A Nation's Virtue
南國山河南帝居
She's not a shugenja.
In Thunder's Echo (Legend of the Five Rings Quest)
- Pronouns
- They/Them
No, we ask her to pray to the Kami for guidance, and then as soon as she closes her eyes we slip out the back. I think that's the idea.
- Location
- Connecticut
- Pronouns
- He/Him
OK, getting lost in the woods 101.
We have the Lore skill ( and so does Asako ), so we should probably check to see if there is any way that we can at least determine the direction - if the Sun is visible, in particular, we may be able to get out of the forest by heading [direction].
With that said, it seems quite a bit like we've been targeted by a spirit of some sort. We should probably check what we know about spirits capable of doing such a thing, their motivations, and so on. Again, Lore check.
Personally, I'm tempted to call out the spirit and ask it to meet us face to face; thank it for giving us a taste of the wild, but we did have plans at the temple of Bishamon and so if it could lead us back in that direction we would be willing to consider doing it a service as payment... but better to see what our Lore checks say first.
We have the Lore skill ( and so does Asako ), so we should probably check to see if there is any way that we can at least determine the direction - if the Sun is visible, in particular, we may be able to get out of the forest by heading [direction].
With that said, it seems quite a bit like we've been targeted by a spirit of some sort. We should probably check what we know about spirits capable of doing such a thing, their motivations, and so on. Again, Lore check.
Personally, I'm tempted to call out the spirit and ask it to meet us face to face; thank it for giving us a taste of the wild, but we did have plans at the temple of Bishamon and so if it could lead us back in that direction we would be willing to consider doing it a service as payment... but better to see what our Lore checks say first.
- Location
- Connecticut
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yeah, let's focus on the positive. Sure, we might be lost in the woods.... but we didn't piss off the Phoenix ambassador! Hooray!
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No, I was just doing a silly joke about our luck with the ladies.
- Location
- Connecticut
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Lore checks first. If the Lore check tells us 'be as uninteresting as possible to the trickster spirit until it gets bored and goes away', then that's what we do.
[X] Collaborate with Asako Tani. Ask her what she knows about the wilderness and about trickster spirits. Provide her with our own knowledge on the same.
- [X] If there aren't clear indications for what a better idea would be, attempt to open a dialogue with the spirit that has led you astray. Perhaps it can be reasoned with or bribed.
Wade Garrett
Just trying to do the right thing
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
[X] storybookknight
EtchedSteel
*mumble mumble*
- Location
- Lima. Peru
[X] storybookknight
I think it's supposed to be Shinomen Mori.
- Location
- Leeds
Its only cowardice if she makes it back to court. Or if we can't come up with a convincing lie.
[X] storybookknight
The plan seems legit. Pool knowledge to figure out if either of us know the MO for 'caught in spiritual shenanigans', and if not, try to open negotiations with the entity responsible.
The plan seems legit. Pool knowledge to figure out if either of us know the MO for 'caught in spiritual shenanigans', and if not, try to open negotiations with the entity responsible.
- Location
- Earth
I agree with the need for Lore checks, but I am not sure how helpful they will be right now seeing as we are not Shugenja.
That said, not mentioning which Lore checks is likely to be less then usefull. So, what I can see as maybe being useful in this situation:
@Maugan Ra :
A Lore(Nature) check for the weather, the cold and the forest around us. Something to give us an idea just how screwed we are.
A Lore(Omens) check to see if what is happening is some kind of Omen.
A Lore(Spirit Realms) check to see if we know of a spirit that likes to waylay travelers by making them become lost. I am guessing spirits like that could be tricksters, or they could be actively malicious and knowing what signs to recognize one or another may make the difference. Suppose this is the work of a malicious spirit. Even if you negotiate with it, it can just lead us further astray and to our deaths. If it is a trickster or playful one, we might get some info on how to deal with it.
Survival falls under hunting. Out Lore(Nature) might tell us which plants might help feed us, but it will take a Hunting roll to actually find them. Or more importantly, find shelter.
@Maugan Ra: What do we have on us in terms of gear? Just the basics from our character sheet? No special gear for the outdoors(since we did not think to bring it)? Or were our horses outfited with at least some survival gear?
- Location
- London, England
Lore (Nature) 5k4 = 31
Well, you probably don't have to worry about predatory animals. This high in the mountains, the winter cold will have driven most beasts to hibernate, and they will not awaken until spring. You should probably check any caves you find for signs of bears before running inside, though.
That said, if you can't find shelter or a way back to the path before too long, you're going to be in quite a bit of trouble. You don't have any food, your clothing is sufficient to keep you reasonably warm but is in no way suited for actual survival, and none of the plants are going to be highly edible at this time of year.
Lore (Omens) 5k4 = 31
Nope, not an Omen.
Lore (Spirit Realms) 5k4 = 22
Certainly there exist spirits which can steal a man's sense of direction or warp the natural realm around them. You have not seen any sign of most of those, however - no ash and ennui suggests a lack of anything from Meido, while the absence of an angry berserker-spirit attempting to carve out your guts strongly implies that Toshigoku is uninvolved in this.
If you had to guess, this is either the work of a wilderness spirit from Chikushudo, a trickster from Sakkaku, or an elemental of some kind from Ningen-do.
The former is probably the easiest to deal with - identify what it wants and agree to it, or else request that you be allowed to leave its territory and apologize for the intrusion. A trickster spirit is less easy, since their interest can mean anything from a minor prank to mortal danger disguised as an important life lesson. Elemental Kami are probably the most dangerous, since you aren't a Shugenja and don't speak their language, which means you likely can't deal with them at all.
As a general principle, though, there are very few spirits which you can reasonably oppose with a sword. Words are going to be your best choice here.
- Location
- home
So, I guess we triggered the 'lost together in the woods' event with Asako. If I remember my VN's well enough, we will need to find that cave, 'huddle' together for warmth, and when the storm ends in the morning, we will head back to civilization, never speaking of this again but giving each other blushing looks every now and then which miscellaneous side characters will question us on.
EDIT: More seriously, to make sure we don't get lost, we should probably start marking trees to show where we have been, or leave some other sign of our passage. This will hopefully let us know if we keep going around in circles, which could also support the spirit angle.
For shelter, we don't really need to look for a cave. If there is a tree that is leaning, we can cut off branches and position them to keep out the snow. Or, depending on how deep the snow is, we might be able to build a snow cave and use those same branches to keep out the wind and snow.
Not sure if a fire is a good idea as, depending on the type of shelter we build, there might not be enough ventilation to prevent the fire from smothering us. If we do build one, we can probably pack down the snow and build a bit of a foundation using rocks or logs, then build the fire pit on that. I guess we could either start tearing off somewhat dry bark from trees or even use our clothing as starter, then add dryish twigs and then branches as the fire starts getting hotter.
Before any of that, though, probably want to try talking to any spirits that might have been responsible.
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- Location
- Earth
[x] Release our sword and note:"Asako-sama, we seem to have attracted the attention of a Kami. I think this either the work of a wilderness spirit from Chikushudo, a trickster from Sakkaku, or an elemental of some kind from Ningen-do." Continue in a dry tone:" Seeing the paths sudden disapearance and that the winds carry merriment I would guess a trickster the most likely option. Would you concur?"
-[X] Listen to any Lore she may share on the situation and reasure her if she becomes troubled about the wilderness.
-[X] Applying any insight Tani may share on the issue, greet the wind and apologize if we have somehow caused offense. Ask if it wants anything from us.
Not really perfect, but good enough I suppose.
-[X] Listen to any Lore she may share on the situation and reasure her if she becomes troubled about the wilderness.
-[X] Applying any insight Tani may share on the issue, greet the wind and apologize if we have somehow caused offense. Ask if it wants anything from us.
Not really perfect, but good enough I suppose.
Wouldn't this be an insult to the spirit if its NOT a Trickster and geniuinely had business with us?
Also our lady Phoenix friend probably knows a fair bit about spirits, so presuming to educate her by that phrasing may fall flat.