S3E15: Loose Ends

The survivors of the hunting party sat with Otomo Nobu to debrief the events of the attack. Nobu revealed that he knew Nakama was a shapeshifter. The Otomo family had long traded secrets with Nakama in order to learn about the land surrounding Closed Shell Castle. Nobu claimed, however, that he did not know that Nakama was planning an attack on Reju Jikai.

Jikai, severely wounded from the attack, listened as Nobu spoke, slipping in and out of sleep as his exhausted body succumbed to the medicine that was treating him. It dawned on him for the first time that perhaps Nobu wasn’t as capable a leader as he once thought. Though he was beginning to have his doubts, he did not believe he was in the right state to make any final decisions regarding the governance of his castle.

Boa had known men like Nobu before. During his time in the courts of the Crane clan, Boa had seen many upstart nobles and ambitious samurai trying to make names for themselves. Boa knew that Nobu aspired to take the castle for his own. Tired of Nobu’s smoke and mirrors, Boa asked him bluntly what his plans for Closed Shell Castle were. The steward stated simply that he wanted the castle to live up to its true potential. That he was tired of it being a laughing stock and a stain on the land.

After the meeting, the three ronin agreed that Nobu was planning to seize control of the castle, though they did not know how. They remembered the escaped shugenja, Tetsuya, and wondered what he knew. He may be the missing piece of the puzzle that links everything together. They vowed to find him and speak with him to see what he knows. In the meantime, the ronin decided to pay a visit to Setsuo, the village elder. They convinced him to write a letter to his son, Ichiro, telling him to call off any attack on the castle for at least another week. The ronin wanted more time to figure out what Nobu’s plans were and thought the villagers could be marching into danger.

The next morning, Reju Masaru had a mission for the ronin. They were to find Tetsuya and bring him back to the castle alive. It seemed fate had steered them onto the proper course. After rummaging through the castle armory for supplies, the ronin decided to first set off for Twin Blessings Village so they could drop off Setsuo’s letter. Upon reaching the village, they discover that Natsumi had assumed the role of village leader in Setsuo’s absence. She told the ronin that after Setsuo’s imprisonment, most of the villagers from both Twin Blessings Village and Nestled Village have either joined with the bandits or fled. They feel that Jikai’s government has become so tyrannical that nothing can change without serious action. The ronin explain their position on the matter and hand Natsumi Setsuo’s letter to give to Ichiro. She says that Setsuo can try to hold the bandits off as long as he wants, but something terrible is brewing.

With that settled, the ronin traveled in the direction of Otosan Uchi to find Tetsuya. Rain clouds began to gather, and before long a wicked storm began to flood the fields, soaking everyone to the bone. With the sun beginning to set, the three decided to stop for the night at a temple-shelter for travelers. As the ronin settled in and dried themselves beside the fire, they heard a knock at the door. The shoji cracked open to reveal a pair of wandering monks. The ronin let them in and they quickly moved beside the fire. Gracious for letting them share the space with them, one monk began to play music on his flute while the other made tea. Not entirely sure what to make of the monks, Tsume talked to them to learn more about them and their mission. They were monks of Shinsei. They wandered Rokugan, enlightening people with Shinsei’s teachings, offering peace of mind and spiritual fulfillment. Boa inspected the tea which they were handing out, but could not detect anything out of the ordinary. The ronin soon let their guard down and enjoyed their new found company.

One of the monks offered to light some incense, and pulled out a beautiful, ornate box. While the ronin leaned in to smell the incense, the monk blew into the box, causing perfumed powder to momentarily blind and choke the ronin. As they coughed, the monk drew a hidden ninjato sheathed in his staff, while the other loaded his flute like a blowgun and took aim.

Artwork by Dylon Munoz

Music by Brandon Spain & Podcast of the Five Rings