Into the Void (Legend of the Five Rings)
- Thread starter Hello
- Start date
- Fantasy
Emerald Oracle
Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force
- Location
- The Else
[X] Tell her to go in with an open mind and to stay sincere in the face of the challenges she faces. Reassure her that you are certain that she will do fine.
My favorite shoulder oni has solid reasoning as per usual. Curse the foul rationality of Jigoku!
My favorite shoulder oni has solid reasoning as per usual. Curse the foul rationality of Jigoku!
1.3 Journey Out Part 1
[X] Tell her to go in with an open mind and to stay sincere in the face of the challenges she faces. Reassure her that you are certain that she will do fine.
Hideo is quite confused at this point, Hitomi was a more than decent swordsman and he could not imagine her being unable to pass any trials that her gempukku involved. He put his cup down slowly, and ran his fingers through his hair while he thought about how he should answer. First he thought about telling her to avoid near-death experiences at the hands of psychotic blind men but not only would that be too confusing, but explaining the story would likely ruin any respect his newly obtained samurai-hood had gotten him.
The silence trailed on for an uncomfortable amount of time. He noticed that Hitomi was now sneaking glances at him from her prostrate position and it made his skin itch. Hideo opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again.
"Umm, you are thinking about this a little too hard..." he trailed off here as he valiantly searched for words. At this point she had started moving off the floor and had fixed him with another frightfully intense stare. "You are a good person, and..."
It occurred to him that the only thing that the Kami had asked of him was his opinion. Between the nearly fatal experiences and the dragonblood aided hallucinations Hideo had been asked to explain what lived in his heart and perhaps that was the most important thing.
"I think you should be yourself. When the time comes, walk up the mountain with an open mind and be true to what you are when challenges come your way. I have no doubt that in a years time we will be sharing tea again as family." Hideo finished his answer with a smile.
Hitomi blinked and then nodded. "Of course Hideo-san"
Hideo turned his face to contemplate the contents of his bowl. He hoped she had understood what he was trying to say but he was unsure if even he had understood.
"How is your sensei Hideo-san?" Hitomi had moved into the more comfortable cross legged position by now. Hideo was glad for an opportunity to shake off the latent awkwardness and replied back before asking a few questions about how things had gone the past few days. They talked about everything from the Tao to the difficulties of dealing with cryptic sensei until the second bell rang to signal the sun had passed its zenith at which Hideo made his exit, promising to meet for tea again sometime.
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[X] Meeting with your sensei
It was late the next evening when Hideo set out up the mountain to meet with his sensei for what could be the last time. As he left the well-worn dirt paths that marked the safe (for the wary) trails Hideo contemplated how that thought did not really bother him. 'Each has their own path in life and no one knows what the next bend might bring' was a favorite of his teacher and perhaps that explained the distance that existed between the two of them.
Hideo wanted to help people and see the world. His sensei had never directly said that he disagreed with Hideo's approach to enlightenment but once his dream had become clear his sensei had spent an awful lot of time dropping quotes about the wisdom of leaving things alone. Hideo had no doubt that his teacher would be less than thrilled to hear he was going off already but it was time.
The trail, if one was generous enough to call it that, was punctuated by short climbs up almost sheer mountain rocks that jutted out from the rock face but Hideo managed with the ease of long practice. He had gotten the feeling that his teacher deliberately set up his personal training area so far away from anyone else but Hideo knew better than to pry. Everyone else's teachers spent part of their time in the monastery and at least made an effort to be on hand if their students needed assistance. Hideo still remembered how the rocks at the bottom of the waterfall felt.
The stone beneath his feet quickly gave way to roots as the tall pines that dotted the mountain showed themselves. The view was nothing less than incredible with the contrast between the dark brown and black mountains that broke against the dark red sky. The sun had dipped below the crest of the mountain range and hues from the darkest of blues to the color of blood painted the horizon.
Hideo gave a soft sigh and turned into the small forest.
It was not hard to find his sensei by this point as the broken trees and blackened rock could lead anyone foolish enough to him. Hideo made sure to make enough noise to be heard before entering a clearing of recently decimated trees.
Togashi Fuku was laying on a large flat boulder benchpressing a pine tree. Fuku was not a very tall man which combined with the breadth of the muscles in his arms made him seem wider than tall. His hair was shaved and he had a single visible tattoo of a phoenix rising from its ashes upon the crown of his head.
As was his wont Fuku continued his exercises with the tree trunk while Hideo stood at the edge of the clearing in silence. Hideo knew that disturbing Fuku would only put off having the conversation he had come all this way to begin and so kept from bothering his sensei. When Fuku threw the tree a dozen feet in the air to land on the other side of the clearing Hideo cleared his throat and sketched a bow.
"Teacher, I have returned."
Fuku flipped off the rock with a grunt and rose to look at him. "I see. Did you learn anything up there?"
Hideo thought for a moment to find an answer that would make sense.
"I learned the truth in myself. The wind blows across the water which runs over the earth which is watched over by the sun. Everything is connected and I will play my part in this world." Hideo finished his answer looking out over the tops of the trees as the stars began to show themselves.
"Very well." His teacher looked up to the sky as well. "I assume you accepted a task that takes you off the mountain?"
"Yes. To the Lion lands." Hideo waited for his teacher's reaction. There did not appear to be one at first; they stood in silence as the stars began to brighten in the sky. Soon the moon poked its way up over one of the mountain ridges basking the clearing in a soft white light.
"Stay safe Hideo. The shadows contain more than can be seen from the light." Fuku reached into one of the pockets in his robes. "Here, if you meet a Lion samurai by the name of Matsu Shibou give her this."
Hideo walked over to take the letter that Fuku had fished out of his pocket. With that Fuku turned around and walked off further into the forest, leaving Hideo with the letter in the clearing. Hideo sighed once more and began the walk down to the monastery under the light of the waxing moon.
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Next update in a few hours. Sadly I have been sitting on this for weeks, mostly because Fuku is really hard to write and not come across as autistic as fuck.
Hideo is quite confused at this point, Hitomi was a more than decent swordsman and he could not imagine her being unable to pass any trials that her gempukku involved. He put his cup down slowly, and ran his fingers through his hair while he thought about how he should answer. First he thought about telling her to avoid near-death experiences at the hands of psychotic blind men but not only would that be too confusing, but explaining the story would likely ruin any respect his newly obtained samurai-hood had gotten him.
The silence trailed on for an uncomfortable amount of time. He noticed that Hitomi was now sneaking glances at him from her prostrate position and it made his skin itch. Hideo opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again.
"Umm, you are thinking about this a little too hard..." he trailed off here as he valiantly searched for words. At this point she had started moving off the floor and had fixed him with another frightfully intense stare. "You are a good person, and..."
It occurred to him that the only thing that the Kami had asked of him was his opinion. Between the nearly fatal experiences and the dragonblood aided hallucinations Hideo had been asked to explain what lived in his heart and perhaps that was the most important thing.
"I think you should be yourself. When the time comes, walk up the mountain with an open mind and be true to what you are when challenges come your way. I have no doubt that in a years time we will be sharing tea again as family." Hideo finished his answer with a smile.
Hitomi blinked and then nodded. "Of course Hideo-san"
Hideo turned his face to contemplate the contents of his bowl. He hoped she had understood what he was trying to say but he was unsure if even he had understood.
"How is your sensei Hideo-san?" Hitomi had moved into the more comfortable cross legged position by now. Hideo was glad for an opportunity to shake off the latent awkwardness and replied back before asking a few questions about how things had gone the past few days. They talked about everything from the Tao to the difficulties of dealing with cryptic sensei until the second bell rang to signal the sun had passed its zenith at which Hideo made his exit, promising to meet for tea again sometime.
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[X] Meeting with your sensei
It was late the next evening when Hideo set out up the mountain to meet with his sensei for what could be the last time. As he left the well-worn dirt paths that marked the safe (for the wary) trails Hideo contemplated how that thought did not really bother him. 'Each has their own path in life and no one knows what the next bend might bring' was a favorite of his teacher and perhaps that explained the distance that existed between the two of them.
Hideo wanted to help people and see the world. His sensei had never directly said that he disagreed with Hideo's approach to enlightenment but once his dream had become clear his sensei had spent an awful lot of time dropping quotes about the wisdom of leaving things alone. Hideo had no doubt that his teacher would be less than thrilled to hear he was going off already but it was time.
The trail, if one was generous enough to call it that, was punctuated by short climbs up almost sheer mountain rocks that jutted out from the rock face but Hideo managed with the ease of long practice. He had gotten the feeling that his teacher deliberately set up his personal training area so far away from anyone else but Hideo knew better than to pry. Everyone else's teachers spent part of their time in the monastery and at least made an effort to be on hand if their students needed assistance. Hideo still remembered how the rocks at the bottom of the waterfall felt.
The stone beneath his feet quickly gave way to roots as the tall pines that dotted the mountain showed themselves. The view was nothing less than incredible with the contrast between the dark brown and black mountains that broke against the dark red sky. The sun had dipped below the crest of the mountain range and hues from the darkest of blues to the color of blood painted the horizon.
Hideo gave a soft sigh and turned into the small forest.
It was not hard to find his sensei by this point as the broken trees and blackened rock could lead anyone foolish enough to him. Hideo made sure to make enough noise to be heard before entering a clearing of recently decimated trees.
Togashi Fuku was laying on a large flat boulder benchpressing a pine tree. Fuku was not a very tall man which combined with the breadth of the muscles in his arms made him seem wider than tall. His hair was shaved and he had a single visible tattoo of a phoenix rising from its ashes upon the crown of his head.
As was his wont Fuku continued his exercises with the tree trunk while Hideo stood at the edge of the clearing in silence. Hideo knew that disturbing Fuku would only put off having the conversation he had come all this way to begin and so kept from bothering his sensei. When Fuku threw the tree a dozen feet in the air to land on the other side of the clearing Hideo cleared his throat and sketched a bow.
"Teacher, I have returned."
Fuku flipped off the rock with a grunt and rose to look at him. "I see. Did you learn anything up there?"
Hideo thought for a moment to find an answer that would make sense.
"I learned the truth in myself. The wind blows across the water which runs over the earth which is watched over by the sun. Everything is connected and I will play my part in this world." Hideo finished his answer looking out over the tops of the trees as the stars began to show themselves.
"Very well." His teacher looked up to the sky as well. "I assume you accepted a task that takes you off the mountain?"
"Yes. To the Lion lands." Hideo waited for his teacher's reaction. There did not appear to be one at first; they stood in silence as the stars began to brighten in the sky. Soon the moon poked its way up over one of the mountain ridges basking the clearing in a soft white light.
"Stay safe Hideo. The shadows contain more than can be seen from the light." Fuku reached into one of the pockets in his robes. "Here, if you meet a Lion samurai by the name of Matsu Shibou give her this."
Hideo walked over to take the letter that Fuku had fished out of his pocket. With that Fuku turned around and walked off further into the forest, leaving Hideo with the letter in the clearing. Hideo sighed once more and began the walk down to the monastery under the light of the waxing moon.
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Next update in a few hours. Sadly I have been sitting on this for weeks, mostly because Fuku is really hard to write and not come across as autistic as fuck.
- Location
- Leeds
And whats wrong with that?
1.4 Journey Out Part 2
His departure from the monastery was unceremonious. After he woke up and finished his morning meditations it was a few minutes work to get his pack together and walk out to the gate that was at the front of the building. There was no one to see him off. Rouki was still on the trip with his sensei, Hideo had already told Hitomi his goodbyes, and Hideo knew better than to expect his sensei. Still he stood for a few moments outside the walls of the monastery feeling an uncomfortably strong desire to just walk back inside.
But there was little waiting for him there and a whole world to see just past the horizon. The sun had not yet decided to pass over the tops of the mountain ridge before he began on the path to the bottom of the mountain so the trail was dark and covered with fog. Soon enough he came to the fork in the road that signaled the edge of the monasteries control. To the left was the village at the bottom of the mountain, to the right would take him back up into the mountains to a path that ended well past the control of the Empire.
As he continued down the mountain side he took a few moments to appreciate the beauty that surrounded him. The pines which were initially as thick as thieves began to be pushed out by maple trees and oaks that would soon begin to bloom again. But for now everything was a snow covered paradise as the sun began to break through the trees and refract through the white fluff.
He passed by the village, little more than two dozen buildings hitched together with squat walls and thatched roofs, without seeing anyone he recognized. There was not much point in sticking around Hideo thought, everyone important had already been taken care of.
So it was that he passed by the village and began his journey out of the mountain range.
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It had been 3 days since Hideo had left the monastery and he had made good progress south. The directions Toro had given him had been short on details but Hideo felt that if he ever got lost that asking any passerby if he was still in Dragon country would solve that problem.
Speaking of passersby up ahead Hideo spotted two samurai standing at the front of a gorge that the trail leaned down into. The trail turned around the bend and out of sight while on either side of the gorge arose large rocks which dominated each side of the road. The samurai appeared to be staking out this spot, considering that it was the perfect spot to keep anyone from continuing along the road.
The first thing that Hideo noted about the samurai was the slouch that they had adopted against the sides of their trees. The second was the quality of their robes. Decked in deep green with the mon of the Mirumoto proudly displayed the samurai were wearing robes ill-fitted for travel on the open road and more suited for a place in a fancy court. Hideo was naturally curious about their presence and so hurried up to talk to them.
As Hideo made his approach the two samurai noticed him and straightened to stand in the middle of the road. Once Hideo had gotten closer he called out to them.
"Hail Mirumoto-san. It is good to see fellow travelers!"
The two samurai looked at each other and then turned to him with smiles. The one on the right had a scar across his chin that led all the way to his left cheek as well as short hair and very thin eyes. The other one's smile seemed to take up half his face and he seemed to have sustained a fresh injury to his hand. The one on the right replied.
"Greetings samurai-san, we were hoping to find someone soon. Back at our camp a few of our fellows are injured from fighting off bandits and need help getting to the next village. If you could come with us to assist we would be very grateful."
Right Samurai rolls ??? Awareness/Acting - 14
Hideo rolls 3k2 Preception/Investigation - 42
Now that Hideo was within half a dozen lengths from them he suddenly noticed there were several things wrong. First, any Dragon samurai would know what a Taoist looked like and would have called him by his family name. Second, the samurai on the left had put his hand on the tip of his handle, something no one with any training in swordplay would do. Third, neither of the samurai's robes fit them, the arms too long and the waist too wide for people of their size. Finally, Hideo had noticed that the entire time the samurai had been talking his eyes had maintained a cold, dead stare. Hideo was certain he was lying.
What do?
[] Go with the two samurai to see their 'injured'
-[] Write In
[] Sneak attack
-[] Write In
[] Run
-[] Write In
[] Something else
-[] Write In
Anyone who has questions about the terrain or feasibility of their plan should tag me.
Edit: I forgot to mention, being cryptic and shit is the bread and butter of monks. Probably not applicable in the current situation, but something to keep in mind when interacting with normal people.
But there was little waiting for him there and a whole world to see just past the horizon. The sun had not yet decided to pass over the tops of the mountain ridge before he began on the path to the bottom of the mountain so the trail was dark and covered with fog. Soon enough he came to the fork in the road that signaled the edge of the monasteries control. To the left was the village at the bottom of the mountain, to the right would take him back up into the mountains to a path that ended well past the control of the Empire.
As he continued down the mountain side he took a few moments to appreciate the beauty that surrounded him. The pines which were initially as thick as thieves began to be pushed out by maple trees and oaks that would soon begin to bloom again. But for now everything was a snow covered paradise as the sun began to break through the trees and refract through the white fluff.
He passed by the village, little more than two dozen buildings hitched together with squat walls and thatched roofs, without seeing anyone he recognized. There was not much point in sticking around Hideo thought, everyone important had already been taken care of.
So it was that he passed by the village and began his journey out of the mountain range.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It had been 3 days since Hideo had left the monastery and he had made good progress south. The directions Toro had given him had been short on details but Hideo felt that if he ever got lost that asking any passerby if he was still in Dragon country would solve that problem.
Speaking of passersby up ahead Hideo spotted two samurai standing at the front of a gorge that the trail leaned down into. The trail turned around the bend and out of sight while on either side of the gorge arose large rocks which dominated each side of the road. The samurai appeared to be staking out this spot, considering that it was the perfect spot to keep anyone from continuing along the road.
The first thing that Hideo noted about the samurai was the slouch that they had adopted against the sides of their trees. The second was the quality of their robes. Decked in deep green with the mon of the Mirumoto proudly displayed the samurai were wearing robes ill-fitted for travel on the open road and more suited for a place in a fancy court. Hideo was naturally curious about their presence and so hurried up to talk to them.
As Hideo made his approach the two samurai noticed him and straightened to stand in the middle of the road. Once Hideo had gotten closer he called out to them.
"Hail Mirumoto-san. It is good to see fellow travelers!"
The two samurai looked at each other and then turned to him with smiles. The one on the right had a scar across his chin that led all the way to his left cheek as well as short hair and very thin eyes. The other one's smile seemed to take up half his face and he seemed to have sustained a fresh injury to his hand. The one on the right replied.
"Greetings samurai-san, we were hoping to find someone soon. Back at our camp a few of our fellows are injured from fighting off bandits and need help getting to the next village. If you could come with us to assist we would be very grateful."
Right Samurai rolls ??? Awareness/Acting - 14
Hideo rolls 3k2 Preception/Investigation - 42
So this was supposed to be harder, but apparently you guys have spontaneously mantled Kitsuki, like holy shit.
Now that Hideo was within half a dozen lengths from them he suddenly noticed there were several things wrong. First, any Dragon samurai would know what a Taoist looked like and would have called him by his family name. Second, the samurai on the left had put his hand on the tip of his handle, something no one with any training in swordplay would do. Third, neither of the samurai's robes fit them, the arms too long and the waist too wide for people of their size. Finally, Hideo had noticed that the entire time the samurai had been talking his eyes had maintained a cold, dead stare. Hideo was certain he was lying.
What do?
[] Go with the two samurai to see their 'injured'
-[] Write In
[] Sneak attack
-[] Write In
[] Run
-[] Write In
[] Something else
-[] Write In
Anyone who has questions about the terrain or feasibility of their plan should tag me.
Edit: I forgot to mention, being cryptic and shit is the bread and butter of monks. Probably not applicable in the current situation, but something to keep in mind when interacting with normal people.
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- Location
- Moon-Station
[X] Go with the two samurai to see their 'injured'
-[X] "Of course. Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained." Let that sink in and be be ready for the moment they will attack. After a few moments of silence, tilt your head a bit and smile earnestly. "You have no idea who or what i am, do you? Tell me the truth and then i will tell you how i will aid you on your road to becoming one with the universe."
-[X] "Of course. Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained." Let that sink in and be be ready for the moment they will attack. After a few moments of silence, tilt your head a bit and smile earnestly. "You have no idea who or what i am, do you? Tell me the truth and then i will tell you how i will aid you on your road to becoming one with the universe."
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Fuku has PTSD, not autism.
[X] Sneak attack
-[X] Act like you are fooled, and approach, then perform an Iaijutsu strike on the right 'samurai'. Kill one to even the numbers, then disable the other for questioning.
They want to lure us into a trap and rob us. Better to take them out here, then investigate for a camp than to walk willingly into an ambush. These are bandits that robbed
Admittedly I'm not very familiar with the system.
Left samurai has a wounded hand, so he's the lesser threat. Cut down the right one in the opening blow, then turn to the other.
-[X] Act like you are fooled, and approach, then perform an Iaijutsu strike on the right 'samurai'. Kill one to even the numbers, then disable the other for questioning.
They want to lure us into a trap and rob us. Better to take them out here, then investigate for a camp than to walk willingly into an ambush. These are bandits that robbed
Admittedly I'm not very familiar with the system.
Left samurai has a wounded hand, so he's the lesser threat. Cut down the right one in the opening blow, then turn to the other.
keenscythe
No longer NEET
- Location
- WA, USA
[X] Sneak attack
-[X] Act like you are fooled, and approach, then perform an Iaijutsu strike on the right 'samurai'. Kill one to even the numbers, then disable the other for questioning.
-[X] Act like you are fooled, and approach, then perform an Iaijutsu strike on the right 'samurai'. Kill one to even the numbers, then disable the other for questioning.
- Location
- Moon-Station
I normally agree this would be the sensible thing... but we are a Paragon of Compassion?
keenscythe
No longer NEET
- Location
- WA, USA
A quick death, killing them before they can register Fear, could be construed as Mercy.
- Location
- Leeds
No.
Whats the normal attitude to bandits and peasants carrying katanas?
Whats the normal attitude to bandits and peasants carrying katanas?
Peasants are banned from carrying weapons without the permission of their lords (though the Crab have a blanket 'anyone can carry' policy due to being on the border with the Shadowlands) and the penalty is mostly death with some maiming going on. Katanas specifically would pretty much mean their death, though it should be noted that no samurai would ever think someone who was holding a katana was not a samurai.
Bandits are considered lower than trash and killing them is straight up encouraged by everyone in power in the Empire.
- Location
- Leeds
Then whats our assumption? That these are Ronin from another clan's lands?
Considering that they don't appear to know how to use a sword, that's unlikely:
They probably are bandits that somehow got the drop on a at least two Mirumoto and now are using the Mirumotos clothes and daishos to get the drop on travelers.
- Location
- Leeds
Probably but I'm asking for IC reasoning. We were basically straight up told that we wouldn't suspect someone with a katana to not be a samurai.
I assume even paperwork samurais have katanas, they just don't wear them.
In normal circumstances. Right now Hideo has every reason to suspect that they stole the clothes and the swords from someone(s) because he thinks they are selling a line of bullshit about being Mirumoto samurai. Even if they were ronin (which are much more common right now because the Clans have not even been established for two generations) then taking someone else's sword would still be a death sentence. The katana is seen as the soul of the ancestors, stealing one is like killing your grandparents.
- Location
- Leeds
[X] Call them out on their lies.
If I'm not mistaken Heimin have base stats of one in every attribute and we have a very strong narrative clue that neither of them have ranks in Kenjutsu. Since we've got reflexes of 3 they've got to beat an ATN of 25 on 1k1 with no exploding dice (untrained skill) that's quite a feat.
If I'm not mistaken Heimin have base stats of one in every attribute and we have a very strong narrative clue that neither of them have ranks in Kenjutsu. Since we've got reflexes of 3 they've got to beat an ATN of 25 on 1k1 with no exploding dice (untrained skill) that's quite a feat.