The Petrified Frog
By Jason Flowers Challenge In the City of the Rich Frog trade rules all, and relationships drive that trade; for good and ill. Despite their status, the Dragonfly minor clan enjoys a heightened level of influence here. From afar the Dragon are content to allow the Tonbo family to manage their holding, to the consternation of the Lion and Unicorn present in the port City. Compounding this uneasy peace is Miya Tetsua, the city governor, and his friendship with Tonbo Kuma, leader of the local Dragonfly population. The Dragonfly rely on this friendship to keep them at an equal status with the Great Clans. Some samurai claim this relationship limits Miya Tetsua’s fairness, but so far nothing has happened to elevate or diminish Tonbo Kuma’s faction in the City of the Rich Frog. As a token of their friendship, Miya Tetsua gifted Kuma with a statuette in the shape of a frog, carved from a petrified piece of Saibonshoki, the grandest willow tree in all Rokugan. This gift was the spark of much gossip in the City of the Rich Frog, for a piece of the ancient willow in the shape of the god of the river junctions would be a powerful artifact. When the statuette is stolen, Tonbo Hidane, a representative of Tonbo Kuma, approaches the player characters to recover it. The loss of such a valuable item would bring great dishonor to the Dragonfly and potentially a loss of esteem with Miya Tetsua. It must be found. Focus During the investigation, the player characters will cross paths with a representative of the Lion or Unicorn clan who is also seeking the Frog. If no PC is of those clans, they will actively oppose the player characters during the investigation at every stage. But if they share a clan with a party member, they may approach that PC and ask the samurai to turn over the statuette for the good of their own Clan. It may be tempting for Player Characters of the Lion or Unicorn to attempt to advance their own Clan interest, but it would be dishonorable to work against a samurai, like Tonbo Hidane, who has sincerely asked for assistance. The search for the thief will lead the PCs across the Three Sides River to the western bank controlled by the Unicorn Clan. Whether the Unicorn are responsible or not is up to you, but eventually the PCs will run the culprit to ground. This will likely involve a daring and harrowing chase through the Unicorn District, putting themselves and bystanders at risk. Finally, the statue is in hand. Any shugenja, or spiritually attuned samurai, can learn that the Petrified Frog does possess some supernatural ability. It could be a powerful nemuranai that allows the wielder to control the river junction’s waters. Perhaps it has been used as a meishodo talisman, trapping a powerful kami inside. It could even have been used as a vessel for a powerful entity from one of the Spirit Realms. Strike The statue is presented to Tonbo Hidane as planned, but the player characters find out a short time later that the statuette was never returned to Tonbo Kuma’s residence. Was Hidane a traitor to his clan or an imposter in disguise? Maybe they will have to team up with the third-party who hounded them during their earlier search? Whatever they decide, there is a short window to recover the statuette again before they must confess to being deceived and responsible for the Petrified Frog’s permanent loss.
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Saving Face
By Jason Flowers Challenge In the Scorpion village of Shimomura the gempuku of the local Bayushi lord’s eldest child has finally arrived! The Player Characters have received an invitation to this celebration due to political connections, a direct association to the Bayushi lord, or some other feasible reason to be invited to a huge festive occasion in Scorpion lands. A Scorpion gempuku is accompanied by a large party to which all are welcome, regardless of Clan. When the PCs arrive, they are greeted as honored guests and enter a lavishly decorated home. The food and entertainment are excessively extravagant. Those in attendance are primarily Scorpion, but there are several Crane representatives and even a member of the nearby, but still relatively new, Wasp Clan. Each guest is greeted personally by the samurai candidate and presented with a gift. Those guests who were personally invited receive an individualized gift chosen or created specifically for them. Unexpected guests are welcomed as well but receive only “face gifts”; generic gifts reserved for those who were not expressly invited. Focus After the PCs have received their gifts and greeted the host a commotion draws the attention of all in attendance. A Crane clan samurai of the Daidoji family is outraged to receive a “face gift!” He was invited and expected to be treated as such. When the Scorpion lord points out that the guest was not, in fact, invited, the Crane presents a personalized invitation in the Lord’s own hand. Despite the confusion the Scorpion apologizes for the error and promises to rectify the situation. Mollified for now, the Crane samurai nods in appreciation and returns to the party. Later after mingling with the other guests and enjoying the numerous musicians, dancers, and jugglers on display, an uproar is again heard. The Crane samurai guest who had caused the scene earlier has been found dead. Strike While outsiders are not typically trusted, the PCs, whether due to their connections or positions, will be approached to lead the investigation. Was the death an accident? Did he die of natural causes? If it was messy, was this meant as a message or warning? It would not be beyond the Kolat or perhaps even another Great Clan to poison an enemy? Did the Crane samurai anger the Moon Cult, thus drawing the ire of a maho-tsukai? Here, in the den of the Scorpion, the culprit could truly be anyone or anything. Thanks to Robert Denton for the inspiration for this CFS.
Home is Where the Heart Was
By Jason Flowers Challenge The player characters are approached by a young samurai, recently returned home from war. He tells them that upon returning to his family’s small holding he discovered his village had been razed. The few surviving heimin told of a group of ronin that had recently arrived and warned of nearby bandit activity. The young samurai’s father, a man of advanced years, had immediately, and at great expense, tasked the Wave Men and Women to protect the village from the oncoming criminal threat. Focus When the bandits finally raided the village, the ronin, instead of engaging them, joined with the outlaws. The combined group made quick work of the few aging samurai left behind, and ransacked the entire community, killing anyone who stood in their way. During the pillaging, the young samurai’s entire remaining family was killed. The marauders took everything that could be carried, including numerous heirlooms of the samurai’s family, and fled to the nearby hills. Strike These criminals must pay for their crimes. The young samurai is willing to hunt them down alone, but the player character’s influence and intervention may prevent it from being an act of self-destruction. Will they take the Emperor’s Law into their own hands? Or recruit an ally in the nearby Magistrate? Can a Magistrate who allows these criminals to continue to operate in the province even be trusted? Was there more to this seemingly random act of violence than is initially apparent? Perhaps one of the samurai heirlooms has some other significance?
Crime and Punishment
By Jason Flowers Challenge The local magistrate is currently frustrated by numerous street gangs, but the most elusive is a small opium cartel that always seems to learn of their investigation. Every time they close in the cartel slips through their grasp. They must have spies everywhere. The magistrate, therefore, needs outsiders, new to town to investigate the rumors of a large shipment arriving shortly. The presence of opium in the city can not be eradicated, but the illicit importation can at least be limited. Focus The town is full of dens of iniquity to be considered; numerous seedy gambling halls and sake houses which may hold a clue to the shipment’s arrival. Perhaps the small Scorpion controlled gambling hall that operates a “not so secret” opium den in the back would be a good place to search for those who may be aware of the cartel’s actions. The man to find is Fujioki, a slimy heimin responsible for distribution of the cartel’s product. Once found Fujioki is sly and arrogant, thinking himself the smartest in the room. His attitude is bolstered by his connections to the drug ring. A heimin would not typically think themselves untouchable, unless they had very powerful friends. Strike The player characters could use Fujioki to take them directly to the opium, follow him to the delivery point, or even lead a raid against those bringing the opium into town. However they approach the climax, it becomes apparent that whoever leads the cartel is indeed powerful, with many hired enforcers. The cartel head could be a commoner who has used years of mercantile experience to establish the connections to safely operate in town. OR perhaps it is the local governor’s chancellor with the connections to not only stay above the fray, but also the political clout to make life very difficult for the player characters and the magistrate who hired them.
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August 2020
Categories"Kibo wa eien ni wakidemasu (Hope springs eternal)" by Ronald Douglas Frazier is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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