#Side Quest 03 — Spirit Realm Merchant's Bargain

Contents

Core references

- Required: Non-Combat Checks · Dice System · Three Ways and Six Hearts

- Reference: Economy and Commerce · Negotiation Skill

References within this supplement

- Required: Side Index · Core Economy · Spirit Realm Intelligences

- Required: Spirit Realm Topology · Spirit Realm Travel

- Reference: Barrier System · Domain Upgrades

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#§ Overview

#One-Line Summary

The wandering merchant Kozokuza(小蔵坐), who drifts through the Spirit Realm, briefly opens a shop near the Domain. He sells rare goods, including 1 high-purity core. The prices are high, and the method of payment is gambling. What will the PCs wager — gold, cores, secrets, or memories?

#Design Intent

A side quest that makes players stop seeing resources only as resources. The true cost of a bargain exists outside the numbers. The PCs experience the ethical weight of giving up a memory to receive a core.

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#§ Scent — The Air of This Quest

#Opening Read-Aloud

"Near the Spirit Realm boundary, a small temporary market has opened. Sleep one night, and it will be gone. A messenger runs breathlessly into the Domain and reports to the lord."

"'A merchant has come. A merchant in purple. His name is Kozokuza, and the bargain lasts only one night.'"

"Old Gensho closes his eyes, then opens them. 'He has come. To this land, after 30 years. No one but him knows what he means to sell, or what he means to buy.'"

"'I cannot tell you not to go, and I cannot tell you to go,' Akihisa says. 'I leave the judgment to you.'"

#Sensory Card — The Texture of This Quest

• Sound: a low copper bell heard from far across the market. Once every 1 round. It rides the wind and breaks off irregularly.
• Smell: not iron, but agarwood from an old incense burner. A scent found nowhere else in the Spirit Realm. It comes from Kozokuza's sleeves.
• Light: the market is lit by 3 purple lanterns. Within 5 steps of a lantern, shadows vanish.
• Touch: every item the merchant hands over is 3 degrees above body temperature. Even a brief grip warms the palm.

#Core of the Scent

Dangerous allure. Kozokuza is kind. Too kind. The PCs slowly realize that this kindness has already calculated its price. The GM should make the merchant's speech smooth and brief.

#Kozokuza Dialogue Samples

"I have waited long. I did not know you would come, but I knew someone would. Sit. The tea is free. Only the tea."

"I sell four things — cores, medicine, maps, names. You sell four things as well — gold, cores, memories, vows. Pair them one for one. Begin."

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#§ Structure — 3-Act Scene Overview

#Act 1 — Contact (Domain → Market, 30~45 minutes)

The messenger's report. Consultation with the lord and Gensho. Travel to the market (1 ri just outside the Barrier). First greeting with the merchant. Viewing the displayed goods.

#Act 2 — Bargain (Market Tent, 60~90 minutes)

3-contest gambling. 1 contest per 1 item. Repeat check, risk, and result. The PCs can withdraw partway through, but any price already committed cannot be recovered.

#Act 3 — Return and Settlement (Domain Return, 30~45 minutes)

Confirm the actual value of the acquired goods. The aftereffects of the prices manifest. The lord and Gensho respond. Confirm the axis tendency in Three Ways and Six Hearts.

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#§ NPCs

#Kozokuza (小蔵坐) — Spirit Realm Itinerant Merchant

A Spirit Realm intelligence that visits this region once every 30 years. Neither yoma nor human (see the 02-06 Spirit Realm Intelligences line). Presumed to be an incarnation of contract.

• Appearance: a tall, thin man. He looks thirty and also sixty. A purple long robe with copper coin ornaments. A different seal ring on each of his 10 fingers. His pupils are mirrors — look straight at them, and you see your own face.
• Speech: brief and smooth. Polite. No breath. It is said he does not breathe.
• Rule: he cannot lie (a Spirit Realm contractor's restriction). However, he also does not tell the whole truth.
• Signature line: "Whether the item you chose suits you is not mine to know. I only sell."
• Three Ways and Six Hearts: 眞(Truth) — maintains the honesty of contract. That honesty is not necessarily kindness.

#Attendant · Aki (Kozokuza's Attendant)

A boy of about age 10. In the Spirit Realm, he arranges Kozokuza's goods and brews tea. He almost never speaks. If a PC speaks to Aki, he averts his eyes. There is a rumor that he is a doll sealed with the memory of a human who once bargained with Kozokuza. There is no proof.

• Signature line (very rarely): "Tea... please."
• Hidden clue: if a PC succeeds on a Perception check, Target Number 15, they see small ink letters on the nape of Aki's neck — one person's name. It is the name of a peddler who vanished 30 years ago.
• Three Ways and Six Hearts effect: PC tries to save Aki → 慈(Compassion) +1

#(Optional) Myoen (Companion · 02-05)

If the PCs bring Myoen along, she functions as a gambling warner. Before each contest, she can say, "Avoid this one" (can be declared only 1 time out of 3). The declared contest cannot be entered.

• Signature line: "That one only speaks in human language. He is not human. Human contracts will not bind him."

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#§ Act Details

#Act 1 Details — Contact (Domain → Market)

#Scene Setup

The Domain council room, immediately after the messenger's report. Gensho and Akihisa are both present. After the conversation, the PCs move to a point 1 ri outside the Barrier. A small tent marked by 3 purple lanterns stands there.

#Council Conversation Points

#Travel (Barrier → Market)

A short trip. 2 rounds of distance. Crossing the Barrier boundary causes no morale decrease effect (the market is recognized as neutral ground linked to the Barrier).

#First Greeting (Market)

Kozokuza bows in front of the tent. Aki brings tea. No questions are asked. The PCs may drink the tea or refuse it.

Warning: drinking the tea grants +1 bonus to gambling checks (the effect of kindness). However, for 24 rounds after returning, the PC cannot dream (a sign of memory distortion).

#Goods Display

There are 4 items, but at most 3 can be purchased in 1 visit. Use the 3-contest rule.

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#Act 2 Details — Bargain (3-Contest Gambling)

#Mechanic Overview

A PC chooses one item and chooses one price. Then resolve the contest check. On a success, the PC obtains the item + pays the price. On a failure, the PC pays only the price and fails to obtain the item.

Check: 2d10 + (PC's relevant trait) vs Kozokuza 2d10 + 4

#Check Bonuses by Price

#Contests 1 · 2 · 3 — Repeating Structure

Each contest uses the following order.

1. PC declares the item
2. PC declares the price
3. Both sides check (PC 2d10 + bonus vs Kozokuza 2d10 + 4)
4. Determine the winner. The price is paid regardless of win or loss.

#Concrete Memory · Vow Content

When paying with a memory, the PC must state exactly which memory they give up. The GM chooses from the following:

• the memory of a meal with a parent
• the face of a first love
• guilt over hurting one person
• the season of the yard at the PC's childhood home

When paying with a vow, the PC pays one direction of Three Ways and Six Hearts toward its twisted side:

• 忠(Loyalty) vow → 覇(Hegemony) +1
• 慈(Compassion) vow → tilt toward 無心(No Heart) +1 (forced coldness)
• 眞(Truth) vow → 魔(Demon) +1 (desire unlocked)
• vow of decision → 眞(Truth) +1 (fear cut away)

#Kozokuza's Special Rules

• Places dice bones on the table for each contest (may replace 2d10)
• Do not meet his eyes. If a PC looks directly into his eyes, apply bonus -1
• Withdrawal can be declared during a contest. However, prices already wagered cannot be recovered

#Example Contests (GM Reference)

Contest 1: A PC chooses the high-purity core. As the price, they offer gold 40 + 3 cores.

• PC: 2d10 + Commerce (+3, Wisdom +2) = bonus +5
• Kozokuza: 2d10 + 4
• Result: PC 19 vs Kozokuza 14 → PC victory. The PC gains the high-purity core and pays gold 40 + 3 cores.

Contest 2: A PC chooses Gensho's Medicine. As the price, they offer a memory (mother's face).

• PC: 2d10 + Courage (+Finesse +2) = bonus +2
• Kozokuza: 2d10 + 4
• Result: PC 11 vs Kozokuza 17 → PC defeat. The PC pays the memory and does not obtain the item.
• Aftereffect: the PC can see their mother's face only in dreams. When they wake, its shape grows indistinct.

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#Act 3 Details — Return and Settlement

#Scene Setup

Around sunrise. Just before the market vanishes. The lanterns decrease from 3 to 2, to 1, to 0. Aki disappears. Kozokuza gives his final bow. The tent crumbles into powder and scatters on the wind.

#Kozokuza's Last Words

"I cannot promise I will come next time. It may be 30 years from now, or never. Weigh for yourself what you have and what you lost. I am not the scales. I only sell."

#Domain Return

#Akihisa's Question

"What did you gain? And what did you lose?"

Confirm Three Ways and Six Hearts tendency according to how the PCs answer.

#Gensho's Measure (if applicable)

If the PCs obtained Gensho's Medicine: transfer it to Gensho. The PC group decides together whether he takes it. Apply weakening -2 immediately. However, this is a one-use medicine, and the same item cannot be obtained again for 30 years.

#Memory-Price Aftereffect Check

A PC who paid a memory takes bonus -1 on checks related to that memory starting next session. Duration: permanent (until the campaign ends or a Spirit Realm healing quest is completed).

#Vow-Price Aftereffect

A PC who paid a vow gains +1 to the opposite axis of the relevant axis. This accelerates the risk of Three Ways and Six Hearts fixation.

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#§ Step-by-Step Progress Guide Table

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#§ Success/Failure Branches

#Best (3 Wins 0 Losses, No Aftereffects)

• Gain 3 rare items
• All paid prices are gold/cores only (no memories or vows)
• Domain Barrier HP +60 (high-purity core) · store other obtained items
• PC Three Ways and Six Hearts 眞(Truth) +1 (a clever bargain)
• Caution: this ending is possible only with extremely good luck. The GM should maintain the difficulty.

#Good (2 Wins 1 Loss)

• Gain 2 items
• 1 aftereffect (if a memory or vow was paid)
• No morale effect
• Three Ways and Six Hearts 1 axis +1

#Average (1 Win 2 Losses)

• Gain 1 item
• 2 aftereffects
• morale -1 (public rumor)
• Three Ways and Six Hearts 2-axis tendency

#Failure (0 Wins 3 Losses)

• 0 items
• 3 aftereffects
• morale -2
• Three Ways and Six Hearts 魔(Demon) +1

#Disaster (PC Assimilated with Aki)

Special condition: occurs if a PC speaks with Aki and fails Perception Target Number 15 + loses 3 contests in a row + pays 3 memories.

• Foreshadow that the PC themselves will be sealed as the next generation's "Aki"
• When Kozokuza returns 30 years later, the PC will be his attendant → campaign-ending device
• This is an extreme ending. The GM should give the player an explicit warning.

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#§ Rewards

#Obtainable Goods (Maximum)

#What Can Be Lost

#Additional Effects

• Myoen companion bonus: 1 warning is valid. The PCs can avoid one failure.
• Discovery of Aki's name: on a successful Perception Target Number 15. Seed for a follow-up quest. A side thread tracking the peddler who vanished 30 years ago (undefined).
• Butterfly effect of accepting tea: a PC who drank the tea loses dreams next session. Core-story Mental Save -1 (1 session only).

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#§ GM Control

#GM Cautions

1. Maintain Kozokuza's honesty. He does not lie. However, he does not state what was not asked. The more questions the PCs ask, the more information they gain.
2. State the withdrawal option during gambling. If a PC says, "I quit," accept it immediately. End after only the already wagered price is paid.
3. Give memory payment narrative weight. Do not let it end as a simple numeric -1. Create a concrete blank in that PC's backstory.
4. The allure of the high-purity core. This is the central bait of the quest. When the players want it, make them ask, "Is it really worth that much?"
5. Minimize explanation of contest results. Keep the way luck operates mysterious. Players do not need to see every check value.

#1 Session vs 2 Sessions Judgment

#Risk Table

#Follow-Up Quest Seeds

• Kozokuza's Collection: a mirror-being of the Spirit Realm that appears to a PC who paid a vow (late character arc)
• Tracking Aki's Identity: investigate the peddler disappearance from 30 years ago (GM discretion)
• Whether to Use the High-Purity Core: immediately convert it into the Barrier, or store it for an emergency — connects to the 21-04 Mandatory Event

#Session-End Checklist

• [ ] Apply acquired goods and effects
• [ ] Record paid prices (gold · cores · memories · vows)
• [ ] Confirm aftereffect checklist
• [ ] Three Ways and Six Hearts tendency per PC
• [ ] Morale change
• [ ] Preview next side/main event

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#Related Links

• Upper Index: Side Quest Index
• NPCs: Spirit Realm Intelligences · Drifters
• Core Economy: Core Economy · Barrier System
• Spirit Realm: Spirit Realm Topology · Spirit Realm Travel
• Core Rules: Non-Combat Checks · Three Ways and Six Hearts
• Related Side: 21-04 Night of Barrier Weakening (using the high-purity core)

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The true cost of a bargain lies outside the bargain. Kozokuza comes every 30 years because 30 years is the cycle in which a person's memory grows deepest. He can wait. The PCs cannot. This asymmetry is the essence of this quest.