Ninja Wars.pdf - Dorks and Dragons!

This gathering has suddenly become an informalcontest in poetry. All PCs, as well as the other noblemembers of the gathering, are expected to participate.Use the rules in Oriental Adventures for informalcontests and the honor rules to judge the PCs’success or failure.Even though Buntaro has proficiency in poetry, tonighthe’s just not in the right frame of mind to pull itoff. He will automatically fail in his first attempt. Ifone of the PCs wins the contest, that PC will be the targetof Buntaro’s particular detestation for the rest ofthe adventure.Benju will congratulate the winner, and gift him orher with a prize of one kimono of the finest silk(worth 5 tael). If Benju himself wins, he will acceptcongratulations humbly (he’s a good winner).When the contest is concluded, read the following:In the gathering darkness, you see a robed figuremoving towards the towering apple tree thatstands in front of the temple. It must be one of thetemple shukenja, you conclude, going to ring thebrass bell that hangs from the tree.You watch as the shukenja reaches up to drawback the clapper of the bell and lets it fall . . .Instead of the clear, chiming tone you’ve heardevery hour since your arrival in Aru town, there’s adull clunk. The brass bell crumbles into fragments,which patter to the ground at the feet of the astonishedshukenja.Benju and the rest of his party surge to theirfeet . . .The bell is well and truly shattered. If a PC examiningthe fragments of the bell has one of the followingproficiencies, he or she is entitled to a success rollbased on that proficiency: armorer, blacksmith, jeweler,or weaponsmith. This roll is made at a +1 penalty.A successful roll indicates that the PC hasdetected something untoward: minuscule traces of astrong acid that could have the effect of weakeningbrass and turning it brittle.Note to the DM: While everyone was distracted bythe sunset and the poetry contest, a ninja climbed unnoticedinto the apple tree, and poured acid on thebell. He then left the area the way he came.The common people—and even the majority of thenobles—will take the breaking of the bell as an omenof the worst possible kind. Perhaps it signifies thatBishamon has withdrawn his favor from the templeand from the town, or perhaps it intimates that evilspirits have turned their malign attention towardsAru—that’s how the rumors will run.The destruction of the bell ends the evening’s gathering.Surrounded by their cordon of samurai, Benjuand his family hurry down the stairs and back to thecastle. The PCs are free to ‘respond however they seefit.Act 5—Rumors*This act can be used whenever the DM sees fit afterthe destruction of the bell-once or several times.Whenever the PCs talk to any typical townsfolk, oroverhear townsfolk in conversation, roll 1d6. On a resultof 1, the PCs hear one of the following rumors(roll 1d26, or select one). Some of the rumors havesome relation to reality, while others are totally false.1 “Bishamon has cursed Aru, yes he has. It’s becauseof pride, the daimyo’s pride. I didn’t saythat, no, so sorry, I didn’t mean it!’ (False)2 “Whatever’s doing all this, it’s not after us. It’s justafter the daimyo.” (True)3 “The tiger-bird spirit that killed the pilgrim . . . Isaw it, last night. It sang to me.” (Totally false)4 “I don’t know why, but the yakuza seem very concernedall of a sudden. Maybe they know somethingwe don’t.” (True)5 “A storm is about to break over Aru. I can feel it inmy bones.” (True)6 “I had a dream last night. I saw a creature with asnake’s head, wreathed in smoke, movingthrough the moonlight. And it’s coming closer.”(True; see Act 14)7 “It’s the Matsutomo curse, I swear to the gods it is.My grandmother told me that whenever a Matsutomobecomes daimyo, Aru suffers the tormentsof hell.” (False)8 “I saw my brother’s face at my window last night.And he’s dead. Has been for three years . . .” (False)9 “It’s the Turning of the Age, when spirits walk thestreets, and all reason is overturned. The gravesgive up their dead, and bodiless souls prowl theland and feed on the living.” (False)10 “That monk, what’s his name, Yako, Yaemon,something like that. He’s a hard one, he is." (True)11 “This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.”(True)12 “That Buntaro. I know he’s got something to dowith all this. He hates the daimyo. I’m sure he’s betrayinghim somehow.” (False)13 “Don’t believe a word of it. It’s all a trick. And—just between you and me—I wouldn’t be surprisedif the daimyo’s behind it. Look well if it’sjust an excuse to raise taxes . . .” (False)14 “This talk of the supernatural . . . crazy! That pilgrim,a tiger got him when the samurai wereasleep. And the bell? Well, bells get old, too.”(False)15 “I think the daimyo’s more worried than he letson. Some day take a look at the list of past daimyos,and what happened to them. You’ll understand.”(True)16 “If you ask me, those strangers have something todo with it. Those foreigners the daimyo took in.Never trust a foreigner. Oh . . . so sorry, I didn’tsee you there, honored travellers . . .” (False)21