The Flight of the Sparrow

Role Play dates -
Default meeting time and place - 6 pm at Tac's house
7/28, Sat - this session begins with events in Ryoko Owari, and would be easy for me to bring players in.
8/4, Sat
8/11, Sat

New players welcome.  Just come a little early to make/introduce a character.

The Cast
Otaku Laura - Unicorn bushi - Sarah S.
Kitsuki Jitsuki - Dragon Investigator - Tac C
Isawa Miyu - Phoenix Shugenja -  Tammy L
Mirumoto Ruroni - NPC

Note -
For writing purposes, his/her is replaced by his.
 

Chapter One - 7/8
Each samurai is on his  way to Ryoko Owari to celebrate this Summer's Bon Festival.   Everything seems so peaceful along this road to Ryoko Owari during the Hour of the Hare.  The ever curious Kitsuki has managed to engage Mirumoto in conversation.
Suddenly, Isawa sees a samurai-ko with a child under her arm burst through the thicket at the right side of the road about 50 yards ahead.  The samurai-ko runs to the other side and into the thicket.  A few moments later, half a dozen armed bandits rush out the thicket on the right and run across the road as well.  Isawa informs Otaku who gallops off to confront the bandits.
The samurai defeat the bandits, introduce themselves and  meet Guida Tomoko and her charge, Arima.  The samurai invite Guida and Arima to jorney with them.  Over the course of a few hours, the samurai are engaged in conversation.
By the Hour of the Horse, the samurai encounter more bandits, who are  ronin hiding in a tree armed with bow and arrow.  Otaku and Mirumoto  dispatch them, but Otaku is mortally wounded.  Isawa generously uses her skill to draw upon the elements to heal Otaku's wounds.
Kitsuki manages to question a mortally wounded ronin.  He reveals that a man would pay them 30 koku for the boy.  The man may be found near an old shrine after the second village ahead.
 

Chapter Two - 7/14
The party stops at a nearby village for the night.  Otaku and Isawa decide to camp outside the village.   The rest of the party stay at the Inn of the Mountain Dew.  The party makes do with the spartan facilities of the Inn.  Meanwhile, Otaku and Isawa try their best to rest amidst mosquitoes and curious children.
Later in the evening, a serving girl serves the party some evening tea and crackers.  Kitsuki's keen senses  detect a sedative in the tea.  He warns the rest of the party about it.   As the night deepens, the party's brief respite is interrupted by thieves.   Guida wounds a bandit a  and Mirumoto traps a young boy.  Kitsuki's investigation reveals that the boy was hired by a local gang.
Meanwhile, Isawa  wakes up to hear Otaku's horse neighing and stamping.  Both samurai step out of the tent to see a man trying to avoid the rearing horse and a woman running off in the distance.  Otaku confronts the man and is forced to kill him when he tries to flee.
The party regroups to confront the local gang only to discover that their hideout is empty.   Kitsuki questions the boy again.  He reveals another hideout at the next village.   The party surprise the gang and mortally wounds them.  The gang leader tries to escape but is hunted down by Otaku and Isawa.
 

Chapter Three - 7/21
The party gathers all the gang members and questions them.  It is revealed that a messenger would come during the hour of the Serpent to ask about the boy.  The party waits for the messenger, with Kitsuki waiting in the serving room.   During that time, a strange man comes, dressed in a hunting cloak, and inquires about the proprietor's son.  Kitsuki answers that he is well.  The man tells him that if the son is well, then his father might want to take him to the firefly showing near the old shrine at the hour of the dog.   After the man leaves, the gang is questioned again on the implications of the man's words.  The leader indicates that the man wants the boy to be taken to the old shrine at the hour of the dog.  Since  the gang outlived their usefulness, Guida guides them to the Next  world.   The party returns to the inn to await the hour of the dog.   That evening, the party arrive at the vicinity of the shrine during the hour of the dog.  Mirumoto and Kitsuki ride up to the shrine while the rest of the party stands in the shadows 200 yards away.  Mirumoto and Kitsuki look around the shrine and find a note pinned to the wall by a wakazashi.  The note has a single word - "Death'.   Kitsuki starts to commpare the note to another one when 2 arrows hit the wall behind him.  He and Mirumoto run down the stairs towards the horsse, but Kitsuki tells Mirumoto where the arrows came from.   With the frenzy of battle running through her viens, Mirumoto charges the copse of trees.  Mirumoto and Kitsuki reach the trees, but not before Mirumoto is wounded.  They encounter 2 samurai with dai-kyu on horses.  Kitsuki swings his blade wildly and causes the horses to rear.  One of the samurai falls off his  horse.  But before Kitsuki can close the distance, another samurai charges in with his steed.  He stands before Kitsuki andMirumoto and blocks their way.  With naginata  in hand, he parries their attacks easily.   The rest of the party hears the commotion and gallops to their aid.  The other samurai mounts and the 3 of them ride away.   Kitsuki andMirumoto meet with the rest of the party and they return to the inn, except for Otaku and Isawa who share the night with the stars.  Kitsuki discovers that Mirumoto is  poisoned and makes and administers a potion to counter the poison.  In the process,
Mirumoto's secret is discovered.   In the morning, the party heads out the Ryoko Owari where they follow Guida to the house of Suzume Naru, a Sparrow  magistrate.  The Swallow thank the party for their aid and offers them lodging at a local inn.   Otaku and Isawa decline the offer.