Contents

Contents ........................................................... 1
MYTH AND MAGIC
Introduction ..................................................... 2
Children of the Storm provides a whimsical
Getting Started ................................................ 2
introduction to the world of Instruments of the
Background ...................................................... 2 Chrysanthemum Throne. In the full game the
Synopsis ............................................................ 3 players take the role of characters who travel
Japan in the service of the Emperor.
Plots for Children ........................................... 3
Setting the Scene ............................................. 3 They must contend with the will of
malevolent Tsukumogami, whilst harnessing
A New Year’s Tradition ................................. 4 their remarkable magic powers to restore
Primary Characters.......................................... 5 balance to the land. This story is told through
Starting the Game ........................................... 6 8 linked scenarios that can be played
individually or a complete campaign.
The Coming Storm ......................................... 6
Sscondary Characters...................................... 7
Forest of Shadows .......................................... 9
Treacherous Stream ........................................ 9
Tasks ............................................................... 10
999 Steps ........................................................ 11
A Heavy Burden............................................ 11
Sweet Temptation ......................................... 11
A Trio of Tricksters ...................................... 12
The Night Riddle .......................................... 12
The Shrine ...................................................... 13
Oga Region

A Final Test ................................................... 13

The Namahage Arrive .................................. 14
Game Materials ............................................. 15

1
 Introduction Background
Children of the Storm is an introductory scenario Every New Year the people of the small
for the Instruments of the Chrysanthemum Throne coastal village of Wakimoto make an annual
Roleplaying Game. This is a complete, stand- offering to a small hilltop shrine dedicated to
alone, scenario set in mythical Japan - a world the Namahage.
where monsters and creatures of legend exist
The Namahage are demons who descend
alongside people, during the Heian era (794-
into towns and villages at the New Year to
1185).
punish the lazy and terrify children. By
The players take the role of a small group of tradition, they are welcomed into homes and
children who are given an important task on offered food and drink.
behalf of their village and entrusted with
Many parents use stories of the Namahage to
Tsukumogami (sentient objects) to help them
elicit good behaviour from children and
accomplish it. Against the backdrop of a
encourage them to do their chores all year
raging storm, the children must contend with
around. No actual demons have been seen
both supernatural and physical challenges if
for hundreds of years.
they are to save their village as the New Year
begins. Things are about to change. Amenonuhoko,
a divine being, has recently woken from a
Four pre-generated primary characters are
sleep lasting thousands of years. Dismayed
provided, along with four pre-generated
by the modern world, where many
Tsukumogami; cantankerous secondary
supernatural creatures have been banished to
characters who may boss the children around
remote and forgotten places, she sliced
should they become too reliant on their
through the barriers between the real and the
power. Complete rules for resolving all the
mythical.
Tasks described this scenario are also
included, along with a summary for the GM Now, as the New Year approaches, the
to aid facilitation. natural elements are in turmoil. Huge storms
lash Japan and the Namahage stir once more.
Children of the Storm aims to evoke a largely
whimsical experience (children having
fantastical adventures at a time of
celebration). The threats are mischievous,
rather than deadly and as such this game may
work well with a younger group, or with
those who are young-at-heart.

GETTING STARTED
In order to play Children of the Storm, each player should have:
p Two different eight-sided dice (D8’s).
p A pen or pencil.
p A printed Character Tent (from the Game Materials section of this document).
The GM may find it convenient to have:
p A printed, or easily accessible, Scenario Summary (also found in the Game Materials).
p Chips, coins or counters to track Object Power and character Vitality.

2
 Synopsis
The scenario begins with the children
performing chores around the village on
New Year’s Eve. A powerful storm throws
the village into panic as people scramble to
protect valuable crops, while the towns’
fishing fleet battles against the weather to
return to land.
With the village adults otherwise occupied,
Chuyo (a village elder) entrusts a small group
of village children with a solemn task of
taking the annual offering of three rice cakes
to the hilltop shrine of the Namhage before
midnight on New Year’s Eve. To aid them
in this task they are entrusted with a small
collection of Tsukumogami (sentient
objects).
As the storm breaks, the children must
navigate the hazards of the forest at night.
Sentient-shadows play tricks on them and
they must cross a flooded stream to ascend
the 999 stone steps to the shrine. As they
climb they encounter a pack of sly Racoon
Dogs, shapeshifting tricksters, who conspire
to try and fool the children and steal the rice
cakes on three separate occasions before
trying an a brazen theft if the children weren’t
fooled.
If the children have retained all three rice-
cakes for the offering the scenario ends with
victory for the characters as the Namahage
accept the offering. If not, the characters
return to their village to find that all the
people have disappeared. With no people to
shoo them away, the Racoon Dogs have run
amok in the empty village.
Only a short time remains until the
Namahage descend the 999 steps and take
the children away. If the children can
perform the necessary chores to tidy the
village and prepare a meal for the demons,
the New Year may yet have a happy
beginning…
PLOTS FOR CHILDREN
This scenario reflects a common theme of
the tale of the Namahage; that those who are
diligent and hospitable hosts will receive their
blessing. Here the characters have an
opportunity to save all the inhabitants of the
village through their actions.
At the heart of the plot is also the likelihood
that the characters will fail in their initial
objective of delivering an offering to the
Namahage. This makes them responsible, to
some extent, for the fate of the village -
something they can then take action to
correct.
This is a deliberate design decision. A
common theme in adult stories about
children is success against unfair or
inequitable odds. However, this may grate
with some groups. If this might be the case
for your group, it’s recommended that you
discuss this theme prior to running the
scenario to ensure that everyone is
comfortable with this theme and such design
elements.
Setting the Scene
The GM should provide some initial details
about the game setting.
p The game is set in a mythical version of
classical Japan in the Heian period (794–
1185).
p The main focus of the game are the
traditional legends and folk stories of
Japan, rather than details of the historical
context. Creatures of myth, although
uncommon, are a reality of life.
p Japan is ruled by an Emperor who
maintains a vibrant focus on arts and
culture and has presided over a long
period of peace.
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p Despite the nobility enjoying enormous
prosperity, for many people, getting
enough food to survive is a challenge.
Levels of education and healthcare are
basic. Currency is failing, and barter is a
common form of exchange.
Then, the GM should provide some specific
p During the day these chores are
information relevant to the scenario:
p The characters are children living in the
small, coastal village of Wakimoto. The
village has around a dozen families who
split their time between tending
vegetables and fishing.
p Today is the last day of the year, and the
p The village is made up of a number of
multi-family homes, as well as a fishing
area and large, communal gardens. A
modest guest house is also available for
unexpected arrivals.
p The characters are among the youngest
members of the village and while they
are still considered too young to join the
fishing fleet, they are expected to help
out around the village, particularly with
tending the crops and food preparation.
supervised by Chiyo Tanaka, the oldest
person in the village. Chiyo has cared
for many generations village children,
mixing educational stories with a
rigorous focus on hard work.
village has been working particularly
hard to prepare for a celebration feast
tonight. Chiyo has told the children that
if they don’t work hard to ensure that the
village is tidy, then demons called the
Namahage will take them away tonight.

A NEW YEAR’S TRADITION

The Namahage in this scenario are based on a Japanese cultural ritual from the Oga
region. Namahage of this tradition are depicted as demon-like beings with colourful
faces, wearing long straw coats.
As a part of New Year tradition young people often take the role of Namahage,
donning masks and coats, and entering houses to encourage people (particularly
children) to work and study hard, and obey their parents or in-laws. Food and drink
is offered, and in return the family can expect good luck in the year ahead. More
information is available via the Namahage Museum: https://namahage.co.jp/

4
 PRIMARY CHARACTERS
Four pre-generated characters are provided in the Game Materials section of this scenario.
These should be given to the players and assembled. For the first scene of the game the
players do not need to be concerned with the Secondary Characters information printed
alongside their character information.
Each Primary Character has a short description highlighting a mix of traits that could be
both negative and positive in order to aid the player in bringing them to life, as well as
something they know about the other characters, which the player can make up and
introduce at any point during the game.

Akemi; Fierce, strong, focussed. Akemi is the oldest and

wants more responsibility but often finds the other children
frustrating when they disobey or question her decisions.
Akemi remembers a time when Fukimo didn’t listen to her
and got badly hurt.

Fumiko; Brave, decisive, headstrong. A year younger than

Kazuko. Fumiko is eager for new adventures, but sometimes
acts too hastily.
Fumiko knows all about a brave hero that Isamu wants to
emulate.

Kazuko; Thoughtful, considered, deliberate. Kazuko is a

year older than Fukimo. Kazuko is always keen to learn new
things and use her knowledge to help. Sometimes she gets
lost in her own thoughts.
Kazuko knows the identity of the person in the village that
Akemi has a secret crush on.

Isamu; Fearless, curious, trusting. Isamu is the youngest.

Isamu is happiest when exploring and having adventures,
but doesn’t like being treated differently because he’s the
youngest.
Isamu knows an embarrassing secret about Kazuko

5

Starting the Game
Ask each player to begin by describing chores
that their character has been performing
around the village. Suggestions are provided
below for the GM to help describe the scene:
p House cleaning - this chore involves
sweeping and cleaning the village houses
and ensuring that the village guest house
is free of dust and ready to welcome
visitors to the village in the New Year
(most suitable for Isamu – the other
chores are suitable for any of the
children).
p Vegetable tending - this involves digging
out yams, and washing them, before
digging a new row for fresh planting.
p Net clearing- this involves untangling and
scraping seaweed from some of the many
fishing nets stored in a storage hut.
p Water fetching - this chore involves
walking through the forest to a nearby
stream, filling two buckets, and carrying
them back to the village (repeated this task
several times).
The GM should prompt the player to add
some additional detail if necessary. For
example, does the character seem distracted,
or are they working diligently? At the
conclusion of this description Chiyo comes
to inspect their work:
p If the character has been working
diligently (as described by the player), she
will nod approvingly and then point to a
further task to be done.
p If the character seems to have done a poor
job, or is otherwise slacking off, Chiyo will
tell them that they remind her of their
parents and that they had better improve
or the Namahage will come and take away
the lazy children tonight.
The players should also have an opportunity
for their characters to interact as they work
around the village.
The Coming Storm
The weather changes mid-afternoon, with
ominous blue-grey clouds plunging the
village into an unnatural twilight. The wind
picks up and blows in from the sea with fierce
intensity. The people of Wakimoto are no
strangers to bad weather, and they know that
a fierce storm can threaten both lives and
livelihoods. The adults of the village
immediately busy themselves preparing for
the storm and getting ready to bring the day’s
catch ashore.
With everyone busy, the characters are
summoned to Chiyo’s house. Here, amongst
the musty clutter, Chiyo tells them that they
must complete an important task.
p Every New Year’s Eve villagers take an
offering of food up the 999 steps at the
base of the hill beyond the forest that
surrounds the village. At the top of these
stairs is a shrine to the Namahage. Making
this offering is important, as it protects the
village for the following year.
p Because of the storm all the adults are
busy and Chiyo is too old to climb the
steps. The Children must complete this
task on behalf of the village. This is a
serious responsibility, as there will be
grave consequences if they fail to make
the offering (Chiyo may give a summary
of the legend of the Namahage).
p To aid them in this mission, Chiyo will
provide them each with a Tsukumogami,
a sentient object imbued with magical
powers. These objects have been
cherished by the village for generations
and each has its own personality.
6
This is an opportunity for the characters to
ask questions, although time is of the essence
and Chiyo is eager that they begin their
journey.
The children all know that the start of the
stone stairs is a few miles beyond the village;
through the forest and over the river. It’s
likely that they have been forbidden from
climbing it (although any who may have
disregarded such prohibitions remember a
long uneventful climb leading to a simple
wooden shrine).
Chiyo then gives each character a magic
object to help them with their task. These
objects have been pre-assigned to the
characters and appear on the reverse of the
assembled character tent as a Secondary
Character. The Tsukumogami include:
Each object can speak to their bearer, but
their voice is not heard by the other children.
The objects are very old, often cantankerous
and prone to scolding the bearer, but they
also care about the children and want to help
them return to the village safely.
Any player can take the role of an Secondary
Character to make a comment to the bearer,
using the personality described below.
Should a character’s Tsukumogami ever have
more power than a character has points of
Vitality, then for the duration of the next
scene the Tsukumogami possess the
character – and the player reverses their
character tent and plays only the secondary
character.
Chiyo also gives the children a simple basket,
containing three rice cakes, to be delivered to
the Shrine. This is entrusted to the character
that Chiyo feels to be the most reliable, based
on their earlier chores.

SECONDARY CHARACTERS
A small nata sickle , introduced as Baba Nata. Baba (grandmother)
Nata is extremely helpful in completing physical tasks, but is also
quick to criticise. (the bearer - Akemi -can spend 1 Object Power to
roll an additional Object die when attempting a Task that involves
cutting things or creating something from things that have been cut).

A chōchin lantern, introduced as Jiji Chōchin. Jiji (grandfather)

Chōchin. can see things clearly but he’s often forgetful and needs to
be reminded of things (the bearer - Fumiko - can spend 1 Object
Power to roll an additional object die when attempting a Task that
involves seeing things).

A wagasa umbrella, introduced as Baba Wagasa. Baba

(grandmother) Wagasa protects people from danger, and scolds
those who take risks (the bearer -Kazuko - can spend 1 Object
Power to roll an additional Object die when attempting a Task that
involves protecting herself or others).

A wide-brimmed hat introduced as Jiji Kasa. Jiji (grandfather) Kasa

is very persuasive and insightful, but also tends to be very doubtful
of the capabilities of the children (the bearer -Isamu - can spend 1
Object Power to roll an additional Object die when attempting a
Task that involves persuasion).

7
8

Forest of Shadows
As the children venture from the bustle of
the village the first heavy drops of rain begin
to fall.
Leaving the village, the characters enter the
woods beyond. The trees are ancient and
huge, and the forest canopy provides a degree
of shelter from the rain. There are well
trodden paths that lead through the trees.
These are familiar to the characters, as they
will have played here many times.
However, the darkness and the storm make
the forest seem different and unfamiliar.
Gusts of wind cause the trees to gently sway
and shift, giving the impression the entire
forest is suddenly stirring to life. As the
characters venture deeper into the forest, a
group of young Kage-onna (or living
shadows) follow them intent on mischief.
The Kage-onna play pranks on the children
as they make their way through the forest by
impersonating their shadows. Specifically,
they will try to cause some conflict between
the characters by:
p Appearing to be about to pinch or trip
another child
p Making faces or rude gestures when the
other child’s back is turned
p Appearing to be sneakily eating the rice
cakes
Eventually the characters should work out
that their shadows are alive. While they do
not intend to cause any harm, the characters
may wish to drive the Kage-onna away.
To accomplish this, each character must
successfully perform a Task to drive the
Kage-onna away (examples might include
making a scary noise, or telling the shadow
off). A description of how to resolve Tasks
is provided on the next page. There is one
Kage-onna for each child.
p If the player has guessed correctly (the
score of the die matches their guess) then
their character has Succeeded in the Task
and driven away the Kage-onna
impersonating their character’s shadow.
p If the player guessed correctly and they
have rolled a Lucky Number (8) then their
character has Succeeded particularly
well and can drive away two Kage-onna.
p If the player guessed incorrectly then their
character has been Unsuccessful in the
Task and continues to be followed by a
Kage-onna while in the forest.
p If the player guessed incorrectly and also
rolls an Unlucky Number (4) is
particularly Unsuccessful and loses 1
point of character Vitality as their shadow
tricks them into a painful fall
Treacherous Stream
Deeper within the forest, the characters
arrive at the normally tranquil stream that
provides fresh water for the village. The
stream is crossed with a simple wooden
bridge. The path leading on to the stairs
continues on the other side.
The storm has caused a dam further
upstream to burst, and now the stream is
filled with surging white water that has risen
to the level of the bridge, making the crossing
treacherous. While the stream is still not
deep enough to drown in, falling into the
freezing cold water is a nasty shock.
To cross the bridge safely the characters will
each need to succeed in a Task (describing
how they manage the crossing one at a time).
This could include walking carefully across
the bridge, forming a human chain, or
jumping between tree branches above the
river.
9
 TASKS
A Task occurs at any time during the game session where there is a chance for a character
to fail, and that failure could have a dramatic impact on the character or the wider story.
To resolve a Task, the player describes what the character is attempting to do and rolls a
single eight-sided die to reflect their characters skill and experience, and an additional,
different coloured eight-sided die reflecting the magical influence of the object they carry,
and covers the result with their hand or a cup.
They then choose either EVEN or ODD without looking at the dice. The roll is then
revealed and the player choses which dice score they will use.
p If the player has guessed correctly (the score of the die matches their guess) then their
character has succeeded in the Task.

p If the player guessed correctly and they have rolled a Lucky Number (8) then their
character has succeeded particularly well. This may include an additional benefit,
insight or piece of fortune specified in this scenario.

p If the player guessed incorrectly then their character has been unsuccessful in the
Task. Failing some particularly dangerous Tasks may cause the character to lose 1
Vitality.

p If the player guessed incorrectly and they have rolled an Unlucky Number (4) then
their character has failed spectacularly and suffer an additional penalty specified in
the scenario.

CHOOSING THE OBJECT DIE

Tsukumogami grants their bearers supernatural power allowing them to achieve
extraordinary things. However, this power comes at a price. The personality of the Object
continuously seeks to overcome the will of its bearer.
The player can choose to use the result of either die, thereby increasing their chances of
success. However, if the player elects to use the Object die, they must add +2 Object
Power to reflect its growing influence over the character.
If, after the Task has been resolved, the Object Power is greater than the current Vitality
of the character, the Object takes control of the character for a short time.
The player should reverse the Character Tent and play only the role of the Secondary
Character. While they are in this role the character cannot participate in further Tasks
(and automatically fails them if required to do so) because they are so busy telling all the
other characters what to do.
This should last until some point during the next scene (the scenario headings denote new
scenes) as determined by the GM.

10
Possible outcomes of crossing the
treacherous stream include:
p If the player has guessed correctly (the
score of the die matches their guess) then
their character has Succeeded in the Task
and crossed the stream safely.
p If the player guessed correctly and they
have rolled a Lucky Number (8) then their
character has Succeeded particularly
well. In addition to crossing safely, they
observe three large Racoon Dogs
watching the children as they cross the
stream. As soon as they’re spotted, the
Raccon Dogs sniff the air and then bound
away swiftly, in the direction of the stone
stair.
p If the player guessed incorrectly then their
character has been Unsuccessful in the
Task. They are swept off the bridge,
falling into the water and loses 1 point of
Vitality. If the character carrying the
basket fails, then one rice cake is lost.
p If the player guessed incorrectly and also
rolls an Unlucky Number (4) is
particularly Unsuccessful and loses 2
points of Vitality. If the character carrying
the basket fails - and is also unlucky - then
two rice cakes are lost instead of one.
999 Steps
The 999 steps are said to have been created
by the Namahage themselves. The stairs
consists of shallow treads carved from stone,
organised into 50 flights each with a small
landing. These steps wind their way up the
hill. The swirling wind and rain make the
climb especially unpleasant for the children.
It costs all of the characters 1 point of their
Vitality as they start to climb as they become
wet and cold from the wind and the rain.
As the children begin to make their way up
the stairs, the Racoon Dogs who have been
watching them decide to make their move.
These shapeshifting tricksters sense a chance
to cause some mischief and steal the delicious
rice cakes. They make three attempts to steal
the rice cakes from the children as they
ascend the stairs:
A HEAVY BURDEN
One Racoon Dog shapeshifts to appear to be
an old woman carrying a heavy bundle of
sticks (almost as big as she is) down the stairs
(the other racoon dogs take the form of the
bundle of sticks). The old woman is vague
on the details about where she is going and
why (the Racoon Dogs have limited
understanding of human motivations) but
she asks for a rice cake to give her strength to
complete her journey as she is very tired.
p If the characters give her a rice-cake she
thanks them and departs (anyone who
follows her without being observed - by
successfully completing a Task - sees the
Racoon Dogs resume their normal forms
and devour the rice cake swiftly, before
racing off to get ahead of the characters
once more using a magical shortcut).
p If the characters refuse, the old woman
looks at them with sad, pleading eyes until
they are out of sight. Then the Racoon
Dogs run off to get ahead of the
characters once more.
SWEET TEMPTATION
On a wide landing at the half-way point of
the climb, the Racoon Dogs appear to take
the shape of a Washi (sweet) shop with two
dogs taking the form of the shop and counter
and the third, a kindly man who runs the
shop. They use magic to transform small
piles of mud and leaves into delicious-
looking and smelling treats. The sweet shop
vendor offers to trade four delicious sweets
for a rice cake.
11
 A TRIO OF TRICKSTERS
p If the characters make the trade the
vendor gives each of them a delicious
sweet and bids them good luck on their
journey. As soon as the characters bite
into their treat they discover is a small,
foul-tasting bundle of mud and leaves. If
anyone remains to speak to the vendor,
the Racoon Dogs will then resume their
normal form, devour the rice-cake and
then run off.
p If the characters refuse, the vendor looks
at them with sad, pleading, eyes until they
are out of sight. Then the Racoon Dogs
run off to get ahead of the characters once
more.
THE NIGHT RIDDLE
On the final landing before the top of the
stair, a Raccoon Dog shapeshifts to become
a warrior monk (or Shoen). He stands with a
quarterstaff at the ready, blocking the final
climb to the top. The monk tells the children
The characters have come to the
attention of a trio of Racoon
Dogs (or Tanuki). Although wary
of adults the Racoon Dogs can
smell the delicious rice-cakes and
are determined to try and steal
them from the children. The
Racoon Dogs can shapeshift into
any form and make several
attempts to trick the children into
parting with the rice-cakes as they
climb the stair, using hidden dog-
paths to ensure they always
remain ahead.
that to pass they must answer a riddle. The
riddle is as follows (this is not a true riddle,
rather an abridged Zen Koan or
enlightenment story, but the Racoon Dogs
do not know the difference):
A blind man visited a friend one night and
was offered a lantern to carry home with him.
“I do not need a lantern,” he said.
“Darkness or light is all the same to me.”
“I know you do not need a lantern to find your
way home,” his friend replied, “but if you
don’t have one someone else may run into you.
Please take it.”
The blind man started off with the lantern
and before he had walked very far, someone
ran squarely into him. Why?
The correct answer is because the lantern had
gone out.
12
If the children answer this correctly then the
three Racoon Dogs revert to their true form,
and make one last attempt to steal rice-cakes
by trying to snatch them directly from the
basket.
In order to drive the Racoon Dogs away, the
characters must each attempt a Task. They
collectively need to achieve three collective
successes (one for each dog) and describe
how they are acting to force the dogs to leave.
p The character of a player that guesses
correctly adds +1 Success to the total; a
character that guesses incorrectly does not
add a success.
p The character of a player that guesses
correctly and rolls a Lucky number (8)
adds +2 Successes.
p The character of a player that both guesses
incorrectly and rolls an Unlucky number
(4) subtracts -1 Success from the
collective total.
If the characters do not collectively achieve
three successes, they lose 1 rice-cake for each
success less than three. For example, if the
characters only managed one success, then
they would lose two rice cakes.
If the children do not answer the riddle
correctly, then the monk will tell them that he
will only let them pass if they give him a rice-
cake. If the children agree he takes the rice
cake and walks past them down the stair. If
they refuse, then the Racoon Dogs make a
final attempt to grab the rice-cakes, triggering
the collective Task as above.
The Shrine
At the top of the stairs, the characters are
afforded a view of the rainswept coast, and
they can make out the flickering lights of their
village far below. A simple shrine made of
wood inscribed with the character for
Namahage stands a small distance from the
final step. Three bowl-like indentations, each
approximately the size of a rice-cake, are
carved into the top. Here the characters must
place the offering.
p If the characters have been extremely
diligent and retained all three rice-cakes
the scenario ends here. As they place the
final rice cake there is a blinding flash and
once the characters can see once more,
they are surrounded by Namahage, who
look them over ominously. One of their
number inspects the offering and nods
approvingly. Then, suddenly, the rice-
cakes and Namahage are gone. The
characters are free to return to their village
and ring-in the New Year with their loved
ones.
p If the characters are missing one (or more)
rice-cake, then lightning cuts through the
night, striking the centre of their village,
blinding the characters for a moment. In
that instant the characters hear their
names on the wind, as though they are
being called by their parents and loved
ones, then the rain and wind return with
renewed vigour. The village seems as it
was before.
A Final Test
Now that they’ve completed their journey to
the shrine, all that remains is for the children
to return to their village. The journey down
the stair is difficult. The rain and wind has just
returned with renewed vigour, and between
poor visibly and slippery steps. The characters
must successfully complete a Task to descend
safely (or lose a point of Vitality).
Once they reach the village they find it
deserted. It is as though all of the people had
disappeared at the moment the lightning
struck. To make matters worse the Racoon
Dogs have subsequently taken the
opportunity to ransack the houses for
anything of interest. The village is now a
mess.
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As the characters take stock of the situation,
they hear a distant drum beating, and see a line
of flickering torches descending the 999 steps.
The Namahage are on their way to the village!
The characters remember Chiyo’s warning
about the need to welcome the Namahage,
offer them food and present a tidy house. In
order to do this the characters will each need
to complete a Task requiring a total of four
collective successes, using the same process
as outlined previously:
p Tidy the village - many personal
belongings have been strewn about and
the fishing nets have been dragged out
from the Net House. Completing this
Task requires a single success.
p Sweep and clean inside - there are muddy
paw marks and half eaten food in many
houses and across the guest house.
Completing this Task requires a single
success.
p Prepare a meal- this is a complex task, but
there are still stores of food (especially rice
and preserved fish) that the Racoon Dogs
didn’t find which can be made into a
delicious meal. This Task requires two
successes.
p If the characters welcome them outdoors,
then an invisible drum will beat seven
times in slow succession. On the seventh
beat the Namahage suddenly appear all
around the village.
The Namahage will inspect the surroundings;
looking to make sure everything is clean and
tidy. One of their number will then slowly
take some of the food that has been offered.
If the characters achieved all four of the
Tasks, the Namahage nod approvingly.
Suddenly the food and Namahage are gone.
In the same instant all the villagers are
returned. Slightly confused, but filled with
good spirits, a New Year celebration begins in
earnest. Only Chiyo will believe the children’s
story about the Namahage.
However, if the characters did not achieve all
four of the required Tasks, then the villagers
are returned as above, but the Namahage will
take one child per failed Task.
The players should decide which of the
children are taken. The children who vanish
are gone for a full year and will only be
returned if the proper offerings are made to
the Namahage the following year.

The Namahage Arrive

Once the characters have tidied the village and
prepared a meal the Namahage arrive. The
detail of their arrival depends on the
arrangements the character have made to
receive them. Some possibilities are below:
p If the characters are ready to welcome
them in a house (the Guest House would
be particularly appropriate), once the meal
is ready and the children have gathered the
Namahage knock on the door seven times
before entering.
Namahage

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Game Materials

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