(D10 LA) I'd like a Ward with You

[Asahina Hoshiko]

It's a busy day of meetings before what would become a night of disrupted sleep. But there were strange things moving around the court and Hoshiko had been pointed in the direction of one more possible resource. So she announces herself at the door of the Scorpion delegation's temporary home, asking after Yogo Kiuchi.

[Yogo Kiuchi]

Kiuchi arrives and invites her in. "Please come in. I hope all has been well." It was not. No one asks for a Yogo when things are going well. But he did have tea prepared.

[Asahina Hoshiko]

Hoshiko is quite grateful for the tea. "I've been well enough, but obviously things are unsettled." She doesn't specifically mention the succession, but it's on everyone's mind.

"You've heard about the dark spirit that seems to have visited the court, no?"

[Yogo Kiuchi]

"I might have heard something about it, but I have not seen it myself."

[Asahina Hoshiko]

"I might have heard something about it, but I have not seen it myself."

The first confirmed contact, I think, was Kitsu Shintaro. The spirit claims to be that of Emperor Ningi. I ran into it a few days later in my meditations, and there has been some research here and there." She sighs. "But there's precious little in the way of confirmation. The name it gives itself may or may not be true. It also may or may not be a gaki."

"I've spoken to Kuni Shiori-san, who in turn is in contact with Agasha Yuna-san. Seppun Sadako-sama feels that it should be kept to as few as possible, for their safety." She's not certain why that would keep anyone safe, and that vague unease is present in her tone, but she's not about to contradict the Seppun.

"Everyone did think you were likely the next to contact, with your family's reputation for protective wards and the like. The Seppun are sure they can protect their charges," and again, she isn't going to contradict that. "So I am here."

[Yogo Kiuchi]

Kiuchi suspected the safety of keeping the numbers few was from the Seppun rather than spirit.

"The Seppun are indeed capable of great warding magic. So, I don't doubt their ability. Especially since they likely brought some of their masters of wards while ours are mostly at Yogo-dono's Court" Kiuchi hoped he got it across that while competent, he was not an incredible ward master like some of his kin. "But I will help in what ways I can."

[Asahina Hoshiko]

Hoshiko nods. "Master, or journeyman, of apprentice, we can probably use whatever knowledge you have, Yogo-san. I'm not too familiar with the ways of keeping spirits of any sort away, and the Seppun can't protect everyone. "

She produces a scroll, which details her encounter with the spirit and subsequent study with spirits of Meido to pass over. "A bit more detail, nothing yet that quite confirms the sort of spirit we're dealing with. It's possibly prudent to assume a malicious sort, better to be wrong in that direction than assume it's benign when it isn't."

"Any thoughts on what may guard against it? Kitsu Shintaro mentioned ancestral swords having some power against spirits, and the Kuni, of course, would think of jade."

[Yogo Kiuchi]

"If it is from gaki-do, the simplest way I would think is find out what its hunger is, watch likely targets and banish it when it appears. I'm personally unsure how either of the two methods would work." He had no clue about the Kitsu's plan, and he didn't think jade would affect spirits not tainted by Jigoku, but he wasn't going to argue with a Kuni unless he was absolutely sure.

"Unfortunately, most of the warding I do is done to protect our caravans from more mortal dangers rather than spiritual ones. I might be able to craft a ward that could repel the spirit or even trap it. Though I would need time to work on it to know for sure or not."

And his player would need to ask the GM's.

[Asahina Hoshiko]

Hoshiko nods. "Just so. And so far we have..." she holds up her fingers as she enumerates, "one, Kitsu-sama's ritual to contact the spirits of Yomi, and two, my attempt to peek at the effects of things on Meido, as definite contacts. The 'voice' in those two was the same, so for now I'm assuming it was the same spirit." Planning for one spirit was manageable, a plague of them felt overwhelming...so one it was!

"But no contact when I went into Meido. So perhaps there was something distracting it then, or it just won't show up for every meal, or that's not exactly the trigger. But I agree that consensus is seeming to build around the idea of luring it out. Kuni-san said something similar."

She pulls out paper and chalk to make some notes. "I think merely repelling it is only short-term effective if that doesn't banish it home, but trapping it keeps everyone safe while we work out how to banish it to its proper realm, yes? I have some experience with letting willing spirits inhabit a shrine or attach to a charm to later aid someone, but none in the binding of unwilling spirits. Though, much like your wards, perhaps some study could allow the techniques to stretch."


(yep. I think I have some spellcraft and library work to do as well)

[Yogo Kiuchi]

"Hai." While he gave his honest opinion, Kiuchi began wondering if he was capable of such a thing. In theory, it would seem possible. But a lot of things are possible in theory. "The more we can use against it, the more likely we will succeed."

[Asahina Hoshiko]

"After talking to Seppun-sama, it also seems like having some better way to identify what sort of spirit it is will help. We don't have a standard set of tests, that I know of. And we'd still need to lure the spirit in to conduct them." She sips at her tea. "Spirit identification isn't a standard area of research for the Asahina, and my own talents mostly show me the spirits in their native spaces rather than wha they might seem like when invading our realm."

[Yogo Kiuchi]

"I admit, it not exactly what the Yogo study either. But do spirits of other realms leave any residual evidence that can be used to identify them?" Jigoku certainly did, but he wasn't going to bring that up unless necessary. "Would the Kuni you mentioned have an idea of how to tell what realm a spirit was from?" If it was a gaki, the Kuni might be able to tell. The Realm of Hungering Ghosts bordered Jigoku.

[Asahina Hoshiko]

"Maybe? My study is more of spirits within their own realms. It seems I have research to attempt. Kuni-san might have ideas to tell the hungry ghosts from spirits from that darker realm." She pauses.

"I realize I have only the faintest idea of how Yogo-san's wards work. Could you explain?" Without giving up trade secrets, was, of course, implied.

[Yogo Kiuchi]

Kiuchi nods. "Hai." He proceeds to give a rather textbook like answer. It is clearly a specific speech that the Yogo are taught to give. It gives a basic, but vague explanation.

[Asahina Hoshiko]

Hoshiko nods, asking some clarifying questions where possible, and generally taking notes about where this all might fit. "Thank you. I think that helps a bit at least. I'll try gathering everyone tomorrow to see what we can work out. "

"I really appreciate your assistance," she adds as she gathers her notes up, better informed than she'd started.

/scene? (and thank you!)