9307 FROA1 Ninja Wars

FROM Advanced Dun*?
ADVENTURE
mjg Wars-
By Nigel Findley
nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)
Benju's Donjon
Ground Floor N
Solid wall 5"
Shoji (rice wall)

Nmja Wars
By Nigel Findley
T&ble of Contents
Chapter I: Introduction 2 Act 13—Death in the Streets 35
Chapter II: History of Aru 4 Act 14—Smoke and Moonlight 37
Chapter III: Aru Town 6 Act 15—Buntaro Abroad 38
Chapter IV: Politics 10 Act 16—Two Messages 39
Chapter V: The Main Events 13 Act 17—Meeting at the Shrine 40
Introduction 13 Act 18—Strangers in the Night 43
Act 1—Introductions 13 Act 19—Caught in the Act 44
Act 2—Scene of the Crime 16 Act 20—Hiro's Welcome 45
Act 3—The Monster of the Shrine 18 Act 21—Gambit Declined 46
Act 4—For Whom the Bell Tolls 20 Act 22—Back at the Castle 47
Act 5—Rumors 21 Act 23—Meeting with a Ninja 49
Act 6—Fire! 23 Act 24—The Grand Finale 50
Act 7—Ungrateful Dead? 24 Concluding the Adventure 52
Act 8—The Monk's Revenge 27 Chapter VI: Mini-Adventures 54
Act 9—Conversation with a Mute 28 Chapter VII: Nonplayer Characters 59
Act 10—Warning 30 Chapter VIII: Encounter Generator 67
Act 11—Sunset Audience 30 Chapter IX: New Adventures 70
Act 12—Guard Duty 33
Credits:
Designed by Nigel Findley

Edited by William W. Connors
Black & White Art by Mark Nelson
Cover Art by Fred Fields
Cartography by John Knecht
Production by Sarah Feggestad
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Cl7apt€K I: iNtROtUJCtiON
Welcome to Ninja Wars, the latest in the series of self in the position of daimyo. Tb reach that end, he's
Oriental Adventures modules set in the world of Kara- hired a newly-formed "family" of ninjas—the Varna-
Tim To use this module, you need to have a copy of the guchi clan, led by Takahashi Yamaguchi—to help
Oriental Adventures hardcover. Although it isn't him out. In a carefully-planned campaign of ninja as-
strictly necessary it would be useful if you had access sassinations and terror tactics, Eichiro plans to stir up
to the Kara-Tur Campaign Set and the module Blood of enough fear and commotion in Aru to attract the at-
the Yakuza—since these products contain information tention of the distant shogun. When the commotion
on the land of Wa, where this adventure takes place. has reached its peak, Eichiro plans to march into town
This package contains enough information for the at the head of his small personal army, and destroy
DM to be able to use it without reference to these ear- the "evil influences" that have been causing all the
lier products; however, the additional information trouble. This involves betraying and destroying Taka-
found in Kara-Thr and Blood of the Yakuza will help hashi Yamaguchi and his ninjas, of course, but nothing
the DM in developing and maintaining the atmos- must stand between Eichiro and his eventual success.
phere that is so vital to a successful Oriental Adven- While this move will purportedly be a friendly ges-
tures session. ture towards Benju—in fact, an attempt to solve the
problems before Benju gets in trouble—Eichiro hopes
that the shogun will interpret it in a different light: as
Stony LING an indication that Eichiro can take care of business,
Here's a brief overview of the story line of the mod- while Benju is an impotent blunderer.
ule. It will help familiarize the DM with the names of Although he doesn't know the details of the plot,
important places and NPCs, and give a "broad strokes" Benju has learned through his intelligence network
picture of how the adventure will probably develop. that something unpleasant is afoot. Realizing that his
The adventure takes place in and around the town position and honor depend on maintaining the
of Aru, a remote community on the west coast of the smooth running of the pilgrim season, the daimyo has
island nation of Wa. Its only claim to fame is that it's decided to invest in a little "insurance." Benju has
the site of a famous shrine—the Shining Temple of hired his own ninja "family"—the clan Ohara—and
Bishamon—that is the destination of tens of thou- charged them with protecting the pilgrims ... and, in-
sands of pilgrims each summer. Because of its remote cidentally, Benju and his family.
location, the shogun pays little attention to the town A third faction at work in Aru is the local yakuza
or its politics, and never notices the actions of Aru's clan. The clan's network of informers has told the
daimyo (or lord). . . unless that daimyo makes a mis- oyabun the basis of Eichiro's plan. In fact, the oyabun
take. The easiest way for the daimyo to make a mis- is better informed than Benju, since he knows that Ei-
take is to let something happen which interferes with chiro is behind everything. The yakuza clan sees this
the steady and smooth flow of pilgrims into and out of as a great opportunity. While Benju is distracted by Ei-
the town. If this should happen, the shogun is certain chiro's maneuvering, perhaps the yakuza can grab a
to notice, and is quite likely to replace the daimyo with little more influence in Aru. Thus it's in their best in-
a member of another clan. This removal from office terest to indirectly aid Eichiro by stirring up more
will usually be accompanied by "permission" from the trouble . . . but not too much. They know how life
shogun for the disgraced daimyo to "take the final would be with the ruthless Eichiro as daimyo, and
step on the road of life." Over the past several decades, don't relish the prospect at all.
the daimyate has been held by members of five clans. If that weren't enough, a wandering wu jen of great
In only one case—the Matsutomo clan—has the power—Daisake Mayazato—has moved into the
daimyate been held by more than one member of that area. For his own reasons, he wants the pilgrimages
clan. In fact, there have been five Matsutomo dai- stopped, and believes that force is the only way to
myos, four of whom have been removed from their guarantee this. He is backed by three ninjas of great
posts because of some failure or other. power, rogues who have left the family that trained
The current daimyo is Benju Matsutomo. Once a them. Daisake has nothing against Benju as daimyo,
bold samurai, Benju is very much aware of his clan's and certainly doesn't like Eichiro. But if the removal of
heritage of bad luck when it comes to ruling Aru. Benju is the price the wu jen must pay to stop the pil-
Thus, he is doing everything in his power to make grimages, then so be it.
sure that the pilgrimage season is running smoothly, It's into this volatile situation that the PCs have wan-
and that everything is well-prepared for the upcom- dered. As travelling adventurers, they represent a
ing Ceremony of the Three Thousand Steps at fresh perspective on the problem, and Benju immedi-
the Shining Temple. ately recognizes this. One way or another, he per-
Unfortunately for Benju, there's another inhabitant suades the PCs to work with him. Benju is very careful
of the Aru region that would very much like to see the about what he tells the PCs; initially, he tells them only
pilgrimage season and the Ceremony disrupted. This that there have been some "incidents" in Aru, and that
individual is Eichiro Tanaka. For personal reasons, he wants them to investigate them to the best of their
he hates Benju and would love to see that worthy ability.
forced out of office. Eichiro would also like to see him- As matters begin to escalate, the PCs discover evi-

dence pointing to a spy in Benju's household. Benju's Chapter II gives a brief history of Aru, both the
son-in-law—a young firebrand named Buntaro town and the province.
whose arrogance gets on most people's nerves—is act- Chapter III describes the layout of Aru town, and
ing suspiciously, and the PCs are placed in a position describes some of the points of interest.
where they can challenge and arrest the young man. Chapter IV describes the intricate political situa-
Unfortunately for the PCs, it turns out that, while tion in Aru, and the balancing act that Benju Matsu-
Buntaro did have a hidden agenda, it was perfectly tomo is forced to maintain. Much of this has already
harmless. In addition, Buntaro is unaccountably one been hinted at in the "Story Line" section above.
of Benju's favorite relatives. Shamed, the PCs are ex- Chapter V contains the encounters and events that
pelled from Benju's household. make up the main story line of the adventure.
Eichiro learns of the PCs dismissal immediately, and Chapter VI contains "mini-adventures" and adven-
suspects a trick; perhaps—he thinks—Benju is hoping ture ideas. Aru is an active town, after all, particularly
that Eichiro will try to recruit the "disaffected" adven- as the Ceremony of the Three Thousand Steps ap-
turers. Eichiro decides to send a message to Benju . . . proaches. There is much more going on than the
a message that will take the form of the PCs corpses. events relating to the major story line. This chapter
Should they manage to escape Eichiro's attempt on provides the DM with story starters for "background"
their lives, the PCs are able to uncover some valuable encounters and events. Some of these encounters tie
intelligence with which they can buy their way back in—at least peripherally—with the main adventure;
into Benju's good graces. some are red herrings, and some are totally unre-
With only a day or two left before the ceremony, the lated. The DM can pick and choose from among them,
PCs must uncover Eichiro's plans. If they can prove to and use as many or as few as he or she sees fit. Many
Takahashi Yamaguchi that Eichiro plans to turn on the of these story starters can be used in other adven-
ninja clan and destroy them, then the ninja leader will tures as well, or might even plant the seed for a full-
dissolve his contract with Eichiro, and will testify scale gaming session on their own behalf.
against him to anyone who will listen. The ninja's testi- Chapter VII contains the complete descriptions of
mony will seal Eichiro's fate, and stabilize Benju's posi- the major NPCs involved in this adventure. Minor
tion of authority. NPCs are described in the text of the adventure when
they occur.
PC iNVOlVGMGNt Chapter VIII is an "Encounter Generator." This is a
way for DMs to quickly generate random encounters
The success or failure of Eichiro's plan—and hence to spring on the PCs whenever it seems appropriate.
Benju's life—depends entirely on the actions of the Chapter IX contains a series of brief adventures
PCs. Without their involvement, Benju will be unable that can be used as sequels, side adventures, or stand
to uncover the true nature of the threat against him alone games. For those who need to fill a single game
and thus combat it. Eichiro's ninjas will stage an inci- session, these are excellent tools.
dent threatening to disrupt the Ceremony of the
Three Thousand Steps, then Eichiro himself will lead
his army into town and eradicate the ninjas he himself
hired. The shogun will certainly hear of these events,
and Eichiro will replace Benju as daimyo.
At this point, the wu jen and his ninjas will step up
their campaign to stop the pilgrims. Finding himself in
a position chillingly similar to the one he placed Benju
in, Eichiro must try to negate the threat of the wu jen
and his followers. Without help he will be unable to
do so, and the Ceremony and subsequent pilgrimages
will be disrupted. Eichiro will, in turn, be replaced.
With three daimyos in such a short time span, the en-
tire Aru province will be thrown into chaos.
Obviously, the success of the PCs is pivotal to the
continued well-being of the whole province.
How to Use r:i7is Book

Ninja Wars is divided into several chapters, each of
which serves a distinct purpose in unfolding the story
described above. By reading over the following chap-
ter outline, the DM can quickly find the information
he requires on any subject. Since this is, obviously,
Chapter I, the outline begins with Chapter II.

Qjapteu II: Histony Of ARU
ORIGINS Arata served loyally and well for almost 20 years.
But then, in 1627, bandits supported by supernatural
Even several hundred years ago—as far back as creatures of some kind—perhaps tengu, perhaps
trustworthy records go—there was a settlement on something else—fell upon a large train of pilgrims on
the site of what is now called Aru town. Initially, it was their way to Aru and slew them all. Although the at-
just a tiny shrine to Bishamon, tended by a handful of tack took place in one of the mountain passes, well
dedicated monks. Even then, however, it was the des- short of the town, the event was within Aru Province,
tination of a small but steady stream of pilgrims. At and thus was Arata's responsibility. Arata received a
first, there were no facilities to house or otherwise strong reprimand from the shogun. The next year, in
care for these pilgrims. On arrival, they would simply 1628, a similar attack occurred. Although this time
set up camp near the shrine, and live in these harsh the pilgrim train was guarded by Arata's samurai, the
conditions for the length of their stay. The journey to result was the same: no survivors.
the shrine was difficult, leading as it did through some
of the most rugged passes of the Ikuyu Mountains.
Each year, during the pilgrimage "season"—summer, UNeasy is tl7€ H e a t ) . . .
because of the difficulty of traversing the passes dur- This time the shogun's displeasure was sufficient to
ing bad weather—some of the pilgrims would die as a warrant the removal of Arata. The daimyate was
result of the taxing journey and the austere condi- passed on to Sousuke Toda, the head of a clan that had
tions once they reached their destination. The monks recently taken up residence in Aru. Sousuke Toda
were forced to set up at least some facilities to succor served well as daimyo, and everything was quiet for
the pilgrims. almost a decade. But then Sousuke was killed in a
As the decades passed, some of the pilgrims took up hunting accident, and his young son Eiji—barely 17,
permanent residence near the shrine. Others came to having just reached his majority—took over as dai-
the area, to provide services for—and, if the truth be myo. Although ardent in his desire to serve well as
known, to profit from—the influx of pilgrims. Soon a daimyo of Aru Province, Eiji was simply too inexperi-
town had sprung up centered on the shrine—a town enced. In the three successive years after his ascent to
de facto if not dejure; it was not yet recognized by the the position of daimyo, bandit attacks savaged the pil-
government of Wa, and so had no daimyo or official grim trains, and in 1640 a small raiding party of
government. The monks of the shrine—some of barbarians—perhaps from Shou-Lung—won through
whom were well-skilled in the martial arts—provided the daimyo's defenses to the outskirts of the town and
protection against bandits and did their best to ensure burned much of the eta settlement. Although the
that the burgeoning town didn't become lawless. shogun—now Takahiro Nagahide—was willing to
During this time, the shrine itself grew, supported grant Eiji Toda some leeway because of his youth and
by the donations of the faithful. A tiny shrine became inexperience, this latter failure was simply too much.
a small temple, and eventually expanded into a large Eiji Toda was removed from office, and he died with-
temple. By the year 1594, the Shining Temple of Bisha- out heirs, ending the Toda line in Aru.
mon had taken on much of the form it has today. As The shogun turned back to the Matsutomo clan, and
the temple's fame became more widespread, the flow named Koji Matsutomo the new daimyo. Koji was a
of pilgrims and sightseers increased. weak man, well-loved by the peasants but generally
despised by the other noble families that had steadily
OjC FOUNtMNQ Of ARU been moving to Aru. He managed to survive two coup
attempts in 1645 and 1649, and responded by concen-
It was the shogun Eiko Nagahide—who assumed trating all his efforts on trying to protect himself and
that office in 1601—who officially recognized what his family. This led to his paying insufficient attention
had, in fact, been reality for years. The shrine, its to the administration of the province, and corruption
monks and its other "support staff" had become a grew rampant. In 1652, when the annual shipment of
town, even a small city. In 1608 he officially named the tax payments arrived at Uwaji, its actual contents
settlement Aru—after a small river that provided the turned out to be some thirty percent less than what
area with fresh water—and decreed that it would be was listed on the manifest. Koji Matsutomo was re-
the capital of a newly-formed province split off from moved, and the daimyate fell to Seiji Kubahachi.
Jasuga Province. The newly-formed Aru province The clan Kubahachi ruled Aru well for two genera-
would officially include the Isle of Devils, and would tions. The third daimyo in this line was Koji Kuba-
be responsible for many of the passes through the hachi, a strong and cruel ruler with a harsh temper.
Ikuyu Mountains. His most memorable act took place in 1713, when a
Of course, a new province needs a new daimyo. The particular fishing village short-changed him on a spe-
shogun selected a family that he knew was totally cial tax he levied to pay for improvements to his cas-
loyal to him—the Matsutomo clan—and ordered that tle. In response, he slaughtered all the residents of
they relocate to Aru. The head of the clan was Arata the village, burned all buildings, salted the ground
Matsutomo, and he became the first daimyo of Aru ... and for good measure extended the same practice
Province. to the two neighboring villages on the grounds that

they must have known about the plot to defraud Takashi Yayazato became daimyo in 1730, and he
him. ruled well until 1758. When he took office, Takashi
In 1717, an attempt was made on Koji Kubahachi's had three strong sons and potential heirs. During his
life by two ninjas who entered Aru disguised as mem- rule, however, all three were killed—two when a ty-
bers of a group of pilgrims. Both ninjas died in the at- phoon sank the vessel they were travelling on, and the
tempt, so Koji was unable to learn who had paid for third in a tragic mishap while climbing the treacher-
his removal. In retribution, and as a message to the ous "Dragon's Face" of Mount Matazan. When Takashi
ninjas1 unknown patron, the daimyo had every mem- Yayazato died he did so without official (i.e., male)
ft
ber of that pilgrim train killed. heirs. Once more, in what had by now become almost
This was a little too much for the shogun—now Ma- a tradition, the shogun—now Matasuuri Nagahide, in
sanori Nagahide—who removed Koji Kubahachi from the fourth year of his rule—named another Matsu-
ft
office and bade him leave the land of the living. Once tomo as daimyo.
more, the shogun returned to the clan Matsutomo to
find his new daimyo. BGNJU MatsutOMO
The new Matsutomo daimyo—Masakito—vowed
not to make the same mistakes that his less-than- This was Benju Matsutomo. He was a powerful and
illustrious ancestors had made. His rule was strict and bold samurai, known throughout Wa for his courage
efficient, and certainly more enlightened than had and wisdom. Since 1758 he has ruled Aru Province,
been Koji Kubahaci's. Unfortunately, Masakito wasn't and in general he has ruled well. As he aged, however,
a young man when he assumed the office, and he died he has become more and more concerned about the
tt
after only eight years. In 1725, Masakito's son, Hisao, well-being of his family. He has concluded that many
took over as daimyo. His wisdom was considerably of his forebears' mistakes were the result of overam-
less than that of his father, and soon Aru province bition, of doing too much—paraphrasing an old folk
sank back into a state of rampant corruption. Many of tale, of being more like King Stork than King Log.
his advisors set up their own "business interests", the Benju has decided to play the role of King Log to the
most noticeable of which was charging the pilgrims a hilt: to remain as quiet and inactive as possible, to
"visitation fee" if they wanted to worship at the Shin- avoid making waves... and hence making mistakes. If
ing Temple. Word soon reached the shogun of this se- his clan can hold onto the daimyate for several
generations—Benju believes—they may eventually be
to
rious contravention of tradition, and once more the
Matsutomo daimyo was removed from office. rewarded with a better position.
ft
B
ft

Cl7apt€R III: ARU tOWN
Like many cities in Wa, Aru is a walled town. Its four
main gates are open during the day, but closed ateta sun-
quarter only if their current duty requires it.
set. By day the gates are guarded by detachments Theof wards have quite different personalities. The
12 samurai, whose main job is to keep the peace; EtaatDistrict has narrow, winding streets, and most
night, 20 samurai are stationed in the watchtowers buildings are small and dilapidated. Tiny minka are
the rule. The streets are dirty, and there are many
that flank each gate. beggars.
Aru is built in the shadow of a large, rocky knoll to The Pilgrim District is an area of hostels and
the north of the town. It's atop this knoll, several hun- ryokans (inns). Its main purpose is to house and sup-
dred feet above the city, that the Shining Temple of port the many pilgrims that come to Aru. There are
Bishamon stands. Leading up to the temple from the many stores of various kinds, and almost all of them
Temple Gate is a broad staircase of three thousand sell religious trappings and paraphernalia, such as
steps. The staircase is made of the finest white mar- strings of prayer beads, tiny brass apples, etc. Prices
ble, and pilgrims work constantly to keep it spotlessly for food and other essentials are usually higher here.
clean. Each day, pilgrims leave blossoms, flower petals For this reason, only the most naive pilgrims actually
or prayers written on tiny pieces of parchment on the buy anything in this district. The area is clean, and
steps. The stairway is flanked by rows of wooden pil- well-patrolled by samurai.
lars dyed red and topped with ivory spires. The Merchant District is a bustling area of shop-
The town is divided internally into different districts, keepers and artisans. There are few if any ryokans or
or wards. People can travel between the wards only by hostelries. The streets are crowded from dawn to
passing through gates. These gates are usually open, dusk, often almost blocked with vendors' wagons and
but squads of eight samurai stand round-the-clock stalls. By night, however, the streets are almost de-
watches at the ward gates. No passes or other approval serted. The Merchant District also comprises the
is necessary to enter or leave any ward (except for the warehouse area.
Castle District, of course), and the gate guards never The Samurai District is reserved exclusively for
prevent the free passage of people. Cultural traditions members of the samurai caste. (This doesn't mean
are very strong in Aru, however, and these traditions that every resident of the district is of the samurai
are taken so seriously that they have the force of law. character class, of course.) It is almost exclusively resi-
For instance, it's unacceptable for an eta to enter the dential, with few stores. The buildings here are well-
samurai district except when making a delivery. Con- built and generally attractive. The streets are kept
versely, members of the samurai caste will enter the scrupulously clean, and are well-patrolled.
The Castle District is reserved for the daimyo's
household and his troops. The gates are always shut,
and guarded by detachments of at least 12 well-armed
samurai. Very few townsfolk have ever seen the in-
side of this district. In the center of the district is Ben-
ju's central donjon.
The remainder of the town is referred to as the
"Mixed" District. It's here that members of all the
different castes and occupations rub shoulders.
There are many food stores, restaurants, tea gardens,
and bars of one variety or another. During the sum-
mer, the level of activity remains high throughout the
day, and continues well into the night.
Places of iNtenest
1. The Shining Temple of Bishamon. The tem-
ple stands atop the high knoll to the north of the town.
Apart from the area directly around the temple, the
top of the knoll is covered with trees.
For the temple itself, use the floor plan at the end of
the Oriental Adventures hardcover book. The only
difference is that 3,333 bronze statues representing
the priests of Bishamon are scattered throughout the
temple area.
Outside the temple is a huge apple tree sacred to
Bishamon. Legend has it that the apples grant immor-
tality to the deserving. Hanging from a branch of the
mighty tree is a brass bell. The bell is rung hourly by
one of the priests of the temple.

2. Temple Gate. The gate is flanked by two huge 6. Reception Room. There is a low table in the
ebony lions, standing 10' high. The lions' eyes are middle of the room on which rests a beautiful flower
gold, and their teeth are crystal (not diamond, al- arrangement.
though they look like it). Legend holds that the lions 7. Private Reception Room. A little smaller and
will animate and attack anyone who tries to desecrate less formal than the main reception room, this is
the temple atop the flight of stairs. where the daimyo would meet with people on less of-
3. Marketplace. Every three or four days, based ficial business.
on some kind of arcane calculation, is market day. On 8. Waiting room. Here servants would serve sake
these days, the marketplace is a bustling mass of hu- or cha to people awaiting a meeting with the daimyo.
manity, as hawkers try to sell anything and every- 9. Parlor. On the solid west wall hangs a delicate
thing to anyone who happens by. watercolor of a landscape, painted by Benju's wife.
4. "The Waiting Stone" Ryokan. This is one of This is a private room, and Benju often comes here to
the many ryokans in Aru. meditate.
5. Shrine of the West Wind. This small temple is 10. Tea Room. Again, this is a private room. Only
detailed in Chapter V. members of Benju's family or his closest friends ever
6. Yamaguchi Warehouse. receive cha here.
7. The House of Heavenly Sand. This establish- 11. Kitchen. This is more a preparation room than
ment is detailed in Chapter V. a true kitchen. There is no hearth, although some lim-
8. The Grand Noh Theater. This is a large, elabo- ited cooking could be done over a brazier. Most
rate building in which noh and kabuki theater is per- cooked meals are prepared in another building.
formed most evenings. 12. Servants' rooms. Each room has a futon and
9. "The Tengu" Sake House. A middle-class a chest in which the servants can store their clothes.
H
drinking establishment.
10. Whispering Breeze Tea Garden. SecoNb Flocm
11. "Tojo's". A well-known restaurant.
13. Buntaro's room. In addition to his futon, Bun-
13. "Aki's". Another well-known restaurant. (As
taro has a wardrobe in which he keeps his formal re-
described in Chapter VI, Tbjo and Aki are brothers as
galia. Unless he's carrying it with him, Buntaro's
well as business rivals.)
daikyu stands in a corner, wrapped lovingly in silk.
13. Livery Stables.
14. Lady Satomi's room. A wardrobe contains a
14. Fusae's Minka.
selection of kimonos of the finest quality. A tiny bonsai
15. Graveyard. Most bodies are cremated outside
tree in a lacquer pot sits on a low table.
the city walls. Some people's religion, however, re-
quires that they be buried. This is a small, well-kept 15. Benju's room. The room is spartan, almost
graveyard, surrounded by a low wall. The gates of bare, with nothing to indicate that it belongs to the
most powerful man in Aru.
ft
wrought iron are more for show than anything, and
are rarely closed. 16. Naomi's room. The wardrobe contains a se-
lection of beautiful kimonos, and a samisen of high
quality in a lacquer case.
BeNju's DONJON 17. Takako's room. The wardrobe contains a
This building is sturdily built of heavy, dark wood. range of clothes. A small brazier burns around the
The outside walls are blue, and the roof green embel- clock, on which tiny slivers of aromatic wood smoke,
lished with gold. scenting the air.
Inside, all of the hallways have polished hardwood 18. Sumihiro's room. Unlike the other bed-
rooms, which are scrupulously clean, this is slightly
ft
floors. The floors of all rooms are covered with tatami
mats. untidy. A worn kimono is bundled in a corner, and a
The donjon is the residence of the daimyo and his mismatched pair of ebi (socks) lie on a low table.
household. All of Benju's samurai, and most of his ser- 19. Toshikazu's room. A small shelf holds half a
vants live in other buildings in the Castle District. Only dozen books on topics ranging from falconry through
the most personal of effects are in the rooms here. military tactics to the philosophy of religion.
Other equipment, clothes, etc. are fetched from stor- 20. Yuji's room. The wardrobe contains Yuji's for-
age elsewhere whenever they're needed. mal regalia, plus the warrior's second-best katana.
21. Guest room. For the day or two surrounding
QROUNO Floon the Ceremony of the Three Thousand Steps, this
room is occupied by Hiro Matsu. At other times it's
1. Bath. empty.
2. Dressing room.
3. Antechamber.
4. Closet. This area contains writing materials and
miscellaneous utensils.
22. Antechamber.
23. Guest room. For the day or two surrounding
the Ceremony of the Three Thousand Steps, this
room is occupied by Zukimoto Chikitada.
#
5. Latrines.

Benju's Donjon
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Ground Floor
Solid wall 51
Shoji (rice wall)

Benju's Donjon
Second Floor N
Solid wall 5'
Shoji (rice wall)

Cl7apt€R IV: Politics
"KiNQ Log" against invading barbarians and against other forces
within Wa (although very little is ever said about these
As described in Chapter n, Benju Matsutomo, the skirmishes, since they so obviously contravened the
daimyo of Aru Province, has decided that the best way shogun's peace). In one of these, Benju was allied with
to avoid making any fatal mistakes is to do as little as pos- the clan Tanaka, led by Eiji Tanaka. In a particularly
sible. Of course, total inaction would bring on disaster as pivotal battle, Benju led the central body of the Wa
fast as—or faster than—anything else. He must make army, while Eiji Tanaka led the right flank and another
sure that the pilgrimage season—and particularly the ally led the left. At the height of the battle, when Ben-
Ceremony of the Three Thousand Steps, which takes ju's forces were fully committed to the fray, Eiji's force
place in high summer—comes off without a hitch. suddenly wheeled in place and attacked Benju's flank.
Unlike some of his predecessors, he has surrounded In an almost superhuman display of generalship-
himself with good advisors. His right-hand man is coupled with personal feats of arms that are remem-
Yuji Takaesu, an aging samurai, and a vassal who is bered in song to this day—Benju and his remaining
totally unshakable in his loyalty. Yuji is a sterling ad- ally won the day. Eiji Tanaka was captured and forced
ministrator, and as good a leader of men as Benju him- to admit that he had sold out to the enemy. Benju per-
self. He has taken Benju's force of samurai and trained sonally took Eiji Tanaka's head. In a gesture of mercy
them to a level of excellence rarely seen outside the that was characteristic of Benju—but noticeably rare
shogun's personal bodyguards. These samurai— throughout the rest of Wa—Benju spared Eiji's family,
under the direct leadership of Tbshikazu Wada, even though their lives were officially forfeit as a re-
commander of what has come to be known as Benju's sult of their clan leader's treachery.
"Home Guard"—patrol the passes leading into Aru, es- While this is the way the events of that day actually
cort pilgrim trains into and out of the province, and ran, the stories that were passed down to Eiji's chil-
serve as an incorruptible police force to keep peace in dren were considerably different. Nothing was ever
and around the city itself. said of the treachery, and it was told that Benju killed
Eiji Tanaka out of jealousy over the man's superior
FaMily Mattens generalship. Despite this rewriting of history, most of
the Tanaka clan have learned what really happened,
Abiding by the shogunate policy of sankin kotai, and have accepted the fact that their erstwhile leader
Benju's wife and children live in a yashiki in the city of betrayed an ally.
Uwaji—effectively hostages to the loyalty of the dai- Not so Eiji's youngest son, Eichiro lanaka. Still un-
myo. There are more distant members of his family born at the time of the events in question, Eichiro has
currently living in Benju's donjon, however: Sumi- fully accepted the "embellished" version of his father's
hiro Matsutomo, his nephew; Takako Shimizu, death, and refuses to believe—or to accept—the truth.
his niece and a samurai in her own right; and the His hatred for Benju, his father's "murderer", burns
Lady Satomi, his mother-in-law (who despises him brightly, even though he conceals it from all but his
. . . and vice versa). Closest to him—even closer than closest confidants. Since the death of Eiji, all of his
Yuji Takaesu—is his favored consort, a young woman other sons have come to grief in one way or another.
named Naomi. Born samurai of the clan Yayazato— Now Eichiro is leader of the Tanaka clan.
and granddaughter of the one-time daimyo Takashi Vengeance is an honorable tradition in Wa, but to
Yayazato—she is currently with child and will hope- make it official Eichiro would have to ask permission
fully soon present Benju with another male heir. from the daimyo of the province—in this case Benju,
There is also a young samurai named Buntaro Os- who would be rather unlikely to give it—or from the
tato, of noble lineage. He was married to Benju's first shogun himself. Even with his meticulously-
daughter, whose karma was to die giving birth to Bun- constructed tissue of false beliefs, Eichiro has admit-
taro's only son. Although Buntaro is arrogant almost ted to himself that he can't pursue official channels if
beyond belief, and hated to a greater or lesser degree he wants vengeance against Benju. Instead, he must
by almost everyone else in the castle, Benju inexplica- act covertly. Rather than putting his oh-so-precious
bly likes his son-in-law, and forgives him lapses of skin at direct risk, Eichiro has decided—perhaps with
manners that would cost anyone else their head. some outside help—that it would be the height of po-
Benju has posted Buntaro to assist Yuji Takaesu in etic irony if the shogun himself were to become the in-
managing his fief, and has asked him as a personal fa- strument of his vengeance against Benju Matsutomo.
vor to pass on to his samurai Buntaro's almost super- All that must happen for this to take place is for the
human skill with the bow. (Unknown to Benju, pilgrimage season—and possibly the Ceremony of the
Buntaro "has it bad" for one of the daimyo's serving Three Thousand Steps—to be seriously disrupted: the
girls, Sono, and arranges secret assignations with most serious disruption ever. Only one such disrupted
her whenever he can.) season should prove enough to sweep away all mem-
ory of Benju's so-far-successful rule, and to have the
N€MCS1S daimyo removed in shame.
During his illustrious career as a samurai, Benju Taking this a step further, Eichiro is certain that if he
Matsutomo was involved in many major battles, both can prove himself to be a better ruler than Benju—by
10

quelling the disorder himself—that the shogun will riving in Aru with his unit of loyal samurai. If Eichiro
name him as daimyo of Aru Province. did know this, he'd be overjoyed. How convenient
Tb this end, Eichiro has hired the services of a small that a personal emissary of the shogun should be on
clan of ninjas. This family, under the leadership of hand to witness Benju's failure and Eichiro's success in
Takahashi Yamaguchi, has been ordered to wage quelling the campaign of terror against the pilgrims.
an escalating war of terror against the pilgrims,
against Benju's family and against Aru in general. Al-
though Eichiro had to tell Takahashi much of his plan,
Eyes IN tl7e Sftabows
including the reasoning behind it, he has kept secret There is another faction that is deeply interested in
his intention of "cleaning up" the problem. Eichiro has events in and around the city of Aru. This is the city's
planned that, when the disruptions become intolera- "family" of Yakuza. Through his exceptionally effi-
cient network of informants, the oyabun has learned
ft
ble, he will use his own samurai—and his intimate
knowledge, gained from Takahashi, of how the ninjas something of Eichiro's plans. He knows that ninjas
will be operating—to fall upon the ninja clan and de- have been hired, and has concluded that their only
stroy them all. This will not only prove to the distant purpose could be to disrupt the pilgrimages.
shogun that he can take care of business much better This suits the oyabun well . . . to a point. Troubles
than can Benju, but it will also bury forever his in- with the pilgrims will distract Benju, hopefully to the
volvement in the terror. Eichiro is proud of his plan, point that the yakuza will be able to grab more influ-
and certain of its success. ence in Aru than they currently have. The oyabun
doesn't want to see Benju fall, however; he knows that
if the cruel and ruthless Eichiro takes over, his family
Official Ov€Rsiql7t will do considerably less well than they are currently.
Distant though Uwaji is, the shogun is aware that To this end, he plans to allow the disruptions to take
Benju's rule so far has been impeccable. To honor the place, perhaps even helping them along, until it
daimyo—and, incidentally, to make sure that things reaches the point of Benju's imminent removal. Then
are actually running as smoothly in Aru as the reports the oyabun will mobilize his entire family to stamp out
claim—the shogun is sending one of his trusted in- Takahashi Yamaguchi's clan of ninjas.
spectors, a samurai lord named Hiro Matsu, to at- This will have two benefits to the yakuza, in addi-
tend the Ceremony of the Three Thousand Steps. tion to the added influence they should have been
Neither Benju nor Eichiro know that Hiro will be ar- able to grab during the commotion. One is that the
ft
ft

daimyo Benju will be grateful to the yakuza, and per- gun, but isn't honor sometimes the highest law, neh,
haps grant them some further concessions. The sec- and hasn't Eichiro Tanaka challenged the honor of
ond is that the people of Aru will see that the yakuza Benju Matsutomo?
have fulfilled their role as protector of the common Luckily wiser heads prevail. One of these is on the
citizenry, which will bring the family much face. shoulders of Toshikazu Wada, commander of Benju's
Home Guard. He knows no more of the intricacies of
MOV€ COUNt€RMOV€ the situation than does Buntaro, but he has a much
better grasp of political realities than does the young
Although not as extensive as the yakuza's, Benju's hot-head. Toshikazu also counsels direct action, but
own network of informants is efficient. The daimyo with a slightly different twist. In place of Buntaro's
has learned that Eichiro has hired a clan of ninjas, and plan, which is to march on Eichiro with Benju's ban-
can draw his own conclusions as to the reason. If Aru ners flying, Tbshikazu proposes that the attacking
were just slightly more isolated, or were in a place like force disguise themselves as a band of masterless
Kozokura which isn't under an enforced peace, Benju ronin. All could be ordered to take every step to
would respond to this threat in a very straight- avoid capture if such an event seemed likely—an or-
forward manner. He'd mobilize his forces, which are der that hardly need be given considering the disci-
considerable, raze to the ground the town in which Ei- pline and loyalty of Benju's samurai. The result, win
chiro lives, and kill or capture the entire Tanaka clan. or lose, would be that nobody could ever prove that
As it is, Benju must respond in kind to Eichiro, Benju had any connection with the attack on Eichiro.
through stealth. Accordingly, Benju has hired his own If necessary, to complete the deception, Benju could
ninja family to help him. This family, the clan Ohara, stage a showy campaign to capture or drive away the
has been entrusted with countering the moves of Ei- "rogues" that had the temerity to operate within Aru
chiro's ninjas whenever and wherever possible. Province.
A little more complexity has been added to an al- Tbshikazu's superior—Yuji Takaesu, Benju's right-
ready complex situation by the relative notoriety and hand-man—can appreciate the thought and creativity
reputations of the two ninja clans involved in this cov- that went into the younger man's plan, but can see
ert conflict. The clan Yamaguchi, hired by Eichiro is some serious dangers associated with it. In Wa, almost
very new on the scene; in fact, this will be their first everyone who's anyone has an intelligence network of
major operation. Despite its newness and relative in- some form or another. It's almost a certainty that
experience, it is a large clan possessed of great someone would discover Benju's involvement in the
breadth and depth of knowledge and skill; because of ronin attack on Eichiro. Being implicated in something
its newness, the clan's members will be trying to es- like that might be enough to topple Benju from power.
tablish the reputation of clan Yamaguchi, and can be In addition, there's no guarantee that Tbshikazu's idea
depended upon to be even more bold than the major- of "driving away" the rogues would repair the damage
ity of ninjas. that Benju's credibility would suffer from the actions
Through his intelligence network, Benju has of such a large band of ronin in the first place. The
learned the Eichiro has hired a new ninja family, and very fact that they made that single attack might be
assumes—incorrectly—it to be a small, relatively weak enough of a justification for the shogun to remove Yu-
organization. It was this that prompted him to hire ji's master from office . . . and that would simply not
the clan Ohara to assist him. The Ohara ninjas are be acceptable.
highly skilled, and have a good reputation in those cir- Benju trusts his second-in-command Yuji well
cles that know of such things, but the clan is small— enough to share with him everything he knows and
considerably smaller than clan Yamaguchi. If the thinks about the situation . . . almost. Armed with
truth be known, in a direct confrontation—which is more information than Buntaro or Tbshikazu, the old
what this whole thing is becoming—clan Ohara would man proposed the idea of fighting fire with fire: hiring
be unable to stand up against clan Yamaguchi. another ninja clan to oppose the one employed by Ei-
chiro. Yuji even suggested that his master hire the
lNt€RN€CiN€ CONf liCt clan Ohara, because of its reputation. The daimyo
agreed, and made the necessary arrangements.
Although to the world they present a united front, Although he trusts the old man explicitly, Benju
which is always the decision of Benju, there are differ- hasn't shared with Yuji all of his thoughts and plans
ing opinions within the Matsutomo household as to concerning the matter at hand. Benju is a good
how to deal with the crisis. The person most out- enough tactician to realize that it's possible to be too
spoken in his opinion is—not surprisingly—Buntaro close to a problem, that it's sometimes necessary to get
Ostato, Benju's son-in-law. Benju has wisely edited the point of view of someone not intimately involved
what he's told the hot-headed younger man, but what in ongoing events.
Buntaro has learned—that Eichiro is plotting against
the daimyo—is enough to send him into a rage. Bun- With these thoughts in his mind, it's understandable
taro councils the direct approach: mobilize the dai- why Benju Matsutomo showed such great interest
myo's forces and strike directly at Eichiro. Certainly, when he heard that a small band of adventurers had
such an attack would be against the law of the sho- entered Aru town . . .
12

Cl7apt€R V: MaiN Ev€Nts
iNtnoDuctioN Act T—iNtRODUCtlONS
Ninja Wars is an adventure designed for characters Set-Up
of 6th to 9th level. A good mix of character classes is
advisable, although it would be best if at least one The DM must devise a reason for the PCs to visit
character were a samurai; evil characters are not rec- Aru that fits well with earlier events in their adven-
ommended. For this adventure, the PCs can either be turing lives. Perhaps the PCs have heard tell of the
inhabitants of Wa, or strangers to this shore. If the beauty of the Shining Temple of Bishamon and have
ft
former, they should not be residents of Aru Province, decided to see it for themselves; or perhaps a PC's
but should come from further afield. If the latter, the master has ordered him and his companions to travel
DM should remember Wa natives' tradition of arro- to Aru for whatever reason; or perhaps the PCs have
gance and xenophobia. Because of this, the adventure been shipwrecked on the coast near Aru town. In any
will probably prove more difficult—but much more case, the DM should urge them to recuperate from
entertaining—if the PCs are strangers to Wa. the hardships of their journey by spending a night at
"The Waiting Stone", a local ryokan or inn (area 4 on
The adventure is broken up into "Acts"; these are the city map). (Use the "Ibwn Inn and House" map in
encounters or events. In most cases, the acts should the Oriental Adventures hardcover book.)
be played in the order in which they are presented
here. There are certain acts, however, which can be In terms of time, the season should be summer, and
played out of order should the DM so decide; these their arrival should be exactly seven days before the
are marked with an asterisk (*) next to the act title. date of the Ceremony of the Three Thousand Steps.
(The Ceremony takes place traditionally "in high sum-
The events in many of the acts will take place mer", but the DM can shift the actual date so that it
whether or not the PCs are present or involved. These ties in well with the actions of the PCs.)
acts include a section called "Probable Outcome",
which describes how the events will most likely turn It's difficult for the inhabitants of Aru town to ig-
out without PC intervention. The DM is free to change nore the passing of time: each hour, the brass bell at
the outcome, of course, if doing so would enhance the the Shining Temple of Bishamon chimes. The DM can
story. The DM must find an appropriate way of in- use this regular chime as a reminder to the PCs that
time is ebbing away, and that the Ceremony of the
to
forming the PCs of what has happened in any act that
the party did not participate in. Some possible ways of Three Thousand steps is fast approaching.
doing this might be street gossip or perhaps an audi-
ence with an angry Benju. Unquiet Slumbers
Throughout this adventure certain portions of the It's chill at night, here in northern Wa, even in
text have been enclosed in boxes. As a rule, these are what's supposed to be high summer. You're glad
used to set a scene or otherwise describe an event. that your room includes a small brazier and a good
The DM can read such boxed text directly to the play- supply of charcoal. You toss another chip of aro-
ers, or can paraphrase it as appropriate. matic wood onto the glowing coals and dispose
The earlier acts in this adventure have a certain yourself for sleep. With crystal clarity, you hear
level of subtlety to them. While the daimyo knows the great brass bell of Bishamon chime the hour
that there is ninja activity in the area, the PCs from the hill above the town.
ft
shouldn't be aware of this initially. It's up to the DM to Hardly have you settled yourselves on your fu-
distract their attention from this conclusion, at least tons when there's a rap on the shoji of your room.
temporarily. This is where the encounters in Chapter A rap quiet enough to be polite, but still firm.
VI come in. Several of these involve—or appear to You slide back the shoji. Standing outside your
involve—ninja activity. The DM should intersperse room is a body of eight samurai clad in brown ki-
these encounters with the earlier acts of this adven- monos. Their leader bows respectfully to you... al-
ture so the players are never completely sure exactly though his hand never strays far from the hilt of
where the "Ninja Wars" fit into the grand scheme of his katana.
things. "Konbanwa" he says. "My master has ordered
The DM should feel free to intersperse other "mini- me to invite you to drink cha with him this evening.
adventures" drawn from Chapter VI, or encounters We will escort you to him. I must ask you to give
generated by the system in Chapter VIII, into the flow your weapons into the keeping of my men. No dis-
of the module. In the Eastern Realms, danger, excite- honor is intended by this."
ment, and intrigue lurk around every corner.
The leader of the samurai is Tsukku, one of Bun-
taro's lieutenants. If questioned, he will tell the PCs that
his master is Benju Matsutomo, daimyo of Aru Prov-
ince. He doesn't know why Benju wants to see the
PCs—who Tsukku rather suspects are ronin and ne'er-
do-wells, although he'll never show this suspicion.
Tsukku's orders are to bring the PCs into Benju's
13

presence, no matter what he has to do to succeed. Al-
though the request that the PCs give up their weapons shop, and you hear a grunted response from in-
is traditional, Tsukku will relent if it seems obvious side. The shop slides back, revealing an antecham-
that the PCs won't accompany him unless they can ber. Kneeling within is an older man, rail-thin but
take their weapons with them. with an aura of pent-up energy like a steel spring.
His kimono is more elaborate than that of your
Tsukku (7th level samurai): AC 7; MV 9; hp 41; #AT samurai escorts, but is the same shade of brown as
3/2; Dmg 1-10 (katana) +2 (damage bonus); THACO 14; their garb. He is flanked by four samurai guards.
Str 14, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 11; AL The old man nods his head—a bare acknowledge-
LG(N); Proficiencies: katana (specialization), daikyu, ment of your presence—and beckons you to enter
horsemanship, calligraphy, painting, poetry. the chamber.
Tsukku wears ring mail and is armed with his ka-
tana and wakizashi. He is young, and very proud. Be- This room is area 8 on the donjon map.
cause Benju's orders are explicit, Tsukku will put up The old man is Yuji Takaesu, Benju's right-hand-
with breaches of manners that would normally cause man (see Chapter VII for stats). He is currently un-
him to draw steel. He won't forget any impolite or dis- armed and unarmored. The four samurai carry
honorable actions by the PCs, however, and insulting katanas and wakizashis; they are unarmored. Use the
him in any way will lead to his life-long enmity. If he statistics for "Junior Officers" in Chapter VII.
has been grievously offended, at the first appropriate Yuji introduces himself to the PCs, and informs them
opportunity he will ask Benju for the right to chal- that his master, Benju Matsutomo, awaits them within.
lenge the offending PC(s) to a duel. If the PCs are still armed, Yuji insists that they hand
Tsukku's samurai wear ring mail. All carry katanas over all of their weapons to him. He is adamant on this
and wakizashis; two also carry daikyu and 12 arrows. point; the PCs will get no further until they turn over
(Use the statistics for "Benju's Samurai" in Chapter VII.) their weapons. Yuji is very careful to point out that no
These samurai, too, have been ordered to do whatever dishonor is meant by this, and will even swear a bind-
it takes to bring the PCs to Benju, and so will suffer ing oath that neither the PCs nor their weapons will
breaches of manners that otherwise would lead to come to harm this night in the castle. Even though Yuji
combat. If a PC is particularly offensive to Tsukku, knows most of the daimyo's intentions regarding the
however, one samurai's discipline will slip, and he will PCs, he will tell them nothing, merely saying that his
attack the PCs. Tsukku and the other samurai will try master will explain all in good time.
to stop the rage-blinded samurai, killing him if neces- When Yuji is satisfied that the PCs are unarmed, he
sary. If the samurai survives, he immediately asks per- slides back the shop leading into the next room.
mission from Tsukku to atone for his disgraceful
conduct "in the traditional way." Naturally, Tsukku A single figure sits on a dais at the far end of this
agrees. This should serve to remind the PCs how seri- larger room. He's perhaps in his early 60s, but he
ously manners are taken in Wa, and how dangerous it still looks strong and very capable. His brown ki-
can be to cross a samurai or to disobey orders. mono is plain and unadorned, like those of the
samurai who escorted you here, but it's obvious
Assuming that the PCs agree to accompany Tsukku, from his bearing that this is the daimyo. On the dais
the band of samurai leads them out of the ryokan and before him rest a katana and wakizashi—both
into the streets of Aru, towards Benju's castle. sheathed, but both obviously well-used weapons of
the highest quality.
Midnight Meeting Yuji Takaesu enters, bowing low before his lord,
The daimyo's castle rises above the low buildings then he beckons you to enter as well. The samurai
of the town, standing like a giant among pygmies. do not join you. Instead, they take up positions as
In the moonlight, you can see the gold-ornamented guards in the antechamber. The bell of Bishamon
green roofs of the central donjon, steeply sloped to chimes the midnight hour.
shed rain and snow. The walls are a delicate, pale For the first time, you notice that there's another
blue. You see movement on the extensive walls sur- person present, kneeling in the rear corner of the
rounding the castle: daikyu-armed samurai guards, room behind the dais. It's a young girl—a beautiful
no doubt. young girl. Is she a servant, you wonder, or one of
The large gate swings open at a command from the daimyo's consorts?
Tsukku, the leader of your escort, and you pass As you bow before the daimyo, he speaks in a
into the castle grounds. Quickly the samurai lead rich voice, the voice of a natural leader.
you through the castle hallways. You gain quick im- "Konbanwa, adventurers. I believe that there is a
pressions of many halls and rooms . . . and an al- service you can perform for me."
most inordinate number of samurai guards who
watch you with ill-disguised suspicion. This is, of course, Benju Matsutomo (see Chapter
Finally you stop. Tsukku knocks gently on the VII for stats). The girl is Sono, a servant (again, see
Chapter VII).
14

The PCs must treat Benju with the politeness and re- comments, and will continue as though the question
spect due to a daimyo; if they don't this interview will hadn't been asked at all. If the PCs don't apologize,
go no further, and the PCs will be forcibly expelled then Benju will have them expelled from the castle,
from the castle. In this and every other audience with and their involvement with him is at an end.
the daimyo, the DM may use the Etiquette non- If the PCs didn't ask an insulting question, or once
weapon proficiency to adjudicate whether or not the they're back on reasonable terms with Benju, the dai-
PCs are behaving acceptably. The dice roll should myo assures them that helping him out in this will re-
never overrule role-playing, of course. flect well on them, and they will gain in honor. (He
After greeting the PCs curtly but not impolitely, doesn't explicitly state the converse—that refusing
Benju beckons to Sono. Sono taps on the rear shoji, him will lead to a loss of honor—but that is the implica-
which slides back to admit two other serving girls, "to- tion.) If the PCs agree to aid Benju, each PC gains one
gether, the three girls serve cha (tea) to all present. As point of honor; if they refuse without good reason—
the tea is served and drunk, Benju asks the PCs how and the only acceptable reason would be a direct or-
they came to this area, and what their purposes are. der to the contrary from one of the PCs' masters
This conversation is really an opportunity for the (which the DM should definitely avoid)—each loses
PCs to get themselves in trouble by offending the dai- two points of honor.
myo, and then being forced to extricate themselves Assuming that the PCs agree to aid Benju, read the
... somehow. This is a perfect chance to impress once following:
again upon the PCs exactly how strongly authority
and politeness must constrain their behavior. The daimyo nods. "Good. You will follow my or-
Assuming the PCs don't seriously offend Benju, the ders, of course, but you will also follow the orders
daimyo finally explains to them the service that they of Yuji Takaesu here as though they were mine. Do
can do for him: you understand? Good. Yuji-san?" And he makes a
dismissing gesture with his fingers.
"I'm sure you're aware of the importance to Aru of Yuji Takaesu bows deeply, watching you from the
the pilgrims who visit the Shining Temple of Bisha- corner of his eye to make sure you do the same.
mon," the daimyo says at last, setting down his fine
porcelain cup. "Temple and pilgrims are, really, the The interview with the daimyo is ended, and Yuji
sole reason for the existence of this town. Nothing leads them out of the castle into the courtyard. Their
can be allowed to interfere with their visitation. original samurai escort, led by Tsukku, is once more
"Unfortunately, there have been several—shall with them.
we say—occurrences that make me believe that the
pilgrims might be somehow threatened. The Cere- Yuji Takaesu produces a scroll from within the
mony of the Three Thousand Steps will take place voluminous sleeve of his kimono and hands it to the
in seven days. Before that time, I wish you to inves- leader of your party.
tigate these occurrences, find out who or what is "This scroll identifies you as vassals of the Lord
m
behind them, and put a stop to them. Success will Benju," he explains, "and gives you the authority
be greatly rewarded." over the no (farmers and fishermen), ko (artisans
and craftsmen), sho (merchants) and eta ("out-
Although the question is the height of bad manners, casts") of Aru Province. You will note that this au-
many PCs will ask exactly what "greatly" amounts to thority does not extend to the shi—the noble
in monetary terms. If a PC actually is so impolite, read class—and definitely not to the lords who may
dwell here. This is to assist you in your investiga-
the following: tion. I trust you will not abuse this honor.
You hear Yuji's breath hiss through his teeth, and "One of my lieutenants will show you the sites of
in your peripheral vision you see his right hand the, er, incidents. You will meet him outside the
flash to where the hilt of his katana would be were gates of the castle one hour after sunrise tomor-
he armed. row. Good evening to you."
The daimyo's face darkens in a scowl. When he With that, he turns on his heel and vanishes back
speaks, his voice is as cold as the sea. "I will put it in within the castle.
terms a merchant would understand. Each will re-
ceive seventy-five koku. Assuming you succeed. The samurai escort the PCs out of the castle
But then, how could merchants succeed in this? grounds and close the gate behind them.
And why would I need merchants?" Should suspicious PCs try to confirm that the scroll
#
gives them the authority Yuji said it would, they'll find
The DM should make sure that the PCs realize that that everyone who is not samurai will treat them as
merchants as a class are generally scorned in Wa. The though they were samurai in the service of Benju. Even
PCs should realize that they have to apologize for samurai will treat them with grudging respect upon
their impropriety in asking about the reward. If they reading the scroll... although they'll stop just short of
do so, then Benju will make no further derogatory treating PCs who aren't truly samurai as equals.
15

Act 2—SC€N€ Of CRIM€ was those foul eta who'd left one of their cus-
BuNtano tomers buried, but that wasn't it at all. When the
body was brought out, we knew it was something
The next morning, one hour after sunrise, a group quite different. I was there, and I knew him. He
of five samurai await the PCs outside the main gate of was the headman of a village near here. No wound
the castle. The leader of the group is Buntaro Os- on him, not a mark. No clue how he died.
tato, Benju's son-in-law (see Chapter VII for stats), to- "And no clue how he got in the stinking sand, ei-
day wearing leather scale armor (AC 7). ther. The House is locked up tight at night, and
The four accompanying samurai wear leather ar- there were no signs of forced entry—nothing at all.
mor, and carry katanas and wakizashis. In addition, It was as if the body had just appeared there."
two carry daikyu and 12 arrows each. Use the statis-
tics for "Benju's Samurai" in Chapter VII.
Benju has specifically ordered Buntaro to be polite Buntaro knows more about the headman, but has
to the PCs, and not to provoke them (which, Benju been ordered to keep it to himself. In fact, the man
knows, Buntaro would probably do). For this reason, was one of Benju's informants, and had recently
Buntaro will try his best to control his arrogant and ir- passed on a report to Benju that he thought something
ritating nature . . . albeit with little success. His con- strange was going on in Eichiro Tanaka's hometown of
versation will be filled with jibing comments and Anjiro. Benju had sent a request for more informa-
insulting silences. If he realizes he's going too far, and tion, but nothing more was ever heard from the head-
that one or more of the PCs is likely to take action, he'll man. Although Buntaro will be careful not to reveal
remember his daimyo's orders and back down. But this information to the PCs, his suddenly smug man-
he'll definitely push his luck as far as he can. ner might clue them in that he's hiding something . . .
Although the samurai accompanying Buntaro are and enjoying it.
under his orders, they don't feel any affection for If the PCs ask about the body, Buntaro will tell them
their leader. If Buntaro seems on the verge of provok- that it was cremated the next day. It was questioned
ing the PCs beyond their tolerance level, one of the beforehand, of course (with speak with dead), but
samurai will glance at the PCs with a subtle shake of couldn't tell them anything of any import. (In fact, the
his head, and a glance that obviously means "Ye Gods, corpse confirmed that the headman had been poi-
he's at it again". If that isn't enough, one of the samu- soned, but Buntaro has been ordered to conceal this
rai will distract Buntaro with a trivial question about information, too.)
their destination, their formation, or something simi- Buntaro will escort the PCs to the House, and they
lar. This will divert Buntaro's hostility onto the samu- are free to snoop around and question people, as long
rai for a while, giving the PCs a chance to realize the as they don't take more than one hour doing so. (The
kind of man Buntaro is. DM should use the hourly chime of Bishamon's bell to
remind the PCs of the time they're taking.) After an
hour, Buntaro will get more and more impatient, until
"Like SaNb tlie Hounqlass..." he demands that the PCs accompany him to the site of
The first place that Buntaro leads the PCs is an es- the next "incident".
tablishment known as the House of the Heavenly
Sands (area 7 on the city map). This is a huge, barn-like TZtje House of HeaveNly SaNO
building situated over a volcanic vent which continu-
ously emits small quantities of very hot steam. Sand The House is built out of dark wood, with a high,
has been piled over the vent, to be heated by the steeply-sloped roof, and few windows. The only light
steam. Visitors of both sexes now pay for the privilege that most of the building receives comes through sky-
of being buried up to their necks in the warm, moist lights set into the roof. These skylights are glazed with
sand, since this is said to leach out poisons, cure ar- frosted glass, reinforced by a mesh of stiff wire.
thritis, and prolong life. A map and description of the The following descriptions refer to the numbered
House can be found in the following section. areas on the accompanying map.
On the way to the House, Buntaro explains: 1. Entryway. The only illumination in the room
comes from the skylight above (indicated by the dot-
"It was four days ago," Buntaro tells you in his ted lines). Sitting just inside the double doors is an old
harsh voice. "Those eta women who work at the woman, hunched on a low stool. This is Fusae, the
House, they started screaming and carrying on proprietress. She is described in more detail in Chap-
loud enough to wake the dead." He laughs harshly. ter VII. When anyone enters, she holds out her hand
"Well, it didn't work. to them, and indicates through a clumsy sign language
"By the time a samurai detachment got there, the cost for using the facilities: 1 yuan. She also tries to
there was quite a crowd, all jabbering about the hand everyone a small towel from the pile next to her,
body they'd found in the sand. That's right, a stink- and indicates that they should remove their shoes.
ing body. Well, of course, lots of people thought it Should anyone try to ask her questions, Fusae bows,
16

shakes her head apologetically and points to her Apart from the bathtub level, the entire room area
throat. Even the slowest PC will soon realize that the has a sand floor. Towards the western end of the
woman is dumb. room, wisps of steam can be seen rising from the
Tb the left and right of the double doors are racks to sand. Near the bathtub, the sand is merely warm;
hold the shoes of patrons: women to the right of the moving westward, however, it increases in tempera-
door, men to the left. There are two pairs of shoes in ture until, at the western wall, it's too hot to touch.
the men's rack, one in the women's. Light comes through a wire-grilled skylight, and
If male PCs look as though they're heading towards through a wire-reinforced window set high in the
ffe
the women's changing room (area 2) or vice versa, Fu- western wall.
sae will agitatedly try to stop them, but will back
down before Buntaro's anger. 5. Men's sand room. The layout is identical to the
women's sand room. Everyone present will treat the
2. Women's changing room. There is a bench in PCs and samurai with the appropriate deference, but
the middle of the room, and hooks on the wall. Hang- none knows anything about the body.
ing on one of the hooks is a woman's kimono of poor If the PCs are interested, Buntaro shows them
quality. The only illumination comes from a frosted where the body was found—at the spot marked 'X',
glass window high on the wall (well above a man's buried in hot sand. There is nothing of interest or im-
height), which is reinforced with the same kind of port in the sand.
wire grill as the skylight in room 1. Should the PCs manage to examine the skylight set
3. Men's changing room. The layout is identical into the roof—which is more than thirty feet above
to the women's changing room. There are two men's the sand floor—let each PC who examines the grill roll
kimonos—both of mediocre quality—hanging on a 5d6 Ability Check against Intelligence. Anyone suc-
hooks. cessfully making the roll will notice that the metal
nails holding the western end of the grill in place are
4. Women's sand room. The curtained doorway newer and shinier than those at the eastern end of the
from the changing room leads out onto a stone floor grill. The PC will also notice that the panes of frosted
into which is sunk a bathtub full of volcanically- glass at the western end of the skylight aren't as se-
heated water. From the bathtub level, a small flight of curely seated in their frames as the other panes. The
wooden stairs leads three feet down to the steam- obvious conclusion is that someone gained entry to
heated sand. the House of Heavenly Sand through this skylight.
House of Heavenly Sand
H
17

Act 3— ready on the hilts of their katanas even after the PCs'
group is close enough for them to have recognized
TlYfG MONSt€R Of tl7€ Sl?RiN€ Buntaro. They relax only when Buntaro officially
VisitiNQ tl7e Sl?niNe greets them. (These samurai have vowed to them-
selves not to make the same mistake as their dead and
After their visit to the House of Heavenly Sand, Bun- dishonored colleagues, and will remain unfailingly
taro leads the PCs to the site of the second "incident". vigilant.) The four samurai are unarmored, but carry
This site is one of the smaller shrines dotted around katanas and wakizashis. Use the statistics for "Benju's
the rocky promontory on which the Shining Temple Samurai" in Chapter VII.
of Bishamon sits. (The shrine is area 5 on the city Buntaro escorts the PCs into the shrine, and shows
map.) A map and description of the shrine can be them the altar on which the body was found.
found in the following section.
On the way to the shrine, Buntaro gives the PCs this Sl?RiNe of tl?e West WiNb
background:
The Shrine of the West Wind is a small, single-
"The next incident took place a day after we storied temple. It has the fluted ceiling typical of most
found the dead headman," Buntaro growls, as temples; it is not terraced, however. The outer walls
though the whole thing had been orchestrated by are weight-bearing, of strong wood. The inner walls
vengeful kami just to plague him. "Another dead are of woven reeds, more like screens than anything
body, but this one different. This one was a pilgrim, else. The shrine is poorly lit by smoking lanterns of
and this time there was no doubt how he died. His animal fat, which are mounted on the eight pillars.
body was rended by claws. The central statue—representing Komoku the Wide
"It seems he decided to spend the night in prayer Gazing—stands 25 feet tall, and is constructed of
in the Shrine of the West Wind. That's normal: al- wood covered with the thinnest coating of beaten
most every night at least one pilgrim decides to gold. The four statues at the eastern end of the shrine
spend the night in at least one of the minor shrines. are life-sized representations of famous priests who
As usual, two samurai were on duty outside the worshipped Komoku.
shrine. In the morning, when the pilgrim's com- Before the central statue is a wooden altar on which
panions came to join him, they found him dead . . . pilgrims lay offerings to Komoku. These offerings are
spread out on the altar like a sacrifice. There was usually of flowers or intricate works of origami. The
hell to pay." pale wood of the altar bears a barely-visible
discoloration—a blood stain. Visitors to the temple
If the PCs ask what—if anything—the guardian have tried to scrub away the stain, but a faint re-
samurai heard or saw, Buntaro answers: minder still remains.
"Nothing," Buntaro spits. "They swore on their Today the altar is covered with offerings, many of
nonexistent honor that they heard nothing and saw them to smooth the journey of the murdered pilgrim's
nothing untoward all night. Fools. Of course, I or- soul. There are four people in the shrine when the
dered them to immediately to expiate their failure." PCs arrive. Three are simple pilgrims (use the "gen-
eral townsfolk" statistics). The third is a more
formidable-looking figure: a shaven-headed, ascetic
Buntaro explains that this body was kept, and the PCs man wearing orange monk's robes. This is the monk
can see it later. If the PCs ask, Buntaro tells them that Yaemon (refer to Chapter VII for statistics).
this corpse, too, was questioned using speak with dead:
The pilgrims treat the PCs and samurai with respect
"It said it saw something, something coming to- and honor. Yaemon responds politely to the PCs and
ward it before its soul was sent into the Great Void." the other samurai, but to Buntaro his behavior is on
Buntaro makes a sour face. "It said it saw a black, the verge of insult. (In fact, if Yaemon weren't so obvi-
manlike figure ... with wings. Nonsense, of course." ously a holy personage, Buntaro would probably
draw steel on him.) The reason for Yaemon's animos-
The unfortunate pilgrim was in fact slain by a ninja ity towards Buntaro will come out if the two engage in
wearing a pair of nekode. The ninja was clad entirely any conversation: the monk blames Buntaro for the
in black, and wore a black cape in which he could death of the pilgrim.
wrap himself to break up his outline. In the darkness None of the pilgrims or Yaemon can expand upon
of the shrine, and in the last moment of his life, the pil- what Buntaro has already said about the death. All
grim can be forgiven for mistaking the cape-clad ninja three pilgrims travelled with the dead man, but none
for a winged man. knew him well. One of the pilgrims was among those
As the PCs and samurai approach the shrine, they who found the body, but he can shed no further light
see four other samurai standing guard before the en- on the incident.
trance to the shrine. (Buntaro explains that he's dou- Angered by the attitude of Yaemon—and particu-
bled the guard.) These four samurai—all wearing the larly by the fact that the monk might well be right
brown kimono of Benju's forces—keep their hands about his responsibility—Buntaro will not tarry long
18

ft
in the shrine, wishing to lead the PCs to where they PCs are done, then leads them away from the shed,
can view the body. nodding to the gravediggers to do their work. Once
the group is back inside the wall of the town, read the
Deauly Depauteb following:
The body of the slain pilgrim rests on a low wooden Buntaro turns to you and bows—the bare mini-
table in a ramshackle hut just inside the wall of the mum required by politeness and not one degree
town's graveyard (area 15). Two samurai guard the more, although he's not being directly insulting ...
shack from busybodies. They carry katanas and waki- quite.
zashis, and both also carry daikyu and 12 arrows; "My master orders me to tell you to go about your
they are unarmored. Two eta gravediggers are wait- investigation now," he growls at you. "You are free to
ing outside the shack, ready to deal with the body (use travel the town, and speak with who you will. You
"general townsfolk" statistics). are to report anything you learn directly to me or to
ft
Buntaro leads the PCs into the shack to show them Yuji Takaesu. My master also orders me to say"—and
the body. Read the following: here Buntaro looks as though he's tasted something
foul—"that, if you wish to pass your information on
Buntaro's description has prepared you for what to him directly, you may do so. Speak to either my-
you see. The pilgrim died badly, you can see imme- self or Takaesu-san, and we will arrange an audi-
diately. The deep tears in the man's throat and ence. Finally, my master orders me to invite you to
chest are just what you'd expect from the clawing view the sunset with him from the Shining Temple
attack of a man-sized or larger creature—perhaps of Bishamon this evening. He orders me to tell you it
a tiger. But then, a tiger would have dragged the would be his honor to see you there."
ft
corpse off to eat it, isn't that so? And—no matter
what Buntaro may think—it's doubtful that even And then, with another perfunctory bow, Bun-
the most unobservant samurai wouldn't have no- taro turns his back and strides away, flanked by his
#
ticed a tiger entering the shrine. samurai.
And is this the environment for tigers anyway? The PCs have the remainder of the day to wander
around Aru town, learning the lay of the land and
There's nothing more of use to be learned from ex- talking to anyone they like.
amining the body. Buntaro waits impatiently until the
19

Act 4—FOR WI70M t!?e Bell trolls Again, the DM should make it clear to the PCs that
this is necessary. Once the PCs are unarmed, read
AppnoacHiNQ SuNset the following:
The DM should make it clear to the PCs that ignor-
ing Benju's invitation to view the sunset would be the As you approach, the samurai guards bow to you
height of insult. respectfully, as equal to equal. The bows of the
For details on the layout of the Shining Temple of other members of the daimyo's party range from
Bishamon, refer to Chapter III. reasonable respect to borderline insolence (Bun-
taro, of course). The daimyo's bow is merely an in-
As you climb the steps that lead up to the Shining clination of his head, but from a daimyo that is
Temple of Bishamon, you can see Benju Matsuto- more than respectful enough.
mo's party high above you. Tb the west of the stair- "Greetings, adventurers," Benju says in his pow-
way is a rocky shoulder that looks over the city. It's erful voice. "Please, sit." He indicates the carpet
from here that the daimyo has chosen to view the near him. The view will be good from there, neh?"
sunset. . . and a very good vantage point it is, you Once you've settled yourselves, he continues:
quickly realize. "Do you have anything to tell me?"
You reach the top of the stairway, a little flushed
from the exertion. Benju's gone to a lot of trouble to If the PCs have learned anything—doubtful, this
make this a lavish experience, you notice. The en- early in the proceedings—they have the option of tell-
tire shoulder of the hill is covered with richly- ing Benju or keeping it to themselves for the moment.
woven carpets. Serving girls kneel around the Benju will respect their silence, assuming that they'll
daimyo, ready to offer him food, cha or sake, as he tell him anything important in private at a later time.
wishes. Benju introduces the rest of his party. As always when
Kneeling beside Benju, in a position of honor and in Benju's presence, the PCs must be on their best be-
authority is the old man, Yuji Takaesu. Further havior. The other members of the daimyo's party will
away, in a position of considerably lesser authority react immediately and unmistakably to any hint of im-
is Buntaro. There are five others close by the dai- propriety, giving all but the most obtuse PCs a clue
myo that you haven't seen before: two men and that their behavior is inappropriate.
three women. The entire group is cordoned Of all the people present, Benju's consort Naomi will
around by fourteen samurai in the uniform of Ben- be the most outgoing and polite towards the PCs. If
ju's Home Guard. they return her politeness, then she will provide them
The daimyo sees you approach and waits to re- with highly valuable information later (Act 18).
ceive your respects.
Poetny
The entire party comprises Benju, Yuji Takaesu, If the PCs have managed to avoid major social
Buntaro, Tbshikazu Wada (commander of the gaffes, eventually read the following:
Home Guard), Sumihiro Matsutomo (Benju's
nephew), Takako Shimizu (Benju's niece), Lady Sa- As the limb of the sun creeps closer to the hori-
tomi (Benju's mother-in-law), and Naomi (Benju's fa- zon, the party falls silent. The sky is spectacular, a
vored consort). Refer to Chapter VII for descriptions symphony of reds and oranges. Finally the sun van-
of those NPCs in bold face type. All are unarmored, ishes, and all that remains are scattered clouds,
and carry the minimum weaponry appropriate for hanging above the horizon, their underbellies the
their caste and position—that is, daisho ("long and color of salmon.
short") for the males, and a knife for each of the Into the stillness, Benju Matsutomo speaks:
women. "As the sun sinks
There are five serving girls present, among them Tb quench itself in the distant ocean,
Sono (whom the PCs may remember from their initial So does my soul descend
audience with Benju). All wear simple kimonos and Tb the Nether World!'
are unarmed. The daimyo turns to the old man beside him.
Of the fourteen samurai, six are officers who serve "Yuji-san?" he prompts.
Benju as his personal bodyguards; the other eight are Yuji Takaesu responds immediately.
standard samurai of Benju's Home Guard. All are un- "But, as the sun will rise
armored, and carry katana and wakizashi. Once more to sail the skies,
If the PCs have been foolish enough to try to enter So does my soul in silence
the daimyo's presence armed, two of the samurai offi- Await rebirth'.'
cers intercept them and politely request that the PCs The daimyo looks directly at you, his expression
leave their weapons with them. (Only hatamoto— expectant.
totally trustworthy vassals and advisors—are allowed
to bring weapons into the presence of the daimyo.)
20

This gathering has suddenly become an informal Act 5—RUMORS*
contest in poetry. All PCs, as well as the other noble
members of the gathering, are expected to partici- This act can be used whenever the DM sees fit after
pate. Use the rules in Oriental Adventures for infor- the destruction of the bell—once or several times.
mal contests and the honor rules to judge the PCs' Whenever the PCs talk to any typical townsfolk, or
success or failure. overhear townsfolk in conversation, roll Id6. On a re-
Even though Buntaro has proficiency in poetry, to- sult of 1, the PCs hear one of the following rumors
night he's just not in the right frame of mind to pull it (roll ld20, or select one). Some of the rumors have
off. He will automatically fail in his first attempt. If some relation to reality, while others are totally false.
one of the PCs wins the contest, that PC will be the tar-
get of Buntaro's particular detestation for the rest of 1 "Bishamon has cursed Aru, yes he has. It's be-
the adventure. cause of pride, the daimyo's pride. I didn't say
Benju will congratulate the winner, and gift him or that, no, so sorry, I didn't mean it." (False)
her with a prize of one kimono of the finest silk 2 "Whatever's doing all this, it's not after us. It's just
(worth 5 tael). If Benju himself wins, he will accept after the daimyo." (True)
congratulations humbly (he's a good winner). 3 "The tiger-bird spirit that killed the pilgrim . . . I
When the contest is concluded, read the following: saw it, last night. It sang to me." (Totally false)
4 "I don't know why, but the yakuza seem very con-
In the gathering darkness, you see a robed figure cerned all of a sudden. Maybe they know some-
moving towards the towering apple tree that thing we don't." (True)
stands in front of the temple. It must be one of the 5 "A storm is about to break over Aru. I can feel it in
temple shukenja, you conclude, going to ring the my bones." (True)
brass bell that hangs from the tree. 6 "I had a dream last night. I saw a creature with a
You watch as the shukenja reaches up to draw snake's head, wreathed in smoke, moving
back the clapper of the bell and lets it fall. . . through the moonlight. And it's coming closer."
Instead of the clear, chiming tone you've heard (True; see Act 14)
every hour since your arrival in Aru town, there's a 7 "It's the Matsutomo curse, I swear to the gods it is.
dull clunk. The brass bell crumbles into fragments, My grandmother told me that whenever a Matsu-
which patter to the ground at the feet of the aston- tomo becomes daimyo, Aru suffers the torments
ished shukenja. of hell." (False)
Benju and the rest of his party surge to their 8 "I saw my brother's face at my window last night.
feet. . . And he's dead. Has been for three years..." (False)
9 "It's the Turning of the Age, when spirits walk the
streets, and all reason is overturned. The graves
The bell is well and truly shattered. If a PC examin- give up their dead, and bodiless souls prowl the
ing the fragments of the bell has one of the following land and feed on the living." (False)
proficiencies, he or she is entitled to a success roll 10 "That monk, what's his name, Yako, Yaemon,
based on that proficiency: armorer, blacksmith, jew- something like that. He's a hard one, he is." (True)
eler, or weaponsmith. This roll is made at a +1 pen- 11 "This is going to get a lot worse before it gets bet-
alty. A successful roll indicates that the PC has ter." (True)
detected something untoward: minuscule traces of a 12 "That Buntaro. I know he's got something to do
strong acid that could have the effect of weakening with all this. He hates the daimyo. I'm sure he's be-
brass and turning it brittle. traying him somehow." (False)
Note to the DM: While everyone was distracted by 13 "Don't believe a word of it. It's all a trick. And—
the sunset and the poetry contest, a ninja climbed un- just between you and me—I wouldn't be sur-
noticed into the apple tree, and poured acid on the prised if the daimyo's behind it. Look well if it's
bell. He then left the area the way he came. just an excuse to raise taxes . . ." (False)
The common people—and even the majority of the 14 "This talk of the supernatural. . . crazy! That pil-
nobles—will take the breaking of the bell as an omen grim, a tiger got him when the samurai were
of the worst possible kind. Perhaps it signifies that asleep. And the bell? Well, bells get old, too."
Bishamon has withdrawn his favor from the temple (False)
and from the town, or perhaps it intimates that evil 15 "I think the daimyo's more worried than he lets
spirits have turned their malign attention towards on. Some day take a look at the list of past dai-
Aru—that's how the rumors will run. myos, and what happened to them. You'll under-
The destruction of the bell ends the evening's gath- stand." (True)
ering. Surrounded by their cordon of samurai, Benju 16 "If you ask me, those strangers have something to
and his family hurry down the stairs and back to the do with it. Those foreigners the daimyo took in.
castle. The PCs are free to respond however they see Never trust a foreigner. Oh . . . so sorry, I didn't
fit. see you there, honored travellers . . ." (False)
21

17 "It's all a curse cast by Lady Satomi, the daimyo's
mother-in-law, the witch. Have you noticed she
doesn't cast a shadow?" (False)
18 "It's something to do with that wandering wu jen,
Dosko I think his name is. He cast a spell on me,
blighted my right arm. Well, it got better..." (Par-
tially true)
19 "It was a tiger-bird spirit. And I'm never going
back to the House of Heavenly Sand. Only the
gods know what else is buried under the sand."
(False)
20 "Some people say it was a 'tiger-bird spirit'. Non-
sense. There's no such thing as a 'tiger-bird spirit'.
That's just superstitious nonsense, not worthy of
attention by right-thinking, intelligent people.
Particularly when intelligent people know it was
a flying spirit goat-carp that did it. . ." (False)
The DM can get quite a lot of mileage out of the

"tiger-bird spirit" rumor, which is currently making
the rounds of the poorer areas of town. If the PCs try
to follow up on that rumor, they'll find that several
people claim to have seen the tiger-bird spirit. Of
course, they're all either liars, inveterate drunkards,
or victims of their own imaginations.
These rumors have two main effects. The major one
is to show the PCs how much credence the populace is
giving to the supposedly supernatural nature of the
"incidents" that have occurred recently. The other ef-
fect is to present the PCs with a number of valuable
gems of information... all well mixed in with red her-
rings, of course.
In addition to these rumors, the PCs should see a
quickly-growing business in good luck charms and
"anti-spirit potions", sold by the enterprising to the
gullible. As matters progress, stalls begin to spring up
at many street-corners, and many hawkers are doing
great trade in these gewgaws and nostrums. (Of
course, none of these gimmicks are at all magical, and
all are totally useless. Some may—at the discretion of
the DM—even be counter-productive: mild purga-
tives, etc.) The DM can use these sellers of hokum for
"nuisance encounters" whenever it may seem appro-
priate.
22

any questions. If the PCs want to be able to ask Onoshi
Act 6-Fine!* about his actions, they're going to have to protect him
This act can be used whenever the DM sees fit early from the righteous wrath of any NPC samurai who
in the development of the adventure. The PCs can be happens to be nearby. Onoshi has been trained in ka-
involved or not, at the DM's option. If they're not in- rate; thus his Armor Class and high number of at-
volved the DM can give them the appropriate infor- tacks. He knows two special maneuvers: circle kick
mation from the "Probable Outcome" section that and feint.
follows. In addition to his highly illegal knife, Onoshi carries
If the PCs are to be involved, this act can be played 10 tael. He received this princely sum in return for
out whenever the PCs are abroad on the streets at setting fire to a peasant's minka in the eta area of
night (perhaps directly after Act 4 and the destruction town. When the PCs spot him, he's trying to get away
of the bell). Read the following: from the scene of the crime. If pursued, he'll do what-
ever he can to get away; he knows the winding back-
The night breeze is freshening, and carries a streets of the city better than the PCs, so he has a good
symphony of scents: flowers, the perfume of a chance of succeeding if they don't go after him imme-
passing courtesan, food cooking, and—from the eta diately. Should he be caught or cornered, he'll fight:
area—the harsh chemicals used in tanning, and the throwing his knife at any pursuer who looks remotely
unmistakable odor of blood from the town's single like a spellcaster preparing a spell, then using his ka-
small slaughterhouse. rate skills. Onoshi fights fiercely, but not to the death,
And, suddenly . . . smoke. A red glow lights the and always with an eye to escape. As soon as it's ap-
sky over among the ramshackle eta huts. Cries ring parent that he's outmatched and that escape is impos-
out: yells of pain and dismay, punctuated by sharp sible, he flings himself to the ground, begging for
orders. mercy. If the PCs keep him alive, he'll answer any
questions . . . intermixing the responses with a good
measure of pleas for mercy, of course.
FiuestaRten Unfortunately, he can't tell the PCs much. Yes, he
If the PCs respond immediately and head towards was approached by a man who wanted him to set fire
the fire, they have the opportunity to learn a little to the minka. But the man was a stranger; Onoshi had
more about what's going on; read the following sec- never seen him before. He can't even say whether his
tion. If they hesitate, skip this encounter entirely and employer was from Aru, or a stranger to the town,
go on with "The Firefighters". If they don't investigate and has no idea as to the man's rank or motivation. He
at all, find some appropriate way of giving them the describes the man as "mid-height, with dark hair and
appropriate information from "Probable Outcome"; dark eyes, wearing a plain dark kimono"... which, of
it's as if they haven't been involved at all. course, is of no help at all.
The street is suddenly full of people: terrified

peasants, grim-faced samurai. Despite the fear that
appears on many faces, they're all heading towards If the PCs decide to head for the site of the fire, read
the glow in the sky. the following:
No, not all. A single figure pushes through the
flfe
crowd, hurrying away from the blaze. His face and As you hurry towards the glow, you're filled with
clothing are nondescript, and none of you recog- foreboding. There's been no rain for more than a
nize him. week, and minka—particularly in an eta village-
But he recognizes you. As your eyes meet, you are notorious fire-traps. You could well be wit-
see terror flash across his face. He turns and runs, nesses to a firestorm like the one that devastated
knocking people off their feet in his desperation to much of Juzimura several years ago.
reach the small, dark alley across the street. . . But when you reach the spot, you see an amazing
sight. The fire is totally under control—almost ex-
This figure is Onoshi. tinguished, in fact. There's a well-organized bucket
Onoshi (0-level male human): AC 8; MV 12; hp 7; brigade fighting the fire, and others are tossing wa-
#AT 1 or 3/1; Dmg 1-3 (knife) or 1-6 (karate); THACO ter on the roofs of nearby buildings to prevent it
from spreading. As you watch in amazement, the
20; Str 12, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 9, Wis 8, Cha 9; AL LN. fire is completely quenched. Tired and grimy—but
Proficiencies: karate. Honor: 2. exultant—the eta and others turn away to return to
Onoshi is the 20-year-old son of an Aru fishmonger, their homes or businesses.
hence of the sho class. He wears an undistinguished
kimono, with a knife concealed in the sleeve. Remem- If the PCs want to find out anything about the fire, #
ber: possession of weapons is illegal for all but samu- they're going to have to ask the spectators and partici-
rai. Any samurai who finds this knife in his possession pants. The PCs must work hard to extract all of the
will immediately take Onoshi's head, without asking facts, which are as follows:
23

• The fire started in the home of a family of eta.
• All but one of the family escaped. The old and in-
Act 7—UNquatef ul Dcab?
firm grandfather perished in the blaze. The PCs can be involved in this act or not, at the
• The fire was very sudden, and nobody has any DM's option. If they're not involved the DM can give
clue how it started and flared up so fast. them the appropriate information from the "Probable
• The campaign to fight the fire was started by four Outcome" section that follows.
men, who responded instantly to the threat and
organized the bucket brigade. Set-Up
If the PCs are to be involved, the DM must find some
The PCs will probably question the townsfolk fur- way to manipulate them into visiting the Shining Tem-
ther about these four men. If so, read the following: ple of Bishamon at night. Read the following:
The eta bows to you. "I don't know them, hon- The mama-san who runs your ryokan bustles
ored lords (and ladies). Never saw them before. over to you as you're heading for your rooms. "A
They wore poor clothes, like us, yes. But they message," she says breathlessly, holding out a
weren't of us, if the honored nobles understand folded piece of parchment. "Important, the deliv-
me. Their voices, their manners . . . They weren't ery boy said."
eta. But we don't know who they are, none of us." As the mama-san goes about her business, you
open the message.
Various people will give varying descriptions, but "Greetings, travellers," it reads. "I desire a meet-
they'll all boil down to "mid-height, with dark hair and ing with you. It would be to your benefit as much
dark eyes". as to mine. Let us meet tonight at midnight, in front
Each PC involved in questioning the eta should of the Shining Temple of Bishamon. I have much to
make a 4d6 Ability Check against Wisdom. A success- share with you, and little to ask." The message is
ful roll means that he or she has noticed clues that signed "Yaemon".
some of the eta are lying. The PCs can proceed as they Yaemon? Isn't he the monk who almost clashed
like to discover the truth. with Buntaro when you visited the Shrine of the
The truth of the matter is that some of the locals West Wind?
recognized the four men who organized the bucket
brigade—not by name, but by status. The men are Again, if the PCs decide to forego the proposed
members of the local yakuza clan. (Once the truth is meeting, convey to them the appropriate information
out, the locals will speak proudly of the yakuza: "Do- from the "Probable Outcome" section; unless they
ing their duty, they were. Protecting the common show up at the temple for other reasons, they'll have
folk, as yakuza should.") no further involvement in this act.
If asked, the townsfolk will admit to knowing
Onoshi, the fishmonger's son . . . but will always fol-
low up the answer with something like "Why? He's at tlje "Ceiwple
not in trouble, is he? Maybe I don't know him after If the PCs decide to meet with Yaemon, or if they ar-
all. What did you say his name was? . . ." They re- rive at the temple for other reasons, read the follow-
spond to the news that he set the fire with disinter- ing:
ested fatalism.
The night is clear, and the wind from the west,
Pnobable OutcoMe carrying on it an almost subliminal hint of salt from
the not-so-distant sea. You reach the top of the
If the PCs aren't involved in this act, they can learn three thousand steps, the warmth in your legs re-
the following facts, either as rumors or as an official minding you of every one.
report from some member of the Matsutomo house-
hold (perhaps a samurai assigned to guide them, or The moonlight seems almost as bright as mid-
some such). day. You can easily see the four figures arrayed be-
fore the temple's main entrance. The night is even
bright enough to see the four additional figures
• An old man died in an unexplained fire in the eta ranged around the circumference of the building.
area last night. The four door guards tense as they see you, hands
• The fire was put out surprisingly quickly, perhaps flashing to sword hilts. Then the hands fall away as
saving the city from a major conflagration. the samurai recognize you. As you approach, you
• In a seemingly unrelated incident, a merchant— see the samurai are still wary and on guard—as
the son of a local fishmonger—was cut down on they were ordered to be. Good.
the street when he pulled a knife on a samurai.
Use the statistics for "Benju's Samurai" for these
guards. All eight wear leather armor, and carry
24

katanas and wakizashis. The four samurai guarding against Wisdom. A successful roll means that the PC
the perimeter of the temple also carry daikyu and 12 has found something: a small, cunningly-designed
arrows each. clockwork mechanism. The device can be wound up
Should the PCs ask about the monk Yaemon, the by a small key, then, after a predetermined period of
samurai will tell them that they haven't seen anyone time, a small lever moves, with enough force to audi-
up here since the last pilgrim left shortly after sunset. bly rustle small branches. A determined search will
(Note to the DM: Yaemon has been detained by other turn up six of these devices, planted along the sup-
circumstances, as will become apparent in Act 8, "The posed route of the "creature". (PCs should quickly re-
Monk's Revenge".) alize that they were led deep into the woods by false
Spiuit?
When the time seems appropriate, read the follow-
sound effects.) Each mechanism can be sold for 10
ch'ien ... if the DM rules that an interested buyer can
be found.
ft
The second clue can be found at the foot of the tree
ing: that was struck by the samurai's arrow. Any PC who
examines the ground around the tree is entitled to a
There's a grunt of alarm and amazement from 4d6 Ability Check against Wisdom. A successful roll
the samurai. You spin, and your eyes follow his means that the PC has noticed something: a tiny speck
gaze. of glowing residue on a blade of grass. This speck
There! Among the trees to the east of the temple: glows with the same cold, green light as the mysteri-
a figure that could be a man . . . except men don't ous figure.
ft
glow with that cold greenish light. The figure Any PC examining the residue closely can make a
spreads its wings, then retreats into the trees, im- 5d6 Ability Check against Intelligence. If the character
mediately vanishing from sight. What was it? It has proficiency as a herbalist, or is a wu jen, he or she
couldn't be a tiger-bird spirit. . . could it? receives a — 2 bonus to the die roll. A successful roll
A bowstring thrums, and an arrow sings across indicates that the PC has an idea what the residue is: a
the open space . . . to bury itself impotently in the natural substance that gives off a cold light as a result
bole of a tree—exactly at throat-height, and just of a chemical reaction, similar to the light of a firefly.
where the glowing figure had stood a moment be- If they're unable to identify the residue themselves,
fore. A nice shot. the PCs might decide to take it to a sage or other spe-
cialist. The light has a limited duration, however. The
Of course, it's one of the samurai who loosed the substance ceases to glow in 2d6 turns, after which
arrow. He immediately apologizes for firing without time even a sage can't identify it.
being ordered, but the strange figure had (under- Note to the DM: The true nature of these events is as
standably) startled him. follows. A ninja used the cover of the night to ap-
(K
The PCs are free to pursue the figure or not, as proach the temple through the woods. Donning a thin
they see fit. If they don't do so immediately, the glow- cloak, the outside of which had been treated with the
ing figure will make another tantalizing appearance, light-producing substance, the ninja made his "magi-
always withdrawing before anyone can send an ar- cal" appearance. As soon as he knew that the PCs
row or spell its way. When the PCs finally investi- were pursuing, he took off the cloak, rolled it up so
gate, five of the samurai will accompany them unless that the glowing surface was inside the roll, and con-
otherwise ordered . . . leaving only three to watch cealed it in a pouch. He then made his escape while his
the temple. cunning mechanical devices led the PCs on a merry
If the PCs enter the woods, they never see the glow- chase in a totally different direction.
ing figure again. Instead, however, they hear soft
sounds of movement up ahead. These sounds are al- MeaNwliile, Back at tfte reMple . . .
ways far enough away that nobody in the PCs' party When the PCs return from their abortive pursuit,
can see what might be making them. Each PC who en- they find the samurai that stayed behind are alert and
ters the woods is entitled to a 3d6 Ability Check on guard. Read the following:
against Intelligence. A successful roll means that the
PC is aware, from the direction and duration of the
sounds, that the fleeing creature—whatever it is—is The leader of the guard detachment barks a gut-
moving through the treetops, and is travelling faster tural order, and one of the samurai darts inside the
ft
than a man could move through the woods. temple. After a moment, you hear a quickly-
No matter how fast the PCs pursue, they can never muffled cry of alarm.
What now? The samurai pound up the stairs and
H
catch the "creature" making the sounds. The trail
ends when the woods stop at the edge of a steep cliff. into the darkness of the temple.
There are two clues that the PCs might find, but Immediately you see the samurai who had been
they have to look in the right places. Any PC who sent inside. His face is grim and his posture firm,
climbs into the trees is entitled to a 4d6 Ability Check the very picture of the unshakable warrior. (It's al-

"omen". The ninja then made their escape into the
most enough to make you forget the cry of fright.) night. The timing should be such that the PCs have no
The samurai points. hope at all of tracking the ninja.
Standing rigidly upright, his back against one of Each PC examining the body is entitled to a 3d6 Abil-
the wooden screens surrounding the statue of ity Check against Intelligence. A successful roll indi-
Bishamon, is a man wearing the robes of a pilgrim cates that the PC realizes the spear-thrust wasn't a
shukenja. After a moment, you realize why his pos- death-blow: the unfortunate pilgrim was already
ture is so upright and motionless: a spear of some dead when the spear entered his body.
kind has been driven right through his chest, and Any PC examining the body further is entitled to a
into the screen behind him. 6d6 Ability Check against Intelligence. If the character
has proficiency as a herbalist, or is a ninja, he or she
Unless the PCs prevent him for some reason, the receives a — 4 bonus to the die roll. A successful roll
lead samurai will have the pilgrim taken down from indicates the PC has discovered that the shukenja was
the screen. Read the following: killed by poison.
If the body is questioned using speak with dead, the
"lake that down," the leader of the guard detach- PCs can learn that the shukenja has been nowhere
ment snaps. Obediently, three of the samurai run near the temple tonight. The last thing he remembers
to follow his order. is sitting down in his room for a relaxing cup of cha.
While two samurai hold the dead pilgrim, the
third struggles to remove the spear. He finally does RUMORS, RUMORS
so, but with obvious difficulty: that thing had been Unless the PCs explicitly order the samurai—and
driven firmly into the wood. anyone else who may become involved, such as a
The samurai with the spear gasps with surprise sage—to silence, the next day the town will be filled
as he sees clearly for the first time what it is he's with rumors regarding what happened around the
holding. The metal head is of a design you've never temple. Even if the PCs do order silence, rumors will
seen before: basically leaf-shaped, but with a still begin to circulate, but only after two days. (It
strange ripple to the edges. There's a diamond- takes that long for the wives, consorts, friends, etc., of
shaped cut-out through the middle of the head. the samurai to extract the information from them.)
As the samurai holds up the spear, his fellows Even if the PCs have discovered any of the non-
gasp as well. One of them mutters under his magical aspects of the evening's events (i.e., the me-
breath, "A gaki-spear . . '.' chanical devices), the rumors will contain none of
these mundane—and therefore boring—facts. The ru-
None of the samurai are comfortable talking about mors will concentrate on the glowing figure-
it, but if they're questioned firmly, they'll explain what obviously the tiger-bird spirit, since it had wings—the
they know about the gaki-spear. According to a local fact that the samurai's arrow had passed clean
legend, unknown outside the vicinity of Aru town through the spectral figure, and the appearance of
(and so unfamiliar to the PCs), a jiki-ketsu-gaki of great the gaki-spear.
power lives in the mountains nearby. (Refer to the en-
try in the Kara-TUr Monstrous Compendium for infor- PRObable OutcoMe
mation on gaki.) In addition to his regular powers, this
gaki also has the power of prophesy. When an age of If the PCs don't get involved in this act, for whatever
trouble is about to befall the land, the gaki warns the reason, they can learn about the events through ru-
local residents with an omen. The legend states that mors or as an official report from some member of
the chosen omen is the body of a wise man, killed with the Matsutomo household. Stripped of all the super-
a spear of a peculiar design. The pilgrim shukenja and natural trappings, they can learn the following facts:
the strange spear certainly seem to match the details
of the legend . . . • The samurai guarding the Shining Temple saw a
glowing figure on the margin of the woods. The
Note to the DM: The Yamaguchi ninja are residents figure was vaguely humanoid, but appeared to
of Aru Province, and so are familiar with the legend of have wings.
the gaki. From their collection of strange weapons,
they selected a good candidate for a "gaki-spear", and • One of the samurai shot an arrow at the figure, but
gave it to one of the four ninja assigned to tonight's was unable to hit it.
mission. First of all, the ninja tracked down the unfor- • When they returned to the temple, they found the
tunate pilgrim shukenja, and slew him with poison, body of a pilgrim pinned to a screen with a spear
then carried his body secretly to the woods behind of unfamiliar design.
the Shining Temple. Then, while one of their number • The spear and the dead shukenja seem to match
led the PCs—and possibly many of the samurai well with a local legend concerning a gaki and
guards—away, the others sneaked into the temple omens of ill-fortune.
with the body and the spear, and quickly arranged the
26

Act s—"Clie MONR'S If Yaemon loses, read the following:
The monk bows to you. "Even foul murderers

This act can be used when the DM sees fit, but only have some honor," he says harshly. "I have failed in
after the events of Act 7. It can be used whenever the my duty to my charges. My life is forfeit to expiate
PCs are abroad in the streets, unaccompanied by Ben- my failure."
ju's samurai. Read the following:
Unless the PCs stop him, he extracts a small knife
In your short time in Aru town, you've become from within his robe and does what honor demands.
almost accustomed to the heavy press of people If the PCs subdue Yaemon, if all lose in their duels
that usually fills the streets. When it isn't there- with the monk, or if they prevent him from taking his
like now—you almost miss i t . . . almost.
"Murderers!" The cry rings out with no warning.
For a moment you look around, bemused, looking
own life, the PCs have a chance to learn the reasons
behind his attack on them. ft
for the murderers. Then, with a shock, you realize MUtt&GR MOSt FOUl
that the voice must be referring to you.
"Die, you death-mongering barbarians!" The As described in Act 7, Yaemon had tried to arrange a
scream—an obvious challenge—hangs on the still midnight meeting with the PCs at the Shining Temple
air. Then a figure hurtles like an orange-clad proof Bishamon. As circumstances developed, he didn't
jectile out of an alley and into your midst. make the meeting. (This was the night that the PCs
saw the glowing "tiger-bird spirit".)
Before climbing to the temple to meet with the PCs,
The "orange-clad projectile" is the monk Yaemon. He Yaemon decided that he'd stop in to visit some of "his"
is unarmored (of course), but carries a lajatang. He at- pilgrims—travellers who'd accompanied him on the
tacks the PCs with great ferocity, concentrating his at- road, and who were staying at a nearby ryokan.
tentions on warrior-types first. When he arrived, the inn was in an uproar. According
If Yaemon notices a PC spellcaster preparing a spell, to witnesses, a number of armed people had smashed
read the following: into the rooms occupied by the pilgrims and had slain
four as they tried to scramble out of their beds. The
"You honorless fiends," the monk cries. "Would murderers had then fled, cutting down a fifth pilgrim
you use magic as you use assassination? The souls who'd tried to stop them. None of the witnesses knew
of those you murdered curse you!" the attackers, but Yaemon was able to piece together
good descriptions based on various people's testi-
mony. The descriptions almost perfectly match the
He immediately concentrates his attack on the spell-
ft
appearance of the PCs ... Filled with righteous anger,
caster, trying to disrupt the spell. Yaemon went forth and tried to track down the PCs so
The PCs should quickly realize that Yaemon is oper- he could destroy them.
ating under incorrect information. Claims of inno-
cence won't sway him from his course, however. If Assuming that the PCs can force Yaemon to listen to
the PCs want to force him to see reason, they'll have to them, it should be possible to prove to him that they
subdue him somehow. weren't responsible for the killings. If they were
ft
Throughout the fight, Yaemon continues to scream present for the events in Act 7, the PCs will be able to
things about the PCs having no honor. This should cue get the samurai to testify that they were at the Shining
Temple when the murders were being committed.
ft
them that the monk holds honor in the highest es-
teem. If one of the PCs issues him an honorable chal- Yaemon will accept this alibi, since it fits in with ru-
lenge, Yaemon will accept it immediately, and stop mors he's heard, but has up to this point discounted.
fighting until he faces the challenging PC one-on-one. Once Yaemon has accepted that he's in error, he's
Should the PCs attack Yaemon during this pause, or very apologetic towards the PCs, and insists that
should anyone interfere with the progress of the duel, they let him "take the final journey" to remove the
each PC immediately loses 3 points of honor. Yaemon stain of the false accusation from his honor. If they
will insist that the duel continue until one combatant don't persuade him otherwise, Yaemon will kill him-
is reduced to one-quarter of his or her current hit self. If they do prevent him from taking his own life,
point total. he will promise to help them in the future in any hon-
orable way; all they have to do is ask. (The PCs can't
If Yaemon wins the duel, he immediately challenges force him into an action that he considers dishonor-
another PC. This continues until Yaemon is defeated,
H
able; if pressed, he always has the final escape of an
or until he vanquishes all PCs. Should the monk honorable warrior.)
emerge victorious over all of the PCs, he insists that
they accompany him to the nearest magistrate as his Eventually, the PCs should remember to ask the
prisoners, where he will accuse them of the crime de- monk why he'd originally tried to set up a meeting
scribed in the following section. with them. If they finally do ask, read the following:
27

The monk clears his throat, looking somewhat Act 9—
embarrassed. "It seems somehow dishonorable," he CoNveRsatioN will} a Mute*
says quietly. "But, as investigators, you should
know what I have learned. Those who would know This act can be used whenever the DM sees fit early
such things have told me that Buntaro—that obnox- in the development of the adventure. It will prove par-
ious animal who accompanied you to the shrine- ticularly useful if the PCs haven't yet begun to suspect
has been acting in a most suspicious manner. I hear that the "supernatural" events are actually staged by
tell he skulks through the castle at night, in areas very natural agencies. Should the PCs already be
where he has no cause to be. When a samurai thinking about ninjas, or if the DM needs to pick up
guard—who was only doing his duty—didn't recog- the pace of events, this act can be omitted. None of the
nize him and asked him his business, Buntaro drew information contained in the act is vital to the PCs suc-
his sword and slew the man. Certainly, considering cess, although it is educational and interesting.
his rank, such was his right. .. but often the right
to perform a certain act is insufficient justification iNvitatioN
to actually perform it, correct?" Yaemon coughs
uncomfortably. "Now, I myself make no accusa- "Please excuse me, honored sirs (and ladies)." The
tions of impropriety against Buntaro, that you voice from behind you is unctuous, ingratiating.
must understand. Passing on gossip such as this You turn to see a poorly-dressed messenger, hold-
soils my honor ... but I feel it is important that you ing a very low bow. In his hand, extended towards
know what I know." you, is a folded scrap of parchment.
"My mistress bids me give you this," he goes on.
Yaemon can tell the PCs nothing more. Even if pressed, "My mistress Fusae-san wishes to speak with you
he won't name his sources for their protection. this evening."
BackQROUNt)
The PCs may remember that Fusae is the mute old
The murder of the pilgrims was set up to discredit woman who runs the House of Heavenly Sands. When
the PCs, and to hinder their investigation as much as they examine the parchment, it's just what the mes-
possible. The attackers who were disguised as the PCs senger described: an invitation to speak with Fusae
were yakuza. Unfortunately for the PCs, they left no that very evening, one hour after sunset. The address
clues behind to identify them. given is in the eta area of town. No matter how much
the PCs may press him, the messenger is unable to
CONSGQUGNCeS give them any more information (such as how a mute
If the PCs kill Yaemon without first talking to him, it can carry on a conversation with them . . .).
will be very difficult for them to find out what trig-
gered him. The word will quickly spread throughout "Cl^e AubieNce
Aru town that the "strangers" murdered several pil-
grims, then killed the monk who tried to avenge them. The PCs might very well be suspicious about this
The PCs should quickly notice that the townsfolk are meeting, particularly if they've already been involved
treating them differently, with a sullen, distrustful in earlier nastiness. Should they try to investigate Fu-
manner, or even with overt hostility. If they try to find sae, they'll find that nobody knows much about her,
out why, the DM should make it difficult for them to just that she's an old harmless eta and the proprietress
dig out the information. of the House of Heavenly Sands. If they decide to
check out the meeting place beforehand, they'll find it
Once the PCs find out what they're suspected of, to be a simple peasant minka.
they might try to spread counter-rumors concerning
their innocence. Perhaps they can back up these ru- If the PCs decide to attend the meeting—and there's
mors with testimony from the samurai who were really no good reason why they shouldn't—read the
guarding the Shining Temple the night of the "tiger- following:
bird spirit". As in our world, however, people are
much more willing to believe rumors of guilt than Even an hour after sunset, with the night breezes
claims of innocence. Even if they manage to persuade blowing firmly, the eta area smells no better than it
Benju or another official to publicly announce their does during the day. The address mentioned in the
innocence, the townsfolk will still remember them as invitation is easy to find. It's a peasant minka—one
the "murderous strangers". of many minka, with nothing at all to distinguish it
If the PCs don't kill Yaemon, and manage to prove from its neighbors.
their innocence to him, the rumors will still spread You approach the front door slowly, preparing to
but not as widely or as fast. The townsfolk won't show knock. But before you can, the door swings open.
overt hostility, although some will still treat the PCs Silhouetted against the light within is a withered,
with serious suspicion. There's nothing that the PCs old figure. You recognize her at once: Fusae, from
can do to circumvent this. the House of Heavenly Sands. She beckons you in.
28

Fusae's minka is area 14 on the city map. Use the
standard layout of a peasant minka from the Oriental no indication of her knowledge. She says . . . so
Adventures hardcover. The meeting takes place in the sorry, she says men of action always err in their
large room, the one with the hearth. Fusae silently judgement of the old and infirm. Such as my grand-
beckons the PCs to follow her into this room. Assum- mother see much, and know much for which they
ing they agree to do so—and, again, there's no good never receive credit."
reason why they shouldn't—read the following:
If questioned, Fusae—through Cachiko—will say
The bent old woman slides back the shoji and sig- that she saw three black-clad men, but suspects that
nals for you to follow her into the minka's main there were probably more. She knows nothing fur-
room. The area is dimly lit by two small oil lamps ther, and won't speculate. Never does she use the
word "ninja"; the PCs must make that leap of judge-
ft
that seem to produce more smoke than they do
light. The smoke from the small fire in the hearth ment themselves.
seems somewhat averse to using the chimney, and Should the PCs ask about Fusae's background, they
doesn't help the visibility a whit. can learn all of the background described in Chapter
VII. Neither Fusae nor Cachiko will volunteer any of
In the dimness, you see a figure kneeling in the this information, however.
far corner of the room. The figure bows deeply,
then moves slightly forward, more into the doubt- If asked, both Fusae and Cachiko will admit that
ful light of an oil lamp. You see for the first time they don't believe the "incidents" that have been hap-
that the figure is a beautiful young woman. pening recently have any supernatural aspects to
them at all. Both women know that the PCs are inves-
Fusae makes a rapid series of complex gestures tigating the incidents and wish them luck; neither of
towards the young woman, who says in a pleasing them is able to help them in any way, however, be-
voice, "We bid you welcome, honored travellers.
#
cause of their eta status.
My grandmother asks you please to make yourself
comfortable."
For the first time, you notice something else that PRObable Outcoiwe
seems totally out of place in a peasant minka such as If the PCs don't go through with the meeting, the
this. In the far corner of the room, near where he consequence is simply that they don't receive Fusae's
young woman was originally kneeling, you see a potentially-useful revelation.
flower arrangement of almost transcendent beauty.
Fusae and her interpreter—who is called

Cachiko—won't get down to business until the PCs
have settled themselves comfortably, and Cachiko has
served them their choice of cha or sake. Throughout
this encounter, all conversation is conducted through
Cachiko. She interprets her grandmother's sign lan-
guage, always speaking as "we" or as "my grand-
mother". Fusae can obviously understand any
questions put to her, answering yes-or-no questions
ft
with a definite nod or shake of her head.
When the pleasantries and formalities are out of the
way, read the following:
Fusae gestures again, and Cachiko translates her

signing. "My grandmother remembers you from
the House of Heavenly Sands," the young woman
ft
tells you. "She has information that you should
know about the unfortunate body found on her
premises. Unfortunately, when you visited her be-
fore you were accompanied by Buntaro and he—so
sorry, this is what she insists I tell you—he is a pig.
"My grandmother was at the House on the eve-
ning when the body must have been . . . er, deliv-
ered," Cachiko continues. "She left perhaps two
tt
hours after sunset. And, as she walked away from
the building, she saw something. Figures on the
rooftops. Figures clad in black, with black hoods.
They were watching her. She saw them, but gave
29

Act IO—WaRNINQ* Act 11—SuNset AuOieNce*
Casual ENCOUNten iNvitatiON
This short act can be dropped in whenever the PCs This act can be used whenever the DM sees fit,
are travelling through the town, either by day or night. when it's time to escalate matters, and point out the di-
rect threat to Benju and his family. Whenever the PCs
A plainly-dressed man bumps you—not hard, are abroad in the town, read the following:
and obviously not maliciously. "So sorry," he says
with a bow. Then his eyes open wide in recogni- You see the figures approaching when they're
tion. "Ah, the honored travellers." He bows again, still a good way off. Four samurai, wearing the
lower this time. "It is my honor to meet you. My brown kimonos of Benju's Home Guard, all armed
name is Juto, though that is unimportant, of with daisho. Their leader has a determined expres-
course. I understand that you're helping our liege- sion on his face, and they're heading straight for
lord to investigate the 'incidents'. Oh, yes, your you.
fame has already spread far. The samurai stop at a respectful distance, and
"But. . . "—and here he leans forward, his voice bow politely . . . but not quite low enough to indi-
dropping conspiratorially—"there are those who cate that they consider you as equals.
question what you're doing. Not me, you under- "Sirs (and ladies)," the lead samurai says with no
stand, but some. They say... well, if it's Aru town's preamble, "my liege lord Benju-sama orders me to
fate to suffer, then . . . it's bad karma to interfere. invite you to an audience with him this evening,
And those who pursue bad karma will also suffer. one half hour after sunset. You are to meet him in
Isn't that true?" the top chamber of the North Tower. Do you un-
He bows again, and speaks at a normal level. derstand?"
"Well, again, it was my honor to meet you. Perhaps
our paths will cross again."
Once the samurai has delivered his message, he and
his men leave. They don't know the reason for the au-
Unless prevented, the man will leave the PCs and dience, and will consider any questions about it as bad
lose himself in the crowd. If the PCs ask him exactly manners. Use the statistics for "Benju's Samurai" in
who has spoken of bad karma, he'll be as vague as he Chapter VII.
can get away with, if necessary making up false
names. The PCs might sense that his words are actu- AftCK SUNSet
ally a threat, and call him on it. If they do, he will in-
stantly and contritely deny that any threat was The twelve guards at the gate to Benju's castle will
intended. challenge the PCs when they try to enter, and ask to
see the parchment that Benju gave them in order to
The man—whose real name is Nada—is a yakuza, confirm their identity. They will not open the gate or
although he won't admit it to the PCs. His true back- allow the PCs in unless they can produce this parch-
ground is an open secret among the townsfolk, how- ment. (If the PCs left it at their ryokan, the DM should
ever, so it should be fairly easy for the PCs to discover keep close track of the time needed to go and get it,
this after the fact. Nobody knows where he lives, or particularly if this would make them late for their ap-
where he operates from. pointment.) Use the statistics for "Benju's Samurai."
Nada's sole purpose is to subtly warn the PCs away
from their investigation (although this encounter will Once the PCs have satisfied the gate guards, four of
probably have the diametrically opposite effect). He the samurai escort them inside and take them to the
will fight only if the PCs attack him, and even then his foot of the North Tbwer: a very ordinary guard tower
main goal will be escape. He won't fight to the death, separated from the other buildings of the castle, and
instead surrendering as soon as he's reduced to 3 hit hence a good place for a private meeting. Read the fol-
points. Once he's surrendered, he'll admit he's yakuza, lowing:
and that he was ordered to warn the PCs off, but he
won't tell the truth about his yakuza "family," instead The staircase is steep and narrow, and you have
making up whatever totally false story he thinks will to proceed in single file. Around and around, up
get the PCs to leave him alone. and up the stairway leads. When you reach the fi-
nal landing, you are met by six more samurai.
Nada (5th level yakuza, male human): AC 10; MV You're starting to recognize the subtleties of samu-
12; hp 16; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8 (ninja-to); THACO 17; Str 11, rai uniform, so you recognize that these men are
Dex 15, Con 11, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 16; AL LN. officers, and personal bodyguards to the daimyo.
Special Abilities: HS 31%; MS 40%; OL 42%; PP "Good evening," one of the samurai says, bowing
50%; HN 20%. stiffly. "You will please leave your weapons with
Proficiencies: gaming, ninja-to. me. This is not intended as an insult."
Honor: 27.
30

As before, the samurai will not allow the PCs to en-
ter the tower room armed. Use the statistics for
"Samurai Officers."
When the PCs have handed over all their obvious
m
weapons, one of the samurai opens the door to allow
them into the room. Read the following:
The room is small and low-ceilinged, the floor

covered with tatami of the finest quality. There are
two windows on opposite sides of the room, open
to the night breeze. The cross-draft is cool and re-
freshing.
Kneeling comfortably, awaiting you, is Benju
Matsutomo. Standing behind him, wearing their
katanas and wakizashis are Yuji Takaesu—the old
general—and Tbshikazu Wada—the young com-
mander of the Home Guard. They bow to you with
a minimum of politeness. Benju makes no motion
of recognition, just fixes you with his steely gaze.
After a moment, the daimyo nods to the samurai
guard, who leaves and shuts the door behind him.
The politeness with which Benju and the others

treat the PCs depends on whether or not they're on
time for the meeting. If the PCs are on time, once the
door is shut Benju treats them fairly affably. If they're
late, he can be seen to be biting back on his anger, and
the others react with barely-contained hostility. Benju
asks—or demands, as the case may be—a report on
what the PCs have been doing, and what if anything
they've discovered about the "incidents."
If the PCs are unwise enough to mention any ru-
mors concerning Buntaro's supposed misdeeds, read
the following:
The daimyo's face reddens with anger, and his

eyes turn as cold as iced steel. His voice is low and
dangerous as he says, "I believe it unwise to put
credence in unsubstantiated rumors, and the
height of discourtesy to monger such rumors your-
self. JVeh? Continue your report, but you would do
well to confine yourself to facts." ft
When the PCs are involved in conversation with the
daimyo, read the following:
A shriek of surprise and pain—quickly bitten

back—splits the night air. Toshikazu looks numbly
down at his right arm. Across the biceps, his ki-
mono is shredded, and blood, impossibly red,
spurts from a tear wound.
Everyone is still for a protracted moment, a fro-
zen tableau. Then Yuji leaps forward, clamping his
#
hand hard over the spurting wound. Quickly, with
his teeth and his free hand, the old general tears a
strip of cloth from the younger man's kimono, and
binds the wound, stanching the bleeding. Pale-
31

Special Abilities: HS 56%; MS 70%; FT 60%; C
faced; Tbshikazu looks down at the makeshift ban- 93%; D 52%; OL 62%; TW 60%; PV 12.5'; F 40'; E 42
dage, and nods his thanks. BSx3.
Proficiencies: ninja-to, shuriken.
Each PC has a percentage chance equal to his or her Honor: 28.
Intelligence to have noticed something: a flash of silver
streaking across the room, in through one window and The ninja is armed with a ninja-to and six shurik
out the other. Each PC who noticed the flash of silver is (not including the one he threw at Tbshikazu). His m
entitled to a 4d6 Ability Check against Intelligence to re- sion was to injure the young warrior and then esca
alize that what he or she saw was actually a shuriken, without being detected. He will fight to the deal
thrown with hideous accuracy in through one window and—if capture is inevitable—will kill himself eith
to wound Tbshikazu and then continue out the other using his ninja-to or by biting down on a poison ca
window, leaving no evidence of its passage. sule he has concealed in his cheek. This poison w
The wound to Tbshikazu's arm has inflicted 3 hp of cause painless death in 1 round. He has the mark
damage, and looks suspiciously like the injury that the Yamaguchi ninjas—a tiny tatoo of a "flame knife'
would be caused by the slashing claw of an invisible under his left arm. Since the Yamaguchi ninjas are
monster. In fact, unless one or more PCs saw the new and unknown family, however, this symbol v\
shuriken, that's exactly what Yuji and Tbshikazu will mean nothing to anyone who finds it.
assume it was. The general instantly draws his ka- Even if the PCs don't see the shuriken, the weapi
tana, and slashes it through the empty air around will be found in the courtyard the next day. The Pi
where Tbshikazu was standing, as if trying to slay an can hear about this discovery in any way that seer
invisible foe. Read the following: appropriate, and can draw their own conclusions.
Benju won't tell the PCs anything more than he
The daimyo is on his feet in an instant, and lays a ready has about the political situation, and will clai
calming hand on the old general's shoulder. "Easy, complete ignorance about why ninjas should want
old friend," he says reassuringly. "There are no in- kill Tbshikazu.
visible assailants here. No, this attack was natural If the PCs don't spot the ninja, or even if they do b
. . . although I don't know how . . ." he gets away, rumors will quickly spread that an inv
ible assailant—perhaps the already-notorious "tigt
bird spirit"—assaulted Tbshikazu. Conflicting rumo
If the PCs are aware that the damage was done by a will claim that the assailant was actually trying to k
shuriken, they are free to go to the window through Benju, but that the young warrior was woundi
which the weapon entered. Twenty feet below the while trying to protect the daimyo. Rumors travel fa
window, flattened against the wall and clinging to tiny within the castle, and then are spread to the rest
cracks and projections, is a ninja clad in tight-fitting the town by cooks and menial workers. No matt
black clothing. The night qualifies as shadow, so the how hard the PCs and others try to stamp out the
ninja has his normal chance to Hide in Shadows, plus a rumors, there's no practical way to prevent their d
15% bonus to represent the difficult angle of view. semination.
The ninja remains totally motionless until the PCs
have given up looking for him. Then he continues Quard Tower
down the tower and makes his escape from the castle.
If he is spotted, the ninja throws a shuriken at the
observant PC (-2 to hit to represent the difficulty of
throwing upwards), then drops the 40 feet to the
ground (from which he takes no damage). He then
tries to make his escape, using stealth and conceal-
ment to avoid any guards that may be called out to
stop him. The DM must mediate any attempts to stop
the ninja's escape, but should definitely give the man
the benefit of any doubt. Unless the PCs personally
pursue, the odds are excellent that he'll make his es- Second Floor
cape safely. (Remember that the PCs are probably un-
armed, and must retrieve their weapons from the
samurai outside the room. This will delay them if they
want to follow the ninja out through the window.)
5 Feet
Ninja (9th level ninja / 9th level bushi, male human):
AC 10; MV 12; hp 42; #AT 3/2; Dmg by weapon;
A
THACO 12; Str 13, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha
14; AL LN.
Ground Floor

Act T 2—CJuaRO Duty Should the PCs open the shoji to Benju's room-
perhaps to warn him—they'll find him gone. His room
Set-Up is occupied by Naomi, Benju's consort. She was asleep,
but the commotion has awakened her. If questioned,
m
This act follows immediately after act 11. As soon as
the ninja attack is resolved, one way or the other, she explains that, yes, Benju did enter these rooms,
Benju has new orders for the PCs. If they've tried to but he immediately left through her room, which is
pursue the ninja, samurai find the PCs and order adjoining (room 16). She doesn't know why.
them to return to the tower room to speak with the
daimyo. Read the following: iNvabeus!
The PCs should eventually follow the sounds of bat-
The daimyo's face is set in a grim expression. "You tle to the southwest corner of the building, outside
will assist my guards tonight," he says flatly. "I want room 20. When they arrive, read the following:
you stationed with my regular samurai outside my
room. They will follow your orders to the letter, I Chaos! The hallway is filled with milling figures.
will have Tbshikazu make this perfectly clear to Surgically-sharp steel flashes in the light of lan-
them. I doubt that there will be another ... incident terns ... and in a redder light that can only be fire.
. . . before dawn, but better to be safe. Do you un- At first, the melee that fills the hallway seems to
derstand? Tbshikazu will detail your duties." He ges- be a free-for-all, every participant fighting every
tures to you dismissively. As you turn to leave, you other. But then your mind makes sense of the
hear the daimyo say to Yuji, "Bring me Buntaro." scene. The majority of the figures are brown-clad
samurai from Benju's Home Guard. The others . . .
Toshikazu leads the PCs down from the tower and There's no consistency in clothing. Some wear
takes them to the hallway outside Benju's sleeping almost-presentable kimonos, while others are
rooms (area 15 on the donjon map). There are eight dressed in rags. Ronin, you conclude at once, and
guards already present: six regular samurai ("Benju's armed with a startling array of weapons.
Samurai" statistics) and two officers. Benju's samurai outnumber the raiders . . . but
Tbshikazu instructs the PCs and the samurai to re- the daimyo's disciplined forces are definitely being
main on guard until dawn. After about fifteen min- overwhelmed by the rag-tag force opposing them.
utes, Benju arrives, escorted by Yuji and the four The tide of battle is swinging against the samurai
samurai officers from the tower. Benju bids everyone . . . and well they know it.
goodnight with instructions that he's not to be dis- Suddenly, in the midst of the melee, you recog-
turbed before dawn, and goes into the room alone. nize a familiar face. It's Benju Matsutomo, laying
Yuji and the four samurai officers leave. If the PCs try about him like an avenging kami with his katana.
He slays one intruder, then with berserk strength
ft
to go inside Benju's room, the samurai will prevent
them from disturbing their lord. another. But now he's faced by four of his foes. . ..
Battle StatiONs! In addition to Benju, the melee comprises 10

The night is uneventful until two o'clock in the samurai—8 "Benju's Samurai," and 2 "Samurai Offi-
morning. At two, read the following: cers." Another 6 samurai already lie dead. All samurai
are unarmored, and armed with katanas and wakiza-
shis. Benju is unarmored, and is armed only with his
The night is still, with nothing but the steady katana. By the time the PCs arrive, he's suffered a
ft
breathing of the motionless samurai guards to handful of minor wounds, which amount to 8 hit
break the silence. points of damage.
Then, shockingly, the peace of the night is ripped
by sounds that you know all too well. Cries of rage They are faced by 9 ninjas—4 "Senior Ninjas," 5 "Jun-
and pain, the clash of steel on steel. The noise ech- ior Ninjas" (see Chapter 7). Two more ninjas already lie
oes through the castle. The samurai guards turn to dead. The ninjas are all dressed in rags, in the hope
you expectantly, awaiting orders . . . that they'll be identified as ronin should they fail in
their mission. All are armed with 4 shuriken, and
carry 10 tetsu-bishi (caltrops). In addition, the Junior
The sounds are coming from the hallway outside Ninjas carry ninja-tos (at the DM's discretion, their
area 20 on the donjon map. The PCs are free to order scabbards might be modified to conceal daggers,
the samurai to respond in any way they see fit, and more shurikens, powders, etc.); the Senior Ninjas
the samurai will obey. (As Benju promised, Tbshikazu carry both kamas and kawangas. When the PCs ar-
so instructed them at the beginning of the watch rive, two Senior Ninjas and two Junior Ninjas are fac-
shift.) If the PCs' orders will leave Benju's sleeping ing Benju; the Junior Ninjas are trying to flank him.
quarters unguarded, none of the samurai will say any- The remaining ninjas are doing their best to hold off
thing at the time. They'll make sure that Tbshikazu— Benju's samurai.
and hence Yuji and Benju—know of this slip later.
33

From the sounds, the PCs can tell that there are It will probably appear to the PCs—and probably to
samurai reinforcements on the way. Unfortunately, the others, as well—that this ninja attack was an assas-
they're trapped on the other side of a fire that the sination attempt against Benju. The PCs will probably
ninjas have set. (This fire blocks off the hallway that also conclude that there has to be a spy in Benju's
leads north from this corner, and prevents access to household, otherwise how could the ninjas know
the stairs.) The fire is impassable without the use of where to find the daimyo? They'll also probably con-
magic. Beyond the fire are 10 "Benju's Ninja," 5 "Samu- clude that the spy could only be Yuji or Buntaro.
rai Officers," Yuji and Tbshikazu. They are currently The truth of the matter is considerably different. In
fighting the fire. Ten rounds after the PCs' arrival, the fact, the ninjas were ordered to slay Yuji... or, more
fire will become passable, although passing through it precisely, to kill the occupant of a particular sleeping
still inflicts Id6 hit points of damage. At this time, the room. Neither they nor those who gave the orders re-
reinforcements will charge into the fray, heedless of alized that Yuji's room would tonight be occupied by
the damage they suffer. Benju, and those among the ninjas who recognized
The 5 Samurai Officers among the reinforcements the daimyo naturally assumed that he was their in-
carry daikyu and 12 arrows each in addition to their tended target.
katanas and wakizashis. The fire is currently too The ninjas' orders are to slay the occupant of Yuji's
fierce for them to be able to see well enough to shoot room, or to die trying. When they've succeeded, their
at the attackers. plan is to escape through the nearby windows and
down the wall, "sowing" tetsu-bishi to help cover their
BackqnouNO retreat. They've specifically been ordered not to be
taken alive. To this end, any ninja will kill a comrade
The room outside which the fighting is taking place too badly wounded to escape, and will do everything
is Yuji's normal sleeping quarters. After the events of he can to avoid capture himself. All ninjas carry in
the evening, however, Benju decided it might be best their mouths poison capsules; biting down on the cap-
if he didn't sleep in his normal quarters. Instead, he sule causes painless death in 1 round. (As discussed in
took Yuji's. (The only people in the castle fully aware Act 7, the DM should remember that charm spells
of this were Yuji himself and Buntaro, who Benju told probably won't stop the ninjas from employing this
immediately after the PCs left the tower room. Naomi poison.) Although hold or paralysis spells may allow
knew that Benju had decided to spend the night else- the PCs to immobilize a ninja, as soon as the spell is
where, but didn't know exactly where.) lifted—as it will have to be for the PCs to question the
34

captive—the ninja will bite down on the poison cap-
sule. It should be extremely difficult to capture a ninja
Act 13—Deatl? IN tl7€ StuGGts
alive. Set-Up
Should the PCs examine the bodies of the "ronin," The morning after the ninja attack on the castle, no
they'll find that each bears a tiny tatoo of a "flame matter where the PCs may be, Toshikazu Wada, com-
knife" under his left arm. mander of the Home Guard, tracks them down to
speak to them. Read the following:
CoNsegueNces
tt
For the adventure to continue to its planned conclu- Toshikazu Wada strides towards you, a deter-
sion, Benju shouldn't die in this attack. If the PCs are mined expression on his face (but then, there's al-
unable to save him, or if they don't try for some rea- ways a determined expression on his face). He
son, the DM should so manipulate events that Benju stops in front of you. "I want you to accompany
escapes. me," he says flatly. "This is not an order, merely a
Although the fact that the attack was directed at request, but one you will probably be interested in
Benju was purely a coincidence, the PCs almost cer- agreeing to. I understand you were involved in [or
tainly won't come to that conclusion. Instead, they'll abroad during] the fire in the eta quarters the
probably conclude that the attackers were tipped off other night. I have received a message from one
as to Benju's location by either Yuji or Buntaro . . . and
probably the latter. If the PCs try to denounce either
man to Benju, the daimyo will cut them off angrily be-
who knows for certain who set the fire, and why.
This informant wants to meet with me. Do you
wish to accompany me?"
tt
fore they can finish. He trusts both men implicitly, and
will listen to no aspersions against their characters.
Unless and until they can present solid evidence iNvitatiON to a MeetiNQ
pointing towards the men's guilt, Benju orders the PCs Toshikazu isn't concerned one way or the other; he
harshly, they are to keep their petty suspicions to simply made the invitation out of politeness. Whether
themselves. Of course, the PCs have no solid evidence, the PCs accompany him or not, he is escorted by four
and repeating the hearsay they received from Fusae of "Benju's Samurai." All are unarmored, and carry ka-
or Yaemon would only make Benju angrier. tanas and wakizashis. In addition, two of the escorting
Yuji is level-headed enough to realize that the evi- samurai carry sode garamis.
dence does seem to point towards him, and won't be If the PCs decline the invitation, then Toshikazu
overly angry with the PCs unless they are actively in- goes to his death alone; give them the information
sulting to him or his master. Buntaro, however, will do from the section on "Probable Outcome." Otherwise,
a slow burn throughout the proceedings, and only the the young man leads his contingent into the pilgrim
presence of Benju will prevent him from taking the area of town, heading for an address near the city's
PCs' heads for their insult. When he's had time to calm outer wall. Toshikazu's path leads the group through a
down, he realizes that his daimyo is keeping the PCs bustling market scene. During this segment of the
around for a reason, and so won't do anything to them journey, read the following:
until Benju has no further use for them. Then he'll of-
ficially ask his lord's permission to kill them for their The merchants and peasants scatter in front of
lack of manners. Until that time, though he won't do you to clear your way ... or at least, they try to. But
anything violent, he will be almost impossible to deal the crowds are simply too thick, and you find your-
with. self being bumped every few steps by apologetic
members of the "lower classes" who weren't able
Pnobable Outcoivie to get out of your path quickly enough.
It's possible—although unlikely—that the PCs will
obey their orders to the letter and remain on guard Although experienced players will probably be
outside Benju's normal quarters. If this happens, then clamoring to the DM that their characters are expect-
Benju, his guards, and his reinforcements are able to ing pickpocketing attempts, the danger in the crowd
take care of the ninjas themselves. None of the attack- takes a different form. Each PC who is paying atten-
ers survive or escape. Through questioning those in- tion to the crowd is entitled to a 5d6 Ability Check
volved, the PCs can find out all of the information in against Intelligence. A successful role means that the
the preceding sections . .. except the existence of the PC has noticed something. Read the following pri-
"flame knife" tatoos; neither Benju nor anyone else vately to the appropriate player:
had the presence of mind to look for them. (And, un-
less the PCs are quick to think of it for themselves, the Curious. As you glance over your shoulder, you
bodies will be swiftly disposed of.) recognize a figure following you. It's not as if you
know who he is—you don't know him from a hole
in the ground. But nonetheless it's strange: when
35

will be slow and casual, to avoid drawing attention to
you last saw this figure, he was heading in the op- himself.
posite direction to you, not with you... and he was It's remotely possible that the PCs might save Toshi-
moving with such determination that he bumped kazu's life, and then question him about the informant
almost rudely into Tbshikazu . . . he was going to see. When they follow up on the infor-
mation, however, the PCs will find that the address he
This figure is a minor yakuza member who today was given for the meeting doesn't actually exist.
has received the major honor of concluding a contract
on Tbshikazu Wada. The man's name is Haku. Haku
The PCs are free to respond in any way to Haku. If
they make any overt motions towards him, he imme- The assassin is a young man, perhaps 25 years old,
diately flees, trying to lose himself in the crowd. He's wearing simple and unobtrusive clothing. His whole
much more familiar with the town than are the PCs, appearance, in fact, is absolutely nondescript.
or even Toshikazu's samurai, so he definitely has the His orders are simply to scratch Tbshikazu Wada
advantage. If cornered, he'll fight to the death (since with a poisoned needle that he was issued. He is a low-
this is what he's been ordered to do). If capture seems level member of the local yakuza, and, as such, knows
inevitable, he'll try to take his own life; since he isn't only his immediate superior and a few colleagues. The
equipped with a poison capsule, however, he might be person who gave him the order, however, wasn't any-
unsuccessful. (Note that, although his orders include one he knew or recognized . . . although the person
avoiding capture, his sense of duty isn't as strong as knew all the appropriate recognition symbols, of
was the ninjas'. Thus a charm person spell or course. Should the PCs manage to keep Haku alive,
correctly-worded suggestion should prevent him the only description he can give of this person is of the
from "taking the honorable step.") "mid-height, dark hair, dark eyes" type.
Haku (4th level yakuza, male human): AC 10; MV

DeatI? 12; hp 15; #AT 1; Dmg 2-5 (chain) or 1-3 (knife) or 1
At a dramatically correct time, read the following: (needle); THACO 19; Str 11, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 15, Wis
9, Cha 16; AL LN.
Out of the corner of your eye you see Tbshikazu Special Abilities: HS 25%; MS 33%; OL 37%; PP
grimace with displeasure, and suck the blood from 45%; HN 15%.
a minor nick on the back of his hand—probably the Proficiencies: chain, knife, needle, gaming.
result of an unintended collision. But then the Honor: 29.
young man's grimace turns into something else: a
rictus of agony. Clutching his throat, he collapses in Haku is armed with a chain (wrapped around his
a heap on the ground. He convulses once, then lies waist under his sash) and a knife (concealed in his
still. . . sleeve). He still holds in his hand the needle with
which he tried to kill Tbshikazu. There is no poison
Toshikazu is the victim of a highly toxic and fast- left on the needle, but Haku doesn't know that... and
acting poison, introduced into his body by a needle neither do the PCs. If capture seems inevitable, he will
wielded by Haku. The time course from first symp- try to kill himself by scratching the back of one hand
tom to death is incredibly rapid: 6 segments. Any PC with the needle. (This won't work, of course.)
wishing to cast a spell to save Toshikazu must com-
plete the spell in this time. The procedure is as fol- CoNsegueNces
lows: Each PC attempting to cast an appropriate spell
must roll Id6 representing initiative, and add the re- Benju and Yuji are both very fond of Toshikazu, and
sult to the casting time of the spell (in segments). If the will be greatly saddened by his passing. Neither will
total is greater than 6, then the spell is too late and blame the PCs for his death, however. If the PCs can
Toshikazu is already dead. (Thus, the PCs have a 5 out provide any proof that the assassin was a yakuza,
of 6 chance to succeed in casting slow poison on Toshi- then the daimyo will order a crack-down on yakuza
kazu, while neutralize poison—with a casting time of operations of unprecedented magnitude.
7 segments—will automatically fail.)
If the PCs haven't already spotted Haku, any PC
Pnobable Outcoivie
scrutinizing the crowd receives another 5d6 Ability If the PCs don't come along, then none of Toshika-
Check against Intelligence, with success yielding the zu's escort will notice Haku when he strikes with the
same result as before. poison needle, or afterwards when their commander
The PCs must respond immediately, however: Haku collapses and dies. Without capturing Haku, it's im-
stays around only long enough to confirm that the possible to discover that the assassination was orga-
poison has taken effect—1 round at the most—then nized by the yakuza. Instead, everyone will assume
tries to melt into the crowd and make his escape. Un- that it was perpetrated by the same group that orga-
less he knows he's been spotted, all his movements nized the attack on the castle.
36

Act 14—SMOke aNb MooNliql7t* These two frightening figures are the two "super-
ninjas," Smoke and Moonlight (see Chapter VII for
This act can be used whenever the DM sees fit after stats). Each carries a pearl of fire protection, and has
the (attempted) assassination of Tbshikazu. This act in- cast on himself the spells fiery eyes and the "custom"
troduces two of the three highly-powerful ninjas spell ghost lightning (again, see Chapter VII). They
working with the wu jen Daisake Mayazato. Although have been ordered into town to disrupt the pilgrim
it's unlikely that the PCs will do more than spot the quarter, and they've decided on this as the most effi-
ninjas for the first time, this act is important because cient way of doing so. Although their main goal isn't to
it's the stimulus that makes the local yakuza clan kill people, the fire has claimed a handful of lives.
change their policy of adding to the chaos. For the
first time, the yakuza leaders decide that events have
gone too far, and that they must do something to bring
The ninjas won't attack the PCs; instead, they'll
stand motionless, observing them. If the PCs don't do ft
ft
anything within one round, the ninjas both cast di-
them back under control. This leads indirectly to the mension door— which has enough range to take them
conclusion of the adventure. outside the city walls—and then return to their home
base. If the PCs attack them, they fight, using their
Set-Up considerable abilities to their best effect.
This act can occur whenever the PCs are abroad in Once engaged in combat, the ninjas continue to
the town (for example, immediately after the assassi- fight until one or the other of them is reduced to 75%
nation of Toshikazu). Read the following: of his normal hit points. At this point, they use their
abilities to withdraw—perhaps by using the leap spe-
A screaming woman pelts down the street to- cial martial arts maneuver—then cast dimension door
wards you. At first her cries seem like completely to make their escape.
At no time do the ninjas speak, but they consistently
#
uncontrolled sounds of terror. But then you make
out some of the words: "Foes! Fire! Help me, gods, treat the PCs with respect and honor.
they're killing them, they're killing the pilgrims!" As soon as the ninjas have gone, the residents of the
neighborhood scurry back to fight the fire.
The woman is too terrified to answer any questions Whether or not the PCs fight the ninjas, rumors will
in an articulate manner. If questioned, however, she instantly spread around the town about the "spirit
will point in the direction of the commotion: some- monsters" that were setting fires in the pilgrim quar-
where in the neighborhood in which the transient pil- ter. Although these magical creatures didn't have
grims stay. wings—at least, not visible ones—it's "obvious" that
Assuming that the PCs decide to investigate, read they're somehow related to the tiger-bird spirit that's
the following: been bedeviling the town.
ft
It's easy enough to choose the right direction, RUMORS
you realize: simply go against the flow of panicked By this time, the rumors are building to a crescendo,
humanity. Everyone seems to want to get out of the and the town is taking on a siege mentality. Few peo-
pilgrim quarter—pilgrims and non-pilgrims alike. ple go out at night, and sales of good luck charms and
Ahead you hear screams, and smoke climbs against "anti-spirit potions" are at an all-time high (of course
the sky. none of these gimmicks does any good whatsoever).
Benju is well aware of the town's near-hysteria, and
WneckiNQ Cuew recognizes the threat that it represents to him. Word
reaches the PCs through any appropriate channel
When the PCs reach the center of the pilgrim quar- that the daimyo wishes them to step up their investi-
ter, they find a number of buildings on fire. Read the gations immediately.
following:
Puobable OutcoMe
The heat is intense, and you feel the skin of your
face tighten. You squint against the brightness . . . If the PCs don't go to investigate the commotion,
and you see figures! Two humanoid figures moving
in the midst of the inferno.
Immediately, the figures see you. Obviously dis-
they'll learn about the fires and the deaths, but all
they'll hear about the ninjas are distorted rumors of
"spirit monsters" and creatures with glowing eyes.
*
cerning that you're different from the fleeing
masses, they step out of the flames and start to
walk slowly towards you.
Yes, they're human in figure, except their eyes
flare with a brilliant, unnatural light. And bright
sparks—almost miniature lightning bolts—flicker
and lick around them . . .
37

chants, purchasers and peasants that seems to
Act 15—BuNtauo AbRoaD* materialize out of nowhere. While these people do
This act can be used whenever the DM sees fit— nothing overt to harm the PCs, and in fact are highly
when it's time to provoke the PCs into denouncing apologetic about getting in their way, their very pres-
Buntaro to the daimyo . . . with the associated conse- ence seriously hinders the PCs, giving Buntaro time to
quences. vanish around another corner. (This is blatant manip-
ulation of the PCs, of course, but it does have prece-
Suspicious Beftavion dent. The atmosphere and "feel" should be highly
reminiscent of the crowded market scenes in Raiders
This act can occur whenever the PCs are abroad in of the Lost Ark.)
the streets (perhaps immediately after their encoun-
ter with the ninjas Smoke and Moonlight). Read the Six of the "merchants" and "peasants" are actually
following: Junior Ninjas from the Ohara clan, in disguise. They
are unarmored and unarmed, except for "weapons of
opportunity" such as bottles, staves, agricultural
There are more people on the street than you ex- flails, hoes and the like. All others—and there should
pected. (But then, here in Aru town, there are al- be enough present to really slow down the PCs—are
ways more people on the street than you expect.) normal townsfolk who have been paid a few fen to get
Farmers, merchants, samurai, laborers . . . in the way of the "foreigners."
There. A flash of a familiar profile. That man
hurrying by . . . Is that Buntaro? The DM should strongly advise the PCs against at-
No, it couldn't be. Buntaro would never go tacking these "innocent townsfolk," since doing so
abroad in the streets without his katana and waki- would be a serious blight on their honor. If they do so
zashi, symbols of his samurai status. But this figure anyway, the regular townsfolk immediately flee. The
is—apparently—unarmed, wearing a nondescript ninjas will engage in non-lethal combat—if possible-
kimono covered by a grubby travelling cloak. The just long enough to prevent the PCs from catching
figure has one hand under the cloth of the cloak, as Buntaro, then will try to escape. The ninjas will fight
though holding something that should be con- to kill only if the alternative is letting the PCs catch
cealed. Buntaro.
It couldn't be Buntaro. Could it? (Remember: The message to protect the PCs hasn't
been delivered yet.) All the ninjas will, of course, not
allow themselves to be captured alive and have poison
It is Buntaro, of course. He is unarmored, but has capsules. They don't know who they're supposed to
his wakizashi and a dagger concealed beneath his protect or why, so even if the PCs manage to question
travelling cloak. So far, he hasn't spotted the PCs. If he them, nothing much can be learned. Unlike the Yama-
notices them, he immediately runs, trying to melt into guchi clan, the Ohara clan uses no identifying tatoos.
the crowd. (Again, he knows the town better than do The ninjas and the others don't have to hold the PCs
the PCs, so he should have the advantage in this.) up for long: one round should be sufficient, then they
Should the PCs decide to do something violent to can let them through. When the PCs burst through
Buntaro, the DM should remind them of the conse- the cordon, read the following:
quences of such an act. This is the daimyo's son-in-
law, after all, and—while his behavior is definitely out You bowl over the last snivelling merchant and
of character—there's no law against walking the charge down the alley. You take the same corner as
streets incognito. The DM should suggest that discre- Buntaro . . .
tion is sometimes the better part of valor, and recom- . . . And skid to a halt in front of a blank wall.
mend that they follow Buntaro to see what he's up to. Dead end.
(This guidance can come from the mouth of any ap-
propriate NPC, of course.)
Buntaro has been ordered by Benju to deliver an en- The PCs might want to search for secret doors, and
crypted note—which is what he has concealed be- the DM should let them waste their time. There are
neath his coat—to a particular address in the none: Buntaro was hoisted up onto the roof of one of
merchant quarter. (In fact, the note is to the Ohara the buildings on a rope dropped by several ninja. By
ninjas—through an intermediary—asking them to the time the PCs have reached the dead end, Buntaro
keep an eye on the PCs. The ninjas are to protect them is well and truly gone.
from harm, when and if possible ... but also to watch
for any suspicious actions that could hint at divided CoNseQueNces
loyalties. Buntaro is totally unaware of this.) The obvious consequence of this—and, in fact, the
Unless the PCs draw attention to themselves, Bun- intention of the act—is the reinforcement of the PCs'
taro makes his way—with rather overdone stealth- suspicions against Buntaro. Nevertheless, the PCs
through the streets into the merchant quarter. Once should realize that they have no real proof that Bun-
there, he ducks down a back alley. If the PCs try to fol- taro was engaged in anything untoward. Even if they
low him, their way is blocked by a horde of mer-
38

managed to capture a live ninja—which should be vir-
tually impossible—there's still only the PCs' word that Act 16-two Messages*
the mysterious figure was Buntaro. This act can be used whenever the DM sees fit after
If the PCs want to bull on through and try to de- PCs have seen the " super-ninjas" Smoke and Moon-
nounce Buntaro to Benju, they should find it impos- light. (If the PCs didn't participate in that encounter,
sible to arrange an audience with the daimyo no only the second message is relevant. The DM can de-
matter how hard they try. (It simply isn't the right vise another NPC and encounter through which to
time yet for such a denunciation . . .) They should pass on that communication.)
quickly realize that the only appropriate way to deal
with Buntaro is to gather truly incontestible evidence
against him.
Finst Message
This act can occur virtually anywhere, at any time ft
ft
It's conceivable—although neither likely nor of day or night. Read the following:
desirable—that the PCs might come into possession of
the note. If they do, they find it encrypted in a com- The man approaching you is dressed as a simple
plex code breakable only by magical means (within laborer. But his manner is reminiscent of a messen-
the time-frame of this adventure, that is). Should they ger. As if to confirm this, he bows to you and holds
decipher it, they find that it reads: out a folded piece of the finest parchment.
"Honored lords (and ladies)," he says, struggling
Watch the Wanderers, they are Valuable. But also Watch jot ambiguity. to add a patina of culture to his rough voice.
"Please, I have reason to believe that this message is
Pnobable OutcoMe of great importance."
If the PCs decide not to follow Buntaro, there are no
#
If asked about where he got the message, he tells a
overt consequences. They simply don't learn that mysterious story. Read the following:
somebody is trying to protect him.
"Tb tell you honestly, noble travellers," he tells
you, "I don't know. I returned to my minka but an
hour ago, and I found this parchment in the center
of the floor. I picked it up, mystified as you can
imagine, and with that... My mind became dazed,
as though I dreamed. And a voice spoke in my
dream, bidding me deliver this parchment to the
travellers who serve Benju-sama. I discussed this
with one who I trust, and he told me that it would
ft
be best if I obeyed the voice. And so here I am, no-
ble ones."
The messenger (use the "General Townsfolk" statis-

tics) is telling the truth about the message ... as far as
he knows it. (In fact, the "voice" is actually the result
of a memory spell cast by Daisake Mayazato, who was
concealed in the laborer's minka. The PCs should be
unable to discover this, however.) He will admit if
pressed that he did read the message, but has no idea
what it means, and definitely doesn't know who
Smoke and Moonlight are. If the PCs ask about the
person who the messenger trusted, refer to the fol-
lowing section.
The note reads:
Oo those who saw us before the fire:

Qreetings. [Though We may seem in conflict, our quarrel is not With you,
and your deaths Would diminish us. We meet honor With honor, and ask re-
spectfully and With compliments that you not oppose us, our brother or our fa-
#
ther. If duty demands that you do oppose us, We Will match honor With honor.
We promise that your deaths, should they be required, Will he as speedy and
Worthy of esteem as it is Within our power to grant.
With honor,
Moonlight & Smoke
39

SecoND Message Act 17—MeetiNQ at tlje Sl7RiN€
Once the PCs are ready to dismiss the messenger, SI?uiNe of tm West
read the following:
This assumes that the PCs have decided to attend
The messenger leans forward conspiratorially. "I the meeting at the Shrine of the West Wind. However
have another message/' he tells you quietly. "Not so the PCs approach the shrine, they find that the imme-
mysterious, but almost as interesting, I think." He diate vicinity is deserted; even the samurai who are
passes you a small scrap of parchment. supposed to be on guard are missing. (This indicates
how influential the yakuza are.) There are no guards
around the shrine, and no traps of any kind. No mat-
The parchment reads: ter how carefully the PCs inspect the area, all they will
learn is that there's one single woman waiting-
J/ou may remember a cryptic Warning, quickly giilen. An untouchableJxre, unarmed—inside the shrine.
quickly quenched. And a noble heart, quickly stilled. CThese Were errors. Ibid The woman is named Kimie, and she is a minor
you meet me at a shrine where whispers may be bloWnJrom the setting sun, at member of the local yakuza. As with the assassin
the next ei/en hour. Much Will he repealed. Haku, Kimie knows only her direct superior, and a
few of her closest colleagues. She received her orders
This message, of course, refers to the yakuza- through the standard chain of command. She is un-
organized events that the PCs have been involved armed and unarmored.
with—the warning from yakuza, the fire in the eta As soon as the PCs enter the shrine, read the follow-
(untouchable) neighborhood, and the death of Tbshi- ing:
kazu. The shrine in question is the Shrine of the West
Wind. The time of the meeting is, obviously, the next There's only one person in the shrine: a middle-
even-numbered hour: 2 o'clock, 4 o'clock, 6 o'clock, aged woman, totally innocuous in appearance, clad
etc. in a dark kimono bearing assorted stains. She bows
If pressed, the messenger admits that this second to you.
parchment was passed to him by a person who is very "Greetings," she says levelly. "I assume you are
close to him—his personal adviser, in a way, and the who I was assigned to meet. Unfortunately, I don't
same person with whom he discussed the message carry the information you want. You can find it be-
given by the voice. This person is called Mura, and neath the most enlightened priest of the Shining
he's an old carpenter. Temple.
When the messenger told Mura about the voice, the "I bear a warning as well: the ninja are your en-
old carpenter asked him to wait for several minutes. emy, and they want your heads. I've been told to
When Mura returned from wherever he'd gone—and urge you to hurry. The ninjas have ears in many
the messenger truly doesn't know—he had the second shadows."
parchment with him, and gave it to the messenger.
The messenger read this message too, of course, but it Kimie memorized the message she was supposed to
means nothing at all to him. (He is sure that neither pass on, and understands very little of it. She certainly
the phraseology nor the handwriting belong to Mura, doesn't know what information she's supposed to pass
however.) Only if he's pressed hard will the messen- on, she doesn't know what's meant by the "most en-
ger admit that he believes Mura to be somehow con- lightened priest," and she doesn't know why ninjas
nected with the local yakuza. might be after the PCs, or who hired them. Although
The PCs can easily force the messenger to tell them she can—under pressure—give the PCs names of her
where Mura lives, or even to escort them to his home. nearest yakuza contacts, none of these people will be
By the time the PCs arrive, however, Mura is long accessible for questioning . . . nor would they be of
gone, and none of his neighbors is able to tell the PCs any use if the PCs could get in touch with them.
where he can be found.
Kimie (1st level yakuza, human female): AC 10; MV
12; hp 5; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon (unarmed); THACO
20; Str 11, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 16; AL
LN.
Special Abilities: HS 10%; MS 15%; OL 25%; PP
30%; HN 10%.
Proficiencies: knife, gaming.
Honor: 22.
Kimie is unarmed and unarmored.

After the meeting with Kimie, the PCs will probably
head for the Shining Temple of Bishamon.
40

blue-black of a twilight sky. There are two factions
The DM must determine the route taken by the PCs here, and though you don't know the motives of
from the Shrine of the West Wind to the Shining Tem- the blue-blacks, an old saying comes unbidden into
ple. As soon as this route takes the PCs down a narrow your mind: "The enemy of my enemy is my
road with buildings on either side, read the following: friend" . . .
Interesting. For about the first time since you ar- The ninjas clad in blue-black are members of the
rived in Aru, you've found a stretch of street that's Ohara clan, the clan engaged by Benju. Abiding by the
not packed with humanity. In fact, the block you're message passed on earlier by Buntaro, they've been
traversing is actually deserted. watching the PCs, and so, as soon as it became obvious
Alarm bells go off in the back of your mind, but a that the PCs wouldn't survive this ambush, they en-
moment too late. Black-clad figures, their faces tered the fray to save them.
concealed by hoods, drop silently from the roof- Since this is, again, a plot device and not a fair fight,
tops to block your advance. You spin, to see similar the DM doesn't need to play out the combat between
figures close off your retreat. There's movement the Yamaguchi and Ohara clans in detail. Aided by sur-
on the rooftops above you. Ambush! prise, the Ohara ninjas slay many of the Yamaguchi
The black-clad figures are poised, ready. Ninja- clan, and then withdraw. The PCs are left facing
tos hiss from oiled scabbards; chains flash as they seven Yamaguchi ninja: five Junior Ninjas and two
swing in whistling arcs; shuriken catch the light as Senior Ninjas, armed with whatever weapons the DM
arms draw back for the throw . . . sees fit. The PCs must defeat these survivors if they
want to live. (From this point, the encounter is a fair
The ambushing figures are Yamaguchi ninjas, and fight, and the DM must handle the details of combat.)
they attack at once. The PCs shouldn't be able to get As always, the ninjas on both sides have been or-
an accurate count on the ninjas, but there are at least dered to take their own lives if capture seems inevita-
10. In fact, the number of ninjas is totally indetermi- ble, and to kill any of their number too badly injured
nate. The DM should just keep throwing more ninjas to travel.
into the fray as the PCs kill off their attackers. The re- Assuming the PCs survive this encounter, they can
sult should be that the PCs realize they're in a no-win examine the bodies . . . and there are a lot of them, all
situation. but one wearing the black of the Yamaguchi clan. The
As a rule of thumb, two out of every three ninjas are Yamaguchi ninjas all bear the flame knife tatoo that
Junior Ninja, with one out of three being a Senior should be familiar to the PCs by now. The single
Ninja; the DM can alter this as he sees fit, however. Ohara ninja who fell is clad in blue-black, and has no
The ninja are armed with whatever interesting weap- identifying tatoo.
ons the DM wants; ninja-tos, kusari-gamas, kawangas,
kyoketsu-shogi, and shurikens are suggested. Most Pniest
The DM shouldn't kill the PCs here, but should cer-
tainly make them think that they will be killed. When There are eight of Benju's Samurai on guard around
the battle is at its peak, and the PCs are starting to get the Shining Temple, but they won't hinder the PCs in
low on hit points, read the following: any way. If asked, the guards claim that they've seen
nobody suspicious enter or leave the temple area.
Once they're inside the temple, however, the PCs
Black-clad figures lie dead or dying at your feet, must solve a riddle: what did Kimie mean by "the most
but still they come on, in silent waves. Deadly enlightened priest'?
shuriken rain down from above, while flashing Religious writings—both in Wa and in other
steel hems you in on all sides. You've always prided worlds—sometimes define enlightenment as being
yourself on your tactical instincts, and now those "close to god" or "close to godhood." In this context,
instincts are screaming that this is a losing fight, the riddle becomes clear. "The most enlightened
that your life will end here on this dusty street. priest" is that statue out of the 3,333 that is nearest to
What's that? Out of the corner of your eye you the central statue of Bishamon.
see something astonishing. On a rooftop, one black- If the PCs examine the base of this statue, they find a
clad ninja has just lopped the head off another. And small gap into which has been inserted a folded piece
there: another ninja has fallen, a shuriken in his of parchment. There's a message on it, written in the
throat. Now it's happening elsewhere, and the same handwriting as the second parchment delivered
pressure on you suddenly lessens. It's ninja against by the messenger. It reads:
ninja, black-clad figure against black-clad figure.
But no, not black against black. The ninjas that
CJhere is a plot afoot to destroy the daimyo'sinfluence. We know not who is
have been facing you are clad in black, that's for
behind this plot. Initially, We saw this as a good thing, an opportunityjor our
sure. But these new figures, the ones that are kill-
Jamily, and We acted accordingly."Butwith thejire in the merchant quarter,
ing them, their clothing is slightly blue: the deep
42

We learned this to be a serious error. We cannot undo what has been done, but Act i s—StuaNqens iN tl?e Nigtyt*
our actions will not be repeated. This act is completely optional at the discretion of
He who is behind these actions has acquired the help of those who practice the DM. If the PCs haven't figured out that there are
the Way of stealth. Uhese ninja are of the clan yamaguchi. two groups of ninjas, and that one group seems to be
Use this information as you see Jit. Ohere is no Value in further contact on their side, this act can be used to channel their
between us. thinking in the right direction. The events in this act
will occur only if the PCs have been polite to Naomi—
Benju's consort—in the few times that they've met her.
ft
The PCs will not recognize the name Yamaguchi,
nor will anyone else they ask. (Remember, the clan
Yamaguchi is a new family and has yet to develop a MibNiqUt Visitons
ft
reputation.) Perhaps after their visit to the infirmary, the PCs re-
When the PCs leave the Temple, they find Yuji talk- turn to their ryokan to rest. Read the following:
ing with the samurai guard detachment outside. Read
the following: It seems that the entire world is conspiring to
prevent you from getting an uninterrupted night's
The old warrior looks you up and down, his sleep. Hardly have you settled down when there's a
sharp eyes cataloging your various wounds. He's firm rapping on your door. You slide the door back
too polite to ask, but he's unable to totally mask his and see a squad of samurai facing you. They wear
curiosity. "You're wounded," he says. "Report to the the brown kimono of Benju's Home Guard, but
8*
castle infirmary. Ask any samurai, they'll direct their faces are covered with hoods. All stand ready,
you." He looks you over again and adds, "And clean hands on the hilts of their katanas. But no-one has
yourselves up." He turns away. yet drawn a blade.
The leader bows to you, a bow of equals. "My .. .
my superior has ordered me to order you to ac-
company me. No harm or dishonor will befall you,
The infirmary is a small out-building within the cas- on that I give you my oath as a samurai. I ask that
tle district. It's staffed by three medics (O-level), whose you give me your weapons now, and I will carry
skills extend no further than cleaning and dressing them with you in safe keeping. I also ask that you
wounds. The infirmary is run by an aging shukenja submit to being blindfolded. These are my orders,
named Ce-ishi. He is glad to cast his full complement and I intend no dishonor to you. What say you?"
of healing spells on the PCs to bring them up as close
to normal as possible. The infirmary has in stock one
potion of healing, but Ce-ishi won't volunteer its use. There are 12 samurai present, all Samurai Officers.
The PCs must persuade him to do so. They wear leather armor (AC 9) and carry katanas
and wakizashis. In addition, four carry daikyu and 12
Ce-ishi (7th level shukenja, male human): AC 7; MV arrows, and another four carry mancatchers. In their
12; hp 29; #AT 2/1 or 1; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon (un- present condition—probably still weakened by their
armed); THACO 16; Str 9, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 11, Wis fight with the ninjas—the PCs should recognize that
14, Cha 10; AL LG. the best move is to go with the samurai. Although the
Spells: calm, cure light wounds (x5), chant, slow samurai leader won't tell the PCs who ordered the
poison, withdraw, cure blindness, death's door. visit or why, he will swear in whatever manner the
Proficiencies: bo stick, three-piece rod, religion PCs want that he intends them no harm.
(x3), etiquette, jujutsu.
Honor: 23. AuOieNce
The PCs should eventually agree to accompany the
ft
Ce-ishi is unarmed and unarmored. He has received samurai, and abide by the conditions of the invitation.
rudimentary training in jujutsu, hence his AC of 7, his The samurai respectfully receive the PCs' weapons,
high number of attacks and his damage. then carefully blindfold them before leading them off.
Once the PCs have been treated to the best of their Read the following:
ability, the next step is up to the DM. If it's night, they
might return to their ryokan, where the DM can You can feel the presence of the samurai all
spring Act 18, "Strangers in the Night," on them. Since around you—a protective cordon, but also a bar-
this act is totally optional, the DM might decide to pro- rier to prevent your escape. They lead you care-
ceed directly to Act 19, "Caught in the Act." fully, with a hand on your arm indicating direction
and warning of hazards such as stairs.
At first you try to visualize your course, but a
few rapid changes in direction destroy the image in
43

your mind. You think you're heading for the castle, Act 19—Cauqljt IN tl7€ Act
but you're not sure. Depending on whether Act 18 is used or not, this
Sounds and the feel of the air change, and you encounter can occur as the PCs are leaving the infir-
know you're indoors somewhere. There's a wood mary, or after they've been escorted from the recep-
floor beneath your feet, then you're lead up a flight tion room.
of stairs. You hear a shoji open, and you're led into a
room. Suspicious Beftavicm
"Kneel," one of the samurai prompts you. You do
so, feeling tatami beneath you. Then your blind- As you cross the courtyard, you see a familiar
folds are removed. figure—a familiar back, really—vanish into a door-
Facing you across the room is a young woman way opposite you. It's Buntaro again. For someone
you've seen before. For a moment you dredge whose national personality puts great stock in con-
through your memories for the name. Then it cealing one's thoughts and emotions, Buntaro is
comes to you: this is Naomi, Benju's favored con- almost unbelievably easy to read. Even in the fleet-
sort. ing moment that you saw him, everything about
The epitome of grace and self-possession, she him—his expression, his body language, his
kneels, awaiting your bow. movements—everything seemed to scream "I've
got a secret. . . and I feel guilty about it."
Once the PCs have shown suitable respect, read the
following: If the PCs do something dumb—like yell "Stop,
Buntaro! "—then Buntaro will run. Any pursuing PCs
Naomi gestures to the hooded samurai that still will be accidentally held up by collisions with samurai,
flank you. They bow and leave, closing the shoji be- servants, etc. in the narrow hallways, giving Buntaro
hind them. plenty of chance to escape. The DM must then orches-
For the first time, Naomi speaks, her voice like trate another opportunity for the PCs to spot Buntaro
soft music. "Greetings, adventurers," she says. "I acting suspiciously.
apologize for the . , . unusual nature of this audi- The main goal of this encounter is to get the PCs to
ence. But you must understand, I'm acting without follow Buntaro surreptitiously through the halls of
the approval of my lord. Oh, I act only in his best in- the castle. If the PCs are at all careful the odds of Bun-
terest, I assure you . . . but sometimes Benju-sama taro spotting them are very low: 5% per round. (Bun-
isn't aware of just what his best interest is. taro's just not very observant at the moment.) The DM
"I have some information for you," the woman should make the odds of being spotted seem much
continues, "although I understand that you've al- higher, and inject tension into the pursuit.
ready learned some of it. There are ninja about If Buntaro spots the PCs, he turns and strides to-
who oppose my lord . . . for what reason I know ward them, angrily demanding why they were follow-
not. But not all ninja are enemies. My lord has hired ing him. Of course, he won't tell them anything about
a clan of ninja himself, to protect him and his and to what he was doing. His hair-trigger temper is only
confound the plans of whoever opposes him. barely restrained, making him exceptionally danger-
"He is using you, sending you out like stalking ous; the PCs should recognize this and react accord-
horses, without telling you the true scope of his ingly. Buntaro will demand that the PCs accompany
plans. Such is his right, of course. But I believe you him to Benju, and explain to the daimyo what they're
can serve him better if you know more of the truth. doing. This should provoke the events described in
Thus this meeting." the section "Denunciation."
Wl7ispeus Wftispenens
Naomi has nothing more to say and, in fact, knows
nothing more than what she's already told the PCs. Assuming that Buntaro doesn't spot the PCs, they
She doesn't know that Eichiro is the one opposing can trail him to his destination, the hallway outside
Benju, and she doesn't know the identities of the ninja room 23 on the donjon map. In the middle of an empty
clans involved. As soon as practical, she picks up a tiny hallway, Buntaro kneels before a shoji, raps once and
silver bell from the tatami next to her and rings it, sig- then begins whispering. If the PCs somehow manage
nalling the samurai outside to open the shoji. The to eavesdrop, Buntaro is saying: "Meet me tonight, at
samurai escort the PCs away from the meeting the usual place. I have something to tell you that you'll
room—without blindfolds this time—and lead them want to hear, just like the last time."
down into the courtyard where they return their Buntaro receives no audible answer. He quickly
weapons. (The meeting took place in room 22 of the stands, and returns the way he came. His chance of
donjon map.) spotting the PCs is now 95%. If he does spot them, he
demands that they accompany him to Benju to explain
their continued rudeness and lack of respect to him.
It's possible that the PCs might take Buntaro's appar-
44

ent treachery as an excuse to attack and kill him. If they ACt 2O—HiRO'S W€lCOM€*
attack him, after one round a detachment of 12 Samu-
rai Officers "coincidentally" happens by to break up the Unless the PCs have gone through the preceding
fight. They take Buntaro and the PCs to Benju. acts incredibly fast, by now it should be only one or
If the PCs arrest or capture Buntaro instead of at- perhaps two days to the Ceremony of the Three
tacking him, the man demands that they make any ac- Thousand Steps. This act is an optional encounter de-
cusations they have before the daimyo. signed to introduce the PCs to another important
If the PCs open the shoji, they find that the only oc- player in the scene that will take place on the day of
cupant of the room is Sono, the serving girl, who is re- the Ceremony. If time constraints so dictate, the DM
placing the futon with a new one. can bypass this act, but inform the PCs of the salient
The outcome of this encounter should be that Bun- facts through rumor and conversation with NPCs.
ft
taro and the PCs appear before Benju, with the PCs At some time when the PCs are on the streets—
ready to denounce Buntaro as spy and traitor. perhaps immediately after having been kicked out of
the castle—read the following:
DGNUNCiatlON
Benju can be found in his main reception room Before you quite realize what's happening, every-
(room 6), flanked by Yuji and eight Samurai Officers. If one around you on the street is bowing. (Not to
necessary, the DM can have a detachment of 12 Samu- you, you belatedly realize.)
rai Officers escort the PCs, Benju and perhaps Sono Coming up the street is a palanquin carried by
into the room. Read the following: four burly bearers, and flanked by twenty samurai
decked out in the finest regalia. After a moment's
Benju Matsutomo scowls across the room at you, thought, you recognize the regalia as belonging to
H
anger etched in each line of his face. "You have a quar- the Shogun's personal guard. Leading the proces-
rel with my son-in-law," he snaps. "Explain it to me." sion is a sour-faced samurai, who's staring at you.
You suddenly realize that you're the only ones on
Benju will try to goad the PCs into telling him their the street not bowing . . .
suspicions. When they've done so, Benju turns to Bun-
taro. "Well?" he asks harshly. "What do you answer?" The personage in the palanquin is Hiro Matsu, of-
Buntaro explains his actions. If the PCs have men- ficial inspector under the direct authority of the Sho-
tioned how they followed him in town but he gave gun. (The PCs might assume that the palanquin
them the slip, Buntaro reminds Benju that he was sim- contains the Shogun himself, of course ...) Hiro is un-
ply acting on the daimyo's orders. Benju confirms this. armored, but carries an uchi-ne in addition to his ka-
As to his suspicious behavior today, and the whis- tana and wakizashi.
pering at the shoji: The sour-faced samurai is Hiro's right-hand man,
Buntaro flushes with embarrassment. "I was
speaking with Sono," he explains quietly. "I was ... I
was arranging an assignation with her tonight. I . . .
Zukimoto Ghikitada. He wears o-yoroi (AC 3) and
is armed with katana and wakizashi. In addition, he
carries a standard bearing the symbol of the Shogun's
house.
ft
I love her, my lord. Last night I told her so, and to- Use the Samurai Officer statistics for the samurai
night I . . . I was going to tell her I intended to ask guards. They wear o-yoroi (AC 3) of the finest quality.
your permission to wed her. If that is a crime, then All carry katanas and wakizashis; ten carry daikyu
I'm guilty. But that is my only crime." and 12 arrows, and ten carry naginatas in addition to
Benju nods with a grim smile. "Your love for Sono is their swords. For the bearers, use the General Towns-
known to me." He chuckles dryly at the surprise on
Buntaro's face. "You thought to keep a secret from me
in my own house? I'm not that much of a fool."
folk statistics.
If the PCs don't bow immediately, Zukimoto hands
the standard to one of the samurai, and strides over to
ft
The daimyo turns to you, and his anger is back in the PCs, his sword half-drawn, and orders them to
full force. "You have shamed my son-in-law, and bow. Before anything unpleasant can start, however,
brought foundationless accusations before me. These Hiro opens the curtain of the palanquin and tells Zuki-
are not the acts of honorable men. Your employment moto, "Don't bother with them, it's not important. Just
is terminated, all payments forfeit . . . and consider get me to the castle. I'm tired and I want a bath." Un-
yourself lucky that I don't take your heads as well, or willingly, Zukimoto backs down and returns to the
let Buntaro take them. Get out of my house." front of the procession.
The PCs can easily find out through the grapevine—
Benju can't be swayed by any pleas or arguments, which is notoriously well-informed—the names and
particularly since any divination magic will confirm significance of Hiro and Zukimoto. They can also dis-
that Buntaro is telling the truth. If the PCs won't leave cover that Hiro is in town to observe the Ceremony of
peacefully, Benju can call up as many Samurai Offi- the Three Thousand Steps . . . and to carry his judge-
cers as it takes to expel them from the castle. ment back to the shogun as to Benju's performance as
daimyo and his fitness for that office.
45

Act 21 — QaMbit The ambush consists of 12 Yamaguchi ninja—eight
Junior Ninja, four Senior Ninja. They are all dressed
This act can take place at any time after Benju has like ronin, but wear leather armor and tote beneath
terminated the PCs' employment and kicked them out their rags (giving them AC 7). They are armed with
of the castle. Tales of their expulsion has got back to whatever range of "neat" ninja weapons the DM
Eichiro, but he doesn't believe a word of it. In fact, Ei- wants to give them, although the weapons of choice
chiro is convinced that this is some kind of maneuver will probably be ninja-to and shuriken. The ninja will
on Benju's part. Perhaps the daimyo hopes that Ei- fight fiercely and to the death. As always, they will use
chiro will try to hire the "disaffected" PCs to help him. their poison capsules to make sure that they are not
Well, Eichiro is too smart to fall for a trick like that, captured.
and he decides to send a message to that effect to This free-for-all battle in the crowded marketplace
Benju. The message will consist of the PCs' dead should have the same atmosphere as the similar
bodies. scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. There are bar-
rows to knock over, stalls to duck behind, spilled pro-
ANOttyen AMbuslj duce to trip over, and—everywhere—panicked
By this time, the PCs will probably be justifiably sus- people trying to get out of the way. The PCs are to-
picious of narrow streets and deserted alleyways. Ac- tally on their own in this encounter; the Ohara ninjas
cordingly, this ambush takes place in a crowded have received word that the PCs are no longer on
Benju's payroll, and hence no longer under the
marketplace. Read the following: Ohara clan's protection.
Normally you enjoy the hustle and bustle of a When it's apparent that the tide of battle is turning
marketplace. But this time you're too morose to de- against the ninja attackers, read the following:
rive any pleasure from it.
Flash! The first indication that anything's wrong What's that ninja doing? He's got something in his
is when the figure—dressed in the rags of a penni- hand, and he's stuffing it into his mouth. Not a poi-
less ronin—looms up from behind a vendor's stall son capsule. A piece of parchment . . . and, no
and aims a whistling sword-cut at your head . . . doubt, one of grave importance.
The PCs should recognize that the parchment must

be significant, or the ninja wouldn't take the time in
the middle of a fight to try and eat the evidence. The
DM can select any one of the ninjas to be the bearer of
the parchment, although it would be more likely that
he is a Senior Ninja. If the PCs want to prevent the
ninja from destroying the parchment, they must ei-
ther totally immobilize him in some way, or kill him.
They have three rounds in which to do so; after that
time, the parchment is unrecoverable.
The note is encrypted, but anyone with an Intelli-
gence of 16 or more can decode it in 2-24 minutes. PCs
with lower Intelligence might be able to decode it. The
chance for success is 70% minus 10% for each point of
Intelligence below 16 (thus a PC with Intelligence 13
has a 30% chance of decoding the note); the time nec-
essary to decode the message is 3-60 minutes.
My £ord:
TIMis in readiness for your master-stroke at the ceremony. I hate persuaded
Benfu that a full detachment of samurai around the temple Ml be too dis-
turbing to the pilgrims. CJhus there Will he no significant number of guards to
present the clan yamaguchi from staging their attack on the pilgrims. Uhen,
when you anile at the head of yourforce, and destroy the clan yamaguchi,
there Will be none With whom you must share the honor of victory.
With the Shogun's inspector present to see hisfailure to protect the pil-
grims, Senju mustfall. ?bid then to whom other than you should the daim-
yate be awarded?
I aWait Word of your triumph.
46

At the bottom of the note, in place of a signature, is a
symbol: a stylized lotus blossom. Any PC with profi- Act 22—Back to tl7€ Castle
ciency in gardening, flower arranging or something Qatekeepeus
similar will automatically recognize it. Other PCs Whether the PCs want an interview with Benju, or
must make a 3d6 Ability Check against Intelligence to want to investigate his closest advisors, they must
recognize the symbol as a lotus. first gain entry to the castle . . . which is no longer
The PCs should quickly recognize the significance easy. The twenty samurai guarding the main gate
of this message. Not only does it lay out the ultimate have received word that the "foreigners" are no
goal of whoever is opposing Benju—the daimyate—
ft
longer working for the daimyo, and thus have lost
but it also confirms that this person is receiving help their right of access to the castle. Although the guards
from one close to Benju (for who else could persuade won't be actively hostile, they will definitely bar entry
the daimyo to change the disposition of troops?). It unless the PCs can persuade them otherwise.
also tells the PCs that the enemy—whoever he is— The DM should role-play any attempts at persuasion
plans to betray the ninjas that he himself hired. (It very carefully. The guards are just men doing their
should also tell the PCs one more thing: The Yama- job, and have nothing particularly against the PCs.
guchi ninja that the PCs have defeated were acting as They are definitely looking out for the best interests
couriers. Obviously, since the message discusses their of the daimyo, so if the PCs can play on this somehow
betrayal, the ninja clan is not expected to read it they might be able to gain entry.
(which also explains why it was in code). In fact, that's
the case: the ninja bearing the message was ordered Use the statistics for Benju's Samurai for the gate
not to read the message, and to destroy it to prevent guards. They wear leather armor (AC 8), and carry ka-
anyone else from reading it. tanas and wakizashis. In addition, 10 are armed with
daikyu and 12 arrows each. They won't initiate hostili-
The PCs have three main options on how to pro-
#
ties, but will definitely fight if attacked.
ceed. Firstly, they may decide to inform the Yama-
guchi clan that their employer is planning to betray iNsibe tl7e Castle
them. The problem with this plan is that the PCs don't
know how to contact the Yamaguchi clan, and don't Whatever the PCs' purposes within the castle, they
have enough time to do the research necessary to should experience the following "set-piece" encoun-
track them down. They should quickly realize this, ter:
and choose another option.
Secondly, the PCs may decide to try and discover You turn a corner of the hallway, and see two fig-
which of Benju's confidants wrote this note. Thirdly, ures ahead of you: a young serving girl carrying a
they may want to use their newly-found information tea service on a tray, and an older woman, no
to "buy" their way back into Benju's favor. Both of doubt a senior servant. The older woman is feeling
these options require a return to the castle. the side of the teapot.
Of course, there's a fourth option, and that's to let "It's too cold," she says with finality. "She'll send it
the whole matter drop and leave Benju to his fate. But back, and then we'll both be in trouble. Remember,
that would be a dishonorable action for any Lawfully- this tea is for the Lady Lotus."
aligned character, and would cost him or her 3 points
of honor. This should trigger the PCs' memory of the lotus
"DebUQQiNQ"
As the DM will understand, it's important that the
symbol on the note from Act 21. If the PCs ask the ser-
vant about "Lady Lotus," read the following: ft
PCs should get their hands on this note. If the PCs ig- "I'm sorry, noble lords (and ladies)," the servant
nore it, or are unable to prevent the ninja from de- woman snivels, bowing deeply. "I meant no disre-
stroying it, the DM has several options. First, should spect. It's just a name we servants have for her, the
they search the bodies of the dead ninja, they'll find Lady Satomi. Haven't you noticed? Everything she
another copy of the note—equally encoded—on the wears—her kimonos, her jewelry, her regalia—has
person of one casualty. (The message was obviously so on it the symbol of the lotus. Oh, I grant the sym-
important that the traitor in Benju's household de- bols are sometimes too small to see easily. I under-
cided that redundancy was a sensible precaution.) stand it's something to do with her family . . ."
Second, the DM can orchestrate another encounter
with a single ninja or a small group, carrying the note.
Third, the PCs might notice a servant in Benju's em- The servants can tell the PCs that Benju and Lady
ploy acting in a suspicious manner, and passing a Satomi, his mother-in-law, are taking tea together in
folded note to a dubious-looking messenger (another the formal gardens behind the donjon.
Junior Ninja). In any case, it's important that the PCs
should obtain a copy of the note.
47

•Cea Paitfy ther Benju or Yuji can suggest it.) The problem still re-
mains, though: how do they get word to the
Benju, Yuji and Lady Satomi are sitting in the formal Yamaguchis?
gardens of the castle. Twelve Samurai Officers are Again, the PCs should realize that Lady Satomi must
also present, but at a discreet distance. The samurai know how to contact the ninja clan. After all, wasn't
will come forward instantly to prevent the PCs from one of their number carrying a message for her?
approaching Benju, however. (Again, Benju or Yuji can suggest this.)
At first Benju will be angry, demanding to know The problem is, how to get Satomi to give them the
why the PCs have returned. If they tell him what information. She refuses to tell them, and Benju rules
they've discovered, particularly about Lady Satomi's out any suggestions of torture. Unless the PCs can
complicity, he will hear them out. At the first accusa- come up with some innovative solution, read the fol-
tion of treachery, Lady Satomi denies it hotly, but lowing:
Benju orders her to silence. Throughout, Yuji keeps
looking at Satomi speculatively (he'd always suspected
that there was something strange about her). When Benju shakes his head. "She won't tell you. She's a
the PCs are finished, Benju demands proof. If they tough old bat, and samurai besides." He sighs.
hand over the note—and this is the only concrete "Well, her guilt is obvious. The sentence will be
proof that Benju will accept—read the following: death . . . for her and her daughter."
"What?" Lady Satomi shrieks. "No, you can't, not
my daughter . . . your wife."
The daimyo scrutinizes the note. Then he looks Benju shrugs. "I know how close you and she are.
up, his eyes meeting yours. "This is her handwrit- I can't accept that you'd keep this a secret from her
ing," he says, "I recognize it." . . . which makes her an accessory, and thus liable
With the speed of a striking snake, Lady Satomi for the same punishment as you, neh? Unless, of
snatches for the note. But Yuji is even quicker, course . . ." He leaves the thought hanging.
catching her wrist in a grip of steel. Lady Satomi sobs, a broken woman. "Alright,"
she hisses after a moment. "One of the meeting
The PCs should recognize that the logical next step places is a warehouse," and she names an address
is to pass this evidence of treachery on to the clan in the merchant quarter. "The code word is 'Lotus
Yamaguchi. (If they don't think of this themselves, ei- Blossom'. You'll spare my daughter's life? You both
swear it?"
Benju and Yuji both swear that Satomi's
daughter—Benju's wife—will be held blameless for
any of her mother's actions. And as soon as the
words are out of their mouth, the woman cackles
maniacally. Almost magically, a knife is in her hand
and she's hurling herself at Benju . . .
Benju, Yuji, and the samurai are automatically sur-

prised. The PCs must make surprise checks as nor-
mal. If none of the PCs is able to stop her, she gets a
free attack against Benju—with a + 2 bonus to hit and
to damage as a result of her ferocity. On the next
round, Yuji and the samurai enter the fray, and slay
the woman as fast as they can. If the PCs saved Benju
from Satomi's sudden attack, he is extremely grateful
to them, and all gain 1 point of honor as a result of his
esteem.
When the matter of Lady Satomi has been settled,
Benju orders the PCs to go to the warehouse and pass
on to the ninja clan the note, proof that they are to be
betrayed. (From his manner, it's obvious that he con-
siders the PCs to be back on the payroll.) If asked, he'll
tell the PCs that he believes the enemy to be Eichiro
Tanaka.
48

Act 23— MeetiNQ witfj a NiNja Takahashi Yamaguchi will listen to everything the
PCs have to say, but will neither confirm nor deny
Waneftouse that he's working for Eichiro Tanaka. He will ask to see
The PCs can easily find the warehouse that Lady Sa- the note, and his manner should cue the PCs that it's
tomi named (area 6 on the city map). There's nothing not in their best interest to refuse him.
at all about it—apart from the address—to distinguish
it from the other warehouses that flank it. The "caretaker" examines the note expression-
If the PCs try to enter by the front door, as they ap- lessly for a moment, then folds it carefully and puts
ft
proach, a bent and wizened man dressed like a care- it in his sleeve. "Thank you, gentlemen (and ladies),"
taker comes out to greet them. Read the following: he says with a slight bow. "You can go now."
The stooped figure bows to you and says in a

cracked and quavering voice, "I'm sorry, honored
ones, this warehouse is closed and empty. Nothing
Takahashi will not tell the PCs anything about his
plans for the day of the ceremony. Again, his manner
should make it clear to the PCs that when he says "go,"
ft
here at all. Unless you have a word for me . . ." it's best to go.
In fact, the "caretaker" is actually Takahashi

Yamaguchi in disguise. If the PCs use the code "Lo-
tus Blossom," read the following:
"Ah, Lotus Blossom, is it?" The caretaker nods.

"That's all right, then, isn't it? Come in, there's a
gentleman who wishes to see you." He holds the
door open. "Well, come on."
It's possible that the PCs will try to gain surrepti-

tious entry into the warehouse. The ninjas' security is
excellent, however, and will immediately detect any
such attempt at entry. When the PCs get inside—no
matter how they do so—a disguised Takahashi Yama-
guchi is waiting for them, and responds in exactly the
same manner as above.
NiNja LeaOen
The "caretaker" leads the PCs into the main open
area of the warehouse. No matter how bright the day
ft
outside, inside is pitch blackness. The PCs will proba-
bly use some means to generate light; if they don't, Ta-
ft
kahashi lights a lantern. Read the following:
Light flares, pushing back the darkness. The

warehouse is empty . . . except that the walls are
lined with figures. Figures clad head to toe in unre-
lieved black. Twenty, two dozen, more . . . They're
ft
all around you.
Totally unconcerned, the wizened caretaker
walks to the center of the room. "Oh, yes. Meet my
family." His voice is no longer that of an old man,
but is vibrant with youth. He draws himself up to
his full height and the years seem to fall away from
him. "My family, the clan Yamaguchi."
Combat isn't the goal here, but if the PCs start some-
8*
thing the figures lining the wall are equally divided be-
tween Senior and Junior Ninja. There are 34 ninjas
present (not including Takahashi Yamaguchi), more
than enough to finish off the PCs if they get foolish.
49

Act 24—TlY)G FiNale liege lord—would cost each of the PCs 20 points of
honor.)
This act takes place on the day of the Ceremony of
the Three Thousand Steps. "CI76 CGRGMONy
PnepaRatioNS At noon, the ceremony begins. Read the following:
Benju calls the PCs to an audience with him. In con- Soldiers have cleared the main road that leads
sultation with Yuji, the daimyo asks the PCs their ad- through the Temple Gate to the foot of the Three
vice as to how he should handle matters. Probably the Thousand Steps and up to the Shining Temple of
best idea—and this is what Yuji will suggest if the PCs Bishamon. Samurai, dressed in their finest regalia,
don't—is to let Eichiro think that his plan is working. ring the small square to keep back observers. (But
In other words, Benju should keep the majority of his there aren't anywhere near as many warriors as
samurai away from the temple. When Eichiro you'd like to see . . .) On either side of the Temple
arrives—which he should if Lady Satomi's note was Gate are two elaborate reviewing stands. On one
anywhere near accurate—one of the PCs should chal- stands Benju, surrounded by his closest advisors
lenge him to a duel. The big question is, what—if and family. On the other is the Shogun's inspector,
anything—is Takahashi Yamaguchi going to do? Hiro Matsu, with the sour-faced Zukimoto Chiki-
The PCs may decide to do a little digging. They can tada beside him. Arrayed behind them are his
find out exactly nothing about the Yamaguchi clan or twenty samurai.
their plans. They can find out, however, that Eichiro is A clamor of gongs signals the beginning of the
already on the way towards Aru town at the head of ceremony. The crowds fall back from the street op-
an "honor guard" of one hundred samurai. This is ob- posite the stairway, and the procession moves into
viously much too large a force for the PCs to take on the square. At its head is an elderly priest, followed
personally. Benju won't "lend" the PCs any of his by the largest minyan, or portable shrine, you've
samurai, should they suggest a direct attack on this ever seen. This shrine is carried on poles like a pa-
force, and the daimyo makes it absolutely clear that lanquin, and is heavy enough to require thirty
even the thought of assassinating Eichiro is dishonor- sweaty pilgrims to bear it. Following the minyan is
able and totally unacceptable. (Assassinating Eichiro a column of six sohei, wearing the robes that iden-
on their own behalf—and against the orders of their
50

tify them as devotees of Bishamon. And behind "No!" Eichiro howls, and spurs his horse for-
them, an untidy column of hundreds of pilgrims. ward, whipping from his shoulder his great bow
As the procession advances slowly towards the and nocking an arrow . . .
staircase, there's a commotion on another street,
and peasants scramble to get out of the way of a
column of mounted samurai. At the head of this Eichiro charges directly for Hiro Matsu on his re-
column is the young man that you know must be viewing stand, firing an arrow at him as he does so.
Eichiro Tanaka. Everyone except for the PCs are surprised; the PCs
must roll normally for surprise. PCs who aren't sur-
You tense. If anything's going to happen, it will prised have the chance to block Eichiro's charge. Once
happen now . . . the PCs are engaged, both Benju and Hiro will signal to
And it does. A young man flanked by eight others their samurai to leave Eichiro to the PCs. (Much better
dressed as ronin steps out into the square. You rec- to keep matters small than fill the square with flying
ognize him immediately as Takahashi Yamaguchi. arrows.) Eichiro's own samurai take a step or two for-
The ninja holds up his hand to halt the proces- ward, but then remember the ninja blades poised to
sion. "Stop," he says firmly, his voice carrying over take their lives. They also realize that an attack on the
the crowd. He steps forward and faces Eichiro. "It Shogun's personal representative is a form of high
is over," he announces. Then he turns to Hiro Matsu treason. With these twin considerations firmly in
on his reviewing stand. "You do not know me, and mind, they return to their formation and leave Eichiro
you have no need to do so. All that you must know to his fate.
is that the travellers hired by Benju-sama have
proof of a traitorous plot to discredit Benju-sama, Eichiro will remain on horseback as long as he can,
daimyo of Aru. By my oath, I swear it. They will tell and will fight to the death. If the PCs manage to take
you what you need to know. And you . . ."—he him alive, he is imprisoned for execution the follow-
turns back to glare at Eichiro—". . . you honorless ing dawn.
dog, your plan comes to naught. I suggest you look Eichiro wears a full o-yoroi (AC 3), and carries a #
to your men." daikyu and 12 leaf-head arrows in addition to his ka-
tana and wakizashi. Finally, in a belt sheath he has a
Eichiro spins. Many of the samurai aligned be- dagger, its blade poisoned (inflicts 1-8 points of dam-
hind him have removed their headgear. Under- age on each of the next three rounds; save vs. poison
neath their helmets they wear black face- for half damage).
concealing cowls. Each cowled "samurai" has a Saving Hiro from Eichiro's mad attack is an honor-
blade poised at the throat of an authentic Tanaka able action, and each PC participating gains 2 points of
samurai. And the entire body of men-at-arms is honor. If the PCs don't get involved, Eichiro does his
flanked by raggedly-clad ronin—or are they best to kill Hiro, while Zukimoto tries to defend his
ronin?—who also have glittering blades poised to master. In this case, after one round of combat, Hiro's
strike. It's obvious that within moments the en- samurai join the fray and kill Eichiro.
tirety of Eichiro's command could be slain.
Takahashi Yamaguchi speaks as he walks over to-
wards you and hands you a parchment—the note Last Hunnal?
you conveyed to him in the warehouse. He bows to When the matter of Eichiro has been settled—one
you, and to Hiro Matsu, then turns once more to Ei- way or the other—read the following:
chiro. "Your treacherous plan is at an end," he says
in a carrying voice. "Let justice be done." And with The square is still. You feel the tension start to
that, he melts back into the crowds. drain out of you . . .
But then the air is split by a concussion like a
A somewhat startled Hiro Matsu will ask for proof, thunderclap. A cloud or foul-smelling black smoke
and will definitely want to know what was in the blossoms in the center of the square, and the fig-
note that Takahashi handed to the PCs. Hiro Matsu ures of four men step out of it. Three are young
will question the PCs closely. When he's satisfied that and black-clad; their eyes glow with an unnatural
he knows everything there is to know, read the fol- light, and tiny lightning bolts crackle around them.
lowing: The fourth is old and bent, wearing a simple grey
robe and leaning on a staff. It is he who raises his
The inspector sits back with a sigh. "The evi- voice and calls, "The pilgrimages will stop. I,
dence and testimony is compelling, and I can't Daisake Mayazato, command it. I ask you, with all
doubt it. Eichiro Tanaka," he says loudly, turning to- respect and honor, to return to your homes and
wards the young lord, "by the authority vested in forget this ceremony, forget this temple. Otherwise
me by the Shogun, I convict you and sentence . . ." we will destroy you. Unless there is one among you
who will face us with honor, that is how it shall be."
51

The three black-clad figures are the ninjas, Smoke, CONClUbiNQ tl?€ ADV€NtUR€
Moonlight and Snake. (The noise and the smoke are
non-magical: just a little pyrotechnics courtesy of fire- Once the ceremony is complete—and nothing fur-
works.) ther happens to disrupt it—Benju privately congratu-
As in the earlier confrontation with the monk lates the PCs for their successes. He hands over letters
Yaemon (Act 8, the foreshadowing for this event), of credit worth the 75 koku each that he promised
Daisake's language should cue the PCs in how to han- them... plus a bonus of an additional 10 koku each. In
dle matters. If one of the PCs offers an honorable chal- addition, he promises to post public notices explaining
lenge, then Daisake will accept it. If the challenging PC that the PCs discharged their duties in a highly honor-
is a wu jen, then the challenge is between the PC and able way. This entitles the PCs to an additional 5 points
Daisake; if the PC is a fighter-class, ninja or sohei, the of honor.
challenge is with Snake, one of the three ninjas. During the altercation with Daisake, Smoke, Snake
If the duel is between two wu jen, Daisake explains and Moonlight, the Ohara ninja have melted into the
the procedure: the combatants start 50' apart, and crowd and vanished. Unless the DM wants to use the
are free to use any magical or physical attack they ninja families in another adventure, the PCs are un-
like. The duel will continue until one or the other com- able to make any further contact with either the
battant is unable to continue or surrenders. Daisake Ohara or Yamaguchi clans.
will surrender as soon as his hit point total drops be- Eichiro Tanaka is out of the way—either slain by the
low 4 points; the PC is free to surrender at any time, PCs or executed—but his family still lives. Certainly,
or fight to the death. (Remember: Daisake is highly in- some member of the Tanaka family might decide to
telligent, and will use his arsenal of spells in the most avenge the PCs' involvement in Eichiro's death.
effective manner possible.) Buntaro still stings from the PCs' accusation of
If the duel is with one of the ninjas, the procedure is treachery. Depending on how the PCs handle him, he
similar: The combatants again start 50' apart. They might still go to Benju for permission to take the PCs'
can use any weapons, martial arts abilities or physical heads. While Benju won't grant that permission, if
attacks they like; they can not use spells or spell-like they've alienated him badly enough, Buntaro might
abilities (this doesn't include natural ki powers). come after the PCs anyway.
Again, the duel will continue until one combattant Finally, the odds are good that Daisake Mayazato
surrenders or is rendered incapable of continuing. and the three ninja are still alive. While they have
Snake will surrender as soon as his hit point total sworn not to interfere with the pilgrimages, and have
drops below 8 points; the PC is free to surrender at no grudge against the PCs—assuming that they were
any time, or fight to the death. As his weapon, Snake defeated in a fair duel—they can still become the fo-
chooses a sang kauw. cus of many future adventures.
This is an honorable duel, and interference is highly
dishonorable. Any PC who interferes in a duel suffers Pnobable OutcoMC
a penalty of 3 points of honor. In addition, interfer- Throughout this adventure, there are a number of
ence means that all bets are off: Daisake and the three places where the PCs can "get off track" and never get
ninja no longer consider themselves bound by the back on. Without the PCs' involvement, events will go
conditions of the duel, and all of them immediately at- like this:
tack the PCs. Now the fight is to the death. Unaware that Lady Satomi is actually a traitor,
Benju will follow her advice and assign only the bare
ri7e Results minimum of samurai to guard the ceremony. At the
If the PC loses the duel, Daisake repeats his demand height of the procession, Takahashi Yamaguchi and
that the ceremony be canceled. Another PC is free to his ninja brethren—all disguised as ronin—will burst
take up the challenge, however, under the same con- from the crowd and attack the pilgrims in the proces-
ditions as above. sion. Eichiro Tanaka will lead his mounted troops in to
If the PC wins the duel, then Daisake and the ninjas mop up the ninja attackers. Eichiro will gain great
will admit defeat and promise under oath not to dis- face in front of Hiro Matsu, and Benju will be dis-
rupt the pilgrimages in the future. They then leave. graced. Before Eichiro can benefit from his strata-
(Both Benju and Hiro will strongly discourage the PCs gem, however, Daisake Mayazato and his three ninja
from doing anything so dishonorable as preventing arrive, demanding that the ceremony be stopped. Ei-
them from leaving or going after them.) chiro realizes that he's caught in a trap: he has to lead
his forces against the four intruders, much as he
doesn't want to. Not being smart enough to pick up on
the concept of an honorable duel, Eichiro leads his
samurai in a frontal assault, and is killed in the battle.
Benju, too, is slain, trying to redeem his honor. The
ceremony is disrupted, many pilgrims die, and Aru
Province is left without a daimyo. Chaos reigns.
52

^*5^W ^^^^^^^^M^H^HHik^^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
•Jl.J ?|ft«O';

Cl7apt€R VI: MlNl-AOveNtURGS
This chapter contains a number of mini-adventures, til he can (somehow) resolve the problem.
encounters and "story starters" that the DM can use If, on the other hand, the PC reciprocates (or pre-
to liven up the PCs' stay in Aru (if it isn't already lively tends to reciprocate), then word will get back to Benju
enough . . .). The DM can select an appropriate that the PC is "shaming" his niece. The daimyo will or-
encounter whenever things are getting dull or the PCs der the PC to stay away from the woman. If the PC
are getting complacent, or may use these ideas to de- obeys, Takako will become enraged, and spread the
velop a complete random encounter table. There is no same rumors as in the previous paragraph.
obligation to use all—or even any—of these ideas.
While some may seems peripherally connected to the
main adventure, none is vital to the PCs success, and
Battle of tl?e Chopsticks
several are out-and-out red herrings. The adventures Set-Up: Two competing restaurants in Aru town
marked with an asterisk (*) in their titles relate some- are run by two brothers, Aki and Tojo Marushima.
how to—real or imitation—ninja, and are useful to The rivalry between the two brothers is intense, each
confuse the players as to exactly what is going on be- claiming that his restaurant is the best in town. The
tween the two ninja clans. brothers agree to use the PCs as objective judges, and
Each adventure follows the same format: invite the PCs to dine—for free—at their respective
Set-Up: How the PCs become involved in the adven- restaurants on two consecutive nights.
ture and the problem presented to them. The Plot: Sounds like a deal... except both broth-
The Plot: Background information, events of the ers are remarkably unscrupulous. The night that the
story, and likely encounters. PCs dine at Aki's restaurant, Tojo hires someone to slip
Notes: Other possible complications, suggestions a mild purgative into the PCs' dishes. The problem is,
for expanding the adventure, and general informa- Aki has hired someone to do the same thing at Tbjo's
tion for the DM. restaurant.
The DM should feel free to expand or modify these Notes: The purgative takes six hours to take effect.
adventures as he or she sees fit. Six hours after eating, each PC must save vs. poison or
suffer disconcerting gastrointestinal events. These
continue for 2-8 hours, and cause the victim to fight at
UNiNviteD Visiton* — 2 to hit and to damage for as long as they last. In ad-
Set-Up: When the PCs return to their ryokan, they dition, the gastrointestinal problems are highly dis-
find their room(s) in a state of chaos. Someone has ob- tracting to spellcasters. Each time a PC tries to cast a
viously searched through all of their belongings. spell, the chance of failure is equal to 25% minus the
The Plot: The mess was caused by a petty thief PC's Constitution. "Failure" will usually mean that the
who entered the rooms looking for valuable items. If spell just fizzles; however, 10% of the time "failure"
the PCs left anything of value behind in the room, it's leads to reversal of the spell's effect, or other unpre-
gone. The mama-san who runs the ryokan tells the dictable results. (Depending on how well the PCs are
PCs that another guest saw someone leaving the doing with the main body of this adventure, and how
room—someone dressed in close-fitting black powerful they are in comparison with the level guide-
clothing—but didn't think much of it at first. The PCs lines for this module, the DM could so arrange it that
have been having some pretty interesting visitors al- the PCs enjoy one of their free meals the evening of
ready, neh? the ninja attack on Benju. This could serve as an
Notes: The petty thief has no connection whatso- "equalizer" if—for example—magically-armed PCs are
ever with the ninja clans or the yakuza . . . although going through all opposition like a hot knife through
the PCs will no doubt conclude differently. At the butter.)
DM's option, the thief might have left some telltale
clue behind that points to his identity. Flaiwe KNif e
Secnet ADMinen Set-Up: During a visit to the public baths, one of the
PCs notices a tattoo on the right arm of a fellow
Set-Up: One of the PCs—the male with the highest bather. The tattoo looks like a "flame knife," the sym-
Charisma—receives an invitation by messenger. The bol of the Yamaguchi ninja clan.
invitation, written in the finest calligraphy, invites the The Plot: The bather—named Horoko—is a 1st
PC to "view the sunset with me atop the Shining Tem- level bushi who gave up the way of the sword and be-
ple," and is signed, "An Ardent Admirer." came a landscape gardener. The tattoo is a souvenir
The Plot: The invitation is from Takako Shimizu, from an old campaign, when he and all his comrades
Benju's niece, who has become smitten with the PC. got drunk on sake and visited a tattoo parlor. He
Notes: If the PC doesn't show up, or attends but doesn't even remember how he chose the tattoo, or
doesn't reciprocate Takako's ardor, she becomes an- whether somebody else chose it for him. (The fact
gry and starts rumors around the castle that the PC is that it's on his right arm—not a normal place for a clan
"trifling with her affections." These rumors will cause tattoo—might clue the PCs in that Horoko isn't really a
the PC to suffer a temporary loss of 2 honor points un- ninja.)
54

Notes: Horoko still enjoys his sake, and is three cast of the coins. The effect of the cast he has just
sheets to the wind—and quite irritable—when the PCs made is the same as if he'd cast the spell fate. The old
confront him. If they don't believe his story or if they man knows instinctively when he's made a truly pro-
accuse him of being a ninja, the chances are good that phetic cast, and the sensation scares him (hence his
his temper will snap and that he'll attack them with reaction). He is generally unwilling to share the result
his fists. Killing or wounding an innocent landscape of such prophetic casts with anyone.
gardener won't do the PCs' reputation any good. Notes: The PCs will probably assume that the old
man has seen something bad in the coins; this isn't
ffc
Xllje FaN necessarily the case, however.
This encounter is an opportunity for the DM to pro-
Set-Up: At one time, the PCs notice that someone is vide information or insight to the PCs that they'd oth-
watching them with great interest, possibly even fol- erwise miss out on.
lowing them. Once they notice this character, he
doesn't respond in any guilty way as a spy would: in-
stead, he smiles at them and waves . . . CalleO Out
The Plot: The person observing the PCs calls him- Set-Up: While abroad on the streets of Aru town, a
self Karima, and he will willingly admit that he's be- warrior-class PC accidentally bumps into a man who
come fascinated by the PCs' escapades. Karima can is coming out of a store, causing the man to drop the
recite almost everything that the PCs have done since package he is carrying. The man instantly whisks out
they arrived in Aru, and concentrates on the interest- his katana, and faces the PC, saying: "You insult me. I
ing, amusing or embarrassing events. He is a fan of challenge you, here and now. Draw your sword!"
the PCs, Karima tells them; he means them no harm, The Plot: The man is a bushi of whatever level
and simply enjoys watching them go about their busi- would represent a tough but fair fight for the PC he
#
ness. If the PCs try to chase him away, he tells them challenges. He won't be dissuaded from his duel by
that he understands their reaction . . . but he'll be apologies; in fact, he responds to any apology with
around even if the PCs don't see him. something like, "Close your mouth and let your steel
Notes: Karima is a monkey hengeyokai, and a talk for you, honorless pig!"
highly skilled bushi. What he tells the PCs is the com- Notes: The bushi will fight the duel to the death.
plete truth: their exploits have triggered his exceed- Honor adjustments for winning or losing the duel are
ingly well-developed curiosity, and he simply enjoys as normal. Interference in the duel by other PCs is
watching them operate. He will do nothing to actively highly dishonorable, leading to an immediate 3 point
harm or help the PCs (although the DM might use loss in honor for every member of the group.
Karima to deliver information or suggestions that the The bushi's story is this: Several years ago, he was
PCs wouldn't receive otherwise). If the PCs are foolish the personal aide to a well-known general. The gen-
enough to attack Karima, he fights to save his life. eral was slain by an assassin, and the bushi blames
Karima (9th level bushi, monkey hengeyokai): AC
10/6; MV 12/12; hp 57/29; #AT 3/2 / nil; Dmg 1-10 (ka-
himself for his master's death. The bushi isn't samu-
rai, so taking his own life isn't obligatory in the case of
failure; in fact, the bushi is a member of a faith that
ft
tana) / nil; THACO 12 / n/a; Str 12, Dex 17, Con 10, Int considers suicide to be a sin for all but members of the
11, Wis 8, Cha 11; AL CG; Honor: 15. (Statistics after samurai caste. Wanting to end his life without sinning,
the slash refer to animal form.) the bushi decided to challenge anyone and everyone
In his human form, Karima is a small man, with to a duel, whenever an honorable opportunity pre-
long, thin arms, a broad face, and a flat nose. He is al- sented itself.
ft
ways smiling, and talks constantly (often about fairly The problem is, he's won every single one of those
inane subjects). He is proficient with the katana, and duels, and it's starting to get to him. Theoretically, the
always carries one with him. He never wears armor. PCs might be able to get the bushi talking and discover
this about him. After that, they might be able to con-
vince him to renounce his death-quest. If so, he will
become a friend and possibly a henchman. (Whether
Set-Up: The PCs are abroad in the town, and the PCs succeed or fail in convincing him, it's an excel-
encounter a wizened old man squatting in the gutter, lent opportunity for in-depth role-playing.)
casting a handful of coins on the ground and examin- If the PC defeats the bushi honorably, the next day a
ing the way they fall. He makes a cast just as the PCs messenger delivers a copy of the bushi's will to the vic-
walk by. The old man glances up at one of the PCs torious PC. The bushi has left all his worldly
(random determination), down at the coins . . . then possessions—most notably his katana (a weapon of
his face turns pale. He casts another furtive glance at quality), a small tract of land, plus a small sum of
the PC, then he quickly scoops up the coins and stuffs cash—to whoever defeated him in a duel. (The DM
them in his pouch. He tries to hurry away. can add or change any items in this bequest in order
The Plot: The old man is 0-level with no character to develop future adventures. For example, perhaps
class, but occasionally he does have the Art to read the the tract of land contains a haunted house; or perhaps
55

collecting the bequest requires an arduous cross- tually a 6 HD kuei (see Oriental Adventures). This kuei
country journey.) is the spirit of Hiroyasu. His purpose is simple: he
wants to complete the sword, his masterwork. Since
Ikinyo he's dead and incorporeal, that necessitates possess-
ing a living person who can put the hilt on the sword
Note: This is a particularly nasty encounter be- and finish it off. Each night, Hiroyasu's kuei tries to
cause of its ramifications. DMs should use it with care. possess the current owner of the sword. So far his
(Handled correctly, it can be highly effective, how- fortune has been bad, and he's been unable to suc-
ever, particularly if it occurs early in the adventure ceed.
before the PCs learn for sure that the "incidents" Notes: Should Hiroyasu succeed in possessing a PC,
aren't supernatural in origin.) that PC will temporarily gain the skills necessary to
Set-Up: One of the PCs starts to feel weak and list- finish the sword. Of course, that PC's companions
less. He or she is becoming clumsy, and much slower won't understand what he or she is trying to do, and it
to grasp intellectual concepts . . . won't cross Hiroyasu's mind to explain to them what's
The Plot: The PC is the victim of an ikiryo (refer to going on.
the entry in the Kara-Tur Monstrous Compendium). Once the katana is complete, Hiroyasu's kuei is satis-
The ikiryo's source might be Buntaro (who just generi- fied, and vanishes forever, leaving the possessed PC
cally hates the PCs), or Lady Satomi (who sees the PCs with no memory of his or her actions, or of the skills
as a threat to her plan). used to install the sword's hilt.
Notes: The DM should make sure the PCs are The katana truly is a masterpiece. Without a hilt, it
aware that the ikiryo is a result of the source's subcon- suffers a - 2 penalty to hit to reflect the difficulty of
scious hatred, not a purposeful "sending." wielding the blade by the bare tang. Once the hilt has
been properly installed, however, the weapon is +1 to
tlje Lost SWORD hit, and receives a + 2 bonus on damage whenever a
natural 20 is rolled. It isn't a magical weapon, and so
Set-Up: As the PCs are passing through a market- won't harm creatures that can be struck only with
place, someone beckons to them from an alley, offer- magical weapons. These bonuses merely reflect the
ing to sell them "a katana of most transcendent outstanding balance and exquisitely sharp edge of the
workmanship." The hawker—who looks somewhat blade. The completed katana can be sold for 60 ch'ien.
like a weasel—shows them the sword: a katana blade,
finished in every aspect except for the fact that it has
no hilt on it yet. Any PC with proficiency as black- PilQRiM LyNCl) Mob
smith, weaponsmith or armorer immediately recog- Set-Up: Whenever the PCs are abroad in the town,
nizes that the blade truly is the work of a master they see a single young man being chased down the
craftsman. The hawker asks 15 ch'ien for the katana, street by twenty or so other people. The pursuers are
but can be bargained down to 10 ch'ien. (Any PC with dressed like typical pilgrims; their quarry wears reli-
an appropriate proficiency will recognize that even gious vestments of some unfamiliar type.
the initial asking price is low by a factor of three for The Plot: The quarry is a young man named Yuka,
such a blade.) and he's a fanatical—but basically harmless—devotee
The Plot: The katana blade was created by a mas- of the Nine Travellers faith. He had set up a stall at the
ter swordsmith, Hiroyasu Ohta, who lived in Jasuga. foot of the Three Thousand Steps, and had started to
Two years ago, rumors were circulating that Hiroyasu try and sway the "benighted heathens" away from
was working on the katana that would be the culmina- their "false belief" in Bishamon. Obviously, this didn't
tion of his life's work. Unfortunately, the swordsmith sit too well with the pilgrims who'd travelled hun-
was killed when thieves broke into his workshop (pre- dreds of miles to worship at the Shining Temple of
sumably looking for this masterwork of a sword). Hi- Bishamon. Some of the more touchy pilgrims decided
royasu's last sword was never found, and legends to show Yuka the error of his ways through the judi-
have sprung up around"The Lost Sword'.' cious application of violence. Deciding that such in-
The katana that has been offered for sale to the PCs struction didn't appeal to him, Yuka fled, the mob in
is The Lost Sword. It was taken by the thieves who hot pursuit. . .
killed Hiroyasu, but it brought them no pleasure and Notes: If the PCs don't intervene, the mob will
ultimately no benefit because the sword is apparently eventually catch Yuka and beat him almost to death.
haunted. Should this happen, word will get around that the PCs
Whoever owns The Lost Sword is bedeviled by a just stood by while the daimyo's peace was being bro-
spirit-creature of some kind which tries each night to ken. This will definitely hurt their reputations.
possess him or her. Since the death of Hiroyasu two If the PCs want to stop the ugly pursuit, they've got
years ago, the sword has gone through some two to be careful that they don't seem to be supporting
dozen owners, each of whom has sold the sword as Yuka's "heathen faith" over the worship of Bishamon;
soon as its true nature has become apparent. otherwise the mob, already fired up, might fall upon
The "spirit-creature" that "haunts" the sword is ac- them. The consequences of that would be ugly, since
56

popular rumors would relate that the armed PCs beat If they follow her, she leads them to a spectacularly
up on a group of unarmed pilgrims. unmemorable inn whose guest list seems to run more
Yuka and his pursuers are all O-level and unar- towards vermin than humans. She takes them to one
mored. Most of the mob are unarmed, but some few of the rooms, and pulls back the shoji. Inside, on the
have picked up weapons of opportunity such as bot- futon is a man, bound and gagged. His eyes roll with
tles, sticks, stones, etc. fear.
The Plot: The man is almost hysterical, and will
AssassiNatioN!* blurt out his story as soon as he's freed. He was woken
ffe
by movement in his room. He opened his eyes . . . and
Set-Up: Whenever the PCs are abroad in the town suddenly a powerful hand was clapped over his mouth,
at night, they hear an agonized scream from within a silencing his cry of panic. There were two black-clad
nearby ryokan (inn). If they investigate, they find a and cowled figures next to him, both with long blades
rich-looking traveller lying on his futon . . . with a drawn. Almost fainting with fear, he lay still while they
blade of unusual design driven into his chest. Assum- tore back his sleeping kimono to bare his chest. After
ing the PCs react rapidly, they will see two black-clad examining his (tattoo-free) body, the black-clad figures
figures disappearing out through the back of the exchanged disgusted looks. Then they bound and
ryokan. gagged him, and vanished into the night.
The Plot: The traveller is actually in Aru under The man is a pilgrim, and has no idea why ninja (be-
false pretenses. He was a high-ranking yakuza leader cause who else could the black figures be?) would be
in another city (the DM should choose one with which interested in him. If asked, he explains that he came
the PCs are somewhat familiar), but decided to effect from another city in Wa (the same one that the DM se-
a career change by embezzling large amounts of lected for the encounter described above, "Assassina-
money from his family. When the oyabun found this tion!").
out, he hired the Amida Butsu ninja clan to terminate Notes: The two ninja are members of the Amida
the embezzler with extreme prejudice. Butsu clan. If the DM uses this encounter before "As-
If the PCs examine the body, they find that the man sassination!," the ninja were looking for the embez-
has extensive yakuza-style tattooing covering the left zler, but were confused because this pilgrim came
side of his chest. from the same city. If this encounter takes place after
Notes: The two black-clad figures are Junior Ninja
ft
"Assassination!," then the ninja were following up on
of the Amida Butsu clan. They are unarmored, and the possibility that the embezzler might have had an
armed with whatever weapons the DM likes (the accomplice. In either case, they realized their mistake
more unusual the better). Their orders were to kill when they found that the pilgrim had no yakuza affili-
the embezzler, not to get into a scrap with the PCs; ation (as witnessed by his lack of tattoos).
therefore, they'll choose escape over combat if they Note to the DM: The story of the embezzler can
can. Their honor prevents them from being taken give rise to any number of other rumors or encoun-
alive, if any alternative is open to them. Both ninja ters, as the DM sees fit. The Amida Butsu clan might
have small tattoos under their left arms: three inter- conceivably be checking other ryokan in the area for
linked red circles, the symbol of the Amida Butsu clan. the embezzler's (non-existent) accomplice, or can by
If questioned, the Amida Butsu ninja can tell the PCs trying to track down where he hid his ill-gotten gains.
about the embezzlement, and about the internecine The PCs can hear recurring stories of black-garbed
turf wars that broke out when the yakuza made his figures infiltrating ryokan and terrorizing guests, and
escape. (The DM can make this story as extreme as he might even see mysterious figures themselves. (If the
or she cares to. Perhaps the embezzler has unwit- PCs came to Aru from the same city as the embezzler,
ft
tingly precipitated a major gang war.) The ninja know then the ninja clan might make a nocturnal visit to
nothing about other events in Aru town (of course), their ryokan.) In all such cases, the ninja have no in-
and can give the PCs no help. They have no connec- terest in the PCs' actions once it's established that the
tion whatever with either the Yamaguchi or Ohara PCs aren't associated with the embezzler.
clans involved in this adventure (although the PCs will No member of the Amida Butsu clan has any infor-
probably not believe a word of that. . .) mation about the ninja activity associated with Benju
Matsutomo, or can recognize the name Yamaguchi. (If
MistakCN asked under appropriate circumstances, however,
they might be able to confirm that there is a ninja clan
Set-Up: Whenever the PCs are abroad in the town with the name Ohara.)
at night, they hear a woman screaming and yelling in-
coherently. A dumpy little mama-san is running down
the road towards them, hollering for help. If they stop
to talk to her, she tells them that she runs the Drowsy
Blossoms ryokan, and that something terrible has
FiqlitiNQ DRUNR
This adventure can be run at any time. It is best
suited to a period when the characters are looking for
#
happened to one of her guests. She tries to drag the a chance to relax and recover from some exhausting
PCs back with her to show them. chain of events.
57

Set-Up: The PCs are enjoying some rest and recrea- where they rob him blind and—often—leave him witl
tion in a small yakitori bar or drinking establishment. a slit throat.
An exceedingly drunk and abusive samurai staggers If the PCs talk with the revellers, at first the bush
slightly as he passes, and bumps into one of the PCs. will keep up their drunk act, laughing and singing . .
The samurai turns in rage and challenges the PC to a but all the while trying to move their "pigeon" on anc
duel right then and there. get away from the PCs. If the PCs show no intention o
The Plot: This samurai is Mifune, the only son of a leaving, or try to join the party, the bushi who wasn'
local noble (not part of Benju's household, however). acting as drunk as his fellows gets surly and abusive
He is totally serious in his challenge, and won't be trying to drive the PCs away. The "pigeon" himself wil
talked out of it. If the challenged PC tries to leave or get into the act, telling the PCs—in a slurred upper
doesn't respond to the challenge at all, Mifune draws class accent—to begone and leave him and his "besh
his katana and attacks. He will fight to the death, or friends in the whooole world" to their pursuit of more
until he's somehow incapacitated. His ability scores alcohol.
and other statistics are presented below and reflect If the PCs don't leave, or if they confront the bushi
his current drunken state. Scores in parenthesis are the "revellers" will try to escape, leaving their pigeor
those when he is sober. behind.
If the PCs didn't notice anything untoward aboul
Mifune: 7th level samurai the revellers when they first saw them, they have s
LN human male second chance to get into the action. A minute or so af
AC 10; MV 12; hp 70 (54); #AT 1; Dmg 1-10 (ka- ter the revellers have passed, the PCs hear a scream ol
tana)+2 (damage bonus); THACO 16 (14) fear from nearby. Following the sound, they find the
Str 17 (15), Dex 8 (12), Con 18 (12), Int 14, Wis 13, three bushi robbing the drunk pigeon at knife-point.
Cha 8 (10) When confronted by force, the bushi will fight until ii
Proficiencies: katana (specialization), daikyu, becomes obvious they can't win. Then they'll try to es-
horsemanship, noh cape. If escape is impossible, they'll surrender (with
Honor: 18 the full intention of turning on their captors at the
Mifune is in his middle-30s, barrel-chested and very first possible moment, of course).
ugly. While he is normally somewhat surly, the affects
of alcohol have made him downright aggressive at the "Drunk" bushi (x3): 4th level bushi
moment. NE human male
AC 10; MV 12; hp 21, 29, 31; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6
Notes: If Mifune is defeated but not killed— (shortsword); THACO 17
perhaps through such "dishonorable" tactics as Proficiencies: shortsword (specialization), dag-
magic—he can't let this "insult" rest. He gives up his ger, weaponsmith, armorer, bowyer
position of samurai, becoming a 7th level ronin, and Honor: 7
dedicates his life to hunting down and killing the char- The bushi are unarmored, but all have shortswords
acters who "shamed" him. and daggers concealed under their cloaks.
If Mifune is killed, his father—a rich noble—will dis-
cover who did it and seek vengeance. The form of this "Pigeon": 0-level
vengeance is up to the DM, but could comprise just LG human male
about anything (including, perhaps, hired ninja). AC 10; MV 8 (12); hp 6 (4); #AT 1; Dmg by weapon
(unarmed); THACO 20
A Niqtyt ON tl?e towN Str 11 (10), Dex 3 (10), Con 16 (13), Int 9 (11), Wis 6
(10), Cha 10 (12)
Set-Up: The PCs are abroad on the streets at night, Proficiencies: etiquette, poetry
and encounter a group of four very tipsy revellers. Honor: 35
The revellers are loud and boisterous, but harmless. The pigeon's name—if he can remember it—is
Any PC who expresses interest in the group makes a Achiko, and he is the 25-year-old son of a local noble.
6d6 Ability Check against Intelligence. Success means His hit points, MV, Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis and Cha have
that the PC notices one of the revellers—the one in the all been altered by his drunken state. His normal stats
middle of the group—is better-dressed and appar- are those in parenthesis.
ently wealthier than the others, and that one of the Achiko is unarmed and unarmored, and totally use-
other revellers doesn't look anywhere near as drunk less in any tussle. (If anyone gives him a weapon, with
as his companions . . . his low Dex he'll be more danger to himself and his al-
The Plot: In fact, three of the "revellers" are bushi lies than his enemies.)
who have turned to thievery. Their preferred tactic is
to act drunk and befriend rich patrons in drinking Notes: If the PCs save Achiko's life, he will report
houses around the city. While pretending to drink this to his father, who may be disposed to reward the
heavily, they goad their "pigeon" into getting highly in- PCs in some manner. Any survivors from among the
toxicated. Then they lead him away to a dark alley bushi may make return appearances later.
58

CTjapten VII: NoNplaycu Ctyauacteus
The following pages contain a variety of useful in- Buntaro Ostato
formation on the various NPCs who hold major places 9th level samurai
in Ninja Wars. The Dungeon Master should read LG, human male
through this section and familiarize himself with the Str 16 Dex 12 Con 13
B
motivations of these people in advance of their first Int 14 Wis 13 Cha 8
contact with the adventurers. By doing this, the DM
can be judge their reactions to the heroes and lay AC variable; MV 12; hp 58; #AT 2/1; Dmg 1-10 (ka-
down the groundwork for future dealings with them. tana) + 3 (damage bonus); THACO 12
Proficiencies: katana (specialization), daikyu,
Benju Matsutomo horsemanship (+1), calligraphy, poetry (+1), eti-
15th level samurai quette.
LG, human male Honor: 46
Str 15 Dex 15 Con 14
Int 14 Wis 13 Cha 17 Buntaro, Benju Matsutomo's son-in-law, is a hulking
brute of a man with the appearance and personality
AC 10; MV 12; hp 87; #AT 2/1; Dmg 1-10 (katana) +4 of a dyspeptic bear. His voice is harsh and displeasing,
(damage bonus); THACO 6 and his smile—on the few occasions that he displays
Proficiencies: katana (specialization); daikyu, it—looks like a grimace. His manner is such that, even
horsemanship, calligraphy, poetry, noh, falconry, tea when he's strictly following the precepts of etiquette
ceremony, heraldry. and politeness, he seems arrogant and obnoxious.
Honor: 85 Buntaro wears armor appropriate to his current
#
duty or assignment: this ranges from nothing all the
Benju is in his late 60s, but he has the appearance way up to full o-yoroi on formal occasions. He always
and personality of a man perhaps a decade his junior. carries his katana and wakizashi, and often carries a
He is a large man, broad and powerful, with a strong daikyu as well.
face and dark eyes. Even when motionless, he seems Buntaro was married to Benju's eldest daughter, but
as powerful as a force of nature, and as impossible to she died in childbirth. (Perhaps this is what has
stop or divert. His voice is usually quiet, but effort- warped Buntaro's personality.) Throughout the Mat-
lessly adopts the crack of command. Despite his size sutomo household, Buntaro is comprehensively hated
and obvious power, he moves with the silent, fluid for his arrogance. The only person who likes him is
grace of a dancer.
Benju wears armor only when required by proto-
col. He is rarely without his katana and wakizashi. His
katana is a weapon of quality, and has been in his fam-
ily for ten generations.
He rose through the ranks as a samurai and famed
warrior. In the past, his family had been shamed by
having a number of members serve as daimyo of Aru
Province, only to be removed for failure in their duty.
Perhaps it was the desire to expunge this dishonor
that pushed Benju to his great achievements. By
thirty, he was already well-known among the Sho-
gun's generals. By forty, it was obvious that he was
destined for greater things.
Now, as daimyo of Aru, his personality seems to
have changed. He's very concerned about the future
of his family, and believes that if they can only hang
onto the daimyate for several generations, their stabil-
ity and security are assured. Thus the risk-taking and
daring of his youth are long-gone.
Benju loves music, although he is totally incompe-
tent at any instrument he's ever tried (and this sad-
dens him deep in his soul). He is highly skilled at noh,
however, and frequently puts on plays for his house-
hold in which he and Yuji Takaesu display their abili-
ties. He enjoys the outdoors, and loves falconry.
Benju hates his mother-in-law (and vice-versa), but
inexplicably he likes his son-in-law the quarrelsome
Buntaro.
59

Benju ... and he likes him a lot. Benju will put up with (5th), wall of force (5th), disintegrate (6th), sword of
rudeness from Buntaro that would get any other man darkness (6th), power word stun (7th)
killed. Honor: 35
Buntaro is a proud man, unshakably loyal to the dai-
myo. He believes strongly in duty, and hates anyone Daisake Mayazato is a disreputable-looking old man,
whose loyalty seems to be shaky. Buntaro is in love whose long, dark hair is always greasy, and is always
with Sono, one of Benju's serving girls, and is cur- surrounded by the stench of stale sweat. (This is a re-
rently trying to get up the nerve to ask the daimyo for sult of the man's taboos against bathing and cutting
permission to wed her. his hair.) His clothes are always immaculately clean,
Perhaps surprisingly, Buntaro is good at poetry; however, as if to compensate. Despite his age, his
however, his imagery is usually blunt, sometimes even voice is rich and powerful.
violent. . . but nonetheless emotionally effective. Over the years, Daisake's sanity has started to slip,
and he now has the tendency to become obsessive
Gachiko about a certain idea or plan for no real reason. He will
0-level then pursue this (sometimes illogical) goal to the best
LG, human female of his considerable abilities. This is what's happened
Str 9 Dex 13 Con 10 now. He has got it into his head that he must stop the
Int 12 Wis 10 Cha 13 Ceremony of the Three Thousand Steps, and end the
pilgrimages to the Shining Temple of Bishamon. (If
AC 7 or 10; MV 12; hp 2; #AT 2/1 or 1; Dmg 1-6 or by anyone were to ask him why, he couldn't answer . . .
weapon type; THACO 20 but this wouldn't necessarily sake his resolve.)
Proficiencies: Flower arranging ( + 2), etiquette, Several years ago, he saved the three ninja, Smoke,
poetry, jujutsu. Moonlight and Snake, from an ambush by spirit folk
Honor: 5 that would have killed them. In return for their lives,
they have agreed to serve him for a period of five
Cachiko is the granddaughter of Fusae, proprietress years. Even though they have nothing against the pil-
of the House of Heavenly Sand. She is perhaps 18 grim "business," their loyalty to Daisake forces them
years old. to continue his campaign against the pilgrims.
Cachiko is skilled in the sign language that the mute Daisake never wears armor, and only rarely carries
Fusae uses, and often serves her grandmother as in- a weapon (preferring to use his magic). When he is
terpreter. Cachiko's skill at flower arranging is fa- armed, he carries a bo stick and three or four shuri-
mous throughout the neighborhood (hence the fact kens.
that her honor is higher than her grandmother's). She
is never armed, but has received some training in ju- Eichiro Tanaka
jutsu. She knows the special maneuvers pain touch 12th level samurai
and stunning touch. She will fight only to protect her LN(E), human male
life and that of her grandmother, however. Str 17 Dex 12 Con 18
Cachiko's mother is Fusae's daughter; she doesn't Int 15 Wis 14 Cha 9
know her father. Because of Fusae's dishonor, Cachiko
is officially an eta. Her grandmother, with whom she AC 3; MV 9; hp 85; #AT 2/1; Dmg 1-10 (katana)+3
lives, has taught her much that would normally be (damage bonus); THACO 9
learned only by samurai (thus her apparently- Proficiencies: katana (specialization), daikyu, na-
inappropriate proficiencies). gimaki, horsemanship (+ 2), calligraphy (+1), poetry,
etiquette.
Daisake Mayazato Honor: 38.
13th level wu jen
N, human male In his late 30s, Eichiro Tanaka is built like a bull:
Str 9 Dex 11 Con 9 broad shoulders, bulging muscles, and eyes that are
Int 17 Wis 10 Cha 12 sunken under bony brows. He is a harsh man who
generally believes that politeness is for others, not for
AC 10; MV 12; hp 30; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 (bo stick); him.
THACO 16 Eichiro blames Benju Matsutomo for the death of
Proficiencies: bo stick, shuriken. his father, Eiji. The events and rationale are described
Spells: drowsy insects (1st), elemental burst (1st), in detail in Chapter IV in the section "Nemesis."
hail of stone (1st), magic missile (1st), shield (1st), fire Even Eichiro isn't quite sure whether the idea for
shuriken (2nd), hypnotic pattern (2nd), phantasmal revenge was his or Lady Satomi's.
force (2nd), stinking cloud (2nd), wind breath (2nd), Eichiro usually wears his o-yoroi. He always carries
animate fire (3rd), fire rain (3rd), fire wings (3rd), katana and wakizashi, and often has a daikyu as well.
memory (3rd), confusion (4th), dancing blade (4th), He favors leaf head arrows because they inflict such
fire enchantment (4th), wall of fire (4th), telekinesis nasty wounds.
60

Fusae political intrigue and petty empire-building (such as
3rd level bushi that shown by Eichiro Tanaka). He always cracks
LG, human female down hard on this kind of behavior.
Str 13 Dex 8 Con 13 Hiro rarely wears armor. He carries a katana and
Int 14 Wis 15 Chall wakizashi, and also has one or more uchi-ne in his pa-
lanquin.
AC 10; MV 9; hp 11; #AT 1; Dmg 1-3 (knife) +1 (dam-
age bonus); THACO 18 Lady Satomi
Proficiencies: katana (specialization), knife, 2nd level bushi
daikyu, horsemanship, calligraphy, poetry, etiquette, N, human female
flower arranging. Str 9 Dex 10 Con 8
Honor: 1 Int 15 Wis 10 Cha8
Fusae is a withered old woman in her mid-60s who AC 10; MV 12; hp 8; #AT 1; Dmg 1-3 (knife); THACO
runs the House of Heavenly Sand in Aru town. She is 18
mute, but her hearing is excellent and her mental fa- Proficiencies: knife (specialized), etiquette, callig-
cilities unimpaired. raphy, poetry.
Fusae is always unarmored, and usually unarmed. Honor: 45
At home and at work, however, there's always a knife
within easy reach if she really needs it. Although Lady Satomi is Benju's mother-in-law, she
ft
Fusae's story is interesting, but not that uncommon. is only a year or two older than he is. (This reflects the
She was raised the daughter of a well-known samurai relative youth of Benju's wife.) She was once very at-
and general, and her upbringing included all of the tractive, and attempts with make-up to maintain her
skills essential to a samurai. Unfortunately, when she looks . . . but has very limited success.
was still fairly young, her father participated in an Satomi was raised in the samurai caste, and re-
abortive coup attempt against a local daimyo. As pun- ceived some training in the skills and traditions of the
ishment, her father and mother were executed, and samurai. At a young age her alignment shifted away
she and all her relatives were officially "demoted" from Lawful, however, which caused her character
from the samurai caste and became eta. (This didn't class to change to bushi.
affect what she'd already learned in the way of profi- Lady Satomi loves her daughter—Benju's wife—
ciencies, of course, but did "demote" her from samu- with all her heart. She has always hated Benju, more
rai to bushi.) She moved up north to Aru, and started because he was the person who would take her
a new life well away from the memories of her old daughter away from her than for any faults in him as
one. a man, and tried to block the marriage. Satomi's hus-
band, since dead, overrode her wishes, and the politi-
Hiro Matsu cally expedient marriage went ahead.
11th level samurai Over the years, Satomi's love for her daughter has
LG, human male twisted, becoming a desire for control and possession.
Str 15 Dex 11 Con 15 She wants her daughter back in her household,
Int 15 Wis 14 Chal6 where she can watch over her and run her life. Benju
represents an obstacle to this. When Benju was
AC 10; MV 12; hp 71; #AT 2/1; Dmg 1-10 (katana) +4 named daimyo, and the shogunate policy of sankin ko-
(damage bonus); THACO 10 tai required his family to live in Uwaji, her hatred for
Proficiencies: katana (specialization), daikyu, Benju reached full flower.
uchi-ne, horsemanship, calligraphy, poetry, falconry, Unknown to anyone else in the household, she has
etiquette. been in communication with Eichiro Tanaka, and has
Honor: 80. offered to help him with his plot against Benju by sup-
plying information. (In fact, it's quite possible that it
Hiro Matsu is a handsome man in his early 50s. He is was Satomi who set Eichiro on his present course.)
generally soft-spoken, and prefers to listen rather Her rationale is this: If Benju is disgraced and re-
than talk, but when he has anything to say it's always moved from office, her daughter will be released
incisive, and his voice can assume the crack of com- from sankin kotai and returned to her. It either hasn't
mand. Hiro is on the Shogun's personal staff, and trav-
els throughout Wa as the Shogun's inspector. Despite
the largely-ceremonial nature of his duties, Hiro has
occurred to her or doesn't matter that Benju's re-
moval will disgrace her daughter as well, possibly
driving her away from her family in shame.
ft
maintained his combat skills at a very high level. Lady Satomi is known to the servants in the Matsu-
Hiro Matsu is a fair-minded and highly honorable tomo household as "Lady Lotus." They use this name
man. He hates the corruption that seems to be spread- among themselves, but never in the hearing of any-
ing throughout Wa, and does his best to stamp it out one of higher class . . . and particularly never to Lady
wherever he finds it. He is particularly disgusted by Satomi's face. The name springs from a characteristic
61

of her garb. Everything she wears—her kimono, her allows the caster to form tiny lightning bolts (more
jewelry, her regalia—has tiny symbols that represent like large sparks, really) that crackle and lick around
stylized lotus blossoms all over it. At any distance of his body. These sparks cause no damage, and can't be
more than 5 feet, the symbols are too small to make used to ignite flammable substances. . < -\i?.
out: they simply look like abstract patterns. When
viewed from close up, however, anyone with a rele- Naomi
vant proficiency (flower arranging, gardening, etc.) O-level ; - : •
can recognize them as lotus blossoms. Even people LG, human female
without relevant proficiencies will recognize them as
- • : • • ; " • "
Str 11 '' i •;:;< D e x 12 v. Con 11

flowers of some kind. Lady Satomi will never mention Int 15 i*.:^ W i s 14 .-.•;. C h a 14
the symbols, and if asked will be insulted at such a
personal question. (The DM should mention the intri- AC 10; MV 12; hp 6; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type;
cate patterning of her clothes when describing her, THACO 20
but should not stress the nature of the patterns.) Proficiencies: Etiquette, tea ceremony, flower ar-
Lady Satomi always has a knife concealed in her obi. ranging, poetry (+1), origami.
Honor: 45.
Moonlight ,...,,..
8th levei wu jen / 12th level ninja Naomi, an attractive woman in her mid-20s, is Ben-
LN, human male ju's favored consort. (According to Wa law, a man can
Str 14 Dex 13 Con 15 have only one wife at a time, but can have any num-
I n t l S '.-.. W i s1 1 •••••••:•. C h a 1 4 ber of consorts. These consorts are respected and
honored only slightly less than the wife. This explains
AC 8 or 10; MV 12; hp 38; #AT 3/1 or 3/2; Dmg 1-8 or Naomi's relatively high honor score.) She loves Benju
by weapon type; THACO 15 deeply, and will do whatever it takes to further his in-
Proficiencies: nunchaku, bo stick, shuriken, ka- terests . . . even going so far as to sometimes disobey
rate. his direct orders when she thinks them foolish. (So
Special Abilities: HS 77%; MS 94%; FT 75%; CW far, Benju has always agreed with her reasoning after
96%; D 64%; OL 77%; TW 75%; PV 14'; F 55'; E 54%; the event and forgiven her these transgressions.)
BSx4. In public, her personality always seems mild and in-
Spells: fiery eyes (1st), ghost lightning" (1st), magic troverted. In reality, however, she is very intelligent
missile (1st), wall of fog (1st), fire shuriken (2nd), pyro- and strong-minded, and can sometimes be more deci-
technics (2nd), smokey form (2nd), fire rain (3rd), fire sive than Benju when circumstances so warrant.
wings (3rd), protection from normal missiles (3rd), di- Naomi was raised in the samurai caste, but never re-
mension door (4th), wall of fire (4th) ceived training in any character class. She usually has
Honor: 29 a knife concealed in her obi.
Moonlight is a powerfully-built young man, perhaps Smoke »v?>; ; :'

35 years old. His shoulders are broad, and his limbs 7th level wu jen / 12th level ninja :: /SiT;-n ,->.;
well-muscled. He received his ninja training, along LN, human male ~{
with his colleagues Smoke and Snake, in the Wara- Str 13 Dex 14 Con 14 .'•••'::
zama family. When that family was destroyed by in- Int 16 Wis 13 Cha 16
ternal dissention, the three colleagues took to the
roads together. They have thrown in their lot with the AC 8 or 10; MV 12; hp 35; #AT 3/1 or 3/2; Dmg 1-8 or
wu jen Daisake Mayazato, not so much because by weapon type; THACO 15
they share his goals, but because they owe him serv- Proficiencies: Kau sin ke, bo stick, shuriken, ka-
ice for help he gave them in the past. rate.
Moonlight never wears armor, and always carries Special Abilities: HS 77%; MS 94%; FT 75%; CW
his preferred weapon—the nunchaku—plus half a 96%; D 64%; OL 77%; TW 75%; PV 14'; F 55'; E 54%;
dozen shurikens. In addition, he usually carries a BSx4.
pearl of fire protection. Spells: elemental burst (1st), fiery eyes (1st), ghost
As a ninja, he is highly skilled at karate, and knows lightning* (1st), magic missile (1st), fire shuriken
all of the special maneuvers appropriate to that style. (2nd), stinking cloud (2nd), strength (2nd), fire rain
"Moonlight" is not the ninja's real name, of course; (3rd), protection from normal missiles (3rd), dimen-
he took it as a symbolic nom de guerre since moon- sion door (4th)
light can enter a room through even the tiniest open- Honor: 28 ?.:..•--..••• ••'-;•'•••:? .rj :•„.'•
ing.
In Moonlight's spell list, the asterisk indicates that Smoke is a powerfully-built young man, perhaps 30
the spell ghost lightning is a custom-designed spell. Its years old. He received his ninja training, along with
casting time, duration and components are exactly his colleagues Moonlight and Snake, in the Wara-
the same as for the similar spell, ghost light. The spell zama family. When that family was destroyed by in-
62

ternal dissention, the three colleagues took to the
roads together. They have thrown in their lot with the
wu jen Daisake Mayazato, not so much because
they share his goals, but because they owe him serv-
ice for help he gave them in the past.
B
Smoke never wears armor, and always carries his
preferred weapon—the kau sin ke—plus half a dozen
shurikens. In addition, he usually carries a pearl of
fire protection.
Like Moonlight, he is highly skilled at karate, and
knows all of the special maneuvers appropriate to
that style.
"Smoke" is not the ninja's real name, of course; he
took it as a symbolic nom de guerre since smoke can
be invisible at night and drifts with the wind.
In Smoke's spell list, the asterisk indicates that the
spell ghost lightning is a custom-designed spell. Its
casting time, duration and components are exactly
the same as for the similar spell, ghost light. The spell
allows the caster to form tiny lightning bolts (more
like large sparks, really) that crackle and lick around
his body. These sparks cause no damage, and can't be
used to ignite flammable substances.
Snake
7th level wu jen / 13th level ninja
#
LN, human male
Int 15 Wis 13 Cha 15
AC 8 or 10; MV 12; hp 36; #AT 3/1 or 3/2; Dmg 1-8 or
by weapon type; THACO 14
"Snake" is not the ninja's real name, of course; he
took it as a symbolic nom de guerre since nobody has
IP
Proficiencies: sang kauw, bo stick, shuriken, ka- ever heard a snake's footsteps (and nobody has ever
rate. heard his).
Special Abilities: HS 85%; MS 95%; FT 80%; CW In Snake's spell list, the asterisk indicates that the
97%; D 68%; OL 82%; TW 80%; PV 14.5'; F 60'; E 58%; spell ghost lightning is a custom-designed spell. Its
BSx4. casting time, duration and components are exactly
B
Spells: fiery eyes (1st), ghost lightning* (1st), hail of the same as for the similar spell, ghost light. The spell
stone (1st), magic missile (1st), fire shuriken (2nd), allows the caster to form tiny lightning bolts (more
smokey form (2nd), fire rain (3rd), protection from like large sparks, really) that crackle and lick around
normal missiles (3rd), steam breath (3rd), dimension his body. These sparks cause no damage, and can't be
door (4th) used to ignite flammable substances.
Honor: 28
Sono
Snake is about 28 years old. Though strong, his 0-level
build is slender and supple. He received his ninja LG, human female
training, along with his colleagues Smoke and Str 9 Dex 14 Con 10
Moonlight in the Warazama family. When that fam- IntlO Wis 10 Cha 14
ily was destroyed by internal dissention, the three col-
leagues took to the roads together. They have thrown AC 10; MV 12; hp 5; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type;
in their lot with the wu jen Daisake Mayazato, not THACO 20
so much because they share his goals, but because Proficiencies: Etiquette, tea ceremony, music,
they owe him service for help he gave them in the massage.
past. Honor: 18.
Snake never wears armor, and always carries his
preferred weapon—the sang kauw—plus half a dozen
shurikens. In addition, he usually carries a pearl of
fire protection.
Sono is a beautiful girl around 20 years of age. She
serves in the daimyo's household as a servant and
sometimes masseuse. She is highly skilled with the
#
He is highly skilled at karate, and knows all of the samisen, and frequently is invited to perform for
special maneuvers appropriate to that style. Benju and his closest friends.
63

While she is totally loyal to the daimyo, she is in love oath made to Takahashi, the young man will go to
with Buntaro, and lives in hope that one day he will whatever lengths are necessary to revenge himself on
ask Benju for permission to wed her. the traitor.
Considering that she is just a servant, her honor Takahashi rarely wears armor, and only occasion-
may seem high; this is a reflection of her skill with the ally carries any weapons other than a concealed
samisen, and of the esteem in which the daimyo holds shuriken or two. His preferred weapon for serious
her abilities. combat is the sang kauw. He is highly skilled at karate,
and knows all of the special maneuvers appropriate to
Sumihiro Matsutomo that style.
6th level samurai
LG, human male Tftikako Shimizu
Str 13 Dex 6 Con 13 6th level samurai
Int 14 Wis 13 Cha 9 LG, human female
AC 10; MV 12; hp 31; #AT 3/2; Dmg 1-10 (katana) +2 Int 15 Wis 13 Cha 14
(damage bonus); THACO 15
Proficiencies: katana (specialization), daikyu, AC 10; MV 12; hp 38; #AT 3/2; Dmg 1-3 (knife)+2
horsemanship, calligraphy, poetry. (damage bonus); THACO 15
Honor: 30 Proficiencies: katana (specialization), daikyu,
knife, horsemanship, calligraphy, poetry, origami.
Almost 40 years old, Sumihiro Matsutomo is Benju's Honor: 39
nephew. He's a sullen, ugly man, with the appeal of a
week-dead fish. After decades of the best training Benju's niece, Takako is different from Sumihiro in
money can buy, he's only managed to reach 6th level almost every way, and is the epitome of the samurai
(possibly because he's almost unbelievably clumsy), woman. She is in her late 20s, and very attractive and
and is somewhat of a disgrace to the house of Matsu- vivacious. Her movements are graceful and fluid, and
tomo. He never wears armor, and always carries his both her intellect and wit are very sharp.
katana and wakizashi (neither have been drawn in Despite the limited time she has in which to prac-
several years, however, so there's no telling what con- tice, she has progressed to 6th level as a samurai. She
dition the blades are in . . .) never wears armor, but always carries a knife con-
cealed in her obi. Although she doesn't possess her
Ttikahashi Yamaguchi own blade, she is specialized with the katana.
10th level bushi / 17th level ninja
LN, human male Tbshikazu Wada
Str 12 Dex 15 Con 13 10th level samurai
Int 15 Wis 13 Cha 17 LG, human male
AC 8 or 10; MV 12; hp 76; #AT 3/1 or 2/1; Dmg 1-8 or Int 14 Wis 14 Cha 15
by weapon type; THACO 11
Proficiencies: sang kauw (specialized), bo stick, AC variable; MV 12; hp 68; #AT 2/1; Dmg 1-10 (ka-
katana, shuriken, etiquette, weaponsmith, armorer, tana) + 3 (damage bonus); THACO 11
bowyer, karate. Proficiencies: katana (specialization), daikyu,
Special Abilities: HS 96%; MS 99%; FT 95%; CW horsemanship, calligraphy, poetry, falconry, eti-
99%; D 84%; OL 99%; TW 96%; PV 16.5'; F 80'; E 74%; quette.
BSx4. Honor: 51
Honor: 25.
Toshikazu is a direct subordinate of Yuji Takaesu, and
Takahashi Yamaguchi is the leader of the Yamaguchi is the commanding officer of Benju's Home Guard.
ninja clan. He is in his mid-30s, although he appears a About 35 years old, he's friendly, outgoing and boyishly
decade younger (unless it suits him to appear other- handsome. He's more easy-going by nature than virtu-
wise, of course). He is handsome but not strikingly so, ally any other member of Benju's household, but he
and has a well-modulated voice that would be the knows when it's appropriate to be serious.
envy of any actor. Toshikazu wears armor when appropriate, but pre-
The clan Yamaguchi is new on the scene, and is only fers not to. He is never seen without his katana and
just starting to build a reputation (hence Takahashi's wakizashi.
relatively low honor score). Takahashi received his Benju likes Tbshikazu, and vice versa. Although
training in another ninja family—the Warazama clan, their age and relative positions makes it impossible for
as it happens—but founded his own when that family them to be close friends, they enjoy each other's com-
was destroyed by internal dissention. pany, and frequently hunt together. Toshikazu's
Takahashi Yamaguchi is a man of honor, and hates prized falcon was a birthday gift from Benju.
oath-breakers with a passion. If anyone reneges on an
64

Yaemon man. He loves music, and is fascinated by the game of
8th level monk go, with which he became familiar late in life. He
Ln, human male sometimes acts in noh plays with Benju, and is very ac-
Str 15 Dex 15 Con 11 complished.
Int8 Wis 15 Cha 9
Zukimoto Chikitada
AC 4; MV 22; hp 23; if AT 1; Dmg 1-10 (lajatang) +4 7th level samurai
(damage bonus); THACO 17 LG, human male
ffc
Proficiencies: lajatang (specialization), religion, Str 14 Dex 12 Con 15
tae kwon do. Int 15 Wis 14 Cha 10
Honor: n/a
AC 3; MV 9; hp 53; #AT 3/2; Dmg 1-10 (katana)+2
Yaemon is a tall, ascetic-looking figure with a shaven (damage bonus); THACO 14
head. He always wears orange monk's robes. His eyes Proficiencies: katana (specialization), daikyu, tet-
are piercing, and his voice is loud and commanding. subo, horsemanship, calligraphy ( + 1), poetry, eti-
As a monk, Yaemon gains an additional attack every quette.
two rounds and gains a damage bonus of Id8 when Honor: 70.
using his martial arts skill. He knows the following
special maneuvers: kick 1,2; throw 4; movement 5. Zukimoto is a sour-faced man in his early 40s. His
Despite his high Wisdom, Yaemon isn't highly intelli- expression and manner always see to imply that
gent, and often jumps to conclusions. His tendency to everything displeases him to one degree or another.
#
react violently to misperceived situations has got him When anyone else would be laughing with glee, Zuki-
in trouble in the past. When shown the error of his moto merely looks slightly less disgruntled.
ways, however, he is a steadfast fellow. At all times, Zukimoto is aide, secretary and right-hand man to
honor—in his case, meaning "fairness"—is near the Hiro Matsu, the Shogun's inspector. As such, he is re-
forefront of his mind. sponsible for protecting the inspector as well as doing
Yaemon has come to Aru town to attend the Cere- all his paperwork. Zukimoto is unshakably loyal to his
mony of the Three Thousand Steps, and sees himself superior, and honestly likes him as a person (although
as a defender of the pilgrims. expressing such a feeling just isn't in his nature). He
will react quickly and probably violently to any per-
Yuji Takaesu ceived insult to his master.
12th level samurai When on official duty, Zukimoto usually wears an
LG, human male elaborate o-yoroi in the Shogun's colors. He is always
Str 13 Dex 13 Con 15 armed with his katana and wakizashi, but is also
Intl4 Wis 16 Cha 12 skilled with the tetsubo.
AC 10; MV 12; hp 77; #AT 2/1; Dmg 1-10 (katana) +4 General Townsfolk
(damage bonus); THACO 9 0-level
m
Proficiencies: katana (specialization), daikyu, LG(N), human male or female
horsemanship, calligraphy, poetry, noh, gaming (go), AC 10; MV 12; hp Id6 +1; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon
flower arranging, tea ceremony, etiquette. type; THACO 20
Honor: 75 • Proficiencies: Relating to their profession, or
none.
Yuji Takaesu is 62 years old, and his face is that of a Honor: 0-10, depending on profession and caste.
man ten years older. He is almost bald, and what little
hair he has is snow-white. His body is thin, and ap- By law, townsfolk are unarmed and unarmored, al-
pears withered with age; this is highly deceptive, how- though in a pinch almost anyone would be able to find
ever, since his wiry muscles still have the strength of something that could serve as a weapon.
spring steel. One out of twenty townsfolk has received a little
Yuji wears armor only when it's required by proto- training in some martial art style: typically karate or
col; he'd much rather remain unencumbered. He is jujutsu. These trained townsfolk have the same hit
never seen without his katana and wakizashi. point values as normal townsfolk, but their number of
He is unshakably loyal to his master, Benju Matsu- attacks, damage and Armor Class reflect the style
#
tomo, and serves him as advisor, right-hand man and they have learned. There is a 10% chance that the in-
close friend. They met decades ago when Benju was dividual will have learned one special maneuver ap-
still building his reputation as a general and warrior, propriate to the style.
and have been firm friends ever since. Yuji's reputa- Townsfolk carry small amounts of money, ranging
tion is second only to Benju's. from a couple of fen for eta up to a string of several
When not concerned with matters of state or of his tael for merchants.
lord's safety, Yuji is an intellectual and introspective
65

Benju's Samurai ternative to success. This has a significant conse-
2nd level samurai quence should PCs use charm or similar spells to try
LG, human male to prevent ninja from "taking the final step to avoid
AC 10 to 7; MV 12; hp 2dlO; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10 (ka- capture." Since evading capture through death is con-
tana) +1 (damage bonus); THACO 19 sidered the highest duty, a ninja would respond to any
Proficiencies: katana (specialization), daikyu, suggestion or order not to do so in the same way that
horsemanship, calligraphy, poetry. any other character would view an order to commit
Honor: Id6 +14 suicide. In other words, they would totally ignore it.
Yamaguchi ninja all have a tiny symbol called a
Depending on their particular assignment and duty, "flame knife"—a jagged-bladed knife—tattooed under
samurai can wear anything from no armor up to scale their left arm. Ohara ninja have no such identifying
mail. All carry daisho (katana plus wakizashi) at all mark.
times; sometimes they will also be armed with daikyu
and 12 arrows. Senior Ninja
Samurai carry no money. 7th level ninja / 7th level bushi
LN, human male
Samurai Officers AC 10 to 8; MV 12; hp 7dlO + 7d2; #AT 3/2; Dmg 1-8
4th level samurai (ninja-to); THACO 14
LG, human male Proficiencies: ninja-to, shuriken, chain, weapon-
AC 10 to 7; MV 12; hp 4dlO; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10 (ka- smith, armorer, bowyer.
tana) +1 (damage bonus); THACO 17 Special Abilities: HS 43%; MS 55%; FT 50%; CW
Proficiencies: katana (specialization), daikyu, 91%; D 44%; OL 52%; TW 50%; PV 11.5'; F 30'; E 34%;
horsemanship, calligraphy, noh, painting, poetry. BSx3.
Honor: Id6 +16 Honor: 27
Depending on their particular assignment and duty, The statistics above apply to Senior Ninja in both the
junior officers can wear anything from no armor up Yamaguchi and Ohara clans.
to scale mail. All carry daisho (katana plus wakizashi) Depending on their particular mission, Senior Ninja
at all times; sometimes they will also be armed with may wear leather armor, or be totally unarmored.
daikyu and 12 arrows. The weapon proficiencies above are for the "typical"
Samurai carry no money. ninja; however, there will definitely be some atypical
individuals who are proficient or specialized with dif-
Junior Ninja ferent weapons. (This gives the DM complete freedom
3rd level ninja / 3rd level bushi to equip ninja with an interesting array of weaponry.)
LN, human male Every Senior Ninja is proficient in a martial arts
AC 10 to 8; MV 12; hp 3dl0 + 3d2; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8 style; the Yamaguchi clan concentrates on karate, the
(ninja-to); THACO 18 Ohara clan on jujutsu. In general, Senior Ninja each
Proficiencies: ninja-to, shuriken, chain, weapon- know 2d3 special maneuvers (DM's choice); excep-
smith, armorer, bowyer. tional individuals may know more or (very rarely)
Special Abilities: HS 20%; MS 27%; FT 30%; CW fewer.
87%; D 28%; OL 33%; TW 30%; PV 9.5'; F 10'; E 18%; Ninja of both clan have been taught that duty is
BS x2. more important than life, and that death is the only al-
Honor: 21 ternative to success. This has a significant conse-
quence should PCs use charm or similar spells to try
The statistics above apply to Junior Ninja in both the to prevent ninja from "taking the final step to avoid
Yamaguchi and Ohara clans. capture." Since evading capture through death is con-
Depending on their particular mission, Junior Ninja sidered the highest duty, a ninja would respond to any
may wear leather armor, or be totally unarmored. suggestion or order not to do so in the same way that
The weapon proficiencies above are for the "typical" any other character would view an order to commit
ninja; however, there will definitely be some atypical suicide. In other words, they would totally ignore it.
individuals who are proficient or specialized with dif- Yamaguchi ninja all have a tiny symbol called a
ferent weapons. (This gives the DM complete freedom "flame knife"—a jagged-bladed knife—tattooed under
to equip ninja with an interesting array of weaponry.) one arm. Ohara ninja have no such identifying mark.
One out of every two Junior Ninja is proficient in a
martial arts style; the Yamaguchi clan concentrates on
karate, the Ohara clan on jujutsu. In general, Junior
Ninja each know Id4 special maneuvers (DM's choice);
exceptional individuals may know more or fewer.
Ninja of both clan have been taught that duty is
more important than life, and that death is the only al-
66

VIII: ENCOUNt€R
This chapter provides the DM with a method of gen- nents in one encounter. In this way, the system can be
erating "off the cuff" encounters. The system is based like a Rorschach test, where someone is forced to
on a series of random-selection tables that define the read a meaning into a meaningless ink blot.
major characteristics of the encounter: who the Let's take an example: The DM rolls 1 on Table 1,
encounter is with, what he or she wants, and what the 20 on Table 2 and 8 on Table 3: a human kensai. The
background circumstances are. next roll is on Table 4, and the result is 48, "Hates a
The fact that the system is totally random might character class." The next roll is on Table 5, and the re-
seem to negate its value. After all, surely a truly ran- sult is 6: again, a kensai. The final roll is on Table 7,
dom system is going to generate a lot of paradoxical, il- and is 92: "Depressed."
logical or down-right nonsensical encounters. While At first, this may seem to make little sense: a de-
this is true, this isn't necessarily a weakness in the sys- pressed kensai who hates kensai. Given a moment's
tem. DMs develop "comfort zones": ranges of charac-
ters, motivations and situations with which they feel
comfortable. Since these comfort zones will probably
thought, the DM might consider a kensai who is the
implacable enemy of any kensai who holds a different
religion, or is of a different race or alignment, or is
ft
be somewhat limited, this means that most spur-of- from a different country. (But then why is he de-
the-moment encounters created by a particular DM pressed?) This will generate an interesting encounter,
will have some recurring theme or familiar feature. particularly if the PCs have a kensai among them, but
While there's nothing wrong with this in essence, it a little further thought might generate an even more
means that it becomes difficult for a DM to challenge unique encounter.
tk
his or her players with truly new and totally unfamil- A kensai who hates kensai. What about a kensai
iar encounters. who suffers from se7f-hatred? Perhaps a man who has
Hence the random encounter generation system. dedicated his entire life to his weapon skill, to the ex-
The system is designed to push the DM to adopt a new clusion of all else, but has become disillusioned when
perspective, to break out of familiar "thought habits." he realized just what he's forsaken in his life. How
The best way to use this system is to roll up the would such a character react to people who did him
encounter truly randomly, then take a moment to homage for his skill at arms? Might he not react with
think through the ramifications of the result. Cer- anger at their "superficial" judgement of his charac-
tainly, the components may seem, at first, to be incom- ter? After all, isn't there more to him as a person than
patible or paradoxical. But the trick is to be creative, his combat ability? (No wonder the guy's
and try to find a way to incorporate all of the compo- depressed . . .)
ft
ft
67

This is a potentially fascinating encounter that Cable 4—NPC MotivatioN/ActioN
wouldn't immediately leap to most DMs' minds.
After checking this table, go to Table 7 unless other-
The "moral" is, no matter how illogical the random
result may seem, take enough time to consider all the wise marked.
possible ramifications. The result might be something
01-03 Wants to buy something
totally unique.
04-06 Wants to sell something
07 Pursuing someone/thing
PROCGDURG 08 Being pursued
The encounter generator consists of a number of ta- 09-11 Needs information
bles. To generate an encounter, start with Table 1— 12-13 Lost
NPC Race. The result from that table will tell you what 14 Malign intentions
table to roll on next. 15-16 Asks for help
If a result is impossible according to the rules—for 17-19 Wants to be hired
example, a spirit folk ninja—simply re-roll the impos- 20-21 Wants to hire someone
sible condition. 22 Involved in a fight
23-26 Idle conversation
"Cable i —Race (i Ds) 27 Mistaken identity
28-29 Wants PCs' opinion on some issue
1-5 Human (Table 2) 30-31 Opinionated comments
6 Korobokuru (Table 2) 32-33 Rude comments
7 Hengeyokai (Table 2) 34-37 Curiosity
8 Spirit Folk (Table 2) 38-39 Unexplained interest
40-43 Eating
"Cable 2 — O c c u p a t i o N (1O20) 44-47 Drinking
1-3 Pilgrim (Table 4) 48-49 Hates a character class (Table 5)
4 Farmer (Table 4) 50-52 Hates a race (Table 6)
5 Grain merchant (Table 4) 53-56 Practicing a skill
6 Grocer (Table 4) 57-61 Accidentally bumps into PCs
7 Carpenter/Builder (Table 4) 62-64 Crowd forces NPC and PCs together
8 Gardener (Table 4) 65-66 Asks for a favor
9 Artist (Table 4) 67-69 Drunk
10 Musician (Table 4) 70-72 Wants PCs to settle dispute •
11 Laborer (Table 4) 73-75 Loud argument
12 Peddlar (Table 4) 76-77 Being chased/attacked by non-monstrous
13 Food seller (Table 4) animal (cat, dog)
14 Animal handler (Table 4) 78-80 Knocked over by someone else
15 Garment maker (Table 4) 81-83 Sleeping in inappropriate place
16 Weapon maker/seller (Table 4) 84-86 Being hassled by constabulary
17 Cook (Table 4) 87-89 Looking for lost item
18 Jeweler (Table 4) 90-93 Doing job
19 Town official (Table 4) 94-96 Compliments PC for some reason
20 Character class (Table 3) 97-99 Having pocket picked
00 Attacks PC for no apparent reason
Cable 3— Ctyauacteu Class (1O20)
Cable 5— Hateb Class (1020)
1-2 Barbarian (Table 4)
3-7 Bushi (Table 4) Go to Table 7 after rolling on this table.
8-9 Kensai (Table 4)
10 Monk (Table 4) 1-4 Barbarian
11 Ninja (Table 4) : 5 Bushi
12-14 Samurai (Table 4) 6 Kensai
15-16 Shukenja (Table 4) 7-8 Monk
17 Sohei (Table 4) 9-11 Ninja
18 Wu Jen (Table 4) 12 Samurai
19-20 Yakuza (Table 4) 13 Shukenja
14-15 Sohei
16-18 Wu Jen
19-20 Yakuza
68

Table 6—HateORace (IDs) "Cable 7—NPC Quinks (bioo)
Go to Table 7 after rolling on this table. 01-02 ugly
03-04 Handsome/Beautiful
1 Human 05-06 Very old
2-3 Korobokuru 07-08 Surprisingly young
4-5 Hengeyokai 09-10 Disreputable
6-8 Spirit Folk 11-12 Dirty
13-14 Sloppy
15-16 Fastidious
17 Speaks foreign language
18-19 Talks a lot
20-21 Taciturn
22 Angry
23-24 Sad
25 111
26 Injured
27 Seriously injured
28-29 Wise
30-31 Foolish
32-33 Dressed inappropriately
34-35 Very quiet
36-37 Witty
38-39 Cultured
40-41 Rude
42-43 Stupid
44-45 Personable
46-47 Uncouth
48-49 Deadbeatlook
50-51 Charismatic
52-53 Tells bad jokes
54 Stutters
55-56 Naive
57-59 Stranger to town Lmj
60-61 Arrogant
62-63 Impatient
64-65 Trusting
66-67 Liar
68-69 Generous
70-71 Stingy
72-73 Poor
74-75 Surprisingly wealthy
76-77 Religious fanatic
78-79 Non-religious fanaticism
80-81 Brave
82-83 Cowardly
84-85 Reckless
86-87 Passive
88-89 Full of energy
90 Paranoid
91 Manic
92-93 Depressed
94-95 Boring
96 Half-asleep
97-98 Nondescript
99 Notable possession
00 Roll twice*
• The DM can ignore obvious contradictions—e.g., "poor" and "surprisingly #
wealthy"—but should give some thought as to whether the results really are a
contradiction. For example, an NPC who looks like a penniless vagabond but
is actually incredibly wealthy might make a fascinating encounter.
69

Cl7apt€R IX: N e w
These adventures are slightly longer and more de-
tailed than the preceding mini-adventures. In these, the not come if I extended the invitation in my own
format changes, becoming more like that of the major name. But now that you are here, I need your help.
adventure. Most of these adventures are more linear I can pay you little, as I am sure you understand...
than the main event, however, which makes it less ap- But if you help me in this matter, I can promise you
propriate to take the various "scenes" out of order. each a reward of 4 tael. A minuscule sum, I know,
but all I can offer. Will you accept?"
Important Note
Several of the NPCs in these adventures have more Trying to bargain won't do any good; this amount is
proficiencies than would normally be allowed. This literally all Cachiko can afford. If the PCs don't accept
reflects the fact that these are truly exceptional indi- it, she bids them farewell with regrets. Several days
viduals in one way or another. These "extra" profi- later, the PCs hear through the grapevine that both
ciencies are necessary for reasons of narrative drama Cachiko and Fusae were slain by person or persons
or game balance. unknown. (This is a blatant shot at the old guilt reflex,
and will probably make most players a little less quick
Salvage to turn down a lady in distress in the future.)
If the PCs accept, read the following:
This adventure should only be played after the PCs
have met Fusae, the proprietress of the House of Cachiko bows again. "I knew I could count on
Heavenly Sand. such as you," she says with a smile. "Here is my
story.
iNtROOUCtlON "For the past several days, my grandmother and I
have been followed. Oh, not obviously, far from it.
When you return to your inn, you find a messen- But we have both seen movement out of the cor-
ger eagerly waiting for you. In fact, he is hopping ners of our eyes, strangers watching us on the
from foot to foot with anticipation. street, pursuing footsteps when there was no pur-
"Noble lords (and ladies)," he says, "I bear word suer visible . . . even figures on the rooftops, as
from one who wishes to speak with you again. She Fusae-san related to you once before. I fear that en-
bids you meet her at the House of Heavenly Sand emies are drawing closer, enemies who wish to de-
this evening one hour after sunset. There is a serv- stroy us. You may think that such as we can have
ice she would have you do for her, if you are will- no important enemies. Not so. I cannot recall if I re-
ing. She bids me to tell you that she will pay, to the lated to you my grandmother's background . . .?"
extent she is able. May I tell her you will attend?"
If the PCs don't know Fusae's and Cachiko's back-
If the PCs ask, the messenger confirms that the mes- grounds as described earlier in this book, Cachiko re-
sage is from Fusae. If pressed, he admits that he didn't lates them now. When she's finished, read the
actually see Fusae; the message was relayed by her following:
granddaughter, Cachiko.
" . . . And it's someone from the past—from my
RetuRN to tlie HeaveNly SaNbs grandmother's past—that I fear is threatening us
Assuming the PCs agree to the meeting, they will now. Perhaps they fear that Fusae-san knows
have time to make any preparations they wish to. something damaging, I don't know. But I fear there
When they arrive at the House of Heavenly Sand, read are ninja on our trail."
the following: She bows to you again. "What I wish—what we
need—from you, noble ones, is protection. Will you
After dark, the House of Heavenly Sand looks a guard me? Will you follow me—perhaps at a
lot less enticing than it does during the day. The distance—and seek those who would harm me?
building is dark and boxy, its high windows blank Perhaps you can chase them away... or kill them."
and empty. It would be easy to picture the place as
full of heartless menace. Cachiko can tell the PCs nothing more. If pressed,
But as you approach the front of the building, the she can relate the times and places when she thought
door swings open, spilling warm light into the she was being followed, but these details are irrele-
street. A figure is silhouetted in the frame—one vant. If the PCs can't think of another way to handle
you've seen before. matters, she suggests that they might follow her
Cachiko, Fusae's beautiful granddaughter, around for the next several days and see if they can
beckons you in, and carefully shuts the door be- spot the people spying on her.
hind you. "I apologize for the minor subterfuge," If the PCs mention guarding Fusae as well, or even
she says with a deep bow, "but I feared you might speaking to her, read the following:
70

Yoshi has figured out a more subtle solution. He's
Cachiko looks flustered. "No," she says quickly, "I sent armies of spies—many of them ninja—into the
ask you not to do that. My grandmother . . ." She countryside to track down these descendants of dis-
takes a deep breath. "My grandmother forbade me graced samurai. Their orders are then to investigate
to seek help from others. She says this is a family these potential troublemakers. If they gain any evi-
matter. And that is why I believe these . . . people dence that one of these people possesses a famous
are somehow related to Fusae-san's past. I ask you sword, they are to acquire the sword and kill the peo-
not to let her know I came to you. Please. Will you ple. (The order is important. If they kill first, they
agree to that? Please?" might never find the sword, and then the threat
against Yoshi would still be out there somewhere,
floating around for someone else to find.)
DM's BackquouNt*
Several of these "investigative groups" have fulfilled
In fact, Cachiko knows considerably more than their orders. Others apart from Fusae still keep a
she's letting on. prized weapon that belonged to a disgraced forebear.
The story that Cachiko has told the PCs about Fusae's In three cases, Yoshi's agents have acquired these heir-
father's disgrace is true . . . as far as it goes. In fact, the looms and killed their owners. Having no way of
daimyo he tried to lead a coup against—Zataki Yoyogi— knowing which—if any—of these blades is the one
was an evil man, an oppressor of his people, and defin- mentioned in the fortune, Yoshi locks each weapon he
itely worthy of death. Unfortunately, there is only one acquires away in his vault. He considered having the
time when insurrection against your liege lord is not a blades melted down, but then he realized that the
capital crime: when you win. Fusae's father didn't win, metal might, sometime in the future, be used to forge
and so died a traitor's death. The night before his another blade. And might that new blade not fulfill
death, however, he handed over to his daughter—his the prophesy as well as the original?
only offspring—his sword. This was a finely-forged
katana—a Weapon of Quality named "Oil Seller" that When Fusae's father gave her the sword Oil Seller,
had been in his family for generations. He bound his he made her swear an oath to tell only her direct de-
daughter with an oath to keep the weapon safe and scendants about the existence of the weapon, and to
give it to the first male offspring of his blood. The next extract a similar oath from them. The oath has re-
day he died a dignified death. mained unbroken down to Cachiko. Thus she'll never
tell the PCs about the sword.
Fusae took him at his word, and concealed Oil Seller, Fusae has generalized this oath to include asking
hoping to give it to her son. When it turned out that "outsiders" for help in protecting herself or the
she had only daughters, she kept the sword safe, hop- sword, since such a helper might eventually find out
ing to give it to her grandson. As matters turned out, why she needs such help. Cachiko sees things
only one of her daughters had offspring that lived slightly differently. As long as she doesn't tell poten-
past childhood, and then only a daughter: Cachiko.
(K
tial helpers about Oil Seller, and as long as she does
Fusae still kept the sword safe, hoping to be able to everything in her power to make sure they don't find
hand it over to Cachiko's son. out, she feels she's abiding by the conditions of the
In the interim, Fusae met a travelling wu jen who oath she swore. In fact, she can justify going to the
read her fortune (in fact, it was a fate spell). Her for- PCs for help because otherwise the chances are good
tune was that her great-grandson—who would be a that she and her grandmother will die, and that Oil
mighty warrior—would wield the sword Oil Seller Seller will fall into the hands of her family's enemy.
and overthrow the descendent of the man who And isn't that exactly what the oath was really in-
caused the death of Fusae's father. Under the auspices tended to prevent?
of this warrior, her family would regain the status it
once had, and all dishonor would be expunged from Although she can justify her actions sufficiently to
the family's name. assuage her own conscience, she knows that Fusae
won't buy that line. Thus she's trying to ensure that
Unfortunately, Zataki's son, Yoshi—now daimyo in the PCs will never let on to the old woman that they're
his own right after the death of his father—has heard involved.
a similar fortune: that the offspring of a disgraced
samurai line will wield a famous blade, and bring
Yoshi down. Yoshi Yoyogi is perhaps even more evil SljaOowiNQ Cachiko
than his father, but he has good political sense. He The PCs have various options as to how to proceed.
knows that going out and killing everyone descended The most likely course is that they'll follow Cachiko's
from any samurai who was disgraced during his fa- suggestion and shadow her, hoping in that way to spot
ther's reign wouldn't sit well with other daimyos— those who would do her harm.
particularly since many of these potential threats live Following Cachiko will be little hardship, since her
in other provinces or daimyates—or with the Shogun. daily schedule is so simple. One hour after sunrise,
Also, there are a lot of these people. (Fusae's story is she leaves Fusae's minka and walks to a market
far from uncommon, particularly in the daimyate of nearby in the eta district. There she buys food for the
the family Yoyogi.) day. At about the same time, Fusae herself rises and
71

walks to the House of Heavenly Sand to open it for
business. You feel like your eyes are about to fall out of
After about half an hour of shopping, Cachiko re- your head. The streets are filled with people going
turns to the minka, where she spends the morning about their daily business, and you're trying to ex-
cleaning the building and preparing food. Sometimes amine each and every one of them. You're starting
during the morning Cachiko is visited by clients— to feel that you're engaged in an impossible task...
people of various castes who pay her to create flower But wait! What was that? Something caught your
arrangements for them. At noon, Cachiko carries two attention, something that set off subliminal alarm
bento—lunches, presented in small lacquer boxes—to bells. ....... ...,„.
the House of Heavenly Sand, where she eats lunch You look around even harder.
with her grandmother. There, that was it. Two merchants—no different
One hour after noon, she returns to the minka, in dress or appearance from any of the others
where she spends the afternoon. Again, she is fre- heading to and from the city's marketplaces. But
quently visited by clients who want flower arrange- one of them . . . there's something about his body-
ments. Before sunset she prepares dinner for herself line, his movements. He seems harder—sharper,
and Fusae, who arrives home at or before sunset. somehow more angular—than the others. There's
They spend the evening in the minka, and retire early. strength there, strength, speed and grace kept in
If the PCs choose this route, Cachiko urges them to use check . . . suppressed. You see him glance—
stealth when observing her: she tells them she doesn't seemingly casually—at his companion. The com-
want her enemies—whoever they are—to know about panion nods his head. Information has been
the PCs. (In fact, she's almost equally concerned that Fu- conveyed, a message has been passed.
sae will discover her "bending" of her vow.) ... . The merchants move, following Cachiko as she
walks gracefully down the street.
•C176 WatCl7€RS •>.:: -.-, ..;<: I . :y
If none of the PCs makes the roll, further events are
On the second day of their vigil, the PCs have the at the discretion of the DM. Possible options are: one
chance to spot two of the ninja who have been shad- of the PCs notices the ninja anyway, despite the roll;
owing Cachiko. Whether they spot the ninjas, or vice the ninja notice the PCs (see the section above); or, the
versa, depends on their actions, and how circumspect PCs can continue to shadow Cachiko until circum-
they are. (The DM must adjudicate this.) stances arise to give them a second chance to spot the
There are two possibilities: shadows.
When and if the PCs spot the ninja, go to the next
The ninja spot the PCs . "' •' - section, "Confrontation?"
If the PCs aren't careful and don't take precautions
against being detected (disguise, etc.), the two ninja CoNfnoNtatioN?
who are following Cachiko will quickly recognize that
there are others shadowing the girl. The ninja, who The PCs have the option of confronting the "mer-
are currently disguised as travelling merchants, don't chants" openly, or of trying to follow them secretly. If
confront the PCs immediately. Instead, they report to the former, then the "merchants" will deny that they
the leader of their group, whereupon they plan an have any interest in Cachiko ("In who? Who are we
ambush against the PCs. Go to the section entitled supposed to be following?"), trying to maintain their
"Ambush!" to resolve this scene. facade as innocent travellers. If the PCs press the is-
sue further, read the following:
The PCs spot the ninja
Two ninja, disguised as merchants, follow Cachiko One of the merchants' expressions changes. It's
everywhere she goes about the city. (Two others are almost as if a mask has slipped away. You see a firm,
following Fusae.) Their hope is that one of the two determined set to his jaw, and a cold hardness in
women will give them some clue that they're more his eyes. "This is none of your concern," he says
than the eta they appear to be, or maybe—if the gods flatly. "You would do best to leave. Now."
smile—even lead them to the sword. Unfortunately,
neither Cachiko or Fusae has changed her daily rou- Should the PCs draw weapons, or do anything else
tine one whit, and they still can't be sure that these untoward, the "merchants"—who are, of course,
two are worthy of their further attention. ninja—will fight to the best of their abilities. If it looks
The ninja are well-disguised, and are skilled at like the fight is turning against them, they will try to
"fieldcraft"—the art of blending in with the people escape. If escape is impossible, they'll fight to the
around them. At an appropriate time when following death, taking their own lives if necessary to prevent
Cachiko, each PC receives a 5D6 Attribute Check capture. (They don't have poison capsules, so it should
against Intelligence. A successful roll means that the be possible for the PCs to take at least one alive . . . if
PC has noticed something out of the ordinary. Read this occurs to them.) Should the PCs try to question a
the following: captive, go to the section "Interrogation."
72

Perhaps the PCs will choose to follow the ninja se- Cacftiko AqaiN
cretly. If they do so, one of the ninja will notice them
almost immediately and warn his companion. Both If the PCs survive the confrontation with the ninja—
will try to make their escape. If escape is impossible, whether they capture one alive or not—read the fol-
they'll fight as discussed above. lowing:
Ninja (x2): 5th level ninja / 5th level bushi You hear a woman's cry, "Oh, oh, oh." You spin.
LN, human male It's Cachiko, running back towards you. "You saw
AC 10; MV12; hp 29, 33; #AT 1; Dmg 2-5 (chain) or 1- them," she cries, "you saw our enemies."
3 (gunsen); THACO 16
Proficiencies: chain, gunsen, weaponsmith, ar- If the PCs have interrogated a captive ninja by this
ft
morer, bowyer. time, they might have some pointed questions for Ca-
Special Abilities: HS 31%; MS 40%; FT 40%; CW chiko. She sticks very much to her previous story, that
89%; D 36%; OL 42%; TW 40%; PV 10.5'; F 20'; E 26%; they were obviously hired by someone from her
BSx3. grandmother's past to dig up some secret. She claims
Honor: 23 to know absolutely nothing about any sword, should
the PCs ask. (In fact, she jumps at this opportunity to
These are members of the Kata ninja clan. Like all propose that the whole thing is just some case of mis-
Kata ninja, they are highly skilled at tae kwon do, and taken identity: she and Fusae are just innocent vic-
know the following special maneuvers: Kick 1,2,3; tims. But of course, the noble PCs will have to destroy
Strike 1; Throw 4; Movement 5; Weapon 1,2. the enemies anyway . . . won't they?)
They are currently unarmored. Both carry gunsen If the PCs mention anything about speaking to Fu-
(war fans; martial arts weapons), and have chains sae, the girl begs them not to. She swore an oath to
wound around their waists under their sashes, where
they can be released almost instantly.
Members of the Kata clan are identified by a family
her grandmother not to let outsiders in, she stresses,
and it would be a disaster for her if Fusae found out
about her actions. Couldn't the PCs continue without
#
tatoo: a small blue circle, about half an inch in diame- telling Fusae what's happened? If the PCs seem about
ter. This tatoo can be anywhere on the body, although to turn away and leave her to her fate, she falls to her
it's often on the back of the neck where it will be con- knees crying most prettily, and begging them to help
cealed by the hair.
iNtetmoqatioN
If the PCs can capture one of the Kata ninja alive,
they can try to extract information from him. Obvi-
ously, the captive will be unwilling to tell them any-
thing, and will do what he can to escape or to take his
own life. Magic, of course, will make this interroga-
ft
tion much easier.
The two ninja who were following Cachiko don't
know much. Their orders were to follow the girl, and
report to their superiors if she did anything out of
character for a simple eta woman. They were also
ft
told to keep a sharp eye out for a katana, but they
don't know why, or anything about the significance of
the weapon. The PCs might be able to extract the
name of the ninja's superior—Asahi—and where they
were supposed to meet him. The ninja don't know
who hired their clan, or why. They do know that
other two-man teams are working in the city, but they
don't know where or what their orders were (they
had no "Need to Know").
If the PCs decide to attend the scheduled meeting,
they'll be disappointed—perhaps terminally so. Unbe-
knownst to the two ninja they confronted, there was a
third member of the team, hanging so far back that he
couldn't possibly be spotted. He saw the fate of his
compatriots, and immediately reported to Asahi. The
meeting will be an ambush for the PCs. Go to the sec-
tion "Ambush!" if this takes place.
73

her. Yes, she now admits, her grandmother once who patrol the city streets, even Benju himself or
owned a sword of great value. But years ago it was members of his household. No matter who they talk
destroyed in a tragic fire that almost claimed their to, however, they get basically the same thing: noth-
lives. The people who are after the sword don't ing. Certainly, Fusae's neighbors and clients know of
know this, however. The PCs know how ninja are, the old woman; Cachiko's clients know the girl is Fu-
the girl continues: nothing but death will prevent sae's granddaughter. But nobody knows anything
them from completing their task, and if they think about the family's background. Most people assume
that she and Fusae still have the sword, then their that Fusae's always lived in Aru, and those few old
lives are worthless. enough—and coherent enough—to remember her ar-
It's quite possible that the PCs will notice some of the rival know nothing about her earlier life. If the PCs
gaping logical flaws in this story, but Cachiko will use ask specifically about samurai heritage, they get
some fast talking and profuse tears to try to bamboo- laughter: "What eta doesn't claim to be descended
zle them into continuing with their "duty." If they de- from samurai, neh?" In particular, nobody knows any-
cide to drop the matter, two days later they hear of thing about a valuable sword that once was—or might
Cachiko's and Fusae's deaths. still be—in Fusae's possession.
Concerning the people following Cachiko and Fu-
CoNfnoNtiNQ Fusae sae, the general consensus is the same: since nobody
else has seen them, the "followers" are obviously
If, despite Cachiko's entreaties, the PCs at any time products of the women's imaginations. After all, Fu-
speak with Fusae about the whole matter, read the fol- sae's getting on in years, isn't she, and her mind may
lowing. (Remember that Fusae is mute, and must de- be slipping. And Cachiko, although talented at her art,
pend on Cachiko to interpret for her.) has been living with her grandmother too long, and
probably has picked up the old woman's paranoid
The old woman's face clouds with anger. Her streak.
sign-language gestures are sharp and harsh with Unfortunately, talk on the street goes both ways.
anger. While the PCs are running into brick walls, the Kata
"My grandmother chastises me for my foolish- clan—the ninja family hired by Yoshi Yoyogi to investi-
ness," Cachiko says, a catch in her voice. "These are gate Cachiko and Fusae—has heard that the adventur-
not matters for outsiders. She bids you to leave and ers are very interested in the two women. This gives
not concern yourself further with our troubles. the Kata clan food for thought. Why—if the women
And she forbids me from ever speaking to you are just the harmless eta they appear to be—would
again. I am sorry." She fumbles in the voluminous prominent adventurers be interested in them? The
sleeve of her kimono and extracts some silver only reason they can think of is that the women have
coins. "Here," she says, offering them to you, "the some importance beyond their apparent status. Per-
payment I promised. My grandmother insists that haps they do have the sword after a l l . . .
you take them . . . and then that you leave this
The Kata clan decides to change its tactics. Instead
place. No dishonor is meant by this, we know your
of subtle shadowing, they will now use a more direct
motives are noble . . . but, please, go." The girl's
approach. That night, they will send "representatives"
voice is firm. But there's something very much like
around to Fusae's minka to "interview" the women
pleading in her eyes.
and settle matters once and for all. This is detailed in
the section "Nocturnal Visitors."
The coins are the 4 tael each that Cachiko promised But what about the PCs? If, as it appears, they've
the PCs. Neither Cachiko nor Fusae will talk to them been hired as bodyguards—and where would simple
any further. The PCs are free to continue with the eta get the money to hire such high-powered help?—
task—which, of course, is what Cachiko wants them they could interfere with the Kata operation. It would
to do, and which is what honor would bid them do be much better all around if the PCs were removed
anyway—or to leave the women to their fate. from the scene . . . permanently.
The ninja clan decides to ambush the PCs and elimi-
BackQROUNO Reseanct} J >*^> nate them. This is detailed in the next section.
Rather than following Cachiko in the first place, the
AMbust;!
PCs might decide to see what information they can dig
up on Fusae and those who might wish to do her The events in this section happen soon after the
harm. They might also choose this path after being Kata clan learns that the PCs are interested in Fusae
sent away by the old woman in the section "Confront- and Cachiko. The ninja family can learn this in various
ing Fusae." ways: if the PCs are asking questions around Aru
There are many people throughout Aru town that town; if the ninja "merchants" who were following Ca-
the PCs might talk to: Fusae's neighbors, patrons at chiko spot the PCs; or, if the PCs confronted Cachiko's
the House of Heavenly Sand, clients of Cachiko's ninja shadows. However they learn of the PCs' inter-
flower-arranging business, those of Benju's samurai est, they decide that it would be better all around if
74

the PCs were dealt out of this particular hand ... per- Yoshi Yoyogi to retrieve a sword that Yoyogi considers
manently. very important. There is reason to believe that the
It's up to the DM to decide when and where the sword is in the possession of the old woman Fusae.
ninja family makes its move, taking into account the The sword is a weapon of quality, the ninja knows,
PCs' movements and habits. If the PCs have a regular and figures prominently in some kind of prophesy.
base of operations—a ryokan or inn somewhere, for The ninja also can tell the PCs that some of his fellows
example—and haven't gone to any trouble to keep are planning to visit Fusae and her granddaughter at
their presence there a secret, then the DM can as- the old woman's minka. The "visit" is scheduled to
sume that any ninja worthy of the name could find take place no more than half an hour after the assassi-
this out. In such a case, assassination would be the
action of choice.
If the PCs don't have a regular routine and "safe
nation attempt.
Junior Ninja: 3rd level ninja / 3rd level bushi

ft
house," or the DM figures that the ninja can't learn of LN, human male
the PCs' habits, then the Kata clan has only one op- AC 10; MV 12; hp 18, 19, 25, 30; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8
tion: ambush. (Note that, if the PCs have learned (ninja-to); THACO 18
from a captured ninja about the planned meeting Proficiencies: ninja-to, shuriken, chain, weapon-
place and time—see the section "Interrogation"— smith, armorer, bowyer.
then there will certainly be an ambush waiting for Special Abilities: HS 20%; MS 27%; FT 30%; CW
them.) This ambush can take place anywhere and at 87%; D 28%; OL 33%; TW 30%; PV 9.5'; F 10'; E 18%;
any time. The DM is urged to think like a ninja—sly, BSx2.
8*
sneaky and nasty—and choose circumstances that Honor: 21
suit that mind-set.
The weapon proficiencies above are standard for
Assassins
If the Kata clan decides that stealthy assassination is
the best way of terminating the PCs, then they'll make
ninja; however, the DM should feel free to give one or
more of the killers "atypical" proficiencies—
particularly proficiency with a ninja-style weapon
#
the effort to do it right. The assassination team will that the DM finds especially interesting.
comprise two to four junior ninja (depending on the Like all Kata ninja, they are highly skilled at tae
number of PCs in the party), led by two senior ninja; kwon do, and know the following special maneuvers:
statistics on these individuals follow. The team will in- Kick 1,2,3; Strike 1; Throw 4; Movement 5; Weapon
filtrate the PCs' residence and kill the adventurers as 1,2.
quickly and efficiently as possible. The ninja are unarmored and dressed in tight-
An assassination attempt by well-trained ninja— fitting black clothes, with hoods over their heads.
which these are—is a difficult thing to stop ... particu- They are armed with ninja-to, shuriken, and any
(K
larly when the killers have the appropriate other "neat" weapons that the DM feels like throwing
equipment. If the PCs haven't bothered to set a sentry, at the PCs.
or otherwise guard their sleeping quarters, it would One of the junior ninja—thinking that he wanted an
be quite possible for the intruders to kill all of them "equalizer"—has poisoned the points of his shurikens.
without difficulty. Unless the players have been to- As long as he handles the weapons carefully, he faces
tally incompetent in their game play, this is probably no risk of poisoning himself. If he is knocked off his
not a desirable outcome. feet, however, he must save vs. paralyzation or
Tb give the PCs a fighting chance, one of them might wound himself with his own weapons. Someone
hear a tell-tale sound as the ninja team is penetrating struck by a poisoned shuriken must save vs. poison or
the building. Or perhaps a PC wakes from a paranoid suffer Id4 points of damage on each of the next three
nightmare just in time to see shadowy figures at his rounds, coupled with excruciating pain that penalizes
window (what a coincidence!). all attack rolls by —3. A successful save reduces the
The ninja team has its orders—kill the PCs at any damage to 1 point of damage per round, and drops
cost—and will die trying. Death is preferable to cap- the attack penalty to — 1. The poison damage is in ad-
ture, and these ninja are carrying poison pills. They've dition to that inflicted by the shuriken itself, of
also been indoctrinated with the same "death before course.
dishonor" philosophy as the ninja families in the main In addition to weaponry, they carry whatever other
adventure, so charm and similar spells will be less ef- equipment they need to penetrate the PCs' residence:
fective than usual. ropes, hooks, lockpicks, etc.
If the PCs interrogate one of the junior assassins, he Members of the Kata clan are identified by a family
H
can tell them little of interest: his leader ordered him tatoo: a small blue circle, about half an inch in diame-
here to kill the PCs or die trying. He has no knowledge ter. This tatoo can be anywhere on the body, although
of why the killings are important, or even what his it's often on the back of the neck where it will be con-
family is doing in Aru town. cealed by the hair.
A senior ninja can tell the PCs considerably more,
however. He knows that the Kata clan was hired by

Senior Ninja (x2): 7th level ninja / 7th level bushi it's often on the back of the neck where it will be con-
LN, human male cealed by the hair.
AC 10; MV 12; hp 42, 50; #AT 3/2; Dmg 1-8 (ninja-to);
THACO 14 Brutal Ambush
Proficiencies: ninja-to, shuriken, chain, weapon- If a nocturnal assassination isn't appropriate, or if
smith, armorer, bowyer. the PCs are planning to "crash" the meeting between
Special Abilities: HS 43%; MS 55%; FT 50%; CW the ninja "merchants" and their superior, the Kata
91%; D 44%; OL 52%; TW 50%; PV 11.5'; F 30'; E 34%; clan will set an ambush to rid themselves of the PCs.
BSx3. Since even the best ambush is more problematical
Honor: 27 than a stealthy assassination, the group assigned to
the mission is larger: 6 junior ninja led by 2 or 3 senior
Again, the DM should feel free to equip these ninja ninja (depending on the number of PCs in the party).
with "neat" weapons. The ninja will lay the ambush carefully, making sure
The senior ninja are highly skilled at tae kwon do, that they have the high ground, and that they can pre-
and know the following special maneuvers: Kick vent the PCs from fleeing the "killing ground" when
1,2,3; Strike 1; Throw 4; Movement 5; Weapon 1,2. the cutting begins. (For example, they might lay the
The ninja are unarmored and dressed in tight- ambush in a narrow alley. Half the ninja, armed with
fitting black clothes, with hoods over their heads. missile weapons, conceal themselves on the rooftops
They are armed with ninja-to, shuriken, and any overlooking the killing ground, while the rest are con-
other "neat" weapons that the DM feels like throwing cealed at both ends of the alley, ready to block it off
at the PCs. The two senior ninja also carry suitably with merchants' barrows, and to slay any PCs who
small and concealable martial arts weapons, such as run away.)
sai. Finally, they both carry four eggshell grenades: The ninja team has its orders—kill the PCs at any
two each of flash powder and pepper. cost—and will die trying. Death is preferable to cap-
In addition to weaponry, they carry whatever other ture, and these ninja are carrying poison pills.
equipment they need to penetrate the PCs' residence: If the PCs interrogate one of the junior assassins, he
ropes, hooks, lockpicks, etc. can tell them little of interest: his leader ordered him
Members of the Kata clan are identified by a family here to kill the PCs or die trying. He has no knowledge
tatoo: a small blue circle, about half an inch in diame- of why the killings are important, or even what his
ter. This tatoo can be anywhere on the body, although family is doing in Aru town.
76

A senior ninja can tell the PCs that the Kata clan was When they take their positions, they set up overlap-
hired by Yoshi Yoyogi to retrieve a sword that figures ping fields of observation. This means that anyone ap-
in a prophesy of some kind. There is reason to believe proaching has the chance of being spotted by at least
that the sword is in the possession of the old woman two ninja. It also means that each ninja is visible to at
Fusae. The ninja also can tell the PCs that some of his least two of his fellows, making it very difficult for in-
fellows are planning to visit Fusae and her grand- truders to eliminate a single ninja and slip through the
daughter at the old woman's minka. The "visit" is cordon that way.
scheduled to take place no more than half an hour af-
ter the ambush. Asahi
The statistics for these individuals are the same as While his men stand guard outside, Asahi goes into
those presented in the preceding section. the minka and confronts Fusae and Cachiko. He de-
mands to know the location of the sword Oil Seller. Fu-
NoctuuNal Visitous sae at first tries to brazen it out, denying all
knowledge of the sword, but Asahi then turns his at-
If the PCs have managed to interrogate one of the tention on Cachiko, threatening to harm the young
ninja who attacked them—either through assassina- woman if Fusae doesn't cooperate. Cachiko bravely
tion or in ambush—they should have discovered that tells her grandmother not to say anything, since the
the Kata clan has decided to be more direct in their ap- sword is more important than her life, but Fusae can't
proach to Fusae. Should the PCs not have asked the let the girl suffer. She tells Asahi that the sword is con-
right questions, or not have managed to take a ninja cealed under the sand in her place of business, the
alive at all, they should still find out somehow that Fu- House of Heavenly Sand. As soon as he has the infor-
sae and Cachiko will be receiving visitors. How this mation he needs, Asahi kills the two women, and he
happens is up to the DM. Perhaps one of the ninja has and his team leave.
a note on his body ordering him to meet "the rest of
the team" at Fusae's minka as soon as the adventurers This is how matters will transpire if the PCs don't in-
have been dealt with. Or perhaps one of Fusae's eta terfere. If they manage to penetrate the defensive
screen, they can confront Asahi inside the minka,
#
neighbors, concerned for the old woman's welfare,
seeks out the PCs because he's seen suspicious charac- hopefully saving the women. If Asahi is alerted by his
ters sneaking around Fusae's home. defensive force, or by hearing the sounds of combat
outside, he will grab the women and drag them out of
In any case, if the PCs hurry they can (maybe) reach the building, trying to make his escape with his two
Fusae's minka before the festivities get underway. If hostages. If he gets away, he'll sweat the location of
they dally, they'll have to penetrate a defensive screen the sword out of Fusae, as above, and then kill his cap-
of ninja. tives. If the PCs try to stop him, he'll use Cachiko as a
human shield and threaten to kill her if the PCs don't
Tactics let him leave unharmed. He won't use Fusae this way,
The leader of the Kata group sent to Aru is an older since he needs to learn the location of the sword from
man named Asahi. He's an expert tactician, and never her. He thinks that the PCs know this, and will call his
takes risks that he can avoid. For example, even bluff if he threatens to kill Fusae.
though he's sent a team to deal with the PCs and has
every reason to believe that they'll succeed, he still
If alerted by sounds of combat inside the minka, the
defensive force outside will rush inside in Id4 rounds im
brings a support team with him to Fusae's to cover all to support their leader.
eventualities.
Asahi's team comprises 8 junior ninja (hp 18, 19, 21, Asahi: 8th level ninja / 8th level bushi
22, 25, 29, 30, 31) and 3 senior ninja (hp 43, 51, 58); LN (Evil tendencies), human male
other stats are as listed in the previous section. The AC 10; MV 12; hp 65; #AT 3/2; Dmg 1-8 (ninja-to);
ninja are armed with a wide array of weapons, at the THACO 13
discretion of the DM. Unless he managed to escape Str 13, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 15
the earlier mayhem, the ninja carrying the poisoned
shuriken will not be present. Proficiencies: ninja-to, shuriken, kusari-gama,
weaponsmith, armorer, bowyer.
On arrival, the team is deployed to form a defensive Special Abilities: HS 49%; MS 62%; FT 55%; CW
screen around Fusae's minka. The ninja take up posi- 92%; D 48%; OL 57%; TW 55%; PV 12'; F 35'; E 38%;
tions of concealment where they can spot—and BSx3.
engage—anyone trying to approach the minka. Their
orders are to kill on sight anyone trying to interfere Honor: 28
with Asahi, who'll be inside the building dealing with
Fusae and her granddaughter. If the intruders are too Asahi is almost 50, but has the physique of a 20-year-
old. He is fast, strong, and a cunning adversary. For
powerful to kill, the ninja team has orders to warn
Asahi—who'll take the women hostage—and then to this mission, he is unarmored, wearing the same black #
cover their leader's escape. garb as his men. He carries a ninja-to, 6 shuriken, a
kusari-gama, and a fang. He is highly skilled at tae
The ninja team is experienced in this kind of thing. kwon do, knowing the following special maneuvers:
77

Kick 1,2,3; Strike 1; Throw 2,4; Push 1,2,3; Vital Area Oil Selleu
1,2; Movement 5; Weapon 1,2,3. He bears the tatoo of
the Kata clan on the inside of his left wrist. Oil Seller is a finely-forged katana—a weapon of
quality that gives its wielder a +1 bonus on attack
rolls. The sword isn't magical, however, and gives no
CONClUDlNQ tl7€ At)V€NtUR€ bonus to damage. Oil Seller's blade was forged of the
Once the Kata clan has been defeated in the final finest steel, folded over upon itself 200 times (a char-
showdown, they'll leave Fusae and Cachiko alone. The acteristic of the best oriental weapons). Its hilt is made
two women will be grateful to the PCs, so much so from precious ironwood, wrapped with cord woven
that the old woman will tell them the true story about from silken threads. Its scabbard, too, is ironwood,
the sword. She promises them that she'll tell Cachiko's and has been stained night-black. The end of the scab-
(eventual) son about the brave adventurers who made bard is shod in heavy, cold-forged iron, giving the
his destiny possible, and make him promise to keep scabbard the balance and weight to make it an excel-
their names alive in song and story once he's defeated lent club.
the evil Yoshi Yoyogi (or his descendent). Under no cir- Oil Seller is worth 100 ch'ien simply as a fine
cumstances will she let the PCs have the sword, how- weapon, and three times that to anyone who knows
ever, no matter how vehemently they promise it its history and heritage. When scabbarded, it looks
would only be for "safe keeping." (For DMs who enjoy like a well-made weapon, but nothing outrageously
such role-playing, there's the potential for a romance special. When drawn, however, the play of light along
between Cachiko and a male PC. Perhaps the lucky PC the steel of its blade shows its true worth to anyone
might have a more intimate part in the fulfillment of with the discernment to recognize it.
the sword's destiny than he expected . . .) Fusae has concealed Oil Seller in the best hiding
If Asahi escaped the final confrontation with his life, place she can think of. Wrapped in oilcloth and
his hatred of the adventurers who humiliated him will leather, the weapon is hidden under the warm sand at
grow with time, eventually becoming an obsession. the western end of the woman's sand room in the
He will leave the Kata clan, and concentrate on plot- House of Heavenly Sand.
ting revenge against the PCs. Thus the ninja can be-
come an ongoing nemesis.
Yoshi Yoyogi himself might learn that the PCs foiled
his attempt to get the sword. Depending on the DM's
preferences, he can try again to obtain Oil Seller—
perhaps requiring the PCs to defend Fusae and Ca-
chiko once more—or he might decide to rid the world
of the PCs before going after the sword. Particularly
swashbuckling PCs might decide that honor requires
that they do something permanent about Yoshi. Inven-
tive DM's can no doubt develop many adventures cen-
tered around the PCs' attempts to topple this tyrant.
(It's up to the DM to decide just where Yoshi's daimy-
ate is in Wa.)
It's possible that the PCs will fail to save the two
women. In this case, the surviving Kata ninja will
take the sword Oil Seller to Yoshi, who will lock it in
his vault as discussed earlier. Future adventures
might arise from the PCs trying to retrieve the sword
from Yoshi. (Perhaps, with the death of Cachiko, the
sword's destiny changes. One of the PCs might learn,
through a fate spell for example, that he will wield a
famed sword in a noble struggle to overthrow a ty-
rant.)
78

Ki&Nappeb! Buntaro accepts your comments with a bowed
This adventure should be used after the main head. "I admit I alienated you," he says in a low
events of this module are concluded. voice. "That is my way, and I am well aware of it.
But I treated you with honor, if not politeness. Now
iNtnoOuctioN I ask the same of you. I debase myself before you. I
am forced to beg a favor of you. Once you hear my
You spot a familiar figure walking toward you. needs, I promise you'll agree that they're honor-
able. Please, accompany me to my room and hear
ft
It's Buntaro . . . but there's something different
about him. He's walking, not swaggering, and his what I have to say. Will you not do this much?"
usual expression of arrogance and barely-
ft
concealed disdain has been replaced by worry and If the PCs refuse to have anything to do with Bun-
concern. taro's request, he turns away sadly and mopes off (de-
"I need your help," he says bluntly. (At least one finitely out of character; normally he'd berate the PCs
thing hasn't changed, you note with some relief: as honorless worms). Several days later, the PCs hear
Buntaro is still about as tactful as a tsunami.) "Will through the city grapevine that Buntaro has been
you come with me? It's important. I ..." And the found dead, apparently from self inflicted wounds.
young man stops, his face showing the titanic They also hear, in a seemingly unrelated rumor, that
struggle going on within him. "I. . ." he tries again. Sono the serving girl has vanished without a trace.
Finally he spits the words out: "I beg you. Help me."
BuNtano's Visiton
Buntaro won't tell the PCs what his problem is or When the PCs reach Buntaro's room in the donjon,
#
what he needs. If they ask, he looks around nervously, read the following:
as though he expects to see spies everywhere, and
tells them that he must speak privately. If the PCs Buntaro slides back the shop and ushers you in-
agree, he leads them to his quarters in Benju's donjon. side. The first thing you see is a body lying on the
It's quite possible that the PCs won't be too enthusi- floor; by its clothes, the corpse seems to be a beg-
astic about helping Buntaro. If so, read the following: gar. The second thing you see is the body's head, a
rather uncomfortable distance away from the neck
that once supported it.
Buntaro looks sheepish, and prods the body with
his toe. "I lost my temper," he says by way of expla-
nation. He gestures to the tatami floor. "Please,
make yourselves comfortable while I explain.
"I trust you remember Sono," Buntaro begins.
"She is my... well, the love of my life. She has been
foully kidnapped, by person or persons unknown.
ft
I learned of this from this heap of dung"—and he
kicks the body again—"two days past. As proof of
his claim, he brought a silk handkerchief belonging
to Sono—one that I gave her—and it was stained
with her own precious blood. He told me the
ft
wound was slight, but would be the first of many if
I didn't follow his instructions.
"He wants me to influence the decisions of Benju-
sama" the man continues. "He knows that the dai-
myo trusts my judgement in many things. If I don't,
he promised that my Sono would die—slowly and
agonizingly. I cannot let that happen.
"Yesterday this worm of a messenger demanded
that I persuade Benju-sama to have mercy on a con-
victed criminal. I am convinced that the criminal
means nothing to the kidnapper, that this was sim-
ply a test of my influence . . . and my obedience."
i*
Buntaro's expression is that of a man drinking
vinegar. "I did as I was bidden. Today the messen-
ger returned with another order: to influence my
liege-lord's decision in a policy matter concerning
79

to a means of resolving this dilemma, in which case he
taxation. Again, I suspect that this was just a test, might have a brainstorm. If the PCs ask Buntaro for
but a more difficult one." suggestions, his contributions are along the lines of,
Buntaro hesitates, then forces himself to con- "He's yakuza? Then kill all yakuza."
tinue. "As he turned to leave, he said to me, 'I will Assuming that the PCs are willing to help Buntaro,
see you again, my puppet'. My temper snapped. I they have some detective work ahead of them. They
drew my steel and slew him where he stood. And have two major options.
now you know why I need your help."
He faces you firmly. "My actions have sealed Examining the Body
Sono's fate ... unless you do something to free her. The dead messenger was a man of about 25. Al-
I would try myself, but subtlety is required here, though his outer clothes are those of an old beggar, his
something I have little knowledge of. Your suc- undergarments—and particularly his shoes—are of
cesses in Aru have proven that you are skilled in considerably better quality. His chest bears tatoos
these matters. Also, I suspect that I am being identifying him as a yakuza. Concealed under his
watched, and that any move on my part to seek outer garment are two throwing daggers.
Sono would simply end her life. Now that you
know my problem, will you help me solve it? Again, There are no obvious clues to his identity anywhere
I beg you." on his body. There is a clue as to where he's been re-
cently, but it's not easy to spot. If any PC examines the
dead messenger's shoes—specifically, the soles—he or
DM's BackqnouNO she gets to make a 4d6 Ability Check against Intelli-
gence. A successful roll means the PC notices some-
The person responsible for kidnapping Sono is a thing interesting: there is an unusual quantity of tiny
man named Naga, a member of the local yakuza fam- glass fragments, little more than dust, imbedded in
ily. Naga has become a little unstable recently, and has the shoes. The glass fragments are of varying colors.
come up with various overblown plans that his family The PCs can then make 5d6 Ability Checks against In-
consider too farfetched to even attempt. One of these telligence to realize that one place you might pick up
was to put pressure on Buntaro through his girlfriend glass dust like this is at a glassmaker's establishment.
Sono, and thus influence the policies of Benju the dai- If the players themselves figure this out, that's fine
myo. (and worthy of an experience point reward). The sec-
When the yakuza family vetoed his suggestion, ond roll can be used to help out players who need it.
Naga decided to put the plan into action on his own.
Even though wiser heads thought him a crackpot, Questioning the Yakuza
Naga has enough followers among the yakuza willing Even if they don't see the dead messenger's tatoo,
to help him out with his plan. (One of these followers the PCs might conclude that he is yakuza. Thus, an-
is currently lying dead in Buntaro's room.) other possible avenue is to "interview" members of
Naga is using a disused store—a glassblower's stu- Aru's yakuza community.
dio, to be precise—in the merchant quarter of town. All shopkeepers and businessmen know at least one
It's here that he meets with his followers, and that he's member of the yakuza: the person to whom they pay
keeping Sono prisoner. their "insurance." Knowing an identity and revealing
The leadership of Aru's yakuza community knows it are two totally different matters, of course. Players
what Naga's doing. Although they think the project should be required to role-play all attempts to whee-
too risky to try themselves, they're quite willing to let dle the identities of yakuza out of cautious—even
Naga go ahead with it. If he succeeds, they benefit; if paranoid—shopkeepers. (In this case, the PCs might
he fails, they don't have to weather the consequences. find some use for the bullheaded Buntaro: as a "blunt
They will support him only so far as to not turn him in instrument" to intimidate closed-mouthed business-
to the authorities, and not to tell what they know to men into talking.)
casual investigators (i.e., the PCs). The yakuza "rank Most shopkeepers will have contact with fairly low-
and file" know nothing about Naga's plan, although level yakuza, typically around level 3. For conven-
they would recognize him, and his name. Similarly, ience in this adventure, no matter who the PCs talk to,
typical yakuza know that the messenger slain by Bun- they receive the name of the same yakuza: a man
taro was working closely with Naga for some reason. named Tetsu.
They also know that another junior yakuza member—
a somewhat manic woman named Atsuko—is closely
involved with Naga. MeetiNQ Witl? retsu
Tetsu won't willingly tell the PCs anything about any
iNvestiqatiON other yakuza, and—considering the man's physical
attributes—extracting information against his will
Buntaro wasn't kidding when he said that subtlety won't be overly easy. If the PCs do manage to break
was alien to him. He can propose no sensible avenues down his resistance, however, he can tell them much
of investigation... unless the players are really lost as of what they need to know.
80

If the PCs actually show Tetsu the dead messenger— Atsuko: 7th level yakuza
or describe him extremely clearly—then the yakuza LE, human female
will recognize him. The messenger was a man named AC 10; MV 12; hp 27; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10 (katana);
Tbjo, and Tetsu knows that he was involved—both ro- THACO17
mantically and professionally—with a yakuza woman Str 11, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 16
named Atsuko. He also knows that Atsuko was work- Proficiencies: katana, gaming
ing closely with "that idiot" Naga. While he can't tell Special Abilities: HS 43%; MS 55%; OL 52%; PP
the PCs where Atsuko and Naga have their base of op- 60%; HN 25%; I 44%
erations, he can describe Atsuko to them, and tell Honor: 19
them a little about her daily routine. It seems that At-
suko still collects protection money from several mer- Atsuko is in her early 20s—young for someone of
chants in the marketplace, and it just so happens that her abilities and stature within the yakuza commu-
her collection day is today! nity. She is slender and attractive, with long copper-
red hair and green eyes (both very unusual features in
Tetsu: 3rd level yakuza Wa). She always wears loose-fitting robes or kimonos,
LN, human male allowing her to conceal her beloved katana under her
AC 10; MV 12; hp 18; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 (short sword clothing.
or nunchaku); THACO 19
Str 17, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 16 FiNOiNQ ri?e HiOe-Out
Proficiencies: short sword, nunchaku, gaming,
iaijutsu (short sword) Naga has chosen as his base of operations a disused
glassblower's studio—the Colored Bubble, near the
40%; HN 15%; I 28%
gate into the merchant's quarter.
Honor: 18
If the PCs have recognized the significance of the
glass dust on the dead messenger's shoes, they have
two ways of identifying Naga's hide-out. One is #
Tetsu is about 30, and built like a bull. The bulges of
his muscles have bulges on them, and everyone who through a brute-force search: visiting each and every
knows him agrees that his name—which means glassmaker's or glassblower's in Aru town. Since
"steel"—is particularly appropriate. Despite his great there are at least a dozen scattered all over, this
size and strength, he's fast and graceful. He's skilled in should be a long, drawn-out process which gives
karate, and knows the following special maneuvers: plenty of time for other adventures and random
Strike 1; Kick 1; Movement 1; Mental 1; Weapon 1. encounters.
A more sensible way is to ask around concerning
suspicious activity at any of the glass-related establish-
Atsuko ments in town. If the PCs ask anyone who would rea-
Using the information that they extracted from sonably know such a thing—another glassblower, for
Tetsu, the PCs should have little trouble spotting At- example—there is a 25% chance for each person spo-
suko when she visits the marketplace to collect her ken to that the PCs will learn the following: the Col-
protection money. If the PCs are smart, they'll follow ored Bubble has been out of business for several
Atsuko secretly rather than trying to confront her. weeks now since its owner died, but people have been
Atsuko is a manic-paranoid—a rather unpleasant seen coming and going around the building.
combination, but one that Naga feels comfortable If the PCs reach the Colored Bubble in either of
working with. She always takes great care to look for these ways, the only occupants of the building when
people who might be following her. Unless the PCs they arrive are Naga and his captive, Sono. If the PCs
take good precautions or show significant tradecraft reach the studio by following Atsuko, however, she is
when following Atsuko, she has a 15% chance of spot- present as well to pose a further obstacle.
ting each PC who follows her.
Her personality is such that Atsuko will immediately Colonel) Bubble
turn around and confront anyone she sees following
her. She demands to know what her shadow wants, The Colored Bubble is a single-storied wooden
and orders him or her to leave before she gets violent. building. All of its windows are boarded up, as is the
Atsuko will follow through on her threat, fighting like front door. The back door, which opens onto an alley,
a wildcat until she's reduced to 4 or fewer hit points. appears at first glance to be boarded up as well. Closer
Then she'll try to escape. If escape is impossible, At- inspection shows this to be a facade, however: the
suko fights to the death. door can be opened normally. Unfortunately for any
potential intruder, it's locked. Intruders can force en-
If the PCs manage to follow Atsuko without being try through the front door or windows, but removing
spotted, she leads them to Naga's hide-out. the boards takes Id4 rounds, and has a 15% chance
per round of alerting those inside (unless spells like si-
lence are used). The boards can be torn away by any
81

combination of 2 characters who can apply a total of Once a character has found the panel, it's easy to
28 Strength points to the task. This will definitely alert open: simply insert a thin knife blade (or something
anyone within, however. similar) into a crack in the wooden wall, and slide the
The important areas of the building are described panel back. Inside is a single glass chime of exquisite
below. workmanship.
Players might assume that this is a chime of opening
1. Showroom or something similar, and indeed it emanates a very
A patina of dust covers everything: the floor, the faint aura of magic. In fact, however, the chime has no
walls, the two countertops to the left and right of the magical powers at all: it's simply an exquisitely-
front door, and the shelves mounted on the walls be- wrought item that shows how skillful the deceased
hind the counters. The air is musty and close- glassmaker really was. (The magical aura comes from
smelling. the glass itself. Some of the glass which the artisan
Apart from the counters and wall shelves—all melted down to form the chime came from a broken
nailed into place—everything has been cleared out of flask that had once contained an immensely powerful
this room. magic potion. The glass picked up an aura of magic
The dust on the floor is undisturbed; nobody has from contact with the potion, and this aura is still de-
been in this room for weeks. tectable.) Although nonmagical, the chime's crafts-
manship is such that it will fetch 1 ch'ien from the
2. Stockroom right buyer.
This is where the glassmaker kept the inventory
that he didn't actually have on display. The walls are 3. Glassblower's Studio
lined with shelves, all empty. Dust lies thick on every If the PCs have made any noise while entering the
surface. building, Naga—and Atsuko, if present—will be wait-
There's a concealed panel set into the wall opposite ing for them here, armed to the teeth and ready to kill.
the door; it's about 12 inches on a side, and 12 inches Both will be hiding in the shadows, ready to attack
from the floor. This is where the owner of the Col- from ambush. (Remember, the windows are all
ored Bubble kept his special pieces. He died without boarded up, so even at noon the illumination indoors
telling anyone about this concealed storage place, so will be pretty bad.) For Naga's stats, see the end of this
the people who cleared out his inventory left it un- section. If the PCs managed to enter silently, this room
touched. is empty. Read the following description:
The Colored Bubble
82

Naga is a totally nondescript man of medium height;
In the center of the room stands a heavy wooden there is literally nothing distinguishing about his ap-
table, its top bearing innumerable burn and scorch pearance (a real boon to a criminal, of course). He
marks—presumably from hot glass. Against the wears tight-fitting black clothing, similar to that of a
building's back wall is a furnace constructed of ninja. (This is an affectation on his part, but it does
heavy fire-bricks. The space beneath the furnace have practical benefits in that his movement is unre-
where the fire would be set is cold and dark. The stricted.) He wears bracers of defence, AC 4.
mounting bracket for the bellows is still there, but
Naga is skilled in an unusual martial arts style
the bellows mechanism itself is gone. There's dust
known as Snake Dance. It's a soft style concentrating
everywhere . . . except for a path between the
on vital areas, and uses both hands and feet. The main
building's back door and the door in the wall to the
statistics for the style are as follows:
left. . .
What was that? It sounds like a voice, coming
from the door to the left. The door's shut tight, and
you can't hear any words . . . but it certainly sounds
1/1
Dmg: 1-6
AC: 5
ft
like a male voice.
Principal attack: Hand and foot
4. Glassblower's Room Naga knows the following special maneuvers: Vital

The deceased owner of the Colored Bubble lived in Area 1,2,3; Movement 1,4; Weapon 1,2.
this small room. All of his furnishings and personal ef- Naga carries a lajatang—his preferred weapon—and
fects were taken away after his death, however, so the two throwing daggers. He also has two eggshell gre-
room is bare. The only piece of furniture is a single nades: one produces a cloud of normal smoke, the
chair, currently occupied by Sono the kidnapped serv- other a cloud of poison gas. If things get dicey, he'll use
ing girl. Against the back wall is a fireplace. A small one or both of these grenades to try and make his get-
fire is burning. away.
Unless they've been alerted by noise from else-
where, Naga and Atsuko—assuming she's present- CONClUblNQ tl76 AbVGNtUUG
are in this room. Sono is bound to a chair and gagged.
If the PCs are successful in saving Sono, Buntaro will
If the PCs have been quiet entering the building, Naga
be outspokenly grateful . . . for a week or two. After
is pacing back and forth with barely-controlled en-
that, he'll slip back into his arrogant and surly man-
ergy, boasting about the power he's gained over Benju
ner. He won't pay the PCs anything for their
the daimyo. Although he's supposedly telling all this to
services—they acted for honor, after all—and will be
Sono, he's totally unaware of whether she's listening
highly insulted if they suggest it.
at all; he's too wrapped up in his megalomaniacal
In the final conflict, the DM should make all reason-
ft
plans. In fact, he's so consumed with his thoughts that
he is automatically surprised if the PCs burst in on able efforts to keep Naga alive. Even more deranged
him. (Atsuko, if present, is automatically not sur- than usual, he'll come back for revenge, and will
prised, however: she's so paranoid that she's always prove an interesting nemesis for the PCs.
on her guard, even if there's no apparent reason for If they fail and Sono is killed, in his grief Buntaro
it.) will blame the PCs for her death. He will go berserk
and attack them, fighting to the death unless he's
When trouble starts, Atsuko will fight to the death. somehow restrained. This berserk fit will last for 2d8
Naga, on the other hand, will fight only until he sees rounds, then he'll realize that it's not really the PCs'
that his cause is lost. Then he'll do what he can to es- fault after all. He'll apologize to them and offer to ex-
ft
cape. Options include using Sono as a hostage or a hu- punge the shame of his attack in any honorable way
man shield, or throwing a smoke or poison gas the party desires. If he remains alive, he'll sink further
grenade into the fire and trying to escape in the confu- and further into depression, until after several
sion. If his only alternatives are death or capture, months he shaves his head and becomes a (still some-
Naga will fight to the death. what surly) monk.
Naga: 13th level yakuza
LE, human male
AC 4 (10); MV 12; hp 51; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10 (lajatang);
THACO 8
n
Str 12, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 16
Proficiencies: lajatang, dagger, grenade, gaming
100%; HN 40%; I 68%
Honor: 26
83

It's A DaM While Benju's words sound like a request, this is re-
ally an order (he's the daimyo, after all. . .). If the PCs
iNtRODUCtiON are stupid enough to refuse or to ask about payment,
This adventure should take place after the events of Benju clouds up and banishes them from his pres-
the main adventure . . . assuming that the PCs have ence. Unless they find some way of working them-
been successful. (During the main event, Benju has selves back into his good graces, they'll have no
too much on his mind to concern himself with a ru- further contact with Benju.
ined dam . . .) If the PCs agree to help, the DM should paraphrase
To start the adventure, the PCs are summoned into the information in the next section.
the presence of the daimyo Benju Matsutomo. They
are escorted into the donjon and to the main recep- •CI7G D a M
tion room by an honor guard of samurai. As the PCs should be aware, the economy of Aru
town depends greatly on the yearly influx of pilgrims.
You enter the reception room and bow politely. These visitors inject much-needed cash into the econ-
Once more you're in the presence of the daimyo of omy when they buy food. Of course, this requires that
Aru province, Benju Matsutomo. there is food for them to buy.
The changes in the man facing you across the ta- Over the years, the pilgrim traffic has increased to
tami floor are amazing. Benju-sama seems taller, the point where, during the height of the season, Aru
his back seems straighter—as if the weight of the town is hard-pressed to feed them all. And there's no
world has been lifted from his shoulders—and he reason to think that the increase in traffic won't con-
looks half a decade younger. tinue. Benju has realized that the infrastructure of his
"Greetings, friends," he says, in a surprising show town and province won't be able to feed a larger in-
of informality. "It seems that once more I need your flux of pilgrims. Therefore he's investing large
assistance. While the current problem is nowhere amounts of money in expanding farms and food-
near as significant as the one you solved for me reproduction facilities.
cently, I feel that your combination of reason and One "bottleneck" for food production has been the
force is appropriate. Will you help me?" grinding of flour. There are simply not enough mills in
84

Aru, and not enough workers or animals to work any Su reared up out of the river, and demanded peevishly
more mills should they be built. Benju looked at a map to know just what in heaven's name the spoilers
of his territory, and quickly saw the answer. thought they were doing. Several of the spoilers (in
Just northeast of town, a river flows down out of fact, Benju's samurai) were armed, and made the fatal
the mountains. This river, swift and powerful, is mistake of attacking the dragon. Goaded beyond any
known to the locals as Yama-san. Benju realized that if semblance of draconic endurance, Li Kit Su slew ev-
he dammed Yama-san and installed waterwheels, he'd eryone present and for good measure smashed the
have enough free energy to turn more mills than he dam up a little more. (That should teach them!) He
needed. He quickly sent engineers and laborers to then returned to the water for a well-deserved nap.
complete the job.
The dam was finished ahead of schedule. When the
first waterwheel was installed, it was even more effi-
AppuoaCl71NQ tl7G DaM ft
cient than expected. The next step was to install two The PCs might ask Benju for some support-
more wheels, and build the mills. perhaps an escort of samurai like he gave the dam
That was when the problems started. When the workers. Benju points out that the samurai escort
crew of engineers arrived at the dam one day, they didn't help the dam workers at all. In fact, he thinks
found the waterwheel had been destroyed—literally that the PCs would be much safer with a small group
torn apart. Samurai combed the area around the dam, that doesn't look as threatening as a full-scale armed
looking for creatures that could have done this, but column. For this reason, he refuses to send anyone
nothing was found. The engineers replaced the wa- with the PCs. In any case, their mission is simply to
terwheel. find the people (things?) responsible for destroying
the dam. Once the culprits have been identified, Benju
The next day, they found the new waterwheel shat- can send his whole army to hunt them down, if that's
tered, and a huge hole torn in the dam itself. The lake what's necessary.
that the dam had formed had drained, and Yama-san
was flowing unimpeded. The site of the dam is a good day's ride out of Aru
Benju was understandably angry when he heard town, in the rough foothills of a mountain range. The
the news. He sent a crew of dam-builders to repair the area is only partially patrolled, so there's the chance
damage, and—just to be on the safe side—sent half a of encountering various wild animals or monsters.
dozen samurai to act as bodyguards. The group was When the PCs reach the dam site, read the follow-
never heard from again; needless to say, the dam was ing:
never repaired.
Now the daimyo wants to find out exactly what is The dam is a tribute to Aru engineering . . . or it
going on. Obviously, someone—or something—is de- used to be. The river Yama-san was dammed at the
stroying his project and killing his workers. Benju downstream end of a narrow valley, perhaps only
wants to find out who the culprit is, and stop him. 500 feet in width. The dam was a simple earth ram-
This is the task he has for the PCs. part, reinforced on both sides by piled stones and
boulders. The downslope side was shored up with
tree trunks thicker than your chests. The dam
DM'S BaCkQROUNb should have been strong enough to resist anything
Unknown to any of Aru's inhabitants, the river that nature could throw at it . . .
Yama-san has been home to a shen lung dragon named So either nature has more tricks up her sleeve
Li Kit Su for a thousand years. The dragon is old, and than you're aware of, or the perpetrator wasn't
tends to sleep a lot. After a rather protracted n a p - natural. The center section of the dam has been
several weeks, to be exact—he woke to find a dam in- torn clean away, allowing the river to flow through
terfering with the flow of his beloved river, and a unimpeded. You can see what's left of the water-
strange contraption doing something incomprehensi- wheel: wooden supports thicker than your thigh,
ble downstream of his home. Reacting in the straight- shattered like flimsy chopsticks.
forward manner typical of dragons, he tore the The land on either side of the river is marshy . . .
contraption apart, and went back to sleep, thinking understandable, since it was recently underwater.
the problem solved. When you look at the walls of the valley, you can
When next he woke, he found the contraption had see the high water mark—the level of the lake's sur-
been rebuilt. Li Kit Su was understandably miffed, face when the dam was intact. It's a couple of feet
and this time both shattered the contraption and tore above your heads.
a gaping hole in the dam that was messing up his river. The valley is empty; nothing moves but the wa-
Satisfied that this time the "spoilers"—whoever they ter, surging over the rocks. No birds sing, no in-
were—would get the hint, he rewarded himself with
another nap.
He'd hardly dropped off when he was wakened by a
sects buzz. The only sound is the river. The valley
seems to be waiting for something . . . #
commotion on the shore. Unbelievably, the "spoilers"
were back, and were trying to rebuild the dam! Li Kit
85

At this point, each PC receives a 5d6 Attribute somewhat differently than anyone else might.
Check against Intelligence. A successful roll means The hermit has decided that the dragon is actually
that the PC has noticed something untoward. Read the "River God," and that he is the River God's high
the following: priest. The River God spoke to him (actually an aural
hallucination caused by his insanity), and told him
Out of the corner of your eye, you see move- that it was his job to prevent anyone else from despoil-
ment. There's something or someone on the side of ing the god's home. (While this is just a neurotic's fan-
the valley opposite you, above high water mark. As tasy, it's actually pretty close to the truth.) The hermit
you turn for a better look, you see a flash of white now calls himself "The Voice of the River God," and
as something withdraws into the underbrush. plans to vouchsafe "the truth" to the PCs.
When the PCs reach his side of the valley, the hermit
is waiting for them. Read the following:
If the PCs want to investigate, they'll have to cross
the river. Yama-san is narrow and fast-flowing where
the dam is. At this point, it's only 4' deep. Upstream of This high up the valley side, the undergrowth is
the dam, the river spreads out into a deep, slow pool. surprisingly thick. You push your way through a
The PCs have two choices on how to cross the river particularly hindersome bush . . . and there's a fig-
without magic: ford the shallow, fast portion—which ure in front of you.
poses a serious risk of being swept away—or swim the It's an old man, frail and withered, but his pos-
pool—which poses its own danger; see the section "Li ture is one that bespeaks power and command. His
Kit Su." eyes are bright blue and piercing, particularly in
Fording the river takes 2 rounds. Each PC attempt- contrast to his dark, weather-tanned face. He
ing it must make a 6d6 Attribute Check against wears a simple robe of white cloth.
Strength each round or be swept off his or her feet. He holds a hand up, palm towards you. "Stop," he
This roll suffers a penalty of — 1 for each 15 pounds says in a ringing voice. "I command you."
(or portion thereof) of equipment that the PC is carry- He fixes each of you with a sharp gaze. "I am the
ing. Voice of the River God," he declaims. "It is my duty
and my honor to tell you of the god's will. First, the
PCs swept off their feet suffer Id2 points of damage god commands that you remove the abomination
for each round that they remain in the river. (This rep- below"—and here he points at the dam. "Second,"
resents hypothermia from immersion in the icy-cold he continues forcefully, cutting off any response
water, and impact against rocks.) Each round, a PC you might have had, "you will bring the god offer-
gets another 6d6 Attribute Check against Strength. ings of silver and of gold. (Particularly silver, he
Success means that the PC has regained his or her likes silver.) And third, you will venerate him with
feet, and no longer takes damage from the water. He great veneration, or he will visit destruction on you
or she must still complete the crossing, however. For as he did on those who came before, see if he
each round that PCs are off their feet, they are doesn't." The man crosses his arms over his chest
washed 30 yards downstream. (Obviously, this can and regards you with a smug grin.
split up a party quite effectively.)
PCs might try to ride horses across the stream. To
determine if the horse falls, roll 6d6. If the roll is 20 or From the slips that the old man makes in his declam-
less, the horse doesn't fall that round; if 21 or greater, atory style, the PCs might conclude that the "Voice of
the horse falls, dumping the rider into the river. the River God" is—to put it bluntly—barking mad . . .
Horses take Id4 points of damage per round they're and they're right. If they ask about what happened to
off their feet, and must exceed 20 on 7d6 to regain the dam and the engineers, the hermit describes the
their feet. Once a rider has fallen off, he or she follows events, but always from his unique perspective. (For
the standard procedure to stand up again. example, he never uses the word "dragon," and al-
The far wall of the valley is muddy and very slip- ways uses phrases like "the god crushed them with his
pery. Anyone trying to climb it must make a 3d6 At- mighty fist, yes he did." The purpose here is to mislead
tribute Check against Dexterity. Success means that the PCs as to what actually lives in the river.)
the character has reached the spot where the move- The hermit is totally harmless, and happy in his de-
ment was spotted. Failure means that the character lusion. If he realizes that the PCs aren't paying him
has slipped, and slid to the bottom of the valley again any attention, he threatens them with divine retribu-
(no damage, but the character is covered in mud from tion then wanders off into the underbrush.
head to toe).
Hermit: 0-level; LN human male
"Cl7e Voice of tl7G Riven (Job AC 10; MV 9; hp 2; #AT none; Dmg none; THACO n/a
Str 7, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 7, Wis 8, Cha 15
The movement that the PCs spotted is an old, insane Proficiencies: none
hermit who's made his home in this valley. He's seen Honor: n/a
the events discussed earlier, but he's interpreted them
86

The hermit is totally unarmed, and won't defend thinks that his rights of possession take precedence.
himself even if attacked (he thinks the River God will Certainly he understands that the town needs food,
raise him if he's slain, so why bother?). When address- but that's what happens when you let population
ing the PCs, he acts as though his honor were 100. In grow too much. In any case, that isn't really his prob-
fact, he's not part of society at all, so he has no honor lem. He will point out that there are other rivers in the
at all. mountains. Granted, they're further away from the
town and thus less convenient, "but I think I count as a
Li Kit Su considerable inconvenience, hmmm?"
Li Kit Su will make sure the PCs understand that
Li Kit Su is an ancient shen lung oriental dragon. he's the close friend of a number of chiang lung drag-
He's lived in the Yama-san river for longer than he can ons, important members of the Celestial Bureaucracy,
remember—a millennium at least—and considers it
ft
and that he'll certainly call upon them for help if the
home. He is most distressed when people try to mess PCs bring an army back to remove him. In fact, he's
up his home, and is likely to take rather direct action considering calling them to help him if anyone even
against those who do so. Much of his time is spent in tries to rebuild the dam. His last word on the subject
protracted cat-naps (dragon-naps?), however, so he's is, "This is my river; this is my home. If you try to ruin
quite surprised when he wakes and finds that some- my home, it will mean war between my kind and
one has done something else to his beloved river. yours. Is this what you and your daimyo truly want?"
Li Kit Su is atypical in two major respects. First, ori- With that he disappears beneath the water.
ental dragons normally never sleep; sleeping is one of
Li Kit Su's greatest pleasures. Second, he is fluent in
the common tongue. FiqlytiNQ tlje DnaqoN
While Li Kit Su is actual older than he appears, the Li Kit Su is a reasonable sort, so combat should be
time he spends sleeping does not age him. Thus, while unnecessary. If the PCs are stupid enough to start
he is technically old enough to be considered venera- something, the dragon uses his considerable powers
ble or even a wyrm, he is only as powerful as an old to great effect. A particularly tough group of PCs
dragon. might be able to kill Li Kit Su, but only at great cost to
If the PCs have met up with the "Voice of the River themselves. And—as discussed in the next section—
God," they'll probably suspect that something lives in this will be only the beginning of their problems.
the river. They might try to explore the deep, slow-
moving pool above the dam—either by boat or Li Kit Su (old shen lung): Int High (13-14); AL CN;
through the use of water breathing or other spells. AC - 5 ; MV 12, Fl 18 (E), Sw 9; HD 17; hp 71; THACO 3
This will certainly wake Li Kit Su, who will immedi- (-4); #AT4; Dmg ld8 + 7, ld8 + 7, 2dl2 + 7, ldlO +7;
ately confront the PCs to give them a piece of his SA See below; SD See below; SZ G; ML 17; XP 13,000.
mind. If a PC tries to swim the pool rather than ford
the river, Li Kit Su will also appear immediately. In ei- Li Kit Su is 180' long. He has no breath weapon, but
ft
m
ther case, read the following: can cast bless and curse once per day each, and con-
trol weather and ice storm three times per day each.
Something huge breaks the surface of the still, He takes no damage from lightning, but double dam-
deep pool. A massive green head rears above you. age from fire-based attacks. He has the power of scaly
Its snout is long and tapered, and whiskers pro- command over 16dlO creatures, and water fire of 2d6
trude from beneath its nostrils. Two small horns points value. He is immune to poison. All creatures
sprout from the creature's brow, and a crest of coming within 25 yards of Li Kit Su are subject to the
effects of his fear aura, although a save vs. spells is al-
ft
spikes runs along its spine. Grey eyes as large as
dinner plates regard you—somewhat myopically, lowed (with a +1 bonus) to avoid it. No insect, arach-
you notice with surprise. nid or arthropod can approach closer than 60'. Like
"Well, well," the creature rumbles deep in its all oriental dragons, he has ESP (to a range of 40 feet),
throat. "So the spoilers are back, I see. Here to ruin can become invisible at will (although not when at-
my river again, hmm? Well, we'll see about that." tacking), can assume human form at will, and can de-
tect invisible things (within 80 feet). Similarly, he has a
natural clairvoyance ability with regards to his lair
Li Kit Su won't initiate hostilities, but if he's attacked that has a range of 160 feet and requires that he con-
he'll do his best to kill the PCs. He won't pursue any- centrate on a specific section of his lair or its environs.
one who flees the combat. The dragon will listen to
anyone who wants to try to explain matters; in fact,
he much prefers conversation to combat. But he will Although Li Kit Su claims that he lives in the river,
definitely not allow anyone rebuild the dam. his actual home is in an extradimensional space acces-
sible only from the bottom of the river. It's in this
If the PCs get into a discussion with the dragon, he'll space that he keeps his considerable stash of treasure
explain his point of view. This river has been his home (treasure type Fx2). A word of command known only
for much longer than Am has existed. Therefore he to Li and his draconic friends is needed to gain access
87

to this space. (If the PCs manage to kill Li, finding out PRCSUMCC) Quilty
this command word or otherwise entering—and
looting—his lair can form the core of several adven- This adventure can be used at any time that the lo-
tures. '• • cal yakuza clan might consider the PCs to be a threat
to their continued operation. This can be during the
CoNdubiNQ tlie AOveNtime main adventure, before the yakuza realize that elimi-
nating the PCs is a mistake. Alternatively, it can take
Sensible PCs will discuss matters with Li Kit Su, and place after the main events, whenever the PCs have
will probably realize that he has more right to the done something to cause a setback in yakuza for-
river than does Benju. (Explaining this to Benju and tunes. (Perhaps the yakuza might decide to teach the
getting him to agree with them is an excellent oppor- PCs a lesson after the events in "Kidnapped!".)
tunity for in-depth role-playing.)
The dragon wasn't kidding when he said that he had iNtRODUCtlON ' :
friends in high places. If the PCs are foolish enough to
come back—perhaps with an entire army—to try to While the PCs are abroad in the streets, one of them
eliminate Li Kit Su, they'll find that he's been rein- is accidentally bumped by a passer-by. Experienced
forced by one or maybe even two chiang lung drag- players will immediately be hollering that their char-
ons. Li Kit Su's reinforcements will be watching from acters are checking that their purses are still there.
concealment, polymorphed into innocuous human Perhaps surprisingly, they are; nothing is missing.
shapes, and will only attack once they're sure of the The staging of this scene is potentially very tricky
intruders' intentions. (One of the dragons might poly- . . . because, instead of stealing something from the
morph into the appearance of the "Voice of the River PC, the "clumsy" passer-by actually planted some-
God"—just for fun—and try to warn off the approach- thing on the unwitting character. The players must re-
ing PCs. If this happens, the PCs will notice that the member this incident later, but can't pay it much
old man's madness seems to have left him, and that he attention when it actually happens. For this reason,
seems inhumanly confident.) the DM might insert it into a marketplace scene, and
It's possible that the PCs will kill Li Kit Su in their immediately follow it up with another encounter to
first encounter. If this happens, it takes three weeks distract the players from its significance. The DM
for Li's best draconic friend—an ancient chiang lung should describe the clumsy passer-by only if the play-
dragon called Yang Chu—to learn who was responsi- ers specifically ask: he's around 5 feet tall with close-
ble. Yang Chu will then consider it his duty to avenge cropped black hair, and wearing a dark green kimono.
his friend's death. (He might include Benju—and even
the whole town of Aru—in this vengeance, just for DM's BackQROUNb
good measure.)
The small man in the green kimono is Komatsu,
once part of a yakuza clan in a distant city, and now a
free-lance thief. He's been hired by the local yakuza to
"do a job" on the PCs. Komatsu's task is relatively sim-
ple: he must plant a ring on the person of one of the
PCs, then report the ring to the town's samurai patrol
as stolen, and claim that he thinks the PC took it. The
samurai will arrest the PC, find the ring, and toss the
"criminal" into jail for eventual punishment. The ya-
kuza's revenge will be complete. Komatsu will then
vanish, never to reappear in Aru.
"Clje Aimest
The town's samurai patrol is very efficient, and—
with Komatsu's help—track down the "criminal" PC
quickly. Read the following:
"Halt, please." There words are a barked com-

mand.
You turn to see a squad of eight uniformed samu-
rai approaching you. From their kimonos you rec-
ognize them as part of the force that keep the
peace and uphold the law in Aru town. All carry ka-
tanas and wakizashis, while three also carry sode
garami—sleeve entanglers, weapons tailor-made
88

for immobilizing criminals. It's the squad leader—a
barrel-chested man with a face like a sunburned
fist—who spoke to you. He's got his hand on his ka-
tana hilt, and determination in his step.
"Halt," he says again. "I have been told that you"—
he points to [the PC who Komatsu bumped]—"have
committed theft against a citizen of Aru town. I ask
that you submit to a search. If you are innocent of
the accusation, you have no reason to refuse this
request. Will you submit?"
You look around. The other members of the
group are deployed in a semicircle in front of you,
and all have their hands on weapon hilts. These
guys are serious, and they're expecting trouble.
The squad leader won't tell the PCs who accused

them nor what was stolen. If the PCs take umbrage at
this request, the DM should remind the players that
there's no harm in it if they're really innocent.
If the PC agrees to the search, the squad leader as-
signs two samurai to empty all of the PC's pockets,
pouches, packs, etc. The ring is found almost immedi-
ately, in an easily-accessible spot (such as a belt
pouch). Read the following:
One of the samurai shouts in triumph and holds

up a small object. It's a ring: a gold band set with a
large emerald. For a moment you consider a set-
up—maybe the samurai planted it. But you saw his
hands were empty when he started the search, and
you're sure that this buffoon—while no doubt
death on two legs with a katana—doesn't have the
skill necessary to palm and plant an object that
slickly.
As one, the members of the squad draw their
weapons. The squad leader addresses [the PC
with the ring]. "You are under arrest for the theft
of a highly valuable item from a citizen of Aru," he
growls. "Surrender your weapons and come with
us now, or we will be forced to kill you." He turns
to the rest of your group. "As to you, I choose to
believe that you were ignorant of your comrade's
actions. You are free to go. Remember, however
ft
. . . aiding and abetting a known criminal makes
you a criminal as well, subject to all the penalties
of the land. And the penalty for aiding a thief is
death. Such is the law of Aru province."
#
89

If one or more of the PCs decides to scrap it out, the if they make a concerted attempt at it. Of course, the
samurai will fight to the death in their attempt to sub- problem is that flight is usually considered an admis-
due and arrest the "thief" and "accomplices." sion of guilt. The PC who had the ring is considered an
escaped thief, while the other PCs are considered ac-
Squad Leader: 4th level samurai complices. The word is put out over the city to bring
LG, human male them in.
AC 10; MV 12; hp 36; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10 (katana) +1 The situation isn't quite as dire as in the previous
(damage bonus); THACO 17 section—they're not killers as well, after all—but most
Proficiencies: katana (specialization), daikyu, of the same conditions apply. If the PCs want to try to
horsemanship, calligraphy, noh, painting, poetry. get out from under the accusations, go to the section
Honor: 21 "Proving Innocence."
He carries katana and wakizashi, and wears no ar- Negotiation

mor. This is basically a dead-end option: nothing the PCs
can say will convince the samurai not to arrest the
Patrol Samurai (x7): 2nd level samurai "thief." Claiming that the ring was planted on the PC
LG, human male won't help; every criminal who ever lived claims he
AC 10; MV 12; hp 5, 6, 8, 10, 14, 15, 18; #AT 1; Dmg was framed. The samurai certainly won't be im-
1-10 (katana) +1 (damage bonus); THACO 19 pressed by a magic-using PC casting a spell like detect
Proficiencies: katana (specialization), daikyu, lie to "prove" the thief's innocence. Why should they
sode garami, horsemanship, calligraphy, poetry. believe a potential accomplice? For similar reasons,
Honor: 19 they'll distrust any magical attempt to prove the PC's
innocence.
All are unarmored, and carry katana and wakizashi. The PCs might remember that the "thief" was
In addition, three carry sode garami. bumped by a short man with close-cropped hair and a
dark green kimono. If they tell the samurai patrol
DealiNq witl) ttye Patnol about this and speculate that this was when the ring
was planted, there are subtle signs from the junior
The PCs have four major options: confrontation, es- samurai that they've made a significant point (5d6
cape, negotiation, and acquiescence. Ability Check against Intelligence to notice the reac-
tion). The squad leader isn't impressed, saying "Who
Confrontation orchestrated that accidental contact, you or him?
If the PCs decide to fight it out with the samurai pa- That could have been when you stole the ring." This
trol, there's a very good chance that they'll win. The should clue the PCs in to the fact that it was the short
word will soon be spread that the PCs are armed and man (Komatsu) who accused them.
dangerous fugitives from justice, however. While be-
fore the only accusation was theft, now the PCs are No matter what the PCs say, the squad leader will in-
wanted for resisting arrest and killing the daimyo's sist that the accused character accompany them. If he
samurai patrol . . . plus theft. Since the punishment or she is really innocent, the samurai says, then that
for aiding and abetting fugitives is death, the PCs will will come out at the trial.
be hard-pressed to find anyone in Aru willing to help
them. No member of Benju's household—with the pos- Acquiescence
sible exception of Naomi—is likely to help them. The PCs might decide that the best option is to go
Yaemon the monk will listen to their story, but won't along with the patrol's suggestion. The accused thief
help them directly; instead he'll insist that they turn will be imprisoned, but the other PCs will be free to
themselves in and trust to the mechanisms of justice take other action. Perhaps they plan to rescue their
to prove their innocence. captive colleague, hunt down the short man in the
green kimono, or find some other way of proving the
In other words, the PCs will be alone and on the "thief's" innocence.
run. Every one of Benju's samurai will be on the look-
out for them, with orders to bring them in dead or
alive. (Considering that the PCs have already killed
some of their number, the samurai will probably Unless the PCs somehow "acquire" the ring from
choose to make it the former.) the samurai patrol, they'll have little chance of exam-
If the PCs defeat the patrol and run, and then decide ining it closely. If they do examine it, however—or
to stick around Aru to prove their innocence, go to the take it to an expert—there's something to be learned
section "Proving Innocence." from it.
The samurai patrol referred to the ring as a "highly
Escape valuable item." Anyone with proficiency as a jeweller
The samurai patrol is ready for an attempted es- will recognize that this simply isn't the case. The
cape. Nevertheless, the PCs should be able to get away "gold" band is base metal coated with a metallic var-
90

nish. The large "emerald" is actually a chunk of col- judge hears the charges against the accused and ren-
ored glass. While the ring looks to the untrained eye ders judgement. This process takes place in
as if it should be worth two ch'ien or even more, its isolation—no spectators are allowed. During the pro-
real value is closer to one or two fen. ceedings, the accused is surrounded by 6 Junior
Samurai and 2 Samurai Officers. The judge is a 0-level
lMpniSONM€Nt bureaucrat; nowhere in the courtroom is a wu jen or
shukenja.
Whether the "accused thief" is captured after a The charges are read by a junior functionary of the
struggle or comes along quietly, the samurai patrol court, and a deposition from the wronged party—in
takes no chances in case the captive is capable of using this case, Komatsu—is read out. The victim of the
magic. The samurai bind the prisoner's hands tightly crime is not present in the courtroom. Once the
to prevent somatic gestures, and gag him or her so
ft
charges and deposition have been read, the accused is
speech is impossible. Several of the samurai even dis- given one minute to rebut the charges. (The DM
cuss whether they should break the PC's fingers, just should measure this time very carefully.) The ac-
to be sure, but the squad leader decides against it. cused's gag is removed, of course, but two samurai
(This is just to reinforce to the players that these guys stand close behind, with orders to knock the PC un-
are serious.) The samurai then march their captive off conscious at the first hint of an incantation.
to a special "security compound" where the PC will re-
main for several days before the trial takes place. Unless the other PCs have managed to dredge up
some additional evidence (which is covered in the sec-
This security compound is simply a one-room build- tion "Proving Innocence"), the PC is found guilty. The
ing with no windows and a single door. The walls and sentence is amputation of the PC's hand. The PC is re-
roof are made of thick wood, and the door is rein- turned to the security compound until the following
forced with iron. There is a narrow flap set into the dawn, when the sentence will be carried out. This time,
#
bottom of the door through which plates of food can when the PC is locked up, the gag is not removed.
be slid. The only sanitary arrangements are two buck-
ets, one containing water. This "brig" is guarded day
and night by 6 Junior Samurai and one Samurai Offi- PUOViNQ iNNOCGNCe
cer (see Nonplayer Characters). All carry a katana and The only chance the PCs have of coming out of this
wakizashi, and at least two carry daikyu and a dozen untainted is somehow to prove the innocence of the
arrows. "thief." They can do this while the accused is impris-
The location of the security compound is up to the oned, or after everyone escaped from the samurai pa-
DM, who should place it depending on the relative trol. They have several options open to them.
strength and intentions of the PC party. For example,
if there are only two mid-level PCs free in Aru, and Finding an Advocate
they're planning a midnight infiltration to rescue their One option is to somehow prove that the "thief" isn't
ft
colleague from jail, the security compound might be lying when he or she claims that the ring was planted.
just inside the Castle District, with only one wall—and This could theoretically be done by bringing into
relatively few guards—separating it from the rest of court—or perhaps bringing before Benju himself—a
the city. If, on the other hand, there are 10 high-level shukenja who can cast detect lie on the accused. The
PCs planning a frontal assault, the security compound problem is finding such a shukenja who the authori-
could be in the heart of the Castle District, separated ties would trust. (Obviously, a PC simply wouldn't do.)
from the city by three walls and literally scores of There are no shukenja with this spell in Benju's house-
guards. The point is to maximize the challenge, while hold, so the PCs must look elsewhere.
still making a rescue—if this is the PCs' intention—a Whether there is such an acceptable advocate in
possibility.
While imprisoned, the PC is fed adequately. The
prisoner's little fingers are bound securely together,
Aru is up to the DM. Perhaps the latest pilgrim train
includes a famous holy man who would be glad to
prove the innocence of a noble character. Or perhaps
ft
hopefully preventing somatic gestures and spellcast- a member of the order of Bishamon would perform
ing. The gag is removed, however. The prisoner's per- this service. Many mini-adventures and encounters
sonal effects—especially weapons, spellbooks and can arise from trying to find such a person . . . and
components—are confiscated and kept in a safe place then persuading the authorities to accept this advo-
in the middle of the guard barracks (virtually impos- cate's evidence.
sible to retrieve unless the DM feels remarkably gen-
erous). Discrediting the Charges
If the PCs can prove that the "highly valuable" ring is
Tl?e Tnial actually worthless, this will go a long way towards dis-
crediting the charges against the accused. After all, if
After several days of imprisonment, the accused PC the item has been misrepresented, it certainly gives
is bound and gagged once more, and escorted to an- more credence to the accused's claims that he or she is
other building within the Castle District. Here a civil being framed.
91

The problem here is that the PCs are unlikely to get ing very methodical—with several of the items
a close look at the ring unless they "acquire" it from checked off. The list reads as follows:
the samurai patrol. And then how can they prove that
the ring they present to the authorities is actually the "Buy Jake ring—}jamato? ) /
same one that the samurai patrol found on the "thief? Cocate targets tf
The PCs could easily have switched rings in an at- Follow targets—learn routine
tempt to free their colleague. Inventive players might Select iictim ) /
find some way of overcoming this problem, but it "Plantring} /
should be exceedingly difficult. Report "theft" to samurai patrol
Meet With Z—collect payment
Finding the True Criminal
This represents perhaps the best hope for freeing
the accused PC. The other PCs must track down Ko- The combination of this note and the journal in the
matsu and prove to the authorities that he framed the same handwriting will go a long way towards substan-
accused. tiating the PCs' claim that Komatsu's confession was
the real thing. The note contains one further impor-
Komatsu' diminutive size and very short hair make tant clue, however: the name Yamato. Anyone in-
him a fairly memorable figure. If the PCs question volved in the jewelry business in Aru knows Yamato
people who were in the area when Komatsu bumped to be a dealer in the cheapest and nastiest forms of
the accused, there's a 20% chance that anyone spoken costume jewelry. If the PCs pay a visit to Yamato, he'll
to will remember him. There is a 5% chance that any remember selling the ring to Komatsu, and will be
given person will know that he is staying in a ryokan— able to identify the diminutive man. Taken together,
The Apple Tree Inn—near the temple gate. this evidence will be enough to free the imprisoned
The Apple Tree Inn is an undistinguished small PC. (How the court deals with any deaths among the
ryokan (use the inn layout from the hardcover book). samurai patrol is up to the DM . . .)
There is a 50% chance that Komatsu is present when
the PCs arrive.
Unless the PCs take some precautions to avoid de- Komatsu: 5th level yakuza
tection as they approach, Komatsu has a 25% chance LE, human male
of seeing them coming. If he does, he immediately AC 10; MV 12; hp 18; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10 (katana);
flees. If escape is impossible, or if the PCs surprise THACO 18
him, he'll fight ferociously until he's reduced to 4 or Str 12, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 16
fewer hit points, then surrender. The PCs will proba- Proficiencies: katana, dagger, gaming
bly demand that Komatsu confess to framing their Special Abilities: HS 31%; MS 40%; OL 42%; PP
colleague; this he'll willingly do . . . for now. When 50%; HN 20%; I 36%
they bring him before the authorities, however, he'll Honor: 10
recant, claiming that the PCs threatened to kill him if
he didn't make a false confession. Unless the PCs an- Komatsu is unarmored and always has a dagger
ticipate this, bringing Komatsu to the authorities concealed somewhere on his person. He has a katana
might do them more harm than good. under the futon in his room at the inn. If he has time
If Komatsu isn't present, or if the PCs kill or incapac- when the PCs come to call, he'll retrieve it.
itate him, they can search his room. Apart from cloth-
ing and other personal effects, he owns nothing of CoNclubiNq ttje ADveNtime
interest . . . except for a shallow lacquer box of fine It's quite conceivable that the end of this adventure
workmanship. The box is about 18" by 12" by 3", and will see the PCs fugitives, forced to leave Aru or be
has a hinged lid on top (like a briefcase). Inside are hunted down and killed like mad dogs. If that's the
maps and a traveller's diary. The diary is Komatsu's, way their actions turned out, so be it. Another poten-
and contains nothing but very superficial and trite re- tial bad outcome is that one of the PCs is a candidate
flections on his journeys. (Komatsu considers himself for a restoration spell. The DM should remember the
to be something of an intellectual and a poet; he honor penalties for being accused and convicted of a
couldn't be more wrong.) crime: —4 and —10 respectively.
Any PC examining the lacquer box can make a 4d6 If the PCs manage to prove the innocence of their
Ability Check against Intelligence to notice that the in- compatriot, the adventure doesn't have to be over. Af-
terior compartment is about half-an-inch shallower ter all, they may decide to exact some vengeance on
than the outside dimension. Once a PC has noticed the people who hired Komatsu. Komatsu's only con-
this, it's simple to find the concealed compartment in tact with the local yakuza family is a man named
the bottom of the box. This compartment contains a Zabato—the "Z" on Komatsu's checklist—and several
rather interesting note in Komatsu's handwriting adventures can arise out of tracking this man down.
(easy to prove, since it matches his journal). The note
is actually a checklist—Komatsu prides himself on be-
92

Spiuit—Oje SeQuel Unbeknownst to anyone—especially Takako
herself—the female samurai has been infected by a
This can be used any time after the events of the tigbanua buso. Last night, for the first time she trans-
main adventure. The adventure starts with an invita- formed into a tagamaling buso.
tion to meet with Benju Matsutomo in his donjon. Several weeks ago, Takako was hunting in the for-
est. She became separated from her samurai compan-
iNtnobuctiON ions, and was attacked from ambush by a creature
that she never even saw. She had only enough time to
It seems that the "tiger-bird spirit" is back! At scream once before she was knocked unconscious.
least, that's what you hear muttered around you as Her samurai companions heard her scream, and hur-
the samurai escort leads you to meet with the dai- ried towards the sound. The first one on the scene
myo. You chuckle and shake your heads. You saw a humanoid creature crouched over the still body
proved, once and for all, that the "tiger-bird spirit" of Takako. Through the underbrush, he couldn't get a
was no more supernatural than you are. clear view, but thought the monster to be a kala. Be-
But when the daimyo starts telling you his fore he could burst through the underbrush and en-
strange tale, you start to doubt . . . gage it, the monster fled, and the samurai were
"It happened last night," Benju tells you. "I was unable to track it. Apart from a minor scratch on her
asleep in my room, when I awoke to screaming. It neck and a bump on her head, Takako was unharmed
was Takako-san, my niece. She had suffered a (apparently), and so she paid the event no more atten-
nightmare, a vivid dream of a monster engulfing tion. Monster attacks in the wilderness are part and
her. At first we all dismissed it as simply a dream. parcel of living in Aru.
But then one of my samurai noticed marks on the Actually, of course, the monster that wounded Ta-
outside of the shoji of Takako-san's room—marks kako was a tigbanua buso .. . but a buso with a differ-
that could only have been left by claws. There ence. Several centuries ago, he had been a human wu
were more, similar marks on the outside of the jen of great power and ambition. Unfortunately, his
donjon leading to the second floor. Finally, early sanity began to slip and he sought to challenge the
this morning, the guard found the body of a samu- gods for control of the world. With someone of lesser
n
rai clumsily concealed behind a rain barrel. The power, the gods would simply have ignored the mad-
body had been rent by claws. There were tracks man. But in this wu jen's case, the deities figured that
leading from the body to the donjon, and up the wouldn't be a smart thing to do. Instead, a consortium
outside of the building. But there were no tracks of gods laid a curse on the wu jen, turning him into a
leading to the body, or tracks showing how the tigbanua buso. Since he's not a real buso, however, the
creature left the second floor of the donjon. The infection that he inflicts isn't permanent. Anyone
only conclusion I can come to is that we deal with a turned into a tagamaling buso because of his attack
winged creature of some kind." He looks at you, reverts completely to normal as soon as he is killed.
and you're surprised to see a little fear in his eyes. Because of its origin, this buso is more intelligent than
"The tiger-bird spirit?" the norm: its Intelligence is "low."
Benju wants the PCs to find out what's going on, and TalkiNQ to "Cakako
to protect his niece. During the day he wants them to Takako can tell the PCs little of value. She can't re-
carry out any investigation they see fit, while at night member much of the dream, just that it involved be-
he wants them to stand watch in the hallway outside ing swallowed by a hideous monster with one eye,
Takako's room. As always when dealing with Benju, and not being able to do anything about it. She has no
talking about payment makes him angry. idea why a creature of any kind might be after her
... if, indeed, the monster actually was after her spe-
DM's BackquouNt) cifically.
At first thought, a winged creature might seem to If the PCs ask her about anything unusual that's
be a reasonable candidate. But then, why would a happened to her recently, she'll relate the story of her
winged creature have to climb the outside of the near escape, as described above, along with several
donjon? Wouldn't it be much easier to fly to its desti- other possibly important stories that have no impor-
nation? tance in this adventure. She attaches no real signifi-
The fact of the matter is much more interesting. cance to it, however.
#
There were two sets of tracks, leading to and from the The PCs might decide to talk to the samurai who ac-
corpse ... but they were superimposed. The creature tually saw the monster. Takako can give the PCs his
started its nocturnal journey from within the donjon. name and duty assignment, making it easy to find
It climbed down from the building's second floor, slew him.
the samurai and ate its fill, then climbed back up the The samurai is a young, earnest and handsome man
outside of the donjon, before returning to its place of by the name of Tazumi (use Junior Samurai stats). Ta-
origin . . . Takako's room. zumi reiterates what Takako told the PCs (after all, it
93

was from him that she learned what happened). But, When the PCs are abroad on the streets of the city,
just as the PCs turn to go, read the following: read the following:
"Wait," Tazumi says as you turn away. There's in- There's a commotion behind you. You turn to see
decision in his eyes, and a little doubt in his voice. "I a withered and bent, ancient-looking man hurry-
told Takako-san that it was a kala. I thought it was a ing towards you. His sparse hair is white and in
kala. But... do you know, the more I think about it, such disarray that it makes his head look like it's ex-
the more I doubt that the creature was white. And ploding. Piercing blue eyes fix on you.
kalas are white." His expression firms once more. "I saw you," the old man says in a voice of wonder.
"No," he tells you, "it was a kala. It had to be a kala." "I saw you."
Before you can respond, a younger man grabs
Although he's unwilling to admit it, Tazumi thinks the ancient by the arm. "I'm sorry, noble lords [and
he might have made a bad mistake. He's starting to ladies]," the younger man says abashedly. "He . . .
think that perhaps the creature was a shikki-gaki. If well, the Seer is a little . . . shall we say, confused?"
so, then Takako might be infected with a horrible But then the old man—the Seer?—shakes free
wasting disease. He's afraid to admit this even to him- and stands directly in front of you.
self, because then he'd have to admit that his error "I saw your problem," he says, "I saw the monster.
and slowness to realize the truth might have doomed Cut off the head to cure the headache, certainly.
his mistress. (In fact, of course, the samurai is wrong But destroy the creator and all will be well." He
on both counts.) nods sagely as if he's said something you might con-
ceivably understand. "And remember," he con-
cludes, "guards must watch both ways." With a
iNvestiqatioNS satisfied expression, he turns his back on you and
Interviewing the Guards wanders off.
The PCs will probably want to talk to the samurai
who were on duty around the castle at the time of Ta- Although the Seer's speech might sound like non-
kako's "dream." Unfortunately for them, none of the sense, it contains elements of truth. The remark about
guards saw anything untoward, or heard anything cutting off the patient's head to cure a headache re-
out of the ordinary. fers to killing Takako: certainly that will solve the im-
mediate problem of the buso inside the castle, but it's
Interviewing the Common Folk a tad drastic (at least, Takako would probably think
If the PCs extend their investigations outside the so). "Destroying the creator" refers to killing the buso
castle into the city at large, they'll find that rumors who infected Takako; when this creature dies, she'll
have already started to spread about the "return of return to normal. The last line, about guards watch-
the tiger-bird spirit." During these investigations, the ing both ways, is a warning to the PCs: while they ex-
PCs will run into many people willing to relate their pect the monster to come from outside the donjon,
experiences of the night in question, but these tales they might be in for an unpleasant surprise. (Of
are all flaky in the extreme—"I saw it, the tiger-bird course, the DM shouldn't explain this to the PCs. The
spirit. It sang to me."—and come from drunks, senile meaning of the old man's words should eventually
dotards, and inveterate liars out for a little attention. come clear.)
If the PCs try to get the Seer to interpret his com-
The Seer ments, they get nowhere. The old man has quite liter-
There is one person in Aru town who knows some- ally forgotten that he said a single word to the PCs. If
thing useful about the events of the previous night. they recite his comments back to him, he'll be able to
Unfortunately, he's not the kind of person the PCs are make absolutely no sense of them. He won't be able to
likely to take seriously . . . until it's too late. give the PCs any further information either, since his
This person is a withered old man, with thinning "glimpses" are fleeting, and never under his control.
white hair and skin so pale it's almost transparent. No-
body knows his real name; instead, people call him If the PCs question others about the Seer, they'll
"the Seer." This is partially sarcastic, but also partially learn that most people believe the old man has some
a reflection of the way some people view him. The old kind of power. They'll tell the PCs (largely apocryphal)
man claims to be able to see beyond the "veil of the stories about how accurate the old man has been in
world" at times and under certain circumstances, and the past... but they'll also admit that there have been
glimpse truths concealed from normal mortals. Al- times where he's been so far off the mark that it isn't
though it would be easy to dismiss him as just another even funny.
senile crackpot, the Seer's "glimpses" have proven The Seer's stats are those for a Typical Townsfolk,
right just often enough to give most people serious with 1 hp.
second thoughts.
94

QuanOs Must Watcl? Botl) Ways buso when it underwent its change. Takako remem-
bers nothing of what went on, and is horrified to find
That night, the PCs must take their stint at guard herself wounded—and naked—on the floor. She is
duty, as ordered by Benju. The household has gone to even more horrified when she hears what happened
bed by the time they take their positions outside Taka- to her. (If she hasn't already told the PCs this story, she
ko's room in the donjon (see the donjon map). There now relates the tale of her recent injury, possibly
are four Junior Samurai located elsewhere around sending the PCs to talk to Tazumi the samurai.
the upper floor who will arrive Id3 rounds after the If the PCs kill the buso before it has a chance to
start of any disturbance. The DM should find some withdraw from combat, the corpse instantly reverts
way of confirming to the PCs that Takako is in her to a very dead Takako. (Benju will be highly displeased
room alone. (Perhaps she draws back the shoji and with this turn of events, but will accept the PCs' word
talks with the PCs. Although she tries not to show it, that the monster actually existed.)
she's nervous about the "monster" and wants to make
sure that her guards are close at hand.) Tagamaling Buso (1): Int Animal; AL CE; AC 5;
Some time into the PCs' guard shift, read the fol- MV 12; HD 6; hp 38; THACO 15; #AT 3; Dmg Id4/ld4/
lowing: Id8; SZ M; ML 10; XP 420.
The night passes slowly and quietly. Sometime af- CURINQ "Cakako
ter midnight, you hear a soft female moan from in-
side Takako-sau's room. Maybe the lady's sleep is The PCs will probably try to get Takako cured. This
troubled by nightmares. will mean finding a shukenja or taking Takako to a
But then you hear a sound that makes the hair at temple, unless the party includes a sufficiently power-
the nape of your neck stand on end: a soft, guttural ful shukenja. (This can be an adventure in itself . . .)
grunt that couldn't have come from a human Unfortunately for the PCs, the process doesn't
throat. Before you can respond, there's a crash as work. If an NPC shukenja is casting the appropriate
the shoji bursts asunder. In the gap stands a hid- spell, read the following:
eous creature so tall that it has to stoop to fit in the
room. Its neck and body are hideously elongated,
and its feet are bony and oversized. Long black
hair—surprisingly clean and lustrous—hangs
down its back. A single yellow eye burns in the cen-
ter of its face at it reaches for you with clawed
hands...
The creature is the tagamaling buso that Takako has

become. It will attack the PCs with great ferocity until
it is either magically rebuffed or until it is reduced to
10 or fewer hit points. At this point, it tries to with-
draw from combat, crying piteously and holding its
hands up to shield itself from harm. The DM should
ffe
make sure the PCs are aware that this is totally un-
characteristic behavior for something so obviously
animalistic in intelligence. Read the following:
The body of the creature seems to ripple, like a

reflection in the surface of a pool stirred by the
wind. Within a couple of heartbeats, the creature
shrinks as its neck and body shorten. Its skin
changes from a grayish hue to a more human color,
and its single yellow eye closes. The creature col-
lapses with a very human moan. It stirs again a mo-
ment later and looks up at you with two very
puzzled human eyes. The eyes are unmistakably
set in the attractive face of Takako Shimizu . . .
Magic will confirm that this is the real Takako, not

some illusion or polymorphed form of the creature.
Takako bears the marks of any wounds she received
while a buso, and her hit point total is the same as the
95

If the PCs can't track down the monster, it follows
The shukenja shakes his head in puzzlement. them secretly, hoping for the chance to get one of the
"There is some resistance here" he tells you. "The party alone. Should such a chance arise, it attacks
. .. spiritual taint, if I can call it that, isn't centered from ambush, trying to wound its victim. Unless the
in this young woman's body. The cause of her af- creature thinks it has enough time—and sufficient
fliction isn't here at all... if that makes any sense. combat strength—to kill its victim before reinforce-
Nothing I can do to this woman will clear the taint. ments arrive, it will inflict a wound then make its es-
You must find the source of the taint, and eradicate cape. (It knows that this will disturb its opponents,
that. Then she will be free." possibly forcing them to make a mistake that it can
capitalize on.)
If a PC shukenja is trying to cure Takako, he should Once the buso is killed, its body reverts to that of an
receive feelings and impressions to this effect. old man.
If the PCs haven't already met the Seer, the DM
should orchestrate an encounter. After the attempt at Tigbanua Buso (1): Int Low; AL CE; AC 4; MV 12;
curing Takako, his babble about "destroying the crea- HD 8 + 2; hp 66; THACO 13; #AT 3; Dmg ld6/ld6/ldlO;
tor" should make much more sense. (The DM might SA Paralysis (fear aura) and Disease; SZ M; ML 10; XP
have to find some way of reminding the PCs of the old 2,000.
man's words.) .
The buso's aura will automatically cause creatures
HuNtiN<; tlje Cneaton of less than 1 HD to become paralyzed with fear. All
greater creatures are entitled to a save vs. paralysis to
The PCs will probably decide to go hunting for the avoid this effect. Affected characters remain frozen
buso which infected Takako. They might now make until Id6 + 2 rounds after the buso has moved further
the connection between the "kala" that attacked the than 10 feet away from them. Anyone struck by the
woman and her current condition, and ask where the creature must make a save vs. death or become in-
incident occurred. Takako can tell them roughly fected with a disease that will eventually turn them
where she encountered the creature, but not pre- into a tagamaling buso (see the Kara-Tur Appendix of
cisely. She will definitely not escort them; her fear is the Monstrous Compendium).
too great. Unless they think of it themselves, she'll
suggest that they get the samurai Tazumi to escort
them. CONClUtNNQ tl7€ AOVGNtURe
The PCs should give some thought to what to do Both Benju and Takako will be very grateful to the
with Takako while they're away (after all, the hunt PCs if the tigbanua buso is killed, freeing Takako from
might take more than one day, and they can't leave the her affliction. This gratitude probably won't take the
woman free to change into a monster and kill more inform of money, but rather fame and notoriety around
nocents). Imprisonment is the obvious solution, but Aru, plus more prestigious service later on. If Takako
they're going to have to be very careful in how they was killed, Benju's thanks will be notably chilly; cer-
suggest this to Takako and Benju. tainly the PCs saved his household from the monster's
The buso's attack on Takako took place in the forest depredations, but he's not totally convinced they
about 3 hours ride out of town. Tazumi, if asked, will couldn't have reached the same goal without killing
willingly show them just where it took place. Up to 5 his niece.
other Junior Samurai will accompany the PCs if they As long as the tigbanua buso survives, Takako and
ask for an escort. any other character wounded by the creature has a
The tigbanua buso is still in the area, but it knows 1% chance per night of becoming a tagamaling buso.
better than to attack a large group, probably on Because of the original creature's unusual nature, the
horseback. Instead, it uses its natural cunning to hide change lasts only until dawn, or until a change is trig-
from the hunters. The PCs will be forced to use track- gered by traumatic circumstances (as happened with
ing abilities or magic to hunt the creature down. If Takako). Short of a wish, there is no way of curing an
they confront the buso, it will fight ferociously until infected character while the original buso still lives.
reduced to 15 hp, then try to flee (perhaps leaving be-
hind it some infected PCs). If escape is impossible, it
fights to the death.
96

Benju's Donjon
—I—(- HH— i
i 13 15
-4--
16 17
-i 1-
21
18 19
22
20! 23
. i t L
Second Floor N
Solid wall 5'
Shoji (rice wall)

m Oriental Adventures Game Adventure
mja Wars
By Nigel Findley
Behold The Shining Temple of Bishamon!
Located above the city of Aru on the island nation of Wa, this
shrine is the focus of a great pilgrimage. Every year, thousands of
people travel here to celebrate the Ceremony of the Three Thou-
sand Steps. For townsfolk and travellers alike, it is a time of great
celebrations and revelry.
For Benju Matsutomo, Daimyo of Aru, it is a time of worry and
concern. Something is wrong this year. A political rival has hired a
clan of ninja to disrupt the pilgrimage and disgrace Matsutomo.
But the daimyo has his own ninja, and just to be safe, he decides to
hire a party of adventurers to make sure everything runs
smoothly.
Of course, it doesn't. . .
TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd.

POB 756 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton
Lake Geneva, Cambridge CB1 3LB
WI 53147 USA United Kingdom
TSR, Inc.
PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION
ISBN 0-88038-895-1
$9.95 U.S.
9307XXX1401
o 46363 09307 5
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, FORGOTTEN REALMS,

PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION, and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR,
Inc. £ 1990 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

9307 FROA1 Ninja Wars

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FROM Advanced Dun*?

Shoji (rice wall)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

Designed by Nigel Findley

°1990 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved

Printed in the U.S.A.

TSR Inc. TSR Ltd.

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

How to Use r:i7is Book

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

Shoji (rice wall)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

Shoji (rice wall)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

House of Heavenly Sand

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

The DM can get quite a lot of mileage out of the

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

The street is suddenly full of people: terrified

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

The monk bows to you. "Even foul murderers

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

Fusae and her interpreter—who is called

Fusae gestures again, and Cachiko translates her

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

The room is small and low-ceilinged, the floor

The politeness with which Benju and the others

The daimyo's face reddens with anger, and his

A shriek of surprise and pain—quickly bitten

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

Battle StatiONs! In addition to Benju, the melee comprises 10

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

Haku (4th level yakuza, male human): AC 10; MV

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)

nicklaus rhodes (Order #28433614)