The rain was sudden, and fierce. Within moments, it seemed, the evening sky was black with cloud and the warm air was filled with a curtain of cold, hard, driving rain that stung and froze the skin and blinded the eyes.
The bridge was washed out. The river a swollen torrent.
A detour down a local road proved disastrous as the visibility dropped to zero and the ground turned to a grasping, gripping, ocean of mud.
In the dark, torches. An old decrepit ruin of a castle. A small village clustered around equally decrepit walls.
A knock on the gates. A suspisicous glare. A guard bidding entry and escorting you inside.
And then, mercifully a room out of the rain. Warm. Dry. Torch-lit.
Only after you're all inside and getting settled does it become obvious that the room is a prison cell. The walls are made of stone. The windows are barred. The doors are heavy barred steel.
The guard that escorted you down leaves the room to join several others outside in the hallway.
A well-dressed man with a wakizashi in his obi enters after a moment or two and stands in the doorway. Several heimin enter, carrying towels and fresh kimonos, plain but well made.
He bows. "My deepest apologies for our lack of courtest, Honoured Travellers. We were not prepared for guests and we are making rooms ready as fast as we are able. My name is Kakita Isao and I have the honour to be Chamberlain Jinsei's assistant."
Spoiler
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Welcome to the Long Road Home! You're all here in the room together, so feel free to mingle a bit. Whether or not you know each other, how well you do, etc, is all up to you. Maybe you were with the larger group on the road, or maybe not. Feel free to narrate how you wound up lost in the rain in your opening post if you wish. And if you have questions, feel free to ask!
[L5R4E-IC] The Long Way Home [Chapter One]
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