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In Thunder's Echo (Legend of the Five Rings Quest)

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Well. Huh. That was a pretty cool update.
Maugan Ra said:
"That was a good thing you did back there. Your motivations could be better, but that's between you and your ancestors."
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... I wonder if that could sorta be a poke at "By Scorpion standards, your motivation could have been better!" A joke that our ancestors would have wanted us to be more pragmatic.

Or if he meant the opposite; that even for us our Scorpion nature means that our motivations aren't as heroic as others might've been.
Maugan Ra said:
On the other side of the table Megumi-no-kami, Fortune of Heroic Guidance, smiles at you. "It was good to meet you, Soshi-san. Stay on the path you are walking, and perhaps we will see each other again. In the mean time... a token of our esteem."
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... Ah... ... :( I kinda feel like sending a prayer to this guy to say "Sorry"/"It's probably partly luck that I haven't had to do anything too bad yet". Just, I kinda feel like we won't be able to keep this up much. Pray for apology, guidance, or appeasement or something.

Maaaybe our Clan will decide that our having high Honor could be useful for the Clan, in which case we could actually keep doing things as we are.

Eh... I mean, Saibankan -- the lawmaker dude -- probably had decently high Honor. So there's certainly some roles and places and opportunities for a Scorpion to manage.

And I wouldn't exactly mind a "NAOTO, HERO OF ROKUGAN!" kind of thing... :p
Rook said:
What Air 4 Means

-Our Insight goes up; this blows us right past the threshold to qualify for Insight 2, which means a few things. It means we get
--Increased Initiative. Increasing Reflexes gives us +1k1, and going up in Insight gives us +1k0. Bayushi Bushi already get a +1k1 so this means we're rocking 7k5. Very nice.
--By virtue of being a Bayushi Bushi this, again, means yet more good things
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Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought we needed to actually train to learn the School Technique of our new rank?

Also: How much XP does it take to increase Int 4 to Int 5?

Actually, what's the formula for the amount of XP needed to increase stats in general?
 
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Bastur2 said:
We should take the free ring raise in air, water, earth or void.
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So anything other than fire?

Out of interest, it hasn't been mentioned but what about the Kattika duellist? It has been mentioned that if we choose air we will go up two ranks of Reflexes since we fought Ginwei and we beat him last time. Also it was suggested many many years ago that we would eventually want points in battle, for conversation if nothing else. Since we're flush with xp will there ever be a better time to get a cheap rank?
 
Nix's Warden said:
Holy crap. For not only a Fortune but the Thunder Dragon itself to visit the dream of normal Samurai! That is......shit. My mind is just :jackiechan:. In a good way.

Well Done My Good Sir. Well done.

[X] Air.
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Ah, you have that the wrong way around. If the Thunder Dragon visits you in your dreams, you are pretty much by definition no longer a normal samurai.

Sirrocco said:
Still... this is a theory argument, in a game that actually has an adjudicator. @Maugan Ra - in your game, do the PC rules represent more or less average samurai, or are they particularly exceptional? As an associated question, how rare would 4 int versus 5 int be? How generally impressive is each of those to, say, our superiors?
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This is an interesting question. Generally speaking, I tend to view samurai as being humans, but ones who have access to ways that will allow them to bypass normal human limits to a certain degree. So most of them are roughly the same as any other well fed, well educated human given enough time to focus on their abilities (which is a fairly big deal), but those who stand out from the crowd tend to really stand out.

For a reference point, Imperial Histories gives us a stat block for Toturi the Black, Lion Clan Thunder and perhaps the biggest all-round badass in an Empire torn apart by war. His lowest trait is 4, and the majority of them are 4 or 5, with two exceptions - Intelligence and Perception, which are both rated at 6. Of his skills, again, most of them are at 3-5, with just three exceptions - namely, he has Lore (History) at 6, Kenjutsu at 7 and Battle at 9.

Toturi makes a decent claim at being the greatest all-round samurai in Rokugan, the sort of man chosen to carry the fate of an Empire on his shoulders, to go toe-to-toe with a fallen God and to reign over the land as supreme Emperor with the blessing of the heavens themselves. He has precisely two traits and three skills that are rated as higher than 5, and they in many ways help to define his legend.

Thus, as far as I am concerned, having a rating of 2 in a trait is the human baseline, and 5 is the upper limit of what most people can attain. Great heroes can go beyond this, but even they only rise above the limits in a few key areas that they choose to focus their efforts upon. Generally, increased potency comes from training in a school and having higher skill ranks.

So, for Family bonuses... there are absolutely Soshi who don't have Intelligence 3. In my mind, the family bonuses tend to reflect the advantages offered by an strong upbringing and the emphasis bestowed by the area that your teachers chose to focus upon. The Soshi family values intelligence more than other abilities, and as such they make sure to encourage their children to follow intellectual courses of study, provide skilled tutors to make sure the full potential of their scions are realized, and shower praise upon those who demonstrate a keen mind and willingness to study hard. As a result, most Soshi are more intellectual and better educated than samurai from other families.

This does not prevent there from being members of the Soshi family who simply aren't as intelligent or studious as that. Some people just don't find reading as enjoyable, or have difficulty remembering large amounts of information, or cannot muster the willpower to study intensively for hours every day. This is no great mark against them, for not everyone is born equal and they doubtless have their own strengths elsewhere, but it does mean that they aren't as smart as their parents would like them to be and are perhaps more likely to be consigned to some minor administrative job somewhere and kept out of the public eye.

Soshi Naoto has Intelligence 4. In the eyes of his superiors, he is very intelligent - not quite an outright genius, but his mind is keen and he has sharpened it with focused study. He is a fine example of what they want their servants to be, a credit to his parents and his sensei.

What is the plausible foe out there that's making everyone think we need to prepare so hard?
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*laughs*

*checks notes on planned plot line developments*

*laughs again*
 
I keep forgetting that not everyone thinks of this quest the way I do. Maugan is a p. good writer - and what kind of writer would miss the chance to have his protagonist have a really nasty foe to face at some point? It's self-evident to me.

It also occurs to me that our overnight... whatever the fuck you wanna call this, people are going to notice. This is probably all at once A Very Good yet Very Bad Thing.
 
Some points to consider.
  1. Our role in any major battle is likely to be watching someones back, or staying well back and either directing(Tactician) or staying well back and informing (Observer, noting known weakness, recogniseing who the other side is and knowing their history and tactics.). If we ever go to war, we can pick up Engenering, so we can help design Sieges.
  2. Awarness is used both for Courtier and for Etiquette, and will help us greatly at court. It will howerev not help us resist the seduction from Doji Mariko. In day to day life, from violence, as a courtier in the middle of a Lion city, we need to be able to survive ambush(like the bowman) long enough for the Lion samurai everywhere around us to respond. We do not need to be great with the sword, but good defense to hang on while help arrives is nice. Reflex helps with that, quite a bit. For spoting ambushes, refer to point 7.
  3. In respect to points 1. and 2. I think rasing Air makes the most sense. Not just in terms of XP, but in terms of our role. Better reflex to help us defend our valuable big head, better Awarness to work the Court.
  4. Seeing as we bough kenjutsu 2 for the martial tournament, and we got Reflex 3, with us getting Reflex 4 now, i feel prety ok in terms of us being at risk in battle. We are not supposed be they ones at the front.
  5. Going for Inteligence 5 is a great idea. Had we stepped back a bit from ongoing seduction duels with Doji Mariko I would be all for it. Seeing how we did not,see point 6.
  6. Maugan Ra said:
    The Seventh Day of the Boar

    "Press your ear to my chest and find out." You suggest, delighting in the faint blush that colors Mariko's cheeks for a brief moment before she regains control of herself. Doji Mariko, you have learned, is a woman who has always wanted to know what it is like to break the rules. As a loyal Crane she would never disgrace her Clan and family by actually doing so, yet she cannot deny being intrigued by the mere suggestion of it all the same. It has been surprisingly enjoyable, playing up to the stereotype of the villainous yet charming Scorpion during these little meetings, so much so that you need to remind yourself to exercise a degree of restraint every now and then. The Crane are not your allies, and could very well be your enemy, after all.

    You have a nasty suspicion that the moment you forget that will be the moment you die.

    Still, there is no call for overt hostility either, and until things are decided one way or another this is an enjoyable enough way to pass the time. You are making good on your promise to teach Mariko how to play Go, and she in turn is tutoring you in the delicate art of poetry. The fact that in the process you are slowly gaining her trust and working your way into her confidence in order to learn and exploit her secrets is a bonus, as is the flirting. All in all, there seems little reason not to simply enjoy this time together, and let the rest sort itself out.
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    .
    Let me just pick out the relevant bits, bolded in the quote:
    Maugan Ra said:
    ...You suggest, delighting in the faint blush that colors Mariko's cheeks ...It has been surprisingly enjoyable... so much so that you need to remind yourself to exercise a degree of restraint every now and then. The Crane are not your allies, and could very well be your enemy, after all.
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    As you can see, we are currently being succesfully seduced, so Will 2 Etiquette 3 does not seem to be sufficient when dealing with the head of the Crane delegation. I would like an increase to Will 3 to be penned in somewhere in our future development plans. Stories of people who are very smart but weak willed tend to end badly. I am talking to you @Sirrocco , you bandwagon tamer. :)
  7. Awarness will not help us with ambushes, since Perception(2) and the skill Investigation(1) are for noticing them. We were lucky(or the bowman was bad at stealth) for us to notice him on time. Our worst case scenarion is a combination of ambush + poison. In that first moment our Reflex does not matter, since we do not see the blow coming, and with our Earth 2, poison is a real concern for us. That said, seeing as we are at court, someone slipping us poison is a lot more likely, as far as us getting poisoned goes. So we should probably grab Investigation(2) sonner or later.
  8. Spending 1XP on getting Medicine would be a worthvile effort. We could then roll 5k1 for Treat Wounds, help our boss recover faster, and be on hand if there are any further injuries or poisonings. Having Int 4, but no medicine seems like a waste. No need to keep it untrained, but like Sage and Crab hands, having Int 4, and at least 1 rank in an Int skill just seems logical. It will be too late to invest in the moment we need it, and it is only 1XP.
  9. See this:
    Maugan Ra said:
    *laughs*

    *checks notes on planned plot line developments*

    *laughs again*
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    That makes me think we are going to need Willpower 3. The last thing we want to happen is for us to lose our head in a critical moment. And we might want to look into Kenjutsu 3. Thus, my vote:
[X] Air
[X] Medicine 1 for 1XP.
[X] Investigation 2 for 2XP
[X] Bank 4XP.

Leaves us with 3 XP for Kenjutsu 3 if we need it and have time to spend XP in preparation. Like before the tounament.
 
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primemountain said:
Our role in any major battle is likely to be watching someones back, or staying well back and either directing(Tactician) or staying well back and informing (Observer, noting known weakness, recogniseing who the other side is and knowing their history and tactics.). If we ever go to war, we can pick up Engenering, so we can help design Sieges.
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... except this is court. There will be, by virtue of it being the winter, no wars; and even if there were we shouldn't find ourselves suddenly commanding anyone, though if we make a miraculous 5k4 Battle/Intelligence that might possibly shift some focus onto us. "Our role in a battle" doesn't matter because we are discussing personal confrontations, one-on-one; the latter we can expect by virtue of Naoto being our main character and a huge badass (and a proper Rokugani hero), whereas the former is not something I can see at all happening in the scope of the winter.

I can see a good argument for putting two points into Investigation, then blitzing for the next level of Intelligence before Perception, but I don't really get where you're coming from here. Or how you read that as us being 'seduced', or why there's anything wrong with an eighteen year old getting a tad caught up in flirting, moment to moment.
 
[X] Air
[X] Medicine 1 for 1XP.
[X] Investigation 2 for 2XP
[X] Bank 4XP.

Increasing our Investigation ability is good as we kinda of need that to do the task that the lion asked us to do. A basic knowledge of medicine is also good, Unless it conflicts with Sage.
 
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[X] Air
[X] Bank XP

I was looking at the advantage list earlier on and was wondering if they're still available for purchase? If so how would those with "per session" in them such as karmatic ties or lucky work in this game format?

Also an interesting intelligence ability to unlock would be divination, although depending on how the author presents it/readers perceive it it may be counter productive.
 
I do think that medicine would be fun to pick up sometime, just because we DO have this 'Man for all seasons' vibe going on, and I agree that having stronger willpower might be needed if we're going to be around temptation often.

And 'being in court' means being around temptation.

Random Person: You know battlefield medicine too?!
Naoto: It's just one of those things you pick up, you know?
 
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@Rook :That was a hypothetical situation. A question, if we were in a battle, what we would do?

On the subject of seduction, we are allready at that point where we feel so good about spending time with her, we have to actively remind ourselves that they are not our Ally. Which means we subconciouslly allready consider them an Ally, or we would not need to remind ourselves they are not.After two meetings. Two.

Now maybe that is just being in the moment, but this is a Crane. Court is their life. Just because you can not see her rolling the dice, does not mean she is not. Temptation is an Awarness skill. And her skill with it is such, we learned it. While she was using it on us. She was not teaching us Seduction. She used it on us and is so good at it, that just one afternoon of being under her ministrations got us the skill. So she is likely rolling something like 7k4 to our 5k2. And we have chosen to keep close to her.

I dislike it when I have to go all meta for an argument. :(
 
Rook said:
It also occurs to me that our overnight... whatever the fuck you wanna call this, people are going to notice. This is probably all at once A Very Good yet Very Bad Thing.
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"You can fly?!" "No! Jump good!"

Alternatively:
"You were holding back?!"
"... Yes?"
"That's not fair! I didn't know you were this good all along!"
"... Scorpion."

I don't think people are going to go from "He's much better at X thing I've only had a few days to observe (assuming I was paying attention only to him all the time) then I thought" to "Clearly he must have been blessed by the kami!" unless there's actually some kind of spiritual/magical mark on us that stands out to shugenja. Our fellow Scorpions might notice though, because they're more aware what we're capable of.
 
All right, I'm going to call the vote there, and we'll move on to the Festival of the River of Stars. Time for romance, including poetry, theater and all kinds of celebration.

Doji Mariko will be quite upset if you suddenly decline to take her anywhere nice.

Anyway, I'm fairly sure I can see a consensus in the votes, but could someone please count them up for me to make sure I got it right? Running them through that program would seem the easiest way.
 
First time using the program so... hope it is correct
edit. added primemountain
Vote tally:
##### 3.21
Vote tally:
##### 3.21

[X] Air
No. of votes: 19
Varano, Nix's Warden, A Nation's Virtue, Da Boyz, Sirrocco, Dirtnap, EricShin, Hello, Joyful_Overkill, Vanguard_D, Rook, Deliste, veekie, Bommelom, primemountain, BlackTitanOdin, Neptune, Broken25, racnor

[X] Acquire Kenjutsu 3
No. of votes: 1
A Nation's Virtue

[x] Save the XP
No. of votes: 7
Sirrocco, Dirtnap, EricShin, Hello, Joyful_Overkill, Vanguard_D, Deliste

[x] Void
No. of votes: 1
remulian

[x] Earth 3
No. of votes: 1
gman391

[X] Raise Kenjutsu to 3
No. of votes: 2
Rook, Bommelom

[X] Medicine 1 for 1XP.
No. of votes: 3
primemountain, BlackTitanOdin, racnor

[X] Investigation 2 for 2XP
No. of votes: 3
primemountain, BlackTitanOdin, racnor

[X] Bank 4XP.
No. of votes: 3
primemountain, BlackTitanOdin, racnor

[X] Bank XP
No. of votes: 2
Neptune, Broken25
 
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ups, my vote was formated wrong. I fixed it, but it does not change much. Just makes it 3 votes for medicine, invest and bank 4XP.

EDIT: So yeah. Definite Win for Air, and a 6 point lead in votes for banking the XP.

EDIT2:
Maugan Ra said:
All right, I'm going to call the vote there, and we'll move on to the Festival of the River of Stars. Time for romance, including poetry, theater and all kinds of celebration.

Doji Mariko will be quite upset if you suddenly decline to take her anywhere nice.
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Well of course we will. She is so nice and beautiful. Not to mention our teacher. Why would we not want to spend more time with her showing of the very skills she taught us? Who knows what could happen in such a romantic atmosphere? :whistle:
 
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4.01 - Festival of the River of Stars
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    • You jerk awake, breathing heavily and soaked in sweat. Outside your window, the sun's light is just barely beginning to illuminate the horizon, and you can hear the distant sound of Matsu warriors preparing for their morning training routine. You glance around quickly, almost frantically, but there is no sign of the old man or the dragon... if indeed they were ever there in the first place.

    Megumi-no-kami... Fortune of Heroic Guidance...

    No, that was real, in so much as anything glimpsed within the realm of Yumi-do can ever hope to be. You've never dreamt of being visited by a Fortune before, and nothing that has happened recently would give you reason to believe that it was a false vision inspired by events in the waking world. Besides, it had a ring of truth to it that you don't think you could fake, especially not within the confines of your own mind. For reasons of their own, the gods themselves saw fit to contact you in your dreams.

    That is... you do not have the words, and so instead you focus on the practicalities of the situation. For one, who if anyone you tell about this. Your instinctive response is to keep it secret - who would believe you, after all? Well, Bayushi Kimoko perhaps, but your superior has enough to deal with without wondering if her subordinate is drawing the attention of such supreme beings, never mind the possibility that he is simply mad. If the fortunes had commanded that you do something, then perhaps it would be different, for you would need permission before you could obey... but they seemed just generally interested in you.

    Truthfully, that scares you more than anything else you have ever experienced.

    Shaking your head, you rise from your sleeping roll and begin the process of cleansing yourself before you can get dressed for the day. You cannot allow this to render you paralyzed with indecision, and you still have a job to do.

    -/-

    Bayushi Kimoko studies you thoughtfully for a long moment as you stand awaiting your orders. Perhaps she can see something about you that is different, some after effect of your dream-vision that left its mark on your body or mind? Certainly you feel... different, in a way that is hard to describe. Your movements are more fluid, your thoughts fractionally faster, and there is a curious lightness within your chest that makes your body seem less weighty than before. All subtle things, hard to pinpoint, but there even so. It seems the Dragon's touch has awoken something within your spirit, and you don't know whether the thought you fill you with awe or dread.

    "I take it you have plans for today, Soshi-san?" You superior breaks the silence eventually, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. You nod seriously.

    "Unless you have orders for me, Bayushi-sama, I had intended to spend the day with Doji Mariko-sama." You say tentatively. "It seems... counter-productive, to allow the Festival of the River of Stars to pass us by."

    That earns you a low laugh, rich and genuine, and Bayushi Kimoko waves her fan at you in dismissal. "Go and enjoy yourself, Soshi-san. You are only young once, and this sort of thing should not be missed. Yogo-san, I take it you do not have similar plans?"

    "No, Bayushi-sama." Yogo Hanzo says quietly, his expression hidden by his full face demon-mask. "I have not yet broken my curse. As such, attending a festival celebrating love seems... unwise."

    You hide a wince before it can form, wondering just how differently your life would have gone if you had been born Yogo rather than Soshi. To know that falling in love would condemn you to betray that which you cared for the most... it is a grim fate your cousins labour under.

    Still,you have been dismissed, and there seems little more to say. You bow politely to your fellow Scorpions, then turn and depart.

    -/-

    You find Doji Mariko strolling along the perimeter of the castle, shading herself from the harsh winter sun with a delicate-seeming parasol. In contrast to your expectations, she seems to have dressed down for the ocassion, picking a relatively plain kimono of blue and white and eschewing any of the finer jewelry or makeup that she doubtless has in her possession. After a moment's thought, you make the connection to your own habitually understated garb, and wonder at her intentions. There are several messages one could take from such a choice, after all.

    "Soshi-san. A wonderful day, is it not?" The Crane samurai says with a soft smile, looking up at the skies - which are indeed crisp and clear, providing no obstruction to the light of Lady Amaterasu.

    "Indeed, Doji-sama. It seems a fine portent." You reply, moving closer while keeping enough distance to be properly respectful.

    "You know, I feel I will find it much harder to enjoy such a fine day if you insist on referring to me in such formal tones." Mariko says lightly, almost whimsically. "I think 'san' would be perfectly appropriate for everything outside of court itself."

    "Personally, I feel quite sure that any day spent in your company would be easy to enjoy." You say smoothly. "But if that is your wish, I shall be happy to comply, Doji-san."

    The samurai-ko laughs lightly at that, a delighted glitter in her eyes. "Flattery suits you, Soshi-san. Still, while I could spend all day listening to it and never tire, I feel I should ask if you have any more specific plans."

    "Indeed I do, Doji-san." You respond, for you have given the matter some thought. "I thought we might start..."

    Pick one:
    [ ] ...by attending a play
    [ ] ...by taking a walk where we can enjoy the landscape
    [ ] ...by visiting a tea-house
    [ ] ...by seeing the celebrations the local townsfolk are organizing.
    [ ] Write in

    QM's note - You can potentially do multiple things over the course of the day, since it is currently before midday and the Festival lasts until late into the night. This is a decision of where you want to start.

    Note also that you do not have to spend all day with Doji Mariko. She will feel rejected if you leave too soon, but you can always choose to go your separate ways for a few hours and then meet up later if you can think of something else you would like to do.
     
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    • [x] ...by attending a play
    to start with at least. We can certainly make a day of it, see a play goto a tea house and then spend a romantic evening under the stars (in the bitter winter cold) :V
     
    Edited
    First by the people (with the chance for another encounter with the killers)
    Them in a tea house, where we probably will find more delegates

    And last in the theater, so we can show ourselves to the Kakita
     
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