The Sandman
So Zetta Slowpoke
- Location
- Wherever I am, which isn't where I'm not
So, chances that Himawari puts two and two together now that she's seen our character sheet?
Glory of the Emerald Empire (Legend of the 5 Rings Quest)
- Thread starter Winged Knight
- Start date
- Fantasy
Sirrocco
Pedantic
[X] "Why, we were all headed for tea! Would you like to accompany us, and then we may further discuss the city's sights?"
It seems... not implausible.
3.80
Winged Knight
Still just a crazy man with a wolf on his head
- Location
- Texas
[x] Rook
"Why, we were all heading for tea!" you reply, smiling back at her. Hanabi's faltering expression brightens immensely in response, her cheer returning. "Would you like to accompany us, and then we may further discuss the city's sights?"
"Us?" Hanabi asks, looking at Himawari and Shirou. She blinks at the sight of the monk, as if noticing him for the first time. "Oh, yes! Of course…"
She turns and motions you all to follow her, her step much more reserved now than it had been before. You leave the markets and the temples toward more residential buildings closer to the castle. They are well made, though you notice carpenters and masons at work here just as they are in other parts of the Shiro Kitsuki.
Even with that activity, however, this section of the city is far less crowded. That makes sense, considering the hour and that there re fewer commercial activity or artistry happening here. Even the number of temples has decreased. That does not mean you see nothing but houses, however. Even lessened, you still see shops selling goods of noticeably finer quality than you saw on the market streets.
The scent of cooked food reaches your nose, and you quickly discover the most prominent type of shops in this district. There are several places to take meals within this part of the city, all cooking good food. Most of those Samurai you might have expected walking the streets are instead enjoying an afternoon meal amongst these shops, sipping tea while playing games of Go or Shogi.
"There are several good teahouses in the city, most located here in the Samurai Quarter near the castle," Hanabi says, motioning around. "If I had to pick my personal favorites, it would have to be a competition between the Mountain Breeze, Hotei's Blessing and the Pale Radia-"
A sound like thunder rocks the air, and the earth shakes beneath your feet as if groaning in pain. You immediately grasp your tetsubo and draw it from its hook beneath your obi, searching for the source of the disturbance. It becomes obvious soon enough. Fire is erupting in a powerful stream from one of the castle's great spires, roaring out like a dragon's breath. The force of it makes the air scream, sending out waves of heat that shimmer and steam in the cold mountain air.
And there is something else… A figure, flying through the air and away from the torrent of flame!
No, you muse as you step into a ready stance. Not flying. Falling!
The figure slams into the earth not twenty paces from you, cracking the stones that make up the street and sending dust and shrapnel flying into the air. You recoil, moving away from the detritus as it spreads out from the point of impact. This surprises you, for you would figure anyone falling from that far and that fast would have instead simply splattered across the street. Regardless, whatever poor soul had taken this plunge had undoubtedly perished.
Which is why you are so surprised when you hear someone groaning in pain from within the cloud of debris. You recover from your alarm and move closer, intent on getting a look at whoever this person is who somehow survived certain death.
He is a short, well built man wearing tight fitting clothing kept close to his body with cords of silk. The clothes themselves are fine, or would have been if they were not charred and utterly destroyed. It is worst on his left side, where his arm hangs limply as a blackened ruin. His face, what little you can see behind the mask he wears, is also horribly burned. The fingers of his left hand spasm and twitch reflexively in pain, and from his quickened breath it is obvious the man is in terrible agony.
The reason for his survival, as ludicrous as it seems, becomes apparent soon enough when you notice the scorched wreckage of a Mirumoto Bushi beneath his feet. The man must have carried the body with him during his tumble and somehow used it to cushion his fall. But that alone would not have saved him… He must be incredibly resilient to withstand such horrendous abuse.
"Damn that hurts!" he growls, turning to look back toward the castle and the dying inferno. "Not even a question of who I am, or demands to halt? Just straight with the fire? By all the Realms, who does that?"
"Who are you?" you growl, shifting your grip on your weapon. "What were you doing in the castle?"
He turns swiftly toward you, and in the shadows cast by the buildings you see his eyes are glowing with a pale blue light. In his right hand he is holding something, a porcelain mask that was once of the purest white and green. Only portions of it retain that luster, however, the majority of it blackened as if it had been kept too long in the forge.
"Oh," the man says as he takes in you and your party. "Well, damn. I don't suppose you could just forget I was here, could you?"
[] Attack!
[] Demand his surrender!
[] Write in.
"Why, we were all heading for tea!" you reply, smiling back at her. Hanabi's faltering expression brightens immensely in response, her cheer returning. "Would you like to accompany us, and then we may further discuss the city's sights?"
"Us?" Hanabi asks, looking at Himawari and Shirou. She blinks at the sight of the monk, as if noticing him for the first time. "Oh, yes! Of course…"
She turns and motions you all to follow her, her step much more reserved now than it had been before. You leave the markets and the temples toward more residential buildings closer to the castle. They are well made, though you notice carpenters and masons at work here just as they are in other parts of the Shiro Kitsuki.
Even with that activity, however, this section of the city is far less crowded. That makes sense, considering the hour and that there re fewer commercial activity or artistry happening here. Even the number of temples has decreased. That does not mean you see nothing but houses, however. Even lessened, you still see shops selling goods of noticeably finer quality than you saw on the market streets.
The scent of cooked food reaches your nose, and you quickly discover the most prominent type of shops in this district. There are several places to take meals within this part of the city, all cooking good food. Most of those Samurai you might have expected walking the streets are instead enjoying an afternoon meal amongst these shops, sipping tea while playing games of Go or Shogi.
"There are several good teahouses in the city, most located here in the Samurai Quarter near the castle," Hanabi says, motioning around. "If I had to pick my personal favorites, it would have to be a competition between the Mountain Breeze, Hotei's Blessing and the Pale Radia-"
A sound like thunder rocks the air, and the earth shakes beneath your feet as if groaning in pain. You immediately grasp your tetsubo and draw it from its hook beneath your obi, searching for the source of the disturbance. It becomes obvious soon enough. Fire is erupting in a powerful stream from one of the castle's great spires, roaring out like a dragon's breath. The force of it makes the air scream, sending out waves of heat that shimmer and steam in the cold mountain air.
And there is something else… A figure, flying through the air and away from the torrent of flame!
No, you muse as you step into a ready stance. Not flying. Falling!
The figure slams into the earth not twenty paces from you, cracking the stones that make up the street and sending dust and shrapnel flying into the air. You recoil, moving away from the detritus as it spreads out from the point of impact. This surprises you, for you would figure anyone falling from that far and that fast would have instead simply splattered across the street. Regardless, whatever poor soul had taken this plunge had undoubtedly perished.
Which is why you are so surprised when you hear someone groaning in pain from within the cloud of debris. You recover from your alarm and move closer, intent on getting a look at whoever this person is who somehow survived certain death.
He is a short, well built man wearing tight fitting clothing kept close to his body with cords of silk. The clothes themselves are fine, or would have been if they were not charred and utterly destroyed. It is worst on his left side, where his arm hangs limply as a blackened ruin. His face, what little you can see behind the mask he wears, is also horribly burned. The fingers of his left hand spasm and twitch reflexively in pain, and from his quickened breath it is obvious the man is in terrible agony.
The reason for his survival, as ludicrous as it seems, becomes apparent soon enough when you notice the scorched wreckage of a Mirumoto Bushi beneath his feet. The man must have carried the body with him during his tumble and somehow used it to cushion his fall. But that alone would not have saved him… He must be incredibly resilient to withstand such horrendous abuse.
"Damn that hurts!" he growls, turning to look back toward the castle and the dying inferno. "Not even a question of who I am, or demands to halt? Just straight with the fire? By all the Realms, who does that?"
"Who are you?" you growl, shifting your grip on your weapon. "What were you doing in the castle?"
He turns swiftly toward you, and in the shadows cast by the buildings you see his eyes are glowing with a pale blue light. In his right hand he is holding something, a porcelain mask that was once of the purest white and green. Only portions of it retain that luster, however, the majority of it blackened as if it had been kept too long in the forge.
"Oh," the man says as he takes in you and your party. "Well, damn. I don't suppose you could just forget I was here, could you?"
[] Attack!
[] Demand his surrender!
[] Write in.
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- Location
- London, England
I do suspect that was the Master of Fire's work we just witnessed. And allow this to be a lesson to everyone - the Phoenix are pacifists, but they are far from harmless.
[x] "No" (Demand his surrender)
Glowing blue eyes, huh? Not something I immediately recognize, but not a reassuring trait...
[x] "No" (Demand his surrender)
Glowing blue eyes, huh? Not something I immediately recognize, but not a reassuring trait...
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There is a Shadowlands power that gives one night vision, glowing blue/green eyes are a side-effect.
Sirrocco
Pedantic
Wait. The Master of Fire just assaulted this guy. His eyes are glowing. He's wishing that we hadn't seen him, and he's griping that he wasn't given a moment to explain himself (or get away).
Massive violence has occurred in the castle. This almost never happens. That means it wasn't by happenstance. In addition to surviving impossible falls and having glowing eyes, this guy *isn't* screaming bloody murder and hollering that we're under attack, and he wishes not to have been seen. That means that he was the one that didn't belong. Given that, we can assume that the one who blew him out was an honorable Rokugani. The only one in the area with enough power to do that that we're aware of is the Master of Fire, who is a *very* honorable Rokugani. If the Master of Fire attacked this guy without question, he must have had a Good Reason to do so. Given that he did so in a way that involved killing a Mirumoto Bushi and blowing up part of the castle, he must have had an *excellent* reason for doing so.
Moreover, the Master of Fire attacked immediately, without parley. This guy was complaining about that - probably put off-center by it. He likely has some sort of tricks to pull when not pressed. Further, I guarantee that the Master of Fire is coming, quickly, to finish the job. If we demand his surrender, he will flee - probably successfully. This man is an enemy of Rokugan, and almost certainly either tainted by the Shadowlands or a minion of the Nothing. He must not be permitted to escape.
[X] Attack!
-[X] "You will not escape the righteous arm of Rokugan so easily!"
-[X] Don't hold back on making noise.
edit: Also, given that this guy is a Bad Guy, I'm pretty entertained by the idea of being a step along the way of his humiliation conga.
Massive violence has occurred in the castle. This almost never happens. That means it wasn't by happenstance. In addition to surviving impossible falls and having glowing eyes, this guy *isn't* screaming bloody murder and hollering that we're under attack, and he wishes not to have been seen. That means that he was the one that didn't belong. Given that, we can assume that the one who blew him out was an honorable Rokugani. The only one in the area with enough power to do that that we're aware of is the Master of Fire, who is a *very* honorable Rokugani. If the Master of Fire attacked this guy without question, he must have had a Good Reason to do so. Given that he did so in a way that involved killing a Mirumoto Bushi and blowing up part of the castle, he must have had an *excellent* reason for doing so.
Moreover, the Master of Fire attacked immediately, without parley. This guy was complaining about that - probably put off-center by it. He likely has some sort of tricks to pull when not pressed. Further, I guarantee that the Master of Fire is coming, quickly, to finish the job. If we demand his surrender, he will flee - probably successfully. This man is an enemy of Rokugan, and almost certainly either tainted by the Shadowlands or a minion of the Nothing. He must not be permitted to escape.
[X] Attack!
-[X] "You will not escape the righteous arm of Rokugan so easily!"
-[X] Don't hold back on making noise.
edit: Also, given that this guy is a Bad Guy, I'm pretty entertained by the idea of being a step along the way of his humiliation conga.
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EtchedSteel
*mumble mumble*
- Location
- Lima. Peru
Don't forget the fist that can light on fire
[X] Attack!
-[X] "You will not escape the righteous arm of Rokugan so easily!"
-[X] Don't hold back on making noise.
The word of a samurai is as strong as their status. If the master of fire did this, then its our duty to restrain him. Is the most we can do as a Rokugani, yes.
- Location
- London, England
Sirocco's logic is undeniable. On top of that... we are Crab. A dude in front of us has glowing blue eyes and just displayed inhuman resilience. The immediate assumption has got to be 'Shadowlands Taint'.
The immediate response to that is well established by a thousand years of tradition. Smack him with your tetsubo.
[x] Attack!
- [x] You will not escape so easily!
- [x] Don't hold back on making noise.
Besides, we have Hanabi like, right there. The moment she realizes she can impress us by displaying her sword skills in righteous combat with the enemy of all Rokugan, she's going to turn into an unstoppable murder machine.
The immediate response to that is well established by a thousand years of tradition. Smack him with your tetsubo.
[x] Attack!
- [x] You will not escape so easily!
- [x] Don't hold back on making noise.
Besides, we have Hanabi like, right there. The moment she realizes she can impress us by displaying her sword skills in righteous combat with the enemy of all Rokugan, she's going to turn into an unstoppable murder machine.
Nah it's pretty deniable, as it's mostly logic to prove what we already think is true instead of considering the potential other sides of this 5 dimensional coin.
But it doesn't mean the conclusion is wrong.
[x] Attack!
- [x] You will not escape so easily!
- [x] Don't hold back on making noise.
But it doesn't mean the conclusion is wrong.
[x] Attack!
- [x] You will not escape so easily!
- [x] Don't hold back on making noise.
- Location
- Canada
[x] Attack!
- [x] You will not escape so easily!
- [x] Don't hold back on making noise.
- [x] You will not escape so easily!
- [x] Don't hold back on making noise.
Da Boyz
The Cutest Apocalypse.
[X] Attack!
-[X] "You will not escape the righteous arm of Rokugan so easily!"
-[X] Don't hold back on making noise.
This guy just tanked an attack from the Master of Fire and bodysurfed a Mirumoto bushi to the ground, I think it's safe to say that even with wound penalties our little party doesn't have much of a chance here. That being said there are samurai along along the shops of the street here and I doubt he can survive being dogpiled by the entire population of Shiro Kitsuki.
-[X] "You will not escape the righteous arm of Rokugan so easily!"
-[X] Don't hold back on making noise.
This guy just tanked an attack from the Master of Fire and bodysurfed a Mirumoto bushi to the ground, I think it's safe to say that even with wound penalties our little party doesn't have much of a chance here. That being said there are samurai along along the shops of the street here and I doubt he can survive being dogpiled by the entire population of Shiro Kitsuki.
Sirrocco
Pedantic
OOC, I completely agree with you. our little party has little chance of taking this guy. Depending on his skillset, the constant attacks may shut him down for a little while, but we aren't gong to be able to take him out. On the other hand... well, the Master of Fire just blew out the wall. He can see everything that's going on down here, if he just turns to look. If we jump this guy, he'll show up pretty soon - and he has a demonstrated ability to cause harm to the guy. Also, the fact that he'd really prefer that we ignore him means that he, at least, thinks that we can hamper or disadvantage him in some way.
IC... yeah. What @Maugan Ra said. Sousuke has *never* lacked in willingness to apply blunt trauma to an obvious enemy of Rokugan, however overpowered they might seem.
Da Boyz
The Cutest Apocalypse.
Oh we should by all means attack, were tanky enough that one blow shouldn't be enough to kill us if I understand the system correctly. Any idea on what that mask might be?
Sirrocco
Pedantic
The white is porcelain or bone. The green... might be jade?
Porcelain masks in general were a tainted artifact used to raise corpses as zombies - those zombies would retain more of their original skills than standard zombies, and could be given more complicated orders. If it is somehow jade, then that would have been used to hide the taint of the shadowlands. There's a good chance, though, that he was using the mask as a way to turn the Mirumoto Bushi into a zombie. ...not that we'd have any idea of this in character. It being scorched probably interferes with its use as an artifact, however.
Are you kidding? This sort of thing is why Yasuki Goro keeps us around. Oh, look - a diplomatic coup that also raises the profile of the Shadowlands infiltration as a threat, coming directly off of an event where Sousuke had to hit someone with a tetsubo. How unprecedented!
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