In-character journal of Daidoji Akita, describing the events in Otosan-Uchi, including the first appearance of an un-named monk played by Nicky.

------------------

After narrowly escaping with our lives it seems prudent to use my limited skill in calligraphy to keep a journal of my travels. If anyone should find this please keep it safe and if any body of organisation still exists, deliver it to the castle of the emerald champion or wherever the Imperial Legions headquarters are.

The Emperor Hantei 38th is dead, his family including the heir Sotorii are dead. Killed by the hand of the traitor Bayushi Shoju. Even now his machinations filter out into the world, from the way people are talking it seems unlikely our ragtag band of loyal followers of the Hantei dynasty will succeed in bringing justice for our Emperor. The cammander of the Imperial Legions, lies on his funeral pyre now. He and hundreds of my fellow crane clan lie dead in the streets of the city, only a few blocks away from me. And I lie helpless in the second hospice bed I have been forced into in the last fortnight of madness. The Imperial Legion and the Emerald Champion have failed in their duty to protect the Emperor, we must now turn our attention to protecting the Empire, lest it be ruled by someone unfit for the role.

The monks of this temple have revealed the existence of an Oni. On their advice we attempted to defeat it. We failed. The beast is devastatingly powerful, it lured us in. We thought it a simple foe at first. But the more we fought it the tougher it became. Every time it is defeated it divides and re-shapes in a rapid explosive change into two new beings. Both smaller and harder to hit and weaker. This weakness again sucked us in and we fell for its trick and attacked again. When it was further divided, we realised our mistake. Its 3rd form is a challenge to strike for even the most skilled Samurai. It strikes with less and less power each time, but each strike passes on more potent shadowlands taint.

The logic of our companion Ide Ishiro the shugenja saved our lives when he called for the retreat. And adding to the piles of the deceased in those catacombs would have not brought news back of the type of creature it was. At least we have explained its powers, enough to worry the abboot. He tells me that the wounds I have suffered were grave, but the taint I have gained is far more serious. We are lucky that this temple is the great temple of Amaterasu, her light has seen us through without permenant harm.

So I lie here drinking my jade petal tea, and waiting for Ide Ishiro to awaken and heal my physical body. I feel I must document the details of the beast ...

Some details here Daidoji Akita includes in game terms. His script is more flowry than this.

Wakeru no Oni is a large, slow and lumbering, opponent standing 7 feet tall even with its crouched legs and hunched shoulders. It is a thin spindly thing, with long arms that can reach almost as far as a Yari. It attacks lazily with 6k5 to hit and 6k2 to damage. It attacks as a simple action (so can attack twice each round). After it has been split it must regain its primary shape, with some form of regeneration power but the duration that takes is unknown. Its TN to be hit was 20.

When it took about 50 damage it exploded into 2 slightly smaller versions of itself. These attacked with 5k4 and damage on 5k2. Its TN to be hit was 25. When it took 45 damage it exploded into two smaller versions of itself. And this is where the fight became tough. The smaller the creature became the more angry it became. Taking the full attack stance it flailed its limbs with reckless abandon.

The smaller they got the harder to hit and the more aggressive they became. At this point I realise that the beast gains a technique of sorts, granting increased armour to its brothers as we struggled to fight them, they became harder to hit. The agression of the smaller ones also fed the aggression of the larger ones causing it too to adopt the reckless full attack stance. The result was that the beasts next size down was TN 30 to hit and attacked twice each round with 4k3, and damaged with each successful attack as 4k1. The full attack stance reduced its armour TN by -10 (back to 20) but its attacks were +2k1 making its attack actually two at 6k4. Each damaging 4k1 still though.

The final division we experienced was into the terrifying half man height one. At this level the beast attacked twice each round with (3k2 + 2k1) 5k3. It damaged with 3k1, but provided a +10 Armour bonus to its allies (which thankfully did not stack). This is where we realised the beast was far beyond our current skill level.

The outcome of this was actually positive. We have a quest, we as a group must first deal with the current problem of Bayushi Shoju, but then we must train and prepare our tactics and return to those catacombs someday to end this Oni's life. What we plan must surely involve the Kuni witch-hunter's Tsuchi (hammer). The Abbot tells me that the effect of Jade on Oni is to prevent an Oni from regenerating. The additional power this hammer has will also be useful. It has been enchanted with the power to glow whenever an Oni is within 50 feet of it. The skill it requires is that of Bojutsu, not something I am familiar with but the young boy monk and the shugenja bot appear familiar with it.

The Abbot has asked the boy monk to join our band, and that we remain as a team until we are ready to return and rid the temple of this menace. The boy needs to develop his skill with the weapon which is an enchanted jade tsuchi which glows within 50' of Oni, the base damage of this one handed hammer is 3k1. The boy will be useful as he has knowledge of the undercity and will be able to escort us past the outer walls.

We now have several tasks to complete; We must take the dying words of the Emerald Champion to his son, the Clan Champion of the Crane clan, Doji Hoturi. We must also tell him of the death of the Emperor and his son Sotorii. Then we must take these words to our current leaders on the North bank of the river. Then we must defeat Bayushi Shoju, being wary of his allies the Crab and potentially the Unicorn too. When we gain victory in the city, honour dictates that we must then travel to the home of the Kuni Witch-hunters and bequeth them to permit us the honour of carrying their deceased members hammer, at least until the Oni which killed him is destroyed. Then we can dedicate our time to practicing and training for our task. We must decide ourselves when we are ready, for failing again will mean our certain death. We at least have the option of taking our time, it seems the Abbot was mistaken when he told us the Emperor Hantei being on the throne held the beast in place. It is the power of Lady Sun and the Temple itself which ensures the beasts imprisonment. The abbot had interpreted this to mean the imminent change in leadership brought on by the death of the Hantei. This is a lesson to us all to be wary of prophesies in general, but most of all to be wary of their interpretations.

The situation of the clans continues to be a problem, seven possibilities for a replacement Emperor exist. Bayushi Shoju of the Scorpion, Hida Kisada of the Crab, Doji Hoturi of the Crane, Akodo Toturi of the Lion, Togashi Yokune of the Dragon, Shinjo Yokatsu of the Unicorn and Shiba Ujimitsu of the Phoenix. For whom will we pledge our support? Rumours suggest that The Scorpion, Crab and Unicorn when it comes to it will side with the Scorpion, I only hope the combined forces of the rest of the Empire will be enough to hold it together. If only the Lion and my clan were not so commonly at odds, that is surely a factor in the Scorpion's favour. Something I am sure they will, both know about and use to their advantage. Then there is these strange Mirumoto from the Dragon clan. If we assume the Scorpion were behind the Unicorn clan's obvious foreknowledge of these events, and that the Unicorn are only on our side while they await a return of their bargain with the Scorpion. Then what is with the Dragon? The reclusive clan so fully prepared for a siege, but in such low numbers. This subject baffles me, I think I will just wait it out and pray to the fortunes it all works out.

...