In Thunder's Echo (Legend of the Five Rings Quest)
- Location
- London, England
Also, just noticed this.
Legally and culturally speaking, once a duel is fought the business associated with it is considered to be settled. If one person wins the duel then they were obviously in the right, and if it is a draw (much rarer) then the Heavens have intervened and the matter must be dropped entirely.
The only way to extend the matter past the first duel is by invoking a Blood Feud, and those involve entire families fighting one another - they are not invoked for disputes between individuals.
Technically, your fight with Matsu Ginwei was not a duel, but rather a contest of arms waged as part of a tournament. So in theory he could challenge you to another duel, but he would have to cite a particular reason for his challenge - claiming that you cheated, for example. By conducting yourself honourably, you negated his ability to do that, and the chances are his lord and yours will deny any requests for a lethal duel unless new circumstances arise in the future.
Basically, if he wants to continue his apparent vendetta against you he will either need to manufacture a new excuse or throw aside Honour and just try to shank you in a back alley.
Anyway, vote called, looks like your next opponent is a Crab. I'll get on that, and probably throw in a look at one of the other matches going on as well.
A Matsu doing that to a Scorpion would be something alright.
2.17 - Display of Steel, round two
- Location
- London, England
With your wounds healed and your next bout not for an uncertain period of time, you opt to move to a bench closer to the fighting, that you might see for yourself the skills of some of your competitors. For a moment you consider the idea that being able to do so might technically give certain participants an unfair advantage, but either the Matsu have not considered this or they simply don't care.
The dueling ground, such as it is, takes up the centre of one of the great parade grounds that Shiro Matsu apparently holds in abundance. This puts the contest within easy sight of a large section of the fortress, and while the immediate audience is restricted to guests of the court and certain high ranking members of the Lion, there are several hundred samurai taking short breaks from their official duties to observe at a distance. You wonder how they felt about your own victory, and what consequences it will have in the future. Then you turn your attention to the ongoing battle in the centre of the square.
Mirumoto Masaru is currently squaring off against Utaku Seo, and even at a quick glance the difference in their fighting styles is remarkable. The Dragon fights with both swords, in the way of his people, fending off incoming attacks with his wakizashi and retaliating with his katana, while the Unicorn dances in and out of range with an almost ethereal grace, cautiously testing his defenses. It seems immediately apparent to you that Masaru is the better swordsman - his katas are performed with breathtaking skill, every movement flowing into the next one like the steps of a long and complicated dance. Seo's advantage lies in her speed and dexterity, and you can clearly tell that she is trying to stay out of reach of those flashing blades until she can find an opening to exploit.
It doesn't work.
Mirumoto Masaru's expression is one of enlightened detachment, and as such it takes everyone watching entirely off guard when he suddenly switches styles in the middle of a defensive sequence. The katana that initially sought only to attack is brought around to deflect Seo's own strike down and to the side, the wakizashi flashes around in a tightly controlled arc, and the Dragon is proven victorious in a splatter of brilliant scarlet.
You make a mental note to look into this niten style the Dragon are said to use in more depth. It seems very interesting.
-/-
Before too long you find yourself on the field of battle once again, staring down your second opponent of the day. Hida Kinra is an absolute giant of a man, standing head and shoulders above you, and his broad frame is packed with muscle. Like Ginwei, he too wears heavy armour, but unlike the Matsu the Crab warrior does not seem to be slowed by it in the least. You are vaguely reminded of a beetle and its shell, though you have the good sense not to say that out loud.
"I watched your first match, Soshi-san." The Crab says in an impossibly deep voice. "It was well done. I hope you are not expecting this contest to be so easy."
"I don't tend to indulge in baseless overconfidence, Hida-san." You say blandly, adopting your stance.
"Heh." The Crab draws his sword, the steel shining in the harsh winter sunlight. "Then let us see just how good you are."
Initiative rolls:
Hida Kinra 4k2 = 27
Soshi Naoto 4k3 = 17
Please decide your actions in the first round of combat.
- [ ] Write in
The dueling ground, such as it is, takes up the centre of one of the great parade grounds that Shiro Matsu apparently holds in abundance. This puts the contest within easy sight of a large section of the fortress, and while the immediate audience is restricted to guests of the court and certain high ranking members of the Lion, there are several hundred samurai taking short breaks from their official duties to observe at a distance. You wonder how they felt about your own victory, and what consequences it will have in the future. Then you turn your attention to the ongoing battle in the centre of the square.
Mirumoto Masaru is currently squaring off against Utaku Seo, and even at a quick glance the difference in their fighting styles is remarkable. The Dragon fights with both swords, in the way of his people, fending off incoming attacks with his wakizashi and retaliating with his katana, while the Unicorn dances in and out of range with an almost ethereal grace, cautiously testing his defenses. It seems immediately apparent to you that Masaru is the better swordsman - his katas are performed with breathtaking skill, every movement flowing into the next one like the steps of a long and complicated dance. Seo's advantage lies in her speed and dexterity, and you can clearly tell that she is trying to stay out of reach of those flashing blades until she can find an opening to exploit.
It doesn't work.
Mirumoto Masaru's expression is one of enlightened detachment, and as such it takes everyone watching entirely off guard when he suddenly switches styles in the middle of a defensive sequence. The katana that initially sought only to attack is brought around to deflect Seo's own strike down and to the side, the wakizashi flashes around in a tightly controlled arc, and the Dragon is proven victorious in a splatter of brilliant scarlet.
You make a mental note to look into this niten style the Dragon are said to use in more depth. It seems very interesting.
-/-
Before too long you find yourself on the field of battle once again, staring down your second opponent of the day. Hida Kinra is an absolute giant of a man, standing head and shoulders above you, and his broad frame is packed with muscle. Like Ginwei, he too wears heavy armour, but unlike the Matsu the Crab warrior does not seem to be slowed by it in the least. You are vaguely reminded of a beetle and its shell, though you have the good sense not to say that out loud.
"I watched your first match, Soshi-san." The Crab says in an impossibly deep voice. "It was well done. I hope you are not expecting this contest to be so easy."
"I don't tend to indulge in baseless overconfidence, Hida-san." You say blandly, adopting your stance.
"Heh." The Crab draws his sword, the steel shining in the harsh winter sunlight. "Then let us see just how good you are."
Initiative rolls:
Hida Kinra 4k2 = 27
Soshi Naoto 4k3 = 17
Please decide your actions in the first round of combat.
- [ ] Write in
A Nation's Virtue
南國山河南帝居
Can we spend a Void Point for +10 Initiative? We didn't get a chance to vote on that beforehand...
Also, he's at Insight Rank 2...I think we can do this?
Also, he's at Insight Rank 2...I think we can do this?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
How likely are we to be able to dodge? Because losing that initiative roll, that's probably game right there, if we can't avoid damage.
- Location
- London, England
You may spend your last remaining Void Point to either increase your Initiative by 10 for the skirmish (which would result in simultaneous actions) or to increase your armour TN by 10 for one round. If you would like to do so, include a note to that effect in your vote.
I am not inclined towards allowing an Honour reroll, though this can change if someone can present a convincing case for why your strength of belief and personal conviction would help sustain you here. Note that if you don't beat the Hida with the re-roll, you lose Honour as your self-confidence is shaken.
I am not inclined towards allowing an Honour reroll, though this can change if someone can present a convincing case for why your strength of belief and personal conviction would help sustain you here. Note that if you don't beat the Hida with the re-roll, you lose Honour as your self-confidence is shaken.
mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
What happens if we simultaneously hit each other?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Hmm, with the increased armor and a full-defense stance, what are our approximate odds of not being hit for first-blood?
I'm not asking the QM, I'm asking, like, the number-people to give it a guess.
I'm not asking the QM, I'm asking, like, the number-people to give it a guess.
Sirrocco
Pedantic
What is the importance of winning this fight? I mean, I wouldn't want to throw one, but losing fairly isn't particularly high cost for us.
If we go full defense, he'll absolutely get first blood. We can't attack in full defense, so next round he'll just get to swing again. Eventually he'll get lucky (while we look silly).
mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Well, I suppose that depends. If we use the Stance of Full Attack, probably not at all. Our Armor TN right now is just scraping 20 - his should be at 25 because of his Heavy Armor, and it doesn't impose the penalty that Ginwei had. We won't go first, certainly, and without that Stance we're not likely to hit at all. Full Defense is sealing our fate.
Because RNG is a cruel, cold and fickle mistress, I don't see any other option here than hoping to match for first blood and walking out honorably; unless we want to try and Honor Roll to reroll (which I can see a case for trying to argue for) or to bank upon keeping our ATN up and hoping ickle wee 5k3 kenjutsu will get us to 25 on this.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I thought we could change stances between rounds? If we can't, that makes Full Defense worse than useless, and would mean nobody would ever do it.
Edit: Either way, I do think Rook's right. We've already lost right here. It sucks, because we apparently were rolling better than he was in terms of 'dice', but wound up with a worse result. But there's just no way to win.
Last edited:
mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
It's a matter of Initiative and that the weight of numbers aren't backing us here. If we don't try and hit him as soon as possible, he goes from very likely to win to almost assured to.
- Location
- Canada
You can change between rounds, but you don't reroll initiative, so even if he misses we're just in the exact same situation. If you plan on switching on round two, the you may as well just take that stance on turn one and do whatever you're doing on turn 1.
Best option seems to be void to match initiative, and hoping to tie on first blood.
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
Crab TN to be hit is likely 25 (5 + Reflex 2 x5 +10 Heavy Armour).
Option A. Pump up our initiative (with Void) go Full Attack, hit and be hit in return and then we either let it go to the judges, or concede.
Option B. Pump our TN to be hit and hope the Crab misses and we hit.
I can do the math (including probabilities) if someone reminds me if 10's explode (my books are at home).
Option A. Pump up our initiative (with Void) go Full Attack, hit and be hit in return and then we either let it go to the judges, or concede.
Option B. Pump our TN to be hit and hope the Crab misses and we hit.
I can do the math (including probabilities) if someone reminds me if 10's explode (my books are at home).
I assume the judge makes a call unless one of the competitors concedes.
- Location
- Canada
10s explode in L5R.
mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
You've the right of it, @kyuden - and 10s do explode.
I suppose that if we really care we could try and argue for an Honor Roll for Naoto's initiative - we'd almost certainly make it, to boot, with 4 exploding dice. It essentially grants us the bout.
e-edited because doublepost
I suppose that if we really care we could try and argue for an Honor Roll for Naoto's initiative - we'd almost certainly make it, to boot, with 4 exploding dice. It essentially grants us the bout.
I guess to address this is fairly simple: the importance of this is relatively low. We've had one job and that was to not make ourselves look like a bitch. As long as we try and don't get utterly trounced this match--which we won't, it seems--then we've accomplished our job. I don't believe we stand to lose anything; it's just that we've more doors open to us the farther along we go. Which is why the more I think the more I'm inclined to try and piece together an argument for rerolling our Initiative. I feel like burning The Big Thing that we'd probably not use anywhere else--or be able to use effectively anywhere else--here to get us just that last little bit more prestige/sway among the delegates is worth the shot.
e-edited because doublepost
Last edited:
mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
See that's the thing. Nobody expects more of us. We've already impressed and/or thrown off everyone by stomping on Matsu Ginwei and then being all honorable about it. There's no chance in hell we can win this tournament and we weren't told to. Our job is to not make a fool of ourselves, and we've done that, and no matter what we walk away good from this. There's no downside here.
But I don't see a reason why we shouldn't press it when we can get more out of it. In fact I think that I'm going to make a case for why we should be allowed it in this instance because, even if there is more than the tournament and the realpolitik that will ensue afterwards this Arc, there is no reason to not push for more.
Sirrocco
Pedantic
To make it an honor roll, we'd have to have our honor invested in it, and we really, really don't.
Also, mere initiative *doesn't* grant us the bout. It grants us a chance to swing at him. If we swing and miss, we still likely lose.
As a Scorpion Bushi, losing to a Crab Bushi isn't a terrible thing - and hey, he might still miss.
Still, I'm not dreadfully opposed to spending the void point to make it tied up, and then going all-out. It'd be appropriately dramatic, to be sure. Hopefully, we won't need that void point later.
Also, mere initiative *doesn't* grant us the bout. It grants us a chance to swing at him. If we swing and miss, we still likely lose.
As a Scorpion Bushi, losing to a Crab Bushi isn't a terrible thing - and hey, he might still miss.
Still, I'm not dreadfully opposed to spending the void point to make it tied up, and then going all-out. It'd be appropriately dramatic, to be sure. Hopefully, we won't need that void point later.
Last edited:
- Location
- Canada
I'm against an honor reroll. While we might be able to make an argument for it, it doesn't seem like a good thematic fit for the mechanic. Honor rolls seem to be about things that are core to our self-image. The things we pride ourselves on. The things which failing at would destroy our self-image - hence the losing honor upon failure of an honor roll. However as we've established throughout the quest, we don't care particularly much about swordsmanship either IC or OOC. It really isn't central to our character's self-image. Hell, we already have stated multiple times that we're fine with losing. So using an honor roll here seems kinda like abusing the mechanic.
mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
That's a fair point I guess and we've certainly no obligation to do it if it's allowed. If anything I'm just arguing for the option to be made available and if you don't like that we'll just say I'm being contrarian (and I might not even vote for it should permission be granted 
)
)
A Nation's Virtue
南國山河南帝居
[X] Attack in Full Attack
-[X] Use a Void Point to add +10 to our Initiative
--[X] If we tie, concede the match. We had to put our all into merely matching him. it is clear that Hida-san is the better warrior.
Tough, but at least this way we can guarantee that we'll hit him. And I really wanted to eke out at least one more win.
-[X] Use a Void Point to add +10 to our Initiative
--[X] If we tie, concede the match. We had to put our all into merely matching him. it is clear that Hida-san is the better warrior.
Tough, but at least this way we can guarantee that we'll hit him. And I really wanted to eke out at least one more win.
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Sure, then.
And, uh, should we do an all out attack?
[X] Attack in Full Attack
-[X] Use a Void Point to add +10 to our Initiative