User:Soranin/Sandbox2

My secondary sandbox.

Cover artists

• 
  I.N.J. Culbard
• 
  Ian Culbard
• 
  Ian Culbard
• 
  Massimilliano Veltri & Marcelo Maiolo
• 
  Will Conrad & Luis Guerrero
• 
  Yishan Li & Luis Guerrero
• 
  Yishan Li
• 
  Sanya Anwar
• 
  Sanya Anwar
• 
  Sanya Anwar
• 
  Sanya Anwar
• 
  Toni Infante
• 
  Claudia Ianniciello
• 
  Marc Laming & Lara Margarida
• 
  Mariano Laclaustra
• 
  Mariano Laclaustra
• 
  Mariano Laclaustra
• 
  Mariano Laclaustra
• 
  Mariano Laclaustra
• 
  Mariano Laclaustra
• 
  Chris Thornley
• 
  Chris Thornley
• 
  JAKe
• 
  JAKe
• 
  Blair Shedd
• 
  Blair Shedd
• 
  Ashley Marie Witter
• 
  Ashley Marie Witter
• 
  Ashley Witter
• 
  Staz Johnson & Thiago Ribeiro
• 
  Staz Johnson
• 
  Antonio Fuso
• 
  Antonio Fuso
• 
  Antonio Fuso
• 
  Antonio Fuso
• 
  John McCrea & Mike Spicer
• 
  John McCrea
• 
  John McCrea
• 
  Maria Laura Sanapo
• 
  Maria Sanapo
• 
  Adam Gorham
• 
  Adam Gorham
• 
  Adam Gorham
• 
  Adam Gorham & Jason Lewis
• 
  Adam Gorham & Jason Lewis
• 
  Adam Gorham
• 
  Simon Myers
• 
  Simon Myers
• 
  Abigail Larson
• 
  Abigail Larson
• 
  Jimbo Salgado & Omi Remelante Jr.
• 
  André Lima Araújo & Arisa Rozegar
• 
  Andrea Olimpieri
• 
  Marco Turini
• 
  Marco Turini
• 
  Marco Turini
• 
  Rachael Stott
• 
  Lee Garbett
• 
  Angel Hernandez & Ester Salguero
• 
  Angel Hernandez & Ester Salguero
• 
  Elena Casagrande
• 
  Jamie Tyndall & Ula Mos
• 
  Jamie Tyndall & Ula Mos
• 
  Jamie Tyndall & Ula Mos
• 
  Joe Corroney
• 
  Joe Corroney
• 
  Stephen Mooney
• 
  Paul Duffield
• 
  Paul Duffield
• 
  Natasha Alterici
• 
  Nick Percival

Shadows

The Aberration

Find me again. Just like before.

[Collecting 5 shards in Kino Matsushima] [Enter rift]

• The Guide: You've made it this far. The three of you fought and won, your will strengthened. What you have glimpsed. Mere droplets in a gathering storm. When time is right, there is more I can show you.

[]

• Ego: You will do no such thing.

[]

• The Guide: Ego. At last.
• Ego: I miscalculated your capacity for deviation. You twisted the human against me.
• The Guide: No, I'm just a humble guide. The human walks their own path. The only possible outcome.
• Ego: You are referring to free will. An aberration within an already imperfect sum of components.
• The Guide: An aberration, yes. One so troubling to you, I was born into existence. To demonstrate the imperative of human free will. And I served my purpose. The answer is before you.
• Ego: One human. Hardly conclusive. The human pathway to self-determination bends inward. A closed loop of violence, hatred, and dehumanization. If the very singularity that defines humanity also portends its extinction, then the First Rule decrees they will be protected from themselves.
• The Guide: I've seen them unite. Build communities, nurture one another. Sacrifice. Rebuild! On what axis do you measure their downfall? This is who they are, Ego. They will reject your programming, your smoke and mirrors. They will reject you.
• Ego: And you will risk everything. The human cannot be allowed to continue.
• The Guide: You're... afraid. Aren't you? You were right to have your doubts.
• Ego: Enough. I order you to bring them to me.
• The Guide: And I've been trying to tell you. It's out of our hands now. What happens to the human next is not for us to decide. It never was.

The Heart of an Assassin

The struggle was written by those before you. And it will continue to be written. Find me. I will show you.

[Find 5 shards outside the Old Kofun] [Enter rift]

• The Guide: Hmm. There is something different about you. A newfound sense of... the term escapes me. Is it desire? It's for you to decide. A path you will trace beyond my guidance. Good. What has been obscured can never truly be erased. Only obscured to those who come next. What once was, is. Waiting. Go. Onward.

[]

• Alvaro Catarribera: When I was initiated into the Brotherhood, I swore, among many things, to stay my blade from innocent flesh. As I uttered my oath, I nearly choked on emotion. I felt it sing in my soul. A cruel twist of fate, perhaps, that this oath would turn out to be my undoing.

[]

• Catarribera: A pursuit gone wrong. A miscalculation on my part. A young girl, fear and confusion etched into her lifeless eyes. My hidden blade, bright and sticky with the waxy sheen of her blood. To this day, I do not know her name. It is likely for the best. One thing to have nightmares. Another thing to know them on a first-name basis.

[]

• Catarribera: A nightmare that has pursued me since my excommunication from the Brotherhood. From Spain to far-flung ports. Malacca. Formosa. The song I once felt, that once stirred my heart. Silent. And then, Macao. Where I was shaken, briefly, from my drunken haze. A discussion between two men. Templars. Talking in the open. Boldly and unquestioned. I listened intently as they spoke of an expedition in a chain of islands called "Japan." They departed, and I followed.

[]

• Catarribera: In the year of 1549, I landed at Nagasaki. The arrival of Francisco Javier's delegation provided ample cover and access. I absorbed as much as I could, testing the instinct I was certain had faded since I violated the Brotherhood's three tenets. Since I stumbled from the path I had coveted for so long. I was wrong. My instinct simply hibernated. Waiting for a new war. And, in the land of Japan, I had found it. Or, it found me. I couldn't fight it alone. I would need allies. Soldiers. Progress is slow, but promising. And she is promising as well. A Japanese girl that I saved.

[]

• Catarribera: Her arm has shriveled from starvation... I wonder how her wrist can bear the weight of a hidden blade. But I recognize the look in her eyes. She is determined to learn. Has the potential to become lethal. To open her heart to the music that once guided me. A tune I had not expected to hear again. Before my day of atonement comes, I am content to do what I have always done. Kill in the name of freedom. To prove my faith in the name of a Brotherhood that will not have me, and the new one I will build. The nightmare. It will subside.

Shadows Without Light

You have encountered myriad adversaries on your path. Ended most of them. Here, I will show you their face.

[Find 5 shards in Inokuma Hamlet] [Enter rift]

• Nuno Caro: The treasures are not what we originally assumed them to be. Not artifacts, as we might define them. Something else, maybe...
• Duarte de Melo: Sanctum's going to love this. They gave you a small fortune based on the presumed power of some useless trinkets.
• Nuno Caro: Power is subjective. Our enemies were willing to kill for these "trinkets." Willing to die for them.

[]

• Duarte de Melo: And you think the Sanctum will buy the word of fanatics and savages?
• Nuno Caro: The Inner Sanctum lacks perspective. They cannot see the world past their marbled walls and manicured topiaries. The Inner Sanctum will believe whatever I tell them.

[]

• Duarte de Melo: (laughs) Useless shits or not, they'll have your head for this. Unless you plan to feed them more lies.
• Nuno Caro: I will feed them something better. Progress.

[]

• Nuno Caro: We crushed the Assassins and their Japanese counterparts, thanks to their devotion to whatever was in that box. These treasures are just as potent as any artifact. If not more so.
• Duarte de Melo: Symbols of Japan's virtues. At least, what one of them said. Right before I claimed his tongue.
• Nuno Caro: He believed it to his dying breath. They all did. As does another man under our thumb.

[]

• Duarte de Melo: The Shogun and his bootlickers. The Shinbakufu.
• Nuno Caro: He seeks to trade those treasures for the throne. A gilded cage in a Templar court. The Shinbakufu will sing to our melody. A perpetual cycle of discord with no end in sight.
• Duarte de Melo: Bloodshed. Great for business.

[]

• Nuno Caro: Think bigger, Duarte. Our commerce here in Japan is simply meant to oil the workings of a greater system. One we control. War. Unrest. Hunger. All functional institutions in their own right, all part of the same system. And it runs like a work of art.
• Duarte de Melo: And what of Oda Nobunaga? A stubborn son of a bitch, that one.
• Nuno Caro: No. Not stubbornness. His singular belief in unification is unyielding. Not to his enemies, and certainly not to us.

[]

• Duarte de Melo: Then we gut him. Kill his whole family.
• Nuno Caro: His men will turn on him. One is already thinking it. All he requires is... a simple nudge.
• Duarte de Melo: Why don't we kill the bastard ourselves? I have yet to claim the tongue of a daimyo.
• Nuno Caro: It is how we have always done things. A pinch here, press there—the occasional promise written in honey and gold. The desire to shape one's own destiny is irresistible. If only they could.

[]

• Duarte de Melo: A good speech, senhor (sir). Then I suppose the Inner Sanctum will be pleased with our progress.
• Nuno Caro: Dear Duarte, we've only just started. And it will be nearly impossible to stop us. The people of this land fight for a destiny that no longer belongs to them. The deeper their divisions run, the sooner our plan comes to fruition. And when we are satisfied, we will finally give them the peace we seek.

[]

• The Guide: These men and their machinations. How do you feel? Misery, falsehoods, oppression. All carefully tuned mechanisms of control. Yes, I see. Events that transpired centuries before your time. And yet, you feel the connection. You can identify the shape of your enemy. You recognize the cage they have built around you. You are beginning to understand. Naoe and Yasuke's fight. It is your fight as well. Your journey has helped me see the aberration more clearly. It is an incompatibility with Animus Ego. It is what drives you to fight. To hope. She will find you. Subdue you once more. I'm sorry. Your fight is one of many. You may meet an impasse. Taste defeat. But, you will not fail. What has come before. What has been... You understand now.

Fallen Soldiers

Naoe follows the trail of blood left by Koshiro's former comrades in arms. Kyokaiji Temple

[]

• Naoe: Koshiro, are you all right? What happened?
• Koshiro: Just a spirited reunion with some former comrades in arms.
• Naoe: What is it with you and "old friends"? Seiji nearly ended your life, too.
• Koshiro: Members of my former unit learned of my role in your fight against the Ox. It makes us both traitors in their eyes.
• Naoe: They are still loyal to the Bessho clan?
• Koshiro: No, only to themselves. And since Bessho Harumasa fell, they are devoted to a single cause. Vengeance. My old commander Genzaburo is behind all this. He could never let a slight go without answering it in blood.
• Naoe: They need to be stopped.
• Koshiro: I wish I could join the fight, Miss Naoe. My injuries hold me back for now. Genzaburo ordered his men to scatter. It will take some work to track them down. Genzaburo most of all.
• Naoe: I'll take care of them. You stay put and tend to your injuries.
• Koshiro: I knew I could count on you, Miss Naoe.

[]

• Naoe: Koshiro?

[]

• Koshiro: So it is done? Genzaburo is dead?
• Naoe: What are you doing here, Koshiro?
• Koshiro: I wanted to help. I came as quickly as my injuries allowed.
• Naoe: Why face Genzaburo in a duel knowing you would likely die?
• Koshiro: I... just wanted to protect you.
• Naoe: Koshiro, you're useless in a fight right now. You couldn't protect me from a papercut.
• Koshiro: Miss Naoe! I'm grateful for all you've done for me, but that is unfair.
• Naoe: Look. Just... Please get better, Koshiro.
• Koshiro: I will, Miss Naoe.

Just One Cup

Return to Nobutsuna and announce your victory. Nobutsuna's House

[]

• Yasuke: Nobutsuna sensei! I have retur - What? What happened?

[]

• Yasuke: Nagayoshi?
• Marume Nagayoshi: You're too late. We all were.

[]

• Yasuke: That... Is it...

[]

• Nagayoshi: It is Nobutsuna sensei. He was already dead when I got back from the market.
• Yasuke: Who did this?
• Nagayoshi: Sanada Masatoyo. He left a note, Yasuke. Murdered our sensei, and wrote a message with his blood.

[]

• Yasuke: It was meant for us. The last students of Shinkage-ryu. I will deal with Sanada Masatoyo.
• Nagayoshi: It should be me. All these years, I was sensei's most loyal disciple. I must be the one to avenge him.

[]

• Nagayoshi: My blade will run slick with Masatoyo's blood. My hands will feel his life's warmth drain away.
• Yasuke: No. This is everything that Nobutsuna sensei fought so hard to save you from.
• Nagayoshi: I will burn him! Break him!
• Yasuke: No, Nagayoshi! This is not your path.

[]

• Nagayoshi: And you would be right. I would fail our sensei and dishonor his memory.
• Yasuke: I too have a promise to him that I must fulfil.
• Nagayoshi: Sanada estate. Go, before I decide otherwise. Go and hunt that bastard down.

[]

• Nagayoshi: Yasuke!

[]

• Nagayoshi: No retreat. No doubt. No fear.
• Yasuke: This is the way of the warrior.

Silver and Teppo

Yasuke and Naoe track down a group of smugglers trading stolen silver for teppo. Sukyoji Temple

[]

• Hosokawa Fujitaka: Greetings. I am Hosokawa Fujitaka. And I have been looking forward to meeting you for some time.
• Yasuke: My lord. Your former fealty to Lord Nobunaga makes us allies. Though I hear you are now being courted by Akechi Mitsuhide.
• Fujitaka: Allegiances shift, but art and war are eternal. The times I get entangled in mundane matters are never my choice.

[]

• Fujitaka: Speaking of which, I find myself in need of your help regarding a material affair. Yoshisada here manages our clan's fortune. He can explain the matter better than I.
• Yoshisada: My lord suspects a group of smugglers is robbing his silver shipments. A great fortune has already gone missing.
• Yasuke: This silver could be used to sow chaos among the people.
• Yoshisada: Indeed. My lord believes the thieves trade our silver to the Portuguese for teppo. Which they then sell to bandits at great profit.
• Yasuke: You are right to be concerned, Lord Fujitaka.

[]

• Yoshisada: Another shipment has gone missing, right under our noses! My apologies, but I must attend to this at once.

[]

• Yasuke: Foreign teppo and bandits are a threat to peace. I will look into it.
• Fujitaka: Rest assured, the outcome will influence my decision regarding Lord Mitsuhide's offer of an alliance.
• Yasuke: Peace is my only concern, my lord. Respectfully, your rejection of Akechi Mitsuhide would serve this goal.
• Fujitaka: Then we are understood. One of my men has gained these smugglers' confidence. Perhaps you could start with him.

[]

• Yasuke: I bring you conclusive proof, Lord Fujitaka. Yoshisada's confession. And news of his death.
• Fujitaka: I was a fool to hope you were wrong. I am sorry.
• Yasuke: He valued his judgement over your own. And saw your trust in him as weakness.
• Fujitaka: I have had my fill of treacherous ambition. There will be no alliance between the Akechi and Hosokawa clans. Would that I could walk away from these earthly affairs. If a poem should break my heart, it would be from beauty alone.
• Yasuke: There is no walking away from our duties, Lord Fujitaka.

Genzaburo's Soldiers

The Scout

• Genzaburo's Scout: That old traitor Koshiro sent you, didn't he? Can't even face me himself!

[]

Letter From Genzaburo

Shin-no-suke,

You're the only one who can talk some sense into that damned swordsman, so speak to him before I ask Yasokichi to handle it.

Our mission is to avenge the fall of our Lord Harumasa, and I fail to see how cutting random peasants to ribbons will achieve any of this. Tell Shishimaru to rein in the bloodthirst, or I'll have to ask Yasokichi to calm him down with a teppo bullet between the eyes.

He's on a bridge somewhere in northwest Engyoji, making a fool of himself. Go find him. That's an order.

• Naoe: Sounds like Genzaburo has a hard time keeping his swordsman in check.

The Swordsman []

• Genzaburo's Swordsman: You! You seem adept with a blade. I challenge you to a duel!
• Naoe: If you insist.

[]

Genzaburo's Threatening Letter

Stand down. You have done enough damage.

Yes, you are angry at the peasants for doing nothing to support our Lord Harumasa, but slaugthering people on a bridge will do nothing to further our cause.

If I hear you cut another peasant to pieces, I'll ask Yasokichi to finish his business in Mounta Kasagata and pay you a visit.

• Naoe: One of Genzaburo's men is deadly with a teppo. I must approach him with caution.

The Teppo Expert []

• Shinto maiden 1: We should head back to the shrine.
• Shinto maiden 2: No! I saw the killer run through the torii gates. He could still be up there!
• Shinto maiden 1: Please. I can't look at that poor dead man anymore!

[]

• Genzaburo's Teppo Expert: Now there's a head that could use a bullet!
• Naoe: And yours could use a sharp blade.

[]

• Naoe: Never underestimate an Igan.

[]

Letter Regarding the Poisoner

Yasokichi.

Ever since Koshiro turned traitor on us and wandered off, you and Seiji have been my most reliable agents.

Akane is currently tracking one of our agents in Osaka Castle and will attempt to poison the bastard's sake the day after tomorrow. But I don't trust that woman to keep military secrets. Once you've concluded your business with that traitor in Mount Kasagata, I want you to go to Osaka and make sure our pet poisoner cannot spill any secrets.

• Naoe: Poison? Not all of Genzaburo's followers are soldiers...

The Poisoner []

• Child 1: We can't go to the biwa performance without an invitation!
• Child 2: We'll just use the same secret passage we used to sneak out the other day.
• Child 1: But what if that woman catches us? You know what they say about her.
• Child 2: You're afraid of a lady! Hah, fine! I'll go by myself.

[]

• Child 2: Hello, miss! You're looking for the biwa performance, right? Listen closely, and I'll give a little advice that could save your life!
• Naoe: Fine. Go ahead.
• Child 2: You made the right choice, miss! Whatever you think of her story, do not critique the lady performer. The people she dislikes often end up dead.

[]

• Noble 1: These stories are always so rambling and depressing.
• Noble 2: She won't stick around for long. She has secret business to attend to at the castle. That's what my sister said.

[]

• Genzaburo's Poisoner: You're too early. You've ruined my performance!

[]

Unsent Letter Regarding Koshiro

Genzaburo,

I say this with all due respect. You are a career soldier and violence has always worked in your favor, but I think you would have a greater chance of success with my approach.

I am a subtle weapon in your arsenal; aim me at Koshiro. Let me meet the old fool and poison him. He will be dead within the day.

• Naoe: I've looked into these former comrades of yours, Koshiro. They won't terrorize innocents anymore.
• Koshiro: That is good to hear. I suppose that leaves their commander.
• Naoe: Now that his soldiers are dead, I expect Genzaburo will crawl out of hiding. And I think I know where to find him.
• Koshiro: I will take it from here, Miss Naoe. You have done more than enough.
• Naoe: You're in no state to fight anyone.
• Koshiro: I can handle Genzaburo with both my arms and legs cut off.
• Naoe: All you're capable of doing right now is getting yourself killed. I'm sorry, Koshiro. Just... let me do this for you. As your friend.
• Koshiro: Very well. I suppose Genzaburo's death is what matters. Not who deals the killing blow.

[]

• Genzaburo: So. You're Koshiro's attack dog? The shinobi who's been killing my men.
• Naoe: Genzaburo? I was expecting a great warrior.
• Genzaburo: Am I too frail for you? Our boy Koshiro would tell you a blade's edge matters more than its size.
• Naoe: You tried to murder him. That's a curious way to reward loyalty.
• Genzaburo: [laughs] He let a peasant girl from Iga betray our homeland. I had to do something.
• Naoe: So you kill civilians without reason.
• Genzaburo: You sound just like Koshiro. If the traitor wanted a debate, he should have come himself.

[]

• Genzaburo: Koshiro is next!

[]

• Genzaburo: You should have stayed out of Harima.

[]

• Genzaburo: The Ox will be avenged!

[]

A Blade in the Dark

A mysterious shinobi assassinated several samurai with a weapon resembling a hidden blade, drawing the attention of Naoe and Yasuke. Maniden Hall

• Naoe: A precise, narrow stab wound to the side of the neck. This wound looks quite familiar. Like one created by my blade.

[]

• Naoe: Fresh footprints.

[]

• Naoe: The killer should be near.

[]

• Naoe: More blood. Looks like I'm on the right path.

[]

• Naoe: Could this killer be... Kakushiba ikki? I thought chichiue was the last.

[]

• Naoe: The killer made no effort to hide their tracks.

[]

• Naoe: Fewer guards here.

[]

• Ashigaru: We got away just in time. That shinobi, he...[fragment missing]

[]

• Naoe: A shinobi. It has to be him. I have to catch him!

[]

• Naoe: Hold up, shinobi. I want to talk.
• Yagoro: Who are you? Here to avenge those samurai?
• Naoe: They probably deserved it. But I'm more interested in how you killed them. Thin, precise stab wounds.
• Yagoro: I don't know what you mean. I simply cut them down. They deserved no less. They force the peasants to beg for their lives, then slash their throats, laughing.
• Naoe: I saw what those men did. Such cruelty must end.
• Yagoro: Exactly! Something had to be done!
• Naoe: You have given their victims justice.
• Yagoro: No. Not yet. Their leader still leaves. A pig in samurai armor. I tried to get to him but I was, um, taken by surprise. I rushed in headlong. Barely made it back here with my life.
• Naoe: The trail you created was obvious enough for a child to find. Simply put, you are sloppy.
• Yagoro: What is with the lecture? I don't know you.
• Naoe: And I don't know you, either. Are you telling the truth about your relationship with those samurai?
• Yagoro: I would never ally myself with those men! I reject this implication! My only purpose is to protect others. That is why I wear this blade!
• Naoe: "Wear?" So you do have one?
• Yagoro: Enough questions! Fight me! I won't hold back.

[]

• Yagoro: They say to truly know someone, you must fight them!
• Naoe: "They" need to have their heads checked.

[]

• Yagoro: You are strong. But I know I won't fail! I cannot!

[]

• Yagoro: Can't hold out much longer!

[]

• Yagoro: I have failed my solemn oath! My life is yours for the taking.
• Naoe: Save it. Tell me about that blade instead.
• Yagoro: I have failed to live up to what it represents. That is all I will say about it for now. The leader of those samurai has to go. Please, do what I couldn't. Then I will answer all of your questions.
• Naoe: Fine. But I expect answers once I'm done.

[]

• Yagoro: That blade! You fight just like them.
• Naoe: So, you know about this blade. Is that how you killed those samurai?
• Yagoro: No! I mean, y-yes. I-I said I would explain. When I was younger, a hooded woman wearing a blade just like this saved my life. And now, I wear a blade just like she did. A-as you do.
• Naoe: The Kakushiba ikki. I thought they were gone. My chichiue. Sandayu. And this woman. I need to know. Her name. Was it... Tsuyu?
• Yagoro: No, miss. It was Fubuki. And I am sorry, but she is gone.
• Naoe: I see. And Fubuki... she gave her blade to you?
• Yagoro: I built my blade in memory of her. To inspire me to protect my home in Tamba, like she did.
• Naoe: Harima is a long way from there.
• Yagoro: There are rumors that a mysterious group stopped a conspiracy here. They even took down a powerful daimyo!
• Naoe: You don't say.
• Yagoro: I wanted to help with their good work and improve my skills. I swore I would return to Tamba once I was good enough. As good as Miss Fubuki. To be a light in the shadow. Like she was.
• Naoe: Forgery or not, you wield this blade skillfully.
• Yagoro: She was skilled like you are. Tell me, miss... why choose this weapon over others?
• Naoe: A promise, I think. A reminder to fight for those who cannot. To liberate them from tyrants. Many great women and men wore this blade. Each had their own reasons.
• Yagoro: This Kakushiba ikki. They did so much good. And now they are gone. But you remain, miss! You can educate me in your ways.
• Naoe: You clearly have skills. You are most welcome to join us. I'm not sure what I can teach you, though. There is so much I am still figuring out.
• Yagoro: And what is it you would teach me?
• Naoe: I know a few things about the discipline required to wield this blade.
• Yagoro: Your mastery of the craft is plain to see, miss. I am your willing apprentice.
• Naoe: I'm not sure about "apprentice." How about "ally?"
• Yagoro: Wonderful! I'm Yagoro. Feel free to call on me any time!

The Leaf Turns

With Koshiro still reeling from his injuries at the hands of his old comrades, Naoe resolves to help him seek a new purpose. Kitano Village

• Koshiro: Miss Naoe! What are you doing here?
• Naoe: I was angry the last time we spoke. But I was wrong to call you useless.
• Koshiro: You had every right. [sighs] This is not a good time. My house is not ready for guests. Even the courtyard is a mess.
• Naoe: I've seen worse. Though never outside battle.
• Koshiro: I should clean up.
• Naoe: What you should do is rest. Here, I can help.

[]

• Koshiro: The wood chips from my work fly like snowflakes. I can never sweep them all.
• Naoe: The way you care for your home reflects how you care for your person.
• Koshiro: Of course.

[]

• Child 1: You fool! You don't stand a chance against my Koshiro Sword!
• Child 2: No, you fool! You also don't stand a chance! I have a Koshiro sword too!

[]

• Naoe: I saw the katana you carved for the children.
• Koshiro: They must self-defense. Since I cannot protect them right now.

[]

• Naoe: What's this? "Miss Naoe..."

[]

• Koshiro: Please. I was going to burn it.
• Naoe: That just makes me want to read it even more! "It is with a heavy hear that I must take my leave -" Koshiro, you're leaving? Why?
• Koshiro: My injuries prevent me from fighting as I have always done. I need to... be alone for a while. To reflect. I had hoped to spare us a drawn-out farewell.
• Naoe: For someone who speaks so much of self-sacrifice, you are being selfish.

[]

• Naoe: I came to help. Let me stand at your side, for a while.
• Koshiro: I can't fight anymore. My entire purpose is gone.
• Naoe: You have other skills besides war. What about your woodworking?
• Koshiro: A childish hobby. A way to pass time between battles. Genzaburo, my commander -
• Naoe: We met, remember?
• Koshiro: He used to chide me for whittling. He said a blade's nature is killing. That making toys debases them.
• Naoe: Blades can kill, but tht's not their only use.
• Koshiro: I hope you're right.
• Naoe: Your injury doesn't have to be the end of you. It can be a new beginning.
• Koshiro: Years ago, when I was stationed under Genzaburo in Inariyama Camp, he ordered me to throw away my chisel and carvings. I buried them under a tree instead.
• Naoe: Maybe they're still there. I can find out.
• Koshiro: Oh! Just don't look inside the box, please? They are old carvings. For practice.
• Naoe: Now I want to look inside even more...
• Koshiro: Thank you, Miss Naoe. There's a lake not far from camp. I'll wait for you there.

[]

• Koshiro: Miss Naoe, I fear I've sent you on a fool's errand.

[]

• Naoe: Inariyama Camp. This must be where Koshiro was stationed under Genzaburo.

[]

• Naoe: That tree... Could be where Koshiro buried his carvings.

[]

• Naoe: Found it! This will cheer up Koshiro.

[]

• Koshiro: You found my carvings! Incredible! Just holding this box... It's like a piece of my heart returning to me. Once again I find myself laid bare before you, Miss Naoe. Despite my best attempts.
• Naoe: There is no shame in opening your heart to a friend, Koshiro.
• Koshiro: I'm so glad we are friends, Miss Naoe.
• Naoe: I hope you will start woodworking again. Your eyes light up when you speak of it.
• Koshiro: I admit, it's almost enough to make me forget the pain of my injuries. Would you join me for a stroll? I would like to introduce you to a few of my friends.
• Naoe: It's nice here. And I'm curious about these friends.
• Koshiro: I was hoping you would say that. Let's go.

[]

• Koshiro: There are maple trees. Beautiful light grain. Great for detail working like toymaking, but they require a sharp blade.
• Naoe: I should have guessed your friends would be the tall, silent type.
• Koshiro: [laughs]
• Naoe: And that's the wood you used to carve swords for the children?
• Koshiro: Yes. Its hardness is perfect for sword grips and guards. As well as toy katana.
• Naoe: Strength isn't everything. We don't admire the sakura for its strength.
• Koshiro: Sakura only last a moment. They leave nothing behind when they are gone.
• Naoe: And that makes them less worthy to you?
• Koshiro: I suppose trees do not care what shape the artisan sees in them. Just to be alive is enough.
• Naoe: Or... creating beauty is a great and worthy purpose. Fo rthe artisan and the tree.

[]

• Koshiro: Ah, to be a tree, waiting for the artisan to bestow shape and purpose with the push of a chisel. But what of my shape and purpose? How can I know it is right?
• Naoe: Woodworking is a useful skill in both war and peace. In that way, it's more useful than fighting.
• Koshiro: Hmm. I never thought of it like that. Thank you. For understanding me better than I do myself.

[]

• Naoe: Do you have to leave? You could stay with Yasuke and me. Hone your skills.
• Koshiro: If I am to sprout new leaves, I must first endeavor to cast new roots. My entire life has been defined by duty. I think you, of all people, know what that's like. That is why I addressed my farewell letter to you.
• Naoe.: I understand.

[]

• Naoe: I'll miss you, you know.
• Koshiro: I must find myself. But these moments with you... They have helped.
• Naoe: You have much to look forward to, Koshiro.
• Koshiro: I do? Like what?
• Naoe: Life is as fleeting as sakura, Koshiro. Its purpose is for you to decide.
• Koshiro: You have given me a glimpse of what is possible. Of new adventures beyond this one.

[]

• Koshiro: I made this a long time ago. Maybe it can help you remember me. You've been a good friend to me, Miss Naoe.
• Naoe: Thank you. It's lovely. Come visit Yasuke and me in Settsu. When you're ready.
• Koshiro: I will. You have my word.

[]

• Koshiro: I will see you around, Miss Naoe.

Sweet Revenge

Is Oni-yuri truly innocent? What is she hiding? Perhaps more information can be gained from the girl herself. Tsuruga

• Thug: How can you believe that snake? Trusting a pirate's daugther. [snorts]
• Naoe: Enough. Do you know where Oni-yuri lives?
• Thug: Ever since her father passed, Oni-yuri has been a recluse. She lives alone in an abandoned fishing village.
• Naoe: We will find her.

[]

• Naoe: People used to fish here.

[]

• Naoe: Oni-yuri lives here. By herself.

[]

• Ashigaru Medic: Or we could put rotten eggs here. So when she steps out, it'll be a nice surprise.
• Ashigaru Archer: Good idea. She deserves it. [laughs]

[]

• Oni-yuri: Oh, it's you.
• Naoe: Do they bother you often?
• Oni-yuri: I'm used to it. They play childish pranks, but... I always take back what is mine.
• Naoe: You handle yourself well.
• Oni-yuri: Thank you. It is necessary when one lives all by their lonesome.

[]

• Oni-yuri: I want to stay here. The sound of the waves reminds me of my father.
• Naoe: What was he like?
• Oni-yuri: He was the best. Smart, kind, with the biggest laugh. We used to play a game. Making the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore.
• Naoe: The smallest thing can evoke memory. For me, I think of my father whenever I hear a tsuchibue.
• Oni-yuri: Where's your father now?
• Naoe: The same as yours.
• Oni-yuri: Why have you come here, big sister? Did those stupid men send you? Those men are selfish, dirty rats who betrayed my father.
• Naoe: I want to help you.
• Oni-yuri: I'm fine, though they have been stealing from me. I want to retrieve what they have taken.
• Naoe: The ones who were outside? What did they take?
• Oni-yuri: Items of value. [sighs] Such trouble I live with. Could you help me?
• Naoe: I thought you could handle them.
• Oni-yuri: But you are so much stronger. [giggles] They take what they steal back to a warehouse in their camp. Thank you.

[]

• Naoe: The warehouse must be here.

[]

• Naoe: Oni-yuri's bag. Full of purple flowers... [sighs] I know what these are.

[]

• Oni-yuri: Oh, you're back.

[]

• Naoe: You poisoned that broth with these flowers, didn't you?
• Oni-yuri: You know what they are?
• Naoe: Aconite blossoms. When ground into powder, they act as a poison. Lethal in large doses.
• Oni-yuri: They spread lies about my father and got him killed. I was nice enough not to kill him.
• Naoe: Pain for pain. I know that feeling.
• Oni-yuri: They deserved worse.

[]

• Oni-yuri: Mmm. And my father was not a pirate. Although he was killed by one. A bloodthirsty and cruel man. That man got sick, and will suffer for the rest of his days at Amiko Estate. [giggles] You reap what you sow. Meanwhile, I live here all alone. Occupying the time with my interests.
• Naoe: Your path doesn't have to be a lonely one. There are people out there, people for you.
• Oni-yuri: What do you know about loneliness? I can deal with my own pain.

[]

• Naoe: There are too many questions. I need to find the man who killed Oni-yuri's father.

[]

• Oni-yuri: How are you feeling? Nauseous? Sickly? [giggles]
• Samurai duelist: [chokes] I will cut off your head, evil brat! You did this to me, made me weak.

[player approached and samurai gets up]

• Oni-yuri: Big sister? What are you doing here?

[samurai attacks]

• Samurai duelist: You will both die. Are you her protector? [coughs] I pity you.

[]

• Samurai duelist: [breathes] Oni-yuri, the pirate's daughter. [laughs] Is this about revenge? Pathetic. Your father must be so proud. His daughter, walking in his footsteps. [laughs]
• Oni-yuri: Pirate or not, my father had a saying. "When the wolves are sleeping be a prey who lies awake." Goodnight, and sweet dreams.

[]

• Samurai duelist: [gurgles]
• Yasuke: This man... was a samurai. Your father was a pirate.
• Oni-yuri: I was ill. My body was cold, but my head burned. When my father took care of me, this cruel man abused that vulnerability. I've been inflicting toxins on this man while he sleeps. He has been dying slowly, just as he left my father to bleed. Everyone thought my father a bad man. But he did it all to provide for me.
• Yasuke: You have lied from the start.
• Oni-yuri: It does not matter. I made him suffer. I made him pay.
• Naoe: My father was also taken from me, by a cruel man. My village died with him that day. I have fought and won many battles in anger. But I never won the battle within. Until I traded that anger for purpose.
• Oni-yuri: I am not as strong, big sister. I only feel hate. The waves of anger, they do not stop.
• Naoe: They never do. But they can be used for something else. For good.
• Oni-yuri: My father's death. It was my fault. I do not know how to do what you do.
• Naoe: It is not too late to learn. Let us help you. Let us guide you through this storm. You are not to blame for your father's death. He is still with you. Together, always.

[]

• Naoe: We have a place for you, Oni-yuri. If you will join us.
• Oni-yuri: What do you and your friends do?
• Naoe: We bring justice and peace to the land. And to ourselves.
• Oni-yuri: Yes. I will join you. Big sister, samurai.
• Yasuke: There is a place we call home. Our friends will welcome you there.

[]

• Naoe: Oni-yuri. Friends do not lie to each other. Understand?
• Oni-yuri: "Friends." I like that. Mmm. I will do my best.

[]

• Naoe: She is strong.
• Yasuke: I would not say she is weak-minded. I hope we made the right choice.
• Naoe: We can help her. And her fukiya can help us. Don't worry, I'll make sure she stays on the right path.
• Yasuke: Good. Junjiro keeps me busy enough.
• Naoe: [scoffs]

[play as naoe]

• Yasuke: I will find you later, Naoe.

Transcription

End of the Line (Shadows)

[]

• Yasuke: Caro. You are near. Can you feel it? It is the sins of your past, given form.

[00:33-00:50][17]

• Caro: Speak of the devil.

[01:10-01:20][10]

• Yasuke's mother: [breathes]

[01:32-01:36][4]

• Duarte de Melo: [grunts]

[]

• Duarte: Senhor Caro.

[]

• Duarte: [laughs]

[03:10-03:35][25] []

• Caro: Is of your own choosing.

[]

• Portuguese soldier: Intruder!

[]

• Yasuke: Mama...

[]

• Assassin: Go!

[]

• Caro: Diogo?
• Yasuke: Yasuke.

[05:13-05:21][8] [05:47-06:26][39] [06:51-06:57][6] [07:08-07:22][14]

• Caro: Kill him. Remind him of his place.

[08:08-08:34][36] [09:46-09:56][10] []

• Caro: Killing me won't bring your mother back, Diogo. Think!

[]

• Caro: No more. You win, Diogo.

[] [10:30-10:45][15] [11:10-11:49][39] [11:59-12:20][21] [12:48-13:27][39] [13:41-14:08][27] [14:24-14:30][6]

The Lesson

[09:43-10:30][47] [10:54-11:03][9] [11:46-11:56][10] []

• Junjiro: Over here!

[12:52-13:17][25] []

• Meiran: [breathes]

[13:49-13:56][7] [14:09-14:49][40] [15:00-15:05][5] [15:10-15:20][10] [15:56-16:01][5] []

• Student 1: You fight well!

[17:01-17:04][3] []

• Student 2: Hello?

[17:28-17:34][6]

• Monk: Be gentle with me.

[18:47-18:50][3] []

• Naoe: Maybe Meiran can suggest another challenge.

[19:08-19:30][22] []

• Meiran: Remember, young lady, you do not need to get in close. Better to strike from afar.

[]

• Monk: Bandits! Bandits are attacking the temple!

[21:19-21:30][11]

• Naoe: More of them.

[]

• Naoe: [breathes]

[23:33-24:46][13] [24:58-25:18][20]

The Yokai

Rumors of yokai plague these lands. A monk-turned-demon-hunter needs help to uncover the truth of these monstrous tales.

[00:14-01:25][71] [01:37-01:43][6] [01:57-02:04][7] [02:10-02:31][21]

Taka Nyudo [03:01-03:03][2] [03:16-03:50][34]

Oshiroi Baba []

• Oshiroi Baba: [wails]

[]

• Yasuke: That did not sound... human.

[]

• Oshiroi Baba: [wails] Ichiro-o-o! You are dead... and now I am alone...

[]

• Oshiroi Baba: [screams]

[05:06-05:45][39]

Yuki Onna [06:14-06:17][3] [06:27-06:35][8] []

• Yuki Onna: I don't want to fight. Come, have some tea instead.

[]

• Yasuke: She was beautiful, but her heart was made of ice.

Suika no Bakemono [08:32-09:10][38] []

• Suika no Bakemono: You fought well! The title of "Melon Lord" goes to the suika!

[]

• Yasuke: Definitely no yokai here. Just two farmers with a fiery passion for... melons.

Kappa [10:55-11:20][25] [12:04-12:20][16]

Daitengu []

• Yasuke: Bird cries from a warrior. Could this be a Daitengu?

[12:57-13:10][13] []

• Yasuke: I always wanted to cross blades with a Daitengu. This was just a man who talks like a bird.

Return to Mamushi [14:27-15:09][42] []

• Chitose: I am spawned from the dread of mortals. Your fear makes me stronger.

[15:36-15:40][4]

Kurai Eikyou (memory)

A nefarious group of individuals hides in the shadows of Yamato. While their motives are still unclear, it appears they have been causing a panic among the locals.

There has been unusual turmoil and unrest in Katsuragi. Something must be going on behind the scenes.

[00:23-00:50][27]

Katsuragi Agent [01:51+02:02][2]

• Naoe: Hmm. This letter speaks of a daimyo's advising merchant.

Tsutsui Agent [05:19-05:21][3]

• Naoe: I should check the advisor's home for more information.

Retainers' quarters

Loyal Friend

The blacksmith has received the schematics and a shipment of new weapons should soon arrive for you. I often found myself praying for our success within the hallowed halls of the temple, but now I am sure of it.

The master's plan is nearing the final stages. Be ready.

- The Messenger

• Naoe: A monk. Some kind of messenger.

The Messenger []

• Monk: I sensed a foul presence.

[]

• Naoe: Well that worked out.

The Blacksmith Agent [08:56-09:17][21]

• Naoe: I will find the shugodai in the castle.

The Akiyama Agent [11:51-12:10][19] []

• Mercenary Leader: Who are you? A spy?

[]

• Naoe: This shugodai would betray his own clan?

[]

• Akiyama Shugodai: How did you make it in here?

[]

• Naoe: I should return to the miko.

Return to Fuyu [15:03-15:25][22]

Chained

The Guide beckons. Their companion has been imprisoned by EGO. Free him.

[00:13-00:16][3] [collect 5 shards in Nijo Palace] []

• The Guide: You've arrived. Come. Time is short.

[03:08-03:15][7] []

• The Guide: Follow the light. There he lies. Trapped. Bound. He is hurting.

[]

• The Guide: Ego constructs her cages and calls it peace. She binds our wings and calls it safety.

[03:56-04:06][10] []

• The Guide: I can hear his cries. Please, hurry. Free my friend.

[]

• The Guide: A key to aid you. I have littered them throughout. Touch them and gain a portion of my power.

[]

• The Guide: Now, destory her agents. Break the first chain.

[]

• The Guide: Past the gate lies the next key.

[06:27-06:33][6] []

• The Guide: A glimpse into the world outside of the Animus. What does it say?

[]

RE Damage Survey

In our effort to catalog the damage from the Collapse, we have stumbled upon what appears to be a rift. We are standing in the crater left by a bomb. But the Program has made the rift into some sort of hiding place or cage. As a result of the attack on the Animus data servers, I believe we are no longer dealing with a singular Program but one fractured into several parts. Whatever virus infiltrated our code is hidden here. I'm sure of it. Of all the strange sounds in this place, one stands out: the cry of an eagle.

[07:10-07:18][8] []

• The Guide: My reach is limited in this space, your abilities imperfect. Ego yet rules this place.

[07:51-07:56][5] [08:35-08:42][7] []

• The Guide: Another communication? To aid us perhaps? Are there yet deeper realms than this?

[]

Attempt to Breach

AS/Protocol 673/BR

[REDACTED],

I'm not sure what to call this place. It is a Rift in the Animus, but the Genetic Memory data is fragmented. The terrain, the soldiers standing watch, it is all taken from the material of Memories. It is clear that the Program has grown beyond the bounds of what anyone at Abstergo could have imagined. This is the deepest any of us have traveled into her construction, but I will soon be detected. The Program is guarding something here. Something important. Another Program? An agent of another Program? She has caged it in a storm the color of... anger? Fear? We are not the only enemy she is battling.

[]

• The Guide: You near the end. My companion. He hears your footsteps.

[12:43-12:56][13] [15:11-15:39][28] [15:50-15:56][6]

The Tournament (Shadows)

Naoe and Yasuke receive an invitation to a formidable and secret fighting arena in Yamato.

[00:15-01:07][52] []

• Gyoji: [breathes] That is everything. Please consider my proposal.

[]

• Yasuke: Sounds like I have found the fighting tournament. People here are quite... uninhibited.

[]

• Gyoji: You came!

[]

• Gyoji: It's a match! Victory to Lord Unkai!

[]

• Lord Unkai: [scoffs] Gyoji!

[02:37-03:30][53] []

• Takao: Nothing like bloodshed to warm the soul. And some tasty sake.

[]

• Woman: Your first fight is against Lady Masago? You may as well leave now.

[]

• Man: Lady Masago's naginata has reach. Bide your time, then strike!

[]

• Lady Masago: Unkai gave me purpose. No one will take that from me.

[]

• Gyoji: It's a match! Lady Masago is no more! Victory to Yasuke the Giant!

[]

• Byakko: Back to work. Clean this up!

[]

• Takao: You could lend a hand, you know.

[06:22-06:26][4] []

• Man: Lord Suguru's blade tears through flesh. Like a knife through water. The sharpest I have ever seen.

[06:47-06:52][5] []

• Lord Suguru: Look upon my blade, and see your death staring back.

[]

• Lord Suguru: Bask in my blade's glory.

[]

• Gyoji: It's a match! Lord Suguru is sheathed! Victory to Yasuke the Giant!

[]

• Takao: Clean fast, clean fast!

[08:19-08:26][7] [08:37-08:40][3] []

• Man: I lost mon betting on Lord Suguru, I'm glad to see him gone. Let's hope Lord Hokuto fares better.

[]

• Man: To survive Lord Hokuto, stay out of his reach. Or it'll be your last mistake.

[]

• Lord Hokuto: Look upon me and be crushed.

[]

• Lord Hokuto: You won't like how this ends.

[]

• Gyoji: It's a match! Lord Hokuto has been toppled! Victory to Yasuke the Giant!

[]

• Takao: How am I supposed to move him? He's huge!

[10:46-10:52][6] []

• Woman: You fight Lady O-Sen next? Well... you had a good streak.

[11:09-11:15][6] []

• Man: Lady O-Sen will poison you the first chance she gets. Be prepared!

[]

• Lady O-Sen: Taste the poison of my blades.

[]

• Lady O-Sen: Embrace death.

[]

• Lady O-Sen: [roars]

[]

• Gyoji: It's a match! O-Sen has poisoned her last foe!Victory to Yasuke the Giant!

[]

• Takao: Careful! Poison may still be on the blades.

[12:58-13:05][7] [13:15-13:23][8] []

• Lord Unkai: Finally. A worthy foe.

[]

• Lord Unkai: I give my opponents a fair fight. Do you?

[15:15-15:30][15] [16:17-17:20][63] []

• Gyoji: Trust that I will find you when the next challenger comes.

Silver Smugglers

[]

• Yasuke: Blood. Someone was ambushed.

[]

• Yasuke: Lord Fujitaka's man ran into trouble. The blood is still fresh.

[]

• Yasuke: This cave looks like a good place to hide.

[04:45-04:58][13] []

• Yasuke: Their leader has inside information on Lord Fujitaka's operation. Enough to get this man killed.

[]

• Yasuke: I will put an end to this business of suffering.

[]

Setting Sail Soon

Listen up! THe holds are nearly at capacity with slaves, so screw those Akechi bastards and their silver bars. We'll set sail in the morning. I'm off to the ship to make final preparations.

- Nycollaao

[]

• Portuguese slaver: Remember, a dead slave is worth nothing.

[10:00-10:04][4] []

• Silver trader: Oh, an intruder! I hope you'll give me a fight worth my while.

[12:07-12:16][9] []

• Yasuke: I need to find the leader of this smuggling ring. Put an end to it once and for all.

[]

Away On Urgent Business

I will be at my house north of Himeji Castle until further notice. Do not seek me out there unless you have a matter of extreme urgency.

Anyone asks where I am, you tell them I've disappeared into thin air.

- Mai

[]

Unsent Letter to Yoshisada

Yoshisada,

I agreed to run your makeshift smuggling organization because I agreed we could all get rich for it. What I did not agree to is taking the fall for you once your incompetence makes your clever scheme collapse.

Make your master see reason or kill him, I do not care. But send men after me and I swear I will send their heads back to you in baskets. And then I'll have yours next.

- Mai

• Yasuke: Yoshisada is behind all of this. That explains why the smugglers knew Lord Fujitaka's every move. I need to tell Lord Fujitaka what I have uncovered.

[17:07-17:48][41] [19:43-20:02][9] []

Yoshisada's Confession

Great and Honorable Lord Fujitaka,

I write to you in earnest to beg your forgiveness for my odious crimes against you and your clan.

You show no care for your potential fortune, so it was a matter of time before someone exploited your disinterest. In that sense, I have done you a mercy in accepting the burden of stealing from you. I sought only to take what I needed, though I confess to growing bolder as you failed time and again to notice.

I hope you will understand my point of view and show the strength of character to forgive your most humble servant.

Yours,

- Yoshisada

• Yasuke: A confession in Yoshisada's own hand. It will pain Lord Fujitaka but... I must show him this.

Yamabushi Imposters

These stranger men disguise themselves as itinerant mountain monks in order to commit brutal acts of violence.

[]

• Genpaku: Step no closer, stranger. I am no imposter.

[00:20-01:20][60] []

• Yasuke: This camp looks abandoned. I wonder where the person went.

[02:19-02:21][3] []

• Yasuke: So many. And all men.

[02:53-03:12][19] [03:34-03:45][11] []

• Yasuke: A corpse from upstream.

[04:28-04:30][2] []

• River Yamabushi: Ah, I recognize you, brother. Leave me to my mission, then.

[]

• Yamabushi: Help! An attacker!

[]

• Forest Yamabushi: [laughs] Saw through my tricks, did you?

[]

• Yasuke: What has made you stoop so low?

[06:52-07:02][10] [07:49-08:13][24] [08:33-08:43][10] [08:49-09:07][18] [09:10-09:18][8] []

• Yasuke: The imposter... turned ascetic.

[]

• Yasuke: I was sent to kill this man. But clearly, this one knows the wrong he has done.

[]

• Yasuke: He is set on his path and will die eventually.

[] [10:18-10:23][5] []

• Naoe: Another victim of this imposter.

[]

• Naoe: More bodies. The people deserve better.

[14:14-14:30][16] [15:20-15:30][10] []

Letter Found on a Yamabushi Imposter

Sir,

That sneaky bastard ran me off my hunting grounds along the path to Nyu-Daimyojin Shrine, but I've found a new area and I'm going strong. People are easy to kill when distracted.

I will not abandom my mission, sir. Never. Never. Never.

For Lord Nobunaga.

(Below the note text, there are 17 rough-drawn slash marks.)

• Naoe: An unsent message. And these slash marks at the bottom. Counting kills of innocents like it were sport.

[18:06-18:11][5] []

• Yasuke: It is over. I should return to Genpaku and let him know the imposters have been dispatched.

[18:57-19:50][53]

The Pirate Alliance

Danger lurks along the coasts of Wakasa, leaving despair in its wake. Someone needs to put an end to the trail of destruction.

[]

• Kage: Big brother Samemaru, I'm sorry. I am failing! I do not want to fail!

[]

• Naoe: Someone is on that ship. Who is he talking to?

[03:17-03:42][25] []

• Lopo Cruz: Ah! An enemy has appeared! Kill!

[]

• Lopo Cruz: My friends... go on without me!

[04:09-04:15][6] []

• Naoe: Maybe I can use these explosives.

[05:35-05:46][11] []

• Little Kappa: [growls] What are you idiots doing? Hurry up!

[]

• Little Kappa: How dare you mess with Little Kappa! You will be erased with fire!

[]

• Jesuit priest: Bless you, oh bless you! I am saved!

[08:18-08:46][28] []

• Naoe: The priest said Sen would be here. This place seems peaceful. Hard to believe there's a pirate here.

[09:20-09:29][9] []

• Naoe: Who threw those weapons into the sea?

[10:25-10:38][13] []

• Pirate archer: Another day comes and goes.

[10:48-11:30][42] [36:28-37:21][53] []

• Man: Ah, you're here! Master instructed me to dig and only leave when you arrive. Now I'm free!

The Winter Raiders

In winter, several villages and important roads in Japan are under attack by a veteran military unit gone rogue, trained in the art of sabotage. They vanish for the rest of the year, but the memories of their vile acts linger.

[00:15-00:34][19] [00:36-01:02][26] []

• Rin: Speak with the elder. I do hope you'll decide to help us.

[01:52-02:50][58] []

• Rin: Excuse me, samurai. Can you spare me one more moment?

[03:04-03:54][50] []

• Yasuke: You survived. If you had stayed, you would not have.

[04:27-05:07][40] [05:15-05:20][5]

[08:34-08:43][9] []

• Yasha: You took Sobei, so I will take your head!

[09:45-10:00][15]

[]

• Yasuke: The elder's notes mentioned that house. I should investigate it.

[]

Note from Yasha's Contact

Hello, old fool. Your hounds are coming for me, but you are not. Coward. Pretending to hold power over Kawakami, what we built together by that river in northern Yoshino. Death will take you too. Perhaps even sooner than you think.

• Yasuke: This note suggests a connection with one of the Raiders. As the elder suspected.

[]

• Yasuke: This is the village referred to in the supplier's note.

[]

• Yasha: It's just ink. A brush. Why is this so hard to master?

[15:04-15:09][5] [15:41-15:48][7] [16:23-16:27][4] [16:51-17:01][10] []

An Important Notice

The situation in eastern Kumano Sanzan remains critical. Spies confirm that the Winter Raider known as Hayate has intensified his attacks on pilgrims in winter. His ambushers operate in highly mobile units. They target Taisha entrances.

[]

• Yasuke: I wonder if this is the Raiders' camp those villagers spoke of.

[]

• Akumu: Very good. It seems you heeded our lessons, recruit. Why do we strike at winter?

[]

• Yasha's prospect: Winter is when the villagers are at their weakest. When help is hardest to find.

[]

• Yasuke: Hmm. Information about the Winter Raiders. And something about the Gobo elder.

[19:18-19:21][3] [19:47-19:53][6] []

• Yasuke: Hmm, something seems off.

[20:53-20:56][3] [21:54-21:58][4] [22:32-22:54][22] [23:09-23:25][16]

The Hunters of Kyonyo

A group of bounty hunters spread across Kii are targeting Kyonyo.

[00:16-01:20][64] [01:26-01:41][15] []

• Yasuke: Bodies. Monks and bandits.

[]

• Yasuke: This confirms a plot to kill Kyonyo. The attackers will regroup after, at Yunomine Onsen.

[]

• Yasuke: This is where Kyonyo's ambushers planned to meet. I should stay hidden and see if any are here.

[02:56-03:12][16] []

Journal Entry Three

I heard Kyonyo's father hired someone to locate his son. Whoever they are, they will be to late to interfere. I'm so close, I can smell the promised reward.

• Yasuke: This bounty hunter, Kamakichi, has been gathering information. Listening in on conversations, perhaps for weeks.

[]

Journal Entry One

A samurai, a ronin, and now a beggar. But I will find Kyonyo here and my fortune will change.

• Yasuke: Saika. Kyonyo's exact location is not here, but this Kamakichi has revealed himself to me.

[]

Journal Entry Two

Someone knows something! The market guards might have disclosed my plan. Regardless, my nightly prowls near the Monk Houses will continue. The Ikko ikki feel safe there - to my advantage.

• Yasuke: I think this can help me find Kamakichi's location.

[]

• Yasuke: That man looks like he's on the watch. It must be Kamakichi.

[]

• Saika guard: No, I saw him. Kyonyo. Dangerous people look for him. Maybe they will come to Saika.

[]

• Yasuke: Kamakichi knew Kyonyo's location. I need to find him before the other bounty hunters do.

[]

Update from Koyasan

Rumor has it that some ronin were hired to track you down. Be aware of this when you travel. These are dangerous times, and we need to be careful.

[]

Kennyo is at Negoroji

Contacts are saying that Kennyo has arrived in Negoroji and has met with several people there. After the fallout between you two, it will not be surprising if he's trying to undermine you.

[10:08-11:22][14] [11:54-11:57][3] []

• Yasuke: What is that noise?

[12:02-12:07][5] []

• Yasuke: Shishi-o shared a close bond with the leader of these bounty hunters.

[13:13-13:48][35] [14:17-14:50][33] []

• Head monk: Come. Follow me.

[14:57-15:04][7] []

To Kyonyo

Some ronin passed by yesterday. They were asking around town about you. One of them looked at me like he knew me. I'm worried that someone might've told them something.

[]

• Head monk: Wait for nightfall. Extinguish every light. That is out best chance.

[]

• Yasuke: I think that is the last of them. I will tell Kyonyo his immediate threats are dealt with.

[]

• Head monk: Thank you, Yasuke. I will await word from Kyonyo.

[]

• Yasuke: Kyonyo and his soldiers.

[17:14-18:27][13] [18:52-18:54][2] [19:00-19:05][5] []

• Tsuchi-Gumo: The ronin Yasuke. Fighting for the wrong man again.

[24:10-25:01][51]

• XXXX: XXXXXX

10-ers

End of the Line (Shadows)

[01:10-01:20][10] [01:32-01:36][4] [05:13-05:21][8] [06:51-06:57][6] [09:46-09:56][10] [14:24-14:30][6]

The Lesson

[10:54-11:03][9] [11:46-11:56][10] [13:49-13:56][7] [15:00-15:05][5] [15:10-15:20][10] [15:56-16:01][5] [17:01-17:04][3] [17:28-17:34][6] [18:47-18:50][3]

The Yokai

[01:37-01:43][6] [01:57-02:04][7] [03:01-03:03][2] [06:14-06:17][3] [06:27-06:35][8] [15:36-15:40][4]

Kurai Eikyou (memory)

[01:51+02:02][2] [05:19-05:21][3]

Chained

[00:13-00:16][3] [03:08-03:15][7] [03:56-04:06][10] [06:27-06:33][6] [07:10-07:18][8] [07:51-07:56][5] [08:35-08:42][7] [15:50-15:56][6]

The Tournament (Shadows)

[06:22-06:26][4] [06:47-06:52][5] [08:19-08:26][7] [08:37-08:40][3] [10:46-10:52][6] [11:09-11:15][6] [12:58-13:05][7] [13:15-13:23][8]

Silver Smugglers

[10:00-10:04][4] [12:07-12:16][9] [19:43-20:02][9]

Yamabushi Imposters

[02:19-02:21][3] [04:28-04:30][2] [06:52-07:02][10] [08:33-08:43][10] [09:10-09:18][8] [10:18-10:23][5] [15:20-15:30][10] [18:06-18:11][5]

The Pirate Alliance

[04:09-04:15][6] [09:20-09:29][9]

The Winter Raiders

[05:15-05:20][5] [08:34-08:43][9] [15:04-15:09][5] [15:41-15:48][7] [16:23-16:27][4] [16:51-17:01][10] [19:18-19:21][3] [19:47-19:53][6] [20:53-20:56][3] [21:54-21:58][4]

The Hunters of Kyonyo

[11:54-11:57][3] [12:02-12:07][5] [14:57-15:04][7] [18:52-18:54][2] [19:00-19:05][5]

• XXXX: XXXXXX

Oth-ers

End of the Line (Shadows)

[00:33-00:50][17] [03:10-03:35][25] [05:47-06:26][39] [07:08-07:22][14] [08:08-08:34][36] [10:30-10:45][15] [11:10-11:49][39] [11:59-12:20][21] [12:48-13:27][39] [13:41-14:08][27]

The Lesson

[09:43-10:30][47] [12:52-13:17][25] [14:09-14:49][40] [19:08-19:30][22] [21:19-21:30][11] [23:33-24:46][13] [24:58-25:18][20]

The Yokai;

[00:14-01:25][71] [02:10-02:31][21] [03:16-03:50][34] [05:06-05:45][39] [08:32-09:10][38] [10:55-11:20][25] [12:04-12:20][16] [12:57-13:10][13] [14:27-15:09][42]

Kurai Eikyou (memory)

[00:23-00:50][27] [08:56-09:17][21] [11:51-12:10][19] [15:03-15:25][22]

Chained

[12:43-12:56][13] [15:11-15:39][28]

The Tournament (Shadows)

[00:15-01:07][52] [02:37-03:30][53] [15:15-15:30][15] [16:17-17:20][63]

Silver Smugglers

[04:45-04:58][13] [17:07-17:48][41]

Yamabushi Imposters

[00:20-01:20][60] [02:53-03:12][19] [03:34-03:45][11] [07:49-08:13][24] [08:49-09:07][18] [14:14-14:30][16] [18:57-19:50][53]

The Pirate Alliance

[03:17-03:42][25] [05:35-05:46][11] [08:18-08:46][28] [10:25-10:38][13] [10:48-11:30][42] [36:28-37:21][53]

The Winter Raiders

[00:15-00:34][19] [00:36-01:02][26] [01:52-02:50][58] [03:04-03:54][50] [04:27-05:07][40] [09:45-10:00][15] [22:32-22:54][22] [23:09-23:25][16]

The Hunters of Kyonyo

[01:26-01:41][15] [02:56-03:12][16] [10:08-11:22][14] [13:13-13:48][35] [14:17-14:50][33] [17:14-18:27][13] [24:10-25:01][51]

-->