S2E10: Jade Truth

Dark truths are uncovered by the samurai as they travel through the Scorpion lands on their way to Otosan Uchi. Support the show at patreon.com/pot5r to get access to the after-show and a bunch of other cool new content!

---SHOW NOTES---

Tomo, Buro, Kenshi, and Akari continued north on their journey to Otosan Uchi. The party noticed that Yoshi had been very sullen lately. Talking to him, he seemed to be unhappy that he is trapped in his armor in some kind of strange purgatory. One night, while camping on the side of the road, Buro decided to wear Yoshi’s armor and go for a walk in order to lift Yoshi’s spirits and keep him company.

While walking with Yoshi, Buro felt a strange warmth emanating from his mask. After investigating his mask more thoroughly, Buro discovered something troubling. The heat from his mask was coming from the jade he had imbued it with while in Clear Water Village. The jade grew hot, almost burning his hands the closer it came to Yoshi’s armor. This could mean one thing… Yoshi’s armor was tainted. 

Speaking with Akari, the two samurai concluded that something must have gone wrong during the ritual to bind Yoshi’s spirit. Perhaps Akari’s father, Chiyagi, bound more than one spirit to the armor. Perhaps another foul spirit of Jigoku resided in the armor with Yoshi. Maybe this could have something to do with Yoshi’s melancholy. Regardless of what exactly the problem was, the two soon realized that it was extremely dangerous to bring Yoshi’s tainted armor to the emperor. Something must be done, so Buro and Akari broke the news to Tomo and Kenshi. No one having a clear idea of what to do, the party decided to bide their time.

After a few days of traveling, the party soon found themselves passing into Scorpion territory, and before long, they were walking the streets of Ginasutra, a bustling city known for its many shrines and temples. Here, the samurai had an idea to meet with a priest in order to learn more about the curse afflicting Yoshi’s armor, and potentially gain insight into how they could fix it.

Standing at the steps of the Temple of Shosuro, a familiar voice called out to them. Turning around to the dark streets behind them, the samurai were shocked to see the face of Bayushi Tsubasa staring back at them. Tomo demanded an explanation from him about his disappearance from Bright Spring Fort and the missing boy-courier, Tadashi, and about the fate of Kuni Chiyagi’s letters which he was sent to steal. Tsubasa recounted the night, explaining that he had intercepted the boy and tried to take the letters from him, but the boy was brave and quick. Tsubasa revealed his hand to the party, showing them where the boy’s knife cut into his palm. Nonetheless, Tsubasa overpowered the boy, took the letters, and destroyed them, leaving only minor wounds on the boy which would certainly heal in time.

Relieved by this news, the party decided to move forward with their plan. Buro donned Yoshi’s armor and cloaked himself in a large robe and cowl, masking Yoshi’s armor underneath. Together, Buro, Kenshi, and Tsubasa ascended the stone steps to Shosuro’s temple. Inside, a priest offered the blessing of Shosuro to the three samurai which they sheepishly accepted. Tsubasa recognized this priest, and began speaking with him as if he were an old friend. Finally, Tsubasa asked this priest if they could have a private room for their blessing, which the priest obliged.

Once inside their private room, the priest began giving his blessing to each samurai in turn. Tsubasa and Kenshi received the priest’s prayers without problem, but when it came to Buro and Yoshi’s turn, something horrible unfolded. The jade beads wrapped around the priest’s hand began to burn, searing the flesh of the holy man. He began to scream in agony as the beads grew hotter and hotter. Suddenly, as if by instinct, Tsubasa stood up, drew his katana, and decapitated the priest with a single blow. The Scorpion then immediately drew a knife from his robes and placed it in the hands of the dead priest. “Help! This priest tried to attack us!” he screamed, then turned quickly to Kenshi and Buro and whispered, “we need to get out of here.”

Credits

Art:

Album Art by Dylon Munoz

Music

"Rokugan Theme" by Brandon Spain

"Dreamlike" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

"Sepuku" by Brandon Spain

"Kenshi's Lament" by Podcast of the Five Rings

"Dark Reckoning" by Podcast of the Five Rings

"Well Wishes" by Podcast of the Five Rings

"The Return" by Podcast of the Five Rings

"Staredown" by Podcast of the Five Rings

"Yoshi's Lament" by Podcast of the Five Rings

"Conniving & Mysterious" by Podcast of the Five Rings

"male_Thijs_loud_scream" by thanvannispen by Attribution 3.0 License

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/