In Thunder's Echo (Legend of the Five Rings Quest)
Sirrocco
Pedantic
Okay... I'll put it a different way.
I distrust plotting.
I will scheme all day long. Scheming is when you know where your advantage lies, and you keep nudging the world more in line with it. You make friends with this guy over here, you undercut that enemy over there, you influence the opinion of that group of bystanders in that other place. Each individual step is pushing towards your advantage. Each step can be individually judged on how likely it is to burn you (often vanishingly small, if you're doing it right), and what kind of advantage you're likely to gain out of it. if one bit falls through, the rest are likely still doing fine - and you may well even be able to draw on them to handle the fallout.
Plotting is the other thing - where you somehow manage to gain enough information about the system to make people dance at your fingertips. You do this thing over here, and that thign over there, and that makes this guy do this, but oh, hey, you're also doing these two things, which means that when he goes to do that other thing, he'll offend that person over there, but we'll be in a position to get them to forgive him, and we'll do that temporarily to put him in debt to us, and we'll use that to influence him to do that other thing over there, but then we'll "discover" this other bit while he's completely out of position and...
Well, you get the idea. Plots are potentially far more powerful, but there are a lot of moving parts with a lot of interdependencies. If one of the many bits falls apart in the wrong way, you could lose the entire thing. It requires a great deal fo skill to do well, because it doesn't fail nearly as gracefully, and the penalties for messing up are usually worse.
I see "Forgery", and it looks like a skill that's there to support plotting, rather than scheming. Cryptography as well, if to a lesser degree. I see the strategies that one might generally think to employ to take advantage of those skills, and I do not trust them.
I distrust plotting.
I will scheme all day long. Scheming is when you know where your advantage lies, and you keep nudging the world more in line with it. You make friends with this guy over here, you undercut that enemy over there, you influence the opinion of that group of bystanders in that other place. Each individual step is pushing towards your advantage. Each step can be individually judged on how likely it is to burn you (often vanishingly small, if you're doing it right), and what kind of advantage you're likely to gain out of it. if one bit falls through, the rest are likely still doing fine - and you may well even be able to draw on them to handle the fallout.
Plotting is the other thing - where you somehow manage to gain enough information about the system to make people dance at your fingertips. You do this thing over here, and that thign over there, and that makes this guy do this, but oh, hey, you're also doing these two things, which means that when he goes to do that other thing, he'll offend that person over there, but we'll be in a position to get them to forgive him, and we'll do that temporarily to put him in debt to us, and we'll use that to influence him to do that other thing over there, but then we'll "discover" this other bit while he's completely out of position and...
Well, you get the idea. Plots are potentially far more powerful, but there are a lot of moving parts with a lot of interdependencies. If one of the many bits falls apart in the wrong way, you could lose the entire thing. It requires a great deal fo skill to do well, because it doesn't fail nearly as gracefully, and the penalties for messing up are usually worse.
I see "Forgery", and it looks like a skill that's there to support plotting, rather than scheming. Cryptography as well, if to a lesser degree. I see the strategies that one might generally think to employ to take advantage of those skills, and I do not trust them.
Like gman said; it's pretty common for people at the same court to write letters to each other (the book referred to it as "the game of letters"), for all sorts of reasons; from serious political discussions over deep spiritual debates to friendly conversations and light-hearted love affairs. Which is where Calligraphy would come in, since things like the quality of writing, the paper used, and whatnot, apparently all play a big role in this.
For example, we could exchange letters with Tani discussing various topics in order to build up a friendly relationship with her, or keep Kimiko or Hanzo informed of our doings when we have trouble lining up our schedules (which is obviously something we'd want to use Cipher for). Or we could exchange letters with Chen in order to try and gauge the Crane delegation's goals and possibly ascertain whether or not they pose a threat to our own, or with the Crab delegation's Yasuki in order to win him over and convince him that it would be best if both Scorpion and Crab had low tariffs and taxes through Beiden Pass.
Likewise, we could also use letters to spread (mis-)information, simply by writing one and leaving it where we know that someone from this or that delegation will find it; reading the letters other people at court send each other isn't seen as a big deal.
For example, instead of revealing the information about the herbs in our gift being antidotes/medicinal instead of poisonous in a conversation, we could leave a letter where it appears as if we discuss this fact with Hanzo or Kimiko in a place where an Ikoma is likely to find it.
Forgery would tie into that, because it would allow us to write letters in someone else's writing style. Which we could either use to simply disguise our own writing style, in order to leave the original author of the letter a mystery, for example to plant information that can't be traced back to us - possibly even set up a "letter exchange" between two fictional individuals that way - or in order to copy the writing style of someone specific in order to nudge one delegation into a specific direction, or cause some strife between two delegations or individuals.
You're right that this is something we'll want to use sparingly and carefully, especially the second variant, but if done correctly it could be an *incredibly* powerful tool, in my opinion. It also fits very well in our character build/concept, I believe.
- Location
- nz
[x] Yes
[X] Etiquette 3
[X] Sincerity 2
[X] Commerce 1
[X] Etiquette 3
[X] Sincerity 2
[X] Commerce 1
Schedule - Winter Court at Shiro Matsu
- Location
- London, England
Schedule of the Winter Court
Winter spans four months - the Boar, Rat, Ox and Tiger (December - March). The following events are being sponsored or otherwise officially run by the Matsu, with the expectation that anything intended to occur in the rest of the court will be arranged by the guests themselves.
The Month of the Boar
- 1st day of the Boar: Opening of the Court. Gifts are exchanged between guest and host and introductions are made.
- 4th Day of the Boar: Display of Steel. This is a Kenjutsu tournament between all who wish to participate. Guests will each face a graduate of the Matsu Berserker school in a match to third blood in order to determine their worthiness, after which they will oppose one another in ranked matches through successive rounds of first blood elimination until a final victor is found. Note that fatalities will not be permitted, and that Shugenja trained in the healing arts will be on hand to ensure survival.
- 9th Day of the Boar: Festival of the River of Stars. This is a celebration of love and romance, and there will be many artistic works displayed and stories told, while the trees and other appropriate places are strung with paper ribbons bearing heartfelt wishes and prayers from those who desire the blessing of the heavens upon their romance.
- 15th Day of the Boar: Winding River Banquet. A formal dinner is held in the gardens, with guests seated around a small stream. Cups of rice wine are floated down the stream on pieces of wood, and samurai are expected to drink these and then recite a poem. This process is repeated until everyone is too drunk to safely continue.
- 23rd Day of the Boar: Festival of Lights. This is the shortest day in the year, and Rokugani traditionally mark it by lighting a great number of torches and lanterns and otherwise invoke fire in its role as light-bringer. This year there will be a contest of scouts, seeing who can navigate a dark obstacle course in order to deliver a package to their lord without being detected.
Month of the Rat
- 1st Day of the Rat: Bowman's Wager. This is an archery contest held between all samurai who wish to compete. The victor is to be rewarded with a prize from every participating Clan (though the victor's own Clan usually takes possession of the more political ones).
- 7th to 9th Days of the Rat: Festival of the Moon's Wrath. During this period, all Rokugani maintain a careful silence in order to venerate and appease Lord Moon. It is believed that uttering so much as a word during this time will draw the Moon's wrath, with fearful results.
- 20th - 23rd Days of the Rat: Hachiman's Tournament. The Fortune of Battles is honoured with three days of mock battles, military discussions and games of strategy, including a tournament of Go played before the eyes of the entire Court.
- 28th Day of the Rat: Koshin's race. In acknowledgement of the Fortune of Roads and of the importance Beiden Pass plays in the Empire's history, this day features a race back and forth along the Pass. Given the heavy snow and extended distance this is more a contest of endurance rather than speed.
Month of the Ox
- 3rd Day of the Ox: Jurojin's blessings. This day is dedicated to the Fortune of Longevity, and involves a story-telling contest. Every Samurai at court will tell of a lesson they have learned during the preceding year, before the eyes of their fellow guests and several animals. Emphasizing certain elements to make a better story is permissible, but since it is believed that the Fortune himself can see out through the eyes of the animals present, actual lying is believed to be both blasphemous and spectacularly unwise.
- 10th Day of the Ox: The Day of Waiting. In honour of Emma-O, many samurai choose to spend this day in quiet contemplation and meditation. The Matsu have a tradition of fasting for an extended period while surrounded by an array of incredibly delicious and nourishing food, which they may not touch, as an exercise in discipline.
- 18th Day of the Ox: In honour of Tengen, Fortune of Writing and Literature, this day will involve presentations of calligraphy. The contestant may choose the topic, and all guests cast their votes for the superior work.
Month of the Tiger
- 10th Day of the Tiger - Festival of Uzume. In reverence of the Fortune of Dancing, this day is given over to displays and contests of many different kinds of dance.
- 25th Day of the Tiger: Yozo's Vengeance. This day is thought to be sacred to the Fortune of Vengeance, and it is believed proper to resolve any feuds exclusive to the Winter Court by this day, one way or the other.
- 28th Day of the Tiger: New Year's Eve. This ceremony is one of cleaning and preparation for the start of the new year. Every home and temple is cleaning and ritually purified as thoroughly as possible, and bells are rung to drive away evil spirits.
Winter spans four months - the Boar, Rat, Ox and Tiger (December - March). The following events are being sponsored or otherwise officially run by the Matsu, with the expectation that anything intended to occur in the rest of the court will be arranged by the guests themselves.
The Month of the Boar
- 1st day of the Boar: Opening of the Court. Gifts are exchanged between guest and host and introductions are made.
- 4th Day of the Boar: Display of Steel. This is a Kenjutsu tournament between all who wish to participate. Guests will each face a graduate of the Matsu Berserker school in a match to third blood in order to determine their worthiness, after which they will oppose one another in ranked matches through successive rounds of first blood elimination until a final victor is found. Note that fatalities will not be permitted, and that Shugenja trained in the healing arts will be on hand to ensure survival.
- 9th Day of the Boar: Festival of the River of Stars. This is a celebration of love and romance, and there will be many artistic works displayed and stories told, while the trees and other appropriate places are strung with paper ribbons bearing heartfelt wishes and prayers from those who desire the blessing of the heavens upon their romance.
- 15th Day of the Boar: Winding River Banquet. A formal dinner is held in the gardens, with guests seated around a small stream. Cups of rice wine are floated down the stream on pieces of wood, and samurai are expected to drink these and then recite a poem. This process is repeated until everyone is too drunk to safely continue.
- 23rd Day of the Boar: Festival of Lights. This is the shortest day in the year, and Rokugani traditionally mark it by lighting a great number of torches and lanterns and otherwise invoke fire in its role as light-bringer. This year there will be a contest of scouts, seeing who can navigate a dark obstacle course in order to deliver a package to their lord without being detected.
Month of the Rat
- 1st Day of the Rat: Bowman's Wager. This is an archery contest held between all samurai who wish to compete. The victor is to be rewarded with a prize from every participating Clan (though the victor's own Clan usually takes possession of the more political ones).
- 7th to 9th Days of the Rat: Festival of the Moon's Wrath. During this period, all Rokugani maintain a careful silence in order to venerate and appease Lord Moon. It is believed that uttering so much as a word during this time will draw the Moon's wrath, with fearful results.
- 20th - 23rd Days of the Rat: Hachiman's Tournament. The Fortune of Battles is honoured with three days of mock battles, military discussions and games of strategy, including a tournament of Go played before the eyes of the entire Court.
- 28th Day of the Rat: Koshin's race. In acknowledgement of the Fortune of Roads and of the importance Beiden Pass plays in the Empire's history, this day features a race back and forth along the Pass. Given the heavy snow and extended distance this is more a contest of endurance rather than speed.
Month of the Ox
- 3rd Day of the Ox: Jurojin's blessings. This day is dedicated to the Fortune of Longevity, and involves a story-telling contest. Every Samurai at court will tell of a lesson they have learned during the preceding year, before the eyes of their fellow guests and several animals. Emphasizing certain elements to make a better story is permissible, but since it is believed that the Fortune himself can see out through the eyes of the animals present, actual lying is believed to be both blasphemous and spectacularly unwise.
- 10th Day of the Ox: The Day of Waiting. In honour of Emma-O, many samurai choose to spend this day in quiet contemplation and meditation. The Matsu have a tradition of fasting for an extended period while surrounded by an array of incredibly delicious and nourishing food, which they may not touch, as an exercise in discipline.
- 18th Day of the Ox: In honour of Tengen, Fortune of Writing and Literature, this day will involve presentations of calligraphy. The contestant may choose the topic, and all guests cast their votes for the superior work.
Month of the Tiger
- 10th Day of the Tiger - Festival of Uzume. In reverence of the Fortune of Dancing, this day is given over to displays and contests of many different kinds of dance.
- 25th Day of the Tiger: Yozo's Vengeance. This day is thought to be sacred to the Fortune of Vengeance, and it is believed proper to resolve any feuds exclusive to the Winter Court by this day, one way or the other.
- 28th Day of the Tiger: New Year's Eve. This ceremony is one of cleaning and preparation for the start of the new year. Every home and temple is cleaning and ritually purified as thoroughly as possible, and bells are rung to drive away evil spirits.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Okay, I definitely want us to be a decent enough poet to do well at the Banquet.
We also NEED to buff our Go in time to show off some military strats! We also have plenty of time to decide whether we want to participate in the 18th Day of Ox Calligraphy thing.
- Location
- Leeds
Not sure we should enter the tournament.
In a side note, we should probably write down a "notable people" list at some point, to help keep track of who is who and all that.
But back on topic: I don't quite recall, do we have instructions to try to improve relations with any particular clan in special?
And in a random note: Marriage: Are we an available asset for it, at least in the sense of proposing a prospective match we might have found for our family to handle the rest if they so desire and approve? Unlikely to make much difference in the short term, that is, for this specific court, but marriages are an old and time honored way of handling politics and improving relations.
But back on topic: I don't quite recall, do we have instructions to try to improve relations with any particular clan in special?
And in a random note: Marriage: Are we an available asset for it, at least in the sense of proposing a prospective match we might have found for our family to handle the rest if they so desire and approve? Unlikely to make much difference in the short term, that is, for this specific court, but marriages are an old and time honored way of handling politics and improving relations.
A Nation's Virtue
南國山河南帝居
Go and our Battle, if only so we can debate intelligently. As for the Keniutsu tournament, the one person we absolutely aren't allowed to lose to are the Matsu. We need to nourish that sense of warrior's rivalry.
I also want up Calligraphy, but we have time for that.
We can't afford not to enter, not with how things currently are and with how we are officially a bushi. Plus:
Barring massive accidents, it should be safe enough.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Incidentally, for the Banquet, if we want to make a good showing, there are two good strategies. One, get good at making poems up on the fly.
Second, have an iron liver so that while everyone else is slurring and passing out, we're clear-tongued.
Second, have an iron liver so that while everyone else is slurring and passing out, we're clear-tongued.
- Location
- Leeds
My concern was embarrassing ourselves by not being qualified to enter. That makes us and the rest of Scorpions look bad.
Sirrocco
Pedantic
I certainly wouldn't object to a bit of targeted skill-buying in preparation for various tournaments. On the other hand, we already have a 5k4 in Go. I'm not saying that we *shouldn't* buy a bit more, but it's not like we're going to embarrass ourselves regardless.
A "notable people" list does sound useful.
Our only specific instructions are to keep from pissing off the Matsu too much. Other than that, more allies are good, but there's no one in particular we're being told to cozy up to.
We are absolutely available for marriage. My impression is that we may walk out of this Winter Curt having been engaged to someone - especially if we show ourselves well and Bayushi Kimiko can manage to wangle enough advantage out of it. On the flip side, our hand in marriage isn't *our* chit to spend. Still, if we make a suggestion to Bayushi-sama, she's likely to at least consider it.
It is highly likely that we'll lose to the Matsu - and that's okay. Bayushi Kimiko is the one with the rivalry - not us. As long as we don't shame her, everything is fine on that count... and being beaten by a Matsu is not shameful to one of our position.
We're qualified. We aren't all that impressive, but we're not absolutely bottom-of-the-barrel for Bushi, either... and the average Scorpion isn't really expected to be able to stand up to Matsu one-on-one
We absolutely need better investigation. I'm coming around on Calligraphy, given that we have entire days where we're not supposed to talk, later on. I think that a combination of Calligraphy and Poetry would serve us pretty well for our artistic bit - the calligraphy is useful, the poetry can be woven into conversation where appropriate, and the two together mix well for display art. It also handles the Festival of the River of Stars and the Winding River Banquet nicely - both are coming up soon. I still don't think we should jump into forgery too quickly. If nothing else, I can almost guarantee that one of Pale Oak's scribes can provide that sort of service, and better than we could, if approached with the right sort of delicacy... and if we're trying to use forgery on a time limit, we're already doing it wrong.
We'd need to be far worse than we currently are to make said potential embarrassment be worse than the (certain) embarrassment of not participating. We don't need to win. We don't even need to make a particularly good showing. We just need to avoid demonstrating absolute incompetency, aka, make a complete fumble through rolling all 1s or something of the kind. Not only we are young enough that inexperience can explain a lot, not being a great fighter is not particularly shameful. Furthermore, we already have our boss here to show that the Scorpion can be phenomenal fighters, we can reassure them that she's the exception and most of us are pretty mediocre compared to the Lion, aka, back to the comfort zone for our hosts.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Naoto can dance if he wants to, he can leave his friends behind/ Because if his friends don't dance and if they don't dance then they're no friends of his.
(IE, we should buy Dancing 1.)
Well, I've already noted how useful/important I believe Calligraphy to be for court-life in general, so investing some XP into it would definitely have my vote.
Other than that...
This might also provide an opportunity to embarrass someone from another delegation, though; goading them into saying something stupid/insulting, spiking their drink or food so they'll get drunk much more quickly and make a fool of themselves, things like that. On the flipside, we might want to look into some herbs or the like we could use to fortify our constitution so we can take our drink better, or something like that. Both so we can better avoid issues that might come from our drunkenness, and potentially impress the Lion and possibly other martial clans through our staying power.
Other than that...
This might be a good opportunity if we wish to engage in an affair with a woman from one of the other delegations. Unfortunately, our artistic/storytelling abilities are nonexistent at this time. Would be a good opportunity to buy some Calligraphy/Poetry before this if we want to get some points with someone.
Okay, I have to say I like this event. I just sounds amusing and awesome. Should probably get a point in Poetry just so we don't embarrass ourselves too badly, though.
This might also provide an opportunity to embarrass someone from another delegation, though; goading them into saying something stupid/insulting, spiking their drink or food so they'll get drunk much more quickly and make a fool of themselves, things like that. On the flipside, we might want to look into some herbs or the like we could use to fortify our constitution so we can take our drink better, or something like that. Both so we can better avoid issues that might come from our drunkenness, and potentially impress the Lion and possibly other martial clans through our staying power.
Hooo, boy. A bunch of important delegates running through an obstacle course in the dark. That basically screams "assassination opportunity" to me. I rather doubt we'll want to risk something like that unless it's absolutely necessary, but it might be that someone else could use that opportunity to eliminate someone who's inconvenient to them, and then try to pin the blame on us.
We'll probably want to enter this competition as well. We won't get far, but thanks to Crab hands we shouldn't embarrass ourselves, and it might further garner some points with our Lion hosts. The Tsuruchi is obviously going to dominate this one, though, but that also makes this a potential opportunity to embarass him, and by extension his Mantis charge; subtly messing with the balance of his bow and arrows so he only provides a mediocre showing despite the Wasp Clan's reputation could cost him and by extension the Mantis some face at this court.
We'll probably want to have at least 1, but ideally 2 or 3 ranks in Calligraphy by then, so that we can continue to "converse" with people via letters during this time, without making a fool out of ourselves due to bad penmanship. This would also be where Forgery could pay of very well, by messing around with the correspondence of others during that time.
Go and Battle, as others already noted. The former should allow us to make a fairly good impression in general, while the latter should allow us to gain some points with the Lion, and potentially Crab and Unicorn as well.
This might also be a good opportunity for assassination to occur; easy to pretend the target simply slipped out in the snow and fell down a ravine, or something like that. Again, not something we should engage in unless absolutely necessary, but we might want to keep an eye out for others who might do so. We're probably not going to make a good showing here, though. We might want to consider a point in Athletics so we don't embarrass ourselves, though.
Given that we'll probably want to get some points in Calligraphy anyway, this might very well an opportunity for us to shine. Could also be a possibility to either ingratiate ourselves with our hosts or some other delegation by choosing a topic that they'll view favorably, or potentially casting some subtle insult against another delegation.
What are the general current clan relations in the current time, other than the general stereotypes that is. That is, which clans are going to be more suspicious than normal about us, which clans are already pissed off at us, which clans might be more sympathetic to us, and so forth? Having some idea of possible secondary objectives would probably be a good idea to handle what we'd do other than randomly stumble around trying to bring metaphorical profit to our clan.
Indeed. But I am assuming that, all else equal, it'd be better for the Scorpion clan to put us in a marriage we also like than one we'd be unhappy with.
It might be interesting to try to be somewhat proactive in finding a potential fiancee, even if only to be able to offer suggestions to Bayushi Kimiko.
Sirrocco
Pedantic
So.... looking at the events...
I'd say we should basically sign up for every event that they have, and buy at least minimal skill in the skills that we don't have prior to the point they'll be tested. Presenting ourselves as willing to stand up and try and suffer the experience and not do too badly helps out with keeping/building a modicum of respect from the Matsu, as well as others. "Willing to stand up and try, with a good face" often counts for a lot, especially on things like the "trudge back and forth across snowy Beiden Pass" race (and the "You don't get to leave until you've been stabbed three times" kenjutsu tournament).
On the bright side, "assassinate one of the other delegates in the dark, and then pin it on the other guy" is something we're somewhat insulated against, as that's generally the Scorpion schtick. We can further insulate ourselves by ensuring that we get along (or appear to get along) at least reasonably well with everyone, and by investing reasonably in Investigation and Sincerity.
Of all of the tournaments, I'm thinking that Hachiman's Tournament is the one we should try to *win*. We've got a decent shot at it, given our abilities, and even heavy investment will sere us well. I'd seriously consider trying to get 5 intelligence by that point - perhaps even 5 intelligence and 3 Go. That plus a void point should give us a very solid chance at the prize - and if we don't win, the sheer levels of epic in whatever game we lose in (possibly/probably against Otomo-sama) should leave the rest of the room suitably impressed. It's even more cool if we can get some sort of a regular game going with the man, and build up our skill level over time. Clash of the old master and the rising student is one of those stories that people really get into - and if we do win, we can turn around and credit it to his tutelage - thus being Gloriously Humble and winning that much more favor on the imperial side.
I'd say we should basically sign up for every event that they have, and buy at least minimal skill in the skills that we don't have prior to the point they'll be tested. Presenting ourselves as willing to stand up and try and suffer the experience and not do too badly helps out with keeping/building a modicum of respect from the Matsu, as well as others. "Willing to stand up and try, with a good face" often counts for a lot, especially on things like the "trudge back and forth across snowy Beiden Pass" race (and the "You don't get to leave until you've been stabbed three times" kenjutsu tournament).
On the bright side, "assassinate one of the other delegates in the dark, and then pin it on the other guy" is something we're somewhat insulated against, as that's generally the Scorpion schtick. We can further insulate ourselves by ensuring that we get along (or appear to get along) at least reasonably well with everyone, and by investing reasonably in Investigation and Sincerity.
Of all of the tournaments, I'm thinking that Hachiman's Tournament is the one we should try to *win*. We've got a decent shot at it, given our abilities, and even heavy investment will sere us well. I'd seriously consider trying to get 5 intelligence by that point - perhaps even 5 intelligence and 3 Go. That plus a void point should give us a very solid chance at the prize - and if we don't win, the sheer levels of epic in whatever game we lose in (possibly/probably against Otomo-sama) should leave the rest of the room suitably impressed. It's even more cool if we can get some sort of a regular game going with the man, and build up our skill level over time. Clash of the old master and the rising student is one of those stories that people really get into - and if we do win, we can turn around and credit it to his tutelage - thus being Gloriously Humble and winning that much more favor on the imperial side.
Alright, so let's try to make a list of skills we should get;
- Calligraphy 1+
- Poetry 1+
- Stealth 1
- Athletics 1
- Go 2+
- Storytelling 1
- Dance 1
Calligraphy and Poetry we should have by the time of the 9th or 15th; ideally the former. Both of those would provide some opportunities to participate, though we might want to consider waiting until we have a bit more skills in those areas. If we raise them further, they could come in handy on a number of occasions further down the line.
Stealth and Athletics could be put to use on the 23rd; Athletics to deal with the obstacle course, and stealth to remain undetected. Technically, we probably don't need it, but it would be nice to have, and also reinforce the "sneaky Scorpion" stereotype in the Lion's mind; keep things in their comfort zone.
Go would obviously be for Hachiman's Tournament. I suppose we could also raise Battle, but since it's fairly unlikely for us to get into a military leadership position, I'd be somewhat hesitant about that, since I doubt Battle would find all that much use outside of this event.
Storytelling and Dance for Jurojin's Blessing and the Festival of Uzume.
That said, though, we should probably discuss with Hanzo, and possibly Kimiko, where their talents in regards to the various events lie. If either of them is a good storyteller or dancer, for example, it means they can represent us in the corresponding event, and we can invest the XP we'd have spent on those skills into raising skills for other events, or our courtier-related skills in general.
- Calligraphy 1+
- Poetry 1+
- Stealth 1
- Athletics 1
- Go 2+
- Storytelling 1
- Dance 1
Calligraphy and Poetry we should have by the time of the 9th or 15th; ideally the former. Both of those would provide some opportunities to participate, though we might want to consider waiting until we have a bit more skills in those areas. If we raise them further, they could come in handy on a number of occasions further down the line.
Stealth and Athletics could be put to use on the 23rd; Athletics to deal with the obstacle course, and stealth to remain undetected. Technically, we probably don't need it, but it would be nice to have, and also reinforce the "sneaky Scorpion" stereotype in the Lion's mind; keep things in their comfort zone.
Go would obviously be for Hachiman's Tournament. I suppose we could also raise Battle, but since it's fairly unlikely for us to get into a military leadership position, I'd be somewhat hesitant about that, since I doubt Battle would find all that much use outside of this event.
Storytelling and Dance for Jurojin's Blessing and the Festival of Uzume.
That said, though, we should probably discuss with Hanzo, and possibly Kimiko, where their talents in regards to the various events lie. If either of them is a good storyteller or dancer, for example, it means they can represent us in the corresponding event, and we can invest the XP we'd have spent on those skills into raising skills for other events, or our courtier-related skills in general.
A Nation's Virtue
南國山河南帝居
As for Traits, we should probably prioritize Agility. I'd normally say Reflexes, but Agility is what we need not only for weapons but also dance, certain games, and certain Perform skills.
Incidentally, iirc Archery uses Reflexes.
mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Obtaining Fire 4 is one of the sexiest possible things we could get for many reasons.
It's also, as far as we are concerned for now, a luxury and should be thought of as such. We need to raise our Reflexes to 3 for many reasons, the least of which being that if we don't we more or less automatically lose our first match in the tournament and can't function properly in most any situation as a Bushi.
It's also, as far as we are concerned for now, a luxury and should be thought of as such. We need to raise our Reflexes to 3 for many reasons, the least of which being that if we don't we more or less automatically lose our first match in the tournament and can't function properly in most any situation as a Bushi.
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Sirrocco
Pedantic
Single point skills are cheap. The full set you have up there (other than the plusses) costs 8 points. Certainly, if there's some reason to bow out of one or the other, we might as well save a point or two, but even if one of the other Scorpion is more competent, I think it would serve us well to have (and demonstrate) a bit of everything.
We should absolutely study battle, as a Courtier skill. Int+Battle is every bit as valuable as Poetry or Go, even if we never see a battlefield.
For stats, we have Agility 3. I don't think we need 4 - especially when 4 more points past that would let us crank our intelligence to 5, which is *far* more useful for our purposes. Improving Reflexes to 3 would be handy, especially if we can somehow get it done before the kenjutsu tournament - I'd be inclined to start saving more or less now on that one, actually, and see if we can make it.
Please explain?
As best I can see it, failing to join the tournament will damage our reputation and that of the Scorpion Clan delegation, particularly in the eyes of the Matsu. Joining, and losing honorably, will have us breaking even or perhaps improving slightly - especially by comparison with those who do not join. How do you say we gain nothing from this? Alternately, do you disagree with my assessment?
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