Session1

The Bandits and a kenshi

Two blue-clad samurai of the Crane Clan, Daidoji Ryou and Kakita Takeyoshi?, trudge north through the snow to Toshi Ranbo from Tsuma where the legendary Kakita Duelling Academy? is located. Although the new year has been welcomed in, winter's snow is still thick on the ground.

While following the road down into a small wooded valley, the two friends noticed an elderly samurai dressed in grey travelling the road ahead of them and approaching him stealthily a number of motley looking armed men.

After shouting out a warning to the elderly samurai, the two Crane ran to his aid.

The warning did not deter the ambushers though, they continued to close in on their target, no doubt aiming to kill their quarry before the newcomers could come to his aid.

As one, a number of the ambushers leapt upon the old man who, with a grace and speed almost unbelievable of one so aged and hunched, withdrew his shimmering katana and in a single arcing and graceful sweep eviscerated three of his attackers and immediately dropped into a perfect defensive stance. The poise and grace of this kenshi? was astonishing.

Still some distance from the skirmish, the two Crane continued running; the mysterious samurai was still heavily outnumbered. One ambusher –obviously a ronin– who appeared to be the leader of the band drew and hurled two throwing knives at the elderly man with breathtaking speed and accuracy. The kenshi's katana deflected one of the flashing blades but the second got past his guard and left a gaping wound in his shoulder.

Needing no further invitation, a second wave of bandits advanced on the old man. More cautious this time, they harried and pushed allowing him only the slightest opportunity for attack.

By the time Ryou and Takeyoshi? arrived, the kenshi had dispatched two more of his ambushers but sustained a grievous wound to his side and his steel-grey kimono was stained darkly with his blood.

Takeyoshi's first strike was lethal bisecting one of the bandits in one clean strike but the attack had left him open to the other attackers. Although he dodged more throwing knives flung by the leader, he received a katana slash along his arm form one of the others.

?

After Ryou dispatched Takeyoshi's attacker, the leader of the small band and his remaining men had backed away from the combat. In order to save unnecessary bloodshed Takeyoshi and Ryou called on the remaining bandits to throw away their weapons rather than their lives.

Once the leader and his follower fled the scene, their weapons lying on the path behind them, the two Crane went to tend to the injured samurai. He introduced himself simply as “Tsuru” and thanked them for their intervention.

Fearing he would not make it all the way to Toshi Ranbo, they took the badly injured Tsuru back to Caotang?, the village in which they had spent the previous night. Once they arrived, the heimin were able to stop his bleeding and reduce his fever.

In the night however, Takeyoshi and Ryou who were staying in the village headman's home, received a vision of a luminous and ethereal blue-grey crane. It praised them for their honour and courage and told them to remain true to their soul and their ancestors before taking wing.

The moment it flew through the roof of the simple house a shriek shattered the stillness of the night “He's gone, he's dead!” came a piercing female voice. It soon became clear that the old man had not survived the night...

---

<< Two Generals and a request | A desecrated monastery and a challenge >>