Old Japan Photos

[Gamerprinter]

For those not interested in old Japan, this link probably means absolutely nothing, however, even if you're only partly interested in Japanese history (I am since I'm working on my feudal Japan - Kaidan setting) this is one of the most fascinating sites I've found online...

http://oldphotosjapan.com/en

This site contains mostly photo postcards of Japan from the 1860's up to the 1930's, when photography first showed up in Japan, when it was opened to the world. Although Japan quickly modernized during this period, much of what was old Japan and now long gone away has been captured in these striking photos. Its one of my favorite sites on Japan at this time.

If you have any interest, its really worth checking out.

Enjoy!

GP

[mearrin69]

Hey GP,
Nice find. Thanks for sharing the link. I'm also working on an Asian themed setting for PF so these will be nice to reference...though mine is focused on my world's China-analog so it'll be a looong time, if ever, before we "compete" Seen some of your stuff here and on the Paizo boards and it looks pretty promising. Looking forward to seeing your products!
Best,
M

[ravells]

Fantastic! Thanks for posting this, GP!

I loved 'The Basket and Broom peddler'' - you should incorporate him or a variant in your adventures. Magnificent - he's almost a character out of a fairytale. Imagine if each of the brooms he sold could sweep up a different dream which you could keep in one of the baskets.

[Gamerprinter]

Oooh! Excellent insight on that photo, Ravs! And here I'm going to knock myself out of the #3 spot in REP, and give it to you, argh! That is an excellent idea and worthy of an adventure module, I like!

It's weird, I had my own inspiration from a dream last night - I got the flu and when I'm sick I have the strangest dreams - so I'm developing my own cool ideas, thanks for this addition, it might go hand-in-hand with my own ideas. I'll tell you more, when I develop it some.

Have some REP!

GP

[ravells]

lol! Thanks. I get my best ideas just before I fall asleep or just after I've woken up and am daydreaming in bed. So far with the new baby, there's not much time to daydream in bed anymore!

P.S. Read Haruki Murakami's 'Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World,' . Wonderful stuff there.

[ravells]

Here's another: Imagine if paper lanterns were used as devices to send messages. The messages are written on the sides of the lanterns, or perhaps spoken into them. When candles are put into them (or perhaps they glow when they contain a spoken message), they float to their destination. Larger lanterns could be pulled by cranes. I've done a very quick and dirty of the image in my mind. The mountain may look familiar

[Gamerprinter]

As I mentioned above, I'm getting over the flu. When I am sick I tend to have bizzare dreams, this one I was having this morning right before the alarm clock woke me up. Just to cover myself, I don't dream in the level of detail presented below, I've got names, houses and locations in the story seed, but I added this to basic scenes that appeared in my dream...

Mark of the Tainted

Lord Iida of Shingo province has been operating an ongoing campaign of terror onto certain outcast villages of Hinin (the lowest social caste), called "the Tainted", who secretly worship a lesser deity known as Anjin the Pilot (a fisherman's god) which is counter to the state Zao religion and thus a heresy. Once such a village is uncovered, Lord Iida's retainers attack the village, slay all members and burn the homes to ash. They follow up by soaking a brush in their victim's blood and painting "X"s on the trees surrounding the village as a warning to others.

At one such village, Okone no Ichi, on the west coast of Shingo province (north of Hamato province, where I planned to start adventure one of the greater campaign) was subject to Iida's terror campaign. A jugondo sorcerer located there realized the attack was occuring and put himself into an invisible state and escaped their wrath, as he watched his family and friends all slain. He sought a cave just south of the village in the neighboring mountains of Hamato province. There he conducted an ancient ritual of vengeance onto House Iida and his retainers...

Several days later...

Two retainer houses of Lord Iida, is having a marriage ceremony between two of their noble children, (this is the part from my dream). Commander Kofune, the father of the groom is notoriously handsome. During the ceremony, the wife of the father of the bride, Master Tatsuro, kept staring at Master Kofune, which Tatsuro noticed but kept silent until after the ceremony.

The following day after the marriage, Master Tatsuro Takahiro (the slighted husband) still angry with his wife, hears commotion at his manor's gate. Apparently Commander Kofune appears unannounced. Upon his reception it is discovered that a rash, or other skin irritation has appeared on his face in the form of a red "X" going from temples to Jaw, though seemingly not contagious, this distraction is a major embarrasment for the noble retainer. Of course, Master Tatsuro having just been angered over the incident between his wife and Commander Kofune, is relieved to see the handsome man stricken to affect his appearance. Trying to hide his amusement of this while in the presence of the Commander, Tatsuro's wife grabs her husband's gown, and audibly sucks in her breath. Tatsuro cries, "Shut up woman, what is it?!" She replies, "...your face...", grabbing a mirror kept by his wife, he looks and sees red splotches forming on his face, similar to that of the Commander... "What madness is this, Kofune!?" he asks. A conflagration occurs involving the slaying of the commander, by his lieutenant, Tatsuro...

Lord Iida discovers that all of his retainers who attacked that last village has been marked thusly with the red "X" of taint. His onmyoji wizard after some research confers onto his master the possibility of dark sorcery of vengeance being the culprit...

That's all I got so far... I woke up before the dream was complete.

Still, I think that's enough for a good start on a new plotline... thoughts?

GP

[Coyotemax]

That sounds like it should be a movie plot from my collection (i love asian horror films).

I love it. Your dreams are as bizarre as mine, if not more so

[Steel General]

Sounds like an interesting plotline...

[ravells]

Nice, so what's the cure?