Jade Legacy [L5R 3eR] - Act 2 Chapter 1: Daiippo/First Step

[Psychofish]

With no bandits in sight, Denbe would look about, frowning, and then look after where the samurai- or ronin- had been, as if willing him to reappear and join the battle again. After a moment of no such action, the Hare returned to where he had left his injured companion, and helped Kagae to his feet once more.

"We should take them alive, and bind them. They can be dealt with as needed after we know if we'll need any information from them. But we should secure ourselves in the village before we seek any more combat."

It bothered the Hare. There were bandits here, and it was their duty as samurai to eradicate the criminals when they came across them. At the moment though, their more specific mission had nothing to do with the bandits, making it wrong to risk themselves too much on removing them. It was an unpleasant conundrum.  

[Rain Yupa]

GM's notes:
Kojiro: -1k0 earth/water.
Denbe: -1k0 earth/void.
Kagae: None
Seichiro: -1k0 earth/void.
Zanzen: -1k0 earth/water.
Kyumi: -1k0 fire/void.
Hisashi:None
Miyako: None
--------------------

43 - Kakita Zanzen, Attack Stance, Katana drawn
42 - Kuemon the Bandit, Katana drawn, 47 stealth to exit the battle
41 - Bayushi Kojiro, Yumi drawn
35 - Yoritomo Hisashi, Attack Stance, Yumi drawn
30 - Shogo the Bandit, ??
25 - Otsune the Bandit, ??
23 - Ujina Denbe, Attack Stance, Katana drawn
22 - Iwao the Ronin, ??
21 - Nakazo the Bandit, ??
20 - Akahito the Bandit, ??
13 - Sotan the Bandit, ??
8 - Otojiro the Bandit, ??
6 - Tenshin the Bandit, Ono drawn, 24 damage, Crippled
X - Kaiu Kagae, 25 damage, Down
X - Ginko the Bandit, Katana Drawn, 28 damage, Down
X - Takeshi the Bandit, 32 damage, Out

====================

Denbe would look around, and wait. No one would even show up - not even Bayushi Sanzo/Iwao, though its not like Denbe would EXPECT him to show up. A pitiful 9 on his athletics check, and he's not fatigued NOR untrained!

Tenshin would give kind of a sloppy grin, before gripping his ono with both hands before him, blade pointed directly at Zanzen. "I refuse... to die... whimpering... like a dog..." he says, refusing to back down from the Kakita. He takes a Full Defense stance!

The rest of the round goes without incident! Zanzen, since you're the only one who actively had the chance to participate this round, you can make a Tides of Battle roll (which you are entitled though), but you will likely remain first, and Tenshin last.

You guys STILL have a bandit that poses a threat, though I'm not worried about initiative order any longer.  

[Plainsfox]

@The Battlefield

Kojiro waited for Zanzen to decide how he wanted to deal with the bandit and then picked up the female one that looked like she was previously going to attack Denbe. "I don't think they'll be back tonight, but we should hurry."

The samurai then started to carefully drag the wounded woman back to the village.  

[Sutiiven]

"Surrender or die. It's all the same to me, 'partner'." he would quip at the Bandit, then moving to follow after Denbe and Kojiro.

He would return his arrow to his quiver and toss the bow over his shoulder to grab the brother of the female bandit. "Kojiro-san, while you and Miyako-san were on reconnaissance, did you happen to come across a good location in the village that might allow us a safe place for the night?"  

[Raganui Minamoto]

Sheathing his blade, Zanzen would react only by performing a low palm strike, aimed to blow the air out of the man and preferably take the fight out of him without his life. Questions were a good thing to ask, weren't they?

5k3 Agility/Juijutsu - 27

Void used for raise to lower TN by 5.  

[Raganui Minamoto]

2k1 damage - 6 damage. That should do it, I hope.  

[Rain Yupa]

Raganui Minamoto

2k1 damage - 6 damage. That should do it, I hope.

The blow knocks Tenshin out, as the pain overcomes him! Gasping in pain, as well as having the wind knocked out of him, he would drop his weapon, before faceplanting into the dirt! Tenshin the bandit is Out!

Now, every threat has been neutralized, so combat is officially over!

Zanzen, feel free to contribute to clean-up in any manner of your choosing.  

[Tei Kae]

As much as it might have been foolish, she trusted him to keep his word. These people were more important to him than his honor, but he still had that honor. With that in mind though, she had to do things that she'd rather not do. They were technically out of their jurisdiction. Which meant she had to hope that the rest of the groups weren't making things worse and she needed to go do something that'd hurt the first man in a long time she might have actually eventually been interested in.

Sighing, she moved towards the room that she now knew the Crab magistrate was in. She wouldn't be held accountable if the woman was killed if/when the bandits got here. Moving into the room cautiously, she looked around before deciding on the best course of action.  

[Plainsfox]

Sutiiven

"Surrender or die. It's all the same to me, 'partner'." he would quip at the Bandit, then moving to follow after Denbe and Kojiro.

He would return his arrow to his quiver and toss the bow over his shoulder to grab the brother of the female bandit. "Kojiro-san, while you and Miyako-san were on reconnaissance, did you happen to come across a good location in the village that might allow us a safe place for the night?"

"We were unable to fully assess the village." The scorpion commented as he dragged the red headed bandit towards that location. "But I believe it should be safe for the night, yes. It's on the small side.  

[Rain Yupa]

GM's notes:
Kojiro: -1k0 earth/water.
Denbe: -1k0 earth/void.
Kagae: None
Seichiro: -1k0 earth/void.
Zanzen: -1k0 earth/water.
Kyumi: -1k0 fire/void.
Hisashi:None
Miyako: None
--------------------

Luckily, Bayushi Sanzo makes his third athletics check (21), or else something would have happened to him!

A new sight for Hisashi and Denbe would soon emerge, rushing through the bushes from the direction their other two companions came from.

"Brother, is that you?" a voice would call aloud, probably not helping his case on not being a bandit much. But as soon as he broke through the bushes, a man in dark armor bearing the mon of the Bayushi family would emerge, wearing a avian-themed gold-colored mask on the top part of his face, with his dark hair tied in a ponytail.

"By the kami! Excellent work, men!" he would announce, seeing the bandits having already been dispatched. "Now that order of retreat makes sense. It's a shame you couldn't put an end to that lout Kuemon." he announced stoically.

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

Back at camp:

Miyako would have a few minutes until her boys returned, so don't feel rushed. As she stepped into the back room, Miyako would see an older woman, in her late 20s, bound and gagged. She looked in rough shape, but not because of injuries. Moreso, that she probably has been tied up here for days.

She doesn't look like she's been mistreated beyond that, though.

She sees the Scorpion woman suddenly step into the doorway, and her muffled groans suddenly become more vocal. But a TN 15 awareness/investigation (interrogation) roll will allow Miyako to notice that she's QUITE angry at seeing Miyako, and her sudden bout of squirming and thrashing is rage-induced.  

[Plainsfox]

@Along the way back

"You missed all the excitement, Brother." The scorpion said as he dragged the unconscious bandit. "This is Bayushi Sanzo-san for those who didn't know. Sanzo-san, this is the rest of our forces. We're taking the survivors back to the village for interrogation. We should find their lair quickly enough and end Kuemon's threat to this village!"  

[Tei Kae]

[Awareness 4k4]  

[Tei Kae]

[Deceit/Awareness=7k4=38]

As she saw the woman struggle, she could practically see the woman turning as red as her kimono in fury. She needed to act fast."Oh Kami!!!!" She ran over, pretending a great deal of concern and innocence. "Are you okay!?" She let the woman's mouth binding down first so she could talk and then began to let the woman out although she was purposely fumbling them worse than she already was to buy her some time for the woman to calm down.

"There's these bandits attacking the village and Bayushi-san ran off with my companions to help fend them off. What are you doing here?"  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Back At Camp:

"PEOPLE OF KUWAGATAMUSHI MURA!" she would announce at first opportunity. "AWAKE AND HEAR MY PLEA! I AM MAGISTRATE MACHIKO, AND I HAVE COME TO LIBERATE YOU FROM THESE TYRANTS' HOLD! TO DO THAT, YOU MUST WAKE AND COME TO MY AID! FREE ME FROM MY CAPTIVITY, AND I WILL FREE YOU FROM YOURS! COME TO THE HEADMAN'S HOUSE IMMEDIATELY!"

If Miyako wishes to cease this announcement, it will be an Agility/Jiujutsu roll against TN 10 (a raise will be required to re-gag her). She can stop this at any point during her yelling, just let me know when.  

[Psychofish]

Denbe put his hand to his sword again as soon as the Scorpion appeared, and looked unceartainly back and forth between Kojiro and the new arrival.

"This is one of the Scorpions from the village, Kojiro-san?"

The Hare would relax, but he'd do it slowly, almost begrudgingly, and start walking Kagae along again. The whole situation had him feeling uneasy, especially with how quickly Kojiro had fallen so enthusiastically into his clansman's cause. He still remembered the blade bursting from Shosuro Naizen, and the furious peasant man.

"The sooner we get back the better, and I wish to hear about this Kuemon."