#Chapter 1, Act 4 - "Night of the Barrier Raid"

Contents

Session 4 climax. The Lord-grade yoma "Tyrant of Revival (蘇生暴君)" makes a direct barrier assault. Barrier defense battle + first great victory. PCs 1st~2nd dan (may rise). The answer to this chapter as a standalone complete arc.

Core References

- Required: Dice System · Combat Flow · Maneuver System

- Required: Zone Gimmicks · Yoma Bestiary

- Reference: Wounds and Defeat · Three Ways and Six Hearts

References in This Supplement

- Required: Barrier System · Core Economy · Squad Limits

- Required: Young Lord · Retired Onmyoji · 6 Retainers

- Required: Reviving Hell GM Guide

- Same chapter: Chapter Overview · Act 3 · Chapter NPCs · Chapter Yoma · Rewards and Bridge

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#Scent - The Feel of This Session

#Opening Read-Aloud

"The sun sets. Two moons rise at the same time. Tonight, the domain faces its first test."

"Immediately after the Act 3 return - Gensho sits at the end of the shrine's stone steps. Inside his sleeve, his right hand trembles. That trembling spreads across the cloth. The lord stands beside him."

"The lord says in a low voice - 'Tonight?' Gensho nods without lifting his head - 'Tonight.'"

"Beyond the castle gate, at the far end of the iron-colored plain, a red shadow rises above the horizon. That shadow moves. One step spans six jo (六丈). Two steps bring it before the castle gate. It is coming toward you."

"You do not yet have a name for it. The onmyoji calls it '蘇生暴君, the Tyrant of Revival.' Tonight, it strikes the barrier."

#Sense Card - The Air of Act 4

• Sound: the ground trembles from far away. That tremor climbs the wooden frame of the castle gate and reaches the soles of the PCs' feet. The sound of iron shards striking each other mixes with the wind.
• Smell: the iron smell is like the smell of gunpowder. This concentration is three times that of Acts 2 and 3. Breathing grows shallow.
• Light: the two moons turn blood-red. The barrier's blue light looks even thinner within that blood-red glow.
• Touch: something is in the air. A resistance that feels almost touchable if a hand reaches out. The frequency of the trembling barrier reaches the roots of the PCs' teeth.

#Sense Density

This act is dominated by the feeling of a siege against the barrier. The GM reveals the Barrier HP number every combat round. The goal is for the players to read the number like their own heartbeat.

Time notation: this act is one night. Divide it into 4 stages: early night (初夜) → Rat hour (子時) → Ox hour (丑時) → dawn. Each stage is about 2 rounds.

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#Law - Rules Used in This Session

#Rules That Appear in This Session

#Nature of This Session - "Siege Format"

Act 4 is not ordinary combat. It is a siege with the barrier as the central coordinate. The PCs cannot directly kill the "Tyrant of Revival." Instead, the PCs do the following.

1. Manage barrier cracks - seal cracks that appear in the barrier, in order.
2. Defend against remnants - stop Minion- and Veteran-grade yoma squads that surge toward the barrier.
3. Assist the onmyoji - provide resources, time, and attention so Gensho can maintain emergency maintenance.
4. Use the environment - create "cumulative strikes" using domain facilities such as the castle gate, shrine, well, and brazier.

When cumulative strikes reach the threshold, the tyrant withdraws. The goal is not defeat, but expulsion.

#Target Number Guide (Act 4 Only)

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#Major Encounters - Act 4 Structure

#Overview - The Four Night Phases

Act 4 is a siege over one night. Along the timeline, it has 4 phases.

#Phase 1 · Early Night - Tyrant Appears

• Location: barrier before the domain's castle gate. Distance where the tyrant's silhouette is visible from the domain center.
• Appearing: tyrant (distant view), 8 subordinate reviving gaki squad members, 3 rusted kubikiri.
• Purpose: begin the siege. Establish PC placement. Let the first Barrier HP drop be felt.

#Phase 2 · Rat Hour - First Crack in the Barrier

• Location: just inside the castle gate + eastern 1/4 point of the barrier (Gensho's shrine location).
• Appearing: tyrant approaches. 2nd wave. First crack appears in the barrier.
• Purpose: first trigger of Gensho's emergency maintenance procedure. Initiative over crack sealing.

#Phase 3 · Ox Hour - Tyrant Direct Hit

• Location: barrier front. The tyrant brings both iron cudgels (鐵棍) directly down on the barrier.
• Appearing: tyrant, 3rd wave (5 rusted kubikiri + 12 reviving gaki + 6 blood-mist lesser oni).
• Purpose: the night's greatest crisis. Barrier HP approaches the threshold. Retainer sacrifice enters the story.

#Phase 4 · Dawn - Tyrant Withdrawal

• Location: barrier front. The first dawn light erases the two moons.
• Appearing: tyrant (retreating), remnants disappear.
• Purpose: end the siege. First great victory. The aftertaste of Act 4.

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#Step-by-Step Progression Guide

#Phase 1 - Appearance in Early Night

#Phase 1 PC Placement Options

PCs choose placement among 4 points.

For 4 PCs, place 1 at each point. With 3 PCs, leave one point empty. With 5 PCs, put 2 at one point.

#Phase 2 - Crack at Rat Hour

#Onmyoji Emergency Maintenance Procedure

Gensho's emergency maintenance proceeds in 4 steps. Each step has a PC assistance check.

Total weakening increase: base +2 (liturgy + sealing), +4 if all assistance fails.

If weakening exceeds 5, Gensho falls unconscious. Keeping it at 5 or lower is the top priority of Act 4.

#Barrier Crack Sealing Check

When a crack appears, PCs respond with one of the following.

#Phase 3 - Direct Hit at Ox Hour

This phase is the peak of Act 4. Barrier HP approaches the threshold.

#Tyrant's Line (Phase 3)

The tyrant speaks from outside the barrier to Akihisa (or to the PC commander).

"Little one. Your barrier is thin. Thinner than the speed at which my flesh grows. You will know this - my flesh grows every moment. Your barrier thins every moment."

"This comparison is not on your side."

"And yet I have not eaten you yet. Because one of you has something to hand me. The old blade on the little one's shoulder. That blade is mine. Give it to me, and tonight ends."

#Akihisa's Choice - Elder Brother's Wakizashi

What the tyrant demands is the wakizashi left by Akihisa's elder brother. There is half a truth in this demand - the wakizashi was a "spiritual blade" that sealed the soul of a yoma in battle before the drift, and that yoma is the tyrant's previous life (前生).

#Phase 4 - Withdrawal at Dawn

#Four Dawn Ending Tones

The GM chooses the dawn scene's tone according to the result of Phase 3.

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#Barrier Siege Format - Standard Procedure

#Round Flow

The siege proceeds every round in this order.

1. GM declaration - Barrier HP · onmyoji weakening · enemy action this round
2. Enemy action check - tyrant + wave + crack occurrence dice
3. PC action declaration - declare one action for each PC
4. PC checks - each rolls 2d10 + modifiers
5. Apply results - Barrier HP · weakening · enemy Wounds changes
6. GM description - describe this round's result (within 45 seconds)

One round = 5~8 minutes of real time.

#Tyrant Action Table

The tyrant determines action each round with d10.

#Wave Action Table

Each round, the remnant wave determines joining numbers with d10.

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#Success / Failure Branches

#Victory Conditions (conditions to enter Phase 4)

Enter Phase 4 when one of the following is achieved.

1. Cumulative strike threshold: 15 successful cumulative checks against the tyrant (including shots, taunts, and crack sealing)
2. Reach dawn: keep Barrier HP at 1 or higher until the end of Phase 3
3. Offering ending: Akihisa offers the wakizashi

#Defeat Conditions

1. Barrier HP 0 → tyrant enters inside the barrier → Ending C, "Fallen Night"
2. Onmyoji weakening 10 → barrier collapses immediately → Ending C
3. Akihisa killed → narrative defeat → Ending B, "Lord's Choice" branch (choose successor)

#Partial Victory

#Final Barrier HP Changes

#Final Onmyoji Weakening

If weakening is 8 or higher, Gensho loses his speech until the start of Chapter 2. Recovery point is Chapter 2, Act 2.

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#GM Controls - Pacing and Tone Adjustment

#Pacing

Act 4 is the longest session. Expect 3~4 hours. If the pace drags, omit remnant waves and focus on the tyrant.

#Avoiding Tone Traps

• Do not let the siege become a numbers game. Every round, the GM must give one sensory scene description.
• Do not turn the tyrant into a cartoon villain. The tyrant has "tragic roots." The previous life of one once sealed in the elder brother's wakizashi.
• Do not drive Gensho into martyrdom. His weakening is duty, not a choice.
• Do not force Akihisa's choice. Give PCs enough room to intervene.

#Session-End Declaration

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#Environmental Use Rules - The Last Use of Domain Facilities

In Act 4, PCs can use domain facilities as one-use assets. Each facility use is a permanent loss.

#Facility Use Table

#Environmental Use Check

Environmental use is an environmental check, Target Number 13. On check failure, facility loss + half the desired effect.

#Narrative Meaning of Environmental Use

When PCs use a facility, the GM clearly describes what is lost. This is the Act 4 tone of "what do we pay."

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#Clues - What This Act Solves / Plants

#Clues Solved in This Act

#Clues Planted in This Act (for the next chapter)

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#Retainer Sacrifice Narrative - Emotional Core of Act 4

#Why Retainers Die

Act 4 assumes that "the PCs survive." Instead, severe wounds/deaths among 1~2 retainers carry the narrative weight. A retainer's death must be the result of a player choice.

#Retainer Sacrifice Pattern

The moment PCs choose one of the following, 1 retainer is placed in danger.

#Apply Sacrifice Results

When a retainer is severely wounded/killed, apply the following effects.

• Barrier HP +5 (narrative reward)
• resident morale -1 (if the retainer dies)
• memorialize that retainer's name in the next chapter (if dead)
• PC Heart tendency: 慈 +1 (if rescue attempted), 覇 +1 (if sacrifice allowed)

Which retainer to place as the sacrifice is the GM's choice. The GM decides before this session. If the GM deliberately chooses the retainer who spoke most with the PCs during the Act 1 patrol, the emotion becomes heavier.

#Limits on Retainer Sacrifice

No more than 2 retainers may die in one session. More than that is narrative overload. If the PCs' emotional defenses break, play quality drops.

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#Player Action Pattern Guide - Open Choices in Act 4

#Siege PC Action Categories

For 4 PCs, each PC specializes in 1~2 categories. If everyone is assault, barrier defense collapses. If everyone is support, the front disappears. The GM guides balance during placement.

#Action Economy - What Can Be Done in One Round

One PC can do one of the following in one round.

1. Standard attack (2d10 check + damage)
2. Maneuver (Core 03-07)
3. Environmental use (Target Number 13)
4. Onmyoji assistance (Target Number 11~13)
5. Guide resident evacuation (Target Number 11)
6. Special shot (Target Number 15)
7. Retainer rescue (maneuver adjustment)

Within one round: movement + one action. Long-distance movement consumes 1 action.

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#After This Session - Next

• Rewards, domain changes, and bridge: 10-07 Rewards and Bridge
• Chapter NPCs: 10-05 Chapter NPCs
• Chapter Yoma Stats: 10-06 Chapter Yoma
• Chapter 2 (Black Rope): 11-00 Chapter 2 Overview (if not standalone complete)

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"Little one. Your barrier is thin. But what is inside you - is not thin." — Tyrant of Revival, speaking to Akihisa in Phase 3.

"We survived the first night. We will worry about the next night when it comes." — Kamijo Akihisa, dawn declaration.

"My liturgy waited 40 years for tonight. Whether there are another 40 years, I do not know." — Hoshino Gensho, muttering during emergency maintenance.