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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The Price of Honor
By Jason Flowers Challenge Ashidaka no Kakita Takihiro, in his youth, studied the blade alongside Kakita Fumoki at the Kakita academy. The two swordsmen were as close as brothers and traveled the Empire together for a number of years until they saved the life of an influential Seppun astrologer. The Imperial was beset by bandits and the two young samurai fearlessly fought them off. While both men fought to protect the Seppun, Kakita Fumoki, being of higher status and delivering the final blow to the bandit’s leder, was awarded an old and valuable Imperial daisho in thanks. Ashidaka Takihiro, feeling slighted at being excluded gave in to dark temptation and took the daito one evening when they had returned to Crane lands. Takihiro absconded with the blade and never saw his friend, Kakita Fumoki, again. Focus Years later, Ashidaka Kumi, who grew up thinking her father, Takihiro, had been awarded the beautiful sword in thanks for his brave service, learned of his past crime. After thinking over the situation for a few weeks, she made up her mind to return the blade to its paired sword and rightful owner, Kakita Fumoki. Kumi researched Fumoki-san, discovering he had become a renowned duelist and that he had established a residence in a nearby town. Without a word to her father she took the sword and traveled there. When she arrived, however, she found that she struggled with finding the courage to return the blade to its rightful owner. She knew it would be most honorable to openly return the katana but feared the dishonor this action could bring upon her father and family, perhaps, too, even the Kakita Dueling Academy. Conversely, returning it secretly, would preserve her father’s honor, but at the cost of darkening her own. Perhaps the Player Characters can help her make the right decision? Strike Whichever path is chosen, it quickly becomes obvious that the wakizashi of the pair is the centerpiece in a collection of trophies won by the illustrious duelist; its stand prominently displayed in his home, the katana is conspicuous in its absence. The mysterious reappearance of the long-lost sword will undoubtedly cause a stir among the upper social circles. How can Kakita Fumoki accept this returned blade from the daughter of his erstwhile friend without admitting it was returned by the thief after all these years?
Ghost of a Chance
By Jason Flowers Challenge On a tax-collecting trip the player characters arrive in Swift Starling Village, only to learn from Eichi, the headman, that the taxes have already been collected! As the only official tax-collectors in the region, the PCs quickly determine that the faux samurai responsible were actually otokodate bandits in disguise. Eichi and other villagers point the samurai north out of town, the direction the bandits were last seen heading; toward the old, haunted shrine to Inari in the nearby forest. Focus At the ruined shrine to Inari, a group of otokodate deserters led by the former ashigaru, Kaiketsu, have established a camp, despite the local tales of the shrine being haunted. To the surprise of all, the shrine is indeed haunted by a goryo; the restless ghost of someone who has been murdered. The ghost, called the Man in the Wall, was, in life, a man named Kisho, murdered as he finished the construction of the shrine some twenty years ago. The goryo will admit that his murderer is unknown to him, but it must be a resident of Swift Starling Village. Strike! The villagers of Swift Starling remember Kisho, the son of the former headman, fondly despite his disappearance decades ago. Who could have wanted the young man dead? Could it have been Botan, the carpenter and best friend to Kisho, who had always been jealous of Kisho’s status. Or Eichi, the friendly headman, who married Saeko, Kisho’s childhood love, shortly after his disappearance. Perhaps it was Hiroki, the dour blacksmith, who led the crew that constructed the shrine and was known for his adversity with Kisho’s father. Could it possibly be Genki, the jovial and perceptive sake house owner, who may have more dire intentions for Swift Starling Village? Surely it wasn’t Saeko, the demure wife of the headman and former love of Kisho, in a lover’s quarrel? Can the Player characters bring justice to this small farming community?
Hey everyone,
Jason Flowers here and I just wanted to let you know a little about my plans for Challenge Focus Strike! The intent behind the podcast is to provide GMs with quick bite-sized adventure seeds they can use for their next L5R session. Whether you are running behind on game prep or just need inspiration, hopefully there will be something here for you. Some seeds will be more detailed and require less work by the GM while others will leave a lot of room to really weave the seed into your L5R campaign. I hope to include other writers and narrators in the future. I’ve already got a few guests lined up, but my aspiration is to promote many different voices. In particular, I want to incorporate writers who are BIPOC or from the LGBTQ+ community. If you end up liking what you hear, would like to contribute as a writer or narrator, or just want to follow the podcast for updates check out our website, CFSPod.weebly.com or head over to Twitter, @CFSpod. And stay tuned for the official launch of Challenge Focus Strike! in the coming weeks. Challenge, Focus, Strike! is an adventure seed podcast for the Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying game.
The podcast is currently under production, but check back to keep up to date for our quickly approaching launch. If you're interested in contributing as a writer or narrator, please send an email to [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter @CFSPod for updates. |
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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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