L5R: TFW Scroll 28: Emergency Detour IV
The 17th night through the 19th day of the month of the Dark Brother (mid-winter)
The 21st year in the reign of Emperor Shinji III (deceased), 1158 by the Isawa Calendar
Fumoko returns to her vigil and Retsudo intercepts Kensai as the quartermaster ascends to the deck. [i] He asks Kensai, “Do you know if Hatsuyo was involved with the Kolat?” Kensai stops and frowns - and then starts spitting out a word salad as alien memories and information pours out. He confirms that Moshi Hatsuyo is not involved with the Kolat in any way, and Raiko befriended and cultivated her as a useful patsy, nothing more. He then narrates a meeting he sees in his mind’s eye, between Raiko, Master Tiger, and a female bushi who looks a lot like Himiwari, but maybe a few years older. This woman brought the idea of the poisoning to the Kolat. Kensai snaps out of his fugue and worries about writing all this information down, as he fears this knowledge will not last long in his head.
Retsudo heads to bed, trying to process all this information. He dislodges Tsubaki, who gives him a “This is your fault” look as she climbs out of his hammock. She then pads out of the crew hold, and Retsudo reclaims his hammock and goes to sleep. On the forecastle, Ryo wakes up every hour to adjust Hidaki’s course, but finds the Crane is doing well. Kensai decides to let Hidaki gain valuable sailing experience and lets him continue at the tiller, but he also checks the course a few times during the night.
Kensai turns at one point - to find a naked woman standing next to him. He looks at Tsubaki and says, “Can I help you?” She smiles and replies roughly, “Do you know what you did?” Kensai frowns and admits, “No, I actually do not.” She walks around him like a predator, but Kensai senses she is curious, not hostile. She completes her circle, looks him directly in the eyes, and utters, “You consumed another’s soul.” That rattles Kensai pretty badly, especially when Tsubaki leans in and whispers, “Can you hear her?” Kensai listens intently, and thinks he hears a faint whispering, but nothing concrete.
Tsubaki extends her fingers to hover next to Kensai’s temples. Kensai tries to brush her off, but she touches his face gently - and then Kensai can hear Raiko screaming and cursing. He staggers back, and Tsubaki murmurs, “She will discorporate in time, but be aware of the power you wield.” Kensai recovers and wags his finger at her in admonishment. He declares, “You need to start respecting Rokugani social mores while in human form. Put on some pants!” Tsubaki sticks her tongue out at him and sashays away. She enters the shrine and Fumoko mumbles, “How is she not the strangest thing on board this ship?” Hidaki ignores the exchange but Kensai smirks. Tsubaki shifts back into cat form and jumps up on Retsudo’s belly to sleep.
The 18th day of the Month of the Dark Brother dawns cold and gray, but the temperature climbs as they get nearer to the microclimate of the Islands of Spice and Silk. The day crew gets moving whilst the night crew collapses with exhaustion. Kensai pitches in as needed as acting first mate and ends up spending the afternoon cutting bark for replacement sails. At a few points during the day, he has a flash of memory or sensation that is not his, and at one point, he deftly flips the knife he is using to cut bark into a defensive posture - one he does not know. He frowns, but keeps working - and avoids Retsudo.
Retsudo spends the day with Moshi Hatsuyo, who is clearly terrified at what happened to Raiko. He is patient and careful, and eventually Hatsuyo opens up a bit and he learns a great deal about her father, Moshi Sezai. Apparently, Captain Sezai inherited a good deal of family wealth, but he also has made a small fortune working “the gray.” Retsudo learns “the gray” is a Mantis slang term for work that is quasi-legal. Sezai has enough capital that he does not actually have to work, he could retire comfortably now if he wanted. Retsudo is surprised at the extent of Sezai’s wealth, but learns he has never been married and he has been all but ostracized from the Moshi family because he was born male - and developed great skill in working the gray, which the Moshi matriarchy finds abhorrent. Retsudo recognizes Hatsuyo’s tone as the same one Ryo uses when describing his family: hatred. Sezai hates the Moshi matriarchy and that hate has passed to his illegitimate daughter. Retsudo also learns that Hatsuyo has no idea who her mother is; her father used his contacts to get her into the Yoritomo Courtier School. As far as Hatsuyo is concerned, her father loves her despite the circumstances of her birth, and that’s all that matters.
Ryo is excused from duty and heads down to the crew hold to catch up on sleep. He sleeps through the morning, but is awakened just before lunch by a sandpaper tongue on his face. He finds Tsubaki on his chest and he growls, “Don’t ever do that again.” Tsubaki hops off him and stalks off, so Ryo gets up, washes his face, and heads up for lunch. He then cleans he shrine and steps up to the forecastle in the late afternoon. The rest of the day passes quietly.
The 19th day of the Month of the Dark Brother is much warmer, and the crew is visibly relieved to be arriving at Kyuden Gotei this evening. The Summer Tide and The Ruby maintain pace alongside Umako’s Promise, and everything seems on track. Kensai attends to his duties while Ryo focuses on the spiritual health of the crew; Ketsuen’s presence is causing nightmares and the sailors - a superstitious lot at the best of times - are deeply unsettled.
After lunch, Retsudo climbs up to the forecastle and relays everything he learned yesterday about Captain Sezai to Captain Katsuji. Captain Katsuji listens carefully as he mans the tiller, and nods knowingly when Retsudo uses the term “working the gray.” Retsudo then outlines a daring plan: have Hatsuyo paced under their care in house arrest, and then reach out to Sezai covertly to set up a meeting. He argues that everyone here knows Sezai is shady, but he’s not a pirate. Also, he will likely attack Umako’s Promise outright if he gets the chance, as every encounter with him so far has ended in threats of violence or actual violence. With Hatsuyo as a hostage, hopefully they can reach Sezai and prevent violence - and possibly co-opt him in their plot to prevent Kitao from taking the Mantis Clan.
Captain Katsuji listens carefully and takes a few minutes to think carefully about Retsudo’s proposal. He then asks, “So, to be clear, you’re proposing using an accused pirate in a plot to overthrow our current potential clan champion.” Retsudo bluntly replies, “Yes.” Captain Katsuji smirks and says, “Talk to my wife.” Ryo jumps in at this point, and argues there is one glaring flaw in Retsudo’s plan: Hatsuyo is to be turned over to the magistrates at Kyuden Gotei, and they will decide her fate. He adds, “Four Imperial kobune are now aware Hatsuyo is aboard. How can you make that work?”
Retsudo curses as he realizes Ryo is correct, and then Ryo adds, “By the way, your cat woke me up yesterday. If that happens again, the consequences will be on your head.” Retsudo nods in acknowledgement, and then muses, “What if we claim Ketsuen killed both prisoners in his attack?” Ryo blinks in surprise but grudgingly replies, “That could work, but it’s very risky.” Captain Katsuji shakes his head, signaling his disapproval. Before the conversation can continue Sôsuke calls down, “Crab warship on a parallel course!” That startles the crew, but they scramble. A few minutes later, a Crab koutetsukan appears, clearly powering south with oars. The Crab crew is on high alert and running drills, and their weapons are already loaded with jade.
Umako’s Promise shifts course and comes alongside the Crab koutetsukan, and Fumoko calls over. The Crab captain - a female Hida and obvious veteran of the sea - hollers back in Crab battle-cant, which means very little to everyone else aboard. However, the effect on Fumoko and her ashigaru is electric, and they explode into a frenzy of activity and the ashigaru immediately start loading jade bolts onto the yahajiki! Fumoko bellows orders as she advances to the prow, but Ryo cuts in, “With all due respect, Kaiu-san, you have a vigil to keep. Trust your men to follow your orders.”
Fumoko comes to an abrupt stop and fumes silently before regaining composure and bowing to Ryo in thanks. She then snarls, “Kyuden Gotei is under attack - by the Shadowlands!” That sends the crew reeling, and Fumoko adds, “Undead, a Kyoso no Oni spawn, and apparently some sort of furred creature in large numbers [ii] - although I don’t know if that’s something new, or something the Mantis don’t know enough about to accurately report it.” Captain Katsuji immediately orders all speed ahead, and Ryo descends into the hold to get his jade. Umako’s Promise pulls ahead, followed by The Ruby and The Summer Tide.
[i] Game was 2/20/17; we had a late start as Tony was absent and Joe delayed.
[ii] Tsuno
The 21st year in the reign of Emperor Shinji III (deceased), 1158 by the Isawa Calendar
Fumoko returns to her vigil and Retsudo intercepts Kensai as the quartermaster ascends to the deck. [i] He asks Kensai, “Do you know if Hatsuyo was involved with the Kolat?” Kensai stops and frowns - and then starts spitting out a word salad as alien memories and information pours out. He confirms that Moshi Hatsuyo is not involved with the Kolat in any way, and Raiko befriended and cultivated her as a useful patsy, nothing more. He then narrates a meeting he sees in his mind’s eye, between Raiko, Master Tiger, and a female bushi who looks a lot like Himiwari, but maybe a few years older. This woman brought the idea of the poisoning to the Kolat. Kensai snaps out of his fugue and worries about writing all this information down, as he fears this knowledge will not last long in his head.
Retsudo heads to bed, trying to process all this information. He dislodges Tsubaki, who gives him a “This is your fault” look as she climbs out of his hammock. She then pads out of the crew hold, and Retsudo reclaims his hammock and goes to sleep. On the forecastle, Ryo wakes up every hour to adjust Hidaki’s course, but finds the Crane is doing well. Kensai decides to let Hidaki gain valuable sailing experience and lets him continue at the tiller, but he also checks the course a few times during the night.
Kensai turns at one point - to find a naked woman standing next to him. He looks at Tsubaki and says, “Can I help you?” She smiles and replies roughly, “Do you know what you did?” Kensai frowns and admits, “No, I actually do not.” She walks around him like a predator, but Kensai senses she is curious, not hostile. She completes her circle, looks him directly in the eyes, and utters, “You consumed another’s soul.” That rattles Kensai pretty badly, especially when Tsubaki leans in and whispers, “Can you hear her?” Kensai listens intently, and thinks he hears a faint whispering, but nothing concrete.
Tsubaki extends her fingers to hover next to Kensai’s temples. Kensai tries to brush her off, but she touches his face gently - and then Kensai can hear Raiko screaming and cursing. He staggers back, and Tsubaki murmurs, “She will discorporate in time, but be aware of the power you wield.” Kensai recovers and wags his finger at her in admonishment. He declares, “You need to start respecting Rokugani social mores while in human form. Put on some pants!” Tsubaki sticks her tongue out at him and sashays away. She enters the shrine and Fumoko mumbles, “How is she not the strangest thing on board this ship?” Hidaki ignores the exchange but Kensai smirks. Tsubaki shifts back into cat form and jumps up on Retsudo’s belly to sleep.
The 18th day of the Month of the Dark Brother dawns cold and gray, but the temperature climbs as they get nearer to the microclimate of the Islands of Spice and Silk. The day crew gets moving whilst the night crew collapses with exhaustion. Kensai pitches in as needed as acting first mate and ends up spending the afternoon cutting bark for replacement sails. At a few points during the day, he has a flash of memory or sensation that is not his, and at one point, he deftly flips the knife he is using to cut bark into a defensive posture - one he does not know. He frowns, but keeps working - and avoids Retsudo.
Retsudo spends the day with Moshi Hatsuyo, who is clearly terrified at what happened to Raiko. He is patient and careful, and eventually Hatsuyo opens up a bit and he learns a great deal about her father, Moshi Sezai. Apparently, Captain Sezai inherited a good deal of family wealth, but he also has made a small fortune working “the gray.” Retsudo learns “the gray” is a Mantis slang term for work that is quasi-legal. Sezai has enough capital that he does not actually have to work, he could retire comfortably now if he wanted. Retsudo is surprised at the extent of Sezai’s wealth, but learns he has never been married and he has been all but ostracized from the Moshi family because he was born male - and developed great skill in working the gray, which the Moshi matriarchy finds abhorrent. Retsudo recognizes Hatsuyo’s tone as the same one Ryo uses when describing his family: hatred. Sezai hates the Moshi matriarchy and that hate has passed to his illegitimate daughter. Retsudo also learns that Hatsuyo has no idea who her mother is; her father used his contacts to get her into the Yoritomo Courtier School. As far as Hatsuyo is concerned, her father loves her despite the circumstances of her birth, and that’s all that matters.
Ryo is excused from duty and heads down to the crew hold to catch up on sleep. He sleeps through the morning, but is awakened just before lunch by a sandpaper tongue on his face. He finds Tsubaki on his chest and he growls, “Don’t ever do that again.” Tsubaki hops off him and stalks off, so Ryo gets up, washes his face, and heads up for lunch. He then cleans he shrine and steps up to the forecastle in the late afternoon. The rest of the day passes quietly.
The 19th day of the Month of the Dark Brother is much warmer, and the crew is visibly relieved to be arriving at Kyuden Gotei this evening. The Summer Tide and The Ruby maintain pace alongside Umako’s Promise, and everything seems on track. Kensai attends to his duties while Ryo focuses on the spiritual health of the crew; Ketsuen’s presence is causing nightmares and the sailors - a superstitious lot at the best of times - are deeply unsettled.
After lunch, Retsudo climbs up to the forecastle and relays everything he learned yesterday about Captain Sezai to Captain Katsuji. Captain Katsuji listens carefully as he mans the tiller, and nods knowingly when Retsudo uses the term “working the gray.” Retsudo then outlines a daring plan: have Hatsuyo paced under their care in house arrest, and then reach out to Sezai covertly to set up a meeting. He argues that everyone here knows Sezai is shady, but he’s not a pirate. Also, he will likely attack Umako’s Promise outright if he gets the chance, as every encounter with him so far has ended in threats of violence or actual violence. With Hatsuyo as a hostage, hopefully they can reach Sezai and prevent violence - and possibly co-opt him in their plot to prevent Kitao from taking the Mantis Clan.
Captain Katsuji listens carefully and takes a few minutes to think carefully about Retsudo’s proposal. He then asks, “So, to be clear, you’re proposing using an accused pirate in a plot to overthrow our current potential clan champion.” Retsudo bluntly replies, “Yes.” Captain Katsuji smirks and says, “Talk to my wife.” Ryo jumps in at this point, and argues there is one glaring flaw in Retsudo’s plan: Hatsuyo is to be turned over to the magistrates at Kyuden Gotei, and they will decide her fate. He adds, “Four Imperial kobune are now aware Hatsuyo is aboard. How can you make that work?”
Retsudo curses as he realizes Ryo is correct, and then Ryo adds, “By the way, your cat woke me up yesterday. If that happens again, the consequences will be on your head.” Retsudo nods in acknowledgement, and then muses, “What if we claim Ketsuen killed both prisoners in his attack?” Ryo blinks in surprise but grudgingly replies, “That could work, but it’s very risky.” Captain Katsuji shakes his head, signaling his disapproval. Before the conversation can continue Sôsuke calls down, “Crab warship on a parallel course!” That startles the crew, but they scramble. A few minutes later, a Crab koutetsukan appears, clearly powering south with oars. The Crab crew is on high alert and running drills, and their weapons are already loaded with jade.
Umako’s Promise shifts course and comes alongside the Crab koutetsukan, and Fumoko calls over. The Crab captain - a female Hida and obvious veteran of the sea - hollers back in Crab battle-cant, which means very little to everyone else aboard. However, the effect on Fumoko and her ashigaru is electric, and they explode into a frenzy of activity and the ashigaru immediately start loading jade bolts onto the yahajiki! Fumoko bellows orders as she advances to the prow, but Ryo cuts in, “With all due respect, Kaiu-san, you have a vigil to keep. Trust your men to follow your orders.”
Fumoko comes to an abrupt stop and fumes silently before regaining composure and bowing to Ryo in thanks. She then snarls, “Kyuden Gotei is under attack - by the Shadowlands!” That sends the crew reeling, and Fumoko adds, “Undead, a Kyoso no Oni spawn, and apparently some sort of furred creature in large numbers [ii] - although I don’t know if that’s something new, or something the Mantis don’t know enough about to accurately report it.” Captain Katsuji immediately orders all speed ahead, and Ryo descends into the hold to get his jade. Umako’s Promise pulls ahead, followed by The Ruby and The Summer Tide.
[i] Game was 2/20/17; we had a late start as Tony was absent and Joe delayed.
[ii] Tsuno