In Thunder's Echo (Legend of the Five Rings Quest)
- Location
- Earth
[X] Answer calmly, quietly:"Someone has stolen my face, Hideki-san.Convince me that you're Pale Oak, first. When Pale Oak informed me of a matter concerning one of his subordinates, I asked of him something which caught him off guard. What was it?"
-[X] Spend Void if this is something we can Spend Void on.
Why not Scorpion up the answer? That is the moment he felt best about us, saying we were no fool.
Would it be foolish to be ready to leap away? He only has a blade to the back of our neck, we can leap away forward,ne?
-[X] Spend Void if this is something we can Spend Void on.
Why not Scorpion up the answer? That is the moment he felt best about us, saying we were no fool.
Would it be foolish to be ready to leap away? He only has a blade to the back of our neck, we can leap away forward,ne?
If you want to be stabbed on reflex yes. Its a far faster action to move the blade forward than to move your body the same distance.
- Location
- Leeds
In addition to what veekie says, as soon as its possible that we can defend ourselves the dynamic changes and Pale Oak tries to kill us. As long as hes got a knife to our throat it doesn't matter if we're a warrior who can match Kimiko we're dead when and if he wants it. As soon as we get clear then he has to worry about us drawing and killing him.
From his perspective I believe he'd rather kill a potential enemy than risk being killed by an actual enemy.
- Location
- London, England
*QM awakens, sits down at computer, reviews watched threads*
*Sees many pages of discussion. Is pleased.*
*Sees the below. Is less pleased.*
OK folks, I'm going to reiterate a basic point here - be civil to one another. I don't want anyone feeling unwelcome. @Alectai, you're doing fine, and I value your input.
As a more general request, if anyone is asking questions that they want me as a QM to answer, please repeat them below and tag me in the post so I see them. This is especially important if you think there's some kind of miscommunication going on between what I've written and what you're reading.
*Sees many pages of discussion. Is pleased.*
*Sees the below. Is less pleased.*
Maybe I should not contribute to this game, I feel like I'm missing half the discussion and responding to things that aren't being said.
Sorry or bugging everyone, I'll see myself out.
OK folks, I'm going to reiterate a basic point here - be civil to one another. I don't want anyone feeling unwelcome. @Alectai, you're doing fine, and I value your input.
As a more general request, if anyone is asking questions that they want me as a QM to answer, please repeat them below and tag me in the post so I see them. This is especially important if you think there's some kind of miscommunication going on between what I've written and what you're reading.
Sirrocco
Pedantic
@Maugan Ra : question: we know what our trade assets are for the Scorpion. We know what our main objective is (keep the pass open). We have no meaningful information as to what sorts of things our leaders are seeking (beyond a really vague "stuff is good"). We had some information from Pale Oak back at the beginning of the game on the sorts of things the clan was importing, but it's contradicted thoroughly enough by our established export numbers that it cant' really be trusted. Could we perhaps have some clearer info on the sorts of gods our Clan really wants?
- Location
- London, England
Unfortunately no. Naoto wasn't senior enough to be entrusted with the information before he left and Kimoko's notes do not contain anything about it.
From an OoC perspective, the ambiguity and disconnect are entirely intentional. The Scorpion don't have a strong mercantile tradition (they generally foist it off on useful underlings), and with the slow communication methods available to you getting an up-to-date briefing on the Clan's economic needs is effectively impossible.
- Location
- Connecticut
- Pronouns
- He/Him
So if anybody knows, it's probably Shosuro Hideki. Other than that, we're going to have to play it by ear, possibly use some skullduggery to find out what we can get good prices for, do our best with Commerce / Int to get good prices on things... and pray frequently.
Sirrocco
Pedantic
Alternately, we could accept reality as it is - our Lords didn't prepare for this all that well because they simply don't care all that much. That's not to say that we should shirk in our duties - just that we should be aware of the priorities associated with them. We want to get reasonably good deals, and make reasonable assumptions when determining what to trade and how, but our primary goals are not trade-related. Instead of worrying too much about the trade side of things as an end to itself, let's look at what we can get for it.
- The Yasuki and the Mantis both Care about trade. That's good. That means that we can get more than normal for offering them favorable trades. The Yasuki care even more than most about Jade, so if we manage to free up some Jade from some of the other clans, we can pass it along to them for even more bonus points.
- The Crane... vary, and the current events have been particularly disruptive for them. We'll have to talk with Daidoji-sama ourselves to get more than that.
- The Otomo would like to see the overall economy of Rokugan rebuilt and functioning properly. If we can't find a way to use trade goods to curry favor with *that*, we just aren't trying very hard. Delightfully, that also lets us curry favor with others, while being honorable and supportive of the Empire and improving the clan reputation and so forth. It seems like something to bear in mind, in any case. It'd be worth paying attention to who needs help with the rebuilding.
- Our first goal is keeping the pass open, and trade running through it. That means staying on the good side of the Lion - which has just rotated back into being our job again, and, indeed, our top priority. Close subordinate picks off of that would be making sure that the heimen scribe assistance deal works out, that the Magistrate deal goes through, and that the embassy goes through.
- We get Extra double bonus points for any other group we can convince to borrow a team of Scorpion magistrates, and/or selling Otomo-sama on the idea as something to generally promulgate.
- Getting young Scorpion into outside schools. Of course, some are more valuable than others. Honestly, we could probably use a few trained as Yasuki traders, and diplomat schools in general are useful. Artisan schools are *also* good - especially the Kaiu, especially now. I suspect that the Crab might look with some favor on the idea of paying scholarship fees in jade. On the Crane side, I'm sure they'd be thrilled to get a few Actors and Courtiers in our schools, though we don't want to give up too many to them. In return, they have all sorts of schools that would be useful - Courtier, Artisan, and the Kakita duelists. The Lion won't care so much about the actor slots, but at this point I suspect they might well be interested in some courtier support from the more courtier-focused clans - or at least the Ikoma would. The Bayushi Bushi school isn't really anything all that special. The more warlike clans will want slots for cross-training and insight purposes - not beign taught School Secrets or anything, but getting useful perspective. At the same time, we probably want to steer clear of giving too many slots to Clans that we expect to go to war with... and by extension, if we do offer some clan a number of bushi slots, we're implying pretty heavily that we don't expect to go to war with them. The magistrate slots are going to be valuable indeed, but very few realize/accept that yet. On the Mantis side, their courtiers and magistrtes both have some real possibilities.
I dunno. Running out of erg... but you see where I'm going with this.
7.02 - A report is made
- Location
- London, England
There is a knife at your neck. It is likely poisoned, and judging by reputation and the most likely outcome of prior events the person wielding it is probably both able and willing to kill you if given even the slightest cause. If Pale Oak really is a member of the Shosuro, then he won't hesitate to eliminate a threat to the Clan, and probably won't even feel all that bad about it afterwards. That is the role that his family have fulfilled for a hundred generations, after all, and the fact that the Scorpion Clan still exists stands as mute testament to their success.
Naoto's Etiquette/Willpower + Void + Honour: 6k3+4 = 39
And yet... you are not afraid. No proper samurai would show fear in the face of death regardless, but this is no matter of bravado or honour, for you have only a limited use for either. You simply... do not feel afraid. Your breathing is steady, your heartbeat even, your body still and your mind clear. Even now, a hair's breadth from death, you find you can still consider the matter objectively and weigh up all the possible implications and consequences of your answers. It is actually rather surprising, but you don't really have the time to marvel over it, for the man holding you hostage might easily decide that a lack of an answer is close enough to an admission of guilt as to be worth executing you over.
And... already you are thinking of him as 'the man', not as 'Pale Oak' or 'Shosuro Hideki'. There is, after all, no guarantee that you are dealing with your servant, and even if this is the same person who rode with you to Shiro Matsu there is no guarantee that the name he has given you now is the correct one. If you can lie about your identity once you can do it again, after all. And considering what has been going on lately, taking someone at their word when it comes to matters of such import seems profoundly foolish. There is, therefore, only one answer you can reasonably give.
"Someone has stolen my face, Hideki-san." You say levelly, not so much as twitching. "Convince me that you are who you claim to be, then we can talk."
The pressure on the knife increases notably, and it's wielder's voice becomes sharper to match it. "I do not think you understand, Soshi-san. A man in your position is not the one who sets the terms here."
"It is because of my position that I must insist, Hideki-san." You reply, unruffled. "By command of Bayushi Kimoko-sama, I am now the Scorpion representative to Shiro Matsu. I will not fail that responsibility by blabbing my secrets at the first threat of physical violence."
For a long moment there is silence, as your life hangs in the balance... and then the knife is withdrawn.
You wait a few moments to see if anything more is forthcoming, and upon being met with silence you take a risk and turn around to look behind you. You half-expect Pale Oak to have vanished once again, but instead he remains, kneeling before you with his forehead pressed to the ground.
"My utmost apologies, Soshi-dono." He says, his voice rough. "I have failed one lord, and threatened another with death. Please, allow me to atone with the three cuts."
"Ask me again at winter's end." You say automatically, barely even having to think about it. You are in charge now, after all, and your delegation has suffered enough losses that you are reluctant to sacrifice more without excellent cause. "In the mean time, I still require some evidence of your identity."
"You spoke to me on the road to Shiro Matsu, Soshi-dono." Your repentant assailant offers. "You asked me what I could do, and I explained I had been assigned to keep track of all traffic through Beiden Pass, and that I had previously reported to a cousin of yours."
Hmm. Not an absolute guarantee of his identity, but probably the closest you are going to get in this sort of situation. You will simply have to remain aware of the possibility of treachery in the future. "Good enough for now. So... report. What happened?"
Your servant rises from his bow and adopts a more conventional seated posture, revealing that he is once again attired as a servant. Apparently even when aware of the possibility of infiltrators the Lion have difficulty keeping track of who is actually meant to be scurrying through their halls, a fact which you will have to remember for the future.
"The enemy numbered seven, Soshi-dono." Pale Oak reports, schooling his voice to professional detachment. "One appeared to be you in every respect, down to mask and clothes. The other six initially seemed to be servants, but upon attacking removed their faces as though they were masks, leaving nothing but smooth expanses of skin. Their hands became clawed and they carried no weapons, save for the one imitating you, which wielded a katana with some notable skill."
He pauses for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "The enemy are Tainted in some fashion, but appear to have some strange resistance to the sacred touch of Jade. Yogo-sama was able to physically repel the faceless ones with a ward of some kind, which drove them back and scorched their flesh, but upon summoning the spirits of earth with which to smite them found this ineffective. In addition, they are stronger and faster than seems possible for mortal foes, and they seemed largely unaffected by grevious injuries."
Another pause. "Even so, Bayushi-sama was able to account for three of the faceless ones, and Yogo-sama and I were able to destroy another, before their injuries overwhelmed her and a poisoned blade incapacitated him. I fled, and they retreated."
You nod slowly, processing this information, but before you can reply there is a faint scratching sound on the wooden parts of one of the walls at the back of the room. Pale Oak glances over at it, then turns back to you.
"I apologise, Soshi-dono, but I cannot remain. Wren-san is covering for my presence here, but this will not work for much longer. I believe I can remain free and able to operate for the four days of your vigil, after which I will return to your side. What are my orders?"
Give Pale Oak/Shosuro Hideki his orders:
[ ] Track the perpetrators of this attack. The trail has not yet gone cold, and a Shosuro can go places and do things that more conventional magistrates cannot.
[ ] Work to convince the magistrates of your innocence, possibly by fabricating evidence and testimony to that effect. There is probably enough doubt existing thus far to force a duel to resolve matters, but you might well lose that, and if you do your Clan's work here will be ruined.
[ ] Find a cure for Yogo Hanzo. You need your Shugenja back on his feet promptly, if only to provide a samurai's testimony to what happened, and the Shosuro know more about poisons and antidotes that anyone else in the Empire.
[ ] Investigate your fellow delegates. If any of them seem to be benefiting from this or reacting faster than normal, you have your first suspect. Besides, your Clan's interests will be much easier to promote if you have accurate information on your rivals.
[ ] Write in.
Naoto's Etiquette/Willpower + Void + Honour: 6k3+4 = 39
And yet... you are not afraid. No proper samurai would show fear in the face of death regardless, but this is no matter of bravado or honour, for you have only a limited use for either. You simply... do not feel afraid. Your breathing is steady, your heartbeat even, your body still and your mind clear. Even now, a hair's breadth from death, you find you can still consider the matter objectively and weigh up all the possible implications and consequences of your answers. It is actually rather surprising, but you don't really have the time to marvel over it, for the man holding you hostage might easily decide that a lack of an answer is close enough to an admission of guilt as to be worth executing you over.
And... already you are thinking of him as 'the man', not as 'Pale Oak' or 'Shosuro Hideki'. There is, after all, no guarantee that you are dealing with your servant, and even if this is the same person who rode with you to Shiro Matsu there is no guarantee that the name he has given you now is the correct one. If you can lie about your identity once you can do it again, after all. And considering what has been going on lately, taking someone at their word when it comes to matters of such import seems profoundly foolish. There is, therefore, only one answer you can reasonably give.
"Someone has stolen my face, Hideki-san." You say levelly, not so much as twitching. "Convince me that you are who you claim to be, then we can talk."
The pressure on the knife increases notably, and it's wielder's voice becomes sharper to match it. "I do not think you understand, Soshi-san. A man in your position is not the one who sets the terms here."
"It is because of my position that I must insist, Hideki-san." You reply, unruffled. "By command of Bayushi Kimoko-sama, I am now the Scorpion representative to Shiro Matsu. I will not fail that responsibility by blabbing my secrets at the first threat of physical violence."
For a long moment there is silence, as your life hangs in the balance... and then the knife is withdrawn.
You wait a few moments to see if anything more is forthcoming, and upon being met with silence you take a risk and turn around to look behind you. You half-expect Pale Oak to have vanished once again, but instead he remains, kneeling before you with his forehead pressed to the ground.
"My utmost apologies, Soshi-dono." He says, his voice rough. "I have failed one lord, and threatened another with death. Please, allow me to atone with the three cuts."
"Ask me again at winter's end." You say automatically, barely even having to think about it. You are in charge now, after all, and your delegation has suffered enough losses that you are reluctant to sacrifice more without excellent cause. "In the mean time, I still require some evidence of your identity."
"You spoke to me on the road to Shiro Matsu, Soshi-dono." Your repentant assailant offers. "You asked me what I could do, and I explained I had been assigned to keep track of all traffic through Beiden Pass, and that I had previously reported to a cousin of yours."
Hmm. Not an absolute guarantee of his identity, but probably the closest you are going to get in this sort of situation. You will simply have to remain aware of the possibility of treachery in the future. "Good enough for now. So... report. What happened?"
Your servant rises from his bow and adopts a more conventional seated posture, revealing that he is once again attired as a servant. Apparently even when aware of the possibility of infiltrators the Lion have difficulty keeping track of who is actually meant to be scurrying through their halls, a fact which you will have to remember for the future.
"The enemy numbered seven, Soshi-dono." Pale Oak reports, schooling his voice to professional detachment. "One appeared to be you in every respect, down to mask and clothes. The other six initially seemed to be servants, but upon attacking removed their faces as though they were masks, leaving nothing but smooth expanses of skin. Their hands became clawed and they carried no weapons, save for the one imitating you, which wielded a katana with some notable skill."
He pauses for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "The enemy are Tainted in some fashion, but appear to have some strange resistance to the sacred touch of Jade. Yogo-sama was able to physically repel the faceless ones with a ward of some kind, which drove them back and scorched their flesh, but upon summoning the spirits of earth with which to smite them found this ineffective. In addition, they are stronger and faster than seems possible for mortal foes, and they seemed largely unaffected by grevious injuries."
Another pause. "Even so, Bayushi-sama was able to account for three of the faceless ones, and Yogo-sama and I were able to destroy another, before their injuries overwhelmed her and a poisoned blade incapacitated him. I fled, and they retreated."
You nod slowly, processing this information, but before you can reply there is a faint scratching sound on the wooden parts of one of the walls at the back of the room. Pale Oak glances over at it, then turns back to you.
"I apologise, Soshi-dono, but I cannot remain. Wren-san is covering for my presence here, but this will not work for much longer. I believe I can remain free and able to operate for the four days of your vigil, after which I will return to your side. What are my orders?"
Give Pale Oak/Shosuro Hideki his orders:
[ ] Track the perpetrators of this attack. The trail has not yet gone cold, and a Shosuro can go places and do things that more conventional magistrates cannot.
[ ] Work to convince the magistrates of your innocence, possibly by fabricating evidence and testimony to that effect. There is probably enough doubt existing thus far to force a duel to resolve matters, but you might well lose that, and if you do your Clan's work here will be ruined.
[ ] Find a cure for Yogo Hanzo. You need your Shugenja back on his feet promptly, if only to provide a samurai's testimony to what happened, and the Shosuro know more about poisons and antidotes that anyone else in the Empire.
[ ] Investigate your fellow delegates. If any of them seem to be benefiting from this or reacting faster than normal, you have your first suspect. Besides, your Clan's interests will be much easier to promote if you have accurate information on your rivals.
[ ] Write in.
aledeth
The Flesh is Weak
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Find a cure for Yogo Hanzo. You need your Shugenja back on his feet promptly, if only to provide a samurai's testimony to what happened, and the Shosuro know more about poisons and antidotes that anyone else in the Empire.
I like this one most. Hopefully testimony from someone who was actually there and of some standing will help if the Magistrates can't come up with anything.
I like this one most. Hopefully testimony from someone who was actually there and of some standing will help if the Magistrates can't come up with anything.
While I agree on principle, I do not know if his skills are going to be any good for this, much less do any better than the Lion could already.
Perhaps ask him where he believes his skills would be most effective?
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[X] Track the perpetrators of this attack. The trail has not yet gone cold, and a Shosuro can go places and do things that more conventional magistrates cannot.
Half the faceless men yet live and they are the priority, for the trail goes colder yet.
We have a spy and tracker. Use him right
Half the faceless men yet live and they are the priority, for the trail goes colder yet.
We have a spy and tracker. Use him right
Wade Garrett
Just trying to do the right thing
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
Does it strike anyone else that the Phoenix Sage is probably next on the chopping block?
Her testimony is a key point in Naoto not getting executed, she knows something weird is going on (I was out in the woods with this guy and then he supposedly murdered his lord whaaat?)...
It seems to me that she's a very good candidate to be the next one discredited, murdered, or replaced by whoever or whatever is behind all this.
Maybe we should detail Pale Oak to either watching over her...or possibly just watching her, use her as bait to draw the faceless out into the open so they can be dealt with appropriately.
Her testimony is a key point in Naoto not getting executed, she knows something weird is going on (I was out in the woods with this guy and then he supposedly murdered his lord whaaat?)...
It seems to me that she's a very good candidate to be the next one discredited, murdered, or replaced by whoever or whatever is behind all this.
Maybe we should detail Pale Oak to either watching over her...or possibly just watching her, use her as bait to draw the faceless out into the open so they can be dealt with appropriately.
Hmm. I could be convinced of the merits of most options available here. It's only really the 'Investigate your fellow delegates' option that I don't care for, as the above three deal with more pressing concerns.
I'm sceptical of the idea that our enemies are privy to the discussion we had with Tani given that it happened outside the castle and away from the centre-of-events. If we can't even keep that much secret, they might as well be functionally omniscient as far as we're concerned.
And regarding the possibility of her being next on the list, I don't see why that would be our immediate concern. She's provided testimony already, now we ought to care about protecting our own or tracking down the killers, not bodyguarding a member of a different delegation. That seems like a silly use of our limited resources.
I'm sceptical of the idea that our enemies are privy to the discussion we had with Tani given that it happened outside the castle and away from the centre-of-events. If we can't even keep that much secret, they might as well be functionally omniscient as far as we're concerned.
And regarding the possibility of her being next on the list, I don't see why that would be our immediate concern. She's provided testimony already, now we ought to care about protecting our own or tracking down the killers, not bodyguarding a member of a different delegation. That seems like a silly use of our limited resources.
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Wade Garrett
Just trying to do the right thing
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
They're going to be a little more subtle than that, and I'm not sure about the "no traces" thing...
For instance, if they have Fake-
Naoto murder the Mantis delegation while Real Naoto is in a meeting with Matsu Ketsui herself, then they've stabbed themselves in the foot. At the very least they're going to need to keep a close watch on his movements if they intend to try and pull more stunts like this. And if we can locate whoever they have watching us...
Of course, that's easier said than done when the watchers could be pretty much anybody.
