The Dragon's Village 2017

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Lazybones
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Re: The Dragon's Village 2017

Post by Lazybones » Fri Aug 10, 2018 10:00 pm

Session 39 - The Finale

+1650xp for full party IC posting this week.

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Vanya Mia
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Re: The Dragon's Village 2017

Post by Vanya Mia » Sat Aug 11, 2018 3:08 pm

((A bit late, sorry, but server is up.))

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Lazybones
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Re: The Dragon's Village 2017

Post by Lazybones » Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:48 pm

Thanks to everyone for another awesome campaign.

LB

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Mirgalen
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Re: The Dragon's Village 2017

Post by Mirgalen » Wed Aug 15, 2018 10:34 am

Tenko's journey.

The Wu Jen was dead. Killed twice so to speak. After all this time spent venturing in remote locations, Tenko did not come closer to finding where he was from. He was starting to doubt that he was really a fox. May be they were no more fox alive. He took a bunch of maps from the Wu Jen tower on his way out.

Weeks later he left alone a cold night of winter in direction of the largest forest nearby. He went to explore large forests one after another looking for clues. Weeks passed, months, years even. He went to many places but he did not change or age a bit.

One day in met a fortune teller who offered to read his palm. He did not really believe in palm reading but welcomed the entertainment the experience would offer. He was a dark tent smelling herbs of all kinds. The lady took his hands for an instant but she said no word. She looked terrified.
"What is it? What are you afraid of? Do speak!"
"Please don't hurt me lord! I... I will say no word, your secret is safe with me. Please..."
"Secret? What secret? You are not making any sense, what do you mean?"
"I... I can see you... in your true form..."
"What true form? Please explain yourself. I am not here to hurt you. Please tell me what you see."
"You...I'm sorry but... You are a trickster my lord... a kitsune... a fox... in human form."
"I am?"

Tenko stayed with the fortune teller for 2 moons, learning everything he could about kitsune from her. He left her a big bag of gold wishing her well for her remaining days.

He took him a few more seasons to re-learn shapeshifting and a few more to find the location of a kitsune clan.

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Re: The Dragon's Village 2017

Post by smartalec » Wed Aug 15, 2018 3:29 pm

And so was the tale of the strange fate of Lord Kung finished. But the travels of the Wandering Sword did not end there.

For a time, he travelled with his companions. The great Dragon, the forest-walker, the spirit-speaker, the wise wu jen, the ronin, even the ninja; all had places to go, and every journey was a lesson to learn. It is said he returned to the village he began, and fought a duel that lasted half a day. But there was more to see, and do; and the Wandering Sword set out across the kingdoms. He believed he had come to wisdom - but now, he had to live by that truth, and show it was indeed what he believed it was.

In these travels, bandits brought to heel, monsters were faced, wrongs were righted and the justice that comes from balance and compassion was brought to places that had not known it for many a year. Coins flowed into his hands, and were placed or given where he thought sensible and true. And in technique, in understanding, always there was more to refine.

In his later years, the Wandering Sword returned to the Capital, and came to live there, though he rarely walked the streets. Instead, he practiced, and learned his letters, writing what he knew into a manual. Students came, the sons of nobles and soldiers and even some farmers, looking to study the sword; and some, the ones of clear intent, were allowed to stay. It was said that where in the classical forms there were twenty seven strikes; yet in the Way of the Wandering Sword, there were only thirteen. And if asked how many, he would always say, 'there are none', to the puzzlement of all.

But at last, in the sixty-third year of the Wandering Sword's life, with the manual completed over many years; work and with many of his students now able to teach others with purity, the Wandering Sword bid farewell to those he knew best, collected his old sword, and walked slowly out of the building, out of the district, out of the city... and was never seen again.

***

The wind and snow buffeted him, he was hungry and sore, and at this height, he could barely breathe. But he wasn't about to give up! He had travelled for over a year to finally meet the Master. And there, atop the ridge, dizzyingly high above all, he sat; white hair piled atop his head, long wispy beard blowing in the wind. The ancient one was still; as if he had frozen. No; as if he was stone. As if he was part of the mountain.

He hurried forward, and cast himself at the ancient one's feet. "Master! Revered Master. I have studied your art for many years, and I have come to learn the secret of your Way."

The ancient one did not respond.

He did not give up; he waited, prostrate at the ancient one's feet, for time he could not count. At least one sunrise and sunset passed, and yet the ancient one did not stir, no matter what was said to him. But at last, just when he had started to believe the ancient one must have frozen to death, he spoke.

"What is the Eternal Truth of the Swordsman?"

He blinked. There had been nothing of this in the manuals, or from the teachers. He ached, half-frozen, hungry and tired... he could barely think. Was it all for nothing? "I... I do not know!"

There was an agonising silence. But at last, Meng Wen, the ancient one, the Wandering Sword, opened his eyes. "Let us begin."

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Re: The Dragon's Village 2017

Post by Topato » Sat Aug 18, 2018 8:52 am

//really sorry but i think i might have to miss this one, have to go out, will see how early i can get back. Dont wait though.

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Vanya Mia
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Re: The Dragon's Village 2017

Post by Vanya Mia » Sat Aug 18, 2018 1:10 pm

Two figures surveyed a landscape of ash and destruction, barely discernible as they stood before the willow tree. Catkins, leaf and small twig had burned from the branches and a there was a scar where a branch had torn away, but still it stood at the side of the stream where its boughs had once dipped into the water. Water now choked muddy with the detritus of the blast.

One amorphous figure reached out to the trunk of the tree and remained still for a time as the ebb and flow of the breeze swirled a cloud of dust particles to rise, billowing through the air and around the roots of the tree. It was a while before the figure withdrew its touch. Perhaps it was ash disturbed by the wind, the movement of the sluggish stream over the rocks, or the creaking of the branches but though there was no one to hear it seemed there were voices.

"They still don't know." The words originated with the figure that had reached out, and which now now stood still regarding the tree. Sorrow strong in the soft words.

"I know." There was a resigned note to the voice from the second figure, which had not turned from the view of devastation.

"We have tried and tried." The shape of figure danced and wavered, turning to join the other in it's contemplation. "Many, many times."

"We have." The words were accompanied by a sigh that sounded more like the soughing of the wind than ever.

"But still they don't know. Do we try again?" Within the sound was a hint of pleading.

"We must." There was a resigned note to the voice. "If we do not they will never learn."

The wind picked up and brought with it a greater dust cloud and the figures faded from view. Later, perhaps a life-time, perhaps a few moments, it died down and the more substantial shapes of two figures emerged. A lithe young woman with a mane of near-white hair and a second which seemed to change as the dust swirled in a final eddy. What might for a moment have looked like a bear settled into the form of a huge, venerable old hound.

They made no sound beyond footfall on the scorched earth, simply turned and walked away with the hand of the girl resting on the neck of the hound, but an observer might have thought they heard a cheery sound on the wind.

"Yay!"



(In memorium and with reference to - given a degree of poetic licence - the Giant Pussy Willow Tree, Ninomaru, Hiroshima Castle which numbers amongst the hibaku jumoku.)

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