Session 1: Fishing for Fire

Ryoko Owari - session 1

Party: Ganko, Natsuki, Jinsoku, Shohei

As the party arrives to discover their new posting as Emerald (trainee) Magistrates and complimentary dwelling, we enter a brief flashback where Daidoji Jinsoku writes his wife to inform her of his sadness to be away from home, requesting her help with the domestic recruiting for his new residence.
She leaves nothing to chance and recruits the finest and most trustworthily unattractive people she can get her hands on. 

• Flower (female, heimin 60 years old, housekeeper and cook)
• Hyogeki (male, heimin, 25 years old, stablehand and horse-groom)  
• Kakita Dozé (male, samurai, 14 years old, weapon caretaker and aspiring duelist)
• Basho (male, heimin, 17 years old, cleaner)
• Dai (male, heimin, 17 years old, caretaker)

The party is greeted by these servants and Shosuro Jocho breaks off a general tour for the group with a quick goodbye, as he races to get back to the side of his mother, Shosuro Hyobu.
Daidoji Jinsoku is also informed by the new staff that two letters have been left for the new arrivals.
Opening the scrolls, the party finds the Scorpion Shosuro family and the Unicorn Shinjo family have both left polite inquiries for a next-day visit to their estates by the new Emerald Magistrates.
Considering the implications of  outright refusal and the dangers of splitting up the party, the Doji courtier picks up her inkbrush and responds an affirmative to the Shosuro and a polite 'maybe another day' to the Shinjo.
As they ponder what to do for gifts, they come up with the following ideas:

• Tessen (a war fan - Hida Ganko)
• A complex and artful knot of wood, silk and rough rope (an okibaku - Yoritomo Shohei)
• A kanzashi, preferably scorpion-shaped (a hairpin - Doji Natsuki)
• A pair of matching Shakudo earrings (to show unity in clan - Daidoji Jinsoku)

The group then decides to take a stroll through the Fisherman's Quarter to find the city's Mantis representative (at the urging of Yoritomo Shohei, who feels strongly the man may provide them what they need, both in information and in potential hand-gifts).
They do come across the man at a Sakaya, pulling up a barrel to take the weight off.
The group chatters with him and procure the tessen with relative ease.

Then their conversation gets broken up as a fire erupts near the docks. With their new function heavily weighing on their mind, they dutifully make their way to the inferno. 
Once there, they spot two gangs of rival Kajikun (firemen). One group seems to be trying to fight the fire, the other seems more invested in taking down those that came onto their turf.
As Shohei steps in to calm down the situation (with Doji Chi still strapped to his chest), the leader of one of the gangs takes offense and moves to shove the Mantis back. Before his hand can land, however, an enraged Hida Ganko throws him to the ground, forcing his one hand back in a wristlock, while the far larger Shohei rests his foot on the other hand, pinning the man to the ground.
Needless to say, it does not take much persuasion from their end to get the man to call off his gang's aggression and work together to put out the fire (and if nothing else, the Kajikun all seem very good at this).
Afterwards, a man named Bassai walks up to the party, clarifying that his gang (Daikoku's Garden Firemen) was not here to encroach, but rather fearful that the fire would spread to their turf. Whatever lines these areas have, is left rather vague. Bassai mentions he will return to his wife, Mouse, and thanks the group for the help.  

As the party has had their fill of entertainment for the day (and Shohei makes sure Chi is alright), they note something off in one of the alleys. An entire patrol of ten Thunder Guards has been ambushed and half-slaughtered. Blood and corpse-parts decorate the sides of an entire street, with about half the number of guards still alive, yet stripped of their belongings. 
The survivors speak of bandits or thugs that came upon them as they accepted a drink from local ladies.
The group has a talk with a stall-keeper, Suisen, who helps them call the eta to cart the corpses away.

What will happen next in the wonderful mess that the group has dipped their toes into?
Who is Suisen and who ambushed the guards?
Will the group manage to source the items they want to bring to the city leader?
Why are the firemen fighting and who lit that fire?

All this and more, if we do not forget what we are looking for... 

 

Ryoko Owari No Toshi

 

The City of Ryoko Owari.

Clustered around the Bay of Drowned Honour, we find the City of Green Walls, the City at Journey's End, Ryoko Owari no Toshi.
To the North, her mercantile nature shows, with the North-West being taken by the Fishermen's Quarter, where the trade of the finest fish is said to take place. The North-East contrasts this with the source of Ryoko Owari's wealth, the Merchant district.
Because the Fortunes only smile on those that remember their place in the Celestial Order, the grand temple of Daikoku dominates the skyline of the Temple District to the East.
Further South, we find the Noble Quarter, before the river parts to permit the existence of the Teardrop Island. Beyond that, on the Western bank, lie the dwellings of the Eta.

With the land's bounty stretching on for miles outside the Empire's second biggest city, many come to dwell in the embrace of the ruler Shosuro Gyobu. A lady whose grasp of the political landscape may only be rivalled by that of the rulers of the Crane and Scorpion clans. A lady who understands the needs of her citizens better than they do themselves...

NPCs at Asatsuyu no Ryokan

Samurai (in residence)

Shosuro Yanada - Lady of the House
    Shosuro Meijo - Wetnurse, alerted Yoritomo Shohei to some samurai behaving strangely.

Yogo Babana - Scorpion Clan Shugenja. Long time friend of Yanada.

Heimin (in residence)

Ghifu - an odd painter, very distracted. 

Hinin (in residence)

Leather - an Eta who helped examine the 'ninja' corpses.

Notable Guests

Shosuro Jocho - Scorpion Clan Bushi. Son of the governess of Ryoko Owari

Moto Hibari - Unicorn Clan Bushi, was involved in the geisha's event, brash and impetuous.
Ide Hojo - Unicorn Clan Diplomat.

Matsu Mizuki - Lion Clan Yojimbo
Kitsu Shunsen - Lion Clan Diplomat

Shiba Rei - Phoenix Clan Yojimbo, stood guard after Doji Natsuki fainted
Isawa Iye - Phoenix Clan Shugenja?
Asako Suzu - Phoenix Clan monk, enjoyed the unusual entertainment at Crescent's table.

Daidoji Mamoru - Crane Clan Scout, bantered with the party about the house.

Togashi Hogai - Dragon Clan tattooed monk, tried to talk to Hida Ganku.

Crescent - A geisha of some renown, seeking to improve her standing by joining a House of Teardrop Island.

Guests that disappeared

Bayushi Kurin
Mirumoto Kurokun
Akodo Bijigo

    

    

The Prelude: Asatsuyu no Ryokan

Party
Hida Ganku - a lively Crab clan warrior
Daidoji Jinsoku - a Kakita trained duelist from the Crane
Doji Natsuki - a world-wise Crane courtier
Yoritomo Shohei - A minor clan samurai burdened with a child.
    Doji Chi - an infant given into the care of Shohei.

Featuring
Kuni Kobayashi - a wandering Crab clan Shugenja

A group of travelers brought together by circumstances, the four (and one) are seen into the Morning Dew Ryokan at the start of a series of unfortunate events.
Not only are the pools poisoned, leading to some unrest, but a peaceful evening of entertainment at the hands of renowned geisha Crescent is disrupted by an attack of black-garbed peasants.
Though attempts are made by the group, the true culprit behind the attacks remains a mystery. 
What the party does discover is that Crescent likely finds herself the target of worshippers of Lord Moon, the old deity that fathered the kami before trying to end them.

Impressed with their skill at investigation, Shosuro Jocho - son of the governing lady of Ryoko Owari no Toshi - asks the group if they would be willing to fill the tabi of the previous Emerald Magistrate Ashidaka Naritoki.
Whether he does this because they failed to find the culprit or because he is genuinely impressed remains to be seen. Maybe it is just all a way to keep the reputation of the Ryokan up.
Whatever the case is, it seems like all roads lead to glory, fame and fortune for the four (and one).