#Roadside Rumors
Contents
#Scent — Roadside Rumors
Fiction-Only — These are things people say. They may be true, mistaken, joking, planted, or repeated by someone who no longer remembers the source.
The ferry is late, so everyone talks. A pack-seller says the road is clear, then names three places no one should sleep. A shrine boy repeats a warning he heard from a charcoal burner, but changes the order of the names. Two ashigaru laugh too loudly about a bridge. An old woman counts the travelers with her finger and stops at one person who is not there.
#Table — Rumors
| # | Rumor | Loose Edge |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The new roadside Jizo has no face because the old one saw who killed the tax clerk." | Who replaced it, and where is the old statue now? |
| 2 | "Do not buy persimmons from the woman at the third milestone. She charges in names, not coins." | What happens to a name after it is paid? |
| 3 | "A man with wet sleeves asks after the bridge every foggy morning. The bridge burned seven years ago." | Is he dead, confused, or waiting for a bridge that returns? |
| 4 | "The black dog at the west gate follows only people who will be arrested before sunset." | Is the dog a warning, a spy, or a curse marker? |
| 5 | "The lord's new granary is full of stones. Rice went in, stones came out, and nobody is allowed to weigh either." | Theft, yoma mischief, or an intentional reserve? |
| 6 | "If you hear a baby crying inside the bamboo grove, answer as if it were an old man." | What answer is expected? |
| 7 | "Three boats left the reed port. Four shadows came back on the water." | Which passenger has the extra shadow now? |
| 8 | "A ronin at the bathhouse pays extra to keep his sword from being dried." | What clings to the blade when it dries? |
| 9 | "The mountain temple bell rings once at noon for every body hidden below the steps." | Why has it started ringing at midnight too? |
| 10 | "A traveling nun sells charms that are blank until the buyer lies." | Who wants blank charms that can prove lies? |
| 11 | "The merchant guild has forbidden mirrors in the silk storehouse." | What did the silk reflect? |
| 12 | "In the next valley, the crows have begun reciting debt amounts." | Who taught them, and whose debt do they refuse to speak? |
| 13 | "The local magistrate writes left-handed only when signing death warrants." | What is wrong with the right hand? |
| 14 | "The shrine horse bowed to a beggar and bit the samurai who tried to drive him away." | Was the beggar recognized by something older than rank? |
| 15 | "At the sake shop, the ninth cup is always poured for someone invisible." | What happens if a living person drinks it? |
| 16 | "The cedar stump behind the inn bleeds only when travelers from the capital sleep there." | What did the capital bring to the stump? |
| 17 | "A child found a coin under his pillow stamped with next year's era name." | Who is minting tomorrow? |
| 18 | "The toll collector asks every third pilgrim whether they remember the sea." | Why only the third, and why the sea so far inland? |
| 19 | "A carpenter refuses to repair the old watchtower because someone inside keeps approving the measurements." | Who is answering from an empty tower? |
| 20 | "The teahouse girl says the moon was gone for one breath last night, and only the cats noticed." | What moved while no one looked up? |
| 21 | "The abandoned charcoal kiln smells of plum blossoms whenever soldiers pass." | Whose spring is trapped there? |
| 22 | "A farmer swears the river asked him for a written apology." | What did his family do to the river? |
| 23 | "The new bridge plank is made from a coffin board, and horses step over it without touching." | Who was buried in that coffin? |
| 24 | "The old road is safe if you walk it alone. Groups lose one person by dawn." | Does the road dislike crowds, or does it keep accounts? |
#Table — Rumor Pressure
| If the rumor is... | Then the pressure may be... |
|---|---|
| True | Someone local has learned to live beside the truth and will resist outsiders fixing it. |
| False | Someone gains from moving travelers, blame, or fear away from the real site. |
| Half-true | The missing half is usually the person, date, price, or name that makes it dangerous. |
| Planted | The speaker may be bait, but the bait was made from something real. |
#Note — Using Rumors
Use rumors as first contact. They work best before the party knows what kind of story they are in. Put two rumors in the same settlement that cannot both be correct, then let the first witness insist both were heard from reliable people.
If the table likes investigation, assign each rumor one visible source and one hidden source. The visible source is who says it now. The hidden source is who needs it repeated.