Muramasa

The Tale

A great oni was once slain by a man, and then had its soul imbued into his katana to grant it power. However, the weapon was an inappropriate vessel, unable to contain the demon’s will and even empowering it with bloodshed. The man slid into madness, struggling to stave off the hunger he believed to be his own. One day he finally lost control, slaying his family and several others, then fleeing before he could harm others. The man was tracked down regardless, but instead of having to be put down, the man had disemboweled himself with the evil sword.

The katana was sheathed within a magical scabbard to contain the force of madness, then sealed with a blessed peace knot so that it could not be drawn out. The weapon was to be brought to a temple so that it could be properly destroyed… But never arrived. A trail of murders was left, eventually ending at the western shore of the Eastlands.

A boat arrived in Inrivers from the Eastlands, its entire crew slain, save for the lone survivor that escaped with a sealed katana.


Alleged Murders

Over the past weeks, several murders have occurred in Inrivers that are believed to be the work of the Muramasa sword and its wielder. The city guard, and the public through word of mouth, have been able to gather the following information.

The murders took place where no one is around, at night, and outdoors, rather than requiring breaking into a building. The victims seem to be random, from thugs to city guards to common folk and bums. Whoever he catches, it would seem. The murder sites are also scattered all over the city, but some that occur on the same night are near one another, like a trail or from a chase. There would be reports of screaming, though they wouldn’t last long, and the suspect would get away before someone could get a good look.

Some of the victims would have been looted of their money, others not. Tracking dogs were used a few times, but to no avail. If a trail could be found, it usually ended in water (the ocean or one of the canals). Magic workers haven’t been able to turn anything up either.

There is the suspicion that some of the murders are actually from different people. If it looks like the person was killed with a katana or sword, it is tentatively lumped under Muramasa. Some suspects have been brought in, but nothing has come of them. A few idiots have tried to take credit as well, but their claims are not credible.


Recent Survivor

The rumored Muramasa struck again last night, but a goblin witness got away. His report is as follows.

Three guards were on patrol, including two orcs and the goblin. Muramasa came out in front of them, then simply charged to attack. While the orcs were armored and had the opportunity to fight back, Muramasa was highly aggressive and cut them down within a minute. The goblin fled to the nearest barracks when defeat was apparent.

The man was muscular and seemed a bit taller than most humans, so he may be a human, orc or some mix. He wore eastern attire including a hakama (loose pants), a hitatare (robe) with one sleeve down, large prayer beads around his torso, and straw sandals. He also carried multiples katanas (details uncertain), but only wielded one. Lastly, he had dark hair that was unkempt and growing out, plus a shaggy beard.

Posters have been put out around the city advertising the increasing bounty, and word has started to seep out into surrounding settlements.