Glory of the Emerald Empire (Legend of the 5 Rings Quest)
- Thread starter Winged Knight
- Start date
- Fantasy
EtchedSteel
*mumble mumble*
- Location
- Lima. Peru
So much micro...
[x] Droman
[x] Droman
Cannongerbil
I came here to nep at you
- Location
- Soviet Lunar Base
[x] Plan Droman
Time to roll investigation.
Time to roll investigation.
Sirrocco
Pedantic
Not when we might need it in the fight. Whether it's against the Ogre, or against whatever else it is that's hunting kids, there's almost certain to be a fight at the end - and the "one void point = 10 HP" thing is just too good to give up, given our fighting style.
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
-
[x] Plan Droman
Unrelated:
...Hmmm, can ogre's interbreed with humans? Because (though it might end up as a separate, smaller clan) Taint resistant Crab would be amazing.
Unrelated:
...Hmmm, can ogre's interbreed with humans? Because (though it might end up as a separate, smaller clan) Taint resistant Crab would be amazing.
Dirtnap
Kanmusu Affecionado
No. That's not how it works. These aren't your D&D Ogres.
Sirrocco
Pedantic
Also, ogres are fundamentally tainted. Even if they could interbreed, it would be a Bad Plan. It's a lot more likely to produce tainted crab than untaintable crab - and that's not the sort of thing that the Crab experiment with when they aren't seriously dishonoring themselves and their families and making a mockery of their sacred trust.
Anyway, we have taint resistant crab. They're called Nezumi.
Anyway, we have taint resistant crab. They're called Nezumi.
The Sandman
So Zetta Slowpoke
- Location
- Wherever I am, which isn't where I'm not
So it's more of an Isawa sort of experiment, then?
Assuming they can dodge the Shiba minder standing behind them with a rolled-up newspaper.
Cannongerbil
I came here to nep at you
- Location
- Soviet Lunar Base
Ogres and Humans are fundamentally different species. As far as anyone can tell the ogres don't reproduce sexually or even have sexual organs at all, so creating a hybrid between the two species is pretty much physiologically impossible.
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Sirrocco
Pedantic
Sure - but at the same time, it would suggest that there's something sort of like sexual organs on the beasts - and we've certainly seen enough dead and/or poorly clothed ogres to have spotted that bit.
Mind you, finding a woman who... no. Stopping now.
Going by Enemies of the Empire, female ogres look like normal ogres.
Going by the illustration they have breasts, and the flavour text on the CCG card demonstrates they're immediately recognisable as female.
Not all ogre mages are female, but more female ogres are mages than male ones are, IIRC.
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That doesn't fit in with them being largely myth though by lore. I think that was a conceit done to make it so the players can recognize them.
2.124
Winged Knight
Still just a crazy man with a wolf on his head
- Location
- Texas
Time to move away from this conversation, I think.
[x] Dromon
"My thanks, Yasuki-sama," you respond. "For granting me leave to end this evil before it can spread any further."
"It is my pleasure, Sosuke-san," Yasuki Goro says. "Just come back alive. You still have yet more duties to fulfill for the Clan."
"Of course, Yasuki-sama," you say.
Your anger has faded now that you have proper direction. It is not gone by any means, but instead of a wildfire it has been restrained to a smoldering coals. Easy enough to rise into a blaze once again, but for now restrained until its proper time. Now is not the moment for fury, but instead a clear head and firm wits. The stage for that anger will come soon enough.
You rise, and look toward your comrades. Shasa seems bemused by the whole experience, while Shirou simply looks at you with a curious expression. You smile back at your friends, and your expression draws some good humor from them as well.
"Once more we go forth into battle," you tell your friends. "I look forward to fighting by your sides."
"And I yours, Sosuke-san," Shasa replies. "Though I find myself a bit confused as to what is going on. All we know so far is that children have been taken, and an ogre has passed through." She frowns. "It isn't much to go on."
"That is why we will be asking questions before venturing forth," you say. "Information is key to any battle, and I would not have us running blindly into danger."
"A wise course," Shirou says, nodding. "Hopefully we will discover more about what has happened here."
"On that note, I'd like you both to keep your eyes and ears open as I speak with the villagers," you say softly, pitching your voice low so the innkeeper won't hear. The man is all but cowering behind his desk before Yasuki Goro, but it was best to take no chances. "Your eyes might spot something I miss."
"Of course," Shasa says. "I will keep my senses sharp."
"I, too, will pay attention to those we meet," Shirou says. "One can never be too careful after all."
You nod at them, your smile softening but still held on your face. Nothing more need be said. You all knew your duty, and all that was left was to go about achieving it.
You step outside, where a larger crowd of villagers has gathered. At your best guess there must be almost one hundred people here now, which would make up almost the entirety of the village. They whisper amongst themselves as you come into view, darting fearful glances in your direction. Word of Hikaru's outburst has spread quickly.
The woman herself is still kneeling where you left her, though her tears seem to have slowed. The crowd stays a few feet behind, reluctant to come close. All save for two women and a man who kneel next to the grieving mother, giving her comfort. They look up at you as you stop, hope in their eyes.
"Citizens of Tangan-Mura," you call, projecting your voice such that it carries across the crowd. It's not truly shouting, but it's close. "Fear not. We will stop this evil that plagues you. There will be no more children taken."
Hikaru looks up at you, her expression almost worshipful. She bows before you, her head to the ground, crying out her gratitude along with her tears. The three around her, likewise, get on their knees and supplicate themselves. You expected gratitude from Hikaru, but the others are a shock. The whole display takes you aback.
So much so that you almost miss when one of the other villagers call out.
"Will you be bringing more trouble upon us, Samurai?" the man cries. "Haven't we suffered enough without risk of war fought over our lands?"
There are murmurs of agreement from within the crowd, and you can see the people eying you warily. There is still fear there, but also anger. A few of them are holding farm implements, like scythes and other tools. Such things can easily be turned to other purposes, though. Deadly ones…
This could get ugly.
"I am of the Crab," you bellow, making the villagers flinch. "We hold no interest in your lands, nor the other Clans that rest near. We seek only the destruction of the foulest of evil! Evil that we believe might be the cause of your ills!"
That quiets down the crowd. Their full attention is on you, and not on their resentment. They're still scared, but now they're intimidated by your display. Fear of the future battles with their fear of you, and it seems for now you're winning.
"But… But what will the others think?" a woman asks, though her voice holds no heat. If anything, it sounds almost dead. "So many might claim our village as their own. And when Samurai take offense, it is we who suffer."
"My own lands are far to the south," you say. "It is obvious for any to see the Crab hold no interest or claim to your village. No one would be able to argue such. There would be no war." You breathe deep. "All I want is to end this horror that has befallen you. Nothing more."
That seems to finally break the crowd. It doesn't happen all at once, but the angry energy that had been building disperses from the people. They lower their weapons and look down, beaten and weary. Several slump to the ground, hugging their knees or holding their faces in their hands.
These people are tired. For how long have they lived with this shadow looming over them? On one side fear of Samurai battling over the land their village sits upon, and on the other this creeping evil. Between the two their spirits have been broken. They hold no fire left in their souls.
"Anyone who has lost a child, please step forth," you say. "I would like their descriptions so I can identify them."
Hikaru and the other three who are kneeling stand up, approaching you with bowed heads. You blink in surprise.
"So few?" you ask. "But I thought…"
"There have been seven children taken so far," one of the women says. "My… My little Reiko amongst them."
"The parents of the others went off after them," the man says, putting an arm around the woman to comfort her. "They have not returned."
"Please save them, Samurai," the final woman asks. "Please."
"I will do all I can," you tell her. "You have my word."
"Danzu is a small boy," Hikaru says softly. "Seven years old with a skinny face and long hair. He has brown eyes, and a scar down his arm from a fall he took when he was five."
"Our Reiko is almost ten," the man says, still holding the woman who is no doubt his wife. "She likes to keep her hair short, and she's got the greenest eyes you've ever seen. Like the hills in spring."
"My little Toru is just five," the last woman says. "He likes keeping his hair in a little topknot, though he doesn't know how to do it very well. He's a little chubby. Still has some of his baby fat."
"Thank you. I will do my best to find them," you say. "No is there anyone who interacted with the ogre? Even someone who just stayed in its presence might know something."
Hikaru shook her head. "Everyone fled when it came into the village, hiding in their homes." She points down the street, where the sound of clanging can be heard. "Only the blacksmith spoke with it. She can tell you what you want."
"Very well," you say, giving her a nod. "I will speak with her."
You set off down the street, Shasa and Shirou by your side. No one gets in your way. In fact, the road is completely empty. With so many people having gathered outside the inn, it makes the rest of the village appear lifeless. It's almost unsettling. This should be a place where people are speaking to each other, going about their business and taking pride in their community.
Instead, they all rest down the road behind you, wallowing in their misery and fear. The soul of this place is like a candle flame barely managing to stay alight. A sudden breeze will extinguish it utterly, and you must do your best to ensure that doesn't happen.
The smith is a tall, muscular woman with short black hair tied in a cloth that covers her head. Her sleeves are tied up, showing her bare arms past the gloves she wears. There are scars from old burns there, no doubt left from mishaps with the forge. She's working on what appears to be an axe head. Not one for battle, like an ono or a masakari, but rather just a tool for chopping wood. The process appears to be pretty far along, with the shape of the axe mostly finished as she bangs onto the red hot metal with her hammer.
She looks up at the three of you after a swing, and then looks back at her work. She stares at the slowly cooling metal for a moment, deep in thought. Nodding to herself, she picks up the axe head with her tongs and throws it back into the furnace.
"Would you be the cause for all that noise down the street, honored Samurai?" she asks, bowing to you before she pumps the bellows. "I would have come to see what the commotion was about, but I cannot leave this piece until it is finished."
"We were involved there, yes," Shasa says, eyes narrowing. "We would like to ask you some questions about the ogre that came into your village."
"Ah, I see," the woman responds. "Did the others tell you he was the one taking the children?" She shakes her head, frowning. "I don't believe it. It just doesn't make sense."
[] Write in.
[x] Dromon
"My thanks, Yasuki-sama," you respond. "For granting me leave to end this evil before it can spread any further."
"It is my pleasure, Sosuke-san," Yasuki Goro says. "Just come back alive. You still have yet more duties to fulfill for the Clan."
"Of course, Yasuki-sama," you say.
Your anger has faded now that you have proper direction. It is not gone by any means, but instead of a wildfire it has been restrained to a smoldering coals. Easy enough to rise into a blaze once again, but for now restrained until its proper time. Now is not the moment for fury, but instead a clear head and firm wits. The stage for that anger will come soon enough.
You rise, and look toward your comrades. Shasa seems bemused by the whole experience, while Shirou simply looks at you with a curious expression. You smile back at your friends, and your expression draws some good humor from them as well.
"Once more we go forth into battle," you tell your friends. "I look forward to fighting by your sides."
"And I yours, Sosuke-san," Shasa replies. "Though I find myself a bit confused as to what is going on. All we know so far is that children have been taken, and an ogre has passed through." She frowns. "It isn't much to go on."
"That is why we will be asking questions before venturing forth," you say. "Information is key to any battle, and I would not have us running blindly into danger."
"A wise course," Shirou says, nodding. "Hopefully we will discover more about what has happened here."
"On that note, I'd like you both to keep your eyes and ears open as I speak with the villagers," you say softly, pitching your voice low so the innkeeper won't hear. The man is all but cowering behind his desk before Yasuki Goro, but it was best to take no chances. "Your eyes might spot something I miss."
"Of course," Shasa says. "I will keep my senses sharp."
"I, too, will pay attention to those we meet," Shirou says. "One can never be too careful after all."
You nod at them, your smile softening but still held on your face. Nothing more need be said. You all knew your duty, and all that was left was to go about achieving it.
You step outside, where a larger crowd of villagers has gathered. At your best guess there must be almost one hundred people here now, which would make up almost the entirety of the village. They whisper amongst themselves as you come into view, darting fearful glances in your direction. Word of Hikaru's outburst has spread quickly.
The woman herself is still kneeling where you left her, though her tears seem to have slowed. The crowd stays a few feet behind, reluctant to come close. All save for two women and a man who kneel next to the grieving mother, giving her comfort. They look up at you as you stop, hope in their eyes.
"Citizens of Tangan-Mura," you call, projecting your voice such that it carries across the crowd. It's not truly shouting, but it's close. "Fear not. We will stop this evil that plagues you. There will be no more children taken."
Hikaru looks up at you, her expression almost worshipful. She bows before you, her head to the ground, crying out her gratitude along with her tears. The three around her, likewise, get on their knees and supplicate themselves. You expected gratitude from Hikaru, but the others are a shock. The whole display takes you aback.
So much so that you almost miss when one of the other villagers call out.
"Will you be bringing more trouble upon us, Samurai?" the man cries. "Haven't we suffered enough without risk of war fought over our lands?"
There are murmurs of agreement from within the crowd, and you can see the people eying you warily. There is still fear there, but also anger. A few of them are holding farm implements, like scythes and other tools. Such things can easily be turned to other purposes, though. Deadly ones…
This could get ugly.
"I am of the Crab," you bellow, making the villagers flinch. "We hold no interest in your lands, nor the other Clans that rest near. We seek only the destruction of the foulest of evil! Evil that we believe might be the cause of your ills!"
That quiets down the crowd. Their full attention is on you, and not on their resentment. They're still scared, but now they're intimidated by your display. Fear of the future battles with their fear of you, and it seems for now you're winning.
"But… But what will the others think?" a woman asks, though her voice holds no heat. If anything, it sounds almost dead. "So many might claim our village as their own. And when Samurai take offense, it is we who suffer."
"My own lands are far to the south," you say. "It is obvious for any to see the Crab hold no interest or claim to your village. No one would be able to argue such. There would be no war." You breathe deep. "All I want is to end this horror that has befallen you. Nothing more."
That seems to finally break the crowd. It doesn't happen all at once, but the angry energy that had been building disperses from the people. They lower their weapons and look down, beaten and weary. Several slump to the ground, hugging their knees or holding their faces in their hands.
These people are tired. For how long have they lived with this shadow looming over them? On one side fear of Samurai battling over the land their village sits upon, and on the other this creeping evil. Between the two their spirits have been broken. They hold no fire left in their souls.
"Anyone who has lost a child, please step forth," you say. "I would like their descriptions so I can identify them."
Hikaru and the other three who are kneeling stand up, approaching you with bowed heads. You blink in surprise.
"So few?" you ask. "But I thought…"
"There have been seven children taken so far," one of the women says. "My… My little Reiko amongst them."
"The parents of the others went off after them," the man says, putting an arm around the woman to comfort her. "They have not returned."
"Please save them, Samurai," the final woman asks. "Please."
"I will do all I can," you tell her. "You have my word."
"Danzu is a small boy," Hikaru says softly. "Seven years old with a skinny face and long hair. He has brown eyes, and a scar down his arm from a fall he took when he was five."
"Our Reiko is almost ten," the man says, still holding the woman who is no doubt his wife. "She likes to keep her hair short, and she's got the greenest eyes you've ever seen. Like the hills in spring."
"My little Toru is just five," the last woman says. "He likes keeping his hair in a little topknot, though he doesn't know how to do it very well. He's a little chubby. Still has some of his baby fat."
"Thank you. I will do my best to find them," you say. "No is there anyone who interacted with the ogre? Even someone who just stayed in its presence might know something."
Hikaru shook her head. "Everyone fled when it came into the village, hiding in their homes." She points down the street, where the sound of clanging can be heard. "Only the blacksmith spoke with it. She can tell you what you want."
"Very well," you say, giving her a nod. "I will speak with her."
You set off down the street, Shasa and Shirou by your side. No one gets in your way. In fact, the road is completely empty. With so many people having gathered outside the inn, it makes the rest of the village appear lifeless. It's almost unsettling. This should be a place where people are speaking to each other, going about their business and taking pride in their community.
Instead, they all rest down the road behind you, wallowing in their misery and fear. The soul of this place is like a candle flame barely managing to stay alight. A sudden breeze will extinguish it utterly, and you must do your best to ensure that doesn't happen.
The smith is a tall, muscular woman with short black hair tied in a cloth that covers her head. Her sleeves are tied up, showing her bare arms past the gloves she wears. There are scars from old burns there, no doubt left from mishaps with the forge. She's working on what appears to be an axe head. Not one for battle, like an ono or a masakari, but rather just a tool for chopping wood. The process appears to be pretty far along, with the shape of the axe mostly finished as she bangs onto the red hot metal with her hammer.
She looks up at the three of you after a swing, and then looks back at her work. She stares at the slowly cooling metal for a moment, deep in thought. Nodding to herself, she picks up the axe head with her tongs and throws it back into the furnace.
"Would you be the cause for all that noise down the street, honored Samurai?" she asks, bowing to you before she pumps the bellows. "I would have come to see what the commotion was about, but I cannot leave this piece until it is finished."
"We were involved there, yes," Shasa says, eyes narrowing. "We would like to ask you some questions about the ogre that came into your village."
"Ah, I see," the woman responds. "Did the others tell you he was the one taking the children?" She shakes her head, frowning. "I don't believe it. It just doesn't make sense."
[] Write in.
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GilliamYaeger
M'crazy.
[x] "I'm afraid I have to respectfully disagree. From what the villagers have told us so far, I feel that there is a significant chance that he is involved in this matter, though the nature of his involvement is unknown to me. To show up in this village, at this time, in order to make a weapon for himself...its too much to be a coincidence. Its likely that he at least knows something about whats going on. However, what we've heard of his actions doesn't strike me as something a child-snatcher would do, so I strongly doubt that he is the culprit. Would you care to share with us your experiences of the ogre, so we may work out how he fits into this?"
Not sure how much I'm satisfied with this vote, but it'll do.
Not sure how much I'm satisfied with this vote, but it'll do.
I think you are actually agreeing that it wasn't the ogre who took the children, but disagreeing about him having nothing to do with it. The beginning there seems to say that you believe the ogre is responsible of the kidnappings.
GilliamYaeger
M'crazy.
Oh whoops, seems WK edited the post before I finished mine. The last sentence of the post was ' "Ah, I see," the woman responds. "The villagers say he has something to do with the children being taken?" She shakes her head. "I don't believe it. It just doesn't make sense."' when I wrote that vote.
Winged Knight
Still just a crazy man with a wolf on his head
- Location
- Texas
Yeah, I made some minor edits to refine the post a little. It's something I do a fair amount just to tidy the updates a bit. Sorry for the confusion.
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