Blood of the Yakuza - Free

H. The Birth of Tora-san
The Plot: Using the happy occurrence
of a birth, Gorath, the true power
behind the Royal Vagabonds, plans to
discover the location of his old enemy
Lui-hsia Chih. Once he has found him,
he will personally see to the destruction
of the Many Hued Peacock society.
Actors: Gorath, a men-shen (see end
of module), Lui-hsia Chih, leader of
the Many Hued Peacock Society,
Yin-kung T’o, Royal Vagabond
leader, Yen-ch’eng Tzu Yu, a wu
jen, Nan-kuo, a monk, Royal Vagabond
men
The Story: Goshukara Sadamoto’s
first wife has given birth to her third
son, a healthy strapping boy. As is the
custom, messengers have been sent
to announce the birth to the important
folk of Nakamaru. Sadamoto, crafty
and political as ever, has neglected no
possible ally. Thus, he has even sent
notice to the important merchants of
the Foreign District. Among these are
Yin-kung T’o and Lui-hsia Chih, leaders
of the two foreign factions in the
city. However, neither man has met
the other, nor are their secret roles
known. However, Gorath, that mysterious
agent of the emperor, has
learned through Yin-kung T’o of the
invitation. He knows that his quarry,
Lui-hsia Chih, has certainly been
invited. Although he does not know
what Chih looks like now, he is positive
he could spot the old imposter
Chih by his aura. Thus, magically
transforming his appearance, he
takes the place of Yin-kung T’o. Taking
a suitable gift (rice and eggs
wrapped in delicate imported clothes),
Gorath visits the proud family.
As Gorath expected, Lui-hsia Chih
arrives with his present. And, as
expected, Gorath was able to detect
the aura of his foe. Noting the man
carefully, he did nothing to reveal himself.
Yet when Gorath approached the
child, the little boy sensed what he
was and began crying. Gorath considered
the incident minor and withdrew
confident of his charade.
However, the child’s cries had been
noted by Lui-hsia Chih. Knowing the
perspicacity of innocents, Chih notes
the visitors of the moment. Most are
relations and friends of the family, but
among them is Yin-kung T’o. This, to
Lui-hsia Chih, is clearly significant
and he resolves to immediately investigate
the matter.
Upon returning to T’o’s compound,
Gorath resumes his natural form and
begins to plan his destruction of Luihsia
Chih. Chih meanwhile calls the
secret society to a special meeting.
He knows that if Gorath has found him
he has little time. From among his
members, he orders two with special
talents, the wu jen Yench’eng Tzu Yu
and the monk Nan-kuo, to go to the
house of Yin-kung T’o and secretly
read his aura. This they manage to do
by devising a simple subterfuge to
conceal their purpose. The reading,
however, is not unusual (or at least not
what Chih expected). T’o is clearly a
normal man, not some being in disguise.
This only succeeds in unnerving
Chih. He is convinced his suspicions
that Gorath has found him are true
and cannot accept that T’o is a normal
man. Unable to prove his belief, he is
plagued by the fear that Gorath has
outwitted him. Still, he has not survived
his enemy for centuries through
cowardice. Reacting to his fears, he
orders the best members of the Many
Hued Peacock Society to remain the
night and stand guard. As darkness
falls he retires to his room and magically
calls the members of the Inner
Council to warn them of his peril.
It is just at this moment that Gorath
and the Royal Vagabonds attack.
Anticipating an unsuspecting target,
the Royal Vagabonds overconfidently
blunder into the guards Chih has posted.
A violent night battle erupts with
neither side giving or gaining ground.
The advantage of greater numbers
the Royal Vagabonds possessed was
37
lost to the trap of the Many Hued Peacocks.
On each side men fall.
Gorath, unlike the puny men, knows
that its prey is watchful and clever.
Simple human guards do not deter it.
The beast bypasses or disposes of
them with ease. Likewise, so close to
the goal, it has no concern for those it
is meant to serve and abandons them
to their fate. Crashing through the
screen of Chih’s room, it bursts upon
the magical meeting of the Inner
Council. With a scream of satisfaction
Gorath hurls itself across the chamber,
blue energies crackling between
its talons. Wheeling, Chih and the
Inner Council screech out a spell...
From the outside, it seems that the
center of the mansion erupts in a
surge of blue and gold fire. The blast
peels the roof away and sweeps the
outer pillars aside. The many shoji
screens flash and crumble to powder.
With a squealing grind, a glowing ball
flashes over the compound and dissipates.
A wave of bone-numbing cold
follows. When the wreckage is
searched, no sign is found of Liu-hsia
Chih or the creature Gorath.
Player Character lnvolvement: Foreign
characters can become involved
in this plot right from the outset, either
as supporters of the Many Hued Peacock
Society or members of the Royal
Vagabonds. Beside the specific
actions mentioned here, there can
also be scouting missions on both
sides in preparation for the final battle.
It is even possible that player characters
may be able to affect the outcome
of the climactic encounter between
Gorath and Chih. Player characters
who are not part of the foreign community
can still become involved in
the final battle. Watchmen will surely
arrive on the scene shortly after the
battle begins. Yakuza, who always
have their eyes everywhere, will learn
of the movements in even before the
battle begins. Other characters can
be introduced to the situation as needed.