Episode I - Down the well

No movement can be seen inside the station. We take position in some tree cover just byond the station's broken gate. Cutting its shoulder to scent the air with blood, we use a goat to lure the creature out. Having heard tales of the beast's foul stink, we tie perfumed cloths about our faces. We wait. 

               Time passes slowly. Just as we begin to think that perhaps it was all nonsense, a dark shape crawls from the mouth of the well. It bounds straight towards the bleating goat at an incredible speed. A hunched monstrosity with a vicious hooked beak for a face and cruelly spiked shell upon its back. Arrows and bullets fly, the crack of the musket echoing loudly through the gloaming. The creature falls to the ground, still and lifeless, its thick black blood staining the white snow. The noise has attracted others, two more claw their way from the well mouth, one a giant hulking beast much larger than a man. They are aware of the trap we set for then and ignore the goat, heading straight for us. The perfume has most likely given away our position. A single arrow suddenly whips past the larger monster’s face and slams into the smaller creature. The force of the blow knocks it off its feet and it lies kicking on the ground, the arrows fletching protruding from its mouth, the arrowhead from the back of its skull. The samurai Tsukimi Junzaburo smiles, a perfect shot indeed. The large beast does not slow however, taking no notice of its kin’s fall. It also fails to notice the hulking bushi Moto Kenichiro hiding just beside the remains of the broken gate, for as it passes through he swings his huge axe in a low arch, almost severing one of the creature’s feet. The beast crashes into the ground, black blood spraying in all directions as it struggles to stand. But before it can right itself, it is descended upon by our group, katana, club, axe and spear making short work of the foul thing. 

Episode III

       Returning from their encounter with the Nama Hage, the hunters took Akuso to the local temple where he was taken by the nuns to have his wounds tended to. After which they were rewarded with an unusual gift from Kuroda. They were given the keys to an “Engineers Workshop” a technological marvel of a past age. But that was not all, for within the workshop itself was a huge armored transportation unit called the “Iron Turtle”. The boy Taro was told to familiarize himself with the working of the machine and report his finding to the samurai Junzaburo.

Leaving his companions to rummage through the contents of the workshop for other items that might be helpful, Junzaburo returned to the safe house. When he arrived he was met just outside by a hooded woman. Introducing herself as Mitsue, she explained that she was a scout for Kuroda, and that she had important information concerning the logging camps   and surrounding forest. After inviting her in, Junzaburo partook of some opium and over a cup of tea the two discussed the recent troubles. Junzaburo then accepted Mitsues proposal to join his team, and assigned her quarters before retiring for the evening.