daimyo Benju will be grateful to the yakuza, <strong>and</strong> perhapsgrant them some further concessions. The secondis that the people of Aru will see that the yakuzahave fulfilled their role as protector of the commoncitizenry, which will bring the family much face.Move <strong>and</strong> CountermoveAlthough not as extensive as the yakuza’s, Benju’sown network of informants is efficient. The daimyohas learned that Eichiro has hired a clan of ninjas, <strong>and</strong>can draw his own conclusions as to the reason. If Aruwere just slightly more isolated, or were in a place likeKozokura which isn’t under an enforced peace, Benjuwould respond to this threat in a very straightforwardmanner. He’d mobilize his forces, which areconsiderable, raze to the ground the town in which Eichirolives, <strong>and</strong> kill or capture the entire Tanaka clan.As it is, Benju must respond in kind to Eichiro,through stealth. Accordingly, Benju has hired his ownninja family to help him. This family, the clan Ohara,has been entrusted with countering the moves of Eichiro’sninjas whenever <strong>and</strong> wherever possible.A little more complexity has been added to an alreadycomplex situation by the relative notoriety <strong>and</strong>reputations of the two ninja clans involved in this covertconflict. The clan Yamaguchi, hired by Eichiro isvery new on the scene; in fact, this will be their firstmajor operation. Despite its newness <strong>and</strong> relative inexperience,it is a large clan possessed of greatbreadth <strong>and</strong> depth of knowledge <strong>and</strong> skill; because ofits newness, the clan’s members will be trying to establishthe reputation of clan Yamaguchi, <strong>and</strong> can bedepended upon to be even more bold than the majorityof ninjas.Through his intelligence network, Benju haslearned the Eichiro has hired a new ninja family, <strong>and</strong>assumes—incorrectly—it to be a small, relatively weakorganization. It was this that prompted him to hirethe clan Ohara to assist him. The Ohara ninjas arehighly skilled, <strong>and</strong> have a good reputation in those circlesthat know of such things, but the clan is small—considerably smaller than clan Yamaguchi. If thetruth be known, in a direct confrontation—which iswhat this whole thing is becoming—clan Ohara wouldbe unable to st<strong>and</strong> up against clan Yamaguchi.Internecine ConflictAlthough to the world they present a united front,which is always the decision of Benju, there are differingopinions within the Matsutomo household as tohow to deal with the crisis. The person most outspokenin his opinion is—not surprisingly—BuntaroOstato, Benju’s son-in-law. Benju has wisely editedwhat he’s told the hot-headed younger man, but whatBuntaro has learned—that Eichiro is plotting againstthe daimyo—is enough to send him into a rage. Buntarocouncils the direct approach: mobilize the daimyo’sforces <strong>and</strong> strike directly at Eichiro. Certainly,such an attack would be against the law of the shogun,but isn’t honor sometimes the highest law, neh,<strong>and</strong> hasn’t Eichiro Tanaka challenged the honor ofBenju Matsutomo?Luckily wiser heads prevail. One of these is on theshoulders of Toshikazu Wada, comm<strong>and</strong>er of Benju’sHome Guard. He knows no more of the intricacies ofthe situation than does Buntaro, but he has a muchbetter grasp of political realities than does the younghot-head. Toshikazu also counsels direct action, butwith a slightly different twist. In place of Buntaro’splan, which is to march on Eichiro with Benju’s bannersflying, Toshikazu proposes that the attackingforce disguise themselves as a b<strong>and</strong> of masterlessronin. All could be ordered to take every step toavoid capture if such an event seemed likely—an orderthat hardly need be given considering the discipline<strong>and</strong> loyalty of Benju’s samurai. The result, winor lose, would be that nobody could ever prove thatBenju had any connection with the attack on Eichiro.If necessary, to complete the deception, Benju couldstage a showy campaign to capture or drive away the“rogues” that had the temerity to operate within AruProvince.Toshikazu’s superior—Yuji Takaesu, Benju’s righth<strong>and</strong>-man—canappreciate the thought <strong>and</strong> creativitythat went into the younger man’s plan, but can seesome serious dangers associated with it. In Wa, almosteveryone who’s anyone has an intelligence network ofsome form or another. It’s almost a certainty thatsomeone would discover Benju’s involvement in theronin attack on Eichiro. Being implicated in somethinglike that might be enough to topple Benju from power.In addition, there’s no guarantee that Toshikazu’s ideaof “driving away” the rogues would repair the damagethat Benju’s credibility would suffer from the actionsof such a large b<strong>and</strong> of ronin in the first place. Thevery fact that they made that single attack might beenough of a justification for the shogun to remove Yuji’smaster from office . . . <strong>and</strong> that would simply notbe acceptable.Benju trusts his second-in-comm<strong>and</strong> Yuji wellenough to share with him everything he knows <strong>and</strong>thinks about the situation . . . almost. Armed withmore information than Buntaro or Toshikazu, the oldman proposed the idea of fighting fire with fire: hiringanother ninja clan to oppose the one employed by Eichiro.Yuji even suggested that his master hire theclan Ohara, because of its reputation. The daimyoagreed, <strong>and</strong> made the necessary arrangements.Although he trusts the old man explicitly, Benjuhasn’t shared with Yuji all of his thoughts <strong>and</strong> plansconcerning the matter at h<strong>and</strong>. Benju is a goodenough tactician to realize that it’s possible to be tooclose to a problem, that it’s sometimes necessary to getthe point of view of someone not intimately involvedin ongoing events.With these thoughts in his mind, it’s underst<strong>and</strong>ablewhy Benju Matsutomo showed such great interestwhen he heard that a small b<strong>and</strong> of adventurers hadentered Aru town . . .12
Chapter V: The Main EventsIntroduction<strong>Ninja</strong> <strong>Wars</strong> is an adventure designed for charactersof 6th to 9th level. A good mix of character classes isadvisable, although it would be best if at least onecharacter were a samurai; evil characters are not recommended.For this adventure, the PCs can either beinhabitants of Wa, or strangers to this shore. If theformer, they should not be residents of Aru Province,but should come from further afield. If the latter, theDM should remember Wa natives’ tradition of arrogance<strong>and</strong> xenophobia. Because of this, the adventurewill probably prove more difficult—but much moreentertaining—if the PCs are strangers to Wa.The adventure is broken up into “Acts”; these areencounters or events. In most cases, the acts shouldbe played in the order in which they are presentedhere. There are certain acts, however, which can beplayed out of order should the DM so decide; theseare marked with an asterisk (*) next to the act title.The events in many of the acts will take placewhether or not the PCs are present or involved. Theseacts include a section called “Probable Outcome”,which describes how the events will most likely turnout without PC intervention. The DM is free to changethe outcome, of course, if doing so would enhance thestory. The DM must find an appropriate way of informingthe PCs of what has happened in any act thatthe party did not participate in. Some possible ways ofdoing this might be street gossip or perhaps an audiencewith an angry Benju.Throughout this adventure certain portions of thetext have been enclosed in boxes. As a rule, these areused to set a scene or otherwise describe an event.The DM can read such boxed text directly to the players, or can paraphrase it as appropriate.The earlier acts in this adventure have a certainlevel of subtlety to them. While the daimyo knowsthat there is ninja activity in the area, the PCsshouldn’t be aware of this initially. It’s up to the DM todistract their attention from this conclusion, at leasttemporarily. This is where the encounters in ChapterVI come in. Several of these involve—or appear toinvolve—ninja activity. The DM should interspersethese encounters with the earlier acts of this adventureso the players are never completely sure exactlywhere the “<strong>Ninja</strong> <strong>Wars</strong>” fit into the gr<strong>and</strong> scheme ofthings.The DM should feel free to intersperse other “miniadventures”drawn from Chapter VI, or encountersgenerated by the system in Chapter VIII, into the flowof the module. In the Eastern Realms, danger, excitement,<strong>and</strong> intrigue lurk around every corner.Act 1 —IntroductionsSet-upThe DM must devise a reason for the PCs to visitAru that fits well with earlier events in their adventuringlives. Perhaps the PCs have heard tell of thebeauty of the Shining Temple of Bishamon <strong>and</strong> havedecided to see it for themselves; or perhaps a PC’smaster has ordered him <strong>and</strong> his companions to travelto Aru for whatever reason; or perhaps the PCs havebeen shipwrecked on the coast near Aru town. In anycase, the DM should urge them to recuperate fromthe hardships of their journey by spending a night at“The Waiting Stone”, a local ryokan or inn (area 4 onthe city map). (Use the “Town Inn <strong>and</strong> House” map inthe Oriental Adventures hardcover book.)In terms of time, the season should be summer, <strong>and</strong>their arrival should be exactly seven days before thedate of the Ceremony of the Three Thous<strong>and</strong> Steps.(The Ceremony takes place traditionally “in high summer”,but the DM can shift the actual date so that itties in well with the actions of the PCs.)It’s difficult for the inhabitants of Aru town to ignorethe passing of time: each hour, the brass bell atthe Shining Temple of Bishamon chimes. The DM canuse this regular chime as a reminder to the PCs thattime is ebbing away, <strong>and</strong> that the Ceremony of theThree Thous<strong>and</strong> steps is fast approaching.Unquiet SlumbersIt’s chill at night, here in northern Wa, even inwhat’s supposed to be high summer. You’re gladthat your room includes a small brazier <strong>and</strong> a goodsupply of charcoal. You toss another chip of aromaticwood onto the glowing coals <strong>and</strong> disposeyourself for sleep. With crystal clarity, you hearthe great brass bell of Bishamon chime the hourfrom the hill above the town.Hardly have you settled yourselves on your futonswhen there’s a rap on the shoji of your room.A rap quiet enough to be polite, but still firm.You slide back the shoji. St<strong>and</strong>ing outside yourroom is a body of eight samurai clad in brown kimonos.Their leader bows respectfully to you . . . althoughhis h<strong>and</strong> never strays far from the hilt ofhis katana.“Konbanwa,” he says. “My master has orderedme to invite you to drink cha with him this evening.We will escort you to him. I must ask you to giveyour weapons into the keeping of my men. No dishonoris intended by this.”The leader of the samurai is Tsukku, one of Buntaro’slieutenants. If questioned, he will tell the PCs thathis master is Benju Matsutomo, daimyo of Aru Province.He doesn’t know why Benju wants to see thePCs—who Tsukku rather suspects are ronin <strong>and</strong> ne’erdo-wells,although he’ll never show this suspicion.Tsukku’s orders are to bring the PCs into Benju’s13
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