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

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gman391 said:
Freaking Shosuro GM's! Got ninja'd but anyways:

@Ridiculously Average Guy
Yes it totally is.

Mirumoto Hitomi killed the Moon God and took his place and Hida Yakamo took over from the Sun Goddess. As these two hated each other, it made things a little tense. (The Sun goddess killed herself to atone for placing the world in darkness for a month or so)

And Yoritomo managed to impress the Dragon of Thunder enough that he too became a kami by taking the Dragon of Thunder's power willingly.

It should be noted that the Heavens called Shenanigans in 1170 canonically and purged the first two.
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Well, it was more like the Dragons looked at all the shit humans were causing running around Heaven and decided "All right, time to lay down the law." So the Dragons did, and cleaned up the place. To be totally fair, they really weren't wrong. The last hundred years at that point were more tumultuous and full of potentially world ending crises than the five hundred before it, and most of it was caused by humans mucking about. It was pretty rough.
 
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[x] Etched Steel

...and it cheers me to see others taking up the banner.
I'll still toss in write-ins from time to time, but my availability has dropped pretty severely, and will remain so for the indefinite future. Gainful employment is like that.
 
Sirrocco said:
...and it cheers me to see others taking up the banner.
I'll still toss in write-ins from time to time, but my availability has dropped pretty severely, and will remain so for the indefinite future. Gainful employment is like that.
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Real life takes precedence over anything else. Been there until recently.

Hope it goes well for you.
 
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    • [x] gman/EtchedSteel

    You have spent one void point, mitigating 10 damage. Sosuke has 64 wounds remaining, and has returned to the "Healthy" bracket.


    You shake yourself out of your darkening thoughts. It is not your place to say who the Fortune may or may not meet. Each of the Thousand Fortunes is as above you as Samurai are above the Heimin. And even still, if the Fortune did look upon you then what could you do? Would you act any differently than you always have even if he had not?

    No. You would act just as you always would, which you'd like to believe is what Osano-wo expects of people. To rise with strength and courage against adversity, and to be the wall that withstands all who would destroy the domain of mankind. It is your duty, an you can do no less. Whether or not Osano-wo is watching you while you do so is inconsequential.

    I will honor you, Fortune of Fire and Thunder, you think as you shake a little water from your clothes. Shirou is wringing the wetness from his robes with his hands. With deed and action, with strength and courage, I make this vow here in your temple. I will not falter.

    A crack of lightning breaks the sky above you and illuminates the world in light, and thunder booms afterward. It brings a smile to your lips.

    "This has certainly been an interesting day," Shirou says, slipping his arms back into his sleeves. He bows to you. "I am honored for the time we have spent together, Sosuke-sama. It has been most enjoyable."

    "I must thank you for your time," you respond, bowing back. "And for enlightening me on just how exactly you pray to your patron Fortune." You grin wryly as you straighten. "Though I must admit, I can't see myself making that a common practice."

    "It is not for everyone," Shirou says. "But it is for us, who follow in the footsteps Osano-wo left behind."

    "Well said," you say back. "I will leave you to your daily devotions, then." You stretch your arms, trying to work out the lingering soreness. "For now, though, I think I will retire for the evening."

    "I may do the same soon enough," Shirou says. He bows again. "I leave you to yourself then, Sosuke-sama. May your rest be peaceful."

    "And yours as well," you say, returning the bow.

    You walk inside the temple, while Shirou wanders off somewhere within the practice yard. You would stick around and observe the monks as they go through their training, but the journey, and the lightning bolt, have left you understandably tired. You're mostly looking forward to lying down.

    You walk slowly through the corridors of the temple, taking in its sheer size as you make your way to your room. This place could easily hold over five hundred people, likely even more, if the space was cleared. You recognize from its layout that Shinden Osano-wo is as much a fortress as it is a monastery, and easily proves its claim as the largest place of devotion to the Fortune of Fire and Thunder in all of the Empire.

    You can see the touch of the Kaiu in the walls of the temple, in how it has been arranged and built. That makes you nod in approval. It is only right that this place has been built thus. Hida Osano-wo was of the Crab Clan when he was mortal. Even more, he was its Champion. It makes sense that the Crab would have a hand in its construction.

    You open the sliding doors to your room, ready to get out of your wet clothes, and pause at the entrance. Hiruma Shasa is there, gazing upon your armor resting on its stand. Shasa has removed her own armor, which only makes sense in a place as safe as this temple, and is clad in only her traveling clothes. She turns at the sound of the door opening, her eyes widening only a fraction in surprise.

    "Please forgive me for coming into your quarters unannounced, Sosuke-san," Shasa says, smiling apologetically. "I was hoping we might pass some time in small talk, but found you were not here. It was then I noticed your armor." She waves a hand toward your mother's gift. "Such magnificent craftsmanship… I am surprised I did not see it before." She pauses for a moment, looking you over properly. "Are you all right? You're soaking wet."

    [] Write in.
     
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    • [x] Write in.

    Alright calm down, breathe.

    "I was invited to join the monks in their meditations, the Monks of Osano-wo are very dedicated. It was an enlightening experience Hiruma-san, but as you can see, I was left rather soaked by it."

    Another breath okay keep it up.

    "Still I am fine and happy to spend a little time talking to my fellow Samurai. What's on your mind?"

    @Winged Knight
    We do have a chaperon around right?
     
    gman391 said:
    It's more of propriety thing to assure everyone we aren't having a romantic rendezvous...but then I remembered Crab, no one cares.
    Sorry playing Crane in a different game where it would matter.
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    Do the Crane really care as long as it's kept very discreet? From what I understand, taking lovers is a perfectly acceptable practice in Rokugan as long as you keep it away from public sight.
     
    Well, it handles the situation very well.

    Still, this will be fun. Adorkableness incoming.

    [x] gman391. Emphasy on calming down!
     
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    Is her compliment the sort that has a deeper meaning, or is it just standard pleasantries?

    Also, we might as well change into something dry. We've served on the Wall, there were undoubtedly female bushi there, and given that we were a teenager with a Glory rating and a reputation for being serious I'm definite that "whenever we had the chance to bathe, there always seemed to be at least one or two women in the baths as well" was but one of the many ways they teased us. In a practical situation (like not getting hypothermia from our soaked clothing), modesty is something we've had to learn to set aside. Shasa is Crab, she presumably would do the same.

    Admittedly, most of those women probably weren't as pretty as Shasa is, but that just means that we can realize that and drop spaghetti everywhere after we've already changed.
     
    Felius said:
    Do the Crane really care as long as it's kept very discreet? From what I understand, taking lovers is a perfectly acceptable practice in Rokugan as long as you keep it away from public sight.
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    In theory they care and do very well at keeping up appearances, if the chaperon happens to be an old woman easily distracted by doing origami and deaf, well that's not our fault.

    @The Sandman
    In theory it could go either way, standard practice is to downplay compliments to yourself and praise other people. So one way to flatter people is to praise the things other people give them. In essence saying "You must be awesome otherwise you wouldn't have this awesome thing."

    But that's not really a Crab thing so it's probably standard pleasantries, or Sasha just screwing with us.

    As for changing, we're in a temple lets not break societal taboo just because it's easy, besides, Sasha should give us a graceful opportunity if she has any etiquette.
     
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    • [x] gman


    For a moment you can only stare wide-eyed at Shasa. You weren't expecting this. It's getting on in the evening, and very likely by this point everyone in your caravan should have eaten and started preparing for bed. So why is Shasa here in your room, right now, while you are soaked to your skin?

    You grab hold of your racing thoughts and force yourself to breathe. You cannot allow yourself to panic. A certain amount of fear can sharpen the reflexes and enhance the senses, but all too easily it becomes a killer of the mind. You cannot allow this. The situation might be unfortunate, but you are not under attack. You are with a fellow Samurai, a Clanmate. You need to calm down.

    "I was invited to join the monks in their meditations," you say, managing to keep your voice steady. "The monks of Osano-wo are very dedicated. It was an enlightening experience Shasa-san, but as you can see, I was left rather soaked by it."

    "Yes," Shasa says, looking you over with an amused chuckle. "I can certainly see that. I did not realize you'd gone out there to train with the monks." She shakes her head. "It seems strange to me to practice during such a heavy storm, but they are adherents of Osano-wo. I suppose it makes sense."

    "Indeed. They certainly throw themselves into their rituals," you respond. "But enough about that. I am fine and happy to spend a little time talking to my fellow Samurai. What's on your mind?"

    "Firstly," she says, crossing her arms. "You should change out of those wet clothes. The monks must have a way of keeping themselves from catching ill, but you don't." She walks to the door and opens it. "I will wait outside."

    It is then, as Shasa closes the door, that you realize that you are feeling a little chilly. It is still summer time, and thus quite hot, but right now you're not feeling all that warm at all. You quickly strip out of your wet clothes and into a spare set of traveling garments. Almost immediately the chill leaves you, and you sigh with relief.

    "I'm decent," you call to Shasa. She walks back inside and makes her way to a kettle set next to a tiny stove.

    "I will heat some water for tea," she says. "You might still have a chill inside you, and it is best to drown it before it takes root."

    "A wise precaution," you say. "I thank you for your consideration of my well being."

    "It is nothing, Sosuke-san," she says as she lights a fire to boil the water. She turns and smiles at you. "I am just looking out for as fellow member of the Clan, is all."

    "My thanks nonetheless," you say. You motion to a small table set in the center of the room. "Shall we sit?"

    "Yes," she says. "I think we should."

    She takes the seat closest to the stove, and you sit down opposite of her. You wince a little settling in, the pad on the floor very thin compared to most you've encountered. The monks are very dedicated indeed to following the example of their Fortune. Their luxuries are on the austere side.

    "So," you say. "What do you wish to speak of?"

    "I overheard something from one of the servants a few days ago," Shasa says. "And I wanted to know if it was true." She leans in close, settling her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands. "They said you had an encounter with a spirit, and did some task for it." She tilts her head a little to the side. "Is this true, Sosuke-san? I'm surprised you never mentioned it during our travels."

    [] Tell the complete truth.
    [] Tell a part of the truth. (Choose which parts to exclude.)
    [] Write in.
     
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    • "I did. I though you might be displeased to hear of it, and I did not wish to displease you."

    If she pushes to hear more... well, we are trying to practice our storytelling, and this is part of the story we're trying to figure out how to tell, right?
     
    Should we tell her? If she's already feeling jealous then it may just serve to alienate her. Alternately not telling her the whole truth has its own issues.
     
    Dirtnap said:
    Should we tell her? If she's already feeling jealous then it may just serve to alienate her. Alternately not telling her the whole truth has its own issues.
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    I don't really see Sousuke as someone who would outright lie... well, basically ever, unless duty drove him to it (like he was being interrogated by the enemy or something). It's not something he's done a whole lot of, and it's not something he's any good at. Mind you, given the world he lives in, this is *highly likely* to get him into trouble some days. Is this one of those days? Well, we'll have to find out.
     
    [x] Write in:

    Alright keep calm and no don't rub the back of my head no matter how nervous I feel.
    Peace and Serenity, Sosuke, Peace and Serenity...even if that's a Crane thing, you can do it.

    Carefully.

    "It is true Sasha-san, I did encounter a spirit, and was moved enough to help it with a matter it considered important. I did not wish to brag so I did not speak of it to you. We of the Crab know that Courage and Loyalty are the most important parts of Bushido, but it does no harm to live by the other tenants like humility...which is something I need to work on in all honesty."

    Consider a moment.

    "Still if you wish for me to tell that tale, I shall, although it is a small thing, if not well we can discuss other things"

    --> If Sasha wants to hear the story
    [x] "It would have been about three days after we first spoke. As I slept for the night, I found myself woken by a fox spirit, naturally I was wary, but intrigued, I had never seen a fox spirit...or any spirit really. So I ask the fox what she wanted. The fox explained that long ago she had decided to I believe the term is 'prank' a monk, but the monk was pure and evaded her tricks...and the fox fell in love with him, deeply and truly, won over by the monks heart and spirit I think. The fox took a form of a woman and courted him, they became man and wife."

    Look into the tea or at the kettle.

    "Yet even true love is not immune to tragedy as you well know, and we mortals only have so long in this life before we move to the next, and so it was with the monk, who aged and eventually went back to the wheel to make his journey to the next life. Yet the fox stayed faithful to the memory, her heart unable to forget him. Thus the fox treasured the one keepsake she had of him from that time, a small engraved finger of jade she had made to protect him. While she treasured her keepsake, she kept watch on what was their home."

    Now look back at Sasha.

    "As the fox chased off some minor spirits from Yume-do, a band of ronin came and found the jade finger. These ronin planned to participate in a Twenty Goblin Winter that they were sure was coming. So they took the jade finger, hoping that it would keep them safe...or that is what I choose to believe. Although, others of course would give them a far more mercenary motive."

    A shrug.

    "The fox was furious, but was bound by the rules that governed her kind, which seemed to prevent her from harming the ronin, thus she sought out me for help and told me her story. I agreed to help, and with the approval of Yasuki-sama went with a pair of Ashigaru to speak to the ronin...it was a little tense but the ronin agreed to return the keepsake in exchange for some help getting them to the next village and providing for themselves until the Twenty Goblin Winter. That achieved, I returned to our camp and gave back the keepsake."

    Wry smile.
    "And that is my story Sasha-san, such as it is."

    --> If she doesn't want to hear the story.

    "Alright, I have actually been wondering about something, what drew you to swordplay? I've noticed your skills and realize the effort to strengthen them like that, they put my own skills with a blade to shame I'm afraid"
     
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