Podcast of the Five Rings

The ronin stood in horror as the creature wailed from beneath the well. Seppun Azusa called a meeting to discuss their next steps. As Boa, Tsume, and Kaizoku thought of a plan, they noticed the ronin hired to protect the castle beginning to gather their things and leave. Their work had been steady and well paying, but with Masaru and Nobu imprisoned and with a new threat lingering beneath the cast...

The three ronin had found their man: the runaway shugenja, Reju Tetsuya. They were ordered to bring Tetsuya back to Closed Shell Castle, but the shugenja refused. He vowed to never return.  Tetsuya felt tremendous regret for what he had done. He had been used as a pawn in a plot hatched by the steward, Otomo Nobu, to kill Reju Jikai, defeat the bandits, and wrest control of the castle for himself....

The monks dropped their ruse and revealed themselves for what they truly were: murderous assassins. In a haze, the ronin drew their weapons to defend themselves, but the damage was already done. Poison was coursing through their veins, making them feel lightheaded and fatigued, while the powder of the sokutoshi blinded and choked them.  The assassins attacked, attempting to dispatch their targets...

The survivors of the hunting party sat with Otomo Nobu to debrief the events of the attack. Nobu revealed that he knew Nakama was a shapeshifter. The Otomo family had long traded secrets with Nakama in order to learn about the land surrounding Closed Shell Castle. Nobu claimed, however, that he did not know that Nakama was planning an attack on Reju Jikai. Jikai, severely wounded from the attack,...

Boa had just heard the news that Mamoru Nakama was planning an attack on Jikai’s hunting party. Thinking quickly, he notified Tsume and used his contacts in the castle to get an anonymous letter to Jikai warning him of the ambush. The next morning, everyone in the castle stood at the gates to see the hunting party off. Excitement was in the air, mixed with a hint of unease. The lightweight and fle...

Rin was dead, Zagra’s cell was empty, and Kaizoku was nowhere to be found. The castle immediately went into high alert and Tsume and Boa were brought before Nobu to answer for what happened.  The pair could not speak for the disappearance of their friend and merely insisted that a further investigation would need to be held before any conclusions could be made. Nobu, already suspicious of the roni...

Tsume was brought before the lord of Closed Shell Castle, Reju Jikai, and his wife, Seppun Azusa. The lord and his lady listened intently as Tsume divulged the secret which banished them to the castle. He revealed that it was Miya Shinkako who was behind the fateful incident which injured the Daidoji child and cost Jikai his status as a revered and well respected tutor. Jikai immediately summoned...

Boa sat in the castle tea room speaking with Mamoru Nakama, the shapeshifting wolf, and Dzudh Khan, the wandering monk. Nakama seemed to have marked Ide Toshio, a diplomat from the Unicorn clan, as his prey, worried that he was the cause of the over-hunting in the forest. Boa tried to get Nakama to understand that larger factors were at play, but Nakama would not hear it. It appeared Nakama had a...

Kaizoku stood in the dungeons speaking with his former crewmate, Zagra. He had a deal for him. If Kaizoku helped free him from the castle, Zagra would supply Kaizoku with Liquid Void. With just a few words, Kaizoku was immediately transported to another place. The hair stood up on the back of his neck. Waves of euphoria washed over him. He had to have a taste. When Kaizoku asked him if he had any...

Previously on Podcast of the Five Rings… The three ronin sat in audience with Otomo Nobu, the castle steward. The lord, Reju Jikai, it seemed could not be bothered with such matters at that hour. Boa stood accused of attempting to steal from Reju Tetsuya’s private quarters. With some quick thinking, he was able to hide the note he found arranging a time and date for a meeting with Tetsuya.  Nobu s...

The ronin were brought into the castle and taken to the training yard. After an hour, the castle taisa appeared. Reju Masaru welcomed the ronin into his ranks and explained the regimen at Closed Shell Castle. They would be brought in as new recruits, trained and mentored, and eventually given an assignment as a permanent member of the castle garrison. In exchange for their service, they would be g...

With the news of Setsuo's arrest, Boa, Tsume, and Kaizoku decided to travel to Closed Shell Castle. Traveling north, the ronin discovered just how pervasive the elemental blight was upon the region. It seemed that the very land itself was protesting against something.  Camping out beside the road, they encountered a strange, grey wolf, staring at them with yellow eyes in the darkness. After lettin...

Boa, Tsume, and Kaizoku dropped the issue of the child in front of the rest of the village, but Boa suggested speaking more about it in private with Kai’s mother, Hina. After their audience with the village elder, Boa and Tsume sought aid for the wounds. Their search brought them to the priest, Akira. Concerned about the troubling dreams he’s been having, Tsume asked what they meant. Akira commune...

The woman, Aguri, beckoned the ronin to have rice and tea with her. Suspicious of her, the ronin began to question Aguri. All of her answers seemed strangely convenient. Kaizoku pretended to eat the rice and Tsume flat out refused. Boa on the other hand graciously accepted the food, and hungrily bit into one of the rice balls. He immediately began to feel exhausted and his limbs grew heavy. Ignori...

The merchant scoffed at Tsume. “Very well,” he said. “If you want a duel, you can face my bodyguard, Boa. If you defeat him, I will consider your debt repaid.” But that wasn’t what Tsume had in mind. This wasn’t a test of honor. He didn’t want his fate decided by the kami. He wanted Naoki dead. “No,” Tsume said, “I’ll face you.” Naoki suddenly recognized the danger he was in, and turned to run, bu...

Tsume and Boa infiltrated the camp by pretending to be bandits. After speaking to a group of the thugs, they discovered that Setsuo’s son, Ichiro, had not been kidnapped at all, but had willingly joined the bandits and is now their leader. They decided to speak with Ichiro-- but not before waking up Kaizoku and bringing him along. Ichiro was a charismatic and passionate young man who believed whol...

Tsume, Kaizoku, and Boa were held as guests in Setsuo, the village elder’s house. The townsfolk crowded into Setsuo’s house to catch a glimpse of the ronin as they ate their evening meal. The party was introduced to the other community leaders. There was Natsumi, an outspoken and strong young woman, who seemed to act as Setsuo’s second in command. Next was Shinichi, a wiry and lithe man, stablemas...

A terrible storm rolled in from the bay, wreaking havoc upon the land. Wind and rain battered the landscape while distant thunder warned wayward travelers.  Upon some forgotten road in some distant valley walked two figures, each baring vestiges of a former life. There was Naoki, once a reputable merchant of decent wealth living in the capital city, now a peddler of mundane wares traveling from sh...

This session zero includes the ronin-adapted Game of Twenty Questions from Path of Waves and gives an inside look into the choices made by the players when creating their new ronin characters: Shiroi Tsume, the "treasure hunter"; Kaizoku, the pirate with many enemies; and Boa, the corn-fed farmer. Credits Art by Dylon Munoz Music by Brandon Spain and Podcast of the Five Rings Artwork by Dylon Muno...

It suddenly made sense. Buro put the pieces together. The vacant stare, the quiet disposition, the resigned attitude. The woman threatening to kill him was not Kachiko— someone who looked remarkably like her, but not her. “What’s the meaning of this?” Buro asked. The mystery woman introduced herself as Yogo Asami, Kachiko’s body double. She explained that her and Kachiko swapped places once Kachik...

The leaders of the clans sat awestruck, staring at the lifeless body of Hantei 38th. The head of their celestial order was dead. “You have until tomorrow morning to lay down your arms, yield the city, and return Kachiko to me,” Shoju ordered. “I will allow one messenger from each clan to ride home and inform their leadership of what has happened,” he declared. Tomo, Buro, and Kenshi tried in vain...

No one asked for it, but you're getting it anyways. Here is a "Thank You" song for all of our lovely Patrons who have been supporting the show so far. Y'all the best

Chaos erupted in the Emperor’s audience chamber. No one in attendance could believe the news they had just heard. Bayushi Kachiko and Doji Hoturi had been having a secret love affair— and she was pregnant with his child.  Hantei 38th had heard all he could stomach. The order which he and his forebears had carefully crafted in this city of peace had slowly descended into pandemonium. The Forbidden...

The day had come. Bayushi Shoju and his army were here. Confusion ran through the city as samurai and commoners alike tried to make sense of what was happening. Waves of people tried to flee Otosan Uchi, only to be turned around by the Scorpion army which had taken control of the roads exiting the city.  Tomo, Buro, Kenshi, and Akari deliberated at Hollow Hill. They decided to attack Shoju with th...

News came poring in throughout the night. Developments unfolded one after another, as the samurai of Hollow Hill waited with bated breath. The careful ettiquette and polite beureacracy of court began to fall apart. The Mantis declared war on the Lion, citing evidence which proved leaders in the Lion military ordered the surprise attack which claimed dozens of innocent lives. They would no longer s...