Attila the Bum
First Post
carpedavid said:
carpedavid's Land of the Crane (Updated 11 May, 2006)
- Thread starter carpedavid
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carpedavid
First Post
Attila the Bum said:
Ladies and gentlemen... Kakeru's player! To update the list:
Ivy Sylvan - Fukasu
Kiwifudgechocobo - Kyoji
ChewManPhoo - Takashi
Attila the Bum - Kakeru
As to the banter, a portion isn't quite appropriate for public consumption, that is true. However, the majority of it does seem to be usable, and the OOC stuff I try to summarize anyway.
carpedavid
First Post
Takayama and Tsumago, Part 3
This week is going to be quite busy, so I bring you a short update:
----------------------------------------------------------------
Animated by the black fires of Yomi, the corpse of the ninja rose out of the water. In the brief span of time since its death, its skin had turned the color of ash, and its eyes had sunk into dark hollow pits. It groaned again, then turned its gaze toward Musashi. After a few hesitant steps, it grinned at the young samurai, and charged.
Musashi fumbled for his katana as he stumbled backward. Instead of the broad, powerful slash he had been trained to perform, he barely managed to draw the blade from its scabbard without cutting himself. Within a second, the ghoul was upon him, and, as it raked at his flesh, he felt a wave of cold wash over his body, like falling through ice into a frozen lake. His breath was blasted from his body as every muscle seized up at once. The edges of his vision began to go dark, and he screamed inwardly.
Musashi pulled himself from the dark depths of the frigid abyss through sheer force of will, coughing and gasping for breath as he emerged. "What in Yomi?" he exclaimed. Then, fueled by fear, he swung wildly at the ghoul. His katana bit deeply, lopping off part of the creature's face, and forcing it to shuffle back.
Black blood poured from the ghoul's missing flesh. It threw back its head, opened its damaged jaw, and let out an unearthly howl. Musashi stepped back out of its reach and shivered in spite of himself. Great ancestors, protect me, he thought.
The ghoul shook its head, sending a spray of black ichor everywhere. It growled, then lunged, gnashing at Musashi with its supernaturally sharp teeth. The young samurai felt the wave of paralysis wash over him, but this time he knew what to expect, and was able to shake it off with ease.
He took a deep breath and raised his katana overhead. Steady, Musashi, he told himself as he stepped forward. Summoning the strength of all the Kurosawa samurai that had come before him, he let out a great shout and slashed downward in a mighty blow. The ghoul took one step backward, and then split in two, from its right shoulder to its left hip. The torso toppled off into the dirty water, followed by the collapse of the legs. Both halves twitched for a second before laying still.
Musashi poked at the remains of the ghoul with his katana. They didn't move, so he poked them again. Once he was sure that they weren't going to get up and try to eat him, he sheathed his sword and breathed a sigh of relief.
When Kakeru, Fukasu, and Takashi returned with Takayama in tow, they found Musashi sitting in seiza, reflecting upon the lessons he had learned. Fear, he realized, was a powerful force. If I can learn to harness this fear, to make it my ally instead of my enemy, then I will be strong indeed.
Fukasu immediately noticed that the scene had changed significantly since she had left. "Musashi-kun!" she yelled, "Are you ok?"
The young samurai nodded toward the two halves of the fallen ghoul. "That one..."
"Yes?"
"It got back up."
Kakeru hopped out of the cart and examined the twice-dead ninja's remains. Hmmm, he thought, it shouldn't have reanimated that fast. Something else must be going on.
"Takayama-san," he beckoned to the kuramoto, "can you come here and look at this?"
The kuramoto climbed down out of the cart, and waded through the water toward Kakeru. When he got within five paces of the body, he turned around and vomited. "Pardon me," he mumbled as he wiped his mouth off on the hem of his kimono.
"Take your time," Kakeru replied.
Takayama spent a moment with his back turned, then took a deep breath, and walked over to the body. He squinted at the face of the young man, and then shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't know this man."
"He's not from Takayama?"
"No."
"Would you know him if he were from Tsumago?"
Takayama considered the question for a moment, and then shook his head. "I would think so, but I can't be positive."
Kakeru sighed inwardly - things were rapidly becoming complicated. "Thank you, Takayama-san. We should probably return to town."
The kuramoto nodded, "I'll have the farmers take care of these wagons tomorrow." With that, the four travelers from Kurosawa returned to town, took a bath, and promptly fell asleep.
The next morning, after a traditional breakfast of miso soup and natto*, the four travelers from Kurosawa set out for the town of Tsumago. "We will find the men responsible for sabotaging your fields," Musashi promised Takayama.
The group had traveled for less than half an hour when they spotted a young man in red monk's robes walking down the road toward them. Each watched the figure warily, but Fukasu was the first to notice that something was odd about him. "Uh, hey, guys," she said.
"What in the world?" whispered Kakeru.
"What in Yomi is that?" Takashi asked no one in particular.
"It's that monk that Kitsune-san was talking about," said Musasi, for the young man walking toward them did not look at all like a normal Tanayaran. Instead of the black hair and brown eyes that were characteristic of every human they had ever met, the monk had hair the color of straw and eyes that resembled sapphires.
"Hello," the monk waved cheerily as Kakeru brought the cart to a stop. He bowed to the group, and then smiled, "I'm Kyoji."
Next: Kyoji, the Monk
Notes:
* For those unfamiliar with Japanese cuisine, miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans, salt, and some type of grain. Depending on how long it is fermented, the concentration of flavor can range from very mild (about a month) to quite pungent (three years). The taste is also affected by what grain is used. Takayama's miso is made with rice.
Miso soup is traditionally made from a combination of miso paste and dashi, or fish stock. Since Tanayari is almost entirely land-locked, Takayama's soup would be made with a chicken stock. Miso soup is the traditional breakfast food of Tanayarans of all social classes.
Natto is also made from fermented soybeans, but its texture is thick and sticky, and its appearance is best described as mucous-covered beans. Stirring the stuff produces spiderweb-like strings, and it has a smell that is often compared to very strong cheese. Despite the texture and smell, it has a pleasant, nutty flavor, and is traditionally enjoyed as a breakfast food.
This week is going to be quite busy, so I bring you a short update:
----------------------------------------------------------------
Animated by the black fires of Yomi, the corpse of the ninja rose out of the water. In the brief span of time since its death, its skin had turned the color of ash, and its eyes had sunk into dark hollow pits. It groaned again, then turned its gaze toward Musashi. After a few hesitant steps, it grinned at the young samurai, and charged.
Musashi fumbled for his katana as he stumbled backward. Instead of the broad, powerful slash he had been trained to perform, he barely managed to draw the blade from its scabbard without cutting himself. Within a second, the ghoul was upon him, and, as it raked at his flesh, he felt a wave of cold wash over his body, like falling through ice into a frozen lake. His breath was blasted from his body as every muscle seized up at once. The edges of his vision began to go dark, and he screamed inwardly.
Musashi pulled himself from the dark depths of the frigid abyss through sheer force of will, coughing and gasping for breath as he emerged. "What in Yomi?" he exclaimed. Then, fueled by fear, he swung wildly at the ghoul. His katana bit deeply, lopping off part of the creature's face, and forcing it to shuffle back.
Black blood poured from the ghoul's missing flesh. It threw back its head, opened its damaged jaw, and let out an unearthly howl. Musashi stepped back out of its reach and shivered in spite of himself. Great ancestors, protect me, he thought.
The ghoul shook its head, sending a spray of black ichor everywhere. It growled, then lunged, gnashing at Musashi with its supernaturally sharp teeth. The young samurai felt the wave of paralysis wash over him, but this time he knew what to expect, and was able to shake it off with ease.
He took a deep breath and raised his katana overhead. Steady, Musashi, he told himself as he stepped forward. Summoning the strength of all the Kurosawa samurai that had come before him, he let out a great shout and slashed downward in a mighty blow. The ghoul took one step backward, and then split in two, from its right shoulder to its left hip. The torso toppled off into the dirty water, followed by the collapse of the legs. Both halves twitched for a second before laying still.
Musashi poked at the remains of the ghoul with his katana. They didn't move, so he poked them again. Once he was sure that they weren't going to get up and try to eat him, he sheathed his sword and breathed a sigh of relief.
When Kakeru, Fukasu, and Takashi returned with Takayama in tow, they found Musashi sitting in seiza, reflecting upon the lessons he had learned. Fear, he realized, was a powerful force. If I can learn to harness this fear, to make it my ally instead of my enemy, then I will be strong indeed.
Fukasu immediately noticed that the scene had changed significantly since she had left. "Musashi-kun!" she yelled, "Are you ok?"
The young samurai nodded toward the two halves of the fallen ghoul. "That one..."
"Yes?"
"It got back up."
Kakeru hopped out of the cart and examined the twice-dead ninja's remains. Hmmm, he thought, it shouldn't have reanimated that fast. Something else must be going on.
"Takayama-san," he beckoned to the kuramoto, "can you come here and look at this?"
The kuramoto climbed down out of the cart, and waded through the water toward Kakeru. When he got within five paces of the body, he turned around and vomited. "Pardon me," he mumbled as he wiped his mouth off on the hem of his kimono.
"Take your time," Kakeru replied.
Takayama spent a moment with his back turned, then took a deep breath, and walked over to the body. He squinted at the face of the young man, and then shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't know this man."
"He's not from Takayama?"
"No."
"Would you know him if he were from Tsumago?"
Takayama considered the question for a moment, and then shook his head. "I would think so, but I can't be positive."
Kakeru sighed inwardly - things were rapidly becoming complicated. "Thank you, Takayama-san. We should probably return to town."
The kuramoto nodded, "I'll have the farmers take care of these wagons tomorrow." With that, the four travelers from Kurosawa returned to town, took a bath, and promptly fell asleep.
The next morning, after a traditional breakfast of miso soup and natto*, the four travelers from Kurosawa set out for the town of Tsumago. "We will find the men responsible for sabotaging your fields," Musashi promised Takayama.
The group had traveled for less than half an hour when they spotted a young man in red monk's robes walking down the road toward them. Each watched the figure warily, but Fukasu was the first to notice that something was odd about him. "Uh, hey, guys," she said.
"What in the world?" whispered Kakeru.
"What in Yomi is that?" Takashi asked no one in particular.
"It's that monk that Kitsune-san was talking about," said Musasi, for the young man walking toward them did not look at all like a normal Tanayaran. Instead of the black hair and brown eyes that were characteristic of every human they had ever met, the monk had hair the color of straw and eyes that resembled sapphires.
"Hello," the monk waved cheerily as Kakeru brought the cart to a stop. He bowed to the group, and then smiled, "I'm Kyoji."
Next: Kyoji, the Monk
Notes:
* For those unfamiliar with Japanese cuisine, miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans, salt, and some type of grain. Depending on how long it is fermented, the concentration of flavor can range from very mild (about a month) to quite pungent (three years). The taste is also affected by what grain is used. Takayama's miso is made with rice.
Miso soup is traditionally made from a combination of miso paste and dashi, or fish stock. Since Tanayari is almost entirely land-locked, Takayama's soup would be made with a chicken stock. Miso soup is the traditional breakfast food of Tanayarans of all social classes.
Natto is also made from fermented soybeans, but its texture is thick and sticky, and its appearance is best described as mucous-covered beans. Stirring the stuff produces spiderweb-like strings, and it has a smell that is often compared to very strong cheese. Despite the texture and smell, it has a pleasant, nutty flavor, and is traditionally enjoyed as a breakfast food.
Last edited:
Kiwifudgechocobo
First Post
Natto can be quite delicious if accented with the proper ingredients. In fact, many adventurers already carry the supplies needed. And if not, Survival can be used in a pinch to find local herbs/roots/spices to suit your tastes.
*rummages in pack*
(This is my personal favorite, feel free to experiment with your own combinations)
1st - Get yourself a helping of natto.
2nd - Pull out any trail rations you may have. If you have any water, get that too. But sake is really better, right Kakeru?
3rd - Ask your resident holy person to bless the assorted ingredients.
4th - (This is the important part) Chuck the natto. Into the fire, behind you, at random ninja...
If questioned on this behavior, politely explain that no amount of blessing can cleanse that kind of evil.
5th - Enjoy your trail rations and water/sake.
*rummages in pack*
(This is my personal favorite, feel free to experiment with your own combinations)
1st - Get yourself a helping of natto.
2nd - Pull out any trail rations you may have. If you have any water, get that too. But sake is really better, right Kakeru?
3rd - Ask your resident holy person to bless the assorted ingredients.
4th - (This is the important part) Chuck the natto. Into the fire, behind you, at random ninja...
If questioned on this behavior, politely explain that no amount of blessing can cleanse that kind of evil.
5th - Enjoy your trail rations and water/sake.
HalfOrc HalfBiscuit
Adventurer
First, let me say, thank you to Carpedavid for another enjoyable and educational post 
.
When I first saw this post, I read your username as "Attila the Bun" and I must confess to a certain disappointment when I realised my error ... These boards need more bakery products!!
.Attila the Bum said:
When I first saw this post, I read your username as "Attila the Bun" and I must confess to a certain disappointment when I realised my error ... These boards need more bakery products!!
carpedavid
First Post
Which do you like best?
The Mikado's Imperial Seal is an image of a flying crane above the kanji for "Aono" - the Imperial name. I was experimenting in photoshop to come up with a visual representation of the seal, and I produced the following variations:
1.
2.
3.
So the question is, which one do you like the best? Whichever option gets the most votes becomes the new official seal for the Emperor of Tanayari.
The Mikado's Imperial Seal is an image of a flying crane above the kanji for "Aono" - the Imperial name. I was experimenting in photoshop to come up with a visual representation of the seal, and I produced the following variations:
1.
2.
3.
So the question is, which one do you like the best? Whichever option gets the most votes becomes the new official seal for the Emperor of Tanayari.
Emperor Valerian
First Post
I like the second one more.
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