in
Ryoko Owari Toshi is the dark jewel of the their own right, either visiting or permanently
Scorpion lands. It is called by some the City of located within Ryoko Owari’s green walls.
Green Walls, by others, the City of Stories. It is the
City of Lies, and its festering suburbs reek with
underhanded dealings, blackmail and deceit.
Shady inns line the thin and twisted roads, along
with warehouses holding everything from illegal
Tiger: 4A
gains to honest trade. It is a haven for those who
seek to escape the law, and a major cornerstone
of trade between the Scorpion and the Unicorn
clans.
The provincial governor of the city is a woman
named Shosuro Hyobu. She’s powerful, both
through military control and political intrigue,
and when she needs assistance, she can call in the
power of the Scorpion Clan to assist her in
maintaining the city against threats. It’s a trump Night of a Thousand Screams serves well in
card she doesn’t play often, for misuse can be almost any kind of campaign, but it is particularly
dangerous. Those who displease her, however, or well-suited for Magistrate characters. Magistrates,
who do not carry out her wishes will soon find the arm of the Emperor’s law, serve their clan or
themselves trapped between the Scorpion Clan the Emerald Champion, and are often required to
and the visiting Unicorn dignitaries in the city. investigate foul deeds or unusual occurrences.
Why? Because Ryoko Owari is the linchpin of Night of a Thousand Screams is filled with both.
trade for both clans, and any disruption in its If your characters are already Magistrates, their
trade could mean starvation for hundreds of responsibility as ‘police’ of the Empire should to
people in both clans. motivate them to investigate the strange
Although the Scorpion are not often thought of happenings in the City of Lies
as the ‘militaristic’ type, their prominent city is If your party is comprised of players who are
defended by an honor guard, known as the not Magistrates, the adventure begins with the
‘Thunder Guard’ or ‘Red Plumes’, under the characters entering Ryoko Owari and seeking out
command of Hyobu’s son, Shosuro Jocho. They a nice inn. Tired from their long journey, they
serve as the police and civil guard of the city, eagerly anticipate the Bon Festival which will be
although they tend to confine their activities to going on all night long. The Bon Festival, a yearly
the more profitable sections of town. celebration in Rokugan, gives honor to the dead
 and appeases the souls of the ancestors. It is also
a time of remembrance, when people speak to the
souls of their long-departed ancestors and family,
and seek to understand the mysteries of death. It
is an honorable festival, in which the ancestors
hear the supplication of their families, and seek to
help them through the coming year.
The streets will be filled with representations
of the Great Kami, the Dragons of Myth, and
white-faced ‘ghosts’ and spirits of the past. The
Bon Festival is a time when the dead souls of the
past are closest to their heirs in the world. Every
action you have taken in the past year is judged
d ones) are written in by your ancestors, and you are asked to atone to
them for any misdoing. As recompense, the
ancestors are expected to reveal wisdom you will
need in the times ahead, and to look favorably on At 5:30 (nearly the end of the hour of the
their descendants who honor them properly. Monkey), the sun is about to set, and dusk is
During the festival, there are fireworks, gathering, making the streets gray. People are
parades, music, traditional dances, and long hurrying home from work and other duties,
twisting streamers. Cakes made of bleached white preparing for the Bon Festival which will begin
rice and covered in brown sugar are made to just after dark.
remind people that death (symbolized by the
white) is a part of all life, no matter where it The Inn of the Orange Blossom is a lovely
hides. The festival is a celebration of life as well establishment on the corner of Saffron Street and
as death, and people revere the life they have and Brass Avenue, near the waterfront in the
enjoy the great parade as it passes through the merchant section of Ryoko Owari. It is a quaint
streets of the city. The characters are enjoying the little inn, with a few rooms upstairs, and tables
cool evening before the Bon Festival in the city of downstairs where travelers and city residents
Ryoko Owari, when their Inn is attacked by an gather. The master of the house is named
Oni with eyes like fire. ’Ityo Crane merchants are Hametsu, a roly-poly man with a thick beard. He
nusual locations, so that murdered, and an investigation leads the
players can use strategy is a Unicorn, and loves to regale his listeners with
unusual tactics to avoid characters to a ransacked Unicorn warehouse, a tales of the days when the Unicorn traveled
tright hacking into their Shosuro lost in the grasp of a failed Oni across the mountains. Of course, he wasn’t alive
summoning spell, and a stolen shipment of for any of those escapades, but they are real to
masks. Through the night, the players are him nonetheless, and he will cheerfully describe
attacked, chased, fled from, trapped, tricked and them to any paying customer.
assaulted numerous times, by numerous enemies. He is assisted by his wife, Kimoko, and his
The reasons for the murders grows more complex young daughter, Hakiku. They are both pleasant
as the characters uncover a m h o ritual being individuals who smile a lot and ask no questions.
performed by the Moon Cult, kill the Oni with an Other patrons fill the inn, preparing for the
ancient and magical sword, and follow the trail of evening’s festivities, and banners and flowers
the stolen masks into the dark heart of the city. cover the doorway of the Orange Blossom.
By the time they are done, the players will ~

have faced the Cult of Lord Moon, challenged the The inn is located at (1) on your city map, and
sorcery of mho-tsukai, and been attacked by an the players should be shown where it is. It will be
army of undead seeking to destroy an ancient a base for much of their activities during the
artifact of the Sun Goddess. All of these perilous adventure, and could remain an important spot
events happen between the sunset and dawn of a for future campaigns in Ryoko Owari.
single night . .. the Night of a Thousand Screams, It is the inn’s practice, as with most common
establishments, to check any obvious weapons at
the door. There is a small alcove which is safe
from prying eyes, and the swords and other
weapons will be kept here, for safekeeping, while rather powerful Crane daimyo on the border. The
the characters are in the inn. A few swords and a Cranes run a thriving business in Ryoko Owari,
spear, belonging to the other patrons of the inn, trading goods from Crane lands for high prices.
already rest within the alcove, and the characters They are not the only Crane merchants in town,
will know that this is common practice in but they are the most powerful. If asked, they will
Rokugan. PCs who refuse to relinquish their reply only that they are discussing a private
weapons will be politely asked to leave. They are business matter, and will offer no further
welcome to stay outside while their companions information. One of the men, the Daidoji, looks to
eat sumptuous food and drink excellent sake ... be a bodyguard and seems to be less interested in
the talk at the table than the other two. He will
CHALLENGE keep an eye on the player characters, as well as
Magistrate PCs have probably come to Ryoko the other patrons of the inn.
Owari to serve their clan or the Emperor with The three men have sold several items for the
some minor function, or as part of their duties to Festival to a lesser merchant shop at good prices,
see to the safety of the Empire. They may even be and have made a substantial profit. Some of the
residents of the city, entrusted with its care and items they have been responsible for selling
the safety of its citizens. In this case, they may be include streamers, fireworks, masks and
visiting the Inn of the Orange Blossom as a costumes, noisemakers and other frivolous items.
moment of peace and quiet away from their The men will not invite the players to join them
hectic Magistrate schedule, eating dinner with and will politely refuse any offer to join the party.
friends and discussing tonight’s Festival.
If they are not Magistrates, it is best if the PCs Focus
have either come into town with a minor Once the PCs are seated in their room, the
dignitary (who is now safely housed in Shosuro innkeeper’s daughter enters and takes the
Palace for the festival, and will not be needing thecharacters’ orders. She begins carrying food to the
characters’ assistance for a few days), or live in or
table from the common room and assisting the
near the town, and have come to celebrate the party with any questions they have about the inn.
Bon Festival. In either case, they have retired to Have the players roll initiative after being seated
this little inn, to partake of its hospitality, its rice,
in their private room. Hakiku is serving them rice
and its fine s a k . The PCs are taken to a private and fish, the usual fare, and all seems to be well
room, beside the common room, where they are in the inn. Although you have asked them to roll
treated to their meal. The door to their area is left
initiative, nothing untoward seems to be
open, and the characters can see several tables occurring at this time.
full of guests in the common room. They are Five minutes after the party has settled in,
enjoying themselves, eating food, and talking there is an explosion in the common room. Pieces
quietly. One of them, a group of well-dressed of wood and ceramic rip through the paper walls,
Crane Clan dignitaries, seems out of place. and the serving girl falls to the floor. The
If a party member approaches another table explosion has ripped the doors from their hinges,
before going to their room, most of the characters and sent a large piece of wood through her chest.
in the inn will bow with proper respect and At this point, the GM should begin around the
introduce themselves. The patrons are primarily table, asking each player to describe what their
simple heimin and merchants, resting from a long character is doing. Skip anyone who does not
journey or visiting relatives in the town. have a swift answer. It is best to ask the person
with the lowest initiative roll first, and continue
The Crane, on the other hand, will introduce up the line until reaching the person with the
themselves as Doji Juzo, Doji Usiina, and Daidoji highest initiative roll. In this way, the player
Anitano, three merchants of some note in the city. whose character begins first (and thus, thinks
An Intelligence + Courtier roll against a TN of 15, fastest on their feet) has more opportunity to react
by someone who is familiar with Ryoko Owari, to the explosion. Players have little time to act
will further identify the men as being servants of before all the Crane are killed, and above all, the
the local Crane hatarnoto, or advisor to a daimyo. urgency of immediate action should be stressed.
The hatamoto’s name is Doji Tsumetsu, a distant
cousin of the Doji noble house and servant of a
 Through the ripped wall you see an inhuman ronin samurai, will have leapt to the weapons
creature much larger than a man holding one of alcove and grabbed his katana. On the fourth
the Crane dignitaries above his head. It stands round, if the Oni has not killed all the Crane, he
easily seven feet tall, with three eyes, a long jumps into the fray. However, he isn’t much help,
slithering tongue, and a long row of pods bulging and he will most likely be killed the same round
between the ridges of its extended spine. Its body he enters the combat. Because he has a sword, the
is a blackish green, covered in slime. The smell is Oni will consider him to be the greatest threat,
NO CHIZARO brackish and foul. Long, dripping claws reach out unless the PCs are doing some phenomenal
to shred the Crane it holds above its head, ripping damage with their bare hands.
through muscle and sinew with a minimum of The Oni will continue its rampage, headed for
effort. Another Crane lies dying in a pool of blood, the cowering Crane. Any NPC who gets in the
and the third has leapt to his feet, trying to back way will be slaughtered with a backhand swing
away from the creature. of the Oni’s terrible claws. The inn owner,
Hametsu, will grab any PC not in the battle and
8k3 The girl, Hikiku, will die in two rounds unless scream, “Do something! People are dying!” If the
one of the player characters immediately attends Oni cannot get to the Crane within 5 rounds, he
to her wounds. The Crane at the Oni’s feet will hear the stomp of feet charging the inn (the
(Daidoji Anitano) is already dead, and the one in Thunder Guard, responding to the screams). With
the air is rapidly dying. Only the third Crane, Doji a roar of frustration, he will tear two of the ‘pods’
) 3k2 Juzo, seems still alive and active. from his spine and throw them to the floor.
The Oni attacking the bar is the Oni no
Chizaro, but the players shouldn’t be given that The Oni screams in frustration and reaches
name. Although we refer to it as ‘Oni no Chizaro’ one long, clawed hand to its back, where you see
in the GMs text, you should only refer to it as ‘the numerous growths protruding from its spinal
Oni’ when talking to the players. ridge. With a savage rip and a vile tearing sound,
the Oni pulls one of the lumps from its back and
flings it to the floor with a sticky ‘glop.’ Within the
STRIKE blink of an eye, the round fleshy mass sprouts
All the patrons of the Inn are stunned and spidery legs with sharp claws, and opens three
cannot react to the attacks of the Oni. It is only small, glowing eyes. The Minor Oni’s jaw opens to
here to kill the Crane dignitaries, ignoring all reveal rows of sharp teeth, much like the original
others, and will kill the third Crane next turn. The Oni, and it skitters toward you with phenomenal
only way to stop the Oni from completing its speed.
mission is for a character to disrupt its attacks.
Because the characters should all be weaponless These ‘pods’ will swiftly (within seconds)
(unless someone has dishonorably hidden a uncurl into the Minor Oni. These smaller
weapon), this will most likely involve a creatures will continue the assault against the
pummeling attack against the Oni during the players. The two Minor Oni will fight until death.
second round. Another option could be to push When they are killed, they will dissolve into
the Crane out of harm’s way before the Oni can puddles of black, tarry, smelly glop on the floor.
reach him. The Oni is intelligent, and will deal It is important to note that this scene is an
with immediate threats before going back after introduction to the adventure which is about to
jade take place. The Oni no Chizaro is a powerful
1/2). the Crane.
Doji Juzo is a courtier, not a fighter, and will being, summoned from the Shadowlands to serve
not attack. Instead, he backs cowering into a a sinister purpose which will be explained as the
corner, watching the combat in abject terror. The party delves into the mystery. The Oni is an
other patrons of the bar will do the same, some important ‘bad guy,’ and no party should be able
fleeing and screaming, some fainting, and some to kill him in this brief encounter. On the other
trying to hide. hand, because the Oni is not there to directly
In the second round of combat, unless The harm the players, he should not be allowed to
Path to Inner Peace or an equivalent is applied, slaughter your PCs either.
the damage to the Crane on the floor (Doji Usiina) If Oni no Chizaro is truly threatened, he will
will kill him. One of the patrons of the inn, a drop as many as 5 of the ‘pods’ from his back,
 damage to the Minor
‘child.’ Minor Oni ta

unleashing a barrage of Minor Oni to do his “We are simple merchants,” Doji Juzo says, his
bidding. He will escape by leaping out the front eyes still wild with fear. “We haven’t done
door, over nearby houses, and vanishing in anything to gain the enmity of an Oni! I’ve never
tremendous bounds across the city‘s rooftops. If even been to the Shadowlands! I don’t know
he is seriously harming the players, be sure to anything about it! It was awful! Did you see it?
remember that the Oni’s goal is only to kill all Ten feet tall!” He rants for a bit but as he calms
three of the Crane NPCs. Once he has eliminated down, the Thunder Guard begin questioning you
them, he will escape in triumph. all about the incident.
This scene is intended to frighten your players You hear Juzo repeating the story to the Guard,
and imply that someone in the city is using maho. and telling them about his day. From what you
As the Gamemaster, be sure to make the scene as hear, it’s been relatively routine - he takes simple
intense and real for your players as possible merchandise to a buyer, ‘gifts’ them with the
without actually killing them. merchandise and receives payment. The ;and Screams.
merchandise is all for the festival, and seems to be
Doll Juro nothing more than an elaborate list of party
Doji Juzo, if he survives, will thank the players favors: streamers, fireworks, masks and costumes,
with all his heart He isn’t brave, but he is kind, and noisemakers. Nothing he seems to have done
and knows he could have been destroyed utterly is questionable, and he provides names and
if the PCs had not helped. If he lives through the contact information of three merchants whom he
combat, he will owe a minor boon to the PCs, and has dealt with today. He seems legitimate, and his
will tell them so. His friends are most likely dead, contacts seem to be upstanding businessmen.
and he will be roughly questioned by the Thunder
Guard who come to settle the disturbance. Assuming the characters tell the truth to the
Juzo will tell the PCs that he has no idea why Thunder Guards, they will be left unmolested.
the creature attacked him and his companions. If none of the Crane survived, all their
belongings will be taken to the Crane manor,
location 4, in the Noble’s Quarter.
P

clean up the dead bodies of the Crane and the

serving girl. The innkeeper, Hametsu, will vary
between gushing thanks to the PCs for their quick
actions, and tearing his hair out in grief over his
daughter and the state of his little inn. He
apologizes several times to the PC he shook
during the combat, and will do almost anything
to make amends.
He fears that this attack will ruin his
reputation, and that his inn will be cursed by the
spirits of the Crane samurai who were killed
while enjoying his hospitality. Many times, he
will recite prayers to the Fortunes, and whisper
apologies under his breath to his ancestors. While
the Thunder Guard is making their last minute
investigations and asking the PCs a few final
questions, the sudden appearance of a dark
At the beginning of the Hour of the Rooster shadow in the doorway will startle Hametsu into
(6pm), the sun is setting and the streets are dropping a tray of sake and rice.
emptying. When the man enters, Hametsu launches into
After the battle, the innkeeper will try to clean another round of apologies, and swiftly cleans up
up his poor establishment, while his wife grieves his mess, his hands shaking with stress and
over the loss of their daughter. Several eta arrive anxiety. The man smiles at Hametsu
on command of the Thunder Guard, in order to understandingly, removing his large straw hat.

At the doorway of the inn, you hear a crash.

Hametsu bends down quickly, to retrieve a large
tray of rice and sake he was carrying, and a man
steps through the doorway nearby. “I’m sorry,
sir,” Hametsu stammers, “You startled me, my
Lord. I’m so sorry ... I’m sorry ... Please, let me
assist you . . .”
Over Hametsu’s frantic apologies, you hear
the stranger say cheerfully, “No, no, innkeeper,
that’s not necessary.” He removes his straw hat
and reveals a mane of white hair, pulled back
into a samurai’s topknot ponytail. His expensive
blue kimono and hakama, and fine daisho are
the very image of a Crane samurai, but the
smiling eyes and ready grin are mischievous
rather than stoic and elegant.
With a bow, the stranger approaches the
party, and several of the Thunder Guard around
you return a slightly deeper bow. “My Lord
Magistrate, Oruku-saw” one of the Guard says,
“it is a pleasure to see you again?

The Crane will introduce himself to the

players as Doji Oruku, a Crane Magistrate in the
city, serving under the distant authority of the
Doji house. He is tall and athletic, his clothing
characteristically elegant and pristine, but not
too fancy or elaborate. This is no preening,
plumed Crane, but rather a warrior whose goal is Oruku will then invite the characters to sit and
to discover the truth. His manner is confident and have tea with him while they talk. Hametsu will
easygoing. His dark eyes shine with a canny bring out what’s left of his finest stock for them.
intelligence and he is quick to flash a roguish He will explain that he is going to join the search
grin. He is a man who has the highest respect for to discover what has happened, and that he and
life, but has learned that it cannot be taken too his family would be indebted if the players would
seriously. His natural charisma endears him to lend their talents to assist him. If the players are
most people he meets - he is much better at already Magistrates, they will know that it is their
making friends than enemies. He is a skilled duty to help another Magistrate in this situation,
fighter, has a smooth tongue, a quick wit, and an and if they are not, they will certainly understand
adventurous spirit. that gaining a friend in the Crane family is a good river from the bo
Doji Oruku is an NPC (non-player character) idea. In any case, they will be comfortably
who will be traveling with the party throughout drinking tea and talking perhaps ten to fifteen
the adventure, if they accept his help and minutes later, when the young eta boy rushes in
friendship. He is trustworthy and capable, the door, his face soot-stained and his feet
although not to the point of overshadowing the bleeding from a long run over rough terrain.
players. As the evening unfolds, Oruku should be The boy is panicked and out of breath,
used to prod the characters, to remind them of bursting out with the following:
clues they may have missed, and to encourage
them to follow the proper protocol. He knows the “The crematorium.. .” pants the boy, obviously
City of Lies well, and can also serve as a guide to out of breath. His eyes are white rimmed, and he
finding places in the city which the characters is terrified. “There are bandits, attacking the
may not be familiar with. Be careful not to let crematorium and trying to steal the bodies!” He
Oruku do all the work - he’s not there to solve points out the door, in the direction from which
problems or make decisions. He should be played he has come. “Please, samurai-sarna, they are
as a friendly, courageous man whom the players attacking my father ... the bodies of your friends
can trust and use as a source of information about . . . please help us!”
Ryoko Owari.
Focus
CHALLENGE It takes about five minutes to reach the
Doji Oruku has come to investigate the deaths crematorium at a steady jog, which is about as
of the Crane. Because the dead men were his fast as the boy can manage at this time. The
kinsmen, Oruku takes this attack very seriously. crematorium is located at position (2) on your a samurai to kif1
He will walk around the Inn, looking at the Gamemaster’s map. If the characters already even for some imagine
shattered tables and ruined paper walls, and will know where the crematorium is, they can reach it slight - such as not bow
ask the players to describe what occurred. Once at a dead run in about two an a half minutes, but
he has been brought up to date, he will thank the they will be winded unless they have Athletics.
players for their courage in attempting to save his Winded characters attack at a -1 to all dice until
kinsmen (even if the players weren’t successful). they have a chance to catch their breath (rest for
Several eta have arrived by this time, swift to two full actions).
do their work and remove the bodies. Oruku will A party of fifteen to twenty bandits have
direct the eta to carry the dead bodies to the attacked the crematorium, not expecting any
crematorium, outside of the city. They will scurry resistance from the eta. The place has been
to carry out his orders. One of them, a young boy, destroyed and is partly on fire, adding to the
will look around at the inside of the inn with a confusion of screaming eta and sword-wielding
sort of awe, and smile shyly at the player bandits. When the party arrives, the Crane bodies
characters before remembering his place and are lying on the floor, their shrouds ripped open
dropping his eyes to the work at hand. If the and their clothing rifled through. One or more of
players try to talk to him, he will fall to his knees the bandits may still be searching through the
and bow, as is proper, and answer any questions corpses and the area where the bodies are kept, to
they may have before scrambling to help his the side of the giant kiln used for cremation. The
father and the other eta. eta escorts lie dead as well, cut down by the
blades of the bandits.
 The PCs arrive in time to catch a number of of the shadowy figures. “That one’s mine!“ He
the bandits on their way out. The bandits are cries out, grinning wickedly at you. “Get the
generally a cowardly lot, and do not want a fight others! They may know something!“ Then he
with the Magistrates, but they have no desire to leaps into a run, chasing after the man. “I’ll see
be caught either. They will make a break for the you in an hour at the Orange Blossom, or I’ll tell
door at the rear of the building when the party your bravery to my ancestors!“ He yells over his
enters, but only a few will escape before the PCs shoulder, and then he is gone with an exhilarated
close in. laugh.
Five more figures are racing away, and you
STRIKE have only seconds to react.
it was thrown at Several of the bandits will engage the PCs in
combat - enough to keep the PCs busy while Four of the bandits are headed deeper into the
their friends escape. The bandits have no reason eta village, while the other two are going toward
not to use the dead bodies as shields, and any of the Wretched Gate back toward the city. The one
the burial implements (bone cutters, jars of Oruku chooses is one of the ones headed into the
entrails, skulls and half-charred bones) as village.
weapons. Remember, a samurai who touches
dead flesh is dishonored, even if it’s a jar of
entrails or a body thrown at them by a fleeing
bandit . . .
This should be a huge fight, with bandits
flinging bodies and vile gobbets of flesh
everywhere. The party must destroy the bandits
who have desecrated the corpses, and still find
out why the men were here in the first place. Any
captured bandits will attempt to escape or force
the players to kill them. Under extreme duress,
they will reveal that a man known to them only
as “Silence” sent them to steal any remaining
belongings of the Crane dignitaries and deliver
them to the leader at a prearranged meeting
place. They do not know anything else about the
leader, the specific item he may have wanted, or At this point, the characters will have to split
where he can be found other than the meeting up and chase after the fleeing bandits. The
place. They were hired through an inn on the Gamemaster may choose one of two styles for
wharf, and they didn’t ask questions. running this part of the adventure. First, you can
One of the bandits has a small bag containing simply turn to each player and run the scene in
10 koku and bearing the Crab mon in his public for all the other characters to see. Secondly,
possession. He refuses to talk about it, but it you may choose to take each player out of the
should be pretty clear that this was the payment room, one by one, and run the scene individually,
for the deed. relying on the players to remember any
Six bandits have managed to escape through information they have gained and pass it on to
the rear door as the party enters. After the fight, the party later. Half the fun is in watching the
Oruku will urge the PCs to give chase (especially players try to tell each other what happened, and
if there are no surviving bandits in the brag about their exploits (real or imagined) over
crematorium to tell the party what happened). a round of sake.
Once the party gives chase, they will be separated If the size of the party does not match the
according to which bandit they choose to follow. amount of fleeing bandits, you may wish to
increase or decrease the number of escapees.
Oruku leaps through the rear door beside you, Each PC should have a separate bandit to chase,
watching the fleeing shadows of the escaped with no pairing up, so that each player can handle
bandits run through the maze of alleys in the eta the scene on their own.
 The following chase scenes are written for PCs
without magical skills. Some scenes will have to
be altered, depending on the skills and abilities of
the individual chasing each bandit. Shugenja PCs
should have as difficult a time capturing their
bandit as do the bushi, and each scene should be
exciting and dangerous. Don’t be afraid to make
one or more of the bandits into ronin (and poorly The second bandit hopes to lose his pursuer by
trained) shugenja, if it makes for a better story. ducking into a nearby geisha house. The house is
The eta village is of moderate size, and in the eta village and the women are mostly old WATER:
rambles about the area surrounding the and unattractive. The geisha scream at the sight of FIRE: 2
crematorium. It is highlighted with the numeral the man, and the Oka-san of the house will chase AIR: 1
(3)on your Gamemaster’s map. after the attacker with a wooden stick, yelling Reflex
bloody murder.
Inside the house, the bandit will push past Skills: Knife

woman down the stairs behind him, making her katana (3k2),and Kenju
The first bandit attempts to escape into the eta fall headlong into the player. If the player stops to Advantages: Luck (3 pts),
village, relying on speed and cunning to lose his catch the woman before she is injured, the bandit Disadvantages: Bad
pursuers. The P c will not lose sight of him during will escape to the rooftops, leaping from one to Reputation (Bandit),
the chase, however. When he is getting close, the the next in a desperate bid for freedom, and will Compulsion
PC will see the bandit leap into an eta house, and probably escape.
hear shrieks and fearful cries from inside the hut. If the player ignores the woman’s plight and
When the PC enters, the bandit has a young boy charges after the bandit, the man will be cornered
held in front of him, a knife pressed to the boy’s in an upper floor room before he can climb out
neck. The bandit claims that he just wants to get onto the roof. The bandit will attack, but if he is

surrender and plead for mercy.

If the PC attempts to negotiate, the bandit will
argue unreasonably for a few moments, and then
fling the boy aside, launching an attack on the
player. Note that the boy is eta, and therefore the
samurai PC has no real need to make sure that he
survives. However, a good samurai values all life,
even that of an eta, and so the PC should attempt
to keep the boy from harm.
If the PC attacks the bandit, the man will slash iaximum of 3, t
at the boy, possibly wounding him but not killing :d by the GM).
him. Then the bandit will push the boy toward
the samurai and try to flee out the back of the hut.

CLU€:
None
 difficulties the bandit will place in the way of his
This bandit has a scroll with a weekly sale pursuer include:
schedule and item manifest for a Scorpion Topples over a large stack of wicker baskets
Merchant house (see sidebar). It describes many in the Pc's path, forcing the PC to make an
items, from wicker baskets to fine silks, to masks Athletics test against a TN of 15 to successfully
and party favors for the festival. If the bandit is leap them.
not caught, but escapes across the rooftops, he Hurls the lid of a nearby casket at the PC.
will drop the manifest on the roof of the Geisha The lid is made of heavy wood, and will almost
House in his haste. A successful Perception roll at certainly cause some minor damage if it hits the
a TN of 15 will notice the fallen scroll. character. The bandit will have to roll an attack
against the PC, rolling 2kl to hit, and one die of
damage if the hit is successful.
Slings a bundle of metal poles, designed for
use as fishing boat poles, at the character, rolling
them down a flight of thin, rickety stairs. The
bundle will separate, blocking the stairs and
This bandit is very strong and fast. The PC possibly hitting the character. The character must
must win a contested roll of Stamina to catch make an Agility roll at a TN of 20 to successfully
him. If the PC fails, the bandit will escape after avoid the falling poles. If they are unsuccessful,
plaguing him with difficulties. If the PC wins the they will take one die of damage from the rolling
Stamina contest, he can catch up to the bandit metal.
after only a few of the trials below. If the PC has Leaps through a thin rice-paper wall into an
projectile weapons or magic that can help catch empty house, rolling and waiting for the PC to
the bandit, more interesting itials may have to be charge blindly through the same wall. If the
devised by the Gamemaster. player follows the bandit, the bandit will get one
Each turn of combat, the Bandit will charge free round of attacks against the player, as the
through the eta village, toppling things and player could not see the bandit hiding in the
throwing refuse back at the player. Some of the house, and the bandit knew the player was
coming. This round of attacks is not made with
any special bonuses. The fact that it is a free
round of attacks for the bandit is enough of an
advantage.
Finally, after all this, if the bandit is defeated in
combat, he will surrender before being killed, if
possible.

CLUE:
If the bandit is captured, he is willing to tell
them all he knows, but only if he gains the Pc's
word that he will go free afterward. Once he has
the Pc's oath, he will tell them that the party of
bandits was hired to find the Crane and steal their
swords. He believes that one of the swords
belonging to the Crane was magical, although he
doesn't know anything about what magic the
sword contains. He also knows that the man who
hired them was very nervous, and seemed to be
in a terrible hurry to get the sword.
samuraiI.

!-
This bandit makes it past the eta village, into
the wharf section and the warehouse district. He
heads for the docks and ducks into an empty
fishery, avoiding the hanging fish and butchered
meat in barrels by the side of the warehouse. He
will hide behind some crates in the building,
counting on the shadows to hide him from sight.
When the PC who is chasing him is close enough, The last bandit is small and quick, and runs
he will tackle them, surprising the PC unless they away from the eta village at top speed. He will
make an Awareness roll against a TN of 20. If the lead the player a merry chase, all the way back to
bandit wins a contested Strength roll against the the inn of the Orange Blossom. At the Inn, he will
character, the bandit will gain an additional die to turn to face the player, realizing that there is no
his roll if the PC is surprised. escape. Poor Hametsu, sweeping the floor after
If the PC wins the roll, the bandit will miss and the terrible night he's already had, will hold the
fly headlong into a tremendous basket of fish broom like a bo staff, obviously and pitifully
heads. If he fails, both will fall into the basket. incompetent. His wife, cleaning glasses at a table
Whether the bandit flies in and makes a nearby, will take one good look at the bandit, and
tremendous splash, or the PC is shoved in and the pass out in a heap in the corner.
bandit gets away, there is sure to be plenty of By the time the PC arrives, the bandit is ready
explaining to do when the poor player, covered in for him. Hametsu stands over his wife, glaring
smelly fish heads and entrails, returns to meet his and holding the broom, and the bandit has his
friends at the Orange Blossom ... katana out, facing the door where the PC enters.
His voice is hoarse and gravelly, and he spits on
CLUE: the ground as the PC enters.
None.
 -
“Let me go, (samurai/Magistrate)” the bandit bath house, a suggestion which Hametsu will
snarls, spitting on the ground again and leveling make loudly but politely very soon after the
his sword at you. He’s obviously competent, and player shows up at the inn.
has a strange, fanatic gleam in his eye. “I’ll end After some time, Oruku shows up with blood
your pain now, my friend,” he says in a rough on his kimono, but no prisoner. He will smile and
voice, “ for before this night is over, this city will tell this tale:
hear the echo of a thousand screams.. .”
I “I chased the bandit for some time, my friends
n Rokugan, there are If the PC does not back down, the bandit will - the man was quick, and he obviously knew the
let out a chilling battle scream, and attack. He will city well.” Oruku sips his tea quietly while he
fight to the death, and will show no mercy to his talks. “The bandit led me to a burnt out building
opponent. near the warehouse district. When I entered, he
attacked me, and although I tried to convince him
A hatarnoto is an
CLUE: to surrender, I was forced to kill him? Oruku
This bandit is not dressed like the others, as sighs. “I was able to pull my strike enough that
his clothing is finer and cleaner. He, too, has a the bandit could speak to me before he died. He
pouch with the Crab mon on it, which contains 5 told me that he and his partners were hired in a
koku. downtown inn, and had been sent to the Inn of
the Orange Blossom to kill my kinsmen and steal
their belongings. When they found out that an
to can be considered
Oni had done the job for them, they simply
followed the eta to their village and tried to
plunder the bodies? Hametsu quietly brings
another plate of cherries to the table, and you
hear the distant sound of fireworks outside,
signaling the beginning of the Bon Festival.

If the players have found out that the bandits

were looking for a magic sword (information
obtained from bandit number three), Oruku will
look thoughtful and volunteer the following
information:

“One of the Cranes killed here tonight, Daidoji

Anitano, was known for his bravery in battle,”
Half past the Hour of the Monkey (7pm), the Oruku says. “Before he was sent to the City of
sun has set and a gentle darkness lingers over the Lies to serve these merchants as their bodyguard,
streets of Ryoko Owari. Lamplighters travel along he fought at many battles against the Crab in the
the streets, lighting lanterns at each corner and south. I had often heard him bragging about his
greeting the stragglers who are returning home prowess, and about a fine sword he found in the
from a hard day of work. The atmosphere is swamplands near the Crab border of the
cheery, and people are starting to turn out for the Shadowlands:‘ He thinks about it for a moment,
Festival, only hours away. and continues, “Perhaps that sword was a bit
After the chase scenes are finished, the players more interesting than I had thought ...”
should meet back at the Inn of the Orange
Blossom. Any prisoners they have can be Oruku will tell the players that if the Daidoji’s
contained in the stables, tied and gagged if sword indeed had any value, it would be in the
necessary. Hametsu will carry his poor wife to her hands of the Crane Consulate, most likely at the
room and return with some more sake for the manor house of Doji Tsumetsu, the hatarnoto in
players while they share stories and wait for charge of Crane affairs in Ryoko Owari Toshi. If
Oruku. The player who had the misfortune of the players think it is important (and, of course, it
chasing his bandit through the fishery can be is), Oruku can lead them to Tsumetsu’s house
treated to a hot bath just down the street at the immediately.
 find that he is sleeping deeply, and nothing will
revive him.
Upon entering the front corridor of the house,
the overwhelming urge to go to sleep will
overcome the players. They must make a
Willpower roll against a TN of 25 each round, or
fall asleep in their tracks. If they continue to
succeed, they can move forward into the front
room, where they will see a tattooed man
escaping up the stairs. He seems unaffected by the
sleep spell.
The players cannot catch the tattooed man,
who is very fast (and not sleepy). After four
rounds, no further rolls will be needed - the PCs contains minor
will fall asleep.
Doji Oruku leads the PCs back to Doji
Tsumetsu’s manor house, taking them through CHALLENGE
the Dragon Gate into the Noble Quarter. The The house is under a spell placed by the
house of the Crane hatarnoto is position (4) on tattooed man, who has used a minor tsangusuri
your Gamemaster’s map. The house is large, with (one-use magic item). All the Cranes inside the
wooden stairs leading up to a thick walkway that house are sleeping. As the players begin to
surrounds the house. awaken (twenty minutes later), they hear loud
The courtyard of the home is well-manicured, clanging noises beyond the doorway.
with a winding stream and a small bridge over a When the characters begin to awaken, it is
cobblestone path. The house itself is a sprawling twenty minutes later, nearing the end of the Hour
wooden structure, with painted paper walls and of the Monkey. If the players look cautiously
sliding doors; it is small for the neighborhood but beyond the doorway, they will see a group of
obviously the best kept home in the area. small Oni - remarkably similar to the ones ripped
As the party approaches the house, they feel a from the Oni no Chizaro’s back in the Inn of the
strange sleepiness wash over them. Perhaps it is Orange Blossom - ransacking the house.
only a natural reaction to the events of this night?
Or a side effect of drinking too much sake? You look into the room from which the
clanging noises are coming, and see a strange
The gardens around you are lovely, the small sight. Two small Oni, apparently identical to the
stream reflecting the starlight and the occasional ones you saw at the Inn of the Orange Blossom,
flicker of a skyrocket in the night sky above you. are ransacking the house. Nearby, one has lifted
As you approach the house, you feel a yawn the maid from the floor and is looking under the
stretch across your face. You look at your body, the other is shredding pillows with his
companions, and it strikes you as strange that claws and peering inside them. Three more are
they all look equally weary. Perhaps the headed for the stairs. Another drags a wakizashi
excitement of fighting the bandits has made all of against the floor, making large dents in the hard
you a bit drowsy, or perhaps something odd is wood. They seem to be looking for something.
going on here ...

When they approach the steps to the front door

of the house, there are no guards. The door is ajar,
and scuffling sounds can be heard from the
corridor. Oruko calls out, but there is no answer.
The players enter the house and find a guard in
Crane regalia lying on the floor just inside the
doorway. At first glance, the man appears dead,
but if the players look at him carefully, they will
 While they were sleeping, the Oni’s henchmen in another direction. Upstairs, three more Minor
have arrived at the house, searching for the Oni are racing about, chasing each other with
masks. They aren’t gentle, and as the players table legs and chortling wildly while they search
watch, the Oni who was looking through the the bedrooms. They can’t seem to get into one
sleeping maid’s kimono will tear her open and room, where the players hear women screaming
. ., * , . in fear and see clothing and bits of crockery flying
through the torn door at the Minor Oni. The wall
Focus opposite the door is covered in blotches of
As the players fight the Minor Oni, they will brightly colored paint, and a broken mask lies in
flee and try to continue searching the house. Their the hallway among fragmented pieces of
first mission is to search for the masks. They don’t furniture.
know how to speak, nor are they smart enough to If the players look into the room, they will see
communicate, so they can’t surrender or the following:
volunteer any information. In fact, they are not
much smarter than a well-trained dog, but are far Three young women dressed in Crane robes
more vicious. and their nanny are huddled behind a dressing
The Minor Oni are the size of toddlers, with screen, flinging impromptu ammunition at
spiderlike legs, claws, and three glowing orange anything which enters the room. The floor is
eyes. They seem to almost be miniature versions covered with broken crockery, half-painted masks
of Oni no Chizaro, and their swift movement and and spilled paint and glue, shredded costumes
huge leaps almost defy gravity. Their huge eyes and a broken paper-mache Dragon head. The
glow with an unearthly orange light as they women behind the screen are throwing anything
scamper uncertainly, jumping across the room they can get their hands on at the door, and are
with little grace and less control. When they see too hysterical to see you standing there. You are
the characters, they will shriek in surprise, forced to dodge a particularly large vase, but the
scrambling and leaping away from the PCs. silk kimono which sails after it hits you squarely
The players may chase the first Minor Oni in the face, and a pot of blue paint explodes on
upstairs, or follow the three who had been going the wall beside you.

In the room at the end of the

hallway, a bellowing roar
echoes through the house.
Players upstairs and downstairs
will hear it clearly, and
recognize it as the noise made
by the Oni no Chizaro.
Throughout the house, wall
hangings have been torn apart,
vases crushed, flowers scattered
and jeweled boxes torn apart
carelessly. One of the Minor
Oni is still carrying the guards
unsheathed wakizashi, and he
leaps down the hall at top speed
with it, careening wildly into
walls from the unaccustomed
weight.

STRIKE
The players will probably
chase the Oni with the
wakizashi into the main
bedroom, where they find the
 MINOR U I
I

Bite: 2k2 + Contested

Earth Roll vs. the Dam
or the victim gets the Tai

little fellow caught up in the tremendous claws of necessary, it will create three more minor Oni as
the Oni no Chiiaro. The bedroom has been torn soon as it reaches the roof, throwing them down
apart, and a tremendous and elaborately carved into the bedroom to keep the players busy. Once
wooden chest lies smashed against one wall, again, the Minor Oni will fight until death, and
adventure, we re
clothing and other pieces of personal attire lie when they are killed, they will dissolve into here, for your co
scattered about. puddles of black, tarry, smelly glop on the floor.
If the players take a moment to investigate the
This room is a master bedroom, probably the cartons Oni no Chizaro was searching, they will
personal chambers of Doji Tsumetsu. In the find them to be full of broken porcelain masks,
center stands the horrendous Oni from the Inn of costumes, and paints for the festival. The mark on
the Orange Blossom, holding the little creature in the boxes is that of a Shosuro merchant
one hand, and the wakizashi in the other. At his warehouse, down on the docks of the city. This
feet lies an overturned box of party favors, mark is also the same house symbol on the
including a shipment of masks which were to be manifest gathered from Bandit #2.
painted for the festival, but are now shattered and If the players climb up to the roof to see where
ruined. The large Oni appears to have been the Oni has gone, they will notice two things: first,
searching through the large box of masks when it that the Oni has headed for the warehouse section
was interrupted. Holding the little Oni, it stops for of town, and secondly, that a man is in the
a second and runs its long, dripping red tongue shadows of the house two stories below, watching.
over the length of the sword. Then it roars in
frustration and snaps the sword in two with one The Oni sails across the rooftops with
hand. The little Oni shrieks in fear and dismay as tremendous bounds - often going nearly twenty
the greater Oni starts to crush him, and then it feet in one jump. You turn away, unable to match
sees you in the doorway. With a roar, the huge the Oni's speed and agility, but as you do,
Oni flings the smaller one at you like a living something else catches your attention. A man
projectile weapon, and leaps for the roof. stands across the street below, in4he shadows of
the house, watching the Oni sail through the
The Oni no Chizaro will leap through the heavens.
ceiling, reaching the roof with its initial jump. If
 The man looks up at those on the roof, then. laughing as they dart about in their costumes and
with a strange brief bow, he turns and vanishes masks.
into the alleyway behind him. As he passes
through a bright shaft of moonlight, you notice While the Crane household is recovering from
that beneath his vest and simple pants, his body the events, Doji Tsumetsu and his three guards
is covered with strange, glistening tattoos, and he arrive, hands on their swords. Swiftly, the servants
carries a sword in a blue s q u (sheath) across his will gather, and the old nanny will bow and tell
back. the tale of the terrible Oni and the spell it cast
over the household. She will point out the PCs
The man who escapes into the alleyway is and tell about their bravery -and valor in the
Togashi Ikyoto, a traveling ise zumi from the Clan combat.
of the Dragon. He is clever and will use the One of the Guards will step forward and kneel
powers of his tattoos (the Bat and the Monkey) to before his Lord, asking humbly for the right to
elude any pursuit. commit seppuku because he was not able to
Once the PCs have cleared the house of the remain awake and protect the household.
rest of the Minor Oni, they will discover that the
rest of the household is waking up. The guards “No, Naigotai-san. Evil m h o magic is at work
are shocked to see what has occurred, and the here.” As Tsumetsu says this, the servants mutter
nanny and maidens will tentatively come out fearfully to themselves and make the sign of the
from behind their screen to thank the players for Fortunes in the air, begging for the kami to take
saving their lives. mercy on them.
Tsumetsu turns to the party, then, and looks
carefully at each of you in turn. “You have
defended my house and protected my children’s
lives. In return, I owe you a reward for your valor.
Please accept the hospitality of my home, and
allow me to give you a gift.” He commands one of
the samurai with him to bring out a small bag
which the samurai has been carrying.
Tsumetsu removes a small satchel, perhaps as
large as a bread-bag, intricately stitched with the
mon of the Crane.

He will turn to the player with the highest

Glory and offer them the bag as a gift for the
entire party. Assuming the samurai shows proper
ilities are listed on manners and refuses the gift three times,
During the beginning of the Hour of the Dog, Tsumetsu will be pleased with their politeness,
people are starting to come out into the streets, and treat them with great favor. If they do not
preparing for the festival. Children scamper respond appropriately, he will assume they are
about, holding small sparkling lights, and uncultured ronin and will be offended, but polite.
Within the bag are four tsungusuri, or Asahina
fetishes. These items are magical, and can be
used only once each. The first item is a small jade
statuette of a sun. The second is a black
sandalwood fan. The third is a small key made
from a fish’s skeleton, and the fourth is a golden
pear. Doji Tsumetsu will describe the powers of
each of the items as he offers them to the party.
Black Fan - User may roll 2 dice and add the
result to their Glory points for one hour. Those
listening to the user of the Fan during that time
are struck with awe and respect, and the user
gains one free Raise toward any Oratory, Tsumetsu sits at a low table with the rest of the
Command or Sincerity rolls. PCs,drinking a cup of hot tea and speaking of the
Bone Key - Opens one door, even if locked or strange things which are occurring in the city
magically sealed. Physical traps are negated, tonight.
magical ones are triggered. Eventually, the hatamoto explains where he
Golden Fruit - Will cure any poison in a was when his home was attacked. “I had been
person’s system if they eat the entire.piece of fruit. called away,” he explains. ‘Actually, Oruku, I was
In addition, it will heal 1 die of damage. looking for you. It seemed a job more suited to a
Jade Sun - Creates a globe of true sunlight, Magistrate than a hatamoto, but in your absence,
illuminating a 10’ area for 30 minutes. Also, I was forced to accept the duty. You see, one of the
unlike the others, it can be used three times Unicorn warehouses in the Merchant Quarter was
before it becomes useless. attacked, and all their trade stock was destroyed.”
He shakes his head sadly. “It’s a bitter day when
As he hands you the final item, Tsumetsu says, the criminals of this city must take to robbing
‘This item is blessed by the Sun Goddess herself. party favors for the Bon Festival.” He casually sips
Not only does it summon her light, but it is said his tea, and Oruku shares a glance with you.
that it has the power to restore a lost soul to “Festival items?” Oruku says. “That’s strange.”
“What is stranger still,” says Tsumetsu, setting
down his tea cup, “is that the criminals went to all
CHALLENGE the trouble of breaking into the building and
The Crane will invite the party inside the tearing open all the crates, but didn’t actually
manor house. Servants scurry about, trying to steal anything.”
clean the house and serve the visitors. Soon, a tiny In the background, the little old man chuckles
old man will enter the room, and all inside will happily, and places another piece on the Go
bow. Doji Tsumetsu will introduce him to the board, completely involved in his game.
players as his father, Doji Ukidanu. -
focus capture
The old man slowly walks up to the party. He Tsumetsu gladly describes the scene at the over.
looks over the members for a moment, then Unicorn warehouse - crates ripped open, boxes
breaks out into a wide, toothless grin. “Do you overturned, and items ruined. If not for the huge
play Go?” he asks in a croaking and ancient voice. tearing claw marks in the boxes, the Thunder
“I want to play Go, and I will play it with . .. you.” Guard would have thought that it had simply
been done by vandals.
GM Note: Doji Ukidanu will choose the player, The time of the attack on the Unicorn
or one of the players, who saw the ise zumi warehouse was approximately 6:30 (just past the
escape into the alley, if possible. Hour of the Monkey), coinciding with the players’
battles with the bandits. The only items which
Although its obvious the old man is a little both the Unicorn and the Crane currently have to
senile, he seems friendly, and insulting the father trade are for the festival, specifically masks,
of the hatamoto to the Doji house would costumes and fireworks.
probably not help your new friendship with the Outside, the fireworks are lighting the sky
Crane. Ukidanu totters out to a table lit by a stone fairly regularly, marking the official beginning of
lantern, and begins pulling out the pieces and the festival. People are gathering in the streets
setting them on the board, all the while muttering with torches, celebrating their ancestors.
happily to himself. Tsumetsu tells the party that a grand parade has
been planned for the hour of the Goat (2 - 4am),
If any of the players has the either the Battle and will weave through the entire city, following
or Courtier skill, they probably know the the perimeter road. He will invite the players to
rudimentary rules of the game. In any case, one come and enjoy the celebration, and will offer
of the players should accept the old man’s offer, them masks and costumes from his personal
and begin a game of Go with Ukidanu. The game stock.
will last through the next series of actions.
 ~ ~

win the game, and you should have a prize. Wait,

wait. I have something:’
Ukidanu fumbles about in his obi for a
minute, then in each sleeve, and then finally pulls
out a thin statuette shaped like a silver hourglass.
The hourglass is broken, and only a few grains of
sand rest in its glass globes. Ukidanu smiles
broadly, showing a tremendous amount of lost
teeth.
“Found that for you outside house. You won it,
you keep it. Be careful - don’t sleep your life
away!“ He cackles uproariously, and waves to you
as he bows. Then, singing a nursery rhyme to
The high point of the parade, Tsumetsu will himself, he turns and walks up the stairs of the
tell the players, is the lighting of the Dragon house.
Globe: You touch a few of the last motes of sand in
the glass and a strange weariness washes over
‘The Globe at the Temple of the Sun Goddess you, but is quickly gone again.
will be lit by the Sun’s own fire, bringing
Amaterasu’s blessings to all the citizens of Ryoko The sand left in the hourglass is the last of the
Owari. Its a grand moment, my friends, and more Obsidian Hourglass tsangusun used by the ise
than merely symbolic. They say that if the Sun zumi to put the house to sleep just before the Oni
Globe is not lit, the Sun will look down on our arrived. It is now a useless trinket, useful only for
city in disfavor, and we will have misfortune in allowing the players to have a clue about the
their master and the next year. But why would anyone want to cause of the mysterious sleep.
anger the Sun? Its all just a children’s tale, of
course, and nothing more.”

STRIKE
While the players talk to Tsumetsu, the Go
game in the corner progresses to its conclusion.
About halfway through the game, the player
should make an Intelligence + (either Battle or
Courtier) against a TN of 15. If the player has
neither of those skills, they should make an
Awareness roll with a TN of 25. If successful, they
get the feeling that the little man is manipulating
the game, forcing them to a specific outcome.

Once the game has progressed, the player

realizes that his only chance of winning is to
make a stylized move called “the Tattooed The Unicorn warehouse is not far from the
Friend? It requires the player to make a move and Nobles’ Quarter of Ryoko Owari. Walking to and
trust that the opponent will outsmart himself. from the warehouse will require the party to pass
Once the player makes the move, the Go Master near several areas of celebration, seeing such
will concede the victory to the player, and laugh things as mock Dragons made of streamers and
with glee. wood, children wearing unusual porcelain masks,
and people dressed as ghosts in long trailing
white kimonos.
“You play well! We should play again , . . but later,
later. Not now. Too much for samurai to do this You arrive at the warehouse, which is currently
night, neh?” The old man mumbles something to being protected by some of the Thunder Guard.
You hear voices inside ...
 The boxes show every sign of having been
If the characters go to the warehouse, they will shredded by Oni no Chizaro: claw marks, huge
be approached by the Thunder Guard, asking clawed footprints in the straw, and the marks of
their business. If any of the characters are small, scuttling feet along the walls and cartons,
Magistrates, the guards will bow and allow the as well as slime, drool, and more black tarry gunk.
characters inside. If they are not, Oruku will step The area guard says that he heard only a large
forward as a Magistrate, and the guard will let the roar, and by the time he could arrive from the far
party through. side of the docks, the doors had been ripped open.
In the warehouse, the characters find two of He swears he saw something awful leap through
the Thunder Guard talking to the Unicorn the air, but won’t describe it, out of fear. If the
merchant. Shinjo Sanefusa, the son of the actual characters describe Oni no Chizaro, his eyes
owner, is criticizing the Guard, the evening, the become huge, and he nods, his face turning white.
wares, and anything else that catches his On the carton of masks and costumes, there is
attention. Sanefusa is a small, talkative man who the symbol of a Scorpion merchant, also depicted
is opinionated, repressed, and very unhappy about on the manifest gathered from Bandit #2. The
the state of his father’s warehouse. Although his mark was also on the carton of costumes and
father is sixty-eight years old, and should have masks at Doji Tsumetsu’s home. Any character
retired long ago, his irascible temper has kept him who has been in Ryoko Owari for more than a
from entering a monastery, and he still runs the month can make an Intelligence + Heraldry roll
family business - as well as the life of his son. at a TN of 15 to know where the Shosuro
warehouse is located.
“. . . But you don’t understand, Dokiu-san My
father’s shipments for the festival were in these
crates! Look at them, they’re ruined! How can we
take these to the festival now?” The little Unicorn
man is sweating heavily, mopping his brow with
a silk cloth as he gestures at the mess.
And it is a mess. Boxes have been overturned,
huge claw marks torn through others, and
fireworks and costumes are tossed about the
straw floor like confetti. The Unicorn, whom the
Thunder Guards call Sanefusa-sama, continues
lecturing even as he watches vou aDDrOaCh.

When the characters speak to Sanefusa, he will

be polite, even obsequious, and will constantly
blather on about how angry his father will be
when he hears of this. He will pick up one of the
broken masks and thrust it into one of the player
character’s hands, asking what should be done
with the rubble, and what the city intends to do.

Shinjo Dokiu, a Unicorn Magistrate and

shugenja, will smile and be helpful to the
characters. He usually works at the prison, but
because of the festival, he has been sent to write
down the merchant’s complaint. He is a thin, pale-
looking man with a crooked smile and a shy
nature. He tells the players that if they need him
for anything, they can find him at the prison
(location 11)later tonight.
 Focus
The Scorpion are expecting a fight They have
been warned that enemies are looking for them,
and have hidden in the warehouse to evade
pursuit. It doesn’t matter who the characters are,
only that they have compromised the security of
the hideout. The warehouse is actually almost
abandoned, as only a few men have remained
faithful to the bandit leader. Chizaro, their leader,
will remain upstairs amidst his m h o circle. The
guards are scruffy, and look terrified - as if they
would rather die fighting the players than live out
the rest of this night
The Shosuro guards know that Chizaro is
dealing with Oni and with m h o magic. Those
The darkness is complete, and the streets are that have remained will fight to protect the secret,
lit by lanterns and the occasional firework knowing they would be condemned to death
2 Poison 2, Stealth exploding overhead. The time is approximately should they be discovered.
one third past the Hour of the Dog.
3k2, The warehouse rests near the river, at location STRIKE
(6). It is far from the celebrations occurring in The Warehouse:
Weapons (ArcherVariant): other parts of the city. Two Scorpion guards are Four guards, plus the two from the doorway,
Dai-kyu w/20 normal watching the street vigilantly. The players will will charge the PCs on the ground floor of the
most likely have approached the warehouse by an warehouse, dodging between crates and barrels
alley just across the street, hidden from view of and engaging in combat as rapidly as possible.
the guards. Shadows flicker past the second-story One of the guards will pull the door to the street
windows, and voices echo through the building closed, and drop a tremendous oaken bar over the
into the street. solid wooden doorway.
Warehouses are made of solid wood, with
CHALLENGE tremendous pillars in the walls to hold the
No amount of discussion will allow the party ceilings aloft. Any character being thrown against
to simply enter unannounced, even if the PCs use the walls will not find the soft buffer of paper and
their Magistrate position as leverage. At best, balsa wood, but rather the sturdy brace of oak
announcing their status will get the party a rough To the rear of the warehouse, hidden under a
glare and slow compliance. When the guards large blanket, the characters will find another
open the warehouse door, they will wait until the shipment of boxes. These boxes are nearly all
party is inside and then shout, “Magistrates! Get empty, but appear to have contained more
them or we’re all dead!” elaborate masks. The few boxes which still have
The PCs will have to defend themselves or be masks in them have been opened and searched
slain. Guards will flood through the office door, recently. The masks are all porcelain, expensive-
and from behind the cartons on the first floor, looking, and unpainted.
blocking the any escape. On the side of these boxes is an unusual mon.
A blurred Lion mon and a strange kabuki mask
The warehouse stores cargo waiting to be decorate the boxes. None of the players has ever
loaded onto river boats. Searching the bottom seen the kabuki mask logo, although it implies
level will yield only the typical store of a the crates belong to a minor merchant, or
warehouse. You see crates scattered around, but traveling artisan group. They certainly don’t
little else. Some of the cartons seem to contain belong to the Scorpion.
masks, and some contain other party favors, as
well as the Shosuro’s usual trade: silks, rice, beans Stair to the Upper Level:
and grains. The building is constructed of sturdy The stairs are old and rickety, and any fighting
oak beams, and a set of shaky-looking stairs lead or acrobatics will cause them to sway wildly. This
up to the second floor. will force any characters who fight on the stairs
to make an additional Raise for each attack, and
an Agility test against a TN of 15 once per round
to stay upright on the lurching stairway. I
The Upper Level Balcony:
The balcony circles the upper perimeter of the
warehouse, and overlooks the warehouse floor
below. Two more Scorpion bushi rush from the
doorway when the guards shout their warning,
and will remain on the balcony with dai-kyu,
shooting arrows down at the PCs from above. If
the PCs charge them, they will draw their katana
and fight back. Perhaps an overzealous guard or
two could be thrown to his death on the crates
below?

Overzealous Guards
Speaking of overzealous guards, three more
Scorpion lie in wait behind the office door to
ambush the party. Because they are disturbed by
the m h o at work in the rooms beyond them, and
are, after all, overzealous, they will react too soon. There are three more Scorpion in the main
Instead of gaining surprise against the party, they room, two on this side of the gate, and one behind
will simply charge through the door once they see the gate. The closer two will immediately attack
any of the PCs on the balcony. One of these bushi the party, while the third will wait behind the gate
has the keys to the gate beyond the office door. with a small han-kyu, firing arrows at the PCs
through the iron bars.
Office: If the party doesn’t have the key to the door,
The room from which the three guards charge the archer will run out of arrows after he has fired
is a simple office, with a low table, a pot of water, 20 times. The barred gate is a much more
and some half-eaten bowls of rice. Otherwise, it is formidable task to remove or destroy, and can
empty. A door is on the other side of the room, only be attempted by a character, or characters
and a bright light emanates from beneath it. combined, with at least a Strength of 4. Once out
of arrows, or the gate has been broken down, the
Locked Room: Scorpion will stop fighting and surrender. He also
The door to this room is locked, but the door has a key to the gate, and will unlock it for the
will come down if a significant amount of force is party if they swear to spare his life.
applied. Any character with a Strength of 2 or The Scorpion’s name is Shosuro Fujun, and he
higher can make a Strength check against a TN of is terrified - of the PCs, the Oni, and especially
15 to break down the door. Chizaro and the m h o being performed in the
other room. He’s ready to spill his guts, if the
This room is a rectangular area, party gives him a chance. The door behind him is
two sections by a series of iron bars with a gate unlocked.
in the middle. The gated area appears to be the
storage area for valuable goods, and large cartons “Please, listen to me ...” the Scorpion begins.
of goods rest on the other side of the iron bars. “My name is Shosuro Fujun, and I serve the
Another door also stands on the far side of the Scorpion house. It wasn’t our idea. We are bandits,
gate. There are a few candles in this room, on a but we aren’t sorcerers ... I didn’t know what he
low table where the front two guards were seated, was doing with the candles. And the blood. Please
but a great deal of the light in this room is coming ... you’ve got to believe me ... you’ve got to help
out from under the far door. me, or all the souls in this city will be devoured?
 Although Fujun doesn’t know much, he will should be a tense silence before Hodei sheaths his
gladly tell the players everything. His Master is katana and bows.
beyond the well-lit door, and there is maho there.
“I don’t know who you are, strangers, but you
The Main Office: look like Magistrates.” The Scorpion says the
One final guard is standing in this room, word as if it were a curse, and wipes his mouth
outside the circle of candles. with the back of one sweaty hand. “If you’re
smart, you’ll take one look at Chizaro-sun and
Other than a tremendous circle of candles and flee. Go on, turn your backs and run. This city is
two men, the room is completely empty. One man going to be gone by morning, so there will be no
sits in the center of the candles, muttering ta one to tell the tale to your Lords? His voice
himself and drooling slightly, as if he has little sounds ragged, defeated, as if he has no hope of
idea what he’s saying anymore. His head is newlj survival.
shaved, and his robes are fouled with dirt. Small
bowls of blood stand at the base of each candle The candles around the man on the floor form
and as the wax drips down, the blood slowlj a physical barrier that cannot be crossed.
overflows onto the floor. The second approaches Shugenja Lore or Shadowlands Lore at TN 20
you cautiously. will reveal the circle as a form of summoning
magic, but a poorly cast version. Any shugenja
The final bushi, Shosuro Hodei, does not want can tell that the circle was cast by an amateur.
to fight. If his brother, Shosuro Fujun, has There is no way to break the magical barrier.
survived, Fujun will call to Hodei and tell him to Shosuro Hodei is Shosuro Chizaro’s right hand
surrender. The man in the circle will look up at man. He knows much more about the ritual and
the party, but continue chanting weakly. There the Oni than his brother Fujun does. After he
watches the players poke at the barrier for a few “ ... then this city will burn in flames, and all
minutes, he will interrupt rudely: the people inside Ryoko Owari will be nothing
more than food for the Shadowlands. One Oni
‘You won’t even hurt it. Fools.” He snarls again, can’t do that, no, but one Oni with a name,” Hodei
pointing at the old man. ‘Would you believe that shudders. “an Oni Lord, loose in Ryoko Owari.
he is only as old as I am?” Hodei turns to you, and Then you will hear a thousand screams, little
smiles. “He’s been aging since dusk. Since he men, and some of them ... will be your own.” He
called that ... thing. turns to you, and his face is pale and hopeless.
“You want to know about the Oni? I was here “Kill it, samurai, now, while you still can. Kill it, or
when he cast that circle. Just after the three men we all die.”
came to visit him this afternoon.” Hodei shrugs,
‘What matters is that he gave his name to it. Do Chizaro won’t move, and he will continue
you know what that does to you?” chanting. If asked his name he will say, “I cannot
After a pause, Hodei continues. ‘Ifew days remember. My name ... my name? My name is
ago - three, maybe four - some of our men ... so simple ...” A series of mutterings, then “I
attacked a caravan. What they brought back was do not have a name, ...or do I?” The candles will
rich. Money, silks, and some crates of things for burn down at dawn, and the Oni will have
the festival. Costumes, mostly, and masks. Really Chizaro’s name permanently. Shosuro Chizaro is
expensive masks. So my boss, Chizaro,” he not a shugenja, his will is not especially strong, here:
indicates the man chanting in the circle, “sold the and the spell he has cast is a third-rate,
things to three of his best buyers: a Crane, a bastardized form of a proper Oni summoning Adv
Unicorn and a Crab.” ritual. Unless the characters can destroy the Oni
“Then, today, some men came to visit Chizaro. before the candles burn out, it will seize control,
Said they knew about the caravan. They wanted destroy Chizaro in some horrible, bloody way and
the masks. Just one box. One specific box. Out of emerge, free and powerful to rain havoc upon the
ten boxes of porcelain masks, they just wanted City of Lies.
one. Nothing else. I don’t know why, but they The. Scorpion brothers know that the masks
were serious about it. When we didn’t have them, were stolen from an unmarked caravan, travelling
they shut themselves in here with Chizaro and from Lion lands. They also know the masks were
stayed a long time. They looked like normal guys sold to three buyers: Doji Juzo, Shinjo Sanefusa,
- one of them was really big, not muscular, just and a merchant named Whisper, who owns a
heavy.” He spits on the ground, and continues, shop downtown (location 8).
’Then I saw their wrists. One of them had a big,
black moon, branded right here.” Hodei lifts his
arm and points at his inner wrist.
“Moon Cultists - worshippers of Lord Moon.
You don’t mess with their kind. Things get ugly
real fast, when you’re dealing with the kind of
people who want to put out the Sun herself.”
Hodei looks around uneasily,
“Chizaro said they were going to kill him. He
had to get the masks back, and soon. But there
was no way we could do it. Not in one night. School Rank 1
‘That was when he used the spell ...” Awareness wf

Hodei doesn’t remember anything remarkable

about the three men who talked to Chizaro. They
wore brown and looked like average citizens, all
overweight and boring. He does know that the On the dock outside the Scorpion warehouse
Oni was summoned to find the masks, and that (location 7) waits the strange tattooed man who
the spell will end at dawn, when the Oni will gain was at the Crane manor. When the party leaves
Chizaro’s name permanently, and if he does ... the warehouse, he will stand in the light and let
them approach him. As they do, he will walk
 Ikyoto smiles at you and swings up onto one
of the thick poles to the side of the dock, keeping
his balance easily. As he talks, his hands move
through the air in intricate patterns and his
smile never lessens. “I know what you seek. A
TO fortuneteller cannot tell his own fortune. But I
know your part in this. You want the sword ...
Whisper’s new sword. The Blade of Secrets.”

FOCUS
Togashi Ikyoto is not a thief, but his tattoos
tao 3, make him a perfect infiltrator. Ikyoto owed a
tation favor to Whisper, the Crab who bought the
2 masks from Shosuro Chizaro. In order to pay the
debt, he was to steal the sword from Daidoji
Anitano and give it to Whisper. He has now
;2 delivered the sword and his debt is paid. Ikyoto
isn’t stupid; he knows that something bigger is
1ttoos: backwards, watching them, until he is perched on going down in the city.
Stealth the end of the dock, grinning slyly. Ikyoto has followed the players to this
)y dice location. He knows nothing of the Scorpion or the
mask, simply that Whisper needed the sword to
defend himself against the Oni. The tattooed man
is not willing to risk his own life for Whisper, but
is done, wait, wait, bide. Abide, my friends, and wants to see that his friend survives. He believes
that the Magistrates can help his friend, and so,
he has met them here and will divulge
CHALLENGE information about the location of the sword and
Basically, Togashi Ikyoto is telling the players the sword’s history and powers.
to stay back. He will point at them as he speaks, However, like so many other ise zumi, Ikyoto
and make other hand gestures indicating that he speaks in riddles rather than saying what he
wants them to stay a distance away. If the players means. He believes that if the players are too
do not stop, he will act as if he is going to dive stupid to understand, then they don’t have much
into the water, and repeat his whisper again, more of a chance against the Oni anyway.
chastisingly. Once the players stop, he will smile Feel free to use these quotes to lead the
widely and nod. If they approach threateningly, or players on, but be sure to allow them to have
come too close, Ikyoto will dive into the water, certain critical information. If your players aren’t
and be gone. getting the hints, or if you think they are too
subtle for your playing style, feel free to make up
“Now I will tell you what you wish, if you wish. your own. After all, Ikyoto is trying to help.
Nothing is as it seems, you know. Nothing at all.”
The strange man points at his chest and says, STRIKE
“Ikvotol’ The information which Ikyoto is trying to give
the players can be summed up: The Oni is
The ise zumi (for that is what he obviously hunting Whisper, and Whisper found out. Whisper
appears to be) is dressed in a black vest and loose has the Crane sword. The sword is magical, and
trousers, with no weapons or other items. He has powers as well as drawbacks.
stands slightly over five feet, but his gait implies Togashi Ikyoto doesn’t know exactly what the
strength and dexterity. On his arms, chest and sword does, but he knows that it is dangerous and
shoulders, you see strange, twisting tattoos can kill the Oni. He also knows that Whisper is in
a great deal of trouble, and he is concerned about hopes that they will look down in favor on their
his friend. He will encourage the players to go to descendants.
Whisper’s shop, and will tell them the location. Whisper’s shop is a seedy little dive in
downtown Ryoko Owari, near the armorer’s
district, on Monk‘s Edge Avenue and Diamond
Street. (location 8) The shop is dirty, compared to
the others nearby, and its paper door hangs
slightly ajar.

You find the shop, labeled with the wooden

sign ‘Whisper’s Antiques, Artifacts and Oddities.”
This must be the place. As you approach the door,
you see only a faint flickering light inside, and
hear scuffling, chittering, and the sudden loud
“Bang!“ of a table being knocked over. Something
has gotten here before you ... and it doesn’t
sound human.
e
Inside Whisper‘s shop, things are in chaos. The
Nearing the end of the Hour of the Dog, the shop is a small, one-room building, with balsa
streets are full of people leading their children to wood and rice paper walls, and several low tables,
the Sun Temple and carrying torches through the shelves, and items strewn about the floor. Minor
streets. The characters may pass by a small shrine, Oni are scrambling everywhere, looking in
where people are praying to their ancestors, in everything.

even the most dangerous

order with no thou

The ma
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b. ii a man IS in neea, y to De an ai
 Once you open the door, the cause of the The mask which the Minor Oni was carrying
disturbance and noise is obvious: five of the little radiates m h o magic to such a strong extent that
Oni are ransacking the place (with no more any shugenja with Lore: Maho will be able to
courtesy than they used at the Crane house). discern that something ‘isn’t quite right’ about the
Tables are on their sides, the cash box is on the mask. Spirits brought by Summon or Commune
floor, and at least three koku in change has will refuse to touch the mask, proclaiming that it
spilled about on the floor. One of the little is ‘part-alive’ and that it is evil. The mask is
monsters leaps from a high shelf, toppling the definitely magical (See sidebar, pp 29).
one he leapt from. This is met with screeches and
angry spits from the others on the floor, who are
tearing apart what seems to have been a sack of
trinkets. The last Oni drags a chipped porcelain
mask out from under a brightly woven rug, and
screeches eagerly to the others.
As the Oni look toward him, one catches sight
of you in the doorway and screams a warning.

The Minor Oni will fight to the death. The only

exception is the Oni with the broken mask, who
will attempt to leap past the players and into the
street, carrying the porcelain mask with him. If
allowed to escape, he will carry the mask back at
the Scorpion warehouse.
If the players search the shop, they will find:
false ‘Oni ears’; paintings; several kimonos; three Teardrop Island is the location of the Licensed
koku in small coins from the cash box. There are Quarter - the area where geisha houses and other
many other things in this shop, ranging from the pleasures await those with the wealth to afford
esoteric tq the bizarre - all of it junk. such luxuries. It is a place for samurai to express
Beneath the rug, the players will find a loose ninjo, human feelings and desires.
board. A small space beneath the board contains On this delicate island are several famous
an iron box with nearly twenty koku (a fortune!) geisha houses: the House of the Morning Star, the
in it, as well as two ledgers of scrolls, one House of Foreign Stories, and the House of Water
containing Whisper’s accounts and the other Lilies, to name only a few. The House of Water
detailing his daily activities. There is room Lilies (location 9) is a fairly recent establishment,
between the box and the ledgers to conceal the as it has only been open for forty years. This
porcelain mask which the Oni was carrying. causes the geisha of the other houses, to look
Whisper is fanatic about his journal, writing down upon the Water Lilies with derision, calling
every day without fail for the past year. In the them ‘little sisters.’ Further, they take great
journal, Whisper makes mention of a young pleasure in implying that the patrons of the Water
geisha named Suruko. Suruko works at the Lilies are either low-class, poor, or stupid.
House of Water Lilies, on Teardrop Island, and is
a dear friend as well as his favorite geisha. He CHALLENGE
speaks highly of her and seems to be in love with It is well known in Ryoko Owari that visitors
her. In the last entry, he scribbles hastily: to Teardrop Island must leave their weapons at
~ ~ ~ ~
Swords Polished, the ‘gateway’ to the licensed
There is no time to waste, and I must huny. quarter. If the characters wish to bring their
Time is running short, and the Oni will be here weapons along (in preparation for an imminent
any minute to kill me. rue heard of his rampages Oni attack), they must find another way onto the
across the town, and the only one left is me. island. Players should be reminded of this
Ikyoto brought the sword - my last hope! - and circumstance as they approach the island.
now Igo to my dark fate. Suruko, Suruko, I have There are several ways to sneak onto Teardrop
to see you, just one more time, before I die . .. Island, all of them illegal. Rafts carry visitors
across in secret, characters can choose to try their
luck at swimming against the current of the river, If the characters leave their weapons behind
or they can strike a bargain with a fisherman to (all of their weapons, including spell scrolls - Gate
try to ferry them across under cover of cargo, is very thorough), they will be well-cared for and
unloading them at a cargo dock rather than the maintained, and gladly given back to the
main dock. In any case, let your players decide characters on the way back. Gate is clever, knows
how they wish to gain access to the island. the danger of spells is equal to that of swords, and
If the characters take the public ferry, they will doesn’t miss much.
go through Swords Polished. Swords Polished is If the characters sneak onto the island, they
the public entrance, where Gate (the keeper of the will have to come through the cargo dock just to
house) will greet them and politely ask for their one side of Swords Polished. They may be wet, or
weapons. dirty from hiding in cargo, and must be careful
not to be seen by the many Thunder Guards
The ferry gently docks against a long, well- which roam the island. They need to hide their
maintained strip of wooden planking, leading to weapons carefully, for if they are seen with live
the entrance of an imposing building. At either steel or a bundle of obvious spell scrolls, the
side of the dock, three burly samurai wait to aid Thunder Guard will certainly be called to
the ferryman, and escort you into the building. investigate.
Inside, you are greeted by Gate, the keeper of
Swords Polished. “Welcome, friends!” He smiles If the characters are watchful, in either case,
with a polite bow. He is a tremendously large they will notice that they are being followed by
man, with bulging muscles and a tough glint in another Minor Oni, who seems to be watching or get a free
his eye. “I’m sure you are tired from your journey their actions and keeping an eye on them. If they when iattacking.
across the river. Welcome, on this night of the Bon notice it, it will scream in terror, and will flee if
Festival, to the most beautiful place in Ryoko the players attempt to attack it.
Owari! Please, allow me to take your weapons, so
that they may be brightly polished in the name of
your ancestors.” Akodo
twice p
 their ancestors. Any character who gives the
woman a coin will receive a free reroll (at the
GMs choice, for the player’s benefit) during the
next fight. Don’t tell the characters this, simply
tell them to reroll their failed roll with an
enigmatic smile. Their ancestors are watching
over them!

As you approach the House of the Water Lilies,

a plump Oka-san, her ornate robes patterned
with lilies, comes out to greet you. “Good evening,
honored guests. I am Bashiko, the owner of this
proud house. Ah, such honorable visitors. Please,
come inside. Would you like sake? Perhaps some
hostesses to serve you on this festival night?” She
The House of the Water Lilies (location 9) is smiles warmly, and her eyes twinkle.
near the water’s edge, in the center of Teardrop She leads you through the sliding doors and
Island, just across the street from the House of into a large common room. A maiden is playing
Foreign Stories. It is clean and polished, with a stringed biwa, and her voice echoes merrily
sparkling hardwood floors and beautifully carved through the corridors of the large house. While
artwork on the pillars which hold up the roof. there are several men and women in the outer
Revelers from the festival crowd the streets, and chamber, all talking quietly or listening to the
fireworks explode in the sky above. The sounds of singer, you see no sign of Whisper.
celebration carry clearly from the city across the
water, and brightly lit boats with colored lanterns If the characters press the Oka-san, she will
crowd both shores. People walk through the politely turn aside their questions about her
streets, wearing masks of porcelain, silk, and guests or geisha. She will tell them that Suruko is
paper. A woman dressed as a ghost approaches busy this evening with an important guest, and
the party as they make their way to the House of that they can just as easily be served by another
the Water Lilies, begging for coins in the name of geisha instead. However, if they tell Bashiko that
they are Magistrates on official
business, her face will fall, and
all charm will drain out of her
eyes. She will insist that her
house is in fine condition, and
that she is on time with her
taxes.
Once the players make her
understand that they just want
to see Whisper, she will lead
them into a room paneled in
copper-colored wood. Inside,
they will see Whisper and a
geisha with untouched sake on
a table nearby.

CHALLENGE
Half past the Hour of the

c Boar, the characters should be

entering the room. As they do,
Whisper will stand. Once they
tell him they are Magistrates (or
at least, Oruku is), he will sink
down onto the cushions again, and look crushed. out for Suruko. “By the Fortunes . . .”he whispers,
While the characters introduce themselves, and the sword in his hand begins to glow with an
Suruko will look at Whisper with affection. If the eerie blue light. Even through its s q u , the sword’s
Magistrates begin to take Whisper away without glow can clearly be seen. It is obvious that
questioning him, she will beg that he be allowed Whisper has never held a sword in his life, much 3
to tell his story. Then, after a moment, he will say less fought an opponent as devastating as the Oni.
the following: At this point, the characters have a choice: flee,
and leave Whisper to face the Oni himself, or
“It all began last evening. With the festival defend him. If they choose to flee, the Oni will not
coming, I was preparing my shop - buying items chase them through the house, but they will still
which would make a profit. I’m a merchant, just a need to run through the flames and devastation.
merchantl‘ He sighs nervously. “I followed the If they come near the Oni, they will be attacked at
Cranes to the warehouse district. I knew they had random as Oni no Chizaro searches through the
contacts, and I wanted in on the deal. I just house.
wanted to make a little koku, for ...” his voice There are no ‘back entrances’ to the geisha
trails off, and he looks at Suruko for a moment. house: Whisper will have to face the Oni or die in
“I was going to buy her contract, you see.” He the fire. The characters have only a few seconds
attacks with Raise
looks down at the floor. “The masks which the before the Oni tears through the thin paper doors. figured with one extr
Scorpions sold me seemed of tremendous quality If they wish to take the Crane sword from per Raise (rolled and
- they didn’t know what they had! I was going to Whisper, he will not resist.
make a fortune. And I did. But then, the Oni
came. STRIKE make a note that on
“I heard about it when it attacked Doji Juzo. I This is the no-holds-barred, knock-down fight
thought it was coincidence. But then the Unicorns, with Oni no Chizaro. The Oni knows that Whisper
and Sanefusa’s warehouse ... now I’m the only is the last person it must find, and further, if the
one left. The only one who bought those cursed players brought the porcelain mask with them to
masks. Have you seen them? Worth ten times the the geisha house, it can ‘smell’ one of the objects
price I paid for them. Ten times, and I only got it was summoned to retrieve.
three when I sold them again ... but you know As noted in the sidebars, the Oni no Chizaro
begins to lose Earth.
how Crabs can bargain. takes only 114 damage from regular weapons, and
“I know a little about Oni, from my days in the has other defenses as well. It will target its attacks
Hida lands, and I knew the sword that Daidoji in this order: Whisper, the player with the
Anitano had brought back from the Shadowlands Porcelain Mask, and the player with the sword.
was enchanted. It may be the only thing in the The Oni will easily kill Whisper in the first few
i t y which can kill the Oni. ” rounds of combat. One patron of the inn will
arrive during the fight, and will assist the players
Focus to kill the Oni, if possible:
Whisper smuggled the Crane Sword across the
river, to the island, by taking it on a raft under realms and truths
cover of darkness. Although Suruko knows the
sword is here, neither the Oka-san nor the toward the Oni, barehanded. The man is dressed
Thunder Guard know about the illegal weapon. in plain, black and grey silk robes, but bears the
At this point, he will draw the hidden sword
out from under the pillows, and offer it to the
players with a resigned look on his face. As he After the Oni kills Whisper, it will attempt to
does, there will be a terrible, explosive crash from kill the character with the mask. If possible, it will
the far rooms of the geisha house, followed by take the porcelain mask and flee back to the
screams and the bright flicker of rapidly Scorpion hideout. The man who charged through
spreading flames. Roars of rage and glee indicate the door is an important NPC, and will live
that Oni no Chizaro has arrived, and is searching through this fight. If the Oni is killed, it will
the geisha house for Whisper. disintegrate into a puddle of black tar onto the
Whisper will be petrified, the sword hanging burning geisha house floor with a tremendous
limply in his hand, and the other hand reaching scream of fury.
 ; a plain-looking man, with short hair pulled into a
Wl
samurai’s topknot and simple robes.

As you gather outside the House of Water

Lilies, the flames leaping across the building’s
roof, the stranger smiles. “My name is Meishozo
Nisei. I’m a Witch Hunter, trained by the Kuni. I
found traces of that beast back at the warehouse
district, and I’ve been tracking it ever since.”

Once the players tell Nisei about the masks, or

show him the chipped mask, he will say:

After the fight, the Thunder Guard will rush

into the House of Water Lilies, gathering to put
out the fires. The stranger, Meishozo Nisei, will
help the party get their injured out of the burning
building, risking his life (if necessary) to save
i “Maho.”Nisei says, looking at the mask He
looks around, realizing that the chaos caused by
the Oni is drawing a crowd. “Do you know
anywhere we can discuss this matter privately?”

Once in private, Nisei continues:

them. Nisei is strong, and confident - and very “A caravan was robbed in the mountains some
serious about his job as a Witch Hunter. However, listance from the city, where a cult of Moon
he has a dry wit and a quick mind, and loves to worshippers masquerading as an acting troupe
use understatements to get his point across. He is lad been found. We thought we had killed all the
xltists, but then we found out about the caravan.
iesthood of the city. 0- Before I caught up with it, it was raided, and all
the contents stolen.
“It seems that these cultists were more of a
threat than they had seemed. They were
producing maho items - porcelain masks - to be
sent to someone in Ryoko Owari.
“I followed the trail of the stolen items to
ers of the Ryoko Owari, but I wasn’t the only one. It seems
that some of the Moon Cult members here have
found out about the masks, too. Three men, one
overweight, and all dressed in grey and brown
kimono with no mon.
“I don’t know what the Moon Cult wants with
the masks, but I can guess. And if I’m right, this
citv could SL ir, serious trouble.”

Nisei can tell the players some of the dangers

of the porcelain masks. He knows that they can
be used to create zombies and other undead
minions, to serve the Nameless God. The
zombies will fight for whoever summons them,
and can spread plague, Taint, and other foulness.
Meishozo Nisei says that the masks must be
found: who knows what kind of trouble they
might cause, if left to chance? He asks to come
with the party on their investigation, and will use
his skills in investigation and his Lore: Maho to
aid them in their search for the masks.
 A while back, Muchi’s daughter was married to
a Scorpion bushi in Ryoko Owari. The Scorpion
was caught in an underhanded deal, and was
forced to commit seppuku - along with his wife
and two year old son. Muchi blames the Scorpion
for the death of his daughter and grandson.
Hida Muchi would do anything to destroy the
Scorpion, including the use of m h o . It’s an
obsession, really, and the Crab will eagerly latch
onto anything which could be used to hurt the
Shosuro family in the city. Characters will also
notice he fits the description of one of the three
Moon Cultists who came to visit Chizaro.
If asked about the other Crabs, Muchi will say:

There are many Crab merchants in Ryoko “Now, I don’t know about m h o - that’s not
Owari, but the only ones known to deal in stolen my job. I’m a merchant, not a shugenja.” Muchi
or black market items are known to Oruku. snorts, and slurps down another bowl of sake
Whisper mentions in the house of the Water Lilies “You want someone who knows more than me,
that he sold the masks to a Crab: you go ask Shinya-san. That Kaiu knows more
than he’s telling, and he’s been weird lately.
Oruku pauses thoughtfully. “Hida Muchi, Kuni Seems to be leaving in a real hurry tonight too. 1
Ryo, Yasuki Nobuko and Kaiu Shinya.” Oruku says don’t guess these masks are the kind to make a
thoughtfully. ‘All of them have been brought up man run for his life, are they?”
on charges of dealing in stolen items within the
last year, and I don’t think any of them have the
brains to recognize maho when they see it. I’d
start with any one of those four.”

Oruku can give the players the addresses for

the Crabs, but will not accompany them on their
mission. Unless the Oni is still alive, Doji Oruku
will insist that he be allowed to return the Crane
sword to Doji Tsumetsu (the hatumoto).While he
is gone, Nisei and the players can interrogate the
Crab merchants in any order they like. All the
Crab merchants are within a short walk of
location 10 on the GMs map.

HIDA MUCHI

1 “Whatssa matter, boy? Scorpion got yer

tongue?” The huge Crab who answers his own
door growls down at you. He’s massive, his thick
arms and wide chest proving that there is a lot of
muscle under that flab.

Muchi is the stereotypical Crab: large,

uncouth, dirty and loud. Any Scorpion in the
party will be glared at suspiciously and treated
poorly, and any Crab in the party will be clapped
on the back and treated to some warm sake.
Muchi is jaded, arrogant and he hates Scorpions.
 KAIUSHIRYA
By the end of the hour
of the Boar (12pm). Kaiu
Shinya will be packed,
and leaving Ryoko Owari

“I really can’t talk right

now - my wife and I were
just leaving.”

That’s about as much

as the party will be able
to get out of Kaiu Shirya,
unless they actively
threaten him in some
Shosuro Chizaro. way. He is carrying boxes
out of his shop, placing
them in a small rickshaw
cart in front of his modest
home. His obviously
pregnant wife is helping
him pack, and turns her
eyes away from the
Magistrates as if in fear of
them. She will not talk,
will agree that the and attempts to engage
her in conversation will
cause Shirya to ask the
party to leave. YASUKINOBUKO
Shirya has little to say, and will evade any and
all questions. In the City of Lies boxed set, you “I’m so sorry,” the Lady of the House, Yasuki
will find more information about Shirya and his Nobuko, says, smiling. “But I have a very
motivations, including the fact that the real Kaiu important buyer here now. If there’s something I
Shirya has been ‘usurped by a Spider Oni. The can do for you briefly, it would be my honor to
man the players are talking to at this time is the assist the Magistrates of the Emperor, of course,
Oni, and radiates Shadowlands Taint to anyone but you see, I’m really very busy right now ., .”
who can detect it.
Yasuki Nobuko will only speak briefly with
“Excuse me, please, but my wife is pregnant, the party, because she has an important buyer in
and we have to get her to her mother’s house at her house, a Phoenix whom she will imply is a
Yogo Shiro as soon as possible. I fear it’s going to cousin of the Isawa daimyo. If asked about the
be a difficult birth.” The Kuni runs one hand masks, she will say that she has sold only
through his hair, and his eyes dart about costumes and kimono for the festival, and that
nervously. “Look, if anyone in the city knows her business isn’t doing very well right now -
anything about maho, it would be that Kuni. He which is why her buyer is so important. If the
deals in dark magics, you know.” Shirya throws party is rude enough to ask, or if she thinks they
another bag onto the cart, and says, “He knows are implying that she may be selling the masks to
much more than he says about maho, and that the Phoenix in her house, she will drop the subtle
many of his customers are known to be dealers in hint that the Phoenix (Isawa Orimono) is here to
dark magic and Shadowlands lore. If you want to purchase a rather large amount of grain and
find your masks, leave an honest merchant alone foodstuffs to take back to Isawa castle for the
and talk to the maho-tsukail‘ winter.

36
 She is prone to gossip, however, and will smile school), he is the cousin of the current Isawa
behind her fan and play the pretty noblewoman duimyo, and is in town conducting minor
for as long as it works. If the players don’t seem business negotiations for the Phoenix Clan.
to be leaving, her guise will change into that of a
strongwilled merchant, and she will become KUNI RYO
more forceful.
If asked about the other Crabs: “Muho? Me? How dare you!” The little
shugenja puffs up, leaning on his staff. “The
“I don’t like to spread gossip, my friends, but rumors you’ve obviously heard from the Unicorn
word has it that Hida Muchi is in some trouble are false, trumped-up charges and lies.” He turns
with the Scorpion right now. Surely you heard as if to go back inside and gestures for his
about the death of his lovely daughter? Such a apprentice to close the door. ‘Anyone with any
tragedy. sense would know not to believe a Unicorn’s
“Well, he would do anything to get back at the thoughts on magic!
Shosuro, you know.” She smiles, whispering, “If “If you have anything else to say,” he sneers,
anyone was going to back the Moon Cult in the “you’d better come to the point quickly.”
city, it would be Muchi. The Moon Cult, it is said,
wants to destroy the Temple of the Lady Sun, and The Kuni denies knowing anything about
cause her to curse the city. Muchi would be for m h o , but it’s a bluff. Although he tries to make
anything that hurt the Scorpion - and their the players believe he knows nothing, he is
precious city. Not out of fanaticism, of course - actually a practicing mho-tsukai. Once the party
but out of revenge. ” tells him what they are looking for, he will ask
questions as if he doesn’t understand what they
A Phoenix PC in the group may make an are talking about, trying to get more information
Intelligence roll against a TN of 15 to recognize out of them about the nature and location of the
the individual with Nobuko. He is a Phoenix, and masks.
his name is Isawa Orimono. Although he isn’t a Before the players leave, he will get an address
shugenja (he flunked out of the Isawa Shugenja (probably the Inn) where he can reach them,
implying that he may have
friends who know more than he
does, and he’ll get back in touch
with the players after he’s gotten
more information from them.
This, too, is a ruse. Ryo plans to
have his apprentices ambush the
party after the players find the
masks, and steal them for himself.
If asked about the other Crabs,
Ryo will mutter:

“Muho.”Ryo huffs again, still

annoyed. “I don’t know, but I’d
suspect that such a rare item
would fetch a fine price on the
black markets. Yasuki Nobuko
has been having money problems
lately - I offered her a high price
for her dirty little shop, but the
woman’s too stubborn to take it.
She needs money to stay afloat,
and she’s willing to go to great
lengths to get it. I’d try her, if I
were looking.”

--
 Then, all of a sudden:
i ~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~

From the roof of a nearby building, a figure

appears. A low voice chants ominous syllables,
and a bright flash of light hurtles down at you.
Oruku shouts in pain, struck by the bolt of flame,
and you hear more voices raised in spellcrafting
in the alley to one side.

After Yaraiko, on the roof, casts the spell %e

Firefrom Withie the three shugenja will fight the
party. They have a tactical advantage: one is on
top of the building, and the others are in narrow
alleys to either side, waiting for the party to
separate. If the party advances into the alleys,
After talking to the Crabs, the party should they will find that they can fight one at a time, as
have some idea who they think is involved, but the alley is too narrow to fight side by side.
not enough information to convict anyone. While After the battle, the apprentice on the rooftop
they debate and argue, ask the players to roll (Yaraiko) will try to flee. If captured, Yaraiko will
initiative, but let them sit for a while and talk surrender and beg for mercy. Though wounded,
about the pros and cons of why each Crab might Oruku will suggest the party take the apprentice
have the masks. to the prison, to be dealt with by the authorities.
At the prison, the apprentice will admit she was
sent by Kuni Ryo, to follow the players and steal
the masks. Ryo may be implicated in the attack,
but “He does not have the masks,” says the
apprentice.
At this point, it will be the apprentice’s word
against Ryo’s. Ryo has more glory and honor, so
the apprentice’s word isn’t enough to implicate
him. Yaraiko will be put to death for attacking
Imperial Magistrates, but there is little that the
prison system can do about Ryo.

Ryoko Owari’s prison system is much like that

of the rest of Rokugan. It is not a place to hold
people until they are determined to be guilty or
innocent: it is a holding ground before the men dressed in a paper-mache and streamer
execution. If you have been brought to the prison, costume of a fire dragon) dances through the
you are already assumed to be guilty. streets near them, swaying from side to side in an
The prison is located near Ryoko Owari’s Civil elaborate dance. The crowd is slowly making its
Hall, (location 11).The Civil Hall is three stories way to the Dragon Gate, where the parade will be
high, antiseptic and impersonal. Its high parapets beginning in about an hour.
fly the mon of the Scorpion clan, a stern reminder
of whose law truly rules the City of Lies. CHALLENGE
There are two types of cells in the prison: When the players bring in the captive
those above ground, and those below. The first shugenja, a pair of burly guards will quickly take
are airy, stoic and plain, with a simple straw mat, Yaraiko to the holding chambers above the
and a kneeling cushion. The second are dank, ground, to await her sentencing tomorrow
dismal caverns filled to the brim with a seething morning. Once in the prison area:
mass of heimin, fifty per room. It is doubtful that
these chambers are ever cleaned, and they reek of As the guards lead the young shugenja to her
foulness. cell, a thin-looking young man (whom you
On the ground floor of the prison are the recognize as Shinjo Dokiu, the shugenja at Shinjo
torture chambers of the Shosuro. Clean and tidy, Sanefusa’s warehouse earlier tonight) comes Honor: 0.8
School Ku
the implements which line the walls of these jogging up to you, bowing hastily and shuffling
large chambers gleam from use and care. The through a stack of scrolls. “Oruku-san, Magistrate-
front half of the ground floor has covered sans, what a wonderful coincidence! I was just
walkways and lovely wood-paneled chambers for thinking that you might be interested in a group
the judges to hear the pleas of the condemned. of prisoners brought in an hour ago ... I know
On the way to the prison, the players have to you were investigating the attack on Sanefusa-
wend their way through drunken revelers, san’s warehouse, and these men are talking about
samurai in masks and costume, and startling some stolen masks. I thought the two might be
bursts of light in the heavens. A giant Dragon (six related. Do you have a moment?”
 Focus The door leading into this room is still open,
Inside the prison, the characters are taken to and it is certain that passing Scorpion Magistrates
one of the formal, wood-paneled questioning in the hallways, as well as the Scorpion guards,
chambers, where they are invited to sit and drink will see and hear the confrontation. Make sure
some sake while the prisoner is brought in. When the character understands that they are all
the servants slide the doors aside: listening and watching as his family’s honor is
questioned.
HE KO” A scraggly-looking man is shoved into the If the players kill the Moon Cultist, they will
room by the guards, and shoved to his knees in gain no information about the masks or where
surly acknowledgement. Without a word, he eyes they are located. They will not continue to the
you, a look of annoyance crossing his face as the ‘Death of a Merchant’ scenario, nor will they be
Scorpion guard shakes his sword threateningly in able to find Isawa Orimono before his zombies
its saya. The man is wearing brown and gray attack the Temple of the Sun Goddess. Let me
robes, the usual costume of ronin or lesser houses reiterate: this cultist is important.
who do not wish to be easily associated with their There are two ways to handle the situation.
Lord. First, through torture and interrogation, and
“I don’t know who you are, Magistrates, but second, through a less obvious means.
you should know,” the prisoner begins, “there is
nothing you can do to me. Lord Moon has my STRIKE
ONE
soul, and I can never be free of him. No power If the party interrogates Hida Gyogi, he will
can release me. I am his servant: He snarls and continue to be surly and violent. The Scorpion
laughs out loud, obviously deranged. will suggest using the torture chambers in the
Before you can say anything, in reply, the other parts of the prison, to make him more
prisoner looks [GM:Insert Player Name, willing to discuss what he knows. If the players
preferably a Lion or Crane] in the eye, and spits take this suggestion, Gyogi will lie on the torture
upon the wooden floor. ‘And even if I hadn’t given block, providing the following false information:
Lord Moon my soul, I still wouldn’t have to talk
to dishonorable filth like him.” The guard behind “It was ... all Ryo’s idea. The Kuni m h o -
him pummels the man in the back of the head tsukai He’s dangerous. He wants the masks for
with his saya, but the man curses and yells himself. We found out about the masks when
“[Clan name] liars! Your kind should have been they were brought into town by the Scorpion, and
fed to the hunger of the Moon long ago, and arranged to buy them through some little
saved us the trouble of keeping you alive!” merchant. I don’t know who. Ryo wants to use the
masks in a ritual to summon an Oni Lord to
All players should make an Awareness roll at destroy Ryoko Owari. There’s an abandoned
a TN of 20, to notice a black circle branded onto manor house (location 12) just north of the
the man’s inner forearm. A perceptive player will Fisherman’s Gate. He’s going to perform the ritual
remember this mark from Shosuro Hodei’s there, tonight.”
uld ensure their long-
description of the three Moon Cultists who came
to visit the Scorpion warehouse and threaten If the players travel to the house, (arriving at
Chizaro about the masks. just past the middle of the Hour of the Ox -
The Moon Cultist (Hida Gyogi) is, obviously, 3:30am) they will find it abandoned, and see only
trying to get himself killed. If his taunts do not flickering lights inside. If they break in, they will
make the PCs react, he will launch into more vile discover a group of three ronin, fleeing from their
epithets about the characters’ history, cowardice Unicorn Lord. The ronin know nothing about any
and family. The guard behind Gyogi will look at of the problems in Ryoko Owari, and are just in
the player in question and loosen his sword, the wrong place a the wrong time. If the players
obviously asking for permission to kill the burst in on them, they will fight to defend
screaming prisoner. themselves, hoping to flee. The ronin believe the
If the player kills Hida Gyogi, or lets him be PCs are here to capture them for the minor
killed, do not read the boxed text of his crimes they committed in Unicorn lands.
interrogation. If the player does not, he will lose
significant face, and one point of Honor.
 STRIKE
Two terrible. 0-sama ... I don’t know his real name ...
The second means to acquire information from he’s the leader of the cult.
the Moon Cultist lies in the fetish, the Jade Sun, “He bought the masks from a merchant, and
given to the party by Doji Tsumetsu. As they we were to load them from a Crab warehouse
decide what to do with Gyogi, players should roll downtown to his hideout by the river. I never met
their Awareness. If they succeed against a TN of the merchant, but 0-sama was going to stay there
20, a player will see that the small carving is until the deal was finished. We left. That’s when
shining faintly through the satchel, sleeve, or the Magistrates found us, and brought me here.
other carrying pouch. Once brought out, it glows ‘All I know is that the cult plans to ‘conquer
more brightly, and will increase in luminescence the light’. Their goal is to destroy anything Lady
as it approaches the cultist. Sun prizes. Please, stop them. If I could help you
Hida Gyogi, the cultist, will scream as the light any more, I would.” The sincerity in Gyogi’s face
is brought near him, his eyes wide and fearful. If is clear.
the Jade Sun is placed against the cultist’s
shadow-brand, it will remove the brainwashing The rest of Gyogi’s information indicates that
caused by the Moon Cult. the ‘secret hideout’ of the Moon Cult is on the
wharf near the Bridge of Drunken Lovers, at
As you hold up the small jade figurine, the location 13.
man starts to tremble, and his black moon scar on
his inner forearm begins to turn brown. Suddenly,
as if something controlled your actions, you feel
the figurine start to pull your hand toward the
man, toward his strange mark.
The man screams as you place the Jade Sun
against his blackened scar. His eyes roll back into
his head, and he arches in pain and terror.
Another scream, and then the fetish bursts into
brilliant sunlight, which bathes the room in a
warm, cheery glow. As the man’s struggles grow
fainter, you see the scar on his wrist begin to heal,
shrinking and turning back to the normal color of
the man’s skin.
Gyogi’s eyes open suddenly, and his face is
contorted by fear and pain. “Oh, great kami , ..
did I really do all those horrible things?” He is Just past the Hour of the Ox, celebrants crowd
like a man freed from prison, and he looks up at through the streets, and the party must shove past
you with respect and awe. “You freed me. I don’t them. One man, dressed as a zombie, with torn
feel the presence anymore. It’s .. . it’s gone.” clothing and grey paint on his skin, will leer at the
party from behind his porcelain mask, following
After this, Gyogi will be more than willing to them for a few blocks - all in fun, of course.
help the party, giving them all the information he Down by the river, at location 13, the players
knows and begging to commit seppuku for his will find a rather innocent-looking home, with a
crimes. If he is allowed to live, he will join a candles glowing from the inside.
monastery in penance.
This area is devoid of celebrants, as the Paradc
‘We found out about the masks when we saw of the Dead is about to begin. People arc
the Scorpion try to smuggle them into the city. At gathering on the other side of the river, and this
first we thought they were just tsangusuri - you area is relatively empty save for a few weaq
know, little magic items? But then, 0-sama found celebrants on their way home. The last fen
out what they were: Porcelain Masks of the stragglers race across the Bridge of Drunker
Unnamable One, with the power to bring the Lovers. Bright sparkling fireworks arch in trail:
dead to life, and command the undead husks of above you, dimmed now as the city prepares foi
an army of zombies!” The man shudders. “It was the Grand Parade at the end of the Festival.
CHALLENGE Roll initiative, and watch the spells fly. The
Inside the house, the players can hear the faint woman is a maho-tsukai, a priestess of Lord
music of a biwa over the roar of the nearby river. Moon, and the men are her retainers. The girl
If the party knocks on the door, there will be no with the biwa will scream and try to run past the
answer. Behind the house, a balcony overlooks players and into the street.
the river, lit by colored paper lanterns. The party If any of the players look over the balcony,
must open the door themselves and enter the they will notice the focus of attention of the
house without invitation. group: a body, wrapped in oilcloth, which they
were weighting with strips of lead. If any of the
Focus players pulls the body up onto the balcony, or if
Inside the house, five Moon Cultists (four they summon eta to do it for them, the oilcloth
bushi and a rnaho-tsukaz) are celebrating their will unroll and reveal the devastated corpse of
victory. Yasuki Nobuko.

Four men and two women are on the balcony, The smell is terrible. As the oilcloth slides off
listening to a young girl play music. Sake glasses the caved-in chest of the body, you notice that the
are dropped and swords are drawn as the men killing wound was caused by magic: her chest has
see you open the door, and the elder of the two been burned and blasted by some external fire,
girls raises her hands and begins to chant foul leaving only dark smudges and charred flesh
words, invoking the spirit of the Moon. behind.

Any shugenja who makes an

Awareness roll against a TN of 10, or
any player with Lore: Shugenja
against a TN of 15 can tell that this
wound was inflicted with magic.
With a raise, they can even
determine the spell: Inflame.

STRIKE
If the cultists are captured, or as
a dying yell, they will curse and
scream, raving about the Moon, and
how their plan will destroy Ryoko
Owari.

“There’s nothing you can do!” The

Moon Cultist howls. “It’s over! Over,
and we’ve won! Ryoko Owari will be
forever severed from the Sun
Goddess - curse her name - and
eternal darkness will reign! We will
destroy the Temple, shatter the
Dragon Globe, and invoke the first
year of the reign of Lord Moon!” The
cultist is a fanatic, and shrieks of
glee and anger echo from the roars
of the river.
“Even now, O-sama awakens the
bodies of the dead to march upon
the Temple of the Sun! Enjoy the
darkness, Magistrates, for this
glorious night will never end!”
 Oruku frowns, ‘That’s insane. Even if they If the characters attack and kill the zombie,
could raise enough bodies in the eta graveyard, there will be chaos. People scream, the Thunder
how could anyone march an army of zombies Guard detain the characters until they realize that
through the city without raising the alarm?” the zombie was not an actor, and the characters
Over the river behind Oruku, you see the may be kept here until the big battle at the Sun
torches of the Parade of the Dead moving slowly Temple is well underway.
across the Dragon Bridge, into the heart of Ryoko
Owari.” Focus
If the characters leave the solitary zombie
alone, and head directly to the Temple of the Sun
Goddess (location 14), the PCs will arrive in time
to see the parade gathering beneath the high
pillar which supports the Dragon Globe.
The Temple of the Sun Goddess is an immense
structure, with graceful walls carved of white
limestone - unique in the city. The Temple
grounds are expansive, and the compound is an
oasis of space in the cramped city.
The back courtyard is large enough to hold
several hundred people, and has manicured Zen
gardens filled with rocks and raked sand. Right Varies, usual
RS:
now, the courtyard is filled to capacity with (3U
celebrants, ancestors, and many, many zombies.
The Dragon Globe is a tremendous ball of
Even now, an army of zombies are entering gold, nearly as large as a man with his arms
the city with the parade. The zombies are not outspread, resting at the top of a 70-foot pillar of
hurting anyone yet, but they move with white limestone. During the majority of the year,
purposeful strides. Because of the amount of the orb shines over the city with a luminescence
people dressed as zombies and ghosts, the crowd glow, but during the Festival of the Dead, it is
will not notice the real zombies as anything other dark and dull.
than particularly splendid costumes.

CHALLENGE
Icostumed,
People are everywhere. Zombies, both real and
lurch through the crowd with a
Ahead of you as you race for the Temple of the shuffling gait. Celebrants ignite fireworks from
Sun, you see the end of the Parade of the Dead. the main patio, launching bursts of red and green
Huge Dragons with snapping jaws chase flame into the air for the cheering throng. The
screaming, laughing children, and pitiful ghosts Dragon Globe, at the top of the pedestal, remains
wander aimlessly, faces covered under elaborate dark and silent as it has been throughout the
masks. Zombies move in packs, chasing festival, awaiting the ritual at the end of the
spectators through the street and carrying parade to ignite its brilliant glow, and welcome
brightly colored banners. the dawn.
Then you notice him. As you push your way through the crowd to
To the side, one zombie shuffles, his pace a bit the front, near the tremendous white pillar of
slower than the others. His tattered clothing and stone and the great Orb at its summit, you see
porcelain mask cover his grey skin, and one leg Meiyo, the Sun Priestess of Ryoko Owari, come
slides behind him at an angle as he walks. out and salute the crowd with raised hands.
But the skin doesn’t seem painted, like the “My friends,” she says, “I greet you in the name
others. of Lady Sun. May your ancestors smile in the light
And the clothing is covered in dirt, but not the of this new day. Join me in prayer as we awaken
predictable smears which are on the costumes of the Dragon Globe, and let the Dawn return to
the other men. break the power of the night!”
As she speaks, you see a spark flicker in the
And the smell ... heart of the tremendous Dragon Globe.
Y

i
 STRIKE from the City ofLies boxed set) is a perilous thing
Isawa Orimono, the Phoenix from Yasuki for the city. Its brilliant flame, actually part of the
Nobuko’s shop, and the enigmatic ‘0-sama’ of the essence of the Dragon of Fire, will explode in a
Moon Cult, will stand in the crowd, dressed as a fiery blast, engulfing an entire city block in flame.
ghost for camouflage. Two strong bushi The city of Ryoko Owari will be able to put out
bodyguards, dressed as zombies, stand near him, the fires before they destroy the city, but a
ready to defend him to the death. significant portion of the Temple Quarter will be
MONO As the zombies attack the priests and helpless destroyed, and hundreds will die.
bystanders, he will begin the spell Earthquake. Even worse, destroying the globe will have
Orimono is not very competent, and it will take magical effects as well. The kami in the area will
him ten rounds to complete the spell. By round begin to shun the city, making all spells more
five, the earth starts to rumble, and small cracks difficult to cast (+15 to the TN the first 6 months,
will appear in the ground. By round seven, the +10 for up to a year thereafter) within the city
earth is shaking, and the pillar sways. At the walls until some reparation has been made.
beginning of round seven, the TN for all physical If they have been successful in saving the city,
actions is increased by 5. Every round thereafter, defeating the zombies, capturing or killing
the TN is further increased by 5. So, in round 8, Orimono, they will be invited to remain at the
Target Numbers are increased by 10, and in Temple of the Sun Goddess for the night, where
round 9, they are increased by 15. the shugenja can care for their wounds and ease
The zombies have been ordered to cause as their pain.
much trouble as possible, killing heimin and
samurai alike. Very few of the celebrants here Orimono is carrying three spell scrolls as well
have weapons, and those that do are going to as a single, huge Porcelain Mask in a woven bag
cause as much trouble as the zombies: hacking at his side. The Mask is indestructible, and can
costumed peasants apart and swinging broadly at survive crushing blows, fire, katana strikes, and
anything that looks dangerous. nearly anything else. The Mask is roughly the size
Both Oruku and Nisei will assist the party in of an ogre’s head - far too large for a human -
any way they can. If the players haven’t been and is carefully wrapped in linen and cotton
looking for Isawa Orimono, on round 5 Nisei will padding. On the outside, the features are bland
say to the nearest PC: and emotionless, but the interior face has been
fashioned into a twisted expression of madness.
I ‘Where’s the Phoenix?” pants Nisei. “I can’t1 At some point, Nisei will step forward, and say:
Ibelieve he would set all this-into motion and not1 ,
Ibe here for the finale ...” 1 “The Mask ... the large one.” He points at the
tremendous mask from the shugenja’s satchel. “If
you don’t mind, I want to take it back to the Lion
‘lands, and show it to the daimyo of those
provinces. I am sure they will have more
information about it than we do here in Ryoko
, Owari.”
Nisei smiles. “It was a valiant fight, my friends,

must
and I am honored to have been a part of i t But I
return to the Akodo lands, and discover
more about this mystery.” -
If the players let him have the mask, he will
return ‘to the Lion lands’ with it, and leave the
city as soon as possible without attracting
attention. If they have a reason not to give the
mask to Nisei, then he will keep an eve on it and
If Orimono is successful, the Globe will fall to steal it as soon as possible (even if it means
the ground and shatter. Destroying the Sun Globe killing someone in the party, or a member of the
(described in greater detail as the “Dragon Globe”
 PAknur b u m
EARTH. 0 Stamina: 3

9
: 6 0 Dead

it loses a random li
Thunder Guard). Then, he will sneak out of the questions below, and elaborating on the
city with his prize. information we’ve already given throughout this
If Nisei is caught stealing the mask, or if he isadventure.
killed attacking the player (he will defeat any of What if the players find out Nisei’s true
the Thunder Guard), the players can keep the identity after he’s gone? Will they attempt to
mask. It radiates magic fairly heavily, and is a discover where he has truly gone with the huge
maho item. Carrying it for a week gives a person mask?
2 points of the Shadowlands Taint. Who sold Chizaro the third-rate Oni-
summoning spell? Are there more mho-tsukai
One other thing. If you haven’t guessed it by in the city?
now, Nisei is an infiltrator. Meishozo Nisei, as you Did Oni no Chizaro live through the night? If
might have noticed, loosely translates into “False so, what will happen when an Oni Lord rampages
Name.” But we can’t tell you exactly who Nisei through Scorpion lands?
really is, where he’s gone or what he wants with Did Kuni Ryo have any other connections to
the huge mask he’s convinced the party to give the Moon Cult? What if he wants revenge against
him. We can’t even tell you what the mask does. the players?
Yet. Are the NPCs in the sidebars - Togashi Ikyoto, If the poi
the Ronin from the Unicorn lands - going to stay taken off
in Ryoko Owari? destroyeo, me zomme
OTHERADVENTUREHOOKS Did the Moon Cult have any other supporters collapses and dissolve!
The City of Lies is a rich background for in the Phoenix lands? Perhaps among Isawa
adventures in Rokugan, and Night of a Thousand Orimono’s friends in his cousin (the Isawa
Screams can easily be turned into a longer daimyo)’s court?
campaign for your players. Some of the What’s up with the original cult, and who were
unresolved questions in this adventure could be the people in the Lion lands? Why were the
expanded upon, and turned into adventures of masks going to in the Unicorn provinces on the
their own. original caravan?
In order to give you a few ideas on where to
begin after you’ve finished Night of a Thousand Answers to some of these questions will be in
Screams, we suggest working with some of the the forthcoming Tomb ofhchiban boxed set.
 -
Shosuro Warehouse upper level

Temple of
Amaterasu
 ...
“...Then you will hear a thousand screams, and some of them will be
your own.
- Shosuro Hodei

The streets of Ryoko Owari teem with ghosts and

zombies - masked revelers venerating their ancestors
and the spirits of the dead. The Bon Festival is a night
of celebration and reflection, but th
stalks the City of Lies.
An inhuman creature leaves murder and destruction in
its wake. A mysterious sword is stolen. A shipment of
tival goods goes horribly aww/ and a sinister cult
plots to plunge the city into eternal darkness.
the Emerald Empire’s protectors unravel this web
of mysteries and avert danger, or will Ryoko Owari
echo with the sound of a thousand screams?

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