Campaign Chronicles

16 Feb 1371 07:00:00 (2621 Shou calendar) The spearmen rush toward Hansuke and the three travelers. The tattooed monk breaks into a sprint and calls upon his Abundant Bù Zhòu technique, vanishing instantly and reappearing less than a moment later mere feet from the volatile holy man. With a shout of "TATSUMAKI SENPOKYAKU!", he leaps into the air. The heel of his foot connects with the priest's jaw, snapping the man's head sideways and sending him staggering in a circle. The opposing samurai swings his tetsubo at Hansuke. The tattooed monk's hand comes up, striking the underside of the iron-studded staff, pushing it up and away from his head while simultaneously ducking the blow. The monk Geylan intercepts the soldiers closing on him, the fingers of both his hands curled to resemble claws. He slashes with his hands, taking two men across the face while kicking a third in the knee. Jug leaps into the fray, parrying a pair of spear thrusts bef...

When last we left Hansuke, the tattooed monk had left his party in Asgard and traveled to the Prime Material Plane via the Bifrost. He soon met three travelers, a samurai nicknamed Jug, a monk named Geylan, and a merchant named Jamkkan. A brief explanation of how Hansuke arrived in their land was given, Geylan placed his wrists inside an iron cage that Jamkkan locked before turning in to sleep, and Jug stood watch over the group. The trio wants Hansuke to take them to his arrival point before they go to see the master of the monastery they are currently living in. 16 Feb 1371 07:00:00 (2621 Shou calendar) The next morning, Hansuke and the three travelers rise before the sun and make their way up the slope toward the spot where the Bifrost deposited the monk the night before.  When they arrive, they discover that a crowd has formed. A dozen men clad in simple armor and carrying spears are arranged in a loose semi-circle around a mounted samurai. A priest of some sor...

16 Feb 1371 02:00:00 (2621 Shou calendar) As the monk with his hands in the birdcage lies down to sleep, Hansuke responds, “That light was me arriving.”   The blue-armored samurai unbuckles the strap holding his helmet and sets the protective headwear to the side, revealing a fairly handsome face with a largish nose and thin lips.   “Yes, you said you came from a place called ‘Asgard’, that you knew gods beyond those of the Celestial Court.   How is this so?   And why have you come here?   If I had a chance to fight along Chan Cheng or Fa Kuan, I would humbly devote myself to their service.” Hansuke scowls, “How dare you ask ‘how this is so’!   They are powerful gods and they have sent me here to fight and win a battle that is coming.” Nanuen Nanjunge Jug-Inda, known as “Jug” to his companions, holds up one hand, palm toward the shapeshifting monk, “You misunderstand.   No offense is intended.   I am meaning to ask ‘how is it that th...

16 Feb 1371 02:00:00 (2621 Shou calendar) Geylan turns in first. He has his hands and wrists locked in what basically looks like an iron birdcage. The samurai, Jug, places a blanket over the cage, concealing the hands within and the monk lies down to sleep. Jaleda sinks to the ground in the lotus position and closes his eyes. Hansuke’s eyes narrow, “I have two questions. First, what light source are you talking about and secondly, why are you locking your hands in a cage? ... ” The other monk sighs, “There was a brilliant beam of light that shot down from the heavens and struck the earth somewhere not far from here. We seek the location where the beam touched the ground. As for my hands, it is just a precaution. I assure you there is nothing to worry about.” With that, the bound monk lay down and closed his eyes, surrendering himself to sleep. The samurai with the antler-horned helmet moves a short distance away and settles himself into a comfortable position, one...

16 Tsou 2621 Shou Calendar Hansuke slows, crouching in the shadows and peers down the hill. He sees three men approaching. They are dressed in wildly dissimilar attire, one in the clothing of a well-to do merchant, the second in simple monk robes, and the third in O-Yori Armor with an antlered helmet worn atop his head. Unless this land does not observe a caste system like in his homeland, then it is likely that these three men are adventurers of some sort. The Hengeyokai monk doesn’t pause for even a moment. He steps out of the shadows and onto the mountain trail, revealing himself to the three men. They instantly stop, the armored samurai’s hand flies to the hilt of his katana while the monk assumes a fighting stance. Only the merchant remains reactionless, assessing the appearance of the unknown traveler. Hansuke calls out to the group, “I am Hansuke Yamamoto. I come from Heibeisu, Heigen Ryo Kokoro in the Empire of Rokugan. I mean you no harm! The gods have sent me here for r...

16 Feb 1371 The god in the horned helm walks over to a pedestal in the center of the chamber. He slides his sword into an opening in top of the miniature plinth and twists it sharply to the left. The domed ceiling begins to revolve, swiftly picking up speed until it is little more than a blur. Suddenly, a shaft of light erupts from the building, stretching out into the blackness of night. “The choice is yours.” “I accept.” Hansuke steps into the light and vanishes in the blink of an eye. When the light fades, the monk finds himself standing in a rune-inscribed circle blasted into the earth. He looks around, his eyes instantly adjusting to the dim light and realizes that he is standing somewhere in the mountains on a world far-removed from Asgard, far removed from his former companions. He takes a deep breath, tasting the cool, crisp air and exhales. A small cloud of fog forms in the cool air and is carried away on a light breeze. He looks around and sees the peaks and ridges of oth...

16 Feb 1371 (Day Five of the Odinsleep) “Hansuke.” The voice, heard clearly in his head, brought him instantly awake. He looked around the room for the source of the smooth baritone and saw that nearly all of his companions, save Kysek who was still reading from the tome of ones and zeroes, were fast asleep or deep in meditation. He nearly dismissed the voice as the imaginings of a dream, turned a circle after stretching his feline claws and tucked his tail around his body as he settled back in to resume napping when he heard it again. “Hansuke, follow the sound of my voice.” This time he knew that he was not dreaming and padded across the room on four silent paws. He slipped out the front door of Völundr’s home and into the street. He had no need to gather his belongings. They had changed shape with him and were absorbed into his body when he had assumed his feline form. He made his way down the thoroughfare, past homes and shops with their lights extinguished for the ni...

Turns out that my kids are into the whole “ Beyblade ” thing and the only thing the youngest one asked for this year for Christmas was a “Winning Valkyrie” Beyblade.   Aside from knowing that the game is basically a modernized version of battling tops and that there is a cartoon to promote the toy, I knew absolutely nothing about Beyblades up until this weekend. As I watched the boys play with their new “Beys”, I found myself fascinated by their game and the way they talked about different types of strategies and customized builds for their tops.   I gave some thought to a “BeyBlog” that would focus on different combinations of parts, the results of mini-tournaments, product reviews, and maybe a breakdown of individual episodes of the show (although how they managed to wring enough drama out of top-spinning to produce three seasons of the show with over 50 episodes per season confounds me entirely). Given the age of Beyblade’s target demographic I am currently shel...