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"Return of the Rod of the Seven Parts" - D&D
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<blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 439529" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chinese Take-out</strong></p><p></p><p>Chapter 3, "The Favorite Uncle", September 12, 1018: </p><p></p><p>Toshiro’s Uncle Hiroshi soon joins the party. Toshiro had told his grandmother about the misunderstanding regarding the dwarves, having explained that Duegar and Lannon are prominent members of the group, which in the Heian Empire would be the equivalent of dwarven clan chiefs. Hiroshi explains that he had worked as a Jeweler and Gem Merchant, and his travels throughout the Orient had him serve as a diplomat with dwarven clans, so he was asked by the grandmother to offer Duegar and Lannon the formal apologies from the family. “Hey, no big deal.” Lannon answers. Hiroshi then offers them a gift, of a large bottle of Sake, and has also brought glasses. As the dwarves and Hiroshi sit down for a drink many of the other party members decide to join them. The party soon becomes very comfortable with this older man, especially given that he speaks common without any hint of an accent. He is even familiar with colloquial expressions and slang that are part of the group's everyday vocabulary. He says that they can call him “Hiro” rather than his full formal name. Toshiro appears to be uncomfortable with Hiroshi’s “casualness” around the party, being used to far more formality while at the family estate.</p><p></p><p>The remainder of the day is spent with the party drinking with Hiro. The older man mentions that he is a linguist, speaking over a dozen Oriental languages. Cassie shows him the two books, which he is able to easily translate. Hiro tells her that since the zoology text is both an antique, and written by Lee Takayama, it would make an excellent present to give to the Takayama Family during their audience, as presents are part of all formal meetings. She asks if he would be able to first “copy” it for her, so that she could retain the information, which he agrees to.</p><p></p><p>The party asks Hiroshi about the different races in this Empire. He explains that there are only two native races to the land of the Heian Empire, elf and human. Humans currently comprise approximately 62% of the population, and elves comprise approximately 37%. The remaining 1% of the population is comprised mostly of visiting dwarves that came from the continent west of the Empire during the past half-century, and they live primarily at or near mining areas, and not in the major population centers. </p><p></p><p>“If there are both elves and human, then why no half-elves?” asks Cassie. He explains that law forbids inter-racial marriage between the Heian humans and Heian elves. “Keeping the races apart?” comments Lono. Hiroshi answers “No, not really. The humans and elvan populations actually get along well, and it is not uncommon to see them living side-by-side. There is also no attitude with either race of racial superiority or racial bias. The reason that they are prohibited from inter-racial unions is because of their significantly different life spans. Heian society places great value on family, and considers it inappropriate for a long-lived race to create unions with a short-lived race, feeling that is unnecessarily cruel for one spouse to stay young while the other, and their children, grow old and die.” “So there are never any illegitimate half-elvan child?” asks Cassie. “Occasionally,” Hiroshi answers, “But as honor is greatly regarded here, and that would be a violation of the law, the parents would be disgraced. Any half-elvan children born are sent away to live on a remote island near the outer edge of the Empire, which has a half-elvan population.” </p><p></p><p>At 4:00 P.M. the party, including the dwarves, joins the family for the formal evening meal, after which the grandmother informs them that an Elder in the Takayama family will meet with them shortly before noon two days later. She reminds them that it would be strongly advisable that half-elves not go to this meeting. After the meal Duegar and Lannon conclude that dining with the servants was a lot more fun. </p><p></p><p>Cassie and Hiroshi spend the evening, and much of the next two days, copying the zoology book, with him taking an occasional break to drink and play cards with the guys. During this time they also find out much more about Hiroshi’s personal history. Hiroshi Mitsubishi was born the second of three brothers in the politically powerful Mitsubishi family, in the Heian Empire’s capital city of Miyako. It was expected that, like his siblings, he would seek a political career with the Empire. Hiroshi, however, had far too much curiosity about the world to ever be content as a bureaucrat. </p><p></p><p>A natural linguist, his skills were called upon after dwarves from the western continent discovered new techniques in mining, and these dwarven clans sought mining rights to the volcanic mountains that comprised much of the Heian Islands. Young Hiroshi became invaluable, quickly becoming fluent in the dwarven tongue and negotiating agreements mutually beneficial to both parties. Hiroshi took a natural affinity to the dwarves, finding their company preferable to the rigid protocols and politics of Miyako. The dwarves set up mining camps and villages throughout the Empire, choosing to remain isolated, as the humans and elves of the Empire were very apprehensive of these newcomers, which caused a mutual distrust from the dwarves. Hiroshi was one of the few trusted Heians, and from this relationship he soon developed a successful business, brokering sales of raw minerals and gems for the dwarves. </p><p></p><p>Hiroshi chose not to make the dwarves dependent on his skills and services, deciding instead to act as a teacher and mentor for the Dwarven Clan Chiefs, to help them learn the local languages and develop long-term relationships with the Provincial Warlords of the Heian Empire. This earned him their admiration, and rather than dealing simply with raw materials, the dwarves soon approached him about brokering sales of finished goods, primarily jewelry and polished gemstones. During these years the dwarves also taught Hiroshi the languages spoken in western continent, and his travels and business dealings soon extended into those regions as well.</p><p></p><p>This business enterprise was quite successful, and brought great wealth to the Mitsubishi family, rising the family's status and social standing. This in turn helped the political careers of his father and brothers. The family was quite proud of Hiroshi and of his role in the Empire, in spite of its non-traditional nature. Hiroshi’s father arranged a marriage for him with Kirora, the daughter of a prominent Provincial Warlord of a neighboring province. The marriage, however, proved to be an unhappy one, as she was displeased with his long periods away from home, as well as the lack of attention given to her when he was home. They had one son, named Kojiro</p><p></p><p>In the sixth year of their marriage Kirora’s mother took ill, and Kirora returned to her home province to care for her. Even after the mother’s passing, Kirora and Kojiro did not return, and Hiroshi’s father petitioned the Emperor to have the union dissolved. Hiroshi did not reestablish a relationship with his son until the boy was in his late-twenties, when after failures at three consecutive careers, Kojiro sought out his father for employment. Hiroshi initially gave his son a relatively minor supervisory job, but that was soon to change. </p><p></p><p>Both Hiroshi’s mother and the Emperor started to encourage Hiroshi to pass the business onto the next generation, as Mitsubishi Jewels and Gems had become the sole source of revenue for the family and was also responsible for nearly half of revenue to the Emperor’s coffers. They realized that the business had become entirely dependent upon Hiroshi and his personal connections. As he was now sixty years old, they were afraid and if anything were to happen to him the business would collapse, and bring about their own financial ruin, as they had become accustomed to an opulent lifestyle. Eventually Hiroshi agreed to train and pass his business on to his favorite nephew, Toshiro. Circumstances then forced Toshiro to leave the Empire, so he began to teach Kojiro. Working with Kojiro proved to be a frustrating experience for Hiroshi, as the young man lacked a good head for the business, had no linguist ability, and lacked the political skills needed for the job. To compensate, Hiroshi surrounded his son with trusted associates, both human and dwarven. </p><p></p><p>Eight years ago Hiroshi officially named his son the new Leader of Mitsubishi Jewels and Gems. Kojiro’s ineptitude, however, kept Hiroshi actively involved in the business for another four years. The business has finally now begun to stabilize as a manageable and viable enterprise under Kojiro’s leadership. The business is now only one-third the size, and at around half the profit level, of what it had been at its peak, but is positioned to maintain itself indefinitely. The business is now focused on the Heian Empire itself, having discontinued its primary operations on the Western Continent, while still maintaining a supply link through Kojiro’s dwarven advisors with their affiliation to the dwarven clans there.</p><p></p><p>Hiroshi says that he had originally planned to enjoy his retirement, and spend most of his time traveling, but that has not been the case. For the past four years Hiroshi has remained in Miyako, serving as a Family Elder and occasionally working as a translator for the Emperor. Every time he has planned a trip abroad either his mother or the Emperor have found some reason to keep him from going. Hiroshi says that he thinks they suspect that if he leaves he will not return, and they want to keep him close just in case Kojiro should again need direction and guidance with the business. He says that he has been quite bored lately, and finds the party’s lively company and stories of their adventures to be the most interesting diversion he has had in years.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 439529, member: 8530"] [b]Chinese Take-out[/b] Chapter 3, "The Favorite Uncle", September 12, 1018: Toshiro’s Uncle Hiroshi soon joins the party. Toshiro had told his grandmother about the misunderstanding regarding the dwarves, having explained that Duegar and Lannon are prominent members of the group, which in the Heian Empire would be the equivalent of dwarven clan chiefs. Hiroshi explains that he had worked as a Jeweler and Gem Merchant, and his travels throughout the Orient had him serve as a diplomat with dwarven clans, so he was asked by the grandmother to offer Duegar and Lannon the formal apologies from the family. “Hey, no big deal.” Lannon answers. Hiroshi then offers them a gift, of a large bottle of Sake, and has also brought glasses. As the dwarves and Hiroshi sit down for a drink many of the other party members decide to join them. The party soon becomes very comfortable with this older man, especially given that he speaks common without any hint of an accent. He is even familiar with colloquial expressions and slang that are part of the group's everyday vocabulary. He says that they can call him “Hiro” rather than his full formal name. Toshiro appears to be uncomfortable with Hiroshi’s “casualness” around the party, being used to far more formality while at the family estate. The remainder of the day is spent with the party drinking with Hiro. The older man mentions that he is a linguist, speaking over a dozen Oriental languages. Cassie shows him the two books, which he is able to easily translate. Hiro tells her that since the zoology text is both an antique, and written by Lee Takayama, it would make an excellent present to give to the Takayama Family during their audience, as presents are part of all formal meetings. She asks if he would be able to first “copy” it for her, so that she could retain the information, which he agrees to. The party asks Hiroshi about the different races in this Empire. He explains that there are only two native races to the land of the Heian Empire, elf and human. Humans currently comprise approximately 62% of the population, and elves comprise approximately 37%. The remaining 1% of the population is comprised mostly of visiting dwarves that came from the continent west of the Empire during the past half-century, and they live primarily at or near mining areas, and not in the major population centers. “If there are both elves and human, then why no half-elves?” asks Cassie. He explains that law forbids inter-racial marriage between the Heian humans and Heian elves. “Keeping the races apart?” comments Lono. Hiroshi answers “No, not really. The humans and elvan populations actually get along well, and it is not uncommon to see them living side-by-side. There is also no attitude with either race of racial superiority or racial bias. The reason that they are prohibited from inter-racial unions is because of their significantly different life spans. Heian society places great value on family, and considers it inappropriate for a long-lived race to create unions with a short-lived race, feeling that is unnecessarily cruel for one spouse to stay young while the other, and their children, grow old and die.” “So there are never any illegitimate half-elvan child?” asks Cassie. “Occasionally,” Hiroshi answers, “But as honor is greatly regarded here, and that would be a violation of the law, the parents would be disgraced. Any half-elvan children born are sent away to live on a remote island near the outer edge of the Empire, which has a half-elvan population.” At 4:00 P.M. the party, including the dwarves, joins the family for the formal evening meal, after which the grandmother informs them that an Elder in the Takayama family will meet with them shortly before noon two days later. She reminds them that it would be strongly advisable that half-elves not go to this meeting. After the meal Duegar and Lannon conclude that dining with the servants was a lot more fun. Cassie and Hiroshi spend the evening, and much of the next two days, copying the zoology book, with him taking an occasional break to drink and play cards with the guys. During this time they also find out much more about Hiroshi’s personal history. Hiroshi Mitsubishi was born the second of three brothers in the politically powerful Mitsubishi family, in the Heian Empire’s capital city of Miyako. It was expected that, like his siblings, he would seek a political career with the Empire. Hiroshi, however, had far too much curiosity about the world to ever be content as a bureaucrat. A natural linguist, his skills were called upon after dwarves from the western continent discovered new techniques in mining, and these dwarven clans sought mining rights to the volcanic mountains that comprised much of the Heian Islands. Young Hiroshi became invaluable, quickly becoming fluent in the dwarven tongue and negotiating agreements mutually beneficial to both parties. Hiroshi took a natural affinity to the dwarves, finding their company preferable to the rigid protocols and politics of Miyako. The dwarves set up mining camps and villages throughout the Empire, choosing to remain isolated, as the humans and elves of the Empire were very apprehensive of these newcomers, which caused a mutual distrust from the dwarves. Hiroshi was one of the few trusted Heians, and from this relationship he soon developed a successful business, brokering sales of raw minerals and gems for the dwarves. Hiroshi chose not to make the dwarves dependent on his skills and services, deciding instead to act as a teacher and mentor for the Dwarven Clan Chiefs, to help them learn the local languages and develop long-term relationships with the Provincial Warlords of the Heian Empire. This earned him their admiration, and rather than dealing simply with raw materials, the dwarves soon approached him about brokering sales of finished goods, primarily jewelry and polished gemstones. During these years the dwarves also taught Hiroshi the languages spoken in western continent, and his travels and business dealings soon extended into those regions as well. This business enterprise was quite successful, and brought great wealth to the Mitsubishi family, rising the family's status and social standing. This in turn helped the political careers of his father and brothers. The family was quite proud of Hiroshi and of his role in the Empire, in spite of its non-traditional nature. Hiroshi’s father arranged a marriage for him with Kirora, the daughter of a prominent Provincial Warlord of a neighboring province. The marriage, however, proved to be an unhappy one, as she was displeased with his long periods away from home, as well as the lack of attention given to her when he was home. They had one son, named Kojiro In the sixth year of their marriage Kirora’s mother took ill, and Kirora returned to her home province to care for her. Even after the mother’s passing, Kirora and Kojiro did not return, and Hiroshi’s father petitioned the Emperor to have the union dissolved. Hiroshi did not reestablish a relationship with his son until the boy was in his late-twenties, when after failures at three consecutive careers, Kojiro sought out his father for employment. Hiroshi initially gave his son a relatively minor supervisory job, but that was soon to change. Both Hiroshi’s mother and the Emperor started to encourage Hiroshi to pass the business onto the next generation, as Mitsubishi Jewels and Gems had become the sole source of revenue for the family and was also responsible for nearly half of revenue to the Emperor’s coffers. They realized that the business had become entirely dependent upon Hiroshi and his personal connections. As he was now sixty years old, they were afraid and if anything were to happen to him the business would collapse, and bring about their own financial ruin, as they had become accustomed to an opulent lifestyle. Eventually Hiroshi agreed to train and pass his business on to his favorite nephew, Toshiro. Circumstances then forced Toshiro to leave the Empire, so he began to teach Kojiro. Working with Kojiro proved to be a frustrating experience for Hiroshi, as the young man lacked a good head for the business, had no linguist ability, and lacked the political skills needed for the job. To compensate, Hiroshi surrounded his son with trusted associates, both human and dwarven. Eight years ago Hiroshi officially named his son the new Leader of Mitsubishi Jewels and Gems. Kojiro’s ineptitude, however, kept Hiroshi actively involved in the business for another four years. The business has finally now begun to stabilize as a manageable and viable enterprise under Kojiro’s leadership. The business is now only one-third the size, and at around half the profit level, of what it had been at its peak, but is positioned to maintain itself indefinitely. The business is now focused on the Heian Empire itself, having discontinued its primary operations on the Western Continent, while still maintaining a supply link through Kojiro’s dwarven advisors with their affiliation to the dwarven clans there. Hiroshi says that he had originally planned to enjoy his retirement, and spend most of his time traveling, but that has not been the case. For the past four years Hiroshi has remained in Miyako, serving as a Family Elder and occasionally working as a translator for the Emperor. Every time he has planned a trip abroad either his mother or the Emperor have found some reason to keep him from going. Hiroshi says that he thinks they suspect that if he leaves he will not return, and they want to keep him close just in case Kojiro should again need direction and guidance with the business. He says that he has been quite bored lately, and finds the party’s lively company and stories of their adventures to be the most interesting diversion he has had in years. [/QUOTE]
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