Duty and Honor
Challenge
A prominent courtier (and known Gozoku supporter) and his family have been
murdered en route to a meeting at court. The PCs are asked to assist a famous
magistrate in the pursuit and apprehension of the criminal in question.
Focus
The magistrate proves himself to be a capable and honorable man during their
tracking of the ronin, and also shows that he too supports the Gozoku reign.
With the PCs helping him, he tracks the assassin to an abandoned shrine.
Strike
The one who committed the murder was a former samurai turned ronin: when the
group arrives, she is preparing to commit seppuku. When confronted, she claims
that the courtier using lies and treachery to murder her lord, and she was only
avenging his loss. She asks only to be permitted a warrior's death. The
magistrate, however, is unwilling to allow such a thing as an honorable seppuku
after such a crime. In the end, it will fall to the PCs to decide the ronin's
fate (and the consequences to themselves).
Gifts and Favors
Challenge
The PCs are asked to attend a celebration arranged by a neighboring lord. None
of the party has ever met the lord in question, but he has a reputation for
being an enemy of their beliefs (whether Gozoku or Imperialist).
Focus
During the festival, the PCs learn that the lord has been using his political
contacts to gain political support in exchange for military favors. One of their
allies asks the PCs that the lord be dealt with in order to remove his
influence.
Strike
A few years ago, the lord's lands were stricken with drought and debt, and he
found no one else to turn to for help. He has no love for the politics involved
in his current life, and has used much of the money to restore his province and
people to prosperity. The PCs must decide whether to follow the orders as
dutiful samurai, accepting the fact that without the lord, the province will
likely fall into ruin once more.
Master of Bushido
Challenge
The PCs have been asked to escort and protect an aged monk to a celebration in
the Imperial City.
Focus
The monk knows little of politics or combat, but is considered a foremost master
on the subject of bushido. He will need both physical and social bodyguarding,
something which the PCs may or may not be prepared to supply.
Strike
Once the PCs arrive, they find that both the Imperialist and Gozoku courtiers
are trying to bribe the master into speaking for their views on bushido. The
monk sees flaws in both, but the PCs must deal with the gifts, threats and
advances of skilled Shosuro, Doji, and others trying to win their support.