IZOU'S PALACE

[goei]

KYOTO BAKUMATSU PALACE
You find yourself in historical Kyoto at night. The city is shadowy and beautiful, elegant but hostile. It's a sophisticated city, but you don't belong there and it knows it. Everyone knows it. You are being watched.

Worst of all, a terrible demon haunts the streets of this powerful capital city.

Eli Walsh, Kirumi Tojo, Still Sunrise, Argenti, Yi Sang, Celeste, Mafuyu Asahina, and McGillis Fareed, do you dare journey into hell?

 

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Comments

PHASE THREE

[goei]

[As far as decor and size is concerned, this place feels more like a palace that a teahouse. Everything feels like it's cast in rich shades of red and gold, the building is full of pleasant smells and pleasant chatter. Could such a decadent and inviting place really hold a fearsome demon? The oddest feature is the grand, western style staircase that seems like the focal point of the two story main room. On both the first floor and the second floor balcony that overlooks it, the affluent men of Kyoto drink and chat with the geisha. Some geisha listen and laugh, some are entertaining their guests with story or music. Everyone's having a nice time.

Unlike the people outside on the streets though, a fair few of the patrons here look a little more dangerous. Swords hang at hips and veils of suspicion hang on faces.

What's your first move?]

[fullmoonmutt]

Wh... [ This place is nice? What the fuck? ] The hell? I expected a dive bar or something to be his stomping grounds, not this.

[cleansewithfire]

It feels somewhat like the teahouse we went to earlier...

[ "Somewhat" only because Sunrise thinks this is still way fancier than the previous teahouse was. ]

...I think if we attract unwanted attention here, it will be messier than what happened outside. [ All these armed patrons... ]

[goei]

[Well, speaking of, actually, once everyone walks inside they'll find themselves dressed for the occassion! (Sort of, anyway. Looking at you, Eli in Hizen's outfit.) Everyone is now dressed in traditional Japanese attire of varying fanciness as suits their tastes, including yukata, hakama, and whatever other robes you may fancy! There may be a few bits of Western flair, such as sensible women's boots or what have you, though. This is on the cusp of modern Japan after all.

This will hopefully make them not stand out TOO much. Right?]

PHASE THREE: STAIR HUNT

[goei]

[Proceeding up to the third floor, the stairs open onto a hallway full of doors. The tsuba that Mafuyu has is still tugging further upwards, but there's no stairs in sight! It must be in one of these rooms.

Also, as further confirmation, as the group distances themselves from the shinsengumi, their feeling of being watched will fade.

Mechanically, how this section works is everyone rolls a d6 on a turn, and each number will correspond with a room result. Once the team has collectively rolled a 30 (I will keep track of the total), they will find the stairs. (I will also roll for Sunrise and McGillis)]

Re: PHASE THREE: STAIR HUNT

[beathollow]

... Somewhere in here... that's where we have to go.

( regardless of if she's still being carried or not, her roll is 6. maybe bcause of the tsuba? )

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Don't worry. He'll set her back down once they're safely up to the next floor. ]

Still no Izou? You think he could have made this a little easier...

[goei]

[Mafuyu opens her door, and inside... is a very scared maiko (geisha in training)!]

Y-you're fighting right? Here, take this...

[She gives Mafuyu a paper packet of what Mafuyu somehow knows instinctively is styptic powder, and can be used to stop bleeding! But the stairs are not in here.]

[beautifulknight]

[ It's hard to tell and Argenti's sense of narrowing things down on intuition alone isn't exactly great (2) ]

[goei]

[Argenti rolled the funniest number. This room is literally just empty. Maybe there's like a forgotten shoe on the tatami, just to rub in his bad throws earlier.

Sunrise also rolled a 2, she is just looking in the empty room too. The total is now 10.]

[idealitas]

[ Hands out a 3 to the powers that be. We're doing great.

As they run and that feeling of watchitis fades...

A random thought. ]

That feeling of being watched... from authorities that could overwhelm and were out to apprehend you.

Was this how Izou felt?

[cirquedesang]

[Adds a 3 to the pile.]

That certainly seems as though it could be the case.

[kandata]

[Woah, a 3!]

The layout of this place is truly dreadful.

[Izou why does your soul not have better signage]

[beathollow]

I'm surprised that these places have made as much sense as they have up until this point.

[goei]

[I already gave the above guys the three room so just to mix it up I'll give Kirumi another neutral room.

There are civillians cowering in here! They want to be left alone. No stairs in here! The roll total is now 19!]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ It's a (1), mate. ]

...how many floors does this place got now?

[goei]

[Congrats Eli, this rooms' empty to-Oh wait a second.

There's a lil paper in the middle of the floor. Assuming Eli goes to check it out and that he can read, the paper has this written on it;]

The demon flits between the hells, where he goes this rhyme can tell…

[The rest of the paper seems to be torn off. The total is now 20!]

[idealitas]

[ Okay back to the exploration. It seems safe from other trying it, so he'll open one and see what the room is like.

4.

Yi Sang says nothing as he does it because he doesn't complain and at this rate him saying weird ass idioms is dangerous and can come true. ]

[goei]

[Yi Sang back to bizness. There's more people hiding in this room! They would like you to leave, there's no stairs here.

But the total is now 26!]

[cirquedesang]

[Cops successfully looted, time to open another door...!

3 again.]

[goei]

[Congrats Celeste you get to open the first door on floor four!

Guess what. You've found more dead shinsengumi. They have nothing of note for looting aside what you'd expect. The floor four total is now 3.]

Re: PHASE THREE: STAIR HUNT

[beathollow]

( it's best to keep moving, unless they want to be caught again... 6 again. girl- )

[goei]

[Help. Mafuyu's charisma must be at work here, because she finds more hiding people in here... A rich man holds out a decorative hair comb to her which isn't helpful but it is pretty.]

Beautiful miss... please stop that demon.

[The total for floor four is now 9!]

[beautifulknight]

[ Argenti will leave the others to discuss matters, before wandering a bit further in his search.

Perhaps this time he may be brought to somewhere fruitful (5) ]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Time for another room (4)! ]