Hey, I've run L5R for a group consisting of half-drunk and sleep deprived university students before now. In comparison to them, trust me, you're doing great.
Anyway, I'll call the vote there and get to work on the next post.
You'll note that the Threadmarks have individual numbers, such as 1.6 or something. This is how I'm dividing up the virtual 'sessions' to help me determine when to give you XP and the like. Currently, you'll get your first load after the introduction to the court scene that is due to happen after you've freshened up.
[x] Show deference to his person and curiousity about his work. Be charming and flattering, but don't push it. If you can, get him talking about himself while you pretend to listen with great attention while actually listening with great attention.
[x] If an opportunity arises to offer him insight or information from your own studies, do so (respectfully). Happily provide any information that you can that you don't think will have him targeting your own clan.
[x] At some point, if there's a smooth way to do so, mention your primary role (as a broad source of useful knowledge) in being here for the Scorpion. Express general curiousity and love of learning.
[x] When the conversation permits, ask politely what kind of a retinue he is here with. Assuming that he's here alone or with relatively few followers-on, mention that you'd be happy to offer a similar support to him as you do to your clanmates, should he have desire or need of such things. Package it as a Loyalty to Rokugan and Loyalty to the Emperor thing. If pressed, admit that you "would not wish to find yourself the target of Otomo-dono's displeasure" in any situation.
"You would indeed be correct, Soshi-san." Otomo Kairyu says easily, neither his tone nor his expression giving any clue as to his mood. "Though I confess some surprise. It is not often that I meet samurai aware of the precise duties and structure of the Imperial Bureaucracy."
You suspect it might be more accurate, if less polite, to say that he rarely meets samurai who care about such things. The bureaucracy is a vital tool in making sure that Rokugan functions as an Empire rather than merely a collection of disparate tribes, but there is precious little glory to be gained by working for it. It likely does not help that most samurai receive their equipment and supplies directly from their lord without ever seeing the logistical effort needed to provide such things, and therefore might fool themselves into believing it is of less importance than it is.
"I would not describe myself as any kind of expert on the topic, Otomo-sama." You reply, remembering the old courtier's adage - when in doubt, err towards humility. "It is more a matter of personal interest. On the battlefield, my actions might affect the lives of a handful of men. In the court, I might influence the fate of hundreds. But the actions of the Imperial Bureaucracy steer the course of the entire Empire. The sheer scale involved is, well, fascinating."
"Ah, someone who understands." Otomo Kairyu says with a smile, though there is a slightly suspicious glint in his eyes, as though he is weighing up your intent and judging how genuine it is. "Indeed, the duty of the Ministry of Service might accurately be described as logistical support for the entire Empire. One would expect a Clan as proud of their military heritage as the Lion to understand the importance of such things, yet I have continually found myself stymied by their lack of interest in the matter."
You are reasonably sure that is a trap of some kind - certainly the Otomo would not leave such a blatant opening accidentally. Rather than step into it, though, you opt for a more friendly and helpful approach.
"It is my understanding that the Matsu have often been content to leave such matters to their cousins among the Akodo." You offer, allowing the delicious heat from the baths to help you sound relaxed and almost casual. "It is likely that the family as a whole has not yet adapted to the change in circumstance. Though I believe a considerable number of Akodo samurai pledged their loyalty to their cousins rather than leave the Clan altogether. Such warriors might be more open to discussing such matters."
You can almost see the Otomo begin to relax, his worries soothed by the lack of any direct action on your part and the possibility of a new path past whatever obstacle has been bothering him. "They might well do. Certainly, every family has their own unique approach to problems; stones in the castle that is the Empire proper." He muses. "Your own family has a reputation for providing discrete support and information to your masters, does it not Soshi-san?"
"That is our traditional role, yes, Otomo-sama." You reply, wondering how far you dare to push this. "I was assigned to Bayushi Kimoko-sama's retinue for that purpose, in the belief that a broad source of useful knowledge would better serve the needs of the Clan than one with only narrow expertise."
Otomo Kairyu makes a thoughtful noise and sinks slightly deeper into the hot water, evidently enjoying himself. You take a moment to muster your thoughts and give him a chance to speak, but he seems content to simply relax and think for the moment.
"Of course, much as my family serves the Scorpion, so too do the Scorpion serve the Emperor." You say carefully. "As such, it would also be my duty to place such information at your disposal as well, Otomo-sama, should you desire it."
The Imperial courtier raises one eyebrow. "Oh? And what would the Scorpion desire in return for this assistance, Soshi-san?"
You briefly consider denying any ulterior motives... but no, no one ever believes that when it is said by a Scorpion. Best to be reasonably up-front about it.
"For the Scorpion as a whole, anything which demonstrates our loyalty and commitment to the Son of Heaven and his chosen representatives is inherently beneficial, Otomo-sama." You reply, aware that both of you are carefully avoiding any talk of just why the Scorpion might wish to reassure the throne of their loyalty.
"And for you personally, Soshi-san?" Otomo Kairyu presses, a faintly amused look in his eyes. "I doubt you have been specifically instructed to offer such services to me."
"Personally, Otomo-sama, this is my first Winter Court." You say calmly. "Anything which aids my superiors and avoids incurring Imperial displeasure will reflect positively on me. Any and all ambitions I might reasonably hold now or in the future are better served by such a course."
"All men are ambitious. The wise lord makes sure his servant's ambitions are best served by loyalty to his own cause." Otomo Kairyu says softly, and you smile slightly as you recognize the quote.
"Bayushi Tangen did insist that his masterpiece contained only the most honest of truths." You comment. "I have always assumed that he named it Lies out of a sense of irony."
"There are worse motivations to have." The Otomo says with a short laugh. "Still, while this conversation has been enlightening, it would be a poor choice for my health to spend too much time in such waters. Thank you for your company, Soshi-san. I may well take you up on that offer."
With that, Otomo Kairyu lifts himself out of the baths and heads for the exit. You bow as best you can in the water, then settle yourself back down again. That went... well? It is hard to be sure, but the Imperial seems to like you and you parted on friendly terms. Calling him an ally would be far too premature, but you have at least made positive contact with a person of importance in the upcoming court. Bayushi Kimoko should be pleased.
What do you wish to do next?
[ ] Look for a shrine where you can pray.
[ ] Take a look at the town that supports the fortress, see what is on offer.
[ ] Find somewhere you can watch the Lion training.
[ ] Find somewhere that offers a view over the surrounding terrain.
[ ] Return to Bayushi Kimoko and inform her about Otomo Kairyu.
[ ] Write in.
What do you wish to do next?
[ ] Look for a shrine where you can pray.
[ ] Take a look at the town that supports the fortress, see what is on offer.
[ ] Find somewhere you can watch the Lion training.
[ ] Find somewhere that offers a view over the surrounding terrain.
[ ] Return to Bayushi Kimoko and inform her about Otomo Kairyu.
[ ] Write in.
Tinysquid's asleep right now I think so I guess I'll try my hand at this. We presumably have time for... oh, at most one more place to go after this before getting ready; so we have to chose carefully. Ideally we'd want to let our superior know about our offer to the Otomo sooner rather than later, but... eh.
First option's likely to net us some of the more pious sorts, Lion or not - I'm inclined to think mostly not, given that delegations from all the Clans are here. Consequently the more pious sorts will be praying for good fortune, and to get comfy. So perhaps a Shugenja if we're lucky, and possibly some Phoenix or Dragon. Good possibility.
Getting a look at the surrounding town is also always good, per our initial discussion with our lord and Pale Oak. Can't go wrong there but it doesn't necessarily give us the same immediate in-court contacts. Conversely we might not need them, though: This is also a very good choice. I can see a (comparatively) strong argument for it.
Watching the Lion train... hrm. Can't go wrong with this but it's basically begging for someone to come up and go "hey :^) what 'cha doing" which is its own mixed bag and might be quite interesting.
Finding somewhere that overviews the area... well, let's think about this shall we? Why are you going to want to view the area. Because you don't know it? Because you know it? The latter is entirely possible; the former is eminently practical and also speaks of a more military mind. I suspect we meet someone more martially inclined, get a chance to make another connection - and good foundation for building allies is very important for us in our position.
If we go to Bayushi Kimoko I suspect we'll get to know her better and maybe see someone she was talking to. Or something.
SO, with that in mind: I'm gonna have to say that-
[X] Find somewhere that offers a view over the surrounding terrain.
[X] Find somewhere that offers a view over the surrounding terrain.
Don't think we're actually going to NEED to know the terrain, but it won't hurt, and appearing to be practical might make a good impression on some.
Edit:
We should probably also try to find a library at some point (if it exists. From what knowledge I've gained about the Matsu in this threat I'm not sure whether they'd have one).
Interesting. A fairly even split so far, by my count.
Also, I'm trying to keep my quest updates to a reasonable length. The conversation with the Otomo could have easily taken twenty minutes or more, and that would have been a lot to write. In future, I'll try and work in some more sections with broad summaries of what you talk with someone about, but I also apologize in advance if I don't have Naoto cover everything that a vote includes.
We should definitely find time to inform Bayushi Kimoko, but I think we want to show some independence. We can give her the cliff notes when we reassemble for the court proper to begin, I hope.
I'm considering between:
[ ] Find somewhere you can watch the Lion training.
and [ ] Find somewhere that offers a view over the surrounding terrain.
We're going to be encountering the Lion a lot in our mission here, so we shouldn't shy away from getting a feel for them. Both of these accomplish this one way or another.
I'll go with
[X] Find somewhere that offers a view over the surrounding terrain.
since it has more support than ogling observing training lions.
@Maugan Ra: I have a question. Who is our character within the Sochi family exactly? Is he from the family proper or from a vassal line sworn to the Sochi daimyo?
I was wondering since when married between clans the less prestigious person joins the clan of their spouse.
@Maugan Ra: I have a question. Who is our character within the Sochi family exactly? Is he from the family proper or from a vassal line sworn to the Sochi daimyo?
I was wondering since when married between clans the less prestigious person joins the clan of their spouse.
The Soshi family only has one vassal line, that of the Nanbu, who serve as warriors and bodyguards to their lords.
Soshi Naoto is a member of the Soshi family proper, but this doesn't exactly come with a lot of prestige. You're not a vassal line, but your immediate family is really only a distant branch that split off from the Daimyo's own line a couple of dozen generations back.
If you end up getting married out of the Clan, you'll likely be expected to take your spouse's name, unless you do something sufficiently impressive to raise your standing before then. After all, there's never been a better time than now for samurai looking to move up in the world, with so much in flux and everyone looking for the best talent to secure their place in the new post-Hantei Empire.
[x] Meet up with Yogo-san, and find out what he might have learned
-[x] If there is time to both visit a shrine and get back to Bayushi Kimiko for a debriefing afterwards, do that.
-[x] Otherwise, just report back.
The information about the Otomo could be pretty critical. It's unlikely that we'll find anything *more* important. Getting that back to Bayushi Kimiko prior to the opening of court is top priority. If we have time beyond that, more information is likely to be better.
Getting an update from our Yogo friend is quick, and could be useful, both for passing on to the boss and for positioning with other representatives.
Of the various secondary locations... a shrine seems the calmest and safest. It inherently suggests a point of commonality, it's reflects well on us almost no matter who we run into, and the person is unlikely to be a stereotypical Matsu. Right now, I think, we want to be positioning ourselves with the other representatives. They're all deciding how to position themselves, just like we are. The Matsu are fairly monolithic for the moment - no one we can influence is going to have much of an effect on their overall presentation for the openign of court. The other delegations can be tweaked a lot better. Likewise, we pretty much know the position the Matsu have. We're not going to learn anything right now that's significant new information. Other delegations are a lot less predictable.
Also, we have our shugenja along. Best time to visit a shrine.
That's my take on things, anyway.
Edit: also, if the local Matsu happen to notice a Scorpion showing too much interest in the terrain on the opposite side of Beiden Pass from the side we control... well, that sort of thing could get taken amiss in a palace full of overly warlike bushi who are predisposed to dislike us.
For a few minutes, you simply sit there and enjoy the hot water of the baths. Your conversation with Otomo Kairyu was interesting and potentially very useful, but you came to the baths primarily to wash and make yourself presentable for the court. Bayushi-sama is likely intending to do the same, or has perhaps found another way to ritually clean herself - certainly she cannot be intending to go to the court still dirty from the road, for such would be an incredible breach of protocol and basic good manners.
When you have finished cleaning, you rise from the pool and retrieve your towel, pausing for a moment to inspect yourself in the water's reflection. As a Bushi, you are lean and fit, but there is nothing particularly exceptional about your looks or physique, and as yet you lack any kind of battle scars. Those will likely come in time, for you are not so foolish as to equate even an entire career in the courts with mere physical safety.
Shaking your head, you leave the baths and return to the changing room. As expected, the Heimin have attended to your kimono, cleaning the dust and grime of the road from your garments with industrious care. You will likely have to wear something completely fresh to the court in any case, but it is a nice gesture. You are in the process of fitting your mask back on when Yogo Hanzo joins you.
"Soshi-san." He says with a nod, beginning to dress as well. "Was your time with the Otomo productive?"
"Reasonably so, Yogo-san." You reply, picking up your swords and inspecting them out of habit more than any actual paranoia. "Otomo Kairyu is an interesting man, one who might well be willing to work with us if approached correctly. And you?"
"Mirumoto Maseru is not a monk, though I can understand the confusion." Hanzo says with a nod, putting his own fully-concealing mask on. "He is more of a religious pilgrim than a delegate, but since his Clan has not sent anyone else he is effectively the voice of the Dragon here."
"Interesting." You murmur thoughtfully. "The Dragon have never been a populous Clan, so perhaps this sort of thing is to be expected. Anything of note?"
"He claimed to be on a pilgrimage to places of importance to all of the original Seven Thunders." Hanzo observes. "Arranging a way for him to visit Shiro no Shosuro might be an appropriate gift."
"I'm sure Bayushi-sama will be pleased to learn that." You say, restraining the urge to smile. "Now, I had thought to find somewhere to view the surrounding terrain. You?"
"I believe I will see what kind of temples they have here. I should have time to inspect it before we need to return to Bayushi-sama's side." Hanzo says after a moment of consideration. He bows to you, one samurai to another. "Until then, Soshi-san."
You return the bow, and then the two of you go your separate ways.
-/-
It does not take long for you to find a suitable viewpoint. Shiro Matsu supports a great many watchtowers and other fortifications around its perimeter, but a considerable number are left empty at any given moment, reserved for particular duties or for those times when a full alert is issued. A few minutes of looking locates one particular tower on the perimeter wall which stands unused, and since there don't appear to be any Matsu waiting to cut your head off for trespassing you make your way inside and climb to the upper level.
The view is quite simply spectacular. All around you the vast bulk of the Spine of the World mountains reach majestically towards the heavens, dominating the scene through sheer size. To the south Beiden Pass cuts straight through the rocks, as though carved by some great celestial sword, and to the north you can see the rolling plains and farmland of the Lion Clan's heart. You are not much of an artist, but with sights like this to call upon for inspiration you would be willing to try.
Before you can think of composing your first masterpiece, though, the soft sound of sandeled feet against stone warns you of someone else ascending the tower. You turn to look at the stairs, and are thus not surprised when a severe looking man in the blue and white of the Crane joins you on the upper levels.
"Ah, it appears I am not the only one to see the value of this location." The Crane says with a faint smile, bowing to you. "Greetings, Scorpion-sama. My name is Daidoji Chen, assigned to the retinue of Doji Mariko."
You return the bow. "Greetings, Daidoji-sama. I am Soshi Naoto, assistant to Bayushi Kimoko. And please, 'san' is more than sufficient for a humble servant such as myself."
"Very well then, Soshi-san, I must insist on a similar term." Daidoji Chen says, his smile broadening slightly. He straightens from his bow, moving to join you by the edge of the tower. "Ah, an excellent vantage point. What brings you up here, Soshi-san?"
Respond:
[ ] Admiring the scenery
[ ] Admiring the castle.
[ ] Write in
