Welcome to Stormfall, an AU Naruto-verse quest set during the Second World War, where you play as various ninja who get into all sorts of exciting adventures. See the infopost for more info.
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Stormfall (An AU Naruto Quest)
- Thread starter Shrooms
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Chapter 0: Prologue
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Prologue
"A pre-emptive strike? No. I refuse. A direct provocation, an act of war, at the height of our prosperity - this would be the behavior of warmongers, not peacekeepers. This is not the world the First and Second wished us to create." Sarutobi Hiruzen, gazing out upon his beloved village, slowly turned to face a small council of military advisors. The Third Hokage glowered with disapproval.
The head of the Nara Clan, a young and brilliant mind recently promoted to the elite rank of jōnin, continued his pitch. "My own father perished in the first World War. Don't think for a second that I relish the idea of bringing about another. It is the very height of our prosperity that drives the malice of our foes. We're not stronger than all our enemies combined. But we could be, if we take the initiative."
"A temporary advantage in exchange for an eternal grudge. And countless lost lives."
The head of the Uchiha Clan spoke next. "What is life but buying time for the next generation to fix the mistakes of the ones who came before them? The bloodshed of another all out war would be even greater. You see the way the winds are blowing. Already, day by day, loyal Leaf shinobi are struck down by hidden foes, as they bleed themselves for the rest of us to live in comfort." Uchiha Fugaku inclined his head to his fellow Clan Head and continued. "Lord Nara has shown us the numbers. The deaths, the disappearances… they're intensifying, not calming. Organized conflict will come, despite your diplomatic efforts abroad. If they won't listen to reason, then a decapitation strike is our best hope for forestalling another war spanning the Elemental Nations."
The Third Hokage shook his head disapprovingly. "And what makes you so sure-"
A voice from the corner of the room cut him off. "Mito."
A few of the others in the room flinched. Hiruzen merely withheld a strong urge to sigh loudly. Shimura Danzō's eyes regarded him coolly. Hiruzen responded, "The Lady is getting on in her years, I'll admit. But one bad fall doesn't mean-"
"Hiruzen, spare us the political theater, please."
The room's temperature felt like it spiked twenty degrees in an instant, but Hiruzen maintained his calm tone nonetheless. "Ever the diplomat you are, Danzō."
Danzō raised his arms minutely, shrugging ever so slightly. "Sensei picked you for the Hat over me for a reason." A statement he would never tolerate anyone else making.
"If you insist on dehumanizing the whole endeavor, know that we have already procured a viable vessel from Whirlpool, when Lady Mito's time comes."
Lord Nara cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Therein lies the problem, sir. Leaf may have the God of the Shinobi, and the White Fang, and the Silent Crow, and countless other powerful jōnin… but the stability of the Elemental Nations has always depended on its Jinchūriki. The First knew this when he distributed the Tailed Beasts amongst the many nations."
Danzō muttered, "An idiotic decision for which we are still paying the consequences."
Lord Nara tactfully avoided the borderline heresy, and concluded, "A reality we all must live with, at any rate."
Hiruzen hummed thoughtfully, producing a pipe and taking a deep toke. "Hence the desire to buy time."
Lord Nara nodded solemnly. "The weakest Leaf will be for the next several decades… is while the next host of the Demon Fox is adjusting to using its vast power. Our enemies are waiting for news of Mito's passing. For news that the Nine-Tailed Fox has been sealed in a new host. Uzumaki Kushina won't be ready to fully wield that power to defend Leaf for a decade at least."
The Third Hokage turned away from his counsel, gazing back over the Village Hidden in the Leaves once more. To the urban sprawl, bustling with life. To young ninja dancing across the shingled roofs, much to the chagrin of their instructors. To the legacy that the First and Second entrusted to him. To everything and everyone who had ever mattered to him. For the briefest of moments, he saw it wreathed in flame and carnage.
There was no harm in at least mulling the possibilities over, was there? It was Hiruzen's duty to stand between the people of Leaf and whatever horrors the world may hold. And sometimes that duty stood in the way of his own personal interests and dreams. Even those that he inherited from his mentors.
"...continue with your report, Lord Nara."
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Satoru was smirking as he placed his latest stone. Jin sighed. That was never a good sign. As he mulled his defeat, Jin ran a finger over one of the stones in his hand, emblazoned with the symbol of the Village Hidden in the Rocks. One of the only pieces of home he had with him. How long had they been here now?
"You've penned yourself in again, you know." Clack.
"Hey now. Fighting from the corner ain't the same as penning myself in." Clack.
"Easy enough to say for someone who's penned himself in." Clack.
"Hmph. I know your tricks now, boy." Clack.
"I suppose that's bound to happen after one thousand, two hundred and seven games. Not that it's helped you prevent them from working." Clack.
"Too fuckin' right." Over a thousand games and he'd won thirty six of them. Thirty six. Jin would've quit playing this Tama brat ages ago if there wasn't shit else to do in this backwater encampment. The Land of Grass held true to its name, with naught to see but prairies and valuable, yet boring, farmland. He couldn't spend too much time or energy training (or get drunk for that matter), in case he needed to fend off any more raids from Hidden Grass nin, though they'd been quiet the past few months. So he played this bullshit game with a certified genius instead. Clack.
Satoru's eyes narrowed a fraction, and like many times before, Jin tried to see things how a logistical genius would. An eye there, a wall there, free space there but with obvious reprisal should either attempt to claim… there.
Clack.
Satoru grew yet more determined to squeeze the cornered rat, claiming more ground, but Jin began dancing his way around, ensnaring the invaders before they knew what hit them. Clack. Clack. Clack.
The muted excitement began to grow as a way out presented itself from his opponent's earlier play, insufficient to snuff out his enemy. Clack.
The conflict grew fierce, islands encircling one another before falling to a larger formation, shielding each other with stalwart eyes. Their play spanned the whole board now, clamoring for any advantage they could manage.
But the longer the conflict stretched out, the more his momentum began to slow to a crawl, and then reverse. Satoru, brow sweating with focus, played the long game, whittling down on Jin's gains until over half the board was his. Left with no hope yet again, Jin was forced to resign.
"Dammit. Closest I've been in a hundred games."
Satoru looked weary but he was grinning. "Closest you'll be in the next hundred, too."
"Now you listen here you little shit-" Jin paused his rant, eyes scanning the hills around them, ears twitching at a soft crunch that he had almost mistaken for small rocks tumbling in the wind. But he was all too familiar with that sound, and it didn't belong here.
"Earth Release: Mountain Flowing Spirit." Jin blitzed through hand signs and the ground answered his whims, awareness pulsing out from him in a wide radius. An entire battalion of bodies crouched in the grass near their encampment. Hidden Grass nin were notorious for their stealth capabilities, but even they couldn't hide themselves from the Earth itself. That being said, he'd more or less just announced that he had noticed them, and they were already twitching in response, itching to kill.
"We're under attack! Ready yourselves!" he called out, cursing under his breath. What the hell were the lookouts doing? He launched a small landslide in the vicinity of the largest group he'd sensed before tackling Satoru to the ground as senbon whizzed by. When the senbon struck the ground behind him, the grass began to blacken and sizzle.
"What the hell…?"
"Doesn't make sense," Satoru mumbled beside him. "Our forces aren't concentrated enough to pay off a costly ambush, we outnumber Hidden Grass three to one, we'll just recapture with interest… unless…"
"Now's not the time for games, boy. Rise and fight!" He launched a volley of violet flame, obliterating the grass stretching for wide swathes in front of him, along with anyone unfortunate enough to be hiding in it. Jin rapidly raised a wall of earth to reflect the latest wave of energy blasts and projectiles.
Satoru glanced at the senbon burning a hole in the ground. "Third party… Salamander venom…"
"Satoru, what-"
His eyes snapped back into focus. "Jin, you have to get out of here. This isn't Hidden Grass, it's Hidden Rain. Maybe they're working together, if they set aside their grudge…? Doesn't matter. You have to warn the Tower. You're strong enough and fast enough that you might break through their forces. We'll hold them off."
Jin allowed himself only a moment to wrestle with the information and his own feelings of abandoning his comrades. But Satoru was making a lot of sense, and even though he technically outranked Satoru as a jōnin, if a genius presented you with a tactic, you damn well considered it. Doubly so for a Tama genius.
Satoru seemed to see the resolve in Jin's eyes, and nodded, smiling. "Thank you for the games, brother."
Jin smiled back. "Thanks for letting me win a few times." And he was gone, Substituted with a boulder. There weren't many Substitution targets on grassland, so once he was clear of the encampment, he relied only on his raw speed, boosted by the chakra pumping through his veins. He leapt over a spray of caltrops and launched a crescent of water ahead of himself, splitting a ninja drawing her sword right down the middle.
As he wove through the sea of violence, he saved his chakra where he could. It would be a long sprint home. The average ninja of Hidden Rain couldn't pin down someone of his caliber, and it wasn't long before he put the battlefield behind him. He offered a silent prayer to his comrades who would soon rejoin the Earth.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a distant man walking- walking? - toward him, so Jin adjusted his course to prevent any interception.
And then a veritable mountain appeared in front of him in a puff of smoke. A tongue lashed out at Jin, cracking the ground below his feet as he barely slipped out of the way. He immediately began to cough from the pungent aroma of the massive beast, course correcting and running in a dead sprint in the opposite direction. The man from before was already standing in his way, kusarigama sheathed at his side. Jin realized who it must be, just as the man pulled his mask down.
Hanzō of the Salamander.
Even holding his breath did Jin little good, as a demonic cloud of tar poured forth from Hanzō's mouth. The poison felt as though being stung repeatedly, constantly, over his entire body, with the pain doubling with every passing moment. Hanzō didn't even bother to draw his weapon, reattaching his mask as Jin tipped over, barely even clinging to consciousness.
What kind of beast could unleash such horror? And what kind of beast could survive keeping it in their body every hour of every day, without so much as a hint of pain or weakness? Jin found his mind swimming around these thoughts as his limbs ceased functioning, his eyes hazily watching Hanzō casually walk towards their encampment, arms clasped behind the back.
A Hidden Rain ninja appeared before Hanzō, bearing a message scroll, before running off to join the slaughter. As Hanzō's eyes frantically crossed over the scroll and his composure slipped, Jin's last thoughts were that the sky itself was blotting out with that same midnight smog burrowing into his skin.
They came in the dead of night. It didn't take long to discern the attackers - incredible displays of Fire Release on this scale could only mean Leaf, and more concerningly, it indicated that they did not care if they were identified, even in the Land of Rivers. How they knew the Puppet Brigade was lying in wait here, Chiyo did not know. She wondered if her brother's contingent in Rain was faring any better or if Leaf cottoned on to their hidden encampment there as well. Those damned cheating Hyūga eyes, those damned Inuzuka tracker beasts… Leaf's privilege being flaunted as usual.
But Hidden Leaf's arrogance would come with a toll on this night, for Chiyo brought with her Chikamatsu's very own personal collection, and a dozen of their shinobi already lay dead at her feet as she quickly secured her portion of the campground with their immense power. Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets fell into formation in front of her nearly automatically as she gazed down from the ridge she stood upon, soaking in the chaos below and determining where she was needed most. Below, chūnin and jōnin tore the earth asunder with powerful elemental techniques, sparks flew from clashing blades and puppets, and combatants fell as flying knives sunk into their backs. Leaf's affinity for Fire Release was a distinct advantage over Sand's bias for Wind Release, but the Puppet Brigade at least wasn't so dependent on ninjutsu.
Chiyo spotted a pair of red dots, barely, as they wove through Sand's forces and slashed their throats one by one. That could only be the Silent Crow of the Uchiha, whose illusion genjutsu were so potent as to make them nearly invisible to the weak minded (and even more concerningly, they could apparently use these illusions on multiple people at once). Even Chiyo had to admit she had trouble tracking them, nor could Chiyo even fully determine their appearance. She reasoned that precise aiming mattered less when you had ten puppets working in tandem to make the entire immediate area an active hellscape, and leapt into the fray.
The Silent Crow targeted the biggest threat immediately, though they did not opt for a stronger mind-controlling genjutsu. Chiyo figured that doing so would mean dropping their pseudo-invisibility and opening them up to attacks from Chiyo's allies. They opted instead for swift and deadly sword strikes, challenging to track but trivial to intercept with no less than three puppets wielding spikes, swords, and cables, launching several swift counterattacks with the others. Powerful wind blasts shredded the place the Crow had just been standing, as sonic blasts rang out in several directions, and explosive projectiles caused the Crow to stumble before substituting towards the nearby river.
Chiyo stepped up her assault, not wanting to let such a powerful enemy of Sand retreat and live to inconvenience them another day. It seemed that while formidable, without their primary advantage of remaining unseen, they were just another jōnin. Even reserving four of her puppets for dealing with the riffraff that sought to creep in on the battle, she was already handily wearing down her Uchiha foe.
She finally managed to clip the Crow with one of her puppets' chakra metal blades, and even the minor contact was enough to send them spinning and spraying blood, bouncing across the river. That wouldn't be enough to be lethal, but it wouldn't be much longer-
Chiyo flinched as a cry rang out. She'd mostly drowned out the screaming and wails of pain, but this one stood out to her. If she turned to help, the Silent Crow might escape, but if she took the time to finish them off, it could be too late… She shook her head once and sprinted away, hoping an ally was around to finish the job. She wouldn't leave her grandson without his mother.
No fewer than seven elite puppeteers stood against another Leaf shinobi nearly impossible to make out in the gloom, and not for some fancy genjutsu, but for his raw speed. He wasn't simply avoiding the storm of puppets, he was surgically dismantling them. Chiyo could only manage to spot afterimages of him and his glowing blade. The White Fang.
At his feet, among the many corpses, were Sasori's parents. She was too late.
She mustered Chikamatsu's relics and prepared to unleash her full fury, but the White Fang had already disappeared, apparently satisfied with the destruction he'd wrought and uninterested in testing himself against her while low on chakra. Chiyo knew already that she would never catch up to him, but his compatriots were not so lucky.
The screams of Leaf shinobi continued until the dawn came.
Hanzō couldn't help but be impressed, despite his fury at the trespassers in Rain. After being tipped off about Sand's encampment on his domain and rushing to punish their arrogance, he found himself embroiled in battle with Leaf instead, who had somehow managed to beat him to the punch. He relished a battle with the God of the Shinobi, to take Leaf's greatest down a peg, but the man hadn't appeared, presumably to safeguard his village. Hanzō could only attribute that to good intentions leading to poor actions. To ask your countrymen to die on your behalf on the off chance someone directly assaulted one of the most well-fortified locations in the Elemental Nations during a supposed peacetime… Hanzō didn't fully understand it nor did he care to at the moment. His tacticians and advisors would do well to update him on that front. For today, the heat of battle was the only thing that had occupied his focus.
Sand's forces were scattered to the wind. (To the Wind? he mused to himself.) What remained of Leaf's shinobi were in full retreat, but for three ninja who had stubbornly refused to die until their allies had escaped Hanzō's wrath. The three of them stared defiantly at him as they huffed for air, bearing varying levels of injury and visible exhaustion. These three had not only slain his entourage, but had taken down the Boss Salamander Ibuse himself, in no small part due to fielding three Boss Summons of their own. The voracious Manda, the mysterious Katsuyu, and the stalwart Gamabunta. Ah, but what a glorious battle! Hanzō could only imagine how much greater the glory would've been if the Summons could have been fully present in the human realm, rather than mere shells pulled from their respective demiplanes.
Hanzō hadn't even felt so much as tired after a battle in ages. And here were three full-blown elite ninja and Summoners in their own right that Leaf had hidden right under his nose. The rate at which that place produced legendarily powerful ninja would be awe inspiring if it weren't so concerning.
Besides Hanzō and these three, not a soul remained on the battlefield. He called out to his foes.
"You three. Tell me your names." A commanding tone, but one of respect.
Tsunade, the Slug Summoner, and a master of the art of medicine. Her skill over biology and medical ninjutsu seemed well suited for supporting her allies on the surface, but Hanzō found himself astonished that her Taijutsu was among the most powerful he'd ever seen, and he found quickly that letting her touch him, even briefly, was a nightmare. Not only that, but she'd whipped up an answer to his Black Salamander venom on the fly, when many medics failed that same task with months or years of preparation and the safety of a hospital.
Jiraiya, the Toad Summoner, and a master of the art of Sealing. His array of seals brought an astonishing variety of utility, distraction, and redirection. More than this, he brought forth a truly impressive display of ninjutsu that paired excellently with the Summons he employed in battle. The reserve of chakra Jiraiya drew upon was difficult to believe.
And finally, Orochimaru, the Snake Summoner, and a master of the art of Biosealing, the fusion of his teammates' domains. The modifications to his body were extensive and left him incredibly hard to damage in a way that mattered, as well as enabling truly tricky attack maneuvers. More than that, he proved himself a capable wielder of a blade, with his inhuman physiology enabling ordinarily impossible swordplay.
Their teamwork was beyond any he had seen in his entire career, with incredibly synergistic capabilities. Hanzō found it increasingly challenging to think of them as separate individuals, and had begun seeing them more and more as one entity: the Three.
It seemed that the Professor of Leaf had been keeping his best students hidden as a trump card. He wondered if the Three would have been able to defeat him had they not already expended some of their energy thrashing Sand's forces, for as incredible as Leaf's intel had been to ambush Sand, it seemed that they hadn't expected Rain's forces to appear, in their own territory… Leaf's arrogance once again quelled some of the elation he'd felt from an incredible battle. And then grew into anger. How dare the Major Powers come to Rain again, and again, and expect them to roll over while pillaging their lands and tearing each other to shreds, leaving only ruin?
There was a part of him that wanted to reward the Three for giving him the joy of a great battle, by sparing their lives… but Hanzō had to put the needs of his village first. A message needed to be sent, and claiming three Summon Scrolls from Leaf along with the heads of three of its elite shinobi would be a potent one.
Hanzō had great plans for Rain, and it would not do to leave three strong foes standing in its way down the line.
"My honor requires me to admit that I greatly admire the strength of you, Leaf Shinobi. To survive in a place such as this, against a foe such as myself, is a feat worthy of the most legendary of shinobi. I hereby christen you three the Hidden Leaf's Sannin. From this day forth, you will be remembered by this name. It is one of the only mercies I can offer you today. Tell me your last words, and I swear to pass them on to any party you wish. Then, I will claim your life."
Hanzō gave them a deep bow. "Thank you for an incredible battle, Legendary Sannin. I pray for you to find the honors you deserve in the Pure Lands."
Hiruzen's advisory council sat stock still as the intelligence report of the past few weeks of conflict was read aloud. Hiruzen said nothing as he was informed his favorite students were dead. Calmly, he reached into his desk and pulled forth his favorite pipe, placing it in his mouth. He steepled his fingers. The Third Hokage's voice was even and respectful, as he said, "Get out."
Lord Nara, guilt written all across his face, started, "Sir, I…"
Hiruzen made no handsigns, or indeed any motion at all, but the tobacco in his pipe began smoking profusely. The temperature of the room suddenly felt as though it was baking them alive. The God of the Shinobi's advisors swiftly made their exit, with one last forlorn look from Nara Shikaku. As the door closed, the room burst into flames.
In the light rainfall of the northeastern forests in the Land of Rain, Kobayashi Jun stood by the cliffside, staring west expectantly. Staring towards Home.
Kenzō paused his kata, looking toward his teacher. In the same vein, Momoka looked up from sharpening her kunai, and Shion dismissed the ninjutsu she had been practicing. They glanced at each other, before Kenzō spoke up.
"What is it, sensei?"
Jun seemed to come out of his reverie, though he kept his eyes on the horizon, with dark clouds rumbling angrily in the distance. "A storm's coming."
Welcome Post
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to Stormfall, an AU Naruto-verse quest!
You will follow the adventures of various characters as they embark on daring adventures fraught with peril, subterfuge, and much ninja-ing. You will vote in action plans to control the Player Characters, who will enact them to the best of their abilities. Sometimes, they may choose not to follow the plans to the letter, if they consider them unreasonable in part or in whole, in which case they'll either exercise character agency to do something else, or will follow the spirit of the plan and adjust things accordingly. The intent is to do this for player benefit as the characters will typically have a better understanding of the setting and circumstance than players will.
It's to your benefit not to worry too much about the specific details of any given plan, though if you have a particularly clever idea or a particularly funny and/or daring method of executing some brilliant scheme, feel free to put those in too. This is supposed to be fun, after all!
The "winning plan" may not always be the one implemented - thread discussion will be taken into account, meme votes will be cast aside, and things will pass through the character-filter for editing. Please try to keep the plans down to small lists of a few bulletpoints and subbulletpoints, and include actionable instructions. Keeping things relatively simple and straightforward (as much as can be done in a universe with ninja, action, and intrigue!) is important to make sure that everyone can participate. If nothing else, plan bloat may cause the author to miss important details.
A word of caution: This AU has truly significant changes from canon, so be careful relying on OOC knowledge in any way. Worldbuilding details will arise organically through the story updates, via Q&A in thread, or via interludes (which are not always necessarily going to be actionable information to the player characters!).
Beyond telling a story, the intent of this quest is to introduce you to a wonderful tabletop system devised by @eaglejarl and @Velorien for their quest Marked for Death, with streamlining and edits to the documentation performed by @Paperclipped and @Emstar for the quest Lost on the Road of Life. I intend to provide resources to help you run this game yourself with friends, and the quest will contain GM tidbits to help with your own games.
The original system @eaglejarl and @Velorien created is a somewhat modified version of the Dresden Files / FATE rules. This quest uses slight variations to the original. Here is a link to Stormfall's quest rules, at the bottom of which there are links to other player-facing resources such as the List of Ninjutsu known to players:
FtD Rules (Shrooms)
Some of the tools, such as the "How to Create a New Character" guide are still Work in Progress, so please be patient.
Character sheets:
Hayashi Kenzō
Shion
Yamada Momoka
Additional resources:
Timeline (TBD)
FtD: List of Ninjutsu
List of Backgrounds (WIP)
FtD: List of Stunts
FtD: Known Seals
Jutsu Pricing Reference
Map of the Human Path
Map of the 7th Path
TH Research Examples
FtD: How to Build a Character (WIP)
The quest discord server is here, we will be using the #stormfall channel. Come chitchat.
The QMs for this quest will be:
Me (Shrooms)
Special thanks to:
Everyone in the Marked for Death thread! I suspect we will be seeing some of them popping up here :^)
Updated are released on Mondays, and voting closes on Fridays at 5PM, CST.
You will follow the adventures of various characters as they embark on daring adventures fraught with peril, subterfuge, and much ninja-ing. You will vote in action plans to control the Player Characters, who will enact them to the best of their abilities. Sometimes, they may choose not to follow the plans to the letter, if they consider them unreasonable in part or in whole, in which case they'll either exercise character agency to do something else, or will follow the spirit of the plan and adjust things accordingly. The intent is to do this for player benefit as the characters will typically have a better understanding of the setting and circumstance than players will.
It's to your benefit not to worry too much about the specific details of any given plan, though if you have a particularly clever idea or a particularly funny and/or daring method of executing some brilliant scheme, feel free to put those in too. This is supposed to be fun, after all!
The "winning plan" may not always be the one implemented - thread discussion will be taken into account, meme votes will be cast aside, and things will pass through the character-filter for editing. Please try to keep the plans down to small lists of a few bulletpoints and subbulletpoints, and include actionable instructions. Keeping things relatively simple and straightforward (as much as can be done in a universe with ninja, action, and intrigue!) is important to make sure that everyone can participate. If nothing else, plan bloat may cause the author to miss important details.
A word of caution: This AU has truly significant changes from canon, so be careful relying on OOC knowledge in any way. Worldbuilding details will arise organically through the story updates, via Q&A in thread, or via interludes (which are not always necessarily going to be actionable information to the player characters!).
Beyond telling a story, the intent of this quest is to introduce you to a wonderful tabletop system devised by @eaglejarl and @Velorien for their quest Marked for Death, with streamlining and edits to the documentation performed by @Paperclipped and @Emstar for the quest Lost on the Road of Life. I intend to provide resources to help you run this game yourself with friends, and the quest will contain GM tidbits to help with your own games.
The original system @eaglejarl and @Velorien created is a somewhat modified version of the Dresden Files / FATE rules. This quest uses slight variations to the original. Here is a link to Stormfall's quest rules, at the bottom of which there are links to other player-facing resources such as the List of Ninjutsu known to players:
FtD Rules (Shrooms)
Some of the tools, such as the "How to Create a New Character" guide are still Work in Progress, so please be patient.
Character sheets:
Hayashi Kenzō
Shion
Yamada Momoka
Additional resources:
Timeline (TBD)
FtD: List of Ninjutsu
List of Backgrounds (WIP)
FtD: List of Stunts
FtD: Known Seals
Jutsu Pricing Reference
Map of the Human Path
Map of the 7th Path
TH Research Examples
FtD: How to Build a Character (WIP)
The quest discord server is here, we will be using the #stormfall channel. Come chitchat.
The QMs for this quest will be:
Me (Shrooms)
Special thanks to:
Everyone in the Marked for Death thread! I suspect we will be seeing some of them popping up here :^)
Updated are released on Mondays, and voting closes on Fridays at 5PM, CST.
Last edited:
Chapter 1: Stormfall
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Chapter 1: Stormfall
Kenzō's fingers traced the grip of his father's swords hanging at his hips, unconsciously tracing their familiar grooves as his mind raced in anticipation. He controlled his breathing as Kobayashi-sensei instructed, keeping his head level. Across the river ahead of him stood his teammate and sparring partner, Shion. He could see her pushing aside a jet black lock, one of her most obvious nervous tells, but there was some grit in her stance. She had yet to beat him in a spar and was determined to make it happen. Kenzō highly doubted today would be that day.
Kenzō's eyes flickered over to his teacher, standing on the water of the river, imposing in size even from this distance. Kobayashi-sensei eyed them both, making sure they were ready. He nodded, raised his arm, and swung down, shouting, "Begin!"
Kenzō was already sprinting across the field he was in, flipping through two quick hand seals, Boar, Bird, as he enunciated, "Wind Release: Vacuum Step." His hair began to whip his scalp as he massively increased his speed, flying straight across the river into the field where Shion was waiting for him.
Shion performed her own technique a smidge faster than him, with two water clones forming as he reached her. Not wanting to give her much time to pull any tricks, he carefully but quickly unclasped his twin hook swords, taking just an instant to size up his quarry, and lunged in to strike.
As he expected, she used the Substitution Technique to trade places with one of her clones an instant before he struck the real Shion. Knowing what was coming, Kenzō reflexively squinted his eyes for an instant as water splashed harmlessly over them. His eyes jolted open again and he readied another strike, only to be caught off guard as Shion immediately switched with the other clone before he even swung, less than a meter from where he stood.
"Water Release: Water Whip!" she cried, water streaming into her hand from the river in an instant and lashing towards Kenzō. He allowed only a tiny instant of panic in his mind before reassessing. In that fraction of a second, his instincts and training took hold once more. Her gambit brought her in too close. Normally, Water Whip had a greater reach than his own hook swords did…
He flicked his right hand forward, barely clipping her hand, but deflecting the whip just enough to slice the ground beside him. His left hand followed through in the same motion, thwacking into her shoulder. Even though the edges of the sword were wrapped up to avoid seriously injuring his opponent, that would leave a gnarly bruise.
Kenzō internally voiced a very quick sigh of relief. If he was any slower… He hadn't seen her use that tactic before but it was nearly enough to knock him on his ass. He wouldn't give Shion the satisfaction.
Now that Shion was on the back foot, Kenzō had regained control of their clash, and he pressed forward, weaving around her increasingly frantic whip strikes. He ducked under one more swing and blurred forward, catching her wrist in a hook just before she could Substitute with her remaining clone. He pulled, hard, and Shion yelpled, tumbling forward as the Water Whip fell from her hand and splashed into a pool on the ground.
"Enough," came the gruff voice of their instructor, still standing on the river as he gazed at them. "Kenzō is victorious. Impressive stuff, both of you. Take a moment to recover, and let's go over your bout."
Kenzō offered a hand out to Shion, but she kept her head down, staring at the dirt.
She couldn't just suck it up for a handshake? "Hmph, pathetic. Suit yourself, then." He turned away from her, and the minute he did, he heard the telltale sound of a sore loser making hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!" Kenzō stared back at Shion, unimpressed, as water droplets swarmed her chaotically, then melted back into a useless puddle on the ground.
Their sensei groaned and started walking over. "Spar's over. Knock it off."
Kenzō thought about stepping away, but he didn't let her off so easy. "Seriously? Would you get a grip? Stop wasting your time on training ninjutsu you can't even use. You might've actually beaten me if you just put in the time to work on your basics." Kenzō rubbed under his nose. "And for the record, no one likes a sore loser. You should be used to it by now, anyways." With that, he finally turned his back to walk away.
Kobayashi-sensei growled, but before he could speak up…
"Water Release: Surging Seas!" Kenzō rolled his eyes again. Another ninjutsu Shion had yet to use effectively in a fight. She could occasionally activate it, but controlling it was another matter. Hey, wait a minute-
Kenzō was bowled over as Shion unceremoniously slammed herself into him while riding a large, unstable wave, leaving them both in a nice pile of mud. They scrabbled to stand up, gripping each other's clothing in frustration and shouting obscenities.
"I said enough." A massive explosion of water landed just far enough from the bickering duo that they were merely knocked over again rather than pulverized in an instant. "Both of you, get cleaned up, now. We can discuss your combat tactics after we discuss your attitude issues."
Shion cursed Kenzō again under her breath and sauntered off downstream, trying not to break into tears. He turned away from her and went upstream, to a small alcove where he'd stashed some spare clothes. By the time he'd scrubbed himself clean and donned them, Kobayashi-sensei was already looming nearby, leaning against a boulder, trying not to look too intimidating, which was challenging for a man his size.
"What am I to do with the lot of you?" he mused.
"I don't know what you mean, sensei," Kenzō replied neutrally, waiting for the inevitable lecture and/or sermon.
"You were getting on so well, for a time. Or at least, you weren't at each other's throats." Pretty good by ninja standards, all things considered. "But now you can hardly stand to be around each other. When Shion isn't simmering with anger, she's in tears. Poor Momoka hasn't said a word in three days. And you, boy, where's all this disdain for your teammates coming from?"
"Our behavior is our own responsibility, sensei."
His teacher chuckled. "How wise of you to say. Trying to be wise, that is. But don't think for a second that it reflects positively on you, telling me you know full well you've been an idiot by choice, rather than by accident." Kenzō blanched in embarrassment. "Besides, I'll always share responsibility for your behavior. It's ultimately your choice to make, but it's my job to teach you how to not be an idiot."
"We've never been in the field so long before, Sensei. Tensions are high."
"Aye, that's part of it, I'm sure. And that is part of why I wanted to take this beast hunting mission. I know you're hungry to advance your career. But when you get into the big leagues, you won't always have the luxury of a quick mission. Sometimes you have to stay in the field for quite some time, not knowing the comfort of home."
"I'll at least have the luxury of performing the missions on my own," Kenzō muttered.
"Is that what you think?" his teacher asked, smirking. The smirk faded into a frown. "I think you'll come to sorely regret that mindset. Part of proving your worth for the chūnin promotion is to prove you can work on a team."
"But the main part of proving your worth as a jōnin is to show you can work on your own, right?"
"Note which step comes before the other, Kenzō. And there's much more to being jōnin than that."
"Any idiot can make chūnin eventually," Kenzō spat out. "...sir," he appended after a pause.
Kobayashi took a deep breath. "Why don't you tell me what's really going on, Kenzō? Speak plainly." As if he hadn't already figured it out. He just wanted Kenzō to debase himself by spelling it out.
"I feel like I'm wasting my time, sensei. I feel like you're wasting my time. We're out here in the foothills of Rain hunting down chakra squirrels and beating each other with sticks, when I could've made chūnin already if you didn't have me training random skills!"
"I see. Needless to say, you don't take the exam alone."
"It's not like they're making the best use of their time either. Momoka spends most of her time wandering around looking at trees, and Shion is practicing ninjutsu she still can't even use correctly."
Kobayashi grimaced at that. "I'll admit that was my mistake. I thought showing her higher level ninjutsu would encourage her to work on her basics…" He sighed, looking out over the rushing waters of the river. "I'll talk to her about it again." He looked back over to Kenzō. "But let me tell you a thing or two about 'random' skills."
"Sensei, I know, alright? It helps build character to face new kinds of challenges-"
"Nah, that's crap. The academy likes their nice and neat answers with a healthy side of patriotism and heroism. And I'm not saying those things aren't important in their own way, but they bely something more that you learn from experience." Kobayashi-sensei stroked his chin and grinned. "Remember when I told you three I could beat all of you at once in rock-paper-scissors?"
"Yeah… by cheating and playing 'explosive,' I remember," he grumbled. Kobayashi-sensei waved for him to go on. "Which is to say… you can't expect your enemy to do things on your terms. You never know when they'll introduce some outside variable."
His teacher nodded. "There is a weighty choice every ninja has to make, every day. 'Do I prioritize becoming stronger? Or do I diversify my toolset to cover more potential situations?' Sometimes, the two go hand in hand and the choice is easy, but not always. You might be right that if you'd focused solely on your swordsmanship, you'd be chūnin level already. Not long after, you'd run your first B-Rank mission that can't be solved by the sword. If you're lucky, you 'just' fail the mission and get reprimanded. If you're unlucky, AKA the more likely scenario, you die instead. And then you can't get that apartment you want for yourself and Makiko." He chuckled again when Kenzō blushed. How did he know about that-
His tone grew somber. "When I was training for my own promotion to Chūnin, I opted to hone my own Taijutsu skills as fast as possible, in lieu of my ninjutsu and other skills. I became the best fighter in my genin squad, I made my sensei proud, I awed my teammates. And then, one mission, Hana was trapped in a massive blaze left behind by a Leaf shinobi. I rushed toward her with Surging Seas… and I fell short." He shuddered, and his eyes were distant. "I can still smell the burnt flesh. I was field promoted to chūnin not long after, for my valor and combat prowess. What good did my Taijutsu do Hana, in that moment? How did my promotion help her? Maybe she would have died before that, if I wasn't powerful enough to defend our team from some other threat with my Taijutsu. It's impossible to know, and you'll drive yourself mad just thinking about it. Still, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't tease your teammate for working on a ninjutsu that could one day be the only thing between your ass and an early grave. Sometimes, you're all each other's got."
Is that why you're still a chūnin, sensei? Because you spend your training time for us, instead of yourself? Kenzō couldn't ask it, but he suspected he already knew the answer. Kobayashi-sensei often joked with them about who would get their promotion first - him to jōninhood, or them to chūninhood. Through the occasional glimpse in conversation, he got the feeling his teacher wanted that promotion even more than Kenzō did. And yet - he held them all back, even himself. Why?
His teacher nodded to him and turned to find Shion. The crunching of gravel stopped for a moment as he looked over his shoulder. "It may be hard to believe, Kenzō, but your teammates look up to you, in their own way. Be worthy of that."
Kenzō swallowed hard as the footsteps faded into the distance, leaving only the sound of rushing water and light rainfall.
Kenzō trudged back into their hidden camp in a weird mood. It would be pure foolishness to dismiss what his sensei had told him out of hand. It would be all too easy to fall into the cliche of thinking he knew better than his elder. You didn't live to be a middle-aged ninja by being an idiot, chūnin or not.
At the same time, experience was not a one size fits all, and it wasn't a ticket to Always Being Correct. A young promotion to chūnin would do him credit in the eyes of Rain's leadership down the line. Promotion now could mean better support from the Tower later. It wasn't just about having the benefits of the rank now, it was about what it would mean for his career going forwards. He certainly didn't intend to get stuck as a chūnin as his hair turned gray.
And… yes, there was the allure of B-Rank pay. A genin could easily support themselves with C-Ranks, but only enough to get by, not prosper. Certainly not enough to… to support a family someday. It was only fair to resent the others for holding him back from that, at least a little bit, right? They were making their problems his problems. It was one thing for sensei to have to deal with their immaturity, but Kenzō should be above that. So why was he feeling so ambivalent?
He had just finished putting away his clothes when he heard light footsteps on the other side of camp. Momoka was carrying a huge bundle of branches and underbrush, scattering it about to help disguise that anyone had been camping here, as they were moving on soon. She spared him a glance but did not say anything, which was pretty typical for her. It had taken some getting used to, and he had to admit he still sometimes found it creepy how often she would simply stare silently.
He went back to taking down his tent, rolling it up and strapping it to his backpack before setting the pack off to the side, to avoid getting in her way. He cracked his neck and mulled over returning to their temporary training grounds for a bit more practice before they moved on, but he stopped himself, walking back over on a whim.
"Hey, Momoka. Need any help?"
She looked up, seemingly surprised he was talking to her on purpose. She smiled at him briefly and nodded. She reached into her pouch and reached out her hand. "Want some mushrooms?"
"Er… what?"
"They're lowland redcaps." She popped one in her mouth. "I think." She ate another one. "Don't worry, they only become poisonous when the sun is out. It's been drizzling for days."
"I'm good. Um, thank you though."
She nodded and stuffed a pile of brush in his hands to scatter around.
She anxiously fidgeted a bit after putting down the last of the brush. "Did you win your spar?"
"Yeah."
She shrugged. "Not too surprising."
Huh. He wasn't expecting her to say that. Not that he often asked his teammates what they thought of him. Was sensei onto something…?
"Did you learn anything?" she asked.
He considered his conversation with Kobayashi-sensei. "Hmm. Actually, I think I did."
"Wow. That is surprising," she said, walking over to her own pack and humming to herself.
Was that… a joke?
They looked over at the crunching of leaves as Shion and Kobayashi-sensei made their way into camp. Shion's eyes were red, and she wouldn't look his way. Whatever.
Kobayashi-sensei did not let it lie. "Do you have something to say, Shion?"
She sniffed. "S-sorry. For being a sore loser. Even when you were being jerk."
Kobayashi-sensei sighed silently behind her but looked toward him with a stern expression. Fine, he could suck it up.
"Sorry for being a jerk. Even when you were being a sore loser." She finally looked over, glaring for a second, but she dropped it.
Kobayashi-sensei kept staring, and Kenzō felt an uncomfortable pressure around him. Seriously?
"You know, that trick with the clones was pretty good. It nearly got me, if I'd been any slower."
Her eyes widened a fraction. "You think so?" Sure, even if he wouldn't admit it except under duress.
He went for a diplomatic smile. "Just don't expect it to work a second time."
She grinned back with a look of determination. "Oh, don't you worry. I'll have a whole arsenal of tricks for our next spar! I'll go work on them right now!"
Kobayashi-sensei put a hand on her shoulder, but he was smiling too. "Not so fast. We're out here for a reason. We should get back to pursuing our next quarry. Momoka?"
Momoka was still fiddling with her pack, but she stood up at her name. "Our next target is a herd of Lava Deer. They have an ability akin to Hidden Rock's Lava Release. Generally classified between genin and chuunin level threat profile, aside from the pack leader. They usually travel in herds of half a dozen or so, but sometimes more."
"Good. Shion?"
"Umm… we passed Hashibetsu two days ago. We should be only a few dozen clicks west of where they claim the deer were spotted."
Kenzō mentally rolled his eyes. Yep, wasn't even an actual mission from the Tower. They'd bagged their actual target over three weeks ago. But instead of going back and collecting the mission pay, now they were out here doing the bidding of farmers. Thanks, sensei…
"Correct. Kenzō?"
"They're close range combatants, tend to ignite or heat up their immediate surroundings, eating the charred plant matter. They use Lava Release, so they don't have an Elemental weakness amongst the five basic natures. Damaging to touch with Taijutsu, stick to ranged options or a reach weapon."
"Good. Glad to see you don't totally tune out my tutelage. Finish cleaning up camp. We roll out in an hour."
Rolls:
Let's say they each get 3 FPs for this spar that does not add or subtract to their 'true' FP total.
Initiative:
Shion, Alertness: 31
Kenzo, Alertness: 31
Two options here, either add fudge dice to their Alertness, or choose the higher of two Athletics.
Shion, Athletics: 41
Kenzo, Athletics: 34
Shion goes first.
ROUND 1:
Shion can't reach Kenzo to attack without using both supplementals, leaving none to dodge with, so she will use her first action to summon two water clones to Substitute with.
Water Clone, Effect 2: 40 CP
Shion: -40 CP (220 remaining)
Kenzo could buff up his weapons to make them sharper and more effective, but this is just a spar (and, in his mind, he doesn't need to do that to win anyways.) Instead, he will close the distance immediately and attack.
Vacuum Step, Effect 2: 23 CP
Kenzo: - 23 CP (197 remaining)
Kenzo crosses over the water and into the same zone as Shion immediately, not wanting to stay in a zone that favors his opponent's element. He will now draw his weapons and attack.
Against another opponent, he would probably opt to use Quick Draw and save a supplemental for Substitution, but he is overconfident against Shion's attacking capabilities, so he will use the supplemental to draw and Standard to attack.
Shion could use a reflexive supplemental to summon her Water Whip and intercept the attack, but it will be easier for her to dodge it than to try and beat Kenzo's superior melee skills head on. She'll go ahead and substitute with a clone to guarantee a dodge this round at the cost of a bit more chakra. If she did not have clones up, she would instead need to make a Substitution check against a TN decided by the GM to see if there is a target she's skilled enough to swap with, but the clones guarantee a valid target if they're within range.
Substitution: 14 CP
Shion: -14 CP (206 remaining)
Kenzo and Shion will use chakra boost (5).
Kenzo: -25 CP (172 remaining)
Shion: -25 CP (181 remaining)
Neither will be spending FP just yet. Shion is confident she can dodge and Kenzo wants to wear her down a bit first.
Kenzo, Melee Weapons: 41 + 5 (boost) + 3 (dice) = 49
Shion, Athletics: 41 + 5 (boost) + 6 (Sub) + 0 (dice) = 52
Kenzo's hook swords cleave straight through a water clone, leaving one more in the zone.
Shion's Water Clone 1 (SWC1) also gets a Standard and two Supplementals, but with only 20 chakra and horrible stats compared to Shion herself, attacking would be a waste of time.
GM DISCRETION RULING: Instead, the water clone will Substitute Shion back into melee range with Kenzo, creating a fragile tag on the aspect "Juked" that it passes to Shion. This tag will only apply if she immediately attacks after swapping with the clone. This is a tag/aspect created at GM discretion, it may not always work.
Substitution: 14 CP
SWC1: -14 (6 CP remaining)
ROUND 2:
With Kenzo now in melee range, Shion will use a Supplemental to draw a Water Whip from the river, and her Standard to attack Kenzo. She will invoke on her Aspect "Something to Prove," wanting to one-up Kenzo in a spar for once.
Ordinarily, she can use Water Whip just outside of melee range to prevent counterattacks. In this case, however, if she wants to benefit from the tag created by the water clone, she will need to be in true melee range. Additionally, this plays into wanting to one-up Kenzo by beating him at his own game.
Aspect: Something to Prove
Shion: - 1 FP (2 remaining)
Water Whip: 28 CP
Shion: -28 CP, (153 CP remaining)
Kenzo will just try beating her melee roll with Melee Weapons. He's confident in his superior melee skills (perhaps a little too confident) so he will not invoke any aspects to defend.
Both will be boosting (5).
Shion: -25 (128 remaining)
Kenzo: -25 (147 remaining)
Shion, Water Whip: 37 + 4 (tag "Juked") + 5 (boost) + 4 (invoke "Something to Prove") + 3 (dice) = 53
Kenzo, Melee Weapons: 41 + 5 (boost) - 6 (dice) = 40
This would be 5 stress. They're not trying to inflict more than a Mild Consequence on one another, so he will instantly lose the fight if he takes this much stress.
Reroll! (-1 FP, 2 remaining)
Kenzo, Melee Weapons: 41 + 5 (boost) -3 (dice) = 43
This would inflict 4 shifts of stress, giving him a Mild, as his stress track is only 3 boxes. Might as well reroll again.
Reroll! (-1 FP, 1 remaining)
Kenzo, Melee Weapons: 41 + 5 (boost) +12 (!!!dice!!!) = 58
Kenzo wins by 2 shifts. Ordinarily his swords would be Weapons: 2, meaning they deal an additional 2 stress for a total of 4, dealing Shion a Mild and winning him the spar. However, he's wrapped the edges with a cord to avoid cutting up his teammate too badly, so they are currently Weapons: 0.
Shion's stress track is now full. If she takes any more damage, she will be forced to concede the spar, and it is now Kenzo's turn.
As previously mentioned, ordinarily, if Shion uses Water Whip, she can attack just outside of melee to prevent counterattacking, but as she chose to enter melee range in this case, Kenzo will start his turn within melee range of Shion. Because of this, his fighting style "Forest Python Style" will trigger when he opts for a disarming attack on her Water Whip.
Shion will try substituting with her other clone instead of counterattacking.
Substitution, 14 CP
Shion: -14 CP (114 remaining)
Both are still boosting from the previous roll, as the round hasn't ended yet.
Kenzo will save his last FP for a reroll instead of invoking.
Kenzo, Melee Weapons: 41 + 5 (boost) + 10 (Forest Python Style) + 6 (dice) = 62
Shion, Athletics: 41 + 5 (boost) + 6 (Substitution) + 0 = 52
Reroll! (Might as well as she will lose otherwise.) (-1 FP, 1 remaining)
Shion, Athletics: 41 + 5 (boost) + 6 (Substitution) -3 = 49
Reroll! (-1 FP, 0 remaining)
Shion, Athletics: 41 + 5 (boost) + 6 (Substitution) + 3 = 55
Valiant effort, but insufficient. Kenzo uses a disarming strike to break her grip on the water whip, dissolving it. Forest Python Style allows him to inflict up to 2 stress making a disarming attack. Taking another 2 stress, Shion's stress track overflows and would be forced to take a Mild. Instead, she opts to be Taken Out, losing the encounter. Kenzo opts not to further harm her.
Kenzo wins!
Shion is a bit butthurt about losing again. For fun, let's see if she can pull off a salty Surging Seas. She lacks the Apprentice Wavecharmer stunt and therefore has issues reliably using the technique. She has a 34% chance of successfully performing the technique. D100, if she rolls a 34 or lower she will succeed. Otherwise it will fail.
4
Lol
Let's say they each get 3 FPs for this spar that does not add or subtract to their 'true' FP total.
Initiative:
Shion, Alertness: 31
Kenzo, Alertness: 31
Two options here, either add fudge dice to their Alertness, or choose the higher of two Athletics.
Shion, Athletics: 41
Kenzo, Athletics: 34
Shion goes first.
ROUND 1:
Shion can't reach Kenzo to attack without using both supplementals, leaving none to dodge with, so she will use her first action to summon two water clones to Substitute with.
Water Clone, Effect 2: 40 CP
Shion: -40 CP (220 remaining)
Kenzo could buff up his weapons to make them sharper and more effective, but this is just a spar (and, in his mind, he doesn't need to do that to win anyways.) Instead, he will close the distance immediately and attack.
Vacuum Step, Effect 2: 23 CP
Kenzo: - 23 CP (197 remaining)
Kenzo crosses over the water and into the same zone as Shion immediately, not wanting to stay in a zone that favors his opponent's element. He will now draw his weapons and attack.
Against another opponent, he would probably opt to use Quick Draw and save a supplemental for Substitution, but he is overconfident against Shion's attacking capabilities, so he will use the supplemental to draw and Standard to attack.
Shion could use a reflexive supplemental to summon her Water Whip and intercept the attack, but it will be easier for her to dodge it than to try and beat Kenzo's superior melee skills head on. She'll go ahead and substitute with a clone to guarantee a dodge this round at the cost of a bit more chakra. If she did not have clones up, she would instead need to make a Substitution check against a TN decided by the GM to see if there is a target she's skilled enough to swap with, but the clones guarantee a valid target if they're within range.
Substitution: 14 CP
Shion: -14 CP (206 remaining)
Kenzo and Shion will use chakra boost (5).
Kenzo: -25 CP (172 remaining)
Shion: -25 CP (181 remaining)
Neither will be spending FP just yet. Shion is confident she can dodge and Kenzo wants to wear her down a bit first.
Kenzo, Melee Weapons: 41 + 5 (boost) + 3 (dice) = 49
Shion, Athletics: 41 + 5 (boost) + 6 (Sub) + 0 (dice) = 52
Kenzo's hook swords cleave straight through a water clone, leaving one more in the zone.
Shion's Water Clone 1 (SWC1) also gets a Standard and two Supplementals, but with only 20 chakra and horrible stats compared to Shion herself, attacking would be a waste of time.
GM DISCRETION RULING: Instead, the water clone will Substitute Shion back into melee range with Kenzo, creating a fragile tag on the aspect "Juked" that it passes to Shion. This tag will only apply if she immediately attacks after swapping with the clone. This is a tag/aspect created at GM discretion, it may not always work.
Substitution: 14 CP
SWC1: -14 (6 CP remaining)
ROUND 2:
With Kenzo now in melee range, Shion will use a Supplemental to draw a Water Whip from the river, and her Standard to attack Kenzo. She will invoke on her Aspect "Something to Prove," wanting to one-up Kenzo in a spar for once.
Ordinarily, she can use Water Whip just outside of melee range to prevent counterattacks. In this case, however, if she wants to benefit from the tag created by the water clone, she will need to be in true melee range. Additionally, this plays into wanting to one-up Kenzo by beating him at his own game.
Aspect: Something to Prove
Shion: - 1 FP (2 remaining)
Water Whip: 28 CP
Shion: -28 CP, (153 CP remaining)
Kenzo will just try beating her melee roll with Melee Weapons. He's confident in his superior melee skills (perhaps a little too confident) so he will not invoke any aspects to defend.
Both will be boosting (5).
Shion: -25 (128 remaining)
Kenzo: -25 (147 remaining)
Shion, Water Whip: 37 + 4 (tag "Juked") + 5 (boost) + 4 (invoke "Something to Prove") + 3 (dice) = 53
Kenzo, Melee Weapons: 41 + 5 (boost) - 6 (dice) = 40
This would be 5 stress. They're not trying to inflict more than a Mild Consequence on one another, so he will instantly lose the fight if he takes this much stress.
Reroll! (-1 FP, 2 remaining)
Kenzo, Melee Weapons: 41 + 5 (boost) -3 (dice) = 43
This would inflict 4 shifts of stress, giving him a Mild, as his stress track is only 3 boxes. Might as well reroll again.
Reroll! (-1 FP, 1 remaining)
Kenzo, Melee Weapons: 41 + 5 (boost) +12 (!!!dice!!!) = 58
Kenzo wins by 2 shifts. Ordinarily his swords would be Weapons: 2, meaning they deal an additional 2 stress for a total of 4, dealing Shion a Mild and winning him the spar. However, he's wrapped the edges with a cord to avoid cutting up his teammate too badly, so they are currently Weapons: 0.
Shion's stress track is now full. If she takes any more damage, she will be forced to concede the spar, and it is now Kenzo's turn.
As previously mentioned, ordinarily, if Shion uses Water Whip, she can attack just outside of melee to prevent counterattacking, but as she chose to enter melee range in this case, Kenzo will start his turn within melee range of Shion. Because of this, his fighting style "Forest Python Style" will trigger when he opts for a disarming attack on her Water Whip.
Shion will try substituting with her other clone instead of counterattacking.
Substitution, 14 CP
Shion: -14 CP (114 remaining)
Both are still boosting from the previous roll, as the round hasn't ended yet.
Kenzo will save his last FP for a reroll instead of invoking.
Kenzo, Melee Weapons: 41 + 5 (boost) + 10 (Forest Python Style) + 6 (dice) = 62
Shion, Athletics: 41 + 5 (boost) + 6 (Substitution) + 0 = 52
Reroll! (Might as well as she will lose otherwise.) (-1 FP, 1 remaining)
Shion, Athletics: 41 + 5 (boost) + 6 (Substitution) -3 = 49
Reroll! (-1 FP, 0 remaining)
Shion, Athletics: 41 + 5 (boost) + 6 (Substitution) + 3 = 55
Valiant effort, but insufficient. Kenzo uses a disarming strike to break her grip on the water whip, dissolving it. Forest Python Style allows him to inflict up to 2 stress making a disarming attack. Taking another 2 stress, Shion's stress track overflows and would be forced to take a Mild. Instead, she opts to be Taken Out, losing the encounter. Kenzo opts not to further harm her.
Kenzo wins!
Shion is a bit butthurt about losing again. For fun, let's see if she can pull off a salty Surging Seas. She lacks the Apprentice Wavecharmer stunt and therefore has issues reliably using the technique. She has a 34% chance of successfully performing the technique. D100, if she rolls a 34 or lower she will succeed. Otherwise it will fail.
4
Lol
Hi there! I'll be putting the occasional GM note at the bottom of chapters as random thoughts come to me for running the game. This may come with meta info you normally wouldn't share with players, but that's alright. I think getting that kind of insight is very helpful for becoming a GM yourself.
For this chapter's GM note, I would suggest you make sparring your 'session 0' if you are running a game of FtD at home. The system is ultimately PvP-based. Most enemies will have character sheets that follow the same rules as PCs, even if they're not quite as fleshed out as a PC sheet. Sparring between player characters helps them learn how to use their character, and it helps you learn how to mediate the game as GM.
One thing you will quickly realize about this system is that combat is highly lethal and doesn't tend to last more than a couple of rounds most of the time (though there will be exceptions.) Often, the first person to get injured will quickly death spiral. Similarly, running out of chakra tends to be a quick death sentence, as you will likely see.
For this chapter's GM note, I would suggest you make sparring your 'session 0' if you are running a game of FtD at home. The system is ultimately PvP-based. Most enemies will have character sheets that follow the same rules as PCs, even if they're not quite as fleshed out as a PC sheet. Sparring between player characters helps them learn how to use their character, and it helps you learn how to mediate the game as GM.
One thing you will quickly realize about this system is that combat is highly lethal and doesn't tend to last more than a couple of rounds most of the time (though there will be exceptions.) Often, the first person to get injured will quickly death spiral. Similarly, running out of chakra tends to be a quick death sentence, as you will likely see.
It is currently late morning, and the weather is a light drizzle (as it usually is in the Land of Rain). Kobayashi estimates it will around another two hours to locate the Lava Deer.
What should the characters do next? Here are some options to get you started:
[X] Track the Lava Deer and sneak attack before they realize what's happening.
[X] Track the Lava Deer, but keep your distance, and try to figure out how many there are without getting spotted.
[X] Track the Lava Deer and have someone draw their attention, leading them into an ambush.
Write-ins are accepted.
Voting will close Friday, December 20th, at 5:00 PM CST.
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Ch. 2 Location in the Land of Rain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Sketched a map (roughly accurate but ultimately still made by flawed mapmakers, countries are big). White dotted lines are your approximation of where other countries border each other, black lines divide up the four provinces of Rain (mostly just for administration purposes.) The biggest town of each province is indicated as well
You are at the red-blue dot pointed at by the arrow.
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Chapter 2: A Crime Against Nature
- Pronouns
- He/Him
"It's a lovely day for a picnic," Momoka's mother said with a smile.
"We even had the good fortune for the rain to die down," Momoka's father agreed. "It looks like our luck is really turning around after all," he said, sighing in contentment, before looking up at Momoka, who was riding on his shoulders.
Momoka was not listening, instead batting at the fireflies that gave Hotarubara its name. Her father laughed and set her down on the damp ground, letting her chase them down freely in the grass. She hadn't yet demonstrated any capacity to manipulate chakra, but as both her parents were ninja, the odds were high and they were hopeful.
Her mother spread the blanket and began to pull things out of the basket. Momoka took notice of the food and hurriedly waddled back over, forgetting all about the fireflies.
" 'icnic! 'icnic!"
Her mother laughed, and agreed. "Yes, a picnic, dear. Do you know why?"
Momoka thought long and hard, before replying, " 'icnic!"
Her father smirked. "Leave her be. She doesn't know what a chūnin is, much less what a promotion is."
Her mother shook her head in disagreement. "She won't learn if we don't explain things."
Her father nodded, stooping down. "Your dad got a reward for trying real hard. You know all about that, don't you?"
"Reward?" Momoka said, expectantly. She held out her hands.
Her mother laughed again. "Now you've done it."
Her dad smiled and pulled a sweet from the basket, putting it in her hands. "Why not? Today's a day for celebration."
Momoka stood in the yard of her home in Hidden Rain, tossing (blunted) shuriken at stuffed dolls she didn't like. Her head perked up when she noticed a group of chūnin in uniform approaching the house, though it was hard to make out features at this distance.
"Daddy!" she cried, causing a few of them to exchange looks.
After a brief discussion, one of them broke away from the others, making her way to Momoka while the others approached the house.
"Hi there! I'm Kimiko. You must be Momoka. I've heard so much about you."
"Um. Okay," she said, shy.
"You're learning how to throw shuriken, huh?"
"Mmhmm. Mama says I have chakras."
"I see, I see. That's very impressive for someone so young. How old are you now?"
"This much!" Momoka said, holding out eight fingers.
"Wow!" Kimiko brushed a hair out of her face, glancing at her comrades at the doorway of Momoka's house. She looked back at Momoka. "Hey, if you want, I can show you a thing or two about throwing shuriken?"
"Okay!" Momoka agreed, following Kimiko's instructions. She did not see when her mother answered the door, and began to cry.
Momoka came home from another grueling day at the academy, but graduation was closing in soon, at least.
She peeked around, but it seemed her mother was still away on a mission, so she shrugged, and started cooking herself some dinner.
She finished her meal and set out the leftovers for her mother to eat later in the evening, reclining on a sofa and opening one of her favorite books.
She sat up upon hearing a knock.
The chūnin standing before her glanced over to the kitchen, where dozens of plates sat uneaten and rotting, before steeling himself and breaking the bad news.
Graduation came, and it went. Many of her classmates went out to celebrate with their Clans, or families, or friends. Momoka didn't have those, so she walked away instead. And just… kept walking.
The gates were understaffed, as many of the patrol ninja were secretly attending the graduation ceremony. No one noticed as she left, not even sure where she was walking to.
The road became less and less pristine, becoming a simple dirt road, which branched and weaved in many directions. She walked until nightfall. She stood stock still until the moon rose high enough for her to continue her trek to nowhere.
She found herself in sparse woods, illuminated by moonlight. The beauty of the scene startled her out of her stupor, and her back slumped against a tree, sobbing.
She couldn't stop crying for hours, even when her actual tears ran dry. The aching would not disappear.
The earth rumbled softly, steadily. Her vision swam in the pale light, resolving a massive shape amongst the wooded background. She reached for her shuriken, and… let it go. The massive shape continued lumbering her way.
A bear. An absolutely massive bear, easily ten feet tall and twenty feet long, horned, claws the length of her arm. It sniffed a bit as it neared, sizing her up.
It may as well be death incarnate.
The bear peered at her for several moments. And then it continued lumbering through the woods, uninterested.
The cycle of life and death. Passionless. Impartial. Mechanical. There was no cruelty. It simply was the way of things.
When the morning came, she made her way back to the village.
Thunk. Bullseye. Thunk. Bullseye. Thunk. Bullseye.
Momoka walked over to the targets to retrieve her kunai, hearing a deep voice call out behind her. "Impressive."
Momoka looked over, seeing an absolutely massive man nodding in appreciation of her skill.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, pulling the kunai out of the targets.
"I was coming here to practice, but it seems the training grounds are claimed already."
"S'okay. I'm nearly done here."
"You know, you've been here the last four times I've come to these training grounds."
She paused.
"But I hear you refuse to join a genin team, running your own genin-level missions. You understand how dangerous that is, yes?"
"Don't care." She paused. "There wasn't a sensei available anyways."
He frowned. "Yeah. It's always been a real problem getting enough instructors for all the genin teams."
"Yeah. Don't want to be dead weight, either. Better someone else get the spot." She studied his mannerisms. It was obvious where this was going. "You want me to join your genin team."
"Yes," he nodded, smiling at her observation.
She went back to throwing kunai. Bullseye. Bullseye. Bullseye. "You're a chūnin. Are you any good with thrown weapons?"
"No," he admitted.
"Earth ninjutsu? No one will share any with a middling genin like me."
"...I don't have Earth Release," he said, reluctantly. Could such an imposing man be… bashful?
"What can you teach me?"
"I hear you like to spend time in nature, scouting and mapping Rain. I know some tricks for navigation, observation…" he trailed off.
"The trees are pretty," she said, wistfully. "Maybe I should take another mission."
The large man frowned in defeat, and left. She would not speak to him again for months.
This time, he was here before her.
"Momoka-"
"Hello, large man."
"..."
"Ooo. The asters are blooming." She plucked one and put it in his massive hand, then walked past him.
"Momoka. May I teach you a technique?"
She looked back at him and shrugged.
The man grinned. "Observe. Earth Release: Earth Dive!" He sank into the ground, the displaced earth piling up as he swam around her. He popped himself back out, cursing as he pulled his massive frame out of the dirt.
She blinked in shock. "But you don't know Earth Release."
"I didn't know Earth Release," he corrected her. "You said no one would teach anything to a middling genin. Well, maybe they don't have as much of an issue teaching a middling chūnin instead."
She stared at him. "...what is your name?"
He smiled. "Kobayashi Jun."
Kobayashi-sensei gave Momoka the go-ahead to begin tracking the Lava Deer. She swiftly made her way to the top of a tree, looking for the local high ground. Two miles southeast, the peak of a great hill jutted out of the earth.
She plopped back to the forest floor and pointed. "Let's look for smoke and fire from the hill over there."
Kenzō nodded. He was easy enough to persuade in matters he was disinterested in, and he very clearly did not care about hunting down the Lava Deer. Shion, meanwhile, looked thoughtful. No doubt she was still trying to figure out how to one-up Kenzō later.
Whatever. Momoka did care about finding their quarry. So she would do her job.
They were moving on the ground for the moment to save on chakra, so Momoka gracefully strolled over the roots and damp moss of the forest floor, leading them up the incline.
The thick canopy above gradually gave way to a cloudy sky, occasional beams of sunlight trickling through. The local highlands of Rain stretched before them. The Three Wolf Mountain Range would be around 40 miles east, but they couldn't be seen from here. Only rolling hills covered in a temperate rainforest. The rare sun dappled tree twinkled like stars amongst the drizzles streaming down across the land, as if little spirits unto themselves-
"Er, Momoka?" Shion asked.
"Hmm?" Momoka hummed, coming out of her reverie.
"You've been staring for a while. Looks like there's some smoke and fire over that way," she said, pointing.
Ah, yes. A great scorch marred the beauty of the forests. Fire was natural for a forest - many of the trees here depended on it to reproduce, even - but it could still be sad too.
Were these great beasts which wielded such elemental fury natural? Perhaps. It wasn't fully understood why some animals ended up as mutants with the ability to use chakra, becoming chakra beasts that roamed the lands. If this process were natural, then they are a rightful part of nature too. But then, perhaps ninja were their natural predator.
"Nature will take its course, then," she affirmed, causing Shion and Kenzō to exchange a confused look. That happened quite a bit. It seemed that they thought she didn't notice - rather, she just didn't care to explain. "Let's head for the scorched region, I'll find clearer signs there."
Kobayashi-sensei cleared his throat.
"Oh, and be ready in case we run into them immediately, I guess."
Tracking TN = 30
Time to track: The PCs already found the charred region from getting a high vantage point. The search area is thus much smaller. Time to track is therefore 10 minutes. Momoka will move two steps up the time ladder to be extra thorough, taking a full hour.
Momoka, Survival: 30 + 8 (Time-ladder) - 6 (dice) = 32.
Momoka will manage to track them down over the course of an hour.
Determine Herd Size TN = 25
Time to investigate: an hour. Momoka will not use the time ladder here as they don't want to waste too much daylight on this.
Momoka, Survival: 30 - 3 = 27
Momoka is able to discern the approximate size of the herd.
Time to track: The PCs already found the charred region from getting a high vantage point. The search area is thus much smaller. Time to track is therefore 10 minutes. Momoka will move two steps up the time ladder to be extra thorough, taking a full hour.
Momoka, Survival: 30 + 8 (Time-ladder) - 6 (dice) = 32.
Momoka will manage to track them down over the course of an hour.
Determine Herd Size TN = 25
Time to investigate: an hour. Momoka will not use the time ladder here as they don't want to waste too much daylight on this.
Momoka, Survival: 30 - 3 = 27
Momoka is able to discern the approximate size of the herd.
Momoka had been tempted to use Living Roots to help examine the ground, but the technique would only last ten minutes, and they did not yet know how many enemies they faced. So she stuck with mundane means of observation, stooped on all fours and examining the charred ground, finally extinguished in the rain.
Kenzō had already been chastised twice for not staying alert in enemy territory, so he stood ramrod straight and tapped his foot impatiently. What a funny guy.
Shion was looking similarly bored, but was more inclined to stay on sensei's good side. Sensei, for his part, was actually helping to look for traces of their target. But while his general awareness greatly surpassed her own, this particular task was her forte more than his.
Finally, she found what she was looking for. The grass sagged just suspiciously enough… she pulled it aside, revealing divots in the soil. Hoof prints. Still warm, too, warmer even than the charred bits.
Kenzō perked up a bit. "A trail?"
Momoka nodded. "Mmm. Let's pull up more of this underbrush and see what we find."
The work went swiftly with four people helping. Shion and Kenzō didn't even complain, grateful for something to do.
Momoka studied the tracks, the slight variations in size.
"Hard to say for sure, but… looks like a buck and a few does? Maybe four of them? I don't see any tracks for fawns…" she trailed off.
Sensei placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You did good."
She nodded again. "The tracks wind that way… it would take a long time to keep uncovering more, but we should be able to spot their glow from afar…"
Kenzō had a pensive look. "Any chance we could hear them if we're getting close? They have calls, right?"
Kobayashi-sensei replied, "Might be tough to make out through the sound of the rain, even light rain. Odds are good we'd see them before we hear them. Hmm, but perhaps we could imitate their calls to bait them…"
"What about the fires?" Shion asked.
"The more recently ignited ones would be closer our target, before the rain managed to put them out," Momoka responded, thoughtful.
Sensei nodded. "I'll lead from here, but I will leave the tactics to you three as part of your training."
The trio exchanged looks with each other, then began to brainstorm.
Kenzō jammed the last sharpened stick into the ground of their little ambush site, and nodded to the others. "Okay, be right back," he said, before pulling up his dark colored mask, to better blend in with the forest. Soon he was out of sight, headed for twinkling lights they only occasionally caught glimpses of through the woods.
Now Momoka was the one left feeling antsy, hiding behind the improvised barrier. She was the better surveyor of the environment, but she admittedly hadn't worked on her stealth skills much for a scout. So it would be up to Kenzō to see about the best route to herd them into a trap. Momoka simply had to trust he knew what he was doing. And she did trust him at least in that capacity.
She glanced at Shion, who had a stormy, yet eager expression. She was still simmering from her bout with Kenzō earlier, but was clearly waiting with anticipation. There may have even been a hint of worry for their teammate in there… but no fear for herself.
Momoka could not deny feeling safer having Shion with her. Both of Momoka's teammates may be overconfident at times, but there was an inner strength to them that Momoka still didn't quite understand yet.
Momoka pondered over this, if she was really better off with them. She had originally asked not to be put in the typical three man squad. There were other routes of service available for Rain shinobi besides the standard three man squad. A one-on-one apprenticeship with a more specialized discipline, the scout corps, ANBU… generally these were steps one might work towards later in their career (and no self respecting ANBU captain would accept a genin anyways), but which could be pursued right out of the gate if you were focused on showing your worth. Shion's ill-fated apprenticeships were proof of that… Truly, Momoka had enjoyed building up her repertoire of scouting and mapping missions, traveling the Land of Rain. But she was only building on the parts of herself she already knew. Now, she had the chance to grow into something else. Something more.
Somehow she had caught the attention of Kobayashi-sensei and ended up here. Amongst teammates that did not really understand her. They tolerated her, at least, which would suffice for now. She would learn from them what she could and find her own way.
She turned her mind back to the goal at hand. It could take Kenzō hours to observe their prey, depending on their behavior and how careful he needed to be.
And yet, not long after Kenzō had left them, Kobayashi-sensei tensed at her side, almost immediately followed by what was unmistakably the detonation of an explosive tag.
"Eyes forward!" he called out. Fires began to flare as she saw Kenzō zipping back towards them with his Vacuum Step technique, globs of lava following close behind. He was just short of them, not quite fast enough to twist out of the way of an incoming ball of magma-
Kobayashi-sensei Substituted himself with Kenzō and curled up in a blur, the projectile whizzing by and igniting a tree behind them. Her sensei was already on his feet again as more molten balls of earth barreled towards Kenzō. Not if she had something to say about it.
Her hands moved automatically. Tiger. Snake. "Earth Release: Multiple Earth Wall," Momoka intoned, touching a hand to the earth. A slab of granite jutted up between Kenzō and the projectile, giving him just enough time to roll away as the lava splashed over the wall and began to melt it.
"Occupied farmstead ahead. Two does fleeing toward it," Kenzō said, breathlessly, already flashing through hand signs. "Wind Release: Gale Edge."
A massive buck that shone like the sun burst through the trees ahead, barreling towards them, followed quickly by two other does. "Targets inbound. Handle them. I'll catch the strays before they reach the civilians," Kobayashi-sensei answered quickly, zipping away with his own Vacuum Step.
Kenzō drew his swords, a nearly-invisible aura of wind wrapping around them from his technique. Shion grinned. "Water Release: Water Whip!" Momoka, for her part, drew shuriken, and prepared for the havoc.
She left the stronger foe to her companions, quickly tossing a shuriken towards a doe, lodging the shuriken in its head. Not deep enough to kill, it seemed, as it pressed onwards. And then the buck was upon them, all rage and elemental fury.
Kenzō met it head on, only to twist out of the way, tripping it up with his hook swords and raking gashes in its side. It bellowed and spun around madly, attempting to ram him with its horns. As it writhed around, many of the sharpened sticks jammed into the ground lodged and snapped, and the buck grunted in pain. Fire began to flare up around them, sputtering out in the rain.
The other doe ran in, attempting to gang up on Kenzō, only to get slashed across the flank by a whip of water, stumbling. Shion slid under the confused doe, and her whip became a spear, flashing into the neck of the buck as its horns locked with Kenzō's swords.
The buck seized up in an instant, sinking to the ground slowly.
Momoka's shuriken flashed, neutralizing the doe Shion had slid past before it could charge her down. Before its body had even hit the floor, Kenzō leapt over it, straight at the doe who still had a shuriken lodged in the skull. His swords caught it around the throat, and he slammed it into the forest floor, even as the Wind Release technique wrapped around his swords ignited and burned his hands. He cursed, dropping the weapons once it was clear their foes had stopped moving, shaking his hands and blowing on them.
A flash of pandemonium, of putting their lives on the line. Kenzō nearly getting melted into a puddle if she hadn't shielded him with Multiple Earth Wall. Shion ducking under flesh made of molten earth. It was over already. And despite it all, here was Kenzō shaking his hands like he'd picked up a hot pan. A moment later, Momoka began laughing at him. Shion began to chuckle as well.
He muttered some obscenity and pushed his hands into cooling mud. Shion had mercy on him, taking a look at his hands with medical chakra. "...thanks," he managed, further astounding Momoka. "Both of you. That was a clutch MEW back there."
"Momoka was pretty cool, huh?" Shion agreed.
Momoka blushed. "We all had some… fancy moves, I think."
Sensei had returned, having already dispatched the deer that were fleeing. "Excellent work, everyone," he said, smiling. "But the work isn't done yet."
"More deer?!" Shion complained.
Sensei shrugged. "Probably not. But we need to confirm it with the locals. Never forget, we do missions for clients, not just for ourselves."
Kenzō managed to avoid rolling his eyes until Kobayashi-sensei looked the other direction. Apt, given that they actually were doing this for free.
They trailed behind him as he strolled up to the farmhouse.
A short man and his wife answered the door, relief and fear both evident on their faces. "Honored shinobi, we are grateful," they said, with a deep bow, clearly waiting for the massive man to start making demands of them in exchange for saving their lives.
"It was our pleasure," he reassured them, visibly surprising them both. "I'm here to ask if we eliminated the entire herd, or if there's more of them roaming around. Whatever you know would be of great help to us."
"O-of course, sir. We have not seen signs or heard of any other of these beasts around, though these came through just today. Perhaps more could be following?"
Momoka shook her head. "Unlikely. The bucks are highly aggressive and territorial. I'd expect another herd to steer clear of following their trail."
"Ah. Wonderful news! Perhaps the traces of these beasts will deter the others, then."
Jun is offered a FP on the Aspect "Civilian Sympathizer" to help out more civilians in need.
He accepts :^)
He accepts :^)
"...the others?" Kobayashi-sensei asked.
Kenzō groaned, and Shion flicked him in the ear.
"Sarubetsu has had a bit of an… infestation lately." Upon seeing their blank expressions, the man clarified. "Sarubetsu is a local town of several hundred, within a few miles of here. We go in for the market every now and again, but the road hasn't been safe for travel. Spider wasps buzz around, blocking the way for anyone who wants to keep their insides inside their bodies. They've been massacring the local livestock. I hear their venom has even contaminated the water supplies. Dozens have become bedridden over the past few weeks, drinking from the town wells."
Survival TN: 40
Momoka, Survival: 30 + 4 (Poisoned Heritage) + 6 (dice) = 40
Success!
Momoka, Survival: 30 + 4 (Poisoned Heritage) + 6 (dice) = 40
Success!
A note of concern flashed through Momoka.
Sensei asked for a few other details and directions before bidding the farmers farewell, who gave them a sack of rice in appreciation. As they began to walk away, Momoka flagged down Kobayashi-sensei, who looked at her.
"Sensei… I'm not overly familiar with these spider wasp beasts, but… so far as I know, their venom is not toxic when ingested. It is meant to be injected directly into the blood."
He took that in, concern growing on his face. "Mmm. So if it wasn't the spider wasps, perhaps it was some other beast or natural phenomenon. Or…"
Shion and Kenzō paled.
"Or, it could be enemy ninja," she finished.
Kenzō was going to timeladder sneaking to approach the Deer, but they seem to be encroaching on a farmstead, and he doesn't want to take too much longer.
The Lava Deer have Alertness 20, except for the buck, which has a +10 to everything compared to the does, giving Alertness 30. However, Kenzō is able to spot them at a distance due to their glow, and the rain helps disguise his presence. I'll say the buck gets a -5 penalty to its Alertness roll from the rain, and a -3 due to the large observation distance.
Kenzō, Stealth: 23 - 3 (dice) = 20
Buck, Alertness: 30 - 5 (rainfall) - 3 (large distance) - 3 (dice) = 19
Whew. Kenzō is not spotted. He is able to make out a buck and five does, munching on a rice paddy and slowly ruining the whole crop with their superheated bodies. There's four rice paddies total, one of them is already shot. He was planning on building more spear barricades to help herd them into an ambush, but there likely isn't time unless he lets this person's farm burn down, which he knows will disappoint his teacher. All of the deer are bunched up in one zone already, so he will opt for the explosive tag. That rice paddy is already ruined anyways, and it will get the rest of his team in action.
However, he will need to get closer if he wants to throw, which will mean rolling stealth again without the distance penalty.
Kenzō, Stealth: 23 + 0 (dice) = 23
Buck, Alertness: 30 - 5 (rainfall) + 0 (dice) = 25
No flat-footed penalty, as the buck tenses and the does look up.
Initiative:
Kenzō, Alertness: 31
Buck, Alertness: 30
Doe 1 thru 5 Alertness: 20
Teammates will not join until round 2.
Round 1:
Kenzō throws a kunai with an explosive tag into their zone as a Standard + Supplemental to activate the explosive, and then another Supplemental to vacuum step 2 zones away, into the same zone as his teammates.
Kenzō, chakra: 220 - 23 (vacuum step) = 197
Explosive tags have TN: 40 to dodge. The does have Athletics 40 and no ability to substitute or boost the roll. The buck has Athletics 50. The deer all have a stress track of 5 but no consequence slots.
Buck, Athletics: 50 + 6 = 56. Easily dodges. It will move down into the Zone next to Kenzō.
Doe 1: 40 + 6 = 46. Manages to leap out of the way. It will land in the zone above, between two rice paddies.
Doe 2: 40 + 3 = 43. Manages to dodge. It will land in the zone above.
Doe 3: 40 - 3 = 37. Doe 3's stress track is filled all the way up. It dodges to the zone to the left.
Doe 4: 40 + 0 = 40. Doe 4's stress track is filled to 5 as well. It dodges to the zone to the left.
Doe 5: 40 - 9 = 31. Doe 5 explodes instantly.
Buck's turn.
The Deer possess 3 attacks. Rather than track chakra usage, I'll just fiat that they can only use the ranged and AOE once each.
A 'level 35' melee attack, Weapons: 1 due to their heated bodies.
A 'level 35' ranged attack.
A 'level 30' same-zone AOE that converts the ground to lava.
Kenzō was 2 zones away and Vacuum stepped 2 more zones away, putting him 4 zones away.
Unlike humans, the deer can use both supplementals to move, though it isn't necessary for the buck here. The buck dodged one zone closer to him, and will use a Supplemental to move another zone closer, then fire off its ranged attack. Kenzō will Boost to help dodge.
Kenzō, chakra: 197 - 25 (boost) = 172
Buck, lava glob: 45 + 3 (dice) = 48
Kenzō, Athletics: 34 + (boost) - 6 (dice) = 33
Bruh
Jun hasn't had his first turn yet, so cannot use Surging Seas reflexively without a Standard. He still has two reflexive supplementals before his first turn. Jun will Substitute with Kenzō since Kenzō is out of Supplementals. This means Kobayashi will need to make the Athletics check instead, without adding the bonus of Substitution (since he is not dodging out of the way with the technique.)
Jun, Athletics: 61 - 3 = 58
Jun easily ducks around the attack after getting Kenzō to safety.
Jun, chakra: 420 - 14 (substitution) = 406.
The does are freaked out but the two uninjured does flock towards the buck, while the two wounded does try to flee towards the farmhouse.
The two who flock to the buck will expend both Supplementals to enter the same zone, and fire off two more projectiles at Kenzō. Momoka will help intercept with Multiple Earth Wall, casting at Effect: 1 to create one wall for Kenzō.
Momoka, chakra: 170 - 34 (MEW) = 136
Doe 1, lava glob: 35 + 3 (dice) = 38
Kenzō, Athletics: 34 + 5 (boost) + 4 (MEW) - 3 = 40
Doe 2, lava glob: 35 - 6 (dice) = 29
Kenzō, Athletics: 34 + 5 (boost) + 0 (dice) = 39
Kenzō manages to dodge both with Momoka's help.
Round 2:
The others have joined the Initiative order and refreshed their actions.
Jun, Alertness: 55
Momoka, Alertness: 42
Shion, Alertness: 31
Kenzō, Alertness: 31
Buck, Alertness: 30
Doe 1 thru 4, Alertness: 20
Jun is going to chase down the fleeing does. He started his turn 6 zones away from them. He could probably catch them with a boosted Water Dragon Bullet, but he doesn't want to spend too much chakra on fodder, and it might destroy the farmhouse. He will instead vacuum step twice to get within 2 zones of the fleeing does, and then use a low powered Splashing Manta Strike at Effect: 1 for the AOE melee.
Jun, chakra: 406 - 46 (two vacuum steps) - 40 (splashing manta strike) = 320
Jun, Intimidation: 55 + 6 = 61
Does, Resolve: lol
Jun, Taijutsu: 60 + 1 (Splashing Manta Strike) + 7 (Ogre Style) = 68
Doe 3, Athletics: 40 + 0 = dead
Doe 4, Athletics: 40 - 3 = dead
Jun leaps toward em and chops their heads off with water blades.
Momoka's turn.
She'll prioritize the weaker targets first.
Momoka, Ranged Weapons: 36 + 4 (boost) - 6 (dice) = 34
Reroll!
Momoka, Ranged Weapons: 36 + 4 (boost) - 6 (dice) = 34
Damn. Okay I guess
Momoka FP remaining: 3
Momoka, chakra: 136 - 20 = 116
Doe 1, Athletics: 40 - 6 = 34
Lucky. Momoka deals 1 + 2 (WR) stress to Doe 1.
Shion's turn. Shion will summon her water whip, but she will not leave their barricades just yet. She will hold her action to attack whenever something comes into range. This means spending both her Standard and a reflexive Supplemental. I already know she'll boost so I'll charge it now.
Shion, chakra: 260 - 38 (WW) - 25 (boost) = 197.
Kenzō will draw his weapons and use Gale Edge at Effect 3. He is slightly concerned about this, given their Lava Affinity, a combination of Earth and Fire (and Wind is weak to Fire) but believes he will need the extra advantage. He can discontinue the technique as a free action on his turn.
Kenzō, chakra: 172 - 32 (Gale Edge) - 25 (boost) = 115
Buck's turn.
It's going to charge Kenzō, using both Supplementals to close the distance.
Ad Hoc Ruling, may not always do it this way: Kenzō earlier made a quick barrier using his Trapmaking skill, which is not quite high enough to hide traps effectively but suffices for some simple defensive structures. He sharpened some spears out of nearby wood and shoved them into the ground at an angle, creating a Border of 1 and giving everyone inside the barrier a tag (though it uses his Trapmaking AB.)
Buck, Melee Attack: 45 + 6 = 51
Kenzō, Melee Weapons: 41 + 5 (boost) + 2 (Improvised barrier) + 3 (Gale Edge) + 5 (Invoke "Unconventional Legacy") + 0 (dice) = 56
Kenzō wins, dealing 2 + 3 (WR) stress to the buck. The Gale Edge aura around his blades begin to spark dangerously but nothing happens yet.
Kenzō, FP remaining: 3
Shion's reflexive Supplemental held action triggers, and she will follow up on the assault.
Shion, Water Whip: 37 + 5 (boost) + 2 (improvised barrier) + 4 (Adrenaline Junkie) + 9 (dice) = 57
Buck, Melee Attack: 45 + 12 (dice) = 57
WTF. OK well ties go to the attacker. Buck is down.
Doe 1 will charge down Shion, who is standing in front of Momoka.
Doe 1, Melee Attack: 35 + 0 = 35
Shion, Water Whip: 37 + 5 (boost) - 3 (dice) = 39
2 stress inflicted by Shion. The Deer's 2nd and 3rd stress box are full, so it fills the fourth stress box.
Doe 2 will charge down Kenzō.
Doe 2, Melee Attack: 35 - 6 = 29
Kenzō, Melee Weapons: 41 + 5 (boost) + 3 (Gale Edge) - 3 (dice) = 46
Kenzō deals 6 + 3 stress, instantly killing Doe 2. His Gale Edge technique catches fire, ending the technique, and he takes 1 stress.
Round 3:
Jun starts to run back over with his Standard but can tell the fight's nearly over anyways.
Jun, Athletics: 61
All the zones are Border 0, so he will cover 6 zones.
He easily runs across the flat farmland.
Momoka aims for the last remaining doe.
Momoka, Ranged Weapons: 36 + 4 (boost) + 6 (dice) = 46
Doe, Athletics: 40 - 6 = 34
Momoka deals 4 + 2 (WR) stress, instantly killing the last doe.
Momoka, chakra: 116 - 20 = 96
Victory, huzzah!
The genin earn 1 FP for victory, putting Momoka at 5 FP, and the other two at 4 FP.
The Lava Deer have Alertness 20, except for the buck, which has a +10 to everything compared to the does, giving Alertness 30. However, Kenzō is able to spot them at a distance due to their glow, and the rain helps disguise his presence. I'll say the buck gets a -5 penalty to its Alertness roll from the rain, and a -3 due to the large observation distance.
Kenzō, Stealth: 23 - 3 (dice) = 20
Buck, Alertness: 30 - 5 (rainfall) - 3 (large distance) - 3 (dice) = 19
Whew. Kenzō is not spotted. He is able to make out a buck and five does, munching on a rice paddy and slowly ruining the whole crop with their superheated bodies. There's four rice paddies total, one of them is already shot. He was planning on building more spear barricades to help herd them into an ambush, but there likely isn't time unless he lets this person's farm burn down, which he knows will disappoint his teacher. All of the deer are bunched up in one zone already, so he will opt for the explosive tag. That rice paddy is already ruined anyways, and it will get the rest of his team in action.
However, he will need to get closer if he wants to throw, which will mean rolling stealth again without the distance penalty.
Kenzō, Stealth: 23 + 0 (dice) = 23
Buck, Alertness: 30 - 5 (rainfall) + 0 (dice) = 25
No flat-footed penalty, as the buck tenses and the does look up.
Initiative:
Kenzō, Alertness: 31
Buck, Alertness: 30
Doe 1 thru 5 Alertness: 20
Teammates will not join until round 2.
Round 1:
Kenzō throws a kunai with an explosive tag into their zone as a Standard + Supplemental to activate the explosive, and then another Supplemental to vacuum step 2 zones away, into the same zone as his teammates.
Kenzō, chakra: 220 - 23 (vacuum step) = 197
Explosive tags have TN: 40 to dodge. The does have Athletics 40 and no ability to substitute or boost the roll. The buck has Athletics 50. The deer all have a stress track of 5 but no consequence slots.
Buck, Athletics: 50 + 6 = 56. Easily dodges. It will move down into the Zone next to Kenzō.
Doe 1: 40 + 6 = 46. Manages to leap out of the way. It will land in the zone above, between two rice paddies.
Doe 2: 40 + 3 = 43. Manages to dodge. It will land in the zone above.
Doe 3: 40 - 3 = 37. Doe 3's stress track is filled all the way up. It dodges to the zone to the left.
Doe 4: 40 + 0 = 40. Doe 4's stress track is filled to 5 as well. It dodges to the zone to the left.
Doe 5: 40 - 9 = 31. Doe 5 explodes instantly.
Buck's turn.
The Deer possess 3 attacks. Rather than track chakra usage, I'll just fiat that they can only use the ranged and AOE once each.
A 'level 35' melee attack, Weapons: 1 due to their heated bodies.
A 'level 35' ranged attack.
A 'level 30' same-zone AOE that converts the ground to lava.
Kenzō was 2 zones away and Vacuum stepped 2 more zones away, putting him 4 zones away.
Unlike humans, the deer can use both supplementals to move, though it isn't necessary for the buck here. The buck dodged one zone closer to him, and will use a Supplemental to move another zone closer, then fire off its ranged attack. Kenzō will Boost to help dodge.
Kenzō, chakra: 197 - 25 (boost) = 172
Buck, lava glob: 45 + 3 (dice) = 48
Kenzō, Athletics: 34 + (boost) - 6 (dice) = 33
Bruh
Jun hasn't had his first turn yet, so cannot use Surging Seas reflexively without a Standard. He still has two reflexive supplementals before his first turn. Jun will Substitute with Kenzō since Kenzō is out of Supplementals. This means Kobayashi will need to make the Athletics check instead, without adding the bonus of Substitution (since he is not dodging out of the way with the technique.)
Jun, Athletics: 61 - 3 = 58
Jun easily ducks around the attack after getting Kenzō to safety.
Jun, chakra: 420 - 14 (substitution) = 406.
The does are freaked out but the two uninjured does flock towards the buck, while the two wounded does try to flee towards the farmhouse.
The two who flock to the buck will expend both Supplementals to enter the same zone, and fire off two more projectiles at Kenzō. Momoka will help intercept with Multiple Earth Wall, casting at Effect: 1 to create one wall for Kenzō.
Momoka, chakra: 170 - 34 (MEW) = 136
Doe 1, lava glob: 35 + 3 (dice) = 38
Kenzō, Athletics: 34 + 5 (boost) + 4 (MEW) - 3 = 40
Doe 2, lava glob: 35 - 6 (dice) = 29
Kenzō, Athletics: 34 + 5 (boost) + 0 (dice) = 39
Kenzō manages to dodge both with Momoka's help.
Round 2:
The others have joined the Initiative order and refreshed their actions.
Jun, Alertness: 55
Momoka, Alertness: 42
Shion, Alertness: 31
Kenzō, Alertness: 31
Buck, Alertness: 30
Doe 1 thru 4, Alertness: 20
Jun is going to chase down the fleeing does. He started his turn 6 zones away from them. He could probably catch them with a boosted Water Dragon Bullet, but he doesn't want to spend too much chakra on fodder, and it might destroy the farmhouse. He will instead vacuum step twice to get within 2 zones of the fleeing does, and then use a low powered Splashing Manta Strike at Effect: 1 for the AOE melee.
Jun, chakra: 406 - 46 (two vacuum steps) - 40 (splashing manta strike) = 320
Jun, Intimidation: 55 + 6 = 61
Does, Resolve: lol
Jun, Taijutsu: 60 + 1 (Splashing Manta Strike) + 7 (Ogre Style) = 68
Doe 3, Athletics: 40 + 0 = dead
Doe 4, Athletics: 40 - 3 = dead
Jun leaps toward em and chops their heads off with water blades.
Momoka's turn.
She'll prioritize the weaker targets first.
Momoka, Ranged Weapons: 36 + 4 (boost) - 6 (dice) = 34
Reroll!
Momoka, Ranged Weapons: 36 + 4 (boost) - 6 (dice) = 34
Damn. Okay I guess
Momoka FP remaining: 3
Momoka, chakra: 136 - 20 = 116
Doe 1, Athletics: 40 - 6 = 34
Lucky. Momoka deals 1 + 2 (WR) stress to Doe 1.
Shion's turn. Shion will summon her water whip, but she will not leave their barricades just yet. She will hold her action to attack whenever something comes into range. This means spending both her Standard and a reflexive Supplemental. I already know she'll boost so I'll charge it now.
Shion, chakra: 260 - 38 (WW) - 25 (boost) = 197.
Kenzō will draw his weapons and use Gale Edge at Effect 3. He is slightly concerned about this, given their Lava Affinity, a combination of Earth and Fire (and Wind is weak to Fire) but believes he will need the extra advantage. He can discontinue the technique as a free action on his turn.
Kenzō, chakra: 172 - 32 (Gale Edge) - 25 (boost) = 115
Buck's turn.
It's going to charge Kenzō, using both Supplementals to close the distance.
Ad Hoc Ruling, may not always do it this way: Kenzō earlier made a quick barrier using his Trapmaking skill, which is not quite high enough to hide traps effectively but suffices for some simple defensive structures. He sharpened some spears out of nearby wood and shoved them into the ground at an angle, creating a Border of 1 and giving everyone inside the barrier a tag (though it uses his Trapmaking AB.)
Buck, Melee Attack: 45 + 6 = 51
Kenzō, Melee Weapons: 41 + 5 (boost) + 2 (Improvised barrier) + 3 (Gale Edge) + 5 (Invoke "Unconventional Legacy") + 0 (dice) = 56
Kenzō wins, dealing 2 + 3 (WR) stress to the buck. The Gale Edge aura around his blades begin to spark dangerously but nothing happens yet.
Kenzō, FP remaining: 3
Shion's reflexive Supplemental held action triggers, and she will follow up on the assault.
Shion, Water Whip: 37 + 5 (boost) + 2 (improvised barrier) + 4 (Adrenaline Junkie) + 9 (dice) = 57
Buck, Melee Attack: 45 + 12 (dice) = 57
WTF. OK well ties go to the attacker. Buck is down.
Doe 1 will charge down Shion, who is standing in front of Momoka.
Doe 1, Melee Attack: 35 + 0 = 35
Shion, Water Whip: 37 + 5 (boost) - 3 (dice) = 39
2 stress inflicted by Shion. The Deer's 2nd and 3rd stress box are full, so it fills the fourth stress box.
Doe 2 will charge down Kenzō.
Doe 2, Melee Attack: 35 - 6 = 29
Kenzō, Melee Weapons: 41 + 5 (boost) + 3 (Gale Edge) - 3 (dice) = 46
Kenzō deals 6 + 3 stress, instantly killing Doe 2. His Gale Edge technique catches fire, ending the technique, and he takes 1 stress.
Round 3:
Jun starts to run back over with his Standard but can tell the fight's nearly over anyways.
Jun, Athletics: 61
All the zones are Border 0, so he will cover 6 zones.
He easily runs across the flat farmland.
Momoka aims for the last remaining doe.
Momoka, Ranged Weapons: 36 + 4 (boost) + 6 (dice) = 46
Doe, Athletics: 40 - 6 = 34
Momoka deals 4 + 2 (WR) stress, instantly killing the last doe.
Momoka, chakra: 116 - 20 = 96
Victory, huzzah!
The genin earn 1 FP for victory, putting Momoka at 5 FP, and the other two at 4 FP.
Another day another combat. So these deer are an interesting example of something you're likely to see more of in the future, which is an excuse to be lazy :^)
More or less, you don't actually need to make full-fledged character sheets for everything. These deer have the basic 3 covered: Attack, dodge, and alertness. How they move is another basic thing you'll want to be thinking about. Cutting out consequences may or may not be something I do in the future, but for beasts, they don't have as many fancy or sneaky tricks as a ninja, so once they're taking consequences they may as well not even be there anyways.
All that being said, the combat still took longer than I was expecting for how simple it was. I think this is inevitable when you have a lot of combatants (AKA more than like 3 on each side.) You may be seeing sensei making excuses to have you off doing your own thing
For this reason, if you're running games, I would advise trying to minimize number of combatants, and when you do have a lot of combatants, try to make them simple or you'll slow the game down. Don't be afraid to just slap down a number for their attack and call it a day. Players do often appreciate a complex and challenging encounter, but they also appreciate it not taking 15 minutes to decide what the enemy will do.
Another thing the more eagle-eyed may notice - what happened in the narrative isn't exactly how the rolls went down. Who killed what was switched up a bit, the impact of the traps was emphasized perhaps more than the bonus would have you otherwise believe. I think if you have a specific vision for some kind of cinematic scene you or your players want to paint, don't let what the rolls literally say hold you back from making a better story together.
More or less, you don't actually need to make full-fledged character sheets for everything. These deer have the basic 3 covered: Attack, dodge, and alertness. How they move is another basic thing you'll want to be thinking about. Cutting out consequences may or may not be something I do in the future, but for beasts, they don't have as many fancy or sneaky tricks as a ninja, so once they're taking consequences they may as well not even be there anyways.
All that being said, the combat still took longer than I was expecting for how simple it was. I think this is inevitable when you have a lot of combatants (AKA more than like 3 on each side.) You may be seeing sensei making excuses to have you off doing your own thing
For this reason, if you're running games, I would advise trying to minimize number of combatants, and when you do have a lot of combatants, try to make them simple or you'll slow the game down. Don't be afraid to just slap down a number for their attack and call it a day. Players do often appreciate a complex and challenging encounter, but they also appreciate it not taking 15 minutes to decide what the enemy will do.
Another thing the more eagle-eyed may notice - what happened in the narrative isn't exactly how the rolls went down. Who killed what was switched up a bit, the impact of the traps was emphasized perhaps more than the bonus would have you otherwise believe. I think if you have a specific vision for some kind of cinematic scene you or your players want to paint, don't let what the rolls literally say hold you back from making a better story together.
It is now early afternoon. Your sensei is adamant about investigating the village, carefully. If enemies of Rain are indeed running amok, this is something the Tower should know about. This will likely mean dealing with the spider wasps too, before you can do any real investigative work. But you are welcome to discuss with him how you want to approach potentially investigating for signs of ninja or what your group should be doing if they are encountered, though he may not agree with every idea.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
[X] Clear out the spider wasps, then start asking the townspeople if they've seen anything strange recently.
[X] Try to bait the spider wasps away from the village, and then start looking for clues around town.
[X] Observe the town from afar, and see who enters and exits.
Write-ins are accepted. Voting will close on Friday, Dec. 27th, at 5PM CST.
Last edited:
Vote closed
Chapter 3: Bug Trap
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Shion waded through the paddy, shearing through the rice ears and stuffing them into her basket in a swift, practiced motion. She hummed a soft tune, far enough from her family that she wouldn't be too embarrassed to do so. It was a cool day for the summer, but it was still muggy, so she was covered in sweat nonetheless. Her mother Ume was gathering up grains herself on the other end of the field, while her father Tanjiro was leading the family ox around, plowing the field they'd already collected from and drained. Koichi and Dan wrestled on the porch, still a bit too young to contribute much to the work, but they could still, in theory, watch and learn.
She was sore from the past couple weeks of work. The tax collector would be coming soon to take the Daimyo's allotment of rice, and they were behind on their yield for the season. At the least, keeping busy helped the time go by faster. She was eager to get back to learning the recipes for the Shimmerveil festival in the fall, after finally persuading her mother she was old enough to help. If a nine year old could swing a sickle and gather rice, surely she could help make a sweet bean cake.
She wiped her brow and waded back, her basket filled to the brim. The mud squelched beneath her in a strange but familiar way. The sun was already gone, but some light remained, dimming minute by minute. As behind as they were on their harvest, they worked until they couldn't see anymore.
Shion put her rice with the rest, and started cleaning off her sickle as her mother made her way over with a basket of her own. Her father spared Shion a glance, frowning. "Slow," he said, quiet enough that he probably didn't intend for her to hear, and yet she did. She was crestfallen, though only a little bit. It wasn't the first time she'd heard something like that in their recent rush. He walked off, continuing to prepare the field, while her mother came up and mussed her hair.
"It's embarrassing, but I think you're already better at this than me, Shion," she said, smiling. Suddenly, her mother stopped in her tracks, looking around. "The birds…" she murmured. Shion noticed too. They'd stopped chirping. Ume called out to Tanjiro, then scooped up Shion, running her over to the house. "Watch your brothers," she said, racing off to join Shion's father.
Shion enticed Koichi and Dan inside with the promise of sweets, then crawled over to the window while they munched on rice cookies. Her mother gripped a sickle and her father gripped a spear, and they argued fiercely.
"...come inside, we'll be safer there!"
"Those damn wolves took our other ox. If they take this one too, there's no way to plow the fields in time. I'll be dragged off to debtor's prison, you'll be married off as a concubine to some asshole, and who knows what'll happen to our children!"
"Better that than risking your life and suffering an even worse fate!"
Her parents continued bickering, all the while keeping a watchful eye at the howling in the distance as the sun's last traces finally began to wane. Shion's grip tightened on her own sickle that she'd taken inside.
And then the wolves came, eyes burning red in the growing darkness. Despite her mother's protests, she stood by Shion's father's side, while the ox grew restless at the encroaching predators. The wolves stayed at a healthy distance, circling and observing their adversaries with a concerning intelligence. Every now and then one would feint, getting a reaction out of Tanjiro as he stabbed fruitlessly at them.
Finally, several rushed in at once and Shion's parents swung madly to fend them off, their ox kicking wildly as wolves lunged upon it. Her brothers looked up in confusion as Shion cried out at her parents suffering multiple bites. She ripped a lantern off the wall, hurling it out the window and crashing to the ground, igniting a pile of rice that had been left out to dry under a tarp.
The wolves balked momentarily at the surprise gout of flame, giving her parents the reprieve to fatally wound two of the wolves, but there was easily half a dozen more, and they began to recover from their brief confusion, closing in on her parents again. Shion swallowed her fear and leapt through the window, a surprising strength surging through her and giving her clarity and focus.
Her mother yelled at her, telling Shion to go back, but even at her young age she knew that without her parents, the whole family was doomed, to starvation if nothing else.
She gripped the sickle tightly, running to her parents, and she felt herself becoming faster and faster - she cut down a wolf in an instant, surprising the others, who turned to the smaller target and leapt upon her, knocking the sickle away. She cried in pain as they bit into her arms and torso, while she covered her neck and head. Her strength surged again and she tackled a wolf to the ground, grabbing its legs and swinging it overhead, slamming it into the ground with a sickening crunch. She turned to the remaining wolves, snarling - and felt that strange strength leave her, falling to her knees as her parents cut the others down, the survivors fleeing into the night.
As she began to lose consciousness, she only caught one confused word from her father.
"...ninja…?"
It wasn't long before they were visited by someone with the regional Daimyo's insignia. His eyes flicked over to the ten-year-old Shion, who was using her newfound strength to pull the plow in lieu of their last ox perishing from the wolf encounter.
Her father exchanged pleasantries, clearly nervous about not meeting their rice quota, ready to haggle for a light sentence, or a greater future yield.
The man shook his head, extending a letter with the emblem of Hidden Rain on it.
On her first day in the academy, she sat in the front row, a bit confused at all the scheduling, the punctuality, the formality. Shion had never been in a school before, much less a military academy. It was overwhelming. And she would have to be here for the next six years? Their teacher watched impassively as students filed in, giving them time for introductions and greetings. The teacher scribbled notes as students filed in, and Shion wondered if she was taking notes on the students themselves.
A boy in resplendent dress approached her with an air of friendship. It was a breath of fresh air in a place full of strangers. He introduced himself as Okura Sai. Naturally, his clan's reputation preceded itself. Or whatever.
"What family are you from?" he asked mildly, after exchanging pleasantries.
"Um… what do you mean? My family's just… my family."
"Ahhhh. Farmers?"
"Yeah."
One of his friends snickered. Shion caught the word, "Mudfoot," though she wasn't sure what it meant.
"You don't know anything about the Okura Clan, do you?"
"...no," she admitted.
He leaned in uncomfortably close. "You have a lot to learn, mudfoot. Best pay attention."
He started to walk off, and her shock and sadness turned to smouldering anger. She wasn't going to just roll over and be anyone's punching bag. She grabbed the back of his fancypants robe and spun him around.
"Listen, pretty boy, I don't care who your daddy is." Okura blinked in surprise, and she rolled up her sleeves. "See these scars on my arms? I got those from wrestling Dusk Wolves to the death while they tried to maul my parents. I'll bet you've never even seen one of the fuckers. You think having a silver spoon in your mouth makes you tough shit? Nah, it just makes you a little bitch. Let's see if you've got the balls to earn anything for yourself without riding your Clan's coattails." He tugged the clothes she was gripping away with a haughty huff and stalked off.
The teacher smiled and went back to scribbling notes.
Shion made her way back to their home in the Village Hidden in the Rain. She dropped her academy bag and stretched, and was soon greeted by her mother with a hug.
She made her way into the living room, where her youngest brother Kazuki was building a tower out of blocks. " 'sup, runt?" she said, dangling him upside down while he squealed in delight.
Her father was relaxing in an armchair after another day of farming - admittedly in much better conditions than their old home in the marshes. "Ah, Shion, welcome home."
"Hi dad," she said, then looked back and forth between him and her mother. "I spoke with Hanako-sensei today about my career after I graduate next month. I'm going to be an apprentice!" Her parents clearly didn't know much about what that entailed, but were happy she was excited nonetheless.
"Mmm, maybe our boys have that to look forward to in their future, too," her father mused.
Shion had a flash of irritation. "Dad… we've been over this. Koichi and Dan would've demonstrated chakra capability by now. They're not gonna be ninja. The medics were skeptical Kazuki will get a developed chakra system either." He grunted noncommittally, further annoying her. This probably wouldn't be the last time she'd hear it from him.
Her mom tried to smooth things over by moving on. "What will this apprenticeship entail?"
Shion huffed, then said, "I'll be learning from a ninjutsu expert in the arts of creating and manipulating paper. I'll be spending my days with her, performing missions and errands with her, and… I don't know, whatever apprentices do," she said, shrugging.
"Think you're too good for farming now, eh?" her dad asked.
"You know, I'm pretty tired. Think I'll head to bed for now," she groused.
"Wait, Shion, I was just kidding…" he finished lamely.
At this point, she didn't care. Someone had finally recognized her potential, and Shion wasn't looking back.
Shion sat awkwardly in the study of her new sensei, Tanaka Rei, who was currently making them both tea. The study was a bit messy, papers scattered about and scrolls lying unattended and unfinished. Ornate candle holders were scattered around on dark wooden furniture, and an assortment of baubles and trinkets tinkled overhead. A cozy fire thrumming in the fireplace illuminated the otherwise dark room.
Tanaka-sensei took a seat across from Shion at the small table, setting down a cup for each of them. "Apologies for the mess," she said, flicking through a few hand seals. Soon enough, papers sprung up and carried themselves to their requisite shelves, cleaning the space up in moments.
Shion arched an eyebrow. "Did you leave it a mess on purpose to show off?"
Tanaka-sensei smiled mischievously and sipped her tea. "I read some of your essays in the academy. You're quite perceptive on the nature of chakra for one so young. You're quite perceptive in general, really. And more than that, I get the impression you've got a bone to pick with the universe itself. The chip on your shoulder is more like a plank of wood." Shion's pride quickly turned into embarrassment. Tanaka-sensei continued. "Don't get me wrong, this is something you'll need to control and harness. But I'll take someone with that kind of drive over a do-nothing who expects to just be given the answer any day of the week."
"I… I understand, sensei."
"Good. The paper arts are a proud tradition of Hidden Rain. They are not to be sullied by amateurs who do not appreciate the art."
Tanaka-sensei rose from her seat and rifled through a desk, pulling forth a stack of paper.
"We'll get to some real Paper Release techniques eventually, but for the next two months, we will be doing basic control exercises to prepare you to mold a very special kind of chakra - and yet, the simplest form of all. Neutral chakra."
"You mean the kind we use for the Clone technique or Substitution technique?"
"The very same. But molded into a shape that paper will resonate with, and recognize as its master."
"..."
Tanaka-sensei smirked, and continued. "Mmm, imperfect comparison, but you can think of it like… like how water can be mixed into a new substance, to make juice, or tea, or poison, or mud. But water itself can be so many things, it becomes… challenging to use it in that form, for all but the most basic tasks. That's how neutral chakra is. The basic academy jutsu you mention are some of the most well understood ninjutsu in the world. The basic Clone technique especially is more of a training tool than a useful technique in its own right. The principles of neutral chakra can be applied to any more specialized element like Fire Release or Earth Release, the mixtures I mentioned before. The reverse can be true, at times. But everyone can manipulate neutral chakra, if they can manipulate chakra at all."
"And manipulating paper… it doesn't use any of these mixtures?"
"It isn't a different 'phase' per se," her sensei agreed. "It's still that basic form of chakra with seemingly endless possibilities and forms. I'll be teaching you how to narrow the focus, so that your chakra knows how to recognize and commune with paper."
"...why paper? If one could use neutral chakra to commune with anything…"
"Figuring out even this much was multiple lifetimes of work, Shion. But, for what it's worth, there exist other clans and villages who have learned such things. It is said the Sage of Six Paths could use neutral chakra to create and give life from nothing, and to manipulate the world to his desire, like genjutsu made manifest." Tanaka-sensei shrugged. "Sadly, most of us are not the Sage of Six Paths. You'll have to settle for just paper for now."
She placed the stack of papers she'd pulled from the drawer in front of Shion.
"Do you recognize this kind of paper?"
"Ah, yeah… it's affinity paper. It responds to your innate Chakra Nature and tells you which element it is."
Her sensei nodded. "Many similar tests exist in the world, but affinity paper is the most common. Given what it is made of, it's also well suited to be our way of measuring your progress." Tanaka-sensei grabbed a few sheets, and surprised Shion when different papers had different reactions as Tanaka-sensei picked them up. She explained, "When they aren't actively manipulating their chakra to do otherwise, everyone will trend towards a single basic elemental affinity, the one they are born with. Those who have learned multiple elements can get the paper to react to one of those, instead, if they are focusing." She picked up one more sheet, which remained inert. "Your task will be to get the paper to not react at all."
Shion took a paper. Unsurprisingly, condensation began to accumulate on it, reflecting her Water Nature.
"We will be learning about how to manipulate your chirality, ambulation, polarization, and plenty of other fancy words you may have heard a time or two in the academy. The process is not dissimilar to learning any other Chakra Nature. In many ways, Paper Release may as well be a pseudo-element."
Shion took another paper and failed, sighing. More than likely, she wouldn't be managing this exercise for quite some time. She turned back to her teacher with a look of determination. "What else you got?"
Tanaka-sensei smiled at her and said, "I think I'll enjoy these next few months."
Shion fidgeted nervously as she sat across from Tanaka-sensei. Tanaka Umi, sister of her former teacher. Her new teacher's eyes were still red, and there was a lingering scent of alcohol about her.
"Needless to say, I would not be wasting my time with a brat like you if it weren't the last wishes of my dearly departed sister. She gave her life for the glory of Rain. Don't dishonor her memory by being a bad student. She had many good things to say about you for whatever reason, so I have high expectations for you. Very high expectations."
"Yes, sensei."
"Bleh. Words I've never wanted to hear." She took another drink from a bottle she carried around. "Tell me what you've learned from Rei so far. Start from the basics."
Shion took a deep breath and began to recite the maxims and basics of her training, but was cut off two minutes into what would easily be at least twenty minutes of summarization.
"So you didn't manage to pick up much, sounds like," Shion's new sensei said, dismissive.
"Sensei, I've barely even started recounting the lessons-"
"We'll start back at the basics, then. Even an idiot should manage to pick things up a second time around."
Shion simmered. Under the table, she gripped an affinity paper. Even now, she could only manage to hold it for a few seconds before her Water Nature inevitably leaked through. And now they were starting over?
She steeled herself for what was to come. She would prove her worth.
Shion burst into the study, waving a page. "I did it, sensei! The page is dry! Sensei-"
She choked back her words when she saw the body hanging from the rafters.
Shion stood by a small tributary of water, slowly streaming her Water Whip back and forth, trying and failing to concentrate on her forms.
"Curse. Who would teach you and put themselves at risk?"
Superstitious idiots. If no one would teach her, then she would just have to teach herself.
"Two of the brightest minds in Rain, dead because of your bad luck. Are you so arrogant as to try claiming more?"
No one wanted her on a three-man squad either, but that suited her just fine, honestly.
"Who told you you could hang around here? Get lost, mudfoot."
Honestly.
"Fucking freak. Stay away from me before I catch your bad luck."
Her water whip quivered in her hand and she lashed it out, shearing through a small boulder, shouting all the while.
"Good for nothing."
"Worthless."
"Trash."
She raised up her Water Whip for another strike, before hearing another voice behind her.
"Am I interrupting?" said some tall old chūnin, probably here to get his licks in while she was down.
"Yes," she grumbled. "As you can see, I'm very busy training. What do you want?"
"I've heard a lot about you, Shion. I wanted to know if the rumors were true."
She looked at him with a stormy expression, opening her mouth to give a scathing remark, but he kept going.
"Rei told me you were inquisitive, driven, and determined. That you had a knack for understanding the more esoteric aspects of chakra."
Shion paused, stock still.
"Hitomi gave me the impression that you were a highly talented ninjutsu specialist - for a genin, if nothing else. And with Water Element at that, which, as it happens, is my own best element and natural affinity."
"Um…"
"Minoru says you're naturally empathetic, that you have a good understanding of the lives of others, and a distaste for injustice, with a will to match. That you believe fairness is not only possible, but necessary. That you can get along with anyone, if they're willing to get along with you first."
"...are you messing with me?"
"Nope. My name is Kobayashi Jun. I'm trying to put a team together, but I've had a hard time finding candidates worth the time. Based on what I've heard about you, I think you might be worth it, but I wanted to pay you a visit and make sure. What do you think? Are you worth it?"
Once upon a time she'd have jumped at the chance to say yes. Nowadays…
"You don't… think I'm a curse? Bad luck?"
The man had a confused look on his face. "Hmm, maybe if I were a superstitious fool, I'd care about silly notions like that. But I think the world's got enough superstitious fools already. What do you say we choose to be something better?"
After a short rest to top off on chakra, they were ready to make their way to Sarubetsu to deal with the Spider Wasps (and maybe something worse…)
No, she couldn't afford to be afraid now. For her own sake, and for those depending on her. And, admittedly, because she would hate to be seen as afraid. It was at least some consolation that Kenzō looked as nervous as she felt. Momoka, for her part, was merely contemplative, and Sensei was naturally all determined and stuff.
They moved at a steady but reasonable jog, not enough to tire them out, but enough to get close to the village in a reasonable amount of time. As they grew closer, she noted the occasional bit of spiderweb drifting through the drizzly breeze, while more webbing clumped on the damp ground around them. She did her best to avoid the sticky bits on the road, and kept an eye and ear out for any suspicious buzzing.
It wasn't long before the town came into view, and a familiar sound greeted her ears - the sound of shouting.
Kobayashi-sensei cursed. "Looks like the spider wasps have moved on to the livestock and townfolk already," he said as he ran. "Shion and Kenzō, try to round up the stragglers before they close in. Momoka and I will shield the civilians."
After a chorus of agreement, Kobayashi-sensei flashed through hand seals Shion was quite familiar with by this point, even if she hadn't mastered what came after.
"Water Release: Surging Seas," he intoned, conjuring a massive wave that lifted him off the ground. Momoka leapt upon the water, waving her arms to try and keep balance on the wall of water that barreled away from Shion and Kenzō, smashing through several spider wasps as it went.
Shion heard the distant cries of Momoka's Multiple Earth Wall technique, giving the civilians respite against the onslaught of the predators. A dozen more of the pests roamed about near her, feasting on or wrapping up fallen goats and sheep. They soon turned their gaze to the new prey running towards them, with venom dripping from their jaws.
Kenzō had his swords out already, holding them in a defensive stance as the swarm thundered towards them, the buzzing becoming deafening.
"Cover me!" she shouted over the furious beating of wings, and he nodded, standing firm. She began molding chakra for a Water technique, but was forced to start to dance around the spider wasps that managed to stay out of his reach, coming straight for her. She was dodging frantically, diving to the side, rolling, jumping, sprinting forward, replacing herself with a boulder.
Kenzō took the heat off her where he could as his blades arced out, catching the first few spider wasps that had reached them, showering them both in bug guts. Shion continued to dodge, flashing through hand seals, all the while thinking ew ew ew ew ew ew ew-
She jumped, springing off the head of a spider wasp, before unleashing her technique. "Water Release: Syrup Capture Field!" she cried, and a surge of water bubbled up and blasted forth from her mouth, dropping to the ground and engulfing the swarm of wasps. Kenzō rolled out of the way just before it grabbed him too, and the sticky mass of water spread thin, grabbing the last of the bugs, who were now beating their wings angrily, trying to escape the goop. Ironic, given what kind of creature they were.
"These should hold for a while. Let's back up the others!" she shouted.
He nodded and stowed his swords in one quick motion, Vacuum Stepping away towards the others, falling just short, and hurling his sword overhand to split another spider wasp in half before it could bite into another villager.
Damn, that was cool. But now was her moment to show off, she was sure of it. She amassed her will, mentally tracing the twist of her energy like Tanaka-sensei - er, the first Tanaka-sensei, had instructed her.
"Water Release: Surging Seas!" she cried out, as water began to boil up from beneath her, lifting her. Her spirits swelled - but she felt a wrench in her gut that something was off, and the technique slipped from her control, sending her spinning to the ground coughing up water.
When she looked up, Momoka was standing by the Syrup Capture Field, finishing off the trapped spider wasps one by one with a kunai to the brain, like some kind of macabre bug execution ceremony. She looked over towards the village, where Kobayashi-sensei and Kenzō made their way over to her. Kenzō stared impassively, which was almost worse than actual mocking. Kobayashi-sensei, for his part, had a look of disappointment, which was worse than actual mocking.
Once again, she'd failed.
Didn't quite get to the rest of the plan unfortunately, but this chapter already ballooned to be a bit bigger than I'd intended anyways. Gives the players some time to revise the plan anyways, especially accounting for…
XP! Yes, you will be getting XP this chapter, which you should be able to spend before the next combat encounter. Normally, you will not receive mid-arc XP. However, for the purposes of the one-shot this was based on, the previous few fights serve as a sort of tutorial for how the mechanics work, and a mid-one-shot XP dump lets new players learn about investing XP into the skills they learned how to use. You will be getting some of the arc XP now, and some at the end, so you can expect these two awards to be smaller individually than a typical full end-of-arc bonus can be by itself.
I will clarify some of the bonus rewards for this arc but may not (and probably will not) do so in the future. Some bonuses are inherently going to be hard or maybe impossible to get all the time, this isn't intended to be a judgment on players/PCs/the author, but simply the way of things.
- (+50) Default Income
- (+100) Missions succeeded (chakra beasts slain.)
- (+30) Flawless bonus (No damage taken against level-appropriate enemies)
- (+20) Thread Discussion / Plan Quality
- (+100) 8/10 villagers rescued in spider wasp fight, 2/2 civilians rescued in Lava Deer fight.
XP awarded is therefore 300 XP. Sheets will be updated later.
Thinking I may need to add a category for number of unique voters, too...
The wasps are already present and attacking people in the village, defending their livestock. Civilians don't typically have character sheets, I'll instead just flip a coin for if they live or die each round. Party interference might improve their odds.
Initiative:
Jun, Alertness: 55
Momoka, Alertness: 42
Spider Wasps, Alertness: 35
Shion, Alertness: 31
Kenzou, Alertness: 31
The party is between 4 and 8 zones away from the civilians who are scattered around, trying to fend off the Spider Wasps.
The Spider Wasps have these stats:
2 stress boxes
Alertness 35
Athletics 20
Melee Bite 40 - Successful bites are venomous, which requires an additional Physique TN of 20 to avoid becoming poisoned. Failure causes one additional stress. If the poison causes you to take a consequence, the effect ends. This roll must be made every turn until succeeded, cured, or causes a consequence. They cannot counterattack.
They can fly and therefore ignore most borders.
Jun's Turn:
Jun will use max Effect Surging Seas to close the distance faster. He will make the roll a bit weaker to allow Momoka to ride alongside him and help shield people with MEW, so no Boost is needed here. He wants to conserve chakra anyway in case there's enemy ninja watching.
Jun, chakra: 420-96 = 324
Momoka, chakra: 190 - 20 (boost) = 170
Surging Seas, capped at 40: 50 + 9 = 40
Momoka, Athletics: 32 + 4 (boost) = 36
Momoka fails by two shifts and can only travel 4 zones with Jun.
After traveling two zones, Jun impacts a spider wasp.
Spider Wasp, Ath: 20 - 6 = ded
After traveling two more zones, Jun impacts a spider wasp.
Spider Wasp, Ath: 20 + dice actually dont matter I realize = ded
Momoka falls off of Surging Seas.
After traveling two more zones, Jun impacts a spider wasp. (Ded)
Jun will use MEW at Effect 1 to help shield a civilian in an adjacent zone. I'll represent this as them getting 'advantage' on their coin flip, letting them reroll once.
Jun, chakra: 324 - 34 = 290
Momoka's Turn:
Standard: Kill the Spider Wasp in her zone
RW: 36 + 4 (boost) + 0 = 40
Wasp can't roll high enough to dodge, so ded
Supplemental: MEW at Effect 2 to shield villagers in an adjacent zone, giving each of them advantage.
Momoka, chakra: 170 - 38 = 142
Spider Wasp Turn:
There are 10 civilians in the combat, most of whom are in melee with a Spider Wasp. A series of coinflips:
There are many more wasps who aren't near the village yet, who will beeline (waspline?) for Kenzou and Shion. Kenzou already has his swords drawn, but no Gale Edge to save chakra, especially since it's unlikely to be necessary. Shion will probably use Athletics instead of countering since her Athletics is better.
3 attacks on Kenzou:
Spider Wasp: 40 + 0 = 40
Kenzou, MW: 41 + 5 (boost) - 3 (dice) = 43
Dead spoder
Spider Wasp: 40 + 0 = 40
Kenzou, MW: 41 + 5 (boost) - 3 (dice) = 43
Dead spoder
Spider Wasp: 40 -3 = 37
Kenzou, MW: 41 + 5 (boost) + 0(dice) = 46
Dead spoder
Kenzou knocks em dead.
4 attacks on Shion:
Spider Wasp: 40 + 6 = 46
Shion, Ath: 41 + 5 (boost) + 3 (dice) = 49
Spider Wasp: 40 - 9 = 31
Shion, Ath: 41 + 5 (boost) + 0 (dice) = 46
Spider Wasp: 40 + 3 = 43
Shion, Ath: 41 + 5 (boost) + 9 (dice) = 55
Spider Wasp: 40 + 0 = 40
Shion, Ath: 41 + 5 (boost) + 6 (substitution) - 6 (dice) = 46
Shion bobs and weaves around the attacks, needing to substitute for the last one.
Kenzou, chakra: 220 - 25 = 195
Shion, chakra: 260 - 25 (boost) -14 (sub) = 221
Shion's turn.
Shion will trap the remaining wasps with Syrup Capture Field. Effect 1 should suffice for now since she's just trapping them in place.
Shion, chakra: 221 - 28 = 193
Syrup Capture Field: 23 + 5 (boost) + 6 (dice) = 34
Kenzou, Athletics: 34 + 5 (boost) + 0 (dice) = 39. He dodges out of the zone.
Spider Wasps cannot pass even with +12s, so they are all stuck, with a -3 to all physical skills. They aren't going anywhere so Kenzou and Shion will try to make their way to the others.
Kenzou's Turn.
Kenzou will sheathe his swords and vacuum step twice to reach the villagers faster. He is unfortunately still a zone away, and will resort to throwing a sword to kill one of the wasps.
Kenzou, MW: 41 + 5 (boost) - 5 (Sword Throwing stunt penalty) - 3 (Quick Draw stunt penalty) -3 (dice) = 35
Spider Wasp, Athletics: 20 + 6 = 26
Ded spoder
Kenzou, chakra: 195 - 46 = 149
Jun's Turn.
He will Surging Seas again at Effect 5 to save a bit of chakra.
Jun, Surging Seas: 50 + 3 (dice)
He will steamroll 3 more wasps.
Jun will MEW to protect another civilian.
Jun, chakra: 290 - 34 (MEW) - 78 (Surging Seas) = 178
Momoka's turn.
She'll attack the nearest Spider Wasp.
RW: 34 + 9 = 43
Ded spoder
Only two remain that aren't stuck in Syrup Capture Field (which they are unable to escape even with a +12 as they have low Physique.)
Shion will try to close some distance with a supplemental Sprint and Surging Seas.
As she lacks Apprentice Wavecharmer she only has a 34% chance of using the technique correctly. On a 1d100, if she gets 34 or less it will activate. She gets a 55 and falls on her face.
Kenzou will move a zone and substitute across an open field to reach a spider wasp, then attack it.
MW: 41 + 6 = 47
Another dead one
Kenzou, chakra: 149 - 14 = 135
Jun's turn.
He will close the distance with the final wasp and easily kill it with TJ. The team can head over and kill the remaining trapped wasps in SCF.
8/10 Villagers in the combat were saved. A few crop fields were flooded in the process, but that can be fixed.
Initiative:
Jun, Alertness: 55
Momoka, Alertness: 42
Spider Wasps, Alertness: 35
Shion, Alertness: 31
Kenzou, Alertness: 31
The party is between 4 and 8 zones away from the civilians who are scattered around, trying to fend off the Spider Wasps.
The Spider Wasps have these stats:
2 stress boxes
Alertness 35
Athletics 20
Melee Bite 40 - Successful bites are venomous, which requires an additional Physique TN of 20 to avoid becoming poisoned. Failure causes one additional stress. If the poison causes you to take a consequence, the effect ends. This roll must be made every turn until succeeded, cured, or causes a consequence. They cannot counterattack.
They can fly and therefore ignore most borders.
Jun's Turn:
Jun will use max Effect Surging Seas to close the distance faster. He will make the roll a bit weaker to allow Momoka to ride alongside him and help shield people with MEW, so no Boost is needed here. He wants to conserve chakra anyway in case there's enemy ninja watching.
Jun, chakra: 420-96 = 324
Momoka, chakra: 190 - 20 (boost) = 170
Surging Seas, capped at 40: 50 + 9 = 40
Momoka, Athletics: 32 + 4 (boost) = 36
Momoka fails by two shifts and can only travel 4 zones with Jun.
After traveling two zones, Jun impacts a spider wasp.
Spider Wasp, Ath: 20 - 6 = ded
After traveling two more zones, Jun impacts a spider wasp.
Spider Wasp, Ath: 20 + dice actually dont matter I realize = ded
Momoka falls off of Surging Seas.
After traveling two more zones, Jun impacts a spider wasp. (Ded)
Jun will use MEW at Effect 1 to help shield a civilian in an adjacent zone. I'll represent this as them getting 'advantage' on their coin flip, letting them reroll once.
Jun, chakra: 324 - 34 = 290
Momoka's Turn:
Standard: Kill the Spider Wasp in her zone
RW: 36 + 4 (boost) + 0 = 40
Wasp can't roll high enough to dodge, so ded
Supplemental: MEW at Effect 2 to shield villagers in an adjacent zone, giving each of them advantage.
Momoka, chakra: 170 - 38 = 142
Spider Wasp Turn:
There are 10 civilians in the combat, most of whom are in melee with a Spider Wasp. A series of coinflips:
- First guy has advantage. Tails, Tails. Rip bozo
- Heads.
- Heads.
- Next two have advantage. Tails, heads. Lucky lucky
- Tails, heads.
- Heads.
- Heads.
There are many more wasps who aren't near the village yet, who will beeline (waspline?) for Kenzou and Shion. Kenzou already has his swords drawn, but no Gale Edge to save chakra, especially since it's unlikely to be necessary. Shion will probably use Athletics instead of countering since her Athletics is better.
3 attacks on Kenzou:
Spider Wasp: 40 + 0 = 40
Kenzou, MW: 41 + 5 (boost) - 3 (dice) = 43
Dead spoder
Spider Wasp: 40 + 0 = 40
Kenzou, MW: 41 + 5 (boost) - 3 (dice) = 43
Dead spoder
Spider Wasp: 40 -3 = 37
Kenzou, MW: 41 + 5 (boost) + 0(dice) = 46
Dead spoder
Kenzou knocks em dead.
4 attacks on Shion:
Spider Wasp: 40 + 6 = 46
Shion, Ath: 41 + 5 (boost) + 3 (dice) = 49
Spider Wasp: 40 - 9 = 31
Shion, Ath: 41 + 5 (boost) + 0 (dice) = 46
Spider Wasp: 40 + 3 = 43
Shion, Ath: 41 + 5 (boost) + 9 (dice) = 55
Spider Wasp: 40 + 0 = 40
Shion, Ath: 41 + 5 (boost) + 6 (substitution) - 6 (dice) = 46
Shion bobs and weaves around the attacks, needing to substitute for the last one.
Kenzou, chakra: 220 - 25 = 195
Shion, chakra: 260 - 25 (boost) -14 (sub) = 221
Shion's turn.
Shion will trap the remaining wasps with Syrup Capture Field. Effect 1 should suffice for now since she's just trapping them in place.
Shion, chakra: 221 - 28 = 193
Syrup Capture Field: 23 + 5 (boost) + 6 (dice) = 34
Kenzou, Athletics: 34 + 5 (boost) + 0 (dice) = 39. He dodges out of the zone.
Spider Wasps cannot pass even with +12s, so they are all stuck, with a -3 to all physical skills. They aren't going anywhere so Kenzou and Shion will try to make their way to the others.
Kenzou's Turn.
Kenzou will sheathe his swords and vacuum step twice to reach the villagers faster. He is unfortunately still a zone away, and will resort to throwing a sword to kill one of the wasps.
Kenzou, MW: 41 + 5 (boost) - 5 (Sword Throwing stunt penalty) - 3 (Quick Draw stunt penalty) -3 (dice) = 35
Spider Wasp, Athletics: 20 + 6 = 26
Ded spoder
Kenzou, chakra: 195 - 46 = 149
Jun's Turn.
He will Surging Seas again at Effect 5 to save a bit of chakra.
Jun, Surging Seas: 50 + 3 (dice)
He will steamroll 3 more wasps.
Jun will MEW to protect another civilian.
Jun, chakra: 290 - 34 (MEW) - 78 (Surging Seas) = 178
Momoka's turn.
She'll attack the nearest Spider Wasp.
RW: 34 + 9 = 43
Ded spoder
Only two remain that aren't stuck in Syrup Capture Field (which they are unable to escape even with a +12 as they have low Physique.)
- First with advantage. Tails, heads.
- Tails. Rip bozo
Shion will try to close some distance with a supplemental Sprint and Surging Seas.
As she lacks Apprentice Wavecharmer she only has a 34% chance of using the technique correctly. On a 1d100, if she gets 34 or less it will activate. She gets a 55 and falls on her face.
Kenzou will move a zone and substitute across an open field to reach a spider wasp, then attack it.
MW: 41 + 6 = 47
Another dead one
Kenzou, chakra: 149 - 14 = 135
Jun's turn.
He will close the distance with the final wasp and easily kill it with TJ. The team can head over and kill the remaining trapped wasps in SCF.
8/10 Villagers in the combat were saved. A few crop fields were flooded in the process, but that can be fixed.
This fight is sort of supposed to be demonstrative of a way to add stakes to a fight that don't necessarily involve your character potentially dying. Sometimes a strong enemy may still not pose too significant of a threat to you on your own, but you may be enticed to act on behalf of others. There are other possibilities for nonlethal stakes that may or may not come up down the line, like chasing down an enemy before they can alert their allies, winning some kind of competition or exam, or even just completing a job that is difficult but not deadly to get paid.
But, you know, throw in some occasional potentially lethal challenges too to keep things interesting :^)
But, you know, throw in some occasional potentially lethal challenges too to keep things interesting :^)
Last edited:
Vote closed
Chapter 4: Hero Complex
- Pronouns
- He/Him
"There now, in the bushes, do you hear it?" Takumi whispered, pointing ahead.
"Mm," Kenzō nodded, the slight hum of the Greater Locust shaking the bush as it devoured the roots. His father had slain the others earlier, before wordlessly handing the swords over to Kenzō and giving him a reassuring look. Now, the blades shook slightly in his hands. Not out of fear of the beast ahead, but of embarrassing himself.
His father placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, but said nothing more, giving him a slight push. Kenzō relented, creeping forward toward the bush, slowly approaching the last of these pests. Just this morning, they were minutes away from decimating the village's food stores, driven off just in the nick of time by a robust counterattack led by Kenzō's father. And now, no longer on the brink of annihilating an entire village, they were little more than target practice.
Though Kenzō was careful not to snap any twigs or crunch any leaves, the noise from the bush became quiet as he came close. In a flash, he began sprinting towards the bush, feeling a rush within. He jumped up just as the Greater Locust blasted forth from the bush, trying to fly away. One of his hook swords caught a wing, biting into it and pulling the bug back down to the earth with a crunch. It buzzed madly, trying to wrench its way out of Kenzō's grip, but Kenzō managed to get the other hook around the beast, digging his heels into the soil as it pulled with supernatural strength.
It reversed course, lunging free of the hooks towards Kenzō instead, who sidestepped and swung downwards with his full strength - which admittedly still wasn't much yet - but it was enough to cleave part of the way through the Greater Locust and put an end to its furious buzzing.
His breathing was heavy from the exertion of restraining the beast, and he didn't even notice his father walking up until he felt a congratulatory hand on his head. "Well done, Kenzō!"
Kenzō grunted appreciation, still too tired to soak it in. Takumi laughed in response.
"I can see that this style will be tenfold times more effective in your hands than that of a mere civilian. Even one as cool as your old man."
Kenzō had recovered enough to roll his eyes, but he still smiled.
His father stooped down on one knee. "Kenzō, listen… the lowlands Daimyō has already sent word to Hidden Rain. You'll likely be recruited soon, a great honor and blessing for our little village. But the money and goods that come with producing a ninja still can't cover everything our people need."
Kenzō may have been young, but he knew his father. He'd suspected this for a while. "You want to stay." As sad as it made him, it made him proud too.
His father nodded solemnly. "I… I wish to be with you in your new home, but… y'know, Bunko, Mokoto, Momo - there are still too many people here still depending on me. Do you understand?"
"I get it," he said, even if he didn't yet understand why anyone would willingly live like that.
His father hugged him tight. "You're always welcome to come back here, though I'll admit I don't know how often they'll let you." He tapped the swords still in Kenzō's grip. "Take these with you, okay? A little piece of home while you learn how to be a ninja."
Kenzō squeezed the handles tight. A little piece of home…
Makiko was waiting for him at the gate, standing a ways away from his two escorts. Kenzō had been a bit worried when she wasn't among his other friends saying goodbye, worried that she would be mad at him for going (not that he could say no to a summons from Hidden Rain itself.) But it seemed like she did still want to see him off.
Kenzō returned her smile as he walked up. Makiko was standing placidly, hands crossed in front of her. She was still in her samue, likely taking a break from helping in the gardens just to come see him. "Hi," he said awkwardly.
"Hi," she replied, quiet and thoughtful. She didn't seem to quite know what to say. Not that he really did either, but he tried anyways.
"Um… Sorry I gotta go away. I don't know when I'll be back."
"But you will be back?" Her eyes were pleading. No fair.
"...yeah. I'll be back. Someday."
Silence loomed. Kenzō found that he was frustrated with himself. In his ten years in this world, how had he never learned how to talk to her the way he wanted to?
"Makiko…" he trailed off, sweating a bit. How could it be so hard to say how he felt, dammit?! His two escorts were at least courteous enough to pretend like they didn't notice him totally floundering.
She giggled and slowly wrapped him in a hug. "The feeling's mutual."
Maybe sometimes, words weren't necessary.
Kenzō ran his hands over the sheaths at his side, reminiscing about home as his sparring partner took position across from him. He ignored the jeers directed his way from his classmates. They could call him "Mudfoot" and "Dork" all they wanted - not a single one had beaten him in a spar yet.
He fumbled with the sheaths, which drew the usual round of laughter. Hook swords were a highly atypical weapon for a reason - they weren't very convenient to carry around and tended to get caught while drawing them from their sheaths unless the sheaths were oversized. Kenzō did not care. He would master it regardless.
The teacher raised his arm to the sky and swung down in an almost lazy fashion. "Begin."
The other boy, from some minor Clan Kenzō couldn't be bothered to care about, advanced with a spear that was pointed on each end.
Kenzō leaned out of the way of the first stab, batted the next aside with a pommel, then jumped over a sweep, kicking his opponent in the head. The other boy stumbled back to recuperate, holding out his spear to keep Kenzō at bay. Kenzō, for his part, simply stared impassively, waiting for the fight to continue.
Words of encouragement poured forth from the crowd for the other boy - Kō was his name, evidently - but there was none for Kenzō. When he first started at the Academy, he'd thought after his first few bouts that he'd win the others over, but it only reinforced their disdain for him. At this point, he concerned himself only with showcasing enough skill to graduate. And if these idiots could graduate, he would be passing with flying colors, no doubt.
Kō came at him again with reinforced vigor, but Kenzō caught the spear with a hook and twisted it out of Kō's hand, thwacking him on the side of the head with the flat of his other blade at the same time.
Kō sprawled to the ground, and Kenzō stalked over, but the teacher called the match before he could loom over his opponent. He offered a hand to the boy on the ground, who batted it aside in frustration. Kenzō just sighed at being forced to interact with more losers, before walking over to sit at the edge of the arena and watch the others spar. A few of Kō's friends stared daggers at him, but they were beneath his notice. So why did he feel a hint of worry this time?
Kenzō made his way out of the Academy bathhouse, hair still dripping slightly (this seldom mattered as it was typically raining when he left anyways.) He paused and bundled the dirty clothes back up in his hands after the wind nearly knocked them away. Not long after, a kunai flew by where his head would have been, lodging in the wall behind him.
He dropped the clothes in an instant and pulled out his own kunai (only an idiot would ever be completely disarmed), but was too slow to Substitute as four of his classmates blocked his path, descending upon him and knocking him to the ground. He reflexively shielded his head as they began kicking him repeatedly.
"Not so tough without your freaky civilian toys are you, mudfoot?"
"It's time someone taught you the way of things around here!"
Kenzō lashed out with the kunai, slamming it into the back foot of someone who was mid-kick, causing her to howl with pain and collapse on top of him - somewhat helpful in this case as she shielded him for the moment. With that reprieve, he shoved himself free and rolled through a gap in the others, Substituting himself with a shoe cabinet inside the bathhouse lobby.
As the other three rushed him, Kenzō ran his way into the pool area, shouting and trying to find someone around - but no one else was inside at the moment. With his injuries, he was no longer any faster than his opponents, and they were nearly upon him. He reversed course and charged the nearest one, a tall and lanky girl with short hair, slashing her across the torso and shoulder-slamming her to the ground. In the process, he took several painful cuts of his own on the arms, and barely managed to block the punches and kicks from the other two.
He locked himself into a grapple with the blond one, trying to push him back, but Kenzō was growing weaker by the moment, and the other enemy was running around to assist. Kenzō had a flash of inspiration and hauled backwards as hard as he could.
As he suspected. The blond guy sank like a stone while Kenzō loomed over him, water-walking on the surface of the pool with chakra repulsion. The moment that Kenzō learned that 'Mudfoot' referred to civilians and civilian-born ninja unable to use repulsion to walk over mud and keep themselves pristine, he made it an immediate priority to learn in yet another vain effort to showcase that their words were untrue.
His opponent, evidently, had no such drive. "Who's the Mudfoot now?" Kenzō sneered, stomping on his face with a crunch.
The last boy - Kō himself now that Kenzō took a closer look - managed a shaky step onto the water. It seems that he had practiced the technique.
Kenzō let out a guttural shriek, scaring even himself for a moment. "What the hell did I ever do to any of you?!" Kenzō screamed, releasing a pent-up frustration he hadn't even realized had been building until now.
Kō shook slightly at the shouting, and then replied in a low voice, "You never learned your place. You never learned how to lose, Mudfoot."
That was enough. Kenzō tackled him into the water, pummeling Kō's face repeatedly, feeling his arms grow weaker as he lost blood, turning the water red. A tooth or two flew out, and Kō began to slump in his grip until Kenzō simply had no strength left, drifting onto his back and floating through the water. His hands unconsciously gripped imaginary hook swords, wishing for a little piece of the home he felt so far from.
Kenzō's teacher Ito came to see him in the hospital, offering Kenzō no condolences for his injuries. Instead, he handed Kenzō a file with information on the team he would be assigned to. It seemed that, rather than getting grouped with any of his classmates, he would be placed with two other genin who had graduated a few years prior and were in need of a new teammate.
"But… what about graduation?" he asked groggily. "Isn't it still two months out?"
"It was the Academy's opinion that you have already demonstrated all the requisite skills needed to become a genin. No further testing is required."
"I… see," he said. "Get beat up in a bathhouse and they promote you to genin so you can get away from your attackers. Great."
Ito softened slightly, but didn't drop his professional demeanor. "Kenzō… you fought off four of your classmates at once, without your primary weapon. That's no easy feat, even if a few of them were a grade below you."
Kenzō's face soured. "Maybe they kicked each other's asses beforehand for the honor of kicking mine. How do you even know what went down? No one was around."
Ito sighed.
"...you're kidding. You were there the whole time?!"
"Not me specifically, but- look, Kenzō, I get it. As a clanless born outside of Hidden Rain, you haven't quite grasped the reach of the Clans yet, but it's not the place for commoners to interfere in their affairs."
"Fucking useless, all of you."
"I know," Ito said, mournfully. "We could only step in to prevent anything life-threatening. Intimidation is something we just… have to overlook from time to time."
"Intimidation? They threw a kunai at my head!"
"Not very hard. You'd have lived," he replied, uncertainly. "Which you did. As did they, which is the main reason you aren't in further trouble."
"They attacked me!"
Another voice, feminine, called out from the doorway. "That fact has not gone unnoticed, young one." A woman in a pristine kimono strode over. That crest… Naegi Clan? He knew that much, at least. In fact, it was a bit familiar... She caught his gaze at the crest and smiled crisply. "I am Naegi Kayo, Jōnin of Hidden Rain, Head of the Naegi Clan, as well as little Kō's aunt."
"What are you doing in my hospital room?" Kenzō asked. Ito glanced between them nervously.
"I'm here to thank you," she said plainly.
"...what?"
"It's clanless like yourself that serve to remind us not to shirk on our own development as ninja. Clan status should serve as a leg up, not a means just to break even with peers. This is a lesson Kō needed to learn, and one I will be sure to remind him of at home." Despite everything, Kenzō suppressed a shudder on Kō's behalf.
"I'm not here to be your tool," he grumbled.
She laughed daintily. "We're all here to be tools, young one. Play your cards right and you might get to pick which kind you become, and perhaps who will use the tool. Play them wrong, and you may get discarded for a tool with a sharper edge… or find yourself in a less forgiving grip."
Kenzō squinted at her words. "Whatever it is you're selling… I'm not buying. I know who I am, and I've seen what you are."
"Oh, I very much doubt that." Though she merely stared at him kindly, arms crossed within her sleeves, he began to feel an almost palpable sensation of being crushed as if by a great python. "We don't always choose our enemies, young one, but when we do, it is unwise to choose one who knows more about you than you do of them." Kenzō began to sweat under the pressure.
Ito cleared his throat, rising from his chair. "Let me know when you've made your decision, Kenzō." Ito glanced at the Clan Head staring Kenzō down, and she momentarily flashed a look of annoyance at him. They really hated it when you interrupted the grandstanding, it seemed. "I'll… support whatever you choose. I'm sorry I couldn't do more." He bowed to Lady Naegi and made his exit.
"Indeed," she said, though he wasn't exactly sure which part she was agreeing to. She made her way to the doorway. "Your teacher won't be the only one watching your career with great interest." The door closed with a serene grace behind her.
Kenzō approached a small plaza near an apartment building, one that was allegedly housing his new teammates. "You the new kid?" the girl who must be Sayuri asked, lazing about in a hammock.
"Yeah," Kenzō replied, curt.
The boy who must be Yasuo said, "Is it really true that you fought off four Clan kids at once after they tried to jump you?"
Kenzō was a bit wary. Would they judge him for it? "Something like that."
Sayuri laughed aloud. "Ha! Serves them right."
Yasuo clapped him on the shoulder. "Hell yeah, brother. Stick it to 'em."
Kenzō blinked rapidly, unaccustomed to this behavior.
Yasuo, a couple years his senior, took on an air of timeless wisdom. "Listen now, some of them clan kids is good people. At the end of the day, peoples are people. But only a clanless kid really knows what it feels like to be clanless. You're in good company."
Kenzō took that in and nodded. Sayuri came over to size him up. She wasn't quite as tall as Yasuo but she was still a few inches taller than him, and he suppressed an impulse to try and stand straighter. He startled when she pinched his cheeks suddenly. "Are you really graduation age? I swear they look younger every year…"
"Sayuri, you're all up in his space right now."
"Look at the lad, Yasuo, he's irresistible," she said, mussing Kenzō's hair furiously, much to his annoyance.
"How about we spare him of your antics and take a trip to the training grounds, so we can showcase our skills?"
Reluctantly, she released Kenzō. "I hate it when you make sense." She turned to Kenzō, who automatically took a step backwards. "Alright kid, let's see what you got."
"Sun's going down, finally," Yasuo noted, leaning against a tree trunk.
"The hour of restless spirits approacheth, the souls of Naraka are upon us!" Sayuri declared in a low voice, raising her hands and making ghost noises.
"Isn't that more of a midnight thing?" Kenzō asked, though admittedly he was unfamiliar with the superstition. Must not have spread to his corner of the Land of Rain.
"You think that the souls of the damned care about what the clock says? Typical ignorant mortal!"
Yasuo cleared his throat. "We'll make our way around the den, Kenzō. See you in a minute."
The sound of ghosts faded into the night as they moved into position around the glowfox den. Kenzō was the stealthiest of the group, as the other two never bothered to practice, so he would lie in wait to sneak attack the glowfoxes as they ran by, fleeing from the other two as they killed the pests. They were easier to see in the dark, so they were often hunted at night.
Sure enough, within minutes, Kenzō was pouncing on foxes as they ran by, chasing down a straggler who hadn't quite run in his direction. After slaying the last one, he panted from exertion, stumbling a bit in the dark as he made his way back to his friends. Though it was a full moon, clouds were blocking the light.
He was growing a bit unsettled that he hadn't run into the others yet, and decided to call out to his teammates. "Sayuri? Yasuo? I can't see shit. Where are you?"
He heard more totally spooky ghost noises in response and rolled his eyes, making his way towards the sound.
"Not funny anymore," he said, squinting in the dark. He jumped as Sayuri came into his view, further pissing him off. Was she just waiting to try and scare him?
"Oooooooo," she said, again.
He turned his back on her, annoyed. "Sayuri, would you please just shut up? Let's get out of here and set up camp."
"Kenzō," he heard Yasuo croak.
He whipped back around as moonlight began to crack through the clouds, glistening on the falling rain. And the blood glistening on Sayuri's torso. A dark, spiky silhouette was piercing her chest and carrying her corpse around. The silhouette extended further, towering over Kenzō. The creature did not seem to have legs, or any discernible bottom… it simply faded into the ground. Bright, distant lights like stars dotted the silhouette. Four arms sprouted from its chest, with Yasuo clutched in one of them, and Sayuri in another.
The creature cocked its head, as if trying to figure something out. "Kenzō," it repeated in a nearly perfect imitation of Yasuo's voice, but for a slight high pitched whine that echoed while it spoke. As if in celebration, a wide, lopsided smile cracked across its face and it waved the two bodies around merrily.
"Kenzō… please… kill me…" Yasuo pleaded.
Kenzō turned and ran as fast as he could, putting everything he had into fleeing, tripping and stumbling over the damp roots and loose soil of the forest floor, gulping air down as fast he could take it in, not even knowing where he was running. By the time he was done, he'd be retching.
He ran until he could no longer hear his name being called out to him.
Kenzō rose to answer the knock on his door. "Kobayashi Jun, I take it?" he asked neutrally. The man had asked to speak with him previously, and Kenzō had provided his location of residence. An experienced clanless ninja, even a chūnin, could be a useful connection to forge, after all.
"The very one," Kobayashi agreed. "May I come in?"
"You may," Kenzō said, sweeping his arm to the side in an inviting gesture.
"Thanks," the man said, stepping into the room with a slight thundering in the ground, and sitting across from Kenzō's cushion. "Nice to meet you, Hayashi Kenzō. I bring refreshments," he said, pouring from a flask into a cup.
"Tea?" Kenzō asked.
Kobayashi knocked it back in an instant and sighed contentedly. "Nope. Sake."
Kenzō stared for a moment, then shrugged and took a cup. Though it was available to him ever since he was an Academy graduate, he'd never bothered with the stuff. He took a hesitant sip and screwed his face up tight. "Blegh!" And just like that, his coolguy persona was ruined. Dammit.
Kobayashi chuckled and poured himself another cup. "I'll be blunt, Kenzō, as I hear you're the type to appreciate that. I've recruited two talented genin to join me as my students, but I need a third to complete the team."
"No, I don't do teams anymore," Kenzō replied automatically, sipping the sake more carefully, and yet still grimacing slightly.
Kobayashi set his cup down, solemn. "Right. I know about your former team. It's a sad fact of ninja life that we don't always make it to the end of every mission."
"It was more than that," Kenzō insisted. "I-" He paused. I abandoned them when they needed me. Abandoned them to that… thing. No one ever believes me about that part. Some beast in the trick of the light, traumatic, confused memories. Maybe they're right...
Kobayashi nodded, passively examining the scars on his arms. "You think you're the first to let your teammates down? You think you'll be the last?" Kobayashi shook his head, as if changing his mind. "But no, I'm patronizing you. Of course you've thought of that already. I won't make this choice for you, Kenzō. If you can't bear to rely on another or be relied upon, that's your business. But the seemingly easy road imposes its own hardships. You limit your own potential, isolate yourself." Kobayashi flashed a sudden glare at him, intense. "Have you ever truly desired the easy road, Kenzō? To settle for average? To accept things as they are?"
"Uhhh… what are you…?"
"You didn't patronize an entire Clan just to make things easy for yourself. If anything, you just don't know when to quit. A problem I share, for what it's worth. But taking hardships onto yourself, because you think you deserve it? That's easy. Forgiving yourself once you've admitted your mistakes? Much harder."
Kenzō was so caught off guard. "Who the heck just comes into someone's home and starts talking like this?" he finally said, bewildered.
Kobayashi stared for a moment and began to laugh. "Okay, fair enough. I admit, I like to proselytize from time to time. This is part of why I think you'd make a good fit. For better or worse, you prefer to stay cool and grounded."
Kenzō just shook his head slowly, staring at the floor.
Kobayashi exhaled. "Very well. Let me provide you with some advice, regardless, as I so love the sound of my own voice," he said, smiling. The smile slipped away. "More than just teammates, I've lost students in my care in the past. The war claimed so many, so indiscriminately… The guilt was agony. I- I didn't take very good care of myself. You deserve better than that, at least, whether you think you do or not."
"If it hurt so much… why did you return to teaching?"
"For a long time, I didn't. It was easier to stay away. But a friend brought me to a realization - that there were things in this life that I still wanted to see done. That there was still more good I could do despite my past mistakes. That there were still those who could benefit from my guidance even when it fell short before."
"And so you think, what, there's still more I could be giving to new teammates that they wouldn't be getting otherwise?"
"It isn't about what I think, Kenzō. It's about what you think of yourself. Are you satisfied with the path you've chosen? Does it atone for your past mistakes? Or… is there another path where you could be more, do more? Wouldn't becoming your best self be the truest form of atonement?"
Kenzō wasn't sure he cared about being his best self. But… Kenzō thought of his father, of his friends back home, Makiko… he hadn't had the chance to visit home in months, and they weighed extra heavily on him recently. He wanted them to have his best self, if nothing else. Would Yasuo and Sayuri have wanted that for him, too?
Kobayashi was right about one thing. Kenzō was the type of person who would never be satisfied until he tried.
Momoka harvesting spider wasp venom:
Survival TN of 20, shifts of success will be number of vials of venom she can get.
Momoka, Survival: 30 + 4 (poisoned heritage) + 9 (dice) = 43
8 shifts of success.
Survival TN of 20, shifts of success will be number of vials of venom she can get.
Momoka, Survival: 30 + 4 (poisoned heritage) + 9 (dice) = 43
8 shifts of success.
Kenzō shifted around awkwardly. Kobayashi-sensei and Shion were bustling around administering emergency medical care to the injured, while Momoka made her way around from bug corpse to bug corpse, extracting venom where she could and humming a jolly tune. He decided to strike up conversation with one of the civilians. He couldn't tell if they were actually in charge or not, but they wore slightly nicer clothing and spoke with some authority, directing people back and forth to help treat the wounded and patch up the damages.
Kenzō will attempt to make friendly with a leader nearby.
Kenzō, Rapport: 7 + 6 = 13
Civilian, Empathy: 11 + 6 = 17
They are more concerned with the injured and rebuff him, dealing two mental stress to Kenzō.
Kenzō will shrug off the kid gloves and take command.
Kenzō, Presence: 23 - 3 = 20
Civilian, Resolve: 6 + 6 = 12
Okay, okay, take the ninja seriously.
Kenzō, Rapport: 7 + 6 = 13
Civilian, Empathy: 11 + 6 = 17
They are more concerned with the injured and rebuff him, dealing two mental stress to Kenzō.
Kenzō will shrug off the kid gloves and take command.
Kenzō, Presence: 23 - 3 = 20
Civilian, Resolve: 6 + 6 = 12
Okay, okay, take the ninja seriously.
"Mind if I ask you some questions while they handle things?"
The man didn't notice him speaking at first. "Mmm?"
"We're here to investigate reports we've been hearing. Can you answer some questions?"
"Ah… I really should be attending to my people-"
Kenzō masked his annoyance. "Sir," Kenzō interjected, forcefully but gracefully, "They're in the best care they could possibly be receiving at the moment. Leave it to my sensei and teammates. You can provide more help to them by providing us with whatever information you can. Time could be of the essence."
The man seemed to regard him fully for the first time, stroking a gray beard. "Yes... Yes, yes, you're right of course. Ask your questions, honorable ninja," he said, leading Kenzō into a nearby study for privacy and introducing himself as Miyata Teruo.
Kenzō pulled out a blank scroll from his gear and began to write. "We've heard that your people recently began getting sick from the wells. Can you corroborate?"
Miyata glanced around. "Seems so. This isn't something we've been wanting to advertise exactly, but all the same, we don't want people to unknowingly get sick, either." Kenzō made a note to check the wells once his more observant teammates were available.
"Do you know when this began?"
"Hard to say, but… Not too long ago? Two weeks at most? Around the same time the spider wasps moved in, as it happens. We believe the two events are connected."
Kenzō paused. His team had come to the conclusion that the two events weren't connected - but happening around the same time was suspicious in and of itself. "Do you know which direction the spider wasps came from?" he asked.
"South- no, Northeast. Or so it is believed. They weren't from around here at any rate. We believe they were looking for new food sources and were drawn to our livestock."
Kenzō nodded. If Momoka was right and they were saving up energy to breed, hunting down new prey might prove more fruitful than waiting for others to wander into their web - or, if the two events were connected… was it possible someone drove them or led them this way? And why? Surely there were easier ways to torment civilians?
Kenzō will ask about ninja activity. Does Mr. Miyata share what he knows?
Miyata Teruo, Deceit: 13 + 0 = 13
Kenzō, Empathy: 16 + 9 = 25
Not so fast!
Miyata Teruo, Deceit: 13 + 0 = 13
Kenzō, Empathy: 16 + 9 = 25
Not so fast!
"Miyata, we have reason to believe ninja may be active in the area. Have you seen anything?"
Kenzō noticed the barest of flinches.
"No, I don't think that I have. Nor have I heard anything from my people, for that matter."
"I see. And no new faces coming through?"
"Ah, well, we get the odd trader or traveler now and again. Nothing out of the ordinary. Though, of course, your disguises surpass the senses of us mere common folk. So, I may have missed something."
Kenzō set the brush down and interlaced his fingers. "Perhaps we can catch what you've missed. Suppose for a moment that a ninja came through and, having been unintentionally noticed, threatened harm upon your people should word come back to him that he was exposed to enemy ninja." Miyata paled, and Kenzō pressed on. "If that were so, it would be prudent to note that he would be unable to do so if these enemy ninja were to defeat him. It would also be prudent to note that harm is already being done to your people regardless, and that he may even be in possession of an antidote to the poison administered to their water supply - if there is an antidote, that is. If such an individual were to have hypothetically passed through this village, when might that have been? Around the time people began getting sick from the wells?"
Miyata took a deep breath. "I would suspect that it is unlikely they would be noticed by a civilian at all unless they had dawdled for too long in the open, perhaps weeks before waterborne illness began to spread." He wiped his brow. "I must insist that I know little and witnessed nothing personally."
Figures. There might not be many more details to extract from the local populace, but it was a start. With any luck, they could put the rest of the story together.
General investigation, few hours -> all day
Jun, Examination: 21 + 6 (timeladder) - 3 = 24
REROLL!
Jun, Examination: 21 + 6 + 6 = 33
Examination TN: ???
Jun finds some stuff :^)
Discerning the ID of the poison? Few minutes -> several hours. This will become a multi-day investigation
Jun, Examination: 21 + 6 (timeladder) + 3 (Aspect generated by Shion's MedKnow) + 3 (Poisoned Heritage) - 6 (dice. Also, bruh) = 27
They were able to find pulp, likely from some kind of root, but it is not a plant any of them are familiar with (and very likely is not present in the Land of Rain at all). The origin of the root may not provide much info in and of itself, as it could be traded around to anywhere.
Jun, Examination: 21 + 6 (timeladder) - 3 = 24
REROLL!
Jun, Examination: 21 + 6 + 6 = 33
Examination TN: ???
Jun finds some stuff :^)
Discerning the ID of the poison? Few minutes -> several hours. This will become a multi-day investigation
Jun, Examination: 21 + 6 (timeladder) + 3 (Aspect generated by Shion's MedKnow) + 3 (Poisoned Heritage) - 6 (dice. Also, bruh) = 27
They were able to find pulp, likely from some kind of root, but it is not a plant any of them are familiar with (and very likely is not present in the Land of Rain at all). The origin of the root may not provide much info in and of itself, as it could be traded around to anywhere.
Kenzō slumped with exhaustion on the ground, wordlessly passing the rest of his notes to Kobayashi-sensei, who was scribbling intensely. "Wells were definitely poisoned on purpose - identifying the poison was a bust, but can likely rule out locally sourced... And the beasts? Best guess- wasps were a false trail for anyone who managed to put together the truth… but follow where they came from and more clues could be found along the way…" Kobayashi-sensei muttered.
"Are you going to share with the class?" Kenzō asked.
"Mmm? So far as I can tell, they've moved on from…whatever they were doing here. It seems to be a local trading hub, but not so big as to be some amazing source of intel. I can only presume it was some kind of staging ground for a bigger operation…"
"What kind of operation?" Shion asked, as she rotated the kabobs over the fire.
Kobayashi-sensei grimaced. "I don't know. War…?"
"War?"
"I don't know what all history they teach in the academy these days, but one of the most effective strategies for international warfare was to strike directly at the civilian population. Even a genin can easily subdue virtually any civilian, they produce all the food, they produce half the new ninja inducted into the Academy… it was- is an excellent way to cripple your enemy over the long term, as despicable as it is."
"But… who would we be at war with?" Momoka asked.
Kobayashi-sensei shrugged. "We're near the border of Fire, but perhaps that was deliberate to associate the blame with Hidden Leaf. We've always had a bit of an uneasy rivalry with Hidden Grass, but they'd be bold to take action like this. Hidden Rock, Hidden Sand, and Hidden Fire had their way with the land of Rain when they fought each other in the war, but that's no reason to target Rain's people so deliberately like this… we need more information."
"So, what do we do?" Kenzō asked.
"I hate to say this, but I think we may need to split up for the moment. Frankly, I have half a mind to send you to Hidden Rain immediately, if the case for mass sabotage were just a little bit stronger…"
"Split up? While there's potentially enemy ninja running rampant?" Kenzō was in disbelief.
"It doesn't sit well with me, I admit, but you don't send the expensive and powerful jōnin away from protecting your homeland just to go make a hundred villagers sick. This has the markings of a hit and run, the role of highly expendable genin - no offense, but that's often how the Tower will view you. I want you to search the nearby area for any hint of their campsite - so far as we found, they weren't staying in Sarobetsu itself. Do not travel more than a day's distance away from Sarobetsu, and do not engage the enemy unless absolutely necessary."
"So…what are you going to do?" Shion asked.
"I'll be staking out the town, see what I can turn up. I would have you do that job, but I'm frankly far stealthier than any of you."
Kenzō said, "I should stay with you, sensei. I'm stealthy, and you shouldn't operate alone."
"I operated alone for nearly twenty years, Kenzō," he said, smiling sadly. "I'd rather you three keep each other safe. There's decent odds none of us turn up anything in the next few days. If that happens, we'll follow the direction that the spider wasps traveled from, together, and search for more intel."
He took a deer kabob reluctantly offered to him by Shion, waving it around dramatically.
"What we've been doing up to this point mattered, but even I'll admit this is much bigger than hunting some stray beasts harassing villagers. I expect the best from each of you. Take this job seriously and bring pride to the Village Hidden in the Rain."
No amount of protesting was able to sway Kobayashi-sensei, leaving all three of them in a bit of a foul mood as they searched for clues. You didn't disobey a commanding officer in a situation like this without serious consequence - even so, they'd strongly considered it.
Kenzō sulked in the back, while even in a foul mood Momoka dutifully searched for old signs of enemy ninja - thus far, turning up jack shit.
"Did anyone else get the feeling he was just trying to shield us on purpose? Ugh," Shion moaned, albeit quietly.
"I think he is taking this far more seriously than any of us," Momoka said, without looking back. "Though, that doesn't mean he's making the right choices, regardless."
Shion glanced back at Kenzō trudging behind them. "Don't run off on us now, Kenzō."
"I wouldn't do that!" he proclaimed, loudly.
Shion flinched in surprise. "Uh, okay, sorry. Was just making a bad joke."
Kenzō shook his head. He felt uneasy, antsy. Sensei wasn't wrong that there were good odds they wouldn't notice a thing, but it didn't make the wait any easier-
Momoka, Survival: 30 - 3 = 27
???, Stealth: ???
Momoka spots a mark.
???, Stealth: ???
Momoka spots a mark.
"Guys," Momoka said, pointing at the tiniest of scrapes ten feet off the ground. She hopped up to the branch to inspect it further, and the other two fanned out in an instant. "It's not recent," she noted, hopping from branch to branch. Shion and Kenzō followed behind her, warily while she climbed to the top of the tree. "Not much of a trail, really, just an accidental scrape. Seems to fade east, but there's a farmstead over here. Maybe they know something."
"Worth a shot," Shion agreed, heading to where Momoka pointed and ascending a small hill while Kenzō followed behind.
There was a man tending his garden, who straightened up in an instant upon seeing them approach.
"Honorable ninja, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Kenzō is taking command. Tell us what you know, citizen.
Kenzō, Presence: 23 + 12 (!!!) = 35
Civilian, Resolve = lol
Kenzō, Presence: 23 + 12 (!!!) = 35
Civilian, Resolve = lol
After spotting the trail, the adrenaline began to pump. Kenzō was locked in. "Hello sir. We are here on behalf of Hidden Rain, searching for enemies who have infiltrated our homeland to spread strife and misery. I'm sure you've heard of the illness sweeping Sarobetsu - we're looking for those responsible, so no more of our people get hurt." The man was clearly overcome with nerves, so Kenzō tried another approach. "Look, sir, I grew up in a village not much bigger than Sarobetsu, and the people there didn't tend to care if the ninja was from Hidden Rain or Hidden Leaf or Hidden Naraka for that matter - we're not here to squeeze you dry. We're just trying to end this conflict before it intensifies. Have you seen anything you could tell us?"
The farmer took a deep breath. "Nothing directly, but- I'd noticed Takashi was a bit… off, when he came to the market days. It's a fear we all learn to recognize, you understand."
"Where might one find this Takashi?"
Going to fiat that Kenzō is not currently detectable at this distance, since they are indoors.
Can Kenzō hear them?
Kenzō, Alertness: 34 + 6 (Stolen Whispers) - 12 (dice) = 28
Reroll!
Kenzō, Alertness: 34 + 6 (Stolen Whispers) + 3 (dice) = 43
Yep. There's 3 ninjas - that he can hear talking anyways. No snoring or any sounds like that. There's also ~6 people in Takashi's family that's still here.
Can Kenzō hear them?
Kenzō, Alertness: 34 + 6 (Stolen Whispers) - 12 (dice) = 28
Reroll!
Kenzō, Alertness: 34 + 6 (Stolen Whispers) + 3 (dice) = 43
Yep. There's 3 ninjas - that he can hear talking anyways. No snoring or any sounds like that. There's also ~6 people in Takashi's family that's still here.
"Wind Release: Stolen Whispers," Kenzō intoned, before sneaking up to the edge of the clearing, where Takashi's farmland began. His hearing expanded greatly, as the winds carried distant sounds to his ears.
A weight settled deep in Kenzō's stomach as he heard several distinct voices coming from the farm. Even chatting aimlessly, it was clear that no fewer than three of the voices did not belong with the rest of Takashi's family - but where was it coming from? The house? The barn? He suspected they were hiding in the barn based on the commentary about getting straw in their hair. He signaled back what he could hear to Shion and Momoka, who paled but nodded.
Now the question of whether to flee and retrieve Kobayashi-sensei. If they left now, the enemy may not be present when they returned. Worse, Shion and Momoka were not particularly stealthy - the enemy might be able to track them before they reach sensei, especially if they're booking it rather than moving carefully…
On the other hand, victory was significantly more likely with sensei here to help, as it wasn't clear how strong their opponents were.
Kenzō began to creep his way back over to deliberate with his teammates, when his ears pricked at a stark comment.
"...t's just kill them tonight and move on. We've been here long enough."
All three PCs will receive a compel on the Aspect, "Hidden Rain Ninja" to engage immediately, not wanting their quarry to kill the farmers and escape.
(+1 FP) Accept Compel: Attack!
(0 FP) Reject Compel: Retreat for now.
(+1 FP) Accept Compel: Attack!
(0 FP) Reject Compel: Retreat for now.
It is currently early afternoon. You are around 6 hours Northwest of Sarobetsu at a leisurely pace, maybe more like 4 hours if you sprint the whole way.
Vote time! What to do? This vote will showcase 'compels' so there will be a compel vote and an action vote.
[X] (Compel) Accept.
[X] (Compel) Reject.
[X] (Action) Throw explosives at the barn immediately and collapse it on them.
[X] (Action) Have Momoka start stabbing them from a distance with Living Roots and Spine of the Earth.
[X] (Action) Rush the barn with clones and then attack the enemy as they exit.
[X] (Action) Retreat and run full speed to retrieve Jun.
Yep, a bit of a railroad to make the squishy PCs just a bit more vulnerable :^)
If you're running a game, be careful about doing this sparingly. Generally speaking, when you run a game together, you're trying to tell the most interesting story you can as a group. Sometimes that means making sub-optimal choices. But it's very frustrating to get the sense that your choices don't actually matter, so where you can, you should try to respect player choices - if only to give more weight when you later rob them of it.
If you're running a game, be careful about doing this sparingly. Generally speaking, when you run a game together, you're trying to tell the most interesting story you can as a group. Sometimes that means making sub-optimal choices. But it's very frustrating to get the sense that your choices don't actually matter, so where you can, you should try to respect player choices - if only to give more weight when you later rob them of it.
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