OnceUponATimeInJapanS01P31

Ref: OnceUponATimeInJapan & OnceUponATimeInJapanAdventures

[Thursday Tolworth Group] Please do not read

Part 31 - Rice Rustlers

Play date: Wed 21st May 2008

Characters: [Miharu (CathyE)], [Fu Do Komadori (TimE)], [Yuki Ishiro Tokimasa (PeteN)]

Campaign date: Evening of the ([Butsumetsu]) 4th day of Utsuki (4th Luna Month), Year of the Positive Wooden Rat (8 Kitohana)

Weather: Warm Early Summer Day

Location: [Tegamura (Characters' Home Village)]

Opening Credits - Movement in the night

There are a lot of people leaving a building, it is dark, there are many hand grabbing for things, there are many lights around them ...

Scene One - Dusk

[Komadori] is spending time with his father discussing trade.

[Miharu] is returning home after purifying herself when she and [Tokimasa] see lights in the paddy fields. They go an investigate, as they approach the lights go out and they hear people leaving. When they get they find that about 1/2 of the rice shoots that are to blessed in the next morning are gone and some of the rest have been dug up ready for taking away.

[Miharu] goes back to the village to get help whist [Tokimasa] hides to see if anyone comes back.

Scene Two - Mob Rule

[Miharu] and [Komadori] return to the seedimg paddy fields with 8 angry farmers. The search the field and find tracks from large person leading off. The large person and maybe ten children head towards the main road through the valley. Once there they loose the tracks. There is then some discussion about whom could be behind this outrage:

- The Blue Samurai

- The Tanuki

- The Bakemono

- The Arakami

Scene Three - Ancient Tree Grove

After more searching the trail starts again near the path that leads to another village. The party remember that this leads towards the Tanuki and Ancient Tree, [Komadori] leads the way.

They find 4 bundled of rice sprouts but no Tanuki and the rest of the rice is missing. [Komadori] and [Tokimasa] search the area have there is no sign that the Tanuki have been back to the old shrine.

After spending some time looking [Tokimasa] thinks that the large person walk backwards over his tracks out of the area. He then find where he jump off the trail and hide for while. There is then a clear trail back towards the village.

At the road the group reconsiders that it must not have been the Tanuki but they have been setup. Having no more clues they head towards the hidden cave expecting that the Bakemono, if it is them, will have returned with there spoils.

Scene Four - Secret Cave

Once there they find that there is evidence of a lot of movement but it is all from people leaving the cave.

[Komadori] and [Tokimasa] climb to the top of the bluff to the Kami's new shrine and find no sign of the rice or Arakami.

One of the peasants almost find the secret cave but [Tokimasa] heads him off.

Scene Five - Practical Solutions

Having little time before dawn and the up and coming rice ritual the party conciders where it can get more rice sprouts from.

- follow the tracks of whom ever have the rice.

- see if the Blue Samuari have rice

- steal rice from some one else

- buy rice

[Miharu] retires for the night to prepare for the ritual the next day

[Komadori] discuss with this father if he can buy rice from there trading partners (the bakemono), he agrees but wants a good return on the investment.

[Tokimasa] goes to see the HihegaBakuSama to see if he can find out if the blue Koyboshi stole the rice sprouts.

Scene Six - Blue Maner House

[Tokimasa] is sean by HihegaBakuSama and does not seam to have any rice, he is interested to by up [Tokimasa]'s rice to plant.

Scene Seven - At the Bakemono

[Komadori] find the Bakemono having a party and eating meat. The chief is more than happy to sell two paddys of ricer sprouts for three daishos. He then orders bakemono-sho to get the rice sprouts and it is delivered to the cave in under an hour.

[Komadori] and [Tokimasa] have to transport it through the cave, which takes sometime. They then tell the farmers that they have recovered the sprouts. Which are then replanted for the morning blessings.

Real Life

guardian.co.uk: [Farmers fall prey to rice rustlers as price of staple crop rockets]