SPEAKER_05 0:05

This is Shadows in the Peaks, a Legends of the Five Rings actual play from Stories with Dice. If you're enjoying our actual plays, please subscribe to Stories with Dice so you'll never miss an episode. Don't forget to rate and review us, it really helps others discover the podcast. Follow us on social media to stay updated. You'll find the relevant links in the description of each episode. You are go for lunch.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

I am? That's great. Yes. One day I'm gonna get it right on time. No, that's lies. I'm never gonna do that. Um with that attitude. What? I mean, geez. Episode two, and I'm already getting flag. Right. You were getting that in episode one. This is true as well. Well, as you can tell, we're back and we're doing our second episode of Legends of the Five Rings. You've really heard the dulcet tones of Charlotte. Hi. Hi. On the spot. There you go. We have Tony. Hello. And as always, we have Mario. Hello! Scott, unfortunately, is unable to make this episode, so uh Scott is going to be very quiet, as is his character, for the rest of the episode. So without any further ado, we'll just kind of get on to where we were. So you are all Clan Samurai and Shigenja from other clans visiting the Dragomlands. You were all called in to the Daimyo's audience chamber in Shiro Kitsuki to have a conversation with someone. You all kind of got invited in by a scorpion, and you all kind of sat down and very shortly afterwards the daimyo of the Kitsuki was waiting for you, and then you were joined by the Daimyo of the entire dragon clan. So the Daimyo Togashi Satsu, who is like a legendary samurai, I mean, so is Kitsuki Mizuochi, who is the Daimyo of the Kitsuki clan, told you that you were being asked to resolve something for them because they could not. So as you've kind of wandered into the chamber, you've all sat on these um very well-appointed cushions, waiting for Tigashi Satsu to continue his his communication with you. And he says, You were summoned. The instant in the northern peaks have escalated beyond patrol reports and whispered rumours. He unfills a scroll and places it on the table in front of him. He looks at it, looks over at you, and and says, There have been three disappearances, two bodies found, and one prophecy resurfaced. We require eyes, unclouded by duty and hands, unbound by clan politics. The mountain speaks in silence, the forest echoes with questions, but the shadow does not knock, it seeps. He lifts that scroll and moves it to one side. He places a small rosary of beads on the table, as well as a small book, or like a bound scroll case on the top. He says, Balance has been lost. You must walk where others cannot. Kitsuki Mizuochi says, Yes, unfortunately, there are not enough investigators to spare for this, and you can ask questions that our own clan cannot. We need you to have a look and see what you can find. There have been signs. And he looks over to the woman sitting on the far side that you have now seen, which Akasha Ayama you are sitting next to. She is a woman in her sort of late twenties. She's wearing the very plain and very simple robes of a shugenda. She is quite slight in frame. And she says, as she looks to you, she sort of like sits up slightly and moves with her knees to face you lot in the audience room. She says, I have seen signs in flame and water. The kami are restless. The prophecy, once dismissed, now coils around a legacy like smoke. Through sacrifice, the peak will shatter. Through silence, the oath will break. I do not know what this means, but I keep seeing it in my dreams. The kami come to me. I see a mountain. I see smoke, and then the mountain breaks and cracks in two. I do not know if this means the fall of the dragon clan. I do not know if this means the fall of a particular family. But not only have I, but other monks and other Shugenja in and around the same area have had the same dream. It's a consistent dream. It's a persistent dream. As one that worries me. She bows ahead really low, and then Kitsuki Mizuochi speaks again. You all will begin at the Broken Fang Watchtower. You will speak to the centries, examine the terrain. If you find any evidence of corruption, spiritual, political, or otherwise, you will report directly to me. And he puts a scroll down on he actually takes it out of his robe and puts it on the same table that Tugashi Hoshi has been put down the other scrolls. Tugashi Satsu looks at you all and says, The path is not lit, but you will carry the flame. You need to let it burn wisely. With that, Tugashi Satsu gets up and everyone kind of like bows really low as they do that, most of them touching their head to the floor. And he walks out from the table and out to the side chamber and disappears. No one saying anything. When he leaves, Kitsuki Muzuochi sits back up and then looks over at you and says, Thank you. As you can tell, he looks left and right to everyone seated here. That Togashi Satsu is putting quite a lot of pressure on myself and I suggest the abilities of the Kitsuki investigators. I will need you to be my ears and eyes and to do this for me. I have already spoken to your superiors and all the other samurai that are here that are your are your betters or elders? I will leave you to discuss how you will approach this. He kind of looks over at Bayushi Takana and says, Takama Sama, I leave this in your hands. He then bows very shortly and walks away. Leaving you all to be sitting in the Daimya's audience chamber with yourselves. Your immediate superiors, Esawa Haiichi, Shinju Dyson, and Kikita Kaitan, kind of look at each other and they sort of like step up and they make their way towards the desk where the two scrolls are left, as well as the rosary. Anything you guys want to do?

SPEAKER_04 7:17

I'm just waiting to see what Shakita Kaiten is doing.

SPEAKER_02 7:21

He's just looking at this up and he makes his way towards the desk, as does Shinji Dyson and Sawa Hochi. They've all kind of like wandered over to sort of have a look at the stuff that's been left on this desk.

SPEAKER_04 7:34

So we follow, I will very slowly stand up and basically move behind Hakita Kaiten, and I will uh probably just bend over a little bit to him and ready to serve.

SPEAKER_02 7:50

Harry Nobasan, I would expect no less.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

Yeah, I would move beside uh my master there and start seeing what I could see as well. And idly asking, do we have any further support in this? Is there anything that we need to help with this task? Yeah, I mean you know Issowa Hochi.

SPEAKER_02 8:12

He's quite a practical guy. He he's although he's quite spiritually sensitive with Takami, he wears quite a lot of his emotions on his sleeve, so he is best described as someone who is known to have outbursts every now and then, and so he's quite matter-of-fact and sort of he pokes around at sort of like the scrolls and stuff and says, I think this is unlikely. Of course, I am around if you require anything, but I believe that we have other things to attend to, so this is requiring you to act in the best interests of our clan. Ayama san. Understood, and I'll give him a slate bell. The uh scorpion looks over at Kitsini Akira and says, I guess we'll treat this as a bounty. Yes? Where is the scorpion? Uh he's on the other side of the table. He's almost kind of taken the spot that the dragon daimyo has taken. Almost in a bit of defiance, like, oh, I'm just gonna sit basically where where where the where the leader of the of the dragon clan would sit. Which is probably not good for more etiquette, but he doesn't seem to care.

SPEAKER_05 9:26

Yeah, I was wondering if that if bringing up bounty would be inappropriate or not, but since he brought it up, that would be most welcome, I say, to the Scorpion.

SPEAKER_02 9:36

He says, uh you will be handsomely rewarded, of course. I bow to him. He says, three times your usual rate? That will be satisfactory. He he kind of gives you a almost a second, a second sort of like secondary nod, kind of, and just just bows his head, but doesn't really do too much more.

SPEAKER_01 9:53

Can we hear that exchange?

SPEAKER_02 9:55

Yeah, it's just like quite open here.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

So three times your normal rate split four ways.

SPEAKER_02 10:01

Excuse me. There's a small chuckle that comes out of the scorpion. On the as you can see on the desk, there is a small rosary. There is two scrolls. One of the scrolls is what looks like this investigative charter. It says Kitsiki briefing document issued by Kitsuki Mazuoji, the senior investigator. It mentions the location, the date, the time, the subject, escalating incidents in the northern peaks. It says, Over the last 21 days, multiple anomalies have been reported in the region surrounding the Broken Fang Watchtower, Early Dawn Forest, and the Zurai family holdings. These include disappearance of three patrols, no bodies recovered, discovery of two corrupted corpses, reoccurring prophetic dreams among monks in Shigenja, kami disturbances reported by Miramoto Akari, increased bandit activity with signs of spiritual corruption. Of strategic importance, the region in question borders key trade and pilgrimage routes between Shira Katsuki and Shiro Muromoto. If left unchecked, the corruption may undermine Dragon Clan territorial integrity, threaten the sacred sites and Kami sanctuaries, erode trust in the Zuri family stewardship, and escalate into wild clan spiritual crisis. Assigned agents. You are hereby entrusted with investigative authority under the Kitsuki mandate, which means you can use this to essentially be the equivalent of a Dragon Clan magistrate. Your status's unaffiliated operative grants you flexibility and discretion. You are to travel to the Broken Fang Watchtower and assess its current conditions. Interview surviving sentries and local villagers. Investigate signs of corruption in terrain, wildlife, and spiritual phenomena. Retrieve any physical evidence, scrolls or artifacts tied to this prophecy. Report findings directly to Kitsuki Muzuroju or his designated courier. Known allies. Miramoto Akari, a Shigenja, her knowledge is an elemental kami is critical. Kobayashi Fumio, a Zuroi retainer and tunnel warden, familiar with hidden roots and family secrets. Prophetic fragment, this was recovered by Akari. Through sacrifice, the peaks will shatter. Through silence, the oath will break. Beneath the stone, the shadows wait. Above the flame, the truth awakens. Interpretation remains inconclusive. You're encouraged to seek context through spiritual communion, historical records, and direct confrontation with corrupted entities. Advisory notes. Do not engage corrupt forces without preparation. Avoid revealing your full mission to the local authorities unless absolutely necessary. Trust must be earned, both with allies and with the land itself. The shadow does not speak plainly, neither should you. Signed. Kitsuki Muzuochi, senior investigator, and then you have the seal of Shiro Kitsuki, meaning that you are essentially designated magistrates in the Dragonlands. And that is on one of your scrolls.

SPEAKER_05 13:04

I have a question. What is a corrupted corpse?

SPEAKER_02 13:09

So in the world of Five Rings, there is a thing called Shadowlands Taint, which leaves people corrupted. It's kind of like evil magic, but they call it Maho in this game, which is dark magic, it's sorceress magic, necromantic stuff. And sometimes when creatures become corrupted, they show signs of corruptions, and that could be anything from boils or two different coloured eyes, it could be that they start to sort of like gain claws or you know their hair goes really greasy and matty and they start emitting a foul odour. It could be anything, it doesn't mention what it is, it's just that's what it says it is. So usually when the undead are finally put down, they usually have these weird characteristics about them. When someone who uses dark magic consistently, they then start to become corrupted and then they have to find ways to hide their corruption. And a lot of a lot of the clans have specific sort of like elements to the to the families that hunt down corrupted individuals. I guess the most well known within the lands of of um Legend of Five Rings is the Cooney family, which are part of the Crab Clan, the Crab Clan Man the Great Wall, which is a dividing wall between the Shadowlands, which is the Tainted Lands to the south, and the rest of Rockagon to the north. Okay. Thank you. Any other questions?

SPEAKER_04 14:34

No, I just wanted to check the materials on the table. The rosary and this small bound scroll.

SPEAKER_02 14:43

Yes, check it for there is a um there's a there's a rosary. Charlotte, can you please make a lore theology roll, please?

SPEAKER_00 14:54

Or anyone else who has lore theology. Does this align with my emphasis at all? What is your emphasis? Uh I don't know if I actually chose one. Maybe if you picked this the right one, didn't mind it.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

Actually, give me one moment. I'm gonna take a look at the clips I sent you. Because I think I had one selected on there. Question is, where did I put that? Found it. So No, I don't have one.

SPEAKER_02 15:18

This brings up a good question for anyone who's listening. So the lore skill is broken up into a bunch of different other skills. And so it could be lore theology, lore, I don't know, bushcraft, it could be lore, whatever that skill might be. Just knowing everything about that specific thing. And then it breaks it down to emphasis. In this game, you've got your skill, and then there's an emphasis. So in this case, there's a lot of emphasis. So it could be the elements, it could be non-human culture, whatever it might be, you then pick whatever that emphasis might be, and that allows you to add extra dice to the to the role.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

Is there a point when an emphasis when you choose it, or is that just on creation? Like, did I miss that?

SPEAKER_02 16:01

No, so in in character creation, if you want to add an emphasis rather than just go lore theology, if you want to then pick a specific aspect of theology, you would then pay extra XP to have that emphasis. But if you haven't done that, then it would just be lore theology, so it would be a straight roll for you. Uh we'll just go with that. So that's your law, add that to your intelligence. How did you do? 26. Excellent. So we'll kind of go through her little thing while we're here. I'll give you a target number. So in this case, the target number was 15. You can choose to go for raises, which gives you more information, it does cool stuff. You can add more damage if you're fighting. But you would say, I would like to go for raises. A raise is five points above whatever the target number is. So if Charlotte wanted to go, wanted to find out, I want to know a bit more information, please. Can I go for a raise? Sure. Your target number is therefore 20. It was 15, now it's 20, and if you succeed, I give you extra stuff.

SPEAKER_01 16:56

So is that something that we have to declare before we beforehand? Yeah. So, like right now, if I said I would like to go for a raise because I didn't have the full information to start off with, can I? And just use my current role. We could do that, that's fine. Just a raise.

SPEAKER_02 17:10

Oh, why not? Yeah, I mean, so I can also, as the GM be very kind and give you things called free raises. It means you do you get some stuff anyway, just for the fun of it. But in this case, we'll happily say you want a raise, we'll give you a raise. You can raise, this is for any skill in combat as well, a number of times you have in your void ring. So there are certain things like, say, for example, in combat, if you wanted to go for an arm or a leg, it's like one or two razors. If you wanted to shoot someone, you know, from a large distance into someone's eye through their armour, that might be four razors. Unless you've got four void, you know, you're not gonna be able to ever go for that kind of level of skill unless you wanted to kind of you know go for sort of you know, really if I give you a stupidly high target number to do something. But yeah, so that's um that's razors, and we'll happily give you that extra free raise because you're a good GM. And I'm such a nice GM. So, yes, when you look at the uh the rosary, it is kami resonance beads. So they're a string of beads of polished stones that are attuned to the elemental kami. When held during meditation, they they may glow faintly in the presence of a spiritual imbalance. And so there are ten beads on here. Two of each element, two fire, to water, to earth, to air, to void. And immediately I'll let you know what they do. So the fire, the beads will flicker when corruption is near. For water, the beads ripple when truth is hidden. With earth, it gets hot when danger is buried. Air, it vibrates slightly in your hands when deception is spoken, and void remains still unless a prophecy is unfolding. So it just is a is a is a standard bead. What you can do with the void bead is that you can actually use that to suck in corruption. So if something gave you corruption, you can choose to take that one point of corruption and put it into the bead. You've got two beads, so that's something you can do. And then the other scroll is a Kitsuki Investigators Journal. It's a rolled scroll which has the basis of how to basically investigate like a kitsuki. As I mentioned, I think in last in last session. Almost everyone else will look at speaking to people and you trust whoever has got a higher status or a higher glory. The kitsuki believe in this weird thing called evidence, and it kind of teaches you how, in a way, to gather evidence. It's an investigators' manual, like a very rules-like manual on how to investigate crime and corruption and that kind of thing. And that is there. All that will do, that will give you a plus one dice if you're investigating something. Tony, can you make perception roll?

SPEAKER_03 19:56

It should be a skill if you've got it. I don't have the skill.

SPEAKER_04 19:59

So I will just roll its intelligence?

SPEAKER_03 20:03

Yeah, just roll. Awareness.

SPEAKER_02 20:05

No, no, so perception is a trait, sorry. So use a perception.

SPEAKER_03 20:08

Yeah, sorry. Do you have awareness? Well, I have the just the trait and not the skill. Okay. So just make the unskilled roll.

SPEAKER_02 20:16

So just an unskilled roll, yeah, please. Yeah, so you you notice as you've been looking around that a mirror to Akari has basically been sat down, hasn't moved, and there is also another lady at the back of the audience chamber who's also been sitting there doing nothing else but just sitting in the back.

SPEAKER_03 20:34

So I will I will ask uh Kate and Sama, when are we when are we supposed to live? Today? Right now? He says I would probably take up leaving as soon as possible. Am I to believe you're coming with with me? You are unfortunately mistaken, my my my my young my young Kakita.

SPEAKER_02 20:56

I am afraid I am required elsewhere.

SPEAKER_04 21:00

So what I'm what am I going with?

SPEAKER_02 21:03

He looks at the other non-crane and says, I believe this is your uh your magistrate group.

SPEAKER_05 21:11

I see. Kitsunia Kira will say, Enough of all this talking. It is getting us nowhere. Let us be golf. I agree, perhaps for the best. There is a bounty to be made, and I intend to make it.

SPEAKER_01 21:23

But it does not do us any good to go off without a plan. We should meet up somewhere else, discuss what we're doing, discuss what we know, what we need, and be in agreement so we're not fractured on the path.

SPEAKER_04 21:35

As you wish, speaks truth. I agree.

SPEAKER_02 21:38

The scorpion says, Come, Nori, come this way. The girl that's been sitting in the back kind of like gets up and kind of wanders across. And he then looks at her and says, Akami san, perhaps you would also like to join them? As you'll be the one who'll be going with them. She says, Yes, she does not look happy about it. He says, My people. Hereid, he looks at the other the other samurai, who all almost sneer at him. Should we uh allow these magistrates to do what they should be doing? And we will leave them to it, shall we? In fact, why don't I offer you my townhouse? You you can use my my little my my little understated house to uh to make your plans, unless you have anywhere better to go.

SPEAKER_01 22:22

No, I think that would be excellent.

SPEAKER_02 22:24

He says, I will uh I will have someone take you there. That would be acceptable. He kind of like gathers all the the belongings uh that are left on the table and he hands it over to you, Akashayame, and he just kind of like bows, he kind of does it to you. And I would bow as to take it from him. Then you will kind of like wander off out of the um the room. It's not long afterwards that a a young boy comes over to you and says, Are you a gashoyame? I am. My master the Takana has asked me to take you to his townhouse. Please lead the way. Yes, yes, my lady. And he very quickly sort of leads you all off via your via your rooms if there's anything you would like to collect, and takes you out of Shirokitsuki into the town around Shirokitsuki. So it's it's a stepped pagoded castle, which is where the Kitsuki hold court, and then around the actual castle, there is a town for sort of like all the sort of merchants and any kind of samurais who happen to have their own digs, as well as the places for everyone to live for the half people, all the servants, the peasants, and everyone else that kind of work for all the various samurai, and they're just outside the city is the slums where all the no people live. They're all the people that slop out all the shit, deal with all the dead bodies, handle leather and anything like that. They're all out there, tanneries, that kind of stuff are all outside of town, away from sort of good samurai folk like yourselves, you do not get embarrassed by that kind of thing. And you find yourself in a nicely appointed three-roomed house, just on the outskirts near the city walls. It's got a lovely Koi pond in the back. It's got a nice weeping willow tree over it. There is a lovely little veranda, which you would imagine would be very nice during the summer, and you are now all sitting around. What was the kid's name?

SPEAKER_01 24:23

He didn't tell you. Okay. I would address him before he leaves. Can you find some food and drink for us?

SPEAKER_02 24:29

I will make sure that the the head man does that for you. I'm sorry if I if I have offended you in any way by not getting this arranged for you. I'm so very, very, very sorry. I'm so sorry. Don't worry about it. He kind of doesn't look at you, his eyes stay firmly at your feet. I I will I will go and get that sorted now, my lady. Thank you. He scurries off. Within sort of like four or five minutes, food and drink come in. The table is prepared, so you can sit down. It's got a lovely skirt around the table, so you can put your feet in. There's a brazier underneath, so you can stay warm and cozy, and the sort of like the the skirt on the table kind of folds around like into a blanket, so that you can sort of kneel under and keep warm. And you're given a whole range of very nice stuff. In fact, probably better food than you've been given while staying in Shiro Katsugi. All the sort of like food has all the wrappings of the mall, everything's in sort of like a purple and red kind of colour. Everything has the wrappings of food that has been brought in from the Scorpion Lands to here.

SPEAKER_01 25:38

Alright, so then there's five of us here, us four and Nori.

SPEAKER_02 25:42

So, yes, Suzumi Nori, Miyamoto, Akari, then uh yourselves are all sitting around a table.

SPEAKER_01 25:51

So while we eat, we should probably introduce ourselves so we know who we're dealing with going forward.

SPEAKER_05 25:59

Is the is the boy still here?

SPEAKER_02 26:01

No, he's gone. But there are probably, if you actually think about it, there's probably four or five servants that are kind of coming in and dealing with everything you need to do. It's something that happens with samurai, that there are always other people around, but there are unimportant people because they are not samurai, so no one actually pays them. They might as well be chest of drawers or you know, a cup or a saucer. That is their function. They that is what they do. You so I I will assume, unless you particularly ask about anyone in the room, that there'll always be people around to do things. So but you just get used to the fact that they do their own thing. If they talk about anything that you're you're talking about, essentially you can basically go and kill them, and you've got no there's no there's no there's no comeback on you, you know.

SPEAKER_05 26:50

So I will call one of them over to taste the food and the drink before that's on my plate that's in front of me.

SPEAKER_02 26:58

My lord, of course. And they will take a little portion of the food and drink.

SPEAKER_05 27:02

And then I will watch them closely for the next, you know, ten, fifteen minutes.

SPEAKER_02 27:06

Ten, fifteen minutes. Yep. They kind of like stand in a corner looking very awkward for for a short while. They don't seem to have any ill effects, and the headman, who kind of is the ha the household head, looks a little uh annoyed, but is not saying anything.

SPEAKER_01 27:22

You must think very highly of yourself to think that somebody would be trying to poison you already.

SPEAKER_05 27:27

I have made many enemies in my life. Some have tried to kill me. Maybe now who are we speaking with? I am Ketunia Gira.

SPEAKER_02 27:37

Cool. Well, we can figure out if you if you've ever heard of him. This'll be interesting. Can't be that famous, I've never heard of you. If the rest of you want to uh make a intelligence plus heraldry, if anyone's got heraldry or lore clans, either of those would be helpful.

SPEAKER_03 27:56

The target number is 30. Adrol, but nothing came out. I don't know why.

SPEAKER_04 28:01

At least I don't see it.

SPEAKER_02 28:03

You got a 12.

SPEAKER_04 28:04

I don't see anything on my foundry. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

Yeah, never any of them.

SPEAKER_04 28:09

My name is Kakita Ironobu from the school of the Kakita. Duelist of the family. It is an honor.

SPEAKER_01 28:19

I rolled a 23. Have I heard of Kitsuni Akira before? He's 30. So he's a no one. Fuck you!

SPEAKER_04 28:27

Your glory is not enough. Your status is not enough.

SPEAKER_01 28:31

Greetings, I am Agasha Yami from the Phoenix clan.

SPEAKER_04 28:34

Honor to meet you.

SPEAKER_02 28:36

Honor. The um the young young lady in the uh in the in the colours of the uh Sparrow clan, minor clan. She says, she sort of like puts her head to this little table and she says, uh, this is Nori. I am a storyteller and samurai for my clan. Are you here with us to record our tales?

SPEAKER_01 28:56

She says, Yes, if if you'll if you'll allow me, a Yamasama, and she bows. As you've been assigned to us, I'm not sure if we really have a choice.

SPEAKER_02 29:04

She looks all good for a moment and says, I I I'm sure I will be able to serve you all from the great clans in the best way I can possibly. However, I can do so, I will do so. She sort of bows again, looking so very kind of sheepish. And then uh Miramoto Akari says, I'm Miramoto Akari. I am a Shigenjo with the Dragon Clan. As you know, and I have also been haunted by these visions. I need to do something to uh help my fellow clan members, and hopefully, with your help, my my my lords and ladies, that you'll be able to help be rid me of whatever is going on, especially you, and she sort of looks at you, Agashayame. It is good to have a fellow Shikenjo to help me shoulder the burden of the kami.

SPEAKER_04 29:57

May I ask you, Akarisama, about these dreams? Can you tell us anything more that could be important for the mission at hand? What is this corruption?

SPEAKER_02 30:08

Don't really understand them. It has happened maybe three weeks now. I started off dreaming of a mountain, and the mountain was there, it was present. There was a mist, sort of a smoke that kind of surrounded the mountain. And as the dreams got more vivid and vivid, the mountain was engulfed in this smoke, this dark smoke. And eventually one one evening I I I when I awoke and I I remembered that the peak shattered. It split in two. It was it was very, very difficult. It felt there was a lot of dread. I recognized the mountain, but I can't place it. I am not a geographer. I don't know where this mountain is, but I feel like I have seen it in passing.

SPEAKER_04 30:51

What is the significance of mountains in this case? I know that for the Dragon clan, you are surrounded by mountains that are important for you.

SPEAKER_02 31:01

Yes, and and I I think maybe I believe maybe that the mountain symbolizes the clan. And and she says, I am hoping that the the current aggression between my clan and your clan, Gasha Ayami, is not what's causing this, but I I I feel that it may have some some some something to do with it. Uh in in chat, sorry. Marky, you asked about a volcano. Yes, so at the very so last year, the thing that started the the dragon and phoenix war, a volcano erupted. That wasn't where she feels that this was, this was far further to the east, which was on the land between the Phoenix and the Dragon. The volcano did erupt, a volcano did erupt, which meant that lot of the samurai and the peasants and the and sort of like the people living nearby needed to move to a location that was very close to and inhabited by some of the phoenix, it was sort of like disputed lands. Uh they were sort of like neutral, but this meant that it started off this um this this war between the dragon and and the phoenix. And yet she she she's she says, so yeah, that kind of just just for your knowledge. She said, I I I think that this is something that is private. I it feels weird, it is a is a strange feeling in me. I don't quite understand how to interpret it. I am hoping that by looking into everything that we'll be able to do that. Unfortunately, uh I am hoping that all of your experiences will be able to help me understand it. I know that if if I find out where it is, I could probably work out a ritual to help reduce the corruption. But I'll need to know where that corruption, if it is indeed corruption, is. I don't know. It is it is it's difficult. That is that is that is what I I feel it is.

SPEAKER_05 33:08

Sometimes, Miramoto-san, a dream is nothing more than a dream.

SPEAKER_02 33:13

She smiles at you and says, My Lord Akira, clearly you have never entreated with the kami.

SPEAKER_05 33:19

That is presumptuous of you to say, Miram Miramoto-san. I merely state a fact. Sometimes a dream is nothing more than a dream.

SPEAKER_01 33:29

I would like to hope so. That may be the case, but when there are so many people having the same dream, you cannot slough it off.

SPEAKER_05 33:37

You will be surprised what fear does to the mind says.

SPEAKER_02 33:42

I'm hoping that we can visit the early dawn shrine and we can speak to the monks there. Hopefully they'll have a better understanding of what this means.

SPEAKER_05 33:54

They are wise after all. Sounds like a solid start. I was just about to say the same thing, Agashi-san. What time of the day is it now?

SPEAKER_02 34:02

It's probably late afternoon. By the time you've gone through all the rigor roll of all the ceremonies and meeting the Daimyo and coming back here. Yeah, it's sort of like mid-afternoon. Mid to late afternoon.

SPEAKER_01 34:14

Now, this shrine, is it like well known to us? Would we have a good idea without asking about how long it would take to get there?

SPEAKER_02 34:21

Do you have a good idea? Make an intelligence roll.

SPEAKER_01 34:24

I will make all the intelligence rolls all day long. Shall we market it as unskilled?

SPEAKER_02 34:29

Yeah. Unless you've got some kind of lore about dragonlines and stuff. Yeah, that's more than enough. Yes, so Early Dawn Shrine can be found in the early dawn forest. I will drag you to the map. Um everyone gets dragged to the map, which we can share on the Patreon and maybe add it to something. Yeah, you will see that currently you guys are down here in the bottom left of the map in Shurikitsuki. If you were to head sort of northeast, you will see the Zurly Dawn Shrine, Early Dawn Forest. You've got a couple of tea houses to the south of the Lower East Road Tea House. There is a watchtower, and that is the uh Broken Fang watchtower that they talked about. And then they also mentioned the Zuri family, which is up in near Shurizuri, up towards sort of like in the mountains themselves. So the the land that you're in, you've got mountains in the middle, mountains to the south and to the north. And effectively, you've got a north road and an east road, and both of those are in a valley between two mountains, two mountain ranges. The north will take you to sort of where all the sort of big Tagashi monasteries and stuff will be. To the east will take you towards the Phoenix lands, and to the west will take you to the Unicorn Lands. There is no real way to get west from where you are. It is literally an impenetrable barrier of mountains. There are a couple of passes to head east to the Phoenix lands, which are currently very much heavily guarded against any kind of Phoenix incursions. Shiramiromoto, which is the capital, is off to the far side of the map. And then there is a very well-known path that goes to the north through Last Depp's village, Dragon Breath Castle, and up to the large Togashi monastery, which is the heart of the Dragon Clan. But that is further up in a different province. Yeah, so you you've all pretty much know that that's where the early dawn shrine is. Charlotte, you you kind of know that it's a took monastery nestled in in the transition between towering mountain peaks and dense mist laden forests. It's a place of quiet contemplation and rigorous discipline. It serves as a sanctuary for monks, wanderers, and scholars seek enlightenment through the teachings of the Togashi Order. That's what you know about it.

SPEAKER_01 36:53

Cool. When it comes to like unit of measure on our maps, what are we considering distanced?

SPEAKER_02 36:58

So like heads equals Hadley for you. Days travel will be between Shirikitsuki and the East Road Tea House, the southern East Road Tea House. It's a day's travel. So a day's travel between the tea houses, handly in such a manner that you'll basically get up, do all the things you do, because you're samurai, you probably wouldn't leave the house until you know gone, half eight, nine o'clock in the morning, or the equivalent of. You will travel for a good portion of the day, probably till about four or five, and that would be when you would happily come across a tea house or a way station or an inn. And essentially that's how they mark things. There is no standard unit of of measuring anything here, because the measurement is whatever the emperor says it takes to go from one place to another. So sometimes an emperor will say, Oh, it'll take from here to here in a day. Even if it doesn't take that long, or if it does take that long or longer, you will always say it takes a day because the emperor has decreed it such. So you know measurement is not ideal. But essentially, if you wanted to get to early dawn shrine, realistically, it's probably about a day and a half of travel.

SPEAKER_05 38:09

Because you have to go off land. I was gonna suggest we go to that first East Road tea house. Because it'll probably be nightfall by the time we get there, and then in the morning go to the early dawn shrine from there. That was that would be my suggestion. Agasha san. I think that makes sense. And that also puts us near that watchtower. Do you have thoughts on the matter, Kakita-san?

SPEAKER_04 38:32

No. Seems like a good plan.

SPEAKER_05 38:34

Do you always frown at good plans? Kakita-san?

SPEAKER_03 38:38

Look at you and don't answer. I looked for a fourth.

SPEAKER_02 38:42

You've been very quiet. Utaku Hiroshi says. Probably take me a quarter of a day to get there on horseback. I uh he looks at you and says, I I assume that we'll be going at your walking pace. It raises a good question. Are there horses available for us? He says, But that that is fine. I I'm I'm more than happy to uh to arrest the horse. It'll be good to get out and actually ride. I'm more than happy to scout ahead for you to make sure that nothing bad happens to you. The Muramoto Shigenja kind of says, Why would they? You were in the heart of the Dragonlands. And he kind of throws back a glance at her and says, Didn't stop like, you know, troops getting uh disappeared or being corrupted and dying, right? And he sort of like he essentially sort of leans back and puts his hand in. If he had trousers in his pockets, he'd do that. Kind of shrugs and sort of like scratches his beard. So, well, you know, things just aren't the same as they used to be, right? Don't worry about it. The lady, I'll be able to protect you. He says, it'll be fine, it'll be fine, it'll be fine. He goes back to sort of eating some food and drinking some sake. Probably a bit more than is required by etiquette. The demo's here now. It's yeah, I was saying by the time you've had a conversation, it's probably late afternoon now. Probably getting into evening, so you'll be able to sort of like rest, recuperate, all that kind of thing. Get all your stuff together. I would imagine that's probably not you, Kitsuni Akira, but I imagine Kikita Hironobu, Akashayame, and in fact even Utaki Yiroshi will have a retinue of peasants to carry your things, and you probably have maybe I don't know, somewhere between four and ten people that follow you around, make camp for you, do all the things for you that these requirements. Well they have they have squires. They have indeed have squires. Well, they have they have half not quite slaves, no, no. They're not slaves, but they are they are members of the clan of the crane and you know, Phoenix clan. They just are peasants, so you know, they do peasanty things. But you don't normally get involved with that kind of stuff. They do their stuff and you just, you know, they kind of follow you. You can choose if you want to leave them behind, but you don't have to.

SPEAKER_05 40:59

Very well. Or we leave tomorrow. I thought we were leaving to go to the first East Road tea house before nightfall. That was the plan.

SPEAKER_02 41:07

You will not get to the East Road tea house by nightfall.

SPEAKER_05 41:11

Well, I think everyone said everyone said it was a great plan. The first East Road tea house. Yep, it's a day's a day's travel. You said this was a day's travel over here. The second one.

SPEAKER_01 41:21

Yeah, the second East Road tree house or tea house was. No, no, no. So there's a day's travel between each tea house.

SPEAKER_05 41:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 41:29

Well, okay, that wasn't clear. Okay. Okay, so yeah, so sorry, yeah. So each tea house is is roughly a day's travel apart.

SPEAKER_05 41:36

Okay. That actually makes more sense looking at the map. Okay. Alright, so then yeah, we'll stay, then we'll stay here until the morning.

SPEAKER_04 41:43

I will stand up as hell, see you at the exit of the castle tomorrow. And I will leave. I will bow to everyone.

SPEAKER_02 41:51

You bow to everyone, everyone bows back. Hiroshi does the same thing, more of a kind of like casual nod and wanders off.

SPEAKER_05 41:57

Bring that scowl tomorrow, Kakita san. We will need it on the road.

SPEAKER_03 42:03

I will not turn around, just leave. Ignore him. The Miramoto gets up next and says, I'll be waiting for you all.

SPEAKER_02 42:11

And she bows, leaving three of you in there, the uh Suzumi and you two.

SPEAKER_05 42:16

Yeah, Kikatsumi will retire to wherever they've provided a place for him to sleep.

SPEAKER_02 42:22

So it's just a Kasha, a Yami, and uh Suzumi Nori, who basically sit there at the table and she sort of like waits for you to leave. Now, is there any information I can get from her now that everyone else is gone? She sits across the desk from you, just like smiling at you in this kind of like polite smile that doesn't really change. Yeah, nothing comes to mind for what I want to learn from her. Yep, you kind of leave and she then leaves after you. I guess we'll leave it there for this evening.