Hansuke in Kyoro - The Art of Diplomacy
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 reasons I do not know. Maybe talking to your master will reveal if they have spoken to him as well.” He pauses for a moment before adding “What realm am I in?”
The merchant holds out one hand, signaling his companions to remain cautious but to hold their weapons at bay for the moment. “You are at the edge of the Kingdom of Kyoro. To the west lies Kang Bay and the village of Koje. I am Jamkkan Jaleda. These are my companions. Our swordsman is Naneun Najunge Jug-Inda, known to us simply as ‘Jug’ and this”, he motions with his hand toward the monk, “is Haemgwa Gyelan. We are honored to meet you. But before we take you to the Master of the Valley, tell me, these ‘gods’ you speak of, do you refer to the Celestial Emperor and his court or perhaps to the Nine Immortals instead?”
“Neither. One of the gods of Asgard used his sword to open a walkway. I stepped into it and it brought me here.”
Jaleda slowly shakes his head, “I am not familiar with these gods of Asgard but, for now, I will take you at your word.”
The blue-armored samurai steps closer, “In the morning, before we take you to the Master, you will show us where you arrived.”
Hansuke nods before replying, “Of course.” He knows that if he is going to learn more about this land, he is going to have be willing to exchange some information.
The final companion, the monk called Geylan, looks up at the sky, “It is getting late. If we aren’t pressing on to the location of the light source, we should make camp.” He drops his pack on the ground and loosens the drawstrings. He reaches inside and pulls out a small wrought-iron cage and places it in his lap.
Hansuke notices that there are two openings, each about the size of the monk’s wrists. Geylan slips his hands through the opening and Jug slides a set of pins through the opening, trapping his companion’s hands inside. He gives the cage a sharp tug to make sure it is properly secured before announcing that he would take the first watch.
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 reasons I do not know. Maybe talking to your master will reveal if they have spoken to him as well.” He pauses for a moment before adding “What realm am I in?”
The merchant holds out one hand, signaling his companions to remain cautious but to hold their weapons at bay for the moment. “You are at the edge of the Kingdom of Kyoro. To the west lies Kang Bay and the village of Koje. I am Jamkkan Jaleda. These are my companions. Our swordsman is Naneun Najunge Jug-Inda, known to us simply as ‘Jug’ and this”, he motions with his hand toward the monk, “is Haemgwa Gyelan. We are honored to meet you. But before we take you to the Master of the Valley, tell me, these ‘gods’ you speak of, do you refer to the Celestial Emperor and his court or perhaps to the Nine Immortals instead?”
“Neither. One of the gods of Asgard used his sword to open a walkway. I stepped into it and it brought me here.”
Jaleda slowly shakes his head, “I am not familiar with these gods of Asgard but, for now, I will take you at your word.”
The blue-armored samurai steps closer, “In the morning, before we take you to the Master, you will show us where you arrived.”
Hansuke nods before replying, “Of course.” He knows that if he is going to learn more about this land, he is going to have be willing to exchange some information.
The final companion, the monk called Geylan, looks up at the sky, “It is getting late. If we aren’t pressing on to the location of the light source, we should make camp.” He drops his pack on the ground and loosens the drawstrings. He reaches inside and pulls out a small wrought-iron cage and places it in his lap.
Hansuke notices that there are two openings, each about the size of the monk’s wrists. Geylan slips his hands through the opening and Jug slides a set of pins through the opening, trapping his companion’s hands inside. He gives the cage a sharp tug to make sure it is properly secured before announcing that he would take the first watch.
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