#The 8 Key Residents — 800 Faces, and the Reason to Protect Them

Contents

The 800 people of Kagamiyama Domain are not a number. Within that number, eight faces stand as representatives. When they smile, morale rises; when they weep, the lord cannot sleep.

Core References

- Required: Three Ways and Six Hearts

- Reference: kokujin domain management

- In this supplement: Resident Morale · Young Lord · The 6 Retainers

[New Rule] Resident Representative Speaking Right

If 3 or more of the 8 key residents with the same disposition submit a petition to the lord, the lord cannot refuse an official hearing (kokujin customary law). The hearing's result changes morale by ±1. The resident representative speaking right forcibly creates room for PC intervention.

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#Roster Overview

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#1. Old Woman Otone — Elderly Storyteller

#Scent — Otone as a Person

#Appearance

Seventy-four. Very short, with a heavily bent back. Her white hair is tied back in one tail, and countless wrinkles are carved across her face like a net. Both eyes can barely see — cataracts. Even so, she finds her way back to her own house at night. "My eyes memorized the map of this village."

Over a black cotton kimono she wears a loose gray coat. At her waist is one cloth pouch — inside are a pipe and dried mugwort.

#Speech

Slow and low. Her voice has the texture of tree bark. She often lets endings trail off — not because her memory is fading, but because she expects the listener to fill them in. She barely distinguishes honorific and plain speech. Everyone is "child" or "you rascal."

#Daily Life

• Dawn: wakes early and tends the small field in the yard
• Morning: sits in the yard and smokes. If anyone passing by speaks to her, she tells them a story.
• Afternoon: village children visit and listen to old tales
• Evening: eats dinner alone. She eats little.
• Night: lights one lamp and sits facing the wall — until she falls asleep

#Worries

Greatest worry: The old stories she knows will vanish with her. She says, "If there is no one to receive it, a story returns to seed again." Even when children come, she is not sure they will remember.

Second worry: Since the drift, her dreams are strange. The people she sees in dreams have unfamiliar faces. They may be Spirit Realm residents.

#Law and Skills

Otone (noncombat NPC, village elder — dan unassigned)
 Courage +0 / Finesse -1 / Physique -1 / Wisdom +2 / Presence +0 / Fate +1  (noncombat minor total +1)
 Energy 9 (10 + Finesse -1 = 9, weak)
 Wounds 2 (3 + Physique -1 = 2, weak)
 Defense 10 (general arms — everyday clothes)
 Three Ways and Six Hearts: Truth (truth — transmission of stories)

Trait (noncombat common folk, 1):

• Lucky One [general, aptitude] — Fate Intervention +1 (accumulated fortune of a long-lived elder)

Skills (noncombat — novice/trained range, Master and Saint unavailable): Prophecy novice(1 point, folk divination), Perception novice(1 point, memory and intuition) Livelihood (New #11): Livelihood:Storyteller (Master Artisan, 4 points, +3) — living witness to Kagamiyama Domain's oral tradition. Highest rank of core Livelihood Proficiency. Livelihood:Folk Medicine (novice, +0, traditional herbs) · Livelihood:Farming (trained, +1)

#Sample Lines

Routine (while smoking):

"Child... come sit here. That mountain you see there... once upon a time, on that mountain... a tiger lived."

When a PC asks about the drift:

"You think... this is the first time? Before this domain existed... two villages vanished from this land. Do you know where they went? The earth swallowed them. The earth."

When the lord visits:

(bowing her head) "What business would the young lord... have with this old hag? Just drink a cup of tea before you go."

#Relationships and Hooks

• Akihisa: Otone remembers Akihisa's father and grandfather. She sometimes tells the lord stories that begin, "Your grandfather, you know..." — family history the lord does not know.
• Sanjiro: She dotes on him like a real grandson. Her favorite child to tell stories to.
• Hook 1 — Old Legend: Otone remembers a legend that this land has drifted before in the past. The details are hazy, but she can provide clues. Key NPC after Chapter 2.

• Hook 2 — Strange Dreams: The faces that appear in Otone's dreams may match specific ghosts in the Spirit Realm. Side quest The Old Woman's Dream.
• Hook 3 — Naming a Successor: Otone seeks someone who will listen to her stories. An event may let her pass the "story box" to a suitable PC.

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#2. Boy Sanjiro — Yukichi's Son

#Scent — Sanjiro as a Person

#Appearance

Thirteen. Average height for his age. His arms are thin, but his palms already have calluses despite his youth — because he helps with forge work. His face resembles his father's, with strong eyes. His hair is cut short — his father often gets annoyed and shaves it down.

His everyday clothes are rough brown work clothes. At his waist is a small wooden sword — one that was nearly broken and repaired. Yukichi made it as a toy, but to Sanjiro it is a real blade.

#Speech

Fast and high. His emotions show exactly as they are. He has learned respect speech, but slips into casual speech when excited. He tries to speak respectfully to Akihisa, but his familiarity keeps bursting out.

#Daily Life

• Dawn: checks his father's forge fire (a task assigned by his father)
• Morning: helps with his father's work — full of complaints
• Afternoon: sometimes watches retainers train in front of the castle → imitates them
• Evening: dinner at home with his father. Few words.
• Night: secretly swings the wooden sword

#Worries

Greatest worry: His father will make him a blacksmith. In his heart he is always shouting, "I hate hammers. I like swords."

Second worry: He wants Akihisa to notice him. He worries over what would make the lord recognize him.

Third worry: His father is aging. If his father is gone, who will run the forge? — contradictory feelings.

#Law and Skills

Sanjiro (noncombat NPC, apprentice — dan unassigned)
 Courage +1 / Finesse +1 / Physique +0 / Wisdom +0 / Presence +0 / Fate +0  (noncombat minor total +2)
 Energy 11 (10 + Finesse +1 = 11)
 Wounds 3 (3 + Physique +0 = 3)
 Defense 10 (general arms — work clothes)
 Three Ways and Six Hearts: Loyalty (lord)

Trait (noncombat common folk, 1):

• Lucky One [general, aptitude] — Fate Intervention +1 (blessing of a boy with a dream)

Livelihood (New #11): Livelihood:Blacksmithing (trained, +1) — currently learning from his father Yukichi

• Skills (noncombat — novice range): Perception novice(1 point), Footwork novice(1 point), Fighting Spirit novice(1 point)
• Swordsmanship-related: Does not possess the formal skill — when making Swordsmanship checks, apply the untrained penalty -2. The wooden sword is treated as a toy.

#Sample Lines

Routine (after watching training):

"Mister... how do I draw a sword as fast as Lord Kagemitsu? Ah, no — um — I am asking you, good sir!"

When his father orders forge work:

"Father, I don't want to be a blacksmith. My dream is to die at the lord's side!"

(Yukichi: "...A boy whose dream is dying won't live longer than a blacksmith, fool.")

When speaking directly with the lord (rare chance):

(trembling voice) "M-my lord! I... I can protect you! Give me a sword, not a hammer!"

#Relationships and Hooks

• Yukichi: Conflict between father and son. Yukichi does not force his son, but quietly hopes he will inherit the forge.
• Kagemitsu: Hero. Sanjiro's idol. Kagemitsu notices this and finds it annoying, but still teaches him a few techniques.
• Akihisa: God. Sanjiro only looks for chances to speak to Akihisa.
• Children: They are his peers, but Sanjiro already belongs to the "working boy" side and keeps some distance from the children.
• Hook 1 — Running Away: Sanjiro disappears one day. If tracked, he is in the forest, in danger after trying to face a Spirit Realm yoma alone. Rescue quest.
• Hook 2 — Path of the Samurai: If Sanjiro is recommended as an official disciple of Kagemitsu or Toma, he has a long-term path to grow into a 3rd-dan samurai. However, Yukichi is saddened.
• Hook 3 — Inheriting the Forge: Conversely, Sanjiro may grow and realize the value of blacksmithing. He may become the one who inherits Yukichi's unfinished tachi.

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#3. Fisherman Genbe — Fishery Representative

#Scent — Genbe as a Person

#Appearance

Forty-one. Tall, with a solid build. His skin is dark bronze — the result of a lifetime in sun on the sea and river. His hands are large and rough. His face bears the traces of dried salt.

His everyday clothing is a hemp fundoshi at the waist, with only an upper garment over his torso. At his waist is a belt made from iron cord — holding fishing tools and a small knife.

#Speech

Low and blunt. Mixed with seaside dialect. He is poor at honorific speech, but his heart is respectful. He says little, but once he speaks, he is firm.

#Daily Life

• Dawn: fishes at the domain's river (the domain has a small river — it remained after the drift)
• Morning: processes caught fish and sells them at market
• Afternoon: repairs fishing gear, meets with other fishers
• Evening: eats at home with wife and daughter
• Night: sleeps early

#Worries

Greatest worry: His eldest son's disappearance. Immediately after the drift, his eldest son (age 18) left saying "there is something beyond the river" and did not return. It has been 3 months. Genbe believes his son crossed into the Spirit Realm.

Second worry: The river water has begun to become polluted. Since the drift, black foam has mixed along the riverbed. Fish populations are decreasing.

Third worry: If fish supply to the domain is cut off, nutrition will suffer. Conflict with Merchant Kyube — Kyube forces down fish prices.

#Law and Skills

Genbe (noncombat NPC -> support in emergencies, dan unassigned)
 Courage +0 / Finesse +1 / Physique +2 / Wisdom +0 / Presence +0 / Fate -1  (noncombat minor total +2)
 Energy 11 (10 + Finesse +1 = 11)
 Wounds 5 (3 + Physique +2 = 5, near noncombat cap — sturdy build)
 Defense 10 (general arms — hemp fundoshi)
 Three Ways and Six Hearts: Compassion (coexistence)

Trait (noncombat common folk, 1):

• Lucky One [general, aptitude] — Fate Intervention +1 (blessing of a sea person)

Skills (noncombat — novice/trained range): Perception trained(2 points, sea observation), Survival novice(1 point) Livelihood (New #11): Livelihood:Fishing (artisan, +2) — the domain's finest fisherman. Livelihood:Navigation (novice, +0, coast only)

Noncombat, but in an emergency: Can harry with a harpoon or fishing net — support for PCs (apply untrained combat penalty -2).

#Sample Lines

Routine:

"Strange foam floated on the river today. Third time. I was going to tell the onmyoji... but he is busy, yes? Right, right."

About his son:

(bowing his head) "...Genichi. He... three months ago. Said the other side of the river was strange... and went. He has not returned. My wife cries every night. I..."

(catching his breath) "...I cry. Even in the day."

When PCs say they will find his son:

"Truly? You will truly look for him? If he is alive... if he is only alive, I would give my share to the lord. No, even to the lord — no, I cannot, that child is mine. Just find him."

#Relationships and Hooks

• Akihisa: Respectful. He remembers the lord personally visiting to comfort him after receiving the report of his son's disappearance.
• Kyube: Conflict. Genbe is beaten in price negotiations.
• Ume: Shared empathy over similar loss. They speak with each other.
• Hook 1 — Finding His Son: Genichi (age 18) may be in the Spirit Realm. Chapter 1~2 side quest. Possible discovery states: alive, ghosted, transformed.
• Hook 2 — River Pollution: The black foam on the riverbed is Reviving Hell residue. Exorcism is required. If left alone, resident illness increases.
• Hook 3 — Fishery Resource Crisis: The PCs may explore a Spirit Realm lake with Genbe. Catching Spirit Realm fish = food replenishment.

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#4. Children — 4 Symbolic Figures

#Scent — The Children

These NPCs are handled as a group more than one by one. Only each name and a short trait.

#Common Appearance

All wear shabby brown or gray work clothes. Their footwear is straw sandals or bare feet. Dirty faces, roughly cut hair. Their eyes are clear.

#Common Speech

Bright. They do not feel the weight of the drift as adults do — or feel it and overcome it through play. They do not use honorifics. PCs are "mister," "big sister," or "big brother."

#Daily Life

• Morning: errands, helping adults
• Afternoon: play. Mostly hide-and-seek or stone throwing around the castle.
• Evening: each goes home.
• Night: sometimes Yume stays at Otone's house and listens to stories.

#Worries

Mari: Says her doll "spoke to me last night." Adults think it is a child's fantasy, but Mari's doll may be a medium for a Spirit Realm soul.

Hachi: His older brother died during the drift. Hachi seems not to grieve, but cries quietly at night.

Yume: Copies Otone's stories into a diary. Otone's only possible successor.

Taro: Responsibility to protect the children. He is 11 years old, but already a little head of household. His father was injured during the drift and is half-paralyzed.

#Law and Skills

Children (noncombat NPCs, each — dan unassigned)
 Average: Courage -1 / Finesse -1 / Physique -1 / Wisdom +1 / Presence +0 / Fate +1  (small child body, noncombat minor total -1)
 Energy 9 (10 + Finesse -1 = 9, weak — because they are children)
 Wounds 2 (3 + Physique -1 = 2, weak)
 Defense 10 (general arms — work clothes)
 Three Ways and Six Hearts: not yet fixed (because they are children)

Traits: none (because they are children, immature)

Common Skills (noncombat — novice only): Footwork novice(1 point, running), Infiltration novice(1 point, hiding), Perception novice(1 point, intuition — Yume only)

#Sample Lines

Hachi (coming to play):

"Mister! What's this? Is this Spirit Realm sword real? Can I touch it? Huh? Huh!?"

Mari (quietly, holding the doll):

"Mister. This one says... there is something bad beside you. Be careful."

Yume (after hearing Otone's story):

"Grandmother said this land disappeared once a long time ago. Is it true?"

Taro (gathering the children):

"Everybody, come on. Let's go home before sunset. Mari, Hachi — stand behind me. Yume, you're stopping by grandmother's house, right? I'll take you there."

#Relationships and Hooks

• Akihisa: The children are not afraid of the lord. Rather, they treat him like "big brother young prince." Akihisa treasures this relationship.
• Otone: Grandmother to the children. Especially Yume.
• Sanjiro: Already belongs to the "adult side," distant from the children.
• Hook 1 — Mari's Doll: The doll is a medium for a Spirit Realm soul. Chapter 2 quest. Choose whether to help it attain Buddhahood and send it on, or keep it as a medium.
• Hook 2 — Hachi's Brother: Hachi's brother's ghost may be at the Spirit Realm boundary. If found, Hachi can heal.
• Hook 3 — Yume's Succession: When Otone dies, Yume inherits the storyteller role. Long-term ending device.
• Hook 4 — Taro the Head of Household: A way to heal Taro's father (Minako and Ryozan cooperating). Side quest.
• Hook 5 — Child Death: Worst possibility. A child dying in the campaign is a morale -3 disaster. The GM should avoid it as much as possible.

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#5. Village Head Heisaku — Resident Representative

#Scent — Heisaku as a Person

#Appearance

Fifty-eight. Average height, lean build. His hair is heavily mixed with white, and his face has deep wrinkles. His eyes are sharp. Village head's eyes — eyes that judge what someone lacks right now, no matter who he looks at.

His everyday clothing is a dark indigo kimono. At his waist is an old seal pouch — inside is a small wooden seal, symbol of the village head. One staff — for authority, and also support when actually walking.

#Speech

Polite but firm. A person who says what must be said, even to samurai and the lord. His honorifics are accurate. When sentences grow long, he uses rhetoric — a farmer by birth, but he can read and write and quotes a few classical anecdotes.

#Daily Life

• Dawn: walks the domain and checks the condition of each house
• Morning: hears resident complaints at the village head office (also his home)
• Afternoon: weekly report to the lord (official)
• Evening: dinner at home with wife. Children are independent.
• Night: writes documents — resident petitions, requests, and the like

#Worries

Greatest worry: He suspects the lord is hiding the truth from the residents. He believes, "Where we are, when we can return, and whether we can return at all — residents have the right to know these three things."

Second worry: Since the drift, heterodox faith (Sayo's shamanism) has spread among residents. He worries it may shake the onmyoji's authority.

Third worry: The village head himself has grown old. There is no successor.

#Law and Skills

Heisaku (3rd-dan, Commoner)  ([New Rule #12](../ex1-99-appendix/ex1-99-06-commoner-class.md))
 Courage -1 / Finesse +0 / Physique -1 / Wisdom +3 / Presence +1 / Fate +2  (total +4 = core 3rd-dan standard)
 Energy 10 (10 + Finesse+0)
 Wounds 2 (3 + Physique-1)
 Defense 10 (everyday clothes)
 Three Ways and Six Hearts: Loyalty (family — loyalty to the Kamijo house)

Traits (4 = background 1 + general 1 + 3rd-dan general 2. Commoner class has no automatic traits):

• Village Headman's Seal [background, aptitude] — kokujin village head background. Domain resident Negotiation checks +2
• Lucky One [general, aptitude] — Fate Intervention +1
• Thoroughness [general, aptitude] — advantageous for long-term observation and records (Perception checks +1)
• Wisdom of Long Life [general, aptitude] — 58 years of experience. Stratagem and Prophecy checks +1

Skills (1st-dan 9 points[free allocation 5 + background 2 + free 2] + 2nd-dan +2 points = 11 points. At 2nd dan the shared Licensed-or-higher count is 2; only 1 license is taken here): Negotiation licensed(3 points), Stratagem trained(2 points), Perception novice(1 point), Prophecy novice(1 point, divination and weather), Intimidation novice(1 point, the headman's authority), Bribery novice(1 point, balancing the village budget), Deceit novice(1 point, the rhetoric of dispute mediation), Fortune novice(1 point, the old headman's instinct) Livelihood (New #11): Livelihood:Clerical Work (artisan, +2) — a lifetime managing domain administration and ledgers

Position — Resident-Representative Village Head: Heisaku is the domain's official village head. As social authority outside skills and Livelihood, he has the right to attend lord's councils and the right to speak for 800 residents. See core kokujin domain structure.

#Sample Lines

Routine audience with the lord:

"I report to my lord. This week: one birth, three deaths. Three houses west of the river request roof repairs. And... there is one thing I wish to ask my lord."

When PCs visit:

"Good sirs. You are benefactors of the domain, yes. Yet the residents ask — when can we return? If I have nothing I can answer them, why do I wear this seal?"

After submitting a petition:

(in formal posture) "My lord, I submit petitions from three resident representatives. Their content is... a request that the truth be revealed. I too stand here."

#Relationships and Hooks

• Akihisa: Respectful, but distant. Heisaku does not see Akihisa as a young lord, but as the current head of the Kamijo house. Therefore he says what must be said without forgiveness.
• Gensho: Longtime collaborator. Relies on the onmyoji's authority.
• Sayo: Wary. He dislikes Sayo's shamanism spreading through the domain.
• Kyube: Business partner and surveillance target. He may have noticed Kyube's double ledger.
• Hook 1 — Demand to Reveal the Truth: Heisaku exercises the resident representative speaking right. PCs must choose the lord's side or the residents' side. Trigger for Three Ways and Six Hearts change.
• Hook 2 — Naming a Successor: Heisaku consults PCs about a successor. Whoever the PCs recommend may become the next village head.
• Hook 3 — Conflict With Sayo: If Sayo's heterodox faith grows, Heisaku and Sayo clash in public. PCs may mediate.

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#6. Shaman Sayo — Folk Sorcerer

#Scent — Sayo as a Person

#Appearance

Thirty-seven. Medium height. Her hair is long and let loose — she does not tie it. Her face is rather beautiful, but her eyes are unusually large, and their focus sometimes blurs. Barefoot or in old straw sandals. Her clothing is sometimes wrapped in strangely colored cloth — red, purple, and the like.

Several ritual beads around her neck. At her waist, a dried fox tail (a decoration, not real). In one hand, a bell staff — when shaken, its sound echoes eerily.

#Speech

She has two voices. Normally, she is calm with the voice of an ordinary middle-aged woman. While possessed, her voice is low and cracked, grammar breaks, and meaning becomes unclear.

Her normal speech is polite but a little secretive. She chooses honorifics by situation — fully respectful to the lord and onmyoji, otherwise depending on circumstances.

#Daily Life

• Dawn: prays at the small shrine behind her house (her own god)
• Morning: resident consultations — spiritual trouble, illness, fortune
• Afternoon: gathers herbs (inside the domain only)
• Evening: dinner alone. No family.
• Night: often possession rites — alone or with a few believers

#Worries

Greatest worry: The onmyoji will denounce her as heterodox. Sayo's sorcery is folk shamanism, not of the Onmyoryo line — it is not officially recognized.

Second worry: Her possession ability has changed strangely since the drift. The spirits descending are not gods of the core world, but something of the Spirit Realm. Sayo herself fears this.

Third worry: Sayo's believers (unofficial) are increasing. This is drawing Heisaku's wariness.

#Law and Skills

Sayo (2nd-dan, shugenja — heterodox miko)
 Courage -1 / Finesse +1 / Physique +0 / Wisdom +1 / Presence +2 / Fate +1  (total +4 = core 2nd-dan standard)
 Energy 11 (10 + Finesse +1 = 11)
 Wounds 3 (3 + Physique +0 = 3)
 Defense 10 (general arms — strange cloth)
 Three Ways and Six Hearts: Void (secret — mystery of faith)

Traits (3 = 1st-dan automatic + background 1 + general 1. Even-numbered dan have no trait):

• Vow of Fudo Myoo [aptitude] — core shugenja 1st-dan automatic (heterodox interpretation)
• Folk Miko's Bell [background, aptitude] — shaman background. Spirit-detection checks +2
• Lucky One [general, aptitude] — Fate Intervention +1 (core general)

Skills (1st-dan 9 points[class 5+background 2+free 2] + 2nd-dan growth +2 points = 11 points. At 2nd dan up to 2 Licensed-or-higher are allowed; none taken here. Master is possible from 2nd dan): Exorcism trained(2 points), Herbalism trained(2 points), Prophecy trained(2 points, divination), Perception novice(1 point), Negotiation novice(1 point, village counsel), Bearing novice(1 point, presence at the rite), Hardiness novice(1 point, enduring possession rituals), Deceit novice(1 point, the patter of divination and rites) Livelihood (New #11): Livelihood:Miko (artisan, +2) — folk possession, bells, and prayer. A heterodox practice distinguished from the core official Sorcery system

Caution: Sayo's sorcery is incompatible with Gensho's Abe school. Rituals performed together cause confusion. See core school relationships.

#Sample Lines

Routine:

"Come, come. This Sayo will see you. What led you here... my bell knows."

During possession (low voice):

"...Black Rope's... scale... tilted... your name... there... was carved..."

To the lord:

"Young lord. I respect the onmyoji. But... the spirits this land holds are not only those of the Onmyoryo. Even if several serve one god... the god will not dislike it."

#Relationships and Hooks

• Akihisa: Polite distance. The lord does not officially recognize Sayo, but does not forbid her either.
• Gensho: Surface respect, inner caution. They do not speak deeply with each other.
• Heisaku: Conflict. Heisaku sees Sayo as an unstable element in domain order.
• Otone: Unexpected friend. Otone accepts Sayo's possession as "common in old days."
• Hook 1 — Heterodoxy Conflict: If Sayo's believers reach 10 or more, internal division in the domain begins. PC mediation is needed.
• Hook 2 — Spirit Realm Spirit Contact: Sayo's possession ability can serve as support for negotiation with Spirit Realm intelligences. Chapter 3 and 4 quest.
• Hook 3 — Sayo's Truth: Sayo was a former Onmyoryo failure. Her inferiority at not receiving official recognition opened her path to folk sorcery. Revealed if Affinity is high.

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#7. Merchant Kyube — Goods Broker

#Scent — Kyube as a Person

#Appearance

Fifty-two. Short and plump. His face is round and always smiling — but his eyes do not smile. Balding has begun, and the hair that remains is combed back. No beard.

His clothing is the kimono of a wealthy merchant — cloth clearly better than other residents'. At his waist are an abacus and a small ledger.

#Speech

Fast and fluent. Very skilled with honorific speech — but excessively so. Polite to hear, but his calculations show through.

#Daily Life

• Dawn: checks warehouses
• Morning: visits shops around the domain, manages supply
• Afternoon: trades with residents
• Evening: eats at home with family — wife and two sons
• Night: organizes ledgers — writes the double ledger

#Worries

Greatest worry: If the domain drifts for the long term, his wealth becomes meaningless. If they cannot return, merchant capital is useless.

Second worry: The lord may notice his hidden emergency food stores. Kyube currently has about 3 weeks of rice stored separately in his warehouse. Officially, he reports "none."

Third worry: Contact with Spirit Realm merchants. Kyube already intends to trade with Spirit Realm merchants after Chapter 3. A dangerous alliance.

#Law and Skills

Kyube (2nd-dan, merchant — noncombat type)
 Courage -1 / Finesse +1 / Physique +0 / Wisdom +2 / Presence +1 / Fate +1  (total +4 = core 2nd-dan standard)
 Energy 11 (10 + Finesse +1 = 11)
 Wounds 3 (3 + Physique +0 = 3)
 Defense 10 (general arms — merchant kimono)
 Three Ways and Six Hearts: Hegemony (profit-centered)

Traits (3 = 1st-dan automatic + background 1 + general 1):

• Calculator [aptitude] — core merchant 1st-dan automatic. Buying/selling checks +2
• Trade Route Knowledge [background, aptitude] — merchant background. Interpretation for Spirit Realm merchant contact +1
• Lucky One [general, aptitude] — Fate Intervention +1

Skills (1st-dan 9 points[class 5+background 2+free 2] + 2nd-dan growth +2 points = 11 points. At 2nd dan up to 2 Licensed-or-higher are allowed; none taken here. Master is possible from 2nd dan): Negotiation trained(2 points), Bribery trained(2 points), Stratagem trained(2 points), Perception novice(1 point), Geography novice(1 point, trade routes), Deceit novice(1 point, the smoothness of haggling), Agitation novice(1 point, market sentiment), Fortune novice(1 point, a merchant's nose) Livelihood (New #11): Livelihood:Commerce (artisan, +2) — de facto manager of the domain economy. Handles accounting, inventory, and prices. Livelihood:Clerical Work (trained, +1)

#Sample Lines

Routine:

"Ah, good sir. Welcome, welcome. This Kyube will do anything for your convenience. Do you need goods? How much? The price is... ah, for you, specially, specially."

When PCs are suspicious:

"Whatever do you mean, ha ha. This Kyube, with a double ledger? My ledger is transparent before the lord. However... if you would tell me what you suspect... perhaps this Kyube can help..."

When emergency food stores are discovered:

(cold sweat) "Good sir. This is... my private property. There is no law that private property must be requisitioned, is there? Still, I can consult with the lord. I can consult."

#Relationships and Hooks

• Akihisa: Surface respect. Inside, a psychology of testing the lord's judgment.
• Heisaku: Wary relationship. Heisaku senses Kyube's double ledger.
• Genbe: Price conflict. Kyube forces down fish prices.
• Komachi: Secretly observed. Komachi is locating Kyube's double ledger.
• Hook 1 — Double Ledger Discovered: PCs discover Kyube's hidden emergency food stores. If reported to the lord, the question becomes how to dispose of Kyube. Trigger for morale change.
• Hook 2 — Spirit Realm Merchant Contact: Kyube tries to trade with a Spirit Realm merchant. A dangerous alliance, but also a path to secure resources.
• Hook 3 — Possibility of Repentance: Kyube is not evil, but a cowardly egoist. In a dramatic situation, he may voluntarily choose requisition (morale +3).

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#8. Farmer Ume — Widow

#Scent — Ume as a Person

#Appearance

Forty-six. Medium height, lean and sturdy build. Her hands are large and callused. Her face is sunburned, but her expression is gentle — steeped in sorrow, but not anguished. Her hair is tied back in one tail, mixed with a few silver-white strands.

Her everyday clothes are her husband's old navy kimono, shortened to fit. At her waist is a small sickle — for farming.

#Speech

Warm and low. Her sentences are short, but carry aftertones. She uses honorifics naturally, but not excessively. She treats everyone like a real mother.

#Daily Life

• Dawn: tends the field
• Morning: farming
• Afternoon: shares household work with neighboring old women
• Evening: dinner alone. No children (experienced miscarriage, then could not become pregnant).
• Night: prays briefly before her husband's mortuary tablet, then sleeps

#Worries

Greatest worry: She has not yet fully accepted her husband's death. On the first day of the drift, her husband died when he was struck by falling debris while protecting the house. Ume was in the field at that moment.

Second worry: Food self-sufficiency for the domain. As farming representative, Ume is the central person in food calculations. She is anxious about this year's harvest.

Third worry: Lord Akihisa. Ume considers Akihisa around the age of her own son. Can that child bear this weight?

#Law and Skills

Ume (2nd-dan, Commoner)  ([New Rule #12](../ex1-99-appendix/ex1-99-06-commoner-class.md))
 Courage +0 / Finesse +1 / Physique +1 / Wisdom +1 / Presence +1 / Fate +0  (total +4 = core 2nd-dan standard)
 Energy 11 (10 + Finesse+1)
 Wounds 4 (3 + Physique+1)
 Defense 10 (everyday clothes, husband's keepsake kimono)
 Three Ways and Six Hearts: Compassion (coexistence — maternal)

Traits (2 = background 1 + general 1. Commoner class has no automatic traits, even-numbered dan have no trait):

• Maternal Comfort [background, aptitude] — widow background. Negotiation checks +1 (appeal to compassion)
• Lucky One [general, aptitude] — Fate Intervention +1

Skills (1st-dan 9 points[free allocation 5 + background 2 + free 2] + 2nd-dan growth +2 points = 11 points. At 2nd dan up to 2 Licensed-or-higher are allowed; none taken here. Master is possible from 2nd dan): Perception trained(2 points, reading clouds and soil), Survival trained(2 points), Negotiation novice(1 point), Herbalism novice(1 point), Fortune novice(1 point, a farmer's sense for divining good/bad harvest), Medicine novice(1 point, midwifery and folk treatment), Hardiness novice(1 point, the endurance of field work and childbirth), Bearing novice(1 point, the dignity of a village elder), Agitation novice(1 point, rallying the labor-exchange) Livelihood (New #11): Livelihood:Farming (artisan, +2) — the domain's finest farmer, Ume. Feeds 800 people on a year's rice. Livelihood:Folk Medicine (trained, +1, traditional transmission)

#Sample Lines

Routine (serving tea):

"Please drink. It is made with squash picked fresh from my field this morning. Your hands are cold... please be careful."

When the lord visits:

(bowing her head) "Young lord, why come all the way to this shabby place? At least have a cup of tea... before you go. You may think of this old woman as... ah... someone like an older sister."

About her husband:

"My husband... even that morning, he took my hand before leaving. 'Take good care of the field today,' he said. That was the last. When I came back from the field... it was already..."

(brief silence) "...It would be a lie to say I am not sad. But I learned there are many things one can live on besides sadness."

#Relationships and Hooks

• Akihisa: Maternal attachment. Akihisa also leans a little on this adult. Sometimes he stops by Ume's house for a cup of tea.
• Otone: Grandmother friend. They sit in front of each other's houses and talk.
• Genbe: Friend through shared loss.
• Hook 1 — Husband's Ghost: Chapter 2 side quest. Her husband's spirit may call Ume from the Spirit Realm. Choice: help him attain Buddhahood vs meet him just once.
• Hook 2 — Harvest-Prayer Rite: An agricultural prayer rite led by Ume. If PCs participate, it positively affects harvest checks.
• Hook 3 — Substitute for Akihisa's Mother: In the long term, Ume becomes Akihisa's private adviser. The lord's emotional place of rest.

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#Linkage With the Resident Morale System

The status of the key 8 directly affects Resident Morale.

#Morale Change Triggers

#Hearing Rules

[New Rule] Resident Representative Speaking Right details:

1. Among the key 8, 3 or more of the same disposition sign a petition → hearing forced
2. Hearing venue: the lord hears the petition in a public place
3. PCs may attend the hearing — speak for the lord or for the residents
4. 3-way result:

• Accept: morale +1, resident representatives satisfied
• Partial accept: morale ±0, compromise
• Refuse: morale -2, Heisaku's trust falls

Example petition contents:

• Demand to reveal the truth (led by Heisaku)
• Fair distribution of emergency food stores (Ume, Genbe, Heisaku)
• Demand to regulate the shaman (Heisaku, Kyube, 2 village elders)

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#GM Operation Tips

#Role of the 8 Residents

• Emotional ground: Their faces make 800 people more than a number.
• Quest hook source: Each NPC has 1~3 hooks. Session material.
• Mirror of the lord: Heisaku, Kyube, and others reflect how the lord's decisions look to residents.

#Operation Recommendations

• Show 1~2 per session: Rotate. If a single NPC does not appear for 3 or more sessions, they become a consumable.
• Use names: Lead PCs to remember resident names. If they do not remember, attachment does not form.
• Deaths should be rare: Resident deaths carry weight at about 2~4 across the whole campaign. Do not overuse them.

#Easy Mistakes

• Treating residents only as background: Give each at least a line of dialogue.
• Overusing children: Children should appear rarely → preserve weight.
• Making Sayo and Kyube villains: They are weak people, not villains. Leave room to understand them.
• Treating Heisaku's opposition to the lord only negatively: Heisaku is the conscience of the domain. His opposition may lead the lord to a better decision.

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#Connected Documents

• Young Lord — the person residents want to protect
• The 6 Retainers — Sanjiro = Yukichi's son
• The 5 Outsiders — Lorenzo meets residents through Minako
• Resident Morale System — morale rules
• Side Quests — resident-based quests

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"If you remember 80 of 800 people, you are a good lord. If you remember 8, you have the qualification to be lord." — Something Old Woman Otone told young Akihisa.