exposed skin, armor and weapons and his armor is made of a thin

Six Demon Blades layer of stone over leather).

By James Stubbs
“Fire” can ignite his katana (or has in coated with flammable
Author’s Note: If you want to disregard the supernatural aspects oil) and can seriously burn an opponent.
of this, it is easy to do. These men are simply very dangerous “Metal” is made of steel (or, like Earth, has exposed skin
men with a penchant for “parlor tricks” to fake demonic powers colored like metal and armor plates underneath his armor).
in which to scare the peasants. Also note that this scenario is “Smoke” can create a dense fog (or uses smoke bombs
more in the vein of Shaw Brothers martial arts films (with a dark dropped behind him to create a dense cloud) that he can move
edge) than a classic samurai movie, just have fun with it! around in to strike others while they can’t see.
“Water” can slash with his sword and hit with blunt force
The Premise: The PCs are samurai in the service of Lord from a distance through a water spray (the interior of the sword is
Kobayashi. Six ronin in a neighboring province have caused hollow and can hold a single shot of water contained in the hilt).
havoc. These former samurai are leaderless after the death of their “Wind” is just supernaturally fast (or just really really quick
daimyo, Lord Kajiwara. It is rumored that these desperate men because “he” is secretly a lithe she).
made a deal with an oni to resurrect their beloved lord but were
tricked and cursed with terrible power that drove them quite mad. Defeating the Menace: How you conclude the scenario is up to
Their bloody trail is headed towards the PC’s province. Lord you. You may want the samurai to defeat them before they reach
Hotta, a former friend of Kajiwara’s has dispatched a messenger the two shrines, have the enemy cause more mayhem at other
to warn Kobayashi of these dangerous men headed their way. villages on the way or have the samurai bust into the shrine just
in the nick of time before they slay the head priest and cause an
The Setup: The PCs are out doing a task for their lord. It all-out battle royale inside a sacred temple.
may be something as simple as surveying the rice crop for the
season, collecting taxes from the various villages or something Earth
difficult such as hunting bandits. In the process of their work, STURDINESS: 2/Martial Arts 1; APPEARANCE: 1; GUILE:
they discover the messenger. He has been strung up from a tree, 2/Dodge 1; MIND: 2/Observation 1; PRESENCE: 3; BLOOD
disemboweled and the body horribly mutilated. It is impossible 17.
to tell if this was the work of a single man or many. A scroll Equipment: nodachi (6 damage). Reinforced armor (AV 5)
case lies amongst a pile of his entrails. If they retrieve the case
(ew!), inside they will find Hotta’s message to their lord. Not Fire
immediately taking the note to Kobayashi is a punishable offense STURDINESS: 2/Martial Arts 2 Serial Attack 1;
even if the PCs first instinct is to hunt down the killer or killers. APPEARANCE: 2; GUILE: 1/Dodge 2; MIND: 2;
PRESENCE: 4; BLOOD 16.
Massacre! If they take the note to Kobayashi or not, word will Equipment: katana (5 damage plus 1 damage/round until
soon reach them that a group of men attacked a farming village extinguished), wakizashi (4 damage). Leather armor (AV 3)
and killed almost everyone there that couldn’t get away. Lord
Kobayashi dispatches them to hunt down these men either Metal
because they are there in his palace with him or he will dispatch STURDINESS: 3/Martial Arts 1; APPEARANCE: 1; GUILE:
a horse messenger to find them. The PCs are given horses if, for 2/Dodge 1; MIND: 2/Gen. Knowledge 1; PRESENCE: 3;
some reason, they do not have them. BLOOD 17.
Arriving at the village, they can find a few survivors, men who Equipment: nodachi (6 damage). Reinforced armor (AV 6)
were out in the far paddies or women who ran at the first signs
of trouble. Descriptions are useless as they saw “samurai” and Smoke
nothing else – like most lower class peasants, all samurai are just STURDINESS: 2/Martial Arts 2; APPEARANCE: 2; GUILE:
grouped in a lump of people they must obey, suffer and die like 2/Stealth 2; MIND: 1/Observation 1; PRESENCE: 2; BLOOD
cattle for. The most useful information, however, comes from a 15.
woman, now widowed, who saw them split up, three to the north Equipment: tetsubo (5 damage). Smoke screen (-2 to strike
and the rest to the south. The PCs may opt to split up but, if they Smoke when active). Leather armor (AV 3)
realize that these ronin are on foot, they have plenty of time to
deal with each of the two groups as one. Water
STURDINESS: 2/Martial Arts 1; APPEARANCE: 3; GUILE:
The Cursed: These men are seeking the blood of a high priest 1/Dodge 1; MIND: 2/Observation 1; PRESENCE: 4; BLOOD
to bathe in because that is the only thing that will free them from 16.
their curse (or, if not using the supernatural story, they’re just Equipment: katana (5 damage +6 Umph (or an additional 1
insane). Important Shinto shrines lie, naturally enough, to the damage)). Wakizashi (4 damage). Leather armor (AV 3)
north and south. They split because one priest can’t possibly have
enough blood for all six. Wind
Each group of three is traveling with two moving together STURDINESS: 1/Martial Arts 2 Serial Attack 2;
with the third member moving behind as a rear guard because APPEARANCE: 3/Disguise 2; GUILE: 2/Dodge 2; MIND: 2;
they fully expect pursuit. The “straggler” is to delay and even die PRESENCE: 5; BLOOD 14.
for his companions to give the others a greater lead. Equipment: katana (5 damage) wakizashi (4 damage).
Leather armor (AV 3)
“Earth” is made of solid rock (or has clay coloring his
 they will move to the other side of the mountain and inform the
Kunoichi’s Daughter ninja there of the samurai on the road and their questions. These
By James Stubbs
men will send some of their best fighters to deal with the nosy
samurai. If the PCs look inside the mikoshi, they will find the
The Premise: Hitomi Osaka, a female ninja of the infamous
child, heavily swaddled against the chill evening air. The ninja
Onyx Dragon clan wants to save her newborn daughter. While
will reveal themselves at that point and will be joined shortly
posing as a concubine to a minor noble, she became pregnant.
by another group sent from the mountain to see why they are
Under clan law, her daughter will be raised and trained as a
running late (the original group was behind schedule to begin
ninja. This is something she does not want. Fortunately, she has
with). Coming up the original noted side of the mountain will just
a minor claim to royalty and has secretly gotten word out to Lord
draw a group assigned to sentry on that side instead.
Nakamura. Nakamura has assigned a group of samurai to abduct
the girl as she is being transported to a hidden training location
Ninja Ambush! At some point during the scenario, the PCs are
that she has disclosed. Even though Nakamura doesn’t relish the
going to be attacked by ninja either all at once, or in individual
chance of offending a group he may have need of their services
groups depending upon their actions. Fortunately none of
later, his obligations demand it. He decrees that there are to be no
these attackers are armed with poisoned weapons. If any of the
witnesses that can connect the samurai back to him.
characters are unarmored, the ninja will hurl shuriken at them
before leaping out to attack, otherwise, they’ll just jump in with
The Setup: The PCs are samurai in the service of Lord
their ninjato and tessen, hoping to take the interlopers down
Nakamura and are chosen to take on this task for him. He
quickly.
explains the circumstances (detailed above) and that there is no
honor lost if it must resort to bloodshed (ninja have no honor).
Hitomi Osaka: If things go badly for the PCs and one or more
Nakamura requests that the PCs do not wear any armor or
of them die, Hitomi can appear with a few other sympathetic
adornments that would give away their affiliation. He can provide
kunoichi, having secretly followed the procession and waiting
them with plain armor like those of ronin (AV 2) if they so desire.
for the right moment to steal her daughter back in case the
samurai bungled the job. Although, this, in itself, can cause some
The Secret Path: The secret training camp is at the top of a
problems, especially now that they will have to bring Hitomi and
mountain. A ragged path cuts through a heavily forested swatch
her followers along with them because, should their interference
of land before giving way to a treacherous winding path up the
be discovered, they will be put to death. This will not make Lord
side of the mountain. There is no cover to attack from on the
Kobayashi happy but what choice does he have other than to try
mountain so the samurai will have to either boldly block the
to cover the whole thing up as quietly as he can. Heck, to make
wooded road or spring from ambush (a very un-samurai way
things interesting, perhaps Hitomi (as a NPC) might strike up
of attacking). A especially devious referee might even throw in
a romantic entanglement with one of the samurai which could
some false alarms such a merchant carrying contraband lotus who
play into a forbidden love story as she, as ninja, are viewed as
is rather hesitant to let these unknown men search his wagon or a
disgraced.
peasant group who happens to have a newborn with them.
Concluding the Scenario: The PCs can claim victory once the
The Procession: After a long wait, the sounds of chanting
newborn is safely delivered to Nakamura. He will move swiftly
can be heard coming up the path. Later, a procession lead by a
to either place the child in with a noble family to raise or to hide
Shinto priest will come into view. He is accompanied by several
Hitomi and her child until the heat is off, depending upon how
followers bearing a mikoshi (a portable shrine).
the scenario played out.
He will patiently answer the samurai’s questions, explaining
that they are not headed up the mountain, there is nothing up
Ninja
there, but they are headed around it to a distant village. They
STURDINESS: 2/Martial Arts 1 Missile Weapon 1;
would be happy to have the armed men escort them as long as
APPEARANCE: 2/Disguise 2; GUILE: 2/Dodge 1 Stealth 1;
they give their word of honor that they do not intend on robbing
MIND: 2/Observation 1; PRESENCE: 2; BLOOD 14.
them. The PCs are not allowed to look inside the mikoshi (the
Equipment: ninjato (4 damage) tessen (4 damage) shuriken
place that only revered spirits belong) but the head priest will
(2 damage)
be more than willing to bless the party if they are looking for
spiritual happiness.
Hitomi Osaka
In case you haven’t guessed, the priest and his followers are
STURDINESS: 2/Martial Arts 2 Missile Weapon 1;
all ninja and the child is inside the mikoshi (ninja have no honor
APPEARANCE: 3/Disguise 2 Performance 2 Seduction 2;
or adherence to religion when it suits them). There is another
GUILE: 2/Dodge 2 Stealth 2; MIND: 2; PRESENCE: 3;
path up the opposite side of the mountain that they intend to take
BLOOD 14.
but, if the samurai insist on escorting them, they know that there
Equipment: ninjato (4 damage) tessen (4 damage) shuriken
is another group of ninja that will ambush any strangers at the
(2 damage)
beginning of the other path and they will lead the PCs right to
them before revealing themselves when the trap is sprung.

Other Possibilities: If the PCs are completely taken in by the

acting of the ninja and let the group proceed without escort,
 Daisuke’s last guard is still up and trying to fight but he is
Guns in the Mountains severely wounded and bleeding profusely from several arrow
By James Stubbs
strikes and one shallow but long slash to his forearm. He is a
dead man walking either way as the arrows are mortal wounds
The Premise: Lord Kajime, a spineless man to begin with, has
and will die shortly after the arrival of the samurai.
traded gold to the foreigners for their guns. He hopes to use
these infernal weapons to crush his rivals and to make up for
Daisuke & Kumiko Kyou: The merchant and his wife will plead
his otherwise weak army. Spies have informed Lord Fujiwara
upon the samurais honor to protect them through the pass. Their
of their route through a remote mountain pass. The mountains
livelihood depends upon their goods being sold and, given that
are notoriously known as a bandit stronghold but it seems that
there is only one road, they and the samurai are both going the
Kajime is either foolhardy, daring or has paid off the bandits
same way.
to not molest this shipment. Fujiwara, always wary about the
If the PCs are smart, they will realize that, if they take the
ambitions of the neighboring Kajime, wants that shipment
guns, those long bolts of silk in the back of Daisuke’s wagon
destroyed.
would be prefect to hide the weapons in to bring back to Fujiwara
without anyone being the least bit suspicious.
The Setup: The PCs are samurai in the service of Lord Fujiwara.
The arrival of the foreigners months ago has brought a new
The Gun Shipment: The muskets are simply covered in cloth in
tension to the political climate as each daimyo wonders who will
the back of a flatbed wagon and lashed down with rope to prevent
make a deal with the foreign devils in an attempt to gain power
any from falling off. Also present are two casks of gunpowder
over their rivals. Kajime is the weak one and Fujiwara summons
and burlap sack of shot. Setting fire to either cask would ensure
the PCs with the information about the route of the gun shipment.
an explosive end to the weapons. In addition to the driver, there
He wants the shipment stopped and, if possible, the weapons
are two ronin in the back of the wagon and eight men, armed with
stolen and brought to him in secret so he can profit from Kajime’s
bo staves, walking escort. There really isn’t any cover or place to
carelessness. If that is not possible, he wants them destroyed
lay an ambush though, if they think of it, the samurai can conceal
rather than face the possibility that they will be turned against
themselves in Daisuke’s wagon or, strip off their armor and pose
him.
as simple guards.
The men with the gun shipment are not out to cause trouble so
Bandit Country: The journey to the mountain pass lies through
they will let Daisuke’s wagon pass even though they are bandits
the lawless lands of the countryside, where disgruntled and hard
– they’re being paid better than any pickings they could get from
men turn to brigandage, masterless ronin make out whatever kind
a merchant.
of honorless existence they can through crime and petty thieves
are everywhere that take advantage of the already poor or those
Capturing or Destroying the Guns: Any way you look at it,
who have the misfortune of falling into their clutches.
there is going to be a fight. If the PCs are victorious, they can
There is a reason that bandits favor mountainous areas, they
destroy the weapons with the gunpowder, push the wagon off
have the advantage of position and it is extremely hard for
the mountainside into a deep ravine or smuggle them back to
armored soldiers to labor up and, if they do, they are likely too
Fujiwara. Daisuke doesn’t care about the guns as he can’t sell
exhausted to put up much of a fight. And, much like Fujiwara
them to anyone that probably wouldn’t kill him but he will insist
suspected, Kajime has paid off the bandits through this pass with
on being reimbursed for the silk or anything else the samurai use.
gold to let his shipment through and, unknown to him, a bonus
Fujiwara will be happy to pay such a small price for acquiring
would be paid for the heads of any interlopers who tried to stop
firearms for little cost and the severe blow both in money and
or rob the shipment.
honor that it will cost Kajime.
The one advantage that the PCs will have is that bandits are
usually lightly armed, wear no armor and are not organized in
Concluding the Scenario: While the appreciation from their
large numbers. The downside is that they attack from hiding and
lord should be enough, Daisuke and his wife will offer to gift
at range. The samurai will be harassed frequently as they make
each samurai with a very well-done white (symbolic for the
their way towards the pass, this made even more frustrating
willingness to die) silk kimono for saving their lives.
that, when fights go against them, bandits tend to run rather than
honorably fight to the death.
Mountain Bandit
STURDINESS: 2/Martial Arts 1 Running 1; APPEARANCE:
A Complication: The dreaded guns aren’t the only thing being
1; GUILE: 1/Riding 2; MIND: 1; BLOOD 10.
moved through the mountains, many legitimate merchants almost
Equipment: bo (4 damage) yumi (8 damage)
make use of them. Only the most foolhardy, however, don’t
take precautions against brigandage. Daisuke Kyou is not a fool
Ronin
but his hired guards are almost all dead and his terrified wife,
STURDINESS: 2/Martial Arts 2 Serial Attack 1;
Kumiko, is along with him after nagging him about staying at
APPEARANCE: 2; GUILE: 2/Dodge 1; MIND: 2;
home all the time while he went off. Daisuke is carrying bolts of
PRESENCE: 3; BLOOD 14.
silk, semi-exotic spices, various village crafts, and a small supply
Equipment: katana (5 damage) wakizashi (4 damage).
of fireworks for sale and trade throughout the province. The
Leather armor (AV 2)
sound of battle echoes through the air and should draw the PCs.
If it doesn’t, add in Kumiko’s screams.
 will run to the gates of the walled mansion and try to summon
The Royal Shadow someone and, even then, they’re going to have to do some fast
By James Stubbs
talking to convince the servant that someone is inside his master’s
home. If they, likewise, climb over the wall, they will attract
The Premise: A bold and reckless thief has been plaguing the
the attention of Yamashita’s hired guards who will, naturally,
capital city. He only strikes those of wealth and influence and,
assume the samurai of being thieves or assassins – someone had
so far, has eluded capture. This seeming ability to disappear has
better convince them quick or kill them rapidly. Mentioning Lord
earned him the nickname ‘Shadow’ among the populace and
Ito’s name does wonders for convincing anyone in Yamashita’s
embellished (and bawdy) tales of his exploits are popular among
employ.
the lesser merchants and peasants. In reality, Shadow is Prince
Ito who has become bored with his privileged life and gets his
Framed! As the samurai get into Yamashita’s home, they will
thrills by breaking the law. Unfortunately for him, the yakuza has
find Shadow standing over Ren’s dead and very bloody body.
guessed the thrill behind his actions and, even though they don’t
Their arrival snaps Shadow from his, seeming, shock and he will
know his identity, has used his desire to commit several thefts for
vault out of the window. It is a reasonable assumption to make
them to throw attention away from other crimes being committed.
the Yamashita interrupted the robbery and was killed. Fortunately
The PCs are requested by Lord Ito to succeed where his city
for the PCs, Shadow injured his leg in the jump and can’t run
guard has failed - to bring in this Shadow to face punishment.
very quickly. It is easy for them to catch him as he painfully tries
to climb back over the wall again. Let the first person who grabs
The Setup: The PCs are samurai in the service of Lord Ito.
him come away with a black sash that was wrapped around his
He has charged them to deal with this Shadow, not because
head that now reveals his identity as Prince Ito. God help the
it concerns him much but because this thief is making his
samurai if they, in their zeal to catch the thief, kill the Prince or
government officials look incompetent and he does not want
seriously injure him.
to loose face among the other daimyos. The only thing that Ito
can tell the samurai is that all the robberies happened at night,
Yakuza Attack! It is in the best interest for the yakuza men
targeted the wealthy and influential, which limits the thefts to
to attack and kill the samurai so that ‘Shadow’ can continue
around his palace, and inconsequential items were taken which
to run interference for their real crimes. If the PCs didn’t kill
leads him to believe that this man is purposely doing it to taunt
Yamashita’s guards, they can lend a hand at fighting off these
the authorities. Shadow leaves a red silk sash at the scene of
men (and provide replacement characters if someone dies).
all his thefts. Items taken so far have ranged from an oddly
These masked men drop out of the trees overhanging the walled
shaped river pebble to a small teak box that contained salt. Ito is
courtyard and draw their weapons. Bloody mayhem ensues.
concerned however that other thefts have been happening and he
While most of these men will fight to the death, one or more of
is worried that Shadow and others are in league with each other
them, once the fight starts to turn against them, will try to escape
or there are others copying his crimes because other missing
to warn their bosses… and this could have possible ramifications
items have been valuable. The only sensible course of action is to
for the samurai later on as they have now made very powerful
capture this Shadow and prove to anyone else that the daimyo’s
and elusive enemies.
law cannot be flaunted.
Concluding the Scenario: Prince Ito will deny any involvement
Unbeknownst to the PCs: There is a yakuza spy in Lord
with the masked attackers though it will be easy enough to
Ito’s palace that alerts his partners when he overhears Ito’s
connect them to the yakuza through the tattoos on their bodies.
conversation with the samurai and sends word to his superiors.
The prince will be hauled before his father and, if the PCs are
The yakuza boss sends word back that they will send men. If the
really really smart, they will do so privately to avoid a scandal.
samurai get too close to capturing Shadow, they will intervene
Lord Ito will move very quickly to quiet up any connection
as “allies” to continue to mask their other criminal activities or,
between his son and Yamashita’s death and the robberies and will
should the Shadow, in his own activities, endanger their own,
make the PCs swear under threat of dishonorable death that they
they will be there to stage an event to link him to a murder.
will never speak of this again.
The City after Dark: Actually catching Prince Ito in action is
Guard
going to be difficult but not impossible. If they roam the area
STURDINESS: 2/Martial Arts 1; APPEARANCE: 1; GUILE:
around the palace enough they will finally see a black-clad figure
1; MIND: 1/Observation 1; BLOOD 12.
drop over the wall around a minor noble’s home. First, however,
Equipment: club (4 damage) cloth armor (AV 1)
they will have to contend with all manners of potentially
embarrassing false alarms such as minor officials crawling out of
Yakuza Assassin
the bedroom windows of other men’s wives, suspicious looking
STURDINESS: 2/Climbing 1 Martial Arts 1 Running 1;
characters (who may or may not be drunk) lurking near darkened
APPEARANCE: 1; GUILE: 2/Dodge 1; MIND: 1; BLOOD 13.
areas who are only urinating in what they assume were unseen
Equipment: short sword (4 damage) knife (3 damage)
areas, or someone important, who could really make the PCs
lives miserable, being caught buying illegal lotus from a shady
Prince Ito
criminal.
STURDINESS: 2/Climbing 1 Martial Arts 1; APPEARANCE:
1/Performance 1; GUILE: 1/Stealth 2; MIND: 1; BLOOD 12.
The Mansion of Ren Yamashita: If the samurai are smart they
Equipment: knife (3 damage)
 governmental officials about their plans to embezzle money or
Duplicity cheat the peasants out of more money this year through fictional
By James Stubbs
taxes that they will pocket. Servant girls or concubines may be
The Premise: The PCs are ronin. It has been some time since heard discussing who is sleeping with whom or the performance
they have been able to find employment and funds are running of any given person in the palace in bed. Guardsmen may be
low. However, luck is with them. Through an old acquaintance heard joking or relating tales about someone in the palace doing
they hear that Lord Kishimoto, the daimyo of a distant province, something stupid or making disparaging remarks about their
is looking for someone to do a less-than-honorable job but the superiors. Poets or musicians can be caught in moments of
pay is nice if the persons hired can keep their mouths shut. An frustration about their latest piece not sounding right. By and
arrangement is made to meet an intermediary, who happens to large, these encounters are benign but, if the PCs are getting
be the youngest prince in the royal family. He explains that there careless or sloppy, they can be spotted and will have to either fast
is a spy in the royal court from another province. This man has talk their way out of the situation or quietly eliminate the threat.
learned too much and must be eliminated. In truth, his father, the
Takeshi Kamio & Friend: After a bit of snooping and searching,
daimyo, knows nothing of this tale - the youngest prince is going
the ronin will spot a man matching Kamio’s description slink
to have his own brother assassinated by these “bloodthirsty”
quietly between two hedges and disappear from sight. Following
ronin so that he can be next in line for the throne from his aging
him, they will see him come into a clearing as a woman comes
father. If they succeed and find out what’s going on, they must
from the other side who must be the contact Prince Hiroyuki
decide between telling the truth (and their lives are forfeit) or just
spoke of. They quickly embrace and seem to be sharing a hushed
taking the money and running (and the prince will try to have
conversation that the PCs are unable to hear. There are no guards
them eliminated to make sure they never talk).
around and this would be the perfect opportunity to strike.
The Setup: After a long journey to Lord Kishimoto’s province, Kamio is only armed with a knife and isn’t much of a
they show up at the designated spot, which happens to be an inn challenge to the well-armed ronin. The woman will scream loudly
that is conveniently deserted. Armed men politely but firmly as they attack but won’t or can’t run away. She will need to be
will escort them into the dark inn but avoid looking directly at silenced as well.
any of the PCs. A shadowy figure will identify himself as Prince He will not answer to the name “Takeshi Kamio” if the ronin
Hiroyuki Kishimoto. He apologizes for the need for darkness and verbally engage him first but he will move to place himself
secrecy but, as you can imagine, a person of his personage should between his attackers and the woman and yell loudly for guards.
not be seen associating with ronin, especially in such a time of His eyes flash angrily and he will snarl, “you dare assault the
treachery when word of anything out of the ordinary could tip off prince?! I will have you beheaded and hung from the walls for
the spy that something is amiss and cause them to flee before they this!” Uh-oh. If the ronin hasn’t realized they’ve been taken in by
can close the net. now they should deserve everything that’s coming to them.
Prince Hiroyuki will forward each man 100 Ryo as a symbol
Concluding the Scenario: If they kill the prince and the woman
of trust but, if they accept the money, he will consider it a
(one of his concubines), they’d better get out of the province
binding agreement to accept the work. Each man will receive
quickly. If they get greedy and try to collect the rest of the money
an additional 200 Ryo when the job is finished. If they take
owed them, Hiroyuki will meet them at the inn again but order
the money, Hiroyuki will give them a description of the man,
his men to kill the “murderers.” If they skip town, Hiroyuki will
medium build, shoulder-length hair, favors the color red and
hire a score of ninja and/or assassins to hunt the ronin down and
has a lazy left eye. The man’s name is Takeshi Kamio but they
make sure that they never tell anyone of what really happened. If
should not rely on that as the prince is not sure if that is his real
the PCs confess everything to the elder Prince Hiroyuki, he will
name and he could be using several different ones. This Kamio
turn on his younger brother with the PCs help, but have them
has been frequently seen in the royal gardens and Hiroyuki will
tossed in prison afterwards for treason where they can await to be
suggest that that is probably where he can be best ambushed and
executed (or escape).
also where they might get his contact as well. The contact is not
as important to the prince but he will add an additional 100 Ryo
Garden Guardsman/Hiroyuki Bodyguards
total if they kill him as well. Hiroyuki will arrange for one of the
STURDINESS: 2/Martial Arts 1; APPEARANCE: 1; GUILE:
garden gates to be unattended tomorrow for them to get in but
1; MIND: 1/Observation 1; BLOOD 12.
he cannot do anything about the few guardsmen that patrol the
Equipment: katana (5 damage) cloth armor (AV 1)
grounds – the ronin must be careful to avoid being seen.

The Palace Gardens: True to his word, one of the gates is Elder Prince Hiroyuki/”Takeshi Kamio”
unguarded and the ronin can gain access easily. The garden, STURDINESS: 2/ Martial Arts 1; APPEARANCE: 3/Seduction
however, is a maze of ornamental hedges, small groves and 1; GUILE: 2/Riding 1; MIND: 2; BLOOD 13.
flowering vine trellises all designed for beauty and for privacy to Equipment: knife (3 damage)
the royal family and their guests. Setting up an ambush is easy
in such a place as this but the problem is finding Kamio in this Younger Prince Hiroyuki
labyrinth while avoiding guards. STURDINESS: 2/ Martial Arts 1; APPEARANCE: 3/
Let the characters move sneak about and let them get a Performance 1; GUILE: 3/Con 2; MIND: 2; BLOOD 13.
glimpse into the secret life of the lord’s family. Events in the Equipment: short sword (4 damage)
garden might include eavesdropping on talk between higher level