Glory of the Emerald Empire (Legend of the 5 Rings Quest)
- Thread starter Winged Knight
- Start date
- Fantasy
Seems like we need to change things up, for sure.
My grasp on the lore is pretty shaky but according to this: http://l5r.wikia.com/wiki/Summon_Oni, there is some sort of scroll that binds the Oni to the mortal realm, and if we destroy it it will be banished back to Jigoku, is that the case? And if so, is the scroll likely to be in the cave/perhaps on Kohsa's person?
If not, killing Kohsa is probably the way to go.
My grasp on the lore is pretty shaky but according to this: http://l5r.wikia.com/wiki/Summon_Oni, there is some sort of scroll that binds the Oni to the mortal realm, and if we destroy it it will be banished back to Jigoku, is that the case? And if so, is the scroll likely to be in the cave/perhaps on Kohsa's person?
If not, killing Kohsa is probably the way to go.
Well the thing is that the scroll is usually used to bind the oni to the mortal realm with a name. Names are powerful metaphysically allowing an Oni to stay in the mortal realm instead of being forced back into Jigokou.
But this oni got it's name from its summoner directly, and thus his fate and the oni's are tied as they share a name, and eventually one soul.
Usually what happens is that the person who shares the name with the Oni is slowly consumed metaphysically by it until the Named and the Oni are one being.
But Kohsa did a freaking weird variant of the ritual, so I'm hoping that killing him will cause the Oni to at least slow down.
But this oni got it's name from its summoner directly, and thus his fate and the oni's are tied as they share a name, and eventually one soul.
Usually what happens is that the person who shares the name with the Oni is slowly consumed metaphysically by it until the Named and the Oni are one being.
But Kohsa did a freaking weird variant of the ritual, so I'm hoping that killing him will cause the Oni to at least slow down.
EtchedSteel
*mumble mumble*
- Location
- Lima. Peru
[] Locate and finish Kohsa off.
Yeah, I hope this works.
Yeah, I hope this works.
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- Location
- Canada
We've got the Oni boxed in, if we leave we risk it getting lose in the cavern, and causing a lot more havok than it is doing now. Given that Kohsa isn't doing anything problematic at this moment, wailing on the Oni until it dies might be more effective than risking it getting away from us.
Also, mightn't it be better to send someone less tanky to kill Kohsa if we decide to risk it? We need our best defensive people to hold the Oni in place while we're one person down. either Shasa or monk-dude should be sent if we think we can spare them.
Also, mightn't it be better to send someone less tanky to kill Kohsa if we decide to risk it? We need our best defensive people to hold the Oni in place while we're one person down. either Shasa or monk-dude should be sent if we think we can spare them.
EtchedSteel
*mumble mumble*
- Location
- Lima. Peru
Also, we almost 1HKO Kohsa. If he can still move, he's for sure not too far from there.
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
-
[x] Locate and finish Kohsa off.
Cannongerbil
I came here to nep at you
- Location
- Soviet Lunar Base
Uhh, while locating and killing Khosa might be a good idea, now is probably not the time to try it. Between the four of us, we've pinned him down and made him an easier target. If we break now, we'll open a hole in the line, allowing him to break free and start using the terrain to his advantage once more.
This might be worthwhile should killing Khosa have the desired effect, but if it doesn't we would've let the one free for basically no reason, and probably doom our compatriots in the process.
This might be worthwhile should killing Khosa have the desired effect, but if it doesn't we would've let the one free for basically no reason, and probably doom our compatriots in the process.
Cannongerbil
I came here to nep at you
- Location
- Soviet Lunar Base
True, but this feels like we are gambling alot on something that is pure conjecture, given everything that we know about how Khosa summoned this Oni. If it doesn't work we'd be in much more trouble than we would be if we were to just wail on it.
EtchedSteel
*mumble mumble*
- Location
- Lima. Peru
[X] Ask Shirou to go kill Kohsa
-[X] You and Shasa will keep it there. You are Crab; you are the wall.
Yeah, this may work. We're Samurai, we can't let the oni go away.
Shiro, in the other hand...
-[X] You and Shasa will keep it there. You are Crab; you are the wall.
Yeah, this may work. We're Samurai, we can't let the oni go away.
Shiro, in the other hand...
- Location
- Canada
[X] Ask Shirou to go kill Kohsa
-[X] You and Shasa will keep it there. You are Crab; you are the wall.
-[X] You and Shasa will keep it there. You are Crab; you are the wall.
Cannongerbil
I came here to nep at you
- Location
- Soviet Lunar Base
[X] Ask Shirou to go kill Kohsa
-[X] You and Shasa will keep it there. You are Crab; you are the wall.
-[X] You and Shasa will keep it there. You are Crab; you are the wall.
[X] Ask Shirou to go kill Kohsa
-[X] You and Shasa will keep it there. You are Crab; you are the wall.
I like this.
-[X] You and Shasa will keep it there. You are Crab; you are the wall.
I like this.
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
-
[X] Ask Shirou to go kill Kohsa
-[X] You and Shasa will keep it there. You are Crab; you are the wall.
-[X] You and Shasa will keep it there. You are Crab; you are the wall.
2.134
Winged Knight
Still just a crazy man with a wolf on his head
- Location
- Texas
[X] Ask Shirou to go kill Kohsa
-[X] You and Shasa will keep it there. You are Crab; you are the wall.
Attack Roll: 7k3=25
Will Roll: 3k3=15
As the droning sound of six voices fills the chamber, you feel your senses begin to dull. Your vision blurs, and the crooning of the Oni fills your ears. Something is happening to you. It's not the fear from before. That was an overwhelming, unbearable wall of terror that forced you to fight against your own instincts to do anything.
No, this is something different. Your mind is feeling… dull. You can still think clearly enough for now, but you don't know for how long that will last. This fight needs to end now. But you can't seem to land a hit on this monster!
Maybe it is time to try a different tactic. If Kohsa has given the Oni his name, then that means they are connected on some level. The fool has bound his soul to Kohsa no Oni. Perhaps if the Maho-tsukai died that would weaken this abomination? It's at least worth a try.
But you've only just gotten this damned thing penned in and surrounded! If you leave, it might open up too large a hole for you all to cover. How much can you risk for this plan? Are you even the best person to go?
You glance at Shirou, who looks back at you out of the corner of his eye. Your friend is fast, certainly faster than you. You are in heavy armor, and you've seen the monk dart about at speeds that frankly startle you. He would be the best for this.
You edge toward Shirou, keeping one eye on the Oni. You have to do this slowly. You have to be careful. If you fail here, then all the hard work you've done over the last minute will have been for nothing.
"Shirou!" you call. "Go for the Blood Speaker! Kill him and-"
You cut off with a curse as Kohsa no Oni rushes forward toward the small opening between you and Muharanok. You swing your tetsubo, but the monster manages to get out of the way. Your attack is not in vain, however, for even as the Oni rushes by Muharanok swings his sword.
Trapped between the two of you there is nowhere for the Oni to dodge as it rushes toward freedom, and the ogre's blade slices a deep gouge into the beast's carapace. Steaming blood spurts into the air, chunks of chitinous plate flying beneath the power of the blow. The Oni shrieks in pain as it escapes your blockade, and you can't help but smile at its suffering.
But the shriek doesn't end… And for some reason that low crooning from before is still going on. Your vision becomes nothing but a hazy mist now, and you can't see the cavern. The sound of the Oni is everything, filling your mind such that there is no room left for anything else. The world is fading, falling apart… All that you see blurry as your eyes are forced close beneath a sudden, powerful weariness that suffuses your entire being.
So… dizzy… You cannot… keep…
Years? you think. What? What is…
But yes, it has been years now. Years since the Crab failed, and the forces of Jigoku overtook all of Rokugan. The Emerald Empire has been soaked in blood and the Clans shattered beneath the war machine of hell itself. It has been years since you were captured and beaten every day, all your fire drawn out. All you have left are flickering embers, waiting to be quenched with even the slightest effort.
Naturally, you had resisted at first. You had cursed your captors and screamed your defiance. But they had only laughed at you, and then came the pain. Hooks and lashes and hot pokers and ropes… The memory makes you weep. They hurt you. They hurt you so badly. Men and Goblins and Oni worked their foul tortures upon you until there was nothing left, just a husk frightened of every shadow.
Because the shadows will bring pain, and with the fading light shadows are everywhere now.
You sit kneeling upon a stage crafted from wood, stone and bones before a vast crowd of cheering people. They are heavily Tainted, mutations corrupting their bodies utterly. Behind them are the hulking forms of monsters, Oni looming above them all in the varied shapes. They cheer the loudest, their voices booming over everyone else.
The oddest thing is that they are all wearing fine clothing and armor, like you would see on noble Samurai. Oh, they are corrupted with foul imagery, skulls and spiders being most prominent, but it is of fine make none-the-less. It is a circus of monstrosity, a foul mirror to a culture you are so familiar with. These vile creatures hold themselves like lords and ladies of court, for all that they are a blasphemy against everything good and holy.
You are bound in chains, though there is little point to them. The muscles that you have always been so proud of have atrophied beneath almost a decade of abuse and neglect, leaving you a pitiful wretch compared to what you used to be. You were strong, once. Those days are long since passed. Even if you were free, what fight could you give your foes? What would be the point? It would only bring more torment.
The recollection of the man you had once been, the Samurai you used to be… Had you been dreaming while you were unconscious? You recall charging into battle, of fighting terrible foes for glory and honor. Were you thinking of the old days, back when you had so dutifully served the Crab? Were all those memories just the dredged up remnants of when you used to mean something?
You don't mean anything any more, you think to yourself, bowing your head. You're nothing now… You lost. You lost and the Empire died.
"My loyal subjects!" a voice cries. You look up. Kyosuke is there, addressing the crowd. He wears the crown of Emperor atop his brow, though his face is still covered by a mask. "We have fought a grand, just war against those fools who would call themselves righteous! We have claimed our long deserved victory against the tyranny of Heaven! We have fulfilled the glorious vision of Lord Daigotsu-sama himself! Be proud of what you have accomplished! Be proud, for you are champions to the power that will dominate this entire world!"
The crowd roars again at Kyosuke's words, and the man seems to exult in them. He opens his arms wide, encouraging more. The crowd gives it to him, and you hear him laughing a little in appreciation.
"But," he continues once the clamor dies down. "There are those pitiful wretches who would still fight against us!" He waves a hand to you. "Some we have already dealt with and given their due punishment. But there are others still who must be shown the error of their ways."
A hulking ogre pulls up a string of people chained together. They are clad in the tattered remnants of armor, blood still pouring from wounds. They must have been freshly captured, then. There were still small pockets of resistance left within Rokugan, though they were fading all the time.
Fools, you think wearily, closing your eyes. You are so tired, too tired to care anymore. There's no fighting this. Not now.
"I'll kill you, you evil filth!" a woman cries. The voice is familiar… "I'll kill you for what you've done to my son! For what you've done to my husband! I'll see your blood on the ground!"
You open your eyes. Your mother is there in the line of prisoners. She is cursing and kicking, fighting every step of the way. She's holding up the whole line, making the ogre have to work for every step out of her. Your father is right behind her, but he doesn't seem to be moving properly. He's bleeding heavily from his head, and just seems to stare out at nothing through blurry eyes. When pulled, he simply shuffles forward slowly.
Finally, the ogre has enough of your mother's trouble making. It pulls a club from its belt and approaches your mother, its intention obvious. Your mother does not back down, snarling at the ogre and looking ready to fight for all that she was bound and helpless. It's a futile gesture, though, just one last defiance before she is brutally, horribly killed.
"No!" you scream, moving forward as much as you can. "No, please! Spare them! Please spare them!"
Kyosuke looks at you, and you can almost see him sneering beneath his mask. He looks down at you like you are nothing but filth. He's visited you a few times before as you were tortured, to revel in your breaking. He doesn't seem amused now. If anything, he appears annoyed that you've even shown enough energy to beg.
"Please," you whimper, bowing your head low. A small blossom of shame burns in your heart, a tiny remnant of the pride you used to hold. You squelch it down. "I implore you. Please do not kill them."
"I am not without mercy," Kyosuke replies. He turns halfway to the crowd, extending an arm. "Let it never be said that the ruler of this world is heartless. For one who was once an honored foe, I can be persuaded to show leniency." He turns back to you. "Choose, broken wretch. Choose which is to die. I will allow the other to live."
[] Choose your mother.
[] Choose your father.
[] Write in.
-[X] You and Shasa will keep it there. You are Crab; you are the wall.
Attack Roll: 7k3=25
Will Roll: 3k3=15
As the droning sound of six voices fills the chamber, you feel your senses begin to dull. Your vision blurs, and the crooning of the Oni fills your ears. Something is happening to you. It's not the fear from before. That was an overwhelming, unbearable wall of terror that forced you to fight against your own instincts to do anything.
No, this is something different. Your mind is feeling… dull. You can still think clearly enough for now, but you don't know for how long that will last. This fight needs to end now. But you can't seem to land a hit on this monster!
Maybe it is time to try a different tactic. If Kohsa has given the Oni his name, then that means they are connected on some level. The fool has bound his soul to Kohsa no Oni. Perhaps if the Maho-tsukai died that would weaken this abomination? It's at least worth a try.
But you've only just gotten this damned thing penned in and surrounded! If you leave, it might open up too large a hole for you all to cover. How much can you risk for this plan? Are you even the best person to go?
You glance at Shirou, who looks back at you out of the corner of his eye. Your friend is fast, certainly faster than you. You are in heavy armor, and you've seen the monk dart about at speeds that frankly startle you. He would be the best for this.
You edge toward Shirou, keeping one eye on the Oni. You have to do this slowly. You have to be careful. If you fail here, then all the hard work you've done over the last minute will have been for nothing.
"Shirou!" you call. "Go for the Blood Speaker! Kill him and-"
You cut off with a curse as Kohsa no Oni rushes forward toward the small opening between you and Muharanok. You swing your tetsubo, but the monster manages to get out of the way. Your attack is not in vain, however, for even as the Oni rushes by Muharanok swings his sword.
Trapped between the two of you there is nowhere for the Oni to dodge as it rushes toward freedom, and the ogre's blade slices a deep gouge into the beast's carapace. Steaming blood spurts into the air, chunks of chitinous plate flying beneath the power of the blow. The Oni shrieks in pain as it escapes your blockade, and you can't help but smile at its suffering.
But the shriek doesn't end… And for some reason that low crooning from before is still going on. Your vision becomes nothing but a hazy mist now, and you can't see the cavern. The sound of the Oni is everything, filling your mind such that there is no room left for anything else. The world is fading, falling apart… All that you see blurry as your eyes are forced close beneath a sudden, powerful weariness that suffuses your entire being.
So… dizzy… You cannot… keep…
o\O/o
You awake to the sound of thousands cheering, and to the bone deep exhaustion and pain that suffuses your body. You can't move very well for some reason, not that you would want to. You're too weak and it drains so much energy. Consciousness returns slowly, muddled by all the agony you have undergone these last few years.
Years? you think. What? What is…
But yes, it has been years now. Years since the Crab failed, and the forces of Jigoku overtook all of Rokugan. The Emerald Empire has been soaked in blood and the Clans shattered beneath the war machine of hell itself. It has been years since you were captured and beaten every day, all your fire drawn out. All you have left are flickering embers, waiting to be quenched with even the slightest effort.
Naturally, you had resisted at first. You had cursed your captors and screamed your defiance. But they had only laughed at you, and then came the pain. Hooks and lashes and hot pokers and ropes… The memory makes you weep. They hurt you. They hurt you so badly. Men and Goblins and Oni worked their foul tortures upon you until there was nothing left, just a husk frightened of every shadow.
Because the shadows will bring pain, and with the fading light shadows are everywhere now.
You sit kneeling upon a stage crafted from wood, stone and bones before a vast crowd of cheering people. They are heavily Tainted, mutations corrupting their bodies utterly. Behind them are the hulking forms of monsters, Oni looming above them all in the varied shapes. They cheer the loudest, their voices booming over everyone else.
The oddest thing is that they are all wearing fine clothing and armor, like you would see on noble Samurai. Oh, they are corrupted with foul imagery, skulls and spiders being most prominent, but it is of fine make none-the-less. It is a circus of monstrosity, a foul mirror to a culture you are so familiar with. These vile creatures hold themselves like lords and ladies of court, for all that they are a blasphemy against everything good and holy.
You are bound in chains, though there is little point to them. The muscles that you have always been so proud of have atrophied beneath almost a decade of abuse and neglect, leaving you a pitiful wretch compared to what you used to be. You were strong, once. Those days are long since passed. Even if you were free, what fight could you give your foes? What would be the point? It would only bring more torment.
The recollection of the man you had once been, the Samurai you used to be… Had you been dreaming while you were unconscious? You recall charging into battle, of fighting terrible foes for glory and honor. Were you thinking of the old days, back when you had so dutifully served the Crab? Were all those memories just the dredged up remnants of when you used to mean something?
You don't mean anything any more, you think to yourself, bowing your head. You're nothing now… You lost. You lost and the Empire died.
"My loyal subjects!" a voice cries. You look up. Kyosuke is there, addressing the crowd. He wears the crown of Emperor atop his brow, though his face is still covered by a mask. "We have fought a grand, just war against those fools who would call themselves righteous! We have claimed our long deserved victory against the tyranny of Heaven! We have fulfilled the glorious vision of Lord Daigotsu-sama himself! Be proud of what you have accomplished! Be proud, for you are champions to the power that will dominate this entire world!"
The crowd roars again at Kyosuke's words, and the man seems to exult in them. He opens his arms wide, encouraging more. The crowd gives it to him, and you hear him laughing a little in appreciation.
"But," he continues once the clamor dies down. "There are those pitiful wretches who would still fight against us!" He waves a hand to you. "Some we have already dealt with and given their due punishment. But there are others still who must be shown the error of their ways."
A hulking ogre pulls up a string of people chained together. They are clad in the tattered remnants of armor, blood still pouring from wounds. They must have been freshly captured, then. There were still small pockets of resistance left within Rokugan, though they were fading all the time.
Fools, you think wearily, closing your eyes. You are so tired, too tired to care anymore. There's no fighting this. Not now.
"I'll kill you, you evil filth!" a woman cries. The voice is familiar… "I'll kill you for what you've done to my son! For what you've done to my husband! I'll see your blood on the ground!"
You open your eyes. Your mother is there in the line of prisoners. She is cursing and kicking, fighting every step of the way. She's holding up the whole line, making the ogre have to work for every step out of her. Your father is right behind her, but he doesn't seem to be moving properly. He's bleeding heavily from his head, and just seems to stare out at nothing through blurry eyes. When pulled, he simply shuffles forward slowly.
Finally, the ogre has enough of your mother's trouble making. It pulls a club from its belt and approaches your mother, its intention obvious. Your mother does not back down, snarling at the ogre and looking ready to fight for all that she was bound and helpless. It's a futile gesture, though, just one last defiance before she is brutally, horribly killed.
"No!" you scream, moving forward as much as you can. "No, please! Spare them! Please spare them!"
Kyosuke looks at you, and you can almost see him sneering beneath his mask. He looks down at you like you are nothing but filth. He's visited you a few times before as you were tortured, to revel in your breaking. He doesn't seem amused now. If anything, he appears annoyed that you've even shown enough energy to beg.
"Please," you whimper, bowing your head low. A small blossom of shame burns in your heart, a tiny remnant of the pride you used to hold. You squelch it down. "I implore you. Please do not kill them."
"I am not without mercy," Kyosuke replies. He turns halfway to the crowd, extending an arm. "Let it never be said that the ruler of this world is heartless. For one who was once an honored foe, I can be persuaded to show leniency." He turns back to you. "Choose, broken wretch. Choose which is to die. I will allow the other to live."
[] Choose your mother.
[] Choose your father.
[] Write in.
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
So this is definitely just an illusion or a vision or something right this didn't actually happen and we can just "I AM THE WALL" our way out of it right? Either way, write-in. Third option please. No morally painful decisions. Something along the lines of "NO YOU"
Ideas? I'm bad at votes.
So this is definitely just an illusion or a vision or something right this didn't actually happen and we can just "I AM THE WALL" our way out of it right? Either way, write-in. Third option please. No morally painful decisions. Something along the lines of "NO YOU"
Ideas? I'm bad at votes.
Well he's going to screw us and kill them both anyways. I mean that's what I would do so..
Dream or not, perception is 9/10ths of reality. Although that will roll deeply disappoints me. Especially given our Honour.
but let me see what I can do.
[x] Write in:
You cannot save them, no matter what happens both are doomed as are you.
So what else is left but to go on to the next life?
How many times have you broken? How many times have you just wanted it to end?
A single fire against the darkness always burns brighter
The motto of your long dead family.
A single fire.
Fire of battle?
Focus Sosuke
Dying in battle?
Yes that is...a way out. But how?
Appeal to the monster's pride and sense of vanity.
"I choose neither, for I know our fate well, rather I ask of you to grant us the boon of dying in battle against some of yours. Come now, let us put on a show for the masses and let them see the last light of the Emerald Empire die!"
Dream or not, perception is 9/10ths of reality. Although that will roll deeply disappoints me. Especially given our Honour.
but let me see what I can do.
[x] Write in:
You cannot save them, no matter what happens both are doomed as are you.
So what else is left but to go on to the next life?
How many times have you broken? How many times have you just wanted it to end?
A single fire against the darkness always burns brighter
The motto of your long dead family.
A single fire.
Fire of battle?
Focus Sosuke
Dying in battle?
Yes that is...a way out. But how?
Appeal to the monster's pride and sense of vanity.
"I choose neither, for I know our fate well, rather I ask of you to grant us the boon of dying in battle against some of yours. Come now, let us put on a show for the masses and let them see the last light of the Emerald Empire die!"