[D9 - LM] Warnings and Concerns

[Nozomi]

(OOC: Posting concurrently with silly crow thing after checking with Baku)

Phi made her way over to Reiko's tent after watching out for the early morning bathers and getting hassled by a crow. What the hell was that bird's problem anyway? It didn't matter. She wanted to have a chat with Reiko and Kanna, and there hadn't been time for more than a cursory warning earlier in the trek to this point. It felt like the sort of thing that really needed to be discussed after what had happened with the skinriding bog hags.

So, she knocked once at Reiko's tent and inquired afterward for where she might be, b-lining to anywhere in the camp she might find her.

[Reiko]

It doesn't take long to locate the champion of the Spider. Her tent, slightly bigger than the others, is in a section surrounded by a few others - a queen in the middle of her clan as it were.

Notified that someone wished to speak with her, Reiko exited her shared tent and peered around, spotting a shape that looked somewhat familiar.

"Hello?" she called out, bowing to the shape

[Kanna]

Kanna blearily stepped out of her tent as well, clearly a bit tired from a long night. Seeing Phi, she lifted a hand in greeting. "Morning, miss Phi. How can we help ya?"

[Nozomi]

"Good to see the two of you," she grunted out as she drew in and nodded to them both. "I had something... well, honestly unpleasant that I needed to talk with you both about." Of the two the one she absolutely needed to speak with was Kanna, but it wasn't like Reiko shouldn't be informed.

"You did hear about the attack, the other night, right? With the skin riders trying to sneak in among us from the bogs?"

(OOC: One day I will remember to subscribe to my own threads)

[Kanna]

"Unpleasant, huh." An eyebrow rose at that. "I'd heard some vague rumors about creatures what stole some people's skins. Sounds like some pretty nasty business."

[Nozomi]

"Skinriders... though I'll admit that's just what I call 'em. Probably a real name for them somewhere. They took out a few of our guards, started poisoning the food with disease." She had a sour look on her face. To say it was unpleasant business was putting it mildly. She had to close her eyes for a second. "They could steal the skin... wear it, hide as the person. Not sure how good, but they fooled us for two days straight, so I'm guessing pretty damned good."

"It's not them... it's what they said. They were here for you, Reiko. To get better skins, and to poison us and get close to you. By name. Hell knows you are coming."

[Reiko]

"Skin riders?"

Reiko listened to the description, a small frown on her face, taking some time to think as Phi and Kanna spoke to see what she knew on the subject.

D9 LM Lore:shadowlands(sage)/int+vp. TN25+1 raise (tn30: 6d10o10k5 34

[Nozomi]

What she was referring to as 'skin riders' were going to be better known in modern times as Bog Hags. Not a creature widely known, but then again how much of anything that was going on right now was widely known by anyone in all of Rokugan right now? "As I said... it's really only what I call them. I hadn't had the chance to do more than pass a quick word to the Nezumi." She coughed once and went on to describe them in greater detail.

"Sickly green-skinned things that look human, in only the most remote of sense. Sora said one split its way out of a human skin it wore, and intended to take that of a girl we rescued from them. They spread disease, they said under torture." She didn't even blink as she said the word. Monsters deserved no mercy. "They appeared in the bogs, taking over the bodies of some of our guards. Wanted better skins, but also to corrupt our supplies and to look for a chance to get at you personally. Tough flesh, about like ... boiled leather by the way my arrows had trouble sinking in, but they died easily enough when surprised."

Young bog hags at that.

(I'll leave up to the GMs any specific information she gleans, obviously. Those were things observed within scene.)

[Kanna]

"Gross," Kanna muttered. "Important thing is we know to look for 'em now." She sighed, shook her head. "Definitely means I can't let you out of my sight now, Lady Reiko." She grimaced a bit. "If they are after you specifically, I need to be there to bat 'em away."

[Reiko]

"This is concerning" Reiko commented with a frown "the swamp we passed previously was not on any map, so it's likely that the realm of evil created them in order to give those creatures somewhere to hide and grow. They're very hard to spot as well when they take over someones life, as they can retain some of the memories of those they kill as well."

She gazed over at Kanna then at Phi, before taking her necklace off.

"Forgive me, both of you, but I need to ask you to place your hand on this necklace."

[Nozomi]

She walked over and reached out to grab the necklace without a second's hesitation. No pain, no sizzle, no pop. She released it a moment afterwards and took out her own finger to touch it if Reiko didn't complain to back of her hand. "I recommend checks like that regularly," she grunted. No, seriously, she was in full agreement about jade checks. No complaints from her, and she no pride. They couldn't take chances. Stepping back to give Kanna room, she grunted sourly.

"Rats thought the swamp was this Jigoku's creation, that it could twist the landscape sometimes. Not on their maps either. We're going to deal with more of that going forward." she jabbed a thumb towards the waterfall. "Lull us into false security, or throw us into horrible conditions. I'll bet they make the last stage look like heaven above, populated with monsters and demons wearing an angel's skin."

[Kanna]

Kanna quietly grabbed the necklace after Phi. It didn't feel great to be doubted, but with shit like this happening she couldn't blame Reiko for not leaving anything to chance. "As long as we're in this shithole, we'll have to make checks like this an every meeting thing, I think. Unfortunately, it's hard to trust anyone right now."

[Nozomi]

"I am willing to trust the both of you. I am less willing to trust that you are you until it is proven that this is the case. Those guards, poor bastards, weren't responsible for anything worse than getting caught unaware, and considering the threat we face? I'm not going to speak ill of the dead. We got lucky we found them." She was honest enough to admit how close that had been. "Trusting you and making sure that it is you... important difference."

And she was willing to trust most of them in general, but only the slightly glowing aura of the kami really pinned those two as always the person they claimed to be.

[Reiko]

"Jade is the answer. These creatures cannot hide from the purity of Jade. Perhaps that's what will be needed" Reiko said with a nod "I do not offer any offense with what was asked previously. I would know if the mannerisms of either of you changed I believe, but it is better to be safe. I have, unsurprisingly, never met one of these creatures to know how well they can copy the mannerisms of those whose skin they wear."