[X] Male
[X] Tolui
[X] Insight. The study of the blade is the study of the world, and vice versa. You demonstrated an understanding of such truths far beyond that of most students, and your sensei took note of your almost-mystical insights into a wide variety of skills and studies.
[X] Unorthodox. You have split from the traditional philosophy of the Unicorn and the Moto in some notable way, and have a reputation as a result of doing so. Your divergence does not threaten your standing, at least not yet, but it does create some distance between you and your more traditional peers.
[X] Free of Spirit. Though you still think of yourself as honorable and true, it is fair to say that you disagree significantly with one of the seven precepts of Bushido, or at least with how it is commonly practiced.
I notice that every plan so far has used "True of Heart". Don't go half-heartedly into unorthodoxy! Be free! Be free like the wind!
[X] Plan Kublai-chan
-[X] Female
-[X] Passion. Your energy and enthusiasm were second to none, and your relentless drive to succeed inspired the minds and bodies of your classmates to push on to greater heights than any of you could have reached alone.
-[X] Unorthodox. You have split from the traditional philosophy of the Unicorn and the Moto in some notable way, and have a reputation as a result of doing so. Your divergence does not threaten your standing, at least not yet, but it does create some distance between you and your more traditional peers.
-[X] True of Heart. Your belief, your drive to act at all times in an honorable way, is a source of personal strength and often garners you the respect and admiration of others.
[X] Passion. Your energy and enthusiasm were second to none, and your relentless drive to succeed inspired the minds and bodies of your classmates to push on to greater heights than any of you could have reached alone.
[X] Plan Kublai-chan
-[X] Female
-[X] Passion. Your energy and enthusiasm were second to none, and your relentless drive to succeed inspired the minds and bodies of your classmates to push on to greater heights than any of you could have reached alone.
-[X] Unorthodox. You have split from the traditional philosophy of the Unicorn and the Moto in some notable way, and have a reputation as a result of doing so. Your divergence does not threaten your standing, at least not yet, but it does create some distance between you and your more traditional peers.
-[X] True of Heart. Your belief, your drive to act at all times in an honorable way, is a source of personal strength and often garners you the respect and admiration of others.
So looks like plan Kublai-chan is going to win but I do want people to know that being true to bushido means we lose out on a skill, whether or not that's worth it to people is up to them, but it's one of the best ways to get skullduggery if you're not a Scorpion. Which is the generic 'sneaky stuff' skill, but it's also the defense against sneaky things so usually worth picking up a point or two if only to stop that spy from stealing your hard thought plans.
[X] Plan Kublai-chan
-[X] Female
-[X] Passion. Your energy and enthusiasm were second to none, and your relentless drive to succeed inspired the minds and bodies of your classmates to push on to greater heights than any of you could have reached alone.
-[X] Unorthodox. You have split from the traditional philosophy of the Unicorn and the Moto in some notable way, and have a reputation as a result of doing so. Your divergence does not threaten your standing, at least not yet, but it does create some distance between you and your more traditional peers.
-[X] True of Heart. Your belief, your drive to act at all times in an honorable way, is a source of personal strength and often garners you the respect and admiration of others.
[X] Adaptability. The sensei were fond of throwing strange problems at you, presenting unique challenges that demanded unconventional solutions, and you made your name by overcoming each in turn. You can roll with the punches in a way that others can only dream of.
[X] Unorthodox. You have split from the traditional philosophy of the Unicorn and the Moto in some notable way, and have a reputation as a result of doing so. Your divergence does not threaten your standing, at least not yet, but it does create some distance between you and your more traditional peers.
[X] True of Heart. Your belief, your drive to act at all times in an honorable way, is a source of personal strength and often garners you the respect and admiration of others.
[X] Male
[X] Karnai
[X] Insight. The study of the blade is the study of the world, and vice versa. You demonstrated an understanding of such truths far beyond that of most students, and your sensei took note of your almost-mystical insights into a wide variety of skills and studies.
[X] Unorthodox. You have split from the traditional philosophy of the Unicorn and the Moto in some notable way, and have a reputation as a result of doing so. Your divergence does not threaten your standing, at least not yet, but it does create some distance between you and your more traditional peers.
[X] True of Heart. Your belief, your drive to act at all times in an honorable way, is a source of personal strength and often garners you the respect and admiration of others.
Though Karnai was born a Unicorn, he strives to meet the ideals of the more traditional clans like the Crane. His foreign looks mark him forever an outsider to the society he most wants inclusion in.
Unicorn duelist, who struggles to find his place in a world that where his looks mark him an outsider?
[X] Plan Kublai-chan
-[X] Female
-[X] Passion. Your energy and enthusiasm were second to none, and your relentless drive to succeed inspired the minds and bodies of your classmates to push on to greater heights than any of you could have reached alone.
-[X] Unorthodox. You have split from the traditional philosophy of the Unicorn and the Moto in some notable way, and have a reputation as a result of doing so. Your divergence does not threaten your standing, at least not yet, but it does create some distance between you and your more traditional peers.
-[X] True of Heart. Your belief, your drive to act at all times in an honorable way, is a source of personal strength and often garners you the respect and admiration of others.
@Omicron to be fair, Unorthodox for the *Moto* could well be 'traditional rokugani'- remember, the Moto start as foreign, and that option is in relation to the Family.
[X] Plan Kublai-chan
-[X] Female
-[X] Passion. Your energy and enthusiasm were second to none, and your relentless drive to succeed inspired the minds and bodies of your classmates to push on to greater heights than any of you could have reached alone.
-[X] Unorthodox. You have split from the traditional philosophy of the Unicorn and the Moto in some notable way, and have a reputation as a result of doing so. Your divergence does not threaten your standing, at least not yet, but it does create some distance between you and your more traditional peers.
-[X] True of Heart. Your belief, your drive to act at all times in an honorable way, is a source of personal strength and often garners you the respect and admiration of others.
Normal moto is already sufficiently unorthodox for me, and I don't want the risk of ending up like a NORMAL samurai as our form of unorthodox motoness. Rest of kublai-chan I'm fine with I suppose but eh.
[X] Plan Kublai-chan
-[X] Female
-[X] Passion. Your energy and enthusiasm were second to none, and your relentless drive to succeed inspired the minds and bodies of your classmates to push on to greater heights than any of you could have reached alone.
-[X] Unorthodox. You have split from the traditional philosophy of the Unicorn and the Moto in some notable way, and have a reputation as a result of doing so. Your divergence does not threaten your standing, at least not yet, but it does create some distance between you and your more traditional peers.
-[X] True of Heart. Your belief, your drive to act at all times in an honorable way, is a source of personal strength and often garners you the respect and admiration of others.
[X] Plan Kublai-chan
How about making the Unorthodox part be the one where she actually excels at Courtesy, but only ever shows it when she finds those worthy of it. IE she's not an ignorant barbarian, you just haven't impressed her enough to treat you with respect. Insult veiled in false Ignorance, with a surprising twist to it.
Think of a Crane response if an Unicorn dedicated to battle has better Courtesy than them? Or just far better than they expect. But is still a barbarian, because she won't use it properly.
[X] Plan Kublai-chan
How about making the Unorthodox part be the one where she actually excels at Courtesy, but only ever shows it when she finds those worthy of it. IE she's not an ignorant barbarian, you just haven't impressed her enough to treat you with respect. Insult veiled in false Ignorance, with a surprising twist to it.
Think of a Crane response if an Unicorn dedicated to battle has better Courtesy than them? Or just far better than they expect. But is still a barbarian, because she won't use it properly.
It sounds like you're suggesting we act like a typical Unicorn does normally, but are actually really good at things Unicorns typically aren't (or at least stereotypically aren't) and can whip it out occasionally to surprise people. I suppose that would count as unorthodox for a Unicorn, but the main focus for that would be on how other clans see us. Unorthodox vs Firm Believer is clearly all about how we're viewed within the clan, and knowing how to be courteous has nothing to do with our beliefs or how they diverge from that of traditional Unicorn beliefs. It'd be a different story if we were courteous as a rule, like a "proper Rokugani", but why would our clanmates care that we know how to act like a proper Rokugani if we otherwise think and act like a proper Unicorn?
Also removes one of the most heartwarming character development arcs possible in the fish-out-of-water mongol girl in court scenario, which is picking up a refined courtly friend to show us how to fit in when we want while also showing them how to be true to themselves, but that's a personal demerit.
EDIT: Actually, no, reading more closely, that sounds entirely against the spirit of Courtesy. Courtesy is about showing respect even to your enemies. Giving veiled insult by acting ignorantly unless she thinks you're worthy of it... sounds like the exact opposite of showing proper respect regardless of the person and circumstances?
Plan... Kublai-Chan wins. Please forgive a delay in the update while I hunt @Omicron down and destroy him for daring to submit a plan name such as this.
Plan... Kublai-Chan wins. Please forgive a delay in the update while I hunt @Omicron down and destroy him for daring to submit a plan name such as this.
It sounds like you're suggesting we act like a typical Unicorn does normally, but are actually really good at things Unicorns typically aren't (or at least stereotypically aren't) and can whip it out occasionally to surprise people. I suppose that would count as unorthodox for a Unicorn, but the main focus for that would be on how other clans see us. Unorthodox vs Firm Believer is clearly all about how we're viewed within the clan, and knowing how to be courteous has nothing to do with our beliefs or how they diverge from that of traditional Unicorn beliefs. It'd be a different story if we were courteous as a rule, like a "proper Rokugani", but why would our clanmates care that we know how to act like a proper Rokugani if we otherwise think and act like a proper Unicorn?
Also removes one of the most heartwarming character development arcs possible in the fish-out-of-water mongol girl in court scenario, which is picking up a refined courtly friend to show us how to fit in when we want while also showing them how to be true to themselves, but that's a personal demerit.
EDIT: Actually, no, reading more closely, that sounds entirely against the spirit of Courtesy. Courtesy is about showing respect even to your enemies. Giving veiled insult by acting ignorantly unless she thinks you're worthy of it... sounds like the exact opposite of showing proper respect regardless of the person and circumstances?
Not quite. I mean we act Courteously to our Clan and Family, and like a Moto to outsiders. But when pushed/respected one comes around, we can back it up with real Moto-ness inside the Clan/Family, and proper Courtesy in Rokugan.
IE: She's not going to let some Crane ass be better than her at something or her folks. So she keeps up the Courtesy at home to make them practice at least the basics so they don't make trouble for the Clan if they have to work in foreign Clan lands. It's one thing when you choose not to be Courteous, quite another when you are unable to be on mission. Get it? And it's really hard for the Moto to gainsay the third ranked among them, that yes, can totally kick all their butts (in terms of similar levels of age/experience). Except none of them in school knew she was the third among the Moto, so now all her ex classmates are in horror at mouthing off at the weirdo, who is actually clan hair and was doing it to test them. And they failed.
"Now imagine if they done that to a Non Clan Heir, and what that would do, both to them and the Clan. " she says. Teachable moment, right there.
That story spreading would encourage our dear cousins to at least get the basics down, so as not to dishonor us. We don't think Courtesy should rule, but that's how it is right now, and the Clan and the Family can really pay for it if someone fucks up, so they better knew at least the basics, or they are screwed.
Not quite. I mean we act Courteously to our Clan and Family, and like a Moto to outsiders. But when pushed/respected one comes around, we can back it up with real Moto-ness inside the Clan/Family, and proper Courtesy in Rokugan.
IE: She's not going to let some Crane ass be better than her at something or her folks. So she keeps up the Courtesy at home to make them practice at least the basics so they don't make trouble for the Clan if they have to work in foreign Clan lands. It's one thing when you choose not to be Courteous, quite another when you are unable to be on mission. Get it? And it's really hard for the Moto to gainsay the third ranked among them, that yes, can totally kick all their butts (in terms of similar levels of age/experience). Except none of them in school knew she was the third among the Moto, so now all her ex classmates are in horror at mouthing off at the weirdo, who is actually clan hair and was doing it to test them. And they failed.
"Now imagine if they done that to a Non Clan Heir, and what that would do, both to them and the Clan. " she says. Teachable moment, right there.
That story spreading would encourage our dear cousins to at least get the basics down, so as not to dishonor us. We don't think Courtesy should rule, but that's how it is right now, and the Clan and the Family can really pay for it if someone fucks up, so they better knew at least the basics, or they are screwed.
I think that's the 'Free of Spirit' option. It wouldn't necessarily make us a terrible person, but I think if we did that we would not be practicing the tenants of Bushido.
Every samurai of the Moto presumably practices courtesy, even with their enemies, to a recognizable extent. Saying 'act like a Moto' implies either that you think they do not, or you mean that they do, but that you intend for us to act even more courteously to those of our clan. Either way I would consider not attempting to uphold the ways of the samurai in good faith; I think knowing the proper ways to act and not following them in order to offer insult is a corruption of the intent of the tenant.
I suggest another course of action, where we act like a Moto to both our clan and to the members of other clans regardless of their demeanor, Moto being a word which here means 'an honorable samurai of the Unicorn clan who is trying her best'.
A/N - This is the last part of character generation. The narrative portions of the quest will begin afterwards.
You are Moto Sarnai, daughter of Moto Rurame, she who has lead the Red Banner host to victory time and again. Oh, the looks on your classmate's faces when your mother showed up to attend your informal graduation from the dojo… you will savour the mingled looks of awe and horror for as long as you live, if only because they indicate that you managed to avoid letting anyone in on the secret for four solid years.
Of course, just because they were unaware of your lineage, that does not mean that your comrades did not have their own thoughts and opinions of you as a person. Such indifference would be all but impossible in the face of your forceful personality, and while some would perhaps caution you against showing such passion and drive when you go to serve in a land that values stoicism to such a degree, well… you cannot be anything more or less than what you are. You are pretty sure that Shinsei said that, right? You're not exactly a studious adherent of the Tao, but that sounds like the sort of profound thing that the Little Teacher probably mentioned at some point in his life.
Still, even if you had somehow restrained yourself for the full length of your schooling, it wouldn't have mattered all that much. You've never been all that great at staying over the horizon, and before you'd even completely half of your assigned courses you'd managed to make a name for yourself anyway, through deeds that even the exalted lineage of your ancestors would have approved of. They go ahead of you now, carried in whispered words and carefully scribed letters, and thus far you have yet to encounter a member of the Unicorn who disapproves.
After all, what is there to disapprove of in the story of a young girl who managed to display such remarkable qualities?
Article:
What deed or quality are you most famous for? This will be reflected on your character sheet by a distinction - in addition to some general narrative benefits, you will be able to reroll any two unsuccessful dice in a test where your distinction seems like it should reasonably provide some kind of an advantage.
[ ] Famously Reliable. On a training expedition into the Burning Sands, your group was waylaid by a party of slavers. Your sensei believed your oath to recover the kidnapped students a foolish boast. When you returned three weeks later with a dozen children and three severed heads, they were proven incorrect. Your peers assume that you will always keep your word, no matter how impossible such a thing might seem.
[ ] Jurojin's Blessing. Plague is a terrible foe of all who live in Rokugan. When sickness took the village of Red Leaf, you voluntarily stayed within the quarantined area, ministering to the sick as best you could. For some reason, the disease never touched you, and your steadfast example kept the morale of the villagers high even as they tended to their ailing relatives. Your health remains robust to this day, and others know of your compassion.
[ ] Large Stature. Your bloodline is not entirely that of Rokugan, and in you this has manifested in a frankly ridiculous growth rate. You tower head and shoulders over even the tallest of your peers, and when your horse tripped and broke a leg, you carried the poor thing two and a half miles to the nearest healer.
It's not all sunshine and wildflowers, though. Just as your deeds and reputation open many doors and serve you well in advancing the causes that you care to pursue, so too are there other facets of your personality and history that have proven something of a hindrance.
The sensei at the dojo did their best to provide you with guidance and advice in overcoming and otherwise living with such adversities, but to tell the truth you found most of their wisdom distinctly lacking. It was always 'accept your karma and move on, Sarnai-chan' this and 'we each have our burdens to bear' that, and by the end of your schooling you were thoroughly and completely sick of it. Perhaps such an inability to let the world be the world is a flaw in its own right, but if so it is one that you have no interest in trying to correct. How can you make the world a better place if you refuse to get worked up about its inadequacies in the first place?
Still, just because your unrelenting drive is an asset rather than a curse, that does not mean that you would turn down the opportunity to wipe the slate clean of certain other disadvantages…
Article:
Which of the following qualities holds you back in life, or otherwise poses some kind of frequently-occurring obstacle with which you must contend? This is reflected on your sheet by an adversity, which operates in opposition to a distinction; namely, it forces you to reroll two successful dice whenever it comes up in the course of the quest.
[ ] Bluntness - For some reason that doubtless makes sense to everyone else, the samurai of Rokugan are obsessed with never actually speaking their minds. Everything must be veiled in allegory and misdirection, every comment and commitment accompanied by a ready-made excuse to ignore it if desired. You are, quite simply, terrible at such things. No, really, your friends generally have to explain that the fancy looking courtier just insulted you, and then everyone gets upset when you say they smell like horse manure.
[ ] Discomforting Countenance - OK, so you have foreign blood in your veins, and anyone who looks at you can generally deduce as much within a few moments. You can live with that. What you find somewhat harder to tolerate is how everyone immediately starts eyeing you with suspicion or backing away in fear or fingering the nearest piece of jade…
[ ] Whispers of Cruelty. Your mother, Rurame of the Red Banners is… well you love her dearly, but one does not earn a name like that by being nice, and ever since she collected you from your dojo anyone who meets you generally assumes that you are less her daughter and more a slightly smaller copy. Put simply, everyone expects you to have a fetish for dunking people in boiling oil, and they respond appropriately.
Still, if you can't get by simply by tolerating that which you cannot change and so forth, at the very least you can find some measure of peace in other activities. Enough to counteract your little foibles, your stresses and anxieties, the things which make you just want to scream and hit something…
Well. Suffice to say that such an overreaction would not be taken well by the samurai with whom you must now treat as a peer. Samurai are meant to be stoic and unflappable, after all, never once letting anyone but the closest members of their family see past the mask that is their 'face'. To show genuine, open emotion in anything resembling a public setting is the very height of rudeness, especially if said reaction expresses anything but absolute approval of your lord's commands and the dictates of society as a whole.
May your ancestors take pity upon you, but you hate all the pretense. The very institution of geishi, as an example, offends you on a basic level. Not the women themselves, who are often quite lovely and highly skilled, but the notion that one must classify some of the premier artisans in the realm as 'not people' so as to avoid the stigma against showing open emotion around others… truly, Lady Shinjo made the right choice when she led her Clan out of the nascent Empire and kept them there for eight hundred years. It at least gives you an alternative set of traditions to adhere to when you encounter something so utterly ridiculous…
One of the core mechanics of Legend of the Five Rings is strife, which is acquired in moments of emotional weight and by the results of certain dice rolls. If you have too much strife, your character is 'compromised' - at the limits of their self control and cannot choose to keep any dice result that includes an additional point of strife.
Since most dice rolls will be handled behind the scenes, it is sufficient to note that the basic dice mechanic is as follows: You assemble a number of dice equal to your (Ring+Skill), roll them, and choose a number to keep equal to your ring. Each kept dice can provide a success, an opportunity (contextual bonus of some kind) and/or a point of strife. You need a certain number of successes to accomplish a given task. Being 'compromised' roughly reduces the chance of any given dice generating a success by half.
Removing strife happens in four major ways
Firstly, you lose a certain amount of it at the end of each scene, though this cannot reduce you to less than half your maximum.
Secondly, you can go and meditate or have a nice cup of tea or something.
Thirdly, you can 'unmask', venting all of your strife in order to be highly emotional for a brief moment. Maybe you punch the irritating courtier, maybe you kiss your crush in public, whatever.
Finally, you lose three strife by pursuing one of your passions.
Article:
Choose one of the following 'Passions'.
[ ] Daredevil. You love the thrill, the rush, of risking life and limb in increasingly dramatic ways. Your fondest memories are of moments when your heart thundered louder than any drum and you pushed yourself to the edge, either to show off to your peers or simply for the love of it.
[ ] Generosity. One thing you will say about traditional Rokugani etiquette, they were onto something when they formalised the whole 'gift-giving' thing. You have a real knack for picking out exactly what someone might love to receive, and it gives you a genuine sense of pleasure to see their eyes light up in response.
[ ] Travel. The wanderlust of your ancestors still burns in your veins, and you find nothing quite so enjoyable as seeing new places, meeting new people and trying new things. Sometimes that means venturing to see foreign lands, sometimes it means asking that cute courtier what the deal is with all these carefully arranged flowers.
Secondly, choose one of the following 'adversities', conditions which immediately afflict you with three points of strife when they come up.
[ ] Claustrophobia. You are a child of the wind, at home on the open steppe, and enclosed environments leave you feeling unsettled and tense by comparison. You can manage it, more or less, but given the choice you will not be happy until you can see the sky.
[ ] Loneliness. There is nothing quite so pleasing to you as a fun night spent in the company of friends and comrades. By extension, you are never more miserable than when duty demands you spend any significant amount of time alone, without something to take your mind off your solitude.
[ ] Superstition. Rokugan is a land of ten thousand spirits, and that which you do not know can most assuredly harm you. Moto Tsume thought he was the equal of the supernatural, and look what happened; he led half your family line into damnation. You maintain a fanatic's adherence to all the rites and rituals necessary to placate the spirits as a result.
[X] Plan Social Freight Train
-[X] Famously Reliable. On a training expedition into the Burning Sands, your group was waylaid by a party of slavers. Your sensei believed your oath to recover the kidnapped students a foolish boast. When you returned three weeks later with a dozen children and three severed heads, they were proven incorrect. Your peers assume that you will always keep your word, no matter how impossible such a thing might seem.
-[X] Bluntness - For some reason that doubtless makes sense to everyone else, the samurai of Rokugan are obsessed with never actually speaking their minds. Everything must be veiled in allegory and misdirection, every comment and commitment accompanied by a ready-made excuse to ignore it if desired. You are, quite simply, terrible at such things. No, really, your friends generally have to explain that the fancy looking courtier just insulted you, and then everyone gets upset when you say they smell like horse manure.
-[X] Generosity. One thing you will say about traditional Rokugani etiquette, they were onto something when they formalised the whole 'gift-giving' thing. You have a real knack for picking out exactly what someone might love to receive, and it gives you a genuine sense of pleasure to see their eyes light up in response.
-[X] Superstition. Rokugan is a land of ten thousand spirits, and that which you do not know can most assuredly harm you. Moto Tsume thought he was the equal of the supernatural, and look what happened; he led half your family line into damnation. You maintain a fanatic's adherence to all the rites and rituals necessary to placate the spirits as a result.
