The New Winds

Mai finally makes it back. She noticed the letter and the gift, but had no time to properly look it over. So, she sits down and reads the letter.

"My dearest Mai

I have observed you
Sparkling water witch
And now I claim you"

Does Mai open the package?

Mai read the letter over and over. Was it creepy? She kinda felt like it was, but preferred to think that it was meant to be sweet.

She opened the box.

When she opens the box, a thick, black, heavy fog suddenly covers the entire room in darkness. Two eyes inside the box glow, and a severed head of something attempts to bite Mai!

((Defense/Reflexes, TN 25! Failure means you must make a Taint Resist roll, TN 15. Don't forget your Cursed Penalty, so your Taint Resist roll is 2k2))

Mai gives a shout of surprise as she dodges back. She tries to think of could be attacking her.

Defense/Reflexes VOID TN 25: 7d10o10k4 35

Lore: Shadowlands/Intelligence: 4d10o10k3 34

After the head tries to bite her, its eyes go black and dead. The thick fog lingers in the room, a stench of death filling the air.

The head seems to be some sort of Penanggalan who has been killed, but cursed to still attempt to feed on an unsuspecting prey.

Mai goes out to the hallway. "Hey, Crabs, come to Mai's room. Bring jade." She stands by her door.

When the door opens, the black fog spills out from Mai's room, dissipating into the Inn, leaving nothing behind except a strong stench of rot, death, and vinegar.

Yotsuo was there in short order. He had been resting after the days events and a bath, with all the mud now washed off.

"What is going on?" he asks with concern in his voice.

His pendant was clearly visible but it wasn't the only jade he always carried.

"Umm.... it's best if you just see it." Mai begins to open the door. "I think it is maho." She leads him in, holding her jade. Sure, she had imagined leading Yotsou into her room after getting a secret love letter, but not quite like this.

"Stay back please, Mai. It's best not to expose yourself to such things any more than has already happened," he says with a nod.

Moving in, he inspects the room and notices the box before looking inside. He fully focuses his senses on whatever is in there to see if there is taint presence. He is already assuming there is with the foul smell, but normal rotten corpses can give off such odors too.

Mai flags down a servant. "Go get Hida Goroharu or Hiruma Kagehiro. Also, get the highest ranking Crane who will come. Tell them... give the names of the others I told you to bring to my room. They should understand the concern."

There is still some of the black fog gathered in and around the box, but its clear to see the dead head of the Penanggalan inside the box. It looks quite dead, the rot having set in some time ago.

Wanting to ensure it wasn't a continuing threat and to keep it contained, he flipped the lid shut after his inspection. He looked for a latch to lock it up as well. If it was to be inspected further, that could be done at a later time. For now he wanted to ensure the safety of everyone in the Inn as best he could first.

He did a visual inspection of the rest of the room, while remaining next to the box to make sure there were no other threats. He also realized he was instinctively balling his fists in preparation for any sudden dangers.

There doesn't appear to be any further threat, whatever dark magic was working is gone now

Looking around the area near the box, he notices the small letter and gives it a read. He wasn't happy with the insinuation that someone was attempting to claim Mai's soul with dark magic.

He had heard her call for additional assistance, he had no jurisdiction here, and there was no creature of darkness to battle. Given those circumstances, he simply watched the box and waited for assistance to arrive.

Mai says loudly enough for the Kuni to hear, "If it helps, someone put it there last night. But I didn't have time to look at it until after the contests. There's a letter too."

"Yes, I saw the letter and it is concerning. Though that is something that the magistrates would have to look into, trying to find it's source," he confirms. "We'll need to cleanse and purify this room though."

"Is that something you can do?"

"I am not the most proficient at it. The monks at the temple or shrine are likely far more experienced, though I am familiar with the process that monks follow. Certainly not as powerful as being able to ask the kami to do so, but that requires very specific knowledge of invocations to that effect. I do not, however, have the incense or offerings necessary to do so."