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Glory of the Emerald Empire (Legend of the 5 Rings Quest)

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[x] Tell part of the truth. (Write in.)
-[x] Leave out the fact that Shasa was a Maho babbled some meaningless, unimportant nonsense when suffering the after effects of a psychic attack that induced false visions. She bravely died closing the rift to Jigouku.
--[X] Spend a void point.
 
Okay, I decided to let the vote sit for a bit longer since this is a very important decision on Sosuke's development and there was a lot of good discussion going on. I'm just posting to say that the update will be coming today, and if you want to vote or discuss the matter you have until I get off work at 5:00. After that, the vote is closed and I'll begin writing when I get home.
 
Okay, vote is closed. Someone please compile all the votes and I'll write the update tonight.
 
Vote tally:
##### 3.18
[X] Tell the whole truth.
No. of votes: 6
Storm Jumper, al103, cokerpilot, Felius, GilliamYaeger, Da Boyz
[x] Tell part of the truth. (Write in.)
No. of votes: 7
Golum936, Ridiculously Average Guy, Alratan, Blaster90, Woahdan, DarkLight140, Somebodynobody10
-[x] Leave out the fact that Shasa was a Maho. She bravely died closing the rift to Jigouku.
No. of votes: 4
Golum936, Ridiculously Average Guy, Blaster90, Woahdan
-[x] Leave out the fact that Shasa was a Maho babbled some meaningless, unimportant nonsense when suffering the after effects of a psychic attack that induced false visions. She bravely died closing the rift to Jigouku.
No. of votes: 3
Alratan, DarkLight140, Somebodynobody10
--[X] Spend a void point.
No. of votes: 8
Alratan, DarkLight140, Dirtnap, KainDulac, EtchedSteel, Rook, CharlBaal, Somebodynobody10
[x] Write in:
No. of votes: 1
gman391
[x]Gman
No. of votes: 7
Derkan, Bastur2, Dirtnap, KainDulac, EtchedSteel, Rook, CharlBaal
[X] gman391 write in
No. of votes: 1
aceraptor
-[X] Do so in a way to make seem Shasa was merely delusional due to the illusions she was put in, and that reinforces that she died a hero to close the portal.
No. of votes: 1
Felius
 
Wow the votes are all over the place with Gman winning by just two.

And we probably won't spend a void point since the counter combined all votes for those instead of the separate plans.
 
The votes aren't really all over the place. gman391's write-in is essentially a "partial truth, leave out/disguise Shasa being a maho" variant, which gives that option a truly commanding lead. The only real point where things remain unclear is what Sousuke actually thinks on the matter; the write-in seems to go with "I consider her my friend and don't wish to contemplate the matter further" on that issue and individually leads, so it's probably what we'll end up with.

Shame about the void point, though.
 
I really wouldn't feel remiss in allowing a Void Point to be spent if enough people wanted it.
 
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3.2
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    • Enough people voted for Void Point expenditure with telling the partial truth that I decided to just allow it.

    [x]Gman
    -[x] Spend a Void Point.

    Sincerity Roll: 5k4=23


    You blink, so many thoughts going through your head at once. What had happened back in that cave? In all honesty, you are not entirely sure. You fought, you were hurt, you were trapped within a nightmare…

    And then came the fire, and when the fire died so did Shasa.

    Thought of the loss of your friend twists your guts like an icy claw. You remember the blood, the knife in her hand… Her smile, right before the end. That, more than anything, you will remember until the end of your days. She died for you, claiming use of powers your Clan has condemned for over one thousand years.

    How much of that can you reveal? Honor demands you tell the truth, but what if that truth would cause more harm than good? Do you even properly remember those last few minutes? You were almost delirious with pain, and Shasa seemed little better. Who is to say whether or not what she told you was correct, or just lies brought upon her by those horrible visions?

    You take a deep breath. You need to follow procedure. Tell the truth as you most clearly understand it, and then move on from there. Shasa may or may not have been Maho-tsukai, but more than anything she was your friend. That means something. It has to, elsewise her sacrifice might be tarnished by something you can't even be completely certain is real.

    "The ogre was not the source of the kidnappings, and it told us of a cave where a Maho-Tsukai was and said that was the source," you answer, picking your words carefully. We checked it out, with the Ogre following."

    "So that part is true, then," Yasuki Goro says, frowning. "Go on."

    "There we saw a man named who was indeed a Bloodspeaker, he was using children at the behest of an Oni," you continue. "We fought, and the Bloodspeaker opened a portal to the Realm of Evil."

    "He did what?" your superior asks, eyes shooting up in alarm. "Sosuke-san, are you certain of this?"

    "Very certain, my Lord," you say. "Then the Oni forced us into a vision of our darkest nightmares. I saw the Empire fall, and myself broken... and something broke then. I don't remember anything but heat, fire and light. I used it to kill the Oni, and then before I collapsed forced the portal to weaken." You pause, the next words so painful to say. "Then... then Shasa-san gave her life to finish the task. How she did it I know not, but she did. After that?" You shrug. "Well, I ended up back here."

    "You weakened it with fire you cannot remember," Yasuki Goro mutters. "And then Shasa-san sacrificed herself in order to close it…"

    The courtier stood up, turning toward the window and clasping his arms behind his back. He gazed out into the morning light for some time, deep in thought. Yasuki Goro seems so stoic, like he has been carved from stone. But at the same time, he also appears… resigned? Calm? You are not certain. The man's expression is carefully controlled, and you can divine no true meaning from it.

    "You have made a mistake in these events, Sosuke-san," Yasuki Goro says at last. "Are you aware of what it was?"

    You wince. "I should have returned to you after I was certain the Ogre was not the culprit, and we could have made a new plan with the knowledge there was a Maho-tsukai in the area."

    "Yes," he says. "You are correct. An ogre is one thing, but as soon as you believed a Maho-tsukai was involved you should have gathered the full strength of our caravan." He rests his hands on the window, still staring out. "The Bloodspeakers are not dumb beasts or brutish monsters, capable only of wielding club and blade. They hold dark powers, and must never be taken lightly. Doing so costs lives."

    He doesn't say anything else, but you can read his meaning easily enough. You underestimated your opponent, and because of that Shasa died. The group followed your decisions, which makes the results of the expedition your responsibility. By most measurements, this means the victory can be laid at your feet.

    But it also means the cost for that victory is a burden you must bear.

    "I am sorry, my Lord," you say softly. "I have caused you trouble, and lessened your protection as a consequence."

    "You have, but you have also ended this time of dead children. That is worth something," Yasuki Goro says before turning back to you. "We will be here for two more days so that you and Shirou may rest and recover. I have been composing letters, and will send them off today. This information must be told to only to a few select individuals. It would not do for it to spread wildly, though I fear details might escape no matter how much care we take."

    Your superior nods to you, and then heads out the door. You are left alone in your room, aching and tired. Hunger still gnaws at you, as well, though it feels less now that you've been awake for a little while. You feel… numb, after that conversation. No, perhaps that it not the right word. You are just weary, still, in both soul and body.

    The morning's light continues to shine into the room, bringing forth the day. You have many hours yet before it ends. What you do next is, as always, your own decision.

    [] Go back to sleep.
    [] Find some food.
    [] Write in.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • [X]Find food, eat. We will do no one any good by letting hunger overwhelm us
    [X]Take rice and sake as offering for Shasa, pray.
    [X]See to Shirou, as his wounds were grievous and he too has lost a friend.
     
    [X]Find food, eat. We will do no one any good by letting hunger overwhelm us
    [X]Take rice and sake as offering for Shasa, pray.
    [X]See to Shirou, as his wounds were grievous and he too has lost a friend.
     
    [X]Find food, eat. We will do no one any good by letting hunger overwhelm us
    [X]Take rice and sake as offering for Shasa, pray.
    [X]See to Shirou, as his wounds were grievous and he too has lost a friend.

    Worth giving this a try.
     
    [X]Find food, eat. We will do no one any good by letting hunger overwhelm us
    [X]Take rice and sake as offering for Shasa, pray.
    [X]See to Shirou, as his wounds were grievous and he too has lost a friend.
     
    [X]Find food, eat. We will do no one any good by letting hunger overwhelm us
    [X]Take rice and sake as offering for Shasa, pray.
    [X]See to Shirou, as his wounds were grievous and he too has lost a friend.
     
    3.3
  • Threadmarks
    • [X]Find food, eat. We will do no one any good by letting hunger overwhelm us
    [X]Take rice and sake as offering for Shasa, pray.
    [X]See to Shirou, as his wounds were grievous and he too has lost a friend.


    You debate with yourself briefly on how to proceed. You are, to put it frankly, exhausted. Even after three days of sleep your body feels incredibly heavy. Another sip of water revitalizes you a little, moistens your still parched throat, but this alone will not sustain you.

    That leaves either sleeping longer, or getting some food. Your stomach growls in response to the two options presented before you, making its opinion known. You pat it lightly, and it growls again. You suppose you have your answer.

    Standing up is a challenge. You have been sleeping for so long that your limbs have grown stiff, and you have to support yourself for several minutes by leaning on the wall. Your robe is wrinkled from your long slumber, but you care little for that. Slowly, your strength returns to you. With careful steps you make your way out of the door.

    You can tell immediately that you are in the hallway of an inn. In hindsight, that should have been rather obvious. Your room had been comfortable yet spartan in its furnishings. Such is typical of many inns. You keep one hand on the wall as you make your way down the stairs.

    The common room is empty this early in the morning, everyone else going about their own business at this hour. The proprietor is up, though, along with some of the staff. They approach you as you make your way on to the floor.

    "Honored Samurai," the innkeeper says, bowing low. His underlings do likewise. "Our most sincere thanks for ending the terror that has plagued our village. What might we provide for you?"

    The gratitude makes you wince. It was not you who saved this village, not really. If that portal had remained open the monsters that crawled out would have attacked this place first. Everyone would have died. But instead, Shasa sacrificed herself. She died so that you, and all of them, would live.

    You push the thought down. Now is not the time to linger on such things.

    "Food and water, if you would," you say as you sit down, grateful to take your weight off your legs. "Something filling."

    "Of course, noble Samurai," the innkeeper says, bowing again. "Whatever you wish."

    He comes back swiftly with a plate of fish over grilled vegetables, a bowl of rice and another bowl of soup. The dishes are well made, and obviously not the sort of thing he normally serves customers on. You are being given special treatment. On the one hand, that is your right. But on the other… Do you truly deserve such, after all that has happened?

    You brush the thought aside and eat your food. It is not especially flavorful, seeing as this village does not appear abundant in resources. However, it does fill your belly. Your weakness lessens as your hunger dies, and as you finish off every morsel of your plate you can't help but feel a little better.

    With your immediate bodily needs met, your mind turns to other matters. There is something you have to do, something that you would have done immediately had you not been concerned you'd have fallen over in the attempt.

    "Innkeeper," you say. "I need a bowl of rice and some sake."

    You are, of course, swiftly provided with both. You thank the innkeeper and head outside with both your parcels. Your legs are much more sturdy now, and your body does not feel nearly so heavy. The ache remains, of course, but with renewed energy you stride out purposefully to complete the obligation you have set for yourself.

    And promptly halt when you see the looming bulk of Muharanok sitting outside the inn, his arms crossed and his sword resting upon his shoulder. He almost appears to be sleeping, but you get the impression he is very aware of his surroundings. This feeling is vindicated when the ogre opens his eyes and glances at you, his lips curving into the semblance of a smile. It is, quite honestly, a disturbing sight on his tusked face.

    "You have awoken," he rumbles. "Good. You slept so long I was wondering if perhaps you had been lost in Yume-do."

    [] Question the Ogre.
    [] Continue on with your task.
    [] Write in.
     
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