You know if you're supposed to be here.

The morning began with the rain returning once more with a small drizzle. It was far lighter and merely soaked the ground. The streams formed by the rain yesterday had long drained out and there were some clouds overhead. There was light, although it was hard to see the sun itself. The multitudes of insects that had descended on the campsite were gone save for the few that lingered on the food that the human interlopers had brought in with their outing.

Eriko did wake up, rather eager to get a head start on this expedition. She peeled off the layers of the sleeping bag and moved to prepare, including put on that armour that nobody made dibs on apparently. After checking the ammunition of her sidearm, she put on her full-body climbing harness and tested her shoulder light. She didn't have any qualms flashing some of that light on anyone still sleeping.

The rustling not far away was enough to wake up Hide. She did stay in her sleeping bag for a few more minutes, however. When she was finally really, she sat up with a sense of haste. First stretches, then the armor: she had to be fully prepared for today.

Rifle? Check? Sidearm in its holster? Check. Daisho? Check.

She was ready. “Good morning, people.”

Akemi woke up. More or less. She left her sleeping bag with bed hair, half-closed eyes, a stiff neck and a stick mechanical arm, and started using her remaining hand to try to fix about all that at once.

"Morning. Anyone got something with caffeine in it?"

She went to her bike to see if she could find a bottle of iced tea or something, but only found her battle equipment. Well, at least she would look rad with a tetsubo and a rifle crossed on her back.

Yul's expression was a little bit tight, from the strain of their sleeping situation. However, somehow, the slight dark circles under his eyes only seemed to highlight his fine cheekbones, and his long dark hair was as thick and healthy as ever, slicking back nicely with the light drizzle. It was probably unfair.

"Morning. Wish I could say I did, Akemi-san." Yul said wryly, managing a smile for everyone. A group like theirs seemed like it should be on a chosen-name basis.

He was working on getting his gear together; putting on armor and attaching weaponry, conelantern, rope... he certainly looked ready for adventure.

Eriko pulled her hair into a ponytail and needless to say, her face paint was less than perfect sleeping in it. There were parts of it that were smudged and cracked, the finer details perhaps less intact. She gave it a casual run over with a white paint stick but didn't bother otherwise, it wasn't like she wasn't going to help it once they got into the Kiyonami.

There were perhaps snacks but not much of a breakfast to be had, she wolfed down some chips with a few swings of water for good measure. Still keep that ration bar on her chest pocket. It would be cute to think that something like that could stop a shot but the bar wasn't that hard. "I think this is good enough for waking up in the woods."

She stood atop the rock she slept on to give her some extra height over the others. "All right, I'm not exactly good for pep talks...actually, this is the first time I've gone into something with this many people. We know what we're looking for and it's a pretty big ship, there's a lot of things in it...don't try to get lost, don't slow down and don't get in trouble. That's my job," she thumbed at herself with a smirk.

“Wow, getting into trouble is your job?” Hide smirked before opening the pack of rice cakes that Yul had tossed at her the previous night. She packed up whatever food was left (after people got a little bit of a snack, of course) and put the remaining cans of beer from her six pack back as well. “These are for when we get back.”

She was fully ready, but something really tugged at the back of her mind with what Eriko had said. “Hey, we aren’t going off solo once we get in there, right? That’s like rule one of going into what could be the set of a horror film: don’t go off alone. Long abandoned ship? That’s like, prime horror film stuff.”

Yul gave Eriko first a smile, then a concerned look.

"Hey, Eriko-san, perhaps you should use the armor your clansmate brought?" He gave Akemi a respectful nod. "The rest of us already have something a bit sturdier." He tapped his chest; it gave a ceramic thump.

Yul grinned at Hide. "That's right. Watch each other's backs."

"Look better, I think she already has it on Yul-san. A silksteel armor is like a wetsuit that can stop blades and bullets. It's designed to be worn directly against the skin... And possibly under other clothes."

Yul smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, so, about that caffeine, huh?"

Shrugging, he continued prepping his own gear, tightening straps, securing items in pouches.

"Shh! Not too loud, kiddo," she placed a finger over her lip, as if it was a secret, "that's not what it says on my job description but it sure just happens a lot. I guess we could call it incidentals and stuff. You, collateral."

She gave them a wave of her hand to a gesture of them to follow her as she moved up the hill. Without the cover of night, it was clearer where they were going, despite it being a thick forest of tall mushroom stalks hanging over them. There were the loud squawks in the air from a few of the feral otori that roamed around the area, though none of them were exactly visible, wise enough to keep clear of the pack of humans here.

"Already on," she said as she patted herself as she called dibs on it when she woke up earlier. It looked rather loose, however, especially seeing how it was meant for someone taller than her, the armour shift in a few places as she walked. It looked very much like a hand-me-down.

"Of course we're going to split up," she said and it didn't seem like she was being facetious about it. "It's a huge ship and we can only cover so many places together, especially with the time we have. We'll be fine."

Eventually, they've found themselves on a part of the hill where there were less older fungi and more rocks exposed from the moist earth with several patches of moss and lichen that found their home there.

Yul frowned. "Should we do teams, at least? We don't know how structurally sound that thing is. If someone falls into a hole, I'd like someone to be able to point to which hole I should toss my rope down."

She whispered back to Yul, tapping lightly on her own bulkier carapace:

"Hey, no worry, us Crab are more known for that kind or armor... But that doesn't mean we don't have the skill to craft armors so sleek they would put a Crane tailor to shame."



"Guess there's no escaping a split, partial or full, then. Do communicators work fine here? Does everyone has everyone else numbers?"

Hide looked to Yul with this thankful expression. Thank the Kami someone else had common sense here. “I’m with Yul on that one. Plus, the only light source I have on me is a lighter. I’m dead weight on my own if it’s too dark in there.”

Koseki had been enjoying his morning smoke and checking his gear. He kept his eyes open for potential threats as Eriko told them how she was planning to get into even more trouble.

"Yeah, exploration 101 is don't get all split up. Teams. Cone lanterns. Comms on."

Eriko looked serious and turned to look at them with an expression that seemed reserved when a Kuni was stern, sure as death. The "We're splitting up, it's the only way this is going to go. Sure, we can stick close by but everyone is working on something. I don't want any 'supervisors' and no 'buddies'. I need everyone in on this, 100%, you hear?"

She nodded to Akemi, "Yeah, I think communicators here should be good enough. They have thick hulls here but we are in the same area for some sort of transmission to pick up."

Eventually, she found what she was looking for in the rocky outcrop in the forest. On further inspection, it looks like a lot of the rocks here was pushed up and one could almost see there was something of a structure jutting out of it, almost like a build had fused with the hill. Looking further down, much of the top of the ship was visible with that point of reference, joined with the earth and forest in time. It was much less a natural patch and more where the ship had beached itself. There was a set of rusty metal doors at the clearing, peeking out from some rocks that frame it with a set of handles that need to be turned.

"Here we are...help me with this," Eriko said as she put her hand on the handles, mustering some strength to jar it open.

"None of came here for a joyride. Splitting our efforts is fine. That's not the same as splitting up." Koseki shouldered the rifle and moved to help with the handles.

"Ship had quite the landing, huh? Pretty amazing to see it from this perspective."

Hide could understand the need for expedience, and Eriko seemed really desperate to find it. So she just kept her mouth shut and went along with it.

Oh finally! Something Hide was good at. She could easily help open this up. So she went up to the door, as Eriko had, and helped with prying it open.

The door opened easily enough with help, the hinges were intact and kept the door in place as it creaked open. There was the stretch of old oil, rusted machine, and spores that pushed itself out from the entrance. It wasn't pretty but it was breathable.

Eriko slipped on her gas mask, which the glass visor gave the view of her eyes and cheeks but covered everything else with the mouthpiece and filters. She flicked on her shoulder light which flashed a rather intense beam through the darkness.

"Alright, gang, this is where the fun begins," she said as she put on her gloves and took the lead inside...

Exploring the Kiyonami

The Kiyonami brought the first Imperial Explorers to Asakaze but their arrival here was not without controversy. A faulty navigation reading and an engine malfunction brought the massive ship to a rough landing that resulted in a great number of casualties. The few survivors left did not fare easily after landing on the alien landscape with no help to be found. While it is hard to know what truly happened to all them, it was determined that they had eventually found their end while waiting for a rescue that never came. Today, it sits some distance away from Shiro Yaoke and has been reclaimed by nature. There had been an attempt to repair the ship over a century ago but it had been largely abandoned, the colonists of Asakaze happy to not disturb the ill-fated ship. Its massive metal structure is partially buried in large fungal stocks and lodged into the earth. There are blessings and wards set up outside to consecrate the site from ill spirits eight decades ago. Officially, no one has bothered to return to the site since.

The ship remains mostly intact structurally, although there are parts of the thick metal hulls are starting to give way to the local flora. The investigators can find their way inside the ship after a throughout the search. Entrances can be found in exposed airlocks or large exterior vents. However, reaching the intended destination inside without issue may be another matter. Once inside investigators will be surprised to find that some parts of the ship are still largely intact and some systems are even functional. Either it is a testament to the ship's engineering or an abandoned attempt to repair the ship a century ago. The air is breathable but stale and tinged with particles of spores from fungi.

Splitting Up The Party

The investigators will have to split up to search different parts of the ship for Kuni Emi's daisho. Each investigator will have time to search ONE area of the ship each in their expedition as the interior of the ship is very difficult to navigate through without power to its elevator systems and some pathways are largely inaccessible. Investigators may select the same area or visit the same area twice if using the maintenance tunnels (see below).



Crew quarters: The crew quarters are found in the deep interior of the ship, centralizing them to all other areas of the ship. They are made up of several hallways with a multitude of rooms where many bunk beds are crammed together in an efficient amount of space. Both crew and guests on the ship found their home here during their tour onboard the Kiyonami. Kuni Eriko suspects this is where they would find the late Kuni Emi's daisho. Investigating the quarters are very time consuming but their intact condition makes it an easy endeavour. However, the investigators will soon find that much of the quarters host a large variety of fungal growths the deeper they venture inside, mould and spores taint the air. Kuni Eriko will be spending her time here to investigate.

Investigators gain 2 Investigation Points for investigating this area. They may roll Investigation/Perception at TN15 and on success, they earn 1 additional Investigation Point and 1 additional Investigation Point for each raise successfully called.



Medical Labs: The Kiyonami had a well-equipped medical facility that even had a few labs for experiments, able to research and engineer new medicines while abroad. Ever since the crash, their facilities are damaged and contaminated with fungal growths, no longer fit for use. However, the investigators might be able to find some experimental supplements stored securely in some compartments that are still good for use.

Investigators gain 1 Investigation Point for investigating this area. They may roll Medicine/Intelligence at TN15. On success, the investigator discovers something that the crew had been engineering and may take it to grant them Strength of Earth for the rest of the investigation. On failure, they made a mistake in their discovery and took something that something doesn't sit well with them. They must pass a Stamina roll at TN15 or suffer the Fatigue Status for the remainder of the investigation. Fatigue Status grants +5TN to all Skills rolls, physical Trait rolls and Spell Casting rolls. The party may only benefit from this bonus once.



Armoury: The Armoury formerly hosted a large arsenal of weapons for the bushi on board, as well as the ship gunnery. It has been since cleared by the local Phoenix to prevent any incidents. However, there are still several energy packs that might retain their power and some are of advanced Imperial-grade weapons. Sifting through the packs may prove to be volatile, especially when the protective casing has worn off with degradation.

Investigators gain 1 Investigation Point for investigating this area. Roll Firearms/Agility at TN20 to carefully rummage through the ammunition stacks for something of use. On success, you find upgraded ammunition for the investigation party. The energy packs have enough use for the duration of the expedition, granting +1k0 to damage on their weapon of choice. On failure, the old ammunition explodes and deals 2k2 damage to the investigator. The party may only benefit from this bonus once.



Bridge: The bridge of the ship is where the navigation, gunnery and command centres are found. Without an operational ship, the consoles here are largely useless. Curiously, the internal surveillance system remains active with residual power from a stubborn kami. It doesn't take much fo the investigator to coax the system to life and make use of the intact security cameras in the Kiyonami.

Investigators gain 1 Investigation Point for investigating this area. The surveillance system is still operational it seems, perhaps in recent use. Investigator rolls Computer (Hacking)/Intelligence at TN20 to gain access to the feeds. On success, they get a sense that they aren't entirely alone here, all investigators in the expedition gain +5 to their initiative rolls. On failure, they believe they are alone here and the investigator gets -5 to their initiative rolls.



Engineering Deck: There was an attempt to repair the engineering core some time ago but the attempt had been long abandoned. The spirit furnace had been deactivated and stipped of all of its Firestone but there is still some residual energy left. The investigators can attempt to activate the remaining power supply on board the derelict ship to provide some emergency lighting and minimal life support. Unfortunately, there isn't much power left in the ship to provide anything beyond the bare necessities.

Investigators gain 1 Investigation Point for investigating this area. Investigator may roll Engineering/Intelligence at TN20 to muster the power left on the ship and allocate it to their needs. On success, they turn on the minimal systems and gives the investigator some sense of comfort, all investigators gain +5 to their Fear rolls. On failure, the dormant fire kami in the spirit furnace become ornery and send ominous groans throughout the engineering deck. It is largely harmless but chilling to experience. The investigator gets -5 to their fear rolls for the duration of the expedition. The party may only benefit from this bonus once.



Officer Quarters: The officer quarters are lavishly furnished with a traditional Rokugani interior complete with a real-wood interior and tatami floor. Even after the Kiyonami was abandoned, the officer quarters have been kept mostly intact, mostly out of the respect of the officers who used to inhabit the rooms here. However, the officer quarters have been a source of pilfering and theft by the heimen and eta. Anyone caught stealing from here is said to be subject to grave punishment.

Investigators gain 2 Investigation Points for investigating this area. The investigator may roll Commerce (Appraisal)/Perception or Lore: Underworld/Intelligence at TN15 to search this area for valuable goods. The goods found here could be easily sold to the lower castes of the underworld markets in exchange for koku. On success, the investigator gains 2 Koku and an additional 2 koku for each raise called. This is considered to be a Major breach of etiquette in terms of honour loss.



Maintenance Tunnels: All areas on the Kiyonami are largely connected with a series of tunnels, vents and shafts. While most of these areas are blocked off by debris or flora, there are enough passageways that any investigator may potentially find their way to their intended designation if they are daring enough to attempt to take this route. The network of tunnels and vents are cramped and not for the claustrophobic.

Investigators gain no Investigation Points for investigating this area. A daring investigator attempt to navigate either through the maintenance tunnels, air vents or elevators shafts to get to where they wish to do. An investigator may make an Athletics/Strength roll at TN20. On success, they may investigate one location and an additional location for each raises successfully called. On failure, they spend the duration of their investigation getting lost in the tunnels and only narrowly make it back to their party in time after their harrowing experience. The investigator gets a temporary Dazed condition (-3k0 to all actions, may only assume Defensive and Full Defence stance only) for the first round.

This area may not be visited twice by the same investigator.

Investigation Results

After the scouring the ship, the party will convene to the crew quarters to report their findings to Kuni Eriko. Searching the ship is easily an endeavour that could easily take weeks and she will conclude whether or not it would be prudent to continue their search here, especially with the access restriction imposed by the local Phoenix.

0-5 Investigation Points: The investigators do not find anything and Kuni Eriko will reluctantly give up on her search.
6-11 Investigation Points: The investigators are successful in their investigation and find the late Kuni Emi's daisho with Kuni Eriko's help.
12+ Investigation Points: The investigators were instrumental in discovering the remains of Kuni Emi's belonging and discover her daisho somewhere on the ship. This earns Kuni Eriko's gratitude and respect to everyone involved in the investigation. Kuni Eriko is a 1 influence, 2 devotion ally.

Hide knew the inside of ships well. Being a marine, she had to be aware of how to get places quickly to perform her duties. So she instantly went to the one place she knew she could cover the most ground with: the maintenance tunnels. She moved with purpose, reckless and desperate to be of use. If she's able to hit multiple locations, she might impress the Kuni! And also return an ancestor's daisho to its rightful place. That's also important.

D5 Kiyonami: Athletics/Strength, VP for 3k1, 1 raise, armor penalty. TN 30: 9d10o10k5 40 Success!

First idea was to hit the officer's quarters. They might have some information on the samurai under their command still intact! Being careful not to disturb the belongings of the dead, Hide took a quick look inside. She found some form of ledger, which might help close in on a location.

Hide will not steal any belongings from the dead. 2 Investigation Points

With this nugget of information, Hide made her way to the crew's quarters to make use of this information in an attempt to narrow the search further. She gave Eriko the information she got from the officer's quarters and went on her own little search. Which proved to be fruitful on her part.

D5 Kiyonami: Unskilled Investigation, VP for 1k1, TN 15: 3d10 23 3 Investigation Points

5 Total from Hide