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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
[OA/FR] Rokugan - Updated 12/13/03
- Thread starter Black Omega
- Start date
Brown Jenkin
First Post
Notes from Mir
Only a few small additions this time. I am not filling in everything since a few ommisions will help catch us up.
Before we left Iuchi Yoenki mentioned one more thing. She mentioned that sometimes maho-tsuki sometimes come back from the dead to extract revenge. She said that Nagatori had such a ritual performed on him, but that she had taken care of it. Combined with Mindra's vision I knew that she had indeed taken care of things. Until I know more, and maybe even then it is probably still in my best intrest to not publicize my association with Iuchi Yoenki.
-----------------------------------------------------
Volar did finally get under the skin of the Red Wizard, it just took awhile. Even with constant anoyances, and boy can Volar be annoying when he puts his mind to it, it took until the duel for things to finally go over the edge. Seeing the Red Wizard with Moto Chagatai Volar kept yelling out his name and waving to him across the dueling field. Trying hard to ignore him for 5 minutes eventualy he looked over at Volar and acknowleged his presense after everyone around him were no longer unable to ignore what was going on. Volar then gave out some parting shot of how lucky he was to have had such a good escort as Toshiro and a great wizard like himself to keep him safe. I don't have the phrasing right but I know it was enough to have forced a duel for calling him a wimp if he had been Rokugani. Instead he looked embarsed and probably lessened in the eyes of the Moto. Mission accomplished.
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Lastly, maybe I should have investigated the source of the stories from the west, but time was short and I had more engagements to get to. I did at least tell a couple of stories myself, making sure to include subtle stories about the dishonorable ways of the Red Wizards and thier dealings with the undead. I had to make sure that people here were aware of the truth about those wizards.
Doji Shiima was a good sport that night and escorted me to meeting with the Carbs in the red light district. Even though there were problems between the Crab and the Crane he remained honorable and participated as best he could for awhile before excusing himself. While I had been wary of his advances before he did manage to score a few points that night.
Only a few small additions this time. I am not filling in everything since a few ommisions will help catch us up.
Before we left Iuchi Yoenki mentioned one more thing. She mentioned that sometimes maho-tsuki sometimes come back from the dead to extract revenge. She said that Nagatori had such a ritual performed on him, but that she had taken care of it. Combined with Mindra's vision I knew that she had indeed taken care of things. Until I know more, and maybe even then it is probably still in my best intrest to not publicize my association with Iuchi Yoenki.
-----------------------------------------------------
Volar did finally get under the skin of the Red Wizard, it just took awhile. Even with constant anoyances, and boy can Volar be annoying when he puts his mind to it, it took until the duel for things to finally go over the edge. Seeing the Red Wizard with Moto Chagatai Volar kept yelling out his name and waving to him across the dueling field. Trying hard to ignore him for 5 minutes eventualy he looked over at Volar and acknowleged his presense after everyone around him were no longer unable to ignore what was going on. Volar then gave out some parting shot of how lucky he was to have had such a good escort as Toshiro and a great wizard like himself to keep him safe. I don't have the phrasing right but I know it was enough to have forced a duel for calling him a wimp if he had been Rokugani. Instead he looked embarsed and probably lessened in the eyes of the Moto. Mission accomplished.
----------------------------------------------------------
Lastly, maybe I should have investigated the source of the stories from the west, but time was short and I had more engagements to get to. I did at least tell a couple of stories myself, making sure to include subtle stories about the dishonorable ways of the Red Wizards and thier dealings with the undead. I had to make sure that people here were aware of the truth about those wizards.
Doji Shiima was a good sport that night and escorted me to meeting with the Carbs in the red light district. Even though there were problems between the Crab and the Crane he remained honorable and participated as best he could for awhile before excusing himself. While I had been wary of his advances before he did manage to score a few points that night.
Black Omega
First Post
Tokiwong said:
And now I return from switching over my ISP. Bah!
You read Akodo Setei's comment right on the mark. There's usually more to things Setei says than just the words. He's a master of hiding insults in compliments. Part of the fun with playing him.
Black Omega
First Post
The next day got off to a very slow start. Verick’s tireless sensei had him up early for more practice for the tournament, but everyone else had the time to sleep in and recover. It was noon before the group had visitors and then it was simply a servant dropping off a note for Mindra. An invitation for him to meet the young lady who had caught his eye the night before. The one that had that certain unique glow. Akasha.
An hour later the soft spoken monkey was shown in to meet Akasha. She was waiting in a small, enclosed garden, dressed, dressed in a kimono a little too suggestive for polite Rokugani custom, though being Vanara Mindra barely noticed this part.
Mindra wasted no time asking his questions: who was she, why did she ‘glow’, and what did she had to do with the Naga. Akasha might have looked perfectly Rokugani but she perfectly blunt with her answers. She confirmed the story about the golden pearl, and admitted she was a part of the Naga’s group mind, a spirit link all Naga shared. In fact, that was why she was interested in meeting him.
The Naga were mostly in a deep hibernation, but a few scouts had been left out to watch the forests. Three of those scouts had spotted a Scorpion in a crimson face mask traveling with a large black monkey of the form they associated with Vanara. To confirm this, Akasha showed Mindra a image of the Vanara.
Mindra didn’t recognize the Vanara traveling with the Scorpion but when asked if he considered the Vanara to be dangerous, he said ‘Yes.’ without even pausing to think on it. He didn’t much thrust this Scorpion, so…
Akasha nodded, looking distant for a moment before returning to chatting. She revealed to Mindra that if he was so interested in the Naga he might consider a trip to the imperial capital of Otosan Uchi. A Dragon Clan samurai had married one of the Naga and the couple had a child, a true half-human. Mindra was just getting warmed up asking about that when Akasha looked distant for a few seconds then smiles “This other monkey recognized your name. Interesting, can you summon massive apes to fight for you also?”
Mindra was a little taken aback by this, enough so he simply admitted he could while Akasha grew more distracted. “Fascinating, your kind really do climb as well as you look you would. The scouts think your kind look tasty. You aren’t related to the Nezumi, are you? Hmm..they lost track of the Scorpion but they might have the Vanara cornered.”
Akasha was still, seeming to watch this far off scene a few more seconds before she nodded “Well, that’s settled. You are tasty. The Vanara escaped but lost part of his tail while doing so. We’ll keep looking for him, I’ll let you know if we locate him. For now, you’d better go. My teacher will be showing up soon and…well…you’ll look like a nice snack to her.”
[DM Note: I anticipated a few possibilities out of this, but not Mindra deciding the Vanara had to be a threat because he was with a Scorpion. It made for an interesting twist. It goes without saying, the Vanara will be looking for Mindra now.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mindra wasn’t the only one stirring up trouble as the day went on. Volar had gotten an idea, one he knew he could easily get a little help in implementing. Toshiro needed a little help in acting like a real Crab samurai. Kaz and others could now and then drag him out to drink. So Volar decided to help in other areas, going out and finding a ‘camp follower’ to hire for the trip to Shiro Matsu. An affordable woman of not displeasing appearance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now was this the only plotting going on within the group. Yukiyo had made her excuses and fallen by the wayside, sneaking on back to Bugaisha for a quick stop. She had 300 gold burning a hole in it’s pouch and through some of her less savory contacts made arrangements for someone to attempt an assassination on Mir’s new follower, Cracked Nut. Hold a grudge? Yukiyo?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the group left Shiro Moto the next day they made a good toward Lion lands. Poor Toshiro was left between a rock and a hard place, though. The first night he ended up offering the camp follower money not to do anything. But he didn’t have the koku on him to keep that and for reasons known only to him, he didn’t feel like simply giving orders, since a commoner would certainly obey anything a samurai orders. So instead on the nights of the trip he started to get a new form of education.
The group traveled four days, getting into the lands of the Lion Clan. The terrain had changed as they rode, from rolling, open plains to more densely settled farmlands. What had also changed was their reception. With obvious gaijin in the group, they were often directed to the less desirable inns. Not that the innkeepers of the nicer establishments would deny service to a samurai, but all their rooms were always taken, you see…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two days into Lion lands the group received and even more unexpected reception in a village they had decided to stop over in. No one greeted them. No one was seen in the streets. They were surrounded by total silence. It was a tiny village, only 15 houses or so. Starting to search around, the group found clothing laying out in various places. In alleys between houses, inside houses, sometimes even with weapons laying beside the empty clothing. It was Toshiro’s keen vision that in most cases there was a small, coin sized hole at different spots in the clothing. Something had apparently been stabbed through, though no blood was shed.
The group did the traditional thing when confronted with an unknown threat that had evidently wiped out an entire village. They decided to split up in order to cover more ground while searching. No survivors were found, but Volar and Toshiro did find a half written note in the headman’s hovel.
Magistrate Iome-sama,
Please send help! People are disappearing quickly. Our local magistrate was the first to go. It all started after old man Katsuyori a new cave off to the north of town he had not seen before and some type of discarded skin, like a human snake. He took the magistrate up to look over the cave and they never…
The note ended in a scrawl of ink and from the empty pile of clothing at the table, it was obvious what had happened before he could finish the request for help.
Meanwhile, Kaz was having even more luck out on his own. A search of a smaller hut had revealed a single pile of clothing but from a small room in the back came the quiet sound of sobbing. Very quietly, Kaz slide open the door to the room, only to find a boy who looked perhaps six huddling in the corner. The moment the door opened the boy cowered a moment then rushed over to latch on to Kaz’s leg, still sobbing. Kaz was about to yell for his friends when he felt a sharp pain in his leg, something snaking through his armor and piercing through his skin. In seconds Kaz started to feel older and more feeble.
Stoically determined, he remained silent while he tried to physically shove the boy away, but the tyke turned out to be far stronger than he appeared. Finally after 15 seconds he drew his sword and tried to stab at the boy while starting to yell out loudly for help.
When the others arrived, the ‘boy’ had already fled and Kaz was a ghastly sight, shriveled and wrinkled, a shadow of his former self. So weak he could barely stand under the weight of his armor, Kaz described his encounter. Then as the others went out to find this creature, Kaz shuffled out to his horse, joining up with ancient Akodo Setei.
It took a couple of tries for Kaz to make it up onto the horse, that heavy O-Yoroi armor really weighing him down. Hearing Kaz’s groans, Akodo-sensei nodded sagely “I know the feeling. Your back must be aching now. I have some liniment you can try later that helps a little.”
Off a ways in the village was heard “There it is, that peasant! Try to block him off!” Then fire erupted from behind one of the houses as samurai battle cries were heard.
The old sensei and the young samurai who looked just as old both turned to watch for a moment.
“Is it always like this?” Kaz asked in a dry, cracking voice.
“Always.” Setei-sensei replied “You talk and teach but then you just have to sit back and let them do things themselves and have faith that they’ve learned what they need to.”
Suddenly a green, scaley humanoid creature flew up in the air, cackling “Fools! I will drain you all dry and gain my ultimate power! You can not stop me! MWAHAHA!” then the creature dived across the street lower again as Verick and Toshiro pursued, and a number of magical bolts zapped across the street to sizzle the creature’s hide.
Calmly, Kaz and Setei watched still. “It’s no so bad.” Setei-sensei commented. “There’s more free time. You can still enjoy things like sake.”
Kaz’s crinkled face formed a smile ‘One of my favorite things in life. How about women?”
“Ah, yes. But over time one’s taste in women change. In my younger days, a lovely golden haired Matsu samurai-ko suited me best.” Setei smiled in fond memory.
“What do you look for in a woman now?” Kaz asked after a moment.
“Patience.” Was Setei’s only reply.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Verick’s jade katana made the difference in the battle, doing terribly damage to the mysterious creature, confirming it was Tainted. Once the creature was dead, it’s body melted away without a trace. Returning to the others, the group found Kaz was very anxious and concerned over if he could be returned to normal. Mindra and Mir in their battle with the creature had worked out how the creature drained his victims. It could be cured with a spell Mindra knew. But he had never made a scroll for it and there wasn’t time to learn it from the spirits before the next day, when the crucial moment for Kaz would be.
They could prepare Kaz in other ways, boosting his ability to recover, and when the sun arose the following day Kaz was already starting to look better. By the time the group rode into Shiro Matsu Kaz was his old self. If the nearly crippling experience had a sobering effect on the fun loving Crab, he luckily had enough sake along to return to his normal self.
[DM Note: Much of the Kaz-Setei conversation is a bit of whimsy from me. Kaz was left with Setei during the chase of the demon and we did tease that a shriveled up Kaz would have a little in common with him but mostly I was moving the battle along. But Kaz being attacked by the creature and waiting –far- to long to let the others know he was being attacked was all true. Another round or so and it would have been the end of him.]
An hour later the soft spoken monkey was shown in to meet Akasha. She was waiting in a small, enclosed garden, dressed, dressed in a kimono a little too suggestive for polite Rokugani custom, though being Vanara Mindra barely noticed this part.
Mindra wasted no time asking his questions: who was she, why did she ‘glow’, and what did she had to do with the Naga. Akasha might have looked perfectly Rokugani but she perfectly blunt with her answers. She confirmed the story about the golden pearl, and admitted she was a part of the Naga’s group mind, a spirit link all Naga shared. In fact, that was why she was interested in meeting him.
The Naga were mostly in a deep hibernation, but a few scouts had been left out to watch the forests. Three of those scouts had spotted a Scorpion in a crimson face mask traveling with a large black monkey of the form they associated with Vanara. To confirm this, Akasha showed Mindra a image of the Vanara.
Mindra didn’t recognize the Vanara traveling with the Scorpion but when asked if he considered the Vanara to be dangerous, he said ‘Yes.’ without even pausing to think on it. He didn’t much thrust this Scorpion, so…
Akasha nodded, looking distant for a moment before returning to chatting. She revealed to Mindra that if he was so interested in the Naga he might consider a trip to the imperial capital of Otosan Uchi. A Dragon Clan samurai had married one of the Naga and the couple had a child, a true half-human. Mindra was just getting warmed up asking about that when Akasha looked distant for a few seconds then smiles “This other monkey recognized your name. Interesting, can you summon massive apes to fight for you also?”
Mindra was a little taken aback by this, enough so he simply admitted he could while Akasha grew more distracted. “Fascinating, your kind really do climb as well as you look you would. The scouts think your kind look tasty. You aren’t related to the Nezumi, are you? Hmm..they lost track of the Scorpion but they might have the Vanara cornered.”
Akasha was still, seeming to watch this far off scene a few more seconds before she nodded “Well, that’s settled. You are tasty. The Vanara escaped but lost part of his tail while doing so. We’ll keep looking for him, I’ll let you know if we locate him. For now, you’d better go. My teacher will be showing up soon and…well…you’ll look like a nice snack to her.”
[DM Note: I anticipated a few possibilities out of this, but not Mindra deciding the Vanara had to be a threat because he was with a Scorpion. It made for an interesting twist. It goes without saying, the Vanara will be looking for Mindra now.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mindra wasn’t the only one stirring up trouble as the day went on. Volar had gotten an idea, one he knew he could easily get a little help in implementing. Toshiro needed a little help in acting like a real Crab samurai. Kaz and others could now and then drag him out to drink. So Volar decided to help in other areas, going out and finding a ‘camp follower’ to hire for the trip to Shiro Matsu. An affordable woman of not displeasing appearance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now was this the only plotting going on within the group. Yukiyo had made her excuses and fallen by the wayside, sneaking on back to Bugaisha for a quick stop. She had 300 gold burning a hole in it’s pouch and through some of her less savory contacts made arrangements for someone to attempt an assassination on Mir’s new follower, Cracked Nut. Hold a grudge? Yukiyo?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the group left Shiro Moto the next day they made a good toward Lion lands. Poor Toshiro was left between a rock and a hard place, though. The first night he ended up offering the camp follower money not to do anything. But he didn’t have the koku on him to keep that and for reasons known only to him, he didn’t feel like simply giving orders, since a commoner would certainly obey anything a samurai orders. So instead on the nights of the trip he started to get a new form of education.
The group traveled four days, getting into the lands of the Lion Clan. The terrain had changed as they rode, from rolling, open plains to more densely settled farmlands. What had also changed was their reception. With obvious gaijin in the group, they were often directed to the less desirable inns. Not that the innkeepers of the nicer establishments would deny service to a samurai, but all their rooms were always taken, you see…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two days into Lion lands the group received and even more unexpected reception in a village they had decided to stop over in. No one greeted them. No one was seen in the streets. They were surrounded by total silence. It was a tiny village, only 15 houses or so. Starting to search around, the group found clothing laying out in various places. In alleys between houses, inside houses, sometimes even with weapons laying beside the empty clothing. It was Toshiro’s keen vision that in most cases there was a small, coin sized hole at different spots in the clothing. Something had apparently been stabbed through, though no blood was shed.
The group did the traditional thing when confronted with an unknown threat that had evidently wiped out an entire village. They decided to split up in order to cover more ground while searching. No survivors were found, but Volar and Toshiro did find a half written note in the headman’s hovel.
Magistrate Iome-sama,
Please send help! People are disappearing quickly. Our local magistrate was the first to go. It all started after old man Katsuyori a new cave off to the north of town he had not seen before and some type of discarded skin, like a human snake. He took the magistrate up to look over the cave and they never…
The note ended in a scrawl of ink and from the empty pile of clothing at the table, it was obvious what had happened before he could finish the request for help.
Meanwhile, Kaz was having even more luck out on his own. A search of a smaller hut had revealed a single pile of clothing but from a small room in the back came the quiet sound of sobbing. Very quietly, Kaz slide open the door to the room, only to find a boy who looked perhaps six huddling in the corner. The moment the door opened the boy cowered a moment then rushed over to latch on to Kaz’s leg, still sobbing. Kaz was about to yell for his friends when he felt a sharp pain in his leg, something snaking through his armor and piercing through his skin. In seconds Kaz started to feel older and more feeble.
Stoically determined, he remained silent while he tried to physically shove the boy away, but the tyke turned out to be far stronger than he appeared. Finally after 15 seconds he drew his sword and tried to stab at the boy while starting to yell out loudly for help.
When the others arrived, the ‘boy’ had already fled and Kaz was a ghastly sight, shriveled and wrinkled, a shadow of his former self. So weak he could barely stand under the weight of his armor, Kaz described his encounter. Then as the others went out to find this creature, Kaz shuffled out to his horse, joining up with ancient Akodo Setei.
It took a couple of tries for Kaz to make it up onto the horse, that heavy O-Yoroi armor really weighing him down. Hearing Kaz’s groans, Akodo-sensei nodded sagely “I know the feeling. Your back must be aching now. I have some liniment you can try later that helps a little.”
Off a ways in the village was heard “There it is, that peasant! Try to block him off!” Then fire erupted from behind one of the houses as samurai battle cries were heard.
The old sensei and the young samurai who looked just as old both turned to watch for a moment.
“Is it always like this?” Kaz asked in a dry, cracking voice.
“Always.” Setei-sensei replied “You talk and teach but then you just have to sit back and let them do things themselves and have faith that they’ve learned what they need to.”
Suddenly a green, scaley humanoid creature flew up in the air, cackling “Fools! I will drain you all dry and gain my ultimate power! You can not stop me! MWAHAHA!” then the creature dived across the street lower again as Verick and Toshiro pursued, and a number of magical bolts zapped across the street to sizzle the creature’s hide.
Calmly, Kaz and Setei watched still. “It’s no so bad.” Setei-sensei commented. “There’s more free time. You can still enjoy things like sake.”
Kaz’s crinkled face formed a smile ‘One of my favorite things in life. How about women?”
“Ah, yes. But over time one’s taste in women change. In my younger days, a lovely golden haired Matsu samurai-ko suited me best.” Setei smiled in fond memory.
“What do you look for in a woman now?” Kaz asked after a moment.
“Patience.” Was Setei’s only reply.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Verick’s jade katana made the difference in the battle, doing terribly damage to the mysterious creature, confirming it was Tainted. Once the creature was dead, it’s body melted away without a trace. Returning to the others, the group found Kaz was very anxious and concerned over if he could be returned to normal. Mindra and Mir in their battle with the creature had worked out how the creature drained his victims. It could be cured with a spell Mindra knew. But he had never made a scroll for it and there wasn’t time to learn it from the spirits before the next day, when the crucial moment for Kaz would be.
They could prepare Kaz in other ways, boosting his ability to recover, and when the sun arose the following day Kaz was already starting to look better. By the time the group rode into Shiro Matsu Kaz was his old self. If the nearly crippling experience had a sobering effect on the fun loving Crab, he luckily had enough sake along to return to his normal self.
[DM Note: Much of the Kaz-Setei conversation is a bit of whimsy from me. Kaz was left with Setei during the chase of the demon and we did tease that a shriveled up Kaz would have a little in common with him but mostly I was moving the battle along. But Kaz being attacked by the creature and waiting –far- to long to let the others know he was being attacked was all true. Another round or so and it would have been the end of him.]
Black Omega
First Post
Shiro Matsu is an imposing castle set high upon a mountain. Fortified camps housing thousands of Lion warriors surround the mountain. Once the group had passed the checkpoints there, the Lion’s Teeth awaited. A series of fortified gates along the single pass leading up to the castle. And at each gate the group’s papers were checked again. As they rode upward toward the castle Akodo Setei drifted over to Mindra “A moment of your time, Mindra-san. I know you feel your natural form is your most noble and proper state. But I would suggest if you or your friends have some form of magic that will make you appear human, that you use it. You will be treated with less suspicion in the castle if you at least look human.”
While Mindra considered this, the group finally arrived at the castle and was greeted by a cheerful female Lion courtier. ‘I’m Ikoma Ichiko, I’ll be showing you around the castle and trying to answer any questions you might have. Your quarters will be over in this outer wing of the castle. Most of the events of the Topaz Championship will be taking place in the courtyard here. The Lion Clan guarantees your safety. Within these walls you will all be perfectly safe. I mention this mostly for your ‘other’ guests. Because this is true, wearing armor within the castle grounds is not recommended. The wearer would be saying he or she did not trust the Lion Clan’s protection, an insult the guards would not be required to tolerate. And, of course, violence between those competing in the tournament is banned. I know there is tension between then Lion and Unicorn. Crab and Crane. You may socialize with your rivals, trade insults, but nothing more. The Splendid Emperor will be showing up later in the tournament, he is touring Ryoko Owari at the moment. His youngest son, Hantei Naseru., will be opening and overseeing the tournament. The Imperial party will be arriving late this afternoon.”
The group settled into their quarters while Akodo Setei-sensei took the chance to go out, renew old friendships, scout for information on the competition, etc. That afternoon the Imperial party arrived. Elements of the 3rd Emerald Legion in vibrant green and gold armor marching in the lead, followed by palanquins bearing the regal form of Naseru, clad in a green and gold kimono bearing the golden chrysanthemum of the Hantei, a black eye patch over his right eye. Kakita Toshiken, the Emerald Champion followed behind, looking old and very ill. Riding further back was the newest Crane Daimyo, Yasuki Hachi. As the afternoon wore on more lords and ladies of the major clans arrived, Hiruma Kaji, commander of the Hiruma Cavalry, Togashi Matsui of the Dragon, and Toku, Lord of the Monkey Clan, most notably.
That evening the group went for dinner with the representatives of the Crab Clan and got to meet the first of Verick’s rivals, Hiruma Fujizaka, an intense, muscular young man with all the friendly presence of a wolverine. The dinner was fairly quiet, both Verick and Fujizaka were making sure they would be ready for the tournament the next day.
Hiruma Kaji did confirm what was going on with the Crane Clan, though. “It’s terrible. Emperor Toturi I has confirmed that arrogant Crane as daimyo of the Yasuki and not only is he trying to take the entire family to the Crane Clan, but even their lands and wealth. Even though the Crab Clan gave those lands to the Yasuki a thousand years ago. That bastard! For now we have a truce, both sides have sworn to the Emperor there will be no trouble. We will accept the Splendid Emperor’s ruling, he’s always been fair and he knows how important it is for our clan to remain strong. I’m sure he will rule that the lands remain with the Crab Clan.”
Toshiro listened to all this and just shook his head “I know Hachi, this doesn’t sound like him. I going to talk with him right away and find out what’s what.” Nothing said be his clansmen could dissuade him from this purpose.
[DM Note: Toshiro at his best, standing up to everyone without worrying or waffling. And satisfying as a GM to have him asking for trouble while standing up for his Crane buddy. The party’s never really ceased teasing him over that. ]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With the morning sun’s rising the Topaz Championship was ready to begin. Banners marking the presence of lords of all the clans, as well as the Imperial presence, fluttered in the breeze. A large 30 by 30 foot square of stone blocks was laid out for the competition, and at the north edge were seated the judges, lead by Chief Judge Miya Yoto, a position he has held for ten years now. On the other sides of the square were seated the representatives of the clans and the Emperor. Thanks to Toshiro and Kaz, most of the group were seated with the Crabs to observe. Mir, however, had renewed her friendship with Doji Shiima and was seated with the Crane, a bit closer to the centers of power.
Taiko drums thundered as the ten competitors matched onto the square, then Miya Yoto began to announce the participants in a tone half singing, half chanting.
Hiruma Fujizaka of Daishiki’s Anvil Dojo!
(“A brute. But he’s a Crab, it’s the same thing.” Doji commented softly to Mir “I understand he’s already killed a Shadowlands ogre during his training. If the Topaz Championship was a brawl, he’d surely win.”)
Daidoji Suwa of the Kosaten Shiro Dojo!
(“A good friend. Believed to be the soul of the great duelist Kakita Rensei. He’ll certainly win.”)
Mirumoto Uriko of the Iron Mountain Dojo!
(“Who can understand a Dragon? I’ve heard she considers herself a poet, though.”)
Matsu Shorisuro of the Matsu Shiro Dojo!
(“Proud, honorable and fierce, as any good Lion, he’ll be good competition.”)
Yoritomo Tadamo of Dojo Raiden!
(“See how nervous he looks? No Mantis has ever won this event. I doubt he’ll change that.”)
Isawa Oroko of Tadaka-tai!
(“A shugenja and a courtier. Admirable nerve from this lady of the Phoenix. It’s very difficult for someone with her training to gain the five wins necessary.”)
Bayushi Sakura of Honor’s Lesson Dojo!
(“Devious as any Scorpion, I’m sure. And secretive, I know almost nothing about her.”)
Utaku Manami of the Shiro Utaku Dojo!
(“A pure and honorable lady. Unicorn’s are always favored to win the riding portion of the tournament.”)
Toturi Sitha of the Vigilant Keep Dojo!
(“Another mysterious one. A minor figure from a minor clan, the Monkey Clan. I’d not be surprised to see her fail.”)
Akodo Verick of Setei-kai!
Verick cut a striking figure in his new kimono with the mon of both the Lion Clan and Akodo Setei.
There would be five events per day, and whoever won at least five of ten would move on to the final round, the Iaijutsu Challenge for the Championship.
[DM Note: Most events were decided using contested dice rolls, some more elaborate than others. We did find one event that could be handled in a mote interactive fashion though.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Event #1: Heraldry
Bayushi Sakura (1-0) easily defeated Utaku Manami (0-1)
Mirumoto Uriko (1-0) easily defeated Hiruma Fujizaka (0-1)
Isawa Oroko (1-0) edged out Daidoji Suwa (0-1)
Toturi Sitha (1-0) edged out Yoritomo Tadamo (0-1)
Akodo Verick (1-0) defeated Matsu Shorisuro (0-1)
The ability to identify the emblems of families and individuals. Mostly predictable results. The only things notable were Verick upsetting his fellow Lion (clearly those months of lessons were paying off), and the contest between Sitha and Tadamo, because it was embarrassingly bad. If Judge Miya Yoto were allowed to declare both the losers, he probably would have. Clearly the pressure of competing in front of so many important people had gotten to them.
Event #2: Battle Knowledge
Matsu Shorisuro (1-1) easily defeated Toturi Sitha (1-1)
Utaku Manami (1-1) easily defeated Bayushi Sakura (1-1)
Daidoji Suwa (1-1) edged Hiruma Fujizaka (0-2)
Yoritomo Tadamo (1-1) easily defeated Isawa Oroko (1-1)
Akodo Verick (2-0) easily defeated Mirumoto Uriko (1-1)
A test of tactical understanding as well as knowledge of the classics in that area. No real shocks, both Lions –should- win such a contest. The Mantis, Tadamo, had the perfect opponent to bounce back, a courtier with little battle training. And suddenly Verick had surged into the sole lead early on.
Event #3:Athletics
Mirumoto Uriko (2-1) held on to beat Isawa Oroko (1-2)
Daidoji Suwa (2-1) outlasted Utaku Manami (1-2)
Hiruma Fujizaka (1-2) blew by Yoritomo Tadamo (1-2)
Toturi Sitha (2-1) outraced Matsu Shorisuro (1-2)
Akodo Verick (3-0) speed past Bayushi Sakura (1-2)
The first event outside the castle. An obstacle course, a sprint followed by a balancing act along a tree trunk, a climb up a ten foot wall, a longer distance run through the forest outside the castle, then finishing with a swim and another sprint. Verick holds on to his lead, though the Scorpion pulled out all the stops, including a wasp trap that left Verick with several painfully distracting stings. The only real surprise was Matsu Shorisuro’s loss. As confident as he was running a course he had trained on for years, the Monkey Clan samurai-hopeful was lightning fast, climbing as fast as some of the others ran.
Event #4: Etiquette
Bayushi Sakura (2-2) embarrassed Yoritomo Tadamo (1-3)
Utaku Manami (2-2) easily defeated Mirumoto Uriko (2-2)
Isawa Oroko (2-2) barely defeated Daidoji Suwa (2-2)
Hiruma Fujizaka (2-2) defeated Matsu Shorisuro (1-3)
Toturi Sitha (3-1) defeated Akodo Verick (3-1)
Back in the castle and back to something more courtly. A must win for Isawa Oroko and against tough competition. Hometown boy Matsu Shorisuro loses again, much to the displeasure of the other Matsu watching. And in one of his weaker events Verick finally loses, though to the surprising Toturi Sitha.
Event #5: Horsemanship
Toturi Sitha (4-1) defeated Yoritomo Tadamo (1-4)
Matsu Shorisuro (2-3) edged Mirumoto Uriko (2-3)
Bayushi Sakura (3-2) out rode Hiruma Fujizaka (2-3)
Daidoji Suwa (3-2) outclassed Isawa Oroko (2-3)
Utaku Manami (3-2) edged Akodo Verick (3-2)
Last event of the day, held out a course outside the castle again. A riding range designed to test skill, endurance and ability to handle the horses. Mantis Clanner Tadamo barely manages to stay on his horse, so winning is out of the question. Matsu Shorisuro redeems himself a little with a win. But the talk of the castle afterwards is Utaku Manami and Akodo Verick. Their duel was truly outstanding, with both showing exceptional skill and ability. The Unicorn maiden won, but Verick’s performance also impressed all who watched.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Late that afternoon, the talk of the tournament was not about the favorites, Crane, Scorpion and Matsu. But rather the unknown Monkey girl who had vaulted into the lead, and the equally unknown Akodo who had been so impressive.
Next! The group attends a banquet! Mindra gets in trouble, again! Scorpions get devious!
While Mindra considered this, the group finally arrived at the castle and was greeted by a cheerful female Lion courtier. ‘I’m Ikoma Ichiko, I’ll be showing you around the castle and trying to answer any questions you might have. Your quarters will be over in this outer wing of the castle. Most of the events of the Topaz Championship will be taking place in the courtyard here. The Lion Clan guarantees your safety. Within these walls you will all be perfectly safe. I mention this mostly for your ‘other’ guests. Because this is true, wearing armor within the castle grounds is not recommended. The wearer would be saying he or she did not trust the Lion Clan’s protection, an insult the guards would not be required to tolerate. And, of course, violence between those competing in the tournament is banned. I know there is tension between then Lion and Unicorn. Crab and Crane. You may socialize with your rivals, trade insults, but nothing more. The Splendid Emperor will be showing up later in the tournament, he is touring Ryoko Owari at the moment. His youngest son, Hantei Naseru., will be opening and overseeing the tournament. The Imperial party will be arriving late this afternoon.”
The group settled into their quarters while Akodo Setei-sensei took the chance to go out, renew old friendships, scout for information on the competition, etc. That afternoon the Imperial party arrived. Elements of the 3rd Emerald Legion in vibrant green and gold armor marching in the lead, followed by palanquins bearing the regal form of Naseru, clad in a green and gold kimono bearing the golden chrysanthemum of the Hantei, a black eye patch over his right eye. Kakita Toshiken, the Emerald Champion followed behind, looking old and very ill. Riding further back was the newest Crane Daimyo, Yasuki Hachi. As the afternoon wore on more lords and ladies of the major clans arrived, Hiruma Kaji, commander of the Hiruma Cavalry, Togashi Matsui of the Dragon, and Toku, Lord of the Monkey Clan, most notably.
That evening the group went for dinner with the representatives of the Crab Clan and got to meet the first of Verick’s rivals, Hiruma Fujizaka, an intense, muscular young man with all the friendly presence of a wolverine. The dinner was fairly quiet, both Verick and Fujizaka were making sure they would be ready for the tournament the next day.
Hiruma Kaji did confirm what was going on with the Crane Clan, though. “It’s terrible. Emperor Toturi I has confirmed that arrogant Crane as daimyo of the Yasuki and not only is he trying to take the entire family to the Crane Clan, but even their lands and wealth. Even though the Crab Clan gave those lands to the Yasuki a thousand years ago. That bastard! For now we have a truce, both sides have sworn to the Emperor there will be no trouble. We will accept the Splendid Emperor’s ruling, he’s always been fair and he knows how important it is for our clan to remain strong. I’m sure he will rule that the lands remain with the Crab Clan.”
Toshiro listened to all this and just shook his head “I know Hachi, this doesn’t sound like him. I going to talk with him right away and find out what’s what.” Nothing said be his clansmen could dissuade him from this purpose.
[DM Note: Toshiro at his best, standing up to everyone without worrying or waffling. And satisfying as a GM to have him asking for trouble while standing up for his Crane buddy. The party’s never really ceased teasing him over that. ]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With the morning sun’s rising the Topaz Championship was ready to begin. Banners marking the presence of lords of all the clans, as well as the Imperial presence, fluttered in the breeze. A large 30 by 30 foot square of stone blocks was laid out for the competition, and at the north edge were seated the judges, lead by Chief Judge Miya Yoto, a position he has held for ten years now. On the other sides of the square were seated the representatives of the clans and the Emperor. Thanks to Toshiro and Kaz, most of the group were seated with the Crabs to observe. Mir, however, had renewed her friendship with Doji Shiima and was seated with the Crane, a bit closer to the centers of power.
Taiko drums thundered as the ten competitors matched onto the square, then Miya Yoto began to announce the participants in a tone half singing, half chanting.
Hiruma Fujizaka of Daishiki’s Anvil Dojo!
(“A brute. But he’s a Crab, it’s the same thing.” Doji commented softly to Mir “I understand he’s already killed a Shadowlands ogre during his training. If the Topaz Championship was a brawl, he’d surely win.”)
Daidoji Suwa of the Kosaten Shiro Dojo!
(“A good friend. Believed to be the soul of the great duelist Kakita Rensei. He’ll certainly win.”)
Mirumoto Uriko of the Iron Mountain Dojo!
(“Who can understand a Dragon? I’ve heard she considers herself a poet, though.”)
Matsu Shorisuro of the Matsu Shiro Dojo!
(“Proud, honorable and fierce, as any good Lion, he’ll be good competition.”)
Yoritomo Tadamo of Dojo Raiden!
(“See how nervous he looks? No Mantis has ever won this event. I doubt he’ll change that.”)
Isawa Oroko of Tadaka-tai!
(“A shugenja and a courtier. Admirable nerve from this lady of the Phoenix. It’s very difficult for someone with her training to gain the five wins necessary.”)
Bayushi Sakura of Honor’s Lesson Dojo!
(“Devious as any Scorpion, I’m sure. And secretive, I know almost nothing about her.”)
Utaku Manami of the Shiro Utaku Dojo!
(“A pure and honorable lady. Unicorn’s are always favored to win the riding portion of the tournament.”)
Toturi Sitha of the Vigilant Keep Dojo!
(“Another mysterious one. A minor figure from a minor clan, the Monkey Clan. I’d not be surprised to see her fail.”)
Akodo Verick of Setei-kai!
Verick cut a striking figure in his new kimono with the mon of both the Lion Clan and Akodo Setei.
There would be five events per day, and whoever won at least five of ten would move on to the final round, the Iaijutsu Challenge for the Championship.
[DM Note: Most events were decided using contested dice rolls, some more elaborate than others. We did find one event that could be handled in a mote interactive fashion though.]
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Event #1: Heraldry
Bayushi Sakura (1-0) easily defeated Utaku Manami (0-1)
Mirumoto Uriko (1-0) easily defeated Hiruma Fujizaka (0-1)
Isawa Oroko (1-0) edged out Daidoji Suwa (0-1)
Toturi Sitha (1-0) edged out Yoritomo Tadamo (0-1)
Akodo Verick (1-0) defeated Matsu Shorisuro (0-1)
The ability to identify the emblems of families and individuals. Mostly predictable results. The only things notable were Verick upsetting his fellow Lion (clearly those months of lessons were paying off), and the contest between Sitha and Tadamo, because it was embarrassingly bad. If Judge Miya Yoto were allowed to declare both the losers, he probably would have. Clearly the pressure of competing in front of so many important people had gotten to them.
Event #2: Battle Knowledge
Matsu Shorisuro (1-1) easily defeated Toturi Sitha (1-1)
Utaku Manami (1-1) easily defeated Bayushi Sakura (1-1)
Daidoji Suwa (1-1) edged Hiruma Fujizaka (0-2)
Yoritomo Tadamo (1-1) easily defeated Isawa Oroko (1-1)
Akodo Verick (2-0) easily defeated Mirumoto Uriko (1-1)
A test of tactical understanding as well as knowledge of the classics in that area. No real shocks, both Lions –should- win such a contest. The Mantis, Tadamo, had the perfect opponent to bounce back, a courtier with little battle training. And suddenly Verick had surged into the sole lead early on.
Event #3:Athletics
Mirumoto Uriko (2-1) held on to beat Isawa Oroko (1-2)
Daidoji Suwa (2-1) outlasted Utaku Manami (1-2)
Hiruma Fujizaka (1-2) blew by Yoritomo Tadamo (1-2)
Toturi Sitha (2-1) outraced Matsu Shorisuro (1-2)
Akodo Verick (3-0) speed past Bayushi Sakura (1-2)
The first event outside the castle. An obstacle course, a sprint followed by a balancing act along a tree trunk, a climb up a ten foot wall, a longer distance run through the forest outside the castle, then finishing with a swim and another sprint. Verick holds on to his lead, though the Scorpion pulled out all the stops, including a wasp trap that left Verick with several painfully distracting stings. The only real surprise was Matsu Shorisuro’s loss. As confident as he was running a course he had trained on for years, the Monkey Clan samurai-hopeful was lightning fast, climbing as fast as some of the others ran.
Event #4: Etiquette
Bayushi Sakura (2-2) embarrassed Yoritomo Tadamo (1-3)
Utaku Manami (2-2) easily defeated Mirumoto Uriko (2-2)
Isawa Oroko (2-2) barely defeated Daidoji Suwa (2-2)
Hiruma Fujizaka (2-2) defeated Matsu Shorisuro (1-3)
Toturi Sitha (3-1) defeated Akodo Verick (3-1)
Back in the castle and back to something more courtly. A must win for Isawa Oroko and against tough competition. Hometown boy Matsu Shorisuro loses again, much to the displeasure of the other Matsu watching. And in one of his weaker events Verick finally loses, though to the surprising Toturi Sitha.
Event #5: Horsemanship
Toturi Sitha (4-1) defeated Yoritomo Tadamo (1-4)
Matsu Shorisuro (2-3) edged Mirumoto Uriko (2-3)
Bayushi Sakura (3-2) out rode Hiruma Fujizaka (2-3)
Daidoji Suwa (3-2) outclassed Isawa Oroko (2-3)
Utaku Manami (3-2) edged Akodo Verick (3-2)
Last event of the day, held out a course outside the castle again. A riding range designed to test skill, endurance and ability to handle the horses. Mantis Clanner Tadamo barely manages to stay on his horse, so winning is out of the question. Matsu Shorisuro redeems himself a little with a win. But the talk of the castle afterwards is Utaku Manami and Akodo Verick. Their duel was truly outstanding, with both showing exceptional skill and ability. The Unicorn maiden won, but Verick’s performance also impressed all who watched.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Late that afternoon, the talk of the tournament was not about the favorites, Crane, Scorpion and Matsu. But rather the unknown Monkey girl who had vaulted into the lead, and the equally unknown Akodo who had been so impressive.
Next! The group attends a banquet! Mindra gets in trouble, again! Scorpions get devious!
Black Omega
First Post
The banquet that night was surprisingly peaceful. Verick and his sensei were more focused on preparing for the next day’s events. There was plenty of clan business going on over tea and sake. Hantei Naseru, the Emperor’s youngest son, and Lion Champion Matsu Nimuro held the positions of honor and even in the midst of a banquet the watchful presence of the Imperial guards was felt. More the most part the group had a quiet evening. Mir was with Doji Shiima, who was pointing out the various alliances. Dragon and Scorpion. Lion and Phoenix. Crab and Mantis. And all currying favor with the Imperial Naseru.
Toshiro and Kaz stayed with their fellow Crab Clan samurai. Toshiro was very interested to hear about the Kaiu Wall and the battles there. Someday he was sure he’d have the chance to fight there. Probably the moment his family thought his Crane like tendencies would not get him killed. One topic of conversation popped up that did get his attention, though. The Nezumi and something called a Nameseeker. It turned out the ratling’s form of magic had nothing to do with both Rokugani and Western Kingdoms magic. Instead they used the power of names. It was rumored they could take a individual’s name away from them. If they could do that, perhaps they could restore a name someone had lost? Toshiro was getting ideas, now if Hachi could just help by finding the name to go with that Kakita katana…
While the other gaijin were left mostly out of the events going on, Mindra found a way around that. Using his amulet to assume his Chen identity, the charismatic monkey was finding people willing to talk while he worked his way toward the Monkey clanners. He never made it that far, however. His attention was captured by a pretty Crane girl who introduced herself as Kakita Asami. Still a little awkward dealing with humans, ‘Chen’ could not think of a polite way to escape being taken by a walk with Asami, though chatting with her was pleasant enough. And the politically naive monkey was unaware Asami was making sure he was seen talking with her.
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The next morning while Verick was preparing for his first challenge and the others were just getting to their seats a young Crane Clan page came up to ‘Chen’ to deliver a note. A simple friendly note discussing how much she had enjoyed their talk the previous night. And finishing with the words ‘Why don’t you send me a poem? I’d love to see your work.’. Innocently enough, ‘Chen’ worked up a poem, with Mir’s help, and sent it back with the page.
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Event #6: Poetry
The next morning the tournament resumed, starting with the simple beauty of haiku. Chief Judge Miya Yoto would give a simple theme for the haiku and the two competitors would compose on the spot a haiku to fit the theme. It was a contest that favored the more sophisticated and courtly. So it was no surprise Mirumoto Uriko defeated her Unicorn opponent with ease. Matsu Shorisuro also easily won over Yoritomo Tadamo, though if the Mantis had been allowed sea faring limericks the result would likely have been the reverse. In a battle of classic haiku Bayushi Sakura out dueled Daidoji Suwa. But the real highlight of the round was Isawa Oroko against Toturi Sitha. The Monkey girl’s haiku was creative and non-traditional while Oroko’s haiku was classic perfection. A preference for the traditional on the part of the judges was likely the main reason why Isawa Oroko was given the victory.
The final two were Akodo Verick and Hiruma Fujizaka. Intense non-traditional Lion against intense, rough Crab. After a moment’s deliberation Chief Judge Miya Yoto stood and called out “The theme for this round will be...Sadness!” Clearly putting the two warriors to the test to see if they could manage a theme with softer emotions.
The two set to work, a couple of minutes of thought followed by intense concentration as they wrote out their poems. Hiruma Fujizaka was called upon to go first.
The Green Leaves Turn Brown
Winter’s Grayness Comes Too Soon
Still We Struggle On.
Verick stood next:
The Start Of Winter
Grey And Cold, The Gentle Wind
Warms My Nighted Heart
The judges conferred, now and then glancing over the written haiku. Finally Chief Judge Miya Yoto stood and called out “Two fine poems. Clearly for both Crab and Lion winter’s onset is a time for sadness. Hiruma Fujizaka’s haiku embodies traditional Crab Clan virtues like persistence. Akodo Verick’s haiku leaves off Sadness with a hint of hope. And the winner is…Hiruma Fujizaka!
By a unanimous vote of 5-0 Hiruma Fujizaka picked up a badly needed victory and Verick was left needing two wins in the next four contests.
[DM Note: Probably the most fun we had for any event. Verick’s player had commented the week before that he had done haiku before and wouldn’t mind something like this. I had my previous experience writing bad haiku for Doji Shiima. Mindra’s player was made Chief Judge and came up with the theme of Sadness. Mir’s player acted as East German Judge, not liking either poem. The event went pretty well. Enough so that while Verick and I were working on our poems a few of the others gave it a try as well.
Volar’s Player
Eyes With Tears Need Dried
Hearts Heavy With Misery Needs Loved
Loss Is Great, Oh Woe
Toshiro’s Player
The Setting Sun Melts
Into The Motionless Sea
The Night Devours Day
Mir’s Player
Tears Fall From An Eye
Remembrance And Emotions
Memories Will Fade
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Event #7: Go
The last of the courtier events. And Isawa Oroko took full advantage, gaining a tiny measure of revenge on Yoritomo Tadamo for the Mantis invasion of the Phoenix decades ago. Clever Toturi Sitha played circles around Mirumoto Uriko. Utaku Manami outclassed Hiruma Fujizaka. In a battle of young masters, Matsu Shorisuro came up just short against Daidoji Suwa in a sparkling battle. That left Akodo Verick and his small experience in Go against Bayushi Sakura. And this time the Scorpion stung the Lion. This left Verick needed two wins in the next three events to avoid failure.
Standings
Bayushi Sakura and Toturi Sitha at 5-2, enough to move on to the final round.
Daidoji Suwa, Isawa Oroko and Utaku Manami at 4-3 and looking good.
Akodo Verick, Matsu Shorisuro, Mirumoto Uriko and Hiruma Fujizaka struggling at 3-4, but with the courtier events finished.
Yoritomo Tadamo bringing up at rear at 1-6 and already eliminated.
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Event #8: Archery
Your basic, classic archery duel. Targets set at intervals, with the closer you come to the bull’s-eye worth more points. Nice as the courtier skills are, a true samurai must be able to fight. Though Isawa Oroko seemed to contradict that by defaulting her match against Mirumoto Uriko. Hiruma Fujizaka proved his warrior skills with a victory over Toturi Sitha. Utaku Manami easily out shot Yoritomo Tadamo to get her 5th win. Matsu Shorisuro managed to keep in the hunt with a victory over Bayushi Sakura. Verick began his comeback, a close victory over Daidoji Suwa that left the young Lion Cub at 4-4.
[DM Note: As good as he is with a bow, Verick never uses it. Toshiro and Kaz also carry bows and never use them. Must be a samurai thing. It’s also worth noting that just in case Verick didn’t get his five wins Volar already had a plan in place. A little creative use of Polymorph Other would see Verick through. Even if Verick himself had no plans to escape if he failed. Volar rarely overcomplicates a plan by asking permission first.]
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Event #9: Hunting
The only contest of the day outside the castle. The task was simple and straightforward. Go out, find an area where the Tsu fish were nesting. Avoid harming the fish while gathering and returning with three of the eggs. The first back wins. Complicating matters are that the Tsu fish during mating season grow legs, establish their nests on land, and tend to gather together for protection. And the only weapon allowed against the toothy fish is a small knife.
Given she’s not trained with a katana, this was the make or break round for Isawa Oroko and in a show of steel nerves and spirit she finished just ahead of Yoritomo Tadamo to gain her fifth win. Similarly, Hiruma Fujizaka beat out local boy Matsu Shorisuro and Daidoji Suwa defeated Mirumoto Uriko for their fifth wins. Clever Monkey girl Sitha finished ahead of Utaku Manami.
Verick was matched up against Bayushi Sakura again, but this time in a match up more suited to his strengths. He was the first to locate the Tsu fish and in an impressive display of stealth he not only snuck in close enough to steal a few of the eggs without giving alarm but he also out sneaked the Scorpion on his way back.
It was an impressive victory and gave Verick his fifth win with just a round to spare. It even seemed to impressive his Scorpion opponent as Bayushi Sakura made a point of looking him up after the event. Her mask was bone white ceramic in the form of a young woman’s face and it’s painted red lips seemed to reflect a truer smile beneath as she said “Congratulations on your victory. I look forward to seeing how you handle your final round opponent even more.”
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Event #10: Kenjutsu
The truest test of a samurai. Skill with a katana. Traditionally the final event and the ultimate test for those on the edge. All duels were fought with blunted katana, but if one was careless, the risk was still real. In this case Mirumoto Uriko and Matsu Shorisuro. If the Dragon lady failed she would return to Dragon lands in failure. If the Matsu lost, failing in a contest held in Shiro Matsu itself? Either dishonor or death, and no one had any doubt which a true Lion would choose.
The first challenge was over before it began, Isawa Oroko defaulting her contest against Utaku Manami. The Phoenix Courtier had her five wins, more than most had expected her to get. The Unicorn maiden finished with six wins.
The next duel was rather more dire. Probably the finest duelist in the tournament, Daidoji Suwa, facing off against Mirumoto Uriko. Crane against Dragon, single katana against two sword technique, a rivalry going back centuries. Despite all the anticipation, the duel was disappointingly short. Daidoji Suwa’s flawless technique disposed of his Dragon rival in ten seconds, eliminating her from the competition and allowing him to finish with six wins.
Hiruma Fujizaka came next; the burly Crab matched up well against poor Yoritomo Tadamo. The duel was probably Yoritomo’s best showing of the tournament, a vicious struggle that went back and forth as steel clashed and the powerful Mantis drove his opponent to the edge of the stone dueling area. But he could not deal with Fujizaka’s rage, the Crab’s face turning red as he went berserk, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory as a savage stroke split Tadamo’s helmet, and no small amount of blood from his face. Several tense seconds passed before healers were able to revive the Mantis, and though the Crab had won, the majority of those watching made their disapproval as his loss of control clear.
Next was a battle of speed. Toturi Sitha against Bayushi Sakura. Another short, somewhat disappointing duel. Fast and skilled as the Monkey girl was, Sakura’s speed matched her, and Sitha could not deal with the Scorpion’s tricky feints. Bayushi Sakura gained the victory in less than a minute.
This left the final match. Akodo Verick, already through to the final round, against Matsu Shorisuro, who still had only four victories. Now truly the pressure was on. Matsu Shorisuro marched out to the center of the dueling area, bowing to the judges before turning to wait on his opponent, his face utterly impassive, showing none of the emotion that surely must be raging inside.
Akodo Verick followed a few seconds later. The respectful bows to the judges then his opponent. Verick’s next move surprised everyone. He resigned the match before it ever began. A Phoenix courtier defaulting was one thing. But an Akodo samurai doing so… There would have been suspicion of some sort of conspiracy if Matsu Shorisuro had not been so obviously surprised. But from the look on his face it was clear he was just as taken off guard by Verick’s actions as everyone else.
And so Matsu Shorisuro gained his fifth win and advanced to the final round. Akodo Verick was left to his own thoughts after the ‘match’ until his sensei walked up to him. Verick steeled himself for what he expected would be his sensei’s sharp words. But Akodo-sensei simply patted Verick on the shoulder and said “A samurai is a warrior. A Matsu is even more fierce a warrior. But an Akodo is must be something more. A leader. You have to put the clan before your own interests. You did well.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next up, a breakfast with Hachi! The Iaijustsu Duels! And Ryoko Owari!
Toshiro and Kaz stayed with their fellow Crab Clan samurai. Toshiro was very interested to hear about the Kaiu Wall and the battles there. Someday he was sure he’d have the chance to fight there. Probably the moment his family thought his Crane like tendencies would not get him killed. One topic of conversation popped up that did get his attention, though. The Nezumi and something called a Nameseeker. It turned out the ratling’s form of magic had nothing to do with both Rokugani and Western Kingdoms magic. Instead they used the power of names. It was rumored they could take a individual’s name away from them. If they could do that, perhaps they could restore a name someone had lost? Toshiro was getting ideas, now if Hachi could just help by finding the name to go with that Kakita katana…
While the other gaijin were left mostly out of the events going on, Mindra found a way around that. Using his amulet to assume his Chen identity, the charismatic monkey was finding people willing to talk while he worked his way toward the Monkey clanners. He never made it that far, however. His attention was captured by a pretty Crane girl who introduced herself as Kakita Asami. Still a little awkward dealing with humans, ‘Chen’ could not think of a polite way to escape being taken by a walk with Asami, though chatting with her was pleasant enough. And the politically naive monkey was unaware Asami was making sure he was seen talking with her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning while Verick was preparing for his first challenge and the others were just getting to their seats a young Crane Clan page came up to ‘Chen’ to deliver a note. A simple friendly note discussing how much she had enjoyed their talk the previous night. And finishing with the words ‘Why don’t you send me a poem? I’d love to see your work.’. Innocently enough, ‘Chen’ worked up a poem, with Mir’s help, and sent it back with the page.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Event #6: Poetry
The next morning the tournament resumed, starting with the simple beauty of haiku. Chief Judge Miya Yoto would give a simple theme for the haiku and the two competitors would compose on the spot a haiku to fit the theme. It was a contest that favored the more sophisticated and courtly. So it was no surprise Mirumoto Uriko defeated her Unicorn opponent with ease. Matsu Shorisuro also easily won over Yoritomo Tadamo, though if the Mantis had been allowed sea faring limericks the result would likely have been the reverse. In a battle of classic haiku Bayushi Sakura out dueled Daidoji Suwa. But the real highlight of the round was Isawa Oroko against Toturi Sitha. The Monkey girl’s haiku was creative and non-traditional while Oroko’s haiku was classic perfection. A preference for the traditional on the part of the judges was likely the main reason why Isawa Oroko was given the victory.
The final two were Akodo Verick and Hiruma Fujizaka. Intense non-traditional Lion against intense, rough Crab. After a moment’s deliberation Chief Judge Miya Yoto stood and called out “The theme for this round will be...Sadness!” Clearly putting the two warriors to the test to see if they could manage a theme with softer emotions.
The two set to work, a couple of minutes of thought followed by intense concentration as they wrote out their poems. Hiruma Fujizaka was called upon to go first.
The Green Leaves Turn Brown
Winter’s Grayness Comes Too Soon
Still We Struggle On.
Verick stood next:
The Start Of Winter
Grey And Cold, The Gentle Wind
Warms My Nighted Heart
The judges conferred, now and then glancing over the written haiku. Finally Chief Judge Miya Yoto stood and called out “Two fine poems. Clearly for both Crab and Lion winter’s onset is a time for sadness. Hiruma Fujizaka’s haiku embodies traditional Crab Clan virtues like persistence. Akodo Verick’s haiku leaves off Sadness with a hint of hope. And the winner is…Hiruma Fujizaka!
By a unanimous vote of 5-0 Hiruma Fujizaka picked up a badly needed victory and Verick was left needing two wins in the next four contests.
[DM Note: Probably the most fun we had for any event. Verick’s player had commented the week before that he had done haiku before and wouldn’t mind something like this. I had my previous experience writing bad haiku for Doji Shiima. Mindra’s player was made Chief Judge and came up with the theme of Sadness. Mir’s player acted as East German Judge, not liking either poem. The event went pretty well. Enough so that while Verick and I were working on our poems a few of the others gave it a try as well.
Volar’s Player
Eyes With Tears Need Dried
Hearts Heavy With Misery Needs Loved
Loss Is Great, Oh Woe
Toshiro’s Player
The Setting Sun Melts
Into The Motionless Sea
The Night Devours Day
Mir’s Player
Tears Fall From An Eye
Remembrance And Emotions
Memories Will Fade
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Event #7: Go
The last of the courtier events. And Isawa Oroko took full advantage, gaining a tiny measure of revenge on Yoritomo Tadamo for the Mantis invasion of the Phoenix decades ago. Clever Toturi Sitha played circles around Mirumoto Uriko. Utaku Manami outclassed Hiruma Fujizaka. In a battle of young masters, Matsu Shorisuro came up just short against Daidoji Suwa in a sparkling battle. That left Akodo Verick and his small experience in Go against Bayushi Sakura. And this time the Scorpion stung the Lion. This left Verick needed two wins in the next three events to avoid failure.
Standings
Bayushi Sakura and Toturi Sitha at 5-2, enough to move on to the final round.
Daidoji Suwa, Isawa Oroko and Utaku Manami at 4-3 and looking good.
Akodo Verick, Matsu Shorisuro, Mirumoto Uriko and Hiruma Fujizaka struggling at 3-4, but with the courtier events finished.
Yoritomo Tadamo bringing up at rear at 1-6 and already eliminated.
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Event #8: Archery
Your basic, classic archery duel. Targets set at intervals, with the closer you come to the bull’s-eye worth more points. Nice as the courtier skills are, a true samurai must be able to fight. Though Isawa Oroko seemed to contradict that by defaulting her match against Mirumoto Uriko. Hiruma Fujizaka proved his warrior skills with a victory over Toturi Sitha. Utaku Manami easily out shot Yoritomo Tadamo to get her 5th win. Matsu Shorisuro managed to keep in the hunt with a victory over Bayushi Sakura. Verick began his comeback, a close victory over Daidoji Suwa that left the young Lion Cub at 4-4.
[DM Note: As good as he is with a bow, Verick never uses it. Toshiro and Kaz also carry bows and never use them. Must be a samurai thing. It’s also worth noting that just in case Verick didn’t get his five wins Volar already had a plan in place. A little creative use of Polymorph Other would see Verick through. Even if Verick himself had no plans to escape if he failed. Volar rarely overcomplicates a plan by asking permission first.]
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Event #9: Hunting
The only contest of the day outside the castle. The task was simple and straightforward. Go out, find an area where the Tsu fish were nesting. Avoid harming the fish while gathering and returning with three of the eggs. The first back wins. Complicating matters are that the Tsu fish during mating season grow legs, establish their nests on land, and tend to gather together for protection. And the only weapon allowed against the toothy fish is a small knife.
Given she’s not trained with a katana, this was the make or break round for Isawa Oroko and in a show of steel nerves and spirit she finished just ahead of Yoritomo Tadamo to gain her fifth win. Similarly, Hiruma Fujizaka beat out local boy Matsu Shorisuro and Daidoji Suwa defeated Mirumoto Uriko for their fifth wins. Clever Monkey girl Sitha finished ahead of Utaku Manami.
Verick was matched up against Bayushi Sakura again, but this time in a match up more suited to his strengths. He was the first to locate the Tsu fish and in an impressive display of stealth he not only snuck in close enough to steal a few of the eggs without giving alarm but he also out sneaked the Scorpion on his way back.
It was an impressive victory and gave Verick his fifth win with just a round to spare. It even seemed to impressive his Scorpion opponent as Bayushi Sakura made a point of looking him up after the event. Her mask was bone white ceramic in the form of a young woman’s face and it’s painted red lips seemed to reflect a truer smile beneath as she said “Congratulations on your victory. I look forward to seeing how you handle your final round opponent even more.”
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Event #10: Kenjutsu
The truest test of a samurai. Skill with a katana. Traditionally the final event and the ultimate test for those on the edge. All duels were fought with blunted katana, but if one was careless, the risk was still real. In this case Mirumoto Uriko and Matsu Shorisuro. If the Dragon lady failed she would return to Dragon lands in failure. If the Matsu lost, failing in a contest held in Shiro Matsu itself? Either dishonor or death, and no one had any doubt which a true Lion would choose.
The first challenge was over before it began, Isawa Oroko defaulting her contest against Utaku Manami. The Phoenix Courtier had her five wins, more than most had expected her to get. The Unicorn maiden finished with six wins.
The next duel was rather more dire. Probably the finest duelist in the tournament, Daidoji Suwa, facing off against Mirumoto Uriko. Crane against Dragon, single katana against two sword technique, a rivalry going back centuries. Despite all the anticipation, the duel was disappointingly short. Daidoji Suwa’s flawless technique disposed of his Dragon rival in ten seconds, eliminating her from the competition and allowing him to finish with six wins.
Hiruma Fujizaka came next; the burly Crab matched up well against poor Yoritomo Tadamo. The duel was probably Yoritomo’s best showing of the tournament, a vicious struggle that went back and forth as steel clashed and the powerful Mantis drove his opponent to the edge of the stone dueling area. But he could not deal with Fujizaka’s rage, the Crab’s face turning red as he went berserk, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory as a savage stroke split Tadamo’s helmet, and no small amount of blood from his face. Several tense seconds passed before healers were able to revive the Mantis, and though the Crab had won, the majority of those watching made their disapproval as his loss of control clear.
Next was a battle of speed. Toturi Sitha against Bayushi Sakura. Another short, somewhat disappointing duel. Fast and skilled as the Monkey girl was, Sakura’s speed matched her, and Sitha could not deal with the Scorpion’s tricky feints. Bayushi Sakura gained the victory in less than a minute.
This left the final match. Akodo Verick, already through to the final round, against Matsu Shorisuro, who still had only four victories. Now truly the pressure was on. Matsu Shorisuro marched out to the center of the dueling area, bowing to the judges before turning to wait on his opponent, his face utterly impassive, showing none of the emotion that surely must be raging inside.
Akodo Verick followed a few seconds later. The respectful bows to the judges then his opponent. Verick’s next move surprised everyone. He resigned the match before it ever began. A Phoenix courtier defaulting was one thing. But an Akodo samurai doing so… There would have been suspicion of some sort of conspiracy if Matsu Shorisuro had not been so obviously surprised. But from the look on his face it was clear he was just as taken off guard by Verick’s actions as everyone else.
And so Matsu Shorisuro gained his fifth win and advanced to the final round. Akodo Verick was left to his own thoughts after the ‘match’ until his sensei walked up to him. Verick steeled himself for what he expected would be his sensei’s sharp words. But Akodo-sensei simply patted Verick on the shoulder and said “A samurai is a warrior. A Matsu is even more fierce a warrior. But an Akodo is must be something more. A leader. You have to put the clan before your own interests. You did well.”
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Next up, a breakfast with Hachi! The Iaijustsu Duels! And Ryoko Owari!
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