City of Glass, City of Rust

Well, the penultimate Chapter of my 2nd Mage Campaign has come to an end, and the last chapter is set to go this Thursday. Also, it has been so long since I finished the FIRST campaign as well as updating (the last chapter will be done this week, I promise), I will not be posting that second (and actually less successful) campaign.

So, after this, a new campaign set in the new World of Darkness is set to begin, albeit with a different cast of players.

This new one will be set in the exciting game of Changeling: the Lost. My Mage campaign will be set aside and re-vamped with a new focus in mind (set to begin next year) but even that will be set aside if I can get my (new) players to play in an Asian themed Changeling game set in Shanghai (or even Tokyo - which would be very appropriate). Should be very interesting to say the least.

So, with no further ado, please find my new game here, at the City of Glass, City of Rust site.

Never Woke Up

It's been a while since I've been able to post anything. It has been a very hectic time in my life, and the last chapter of Ryujin Chronicles 1 is still being edited (but will be up very soon). The second Ryujin Chronicles has already started, so I have to get a move on.

In the meantime: Those who know me know that I've been trying hard to "sell" Changeling: the Lost. Changeling is the new White Wolf game from Werewolf: the Forsaken creator Ethan Skemp. Since Werewolf is arguably the best of the World of Darkness line, I trust Ethan to once again hit an atmospheric home run with the new Changeling. I'm excited for this game even if others are not - but I hope to change their minds before August.

Check out the previews (which have now started) at the Changeling Home Page.

For now, take a look at this little animated video that seems to be inspired by Changeling themes. Very creepy.

Never Woke Up

(RC) The Cave – Ch. 12, part 2

Summary: The Cabal fights their way through the cavernous cave fighting vicious Bakemono and encountering Emma-O for the last time.

Recap: The Cabal goes further into the cave and find a huge pit. One of them throws a rock down into the gaping hole. It takes quite a while before it lands on something. They grab some rope and begin descending into the pit.

At the bottom, they find a huge stone alter with skeletons stretched out on wooden trestles behind it, bits of skin and cloth hung limply on the bones, limply blowing in the wind. As they pass the alter, they notice fresh blood pooled on its flat surface and feel a strong magical energy emanating from it. Mori concentrates and siphons the dark, tainted mana into his own body, the dark energy mingling with his own.. The Cabal passes by and begin exploring deeper into the cave.

As they travel further in, they feel a rumbling. The ground shifts beneath them and suddenly rocks tumble down from the ceiling. The ground beneath Mori shifts and buckles and he tumbles into the abyss. Mori crashes onto the rocks below and he is crushed under the weight of more that fall on top of him. Mori is buried in rubble and debris, but he is alive. Mori scrambles out from under the rocks. He is bruised and bleeding and he can barely move.

The Cabal calls down to Mori. They are going to attempt to rescue him. But before anyone can send a rope down to him, they are attacked by slavering Bakemono. The Bakemono are vaguely humanoid in appearance. Their musty skin is mottled grey and tough as leather and they don only scraps of cloth. Their hands twisted into claws and their faces contorted into grotesque humanoid masks.

As the Bakemono surround the Cabal, the urge to consume human flesh wells up in their bellies. They eye each other as if looking for weakness, but shake off the urge, regroup and fight off two of the Bakemono before retreating deeper into the caves.

Two Bakemono accost Mori. Mori also gains the urge to consume human flesh, but with no target available, casts Prime magic at the beasts and scrambles into the darkness.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the Cabal are attacked by more Bakemono. They use Magic to force the Bakemono to retreat and fend off the urge to consume each other. Kemosiri uses Death Magic to raise one of the Bakemono into a super zombie (6 successes).

The Cabal finds itself at a dead end. Above, they see a ledge – a passageway leading further into the cave. They frantically begin climbing the sheer rock face using the zombie Bakemono to bide them time. Kemosiri tries climbing, but finds it extremely difficult considering his condition. Tenzin uses Life Magic to grow wings and flies up. The remainder scramble up the wall. Still, Kemosiri is holding them back and the Bakemono climb much faster than he can.

Kontonshin casts the Fate Spell ‘Monkey’s Paw’ on a part of the wall. When one of the Bakemono climb onto it, the rock collapses sending the Bakemono and the other pursuers crashing onto the cave floor. Kemosiri barely makes it up to the ledge.

Meanwhile, Mori finds a stream of blood. He follows it toward a bright light and finds himself on a cliff overlooking a lake of blood in an underground cavern. On the opposite shore he sees hundreds of Bakemono. They see him and begin approaching. Mori tries to escape, but in his weakened condition is unable to flee. He reaches into his pocket and finds the crystal that Isora had given him so long ago. He begins siphoning the dark mana he had drained from the Bakemono into the crystal. The crystal turns from a bright, clear colour to the colour of onyx.

Just as Mori is about to use his Magic to create a massive Prime explosion, he sees Emma-O and Dr. Wu enter the cavern. In their hands, they have the pieces of the Shinwa Taizen that Tatsu was guarding. The scrolls are stained with new blood. Mori realizes with horror that Emma-O has all of the scrolls that were in their possession as well as many other pieces of the Shinwa Taizen.

Emma-O commands that Mori be brought before him. He then brings the unconscious body of one of the Consilium’s servants toward Mori. Mori’s urges overwhelm him. He cannot hold back. He grabs the unconscious servant and at first only gnaws on his arm, the thought of cannibalizing the servant repugnant to him and making him gag. But when he first breaks flesh, Mori experiences a moment of reverie. The flesh tastes sweet and the blood has a delicious metallic tang to it as it rushes past his tongue and down into his gullet.

Something snaps deep within him. He no longer has the will to hold back from even this horrendous act. Mori begins consuming the man with the fervour of a starving man, while Emma-O and Dr. Wu laugh in the background. The remaining Bakemono tear the servant apart in an orgy of violence and blood that Mori does not witness as he is too busy gulping down the warm nurturing human flesh (Mori loses a point of Wisdom for this horrific act, but suffers no derangement. His Wisdom is now 2).

The remainder of the Cabal find the cavern and notice the reverie. They also see Emma-O, Dr. Wu and a blood covered Mori Memento. They stop, horrified at the sight of Mori consuming a human being.

The Bakemono converge on the Cabal. Kemosiri commands the Bakemono Zombie to defend their party, but the Zombie is quickly subdued by dozens of Bakemono. The Cabal uses magic to defend themselves, but Emma-O stymies them by using Time tricks to slow them down and allow the Bakemono to overwhelm them.

Mori cannot move his body and cannot stop engorging himself. He looks up when he sees a bright light at the centre of the cavern, a light no one else seems to acknowledge. In the light, he sees Isora, clad in her bright green kimono, reach out to him.

In a moment of clarity, Mori reaches for the ebony gem Isora had given him, tosses it in the air and uses Prime magic to destroy it. A massive explosion occurs sending bright shards of light into every corner of the cavern.

---

Mori finds himself lying on the shore of a fog-covered beach. Isora is standing in a small boat loaded with the scrolls of the Shinwa Taizen. She says goodbye to Mori and congratulates him on a job well done. Isora tells him that the alternate history that the Shinwa Taizen would have created if fully assembled, that of a cannibalistic hell on earth, will not be and that she will take it where it will no longer invade the dreams of mortals in the Fallen World. Mori’s only response is to say that he has done things, horrible things - things that he is not sure if he can atone for.

With that, Isora waves goodbye, pushes her boat from shore, and disappears into the fog.

---

The Cabal finds Mori on shore. He is unconscious and in critical condition. Emma-O and the Bakemono are nowhere to be seen. Dr. Wu’s body is lying broken and lifeless next to Mori, his lifeless eyes gazing into the Abyss. The Cabal build a stretcher and lift Mori up and carry him out of the Cave.

When the Cabal finally leaves the cave and return to their sanctum, Mori is conscious and just barely able to walk, thanks to Tenzin. They find a note from the Consilium, summoning them to a gathering they must attend immediately upon reading the note.

Next: O-Bon

Playing Cute Fuzzy Animals in Japan

Has anyone ever been interested in what kinds of RPG's are published in Japan? I've just started finding out. TRPG's (or Tabletalk Role Playing Games to differentiate them from RPG's which are computer games) are very obscure in Japan. They are rules lite so you get into the game very quickly and are heavily influenced by manga.

The more popular North American games have been adapted into Japanese language versions. D&D, GURPS, Call of Cthulhu and even the World of Darkness have all been translated into Japanese with Japanese-only supplements created for each line. My favourite on my want list is Hiei-zan Enjou (Mount Hiei Burns) - a full Call of Cthulhu rulebook (not a supplement) set in feudal Japan.

One of the more interesting original Japanese RPG's include Yuuyake Koyake (trans. "Sunset"), the “Heartwarming Role-Playing”. It is a diceless TRPG about henge, animals that take human form (think Kitsune). They live on the edge of a town in rural Japan and must make connections with people in the town by helping them out. By forming connections, the characters get what they need to use their special powers necessary to accomplish harder tasks. I don't know how they resolve conflicts since the section on fighting basically says "don't fight" (you lose connections and thus powers, by fighting with others). Definitely not angsty world of darkness stuff. It even has a supplement entitled Mononoke Koyake which expands its world by allowing players to take on the roles of ghosts, skin-riders and even aliens.

When I saw this, I began thinking of how good a resources this game would be for something like the upcoming Changeling: the Lost. Think about Japanese Changelings and you might see Kitsune, Kappa, Oni and Yuki-Onna as I do. Just something to think about for the future.

New Campaign

Sorry for the long wait for the last two chapters of my last campaign. I have already started the new one and haven't been able to finish the last write ups. Look for a lot of changes on the blog as I ramp up what I will be doing with the new campaign entitled RC2: Black Iron Prison.

In the meantime, have a look at a new Motivation Poster - the tag line was quoted by White Wolf's own Jess Hartley. Take a look:

The Year of the Golden Fire Pig

Happy Chinese New Year!

On February 18th, we enter the 4075th year on the Chinese Calendar, also known as the Year of the Fire Pig, or if you follow legend, the Year of the Golden Pig.

The Year of the Golden Fire Pig comes only once every 600 years and rumor has it, 2007 is this special year. It is Golden because the combination of elemental Fire, the sign Pig, and Yin/Yang components bring this year once every six centuries! It is said that children born under this sign will live in comfort as wealth and luck are always near. The Fire Pig is known to have traits of wealth, prosperity, luck and fertility.

So what are you waiting for...go out and celebrate.

The Cave – Ch. 12, part 1

Summary: The Cabal prepares to enter the last known place where the original Cabal disappeared.

Recap: The Cabal doesn’t even think. They attack the thin, emaciated being. With a wave of his hand, the being stops time around members of the Cabal and then hits each of them with bolts of energy, knocking each of them down to the ground. After laughing maniacally, the being identifies himself as Emma-O, master of Unit 731. Dr Wu is his student – a student he never would have found had not Kemosiri approached him with the Shinwa Taizen. Dr. Wu’s interest slowly became obsession and made it all that easier to convert him to his cause.

The members of the Cabal slowly get to their feet and prepare another attack. Emma-O waves his hand again and stops time in the room sending waves of paradox rippling throughout the room only to be absorbed by Emma-O. When the characters come to, they find both the human skin scrolls and the prone form of Dr. Wu, gone. The Cabal cannot find Emma-O.

As the group returns to their sanctum, Kemosiri admits to feeling remorse at inadvertently getting Dr. Wu involved in Emma-O’s cult. Dr. Wu was an innocent bystander. He feels the need to redeem his actions.

Tenzin prepares a healing ritual for each of his Cabal mates. While he is busy healing them, the rest discuss their next moves. They reach a conclusion that they don’t even know where begin searching for Unit 731. Mori surmises that the most logical place to search is where the last Cabal disappeared. Their last action was to attend a geology class at a local university. After briefly checking in with Ms. Ogawa, they disappeared.

With a bit of research, and remembering that Koya (the Yamada Taro) kept repeating “Jomon”, they find that the Kobe earthquake epicentre on an island just off the coast. On the island, the Japanese authorities had found a cave with pottery dating back to the Jomon era. That is where the Cabal decides to search for Unit 731.

But what to do with the scrolls? No one believes they are safe in their sanctum. Even with wards around the safe, Emma-O is powerful enough to break anything magical they might use. Kemosiri wants to keep them while they explore the cave, but Mori objects and argues vehemently against that option. Mori tells Kemosiri that the scrolls are having too much of an influence on him and he must divest himself of them. He points out that Tatsu and the Consilium have noticed has more than given him permission to kill Kemosiri if he gets out of control. This shocks Kemosiri and despite his lust for the scrolls, he decides letting them go and giving them to the Consilium for safekeeping is the best course of action.

Despite their misgivings, they give the Shinwa Taizen to Tatsu. They no longer suspect him as being with Unit 731. They now believe that everything they had seen in visions or video was false or designed to mislead them and throw them off track.

The Cabal travels to Osaka and ventures into Kobe. There, they are waylaid by a motorcycle gang (all Sleepers, apparently). Mori calls down lightning and strikes one of the gang members (and loses 1 wisdom for such an act as well as absorbing damage due to Paradox). The gang reluctantly lets them pass.

The Cabal reaches the boarded up entrance to the cave and break through the flimsy wooden barriers. In the gloom, they see dusty remnants of ages old pottery as well as small ceramic dolls reminiscent of dolls from the Jomon period. Under an old World War II tarp, they also find the slightly scorched remains of immaculately decorated wooden scroll cases – all empty.

Next: the Cave, part 2

That Ring's got a Grudge

J-Horror is part of what has inspired my Mage campaign, but according to this article, I'm a bit behind the times (and since the article was written in '05, really behind).

I found a comprehensive and detailed look at the history and future of the J-Horror industry that apparently peaked after the Grudge. There are a lot more J-Horror films that have been made, but I guess most of them were a bit on the schlock side. Detractors of the genre say that aside from some foreign copies, the genre is atrophying and needs to be revitalized before it dies.

So check out this very enlightening article about J-Horror, its roots and where its going. And check out the site, Midnight Eye, for the latest in Japanese cinema.

I bow the appropriate amount

At long last AEG has come up with a definitive cultural reference for the land of Rokugan. The Emerald Empire will be a hardcover companion to their Legend of the Five Rings 3rd edition RPG.

There are many who might say that L5R is about as accurate a view of Asia as Dungeons and Dragons is an accurate view of Europe, but at least this Asian-inspired game now gets a definitive political and social hierarchy and a detailed discussion of Magistrates and their role in the empire.

The Emerald Empire: The Legend of the Five Rings Companion is due in June 2007. The Samurai Edition of AEG's flagship CCG, Legend of the Five Rings is released in July, 2007.

The climb was worth it but the knife in the back is killing me

With the Internet, this must be the golden age of small, independent RPG's. They have never been easier to find and purchase. And the quality and production value of the RPG's is getting better and better.

That brings me to The Mountain Witch, an RPG/Adventure that comes to us courtesy of Timothy Kleinart of Timfire Publishing and can be ordered through Indie Press Revolution. It is a complete RPG scenario that uses a rules lite system developed especially for the adventure, and although the system could be used for other adventures, the scope of the game itself is this one role playing experience.

The players are ronin in medeival Japan. Their mission is to kill the Mountain Witch who lives in a castle at the top of Mount Fuji. The details are left deliberately vague so that the GM can personalize the experience for the players. The trick is, that the mission is not the point of the game - it is only the setup.

Character creation is less about stats and abilities and more about character background. Players choose one of six fates that will come up during the scenario and also choose their zodiac sign (based on the Asian animal signs). Choosing the zodiac will give each character a number of Trust points that can be used to help other players or hinder them (they call this last one, Betrayal).

It's all designed to give the GM the tools he needs to create conflict and tension within the party. So even as they fight a common foe, as the adventure wears on, the most likely death comes not from the Witch himself, but from the sword of another player. In the right hands, this adventure could be a most enjoyable gaming experience.

Shadows of Nanking - Ch. 11, part 4

Summary: The Cabal prepares to enter the last known place where the original Cabal disappeared.

Recap: While Kemosiri, Kontonshin and Tenzin were wandering though Kwannon’s Oneiros, Mori and Hachi-ko went back to the Sanctum and slept until morning. When they got up, they ventured to Kiyomizu-dera to speak with Tatsu about everything that was going on.

As Mori arrives, he sees an image of a young girl dressed in green that he recognizes as Isora (the little girl in the green kimono from Chapter 6, the Shadow). She tells him not to forget the crystal that she had given to him. Hachi-ko snaps him awake and asks why he was staring out into nowhere. Mori deigns not to respond and instead knocks on the door of Kiyomizu-dera.

A servant answers the call and leads them in to the main temple anti-chamber. Tatsu arrives a short time later. Mori and Tatsu have a conversation couched in riddles. Tatsu intimates to Mori that there is a cancer in their cabal that could destroy not only their cabal, but Kyoto as well. Tatsu also intimates that he feels Mori is the only person capable of cutting out that cancer. Mori agrees. Tatsu tells him to do what he must and Mori agrees. Hachi-ko looks on and is mystified with what is going on.

Mori then goes back to visit Kwannon and meets Daishi instead. He discovers that the rest of the Cabal had entered Kwannon’s Oneiros and after that arduous journey had already left. Kwannon was now resting and Daishi tells Mori that “the end is near.”

The rest of the cabal returned home. Kemosiri realizes how dangerous the knowledge he has is and with Kontonshin’s help, wards the safe against scrying. Kontonshin creates a ward and ban that is very potent – only a Master would have any chance of breaking it.

It was at this point that they find out that Akio Ogawa had still not appeared at the office – not since they had left for Hong Kong. A worried cabal go to her apartment to find out what was going on.

They find Akio Ogawa still in her bedclothes sporting blue eyes. She tells them that they are natural and are not the result of her supernatural rape that had occurred over a month earlier. The actions of Tamano-no-Mae were the final straw. She could not continue the way she was going and she has not seen anyone now for a month.

She relates to them the fact that she is of Ainu decent. She gets her blue eyes from that. She has worn brown contacts her whole life to prevent others knowing her background. Her mother, besides being an Ainu elder was also a member of a secret society – she did not know what society, or what she did and her parents’ divorced while she was very young leaving her and her sister with their father. Still, Akio was the dutiful girl and did what she was told and studied for her University entrance exams like all the other dutiful children in Japan.

After she graduated, she got a job with an oil company who shipped her off to the Middle East despite her father’s objection. While she was there, radical Muslim militants kidnapped her and held her hostage for two weeks before Japanese government interceded and got her released. During that time, she began to see things she never imagined. She later found out that she began to see magic and that she was indeed a Sleepwalker.

When she arrived in Japan, she was met with disdain from the Japanese, an invoice from the government for expenses and rejection from her father. Only her sister was there to comfort her but even she could not maintain close contact with her. She was effectively shunned.

After months of isolation, the mysterious benefactor contacted her and gave her purpose again. The loss of the first cabal struck a fierce blow to her heart, but this last supernatural incident has frightened her. She has had a lot of time to think over the month and has almost put in her resignation. But she has decided to come back to work. She is needed.

During the past few days, she had dreams which repeated each and every night. In these dreams, a young girl in a green kimono appeared and told her that to quell the darkness a beacon of light must shine. The young girl then held out a large crystal which glowed green. Then she would wake up. She tells the Cabal that something horrible is about to happen and that they must find that crystal to prevent it from happening.

The Cabal returns and regroups at their Sanctum and they compare stories. Mori shows them the crystal he obtained from his experiences in the Shadow and has determined that it is at the very least, a mana battery. It is decided that their next course of action in stopping the coming darkness is to locate the supposed leader of Unit 731, Dr. Wu. To start their search, they decide to go back to the Asylum – which they find out used to be a Unit 731 laboratory.

The Cabal sneaks in to the Psych Ward (again) at night and ends up in the basement. The last time they were here, they discovered that the ghost of the World War II soldier had been discorporated. Now they believe it may be the centre of all of the occult activity. Using various detection spells, the Cabal finds a hollow area behind the basement wall. They use ghost gates to enter the Shadow and exit right in the room. What they see horrifies them.

They find Dr. Wu studying several scrolls while meditating in a warded magic circle with a symbol painted in blood in its centre – a symbol they had seen months ago at the Kitigawa house and an abandoned warehouse (Chapter 2). Surrounding the circle are 8 more scrolls made out of human skin and written in blood. Dr. Wu quickly tries casting a spell, but Mori negates it before it could get off. Kemosiri and Kontonshin both hit Dr. Wu with offensive spells and manage to breach his wards. Dr. Wu falls to the floor unconscious. Mori thinks that this was too easy.

As the Cabal approach Dr. Wu’s prone body, a light flashes and suddenly, a gate appears in the middle of the magic circle. A seven foot tall emaciated humanoid in a tattered white robe and hood walks through the gate and faces them. Kemosiri uses his Mage Sight to discover that whoever stood in front of them, unlike Dr. Wu, was a Master of immense power.

Next: Chapter 12 - The Cave

Shadows of Nanking – Ch. 11, part 3

Summary: The Cabal enters Nanking

Recap: As the morning sun rises over the mountains in Kyoto, Kemosiri, Kontonshin and Tenzin meet with Kwannon in the main temple, a powerful Hallow. Candles are now placed in a circle around Kwannon’s bed. There are three spaces for the Cabal in the circle of candles. Daishi instructs them to sit in one of those positions. Daishi takes the position at Kwannon’s feet and tells the Cabal that they will be astrally projected into Kwannon’s Oneiros (his personal dream space). Daishi will act as an Astral Guide leading them to Kwannon’s Oneiros. From there, the Cabal will have to enter his soul.

Daishi begins a ritual and the Cabal begins to meditate. Within 3 hours, the Cabal has begun projecting into Astral Space, and by 4 hours, Daishi has led them to Kwannon’s soul. He tells them that he cannot go any further and the Cabal steps through into Kwannon’s Oneiros.

They find themselves in a forest. There is fresh, foot deep snow on the ground and only new tracks of animals mark its surface. The Cabal is altogether and see a large column of smoke in the distance. Without warning, they hear something crashing through the bushes. They turn to see a young woman stumbling through the deep snow. A shot rings out and the woman falls, blood spattering the new fallen snow.

The Cabal begins trudging toward her. Before they can get there, three Japanese soldiers break through into the clearing, and pick up the injured woman. One then uses his bayonet to stab her in the stomach several times. Blood comes pouring out and she falls to the ground once more, the snow around her body coloured deep red.

The Cabal rushes in and begin casting spells at the soldiers, felling them quickly. They barely have time to get off a shot before they too are merely bodies in the snow. Kontonshin rushes up to the woman to see if there is anything she can do. The woman’s eyes stare lifelessly at her. Kontonshin makes another grim discovery - she was pregnant.

The soldier’s uniforms are old World War II uniforms. The Cabal surmises that they must be in an area of Kwannon’s mind that remembers or dreams of World War II. They figure that they will find all the answers they need if they only approach the fire.

As they trudge toward the fire, the snow clears and roads leading to a large town or city begin to appear. At the edge of the City, they are greeted with a sign: Welcome to Nanking. Nanking: where the Japanese are said to have committed atrocities upon the Chinese people, killing hundreds of thousands of them, and have never admitted to such atrocities. Those atrocities included grotesque experiments such as amputating someone’s limbs or injecting someone with a virulent disease just to watch them die and recording the results. The bodies were then taken to huge pyres and unceremoniously burned. Although many cities and towns were victimized by the Japanese soldiers, the worst of the atrocities occurred in Nanking by a section of the government known as Unit 731.

As the Cabal ventures through Nanking, they find the city deserted. There are no signs of normal city life. The only sign that someone is close by are Japanese military vehicles that roam the city. The Cabal stays hidden from them until they get close to the centre of Nanking, where the Japanese military presence becomes much too heavy.

They are spotted by a Japanese patrol. The patrol sends up an alarm and soldiers begin piling out of the back of their APC shooting at the intruders. The Cabal duck into an abandoned building. Kemosiri wonders what would happen if he created a Ghost Gate in Kwannon’s Oneiros. He quickly conjures up the Gate (Death 4 Arcana knowledge allows for Instant casting) and all three of them enter.

What they see next surprises them. Kontonshin and Tenzin see Kwannon sitting at a table shuffling what appear to be Tarot cards. They do not see Kemosiri. Kwannon bids them to come forward and have a reading done. Kontonshin approaches and her cards come up: Nine of Swords, Seven of Cups and the Hanged Man (all right side up). Kwannon tells her that she is unhappy right now, and that if she sees through illusion, she will be reborn. Kontonshin shrugs and looks at Tenzin. Tenzin decides not to get one. Then, both find themselves back in “reality”, with Japanese soldiers near the door of the abandoned building they occupy.

Meanwhile, Kemosiri entered the Ghost Gate only to be found separated from the group. He also faces Kwannon sitting at a table shuffling a deck of Tarot cards. He bids Kemosiri to come forward and get a reading. He gets a reading as well. His cards are: Five of Cups, King of Pentacles (upside down) and Judgement. Kwannon tells him that he is feeling a lot of regret for his actions and that if he avoids the corruptive influence in him, he will be able to learn from his mistakes.

When the Judgement card turns up, Kemosiri is clearly shaken. For a while now, he has been judging himself and found himself wanting. He did not really need external confirmation, but it bothered him nonetheless. He watches in silence as Kwannon’s spirit discorporates. He hears Kwannon’s voice asking Kemosiri to follow him to the fire. Kemosiri complies.

Meanwhile, Kontonshin and Tenzin decide that they cannot face a large number of Japanese soldiers by themselves. Kontonshin uses her Fate magic to keep the soldiers from finding them and they sneak out the back way and continue to make their way to the fire in the center of the city. When they approach the fire, they see a large crowd of people (but no soldiers) – hundreds of the citizens of Nanking. They are all lined up and approaching the fire. The fire reaches high above the tallest building of Nanking and appears to be a pyre made up of thousands of bodies. On one side of the fire, they see Kwannon and other mages. The mages appear to be chanting something in a strange language. Then, to their horror, the people at the front of the line, without protest, jump into the pyre.

Kemosiri approaches the same pyre. He sees a Shadow version of what Kontonshin and Tenzin see. Instead of the citizens of Nanking, he sees thousands of spirits and souls lining up to jump into the pyre. Instead of a giant pyre, a maelstrom of souls is present. The souls entering the maelstrom are taken into a gaping maw that appears to descend into the ground. Kemosiri can feel a dark intelligent presence within the maelstrom directing it. Its insatiable hunger demands more and more souls. And with Mage Sight, Kemosiri feels a very powerful magic from the maelstrom, but no other resonance – only a powerful feeling of nothingness. Kemosiri concludes that the maelstrom leads to the Abyss and that the powerful presence within the maelstrom must be a strong Abyssal entity.

Kemosiri sees the mages reading from scrolls. The scrolls he recognizes as pieces of the Shinwa Taizen and the mages are chanting in Muvian. He begins to piece things together. The powerful spells that inhabit the Shinwa Taizen must summon something awful from the Abyss when the scroll is completed. The souls must be the price the mages have to pay for help from the Abyss.

Kemosiri tries to stop the hooded mages from taking more souls. He launches himself at them and tears the scrolls free of their hands. He gets to the last mage, who resists and keeps his portion of the scroll away from Kemosiri. During the struggle, Kemosiri tears the mages hood and sees himself staring back at him. Kemosiri pushes him to the ground and grabs the scroll. The maelstrom ends and he finds himself near the smouldering ruins of a giant fire in the middle of an abandoned Nanking. He sees Kontonshin and Tenzin nearby and finds himself holding his journal. A quick look in the journal and he finds that he has several more pages of the Shinwa Taizen scrawled in it – all in his handwriting.

The Cabal leave Astral Space and their minds return to their own bodies in Kyoto. Kwannon is still lying on his bed in the middle of his temple. He turns to the Cabal and tells them what they saw was what really happened in Nanking. The world remembers the events as medical and scientific atrocities. However, the thousands of people died not because of the atrocities of men, but of the atrocities of mages who were attempting to summon an Abyssal entity.

Kwannon turns his head weakly and tells the Cabal that what they saw was what really happened in Nanking. He begins to tell the Cabal of the secret history of the Shinwa Taizen.

Kwannon's Story

Kwannon finished his story leaving the Cabal shaken to the bone. The Kyoto mages had almost caused the end of the world by overwriting history. Kwannon leans in and tells the Cabal that it is happening again – that the Shinwa Taizen cannot be completely destroyed and that it will appear to a chosen Awakened in his or her dreams and in that way the Shinwa Taizen will come alive again. If allowed to be completed and the dark ritual recast, it will overwrite the world’s history. History as we know it will disappear and replaced with an Abyssal history replete with cannibalism and bloodshed such as the world has never seen.

It must not be allowed to happen.

Next: Shadows of Nanking – part 4

Free Council Cover ... Free

Okay, this cover is just plain cool. It's the cover for the next Order Book for Mage: the Awakening which should see the light of day by summer. This, along with White Wolf's Scion: Hero and the Dresden Files RPG should keep me in the poorhouse for quite some time.

Big Eyes, Small Mouth, Miniscule Time

Big Eyes Small Mouth began as a 90 page Anime/Manga RPG. It used a simple 3 stat system (Body, Mind, Soul) and tried hard to emulate any anime/manga one could imagine. And, as a bonus, Guardians of Order was Canadian to boot. Well, as you might well imagine, people who loved this game clamored for more and several supplements later, a larger second edition came out and now the long-awaited (these games all seem to be long-awaited, don't they?) third edition has finally been released in all its full-colour, hard-covered glory. It almost didn't make it and was saved from the bankruptcy and collapse of Guardians of Order by White Wolf itself (under its Arthaus label).

So, I picked it up, and although it looks nice, I probably won't play it. Why not? Probably for the same reason as I've never played any of the other editions - I'm just not as big an anime / manga fan as I probably should be (and I own or have seen my fair share of the stuff - Miyazaki, Lain are my favorites) to run/play this game and the GM has to worldbuild something from scratch.

If you like anime and manga, this is probably the game for you. From a quick overview, the game looks solid and not too different from the second edition (it's said that any 2nd ed characters will need tweaking, however) and competes with GURPS in character design options. Give it a whirl if the subject matter appeals to you.

Curse of the Golden Qin

Qin: the Warring States RPG has finally arrived!!! After months of waiting, 7th Circle has finally confirmed the release of this seminal game about China during the Warring States period (240 B.C.).

I already have the PDF (available at DriveThruRPG), but now I can get the full colour hardcover book. I can only hope that this sells well enough for the remainder of the French-language books available already in Europe to be translated into English and distributed throughout North America.

For more information, go to the 7th Circle website (warning: it's in French) or download the Intro Booklet at DriveThruRPG.

Shadows of Nanking – Ch. 11, part 2

Summary: The Cabal tries finding Dr. Wu and ends up speaking with Kwannon who says he has knowledge concerning the Shinwa Taizen.

Recap: Kontonshin tells the rest of the Cabal what she has seen and reveals that Dr. Wu must either be the mortal face of a cannibal cult or a very powerful mage. They even speculate as to whether he is a member of the Seers of the Throne. Kontonshin, remembering her post-cognitive vision, finds an amulet in the dirt that Dr. Wu had used in the ritual. It is severely scorched, but still recognizable.

The Cabal formulates a plan to meet with Dr. Wu, but play down the knowledge they have of him. Kemosiri phones Dr. Wu’s office but has to leave a voicemail message. They visit his office, but his secretary tells him that he has not attended classes for over a month and has all but disappeared. The secretary speculates that he might have gone on sabbatical, but cannot confirm his whereabouts.

Dejected, but undeterred, the Cabal contacts the only member of the local Consilium they trust – Daishi of the Kodoshigisha. They try and get more information about the Shinwa Taizen by first confirming one of the stories written on the scrolls. The Cabal does not reveal that they have any scroll of the Shinwa Taizen, they simply relate one of the stories Kemosiri had translated. They share the story about the Hatare rebels (The 16th Aya). Daishi is somewhat confused. He informs the Cabal that the story he knows is vastly different and does not include cannibalistic references. The Cabal then realizes that what is written on the Shinwa Taizen scrolls is not history or legend as is known to the rest of the world. They wonder what nefarious purpose the Shinwa Taizen has and what magical secrets does it hold?

Kemosiri decides that the only way they are going to get any information about who is behind the cannibal cult and where they can be found is if he summons the ghosts of the dead. He returns to the mass grave and attempts to summon Koya’s ghost. Kemosiri prepares and enacts a powerful ritual and although he performs it perfectly, neither Koya nor any of the other ghosts appear. Kemosiri is at both mad and puzzled at why Koya didn’t appear. The ritual should have worked. Why didn’t it?

In the meantime, Kontonshin takes the amulet and tries finding Dr. Wu using fate and space magic to find a sympathetic link. Her magic works and appears to point in the direction of the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine where the Insane Asylum is located.

Before they can leave, the Cabal receives a phone call from Daishi. Kwannon, Daishi’s superior who has been infirm since they arrived in Kyoto, wants to see them. They decide to go to his bedside, but just as they are leaving, Larva, one of the Bunny Warner cabal from Osaka, approaches them. Hachi-ko runs upstairs saying she does not want to see him and that he is the reason she left the Bunny Warners. He had apparently come into her room when she was changing and he saw her naked. The Cabal leaves their sanctum. Larva approaches them and meekly asks them if he could speak with Hachi-ko, but they refuse him entry. When Larva says he would like to speak with the rest of them, they just tell Larva to go home. He does.

The Cabal attends Daishi’s shrine. Daishi leads the Cabal into the shrine’s inner sanctum and to Kwannon’s large, but sparse quarters. Kwannon is lying on a hard wooden bed surrounded by candles with only a pillow and spare blanket to keep him warm. Daishi informs Kwannon of the players arrival and Kwannon slowly turns his bald head to face them. He weakly greets the Cabal and then Kwannon tells them that Daishi had told him of the tale they related to him earlier that day. He said it sounded familiar and that he wanted to find out if they knew anything about the worst kept secret in Kyoto – the Shinwa Taizen.

Somewhat taken aback, but not completely surprised, Kemosiri tells Kwannon they do not know very much and that they have only recovered six of the scrolls. Mori reads Kemosiri’s aura and sees that Kemosiri is being sincere (even though Kemosiri is lying – he had obtained a seventh scroll in his dreams). Kwannon warns them about the power of the Shinwa Taizen and that it is not to be treated lightly. The Cabal ask Kwannon what he knows about the Shinwa Taizen. He tells them that he will reveal everything to them at dawn after he has had enough rest. Daishi quietly ushers the Cabal out of Kwannon’s residence and shows them to rooms for the night.

As the Cabal retires, they talk about what they have learned up to this point. They now know what they have suspected for quite some time – that the Shinwa Taizen must be destroyed. Since nothing they have done to the scrolls up to this time has had any effect on them, they do not believe they can simply destroy them. Until they can figure out how to destroy the Shinwa Taizen, they decide that the scrolls must be kept under lock and key.

However, Mori does not believe that Kwannon knows anything of value and that waiting for him to reveal all is a waste of time. He leaves telling the rest of the Cabal he’s had enough of this nonsense.

Next: Shadows of Nanking, part 3

All My RPG's Listed in One Place

Scroll down my Sidebar to the left and you will find a new section for My RPG Library. This section is compliments of a new website called Library Thing (which I notice is still in Beta).

Library Thing allows you to enter your entire library and share what you read with the world. I have been told it's like flickr for books. You can also hook up with other people who have similar book collections or libraries as you do. You can rate your books, write reviews and read reviews of books others own. I especially like the UnSuggestor ("if you like Book X, you will NOT like Book Y.").

It looks absolutely amazing

On this site, you will be able to see what books I have in my RPG collection by looking at the "Random Books in my Library". If you want to search my entire library, click on the "Library Thing" icon below that and it will take you to a listing of everything I own in my RPG Collection. For other books, you'll just have to connect with my General/Writing Blog.

(RC) Shadows of Nanking – Ch. 11, part 1

Summary: The Cabal prepares to enter a the last known place where the original Cabal disappeared.

Recap: The Cabal is onboard the ship for a month before arriving back in Osaka. During that time, they contact Duncan and have him construct a walk-in safe to store the larger scrolls in. When they get back to their Sanctum, Kemosiri places the 7 chapters of the Shinwa Taizen into the new safe, but keeps the one hidden chapter to himself and then goes to his hidden sanctum to speak with Sachiko (see Interlude). Duncan tells everyone that Ms. Ogawa has not come out of her apartment since they left for Hong Kong.

Dancer has already arrived. She stayed with the Bunny Warner’s for three weeks before she said she had to leave. She does not want to talk about why she left. She chose the Shadow Name of Hachi-ko (named after the Japan’s most loyal Akita dog).

After Kemosiri returns to the Sanctum, the Cabal decide what they are going to do next. Kemosiri suggests exploring the cave located in Kobe. He believes the Queen of Hell, who is prominently mentioned in the Shinwa Taizen, may be down there. To do so, they figure they need more information. The Cabal decides to visit Koya (the Yamada Taro mage located in the Mental Hospital), to get info regarding the cave, but when they arrive, the nurse informs them that Koya had been transferred a week ago. There was no destination given on the manifest.

The Cabal decides to break into the Psych Ward and confront the ghost. They use Ghost Gates to walk into Twilight and then enter the hospital and then exit Twilight. They exit Twilight in the hospital’s basement – the oldest part of the hospital, and try to summon the World War II ghost Kemosiri had met there. Despite pulling off the ritual perfectly, no ghost appears and no psychic remnant of the ghost remains. Kontonshin uses the Time Arcanum to find out who is responsible. She can only see a man wearing robes and a mask destroying the ghost. The Cabal believes it is Tatsu who destroyed the ghost, but beyond what Kontonshin saw, they have nothing else to go on.

Kontonshin uses the same ability to find out who took Koya and sees only nameless paramedics. Finally, they break in to the personnel office and find out who the nurse on duty was the night Koya was transferred. They find out she had not appeared for the past week. They get her address and head straight for her apartment. They find the apartment empty and discover that she had moved out less than a week ago. Kontonshin’s uses Postcognition and sees the faces of the same paramedics who transferred Koya from the Psych Ward.

Dejected, the Cabal returns to their sanctum. Detective Imada is waiting for them. Several mutilated bodies were found south of Kyoto in a field. He asks the Cabal to investigate.

Before the Cabal begins investigating, they go to Kiyomizu-Dera to confront Tatsu. They demand to know what he had to do with the disappearance of Koya. Tatsu vehemently tells them he had absolutely nothing to do with his disappearance and that if it had not been for the fact that they were foreigners, he would have challenged them to a duel of magic for their insolence. The Cabal leaves Kiyomizu-dera not believing anything Tatsu had to say.

The Cabal arrives at the gravesite Detective Imada had told them about. Four burnt, eviscerated and mutilated bodies are found in shallow graves. Kontonshin uses her Postcognition to see the sacrifice. She sees a group of robed and hooded people encircling the bound and naked bodies of Koya, the nurse and the “paramedics”. Then, their bodies are mutilated with a ritual knife and large chunks of their flesh are greedily devoured in an orgy of blood and viscera. No matter how many times the knife plunges into their bodies and no matter how much of their flesh is taken in the obscene ritual, the victims remain alive and they scream; their cries for mercy ignored. Only the sound of the ripping and tearing of flesh and the slurping of blood and entrails can be heard under the victims howls for relief. Their wails pierce Kontonshin’s heart and she struggles to keep watching - but she watches because she has to know who their leader is. Finally, the Cultist leader removes his hood Kontonshin sees the face of – Professor Wu.

Next: Shadows of Nanking, part 2

Kitsunemori

Okay, this has been around for a little while, but I haven't gotten around to posting any info about it.

Kitsunemori is a d20 product. It offers the Japan inspired setting of Yonhosu Valley. The setting is filled with the tropes you would expect in any fantasy setting inspired by the myths and legends of Japan. For a product put out by a small indie press like Dog Soul Publishing, it is very well written and shows high production value.

You can find a description for Kitsunemori on the DrivethruRPG site.

Relaunching - Asian Shadows

This is the official Relaunching of this Blog - now renamed "Asian Shadows". This blog will be dedicated to Asian-style RPG's (L5R, Qin, Feng Shui or other RPG's re-tooled for Asian themes - such as my current Mage campaign), but mostly as an [Actual Play] of the RPG campaigns that I run.

Right now, I am quickly writing and re-writing text for the remainder of the Ryujin Chronicles 1 (that's right, as we speak, a second Ryujin Chronicles is set to begin in February 2007).

Asian Shadows has also been re-tooled with the new Blogger. New formatting, labels etc. will slowly make its way into Blog posts. So stay tuned.

(RC) Hell’s Kitchen – Ch. 10, part 3

Summary: The Cabal meets with Hong Kong’s Consilium. Kemosiri gains another piece of the Shinwa Taizen.

Recap:

The Hong Kong Consilium sends a few men down to the Aethenium to find the Cabal. They meet up with Kemosiri and friends as they try and transport not only the ancient artefacts, but Mingly’s broken form as well. The Cabal is very cautious at first; thinking the men may be agents of the Seers of the Throne, but agree to follow them up through the subway tunnels up to the streets of Hong Kong. Outside, they meet the Tai Pan who invites them into her limo and takes them to the Chi Lin Nunnery, the headquarters of the Ghost Shadows, a cabal made up of the Guardians of the Veil mages. The Tai Pan orders her servants to care for and heal Mingly.

After inviting the Cabal to sit and relax and enjoy refreshments, the Tai Pan tells the Cabal that all the scrolls from the Aethenium belong to the Ghost Shadows. The Tong of the Sixth Dragon was a Hong Kong Consilium cabal and with the destruction of their last member, all contents of the Aethenium revert to the Consilium. Also, the Ghost Shadows need the scrolls to fight the Seers and they are so weak, they need any advantage they can get. The Five Thunders were ready to attack the Seers and the Tai Pan knows such an action would be suicidal.

Not wishing to condemn what was left of the Hong Kong Consilium to the Seers, Kemosiri lays claim to the Aethenium scrolls. Kemosiri explains to the Tai Pan that they risked life and limb and rescued the scrolls stored in the Aethenium that the Tai Pan and the Hong Kong Consilium had failed to recover and protect. Kemosiri also explains that the scrolls, once interpreted, did not seem to contain rotes useful for combating the Seers – only legend and myth.

Not wanting to provoke a violent confrontation, Kemosiri allows the Tai Pan to copy the scrolls for themselves knowing they will not be able to do it. As part of the deal, Kemosiri and his Cabal must find and convince the Five Thunders not to attack the Seers. The Tai Pan wants to keep them alive so the Consilium can regroup and become a stronger force against the Seers.

While the Tai Pan and the Ghost Shadows attempt to copy the Aethenium scrolls, Kemosiri retires to his chamber in the Chi Lin Nunnery. While he sleeps, he dreams of encountering Amaterasu herself. Amaterasu tells Kemosiri she holds the secrets to ultimate power and wishes to share that knowledge with him. The knowledge he already possesses is a start, but it is only a beginning. If he were to submit to her will, she would show him so much more. Kemosiri submits to Amaterasu’s will, wanting to learn more about the scrolls he has almost died trying to recover. Amaterasu begins to recite to him another chapter of the Shinwa Taizen. When Kemosiri wakes up, he copies what Amaterasu has told him onto another parchment, creating another scroll of the Shinwa Taizen.

Kontonshin, Tenzin and Mori make contact with Mingly’s cabal, the Five Thunders. They agree to meet them at a restaurant in Kowloon. Kemosiri joins them after creating the new Shinwa Taizen scroll, but does not tell his Cabal-mates about his night time visions.

The Cabal finds the four remaining members of the Five Thunders at the restaurant – Datta, Tiger, Bai Yu Feng and Hong Quan. A few minutes of speaking to them reveal to the Cabal that they are incompetent without good leadership (which Mingly likely provided). The Five Thunders are reluctant to submit to the leadership of such a weak Consilium, but the Cabal convinces them to return to the Chi Lin Nunnery and discuss matters with Mingly and the Tai Pan. Just as they are leaving, the Tai Huan Chai (the Tong minions of the Seers) attack and a prolonged gun battle ensues. The members of the Five Thunders scatter and defend themselves in a disorganized fashion. Datta and Bai Yu Feng are badly injured, but with judicious use of Prime and Fate magic, Kontonshin and Mori help repel the Seer attack and get the rest of them back to the Chi Lin Nunnery.

Back at the Nunnery, the Tai Pan confronts the Cabal. The Ghost Shadows cannot copy the scrolls and the knowledge contained within them. Kemosiri feigns surprise. Not wanting a fight with a Cabal from another Consilium, the Tai Pan lets them have the scrolls but the Tai Pan makes them promise to not only return them when they are finished, but if they need any help, to come to their aid in the future.

The Cabal leaves for Kyoto by taking a cruise ship since the Seers were monitoring the Airports.

Next: Shadows of Nanking, part 1