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Bunraku (Samurai Mecha Quest)

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[X] Accept the offer. (Lady Gozen in particular will be offended. Your reputation among the samurai of the city will suffer at first, but if you succeed it will rise in equal measure.)
 
[X] Accept

Kowtow to Gozen afterwards and ask for assistance because we recognize their skill?
 
Got to say that I love this choice design in quests, though. Each vote not only determines what happens next, but also fleshes out and develops our character further... which is pretty impressive for someone who didn't start as a blank state in the first place. It's been pretty consistent so far, too - how to take Ondo's words; whom to be seen with, nobles or commoners; whether to take a courtship offer or not; how to approach Silver Cane and what to advice to our Lord based on what we learned; how to duel Steel Dove, and now how to conduct ourselves in the aftermath of that duel... all added something or other to what kind of person we are or strive to be, which adds an additional layer to consider besides the potential efficiency of the action itself.

It is pretty rare to see this pulled off regularly.
 
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[X] Reject the Offer

Success will come to Tomoe, but it should not be at the risk of the opinion of the Noble class and Gozen, our superior who has respected and accepted our opinions and tactical advice. Taking this opportunity makes us look like a glory hound, willing to upstage respected and talented persons for personal gain. We might gain reputation and honor from succeeding, but it will be tainted by scandal and rumors. Tomoe isn't here to get land, power, and prestige; she is here to atone for her failures, to make up for letting her lord be slain on her watch, to try to make up for the hundreds she has slain, to make up for lying to her master.

To digress, Found this quest the other, and hot damn Omicron, you have a talent for engaging and fun quests! I'm looking forward to seeing some more of this.
 
We'll have to make sure Lady Gozen knows what we've done for her honour, or should we just not tell her that we nearly ended up leading the expedition?
 
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XXVI. Dawn
  • Threadmarks
    • XXVI. Dawn


    The offer laid before you is one of great importance. A dangerous proposition, but one which brings with it much honor. It is a sign of your lord's favor, and you must ponder it for a long while, tempted by its promise, seduced by your own ambition, before you finally decide.

    "Thank you, my lord," you say humbly, "but I must refuse."

    Lord Summer frowns, a motion of his features like a great storm on the horizon.

    "Do you now? You would reject my favor?"

    You tremble slightly, and bow deeper.

    "I am a samurai, my lord, and you my master; your favor is of more value to me than anything in this world. But I must serve you well, and the truth is that I am far too new in Summer. I do not know the men, the samurai, their way of war and fighting, their names and titles and family. I do not know the region around us. I could not lead them as well as Lady Gozen would, she who served you faithfully all this years."

    Lord Summer reclines slightly, fanning his face, his eyes dark but without anger.

    "Such are wise words, Tomoe. Wise, cautious words."

    You open your mouth to thank him, but he cuts you off.

    "That is not solely a compliment. Wisdom and caution are virtues in all samurai; but they must be tempered by bravery and audacity, lest they lull us into quiescence. This could have been your trial by fire; the qualities which you describe in Lady Gozen could have been yours, had you seized them by force in confronting this task."

    You swallow harshly. You know he is right; this is the third time you deliberately reject honor and status, first by letting a common officer speak for you, then by refusing a powerful marriage, and now by refusing a prestigious appointment.

    "My lord…"

    "You are an Imperial Princess, Tomoe. Yours is a holy blood, consecrated at the dawn of mankind by the Heavenly Dragons. I do not know what failure led you to my palace in disgrace, but you cannot forever crawl among the worms of the earth. Soon you will have to rise and take your rightful place, whether you like it or not."

    You raise your eyes, staring at your master. There is a deep blue glow to Lord Summer's eyes, a crackling of electricity in the air, and his presence is suffocating.

    "Rise," he says, his voice deep and rumbling, "and carry my orders to Lady Gozen. You will serve under her on this task."

    You nod rapidly, stand up, and depart the room as quickly as etiquette allows, facing your lord all the way. You think you see his hair blowing in a wind you cannot feel.


    ***
    ​

    The last scouts have come back. Soon, you will leave.

    You have exerted considerable restraint in refusing to visit Summer's bunraku workshop; you knew the extensive changes done to Hope for the Harvest would cause you no small amount of panic. The bunraku had been your faithful companion for years, each of its quirks and flaws known to you, as familiar as his blade to a master swordsman. To see it being transformed piece by piece into something else would be a painful experience, and so you stayed away from the workshop.

    But now Mitsuko has called for you, and you finally enter the workshop to behold the new form of your bunraku. The short woman walks up to you, wiping her hands on a filthy handkerchief, and says something, but you do not hear her; your eyes are taking in the sight of Hope for the Harvest.

    She is beautiful. The same as she was, and yet unmistakably different. The heavy steel plating is gone, but heartwood has replaced it, giving her an air of elegance where she once felt heavy and graceless. The wooden panels are engraved with fields of wheat and rice, with images of field kami, and at the center of her chest is a beautiful carving of She-Who-Brings-The-Downpour, the Heavenly Dragon who presides over the monsoon, worshipped by all farmers. Her helm is still the same, a peasant-woman with hair of straw, only now carved out of wood rather than cast in steel.

    "I could have spared the decorations," Mitsuko says casually, "but seeing as you gave me the opportunity to test out my new design, I figured I'd do a proper job of it. You like her?"

    You nod. It's not the Harvest you knew, the one you fought in all this time, but it is still Harvest, in a different form.

    "You puppeteers are so sentimental," Mitsuko says with a sigh. "Well, I will let you get acquainted with her. We only have a few finishing touches, some polish, greasing the joints, all that."

    "Thank you," you say, and the craftswoman smirks.

    "I should be thanking you. Not everyone would let me play with their precious armor on such a half-baked idea as I had."

    "Half-baked?!"

    "Bah, don't worry, it worked out just fine. We stress-tested it, threw some arrows at it… Heartwood is doing just what we wanted it to."

    "You shot at my bunraku while it was in repairs," you say flatly.

    "Don't worry about it. It worked out!" Mitsuko shouts as she walks away, tossing her grease-stained handkerchief onto a working table. You sigh in resignation.

    You spend the next hour in prayer. You burn incense and make offerings of rice, wheat and spices to your bunraku, all things favored by the spirits of harvests. You ask for forgiveness in allowing her to be transformed so, and you ask for her renewed loyalty and guidance in the times to come. You promise to recite the old prayers for one entire night when your mission is done, and you swear to make an offering of saffron if she does not fail you in battle.

    At the end of this ceremony, you feel eyes on your back; you finish reciting a traditional prayer of puppeteers and stand up, gathering your composure. When you turn, you find Ondo and Yoichi, your two fellow puppeteers, and this brings a smile to your face.

    "My friends! What brings you?" You say, walking up to them, the smell of incense still on your nose. Harvest looms above the three of you, her eyes melancholy - but, you hope, happy with her new station.

    "Well, I have to meet with Mitsuko to discuss my new Chasing Star," Ondo says sadly. You wince in sympathy.

    "Still not up and running, uh?" You ask.

    "It'll take a lot more time to rebuild it from the scraps we retrieved than to refit your own bunraku into…" Ondo frowns. "What is this?"

    "The future, my friend!" Grinning, you pat his shoulder with a heavy palm, and he makes a grunt of mock pain. "So you won't be joining us? Shame! After our last showing, I'd love to have you by my side!"

    "Ah! Trust me, fighting that kami-born aberration was plenty enough for me in a month… Or a year. I don't regret being left out of this little adventure of yours."

    You flash another smile to him, and he answers in kind. In truth, it is likely that it does bother him; no samurai likes to be left on the sidelines while a mission of great importance is being conducted. But you will allow him this pretense, as he would allow it to you.

    "And you, Yoichi? Will you be joining us?" You ask your bearded giant of a friend, who laughs out loud.

    "It's not as if I were Gozen's first choice! If our friend here -" and he too pats Ondo's back, who winces under such a blow - "still had his Chasing Star, he'd be her first choice! A scout, a duelist, and an army-slayer, a perfect troop. But of course, Chasing Stars are in high demand in Summer's extended domain, always running around the countryside, chasing bandits, defending the trade routes! And so, even though our Lord asked for one to be sent back, the southern troops found an excuse to keep their Star and send us a Rising Tide instead. Not much use in hunting down a village of bandits - but Gozen reluctantly added me to her roster. You and I, Tomoe my friend, will be the two Falling Mountains in this expedition!"

    "Ha!" You smile. "But don't you know, my bunraku is no longer a Falling Mountain. No, in the words of the queen of craftsmen herself, she is now a Verdant Sapling."

    "Verdant Sapling, uh?" Yoichi strokes his beard. "Nice name. Like the ring of it. Doesn't quite strike the same fear as 'Falling Mountain,' though."

    "Forget about the names," you say with a dismissive wave, "what are we in for? Do we really have only three bunraku?"

    "Only three?" Yoichi laughs. "That's a quarter of Summer's forces! Most of them are still guarding the surrounding lands, and two are being left to guard the city. This is a considerable force Lady Gozen is heading - three bunraku, ten samurai, their horses, and their thirty retainers, and five hundred ashigaru. It ought to be more than enough to deal with these bandits; they only had a hundred and fifty men to assault the fort, and they only have seven Ronin."

    You nod. That calculus makes sense to you.

    "What about the Hidden Village's location, though? We still haven't found it."

    "No, and that's why a Chasing Star would be nice," Yoichi sighs. "Still, the last group of scouts found a promising lead; a footstep-worn path in the forests to the northwest of the city, one that could only have been traced by a large number of marching men. Following it, we are likely to find their hiding place."

    "So there's nothing more to wait for," you say. "We will leave soon."

    "Tomorrow at dawn!" Yoichi says cheerfully. "Don't be late."

    Ondo smiles, a thin, melancholy expression, and grips your arm in his hand.

    "Don't make me regret my sacrifice," he says, his tone half-joking but all too sincere. "Win this battle for me."

    You nod seriously, and your two friends depart.


    ***​


    Morning comes, and the city feels oddly silent.

    Hundreds of warriors are gathered before the Summer Palace, conscripts and veterans alike holding their spears, much similar to your own. Ten noblemen stand tall above the crowd, armored in leather and lacquered wood, the samurai riding their mighty warhorses, each one holding a dual banner showing the mon of their family and that of their city.

    The bunraku have not been brought out yet. You take this moment to relax, and bask in the morning light. Dawn is slow to rise over Summer's mighty walls; the sky is burning with waves of red and orange, but you cannot yet see the sun over the city itself.

    Lady Gozen comes towards you, as stern as ever, and you stand to attention, a dutiful soldier.

    "Tomoe," she says - it almost makes you laugh. If you were an ordinary samurai, she would never be so informal as to call you by your first name; but the only alternative is to call you Imperial Majesty, and that's a step too far for her. Familiarity will have to do. "We only have three bunraku, and I want to protect the whole troop. One of us must take the front guard, one the rear guard, and one stand in the middle of the company. Yoichi says he doesn't care. Which do you prefer?"

    You stare in surprise. Such decisions are not usually left to the lower echelons - but then again, in Autumn you held such a high rank that the battles in which you took part involved many more bunraku than this expedition. You gave advice to your lord, then fell in line with his decision as part of a dozen puppeteers. Here, where there are only three of you, making wise decisions based on each puppeteer's skills is the more sensible choice.

    You consider her question.


    [ ] Take the front.
    [ ] Take the middle.
    [ ] Take the rear.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • If we take the front, then if attacked head on or run into a force to attack, we'd be in the perfect place to lead the charge. But I feel that if the brigades ambush the column at the rear we might not be able to help.

    If we take the rear it might be seen as cowardly.

    But, I feel that by taking the middle, we reinforce the most likely place for an ambush, and give us the ability to lead either the second wave in an attack or the reinforcements in an ambush.

    [X] Take the middle
     
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