Happy Holidays all. It had been a while since I last updated so I thought I would get this up before the new year. There is one more Chapter to update before the holidays end, and I hope to have it up on January 2.
Just so you know, each Chapter Summary is a summary of 2 or 3 gaming sessions.
Enjoy.
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Summary: The Cabal discovers more about the history of the Shinwa Taisen. Inspector Imada asks the cabal to investigate the suicide of three high school girls all of whom are linked to a falling J-pop star.
Recap:
Two weeks have passed since the events from Chapter 3.
Each of the Cabal Members is doing their own thing. Tenzin is cutting back on training Gei Ho just a bit. He tries to explain to him not to trust Sa-an or other mages who might do them harm. Kemosiri goes back to Dr. Wu to find out more about the scroll. Dr. Wu has ordered a book from Tokyo that will help in translating the scroll (he hopes – Kemosiri is not so optimistic). Dr. Wu is getting annoyed that he is only finding out about the scroll in bits and pieces.
Kemosiri and Mori decide to go visit the Kakumeiso to find out more about the Shinwa Taisen. Jizo agrees to see them and greets them warmly. He offers them tea and they sit and chat. When asked about the Shinwa Taisen, Jizo tells them that it was a document created in 800 AD under the reign of Empress Pimiko. She commissioned the creation of 3 documents – the Legends, the History and Magical History (Shinwa Taisen). Besides holding history, the document was also rumoured to be a grimoire and held powerful spells that apparently date back to the time of Atlantis. The Empress later decided not to release it as the knowledge it contained was deemed too dangerous. She then created a warrior class whose express purpose was to guard the Shinwa Taisen and keep it away from prying eyes. She named the warriors, Samurai.
Two Mage cabals, the Kodoshigisha and Hagakure Kyodai, became responsible for the Shinwa Taisen’s safety. It remained safe and secret until the 20th century and World War II. Fearing that others, including western Cabals, would find the Shinwa Taisen, the Kodoshigisha decided it was prudent to move it. Other Cabals objected, but as they were the ruling Cabal of Kyoto, they’re word held sway. En route to its final destination, the Shinwa Taisen was destroyed when the Americans dropped the first nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. Many members of Kodoshigisha committed seppuku in shame and Gyochisa became the new ranking Cabal of Kyoto.
After hearing these revelations, Kemosiri and Mori thank Jizo for being so helpful and leave.
Meanwhile, Kontonshin tries to find an authentic samurai sword. As a Japanophile, she has wanted to find an authentic katana for some time. Her trip to Japan has given her just such an opportunity. After doing some searching around, Kontonshin finds a master outside of Kyoto who has made many and he charges $250K US for one. Balking at the price, she decides to come back later. She makes a hasty exit and runs into a weirdly dressed gentleman who introduces himself as Kaze. Kaze says he can sell her a Katana for $50K US. All she has to do is meet her at the Kyoto Cultural Centre the next day and he will have one. Suspecting this is all a set up, she talks to Det. Imada and tells him about the scam artist. He decides to investigate.
In the meantime, Imada has his own story to tell. He presents the pictures of 3 girls – they all died a month ago on the same hour at the same night. A fourth girl, Hoshi, is in a psych ward in Kyoto for trying to do the same thing. He would like the group to investigate this mystery as he does not know where else to go. Kemosiri recognizes the girls. He had seen them before on the first night he was in Kyoto and had intended to investigate them. He decides that now is as good a time as any.
The Cabal returns to the alleyway where Kemosiri first saw the “Suicide Triplets.” The Triplets pass by and the Cabal follows. The triplets turn a corner and one of them drops an CD for Satomi Shimizu a fading j-pop idol. The girls school is around the corner and Mori breaks in and goes to one of the girls lockers. They find a pic of a boy and a poster for Shimizu. They get out and go home.
More net investigation and they discover that Shimizu has been despondent lately – her latest boyfriend broke up with her and she is playing a small concert in Osaka the next night. Her star is fading fast. Her 4th album in four years only went to #20 on the J-pop charts.
They call Imada the next morning and he agrees to come to the school to assist. He also reports that there was a break in last night. The principal cooperates with them. The boy is no lead. Hoshi’s locker shows a pic of her and Shimizu.
They go visit Hoshi in the hospital. Both Hoshi’s forearms are completely bandaged. Hoshi is rough with the Cabal and does not want to speak to them. She says she was in the band as a backup singerabe fired when she giving Satomi flowers. She railed against Satomi for a while before Hoshi’s website was shut down by Satomi’s lawyers. That is all she would say.
The Cabal decides to attend her concert. After several hours, the concert ends. Then Mori vaults onto the stage attracting all the security guards in sight. He uses sleight of hand to perform distracting magic and allow Kontonshin and Kemosiri to get behind the guards and onto the backstage.
Kontonshin and Kemosiri get into Satomi’s room on pre-text that they are with a group with backstage passes. Their disguise slips and then they try to convince her they are reporters. Finally, they confess and tell Satomi they are paranormal investigators. Satomi kicks everyone but Kontonshin and Kemosiri out and then breaks down in tears. Through the sobs, she says ghosts are haunting her and they have been haunting her for the past month and a half. She is on verge of nervous breakdown. When shown pictures of the Suicide Triplets, she recognizes two of them.
Kemosiri and Kontonshin leave and return to the Chantry to do more research. They believe that Hoshi has something to do with things, but are not sure what. They come up with plan to scare her into telling them something.
The Cabal go back to the hospital. When they enter the hospital, Kemosiri sees several ghosts. As the Cabal predicted, Hoshi would have nothing to do with them and tries kicking them out. Kemosiri does a general ghost summons and attracts six ghosts who haunt the hospital. Some of them are not happy to see Kemosiri.
When Hoshi sees the ghosts, she screams and tries hiding under her sheets. Kontonshin and Mori pull the sheets off to make her see and then ask her again what she knows. Hoshi says she will tell them everything as long as they get rid of the ghosts. Kemosiri begins to dismiss the ghosts, but some of them are now rather pissed off that they were summoned in the first place. They begin hurling objects around the room and smashing lamps. Several light fixtures explode. Objects begin to fly at the Cabal. Hoshi screams and hides behind her now overturned bed. Mori tries to bar nurses and other hospital staff from getting into the room while Kemosiri and Tenzin command the ghosts to leave. When they are finally gone, security breaks down the doors. Mori explains that Hoshi had a temper tantrum and that she is all right now.
Before they leave, Hoshi gives the Cabal a wooden bowl. She explains that she received it in the mail after Satomi fired her but that she does not know who sent it. To use it, all she had to do was give the Buddha of the Bowl blood so it would perform her every wish. She apologizes and says she did not realize the ghost in the bowl would kill Satomi’s fans. She only wished to hurt Satomi.
When the Cabal returns to the Chantry, they use Mage Sight and determine that a Wrath Spirit is trapped within the bowl. They find out that that the “Buddha’s” former master stored it in a place called “Unit 731” more than 60 years ago. They also find out that the spirit was originally a Chinese Emperor who existed over 1000 years ago.
After interrogating the spirit, Mori drains it of essence enough to kill the spirit. Tenzin tries to object saying that the Spirit may be able to help locate the one who sent it to Hoshi, but Mori does not listen. The Cabal keep the bowl as it still has some resonance on it.
Next: Hashi no Kochou - Ch 5
Friday, December 30, 2005
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Star Trek: The New Voyages
If you were a fan of the original Star Trek series (you know, the one with Kirk, Spock and McCoy), you will be happy (?) to know that the last TWO years of that original five year mission are now being filmed. You can download the first two episodes from "Season 4" at Star Trek: the New Voyages.
Check it out.
Check it out.
Weapons of the Gods
This is a new RPG from EOS Press is based on a Hong Kong Wuxia comic book. EOS has done a ton of research into this "Fantasy China" and the system seems to be rules lite (d10's only).
It is now available in PDF form at Drive Thru RPG. A full color book from EOS Press is also available.
Check it out. It could replace Feng Shui as my martial arts game of choice.
Friday, December 16, 2005
SC8 Submission
Okay, I've been a bit late with the posts lately. Why? Because I have been hard at work at my latest writing project, Togeriso's SC8 Submission. I got it in under the wire.
If you would like to read it, you can find it at (that's right) my new writing blog I have entitled Dragon Lit.
You can see the other submissions at the CCC Storyline, Fiction and RPG Forum
Read. Enjoy.
If you would like to read it, you can find it at (that's right) my new writing blog I have entitled Dragon Lit.
You can see the other submissions at the CCC Storyline, Fiction and RPG Forum
Read. Enjoy.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
The Order of the Stick
I was just introduced to this new web comic about the joys of roleplaying games entitled the Order of the Stick by Rich Burlew. It is absolutely hilarious. There are over 250 of these comics already and I think they are being compiled into a book. Read. Enjoy.
Monday, December 05, 2005
(RC) Mujina - Ch. 3
Summary: While Kemosiri delves into the mystery of the ancient Japanese scroll, Gei Ho, Tenzin’s sleepwalker retainer, begins visiting another cabal and inadvertently brings home a dangerous mind eating spirit.
Recap:
Two weeks after arriving in Kyoto, the Cabal has settled into a routine. Tenzin is teaching Gei Ho the rigors of his Bon Po legacy (what a Sleepwalker could reasonably learn). However, Gei Ho is chafing against this. Every night, Gei Ho ventures out and unbeknownst to the Cabal, has been making his way to Kyomizu-dera to talk with the mages of the Hagakure Kyodai. Sa-an, a young female mage of the Hagakure Kyodai, has lured him there and has surreptitiously been gaining valuable information about the Cabal from him.
This particular day begins with Gei Ho failing to meditate to Tenzin’s liking. He is thinking about the Tigers Baseball game Duncan is taking him to. Before he leaves, Gei Ho gives Tenzin an onamori (good luck charm) as a gift for all his teachings.
Kemosiri and Kontonshin are still researching the scroll. Kontonshin cannot translate anything – the writing is too archaic and she cannot discern their meanings. Kemosiri tries drawing some of the Kanji onto another piece of paper in the hopes of giving it to a Sleeper Professor who might know how to translate the Scroll. Akio Ogawa gives him the name of a Chinese Professor of Archeology at Kyoto University.
Mori, in the meantime, is trying to make deal with Itako for learning the Japanese.
Kemosiri makes an appointment to see Dr. Wu at Kyoto University and present copies of the Kanji. Dr. Wu says that they are unrecognizable as Kanji and wonders if someone is playing a joke. He wants to look at the scrolls more closely and believes that they might be a valuable find. Kemosiri agrees to return the next day.
Meanwhile, Tenzin, Kontinshin and Mori are at sanctum and begin to get a weird feeling that an unknown power is at work. They begin to use Mage Sight and Mori senses Awakened magic. He feels they are being scryed on and before he can examine any further, the scrying window disappears.
Kemosiri returns to the Sanctum and lets Kontonshin know that their kanji copies did not look like anything to the Professor. Kemosiri begins to scan the scroll with his laptop computer’s scanner and it comes out garbled. Confused, they use Mage Sight on the scroll and get an aura of powerful Magic, but nothing else – no other quality is present.
Duncan arrives back at the Sanctum. He dropped off Gei Ho near Kyomizu-dera. The others let Kemosiri know of the scrying and they begin to look for Gei Ho. They find him near Kyomizu-dera. Tenzin chides him for being out late and for consorting with other Mages. Tenzin tells Gei Ho not to do such a thing again. After getting Gei Ho back to the sanctum, he runs away during the night.
The next day, Kemosiri and Kontonshin go to visit Dr. Wu – this time with the actual scroll. They give Dr. Wu more copies of the Kanji. Dr. Wu becomes annoyed that he has been given more copies of things he cannot recognize. Reluctantly Kemosiri and Kontonshin show him the real scroll. Dr. Wu examines it and can recognize several words – Kojiki (the Japanese creation myths) and Nihongi (the early history of Japan). He also recognizes words he pronounces as Shinwa Taisen. From the context, Dr. Wu surmises that this is another historical document written in conjunction with the Kojiki and Ninhongi (The Kojiki and Nihongi were written in approximately 800 AD under the rule of Empress Pimiko). The characters find out nothing else. Both begin to detect something unusual with their Unseen Senses and decide they must leave.
Kemosiri and Kontonshin decide to speak with the Itako whom they believe will be able to give them more information. As they arrive at the subway station, their Unseen Senses go off. Something is following them. Kemosiri turns on Spirit Sight sees a humanoid shaped Spirit materialized in Twilight. It is almost nine feet tall and completely black. However, where its head should be, Kemosiri sees a skull with its face ripped off. In that faceless void are hundreds of squirming maggots.
Kemosiri gives Kontonshin the scroll and tells her to run. She runs down the stairs towards the Itako’s sanctum. Kemosiri hobbles down the stairs, but the Spirit catches up with him, materializes, grabs him, and exhales thousands of maggots onto him. Kemosiri panics, but manages to free himself of the Spirit’s grip. He hobbles down the stairs and rushes through the steel door just as the Spirit reaches him. They slam the door in the Spirit’s “face”. Kemosiri tries hard to brush the maggots off his body, but still finds them in his clothes days later.
The Itako tells Kemosiri and Kontonshin that the spirit they encountered was a Mujina, a Faceless One. She also mentions that the wards against Spirits she has up seem to be working against it.
When asked about the term Shinwa Taisen, the Itako asks Kemosiri and Kontonshin where they had heard them. She is surprised that foreigners who had only been in town for two weeks could have heard of such a thing that up to this time, she had only heard in whispers.
The Itako tells them that she does not want anything to do with the matter. She then tells Baka to show them out the back way. Baka leads them through the sewers to an outlet along the Kamo River.
In the meantime, Mori and Tenzin are out searching for Gei Ho. They go to Kiyomizu-dera where they believe Gei Ho has been going. Sa-an answers the door and denies having seen Gei Ho that night. She tells them that he had been come to her Sanctum a few times and that she regarded him as a fine young boy. Before they leave, Sa-an refers to Tenzin by his True Name and she smiles.
Kemosiri and Kontonshin return to the sanctum. Kemosiri is still brushing maggots off his clothes. The others still do not know where Gei Ho is. Suddenly, the door opens and Gei Ho walks in. He seems non-chalent about running away and asks if he can go upstairs to bed. They let him go but not before Tenzin chides him once again. Gei Ho shrugs it off. The rest confer about the scroll and about the days events.
Soon, they all begin to retire for the evening. Before he goes to bed, Kemosiri decides to scrutinize the sanctum with Spirit Arcana for anything unusual. He does not want to get scryed upon again. He enters Gei Ho’s room and sees Gei Ho standing up on his futon. Kemosiri further scrutinizes the room and finds a Spirit seemingly controlling Gei Ho. He quickly calls for the others. When Mori and Tenzin arrive, they see the Mujina standing above Gei Ho, maggots erupting from its faceless void entering any open orifice they can find.
The Mujina lets Gei Ho go and he collapses to his futon. It then attacks Kemosiri as he did before, by grabbing him and exhaling thousands of maggots onto him. This time, however, the maggots crawled and squirmed their way into his mouth, nose and eyes. At the same time, Kemosiri could feel the presence of another mind forcing its way into his consciousness.
While Kemosiri is immobilized, Tenzin tries commanding the Mujina. It just shrugs off his commands. Mori, now able to see the Mujina in Twilight, strikes at the Mujina with Celestial Fire and essence drain. The Mujina tries to lash out at his attackers. It is eventually banished back to the Shadow leaving Kemosiri a heap on the tatami mats (most of which will have to be disposed of because of maggots).
When the Cabal tries to take care of Gei Ho, they discover that the Mujina had stolen Gei Ho’s memories and that a part of his Soul was ripped out as a result. The Cabal fears that whoever sent the Mujina after them would be able to gain valuable knowledge about them through Gei Ho’s memories.
The Cabal decides that they MUST get Gei Ho’s memories back. They visit the Itako who tells them that the only one she is aware of with the power to get him back is Ane-san of the Kokuryu-kai.
They visit Ane-san’s sanctum, which is the top floor of the Umeda building in Osaka. They trick their way in and make a deal with her – she will open a gate to the Shadow and then they can call the Mujina using Gei Ho as a sympathetic connection. Kemosiri begins the ritual to tear Gei Ho’s soul from the Mujina. When he is ready, Ane-san casts a spell to call the Mujina and Tenzin calls the Mujina to the Gate. Kemosiri tears Gei Ho’s soul from the Mujina and Mori drains the Mujina of all its Essence and Corpus destroying it forever.
As a price, Ane-san asks the Cabal to get a personal item from Raiden, the head of Gyochisa, and deliver it before the next Consilium meeting.
Next: Idoru - Ch 4
Recap:
Two weeks after arriving in Kyoto, the Cabal has settled into a routine. Tenzin is teaching Gei Ho the rigors of his Bon Po legacy (what a Sleepwalker could reasonably learn). However, Gei Ho is chafing against this. Every night, Gei Ho ventures out and unbeknownst to the Cabal, has been making his way to Kyomizu-dera to talk with the mages of the Hagakure Kyodai. Sa-an, a young female mage of the Hagakure Kyodai, has lured him there and has surreptitiously been gaining valuable information about the Cabal from him.
This particular day begins with Gei Ho failing to meditate to Tenzin’s liking. He is thinking about the Tigers Baseball game Duncan is taking him to. Before he leaves, Gei Ho gives Tenzin an onamori (good luck charm) as a gift for all his teachings.
Kemosiri and Kontonshin are still researching the scroll. Kontonshin cannot translate anything – the writing is too archaic and she cannot discern their meanings. Kemosiri tries drawing some of the Kanji onto another piece of paper in the hopes of giving it to a Sleeper Professor who might know how to translate the Scroll. Akio Ogawa gives him the name of a Chinese Professor of Archeology at Kyoto University.
Mori, in the meantime, is trying to make deal with Itako for learning the Japanese.
Kemosiri makes an appointment to see Dr. Wu at Kyoto University and present copies of the Kanji. Dr. Wu says that they are unrecognizable as Kanji and wonders if someone is playing a joke. He wants to look at the scrolls more closely and believes that they might be a valuable find. Kemosiri agrees to return the next day.
Meanwhile, Tenzin, Kontinshin and Mori are at sanctum and begin to get a weird feeling that an unknown power is at work. They begin to use Mage Sight and Mori senses Awakened magic. He feels they are being scryed on and before he can examine any further, the scrying window disappears.
Kemosiri returns to the Sanctum and lets Kontonshin know that their kanji copies did not look like anything to the Professor. Kemosiri begins to scan the scroll with his laptop computer’s scanner and it comes out garbled. Confused, they use Mage Sight on the scroll and get an aura of powerful Magic, but nothing else – no other quality is present.
Duncan arrives back at the Sanctum. He dropped off Gei Ho near Kyomizu-dera. The others let Kemosiri know of the scrying and they begin to look for Gei Ho. They find him near Kyomizu-dera. Tenzin chides him for being out late and for consorting with other Mages. Tenzin tells Gei Ho not to do such a thing again. After getting Gei Ho back to the sanctum, he runs away during the night.
The next day, Kemosiri and Kontonshin go to visit Dr. Wu – this time with the actual scroll. They give Dr. Wu more copies of the Kanji. Dr. Wu becomes annoyed that he has been given more copies of things he cannot recognize. Reluctantly Kemosiri and Kontonshin show him the real scroll. Dr. Wu examines it and can recognize several words – Kojiki (the Japanese creation myths) and Nihongi (the early history of Japan). He also recognizes words he pronounces as Shinwa Taisen. From the context, Dr. Wu surmises that this is another historical document written in conjunction with the Kojiki and Ninhongi (The Kojiki and Nihongi were written in approximately 800 AD under the rule of Empress Pimiko). The characters find out nothing else. Both begin to detect something unusual with their Unseen Senses and decide they must leave.
Kemosiri and Kontonshin decide to speak with the Itako whom they believe will be able to give them more information. As they arrive at the subway station, their Unseen Senses go off. Something is following them. Kemosiri turns on Spirit Sight sees a humanoid shaped Spirit materialized in Twilight. It is almost nine feet tall and completely black. However, where its head should be, Kemosiri sees a skull with its face ripped off. In that faceless void are hundreds of squirming maggots.
Kemosiri gives Kontonshin the scroll and tells her to run. She runs down the stairs towards the Itako’s sanctum. Kemosiri hobbles down the stairs, but the Spirit catches up with him, materializes, grabs him, and exhales thousands of maggots onto him. Kemosiri panics, but manages to free himself of the Spirit’s grip. He hobbles down the stairs and rushes through the steel door just as the Spirit reaches him. They slam the door in the Spirit’s “face”. Kemosiri tries hard to brush the maggots off his body, but still finds them in his clothes days later.
The Itako tells Kemosiri and Kontonshin that the spirit they encountered was a Mujina, a Faceless One. She also mentions that the wards against Spirits she has up seem to be working against it.
When asked about the term Shinwa Taisen, the Itako asks Kemosiri and Kontonshin where they had heard them. She is surprised that foreigners who had only been in town for two weeks could have heard of such a thing that up to this time, she had only heard in whispers.
The Itako tells them that she does not want anything to do with the matter. She then tells Baka to show them out the back way. Baka leads them through the sewers to an outlet along the Kamo River.
In the meantime, Mori and Tenzin are out searching for Gei Ho. They go to Kiyomizu-dera where they believe Gei Ho has been going. Sa-an answers the door and denies having seen Gei Ho that night. She tells them that he had been come to her Sanctum a few times and that she regarded him as a fine young boy. Before they leave, Sa-an refers to Tenzin by his True Name and she smiles.
Kemosiri and Kontonshin return to the sanctum. Kemosiri is still brushing maggots off his clothes. The others still do not know where Gei Ho is. Suddenly, the door opens and Gei Ho walks in. He seems non-chalent about running away and asks if he can go upstairs to bed. They let him go but not before Tenzin chides him once again. Gei Ho shrugs it off. The rest confer about the scroll and about the days events.
Soon, they all begin to retire for the evening. Before he goes to bed, Kemosiri decides to scrutinize the sanctum with Spirit Arcana for anything unusual. He does not want to get scryed upon again. He enters Gei Ho’s room and sees Gei Ho standing up on his futon. Kemosiri further scrutinizes the room and finds a Spirit seemingly controlling Gei Ho. He quickly calls for the others. When Mori and Tenzin arrive, they see the Mujina standing above Gei Ho, maggots erupting from its faceless void entering any open orifice they can find.
The Mujina lets Gei Ho go and he collapses to his futon. It then attacks Kemosiri as he did before, by grabbing him and exhaling thousands of maggots onto him. This time, however, the maggots crawled and squirmed their way into his mouth, nose and eyes. At the same time, Kemosiri could feel the presence of another mind forcing its way into his consciousness.
While Kemosiri is immobilized, Tenzin tries commanding the Mujina. It just shrugs off his commands. Mori, now able to see the Mujina in Twilight, strikes at the Mujina with Celestial Fire and essence drain. The Mujina tries to lash out at his attackers. It is eventually banished back to the Shadow leaving Kemosiri a heap on the tatami mats (most of which will have to be disposed of because of maggots).
When the Cabal tries to take care of Gei Ho, they discover that the Mujina had stolen Gei Ho’s memories and that a part of his Soul was ripped out as a result. The Cabal fears that whoever sent the Mujina after them would be able to gain valuable knowledge about them through Gei Ho’s memories.
The Cabal decides that they MUST get Gei Ho’s memories back. They visit the Itako who tells them that the only one she is aware of with the power to get him back is Ane-san of the Kokuryu-kai.
They visit Ane-san’s sanctum, which is the top floor of the Umeda building in Osaka. They trick their way in and make a deal with her – she will open a gate to the Shadow and then they can call the Mujina using Gei Ho as a sympathetic connection. Kemosiri begins the ritual to tear Gei Ho’s soul from the Mujina. When he is ready, Ane-san casts a spell to call the Mujina and Tenzin calls the Mujina to the Gate. Kemosiri tears Gei Ho’s soul from the Mujina and Mori drains the Mujina of all its Essence and Corpus destroying it forever.
As a price, Ane-san asks the Cabal to get a personal item from Raiden, the head of Gyochisa, and deliver it before the next Consilium meeting.
Next: Idoru - Ch 4
Will Hollywood Ever Get it Right?
The upcoming movie adaptation of “Memoirs of a Geisha” has re-opened the debate regarding the portrayal of Japan in movies made in Hollywood. The usual criticism of such movies is that they invariably get the culture wrong.
If you want to know what I mean, look at Hollywood’s track record. The last Hollywood movie about Japan was “The Last Samurai” starring Tom Cruise. The movie took a part of Japanese history concerning the transition of Japan as a feudal nation into a more modern nation, and Americanized it to make it palatable for an American audience. Before that, we have “Lost in Translation”. A beautiful film to be sure, but one in which Japan gets lost in caricature behind two American actors (and I think the intention was the reverse). I am sure you can name other films in which Japan is distorted through a Western lens.
It looks like Hollywood is only going to continue on the same track with “Memoirs of a Geisha”. How do we know? First, “Memoirs” is an International effort – it is an adaptation filmed in California, of a book written by an American author, starring Chinese actors in the major roles, about a uniquely Japanese subject. When you have such a mutt-like pedigree, mistakes just have to creep onto the celluloid. What makes things worse, is that the author’s inspiration for his book is reported to be very critical of him – so much so, she is considering legal action (See “A Woman Scorned”).
To be fair, films are not history or cultural lessons – they are entertainment and entertainment has to entertain its target audience (in this case, a Western audience). If we desire bald facts, we should tune into the Discovery Channel. Or, better yet, since the movie is adapted from a book, read some good books on the subject.
Instead of reading “Memoirs of a Geisha”, by Arthur Golden, why not pick up “The Geisha of Gion” (recently re-titled and sold as “Geisha: a Life”), Mineko Iwasaki’s autobiography and response to Golden’s authorial errors.
Instead of watching the Tom Cruise eye candy that is “The Last Samurai”, peruse the biography of Saigo Takamori entitled “The Last Samurai - The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori” by Mark Ravina (Takamori is the real world inspiration for the movie of the same name).
These titles are in print and are widely available in North America.
Am I going to discourage you from attending the movie version of “Memoirs”? No. From what I have seen and the cultural misgivings I may have, it looks like a wonderfully shot film that may even inspire Oscar nods. Judge the film on its merits as a film, not on the cultural and historical lessons it has to offer.
Just remember that the films often get it wrong, but you can be learned enough to tell the difference. Oh, and for those of you reading this who know me, I have these books and will gladly lend them out.
If you want to know what I mean, look at Hollywood’s track record. The last Hollywood movie about Japan was “The Last Samurai” starring Tom Cruise. The movie took a part of Japanese history concerning the transition of Japan as a feudal nation into a more modern nation, and Americanized it to make it palatable for an American audience. Before that, we have “Lost in Translation”. A beautiful film to be sure, but one in which Japan gets lost in caricature behind two American actors (and I think the intention was the reverse). I am sure you can name other films in which Japan is distorted through a Western lens.
It looks like Hollywood is only going to continue on the same track with “Memoirs of a Geisha”. How do we know? First, “Memoirs” is an International effort – it is an adaptation filmed in California, of a book written by an American author, starring Chinese actors in the major roles, about a uniquely Japanese subject. When you have such a mutt-like pedigree, mistakes just have to creep onto the celluloid. What makes things worse, is that the author’s inspiration for his book is reported to be very critical of him – so much so, she is considering legal action (See “A Woman Scorned”).
To be fair, films are not history or cultural lessons – they are entertainment and entertainment has to entertain its target audience (in this case, a Western audience). If we desire bald facts, we should tune into the Discovery Channel. Or, better yet, since the movie is adapted from a book, read some good books on the subject.
Instead of reading “Memoirs of a Geisha”, by Arthur Golden, why not pick up “The Geisha of Gion” (recently re-titled and sold as “Geisha: a Life”), Mineko Iwasaki’s autobiography and response to Golden’s authorial errors.
Instead of watching the Tom Cruise eye candy that is “The Last Samurai”, peruse the biography of Saigo Takamori entitled “The Last Samurai - The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori” by Mark Ravina (Takamori is the real world inspiration for the movie of the same name).
These titles are in print and are widely available in North America.
Am I going to discourage you from attending the movie version of “Memoirs”? No. From what I have seen and the cultural misgivings I may have, it looks like a wonderfully shot film that may even inspire Oscar nods. Judge the film on its merits as a film, not on the cultural and historical lessons it has to offer.
Just remember that the films often get it wrong, but you can be learned enough to tell the difference. Oh, and for those of you reading this who know me, I have these books and will gladly lend them out.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Sadako from "Ringu"
Check out this little gem. It's a lot of anime/manga versions of Sadako (the girl from the Japanese "Ringu" movies) with J-pop music in the background. You will never be creeped out by her again, I guarantee it.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
(RC) Ubume - Ch. 2
Summary: The Cabal meets the Kyoto Consilium and must defeat a mage for possession of the ancient scroll. Meanwhile, Ogawa gives the Cabal their first assignment: to get rid of a ghost haunting a suburban Kyoto home.
Recap:
The Cabal finally arrives at their sanctum located across the Kamo river in Higashiyama-ku, a ward located in Central Kyoto.
The day after arriving in Kyoto, Kemosiri and Tenzin both wake up to find the rest of them meditating. They are anxious to confront Ms Ogawa about the gaps in their knowledge regarding the “original group” and the fact that Ms. Ogawa had not given the Consilium their Letters of Introduction.
Kontonshin had a dream the previous night. The dream seemed to place her in the body of a young school aged girl who appears to be going to a photography studio to do some "questionable" photographs. The stain of death appears in the dream and Kontonshin is shaken when she wakes up.
When she arrives, Ogawa complains about the mud in her office. The characters confront Ogawa about the first group. She explains that she did not want to tell the characters about the other group because she was afraid they would not accept their offer. She offers to send anyone who does not want to be there, a one way ticket home. No one accepts. She tells the characters that she gathered the last group from Tokyo and they were there for only a week before her Benefactor asked them to attend a lecture from a Geology Professor at Kyoto University. After the lecture, the Group called and said they were running a few leads and would be in touch. They never returned a call and none of their cell phones ever picked up again.
Ms. Ogawa said she has no clue whatever happened to them and regrets sending them to that lecture.
On the subject of why she never submitted their Letters, she explained that she was waiting for everyone to arrive before submitting them. The fact that they ran into a Consilium member was unfortunate.
Ms. Ogawa then says that their cover is Paranormal Investigators. She has arranged an assignment - their clients will meet them at a local Starbucks at 5:00 p.m. (it is 1:00 at the time).
No one in the group mentions the scroll they had found the night before or the Baku they had found guarding it.
The characters decide to visit Kiyomizu-dera to see the Consilium. A sleepwalker servant meets them at the door and hands them a scroll. The scroll charges the characters with two crimes against the Lex Magica. The first crime is not presenting themselves to the Kansai Consilium upon arrival, and the second is “wanton disregard for Consilium property”. This last charge has the PC's befuddled. Was the mirror Mori Memento had broken at the World Club the reason for the charge? They could not figure it out.
Since the summons was for that evening at 9:00pm., the characters had some time, so they go to the Starbucks to meet with their clients - the Kitagawa's. Mr. Kitigawa is a very well dressed businessman who the PC's found talking on his cell phone. Mrs. Kitigawa is also a very well dressed woman. Mrs. Kitagawa has a baby girl in a stroller. The baby is only a month old. The Kitigawa's are very busy people. When he is not running his business, he is expected to be a socialite and attend social events such as charity balls. Mrs. Kitigawa is expected to help out and the number of social events he attends is huge. They would like their problem to be dealt with quickly and discretely. They offer over $1M Yen to deal with it the first night and more when the players balk at the offer.
The characters tell the Kitigawa's that they have a previous commitment and might be a bit late getting to their place. The Kitigawa's agree and tell them that their Nanny will greet them at the door.
The characters then prepare for the evening session with the Consilium. They arrive at 9:00 pm. The servants introduce them to the five members of the Consilium Council. Then, the Council asks who speaks for the Cabal? Kontonshin is the one to reply (she is the only member of the Cabal fluent in Japanese). After that, the Provost reads the first charge - the charge of “not identifying themselves to the Consilium.” The characters accepted the charge and they were fined 5 mana, payable before the next meeting of the Consilium.
Reitaro, the owner of the World Nightclub, read the second charge. He had made a deal with a mage last evening concerning a scroll (that Mage was the one found dead the previous night). He charged that the PC's are in control of that scroll, and that he is entitled to it. The Consilium does not rule, but instead, Reitaro challenges the Cabal to Duels Arcane with ownership of the Scroll at stake.
Kemosiri steps forward for the cabal, and the Consilium adjourns for a short time giving the PC's time to prepare. The PC's quietly speak with some members of the Consilium, most especially the members of Kakumeiso, who are all from the Mysterium Order. They request an audience at some time.
At midnight, the Duels Arcane takes place. Reitaro, an Obrimos Adept, uses Forces for his Sword and Prime for his Shield, while Kemosiri uses Death for his Sword and Matter for his Shield. The first blow goes to Reitaro who drains Kemosiri of 4 Willpower in one strike. Kemosiri whittles away at Reitaro's Willpower. Reitaro never lands another solid blow before Kemosiri gives one final great effort and solidly knocks Reitaro on his ass, ending the duel. Reitaro, still smoking after the duel, gets up and storms out of the Consilium.
As a final function for the night, the Characters perform the Sakazaki (Rote for the Swearing an Oath Spell) ritual – they swear to uphold the Lex Magica of the Kansai Consilium and obey the elders.
The Characters then decide that they should go and investigate the haunting.
Their first destination is the Haunted House, a large, but un-assuming house in the north end of Kyoto. Trees surround the house. There is a small wall and gate leading into the house. The lights to the two-storey house are on. The Cabal wakes up the Nanny. Gei Ho asks her to come out of the house so as not to disturb the PC's and the Nanny goes willingly.
The Cabal finds themselves in a large living area that has been very richly designed. Hard wood floors, elegant furniture and other very expensive accoutrements are strewn neatly throughout the house. There is a very large stone fireplace as well.
To start their investigation, the players activate their Mage Sight and look around. They see magic resonance where blood had spilled from the stone walls. Looking into the Shadow, Tenzin sees the remnants of an ancient Samurai castle across the street from the house. The other players follow the resonance into the baby's room. In the hallway outside the room is a clutter of desk furniture covered with plastic tarps. In the baby's room itself, it appears stark and bear with the exception of the crib at the other end of the hallway.
Kemosiri decides to try calling a ghost. He summons it in the living room. Instead of getting the ghost he was expecting, the ghost of an ancient samurai appears in Twilight and demands to know who had summoned him. Tenzin, now looking into Twilight as well, tries to speak in broken Japanese to the Samurai. Kontonshin is the only one who is able to speak with it and she cannot see him. Tenzin, in his vain attempts to try to speak with the Samurai, angers him. He charges Tenzin and using one of his Numina, puts Tenzin into Twilight. Now, the only person who can see Tenzin is Kemosiri. The only one who can speak with him is Gei Ho. It makes for some interesting communications difficulties.
In the meantime, the ghost they had been waiting for, materializes in the child's bedroom. The characters scamper back to the child's room. The ghost is checking out the crib. The characters feel a chill in the air. They see blood staining the wood walls of the child's room. They do not notice a weird iron symbol covered in blood that the ghost had shaken loose from the wall above the crib. They smell fresh dirt and foul smelling refuse. The ghost of a girl dressed in a school uniform turns to face them. Her face is dessicated and skull like and she appears to them pregnant. Tenzin begins a ritual of Exorcism. Kemosiri tries to command it, to no avail. Before anyone else can do something, the ghost shreiks and de-materializes through the wall.
Thinking that there is nothing else they could do that evening, the Cabal gathers everything up, grab Gei Ho and go back to their sanctum. Kemosiri begins a ritual to create a door into Twilight to get Tenzin back into the Material World. He completes it before noon, and collapses into a heap (he had been up for over 24 hours).
Later in the day, the Cabal begin investigating the ghost. The Kitigawa's apparently used an Adoption Agency that promised to get them a baby from a well to do family (to avoid any potential health related problems later). Kontonshin phones the adoption agency. The clerk said she could not give out information, but when pressed, looked it up in the computer. The computer had an entry stating that the baby was originally from the Tanakas, but that the Agent that did the actual transfer was not around to speak to her. Kontonshin then phoned the Tanakas and found out that they indeed had a baby, but when Kontonshin heard a baby in the background and asked about it, the Tanakas decided not to give the baby to the Adoption Agency.
Kontonshin relates the dream she had to the rest of the Cabal and they decide to investigate the Photography Studio where the girl in her dream went. It was easy to find, but it is located in a very seedy part of Kyoto. The Cabal formulates a makeshift plan to go in and coerce the photographer into revealing what is going on. To do so, they get fake ID identifying them as Japanese Police from Duncan. Duncan asks them not to lose the ID and not to ask where he got them.
Once they enter the “studio”, the photographer insists that Aiko Suzuki, the girl from Kontonshin's dream, was just an “enjo kosai” (Compensated Date). She was a high school student. They had ‘relations’ last year after a photography session in which she came alone (normal sessions included several girls and no sex). She came back to him a few months later saying she was pregnant and she demanded money. He could not tell if she was pregnant at the time and insisted that even if she were pregnant, it was not his child. He adamantly refused to give her any blackmail money and he sent her away. He had not seen her since. The Cabal left the studio and informed Detective Imada of the Photographer.
Now that they knew the girl’s name, the Cabal quickly found out where Aiko lived. She lived in a small apartment with her parents and younger brother. The Cabal speak with the mother. Mrs. Suzuki said she has not seen her daughter in over a month. Aiko and her father had an argument about her pregnancy. Aiko's father was very angry with her for getting pregnant - no one would want to marry such a girl. Aiko would also not reveal who the father was, but said it was not her current boyfriend. The father threatened to kick her out but Aiko stormed out yelling that she didn't need him. Mrs. Suzuki would like to know where her daughter is. She was afraid of what her husband might do. The Cabal left the apartment and attempted to come up with a plan of action.
Since garbage and the smell of refuse played such a prominent role in the haunting, the Cabal ventures to the local garbage dump. The Cabal finds out that, garbage in Kyoto is incinerated and that no suspicious body was found in the last month. Even using Mage Sight, the Cabal finds nothing. They decide to look at the Adoption Agency later the next day.
They track down the Agent in charge of the Kitigawa file. She takes the Cabal into her office. After a brief conversation, the Agent confesses. She was “given” her current job by someone named Itako. The Agent was unemployed and almost penniless when Itako, a local soothsayer, told her to be at a certain place at a certain time and this job would just come to her. In exchange for this opportunity, all the Agent had to do was the odd ‘favours’ for her. Itako had given her 3 babies in the past few years to put up for adoption. She had searched for 2 years to find the Kitigawa’s a baby and had finally gotten a commitment from the Suzuki’s for theirs. When the deal fell through with the Suzukis and Itako gave her another baby for adoption, she decided to make a ‘substitution’. The Kitigawa’s would never find out, she thought.
The Agent tells the Cabal that she had met Itako and her “friend” at the Karasuma-Oike subway station.
The Cabal ventures to the subway station. They find a gated entrance to stairs going below the station. They find it blocked by punk kids who demand money. After a brief and heated conversation, the Cabal realizes that one of the gang members knew Akio and they try to question him. The other gangers block the Cabal and attack them. The Cabal fights and wins. Most of the gang runs away.
The punk who knew Akio was her boyfriend. He explains that he was not the father of her child and that he did not know who was.
The boyfriend goes on to explain his story. Akio and he were planning to run away together. She had saved a lot of money. Her father was mean to her and Akio did not want to live under his roof any longer. After a particularly vicious argument a month ago, she ran off, got her money and came to see him. When the other gang members saw how much she had, they attacked her. He tried to fight off the rest of the gang, but they were relentless and Akio was badly beaten. He eventually chased them off, but the gang had stolen all of Akio’s cash. When he returned to help Akio, she had disappeared. Akio was unconscious when he last saw her. He did not know how she disappeared, but he saw a trail of smeared blood leading down the stairwell passed the locked gate. Everyone, even the gangs, is afraid of what lies beyond the gate, so he never went any further.
The Cabal decides to go past the locked iron gate and down the cement stairwell. Behind the locked iron door at the bottom of the stairwell, they find Itako - a blind prophetess and mage who is the defacto leader of the Burakumin, a cabal of outcast mages. Her cabal includes Baka no Oashi (a mute and illiterate mage), several homeless Sleepers, and her.
Since only one person in the cabal speaks Japanese, Itako translates by using Mind Arcana. She tells the Cabal that the Burakumin are known to the Consilium, but for reasons of cleanliness, are not recognized as part of the Consilium.
Itako relates what happened to Akio. Baka heard the scuffle, found Akio, and dragged her downstairs. Itako was not present at that time. Akio seemed dead to Baka, so he buried her in a grave located in the sewers. The Burakumin cannot cremate bodies, as is the custom in Japan, for fear of attracting attention.
Itako told Baka to show the Cabal Akio’s grave. They follow him to underground garbage dump close to the sewers. Besides garbage, several other graves are there. Akio’s is the freshest. Baka digs out a wooden box from the grave. They lift the makeshift coffin out of the grave and open it. They find a desiccated corpse. There are signs of childbirth and deep claw marks in the wooden lid. Clutched in her bloody hand is a crumpled bit of paper. It had the name of the child (Takara) scrawled on it.
Itako enters the gravesite and explains that Baka heard the baby wailing and unearthed Akio to find her dead, but the baby alive. Baka took the baby to Itako who then contacted the Adoption Agency about putting Takara up for adoption.
At this point, the Cabal begins to wonder why the haunting is taking place. Akio’s ghost is protecting Takara and the reason for the haunting lay in the Kitigawa home.
The Cabal returns to the Kitigawa house to find the Nanny removing the child. They see she is wearing a weird symbol that is similar to the one they saw in the baby’s room. They initially ignored it. After some heated questioning, they believe the Nanny was going to kidnap the baby and take it somewhere. They coerce the Nanny into telling them where she was taking the baby. Reluctantly, the Nanny consents.
The Cabal travels to a warehouse district located on the south side of Kyoto. In an abandoned warehouse, they find a red magic symbol painted on the floor and an altar. They surmise that a cult was going to sacrifice the baby for some nefarious purpose. The Nanny denies any knowledge about what the baby was supposed to be sacrificed for, and then tries to escape from the Cabal. She does not get far. The Cabal sees the Nanny disappear out the door and then they hear her scream. When they find her, the Nanny had fallen into an open sewer. The Cabal can see the ghost looking down at the Nanny. It eyes the Cabal and then disappears.
Mori disenchants the magic symbol. The Cabal now knows a magic cult is in the city of Kyoto, but have no other information.
The Cabal offers to have Akio’s body properly cremated and returned to the Suzuki family. Some of them attend the small funeral but stay at a discrete distance. Tenzin dedicates part of his pay from Ms. Ogawa to the Burakumin.
Next: Mujina - Ch 3
Recap:
The Cabal finally arrives at their sanctum located across the Kamo river in Higashiyama-ku, a ward located in Central Kyoto.
The day after arriving in Kyoto, Kemosiri and Tenzin both wake up to find the rest of them meditating. They are anxious to confront Ms Ogawa about the gaps in their knowledge regarding the “original group” and the fact that Ms. Ogawa had not given the Consilium their Letters of Introduction.
Kontonshin had a dream the previous night. The dream seemed to place her in the body of a young school aged girl who appears to be going to a photography studio to do some "questionable" photographs. The stain of death appears in the dream and Kontonshin is shaken when she wakes up.
When she arrives, Ogawa complains about the mud in her office. The characters confront Ogawa about the first group. She explains that she did not want to tell the characters about the other group because she was afraid they would not accept their offer. She offers to send anyone who does not want to be there, a one way ticket home. No one accepts. She tells the characters that she gathered the last group from Tokyo and they were there for only a week before her Benefactor asked them to attend a lecture from a Geology Professor at Kyoto University. After the lecture, the Group called and said they were running a few leads and would be in touch. They never returned a call and none of their cell phones ever picked up again.
Ms. Ogawa said she has no clue whatever happened to them and regrets sending them to that lecture.
On the subject of why she never submitted their Letters, she explained that she was waiting for everyone to arrive before submitting them. The fact that they ran into a Consilium member was unfortunate.
Ms. Ogawa then says that their cover is Paranormal Investigators. She has arranged an assignment - their clients will meet them at a local Starbucks at 5:00 p.m. (it is 1:00 at the time).
No one in the group mentions the scroll they had found the night before or the Baku they had found guarding it.
The characters decide to visit Kiyomizu-dera to see the Consilium. A sleepwalker servant meets them at the door and hands them a scroll. The scroll charges the characters with two crimes against the Lex Magica. The first crime is not presenting themselves to the Kansai Consilium upon arrival, and the second is “wanton disregard for Consilium property”. This last charge has the PC's befuddled. Was the mirror Mori Memento had broken at the World Club the reason for the charge? They could not figure it out.
Since the summons was for that evening at 9:00pm., the characters had some time, so they go to the Starbucks to meet with their clients - the Kitagawa's. Mr. Kitigawa is a very well dressed businessman who the PC's found talking on his cell phone. Mrs. Kitigawa is also a very well dressed woman. Mrs. Kitagawa has a baby girl in a stroller. The baby is only a month old. The Kitigawa's are very busy people. When he is not running his business, he is expected to be a socialite and attend social events such as charity balls. Mrs. Kitigawa is expected to help out and the number of social events he attends is huge. They would like their problem to be dealt with quickly and discretely. They offer over $1M Yen to deal with it the first night and more when the players balk at the offer.
The characters tell the Kitigawa's that they have a previous commitment and might be a bit late getting to their place. The Kitigawa's agree and tell them that their Nanny will greet them at the door.
The characters then prepare for the evening session with the Consilium. They arrive at 9:00 pm. The servants introduce them to the five members of the Consilium Council. Then, the Council asks who speaks for the Cabal? Kontonshin is the one to reply (she is the only member of the Cabal fluent in Japanese). After that, the Provost reads the first charge - the charge of “not identifying themselves to the Consilium.” The characters accepted the charge and they were fined 5 mana, payable before the next meeting of the Consilium.
Reitaro, the owner of the World Nightclub, read the second charge. He had made a deal with a mage last evening concerning a scroll (that Mage was the one found dead the previous night). He charged that the PC's are in control of that scroll, and that he is entitled to it. The Consilium does not rule, but instead, Reitaro challenges the Cabal to Duels Arcane with ownership of the Scroll at stake.
Kemosiri steps forward for the cabal, and the Consilium adjourns for a short time giving the PC's time to prepare. The PC's quietly speak with some members of the Consilium, most especially the members of Kakumeiso, who are all from the Mysterium Order. They request an audience at some time.
At midnight, the Duels Arcane takes place. Reitaro, an Obrimos Adept, uses Forces for his Sword and Prime for his Shield, while Kemosiri uses Death for his Sword and Matter for his Shield. The first blow goes to Reitaro who drains Kemosiri of 4 Willpower in one strike. Kemosiri whittles away at Reitaro's Willpower. Reitaro never lands another solid blow before Kemosiri gives one final great effort and solidly knocks Reitaro on his ass, ending the duel. Reitaro, still smoking after the duel, gets up and storms out of the Consilium.
As a final function for the night, the Characters perform the Sakazaki (Rote for the Swearing an Oath Spell) ritual – they swear to uphold the Lex Magica of the Kansai Consilium and obey the elders.
The Characters then decide that they should go and investigate the haunting.
Their first destination is the Haunted House, a large, but un-assuming house in the north end of Kyoto. Trees surround the house. There is a small wall and gate leading into the house. The lights to the two-storey house are on. The Cabal wakes up the Nanny. Gei Ho asks her to come out of the house so as not to disturb the PC's and the Nanny goes willingly.
The Cabal finds themselves in a large living area that has been very richly designed. Hard wood floors, elegant furniture and other very expensive accoutrements are strewn neatly throughout the house. There is a very large stone fireplace as well.
To start their investigation, the players activate their Mage Sight and look around. They see magic resonance where blood had spilled from the stone walls. Looking into the Shadow, Tenzin sees the remnants of an ancient Samurai castle across the street from the house. The other players follow the resonance into the baby's room. In the hallway outside the room is a clutter of desk furniture covered with plastic tarps. In the baby's room itself, it appears stark and bear with the exception of the crib at the other end of the hallway.
Kemosiri decides to try calling a ghost. He summons it in the living room. Instead of getting the ghost he was expecting, the ghost of an ancient samurai appears in Twilight and demands to know who had summoned him. Tenzin, now looking into Twilight as well, tries to speak in broken Japanese to the Samurai. Kontonshin is the only one who is able to speak with it and she cannot see him. Tenzin, in his vain attempts to try to speak with the Samurai, angers him. He charges Tenzin and using one of his Numina, puts Tenzin into Twilight. Now, the only person who can see Tenzin is Kemosiri. The only one who can speak with him is Gei Ho. It makes for some interesting communications difficulties.
In the meantime, the ghost they had been waiting for, materializes in the child's bedroom. The characters scamper back to the child's room. The ghost is checking out the crib. The characters feel a chill in the air. They see blood staining the wood walls of the child's room. They do not notice a weird iron symbol covered in blood that the ghost had shaken loose from the wall above the crib. They smell fresh dirt and foul smelling refuse. The ghost of a girl dressed in a school uniform turns to face them. Her face is dessicated and skull like and she appears to them pregnant. Tenzin begins a ritual of Exorcism. Kemosiri tries to command it, to no avail. Before anyone else can do something, the ghost shreiks and de-materializes through the wall.
Thinking that there is nothing else they could do that evening, the Cabal gathers everything up, grab Gei Ho and go back to their sanctum. Kemosiri begins a ritual to create a door into Twilight to get Tenzin back into the Material World. He completes it before noon, and collapses into a heap (he had been up for over 24 hours).
Later in the day, the Cabal begin investigating the ghost. The Kitigawa's apparently used an Adoption Agency that promised to get them a baby from a well to do family (to avoid any potential health related problems later). Kontonshin phones the adoption agency. The clerk said she could not give out information, but when pressed, looked it up in the computer. The computer had an entry stating that the baby was originally from the Tanakas, but that the Agent that did the actual transfer was not around to speak to her. Kontonshin then phoned the Tanakas and found out that they indeed had a baby, but when Kontonshin heard a baby in the background and asked about it, the Tanakas decided not to give the baby to the Adoption Agency.
Kontonshin relates the dream she had to the rest of the Cabal and they decide to investigate the Photography Studio where the girl in her dream went. It was easy to find, but it is located in a very seedy part of Kyoto. The Cabal formulates a makeshift plan to go in and coerce the photographer into revealing what is going on. To do so, they get fake ID identifying them as Japanese Police from Duncan. Duncan asks them not to lose the ID and not to ask where he got them.
Once they enter the “studio”, the photographer insists that Aiko Suzuki, the girl from Kontonshin's dream, was just an “enjo kosai” (Compensated Date). She was a high school student. They had ‘relations’ last year after a photography session in which she came alone (normal sessions included several girls and no sex). She came back to him a few months later saying she was pregnant and she demanded money. He could not tell if she was pregnant at the time and insisted that even if she were pregnant, it was not his child. He adamantly refused to give her any blackmail money and he sent her away. He had not seen her since. The Cabal left the studio and informed Detective Imada of the Photographer.
Now that they knew the girl’s name, the Cabal quickly found out where Aiko lived. She lived in a small apartment with her parents and younger brother. The Cabal speak with the mother. Mrs. Suzuki said she has not seen her daughter in over a month. Aiko and her father had an argument about her pregnancy. Aiko's father was very angry with her for getting pregnant - no one would want to marry such a girl. Aiko would also not reveal who the father was, but said it was not her current boyfriend. The father threatened to kick her out but Aiko stormed out yelling that she didn't need him. Mrs. Suzuki would like to know where her daughter is. She was afraid of what her husband might do. The Cabal left the apartment and attempted to come up with a plan of action.
Since garbage and the smell of refuse played such a prominent role in the haunting, the Cabal ventures to the local garbage dump. The Cabal finds out that, garbage in Kyoto is incinerated and that no suspicious body was found in the last month. Even using Mage Sight, the Cabal finds nothing. They decide to look at the Adoption Agency later the next day.
They track down the Agent in charge of the Kitigawa file. She takes the Cabal into her office. After a brief conversation, the Agent confesses. She was “given” her current job by someone named Itako. The Agent was unemployed and almost penniless when Itako, a local soothsayer, told her to be at a certain place at a certain time and this job would just come to her. In exchange for this opportunity, all the Agent had to do was the odd ‘favours’ for her. Itako had given her 3 babies in the past few years to put up for adoption. She had searched for 2 years to find the Kitigawa’s a baby and had finally gotten a commitment from the Suzuki’s for theirs. When the deal fell through with the Suzukis and Itako gave her another baby for adoption, she decided to make a ‘substitution’. The Kitigawa’s would never find out, she thought.
The Agent tells the Cabal that she had met Itako and her “friend” at the Karasuma-Oike subway station.
The Cabal ventures to the subway station. They find a gated entrance to stairs going below the station. They find it blocked by punk kids who demand money. After a brief and heated conversation, the Cabal realizes that one of the gang members knew Akio and they try to question him. The other gangers block the Cabal and attack them. The Cabal fights and wins. Most of the gang runs away.
The punk who knew Akio was her boyfriend. He explains that he was not the father of her child and that he did not know who was.
The boyfriend goes on to explain his story. Akio and he were planning to run away together. She had saved a lot of money. Her father was mean to her and Akio did not want to live under his roof any longer. After a particularly vicious argument a month ago, she ran off, got her money and came to see him. When the other gang members saw how much she had, they attacked her. He tried to fight off the rest of the gang, but they were relentless and Akio was badly beaten. He eventually chased them off, but the gang had stolen all of Akio’s cash. When he returned to help Akio, she had disappeared. Akio was unconscious when he last saw her. He did not know how she disappeared, but he saw a trail of smeared blood leading down the stairwell passed the locked gate. Everyone, even the gangs, is afraid of what lies beyond the gate, so he never went any further.
The Cabal decides to go past the locked iron gate and down the cement stairwell. Behind the locked iron door at the bottom of the stairwell, they find Itako - a blind prophetess and mage who is the defacto leader of the Burakumin, a cabal of outcast mages. Her cabal includes Baka no Oashi (a mute and illiterate mage), several homeless Sleepers, and her.
Since only one person in the cabal speaks Japanese, Itako translates by using Mind Arcana. She tells the Cabal that the Burakumin are known to the Consilium, but for reasons of cleanliness, are not recognized as part of the Consilium.
Itako relates what happened to Akio. Baka heard the scuffle, found Akio, and dragged her downstairs. Itako was not present at that time. Akio seemed dead to Baka, so he buried her in a grave located in the sewers. The Burakumin cannot cremate bodies, as is the custom in Japan, for fear of attracting attention.
Itako told Baka to show the Cabal Akio’s grave. They follow him to underground garbage dump close to the sewers. Besides garbage, several other graves are there. Akio’s is the freshest. Baka digs out a wooden box from the grave. They lift the makeshift coffin out of the grave and open it. They find a desiccated corpse. There are signs of childbirth and deep claw marks in the wooden lid. Clutched in her bloody hand is a crumpled bit of paper. It had the name of the child (Takara) scrawled on it.
Itako enters the gravesite and explains that Baka heard the baby wailing and unearthed Akio to find her dead, but the baby alive. Baka took the baby to Itako who then contacted the Adoption Agency about putting Takara up for adoption.
At this point, the Cabal begins to wonder why the haunting is taking place. Akio’s ghost is protecting Takara and the reason for the haunting lay in the Kitigawa home.
The Cabal returns to the Kitigawa house to find the Nanny removing the child. They see she is wearing a weird symbol that is similar to the one they saw in the baby’s room. They initially ignored it. After some heated questioning, they believe the Nanny was going to kidnap the baby and take it somewhere. They coerce the Nanny into telling them where she was taking the baby. Reluctantly, the Nanny consents.
The Cabal travels to a warehouse district located on the south side of Kyoto. In an abandoned warehouse, they find a red magic symbol painted on the floor and an altar. They surmise that a cult was going to sacrifice the baby for some nefarious purpose. The Nanny denies any knowledge about what the baby was supposed to be sacrificed for, and then tries to escape from the Cabal. She does not get far. The Cabal sees the Nanny disappear out the door and then they hear her scream. When they find her, the Nanny had fallen into an open sewer. The Cabal can see the ghost looking down at the Nanny. It eyes the Cabal and then disappears.
Mori disenchants the magic symbol. The Cabal now knows a magic cult is in the city of Kyoto, but have no other information.
The Cabal offers to have Akio’s body properly cremated and returned to the Suzuki family. Some of them attend the small funeral but stay at a discrete distance. Tenzin dedicates part of his pay from Ms. Ogawa to the Burakumin.
Next: Mujina - Ch 3
(RC) Influx - Ch. 1
Here is the first of the summaries for each Chapter of the campaign. I will try and post them weekly or at the very least at the end of each Chapter. Try and remember that this is not literature, these are indirect Summaries for each Chapter of the Ryujin Chronicles.
Summary: Kemosiri and Tenzin arrive in Kyoto and after meeting up with their new Cabal, must solve the mystery behind the death of an unknown mage. Their investigation leads them to an encounter with a Kyoto Consilium mage and the discovery of an ancient Japanese scroll.
Recap:
It is raining heavily when Kemosiri and Tenzin arrive at Kansai International Airport near Osaka, Japan. It is 9:00 p.m., local time. Kemosiri, who has just flown 18 hours from Heathrow, has two bottles of old Scotch as a gift for his new boss and Ms. Ogawa, their team leader. He hopes this would impress them. He has been reading the Lonely Planet guide to Kyoto and is beginning to learn the basics of Japanese.
Tenzin, on the other hand, has just arrived from Chengdu, China. He travelled from his native Tibet to Chengdu and picked up Gei Ho from a Bon Po Cabal in Chengdu. Gei Ho is a 12 year old street urchin who also happens to be a Sleepwalker. Gei Ho knows Mandarin Chinese as well as English and is supposed to act as translator for Tenzin.
Kemosiri sees Tenzin and Gei Ho holding up a sign saying “Akio Ogawa” on it. It is how Tenzin figured they would identify their ride. Kemosiri and Tenzin tentatively greet each other. Just then, a black limo pulls up to the door. Duncan, Ms. Ogawa’s chauffeur, greets them. He says they have a situation and he will take them there immediately.
Duncan drives the mages from Kansai airport, past Osaka and on to Kyoto – a mere 45 minute drive. Through the heavy rain, they could see Kyoto. Shrines and Shopping Malls, Temples and Apartments, all laid next to each other in a dull metal and tan patchwork tapestry roughly sewn together by a blind seamstress using patterns from ancient books and today’s magazines. Duncan, in an animated voice, explained what they saw through the rain swept windows.
They arrive at a “crime scene” in a Kyoto alleyway. Ms Ogawa has contacts in the Kyoto police, and they told her of a body in an alleyway covered with weird tattoos (Atlantean runes in the form of tattoos). The remaining characters (who have been in Kyoto for a week already) are already at the scene. They gather and begin to investigate. Kemosiri uses Grim Sight and Forensic Gaze to determine how the victim died. He determines that the victim was shot twice in the back and that he died at the scene. Kemosiri uses Speak with Dead to see if there are any ghosts in the area. He was hoping to find the ghost of the victim, but instead Kemosiri sees other apparitions (including a few school girls who have all committed suicide, and a Yakuza mobster who died violently).
Kemosiri finally finds a couple willing to speak with him about the events in the alley. They say the tattooed man was speaking with a “shadowy man” before he was shot. That is all they say. A matchbook found in the tattooed man’s pocket is from the “World Club”. The PC’s decide that this is their next target.
Upon arriving at the World Club, all the PC’s enter except Gei Ho. He stays outside and begins to do a “shell game” for interested patrons who have lined up, but not gotten in.
Meanwhile, the PC’s separate inside the Club. Tenzin begins to ogle two Japanese “waitresses” who sidle up to him and corner him in a booth. He has never met women such as these before and is genuinely curious. The others use their Mage Sight to investigate the bar. Mori Momento notices the large mirror at the back of the bar and detects enchantments. He tries to get their attention by throwing things at the mirror, but he eventually breaks the mirror. A bouncer comes for Mori and takes him upstairs where he meets Reitaro, a member of the Gyochisa Cabal and owner of World Club. He lets Mori know that he knows he is a Mage and that Ms. Ogawa hired him. Reitaro lets Mori know that they are not the first group Ogawa had hired. The former group she hired disappeared and months ago. Reitaro then asks why the group had not handed in their Letters of Introduction to the Consilium as is their custom, but Mori has no answer. Before Mori can ask any more questions, a Bouncer escorts him out.
The others try hard to find someone who might be magical. They wait around thinking that if the tattooed gentleman were here earlier in the evening, then his murderer might come back. They eventually find someone who uses magic but only manage to detect him as he is going out the door. A waitress says goodbye to him as he disappears down the street. They find out that the person is a Detective Ota of the Kyoto police and a regular at World Club.
Knowing now that they are not the first group Ms. Ogawa hired, the group tries to contact her. They only get her voicemail.
However, they do get a hold of Duncan. He cannot contact Ms. Ogawa for them, but Duncan tells the group that they might be able to get more information at another local watering hole, Tadg’s Irish Pub, a pub for ex-pats and (unknown to Duncan), Mages. The bar is owned by Nessa Flannery, an young Irish ex-pat and Sleepwalker who arrived in Japan several years ago. She came to teach English and the local Consilium pressed her into service because she was a Sleepwalker. Tired of serving their every whim, she quit (amicably) and opened up Tadg’s. A gargoyle with a Ban spell on it that wards scrying and weapons sits atop the bar and protects Nessa and her patrons.
The group picks up the trail of Detective Ota as he wanders toward a Shinto Shrine. An eerie nimbus surrounds Ota and everyone believes he might be a mage. Ota ignores the group as he wanders aimlessly up the path toward the shrine. Ota inadvertently activates a spell that summons a guardian spirit - a Baku. The Baku materializes and attacks Ota, knocking him unconscious. The group rush toward it.
As they rush toward it, the Baku disappears behind a large stone alter and begins using one of its powers. A Baku is a spirit of Nightmares. The Baku looks into each character’s mind and extracts their deepest nightmare. It then creates a hallucination of that nightmare. Each character experiences his worst fear. Kontonshin sees a Samurai on horseback attack her. Kemosiri sees a lovecraftian monster appear from behind the stone alter. Tenzin sees a demon from the deepest pits of Tibetan hell. Finally, Mori sees his own father armed with an axe.
Each character battles with his or her nightmare. Some characters, like Kemosiri, take lots of “damage” fighting their nightmares off (the damage is illusionary and disappears when the nightmare disappears). Mori destroys his nightmare and then proceeds to help Kemosiri with his. Kemosiri, now looking in Twilight for the spirit, spots a hidden scroll. Kemosiri reaches into Twilight and grabs the scroll. The Baku ambushes Kemosiri and they fight, but eventually the Baku is defeated and it dematerializes behind the Gauntlet.
Kemosiri takes the very delicate scroll and studies it. It is a very old scroll written in an ancient Japanese language that Kontonshin cannot interpret. Kemosiri vows to keep it and translate it as he believes it is of great importance. Detective Ota is still alive and the eerie nimbus that surrounded him earlier is no longer there. They hear a disembodied voice as the nimbus disappears that says “this is only the beginning…”
Next: Ubume - Ch 2
Summary: Kemosiri and Tenzin arrive in Kyoto and after meeting up with their new Cabal, must solve the mystery behind the death of an unknown mage. Their investigation leads them to an encounter with a Kyoto Consilium mage and the discovery of an ancient Japanese scroll.
Recap:
It is raining heavily when Kemosiri and Tenzin arrive at Kansai International Airport near Osaka, Japan. It is 9:00 p.m., local time. Kemosiri, who has just flown 18 hours from Heathrow, has two bottles of old Scotch as a gift for his new boss and Ms. Ogawa, their team leader. He hopes this would impress them. He has been reading the Lonely Planet guide to Kyoto and is beginning to learn the basics of Japanese.
Tenzin, on the other hand, has just arrived from Chengdu, China. He travelled from his native Tibet to Chengdu and picked up Gei Ho from a Bon Po Cabal in Chengdu. Gei Ho is a 12 year old street urchin who also happens to be a Sleepwalker. Gei Ho knows Mandarin Chinese as well as English and is supposed to act as translator for Tenzin.
Kemosiri sees Tenzin and Gei Ho holding up a sign saying “Akio Ogawa” on it. It is how Tenzin figured they would identify their ride. Kemosiri and Tenzin tentatively greet each other. Just then, a black limo pulls up to the door. Duncan, Ms. Ogawa’s chauffeur, greets them. He says they have a situation and he will take them there immediately.
Duncan drives the mages from Kansai airport, past Osaka and on to Kyoto – a mere 45 minute drive. Through the heavy rain, they could see Kyoto. Shrines and Shopping Malls, Temples and Apartments, all laid next to each other in a dull metal and tan patchwork tapestry roughly sewn together by a blind seamstress using patterns from ancient books and today’s magazines. Duncan, in an animated voice, explained what they saw through the rain swept windows.
They arrive at a “crime scene” in a Kyoto alleyway. Ms Ogawa has contacts in the Kyoto police, and they told her of a body in an alleyway covered with weird tattoos (Atlantean runes in the form of tattoos). The remaining characters (who have been in Kyoto for a week already) are already at the scene. They gather and begin to investigate. Kemosiri uses Grim Sight and Forensic Gaze to determine how the victim died. He determines that the victim was shot twice in the back and that he died at the scene. Kemosiri uses Speak with Dead to see if there are any ghosts in the area. He was hoping to find the ghost of the victim, but instead Kemosiri sees other apparitions (including a few school girls who have all committed suicide, and a Yakuza mobster who died violently).
Kemosiri finally finds a couple willing to speak with him about the events in the alley. They say the tattooed man was speaking with a “shadowy man” before he was shot. That is all they say. A matchbook found in the tattooed man’s pocket is from the “World Club”. The PC’s decide that this is their next target.
Upon arriving at the World Club, all the PC’s enter except Gei Ho. He stays outside and begins to do a “shell game” for interested patrons who have lined up, but not gotten in.
Meanwhile, the PC’s separate inside the Club. Tenzin begins to ogle two Japanese “waitresses” who sidle up to him and corner him in a booth. He has never met women such as these before and is genuinely curious. The others use their Mage Sight to investigate the bar. Mori Momento notices the large mirror at the back of the bar and detects enchantments. He tries to get their attention by throwing things at the mirror, but he eventually breaks the mirror. A bouncer comes for Mori and takes him upstairs where he meets Reitaro, a member of the Gyochisa Cabal and owner of World Club. He lets Mori know that he knows he is a Mage and that Ms. Ogawa hired him. Reitaro lets Mori know that they are not the first group Ogawa had hired. The former group she hired disappeared and months ago. Reitaro then asks why the group had not handed in their Letters of Introduction to the Consilium as is their custom, but Mori has no answer. Before Mori can ask any more questions, a Bouncer escorts him out.
The others try hard to find someone who might be magical. They wait around thinking that if the tattooed gentleman were here earlier in the evening, then his murderer might come back. They eventually find someone who uses magic but only manage to detect him as he is going out the door. A waitress says goodbye to him as he disappears down the street. They find out that the person is a Detective Ota of the Kyoto police and a regular at World Club.
Knowing now that they are not the first group Ms. Ogawa hired, the group tries to contact her. They only get her voicemail.
However, they do get a hold of Duncan. He cannot contact Ms. Ogawa for them, but Duncan tells the group that they might be able to get more information at another local watering hole, Tadg’s Irish Pub, a pub for ex-pats and (unknown to Duncan), Mages. The bar is owned by Nessa Flannery, an young Irish ex-pat and Sleepwalker who arrived in Japan several years ago. She came to teach English and the local Consilium pressed her into service because she was a Sleepwalker. Tired of serving their every whim, she quit (amicably) and opened up Tadg’s. A gargoyle with a Ban spell on it that wards scrying and weapons sits atop the bar and protects Nessa and her patrons.
The group picks up the trail of Detective Ota as he wanders toward a Shinto Shrine. An eerie nimbus surrounds Ota and everyone believes he might be a mage. Ota ignores the group as he wanders aimlessly up the path toward the shrine. Ota inadvertently activates a spell that summons a guardian spirit - a Baku. The Baku materializes and attacks Ota, knocking him unconscious. The group rush toward it.
As they rush toward it, the Baku disappears behind a large stone alter and begins using one of its powers. A Baku is a spirit of Nightmares. The Baku looks into each character’s mind and extracts their deepest nightmare. It then creates a hallucination of that nightmare. Each character experiences his worst fear. Kontonshin sees a Samurai on horseback attack her. Kemosiri sees a lovecraftian monster appear from behind the stone alter. Tenzin sees a demon from the deepest pits of Tibetan hell. Finally, Mori sees his own father armed with an axe.
Each character battles with his or her nightmare. Some characters, like Kemosiri, take lots of “damage” fighting their nightmares off (the damage is illusionary and disappears when the nightmare disappears). Mori destroys his nightmare and then proceeds to help Kemosiri with his. Kemosiri, now looking in Twilight for the spirit, spots a hidden scroll. Kemosiri reaches into Twilight and grabs the scroll. The Baku ambushes Kemosiri and they fight, but eventually the Baku is defeated and it dematerializes behind the Gauntlet.
Kemosiri takes the very delicate scroll and studies it. It is a very old scroll written in an ancient Japanese language that Kontonshin cannot interpret. Kemosiri vows to keep it and translate it as he believes it is of great importance. Detective Ota is still alive and the eerie nimbus that surrounded him earlier is no longer there. They hear a disembodied voice as the nimbus disappears that says “this is only the beginning…”
Next: Ubume - Ch 2
(RC) Ryujin Chronicles Prologue
From the Diary of Nakamura
Date: Year of Showa 33
They are coming now, during the Hour of the Ox. They climb the hills of Chawan-zaka – past the ancient Kiyomizu-yaki stalls. They will be here very soon and I must make a record of these events.
How could the Goddess allow the Kansai Consilium to choose such drastic measures to ensure their own survival? Still, they will not listen to the counsel of an old monk who has yet to achieve mastery of any Arcana. They have made up their minds and nothing can staunch the flow of blood that is to come. I thought even Murasaki-sama, venerable Shogun of the Kodoshigisha, wisest of all cabal leaders, and Hierarch of the Consilium would see the truth and listen to me. It turns out he is the most foolish of all.
Since time immemorial it has been our duty to guard that which must be kept secret. That which is the repository of Truth about Japan and its history – the Shinwa Taizen. The knowledge contained within these scrolls would rock the foundations of our nation. Use of the knowledge could destroy that nation, if not the whole of civilization.
I hear the troops at the door, demanding to be let in. No doubt troops backed by guns, bayonets and perhaps even Rotes, wait outside these sacred walls which have stood for a thousand years under the watchful eye of the Brotherhood. They know not what they do.
Our Brotherhood would never have allowed this a hundred years ago. Fools who mock the True History would have been put to death for their insolence. It was the damnable Black Ships that forced open our borders and let in a flood of foreign ideas – ideas we tried hard to keep out by that our magic could no longer defend against – especially since the Black Ships came armed with magic of their own.
But we adapted as we always have. Some cabals tried to rebel. Saigo Takamori was the most prominent of the rebels, and he failed. I would have committed honourable seppuku for my Emperor had he not stayed my hand. Instead, we became part of the system and part of the problem. Like the rest of the nation, we rode the wave of Nationalism as we hoped to use our newfound technological marvels that the Westerners had given to us to achieve the Empire we so richly deserved.
It was in that arrogance that we failed. Failed to defend that which we swore to defend over a millennia ago. Failed to live up to our ages old ideals and embraced new ones in defiance.
I am hoping anyone reading my journals would be able to forgive our arrogance, but perhaps it will be too late by then.
I hear them coming down the hall. They are almost at the shoji. I can beg them not to take these scrolls and the other Imperial Regalia. I can warn them of the consequences of removing them, but I know they will not listen. They will simply push away the foolish old monk who has yet to achieve Mastery of any Arcana and take what they came to take. They will not listen and they will not believe that Kyoto has not and will not be destroyed by the enemy. There is too much arcane knowledge here to be preserved. But they believe in the inevitable.
And they are the men with the guns after all.
From the Diary of Nakamura
Addendum, Year of Showa 33
The caravan transporting the Shinwa Taisen was last seen journeying south near Hiroshima. Yesterday, on August 6th, the United States dropped the atomic bomb. No one has seen the caravan since.
Next: Influx - Ch 1
Date: Year of Showa 33
They are coming now, during the Hour of the Ox. They climb the hills of Chawan-zaka – past the ancient Kiyomizu-yaki stalls. They will be here very soon and I must make a record of these events.
How could the Goddess allow the Kansai Consilium to choose such drastic measures to ensure their own survival? Still, they will not listen to the counsel of an old monk who has yet to achieve mastery of any Arcana. They have made up their minds and nothing can staunch the flow of blood that is to come. I thought even Murasaki-sama, venerable Shogun of the Kodoshigisha, wisest of all cabal leaders, and Hierarch of the Consilium would see the truth and listen to me. It turns out he is the most foolish of all.
Since time immemorial it has been our duty to guard that which must be kept secret. That which is the repository of Truth about Japan and its history – the Shinwa Taizen. The knowledge contained within these scrolls would rock the foundations of our nation. Use of the knowledge could destroy that nation, if not the whole of civilization.
I hear the troops at the door, demanding to be let in. No doubt troops backed by guns, bayonets and perhaps even Rotes, wait outside these sacred walls which have stood for a thousand years under the watchful eye of the Brotherhood. They know not what they do.
Our Brotherhood would never have allowed this a hundred years ago. Fools who mock the True History would have been put to death for their insolence. It was the damnable Black Ships that forced open our borders and let in a flood of foreign ideas – ideas we tried hard to keep out by that our magic could no longer defend against – especially since the Black Ships came armed with magic of their own.
But we adapted as we always have. Some cabals tried to rebel. Saigo Takamori was the most prominent of the rebels, and he failed. I would have committed honourable seppuku for my Emperor had he not stayed my hand. Instead, we became part of the system and part of the problem. Like the rest of the nation, we rode the wave of Nationalism as we hoped to use our newfound technological marvels that the Westerners had given to us to achieve the Empire we so richly deserved.
It was in that arrogance that we failed. Failed to defend that which we swore to defend over a millennia ago. Failed to live up to our ages old ideals and embraced new ones in defiance.
I am hoping anyone reading my journals would be able to forgive our arrogance, but perhaps it will be too late by then.
I hear them coming down the hall. They are almost at the shoji. I can beg them not to take these scrolls and the other Imperial Regalia. I can warn them of the consequences of removing them, but I know they will not listen. They will simply push away the foolish old monk who has yet to achieve Mastery of any Arcana and take what they came to take. They will not listen and they will not believe that Kyoto has not and will not be destroyed by the enemy. There is too much arcane knowledge here to be preserved. But they believe in the inevitable.
And they are the men with the guns after all.
From the Diary of Nakamura
Addendum, Year of Showa 33
The caravan transporting the Shinwa Taisen was last seen journeying south near Hiroshima. Yesterday, on August 6th, the United States dropped the atomic bomb. No one has seen the caravan since.
Next: Influx - Ch 1
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
L5R Story Contest #8 (SC8)
I have decided to participate in the 8th annual L5R Story Contest put on by Alberta's very own Togariso.
Fiction writing is one of the few ways I will allow myself to venture back into the land of Rokugan. If anyone out there wishes to join me in this little endeavour, feel free. The deadline for submissions is December 16th, 2005.
I might be calling on some of you for proofreading purposes. Be prepared. I will also be posting the story before I submit it to the contest.
(RC) Kansai Region Consilium Cabals
Here, for your reference, is a basic list of Cabals that the PC's have run into over the course of the first few adventures. I will also be posting Summaries of those adventures in the near future.
Major Cabals
Hagakure Kyodai (Brotherhood of Hidden Leaves) - Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Silver Ladder and Adamantine Arrow. This is one of the ruling Cabals of Kyoto. They have an alliance with the Kokuryu-Kai. Together, they deposed the ruling Gyochisa in the year 2000.
Major Characters: The Shogun Yoritomo (M) - Hierarch of the Kansai Consilium, Ankokuji (M) - Deacon, Sa-an (F) (deceased), Spirit Master (unnamed M)
Sanctum: Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto
Kokuryo-kai (Society of the Black Dragon) - Based out of Osaka, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Silver Ladder. They have an alliance with the Hagakure Kyodai. Together, they deposed the ruling Gyochisa in the year 2000.
Major Characters: Ane-san (F) - Provost and Counsellor, Nakayama (M) - Sleepwalker Assistant to Ane-san
Sanctum: Top Floor of the Umeda Building, Osaka
Gyochisa (Society of Action) – Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Silver Ladder and Free Council. This Cabal is a younger, more brash Cabal. They believe in power and ruled the Kansai Consilium with an iron hand before they were taken down by an alliance between the Hagakure Kyodai and Kokuryo-kai. Reitaro, Raiden's young Adept, is the owner of the World Club in Kyoto, a progressive dance club. He was also defeated in a Duel Arcane by Kemosiri.
Major Characters: Raiden (M) - Counsellor, Reitaro (M) (deceased)
Sanctum: Penthouse Suite of the New Hankyu Kyoto Hotel
Kodoshigisha (Imperial Way) – Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Silver Ladder and Mysterium. The head of the Cabal was sick and could not make it to the last Consilium meeting. Daishi took his place.
Major Characters: Kwannon (M) - Counsellor, Daishi (M)
Kakumeiso (Society of the Cry of the Crane) Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Mysterium. Buddhist/Shinto group in Kyoto whose primary function is to keep the Spiritual side of things alive. Their leader has approached the Characters since most of them are Mysterium.
Major Characters: Jizo (M) - Counsellor
Kempei Tai - Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Guardian's of the Veil. Their leader, Tatsu, appears at Consilium meetings wearing the mask of an Oni. His face is known only to a few. No one knows how many Mages are members of this Cabal.
Major Characters: Tatsu (M?) - Sentinal, Kurotsuki (F)
Sanctum: unknown
The Consilium meets once a month at Kiyomizu-dera overlooking Kyoto. The Temple has Wards against scrying and Bans against weapons on its property. This is supposed to be the place where the Consilium can meet in peace.
Minor Cabals
Yamaguchi-gumi - Based out of Kobe, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Adamantine Arrow. The Mages are associated with the Yamaguchi-gumi family of Yakuza and direct competitors of the Kokuryo-kai. The cabal has little interest in Supernal Power, but IS interested in Temporal Power (Power in the Fallen World). As a Cabal, they are not taken seriously.
Major Characters: Taro (M)
Sanctum: Kobe City, Kansai Region
Bunny Warner Appreciation Society - A Free Council cabal made up of Otaku computer geeks. Their cabal name is from a famous anime character.
Major Characters: Larva (M), Inu Yasha (M), Shugo (M)
Sanctum: BW's Copy Centre - Osaka, Kansai Region
Unaligned Cabals
Myobu (Kitsune Legacy) - This is a Kitsune-based Legacy. The ancient progenitors of the Myobu were said to be Kitsune spirits. When Atlantis fell, the Myobu were seperated from the Fallen World. After many generations, the Myobu found a way to cross the Abyss. They joined with mages who specialized in Spirits (Thyrsus) and the resulting human/spirit hybrid became the Myobu - guardians of Japan against the ravages of the Shadow - most specifically against the Nogitsune - those Kitsune spirits who revel in Chaos and Destruction. Today, the Legacy is dying out. It's Attainments are taught from older Master to younger student in the guise of a Geisha Okiya.
Sanctum: Geisha Okiya in Pontocho Alley, Kyoto
Major Characters: Lady Kagawa (F), Ayame (F)
Burakumin (Society of the Unwanted) - Members of this loose, Kyoto-based Cabal are all Free Council Mages. They are the homeless and the displaced and they make their living in Kyoto by making their own luck. Itako, the Acanthus leader of the Cabal, lives in underground tunnels that were once used or would have been used by the Kyoto subway system. There are many others, sleepers and sleepwalkers alike, who barely eke out a living with the Itako and her Cabal. The Consilium is aware of the existance and location of this Cabal but do not openly acknowledge them.
Sanctum– Labyrinth below Karasuma-Oiki Subway Station, Kyoto
Major Characters: Itako (F) - blind prophetess, Baka (M) - idiot savant
Unfriendly Cabals
The Uchida Family - a family of Moros mages who manufacture soul jars in the form of twisted Ningyo (Japanese porcelain dolls). After an encounter with the PC Cabal, the family has moved underground. They have connections with Tamano no Mae (Nogitsune Spirit) and possibly have connections with the Consilium (who may be protecting them for unknown reasons)
Sanctum: unknown
The Shih (Banishers)
Sanctum: unknown
Unit 731 - Unit 731 is known historically as a government agency that conducted immoral human experimentation during the 1930's and 1940's. They are most famous for the incident known as "The Rape of Nanking" for which the Chinese have never forgiven them for and the Japanese government has never publically acknowledged. They were apparently disbanded after World War II.
Sanctum: unknown - although the Asylum located in the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine was once used by Unit 12 as a place for human experimentation.
Major Cabals
Hagakure Kyodai (Brotherhood of Hidden Leaves) - Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Silver Ladder and Adamantine Arrow. This is one of the ruling Cabals of Kyoto. They have an alliance with the Kokuryu-Kai. Together, they deposed the ruling Gyochisa in the year 2000.
Major Characters: The Shogun Yoritomo (M) - Hierarch of the Kansai Consilium, Ankokuji (M) - Deacon, Sa-an (F) (deceased), Spirit Master (unnamed M)
Sanctum: Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto
Kokuryo-kai (Society of the Black Dragon) - Based out of Osaka, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Silver Ladder. They have an alliance with the Hagakure Kyodai. Together, they deposed the ruling Gyochisa in the year 2000.
Major Characters: Ane-san (F) - Provost and Counsellor, Nakayama (M) - Sleepwalker Assistant to Ane-san
Sanctum: Top Floor of the Umeda Building, Osaka
Gyochisa (Society of Action) – Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Silver Ladder and Free Council. This Cabal is a younger, more brash Cabal. They believe in power and ruled the Kansai Consilium with an iron hand before they were taken down by an alliance between the Hagakure Kyodai and Kokuryo-kai. Reitaro, Raiden's young Adept, is the owner of the World Club in Kyoto, a progressive dance club. He was also defeated in a Duel Arcane by Kemosiri.
Major Characters: Raiden (M) - Counsellor, Reitaro (M) (deceased)
Sanctum: Penthouse Suite of the New Hankyu Kyoto Hotel
Kodoshigisha (Imperial Way) – Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Silver Ladder and Mysterium. The head of the Cabal was sick and could not make it to the last Consilium meeting. Daishi took his place.
Major Characters: Kwannon (M) - Counsellor, Daishi (M)
Kakumeiso (Society of the Cry of the Crane) Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Mysterium. Buddhist/Shinto group in Kyoto whose primary function is to keep the Spiritual side of things alive. Their leader has approached the Characters since most of them are Mysterium.
Major Characters: Jizo (M) - Counsellor
Kempei Tai - Based out of Kyoto, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Guardian's of the Veil. Their leader, Tatsu, appears at Consilium meetings wearing the mask of an Oni. His face is known only to a few. No one knows how many Mages are members of this Cabal.
Major Characters: Tatsu (M?) - Sentinal, Kurotsuki (F)
Sanctum: unknown
The Consilium meets once a month at Kiyomizu-dera overlooking Kyoto. The Temple has Wards against scrying and Bans against weapons on its property. This is supposed to be the place where the Consilium can meet in peace.
Minor Cabals
Yamaguchi-gumi - Based out of Kobe, Japan, this cabal is comprised of mages from the Adamantine Arrow. The Mages are associated with the Yamaguchi-gumi family of Yakuza and direct competitors of the Kokuryo-kai. The cabal has little interest in Supernal Power, but IS interested in Temporal Power (Power in the Fallen World). As a Cabal, they are not taken seriously.
Major Characters: Taro (M)
Sanctum: Kobe City, Kansai Region
Bunny Warner Appreciation Society - A Free Council cabal made up of Otaku computer geeks. Their cabal name is from a famous anime character.
Major Characters: Larva (M), Inu Yasha (M), Shugo (M)
Sanctum: BW's Copy Centre - Osaka, Kansai Region
Unaligned Cabals
Myobu (Kitsune Legacy) - This is a Kitsune-based Legacy. The ancient progenitors of the Myobu were said to be Kitsune spirits. When Atlantis fell, the Myobu were seperated from the Fallen World. After many generations, the Myobu found a way to cross the Abyss. They joined with mages who specialized in Spirits (Thyrsus) and the resulting human/spirit hybrid became the Myobu - guardians of Japan against the ravages of the Shadow - most specifically against the Nogitsune - those Kitsune spirits who revel in Chaos and Destruction. Today, the Legacy is dying out. It's Attainments are taught from older Master to younger student in the guise of a Geisha Okiya.
Sanctum: Geisha Okiya in Pontocho Alley, Kyoto
Major Characters: Lady Kagawa (F), Ayame (F)
Burakumin (Society of the Unwanted) - Members of this loose, Kyoto-based Cabal are all Free Council Mages. They are the homeless and the displaced and they make their living in Kyoto by making their own luck. Itako, the Acanthus leader of the Cabal, lives in underground tunnels that were once used or would have been used by the Kyoto subway system. There are many others, sleepers and sleepwalkers alike, who barely eke out a living with the Itako and her Cabal. The Consilium is aware of the existance and location of this Cabal but do not openly acknowledge them.
Sanctum– Labyrinth below Karasuma-Oiki Subway Station, Kyoto
Major Characters: Itako (F) - blind prophetess, Baka (M) - idiot savant
Unfriendly Cabals
The Uchida Family - a family of Moros mages who manufacture soul jars in the form of twisted Ningyo (Japanese porcelain dolls). After an encounter with the PC Cabal, the family has moved underground. They have connections with Tamano no Mae (Nogitsune Spirit) and possibly have connections with the Consilium (who may be protecting them for unknown reasons)
Sanctum: unknown
The Shih (Banishers)
Sanctum: unknown
Unit 731 - Unit 731 is known historically as a government agency that conducted immoral human experimentation during the 1930's and 1940's. They are most famous for the incident known as "The Rape of Nanking" for which the Chinese have never forgiven them for and the Japanese government has never publically acknowledged. They were apparently disbanded after World War II.
Sanctum: unknown - although the Asylum located in the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine was once used by Unit 12 as a place for human experimentation.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Sayonara, L5R
I cannot believe it is over.
This past Saturday, I hosted my last Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) card tournament. It was a Release Tournament ushering in a new era in the L5R card game, the Lotus era. It is a new beginning for the game, and an ending for me as a player and tournament organizer. I gave away a lot of prizes – stuff that has been sitting in my basement for years, but anyone who continues to play the game would appreciate. I did not make any announcement of my retirement. I decided to leave with the quiet dignity befitting a samurai.
For those who know me, know that I have been playing the L5R collectible card game and role-playing game for the past 10 years. Ever since the first card graced my hands, I have been enamoured with this game. Why? It has everything you could want in a game based loosely on a fictional Japan/China (the mantra has always been “this is not Japan” - even though it certainly resembled it in a lot of ways). It has honourable Samurai, spell-casting Shugenja, scheming Courtiers, evil creatures from the Shadowlands, pseudo-Japanese culture and customs and hundreds of pages of stories about the characters inhabiting the world. With the card game, I have played and ran almost a hundred tournaments and met many good people from around the world. With the role-playing game, I have told stories of honour, glory and heroism. Hell, I even got to tell a love story.
So why am I leaving?
The short answer is because of recent life events now I am now dedicating my time elsewhere. The long answer is much more complicated.
Cost is a huge factor. Role playing games allow you to spend a lot of money up front to have a lot of (less expensive) fun later. Collectible card games, however, drain you of money constantly if you want to remain competitive. However, if money were the only cost, I would not be leaving the game. To remain competitive, you also have to undergo the card game equivalent of the twelve labours of Hercules. You have to give up free time going to movies and visiting family and friends to spend time designing decks and playing cards with others similarly affected by the card gaming bug. You have to dedicate a permanent space in your home to accommodate the growing inventory of cards in both boxes and binders - cards that eventually seep into every pore of your once pristine household. Finally, you have to spend a lot of vacation time travelling elsewhere to get to major tournaments so you can meet other players who have similarly delivered their first born to be sacrificed on the alter of L5R. These are costs I am no longer willing to pay.
But most importantly, I have lost interest. The game itself is still okay. It is much more complex and challenging than the first edition ever was. The deck type I play is finally getting the support it deserved. But I am no longer enthusiastically chasing down the cards I need to make my favourite decks. I have not organized my cards like a latter-day Scrooge hunched over his wads of cash. I have not religiously perused the web for more strategies, card combos and suggestions for a long time. I have not recently engaged in a conversation with anyone concerning card game minutiae. My heart is no longer in it.
And, it is just as well. The company making the game, Alderac Entertainment, is having financial difficulties. Most of the gaming world is having difficulties right now, but these difficulties have hit Alderac especially hard. There is doubt of the financial viability of the game and if it may not be around in a couple of years. That is too bad. L5R’s Samurai certainly out duel Magic’s spell casters on the field of battle any day.
Will I revisit the world of L5R? Certainly. The role-playing game is still around and sits proudly on the top shelf in my library. The new edition of the role-playing game is the best one yet published and despite Alderac’s financial problems, there are plans for at least one more role-playing supplement. The role-playing game shall be the vehicle I will use to revisit the world of L5R. It will be as refreshing as a dip in the onsen.
Thanks to Alderac Entertainment for giving me 10 years of honourable katana wielding fun. Thanks also to those who have made this experience so much fun. I bow low to you all, take my katana by the hilt and walk slowly into the sunset. Sayonara.
This past Saturday, I hosted my last Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) card tournament. It was a Release Tournament ushering in a new era in the L5R card game, the Lotus era. It is a new beginning for the game, and an ending for me as a player and tournament organizer. I gave away a lot of prizes – stuff that has been sitting in my basement for years, but anyone who continues to play the game would appreciate. I did not make any announcement of my retirement. I decided to leave with the quiet dignity befitting a samurai.
For those who know me, know that I have been playing the L5R collectible card game and role-playing game for the past 10 years. Ever since the first card graced my hands, I have been enamoured with this game. Why? It has everything you could want in a game based loosely on a fictional Japan/China (the mantra has always been “this is not Japan” - even though it certainly resembled it in a lot of ways). It has honourable Samurai, spell-casting Shugenja, scheming Courtiers, evil creatures from the Shadowlands, pseudo-Japanese culture and customs and hundreds of pages of stories about the characters inhabiting the world. With the card game, I have played and ran almost a hundred tournaments and met many good people from around the world. With the role-playing game, I have told stories of honour, glory and heroism. Hell, I even got to tell a love story.
So why am I leaving?
The short answer is because of recent life events now I am now dedicating my time elsewhere. The long answer is much more complicated.
Cost is a huge factor. Role playing games allow you to spend a lot of money up front to have a lot of (less expensive) fun later. Collectible card games, however, drain you of money constantly if you want to remain competitive. However, if money were the only cost, I would not be leaving the game. To remain competitive, you also have to undergo the card game equivalent of the twelve labours of Hercules. You have to give up free time going to movies and visiting family and friends to spend time designing decks and playing cards with others similarly affected by the card gaming bug. You have to dedicate a permanent space in your home to accommodate the growing inventory of cards in both boxes and binders - cards that eventually seep into every pore of your once pristine household. Finally, you have to spend a lot of vacation time travelling elsewhere to get to major tournaments so you can meet other players who have similarly delivered their first born to be sacrificed on the alter of L5R. These are costs I am no longer willing to pay.
But most importantly, I have lost interest. The game itself is still okay. It is much more complex and challenging than the first edition ever was. The deck type I play is finally getting the support it deserved. But I am no longer enthusiastically chasing down the cards I need to make my favourite decks. I have not organized my cards like a latter-day Scrooge hunched over his wads of cash. I have not religiously perused the web for more strategies, card combos and suggestions for a long time. I have not recently engaged in a conversation with anyone concerning card game minutiae. My heart is no longer in it.
And, it is just as well. The company making the game, Alderac Entertainment, is having financial difficulties. Most of the gaming world is having difficulties right now, but these difficulties have hit Alderac especially hard. There is doubt of the financial viability of the game and if it may not be around in a couple of years. That is too bad. L5R’s Samurai certainly out duel Magic’s spell casters on the field of battle any day.
Will I revisit the world of L5R? Certainly. The role-playing game is still around and sits proudly on the top shelf in my library. The new edition of the role-playing game is the best one yet published and despite Alderac’s financial problems, there are plans for at least one more role-playing supplement. The role-playing game shall be the vehicle I will use to revisit the world of L5R. It will be as refreshing as a dip in the onsen.
Thanks to Alderac Entertainment for giving me 10 years of honourable katana wielding fun. Thanks also to those who have made this experience so much fun. I bow low to you all, take my katana by the hilt and walk slowly into the sunset. Sayonara.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
(RC) Prominant NPC's
Akio Ogawa: Female Japanese Sleepwalker - the Sleeper face of the “Paranormal Investigations” front of the cabal. Smokes RIN cigarettes. She is frequently agitated. She has blue eyes because of her Ainu background. She wears brown contact lenses to disguise this fact.
Duncan: Akio Ogawa’s chauffeur, bodyguard and general assistant. He is a Sleeper. He is a large, bald, black man from Louisiana who originally joined the US Marines to see the world. He quit after the first Gulf War and became a Security Consultant. He loves Japanese baseball. He has learned his great cooking skills from his grandfather who lives in New Or'lans. He has been frequently called upon to provide certain "services" for the Cabal. How and what he does, no one has asked. His feelings for Akio Ogawa are not entirely known, but he feels a great deal of loyalty to her.
Hachiko (Hanako Suzuki) - Mage - Mastigos/Free Council: A young girl with pink and blonde highlights in her hair who Awakened recently. The Cabal has made it a point to look out for her. She is currently with the only Free Council Cabal in the Kansai Consilium (The Bunny Warner Appreciation Society) learning the basics of being a Mastigos Mage.
Detective Imada: He is a Police Detective. He looks like a Japanese version of Columbo. He is Akio Ogawa’s contact in the Kyoto Police Department. He has assisted or asked for assistance several times in the past few months.
Nessa Flannery: Sleepwalker Bartender. Formerly a servant in the Kansai Consilium, Nessa is the owner/operator of Tadg’s Irish Pub. The pub caters to English and American ex-Pats and to Mages (and sometimes other supernaturals). Violence in her bar is banned.
Duncan: Akio Ogawa’s chauffeur, bodyguard and general assistant. He is a Sleeper. He is a large, bald, black man from Louisiana who originally joined the US Marines to see the world. He quit after the first Gulf War and became a Security Consultant. He loves Japanese baseball. He has learned his great cooking skills from his grandfather who lives in New Or'lans. He has been frequently called upon to provide certain "services" for the Cabal. How and what he does, no one has asked. His feelings for Akio Ogawa are not entirely known, but he feels a great deal of loyalty to her.
Hachiko (Hanako Suzuki) - Mage - Mastigos/Free Council: A young girl with pink and blonde highlights in her hair who Awakened recently. The Cabal has made it a point to look out for her. She is currently with the only Free Council Cabal in the Kansai Consilium (The Bunny Warner Appreciation Society) learning the basics of being a Mastigos Mage.
Detective Imada: He is a Police Detective. He looks like a Japanese version of Columbo. He is Akio Ogawa’s contact in the Kyoto Police Department. He has assisted or asked for assistance several times in the past few months.
Nessa Flannery: Sleepwalker Bartender. Formerly a servant in the Kansai Consilium, Nessa is the owner/operator of Tadg’s Irish Pub. The pub caters to English and American ex-Pats and to Mages (and sometimes other supernaturals). Violence in her bar is banned.
(RC) Player Characters
The following are the Player Characters who have joined the Ryujin Chronicles (for Mage: the Awakening):
Kemosiri - Path: Moros, Order: Mysterium - American Archeologist who awakened while on an archeological dig in Egypt. Enjoys the writings of HP Lovecraft;
Kontonshin - Path: Acanthus, Order: Adamantine Arrow - Canadian Wannabe Samurai who loves all things Japanese, she awakened in Calgary on what appeared to be a 16th Century Japanese Battlefield;
Memento Mori - Path: Obrimos, Order: Mysterium - originally a stage magician from the United States, he became a famous Debunker of all things Supernatural before Awakening. He specializes in Prime magic;
Tenzin She-rap Cho-kyi (true name) - Path: Thyrsus, Order: Mysterium, Legacy: Bon Po - a Tibetan sorceror who awakened and immediately joined a Legacy based on Ancient Tibetan Sorcery. He speaks no English or Japanese and requires the help of his young Retainer Gei Ho to translate. He is in Japan at the request of his Master.
Kemosiri - Path: Moros, Order: Mysterium - American Archeologist who awakened while on an archeological dig in Egypt. Enjoys the writings of HP Lovecraft;
Kontonshin - Path: Acanthus, Order: Adamantine Arrow - Canadian Wannabe Samurai who loves all things Japanese, she awakened in Calgary on what appeared to be a 16th Century Japanese Battlefield;
Memento Mori - Path: Obrimos, Order: Mysterium - originally a stage magician from the United States, he became a famous Debunker of all things Supernatural before Awakening. He specializes in Prime magic;
Tenzin She-rap Cho-kyi (true name) - Path: Thyrsus, Order: Mysterium, Legacy: Bon Po - a Tibetan sorceror who awakened and immediately joined a Legacy based on Ancient Tibetan Sorcery. He speaks no English or Japanese and requires the help of his young Retainer Gei Ho to translate. He is in Japan at the request of his Master.
(RC) Inspirations
The Ryujin Chronicles are inspired by my interest in the culture and history of Japan. As such, the mythology, history and culture of Japan will all play key roles in the campaign. In fact, the primary metaplot will heavily utilize this history and culture and some sessions may involve Players playing GM created historical characters in various eras of Japanese history. Along with the typical antagonists associated with Mage, expect to see spirits, ghosts and even some mythical Japanese creatures during the campaign. Please note: the campaign will also tie in with the Atlantis-centric mythology created by Mage: the Awakening. Mood-wise, the campaign is inspired by the new wave of Japanese horror novels and movies (ie. Ringu, Ju On, Dark Water, etc). The atmosphere created in them captures the flavour I am going for. I am not using the typical anime or manga sources as inspiration either (although some do capture the atmosphere I am looking for).
Ryujin Chronicles (RC) Overview
This is the basic plot line for the Player Characters for my current Mage: the Awakening campaign. Most of the relevant details have been omitted so as not to give away everything:
A “Mysterious Benefactor” hires the Player Characters (all foreigners) for a “job” in Kyoto, Japan. This benefactor has a Sleepwalker contact named Akio Ogawa whom he/she uses as a go-between. This cabal is disguised as a “Paranormal Phenomena Investigation Team”. Akio Ogawa will give them assignments from their Benefactor but also the police. As Players become acquainted with Kyoto and get caught up in complex Consilium politics, they will slowly unravel a mystery that has haunted Japan for almost 2000 years which may even lead to the discovery of the actual location of Atlantis.
Here are the links you will need to follow this blog and its very long story:
Inspirations
Chronicle PC's
Prominent NPC's
Kansai Consilium
For those who wish to skip ahead, here are two useful blog posts:
The Mysteries
The Shinwa Taizen
The Story Starts here. Just follow the links:
Prologue
A “Mysterious Benefactor” hires the Player Characters (all foreigners) for a “job” in Kyoto, Japan. This benefactor has a Sleepwalker contact named Akio Ogawa whom he/she uses as a go-between. This cabal is disguised as a “Paranormal Phenomena Investigation Team”. Akio Ogawa will give them assignments from their Benefactor but also the police. As Players become acquainted with Kyoto and get caught up in complex Consilium politics, they will slowly unravel a mystery that has haunted Japan for almost 2000 years which may even lead to the discovery of the actual location of Atlantis.
Here are the links you will need to follow this blog and its very long story:
Inspirations
Chronicle PC's
Prominent NPC's
Kansai Consilium
For those who wish to skip ahead, here are two useful blog posts:
The Mysteries
The Shinwa Taizen
The Story Starts here. Just follow the links:
Prologue
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Welcome, Irrashaimasu!
Welcome to the first post for the Asian Echo Blog. This Blog is dedicated to (believe it or not) Asian RPG gaming. I have been gaming since 1978 and because I am Asian Canadian, began to specialize in gaming with an Asian flare.
I began (like most gamers) with D&D. I began my journey through Asia with Oriental Adventures and branched out from there. I have tried Bushido, Land of the Rising Sun and GURPS Japan and China. More recently, I have playtested Feng Shui and ran Legend of the Five Rings. I also ran Kindred of the East (for Vampire: the Masquerade) and Asian versions of Mage (including using Dragons of the East). I also own Jadeclaw, HKAT, and Wushu. I just recently purchased Weapons of the Gods.
Currently, I am running a Mage: the Awakening campaign set in Kyoto, Japan. Most of this Blog will be dedicated to that campaign entitled Ryujin Chronicles. But every now and then, I will post news, rules and other such thoughts that pop into my head concerning what it is like to be an Asian Canadian living between worlds. I might even throw out my thoughts on some movies, books and other media. Enjoy!
I began (like most gamers) with D&D. I began my journey through Asia with Oriental Adventures and branched out from there. I have tried Bushido, Land of the Rising Sun and GURPS Japan and China. More recently, I have playtested Feng Shui and ran Legend of the Five Rings. I also ran Kindred of the East (for Vampire: the Masquerade) and Asian versions of Mage (including using Dragons of the East). I also own Jadeclaw, HKAT, and Wushu. I just recently purchased Weapons of the Gods.
Currently, I am running a Mage: the Awakening campaign set in Kyoto, Japan. Most of this Blog will be dedicated to that campaign entitled Ryujin Chronicles. But every now and then, I will post news, rules and other such thoughts that pop into my head concerning what it is like to be an Asian Canadian living between worlds. I might even throw out my thoughts on some movies, books and other media. Enjoy!
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