O' waits for the others to receive their elixirs and drift away from the servant. He leans down, trying not to be threatening, and whispers.
I'm sorry, I can heal on my own. Can I get a burlap sack instead? I can't wear this in town.
The potion is surely worth more than 100 burlap sack tunics, but O' knows that he is a marked man wearing his mine slave shirt, even though it's markings have almost faded away now. Perhaps the temple can provide him with clothing that will provide some layer of protection. It would be like the brown birds in the valley that has no name, which lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. O' doesn't like those birds, but he wants to help the orphans.
Besides, then he can know more about if the temple people are really good folks.

Chizuru takes her potion, handling it gingerly.  She had only had such a potion once before, when she fell from a roof as a child, and if she concentrated she could still remember the peculiar numbness that had overcome her tongue and lips as she drank the potion, as well as the after-taste of ginger.

"Okay!  Let me get my stuff, and we'll head away!" she calls out in a singsong chant, bowing quickly to the shugenja and her new-found companions, then racing off to her room.

A burst of happiness flashes across Uriki Shugenja's face and her formal tones are replaced with true warmth, "Yes, good-hearted defender. We shall definitely find you something more...fashionable for the city.  But also keep the elixir; it may be that you can bestow it on a friend or even one of the childr--"


A quick, dismissive gesture from Uriki-sama keeps the acolytes in place as the excited young lady rushes out. However, the shugenja's stern but beautiful mask suddenly reappears. "Very well, then. Let each of you gather your things. O'-san, if you will follow Yuki," she gestures to one of the attendants, "we can meet your needs.

"He should be able to rejoin the rest of you in the Temple's main foyer in a quarter of an hour.  From there Kasumi-san can lead you to the Orphanage.

"May your mind and spirit walk as one upon a clear pathway." She gives a slight bow and the acolytes politely usher the remaining 6 of you from the room.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:18, Wed 19 Jan 2011.

Not having much to prepare himself, the brown-robed, white-haired young man sits contemplatively at the place of muster, smoking his pipe and looking off into the distance contemplatively.

On bare feet Kasumi quietly stepped out of the hall and lead the others to the main foyer. There whilst they waited for O’s return he prepared himself. He cast salt to the four winds and through the chanting of prayer he invoked the guidance of the spirits on their quest. His ritual set his mind in focus which strengthened his will and body. He was Shugenja; he strived to always keep his mind, body and spirit in perfect equilibrium.

O' grins sloppily.
Thank you!
O' followed hastily, not wanting to make people wait. So far these folks had been nicer than anyone he had ever been around, but people could turn on you sometimes for the strangest reasons.
With flexibility and quickness alarming for his size, he slips through the door without bumping his head. Or taking out one of the sliding shoji walls.

(OOC: Others may want to post about waiting or rejoining the group, please feel free to do so; however, I'm going to keep us moving forward.)

A beautiful blue-sky morning and radiant sun greet you as you leave the impressive Temple. Kasumi leads you east on Kokoyouseki-gairo (obsidian Avenue) and then onto a somewhat wandering side street downwards towards Kakou-ko [Crater Lake]. From the side street You step out onto Yougan-gairo (lava  Avenue) and head back north before finding the Orphanage of the Illuminated Way at the corner of Tourou (Lantern) Street and Yougan-gairo (Lava Avenue). More than once, O's hulking presence caused a wide-eyed commoner to step off to the side as the group passed by.


If you look at the wall in the foreground at about 5pm (if the circular wall is a clock) then just visable over the wall are two trees. To the left of the trees is a slightly "L" shaped building; that's the orphanage.
Just a reminder (mostly for the folks who live in Kakou) that additional maps and campaign info is found here:
link to a message in this game


To the north, immediately behind the orphanage, is a small group of trees and on the backside of the orphanage and across the street (Kaibun-gairo [ash, scandal, rumor Avenue]) to the west on the shores of Kakouko (Crater Lake) is a much larger grove.

Like most of Kakou, the orphanage is built of charcoal-colored stone and wood with mold-encrusted mortar. The windows on both the upper and lower levels are tightly shuttered. Lanterns, although no longer lit, hang on either side of the oaken front door. A greened, copper knocker (shaped like a fang-toothed bakemono with it's large nostrils pierced by a copper ring) is in the center of the door.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:35, Thu 20 Jan 2011.

"So, do we just..." says the Wu Jen as he nibbles on a small fruit, "...go up and..." he takes another small bite, "knock."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:04, Fri 21 Jan 2011.

Kuuhaku nodded as he commented, "Sounds about right.  I suppose the most diplomatic of us should knock and introduce our group and purpose; that might make things go a little smoother and avoid unnecessary complications."

Small and normally overlooked Kasumi led the group to the orphanage. He was surprised by the way people stepped out of his way; he soon surmised it was because of the company he kept. This revelation gave him pause once they had reached the door of the orphanage.

“Perhaps it would be best if one of us announces our arrival first and requests permission to visit. I fear that a company of this size visiting could disruption for the children and their helpers so that may need to prepare before receiving us” he explained tactfully without explicit mention of O’. The ratling did not want to frighten the children or cause them upset.

“If you could permit a moment” he small nezumi bowed to his companions then went to knock on the door gently.

"Personally, I'm glad we're in such sociable company. I apologize in advance for anything I'm going to say in here.. I'm not exactly the upper crust when it comes to the various bureaucracies of our polite society."
Looking around, he concludes:
"I'm just here to be handsome and kick things, and I'm fine with that. Much less to worry about."

O' knew very well that he was a frightening thing to look upon for children. Secretly though, he was very fond of them. They were the only people who seemed able to look past his half ogre features and deal with him, given enough time.

Zheng-ze taps O' on the forearm, "Sometimes my kind can make humans quite nervous. Would you wait across the street with me? the hengeyokai tilts his head to the shade trees behind him.

The nezumi shugenja approaches the door and knocks respectfully.

He waits....

And just when he is about to look back at the others, the clicking sounds of someone at the door can be heard.

The door opens a short space, and near the 4' tall level, reveals a strip of a wrinkled face, probably korobokuru, maybe female.  The eye flickers with suspicion and looks Kasumi up and down. "We only take human offspring." says a voice curtly, although the door does not immediately slam shut.


OOC: Kasumi please make a Diplomacy Check---if that's the conversational path you wish to persue.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:03, Fri 21 Jan 2011.

Poor and scruffy looking Kasumi surely looked not much better than a beggar. He however carried himself with diginity. He clicked his teeth and announced himself to the woman at the door “greetings, I am Kasumi. We come from the Temple of the Winter Sect. The priestess Uriki Kunijenka sent us here to investigate the disappearance of Migoto, Ukiyo, Heiki and Houbi” he then bowed and took a step back, hoping the korobokuru would allow them entry.

OOC 21:26, Today: Kasumi rolled 4 using 1d20+1. Diplomacy check.

Ooc: Ohhh, the evil dice roller.....

"Don't play know it all with me." says the elder voice with a tone of authority. "You'll have to do better than knowing some names and wearing a temple kimono you probably found in the trash heap." She grumbles something under her breath about _{"half the city visiting"}

Realising that his honest and frank approach was getting him nowhere Kasumi bowed again, scraping his head on the floor “allow me to fetch my master” he grovelled, hands pressed together in supplication. He then dashed off to others “master Ichiro Tenba come quickly and speak with the door guard” he pulled at the man’s sleeve urging him forward. Kasumi hoped that a human asking might get a better response.

Tenba reluctantly steps forward, grumbling, tamping out his pipe as he approaches the door. "Ahem, pardon, but my friend here speaks true. We have been tasked with fixing this problem. Couldn't you help us out?"

OOC: Hmm, the vials of potion we were given have the mark of our 'employers' correct...might score some points by flashing them to back up or line of reasoning (and get a second shot at the diplomatic approach...)

Kuuhaku frowns at the lack of trust the guardian of the children, but chalks it up to the times.

Chizuru rocks back and forth from one foot to the other, straining to hear the conversation between the old lady and Tenba.  She didn't want to cause a disturbance in the orphanage, but at the same time she wanted to be useful!

Quickly growing bored with waiting for the woman to open the door, she tugged on Kuuhaku's robe.

"Hey, um...Kuuhaku, right?  We don't really need everyone inside the orphanage at once - do you wanna go with me and look for clues in this area?  Maybe the kidnappers left some bootprints in the alley, so let's not dally!" she said excitedly, her tongue nearly stumbling at the end.

"Ok, that sounds like a good idea," Kuuhaku replied.  Turning to O' he said, "Chizuru-san and I are going to check the alley."  He then indicated for Chizuru to lead on.

O' watched events unroll around him like the sushi rolls that the village boys dreamt about.
He numbly agrees to follow the Hengeyokai.

Heading into the alleyway, Kuuhaku takes a glance around for anything unusual...
And probably spots nothing.
08:18, Today: Kuuhaku rolled 9 using 1d20+2. Spot, Alleyway.

Chizuru wanders up and down the alleyway, peeking under windows for obvious footprints.

OOC: Yeah, Chizuru's not any better at this.
19:51, Today: Ishikawa Chizuru rolled 4 using 1d20-1. Spot alleyway.
19:49, Today: Ishikawa Chizuru rolled 11 using 1d20. Search alleyway.

Trying to keep his disappointment hidden, the nezumi retrieves one of the vials and presents it with humility towards the eye peering out from the door, "Uriki Shugenja bestowed these as a sign of trust and faith in our mission."
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:55, Tue 25 Jan 2011.